I woke up to see the outside had become really foggy. I used earth manipulation and made my way to the bottom. I sunk into the earth and moved under the earth till I was near my ship. The ship was dangling on top of a tree. I opened a portal under Vigilance so it would fall into the lake. I used earth manipulation and sliced the branch. The ship fell through and made it right side up. I whistled loudly so the sound would go from high to low. The engine started and Vigilance willingly came to me. I moved the ship somewhere the monsters won't damage it. The longer I stay the more I feel like this planet is designed to kill everyone and everything that comes here. Everything in here has something deadly in its arsenal. The pods emit toxic fumes that burn my skin or pollen that lulls me to sleep. Vines that have nothing better to do than creep all over. One almost tore me limb from limb. I used black fire to burn it to ashes. The flowers all shoot deadly barbs. The creatures are huge and heavyset. They either want to eat me or crush me. The aves that live here are infamous dive bombers. I saw one in action. The moment I saw it slammed into its dinner. I swear I saw the poor aves soul leave its body. The marine creatures are swimming delete buttons that literally do what is called Ram biting. They go head first like a breacher trying to bust a door and take a bite of its prey. Practically cutting it in half. Like a pair of gardening shears. The atmosphere isn't forgiving either. It rains so much that I can't see anything or it is so hot it feels like I will die of a heat stroke. The dim light makes visibility of the surroundings near impossible. If I didn't have night vision I would have been dead by now. The nights are so cold that it feels like I would die of hypothermia.
The planet seems to want to punish me for the fact that I had chosen to live here. But I didn't give up. I am an Arcanon. I have lived with the water kingdom so I used the techniques that were taught to me by people living in polar conditions. I dug a pit but as soon it got warm a beast would show up and I had to fight it off. Sleeping was a challenge. So I tried something else. I used earth manipulation to dig a tunnel in the mountains. I made sure it was enough to fit me and Vigilance. I carved out an indent and added wood chunks to start a fire. Then it was simply a matter of trial and error. I had to figure out which berries were edible and how to cook the edible meat found on the planet. This took over a month. The comms buzzed asking me if I was comfortable wherever I was hiding in the galaxy. I told her I was Arwen's home world. Her popped out its sockets. She asked me, "You are in Anhedonia? What possessed you to do that? How did you manage to live this long without dying?" I shrugged, "Resilience. I can't go anywhere without the Kovans trying to capture me for their supersoldier project." She grinned, "I can make some arrangements so you can stay wherever you like till you are needed. Board your ship and come to Hypogean. We will see what can be done." I retorted, "Rather be a drifter so I won't be part of the problem. So I can run away at a moment's notice when trouble ensues."
She grinned, "You have been living there for thirty days and thirty nights." I grimaced, "One month and two days." She laughed out loud as she asked me to come over. As I came out of the portal Mira was in a state of shock. She said she used drones the last time she was there. She asked me what tricks I did to survive the planet. The place had been terraformed into an inhospitable planet. The place hosted the most deadliest creatures from the animal kingdom and plant species from everywhere in the galaxy. They were handpicked and have been systemically dumped there to make it unlivable. She asked me if I had met the most dangerous creatures. I grimaced, "I saw a Fyr the second time I had stopped by. These days I am seeing creatures with tremendous bite forces that could induce a heart attack. Ranging from a thousand pounds per square inch to a hundred thousand pounds per square inch. You should see how the Aves attack each other. Dive-bombing was a term I had heard during my days as a medic. Never imagined seeing first hand. At least I avoided the dangerous noodles. The suborder Serpentes. The spitters, the bitters and of course the huggers. I am pleased that I didn't meet Araneae. The giant silk weavers. They can kill me with one bite." Vigilance was commandeered and was taken for orderly disposal. I waved bye bye to my loyal ship and I asked her if I could get a ride back to Hae. She showed me my quarters and asked me to get some rest. I remember lying down but somehow I slept for two days.
I woke up and was given a tour of Hypogean. The place was unreal. It was the most eclectic mix of species I had ever seen. They are almost extinct and the locals were cloning the deceased ones to ensure their continued existence. I was wearing a mask to ensure I was safe. The city I was in Jihacheol was situated inside a mountain. A series of tunnels leading to homes, markets, laboratory, entertainment centers and medical facilities. The locals had pitch black skin with gold flecks. Their eyes ranged from maroon to indigo and their hair was a pale lavender. The elderly had copper strands and a white film covering their eyes as a sign of aging. Slower in reflexes but still fit and healthy. All modestly dressed and very polite. Everyone walked so everyone was fit. They were not plagued by any sort of illness. The vehicles were used to transport people from one city to the next. The creatures that live here look spectral. It feels less like the living world and more of the spiritual world. Some of them had four wings. Some have a hundred eyes. Others have adapted to climbing mountain walls with their cloven hooves. They felt very real when I tapped one to be sure. They were gentle creatures who would softly purred or murmured.
I was taken to the next city Undercroft. It was a huge underground laboratory the size of a huge. Each department has its own assignment. From cloning to embryo development to mechanical enhancements and so on. The locals were busy. I was given a tour and somewhere along the way Sas got distracted. I was by myself. One of the scientists asked me to come over since he had one more syringe that I missed. I sat down and he explained what it was for. I was getting the ability to forge things with a simple touch. I can make ordinary things or supernatural ones. It depends on how I focused. I asked him if this ability was called soul forging and he chuckled. He grinned, "There is no such thing as soul forging. You won't die if you make something. You are taking cosmic energy to forge." I extended my hand and he gave me the injection. As I lay down to accept the change he called his colleague. After my transformation was completed they asked me to meet them in the catacombs. I asked for directions and they told me where to go. They told me to go there after hours. I told them.thst I am still learning to be a technopath. They smiled as they gave me a different serum. I passed out for an hour. I woke up and Sas came to see how I was enjoying the tour. Sas mentioned the weather was getting bad so we will be here till the weather cleared. She and I walked by a tunnel with a huge double door. I realized this was the catacombs. Sas explained that the tunnels are off limits. She and I had dinner and she went to sleep. I waited till she was asleep before I walked out to meet the scientific community. They explained that I am a temporary vault as they create a baby with multiple gifts. They are storing some gifts instead of injecting me. Some of these gifts are terrifying. They want to get rid of it or inject me with it so the baby gets the milder gifts for safety reasons. They are afraid the enhancements would corrode the child and he or she will become the next intergalactic problem.
They had the keys to access it so we walked for an hour and finally I was inside a cave. I was looking at the wall to wall filled with tiny drawers. They scanned each and every one and started pulling out multi colored vials. Once they were sure they got all the troublesome ones and left none behind. They made sure to inject them all into me. I passed out for overload and woke up in the mess hall. Sas walked out looking perplexed. She has been searching for me for the past hour. She asked me why I was here. One of the scientists explained that he was concerned that his research might be stolen so I fell asleep guarding him. She smiled as we sat down for breakfast. We ate and packed our belongings before leaving for the next city. Marble city was filled with only memorial plaques and tombstones. The entire city was where the last of a dying species had come to die. I sat down as a sign of respect and took a moment of silence in their honor. Sas smiled as she took me to the next city. Delve was a university and it was the entire city. On one side was the living quarters and the other was the lecture halls while the library was in the middle and occupied the majority of the space. I asked if I could enroll as a student and Sas spoke with the administration. I was enrolled and my lessons began. I was asked at length the level of my education. I explained my time in university elsewhere in the galaxy. I did carry a pocket watch from Arman. The teachers were curious and I showed them the information encapsulated inside. The information was added to the existing library and I was accepted as a student. The others were very friendly and we had fun learning. Education wasn't the way I was taught previously. The teachers looked for ways to make it fun so we would remember the lesson. Each one was an excitement.
After I graduated I was on my way back to Jihacheol. I made a stop at Undercroft. Sas and Mira were testing someone younger and I realized this was the embryo the scientific community mentioned. They were concerned that the child would have no continence. So far the child has caused no problems. But for safety's sake he was sedated and taken off world. I was given some new injections before being sent out to the galaxy to live out my days. I boarded a barge that was carrying recycling material to another planet. I got off and boarded another. I finally reached Ansley and made it to the auction house. I gave them the rainbow gem and they got it authenticated before it was auctioned off. I received ten octillions Valutas for the stone and the money was transferred to my account. I went shopping for sensible clothes after the bank confirmed it was me after they checked my biometrics. I bought clothes that suit all weather and a single pair of walking shoes that wouldn't shred in any terrain. Then I stopped by a stand and bought a simple meal before heading towards a Heli ship to go to Hae. The pilot was a Peregrine. He was human but he had Aves like facial features. His eyes were darting here and there as though he was looking for prey. I paid him six Valutas and seven Demut before boarding the ship. I did remember to cover my face. I did get a lovely identification stick from the bank to make my travels easy.