“Perhaps you think it's foolish that I selected a baker as my Vanguard to protect humanity from a bunch of aliens. Pfft, you're not seeing the big picture. The universe is the most imaginative bitch in the room, and sometimes you need a little spice to live up to the hype. Just wait until you see what some cinnamon and a fucking rolling pin can do.”
~ Skrzyd?o aka “Wing”, Vanguard Cinnamon Stick’s AI Companion
Normally, hearing voices in your head gets you sent on a grippy sock vacation. Honestly, after what just went down, that felt like it might be a nice break from everything. Because I’m pretty sure I did not just become a Samurai.
It appears that there’s been some confusion. Bet you’re probably thinking something like “why me?” I’ll happily explain it to you later if you want, but why don’t we patch up those gashes in your arm and leg?
“Uhhhhhhhh,” I said, rather unconvincingly.
You are currently sitting on a reasonable 140 points. The Welcome to the Vanguard Bonus provides a sick 100 points , and the Model 3s yield 40. Personally, I would suggest unlocking the Class I Medical Utilities Catalog for 50 points so you can purchase the Nano-Regenerative Suite for another 20. This would bring your total down to 70 points, which is just enough to get you a weapon!
Right. A proper weapon would be something I needed moving forward. With a start, I looked around a bit frantically for what was left of my knife. I found that the handle had rolled to rest against the curb near my foot.
Picking up the remnants of a dream, let out a heavy sigh. “Let… let’s take things from the top. Starting with what your name is, because it sounded like a made-up word.”
Pfft. All words are made-up.
“Right, well yours sounds even more made-up than normal. Is it from some far away star system?”
Not unless you count Poland as a faraway star system.
“It’s Polish!?” Incredulity oozing from me. “If that’s the case then why just not use English? What does it even mean?”
“You could look it up, you know. You should also consider stemming the bleeding you’re doing.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. What was it I should get?”
The Nano-Regenerative Suite. Stops bleeding. Heals wounds. Excellent choice.
“Fine, let's do that.”
Class I Medical Utilities Unlocked!
Points reduced to… 90
New Purchase: Nano-Regenerative Suite
Points reduced to… 70
A small white plastic box appeared next to me. Flipping the lid open to see what was inside, I found a strange looking inhaler. “I’m guessing I just… inhale… this?”
You didn’t even need my PowerPoint presentation to use it! Which is good since we’re not sponsored.
With a giggle, I brought the device up and took a deep breath. It felt like my lungs were being turned into burned sugar. It was not fun.
Dropping the empty inhaler, my body tried to cough up the nanites. However, the feeling soon passed and was replaced with a tingling sensation that coursed through my body. It took a second, but I noticed that the steady rhythmic dripping of blood had stopped.
Looking down, I saw the wounds knit themselves back together through my somewhat shredded shirt and leggings. It was somewhat surreal to watch. “Huh. That’s different,” I muttered.
The nanites will work to repair the damage until they run out of power. Then, they’ll be flushed from your system.
“Okay. That’s kinda cool, I think?” I scanned the street, no one. I stood, stretched, and hissed at how everything ached. Time to move.
“That being said, I’m still not done with the name you apparently chose. I’m not saying that. What does it translate to?”
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
There was a slight pause, which had to be artificial. An AI would have already had an answer ready to go. I was starting to suspect that my new friend might have a flair for the dramatics. At least the pause gave me a moment to check around a corner and see some signs marking that the entrance to the shelter was just down a side street.
It translates to “Wing.”
“Why couldn’t you have just gone with that? Why have this convoluted scheme to call yourself ‘Wing’ in a different language?”
“Wing” doesn’t fit the naming conventions set forth by the Protectors. Not unless I wanted to call myself “Wyng” which is just silly.
“Alright, I’ll call you ‘Wing’ then.”
It’s a pleasure to formally meet you, Ms. Ambrosia.
“And you as well. I think.” I said with a chuckle. “Why pick the name ‘Wing’ anyway? Don’t you have the entirety of every species out there to pull from?”
I do, and while I am using Earth-equivalent terms, I actually pulled this from a vibrant and somewhat peaceful race that was focused on building their own version of a utopia. There was a baker there whose name translated to “Divine Heavenly Foods and Delights.” Which in English, is also known as “Ambrosia”.
This creature had a love for food preparation and even received recognition from their reigning monarchs for their talents. The technicolored creature also had a partner named “Flying Teacher of Kindness”. To simplify it, they were often referred to as “Wing” for their namesake appendages.
“Huh. That… makes sense?” I muttered.
I didn’t have much time to ponder this further as I approached the shelter and felt relief flood through me at seeing the closed door.
“Well, at least they got the door closed in time. Let’s go see if they’ve got room for one more.” I said as I approached the control panel.
I pressed the speaker. Silence. Tried again. Still nothing. Flipped to the screen. My stomach dropped. Feet on the monitor. Lifeless. M-3s patrolled among them.
“Wing, are… are you able to cycle through the camera?” I asked, my voice quiet and distant sounding in my own ears. The world pressed down on me as I tried to brace myself for what I knew I would see.
Since these cameras are all linked to the control panel, I can cycle through them. However, if you wanted to hack into cameras directly, then you would need a cyberwarfare software suite for me to jack the feed.
As the cameras cycled through, I felt the silence press down on me. Even the birds stopped their songs as if they knew what had happened. It was what I feared. A lot of dead humans and all too many alive M-3s.
This was supposed to be safe. A shelter. If I hadn’t fought… if I hadn’t stumbled… I’d be one of the bodies inside.
I had to fight back the rising spiral of fear. Panic wouldn’t help anyone right now.
“Are you able to open the door from this side?” I asked, a tremble in my voice.
It shouldn’t be a problem. The Cascadian Shelters have a built-in system for Vanguard to gain entry.
“Then I think I’m going to need that weapon,” I mutter to my eternal tag-along.
Certainly. Would you prefer shooting, stabbing, or bludgeoning? While you can’t afford more than one Class I Weapons Catalog, you do have enough to unlock one and get a few weapons from there.
“I’m not really sure. I’ve had some basic training with pistols and shotguns, but eviscerating the monsters with a knife was cathartic. Not sure about the bludgeoning though.”
An idea quickly took shape. “As much as I want to stab things and get some really sharp knives, I think I’ll need some form of armor to prevent, or at least reduce the damage from the xenos.”
That’s the kind of thinking we need! A bit of caution now and, before you know it, you’ll be slicing through aliens like they’re butter.
With a slight chuckle chasing off some of the tension I was feeling, I said “Thanks. I needed that. Let’s look at guns. Is there a catalog that will let me get shotguns and pistols?”
There are, but those often fall into more racial catalogs and are currently out of your price range. I do have one in mind though when you get enough points. It’s from a race called the Dawn Climbers that focuses on the ‘Flavor of Life’ as they call it. A species that can perhaps pair well with a baker.
“I think let’s look at pistols for now. While I’m not the greatest, I do know how to at least fire them.”
A good starting point. You’ll have 20 points available to you after unlocking the catalog. How many would you like to invest in a weapon?
“Let’s call it 15 so that I can get a few additional magazines as well, please.”
I should let you know that each additional magazine will cost you two points. Would you like to get a couple more right now or wait?
“Give me two.”
Catalog Unlocked: Class I Kinetic Handguns
Points reduced to… 20
New Purchase: “Piping Tip” Mk 1
Points reduced to… 5
New Purchase: .45 Armor Piercing Magazine x2
Points reduced to… 1
The box dropped into my hands. My pulse quickened. I eased the beautiful pistol into my right hand (my good hand), magazine in the left. Pulled the slide, locked it, seated the mag. Round chambered.
Taking a deep breath, I slid the other two magazines into the waistband of my leggings. Gripping the weapon in my right hand, I nodded and said “Open it.”
Discord for that!
