Holy Tier II Level S!

"Clearly it was a setup," I explain again.

Still trying to express how I was set up by the system to take on the five most deadly tasks for our world at least, to compete in. This was both due to our lack of technological prowess and advancement, along with the lack of proper resources that could fully create a vacuum tight space suit that would be able to both withstand air and space combat, possibly self-repair, and be able to help me mechanically maneuver around and fight against people who spent their entire existence either fighting in space battles, or preparing for space battles.

Though, given the insurmountable obstacles in front of me, I had to admit that I was rather excited to see where this could all go. Just as I had this thought, Penelope chimes in and lets me realize she, as always, is right there by my side.

"It's okay, we know you get a hunch and go with it, sometimes even doubling down, even when it is wrong, at first. Just to make it right by how much you both believe in it and then how much effort you put into completing your seemingly impossible mission," Penelope states.

Hearing her words, I cannot help but feel inspired by her. Just the way she is always there, always ready to help, that and the fact that she wasn't one of the first to jump ship, knowing that her knowledge would easily grant her a few world's first achievements on any of the core worlds, or Tier 1 Apron planets that we are now pitted against. That was the type of Enchanter and Tailor that Penelope was, the ability to weave and fuse energy into her work was evident and undeniable. The fact that I got to meet someone like her and call her a friend, well it made this entire experience worthwhile. And if she said she wanted to leave, I would be hard pressed not to want to go with her.

Fortunately, Penelope has not even broached the subject about leaving. Even when others around us speak about the disappearing members, we don't mention where they went, or what planet they chose to go to, rather we just recognize that another has gone on to try their hand once more at a new start and wish them the best. Kind of sad really, not that I am owed a goodbye, but for some people I'd at least want to talk to them, to see why they left. Though really it would only make it worse for me, as I'd wonder if there was a way I could do more to get people to stay. Of course, that only add to my nervous apprehension that I currently feel, but I do have to admit that with each departure, it does feel somewhat personal. Almost as if each person who leaves doesn't believe in the people of this world, almost as if they don't believe in me? Then again, I didn't even believe in me, well the goals I wanted to achieve but was too afraid to do. Goals that ultimately my Simulacrums took upon themselves to start performing, despite my initial protestations to the contrary.

Again, more self-sabotaging thoughts, as I cannot seem to get out of my own way in this case. Not going to lie, at this point, even if we do save the world, it will feel like a pyrrhic victory as the planet we are saving will be slightly less vibrant without all the people who helped make it worth saving in the first place. Still, it would be something.

Crunch.

That's when Raygunnr makes his mechanical presence known. For a Teleiotís, a hulking almost nine -foot-tall metallic killing monster, or at least he looks like a monster, despite being oddly friendly. Raygunnr also now has an active Qi Core thanks to eating all my Tier III trinkets that I had not found a use for, now stood once again just eating a handful of nuts. Well nuts, bolts, washers, and anything seemingly close to metallic. Oddly enough, when offered aluminum, he said it felt like he was on a diet and eating those circular rice cakes, dieters swear by, or at, one of those two.

Still seeing him munch and grind loudly on those handful of parts make me glad I don't need them. Apparently they lose their freshness quickly here, especially once the rust and corrosion from being exposed to high doses of elemental energies. Something all Tier I metals have in common, that is metals that are non-alloyed or otherwise altered from their pure atomic form.

Crunch, rattle.

He could learn to chew with his mouth closed, I think to myself as I turn to face him. Seeing me turn, he sees me then smiles and waves excitedly. With him in such a happy state, I can't stay mad at him for long, despite being a loud chewer, that said, I don't know if I could chew metal any less noisily, so maybe he is a normal Teleiotís chewer?

"We would have given you a task to make you miserable, but knowing you, it would either turn out to be a corrupted wish, or you would get one of your Simulacrums to do it for you," Gwen replied. Her words grabbing me and pulling me back to the ongoing conversation, one I apparently zoned out of. I'm still doing that, zoning out of conversations but it's getting easier to focus, like now where my body almost reacts on its own to the words.

Groan.

"Well, jokes on you, as my Simulacrums and I are not on speaking terms right now," I admit.

"I thought they didn't talk?" Penelope questioned.

At that I just stare at Penelope for butting in, but then realize she has a point. "Well, we communicate, and right now they are not happy with me."

I admit, not wanting to note that they can talk, I know they can talk, but they never talk while I am around. That or while I am conscious, as apparently the totally spoke during the time when I took a quick power nap a few months ago.

"Why is that?" Penelope asked.

"I didn't believe in their program they were pushing."

"Isn't that like saying you are arguing with yourself?"

"Yeah, and not only did I lose the argument, but I am also wrong, it is kind of embarrassing, to be honest." I confirm defeatedly, not my best moment arguing with myselves, especially not when I now realize they were right. Or at the very least they had a purpose to their madness, one that I both agreed with, and didn't want to be a part of.

Right now, my Simulacrums took it upon themselves to devote one hour a day each day in a rotating basis to Terraforming the planet into a Tier III world. They work as hard as possible for one hour, then are immediately spelled by the next Simulacrum who will then cast Positional Switch, changing their locations with each other. Then holding down the last spot until, another Simulacrum spells them again, giving each seven hours between one-hour bursts. Given that they stopped sabotaging me, and stopped insisting I help out, especially in the dry desert areas, I have allowed them to continue. Even when we now synchronize our thoughts, I can see the work each one does individually and as a whole, where I can't help but feel a sense of accomplishment for them. Well for me, thanks to them. Also, it really helps that they aren't killing themselves, but doing this at a constant steady pace that apparently makes all the difference. The difference between working in a garden for an hour, versus constant twenty-hour shifts. Their doing that has also helped me to overcome some of my own phobias about Terraforming.

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The benefits of terraforming are both obvious and quick to accumulate. While a one-hour shift might not seem to yield too much at first, multiplying that by twenty-four hours causes a lot of changes in a short amount of time. While I might not like it as much as I used to, I know it won't kill me for short bursts. Also, the amount of airable land the Midnight Hunter's now have as part of their domain is impressive, to say the least.

"You know the reason why we were all worried about you joining the Mechanoid battles is due to the fact that there is no standard machine that wouldn't break down with your corrosive nature to metals," Gwen finally stated the elephant in the room.

Yes, it was true I got yelled at for not participating in the first five events, but not for the reasons we all thought. The concern came from the fact that, apparently, we would have to design our own mechanoid space suits that could battle both on a planet with an atmospheric density of two times standard gravity, and one that was vacuum sealed for the vastness of space. While the system didn't lie in that it would offer standard space suits for each, those suits would not be able to continue working with me at the helm for more than a few minutes. As it would be assumed that all the standard space suits would be made of typical Tier I metals.

Again, it had been a set up. I realized that now, but I still didn't doubt my choices, I knew they were the right ones for me at the time, but I now just needed to proceed with a bit more caution. That or come up with a clue on how to produce a lot more resources.

"Is there a reason why you wanted us to meet here to discuss resource harvesting?" Penelope asked, not bringing up directly that we were in my classroom, but identifying this place that was now mostly clean of all metals thanks to Raygunnr the resident Teleiotís, who doubled as our apparent intro to Magic Control mascot, due to needing to speak to him via Mana Language. A feat that everyone now seemed to do instinctively, talking both in common and Mana Language so the big guy could understand and feel included. While he had learned to understand common, he often chose not to intrude on conversations that were solely in common, figuring such an act to be rude. Again, he is a very well-mannered killing machine.

"I don't know, I just had the feeling that we would find the solution to my need for higher quality metals here," I reply. This was more than a hunch, as I could all but feel that Tier II and beyond metals were nearby. Truth be told there were more than a few pockets of the rare ores that were forming deep underground.

"You don't mean to mine this place for rare metals?" Penelope asked, her thoughts clearly going towards the Legrand mines that the Legrand Empire was famous for creating and using to build war factories.

"No, but I do think that an answer will show itself here, if I but focus, at least that is what I tell myself, the longer I stay here." I admit, but I am starting to give up hope. This has been a few days now, and no clear answer has been given. I will need my machine to compete in the regional qualifiers in two months' time. Granted if I show up, most of my other opponents will quit automatically, but my machine still has to be able to prove it can move with me at the helm. That sadly is one of the prerequisites to qualify.

New Quest Identified: Regional Qualifiers: You have chosen to compete in a myriad of events related to the Planetary Positioning games. Your first task is to assemble items capable of meeting the minimum needs to qualify for your perspective regions. Then compete against all other applicants from your region. Requirements: Mechanical War Machine (0 / 1), Mechanoid Warfare Machine (0 / 1), Group Mechanoid Warfare Machine (0 / 1), space Mechanoid Warfare Machine (0 / 1), and space group Mechanoid Warfare Machine (0 / 1). Rewards: Experience, Title(s), Skill(s), Variable.

Note: Standard machines will be available to all who wish to compete but are unable to afford proper materials.

Warning: A contestant is considered dead and will be forced to respawn on a core planet, if their mechanoid machines are deemed inoperable or beyond 50% compromised before the end of the match.

Yep, I would officially be toast in a standard model suit. Maybe I could find some type of magic to erase the corrosion caused by magic? But no, that so far has not yielded any positive results and seems counter intuitive, especially as you try to dig into the whole process. That was where my mind was going back to, trying to find a way to avoid digging up the invaluable resources that were now slowly beginning to grow from underneath my classroom. While I knew this could be accepted, it almost had to be a last resort as this metal in particular was a sign of how healthy the planet was becoming right here, and I didn't want to ruin that, at least not if I could avoid it.

"You know, we could just dig up the resources here, the ones that you are no doubt drawn to," Gwen begins again, stating the same exact solution that Mallory had. A solution that seems to kill me. Just as I was about to give in, a miracle happened.

Groaning gurgle.

Raygunnr who had been not so quietly munching on his rapidly deteriorating bolts suddenly made an impressive, and slightly alarming sound. The sound was similar to sheet metal being ripped apart, while being bashed against a metal railing. A not so pleasant sound.

"Oh, sorry, I think a few of these might have been stale," Raygunnr explained in his Mana Language.

Fortunately, everyone here was now well versed in talking to the lovable death machine.

"Why are you eating Tier I metals anyways, you know they go bad here?" I ask.

"I know, but I just can't help it, I've been so hungry ever since I got this new core, and I constantly crave metals. I don't want to be an inconvenience, nor do I want to dismantle any more of the Doctor's prized gadgets, which is why I try to harvest these. . ." he replies, holding up clearly corroded metal ingots that remain in his hands. Almost like finding that one last crumpled bag of chips from the big game, that were folded up and hidden for safe keeping by the kids in the pantry, until it was time to do spring cleaning.

"Oh come on, you act like we are starving you," I reply.

"No, you aren't, it's just that I crave silver metals," he replied.

Seeing that, I just shake my head. "Zinc, while better than iron, it still corrodes in our environment fairly quickly," I reply while shaking my head.

More long grinding sounds.

"I know," Raygunnr continues, then proceeds to cover his metallic stomach with his hands as yet more grinding gurgling sounds can be heard.

"Oh, and you made yourself sick by eating stale metals," I exclaim, only now realizing that I have been speaking out loud and with my own Mana to communicate with Raygunnr.

"Yes, excusi . . ." Raygunnr sheepishly replies as he gets up and then begins running off. He managed to get out of the open courtyard that serves as my classroom, where he turned right, tried to dodge around Valeria, my apprentice, and Gabriellaz her assigned body guard who were both coming back from lunch.

BOOM!

Apparently, Gabriellaz has been working on her defensive stances as she took on the quickly turning Raygunnr, lowered her shoulder and erupted with her own counter Qi force.

The result was both explosive and monumental.

For at that moment something magical happened.

"Oh no…" Raygunnr cried out in pain, as he crumpled to the ground, while his body dealt with and tried to disperse an intense infusion of alternate Qi right to his body.

The result was magic.

"Holy S!" I cried out, managing to catch myself from saying both the figurative and literal answer that was now exploding in the open pathway.

"What? What is it?" Penelope asked.

"No, I think she means it, is it glowing?" Gwen asked both astonishment and revulsion filling her face as we both looked on outside the classroom around the corner with our Angel's Sight, trying to see what happened.

"What happened?" Penelope asked, a note of frustration.

"Sorry about that," Gabriellaz exclaimed, as she tried to get close.

"No, don't get closer. . ." Raygunnr cried out, but apparently Gabriellaz was not fluent in Mana Language as she got closer and into the apparent blast zone.

Groan.

A metallic eruption of what almost looked like glowing glitter dust and mana and Qi infused particles erupted.

Cough.

With that Gabriellaz began coughing and coming from the hallway into the open classroom, trying to avoid the floating Tier II quality, at least, refined metallic dust particles.

"Holy S!" I exclaimed again, no other words could describe what had just happened. It was simultaneously the sickest inter species reaction I had ever seen of a mechanical unit suffering a severe case of IBS leading to what might possibly be one of the best worst breakthroughs of my life.

"Did you just get hit by glitter?" Penelope asked, rushing over to try to help the still flustered Gabriellaz.

"No, don't get closer," Gwen and I both called out in near unison.

At that Penelope paused to look back at the two of us, who almost never spoke in unison.

"What why?"

"That's Tier II fecal metal, I believe," I explained.

Hearing the explanation, Penelope paused and then backed away, equally revolted by the implication that the metallic flakes were the waste byproduct of our resident Teleiotís.

Finally, at that Valeria came around the corner, also covered in glowing Tier II metallic metal flakes.

"We are going to need some help cleaning up the outside area, Raygunnr has had an accident," Valeria posed.

At that, Gwen turned to me and just raised an eyebrow in apparent challenge.

"Well, how are you going to clean this up?"

Realizing this was a great opportunity, both to see if we can use Teleiotís to harvest Tier II metals, or maybe better still be able to get them to further refine Tier II metals into Tier III metals, my mind goes into overdrive. But first, Gwen is correct, how do I clean this up? Especially with all the apparent metallic flakes in the air. Then looking at Gwen I get my idea.

"Well, we are going to do this the way you taught me to," I reply.

"The way I taught you?"

"Yes, we will use a vacuum cleaner."

"I was like seven mom, you need to get over that. . ."

"It still traumatizing to me," I replied inwardly shivering at the thought of that poor vacuum cleaner.

"Apparently," Gwen huffed out, then turning away she spoke over her shoulder as she left, "I'm going to tell Mallory of this discovery, maybe we can get more Teleiotís to help with this."

"You don't want to stay and help vacuum up the mess?" I ask.

Gwen just glowers at me, before finally walking away.

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