War's Beginning (2)

Liam walked beside the Commander, his mind racing now that he had time to digest all the information that he had been given. Firstly, the System's workings had proven to be more insidious than expected. Now that they were part of the Convergence, they were being forced to actively fight the other species if they wanted to survive. It was a cutthroat scenario that benefitted no one except the creator. There was no promised reward at the end of it all except for the right to live. A preposterous, unfair creation by design.

'I'll turn all of it on its head.'

Liam made a vow. It was an oath to pay the creator and the System back in full for what they were doing. Another realization hit Liam in full as he deliberated on the information he had.

'Why are the species inside the Convergence allowed to summon the ones outside?'

Even at a mere glance, the difference in power between a species qualified to participate in the Convergence from the start and that of a summoned species was striking. There was the Tutorial, but it did precious little to narrow that gap, as the Drakkhan Empire had made sure to show humanity. As Varlian had also explained, summoned species were usually killed for XP by the summoner species. So, why was this practice allowed by the System? Liam couldn't understand it no matter how much he thought about it.

'I need to look at this from his angle.'

He needed to think as the creator did. If he were a bored, completely self-centered psychopath who had created a death game, why would he allow this? Liam's Intelligence allowed his thoughts to wander, but he soon narrowed them down to two likely possibilities.

'One, he values the species in the Convergence far more than he values those outside of it. This would make sense, since only the ones inside the tournament would provide him the entertainment he desires. Following this logic, he doesn't care about underdeveloped species as much as he cares about the ones that already fit his standards.'

This was the less likely one. The reason was simple; all species had been underdeveloped at some point. It was unfair to ignore the differences in age and progression rate of the species, but the creator didn't seem to care a whole lot about fairness anyway. Otherwise, fate and the Convergence as a whole wouldn't exist.

As for the other reason…

'…Two, the son of a bitch just likes the possibility of an underdog story.'

Liam had no idea if this was correct. He only had a feeling. Was it his Perception? He didn't know why he thought of this and why he was drawn to this thought, but he felt like it was closer to the truth. As a spectator, the creator enjoyed watching a summoned species turn on its summoner and win.

'…Everyone loves an underdog, huh? Crazy motherfucker.'

Liam clenched his fists. His hatred for the creator burned ever fiercer. Caught up in his thoughts and emotions, Liam didn't notice where he was going up until Arimiar stopped walking. He stopped as well. They were in front of a dark, rectangular building. Its outside design was simple, nothing but a black box of alien metal with some lights. However, Liam didn't allow the ordinary design to fool him. Not only was the building in the middle of a highly militarized zone, but the Auras he felt from inside were much greater than his own.

The two of them walked inside, making the Drakkhan in the room turn to them. The room was similar to an army bedroom, if the bets were made of metal and had no mattress. It was natural. Creatures at their level didn't need sleep and should focus instead on recovering their Aura. Liam's gaze scanned the ambiance. There were male and female Drakkhan in equal numbers, totaling about 12 soldiers, all wearing black armor that covered them entirely. Not a single amount of skin was exposed. The soldiers stood up straight as a spear, all saluting the Commander, who nodded at them.

"At ease."

The soldiers removed their hands from over their hearts and put them behind their backs, feet apart at shoulder-width. It was a classic posture that reminded Liam of his trainer back in the government laboratory. Arimiar continued to speak.

"You will be part of this team from now on. One, step forward."

A rather short male Drakkhan stepped in front of the others, his face hidden by the helmet. While even his snout was covered in full, the figure emitted a pressure that made him almost inherently menacing. Liam involuntarily tensed up, increasing the circulation speed of his Aura and lowering his center of gravity. Arimiar glanced at him, but paid it no heed.

"This is the team's Captain. You may refer to him as One. As long as you're on this team, you will follow his orders without question. This is in accordance with what you have agreed with His Highness."

A slight frown made its way to Liam's face, but he nodded. Arimiar handed him a black cube, small enough that it could comfortably rest on his palm.

"Insert your Aura into it."

The youth did as instructed and the cube came to life. Like water, it rippled and slithered over his skin, encasing the entirety of his arm. He flinched, but relaxed instants after, letting the mysterious technology do its thing. The arcane liquid took the form of armor as it gradually covered his body, from the soles of his feet up to his face and hair. A solid helmet and mask topped it all off, leaving no room for Liam to breathe. Thankfully, it wasn't an issue since his Aura could maintain his body for a long time. Completely covered in armor, he felt surprisingly comfortable. It didn't feel as hot as he expected, while the texture inside was smooth. The armor then started to get closer to his skin, reducing the distance between the outer and inner layers. While it couldn't be considered skintight, at the very least it wouldn't hinder his movements in battle, even though he wasn't used to it. A System window opened in front of him.

----------------------------------------Equipment----------------------------------------

Drakkhan Elite Armor

Rank: A

* Standard armor provided to the Elite Squads of every Division of the Drakkhan Empire. Possessing a good balance between defense, flexibility, and tenacity, it is a marvel of Drakkhan technology, made possible by the System.

* Adjusts its size and dimensions to fit the user.

* Possesses thermal regulation systems.

* Possesses self-repairing capabilities.

* Possesses a small Inventory.

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Compared to the description of Eynart's spear, this one was rather lacking. Still, it said enough. It was the first piece of actual armor that Liam had ever owned, clearly much superior to the rags and leather he used to wear in the Tutorial. Yet, Liam could not rejoice. The burden that the armor brought to him was clear; he was now a foot soldier, obligated to follow orders. He deeply disliked this feeling. He couldn't help but feel like becoming allies with Varlian was closer to submission than to anything else. He was now one of the being's soldiers, after all.

'I'll need to find a way to increase my position.'

It was critical that he could talk to Varlian as an equal and not as a lesser creature if he wanted humanity to survive. Only then would this alliance prove truly beneficial for both of them.

Liam lifted his gaze and looked at the Captain, who was staring at him. Even though it was opaque from the outside, the inside of the mask didn't hinder his sight at all. It covered his face while still allowing him to see, somehow. Not bothering to seriously consider the alien technology's workings, Liam maintained his Aura Sight active. He had long since grown used to keeping it up at all times.

"Listen. From now on, as long as you're part of this team, you will be called Zero. That is how the other unit members will refer to you, and how you will identify yourself to them. This is also in accordance with His Highness' wishes."

Arimiar spoke to him, but he felt that the last sentence wasn't directed at him. It was instead aimed at the other Drakkhan, who had all snapped their heads in Arimiar's direction in a telltale sign of surprise. Not a word was said, but Liam could feel that the tension in the room was palpable. Arimiar's expression was uncaring, nonetheless.

"Take this. Put your Aura into it whenever you need to communicate with me. You can also ask One to contact me if the need arises."

The Commander handed him a black sphere.

'They're very into small spheres, huh.'

Liam made his Aura flow into it, making it glow blue. A small hologram, much like the System's windows, appeared above it, looking like a cellphone's contact lists. Two names were listed in an unknown language, but Liam could read it thanks to the System's translation ability.

'Varlian and Arimiar.'

"What's the distance limit? And what about the message's travel time?"

"There's no need to worry about such things for now. You won't go so far away that the answer to those questions becomes relevant."

Before Liam could respond, Arimiar continued to speak, looking at the Captain.

"With that, I'll be off. Introduce him to the basics and then head to your ship. We leave for Zancorix in an hour."

Then, the lizardman turned around and left the building, not giving Liam any opportunity to voice his concerns. The youth opened his mouth and then closed it. He looked at the Drakkhan, who were all staring at him. An awkward air flowed in the room. The Captain took a step forward, getting closer to Liam. His voice was icy cold.