The Systemic Lands

Chapter LXXV – Operational Time Efficiency Tracker: 351,861,429 – Sword Of Ascalon Round 8

“Monster, you shall be slain! Your evil will be no more!” My primary motivator processed the physical words. My combat motivator determined there was no use in taunting a weaker opponent that would soon be dead. Local stored knowledge, indicated a response was appropriate in this context. Also, it was important to expand my combat options when confronting this situation for the fifth time.

“Look in a mirror and you will see a monster.” The target was caught off guard by the reply. Reassessing combat efficiency of taunting. Taunting was evaluated as a tertiary combat protocol. Engage combat motivator. All motivators, refocus towards combat, rescind long term evaluations and secondary tasks.

Flipping to the side, I easily evaded a slow attack. While the target was no threat. The item labeled, Sword of Ascalon was a massive threat. The energy was thin in the area. My primary reserves would be trained quite fast, if this conflict didn’t end shortly, within 30 units of my operational time efficiency tracker.

Tapping into secondary skills. I unleashed Hell Flame. Maximum operational time efficiency reduced to 22 units. Target was heavily burned, but not killed. I noted a massive energy draw from surrounding zone. This had been observed before. Energy structure to be determined, a concentrated beam attack, with secondary aspects of shockwave, mentally disorientation, and physical vaporization.

I used a secondary skill to cause a pocket of the ground to open up beneath me and then leapt into the air. The sword swung up to point at me.

“SHOCKWAVE BEAM!”

I used a secondary skill, to transfer myself from my current position, to the hole in the ground. The hole shook, and the ceiling was ripped off. But the energy damage to my body was minimal. My primary motivator hummed in satisfaction as I completed my primary objective of staying alive.

Emerging from my hole as the beam had dissipated. The target disintegrated, reducing energy expenditure to minimum tracking and operational levels. I needed to locate new energy sources soon.

I watched as the Sword of Ascalon flew away. Attempting to capture or destroy the sword in previous confrontations had failed. That was concerning. My primary motivator had considered the Sword against the objectives. It was a valid target and made completing the objectives much harder.

Evaluating the overall combat performance of myself, it was sub-par. My primary motivator considered alternatives. Attempts to complete the objectives had failed. Efficiency was reaching critical inefficiency, which was unacceptable.

I considered alternatives. Deception, was pulled from my local knowledge. Subordinates, was also pulled from my local knowledge. Evaluating operational zone. Evaluating suitable candidates. None found, continue-

There was something in the distance. Turning my primary physical sensory apparatus, I began to evaluate the energy shifts. Multiple new entities were entering the designated area from an unknown direction. Sword attack aimed at them. Cooperation and deception possible. Knowledge limited, due to external arrival from unknown region. Area high level based on local knowledge and sensory evaluation.

My motivators processed all the data rapidly, attempting to arrive at a suitable framework for completion of my objectives. Targets could not be allowed to live. But targets killing targets, could remove all targets in the necessary time frame.

The probability of completion in the near future greatly increased. Compared to current methodology, the new approach was low risk, high reward. No impact to current methodology. Changing approach to completing objectives.

First priority, restock on emergency reserves in the event combat operations are required. Secondary priority, was to evaluate targets with long range sensory abilities to divine their combat ability and skills. I accessed the underlying energy field.

The beam attack from earlier had veered slightly to hit them. There was a slight homing functionality. Only enough to adjust the attack by a slight margin, but I had escaped it. The individuals I was observing were not so lucky.

I felt a sense of satisfaction as many of them died, fulfilling my secondary objective of killing all targets. I adjusted my primary motivator to focus on the energy sources nearby. I needed to increase my combat operational time back up to 30 units. Anything less risked failing my primary objective, which was unacceptable.

As I gathered up the energy sources and slotted them into my physical body, I considered options for dealing with the sword. In the end, it was not possible to destroy it. Better to have it leave the designated area and then my objectives would be completed.

While it would escape the designated zone, only targets inside the designated zone were targets. Anything that moved outside of the designated zone was now considered a former target. I had evaluated that the overall purpose of the objectives was to kill all targets within the area known as the Indian Sultanate.

Unfortunately, progress had been quite slow. That was why I felt a sense of happiness move through me, that I had determined an alternative methodology to use for completing the objectives. While my efficiency was terrible, I could hopefully stop it from getting worse.

That was why it was important to constantly reevaluate the objectives. Every variable needed to be taken into account that could lead to failure. Failure and the increasing inefficiency were unacceptable. While the Controller had not evaluated my actions, since my activation, it was unacceptable to have a high level of inefficiency.

It would take many units of time to collect more energy. Unfortunately, the expenditure to gather up energy, expended energy. It was frustrating to be delayed in this way. Even with my probability and calculation motivator determining the optimal route and movements, it was time that was not spent completing objectives.

Such time was considered wasteful but necessary. Similar to travel time. It was unfortunate and attempts had been made to correct these deficiencies. But even with several secondary skills, the energy expenditure was not something that was easily overcome.