The Systemic Lands

Chapter XIII – Day 252 – The Lady of the Night, Nox

Ruth/Nox

Nope. I thought Michael was bad, but this guy had gone completely off the deep end straight too crazy town, population one Ritualist. But it no longer mattered, I had everything that mattered. The crystal powder method was now mine.

Just put a crystal in some liquid and poke the liquid. The guy had to prep all his monsters in preparation for the attack, muttering about his ideas and theories. He didn’t think I could hear, but I could hear and spied on him. I hadn’t known about the negative energy, which was why I had pressed for that information. Also, to not appear suspicious before I made my escape.

I didn’t know his summoning method and would hold off for now. His mental state was clearly deteriorating. I felt confident I could figure out summoning based on crystal powder, blood powder, and negative energy. I had also seen how he had made hybrids. The man was too casual with his secrets.

I had been worried for a while and hopeful he would kill Michael. But his failure only compounded my decision to abandon the Ritualist. Then he started making hybrids, the man was clearly insane. I had no doubt that if I stayed, I would be turned into one of his pet projects. I was not about to let that happen.

I was leaving New Cairo, or Heaven as it was now called. The Ritualist was the perfect distraction for Michael. I had no doubt he was already thinking of how to capture and salt the Ritualist. I needed to lay low and grind up enough crystals for my stats so I could avoid being found and survive a confrontation.

Purgatory was completely out. That left Truth, Neo Brasilia, or the new city Esperanza to the far West. Well, it appeared I was about to go on a journey. I didn’t speak Spanish, but that didn’t matter. I didn’t speak Arabic and I still managed to accomplish what I wanted in this city before leaving.

I had rounded up the four of the younger men in the city who spoke English the last time I came here.

Farouk, Habib, Hamid, and Shakir were the best of the lot I had found. Before this city was a mess with people struggling and fighting. It was nowhere as bad as Truth. Still, it was an opportunity. I entered the building I had told them to prepare in.

The cart we had come here was moved to the building and was loaded up with supplies. Good, they managed to retrieve when the Ritualist locked himself away and was distracted with his pets. I would need to watch out for the mental impact of his techniques, with the way he was acting.

“Lady Nox, the cart is prepared as you ordered,” Hamid said. The oldest and the leader of the group when I wasn’t present. I had decided the on the mask and the name a while ago to stay off Michael’s radar. I had been hoping to avoid using them in Purgatory, but there was no choice.

The only one left who truly knew my identity for sure was the Ritualist and that man had more loose marbles than a marble factory. The chance he had Michael would ever talk peacefully was zero, so my secret of helping the Ritualist was safe. “The man you brought, he was killing people with monsters,” Shakir said.

“Yes, he is the second most dangerous person that I know of. The most dangerous person will be coming here soon to kill him. Anything else Shakir?”

“No Lady Nox.” I nodded.

“What is the plan, Lady Nox?” Farouk asked.

“We head West to the city of Esperanza. Avoid the fallout that is about to impact this place. From there we will grind up as many crystals as possible, with our sights on level 3 monsters in the future. Any other questions?”

They all shook their heads. Melting a couple people was a great way to get people in line. I had to thank Michael the next time I saw him for that idea. Well, better not to see him ever again. That was one meeting I would like to put off forever if possible.

“Also, no one talks about this place or the Ritualist.” My eyes glared at them from behind my mask.

“Yes Lady Nox,” they all replied. There was a scream in the distance. That was just another nail in the coffin that I needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

“We aren’t even going to stay the night. We will adopt a formation while traveling. Habib will be pulling the cart. Farouk to my left, Shakir to my right, and Hamid at the rear. I will rotate positions as I see fit to give each of you a turn fighting monsters. The level 2 monsters are a step up in difficulty, but the crystals are worth it. Let’s get the cart out of the building.”

They carefully maneuvered the cart out of the doorway, and we set off. I was going to survive this place no matter what it took. I was still annoyed about how the situation with Michael had played out and the disappearance of Tom.

He would have been useful to have on my side. I considered stopping by Truth to see if he was there, but it wasn’t worth the risk. I had no doubt those bastard skill users were raping women to death again. I wanted to think that the Ritualist was better, but after what he did to those people, death would have been my first choice.

The Ritualist was a lost cause anyways. I noted how none of his monsters returned to him after we left Purgatory, and he didn’t share any news. That meant he most likely had a range limitation. That was another reason to put as much distance between me and him.

I looked at the young men I had brought under me to form a team. They had some issues, but were all unattached, willing to work hard, and listened. Killing off several people who complained in front of them, quickly conveyed the message that listening to me was the best chance for living.

Then I gave them the carrot instead of the stick. Skills from the nearby dungeons. Unlike Michael, I would look to form a team based on synergy, based around me. I would have each of them specialize in at least one area.

It would be a risk if someone was killed, but I learned enough under Michael about the layout of the Systemic Lands I wasn’t that worried. The only thing was the level 4 monster and why it had shown up near him.

No matter what I had tried, I had been unable to get information about that. There was a lot of guesswork, but everyone had been tight lipped, even Tyrese, while I had been in Purgatory. It was incredibly frustrating to be stonewalled in every direction.

I knew it was Clarissa, that bitch. She was protected for now, but if she ever mis-stepped or there was a chance, I was going to kill her. She had been one of the people informing me in Purgatory, but when she went under Michael’s wing, she dropped all contact with me. She thought she could just walk on in and do whatever she wanted? What an ladder climber, probably climbing all over Michael.

While I knew he gave the order to have me killed, she was probably the one to arrange that Union team to come after me. But I could wait and be patient. Afterall, Michael was sure immortality was a thing. That meant I had time to get the power I needed and take Purgatory for myself to save my family.

I already had a person checking over the census notes, but I needed more people, which meant more crystals for bribes. I wouldn’t let my children suffer in this place, no matter what. I had to control everything to ensure they wouldn’t be killed by some idiot like the Ritualist right away if they ever showed up.

With the confirmation that the cities were pulling people from different areas of Earth, I had to have a presence in Purgatory. I had never told their names to Michael, but if they started asking around for me. Who knows what might happen?

Better that I had people in place to rescue them before anything happened. It would take time and possibly another skill, but I had no doubt I would be able to get back into Purgatory and sort things out. That was the big reason I had taken on a mask and the title of Lady Nox, to put one more layer of misdirection between Michael and me. I would prefer more layers. Since the man was single minded in the extreme.

I couldn’t let the happy memories distract me. While my team was alright, they weren’t a well-oiled machine yet. Also, we were still in range of the Ritualist. Thinking he could control me! Dream on.

“Lady Nox, I don’t sense any pursuit,” Habib said with his eyes glowing for a brief moment. He was focused on Perception and had a skill that complimented that focus.

“Good, we need to leave as quickly as possible,” I replied as we continued to hurry out of Heaven. What an atrocious name. That was one thing Michael and the Ritualist had in common, terrible naming sense.