Chapter 251: Out and About

They didn’t deliberate long before accepting the Everrest Sect’s surrender, and almost immediately, new notifications flooded in—including a title. Alistair barely glanced at the wave of system windows before passing them off to Nessyra, who would handle the aftermath of the siege alongside representatives from Sol’s faction, set to take control of the territory.

He was still a little surprised at how quickly they had resolved the battle. After spending two weeks battling their way toward the heart of the sect, he had expected the siege to drag on for a while, with heavier casualties, followed by a drawn-out occupation and transfer of power. Fortunately, the system had provided a simpler means of enforcing the sect’s compliance, eliminating much of the expected complications.

Though, as he thought about it, this was very much in line with the system’s modus operandi. It encouraged challenge, strife, and conflict—but it also had a tendency to minimize unnecessary casualties among non-combatants whenever possible. And if they had been forced to attack the main sect proper, there would have inevitably been far more casualties on both sides.

At least they had avoided any serious losses. Satisfied that his role in the battle was over, he turned his attention to the new title.

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Titles:

Tier: [Rare]

Name: Siege Master

Effect:

Slightly enhances the effectiveness of siege weapons and machinery under your leadership while improving the efficiency of all skills related to siege warfare, barrier-breaking, and fortifications.

Origin: Awarded for successfully leading a siege against an enemy faction, forcing their unconditional surrender in less than a month.
This is an upgradable title.

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The effects were useful, and Alistair was certain this wouldn’t be the last Siege Event he took part in.

If he had to guess, a higher-tier version would likely require completing a siege in mere days—or even hours.

Turning to Riseth, he asked, "Looks like we’ve got a few days before our forces recover and are ready to move again. Do you want to rest, or would you rather delve into Nivareth or one of the other dungeons?"

Riseth hummed, her tail swishing lazily. "Relaxing for a bit is tempting," she admitted, "but I’d rather explore some of the surrounding planets. Finding treasures, beasts, and new dungeons—feels like a vacation without slowing down our progression too much."

Alistair smiled, wrapping an arm over her shoulder and bending down to plant a quick kiss. "Sounds like a great idea."

He knew the nebula had significantly slowed their explorers' ability to travel between worlds. The space fauna had only compounded the issue, often forcing their ships to retreat and wait for their jump drives to recharge, as they weren’t strong enough—nor well-armed or camouflaged enough—to fend off the beasts.

As a result, two of their crews had returned with heavily damaged ships and were now stranded at Rathos, waiting for repairs. Last he checked, they were using the downtime to train, determined to be better prepared for the next encounter.

Their crafters—especially James and the shipwrights—were constantly overloaded with work, leading to significant delays in upgrading their technology and vessels. They were drowning in a steady stream of new requests, from siege equipment and power armor to arrays and other high-priority projects.

Their magic and automata had been a major boon in keeping up with demand. To further ease the strain, they had traded a significant portion of the Coalition’s owed debt in exchange for advanced automation technology from both the Tok’eall and the Coalition as a whole. While this had certainly helped, the sheer volume of work continued to pile up, leaving their crafters stretched thin.

"I'll give the Beshin a call if you clear our plans with Nessy," Alistair offered.

"You got it." Riseth’s excitement was easy to pick up, even through the link.

He understood it well. They had been fighting and killing for quite some time—a change of pace, even a productive one, sounded like exactly what they needed.

Deciding not to waste time, he reached out to both Kujo and Nomura.

"Hey, you two. Riseth and I are planning to take a break by exploring for a bit. Our fighters could use some time to recover and recuperate beyond their usual rotation—if that works for you."

"That suits us well. Our warriors could use the rest, too," Kujo responded without hesitation.

"Agreed," Nomura added. "We had already planned to take some time to recover after the siege."

"Sounds good. I'm sure Nessyra will have some lucrative contracts lined up by then," Alistair mused.

"We'll stay in touch," Nomura assured him. "If our shinobi uncover anything of interest, you'll be the first to know."

Alistair smirked, slipping into a similarly formal tone. "Let us know when you have time to visit Rathos—we’d love the chance to return the hospitality you showed us."

Kujo let out a barking laugh, but it was Nomura who responded, her tone noticeably lighter. "Thank you. We’ll take you up on that offer."

Turning to check on Riseth, he found she had already finished her discussion. Alistair raised an eyebrow, his expression questioning.

"Sis agreed that we should slow down for a while, so we’re free to do as we please for about a month before she comes chasing after us," Riseth said with a smirk.

Alistair let out a low whistle. "Well, that was easier than I expected."

They made their rounds, ensuring their troops were taken care of and checking in with their friends before saying their goodbyes.

Once they lifted off in the Artemis, a fleet of troop transports passed them by, Sol’s sigil emblazoned on their sides. The ships descended from low orbit, heading straight toward the aftermath of the siege.

Riseth let out a sigh of relief. "Good thing we left when we did. I wouldn’t want to get caught up and have to decline one of Sol’s invitations."

"He's not even that bad of a host," Alistair remarked. "But I get it."

"It's fine when he's around, but I haven't forgotten the way his people treated us," Riseth muttered.

"Fair point," Alistair admitted with a grimace, letting his eyes wander over the displays. "Do you have a target in mind?"

"Yep," Riseth answered without hesitation. "Nice unexplored forested world—with a worm problem."

"Worm problem?" He raised a brow.

"Yeah, some kind of space fauna," she explained. "Surprisingly fast and numerous. They nearly ate one of our exploration groups—their ship was wrecked to hell and back. It was a miracle they managed to hold the beasts off long enough to escape."

Alistair exhaled sharply. "Exterminating worms wasn’t exactly on my wishlist… but maybe the world is worth it."

"It might be," Riseth acknowledged. "We also considered leaving the system alone and letting scouts and other explorers wreck themselves—but it's too close to the Ryse System. The odds of an independent or Coalition explorer dying in our proverbial backyard isn’t a good look."

Alistair hummed. "Yeah, too many unexplained deaths near our core system could cause problems."

Meanwhile, Riseth finished setting the coordinates, and a countdown appeared on the display—almost 40 minutes before the jump drive was ready.

"I feel like it’d almost be faster to jump to our system first and then hop again from there," Alistair commented as Riseth got up from her chair.

"Maybe," she admitted, her tail brushing against his cheek as she passed. "But after all that fighting, I’d rather take a shower. Care to join me?"

Alistair tilted his head slightly, watching her go. "Oh? Already skipping to the highlight of the day?"

Riseth shot him a predatory smile as she strode forward, her clothing disappearing in a seamless flicker. "Not necessarily."

Smirking, he pushed himself up from his chair and followed her toward the back of the ship.

They were almost too late to react upon arriving in-system, alarms blaring to life as the ship’s defenses automatically engaged the approaching horde of worms.

Alistair groaned in annoyance. "Maybe we should've picked another system and left these things for ship and fighter practice."

"Eh," Riseth shrugged, unfazed. "We’ve got plenty of systems for that. This works just fine for a second workout."

They disembarked swiftly, storing the craft just as the first of the worms came into view. However, worm wasn’t the term Alistair would have used. Their translucent bodies pulsed with visible streams of mana, flickering through them like currents of energy. Their heads, almost draconic yet too rounded, were lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth.

The threat from a single one wasn’t overwhelming, but as he took in the sheer number of them—hundreds already visible, with thousands surging in from all directions—his expression tightened. A quick Identify confirmed them to be [Mature Viccai - 151].

"That’s actually a pretty scary amount of strength for a swarm monster," Alistair noted, eyes scanning their rapidly approaching numbers.

Riseth smirked, her tail flicking behind her. "Don’t tell me the famous Forcebreaker is afraid of a few worms weaker than him."

Alistair chuckled at the name. Their bounties had skyrocketed ever since they began attacking the Syndicates in earnest, jumping from 200 million to 1.2 billion USC—a staggering leap. But they weren’t the only ones seeing rapid increases. As more bounty hunters and factions turned their attention to the Syndicates, the once-dominant criminal networks were being forced into deeper hiding. Large-scale raids and open warfare had given way to hit-and-run strikes and guerrilla tactics, a far cry from their former reach.

He pulled out his poleaxe, activating his buffing skills and letting the surge of power wash over him. For a moment, he considered summoning Viv but held back. They hadn’t trained her to fight in space, and while he wasn’t overly concerned, pulling her out without warning would be unpleasant. Instead, he sent her a message informing her of the situation and asking if she wanted to join the fight.

There was a long pause before he heard an audible yawn through the akashic link, "Fine, I'll come out and play,"

Viv appeared in a swirl of shadow and void magic, settling onto Alistair’s shoulder as she eyed the incoming worms. "Ew. Can I change my mind?"

Alistair scratched behind her ear. "Nope. I’m counting on you."

The magic within the hundreds of Viccai suddenly churned, an ominous shift rippling through the void. Alistair tensed, instincts flaring just before he and Riseth vanished—teleporting away as beams of pure, concentrated mana lanced through the space they had just occupied.

Brilliant flashes erupted across the battlefield, momentarily illuminating the space around them before the energy flickered and dissipated into nothingness.

Though Alistair barely spared the scene a thought, his focus entirely on the battle, he threw himself into the fray, wielding every ounce of his Kinetic Combat mastery as he tore through the translucent swarm. His Battle Spheres fired as fast as they could cycle, each blast carving through the mass of writhing bodies, while his poleaxe sent shockwaves rippling outward, tearing through the creatures in droves.

The sheer force of his strikes dismembered any Viccai that dared to swarm him, their blood and viscera splattering outward before drifting weightlessly into the void.

Annoyingly, most of them refused to die outright. Those that survived his strikes writhed and twisted, attempting to reform—until Viv picked up the slack. Beams of plasma arced from her spot on his back, incinerating whatever vital parts remained intact.

"If any of that gets on my fur, I’m blaming you!" Viv yelped over the Akashic Link, her voice sharp with nervous energy.

Alistair couldn't help but laugh.

"That’s not funny!" she huffed. "My fur is black and pristine, just as my momma bestowed upon me, and I don’t want monster guts tainting it."

"You could just absorb it all," he pointed out, continuing his charge as more of the creatures swarmed toward him.

"Again. Ew," Viv snapped. "I am not absorbing those things. What if their essence taints my magic?" She shuddered audibly. "Or worse—what if it lingers?"

Alistair felt her ethereal form press against his back, practically recoiling at the thought

With a grunt, he cleaved another worm in half before rocketing away, watching as the creatures nearly collided in their pursuit before writhing together into a chaotic mass and giving chase.

Viv hissed through the Akashic Link, lashing out at one of the Viccai that got too close. Her claws sliced it clean in half, but the moment of triumph was short-lived.

Disgust immediately overtook her satisfaction.

Eugh! Alistair felt her ethereal form shudder violently as she flicked her paw over and over, as if trying to shake off an invisible piece of tape.

He smirked but didn’t slow, keeping his focus on the battlefield. The swarm was thinning, but Alistair knew that this could take a while.

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