Maximilian was out of the city a few moments later. His mind replayed the conversation as he searched for anything he might've missed. He was pretty sure they weren't lying about most of it. He could confirm there should be a quest. Their quest seemed odd but it made a weird sort of sense. His quest was individualized because he did it by himself. It would've been impossible to fight a horde in the mountain by himself. No matter how strong he was. Which meant the Network was fair. At least in a odd way. Which he might've over stated the danger of the beast horde. It should be possible for them if they were willing to pay the price. Which he knew they weren't. His only question was what he should do now. They were right about the cost of teleportation. The serpents hadn't provided enough credits to pay for that. He should have enough for an array like the one that defend Nubia. Maybe two if he was willing to scrape by for a while.
He stayed within a mile of the city. If push came to shove he should be able to cross that distance in seconds now. It should also be far enough that he wouldn't accidentally hurt anyone. If people failed to take the hint to stay away from here than they were asking for it. He cracked his neck and leaped into the canopy of trees. As much as he wanted to focus on cultivation there was something else he wanted to do. He held up right hand and formed a sphere with the first of his dao. Blue-white electricity crackled six inches above his hand. He couldn't help but marvel at how easy it was. It wasn't that different from controlling a limb. Further amount of mental energy he had to burn to use it had been reduced. He wasn't sure if that was due to how far he had advanced the Dao or because of how much practice he had with it. Either way it was what it was. He had even gained a few new ideas on how to advance which gave him further ideas.
It was like his mind had become fertile earth for the dao and he almost couldn't stop the seeds from growing. Which only made him more concerned. He couldn't do it yet but he was pretty sure he could form a second electricity or lightning based dao. He still wasn't sure if there was a difference but the power he could form didn't feel like lightning. At least not the image he had in his mind of it. What he didn't know was if that was a good thing or bad one. Would it be better to stuff one lesser dao with as many concepts as possible and thus reach the peak or was it better to spread them out. Form the base of a pyramid that would eventually turn into something great? He once again found himself wishing he had a teacher or was at least back at the Athenaeum. He shook his head and focused on what he could control. Now that he had a pretty good control over the first sphere he tried to form a second only this one was made from the second dao. He grimaced when an almost intangible weight pressed down on him. It took almost twice as long to form the second sphere and he couldn't quite keep its form. It undulated as if it were made of gel instead of water.
He was forced to give up after thirty minutes of struggling between the two. The process felt a bit like trying to pat his head while rubbing his stomach. Despite trying to keep them both the same size the more he focused on one the less control he had over the other. It wasn't a problem when all he wanted was to fire beams or bursts of energy but if he wanted to do more? He was confident that was his next step. He decided to try and slightly different idea. First he formed a ball of electricity same as before only this time he attempted to wrap the water around the outside. He called to mind Saturn and its rings. He had some success the ball of electricity was easy enough to form but the water vexed him. It wasn't just controlling but the water was different. It was a bit like both forces were alive but not conscious. He couldn't talk to them but they had moods. Electricity was more precise while the water seemed to flow in whatever shape it wished. On their own neither was a problem but together they were a pain. Despite the difficulty it was fun. They were a puzzle that he needed to figure out. One where he would get stronger once he had.
He decided to devote two days to his training. He split his time between the two different exercise and was satisfied with what he had to show for it. He couldn't call it a proper attack yet. It was more like the embryo of one, but the practice had improved his control. He should be able to fight with either dao without issue. Rain was still not good offensively, but the combination couldn't be underestimated. He glanced toward New Philadelphia but decide not to go back. They still had several more days till the deadline. He was pretty sure he could push himself up a level if he worked at it. With the spirit stones he had he could probably push himself one or even two levels but that wasn't an option. He might need to use those as currency at some point. There was also something to be said about getting the much-needed practice. He needed more experience fighting different creatures and using his dao. He got to his feet and decided to head north. He set a goal for himself to only use his dao for the battle. No matter how strong enemy was.
He got his wish about twenty minutes later when he came across an ugly beast. It resembled a badger the size of a minivan only its face was covered in a strange bone armor. Of which the only weak points were the slots for its eyes. He wasn't sure how the creature could exist between its size and what should've been a massive diet. The thing should've gone extinct immediately. He chalked it up to the wonders of spiritual energy and formed a ball of electricity. He pushed more and more energy into the ball until it had grown to the size of a basketball. He had wanted to push it further but it became so unstable he was worried he'd lose control. He then launched it at the creature. Electricity danced through the air as the beast turned to face him. Instead or trying to avoid the technique it chose to take it head on. It crashed it armored head into it. Or at least tried to. The moment the two hit the sphere exploded sending countless watts of electricity into the ugly creature. It was paralyzed for little more than a moment before it unleashed an ear shattering roar. Maximilian was in the middle of forming another sphere when the beast charged his tree. He cursed and launched from the tree seconds before it exploded. He landed on his target but was forced to move before he could launch his next attack.
The pattern repeated several more times before Maximilian decided enough was enough. He leaped from the tree and fired another sphere. Only as soon as the sphere left his hand he unleashed a rain of electrical darts. He landed on the ground with enough force to crater it. He turned and unleashed yet another sphere this time he added the water ring. He was only able to increase it to the size of a baseball before he was forced to release it. The sphere held its form just long enough to reach its target before it exploded. The resulting was not what he expected. It was neither water nor electricity but a weird mix of the two. The combined state lasted for a fraction of a second and then was gone. He almost felt bad for the monster. He unleashed several darts of electricity to put it out of its misery. The kill energy that flooded his dantian was nothing to write home about. He would need to kill several more of them if he wanted to gain a level. Not that it was a bad thing. He leaped into the next tree and looked in the direction of the city. He strained his ears in search of anything that would indicate danger or any reason for him to head back. When he heard nothing, he sat off again.
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One day later Maximilian stood on a tree branch and stared at what remained of a pair of the mole creatures. He was at the threshold of his next level but that wasn't what bothered him. He already killed nine of the creatures and he was pretty sure he could've searched for several more. The beasts weren't that strong. They relied on the bone armor to bludgeon things to death, but he doubted the others could kill them. Maybe with concentrated fire to the flesh parts but they would be drowned in bodies before that could happen. He sighed and decided to finish things up. He needed to get his next level and then head back. If they weren't going to accept his offer than he would have to prepare for a tough battle. He summoned two spirit stones from his bag and took a seat. He circulated his cultivation technique. He went for speed and ripped the energy out of stones. Less than fifteen minutes later he had achieved his level, and the stones were useless pebbles.
He considered changing his plans and upgrading something else. His Intelligence was already high so his initial thought was to improve his other stats but he didn't. His build had already started specializing so he didn't think it was wise to change it. He placed the three points into the stat and closed the screen. He would switch to Wisdom or perhaps Constitution later. He wasn't sure if he would get any skills that relied on those stats but it would be nice not to be a one trick pony. Either way that was something to worry when he leveled up again. For now he had things to do. He pushed off from his tree. He was within the bounds of the settlement less than five minutes later. He was on his way back to the meeting room when something drew his attention. His mother stood in front of the museum with the two generals and a couple. The two groups stood on opposite side of the street like opposing armies. Though he could tell that neither the man nor woman were cultivators. He decided not to join them in the street just yet. Instead he landed on a building nearby and listened. What he heard made him narrow his eyes.
"We can't just abandon them. They were outside the city because you asked them." The venom in the man's tone made it clear he was tired of the conversation.
"All our scouts knew what they were doing when they signed up. I am sorry—" Ashanti started only to be interrupted.
"Your Sorry! That's our daughter and your fucking sorry. If you won't go then give me a gun I'll go and bring her back myself." The man demanded. He took a step forward only for the woman next to him to grab his arm. For a moment the man looked like he would snatch away from her and charge across the street. Maximilian knew he would step in if needed but the man stepped relented.
"I am sorry but you know we can't do that. We need every person and every gun to fight off the monsters. Once things calm down we will conduct a search." His mother offered though Maximilian could see the way her gaze darkened. That she knew it was unlikely. That there would be something else. That they would be lucky to find a body. He had heard enough. He knew his mother's answer was right, but he knew that his father wouldn't accept it. That if he were here, he would insist that they do the right thing. Not the smartest thing or even the most effective. Right now he had power. He had a responsibility and he would be able to get away from any problems. At least he thought he should. He hadn't realized he had leaped from the building before he found himself standing between the two groups.
"I don't know who your daughter is, and I can't make any promises." He began. He glanced at the general who was about to interrupt him and shook his head. "Where did they go? And what were they doing?" The more they explained the more irritated he became. The mission if you could call it that had begun before he arrived. They had found a slopped tunnel about a mile away from the settlement. They wanted to use the tunnel as a secondary location. One where they could flee to if things got bad enough. The problem came when they saw how deep it was. They decided to send a group of soldiers and hunters into the cave system to try and find out if it was safe. They had been radioing but they had missed their last three attempts. Maximilian asked why they didn't tell him earlier, but no one wanted to answer that question. He had already made up his mind to go and find the group but just as he was about to take off his mother called out to him.
"Maximilian Croft..." Her tone was the same as he remembered when he was teenager. Firm and unrelenting. He turned around and he could almost watch their argument play out on her face. She would tell him that he couldn't go. That it was too dangerous. He would refuse. He would explain and they would go at it. Only this time she couldn't stop him and he could tell she knew that. After a pause that felt like an eternity she spoke again. "Be careful." Her gaze shifted for just a moment. Just long enough to reveal the emotions she kept locked deep inside her. Worry, fear, anxiety and half a dozen other things. The mind killers as she could them when he was a child. They were there for a second. Gone so soon that one could've thought they imagined but Maximilian knew better. He knew his mother better than that.
"I know." He replied. Energy surged into his feet as he rocketed to the top of a building. He left with enough force to leave a three-inch crater in the ground. He hadn't needed to do that, but he meant as a display. A display of his strength though he wasn't sure if he wanted to show it to his mother, the couple or the generals. He decided that was a question that didn't need more reflection. He was outside the city seconds later. He would need to be fast. If another monster attacked while he was gone, they would be in trouble. He couldn't afford to get distracted. His Dao field and killing intent burst out of him. The forest was drowned in the echoes of battles long since fought. His eyes scanned every inch of the forest as it blurred by beneath him. He doubted any monster would be foolish enough to get close to him while he was like this, but he wasn't that arrogant. He couldn't afford to get bogged down by something strong enough to challenge him. Fortunately, he arrived at the designated area less than a thirty minutes later.
A quick mental calculation told him that it would take several hours for anyone else to get here on foot. At least not without serious investment in Agility. That didn't include what would happen if they encountered a monster. There was little chance that they would've sent anyone to search for these people. He was in a hurry, but he wasn't willing to enter without a plan. He cut a branch of a tree and launched down the slope. He waited almost thirty seconds for something to react. When nothing did, he decided to follow up. He condensed his Dao field and killing intent to a sphere with a radius of five feet. He figured that would be enough to protect him while not affecting anyone he didn't want affected. He formed several torch-like balls of electricity to illuminate his way as he descended within the Earth.
