The dawn was blood-orange.
Aiden sat beneath a twisted metalwood tree, inspecting the fragments of his Shock Pike. The device had done its job—barely—but now it was scorched, bent, and unreliable.
[System Alert: Weapon Integrity < 12%]
[Recommendation: Salvage Components or Reforge]
He opted for salvage. The internal capacitors and shock coil were intact. With a little fabrication, he could adapt them into something better. Stronger.
The memory of the enforcer's glowing eyes burned in his thoughts. That wasn't a fight he'd won—just one he survived.
He needed power.
[New Objective Available: Establish Base Node]
[Requirements: Fabricator Core (1), Structural Alloy (x5), Energy Matrix (1)]
[Note: Base Node grants access to Advanced Crafting, Storage Grid, and Signal Masking]
He grinned. "Finally, some structure."
He scanned the area. The ravine from yesterday had potential—natural cover, proximity to a Leyline Node, and minimal wildlife interference. It wasn't perfect, but it would work.
First, the materials.
[Mission Initiated: Scavenge Protocol Alpha]
Aiden moved through the woods like a machine on a path. His HUD marked potential salvage points: broken golems, abandoned traveler shrines, and a collapsed sky relic—the remains of some airborne vessel.
The first target was a ruined golem half-buried under ivy and rust. Its head was split, but the chest cavity still pulsed weakly.
[Target Scanned: Class D Sentinel Golem – Dormant]
[Components Identified: Structural Alloy (x3), Core Fragments (x2), Soulwire (x4)]
"Bingo."
Aiden pried open the chest plate and carefully detached the components. The Soulwire sparked faintly at his touch—magic infused nanowires. The System immediately began assimilating the parts.
[Inventory Updated: Structural Alloy +3 | Soulwire +4]
As he moved to the next salvage point, he heard voices.
Human voices.
He crouched low behind a bush, activating [Sensor Ping – Passive].
Two figures—a man and a woman—both armored in robes of woven light, blue and silver. They carried staves embedded with sigils.
[Targets Scanned: Low-Rank Arcanists – Affiliated with Ley Academy]
[Threat Level: Moderate | Magical Proficiency: Basic – Shielding, Tracking]
Aiden frowned. "Academy mages. Might be scouts or researchers."
He considered approaching them—then quickly dismissed the thought. Anyone from an institution called the "Ley Academy" likely wouldn't welcome a technomancer.
Then one of them spoke a word that froze his blood.
"…temporal drift signature. Confirmed," said the woman. "Exactly like the report."
The man nodded. "Unauthorized incursion. Shall we alert the enforcer?"
"No," the woman replied. "We watch. If the anomaly continues to corrupt the leyflow, then we act."
They moved on.
Aiden stayed still until their presence faded, then bolted in the opposite direction.
"Corrupt the leyflow? What the hell am I?" he muttered.
Back at the ravine, he dumped his loot on a flat rock and opened his Fabrication Menu.
[Fabrication Menu Opened]
Available Components: Structural Alloy (x3), Soulwire (x4), Arc Fragments, Capacitor Coil, Crystal Lattice (Low-Purity)
Options appeared in glowing columns: Base Node Shell, Signal Dampener, Repeater Drone, Tactical Forgeplate…
He selected **Base Node Shell**.
[Crafting… Success]
[Structure Blueprint Initiated – Please Place Physical Core to Activate]
The Fabricator Core was still theoretical. He needed a source of consistent power and logic processing. But inspiration struck as he glanced at the cracked interface orb from the golem's head.
[New Blueprint: Improvised Core – Golem Brain + Arc Coil + Soulwire]
"Let's do it."
The process took an hour. Heat shimmered off his tools. Sparks hissed. Magic and logic didn't like mixing, but Aiden forced them together with brutal precision.
When it was done, he plugged the orb into the shell.
The entire structure shuddered.
[Base Node Online – Tier 0]
[Modules: Storage Grid (Basic), Fabrication Bench (Locked), Signal Masking (Weak)]
[Security Status: Minimal | No Defense Installed]
The glow stabilized. Aiden stepped inside the dome-like field that hummed with barely-controlled energy.
This was home.
For now.
He sat cross-legged inside and breathed deeply. For the first time since arriving, he felt grounded. The System buzzed softly around him like a guardian spirit.
"Alright," he said, eyes narrowing. "Let's figure out how this world works."
He began interfacing with the data streams—leyflow channels, localized field densities, artifact distribution maps. The world wasn't random; it followed rules.
Magical rules.
But he had something this world didn't.
Code.
He pulled up the scripting panel. The System had begun unlocking access to custom module creation. Using simple if-else logic, he began programming a proximity alert into the Signal Masker.
[Input Accepted: Code Stream Alpha]
If Ley Signature Detected → Initiate Concealment Surge → Trigger Silent Alarm
He smiled. "That'll give me a few seconds of warning, at least."
Then he heard a beep.
[Unknown Signal Detected: Source – Mobile Construct | Approaching Fast]
He stood, grabbing a half-finished bolt launcher.
Outside the ravine, something skidded to a halt.
A quadrupedal construct made of brass and black stone, eyes flickering like camera lenses. On its back was a standard—torn but still visible. A half-gear symbol.
[Scanned: Scavenger Unit – Mark II]
[Status: Partially Corrupted | Subroutine – Seek Energy | Aggression: High]
Aiden didn't wait.
He darted left as the thing lunged, claws scraping stone. It spat a jet of flame that missed by inches. He rolled, aimed the bolt launcher, and fired.
A thunderous snap.
The bolt embedded in its leg joint. Sparks flew. The unit stumbled, reoriented, and charged.
He activated a trap node—rigged during base setup.
[Node Triggered: Arc Snare]
Energy cords snapped around the bot's limbs, pulling it down. Aiden dashed forward, unscrewed the control panel, and ripped out the logic core.
The unit collapsed.
Breathing heavily, he accessed the loot:
[Recovered: Logic Matrix (Mid-Tier), Reinforced Plate, Power Node]
"Perfect," he whispered.
With these components, his base would finally have defense. Maybe even offense.
He turned toward the Base Node, and for the first time, truly felt the future unfolding.
This world might run on magic.
But he was about to rewrite the script.