The Last of the Agents Ch. 2: Welcome to the Omega Sector
"This place is so… awesome!"
These were the first words that Phil said when he reappeared in the Omega Sector HQ, Command Center through the warp portal. The Command Center was unlike anything he had ever seen. Resisting the urge to press all the hi-tech looking buttons and flipping the switches, he turned toward the men in lab coats and asked "I'm at the Omega Sector, right? What do I do from here?"
The one that looked older and more experienced replied, "Yes; go outside through the regular looking doors and Agent Marco will meet you."
Phil walked through the "ordinary looking" and came outside. On the ground, everything was normal, unlike Phil's first thoughts. Green grass. But turning around, looking at where he had come out of, he saw big buildings—one with a missile silo, another with a huge radar on top, and yet another with a giga-watt laser. Looking around some more, he saw a group of soldiers dressed in blue, standing side by side against the wall of one of the buildings. They were standing so still that at first he thought they were statues.
"Hello there, Phil."
He spun around to face, well, him. He had walked up behind him so quietly that he hadn't heard him.
It was Agent Marco.
He was dressed in a black suit, wore sunglasses, and carried a silver, hi-tech looking weapon that looked like some sort of rifle, just as "cool" as the rest of the Omega Sector. But he knew Agent Marco's weapon had capabilities far beyond what he could imagine.
"Welcome to the Omega Sector."
For a moment, he was lost for words. Agent Marco looked so—formal, so professional. Here he was standing right in front of him, while himself was only level 35, barely started his training phase of the second job.
"You're not going to stay in the second job for long," said Agent Marco as if he had read his mind.
Pointing in the direction that Phil was facing, Marco said, "Allow me to show you around this place." Without waiting for a reply, Marco walked in that direction. Phil automatically followed.
"The building you see here is most of the Omega Sector. The HQ, where the warp portal was located, is the primary lab. The two scientists in lab coats you saw were Dr. Kim and his assistant, Professor Porter."
Continuing towards the side where Ludibrium was, he pointed at the soldiers. "Those men in the uniforms are the soldiers. They are placed here in case of an alien attack."
"Aliens? There're aliens here?"
"Yes. I will get to that in a moment. That man up there is General Maestro. As from his title, he is the General of the Army. That other man up there is Jr. Officer Medin. He is known for being extremely strict—sometimes even stricter than General Maestro."
Moving even closer to Ludibrium, Agent Marco said, "That stretch of land is where most of the smaller radars—at least, smaller compared to the one on the building—are placed. That place is known as the Safety Zone." They moved away from Ludibrium and towards an electrical wall.
"You may be wondering about why there is an electrical wall. This is where I get into the aliens. A decade or so ago, two strange species of aliens appeared in places called Kulan Field and Boswell Field. Those fields were originally training grounds. They are now populated by aliens.
"One species of aliens resemble the purple, three-eyed octopi that you see in Kerning City every now and then. Here though, they where space helmets, carry ray guns, and/or ride in machines. The other is the conventional, sci-fi aliens with the 'take me to your leader' and what not. They are gray instead of the green, though. This is why they are called 'Grays'. The area right outside is called 'Off-Limits,' and has the purple octopi aliens.
"So I'm not allowed to go there?"
"Yes and no. For now I would advise you to not go in there yet. The main reason it is called Off-Limits is that it is off-limits to most personnel. The soldiers are allowed, but usually only under strict orders."
"So if those, uh, aliens will kill me in seconds," asked Phil, looking uncomfortable, "why am I even here?"
"I never said they would kill you in seconds," replied Marco. "Sure, they will kill you if you stand idly by and letting them attack you." He had meant that as a joke, but there was no humor in his voice whatsoever. "However, if you fight them like you fight any other monster, they shouldn't be too much. And with the training that I have in plan for you, they should be easy experience for you in a few days."
Pausing for a moment, he added, "Luckily and conveniently for us, it seems the weaker the monsters—or rather, aliens—are, the closer they try to get to the Omega Sector, so you won't have to sneak past the killer aliens to get to the suitable ones."
Phil nodded once.
"Your training will begin tomorrow. You better rest up in the bunk." Smiling, he added, "Make yourself at home."
Without another word, he turned around and walked back towards the buildings.
The "bunk" was a full fledged bed. The room itself was larger than any other room he had ever seen in his life—it seemed like the size of three regular rooms in one. Wondering how the facilities of the Omega Sector could contain such a large room, he caught a glance at 16 weapons placed neatly against each other. There was a Traus, , Steel Tower Shield, Blue Counter, Sabertooth, Jacker, Titan, Vaulter 2000, Heckler, Steel Avarice with Steelies, Bazlud, Zeco, Crescent Polearm, Crystal Wand, Hall Staff, Neocora, Traus, and Lunar Shooter. Wondering how the Omega Sector could acquire so many of these weapons, he looked over at a book shelf. It itself could hold at least a hundred books, but the only books there were the 17 or so skill books that he had acquired so far, though not the exact ones he had. Obviously, they were duplicates. He walked over there and picked up the one titled Spearman Techniques. Flipping through it, he saw that everything was exactly the same. Placing it back where it was, he suddenly felt very tired. Yawning for a moment, he then walked back to his bed and literally fell onto it. He thought about everything Agent Marco had told him about this strange, intriguing place. Missile Silo. Ludibrium. Eos Tower. Radar. Giga-watt laser. Electrical Fence. Aliens. Octopi.
It took quite a while for him to actually fall asleep.
Agent Marco was waiting for him when he came into the dining hall. "Good morning. I trust you had a goodnight's sleep?" he asked.
Phil nodded. "Yes," Phil said, with his mouth still full of toast.
Agent Marco gave him a strange look, and then said "When you're done, I want you to come outside."
Phil gave him another nod.
When Phil came out of the facility and onto the "green grass," Agent Marco was waiting for him.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked,
Marco thought for a moment, and then replied "run to the position immediately before the Omega Sector Safety Zone, then back, without using any skills, like dash, teleport, or haste. I'll time you."
Phil took off a moment later, and returned panting heavily. "Not bad," said Agent Marco. "For your age, you run quite a fast pace." Marco looked at him. "But don't forget to breathe while running."
Phil nodded weakly, still panting. "I want you to run again," Agent Marco told Phil. "And this time remember to breathe." Phil nodded and ran again.
Phil ran about 10 more laps. After that Agent Marco told him, "You can have a little break right now. We will begin each day with a dozen laps to build up those legs. We also need to increase your dexterity. This will help you become an Agent."
"What exactly… is… an… Agent?" asked Phil, panting hard.
"You see this 'cool looking,' as you probably would say, weapon here? This is one of the main marks of an Agent. In the past, many centuries ago, Agents were the protectors of the world, the guardians. They were known for their speed, dexterity, and stealth."
"They sound like thieves to me, though."
"Ah, yes, but that is only the superficial part of an Agent. Along with that, they are also known for their strictness."
Strictness? What have I gotten myself into?
"There's more," Agent Marco continued. "You see, an Agent has a set of these skills associated with this weapon, plus a few that aren't. However, each needed at least two more sets of skills; they were, to say the least, eclectic. That was one of the primary definitions of an Agent. Usually in their own job. For example, a Thief could be both a Bandit and an Assassin—that person could use both a dagger and a claw equally well, possessing the deadliness of close combat and the superiority of long range fighting. They could also use a set of Agent skills with this weapon, known as a Laser Rifle.
"Only when the 'Agents' reach level 70, their third job, do they become true Agents. In the meantime, they are just trainees."
"So I'm currently a trainee?"
"Yes. But, as I've already said before, I doubt you will stay second job for long. Anyway, Jr. Officer Medin has a task for you. Your task is to go up Eos Tower, and bring back 100 toy drums from Drum Bunnies." That task didn't take much longer than 15 minutes, taking into account the tedious climbing. When he returned, Agent Marco counted out the 100 toy drums he had told to get, though Phil had actually brought back 112.
"That was quick," muttered Agent Marco. "When you were up there, did you see any of these?" Agent Marco held up a picture of a Block Golem.
"Yes."
"Now I want you to bring back 20 yellow toy blocks. These are to be handed over to Dr. Kim. And they will be put to a good use. This time, however, you have 30 minutes to complete it. Starting… now."
Phil dashed up Eos Tower. Within 20 minutes, he was back, lugging the mass of yellow behind him. Wiping the sweat off his forward as he placed the blocks in front of Agent Marco, he asked, "How did I do?"
"You finished this in 20 minutes," replied Marco as he counted off the blocks. "And by the way, you actually brought back 24 of these yellow blocks."
Phil groaned. Agent Marco chuckled lightly and said, "Looks like you always go the extra ten miles."
"On the bright side though, you seem to be level 40. Or 41."
"I am?"
Agent Marco looked at him quizzically. "You didn't know you leveled?" Phil shook his head.
"Hmmm… that's strange. Anyway, I think you should go back to your room and rest for now. We're done for the day. The next task will be coming tomorrow."
Phil nodded and went back into the building.
General Maestro and Jr. Officer Medin were watching the entire time. Agent Marco went up to join the two.
"So," said Agent Marco. "What do you think of him?"
"He is unlike anyone I've ever met. I remember training you. The training with him was… different"
"He's level 41," said Agent Marco. "He went up six levels in less than 48 hours. I'm sure it's because of this "training program, but… he says he doesn't know he leveled up. He doesn't know he's level. 41."
"I'm sure he didn't learn the skills of all five classes and wanted to take every one of the paths on purpose," Said Jr. Officer Medin. "He doesn't look like the kind of guy. Besides, remember the face that he made when you told him how the Agents were known for their strictness? And Dr. Kim said that Athena told him that he leveled up five times in two days. Do you think that all this is somehow…connected?"
All three suddenly froze as each arrived at the same thought. "Do you think it's because he has…it?" General Maestro asked slowly. The three of them exchanged looks.
"That may be the most probable reason at this point," replied Agent Marco, equally slowly. "The First Four had it…he may have it as well."
"So he would forget that he leveled up when he has them." Jr. Officer Medin said
"And it also means that, if he hadn't had this handicap, then he would have completed the tasks even faster. Maybe even twice as fast." Agent Marco added.
"This also explains why he brought back extras from both of the assignments," General Maestro said.
(Author's Note: "it" and "them" are two different things, but they are related.)
He climbed up the tower. Suddenly, he froze and lost his grip. Luckily, his descent to the ground was only a few feet, taking minimal damage. Quickly recovering, he wondered how he had ended up on the ground again. He started climbing again. Finally reaching the floor with the Drum Bunnies, he drew his Heckler, one of the weapons he decided to bring along with him.
"Soul Arrow…Iron Arrow!" A radiant, spinning bolt flew towards the monsters, killing six of them in a row. The other bunnies had noticed him by now, and turned their attention towards him. He fired several Double Shots in succession, killing another three bunnies. Sheathing his crossbow and drawing his Traus and Steel Tower Shield, he shouted "Weapon Booster!" and "Power Guard!" as he repelled the attack of the closest monsters.
"Ground Smash!" A shockwave of energy tore through the place, striking several of the monsters. Charging forward, he commanded "Slash Blast!" as his weapon sliced several of his targets in half. Another group of bunnies come to face him. Just as he was about to cast another slash blast attack, he froze again, staring straight ahead. The monsters collided head on with him, sending him staggering backwards as he fell onto one of the ledges of a "ladder." Regaining consciousness a few seconds later, he wondered what had just happened, and why his head hurt so badly.
No matter, he thought. He leapt onto the original platform again and, after casting a quick Heal, he began attacking the enemy once more. I wonder how many drums I have, he thought. Sheathing his sword, he started counting the drums that lay scattered across the platform. 88, 89, 90 …Suddenly freezing again, he stared aimlessly at the wall, unmoving. However, this time there were no monsters in his vicinity. Five seconds later, he resumed counting. 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76. Hmmm… need 24 more.
He drew his Hall Staff and shouted "Fire Arrow!" as he released the bow string made of fire, aiming at the closest bunny that had emerged, causing it to disintegrate. He then cast a series of thunderbolts, destroying the rest. He counted exactly 24 toy drums. Wow, he thought. How convenient. He quickly placed them in his bag and returned to the Omega Sector.
His received his next task after the completion of the first. The second was to collect 20 yellow blocks from the Block Golems. Before he left, he was told two things, that one) although the number of items needed was less, the monsters were significantly stronger, and two) he had a time limit of 30 minutes for this task.
Returning to Eos Tower, he climbed past the Drum Bunnies, which he had fought before, and searched for the Block Golems. The Golems truly were significantly stronger. They started attacking him before he even drew his weapon. Ducking a blow, he drew his Vaulter 2000 and commanded "Power Knock-Back!" slamming his weapon into the nearest Golems and pushed them back several feet. The moment they stopped sliding they began to advance. But even before they stopped moving Phil had cast soul arrow, drew an arrow, and shouted "Arrow Bomb!" The bolt of energy traveled across the area and exploded forcefully against the monsters, stunning them. Phil was just about to launch another Arrow Bomb when he stopped moving and starred at the Golems, even when they had recovered from their shock. The Golem in the lead took a swing and dealt a tremendous blow to him, knocking the weapon out of his hands and doing serious damage to him. When he recovered, he wondered how his weapon ended up half a dozen feet away from him. Putting aside that query, he drew his Traus and retaliated with a power strike and the nearest Golem broke down.
He drew his Steel Tower and cast "Power Guard!" just as another Golem made an attempt to knock him back, but his shield successfully block it. Casting iron will, he took an intrepid rush and dealt several slash blast attacks to the groups of Golems, in the process gaining more yellow blocks.
He was suddenly struck by another Golem from behind, and his sword and shield were knocked out of his hands. He himself ended up landing face down on the ground three yards away from where he originally was. The Golem that had caught him by surprise was advancing once more. Thinking fast, he grabbed two of the dozen Steelies he had brought with him and shouted "Lucky Seven!" hurling them at the golem. This time it was the golem that was caught by surprise. Wasting no time, he drew his Hall Staff and commanded "Cold Beam!" as the Golem was once again surprised by a blast of ice. Raising his weapon, he shouted "Holy Arrow!" and he released the "bowstring" as the beam of holy energy struck the golem, and it broke apart.
Casting a quick Heal, he gathered the scattered yellow blocks along with his weapons and the two knives. He counted 16 blocks. I need four more, he thought.
Just then, a foursome of Block Golems spawned right in front of him. He drew his Traus once more and launched a series of Slash Blast attacks at his adversaries. Several moments later, the yellow hulking figures crumpled to the ground.
Collecting the four yellow blocks, he returned to the Omega Sector.