Back in the outside world, a few days had passed while Sage was crafting the Hearts Tongue. The lights were turned up again, so that must an it was dayti again. The underground facility had no windows and Sage couldnt tell what they used for a clock around here, nor would he know how to read it. On the plus side, the blond attendant was here, pushing up his glasses and reading off his clipboard, Aww, youre just growing so very big, Suesie.
Sage couldnt see the man from his current position, he was in the other aisle with the larger cages, but Sage took the chance of releasing his Spiritual Sense. Carefully controlling it to peek at what the man was doing. The man was filling a bowl with what Sage thought looked like so type of kibble and then putting a strange instrunt up against the neck of a small furry creature. It looked sort of like a dog, yet it had a very large and rotund fra with a huge waist like a bear. A bear cub with the snout and tail of a dog. It sure wasnt the first ti hed seen strange animals, so Sage didnt pay it much mind.
Good girl, Suesie. Aiii, Orlan. Calm Down! Stop being so whiny, youre next.
The man moved to the next cage and perford a few similar procedures, with constant breaks to mark things down on his clipboard. A few minutes later, one of the examinations led to the man picking up a cat with purple fur and sitting it on the large table that the Chaleon Mantis had been first caged up on. Sage made a guess that the man was more than a simple caretaker based upon the dical styled procedures the man was performing. Sage continued to observe what was going on for a while to make sure he wasnt missing anything important. Then he chose to act.
The man was working in the other aisle again and that was when Sage reached just one hand out of the space within the Chaleon Mantis, the one ford by his Insect Immortal Index technique, and gave the lid of the terrarium a good shove. He restrained himself so that the cover was popped loose without being thrown aside. Gently pushing it to slide over to the side without falling down, creating an opening that the Chaleon Mantis quickly slipped out of. Sage left behind another new hatched Chaleon Mantis in its place and pushed the lid back. Next, the mantis he was riding inside changed colors, blending into its surroundings and flying around the corner. Sage hopped out of the bug in mid-air and the man spun around just in ti to lock eyes with him.
The Chaleon Mantis landed on Sages shoulders even as they had changed colors and taken on their true form. Pulsing with a fuzzy light as the blond man heard a rolling static heavy sound. These people didnt follow the normal cultivation levels of his own world, so he had sowhat of a difficult ti telling how powerful most of them were. Even so, this man didnt seem all that strong so Sage directly used the Hypnotic Eyes on him.
I didnt notice you entering, Commander. What can I do for you?
Tell everything about this facility.
Of course, Sir!
The Hypnotic Eyes didnt just turn people into his puppets. They rely allowed him to influence opinions and tweak mories. Just like a hypnotist might convince soone to forget they were afraid of heights, or no longer have the desire to smoke, the Hypnotic Eyes were a full proof and mystical version of the sa. He couldnt just command the man to slit his own throat or fight against Sages enemies. But, with so careful coaxing he could trick soone into thinking that the cup he handed to them was filled with wine and not poison. Or, change the face of a persons greatest enemy in their mories. He couldnt affect a persons free will, but he could change the information they use to make decisions.
Just like now, all he had to do was change the face of a high ranking officer in the Veterinarians mories to his own. He also tweaked his opinion to make him less wary of Sages behavior so he wouldnt find it strange for him to ask questions, instead taking it as a test or survey.
Hollow Phase was a restricted facility before the Starfall. I am not privy to its original purpose, but currently we act as a command and control base for the Janus Continent. Dozens of teams are housed here, with dozens more assigned on a rotating basis, and the capacity for twice that. It is completely self-sufficient with geothermal heating and power, nutrient paste production, along with waste and water filtration. We also have dedicated research and dical facilities studying the Post-Starfall flora and fauna, though more than half of our resources are dedicated to studying the Scyzur. They appeared after the Starfall, and while they are not the cause, they are more familiar with the situation than we are.
The man quickly gave a general run down of the base and the world outside, like he was taking a test and reciting what he was taught. Sage gave him a satisfied nod, Well done! What do you know about all the strange crystals and tal?
The man saluted him, Dozens of new minerals appeared after the Starfall, but only four of them are in use so far. The weapons of the Scyzur use Lunarstone to charge Indigo Quartz projectiles. Their weapons and armor are made of Silver-Lead, and exhibit anti-psionic properties. Finally, there is the Divine Athyst. The unusual na was given by the people because of its ability to awaken Psionic abilities.
Sage was piecing together what he knew with the terms the people of this world used. If he ran into soone he couldnt hypnotize, he would need to make sure he wouldnt just give himself away imdiately.
What about the difficulties were facing? Who are our enemies?
We Hexacrats have to contend with many foes. The Scyzur are constantly scavenging and picking fights with our field operatives. The Flares resist the rule of the Hexacrats. Raiding our above ground supply bases and production facilities, while spouting nonsense about the Starfall being The Great Flare that is pushing humanity to a new height. Yet, without doubt the greatest difficulty is the Starfall and the changes it has wrought to our world.
With so basic information gathered, Sage nodded, You are an exemplary person. Hmm, I seem to have spilled so food on my uniform. Can you go fetch a spare?
The man looked down, and didnt find Sages outfit weird. Not even realizing that it was different and instead just accepting that it looked wrong because it had a spill on it. He put a hand to his shoulder, saluting before rushing out of the room. Sage stayed on guard, as the man was now out of his sight and he could only hope there wasnt so special protocol that would wipe his influence from the mans mind. After a few minutes the Veterinarian returned and passed him one of the blue jumpsuits they all wore along with boots, belt, and a few small devices that Sage hadnt had the chance to examine before.
He changed quickly, and slipped a watch like device over his ankle and another around his neck after learning their location from the blond man. He asked about their function and learned that the leg band was sothing of a digital wallet and identification tag while the neckband was a communications device. The writing of this world was still a mystery to him so he couldnt operate the other devices, but as long as there were weak people nearby he could just get them to do things for him.
He asked a few more questions and narrowed down a new identity. The base had local operatives, but there were also roving teams. Sage rely had to pose as one of them and his lack of knowledge as an outsider wouldnt be unusual. After having the Veterinarian escort him to the lodging area of the roving field operatives, Sage hypnotized the desk agent into giving him a room and access to the cafeteria. Then he went to the cafeteria to gather more information.
Now well see how difficult it is to join a team.
Reviews
All reviews (0)