Rather than stew in the stress of not knowing the aftermath of framing Lieutenant Ringo, Hector went to the command center to volunteer for the next special mission. A distracted corporal took down Hector's name and bunker assignment, promising to put him on the next operation. As for when that might be? Possibly in two days. Though missions were being scrubbed more often than not lately due to extreme miasma levels in the environment.

Two days was sooner than four days, obviously, but it wasn't the instant action Hector hoped for. He returned to the bunker and focused on his mental cultivation. His intention was simply to let his domain rest a bit more after using it heavily most of the night while on guard duty, but something happened which he hadn't expected.

His mind hit the peak of his current soul level for the first time ever. It was a distinct phase transition, like cold water changing state to become ice. The process took about twenty minutes to complete, but at its end he detected the complete inability of his mental aperture to further absorb cosmic energy. He was at the absolute limit.

"That was fast," Hector commented.

Ajax glanced at him. "What was that?"

"Nothing. I'm just surprised by how fast I'm advancing on Aes."

"It's amazing what a person can accomplish when there's nothing else to do."

Hector nodded in agreement, not wanting to explain his particular circumstances. He was advancing at a rate that could inspire a lot jealousy. That wasn't the kind of attention he wanted to draw to himself. Certainly not at the moment.

His reserves were about ninety percent full, so Hector stopped the mental cultivation. He didn't want to unintentionally advance to the next level. Doing that once a lifetime was more than enough. Right now he needed to continue strengthening his domain. It was his primary means of offense, after all.

He moved to sit outside the bunker and began cultivating with his domain. The air about him brightened like a halo while he did his work. Hector began to ponder his body enhancement. He should retrieve the level six cartilage and skin pill from storage on Union Central. In five minutes he could be there and back. Thought that would certainly run afoul of the whole 'no food in the bunker' rule that Lieutenant Ringo felt so passionate about.

Still, he needed to do something productive with his nearly full energy reserves. Practicing body enhancement without resources was possible, of course. It just seemed unnecessary when he possessed the resources. Perhaps he could sneak away for nibbles a couple of times a day.

"Hector!"

It took him a moment to place the familiar voice. His eyes found the answer before his brain could finish digging up the relevant information. The Jinn rover before him laughed at his shocked expression. "I guess that Ogre on Eden wasn't the end of you after all."

"Fred! Damn, it's good to see you again. I'm in the same bunker as Ajax and Nestor."

"I've seen them around the Stronghold a time or two. Not lately, though. I'm busy working missions. Speaking of which, I'm here because I saw your name on the volunteer roster. I was going to talk some sense into you, but it looks like you leveled up since we last saw each other."

Hector wanted to explain his good fortune. The fact that he had consumed some powerful resources to rapidly raise his body enhancement halfway to his current peak. Or that he was at ninety percent energy reserves. That his domain was significantly more powerful than it had been on Eden. All of that had to stay quiet, though. Even though he trusted Fred with his life, Hector couldn't let details of his rapid growth leak so soon. If it became known that a Xian was speed running to level seven, there could be some hostility directed his way.

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It was the general strategy of 'take care of the problem before it becomes too large'. Though Hector knew his own heart and his dedication to being a good man, others would see a rogue Xian Lord in the making and feel concern. More concern than Matthias merited, even, given the fact that Hector was advancing faster and racking up combat experience. So he'd fly below the radar while he still could. That meant keeping secrets even from people he trusted. A single leak of the information was all it would take and Hector had to offer the virtue of respect to himself – he was growing faster than should be possible for his kind. Rapid growth might be expected of a popular Arahant Sage like Evelyn, but it was unheard of for a Xian. Not even Volithur had managed Hector's speed, and Volithur was a hollow spear through and through.

"I was ready to advance before Eden," he lied. "I've been consuming resources and cultivating ever since I handled the Ogre, so I'm ready for some action."

"Ready for some action, eh?" Fred's antenna popped up dramatically. "You biological folk truly only have one thing on your minds."

Hector laughed. "I'm not the one displaying my pole at full extension."

"You know, I really wish you would get into a public measuring contest with me. I have a hunch mine is bigger than yours. Hard as steel, too."

"It's not the size that matters, Fred. It's how you use it."

"That's just what people with tiny antennas tell themselves, Hector."

"Did I ever tell you my dad wanted me to put a banana into his crotch area for his funeral?"

"Oh my. That is a good one. Did you do it? And if not, what is wrong with you?"

Hector shook his head as his smile grew. "It was definitely a missed opportunity on my part."

"When I get back to Union Central I'm going to see if I can alter the report I made about you. I obviously rated your decision making way too high. The only valid excuse for not planting a banana is if you moved onto the superior phallic fruit – the zucchini."

"See, Fred, it's this kind of wisdom that makes you qualified to be a squad leader."

"You're a very perceptive man, Hector." Pause. "If we take a moment to be serious, though, this upcoming mission is not going to be scrubbed. Conditions are bad out there, but the target needs to be neutralized before it gets closer to the Stronghold. Be ready for serious action, Hector."

The news piqued his interest. "What is the target?"

"Its form is a spider with sword legs. Command thinks it might be the same one that took out Stronghold Epsilon."

Hector raised a brow. "Let me guess. It's big."

"Aren't they always?"

"How big?"

"Its head is literally above the clouds."

Hector didn't know quite how to feel about that. "I see."

"Don't worry about that guy too much. We have some heavy hitters going on the mission. The real risk is the miasma storms. I don't know how much longer we can play at retaking this world. It's becoming very clear that it is a lost cause. Anyway, don't fret too much over the bad stuff. Just think fond thoughts about all the penis jokes we made together."

After Fred drove away, Hector made up his mind about the resources waiting for him back on Union Central. He would go there, consume a quarter of the massive pill, and come back to digest. If his reserve levels dropped below fifty percent, he'd request some of the wine from the supply depot.

Hector entered back into the bunker and made his trip from the bathroom. His sphere emerged directly into his storage area and Hector wasted no time opening the box holding the cartilage and skin pill. Said pill was actually a long snake of uncooked dough made from not just the eponymous ingredients, but also the core of the level six beast they came from and some higher level imperial honey.

The pill had begun to dry a bit, which did nothing to improve its texture. Hector paused for a moment to motivate himself with a quick check of his statistics.

Survey Results

Type: Xian

Level: 6

Body: 5.5

Mind: 6

Aura: 4.1

Domain: 4.5

Energy Reserves: 92%

That did the trick nicely. Seeing his mind statistic topped out was a pleasure. His domain was finally in the fours – and actually halfway to five. Unfortunately, his aura had barely improved. It couldn't all be sunshine and rainbows, though. He'd worry about lagging areas later.

Eating a quarter of the doughy pill took a bit of willpower, but he managed. Then he closed the box up tight and went back to Aes. About an hour later the magic began. The pill sucked away at his energy reserves to fuel improvements to his body.

Which meant that Hector was free to cultivate as much chaos as he wanted.

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