Zavier cleaned up an early dinner, packing some up in a container for Tess. Spaghetti with garlic bread was a staple comfort food in their house and he knew she'd need something filling and warm when she was ready to come out. That finished, he grabbed the walkie and suited up with his tool belt and its mismash of items.
"Alright kids, I'm headed over to Owen's place. I told your mom I'd stay there until she was ready so I may be there overnight. Just give me a call on this if you need anything," he waved the walkie at them. "Don't go outside for any reason."
A thought occurred to him as he remembered their screens. "Also, I'm assigning you homework." Their groans were delicious.
"Cass, you're on a good trajectory towards improving your defensive skills. Luna, you don't really have any sort of path laid out yet - The System isn't sure what to do with you. So you two need to stop with the video games and start leveling each other up."
"Cass, your homework is to practice the different types of defenses you think you may need out there. Put Luna behind you, to the side, in front - from all those directions you're to try and protect her." He rummaged around in their junk drawer until he found a tennis ball that he was pretty sure had been there longer than he'd owned the house. "Throw this against the wall and aim it to come back and hit you. Cass, you have to try to block it from hitting her. Use your hands for now, don't try to maneuver the shield in the house."
"Luna, while he's doing that you're going to try attacking around him with different types of weapons. You need to get a feel for something that you can use. I don't care what it is as long as it does damage."
"Once you've done that for at least an hour I want you to switch it up. Luna, you are going to try to hit Cass with the tennis ball. Cass, you're going to try to dodge it. I don't want you trying to catch it, we already know you can do that. I want you to get so good at dodging that it's instinctive. In fact, Luna, you should try to hit his feet. And then Cass you'll try to hit hers. You two got it?"
They both nodded with the expression every parent knew meant that they'd absolutely be ignoring everything they were just asked to do.
"I can see your data," he reminded them. "I'll know if you didn't do it."
They groaned again as he walked out the door.
Zavier stepped into the driveway and made his way to the cul-de-sac. An Arcane Scamperer appeared and ran straight at him but Zavier's machete flashed out and it was beheaded before it stopped moving. He watched the energy leave it and willed it not to turn into an item. He saw the remaining points of energy sitting there waiting to be directed. He was about to move it into himself when he felt it pulling another direction. He pulled a silvery object out of his pocket and watched as the energy disappeared into it. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten about this! He quickly identified it.
Item Name: The Architect's Pen
Type: Arcane Artifact
Origin: Gifted by the Architect, a mysterious entity within The System.
Description: The Architect's Pen appears unassuming, a simple silver writing instrument with an ethereal glow barely visible under its surface. However, it is a potent artifact with profound capabilities linked directly to The System. Initially designed to aid in the navigation and understanding of The System's vast complexities, the pen holds the potential to evolve and expand its powers.
Zavier could tell that there was additional data he wasn't able to see, something that was either meant for later discovery or that was meant for System power users. He pushed through the initial level of data and was rewarded for it:
Potential: While currently constrained by the wielder's understanding and capacity, the pen's true power is dormant, waiting to be unlocked through mastery and exploration of The System.
Warning: The full scope of The Architect's Pen's capabilities is not yet known, and its use may attract attention or provoke challenges from within The System. Wielders are advised to proceed with caution, balancing the pursuit of power with the readiness to face the consequences.
Zavier smiled as he noticed there were some features he could activate immediately. He toggled the first.
Recall activated: This pen currently belongs to Zavier Torres and can not be taken from him by anyone with an intelligence score lower than his. If the pen is dropped, lost, or stolen it can be recalled with a mental command.
There was only one more thing he was able to change and he did that with a childish grin.
Name change activated: "Architect's Pen" has been changed to "Sonic Screwdriver."
Zavier laughed and tossed it in the air, mentally recalling it into his hand before it could reach its zenith. He tucked it into his pocket and walked towards Owen's side door.
He approached what used to be Owen's house, but which could no longer rightfully be called just that. It had definitely evolved into a compound and was approaching the status of a castle. The entire perimeter of his property was enclosed by a smooth wooden wall that tilted outward at an angle, making it difficult for anything to scrabble up it. He could see that the wall itself had no cracks or seams, just smooth, unbroken wood all around. It was evident that this used to be wood paneling - the individual panels were clearly visible, but a closer inspection revealed that the individual panels had been melded together into a single wall somehow. How had he missed this? This is what I get for only going out at night and always running straight to the back yard, he thought.
He scanned the wall in amazement, then froze as he saw what was spaced out across the top of the walls: steampunk-style guns that had all swiveled and were clearly facing him. He froze, afraid to take another step forward. He identified one of the guns, happy to see that his new skills allowed him to get clear information on them despite not having seen them before.
Chemical Spray Turrets: Created through the combined efforts of an Enhancement Engineer and a Battle Alchemist, these turrets are strategically placed around the perimeter. They discharge a paralyzing chemical mist that incapacitates intruders, providing crucial time for defensive actions.
He saw that another type was interspaced between those turrets.
Automated Steam Cannons: A result of collaboration between a Gadgeteer's steampunk-inspired design and a Battle Alchemist's chemical innovations, these cannons launch heated metal scraps. They are mounted on mobile platforms for optimal defense coverage and are supercharged to inflict maximum damage.
He wondered how they even detected him but got his answer when he scanned the bottom of the wall and saw small rods evenly spaced around it.
Vibrational Ground Sensors: Through the integration of advanced structural integrity analysis by an Enhancement Engineer and the defensive enhancements of a Defensive Architect, these sensors detect approaching threats by their vibrations. This system automatically triggers alarms or activates other defensive measures.
He realized that he'd likely be blasted by those turrets if he got too close, so he decided to 'ring the doorbell,' so to speak. Using the handle of his hatchet, he tapped out 'shave and a haircut' on the pavement and waited. A minute or so later a seam appeared in the wood in front of him and a door swung out of the previously solid barrier. Owen gave a quick look around then waved Zavier in.
Zavier stepped through the wall and froze, his jaw literally dropping open. Owen owned about 10 acres of property that encompassed two houses next to each other and a few acres of the woods behind the house. They'd cleared out most of the trees and the smooth wooden structure ran the length of the perimeter. Now Zavier understood where they got the wood for the fence. If they'd armed the front of the property, the back was practically overgrown with defenses. Zavier saw that turrets covered the wall more heavily towards the woods and that the entire deforested property was covered in small rods that were evenly spaced.
Around the house and garage additional structures had sprung up. These were open-sided structures that didn't serve much purpose other than to work as roofed workspaces. Zavier could see Owen's wife, Chloe, walking through their raised gardens, picking various items and placing them into a basket she held at the crook of one elbow. Their 19 year old son, Jason, was at a set of sawhorses smoothing out wood planks and shaping the wood by moving his hands over the wood in patterns. Zavier was amazed to see the wood flatten out and smooth without Jason needing to physically touch the wood itself.
Madison, their 16 year old daughter, was sitting cross-legged under one of the structures, looking for all the world like a scrap dragon that had spent its life collecting random pieces of junk metal, plastic, and wood. She was tinkering with different pieces, attaching and disassembling them in seemingly random ways.
"What do you guys have going on here?" Zavier asked in awe.
"Been busy," Owen said as he walked past Zavier up to the long table that was on what used to be an open deck. They both sat down and Owen passed Zavier a stein of porter and a cigar. Even before The System, the magic of this place was that no matter when you showed up, Owen had an open glass, pitcher, or stein of beer ready for you to take. Once they'd sat, lit their cigars and taken the first sips of beer Owen continued. "Figured the first step would be to make ourselves safe. We weren't planning on doing a lot of fightin', so we fenced everything in and started hitting them with rifles. Then we'd take turns between the kids covering me while I worked on the defenses and vice-versa. O'erall we got a lot of buildin' done quick that way and the kids gained some pretty useful skills while they were doing it."
That raised Zavier's eyebrow. "Mind if I cast Inspect on them to see their levels?"
Owen shrugged and waved his hand noncommittally. Zavier scanned them all and his jaw dropped again. His new understanding of The System even let him see what skills they currently had and the ones they were about to break through on.
Madison Bouchard (Level 8): Gadgeteer
Skills and Abilities:
Steampunk Contraptions (Active): Designs and assembles various steampunk-inspired devices and weapons that blend functionality with artistic flair. Mechanical Adaptation (Active):Skilled in modifying and repurposing found objects into new, useful mechanical devices. Automaton Construction (Inactive): Proficient in building semi-autonomous machines that aid in defense and daily operations around their compound. Specialization: Madison thrives in crafting devices that are both ornamental and practical, such as a steam-powered turret that doubles as an electrical generator. Survival Strategy: Her inventive mechanical devices add a layer of unpredictability to their defenses, capable of surprising attackers with novel countermeasures.
Jason Bouchard (Level 7): Defensive Architect
Skills and Abilities:
Enhanced Construction (Active): Excels at rapidly building durable structures, significantly accelerating construction projects. Reinforcement Aura (Active): Can augment the durability and resilience of structures he actively works on, ensuring their longevity against assaults. Load Distribution Mastery (Inactive): Intuitively optimizes structural load distribution, enhancing the efficiency and stability of constructions. Specialization: Jason's expertise lies in swiftly erecting and enhancing fortifications, ensuring their compound remains impervious to external threats. Survival Strategy: His rapid response capabilities in reinforcing and repairing defenses minimize vulnerabilities, maintaining the integrity of their stronghold even under siege.
He turned to look at Owen's wife.
Chloe Bouchard (Level 5): Battle Alchemist
Skills and Abilities:
Chemical Warfare (Active): Capable of concocting a variety of defensive chemical compounds like smoke screens and corrosive barriers to protect her family. Medicinal Synthesis (Active): Proficient in creating medicinal concoctions and antidotes, essential for treating injuries or adverse effects from encounters. Material Enhancement (Inactive): Applies chemical processes to bolster the strength and effectiveness of materials used throughout their stronghold. Specialization: Chloe's history as a chemist has given her distinct advantages in preparing defensive and healing compounds to ensure the family's protection and rapid recovery from confrontations. Survival Strategy: Her expertise in chemicals plays a crucial role in their defense, allowing them to fend off assaults and mitigate the aftermath effectively.
So great was his shock that he couldn't even respond with words. He just slowly turned to Owen and cast Inspect on him.
Owen Bouchard (Level 5): Enhancement Engineer
Skills and Abilities:
Structural Integrity Analysis (Active): Employs advanced engineering principles to assess and fortify buildings, ensuring they can withstand both attacks and environmental challenges. Fortification Mastery (Active): Possesses expert knowledge in erecting defensive structures that are robust yet flexible, allowing for rapid deployment or disassembly as needed. Resource Recycling (Inactive): Demonstrates a knack for reutilizing and repurposing materials, a vital skill in maintaining sustainability within their fortified compound. Specialization: Owen has become adept at defensive architecture, transforming their home into a secure compound equipped with traps, concealed exits, and robust safe rooms. Survival Strategy: Through strategic design, Owen has fortified their residence into a stronghold capable of repelling invaders, incorporating automated defenses that utilize sustainable energy sources.
"Holy shit, Owen," Zavier said in shock. "I can't believe how strong you all are! And you've already gotten some skills. I have a skill that lets me see deeper into The System's data and it looks like all four of you are about to break through into another skill really soon. How did you guys do all of this?"
Owen took another sip of his beer and sighed with contentment, eyes looking over his property with pride. "The levels mostly came quick because of how many beasties the wall defenses can take out in a night. That fence covers a lot of area now, so there's plenty of things attackin' all night long. That nets us a lot of experience without having to do much. As for the rest, it's just a lot of doin'."