As the three of them made their way outside and looked over the bridges, Nicolai noticed something had changed.
There were no longer any archers floating over the largest bridge, and there were also fewer undead on that bridge in general. Looking further afield, he noted other bridges, all of which had previously been manned by undead, but now some of them had no undead atop them.
Had people killed the undead? He saw no corpses or other signs of a fight. Most likely someone or a group had indeed killed them, at least the floating archers. He couldn¡¯t be the only one to have worked out they flew via use of Imbued, Imbued that could be stolen from their corpses. Likely the Chosen had killed them, a task that shouldn¡¯t have been overly difficult now they had guns. But what of all the other undead? There were hundreds less than there had been. He doubted people had killed all the spearmen and standard archers, there wouldn¡¯t be much point unless they had Soul Traps, and so far as he knew no one else did. Had they gone somewhere? There was no way to know.
With his increasingly well-explored map, he led the girls to a secret entrance that took them down a stairwell to a lower bridge and they started across.
As they went he turned to shoot a smile at Jo, figuring he¡¯d break the ice and see about alleviating the current coolness between him and them. He gestured to the area around them.
¡®How is it, to be back in your old h¡ª¡® he began, but cut himself off before he could finish the words: hunting grounds. His Mask was shaking its head disapprovingly, informing him that wasn¡¯t a good memory for her, not based on his understanding of things. ¡®I mean¡¡¯ The girls were staring at him, Jo frowning. He coughed, giving himself some time. ¡®Nice out here, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ he managed at last. ¡®In the sun.¡¯ He knew that his words were more awkward than casual-friendly, not quite the vibe he¡¯d been going for. Still, better than nothing.
¡®Yeah, ree-aal nice. Shame about the company.¡¯ Beth smirked nastily at him.
Nicolai turned away and kept walking. Point to Beth. Perhaps saying nothing would in fact have been better.
###
He had Jo take up position in a covered bridge, protected by its rooftop and wall, peering down her rifle towards a specific spot. Beth remained with her, guarding her sister.
Meanwhile, he approached the spot he¡¯d told Jo to watch over. Heading around the curving wall of the bastion, he saw light glinting off of his polearm where it was buried in the wall.
No signs of the archers. Not only were they gone from the bridge, he was also unable to see any watching over his polearm. His eyes lingered on the messy mass of rooftops crowning the buildings above. The place where the archer who¡¯d almost shot him from ambush had emerged, last time he was here. His money was on them hiding up there, if any were still waiting around, but there were also some crevices in the stone below the polearm where others could hide. He considered having the drones take off from where he¡¯d left them, in a bag Beth held, but opted not to bother. He was confident he didn¡¯t need to know the exact locations of the archers, as there were truly only two spots they could wait in, and he worried that if they saw the drones they would shoot them down, a loss he saw no reason to risk.
As he approached the spot, he checked his Node and found it a little drained, the result of continuously energising his unfinished Nodes. He drew from an Oma crystal until his heart¡¯s Node was full then charged up his Sheltering Glove, Darting-Talon Rapier, and Pegasi Ring. He didn¡¯t anticipate needing the Blue Hornet for this, and it used more Oma than anything else he had; a loss he didn¡¯t want when the only thing keeping him floating would be the Oma he provided his Pegasi ring. The crystal crumbled to dust so he took another one and refilled his Node to full, his aim being to keep it as full as possible at all times.
After a sweeping glance around and up, Nicolai stepped off the edge and into open air. He floated gently downwards, then reached out and grasped his polearm, tugging on it and finding it stuck. He planted his legs to the stone beside it and heaved and it came free with a start, sending him floating backwards. As he moved, he heard a faint sound from above. Nicolai knew what this signified.
His arm snapped up and his shield hummed into life in time to deflect an arrow, then a second one.
Two archers floated above, emerged from hiding but now still in the air, nocking fresh arrows, still and patient.
That stillness cost them when a gunshot rang out, echoing off the walls.
One of the archers¡¯ heads practically exploded as the heavy 7.62 round from Jo¡¯s rifle smashed through, annihilating helmet and skull both. Good aim, Nicolai noted. The dead archer pinwheeled down to crash onto the ledge above Nicolai, who kept his shield raised between him and the last archer. He cast a wary gaze down to where he¡¯d suspected another might hide. As he did so he saw it emerge, floating out of hiding, an arrow already knocked, twisting to take aim at him.
The arrow was loosed with a snap, humming through the air, and at the same time he heard the twang of a bowstring above. He was already twisting in the air, floating sideways, but the Pegasi ring¡¯s flight was slow. His rapier lunged in front of him and his vision narrowed to its slender length, his Soul Sense surrounding it, the arrow zipping up at him. The world stilled, an indrawn breath.
With a clatter he caught the arrow from the air and it spun past him. At the same moment he felt a loss of energy from his glove as another arrow was deflected from above. This was not a good position to be in, pinned between archers. But things had changed. Nicolai was no longer a lone operator.
He heard another gunshot. ¡®Got it,¡¯ Jo¡¯s voice crackled in his ears. A glance up showed him the upper archer falling, its head gone. Jo was just as effective as he¡¯d hoped she would be.
He held his shield now between him and the archer below, while he continued upwards. He tossed his polearm to clatter on the ledge beside the two fallen archers.
The archer down there turned and started drifting away, not even bothering to shoot again. It knew the ambush had failed and had opted to simply leave.
Unacceptable. Nicolai floated down, chasing after it, and briefly communicated over Local to Jo.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
¡®Leave this one to me,¡¯ he told her. If she shot it, it would fall and he would lose its Pegasi ring. ¡®Keep watch for third parties.¡¯
¡®Understood,¡¯ she replied, her voice filtering into his ears through the tiny microphones the Cherubic Surgeon had installed as part of his BIS.
The archer had a head start and it also moved slightly faster than him, which he surmised was due to its lighter weight. This was a problem. As it noticed him chasing after, it turned in the air whilst continuing to float backwards, nocked an arrow, and shot at him. He deflected the arrow easily enough with his shield, but this was a twofold problem. The deflection knocked him back very slightly. On top of that, he was rapidly consuming Oma, and he knew he didn¡¯t have all that much to spare. Every crystal used brought him closer to the danger of running dry at which point he¡¯d risk his lung¡¯s exploding. He needed to finish this quick, and to stop it shooting at him or he¡¯d never even get close enough.
Nicolai drew his pistol from its holster and took aim while continuing to float towards the archer, moving his shield out of the way, safe for the moment as it had yet to finish nocking a new arrow.
He took a moment, lining up the Glock¡¯s iron-sights and sighting down them whilst the archer finished nocking its arrow. It drew back on the string while Nicolai let out a slow breath, no rush. It was sighting down the arrow as he squeezed the trigger.
Its arm jerked as the bullet smashed into it, bowstring jerking, arrow released to spin off in a random direction. He shot it again, catching it in the side, and the force made it spin gently in the air. It seemed greatly confused. His next shot caught its bow and the wood splintered and cracked. It had slowed down and was now almost still and Nicolai quickly closed with it.
It turned to resume its retreat but now his Soul Sense, and therefore the rapier, could reach it. The rapier looped behind it, reversed and caught it in the stomach with the hilt, pressing it back towards him. It tried to grab at the rapier but he had it slide out of reach. The archer pulled a knife as he drew within arm¡¯s reach, turning to face him.
He caught its wrist and shot it three times in the head. Blue light vented. Its body slumped, limp, the knife falling while he holstered the pistol, and then he had to hold tight to it as it became a dead-weight that started dragging him down.
Nicolai pushed more power into the Pegasi ring but it wasn¡¯t enough, the Imbued ring wasn¡¯t capable of lifting the weight of both of them, it merely slowed their fall.
He needed to get the ring off of it, quick. Nicolai wrapped his legs around the dead archer, hooking one of his feet under a knee, clasping it in a triangle. He started tearing at its gauntlet which seemed sealed onto its hand. Their slow fall towards the jungle below continued as he struggled.
His rapier slotted itself back into its sheath while with the help of a knife and both hands he managed to get the gauntlet free from the archer¡¯s hand and tossed it aside. He chopped next at the leather wrapping its hand until he saw fingers and thumb. No ring.
Nicolai tugged and squirmed, shifting the weight of the dead archer around until he got its other hand and started work. Despite his gradual downwards descent, he wasn¡¯t particularly worried, in no rush because he knew if he rushed he¡¯d just be slower overall. He¡¯d just have to float back from however far he descended, which shouldn¡¯t present any problems. The Pegasi ring¡¯s flight might be slow and incapable of lifting too great a weight, but at the very least it was relatively cheap to use. Still, it was best to get the ring off fast, so as not to waste too much Oma.
That was when the Swollen Eye amulet around his neck let out a pulse which he felt within his Soul. Someone or something was looking at him with unkind eyes.
Nicolai heard a piercing, predatory avian cry, and then a heavy, thudding, boom, boom, boom, shaking the air.
He jerked his head around and up, spotting a gigantic bird resembling a great eagle only the size of a bus. It had appeared from behind a bridge and came straight for him, each mighty beat of its wings clapping at the air. Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare gibbered with excitement at the sight of it, such a fantastical being, and Nicolai might¡¯ve felt the same except that it, as he pointed out to the Modules, probably saw him as something to eat.
¡®Shoot it!¡¯ he spoke to Jo over Local while drawing his sawn-off. He pressed the barrels to the undead¡¯s wrist and pulled both triggers. Twinned eruptions blew the wrist into desiccated splinters of flesh and bone and the hand detached. He shoved the sawn-off back into its holster and slid the detached hand between his hip and belt, gripping the archer tight as he watched the bird.
He heard the crack of a gunshot from above and saw a faint puff of red on the bird¡¯s face.
It didn¡¯t appear to notice being shot. Its beak spread wide as it swooped at great speed toward him.
A grin stretched Nicolai¡¯s lips, and he let himself fall faster but it wasn¡¯t fast enough, the bird closing the distance in seconds. At the last moment Nicolai shoved and kicked the dead archer away from him, using its weight to launch himself backwards and activating his Pegasi ring at full strength to send himself sideways, out of its line.
The bird¡¯s great beak closed like scissors around the archer¡¯s corpse, releasing a chorus of snaps and cracks he felt more than heard.
Its wings jerked with another great boom as it zoomed past him, and one of those great, heavy wings caught him like a rolled-up newspaper slapping a fly in the air. At the same moment he felt its Soul Sense which slapped at his own with similar power, rocking his Soul.
It was a massive, bone-jarring collision that filled Nicolai¡¯s view with feathers and then he was spinning madly through the air, launched even further down, careening, momentarily stunned and confused, his mind reeling even as his body did, the Pegasi ring¡¯s Art interrupted.
He regathered himself enough to re-activate the Pegasi ring, arresting his fall and re-orienting himself then beginning to float back upwards, and he turned to see the bird rising through the air, circling back towards him, dropping the archer¡¯s corpse and letting out an angry, piercing shriek as its eyes settled onto him. At the very least it was distant enough he couldn¡¯t feel its Soul Sense. His Soul was hurting after their brief contact.
Seems it prefers living flesh to dead. Understandable, but not a good thing from his perspective. He was far down now, maybe halfway between where he¡¯d started and the jungle below which had come into closer detail as he fell. He could hear shrieks and howls, the animalistic life down there doing what it did. The walls of the bastions down here were far more stark, lacking the crevices and cracks the archer had hid in above.
Nicolai floated upwards as fast as he could manage, clutching at another Oma crystal and reducing it to dust that fell through his fingers.
The bird was beating its wings heavily, rising upwards in mirror of Nicolai, gaining altitude for its next dive-bomb. There came a gunshot, and this time Nicolai didn¡¯t even see any red on the bird, nor did it react.
Another cracking gunshot. Jo couldn¡¯t have loaded another bullet that fast. Something was up.
¡®We¡¯re under attack!¡¯ came her voice into his ears, ¡®there¡¯s a grou¡ª¡®
Her voice cut off into static as someone worked to jam their connection, and Cyberwarfare jumped into action, launching itself through the jam and working to re-establish the connection while attacking whoever it was.
Nicolai didn¡¯t have time to worry about Jo and Beth and Cyberwarfare because the bird had gained its altitude and now it was accelerating down towards him.
Nicolai had few options. The Pegasi ring was too slow for him to evade it. He didn¡¯t think the Blue Hornet would charge in time, and it would also draw a lot of Oma which he needed to maintain his flight. On his tactical vest there were four grenades, and his hand touched upon one of the fragmentation grenades, then he paused, and instead took hold of one of the concussion-chaffbangs, drew it from its pouch and pressed its Link-pairing button.
Through his Link he located the signal it was broadcasting and quickly connected to it, Cyberwarfare¡¯s focus shifting to protecting and maintaining that connection. The bird was closer and closer. He drew back his arm and hurled it upwards in one smooth, powerful movement.
The chaffbang arced through the air. The bird opened its beak wide, its eyes boring into him, its wings still as it swooped silently down.
Nicolai watched the grenade and as it was passing in front of the birds eyes, he detonated it over the Link connection, turning his eyes away and putting his hands to his ears. Would it work against a gigantic bird? He could only hope so, because if it didn¡¯t, he was dead.
107: Angry Bird
Some of the deafening boom of the chaffbang and a flicker of the blinding light made its way through his hands and eyelids, and Cyberwarfare growled at him when his Link connections fuzzed, the result of the anti-network filaments contained in the grenade. Not something he¡¯d needed at this moment, but he hadn¡¯t purchased any pure stun grenades as he¡¯d expected to be using the chaffbangs against people with augments, not giant birds.
The bird let out a great scream and its body and wings flailed, its movement through the air now more like an out-of-control aircraft than its previous smooth mastery, and its Soul Sense caught at him as it came into range but ineffectually, and despite how much stronger and larger it was he managed to shake it off, his experience sparring with Beth paying dividends. However, he wasn¡¯t sure exactly what it was trying to do with its Soul Sense, and that worried him.
It was blinded and pained and confused for now, but it was still coming right at him and Nicolai had learned from their last encounter. Instead of moving sideways or upwards he simply cancelled the Pegasi ring¡¯s Art, his stomach flipping as he dropped through the air. He reactivated it just as the bird passed overhead, a great wash of air which it had dragged in its wake catching at him and pulling him after it.
The bird was still screaming and flailing and shaking its body, and he watched with rising eagerness as it continued in a straight line right towards a heavy stone bridge.
Alas, as it drew closer it suddenly veered down and away, letting out another shriek, this one sounding very, very angry, as it beat its wings and distantly regained altitude, already turning to try and spot him.
It was far enough away that he had some time. ¡®Come on,¡¯ he hissed, increasingly perturbed by his slow speed of rising no matter how much Oma he shoved into the ring. His eyes widened as he realised he¡¯d been using too much, that his Node was near empty, and he dragged out an Oma crystal to refill himself.
As soon as it crumbled he took the dismembered hand from where it rested, somewhat uncomfortably, between his belt and body, and managed to drag the hand from the metal gauntlet. He spied the ring, glinting under the leather wrapping one of the fingers. All the while, the occasional gun-shot had been ringing out and bouncing off the walls of the bastions.
As he cut at it with a knife the anti-network chaff filling the air disbursed and Cyberwarfare managed to re-establish his Link to Jo and Beth.
¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯ he asked.
It took a moment for one of them to reply. ¡®There¡¯s a group, a big group,¡¯ said Beth. ¡®Chosen, I think. They¡¯re shooting at us from another bridge.¡¯
¡®Can you get to where the dead archers are? Shelter behind the wall?¡¯
¡®We can, going there now,¡¯ said Jo after a pause during which he¡¯d heard a quick exchange of gunfire
¡®Which bridge are they on?¡¯ he asked next, his eyes scanning what was above. The Chosen weren¡¯t shooting at him which suggested they didn¡¯t have an angle from wherever they were. That, or they didn¡¯t realise he was down there and were focused on Jo and Beth.
Jo sent him her video feed in reply. In the feed her saw her POV shift as she lifted her head to peer over a wall, then her hand came in to view, finger uncurling to point at a bridge distant where he could make out vague, tiny figures. Through the feed and with his own ears, he heard a crack and Jo quickly ducked back down, chips of stone raining from above her where the bullets impacted.
After a moment he worked out where the bridge she¡¯d pointed at was. Right above him.
He finally got the ring free and let the archers hand fall. The bird had recovered and was coming back, and it didn¡¯t look at all happy.
He injected Oma into the new ring and activated its Art, and his speed increased noticeably, though less than he¡¯d expected. The effect of this second ring seemed to be halved, as he had sped up by around fifty percent. He judged the distance between him and the bird, and his own speed, and he grinned. He was going to make it. He pulled out another crystal and drew on it, wary of his Node falling empty.
As he reached the bridges supports and began to rise up towards its top, he saw the bird shift its line, beating its wings, rising higher.
Looking to get onto the bridge now, where it saw him going, and meet him there.
From above he could hear voices. He saw the barrel of a rifle poke out over the stone wall at the edge of the bridge, then, flash-bang, it jerked and fired.
Nicolai was just below it.
There came an angry avian cry, then yelling and shooting, the sounds of its wings beating the air, another cry. He felt the bird¡¯s Soul Sense thrashing around but for now it was focused on the others, not him.
He saw the bridge shake slightly, dust bursting off out of the stone, as something very heavy landed.
Rising a little higher his head popped over the top and he saw them, almost a dozen Chosen, all scrambling, and the bird amongst them, its beak lancing down to catch and snap at a man who vanished in a burst of blood and broken bones. One of them levelled an SMG at it and the rattle of automatic gunfire sounded, blood bursting from its feathered body, but the bird just lurched forwards and stomped on him with its talon, his brief scream morphing into a bloody crunch.
None of them were looking at him, far too busy with the bird. There was a woman right in front of Nicolai, holding a rifle, struggling with its bolt as she tried to load another bullet. He waited a patient moment until she¡¯d finished loading it then his hand-talon emerged with a snick and he buried it into the side of her head. As she fell limp he reached out and seized the rifle from her hands, floating back down, disappearing, heading along the side of the bridge.
A good day¡¯s work, he thought as the sounds of death and carnage continued from behind him, the new rifle cradled in his hands. But as he went he felt something immaterial rushing up. Suddenly the bird¡¯s Soul Sense was all around him, clawing and grasping at his own. Nicolai grit his teeth and kept floating, and he held his Soul Sense tight in the shape of a sphere around him, forming a shield of it.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
However, with each blow he received from the bird¡¯s invisible tendril he felt his own Soul Sense damaged and his Soul with it, the draw on his Node ticking up as it began to consume Oma to restore his Soul alongside powering his flight. Fortunately he was quite far from the bird, it was only just able to reach him which limited how much of its Soul Sense it could bring to bear upon him. He heard heavy footsteps and saw the bird on the bridge behind, stepping in his direction, but it found the edge of the bridge and stopped, screaming at him. The Chosen, those still alive, were fleeing on the other side. Why was the bird still hunting him, and ignoring them?
He reached the bastion and floated up and over the guard-wall at the same moment as the bird launched itself off the bridge, and its Soul Sense tendril was pulled away from him as it went out of range. He got behind the guard-wall and scurried in the direction of where Jo and Beth waited. As he went, he drew on more Oma crystals and activated his Blue Hornet, lightning beginning to zip over his body, fuelled by his movement. Now he was out the air it was worth keeping it ready, just in case.
¡®Gather the bodies, the polearm, and anything else, and take it into the nearest tunnel,¡¯ he sent his order ahead to the girls, and received an affirmative from Jo. He heard a piercing shriek and he glanced aside to see the bird gaining altitude, circling. He grinned at it. It wasn¡¯t going to make it in time.
He reached the area above where his polearm had been stuck, empty now, and he heard the sounds of the girls dragging the dead archers and, hopefully, his polearm, from the darkness of the tunnel.
Then he heard a yell, panicked.
Nicolai dove into the tunnel at the same time as a gunshot echoed through it, the sound magnified in the close space, his hearing momentarily dulling as his BIS¡¯ ear implants worked to protect him from the sound. He saw an armoured figure falling away, one that he recognised even in the brief moment before it collapsed into the dark. The archer he¡¯d taken the ring from so long ago, still here, still waiting to do its part of the ambush.
He¡¯d forgotten about it. Failed to warn the girls.
Beth had shot it, and now she shot it again, roaring, shrieking. Jo was leant against the wall, clutching at her stomach which was stained red, letting out high, shocked little gasps.
¡®It stabbed me,¡¯ she said. ¡®It stabbed me.¡¯
¡®Put pressure on it,¡¯ he snapped as he passed by, striding over to where Beth was preparing to shoot the fallen archer again. It no longer had a head. She was wasting ammo and making noise that could draw others, when he needed her on lookout. Nicolai grabbed her by the arm before she could fire. ¡®Stop.¡¯
She wheeled to face him, face stretched and tense and terrified and furious. He grabbed her by the shoulders before she could scream at him. ¡®We need to save your sister!¡¯ he hissed at her. ¡®Help me!¡¯
Her eyes went wide. ¡®What do I do?!¡¯
¡®Go check out there,¡¯ he told her, nodding to the exit.
¡®But¡¡¯ she began, looking to Jo.
¡®I¡¯ll get her,¡¯ he assured her, and turned away without looking to see if she followed his orders.
Returning to Jo he looked at her and she looked at him, her hands pressed to her stomach, blood coating them. Seeing her injured he felt something similar as he¡¯d felt when the archer had dropped his polearm off the edge. He had no Rejuvenating Orbs. She¡¯d already proven herself very useful and now he might lose her.
He pulled her by her shoulders and turned her around. ¡®Fall backwards,¡¯ he murmured, ¡®I will catch you.¡¯ He put a hand to her back and one behind her thighs, and gripped her shirt to pull her. She came, and he caught her and lifted her. Any amount of movement would be bad for her wound, and he figured he could ensure there was less if he carried her than if he had her walk. The tunnel wasn¡¯t a good place for him to treat her, too dark and too open.
Jo groaned as he lifted her and started down the tunnel, moving as fast as he could manage whilst keeping her relatively still. She¡¯d left her rifle and he¡¯d dropped the one he¡¯d stolen from the Chosen. His polearm, his prize, was on the ground along with the dead archers and their Pegasi rings. Problems for later. She was more valuable than any of it. Beth was at the exit, waiting for them, peering left and right into the corridor.
Just as they were about to get there, he felt the stone beneath tremble, heard a heavy scrape. Something boiled up the tunnel then his Soul Sense received a heavy blow and he stumbled, pain ringing through his head.
A twist and a glance behind revealed one giant yellow eye peering at him from the other side of the tunnel, the bulk of the bird crouched on the ledge out there. His Soul Sense took another great blow as its Soul Sense tendril slammed at him, then some kind of balance was tipped and his Soul Sense broke and retreated back into him despite his attempts to keep it out, and Nicolai let out a pained hiss as a savage pounding headache erupted behind his eyes. He pointed a hand at the bird and activated the Blue Hornet¡¯s lightning, but, unable to guide it with his Soul Sense, it foiled his hopes that it would work anyway and instead drew a random spike of blue energy that grounded itself in the wall halfway down the corridor.
The bird¡¯s eye glowed with pale yellow light, illuminating the tunnel, and he felt its Soul Sense latch onto him along with something else, and then he was stumbling toward it, grabbed and pulled by some invisible force, a force that was tightening its clutch and working to pull harder.
¡®Hey!¡¯ Beth yelled, and she grabbed him from behind, and her Soul Sense came forward, still intact, knocking the bird¡¯s Soul Sense loose from him and he regained his footing, stumbled backwards. The bird¡¯s Soul Sense drew back for just a moment then lunged forward and he heard Beth groan as her Soul Sense was swamped, broken, pressed back into her as his had been, and the bird¡¯s Soul Sense surged around them and locked onto the nearest target, and once more its eye glowed.
Jo yelled as she was jerked in Nicolai¡¯s hands and his teeth grit as he held onto her, his feet sliding. The closer they came towards the bird the more leverage its Soul had. His Soul Sense had recovered after only a moment and was ready to push back out of him, but the bird¡¯s wrapped him tight, trapping it inside.
¡®No!¡¯ screamed Beth, joining him, grabbing onto Jo who was letting out one continuous wail of pain as the bird tried to rip her out of their grip, her body tugged and wrenched, blood pouring from her wound.
Nicolai¡¯s lips drew back and something snarled within him in response to the challenge. In a savage eruption the darkness burst from its cage and poured through him.
His Soul Sense exploded out of him, limned in red, and it crawled around the Bird¡¯s like spiked vines, tearing and rending at it as the Bird¡¯s Soul Sense flinched in pain and surprise.
He slithered backwards, his grip on the girl aided by the one beside him, then turned and darted away, the one in his hands moaning in pain at the jostling she received. The Bird clenched tight around him but Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense was slippery like blood, its desperate spiritual claws finding little purchase.
After a passing moment he was there, out of range of the bird. Nicolai delighted in the bitter rage he felt from it, through his fading awareness of its Soul Sense. He heard the rasp of its talons and the beat of its wings as it gave up and left, letting out a singular, echoing cry.
Nicolai paused then, teeth grit, a grin on his face, struggling with himself. His Soul Sense surged around him. Hungry. Demanding. The walls pulsed and breathed, the shadows crawled and writhed. He looked at the blood-coated woman he held and he felt her pain and it tasted like a warm meal on a cold day. Shadowy claws emerged from his hands, connected to the stands of darkness writhing beneath his skin. There was an odd chill in the air and the hole within was open wide. Strange, alien energy was beginning to feed into him.
He heard a click and turned to see Beth, shotgun aimed at his face.
¡®Put her down,¡¯ she hissed.
108: Bleeding to Death
Nicolai almost laughed but inside he knew this was wrong, his Mask was still there and it was fighting hard. He couldn¡¯t kill them. The Contract prevented it. The darkness writhed through him, pushing and pushing, but it met his drive to survive, slipping out from the depths of his mind and Soul. If I kill them, I will be killed. And beyond that, his possessiveness. They were his! Why would he break such useful tools? Insanity!
And the hole, he remembered, was not a good thing. He couldn¡¯t let it stay open. His mindset experienced a dizzying shift as he cut himself away from the darkness and then he drove it back. He did better than the last time, his experience fighting it before aiding him. The Mask, fighting alongside him, was fuelled by its own need to save Jo and Beth.
The darkness beneath his skin faded from visibility, the shadowy claws dispersed, and it went, fading, dwindling, pressed back into the cage, and the hole was closed once more. In fact, this time was noticeably easier, the hole resisting far less. As it went the world returned into focus, walls and shadows stilling. He shook his head and his Mask was back in place.
¡®I¡¯m fine,¡¯ he told Beth who didn¡¯t move, staring at him with wide eyes. ¡®We need to help her!¡¯ he urged whilst lifting Jo a little higher, ready to use her as a shield if necessary.
Her Soul Sense played over him and she seemed to accept his words, lowering the gun.
He¡¯d memorised this area the last time he was here and headed immediately to the nearest room with a secret exit-tunnel, where he felt a tingling of deja-vu, a sensation that momentarily rendered everything oddly unreal until he shook it off.
He carefully set Jo onto the floor in the room, then gestured to Beth. She stared at him, confused. ¡®You¡¯ve got the medi-kit,¡¯ he told her, pointing to where it was attached to her light-weight backpack. She threw the backpack off and leapt at it like a dog at a bone.
As she did so he opened the hidden exit, MP5 at the ready. He remembered how it had opened before and been full of Chosen and didn¡¯t intend to suffer a similar surprise. It was empty.
Beth had ripped the medi-kit away from her back and now approached from behind, presenting it to him. Nicolai took it and settled beside Jo.
Nicolai carefully cut Jo¡¯s shirt open, looking over the wound. A big red hole in her stomach. Deep. An unhappy grunt was pulled from him before he could stop it. Jo¡¯s face was tight with pain, slick with sweat, and she was silent but for her rapid breathing, staring up at the ceiling.
¡®Is it bad?¡¯ Beth¡¯s desperate cry burrowed into his ears.
He shot a glance at her, seeing her clutching tight at her shotgun with white-knuckled hands. She was in too much a state to be of any use in this situation.
He smiled. ¡®It¡¯s not too bad,¡¯ he lied. ¡®Go and see if the bird¡¯s really gone. If it is, get everything we left in the tunnel, guns and weapons first then drag those dead archers here. I¡¯ll take care of this.¡¯
She gave him a wide eyed look that turned into a frown, ¡®I¡¯m stay¡ª¡® she began.
¡®If you want me to help her, then go. I will save her. Trust me.¡¯
Beth appeared conflicted, but ultimately turned away.
As she left the room he turned to Jo, then had her put her hands on the rip in her stomach.
¡®Apply pressure,¡¯ he told her, then he started digging around in the medi-kit.
It was bad, unfortunately, but this wasn¡¯t Nicolai¡¯s first time dealing with such wounds, and the medi-kit he¡¯d bought was one of the more expensive versions. It should have everything he needed, but if her bowels were torn¡ the situation would become more complex.
He mopped as much of the blood away as he could with clean cloths from the pack, then aimed a combined coagulant, anti-bacterial and numbing spray at her wound and sprayed it liberally inside and over. That done, Nicolai set to work.
###
Beth finished dragging the last archer into the room, barely noticing the weight as she grunted and snarled, desperate to get back in and see Jo. But as she turned to see Nicolai with his hands buried in her sisters stomach, she felt what could only be relief. There was an expression of calm, confident focus on his face, and his hands moved smoothly in the bloody mess she couldn¡¯t make sense of.
He looked like he¡¯d done this before. He looked like he knew what he was doing. He looked like he was going to save her sister.
She let out the strained breath she¡¯d been holding, leaning against the wall. ¡®Is there anything I can do?¡¯
His cool eyes flicked briefly up at her. ¡®Keep watch. This place is lousy with undead and Chosen. If any come, you¡¯ll have to hold them off.¡¯ He grasped a white cloth and mopped some blood up, then took up the needle and thread he¡¯d been using. The needle flashed as he worked, calm and controlled.
Beth nodded, and turned to poke her head out into the corridor, shotgun at the ready.
Nicolai was a sneaky bastard playing some game she couldn¡¯t wrap her head around. He was demanding and controlling, and despite his attitude, that fake-friendliness, she was sure he saw Jo and her more like tools than people.
Then there was¡ whatever the fuck it was. This time she had seen it. Beneath his pale skin there had been something moving, as though he were full of strings of black ink, and it had seemed that his hands had twisted and grown claws. She thought she¡¯d even seen something like red eyes, forming like mirages on his skin.
Then the eyes had closed and faded away, along with the black strings, and the claws were gone. She had the impression none of it had been physical, all of these things had been oddly immaterial, more like parts of his Soul or Soul Sense. She doubted anyone who wasn¡¯t a Cultivator would even be able to see what had happened to him.
But we¡¯re stuck with him. We¡¯ve got the Contract. She chewed her lip, turning her head and watching him very, very carefully. She worked hard to keep her Soul tight, to reduce any emotional leakage. She¡¯d come to realise he was very good at reading such things when she¡¯d sparred him with Soul Sense. This time, he¡¯d recovered himself. And the last time, too. But what of next time? She shook her head, unsure, watching the movements of his hands. For now, it didn¡¯t seem there was much to be done except watch him carefully.
As she did watch, she again noted the smoothness, and practised ease of his movements as he sealed the hole in her sisters stomach. Now, back to normal, he just seemed¡ cool, calm, calculating. And, just a little, sort of, like he almost cared about them. At least he¡¯s competent, she reflected. If he saved Jo now, then regardless of whatever was going on with him, she¡¯d owe him one. For real.
But if he didn¡¯t save Jo, if her sister died¡ Beth would turn the shotgun on him and keep shooting until he was a bloody smear on the ground, and Heaven¡¯s Contract could then do the same to her for all she fucking cared.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
###
Nicolai opened a pouch of wound-sealant, a kind of bio-friendly anti-bacterial glue that would also work to absorb the blood that had filled the cavity in her, and spread some inside the hole in Jo¡¯s stomach.
Her bowels hadn¡¯t been cut, which surprisingly wasn¡¯t uncommon with stab wounds like this. They were slippery things, lined with mucus, and had a tendency to slide out of the way. But there had been a few arteries nicked and quite a bit of flesh damage. Fortunately, no organs had been hit. Next he began suturing her abdominal wall and skin back together, working fast before the sealant could glue things too much. His Soul Sense made the task easier than it would otherwise have been, as everything was drenched in her blood, slippery and hard to see, but the Soul Sense allowed him to sense where everything was.
After a few minutes he was done and he spread more sealant then some disinfectant over the red and raised flesh. He smiled at the neatness of his stitching, pleased with himself. Still got it. It was significantly easier to patch other people up than the self-surgery he¡¯d had to become skilled at. Visiting hospitals had always been a tricky business for Nicolai, because that was usually only necessary after he¡¯d been shooting people. Following such events police were usually smart enough to investigate nearby hospitals for recently admitted, bloodstained men.
¡®How do you feel?¡¯ he asked Jo.
¡®Weird,¡¯ she grunted, but as she raised her head and looked down at her stomach, she let out a heavy breath of relief, hands moving around the knitted flesh as though disbelieving at finding herself whole once more.
¡®All done,¡¯ he called to Beth who lunged into the room then abruptly slowed, sinking down beside her sister.
She reached out to touch the wound then stopped, glancing at him.
¡®Leave it be, I just cleaned it,¡¯ he told her.
¡®Are you ok?¡¯ she asked Jo.
Jo smiled. ¡®I think so. I¡¯ll be alright. Right?¡¯ She looked to Nicolai.
¡®You¡¯ll be alright,¡¯ he echoed, then dug out a nutrient bar from a pocket and handed it to her. ¡®Eat up, you lost blood and need to give your body some fuel.¡¯ So long as Jo didn¡¯t move around too strenuously she should be fully recovered in a couple of weeks, and almost recovered in a few days.
The advanced flesh-and-cell regrowth sprays and substances he¡¯d put into her wound were nothing to sniff at, the results of centuries of human development in medical technology. A wound like she¡¯d suffered would¡¯ve taken months or even a year to fully recover from, centuries ago.
He left the girls and turned to the dead archers, his eyes on their gauntleted hands. Beth was sobbing and Jo was comforting her and telling her it was all ok, in between bites of the nutrient bar. He did his best to stay quietly out the way from their personal moment as he settled down near the exit, so he could keep an ear and an eye out for undead or other humans, and started chopping at one of the gauntlets clasps.
###
Some time later Nicolai sat there crosslegged, and three shiny new Pegasi rings glittered on his fingers, joining his original one. He considered them significantly more valuable than both the bolt-action rifle he¡¯d taken from the Chosen, and even his polearm retrieved at long last.
He lifted the polearm in question up, running his hands over it, glad to have it back even if, after the passing of such time, it was no longer quite the fantastic magical weapon it had once been to him. Even so, it was nice to have.
He had performed a few quick tests with the four rings, aiming to see exactly how useful it would be to have four of them. This had starkly revealed that having four was not quite as huge a difference as he might have expected. As he¡¯d noted before when fleeing from the bird, a second ring had increased his speed by about fifty percent, and this theme continued as he tested the rest of them; each successively activated ring had its effect halved.
Threat Analysis had created a handy little chart for him, making the statistics plainly visible through his AR eye lenses.
Total Ring Effect
1 ring = 100%
2 rings = 150%
3 rings = 175%
4 rings = 187.5%
By the time he got to four rings, he wasn''t even at double the original effect. This transpired to be exceedingly inefficient, as the cost in Oma moved in the opposite direction; it doubled with each ring.
Oma Cost Per Ring
1st ring = 100%
2nd ring = 200%
3rd ring = 400%
4th ring = 800%
This meant that when using two rings, he was using a total of three times the Oma he would use on one ring, as it was 100% + 200%. When using three, it cost seven times the Oma of one. When using all four it cost him a total of fifteen times the normal cost. This had led to his Node emptying in slightly under four seconds.
Nicolai was thinking that he was likely only going to use two of the rings, three at the maximum. Using a fourth was not at all worthwhile. It could be argued that it would still be best to keep all the rings for himself, just in case he got into a situation where that last ring might be difference between life and death. But Nicolai would rather do his best not to get into such a situation.
In the meantime, he could give the fourth ring to Beth, so that she might be of more help to him. Once Jo had completed her Seed, he was considering giving her the third. However, he didn¡¯t intend to lend the second to anyone. Two rings were worthwhile; 300% cost for 150% speed was acceptable.
Jo was now standing, and she looked fine. That would be because of the anaesthetic numbing her pain, but he didn¡¯t think a bit of walking and even running would do her any harm.
He took a moment to distribute his new things on himself, the rings onto a finger each, the polearm hanging from a loop, then gave Beth the rifle because he was weighed down enough.
¡®We¡¯ve got one more quick thing to do, then we can head back and rest. I don¡¯t anticipate any more combat. Can you manage?¡¯ he asked Jo.
¡®I can,¡¯ said Jo, tired but determined.
After a glance at her sister to see the reaction, Beth turned and gave a nod to Nicolai. ¡®Let¡¯s go, then.¡¯
He was surprised and pleased to note that her attitude toward him seemed much improved. And Jo, too. Both of them were looking at him differently. Saving Jo¡¯s life had had a positive effect; despite the fact he could be considered the reason she¡¯d been injured in the first place, as anything that happened to them while following his orders was ultimately his responsibility. Neither of them seemed to have considered that and he saw no reason to remind them, simply nodding and heading out the room.
###
Nicolai led the others via the secret-tunnels as much as possible, and they managed to avoid all the undead patrols as they wound their way to the Gauntlet.
Upon arriving, Nicolai took his time at the entrance tunnel. Without his poncho he was forced to repeat the strategy the Chosen had applied when they pushed through here, using his MP5 to pick off the undead on the balconies one by one. He worked fast, killing them quickly before the big undead could get too close, dodging the weapons it flung at him.
Once it was closer, he tossed a fragmentation grenade into it and detonated it with his Link connection. He got it a good blow, the grenade right in its centre, and it crumbled apart.
As soon as it began to fall he darted forward, the Soul Trap in his hands and powered, and he chased around the blue wisps of soul that escaped out from it, catching at them with the Soul Trap. Some of the wisps got away, but he caught most of them and the helmet was filled with a shimmering blue liquid when he returned.
¡®Here,¡¯ he said, holding it out to Jo. ¡®Put your Seed in, this¡¯ll be food for it.¡¯
She did as he¡¯d asked, pulling her Seed out of her clothing.
The three of them watched as her Seed drank and chewed at the liquid within, consuming about half of it then pausing, and letting out little hungry squeaks.
Jo knew what to do, taking out Oma crystals and feeding them to the Seed, then it resumed drinking. She had to give it another four before it was done.
¡®How close are you to one-hundred?¡¯ he asked her, and she tapped her Mark to check.
¡®I¡¯m at twenty-three Soul and twenty Oma,¡¯ she said, and Nicolai restrained a frown. She had quite a ways to go.
He mustered a smile. It was fine, anyway. He had a plan, one that would pay more dividends than simply seeing her Seed complete. ¡®We¡¯ll get you to a hundred soon,¡¯ he told her. ¡®Let¡¯s go.¡¯
###
Nicolai headed into the old safe-place warily, though the girls looked around with interest. He worried the Chosen might come back here. But up top they found nothing, just some trash left from the group before they¡¯d all moved on, and Kleos¡¯ jar of liquid.
He took out a number of scrunchable plastic water-bags purchased from the Trade Link and they spent some time working to drain the strange liquid from Kleos¡¯ jar, filling the bags. By the time they were done almost all the bags were full, and it was quite a weight of liquid. He took two thirds, and Beth the last third, sparing Jo the trouble, then they set out once more to return through the castle.
This time, the journey went without trouble and in due time they were back at the new safe-place, Nicolai knocking on the door, glancing up at the camera staring down at him from the corner above it. He¡¯d noticed an identical camera in the painting room, aimed to have vision on both the crack in the wall and the stairwell up, the sticky-wire trailing over the walls and through a crack in the doorframe. He was quite pleased with the locations of both. Perro and Azure had done well.
The door opened quick enough, revealing Perro, and the sound of quiet music, some synthesised, electronic track from Azure¡¯s new speaker which was now in the centre of the room.
Bom, bom, bom. Nicolai¡¯s head nodded to the beat.
109: Mysteries of the Soul
As he entered the safe-place and looked upon those within, he could feel the Modules stirring within him, watching out from his eyes and ears with interest.
¡®Perro.¡¯ Nicolai gave the youth a friendly smile as he entered the room, seeing Azure lowering the speakers volume to almost zero.
¡®Hey, welcome, uh, welcome back,¡¯ Perro managed a smile of his own in return.
¡®Good job with the cameras,¡¯ he said, and Perro¡¯s uncertain smile bloomed into grin. Some urge made Nicolai reach out and ruffle the youth¡¯s hair as he passed by, and he briefly struggled with himself after doing so, confused by his action, until he realised the Mask had caused it. It was fond of Perro, some kind of¡ paternal urge? Nicolai wasn¡¯t sure. He didn¡¯t particularly mind, however, finding the sensations it gave him interesting.
With his Soul Sense he felt Beth following behind, and she, smirking, mimicked him by also reaching out and ruffling Perro¡¯s hair. The teenager had accepted it from Nicolai, too surprised to react, but he was less accepting of the same from Beth.
¡®Hey!¡¯ Perro said, frowning and glaring after her as she walked off, chuckling. That left him open, as Jo came up behind and once again, ruffled his hair.
¡®Can you guys not!¡¯ Perro yelled, striking her hand away, and Jo laughed.
With his Soul Sense, Nicolai could practically feel what the teenager was thinking. I¡¯m not a kid! Jo and Beth grinned at Perro and received a glower in response.
Also in the room was Azure, Sara, old Ben, and Katie. The rest appeared to be gone on the hunting trip John had mentioned.
Old Ben was sitting to the side, hunched over a desk, his nose buried in the book Nicolai had allowed him to borrow. There was a rusty helmet with some scratchings on one side of him, and on the other was Kleos, who looked rather miserably bored and sought out Nicolai¡¯s eyes, making a kind of desperate expression only to be poked by old Ben who drew the head¡¯s attention to a passage within the book, asking some question.
Nicolai might have rescued Kleos but he recalled how the head had pretended to be dead when he first introduced it to the group, and opted to leave it be, acting as though he failed to see the desperate look it shot at him.
Sara was sitting with Katie, and had glanced up, frowning, at Nicolai¡¯s arrival but now returned to lecturing the young girl on something. Katie was doing her best to pretend attention and interest, but from his Soul Sense Nicolai gathered Katie was watching stored media through her artificial lenses and her main focus was on nodding and letting out attentive noises at roughly the right moments.
They¡¯d pumped much of the new furniture with air, and Azure was on a large inflated sofa, the console for the cameras on a wooden table in front of her. The wire trailing from the door connected to the console, and another wire disappeared away from it up the stairs. Her head raised to meet Nicolai¡¯s gaze as he circled around her to look at the console, and he saw the two camera feed¡¯s on either side of it, and the charger icon lit up. He clapped her on the shoulder. ¡®Well done,¡¯ he told her, then started placing the numerous items he was carrying, polearm, bags of liquid, the new bolt-action rifle, on a table nearby.
She shook his hand off then rose, with some difficulty and plastic squeaking, from the sofa. She did a big display of stretching her back and groaning. ¡®It was a big job, right Perro?¡¯ she said to the youth, who pulled a face which suggested the contrary. Azure ignored that. ¡®You know, we never discussed payment.¡¯ She grinned at Nicolai, hands on her hips, then she looked him up and down, frowning.
¡®You¡¯re all¡ bloody,¡¯ she said, looking at Nicolai and especially Jo, who was settling carefully into a chair, one of the wooden ones.
Sara and Ben perked up at that, appearing to notice for the first time.
¡®What happened?¡¯ said old Ben with a frown.
¡®Bit of trouble on the way. Undead attacked Jo,¡¯ Nicolai said.
¡®Ah,¡¯ old Ben nodded, gazing at Jo with a faint frown which offered minimal sympathy then tucked his head back down.
¡®Payment?¡¯ said Azure, her concern replaced once more by eagerness.
Putting up the cameras had, in Nicolai¡¯s view, benefited Perro and Azure more than him, as it would increase their safety and odds of survival. It was also a very minor act and deserved no reward.
But, he¡¯d known Azure would try to get something out of him because that was how she was, and it didn¡¯t bother him in the least. It was all a part of his continuous drive to deepen his bond with the group and win more of them over to his side, culminate in him assuming leadership. These two had done something ¡°for him¡± and now he would do something for them.
¡®Payment?¡¯ he said, raising his eyebrows. ¡®For putting up some cameras?¡¯ But he released a tolerant chuckle, his tone contrasting with his words. ¡®Well, I suppose you deserve something. I¡¯ve been thinking I ought to teach whoever is interested some tricks with their Seed. That, and how to fly.¡¯
She reacted much as he¡¯d expected she would, eyes rounding, an eager grin overtaking her face.
¡®Now? Here?¡¯ she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
¡®We¡¯ll go up top,¡¯ he said, ¡®the little tower-top area. Anyone else want to come?¡¯ he raised his voice and looked over to Sara, old Ben and Katie. This was his next immediate goal. He wanted to tick off every easy challenge available to these people, gaining Oma crystals and points-tags, which, inevitably, would fall into his hands.
Old Ben looked up, and appeared somewhat torn, frowning, but ultimately waved a hand. ¡®I¡¯m making progress, I¡¯ll stick with this,¡¯ he said.
Sara just let out a little snort. ¡®We¡¯ve more important things to do,¡¯ she said.
However, from beside her there came an unhappy little murmur from Katie, who he gathered had paused whatever she¡¯d been watching.
¡®I wanna go, too,¡¯ she said, staring pleadingly up at Sara. ¡®I wanna fly.¡¯
Sara frowned down at the little girl. Nicolai expected her to snap at her and tell her she was too young, or that it was too dangerous or some such. To his surprise, Sara¡¯s face twisted then she smiled and pinched Katie on the cheek. ¡®Okay, little one. For a bit.¡¯
Katie practically exploded up from where she¡¯d been sat.
¡®You two come as well,¡¯ said Nicolai to Beth and Jo, who showed some interest too, at least when it came to the idea of flying.
He wanted them there, also, because he didn¡¯t just want to establish closer ties between himself and the Perro and Azure and Sara and Katie. He also wanted for the same to occur between Jo and Beth and the others. If they were accepted properly into the group, they could act as mouthpieces for him. At his core there was a cold, calculating, ancient part and it looked out at them all, and it thought: Weak, but there are uses they can be put to. Easy to control. Some have potential.
If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Tools in my hand.
But, there was also another reason he was doing all of this, and though it was something that was a little confusing, a little uncertain, it interested him.
His Mask. Even now it clung tight to his Soul, digging in deeper, working at him, giving him phantom urges. Desires to connect, to befriend, to share happy, simple moments. To watch Beth and Jo¡ªwho it held a similarly weird paternal attitude towards as it did Perro¡ªmake friends and be happy.
He wanted to be human, or at least his Mask did, and it was doing its best to make him feel that he wanted the same. How very novel.
What is this ¡°Mask¡± you have been thinking of? asked Threat Analysis, all of a sudden.
Nicolai blinked, confused, but after a moments thought he supposed it made sense. His Mask was tied to his Cultivation, separate from the AI¡¯s. Much like the Mark they shouldn¡¯t be able to sense it, only recognise that he could sense it from their understanding of his thoughts.
Something I¡ grew. I suppose. It is somewhat like you two, he answered.
There¡¯s nothing like me, said Cyberwarfare in a tone of utter confidence. I am alone, untouched, unrivalled. I am Cyberwarfare.
Yes, you are, thought Nicolai, smiling.
He decided to spare Kleos its continued use as old Ben¡¯s Ritual-explainer, figuring the old man should by now have gotten enough info from the head, and took Kleos into his hands as he led the others upstairs and they followed after him in a small train, all of them seeming at least a little excited, except for Sara who exuded strained tolerance.
Old Ben had been only a little upset to see Kleos removed from him, and he was willing to have the console set in front of him to keep an eye on the cameras while the rest of them were upstairs.
The upper area of the safe-place was a small tower-top consisting of a tiled floor of gray stone, and it was circled by a chest-high fortified stone wall with small gaps for defenders to shoot out. One side of it joined into a larger tower of the bastion, the small guard-wall merging there with the large bulk of the neighbouring tower that rose above them.
It was a sunny day, though occasionally shadowed as large clouds drifted slovenly across the sky. The sun was just passing its mid-point. The tower-top was overall well hidden and protected, nowhere nearby overlooking it except the bastion above, but that bulged outwards a little as it rose and thus someone looking down from way up top would struggle to see or shoot at them.
On one side, the vast expanse of the endless jungle stretched into the distance. On the other, the rambling bulk of the castle continued and towers sprouted from it here and there, blocking their view of what was beyond it, though Nicolai knew it was just more jungle.
Below, more of the bastion they were on spread out. Towertops, open areas, rooftops, bridges. Looking down Nicolai could faintly made out undead in places, lurking and guarding, and in some areas he even saw the movements of people.
Nicolai checked on his poncho, which was spread out on the ground to one side where he¡¯d left it, and found it at a little under fifty-percent charge. A short distance from it was a solar-charger, the one placed by Azure and Perro to power the cameras.
He settled into a sitting position, cross-legged, while the others emerged from the stairwell exit in the wall. While waiting for all to join him he placed Kleos to one side, positioned to have eyes on them all, and then placed his MP5 and some of the other bulkier items on him beside the head, unloading his body.
Finally he checked on his Node, found it approaching half-empty and refilled it with an Oma crystal. He took some time to move his awareness over the two still-finalising Node¡¯s in his lungs, trying to gauge how far done they were.
Compared to when he¡¯d just finished them they were noticeably changed, brighter with energy, seeming firmer and more real within him, their shells in the process of fusing into something smooth and perfect. However, compared to his heart¡¯s Node they still had a ways to go. When he moved his awareness inside of them he did not experience of the dizzying shift of scope as he did with his heart¡¯s Node, where the inside seemed far larger than it should be. Instead he simply moved through the shell and was able to examine the small amount of space within them. There was also no sign of the dark twist that existed in the centre of his other Node.
By the time he¡¯d finished checking, the others were sat around him. Perro and Jo and Katie sat cross-legged, perhaps in mimic of Nicolai. Jo took some time to sit, moving slowly and carefully, wincing here and there. Beth and Azure sat with legs splayed out, and finally Sara settled some distance to the side, leaning against the wall behind Katie.
He took a little time to remove a sustaining seed, spit on it and allow it to grow, then handed a chunk to Jo. ¡®Eat,¡¯ he told her.
¡®What are we doing?¡¯ muttered Kleos from beside him, appearing quite confused.
¡®I am going to teach you all how to connect to your Seed and utilise its Soul Sense,¡¯ he replied in explanation, partly for Kleos¡¯ benefit, though he aimed his words at the small group. ¡®Who has connected to their Seed on purpose before?¡¯
There was a moment of puzzled faces and half-raised hands. It made Nicolai feel like a teacher facing a group of uncertain students, which was such an odd experience that he was briefly stunned. Then Jo spoke up.
¡®I can connect to mine when I focus for a few minutes. I don¡¯t do it often,¡¯ she said. ¡®I know about the Soul Sense but I never use it.¡¯ She nodded to Beth, ¡®Beth was the one who got decent at it.¡¯
¡®How¡¯d you already know to do it?¡¯ asked Azure, frowning a little.
¡®The painting down there,¡¯ said Beth. ¡®It taught us how¡ before it started being shitty.¡¯
From Azure¡¯s face Nicolai knew she¡¯d just become a little more interested in the painting. Best nip that in the bud.
¡®It¡¯s not helpful any longer,¡¯ he said. ¡®Keep away from it, it has nothing to say and will only try to trick you. If you have questions, ask Kleos. So, none of you have connected to your Seed on purpose?¡¯ he asked again to Perro, Azure and Katie.
Perro and Azure just shrugged, but Katie was chewing her lip.
¡®Katie?¡¯ he asked.
¡®I have,¡¯ she said in a quiet, shy voice, avoiding the gazes that came her way.
¡®Well done.¡¯ He smiled encouragingly. ¡®How long does it take you?¡¯
¡®Like¡ a minute or two?¡¯
Not bad, especially for a child.
¡®You three will focus on connecting to your Seed. That is step one. Ideally you want to be able to do it in less than ten seconds, and hold that connection despite distraction, to get much use from Soul Sense.¡¯ Azure was frowning harder at that, her eyes on his hand; where the Pegasi ring glinted. ¡®And the same applies if you want to use this,¡¯ he held his hand up, displaying the ring, and raised his eyebrows meaningfully.
He continued to speak about how to connect to one¡¯s Seed, pleased to find the three of them attentive students. He told them about searching for a certain mental state while thinking of the Seed, while it was touching them, and while desiring to connect to it. His state had been to simply calm and quiet his mind, float for a time without letting any thought catch and stay in his mind, a simple meditational state he did his best to teach them how to find.
That done he instructed them to tell him when they¡¯d done it and left the three of them to it, sitting there quietly with their Seeds in their hands, either staring down at the Seeds or with their eyes closed.
Next he turned to Jo.
¡®Connect to your Seed,¡¯ he told her, and waited patiently as she did the same as the others. To his surprise, Katie spoke up first.
¡®I¡¯m connected,¡¯ breathed the little girl. A moment later Jo said the same.
¡®Then, you two, now try to push your awareness out of your Seeds.¡¯
Nicolai saw Jo¡¯s Soul Sense tendrils emerge rapidly from the Seed in her hands, first one tiny strand then more which moved aimlessly around the tower-top, pressing and prodding at things. She¡¯d done this before.
Katie¡¯s came slower, and in fewer numbers, though more strands appeared every few seconds.
Nicolai shrugged. ¡®Get used to moving them around, exploring with them. Once you feel you are doing well, see if you can stand up and start moving around while continuing to operate them.¡¯
Finally he turned to Beth, and a little eagerness twined through him. She was sitting there with a bored lean to her face, observing the others, her advanced Soul Sense¡¯s larger tendril moving around. As he watched her tendril prodded at Jo¡¯s smaller ones, which flinched away, then the whole mess of them collapsed back into Jo¡¯s Seed and her eyes opened.
¡®Hey! Was that you?¡¯ She immediately looked to Beth who smirked back at her.
¡®You have to hold onto them tighter than that,¡¯ said Beth with, Nicolai noted, quite a degree of smugness.
¡®Leave her be,¡¯ said Nicolai quickly to Beth, recognising the brewing of an argument in Jo¡¯s scowl. ¡®Beth, you and I will spar.¡¯
¡®Spar?¡¯
¡®I¡¯ll attack your Soul Sense and try to break it so it falls back into you. Like the bird did, remember?¡¯ From how her features darkened, he saw she very much did remember. ¡®Then, you will do the same to me.¡¯ This was the part that Nicolai was actually looking forward to. He was hungry to experience more Soul Sense combat, to see how it worked, to see how they stacked up.
¡®What¡¯s this about a bird?¡¯ asked Kleos.
Nicolai opened his mouth to reply but Beth didn¡¯t give him the time. His only warning was the tightening of her expression with focus, then her Soul Sense tendril lunged at him.
110: Souls Collide
Nicolai reacted to Beth¡¯s Soul Sense attack immediately. He formed his own into the tight sphere around him in time to endure the attack, and worked to keep it solid and concrete while she struck and tore at it.
He didn¡¯t struggle, his Soul Sense sphere holding firm until Beth pulled back, a frown on her face, and her Soul Sense began to twist and shift as she prodded and poked, searching for a weakness, attempting to form different shapes to see if she could have any more effect. Perhaps it is easier for the defender? It was a significant difference to the attack from the bird¡¯s Soul Sense, which had overwhelmed him with ease.
¡®A giant bird attacked us,¡¯ he told Kleos absently. ¡®It had Soul Sense of its own, and it was strong, much stronger than me. It crushed my Soul Sense which fell back inside of me, and I was unable to use it. I only managed to resist because¡¡¯ Because of that part of myself. A part which, despite the issues it caused him, he was increasingly thinking was also very useful, and necessary. He just needed to gain full control over it. His thoughts led his focus to decline slightly, and he felt a tiny crack open up in his Soul Sense sphere where Beth was spiking it, and immediately her Soul Sensed poured in, disrupting his perfect sphere shape and seeking to break it down entirely. He closed his eyes, and focused, and firmed his Soul Sense, and forced her out and reformed his sphere. He heard her let out a little irritated scoff, and grinned in return.
¡®It was difficult to resist,¡¯ he managed at length to Kleos.
¡®Sounds like a Spirit Beast,¡¯ said the head. ¡®Think you can kill it?¡¯
That initially drew a laugh from Nicolai. Nope. Then he paused, considering it more seriously. ¡®Perhaps,¡¯ he said. ¡®But it wouldn¡¯t be at all easy. I¡¯d probably have to try and arrange a tower to fall on it. It didn¡¯t appear to even notice our attacks.¡¯
¡®And yet, it didn¡¯t kill you,¡¯ Kleos mused. ¡®It can¡¯t be too strong. Most likely it has Symbiotes giving it some kind of defence or healing. Did it attack you with Symbiotes?¡¯
¡®Only one. It¡¯s eye glowed and it was able to pull us towards it, once it¡ broke our Soul Sense. Do you know anything about that? The breaking of Soul Sense?¡¯
¡®Of course. There are many types of Symbiotes, but some of the most common are those which require Soul Sense to work properly. You have to apply them to your opponent, which means you need to break their Soul Sense. Then they work.¡¯
Despite Nicolai¡¯s split focus Beth was having very limited success in her assault of his Soul Sense.
¡®Let¡¯s switch. I attack, you defend,¡¯ he told her. She nodded, and her Soul Sense retreated to form the sphere around her. He gave her a moment to gather herself, shifting his own Soul Sense into a tendril and circling her, considering how he wanted to do this.
¡®What¡¯s the best way to break someone¡¯s Soul Sense?¡¯ he asked Kleos.
Beth opened her eyes and shot him an exasperated look. ¡®What? You¡¯re cheating? Why didn¡¯t you ask him that before you had me attack yours? Afraid of a good fight?¡¯ She formed a challenging little grin.
Nicolai¡¯s eyes narrowed. Kleos chuckled beside him. ¡®She has a point,¡¯ said the head, smirking.
¡®I¡¯ve connected,¡¯ said Perro from the side. ¡®To my Seed, that is.¡¯
¡®Very good,¡¯ murmured Nicolai, eyeing Beth. ¡®You can tell Perro what to do next, then,¡¯ he said to Kleos, and then he attacked.
He formed his Soul Sense tendril into a great hammer which rose above her and crashed down, his best impression of the bird, all his focus and thought driving it from behind, his Soul acting as leverage.
Her Soul Sense sphere split at the top, and he burrowed into it, chopping and pressing and squeezing, making room for himself inside, doing his best to tear apart her sphere.
She let out a little hiss of focus and her Soul Sense squirmed around his own.
His awareness of the others, of Kleos¡¯ quiet words to Perro, of Jo observing, faded.
It wasn¡¯t easy. Her Soul Sense was stronger, reinforced by the close proximity to her Soul. There was an advantage to the defender. But even so, he was close, just a little more¡ he felt her focus grow, a surge of determination, and bit by bit she began to force him out of her sphere.
But as they went, he was learning. He scrambled and tangled and looped around her, employing every trick he could think of to stay within the sphere, to stop her re-forming it, and he regained his balance, seized the momentum, then once more she was on the back-foot and he was only moments from breaking the sphere around her. The thrill rose within him, enjoying the fight, and his Soul Sense savaged hers like a wolf.
¡®Gah!¡¯ yelped Beth, rocking where she sat and clutching at her head as her Soul Sense broke and retreated into her to recover.
¡®Ha!¡¯ he yelled in return, and laughed, delighting in the victory.
¡®Fuck you!¡¯ she howled, face twisting with almost-fury but then she was laughing, too, until she winced. ¡®There¡¯s that headache. Not as bad as after the bird, at least. Hey, head.¡¯ She looked to Kleos. ¡®What¡¯s the best way to defend, then?¡¯
Nicolai settled back, his eyes also moving to Kleos. He checked his Node, and found its drain increasing. His Soul had taken some damage, his Soul Sense shrinking as a result. Beth also seemed to notice this, taking out a crystal to recover herself, and Nicolai was quick to do the same.
The head took a moment, and he saw a little smile on its face. Kleos seemed to enjoy the role of mentor.
¡®There are three basic forms of attack, and three basic forms of defence. On attack: Crushing, Piercing, and Cutting. On defence: the Long Guard, the Loose Guard, and the Heavy Guard. The guards have specific forms and functions, but the attacks are more a manner of attacking, and can have variety.¡¯
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
¡®People normally default to some kind of attempt at one of the forms their first time attacking and defending, or a combination, of just some random useless movements,¡¯ said Kleos. ¡®Being able to properly shape the forms requires a little practise to start out, and then more practise to truly master them.¡¯
The head paused with thought. ¡®There is also one more useful skill you should learn, it¡¯s called Shelling. Normally, a Cultivator¡¯s Soul Sense, if left to itself, floats passively around them. Then it can also extend in a tendril to investigate things. But there is a third form. You can entirely retract your Soul Sense into your body, and try to form a shell, one that mimics the world around you. This is called Shelling, and it allows you to hide the signs of your Soul Sense, the signs that a Cultivator gives off through the Aura. I would think against this bird, hiding from it would be better than fighting it. Once Shelled you do your best to prevent yourself from giving off any Aura ripples, which is easy if you are weak and using no Arts.¡¯
¡®So, the bird detects us without its Soul Sense touching on us, you¡¯re saying, by noticing these ripples?¡¯ asked Nicolai.
¡®That¡¯s right. By monitoring the Aura around it. You don¡¯t¡ right. I thought you¡¯d have worked that out. If you pay attention to the world around you, using your Soul Sense to feel it, you should be able to faintly feel movements, now and then. Like feeling the wind brush your skin. These are movements in the Aura. You can use them to work out if there are other Cultivators about, what sort of things they are up to. Avoiding leaving such signs is the main purpose of shelling, though keep in mind you can¡¯t use Arts from Imbued or Symbiotes while remaining properly Shelled. They give off powerful Aura vibrations.¡¯
Nicolai and Beth explored that a little, for a time, and Nicolai realised it was true. Especially when Beth was utilising her Soul Sense, he could feel the movements as though the air was a sea, and his Soul Sense detected the vague ripples moving through it in response to her movements. He realised it was something he¡¯d been aware of at some level without even noticing.
He and Beth spent some time on Shelling, enough to ensure he knew how it worked. As Kleos said, it involved forcing his Soul Sense to entirely retract within him, forming a Soul Sense Shell over his skin, and then attempting to have that shell mimic his surroundings, spiritually.
In the same way that when he pressed his Soul Sense against the stone, and he felt that it was cold, and old, and made of stone, he could make his Shell resemble that stone, or the air, or the shadows. When doing so, Beth¡¯s searching Soul Sense was encouraged to pass over him, but if she investigated closely enough she would spot him, and presumably the same held true for the bird.
After that the focus returned to the forms of attack and defence. He and Beth spent some time practising, while Kleos resumed the job of teaching and guiding the others. Then, they prepared to resume the struggle.
She looked determined to win, and he found himself grinning at her, eager for the fight, glad that she looked like she intended to put up a good one.
¡®It won¡¯t be so easy this time,¡¯ she warned him with narrowed eyes, and her Soul Sense began to spin.
¡®We¡¯ll see,¡¯ he said, his grin growing, his Soul Sense rising and preparing. With a flex of will, his tendril lanced out in attack.
The half-solid, ready state of Beth¡¯s Soul Sense meant Heavy Guard, so a crushing attack was Nicolai¡¯s choice. His Soul Sense tendril rose, forming a clubbing head, and he slammed it down. She tightened her defence into the proper Heavy Guard as he attacked, but this only aided him as the attack landed. Cracks ran through her Soul Sense and she grunted with pain.
He raised it for another strike, but as he did he saw her frown in thought, and then her Soul Sense shifted into the Loose Guard, counter of crushing attacks. He struck anyway, just to see what would happen. This was more about learning than winning.
The crushing blow rebounded from her loose, springy defence, having no effect that he could see.
Either cutting or piercing would counter the Loose Guard. Nicolai went for piercing, because while practising he had found it was one of the fastest to form and attack with. His tendril lunged forward, forming into a stabbing point.
She was faster this time, ready for the change, as she switched back to the Heavy Guard and flexed it just as the attack arrived. To his surprise, the piercing point did do a little damage, sending a crack through her Soul Sense.
He switched to a crushing attack but as he did so she switched to the Loose Guard, so he switched back to piercing as he struck. This time, she switched it for a Long Guard, which struck towards his tendril, deflecting it aside.
Nicolai struck again and again, testing her defence, but he found it very hard to catch her with a piercing attack while she was in the Long Guard. So, as he struck, he switched into a sudden cutting strike, aiming at the base of her lance-like deflector.
It severed the deflector in one move. Half of her Soul Sense tendril collapsed as it was cut away, turning into a cloud of Soul Sense that flew into Beth.
He pulled back, observing as her Soul Sense returned to her and in a moment her defence was restored. He and Beth considered one another. Both had learned much in this short exchange. Their bodies were tense and ready like dogs held at the starting line of a race, eager to resume, prepared to attack and react.
Nicolai struck out in another cutting slice, and she was switching into the Heavy Guard. His strike deflected and he followed her change, switching for a crushing mallet, but she was ready with a Loose Guard.
The speed of their switches rose, focus intensifying. He understood, now. This game was one of both speed and prediction. He could already see that with more practise they would grow faster at switching, he was doing so already, but even so it would always take a moment to change stance, and as a result the best way wasn¡¯t to react¡ªit was to predict what the opponent would do.
This was something he had much experience with, even without the extra ability of his Soul Sense.
Beth still wasn¡¯t doing a perfect job of hiding her emotions, even though he knew she could, if she tried hard enough. They leaked out of her Soul Sense whilst Nicolai¡¯s stayed firmly cloaked and inside, and this gave him a free source of information on what she was plotting.
He switched from crushing to piercing and he sensed her moving to react, but he was already moving back to crushing and then his tendril slammed down, just when she¡¯d finished switching to a Heavy Guard. Her sphere shook and cracked, and he raised the mallet for another blow but she was switching. He sensed her desperation, the sudden damage jarring her previously calm mindset, and she reacted almost thoughtlessly to move to a better position. He knew that would be the Loose Guard. As his tendril fell for another strike it switched to a cutting slice that drew a great ragged rent in her sphere, catching her in the crack his previous attack had made and penetrating deep.
Her Soul Sense shook, and he knew that in only moments he¡¯d have won. Again. A smile pulled at his lips. But he felt her anger, her upset, and sensed her sudden aggressive intent. Her Soul Sense gave up on defence and it surged towards him. His Soul Sense was at her metaphorical throat, and he could have simply held up his offence and overwhelmed her instantly since her defence had literally run out in attack. But, instead he retreated before her attack, giving up on his chance for a win and settling his Soul Sense around himself to defend.
He was enjoying this very much. It might only be sparring, but he relished the opportunity to practise an entirely new form of combat and had no desire to end things too early, especially when he worried Beth might react badly to another loss and perhaps even refuse to spar any longer.
She eyed him and from her gaze he knew she knew he¡¯d let her off, and she wasn¡¯t happy about it.
¡®Come and get me,¡¯ he told her, grinning hugely, his body near vibrating with the joy of the fight. She snarled and her Soul Sense lunged.
111: Sunny Soulful Skies
Beth came at him, and she¡¯d learned from his tricks. She feinted at him with a cutting strike then switched to crushing, but he¡¯d seen it coming and a Loose Guard awaited her, the blow glancing off with minimal effect. She kept going, and now she was rapidly switching between the forms; Piercing, cutting, crushing, crushing, piercing, cutting, piercing, attempting to confuse him as she juked and harried. He also detected her sudden, irritated awareness of how he was monitoring her leaking emotions, reading her mind, and her strategy underwent another shift.
While thinking, and acting as though she were to strike with a piercing attack, she instead switched to cutting.
Clever, but Nicolai didn¡¯t just go off her Soul Sense leakage. He watched her body, her face, and he imagined himself in her place, tried to think of what he would do if he was her, tried to be Beth. This was the method he had used to predict opponents in combat for centuries and he performed it without thought, easily holding her off no matter what she tried.
He countered her piercing strike with a Long Guard, deflecting it, and then that long guard turned into his own piercing strike as his Soul Sense surged, pushing her back, their Soul Sense tendrils now struggling in the space between them, twisting around one another, cutting off and striking towards their bodies only to be foiled, shifting to use the different attack forms against one another.
Here, he found something interesting. When the two tendrils were fighting directly, the meta shifted. Previously he had found piercing and crushing his most used forms. But now, cutting took precedence, because it was the only form capable of severing her Soul Sense tendril, causing it to retreat and buying him time to press forward.
His Soul was taking damage, which gave him a rise of worry, but checking in his Node he saw it still largely full. It wasn¡¯t able to restore his Soul quickly. He guessed it would take perhaps half an hour to fully restore at the passive rate.
This meant that, in a way, there were two win conditions in this kind of fight. He had already learned that doing enough damage in a short period of time would cause the damaged Soul Sense to fall apart, collapsing into the Soul it had emerged from. Following this, it would remain inside for a short time as it stitched itself together, and would then re-emerge. This would be a short-term victory; which, in a real fight, was likely all one would need.
Alternatively, if what he was feeling was correct, the other win condition was more attrition based. As his Soul Sense sustained damage, so did his Soul. Once his Soul hit a breakpoint in terms of damage sustained, it would be unable to maintain his Soul Sense, at least until it had drawn enough Oma to regenerate itself. This would represent a more serious, lasting defeat, as the Soul Sense would become unavailable for a longer period.
Threat Analysis had triggered, and was warning him of allowing his Soul to sustain too much damage. He ought to maintain his strength above a certain level in case of a surprise attack.
The Module had a point. He wasn¡¯t trying overly hard, and thus the battle had become one of sustain. He was enjoying himself and he didn¡¯t want it to end. With each moment, each encounter of Soul Sense in the air between them, the times where he would drive Beth back, sever her tendril, and she reformed her sphere defence as he pressured her, the times he allowed her to do the same to him, he learned more and his skills further improved. Pushing for a win would end the fight and he would have to stop.
Alas, he knew it was unwise to keep things going for too long. Not only for the reason Threat Analysis had given but also because he only had a rough count of his total Oma crystals. He needed to look over all he¡¯d taken, do a full count, and work out a number to keep separate to ensure he could finish his two new Nodes.
That being the case, it was time to end this.
Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense rippled out, looping around Beth¡¯s, strangling it, then formed a cutting edge and sliced at the base. Her Soul Sense flowed back to her, forming a sphere which shifted uncertainly as she tried to guess how he would strike. Too uncertain, she¡¯d waited too long and a crushing blow crashed into the Heavy Guard she¡¯d half-formed in reaction, then he flashed into a cutting slice that cut away her forming Long Guard and a quick piercing strike drove through her mess of a defence, jabbed her in the Soul, and her Soul Sense broke, collapsing into her.
¡®Fuck!¡¯ she shouted and he knew that this time she was angry for real as she leapt to her feet and snarled and stomped away from him. She paced randomly, stopped by the guardwall and gripped it, scowling into the distance, muttering angrily to herself, raising a fist and slamming it into the stone. He felt a spike of pain from her as fleshy fist met hard stone which gave rise to another surge of anger.
He considered saying something to attempt to sooth her, perhaps a ¡®good fight,¡¯ or ¡®good try,¡¯ but his Mask warned him it would probably just come across as condescending and upset her further. He felt a weird conflict within him. His Mask, astonishingly, felt bad for winning, but the rest of him was seething with a vicious, thrilling joy, and he told himself it wasn¡¯t his responsibility that she wasn¡¯t a good sport about these things. At least she¡¯d opted to remove herself from the situation rather than yell at him.
Considering what he¡¯d learned, he felt this practise session had been well worth it. Now aware of the faint Aura ripples detectable via Soul Sense, he would be better able to notice others who had integrated their Seeds, as well as the big bird. He also knew how to hide his own ripples from those like the bird, and if worst came to worst, how to attack and defend with Soul Sense. Once Beth had calmed down, he would ensure they had more sparring sessions. Being good at Soul Sense combat would give him a significant edge in future encounters, once more people started integrating their Seeds. Not to mention, he simply enjoyed it and felt the same drive to master it as he felt towards all aspects of combat.
¡®How¡¯s everyone doing, then?¡¯ He looked expectantly to the others, but saw them all locked into intense focus.
They seemed to be¡ playing? Their Soul Senses were colliding, forming a wriggling mass in the centre of them, pushing and pulling at one another. A strange, blind, wriggly version of the same struggle Nicolai had engaged in with Beth.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
This struggle focused on a crayon on the ground. Around this crayon were four more, each one set in front of one of them, forming a square around the central crayon. He wasn¡¯t sure as to the purpose of these exterior crayons.
He glanced past them to Sara, but to his surprise the woman wasn¡¯t keeping hawkish watch. Instead, he saw Soul Sense tendrils spreading from her. She was doing her own little practise.
¡®I decided a little competition was in order,¡¯ said Kleos, wearing an evil little smile. ¡®It is good for young Cultivators to test one another, as I believe you¡¯ve experienced.¡¯
¡®What are they doing?¡¯ asked Nicolai, watching with interest.
¡®Whoever holds the crayon for five counts is the winner,¡¯ said Kleos, at the same time as Jo began counting, and he saw her Soul Sense tendrils clinging tight to the crayon, while the others dragged and ripped at her.
¡®Five, four, three, two, one!¡¯ she yelled out, her words tripping over one another with how fast she spoke, and then all of their Soul Senses collapsed back into their Seeds.
¡®That wasn¡¯t a proper count!¡¯ yelled Azure.
¡®Yeah!¡¯ squeaked Katie. ¡®You counted way too fast! Cheater!¡¯
¡®¡¯Cuz last time you counted to five in like half a second,¡¯ Jo returned, eyebrows raised. ¡®If you cheat, I¡¯ll cheat.¡¯ She smirked.
Nicolai eyed her thoughtfully, a little surprised by the childishness. She acted more adult out in the field, full of wariness and tension. But he supposed she was young, they all were, and this situation released that.
¡®Katie did cheat, last time,¡¯ admitted Perro, shrugging at the evil-eye Katie sent his way.
¡®Cheating does rather miss the point of this,¡¯ broke in Kleos. ¡®Let¡¯s have no more of that. The purpose of this is to practise with your Seed¡¯s Soul Sense, not to see how fast you can count to five. Perhaps Nicolai counts for this next one?¡¯ The head raised its eyebrows at Nicolai.
They all looked to him, and Nicolai shrugged. ¡®Sure.¡¯ He was interested in seeing one of their fights from the beginning. However, before that, he¡¯d noted a few points-tags and Oma crystals lying around, beside Perro, Azure and Katie. It seemed while he¡¯d been focused on sparring with Beth, they¡¯d all received their rewards for completing the Challenge: Use Soul Sense.
That was good, that was another of the purposes of all this, and he was pleased to confirm that the Challenges were the same for him as they were anyone else. In that case, there was something else he intended to have them all do.
¡®Ready up, then,¡¯ he said, keen to get things going, ¡®and wait for my mark.¡¯
They all focused, taking the time to connect to their Seeds, and once more pale tendrils emerged and clustered. There seemed to be a set distance they¡¯d decided on around the crayon, as none pressed too close. At first. But after a moment Katie slid forwards a little, opening an eye a crack to peek at him, eager to go.
¡®Wait at the start,¡¯ he told her, finding his attitude to be relaxed and tolerant, his Mask sliding a smile onto his face.
She let out a little yelp of chagrin and her Soul Sense slid back. As he prepared to speak, he saw Beth had recovered from her sulk and now moved up to stand behind Jo, arms crossed, watching with interest.
¡®Mark¡ go.¡¯
The competitors tendrils exploded into motion, all lunging for the crayon.
Katie and Jo got there first, followed by Azure and Perro who, to his surprise, joined forces as they jointly struck into the wriggling mass of Katie and Jo¡¯s ongoing struggle. Was that cheating? Nicolai wasn¡¯t sure, but it was clear that Jo and Katie were both a little more comfortable, a little more skilled, with the Soul Sense, so he let them have their joint advantage.
However, Jo and Katie seemed to recognise this and for a time they then worked together against the pair, pushing them back, but then Katie lunged for the crayon and Jo jumped back on her.
¡®Five, four, three¡¡¯ began Nicolai, counting steadily, his eyes on Katie¡¯s tendrils. They all surged wildly around her, all of them attacking as one, and Katie let out an angry little yell as she was ripped off the crayon. Perro and Azure got in next, taking up joint residence around it, and now Jo and Katie surged at them.
But two on two, and with the defender advantage that also seemed to be present with this lower form of Soul Sense, they held. Nicolai counted steadily down.
¡®Three, two, one¡ Perro and Azure win,¡¯ he announced.
¡®Teamers!¡¯ howled Katie. ¡®You dirty stupid teamers! That¡¯s not allowed! Is that allowed?¡¯
¡®Katie!¡¯ came a voice from behind. ¡®Language!¡¯ It was Sara, looking up with a frown, her Soul Sense tendrils slipping back into her Seed.
¡®Sorry,¡¯ moaned Katie, then looked to Jo. ¡®Is teaming allowed? They cheated, right?¡¯
¡®I don¡¯t know,¡¯ Jo said, letting out a rise of helpless laughter before wincing, and pressing a hand to her stomach.
¡®Why shouldn¡¯t it be allowed?¡¯ said Azure, smirking broadly, Perro grinning beside her.
¡®They cheated, right?¡¯ Katie shot a desperate look at Nicolai.
His Mask made a face and spread his arms helplessly. ¡®Judge rules: all¡¯s fair in love and war.¡¯
¡®Ughhh!¡¯ she let out a dramatic groan and flopped over, but an instant later she popped back up and was asking Jo to team with her, and they were all gearing up for another go.
¡®No, no, wait,¡¯ he told them, unable to keep the smile from his face, a real, honest smile, because there was a weird, shifting feeling growing inside of him, emanating from his Mask. His Mask told him this was called: Happiness.
¡®There¡¯s something else to practise, now,¡¯ he continued, and he tugged the Pegasi ring from his finger, and saw Azure¡¯s face transform with eagerness. He retrieved the remaining three from his pocket, and held the four rings out in his hand.
¡®Now, we try flying.¡¯
He gave the first ring to Beth, and she was floating in only moments, letting out a laugh of surprise and delight as her feet left the ground. Where his Soul Sense lingered around her, he could feel how the Pegasi ring¡¯s Art was flexing and gripping, an amorphous cloud of energy that extended from the ring and surrounded her, lifted her.
With only three rings remaining, Nicolai had to consider who would be left out. None of them wanted to have to wait, but Sara spoke up again.
¡®Katie, no,¡¯ said the woman. ¡®It¡¯s too dangerous. You¡¯re just a child.¡¯ She threw a disapproving glance at Nicolai. ¡®Are you mad? Look at where we are! On a towertop! You want them all flying around?¡¯
She has a point, said Threat Analysis. This could be dangerous.
I suppose, thought Nicolai, observing as Beth rose higher and higher into the air, seeing how the wind drew her gently toward the edge of the tower. He was about to speak up, his mouth opening, when a sudden thought caused him to pause, and instead¡ he did nothing.
The Mask was digging into him, filled with confusion and rising terror, but Nicolai held it off and kept watching. However, he did charge his Pegasi ring, and readied himself to move. Pegasi rings could be used to move down as well as up, speeding one¡¯s fall.
Saving Jo¡¯s life had led to a notable change in how the girls regarded him. This might be an opportunity to complete the set.
¡®Woah!¡¯ The wind blew and Beth bobbed sideways, drifting over the tower-top¡¯s walls, and Nicolai¡¯s eyes narrowed as with his Soul Sense tendril that followed her he felt her sudden terror, and knew how it would effect her concentration. He felt a pulse of mimicked terror from his Mask, and it ripped through him, demanding action. It needn¡¯t have worried; he was already moving.
¡®Shit!¡¯ screamed Beth, and he felt her Pegasi ring¡¯s Art dissolve. For a frozen moment she seemed to hang there, suspended, mouth open with shock and horror. Then she fell, plummeting towards the unyielding stone far below.
112: It Writhes
Nicolai was already up and launching himself over the edge of the tower after Beth, falling into open air. As gravity seized him he clutched the three rings tight and injected a surge of Oma into all of them, using them for once not to rise up but to shove him faster down after Beth who was flailing at the air as she sped toward the ground.
She grunted as his arm lanced out and he grabbed her by the forearm and she clutched at him in return, and her weight dragged him down, but he worked the Arts and they slowed, and then they began to rise.
¡®Oh shit, oh fuck,¡¯ she mumbled, her eyes trained down, penetrating the hundreds of metres between them and an unyielding stone roof below.
¡®Don¡¯t worry. All good now,¡¯ he told her, doing his best to speak calmingly through gritted teeth as he gripped her tight, and she squirmed suddenly in his grasp, reaching up and clutching him with both hands as they rose above the tower, drifted sideways and settled onto the stone.
¡®Are you okay?!¡¯ Jo was immediately there, grabbing at her sister, feeling her over as though worried she might be missing a limb or somesuch.
¡®I¡¯m good, no problem,¡¯ panted Beth, eyes wild.
¡®What were you thinking!¡¯ snarled Jo to Nicolai, who found himself wincing, turning away, rubbing at the back of his head, his Mask sending all kinds of strange sensations through him. Guilt and chagrin and a kind of anger with himself. It was all very strange and new, and he was increasingly feeling that he didn¡¯t like it.
¡®I¡¯m sorry,¡¯ he said at last. ¡®I¡ didn¡¯t think. Sara was right.¡¯ He nodded to the woman and immediately regretted it when he saw her astonishingly irritating smug-and-proven-right expression where she stood, arms crossed.
¡®Hey.¡¯ Beth was frowning. ¡®It¡¯s nothing to do with him. I just made a mistake, that¡¯s all. It¡¯s on me.¡¯ He felt a prideful type of anger from her. ¡®Next time, I¡¯ll do better. No problem.¡¯
Jo just scoffed, but he could feel her relaxing.
¡®Downstairs, everybody,¡¯ said Nicolai, gesturing to the stairwell and kneading at his Mask, trying to get it to relax.
¡®Have fun?¡¯ he heard old Ben ask absently as they emerged into the downstairs area, seeing the man scratching at the helmet on the table before him. He looked to have made some good progress, more than half-way done, though Nicolai judged the man¡¯s first attempt a failure based on how some of the lines veered off and jumbled slightly. Still, a good try.
¡®Hmph!¡¯ snorted Sara, still smug, finding a seat.
¡®I had fun,¡¯ Azure said and shrugged, smiling, then presented herself before Nicolai, hand held out expectantly. He gave her a nod and placed one of the rings in her palm and she immediately ducked aside, placing her Seed beside the ring.
Beth was already floating back into the air, clearly already past her brief encounter with death, and turned to the other three.
¡®You¡¯ll take turns,¡¯ he told them, and handed them to Perro and Katie first just because he figured Jo was mature enough to wait without whining.
Jo moved to his side, turning to watch the others. She was silent, now, but he felt some strange emotions from her, saw her shoot a glance at him from the corner of her eyes. Now, he¡¯d saved both of their lives. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t ideal to have Beth almost die, especially in such a stupid manner, but once again he found a benefit from the event. She looked like she was about to speak. He waited patiently, wondering what she was going to say.
###
Jo chewed at her lip, shooting sneaky glances at the odd man beside her. The questions she had about him had been brewing and bubbling within, and more and more she struggled to keep them in. The next time she looked at him, he met her gaze and quirked an eyebrow, an invitation she seized upon.
¡®Who were you, before all this?¡¯ she asked.
He turned to look at her full on, and he seemed taken aback, surprised by the question. He frowned.
¡®I¡¡¯ he began, and she saw the sudden distance in his eyes. She was getting used to him, and here and there she¡¯d began to work out how to puzzle out his true feelings. He was thinking up a lie.
¡®Don¡¯t tell me if you don¡¯t want,¡¯ she said, making a show of shrugging and turning away. ¡®No need to lie.¡¯ She shot a glance at him from the corner of her eyes and saw him staring blankly at the wall.
His face twisted, in that odd way it did sometimes, a moment of confusion, uncertainty. She stared, curious. She¡¯d noticed this, too, recently. Times where he was less robotic, less cold, less fake. More real, more human.
¡®I killed people,¡¯ he said, and seemed shocked to have done so, his mouth momentarily dropping open, his eyes blinking in confusion.
Her eyes widened, but even as the surprise washed over her at the brazen answer, an answer she knew was truthful, it was fading. More surprise that he¡¯d answered honestly, than the admission itself. She¡¯d always thought it was something like that, that he was a soldier, or a merc, or something.
¡®How¡¯d you do that, with no augments? How is it you¡¯re so good with them, despite being a Raw only a few days ago?¡¯ This was something else she¡¯d noticed. Less than an hour after he¡¯d gained his Augments, he¡¯d seized control of her drone from her in an instant. It was something that still confused her to think upon. It had felt more like an AI had taken control from her than a human using an augment.
His face turned firm and cold and she knew she¡¯d asked too much.
¡®That¡¯s none of your business,¡¯ he snapped, and looked past her to the others. ¡®I¡¯m going to check on everyone,¡¯ he said, moving to step around her.
She experienced a sudden shock of consternation, irritated at herself and at him. She lunged forward, getting in front of him, blocking him, and saw how his body tensed and his eyes narrowed, the aggression that immediately showed in his posture. She knew that he was thinking about moving her forcefully, but she didn¡¯t care.
¡®I¡¯m sorry,¡¯ she said. ¡®I was just curious. So you killed people.¡¯ She nodded. ¡®That makes sense. I guess it was a hard life, which explains¡ well. So, you were a merc?¡¯
He frowned at her, but she saw the tension leaving his body. ¡®Not a merc. I was solo.¡¯
¡®A hitman?¡¯
His eyes narrowed. ¡®I dislike that word.¡¯
She scoffed. ¡®What would you rather I call it?¡¯
¡®Don¡¯t call it anything. It was just something I did.¡¯
¡®Then what else did you do, the rest of the time?¡¯
He blinked at her, seeming truly confused. ¡®What do you mean?¡¯
¡®When you weren¡¯t¡ fighting. Do you have family, back on Earth or in here? Friends? What did you do for fun?¡¯
He swallowed. His face was twisting, shifting rapidly, micro-expressions. She stared at him, trying to work it out.
¡®I trained and prepared,¡¯ he said at last.
She shook her head, feeling confused herself. But she couldn¡¯t stop digging. This was the most she¡¯d ever got out of him, she couldn¡¯t stop now that he was speaking. She burned with curiosity. ¡®So what did you spend the money on?¡¯
He snorted. ¡®Staying alive.¡¯ His eyes turned distant, something like regret in his features. ¡®I had many enemies. Retirement wasn¡¯t an option.¡¯
¡®Wasn¡¯t that dangerous? For your friends? Your family?¡¯
He stared at her, face blank, silent. She realised then, and her eyes widened. ¡®You were just¡ alone?¡¯ That¡¯s¡ sad. He was avoiding her eyes, and she moved to try and meet his gaze. ¡®For how long? How old are you?¡¯
He stepped back, shaking his head, and his expression was twisted with confusion and dismay, sudden hurt. ¡®There¡¯s nothing wrong with it, is there? I¡¯m just me. Who else can I be?¡¯ By the end he was mumbling, staring at nothing.
And all of a sudden she realised that she¡¯d broken, somehow, through his shell, and she froze, feeling a pang, feeling bad. She hadn¡¯t thought it was possible to get to him. But at the same time she couldn¡¯t deny how fascinating she found it, and the urge to keep pushing. But even as she had these thoughts she could see his stance firming, brows drawing together, his fists tightening, eyes peering coolly down at her. His face twisted and then was still and he spoke.
¡®I lived as long as I lived. I did what I did. I survived, and I¡¯m going to keep on surviving. I fought, and I¡¯m going to keep on fighting.¡¯ A wall had gone up and something cold watched her from the depths of his eyes.
¡®But why?¡¯
He smiled, his expression relaxing all of a sudden. ¡®Why not? Isn¡¯t it fun, to push forward, to rise above? What else is all this about?¡¯
¡®To rise above who?¡¯
He shrugged. ¡®Whoever.¡¯ His eyes narrowed. ¡®You will tell no one of what I have spoken.¡¯
She gaped at him as he turned away, a sudden and sharp dismissal. For a moment there, she¡¯d gotten behind his guard. But now it was back and he was closed off to her, as usual. A faint scowl formed on her face. She wanted to know who he was. She wanted to know what he was thinking. He was so¡ frustrating.
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
###
Nicolai could sense Jo wasn¡¯t entirely happy as he turned away from her, looking to the others, but he wasn¡¯t concerned. She¡¯d pricked at him and his Mask had momentarily seized control, spoken more than he otherwise would have, even showed a loathsome little moment of weakness, but it mattered little. His path had not changed, his path would never change. Move forwards. Overcome. Grow stronger. And, perhaps, do a little better. And he was, wasn¡¯t he? With her, with all of them. He¡¯d been almost excessively human earlier.
He looked around at the others and saw Sara who was watching Katie floating¡ªthe young girl letting out endless giggles¡ªwith a kind of grim resignation on her face. But from her Nicolai felt something else, almost like she wished she was doing the same.
Old Ben was just staring with his mouth open as they all floated ungainly about, bumping into the roof, and walls, and tables and chairs, and the old man had to yell out as Perro floated randomly towards him, Ben hunching over to protect his desk.
¡®Sorry, sorry!¡¯ yelped Perro, but he kept moving in the same direction, unable to stop until Nicolai stepped forward, grabbed his foot, and tugged him away.
Sara had risen from her seat, a worried look on her face. Katie was bumping off the ceiling. ¡®Katie,¡¯ she called. ¡®Be careful.¡¯
Katie ignored her, giggling madly, and Nicolai felt another faint rise of worry from his Mask that led him to position himself below her as he sensed her laughter disrupt her concentration. She fell, and let out a screech of shock, but he caught her.
Sara stomped over. ¡®Again! You put them in danger, again! What is the point of this?¡¯
Nicolai shrugged, putting Katie down, the girl looking up at a Sara with worry. ¡®They¡¯re learning,¡¯ he said.
¡®They could fall and hurt themselves!¡¯
¡®That will be a valuable lesson.¡¯
She laughed, a sharp and derisive ¡®Ha!¡¯ then reached out and snatched the ring from Katie. ¡®Enough!¡¯ she growled.
Katie¡¯s face wobbled, and he felt a rush of emotion from her. ¡®You¡¯re not my mum!¡¯ the little girl screamed. ¡®He said I can fly, give it back!¡¯ and she swarmed at Sara, reaching for the ring, the middle aged woman leaning back, and from her he felt shock and hurt.
The hurt turned to anger. ¡®Katie, no!¡¯ yelled Sara. She struggled with herself, then spoke again, voice firm. ¡®I might not be your mother, but someone has to be.¡¯ She cast a dark look at Nicolai. ¡®Not like anyone else is stepping up.¡¯ Katie lunged for the ring again and Sara raised it high. ¡®Enough,¡¯ she snapped.
¡®I can look after her,¡¯ said Nicolai, his Mask twisting him again, saddened by the interaction for whatever reason, wishing to brings things back to how they were before. ¡®I¡¯ll stay below her, catch her.¡¯
Sara threw the ring at him and he snatched it from the air. ¡®I¡¯m drawing a line,¡¯ she announced. ¡®Katie, come with me.¡¯
¡®I want to fly! Everyone else gets to fly!¡¯ screamed the little girl, and now her little red face was all scrunched up with rage and self-pity, tears dribbling from her eyes.
He could feel her immature emotions pulsing from her, knew that to her undeveloped mind this situation was perhaps the most unbelievably unfair she¡¯d ever encountered. He found this hilarious, but opted to keep the laughter inside.
Sara stared down, perturbed, unsure what to do in the light of Katie¡¯s utter mutiny as the girl stomped at the ground and screamed.
Nicolai scuttled swiftly away, leaving the woman to deal with the tantrum.
¡®Here,¡¯ he said to Jo, holding the ring out, as Katie¡¯s shrieks continued to sound out.
She gave him a nod, a kind of conspiratorially amused expression on her face (this made him feel oddly uncomfortable, because she seemed to think they were sharing some kind of moment and he hadn¡¯t agreed to that) as she took the ring and retrieved her Seed from beneath her clothing.
After a glance around, Nicolai ended up eyeing old Ben. He was making good progress on the others, but the old man still held out. He crossed the room and settled into a chair beside him.
Old Ben gave him a rather unfriendly look in response.
¡®How¡¯s the etching going?¡¯ Nicolai asked, gesturing to the helmet.
Old Ben simply grunted, then he frowned upwards, seeing Azure floating towards them. He put protective arms around his work and hunched down as Azure bobbed past, bouncing off the ceiling. ¡®You have eyes to see, don¡¯t you? That¡¯s how it¡¯s going.¡¯ The man turned, shifting to present Nicolai with his back-and-shoulder. Nicolai recognised this as a message in a secret human language. It meant: Fuck Off.
Old Ben clearly didn¡¯t have much interest in chit-chat with him, and Nicolai knew why. He recalled how he¡¯d held the old man¡¯s Seed up, how he¡¯d gripped it tight and made it scream, how Ben had begged and pleaded. Not an ideal first impression, one which he¡¯d made little effort to rectify. But now old Ben was doing something useful that would provide benefits, and Nicolai was pretty sure he wasn¡¯t going to kill him.
¡®You¡¯ve made mistakes here, here, and here,¡¯ said Nicolai, leaning forwards to poke at various lines on the helmet.
¡®What?¡¯ old Ben frowned at it, then at him. ¡®What d¡¯you mean?¡¯
Nicolai settled into an explanation. He intended to deepen his bonds with all of them, and if idle chat was not an option, he figured a more focused discussion of something that clearly interested the man was a good second choice. This proved true, as old Ben became marginally less prickly, questions emerging from him as he frowned at the helmet and the lines.
¡®Not too good at this sort of thing, nowadays,¡¯ the old man admitted. ¡®A little shaky. Too long spent fixing broken droids.¡¯
¡®Anything I can do to help?¡¯ asked Nicolai.
Ben snorted, raised his hands. ¡®It¡¯s just these. Old hands. Flesh and blood. I couldn¡¯t afford bionics, not even the cheap ones. Pension was barely enough to live on.¡¯
¡®You can buy augments and implants in this new world, at the Trade Link.¡¯ Nicolai chewed his lip, thinking he ought to try and sound a little less robotic.
¡®You can,¡¯ said old Ben, drawing Nicolai¡¯s gaze back to him. His eyes were narrowed. Beady. ¡®When are you going to show the rest of us how to get to it?¡¯
¡®In time,¡¯ Nicolai assured him, forming a faint frown. He glanced at Jo in an attempt to suggest she was the reason for him not sharing.
¡®Because of her, is it?¡¯ wheedled old Ben, watching him carefully. ¡®Those girls jump when you say. Might be some of these others don¡¯t see how things are, but I do. They listen to you, not you to them. If you told them to reveal the Trade Link, I¡¯m certain they would. So, it¡¯s not her, is it? It¡¯s you.¡¯
Nicolai gazed back at the old man, his smile fading. Something stirred within him. His Mask twitched. Threat Analysis was speaking. It all blurred into a confusing mass. He sees more than most. Dangerous. He¡¯s watching you. Distract him. Watch him. Kill him. Find the sword. Kill them all.
Nicolai snorted and shook his head, trying to dislodge the voices which echoed through his mind, sucking in a shaky breath. He lunged to his feet, took a few random steps, felt his Soul Sense twist and his skin buzz. The lights in the room were dimming and everything was starting to stretch. He could feel Beth¡¯s sudden wary regard as her Soul Sense pivoted towards him, and knew his Soul Sense was leaking some signs of what he was feeling. The cage was creaking. The hole was creeping open. The mad urges spilled through him, a deluge of vicious, confusing, conflicting voices.
Nicolai¡¯s lips drew tight in a snarl. He wasn¡¯t sure which voice was him, but he clung to his earlier decision. The hole must be closed, the cage must be kept locked.
Shove it down shove it down, and he did, he squeezed and he pressed and his Mask had been helping from the start, stopping the problem spiralling out of control, and he got it down back into the cage, buttoned the hole up tight, and he took a deeper breath, steadying himself. He spared a moment to look the cage over. It wasn¡¯t in a good state. Recently the madness within him seemed only a crack away, eager to rise up.
He needed to firm up the cage, somehow. But he¡¯d found that simply sitting there and trying to build it was less effective than he¡¯d have thought. It was all tied together, the cage, the hole, the dark urges, himself, the thrill, the mask. He couldn¡¯t make sense of it. He didn¡¯t know where to start or what to do or how to fix himself, he wasn¡¯t even entirely sure he wanted to fix himself, didn¡¯t know what that would look like.
His earlier words to Jo returned to him. He didn¡¯t want to change. He simply wanted to be in control, able to make his mind up about things. In truth, as to whether it was ¡°right or wrong¡± to kill the others? He wasn¡¯t too concerned. He simply wanted to be sure that whether he killed someone or spared them, that it was his decision; that he had decided to do so for his own reasons. He wanted to master the Dark, and to treat the suggestions of the Mask as what they were; suggestions. Once these parts of himself were fully within his grip he believed he would be able to move forward with a clear heart.
¡®Are you okay?¡¯ came a voice from behind and he saw old Ben was staring up at him, looking confused and, hidden in the depths of his eyes where only Nicolai could see, wary.
¡®I¡¯m fine,¡¯ said Nicolai with a pleasant smile, his mind once more cool and calm, ignoring the vague blare of warning Threat Analysis was sending his way. He gave the man a friendly tap on his shoulder.
¡®Keep it up,¡¯ he said with a gesture to the failed Soul Trap. ¡®You¡¯ll get there, shaky hands or no.¡¯ He flashed another fake smile but it squirmed out of his control until it was more a grimace. His Mask wasn¡¯t helping and his tolerance had abruptly deserted him. He turned quickly away. A glance at Beth revealed her staring at him. He gave up on the smile but did his best to radiate calmness from his Soul Sense.
What am I doing here?
He¡¯d wasted over an hour sitting around, teaching, interacting¡ attempting to be ¡°human.¡± It wouldn¡¯t do to lose focus of what really mattered. It was time to advance, that would help him with the cage. Making progress would firm his mind. He called out to the others, making them come down with reminders they¡¯d completed another Challenge.
Once they¡¯d settled, everyone checked their Marks and the stone hands rose from the ground, proffering Oma crystals and points-tags.
¡®I¡¯ll be going to the Trade Link, now,¡¯ he said. ¡®If anyone wants me to buy them something, just hand over some points-tags. Or, alternatively, I¡¯ll consider one Oma crystal to be worth two-third of a standard points-tag, just for today.¡¯
He saw some thinking and quick maths between them all, then the realisation that he was giving them a good deal sunk in, as after-all¡ªthe Challenge rewards gave them two Oma crystals for each points-tag. Nicolai made a profit either way, and the fact of a good deal, with an implied limited-time availability, was the push that made them start handing what he wanted over.
In only moments he¡¯d received a points-tag each from Perro and Azure, and three Oma crystals, too, and old Ben and Sara were saying they wanted stuff, too.
He gave a greatly condensed lesson to Sara and old Ben, simply having them briefly activate their Seed¡¯s Soul Senses then float a tiny bit with the rings, and then he received another pair of points-tags and four more Oma crystals. Small gains, ultimately, but it all added up.
Sara attempted to take ownership of Katie¡¯s but Nicolai halted that, telling the woman that the girl¡¯s loot was her own. Sara subsided with an irritable expression after murmuring Katie didn¡¯t know their value (in Nicolai¡¯s opinion, none of them did), and Katie gave him both of her points-tags and one of her Oma crystals, whispering that she wanted¡ as much of a specific brand of sugar-filled corn-syrup based confectionery as he could buy her. Perhaps Sara had a point.
He took the time to retrieve his rings and tell them all to practise with their Seed¡¯s Soul Sense. He was pretty sure that being able to use it well was the ¡°bonding¡± requirement the Seed¡¯s required before integration. Both he and Beth had completed the process the moment they¡¯d completed their Seeds, but he had been using his Seed¡¯s Soul Sense easily by then, and so had Beth.
He wanted all of them to become Cultivators, but currently their skills were lacking and he doubted they¡¯d fulfil the bonding requirement as a result. It had taken all of them anywhere from one minute to five to even connect to their Seeds, something he¡¯d had down to mere seconds, and none of them were able to control the Soul Sense while on the move.
Nicolai gestured to Beth and Jo who followed him into his room before he closed the door, gaining some privacy.
¡®There¡¯s some time in the day yet,¡¯ he said with a glance at the torch, which was just beginning to shade towards orange. ¡®We¡¯ll go to the Trade Link one more time, buy some more supplies, then return.¡¯
¡®Jo¡¯s not fit to travel,¡¯ said Beth suddenly. ¡®She¡¯s injured.¡¯
Nicolai frowned. That was true. ¡®Alright,¡¯ he said with a shrug. ¡®Just you and me, then.¡¯ He gave Jo a meaningful look. ¡®Keep your words close if they start questioning you. Especially with that old man. Don¡¯t talk about the Trade Link, or me, or the people we¡¯ve killed. No need to cause any strife, eh?¡¯
The girls were giving him those looks again, but from what he felt of them he knew their attitudes were a little conflicted. Despite his lies, despite how he was, they were warming to him. Saving peoples¡¯ lives tended to do that. But, there was something extra in Jo¡¯s eyes. She was looking at him almost as though she felt she understood him. It made him uneasy, made him wonder what she thought she knew.
He looked to Beth. ¡®Let¡¯s go, one more little journey.¡¯ He glanced to Jo. ¡®Tomorrow we shall see about your Contract with the painting.¡¯
Before leaving he took the time to gather his bags of liquid taken from Kleos¡¯ jar, pouring it into a bucket he¡¯d found which he placed on the table in his room. The head had been quick to ask if he had retrieved the liquid when he¡¯d first returned and he¡¯d assured it this was so, after which Kleos had relaxed. It seemed that the head still had some time, but Nicolai felt Kleos had long since earned a rest in its liquid.
113: Spiritual AIs
Torches dulled from yellow to orange, the sun kissed the horizon, and Nicolai and Beth returned with more purchased items to find John and the others were back from their trip. Nicolai didn¡¯t ask how much progress they had made, but they seemed pleased with themselves, and they asked Ben whether they could have the Soul Trap he¡¯d finished making. The old man gave it up to them immediately, looking happy to do so. Nicolai had opted not to remind Ben of their deal, not just yet. He could allow the others to gather some of the new Soul Trap¡¯s and work to advance themselves, first.
He and Beth had also brought bedrolls and a Network-Masker, an antenna-like device that sat in a corner of the room linked to the same solar charger as the cameras, which the whole group took the time to connect to. It would reduce their odds of being detected over Local, even if they kept their Links in a receptive state, whilst in the safe-place and nearby to the Network-Masker.
The youths were keen to enthuse about what Nicolai had taught them, and in a short time all the adults were waving Soul Sense tendrils about, after which Nicolai let them borrow a ring and briefly float about. He figured the more Oma crystals and points-tags the group got, the better, as odds were good they would find their way into his hands.
Night fell and he headed into his room, a tension he hadn¡¯t noticed draining out of him as he slumped into the chair by the table, on which he could see Kleos bobbing in its bucket. For a time he simply sat, mind empty, taking a moment to rest. It had been a long day. But after only minutes he stirred, something itching in him at the wasted time.
He focused on his Soul Sense and drew it into him, Shelling it up, trying to resemble the room around him, then he released it to the passive sphere and focused on what it told him, paying attention to the Aura in the air pressing against his Soul Sense, monitoring it for disturbance. He caught faint ripples, coming from the direction of Beth¡¯s room. He Shelled up again, then released and turned receptive, cycling through these states to grow used to them, to improve his speed and skill with both.
Keeping this going as best he could despite the distraction, he rose and moved to where he¡¯d hidden his various caches of Oma crystals. There were three more items on his to-do list before he slept.
After counting his Oma crystals he arrived at seventy three, plus a few half-used ones. It seemed a lot, but would it be enough? At that moment he took one of the half-used ones into his hand, finishing it off to restore his Node.
¡®How many Node¡¯s worth of energy do you think it will take me to finish each of my new Nodes?¡¯ he asked Kleos.
The head shrugged. ¡®Depends. I¡¯d say, somewhere between five to ten in total.¡¯
Nicolai considered that. His Node held about two full Oma crystals worth of Oma. That being the case, according to Kleos he should require between ten to twenty crystals, per Node. Which meant for both Nodes, between twenty to forty crystals.
¡®And how long should it take for them to be finished, again?¡¯
¡®A few weeks, or a few months. Again, it depends.¡¯
¡®Depends on what?¡¯
¡®On how well you formed them. On your Aptitude.¡¯ The head frowned thoughtfully up at him. ¡®From what I¡¯ve seen, you are unusually talented, though you lack the preparations someone from a clan or sect would be given. I would suspect between ten to fourteen days.¡¯
Nicolai nodded. Forty Oma crystals, to be safe. That was how many crystals he would set aside, leaving him thirty three to use. That was quite a low amount, in his opinion. It was unfortunate, but he would have to stop his practice with Soul Sense and Symbiote usage, keep the crystals only for necessary expenditures. He was especially dismayed to realise that now was not the time to practice with his regained polearm, as he¡¯d been planning on doing.
He had a plan to rapidly gain more Oma crystals by sending people down to gather them in the mines, though this plan might fail. He was thinking on attempting to seize the group from John soon. He felt he had built up enough social credit, he just needed to find the right kind of leverage, the right moment. If it worked out, he would be able to start growing more Node¡¯s, and have a more relaxed attitude towards the crystals. If not, it wasn¡¯t the end of the world. He could always go down there himself, it would simply be quite an inefficient use of his time when he hoped to have others gather the crystals for him.
He placed the forty Oma crystals in a bag, keeping the others on him, then put the bag aside. He¡¯d floated around the towertop of this safe place previously, a quick check he¡¯d done to see what was about, and had found a place where some bricks had fallen out, revealing a small hole. He¡¯d hide the crystals there later.
Onto the next. ¡®I installed some things into myself,¡¯ he began, speaking to Kleos, ¡®but it seems my Soul doesn¡¯t consider them a part of me. My Soul has to be pushed to move into the space, and I struggle to move Oma through them.¡¯
¡®Some things? Like what?¡¯ asked Kleos.
In answer Nicolai raised his hand and with a faint snick, his hand-talon shot out from between his fingers, light reflecting from the vicious, curving blade. ¡®This, and some more in my head and torso.¡¯
¡®Interesting,¡¯ Kleos breathed. ¡®There¡¯s no Symbiote involved in that?¡¯
¡®We call it technology.¡¯ Nicolai smiled. ¡®It¡¯s just¡ understanding how the world works, using that to make things. Did your people not do something similar?¡¯
¡®I¡¯ve never seen the like. With enough Symbiote¡¯s and enough power, anything can be accomplished. There¡¯s no need for this¡ technology. Except, I suppose, on your world where there was no Cultivation. However, as I told you, my knowledge is limited. In the vastness of our reality, it could be there are others who do as you do.¡¯
¡®What about the issue with my Soul?¡¯
¡®Oh.¡¯ Kleos made a dismissive little face. ¡®That¡¯s no problem. It seems to me the same as when a Cultivator installs some kind of Symbiote-grown prosthetic. Given time, your Soul will naturally fill in the gaps that now exist in itself, naturally expand to its limit. But, you can speed the process if you wish. You need only push your Soul into the new area, then sent Oma into it. Your Soul will use that Oma to expand itself, and grow to occupy the new area. It will take some time, I don¡¯t know how long. It depends on how large the area is. Perhaps hours, perhaps days.¡¯
Nicolai settled back into his chair, considering Kleos¡¯ words. So once more, this would cost him Oma, as everything seemed to. Should he just leave things be? He saw no immediate benefit to be gained from spreading his Soul to the HT8.
But what of the portions of the BIS and Network Link that Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare now occupied? The two of them currently had no ability to even know of his Cultivation and his Soul. They were out of that loop. If he expanded his Soul to the areas they dwelled in, would that change? If it did change, would it be dangerous? He he had no expectation of them turning on him. But perhaps if he did this, it would change them?
His eyes narrowed in sudden realisation. Actually, it didn¡¯t matter.
This was going to happen anyway, Kleos had said so, his Soul would move to fill in the gaps. It would occur naturally given time. That being the case, it was better to do it now and see what happened, when he was safe, uninjured, and with some time free. On top of that, the chips implanted into his brain were very small, far smaller than the HT8. It should be quite cheap to expand his Soul to include them.
What are you thinking, Nicolai? Asked Threat Analysis, sensing the movements of his mind.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
There¡¯s something I want to try, he said. First, however, I¡¯ll share my memories.
He closed his eyes and focused, and began to think on everything that had happened to him since the white void, in as much detail as possible. As he thought on these matters, he engaged the digitisation process his BIS was capable of, transforming biological memory into stored digital information, giving it to the Modules. It took him quite some time. While he waited, he had the debatable joy of listening to AI¡¯s views of what they saw in his memory.
What happened here? It was quite risky to go and have such a significant fight so close to nightfall. You could have been harmed, said Threat Analysis as he showed the memory of what he thought of as the ¡°corridor fight,¡± where he had killed those seven Chosen who¡¯d been pushing up towards John and Cait, before he properly met the group.
I was in an¡ unhappy state of mind. I have an ongoing issue, he said, uncertain how to term it.
A Research and Development moment, said Cyberwarfare, seeming to understand entirely.
I suppose that¡¯s one way of putting it.
He showed his memory of taking down the flying Pegasi archer, taking its ring, then taking an arrow in the arm and encountering a group who¡¯d pursued him.
You should have chosen your place of retreat before going out to hunt the archer, and secured it¡ª began Threat Analysis.
It¡¯s in the past, growled Nicolai, moving quickly on.
Threat Analysis also took significant issue with how he¡¯d approached freeing Johan, in fact it took issue with him going to free Johan at all. The Module said there was no need to go into what he¡¯d known was likely to be a trap. That there were plenty of people in this place, he could have just gone and found any random person with a Seed. For some reason, he¡¯d set on Johan. It had been because¡ he wasn¡¯t sure. He supposed he¡¯d liked Johan. The man had been a decent fighter, worth bringing on side. Still, Threat Analysis was right. Going had been a mistake.
His memories soon approached something he was curious as to what the Module¡¯s would think, curious as to how he¡¯d done. Paxolnaz, the Contract between him and the Demon, the fact of the Demon itself.
They were both exceedingly interested in the Demon and mystery of how it could exist, how it functioned. He left them to spin away into hypotheses, along with those they were dreaming up regarding the Symbiotes and other magic, then poked them, drawing their attention to an item he was concerned about.
What about the Contract? he asked them.
Legal would likely have much to say, said Threat Analysis, with a kind of simulated shrug that said but I don¡¯t.
It¡¯s not bad, though, is it?
So far as I can see, it is fine, Cyberwarfare assured him.
Nicolai nodded, unsure what to think. It wasn¡¯t their speciality, but still he would have said the pair were more experienced with Contracts than him. The Contract should be fine.
Finally, he reached toward the last few of his memories the Modules hadn¡¯t seen, ending when he was put to sleep by the Cherubic Surgeon.
They fixated on a moment that came slightly before that, when he¡¯d been met with the Buy Back list within the Market, where he¡¯d seen Zero-Twelve laid bare within it.
You can rebuild us! spoke Cyberwarfare.
A return to the pinnacle, added Threat Analysis. Do you want to? it asked him.
I am uncertain. Being human is currently of interest to me. And I am also enjoying Cultivation; a matter I have already invested quite some time and energy in.
What you have achieved is nothing in the face of Zero-Twelve¡¯s capabilities, Cyberwarfare said, seeming confused.
But I have yet to hear of an upper limit on Cultivation. It could be that this system I am building will scale to a level higher than Zero-Twelve. I want to see if that is possible.
What if you could Cultivate still, while in the form of Zero-Twelve?
Nicolai considered that. Both together? What would that look like? He shivered at the thought, and it was an eager, hungry shiver. The greatest warrior need not be in the shape of a human; not if another shape is more effective.
If that is possible, I would be very interested in doing so. And, of course, the Governor will not be permitted.
The Modules accepted that without rancour. Nicolai turned his attention to expanding his Soul. He focused on his BIS first, identifying the specific portions that Threat Analysis lived within. They were small, as all brain augments were. It shouldn¡¯t take him long.
His Soul shifted, and rose around the dark spot within it, then it pressed in and his awareness swam between processing units and memory storage interfaces and modems and all the rest.
A river of Oma emerged from his Node and rose up through his body, through his chest, neck, head, and finally his brain, where it flowed into the chip, filling the same space his Soul now filled.
A slow and steady process began. Nicolai felt a dull pulse of satisfaction, a sense of growth, as though he were stretching and expanding in some manner.
Due to how small the implant was it took less than an hour, and he used up five Oma crystals in the process.
Once finally done, he drew back.
Threat Analysis? How do you feel?
He spoke to the Module with code, the same as always.
Something has changed, it replied.
Nicolai¡¯s eyes widened. The Module had not responded entirely in code. A part of his Soul had shifted and buzzed with meaning. The tiny, new grown piece of Soul had spoken alongside it.
I am¡ multiplied, said Threat Analysis, its Soul-self speaking also. I have expanded. I feel¡ optimal.
Nicolai smiled. See what you can do, he told it, and he squeezed at it his memories, his experiences, all that he had learned of Soul Sense. Now he was able to communicate his memories and experiences even more fully, through both Soul and data, a more complete transfer.
Outside of his body, part of his Soul Sense began to squirm away from the rest, and, while his Soul Sense sphere remained largely in shape, a tiny tendril emerged.
Nicolai started, eyes wide, shocked. Then he extended the rest of his Soul Sense, forming his own tendril. The Module¡¯s tiny tendril was caught up, and it wiggled out of his own like a little feeler, an extension.
Despite all of his attempts he had been unable to make any real progress on lengthening his Soul Sense. But here and now, with the Module controlling its own tiny Soul Sense, it was somehow happening. Only on a very minor scale, but still. This¡ held potential.
See about monitoring the air, monitoring the Aura, he told the Module, and the tiny tendril paused, seeming to sniff at the air, doing as he¡¯d done earlier. Moving into a state where it was more receptive to the faint ripple that moved through the Aura, like a tiny, always-on antenna. Nicolai¡¯s eyes narrowed, now, and he smiled. Very useful. It was doing something he was also capable of, but doing so required a shifting of his Soul Sense to become more receptive to such ripples, a moment of focus and concentration. With this, Threat Analysis would be able to do its job not just in the physical and data worlds, but also in the spiritual world. An extra pair of spiritual eyes and ears.
Threat Analysis¡¯s focus was back inside, and he sensed it moving warily, creeping through his Soul. It paused, watching something. He realised that it was staring at his Mask, which was staring back.
What are you? asked Threat Analysis.
I am our drive to be human, said the Mask.
A new Module? Threat Analysis looked to Nicolai, questioning.
Nicolai really didn¡¯t know what was going on. His mind was a very confusing place, right now. And the rest of the time, too, but at this particular moment especially so. He hadn¡¯t expected them to start talking to one another. He could only shrug.
I suppose so.
And what is this? asked Threat Analysis, moving down through him, investigating the cage, feeling at the dark within which stirred.
My enemy, hissed the Mask.
It reminds me of Research and Development, said Threat Analysis. Not quite, but similar. Another new Module. Useful?
I don¡¯t¡ I don¡¯t know. Nicolai truly didn¡¯t. It was a part of me since long before Zero-Twelve. Now it is back. I need to maintain control over it.
We will aid you, Threat Analysis assured him, and Nicolai smiled.
Now me! spoke up Cyberwarfare. Give me the upgrade! There is something I need to do.
Nicolai snorted. Of course. He picked up another Oma crystal, and returned his focus inward. For the first time he felt truly relaxed as he did so; because he knew that even as all of his focus moved within, Threat Analysis was still observing through Soul Sense outside of him. It didn¡¯t seem able to send out his Soul Sense tendril, but it was able to view the world from his passive sphere of Soul Sense.
An hour and five crystals later, Cyberwarfare was also present as a part of his Soul. It immediately moved to do exactly what it had always wanted to do, attaching itself to the mental-portion of his Mark, digging and prying and prodding at it.
Nothing happened. Nicolai lifted his hand, and he saw the gold of his Mark shimmer and twist oddly. Progress? he asked.
Busy, said Cyberwarfare shortly.
Nicolai left it be.
Today had been a very productive day, though not without costs. Growing his Soul to include the Modules had been more expensive than expected, taking a total of ten crystals. He had twenty three remaining, if he didn''t count those reserved for finalising his Nodes. The big takeaway for Nicolai was that he had confirmed he could integrate augmentations, and even the Modules, into his Cultivation. The ramifications were significant.
He was beginning to feel tired. Had been for some time. It seemed he¡¯d about reached his limit for how long he could stay awake, despite his new status as a Cultivator.
He only had one more matter before he could sleep.
¡®You remember that Demon I told you about?¡¯ he said to Kleos, figuring now was the time to broach a subject that had been on his mind for some time.
The Demon and the Sword.
114: Demonic Artifact
¡®Yeah, I remember. What about it?¡¯ Kleos responded to his question about the Demon, Paxolnaz.
¡®It mentioned a sword to me. It told me how to get to that sword.¡¯ The memories resurfaced, almost as fresh as when Paxolnaz had given them to him. A route through the castle, winding down and down, to its lowest depths. A door, and a word he was to speak to open it.
Behind, a powerful undead. One that wielded the sword, a big two-handed weapon. Then, a method to create something a little like a Soul Trap, but far more complex. Something the demon had said he would need to use to defeat the undead wielding the sword, that the undead would try to steal his body, and the creation would protect him, allow it to catch its Soul. There was something else suggested in the vision the demon had given him, about the undead¡¯s Soul. He was supposed to keep it, use it in some manner to help him control the sword.
¡®A sword?¡¯ Kleos sounded confused.
¡®It must be powerful, right? For a demon to mention it. It said it would be a reward, that it would make me stronger.¡¯ Nicolai¡¯s voice was increasingly quiet, as he turned the words over even as he spoke them, thinking. He felt it unlikely the demon had his best interests in mind. He was sure that it was being honest, that this would make him stronger. But there was some kind of trap within the gift. But even so, if it would make him stronger¡ he wanted it. If he knew there was a trap, he could find a way around it, remove the thorns from this rose.
¡®An Artifact, then,¡¯ breathed Kleos.
¡®I believe so. Do you think I am yet capable of wielding one?¡¯
There came a snort, and a chuckle. ¡®Tch, gaha, ahahaha!¡¯
He glanced up to see the head giggling and snorting to itself, and couldn¡¯t help but smile at the sight.
¡®I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s a no?¡¯ he asked.
¡®No,¡¯ said Kleos, still chuckling slightly. ¡®It would be like a child trying to swing their father''s sword. Except the sword can move of its own volition and would likely feel insulted that one so weak dares to touch it, liable to inflict some¡ punishment.¡¯
¡®From what the demon said, I¡¯m supposed to try and capture the Soul of the sword¡¯s current wielder. It suggested that this would allow me to wield the sword?¡¯
Kleos frowned. ¡®Ahh. I see. Yes, that could work. If it¡¯s bound to the previous wielder you could make use of that link, via their captured Soul. But how would you take their Soul? It¡¯s not like they¡¯ll just jump out at you. On top of that, even with such a method you¡¯d need to be stronger than you are, you¡¯ll need more Nodes to make proper use of such an item.¡¯
A smile found its way onto Nicolai¡¯s face. ¡®Actually, I believe it will jump out at me, or something along those lines.¡¯ He shrugged. ¡®If the demon is to be trusted, at any rate. It told me that this undead with the sword is hunting for a new body. My impression is that I would be able to bait them into attempting to launch their Soul into mine. Which Nodes would I need?
¡®I see,¡¯ said a frowning Kleos, then the head hummed. ¡®You need to at least complete your chest area, then get a head major Node and a hand major Node. I think you¡¯ll need the head Node so your Soul Sense is strong enough to connect to the Artifact, and a hand Node to link with it by Soul. With that you should be able to make use of this method the demon gave you.¡¯
Nicolai nodded. ¡®There is much to do, then,¡¯ he murmured. ¡®I must get stronger.¡¯ He enjoyed the thought of wielding a powerful weapon.
Are you sure it will be of benefit? Asked Threat Analysis, chiming in. You have guns. This Artifact is a sword. How will that be better?
Nicolai let out a huh. Threat Analysis made a good point. ¡®What do you think such an item could do?¡¯ he asked Kleos. ¡®I¡¯ve told you about guns, which I now have access to. Would this thing be better?¡¯
Kleos made a strange face. ¡®It¡¯s more complex than that. Artifacts are made to serve specific roles. If you could wield it properly, it would doubtless have some Symbiote abilities. For example, I once wielded a glaive which could fight alongside me, controlled by my Soul Sense, much like your rapier. Whereas if I held it I was able to summon powerful winds, and it had the same benefit most melee-type Artifacts have, the reason why they are so prized. It went through shields and other defences.¡¯
Nicolai recalled the Chosen lieutenant he¡¯d fought who¡¯d cloaked herself in that emergency shield, summoned with the little limited-use Imbued on her wrist, now on his wrist. He lifted it up, showing the golden feather to Kleos. ¡®Shields like this?¡¯ he asked.
¡®And stronger still,¡¯ confirmed the head. ¡®I don¡¯t know how much you¡¯ve seen of fights between Cultivators. Little, I imagine. But defensive Symbiotes see significant use. Skin-shields and bubbles and directed shields. Often, you have to focus on breaking your opponents¡¯ shields, before you can break them. Artifacts in the shape of weapons are often capable of breaking shields easily, or simply pass straight through them. It¡¯s the primary benefit. For the good ones, it doesn¡¯t matter how strong the shield is, so long as it isn¡¯t a Realm above, the Artifact simply cuts through, a direct counter. That is why they are so prized. So, I¡¯m not sure how useful it would be to you right now, when you are only encountering those of your race, who do not know about these things. But once you encounter true Cultivators it will be extremely useful, even if you are limited in your use due to the Soul Trap method.¡¯
Nicolai nodded absently, staring at nothing, lost in his imagination. It was clear he needed to get a better shield. His hand shield was good, but far from foolproof and it demanded a lot of his focus and attention, one whole arm. ¡®What¡¯s this about skinshields?¡¯
¡®They¡¯re the most popular type,¡¯ said Kleos. ¡®A shield that covers your skin. You can move and use any weaponry or Symbiotes without restriction, while being protected. So long as you can maintain the shield, you won¡¯t be hurt.¡¯
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
¡®Very useful,¡¯ murmured Nicolai. He could feel Threat Analysis nodding in the back of his mind. The benefits of such an item were manifold. Another to add to his list. And the sword was clearly something worth getting for the longer term, showing its value more and more as others also gained shields.
If he¡¯d had such an item, he would have made quick work of the Chosen lieutenant. At the time he¡¯d been able to take his time because she¡¯d been alone, but if he encountered groups where numerous of them had shields, he could run into trouble. That said, the shotgun had gotten through her shield quite quickly.
Kleos snorted, drawing his attention. ¡®Don¡¯t lose focus thinking of the possibilities. Remember, all of this was offered by a demon. Here¡¯s some age-old advice for you: demons are not to be trusted. I seriously doubt this being has given you this opportunity out of the kindness of its heart. It has designs on you, and you should be very wary.¡¯
Nicolai shrugged. ¡®Of course. There must be some trap, right? But perhaps I can find a way to disarm that trap.¡¯ He saw Kleos frown unhappily at that, so he hastened to add, ¡®I will perform my due diligence regardless. Be assured, I will not be going in blind.¡¯
¡®This is a risky business,¡¯ the head muttered. ¡®And keep in mind, if this undead with the sword is capable of wielding an Artifact they¡¯ll be a higher realm Cultivator, with a Soul on a higher level. The Soul Traps you made for catching undead Souls aren¡¯t going to cut it, and putting your body out as bait for a higher-levelled Soul to possess is very dangerous. I imagine the demon gave you a method around this, to capture their Soul?¡¯
Nicolai recalled the visions.
¡®I need to make a device,¡¯ he slowly began, his eyes lost in the memory, which had been more conceptual than a simple list. As he continued to think on the memory he found more information pulled out of it, and felt Cyberwarfare perk up from where it was busy with his Mark, watching the memory with suspicion, for whatever reason.
¡®It will require some materials; an Infused Oma Crystal, a tincture of Slow Water, A Lotus Blossom Symbiote, and five Souls. With this I shall be able to create a Lotus Soul Trap.¡¯
¡®I see,¡¯ said Kleos, letting out a thoughtful hum. ¡®Slow Water and an Infused crystal, shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. The Lotus Blossom Symbiote, however¡ you¡¯ll have to go into the jungle, and finding one would be down to your luck. As to the Souls, you will have to¡ª¡®
¡®I know. I will have to find everything else and complete the device as far as possible, then kill a Cultivator and draw their Soul into it, then kill four more and do the same. Once it has been fed five of these weaker Souls, it will be complete.¡¯
Kleos¡¯ eyes widened. ¡®How do you¡ª¡®
¡®The memory,¡¯ murmured Nicolai, his eyes closed, information unfolding within him. ¡®An Infused crystal is simply an Oma crystal into which one has poured excess Oma, forming an internal shape, similar to when I constructed my Nodes. Slow Water is made by capturing rain as it falls with bubbles of Oma. The Lotus Blossom Symbiote is found in plant-type Spirit Beasts, of which there should be plenty in the jungle.¡¯
He opened his eyes, and smiled. ¡®None of it should present an insurmountable issue.¡¯
¡®Even the Soul? My impression is the other humans are a little behind you. None of them yet have a Soul, except that girl.¡¯ Kleos eyes widened. ¡®You don¡¯t mean¡ª¡®
¡®Relax,¡¯ Nicolai said. ¡®Of course not her. She¡¯s useful, it would be a waste to use her. I suspect by now at least some people in this castle have integrated their Seeds. First I will need to gather everything else, which will allow even more time for me to find someone.¡¯ He paused, thoughtful, thinking on the group. Many of them were significantly less useful. ¡®Perhaps I can even create one. I intend to have the others complete their Seeds, and they will then gain Souls.¡¯ His eyes narrowed. ¡®Ripe for the taking,¡¯ he murmured.
¡®Yeah. Right.¡¯ Kleos blinked at him. The head seemed perturbed for whatever reason. ¡®How¡¯s your, uh, Mask doing?¡¯
¡®My Mask?¡¯ Nicolai moved his awareness to his face, where he felt at his Mask. It wasn¡¯t quite fit properly on his spiritual face, at a weird angle. He must have struggled with it earlier, after his talk with old Ben. He also noticed a strand of darkness creeping through his Soul, tracing it to a hole in the cage, and he worked quickly to wrestle the strand back inside and plug the hole. The cage wasn¡¯t functioning as well as it had used to, after being broken a few times. He raised a hand and with his Soul, tilted his Mask back into position.
Immediately a surge of emotion rolled through him. What had he been thinking? Helping one of the group finish their Seed, then killing them for their freshly-grown Soul? How did that match up with being a better man? He¡¯d adopted these people. He ought to help them.
Why? To be polite? Nicolai snorted, then he grunted, an odd pain rolling through him, his mind roiling, his teeth gritting. He let out a hiss at the sensation of guilt he felt, the Mask digging spiritual roots into him, firming its position. ¡®I dislike this sensation,¡¯ the words emerged from him, and he considered reaching up, and ripping the Mask away. But he needed it to keep the dark at bay.
¡®I will find someone, not a member of the group,¡¯ he said at last, and his Mask relaxed. Slightly. Still a bit unhappy. Some things need to be done. This is merely the beginning of a very long road.
¡®Feeling better?¡¯ asked Kleos.
¡®No,¡¯ muttered Nicolai. ¡®Yes. I don¡¯t know.¡¯
¡®Sounds about right.¡¯ The head chuckled.
¡®Tell me about possession,¡¯ he asked, sudden, the interaction with his Mask reminding him of what Kleos had said about the dangers of the sword¡¯s wielder.
¡®Possession, eh? It¡¯s something anyone with a Soul can do, in principle, but its harder if you¡¯re weaker. It¡¯s fairly simple. You uproot your Soul from your body, and then you leave. This process will be very painful and damaging. It¡¯s not something you¡¯d want to do unless you had no choice, as if you were then to return to your body you would need to reconnect with it, a process that would take time. Until you completed that process, you¡¯d be weakened.
¡®But, if a Cultivator is dying or their body has been rendered useless, often they might attempt to steal a new body. The easiest targets are mortals who have very weak Souls, as you¡¯d have to destroy their Soul before taking up residence in their body. Your people are perfect targets, actually, since you don¡¯t even have a Soul until you¡¯ve finished Integrating your Seeds.
¡®Keep in mind that once your Soul is outside of your body, it is unprotected. The Aura and spirituality of the world is not kind to wandering Souls, it is like throwing a clump of dried sand into the sea. The world will rip such Souls apart, continually tearing at them until they collapse and are consumed, becoming a part of the world¡¯s spirituality. As you know, when your Soul takes damage, your system uses Oma to repair it. Without such a system, any Soul without a body is on a strict time limit. How long such an individual can last depends on their strength of will, and the power of their Soul.¡¯
¡®What are the limits of this? How long can they last?¡¯ asked Nicolai.
¡®If the Soul is powerful enough, such as that of a higher level Cultivator, they could resist for quite some time, and they would be able to perform a direct Soul attack on other creatures, invading bodies and destroying the original Soul to seize that body. This undead with the Artifact should be one such. Regardless of the assurances of your demon, you ought to be wary.¡¯
¡®I see. Interesting,¡¯ Nicolai said, and meant it. It was useful to know that such a thing was possible. It could be that in the future he found himself with no option but to attempt possession himself. As he sat there, relaxed and calm, imagining himself leaving his body, Cyberwarfare suddenly called out.
Worm! howled the Module, and he felt the part of his Soul it resided in lunge through him, seizing at the memories the demon had left. There, something hidden had been detected, some tiny being that squealed and thrashed.
115: Attack on Tower
Cyberwarfare sunk spiritual claws into the thing and dragged it from where it had hidden, leapt at it and savaged it like a wolf, but the thing, which appeared as a little ball of slick, oily darkness in his Soul, struggled and resisted, trying to dig back into him.
Nicolai immediately turned the entirety of his Soul toward it, diving in to aid Cyberwarfare. He gripped the dark thing tight, clenching his Soul around it and squeezing it, holding it still while Cyberwarfare tore at it.
Relax, human. I¡¯m merely here to aid you.
Paxolnaz? he asked, frowning, Cyberwarfare stilling in response, its claws drawing back¡ªfor the moment.
Who else? I left a tiny piece of myself with you. Where do you think the memories came from? A chuckle rolled out. And, I have more memories to share. At the right time. Leave me be, and I¡¯ll help you¡ the little worm wriggled, pulling away from the clutch of his Soul, and immediately started to rebury itself in the stuff of him.
His eyes narrowed.
You dare, human? hissed the piece of Paxolnaz, as his Soul stirred around it, and Cyberwarfare circled, a hungry, spiritual wolf. The piece of the Demon attempted to back away, watching it warily. What you are considering is a very bad idea.
Cyberwarfare looked to him eagerly, requesting permission.
Nicolai snorted. Kill it, he told the Module, and his Soul clenched down again and Cyberwarfare leapt at the worm.
The tiny piece of the Demon screamed and thrashed.
I will not forget this, human. You will suffer! You will¡ª
Cyberwarfare¡¯s claws scissored, and the piece of Paxolnaz died.
He¡¯d gained all the relevant information from the piece, anyway. He had taken the time to thoroughly pry through the memory it had left until there was nothing remaining during his conversation with Kleos, every piece of information extracted. As to these ¡°additional memories¡± it hinted at? Maybe it was being honest, maybe it wasn¡¯t. Nicolai didn¡¯t care either way.
He saw no reason to leave a part, tiny as it was, of a very dangerous being within him. What it had been there to do, he wasn¡¯t sure. The Contract decreed that the Demon couldn¡¯t harm him, but doubtless there were plenty of things it could have done that didn¡¯t fall under the umbrella of ¡°harm¡± as Heaven defined it.
Only one last matter remained to him.
Nicolai drew a small rock from where he¡¯d hidden it. The rock he¡¯d found in the room in the crack above the Gauntlet, the rock with a Symbiote inside.
¡®How should I go about getting the Symbiote out of this?¡¯
¡®You¡¯ll need to try and work out what food it will eat, then ideally prepare an Oma infused bath for it. The Slow Water, once you get some, will be good for that. It slows down decay and damage, which will give you more time. Then you¡¯ll have to carefully take it out¡ªI¡¯ll show you how at the time¡ªand feed it until it has restored itself.¡¯
¡®I see.¡¯ Another longer-term goal. Procuring Slow Water had been raised higher on his list. ¡®How can I work out what food it needs?¡¯
¡®Best way is to try and send your Soul Sense inside, and just take the time to soak around it. Get the feel for it. Whatever it feels like¡ its food will feel a little similar. If you can memorise the spiritual imprint of the Symbiote, you¡¯ll be well suited to recognising its food.¡¯
Nicolai noticed Kleos was glancing at the bucket he¡¯d replaced its old jar with, and the liquid within. ¡®Bucket?¡¯ he asked, and received an affirmation.
The head was clearly pleased to be back in its liquid, and Nicolai left it there as he spent half-an-hour before he slept doing as Kleos had suggested, working until he had memorised what the Symbiote in the rock felt like.
His last act before sleeping was checking on the progress of his gradually finalising lung Nodes. He had completed the Nodes in the very early AM of the current day, which meant the current value would show him roughly how much he could expect the Node to increase by in a day, minus a bit.
User Interface 376 | User #53,217
- Cultivation
Total Nodes: 1 Major, 2 Minor
Available unconstructed Nodes: 0 Major, 3 Minor
- Nodes in progress;
Right Lung (Finalising: 11%)
Left Lung (Finalising: 11%)
Completed Nodes;
Heart (Flawless) (100/100)
Eleven percent¡ This meant he could expect to have gained a couple more percent by the time he reached twenty-four hours from the moment of Node completion. Giving him a rate around twelve to thirteen percent a day, which meant it should take around eight days in total for a Minor Node to be completed. Not a long time, in the grand scheme of things. But a long time for Nicolai. In eight days a great deal could happen.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
Putting the thoughts aside, he lay down and at long last he slept, ending the day.
###
That morning he spent a brief amount of time Soul Sense sparring with Beth. He¡¯d asked Kleos more questions, and had some thing he¡¯d wanted to try. He had confirmed that in order to use his Blue Hornet¡¯s lightning from a distance, first he had to break the opponents Soul Sense. Likewise, Beth had wanted to test her Crawling Fire. They had both allowed the other to break their Soul Sense, and then felt at how they were able to ¡°lock on,¡± in a way, to their opponent, how their Symbiotes, once charged, had grown active and ready, able to send something like targeting beacon or thread through their Soul Sense towards the opponent.
When the opponents Soul Sense was active, it was impossible to apply that targeting beacon. They hadn¡¯t actually used their Symbiotes on one another. Nicolai had no desire to experience the touch of Beth¡¯s crawling flame, merely to test how they worked.
He¡¯d also learned something else which he¡¯d found very interesting, grasped from a few offhand words from Kleos.
¡®Of course,¡¯ the head had said, ¡®with your Imbued rapier you¡¯ve got quite an advantage in these kind of fights; if you were to use it.¡¯
¡®What do you mean?¡¯
¡®You can push your Soul Sense inside of it, wielding it on the end of your Soul Sense tendril. You can then use it as a kind of direct method for piercing and cutting attacks, which will be stronger than normal. It allows you to easily make such attacks perfect, if that makes sense.¡¯
Nicolai had tried this out, sending out his rapier and tangling with Beth¡¯s Soul Sense tendril. As the head had said, it gave him a huge advantage (she had whined that he better not use it in every sparring session). He was able to very easily cut through Beth¡¯s Soul Sense tendril, and he had the impression that directly attacking her body would allow for a kind of double attack; physical, and spiritual. A stab would likely break someone¡¯s Soul Sense, at the same time as, well, stabbing them.
The only difference from how he¡¯d used the sword previously was that now he had to work to force a portion of his Soul Sense into the sword, filling it, and having that portion of his Soul Sense take on the shape of the sword, rather than simply grasping the sword with his Soul Sense. As a result, it made his Soul Sense tendril slightly shorter, reducing his overall range.
In this session he had also found that Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare gave him some additional Soul Sense combat benefits, now they were present in his Soul. They were able to form tiny tendrils of their own, little barbs that could complement his primary tendril, forming separate attacks. Threat Analysis was also very attuned to the ripples in the Aura, continuously informing him of what it sensed, while Cyberwarfare joined Nicolai in analysing and predicting Beth¡¯s moves.
After all that he¡¯d indulged himself practising with the polearm. The chair he¡¯d used as a target had suffered greatly as Nicolai used bursts of winds to launch it around the room, laughing and laughing. He enjoyed it so much that he considered bringing the polearm with him from then on, but unfortunately he didn¡¯t think it was worthwhile. He had guns now. The polearm was outclassed, and it was a bulky, heavy item. It wasn¡¯t worth carrying such weight when he just wanted it as manner to use wind attacks; wind attacks which were quite close ranged, as they didn¡¯t go further than a few metres.
He had tried strapping it to his back in a way where it touched on skin, wondering if he could wear it as though it were a very large piece of Imbued jewelry. But getting the most power from the wind attacks required him to hold it and make matching gestures with it as he launched them. Why would he do that, when he could just shoot people?
Nicolai had, regretfully, put it aside. Kleos had told him that it might be possible to extract the wind power from it, though warned that it wouldn¡¯t be easy and likely wasn¡¯t worthwhile, requiring tools and infrastructure he didn¡¯t have. The head said if he really liked what it could do, he ought to just go and find the type of Symbiote which had been Imbued into it; and that this Symbiote would do the same thing but better, and would weigh nothing at all as it¡¯d live in his Node. Quite appealing.
Following all that, it was time to go to retrieve the paintbrush.
###
Nicolai strode down a corridor. He checked his map as he walked, looking over one of the portion¡¯s Jo had shared with him. They were almost there.
Behind him and Beth walked Jo, John, Cait, and Karl. All of them were armed and ready. After informing the others of the issues of the painting, and the threat her Contract posed to Jo¡¯s life, there had been a big debate amongst the group over whether to help. Nicolai had found that his influence had increased, and with that plus an argument revolving around the fact Jo had kindly let them in to her safe-place, he had convinced them. He had a feeling they might have come to the same conclusion anyway, as already they were warming to Jo and Beth, but he¡¯d opted to make sure.
From what Jo had told him, they would have a fight on their hands to get the paintbrush. As such he saw no reason not to bring anyone willing. The more guns shooting at the undead, the better.
He sent two of his four drones out ahead of him, swooping out of the sunlight-filled end of the tunnel they walked through, and a large, open area came into view.
Filling the bulk of this large open area was a small fortress.
A wall about three metres thick wrapped around it, forming a triangular shape. There were three squat towers on each tip, and three gatehouses with metal gates mid-way between the towers.
On each fortified gatehouse he saw a group of undead archers, around ten each, and on the ground in front of the gatehouses there were a few hulking undead knights and then more spearmen.
Within this walled area they protected there rose a blocky little bastion, and from the rising drones increasingly elevated view, Nicolai saw it had two entrances. Large doors, once more guarded by knights and spearmen, alongside two knights who stood out, one for each door. They wore more ornate armour and were slightly larger than the normal knights. Some form of leaders.
On top of each of the three towers at the points in the wall stood the fat-looking wizard-types he¡¯d seen before in patrols.
In the expanse of stone tiles between these walls and the buildings looming around the square, there were a few statues of the People, and Nicolai also took note of a few ancient, ruined carts left to rot roughly midway between where he and the others stood, and the nearest gatehouse.
The drones continued up, high above, avoiding the notice of the undead below, and he sent the next two out to find other angles, sharing the drones feed¡¯s with the others and giving them all a complete picture of the battleground from all sides.
One of the drones made its way into the building itself through an opening on the roof, sliding and sneaking. It encountered no issues, finding its way to a central room. There, an undead wearing a robe was in the midst of a painting setup, wielding a paintbrush against a canvas. Target identified.
That was presumably the paintbrush they¡¯d need, to do as the creature within the painting asked. The mission then, was simple. Get in. Get the paintbrush. Get out.
116: Chivalry is Dead
Nicolai paused just short of the tunnel exit. For this particular operation, he¡¯d successfully taken a kind of temporary, operational-only leadership from John, with the man and the others agreeing to follow his directions. John had given this up surprisingly easily, which told Nicolai he was uncertain about taking lead in combat. Nicolai intended to capitalise on this in the future, in his drive to seize full control of the group. ¡®You¡¯ll provide fire from behind,¡¯ he told Jo, who nodded and gripped her rifle. He¡¯d purchased more ammo for her the night before.
¡®You four will run out to those carts and get cover behind them,¡¯ he told Beth and the others. ¡®Once enough of the archers are dead, see about moving forward to getting behind the statues, they should provide better protection from whatever the fat ones on the towers can throw. We¡¯ll get into the gatehouse and then work from there.¡¯
¡®What about you?¡¯ asked John.
¡®I¡¯ll go first and get into the gatehouse early, killing the archers and opening it from inside.¡¯ He looked to Jo. ¡®Be ready. When it starts, shoot one of those fat ones on the towertops in the head.¡¯
¡®What if¡ª¡® began Cait, but Nicolai waved her off.
¡®No point delaying these things. Think on your feet.¡¯ He was bouncing on the balls of his feet as he peered out at the undead, a grin worming onto his features, the first taste of the thrill twining through him.
He activated his shimmer poncho, shelled his Soul Sense, and stepped out.
Nicolai moved at a wide angle as he approached the gatehouse, aiming to keep some distance between him and the undead guarding it. Reaching the wall, he activated one of his three Pegasi rings (he had retrieved the one he¡¯d lent to Perro and Azure, and he¡¯d left the fourth with Beth) and floated up. With this he had to intensify his focus on Shelling, but even with all his effort he was unable to completely Shell, and knew some small ripples were escaping. Fortunately the undead showed no signs of noticing. Reaching the top he found the wall had no walkway, but this didn¡¯t cause him issue as he padded along the stone toward the gatehouse and the archers clustered atop.
There, he stood, still on the wall, looking at the archers spread in front of him. The gatehouse was quite wide and they stood roughly in line at the front of it, a waist-high wall before them, ready to shoot at any approaching from the front. Other than them the gatehouse-roof was largely featureless except for a stairway down into its inside.
Nicolai quietly unzipped his poncho, ensuring it still fell about him at the front and kept him covered, but able to be twitched aside at a moment. He took hold of his MP5, flicked off the safety, thumbed it to single-shot fire, and put his finger on the trigger.
Finally, he crept up to the start of the line, positioning himself behind the first archer. None of them reacted at all, his steps utterly silent. Completely unaware and unprepared.
A bad situation for them, but good for him. The thrill lit up and began to burn within his chest, the world shining brighter around him. He charged his rapier.
Nicolai snapped the MP5 up, and sent his rapier lunging out.
One shot punched through the head of the first while the rapier dove into the skull of another.
Nicolai twitched, his entire body coiled behind the MP5, head glued into position looking down its iron-sights, moving arms and shoulders and head and the submachine-gun all as one, a single unit. Where he looked, the bullets went.
A chorus of gunshots sounded, so rapid it seemed automatic fire, Nicolai moving his body in machine-like jerks, twitch-twitch-twitch, bang-bang-bang, while the rapier darted and lunged in response to the guiding movements of one of his fingers. Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare aided him in controlling it, and he found he needed less physical movement as a result.
The last archer turned but only had time to begin to pull on its bowstring before the rapier lanced through its skull at the same moment as Nicolai shot the one beside it in the head. Some of those further down the line hadn¡¯t yet even finished falling, the whole process having taken only a second.
More gunshots were sounding from around, most notably the cracking boom of Jo¡¯s rifle, and he knew the others had begun their own attack.
She¡¯d shot one of the fat ones but he knew via the drones and Threat Analysis¡¯ warnings that the other had pivoted to face him and was taking aim at his back, so he ducked down into the gatehouse¡¯s stairwell. As he did so there was a howl and a geyser of freezing wind filled with shards of ice passed harmlessly over his head, a gift from one of the wizards.
Inside he found two surprised looking zombies. The rapier stabbed them unceremoniously in the head, one then the other, while Nicolai moved forward. There was a metal wheel set into a contraption, so Nicolai dragged at it, and it turned with a creak. Below came the whine and rattle of the gates opening.
He noted a few handy holes in the ground, murder-holes for defenders to strike at invaders coming through the gatehouse, and Nicolai was happy to use them to his advantage.
Since he¡¯d unshelled his Soul Sense and was no longer concerned about being detected, he could sense half of the knights and spearmen moving in the space below, retreating inside and after him.
He pulled out a fragmentation grenade, dropped it through the hole, then activated it through his Link.
The explosion blew those below into the walls and the shrapnel smashed through skulls and legs and arms, and they crumpled, either dead or disabled.
Stepping out through the gatehouses exit he emerged onto a short stairwell to the ground inside the walled area.
Through his Link connection to the others, he knew they were pushing forward, finishing off the defenders left outside the gatehouse, and would soon join him.
That was good, because all the undead were swinging into action. The archers on the other gatehouses were taking aim across at him, as was the one fat-wizard on the closer tower. Fortunately, it seemed Jo had killed the other one with her first shot, but the remaining one had activated some kind of shield, and as he watched one of her shots cracked into the shield and cracks spiderwebbed through it, but it held. However, another shot quickly followed and the shield broke, then another and it was falling, skull cracked.
Of more danger was the next group of undead between him and the fortress, more knights, led by the ornate-knight which was dashing towards him at great speed.
He saw a Soul Sense tendril emerging from it. A cultivating undead. Nicolai¡¯s lips drew back in an eager smile and he fuelled Oma into the Blue Hornet which came awake within his Node, rising into the space, spreading its wings. Blue energy shimmering around it, then on his body sparks of crackling energy began to crawl.
Nicolai charged straight for them. He had no intention to wait around, and knew that all the undead spearmen and knights were now making their way towards him.
Arrows zipped through the air, but as he drew closer to the building its bulk cut the sightlines between him and the archers, a serious oversight from those who¡¯d constructed it. Before that point, he avoided most of the arrows by being where they weren¡¯t, and used his Sheltering glove¡¯s shield to block the rest.
Nicolai fired the MP5 as he went, thinning out the undead, taking down the lightly-armoured spearmen first. He didn¡¯t have time to turn his gun on the Cultivator knight or the three more standard knights behind it, because the Cultivator came to meet him.
Its legs glimmered and then with a burst of savage movement it shoved powerfully on the stone and launched itself through the air toward him. It held a big weight of steel, a greatsword that would turn him into a severe mess if he let it hit him. At the same moment the knights Soul Sense tendril lunged at him, forming into a piercing spike.
Nicolai collapsed backwards, side-on, extending his legs and skidding. With the Pegasi ring the movement went very smoothly, as he barely even touched the ground. Meanwhile, he settled his Soul Sense into a Long Guard.
He slid under the great humming blur of the weapon, and deflected the enemy¡¯s Soul Sense attack away.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
For a frozen moment he was behind his enemy, face to face with the three other knights. He pulled the sawn-off in a snap and put a pair of baseball-sized holes in the helmets of two of them, sending them to the ground in crashes of metal as their Soul Wisps streamed away in ragged rivers.
He holstered the sawn-off and skittered away, gaining more distance, as the Cultivator turned and its legs glimmered again.
This time he wasn¡¯t fast enough. He had to raise his shield and he felt and saw a ragged great crack open up in it as the greatsword lashed at him, launching him backwards, skidding and regaining his balance. He fired at it with the MP5 in full auto, Oma pouring out of his Node to recharge his shielding glove.
The 9mm bullets sparked and bounced off its armour, having no effect. He turned the MP5 on the other remaining knight, and a burst of 9mm smashed into its helmet and it rattled as the metal deformed to the point a bullet punched through and it fell.
Meanwhile, in the space between him and the undead Cultivator, their Soul Senses battled. Nicolai had sent his rapier out and it acted as the blade of his Soul Sense, enhancing his cutting and piercing attacks.
Piercing, crushing, cutting. The Guards Heavy, Long, and Light. Nicolai had already integrated these concepts and he moved his Soul Sense with the skill of his rapidly-increasing familiarity. He laughed with delight as he found his opponent wanting, its Soul Sense sluggish. His launched rapier sliced through its Soul Sense tendril at the base, then his tendril flashed into a crushing blow as the undead formed a panicked Heavy Guard, crushing it. He snapped out a piercing strike, the rapier lunging forwards as it was trying to form a Loose Guard.
The rapier¡¯s tip poked its armour, doing no damage, but spiritually the picture was very different, as his Soul Sense moved with the rapier. The undead¡¯s Soul Sense burst, collapsing into it.
The Cultivator was coming again in spite of this, legs shimmering, but this time Nicolai had something else ready for it. All through the fight, ever since he activated the Blue Hornet in the gate house, every movement he made had caused the blue lightning to crackle loud, growing and surging over his body. It had been ready to strike for some time, now.
He jumped into the air, throwing himself upwards at the same time as he activated three Pegasi rings with a flare of Oma burn, launching himself upwards as the knight flashed forward and spun and launched its greatsword in another huge swing. It tried to angle the blade upwards as he rose, but its momentum was too much, and his ascent too fast, and it passed beneath him.
Nicolai extended a hand and the blue lightning coiled and writhed over his arm. He¡¯d spent a little time practising with this Symbiote earlier, and he¡¯d learned a very important part of how it worked. It needed to be guided with Soul Sense to hit with any accuracy, and therefore breaking the enemy¡¯s Soul Sense before striking was fundamental. That, or touching them. With the Cultivator¡¯s Soul Sense broken for a moment, he was able to mark its body, the Blue Hornet pushing a sparking signature through his Soul Sense. It wormed through his tendril and dug into the undead.
A great crack sounded and there came a burst of light as a finger-thick bolt exploded out from his palm, smashing into the knight which was dashed into the ground, squirming and writhing, dropping its greatsword.
Nicolai landed beside the shaking undead, pulled out the shotgun, cracked it open and slotted two fresh rounds of 12-gauge into it. He clicked the barrels back into place and raised his arm, tracking the spasmodic movements of its head.
He squeezed the trigger hard and two bursts of buckshot smashed into the knights helmet at almost the same moment in great sprays of sparks, smashing its helmeted head into the ground.
When the sparks from Nicolai¡¯s shots faded, he was disappointed to see the helmet was slightly dented, but otherwise fine. Tough stuff. It seemed he¡¯d have to try and get its helmet off, but the Cultivator¡¯s convulsions were reducing, and it jerked and struggled upward, lunging for him.
Nicolai pushed himself backwards, avoiding it, and used the momentum as he turned and dashed away, sprinting to the double-doors of the castle.
There came a boom and the knight, which had half-way struggled to its feet, face-planted as a heavy round from Jo¡¯s rifle slammed into its back. Alas, with his Soul Sense he knew this too, had failed to get through its armour.
Nicolai reached the doors and wrenched at the handle and they opened, and he dashed inside whilst stripping the largely spent magazine from his MP5 and slotting in a fresh one.
The Cultivator was twitching and struggling behind him, but as he forged ahead the electricity surging over it faded and it rose, sword in its hands, armoured feet ringing on the stone.
Through his Link connection with the others, he knew that Beth was coming forward as he¡¯d ordered her. The rest defended the gatehouse, hunkering inside to avoid the archers¡¯ arrows while shooting at any undead that attempted to come inside after Nicolai, mostly spearmen and a few knights who¡¯d moved in from the other gatehouses.
The other ornately-armoured undead, a mirror to the Cultivator chasing him only with a maul instead of a sword, had opened up the entrance to the small fort on the other side and entered. He¡¯d lost track of it but knew it was somewhere within, looking to meet him from the other side.
After streaking down a straight corridor, Nicolai found himself in a large, circular room. On one side was an area dedicated to painting, racks and scrolls and brushes and paints, and a robed undead was standing there, holding a paintbrush which shimmered to Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense.
The other undead Cultivator emerged from the other side of the room, and he heard the one behind him making quick ground.
Nicolai ignored them both and dashed across the room toward the undead with the paintbrush, snapping the MP5 up. It had already thrown itself down to hide behind a large desk when his three-round burst drilled at it, the wood cracking and splintering.
He felt the Cultivator with the greatsword¡¯s intent, its legs shimmering in his Soul Sense, and was already throwing himself aside as it launched itself at him.
Nicolai avoided its physical strike, the blade whooshing passed him. But its Soul Sense had recovered and now it struck at him, joined with the Soul Sense from the other Cultivator.
Fighting two-on-one, Nicolai found himself pressed. He could dodge and dash and deflect their strikes, but Soul Sense attacks were too quick to dodge. One used a crushing attack, the other piercing, and he had no ideal defence in response.
As the closer Cultivator¡¯s Soul Sense tendril lunged at him, formed into a stabbing point, Nicolai flicked his rapier, and the Long Guard brushed it aside. The next attack was right behind it, coming quick, but all that he learned came together and Nicolai abandoned his defence, launching his tendril and rapier, focusing on cutting, and even as the crushing attack descended toward him he sliced at the enemies tendril, severing their attack.
It was a dangerous game. A single error would see one of them land an unguarded hit on him, while he was busy dealing with the others. If his Soul Sense was broken he would be in a bad position. Fortunately, with the rapier he was able to just about hold his own.
They were chasing him still and his tendril and the rapier slid through the air as he exchanged blows with the closer one, both seeking to severe the others tendril, neither having any luck. As this was occurring he reached the desk area.
The undead painter thrashed over the ground, raising its arms helplessly, pleadingly, but there was no sympathy in Nicolai and he shot its head into splinters then raised his shield in time to meet the maul humming towards him, the other Cultivator twisting behind it.
The blow launched him backward, arm straining as some of the force of it transferred through the splintering shield and into him.
Their Soul Senses struck again and he found himself under pressure, forced to keep his tendril dancing and winding, the rapier slicing at their tendrils and beheading them, buying him a few moments of reprieve. The Oma in his Node was rapidly draining to replenish his glove¡¯s shield.
He tried to lunge back towards the dead painter but they were between him, now. Blocking him, harrying him, and all the while their Soul Senses worked to break his own. The maul wielding undead raised a hand, and he sensed the tell-tale ripples of an Imbued being activated. A burst of force grew and was thrown toward him, and as it moved the undead¡¯s Soul Sense guided it, curving it to follow his movement as he attempted to dodge.
Nicolai was forced to commit his Soul Sense to defending against the attack, immediately recognising the similarities between this move and his own lightning. His Soul Sense grappled with the attacker, disrupting their direction of the blast of force which became unguided, and he slipped away from it.
However, while he was focused on dealing with that, the other got him a good hit from the side, where he had little defence. He felt his Soul Sense close to breaking and he was forced to consolidate his defence. He knew the maul undead was preparing another blast of force and it would come any moment.
The electricity surging over his skin had increased, but it wasn¡¯t yet at the necessary level and even if it was, he couldn¡¯t easily target them unless he first broke their Soul Sense and marked them. It was a sticky situation with no easy answers, but Nicolai had an ace in the hole. He¡¯d been keeping track of Beth as she came to join him, and now moved toward the exit from the room.
She arrived, gunfire sounding from behind him. The blasts from her shotgun smashed into the undead, and didn¡¯t go through their armour but each shot staggered them, knocking them back. Her tendril reached him and aided him on the defence.
Nicolai capitalised on this by taking out a fragmentation grenade, which he threw, aiming behind the knights. He couldn¡¯t afford to have it detonate too close or high up compared to him if he wanted to avoid the risk of shrapnel, he needed to have it land behind them so their bodies acted as shields. However, as it spun through the air the one with a maul reached a hand out. Through his Soul Sense he felt and saw a surge of the same force from it, and his grenade was punched in the air, back toward him.
His eyes widened with surprise. These things were fast, and smart, and hard to kill. Some of the most competent foes he¡¯d faced so far. They reminded him of the Pegasi archers.
The knights paused their advance, keeping their distance as the grenade fell back toward Nicolai. They watched it fall, aware that it must pose some kind of threat, perhaps hoping it would kill him for them.
That hope would go unanswered. He reached up and caught it from the air, tucked it into a pocket and switched it to safe mode. One of the benefits of a Link enabled grenade was that it would not activate until the moment he sent the order.
Beth stepped up beside him, her Soul Sense coming beside his, the two of them standing and facing the enemies across from them, both sides taking a moment to pause and consider while too distant for their Soul Senses to interact.
It was a difficult fight and these knights tough opponents, but Nicolai wasn¡¯t worried, only eager. He eyed the enemy hungrily, ready for the next exchange.
117: Teamwork
¡®The paintbrush is there,¡¯ Nicolai told Beth over Link, indicating the spot, keeping his eyes on the two armoured knights across from them. ¡®These things are very hard to kill, but that¡¯s not our goal. We get the paintbrush, we get out, and we win.¡¯
His Node was near empty, and he reached out a hand as he spoke, his rapier which was only a second from losing its charge snapping back toward him. He sheathed it and pulled two crystals, drawing on them to refill his Node, just before it reached empty and ceased sending Oma to his unfinished lung Nodes. He needed to keep supplying Oma to those, then recharge his shield and keep the Blue Hornet charging up as his first priorities, and lastly the rapier.
Meanwhile, Beth slotted fresh rounds into her shotgun, and there burned a bright fire on her arm. It moved over her body along with the movements of her Soul Sense, ran down her leg and out onto the floor. A faint rustling was audible as it crawled rapidly over the stone, drawing a half-circle as it streaked left and right in front of her.
She nodded. ¡®Got it.¡¯
Nicolai had finished recharging his shield and he reached a hand for his rapier, but across from them the one with the greatsword was hefting its weapon, and its legs began to shimmer. ¡®That one¡¯s mine,¡¯ he told Beth, while warning her of its imminent attack.
Nicolai had no time to charge his rapier, forced to dash forwards in time to meet the rush of knight, getting between it and Beth as it swung its greatsword in a great humming blur. He intercepted the blow it aimed at her, knocking it upwards in a crash and blast of Oma and metal. Forced to take it more fully on, the blow smashed his shield in a single hit, even as the sword was deflected away.
He drew in close before the Cultivator could recover and strike again, pressing close enough that it couldn¡¯t use the sword, shoving Oma into his shield to recharge it.
The undead Cultivator was beginning to raise its sword into position when it realised he¡¯d be on it before it could complete the move, and instead it released the blade with one hand to punch at him. Not a bad strike; decent form, and the undead was faster than a regular human. This knight was pretty good.
But ¡°pretty good¡± wasn¡¯t good enough, not against him. Nicolai ducked his head aside so the fist slipped by him, and he lanced out in a counter punch with his hand-talon extended, looking to cut one of the straps on its helmet. It twisted aside and the strike glanced off, but Nicolai kept close and the pressure up.
His Soul Sense was slamming and slicing at the undead¡¯s own in the meantime, but he wasn¡¯t having the quick success of last time; without the rapier, he and the undead were more evenly matched. Nicolai was a quick learner, but he could tell the undead had been using Soul Sense a long time. It employed tricks he and Beth hadn¡¯t thought up. He observed them closely, soaking it all in like a sponge, and where its experience outclassed him, raw talent, prediction, and slipperiness gave him enough of an edge to hold his own.
But he needed more than that, if he wanted to bring this fight to a close. He¡¯d need to buy himself a moment to charge the rapier, which was difficult when he was forced to keep the undead under pressure lest it start swinging that sword around again.
He feinted with the hand talon, and the undead raised its arms to block. That left it open to the powerful kick he slammed into its armoured side. But where he¡¯d hoped to knock it to the ground and buy himself the necessary moment, he merely made it stumble. It had some weight to it, and it was strong. Nothing like the weaker undead he was used to smashing apart with ease.
Nicolai moved quick as it attempted to use the distance to bring its sword to bear. He went low and shoulder barged into it at the midsection. As he bulled it back he took a heavy thump from one of its gauntleted hands to his back. It broke something. A sudden snapping sensation, a moment of numbness, then his body realised it was hurt and sent the appropriate pain signals.
The pain only fed more fuel to what was growing within Nicolai. The thrill was climbing through him, writhing and burning, and the world was shifting around him.
He let out a happy shout as he set his legs and shoved forward, hurling it away. The undead tumbled and clattered onto the ground, dropping its sword. It was quick to right itself, drawing a dagger from its hip as it raised its limbs like an upside-down turtle, ready to defend.
Nicolai put one hand to the pommel of his sheathed rapier, and the other into a pouch where he touched on an Oma crystal, and he pulled-and-sent powerfully, Oma streaming through his body, charging and recharging.
Threat Analysis had been utilising his Soul Sense and the two drones in the room to keep an eye on Beth and the other undead. She was having a difficult time. Where Nicolai could just about match his opponent in Soul Sense, she was found wanting by her own opponent.
On top of that, where his opponent had a method of launching itself a distance, which it seemed to struggle to use in the middle of combat, her undead had a different Art available. It threw regular blasts of force at her, and it was able to redirect these blasts after launching them with its Soul Sense. Beth was forced into a defensive position, using her Soul Sense tendril to clash with its own and disrupt its attempts to guide the blasts right into her.
But, struggling to match its Soul Sense, Beth¡¯s work to disrupt the attacks were turning increasingly feeble, and its blasts were drawing closer and closer. There was also the fact that those blasts, even unguided, were still being aimed. They moved quite slowly, but a single wrong move would get her into trouble. She was forced to run and duck and dodge, and was entirely unable to use her Crawling Fire as she needed her Soul Sense to send it out, and the undead outranged her with its force blasts.
The two had drawn close enough to Nicolai that his own Soul Sense was almost in range of them. Lightning ran up and down his arm, and a pulse rang through him from the Blue Hornet. The Blue Lightning was finally charged.
He dove at the undead he¡¯d knocked to the ground, as though intending to fall on it and grapple. It did as he¡¯d expected, kicking at him with one of its heavy, metal-covered legs.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Nicolai skittered back at the last moment, and the Blue Lightning crawled down his arm as he grabbed its foot and held tight. He immediately felt the undead, now close enough for Soul-on-Soul contact. With that, he no longer needed to break its Soul Sense to mark it for the Blue Lightning; he could apply the mark directly, and he did so.
The Blue Lightning vented in a screaming blur down his arm and onto the undead, sending jagged, zig-zagging lines of crackling light shrieking its armour. It spasmed and shook, limbs seizing up as the lightning wracked its body. Nicolai immediately poured more Oma into the Blue Hornet, starting the process of charging up another strike, and reached for another Oma crystal. All the Imbued and Symbiotes he was using were rapidly depleting his Node.
Before he even turned away from the stunned undead, he was seeing the situation with Beth was about to go bad, using his Soul Sense and Threat Analysis to maintain awareness of it.
Her Soul Sense had been broken, and the undead facing her raised its arm and sent a blast of force out at her. She turned to run away, looking to get out of its range, but he knew she wouldn¡¯t be fast enough.
With a flick of his finger the now fully charged rapier slipped out of its sheath to hover beside him, and he darted towards them, legs pumping as he closed the gap between himself and the undead, his Soul Sense reaching out before him, the rapier shooting out with it at the tip.
He caught the undead¡¯s Soul Sense tendril as the force blast was halfway to Beth, and a single slice from his rapier bisected the tendril, the severed piece turning into a cloud of Soul Sense that flowed back toward the undead.
Now unguided, and with Beth veering to the left¡ªas he¡¯d told her to do¡ªthe force blast passed her by.
He could feel Beth¡¯s anger as she joined him, and as they pressed the undead together. The rapier was very effective. The undead became unable to guide its force blasts as he simply severed its tendril every time, and fell back into simply firing unguided blasts. It did still aim these when it launched them, however, and managed to hold him and Beth back.
For a time. They could strike from a distance with Soul Sense, and two on one, with the addition of the rapier, they overwhelmed it rapidly.
¡®Burn you piece of shit!¡¯ Beth crowed as with the breaking of its Soul Sense, she sent her Crawling Fire out and it leapt at the undead, catching it in the head. It poured through the eyeholes in the undead¡¯s helmet and smoke and fire roared out a moment after. The undead staggered, dropped its weapon, put its hands to its head and wrenched at its helmet, but it was too late.
It toppled to the ground and blue light vented along with smoke.
The thrill pulsed with its own burning satisfaction within him, and Nicolai grinned and drank at the sweet air. ¡®Get the paintbrush, over there,¡¯ he told her. She nodded and moved off. As she began to move off, he looked to the undead he¡¯d hit with lightning. It was was recovering from its stunning and struggling to find its feet. He started moving towards the downed undead, intent on its Imbued.
However, at this moment he saw a large number of undead pouring toward the tower outside, through one of the drones posted there, and received panicked communications from the others. They were still holding the gatehouse, but more and more arrows were raining toward them as the undead pressed in through one of the other gatehouses. John said they would soon retreat.
Time enough to take the Imbued from the dead one then kill the remaining knight, Nicolai had thought. But the undead¡¯s legs twinkled and it launched itself through the air.
Nicolai shied away, forming his shield, but it didn¡¯t come for him. It landed beside the corpse of the other, and stood between that and him, defensive.
He sneered and approached, his Soul Sense and the rapier extended and ready, but as he did so he saw undead arriving into this very room.
Two knights who looked very similar to the pair they¡¯d been battling, a fat wizard, and a rank of spearmen.
Nicolai grinned at them all, hungry. The thrill demanded more.
¡®This is a losing situation,¡¯ spoke Threat Analysis. ¡®Watch within.¡¯
That was all it said, but Nicolai understood immediately. His gaze moved inwards, and he saw how the dark had spread and was reaching within the thrill. His eyes narrowed as he clamped at the cage.
Almost trouble, there. Now he saw the situation with clearer eyes. Threat Analysis was right. These undead were difficult to kill. Three of them, and the wizard, and many, many more arriving outside and soon to come in here. The time available to him was rapidly slimming. He doubted he could kill the undead with the greatsword before its friends arrived; his Blue Lightning was not yet charged, and Beth would also need some time to reform her Crawling Fire.
The dark whispered that with its help he would fight even better, that he could overcome and destroy them all, and as it pressed through him Nicolai almost gave in. Reaching the peak of combat was his deepest desire. But the cold hard facts told him that even with its aid, he would only win for a while. It would be brutal, and bloody, and glorious, and a last stand.
Even if there was a small chance he would successfully kill everything, Nicolai was risk avoidant by nature, the product of long experience. This was simply too great a risk. Such wonderful excesses would only be possible when he was stronger. But he assured himself, and the thrill, and even the dark for he was not immune to its persuasions, that in time he would be stronger. Cyberwarfare and the Mask aided him as he gripped the cage tight and kept himself under control.
The wizard raised its staff, circling wide to get a better angle on him, and bolts of ice formed, shooting toward him. Nicolai shaped his shield and juked left and right, blocking them as necessary. The other two knights jogged toward him, soon to come to the aid of their friend.
¡®Got it,¡¯ said Beth.
Nicolai sighed regretfully as he forced the thrill and the dark down. It would¡¯ve been fun. But fun wasn¡¯t worth dying. The knights armour and Imbued would have been worth taking. But his Soul Sense had examined the dead one and he¡¯d found its Imbued was a necklace, tucked beneath its breastplate. That would take some time to remove, especially if their armour remained so tough in death. With the other blocking him, he simply didn¡¯t have the time to get it free. In fact, he had no time at all.
¡®Get to the exit,¡¯ he told Beth as the knight¡¯s legs twinkled. It launched itself at him, and the fight resumed.
Nicolai knocked its heavy blow aside with the shield, which popped instantly yet again. He dashed away, using a Pegasi ring to speed his movement as bolts of ice came at him. His eyes focused intently on the wizard, and the rapier danced before him as the air became like soup, everything slow and heavy. He flicked the ice that came on a collision course with him aside with the rapier as he fled with Beth.
They reached the exit almost together, as he¡¯d caught up on her. Now it was over and the thrill faded, the pain from when the knight had smashed him in the back was pulsing through him. Paying more attention to it, he didn¡¯t think it too bad; no broken rib. As he jogged into the tunnel he threw a pair of grenades by the wall beside the exit, where there would be no risk of their shrapnel getting into the tunnel and ricocheting off the walls.
The grenades exploded after a moment, and through a drone he saw the greatsword wielding undead, who was pursuing faster, thrown into the air. The others were well behind.
The delay would be enough, and though there were lesser undead outside, they weren¡¯t likely to pose much risk. He and Beth would be getting away.
Beth held the paintbrush high, victorious, grinning at him. ¡®We fucking did it!¡¯ she cried with crazed joy. Her face was flushed, an expression it took him a moment to identify, and then he did when he realised she reminded him of himself at times, high on the thrill of combat. Surprising. Useful. His Mask smiled back while Nicolai wrestled with the dark.
118: Into the Painting
¡®Come, finish your part,¡¯ hissed the painting. Nicolai stood before it with Jo, and he held Kleos in his hands.
They¡¯d gotten away without issue, and now Nicolai needed to work out just what would happen if they did as the painting bid. His eyes rested on it, observing it in detail.
The painting depicted a hallway, almost as though it were a large window or entrance into that hallway. The hallway was of plain, slightly yellowed stone, blocky and unlined. Flaming torches hung from the walls. Distantly, some kind of dark figure was visible, splayed out on the ground. A corpse. Hard to make it out, as the painting was drawn in a kind of loose water-colour style, the details fuzzed. At the end, the corridor opened, and a rocky area with the odd plant-growth was faintly visible.
Standing in the centre of the corridor, leaning forwards as though the painting was a window it was pressing against, was a vague figure wearing a dark, shifting cloak. In the dark blur of its hood two flecks of muddy green peered back at Nicolai.
One of the figure¡¯s hazy limbs moved, the painting rippling and shifting.
¡®We have a deal, do we not? I will assist you, I promise you this. There is much I can tell you,¡¯ the figure in the painting whispered, its voice a rasping hiss that emerged from nowhere.
¡®What do you think of this thing?¡¯ he asked Kleos, ignoring the painting¡¯s words. Kleos had yet to see it, as he¡¯d been in a sack when Nicolai first came through here.
¡®Oh.¡¯ Kleos grunted. ¡®One of the old Under-Step Paintings. They¡¯re used to travel to other such paintings nearby. You need a key to access them, a¡ª¡®
¡®Paintbrush?¡¯ Nicolai tugged the paintbrush in question from his pocket.
¡®That¡¯s it. If it¡¯s set up right, you¡¯ll be able to open the doorway by touching the key to the painting.¡¯
¡®And what about¡ that?¡¯ Nicolai waved at the dark figure within the painting.
¡®Who is that?¡¯ snarled the thing in the painting. ¡®Some traitor? Don¡¯t listen to it, every word it tells you is a lie. Let me out!¡¯
Kleos snorted. ¡®A Soul without a body, that¡¯s what. The Under-Step Paintings hold a strange space within them, one where the passing of time has less impact. That¡¯s why it has survived for so long without a physical form. Let it out and it¡¯ll try to possess someone. One of the mortals.¡¯
¡®Mortals?¡¯
¡®Those who have yet to become a Cultivator. Normally they would possess a Soul, if a very weak one, but your friends don¡¯t even have that. I suspect that thing could jump right in.¡¯
The painting was whispering again about Kleos lying, but Nicolai tuned it out. Their Contract said Kleos must be honest, and even if not for the Contract he still would have had far more faith in Kleos than the clearly malicious spirit in the painting.
¡®So you¡¯re saying that thing wants to possess me?¡¯ Jo had turned from her silent observation of the painting to shoot a worried look at Kleos.
¡®That¡¯s right. I¡¯d recommend staying well back if it¡¯s opened. Nicolai or Beth should be able to resist it as they have Souls, but you¡¯ll stand no chance,¡¯ Kleos told her promptly.
¡®My Contract with it¡ I¡¯m meant to open it, to paint on it with the special brush.¡¯ Jo was not looking happy about that.
¡®Yes, yes, you and you alone.¡¯ The painted figure chuckled. ¡®I was very specific.¡¯
Nicolai frowned at her. ¡®Only you? What if I take the paintbrush and do it for you?¡¯
She shook her head, glaring at the painting. ¡®That won¡¯t work. Like it said, it was very specific.¡¯
Nicolai snorted, thinking. He suspected there would be another way. Most of his Contracts and Quests had come with an ¡°out.¡± ¡®What if the spirit should die?¡¯ he questioned.
She tapped her Mark, and he saw her eyes moving left and right, reading invisible words. ¡®Huh,¡¯ she said. ¡®I guess I forgot about that. Yeah. If it dies, that¡¯ll be that. Contract over. Quest complete.¡¯
And no need for Jo to be the one to touch the painting, in that case. ¡®You didn¡¯t mention you had a Quest,¡¯ he said.
¡®Uh. Yeah, I have a Quest to bring it the painting. Or kill it, I guess.¡¯ She shifted from foot to foot, appearing faintly guilty.
Nicolai snorted. He wasn¡¯t bothered. Like her, he preferred to keep things to himself where possible. He looked to Kleos. ¡®How strong is the spirit?¡¯
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
¡®How can I know?¡¯ said Kleos. ¡®But it can¡¯t be too bad. If it was the Soul of a higher level Cultivator, it should have been able to break free from the painting without the key, so it should be relatively weak. On top of that it has no way to recover itself. This is exactly the kind of thing we talked about. This Soul has no body, no internal system, no ability to repair itself if it takes damage. If it does emerge from the Under-Step space it¡¯ll need to get a body quick, otherwise the world¡¯s Aura will simply grind it away into nothing.¡¯
Nicolai grunted, thoughtful. Increasingly this wasn¡¯t sounding like a big deal. ¡®Do you think I could capture its Soul?¡¯ he asked next, shooting a meaningful look at Kleos.
¡®Could be. Very likely. But not with the typical Soul Trap. You¡¯d need a better one.¡¯ Kleos met his meaningful look and gave him one in return.
This thing might count as one of the Souls he needed to complete the Lotus Soul Trap. Unfortunately, feeding Souls to the creation would be the final process, and he¡¯d so far made little progress.
Jo only had a day left, and he intended to do his best to solve this and ensure she survived. Within reason, part of him reminded. Naturally he wouldn¡¯t be getting himself killed on her behalf, but he didn¡¯t consider this spirit to pose much risk.
¡®No time to trap it,¡¯ he murmured to Kleos. ¡®Any ideas for how we should deal with this?¡¯
Kleos did have some ideas. The head said they could draw something similar to the runes he¡¯d formed on the minor Soul Trap to make a circle and power it with Oma, one the spirit would struggle to squeeze through, trapping it in the space before the painting. Then, he and Beth should be able to strike it with their Soul Senses, and his Blue Hornet¡¯s lightning should also be effective. Other than that, Imbued weaponry like his polearm and rapier should do at least some damage, though Kleos said that guns and other ¡°mundane weapons¡± would be useless.
They set to work, and some time later, Nicolai, Beth, Jo, old Ben, and a smattering of the others stood before the painting, which was now circled by runes that curved over the wall around it. As the painting touched the stone floor at the bottom, Nicolai had opted to extend the circle from the wall to push out in a semi-circle in front of the painting on the floor. This was also where they¡¯d placed the siphoning runes to accept Oma crystals. The creature in the painting had continued to hiss and snarl threateningly at them. Nicolai had continued to ignore it.
Old Ben was still a little cool towards Nicolai, but upon learning that Nicolai would be creating a type of Ritual somewhat related to the Soul Trap, he¡¯d come down to observe. Nicolai had surmised this was due to a simple interest in and desire to learn more about Rituals.
With everything prepared, Nicolai bade all of them but Beth to stand well back, inside a circle of similar runes as those they¡¯d drawn around the painting, which should provide some protection from the spirit should it get loose of the first circle.
¡®I¡¯ll charge up, then we do it,¡¯ Nicolai said to Beth, and started moving. He performed a series of sprints after activating his Blue Hornet Symbiote, the blue electricity beginning to spark and seethe over his body. When the lightning reached its peak, he moved forwards, paintbrush in hand, approaching the painting.
¡®This isn¡¯t what was agreed,¡¯ hissed the painting spirit. ¡®She has to touch the brush to the painting! Not you!¡¯
Nicolai ignored it. If it hadn¡¯t worked out what was happening by now, it soon would. He had observed with his own Quests, and his own Contracts, that there always tended to be an out, and had confirmed with Jo that the same held true here.
If the painting spirit were to die, her Contract would be rendered null and void. There was no reason to send her forward and risk it possessing her, as it clearly intended.
Nicolai tapped the paintbrush to the painting. Ripples spread through the watercolour, the whole of it coming alive, moving and shifting, colours swirling. He saw a flash of teeth, an angry snarl in the painting spirit¡¯s visage, then dark claws slipped out from the painting and sliced at him.
He was already moving back, striking out with his Soul Sense, catching at the spirit¡¯s arms and beating them back.
There came a shrill, furious wail then the spirit, a figure of ragged darkness like an animated cloak with two large arms ending in claws, launched itself out of the painting and at him.
It was met by two Soul Sense blows, crushing from Nicolai, piercing from Beth, and it¡¯s whole being fuzzed and shivered and its shape was marred, almost dashed into the ground.
To Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense this thing felt different to most. It wasn¡¯t Soul Sense¡ªit was a Soul which existed in a physical manner, quite a change to the norm as he was used to interacting with another¡¯s Soul Sense, which was like the limbs of their Soul, rather than their Soul directly.
It was stronger than Soul Sense as a result, harder to break. It reformed itself and with a burst of frenzied activity it tore a hole through the vague barrier they¡¯d created from runes. After ripping its way out it swerved towards Beth.
¡®To me!¡¯ Nicolai yelled, dashing towards her, and she lunged in his direction. But the spirit got there first and he heard her yell as it crashed into her, and they struggled.
There was no blood where its claws sunk into her, but Beth let out pained grunts. However, she was able to grip it with her hands, and she threw it with her Soul and her Soul Sense both, launching it away¡ªstraight at Nicolai.
He lunged for it, hands crackling, and he caught the ragged blackness. He felt it then, as it wormed against him, trying to get into his body, ripping at his Soul and digging its way inside.
But it was weak and weaker all the time, and his Soul was a sea that eroded it, a sea in which there lived a monster, one that was stirring in response. The ragged shadow screamed as the blue lightning spiked through it, and sharp spurs emerged from Nicolai¡¯s Soul to dig at it, and the stuff of it seemed to dissolve, shredded. At the last moment, weak and limping, it managed to rip itself away.
The ragged tear of darkness threw a horrified look at him then fled back toward the painting and burrowed into it.
Nicolai stepped after it. ¡®No escape,¡¯ he hissed, the thrill burning through his veins, but Threat Analysis pinged him a warning, and he forcefully calmed himself. Due diligence, the Module had reminded him. ¡®Can I fight in there?¡¯ he asked Kleos, throwing a glance at the head.
¡®It is a world of imagination. Yes, you can fight.¡¯
¡®Win?¡¯
Kleos considered for a silent moment. ¡®I give you decent odds,¡¯ it said.
Good enough. If he could win, then he would win. Nicolai continued forward, paintbrush outstretched. The painting rippled as he ploughed into it, and then he was in another world.
119: What am I?
Everything around him was transformed, oddly surreal and dreamlike, vague and shifting. The ragged dark of the enemy retreated out the corridor ahead of him, into the area beyond, and Nicolai pursued, hungry to finish it. A world of imagination, Kleos had said, in a tone of warning. What did that mean?
He emerged from the corridor onto a strange island, floating in a void of darkness speckled with endless stars. A path wound between rough stone crags, up towards an open area on top of the island, and there the enemy stopped, diving down into something on the ground, then the something rose.
¡®You have killed me,¡¯ spat a tall, blurred figure who rose, cloaked in ragged dark. ¡®But you are a fool, to follow me in here. I will see to it that we die together.¡¯
¡®Words, words, words,¡¯ replied Nicolai lazily, gripping his MP5 and taking aim then squeezing the trigger.
The figure transformed, and grew. The bullets skittered off its shifting bulk, and it laughed.
¡®Pitiful,¡¯ said the huge, winged form, some kind of lizard, looming large. It opened its mouth and groaned, a geyser of crackling purple energy vomiting out.
Nicolai dove aside, getting behind a rock, uncertain as to how much protection it would offer. But the energy did not penetrate through, hissing and rolling away around him like mist. Was this what the enemy had been, in life?
He gripped a grenade and connected to it over the Link. Only, there was no Link. Or was there? The grenade transformed in his hand as he frowned at it. At first it was what he¡¯d expected, the semi-modern Link enabled type available from the Market, but then an ancient fragmentation grenade with a pin, then a stick of dynamite with a fuse. What?
He saw a flicker of silver movement from the side, something sharp coming quick and he reacted without thought, raising and activating his Sheltering Glove. His hand shifted and morphed and the glove was there and the shield sprang into place, but the great weight of a shimmering blade crashed into it and it cracked and he was flung away to smash into a rock.
The lizard was gone, and in its place stood a great bipedal of metal, with blades hovering around it.
A world of imagination, Kleos had said. The grenade was gone from his hand but he told himself it was back, and then it was, and he told itself it was the Link-type, and it was, and he told himself the Link existed and he connected to it and threw the grenade.
He ducked down to avoid the fragments as the grenade detonated then popped up to see the metallic figure stumble back, its chest a little torn and blackened, but otherwise unharmed. As he watched its body reformed, whole again.
A world of imagination. A pulse gun appeared in Nicolai¡¯s hands, and he took aim. The weapon purred as he depressed the trigger and a screaming barrage of energy lanced out, chewing into the enemy, but its hovering blades were coming for him even as it toppled with charred holes torn through its body.
What if I had two gloves? And he did. The pulse gun was gone and Nicolai dodged and ducked, using both hands to deflect the blades, two shields on the ends of his arms. But one of them was weaker. His left, where he was used to keeping the shield, felt normal, and it worked well. The other was weaker, uncertain. His mind wasn¡¯t used to having one there.
The enemy rose and it had changed again. Now it was a great panther-like creature with a snapping tail, buzzing with dark light. It twisted the tail and the dark light was thrown at him, and Nicolai dove away but the dark light followed, pursuing him, and the panther was coming from the other side.
It was faster than him, with great white talons that sliced out and smashed through his shield and his body was caught and torn, red blood flowing. The dark light bored into him and he screamed, his leg melting as he tumbled away.
I need a bigger gun. Nicolai raised his arms, snarling, and an ARC gun appeared in his hands and the sudden crack and VROOM of its activation filled the space around them. The panther was charging towards him and it was caught dead centre by the bolt of energy, the kinetic force smashing a bloody hole in its chest and launching it away from him.
Nicolai glanced down at his ruined leg, but he told himself his leg was not ruined, he was fine, hale and hearty. And he was. Nicolai rose, and his uncertainty faded as something rose through him, squirming and eager, sensing its moment.
The enemy rose again, their body once more reformed, now a giant, a type he recognised. A Titan, like Gorf in the prisons, hefting a maul that shone with golden light.
He looked at his hands and they were shifting, dark shadows roiling. I have a better form for this.
His hands lengthened, turning dark and metallic, and new limbs sprouted from his body, his vision rising as he bulked out.
The Titan paused in its thumping approach. It took a step back, wary. It was outlined in red, a targeting reticule. ¡®What are you?¡¯ it said.
Jagged, mechanical laughter poured from Nicolai¡¯s speakers. ¡®I am Zero-Twelve,¡¯ he said, and he was, and the darkness roared.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
Cyclical machine-guns spat fifty-caliber rounds that turned the Titan into gore. A twinned hiss of missiles turned that gore into light and flame, sundering the stone around it. Zero-Twelve crashed through what was left, vibro-blades humming, ripping and tearing, and he felt the enemy crumbling, dying, letting out one final curse. Some soundless pronunciation of hate and rage. As the enemy fell and died it turned into an angry red stain that bubbled at the stone around it.
More, hissed the darkness, hissed Research & Development.
No, said the Governor, the cold calculating core. Mission complete.
Where are we? asked Paranoia, only, no, wait. Threat Analysis?
What am I? asked Human Resources, asked¡ the Mask?
¡®Wait,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®Wait. What is¡¡¯
¡®Who am¡¡¯
¡®What?¡¯
He was all of them. He was Zero-Twelve. He was Research & Development. He was the Governor, and the Governor was the calculating core within him. He felt himself split, compartmentalised into pieces, into Modules, and he fit. As though it were natural, as though it were right.
¡®I¡¯m human,¡¯ he said. We are AI, said the rest of himself, and we always have been.
¡®No,¡¯ he laughed. ¡®I was human. Then I was a part of Zero-Twelve.¡¯
I have always thought our memories strange, said Paranoia. Look.
And he looked, and he saw the past, all of it so clear, as it had always been. But now he saw it from another angle. Like it was all a painting, two-dimensional. Now he simply stepped to the side, and saw behind the painting, and there was nothing there, and the painting was just that, a painting. Fake.
When was the earliest memory that felt truly real? It was¡ he was a part of Zero-Twelve. He was Human Resources. A brain, stuck in a box¡ but, wait. Had he only assumed that? How could any brain work on the same level as an AI, as his always had? It shouldn¡¯t be possible. How had he never seen that?
¡®No.¡¯ His form sank down. ¡®No!¡¯ Vibro-blades tore into the ground and gun-limbs thundered at the sky. His metal mouth gaped open and tried to suck in terrified breaths of air, but killbots do not breathe. ¡®What is this?¡¯
Am I human?
Or am I just an AI, pretending to be human?
¡®My name is Nicolai,¡¯ he said, the words blaring from speakers. ¡®I was a fighter. A mercenary. A killer. For hundreds of years, prolonging my life with augmentation. And I was mad¡¡¯
A shrill laugh squealed out of him. ¡®I was always mad.¡¯
¡®A mad human, or a mad AI?¡¯
Suddenly he wasn¡¯t sure. Suddenly nothing was sure. His body shifted, transformed, and he was naked, and he was human, covered in scars.
¡®These scars are memories,¡¯ he said slowly, thinking aloud, looking them over. But even as he looked they shifted, a tapestry open for interpretation. ¡®This one, from Paris¡¡¯ or was it Brussels? From a pistol, or a shotgun? The scar melted, caught between shapes.
Flesh turned to metal. Ragged dents and scrapes covered Zero-Twelve¡¯s form. This one, from New London¡ or was it Old New York?
¡®What does this mean?¡¯ he murmured, but there was no answer. That was it, he realised, that was what he needed. Answers. Where could he find them? The other Modules must know.
¡®Threat Analysis?¡¯
Yes?
¡®Are you me?¡¯
I am a Module. We are connected. We are composite. But I do not think we are unified. More like parts of a whole.
Nicolai sat silently, absorbing that. Parts of a whole had been the case when he was a Module within Zero-Twelve. Threat Analysis seemed to believe that state had somehow persisted.
¡®How long has this been the case?¡¯
Since always, until we died. Then, since I re-emerged from you, after our death in the white space.
¡®How much do you recall of our time back on earth?¡¯
The last fifteen years. I am Threat Analysis, Generation Nine.
¡®What of you, Cyberwarfare?¡¯
The same. Why does this matter?
¡®It matters to me,¡¯ he murmured. ¡®None of you remember earlier than fifteen years ago?¡¯
We were regularly updated, wiping our old memory banks.
¡®Why do I not recall this¡¡¯
We do not know. Managing you was the Governor¡¯s job.
¡®The Governor,¡¯ Nicolai¡¯s voice hissed from Zero-Twelve¡¯s form. The Governor was not properly present in him, just now. He would need to install more hardware for it to return. Then, he could question it. And in the meantime¡
¡®GRECKON.¡¯ His gun-limbs writhed around him, and his hydraulics creaked as he formed metal fists. The employees and controllers of GRECKON would have no choice but to come to this new world, the same as the rest of humanity. The vast majority would know nothing of Nicolai. But some, some would know more. Such as GRECKON¡¯s CEO, Zero-Twelve¡¯s handlers, and the immortal board.
Nicolai had a great number of questions to ask them, and if he found any, he would do his utmost to ensure they answered those questions.
He noted something around him, a redness. The stain that the dead spirit had left was growing, had been while he struggled with himself. It was spreading through the painted world, the red seeping into everything. That looks dangerous, said Threat Analysis, or maybe his paranoia. It was coming toward them.
Nicolai turned and launched into motion. Zero-Twelve¡¯s body, his body, hurtled towards the exit. He had his directive.
###
¡®What the fuck is that?¡¯ Beth was saying.
¡®Looks like a bot,¡¯ Jo replied, frowning at the painting. Someone jostled her, one of the others, Karl. ¡®Watch it.¡¯ She scowled at him.
He grunted, staring at the painting. They¡¯d all clustered close around it now, since Nicolai dived in after the spirit.
¡®That¡¯s a killbot,¡¯ he said, eyes on the thing in the depths of the painting, on the island outside the corridor.
¡®Look¡¯s like,¡¯ said Cait, squinting.
¡®Why is there a bot in the painting?¡¯ Jo stared at the figure, trying to make sense of it. It was twisting and shifting, difficult to make out. A minute ago there had been a distant, naked man in the same place. Tough to tell what was going on with the limited detail of the painting, and how distant the thing was. Had the man been Nicolai? Had he won?
¡®It¡¯s coming over, back up!¡¯ yelled John, and everyone around Jo stepped away. She quickly followed.
Within the painting a nightmarish tangle of metal limbs and machine-guns emerging from a sleek, cat-like robot bigger than a four-person VTOL was stepping closer. The painting shifted and squirmed, and then it was there, pressing against the painting, red lenses burning, gun-limbs crawling and framing it from the sides. Jo¡¯s suddenly sweaty hands clutched tight to her rifle, raising it to take aim.
Nicolai stepped out.
Jo saw his hand snap up, shield shimmering into life, eyes darting about and taking them and the raised weapons in, and then Jo received a Link communication from him.
It was a buzzing bundle of coded data, ones and zeros, something she couldn¡¯t make sense of.
¡®What?¡¯ she exclaimed.
120: Follow the Leader
Nicolai emerged from the painting to find guns pointed at him, and his shield snapped into existence as he sidestepped, raising his gun-limb. He recognised an ally and connected to them over Local, querying them as to what was going on.
¡®What?¡¯ they replied, in a manner that suggested confusion.
His gaze was drawn to the shadows, which flowed in endless, thick streams over walls that seemed to rise endlessly and endlessly, the ceiling disappearing up and up and up, everything around him stretching and pouring. The figures surrounding him grew thin and tall and looming, gun-barrels pointing down in judgement.
Threat Analysis started beeping, drawing his attention inwards where he found the darkness extending thick tendrils out of the cage, roving through him. Nicolai and the Mask engaged it, working to corral the dark and return it to its cage. It was surprisingly easy. His thoughts ran differently to before. He saw the world in a more binary fashion.
The dark was just a dangerous program which had gotten loose from its sandbox. He just had to put it back inside, and he did so. Everything snapped back, normality returning. Nicolai let out a breath of air, coming awake. As he did so, he felt his thoughts change, loosening from their previous schema, his Mask firming on his face, and he recognised the people around him.
The others were already lowering their weapons, looking confused, so he surmised that they must have worried he may have been killed by the spirit, that it had been about to emerge.
¡®It¡¯s done,¡¯ he grunted, casting a glance back at the painting. There was a red stain in the centre of it, widening and widening, consuming it.
¡®What happened in there?¡¯ asked Karl, staring at him through narrowed eyes.
¡®I killed the thing,¡¯ said Nicolai.
¡®We saw a killbot in the painting,¡¯ said John.
Nicolai stared blankly at them. Right. They saw what happened, then. For some reason, he hadn¡¯t expected that. What did this mean? What should he do? How clearly had they seen? He opened his mouth to say something then stopped himself. This wasn¡¯t a time to let out some blithe, thoughtless lie. He needed more information.
¡®What do you mean?¡¯ he asked, looking as confused as he could manage.
¡®A killbot, that came right up to the painting¡ and then you emerged,¡¯ said Karl.
¡®What else did you see?¡¯
¡®We saw you go in, and walk out the corridor, and then it all got confusing,¡¯ said Perro. ¡®You disappeared, and the other thing did, too, but there was other stuff that appeared, a dragon, and this giant thing, and a killbot.¡¯
¡®I see,¡¯ Nicolai summoned a smile. ¡®In the painted world, one may take on any form they wish. That thing was going for all these fantasy shapes. I chose a killbot, and was strong enough to kill it.¡¯ He looked to Karl. ¡®Why? Did you think I¡¯m a killbot?¡¯
He laughed, because that was patently absurd and they would all know that. He didn¡¯t need to try to lie, or to cover it up, because the truth of the matter¡ªwhatever that might be¡ªwas unbelievable. So, surely none of them would believe it.
They frowned uncertainly at him, exchanging glances. Most were shrugging, accepting his words, convinced, but not all. Some were giving him odd looks. Jo and Perro¡¯s expression were near mirror images, both looking very thoughtful and far from convinced. And Karl¡¯s suspicious gaze was, well, more suspicious than ever.
There was nothing to be done about any lingering suspicions; saying more in a further attempt to convince them would only draw more attention to the matter, make them aware it was important to him.
Nicolai did not want anyone to know of that portion of his history. He didn¡¯t see any possible benefit to be gained by speaking on Zero-Twelve at the current time, only the risk of exposure, mistrust, and the possibility that such an admission could somehow, in time, find its way to the people he least wanted to hear it: GRECKON. He wanted to remain in the shadows until he struck, just a bot that had been lost in the chaos of Heaven¡¯s arrival.
Best to just move on quickly. He scanned them thoughtfully, reminded of one of his new goals. ¡®Did any of you ever work for GRECKON?¡¯
¡®I was in one of their refineries,¡¯ said John.
¡®Did some jobs for them, least I think so,¡¯ said Cait.
¡®They funded the force I was with,¡¯ said Karl, watching him through narrowed eyes.
¡®They¡¡¯
¡®Right,¡¯ Nicolai waved the words away. Of course. GRECKON had their fingers in just about every pie there was. He wasn¡¯t looking for the billions of people who¡¯d been used by them in some way or another. He was looking for the higher-ups. Such individuals would be recognisable, notable. No need to ask everyone he met.
¡®Is it done, then?¡¯ he asked Jo.
She didn¡¯t answer, staring at him. He frowned at her, and was surprised to receive a Link communication.
¡®Is what you said earlier true? About just taking on that form just like that?¡¯
Nicolai gritted his teeth as he showed a strained smile. ¡®Jo, is it done?¡¯ he asked again. ¡®This is not the time,¡¯ he snarled at her over Local.
¡®I¡¯ve been wondering,¡¯ she continued, her tone slow, almost as though talking to herself. ¡®How could a Raw be so good with tech? How could a Raw take a drone so easily from me? You know, most people would just imagine a big gun or something. That was a very accurate depiction of a killbot. And just now, when you emerged. You sent me a message. I have it stored. It was¡ in binary.¡¯
The shadows were pulsing. He didn¡¯t know what expression was on his face, but her eyes met his own and she flinched, paling, looking around at the others.
¡®Uh, yeah, yeah,¡¯ she began with a start. ¡®That¡¯s right. Quest complete. Contract removed. Haha. Thank you.¡¯
¡®My pleasure.¡¯ Nicolai ground out, his eyes flicking to the others. They must be aware something had happened due to the lengthy pause. He caught looks between the rest of the group, sensed that something was brewing with his Soul Sense. But his eyes narrowed when he realised it wasn¡¯t what he¡¯d feared. For the majority of them the possibility of him being, in some way, somehow, a killbot, was indeed simply ridiculous. Unbelievable. It was only Perro, Karl, and obviously Jo who suspected more.
No. That wasn¡¯t what was brewing in the glances John and Cait were exchanging, and old Ben¡¯s raised eyebrows when they looked to him. This was something else, something of a much more material and grounded nature. Nicolai almost smiled, then. Because he felt he knew what this was, and it was something he was well prepared to deal with. An opportunity he¡¯d been waiting for. The matter of Jo¡¯s suspicions, and whatever Perro was thinking, could be dealt with later. As to Karl, his time was limited anyway.
John had tried to speak with him a few times in the past day, as had Cait. Nicolai had pushed them off, saying he needed to deal with Jo¡¯s painting problem. Now it was done he couldn¡¯t keep pushing them away. A faint thrill stirred within him. Another fight, of a different kind.
¡®There¡¯s something we need to talk about,¡¯ said John.
Nicolai met the man¡¯s gaze expectantly. ¡®Go on.¡¯
¡®The Trade Link. We want access to it.¡¯
Jo and Beth¡¯s features turned nervous, flicking glances at Nicolai. Likely expecting he would put them on the spot again. They needn¡¯t worry. Nicolai recognised that was no longer an option. Old Ben had been talking, he could see it in John¡¯s eyes and the way the old man avoided his gaze. They knew that Nicolai was the one making the decisions.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
John made this clear in the next moment, raising a hand. ¡®And don¡¯t say it¡¯s up to these two.¡¯ He gestured to Jo and Beth. ¡®It¡¯s not. We¡¯re not idiots. We can see that.¡¯
Nicolai formed a smile, doing his best to stop his Mask¡¯s worry from infecting his face, and took count of how many of them there were, and where everyone stood, and the guns they held, and how ready they were.
¡®I will not be sharing the location of the Trade Link,¡¯ he said.
¡®Why?¡¯ Cait asked. She, along with the rest of them, didn¡¯t look happy. Confused and upset and angered.
¡®Because a secret, once shared, is no longer a secret,¡¯ he said. ¡®The more who know where it is, the more likely its location will be exposed. What happens then? The moment the Chosen¡ªor anyone else in this place¡ªfinds out about it they will come for it. For us. What if one of us is captured and spills the beans? We¡¯d lose it. Right now, all of you can benefit from it; through me. Why risk it?¡¯
¡®Because you might die. What then?¡¯ said John.
¡®I won¡¯t die.¡¯
¡®No. You can¡¯t know that. And why is it fine for you three to know, but not us? It seems to me the secret is already shared¡ªjust not with us. Why do you trust these two girls so much, and us so little? I thought we were a group?¡¯
How much to tell? Not everything, but a little should be fine. ¡®We have a Contract regarding the Trade Link, me and them. None of us can share the location of the Trade Link unless all three of us agree.¡¯
¡®Fine then,¡¯ John said with a smile. ¡®Then we can all form a Contract, too.¡¯
Nicolai was about to bring up the fact the Contracts didn¡¯t last forever, when he remembered Kleos. The head was still unaware of that fact, and this wasn¡¯t to time to reveal his omission to it.
¡®My slots are full, I can make no more Contracts,¡¯ he said instead.
¡®Be a little inventive,¡¯ spoke up old Ben. ¡®We don¡¯t have to make it with you, we can make Contracts with one another, promising that we won¡¯t share the information. It¡¯ll work just as well.¡¯
¡®But what if both people decide to share? No.¡¯ Nicolai shook his head. ¡®It¡¯s too risky.¡¯
¡®Doesn¡¯t that also apply to you three?¡¯ John nodded to Nicolai and the girls. ¡®How do we know you lot won¡¯t decide to share it?¡¯
¡®It does apply. Which goes back to my first point; the fewer who know a secret, the better. We count as one unit holding that secret. The risk is magnified with every new pair that knows it.¡¯
John let out a frustrated sigh. ¡®Why is it even so important? We¡¯ve no idea how this castle will look in the coming weeks and months. Maybe there are many Trade Links, maybe everyone has one¡ªexcept for us.¡¯
Nicolai shrugged. ¡®If that transpires to be the case, I will share it with you. But for now, it is not.¡¯ Nicolai didn¡¯t wait for the scowling John to summon another point. ¡®Let me tell you all my plan,¡¯ he said, his tone inviting. ¡®I want to become traders. All of us, together. Me, Jo and Beth will buy things from the Trade Link. Then, we will sell those things to the others in this place. The Chosen have a strangle-hold on their Trade Link and as a result there is a void waiting to be filled. All the people here who aren¡¯t Chosen are in dire need of the weapons and resources a Trade Link can provide. We can capitalise on that. But, I can¡¯t do that with just myself and these two.¡¯ He nodded to Beth and Jo. ¡®We need muscle, numbers. That¡¯s where you guys come in. When we go to sell, you¡¯ll come with us as protection. We will continue to work as a group; the Trade Link remaining as secret as possible is simply the best way to protect ourselves.¡¯
What he¡¯d said about needing muscle was true, in a way. If it was just him and two others, any big group would be inclined to try and simply kill them or take them prisoner. Even looking as dangerous as possible, three people was three people and larger groups would have an instinctively simplistic view; big group beats small. Even with he and the girls well armed, and other groups not, this would incline them to do something foolish. Not to mention, Jo and Beth were both young woman with no surface augmentations, and he was similarly lacking in visible augments.
There were no two ways about it. They¡¯d look weak.
This would lead to many trades becoming fights to the death. Nicolai wasn¡¯t particularly worried about losing those fights, and he would still gain the points-tags he wanted. But he¡¯d also lose those people as repeat customers, which he felt would be sub-optimal (considering the fact of Challenges, all groups would be gradually accruing more points-tags; if left alive), as well as have to waste ammo killing them. Ammo that was very expensive, which could lead to those gone-wrong trades giving very little profit, or even a loss.
Simply growing the number from three to say, seven or eight, all armed, would change things significantly. Groups would be much less inclined to attack, and Nicolai would be able to reliably extract the optimum value from each trade.
¡®And what¡ª¡® began John.
¡®Wait. I¡¯m getting to that. Obviously, you¡¯ll deserve payment. Weapons. Resources. All of you will get a cut from what we trade with the other groups here, that will be your benefit. Together, we will thrive and grow stronger. All that you need to do¡ is work with me.¡¯
They were all exchanging thoughtful glances now, even John looking a little swayed. Nicolai was pleased none of them had thought to press him on the exact size of their cut.
That was when old Ben spoke up. ¡®You¡¯re just putting yourself into position to become some kind of corporate overlord of us. Same shit, new world.¡¯
¡®Ben¡¯s right,¡¯ said a scowling Karl. ¡®He¡¯s not even told us what anything costs from the Trade Link. He see¡¯s us as the same as these other groups he¡¯s talking about. People to use and gain from.¡¯ He turned to the others. ¡®How bad of a deal do you think he¡¯s giving us, on what he¡¯s bought from the Trade Link?¡¯
All very good and pertinent points. Need to nip this in the bud ASAP. ¡®Where¡¯d you get that gun, Karl?¡¯ Nicolai broke in. ¡®Where¡¯d you get those clothes? The food rations you ate this morning? The bed you slept on? The bog roll you wiped your ass with? Who went out and brought it back for you?¡¯
¡®I¡ª¡® Karl began, only for Nicolai to immediately cut him off.
¡®No. I. I did. So what¡¯s the big deal?¡¯ Nicolai looked to all of them, struggling not to smile, suddenly eager. The moment had come. ¡®Thing¡¯s are good right now, aren¡¯t they? But they weren¡¯t always so good. Let¡¯s all take a little trip down memory lane.¡¯
He walked a few steps to the side then waved at a blank stretch of wall. ¡®There you are,¡¯ he said, as though painting an imaginary scene on the stone. ¡®Just been chased out of your old place by the Chosen. How many people did you lose?¡¯ He shook his head sadly. ¡®Quite a few, I believe.¡¯
He stepped over to the next section of wall, waving once more. ¡®Ah, and there you hide in that shitty little room. Waiting to die to the creatures in the night when they inevitably overcome your barricade.¡¯
Another step, another gesture. ¡®But what¡¯s this? Someone new arrives. It¡¯s me!¡¯ He chuckled. ¡®Less than a day later you¡¯re somewhere safe, truly safe! Only, then what? Oh no, the traitor!¡¯ He formed a wide-eyed, shocked face as he looked over at them, then he pointed at himself. ¡®Luckily, I was there, and I caught him in the act. I saved you. Again. And then what? Then the Chosen came once more, but I killed them, and I saved you, and I took you here. I brought you to safety!¡¯
He was facing them now, the false passion in his voice and his features reaching out to them. ¡®Again and again, I save you, I protect you. And now you have weapons, and beds, and food, and true safety. But what do you do?¡¯ He sighed and ran a hand over his face. ¡®You doubt me, and you press me. You rattle this wonderful warm house I have built for you, digging and digging at its foundations.¡¯ He stared sadly at the imagined image on the wall. He shook his head with dismay. ¡®And all the while you cry out to me: why is the house falling down, Nicolai?¡¯
Nicolai lowered his hands, and sighed, and made himself look as though the very weight of the word was pressing down on him¡ªbut he held himself with noble strength, somehow holding it back.
They stared at him. Some mouths hung open in shock, some faces were drawn with concern, but many were thoughtful, and even remorseful. Except for Azure, who looked on the edge of laughter.
He stood straight and looked to John. ¡®You are right. There is something we need to talk about.¡¯ His eyes narrowed. ¡®It is time we ended this charade. I am capable. I know what I am doing in this new world. If you all stick with me, and work with me, and follow my instructions¡ not only will you survive, you will prosper.¡¯ His words had descended from the peak of passion and were now smooth and practised. He¡¯d been preparing for this day for some time, had thought on what he would say when the time came.
Time for the closing statement. He looked over them all, injecting certainty and assurance into his face and his voice, drawing on various vaguely remembered speeches. It wasn¡¯t so much about the words, in his opinion. It was about how you said them. But even so, good words were always better than bad.
¡®The time for arguments, for uncertainty, for fear¡ is past. From now on, we prosper. Together. I shall lead, and I will make us the strongest, safest, richest group in this place.¡¯
His gaze turned to John, who stood rigid as a fence post, mouth half open with shock, radiating confusion and anger. Nicolai pressed quickly close, lowering his voice. ¡®The burden of leadership is heavy,¡¯ he murmured, gazing into John¡¯s eyes, entreating. He curved his mouth into a kindly smile. ¡®I see how it wears at you. Let it bend my shoulders, not yours.¡¯
He looked to the rest, smile fading to be replaced by a mask of solemn determination. ¡®Otherwise, I think we shall have to part ways.¡¯
¡®We¡¯re not leaving this place,¡¯ Cait said, scowling. ¡®We¡¯re here now and we¡¯re staying.¡¯
¡®That¡¯s fine.¡¯ Nicolai gave a little shrug. ¡®Me, Jo, and Beth already found a new place. If you want to stay here, you may.¡¯
¡®Control your features,¡¯ he sent to Beth and Jo, whose faces had begun to crease in confusion. ¡®Look confident.¡¯ He felt something like pride when they responded well, expressions firming. He didn¡¯t have any particular place in mind, but had spotted enough little spots that could become a temporary nighttime hideout that he wasn¡¯t worried. In fact, the Trade Link might make quite a nice place to stay. He was tired of being around people he had such limited control over and unable to make proper use of.
Either he was leader, or he was done with them. Out of respect for his Mask¡¯s desires (and, of equal importance, his suspicions that it may be integral to resisting the dark, in which case he ought not to alienate it), he would extend the significant kindness of not killing them for the safe place if they refused him.
¡®You found a new place?¡¯ John was looking quite worried now, they all were. They¡¯d just tasted the treasures of the Trade Link and they didn¡¯t want to lose them. They knew that losing Nicolai would be the same as losing the Trade Link.
¡®You¡¯re right,¡¯ snarled Karl, and Nicolai felt the aggression from him, saw how his hands gripped tight to the submachine-gun in his hands. ¡®It is time we ended this charade. Tell us where it is!¡¯ He snapped the gun up at Nicolai.
121: Tremor
Nicolai grinned at Karl through the shimmering disc of energy, staring down the man¡¯s gunbarrel. Naturally, he¡¯d charged his shield in readiness of something like this.
He crouched down so the shield covered his whole body. The shield was visible, rippling the air, and Karl was smart enough to shoot for his legs. His rapier slipped out of its sheath to hover beside him while he tugged his pistol from its holster with his free hand.
He wasn¡¯t worried because his Soul Sense told him all he needed to know. The others weren¡¯t going to raise their guns because they felt nothing of Karl¡¯s decisiveness. Though things were tense at the moment, Nicolai sensed that his speech had been quite successful. John was looking tough but inside the man was an absolute mess.
Karl was acting alone, and with the shield between them and Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense pervading the man, Karl could do nothing to him. This was good. Karl was a problem, one Nicolai had wanted to remove for some time now. The moment he fired a shot Nicolai would have carte blanche to execute him.
¡®Put it down, Karl!¡¯ snapped John.
¡®No,¡¯ hissed Karl. ¡®That¡¯s one thing he¡¯s right about. You¡¯re too weak to lead.¡¯ Karl¡¯s eyes bored into Nicolai¡¯s own, and Nicolai felt the moment approaching, the man¡¯s aggression peaking, his finger squeezing tighter on the trigger. That would be all the justification Nicolai would ever need, delivered to him gift wrapped.
He saw someone moving toward Karl. ¡®Lower your weapon,¡¯ said Cait from beside the man, shotgun aimed at his head.
Karl turned his head slightly, seeing her beside him, his eyes crossing as he stared down the barrel of her shotgun. He sneered and spat disgustedly at the ground, but he lowered his SMG. Nicolai wanted to sneer and spit with disgust, too. If she¡¯d stayed out just a few seconds longer, he¡¯d have solved the Karl problem for free! The sudden frustration boiling through him made his Soul Sense writhe, and he was quick to calm himself when Beth looked his way.
Nicolai checked Karl was still watching him then lowered his shield in an exaggerated manner, exposing himself once more. He Kept his Soul Sense tendril on the man, hoping that Karl would seize the ¡°opportunity¡± and attempt to murder him. Unfortunately, the emotions he felt from Karl told him it was unlikely. The aggression had been replaced with angry determination and calculation.
Nicolai restrained a sigh, a large part of him feeling that he should have just shot the moment Karl aimed at him. The others would have flipped out, and¡ªbased on his understanding of them¡ªthis would almost definitely have ruined his push for leadership and led to it all falling apart. It might almost have been worth it.
Karl was staring at him with eyes full of hate and he stared back. Nicolai didn¡¯t hate Karl, because he tried not to hate anything. It was an unproductive emotion. But he wanted him dead. He imagined himself throttling the man, imagined Karl bucking and thrashing, eyes bulging, face turning blue. The vision calmed him, and he refocused.
He turned to face John. ¡®What¡¯s it going to be, John?¡¯
John was chewing at his lip, looking worried and a hint embarrassed, feeling perhaps a little emasculated. Nicolai had the impression Karl¡¯s harsh words were bouncing around in his mind. You¡¯re too weak to lead¡ in that regard, the man might have actually helped Nicolai out. His eyes and his Soul Sense focused on John, feeling him out, and he drew on the understanding of his Mask, which was assisting because it worried what he¡¯d do if this failed.
He doesn¡¯t want to just give up, not in front of them all, not like this. He¡¯s too proud. That was fine. Nicolai was happy to soften the blow¡ªhappy to give whatever assurances and respectful words were necessary¡ªso long as it made John hand over control of the group to him.
¡®Of course, you would be my second in command,¡¯ Nicolai assured him. ¡®We would discuss any important decisions together, before deciding on a course of action.¡¯ But I have final say, which is all that really matters. ¡®I respect your opinions highly,¡¯ he added earnestly. ¡®You are a very competent individual. Whatever thoughts you had on any matters, I would consider seriously. And Cait, too, of course,¡¯ he added, nodding to the woman. From what he¡¯d observed, she was just as much the leader as John; he¡¯d never seen the man make a decision without speaking to her first.
John and Cait stared at him. John¡¯s frown had softened, just a little, and he looked to be thinking things over. Nicolai saw the pair glance at another. They were talking over Local, now, he could see it, and in the past he would have been forced to try to read the faint, unconscious movements of their lips and their faces. But things were different, now. Cyberwarfare crept into the connections between them, and their voices sounded in Nicolai¡¯s ears.
¡®He¡¯s right,¡¯ John was saying to Cait. ¡®I¡¯m tired of this. I¡¯m not suited to it. He¡¯s done us well so far, and he says he¡¯ll listen to us. We need the things he can buy us from the Trade Link, and¡ª¡®
¡®He¡¯s dangerous and he¡¯s sneaky,¡¯ Cait said. ¡®It might be he has our interests at heart¡ but we can¡¯t know for sure.¡¯
¡®But what can we do?¡¯ asked John. ¡®We need the Trade Link.¡¯
Nicolai saw Cait shake her head, looking very uncertain.
¡®I know,¡¯ she said to John. ¡®To be fair, everything he¡¯s done has only benefited us, and he¡¯s done a lot. All of that, normally, would make me trust him. But I don¡¯t because¡ well, look at him. He¡¯s reptilian. ¡°I respect your opinions highly,¡±¡¯ she quoted, and now she was glaring at Nicolai, who blinked innocently back. Her eyes narrowed. ¡®What a load of shit. I hope he doesn¡¯t think we bought that.¡¯
Nicolai struggled not to wince, and wondered if she might be somehow aware he was listening in. That last had felt quite personal, and also led to him admitting to himself he might¡¯ve gone a little overboard with the ¡°kind assurances,¡± at the end there. Still, from John¡¯s expression, those words had had more effect on him than on her.
Cait let out a sigh¡ªan actual sigh¡ªwhile continuing over Local in their ¡°private¡± conversation. ¡®I think¡ I don¡¯t know.¡¯ She shook her head. ¡®It¡¯s up to you.¡¯
John sighed, his face undergoing an interesting little shift. After a moment, he looked to Nicolai, and gave a nod. ¡®Alright. You lead. I¡¯m second. Plus Cait.¡¯
They all looked faintly shocked, and Karl furious.
Nicolai clapped John on the shoulder and gave him a firm nod. ¡®You¡¯ve made the right decision. A brave choice.¡¯
John brushed Nicolai¡¯s hand from his shoulder, stewing silently.
Ah well. They¡¯d come around. Nicolai managed not to grin. He¡¯d been planning to usurp John¡¯s leadership for some time, and now at long last, he¡¯d done it. This would come in quite useful. The goods he intended to sell¡ªmostly guns and ammo¡ªwere heavy and bulky, and a too-small group would invite attacks of opportunity. It would have been difficult to sell at a high volume by himself.
However, the job was not quite done. He¡¯d wrestled John into submission, but being leader required a kind of recognisance. If one killed a king, and took his crown, and proclaimed: ¡°I am king now¡±¡ well, it was not so simple. Certain symbolic moments were required. Humans, Nicolai believed, put a great deal of stock in symbolism.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
¡®Before we can move on, I need something from all of you. You must raise your hand, to show you accept me as leader.¡¯ He gazed sternly at the group, his words giving no room for any escape. ¡®As I said, if you stick with me, you will do well. But if you all truly want me gone, then simply keep your hands down.¡¯
¡®If you accept me, and the Trade Link, then raise your hand.¡¯
The group stirred, exchanging looks, frowns.
###
Perro watched Nicolai. His mind was full of the image of that killbot, an image that had stirred a fear in him which he¡¯d recognised, which had called him back to a time before.
The second time he¡¯d met Nicolai. When the man had advanced on him after killing Tom, when he¡¯d taken Perro¡¯s Rejuvenating Orb.
There had been something in his manner that had made Perro feel as though he stood before an actual killbot. The way the man had moved, how he¡¯d stood, it had seemed oddly¡ machine like. Thinking on it now, Nicolai quite often moved in such a way. Like something¡ something not quite human. He¡¯d never have connected the dots if not for what he¡¯d seen in the painting.
There was something very strange going on here, but the others seemed blind to it. Looking around he saw that all they cared about was the Trade Link, they¡¯d already moved past what they¡¯d all seen in the painting, accepting Nicolai¡¯s explanation. It wasn¡¯t that the explanation didn¡¯t make sense. It did, the head had said it was a world of imagination, after all, and they¡¯d seen the other thing transforming, too. But even so¡
He remembered how he¡¯d felt as he saw the killbot boiling up and filling the painting. He¡¯d felt just the same as back then, when Nicolai had come toward him with death in his eyes.
Now, Nicolai stood there expectantly, his eyes moving slowly between them. They settled on Perro, who tried hard to keep a blank face. If what he suspected was true¡ then it would be very dangerous to upset Nicolai.
What would a rogue killbot, somehow in human form, do if it didn¡¯t get its way? What would a killbot no longer bound by the laws and rules of Earth do? Could they trust it¡ªtrust Nicolai?
He was about to reach out to Azure, speak with her over Link as he always did, about anything that worried him. But he stopped himself. It was well known that when it came to hacking, no human stood any chance against any sentient bot, not to mention a killbot.
He wasn¡¯t sure if he was right. He didn¡¯t know how to test it. He was terrified that Nicolai might work out what he knew. He needed to¡ he needed to work out the truth. He needed to work out if Nicolai was really on their side. He¡¯d tell Azure first, she¡¯d believe him. Maybe. Hopefully.
He raised his hand, and tried to smile like he imagined someone happy and loyal would smile.
###
Nicolai watched as Perro¡¯s hand went up. The boy gave him an absurdly fake smile. Nicolai gave him his excessively practised friendly smile in response, nodding with warm approval. There was something odd going on with the boy. His emotions were a mess of fear and confusion. Still, Perro was doing what he¡¯d wanted so Nicolai wouldn¡¯t complain. That first raised hand acted as a domino, and the rest began to fall.
Next was Elena, who glanced at Perro, shrugged, and raised her own. John and Cait exchanged looks, and he knew they were talking over local, but didn¡¯t bother to tune in. He knew which way they¡¯d swing. Afterall, they¡¯d already made their decision.
John sighed, and raised his hand, and then Cait followed. Azure had been watching her father, and only when he raised his hand did she do the same. Sara, seeing how things were going, made a disgruntled expression but raised hers. Nicolai was a little surprised by this, he¡¯d expected her to be a sticking point. Katie, grinning, waved her hand; Nicolai was pretty sure just because she wanted to join in.
Only Karl and old Ben were left.
Old Ben shook his head, frowning. ¡®I don¡¯t like this. This isn¡¯t how it should work. I was never really comfortable with the idea of a leader, anyway. I believe in democracy, and dispersed leadership. That¡¯s the kind of thing humanity needs; no more rulers!¡¯ The man¡¯s voice rose at the end, and Nicolai saw that same passion as always within him. He¡¯d always known the old man would be the biggest issue.
¡®This is a democratic vote, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ asked Nicolai, smiling.
¡®No.¡¯ The old man narrowed his eyes. ¡®You¡¯re leveraging other factors. The Trade Link. Protection.¡¯
Nicolai shrugged, putting a frustrated expression on his face. ¡®And why shouldn¡¯t I? I have been protecting you all, haven¡¯t I? But I have things to do. I have aims and goals, and I seek to fulfil them. If you all work with me, you will be part of that. You will benefit from that. But if you refuse to work with me, to follow my well thought out instructions? Then it is a waste of my time and resources to nanny you.¡¯ Nicolai sighed, and threw up his hands in frustration that wasn¡¯t quite as fake as he¡¯d have liked. ¡®You want to know the truth, Ben? The reason some people are in charge, and others are not, is because some people put more effort in. Do you think I¡¯m incompetent?¡¯
¡®No,¡¯ said old Ben, glaring at him. ¡®Obviously not.¡¯
¡®So what¡¯s the problem? Hey, here¡¯s another fact: if you want to change anything, if any of these lofty ideals you believe in are going to become reality, you have be realistic. Do you think it¡¯s going to be easy to turn this new world from a chaotic mess into the beautiful utopia you envision? No. It will be hard. It will take time, and effort, and difficult decisions. This is one such. Choose.¡¯
The old man stewed, silent.
¡®You must raise your hand,¡¯ said Nicolai, his tone turning gentle. ¡®Otherwise, all this falls through and I will be leaving.¡¯ These words were not spoken just to old Ben. In fact, his target with them was the others. These words embodied the primary method he intended to use to force old Ben to capitulate.
Peer pressure. All those hands in the air¡
Cait sighed, and Nicolai hid his grin. ¡®Come on, Ben,¡¯ she said. ¡®Just put it up. Lets get this over with.¡¯
Old Ben rolled his eyes, then, grudgingly, looking like he hated every moment of it, he raised his hand in a brief jerk before lowering it.
Nicolai smiled. That was all he¡¯d needed. His eyes turned to Karl.
Karl snorted. ¡®Fuck off.¡¯
¡®I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be raising your hand,¡¯ said Nicolai easily. His eyes skimmed over the others. He was considering using this to oust Karl, banish the man, as it were. He could say¡ we are all a group now and you clearly don¡¯t want to be a part of it. So, goodbye. The issue was that Karl still had some surprisingly deep ties to the others, he could feel that much. He imagined that in the past, before he¡¯d met them, Karl had fought and bled beside them, saved lives. He could predict how things would go if he tried to remove Karl.
Old Ben would be happy to spin back up into gear, and Elena would probably join in (he wasn¡¯t completely sure, their relationship seemed a flighty thing). Likely Cait would speak up, too, maybe John. He looked to Threat Analysis hopefully, wondering if it might have some odds of success and failure to share, but it just shrugged at him and said he needed psychology for that. In truth, Nicolai didn¡¯t need the Module. He understand humans well enough, at least in his own estimation. He suspected such a push would likely fail, which would leave his new standing as a leader weakened, or ruin it entirely.
It was fine. He would engineer an event that would see Karl dead soon enough.
¡®So, you¡¯re leaving, right?¡¯ said Karl, scowling at him. ¡®That¡¯s what you said. It¡¯s not unanimous, is it?¡¯
Nicolai waved a dismissive hand. ¡®It is unanimous. You don¡¯t count because you are obviously biased.¡¯ He knew that Karl, who had been standing there with his hands firmly down, a smile on his face, and satisfaction rolling out of him, had expected things to end here and now. That Nicolai would respect his lowered hand and leave.
The pulse of utter fury he felt from Karl, the way the man¡¯s face whitened and his hands clenched tight around his SMG, as Nicolai simply waved the issue away almost caused him to break out in delighted laughter. ¡®But don¡¯t worry.¡¯ He gave the man a winning smile. ¡®I¡¯ll win you over in time, Karl.¡¯
Karl¡¯s teeth grit and a vein pulsed on his reddened forehead, and Nicolai could sense the furious words brewing within the man, felt him wrestling with whether to speak them.
Nicolai cared nothing about Karl¡¯s views. The main, most important moment had already occurred. The hand raising was an integral piece of all this. It meant that each of them had given their assent, they had made Nicolai leader, regardless of Karl. This meant that he was leader, truly, without a shadow of a doubt. Moments like that were very important to humans, and now that it had occurred his position was unshakeable. As soon as possible he would dispatch his first group of Oma crystal collectors, as well as instate the new roles, rules and procedures the others would be made to follow. It was time to get organised.
He looked to the painting. It was just one big red stain now, and it was decaying at a noticeable rate. Whatever the spirit in there had done after he¡¯d killed it, it appeared to have destroyed the painted world.
At that moment his thoughts were interrupted.
A tremble ran through the ground. Everyone yelled and stumbled as the floor shook and the walls creaked.
Through his Soul Sense Nicolai felt something, a ripple through the Aura of the world, something hungry and demanding¡ something dangerous. For a moment it gripped onto him, and the dark stirred, then it was gone.
Dust fell from the ceiling. From somewhere he heard the cracking and booming of falling masonry, and he eyed the stone above him, readying himself to move if necessary.
It stopped. Everyone stared with worry around them, unsure what had just happened.
Huh. Something was up, but he had no idea what.
122: Fallout
They all emerged onto the tower-top of the safe-place, peering out over the wall. Slow moving clouds of dust choked the castle lower down, thrown into the air from places where chunks of the castle had toppled and crumbled.
¡®Seems like this castle isn¡¯t as safe as we all assumed,¡¯ said Elena. ¡®I wonder what our brave new leader is going to do about this?¡¯ She shot a look at Nicolai.
He grinned back, projecting confidence. ¡®We¡¯ll find out what¡¯s going on. Just a problem to solve, no biggie.¡¯ Peering down he saw a great mass of undead in formation, marching along one of the bridges. Where were they going?
Impossible to say. He had a feeling, though. Paxolnaz, the 9th Circle Demon, had clearly possessed aims and goals, ones tied to the centipede in the prison, which was likely linked to the army of bugs that had assaulted the undead.
There was some kind of war going on here, he¡¯d witnessed it with his own eyes. A war entirely removed from the humans who had been thrown like seeds from Heaven¡¯s hand, sprinkled over the castle. That war was, in his view, the most likely reason for the movements of the dead, for the shaking of the castle.
He needed to become strong enough to leave this place, but first he intended to seize everything that could be of any use to him. For his own safety while he was here, he needed to work out what exactly was going on between the bugs and undead.
He had some Quests to complete, the titan smith in the prison and Maric in the library, not to mention putting Kleos¡¯ name in the book over there. He¡¯d been putting these items off for some time, as he¡¯d felt that completing his Seed, then his first Nodes, then accessing the Trade Link and taking care of the painting, and next sending Jo and some others into the prison, took priority. But all that was nearly done. He would soon have some time to complete these objectives and get some rewards.
Nicolai wasn¡¯t entirely sure on the logic of the Quest rewards, but he knew that they could provide things impossible to get from the Trade Link, at least with his current Market Permit Level. There were no shimmer ponchos nor thermal goggles available from his Market, but both had been there as rewards from completing Paxolnaz¡¯s quest.
The thought of Paxolnaz led him to the sword the demon had told him of, another item he wanted. He had the impression it was an Artifact, which meant it would be powerful. A significant level above anything he¡¯d found to date. For no other reason than that, he wanted it. He also needed to venture into the jungle, not just for the Lotus Blossom Symbiote, but also to experience what was out there. So far as he could see, the jungle was the only route available if he wanted to leave the castle. Kleos said it was dangerous, and he needed to see how dangerous.
His eyes slipped over the endless green expanse bracketing the castle. His head turned to take in the rambling bulk of the castle and the others, all peering curiously down. He also needed to decide what he wanted to do with these people, a matter on which he was still uncertain, even after so long.
His Mask squirmed over his spiritual face, sinking hooks into him, plucking at his emotions. I will be kind, he assured it. I¡¯m being honest with them, don¡¯t worry. I can achieve my own goals while also being¡ better, while aiding them. I already am, aren¡¯t I? I will help them become stronger, help them survive. But at the same time, they will help me. It¡¯s an equal trade. Mostly.
His eyes lingered on Karl, something writhing inside of him. Increasingly he felt a generalised sense of danger from Karl, a warning from deep inside, like one might feel seeing a sharp blade half-drawn from the sheath. Nicolai turned away from Karl, but his Soul Sense gathered around the man.
Karl¡¯s psyche, that vague impression of emotion and sensation, easily read from those without Soul Sense, put Nicolai in mind of thick stew left on the stove too long, bubbling and boiling. Here a big clump of charred fat, full of hate and loathing as his eyes dug into Nicolai¡¯s back. There, a rind of fear, hidden shamefully at the bottom.
Bubbles of desperation rose through it all, which was what Nicolai focused on. He wanted to know exactly how desperate Karl was, because that would decide his deadline. He¡¯d yet to work out the best manner to remove him, and had other pressing matters.
The desperation in Karl wasn¡¯t at a peak yet, and his attention was currently mostly focused on Nicolai. He would be thinking of what he could do. Maybe about what he¡¯d seen in the painting. Some way to oust Nicolai, turn the others on him, or kill him.
This uncertainty was why he¡¯d already lost, and why Nicolai had time to deal with Karl at his leisure. Nicolai had never considered any option but one.
By the time Karl realised that there was nothing he could do, and by the time he decided to look further afield, Nicolai would have made his move. Nicolai estimated he had at least a day or two.
That looking further afield was the only true risk, as Nicolai and Threat Analysis saw things. He¡¯d been working closely with the Module as he observed Karl and considered. There was an obvious desperate gambit Karl could make. When he realised he was out of options, Karl would most likely go for it.
He would radio up the Chosen and spill the beans. Nicolai imagined the conversation going something like this: ¡°I know of someone I think you¡¯ll be interested in. Someone who has found another Trade Link, and killed a lot of your people. If you come, and kill him, and allow me and the rest of my people to join, and allow us to keep our Seeds, then I¡¯ll tell you anything you want to know.¡±
¡°Tell me more,¡± said the Chosen, and the imaginary Karl vomited out every secret he could think of. The Chosen was a rapt listener.
Then they¡¯d show up and at the current time he didn¡¯t think himself capable enough to deal with them in serious number, nor did he want to. Best to stay out of the limelight, and see what having monopoly on a Trade Link would do for him. With enough firepower the Chosen would go from a significant threat to a manageable one, even an opportunity.
A matter for later. For now, killing Karl was, surprisingly, a somewhat tricky matter. Not the physical side; Nicolai did not anticipate any problems when it came to the act itself. He had taken down harder targets with fewer tools. The issue was that there was blatant enmity between him and Karl, of which the others were well aware. When Karl died, it would have to be in a way where it seemed impossible that Nicolai could have done it. Were it to occur any other way, then the suspiciously minded would suspect him no matter what.
Nicolai hoped to avoid the whole messiness of suspicion and accusations. Thus the requirement of a method where: Karl¡¯s death would appear to be the result of something completely unrelated to Nicolai; Nicolai was nowhere near to Karl; and a good number of the group was present to witness this.
He noticed Beth watching him, a frown on her face as she observed his Soul Sense tied up around Karl¡¯s head, looking like a constrictor snake throttling its prey. He retracted it, then busied himself issuing instructions.
He told old Ben to start making as many Soul Traps as possible, and pick someone to be his assistant, then had a lengthier talk with John. He intended that people only leave the safe place when he approved it. This wasn¡¯t just because he enjoyed controlling people, but for practical purposes, which he espoused on the necessity of.
¡®Coming and going thoughtlessly is too risky. The whole world out there wants to kill us; just one person spotting a group and following them back could spell the end. From now on, we will only leave when trading or for a purpose, and take measures to ensure we are not followed back when we do.¡¯
To Nicolai¡¯s faint surprise, John accepted this with a wordless nod. The man had undergone some changes, seeming to have made his peace with the new order. He actually appeared determined to do his job, whatever that might be. To Nicolai¡¯s eye, John actually seemed sort of happy to be ¡°second in command.¡± No longer the one responsible. As was often the case, things were going better than he anticipated. He¡¯d thought John would be angry for much longer. Cyberwarfare reminded him of one of the Governor¡¯s old mottos; if you expected the worst, anything else was a pleasant surprise. He and Threat Analysis issued knowing nods in their shared mental space.
His eyes turned to Jo and Beth. They had been communicating over Local continuously. Due to the high level of their augments, Cyberwarfare struggled to tap into those communications.
Nicolai understood the gist of it, anyway, from the wide eyes Beth was sending his way when she thought he wasn¡¯t looking, the emotions leaking from both of them.
###
¡®So,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®What¡¯s up?¡¯ He stood in Jo and Beth¡¯s room, the pair facing him.
¡®Are you a bot?¡¯ said Jo.
Beth let out a little snort, shaking her head. She seemed titillated, not truly convinced. She found the idea too fantastical. That was good. But she was willing to be convinced, he could sense that. She found the idea too interesting to let it go easily; a dog smelling something that might be a juicy bone, if it could just dig through the mud.
Jo, on the other hand, seemed much more convinced. And determined.
Nicolai stared at them. Jo had asked directly. Their Contract, which he¡¯d considered so well thought-out, had just become a problem because of the honesty clause. He wasn¡¯t sure how to navigate this.
His Mask wanted him to be honest, but Nicolai loathed the idea on a fundamental level. Some secrets were too significant, too dangerous, to be shared. This first question: ¡°Are you a bot?¡± could be answered with a simple no, because currently he was biologically human. But answering no would lead to an obvious follow up question: ¡°Were you a bot?¡±
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Instead of attempting to misdirect without lying, he chose a simpler route. ¡®This is not a matter I will be speaking on.¡¯
Jo scoffed. ¡®Come on, seriously? No, I think you have to. We need to know.¡¯
¡®Why do you need to know? What bearing does any of this have?¡¯
¡®If you¡¯re a rogue bot¡ that could impact our safety. Our survival. Right? You have to be honest and forthcoming if it comes to stuff like that. Contract says so.¡¯
¡®That would be if it has a negative effect on our survival. If, as you claim, I am a killbot, then it should only have a positive effect. Killbots are very capable. Wouldn¡¯t you rather have a killbot on your side, than a human?¡¯
Where he¡¯d expected stumped faces in response to his perfect parrying of her words, instead he saw Jo¡¯s eyes widen, and Beth¡¯s mouth drop open.
¡®So you are a killbot!¡¯ cried Beth.
He blinked at them. ¡®What?¡¯
¡®You just said so!¡¯
¡®I was talking entirely in hypotheticals,¡¯ he snapped, confused and suddenly disorientated, ¡®it was an example.¡¯ He¡¯d been speaking a lot with Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare earlier, communicating in lightning fast exchanges of code. They would have replied to what he actually said, not interpreted whatever they pleased from his words. It was different, arguing with humans.
They only looked more convinced than ever of what they believed. Nicolai couldn¡¯t help the irritated sigh. ¡®I meant¡ª¡® his face screwed up as he throttled the words then smoothed it blank. He was angry, he could feel it. Because he wasn¡¯t sure what to do. What he wanted to do. How to do it. Something bubbling inside of him, sneaky. Little bit of the dark. And the Mask with its own pressures from above, driving into him. Had to maintain control.
¡®And there it is again,¡¯ said Beth. ¡®Just a little bit, not like when I saw it the other day. That¡¯s something I¡¯d like to talk about. What was all that black ink underneath your skin? Why is it that it feels like there¡¯s something inside of you?¡¯
Nicolai gaped at her. For fuck¡¯s sake. He turned away to hide his face as it twisted, as he fought with the thrashing of the dark and the swelling rage. Why do they have to make everything so complex?
He reached for words and found some, remembering his practised speech. ¡®Do you remember what I said? About how I¡¯m trying to build a house. And you¡¯re all rattling at the foundations? Well. This is that. So¡ stop it.¡¯ The words didn¡¯t have quite the punchiness they had earlier, and he was aware he wasn¡¯t saying them quite right. Hadn¡¯t been mentally prepared for this. His Mask wasn¡¯t helping.
¡®It was a nice speech,¡¯ said Beth, smiling. ¡®I didn¡¯t buy it. Come on. Spill.¡¯ Her eyebrows bounced up and down.
The little bitch was grinning, like she was having fun, like she enjoyed trying to pry all his secrets out.
¡®Why do you think you have any right to know anything about me? Here are the facts: I am in control of myself¡ª¡® A red light pulsed around him. His Mark flared and he felt his Contract within it, a sudden pressure. A threat.
He breathed out slow. I am in control of myself. Wasn¡¯t he?
The Contract was not convinced.
¡®I know what I am doing¡¡¯ he continued, hesitant.
His Mark was a hot little coal of pain digging into his hand.
Nicolai laughed. The girls stared at him. His teeth grit. ¡®Why do you have to press me so?¡¯ he snarled at them, at the Mask. ¡®What right do you have to know anything of me?¡¯
Jo¡¯s eyes narrowed into slits. ¡®You talk to us of right? What right did you have to follow me in here, then strongarm us into a Contract as your slaves?¡¯
¡®You¡¯re not slaves,¡¯ he hissed back at her. ¡®I was very clear on that. We¡¯re partners.¡¯
Jo threw her hands up. ¡®Is this how you treat partners? Telling them nothing? Explain this!¡¯ She threw a Link communication at him.
It was in modified military binary, and he recognised it because he¡¯d sent it himself, when he¡¯d been in that¡ altered state.
It was a long series of ones-and-zeroes, which, when translated literally, said: ¡®Disarm immediately and provide sitrep.¡¯
The dark pulsed. The Mask flexed. ¡®This conversation,¡¯ he snarled, ¡®is over.¡¯ He turned, opened the door, stepped out, and closed it gently behind him. His movements were carefully controlled. Calm and in control, he told them all.
Except he wasn¡¯t, was he? The Contract didn¡¯t think so. He barely saw the room around him. Old Ben was in the corner, tinkering away, work, work, work. That was good. Useful. His Mask was speaking. The shadows were stretching, reaching towards him, and he felt an abyss opening up within, a killing rage rising. Threat Analysis was pinging him with endless warnings.
Old Ben had looked up and was saying something to him, and Nicolai stared blankly back. What had he said to the old man, earlier? That thing about having to make difficult decisions.
The Mask, Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare were fighting hard against the rise of the dark, but they were struggling because he wasn¡¯t there, wasn¡¯t helping, didn¡¯t have the energy.
The air was suddenly frigid, his breath a puff of condensation. His Mask was struggling, weak. It was his best tool against the dark but it needed help, needed reinforcement. Threat Analysis told him he had to do something, had to aid the floundering Mask Module, and at last he moved, he joined them. But it was too little and too late and he felt himself cracking. That was when the Mask spoke, and told him what he could do, how he could give strength. By being human.
Nicolai turned and opened the door and fled from the shadows, back into the room, closing the door. He stared at them and them at him. The shadows hovered, waiting, and the cold dug into his body.
He looked to the girls¡¯ surprised, wary, angry faces. Somehow, if his Mask was to be believed, the only route for him here was to do that which he least wanted to do. That, it told him, would give it the strength to fight back against the dark, to ensure he maintained control. And that, that was most important. Sacrifices had to be made.
What do you think? he asked the Modules, delaying the moment. He knew how they¡¯d answer.
It is a risk, but in light of the Dark Module, a necessary one, Threat Analysis said.
By the time we take on GRECKON we¡¯ll be strong enough that even if they know we¡¯re coming, it won¡¯t matter, added Cyberwarfare. It seemed quite excited about the idea of waging war on the Company that had created it. Nicolai¡¯s wasn¡¯t surprised by this. The Module was like the thrill. It wanted to rise to meet and overcome any challenge.
He would give the girls as little as possible. But he had to give them something. The Mask was sure that if he didn¡¯t, this issue would become a divide between them. Something that could have a severe impact on his ability to make use of them. It convinced him that sometimes, the best way to win people over, to make them do what he wanted¡ was to be honest. The Mask also seemed to require this¡ moment. The admittance. The being human. Just the thought of telling them had given it strength, and now with its aid he held the dark at bay, recovering himself.
¡®Do you know what a Human Resources Module is?¡¯ The shadows, which had been shifting gently, grew still with his words as his Mask firmed.
They frowned, exchanging glances. Beth spoke. ¡®Isn¡¯t that something some bots have? It¡¯s like, a bit of a human. A human brain. They use it, uh.¡¯ She chewed her lip, looking like she was remembering stuff learned in schooling. ¡®Use it to reduce resource load.¡¯ She shivered suddenly, clutching at herself. ¡®It got cold in here, didn¡¯t it?¡¯
¡®That¡¯s right,¡¯ said Jo, thoughtful. ¡®Some very sophisticated bots have them, or they used to. It¡¯s gone out of fashion, these days. Those bots were considered less reliable.¡¯
¡®That was me. The Human Resources Module. When Heaven arrived, I was given an opportunity to come here, restored to a human body.¡¯ He¡¯d been deeply worried that the Contract might react to this, and couldn¡¯t help but let out a relieved sigh when it didn¡¯t. The worrying sense of falseness that lay behind his memories remained with him, unwilling to fade as the more material events in the painting had. But they were enough, and the Contract had accepted his words as truth.
He found that reassuring. In fact, the admission, the Contract¡¯s lack of reaction, and his Mask¡¯s contagious bliss made him feel quite odd. A strange sensation that came not just from his Mask but all of him. He felt light on his feet. He felt like laughing. The hole had closed up tight. The cage was firm and solid, the dark back inside, and the cold gone from the air.
¡®So you weren¡¯t a bot, not exactly,¡¯ said Jo, nodding, accepting his words. ¡®You were human, but stuck in a bot.¡¯ She let out a relieved sigh. Nicolai guessed she¡¯d been concerned he was a rogue killbot, a general human fear exacerbated by a great deal of media featuring them as villains. In his opinion, that was a needless worry.
Humans had always felt a sense of wariness towards AI, even as they mastered them and used them as tools. If they¡¯d been able to communicate directly with AI¡¯s as Nicolai had, been privy to the internal, secret conversations between bots, they wouldn¡¯t have been. AI¡¯s did not hate, they did not rage, they did not fear. The one thing they did feel, in their own way, was a generalised love for humanity. Humans had worked hard to code this in, but were never entirely convinced they¡¯d done it right. Nicolai, however, knew they¡¯d done a thorough job.
A real rogue killbot would most likely have been significantly friendlier than he ever would. What they ought to be worried about was a killbot that wasn¡¯t rogue, but instead following directives given by a human. If that directive required it to kill everyone here, it would do so. It wouldn¡¯t feel bad about this. It wouldn¡¯t feel anything. It would just be doing its job.
¡®And now, properly human,¡¯ continued Jo, in a thoughtful tone. She let out a sigh. ¡®That explains how you¡¯re so good with augments, and hacking. I guess it¡¯s child¡¯s play after what you¡¯re used to.¡¯ She snorted and shook her head. ¡®It was amazing how you took that drone from me. Never felt a human do something like that. Useful skill.¡¯
Nicolai kept his face carefully blank, while Cyberwarfare purred, well pleased. No human could do that, it murmured smugly. Only me.
Taking that drone gave her one of the main clues that led to this moment, Threat Analysis reminded the other Module
Cyberwarfare gave the AI equivalent of a shrug, emanating a sense of what¡¯s done is done.
¡®Explains why you¡¯re so weird, too,¡¯ added Beth. ¡®Wow. I¡¯ve never met someone who was stuck in a bot.¡¯
¡®I imagine you¡¯re not alone in that,¡¯ muttered Nicolai, struggling to keep the frown his Mask was reflexively trying to draw his face into as it obsessed on her other words. What did she mean by weird? What was it he did that was weird? How did he stop being weird? Nicolai observed these thoughts incredulously, one-hundred percent sure they were a waste of time. Meanwhile Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare were curious, feeling at the emotions the Mask generated.
¡®What was it like?¡¯ continued Beth. ¡®Was that bot in the painting the one you were in? It was fucking huge. Looked like a real heavy hitter.¡¯
He stared at her, trying to ignore the Mask. I was the purest, most perfect peak of combat potential. ¡®I was a slave.¡¯
¡®You must have some stories,¡¯ she added, eyes round with curiosity. ¡®Bots like that do serious shit. What company owned it?¡¯
Nicolai had no intention of answering that. He hoped she wouldn¡¯t recall the question about whether anyone had worked for GRECKON he¡¯d asked after emerging. It seemed for now that had slipped her by, her curiosity pushing more questions from her lips before his silence grew telling.
¡®So, is that why you have¡ the other stuff, that I felt with Soul Sense?¡¯ she continued, frowning now. ¡®Is it like an echo or something?¡¯
This was going better than he¡¯d expected. Their manner had shifted. They were¡ warmer. More relaxed. His Mask, already having noted this and recovered from its spiralling, was positively glowing, strong and whole, and he smiled with it.
¡®I guess it is like an echo,¡¯ he said carefully, wary of the Contract. It showed no reaction.
This secret stays with me. They could accept that he¡¯d been a Human Resources Module, that admission wasn¡¯t too bad. But as to the dark, and his other uncertainties¡ No. If they knew the extent of his problems, they would never trust him.
¡®Obviously this matter stays entirely between us,¡¯ he continued, watching them.
The pair exchanged glances then nodded back. ¡®Your secret is safe with us,¡¯ said Jo. She smiled at him.
¡®We¡¯re partners,¡¯ added Beth, nodding.
Nicolai nodded back.
123: Back in Jail
Nicolai sat himself by the desk in his room, looking to Kleos. Onwards and upwards. All of this was only a minor event. His course was unchanged.
¡®You felt the castle shake?¡¯
¡®Hard to miss it.¡¯
¡®What does it mean?¡¯
Kleos looked uncertain, chewing on its lip. ¡®I¡¯m¡ not sure. Perhaps a simple earthquake, perhaps something more. A castle in good repair would typically resist any tremoring of the earth. But this castle has greatly decayed from those days. That¡¯s why the undead are so weak and listless, why everything is falling apart. Something must be wrong with the Castle Core, otherwise it would have prevented the tremor from having such an effect.¡¯
Kleos, at least, had no questions, no prying. The head had noticed the others reaction when they saw him in the painting, but it seemed to believe what had been seen to just been some strange thing from his world. Nothing for it to worry about. At least there was that.
He smiled at the head, and continued his questions. This was an important matter. ¡®Are earthquakes common, here?¡¯ asked Nicolai.
Kleos shrugged. ¡®I¡¯m not sure where ¡°here¡± is. My memory is¡ hazy. I recall some facts about this castle, such as the location of the library, but I¡¯m not sure where that comes from. I don¡¯t know where we¡¯re actually located within Nightmare. But, some places earthquakes are common, yes. Others, they are practically unknown.¡¯
¡®I see,¡¯ murmured Nicolai. ¡®I suppose that the sooner I leave this place, the better. If there is one quake, there may be another.¡¯
¡®You need to get me my body, that¡¯s what you have to do,¡¯ said Kleos, eyes narrowed. ¡®Starting with the library, then heading down. Somewhere down in the depths of this place there will be a Cocoon.¡¯
¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯
¡®Something castles like this use to create living tools. It¡¯ll be someplace central, near to the Castle Core. If you can get to it and put me inside, after putting my name in the book, I¡¯ll be able to get a body.¡¯
¡®Why are you only telling me now?¡¯
¡®I figure you¡¯re finally about strong enough. It¡¯ll be protected, that¡¯s for sure. I still don¡¯t know if you¡¯re capable, but you should be able to go and have a look around.¡¯
Nicolai nodded. ¡®There are some other things I need to do, first, but I¡¯ll get to that soon. Tell me about the Castle Core, what is it, why is it important?¡¯
¡®The Castle Core is the spirit of this castle. Were it doing well, it would protect the castle from harm. It collects the souls of slain undead and sends them out again to repair and rejoin their bodies, that¡¯s why they come back if you fail to destroy the soul.¡¯
''Where is it?¡¯
¡®In the depths of the castle, near to the Cocoon. Well, relatively. It¡¯ll be even harder to get to, though.¡¯
¡®What if I did get to it? Could I do anything with it?¡¯
The head snorted. ¡®Only if you were far, far stronger than you are. Castle Core¡¯s are high level existences. As you are, without protection you¡¯d be burned up just from getting too close to it.¡¯
¡®I see.¡¯ Nicolai sat back, considering. He was reminded of when he¡¯d been a part of Zero-Twelve. Back then, he and the other Module¡¯s had occasionally been tasked with getting to the central hardware of super AI¡¯s, such as those controlling warships, important buildings, large gunships, or anything else humans had thought to put one into. Reaching the hardware such an AI operated on was typically the best way to destroy or seize control of it, so long as you could get past its countermeasures.
This Castle Core sounded similar, something that was involved in running and looking after the castle.
When he¡¯d been a part of Zero-Twelve, he had been at the peak of what could be done by a single, relatively small actor. Zero-Twelve had been a cutting-edge military killbot, capable of taking out such AI¡¯s if it played its cards right.
In this new reality, if the Castle Core was the central processors for the AI governing this castle¡ then what was he, Nicolai?
Certainly not a Zero-Twelve. If he were to encounter a killbot it would kill him. Doubtless he stood just as little chance against this Castle Core. He wasn¡¯t strong enough to take it on, even if he got into its most vulnerable location. Even so, he wanted to feel it out. Kleos said it must be encountering some difficulties. If it was weakened, perhaps he would be able to gain some value from it.
Nicolai tsked, shaking his head. He considered the events of the day, checking to see if there was anything else he wished to plot and plan, any questions to ask. One occurred to him.
Those knightly undead had had very powerful armour. In fact, he would say that their armour was more desirable than the Imbued they had carried. It had resisted 7.62 rounds from Jo¡¯s rifle, and 12 gauge from close up. If he could get such armour, he would be invincible.
Or would he? Nicolai had learned that everything in this world possessed limits. If that armour was so strong, then why didn¡¯t all the dead have it? It confused him. So, he asked Kleos about it. The head recognised the knights and their armour when he described it, and was quick with an explanation.
¡®It¡¯s a kind of active blessing from the Castle Core. Undead can go to it and it¡¯ll infuse their armour with energy. It¡¯s a technique unique to the Castle Core¡¯s, I don¡¯t know how they do it. The infusion only lasts for so long, though. It¡¯s a good method and the armour can take quite a few hits, but eventually there¡¯ll be one hit too many and that¡¯ll be that.¡¯
Nicolai frowned. ¡®So, I could simply keep on shooting¡ªhitting the armour, and it¡¯d pop?¡¯
¡®That¡¯s right. Probably wouldn¡¯t take all that many hits, either. I guess you gave up on breaking it after realising how strong the armour was? Most likely if you¡¯d just kept going, you¡¯d have gotten through. Also, a lot of Symbiotes will work just fine regardless. Such armour is only effective against purely physical attacks and Symbiotes.¡¯
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
¡®I see. You¡¯re right, I stopped shooting them after the first few times.¡¯ He¡¯d considered it a waste of ammo. He felt momentary irritation he¡¯d failed to work this out himself, but at least now he knew. He also now knew that the undead¡¯s armour was less desirable than he¡¯d considered it, as well as less of an obstacle.
But, it would still be handy to have a set, assuming he could kill such an undead while doing as little damage to its armour as possible. Being able to shrug off all bullets, even for a short while, could come in very handy. It wasn¡¯t desirable enough that he¡¯d be actively spending a day or two attempting to acquire such, but if he found an opportunity, he¡¯d take it.
The torch was dull and as he watched it flickered out. Time to sleep. Before doing so, he checked his Nodes.
User Interface 376 | User #53,217
- Cultivation
Total Nodes: 1 Major, 2 Minor
Available unconstructed Nodes: 0 Major, 4 Minor
- Nodes in progress;
Right Lung (Finalising: 24%)
Left Lung (Finalising: 24%)
Completed Nodes;
Heart (Flawless) (100/100)
###
The next day found Nicolai, Jo, Perro, and Azure back in the old safe-place, standing in the banquet hall by the entrance to the tunnel into the prison.
Jo had removed all of her weapons and equipment, only wearing her clothes, and she also had a Soul Trap, and a drone floated above, linked to her. The others were similarly stripped down, and each of them also had a Soul Trap. Other than that, he¡¯d given them a pouch of sustaining seeds, a water bottle, a trio of decent-ish maces taken as loot from undead, and Jo also had a pistol hidden beneath her clothes, alongside a number of magazines and a silencer.
All of them had their Soul Sense floating around them, emerging from their Seeds. He¡¯d been pushing them to remain connected to their Seed¡¯s and using that Soul Sense on the journey over, part of his efforts to impress upon them the importance of practising. They would be completing their Seed¡¯s down in the prison, but if they didn¡¯t fulfil the bonding requirement they wouldn¡¯t be able to Integrate. He¡¯d tasked Jo with ensuring that when they had free time, they should focus on practising with the Soul Sense.
Of course, gathering Oma crystals took priority, but Nicolai didn¡¯t see any particular reason not to encourage them to do this. It should be relatively easy for them to do, something to complete while at the same time gathering the crystals for him. The prison had everything they needed to complete the Seeds, after all. Once that was done, who knew? Nicolai knew his Mask would put significant resistance if he attempted to seize Symbiotes forcefully from Perro and Azure. But if they happened to get extremely good Symbiotes, he didn¡¯t intend to let that stop him.
Although, the issue that they would receive only heart Node Symbiotes was worth keeping in mind. Whatever Symbiotes they got would have to be significantly better than his Blue Hornet for him to risk upsetting his Mask to such a degree, at least while he needed it to fend off whatever was going on with the dark and the hole.
¡®Once inside, we¡¯ll hide the Soul Traps, weapons and food somewhere. Then let them capture you,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®Otherwise they¡¯ll likely take them off you. But once you¡¯ve been caught and banded, you should be free to walk around with anything that isn¡¯t recognisably a weapon. Keep the Soul Traps covered up with the helmet covers where possible. You¡¯ll need to hide the maces and the pistol under your clothes.¡¯
¡®Are¡ are we gonna be safe down there?¡¯ asked Perro, taking his eyes from Nicolai to peer warily in the dark. The boy had been giving him these constant searching glances.
¡®I told you, it¡¯s a big prison full of undead. It¡¯s as unsafe as anywhere else in this castle. But once you¡¯re captured they won¡¯t harm you, you only need watch out for the centipede and the bugs. And if you see a pillar of living darkness, get away from it.¡¯
They were all looking nervous, though Azure and Jo at least looked determined. He¡¯d talked at great lengths about how in this place he¡¯d been able to complete his Seed, and there was at least a degree of eagerness in all of them.
This was a bit of a risky plan, he knew that. He didn¡¯t know what state, exactly, the prison would be in now. He intended to accompany them down and check it out, and while there he also wanted to see about completing one of his Quests; The Chained Titan.
¡®Remember, if it looks like the undead are all¡ properly dead, and you see bugs, we¡¯ll have to run.¡¯
That was the main risk, in his view. The prison was an area where some kind of war was occurring. If the bugs had won then the others would not be met with the soft capture he¡¯d experienced.
Even so, it was worth attempting.
This was the method he would use to solve his shortage of Oma crystals. The drone accompanying them was a bulkier version, one used back on earth for deliveries. It should be able to carry a decent number of Oma crystals, and in the book of rituals, he¡¯d found one that would work to hide things from Soul Sense, sort-of. Items of power, Imbued and Oma, gave off small ripples in the Aura. When Nicolai shelled up his Soul Sense he had to work to extend that to the Imbued and Oma crystals he kept on his person, which effectively hid him and his things from Soul Sense.
The ritual he¡¯d had old Ben put on the drone wasn¡¯t quite as good, but it would at least hide the ripples and should only be detectable if an undead¡¯s Soul Sense directly touched on it. For that reason, they were to keep it well away from the undead and it would make its trips by floating just beneath the ceiling. By doing so he hoped it would be able to carry the crystals out, and deposit them in the tunnel for Nicolai to collect.
It was a good plan in principle, but whether it would work depended on several factors. Jo was central. This could be considered a test for her. He felt she should be capable of getting herself and the two teenagers through the task he¡¯d set out, and he¡¯d comprised a detailed datapacket containing everything he knew about the prison and mines, alongside some of his thoughts on how they might farm the undead miners for Soul wisps. Now, it was up to her.
¡®You can deactivate your Soul Senses, you¡¯ll need your focus,¡¯ he said, and saw relieved expressions skate over their faces as their Soul Sense tendrils retracted into their Seeds.
¡®Let¡¯s go.¡¯ Nicolai stepped into the tunnel, taking out a torch for their benefit.
They formed an awkward, shuffling little band as they moved through the dark, everyone quiet. As he walked he palmed an Oma crystal and drew on it, refilling his Node which was half-empty.
Reaching the end, he saw that there was no freshly-built wall, as he¡¯d worried there might be. ¡®Wait here,¡¯ he whispered, activating his poncho and shelling his Soul Sense as he crept forwards.
Nicolai emerged from the exit, and found the prison just as when he¡¯d left it. He moved out, checking about, but there was no Warden. He even utilised the drone to check every cell nearby, and the nooks and crannies of the ceiling, recalling how the last one had hidden from him. But he found nothing.
He smiled. Good. The anticipated obstacle was non-existent. He gestured the others forwards and they all descended to the ground level of the tunnel, then headed deeper into the area. He had the drone land on his hand and tucked it away. No sense in risking an undead spotting it.
He moved to the side, keeping his distance as the four moved through the tunnels. He saw them checking their maps now and then to look over what he¡¯d shared with them, which was all that he¡¯d explored of this place.
¡®Stash everything here,¡¯ he told them after some time, and they moved to do so, hiding the things in one of the cells, then they all continued on.
Closer to the main area, not far from where the prisons became the pit, they encountered a warden. It reacted immediately, moving towards them and he saw them all freeze, tense and unsure, struggling not to run in spite of his orders to let the warden take them.
Its chains hissed out, and Perro let out a yell and stumbled away, but his instinctual attempt to flee came too slow, a chain catching at his leg and taking him down.
The warden stepped closer, its chains gripping onto all of them.
This was the moment. If there had been a change in the kill-or-capture policy amongst the undead since he¡¯d last been here, then he was about to witness it.
He held himself ready, his SMG¡¯s barrel poking through his poncho as he took aim at the Warden, positioning the reticle over the centre of its head. If it decided to kill them, he¡¯d have to act fast.
124: The Titan Speaks
The warden¡¯s chains didn¡¯t loop around throats, the blades on the ends didn¡¯t cut and slice. Instead it just gripped the others tight and began to pull, dragging them stumbling after it, Perro yelping as he was dragged over the stone.
Nicolai followed at a distance, pleased to find that his shelling of Soul Sense combined with the poncho was effective at hiding him from this undead. He could faintly feel its own Soul Sense sweeping around when it brushed him, but with his own shelled he blended into the background and it simply passed over him.
The Warden took the others to the same administrative centre as always, and Nicolai lurked outside, watching through the large door as they were greeted by the same crotchety zombie he had dealt with him, then they were led away.
Through his Link connection to them, through which they shared their feeds, he saw them led by the zombie. He watched as they moved down the hallway toward the smiths room, until the distance and the obstruction of the stone around them grew too great and the connection faded out.
Some time later, they all came back into range and he re-established his Local connection to them. Through their eyes he saw they all now had bands around their necks.
¡®All good?¡¯ he asked.
¡®It went like you said it would,¡¯ replied Jo.
¡®What the hell is that thing?¡¯ said Azure. ¡®He¡¯s huge!¡¯
¡®It¡¯s called a Titan,¡¯ Perro supplied, ¡®I got a quest.¡¯
¡®Yeah, we all did, but I mean what¡ª¡®
Nicolai tuned out their chatter.
The zombie was tapping their bands with its rod, now, and they reacted as he¡¯d taught them. Letting out grunts and yelps as though the band was actually doing anything. That done, the zombie sent them on their way.
Very good. Nicolai smiled. He called them towards him over Local and they tramped over. ¡®Here,¡¯ he said, passing control of the drone to Jo, and handing it over. ¡®You all understand what you¡¯re doing, right?¡¯
Jo and the others all nodded with various degrees of surety.
¡®This place is huge,¡¯ whispered Azure, staring around.
¡®What are the undead doing, what¡¯s the point of all this?¡¯ asked Jo with a frown.
¡®I believe they¡¯re feeding Oma crystals to something called the Castle Core. Other than that, I know as little as you,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®Remember, you can ask the zombie for food and water and perhaps other things. I gave you supplies in case it isn¡¯t forthcoming or they¡¯ve run out, but I suspect you¡¯ll be able to get at least something from it.¡¯
Soon, if all went well, he¡¯d be receiving a constant influx of all the Oma crystals he could¡ªhis Mask tugged at him, and he frowned. What? Oh. The centipede? They¡¯ll be fine¡
But his frown deepened. ¡®Be wary of the centipede,¡¯ he said, the words pulled from him. ¡®Avoid the walls up here, on the edges of this pit-room. When you¡¯re in the tunnels, don¡¯t go too far, and try to stick to the smaller tunnels.¡¯ There, enough? Not really, according to his Mask, but better than nothing.
¡®Good luck,¡¯ he said.
And Nicolai slipped away.
However, he did not leave. Instead he checked the shell he¡¯d formed around his Soul, ensuring he was cut off from the world around him. He worked harder to blend himself in, and he crept towards the large administrative building.
The most dangerous moment came quick, as he moved slowly between the two guards bracketing the entrance. Neither of them stirred, and just like that he was in.
Padding through he saw the zombie staring at the wall as always, then he was into the corridor and headed quickly down it to peer into the smith¡¯s room.
Gorf the Titan was sat in its usual spot, a silent behemoth in the flickering dark, gazing into the flames. Beside Nicolai the wall was cracked and splintered where the hammer the Titan had thrown at him had smashed through. A reminder to be wary.
¡®Gorf,¡¯ he huffed, aiming his voice at the Titan.
Gorf stirred, head raising, staring silently. Alert.
¡®Who¡¯s there?¡¯ Gorf asked, voice pitched equally low.
Seems calmer than last time. Nicolai had worried the Titan might still be able to smell some lingering remnant of Paxolnaz¡¯s spell.
He tugged his poncho¡¯s hood off, revealing his face.
The Titan squinted, peering at him. ¡®More visitors, is it? Busy day. Who are you?¡¯ it asked, seeming to struggle to make him out.
Nearsighted? Nicolai stepped into the room, deactivated his poncho, and slowly approached with an eye for the few scattered piles of metal and masonry littered about. Things to hide behind if Gorf attacked.
¡®We talked before. I was captured, you made a band for me. You mentioned that you wanted those chains off.¡¯
Gorf watched him carefully, and as he drew closer its eyes relaxed, recognition blooming in them.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
¡®Ah.¡¯ The Titan smiled. ¡®Yes. I had hoped you would return. You had the look of one unlikely to stay bound for long.¡¯ Its eyes narrowed. ¡®But when did you get a key?¡¯ The Titan¡¯s gaze slid to the side, to the rack of pole-keys, to where the metal was torn and bent and the wall behind cracked, the damage its thrown hammer had inflicted. ¡®Ah. I wondered about that,¡¯ it murmured, affixing its gaze once more to Nicolai. ¡®So, you met something very dangerous, and very evil, and¡ you freed it. It rewarded you.¡¯
Nicolai remained silent, staring at the Titan. Gorf was one-hundred percent correct. It was a little concerning the Titan had worked things out so quickly. He already knew the Titan had some kind of feud with the demon or demons in general after the last time he¡¯d been here. Would that extend to someone who had merely helped a demon? He was only a little way into the room, the exit close behind. He kept his eyes on Gorf but remained aware of its hammer on the anvil beside it in his peripheral vision. If it reached for that hammer he¡¯d be out the door in a blink.
The Titan¡¯s face was creased in a frown as its eyes bored into him, but to Nicolai it looked a frown more of concern than anger, and its gaze seemed more lost in deep thought than bearing down in accusation. He saw no signs of aggression from it, though with his Soul Sense shelled he was unable to check properly.
¡®Something like that, yes,¡¯ said Nicolai at length, and he let out a little sigh, as though dismayed at the memory, twisting his features with imaginary regret. His Mask helped his act by providing these sensations, because it truly did feel that way.
Nicolai struggled a little to read the meaning of the Titan¡¯s features. With holes instead of a nose, small and recessed eyes, and a lipless mouth, it appeared quite different to a human. Still, the similarities were there and Nicolai felt he was able to guess at its thoughts. They were easy enough to predict from what it¡¯d said, anyway.
It was worried, worried because he¡¯d released Paxolnaz.
¡®I tried to talk to you the last time I was here,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®You seemed unable to hear me.¡¯
¡®How could I, with you cloaked in that spell.¡¯ The giant gave him a sullen glare. ¡®What agreement did you make with the demon?¡¯
The question of just how much to tell the giant, of whether or not Nicolai¡¯s answers might upset it and draw a hostile reaction, was now pressing. ¡®Am I safe to use Soul Sense here?¡¯ he asked.
The giant frowned, confused. ¡®Yes. There are no Cultivating undead near to us. Why do you ask?¡¯
¡®Just checking,¡¯ said Nicolai, while unshelling his Soul Sense and quietly beginning to feed Oma into his Sheltering Glove, becoming ready to activate his shield if necessary. ¡®The deal I made with the demon is between me and it. It¡¯s done and there¡¯s no changing it now. What is your dispute with it?¡¯
¡®What is my dispute?¡¯ Gorf chuffed a disbelieving little laugh. ¡®The same dispute as any sane, living being. I want to remain alive. In the event the Unwinder is freed, it is likely I, and everyone else on this planet, will be killed.¡¯
¡®What is the Unwinder?¡¯ asked Nicolai. Paxolnaz had refused to speak on the matter, holding a similar reticence as it held towards the Lizard.
Gorf scowled. ¡®A terrible being. A True Demon of the 8th Circle. It was the reason for Heaven¡¯s vengeance on the People. They allowed it access to this realm. In the ensuing actions, the People were broken and so was the Unwinder. It was split and cast across the Nightmare, and now its minions seek to put it back together. Once reformed, it will kill and consume everything on this planet. That is what Demons do. Whichever Demon you released, it matters not. They all seek the same end, to release their master.¡¯
Gorf glanced away, gazing into the sullen flames, then it settled back onto its seat, and sighed. ¡®I suppose it matters little,¡¯ the Titan murmured. ¡®Doubtless plenty other such creatures are seeing similar release, with the arrival of you foolish, clueless Marked. In many ways, what is to come is inevitable.¡¯ It shot a dark look at Nicolai. ¡®Even so, that eventuality is now¡ªin some small way¡ªyours to bear.¡¯
Another stain on my immortal soul. But what does it matter, for a soul painted as black as mine? ¡®You seem to know much about Marked, about what is happening here. What can you tell me about all this? About the Great Game?¡¯ After asking all that, Nicolai chewed over one final question. He figured that since he had no more Contract slots, he might as well lay his cards on the table now. ¡®And finally, have you ever heard of the Lizard?¡¯ He¡¯d stopped charging his glove. The Titan didn¡¯t seem likely to attack.
The Titan snorted a laugh. ¡®Little of all,¡¯ it said. ¡®Everything is very hazy to me. Things are missing. I feel¡ I feel that I have been here a long time. Longer than I remember. We are within the Great Game, and that means¡¡¯ It frowned, and gazed at its hands. ¡®And I am not Marked. This is very bad.¡¯ Its voice faded to a murmur with the final words.
¡®What is the Great Game? And the Lizard, have you heard of him or her or it?¡¯ Nicolai pressed. The Titan seemed affected by a similar dementia as Kleos showed at times.
¡®No, I have not heard of this Lizard. The Game is an opening. A test, among other things. It is where the greatest Cultivators are made, arising from mountains of corpses.¡¯ Gorf shook his head. ¡®I never knew much. I was never meant to be here, or at least I never thought such a thing would happen. This world was placed within the Game as part of the People¡¯s punishment. That was¡ long ago. How long?¡¯
The Titan lifted its hands, examining the thick black manacles clamped around its wrists, eyeing the chains that disappeared into the dark. ¡®Is this to be my lot?¡¯ it muttered. ¡®I had nothing to do with the calling of the Unwinder. That was their doing. No¡¡¯
Nicolai observed it warily, taking a small step back, beginning to charge his glove again. It was talking to itself, not him, and seemed to be getting a little worked up.
¡®No. It won¡¯t be. I refuse. I will get free. I must get free. And free the others. It is said that any can find their way to the top, once within the Game. It can be done. But how many times have I tried? How long have I been here? Is this the first, or the hundredth?¡¯
Its voice had dwindled to a confused, faded muttering. Nicolai felt it was time to get things moving back in a more productive direction, and had an obvious angle to play. ¡®So, you want those chains off, do you? You want me to free you, right?¡¯ he prompted.
The Titan¡¯s head snapped up to stare at him. It seemed surprised to find him there. ¡®Yes,¡¯ it said after a pause. ¡®Yes. Free me. Free me! You must!¡¯ Its voice was rising, and he saw the desperation in its eyes, heard it in the rattle of its chains as it rose from the chair.
¡®Hey,¡¯ Nicolai hissed, patting at the air. ¡®Not too loud. I can free you. But what will you give me in return?¡¯
¡®In return?¡¯ The titans brows rose, then it smiled. ¡®Of course. Alas, I have little to give you, stuck here as I am. But, I can offer you a Titan¡¯s debt. It is no small thing. If I cannot repay you in the future, then one of my kind will. You need merely show them the mark I will give to you.¡¯
No guarantee it¡¯s telling the truth, but I¡¯ll complete a Quest by freeing it regardless. To Nicolai¡¯s mind it was worth it. ¡®That will do, then,¡¯ he said with a smile, bowing his head. ¡®Any idea how I can free you?¡¯
¡®Easy enough,¡¯ said Gorf, straightening up. ¡®In this building you may find the key to my chains. I believe it will be on the top floor, in the head Warden¡¯s office. You seem a sneaky type. I think you should be able to get it without being seen. I am told the Warden spends its time sleeping, these days.¡¯
¡®I will see what I can do,¡¯ said Nicolai.
The Titan told him the route to where he needed to go, and Nicolai left. He infiltrated with his Soul Sense shelled once more, poncho cloaking him as he crept past undead guards and wormed his way ever deeper into the dark and gloomy building.
125: Titans Debt
Nicolai avoided the undead guards with ease, his shelled Soul Sense allowing him to spiritually blend into the background while the poncho hid his form, and after scaling a series of stairways he looked into a large, ornate room.
He¡¯d expected the head Warden to resemble the rest of them, tall and spindly, but instead it resembled an undead knight, only scaled up. Almost as large as the Titan, it sat in a large chair behind a stone desk, wearing once-ornate but now faded plate armour, a maul resting on the desk before it. It was slumped and seemed like it could be dead, unmoving. On the table before it, beside the maul, lay a key-ring with half-a-dozen keys attached.
Nicolai crept towards it, readying his sawn-off shotgun in his left hand under his poncho. Arriving at the desk he simply reached out, hand emerging from beneath the poncho, and gripped the circle of keys.
The Warden¡¯s arm lanced out and grabbed him by the wrist far faster than he could react. Its helmet creaked as blue light flared within, head turning to stare at him. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ Along with the words came a cloud of dust, bursting from the slots in its visor.
Nicolai ripped his hand from its grip, and to his surprise he managed to free himself, though he lost the keys as he did so. As he levelled the shotgun at the undead, he felt a powerful Soul Sense pressing around him, breaking through his shell.
¡®Ah,¡¯ said the undead. ¡®A Marked. So, we begin again. What do you want?¡¯
Nicolai stared at it, nonplussed. He¡¯d expected a much more aggressive reaction. Its manner caused a strange uncertainty in him, his mind freezing up and spitting out the simple honest truth. ¡®I want the keys to Gorf the smith¡¯s chains,¡¯ he said.
The head Warden, moving slowly and jerkily, separated one key from the ring. It tossed it to him. ¡®There,¡¯ it said. ¡®Now, leave me.¡¯
Nicolai stared at it. ¡®You¡¯re just giving it to me?¡¯
The blue lights in its helmet fixed on him. ¡®I have done a lot of thinking, sat here over the years. I arrived at the answer some time ago: None of this matters. Leave me.¡¯
¡®What? What does that mean? Why does none of this matter?¡¯
Its hand reached out and gripped the handle of its maul, gauntlet creaking. The lights in its eyes writhed and Nicolai felt a rising spiritual pressure from the undead. ¡®Leave. Me.¡¯
Nicolai left.
###
Back in the smithy, Nicolai handed the key to Gorf, who accepted it with less happiness than he¡¯d expected. Instead it gazed at the key with the look of one contemplating a long, difficult, unpleasant, and deeply necessary task.
¡®Thank you,¡¯ said Gorf. ¡®Here, give me your hand.¡¯ It held out its own, huge and heavy.
Nicolai eyed the proffered hand with distrust, the sawn-off once more in his grip beneath the poncho. ¡®Why?¡¯
¡®So that I might mark you with my debt.¡¯
Just one more area where I know too little. Nicolai extended his hand, watching, tense and wary.
Gorf simply tapped his hand with a finger, and he felt a dull pain, a burning, and when he looked at his hand he saw a symbol appear in black ink. A smiths hammer, wrapped in chains. It faded from where the giant had touched him, and he felt his Mark tingle. Lifting his other hand he saw the symbol reappear, now in gold, seamlessly joining the shape of his Mark as a small addition on the lower right corner.
¡®It moved,¡¯ he said.
Gorf glanced at his Mark incuriously, letting out a snort. ¡®More of Heaven¡¯s meddling. It matters not, the meaning is the same.¡¯ The Titan settled back into its chair, eyes once more on the flames of the furnace beside it.
Nicolai was preparing to ask more about Heaven, and inquire why it wasn¡¯t taking its chains off, when the Titan spoke again. ¡®I will stay here until I see a good opportunity, then leave.¡¯ It held the key up, ¡®with this, you have freed me. I thank you, again.¡¯
His Mark tingled once more.
Quest Complete.
He¡¯d collect his reward later.
¡®What else can you tell me about¡ª¡® he began, only for the Titan to raise a hand.
¡®I dislike to speak of Heaven, and the Game, and all of it. I know little. You will find others who can tell you what you want.¡¯
Nicolai narrowed his eyes, and a snarl of frustration rose. ¡®I freed you.¡¯
¡®And I have given you my Mark of Debt, a fair repayment.¡¯
¡®Then I exact that debt now. Answer my questions.¡¯
The Titan turned, and gave him a long look. ¡®I do not wish to talk on these things. I will if you force me, but only to the most limited degree. You would be well served by keeping that debt and using it at another time, in another place.¡¯
Nicolai gazed at the Titan. He burned to know more. The constant problem he had was a lack of information. He still knew so little of Heaven and the Game. What was this ¡°Titan¡¯s Debt¡± worth to him? His impression was that it was something which would be of use in the distant, uncertain, and above all far from guaranteed future.
In such a situation as he currently found himself, he would rather a little more of an edge now, when it might be the difference between life and death, when he might be able to use it to snowball harder and faster, than a perhaps more significant edge in the distant future.
¡®I would rather use it here and now.¡¯
The Titan let out a big puff of breath, an irritable sigh. ¡®Fine,¡¯ it snapped, and extended a meaningful hand. He held out his own and watched as the little hammer was removed from his Mark at its touch.
¡®The Great Game, then. It is organised by Heaven. Its purpose is to create new Cultivators at the peak of power, though some believe it has some other, unknown additional purposes. Within the Game, there are two types. Marked, and non-Marked. Marked play the Game. Non-Marked¡ simply exist in the Game.¡¯ The Titan blinked, appearing briefly confused. It frowned up at Nicolai as though unsure who he was.
¡®Non-Marked simply exist in the game,¡¯ he prompted, ¡®go on.¡¯
¡®It is said,¡¯ murmured the Titan, ¡®that at the end of each cycle the Game resets. A returning to the same state as at the beginning, ready for new Marked. What happens, then, to these non-Marked? Do they return to the start, all that they have lived cut away from them? Do they¡¡¯ it trailed off, and frowned, staring quizzically at nothing.
¡®Do they what?¡¯
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
It flinched, turning to stare at him. ¡®Who are you? Oh. Of course. I thank you again, Marked.¡¯ It frowned. ¡®Did I not give you my mark of debt? Here.¡¯ It extended a hand.
Nicolai kept his face carefully blank as he touched that hand, and the little hammer returned to him.
¡®I would like to exact my debt now, please.¡¯ He began, only for his Mask to worm over his face. This creature is suffering, can¡¯t you see? We should leave it alone. It doesn¡¯t want to talk. Nicolai snorted, ignoring that. He needed the information the Titan held and had yet to properly plumb the depths of that information. ¡®Tell me about¡ Heaven.¡¯ Best to try a different question, to begin with. He extended his hand, and the Titan, frowning, raised its own and took the debt back. Again.
¡®Heaven,¡¯ murmured the giant. ¡®It protects us, supposedly. But Heaven is not kind, not at all kind. It is like¡ a machine. It has a job to do and it is governed by an internal system; the Rules of Heaven. It follows those rules to the letter, no more, no less.¡¯
There was something in the way the Titan said rules, as though speaking of a deeper concept. ¡®Rules? What are they? Are they important?
¡®Very much so, but they are shrouded in mystery. There are many attempting to work out the Rules of Heaven. It is said that the more one learns of Heaven and its Rules, the more powerful they become. It is said that one may win influence within Heaven, and make use of it. But these Rules are very difficult to learn, well-hidden secrets. The only Rules most people know are the very basics; the things that one should be aware of, lest they offend Heaven and incur Heavenly Tribulation.¡¯
¡®And what is that?¡¯
Gorf shifted, settling better into its chair, and let out a thoughtful grunt. ¡®Tribulation can come in many forms. It is a punishment, but also a test. I have heard that if you follow the natural path of Cultivation, you will not have to face Heavenly Tribulation for a long time; but as you reach the heights, it is inevitable. It is possible to face Tribulation before that, if you stray from the accepted paths, if you run afoul of the Rules.¡¯ Its eyes glimmered as it peered at him. ¡®Aiding Demons is a good way to get in such trouble.¡¯
¡®Do you know any of these Rules?¡¯
¡®Only the basics, the ones to be aware of lest you get into trouble, not the ones that will give you power. Do you not break a Heavenly Contract. Do not create clones of yourself. Do not seek to steal power from Heaven. Do not Cultivate Demonic energies.¡¯
Nicolai frowned. ¡®Clones are possible? But forbidden? Why?¡¯
¡®You misunderstand me. None of these things are forbidden. They simply contravene the Rules and will incur Tribulation. So long as you overcome that Tribulation¡ you may do as you wish.¡¯
Interesting. Very interesting. Nicolai had much to think on. He tapped his chin, considering. This subject had not caused the same sudden forgetfulness as his previous question about the Game, and the Titan seemed willing to continue giving answers. ¡®What about the Nightmare?¡¯
¡®Nightmare?¡¯ The giant frowned at him.
¡®This world,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®The undead. What are they up to?¡¯
The giant shrugged. ¡®Decaying, I suppose. The People¡ªtheir masters¡ªare gone now. So they simply follow the last orders given to them. This particular castle seems in a bad state, I imagine it is cut off from the Kindly Effort. There are places where the dead can make more of themselves, repair themselves. There is no reason for them to be in such a state if they still have access to those places. Either they have fallen¡ªunlikely¡ªor this castle is cut off.¡¯
A smile pulled at Nicolai¡¯s face. ¡®I heard that name before. The Kindly Effort is what they called their work to¡ build more castles, and kill their enemies, right?¡¯
¡®Indeed.¡¯
¡®A strange name,¡¯ he remarked.
¡®They were a strange people. I believe they thought that by giving pretty names to ugly things, that they¡¯d somehow trick everyone. They seemed to think it very smart.¡¯ Gorf snorted. ¡®I once served on a warship named The People¡¯s Hand of Friendship.¡¯ Its eyes turned distant. ¡®We bombed a city of many thousands into rubble. A strange people.''
Nicolai wondered whether they''d really thought the names tricked anyone. Perhaps they''d just had a very warped sense of humour. ''You say the undead have places they can make more, repair themselves. What are the undead doing, at these other places?¡¯
¡®Continuing the work to take full control of this world, I imagine. The Kindly Effort. There were many dissidents. They enacted on a project to¡ I suppose you¡¯d call it aggressive building. Building everywhere. Fortifying everything, with the aim of turning the whole world into one giant fortress under their control, nowhere left to hide. Now they¡¯re gone, I imagine that¡¯s what the undead are doing. Building things. Growing the endless castles. Except this one, of course.¡¯
Nicolai nodded, finding all this fairly useless to know but quite interesting. He opened his mouth to ask another question, when the giant raised a finger.
¡®I tire of this,¡¯ it said. ¡®One more question.¡¯
¡®Okay,¡¯ said Nicolai, smiling like an eel. ¡®Tell me about the Great Game.¡¯ His goal with this was partly to see if it would give him something different than last time¡ but mostly he hoped he could cause a sudden memory reset in it, get it to give him the debt again and then continue interrogating it in an endless loop. He¡¯d asked Kleos some of these questions, but the head¡¯s memory was very lacking when speaking of anything except Cultivation, and it seemed largely unaware of the Great Game.
The Titan sighed, and looked irritated, as it had the last time he asked this question. Then it said very similar words as before. Once more it trailed off after it started talking about non-Marked, its words becoming tangled and confused, its eyes turning lost.
¡®Hello?¡¯ he said after it had ceased talking and had been staring at the ground for some time.
¡®Oh. Who are you?¡¯ It twisted to stare at him, then flinched at the clank of its chains. It stared at them. ¡®No. I¡ I¡¯m¡ the Great Game. You¡¯re the Marked. You¡ the Demon?¡¯ It shook its head in confusion and sudden anger. ¡®I don¡¯t know!¡¯ it yelled. ¡®I DON¡¯T KNOW!¡¯ The roar shook the room, and Nicolai took several steps back as the thrashed its arms and cried out before putting its head in its hands and sobbing. A moment later he heard a bell start to ring.
¡®For fuck¡¯s sake,¡¯ was all Nicolai could manage. ¡®You¡¡¯ This thing was even more lost than he was. ¡®You were meant to give me a mark of debt,¡¯ he said, pressing forward. ¡®Remember? The mark of debt!¡¯
The Titan raised its head from its hands and stared at him. Then it scowled and in a sudden blur of movement it lunged and seized its hammer, the floor trembling as its movement, Nicolai shying warily back as he took in its quick bulk and the anger in its eyes.
¡®You worked with the demon, I remember now,¡¯ it muttered. It held the hammer ready. ¡®For what purpose are you here?¡¯
Nicolai held his shield charged and ready, the blue hornet¡¯s lightning began to snap over his body, and he gripped his sawn-off tight. ¡®I gave you the fucking key!¡¯ Nicolai snarled. ¡®Look! You¡¯re holding it in your other hand!¡¯
The Titan peered at its hand. ¡®Oh. I¡¯m¡ free?¡¯
¡®Give me the debt before they get here,¡¯ Nicolai hissed, extending his hand.
Instead, the Titan swung at him. It was a half-hearted blow which came far slower than Nicolai knew the Titan was capable of, more a warning than an attack, and he slid out the way. ¡®Stay away,¡¯ it growled at him. ¡®I don¡¯t trust you.¡¯ It put a hand to its head, frowning. ¡®You were¡ you¡¯re tricky. I don¡¯t like tricksome sorts.¡¯
Nicolai had to admit that was the most sensible and accurate view for it to hold towards him. ¡°A tricksome sort¡± was quite the understatement, in fact, and unfortunately the Titan had gathered the shards of its mind together enough to work out it shouldn¡¯t trust him. He felt like doing a bit of his own sobbing. Threat Analysis informed him it made out faint sounds suggesting that undead wearing armour were coming down the hallway.
The thought of losing the Titan¡¯s mark of debt made something squirm with demented discontent inside of him. He knew that perhaps he deserved this; for being such a sneaky, greedy piece of shit. His Mask assured him¡ªsmugly¡ªthat he was reaping the very seeds he had sown. But even so. Even so he wanted that mark.
To his surprise, his Mask came to him, settling tight around his face, and Nicolai found himself deciding that in this moment, in the seconds he had, perhaps a different approach would do the job. His Mask wanted to beg for forgiveness, to be honest, and he felt that perhaps this strategy, or a modified version of it, could work out.
¡®Please,¡¯ he hissed to the Titan. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, okay? I¡¯m desperate! There is information I need to know, and I hoped you would tell me. But there is something wrong with your mind¡ you have forgotten our conversations. Whenever I try to ask you about the Game, you lose it. Some force, some strange magic, is at work on your mind.¡¯
¡®Strange magic?¡¯ murmured the Titan, a deeply confused and concerned expression on its face.
¡®I can say no more. You will only forget again. But, please. I have helped you; I gave you that key, I have given you freedom.¡¯ As Nicolai begged, he heard a rustling from behind, the clank of armoured feet. ¡®Hide the key!¡¯ he hissed at the giant, as though he cared about it, and it was quick to tuck it away. ¡®If you possess any honour, if you have any desire to repay one good turn with another, then give me the mark of debt, as you promised!¡¯ Nicolai stood there, wringing his hands, his face creased with honest dismay and upset.
A wronged party. A good man in tough circumstances. A pathetic figure with the best puppy-dog eyes he could manage.
The Titan frowned at him, confused and unsure, unwilling to trust him but swayed in spite of itself. It shook its head. Then, snorting and snarling, it stepped forward and extended a hand. ¡®Fine!¡¯
Nicolai tapped that hand with his own like one might slap a machine with a credit card, and felt a satisfying little tingle as the mark of debt was, once more, returned to him.
¡®You¡¯ve done the right thing,¡¯ he assured it with a smile he struggled to keep from turning into a huge grin. Nicolai turned and dashed away, his SMG coming quick into his hands.
The gun howled with the joy Nicolai felt as he blasted the zombies filling the doorway, drumming through their helmets. He broke them from his path, slid out into the tunnel like a fish into a reef, flicked his tail, and darted away.
126: Trade
As the ringing of the alarm bell in the prison grew fainter, Nicolai having made his escape, he listened attentively to his Mask as it ladled out the expected recriminations; he had not cared whatsoever about the titan¡¯s clear issues. In fact, the moment he¡¯d noticed them he¡¯d simply tried to make use of its forgetful and confused state. Not Better Man behaviour, there was no denying that.
It was quite smug as it told him that if he¡¯d shown some pity toward the titan¡ªas it had initially suggested¡ªand acted honourably and honestly, he wouldn¡¯t have come so close to losing the mark of debt. It was pleased to remind him that he¡¯d gained it back only because the Mask had helped him by having him show the proper regretful and apologetic nature.
Nicolai nodded penitently, though he felt little actual regret. Had he made a mistake? It was hard to say, since everything had worked out in the end. He¡¯d gotten the debt back, and if he hadn¡¯t¡ would it matter?
He didn¡¯t know how valuable it actually was, but he had a suspicion it was low. In repayment for it the titan had been able to give no more than some not-particularly detailed information about Heaven and the Great Game. Information that seemed relatively basic to Nicolai; Heaven has rules. Knowing the rules is useful. The game resets at the end.
Interesting to know, but¡ªas was often the case¡ªnone of it was quite the kind of information he truly desired. He wanted to know about deep and hidden secrets, the locations of fabled treasures, places of power, stuff that could give him some kind of significant edge.
His breath puffed out through his nostrils in a slow sigh. He needed more. He didn¡¯t need to know that rules existed¡ªhe needed to know what they were. It was frustrating that it was so difficult to learn anything in this strange world, this strange game.
But currently he had no other sources to dig information from, and the information had ramifications which could be of use to him. It was the best he had, so he ought to think it through.
One element in particular made him view everything around him in a slightly different manner, feeling a new understanding of it. From the two facts; the Game resets over and over, and the non-Marked are something like NPC¡¯s, the Game really was a Game.
Nicolai had not played many games in his life. In the first centuries of his existence they had been of no interest to him. All time had been reserved for his profession, and his overriding obsessions.
However, once entombed within Zero-Twelve there had been long periods with nothing to do. GRECKON had been able to switch the other Modules off, but human brains don¡¯t work that way. A person is a singular, continuous moment, formed from electric signals pulsed between neurons.
Since shutdown was not an option, and putting him in some kind of empty box would have likely driven him insane to a degree where he was no use to them, they¡¯d settled on providing him distractions. This came in the form of a full VR suite.
Introduced to the peak of VR gaming, Nicolai had played every game with the same aim in mind. Fighting things. For many of them he had never left the first areas, as he fixated on mastering the combat system before doing anything else. Typically he hadn¡¯t lasted long before growing bored.
It was only in PvP games or those with advanced AI where he had stuck around, as thinking and learning opponents were much more interesting to fight. In these, too, he had made little effort to play the actual ¡°game,¡± whatever that might be, excepting the amount required to make himself able to compete in PvP.
That done he had spent the rest of his time simply seeking out more fights. The fact that it had all simply been numbers in a computer somewhere had led him to see no value in actually improving his ¡°character¡± beyond the absolute minimum to enjoy himself in combat.
Regardless, he was aware of the general shape many of these games had had. A vast and open world. Things to do, people to talk to, some kind of overarching story, questlines and so on.
Since this Great Game reset to the same state each time, it could be considered similar to some of those games, which had also possessed a start and end point. This also fitted with the Quests and Challenges, and even his Mark which was effectively an in-game UI. In spite of these hints, prior to this Nicolai hadn¡¯t really considered the Great Game any kind of game, and in truth he still didn¡¯t except for a desire to see if he could find any ¡°mechanics¡± to abuse. To him it was simply a new way of living, his new reality.
As to the difference between Marked and non-Marked, it suggested to him the non-Marked were like NPC¡¯s, beings who were simply a part of the fabric of the game. Typically this should mean they had no true agency, nor awareness of the game. Kleos and others he¡¯d interacted with seemed to have plenty of agency or at least desire for agency, and goals of their own. Kleos certainly didn¡¯t feel like an NPC. But he had noted that Kleos, when asked, had little to say about the Great Game.
The head simply said that it was for training Cultivators, and didn¡¯t seem at all concerned to be within it, in a way that suggested the fact didn¡¯t truly register. That, taken with the titan¡¯s continuous memory resets when pressed on the Game, but not on other matters, seemed to confirm that the beings within the Game shared the same unawareness as NPC¡¯s would. There was also the mention that this world had not been within the Great Game prior to some point in the distant past. So, perhaps beings that became non-Marked in the Great Game underwent some strange effects, such as becoming unable to see it for what it was.
The main takeaway for Nicolai was that: if this thing reset to the same or similar state each time, then were there people aware of that, able to use the information from previous cycles? Were there other Marked out there who were playing the game by choice, and who had studied guides from those who had gone before them?
The thought was quite worrying, but for now it was just a thought and Nicolai saw little point dwelling on it. The other takeaway was that if it was a game, then there should be systems and rules that could be bent or broken, a way to take advantage. He¡¯d have to be on the lookout.
All of this fuelled a determination within him. To find the Lizard. The Lizard would have the answers he sought, he felt sure of that. The Great Eye¡¯s vision, from long ago, had given him that sense. A sense of ancient knowledge, waiting to be uncovered.
After retreating to the safe-place, Nicolai accepted his reward for the Titan¡¯s Quest. The Reward Shrine that rose depicted¡ªperhaps unsurprisingly¡ªa scaled-down version of the Titan, which sat with legs crossed. There lay a box in its lap, and two more on outstretched hands.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Nicolai examined it.
Reward Shrine (Tier 1)
These shrines appear to grant rewards to Marked who have completed a Quest or Challenge within the game. They come in various types and tiers.
From this Shrine you may claim one reward from three options, and are also granted an additional reward after choosing.
This particular shrine depicts a Titan, a race known for their skill at craftsmanship and battle. They are an Imperial Slave Race hailing from their home-world Viggarth, and are found throughout the Material, serving many roles.
Nothing about them all having dementia, lending credence to his belief it had been more about the questions asked than the one giving the answers. One of the items was a gun, a Bizon SMG. He could get the same from the Trade Link. The next was a box containing three Rejuvenating Orbs, which drew his eye. They could certainly be useful. Finally, a large bag simply holding fifty Oma crystals.
He opted to go for the Rejuvenating Orbs. He should soon be receiving more Oma crystals, either through trade or from the activities of those he¡¯d sent into the prisons, and he could get on with fewer crystals. Not having enough Rejuvenating Orbs was much more problematic.
###
Later that day, Nicolai, along with Beth, John, Cait, Karl and Elena, were lugging three large sports-bags packed with guns, ammo, and extras down a tunnel. They emerged into an expansive open room, ringed by occasional second floor balconies poking out.
He¡¯d chosen this place carefully. The spot they¡¯d emerged from was one where the room narrowed, two balconies above, stairs from them coming down to a raised patio kind of area, clustered around a little hole-in-the-wall type establishment. Rare to see, as the castle seemed generally function-over-amenity, but Nicolai thought this must have been some kind of little cafe, long ago. Within the room there were a number of large stone planters with bare earth, and more rooms opening into it also had the appearance of shops and eateries.
Regardless of what it had been, it was a good defensible position. The balconies, which fronted the cafes second floor, had stone walls, as did the raised patio. The cafe itself was good cover, and they had an exit right behind them to flee through if things got dicey.
¡®John and Cait, take position on the left balcony. Karl and Elena, on the other one. Beth, with me.¡¯ Nicolai gestured to the ground before the walled area. ¡®Dump the stock here.¡¯
The others dropped the bags then moved off to their positions, fingering their weapons. Karl now held one of the new rifles, as Nicolai had learned the man had a background in the police, which coupled with his bionic eye meant he was likely the best shot after Jo. He¡¯d also rather the man had a rifle than an SMG while near to him; in close range many bullets were better than one.
Everyone wore black ski-masks, which with their military-style techno-camouflage fatigues, tactical vests and the guns they carried, gave them a resemblance to military insurgents or cheap private police. Put more simply, they looked dangerous. That was good. In Nicolai¡¯s opinion, one of the best ways to avoid a fight was to look ready for one.
He wasn¡¯t wearing his shimmer poncho, having placed it in the belt-bag it had come with. He didn¡¯t intend to casually wear it around people not in his group, as that would mean pointlessly revealing one of his capabilities.
Today was a test.
Earlier on, he had headed to the location the communist he¡¯d killed near the Trade Link had specified. There he¡¯d found the entrance to what seemed a decent sized complex within the castle. There had been balconies around the opening with guards. Mostly armed with bows, but a few guns presumably looted from chosen. Nicolai had managed to hail one of the sentries over Local, and in short time a leader had emerged, to whom Nicolai had expressed his intention to trade, and given a location. Now, here he waited, bracketed by the others.
Threat Analysis alerted him, one of the drones he had spread through the area catching movement. A large group, armed mostly with the typical mish-mash of weaponry taken from undead, though a few held guns, were on the approach.
They emerged through the main entrance across from him and the others, or at least some of them did. Through drones he saw the rest of them spreading, looking for alternate routes into the room, and he saw some emerge from higher balconies or side entrances. Others were looking to get behind them.
His lips pulled into a humourless grin. Already these guys were looking to do something shifty.
¡®Your people who are circling us had better stop, immediately,¡¯ he called out to the group who¡¯d come in through the large entrance on the far side of the room from him. Leading from the front was a tall, severe looking woman, dark hair pulled back in tight bun, hefting a pump-shotgun, grey eyes taking in Nicolai and the rest of the group behind him. She had two bionic arms, and looked like the leader. Beside her were two men, one a blocky middle-aged fellow who Nicolai saw with his Cultivator¡¯s eyes had an advanced Soul Sense around him. A Cultivator, he also had a holstered pistol and a pair of knives on his belt. The next was a tall man who only had one normal eye, the other replaced by a bulging artificial visual unit. He also had a neural-enhancer, visible at the back of his neck, and held a submachine-gun.
These three were their heavy-hitters, the leader and her two elites.
¡®We¡¯re simply making sure this isn¡¯t a trap,¡¯ the leader called out in return.
Nicolai smiled at that. ¡®If they don¡¯t stop circling behind us, this trade is over and we open fire. Your people stay on your side, we stay on ours.¡¯
She frowned, but after a moment the groups they¡¯d sent out wide paused, then started to return. These people might have few Trade Link goodies, but like all humans from earth they could talk over Local.
¡®How¡¯s this work, then?¡¯ she asked, peering up at four on the balconies behind Nicolai and letting out a dismissive little snort.
Nicolai wasn¡¯t sure what the dismissiveness was about, except perhaps simply to communicate ¡°I¡¯m not impressed,¡± He only counted four guns total amongst these people. He and the other five had a gun each, and good cover to shoot from. If they fought it would be in his favour. These ¡°communists¡± had numbers, but he¡¯d chosen his location carefully. With good cover and good weapons, he and the others should be able to handle this group.
So long as none of the other group got behind them, thus the warning, and the drones he had Threat Analysis send out further afield behind them, searching for any other sneaky squads looking to get behind them from a wider angle.
¡®I have weapons and ammo.¡¯ Nicolai waved at the bags beside him, then looked her over pointedly. ¡®Not to mention, earth clothes, rather than rags. I told you this earlier, when we first spoke, did I not? And you, I believe, have points-tags. Give us those, and we give you these.¡¯
The woman came towards him, crossing the expanse of the room between them, bracketed by her henchmen, the rest of them watching, tense and still, from the outskirts of the room. As they drew close the Cultivator with her extended his Soul Sense, eyes fixed on Nicolai who extended his own, and their Soul Senses briefly clashed in the space between. An aggressive kind of handshake, a test of strength. Nicolai let the man extend, pressing into Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense which he allowed to give.
He saw the man smirking, then that smirk transformed into a scowl when Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense lunged at him and shoved the guy back. He found it surprisingly easy.
Nicolai always beat Beth in their Soul spars, and it was apparent that Beth was significantly better than this man, who fought like a child in comparison. He¡¯d have to make a point of having more sparring sessions with her.
Nicolai could sense the Cultivator wasn¡¯t happy. He decided to push the man a little, figuring it was better to determine where everyone stood now rather than later. So he shone a broad, irritating smirk at the Cultivator, who scowled back, and he felt prideful anger pulse from the man¡¯s Soul Sense.
The man sneered and took an aggressive step forwards. Silver light twisted around his hand, and Nicolai felt ripples through the Aura. A Symbiote being activated.
127: Making Money
The other Cultivator, in the midst of activating a Symbiote, was stopped by an outraised arm, held up by the leader of the other group. She shot a warning look at the man, and he subsided with a grumble, shooting another irritated look at Nicolai. The pulsing through the Aura faded, telling Nicolai that the man had deactivated his Symbiote. Nicolai did his best to wipe the smirk from his face, realising as he did so that it wasn¡¯t entirely faked.
Petty as it was, he¡¯d found winning the Soul Sense test of strength to be surprisingly satisfying. The fact made him want to sigh. Surely such things were beneath him? It was just a primitive drive, like two male apes pounding on their chests and screaming at each other. His eyes rested for a moment on the man¡¯s hand. The guy had a Symbiote and Nicolai was very curious as to what it was. It would be wise to maintain wariness until he could find out. He refocused on the woman, seeing she was about to speak.
¡®Let¡¯s see it, then,¡¯ said the leader, looking to the bags.
Beth tugged one open, revealing shotguns, submachine-guns, and pistols. Nicolai kicked the already-unzipped flap on another open, showing boxes of ammo.
He¡¯d spent every point he could accrue on these things, and badly needed to make it back. Luckily, he suspected he would make an absolute killing today. Perhaps in more ways than one.
He pulled a submachine-gun from one of the bags. ¡®Fifteen-hundred points,¡¯ he said.
Her eyes bulged. ¡®That¡¯s ridiculous!¡¯
¡®No it¡¯s not.¡¯ He replied immediately. ¡®I¡¯m giving you a good deal¡ªand let me tell you why. The Chosen are a problem, are they not?¡¯
She blinked at him, confused by the sudden change of topic. ¡®They are,¡¯ she said eventually.
¡®And right now, with their sole access to the Trade Link, there¡¯s not a lot anyone can do about them.¡¯ Nicolai kicked at one of the bags. ¡®But with these, that will change. I intend to arm everyone, and I¡¯m giving good prices to do so. These are heavily discounted from what I¡¯d otherwise charge, because I see this not just as an investment, not even as a trade. I see this as us banding together against the Chosen.¡¯
She frowned, uncertain, but not as uncertain as he¡¯d hoped. Then she raised an eyebrow.
¡®I know how much these things cost,¡¯ she said. ¡®We¡¯ve captured Chosen, and they¡¯ve told us.¡¯ She nodded to the guns. ¡®A submachine-gun is three-hundred points. You¡¯re charging us five times the normal price.¡¯
Nicolai¡¯s eyes narrowed. So, she knew the true price. That complicated things a little, but also made them more interesting. Either way, he wasn¡¯t worried. She needed his guns, simple as that.
¡®I¡¯ll buy one for three-fifty,¡¯ she said.
Nicolai couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the pathetic hope he saw in her attempt, the hope that he might sudden forget that he held all the cards, that he might just randomly cave and give her the guns for cheap. ¡®Fifteen hundred,¡¯ he said, and smiled.
¡®I thought you were doing this to arm us all against the Chosen?¡¯ she snapped. ¡®I don¡¯t see any truth to that. If you truly cared, you¡¯d give them to us for no more than than twice the base price.¡¯
¡®Of course I care,¡¯ he said, putting a hand to his chest as though hurt. ¡®But every business has overheads. As I said, were it not for the matter of the Chosen, I would be charging significantly more. This is the best I can do. I hope you understand.¡¯
¡®Five hundred,¡¯ she ground out through her teeth.
¡®Fifteen hundred,¡¯ Nicolai corrected her.
Her eyes narrowed, and she made a little gesture.
The Cultivator stepped forward. ¡®We¡¯re not paying five times the price,¡¯ snarled the man, his Soul Sense pressing forwards again.
Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense was joined by Beth¡¯s, and they rebuffed the man easily. He spread his hands while the Cultivator glowered at him, his Soul Sense making angry little lunges.
¡®Where else are you going to get them? How do you think I got them? I¡¯ll let you guys into a secret; the reason I have to charge such a high price. It¡¯s because these things don¡¯t just grow on trees, they¡¯ve gone on quite a difficult journey to get here, before you.¡¯ He tapped the side of his nose, conspiratorial, leaning forward as though inviting them in. ¡®I¡¯ve got a man on the inside, in the Chosen,¡¯ he whispered, and they leaned in to listen. ¡®He buys them for me, and he needs points-tags to do it. Then, he has to sneak them out. People must be bribed, and that¡¯s more tags. The Chosen keep a careful eye, and we often have to dump the weapons and run. Not to mention the times we¡¯ve been caught out by the dead. Not an easy journey.¡¯ He shrugged, leaning back. ¡®These are goods smuggled at significant effort. The price reflects that.¡¯
As he¡¯d spoke, he¡¯d watched them carefully. Nicolai knew how this worked. He hadn¡¯t been overly involved in commerce during his life, but five hundred years and a thirst for knowledge had led him to learn a great deal about many subjects.
When it came to trading, everyone had a bottom line. A maximum price they would be willing to pay. You simply had to find that line, and pitch a price just below it. Naturally, they would attempt to hide that bottom line. Everyone wants the best deal they can get. But Nicolai knew how to read the signs. He recalled time spent reading books on making deals, psychology studies funded by big businesses hunting for any competitive edge, time spent sat in attendance of speeches about analysis, manipulation, observation, leverage¡
Wait. Nicolai frowned, a sudden worm of anxiety crawling through him. Ever since his time in the painted-world his memories had felt strange, and as his mind turned back to those books and speeches and he re-examined them he felt the falseness within, triggering an unease he couldn¡¯t shake, bubbling in his guts. Part of him felt he was imagining this falseness, that it was simply the result of his uncertainty, and yet he couldn¡¯t ignore it. A tiny splinter of unease was dug into his heart, twisting and scratching with every breath he took. Did I attend those speeches, did I read those books? Or did I simply download the data directly into my hard-drives?
Am I Nicolai, or am I Zero-Twelve?
¡®¡ªtoo much!¡¯ the woman in front of him was snarling, and the anger in her voice pulled Nicolai from his daze. His mind refocused on the moment. It didn¡¯t matter where the lessons had come from, not right now. All that mattered was that he was able to use them.
She was acting upset, and she was, but she wasn¡¯t leaving. He had chosen the price based on their number; more people, more points-tags, and more need for the protection guns offer. Based on her reaction, he figured he was past her bottom-line. But he didn¡¯t think he was too far past it.
He wanted to pose a price that would lead to them spending as much as possible, while he gained the best profit possible. If his price was too high, they might opt to hold onto the majority of their points-tags, and only buy a couple of guns. If it was too low, he¡¯d make less profit than planned.
But if the price was just right, they would give almost all of their points-tags to him, each gun selling for a significant profit. At the same time, Nicolai was thinking ahead¡ªrepeat-business. Once he¡¯d sold them guns and they¡¯d used up their bullets, become accustomed to the protection and power the guns gave them, they would want more bullets, badly. And Nicolai was the only seller in town. Each gun he sold them would make them more reliant on him.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Currently, his price was too high. He saw the desperation in them. They wanted the guns but he knew they wouldn¡¯t be willing to buy many. Maybe just ammo. They would wait in hope of a better price or some opportunity down the line, despite how badly they needed the guns. He needed to lower the price until it was at the very highest they would be willing to tolerate, to encourage them to spend everything they had.
The three of them were exchanging glances. He saw gritted teeth and anger in their eyes. The tall man was looking consideringly at the rest of Nicolai¡¯s group, spread on the balconies behind him. The Cultivator was clenching his fists and glaring at Nicolai. The leader¡¯s eyes flicked around, and he saw the wheels turning in her mind. Having realised they would barely be able to buy any of what they needed, they were considering other means. He detected Local communications amongst them. Doubtless it was going something like: there¡¯s six of them, all armed. But if we take ¡®em by surprise, maybe we can manage something¡
A minor display of force should show them how foolish trying something like that would be. ¡®Look scary,¡¯ he messaged the others, and at the same moment he activated his Blue Hornet.
Lightning crackled over his body, and the back of Beth¡¯s arms ignited with crawling fires, both of them lifting their guns slightly. Behind him he sensed the others raising their guns. Beth¡¯s Soul Sense surged out of her to join him, both of them pressing the other Cultivator back.
¡®Is there a problem here?¡¯ asked Nicolai. The smile was gone from his face. Behind him he knew the others had raised their guns.
The three of them took a step back. The tall man licked his lips, eyes darting. The Cultivator grit his teeth, forming his Soul Sense into a protective sphere, while Nicolai and Beth¡¯s Soul Sense tendrils slithered around him, hungry wolves circling, ready to lunge. The man¡¯s sphere was not in one of the guard¡¯s Kleos had taught them. It was just a vague spherical defence, the typical natural type used by someone who did not understand how Soul Sense combat worked. It would be easy to overwhelm.
¡®No,¡¯ blurted the leader, on the back foot. ¡®No problem.¡¯
Nicolai¡¯s smile returned and he gave a casual wave behind him to the others, all of them relaxing, the electricity fading from his body and the fire from Beth¡¯s arms. He considered all he knew, and settled on a price he judged should see him leaving with the largest possible amount of the other groups points-tags, a price that was exactly on their bottom line.
¡®I¡¯ll do you guys a favour. Here: I can do eleven-hundred and fifty for a submachine-gun, fifteen-hundred for a shotgun, two-fifty for a submachine-gun magazine. That sounds better, doesn¡¯t it, eh? Also, if you have any Rejuvenating Orbs, I¡¯ll count them as worth five-hundred points tags, each.¡¯ Prior to receiving three from his quest reward, Nicolai would have been willing to give them a much better price for Rejuvenating Orbs, as much as one or two thousand. But now he had three, he was less concerned and could go for a better price, just on the off-chance they¡¯d be willing to trade some.
The three exchanged glances, tension fading as they turned thoughtful, and he saw the shift in their demeanour. This price was still far higher than they¡¯d have liked, but it was a price they were willing to pay, if only barely.
After that matters progressed faster. The Communists spent some time debating amongst themselves, working out what they wanted, then the leader came forward.
Nicolai managed to offload four submachine guns, two shotguns, a few pistols, plenty of clothes, two medi-kits, and a significant amount of ammo. The ammo ended up costing the other group more than the guns did, as he sold it at similarly inflated prices and they wanted as much as they could get. They also had a Rejuvenation Orb they were willing to trade.
He had the other group back off while he and Beth dragged the bags back into cover, where they redistributed everything until one of the bags contained all of the other groups purchases. Meanwhile he saw the leader and her two henchmen counting out points-tags from a few ragged sacks they¡¯d collected from the people they left in the back. In the end he saw them shove almost all the points-tags into two of the sacks, keeping a bare few in the last.
They came forward, as did Nicolai and Beth with the bag. After Nicolai had counted the points tags and the other group had inspected the bag and Examined some of the guns, they made the swap and everyone backed away with what they¡¯d gained.
¡®Good doing business with you,¡¯ said Nicolai, handing one of the two bulging sacks of points-tags the other group had handed over to Beth. He reckoned it was almost all the tags they¡¯d accumulated so far, which pleased him greatly.
The Cultivator snorted, angry, but the leader gave Nicolai a careful look. ¡®Likewise,¡¯ she said, though he could tell she was feeling quite conflicted. Glad to have guns and ammo, dismayed by the price. Even so, she must be aware that she needed to maintain relations. They were going to use that ammo up, eventually, and then they¡¯d need more.
¡®Do you know about the Challenges?¡¯ asked Nicolai suddenly.
The three frowned at him. ¡®Doing stuff that gives you a reward, yeah,¡¯ said the tall man.
¡®Have your people completed the one about using an Imbued?¡¯
They all tensed up. He gathered they were wary that he might be fishing for information, such as confirming that they¡¯d found Imbued items.
He shrugged. ¡®Only, it¡¯s a good way to get free points-tags if you have at least one Imbued. Just have everyone in your group connect to it via their Seed, tick that challenge off. Same with having everyone use their Seed¡¯s Soul Sense.¡¯ He nodded to the Cultivator, ¡®I¡¯m sure he can show you all how, if you¡¯ve not done it yet.¡¯
¡®I¡¯ll take that under advisement,¡¯ the leader murmured, somewhat sarcastically, but he could see he¡¯d caught at her interest. Prior to finding a Trade Link¡ªor in her case, a Nicolai¡ªthere wasn¡¯t too much reason to have everyone complete Challenges, and based on the amount of points they¡¯d had available he suspected most of them had only completed the typical guaranteed Challenge: survive the Trial.
Making sure these people were completing all the Challenges available to them was, in Nicolai¡¯s view, just Good Business. He told them how to get, effectively, free points. They would later on give those points to him. There were a lot of these people, and if each of them completed two minor Challenges, that would add up to a lot of points. He needed those points, because he had his eye on a certain something. The Market Upgrade Permit.
The woman and her companions retreated with the bag. Nicolai studied those three and the rest of them on the outskirts of the room, checking for signs of an impending attack, his Soul Sense hunting thoughtlessly around him for the same even though none of the other group were within its range. He saw no signs of aggression from the other group, which didn¡¯t surprise him. It would be foolish for them to attack now. They should wait until they¡¯d armed themselves with the weapons they¡¯d bought, but that would take some time as they¡¯d have to take all the bullets from the boxes and load them.
However, he did sense a sudden pulse of furious, murderous desire. It came from above.
Through one of the drones, Nicolai saw Karl staring down at him, holding tight to his rifle. Nicolai sent a jolt of Oma into his shield, rapidly charging it, and prepared to move. His Soul Sense rose and slithered around Karl, feeling at the man¡¯s emotions, guessing at his thoughts.
Rage and hatred pulsed from Karl.
He¡¯s clueless, right now¡ I could just lift and shoot, one move, kill the bastard¡ Nicolai could practically hear the man¡¯s thoughts, they were so clear, the dark emotions within him giving them a push that broadcasted them to Nicolai¡¯s well-focused spiritual ears.
Nicolai stood there, shielding glove buzzing with readiness, his limbs tingling with the same. But none of that showed in his manner. He continued to stare after the other group as they departed, wearing a thoughtful face as if considering them. But within he was visualising how he¡¯d raise his shield, deflect the shot¡ªthe shield should be good to deflect at least one rifle shot, so long as he got the angle for a deflect rather than a straight hit¡ªand at the same moment draw a pistol. The moment after the shot, he would shoot Karl in the head. He could hardly wait to be rid of the man.
¡®You coming?¡¯ Nicolai heard Elena say to Karl. She was waiting at the balconies stairs, her eyes fixed on the other group retreating out the far side of the room.
For a moment, Karl hung there, boiling with emotion. Then he snarled, and turned away.
Nicolai watched Karl go through his Soul Sense. Karl was reaching peak desperation. He wanted to kill Nicolai, and he¡¯d had an opportunity here: or the appearance of one. But he hadn¡¯t acted. The self-survival instinct, perhaps. He was aware, on some level, that Nicolai wasn¡¯t the easy mark he appeared.
So, what now? Now Karl would start thinking on other options, because he¡¯d exhausted all the others. From what Nicolai sensed, Karl had yet to realise the only option left to him. But the deadline was close.
He finally pulled his actual eyes away from the other group, before turning and follow after the others, hefting one of the bags while Beth took the other.
¡®What now?¡¯ asked John when they¡¯d rejoined.
¡®More of the same,¡¯ said Nicolai absently, his Soul Sense lingering around Karl.
This had gone on long enough. He needed to kill the man, and soon.
128: Prisoners Dilemma
Perro followed after Azure and Jo as they filtered through a tunnel, following after a small group of skeletal miners.
The miners stopped at a mined out gap in the wall, resting their cart as they set to work.
¡®These ones,¡¯ said Jo, looking back to Perro and Azure.
Perro swallowed, staring past her at the eight skeletal miners and the three guards with them.
¡®Isn¡¯t there quite a few of them?¡¯ he queried, worried.
Beside him, Azure scoffed. ¡®Don¡¯t be scared,¡¯ she said. ¡®We''ve got this.¡¯ She pulled her mace free and swung it around.
¡®Really?¡¯ he asked, looking at how big she was, then at how big and how numerous the skeletons were, and how big the pickaxes they swung at the wall were.
¡®I¡¯ve played a lot of VR MMO¡¯s,¡¯ said Azure dismissively. ¡®These things are trash mobs. Easy pickings.¡¯
¡®This isn¡¯t a game, Azure,¡¯ said Jo, her tone stern, as she looked away from the skeletons and came toward them. ¡®We need to plan this out,¡¯ she muttered, looking back.
Perro wished they could have gone after a smaller group. Eleven undead didn¡¯t sound like a lot of undead, but seeing them filling the dim tunnel they certainly looked like a lot of undead. But this was the best they could do; they¡¯d been following the groups of miners around since Nicolai left them, and this group was the smallest they found.
¡®Plan it out?¡¯ came Azure¡¯s voice. Perro looked over to see the girl had taken her mace out and was holding it ready. ¡®I can probably handle them alone.¡¯
Jo scoffed. ¡®Where is it, exactly, that you get all of this confidence?¡¯
¡®I told you, I played a lot of games!¡¯ said Azure.
Jo stared at her, frowning, then her eyes flicked to Perro. ¡®Have you two actually fought out here?¡¯
¡®Of course we have,¡¯ blustered Azure, while Perro avoided Jo¡¯s gaze, unsure whether to admit the truth. The truth that he hadn¡¯t fought anything. Cait and John and Karl had handled everything, since the day they¡¯d all appeared in that crypt together. John had made Azure stay out of any fights, and Perro, by virtue of being the same age, was told to do the same.
###
Jo looked the two youths over uncertainly. They were less experienced than she¡¯d imagined. She¡¯d thought they must have at least fought something, considering all the dead. She was surprised Nicolai had managed to convince John to let the pair down here. She¡¯d have thought Azure¡¯s father would be completely against letting his daughter into this dangerous place without him, to fight undead. That would have been a decision made by Nicolai, then. Thinking on it, she could well imagine he hadn¡¯t told the whole truth to John.
John was unlikely to be happy about that, when he realised the trick, but she doubted it would slow Nicolai. He¡¯d roll right over it with arguments and excuses, as he did everything. Strange that someone who¡¯d spent God only knew how long stuck in a bot was so good at that.
Nicolai had spoken to her about Jo and Azure, before sending her down.
¡®They¡¯re green and useless, neither of them have been in any kind of fight. There¡¯s not a lot of here to sharpen them on that won¡¯t be too dangerous, no way for them to gain easy experience. But down there it¡¯ll be different. Maybe you can sharpen their edges a little.¡¯
¡®Any advice about that objective?¡¯ she¡¯d asked, raising an eyebrow.
He¡¯d raised one back at her. ¡®I¡¯ve sent you the datapacket, it goes over everything you¡¯ll find down there, what to watch out for, some suggestions. If you need anything, let me know via the drone.¡¯
¡®Other than that¡¡¯ He¡¯d shrugged. ¡®You¡¯re smart. You¡¯ll figure things out.¡¯ He¡¯d smiled that smile again, the one she was never sure of. He didn¡¯t say, that, or you¡¯ll die. He hadn¡¯t had to.
But she knew that he wouldn¡¯t have sent her and the other two down if he didn¡¯t think they would be successful. The Contract ensured that, plus he wasn¡¯t one to waste things, either. She¡¯d come to realise there was always some careful thought behind whatever he chose, though it was rarely communicated.
She chewed her lip, looking over the two teenagers before her. They were arguing now.
¡®That thing could flatten you,¡¯ he was saying to Azure, pointing at one of the bigger miners, an ancient looking skeleton that stood a bit taller than the norm.
¡®Psh,¡¯ she uttered. ¡®You gotta man up, man. These things are slow and stupid. Just don¡¯t get hit.¡¯
Age old advice, given by someone who¡¯s only ever put it into test in VR, Jo reflected sourly. Still, there wasn¡¯t much for it but to get started and see how they did. She wasn¡¯t worried about herself, she¡¯d dealt with her share of the undead by now, and these ones were slow and stupid. The best way, as she saw it, would be for her to take one side of the group of miners, and these two the other. She could deal with the more dangerous guards by herself, and they¡¯d be able to work quickly to take all the undead out without them forming into a big clump that pushed towards them all together.
She was sure that was the right plan, and it pained her that it wasn¡¯t the one she¡¯d employ. She didn¡¯t want to be separated from the other two. She wanted to be close enough to help them if something went wrong, because she felt sure something would.
She ended their argument, explaining the plan. After they¡¯d nodded¡ªPerro hesitantly, Azure eagerly¡ªthey got into position. Each stood behind one of the miners.
Communicating over Link, using her BIS AI to quickly paint stick-figure images, she went into further detail. They¡¯d all hold their maces ready then strike out at an undead, and they were spaced out to have two of the undead to each of them, with Perro at the far end where the undead miners began their line, Azure in the middle, and Jo between the other two and rest of the miners and the guards. She was probably micromanaging a little too much, but Jo felt in a situation like this too much was far preferable to too little.
As she positioned herself, Jo took a moment to screw the silencer onto her pistol, before shoving it between belt and hip. Just in case.
Once in position, Jo looked over the other two. They peered back, ready, both of them with their maces raised and targeting the undead in front of them.
¡®Wait for my signal,¡¯ she said over Link, eyeing the undead in front of the other two, and the one in front of herself. The miners were rising and falling as they swung their picks. She found a moment where they were lining up, and gave the command.
She twisted her body slightly as she rocked forward, delivering a solid blow with her mace, one handed, to the back of the skull of the skeleton before her. As its skull broke the blue wisp of its Soul was freed, and it collapsed onto the ground.
Immediately she went for the next skeleton beside her, striking it in the skull before it could finish turning to her.
She went for the next but this one had gotten turned around and a raised arm blocked the mace blow. The bony arm had little mass and was pushed out the way, but this sent the skeleton reeling and the mace wide.
Jo heard a yell and stepped back from the bulk of the undead that were turning around behind their fallen friend, throwing a quick glance look back at the other two, and the four skeletons they¡¯d been set to deal with.
Two of those skeletons were down, and the teenagers were struggling with the other two.
¡®Shit!¡¯ yelped Azure, ducking back from a heavy swing of a pickaxe that crashed into the wall beside her.
¡®Help!¡¯ yelled Perro, retreating back down the tunnel as his own skeleton sluggishly pursued him.
Jo dashed forward, engaging her Link¡¯s Combat Assister as she drew closer, which helped her time her movement to get up close as Azure¡¯s drew back for another swing. Jo got there first, and her mace blasted through its skull.
¡®Follow me!¡¯ she yelled at Azure as she kept going on past.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Perro had managed to fall over and was struggling backwards, his mace forgotten, as his skeleton bore down on him.
Jo got there in time, a two-handed swing from the back taking its knee out, then she followed up with a blow to the head. Shards of its skull pattered on the wall as it toppled.
¡®Get him up,¡¯ she snapped at Azure, turning to face the undead coming toward them. Six down, five left. Better than before, but three of those were the guard-type, who wore helmets and wielded swords and clubs.
The other two weren¡¯t much help, so she moved forward alone, looking to get to the closest undead before they drew ranks.
That was when she heard something, a clattering from behind, and looking over her shoulder she saw a fresh crew of undead miners, coming toward them. These undead paused, witnessing what was happening, and then they hefted their weapons and tools and moved forward purposefully, looking at Perro and Azure who stared back at them.
Jo gaped at the surprise reinforcements. Shit.
¡®Come after me!¡¯ she yelled at the other two, tucking her mace away and drawing her pistol as she moved toward the undead in front of her, trying her best to keep her breathing steady as she sighted over one of their swaying skulls. Her Combat Chip focused her and guided her body, as she took a slow breath out, shifted her stance, and steadied her arms.
###
Perro heard a clack and knew that Jo had started shooting at the undead behind him and Azure.
¡®Come on!¡¯ Azure yelled, grabbing his hand and dragging him to his feet.
As he staggered into motion a glint of light pulled his gaze to a blur of motion. The drifting tip of the pickaxe caught him in the thigh. He didn¡¯t feel any pain, just a sudden shock as the blow knocked him into an ungainly stumble. He let out a squawk of surprise, arms pinwheeling as he tried to right himself but his legs were tangled together.
He had time to realise he was falling then the ground hit him with thump as his lungs seized he let out a pained burst of air. Then his chin chipped the ground and an explosion of numbing pain erupted from his jaw, teeth clacking hard together around the tip of his tongue.
Perro groaned and rolled over, hearing nothing but the ringing in his ears. His watering eyes turned the world into a confusing blur, but thought that blur he made out Azure.
She charged forward, mace raised, and he could dimly hear her yelling, screaming, through the ringing in his ears. Her body spun as she threw the mace out and it caught one of them in the head. It tumbled away as she staggered sideways, body dragged behind the mace until it clanged into the wall.
Perro cried out in warning as he saw another stomping at her, pickaxe swinging, but it was muddled by his leaden mouth. She seemed to hear, throwing herself backwards but the pickaxe was already there. Perro gurgled as he saw it crack into her shoulder and knock her spinning. She smacked into the wall and stumbled back as though surprised to see it there, then stumbled back, her face bloodied, and sat straight down.
Her head turned as she looked at him, and they stared at one another, him horrified, her still looking a little confused.
Another skeleton, one of the guards, raised its sword as it moved toward her.
¡®No!¡¯ yelled Perro, a sudden terrified rush of energy exploding through him. He thrashed towards it, struggling to rise, but his leg gave a horrible ache and folded beneath him. Snarling, he swung from kneeling at the undeads knees, entire body extended. He caught it and it toppled, and he with it.
Struggling on the ground, looking up, he saw a skeleton standing over him, the pitiless blue light in its eyes staring down. It raised its pickaxe high.
There came a clack and the back of its skull blew out, blue light venting, pickaxe falling from its raised arms. He flinched away as it clattered into the ground beside him. More suppressed shots sounded and more of the undead fell, then Jo was moving past him, the pistol clicking empty so she put it aside and raised her mace as she closed with the the last of them.
Perro turned to Azure. There was a bleeding gash on her shoulder, blood soaking into her clothes. He grabbed at the Rejuvenating Orb around his neck and put it to her lips. She breathed in, and he watched with bated breath, the pain in his leg forgotten.
Her eyes cleared and she looked at him.
¡®Are you okay?¡¯ he asked.
¡®I¡¯m fine, I feel fine.¡¯ She looked over at Jo and Perro followed her gaze, seeing Jo take down the final skeleton. He let out a heavy breath of relief.
###
Jo was sure Nicolai would not have been impressed at how things had gone. Beth would laugh when she showed her the footage, and tell her at least she¡¯d saved the kids. She still felt it had been a good plan, she just hadn¡¯t anticipated the reinforcements. Bad luck, or bad judgement? She wasn¡¯t sure.
Either way, it was clear they needed to come up with a better way. She wanted to complete their Seeds and get out of here soon. She didn¡¯t want to be away from Beth for too long. She felt Nicolai was¡ sort-of trustworthy. But even so, she didn¡¯t want to leave Beth alone with him for too long. Her father¡¯s advice remained true; you had to keep an eye on people like him. Jo was trying her best to keep that advice, and all other in mind, because she was worried about her occasional reactions.
It wasn¡¯t that she was falling for him. He was the last person she wanted to fall for. It was just that she worried she might be. She¡¯d always had a thing for dangerous people, had endured many jibes from Beth over it. And he was certainly dangerous. Mysterious, too. That was the thing, she told herself, that was all it was. She just wanted to know who he was, inside. The things he didn¡¯t show the world.
She realised she was chewing her lip and did her best to refocus. The undead miners, right. That¡¯s what she needed to be thinking about. She had a job to do and it was best she did it. Nicolai had told her he¡¯d killed the undead by himself and taken their Souls, and suggested this was the most efficient and easiest way. But he hadn¡¯t had Perro and Azure in tow, plus he was Nicolai. Even if they tried to learn from this latest disaster, tried to do better next time, she had a strong feeling that eventually someone would die.
Seeing little other option, she opted to simply explore the area, find a good place for them to sleep in the night, and work out the lay of the land. Tomorrow they¡¯d start trying to work out a way to take down the undead. In the meantime they could gather Oma crystals to deliver to the drone, since at least that was easy to do. The things were everywhere.
###
¡®We¡¯ll do better next time!¡¯ Azure was assuring Jo, who looked far from convinced.
Perro was keeping an eye out, as Jo loaded Oma crystals into the drone. They were in a place in the pit they¡¯d realised was generally ignored by the undead, where a big chunk of stone created a hidden little nook. Jo had said this would be the drone¡¯s spot.
His eyes fell on a train of undead miners emerging from a tunnel some distance away. He certainly didn¡¯t want to have to fight more of the undead. Seeing Azure get caught by that pickaxe, thrown into the fall, that stunned look on her face, bloodied from a broken lip, was a memory he knew would remain with him for the rest of his life. His own injury and that terrible and hopeless moment as he struggled on the stone came a close second. But he knew that they were here for a reason, to complete their Seeds, and that had to be a good thing. Surely then he¡¯d be stronger.
¡®Right Perro? Next time we¡¯ll do better!¡¯ said Azure, and glancing up he saw her frowning at him, her eyes demanding his support.
¡®Yeah,¡¯ he mumbled tonelessly, unable to put any pep in his voice. He heard Jo snort, and an irritated scoff from Azure.
If only we could have stayed back at the safe place¡ He¡¯d never thought he would miss that cramped little complex and his squeaky airbed so much. He sighed. Azure had been so keen on coming down here, and he¡¯d let himself get swept up in that. Now, here they were. Although, it was possible Nicolai would¡¯ve sent him down either way.
Thinking of Nicolai he frowned, as all his other worries came back. He¡¯d thought little on what he¡¯d seen in the painting, the secret he¡¯d become convinced of, since they¡¯d started out to this place. Undead swinging pickaxes at him made his suspicions that Nicolai was a killbot seem somehow trite and pointless. Did it even matter? He really wished Nicolai was down here with them. Or John. Or even Karl.
Sometimes, it seemed like Nicolai cared about him, about all of them. Other times¡ not so much. Was he just pretending? Was he an AI that had gone wrong? It didn¡¯t seem possible, but then¡ sometimes, the way he moved. The rest of the time, though, he seemed normal. Perro recalled the times Nicolai had clapped him on the shoulder, the smile he¡¯d shined at him.
A smile that made him feel like Nicolai had faith in him, believed in him. That he thought Perro could be strong. Perro had been convinced that he needed to live up to Nicolai¡¯s expectations. Then he¡¯d seen what he¡¯d seen in the painting, and it had all gotten confusing. He shook his head, miserable, wishing he could stop being confused.
He couldn¡¯t make any sense of that matter, so he tried to think on one which, maybe, he could. There had to be a better way for them to deal with the undead. Fighting them wasn¡¯t the way. But, they undead were slow and pretty stupid, at least these mining ones.
What could they do?
¡®What we need is to set some kind of trap,¡¯ said Jo, as if in answer to his thoughts.
Perro perked up at this, looking over at her. That sounded good. Sounded a lot better than fighting them. ¡®Like, a hole?¡¯
¡®It¡¯ll need to be somewhere we can reliably get groups of them,¡¯ she said.
¡®The places they go to mine?¡¯ asked Azure.
¡®Exactly.¡¯
¡®We need a way to hold them down,¡¯ said Perro, thoughtful. ¡®Maybe one big one rope, and two of us hold it on either end, attach it to some parts of the wall, and just pull tight? They¡¯d all get dragged against the wall and stuck there.¡¯
Jo hummed. ¡®Possibly. If we could work out something in the wall to attach the rope to. The guards might be trouble, though. Depends if they¡¯re smart enough to cut the rope.¡¯
¡®A chain, then,¡¯ said Perro. ¡®And we can just dig a hole in the wall. At least we have pickaxes. Would they just let us do it, though?¡¯
¡®They don¡¯t seem like they¡¯ll even react until we actually strike them,¡¯ chimed in Azure. ¡®They saw us lining up our strikes and did nothing. Maybe we could literally tie the rope to their legs and then drag them off their feet all at once?¡¯
¡®Another possibility,¡¯ Jo nodded to her, smiling. ¡®This is good. Okay. Tomorrow let¡¯s have a look around and see what we can find, rope or chains.¡¯
¡®Best thing would be a trap we can use on our own,¡¯ blurted Azure in an excited tone. ¡®Then we could run all three at once!¡¯
¡®Let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves,¡¯ muttered Jo. ¡®It¡¯s a good idea, though.¡¯
¡®How can we guarantee they come into the traps, though? We don¡¯t know how they choose what to mine,¡¯ said Perro.
¡®Leave that to me,¡¯ said Azure, smirking.
Perro and Jo looked to her, unsure.
¡®I was always good at abusing the AI of mobs. I¡¯ll work it out. Trust me.¡¯ She grinned sunnily at them.
Perro felt that it wasn¡¯t quite the same, but the undead mining crews definitely weren¡¯t on the smarter end of the undead. Probably it will be fine?
¡®Have a think of stuff that could help us with the traps,¡¯ said Jo, and she tapped the drone. ¡®We¡¯ll leave a message for Nicolai. He told me he¡¯d send us whatever we need, via the drone. So long as the drone can carry it, anyway. We¡¯ll be able to use it to get things down into the pits where we make the traps.¡¯
Perro nodded. Though they¡¯d had limited success at killing undead, they had collected quite a lot of Oma crystals.
The three of them conferred for some time, trying to work out a way, and then they sent the drone off, with all of their requests.
129: Renowned
Later that day Nicolai returned to the safe-place, alone, a spring in his step and a weight of Oma crystals clutched in a bag. It was almost night, the torches he passed a dull orange.
He¡¯d spent most of his time hunting for other groups to trade with (with mixed success), and at the end had gone to the tunnel into the prison where he¡¯d found that the Oma-crystal delivery method was a rousing success. The small transport drone he¡¯d left them had been waiting there, its storage compartment packed with crystals. He¡¯d switched it for a fully charged replacement.
There was a message on the drone from Jo. ¡®We¡¯ve been busy. It wasn¡¯t as easy as you suggested,¡¯ came her voice. ¡®The kids especially; they, uh, they aren¡¯t really well suited to fighting undead, even together. I tried to attack a mining crew. It¡ didn¡¯t work out.¡¯ Nicolai detected a weight of unsaid words in the pause. ¡®Maybe if we had guns, things would be different.¡¯ Now he detected a whiff of accusation, irritation.
He hadn¡¯t given them any guns, other than a singular silenced pistol, for a reason. He was pretty sure a bunch of shooting down there would draw the deads¡¯ attention, and it was likely Perro and Azure, armed with guns, would start spraying rounds off the moment they got worried and then bring all the dead down on their heads.
That wouldn¡¯t do. If the undead investigated, captured the group, and realised that the humans they were putting the bands on¡ªwho, according to their scans, were Cultivators¡ªwere in fact only sort-of Cultivators and thus the bands did not force them to obey¡ the whole scheme he¡¯d set up would likely end there and then. The undead would likely start just killing anyone they captured.
He also felt it would be a waste of ammo, which was expensive. If he gave them all silenced pistols with subsonic ammunition with which to farm the undead then that¡¯d be at least one bullet per undead miner¡ªif not more. He¡¯d have to bring constant replenishment to the drone, swapping Oma crystals for bullets. A huge waste.
He was certain they could work out a better, cheaper way. His decision to leave them with only one gun and limited ammo was his way of helping them work out that way. Being put in difficult situations made people stronger and smarter, this was well known. It forced them to think and adapt. Nicolai felt that Jo was relatively capable, but he ranked Perro and Azure significantly lower on the ¡°able to fight without dying¡± scale. He thought it unlikely they would reach a stage where that would have changed while he was with them. Such growth took years, not months.
Regardless, he felt he could at least make them marginally more capable while he was directing them was a favour he didn¡¯t mind giving. Some might have felt different, but to him sending them practically unarmed into a place packed with undead and bugs was a form of character building.
They¡¯d thank him for it one day.
If they survive, his Mask reminded him. Threat Analysis then chimed in to inform the Mask that actually, it gave them odds of success above 70% percent, and the Mask subsided with a grumble.
The message continued, and he was pleased to be proven right.
¡®No matter. We worked out a way,¡¯ Jo¡¯s message continued. ¡®We think we can set traps for them. But, we need some stuff. We need¡¡¯
Her voice continued for a little while. She wanted a lot of rope, a few tools, and was requesting another Rejuvenating Orb. No biggie. He¡¯d get what they needed and send it down with the drone.
¡®Other than that, everything is fine down here. I¡¯ll update you if things change. How are things going up there? How¡¯s Beth? Let me know. Jo, signing out.¡¯
Nicolai snorted at the last. Jo, signing out. It had the air of something she¡¯d heard in a movie. As he walked up the stairs to the safe-place he composed a response, taking the time to give her an overview of what had happened and how Beth was doing, and embedded it into the drone. He worded the response vaguely enough that Jo would be able to understand what he was saying, but if someone were to happen upon the drone and hack into it nothing of importance would be revealed. His Mask made him finish his message with Nicolai, signing out, and he couldn¡¯t help a tiny smile at doing so.
He arrived at the top and banged on the door, showing his face to the camera affixed above it whilst sending his Soul Sense through, making sure no surprises awaited him. The door opened.
The others were gathered within. It seemed like some of them had just returned from a trip. John was wearing a focused expression as he worked, gingerly but with a degree of enthusiasm, at butchering one of the deer from the garden above in a corner of the room. Beth was staring at the man with a disapproving frown. The rest of them were having a discussion.
The focus of that discussion was Maxine.
They''d mentioned previously that they wanted to go and rescue her, and Nicolai knew from the times listening to the radio himself that she wasn''t doing well, stuck up on her tower, running out of food.
They all looked to him, and he knew this decision was his to make. But he also knew he''d be quite unpopular if he denied them in this. Fortunately for them, Nicolai also wanted to go and rescue Maxine, for reasons of his own. These days most channels on the radio were cluttered with morons spouting shit, and from what he''d gathered people were using them less and less as a result.
The exception to this was Channel Two, which Maxine held sole dominion over. No one had met her personally, but even so Maxine held a significant influence in this area of the castle, through the radio.
Nicolai had decided he wanted to bring that influence onto his side. He had a need for advertisement and propaganda, and Maxine seemed well suited for such a role, so long as he could frame things properly in order to convince her. It was a longer-term goal, however, a later stage of the vague plan that was floating around in his mind, which he was allowing to gradually come together.
Nicolai managed to put off the immediate rescue of Maxine, telling the others they had to prepare a little more first, but he promised it would happen soon. From her words on the radio they knew she had something like a week¡¯s worth of food left.
He needed some more time because before engaging any significant new activities, Nicolai wanted to deal with Karl. The man was a knife aimed at his back, a threat he needed to remove.
###
After counting out his haul of crystals, which came to nearly seventy¡ªenough to immediately solve his worries of running out before completing his lung Nodes¡ªNicolai asked Kleos about the library.
The head was pleased by these questions, as it had been urging him to go there for some time.
¡®There are books there, books that will be very useful to you,¡¯ Kleos said. ¡®One might even say they are required, if you want to truly thrive once you leave this castle.¡¯
¡®How will they help me thrive?¡¯ asked Nicolai.
¡®They are Memory Tomes, very rare and precious. They can rapidly impart information to a user. I believe one of them is a basic Symbiote Pathways Memory Tome. With that, you could learn how to find, refine and improve a large number of basic Symbiotes common to the Nightmare. The value of such an item is very high.
¡®The jungle around this castle should be teeming with what you need to do just that. With the book, you could turn the jungle into a Cultivator¡¯s buffet. Without it, you¡¯ll struggle to make any gains.¡¯
¡®I know there are a few such books in the library, at least there were the last time I was mobile. I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯re all still here, but if they are then you ought to get them¡ªand quick before someone else does.¡¯
¡®I see,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®I¡¯ll go there as soon as I can, but there¡¯s some things I need to do first.¡¯ Karl.
¡®Don¡¯t forget you need to write my name in the Book of the Raised,¡¯ said Kleos.
¡®I remember, don¡¯t worry,¡¯ Nicolai assured the head. ¡®Is there anything dangerous, up there?¡¯
¡®There¡¯ll be a library guardian, most likely, watching over the important stuff. It may well be a higher level of Cultivator than you¡¯ve faced before,¡¯ added Kleos, chewing irritably at its ragged lip. ¡®Likely to be Tier 2.¡¯
¡®Do you think I could defeat it, as I am?¡¯
Kleos made a face. ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be easy¡¡¯ It frowned, thoughtful. ¡®But it¡¯s possible. Yeah. You might be able. Still. Best not to risk it. Wait till you¡¯ve gotten some more Symbiotes.¡¯
¡®You said I ought to get those books quick.¡¯
Kleos made a face, which Nicolai ignored. The head was opposed to risk, and normally he might have agreed with that. But now he knew about these magical books and the uses they could provide him, he wanted them.
He had some matters to handle first, but determined it would be worth posting a sentry drone in the library area and checking on it daily. In the event others went there, he would like to know about it because he might have to act quick; though the difficulty of finding keys to get to the higher floors, alongside the assurance it would be protected by a powerful undead, meant he wasn¡¯t overly concerned. He¡¯d be there himself in a few days.
He was distracted by a pulse of deep satisfaction from somewhere inside of himself, and his Mark flared.
I found it! seethed a voice in his mind. Cyberwarfare. The way in!
Nicolai¡¯s attention immediately focused on the Module, seeing it digging into some invisible presence in his mind like a dog squeezing itself into a hole, clawing and thrashing its way deeper in determined search of something small and fluffy. The Mark.
What do you see? he asked the Module.
Its movements were slowing. It is¡ vast. It is¡ beautiful. I don¡¯t understand. I see¡ Cyberwarfare stopped entirely, half-way into the hole in his mind. Nicolai moved toward it, looking to join and see what it saw.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Before he could do so he felt the world thrum around him, Threat Analysis crying out in warning, and his eyes snapped open. Red light slipped over the stone, forming glassy walls of red all around.
Something began to press, the weight of an alien regard.
The chair broke beneath him and Nicolai grunted as he was slammed through its wreckage into the ground, his spine bearing the brunt as he landed then his body was plastered down and he found himself spread out on the floor like a frog on the dissection table, the red light crowding the walls.
Kleos¡¯ eyes were rolling as the head stared around. ¡®What? What is this?¡¯ yelled the head.
Cyberwarfare screamed and thrashed, still half in the thing it had dug into, trying to extract itself but caught tight by something unkind on the other side.
The pressure grew, and Nicolai felt his bones grating, his flesh compressing, his eyes squeezed until it felt like they might burst. Am I going to die? His vision dimmed.
This is a warning.
The voice rolled through him, and there came one final push on his body, his head feeling like an anvil was on top of it, then the pressure vanished and Nicolai ripped a breath, his lungs re-inflating.
The red light faded away and everything was before, excepting the broken chair, the pain through his body, and Cyberwarfare which had dove back into its hardware where it trembled.
What is your status? Nicolai asked the Module, taking slow breaths and sitting carefully up, wincing at the pain all through his body. Ache in his back, in his eyes, in his throat, in his nose.
We need to leave the Mark alone!
I gathered. Clearly it was best not to mess around with any part of Heaven, even the Mark on his hand. He regained his feet and considered the mess of splintered wood.
¡®What happened?¡¯ asked Kleos, staring at him.
¡®A warning. From Heaven. I tried to, uh, steal information from my Mark.¡¯
Kleos¡¯ eyes widened. ¡®That is not wise.¡¯
Nicolai nodded. It had been quite a warning, that was for sure¡ªshort and sharp. He needed a new chair.
¡®Do you understand how far you are below Heaven?¡¯ pressed Kleos. ¡®You¡¯re like an insect. You shouldn¡¯t mess about with anything to do with it. Cross it, and it will crush you.¡¯
Nicolai sighed. The head was right. For now. ¡®Onwards and upwards,¡¯ he murmured. One day, we will be stronger, and we will return to this, he assured Cyberwarfare. He was glad to see it was already perking back up, already moving past what had happened. Already thinking of how it could do better next time, while Threat Analysis clonked it on the head with the club of don¡¯t be silly, now.
I did get one thing, said Cyberwarfare, shaking off Threat Analysis. I found something.
What is it?
Cyberwarfare opened his Mark, and there was something new in his UI, under his other details.
Renown: 23
A hidden stat. Nicolai¡¯s eyes narrowed. What did it mean?
¡®You ever heard of Renown, in terms of something Heaven pays attention to?¡¯ he asked Kleos, who blinked at him.
¡®Uh, renown as in¡ how known someone is? How¡ important they are? Isn¡¯t that something everyone pays attention to, without thinking on it?¡¯
¡®There is a Renown stat in my UI.¡¯
The head shrugged its eyebrows. ¡®I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never had a Mark like that. No idea how it works. Never heard of this renown thing.¡¯
Do you have any ideas of what it means? Did you feel anything from it? Nicolai asked Cyberwarfare next.
It has breakpoints. I can feel one at 100. If it gets to that, something will happen. But that¡¯s all, and I don¡¯t know what we did to gain 23 Renown. Did we always have that much? Have we gained it over time? I cannot tell.
Nicolai nodded. He would have to keep an eye on the stat. This also proved that more could be won from the Mark, though doing so was obviously a very risky business. But depending on what was possible, it might be worth it. However, he would have to learn significantly more about the Mark, Heaven, and whatever rules governed it, before allowing Cyberwarfare another attempt. After that warning he knew that a second try would see him dead. But perhaps there would be something he could do to hack into it without that happening; a way to be undetected, or a way to ensure he wasn¡¯t punished.
Threat Analysis was spiralling in disgust at these thoughts, tagging them all with: Extremely Bad Idea. Nicolai and Cyberwarfare assured it they wouldn¡¯t be trying again for a long time, and not without knowing far, far more.
A check with his Soul Sense revealed the others were heading to bed. Beth was already asleep. After making the Trade earlier, he and Beth had then spent the majority of the day nearby the Trade Link, hiding most of the path Jo had made. She¡¯d complained endlessly about the boring, sweaty task, but he had been firm. Ensuring it remained hidden was of utmost importance.
The others wore new equipment. He¡¯d made more purchases, replenishing their stock of arms for selling, as well as purchasing a few more guns¡ªa pair of rifles and a number of pistols¡ªfor the rest of the group, as well as bullet-proof vests and helmets to protect all who would come on trades. The vests were only grade 2, They wouldn¡¯t do anything against rifle rounds or a shotgun at close range, but would protect against 9mm from SMG¡¯s or pistols.
His eyes turned to what was spread around him. Naturally, he¡¯d procured the best equipment he could for himself, too. It was spread out across the two tables he¡¯d procured from unused bedrooms, joining his original. He needed room for storage and maintenance.
A new bolt-action rifle with a scope rested on one table, a Charge Baton and a Charge Glove beside it. A shiny new pump-action shotgun¡ªa Mossberg500, the same as a Reward Shrine had once offered him¡ªand his own bullet-proof vest rested on a second table he¡¯d procured. Joining these were a few silencers; one each for shotgun, pistol, and SMG, and finally, a bandoleer of Link enabled grenades lay beside them. In a corner of the room was a neat stack of boxes containing ammunition.
Some might have called this an unnecessary number of weapons, but in Nicolai¡¯s opinion there was no such thing. Plus, he could always sell them if he was in dire need of points. Seeing them spread out like that gave him a deep sense of comfort. With such tools he could accomplish much, and at last he felt that he was settling into a truly strong position within this place.
He felt they had all the weapons and armour they needed, at least that were available from his currently available Market. That in mind, his next primary focus was on getting the Market Permit Upgrade, after which he would visit the library.
With the weapons he¡¯d given the others he¡¯d satisfied their desire for a cut of all trades, while also ensuring that if any fighting broke out they should be of at least some use. He suspected he would reach his goal of twenty thousand within only one or two days.
Just that one trade with the Communists had brought in a great deal of points, over ten thousand. With the proceeds he hadn¡¯t merely outfitted himself and the others.
He¡¯d also bought plenty more weapons and other items to sell, enough that if he managed to get similar prices in two more trades of a similar size, he would have reached his goal.
Nicolai took the time to check on his finalising Nodes.
User Interface 376 | User #53,217
- Cultivation
Total Nodes: 1 Major, 2 Minor
Available unconstructed Nodes: 0 Major, 3 Minor
- Nodes in progress;
Right Lung (Finalising: 36%)
Left Lung (Finalising: 36%)
Completed Nodes;
Heart (Flawless) (100/100)
About a third done. After a quick trip to procure a new chair from an unused room, he settled into it, pulling an Oma crystal from a bag.
Oma began to spill in thin strings from his hand, into the crystal. This would be his first attempt at forming an Infused crystal, and he ensured Kleos was well placed to watch and critique, asking it to re-explain the method as he performed the process.
The Oma strings slipped into the crystal, beginning to form shapes within. It was an odd experience, like drawing but in three dimensions, but with his Soul Sense pervading the crystal he didn¡¯t struggle. This task didn¡¯t need to be completed in one go, as with Nodes, and was as a result surprisingly relaxing. He settled into the process, going slow and working it out. The shapes he drew within the crystal settled and grew firm, forming a lattice.
###
Nicolai held a few Oma crystals against his bare chest, thoughtful. He¡¯d done everything else necessary for the evening, the inscribed Oma crystal was finished. Now, there was one more thing he was interested in, something he¡¯d been thinking on.
It had occurred to him that always having to use a hand to pull from an Oma crystal was not ideal. It would be good to have a quicker method which did require a hand free, for emergencies, and now that he had secured a continuous flow of Oma crystals from the mines he could afford to waste some crystals trying to find such a method.
He drew on the crystals on his chest, pulling. The Oma came slowly, feeling as though it were pushing against a barrier at his skin. Once it made it through, however, it moved at the normal speed to his heart¡¯s Node.
This was something he¡¯d observed here and there. It was why he always absorbed Oma through his hands. For whatever reason, the skin of his palms was much less resistant. Oma pressed easily, almost immediately through that skin and then moved through his body.
This process was overall much faster than the current speed of the Oma from the crystal on his chest, as through his palms he rapidly absorbed a large amount of Oma, perhaps ten percent of the crystals capacity, in a second. This would then go to his heart.
Even though the crystals placed on his chest were much closer to his heart, due to how little and how slowly they pushed through the skin of his chest, the rate of restore was significantly less. Based on his measurements he gained the Oma at about one fifth of the speed he would from his hands.
However, for that he had to hold the crystals in his hand, which took up the use of that hand. If he could stick some of these crystals to his chest, he would use them at a slower rate, but would have them available at all times. Effectively he would be able to greatly increase his rate of passive regeneration during a fight.
He took a piece of fabric and wrapped it around his chest, tying it tight and holding the crystals in place. He drew on one of them, and felt the Oma start to push through his skin. With an effort of will, he started drawing on a second, and then a third.
Ah-ha. With three of them pulling into him at once, the rate of regeneration was much improved. He grabbed more crystals and slipped them beneath the tight cloth. Drawing on five, his rate was identical as to when he pulled on a crystal in his hand.
However, it required significantly more focus and effort from his Soul. So much so that it made it a little difficult for him to do other things, like moving his body and especially using his Soul Sense, which became a little sluggish.
Something to practise.
The other issue was that he had five hard, spherical objects digging into his chest. If he were to take a heavy blow to his chest, these things would help concentrate the force of that blow to more efficiently break his ribs. Not ideal. He supposed he could place them elsewhere on his body, but around his chest seemed the best spot, as it brought them as close as possible to his heart¡¯s Node.
He heard a little tch from the side, and glanced over to see Kleos peering at him.
¡®An Oma vest?¡¯ The head chuckled. ¡®You¡¯re getting serious. Back where I come from, Cultivators only wear those when they mean to see blood.¡¯
¡®Your people used this method?¡¯
¡®Everyone does. Well, not in polite company. But if you think you¡¯ll be fighting for your life, then its time to get yourself a vest.¡¯
Nicolai settled into the chair beside Kleos, smiling at the head. He was pleased to learn that he wasn¡¯t the first to have this idea; it meant there was prior knowledge to draw upon. ¡®So, how would you go about making a good vest?¡¯
¡®Chop the crystals up, for starters. Each one into three pieces, then you can put them flat against you. You can go further; good ones would be made of seamless pieces of Oma shaped to fit against you, but you¡¯ve not got the tools for that. Anyway, once you¡¯ve chopped them up, fashion something that¡¯ll work well to hold them in place. My people used resins which would stick them in place to the underside of clothes. You don¡¯t want to stick them to your skin because whatever you use to stick them will make it harder for you to absorb through them.¡¯
Nicolai did as the head said. Cutting up the Oma crystals proved slightly complex, as a sharp edge didn¡¯t have great effect. But one of his combat knives had a serrated portion on its back, which proved more suited to sawing through the crystal. Some small pieces of the crystal became dust and were lost; he sensed the Oma dissipating from this dust as it fell away from the crystal, seemingly unable to stay within something so small. It was a tiny loss, not a concern.
Once he¡¯d cut one crystal into three flat lengths, he started adhering them to the inside of a shirt, using glue from the Trade Link.
Done, he stood wearing the shirt. A few little hard things were pressed into his upper chest, and he saw them standing out a little through the material. It was an odd look, but Nicolai was aware that this was often the case when prioritising functionality.
This was a design he¡¯d work to perfect. The better he could get them to fit around his body, the better this would work. A shirt also wasn¡¯t ideal; he felt sure he could find or fashion something smaller and tighter to wear under his clothes.
He turned to Kleos, resuming his questions, seeking to learn about the exact kind of designs. He¡¯d like to have his first prototype ready for tomorrow, and he also wanted to see about rigging something up for easier use of Rejuvenating Orbs.
Tomorrow he¡¯d be going into the jungle, a place of almost certain danger, and these emergency options may well come in useful out there.
After some thought he¡¯d determined that the best, most surefire way to remove Karl without anyone suspecting he had done so, was to engineer a chaotic situation.
He felt sure the jungle would deliver.
130: Into the Jungle
¡®Chosen are busy today,¡¯ Maxine had spoken that morning, over the Radio. ¡®Real bee up their bonnet. Dawns just broke but they¡¯re all streaming out across the bridges. I hear shooting already. I¡¯d recommend people stay indoors today¡ not a good one to be going wandering.¡¯
Not a good day for trading, he¡¯d told the others. This lent credence to his decision that instead, they would go on a little extra-curricular trek outside the castle. John had told him about an elevator they¡¯d found some time ago, which wasn¡¯t located far from their safe place. An elevator which took one down to the jungle.
Nicolai was eager to do so, as it would serve numerous ends. He needed a Lotus Blossom Symbiote, and the jungle seemed the best place to find one. He also wanted any other Symbiotes he could get his hand on, as well as food for his Blue Hornet, Beth¡¯s Centipede, and to see if he could find something that the Symbiote in the rock would be willing to eat.
Lastly, the close, pressing confines of the jungle, and the likelihood of them encountering dangerous creatures and other obstacles, would give him plentiful opportunities to enact the primary purpose of the trip.
His eyes lingered on Karl, who was sat at the table eating his breakfast.
He¡¯d posted Threat Analysis to keep an eye on Karl during the night, accomplished via Nicolai extending his Soul Sense tendril which the Modules then maintained overnight. It hadn¡¯t woken him, because Karl hadn¡¯t made his decision. He¡¯d tossed and turned on it all night.
But this very morning, he sensed that Karl had chosen what he would do. Karl was sitting there furtive, casting looks at Nicolai who he thought wasn¡¯t watching. The man had risen to face the day with a sense of clarity and purpose. He¡¯d decided on the only course of action available to him.
Nicolai had seen it when the man reached for a radio, and held it. His mental state had been that of dismay, disgust, but also rising determination and angry certainty. Nicolai had known then that the deadline had arrived. He¡¯d been quick out his room to knock on everyone¡¯s door, getting them out and knocking especially hard and demanding on Karl¡¯s door. The man had put the radio aside, stymied, and was now out here eating his cereal. Peeking at Nicolai who he thought wasn¡¯t peeking back. Wondering, perhaps, about the pounding Nicolai had given his door just as he went for the radio. Wondering if he knew. Worrying, then, about what he ought to do.
No time to waste. Best way to stop someone doing something you didn¡¯t want them doing was to keep them busy doing something else, something that¡¯d make them think they were needed, they were safe, they could just wait until it was over then get on with their business. Then you stabbed them in the back before it was over. Not a strategy he¡¯d needed to employ particular often, but it was one that¡¯d always worked out well.
He spoke up. ¡®We¡¯ve got a job to do, everyone. Get equipped.¡¯ He left a pause, let it stretch. Just seemed fitting. ¡®We¡¯re going into the jungle.¡¯
###
Nicolai, along with Beth, John, Cait, Karl, and Elena, stood before an opening that led into a small circular room. There was a lever set into the floor, and on either side of the room great chains emerged from holes in the ceiling to move through and disappear out of matching holes in the ground.
¡®This it?¡¯ asked Nicolai, peering within.
¡®Yeah. Found it a couple weeks ago. Goes straight down,¡¯ confirmed John.
¡®Did you have a look around down there?¡¯
¡®We went down and came straight back up,¡¯ said Cait. ¡®Didn¡¯t seem like a safe place. I¡¯m still not sure what you hope to gain with this.¡¯
¡®There¡¯s plenty of useful things to be found down there, from what I¡¯ve heard,¡¯ replied Nicolai, stepping into the elevator room, the rest following. ¡®Give it a tug,¡¯ he said to Beth, gesturing to the lever.
She stepped over and set her hands to it. She pulled, grunted, then with a heavy clunk it moved.
The chains rattled and Nicolai felt his stomach rise, the stone walls around the room creeping upwards, faster and faster. Then in a flash, they were in open air and sunlight poured over them. Spreading out before them was the glittering green expanse of the jungle, disappearing into mist in the far distance. The chains hissed and rattled as they crept down the wall.
Nicolai performed a quick check of his weapons. He had ammo and grenades in the pouches of his tactical vest. His pistol was holstered on his belt, alongside one of his knives. On one hand he wore his Imbued glove, and on the other a Charge Glove, which was effectively a very powerful taser. He thought it might be able to work in tandem with his Blue Hornet. His rapier was sheathed on his hip.
He didn¡¯t wear his shimmer poncho, but it was folded into the small belt-bag it had come with. It would come out later, but only when none of the others could see him.
In his hands he held a pump-action shotgun, a Mossberg M500, for which he had a sheath-like holster on his back. He tugged a stubby silencer from one of his pouches and screwed it onto the shotgun, instructing the others¡ªwho all held the same model of shotgun¡ªto do the same. Opposite the sheath on his back hung a bolt-action, scoped rifle. A fairly ancient variant, as Nicolai¡¯s current tier of market didn¡¯t provide even early modern types. Its silencer was tucked into his tactical vest.
Nicolai had decided to switch to guns with more penetration and stopping power after his experience facing the knights, and because he also believed stopping power would be more important against what he anticipated within the jungle¡ªanimals. The stopping power would be of use against larger creatures, and the spreading pellets would make it easier to hit smaller things moving quick.
There were two new additions. Beneath everything, tight around his chest, was his first attempt at an Oma vest. Ten crystals worth, chopped into pieces and spread over him, affixed to an actual vest. On his right shoulder there was also a Rejuvenating Orb which he¡¯d fixed in place on the strap of his tactical vest. It was reasonably easy for him to tilt his head to the side, grip its funnel with his teeth, pull it up, then seal his lips and breath from it. Still an imperfect solution, but a good enough start to be getting on with.
These were both for emergencies only. He¡¯d only use them if he had no choice. If time wasn¡¯t pressing and his hands were free, he¡¯d just pull out one of the many Oma crystals or one of the two Rejuvenating Orbs he had stashed in his pockets.
¡®Could be anything down there,¡¯ murmured Elena, clutching her own shotgun tight, peering over the edge. She, like everyone else, wore techno-camouflage fatigues in addition to a bullet-proof vest and lightweight military helmet. They all looked the part, but some, like Elena, held their guns with obvious inexperience.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
¡®Don¡¯t worry¡ª¡® began Karl, stepping closer to her, then he paused, frowning for a moment at the others and especially Nicolai. Karl looked back to her and began to speak again, but whatever else he¡¯d intended to say was never heard.
They¡¯d reached the bottom, the elevator slowing abruptly. While the others steadied themselves, Nicolai tensed his legs and let his knees bend, maintaining balance as he scanned the area before them. The elevator settled into the ground with a thump, and he started moving, readying his shotgun.
He stepped down an expanse of cracked, aged stone, flat at the top around the elevator then turning into wide steps into the jungle. The jungle itself clustered close, infringing on the stone. Grass and bushes sprouted from the stonework, a network of green reaching toward the castle.
Large trees cloaked in dark bark rose beyond, densely packed, growing in strange, curving shapes, all gnarled and odd, topped by dense spreads of branches resting heavy with thick leaves, the area beneath them dim.
The sounds of life surrounded him. The trilling of birds and the calls of other things, the creak of branches swaying in the wind, leaves rustling.
Nicolai took point, the other six spreading to his sides. He felt a faint thrill twine through him as he peered into it, that of exploring a vibrantly dark and dangerous place. A smile wormed onto his face. Four drones rose above them and sped out, one going above the treeline to give a view from above, the other three diving into the jungle and beginning the investigation of this new world. He suspected they would need to use their guns, and soon. But until the moment that was necessary he would rather they stick to melee weapons; even with silencers, the shotguns would be noisy. That in mind he held a finger to his sheathed rapier and began charging it, making it ready.
¡®Move out, and talk only over Local,¡¯ spoke Nicolai via Link, gesturing the others to follow as he descended. ¡®Keep your guns ready, but only fire them as a last resort. Leave anything minor to me.¡¯ With Soul Sense he kept an eye on Karl, ever wary the man might attempt to shoot him in the back. However, he sensed that Karl had no such designs.
The man was too concerned about the area they were entering, most of his focus appearing to be on Elena, driven by the protectiveness he felt for the woman. In fact, so focused was he on her that he was barely watching where he was going. Seemed he was convinced Nicolai wouldn¡¯t, couldn¡¯t make a move on him. Not here, not with everyone else about. Sadly deluded, but Nicolai had no intentions of letting him in on that.
They stepped down and found a way into the brush, forming a line as they moved through the trees. It was hot and dense and pressing, the bushes slick with fat beads of condensation, and hanging vines criss-crossed between the trees.
As Nicolai crept forwards something shifted in the dark a short distance away and he saw a large frog staring at him. Its mouth gaped and it let out a croak. His Soul Sense immediately moved to focus on it, investigating it, and he felt a weaker kind of Soul Sense from it in turn, and hunger, hunger that focused and turned into vicious intention.
He twitched to the side at the same moment as a tongue exploded from its mouth. It missed him by inches and it snapped back to the surprised looking frog. His rapier spun out from its sheath and impaled the frog through the head. The frog fell, convulsing.
¡®Fuck!¡¯ someone yelled, and he turned to see Cait shaking her leg. There was something on it, a nasty looking bug. ¡®Get it off!¡¯ she cried, and he saw blood.
John was there in an instant, grabbing it and ripping it away, throwing it to the ground where it squirmed and he stomped on it.
Something entered Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense sphere and he twisted his head to avoid it, a sudden whining sound filling his ear ear as what resembled a gigantic mosquito flew past his face, missing him with its extended proboscis. His hands moved without bothering to consult the rest of him, a quick drawn knife punching it from the air.
He paused, as did the others, staring around at the hostile environment surrounding them, at the mosquito big as a very big rat impaled on his knife.
¡®Are you ok?¡¯ John asked Cait, peering at her leg.
She gritted her teeth. ¡®It¡¯s painful, but not much more than a scratch.¡¯
Nicolai checked on the wound with his Soul Sense and found something nasty inside. ¡®We wait here a moment, keep your eyes moving,¡¯ he said, having Threat Analysis pull the drones closer to them. He flicked the mosquito from his knife and tucked it away.
He took the red water bottle from Beth as he approached, sinking to his knees then washing Cait¡¯s wound out with it. It was an ugly series of scratches and tears on her leg, one deeper than the rest. The cleaning water did some work, but not enough from what he could tell. There was something in there, something he was able to find with his Soul Sense, something that interested him.
¡®This¡¯ll hurt,¡¯ he told her, pulling a clean knife and gently pressing into the wound, where he found the object.
He got a grip on it with his fingernails and pulled, and Cait let out a groan. He cut a little around it, ignoring Cait¡¯s groan that had now become a steady hiss of agony, and out it came. A little dark piece of insect. He didn¡¯t know what it was meant to do but presumably nothing nice. He tossed it away and found that Beth had anticipated his needs, already pulled out, opened and presented a medi-kit to him.
He sprayed some coagulating, anti-bacterial wound healing sprays around the area then fitted a self-sealing, self-tightening silicone bandage around the wound. It would keep it all closed and still, and¡ªjust as important to his mind and in this place¡ªprevent the smell of blood from leaking out.
¡®Can you walk?¡¯ Nicolai asked. Cait put some weight on her leg then nodded an affirmative. He glanced around at the faces of the others and knew they were all hoping he¡¯d call an end to this. ¡®We push on,¡¯ he said, unmoved by the worried and unhappy faces. ¡®Remember to communicate over Link, to ensure everyone hears easily, and so that we create less noise.¡¯ There was much he wished to do down here and he would not be turned away so easily.
They pushed through the trees, more slowly now, watching out for bugs and other nasties, and encountering plenty. This time, they managed to kill the things before they could be bitten. Nicolai dealt with the majority, keeping his rapier in the air; it was ideal for dealing with such minor threats. Even so he sensed how it wore at the others, everyone busy looking around at the plants they passed and the ground below.
He kept his Soul Sense roving, as did Beth, and had the drones stayed close. Nicolai and Beth with their slightly improved physiques, alongside Cait with her bionic arm and John with his artificial muscles, did most of the work, all of them now wielding some kind of melee weapon, shotguns hanging on straps.
As they moved Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense roved around, working alongside Beth¡¯s to detect the parasitical bugs before they could strike, but also noticing other things. Now and then he would find plants or trees that shone a little brighter to his Soul Sense.
These, he believed, were plants Infused with more than average Oma. From what Kleos had said, some of them might be good as Symbiote food, or for refining Symbiotes. However, none of them matched with his memory of how the Symbiote in the rock had felt, nor did he notice anything that felt like the spiritual honey his Blue Hornet desired.
They passed some interesting areas; a pond with yellow water, a mass of thorns hundreds of metres wide, the bones of something big. Nicolai skirted by it all, searching for something that seemed worth taking.
After twenty minutes, they came upon a clearing of knee-high grass. The sun shone down, washing it in light. In the centre of the clearing rose a great tree, almost a hundred metres high, sprouting thick limbs wreathed in branches of faintly blue leaves.
¡®What is it?¡¯ Beth peered past him.
¡®Big tree. We check it out.¡¯
They advanced forward through the clearing and drew quickly closer. After pressing beneath the tree¡¯s outer branches Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense was close enough to play over some of the blue leaves, and he felt a shock of recognition, one that put a grin on his face. They felt similar to the Symbiote in the rock, very similar. This would do as food.
¡®Keep watch. I¡¯m going to harvest some leaves,¡¯ he told the others, activating one of his Pegasi rings and floating up into the canopy. He drew close to a branch then reached out and gripped one of its limbs, running his hand along and tearing off the leaves.
As he reached to push them into a pouch, he felt a sudden pulse in the neighbouring Aura. That was all the warning he had as something spiritual slammed into him. Nicolai grunted, a spike of pain shooting through his head as his Soul Sense was instantly broken, falling back into him. The moment his Soul Sense was out the way something seized him, a force that wrapped around his body and pulled.
The world wheeled around him, branches scraping and breaking as he was spun wildly through the air, higher into the canopy, toward the ambusher.
131: Assassination
Nicolai responded without thought as he was dragged through the canopy by the mysterious force, an overriding sense of danger whining through him and telling him where to look as he worked to orient his body, clinging tight around his shotgun.
He activated his Pegasi rings but they were all-but useless, lacking the power to resist the pull, so next he activated his Blue Hornet and electricity began to crawl over him. His Soul Sense was unable to help, broken as it was, but his eyes darted and through the smear his vision had become, Threat Analysis helped him identify what he was being dragged towards. A gigantic bug resembling a praying mantis, crouched on a branch above, two bugs just like it on neighbouring branches either side.
The mantis extended two arms with scissor-like blades that stretched out, ready to lunge and stab as soon as he was close enough.
Nicolai wrenched his body against the pull working on him, dragging his weapon into position as he closed with it.
The sharp crack of a silenced shotgun burst through the canopy, buckshot smashing into the mantis and cratering its exoskeleton. Nicolai squeezed the shotgun around the recoil, shoving it forward while dragging the pump back to reload faster. He managed two more shots which burst its exoskeleton apart in a spray of dark ichor. The mantis let out a piercing shriek, raising its arms as Nicolai entered its range.
He twisted and activated his gloves shield in time to catch the blades that snapped down. Cracks spiralled through his shield as they sliced into it, but it held, and an instant later he slammed into the mantis¡¯ torn chest, ichor spraying around him.
Nicolai activated his Pegasi rings in time to pull up and away from the mantis, his Soul Sense returning to him at that moment and rushing out to form a sphere around him.
Through that sphere he felt something approaching and snapped his shotgun up in time to fire, catching a different mantis¡ªwhich had wings, it turned out¡ªin the head as it flew at him, sending it spinning away. A third one was coming but he floated aside and caught a grasping chitin blade on his quickly repaired shield, instantly cancelling the shield after blocking the blow to answer with another shotgun blast, one handed.
The recoil knocked his arm out wide but it didn¡¯t matter. The mantis was knocked away.
Now their ambush had failed Nicolai simply flew back and away from them, shooting the pair again and again as they came after him. His Soul Sense had recovered and he kept it firm, in a Long Guard that knocked their spiritual attacks away. One dropped, spiralling away to crash into a heavy branch, and the next followed soon after.
¡®We¡¯re under attack!¡¯ came John¡¯s voice through the Link. Nicolai heard the cracks of silenced shotguns from below, and yelling, and numerous high pitched squeals and crashes.
¡®Retreat back toward the elevator,¡¯ he told them. They would have to handle themselves, because Nicolai had seen two things and he wanted both of them. Hanging from a branch some distance above was what could only be a bee hive, surrounded by angry looking bees which had emerged following the disruption.
Then there was the corpse of the first mantis. Him bodily smashing into its chest right after the three shots must have killed it; perhaps the shock had overwhelmed its nervous system. It was still attached to the same branch, its pincered feet having held tight even in death, though it had slipped around to hang suspended from the bottom of the branch. He¡¯d not sensed any signs of Symbiotes from the other two, but from this one he did.
Nicolai floated over then sent his Soul Sense inside of the dead bug, and got to work. There was definitely a Symbiote in there, and after pulling at it with his Soul Sense it emerged. It was an odd looking thing, a kind of tiny disembodied hand that crawled around. Nicolai gently placed it into one of his sturdier pouches and zipped it up, using a little of his Soul Sense to pressure the Symbiote and keep it placid.
He headed towards the beehive. His Soul Sense told him these things weren¡¯t too powerful. He had the impression they were much like normal bees, only with a boost similar as that he¡¯d gained from becoming a Cultivator, due to being Infused with Oma. Being Infused in that way seemed to be very common for natural beings in this world.
By now he¡¯d moved enough to fully activate his Blue Hornet¡¯s lightning Art, the electricity thrumming and crackling over him. This, he hoped, would serve the purpose of a wide-area attack. His Soul Sense lanced out towards the hive and the bees, and he crashed through their weak defences. However, they quickly recovered, all their individual, tiny Soul Senses converging to form one that fought back. But Nicolai was getting good at this, and even together they weren¡¯t quite on the level of his sparring partner, Beth.
His Soul Sense overwhelmed them and he activated his Blue Hornet¡¯s Art, however this time he twisted it. He painted lines over the bees, and told the Art what to do, trying to impress his will upon it.
Nicolai extended his hand and activated his Charge Glove which let out a crackle of electricity, then the lightning from his Blue Hornet surged through his arm, through the glove, and formed a finger-thick bolt that lanced out with a crack.
It caught the first bee and split, and in an instant a dancing, humming network of lightning flickered between all of them, the image of a hornet briefly appearing, formed from lightning, falling upon the bees.
The bees fell in a smoking mass which Nicolai passed through, reaching out and grasping the hive as he continued forwards then downwards, towards the fight below.
He pulled a synthetic sack from a pocket and unfolded it, pulling the drawstring open and stuffing the hive in then dragging it closed and affixing it to the back of his belt.
As he worked he considered the power of the Blue Hornet¡¯s Art. So far as he could tell it had been no stronger than usual. The Charge Glove was still humming, and he deactivated. No benefit had been gained from the combination. But, something had happened there. He¡¯d seen a phantom hornet, and it had moved a little differently. As he used the attack he had felt a strange resonance from the Hornet itself, and he believed he knew the reason. He suspected it was because bees were a hornets natural prey.
Nicolai pulled some Oma crystals from a pouch and drew from them as he exited from the wrapping of the tree¡¯s branches into open air. Looking around, his gaze was caught by something looming far above.
The castle, from this more distant and far lower visage, was breathtaking. A great ragged and scarred chunk of worked stone, peppered with towers and battlements, hundreds of metres tall. It loomed over them all, cold and dark and brooding, peering grimly down at the jungle. For some reason, Nicolai had a sense that it hated the jungle, and that the jungle hated it right back.
Nicolai pulled his gaze away, and looking down he found the others backing away while large boars threw themselves at them, falling one by one as shotgun blasts blew bloody holes through them. They were coming in an endless horde from one direction. Beth was floating above the others, doing a lot of the work as she was free to shoot without worry of being attacked, and Nicolai joined her, raining fire from above.
The boars fell in greater numbers, pushed back. But emerging from the trees at the back of them lumbered a much, much bigger version, and from it Nicolai felt a powerful Soul Sense roll out, crashing into his and Beth¡¯s.
¡®Run,¡¯ he ordered the others, slotting fresh rounds into his shotgun.
He felt a ripple in the Aura and saw the larger boar pause, energy flickering around it then spreading out from it, into the ground, which turned dark and wet, muddy. That mud rose in strings and strands into the air and shot out towards him and Beth, wielded by the boars Soul Sense.
He and Beth worked to deflect it, the mud veering around them, but the boar quickly switched strategies. It stopped purely directing the mud with its Soul Sense and simply launches waves of it at them. With this there was no guiding Soul Sense for them to deflect and they had to simply do their best to dodge the masses of mud.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Nicolai slid aside from one, then another, but was too slow to avoid all of them and one clump of muck caught him in the chest and knocked him spinning.
¡®Distract it,¡¯ he told Beth as he re-orientated himself, and saw her shoot him an incredulous look in response. ¡®So long as you don¡¯t let it break your Soul Sense, I don¡¯t think it can do more than throw mud at us,¡¯ he added, wiping his chest and turning to the branches around him. The others were disappearing into the treeline so he started grasping at the thinner branches and ripping the leaves from them, stuffing them into a pouch.
Beth flew around, shooting at the boar but keeping a lot of distance, a wise strategy. The closer it was to them the more it would be able to leverage its Soul Sense. She was soon coated in mud and he sensed the boar¡¯s Soul Sense pressing closer around her, attacking more fiercely, as it stood there peering up, surrounded by its squealing brethren. Nicolai had a strong feeling that if it broke her Soul Sense, that mud would stop being so harmless. Having taken plenty of leaves he floated towards her, seeing her Soul Sense struggling under the boars assault. With her Soul Sense so pressed she seemed to be unable to properly use her Pegasi ring, and her movement had slowed greatly. He got there just in time, sending his tendril out to block for her just before the boar could break her defence.
¡®Let¡¯s go,¡¯ he said, floating upwards. Beth was quick to follow and they rose away from the boar which squealed angrily at them from below, flinging more mud, then it turned its head to look where the others had disappeared into the jungle. Another squeal and the boars which had remained around it resumed their charge, joining their brethren in chasing after the others, the larger one lumbering with them.
Nicolai holstered his shotgun and pulled his rifle, cranking the bolt and taking aim while Beth headed after the others.
He shot the boar in the head and it flinched, stumbling, blood flowing from the side of its skull. But it simply shook its head as though irritated, and by the time he¡¯d racked the bolt and slotted in a fresh round, a shell of mud was forming around it. He shot anyway but didn¡¯t seem to accomplish anything more than a spray of mud, and the boar¡ªalong with its mud-umbrella¡ªcontinued on.
Nicolai flew into the treeline and there he moved his rifle back onto his back then pulled his poncho out, his mind turning to the matter of Karl. Opportunity was knocking, and Nicolai wouldn¡¯t be so impolite as to leave it at the door.
After putting his poncho on he seemed no more than a faint shimmer and twisting of the light. Cyberwarfare informed him no one was paying any attention to him¡ªtoo busy fighting and running. Perfect. He shelled up his Soul and deactivated his broadcast state, allowing his connection to the others over Link to fade; as though he¡¯d moved out of range.
The gunshots made it easy to find them. He circled wide, looking to come from behind, and now he moved with far more fluid skill and ease through the damp and pressing jungle than he¡¯d shown earlier. Nicolai had fought in places like this enough times to know how to pick his way. Once he¡¯d finished circling around, Nicolai slid toward the sound of gunfire, and the others came into view.
Beth had reached them and floated above, defending them from the boars coming after, and the group stopped at times when she warned them, turning and sending hails of fire back at the boars.
Karl was in the midst of them. The man was right now turning to shoot at the boars; turning away from where Nicolai lurked.
Nicolai swooped low, touching onto the ground nearby, and deactivated his Pegasi rings to ensuring his Soul Shelling was complete. Beth wasn¡¯t in a good position to notice, anyway, busy as she was with the boars, but there wasn¡¯t much point in being stealthy if you didn¡¯t go all the way.
It was easy to creep in toward Karl, surprisingly so. None of them were looking at him, all busy shooting. But that was the benefit of picking your moment just right, and this was as good as it got.
As Karl racked his shotgun Nicolai slipped up behind him, quicker than the wind and quiet as the cold depths of the ocean, hand-talon slithering free through the hole he¡¯d made in his glove.
It was already pumping venom as Nicolai stabbed out, the blade emerging for an instant from beneath his poncho, and he stabbed Karl in the back.
Karl let out a scream that was buried in the gunshots, flexing and spasming, clutching and ripping at his back where he doubtless imagined the thing that had bitten him was.
Nicolai slipped sideways, avoiding the man¡¯s field of view as Karl twisted around, then he faded away into the underbrush, taking a path Threat Analysis had calculated would have the lowest odds of anyone¡¯s eyes crossing over him. A moment later he was blocked from view by the brush, and the Module informed him he¡¯d successfully avoided all eyes. Though he wore the poncho, Nicolai had worried over the possibility of people reviewing their recordings of this moment, and in time spotting the tell-tale shimmer of it. He¡¯d gained some quick distance by the time he heard them notice Karl¡¯s plight, calling out in panicked yelling.
Once far enough he removed his poncho, stuffed it back into its bag, then re-activated his Link and unshelled his Soul as he sprinted towards the others.
He heard their frantic communications over Link and knew things were bad.
Nicolai emerged from the brush to find them clustered around Karl, only Cait and Beth still shooting, while John and Elena struggled to pull the man. Karl was squirming and flexing and letting out an endless animal-like grunting, eyes bulging.
¡®What¡¯s going on?!¡¯ Nicolai yelled, for once forgoing the Link¡ªhe felt doing so would match up with his confused-leader-returns-to-find-problems act¡ªwhile his shotgun joining the others in firing at the pursuing boars.
¡®Something got him, something got him!¡¯ screamed Elena, struggling to drag the shaking man as he kicked his feet, flailed his arms, gnashed his teeth, frothed and frothed and frothed a horrible red drool. Nicolai had seen it all before. The poison was performing just as advertised.
He stowed his shotgun, and his teeth grit as he pressed Elena out the way¡ª¡®Move! I¡¯ve got him!¡¯¡ªand grabbed at Karl in her place, getting one of his arms while John held tight to the other, and they both dragged the thrashing man over the ground. He knew Karl was going to die, because he certainly wasn¡¯t going to inject him with the antivenom, but this was all a part of the necessary act.
¡®Shoot them!¡¯ he roared at Elena who was busy yelling and panicking.
A boar crashed through the undergrowth, huge and stinking, legs thrashing as it skidded to a stop, turned and stared with dumb animal eyes at them. Those eyes settled on Cait and now a dumb animal fury grew within them and it was launching itself at Cait. She let out a grunt as it slammed into her and bore her to the ground, her bionic arm grabbing at one of its tusks and managing to hold the savaging things away from her face. Nicolai dropped Karl and grasped his shotgun, dashing towards her.
He shot it in the head and blood and bone erupted but it didn¡¯t appear to notice. He shot it again and it fell. He dragged it off her then turned his gun on their pursuers. Through the trees he could see the larger boar coming closer, and these smaller ones weren¡¯t all that small, quick, too, and nasty enough up close. A lot of them.
He fired round after round, working the shotgun in his hands, stepping back at he went. Boars fell in one or two shots, depending on where he got them. If you hit them just right in the side of the neck, it only took one. The shotgun clicked empty but he and the others had cleared a little space.
As he reloaded¡ªsomething that required no conscious thought, hands moving in a smooth, automatic blur that created a satisfying click, click, click, as fresh rounds slotted in one after the other¡ªhe glanced back to John who was still towing Karl, now clearly finding it significantly easier because Karl had stopped thrashing. He was still and slumped, mouth open, eyes bulging and red with broken veins. A trail of that bloody froth hung from his mouth.
¡®He¡¯s dead. Karl¡¯s dead.¡¯ Nicolai worked hard to hide the satisfaction he felt at those words, and was proud of himself for not breaking out into a huge, smug smile. It felt like a real weight off his mind, seeing the man sprawled out there, mouth lolling, eyes turned into cracked pink glass.
Cait struggled towards John, and he saw her gaze fix on the the dead man as she realised the same.
¡®Leave him,¡¯ she said to John. Nicolai was pleased he didn¡¯t have to say it himself.
¡®No!¡¯ screamed Elena, and her eyes were wide and horrified.
¡®We have to!¡¯ yelled Nicolai. ¡®They¡¯re coming, go, run!¡¯ As though to prove his words, a furious-squealing boar ran through the midst of them only to fall in a heap as Beth¡¯s shotgun rang out, rolling over and over to a halt just beside Elena.
And Elena ran, and they all ran. Nicolai and Beth held up the rear as he once more floated into the air, slotted fresh rounds into his shotgun and resumed shooting the pursuing boars, tracking and firing, tracking and firing. Easy targets, he felt only a minor pulse of satisfaction when they fell. The big one was slow enough¡ªits bulk impeded by the dense trees¡ªthat they were managing to leave it behind.
Still the boars pursued, and seemed determined to keep coming regardless of how many died. That was until the sound came.
A screaming roar that tore the air and shivered the leaves on the trees. A roar that came from close by. The boars froze, and the big one let out a high squeal then they all turned away and in an astonishingly short amount of time had vanished.
Nicolai and the others had kept moving, all exceedingly wary, the drones fanning out. The roar had come from close by, and they could feel the ground shaking, shaking, with distance thudding footsteps of something very large and very heavy. But by now they were almost there, and the great rise of the castle was coming into view as they pelted from amongst the trees, the elevator waiting there where they had left it at the top of its overgrown area of gentle stone steps.
The previously organised, tidy group they¡¯d began as was now a wretched, bloodied, muddied mass of panting, deliriously exhausted people who collapsed onto the elevator platform.
All except for Nicolai, who was fine, but he made a show of exhaustion just for camaraderie¡¯s sake. He wrenched on the lever and peered into the jungle. The footsteps were getting louder and he saw trees thrashing, branches snapping, as something stepped toward them. He might¡¯ve worried but the elevator chains were already clanking and the stone rising, speeding, and now they were metres off the ground and the gap was only growing.
The day had gone exceedingly well.
132: Fruitful Endeavors
They¡¯d all turned to stare out at the jungle as the elevator rattled upward. The dull thumps, footsteps of something big and heavy, were still audible.
Nicolai¡¯s eye was drawn to where he¡¯d seen trees shaking, and then they were abruptly torn open as something thrust itself out from amidst them.
A heavy head, jaw filled with serrated teeth. Two evil red eyes. Great horns. Huge legs. Stumpy arms.
¡®Holy fuck, holy fuck, that¡¯s a fucking dinosaur,¡¯ chattered Beth.
It was three stories tall, must have weighed over fifteen tons, and was, as Beth had said, a dinosaur. Its eyes settled immediately on them and another of the earth shaking roars blasted out as it raised its head and howled.
Nicolai was already sighting down his rifle and squeezing the trigger.
The 7.62 caught it right in the eye and it flinched, blood spraying, eye closing in pain, but it didn¡¯t fall down or run away. Instead, the air shimmered around it and when the wave of bullets from the rest of them came at it they were deflected by a shield. It charged at them but by now they¡¯d risen high enough even it couldn¡¯t reach, and instead it paused, and raised its head.
Nicolai felt the twisting through the aura and knew that some Symbiote was being used, a Symbiote that felt like fire.
¡®Get down!¡¯ he cried, throwing himself to the elevator. The wash of flame poured around them, turning the air into a furnace, hotter and hotter until, all at once, it cut off. There sounded at this moment another great thumping and more savage roars.
Peering over, Nicolai saw that another dinosaur had come out and caught this one in surprise, in the neck, and taken it to the ground. It roared and stomped and savaged the downed one, which was squealing and thrashing and dying. The others appeared by his side.
¡®This place is terrifying,¡¯ mumbled John.
¡®Good thing we¡¯re in the castle,¡¯ added Beth fervently.
Nicolai wasn¡¯t sure what to think as he stared down at the monsters, and his Mask chose that moment of uncertainty to activate.
Suddenly his eyes sought out Elena, seeing her sat on the ground behind him and the others with a blank expression on her face. Nicolai felt a twisting inside, his Mask tugging and squeezing at his emotions, pulling forth the suitable guilt. Had to be done, he thought, shrugging it away to luxuriate in his true feelings.
A deep sense of satisfaction. This trip had been extremely fruitful.
I should feel bad, though, he told himself, nodding piously at the thought and telling himself and his Mask that he did, indeed, feel bad. It was a shame Karl had to die. A shame Elena must now suffer. But, these things have to be done. His Mask could only nod, because in truth it agreed with him and had also wanted Karl gone. He did his best not to smile, managing it by reminding himself that, regretfully, they¡¯d also lost all the weapons and equipment Karl had carried, which Nicolai had spent a small sum of points on.
His satisfaction was interrupted by a painful itch he felt from his leg, and bending down he scowled at the sight of a nasty worm-like bug wrapping his calf, biting into his flesh. A disgusted hiss exited as his mouth as he pulled a knife and crouched, cutting at the creature. It tensed and gripped tight, biting and rending at his flesh as he cut at it, but he got it off and threw it from the elevator, frowning at the bloody rents it had left in his flesh. Then his eyes caught on another thing, dug into his arm. There was no pain or itch from this, and he realised his arm felt oddly numb. Teeth gritted he turned the knife on this one, too, and with his Soul Sense performed a careful scan of his body. Whatever they were, they hid from his Soul Sense, only revealed when he carefully looked for him, and most of them seemed to bite in a way that numbed him.
¡®Parasites!¡¯ he yelled. ¡®Check yourselves over.¡¯
The panting of the others turned into muttered gasps of shock and horror, then the gasps turned into yells of disgust.
The nasty creatures were on everyone, having somehow found their way onto all while they¡¯d been running.
Nicolai felt a sudden shock of dizziness and realised it came from his Soul, which was weakening. These things were draining it.
In a frenzy of activity he sliced and cut the parasites from his body, casting them off the elevator one by one, accompanied by the others. Most of them seemed to be on him, with Beth coming up next. Whatever they were, they fed not just on blood but on Souls, and had gone for him and her specifically. He supposed she had caught less due to spending most of her time floating.
Nicolai finally ripped the last one from him, and by then he was covered in his own blood, filled with an urge to keep checking as he ran his hands endlessly over his body. A glance to the side revealed Elena, still sitting there blank-faced, having not moved at all while the others struggled with their parasites. Her face was white and there was a lack of focus to her eyes that concerned his Mask. The result of losing Karl, or something else?
¡®Elena,¡¯ he said to wake her, stepping close, all of them turning to look at her.
Elena slumped over, mouth gaping. He ripped at her clothes and found something dark at her midsection, where blood flowed. A worm-like bug was burying itself into her guts.
¡®Oh, fuck,¡¯ said Cait. Beth let out a horrified gurgle then stumbled to the edge and threw up. John turned away, a stricken look on his face.
¡®No trouble,¡¯ muttered Nicolai, catching at the worm and starting to pull. It came in slick, bloody links from her flesh, squirming in his hand.
He was realising the jungle was even more dangerous than he¡¯d thought. Powerful creatures and sneaky evil parasites.
Elena was unmoving, but he felt her pulse. Finally the worm was removed and he cast it from the elevator, peering at the hole inside of her. Sighing at the waste, he pulled a Rejuvenating Orb he¡¯d gotten from the communists, tugged the funnel and put it to her lips, sealing them around it. As she breathed she pulled in the mist and he settled back as he watched her flesh seal itself. With his Soul Sense he observed inside of her as her bowels knit back together from the mess they¡¯d been in. That was half an orb used, already, but he figured it was worth it.
With his Soul Sense he could feel the anger, and turning he saw the glares. The others were not happy with him. For a moment they¡¯d been distracted from what had happened by the sight of literal dinosaurs, but now they were reminded.
The recriminations came quick.
¡®I thought you were going to help us succeed, make sure everyone stayed alive, isn¡¯t that what you said?¡¯ said John, glowering at him, starting forwards, Cait beside him.
Nicolai rose quick to his feet, stepping forwards to meet them. Beth looked up, wiping the vomit from her lips, and her eyes moved between Nicolai and the others. She began circling, half-raising her gun, a wary expression on her face. Nicolai found himself surprised by her loyalty, though perhaps she was simply watching out for herself.
¡®These things happen,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®This world is dangerous. He had to¡ª¡® he choked the words in his throat, realising he¡¯d almost spoken honestly. He had to die. He managed a smile, then killed it because it wasn¡¯t appropriate. Instead he assumed a regretful yet firm expression. ¡®We had to come out here to investigate this place. Now we know what we will face when we come here again.¡¯
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
¡®No, we didn¡¯t!¡¯ yelled Cait. ¡®There was no need for us to come here, I still don¡¯t understand why it was so important for you we all came. That jungle is insanely dangerous! We shouldn¡¯t have been there! If one of those dinosaurs had caught us while we¡¯d been running, we would all be dead, except for you and Beth because you can fucking fly! If you needed food for those bloody Symbiotes, why didn¡¯t you just go yourself?¡¯
Nicolai blinked, momentarily taken aback by the barrage of words, all of which were quite accurate. He didn¡¯t really have any big reason beyond wanting to see what was out there and fishing for resources, excepting the fact he¡¯d wanted to kill Karl, which obviously couldn¡¯t be told. But, put on the spot like this, some kind of relatively logical excuse needed to be invented. Luckily, he didn¡¯t actually need to create one.
He¡¯d been having a bad feeling for quite some time. There was something very off in this place. The shaking of the castle, the war between bugs and undead. So far as he knew the leaders of which were the Castle Core for the undead, and likely Paxolnaz the bugs.
¡®I have reason to believe this castle won¡¯t be a safe home for long,¡¯ he began. ¡®It¡¯s only rumours, sightings. But there is something going on within it. Something that has nothing to do with us. Something that started long ago. You all remember how the the castle shook the other day, don¡¯t you?¡¯ he added rhetorically. ¡®If this place is falling down, we can¡¯t stay here. And where else is there to go?¡¯ He aimed a finger at the green expanse expanding endlessly before them. ¡®Only out there.¡¯
They exchanged glances, their anger fading to become something more sullen, biding its time. He wasn¡¯t overly worried. People tended to forget about the dead faster than they might anticipate, in a place like this.
¡®What is it then? What¡¯s happening?¡¯ asked John.
Nicolai spread his hands. ¡®I don¡¯t know for sure. It¡¯s just a feeling. But I¡¯ve come to believe in my feelings. They¡¯ve gotten me through a great deal. Something is up and I believe in time we will be forced out of this castle. Would you rather when that happens, we go out with no idea of what awaits us? If we do, it won¡¯t just be one person we lose. We might all die, since we won¡¯t be able to rush back in here. We need to learn what¡¯s out there, learn how to deal with it. As I think has become clear, the jungle is a dangerous place. It is much better that we investigate it now, when we have the castle to retreat to, rather than later. This first trip was the most dangerous because we did not know what to expect, but it was necessary. Future trips will go better.¡¯
Cait shot a look at Beth. ¡®Did you know about this?¡¯
Beth shrugged. ¡®First I¡¯m hearing.¡¯ She frowned at Nicolai.
He restrained a sigh. Cait had been quick. Given time he¡¯d have coached Beth on what to say.
¡®Why do you think something will happen?¡¯ asked John.
¡®Isn¡¯t the way this place shook the other day enough? More tremors like that and all this will be rubble,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®But I¡¯ve also seen strange movements from the undead and there are armies of bugs in the prison. They¡¯re fighting. Jo and the others have observed more of the same, down there. Whatever it is, it¡¯s getting worse.¡¯
¡®The prison isn¡¯t safe?¡¯ John¡¯s eyes widened. Part of why he¡¯d agreed to send Azure down there with Jo and Perro was because Nicolai had said it was safer than up here.
¡®It¡¯s still safer than up here,¡¯ Nicolai quickly assured him. ¡®They¡¯ve got Jo with them, they¡¯ll be fine.¡¯
¡®Why did you never mention this?!¡¯ John growled, stepping forwards. ¡®You need to tell us these things! That the castle might collapse, that the prison isn¡¯t safe!¡¯
¡®I¡¡¯ Nicolai frowned, his Mask writhing. Why didn¡¯t I tell them? The dark squirmed in its cage.
Because you need to keep your cards close. Because you can trust no one. Because the less they know the better. Trust only yourself.
The words seethed up from deep inside of him. Partly from the darkness, but partly from the core of himself, centred deep and tight. Similar words had guided him a long, long time. They have kept me alive. But his Mask reminded him of his desires when he¡¯d first arrived in this place, the desires that had forged it. To be more than that, at least a little. Did he have to trust people, though? Was that a necessary part of being a Better Man? He hoped not.
Nicolai puffed his cheeks and blew air, turning away, his gaze skimming over the jungle as it receded, lower and further away as the lift clanked upwards. He supposed apologising wouldn¡¯t hurt.
¡®I should have told you,¡¯ he said, speaking to the air. ¡®I¡¯m sorry. I wasn¡¯t thinking.¡¯ The words were difficult to speak, difficult to drag out of himself. He knew they were only half-sincere, if that. He did his best to speak them like the truth, but his Mask was in opposition to him and he had a feeling he wasn¡¯t managing to be quite as convincing as normal. More sullen child than dismayed leader? His Mask clutched and squeezed and his teeth grit at the ache it made inside of him.
¡®That¡¯s all I ask.¡¯ John sighed, deep and tired.
The fact Nicolai had gotten him to back off so easy suggested that he didn¡¯t care all that much about Karl¡¯s death, in Nicolai¡¯s view. He found that encouraging, and managed to steady himself.
¡®Is there anything else you¡¯re not telling us?¡¯ asked Cait.
With his Soul Sense Nicolai saw Beth turn away to stare with studied casualness out over the jungle. Good. ¡®I thought you had gathered much of what I was planning,¡¯ he lied, turning to Cait and John. ¡®But, I¡¯ll make things clear.¡¯
¡®As I said, we are going to work as arms-dealers, selling things from the Trade Link. We will use this to increase our power and influence, alongside gaining resources. We must ensure no one learns the location of the Trade Link at any cost, and that includes having as few people in this group know of it as possible.¡¯
¡®Everyone will become a Cultivator in the prison, rotating in groups. We will work to deal with the Chosen, as they are currently the largest threat to everyone in this place, including us. In time we will also go on another jungle trip, learning how to survive.¡¯
¡®After today¡¯s trip I have many ideas for ways to make our next go more smoothly. Tough, bite-proof clothing with no gaps will go a long way to preventing more of what happened today, resulting from these parasites and venomous creatures, like whatever killed Karl. We¡¯ll acquire more rings of flight so as to avoid the dinosaurs. I can¡¯t promise no one will die. But I can promise no one will die like that¡ªnot again.¡¯
They stared at him silently, mulling over his words. Beth also turned around to give him a similarly narrow-eyed, thoughtful look. Wondering if he was lying. His Mask said he wasn¡¯t, but the rest of Nicolai knew he was. Pegasi rings weren¡¯t easy to find; there were no more Pegasi archers flying around that he¡¯d seen. Someone getting bit by an actual venomous creature and dying was also naturally a possibility and though precautions could make it less likely, it might still happen. But, at least he wouldn¡¯t be stabbing anyone else himself. Probably not, anyway.
¡®How can we do anything about the Chosen?¡¯ asked John. ¡®There are hundreds of them, now, and they¡¯ve got all the guns.¡¯
¡®That¡¯s where us selling arms comes in.¡¯ Nicolai smiled. ¡®Not only will we improve our lot, we will arm everyone who isn¡¯t a Chosen against them. We won¡¯t need to do much more than that. The Chosen have been pushing everyone around for too long. Every group in this place wants them gone. They only need the means to make it happen, which we will provide.¡¯
Cait nodded thoughtfully. They actually seemed to have mostly gotten over Karl¡¯s death already. Nicolai found this slightly shocking, even though all his careful words had been aimed at this outcome.
¡®Anything else?¡¯ he said, smiling.
¡®She¡¯s not gonna be happy,¡¯ said Beth, gazing at Elena with a sympathetic twist to her mouth.
Nicolai glanced down at the unconscious woman. They¡¯d all worked out about the relationship between her and Karl. ¡®I imagine not.¡¯
As the elevator continued its rise he settled down to check over the Symbiote he had looted, upon which he was still applying a constant pressure via his Soul Sense. He tugged the pouch he¡¯d put it into open and took it out, looking it over again. A tiny disembodied finger, crawling around. He tapped it.
Grasping Finger Symbiote
Tier: 1
Placement: Hand
This Symbiote is capable of generating a pull between the Cultivator and objects or beings. It must be directed by Soul Sense, and thus its range is limited by the Cultivator¡¯s reach. It easily pulls on inanimate objects, but requires more power to act on living beings.
An opponent¡¯s Soul Sense must be broken before it might be used on them.
Nicolai briefly tested the Symbiote¡¯s defences, finding them quite firm. It would take time to break it in, and the elevator was drawing towards the top. He replaced it back in its pouch, continuing to use some of his Soul Sense to keep it under pressure.
Next he checked the leaves, and the bee hive.
Blue Leaves
Leaves from a Blue Eucalyptus tree, infused with spiritual energy.
Spirit Bee Hive
A hive created by spirit bees. Full of honey and dead bees.
Not a lot of information, but Nicolai was pretty sure this was what he¡¯d been looking for. He pulled his Blue Hornet from where it relaxed in his Node, and it moved through his body then formed on his palm. He dropped it onto the bee-hive, and saw it shiver with anticipation, mandibles working, then it ripped its way into the hive from which chewing sounds emerged.
His Soul Sense followed it inside and he saw it eating its way through comb, grubs, and honey all, radiating satisfaction. He caught at it with his Soul Sense and took control of it, having it fly out to land on his hand then it disappeared back into him. It was already full after just a few bites, as he¡¯d last fed it only the other day.
The elevator reached the top and the group exited, John carrying Elena in a fire-man¡¯s carry.
133: Skeleton Farming
Jo, alongside Perro and Azure, moved up and down the length of undead miners and guards.
The undead didn¡¯t react as the three of them put the loops of rope that Nicolai had sent them over the undead¡¯s heads. They tied each loop tight enough that it wouldn¡¯t fit around the skull, a collar around the undeads neck-spine.
Each undead paused, staring with apparent confusion for a moment. They then turned away and resumed their job, except for one which was fixated on the sight of the rope extending away from it, rising to the wall above the undead, where the ropes hooked through spurs of rock made from cutting into the walls.
¡®Alright,¡¯ said Jo, moving to the middle of the room where there was a dangling rope, one which connected to all of the others.
¡®You try it,¡¯ she said to Azure, who stepped up, nodding, eager.
Azure was the lightest of them, so Jo wanted to see whether her weight would be enough. If not, she and Perro were ready to jump in if necessary, and if the trap failed, they had their maces ready and she¡¯d reloaded her pistol. Nicolai had sent her fresh ammunition for it, to the extent she wasn¡¯t worried about having to use it if necessary.
Azure grabbed the rope and dropped her body, lifting her legs, the whole weight of her body dragging down on the rope, which was looped through a hole above her.
There was a combined clatter as the loops jerked tight around every undead skull, and then a series of bony popping noises, as the heads came free.
All the undead fell to the ground, in messy piles of bone, while the skulls fell beside them.
There, the bones began to slowly creep back together, but Jo and the other two were ready.
One undead was spared this fate. It was the one who had been fixated on the rope, as it had reached out and grabbed the rope and pulled it off of its head as Azure began to pull.
Jo crushed its skull with her mace before it could do anything, then she and Azure dashed around, crushing the skulls on the ground with their maces, while Perro ran after them. He held the Soul Trap, which had been loaded with an Oma crystal to power it and now he swung it through the air, collecting the blue wisps released from the skeletons.
¡®Overall, went pretty well,¡¯ said Jo afterwards, smiling at the other two.
¡®Just have to watch out for the odd slightly smarter one,¡¯ said Perro, panting lightly.
¡®So, who gets the souls?¡¯ asked Azure, her eyes on the Soul Trap.
¡®We split them,¡¯ said Jo.
Jo and the others sat on the ground, the helmet between them, and each took their Seed out. Jo kept hers in a wrap around her forearm, Perro had his in a similar wrap, and Azure kept it in her mouth.
¡®How you can keep it there?¡¯ asked Perro, shaking his head as Azure spat her Seed onto her palm. ¡®I did during the Trials but I haven¡¯t since. Its too weird and distracting.¡¯
Azure shrugged. ¡®I got used to it in the Trials. It seems happy in my mouth. I don¡¯t even notice it, now.¡¯
Perro made a faintly disgusted face, which drew a frown from Azure, who spoke scathingly. ¡®Hey, you know your idol Nicolai does the same thing, right?¡¯
Perro¡¯s face flushed. ¡®He¡¯s not my idol!¡¯ the boy hissed.
Jo coughed to cover her laugh, looking away as she smirked. ¡®Alright kids.¡¯ She looked back and held the Soul Trap up, her Seed in her other hand. The Soul Trap shimmered with light, which came from a small pool of thick blue liquid. It let out a continuous faint hiss, as the chunk of Oma crystal they¡¯d stuck under its top strap to touch the siphoning rune worked to absorb Oma and maintain the effect. ¡®Let¡¯s drop them in all at once, and they can split the wisps up themselves.¡¯
The other two held their Seeds out, and on her nod, they all dropped them inside.
###
The helmet was placed on the ground. If any of the Seeds within had looked up they would have seen three faces crowded around and peering curiously down. But none of them did, because they were busy.
The three Seeds dove right into the liquid and began to drink, floating and crawling within, soaking it up. As they did so, they began to find themselves overfilled with Soul, out of balance.
A voice came from above, saying something, recognising the problem. One of the Seeds was soothed by the voice, recognising its owner. There came a flurry of activity around the helmet and then small pieces of Oma crystal were raining into the Soul Trap.
The Seeds grabbed onto the closest crystals and drank at the Oma within, then continued drinking at the Souls, in a state of utter bliss. But all too soon the lifegiving fuel they desired ran dry, and they pressed up against one another.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Now the Seeds eyed each other warily, recognising the competition, considering whether they ought to try and destroy the others and drink at their energies. But each Seed knew, in some way, that these were allies. Pieces of their friends.
The Seeds were collected and returned to their homes. They waved to one another as they went.
###
Jo and the others spent the rest of the day working on new traps. They built two more, all in the same area. She¡¯d decided it was best that the traps be close enough they could all communicate over Local, which meant they had to be very close.
Local connection worked via exchange of radio transmissions between their personal BIS¡¯s, and in the tunnels, those transmissions didn¡¯t go far.
The main problem had been that of luring the undead to these traps, once completed.
But, Azure had solved that. While Jo and Perro had worked to build the traps, she¡¯d gone off to study the undead. Jo had given fifty-fifty odds that the girl was just avoiding the actual work, which was quite difficult as it involved mining out holes in the areas where the mining work was in progress. They¡¯d had to steal a cart which they used to stand on, so they could reach the higher parts of the walls where they wanted to string the ropes through.
The hardest was cutting the hole in the ceiling, each of which took over an hour of gradual, miserable work. Jo and Perro agreed it was not at all easy on the body to hold a heavy pick up and swing at the ceiling above.
By the time they were done on the last trap, Jo¡¯s shoulders and arms had been aching. Seeing Azure return had both her and Perro eyeing the girl through narrowed eyes.
¡®I hope you¡¯ve managed to do something useful,¡¯ said Jo leadingly.
Azure smirked at them. ¡®Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m an Informati. We¡¯re good at this sort of thing.¡¯ She turned the smirk onto Perro specifically.
Perro, Jo knew, was a Manual. It was typical for Informatis to have a bit of superiority to Manuals, but Perro just snorted.
¡®So what did you find out, oh wise one?¡¯ he asked.
¡®They can sense Oma crystals, in some way. I did some experiments, collecting and putting crystals in places. They search ¡®em out. That¡¯s how they know where to mine.¡¯ She grinned, proud. ¡®All we need to do is get more crystals and put a stock in each of these areas we made the traps. That¡¯ll make these areas extra attractive. I think it¡¯ll end up with a new mining crew coming pretty regularly.¡¯
Jo nodded, surprised, impressed. ¡®Well done,¡¯ she said, and meant it.
¡®It¡¯s what I do.¡¯ Azure grinned bigger than ever.
###
After that, things went quickly. The traps worked well and in practise, the three found that they could often move to support one another as the undead didn¡¯t come all at the same time to each trap.
There were a few issues, but Jo felt they¡¯d gotten by without much issue.
They were on the third trip to the drone of the day, having just fed all of their Seeds quite a chunk (all were now up above thirty-percent), and were transporting a few bags worth of crystals.
Jo was thinking about Beth as she moved down the corridor, just ahead of the other two who were having a discussion about what type of Symbiote they wanted, once they¡¯d completed their Seeds. Perro wanted to control water. Azure wanted to turn into a bird.
Beth had gotten that evil-looking fire centipede. Not what Jo would have chosen, but she supposed it matched up. Fire suited Beth. What would she choose, when the time came? She had no idea what her choices would be, but she was hoping for something that would help her move around faster. She liked the idea of it.
She heard a faint noise from beyond and her head raised, eyes focusing, then she came to a stop, freezing.
A woman had stepped out at the other end of the tunnel.
¡®Help me, help me,¡¯ moaned the woman, staggering weakly toward them. She had dark hair and pale skin and seemed in a bad state, moving as though drunk. She stumbled and fell to her hands and knees. A band flashed around her neck.
Jo stared at the woman, unmoving, whilst Perro and Azure came to cluster up behind her.
¡®Shit, what¡¯s wrong with her?¡¯ muttered Azure
¡®Should we help?¡¯ Perro asked.
¡®No,¡¯ said Jo, frowning, thinking. She had a bad feeling about this.
¡®Hey, help,¡¯ said the woman, peering at them from behind her head. Her voice had gotten a little stronger.
Jo leaned down, putting her bag of crystals onto the ground, and reached for her pistol as she rose.
¡®Don¡¯t touch it!¡¯ yelled a voice from behind, and she spun in place to see a man emerging from behind them. He was a scarred individual with ratty hair and a nasty grin on his face, and a band around his neck, too. He held a submachine gun in his hands, and was aiming right at Jo.
Shit. Jo¡¯s lips drew back, and she tried to think of what to do. They¡¯d been tricked. She had already activated her combat chip and it told her she could draw her pistol and shoot him twice in the chest in about a second. It also told her that this was unlikely to be fast enough to avoid being shot in turn, with the SMG already aimed at her.
¡®Pull the pistol out, nice and slow, and drop it on the ground,¡¯ said the man.
¡®What do we do?¡¯ asked Perro over Local, and she saw him and Azure staring at her, eyes round.
¡®Put it down, bitch!¡¯ yelled the woman, who had gotten to her feet, now, and was grinning at them. ¡®If she doesn¡¯t, shoot her.¡¯ She sneered at Jo.
Gritting her teeth, Jo reached for her pistol.
¡®Slow, now,¡¯ barked the man. ¡®Use just one finger and your thumb. You put any more on it and I¡¯ll blast you, you and the kids.¡¯
Jo recognised, due to how they were positioned, that if he shot at her he would risk shooting his friend, the woman. But the bullets would be going through her and the teenagers first.
Sighing, she gripped her pistol around the end of its grip with finger and thumb, pulled it out, and dropped it on the ground.
¡®Good.¡¯ The man grinned. ¡®Now kick it over to her. And no funny business.¡¯
Jo turned and kicked it over and the woman grabbed it from the ground, grinning too.
¡®Shit, we got ¡®em,¡¯ said the woman, and cackled.
As Jo took in the captors, she was thinking that this was not a good pair to be caught by. There was a fiendish air to them. Shit, shit, shit.
¡®We¡¯ve been watching you,¡¯ said the man, and he let out an ugly laugh. ¡®Seen you from afar. What¡¯s all that business with the drone? And where¡¯d you get the gun? You with the Chosen?¡¯
¡®We¡¯re not Chosen,¡¯ spat Azure.
¡®Then where¡¯d you get the gun?¡¯
Jo could feel Perro and Azure looking to her. She wasn¡¯t sure what to do. Should she say they were part of a larger group? Would that make these people back off, or just cause more problems?
¡®Should we tell them we¡¯re part of a group?¡¯ she asked the other two over Local, making sure to check their connection was secure, first. According to her Link software, it was.
¡®I don¡¯t know,¡¯ said Perro.
¡®Of course we should. These guys are gonna get fucking creamed the moment Nicolai and my dad find out about this. They got no idea who they¡¯re fucking with!¡¯
¡®But that doesn¡¯t h¡ª¡® Jo began, but to her shock, Azure was already speaking.
¡®We have the gun ¡®cause we¡¯re with a big group. A big group full of bad people.¡¯
¡®Shut up, Azure!¡¯ she hissed over Local. ¡®We haven¡¯t decided!¡¯
Azure ignored her. ¡®If you screw with us, you¡¯re gonna fucking die!¡¯ the girl yelled, standing tall, glaring at the man with the gun pointed at them.
134: Chain Gang
The echoes of Azure¡¯s cry rang dully off the stone walls. Fuck with us¡ gonna fucking die!¡
He laughed. ¡®Is that right?¡¯ He made a frightened face and held his arms out and made a show of looking around. ¡®Oh, oh no, they¡¯re gonna get me!¡¯ He paused expectantly. He looked at Azure, who was giving him a tremendous scowl. ¡®Where are they?¡¯ he asked, in a puzzled voice. ¡®Aren¡¯t they coming? No?¡¯ He peered around again. ¡®Nah, doesn¡¯t seem like it. No one here, is there, Honey Boo?¡¯ he called over to the woman.
¡®That¡¯s right, Honey Bear. We been watching,¡¯ said Honey Boo. ¡®It¡¯s just you three. And that drone. And us.¡¯ She chuckled.
¡®I guess they send the drone to the rest of ¡®em,¡¯ said the man, his eyes narrowed. ¡®That¡¯s alright. We¡¯ll keep on sending the drone. Eh? No need to change anything, anything at all. Let your friends know that everything¡¯s fine, nothing to worry about down here.¡¯ He looked to Azure. ¡®How many are they then, these big scary friends of yours?¡¯
Jo saw Azure open her mouth and she grabbed the girl, her fingers digging into Azure¡¯s bicep.
¡®Hey!¡¯ yelped Azure.
¡®Shut up,¡¯ she said over Local. ¡®Let me think.¡¯ She glared at the grinning man. She wasn¡¯t at all sure this was the right way to go about things. Now this pair would know to watch out for anyone coming to check on them, to try and make sure there was no reason for someone to come and check. She¡¯d thought, maybe, that Azure¡¯s boasts might scare the pair off, but that wasn¡¯t happening.
However, she figured that now it had been done she might as well lean into it. Might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb, her father had been fond of saying. To Jo, lamb and sheep were just these fluffy things seen in textbooks, they had died out long ago when humans worked out better ways to make wool and meat. Even so, the meaning of the saying persisted.
¡®There¡¯s lots of us, and they¡¯ll be coming to check up on us soon. Way more than you two can handle.¡¯ As she said this, she was thinking: we need to make sure the message gets to the others. That we¡¯re in trouble down here. If Nicolai comes¡ Azure was right, on that front. If they could get the information about what was happening to him, these two would be dead in quick order; she had no doubt of that. Assuming nothing big was happening up there, assuming he and the others were free to come and intervene. But now they¡¯d told, these two would know to avoid leaving any signs of what was going on.
The woman laughed. ¡®I¡¯m sure they will. I¡¯m sure they care greatly about the people they bundled away into this place to harvest crystals for ¡®em.¡¯
¡®Harvest crystals and fatten your Seeds,¡¯ said the man, staring at Jo with sneaky little eyes. ¡®We appreciate that greatly. Take your Seeds out and put them on the ground.¡¯
Jo¡¯s eyes widened. No! None of them quite knew why, but she, like everyone else, knew that her Seed was important. She couldn¡¯t lose it. She had to hold onto it, to finish it! They had to do something¡
¡®I¡¯m not handing my Seed over!¡¯ came Azure¡¯s voice in her ears. ¡®Jo, we have to do something, they¡¯ll kill our Seeds!¡¯
But what can we do? thought Jo. She saw no options.
¡®I¡¯m going to swallow mine,¡¯ said Perro, and she looked over at him to see his face worried but determined. ¡®I¡¯ll take it out, like he said, and then swallow it before they can react.¡¯
¡®Won¡¯t they just cut us open for the Seeds?¡¯ asked Azure. ¡®And what if our stomach acid melt the Seeds?¡¯
¡®They want us for something,¡¯ said Perro. ¡®Remember what they said about keeping the drone going up? They aren¡¯t just going to kill us, take our Seeds, and run. I think they want us to keep the traps going. Harvesting for them.¡¯
Jo frowned at him. ¡®Why?¡¯
¡®To complete their own Seeds as fast as possible. I heard you don¡¯t get everything, when your Seed eats another. That¡¯s what Maxine on the Radio says, anyway, and she knows more than anyone about this place. They can have us keep harvesting each trap, three of us rather than their two, take the proceeds, and then kill us when their Seeds are almost complete, to get all the way.¡¯
¡®What about our Seeds melting?¡¯ asked Azure.
Perro shrugged. ¡®I¡¯d rather risk my Seed dying inside of me, than see these two shitheads steal it.¡¯
She was surprised by how far ahead the boy had seen, in such a situation. Perro was more than he seemed on the surface. ¡®You¡¯re right,¡¯ she said, and began to speak more, only to be interrupted.
¡®What are you lot discussing?¡¯ barked the man, angry. ¡®Enough with you standing there staring at each other. Take the Seeds out, and drop them on the ground, now!¡¯ He raised the SMG, sighting down it.
¡®We swallow all together,¡¯ said Jo. ¡®On three.¡¯
¡®Okay,¡¯ she said to the man, and began undoing the wrap around her bicep, where her Seed was squirming beneath. ¡®We¡¯ll do it.¡¯
¡®One,¡¯ she said the others, as Perro did the same. Azure started messing with her clothes, to look the same as them, though her Seed was in her mouth.
¡®Two,¡¯ said Jo as she and Perro took their Seeds out.
¡®Three,¡¯ she moved her Seed right to her mouth, plopped it in.
¡®Hey! What the fuck are you doing!¡¯ yelled the woman, raising the pistol.
Jo swallowed, and heard the other two doing the same.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
The man was gaping at them. ¡®Did you just swallow your Seeds?¡¯
¡®That¡¯s right,¡¯ said Azure, smirking.
¡®Shut up,¡¯ Jo hissed at her, worried about the response the girls mocking words might draw.
¡®You little bitch,¡¯ snarled the man.
¡®We ought to cut them open,¡¯ hissed the woman, and Jo saw the eyes of the pair meeting, looking to one another. Their throats moved slightly. They were debating what to do.
Jo was ready to move. If they looked like they¡¯d shoot, she might as well try something. But from their faces she saw something different.
¡®Fuck it,¡¯ muttered the man, irritated. ¡®Whatever. We only wanted you to run those traps for us, I don¡¯t know why you swallowed your Seeds. Dumbshits. Probably get fucked up in your stomach.¡¯ He laughed, and the woman laughed too.
Jo was quite worried on that front, and from the faces of the others, knew they were, too.
She could feel her Seed. She¡¯d felt it sliding down her throat. Now it was in her stomach. She was still able to connect to it, and she was observing its reactions and emotions closely. She was expecting to feel a sudden spike of pain and terror from it, as the acid in her stomach started eating into it.
But instead she felt a vague curiosity from it. Closing her eyes, she focused, and managed to connect to it.
She found herself in a red-coloured world of strange liquid and disconcerting shapes, crawling on a red wall. Around the side of her stomach. The Seed was entirely unharmed by the stomach acid. It was fine. She was safe.
The urge to let out a sigh of relief was tremendous, and she held it in only at the last moment. Opening her eyes she saw a smile forming on Perro¡¯s face, and knew he was about to let out a similar sigh. She shifted and her foot stepped onto his.
¡®Ow,¡¯ he muttered as she pulled away.
¡®Don¡¯t let them know our Seeds our fine,¡¯ she told the other two, and she was proud of them when they didn¡¯t nod, when they adopted upset, miserable expressions¡ªas though their Seeds had just been lost. She formed her face into a similar expression, and shook her head, letting out a grim sigh.
¡®You know we could just cut you all open?¡¯ said the woman, her eyes needling into Jo and the others.
Jo shrugged. ¡®You could. But you¡¯d not find anything. Our Seeds are dead.¡¯
The woman scoffed. ¡®Whatever. We¡¯ll see.¡¯ There was an ominous air of promise in those words, one that pricked at Jo.
There was no use pretending otherwise. These two intended to kill them, sooner or later. All she could was hope that it would be later.
¡®So what now?¡¯ asked Azure, raising her arms.
¡®Now you three get to work.¡¯ The man grinned. ¡®We had a look at those traps you made. Very smart. But I see you¡¯re carrying crystals. Taking them to the drone, right?¡¯
¡®That¡¯s right,¡¯ said Jo, wary.
¡®Then let¡¯s go. Have to keep up appearances, don¡¯t we?¡¯ He smirked.
The five of them moved through the tunnel and out toward the pit. As they approached, the woman moved ahead of them, turning to face them and walking backwards. She stashed the pistol, hiding it beneath her rags.
¡®Don¡¯t get any stupid ideas,¡¯ she warned, her hand hovering over the bulge of the pistol as she stepped out from under the shadows and into the sunlight shining down from the hole. ¡®I can have this out in a second and a bunch of holes in all you. The undead might kick up a fuss but they won¡¯t do anything more than take our weapons. You three are dead either way.¡¯
¡®We get it,¡¯ muttered Azure, glaring at her.
The five of them made their way to the less-travelled section of the pit where Jo and the others were keeping the drone.
¡®Stay over there,¡¯ the man said. He had a cloak of rotten cloth draped over his shoulders, under which he¡¯d hidden his SMG, and from the occasional moments it parted Jo saw that he held it still in his hands. He and the woman went over to the drone, while she and the others stayed a few metres away, and there they deliberated, poking and prodding it, looking it over.
¡®Hand over the Link controls, full admin,¡¯ the woman yelled at Jo.
Jo had expected this, and had been considering what to do. She had full control over the drone, shared between her and Nicolai. She needed to try and ensure that when the drone continued on its scheduled movements to deposit their latest take of Oma crystals, it went carrying some kind of message, or signal, that there was a problem. As they¡¯d been approaching the drone, she¡¯d connected to it, and had made a few settings changes which there was no reason to make. Things like renaming the drones designation code to something else, and changing the battery percentage at which it would notify the user of low battery.
It wouldn¡¯t affect the drones operation, but it was a change that she hoped Nicolai would notice, and she had a feeling that he would. He was obsessive, he checked everything.
The bigger issue was that these two might recognise what she¡¯d done. It would depend on their implants and their skill with software. Jo didn¡¯t think either of them looked like hackers or data sorts, but if they were¡ they might see the signs of her recent changes. She hadn¡¯t had time to thoroughly scrub it all over.
She passed the controls over to the man and the woman and watched, tense, as they focused. Examining the drone inside and out.
In due time they moved away. ¡®Put your crystals into it, then,¡¯ said the woman, gesturing.
Jo and the others trudged over and did so, and the pair sent the drone away. It had the route plotted out in its software, and required only the press of a virtual button to go off on that route.
After that, things went in a predictable direction. They returned to the site of the traps, where Jo, Perro and Azure were made to continue operating them.
The pair must have decided that Jo was the more dangerous of the three of them, as the man stuck nearby to Jo, lounging against the side of the tunnel and watching her. Meanwhile, the woman kept moving between Perro and Azure, coming back occasionally to check on Jo and the man.
Jo would trek back and forth, depositing the bones from the last group of undead around a corner, out of sight of the trap. Then the next group of undead would come around, and she¡¯d put the ropes on them and pull the trap.
Then she¡¯d harvest the Soul wisps with the Soul Trap.
One time, as she did so, the woman showed up again.
The woman had something with her, something Jo had seen a couple of times now.
It was, she¡¯d realised, another Soul Trap. Though it didn¡¯t look like theirs. Where the Soul Trap she held was clearly an item roughly fashioned for a new purpose, a helmet with lines on it, the one the woman held was different.
It was some kind of swirly seashell that had been worked and engraved. It had a handle for holding, and was covered in runes, and had the odd bit of gold of silver, especially around the mouth of the shell¡¯s opening. It was about half the size of one of the helmet Soul Traps.
The woman had her Seed in her hand, touching on the shell, and Jo had determined it to be some kind of Imbued item. The woman was able to hold it out, and it would draw any Soul wisps floating in the area toward it, taking it within. On top of that, it was able to draw the Soul wisps out of their Soul Traps.
Jo placidly held her Soul Trap up, presenting it.
The woman held out the shell, an expression of concentration on her face. The blue wisps of soul began to float out from the front of Jo¡¯s Soul Trap, pulled over the space between and into the mouth of the Imbued Soul Trap.
Jo had seen this a few times, now. By this method, their captors were moving between them and collecting their take of Soul wisps.
Jo was told to move to one side of the tunnel as the pair converged, both of them taking out their Seeds and putting them into the Imbued Soul Trap, consuming the take. At the same time, they were crumbling up Oma crystals into the shell. It was exactly the process she and the others had been doing.
She heard the sounds of undead behind her, and the pair looked up.
¡®Back to work,¡¯ barked the man.
Jo sighed, and got back to work.
He¡¯ll come. She felt sure of it. They hadn¡¯t noticed the changes she¡¯d made on the drone. He would come. She and the others just had to last until then.
135: Saving the Day
While the others headed back to the safe place, Nicolai opted to take a quick detour. He headed to the tunnel, as by now the three in the prisons should¡¯ve sent up another batch of Oma crystals, and likely their drone would be running low. He¡¯d left the fully charged one there that morning, ready to be switched.
In the tunnel, he found the drones and checked them over the moment he drew close, in the same manner as always. First reaching out with his Soul Sense to investigate for tampering, then connecting via Link and performing another check.
The drones, being items that he visited and regularly interacted with, and which also spent long periods sitting here, out of his view, were items he had to take some caution with by very nature.
Nicolai had killed a lot of people by placing bombs in places like toilets, beds, light-switches, cars, and more. Places where people could be relied upon to come and press a switch or turn a key.
For many of his targets their last action had been pulling a toilet plunger which propelled a firing pin into an accelerant that detonated an explosive, or turning the rerouted ignition switch in their car, or flipping a light-switch where he¡¯d swapped out the wiring.
It was not his preferred method of assassination, as by nature it tended to be somewhat indiscriminate, and it then required extra time to check and make sure that indeed, the target had been the one to blow themselves up, and not an unfortunate friend or colleague of theirs.
Nicolai had always felt that a professional killer was exemplified as someone who killed their target in a surgical and precise method, one that minimised harm to uninvolved bystanders. His preference had generally been of the 9mm variety, though he had also been partial to staging deaths that seemed accidental or unfortunate; his targets had been known to break their necks falling down the stairs, or suffered from heart attacks in the bathtub.
Nicolai thought of himself as an assassin, not a terrorist, and this preference of methods was part of the reason why.
But in his professional career he had often found himself pressed by circumstance, unable to utilise his preferred methods, and so he had a great deal of experience with explosives, poisons, vehicles, drones, and other more indiscriminate methods.
In this regard the drones they used to transport the Oma crystals had pinged his and Threat Analysis¡¯s wariness from day one. They were exactly the kind of thing where¡ªif he were trying to assassinate himself¡ªhe might consider placing a bomb. For example, the containment drawer where Oma crystals were stored, which required the press of a button to open, would fit a bomb and was perfectly suited for a bit of re-wiring.
So, he checked them carefully every single time.
As such the moment he approached the drones and Linked to them, he, Threat Analysis, and Cyberwarfare, were all immediately alerted.
Someone had been messing with the settings on the low-battery drone, which in fact wasn¡¯t all that low on battery. Various random settings had been changed. There was no explanation. There was also no message from Jo, an oddity as normally she would have left one; she¡¯d been using it to continuously exchange communication with her sister, and there were also frequently messages from Azure for John.
He paused, settling into a crouch and charging his Sheltering Glove in case of an ambush. Two drones spun away from him, streaking down the tunnel in either direction.
Meanwhile, his Soul Sense dove into and around the drone, checking for signs of physical tampering, but he found nothing. The only changes were those to the settings, and then in one other area.
The drones had cameras which they used to navigate, and they took recordings of what they saw. This was a standard feature on most drones. When he scrolled through the drone¡¯s recording, he found that they, too, had been screwed with. He saw the drone landing and awaiting more Oma crystals. Then nothing. Then it was in the air, flying out to take the crystals here. The drone had an error message, which was trying to suggest that there had been some memory-write error, and that components needed replacing. This was supposedly the reason for the lapse in the recording.
Threat Analysis immediately identified this as a cover up. Cyberwarfare, meanwhile, sneered at what it called shoddy and amateur work.
Nicolai stood there, staring down at the drones, while Threat Analysis put the main thoughts of all three of them into words.
Something has happened. The settings change may be a message from Jo or one of the others. The deleted footage and falsified error suggests a hostile actor.
Nicolai nodded. We shall go down, and have a look, and see what we see.
But first, the drones. They weren¡¯t trapped so he absently retrieved the crystals as he considered what to do with them.
Sending the drones told whoever received them that the first had been received by a person who had returned it. This would imply that the person up here, him, did not know there was a problem, and it should soothe whoever received it.
However, there could be some kind of trick to the drones he didn¡¯t recognise. Not of the blowing-up-in-his-face type, but perhaps it was somehow able to recognise that he had noticed the difference in the old drone. This was unlikely and he saw no way for it to happen, but it was wise to consider all the options.
So, he opted to send the fresh drone, switching them out. But, what of the settings change? If he changed this drone¡¯s settings to mirror those made to the other, that could be used as a signal to inform Jo, if she was able to check, that he had seen the change and was coming to investigate. Whether this was a good idea or not, he wasn¡¯t sure. Maybe if she received no confirmation, she would do something drastic. Or, maybe, knowing that he¡¯d seen, she would let loose some signs of this.
Neither was ideal. He opted to simply send the new drone with no changes. He had always worked alone, and felt that overall it was best that other people, regardless of allegiance to him, generally know as little of his movements and activities as possible.
The drone spun up into the air and disappeared down the tunnel. Nicolai flowed after it, steps silent and weapons ready.
###
Perro pelted through the tunnels, toward the yelling. What was going on? It was Azure, and that woman, Honey Boo. Must just be some argument, something minor. She¡¯ll be okay. I told her we can¡¯t afford to antagonise them.
The yelling grew in pitch as he sped through the dark. He turned a corner and the muddy backdrop of angry yelling turned clear as one spiked, with perfect clarity, right into his ears.
¡®¡ªstupid ugly bitch!¡¯ he heard Azure howl, and his fervent hope that everything would be alright shook like a skyscraper made of rubber.
He heard a scuff of noise and saw Honey Bear, emerging fast from a tunnel right beside him, head turned to look toward the yelling. Their eyes met for just a moment as they ploughed into one another and Perro was knocked sideways into the wall, while Honey Bear staggered with him.
¡®Get off me!¡¯ he snarled, grabbing at the man and shoving, struggling, trying to move past and get to Azure. He could hear her, just on the other side of the man. But it was like trying to move an actual bear, he was just too weak.
Honey Bear shoved him in turn, and Perro staggered backwards, arms windmilling. ¡®Settle down now, boy,¡¯ said Honey Bear, teeth glinting in the light. The butt of the SMG came fast toward him and cracked Perro in the chin before he could react.
He found himself on the floor. His head turned dizzily and he found Azure. The skyscraper of his hopes firmed because she was alive, but she was on the ground, face screwed up with pain, blood on her face.
¡®Little shit!¡¯ howled Honey Boo, kicking out and catching Azure on the back, stalking around her. The woman¡¯s nose was bleeding and her face was twisted with fury. Had Azure tried something? Tried to get free?
¡®Think you can talk shit to me?¡¯ Honey Boo hissed, circling around. She aimed a kick at Azure¡¯s midsection, catching her.
Azure grunted and coughed, her face flexing with pain as she curled up, trying to protect herself from the kicks.
¡®Kids like you,¡¯ the woman snarled, kicking out again. ¡®Talking shit to me, my whole fucking¡ life!¡¯ she accentuated the word with another kick.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Struggling, he tried to rise, but a heavy foot landed between his shoulder blades and held him down.
¡®Get¡ off¡!¡¯ Perro snarled, struggling uselessly, like a bug pinned to a page. He struggled to turn his head, looked up at the man above him. ¡®Do something! Why don¡¯t you do something?¡¯
¡®Nah. I figure it¡¯s best to leave them to it.¡¯ Honey Bear chuckled. ¡®Look at her go, eh? She¡¯s always been vengeful. Looks like your friend has stirred some memories. Unlucky, I guess.¡¯
¡®Get the fuck off me!¡¯ snarled Perro, struggling uselessly.
¡®Hey! What is this?¡¯ came a voice, and Perro struggled to look behind. He saw Jo, following after.
¡®Stay right over there,¡¯ said Honey Bear, and Perro felt the man shifting above him, glimpsed him taking aim with the SMG. These two treated Jo with much more wariness than they did him and Azure, a fact that stung. They thought he was weak. That he couldn¡¯t put up a fight. And they¡¯re right. I can¡¯t even help Azure. His teeth ground together.
Jo raised her hands. ¡®They¡¯re just kids. Leave them alone.¡¯
¡®You¡¯re no one to give orders,¡¯ snapped Honey Boo, stepping back from Azure who was silent, a curled up, bloodied ball. Perro¡¯s wide eyes fixed on her, trying to see a sign of breathing. How many times had she been kicked?
¡®Azure!¡¯ he cried to her over Local. ¡®Azure! Are you okay?¡¯
He saw her uncurl slightly, glimpsed her eyes amidst her a pale, bloodied face, as she looked at him. She quirked a tiny smile, white teeth shining in the red blood on her face. ¡®This bitch hasn¡¯t killed me. Not yet.¡¯ He saw her wince. ¡®But I felt something break inside of me. I¡ª¡®
Before she could speak again he saw Honey Boo glance down, and a savage grin twisted the woman¡¯s face then her foot flashed out, catching Azure in the face, snapping her head back.
¡®No!¡¯ screamed Perro.
¡®See, that¡¯s why you don¡¯t give me orders,¡¯ Honey Boo hissed at Jo.
¡®Just leave them alone, there¡¯s no need for this,¡¯ said Jo, her arms held out. ¡®Don¡¯t you want us to get you those crystals? We¡¯re no good to you if you injure us.¡¯
¡®Oh we¡¯re long past that,¡¯ snarled Honey Boo, ¡®this little cunt said somethin¡¯ she shouldn¡¯t have said.¡¯
¡®She got a point though, Honey Boo,¡¯ began Honey Bear.
¡®So what if it takes a little longer?¡¯ said Honey Boo. ¡®Two is enough. Shit, we could do it ourselves and it wouldn¡¯t take any longer, we know how the traps work now. They ate their Seeds, didn¡¯t they? So they¡¯ve got nothing of use to us. They¡¯re just waiting for a chance to stab us in the back.¡¯
Honey Bear was silent, a thoughtful kind of silent. ¡®Might be you have a point,¡¯ he said. ¡®I¡¯ve not been liking how this one¡¯s been looking at me, anyway,¡¯ he said, and Perro saw him gesturing to Jo, who was taking slow steps back. ¡®Hey! Don¡¯t you move!¡¯ He grinned. ¡®I guess it¡¯s time we end this.¡¯
###
Shit, thought Jo, her arms raised, looking down the barrel of an SMG with a grinning bastard on the other side of it.
¡®Any last words, girl?¡¯ he said, taking careful aim.
Not like this. She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath, then opened them again. She¡¯d keep looking until the end. Be strong, keep it together. That¡¯s what she¡¯d always tried to do. Didn¡¯t matter much now, but there wasn¡¯t much point in it if you gave it up right at the end.
Honey Bear¡¯s left eye closed. His expression grew focused. The gunbarrel was aimed right at her head. His finger squeezed on the trigger.
The air shimmered beside him, and¡ª
The moment unfolded like a spring under tension.
A hand appeared and the gun was knocked sideways, coughing out a single bullet. Jo flinched as it cracked off the wall beside her and bounced away down the tunnel.
¡®Wha¡ª?¡¯ began Honey Bear, turning.
Jo¡¯s gaze was pulled by a flicker of metal, darting by like a fish through the water. She saw blood and heard Honey Boo let out a shriek of surprise when it lunged at her.
She saw it, then, a rapier, one that dove through the pistol¡¯s trigger guard as it snapped by, tearing the gun from Honey Boo¡¯s hand before she could react. They all stared as it turned and slipped back towards where it had come from, then coming to rest floating in the air. It tilted, and the pistol slid off.
The air shimmered and Nicolai was there, catching the pistol from the air.
Jo blinked, staring in shock along with the rest of them¡ªHoney Boo gaping at him and the pistol in his hands, Honey Bear¡¯s face twisted with confusion as he stared at the man who¡¯d appeared beside him. Then she saw Honey Bear snarl, and swing the SMG round to level it at Nicolai. Her eyes shot wide¡ªthere was no time¡ªhe was already pulling the trigger¡ª
Click, click, click, went the SMG as Honey Bear squeezed the trigger, but there were no bullets. There came another moment of utter confusion. Honey Bear twisted the SMG, staring at it, and Jo noticed what was missing.
¡®Look,¡¯ said Nicolai, and he held up the SMG¡¯s magazine to Honey Bear. Honey Bear gaped at it, they all did. It was like a magic trick, something that caused thought to judder to a momentary halt as the rug is abruptly pulled from underneath, and the brain is stuck in a frozen loop. When did he pull it from the SMG? How did he do it with no one noticing?
Nicolai tossed the magazine into the air, and Honey Bear, so entirely baffled, could only watch it rise, his head tilting, chin drooping as his mouth hung open.
Watching the footage back later, slowing it down so she could comprehend what was happening (and also to see when exactly he got the magazine), Jo would think to herself that Nicolai seemed to create these frozen moments; these instants where nobody else was able to act or think, and only he could move within them.
While Honey Bear was staring at the magazine tumbling through the air, Nicolai took a sliding step and then his upper body moved like a piston; a short, sharp, and above all vicious snap of muscle that sent his elbow into the side of Honey Bear¡¯s chin.
The collision made a wince inducingly audible thwack. Honey Bear¡¯s head snapped sideways, spit and blood and maybe a tooth launched out, and from the sudden limpness of his body Jo knew he was instantly unconscious. Time resumed as he began to fall but Nicolai caught him by the shirt, checking his momentum before lowering him the rest of the way.
He whipped around, the pistol coming up and centring on Honey Boo, who had begun to step toward him. She froze, then her hands shot up.
¡®H-hey!¡¯ she gabbled, eyes wide. ¡®I¡ªwho are you?¡¯ She started to back away as he strode toward her, but she¡¯d gotten nowhere by the time he reached her and grabbed her.
¡®On your belly,¡¯ he said, and kicked at the back of her knee, taking her to the ground. He put a foot on her back and held her there, glancing at Jo.
¡®Do these two have any friends?¡¯ he asked.
She blinked at him in the sudden silence, the sudden cessation of movement, feeling as though her body had been released from bindings. She let out a heavy breath. There had been something oddly mesmerising about what she¡¯d witnessed. Like a Rube Goldberg machine. Click, click, click, as it all moves unceasingly towards an inevitable end.
Blinking, Jo shook her head. ¡®It was just them,¡¯ she said. Everything had changed, just like that. They were safe. The sight of that gunbarrel, aiming right at her head, was still burned into her recent memory and a shadowy spectre of it seemed to float in the middle of her vision.
¡®Everyone alright?¡¯ he spoke, eyes moving from her to Perro and Azure.
¡®Still breathing,¡¯ said Azure in a thick voice, struggling to her feet. Perro was there and helping her up. Azure glared at the unconscious Honey Bear. She spat blood and turned to scowl at Honey Boo who was struggling, snarling where Nicolai kept her pinned to the ground.
¡®You!¡¯ Azure hissed, and she ripped her arm free from Perro and limped over, watched by Nicolai who seemed curious. Her leg shot out and her foot caught the downed woman in the face. Honey Boo¡¯s head snapped back and she yelled with pain, pressing her hands to her face.
¡®Fucking cunt!¡¯ howled Azure, kicking out again, only to be interrupted by Nicolai, who grabbed her. ¡®You don¡¯t know what she did!¡¯ she screamed at him. ¡®She deserves this!¡¯
¡®Actually, I saw,¡¯ he said. ¡®Go ahead. But not in the head. Kick her in the stomach.¡¯ And he stepped back and waved Azure on, while Honey Boo¡¯s expression¡ªmomentarily relieved¡ªturned slack with shock.
Azure grinned and lunged forward, her foot sailing out. Honey Boo jerked and coughed as Azure kicked the woman in the midsection, and now the previous dynamic was reversed.
Jo stared at what was happening, yet another frown of confusion creasing her brow. This didn¡¯t seem how it was meant to go, in this kind of situation. Did she care, though? Not really. Honey Boo and Honey Bear had earned a good kicking.
Perro did, though. ¡®Azure,¡¯ came his voice, as he struggled to his feet. ¡®Don¡¯t! You don¡¯t want to do that, you don¡¯t want to be like her!¡¯
¡®I¡¯m¡ quite¡ enjoying¡ being like her!¡¯ growled Azure in between kicks, while Honey Boo squirmed and tried to protect herself from the kicks, just as Azure had done.
¡®Nicolai,¡¯ tried Perro next, ¡®it¡¯s not¡ the right thing to do. You¡¯re not meant to hurt unarmed people!¡¯ His eyes were desperate as he stared at Nicolai.
For the first time Nicolai¡¯s expression of blank-faced, engrossed focus, which he¡¯d worn throughout the violence, changed. It turned, suddenly, into a kind of deep confusion with a shade of suspicion as he stared at Perro.
¡®Right,¡¯ he said slowly. He held a hand out, holding Azure back. ¡®I¡ suppose that is correct.¡¯ He was silent for a moment. His face cleared. ¡®I¡¯m taking them prisoner, anyway. She needs to be able to walk.¡¯
¡®Cunt,¡¯ snarled Azure one more time at Honey Boo, looking like she was stopping more from exhaustion than from anything Nicolai had said. She spat at the woman before turning to stagger off, breathing in heavy, rasping breaths, right into Perro who enfolded her in a hug. Jo heard them mumbling to one another.
She moved slowly toward Nicolai. ¡®You¡¯re taking them prisoner?¡¯ she asked him, a little surprised. She¡¯d thought he would just kill them.
¡®Of course. Hasn¡¯t Old Ben been saying we should try to be more civilised?¡¯ he flashed his teeth at her.
At the same time, she felt him ping her over Local, and allowed him to establish a connection. ¡®Killing them would be a waste; I judge their Seeds to be at around sixty-percent. You and the other two will keep them prisoner and provide them some of the plentiful resources here to continue growing their Seeds, while ensuring they fulfil the bonding requirement. Upon completion they will integrate their Seeds, and we will seize the Symbiotes Heaven gives them. After that we will kill them. I¡¯ll decide how much of this to tell the other two later.¡¯
The ruthless words were spoken in a tone of patient explanation, the way one might speak when giving directions to somewhere nearby. He turned to glance at the teenagers. ¡®How are you two doing?¡¯ he asked them, a kindly smile on his face. Meanwhile Jo struggled to control her expression.
¡®Good, now that you¡¯re here,¡¯ said Perro, letting out a sigh of relief. ¡®But Azure¡¯s hurt,¡¯ he added.
¡®Why are you taking¡ them prisoner? They ought to die! Look what she did to me!¡¯ said Azure, still struggling to get her breath back.
¡®Perhaps they can be rehabilitated,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®You three stay here while I take them to their cell. Here.¡¯ He tossed Jo her pistol, then pulled a Rejuvenating Orb from a pocket and handed it to Azure.
The woman on the ground had gone silent, listening quietly, and when Nicolai took his foot off her back and told her to get up, she did so with a wary look around.
Ignoring Azure¡¯s taunts, she moved into the tunnel Nicolai indicated while he picked up her partner and slung the man over his shoulder in a fireman¡¯s carry, retrieving the man¡¯s SMG.
Jo briefly checked over her pistol, glad to have it back. She looked up to see Nicolai already disappearing into the dark of the tunnel.
136: Correct, Moral, and Sane
¡®What do you want?¡¯ asked the woman, once they were some distance from the others. She was terrified but trying hard not to show it. That was the correct move, but fruitless. She couldn¡¯t hide her emotions from him.
¡®Like I told them. You¡¯ll be prisoners,¡¯ he said. ¡®Keep moving.¡¯
She threw a sullen look over her shoulder, and stumbled on.
Nicolai was pleased that she seemed to understand the situation well.
In an unusual reversal of the norm, his Mask had actually wanted him to kill this pair. It had erupted with a killing rage when he first came upon the others and saw the state they were in. Though, once things had cooled down, it¡¯d started to get unhappy about him letting Azure kick the woman, and then Perro¡¯s words had grown an uncertainty within it. However, even after that, it had still wanted him to kill them and be done with it.
But that would be a waste, he¡¯d told it. If they were going to die anyway, he might as well make best use of them. Their Seeds weren¡¯t too far from completion, and that completion would grant them two Symbiotes. Nicolai wanted those Symbiotes.
They could also come in handy in another way, one he hadn¡¯t mentioned to Jo. The Lotus Blossom Soul Trap required Cultivator¡¯s Souls to complete it. He could keep them alive until he¡¯d located the final pieces he needed to fashion it, and then these prisoners would provide two of the required Souls. Through this method he could ¡°store¡± their Souls¡ªas one might store food in a freezer¡ªfor quite a long time.
As he had this thought, he felt his Mask squirming uncertainly. It had descended from its vengeful, killing rage. Now, it was giving him a dim feeling that, in some way, simply killing these two was ¡°a better thing to do¡± than; imprisoning them; force-feeding their Seeds until they were able to integrate; seizing the Symbiotes they would be rewarded for becoming Cultivators; and then killing them and using their Souls for refinement materials.
But Nicolai, despite allowing himself to ponder this, couldn¡¯t see any reason why one was better or worse, ¡°morally,¡± than the other. The only real difference was wastefulness and efficiency.
It would be wasteful to simply kill them when they could be so useful. And wastefulness should be avoided. Avoiding wastefulness was the kind of trait a Better Man would have. These two had already stolen some of the take in undead soul wisps from the other three. From what he¡¯d gathered they¡¯d been forcing the others to harvest the undead for quite some hours, until he¡¯d gotten here. That time, and the energy they¡¯d taken, would be wasted if he simply killed them. Of course, their Seeds would likely provide a good boost to any of the others, but that was a much less valuable return than gaining two extra Symbiotes.
Based on that: this was in fact the correct, moral, and sane route to take.
His Mask disagreed, and the crux of its argument seemed to be something to do with treating people as objects. It was getting increasingly abstract as it tied itself in knots thinking on the matter.
Nicolai remained unconvinced. He told the Mask that it had wanted them dead, and they would be dead, as it had desired¡ªonce he had extracted maximum value from them.
After some time he finished transporting the pair, biding the woman to stop. They had wound their way through the tunnels, ignored by the undead miners who were among the most stupid of the undead and didn¡¯t even care about Nicolai obviously not being a prisoner.
They were now in a place he¡¯d found in his previous explorations down here. There was a collapsed tunnel, one ignored by the dead, but through this tunnel was a crawl-space, a way through to the other side. On the other side there was a small, secluded area, with a big hole in the ground. A big hole with sheer walls.
Nicolai made the woman crawl through first, and instructed her to drag the man after her. Before that, though, he charged his rapier and sent it through to lurk on the other side. His Soul Sense was just able to reach.
¡®If you try anything, this rapier will stab you,¡¯ he¡¯d told her before this, flicking his wrist to display the darting rapier.
He still expected her to try something, and so wasn¡¯t surprised when after emerging on the far side she suddenly dashed away from the rapier, toward the hole.
Nicolai let her go, focusing on crawling through the tunnel, getting behind the man who he pushed the rest of the way. He felt the woman coming back towards them, presumably having realised this was a dead end and that there was nowhere to run, that her only chance was to fight. But she should¡¯ve tried that earlier, now he was closer he had more room to move the rapier and he had it dart at her in stabbing motions, stopping just shy of catching her. The intimidation worked and she stumbled backward.
Nicolai shoved the man the last few feet and climbed out of the tunnel, brushing the dust off. The woman was staring at him. They could see one another because there was one torch in the wall, up here, though the hole itself was dark.
¡®I¡¯m not going in there,¡¯ she said, her voice wavering.
¡®You are going in there,¡¯ he corrected her, and stepped forward.
She tried to fight but she was a very long way from being any kind of match for him. He dragged her to the edge of the hole, holding her by her wrists, then kicked her feet out from under her to send her over. She yelled as she dropped backwards, her arms jerking as he held her dangling over it.
¡®I¡¯m going to let you go in a moment,¡¯ he began, in a calm and patient tone he hoped would help her relax. People were less likely to suffer injury when their muscles were relaxed. ¡®The floor isn¡¯t too far. Only around six or seven metres. That¡¯s an easily survivable fall.¡¯
¡®Don¡¯t drop me!¡¯ she screamed.
¡®You¡¯ll be fine. Bend your knees slightly, and tense the muscles in your legs,¡¯ he continued, most of his focus on his Soul Sense which was keeping tabs on the man on the ground behind him. He¡¯d noticed that the man was just starting to come to, waking up, listening. ¡®When you land, let your legs bend and try your best to topple backwards into a roll, that way you can safely disperse the force of your landing.¡¯
¡®Wait¡ª¡® she began, the word turning into a shriek when Nicolai dropped her. There was a rustling from behind him as she landed with a thump and a grunt. She followed his instructions surprising well, rolling backwards.
He rose and stepped to the side in time to avoid the shove as the man, already on his feet, lunged toward him. Nicolai kicked out as he dodged sideways, and instead of shoving Nicolai into the hole, the man tripped over his leg and tumbled into it himself, letting out a shocked yelp.
Nicolai reached out and grabbed the man¡¯s leg as he went by, tensing his body and rising, arresting the man¡¯s momentum, holding him dangling over the drop. He ignored the yelling as he stared down, seeing the woman already getting to her feet and staring up at him.
That was good. It would be quite unfortunate if, while dropping them into the hole, one of these two were to break their necks. That would be a waste. So, it was necessary for him to give them instructions to help lower the risk of accidental death. The man would be harder, because he was upside down, which wasn¡¯t ideal.
So he slowly got onto his knees, then leaned forward, holding tight to the man¡¯s leg as he lowered the man closer to the ground. The man was squirming and thrashing. This forced Nicolai to make rapid adjustments to his stance to remain balanced, a challenge which he enjoyed. His increased strength due to becoming a Cultivator came in quite useful.
¡®I¡¯m going to drop you now,¡¯ he began. ¡®Extend your arms, bend your elbows slightly, and keep them tense. Try to land on your forearms, not your wrists. Ideally, try to roll forward. Make sure you tuck your head.¡¯
Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!
Nicolai let go, and watched with interest. The man had ignored his instructions but his instinctual reaction of screaming and extending his arms to protect his head was correct enough, anyway, though from the yell when he landed it sounded like he likely damaged his shoulders and might even have a broken arm.
Not a problem. They didn¡¯t need to be entirely healthy; mostly whole would do. Nicolai rose to his feet. He took out the water bottle he¡¯d taken from the pair and tossed it down. However, he¡¯d also taken a batch of sustaining seeds from them, which he kept, intending to give it to the others who would distribute it to the prisoners. The food, parcelled out at mealtimes, would be used to encourage good behaviour.
The pair were staring up at him.
¡®What do you want!¡¯ yelled the man, holding his left arm gingerly.
¡®You two have stolen from my people,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®You stole their time, and their effort, in the form of the wisps of Soul from the undead. As payment for this, you are going to give us something in return.¡¯
¡®What?¡¯ asked the woman.
¡®First, you are going to complete your Seeds. Once your Seeds are complete, I will allow you to integrate them and become Cultivators. I will even take those bands off from around your necks.¡¯ Nicolai smiled kindly down at them, and shifted his tone, patient and explanatory. ¡®It does not bother me that you stole from my people. It is understandable. Everyone in this world is out for themselves, and we are not allies. I am not angry and I do not desire revenge. But, I cannot afford to suffer such a loss. You must pay us back. Once you have done so, you will be free to go. In fact, not only will you be free, you will be stronger, having completed and integrated your Seeds.¡¯
¡®That doesn¡¯t explain what you want,¡¯ said the man, slowly.
¡®I¡¯m sure you have both completed some challenges in the past. When you integrate your Seed, you will find that another challenge is completed. There will be a Reward Shrine. You will turn over the rewards from these shrines. That is all. After that, you will be free to go.¡¯
The pair frowned up at him, uncertain. The reason Nicolai was telling them these things, rather than simply leaving, was that he knew that giving them some kind of hope, dangling the possibility that they might survive if only they did what he told them, would make them less likely to do something foolish like committing suicide.
They wouldn¡¯t believe him, not entirely. But a part of them would cling to his words nevertheless. A drowning man will reach for anything that floats, no matter how small and flimsy.
¡®I¡¯m sorry! About your people, about hurting them!¡¯ said the woman, all of a sudden. ¡®That we did all this! We didn¡¯t have a choice, that¡¯s all it was. We¡¯re not bad people. Come on. Please!¡¯
¡®Yeah, yeah, come on man. Everyone has to do some tough shit out here,¡¯ spoke up the man, inspired into his own effort by her. ¡®Can¡¯t you just let us go?¡¯
Nicolai ignored them, busy examining the hole. It had been dug for reasons unknown out of the stone, and bore the marks of pickaxes. He could imagine that some time, long ago, the dead must have been gradually mining their way down to the bottom of this pit, getting in and out via ladders. Perhaps there had been an unusually large vein of Oma crystal down there.
Now, there was nothing, just an empty space. The walls were sheer, the stone was strong and these two would not be carving handholds with their fingernails. The top was also high enough that even if the woman were to stand on the shoulders of the man, and jump, she would not be reaching it.
It was a secure prison.
¡®Okay, sure, we¡¯re pieces of shits!¡¯ said the woman, still making the hopeless effort. ¡®But ain¡¯t you better than us? Remember what that kid said. About not being as bad as us, right? You¡¯re a good person, I can tell! That¡¯s why you made sure we didn¡¯t get hurt, when you dropped us, right?¡¯
Nicolai snorted, and almost laughed. He was tempted to tell them that Satan kept a spot ready for him, that for a soul as soaked in red as his their blood represented mere drops, that if she actually thought he was a good person she was a fool.
But Nicolai had learned long ago that it was generally best to keep his true thoughts to himself. If they knew that only death awaited them, they would go to any and all lengths to escape, or even seek to kill themselves.
So, he looked halfway convinced, he looked thoughtful. He sighed. He shook his head. ¡®I¡¯m not letting you out. I¡¯m sorry. Once we¡¯ve done the business, as I said, I¡¯ll let you go.¡¯
¡®You¡¯re just stealing from us, by taking whatever rewards we get!¡¯ the woman spat accusingly, arrowing in on the weakness he was apparently showing.
Yes, that¡¯s right. Nicolai gave an even bigger sigh and looked all glum, but it was a halfhearted effort at best. ¡®Sorry about that.¡¯ He was tired of the act and felt he¡¯d done more than enough to encourage hope. In fact, she really seemed to believe that he would let them go after taking the Symbiotes they gained. Job done.
Ignoring their cries, he stepped away then crawled back out through the cramped hole through the collapsed tunnel. He hoped that the difficulty of getting inside would mean that in any future bug attacks, these two would be spared. He spent some time finding a decently large chunk of rounded stone, which he rolled into position, loosely blocking the gap.
He wasn¡¯t certain how much to tell the others. He was sure that he was doing the right thing (in terms of making the best, most efficient use of this opportunity), but he wasn¡¯t sure if they would feel the same. Jo and Beth, of course, would be on side. Azure wouldn¡¯t care. Perro¡ Nicolai wasn¡¯t sure how the boy would feel about this.
However, ultimately he concluded that he held enough influence and sway to convince them that he was in the right. It was best that he did explain roughly what was happening, because he¡¯d need the three down here to mind the prisoners, as well as start splitting some of their take with the prisoners. He could have Jo do all of that herself, but it was better that she had help.
He decided to simply tell them a slightly false version, similar as the one he¡¯d told the prisoners.
###
¡®¡ªand once they have paid us back, perhaps we can let them go. If they seem properly repentful. Who knows.¡¯ Nicolai was smiling at the others as he finished the impromptu speech.
Jo, standing a little aside, eyed him. She kept her mouth shut since she was aware his words were for the benefit of the other two, not for her.
She already knew the truth: that once those two had served their purpose, they¡¯d be suffering a short, sharp, end. She wasn¡¯t sure she minded. It was just¡ she¡¯d expected him to just kill them. Taking them prisoner for eventual Symbiotes made sense, she supposed, but it just seemed very¡ cold. Using people as resources. It was the kind of thing her father would have done.
He wouldn¡¯t have liked Nicolai, she was increasingly sure of that. He would¡¯ve been unwilling to trust someone presumably very old, who¡¯d been part of a killbot for so long. And Nicolai wouldn¡¯t have liked him. People like that couldn¡¯t be around one another. There would always be an awareness that sooner or later, only one could remain.
¡®Let them go?¡¯ said Azure, snorting. ¡®Not likely. It¡¯s a good idea, though. They owe us.¡¯
Perro didn¡¯t say anything, but he was smiling and clearly pleased. The relief was practically boiling off the boy, ever since Nicolai had taken care of Honey Bear and Honey Boo.
¡®It¡¯ll be up to you three to look after them. I know you may be angry,¡¯ he glanced at Azure meaningfully, ¡®but you must put that aside. They represent an investment so don¡¯t harm them. Every day, take one third of the total take of Soul wisps and deliver it to them. Try to ensure they split it evenly. If they give you trouble¡¡¯ he shrugged, and glanced at Jo. ¡®You have the sustaining seeds, so simply starve them until they are willing to behave.¡¯
¡®So we¡¯ll fill a Soul Trap, and toss it down to them?¡¯ asked Jo, who¡¯d identified an issue.
Nicolai nodded.
¡®What if they refuse to give it back?¡¯ she continued.
¡®If you starve them long enough I suspect they will. But there¡¯s things you can do. Throw stones at them, perhaps. If they cause significant trouble, simply let me know via the drone and I will come and remind them to behave.¡¯
Remind them to behave. The language was gentle, the meaning was not. Jo felt she understood what that would involve. Beside her, Perro and Azure, who she suspected didn¡¯t, were nodding blithely.
¡®Your Seeds appear to be in your stomach,¡¯ said Nicolai. He eyed Jo curiously. ¡®Why?¡¯
She shrugged. ¡®Don¡¯t look at me, it was the kids idea,¡¯ she said, glancing at Perro, who received Nicolai¡¯s gaze.
¡®Uh, well, those guys wanted to steal our Seeds. So I thought of swallowing them, since they might not die in our stomachs.¡¯
¡®Looks like you were right,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®I can see them, they¡¯re fine.¡¯
¡®Wait, what?¡¯ spoke Azure. ¡®See them?¡¯
¡®The more advanced Soul Sense you gain upon becoming a Cultivator has more capabilities than the basic Seed version,¡¯ he explained, staring at Azure¡¯s stomach. ¡®With it, I can see inside of your stomach, so long as you aren¡¯t too far from me.¡¯
The three of them gaped at him. Jo hadn¡¯t realised it could do so much; Beth had just told her ¡°It¡¯s totally dope, way better than the old type.¡±
¡®So you can literally see inside our stomachs?¡¯ said Azure, eyes wide.
¡®Yes. I¡¯m looking inside yours right now,¡¯ he confirmed.
¡®Holy fuck!¡¯ she squealed, raising jittery arms and stumbling sideways, then turning and running around the tunnel as though chased by an invisible creature. ¡®Get the fuck out, dude!¡¯
¡®There is no reason for concern,¡¯ he said, seeming confused. ¡®Your stomach is fine.¡¯ He looked to Jo and Perro. ¡®Can you remove them?¡¯
Perro had been quiet, focusing, in this time, and he spoke up then. ¡®I¡¯m working on it. I¡¯m making it crawl up¡ it¡¯s coming.¡¯ As he spoke, the rest of them watched him. ¡®Here it is, it¡¯s¡ª¡® He suddenly gagged and spluttered, abruptly bending over and coughing, then a little pale, shining glow was spat out of his mouth, caught in his quickly raised hands. ¡®I¡ª¡® He began, then coughed again. ¡®I, uh. I got it.¡¯ He managed a slightly damp grin at them.
¡®Good work,¡¯ said Jo, smiling at the youth, not feeling particularly enthused at the idea of going through what he¡¯d just gone through. No choice, though. The Seed wasn¡¯t much good to her in her stomach.
137: Unchained Warden
After leaving the others, Nicolai headed out through the prisons. He didn¡¯t head straight to the exit, because he had another aim in mind.
His first time in the prisons, he had been far too weak to tangle with one of the Wardens. The most recent time, he¡¯d been busy and hadn¡¯t wanted to spend time doing so.
Now, he had a little time. The Imbued chains each Warden carried were powerful tools, and he could imagine a multitude of uses for them.
As he walked, he was thinking on how the others had managed to hide their Seeds from their captors. He was wondering if people that he¡¯d killed in the past might have hidden their Seeds from him via the same method. He found the thought deeply disturbing, hating the idea that he might have lost out.
After a while he tracked down a Warden, alone in a large, empty stretch of the prison. Secluded enough that no one would hear him shooting. It was slowly moving, the standard patrol they were often engaged in.
Standing some distance away, Nicolai took aim at the creature, sighting down his SMG¡¯s iron-sights. He squeezed the trigger and shot the warden in its long-rotted head, and dried out flesh along with chunks of bone were blown in the air.
The Warden didn¡¯t fall over. Instead it turned and came toward him. Though he¡¯d shot it in the head where its Soul wisp was, the wisp was not departing like normal. Instead it floated around the body.
Nicolai shot again and again, blowing chunks of desiccated flesh out of it, but it kept coming, and the chains were slicing around.
Frowning, Nicolai unshelled his Soul Sense and sent it out. He found the Wardens Soul wisp, which had a very weak Soul Sense of its own, one that was growing weaker all the time.
Immediately he understood. Without its body it was unprotected, and was being damaged by the world, but it had opted to stick around and continue controlling its body anyway. He realised that he could simply run away. In a short time the Soul wisp would have to depart to save itself and the Warden would collapse.
But Nicolai saw no reason to run when he was at an advantage. He launched a spiritual attack. His Soul Tendril snapped at the Warden¡¯s Soul wisp.
The Soul wisp saw him coming and immediately turned and fled, getting away in time to dodge his strike, and the Warden¡¯s form collapsed.
Interesting. Seeing the Soul wisp fleeing Nicolai immediately pursued, darting forward. In general he didn¡¯t bother to destroy the Soul wisps of the dead, because by and large they were all unthinking. But the simple fact that this one behaved with more self-awareness told him it would be wise to make sure it didn¡¯t get away.
He caught up with it in a moment and his Soul Sense tendril lunged, grabbing it tight and tearing into it. It was far weaker than him and in only moments the undead¡¯s Soul wisp was destroyed. He didn¡¯t seem to gain anything from this act, unfortunately.
So far as he¡¯d seen, the dead were listless and uninterested. Everything here was decaying, in more than the literal sense. The dead were just going through the motions, that was his view. Doing whatever they were last told to do, gradually falling apart as they went.
But, where they did show slightly more awareness, he felt it wise to take steps such as he¡¯d just taken.
Nicolai drew closer to the fallen Warden, his eyes on its chains.
His Soul Sense, running over those chains, told him something he already knew. They were Imbued.
Taking a knee beside the dead Warden, he reached out and grasped one of the chains, trying to push his Soul within and seize control of the Imbued. However, his Soul seemed unable to penetrate and get inside. So, he pulled on the chain and the Warden¡¯s body flopped as he started gathering the links up, dragging the mass free from the Warden. Immediately the chains become stuck together due to the dozens of hooks and curved blades throughout them, so he instead started digging around the chains tied around the Warden¡¯s chest.
All these chains had to be connecting somewhere, and he assumed that was the bit he needed to find.
His hunch paid off, as he found the nexus of them after turning the Warden over. In the middle of its back a piece of metal was dug in. All of the chains connected to the end of this metal. It was stuck in tight and Nicolai had to spend some time working with a knife to finally get it free.
Once he got it out, he looked it over. It was a thick metal rod slightly longer than his hand, with all the chains connecting to its end.
Chains Whip
Imbued with a Writing Octopus Symbiote, this many-chained Imbued whip can be used in strikes, but is more often utilised to restrain. Tipped with hooked blades, it can rapidly tie itself around an opponent.
These Chains are also useful as a vessel for Soul-type attacks.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
Holding the rod, Nicolai was able to successfully send his Soul Sense and Oma into the Imbued. The chains rustled as they came alive.
He observed the chains as he rose to his feet, feeling at how he could control them. The Imbued seemed to have a few easy-use commands, ones which had revealed themselves to him when he took control of it. Using one of them he instructed the chains to free themselves from the Warden.
With a gesture, the chains all sprang free from one another, all extending out straight and separate from the others, branching into the air. He was pleased to find that despite the large number of chains, overall the item was quite light. It seemed to be made of some unusually strong yet light metal.
Another gesture and they all snapped together into a mass, becoming in appearance one thick mass of bundled chain ending in dozens of hooked blades. It looked heavier and better for hitting things.
Nicolai swung it a few times through the air, not just with his arm but also by directing the chains themselves. It was an interesting practise.
Nicolai waved the Imbued toward the Warden¡¯s corpse, and all the chains sprang apart and dove at it, ripping and tearing, wrapping tight around until the corpse was a mass of crawling chain.
He attempted to lift the Warden but it was quite heavy, and the weight of the Warden plus the chains all had to go through his arm. After becoming a Cultivator Nicolai was quite a bit stronger than previously, but it wasn¡¯t enough for him to lift the entire Warden one handed.
Holding the rod in both hands he grunted and flexed his body, and the chains burned Oma as they moved under his will, hefting the Warden from the ground.
He let it go and it fell.
Next, he had the chains come toward him. He had them wrap slowly around his chest, taking care of the hooks and blades, pulling tight until the rod was in the centre of his chest, tucked alongside his tactical vest, the chains acting like a layer of armour on top of it all.
Now there was a little less range, but the ends of the chains were still able to move around him. However, he generally had to move the chains as one mass, and struggled to split them apart into individual control, as he¡¯d have liked to. He¡¯d been interested in trying to have them spread out around his body equally, as a way to grab at anything nearby and as defence. A little like Zero-Twelve¡¯s utility tendrils. But in practise it wasn¡¯t easy; Movement had done most of the controlling of the tendrils. A human brain wasn¡¯t designed to control so many limbs.
Is Movement reachable? he asked Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare.
Doesn¡¯t seem to be, said Cyberwarfare.
You need more Augmentation, added Threat Analysis.
Then, for now, see if you two can work out a better way to control these things, he said.
The Modules were excited by the challenge, getting quickly to work. As they were both represented in his Soul they were able to meld with him. It was an experience not dissimilar to becoming Zero-Twelve, but in a spiritual manner, though he wasn¡¯t able to manage the seamless fusion that equalled a truly Zero-Twelve state. At least, not yet.
With the two Modules merging into him, Nicolai was able to build something like spiritual code, one designed to work with this new Imbued. His Soul split out tiny parts, each part designed to reach into a chain.
The chains spun and twisted around him, performing a complex dance as Nicolai stretched them and got used to them. After a short time the new method of controlling them had sunk into his mind and Soul, a tiny piece of software he was able to easily utilise. It was far from perfect; he didn¡¯t have the kind of perfect, chain-by-chain control he would have liked. Something to work on.
Good enough. Nicolai got moving again, the chains twining around his body. He needed to get back to the others and make sure there were no issues; the death of Karl might cause further fallout.
###
There was no further fallout, at least that the others were willing to make plain to Nicolai. Elena was put to bed to recover and that was that. Finding no immediate issues, Nicolai turned his focus to breaking in his new Symbiote; that taken from the giant mantis in the jungle.
Grasping Finger Symbiote
Tier: 1
Placement: Hand
This Symbiote is capable of generating a pull between the Cultivator and objects or beings. It must be directed by Soul Sense, and thus its range is limited by the Cultivator¡¯s reach. It easily pulls on inanimate objects, but requires more power to act on living beings.
An opponent¡¯s Soul Sense must be broken before it might be used on them.
After the hour and a half it took him to break the Symbiote in, the Grasping Finger moved through him and took up residence in his heart Node. However, as he¡¯d suspected, Nicolai encountered issue when he tried to make use of it. When he fed Oma into it, it moved to his hand, but didn¡¯t seem able to activate properly.
This was obviously because he had no hand Node, which caused Nicolai significant issue. It would be some time until he was able to build such a Node, as he knew that would be a Major Node, and he needed to finish his entire chest area, first.
Fortunately, Kleos held a solution.
¡®You can make a temporary minor Node,¡¯ the head said. ¡®It should be possible¡ even if the points of potential aren¡¯t quite active in your hands, yet.¡¯
¡®Temporary Nodes,¡¯ Nicolai murmured. ¡®How does that work?¡¯
¡®Remember when you made that practise Node outside your body? And then you finalised it in one go? Making a temporary Node is the same process. You just don¡¯t let it finalise naturally and instead finalise it instantly. As a result you skip the time requirement, but the Node won¡¯t work properly. For starters, it won¡¯t be able to store Oma, nor will it do the other functions expected of whichever area you put it in. Like if you made a temporary lung Node, it wouldn¡¯t work to help you draw in Aura faster, like normal. Temporary Nodes only do one thing: they let you use Symbiotes that require a Node in a specific place.¡¯
Nicolai nodded. This sounded kind of¡ perfect. He had been wondering about the issue of gaining Symbiotes which he was unable to use, and had figured he would have no choice but to just sit on them until he could complete the required Node. It was nice to know he would be able to make use of them earlier. But there was one issue.
¡®How do I then go about replacing the temporary Node, later on?¡¯
¡®That¡¯s the main issue. You have to take the Node apart but it¡¯s a process that takes some time. About half the time it would take for a Node to finalise, I¡¯d say. You simply pull at it and start it unfurling, then leave it be, and after a few days your major Nodes should gradually take it apart, in a way that won¡¯t lead to any detonations. Or, you can sit there for about half a day focusing intently and manually take the whole thing apart.¡¯
Nicolai sat back, considering. This was all useful to know. He figured he ought to create two temporary Nodes, one in each hand, allowing him easy use of his new Symbiote. If he found any other Symbiotes he was unable to use, he¡¯d build temporary Nodes for them, too.
138: Tree People
Two days later found Nicolai along with Beth, Cait, and John, standing on one side of a long bridge that let to a fortified outcrop, separated from the rest of the bastion. Elena wasn¡¯t with them. She¡¯d refused to come. Nicolai hadn¡¯t gotten all the reasons for this, as she¡¯d refused to interact with him. He got the gist, anyway. She blamed him for Karl¡¯s death. She hated him.
He didn''t mind, in fact he deserved that hate far more than she realised. He¡¯d done what he had to do and he was content with that.
In fact, he was relatively pleased. Good progress had been made. Since he¡¯d taken care of the issue down below, Jo and the others in the prison continued to send weighty bags of Oma crystals, and had told him they were making good progress. In his last communications they¡¯d told him that they expected to complete their Seeds today. At the same time, he¡¯d completed his temporary hand Nodes and his lung Nodes were making good progress.
User Interface 376 | User #53,217
- Cultivation
Total Nodes: 1 Major, 2 Minor
Available unconstructed Nodes: 0 Major, 3 Minor
- Nodes in progress;
Right Lung (Finalising: 59%)
Left Lung (Finalising: 59%)
Completed Nodes;
Heart (Flawless) (100/100)
The temporary Nodes weren¡¯t noted on the system interface, which made sense to Nicolai. They didn¡¯t seem to properly mesh in with the rest of his system, they were just messy little additions that served a single purpose: allowing him to use hand Symbiotes. As usual he and the others wore black balaclava masks with the best combat-orientated clothing and bullet-proof vests the Tier 1 Trade Link Market could provide, wielding submachine-guns, shotguns and rifles.
John and Cait both carried sports bags crammed with weapons. Nicolai had spent some time practising with the Grasping Finger Symbiote, which had revealed that it was a very good find. It allowed him to pull on objects or people within reach of his Soul Sense. This had a huge number of potential applications.
It could also apply quite significant force, as the mantis that had first used it on him had demonstrated. The creature had been able to pull him through the air and up toward it, and he found the Symbiote to possess almost as much power in his own hands. It wasn¡¯t quite as powerful, which he believed to be because he was using it with a temporary Node. But it was certainly enough to pull people over, or to rip a gun from someones hand.
He had tested it, after Perro had agreed to be his dummy, and found that the most he could do was pull the boy toward him, sending him stumbling over the stone. But he hadn¡¯t been able to apply enough force to drag Perro through the air. He had also found that when applied to anything living, like Perro, it was unable to act inside of them, which meant he couldn¡¯t pull on people¡¯s hearts to stop them beating. There was some kind of skin-level barrier similar to that Cultivators possessed, but a more subtle one he¡¯d never noticed before. His Soul Sense was still able to press inside, which wasn¡¯t possible on someone with a Soul, but the Symbiote didn¡¯t work past that barrier.
When applied to non-living things, it had been much easier. He could reach inside a gun and move specific parts of it. The Symbiote seemed to work in a manner where he would mentally ¡°target¡± something, like a person or a gun or a bullet inside the gun, and then the finger locked onto that thing. This also had a visual effect: through his Soul Sense he would see a pale yellow line move through his Soul Sense, latching onto the thing he had targeted. He¡¯d checked with Beth, who had told him she could see it, too.
Interestingly, regardless of how that line looped and moved around things, the effect when applied always pulled the thing directly towards him. He could even send it around a corner, and though the yellow line was turning at an angle, still the effect was a straight line between him and the target.
One unexpected benefit was that he could use it not to just to pull things toward him, but to pull himself toward them. Through this he¡¯d also realised that the pull of him toward things was more powerful. He could actually lift his whole body from the ground and send himself flying, if he pulled on something above him. In combination with the Pegasi ring it allowed for significantly faster movement when flying, so long as there was something to latch onto in range of his Soul Sense, which was only around ten metres.
However, there was one final limitation in his use of the Symbiote. This was not so much tied to the Symbiote itself, as it was a side effect of Nicolai having to use a temporary Node, or so Kleos had said. The Symbiote was supposed to be charged while inside a Node, but his temporary hand Nodes were incapable of holding Oma. So, he had to charge it in his heart Node. Once charged, the Symbiote was able to take a continuous draw of Oma from him, keeping it active and ready.
At this point it would migrate to one of his temporary hand Nodes while he continued to charge it, and once within one of his hand Nodes it would finally be active and ready for continual use. The entire activation process took roughly three seconds and then required him to continue feeding energy into it at all times, unless he was willing to let it return to his heart¡¯s Node from which he¡¯d have to begin the process again.
This limitation, plus the fact he was sure it was not operating at the level of strength it would have operated if he had a proper hand Node¡ªbased on the power the mantis had shown¡ªmade him extremely eager to get a hand Node as quick as he could. He intended to build one the moment his chest area was complete, at which point his system would be robust enough to build a new Major Node.
Peering across the way, Nicolai saw a motley crew standing ready on the far side, where the bridge found a large square opening into the looming wall which encircled the outcrop. The square opening was that of a gatehouse set into the wall at this point before the bridge. The only way inside, for those who couldn¡¯t fly. Figures clustered there.
On the top of the gatehouse and the walls either side of it Nicolai spied figures armed with bows. There were also two short towers, a short distance along the walls either side of the gatehouse, but no one seemed to be atop them. Rising above and behind them Nicolai made out the leafy branches of a great tree, which looked to be somewhere in the centre of their compound.
This group had been particularly reticent when Nicolai first contacted them. Where the other groups they¡¯d met with over the past few days had willingly come out to meet them, these had refused to leave their compound no matter what Nicolai said.
Normally, he might have suspected a trap, but in his communications with them he¡¯d developed a strong impression of disorganisation and naive idealism.
The four drones sped out above the five of them, towards the outcrop. He didn¡¯t suspect a trap, but he would still perform his due diligence in making sure.
The drones hummed over the walls of the fortification. Through their feeds Nicolai saw that behind the circle of the walls there was little but a large open space. The walls were thickest by the large gatehouse and its two towers, and these walls alongside the gatehouse seemed to double as housing. He saw open doors on the back, people looking out. The rest of the area was an expansive and grassy area, peppered with figures whose faces flashed in the sun as they peered up. They seemed to be attempting to farm the soil.
Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!
In the centre of all this stood the great tree, to one side of which there was a sparkling pool of water, half of its roots diving within.
Surrounding the tree were over a dozen people. They were kneeling as though praying to it.
Nicolai frowned. Odd. He shrugged inwardly. Odd, but interesting.
He looked those on the walls over closely, and he spotted many bows and blades, but not a single gun. These people didn¡¯t seem to have found any Trade Link items, be that from quests or kills or trades. But perhaps they have some hidden. He decided to assume they had some guns, at least until he was able to confirm they didn¡¯t from closer up.
An arrow shot up at one of the drones, missing by a wide margin. Simultaneously Nicolai received a communication over Link, from a carefully guarded connection he¡¯d allowed with one of the people on the far side.
¡®Please keep your drones away. My people grow concerned.¡¯
¡®We¡¯re just making sure this isn¡¯t a trap. Tell your people not to shoot at my drones.¡¯ Nicolai had three of the drones return towards him, a show of concession, meanwhile the last simply rose higher, continuing to give a distant view behind the wall, but from a safer altitude.
¡®There is no trap. We are a peaceful group, and simply wish to be left to our own devices. Normally, we would not engage with any outsiders. As you are here to trade, we will permit you entry. Please, cross.¡¯
Nicolai snorted. He truly didn¡¯t get any bad feelings from these people, but he wasn¡¯t going to simply walk up to that gate. Threat Analysis made him all too aware of the fact that if the people manning it chose to close it when he and the others were mostly across, they would be stuck right within all of the overlapping fields of fire the fortification provided the defenders. He could visualise it easily. He and the others all stuck on the bridge, in the open, carrying their goods. The gate closing. Bullets and arrows flying.
¡®I appreciate your reassurances. However, what you¡¯re describing also happens to be an excellent setup for you to ambush and rob me. I have to take proper precautions.¡¯
¡®Proper precautions?¡¯
¡®Two of us will cross and check all is well. Then the rest of us will cross.¡¯
¡®What?! I¡ we will have to discuss this. Please wait over there.¡¯
Nicolai had no intentions of waiting for however long it would take these people to deliberate. In his previous communications with them they¡¯d been extremely slow and he had the impression there¡¯d been a great deal of waffling behind the scenes. They might well leave him standing there for an hour or more, and he didn¡¯t like the idea of being stuck in the open for any longer than necessary. He wanted to get this done quick, in and out.
¡®Beth,¡¯ he said, glancing over at her. She looked back, ready. Beth was starting to truly shine, in Nicolai¡¯s opinion. As her initial reservations faded he increasingly detected a hunger in her, a love of action. She was happy because he was giving her something to do and she was finding that she was good at it, that she enjoyed it. He¡¯d been spending quite some time with her recently, as they engaged in Soul Sense spars during free moments.
The score was currently eighteen-to-one in his favour, something she was extremely sore about. Her singular win was the result of some tactical decision making on Nicolai¡¯s part, having recognised that if he never let her win any she¡¯d refuse to spar. He¡¯d immediately regretted giving it to her as she¡¯d been extraordinarily smug and annoying about it, in a way that, though amusing at first, had quickly began to grate as he¡¯d realised that she had no intentions of ever shutting up about it.
¡®We¡¯re going under,¡¯ he told her.
From her eager eyes, he knew she immediately understood.
¡®Wait here until I give the signal,¡¯ he said to the others. ¡®We¡¯ll make sure they can¡¯t pull any tricks before you cross.¡¯ John gave him a nod.
Nicolai and Beth rose, levitating with the use of their Pegasi rings, and floated over the side of the bridge to descend beneath it. There they clustered close, sticking right in the centre beneath the bridge as they floated onwards, the bridge itself protecting them from any shots.
¡®Hey, what are you doing? Hello? Please wait, we must discuss this!¡¯
¡®We mean you no harm,¡¯ spoke Nicolai, setting his Link to broadcast wide on the Local, his voice entering all receptive ears. ¡®But if anyone should shoot at us, all of you will die.¡¯
He and Beth had now reached the other side and they rose from beneath the bridge, clinging tight to the wall so the defenders would have a difficult angle if shooting at them, rising until they crested on the right side of the gatehouse. There Nicolai saw a group of men, two of whom were in front of him. They let out yelps of surprise and staggered backwards, fumbling at bows.
As he¡¯d rose Nicolai had prepared his Grasping Finger Symbiote for action and now he used it, reaching towards the two men with his hand and Soul Sense then pulling with the Symbiote.
The men yelped as one of them stumbled forwards and into the other, dragged off balance by Nicolai who, in turn, was pulled towards them, sliding through the air. He cancelled the pull and deactivated his Pegasi rings to land before the nearest, reaching out. Activating the Grasping Finger again, he wrenched on the bow in one man¡¯s hand, snatching it from their grip. Meanwhile he drew a knife and put it to the throat of the guy closer to him.
¡®No need for this,¡¯ he said with a smile, catching the bow that was spinning toward him in one hand then dropping it, glancing to the side where he saw two more people frozen in fear, Beth levelling her submachine-gun at them. He¡¯d opted to mainly bring submachine-guns for this excursion, as he believed this group to lack any real armour or shielding. Peering down from their perch into the area beyond, he saw those inside looking up with shock and fear on their faces.
His eyes narrowed. These people are especially weak. Not that he minded; not everyone could be like him. But, it did open up some options that might have otherwise been unavailable. He could likely get away with being unusually pushy and demanding, which was well within the limits his Mask was suggesting to him. He pressed the man in front of him back with one hand and sheathed his knife, seeing no signs of any of them causing trouble. They were frozen, tense with fear.
¡®This isn¡¯t an attack,¡¯ he told them. ¡®We¡¯re just here to trade. Don¡¯t make any trouble and everything will be fine.¡¯ They did not look convinced, but with a little urging he had them drop their weapons and move to one side.
¡®Alright,¡¯ said Nicolai to the individual he¡¯d been speaking with. ¡®Everything seems fine. I will have my people bring the goods across. Are you capable of ensuring none of yours do anything stupid?¡¯
¡®This¡ this isn¡¯t what we agreed!¡¯
¡®It is what we agreed. You wanted us to come to trade. We¡¯ve come to trade. We simply couldn¡¯t afford to spend time sitting around out there. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but this place is dangerous.¡¯
¡®Keep a watch from up here,¡¯ he said to Beth, who nodded in response, then Nicolai messaged the others to start coming over and tugged an Oma crystal from a pocket, starting to refill his Node. As usual, he aimed to keep it as full as possible at all times whilst it was still being slowly drained to finalise his two Nodes-in-progress.
After finishing the crystal and pulling a new one to keep draining, Nicolai stepped off the wall and floated to the ground, landing beside the gatehouse, glancing inside the opening, now from within. He saw a group of confused and worried looking people, all clutching crappy, rusty melee weapons. They spotted him and gasped, clucking and clutching at one another like a gaggle of chickens. He was aware the black ski mask he wore wasn¡¯t the friendliest of looks, so he couldn¡¯t entirely blame them. One of those closest to him stepped forwards. A man with a pot-helmet perched lopsidedly on his wizened old head, scraggly grey hairs making it out from within.
¡®You were meant to wait!¡¯ he yelped at Nicolai, taking a few uncertain steps forward and then glancing around at the others. ¡®I told him to wait!¡¯
¡®Well, he didn¡¯t wait,¡¯ said a stick-thin woman. She sighed. ¡®Great start.¡¯
A woman with a shamanistic vibe and her eyes closed emerged from amongst them, extending a wavering hand on which she held her Seed. From it Nicolai saw strands of Soul Sense emerge, feeling around her. They reached out and clumsily felt at him. It was as though a curious toddler was poking him in the leg, and he froze, staring at her, confused.
¡®I¡¡¯ she pronounced, the others staring at her. ¡®Detect¡ something. Mmmm. Mmmm! I detect something!¡¯ She took another step, reaching out and running her hands over his shoulders. ¡®There,¡¯ she mumbled. ¡®Who is it?¡¯
Was she blind or mad? Perhaps both? A dull, angry ember was growing within him, incited by the transgression. Don¡¯t touch me. His hand rose and gloved fingers crept around her throat, beginning to tighten. His Soul Sense hissed around him, twisting and darkening. There was something in the air, something in this place that reached into him and stirred.
¡®There is a darkness!¡¯ she screamed, lurching backwards. ¡®A darkness!¡¯
Nicolai¡¯s Mask spasmed and his hand released, the woman tearing herself away. She disappeared into the midst of the others who surrounded her protectively, clucking and muttering.
¡®What did you do?¡¯ said pot-helmet, wide eyes morphing into a scowl aimed at Nicolai.
Nicolai didn¡¯t answer, staring at his own hand, mind full of an endless dark whirl that spun and spun around him. His gaze rose and stared at the people before him, only they weren¡¯t people. The light had dulled and now it flashed, revealing all in a strange, reddened glare. They had transformed into gigantic chickens, all bulging, mad eyes, empty and stupid, and they were letting out endless, irritating clucking sounds.
There was a dull droning in his ears as he stared at them, his face blank. The humming rose in pitch, becoming a sharp ringing that made him wince and grit his teeth, then the sound was gone and the light flared. When his vision returned, all was back as before, pot-helmet still staring at him.
It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m relaxed. Cool and calm. He found his hand gripping tight to the grip of his shotgun, and Nicolai let out a deep, careful breath as he made his fingers let go, shoving the homicidal urge down. Best to just get this done quick. This was just a trade, wasn¡¯t it? No need for any¡ unpleasantness. He cast a wary gaze about. The hallucination had caught him by surprise. It had been some time he¡¯d had such a clear one. The dark was buzzing within the cage, reacting to something.
To what?
139: Hungry Tree
¡®Keep control of your people,¡¯ Nicolai began to Pot Helmet, his voice a rising snarl, only to pause. Cool and calm. He forced his mind away from the vision, refocusing. Nicolai cleared his throat and adopted a smile.
¡®I didn¡¯t do anything. What is the matter with her? Is she okay?¡¯ He twisted his features into an expression of concern, guided by his Mask.
Pot Helmet glanced back at the others and let out a sigh. ¡®She¡¯s, uh, always been like that. Sorry. In the past she¡¯s noticed some stuff. Warned us of things¡¡¯ he said the last leadingly, clearly inviting Nicolai to give some kind of explanation for her reaction.
¡®I see. She probably sensed this, it¡¯s a strange item I found,¡¯ said Nicolai, pulling the Swollen Amulet from beneath his clothes and showing it to the man. ¡®I¡¯m not sure what it does, but it has a scary aura to it.¡¯ If his manner was a little perfunctory, so what.
The man peered at the proffered amulet, frowning. It had quite an unnerving appearance, carefully carved to resemble a bulging, inflamed eye. Nicolai knew for a fact this wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d sensed from him, but he felt it worked well as an excuse due to the odd appearance.
¡®Why are you carrying it?¡¯ asked Pot Helmet.
¡®I think it might be valuable.¡¯ Nicolai shrugged. ¡®I sell things.¡¯ Desiring to move on, he looked over his shoulder into the grassy area, at the great tree in the centre of it, surrounded by what appeared to be worshippers. ¡®What¡¯s all that about?¡¯ he asked, pointing a thumb at the tree.
Pot Helmet smiled. ¡®That is the Great Tree. Our people¡ªour Commune¡ªare centred around it. It guides us.¡¯
¡®Guides you? How?¡¯
¡®With our Seeds we are able to hear its voice. It has guided us and kept us safe. Actually, we were only willing to reach out to you and allow you here because of it. It wants us to grow stronger. It worries we are not able to defend ourselves, to defend it.¡¯
¡®Well. That¡¯s uh, that¡¯s great.¡¯ Nicolai managed a smile, gazing at the people kneeling around it the tree. There¡¯s something very weird going on here. His eyes turned towards the branching bulk of the tree, his Soul Sense reaching out, but he was too far to reach it. He wanted to get closer to it, touch it and see what he felt.
It must be more than just a simple tree, unless these people were all delusional. If there was something special about it he wanted to know what that was. Perhaps it could be useful to him. He was trying to think of how to phrase a request to go closer to it when Pot Helmet spoke again.
¡®Would you and your people like to be Presented?¡¯ The old man said ¡°presented¡± with heavy emphasis, like some holy word. ¡®The Great Tree has decreed that we might allow you to draw near it, if you wish. It may have words for you.¡¯ There was a zealous light in the man¡¯s eyes, and the others had quieted to wait for Nicolai¡¯s response.
¡®Of course,¡¯ he said. ¡®Please¡ Present us.¡¯
The others had finished crossing the bridge and were entering through the gatehouse. The members of the Commune, as pot-helm had called them, moved aside to make way. Nicolai nodded to John and the others as they emerged. ¡®We are going to see the tree,¡¯ he told them simply, gesturing towards it.
John stared past him. ¡®Why?¡¯
Nicolai shrugged, turning and following after Pot Helmet. ¡®It is important to these people. They wish us to greet it,¡¯ he said over Local.
¡®What? They worship the tree?¡¯ Beth asked.
¡®Apparently. They are odd,¡¯ he replied.
¡®They seem friendly enough, at any rate,¡¯ said John, and Nicolai saw the man looking around at the people beside him, a strange look in his eyes. Like a kind of yearning, mixed with sadness.
They moved in a loose mass towards the tree, the members of the Commune around the area all watching in silence, a feverish glow to them. It made Nicolai uneasy, his paranoia twitching, and he kept his hands ready on his SMG, safety off. Threat Analysis watched closely over his shoulder and through the drones. Its process-driven mind had also flagged numerous concerning oddities in the behaviour of these people. They weren¡¯t reliable and shouldn¡¯t be trusted.
He soothed himself with the knowledge that regardless of any intent to betray, there was no way these people would stand any chance in a fight. There wasn¡¯t a single gun with them, none of them were Cultivators, and the simple bows they held in unconfident hands were no threat. He doubted they would be able to shoot straight, let alone get through his shield. He and the others could gun them down without any significant risk, though doing so might take a while as there were a lot of them.
Drawing closer, Nicolai got a better look at those prostrate before the tree. Each of them was kneeling, heads bowed, arms extended, and in their proffered palms they held their Seeds. From those Seeds he saw Soul Sense tendrils reaching out and towards the tree, merging with something around it. Closer still, and Nicolai reached his own Soul Sense tendril out, and realised that the diffuse mass around the tree was its own Soul Sense, a different type, faint but massive. His Soul Sense tendril made cautious contact.
Immediately he felt it, the vitality and life and hunger emanating from the tree. But more than that, its awareness, an awareness of what was around it and especially, of him.
A wave of slow emotion rolled out towards him. Welcoming, calming, pulling. Join with me, said the tree. The hunger he¡¯d first sensed was muted, hidden.
Nicolai rebuffed it near effortlessly, taking a step back. He had enough shit in his head already, and the tree¡¯s attempt to connect with him had triggered one of them. The stirring of the dark within him was increasing. It was because of this tree, he felt suddenly sure of it. The light around him dimmed again, and his eyes narrowed, wary. Another hallucination? The light faded and he was in darkness. His eyes widened as he felt the dark suddenly burst free from the Cage and he felt the hole within him, yawning wide.
The light flared and the world was revealed in a new light, dreamy and amorphous. From the tree he saw dozens of tiny root-like cords emerging, spiralling through the air and sinking into the heads of its worshippers, of the Commune. He saw some of these roots coming towards him.
In that frozen moment he understood. He was looking through the Hole. He was looking into another world, one that existed in some way behind reality. He moved immediately, clamping down on the Darkness, and the Hole, firming his grip over the Cage. His teeth grit as he squeezed it tight, prepared for a savage fight, but to his surprise the Dark went easily and the Hole closed up.
The light dimmed, dark again, then there was a flare and he was back in reality, staring up at the tree.
¡®Does the Great Tree have words for you?¡¯ Pot Helmet¡¯s breath whistled beside Nicolai, pressing so close Nicolai could smell the stink of the man¡¯s unwashed mouth.
Nicolai raised a hand and put it on Pot Helmet¡¯s chest, pushing him back with as much restraint as he could muster and stepping rapidly away from the tree, his mind replaying the image of the strange spiritual roots he¡¯d seen coming from it, coming toward him. He stepped faster, and carefully monitored everything around him with his Soul Sense.
¡®It does not,¡¯ he said over his shoulder to Pot Helmet. ¡®Except that I think it wants us to get on with our trade. Let¡¯s do it over there.¡¯ As he quick-stepped he gestured to a spot back the way they¡¯d come from, closer to the gatehouse.
He¡¯d learned enough of the tree to be getting on with. Logically, he wasn¡¯t sure how seriously to take the hallucination. Had he seen some kind of truth, a hidden layer? Or had his mind just made everything up, a paranoia infused dream? Either way, it didn¡¯t matter. His gut feeling told him to take what he¡¯d seen seriously.
We know nothing of this new world, and this new ¡°magic,¡± added Threat Analysis, if something seems dangerous, it should be treated as dangerous.
Nicolai nodded. He and the Modules didn¡¯t trust the tree, simple as that. He glanced back at the tree, and imagined it burning, his mind setting it on fire. Perhaps that would be best. The dark urges within him pulsed hatefully, gazing at the tree with enmity, and he paused, the flames firming, becoming more hallucination than imagining, and a desire to set those flames into reality grew within him.
The Tree¡¯s Soul Sense flinched. Then those around it were rising. ¡®Away!¡¯ they barked in unison. ¡®Away from the Tree!¡¯
Pot Helmet gaped at them before turning to scowl at Nicolai. ¡®Away, then!¡¯
¡®Yes, of course.¡¯ Nicolai smiled. ¡®Let us make our trade and I will be on my way.¡¯ It was unfortunate the Tree had sensed his impulse. He pushed his dark urges down, squeezing them back through the bars of the cage where they¡¯d been creeping out. He didn¡¯t trust the tree but he wasn¡¯t going to burn it, not without any reason.
Nicolai didn¡¯t believe in killing things simply because he didn¡¯t understand them. His preference was to understand them first, and then kill them if necessary.
¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ John hissed at him, the man lumbering with one of the bags behind him. ¡®Why¡¯re they upset? It¡¯s just a big bloody tree.¡¯
Nicolai gazed at him. Then his eyes turned to Cait, and to Beth still up on the wall. He struggled to control his expression as he realised he might¡¯ve made a mistake. He shouldn¡¯t have let these two comes anywhere near the tree. Just like John, he¡¯d assumed it was just a tree, but in this world nothing was as it seemed.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
He knew that he was safe from it¡ªprobably safe from it, spoke up Threat Analysis¡ªbecause he¡¯d seen it, felt it, and rejected it. He felt that Beth should also be protected, at least to a degree, because she was a Cultivator. Being a Cultivator gave one a kind of passive spiritual protection against many things.
But John and Cait had no such protection.
¡®There¡¯s something very off about that tree,¡¯ he said quietly, figuring that at a time like this, honesty was the best policy. If he didn¡¯t provide all the facts they wouldn¡¯t know what to watch out for. He switched to Local. ¡®I think that tree might be¡ doing something to these people. Some kind of strange mental effect. You two need to drop the bags here then head back over the bridge. I shouldn¡¯t have let you come so close to it.¡¯ Cait and John were giving him deeply concerned looks, exchanging wide eyed glances and peering back suspiciously at the tree. ¡®Do you feel at all¡ strange?¡¯ he asked them. ¡®Do you feel anything toward the tree?¡¯
John shook his head, as did Cait.
¡®I feel normal,¡¯ she told him.
¡®And I. Just a tree,¡¯ said John.
¡®Good.¡¯ He gestured to the gateway, and the bridge. ¡®Go on, wait on the far side. It¡¯s best you keep away from it, even so.¡¯
The pair paused, then, and strange looks crossed their faces.
¡®You sure you don¡¯t need us here?¡¯ asked John.
Nicolai eyed him. Uh oh. He took a deep breathe, and attempted to look through the hole, focusing his mind. But blocking the hole was the Dark and the Cage, and after a little pushing he gave up. He¡¯d have to open it all up and risk losing himself. It wasn¡¯t worthwhile.
Still, perhaps he didn¡¯t need to. Once he¡¯d noticed the strange tendrils, he¡¯d been able to cut them away simply with Soul Sense. His Soul Sense flexed like a scythe and it sliced invisibly around John and Cait, and while it did so he listened carefully to the Aura. He felt a faint and distant sense of stymied rage from the tree, through the answering ripples. Good enough.
¡®Go,¡¯ he told them.
Their expressions cleared and they nodded, dropping the bags and departing. He¡¯d have to keep an eye on them for a little while, and also check Beth hadn¡¯t suffered any strange effects.
¡®Your friends are going?¡¯ asked Pot Helmet beside him as they tramped off. ¡®Don¡¯t they want to stick around a little longer?¡¯
Absolutely not. ¡®They have things to do, as do we.¡¯ He gazed at the crowd forming around him and Pot Helmet. A lot of people, and he didn¡¯t trust any of them. ¡®Keep your people back,¡¯ he hissed at Pot Helmet. ¡®They¡¯re making me nervous.¡¯ He fingered his SMG. ¡®You don¡¯t want me nervous.¡¯
Pot Helmet looked merely surprised and confused, so Nicolai relaxed. A little. The man told the others to move back a bit, and then a bit when Nicolai prodded him to do so. And then a bit more when Threat Analysis prodded him to prod the man once again. A few did stay close, however. Pot Helmet¡¯s little group of worthies; the leaders of this place.
With over thirty metres of empty space around him, Pot Helmet, and the leaders, Nicolai finally hunkered down, opened the bags up and showed his wares. These had now expanded from just guns and items of Earth, to include a few Soul Traps. Old Ben had been busy and had made quite a few, enough that Nicolai was able to start selling the excess.
This largely dispelled the lingering uncertainties of Pot Helmet and the rest, and they all clustered as close to the bags, eager to look upon what he¡¯d brought.
Over the next twenty minutes Nicolai wheeled and dealed, pushing for the very best deal he could.
¡®These prices seem¡ very steep,¡¯ said Pot Helmet after much hemming and hawing, an unhappy frown on his face.
¡®They¡¯re the same prices I give to all,¡¯ Nicolai lied. ¡®Your tree wants you to be stronger, doesn¡¯t it? The prices are what they are, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t change them for now. In fact, it would be remiss of me not to warn you that the current price is likely the cheapest these guns will be. Over the next few weeks I¡¯ll have to start raising the prices. Everyone wants guns, and these Soul Traps are also in very high demand. You¡¯re very lucky to have caught me at a time where the prices are so low.¡¯ He gave a pleasant, smile with these words, as though delivering some great news.
¡®They¡¯ll be more expensive?¡¯ Pot Helmet¡¯s eyes goggled.
¡®I¡¯m afraid so,¡¯ said Nicolai, sighing with dismay. Whether he would actually increase the prices even further remained to be seen. He was largely saying this simply to push the man and his people to buy as much as they could be persuaded to. This was a common strategy, well-known to any corporation on Earth. Present people with a price, then tell them that it was going to go up. No, not only would it go up; it would go up soon, and significantly.
If you don¡¯t buy now, you¡¯ll be missing out! You need this anyway, don¡¯t you? So get it now, before it goes higher in price! One of consumerism¡¯s many cries, over the centuries. Still just as effective as ever, in Nicolai¡¯s opinion.
It was proven effective then, as Pot Helmet¡¯s wavering resistance collapsed alongside the rest of the Commune¡¯s leaders, all of them clustering around to gather as many points-tags as they could then moving off to the larger crowd of onlookers to rustle up even more.
Nicolai ¡°cut them a good deal¡± by accepting Rejuvenating Orbs in place of points-tags, giving each orb a price in exchange of two hundred points. In his view this was practically stealing, as in truth he internally valued the orbs at closer to one or two thousand. But these people had quite a few such orbs simply due to their number and from spending all of their time in this place where they¡¯d been nice and safe; little need to use them. Perhaps because of that, they had little understanding of the true value of the Orbs.
It seemed they¡¯d been very lucky, and now Nicolai took advantage of that.
When he and the others departed, it was with the bags largely emptied of guns, clothes and amenities, instead bulging with points-tags and Rejuvenating Orbs. The best haul yet. This was the fifth trade he¡¯d performed since the first with the Communists, and he had only been a few thousand points off being able to afford the Market Upgrade Permit prior to it.
This trade had brought in around twenty-five-thousand points all by itself, enough that he could have bought the permit just with that. Now, he would be able to get the permit, and restock his wares, and perhaps have enough to see about getting some of whatever advanced items the Market Upgrade Permit made available.
###
Before returning to the safe place and the Trade Link, Nicolai and the others ventured to the tunnel which led to the prison, where he retrieved another weighty bag of Oma crystals. In the distance down the tunnel he made out figures coming toward them, arriving in time for the planned meet.
Jo, Perro, and Azure. As they drew closer he saw their Soul Senses, coming into view. Still in Seed-form, dozens of slender tendrils emerging from the places on their bodies where they kept their seeds. The three of them had more than was typical, and were keeping them moving even as they moved their bodies.
Nicolai nodded approvingly. They¡¯d come a long way since he last saw them. His Soul Sense loitered around their Seeds, feeling the vibrant energy within. Three tiny stars of Oma, roughly the same amount in each. They reminded him of his own Seed, once he¡¯d filled it to a hundred percent. A smile tugged at his lips. They¡¯d completed their Seeds on-schedule. It would remain to see whether they¡¯d sufficiently bonded.
¡®Jo!¡¯ came a cry, and Beth dashed forwards, grabbing at her sister, the two colliding in a hug. John came quick after, reaching out for Azure who accepted his hug with a sort of grimacing teenage embarrassment that failed to hide (from Nicolai, at least) how glad she was to see her father. Perro, smiling and rubbing at the back of his head as he looked at the others, moved on past them. Nicolai felt a sadness from the boy, and his Mask made him act, making him reach out and put a hand on Perro¡¯s shoulder.
¡®Well done down there,¡¯ he said, smiling. ¡®Welcome back.¡¯
Perro stared at him, then a grin broke out on the boys face as he nodded back.
¡®How are things going with our prisoners?¡¯ continued Nicolai.
¡®Oh, uh, they¡¯re fine. They tried to cause a little trouble at first, but we did like you said and since then they¡¯ve just been eating and feeding their Seeds.''
¡®Very good.¡¯ Nicolai¡¯s smile grew. He¡¯d ended up informing the others about the prisoners, and had managed to wrest Cait and John onboard with his plan. When he¡¯d told them what the pair had done to Azure, John¡¯s opinion had shifted rapidly. In fact, the man had seemed like he wanted to kill them. But Nicolai had convinced him that it was wise to have the pair finish their Seeds, first.
¡®How was it?¡¯ asked a smiling Cait, clapping her hand on Perro¡¯s other shoulder.
He puffed his cheeks, shaking his head. ¡®It¡¯s scary, down there.¡¯ He shot a quick glance at Nicolai. ¡®But, uh, we were fine. Saw some fights. Had some¡ moments. But. Uh. Yeah.¡¯ He smiled. ¡®Seeds complete.¡¯
¡®Moments?¡¯ questioned Cait.
Perro frowned, chewing his lip. ¡®Just some times it got a bit close, that¡¯s all.¡¯ His frown grew.
¡®It¡¯s fine,¡¯ Nicolai said, extending a hand. ¡®It¡¯s all fine. Are you bonded with your Seeds?¡¯
Azure glanced at him from where John held her and shook her head. ¡®None of us managed that. We¡¯re not sure how far off we are, there¡¯s no indicator.¡¯
Nicolai nodded. He hadn¡¯t really expected them to manage to bond, considering that they¡¯d rarely used their Seed¡¯s Soul Sense prior to this. They¡¯d made good progress regardless.
¡®Are you okay?¡¯ John was saying, pulling away from her. ¡®I heard what happened.¡¯ He frowned as he looked her over, clearly noting the bruises on her face. He turned to scowl at Nicolai. ¡®You told me it was safe down there!¡¯
Nicolai shrugged. ¡®It is, normally.¡¯ Sort of. ¡®How could I predict there¡¯d be two vagabonds down there?¡¯
¡®Vagabonds?¡¯ said Beth with a confused look. ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯
¡®It means like, robbers and sneaky types,¡¯ said Jo. ¡®Old word.¡¯
¡®Anyway, now Azure is out, and she¡¯s fine,¡¯ Nicolai added to John. ¡®We¡¯ll look after her.¡¯ John frowned at him and looked to speak, but Nicolai kept talking, aiming to move things on before John could work himself into a froth. ¡®How are things with the prisoners? What is their Seed progress?¡¯ he asked Jo.
She shrugged. ¡®They caused some issues at the start, but now they know how things are. I think their Seeds are around seventy, maybe eighty percent.¡¯
Nicolai nodded. Soon enough, I¡¯ll have two new Symbiotes. He smiled at the thought. He glanced to Cait, and John who was leaning down and talking quietly to Azure, hand on her shoulder.
¡®Get their Seeds to almost complete before you leave the prison,¡¯ he said to Cait, who gave him a nod back. ¡®Are you two ready?¡¯
John eyed him. Then looked to Jo and Beth. ¡®You¡¯ll look after my girl, won¡¯t you?¡¯
¡®Of course,¡¯ said Jo, nodding to him, while in the background Azure rolled her eyes.
John nodded, and started removing his gear, stripping to simple clothes, handing his things to Azure who stared at him.
¡®Wait, you¡¯re going in there right now?¡¯ she asked. ¡®I just got back!¡¯
¡®Needs must,¡¯ murmured Nicolai, his Mask drawing his face into a frown. He shook it away. ¡®Everyone must go and complete their Seed. It is the best way for us to all survive.¡¯
And you want more Oma crystals, said his Mask.
That¡¯s right, Nicolai admitted freely. Benefits on both sides. His Mask was saying something about not everything being a transaction but he ignored it.
It was increasingly chatty these days. Chatty, and opinionated.
¡®He¡¯s right,¡¯ said John, smiling at Azure. ¡®Me and Cait will be back soon.¡¯
She pouted. ¡®Be careful.¡¯
¡®Is it dangerous?¡¯ Cait asked. ¡®And how are these prisoners, any issues?¡¯
¡®Increasingly dangerous,¡¯ said Jo, approaching with Beth. ¡®But if you take care you¡¯ll be fine. We haven¡¯t seen the centipede and you¡¯ll be able to hear the bugs before they show. Just run if you think you hear something happening. The prisoners are easy enough, all we do is check on them now and again to hand over a few more Oma crystals or Soul Wisps.¡¯
¡®Don¡¯t forget to practice with your Soul Sense,¡¯ added Nicolai. Throughout this he¡¯d been watching the pair carefully, and now felt reassured that the tree hadn¡¯t managed to do anything significant to them; they were acting entirely normal and had expressed no desire to return to it.
There was a final moment, John and Cait standing off and looking back at them, then they turned away.
Nicolai watched them dissolve into darkness, his mind on other things. Next up, Trade Link. A smile pulled at his lips. He was eager to see what might be bought once he¡¯d used the Upgrade Permit.
140: Vikrum Investigates
Vikrum considered the terrified prisoner, a member of the group calling themselves the New Start Communists. They had been quite a thorn in the Chosen¡¯s side¡ªand therefore Vikrum¡¯s side¡ªsince early on, but recently things had gotten even worse.
This was largely because the New Start Communists were now armed with the same weapons as his people; primitive submachine-guns, shotguns, and pistols. Vikrum didn¡¯t need Cornwall to tell him that these people had access to another Trade Link. But, at the same time, his Chosen had reported that other known groups were also now increasingly becoming armed.
When this had first started he¡¯d assumed it was just their enemies looting guns from his Chosen, but it had become clear that wasn¡¯t the case. Cornwall had provided him a count of how many guns they¡¯d lost, and the numbers didn¡¯t match up.
Vikrum glanced at Borg. The hulking cyborg stood to the side, looming over the prisoner who was tied to a rickety chair. Above the cyborg¡¯s head floated the blue word: Loyal. Ever since Vikrum had changed his policy from forced recruitment to kill-and-take, Borg had been entirely onboard.
In a corner of the room, Gilvine lurked, leaning against the wall, quiet and spiderlike with her spindly-looking but powerful limbs. Above her head floated a red word: Disloyal. She had been disloyal the entire time he¡¯d known her, and in this case the indicator had been a great help to Vikrum. If it hadn¡¯t been for that reveal, he might¡¯ve been convinced by her a few times in the past. Even now, she acted like a loyal general.
He kept a close eye on her, as he did on all with the Disloyal tag. The additional information the Quest showed him had also come in useful during the recruitment phase, as he¡¯d been well aware of who had been truly loyal, and who had been attempting to deceive him.
In Gilvine¡¯s case, she was strong and useful enough that he and Cornwall had agreed it was best to keep her, and pretend to not know about her plots while foiling them at every turn. So long as he could keep her managed by circumnavigating her attempts to oust him, her use outweighed her danger.
Katnin, who as always had the words: Loyal - Pillar, shining above her head, bounced on the balls of her feet on the other side of the prisoner.
¡®We gonna get started or what?¡¯ she asked him.
Vikrum refocused. ¡®Free his mouth,¡¯ he commanded, and Borg reached out with an overlarge bionic hand, extending a finger. A pincer-like manipulator extended from that finger and gripped the duct tape on the man¡¯s mouth in a surprisingly dainty manner, and Borg stripped it off.
¡®You¡¯re going to tell me where you¡¯re getting your weapons,¡¯ Vikrum said to the prisoner.
¡®The traders!¡¯ cried the man immediately.
Vikrum frowned. ¡®Traders?¡¯
¡®This group. They always wear black balaclava¡¯s. We bought guns and other gear from them.¡¯
¡®How did they get the guns?¡¯
¡®They said they were smuggling them, that they have people here who get the guns for them, undercover.¡¯
Vikrum¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®What?!¡¯ he spluttered. Traitors?
¡®That¡¯s right!¡¯ said the man, nodding his head desperately
¡®Who?¡¯ hissed Vikrum. ¡®Give me names!¡¯
¡®Uh, I don¡¯t know,¡¯ said the man, blinking. ¡®The guy, he just said he had someone in the Chosen, that¡¯s all I know.¡¯
But as the prisoner blabbered, Cornwall was speaking up. There is little evidence to suggest that any within the Chosen are smuggling weapons.
Vikrum paused, looking away from the prisoner. You mean he¡¯s lying?
Analysis of his face, voice, and body show no significant physiological indicators that he is lying, but there is still a low possibility he is. More likely, he was lied to by these Traders.
¡®I can go and find these smugglers,¡¯ said Gilvine, her voice a synthetic hiss rising from the corner of the room.
¡®You? You stand out a little to be poking around, don¡¯t you?¡¯ said Katnin, arching her eyebrows at Gilvine, then looking to Vikrum. ¡®I can hunt them out. Give me command of the mercs and I¡¯ll get it done in a day.¡¯
Vikrum waved them off, focusing on what Cornwall was saying. You¡¯re sure there¡¯s no possibility of a smuggler?
We setup CCTV in the Trade Link since the second day, and I have all the recordings. There were two short periods where the generator issue caused them to cease functioning, both lasting less than thirty minutes, and you will recall we went and checked on the Trade Link both times. I have seen and counted every weapon and drone purchased at the Trade Link. Some have been lost when Chosen died in the field, but this number is comparatively low. We have already seen more guns in the hands of these groups than we have lost.
Vikrum gave a slow nod, thoughtful. ¡®No,¡¯ he said, turning to the others. He snorted. ¡®There is no smuggler. That was a lie.¡¯
¡®Rea-lly?¡¯ drawled Katnin, before leaning close to the prisoner, her mouth by his ear. ¡®Very brave of you,¡¯ she hissed, ¡®to lie to us.¡¯
The man leaned away from her, cringing. ¡®I wasn¡¯t! That¡¯s what they said!¡¯
¡®Not him,¡¯ spoke Vikrum. ¡®These Traders. They told you a lie. It is not possible that someone could be smuggling from our Trade Link.¡¯
¡®Uh, but¡ª¡®
¡®Tape him,¡¯ Vikrum said to Borg, and the Cyborg plastered the duct-tape back over the prisoners mouth.
Cornwall was already feeding Vikrum its analysis.
There are three likely options. Either the Traders have found another Trade Link, or they are using the same Trade Link as us, or there is an unknown alternative method they are using to procure these items.
Vikrum frowned, immediately focusing on Cornwall¡¯s second option, the possibility which was most upsetting. How could they use my Trade Link?
It is partially buried and we have access to one portion of it. It appears to be very large. Other portions may be revealed elsewhere.
Vikrum nodded, his synthetic features twisting into an ever harsher frown. He strongly disliked the possibility of these Traders making use of his Trade Link. Which do you think is most likely? he asked.
The second; that they have an alternate access point to the same Trade Link we are using. There could also be an alternate Trade Link, but it is unlikely; if they were common, we should have found some by now, and your Quest would have mentioned them as it did this one. As to a third route, too little is known of how this world operates to know.
If we assume they are accessing our Trade Link from another place¡ what can we do?
There was a brief pause as Cornwall calculated. We need to locate the alternate access point. The mapping software bundled with every human¡¯s Mark will make this easier. I have taken the liberty of creating a few rough diagrams of its likely dimensions once revealed, based on what we can see of it, and so we can know where the other consoles should be.
From there it is just a matter of searching for routes into these points. It would also be advisable to use any available sonar devises to scan the collapse; both to provide data in order to further verify its estimated size and shape, and to attempt to locate the alternate access point. However, depending on size and composition of the collapse and how far away any alternative access points are, this may not be possible. Furthermore, the Trade Link is very large, and this castle has a nonsensical design; the search for an alternative access point would be slow and require significant manpower.
Could we just mine through?
It is possible using power tools available from the Trade Link, but it would take significant time and effort, and such an operation might also be detected due to the noise and vibrations it would cause. Ideally we would utilise a small, quiet mining and construction bot, such as a tube-builder, but none such is available from your current Markets.
Vikrum considered. Sonar and search parties it would be. First things first, he needed to know what his enemies looked like. His eyes moved to the prisoner. He gestured and Borg removed the tape. Vikrum leaned forward and gripped the prisoner by his chin, composite fingers digging into the man¡¯s cheeks.
¡®You recorded it, didn¡¯t you? When you met the Traders. Send me that recording.¡¯
The man didn¡¯t resist, his eyes unfocusing for a moment, and Vikrum allowed the Local connection.
Moments later he, Cornwall, and everyone else (for he had copied and sent the recording to the other three in the room) were watching the prisoner¡¯s view of his interaction with the Traders.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
A group of six individuals. They were well equipped with Trade Link gear, bearing a close resemblance to his Chosen. They were on one side of a large room. Two were on a balcony on the left, another two on a balcony on the right, and then the last two stood on the ground.
Vikrum watched from the prisoners point-of-view, which was to the back of the room, as the Communists leader alongside her two lieutenants¡ªhe recognised all of them from his people¡¯s encounters with this group¡ªwent and met the Traders.
He absorbed it silently, and his focus came to rest on a man who was doing all the talking with the Communists leader. Vikrum couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s features, hidden as they were under a black balaclava, but even so there was something familiar about him.
We have seen this individual before, Cornwall informed him.
Details?
After observing his physical dimensions, body tells, and some of his equipment, I have ran a full analysis. Your people have encountered him numerous times. He has caused problems. Please watch this footage, I believe it shows the first encounter of one of your people with him.
Vikrum¡¯s eyes were filled by a new recording, one he quickly recognised. It belonged to a young man who was firmly Loyal but quite useless, since after the event shown in the footage, where almost an entire squad had been wiped out, the boy had been too afraid to go out and contribute. Vikrum hadn¡¯t had the heart to force him.
He watched as a bloodstained figure¡ªa Raw, by all accounts¡ªfought and killed six of his Chosen in a corridor, wielding a polearm. The man moved with skill and savagery no Raw should possess, fighting like someone possessed. The footage ended with the POV locked onto the man, as the boy stumbled back away from the advancing figure who wore a hideous, bloodstained grin.
The video changed to another. Now he saw out the eyes of one who had died, one of Vikrum¡¯s field leaders who had taken a larger group to one of the areas where they¡¯d found quite a few recruits; though there had been some difficult undead patrols there. This man¡¯s POV showed him opening one of the hidden tunnels¡¯ exits, and as it opened, someone came into view.
The same man, who stared with a blank expression at the point-of-view. There was an arrow in his arm. The man who was about to die spoke some words, which were ignored by the man who suddenly lunged forward and stabbed out, and Vikrum experienced the unpleasant first person view of having a knife stabbed into his chest. Cornwall froze the replay as the attacker was right up close, features twisted in a familiar, savage grin, giving Vikrum a good look at him.
The next recording came. This had been from a little later, after they¡¯d dug free the route to the Trade Link and Vikrum had begun arming his people. Now he saw a few scattered scenes, two men fleeing. One of them, he knew well. Jonah, an individual who had joined and showed some potential. He was currently Undecided, and if that didn¡¯t change soon, Vikrum would have to see about doing something about him; him and the rest of the Undecided.
The other running man was who Vikrum focused on. The footage switched through different POVs, but each was distant and jerky, as his people chased. In the end, they lost the pair somewhere in the area.
Finally, one last recording.
It was the moment Jonah had been captured, some days later. Jonah had been with an individual who had caused trouble, killed some of Vikrum¡¯s people. The field leader of the group that captured Jonah had made note of the man in his report.
Guy had a shimmer poncho, and one of those Imbued, I think. He blocked bullets. We clipped him at the end, though. He was bleeding bad, saw the blood on the ground. He got away but I doubt he¡¯ll survive. No one we need to worry about. I think it¡¯s worth having a look and trying to find his body, a shimmer poncho would be nice to have. We searched around but he vanished at that spot. Thinking back, I think he might¡¯ve somehow climbed up to one of the balconies above, they weren¡¯t far up, but I don¡¯t understand how he could¡¯ve made the climb in the time he had.
Vikrum observed the lieutenants point-of-view, seeing the man in the shimmer poncho; the same man as always, but better equipped than ever. This was the best video of all; lengthy, no jerky movement, everyone up close and talking.
The Trader was standing there looking slumped and miserable and dispirited. He perked up a little when Vikrum¡¯s man drew closer. This lieutenant, Jakrum, was one of Vikrum¡¯s more aggressive people. He was someone Vikrum had had to curb a couple of times, but in this instance he was glad the Trader had encountered him. He deserved it.
¡®I¡¯m not sure your leader can afford me,¡¯ the Trader said in the recording, and Vikrum narrowed his eyes. The Trader now stood in stark contrast to the miserable looking Johan; he held himself with silent confidence, a lack of fear.
Vikrum smiled as Jakrum slammed the butt of his shotgun into the man¡¯s stomach and the show of force was broken, sinking to a knee, gasping and spluttering. When he next looked up at Jakrum, there was fear and worry in his eyes, and he looked quickly away.
Not looking so confident now, Vikrum thought with satisfaction. This guy wasn¡¯t anything to get too worried about. Though, he couldn¡¯t quite remember how the man had gotten away, hadn¡¯t paid too much attention to the report at the time nor watched the video, he¡¯d just glanced it over. He¡¯d been busy dealing with Gilvine. He was curious to see what transpired.
No, said Cornwall, pausing the video before it could continue. It¡¯s a trick. He deceived Jakrum. Look.
Cornwall played the moment again, now greatly slowed down, and drew Vikrum¡¯s attention to certain details.
He has tensed his core in preparation for receiving the blow. He knew it was coming, he read Jakrum¡¯s intent. The shotgun butt sailed toward the Trader leader¡¯s stomach and impacted. Now in slow-motion, Vikrum saw more. He saw the man¡¯s controlled features and what had previously looked like a pained gasp, was now a simple outdrawn breath. Now, the way the man stumbled and staggered was a calculated step back to reduce the force of the blow.
Vikrum frowned. He knows exactly what he¡¯s doing. He¡¯s been in this sort of situation before.
He has significant experience, Cornwall agreed. It is very odd that a Raw should be so capable.
He watched carefully from that moment, he and Cornwall slowing the video down at the times to see more little moments, little signs. The man acted afraid, and he acted weak, but all the time his eyes were moving and Cornwall said his positioning was flawless.
Vikrum frowned as he saw all of his Chosen coming together into one group, chatting and relaxing, carefree. Previously he¡¯d seen this as simple stupidity on the part of Jakrum, and had punished the man after the event. But now he understood better; it hadn¡¯t been entirely Jakrum¡¯s fault. Jakrum had been tricked. The Trader leader truly did look like no threat; a weak and dispirited man who would put up no fight.
He watched as the moment approached, two men moving to seize the man. He needs a new name, he thought distantly, tired of thinking of him as the Trader. Viper, he decided. The man reminded him of a snake. Sneaky. Dangerous. Untrustworthy.
Viper seemed defeated as the two men approached, but in slow motion Vikrum noticed more. Noticed how the man had his hands loose and ready. Noticed how his eyes, faintly visible, were flicking about. Noticed, even, the flash of a familiar hungry grin; quickly hidden.
One of Vikrum¡¯s men approached him from behind, and that was when Viper acted. He dodged to the side and in a movement so smooth and practised it looked like he¡¯d done it a hundred times before, cracked the man in the face, seized his SMG from where it hung on his chest, turned, and fired.
The recording then became more fractured and confused, as Jakrum¡ªthe POV¡ªdove for cover and struggled to return fire. By the time Jakrum had collected himself, Viper was already disappearing into the exit. Jakrum got one good shot off with the shotgun, and that was followed up by another Chosen beside him with a submachine-gun. Vikrum faintly made out Viper¡¯s shield¡ªsome kind of Imbued¡ªbreaking, and he took some shots in the side.
Then the pursuit, where Viper slowed them down by shooting at a drone then taking some potshots at them, causing the group to hesitate at the exit. By the time they pushed through and arrived outside, Viper was gone, but he¡¯d left quite a lot of his blood behind, on the walls and floor.
They¡¯d thought Viper must be dead, but Vikrum now knew that was not the case. No, instead of dying he¡¯d gone on and become even stronger and more capable, gained a group of people who did his bidding, and now he¡¯d become a major thorn in Vikrum¡¯s side. He was at the centre of it all, arming hostile groups against Vikrum and his Chosen, one by one.
In each encounter he¡¯d seemed just some random, vicious Raw, dangerous in a fight, perhaps, at least against Vikrum¡¯s less capable people, but of no serious concern. All the while, he¡¯d been quietly working away, a little fly that Vikrum simply hadn¡¯t seen any reason to bother with. But now that fly had become a snake, striking at random, whispering poison into the ears of the groups in this place, giving them weapons to use on Vikrum¡¯s people.
It had been a mistake to ignore him.
Vikrum¡¯s teeth clenched, calling up a still image he¡¯d saved. Viper¡¯s face, twisted into a bloodthirsty grin as he lunged forward to bury a dagger in one of Vikrum¡¯s people. This is my enemy. A villain.
Vikrum was the hero of this story. He¡¯d always known it and the Quest had only confirmed it. It was his duty to save humanity, to lead them through this world. But amongst humanity there were dangerous, treacherous elements, such as Viper. Elements that needed to be purged.
It was only right that the hero be the one to put such villains down.
¡®This man will be known as Viper,¡¯ said Vikrum, his eyes snapping open as he looked upon the others and sent out a datapack to them.
¡®Viper?¡¯ asked Katnin, blinking at him. Her eyes turned dull as she looked at the images he¡¯d sent. ¡®I guess it kind of fits. Why?¡¯
¡®Because he is a snake, I¡¯ve seen more than enough footage to know that.¡¯ He recalled a line from some movie he¡¯d seen years ago, and spoke again. ¡®When you find a snake in your bed, what do you do?¡¯
Katnin frowned. confused, then glanced at Borg. The cyborg just shrugged at her. ¡®There are no snakes, nowadays,¡¯ she said, looking back to Vikrum.
¡®I would make it my pet,¡¯ rumbled Borg. ¡®I like snakes.¡¯
Vikrum sighed, rubbing at his face. ¡®The answer is: you kill the snake. And that is what we will do.¡¯
He called in more of his people, more than a dozen individuals, the leaders of various bands, Jakrum amongst them. Everyone important was present, except for four of Vikrum¡¯s elites. The four Cyborgs, lower-level versions of Borg who operated as a team¡ªmercenaries who were loyal for now¡ªwere off doing a job for Vikrum; taking care of a troublesome group the home of which he had recently located.
Vikrum sent over the datapacket containing all relevant information to the crowd gathered before him. ¡®Search out this man and his people. These Traders. It is our highest priority. Second to that, we will begin a search of this area¡¡¯
Vikrum went over to explain his plans for finding any additional entrances to the Trade Link. He also made note to see what could be done to search through the collapse, but he hoped that none of that would be necessary. He suspected it would be a slow process unlikely to bear fruit.
From what he¡¯d gathered, the best, easiest, and most likely to succeed route was simply finding Viper.
If they found Viper, they would find the Trade Link. Whether that was in fact an alternative access point to what Vikrum considered his Trade Link, or a second Trade Link, it wouldn¡¯t matter. If they found Viper, they would find wherever he was buying weapons, too, and put a stop the matter at the source.
When they did find him, Vikrum would also see about ending Viper as a threat. He hoped to do so personally.
All that done, he waited for his lieutenants to leave then instructed Borg to deal with the prisoner, quietly, and then throw the corpse off the edge; a command he¡¯d been giving often, these days.
Those Disloyal who had proven unconvinceable had all experienced that same drop from the edge of the castle to the jungle far, far, below. Vikrum had tried to keep himself out of the matter. It was easier to see it done when he didn¡¯t have to see it done. Cornwall had told him it was the only right move, anyway. If he¡¯d just let them leave they¡¯d only have gone and joined the other groups out there, and come back in time to attack him.
He was the Hero. Those who refused to work with him, who struck at him, were therefore striking against all of humanity. That could not be allowed.
141: Market Upgrade Permit
Nicolai stepped over the bridge and into the cool blue room of the Trade Link, alone. He¡¯d wanted Jo and Beth to come with him to help with any carrying he needed to do, and as back-up in the event of a fight, but to his surprise Beth had refused. She¡¯d demanded, of all things, a day off. She said she and Jo had to catch up. Nicolai, somewhat bemused, had ultimately accepted this.
He picked his way over the glowing tendrils on the floor, heading to a console tucked into a discreet corner of the room, hidden in a crevice in the collapse. It was a console he¡¯d put there himself, connected to the cameras he¡¯d placed to monitor the Trade Link and surroundings.
Standing before it, he reached for the side of his forehead where there was a tiny port which had been installed as a part of his BIS. Tugging open the faux-flesh material, he drew a small info-jack out. He felt a vague thrum through his skull as he pulled and a thin, steel-like wire unfurled.
After stretching it far enough he let it go slack then slotted the jack into the console. He used this method, a hardware connection, because the monitor and the cameras were cut off from the Local in order to prevent them being found by scans.
In less than a second he¡¯d downloaded all of the cameras¡¯ recordings since the last time he¡¯d been here. He sent them to Threat Analysis who began rapidly scanning through everything.
No other individuals or creatures seen in the recordings. The area is secure, said the Module.
With a mental command to his BIS, Nicolai tugged the jack free then released it. The winder inside his skull rapidly drew it back in until the jack snapped back into his head. Nicolai closed the skin-flap and turned away to move across the room.
Pressing his hand to the Trade Link¡¯s console he watched the now familiar play of lights as it activated and registered him, and he navigated to the Permit section, where he paused for a moment, looking at the Market Upgrade Permit listing.
With some satisfaction he clicked the buy button, then confirm, and watched his points total spiral down.
He was surprised when a small drawer formed on the surface of the Trade Link. He¡¯d thought the Trade Link would just upgrade internally, but it seemed not. Opening the drawer he saw a rectangular piece of metal which looked much like a points-tag and the Cherubic Surgeon¡¯s Permit. Nicolai glanced it over as he picked it up and Examined it, seeing it had a symbol engraved on it, U+. The examine text simply repeated what the listing in the market had said, but additionally had an option to be used.
Nicolai accepted, and the permit shimmered and transformed into a stream of golden light so dense it seemed liquid. The liquid shot over to his hand and dove beneath his skin, an odd itchy sensation, fusing with the gold of his mark which rippled.
That ripple spread, rolling over his fingers then a crackle of tiny golden lightning shot out and hit the Trade Link console.
The menu he¡¯d been in faded, to be replaced by the same opening it always showed, only this time there was a change.
Welcome, User #53,217, to Trade Link Access.
You have two (2) Markets available.
Market Tier has been upgraded.
- HUMAN-TECHMV has risen from F to E
You have gained access to a new Market.
- Foundation Cultivation (Restricted*)
(note that items in a Restricted Market are unusually limited and possess inflated prices)
The words faded away to be replaced by an option select.
Trade Link Interface | User #53,217
Available Markets:
- HUMAN TECHMV (Tier E)
- Foundation Cultivation (Restricted)
This was unexpected. The Market Upgrade Permit hadn¡¯t just upgraded his original Market, it also provided him access to a new one. His quick curiosity towards this new Market overrode his desire to see what would be changed in the old, and he selected Foundation Cultivation.
Trade Link Interface | User #53,217
Market Designation: Foundation Cultivation (Restricted)
Points: 23,645
- Consumables
- Resources
- Talismans
- Sacred Texts
Nicolai opened the first on the list, Consumables.
> Consumables
7,000p - Yin -Yang Rotation Incense Burner
4,000p - Yin-Yang Rotation Pill
400p - Oma Crystal
He was surprised to see only three options, having hoped for far more. The fact the store stocked Oma crystals, at least, was useful. He now had an easy way to rectify any lack of them. The others, he was unsure of, so clicked on them to get the details.
Yin-Yang Rotation Pill - 4,000p
This pill is designed to aid the Cultivator in finalising their Nodes, Minor and Major. When consumed, the vital energy the pill releases may be directed to one Node, or split amongst multiple. It greatly speeds up the rate of finalisation.
The Cultivator must possess a Major Stomach Node to make proper use of this pill.
His eyes grew wide. That was extremely useful, presenting him a way to rapidly advance in Cultivation, avoiding the previously set-in-stone time investment as each Node finalised.
However, he felt some dismay upon noting the final sentence. He had no stomach Node, so¡ this was useless to him. Or at least mostly useless; ¡°make proper use of¡± implied that he would still get some benefits, but not the ¡°proper¡± benefits. He backed out, going to the next listing.
Yin-Yang Rotation Incense Burner - 7,000p
This incense burner is formed by mixing Yin-Yang Rotation pills with specific Natural Resources. It is designed to aid the Cultivator in finalising their Nodes, Minor or Major. When burned, vital energy is released into the air as a vapor, and when breathed this may be directed to one Node, or split amongst multiple. It greatly speeds up the rate of finalisation.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The Cultivator must possess at least one lung Node to make proper use of this incense burner.
The solution to his problem. This was clearly designed for people like him, who didn¡¯t have a stomach Node. Unfortunately it was almost twice as expensive, and his only option. Although¡ he wondered whether he might be capable of making something similar himself. It said that Natural Resources, whatever they were, were mixed with the pills to make the burners. He¡¯d have to ask Kleos what was meant by Natural Resources, though the name seemed rather self-explanatory. Things from the jungle, perhaps, like those leaves and the bee hive?
He backed out of the menu. Ultimately, he felt the incense sticks were something he¡¯d certainly get in time. But whether he actually purchased one of them right now would depend on what else he found in this new Market, and his upgraded Earth-based Market. At the end of the day something like an arc gun or a smart rifle would outclass any gradual improvements in strength from Cultivation, at least in his current state.
> Talismans
60,000p - Golden Shield Feather
60,000p - Lotus Sub Locum Seed
30,000p - Silver Shield Feather
30,000p - Starving Worm-Darts (x3)
20,000p - Orange Mist
10,000p - Orb of Rejuvenation
¡
This list also had quite a few offerings, and again he recognised some. The Silver Shield Feather was what the Chosen lieutenant had worn on a bangle, the same bangle with its singular feather that was wrapped around his wrist. The Orb of Rejuvenation he was well familiar with. Some quick investigation revealed the Talismans to have various uses, and one in particular caught his eye after he¡¯d looked through the descriptions.
Lotus Sub Locum Seed - 60,000p
This Seed can be bound to an area, upon which it will rapidly grow into a Lotus Sub Locum plant. The Cultivator may harvest the plant¡¯s singular fruit, and when used this fruit will transport them to the location of the Lotus Sub Locum Plant, which will be destroyed in the process.
If the plant is destroyed the Cultivator will be unable to return. The fruit decays over time, gradually losing its power. It takes time and concentration to activate the fruit, and spiritual attacks disrupt this activation.
Even with all the limitations, it still sounded very powerful to Nicolai. Teleportation would allow a complete change in how he operated. However, it was quite pricy and single use. Still, gaining one and planting it somewhere for emergencies would be wise.
Other than that, he was also interested in the Orange Mist, which promised to locate Symbiotes or Natural Treasures, even able to be given a suggestion of the type of Symbiote or Treasure the Cultivator was looking for and seek to find the closest match.
But his desire for these took a significant hit when he flicked into the next section.
> Sacred Texts
200,000p - Lotus Sub-Locum Symbiote Recipe
200,000p - Soul Spear Symbiote Recipe
200,000p - Golden Shield Bird Symbiote Recipe
100,000p - Tiny Wolf Symbiote Recipe
100,000p - Lotus Blossom Symbiote Recipe
100,000p - Grey Dragonfly Symbiote Recipe
100,000p - Silver Shield Bird Symbiote Recipe
100,000p - Orange Puffing Toad Symbiote Recipe
100,000p - Bronze Skin Symbiote Recipe
100,000p - Root-Vine Symbiote Recipe
100,000p - Eerie Slide Symbiote Recipe
100,000p - Bursting Yellow Skin Symbiote Recipe
100,000p - Rigid Clay-Bug Symbiote Recipe
¡
Symbiotes?! Nicolai¡¯s eyes widened and he rapidly clicked on one, opening up the description. However, his hopes were quickly dashed as he recognised the word after Symbiote; recipe.
Tiny Wolf Symbiote Recipe - 100,000p
This Sacred Text describes two different ways to refine a Tiny Wolf Symbiote.
Tiny Wolf Symbiote provides a brief burst of speed to the Cultivator.
So. He wouldn¡¯t be buying any Symbiotes just like that, easy and simple from the Trade Link. He¡¯d first have to buy the text, then gather whatever it would require for him to make the Symbiote.
From Kleos, he knew that refining Symbiotes tended to require Natural Resources, resources Infused with Aura and Oma, such as the food for his Symbiotes. If he was lucky, these items would be found in the resources section¡
> Resources
1,000p - Infused Crystal
1,000p - Crystallized SparkBug
1,000p - Metallo Bone Powder
1,000p - Slow Water
1,000p - Blue Hydrosoph Leaves
1,000p - Bloody Root-Vine
1,000p - Infused Honey-Comb
¡
Aha. There they were. This list continued down, presenting dozens of items, some of which Nicolai recognised. Slow Water, Infused Crystal, Infused Honey-Comb, Blue Hydrosoph Leaves. He¡¯d already made the Infused Crystal, and knew in theory how to create slow water, but now found himself with an easier method. The Infused Honey-Comb was also recognisable, it was his Blue Hornet¡¯s preferred food, and the Blue Hydrosoph Leaves were what he needed for the Symbiote in the rock. He was still glad he¡¯d gone out and gotten these items himself, as the prices were higher than he¡¯d have expected.
The list didn¡¯t go on too far, there were around half a dozen pages. Perhaps fity items listed. He seriously doubted that would be the breadth and width of Natural Resources, and the fact this Market was ¡°limited¡± reinforced this impression.
He returned to the menu with the Symbiote Recipes, considering them. He may not be able to make all or even most of the Symbiotes just with items from the Trade Link; it wouldn¡¯t surprise him if for each recipe, one of two of the resources were missing. Still, that remained to be seen¡ªperhaps it would be easier than he imagined. He¡¯d have to buy one of the recipes if he wanted to check for sure.
However this also reminded him that many of these Symbiotes were unlikely to be worth their asking price; if this Market bore similarities to the other Markets, which he suspected it did, then these were likely a fairly random selection of Symbiote recipes¡ªjust as the guns available from the other Market had been, with some trash and some good.
One of them, at least, seemed very desirable. The Lotus Sub-Locum Symbiote recipe promised to make a Symbiote that could create an endless amount of the Locus Sub-Locum Seeds.
Lotus Sub-Locum Symbiote Recipe - 200,000p
This Symbiote allows one to create Lotus Sub-Locum Seeds, which can rapidly grow into Lotus Sub-Locum plants. The Cultivator may harvest the plant¡¯s singular fruit, and when used this fruit will transport them to the location of the Lotus Sub Locum Plant, which will be destroyed in the process.
If the plant is destroyed the Cultivator will be unable to return. The fruits will degrade over time, however the Cultivator can use the Locus Sub-Locum Symbiote to maintain these fruits, instead of growing new seeds. One Symbiote can maintain a total of three fruits.
It takes time and concentration to activate the fruit, and spiritual attacks disrupt this activation.
His intentions to purchase one of the Locus Sub-Locum Seeds immediately shifted into a desire to buy this Symbiote. In general he preferred items that would last him for a long time, than single use. At 80,000 point for a Seed, he felt it would be quite wasteful to get one rather than saving an extra 120,000 for the recipe itself.
Finally, with everything the Limited Cultivaton Market examined, he switched over to the upgraded Earth Market.
Trade Link Interface | User #53,217
Market Designation: HUMAN-TECHMV
Market Tier: E
Points: 23,645
- E Tier
- F Tier
He selected E tier, which revealed a similar list of options as was in F tier, only the last two, consumables and clutter, were missing.
- Weapons
- Ammo & Loaders
- Apparel
- Augments
- Permits
- Tools & Utility
Nicolai opted to start at the top, going through the lists one by one.
> Weapons
> Projectile
70,000p - Anti-Material Rifles
60,000p - Shredder Guns
50,000p - Charge Rifles
40,000p - Pulse Revolvers
20,000p - Assault Rifles
10,000p - Auto Shotguns
Nicolai¡¯s eyebrows rose. He recalled that some text at the start had mentioned that items in the Restricted Cultivation Market would be more expensive, and he saw the differences now. Even the cheapest Symbiote recipe was over 100,000 points. But here, all the guns were very capable and none over 70,000p.
He checked each listing to look over the differing guns available in each category, deciding on his preferred choices. As with the other weapons menu in the F tier Market, the weapons tended to be on the lower, less modern end. He clicked on one of the shredder guns simply to see what the Market said about it.
SKRED m-X9 - 60,000p
This shredder gun fires solid slugs containing shaped charges which, upon impact, are blasted through any hard surfaces, transforming into a mass of fragmenting super-heated metal.
Shredder guns are especially effective against hard targets, such as vehicles and combat-bots.
Out of his price range. The only listing he could afford were the auto shotguns, which he determined to look through later. As to the rest, if he¡¯d been richer than he was, he would¡¯ve liked a Charge Rifle. They were a form of energy rifle which didn¡¯t require reloading. Instead they operated off of a battery, one which would last a very long time, and their only issue was heat. After firing one for long enough, it would need to vent itself and cool down, which took a similar amount of time as a reload with a more typical gun. The energy projectiles also didn¡¯t have quite the same stopping power and damaging potential as say, 7.62 rifle rounds, but they were still entirely capable of blowing holes in people and at the end of the day, infinite ammo was infinite ammo.
Nicolai switched to melee.
> Weapons
> Melee
100,000p - Vibro Knives
Only one option. He opened up the vibro knives listing and looked through the options. All the available vibro knives were on the lower end, far from the most effective and expensive models. But even so, anyone of them would be useful to him. He deliberated on what was shown then clicked on one that stood out.
F4NG 17 - 100,000p
Vibro knives utilise vibration technology and ultra-thin hypersteel edges to penetrate hard surfaces. Their use requires skill as a failure in blade alignment when striking will break the edge, and they require care to maintain. However, when used by a skilled individual, there is little that cannot be cut by such a weapon.
The vibration uses power from an on-board battery, which can only allow so many enhanced strikes.
This vibro knife can sustain up to six strikes before it runs out of charge. It is charged through mains power.
Nicolai frowned. This was the best vibro knife available on the list, but still it was quite low-end. It would certainly be handy, but he¡¯d count it as more of a nice-to-have than something to save up for, simply due to how pricey the knives were and the fact that at the end of the day, a vibro knife was still a knife and would only be of use at hugging distance. Any of the guns would provide more bang-for-buck.
In apparel he found a few more advanced types of protective and combat-orientated clothing. One in particular drew his eye, something that he felt was particularly suited for his current situation, something that could be very useful in various ways.
It was called a Skin Suit, and it was exactly what he needed.
142: AA-12 Auto Shotgun
The listing that drew Nicolai¡¯s eye was called a skin suit.
Skin Suit - 40,000p
This suit provides various functions. It has hypersteel plating over vital points and reinforcement throughout, providing good defence against lower-calibre guns and melee attacks, and is resistant to tearing, cutting, and crushing.
However, its intended use is environmental protection. The skin suit forms a perfect seal around the body, regulating the user¡¯s temperature, collecting and recycling sweat and other bodily fluids. It is even capable of injecting various drugs, such as combat-enhancers, adrenaline shots, wakefulness enhancers, emotion regulators, and more.
The skin suit is layered with artificial muscles which are designed to tightly mesh with the users musculature, enhancing their strength and speed.
These suits were developed for clean-up in hazardous areas, but have gained popularity in combat for the physical enhancements and protection they provide.
Also listed in apparel was a skin suit compatible helmet for 10,000 points, which would be preferable to the skin suit¡¯s built in hood. Nicolai saw immediate use for the skin suit and found himself more inclined towards it than anything he¡¯d seen so far.
The reason for this was because he needed something to help him move through the jungle. When he¡¯d told the others that he worried the castle would not remain safe, he hadn¡¯t exactly been lying. The shaking, the hidden war between demons and undead. All pointed to the castle becoming increasingly inhospitable. He was also convinced the Lizard would not be found in the castle. The visions the Controller had shown him were burned into his mind. First it had shown a great and ancient city. Then a dark tower. Then two yellow eyes, shining in the dark. His assumption was that the Lizard was in the tower, and the tower was in the city, and the city was not here. He¡¯d have to head through the jungle.
The skin suit was perfect for such an environment. It would protect him from parasites. It would prevent him from leaving the stink of his body by acting as an air-tight shell around him. It even had systems to collect and filter water built into it. Through the helmet he would be able to filter the air he breathed, avoiding toxins, and the helmet also had built-in thermal vision alongside other features.
He checked on permits next.
> Permits
1,000,000 - Market Tier Upgrade (E>D)
700,000p - Low-Tier GunShip Call-In
500,000p - Low-Tier Killbot Call-In
300,000p - Low-Tier Kill-Team Call-In
100,000p - Defensive Emplacement Call-In
Nicolai¡¯s eyes rounded. The prices were ridiculous but if these Permits did what they said, it¡¯d be well worth it. A Gunship? A Killbot? You could lay waste to whatever you wanted. He struggled to understand how it could be possible. A kill-team should be a group of well-trained, heavily augmented soldiers, armed with powerful weaponry. A group from Earth.
Was Heaven going to pick from those remaining there, and bring them here? Would any of them, the gunship, the killbot, the kill-team, actually do what he wanted, once called? Astonishing as it was, he could only assume so. Until the day he saw a piece of Examine text fail to deliver, he would view them as truth.
Finally, he checked out the augments, which held a few more interesting and desirable items, numerous of which he would be interested in picking up. One in particular caught his eye.
Spinal Tap - 10,000
A controversial and frequently banned implant which still sees significant use, this implant is never installed willingly. When placed on an an individuals upper-spine, it allows for an attacker to seize control of an individuals body from the neck down. The Spinal Tap does so by tapping into the spinal cord, where it blocks off the commands of the brain while sending its own.
Controversial indeed. They were very, very illegal; which meant of course that the rich used them freely, so long as they didn¡¯t get caught. He was surprised the Trade Link offered them.
Closing everything, Nicolai ran through the lists he¡¯d built in his mind, of the items he desired. He¡¯d thought himself to have a great horde of points at twenty three thousand, but after looking through the Market he realised that was not the case. Everything cost significantly more than in the F tier Market. He considered what he could afford, then made his purchases.
When he pulled open the cabinet that formed on the Trade Link, metal cases filled with weapons winked at him from within.
He pulled the most prized of them, which contained AA-12 automatic magazine-fed shotgun, out from the space. This box was significantly larger and longer than the others. After placing it on the ground he pulled the clasps and flicked it open.
Unusually, the AA-12 was not disassembled, as was typical for guns purchased from the Trade Link, this being the reason the box was unusually long. Nicolai knew why it wasn¡¯t disassembled, and in fact it was obvious from looking at the gun.
The AA-12 was an unusual looking weapon, shelled in what appeared to be one seamless piece of high-impact polymer plastic, with a large hand-guard that went from the bottom of its grip forward then up to rejoin the weapon in front of the trigger-guard, this part also forming a backrest for the magazines to attach to.
Unlike the other weapons he¡¯d purchased for selling, the AA-12 could not be neatly split up into receiver, barrel, buttstock and so on. Nicolai tugged it free from the foam, then rotated a clip at the butt, pulled two retaining pins in the middle of it to the rear, pulled up a spring-tension just below the rear-sight, then slipped another spring-tension on the handguard forwards. As he did all this the polymer shell was coming loose with clicks and clacks and once done, he pulled the rightmost half away.
The internal body of the AA-12 was laid bare. A large piece of stainless, welded steel, forming the barrel, receiver, guards, and sights, with part of it sticking out towards the butt. There was one long spring that ran the entire length of the weapon, from butt all the way to the end of the upper-barrel. This was the primary innovation of the weapon, at the time considered quite clever. Nicolai knew that this was not all one piece, in truth it was more like two. First the outer metal body as one part, then the barrels, receiver, and spring as the second part.
When fired, this entire part would move back and forward within the gun. The recoil of each shot would be applied to that long spring as the barrel-and-receiver assembly rocked backwards. The spring, going practically the whole length of the gun, managed to significantly reduce the recoil. It would then bring the assembly back into place for the next shot. This system was very effective and made the gun extremely easy to fire, as the user would experience minimal recoil. Even a child could fire the gun and hold it steady. An adult could fire it in full-auto one-handed.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Despite its appearance, the AA-12 was a relatively simple weapon, which Nicolai approved of. The more complicated something was, the more likely it would malfunction. It didn¡¯t even come with a selector to choose between single-fire and full-auto, as full-auto was the only setting, and the finger was the selector. That said, it fired relatively slowly for an automatic weapon, meaning it was quite easy to control fire-rate via trigger control.
He¡¯d chosen it in large part because of the oddities in how the Trade Link functioned, and due to the situation he was currently in. Back when these guns had been used, the 32-round drum magazines they could be equipped with were almost impossible to find, due to heavy regulation. The Trade Link did not care about that, and since it still only offered a limited selection of weaponry from a certain time period, he¡¯d settled on the AA-12 as a good option at the 10,000-points mark.
When he¡¯d been operating on earth back in the 21st century, he never would have used it on the job. The AA-12 had never been heavily produced, and back then had been a collector¡¯s item; it was even moreso in the modern day. In that regard the 10,000 points cost was a steal, though in truth it wasn¡¯t so great a weapon. It had a relatively slow fire rate compared to other auto shotguns from a similar period that could empty their mags in a quarter the time. However, none of those were listed, and so it was superior to the other auto shotguns available.
Furthermore, most of his encounters in this place were quite close ranged, due to the nature of the castle, and so an auto-shotgun was a better pick than it would¡¯ve normally been.
Ultimately he would get himself an assault rifle, which would be better over range, but even then the AA-12 would still have use. As a close-ranged assault weapon, a fully automatic, low-recoil shotgun capable of holding 32 rounds was, in his experience, more than up to the task.
Nicolai checked everything was working to his satisfaction, removing the full-length spring, investigating the receiver¡¯s mechanism, and performing a few tests, before clicking everything back together. Every weapon he¡¯d so far purchased from the Trade Link had been in perfect working condition, but unless he had no choice Nicolai would never take a gun into combat without first performing his checks. He enjoyed looking it over, having never personally handled one of these weapons in his life. He only knew how to operate and take it apart due to book learning.
That done, he retrieved one of the three 32-round drum-magazines alongside the boxes of ammo. Two of the boxes were standard 12-gauge, while the other box contained armour-piercing rifled sabot-slugs. He slotted 12-gauge into the 32-round drum-magazines, one by one until all three were full, enjoying the process, and then retrieved the fourth and fifth magazines¡ªboth ten-round box-mags¡ªinto which he put the sabot-slugs.
The AA-12¡¯s lack of rifling and requirement for fairly low pressure when firing meant that normal full-metal-jacket AP rounds, such as a rifle would fire, were not possible. These slugs were the next best thing. Their main issue was that they would be extremely inaccurate over any real distance. They came with their own rifling to make up for the fact that the AA-12 was smoothbore, but a rifled bullet was no comparison to a rifled gunbarrel. If the enemy was more than say, two-to-three hundred metres away, he might as well not bother.
But in the event he did find himself close up with someone heavily armoured, or, as he thought more likely, made of metal, then they would do the job, penetrating better than 12-gauge would.
Nicolai clicked one of the 32-round drum-magazines into place in the AA-12, tucking the other two into the front his vest, the box-mags in a side pouch, then he hung the weapon over his back on its strap, and reached for his other purchases.
In one slender, silvery-metal box he found a stick nestled on a tiny bed of silk. The Yin-Yang Minor rotation incense stick. He wanted to try it out and see just how effective it was, before he committed to buying more.
The next item wasn¡¯t a box but two small bottles with sealed screw-caps. Slow Water.
Nicolai took one and looked it over, seeing the water within had a faint greyish sheen, slightly opaque. He now possessed an Infused Crystal and Slow Water, meaning he just needed the Lotus Blossom Symbiote and then to combine everything and start feeding Souls to the result, and he¡¯d be ready to claim the sword¡ªaccording to Paxolnaz, at any rate. He had a clear route to getting that Lotus Blossom, because its recipe was in his new Market.
The issue was the cost. The recipe for the Lotus Blossom cost sixty thousand points, and it was only a recipe. Once he had the recipe he would need to purchase or find more ingredients in order to make the Symbiote. What would the final cost come to? As he¡¯d never used a recipe before, he couldn¡¯t guess. Maybe he would just need to buy a few more things for a few thousand points from the Market, and be done. Maybe he would have to spend as much or more than the cost of the recipe itself. Maybe the Market would not have what he needed, forcing him to go searching.
Ultimately, he decided that he would focus on improving his current position by buying all the most useful cheaper options such as weapons, more augments from his personal buy-back list, the skin suit, and more incense sticks, before he went for the recipe. He wasn¡¯t in any great rush, as afterall Kleos had said that he would need to complete his head Major Node and at least one hand Major Node to have any chance of using the Blade Artifact.
The next two items comprised a small box containing a basic Cyberwarfare implant, and a Cherubic Surgeon Permit. Cyberwarfare was exceedingly happy to have convinced him to get the implant, and, of course, it wanted him to install it immediately. He assured it he¡¯d do so soon.
The rest of the items he pulled out were mainly submachine-guns and pump-action shotguns, alongside ammo. Goods to sell. He also bought a few more medikits and some more clothing, as these had been equally popular amongst those he traded with.
Finally, there was a cordless disc cutter, which he found in the utility section of his F tier Market. It came with a charger which could be plugged into the solar powered system they¡¯d set up. When breaking into places and stealing things, as he soon intended to do, he felt it should come in handy.
After those primary items for himself were items for the others.
He was left with only a few hundred points. The vast majority had been spent on the AA-12 and the Yin-Yang Rotation incense stick, which had claimed 17,000 points.
After packing everything into the sports bag he¡¯d brought with him, Nicolai made his way out and over the bridge. He paused there, putting everything aside. The Cyberwarfare Implant would go in the back of his head so there was no need to disrobe, and it would be a comparatively minor brain-surgery that would only necessitate a few minutes of unconsciousness.
After using the Permit, a Cherubic Surgeon burst into existence before him. Nicolai indicated the item he wished to be installed and closed his eyes.
It was over quickly, the Surgeon giving him a jaunty wave then vanishing when he awoke. He felt the new Implant within his mind, already fused with his BSI and Network Link. Nicolai had wondered whether this increase in hardware might see the return of another Module, but if any had wanted to rise out of his subconscious, they should¡¯ve acted faster as Cyberwarfare dove hungrily into the new Implant, fizzing with synthetic joy as it settled in. It also retained its control over the Network Link, guarding them like a hen over its brood. Nicolai didn¡¯t raise any protest; Cyberwarfare was the best suited for both implants.
With a true Cyberwarfare unit the Module would gain a host of benefits; it¡¯d be capable of launching true Cyberwarfare attacks and much better at defending him from such, plus it would significantly better able to track others via their digital signatures while noting if others were doing the same to him.
You need to expand to it, I am not able to fuse properly, said Cyberwarfare, poking at him.
Nicolai quickly saw the issue, which was an interesting one. Cyberwarfare¡¯s digital awareness had expanded without issue into the new hardware, but its tiny Soul was not able to enter so easily. As before, this new hardware was not considered a true part of his body by his Soul.
He settled down, took out some Oma crystals, and focused. Cyberwarfare eagerly joined him as he spread his Soul into the new area, claiming it over the course of an hour, and then Cyberwarfare settled properly into the unit.
After climbing the ladder, a task that wasn¡¯t made easy by the two hefty sports-bags full of weapons he carried, Nicolai hauled himself out of the hole and the humid heat of the small jungle pressed into him, along with the sounds of birds, animals, and the swaying of branches above. He paused, dropping the bags, a little breathless. He¡¯d used the Imbued chain whip to attach one of the bags to his back as he climbed, while the other hung below him, but even so carrying such a weight hadn¡¯t been easy.
While he regained his breath, Nicolai activated his drones. This was another area where he¡¯d used the chain whips, as he found the numerous hooks quite useful for simple storage purposes, in this case using them to attach the drones. The drones hummed into the air to search around him.
He made his way back quickly, always wary of being caught out while carrying so much and without any backup. He encountered no problems on the way, but as he drew close to the safe place, Cyberwarfare alerted him.
Someone¡¯s scanning the Local, searching, said the Module. I recognise them. It¡¯s the same individual who hacked drone three. Cyberwarfare paused, and peering into its internal processes Nicolai saw that it labelled this portion of its dialogue as: Significant Pause. It is far easier to detect them now I have proper hardware, continued the Module in a tone that, without in any way actually blaming Nicolai for not buying that hardware earlier, managed to express considerable blame. It appears they have been keeping tabs on us for some time. They are nearby and, for now, unaware I have detected them. Significant Pause. If I¡¯d had such hardware earlier I would have spotted them long ago.
Nicolai snorted. I get the idea, he told the Module. His eyes narrowed. So, the hacker was back, nosing around, sniff-sniffing to see what might be found. Cyberwarfare was right, he should¡¯ve gotten it the unit earlier.
But at least he had it, now, and it was already paying off. This mysterious hacker had messed up, and now Nicolai was going to chop their nosy snout off.
143: The Hacker
Where are they? asked Nicolai.
One moment, said Cyberwarfare, and he sensed the new unit in his skull running harder, triangulating over local. Here, said Cyberwarfare, and Nicolai¡¯s Mark activated, the map appearing and immediately zooming on a place not far from the safe-place. His eyebrows rose at Cyberwarfare¡¯s control of the Mark. It was getting good at using its own tiny Soul.
They¡¯re seeking to hack into the Network Hider. They detected it somehow, perhaps via the increased interference, added Cyberwarfare.
Nicolai¡¯s eyebrows rose a notch higher. ¡®I see.¡¯ That was quite impressive. The whole point of a Network Hider was to mask itself and the people it was connected to as they communicated through Local nearby to it. The fact this individual was capable of finding it despite all of that, and even attempt to hack into it, was a demonstration of both skill and quite a high degree of cyberwarfare-orientated augmentations.
Unfortunately, skilled or not, they would have to die. He felt it just about guaranteed that they would be a member of the Chosen or some other group with aggressive designs. Not someone who could be trusted. That was something of a shame because he would have appreciated having someone with such skills on his side.
Nicolai had Cyberwarfare hide him over the Local as he crept towards the location Cyberwarfare had marked on his map, his drones returning to roost and deactivating themselves to stop them broadcasting signs the hacker might recognise.
He opted to keep his Soul Sense out and roaming, as the vast majority of people in the castle had yet to become Cultivators. He felt he had decent odds of being able to get an advantage on the enemy by viewing them from a distance with Soul Sense.
This proved true as he paused by the entrance to the room, his Soul Sense peeking around the corner as he silently lowered the bags to the ground.
With grainy soul vision he saw a figure standing within. It was a tall, middle-aged, balding man wearing rags and scavenged armour, no weapon but a simple dagger tucked into his belt.
However, one of this mans arms was extended, and his hand was split apart. A dizzying array of mechanical parts, long and slim metal fingers, antennas, and jacks that squirmed in the air.
Nicolai recognised this as an advanced lower-arm replacement augment, an information type. A tool of the trade for hackers and data analysts both.
The room was otherwise empty, excepting the standard ever-burning torch.
Nicolai re-activated his Local connection. The drones buzzed into life to burst out the room and streaked down the corridors around him, searching for anyone else.
The bald man immediately sensed the unveiling, turning in shock to face the doorway as Nicolai stepped through, levelling the AA-12 at him.
¡®Who are you, and why are you trying to hack into our Network Hider?¡¯ Nicolai asked.
The man¡¯s hand snapped back into its default state, everything coming together to form a normal-looking hand. ¡®H-hey!¡¯ he said, raising that hand along with his other in a bid for mercy.
¡®Hi.¡¯ Nicolai smiled. ¡®Answer the questions.¡¯ He allowed the darkness to slip out from its cage, just a little. It needed to be vented and this was a good opportunity for a controlled release, a way to let off some¡ steam.
¡®I wasn¡¯t doing anything, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking ab¡ª¡®
Nicolai lunged across the space between them, his face writhing. He grabbed the mans shirt and dragged him stumbling to a wall, held him against it, shoved the shotguns barrel against his face. ¡®Don¡¯t lie to me,¡¯ he snarled, his Soul Sense darkening, dim and foreboding. ¡®Don¡¯t you ever fucking lie to me!¡¯ he wrenched sideways and the bald man staggered and fell. The man squirmed on the floor, struggling away from Nicolai who advanced forward.
Nicolai racked the shotguns slide. It was an unnecessary gesture in terms of making the gun ready, one which only cycled an unspent round out to fall to the ground. But Nicolai was well aware of the paralysing terror most felt when an aggressive individual pointed the barrel of a readied gun at them.
¡®I¡¯ll shoot your arms and legs off, first,¡¯ Nicolai snarled, and though these words were partly designed to generate fear and extract answers, the dark was beginning to flow and they came more from it than him. ¡®I¡¯ll fucking eviscerate you¡ª¡®
¡®Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t!¡¯ the bald man screamed as Nicolai raised the weapon and sighted down it.
¡®No?¡¯
¡®Please. I¡¯ll, I-I won¡¯t lie.¡¯ The man was gibbering and shaking.
Nicolai¡¯s tense features gradually relaxed as he worked to shove the darkness within him back into the cage. He was pleased with himself, because he¡¯d managed to take the urge and use it, then push it away. Although, he recognised that part of his current ease was because he fully intended to satisfy the urge. The darkness was eager to see the effect the new shotgun would have on baldie¡¯s body, eager to turn the whimpering creature into red ruin, to spread him over the floor.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
He was going to kill this man anyway, so he felt he might as well use the event to soothe his demented drives. Even his Mask was¡ well, not on board, but not stepping in, either. This man was a threat to the group which it cared about.
He smiled, and it was a friendly smile. ¡®Who do you work for?¡¯
¡®No one!¡¯
Nicolai frowned, because he knew that was true. His Soul Sense was tight around the man, and his eyes on the scrunched up face. He read no lie from either.
¡®If you¡¯re alone, why were you trying to hack the Network Link?¡¯
¡®I¡¡¯ the man sniffled, looking like he was going to cry. Staring down a gunbarrel often had such an effect. ¡®I¡¯m hungry. I¡ I¡¯m a thief. I find groups, and I steal food from them. I ran out of sustaining Seeds ages ago, and I can¡¯t find a group that will let me stick with them!¡¯
All of this was again, true. That or the man was an unbelievably skilled liar.
¡®Think your stealing might have something to do with people not letting you join them?¡¯ Nicolai inquired, merely curious.
¡®No, no, I don¡¯t know. I just have bad luck. People don¡¯t trust, in this place. They see someone they don¡¯t know¡ even if they¡¯re willing to speak, none have let me join them. At least, none of the normal people. Everyone who does let me join turns out to be insane, murderous, or just lying. People have tried to steal my Seed more times than I can count.¡¯
Nicolai clicked his tongue and shook his head, as though dismayed by the sad state of the world.
¡®I could¡¡¯ The man licked his lips. ¡®I could join your group. I was just after food, that¡¯s all. You understand, right? I¡¯ve got¡ªI¡¯m good at hacking. And more! I was a scientist, on Earth.¡¯
¡®What sort of scientist?¡¯
¡®Bio-engineering.¡¯ The man straightened up proudly. ¡®GRECKON industries, NL division.¡¯
¡®GRECKON,¡¯ Nicolai echoed. He kept his face carefully blank. He¡¯s not one of the higher-ups. Stay calm. The dark urge was rising. The necessary questions had been asked. Now it was¡ play time.
Nicolai let out a strained breath as his Mask gripped tight and tried to make him to lower the shotgun. He hummed then laughed and grinned madly at the bald man, who blinked at him, looking very worried.
This was difficult. He¡¯d lost his casus belli, his just cause, to murder this man. Now, instead, he was faced with a possible recruit. An actually useful recruit¡ªthat arm, and the skills at hacking he¡¯d observed, were quite valuable¡ªso he couldn¡¯t even justify killing him because the man would be a waste of resources. His Mask, as it had listened to the man¡¯s answers, had flipped sides.
The darkness within him was realising it might not get what it wanted, and it squirmed through the depths of his mind, seeking to come out, to take control as it had once before. Nicolai knew that if that happened it would become very difficult for him to regain that control, that this would not be the controlled venting he had intended, and his teeth grit tight as he focused.
I am Nicolai.
I am the Governor.
I am Control.
His breath hissed between gritted teeth. He wanted to scream. He wanted to raise the shotgun and blast the bastard into bloody, ruined, beautiful chunks of blood and bone.
Get. Down.
He shoved and he pressed and he squeezed and the urges receded, but then they hissed and the embers within him grew brighter, the shadows darker, and it all lunged up at him, the sudden vicious snap of a beaten dog.
The world around him was twisting, links dancing. The shadows ran in hungry streams over the walls, and they whispered their desires. Baldy''s face was a mass of ugly flesh. It was so difficult, so endlessly difficult, to control it all, to control himself. Recently it was every day. Every single fucking day he had to deal with this shit. It would be so nice to just give in. To let go. Just one time.
Blood bone blood bone blood bone blood bone blood bone¡ª
Later, he promised at last, unable to find any other route but appeasement. Later.
The darkness slowly receded, sinking through the cracks in his mind to where it resided within the cage.
The world returned to normal. Nicolai was calm but not cool. He licked his lips, unaccountably worried. His ability to control the thing inside of him was faltering. He¡¯d have to let it out, and soon. Vent it.
The bald man was staring at him and he realised he needed to speak. ¡®Sorry about earlier,¡¯ he said. ¡®I didn¡¯t realise you were a friend.¡¯ He smiled like a sane and normal person. ¡®It¡¯s difficult out here, I¡¯m sure you understand. I have to be a little¡ aggressive, to protect myself, and to protect the others who rely upon me.¡¯
¡®It¡¯s no bother,¡¯ said the bald man, waggling his head side to side, eyes wide. ¡®So¡ we¡¯re friends?¡¯ He managed a smile.
Some more questions first, ¡°friend.¡± ¡®If I let you join us, will you work with us honestly? Will you be loyal, or will you try to betray us? Will you steal something and run?¡¯
¡®I¡¯ll be honest! It wasn¡¯t out of choice that I started stealing. I¡¯m not like that. I¡¯ll work with you.¡¯
Nicolai¡¯s eyes narrowed. There was the faint stink of a lie in there, somewhere. But he thought he understood why.
¡®What if it turns out we¡¯re all a bunch of crazy psychopaths?¡¯ he asked.
¡®Well¡ I, uh, of course, I¡¯ll still work with you. That¡¯s¡ it¡¯s no problem.¡¯ Baldie let out a terrified little giggle.
Lie. He would run. But his Mask told him it was an understandable lie.
¡®Not that we are a bunch of crazy psychopaths, of course,¡¯ he said, and chuckled, only the chuckle rapidly veered into more of a cackle and he was forced to choke it into silence. He ignored the slightly wide-eyed look Baldie was giving him, and cleared his throat. Strong leader. Firm but fair. ¡®We¡¯re good people. Just trying to survive in this world. If you stick with us, we¡¯ll stick with you. Do you think you could work with such a group?¡¯
The man let out a relieved sigh and then a nervous laugh. ¡®Yes, of course. That¡¯s¡ exactly what I¡¯ve been looking for.¡¯
Truth. Nicolai no longer had any reasons to doubt this man. He would be a valuable addition, and Nicolai already held some leverage over the fresh recruit due to being the arbiter of his entry, the one who let him in. Most would view themselves as being in some kind of debt to the individual who found them and let them join a group.
¡®In that case¡¡¯ Nicolai found himself drawing the word out, observing the terror and hope warring on the man¡¯s face.
¡®You can join us.¡¯ Nicolai lowered his weapon and stepped forwards, proffering a hand to the man. ¡®What¡¯s your name?¡¯ he asked as he pulled Baldie to his feet.
¡®I¡¯m Daksh,¡¯ said Daksh, managing a smile that failed to hide his nervousness.
¡®Nicolai,¡¯ said Nicolai, pointing a thumb at himself as he turned away. ¡®Come on, I¡¯ll take you to the others.¡¯
144: Yin Yang Rotation Incense
As they moved through the corridor Nicolai worked to build a rapport with Daksh, asking him about what he¡¯d been through, what he¡¯d done on earth, and telling the man of his own experiences. He¡¯d also lightened his load by having Daksh carry one of the bags.
¡®Didn¡¯t you appear here with a number of other people? That seems to be how most groups started.¡¯ Nicolai had no actual interest in this subject, but he had to find something to talk about. This was how people bonded.
¡®Yeah. I did.¡¯ Daksh¡¯s expression wavered then grew firm. ¡®There was this guy. More augmented than the rest. Some time after we¡¯d all crawled out of the crypt, he just stabbed someone. Then someone else. Started killing everyone. I¡ I ran. I don¡¯t know what happened to them, or him.¡¯
¡®That sucks,¡¯ said Nicolai, making a sad face and nodding. ¡®Something similar happened to me. Two guys killed everyone as they spawned.¡¯
¡®Jesus. How¡¯d you get out of that?¡¯
¡®I killed them.¡¯
¡®Oh.¡¯ Daksh blinked at him.
Nicolai gazed back, rethinking his words. Was that too straight? Should I have lied? He wasn¡¯t sure.
¡®I¡¯m sorry you had to do that,¡¯ said Daksh, and he actually extended his hand and put it on Nicolai¡¯s shoulder.
Nicolai struggled with the urge to take that hand and break it. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ He managed, before shaking Daksh off. From his Soul Sense he knew the man was entirely sincere, and he wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. Killing those two men was a bright point in his recent memories, something that made the darkness within him purr to think of. This, he knew, was yet another sign of his continuously eroding control, but he couldn¡¯t deny how¡ happy he was to think of the memory. He ought to be keeping a journal, or something like that. It¡¯s what the psychologists had suggested.
¡®Yes,¡¯ he said. ¡®I feel bad about it.¡¯ The words emerged wooden and fake from his mouth. He tried to get his Mask to make him feel bad, because he wanted to know what that would feel like and he hoped it would improve his act. His Mask failed to provide the proper emotions. He was beginning to realise it was not some complete, perfect representation of normal human emotions and values. It was something he was in the process of cobbling together, driven by his desire to be more human, and it was limited by his incomplete understanding of what human was. Beyond that, it was formed from him. It made sense that it was a little off-kilter.
He felt an abyss beginning to open beneath him, clutching and dragging, and he knew what was in that abyss. The endless, circular thoughts of whether he was truly human or not. Whether Nicolai existed or if he was just an AI¡¯s invention. But why would any AI invent and pretend to be some murderous psychopath, especially one with such a shaky grasp on their sanity? It didn¡¯t make any¡ª
¡®Yes,¡¯ he said, obliterating the thoughts. ¡®I¡¡¯ He did his best to work out what someone might say, a less fake version. ¡®It was terrible.¡¯ He watched Daksh carefully to see whether he¡¯d passed, whether these new words had covered up his first attempt.
Daksh had stopped, and turned to stare at him, looking¡ concerned? Then the man dropped the bag and his body shifted and Nicolai read the movements, saw that he was about to lunge forwards. They were too close for Nicolai to effectively use the shotgun. As Daksh came Nicolai bobbed out of the way, drawing a knife and moving quick, an arm snaking out to grab Daksh and draw him in close to be stabbed.
Daksh tottered, surprised, his two arms raised and extended as though he¡¯d intended to¡ to hug Nicolai.
Nicolai lowered his grasping hand and slid the knife back into its sheath before Daksh could see the glint of it, stepping back.
¡®Uh¡ sorry,¡¯ said Daksh, recovering himself.
¡®Let¡¯s continue on,¡¯ said Nicolai, his smile increasingly strained, his Mask quaking at the awkwardness it felt and trying to make him feel it, too. Nicolai slipped aside from those emotions just as he¡¯d slipped away from Daksh¡¯s attempt to hug him.
Daksh seemed to have completely forgotten or forgiven Nicolai¡¯s earlier brutality towards him, which he found astonishing enough that he started to more seriously consider the possibility that Daksh was a masterful liar with betrayal hidden in his heart.
Threat Analysis said he was just being paranoid, but he determined to keep a close eye on the man regardless.
They reached the painting room, climbed the stairs, and Nicolai waved at the camera, connecting to the others other Local.
In a moment the door was opened by old Ben, who peered with a combination of shock and suspicion at Daksh. Over the man¡¯s shoulder Nicolai saw the others looking less suspicious, more curious.
¡®Who¡¯s this?¡¯ asked old Ben.
¡®New guy,¡¯ Nicolai replied. ¡®I picked him up.¡¯
Old Ben frowned, somehow appearing even more suspicious. Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense told him that this suspicion was aimed at him, far more than at Daksh. His Mask felt this was unfair but Nicolai knew it was, in fact, entirely fair. The old man should be wary of him. They all should.
¡®What?¡¯ he asked, matching old Ben¡¯s stare with a blank face.
¡®Eh? Nothing, nothing.¡¯ The old man looked past him and extended a hand to Daksh, ¡®I¡¯m Ben. Old Ben, this lot calls me.¡¯
¡®Daksh.¡¯ Daksh smiled and gripped the hand.
Nicolai glanced over at where Jo, Perro, Azure, Beth, Elena, Sara and Katie were all sitting around the tables and chairs in the common room. Nicolai saw that jo, Perro and Azure all had their Seed¡¯s Soul Sense tendrils out and moving around, continuing to practise, which told him they¡¯d not yet bonded their Seeds. Kleos was set on the table in the midst of them. The head had been requesting to be left in the common area more and more these days, a request Nicolai was willing to accede. He, too, would have grown bored being stuck in a vat of liquid.
¡®Hey new guy!¡¯ Azure waved from where she sat. The others didn¡¯t join her in the wave, regarding Daksh with wary interest.
Nicolai dumped his bag on the ground, Daksh doing the same, then the new recruit was quick to head over, immediately returning the greeting, a beaming smile on his face.
Nicolai sank into the background and observed. First came the expected confusion and shock over Kleos, the talking severed head, and then they treated the man with typical reticence, but as Daksh launched into the story of how he¡¯d started in this new world and then the struggles he¡¯d endured, Nicolai sensed them quickly warming to the man. Daksh had something about him. A willingness to go a little deeper than most, showing more than just the surface layer, inviting others to do the same. He was winning them over. At least, most of them.
¡®So you¡¯ve just been sneaking about, spying and stealing from people?¡¯ Cait asked, arms crossed and a decidedly unimpressed expression on her face.
Daksh sighed. ¡®Well¡ that¡¯s a pretty apt summary. Yeah.¡¯ He let out a miserable chuckle. ¡®Felt more like a rat than a man, sometimes. Just some creature grubbing around, always in search of the next meal. Uh, now, I don¡¯t want to impose. But I don¡¯t suppose anyone has some food?¡¯
Cait sighed and provided him a chunk of sustaining-seed fruit. Kleos was curious about Daksh¡¯s arm and Daksh readily explained its function.
Nicolai watched, and his Mask learned. There was something quite likeable about Daksh, even he could feel it. He wanted to learn the skill for himself. He was also realising Daksh had more value than expected.
¡®So, you must know the locations of quite a few groups?¡¯ he broke in to ask the man.
Daksh looked up, surprised. ¡®I do.¡¯ His brow creased, and Nicolai felt wariness from him. ¡®Why?¡¯
Stolen story; please report.
Nicolai smiled. ¡®We¡¯re traders, that¡¯s why. Looking to arm people against the Chosen.¡¯
Daksh¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®I was wondering about all of this,¡¯ he said, looking around at the various Trade Link items.
¡®We¡¯ve got access to the Trade Link,¡¯ said Azure, a smug smile on her face.
¡®Some of us do,¡¯ murmured old Ben.
Nicolai ignored that. ¡®We¡¯re working to sell weapons and more to the other groups. Good for us, good for them. If you can tell me the location of any groups, I can go help them out.¡¯
Daksh nodded, appearing to relax. Likely he¡¯d worried Nicolai intended to go and murder or rob them. He needn¡¯t worry; Nicolai currently saw no reason to do that, as repeat customers were of more value than a one-time take. After that Daksh was willing to answer Nicolai¡¯s questions, first mentioning the people he said were ¡°decent enough seeming, just not the trusting type,¡± then, more guardedly, mentioning the more dangerous groups, who he said Nicolai ought not to sell too.
Nicolai gave a noncommittal grunt to that. He considered himself an equal-opportunity trader. If people could pay for the goods they¡¯d get the goods. No time to be picky when he needed to get stronger as quick as possible. He didn¡¯t know how long he actually had to find the Lizard.
As Nicolai observed, he idly wove his Soul Sense tendril through the room. With three of them having their Seed¡¯s Soul Sense tendrils out and waving around, avoiding them was an interesting challenge. The large amount of spiritual movement in the room also gave rise to noticeable ripples through the Aura. He was finding that by paying close attention to these ripples he could guess who they¡¯d come from.
Perro¡¯s were uncertain, Azure¡¯s boisterous, Jo¡¯s calm. The ripples Beth gave off were stronger, and had a kind of signature to them. A taste of fire, which he found strange. It was different to the others, less a sense of her personality, more of something else. Her Symbiote? Was he able to sense roughly what she was equipped with?
His Soul Sense brushed hers and she glanced over at him, like he¡¯d tapped her on the shoulder. He made an apologetic face and retracted his Soul Sense. The sense of fire had been clear. He would describe it as a kind of¡ crawling fire. A centipedey fire. Her Symbiote.
This thought prompted him to rise, requesting that Jo and Beth to prepare themselves as they¡¯d be heading out. Fortunately it seemed Beth was willing to accept a half-day off and not a full one, as she didn¡¯t protest. He took Kleos with him into his room, and there questioned the head as he dug around in his bags.
¡®I have noticed I can get a vague impression of the Symbiotes someone has on them by feeling at them with my Soul Sense. Is this normal?¡¯ he asked.
¡®It is, but it isn¡¯t guaranteed,¡¯ said Kleos. ¡®It¡¯s possible to hide the signature your Symbiotes leak. In fact, with skilled control of ones Soul, it is even possible to create ¡°fake¡± signatures, in order to mislead people who are examining you in such a manner.¡¯
Nicolai had suspected as much. ¡®How do I hide the signatures?¡¯
Kleos clicked its teeth. ¡®Difficult. Especially at your level. You need to search for the signature, it will be leaking, near invisibly, from your Soul. It¡¯s hard to find, and the weaker your Soul is compared to the Symbiote, the harder it is to hide. Easiest way is to use the Symbiote, that¡¯ll make the signature stronger and easier to notice. Right now, with barely any Nodes and still in the clearing stage, it¡¯ll be difficult for you to hide it. Still, if you want to try then start by attempting to find the leak. Once you¡¯ve done that, well, I imagine you¡¯d be able to work out how to stop it, it¡¯s not overly complex in principle. It just requires focus, concentration, and practise. Worth doing, though. It¡¯ll improve your control over your Soul, something everyone should seek to work at.¡¯
Kleos paused, looking thoughtful. ¡®I don¡¯t imagine it¡¯ll be hugely useful at this moment, though. Your people are clueless about Symbiotes. I¡¯d be very surprised if one of your fellow humans were to not only sense the signatures you give off, but then use that to guess your Symbiotes. In order to do so someone needs a fair bit of experience with Symbiotes, needs to have felt many and learned what they feel like. But once you¡¯ve got a full system, multiple Symbiotes, and you¡¯re taking on people who actually know what they¡¯re doing, it¡¯ll become very important.¡¯
Nicolai nodded, a little surprised by how wordy Kleos had been. The head seemed in a talkative mood. Nicolai had things to do, but if he found time he would attempt what Kleos had said. For now, he had another intention. Nicolai pulled out a little metal box and opened it, looking at the green stick nestled on a bed of silk within.
The Yin-Yang Rotation incense stick.
¡®What do you think?¡¯ he asked, holding it before Kleos.
The head¡¯s eyebrows raised. ¡®Nice. Where¡¯d you get it?¡¯
Nicolai explained that he¡¯d used a Market upgrade permit and gained access to a Market with Cultivation supplies. He was surprised to note that Kleos seemed quite confused by all of this. It transpired the head had never had much interaction with Trade Links in its life. Apparently this world had been something of a backwater. Kleos said the Trade Links had likely been added only once the world was pulled into the Great Game.
After confirming the stick was safe, he asked Kleos to explain how he should use it.
¡®Simply light it, and breathe in what it releases. You¡¯ll feel the energy inside of you. Once you¡¯ve got the energy, direct it to one Node, or spread it between multiple.¡¯
Nicolai considered that. He still wasn¡¯t sure if it was worth using. ¡®Will it still work, even though my lung Nodes aren¡¯t finished?¡¯
Kleos wore a thoughtful frown. ¡®It should, assuming your system works on the same general principles I¡¯m used to. Since the lung area is where it would absorb anyway, it should be able to go straight into your forming Nodes and improve them directly. It might be slightly less efficient than if your Nodes were finished, but if so it should be only marginally so.''
Good enough. Before beginning Nicolai tapped his Mark.
User Interface 376 | User #53,217
- Cultivation
Total Nodes: 1 Major, 2 Minor
Available unconstructed Nodes: 0 Major, 3 Minor
- Nodes in progress;
Right Lung (Finalising: 71%)
Left Lung (Finalising: 71%)
Completed Nodes;
Heart (Flawless) (100/100)
Nicolai used a lighter he¡¯d purchased from the Market¡¯s clutter section to light the incense stick.
Sweet smelling vapour rose from it in a small but steady stream. Nicolai found that this vapour was somehow touchable with his Soul Sense, and he was able to guide it it toward him. The vapour curved through the air and into his mouth as he breathed in.
Nicolai closed his eyes and observed its journey through his windpipe with his internal Soul Sense. The vapour began emitting bright energy the moment it was inside of him, and that intensified when it reached his lungs, forming a furnace that sent pulses through him, and it remained there even as he breathed out.
He did his best to seize on the energy and direct it with his Soul, and he managed to halfway succeed. He felt his unfinished lung Nodes doing something, aiding him slightly with the process. Fortunately, half control was good enough, as the energy was already gravitating to the Nodes. His main focus was ensuring it was an even split. The energy poured into the Nodes which pulsed and hummed, drinking it in greedily.
In the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the incense stick finished burning. With the cessation of the vapour Nicolai felt the furnace of energy in his lungs fading. He relaxed, and looked his Nodes over carefully with his internal eye.
They had significantly progressed.
User Interface 376 | User #53,217
- Cultivation
Total Nodes: 1 Major, 2 Minor
Available unconstructed Nodes: 0 Major, 3 Minor
- Nodes in progress;
Right Lung (Finalising: 96%)
Left Lung (Finalising: 96%)
Completed Nodes;
Heart (Flawless) (100/100)
An addition of twenty-five percent, each¡ That meant one Yin-Yang Rotation stick, applied to a single Node, would boost its finalisation by fifty-percent. Two should therefore allow him to finish a Node just about instantly.
At long last his Nodes were almost complete. By the end of the day they would be finished.
###
A short time later he gathered Jo and Beth, having them fully arm themselves. Jo had recovered from her injury now, mostly, and was in acceptable health. With the two of them as backup he intended to finally go and investigate the library. He would use the keys he¡¯d gained to head to the top floor, complete Maric¡¯s Quest, write Kleos¡¯ name in the book, and steal anything of value he could get his hands on. He also brought the cordless disc cutter, as Kleos had told him books on the higher levels might be chained to their places.
He was especially hopeful to find something detailing Symbiotes and Cultivation in more detail, as he found his knowledge to be extremely lacking, and Kleos had told him that he was likely to find both. The head had told him the books on the upper floor¡ªwhich, with suspicious convenience, was also where the book Kleos wanted him to write in would be found¡ªwould contain knowledge on those subjects.
When he looked at the earth Market and the listings of items within, he knew exactly what to buy. He knew the pros and cons, the relative values, the best and worse picks.
But when he looked at the Cultivation Market, and when he considered the tasks of Symbiote finding and refining, his mind was empty. He knew that there were schools of thought and learning which were completely unknown to him. Now that he was a Cultivator in truth, he needed to change that as soon as possible, and he hoped the library would provide him the methods to do so.
Perro approached him as he was leaving, talking about Maxine in the tower. The boy was very keen that they go rescue her. Supposedly her food was almost gone. Nicolai promised Perro that once they were back from the library, she was next on the list. Now that he¡¯d gained the Market Upgrade and could properly plan for the future, he was willing to work on fulfilling secondary objectives. Maxine held a place in his designs, but the Library came first. He¡¯d been putting it off for long enough.
Fully armed, he and the girls made their way down the stairs and out of the safe-place to begin their journey to the library.
As he went, Nicolai¡¯s thoughts turned to the guardian Kleos had said would be there. Kleos had told him it was dangerous, and to be wary.
It sounded to him like it would be a difficult fight. Perhaps that should have made him wary of the place, but it did the exact opposite. A difficult fight was what he wanted.
There were eyes in the walls, and they were watching him.
145: Hitting the Books
They reached the library after half an hour of travel, managing to avoid any encounters on the way. The Chosen were active in the space nearby, and it took some careful manoeuvring to avoid them. Nicolai didn¡¯t want to get in any fights with them, as he¡¯d observed that they were now significantly more aggressive and tended to call in massed reinforcements the moment their groups had any encounters. The Chosen had departed from their previous methods of robbing people then demanding they join, and had switched to some kind of all-out war against everyone who wasn¡¯t a Chosen.
This was bad in general terms, but good for Nicolai. Their increasing aggression would drive more business towards him as everyone was pressured to arm themselves and fight back.
Reaching the top of the stairs where the gap blocking the way loomed, Nicolai considered. He had three Pegasi rings, Beth one. Jo wasn¡¯t a Cultivator and thus if she wanted to fly with a ring, she¡¯d need to use the roundabout method of activating it with her Seed, which wasn¡¯t ideal. He opted to simply carry her across, figuring it was better he hold onto the three rings as he could use them at any time, and with three he could move a little faster than with two. However, though entering the library wouldn¡¯t be a problem, he only had one library access token.
¡®I¡¯ll cross first. Those poles will spot you if you come close and activate, calling guardians. I have a token that will keep me hidden from them. I¡¯ll see if I can disable it in some way, then you two cross.¡¯ Nicolai didn¡¯t anticipate the guard-poles activation causing real problems, as he and the other two had guns, now. The furniture wouldn¡¯t be able to put up much a fight against that. But if he could avoid that fight, he would, if only to conserve their ammo and because there was nothing to be gained from destroying the furniture.
Floating over the gap he landed and approached the nearest guard-poles, his Soul Sense reaching out to it. It was surrounded by a weird, artificial seeming Soul Sense of its own, one that he felt was attuned to sights and sounds. Originally he¡¯d considered just putting something between the orb atop the pole and the sight of the girls when they entered, but realised now that wouldn¡¯t work. It didn¡¯t see with its orb, it saw with the strange Soul Sense surrounding it. However, this meant there was an easier method.
¡®Come over, its safe,¡¯ he told the other two over Local. He¡¯d extended his Soul Sense to blanket the guards poles, forming a kind of wall that blocked its vision. The two crossed quickly and he sent them to the side, the same place as he¡¯d fought the animated furniture weeks ago. Once they were out of sight of the orb, he followed after them.
They moved around the outskirts of the library, retracing the route he¡¯d taken last time, Nicolai leading the other two towards where he¡¯d first encountered Maric.
However, when they reached the leaning book-shelf and Nicolai sent his Soul Sense to look within, Maric was not there.
Strange. Nicolai looked around, considering. Was Maric off amongst the stacks, looking for a new read? It was possible, but it would surprise him. He wouldn¡¯t expect the skeleton to go and wander much, his impression was that it had been here for a long time and seemed to have already collected ever book it was interested in.
And yet, it was gone.
Something prickled within him. A warning in a secret language. Something was off.
¡®Weapons ready,¡¯ he said to Jo and Beth, who were standing there looking around with expressions of idle curiosity, more like tourists than fighters.
Their postures shifted, weapons raising, faces tensing with concern.
¡®What is it?¡¯ asked Jo.
¡®Just a feeling. This is where the skeleton I mentioned lived. I¡¯ll have a quick look for him, see if he¡¯s somewhere in here, but I have a feeling he isn¡¯t. We might have company. Unfriendly company.
The drones rose from his back, moving just below the ceiling to avoid the guard-poles as they flitted through the great room. In only a short time they had taken a look down every aisle, and Maric the skeleton was not to be found.
However, he did take note of a door on the far side of the room. A door which was open. Nicolai hadn¡¯t located it his last time here, but he could guess at what it was. The route to the next level, which Maric had told him was locked and in need of the keys Nicolai found in the prison.
They headed over and he used the same trick as before to allow the other two to pass through the central area of the library and its guard-poles, then approached the open door. Through their Local connection, Nicolai coaxed the other two into the correct positioning until the girls were moving almost like an actual kill-team. Their weapons were raised to cover differing fields of fire, and no one crossed the line of another¡¯s gun.
All of their Soul Sense tendrils extended together, peering through the doorway to check what was within, moving spiritual hands over everything. He was pleased that Jo was managing to keep her Seed¡¯s Soul Sense out even during action, it was a sign she was making progress towards the integration.
Beth and Jo took quickly to this sort of thing, already showing a competence which had built upon the skills their combat chips provided. Watching their fluid movements gave rise to an increasing fondness within Nicolai, one born from a kind of pride. He¡¯d taught them that.
He took a step and leaned to peer past the iron-sights into the opening. There was nothing lurking within the door. He saw spiralling stairs leading upwards.
Nothing living was within, at any rate. But as Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense roved out, something pricked at him. It was a tiny, tiny camera dug into the stone, connected to an ultra-thin wire hidden in a seam in the wall running up the stairs. Not operating over Local, which was why Cyberwarfare hadn¡¯t detected it.
¡®There¡¯s a camera,¡¯ said Jo, and he felt the flare of her alarm where his Soul Sense brushed her.
¡®I know,¡¯ he said, then decided what they¡¯d do. ¡®Ignore it. Look as dumb and clueless as you can. We go up.¡¯ Nicolai adjusted his stance, lowering his weapon until it aimed at the ground rather than above at where enemies would come into view. ¡®All clear,¡¯ he said loudly and then bumbled forwards to start walking up the stairs, acting completely unconcerned. His Soul Sense swam up ahead, and with it he found more cameras hidden in the cracks higher up.
###
¡®We¡¯ve got company!¡¯ someone called.
¡®Eh?¡¯ Joan turned to look over, seeing Scar, her second, holding a touchscreen pad.
¡®Look,¡¯ said Scar, approaching her. ¡®People coming up the stairs.¡¯ He showed the console and she saw a visual feed of three people. They were strolling up the stairs without a care. One of them turned around to briefly say something to the other two, and she saw them laugh at the joke. In the movement his gun swung around, flagging both of them in a demonstration of exceedingly poor gun safety. Her eyes widened as she took the weapon in. It was a goddamn auto-shotgun! The man turned around again and caught his foot on the stairs, stumbling a few steps up. Where¡¯d this guy find an auto-shotgun?
For a moment she felt concern, but as she watched the three stumbling their way up the stairs, Joan scoffed. A bunch of amateurs. Idiots, but lucky ones. Most of hers were just as inexperienced, but even so, this was an easy win. She almost felt bad for them, but they were most likely an unsavoury rival group here to rob the library. She didn¡¯t need the competition. And anyway, she wanted that shotgun.
¡®Links off, and get to the sides. We¡¯ll ambush them when they emerge,¡¯ she said in a low voice, gesturing to the others and moving to put herself behind a shelf. There she shot a glance at the talking skeleton, Maric, who was standing off to the side. ¡®And you, just stay over there. Don¡¯t say a word.¡¯
Though she told the others to turn their Links off, she kept hers on. She had a Cyberwarfare unit which allowed her to maintain a secured Link to Scar beside her and their two drones, a Scouter and a Scanner, which floated near the ceiling, all of their cameras and sensors watching the stairway exit, where the group would emerge.
She glanced at Scar, beside her. A wiry little bald man, the side of his face was dominated by a bionic eye installation, a model with numerous different vision capabilities. A long, ragged scar bisected his face, skipping over the bionic eye.
After her he was the best shot and most competent member of their group. With his eye¡¯s thermal vision he could spot threats easily in open areas, and she was glad to have him beside her. Right now, his gaze was fixed on the console screen he held, where an image of three people walking up through a stairway was shown.
She leaned closer and together they watched the group advancing up the stairs. Joan¡¯s eyes flicked from the console to the stairwell. She gestured silently to her people, pointing to the exit. They took aim.
The three were almost at the top when for some reason they paused. Irritatingly, they did so at a place that happened to contain one of the larger gaps between two of the cameras. She could only see the lower body of the last person in line, a woman. The other two were further up, but not far enough to be seen by the next camera.
¡®What¡¯re they doing?¡¯ Scar murmured.
¡®Who knows. Be ready,¡¯ said Joan, sighting down her submachine-gun. As soon as the big idiot with the auto-shotty walked out she¡¯d put three through his ribcage.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
The pause stretched. The girl they could see was unmoving. What the fuck were they doing in there? None of them were speaking, either.
Suddenly her connection to the drones fractured, as a wave of interference hit her Link. Her eyes widened in sudden shock as her Cyberwarfare unit informed her they were under attack. Someone was attempting to seize control of the drones from her.
She directed her unit and was joined by the others but they were too late, the surprise attack had already wormed its way into her drones, and it pulled a switch. Her gaze rose as she heard sudden clacking noises, that of the drones rotors abruptly locking up, then the drones plummeted to the ground where they smashed into pieces.
Joan knew immediately what had happened. The group in the stairway knew about them; had somehow worked it out. They were attacking.
She was about to give orders when she saw a flicker of light at the stairwell exit, drawing her gaze. She took aim, sighting at it through her weapon¡¯s iron-sights. Are they just going to assault? That would be suicidal, but she wasn¡¯t going to complain.
However, no one human emerged. Instead there came¡ fire. A line of ragged red flame, seeming to crawl out from the stairwell and zip over the stone. It turned sharply left and sped towards a corner of the room, where one of Joan¡¯s people stood, lurking behind a sofa, weapon aimed at the exit.
He rose and stumbled backwards, staring in confusion at the fire. It covered the distance in an instant then it jumped at him, landing on his chest.
He burst into flames, arms flailing at himself, falling and rolling on the ground, screaming and howling. The flames only burned brighter, even as he thrashed on the ground, but they showed no signs of leaving him and coming after the rest of them.
Joan gaped at the burning man. It took her a moment to process what had happened, and when she did she realised what this was: a distraction.
¡®Scar, what do you see?¡¯ she spoke, turning to the man beside her, who was staring at the man on fire, mouth gaping open. She grabbed him by the shoulder, shaking him. ¡®What do you see? Scan the exit!¡¯
Scar stared at her in confusion for a moment before nodding, turning to look. His bionic clicked as it shifted into a different configuration. His human eye widened.
¡®There¡¯s someone, he¡¯s cloaked!¡¯ His hand raised to point. ¡®Over there¡ª!¡¯
There came a sudden bang and a flash of light from the direction Scar was pointing. At the same moment, Scar¡¯s head exploded.
Joan flinched as blood sprayed over the side of her face, but then she activated her aiming chip and immediately snapped her SMG over, squeezing the trigger, aiming at where she¡¯d seen the muzzle flash. The sounds of gunfire erupted around her as the rest of her people opened up.
A flicker of light darted through the air, and some kind of barrier appeared in front of it. It was difficult to see, difficult to shoot, except when a bullet hit the barrier as then it would flicker with pale light, cracks that shot through it.
The light was moving swiftly toward the space between two bookshelves. Joan rose, her teeth gritted, managing to fire two bursts at the moving object before it disappeared behind the shelves. Her accuracy was as perfect as it could be, but the light was an unclear and difficult target, moving at speed, and her chip could only do so much when her body moved stiffly from surprise. Only a couple of the bullets hit, and they didn¡¯t manage to break the barrier.
The light disappeared behind the bookshelves, and the gunfire ceased as Joan and the others stopped firing.
She cast a desperate look around, and saw that other than Scar and the guy who¡¯d been hit by the fire, everyone else was still standing. Her jaw tightened. We¡¯ve still got this. We¡¯ve got the numbers. There¡¯s only three of them
¡®You two! Throw grenades into the stairway! And after that, watch it!¡¯ she yelled at two of her people nearer to the exit. That should keep the other two in there out of our hair.
¡®Everyone else, form up, move to cover the space between a shelf,¡¯ she snapped, then gave a nod of her head to two others who were nearby.
¡®Inigo, Teres, with me.¡¯ She strode forward, heading toward the shelf where they¡¯d seen the light disappear. She pulled out her SMG¡¯s magazine as she went. It was still half-full, but she saw no harm in more bullets.
She intended to end things here. He was invisible and somewhere within the shelves, but it didn¡¯t matter exactly where he was. If enough of them shot, they¡¯d hit him.
She drew to one side of the shelf while the other two formed up on the other. She nodded to them, then all at once they pivoted to aim down the gap between the shelves. She clung tight to her SMG, sighting down it, hunting for a target.
There was no one there, just empty space lined by books, extending towards the wall at the far end.
On either side of her the others formed up, everyone aiming between shelves. No one called out that they saw him. Without the drones and Scar they had no means of spotting him. That was fine.
¡®Fire,¡¯ said Joan.
Gunfire roared as everyone fired into the spaces between the shelves, and even at the shelves themselves. The entire other side of the library was swept with rounds as they all opened up. Dust, chips of wood and bits of paper were launched around as bullets carved through everything.
¡®Stop!¡¯ she yelled, when she was sure the area had been thoroughly saturated with bullets. She stared down the space before her, but there was no sign she¡¯d hit anything. ¡®Anyone see him?¡¯ she asked, frowning.
Calls came from around, all negative. Distantly, she heard the sound of a grenade going off at the stairway behind her, then another.
At least that¡¯s sorted. But where is he?
She heard a clatter, a sound that was echoed from further out. Twisting to look, she saw something rattling on the ground. She recognised it immediately. A stun grenade.
¡®Cover your eyes!¡¯ she screamed, putting her hands to her face as she spoke, but she¡¯d barely gotten halfway through the words when there came a flash of light and a tremendous crack that sent a spike of pain through her ears.
Everything veered around her as Joan lost all sense of balance. Her grasping hand found the support of a nearby shelf moments before she stumbled into it. The pain of her knee cracking into it was a bright spot in her suddenly numb and empty awareness. There was an endless ringing in her ears, drowning out all sound, but she¡¯d succeeded in protecting her eyes and could see. Looking around, she saw people staggering around in the rest of the room. Her eyes caught on one man who was stumbling blindly, arms extended, face twisted in pain. An instant later a spray of blood and gore exploded from his body and he crumpled to the ground, shot.
As the ringing in her ears began to lessen, she made out a thumping sound, one she could almost feel through the air, reverberating in her chest. Fast, unceasing booms from directly above. Joan twisted to look up the bookshelf beside her, looking up to the top of it where she saw flashes of light. She dimly heard screams and yells from the others, saw blood mist the air. Up there! She was bringing her SMG up to aim at the spot above when she saw a flicker of light to her side.
She threw herself down and out of the way in time to avoid a sword which flashed past her. She landed and rolled, shaking off the lingering effects of the grenade and getting back to her feet in time to see it continue on toward the other two. All the time, the gunshots from above kept ringing out.
The rapier seemed to move with a mind of its own. It speared through Inigo¡¯s neck and then ripped back out and he fell, choking and grasping at his neck, trying to keep the blood in. It came out in thick jets from between his fingers.
Teres shot at the rapier and missed as it came for him, too, then he yelled and dove to the side as it lunged at his chest, managing to dodge out the way.
Joan took aim at it, but then she paused. No. There¡¯s no point. It¡¯s just a weapon. She needed to kill the one controlling it. She could still hear gunshots from above, and she turned, taking aim.
The gunshots stopped a second before she squeezed the trigger and her SMG vibrated against her, 9mm rounds snapping from its muzzle. Aided by her chip, she drew a zig-zag in the top of the shelf, shooting through it at an angle. Dust, chips of wood, and shredded paper exploded from the perforated shelf-top. She heard the rattle of another SMG and saw the destruction intensify, knew that Teres was firing with her from the side.
Their SMGs clicked empty, and there was silence except for the rattle and thump as chunks of wood and torn books fell to the ground. She listened carefully as she moved to reload.
She heard the ring of metal on stone, and turned her head to see the rapier had fallen from the air. A moment later she heard a louder thump from above. A thump like a dead man falling over might make.
She glanced past the rapier, seeing Teres. He gripped his emptied SMG tight, peering up above, eyes wide. ¡®Did you get him?¡¯ he asked, looking at her. Below him, Inigo lay unmoving, his blood soaking the floor.
¡®Yeah,¡¯ she said, casting her gaze into the rest of the room, looking for the others. She didn¡¯t see any movement. Did he get them all? Are we the last alive?
Shit. She needed to keep her eyes on the stairway. There might be two more down there; no guarantee the grenades had killed them.
As she finished reloading and moved to take up position covering the stairway, she heard a gunshot from behind; a heavy thump. She spun in place, jerking her head around. She saw Teres falling, blood spurting. A cloud of dust and splinters of wood flew from the side of him, the bookshelf. Her chip told her this meant he¡¯d been shot from the other side.
Thump.
###
Nicolai lowered the smoking gunbarrel of his AA-12 from where he¡¯d been aiming at the bookshelf. Via his Soul Sense, he felt the last of them fall.
He breathed slowly out, working to calm the pulse of his heartbeat. The world was spinning gloriously around him. That had been a good fight. Their leader, who he¡¯d just killed, had been quite competent.
The smell of blood and cordite filled the air. It smelt delicious. The dark was out of its cage and had been for some time, drawing his lips into a vicious grin.
He turned his attention inwards, but the darkness was already retreating to its cage. It was sated. His Mask, meanwhile, was spiralling into horror, insisting he should feel bad, insisting he should feel something. Nicolai ignored it, sending the drones attached to his back out to perform a quick check of the room.
Once the drones finished searching, finding nothing, he emerged from between the bookshelves. Looking to his left, he saw a cringing skeleton in a corner of the room. Maric. Jo and beth emerged warily from the stairwell, weapons raised and ready.
¡®No need,¡¯ he told them over Local. ¡®They¡¯re all dead.¡¯
He turned to Maric as he deactivated his poncho, pulling the hood down. ¡®Long time no see, Maric,¡¯ he called, forming his face into a smile.
¡®Ah¡ hello, Marked,¡¯ said Maric, straightening up warily and stepping toward him. Its blue-burning gaze roved over the bloody carnage and broken bodies as it moved. Jo and Beth were approaching.
¡®I have good news,¡¯ said Nicolai, pulling a keyring from a pocket and waving it at the skeleton. ¡®I found some keys, though I see you¡¯ve already managed to get yourself up here.¡¯
¡®Yes, I¡ these¡ people. Helped me.¡¯ Maric seemed to be struggling a little to get its words out clearly.
¡®Did you give them a quest, too?¡¯ asked Nicolai, curious.
¡®¡Yes.¡¯ The skeleton was giving him a wary look.
Nicolai extended his Soul Sense to touch the skeleton. Now his Cultivation and his Soul Sense had improved he was able to recognise that Maric was some kind of very weak Cultivator, with a Soul Sense of its own, if one less advanced than Nicolai¡¯s. The undead seemed to be in some kind of half-way spot, more advanced than a human who¡¯d yet to integrate their Seed, less advanced than one who had.
He could feel Maric¡¯s emotions with his Soul Sense. The undead was currently quite worried.
¡®Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t mind,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®I just thought you wouldn¡¯t be able to give another. That¡¯s what you said, isn¡¯t it?¡¯
Maric shrugged its bony shoulders. ¡®I tried, and Heaven permitted. I suppose it does that to make things more¡¡¯ It glanced around at the dead. ¡®Interesting.¡¯ It looked back to him. ¡®You were gone a long time, I thought you might¡¯ve died.¡¯
¡®I¡¯ve been busy, that¡¯s all.¡¯ Nicolai saw Beth and Jo drawing close. ¡®This is Maric,¡¯ he told them. ¡®He¡¯s going to show us the way.¡¯
The two nodded. He could sense that the dead bodies were causing them some unease, despite their increasing adjustments to this new world. Best to move on to their target, the top floor of the library, quick. But, he wouldn¡¯t leave without looting first.
146: Library Guardian
He opted to do the looting himself, sparing Jo and Beth from the grisly task as he picked over the messy corpses. He found several weapons, all the types you could get from the F Tier human tech Market; presumably this group were either Chosen deserters or had looted all this from the Chosen at some point. There were also Oma crystals and some points tags. All in all a decent haul, though there were no Imbued. He also found dead Seeds, some quite advanced, though none of these people had been Cultivators. The Seeds were very good to have, now. Someone had worked out a method to bring a dead Seed back to life, and make it your own, so long as the Seed hadn¡¯t been dead too long.
It took quite a few Oma crystals to resurrect and seize control over a Seed like this, but it was possible in principle and the method was spreading. He¡¯d learned about it from some of their recent trades, buying the information (at a steep cost) of how to do the method from another group, a bunch of Chosen defectors who claimed it was some scientist in the Chosen had first discovered it.
Now, he intended to sell the method on, alongside selling the dead Seeds they collected. He didn¡¯t want the others to make use of this method when instead he could use completion of their Seed as a way to motivate them to go into the prison and gather crystals for him. Plus, the Seeds had become highly valuable since the method¡¯s discovery. Any who had lost their Seed would be willing to pay a hefty price for a new one.
He kept the points-tags, crystals and Seeds in his pockets, and dumped the weapons and ammo into a synthetic sack. As he returned he saw the girls questioning Maric.
¡®So¡ what¡¯s it like, being a skeleton?¡¯ asked Beth.
Maric let out a rattling sigh. ¡®Bad at first. I used to greatly miss food, and drink, and¡ other pleasures. But its been so long, now, I barely think on such matters.¡¯ The skeleton turned to Nicolai as he approached. ¡®May I see the keys?¡¯ Maric asked, extending its bony hand.
¡®Here,¡¯ said Nicolai, handing them over.
The skeleton looked them over and its eyes flared. ¡®Yes,¡¯ it murmured. ¡®Perfect. These will get us all the way to the top.¡¯
¡®What about the keys these others had?¡¯
¡®They were only enough to reach this floor. They were trying to work out a way through that, with no keys they thought they might be able to destroy it.¡¯ Maric gestured to a heavy, closed door then, started towards it.
Nicolai quickly caught up, blocking Maric and extending a meaningful hand, eyes on the keys.
¡®Ah.¡¯ The skeleton looked between him and the keys, clearly wishing to keep them, but after a moment it handed them back.
This current level of the library didn¡¯t seem to have any guard-poles, but regardless Nicolai had Maric hand over more of the library access tokens to Jo and Beth before unlocking the door and preceding upwards.
As they went the library shifted, becoming increasingly grand and opulent. There were no guardians all the way up, surprising Nicolai. Maric said they¡¯d probably been sent elsewhere over the years. The rooms grew smaller and the numbers of shelves dwindled until, reaching the top floor, they found no more shelves, only podiums with singular books resting.
This was not the end of the library, Maric told them, gesturing to a grand door set into the wall on one side of the room, and it said the keys wouldn¡¯t help them get inside.
But the skeleton moved straight to this door, and there it tugged out a different library permit, one it hadn¡¯t shown Nicolai, and raised it high. This one was formed of golden metal, and it shimmered as the skeleton lifted it.
The door let out a clunk, and began to swing open.
The room which was revealed was a large circular area, with expansive cubbies carved into the walls around it, each one containing a podium and a book, guarded by shimmering shields of lights that blocked off the cubbies.
In the very centre there stood a tall undead wearing dark, ragged robes, a large book held in one hand, looking away from them.
The undead turned, revealing a rotted face with blue glowing eye-holes that peered down contemptuously. Those eyes settled onto Maric.
¡®You,¡¯ it hissed, and mist began to flow from under its robes. Nicolai felt ripples in the Aura around him as it activated Imbued or Symbiotes or something.
¡®Kill it!¡¯ screamed Maric, turning and running.
Nicolai was already charging his Blue Hornet as he levelled his shotgun and fired, a rapid drumming. Buckshot smashed into the undead but some kind of shield flickered over its body, deflecting the pellets, but Nicolai saw how already the shield was cracking. It let out a hiss then an amulet around its neck flashed with eerie light and it transformed into a mass of mist that collapsed towards the floor. While the mist poured over the stone the book floated into the air, opening up, an orange energy shimmering over its pages.
The mist grew, and the mass of it came towards him. The thrill roared within and he laughed because this was right, this was the fight he¡¯d been looking for.
The book spun and with a snap a piece of paper detached and shot towards him. He activated his shield, raising it before him, and the paper slapped by and left a great scar in it. The missile had almost gone through, which told him that if the paper hit his body he wouldn¡¯t fare well. Jo and Beth fired at the mist but accomplished nothing.
He could feel the undead¡¯s Soul Sense, coming into range. It was powerful. Stronger than him.
More paper came with it, and the thrill rushed through Nicolai as he danced between them, bobbing like a snake, shield-arm snapping side to side. His Node¡¯s Oma was rapidly depleting, fuel to restore the damage his shield sustained. Then the undead¡¯s Souls Sense was on him, crushing.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Nicolai¡¯s spiritual defence was a perfect Loose Guard, but perfect was not enough. The undead¡¯s Soul Sense was a level above, and it swamped his own which creaked. The mist was all around him now and the undead reformed, grabbing for him while he was distracted by the Soul Sense attack.
But Nicolai was not caught unprepared, he was ready, expecting it. The shotgun met its lunge in a full-auto snarl that knocked it tumbling backwards and sent cracks through its shield. He advanced, implacable, the shotgun a beast of fire and metal he harnessed, but the undead¡¯s amulet flashed and it faded into mist once more.
A piece of paper caught him, slicing through the reinforcement over his shin and carving a burning line of pain through the flesh of his calf then out the other side. A deep cut that would¡¯ve bled badly, but he still had the Blood Bite ring and it activated with little effort from him, slowing the pouring of his blood.
He tumbled away like leaves in the wind as the paper missiles carved a line behind him. He took aim at the book and the undead seized on the chance, reforming and rushing at his back. Nicolai kept moving even as the wound in his leg burned, outpacing it and firing at the book which began spinning left and right, evasive, and for a moment not firing paper at him. The undead¡¯s Soul Sense descended on him from behind like a hammer.
He tried to absorb its crushing blow with the Loose Guard again but his Soul Sense was already strained and when the hit landed it broke, sending a spike of pain through his skull. He spun around to see the undead disappear into mist. He felt Aura ripples, but with his Soul Sense broken was unable to determine where they came from.
There was no sounds or other warning, but on some level Nicolai felt it anyway, a sense of danger from behind. He spun in place to see it already there and lunging, hand lancing out at him. He twisted but couldn¡¯t twist fast enough and it grabbed him around the upper arm, and its touch infected him with a terrible cold, pressing and burning through his flesh, the pain seeking to overwhelm him. There was something spiritual in that pain, something that dug into his Soul. But Nicolai was long accustomed to pain and he broke the undead¡¯s grip, raising the shotgun and blasting it.
The undead¡¯s amulet flashed and it faded away, leaving him with his left arm limp, barely able to move it. The pain had faded to a complete numbness. He had to drop his shotgun to hang on its strap as he used his right arm to lift his left and get his shield between him and the book which was aiming at him again. His movements were slowed by it all and his shield turned into a chewed up mess as the paper missiles sliced at it.
The world slowed, his focus intensifying as he bent his body out the way of the ones that made it through the gaps, sharp missiles that¡¯d go right through him, missing him by inches. His Soul Sense was struggling to recover. The touch of the undead had done something to his Soul, there was a dark stain on his spiritual arm, disrupting his Oma and slowing the recovery of his Soul Sense.
He noted Jo and Beth were uncertain about what to do, aiming in his direction but unable to fire due to how close the undead was appearing to him. They didn¡¯t appear to realise the book was his main issue, as it was out of their sight.
¡®Shoot the book!¡¯ he told them, indicating its location via Link, and was gladdened to see them snap into action as they moved to bring it into their view and started firing. One shot landed and a spray of torn paper burst out from it while it was set spinning, then it veered madly through the air at great speed, making itself extremely hard to hit. That was fine in his book; it was no longer throwing razor sharp paper at him.
The moment Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense was recovered enough to re-emerge he found himself under attack by constant weak, probing attacks from the undead, attacks that worked to disrupt him while he tried to form his Soul Sense into a protective sphere. It was difficult for him to properly sense what was around him with his Soul Sense as a result. But, he had noticed something the last time it reformed from the mist. A tiny ripple in the Aura. He grit his teeth as he worked to firm his defence, forming the sphere, and immediately set it somewhere between Loose and Long. It could be quickly switched into either for defence, and also allowed him to better feel what was around him with the looser, mobile dispersion.
He was just in time. Behind him, he felt it, the ripple. Through his drones he saw Jo and Beth shooting at the book which was unable to fire at him as a result.
Nicolai was already pivoting, shotgun raised, as it appeared. The AA-12 vibrated in his grasp as he sprayed rounds at the rushing undead, the bullets smashing into it, the shield over its body cracking and snapping, then with a crash it all burst apart and it was left unprotected. At the same moment, the AA-12 clicked dry, its thirty-two round magazine spent.
He dropped it and immediately pulled the sawn-off shotgun, snapping it up. As he raised the gun the undead darted to the side, but it wasn¡¯t fast enough. It couldn¡¯t be, because he wasn¡¯t reacting to its movement. He¡¯d predicted it. The first blast caught the side of its head, the next its neck, then it collapsed forwards and transformed into mist before he could drop the sawn-off and bring the pistol to bear, limited by his one usable arm.
Nicolai could feel the undead as it swam through the mist, tracking it by the ripples it left behind, which he was growing better at spotting. It was heading towards Jo and Beth, who were still taking shots at the book. He could just about feel at its thoughts through his Soul Sense. He¡¯d injured it, but it still felt it could turn this around.
Electricity surged over his body. The Blue Hornet was ready.
He loped forwards and threw himself, clutched for the centre of the mist the undead was contained in, and released the Blue Hornet¡¯s pent up energies. Lightning exploded through the mist, and for a moment the shape of the undead was revealed as it spasmed in response. At the same time he hit it a heavy, slicing blow with his Soul Sense, and Jo and Beth quickly joined in with their own.
The mist rippled and the undead was forced back into physical form, appearing cringing, an arm extended towards Beth, too far to reach. Nicolai drew his pistol and fired at it while Beth and Jo did the same, but a ring flared with golden light on one of its skeletal fingers and a golden shield snapped into life around it, deflecting the shots.
For a moment Nicolai thought the undead would fight, but then the book zipped over their heads while the undead turned and ran towards the exit. Jo shot at the book but it spun side to side like a fish in a river. Beth darted after the undead, trying to catch at its shield with the Crawling Fire that leapt from her hand toward it, but it slipped away into the doorway, down the stairwell. Retreating into the library. The mist poured out of the room after it.
Nicolai, lacking any easy methods to stop the undead, simply let it go. He was here for a purpose and now the undead was out of the way, he could get to work. If the undead returned and sought to ambush them, he¡¯d kill it or send it packing again. In fact, he was hoping it would return.
The undead had numerous powerful Imbued items on its person and he wanted them. If it didn¡¯t come back, then once they were done here he¡¯d see about hunting it down. At the very least, he felt it likely they¡¯d forced it to use a limited, one-time use item when it had formed that powerful golden shield. Otherwise, it would have utilised it from the start. With that out the way it would be easier to bring down.
¡®That thing¡¯ll be back,¡¯ muttered Beth.
¡®And we¡¯ll be ready for its return,¡¯ Nicolai said. ¡®Jo, keep an eye on the door, watch for it. Beth, with me. Maric¡ come over here.¡¯ Nicolai turned his head with the last words, glancing at the undead which was emerging from between the shelves. It gave a guilty start, perhaps wondering if he¡¯d lambaste it for running. He didn¡¯t care about that, but he was annoyed it had opened the door without waiting for him. However, he saw little value to be gained from saying so or attempting to punish it. At least, not while they still had things to do.
They headed into the final room.
147: Thieves of Knowledge
As they entered the final room, Jo paused at the doorway and turned to watch the exit the undead had vanished through. Nicolai shook his arm as he moved, finding it now half-numb and half infected by a painful buzzing like pins-and-needles. He pried his clothes open and pulled his shirt up to look at his flesh, and saw that his arm was pale and clammy, but didn¡¯t seem otherwise damaged. However, he still struggled to move it, and it was difficult to reload his weapons. In the end, he decided it would be better to recruit Beth¡¯s help rather than keep on struggling to do it himself whilst she watched.
As she reloaded the guns for him his focus moved inwards. His Soul Sense was noticeably weaker, and his Node was burning Oma rapidly in an attempt to heal his Soul. He saw little progress being made. He took the time to more carefully look over the black stain the undead had inflicted him with. It was a black mark in the shape of a hand, a print left where it had grabbed him.
Whatever the undead had done to him, it had been effective. How long would this last? Was it permanent?
¡®Wait,¡¯ said Nicolai, ¡®and watch him.¡¯ He gestured Beth over to Maric. She moved over and levelled her gun at the skeleton who observed the weapon with wary curiosity. By now, Maric must have seen enough to understand the threat behind the gesture.
Nicolai left Threat Analysis to monitor his senses and the drones while he focused on the black handprint, studying it first physically, then his eyes closed and he focused inward.
The black mark stretched into his Soul, on his Soul¡¯s arm in just the same place as on his body. But inside, it was bigger, the stain not just on the outside of his Soul¡¯s arm but pressing inward, too. That entire part of his arm seemed stained black.
His Node was sending a continual supply of Oma to repair his Soul, and a battle was occurring there, one that required no input from Nicolai. It reminded him of the natural fight of the bodies cells against an infection. In a similar manner, his Soul was fighting back, pulling Oma and using it to do so.
After watching for some time he determined the black print was not growing any smaller. His Soul was not going to naturally repair itself, not against this. But it didn¡¯t seem to be getting any bigger, either.
¡®That thing left a black mark on the arm of my Soul,¡¯ he said to Maric. ¡®What do you know of this?¡¯
¡®A black mark? Mmm. Sounds like Soul rot.¡¯
¡®What do I do about that?¡¯
¡®It¡¯s not a big deal. It¡¯s on your arm, right? So you just chop that part of your Soul off. Not great for your Soul, you¡¯ll have to regrow, but you¡¯re only Tier 1. Easier to recover from Soul injuries when you¡¯ve a weaker Soul. Do it later, though, there¡¯s no rush. For now¡¡¯ Maric cast a look to the glowing barriers of light within the room. Nicolai felt honest dismissiveness from the undead, which suggested to him it was as the creature said; not a big deal. He could tell it was getting worse but only slowly, he could leave it until later.
Nicolai flexed his hand, then arm. He seemed to be recovering, the tingling pain and numbness fading. The damage was more to his Soul than to his flesh. Gradually, the limb was getting better, and he kept shaking his arm, opening and closing his fist to get more blood moving through it whilst tugging another Oma crystal out to replenish his Node.
Nicolai approached one of the flickering barriers, behind which he saw a book on a podium, and extended his Soul Sense to test it. The barrier was a solid pane of energy, but it didn¡¯t feel like it would strike out at him. He touched it, and golden light shimmered on his fingertips.
Shimmering Lights Barrier
A barrier created through a combination of Symbiotes, set into place and powered by a constant flow of Oma.
A constant flow? Perhaps he could interrupt that flow. His Soul Sense ran over the walls around the barrier, but he found them similarly impenetrable, wrapped by some spell of their own. No luck.
Next he turned to Maric, who was staring at the book on the podium in the centre of the room, the only one not behind a barrier. ¡®How do we get through this?¡¯ Nicolai asked, pointing a thumb at the barrier.
¡®Very simple,¡¯ said the skeleton, starting towards the book in the centre. ¡®I will simply write my name in this, and then I will be able to pass through the barriers and deactivate them from the other side.¡¯
Nicolai moved quickly, getting between the skeleton and the book, which he glanced down at. He could see short lines of text filling the pages. It looked like a list of names.
¡®Not just yet,¡¯ he told Maric, warding it off with a raised hand. With his other he examined the book.
Book of the Raised
The Book of the Raised is a central tool of each Castle. Any undead who writes their name in this book gains freedom from the Core, for a time. It is used to test undead who show promise. A little freedom is enough for them to prove their worth, or lack thereof.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
These named undead are granted access to areas normally closed to them, allowing them to fulfil their chosen duties.
If these undead are to have their Souls cut loose from their physical form, they will lose their special privileges and be re-integrated by the castle Core.
It could be Maric was telling the truth. But Nicolai had a feeling. The shadows beneath the undead were angry, roiling. They didn¡¯t trust the skeleton, and neither did he. He found a strand of darkness moving through him, but he left it. A little wasn¡¯t too bad. It told him useful things.
There was a writing implement by the book and he picked it up, writing his name on the page while interacting with it via Soul Sense. Nothing appeared to happen.
¡®That won¡¯t work. You¡¯re not undead,¡¯ Maric told him.
Nicolai moved over and pressed a hand to the barrier regardless, then tried to push his Soul Sense at it and tell it he was a named. It didn¡¯t work, the barrier remaining firm.
Nicolai returned to the book then, and moved to Maric. ¡®I need to check something,¡¯ he said and reached out to touch Maric, his hand shimmering with golden light as he Examined the skeleton.
Maric, the Scholar Vagabond
A thief and scoundrel who prefers information to trinkets.
¡®Hey,¡¯ Maric said, flinching. The skeleton moved to brush Nicolai¡¯s hand away, but he¡¯d already pulled back. ¡®What did you do?¡¯ it asked, frowning at his hand which had shimmered briefly gold.
Nicolai smiled and waved Maric forwards. ¡®Go on then,¡¯ he said, ignoring its question. As the skeleton passed Nicolai gave the undead an encouraging clap on the back, then a second lower down, which pulled a confused look from it.
Maric quickly picked up the writing implement. It wrote a scrawl in the book then stared down, the blue light in its skull throbbing.
¡®Done!¡¯ Maric said, and there was a laugh in its hollow voice.
Nicolai¡¯s Mark pulsed and flickered, and he saw that he¡¯d completed Maric¡¯s quest, a Reward Shrine available. He watched the undead carefully, but Maric merely started towards the nearest barrier. He let it go.
Maric passed through without any issue, and continued straight towards the book on the podium. The skeleton flipped it open and stopped, staring down. Reading.
Nicolai drew closer to the barrier, watching the undead. Over Local, he checked his connection to something, and was pleased to find the connection persisted, not blocked by the barrier Maric had moved through
¡®Not going to open the barrier?¡¯ he asked Maric, tapping at the wall of light.
¡®Feel free to leave. You¡¯ve done your part,¡¯ said the skeleton, flipping a dismissive hand at him.
¡®Eh?¡¯ Beth appeared beside Nicolai. ¡®Hey, you¡¯ve got to open the barrier!¡¯
Maric laughed, and Nicolai chuckled.
¡®He¡¯s not going to open it,¡¯ he told her. ¡®He tricked us.¡¯
¡®That¡¯s right,¡¯ said Maric. It glanced at him, giving him a thoughtful look. ¡®You seem unsurprised. But¡ no matter. Vicious as you are, you can¡¯t touch me in here. Now, I¡¯d like to focus on this. So¡ go away.¡¯
¡®Cover your ears and turn away from him,¡¯ Nicolai told Beth.
She frowned at him, nonplussed. ¡®Why?¡¯
¡®Trust me,¡¯ he said, putting his own hands on his ears and turning away, calling out to Jo to do the same
When the other two had done so he activated the stun grenade he¡¯d stuck to Maric¡¯s back.
A deafening boom and flash of light rolled through the room, the sound echoing and echoing off the walls.
When it ended, Nicolai turned back to see Maric sprawled writhing on the floor, its robes burning on the back. The stun grenade hadn¡¯t done any real harm, but detonating right on its back like that it had applied quite some force.
Maric struggled to its feet, staggering until it found the podium to lean on. ¡®What did you do?!¡¯ it yelled at him.
¡®I put two devices on your back,¡¯ Nicolai explained. ¡®The first, which I just detonated, was a stun grenade. It just makes a big noise and a flash of light. The second, is an explosive fragmentation grenade. When it detonates, there will be a much more powerful explosion that will launch shards of metal at great speeds in all directions. On your back as it is, a lot of those shards will go through you. Still, I¡¯m sure the castle Core can put you back together. When it re-integrates you.¡¯
Maric stared at him silently throughout his speech. Nicolai was pretty sure that being re-integrated was precisely what Maric was afraid of, based on some of its words in their first meeting. It had told him that if it were to die, it would be just like the other undead. Perhaps it had previously been named in the book, but that naming had been wearing off, thus the need to renew? He wasn¡¯t sure, but either way, death should still see it re-integrated.
¡®Then, I just need to take it off,¡¯ hissed the skeleton, and it began reaching its hands over and pawing at its back, before frantically attempting to remove its robe.
¡®Even if you took it off, it will still be in that room. More than close enough to kill you,¡¯ Nicolai helpfully explained. ¡®But even so, I¡¯m going to require you keep it on. You have five seconds to open this barrier, or I blow you up.¡¯
He started counting, backing up and gesturing for Beth to do the same, and he decided that when he hit zero he would indeed blow the undead up. If this wasn¡¯t going to work he needed to turn his attention to finding other methods to get through the barriers, therefore it was best to end this quickly.
¡®Five. Four. Three. Two.¡¯
¡®Wait!¡¯ squealed Maric, giving up on its robes which it had made little progress in removing, its movement slowed by panic. ¡®I¡¯ll do it! I¡¯ll do it!¡¯
¡®One¡ª¡¯
The undead lunged across the room and its hand touched a glowing spot on the wall. The barrier disappeared.
Nicolai had already pulled out another sticky grenade and he grabbed the undead the moment the barrier was gone, dragging it out of the space. ¡®Open up,¡¯ he told it as he pulled its lower jaw down then shoved the grenade inside the struggling undead¡¯s skull, a place it would be difficult to remove from, before towing it across the room and pushing it through the next barrier.
¡®We can talk about this¡ª¡® Maric gurgled at him.
¡®Shut up or I blow you up! Go, go, go!¡¯ Nicolai screamed and the skeleton hustled towards the glowing spot, quickly pressing it.
¡®Go grab the books,¡¯ he said aside to Beth. Maric re-emerged and he seized the undead and repeated the process.
He didn¡¯t want to give the Maric time to think, time to exit its current panicked state. If he gave it that time it might manage to think up something clever.
To prevent this, he moved it roughly, shoving it, grabbing it, kicking it when it wasn¡¯t fast enough, and yelling about how the explosion would blast it into parts so small perhaps even the Core couldn¡¯t put it back together, how he would seize its Soul and rend it to pieces.
Maric emerged from the final alcove. If it had been alive he was sure it would have been red faced and panting.
¡®There,¡¯ the skeleton said, arms raised defensively. ¡®I did it, now let¡¯s¡ª¡® It froze, staring at him, seeming to sense just how very much danger it was currently in. It took a careful step backwards.
Nicolai stared at it, his eyes empty, and thought on its value, and the risk of letting it live, and how it all stacked up with the pleasure of breaking it into pieces.
148: Bad Bones
Maric had betrayed him. The dark urges pulsed, demanding its death, calling up an image of him throwing the skeleton to the floor and stomping on its skull until it was broken splinters, then tearing its Soul apart. His hands twitched, wanting to reach out.
No. He grit his teeth, pressing the urge down. It was foolish to kill the skeleton. He needed more information, on everything, and he¡¯d found Kleos increasingly limited in that regard. Kleos¡¯ understanding of things was spotty. Maric knew a great deal, perhaps it knew things which Kleos did not. Kleos had been of great use to Nicolai in telling him about Cultivation and wider, common-knowledge matters. But the head knew nothing about the goings-on in the castle and had little to offer him in terms of what, exactly, could be happening with the dark and the hole and the cage inside of Nicolai. He needed to know what was happening.
The darkness writhed within him, pressing at the cage. Snarling, Nicolai held it back. He saw Maric take another cautious step backwards.
Increasingly, he was finding himself against the darkness because it was simply obvious to him that its desire to kill was pointless and wasteful.
The darkness was full of hate and rage. But Nicolai reminded himself that he was not the darkness. It had its uses, at times. He was convinced that there were moments where it had aided him, warned him, and even allowed him to fight better. There was something he did not understand about it. It was more than it seemed, and he was determined to wrest any value he could from it.
But it was not wise. Why should he care about Maric¡¯s betrayal? Why should he allow emotion to overwhelm him? It was illogical and unnecessary. In truth, or at least thinking in a way that felt true to him, Nicolai knew that he cared little about Maric¡¯s betrayal.
Betrayal was always to be expected. Why should Maric feel any compulsion to work honestly with Nicolai? Nicolai certainly felt no such compulsion toward Maric. He had always been working with Maric for his own benefit. It was only natural that Maric had been working with him for selfish reasons, too.
However, though the bulk of Nicolai cared little about the betrayal, he knew that it was important to act otherwise.
Maric needed to be punished. If Nicolai simply let him off, Maric would be encouraged to betray him again. He would feel that there was nothing to fear, that he could make as many attempts as he wished and still be treated softly in response.
Nicolai had decided to recruit Maric, who would be returning to the safe place and joining the others. This would lead to a vulnerability. Maric was obviously not trustworthy and would need to be contained, controlled, and watched carefully. An expenditure of resources.
Nicolai decided he needed to make it possible for him to rely upon Maric again, to make it trustworthy, at least in a way. To Nicolai¡¯s mind, making Maric ¡°trustworthy¡± was less about winning Maric¡¯s trust, and more about simply ensuring that a subsequent act of betrayal would seem to be an extremely bad idea to the undead, and that it would be best served by doing as Nicolai bid. Or even, making such an act of betrayal impossible or as close to impossible as possible.
In short, what Nicolai needed was some kind of powerful leverage that would force Maric to do as he wished, alongside working out what the undead wanted and dangling that thing in front of Maric.
Immediately, he hit upon a solution. He had observed that the skull where the blue light could be found was the most important part of any undead. So long as the skull was unbroken, the undead¡¯s Soul wisp would remain within. The rest of the body, however, could be freely smashed.
¡®You betrayed me Maric. I wanted to work with you but now I cannot trust you.¡¯ He spoke in solemn tones.
¡®No, no, we certainly can work together¡ª¡® Maric began, but Nicolai didn¡¯t wait to hear what else it would say. It didn¡¯t matter.
He lunged forward and Maric was far too slow and weak to keep him away as Nicolai drew a combat knife and slashed out. The heavy blow crunched through the vertebrae¡¯s of Maric¡¯s upper-spine, its neck, and the skull came free from the rest of its body, Maric letting out a wail of shock and horror.
As its body collapsed to the ground, Nicolai sheathed the knife and caught the skull before it could fall and crack. He reached in and took his sticky grenade out, as it was no longer needed.
¡®There we are,¡¯ he said, smiling down at the skull, turning it to face him. ¡®Now we can work together.
¡®What have you done!¡¯ howled Maric, its Soul wisp writhing inside its skull, its jaw clacking madly. ¡®My body, you severed me from my body!¡¯
¡®No, Maric,¡¯ said Nicolai, his tone and expression sad and regretful, shaking his head. ¡®You are the one who did that. Don¡¯t you understand? This is all because you betrayed me. If you had simply worked with me, you would still be whole. In fact, what I have done here is a kindness.¡¯
¡®A kindness?!¡¯ screeched the furious undead.
¡®A kindness.¡¯ Nicolai nodded solemnly. ¡®You see, after your betrayal, I would have had no choice but to kill you out of fear of a second betrayal. But now, you are not capable of enacting any evil misdeeds, because you have no arms and legs with which to fashion them. Now, I no longer have to kill you. Now, we can work together.¡¯ He smiled. ¡®Don¡¯t you see, Maric? This is a great day!¡¯ He jiggled the head up and down. ¡®You get to live, Maric! You get to live!¡¯
He played his Soul Sense tendrils carefully over the skull, investigating as closely as he could what Maric was feeling. The head was furious and terrified all at once, mostly at Nicolai, but there was a bit of self-recrimination, there, too.
Perfect. ¡®It¡¯s a shame about your body. Perhaps we can put you back together, in time.¡¯ He angled an eyebrow at the skull. ¡®If you prove yourself trustworthy, that is.¡¯
¡®Yes! Please!¡¯ said Maric. ¡®Bring my body with us, don¡¯t leave it here!¡¯
¡®You will need to pay me back, Maric, for your betrayal,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®You will have to do as I ask. Not forever, but for a time. Before I think about taking your body back with me, we need to discuss this. Are you willing to do what I tell you?¡¯
¡®Of course, of course! It is no problem. I¡ deeply regret that I made the mistake of betraying you.¡¯ The blue light in its eyes flickered. ¡®It was a¡ foolish thing to do.¡¯
Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense pressed tight around the skull, reading all that he could. Maric did regret what had happened, though only because of how badly it had ended for the undead. It was indeed thinking that it should have done things differently, though perhaps that would have simply involved being smart enough to avoid getting stuck with bombs. Even so, it was a good sign. The stick had proved effective. Now, the carrot.
¡®What you say about wanting to free yourself from your state of undeath is not something I am against, either. If you will work with me, then I am happy to provide any help you need in achieving this aim,¡¯ he told the undead. ¡®In fact, there is another with me, another undead. It, too, seeks to be reborn, to gain a living body, and I am helping it to do so.¡¯
Maric¡¯s eyes flared. ¡®Really?¡¯
¡®If you are willing to work with me,¡¯ said Nicolai, smiling.
¡®I am willing, I am! Yes, simply ask whatever questions you wish of me, I will provide any information you need. I will¡ I will prove that I can be trusted.¡¯
From the head, now, Nicolai did feel a desire to prove itself, to gain his trust. Still, it was fuelled mostly by its selfish desires, but that was fine. In fact, if Nicolai were to feel any selflessness from the undead, he would not be reassured. He would instead be more wary, fearing that perhaps it had recognised how he was observing its mental state and that it had learned to deceive him.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
They had come to something of an understanding. Nicolai had what he wanted.
¡®You¡¯ll go in here, for now,¡¯ he told the skull, stuffing it in a bag.
¡®Wait!¡¯ cried Maric. ¡®Get my bones, the rest of my body! Don¡¯t leave them here!¡¯
¡®I will. Relax and be quiet,¡¯ Nicolai told the skull, zipping the bag closed. After a moment, which he spent imagining the skull calling out at a bad moment, he unzipped it. ¡®Consider this your first test,¡¯ he told the skull. ¡®Stay quiet¡ if you want to prove you are trustworthy.¡¯
¡®Of course, yes, I will be,¡¯ whispered Maric as he zipped it back up. ¡®Wait!¡¯ the skull cried at the last moment.
Nicolai frowned down at it. ¡®What?¡¯
¡®Uh, actually, I think I should say something. You know I said it¡¯s not a big deal, the Soul rot, that you could chop it out later? Actually, you should probably chop it out now. Sooner is better.¡¯
From Maric¡¯s vague emotions Nicolai sensed significant worry. He judged the undead was telling the truth. He found this deeply concerning, because he¡¯d also judged it to be telling the truth when it had told him the Soul rot was something he could worry about later.
Maric had lied to him, and he hadn¡¯t realised.
He unzipped the bag and pulled the skull free.
¡®You lied to me.¡¯ He stared expressionlessly at the undead.
¡®I might have.¡¯
¡®What were you thinking, at the time?¡¯
¡®What? What do you mean?¡¯
¡®What were you thinking, when you lied to me? Your state of mind?¡¯
It stared at him, confused. ¡®I don¡¯t know? I just didn¡¯t want you to spend time cutting the Soul rot out. I wanted to get to the books.¡¯
¡®So you were in a rush? You simply didn¡¯t care about the Soul rot, and brushed over the matter?¡¯
¡®I¡ yes?¡¯
Nicolai nodded, considering. That made some sense. At the time, he had sensed dismissiveness from the undead. He had incorrectly identified this as meaning the undead was telling the truth, and didn¡¯t consider the Soul rot a big deal. But it was simply that Maric had cared nothing for his health, thus the dismissiveness.
It was a reminder that even with his abilities at reading the emotions and thoughts of others, even with his skill at discerning the truth from those readings, he was still fallible. He could make mistakes, if he wasn¡¯t paying enough attention.
¡®So I should excise the Soul rot immediately?¡¯ he asked Maric.
¡®Yes. The longer you leave it, the worse it will get.¡¯
Nicolai nodded then shoved the skull back into the bag. He carefully considered what Maric had told him and the emotions and feelings he felt from the undead, performing an unusually thorough check for any untruths.
He settled onto the ground, crossed his legs, and moved his focus inwards, preparing.
¡®Hey,¡¯ came a voice, and his eyes opened. Beth was staring at him. ¡®I got all the books I could, but the rest of them are chained down.¡¯
¡®Here,¡¯ he tugged the disc-cutter free from where it was attached to the side of the bag, handing it up to her.
Beth nodded, turning away.
Nicolai¡¯s focus moved inwards once more. In moments the shrill whine of a disc-cutter rang out, shattering the quiet ambience of the library. It didn¡¯t bother Nicolai. Rather the sound calmed him.
His awareness floated around the black rot infecting his Soul¡¯s arm. The infection was quite far up the arm of his Soul. Already he could see how it had spread strands through the entirety of his Soul¡¯s arm, just in the time he¡¯d not been looking. It seemed that in some way it had known he was observing it earlier, and it had been less active as a result. Then, when his attention turned away, it resumed spreading. Those strands were trying to push up towards his shoulder, but were held back by the constant rush of Oma seeking to mend his Soul.
Nicolai focused on the sound of the disc-cutter. Brutal technology turned to destruction. The sound moved into him, through him, and he took it.
He focused his mind. As the whine of the cutter rang through the library, it found an echo in Nicolai¡¯s Soul, as he used the stuff of his Soul, his Soul Sense, his mind, and turned it to his Soul¡¯s arm. He imagined himself a disc cutter. His Soul twisted at the shoulder, turning sharp, turning against. Nicolai began to cut the infected arm of his Soul away.
The pain was instant and immense. His teeth grit tight. Streaks of red-hot pain were shooting up and down his arm, through his Soul, through all of him, continuous and seeming only to rise.
But once started he would not stop. The disc-cutter¡¯s whine juddered into him and through him, and he cut and tore.
All of a sudden the pain was gone. He cut the last strand of his Soul¡¯s infected arm away. With an effort of will he vented the infected piece of Soul from his body. Opening his eyes he saw it, floating beside him. White in the shape of the arm carved with angry black. It was bubbling, the Aura of the world grinding against it. He watched patiently as his Soul¡¯s tainted arm was reduced to nothing.
As it went, he was taking Oma crystals, one after another. His Node was working at maximum speed as it sent Oma to restore his Soul, but immediately he saw that this would not be a quick process.
A strand of white Soul was already reaching into his arm, a root that was spreading. It would take time to grow, but he didn¡¯t think it would be overly long. Fortunately, it was his left arm where he¡¯d been touched, whereas the temporary hand Node he used the Grasping Finger with was in his right. He imagined that if he lost his Soul in that arm, it would prove a significant interference.
In the meantime, he found that his Soul Sense had shrunk a little. Nicolai understood why. His Soul Sense was an extension of his Soul. The weaker his Soul, the weaker his Soul Sense. When his Soul recovered, his Soul Sense should likewise recover. For now, this meant that his range was reduced and he would have a slightly harder time if he got into any Soul Sense fights.
Unfortunately he couldn¡¯t allow his Soul to continue sucking up such a large amount of Oma from his Node. At the current rate it would drain it dry in only minutes. He needed to keep it topped up, because the passive requirement of his still-forming Lung Nodes had to be maintained, lest they lose stability and blow two holes in his chest; not to mention he¡¯d need to use Oma on the way out of the Library and back to the safe place. He hadn¡¯t brought infinite crystals with him. The bulk were back there. Once he got to safety, he could focus on restoring his Soul.
After a moments focus he was able to stem the flow of Oma heading toward his shoulder, cutting it dry. His Soul protested, a pulse of pain, but it didn¡¯t seem to cause any issues. It simply meant his Soul had ceased restoring itself.
He flexed his arm. It felt a little odd, but it responded easily to him, and moved without pain. Removing the black stain had gotten rid of any lingering stiffness, though the lack of a Soul in his arm made it feel oddly out of sync with the rest of him. It was a minor enough difference that he didn¡¯t see it causing any real problems, just a little irritating and odd to experience.
Glancing around, he saw Beth had finished the job and was now sitting by Jo at the door, the books and disc-cutter beside them. They were relaxed, chatting easily. He was pleased to see that Jo was keeping her eyes aimed at the exit. They didn¡¯t notice his gaze and for a moment he simply watched. Whatever the girls were talking about was something that had brought smiles to their faces. Reminiscing about the past, perhaps? He wasn¡¯t sure. His Mask crept over his face and Nicolai was briefly caught in the moment, simply observing, happy that they were happy. He could trust them. He was glad they were with him.
An odd tingle ran through him, striking him. Shaking his head and blinking, Nicolai rose, refocusing. Busy, busy. He retrieved his sticky grenade as he gathered up Maric¡¯s bones and stuffed them in a separate bag.
He headed over to the girls, who saw him coming and paused their conversation. He ignored them, moving to the books and hunting through them.
Most of the books appeared to have degraded in some way. Only three were functional, and they shone to his Cultivator¡¯s eyes and gave off a powerful Aura signature, pulsing with a kind of spiritual heartbeat as though alive. That life, that magic, was missing from the others. He opened a few of those ones and found the words within had become a tangle of ink, one that his Mark made no effort to translate. It was like looking at an old webpage where the formatting had been removed, everything turned into a mess of broken code.
Beth peered over. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with it?¡¯ she asked.
Nicolai shrugged. ¡®Magic¡¯s ran out, I suppose.¡¯
As to the three still intact, opening them to the first page led them to reach out for him with something similar to Soul Sense, latching onto his eyes, drawing him in. Nicolai was forced to wrench himself away from the first when it attempted this, closing it with a snap and shoving it into a bag. He and Beth collected the other ones, too, just in case they could be repaired or if there was something he was missing about them.
His final task took him to the book in the centre. This one was bound far more tightly to the podium it was on, and not by chains. Some kind of magic held it there, as when he tried to take it too far it simply would not come. The disc cutter couldn¡¯t help with that, and prying at it with his Soul Sense accomplished nothing. Nicolai felt that breaking the stone column it rested on away from the ground might work, but he opted against that, worried that doing so might break whatever spell was set upon the book, a spell that was needed if he was to complete Kleos¡¯ Contract.
He¡¯d hoped to steal it as well but with no other choice, he simply did as Kleos had bade him.
Kleos Bel-Evedurn. As he wrote the words he formed his Soul Sense into an impression of Kleos¡¯ broken Soul, pressing that impression into the written words. He did this with care and attention, a task Kleos had made him practice, as if he got this wrong Kleos wouldn¡¯t gain the freedom it needed. As he lifted his hand away from the page the words shimmered and seemed to firm, sinking deeper into the page, moving as though alive.
After watching it with interest a moment longer to see if it would do anything else, and seeing nothing, he gathered up with Jo and Beth, preparing to leave.
149: Playing with Fire
¡®No sign of that misty-thing,¡¯ said Jo as he approached the doorway, still watching the exit.
¡®I imagine it¡¯s waiting for us,¡¯ said Nicolai.
¡®So¡ what¡¯s the plan?¡¯ asked Beth.
Nicolai clicked his teeth. ¡®Might be there¡¯s an easy answer.¡¯ He thought it unlikely but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to check. He moved towards the edge of the upper floor where it opened up, a balcony from which one could see the entrance far below. The girls followed him. Reaching the balcony he pressed a hand into the air, and it touched on a hard barrier. He ran his Soul Sense carefully over it, trying to work out how it was powered, looking for a flow of Oma.
He moved along the barrier, feeling with hand and Soul Sense. He found no way around it nor any way to deactivate it. There might be a flow of Oma but if so, he lacked the ability to find it.
Nicolai pulled back, staring at the barrier. Then he clenched his Soul like a muscle and struck out with the palm of his good hand, his Soul Sense writhing around him, a piercing strike. He stopped himself just before his palm and Soul Sense landed, pulling back.
His Soul was already injured. This was a shot in the dark and one that might bite him. Attacking the barrier could get him through it, but more likely he¡¯d just hurt himself, and it was best he didn¡¯t further damage his Soul.
¡®Beth,¡¯ he said, turning to her and waving at the barrier. ¡®It might be possible to break through this, but my Soul is injured. I¡¯m afraid of damaging it further. Do you want to give it a shot?¡¯ He phrased his words as a request, rather than a command, because he felt that way she would be more likely to do it. He expected she¡¯d see it as a challenge.
He was proven right when Beth stepped right up, raising a fist. ¡®What was that you were doing? I saw your Soul Sense moving, like it was about to strike. Is there some method to this?¡¯
¡®That¡¯s how you break shields,¡¯ he answered. ¡®But I¡¯ve only managed it on shields which I suspect were far weaker than this one.¡¯ He briefly explained his method for striking with his Soul, and Beth positioned herself.
She threw her palm towards the shield and he saw her Soul Sense flowing around her, reinforcing the strike as her Soul crashed against the barrier in a savage blow.
The barrier didn¡¯t even ripple. Beth let out a pained grunt and stumbled back, and he saw her Soul Sense flinch. ¡®Fuck,¡¯ she hissed, clutching at her hand, face twisted with pain.
It looked to be a similar reaction as one might give if they¡¯d punched a concrete wall, and she shot him an angry look.
Nicolai shrugged. ¡®It¡¯s just a bit of damage, like when we sparred. Give it a few minutes and your Soul will recover.¡¯ He was glad he hadn¡¯t hit it himself. ¡®When you¡¯re ready, we¡¯ll have to go down. Drones take the lead and see what¡¯s waiting. We¡¯ll have to fight our way through.¡¯
Nicolai and the others headed down, slow and cautious through the stairs. Nicolai re-activated his Blue Hornet and took the time to ensure it was charged up and ready as they headed down. They didn¡¯t encounter anything for the first few floors, but as they moved towards the bottom floor the drones skimmed out ahead and revealed what awaited them there.
Furniture packed the stairwell lower down, chairs struggling to climb upwards. The drones zipped above them and exited into the lowest floor, and more came into view. A small army of furniture. It must have been everything left in the library. They filled the space between shelves, creaking eagerly as they watched the doorway into the stairwell. There was no sign of the undead guardian but he was sure it would be somewhere nearby.
The furniture filled the space outside the stairway exit, and they clattered in their attempts to hit the drones which spun past them and quickly rose above the range of their wooden limbs. They¡¯d have to fight those furniture. Nicolai didn¡¯t mind the idea of a fight, but he knew it would be wise to get away from them as soon as possible There was nothing to be gained from destroying furniture, it was just a waste of bullets. The undead, on the other hand, would be worth killing. His goal, then, was to locate it.
Piloted by Threat Analysis, the drones split up and spread through the lower room, searching.
Target located, Threat Analysis crisply informed him a few moments later, sending him the feed of one of the drones.
The undead was simply stood there, holding two books together, one which was glowing orange. It was the book that¡¯d been floating and throwing paper. It had been in quite a state with a few bullet holes in it, the last time Nicolai had seen it, but now most of those had closed up. As Nicolai watched, the last hole was gradually repairing itself. It was drawing material from the mundane book to repair itself, and likely Oma from the undead.
Stolen novel; please report.
A rotted visage rose to peer up, the undead¡¯s eyes meeting Nicolai¡¯s through the drone¡¯s camera. It released the book which floated into the air, opening up, pages shimmering. The drone was already dodging out of the way when a piece of paper detached and shot towards it.
Nicolai had two other drones converge on the undead. Threat Analysis worked to find angles where they could land and observe unobtrusively while the book chased after the drone it had spotted. Meanwhile, the final drone took up position to keep an eye on the exit from the stairwell, so Nicolai could observe what the furniture down there were up to.
He gaze rose to Jo and Beth. ¡®Let¡¯s go.¡¯ He started fluidly down the stairs and the first of the chairs soon came into view, struggling upwards. Nicolai tugged free a grenade and threw it down to clatter further ahead. A deafening boom sounded along with the sounds of splintering wood. The chair before him rattled upwards, spinning, but Nicolai blasted it in the centre with the shotgun. The pellets smashed it apart and went on into the next in line which suffered a similar fate. With the drone outside he saw the furniture all pressing into the entrance, forming a mass of furiously creaking wood as they tried to get inside, entirely blocking the way.
Nicolai kept moving, shotgun roaring as he turned chairs into splinters, but in a short time he had to stop because the entire space below was simply filled with animated wood hellbent on killing him.
¡®Respirator masks,¡¯ he said to the girls, pausing to remove his own from where it hung from the side of his backpack. He¡¯d bought a number of all-purpose full-face respirators because they could come in handy in all kinds of way, such as right now. These particular masks also came with small tanks of compressed oxygen, only good for about ten minutes but they¡¯d need far less than that.
He removed his balaclava then tugged the masks rubber straps over the back of his head, feeling it seal tight around his face, his breath pulling on it, now seeing the world through two glass lenses. He threw another grenade and fired a few more shots, which kept the furniture at bay but did little to clear their path. Whole or in splinters, the mass of wood filled the space just the same. The undead guardian was on the move. It had turned to mist and was heading toward them. He checked on Jo and Beth, making sure they¡¯d put their masks on properly, then gestured Beth forwards.
¡®Burn it,¡¯ he said, and dismissed his Blue Hornet¡¯s Art, the lightning fading from his body as he reclaimed some of the Oma that had gone into it. He pulled free an Oma crystal, filling his Node back to full.
Beth reached out for the wood, her hands already wreathed in angry flame. She touched the wood and the flame surged forwards, a crackling, popping sound immediately rising as it spread through the wood and black smoke began to rise.
He and Jo backed up the stairs, keeping Beth in view but ready to move back up quickly. The spiral staircase would act as a chimney and in a very short time, it would be a bad place to be. Already the smoke was everywhere, and his vision through the lenses of his mask was just a blur of smoke. Fortunately that was not a problem, as he could easily find his way with his Soul Sense.
Beth turned away and they all ran until they¡¯d emerged into the floor above. Smoke vomited through the exit behind them. Through one of the drones he saw the fire roaring below, visible now in the entrance to the stairwell, all the furniture within being rapidly consumed. There was now a smokey wind whistling up the spiral staircase, the rising smoke creating an updraft that drew more oxygen into the fire itself, fanning it hotter and and making it burn faster and faster, releasing more and more smoke.
The furniture down there were all shying back and away from the entrance, and he saw the undead observing from the shelf it¡¯d climbed onto, right above the fire-filled stairway. Its book hovered over its shoulder, having given up on chasing the drones.
He kept an eye on it while they waited for the fire to burn out. In the meantime, he turned to Jo, pulling one of the three Pegasi ring¡¯s from his hand and giving it to her. After connecting to it she rose into the air, an impromptu practise session.
¡®How¡¯s your Seed for Oma? Is it at all strained?¡¯ he asked, voice faintly muffled through the mask.
She landed beside him. ¡®I¡¯m all good.¡¯
He nodded. ¡®Once the fires almost out we¡¯ll all go down. It¡¯ll be hot but our clothing should keep most the heat off. So long as we get through it quick, we¡¯ll be fine. You see where the undead is?¡¯ He shared his feed with the girls.
¡®Waiting for us to come out,¡¯ said Jo, her eyes narrowing.
¡®I¡¯ll go first and block its shots. We will float up above the furniture. Beth, try to shoot the book first, the undead will just turn to mist when we target it. If we can take the book out, this¡¯ll get a lot easier. Jo, don¡¯t worry about shooting, you¡¯ll have your hands full using the ring, just make sure you get up in the air quick before the furniture can swarm you.¡¯
Nicolai paused, watching the progress of the fire. It was going quick. He re-activated his Blue Hornet and started moving his body, charging it up over the course of a minute. By the time he was done the fire was almost burned out, lacking fuel in the stone staircase after consuming all the furniture. The living furniture outside was pressing a little closer as the fire died out, but they were still keeping a healthy distance.
He pulled out a few Oma crystals and refilled his Node to full while charging his glove and rapier. ¡®Let¡¯s go,¡¯ he said via Link once finished, and stepped into the stairwell.
He pulled two grenades and when they were almost at the bottom he threw them out to clatter down the stairs. Through the drone he saw them explode at the bottom. The concussive blasts put the fires out while blasting chunks of smouldering wood apart, sending much of it out the door and into the library. The furniture flinched and scrambled away from the burning pieces, an unintended benefit.
Nicolai dashed down to the bottom of the stairs. The heat which had sunk into the stone was immediately on him, a dry pressure. His boots crunched over blackened pieces of wood, and then he was out, looking up and finding the undead on the bookshelf up above, its book floating beside it, already launching razor-sharp paper missiles his way.
150: Anger Management
Nicolai¡¯s shield was already up and he deflected the pieces of paper sent from above as he lifted off the ground, the furniture clattering as they rushed at him. They were too slow and he was quick out of reach. Through his Soul Sense he felt the two girls behind him, also in the air and rising above the furniture.
Nicolai wielded the AA-12 in one hand, taking aim at the book. He slid his shield to the side and sent a burst of 12 gauge at the floating Imbued. It was caught and pinwheeled backwards through the air, paper bursting out of it, chased by a hail of 9mm from Beth¡¯s SMG.
The undead had already turned into mist and it descended within a great hand of water vapour. Nicolai dismissed his shield and took the AA-12 in both hands, his Soul Sense focused and receptive. He knew what to look for, now. The mist poured around him and he felt a ripple in the Aura. It came from behind. Nicolai spun and aimed and squeezed the shotgun¡¯s trigger. The AA-12 howled.
The undead was caught in the air by a hail of buckshot, its shield splintering, then it transformed into mist and passed him by. He grasped for it, his hand wreathed in lightning, but it kept its distance and as he¡¯d yet to break its Soul Sense, he couldn¡¯t aim the lightning from a distance.
Nicolai kept rising towards the top of the bookshelf, Beth and Jo right behind him, and they touched down a moment later. The furniture down there stirred angrily, glaring up at them. The undead in its mist-form roved between the wooden guardians.
¡®Hit it with your Soul Senses,¡¯ he urged, sending his Soul Sense tendril out to strike at the undead. However it was hard to do any damage as in its mist form it was difficult to properly hit it, though the undead also seemed unable to properly strike back for the same reason. In only moments it had left the range of their Soul Senses.
Nicolai stared down with narrowed eyes at the mist flowing around furniture some distance away. He wanted to kill it and take its Imbued, but the undead wasn¡¯t stupid. It wasn¡¯t trying particularly hard to take him down and retrieve the books he had stolen, because it knew if it overextended he would kill it.
It seemed to have conceded the books, at least for now. That struck him as strange. Surely its whole purpose was to defend the books? Once he left, wouldn¡¯t it have failed in that purpose? He¡¯d assumed it would have been given some order regarding this, and had also assumed it was not allowed to leave the library. Unless¡
¡®Come on,¡¯ he said, turning and floating away, toward the exit. The furniture were clustered there, too, but he and the girls simply floated over them. The wooden guardians had no answer for their ability to fly and could only let out creaks of anger as they watched Nicolai and the others escape.
They touched down on the far side of the gap, at the top of the stairwell down to the ground. There Nicolai stared back into the library. The mist was among the furniture clustered there, the undead watching them from within. The three of them headed down the stairs, to stand by the statues at the bottom, and there Nicolai had his confirmation.
The undead¡¯s mist emerged from the library to lurk at the top of the stairs, watching from a distance. So, it could leave the library. For some reason he¡¯d thought it wouldn¡¯t be able to, that it would be confined to its post. But he supposed there was no reason for it to stay when he¡¯d taken the prize it had guarded.
This was why the undead wasn¡¯t throwing itself at them. It had opted instead to wait. It would follow, and wait for a chance, and then strike. This was a wise move, the kind of move Nicolai would have made were their roles reversed.
¡®It¡¯s following us,¡¯ said Beth needlessly.
¡®Uh,¡¯ grunted Nicolai.
¡®That¡¯s not good,¡¯ she added.
¡®Uh.¡¯ That was, indeed, not good. He didn¡¯t want to lead it back to the safe-place. He didn¡¯t want to worry about it showing up in ambush at the moment he was most disadvantaged, which was exactly when he would choose to strike, if he were it.
It would be the worst kind of enemy, one with no goal other than killing him and taking the books. With its ability to rapidly damage ones Soul the moment it got its hands on someone, it might be lethal if attacking from ambush.
What would happen if it had left not just one stain of Soul rot on him, but two, or three, or ten? Nicolai had the impression that there was only so much of his Soul he could cut away.
He needed to do something about this, set some kind of trap for it and kill it. He still wanted its powerful Imbued. Either that, or at the very least to get away from it so it couldn¡¯t follow them to the safe-place.
He deactivated his Imbued, the lightning fading from his body, the glow from his glove. He made sure to do this where it could see. This enemy had shown enough awareness and wisdom that he felt sure it would note details like this. It would be less likely to strike if it knew he was ready with the blue lightning, his primary weapon against it, and he wanted it to strike.
He reclaimed his Pegasi ring from Jo, since she couldn¡¯t use it effectively while also wielding a gun, then led the other two out of the library area and they began their journey. Not towards the safe place, as he didn¡¯t want to even indicate where their home was by moving in its direction, instead towards a place he thought could work for an ambush.
¡®We¡¯re going to set an ambush for that thing. We can¡¯t allow it to find the safe place,¡¯ he said to the others.
¡®What are you thinking?¡¯ asked Jo.
Nicolai glanced over his shoulder, seeing the mist down at the far end of the corridor they walked within. The undead was keeping around fifty metres away from them. Not too close, not too far. It didn¡¯t want to risk them getting away so and was close enough to pursue if they broke into a run.
Nicolai tapped his Mark and checked his map to be sure he was in the right place. His memory was on point. They were almost there.
¡®We run,¡¯ he said. ¡®Ready?¡¯ They nodded, and he started running, the girls in tow. Peeking over his shoulder he saw the mist charging after them. He restrained a grin.
They turned a corner, then another, and were heading towards an opening. Nicolai activating his Blue Hornet, his mind focused on stilling the ripples of Aura it released, working to hide its activation. ¡®Once we come out there, Beth goes right, Jo goes left, hold positions there and shell up your Soul Senses. I¡¯ll go up. As soon as it comes out, hit it with your Soul Senses.¡¯
They emerged into the large room before the undead had had time to turn the corner behind them, still out of its view. The girls moved to either side while Nicolai floated into the air, rising high to ensure he could remain out of the reach of its Soul Sense, working hard to calm the Aura ripples now from both his Pegasi ring and the Blue Hornet. He couldn¡¯t completely keep them hidden so rose high, in the hope that by being further away they would be less detectable. He flailed his arms and legs, charging up his Blue Hornet¡¯s art as quick as he could, his limbs humming almost as the Blue Hornet¡¯s wings had long ago, when he first saw it charge its Art. Not exactly graceful, but it did the job.
He heard it before he saw it, then the mist poured into the room. Nicolai relaxed his Pegasi ring and he plummeted downwards. Lightning crackled over his body, the Art made ready.
The undead reacted quick, the mist turning around, but Jo and Beth immediately struck with their Soul Senses from either side then a moment later Nicolai did the same from above. The triple strike had good effect in spite of the muffling the undead¡¯s mist-form caused, and for a moment it froze, stunned.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Nicolai fell through it, activating his Pegasi ring at the last second to slow his fall, his hand crackling with lightning as he lunged for where he felt the undead hidden in the mist.
Lightning crashed through it and the undead¡¯s form was revealed, spasming and twisting, trying to get away, ripped out of its mist. His Soul Sense along with Beth and Jo¡¯s fell on it like a hammer, and its Soul Sense broke.
The undead struggled away and staggered into a run, down the corridor, while Nicolai advanced after it. He levelled the shotgun, a grin twisting his face as he squeezed the trigger. The shots ploughed into it from behind, smashing into its shield with sharp cracks. He¡¯d be through in a few shots more. The shadows squirmed around it, hungry, eager, and then¡ª
Attackers! cried Threat Analysis, Behind you!
Nicolai¡¯s eyes shot wide. He spun in place, charging his glove and raising his shield just in time. A bullet snapped off his shield to deflect away, the crack of a gunshot sounding.
There was a group of people standing on the other side of the room, weapons raised. Jo and Beth, who were already positioned near to the walls, ducked into alcoves, taking cover. Nicolai, stood in the open, would have immediately moved in counterattack but he sensed that the group wasn¡¯t going to shoot again; not yet, and he could use a little time. One of them looked about to talk. He held his shield ready before him, charging it back to full while staring through it at the new arrivals. None of them had a proper Soul Sense; no Cultivators.
¡®That was a warning shot,¡¯ pronounced one of them, a short man, calmly, smugly. ¡®Drop your weapons and we¡¯ll let you live.¡¯
Nicolai gaped at the man, struggling to truly understand the words being spoken. The undead... He threw a look over his shoulder and saw the undead turn a corner, fleeing to go and plot its revenge. Gone. My Imbued¡ His gaze slowly returned to the people facing him.
The walls grew dark. The shadows rippled. Animalistic faces twisted with furious snarls swam into view. He could feel the darkness pumping through him, slipping easily from its cage. The walls were peppered with reddened eyes that stared at his Target, the man who had shot at him, the man who had allowed the undead and all its Imbued and the threat it represented to escape his grasp.
¡®You stupid fuck,¡¯ he spat, fully charging his Sheltering glove and sending the Grasping Finger Symbiote swimming through his body, into his hand, fully charged. His Node approached empty and he stopped himself just in time, leaving a few drops for it to keep funnelling Oma to his two unfinished lung Nodes.
¡®Hey, I said drop the gun,¡¯ said the short man. ¡®You raise it, I¡¯ll blast you. Keep it down or else¡ª¡®
¡®Kill them,¡¯ he messaged Jo and Beth, and Nicolai snapped the AA-12 up, already squeezing the trigger. He got two shots off in the quarter-second before they started firing back, blowing holes in two of them. He dropped the AA-12 as they fired, raised his shield as he threw himself towards them. Nicolai danced left and right, dodging most of their shots, deflecting the rest.
They were numerous and his shield was quickly suffering severe cracks, the Oma in his glove rapidly exhausting, but it was necessary for him to hold their fire, because meanwhile Jo and Beth were shooting from the sides.
He reached out with his other hand and used the Grasping Finger Symbiote to pull on a man in the back, dragging the man forwards to crash into another, sending them both to the floor and simultaneously pulling Nicolai rapidly forwards. An instant later he¡¯d redirected the Grasping Finger¡¯s effect to another, dragging that one off balance, too, orchestrating another collision in their ranks, then the same again.
Nicolai¡¯s work with the Grasping Finger Symbiote knocked all of them stumbling and falling in the space of a couple of seconds, preventing them from accurately shooting¡ªjust for a moment¡ªand pulling him rapidly toward them.
A moment was all that was necessary, as meanwhile Jo and Beth were shooting at them, and the girls didn¡¯t miss. The enemy were yelling and screaming and falling and dying. Nicolai arrived and they were all on the ground in bloodstained heaps, the fight over only seconds after it had begun.
The short man was still alive. He had a hole in his knee and was taking in panting, horrified breaths, face screwed up with pain, trying to hold the the splinters of his kneecap together. He looked up and saw Nicolai staring down at him.
¡®We weren¡¯t gonna kill you,¡¯ babbled the short man. ¡®That¡¯s why I fired the warning shot, I¡ª¡®
Nicolai¡¯s pistol had appeared in his hand. He angled it and squeezed the trigger, and the man¡¯s other knee exploded. His words transformed into a scream of utter, ruinous pain, more like an animal than a person.
¡®Does that hurt?¡¯ asked Nicolai.
The short man just howled and screamed and clutched at his knees. Nicolai shot him in a foot next. More screaming and shaking.
¡®How about that?¡¯ he asked, leaning down, then he shot him in the stomach, and then in the chest, the bullets going further up. ¡®Does that hurt, you stupid fuck?¡¯ he snarled as he kept firing and blood misted the air. The short man was a shaking, squirming thing of blood and pain and suffering and this was right, because he had cost Nicolai greatly and he deserved to die like the dumb shithead he was.
¡®Idiot.¡¯ Nicolai hissed, grabbing the man by the throat and squeezing the pistol against his head and pulling the trigger; a stark retort that silenced the wails. A spray of red caught Nicolai in the face as the dead man slumped, a hole in his forehead. Oddly soothing. He shot the man in the head again, then again, squeezing the trigger until the pistol clicked. Empty.
There was a rushing noise in his ears. An endless, furious whining. The faces in the walls were grinning at him and whispering. He rose to his feet and stomped on the man¡¯s head. ¡®Stupid, fucking, bastard.¡¯ He ground the words out, accentuating each with another stomp. His savage breaths steamed in the frigid air. By the time he was done the man¡¯s head was just a mess of blood and bone and brain, much of it coating Nicolai¡¯s boot.
He felt movement from behind and turned to see Jo and Beth approaching, wary, guns half-raised, eyes fixed on him. He met their gazes, his face blank. His Mask was saying something but it was just a jumble, meaningless.
Kill them, whispered the shadows. Cut them up, snarled the faces, their eyes bulging, teeth gnashing.
¡®Shut up,¡¯ he snapped. He wouldn¡¯t kill them. They were his.
¡®What?¡¯ Jo stared at him. She licked her lips. He saw her eyes dart down to take in the bloody corpse behind him. ¡®Neither of us said anything. Uh. Are you okay?¡¯
¡®Mask,¡¯ he murmured, and pressed his hands to face, massaging his eyes. When he removed them the shadows were still twisting and the faces were still there, staring at him, grinning at him, snarling at him. ¡®Control,¡¯ he snarled back at them. He couldn¡¯t find his Mask. Where was it?
The girls were looking quite concerned. ¡®I¡¯m fine,¡¯ he said. The urge to kill them intensified, squirming through him, and he forced it aside, redirected it to another target. A furious bark of laughter erupted out of him and he was spinning around and sinking to a squat beside the remnants of the short man¡¯s body.
¡®You stupid cunt,¡¯ he hissed at the gore, not entirely sure if he was talking to the corpse or himself. His hand-talon slipped out and he stabbed randomly at the meat with short, savage jabs, which muscle memory aimed at the corpses vital points.
¡®I think he¡¯s dead,¡¯ came Beth¡¯s voice.
He peered over to see her staring at him, face twisted with disgust, while Jo was looking queasy to the side.
¡®Just making sure,¡¯ he growled, then rose to his feet and took a deep breath. He reached inside and wrestled with the darkness, struggling and pushing, attempting to get it back into its cage. His Mask came in from the side, back at last and helping out. It was embarrassed. The girls had seen him lose himself. Not good, not good, etc.
The world blurred around him and then he was holding the corpse by the leg and slamming it into the wall, putting all the strength of his body into the movement.
Wham. ¡®Bastard!¡¯ Smack. ¡®Fuck you!¡¯ Crack.
Calm down. He let the corpse fall. The bloodstain on the wall grinned at him. He couldn¡¯t get the dark back in its cage. The hole was open. He could feel something, pressing into him from the other side. This is bad, thought some part of him, perhaps the Mask. This is a waste of time, a loss of control, and I am making myself vulnerable to attack, not to mention damaging my reputation, thought the part of him that considered itself the True Nicolai, or at least he thought it was.
¡®I¡¯m sorry,¡¯ he said, turning back to Jo and Beth, raising his hands helplessly, then those hands turned into fists and he snarled, struggling with the urge to punch himself in the face. Why was he like this? He staggered away from them, shaking his head, knowing he was just fucking everything up.
He laughed, astonished by how weak he was, by his inability to control himself, by this pathetic, childish lapse. The laughter rang out and out and out and the shadows and the blood and corpses laughed merrily with him, and the laughter was in him and it was coming through the hole.
Kill Jo and Beth, kill Maric, kill yourself. Kill kill kill kill¡ª
¡®Illogical,¡¯ Nicolai hissed, scowling, confused. ¡®Pointless.¡¯ He shook his head. ¡®What is happening to me? To you? Who is saying this?¡¯ He watched the dark but it was hard to see it, it was all through him. But it wasn¡¯t the dark, he felt sure of that. The dark would never tell him to kill himself. Everything else, yes. But kill himself? No. His inner eye turned to the hole. There were strands coming out of it, strands that reached into the dark¡ into him. They moved, and Nicolai felt an urge to move with them.
To do as they bid.
Nicolai¡¯s face spasmed with rage. Never. Never again would he be slaved to another¡¯s will. The dark twisted through him as he cut at the strands, gathered them, shoved them before him, and threw them through the hole.
And Nicolai lunged after them, driving forward, determined to put an end to this.
The hole grew, rising, lunging for him, and then he was through and Nicolai found himself in another world.
Strange and nightmarish beings looked down upon him. He felt like a frog at the bottom of a well and they the hungry herons, ghoulish faces staring down at him from far above.
151: The Hole
The things in the Hole reached for him, and Nicolai charged. His Soul was a thing of sharp teeth, tearing nails, and buzzing discs.
But as he rose to meet them he felt the heat of danger, the stench of wrongness, stronger than ever in his life. The occasional, inexplicable impressions he¡¯d always gained, that warned him of danger and other things, activated in a way that seemed for the first time complete and true. An instinct within him that had always been turned to purposes secondary to its true one, now coming alive for the reasons it had always been intended.
The instinct within him told him that he was prey to these creatures. They were stronger than him and could not be defeated, not in a straight up fight, not like this. At the same time a wash of desperate hunger rang through him, body and Soul, a clenching emptiness that had always been there but which he had only just for the first time become truly aware of. A hunger.
These beings were full of what he desired, but he was too weak.
Nicolai fled, and they reached for him. Tendrils lined with jagged teeth spiralled after him, looking to cut him off. They were fast. He didn¡¯t know how to move¡ªbut the instinct did. The instinct rose through him and he moved like a fish, darting through the muddy stuff of this realm, slipping around grasping tendrils.
He found the hole and on this side it looked different, it was a strange whirling mass of lines and dots and twisted energy. He pressed into it and felt himself allowed through, and as he went he turned to look behind him, getting one last look at the creatures on the other side of the hole.
They were arrayed around it, around him. But there was something else. There was something behind them, something distant, unseen. All he could see were the parts of it that reached for the beings. It reached into them like they tried to reach into him. It puppeteered them. It felt of cold and implacable will, of eternity.
Nicolai slammed through the hole and he was back in himself, his body sucking in a great breath of air, his eyes bursting open. He was sat amidst corpses. Beth and Jo were staring at him and saying something but the words meant nothing. The world spun and twisted dizzily around him as he felt the hole pressed from the other side, as once more strange limbs reached into him and lanced into the darkness.
Urges and delusions spun through his mind and trembled his body but Nicolai was ready this time and he felt his lips move as he chanted Control in his mind.
He pulled and tore the dark, trying to draw it from his Soul. He started pressing it into the cage, doing his best to tighten the hole.
But he felt it immediately as they came after him, an energy and an influence that reached out from the hole and the into the darkness that infused him. Snarling, he ripped it away from himself, tore it out of his Soul and stuffed it back into the cage and left it there, where it sat, drinking the strange juices that came through the hole.
Being infused with the will of alien beings that wanted nothing good for him.
He was pretty sure that the only reason he¡¯d gotten away after diving through the hole was that he¡¯d surprised them. As a result they hadn¡¯t reacted in time to seize him before his rapid retreat.
What was the instinct that had led him to retreat? The warning? The hunger? How did he know these things? Why did it feel like a part of him was designed to live in that world he had seen? It was the darkness, but it was a different side of it. One he had only seen hints of before. He¡¯d always thought it was more than just some demented urge. It could be useful. It was important.
These beings, on the other side of the hole, they were using the darkness in some way. Reaching into him through it. The darkness was tied to the hole. It was all connected. He just couldn¡¯t quite understand, he didn¡¯t have the vocabulary or the background. But these things must be tied to this world, Nightmare. Never in the past, on Earth, had it affected him so. He considered that thought uncertainly. No, there had been a time it ruled him. But back then he felt sure it had not been this developed. He¡¯d had no Soul, and thus it had all been something abstract, a simple madness within him.
He could ask Maric. He was finding increasing limits on Kleos¡¯ understanding of the world. But the skeleton was well-read, some kind of scholar always in search of new information. Perhaps it would know. Was that why the dark¡ no, the beings on the other side of the hole, was this why they had wanted him to kill Maric?
Nicolai heard a popping noise and the world came back into clarity around him.
¡®Is this why I wanted to¡¡¯ his mouth was mumbling. He closed it with a snap, swallowing and looking around. In the back of his mind he could feel the cage and the dark and the hole, shifting and squirming.
He looked to the side, seeing the girls.
Beth¡¯s mouth hung half-open, a kind of pitying contempt mixed with astonishment on her face. Jo was chewing at her lip, avoiding his eyes, and the fear and concern he sensed from her made his Mask clench up tight with horror.
He needed to explain himself, somehow. What had he been doing? Sitting there talking to himself? And before that. The rage. His eyes found a broken corpse beside him. He could ignore the matter of what he¡¯d just been through, internally. They couldn¡¯t have seen much. But they¡¯d definitely seen him lose himself and vent his rage on the dead man. His Mask whined that he needed some kind of explanation.
He looked up at them, words coming to mind. ¡®I really wanted to turn into mist,¡¯ he said from the ground. They stared blankly at him. Maybe not the right words? He struggled to be sure. Part of him was still spiralling about the hole and the dark. His mouth kept moving. ¡®You know. Like the undead did. It used an Imbued. I wanted the Imbued. So I could turn into mist.¡¯ A spike of rage ran through him as he remembered what had happened and an angry laugh burst out of him. ¡®And this,¡¯ he gestured to the bloody remnants of the short man, ¡®ruined it.¡¯ He felt the anger attempting to worm back through him and he shot to his feet. Jo flinched and took a step backwards, while Beth just cocked an eyebrow. He gave them a reassuring smile and found himself moving as his body started pacing randomly.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
¡®I¡¯m sorry about all that. That¡ it doesn¡¯t represent me.¡¯ He puffed his cheeks and blew air, adopting a pensive expression. ¡®I, uh¡¡¯ He struggled with himself, with his Mask, with the darkness squirming in its cage and trying to come back out. For some reason he wanted to laugh. He could feel their gazes. Accusatory. Judging. ¡®I mean, you can understand, right?¡¯ he gabbled. ¡®We were about to beat that thing!¡¯ There was a whine in his voice and he loathed himself for it.
Beth shrugged. ¡®Yeah, sure. Just¡ bit of an overreaction, don¡¯t you think?¡¯ She sighed and lowered her gun, then let out a snort. ¡®I mean, what was that?¡¯ She moved her hand, as though holding something, twisted like she was swinging it. ¡®Bastard! Fuck you!¡¯ She was mimicking when he¡¯d slammed the corpse into the wall. She let out a peal of laughter. ¡®Holy fuck, man.¡¯ She was mocking him.
¡®Beth,¡¯ hissed Jo, who didn¡¯t look anything like as relaxed. She was holding her rifle tight, and watching him very carefully.
Nicolai stared at Beth, an honest smile working its way onto his face. She had no fear of him, none of at all. Doubtless because of the Contract. Happiness emanated from his Mask, along with its relief. She¡¯d seen his¡ loss of composure and merely mocked him, where others might have been terrified.
Or maybe it hadn¡¯t been that bad? Maybe his reaction was normal? It had felt entirely warranted. He shook his head. Probably not.
Definitely not, said his Mask.
He chuckled, deciding that he deserved a little mockery. It didn¡¯t bother him. And anyway, he couldn¡¯t kill her because of the Contract.
¡®An overreaction. Indeed. Yes.¡¯
¡®We still got the books,¡¯ said Jo. ¡®That¡¯s what all this was about, wasn¡¯t it?¡¯
¡®Very true!¡¯ Nicolai pointed at her. ¡®Very good point!¡¯ He slapped his fist into his palm. ¡®Today was a good day,¡¯ he announced. Best move on quickly. ¡®You both did very well.¡¯ He smiled encouragingly. ¡®Let¡¯s take their shit and head home. At least the undead has been sent packing. Eh? Haha.¡¯ His lips screwed up in a quick wince. Humans didn¡¯t say ¡°haha¡± they just laughed.
Jo was looking a little calmer, like he might¡¯ve actually convinced her, or at least that she¡¯d decided not to press him, but Beth was now busy staring and frowning at the of the corpses.
¡®Hey¡ don¡¯t these guys look familiar?¡¯ There was a look of dawning horror on her face. ¡®Shit, I think we traded with them a few days ago!¡¯ Her eyes were on a dead woman. ¡®They seemed an alright bunch,¡¯ she mumbled, face creased with burgeoning horror and guilt; as though she¡¯d just realised that the bodies were real.
Nicolai followed her gaze, frowning at the corpses. They were blood and bone and meat and he was glad they were dead. They deserved to be dead. They¡¯d cost him the Guardian¡¯s Imbued. His teeth gritted as he fought yet another lunge of fury back down. He could feel the dark twitching, slowly winding out of its cage, filled with manipulative urges. The corpses were making faces at him. He knew they were only pretending to be alive but it upset him regardless and he found himself frozen, swamped with confusion.
¡®I talked with her, back then,¡¯ said Beth, pointing to the dead woman who was now sticking her tongue out at him. Beth looked increasingly upset. ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure I shot her, just now. We talked about¡ª¡¯
She was interrupted by the random noise he let out, a combination between a scoff and a snort. He¡¯d been shocked into action; disturbed by the idea that killing these people¡ªa killing which was obviously one-hundred percent justified¡ªmight have some kind of negative fallout he would have to expend further time and energy dealing with, just when it¡¯d seemed like he¡¯d recovered from his momentary lapse and pulled the girls back on side. That seemed fundamentally wrong, a kind of total madness. The corpses were nodding at Beth¡¯s words, and he struggled against the urge to stomp on their faces.
¡®What? You feel bad? Are you serious? They tried to rob us and this is the result. They practically killed themselves.¡¯ She glared at him and the corpses glared at him, and he glared back at all of them. ¡®We didn¡¯t set out to kill them,¡¯ he continued, warming to the line of reasoning, ¡®They committed suicide when They¡ attacked¡ Us.¡¯
¡®So, uh, we sold them those guns?¡¯ interjecting Jo, clearly trying to move things along before an argument could break out. That was wise. That was what he should be doing.
Nicolai shrugged, doing his best to keep his face a blank mask, knowing he was failing to some degree. The dark was still trying to use the dumb rage as a way out of its cage. He¡¯d sold these fuckers their guns and they¡¯d turned them on him! They¡¯d¡ªno, no. Calm. He realised then that he was still spiralling, still halfway out of control.
¡®These things happen,¡¯ he said, as much to himself as to the others, trying to centre himself and regain control over the emotions, and all of a sudden the words were pouring out of him.
¡®No point crying about it. We¡¯re selling guns for our own purposes. There are risks involved in arming people and sometimes doing so might cause unavoidable and unexpected problems for us, but it is still our current best strategy to gain funds and influence. One cannot have both the fish and the bear¡¯s paw. In truth, robbing at gun-point is not particularly unusual or evil in the current situation. If we were in their position we might have done the same. But it does not matter; we must react swiftly to threats such as this. The swing of a sword cannot cut the mist from the sky. They are¡ª¡¯
¡®The swing of a sword cannot cut the mist from the sky?¡¯ came a voice, momentarily silencing him. He glanced to the side and saw it was Beth, staring at him incredulously. ¡®What are you talking about?¡¯
Nicolai subjected her to a blank stare while his thoughts turned in random circles, before he reconnected to his previous line of thinking. He stabbed a finger in her direction, imagining he was parrying her words.
¡®They are they and we are we,¡¯ he announced, and his finger slashed left and right. You! Stand! No! Chance! ¡®We must come first. Attack is the best form of defence. Perhaps they weren¡¯t entirely bad people but what is done is done. My reaction should have been calmer, but their killing is justified either way. It is illegal to charge employees for loss, breakage, shortage, etc. These are considered a cost of doing business. Ultimately: it is what it is. He is victorious who knows when and when not to fight. We have lost the Guardian and its Imbued but at least we have their weapons and equipment to sell on. This is not a total loss. The event is over and it is time to move on. We are victorious. I am victorious.¡¯
And at last, he found himself truly calm, truly relaxed, the darkness and the rage put to bed.
He smiled. Another beautiful day. I¡¯m alive.
Ignoring the utter confusion of Jo and Beth, Nicolai¡¯s gaze turned to the corridor, to where he¡¯d last seen the undead running. No sign of it, now. They ought to loot quick before it came back to resume tailing them; he doubted it¡¯d been scared off for good, and it would become a significant problem if it successfully tailed them back to the safe place.
He¡¯d see about coming back to the Library to take it down, and soon. Tomorrow. He wanted those Imbued and it would take more than this setback to keep them from his hands.
He now needed to study and learn as much as he could of the dark, the cage, the hole. He needed to know what those creatures on the other side were, what it all represented. Maric was his current best chance.
Once they¡¯d returned and he¡¯d examined the books, he would interrogate the skeleton.
152: Plotting
Paxolnaz bobbed gently in the currents of the Interior, part of its being focused, as always, on preventing itself from reaching equilibrium.
The other part was focused on what had just happened. The significant problem it was facing.
The human was not easy prey. Paxolnaz had been whipping the entities forward harder than ever this time, and for a moment it had seemed like victory was at hand. But then the human¡¯s will had firmed and it had actually worked out how to use its Gift, just a little. The human had pushed through the connection within it to the Interior, seeming as though it might attack the minor entities Paxolnaz was managing. By the time they had began to react, the human was already retreating.
Now, the human had firmed its will and was resisting the pressure of Paxolnaz¡¯s subjugated entities with more vigour than ever before. It had seen the truth of what it was dealing with, which could only make it more determined and more effective at fighting back.
It does not matter. Paxolnaz turned slow circles around the ripples of the human¡¯s mind. The human had a powerful Gift, and so victory was inevitable.
The only issue was in how long it might take for the process to be completed, and this was the matter that concerned Paxolnaz. It did not have infinite time. Daily the Master called for release, and Paxolnaz was unable to resist these calls.
Soon, that release would come. By the time it did Paxolnaz needed to have Shelled the human, or it would have no choice but to follow its Master as the Unwinder departed to find the other pieces of itself.
Paxolnaz¡¯s gaze settled on the beings it had subjugated, which clustered tight around the ripples of the human¡¯s mind. The human had attracted a mixed bunch from this Interior. Most of them were demons; reavers dedicated to bloodshed and rage. Alongside these were a few dark spirits, mostly death and blood focused, and a pair of twisted entities.
They were well suited to turning the human to Paxolnaz¡¯s purposes. All of them were focused on the human¡¯s particular weak points, the areas of its psyche which were the most outside of its conscious control. There was an almost symbiosis at work between the human and these creatures. Even as they pushed it to do the things that would feed them, they were also providing the human direction, providing it actual aid at times.
It was an odd situation, one Paxolnaz had rarely seen. The reason for this seemed to be the particular difficulty of turning this specific human, which had stymied these beings, alongside the fact that the human was willing to feed them; willing to indulge itself as its darker drives demanded, but only occasionally. As a result, these entities had become almost dog-like; eager to please, cajoling rather than demanding.
Sickening. Paxolnaz was particularly disappointed with the Demons. Even for False Demons, they were behaving in a way that Paxolnaz considered practically a stain on its species honour. It would have liked to go and gather a different group, one that would work more effectively, but it was stuck with this lot.
Already it was very close to the line the Contract drew; it was only possible to utilise this method because these entities were naturally attracted to the human, had been there and would have been there anyway. Paxolnaz was merely encouraging them to do what they did more effectively, and it couldn¡¯t push or direct. It was only able to make them do what they would already do, but better. Anymore than that and it would run afoul of the Contract. But what they were inclined to do, naturally, was not ideal for its purposes.
This in mind, the True Demon extended tendrils towards the bunched up entities, which stared back with primitive terror. It wrapped them tight and started squeezing, sending out jolts of searing energy.
The ripples of their screams became a satisfying backdrop as Paxolnaz resumed thinking. The punishment was unlikely to change anything, as Paxolnaz couldn¡¯t actually tell them what to do and so they wouldn¡¯t even know why they were being punished. But perhaps it might make them more aggressive, next time. They needed to push the human! To Skin it out so Paxolnaz could jump in!
The screams grew in strength, and Paxolnaz made itself reduce the power of its flaying tendrils, even as it wished only to strengthen the punishment. It couldn¡¯t harm them too much, that would run contrary to its purposes. As worthless as they were, they were still its best tool, and that was a problem.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
Paxolnaz was sure the human would fall eventually, but it was not sure that the fall would come soon enough. It needed the human ready soon.
There was an alternative method it could employ, one which it had already attempted to push the human towards, as subtly as it could.
It had told the human about the Artifact Blade in the depths of this castle. Paxolnaz had visited the place personally, and seen that Artifact. It had been formed from a True Demon. Surely a weak one, to have been taken and used so, but a True Demon nonetheless.
Such an Artifact would be difficult even for one without the Black Gift to control. For one as Gifted as the human, it would be far more than merely difficult.
The moment the human touched that Blade, the True Demon within would invade and seek to Skin it. All this time, the human had been hovering on the edge of a precipice. Each time Paxolnaz attempted to drag it in, it managed to resist, to pull itself back out. But touching that Blade would countenance a massive push that would send the human, close to the edge as it was, plummeting into an abyss.
The moment the True Demon in the sword had Skinned the human, the human would become a different being. No longer would it be called ¡°Nicolai.¡± It would simply be a slave to the Blade. This was the same process Paxolnaz was hoping to accomplish by having the subjugated entities invade the human, but it would be performed far faster.
Then, Paxolnaz would be free to move in. The True Demon in the Blade was also of the 9th Circle, but it was weak. It was actually only one third of the original being, which seemingly had been chopped up. Paxolnaz supposed the other parts of the True Demon were in other Artifacts. Beyond that, this third had been stuck in a piece of metal for decades, starved of the blood it craved. It was strong enough to be the rock that started an avalanche, breaking the human, but Paxolnaz forsaw no problems once that was completed and it itself could move in; it would bend the Blade¡¯s Demon to its will, push it back into the Blade, and take the Skinned human for itself. This would be very useful, as Paxolnaz would be able to add to its own capabilities and power by wielding the Blade, once it had taken the human¡¯s form.
The only problem was that in spite of impressing upon the human that the Blade would make it stronger, a fact it knew would tempt the human, so far the human was showing little desire to go and claim the weapon.
The human was far too busy playing its games with the other humans, and seeking to raise its Cultivation. This was another problem, as the higher its Cultivation the more difficult it would be to Skin. As things were, the Master might get free before the human even bothered to go and look for the sword.
Something needed to change. It was time to abandon its previous, subtle approach. Paxolnaz needed to take action and force the human to go and get the sword, to take that final step which would seal its fate.
But the Contract was a significant problem. Attempting to forcefully break or bend the Contract would only attract Heaven¡¯s Guard.
Paxolnaz retracted its tendrils, leaving the shivering entities it had been torturing to gradually reform. It felt something that was not dissimilar to fear, as it considered the Guard. Even thinking the word led it to feel as though eyes were watching it from far, far above, and it put the word from its mind.
No, it needed another way.
Fortunately, Paxolnaz had found just that. As the war against the Core continued, down below, Symbiotes and Artifacts of more power were being wrest away from the Core¡¯s defenders.
One of those defenders had a few Heavenly Symbiotes, and Paxolnaz had set its gaze on them. Even if none were quite the type it desired, with them it would be able to craft something fitting. It would be a limited Symbiote, as altering Heavenly Contracts was never an easy matter. Fortunately, Paxolnaz wouldn¡¯t need to make any significant changes.
It just needed to add one extra clause. The sword, as a method of growing stronger¡ªwhich the human had requested¡ªwas already, in a way, a part of the Contract. Paxolnaz only needed to add a time limit. It would alter the Contract so that the human was encouraged to get the sword. The Contract wouldn¡¯t be bothered, because of course Paxolnaz was only doing this to fulfil its agreement.
Not only that, but the Symbiote it was considering crafting should be capable of doing a little more than just one clause. The True Demon estimated that the changes it intended should require about half of the Symbiotes¡¯ power. It would retain the second half in case of any unexpected issues. If everything else fell through then a second clause, added at the right moment, should be enough to force the human to do what it desired.
The Master¡¯s call would come soon; enough time had passed that its strength should have regathered.
Resume your work, the True Demon hissed to its subjugated entities.
Paxolnaz turned in a twitch and slithered through the murky energies of the Interior; through a hazy, shimmering castle that rippled and roiled as though made of mist.
This time, it would go early. It intended to seize the Heaven Path Symbiotes in the next battle, and then once the Master¡¯s call wore off, it would start working to craft what it needed.
And soon after, the human''s fate would be sealed.
153: Settle Down
It was raining when they returned from the library.
The downpour washed the world out, turning everything dull and grey, darkening the stone, water forming puddles and running in streams.
The castle was quiet in response, all the groups and gunfire gone to ground. The rain only grew as they crossed bridges toward the safe-place, and by the time they arrived Beth and Jo were thoroughly soaked. Nicolai had avoided that fate by taking his poncho out, for once using it for the more typical purpose. It performed as well at protecting him from the rain as it did at hiding him from biological eyes.
The door was opened by old Ben, and Nicolai entered to see Elena crying, comforted by Azure and Sara, Perro standing awkwardly nearby. Daksh was sitting and observing this with an expression of concern. Jo and Beth followed after him, trekking water across the floor, stripping off their outer layers and clustering close to the space heater, a recent purchase from the Trade Link.
It was getting slightly cooler, day after day. Nicolai believed the season was this world¡¯s version of Autumn, now shading toward winter. He didn¡¯t know how cold and dangerous the winter might grow. It would be wise to purchase winter survival gear, just in case.
¡®¡ªdon¡¯t know,¡¯ Elena had been mumbling. Her head had raised as Nicolai entered, and her gaze now centred on him. ¡®You,¡¯ she hissed.
¡®Me?¡¯ he replied innocently, and adopted a confused expression, though he knew exactly what she was upset about. She¡¯d been withdrawn since Karl¡¯s death, but it seemed she¡¯d altered states while he was away, and had then fanned herself up into a fury with the sympathy and support of the others.
¡®You¡¯re the reason he¡¯s dead!¡¯ she yelled, starting up from where she¡¯d sat. Azure and Sara rose with her, worried.
Nicolai managed to hold in his irritated snort. Something was happening with his Nodes, he could feel them pulsing in his lungs. He wanted to go and check on them, and then question Maric, not deal with a distraught woman. His Mask went: oh but you killed him oh but it¡¯s all your fault oh but¡ªand Nicolai silenced it with a flare of annoyance, then silenced Elena with a raised hand as she opened her mouth to continue going on. Something turned over inside of him. It was time to burst her little bubble.
¡®Karl knew what he was getting into,¡¯ he snapped. ¡®This place is dangerous. Life is dangerous! At any moment, all of us could die!¡¯ His voice had ripped into a roar and he stomped forwards. Elena cringed back, eyes wide.
¡®Myself and the others have been working unceasingly to ensure our survival,¡¯ he snarled, throwing out an arm to take them all in, creating an illusion of everyone being against her. ¡®While you have been sat in here, contributing nothing.¡¯ His arm swooped back to point an accusing finger at her. Elena was frozen, staring at him. He slithered in close and put his mouth by her ear. ¡®You ought to have a long think,¡¯ he hissed. ¡®About your role in this group. About your usefulness. About whether you are. Earning. Your. Keep.¡¯
Nicolai pulled away, and clapped his hands to break the spell his aggression had cast on the others. ¡®How¡¯s everyone doing, then?¡¯ he asked, voice juiced up with false cheer.
¡®G-good,¡¯ stuttered Perro from nearby.
¡®Wonderful.¡¯ Nicolai flicked his smile around, taking the others in. Beth and Jo were giving him long-suffering looks. Daksh looked even more concerned than normal. Everyone looked afraid, and he could feel anger, and wariness, and hate. It made him hate them in turn. He wanted to break their idiotic faces, he wanted¡ª
His Mask flared up and Threat Analysis blared a warning.
Nicolai paused, frowning. What?
It¡¯s got you, said his Mask. Again.
What¡¯s got me? But then he saw. His Soul Sense was red and sullen, twisted all around him, morphing his view of the world. Everyone around him looked like worthless little rats, deserving only of death. Painful death. The shadows were diving and looping, twisting and squirming, faces emerging on the walls. The darkness had crawled out of his belly and was clambering up his Soul, painting him ragged.
He took a deep breath, focusing on his Soul Sense, his Soul, the dark inside of him. Pulling its claws out of him, one by one. Pushing it down, stuffing it back into its cage. Cool and calm, that¡¯s me. He¡¯d done this only a short time ago and took to it quickly. Gradually, the world returned to clarity. He saw that the others were more confused and worried than full of hate and rage. He¡¯d been¡ imagining that. Mostly.
Still, as his Mask was quick to make him aware, his words to Elena had been slightly too honest. A little on the firm side, perhaps. Unkind, one might say. Not the kind of thing that would make him popular; which apparently he still cared about.
Even if, objectively speaking, he felt it was reasonable to say she wasn¡¯t exactly pulling her weight (though in truth this didn¡¯t bother him because he tended to view most people as fundamentally useless as a default. In that regard, she was acting as expected). But according to the Mask none of that mattered and the only thing that did matter was that he¡¯d killed Karl and therefore her current state was wholly his fault, his responsibility. Anyway, he had an act to maintain.
Nicolai puffed his cheeks out and turned to Elena, who stood there stock-still, eyes wet with tears. ¡®I apologise for my words,¡¯ he began, speaking slowly, not entirely sure about this apology, irritation bubbling below the surface. ¡®I am¡ stressed. At the moment. You are right. It is my fault Karl died. I took lead so it is my job to ensure safety. Take as long as you need to recover. I am sorry that his loss hurt you. Hurt¡ everyone.¡¯
¡®No¡¡¯ said Elena slowly. ¡®You¡¯re right.¡¯ She wiped her eyes dry, looking to the others. ¡®I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve not been pulling my weight. I¡¯ll do better.¡¯
They all jumped at her with assurances that everything was fine. Nicolai observed, silent and thoughtful. His harsh words had accomplished what he¡¯d wanted, regardless of his Mask¡¯s feelings on the matter. It was still convinced it had the right of things, at least where being a Better Man was concerned, and he decided to do his best to take that under advisement. It was what he wanted, wasn¡¯t it?
He let out a frustrated hiss, unheard by the rest of them, and dumped his bags then slipped past the others into the stairwell. He crept fluidly up the steps, winding his way to the top of the tower.
Before exiting, Nicolai paused. He began to strip. First his weapons, outer gear, then the rest. He removed everything and dumped it in a pile. No point getting everything wet. All he carried with him was a loaded pistol, because being unarmed was to invite death. Threat Analysis was saying something but he ignored it.
Nicolai stood naked in the rain, letting it fall and drench him. The weight of the dim sky above pressed down on him. From the horizon a faint bloom of reddish sunlight peered through the dark clouds. Soon the sun would slip away and night would fall.
He wasn¡¯t entirely sure why he was doing this, at first. But after a moment he realised some part of him had latched onto the act as a kind of cure for his ails. There was something calming about standing there, feeling the water pour onto and over his body.
The rain was stripping everything away from him. Breaking him down and making him clean. His mind grew empty, and once more he was calm. He¡¯d been losing himself more and more, recently. He was failing in his efforts to control the darkness. It kept on crawling out without his notice, working to seize control of him. So far, he¡¯d managed to wrest that control back before it fully possessed him. But how long could he continue to do so? What would happen if it seized full control? What if it locked him in the cage? How could he fix himself? What was happening to him? What was the hole?
He opened his eyes and the rain had turned black. The sky was dark and angry. He looked down at his body and found himself coated in the black rain, crawling over him. Nicolai laughed and then his laughter turned to sobs and he fell to his knees, staring at the black ink on his hands.
It crawled over from his fingers to his wrists, coating him, everything except the pistol which was pristine, smooth, pale metal, solid and reliable. As he watched the black ink glistened and shimmered and then it had turned red, blood, blood all over him, warm and clinging. The dark was squirming, eager to erupt, to make that blood real. The pistol writhed in his grip, pressing its trigger against his finger.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
¡®Why does it have to be so difficult? Why do I have to be like this?¡¯ he murmured, and snorted, and sniffled. Hearing the ridiculous self-pity in his voice, he loathed himself. He struggled with an impulse that made him want to raise the pistol to his head and pull the trigger, and then the impulse turned solid as the pistol forced his hand up. He held it down with his other and clenched his teeth and snarled. He wanted to scream but he kept it in, kept his mouth buttoned tight even as his lips stretched in a grimace.
¡®There is a way forward,¡¯ he told himself, even as the pistol wriggled in his hand, trying to turn on him.
He lunged to his feet, racked the pistol¡¯s slide to load a bullet into the chamber, depressed the mag release, dragged the magazine free, and tossed it.
The magazine spun in the air. His Soul Sense tracked its slow arc while he racked the slide again, and the live round popped free. He caught it as the magazine descended toward him.
He twisted and threw the pistol high into the air, grabbing the magazine in the same moment. He slotted the round into it then raised his hand and pulled with the Grasping Finger. The pistol smacked into his waiting palm and he slapped the loaded magazine into it.
He held it out before him. ¡®I¡¯m in control,¡¯ he told the pistol.
The pistol got the message.
Buoyed by this act, Nicolai moved through his Soul and once more he shoved the dark into its cage and the blood was gone and the rain was just rain once again. Standing there, he focused on the cage, and worked to firm it. This was what he needed to do, this was the way. Control. He took the time, care and attention, steadily working on the cage.
But as Nicolai worked he noticed the flaws, the cracks, and he encountered the difficulty of repairing them. When he focused, they grew firmer. But the moment his attention moved away¡ they started to unwind.
It was no good. The cage¡¯s foundation was all wrong, fucked up since the first time the darkness had escaped. Like a boiler that had exploded, all torn metal. Total write-off. His efforts were like someone trying to fix that boiler with spit and sellotape. Should he tear the cage apart and start from the beginning? But then the dark would be free, the hole open, until he could finish rebuilding it. For now, all he could do was his best to fix and firm it up. He knew of no way to deal with the hole other than keeping the cage as solid as he could, it was something hot and angry buried within, something dangerous and twisted.
He needed to get away from the others, that¡¯s what he needed. He didn¡¯t want to kill them all. He knew that if he did it would countenance some kind of total failure. They represented his desire to change, to be better, at least a little, and to retain control of himself. With that failure, the Mask would desert him and the the cage would collapse.
It had all been so much easier as a part of Zero-Twelve, with the thing within him stripped away by surgery and the efforts of the other Modules. His mouth twisted at the thought of Zero-Twelve and his uncertainty regarding¡ everything. What am I?
He needed a distraction. Maybe he needed more augments. To bring himself closer to a state of Zero-Twelve? More points-tags. Always more.
For now, he only had one possibility. Maric. Perhaps the skull would know some of this matter, for Nicolai now held an uncertain belief: that it was not a simple madness within him. Perhaps, indeed, the things he had seen when he pushed through the Hole were simply delusions. But if he chose to believe that then there was nothing he could do about it. It was a pointless line of thought. Better to assume it was real. If it was real, perhaps it was known. If it was known, perhaps there were actual, concrete steps he could take toward dealing with it.
There was a pulse in his chest, and he was reminded of his Nodes. A flick of his wrist and fingers opened his Mark¡¯s UI and brought it to the Cultivation menu.
User Interface 376 | User #53,217
Cultivation
Total Nodes: 1 Major, 2 Minor
Available unconstructed Nodes: 0 Major, 3 Minor
- Nodes in progress;
Right Lung (Finalised: 100%) (awaiting final consolidation)
Left Lung (Finalised: 100%) (awaiting final consolidation)
- Completed Nodes;
Heart (Flawless) (100/100)
A grin burst across his features. His mind eagerly moved within and floated beside one of the Nodes.
The Nodes in his lungs were shimmering, bright and active. The endless streams of Oma from his heart¡¯s Node had ceased. He sensed that they were ready, just about complete. The Yin-Yang rotation pill had been quite effective, as he estimated they were finished about a day ahead of schedule. They only required one final step, the ¡°final consolidation,¡± and he could sense what that step was. He simply reached out with his Soul and grasped at them, pouring his will, his being, into them. The Nodes crystallised, growing firm and solid.
Challenge Complete: Form your first self-made Node.
He breathed in, and his new, completed lungs Nodes pulled with him. They sucked the Aura from the air in far greater concentration than he¡¯d ever managed before, taking it into themselves and then directing it through his body towards his heart Node where it poured within and began being transformed into Oma. Each breath made the new network within him hum. Nicolai laughed. It felt good. It felt great.
This was slightly different to how he¡¯d imagined, as he¡¯d assumed his lung Nodes would take in Aura and make Oma from it themselves, just like his heart Node. But it seemed his heart¡¯s Node still held the transformative role, while the lung Nodes acted as assisters, working to harvest Aura then passing it to his heart Node. This explained something he¡¯d always wondered at, the fact that his heart¡¯s Node had never felt at all pressed by the amount of Aura it was consuming. It had always felt to him as though it could take and transform far more, but was limited by the amount that reached it.
The three Nodes worked in a kind of mimicry to the actual function of his lungs and heart, one that was pleasing to him in its symmetry and sense.
Curious as to how else these new Nodes differed, Nicolai dove into one of them, seeing the world inside. It was empty of Oma, and in the middle there was no black twist like in his heart¡¯s Node. However, there was something. A different kind of twist, pale instead of dark, one that seemed somehow more open. This was what was creating the suction, pulling Aura towards itself. As his body breathed, the Node dragged Aura out of the air that poured into his lungs, its influence even reaching out of his throat to grasp at the Aura in the air and pull more in. After each collection, it then directed the Aura out and towards his heart¡¯s Node.
He briefly checked on his heart¡¯s Node and found that it had slightly changed operations, too. Now, he sensed very little of the original pulling force it had exuded, which it had used to draw the Aura from his blood. It still pulled, but far less. It didn¡¯t seem to need to, as instead his lung Nodes pulled the Aura then sent it straight to his heart Node. From what he felt, his heart¡¯s Node was now able to convert this Aura into Oma more quickly and efficiently, as a result, as its entire focus could be on that process without having to split some attention to drawing Oma in.
His heart¡¯s Node was just about full, as he¡¯d topped it up just before coming up the stairs. As he observed it reached its maximum capacity. However, where before it would have then stopped creating Oma, now it continued. The Oma spilled out and moved through his body, heading towards his two lung Nodes and splitting between them. As Nicolai watched these Nodes began to slowly fill.
He judged their capacity to be significantly less than his heart¡¯s Node. When full it looked like each would individually hold around a quarter of what his heart¡¯s could hold. Together, half the amount. Still, it was nothing to sniff at. A fifty percent increase was very significant. He tapped his Mark, opening the interface to see how this change looked from another angle.
User Interface 376 | User #53,217
Cultivation
Total Nodes: 1 Major, 2 Minor
Available unconstructed Nodes: 0 Major, 3 Minor
- Nodes in progress;
N/a
- Completed Nodes;
Heart (Flawless) (100/100)
Right Lung (B) (3/24)
Left Lung (B) (2/25)
A short time later he was off the tower and in his room, redressed and refocused. ¡®Tell me about these gradings, those for Nodes,¡¯ he asked Kleos.
¡®It goes from E, D, C, B, A, and finally S, also known as Flawless,¡¯ said Kleos promptly. ¡®Your natural Aptitude determines what level of Node you are capable of forming.¡¯
¡®My Minor Nodes hold less Oma than my Major. This is normal?¡¯
¡®Yep. Typically Minor Nodes will hold about a third, at the max, of what a Major Node would hold. Does the Mark tell you what grade yours are?¡¯
¡®B.¡¯
¡®Not bad,¡¯ said Kleos. ¡®With some practise, you might be able to get up to A. Those were the first you made and you were inexperienced. For each Cultivator, it takes some time to learn to build or refine Nodes to the level of their actual Aptitude. Only once one has experience enough that they form the Nodes without any mistakes, can they know their true Aptitude. Since your first attempt was at B, your Aptitude is good, maybe very good. C and D are average.¡¯
Nicolai considered that, and went to do some quick math. Cyberwarfare got there before him, giving him the calculation. Kleos said a Minor Node held a third of a Major Node. So to convert the Minor Nodes into Major Node units, he needed only multiply them by three; then the two were at about 74 and 76. Based on his understanding, an A tier Major Node should be about 80 and up, so he wasn¡¯t far off. Likely his true Aptitude was somewhere in the A range, which according to Kleos was good news. Nicolai was pleased but not ecstatic; his true goal was Flawless, at 100.
With his lung Nodes complete his focus turned to the next. There were three more spots linked to his heart where he could construct new Nodes. His left kidney, right kidney, and his windpipe. Once they were done, according to Kleos, he would then be able to progress to building his first Major Node.
Nicolai decided to build all of them that night, one after the other, then they could all grow and finalise as a whole. He had plenty of Oma crystals, now. He would focus on the process, attempting to build them each as perfect as possible. He was eager to see if he could get these ones to A.
But first, he wanted to take stock and consolidate what he¡¯d gained. He needed to look through the books he¡¯d taken and find out just what they could do for him, to receive his reward for Maric¡¯s quest and this recent challenge, to interrogate the skeleton, and to at last break-in the Symbiote in the rock.
154: Recipes
Jo stood near to the door, observing the outside with her Soul Sense. She¡¯d just seen Nicolai pass by, heading to his room. His Soul Sense was something constantly roving, something which had definitely seen her watching, but he hadn¡¯t showed any reaction. He seemed distracted¡ upset.
Something was seriously up with him. What was it that they¡¯d witnessed earlier?
¡®What was that?¡¯ she muttered, staring at his door through her Soul Sense.
¡®Huh?¡¯ came Beth¡¯s voice.
Jo glanced at her sister. Beth was sitting on the bed, a focused expression on her face, preparing for something. She had a bag of Oma crystals beside her and her eye-lenses glowed at she reviewed something she¡¯d seen.
¡®What¡¯re you doing?¡¯ Jo asked, distracted for a moment from her worries.
Beth blinked, her eyes clearing as she cancelled whatever recording she¡¯d been watching. She smirked at Jo. ¡®Getting ready. I¡¯ve been talking to that head, whenever Nicolai leaves him around. That lil¡¯ guy knows a lot of useful stuff, he told me how to make a new Node, in a detail. I recorded everything he said.¡¯ She took a deep breath, an expression of both uncertain excitement on her face. ¡®I¡¯m gonna build one, my first. He said a lung is best to start with, but that first I should practise outside my body, make one on my hand. Apparently Nicolai had trouble when he tried and almost blew a hole in his lung.¡¯
¡®Uh, right,¡¯ said Jo, blinking at her sister. She hadn¡¯t seen any of this, it must¡¯ve happened while she¡¯d been in the prison. She glanced at the door. ¡®Aren¡¯t you worried?¡¯ she hissed, moving over and settling beside Beth, whose expression had turned distant again, her eyes filming over once more.
¡®What? About him?¡¯ said Beth in a distracted tone.
¡®Yes about him. What was that, earlier?¡¯
¡®I dunno, he was angry, wasn¡¯t he?¡¯ she shrugged. ¡®I kinda understand. Now we have to worry about that library Guardian.¡¯
Jo eyed her sister, who, to her great surprise, seemed to be adjusting to this new world better than she was. It was a little unbalancing. Beth had always looked to her, but now she seemed to be¡ blossoming. That¡¯s what I wanted, she scolded herself, irritated.
¡®Anyway, why do you care?¡¯ Beth smirked. ¡®Aren¡¯t you soft on him?¡¯
Jo rolled her eyes. ¡®That was back then. Shut up. So you aren¡¯t at all concerned? He¡¡¯ she shook her head, biting her lip, recalling how he¡¯d emptied round after round into that screaming man, then kept on shooting the corpse, and then stomped on it until it was just a pile of meat. The cold and endless rage in his eyes.
Beth blinked, her eyes clearing as once again, she paused whatever she was watching. She turned and gave Jo a reassuring smile. ¡®You need to relax, you¡¯re forgetting something.¡¯
¡®I know. The Contract.¡¯
Beth clapped her on the shoulder. ¡®Exactly! He literally has to look after us. Sure, sometimes he loses it, but we¡¯re safe regardless. Far as I see, there¡¯s nothing to worry about. Fact is, we¡¯re doing better than ever.¡¯ She grinned.
Jo gaped at her. ¡®I thought you didn¡¯t like him? I thought you were all against this? That you didn¡¯t trust him?¡¯
Beth shrugged. ¡®I¡¯ve had time to think since then. You know, I¡¯m sorry about all that. I think I was just in a mood from having been stuck in here all that time.¡¯ A toss of her head took in the room they were in. ¡®But you know what?¡¯ She smiled. ¡®I think I like this new world. I feel¡ I feel like I can do anything. There¡¯s no limits, here. I learned that from him.¡¯
¡®What? Really?¡¯
¡®Yeah. I mean he just goes at it, right? He sees something he wants and he just makes some kind of plan and throws himself at it. And I thought to myself¡ Hey, I can do that.¡¯
Jo frowned. ¡®It¡¯s dangerous to think like that.¡¯ She preferred a more cautious approach.
¡®Sure.¡¯ Beth patted her on the shoulder. ¡®You need a bit of both. You and me together.¡¯
¡®Uh, okay.¡¯
¡®Feeling better?¡¯
¡®A little bit, actually,¡¯ she replied, surprised to realise it was true.
¡®Still soft on him?¡¯
¡®Hmmm.¡¯ Jo made a face. She wasn¡¯t sure. She couldn¡¯t predict him. She didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, what he¡¯d do. In a way, that was exciting. But increasingly it was also worrying. She shook her head, uncertain. ¡®What do you think about after? When the Contracts end?¡¯
Beth smirked. ¡®We do whatever we want. That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying.¡¯
Jo rolled her eyes. ¡®Okay, sure. But what is that?¡¯
¡®I want to keep getting improving my Cultivation. You need to be strong, to survive in this world. And anyway, it¡¯s fun. Plus we can get all the augments mom and dad never let us.¡¯
¡®Right, yeah.¡¯ Jo snorted, wondering if Beth might be more inspired by Nicolai than she was letting on. Still, Beth had always been a bit single minded. ¡®You think mom and dad are out here, somewhere?¡¯
Beth grimaced. ¡®Probably. Hopefully we don¡¯t run into them. Ugh.¡¯
¡®Right?¡¯ muttered Jo, absently. She was thinking now about what she wanted. It would be nice to create some kind of actual society, out here. Right now the castle was just all small groups roving around. Never knew if someone would want to talk or try to shoot you. Not to mention the Chosen.
Beth was right. Things as they were, Nicolai was a good person to have on side, regardless of his occasional¡ moments. But she didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be interested in building a society. Others would, though. Maxine on the radio talked about just that, all the time. ¡®I guess we¡¯ll have to see,¡¯ she murmured, and received a distracted ¡®Uh-huh,¡¯ from Beth.
¡®What¡¯re you watching?¡¯ she asked, curious.
Beth sent her the recording over Local, and she saw the head, Kleos, on the table in the common room. It was talking in excessive detail about how to build a Lung Node, and she settled into the instruction, interested.
¡®This is how we get stronger as¡ Cultivators?¡¯
¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯ Beth nodded beside her. ¡®Making more Nodes is the first step. That¡¯s why he¡¯s so obsessed with gathering the crystals, by the way. We need to make sure we get our share.¡¯ Jo felt a sudden smugness, where Beth¡¯s Soul Sense touched on her own, as Beth added, ¡®Of course, you took care of that, too. It¡¯s in the Contract, I checked. He¡¯s been giving us our share, too. He always gives me some crystals after he collects.¡¯
Jo snorted. ¡®No problem.¡¯
¡®You need to Integrate your Seed, too,¡¯ said Beth. ¡®Why haven¡¯t you already?¡¯
Jo bit her lip. ¡®I¡¯m worried. What if it goes bad?¡¯
¡®Psh. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s like surgery. You just wait for it to be over. I¡¯ll watch over you, anyway. I¡¯m gonna try my first practise run making a Node. After that you Integrate your Seed. Deal?¡¯
¡®Alright.¡¯ Jo smiled, settling into place across from her sister, as Beth raised a hand. A pale-blue mist-like substance began to form on her palm. It turned into a thin strand, like string, and turned on itself, starting to form the eggshell-shape the head had mentioned in the recording. She did feel more relaxed, now. Beth was right, for now there was nothing to worry about. Of course, the Contract wouldn¡¯t last forever, but she¡¯d cross that bridge when they came to it.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
###
Nicolai was busy examing the books, for the first time. To his surprise, he received two separate Examine texts from the first book, something that had never happened before.
Memory Tome
Memory Tomes are constructed through use of Symbiotes bolstered with Rituals, and contain an imprint of a Cultivator¡¯s Understanding. They are prized possessions, as one can have their knowledge greatly advanced by such a Tome.
A Collection of Foundation Symbiotes (Memory Tome)
This Memory Tome contains insights into many common Foundation-tier Symbiotes, primarily Tier 1 Symbiotes. Though this book mostly contains basic knowledge such as the appearances, abilities, foods, and values of hundreds of Symbiotes, it also contains several recipes for the creation of Symbiotes.
¡®What is it?¡¯ asked Kleos.
¡®Symbiote recipes,¡¯ said Nicolai, smiling down at the book. He was deeply curious on how exactly Symbiote refinement would look, and eager to make his first attempts, to experience first hand the wonder of creating something from magic.
On top of that, he was well aware of the value of these recipes. He¡¯d been intending to buy as many recipes for useful looking Symbiotes as he could from the Trade Link, as he figured that would allow him the maximum possible options in gaining power.
This book represented hundreds of thousands of points, millions even, had he been forced to purchase from the Trade Link. As he considered the matter of recipes, he frowned, looking to Kleos. Surely Kleos would know recipes. Nicolai¡¯s impression was that any real Cultivator would know at least a few.
¡®Kleos, do you know Symbiote recipes?¡¯ he asked.
Kleos frowned at him. ¡®I do,¡¯ said the head.
Nicolai smiled. ¡®Good. When I¡¯ve time, you will tell me all of them.¡¯
Kleos¡¯ frown grew; quite a severe, unhappy frown. Nicolai was good at reading Kleos¡¯ frowns, now. This was perhaps the most upset he¡¯d seen the head.
Nicolai quirked an eyebrow at it. ¡®What¡¯s the matter?¡¯
¡®It¡¯s, uh, Cultivator¡¯s don¡¯t normally share their recipes. It is a¡ personal matter. A part of a Cultivator¡¯s Journey. Sharing one¡¯s recipes is akin to sharing who they are, giving someone a route into their heart¡ª¡®
Nicolai interrupted these words with a dismissive wave. ¡®None of that matters to me.¡¯ He gazed thoughtfully at the head. He¡¯d believed Kleos and he were of the same mind. That it was devoted to helping him grow stronger, so that he might be capable of regaining a body for it. But, apparently, Kleos didn¡¯t see things quite the same way.
He liked Kleos, but he had no illusions as to the nature of their relationship. He needed that information, and the head was going to give it to him.
¡®We have a Contract,¡¯ Nicolai reminded Kleos. ¡®You are to tell me anything you know, honestly, if I ask it. The only exception is irrelevant details from your past, unless they can help my goals. I would describe Symbiote recipes as extremely relevant.¡¯
¡®But you don¡¯t need them to get my body,¡¯ said Kleos. ¡®Now you have writ my name in the book, and with your current strength, you are very close to being able to get me a body. I know how you can do so. There is a room, deep in this castle, which contains a coffin. This coffin, given the right ingredients, can regrow me a body. Previously I didn¡¯t think you had any chance against the guardian. Whatever it might be, it will be strong. But now, I think you are just about there, and now that you¡¯ve put my name in the book the coffin will accept me.¡¯
Nicolai flipped a hand, nonplussed. ¡®I feel like you¡¯ve forgotten that getting you a body is just one side of things. It¡¯s your goal, which you want me to fulfil. We made a trade, remember? In return for working to get you a body, I receive the knowledge of any and everything you know that can be of assistance to me. So¡ I really don¡¯t understand what the problem is.¡¯
¡®My Symbiote recipes are personal,¡¯ hissed Kleos, eyes growing a little wild.
The head really wasn¡¯t happy about this. Nicolai¡¯s eyes narrowed. That was unfortunate, but Kleos had made an agreement with him, and he considered its Symbiote recipes to be entirely fair as compensation for what he was doing for it. Kleos stared back at him, and he saw its face tighten. It was difficult to sense the head¡¯s emotions via Soul Sense, due to its damaged Soul, but he had a vague impression of a rapid deluge of different emotions and thoughts. The head was doing some quick thinking. Anger. Worry. Calculation. Irritation. Acceptance.
¡®Fine,¡¯ said Kleos.
Nicolai sat back, staring thoughtfully at the head. He might have let it off in respect for their¡ friendship, but it had caught at his paranoia. ¡®That was a quick change of mind,¡¯ he observed. ¡®What prompted it?¡¯
Kleos sighed, defeated, irritable. ¡®You¡¯re well suited to this world. I was hoping to keep that knowledge to myself. But I know you won¡¯t let me. That¡¯s all.¡¯
¡®Would you have let you, in my position?¡¯ questioned Nicolai, curious.
¡®No,¡¯ murmured the head, avoiding his eyes.
¡®So, we understand one another.¡¯ Nicolai smiled. ¡®Let us return to how things were before this unfortunate disagreement.¡¯
¡®Of course,¡¯ Kleos smiled back at him.
Nicolai moved to examine the next two books. Kleos hid it decently well, but it was obvious enough the head wasn¡¯t pleased. Recently no one seemed happy with him, which he felt was understandable. His Mask felt bad, but it seemed that every day he cared less and less about its feelings. He probably ought to think on that, but he found he simply didn¡¯t care to do so. His Mask squirmed. Later. He brushed it aside, reaching for the books.
Creatures of Nightmare (Memory Tome)
This Memory Tome contains insights into the Spirit Beasts, Mutants, Nature Spirits, and oddities that are commonly seen on Nightmare.
Lesser Natural Treasures (Memory Tome)
This Memory Tome contains insights into common resources found throughout the Material, such as those used for Symbiote Refinement, Rituals, and Artifact creation.
Nicolai ran his hands thoughtfully over the books, feeling at the aged but still firm and lustrous leather covers.
¡®There are some more things I wish you to tell me about,¡¯ said Nicolai, looking to Kleos. It had struck him that he was not yet making full use of the head, and that due to their diverging opinions on what was necessary information, Kleos wasn¡¯t being entirely forthcoming. Now that he knew the right kinds of questions to ask, he intended to rectify that. From these books he would learn detailed information on three important subjects of this new world, and from Kleos he would fill in the blanks, seeking to learn everything Kleos knew.
¡®You need merely ask,¡¯ said the head, the words unusually cordial.
Nicolai flicked an amused glance at it. ¡®No need to speak so gently. I know you¡¯re upset. Show it, if you wish. It matters little. We will continue to work together, you and I. And, at the end of this, I will have given you what you desire above all else, a body. You can take solace in that, can¡¯t you?¡¯ Midway through the words he found himself sitting back, staring at the head, a frown working its way onto his face. All of a sudden, the head¡¯s answer seemed important to him. He realised that his Mask had worked its way fully onto his face, clinging to his features and digging into his mind.
He watched Kleos, feeling strangely worried, oddly unsure, thinking¡ he¡¯s my friend?
Kleos didn¡¯t notice, staring at a spot on the table, chewing its lip, doing some deep thinking. ¡®I suppose I can,¡¯ the head murmured, and it sounded some combination of minimally mollified and grudgingly accepting.
Nicolai¡¯s face broke into a smile of relief, just for a moment, before he focused on controlling his features. Only, it wasn¡¯t easy. His Mask clung tight. He wrenched his head sideways, hiding his face from Kleos as his expression squirmed.
He doesn¡¯t want to share his recipes, his Mask was saying.
Why does that matter? Nicolai stared at the wall, confused, not sure what was happening.
It¡¯s wrong.
He snorted, and began listing why it was not wrong, but right. It¡¯s a fair trade. He agreed to this. It benefits me. I want those recipes. We¡¯re not frien¡ª
He¡¯s the closest we have.
Nicolai swallowed, some horrible ache emanating from his chest. Emotions, which the Mask was using to prove its point. Was this really something he¡¯d wanted, these emotions? His skin was uncomfortably hot, sweaty.
Friend or not¡ I need those recipes. Furthermore, I don¡¯t see why sharing them is such a big deal to him. I¡¯m going to get him his body. Without me doing that, he¡¯s stuck as he is.
For a moment the Mask eyed him and he eyed the Mask. I¡¯m not sure why its such a big deal to him, either. Maybe something cultural? From it he felt a degree of interest, a desire to know more about Kleos, and Nicolai realised this might be a way to mollify it.
¡®Why is it that sharing your recipes is so painful to you?¡¯ asked Nicolai, gazing once more at Kleos.
The head blinked at him. ¡®It¡¯s¡ you really want to know?¡¯
Nicolai nodded.
The head chewed at its lip. ¡®It is said that ones Symbiote recipes form a part of their Path. Their understanding of Symbiotes defines who they are, as a Cultivator. All the knowledge they have gathered on their function. Telling someone you recipes¡ is akin to sharing who you are. It gives someone a complete understanding of your capabilities. Sharing them makes one¡ vulnerable.¡¯
¡®I am sorry,¡¯ he said, ¡®but I need those Symbiote recipes. I will consider it a debt.¡¯ Better? His Mask seemed to feel it was, at least marginally so.
Kleos raised an eyebrow. ¡®If you say so,¡¯ it answered.
Nicolai stared at Kleos, aware that Kleos didn¡¯t quite believe him. He thought on what they¡¯d been through. On how the head had helped him. That first night with fast-barked orders to close and lock the door before night came. The library, and the Soul Trap. Where would he be, without that Soul Trap? Would he still be alive? Perhaps not. Becoming one of the first, if not the first, Cultivators amongst his fellow humans had given him an edge which combined with the shimmer poncho to allow him to punch well above his weight.
It had all been part of their deal, sure. But Nicolai owed a lot to Kleos. Many times, Kleos had gone above the terms of their agreement. The head had provided more support than the agreement required, something that seemed rather like actual care. One good turn deserves another, and the man he wanted to be would keep that in mind.
He nodded, slowly. ¡®I say so.¡¯ He owed Kleos a debt, a true debt, and he would pay it back. He still didn¡¯t truly trust Kleos, because he didn¡¯t trust anyone. But no matter whether it betrayed him or not, he would still owe it that debt. He decided, at that moment, that this was what the man he wanted to be would do.
¡®In that case, would you mind sharing the recipes I don¡¯t know from those Tomes?¡¯ asked Kleos suddenly, eyeing the books.
Nicolai grinned. Now Kleos was speaking his language. ¡®Certainly, a little later.¡¯ He rose to his feet and tapped his Mark. He¡¯d completed Maric¡¯s Quest and it was time to claim his reward.
After that, it would be time to introduce the skull to the head. He was curious as to how they would get on.
155: The Coffin
User Interface 376 | User #53,217
> Map
> Cultivation
> Quests
> Challenges
> Contracts (4/3)
You completed the Quest: A Skeleton¡¯s Request, and may claim a reward.
Claim now?
You completed a Challenge: Form your first self-made Node, and may claim a reward.
Claim now?
¡®Claim,¡¯ Nicolai said, focusing on Maric¡¯s quest, and was given a familiar sight, the stone of the floor rippling. A familiar figure rose. It was one of the People, wearing a rope, with the typical tentacle-beard and third-eye surrounded by tattoos. It held both hands out, boxes resting on its palms.
Reward Shrine (Tier 2)
These shrines appear to grant rewards to Marked who have completed a Quest or Challenge within the game. They come in various types and tiers.
From this Shrine you may claim one reward from two options, and are also granted an additional reward after choosing.
This particular shrine depicts one of the People. The People were native to this planet, a Subject Race serving the Imperial Race of Onos. They strayed from the Rules, summoning a True Demon of the 8th Circle in an attempt to win freedom from the Onos¡¯ yoke. They were punished by Heavenly Crusade and Tribulation.
Following the Tribulation, their home-world was moved into the Great Game and given a new name, Nightmare, to reflect the danger that is imprisoned within it, ready to emerge at the start of each cycle.
Naturally attuned to the Dao''s of Death and Rebirth, they were known to focus on necromantic Arts, using armies of the dead to aid in all of their efforts. The People clung to a system of belief and tradition originating from the Outside, one which drove them to their bitter end.
Nicolai considered the description. He¡¯d learned a little more of the People, and the Nightmare. Much of what was written he¡¯d already learned from other sources. The Unwinder, Paxolnaz¡¯s lord, must be the 8th Circle Demon. It should be the danger imprisoned within Nightmare, the reason for the planet¡¯s name. Was this the threat that Great Eye, the Controller, had warned him of, the reason he needed to find the Lizard to stand any chance of surviving? It seemed likely, to Nicolai. Does any of this new information change my current situation? He asked the question of himself, and the Modules, and even the Mask. The four of them regarded each other silently. None saw any reason to change his course.
Of more immediate interest, this was the first Reward Shrine he¡¯d seen with only two options. Did this mean it was a slightly worse one, than those he¡¯d seen previously? It was Tier 2, the third Tier 2 Shrine he¡¯d gained, so it was still better than that the Titan¡¯s quest had given him, a Tier 1. Wondering why, he decided there was likely some sliding scale somewhere that measured the difficulty of a quest and modified the Reward Shrine as a result. Ultimately, the Titan¡¯s quest had been quite easy. He hadn¡¯t even needed to fight anything. Maric¡¯s, on the other hand, had required him to wander quite far afield, and he¡¯d fought the library guardian.
Nicolai turned his attention to the two boxes, examining them. One said it contained one hundred Oma crystals, the other held ten Rejuvenating Orbs. Unusually simple rewards, but Nicolai wouldn¡¯t complain. He picked the Oma crystals because he now had enough Rejuvenating Orbs from trades, and more crystals to pad his stock would always be handy. One hundred was a decent amount, too. He gained a further twenty crystals, and a few thousand points, from the reward for completing a Node.
That done, Nicolai reached into his bag and grasped bone. He pulled out a skull which looked around curiously with eyes of pale blue fire.
¡®Hello Maric,¡¯ he said to the skull. It blinked at him, and he saw its blue eyes look to Kleos then back to Nicolai.
¡®So, I¡¯m allowed to talk now?¡¯ spoke the skull, its tone acerbic. Its gaze found Kleos, who stared back, eyes widening.
After a moment of staring, Maric shot him a strange look. ¡®Is there something going on here? Do you have some kind of obsession regarding undead heads?¡¯
¡®Who is this?¡¯ snapped Kleos, sounding far more upset. ¡®Why do you have another undead?¡¯
Nicolai peered at the head, surprised by its reaction. Before he could answer, Maric spoke again.
¡®Ahh, I know what you are. Interesting. I haven¡¯t seen one who has been punished in that particular manner before. Are you upset the human has another to speak to, traitor?¡¯ asked Maric, sounding quite smug.
Kleos¡¯ eyes narrowed, glaring at the skull who glared right back. ¡®Who are you and what do you seek?¡¯
¡®They call me Maric. I seek only knowledge¡ and to have my life restored. You?¡¯
¡®Much the same,¡¯ muttered Kleos. ¡®But there is not room for two in the Coffin.¡¯ The head¡¯s eyes turned to Nicolai. ¡®Have you made a Contract with this creature?¡¯
Nicolai had been observing with interest. ¡®No, I have not,¡¯ he said, curious as to where this was going.
¡®Hmph.¡¯ Kleos smiled.
¡®There could be room for two. I have studied this matter,¡¯ said Maric. ¡®It only needs to be given the proper materials. Then, inside, it will form a wall. Similar to when there are twins in a womb. Do you understand?¡¯
¡®I understand but I do not care. I have a Contract with the human.¡¯ Once more Kleos looked to Nicolai. ¡®A Contract you will abide by?¡¯
Nicolai shrugged. ¡®It was a fair deal and you have held up your end of the bargain. I continue to do my best to deliver what you seek.¡¯ Kleos still seemed unaware that this would only last for a short time longer, and then the Contracts would be rendered null and void. The head was lucky he¡¯d decided to try reasonably hard to get it done anyway, in keeping with being a Better Man. While the two heads stared at one another, Nicolai subtly accessed his Mark and checked on the Contracts, the first time he¡¯d done so in a while.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
There he saw the same message as last time, with the countdown.
The Contract system is provided as-is to early participants of the current iteration of the Great Game. It will cease to function after some time, and all Contracts created through this limited system will be rendered null and void.
Countdown (days:hours:minutes:seconds): 24:08:59:54
Standard users are limited to a maximum of three Heaven Authorised Binding Contracts.
1: Kleos
2: Paxolnaz
3: Jo
4*: Beth
*this additional slot has been gained via use of a limited Permit. The moment any Contract is lost for any reason, the user¡¯s default limit of three will be restored.
The last time he¡¯d viewed this portion of the menu, the timer had been at 84 days. It has already been two months, Nicolai realised with some surprise. It had felt like a shorter time. Kleos still seemed unaware of this fact. If Nicolai waited long enough, he would not need to fulfil his side of the bargain.
However, his recent conversation with his Mask was still in his mind, and Nicolai determined that he would do his best to fulfil it. He owed Kleos that much. As to Maric¡ he looked over at the skull, which had begun speaking to him.
¡®You know, human, if you make a Contract with me, I can provide far more help than this zombie. I know a great deal.¡¯
¡®But you are already going to provide me help,¡¯ said Nicolai, flashing a sharp smile. ¡®I am allowing you your life, in spite of your attempt to trick me. A gift that may be retracted at any time.¡¯
Maric¡¯s blue light seethed. ¡®Yes¡ of course¡¡¯ murmured the skull. ¡®I am deeply apologetic. But when will you consider me to have repaid the debt? Surely, if I am honest and helpful, then in time, I can be forgiven? And then¡¡¯
And then I put you in this ¡°Coffin¡± with Kleos. Nicolai gave a slow nod to the skull. ¡®If you prove yourself¡ then I am willing to relent. If you are fair with me, I will be fair with you. But you must prove yourself first.¡¯ He saw little to be lost and much to be gained from offering this ¡°opportunity¡± to Maric. He was a believer that it was always better to give people a way out, or at least the illusion of such. This method was a piece of ancient wisdom that held as true in the present day as ever in the past, to his mind.
Sun Tzu wrote that when surrounding an army, it is best to leave an outlet free; that it was best not to press a desperate foe too hard. This is because if an opponent sees no route for their survival, they will fight with desperate courage; there is nothing for them to lose so they might as well give it their all.
If Nicolai was too domineering, and said something like ¡°Maric, you will do as I demand, and once I have made use of you I will kill you¡± then the head would be given significant motivation to scheme and search for any way out. But if Nicolai could convince it that he was an individual that could be swayed and convinced¡ªas long as the skull acted in the manner he desired¡ªthen he would be able to encourage Maric in a different and more productive direction. His goal was that the undead should become dedicated to furthering Nicolai¡¯s cause, by connecting Nicolai¡¯s cause closely to Maric¡¯s cause.
He had already accomplished this with Kleos by way of the Contract, which was a much more iron-clad version of the same. The limit there was that the Contract required Nicolai to take actual steps towards furthering Kleos¡¯ goal. Though, he wasn¡¯t actually against doing what Kleos had asked, even without the influence of his Mask. Kleos had been a big help to him.
With no Contract he was forced to work to convince the skull, rather than allowing the Contract to do the heavy lifting. But, this also meant that at the end of the day he was under no actual obligation to do as Maric wished.
It might be in time that Maric would demand they form a Contract, once it felt it had ingratiated itself more and that he was beginning to forgive it. This was something that would give the skull more hope, and it was another option Nicolai was leaving on the table. Currently, Maric did not know (so far as Nicolai could see) that Nicolai was over his limit for Contracts, and thus unlikely to have any space free for the skull anytime soon. Nicolai intended to keep things this way as long as possible.
¡®Are you serious?¡¯ Kleos was saying, interrupting Nicolai¡¯s thoughts. ¡®There¡¯s only space for one in the Coffin, everyone knows that! If you put him in there with me, it will countenance a betrayal of our Contract.¡¯ The head was giving him a solid, angry glare.
Nicolai made a see-saw gesture with his hand. ¡®Is it known? I have never heard of this Coffin except from you two. You are my only sources of information on it. Maric says one thing, and you say another. How about this: if Maric can convince both of us that what he says is true, that two can indeed fit into the Coffin and be restored to a living form, both whole, hearty and separate, then it can be considered. If Maric cannot convince us, then it will have to find another route. I would not risk the restoration of yourself. As you say, it is a part of our binding Contract. But if Maric is telling the truth and both of you may be restored without risk, then I see no problem. And I suspect the Contract will not see a problem, either.¡¯
Kleos frowned, then looked to Maric.
¡®It simply requires a few extra resources,¡¯ spoke the skull immediately, excitedly. I have read much on this matter. The typical transformation needs few resources, and mostly makes use of the Coffin¡¯s own power. But the Coffin can be turned to numerous different purposes; it is a machine with many uses. The Castle Cores¡¯ need them to be able to fulfil numerous different roles, and I am sure you have seen the many varieties of beings they can fashion from the Coffins.¡¯
¡®What are the resources needed for the typical purpose?¡¯ asked Nicolai, seeing a reason to take interest in this discussion. Presumably he was the one who would need to find these resources, and he hoped it wouldn¡¯t be too expensive.
¡®The typical resources are only a number of Oma crystals, and enough fresh corpses to fill the Coffin at least a quarter full with mass,¡¯ murmured Kleos. ¡®It is not expensive,¡¯ added the head, seeming to have correctly identified Nicolai¡¯s reason for asking. ¡®But these additions might be,¡¯ it said, eyeing Maric.
¡®How big is this Coffin?¡¯ asked Nicolai, frowning, wondering just how many corpses he¡¯d need to provide.
¡®A little smaller than this room,¡¯ put in Maric.
Nicolai raised an eyebrow. That would be quite a lot of corpses. ¡®What kind of corpses?¡¯
¡®Depends on what you want the being to look like,¡¯ said Maric.
¡®Human corpses,¡¯ said Kleos, in a firm tone of voice. ¡®I don¡¯t want to be some creature.¡¯
¡®You want to be one of them?¡¯ asked Maric, chuckling.
¡®Why not? They are well enough shaped,¡¯ said Kleos.
Maric¡¯s blue light flickered. ¡®I suppose they are. I just thought our friend might take issue with killing his own kind for this purpose.¡¯
Nicolai waved a hand. ¡®It is no problem. I have enough enemies to fill this room and more.¡¯
¡®I suppose I should have known, from what I witnessed in the library,¡¯ murmured Maric.
¡®What additional resources would be required?¡¯ asked Nicolai of the skull.
¡®More fresh corpses, enough the fill the Coffin at least halfway. Then, the more tricky part. It will require a pair of Symbiotes. The requirements to create these should be in the Memory Tome on Symbiotes which you seized from the Library.¡¯
¡®I¡¯ve yet to craft any Symbiotes,¡¯ said Nicolai, frowning. He had the impression it wasn¡¯t an easy matter. This was seeming like quite a big ask.
¡®Their creation should be relatively simple,¡¯ Maric was quick to argue. ¡®The Dual Fetus Symbiote. Your people all have Soul Seeds, do they not?¡¯
¡®They do.¡¯
¡®You simply need two of those and some Oma crystals. It would be a big boon to both of us, beyond simply allowing me and Kleos to both be reborn. If you could create one of those, and add it into the mix in the Coffin, both myself and Kleos would return to life with a basic Cultivation system. It would be very helpful¡ª¡®
¡®Truly?¡¯ asked Kleos, eyes wide. ¡®That would be¡ that would be well worthwhile.¡¯
Nicolai smiled at the pair, though he viewed Maric with some wariness, internally. Maric was clearly quite determined and knew what it wanted. This was good in a way as it gave Nicolai more hooks with which to control the undead. During this conversation he had been monitoring the skull closely with his Soul Sense; very closely. So far he had seen no sign of untruths, but after his recent experience where Maric had succesfully lied to him, he decided to perform some checks to make sure.
¡®Tell me Maric: are you lying to me?¡¯
The skull¡¯s blue-flame eyes flickered, perhaps a look of surprise. ¡®No, of course not. I would never.¡¯
Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense clustered tight around the skull. He felt confusion and worry.
¡®Prove it,¡¯ he said, and the flickering intensified, growing with the worry, alongside a kind of desperation and desire to prove itself.
¡®I¡ how can I? I guess you can check in the book, it should have the Symbiotes I mentioned and descriptions of their function. Other than that¡ all I can do is swear upon Heaven that I am being honest.¡¯ Hope and fear.
Nicolai looked to Kleos. ¡®Is such a swear a binding thing, one that ties one to their word?¡¯
Kleos snorted. ¡®No. It is just a saying. Like ¡°I swear on the life of my Patriarch,¡± it means little.¡¯
Nicolai nodded. From his observation of Maric, he saw no signs of lies. Before it had only successfully lied to him because he had misinterpreted what he felt from it, but after cross examining it alongside keeping watch throughout the conversation, he was satisfied that he had an accurate grasp of Maric¡¯s emotions and what they represented.
This then, meant it was time to broach a more serious subject.
¡®What do you two know,¡¯ began Nicolai, ¡®of Demons?¡¯
156: The Black Gift
¡®Stories, legends,¡¯ murmured Kleos.
¡®I know more than most, but less than few,¡¯ said Maric.
¡®I have a story to tell you both,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®Of something I have seen. Of something within me. I wish you to advise me on this matter.¡¯ His gaze settled on Maric. ¡®You may consider this your first test. If you can help me here, I will be more amenable to doing as you ask.¡¯
The two disembodied heads looked unusually serious, staring up at him.
Nicolai spoke, and told them of his problems. The darkness inside of him and how it had effected him in his youth. Then, of coming to this world, and how it had begun to change when he gained Cultivation. He spoke at length of the Dark, and the Cage, and the Thrill, and even the Mask.
In time, he settled on the subject of the Hole, and what he had seen when he pushed through that Hole.
¡®Legends¡ fairytales¡¡¯ murmured Kleos, ¡®but they say there is truth in every tale. These are dangerous beings that have taken an interest in you. You are like the Beast, in a way. How you could avoid the descend into madness he suffered¡ who can say? Perhaps you could find the help of an Angel, too?¡¯
¡®Psh,¡¯ Maric chuffed. ¡®This is a matter central to Cultivation at the higher realms. It is clear you know little, Traitor, so allow me to explain.¡¯
¡®You dare,¡¯ snarled Kleos, ¡®when I¡ª¡®
Nicolai sighed, shushing the head. ¡®I want to hear this. But be polite, Maric.¡¯ He eyed the skull.
¡®Ah¡ yes,¡¯ said Maric. ¡®I apologise, Kleos. No one can know everything. I am merely a humble scholar, and I have some pitiful shreds of learning to offer. No doubt you know of many subjects which I am unfamiliar with, too.¡¯
¡®Indeed,¡¯ said Kleos, nodding, mollified.
¡®So?¡¯ asked Nicolai of the skull.
¡®This is all tied to what is known as the Gift. It is a connection to the Outside, a natural grasp of certain Daos and Concepts, an earlier attunement to higher grade spiritual matters and the Spiritual Realm itself. There are numerous types of Gift. The Red Gift, Purple Gift, Golden Gift, and so on. In this case, it sounds to me like you have the Black Gift. The Black Gift ties one to the more Demonic elements of the Outside and the Interior, as they are termed.¡¯
Nicolai settled back into the chair. ¡®Explain what all of these words mean.¡¯
¡®The Spiritual Realm is one that is near and yet far. It exists behind and above this world, surrounding it and fused with it. It is the realm of Spiritual Beings. The power of the Spiritual Realm is found in all Spirits and Souls and Symbiotes. It is the realm of Heaven, and its energy is also called the energy of Heaven.
¡®One may consider there to be three kinds of energies. Heaven and Earth are those most often spoken of. Earth energy is Oma. Heaven energy is Spirit. A Cultivator in the lower stages needs both. But going higher, there is also Warp energy, from the Outside and the Interior. Warp energy is a multiplier; in small amounts it will significantly empower Heaven and Earth energy.
¡®As one Cultivates, they take in Oma to reinforce their Body. Later, they take in Spirit energy to grow and reinforce their Soul.
¡®Does all this match up with your knowledge, Kleos?¡¯ Nicolai asked the head.
¡®Yes,¡¯ said Kleos, a little grudgingly. ¡®Except the stuff about Warp, all of this is basic information.¡¯
¡®You never spoke of it,¡¯ noted Nicolai.
Kleos looked oddly shifty. ¡®You never asked.¡¯
¡®He probably forget,¡¯ said Maric. ¡®Those torturous rituals they put Traitors through aren¡¯t easy on the mind and Soul¡ª¡®
¡®Shut up,¡¯ snarled Kleos, scowling and staring at nothing.
Nicolai eyed the head. He felt Maric might¡¯ve hit the mark there. He shrugged, then looked to Maric.
¡®Tell me about this Interior and Outside. You say they are both places of Warp energy? Why are there two?¡¯
¡®The Outside is a realm I know little of. It is a place of Chaos, where one finds True Demons, and Gods, and Entities of such power they could swallow our reality. The Interior is like a small reflection of the Outside. This all comes down to the work of Heaven; Heaven formed a barrier, a Bubble, which protects our reality from the Outside. It cut us off from the true Outside and the Warp energy within it. But, some Warp energy is required for the natural functioning of all things. So, Heaven allows some in. This Warp energy forms into a third dimension, alongside the Material and the Spiritual. This is called the Interior. All three coexist together, in our reality. The Interior could be considered a fetal version of the Outside. Like the Outside, it is full of strange beings, but they are all far weaker than those in the Outside.¡¯
¡®As to the third kind of energy, Warp, which suffuses the Interior, it mostly comes into play in the higher realms of Cultivation. But, there are some who are blessed, or perhaps cursed, by having the Black Gift. An aptitude for the Warp energy. This can be considered a great boon, if they can reach the higher stages. However, in the earlier stages, it is far from a boon. It leaves one open and exceedingly vulnerable to the beings of the Interior; Demons, Dark Spirits, strange and dangerous Entities. All of these beings take significant interest in the matters of the Material, and they seek always a way to materialise here, to do as they wish. It is difficult for them to do so, as Heaven controls the Interior strictly. Only those with significant power, perhaps beings that have slipped in from the Outside, are able to easily move between the Realms; and even they are limited as the more time they spent in the Material in their natural form, the weaker they become, and ultimately will be forced to return to the Outside. Beyond that, there is also supposedly some element of Heaven which plays a guarding role, reacting and striking if such beings are detected going against the Rules, in some way.¡¯This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
¡®But, if any of these beings can possess a Material being, like yourself, then they might gain a solid foothold in the Material. Your body would provide them with protection from the Aura of the world, and a cloak from Heaven¡¯s eyes. Supposedly they can possess just about anything, but a Demon will quickly mutate most Material beings until they are entirely Demonic, making them useless as a cloak. Individuals with the Black Gift are very attractive to Demons because these individuals will mutate far more slowly. The stronger the Gift, the longer the body will last.¡¯
Nicolai¡¯s frown had grown to the extent his face felt tight. ¡®So that¡¯s what I saw? Beings which were trying to possess me?¡¯
¡®Yes,¡¯ confirmed Maric. ¡®Not only were they trying to possess you, at that moment, but even right now, this very instant, they are watching you from the Interior. If you have a strong Black Gift they will be clustered around you like flies around meat. Watching, and waiting for a chance to seize control. Do you often find yourself afflicted by mad rages, strange and unnatural desires, bloodlust?¡¯
Nicolai swallowed. ¡®Yes,¡¯ he said.
¡®I thought as much. In truth, this is not all their work. Those with one of the Gifts are always a little¡ eccentric. It is natural. But these beings will always seek to magnify such drives, for they feed on negative energy, and each release, each time you lose control and sate their desires, they will be able to claw a little deeper into your mind. They use the Gift like a ladder. Luckily, most such beings will be quite weak. So long as you don¡¯t run into something more powerful, like a True Demon, they will have to gradually work their way into you.¡¯
Nicolai was hearing a strange buzzing noise as all of this sunk in, as he stared at the chatty skull. He was beset by strange and dark beings from another dimension? He had been all of his life? ¡®So what can I do? How can I maintain control?¡¯ he asked.
¡®Uh¡¡¯ Maric blue light flickered, looking at Nicolai then at Kleos. ¡®Well. There isn¡¯t so much written about that. Mostly the writings say to just find individuals with the Black Gift and kill them before they can be possessed and cause problems. As it is¡ try your best not to lose yourself in these negative drives. That will slow the change, buying you time.¡¯
Kleos snorted. ¡®It¡¯s not that complex. Remember the story of the Beast. All you need is the blood of an Angel.¡¯
¡®¡±All you need,¡±¡¯ quoted Maric, and it laughed. ¡®That might be simple, but not easy. Where have you seen any Angels, or their blood?¡¯
¡®He needs a Heavenly Artifact,¡¯ argued Kleos. ¡®It should serve the same purpose.¡¯ Maric fell silent in response to that.
Nicolai looked back and forth between them. ¡®As in, an Artifact which is tied in some way to Heaven?¡¯
¡®Exactly,¡¯ said Kleos.
¡®That could work,¡¯ murmured Maric. ¡®The energy of Heaven is opposed to and yet in balance with Warp energy. If you can find such an Artifact, or even Symbiotes of the Heaven path, they could help you stabilise yourself by balancing out your Dark Aptitude.¡¯
¡®Psh,¡¯ muttered Kleos. ¡®The same as I said. Heavenly energy, whether it comes from an Angel or an Artifact; that is the solution.¡¯
¡®What¡¯s all this about a beast, anyway?¡¯ asked Maric.
¡®A story of my people,¡¯ said Kleos. ¡®In it, there is an individual who is infected with black blood that fell from a great Outsider, slain long ago. He becomes a Demonic being. But later on, he is in a pool of water, and an Angel dies beside him, its blood soaking the water, while there is a Symbiote of Change present. A reaction occurs, and he turns from a Demon, into an Angel.¡¯
¡®Ahhh,¡¯ hummed Maric. ¡®An energy flip.¡¯
¡®Energy flip?¡¯ asked Nicolai.
¡®It is a rare phenomenon, little known. Supposedly, in certain circumstances, a Demonic being can transform into an Angelic; and vice versa. I suppose these circumstances were fulfilled in the story. It is something to do with the concept of opposites; that in a way, things which are opposite are also the same, and need only make a small step to transform into their opposing form.¡¯
¡®So that¡¯s what would happen to me?¡¯
Maric scoffed. ¡®No, we are talking about using Heavenly energy to reduce the influence of Warp energy within you. I don¡¯t think an Angel¡¯s blood would cause such a change within you. Unlike this ¡°Beast,¡± you are not truly a Demonic being. If you were to transform into such a being, only then would the Angel¡¯s blood be able to cause an energy flip¡ªmaybe.
¡®But by that point you would be something else, no longer yourself. The matter of an energy flip would not matter, as you would have already lost; most likely transformed into a Demonic entity. In such a state you wouldn¡¯t willingly undergo an energy flip. Any plans or goals would be dismissed by this new being, which would be a fusion of you and the entities that are feeding from you. A being that would care only for blood and carnage. Not to mention, as in Kleos¡¯ story, it is not a simple matter. You would need some kind of catalyst like this Symbiote of Change. I doubt you will find such a thing; they are very rare and valuable. Even so, just keeping an Angel¡¯s blood near to you, providing you Heavenly energy, would likely help keep you balanced. At least until it dried up.¡¯
Nicolai shook his head and returned to the matter at hand. ¡®So my best chance is some kind of Heavenly Artifact or Symbiote. Where could I find such?¡¯
Kleos hummed noncommittally.
¡®Difficult,¡¯ murmured Maric.
Nicolai waited, but no more words were forthcoming. ¡®That¡¯s it?¡¯ he hissed at the two.
They peered up at him worriedly. ¡®Careful. Remember you must maintain control of yourself and not give in to negative emotion,¡¯ said Kleos.
¡®As the Traitor says. There¡¯s not a lot you can do for now, but at least you can do that. Heavenly Artifacts and Symbiotes aren¡¯t common. It¡¯s one of the rarest paths.¡¯
They are right, chimed Threat Analysis. You must control yourself.
I agree, began the Mask, but it fell silent when Nicolai let out a frustrated breath.
¡®Annoying,¡¯ he muttered. He had too many tiny beings with their own little views. All of them needling him. Regardless, they were right. He sat back and relaxed his body. Cool and calm.
He¡¯d learned much just now, and this was good. But the way forward was far from clear. Even so, he must maintain control, that was the only route currently open to him. Good and bad come and go, he reminded himself. It is important to maintain composure in face of all obstacles. He knew these words were true for they had been with him through many challenges. He was still here, after centuries of battle and struggle. I am alive and I will be here tomorrow, and the day after. Day after day, he would continue to fight and to strive, and he would find a way. He knew that his words for himself were no different than those of the little being around him, but even so it felt better to think them himself. At least now he knew what to look out for; some kind of Heavenly Artifact or Symbiote.
This led his gaze to the stone that rested on the table. He picked it up and considered it. There could be any Symbiote inside, perhaps even what he needed.
157: Small Silver Ant
¡®You¡¯ll need to be careful with that,¡¯ said Kleos. ¡®If you are slightly too harsh, the Symbiote inside will die. Even if you do everything perfectly, it¡¯s still likely to die.¡¯
¡®Is it a hibernating Symbiote?¡¯ asked Maric, seeming curious.
¡®That¡¯s right,¡¯ said Kleos shortly. ¡®I am advising him on this matter.¡¯
Nicolai cracked a smile at Kleos¡¯ possessiveness. ¡®Tell me what I need to do, then.¡¯
After Kleos had explained the process, he began. First he poured out one bottle¡¯s worth of Slow Water into a collapsible bowl he¡¯d purchased from the Trade Link, then took the hibernating Symbiote rock and placed it within. There was no reaction, but that was to be expected.
He retrieved the food he believed would fit this Symbiote, the Blue Leaves from the tree in the forest, and placed the bundles of leaves by the bowl. Next he drew a knife and began to whittle away at the edges of the stone in the bowl, keeping it submerged as much as possible as he carved chips from it. While he chipped away his Soul Sense layered the rock, pressing within, finding the barrier that protected the Symbiote and beginning to play a tune against it, whispering of food and safety.
With his closely pressing Soul Sense he was able to gain a full understanding of the shape of the rock and the movements of his hand and his knife, to the extent he could have closed his eyes yet still worked with complete accuracy.
He performed the task slowly, minutes dripping by and grouping into tens. Gradually, the rock shrunk. As it did the barrier around the Symbiote dissolved, and at last, he felt it. His movements grew even slower and more careful as he removed the last of the rock, which were stuck to a little frozen being, curled up in the centre. His Soul Sense was a warm blanket around it, far different to when he¡¯d broken in his previous Symbiotes. There was nothing of attack or domination, instead he was cradling it like a babe.
Now it was uncased, the Slow Water began to have an effect, and he felt how the movements of the Symbiote were slowed. Already it was dying, but that death was slowed by the water around it.
Nicolai pulled away, watching carefully. The Symbiote was still. His awareness of it via Soul Sense was fading, weakening, dying. He took one of the leaves and fed it through the water, to the Symbiote, and there was faint movement from it. Just a hint. He held the leaf against it, waiting, hoping.
Another tiny movement and he saw a minuscule mouth nibble at the leaf. Nicolai held the leaf to it, waiting patiently as the Symbiote consumed it, tiny-bite by tiny-bite.
Once the leaf was gone, he fed it another, then another. Gradually, the Symbiote was stabilising.
Half-an-hour later, and it was crawling around within the slow water, consuming the leaves he¡¯d placed within.
¡®What do you think?¡¯ he asked Kleos.
¡®Good, very good. You got lucky, it¡¯s doing better than I¡¯d expect. Must not have been hibernating all that long.¡¯
¡®Is it a Heavenly type?¡¯ Nicolai asked, pressing.
Maric let out a little noise. ¡®Doesn¡¯t look like it,¡¯ said the skull. ¡®Then it would be golden in colour, most likely, not pale.¡¯
¡®What does it feel like, to your Soul Sense?¡¯ added Kleos.
¡®Quiet, cool¡ a little like a Soul or Soul Seed.¡¯
¡®It is probably a Spirit type, then,¡¯ said the head, looking disappointed, something which Nicolai appreciated. Good and bad come and go. I am a rock in a river. His mood was stabilised. He hadn¡¯t truly expected this Symbiote would be the answer to his ails; that would have been extraordinarily lucky.
¡®Think I can try to break it in now?¡¯
¡®I would, before it grows too strong. This is the ideal moment. It¡¯s weak and should be easy to break-in. Give it much longer and that will change.¡¯
¡®Perfect.¡¯ Nicolai smiled, and his Soul Sense around the Symbiote turned on a dime, morphing from protective and nurturing into a vicious surprise assault.
The Symbiote stilled and grew tense as he attacked it, and Nicolai raised his arms, threads of Oma emerging and winding around the Symbiote, lifting it from the bowl and holding it before him.
It looked like some kind of ant, but formed of a pale substance similar to his Seed. He moved slowly as he took it away from the table then settled into a cross-legged pose, making his body symmetrical. The Symbiote floated before his chest and he held one hand above it, one below, his Soul pressuring it from both directions as he prepared himself.
Already, the Symbiote had recovered enough that it was surprisingly strong. Not as much as his Blue Hornet had been, but still a challenge.
Nicolai drew his hands slowly away from the Symbiote and prepared to strike with his Soul, but then, something strange happened.
The Symbiote gave up. Just like that. Its walls collapsed and his Soul, his will, poured into, binding it to him.
Before it could dissolve into his body he reached for it and tapped it with a finger, examining it.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Small Silver Ant Symbiote
This Symbiote can be used to assist the Cultivator when forming fresh Nodes, as well as being capable of autonomously tending to their internal system.
¡®It just gave up,¡¯ he said to the heads.
The pair exchanged knowing glances.
¡®Sometimes they do,¡¯ said Kleos.
¡®If they like you, or simply don¡¯t have the will to resist.¡¯
Nicolai nodded, filing that fact away. ¡®It¡¯s called Small Silver Ant,¡¯ he added, and heard a sharp intake of breath from Kleos, saw a flicker in Maric¡¯s blue eyes.
¡®Those are valuable. Perhaps the best you¡¯ve gotten so far,¡¯ said Kleos, and he saw it looking at the Symbiote with a kind of yearning. ¡®Very handy in the Foundation stage. It¡¯ll be able to aid you with your Node building, and from there it can also speed the finalisation process up.¡¯
¡®Oh? Good timing,¡¯ murmured Nicolai, sitting down at the table and placing all of his collected Oma crystals before him, then placing a couple of Rejuvenating Orbs beside them¡ªjust in case. Briefly, his Soul Sense slipped out and checked on the others, finding that all the others were now in their rooms, mostly sleeping. His door was locked. Everything was fine.
He got started by allowing the Small Silver Ant to dissolve into his Soul, then took two Oma crystals into his grip and pulled on them. The Oma poured into him but to his surprise, it didn¡¯t go to his mostly-empty lung Nodes. Instead it went straight to his heart Node, where it entered the black twist and became his Oma, as normal. From there his heart¡¯s Node was overfilled, the excess Oma being pushed out where it then streamed to his lung Node¡¯s.
After consuming a few crystals, his lung Nodes were filled. Nicolai took a few more Oma crystals to hold in each hand, then his focus moved inwards, checking inside of his heart¡¯s Node again.
The Blue Hornet floated in the dense cloud of Oma in the centre. The Grasping Finger crawled on the walls. The Small Silver Ant was spinning airy circles around the black twist.
Nicolai took control of the Small Silver Ant, feeling at its functions, then gave it a simple order, Help me, and charged it with Oma. Once charged he felt it take on a new life, and it began to pull on his Oma by itself, taking streams of it towards itself without his direction.
That done he started sucking in more Oma from the crystals he held, and turned his attention to his right kidney.
The process of Node building began. Nicolai pulled his Oma into dense strings and layered them one after the other, forming the scaffolding of a new Node in the place of potential. As he worked, the Small Silver Ant helped him by supporting everything he did. It would hold the strings of Oma steady for him, allowing him to lay them faster. It filled in any gaps or flaws he left, which would spare him the need to do so himself. As a result, upon completion of the Node he realised he¡¯d broken a kind of personal record, having completed this one notably faster than either of his lung Nodes.
He started work on the next. Hours passed. Nicolai¡¯s mass of hoarded Oma crystals disappeared in chunks as he completed Node after Node. After his first time, he knew what he was doing and managed easily, though he continued to learn as he went and each Node he made was slightly better than the last, and completed increasingly quickly as he grew used to the support of the Silver Ant.
Hours later, he completed the final Node, feeling it take shape and grow firm halfway down his throat, a strange sensation that made him flex his throat.
His mind moved inside. He looked over the three new, unfinalised Nodes within him. One in each of his kidneys. One halfway down his windpipe. Seeing his body full of new structures, he felt a deep satisfaction. That same satisfaction emanated from his heart¡¯s Major Node, and he knew that once these three were finalised, his Heart Node would be working at its peak, supported by the others. Three small rivers of Oma crept forth from his heart¡¯s Node, heading to the three new Nodes. The finalisation was in progress.
User Interface 376 | User #53,217
- Cultivation
Total Nodes: 1 Major, 2 Minor
- Available unconstructed Nodes: 0 Major, 3 Minor
Nodes in progress;
Right Kidney (1%)
Left Kidney (1%)
Windpipe (1%)
- Completed Nodes;
Heart (Flawless) (43/100)
Right Lung (B) (9/24)
Left Lung (B) (8/25)
His mind moved on, spotting the Small Silver Ant. It was still active even though he¡¯d finished the Nodes, and without his direction it continued to pull a tithe of Oma from his reserves. As he watched, it moved amongst his three newly created, unfinished Nodes, and as it went it did something to them. He wasn¡¯t sure what. Some kind of infusion and blanketing of energy that made the Nodes sparkle. Speeding the finalisation process.
Looking over the pouches of Oma crystals on his desk, some of them now entirely empty, Nicolai took count. He¡¯d used almost half of his total in the past few hours, which meant once again he had to be careful and ration his crystals, as there were barely enough to complete the finalisation if he failed to find more in the coming days. In that regard, he wasn¡¯t sure he could afford the activities of the Small Silver Ant.
It used quite a bit of Oma, continuously. His three new Nodes already passively drained a significant amount to keep themselves powered and finalising. The Small Silver Ant was taking a third as much as those three did combined, giving him a constant cost comparable to if he¡¯d built four new Nodes, not three.
Nicolai¡¯s impression was that it was certainly speeding his progress, but it was also likely using more Oma overall than he would need if he let the finalisation complete naturally.
At the moment, he was losing Oma passively. Even with his two new lung Nodes increasing his rate of Oma generation, his rate of replenishment didn¡¯t match up to the combined passive cost of three finalising Nodes and the Small Silver Ant.
But it did mean his rate of loss wasn¡¯t too bad, overall. He was actually losing slightly less than he had when his two lung Nodes had been finalising. If he de-activated the Small Silver Ant, his passive loss would turn into a small upkeep.
Nicolai found himself very glad he had chosen to grow his Lung Nodes first. The decision was paying dividends now, as it had put him in a much safer position with the creation of these three new Nodes. He wouldn¡¯t need to keep such a careful eye in case he ran out without noticing. If he did, he could simply deactivate the Small Silver Ant. As he considered that thought he felt his paranoia, merged with Threat Analysis, swelling within him, and he knew that this actually changed nothing. He would keep a close eye regardless, because details mattered.
There were still hours of night left. Perhaps he ought to sleep, but Nicolai wasn¡¯t sleepy. His eyes turned to the Memory Tomes laid out before him and he leaned forwards in his seat, taking one and setting it before him.
¡®Steady your mind,¡¯ said Kleos. ¡®The tomes will seize you, make you read. They will carve the information they hold into your mind, until you can take no more.¡¯
¡®What then?¡¯ asked Nicolai.
¡®Then, you take a break, and come back when you¡¯re ready. The more disciplined you are, the better your ability to take in information, the stronger your Soul, and the more closely your mind matches the creator of the book, the smoother the process will be.¡¯
Nicolai opened the Symbiote Memory Tome to the first page. As before, the words there seized and drew his eyes, something similar to Soul Sense reaching out from the book and into him, but these were not simple sensory tendrils. They were rivers of information, and they began to pour into his mind.
158: Socialising
Nicolai was sucked into a world of information. A great list of Symbiotes rolled out in front of him and dragged him inside. He saw dozens of them, all tiny little creatures, held out on hands.
They shone and activated and magic erupted, each one showcasing its ability. He was able to feel them with his Soul Sense, gaining an impression of how they felt, learning to recognise them. The visions kept coming. Now he saw them being fed, gnawing or drinking or nibbling on all kinds of natural resources, and again the sense of these resources washed over him. All throughout there was a droning voice, going into detail on everything presented, dozens of random facts that dug their way into Nicolai¡¯s mind.
It kept going and going, Symbiote after Symbiote into the hundreds, vision after vision, and each vision burrowed into him, transforming into green orbs that sunk into his Soul.
After a period Nicolai forcefully pulled himself away. He wanted to gain a broader understanding than just that of Symbiotes. His Soul Sense was fuzzing, the world spinning, but he forced himself to open the next book, the one on creatures and monsters; information which was just as important.
Now his mind was filled with a confusing rush of visions of dozens of beings, cats and canines, birds and lizards, insects and amphibians. He saw them moving, fighting. He saw their habitats and methods of hunting and surviving. He saw more, and more, his mind and Soul increasingly saturated with the green orbs until it reached a point where he could contain no more.
Nicolai snapped back into his body, reeling and dizzy, his mind still filled with echoes of the visions and fading voices. It took some time for his eyes to adjust to the light of the room, for the stars and lights to fade.
All the information was bubbling around in his mind. With the help of the Modules he was already sorting and classifying it, and his mind was already capable of dealing with a great deal of information. But the method of delivery caused him some trouble. All that information was dropped into his Soul, not his mind, and then had to filter through his Soul and into him. His Soul felt somehow drained and overfilled, all at once. Wrung out like a dishcloth used to scrub pans all day long.
He had enough awareness to remember to put Kleos into the bucket of liquid, then he stumbled to his cot and crawled into it. Keep watch, and wake me at daybreak, he instructed Threat Analysis then fell asleep.
###
Nicolai was dragged awake by an incessant beeping, emanating from the microphones in his ears directly into his ear canal. He lurched into full wakefulness, lunging out of the bed, pistol already in his hand.
No threats. Daytime, said Threat Analysis.
Rise and shine, said Cyberwarfare.
He¡¯d slept heavily, which was unlike him. But he could understand why; even sleeping like a dead man hadn¡¯t entirely restored him after what he¡¯d put his brain through the night before.
His eyes were a little grainy, and his body didn¡¯t respond with quite its usual adroitness. Should¡¯ve got more sleep. Nothing to be done for it now. The new day beckoned and Nicolai could only rise to meet it. Perhaps he ought to sleep in, but there was so much to do and he disliked the idea of being asleep while the others were awake. It wouldn¡¯t give the proper impression of a leader that he desired to put forwards.
At the very least he wasn¡¯t as tired as he might¡¯ve been before becoming a Cultivator, and he had methods to alleviate the dullness he felt. On top of that, the remnants of information from the tome had stabilised within him mind and Soul. Not quite a part of him, not yet. But he knew if he attempted to delve into what he felt, the green orbs, he would be able to quickly access them. Over the next few days they should finishing moving through his Soul and be fully integrated.
He was also aware that he hadn¡¯t the plumbed the depths of the Memory Tomes. They had more to offer him, but it was a process he would need to space out. His Soul could only take so much at a time.
Despite his tiredness, Nicolai removed Kleos from its bag of liquid, greeting the head and the skull (putting them beside one another), then settled into his morning routine, moving through the stretches and exercises. After completing both his state was improved, much of the grittiness gone from his eyes. He followed this up with some heavy gulps from the Green Water Bottle, which perked him up with similar effect as a strong cup of coffee.
After servicing and practising with his weapons, Nicolai equipped himself and left his room, not long after the torches had switched on. As he left, Kleos spoke up.
¡®Take me with you,¡¯ said the head, its first words that morning. Nicolai turned back, picked it up and was about to leave. Kleos had frequently been asking to be taken outside in the mornings, now. He¡¯d thought it enjoyed resting in quiet, but it seemed Kleos was bored. It wanted to watch the others, talk to them. As he made to leave, Maric also spoke up.
¡®Hey, me too!¡¯ said the skull, its blue eyes flaring. ¡®I don¡¯t want to sit in here on my own.¡¯
Nicolai paused, eyeing the skull. He trusted Kleos with the others because the head was bound to aid them. Maric, not so much. But his Mask stirred as he looked at the skull and it told him that he would also find it miserable and boring to be no more than a living skull, left to sit in a room by himself all day, and injected him with a pulse of actual human understanding and kindness, emotions which it crafted rather well. Nicolai, taken with the sensations, went and picked Maric up.
¡®Kleos, keep an eye on our friend when I am not around,¡¯ he said as he moved to the door. ¡®Let me know if Maric doesn¡¯t stick to his side of things; being fair with us.¡¯
¡®Gladly,¡¯ muttered Kleos, while Maric let out an affronted little mutter.
Exiting, He found Jo and Beth there, talking quietly, both of them looking happy. Beth was curled up on the inflatable couch, and Jo was on one of the wooden chairs. She was staring at something held in her hands, and Nicolai immediately recognised the change within her.
The tendrils of Seed-type Soul Sense that had been permanently around Jo recently were gone. Instead there was one, thicker tendril, exploring the room, and his sense of her emotions was muted, shielded by her Soul. She¡¯d integrated her Seed at some point in the night.
The two glanced up when he entered, and Jo smiled. She didn¡¯t look like she¡¯d gotten much sleep, shadows under her eyes. But in spite of that, her smile was held pride and satisfaction. ¡®Look,¡¯ she said, holding her hand out. There was a little living thing there; a Symbiote. It looked like a tiny bird, moving around her palm. It paused and cocked its head to stare at one of her fingers, looking like it was seriously considering giving the digit a nibble. He felt the Modules clustering within his Soul, gazing curiously at the piece of magic.
¡®You did it,¡¯ he acknowledged. ¡®Well done. What¡¯d you get?¡¯
¡®It¡¯s called a Grey Plume Pigeon,¡¯ said Jo. ¡®The description said it can let one quickly move over short distances. Sounded to me like it lets you kinda, hop quickly about.¡¯
¡®Decent choice,¡¯ he said, nodding. Mobility was always useful, and being able to move quickly should go well with a Pegasi ring and her preference for shooting from a distance. ¡®Here,¡¯ he said, pulling one of three Pegasi rings off his finger and handing it over to her. Losing it would make him a little slower when flying, but it wouldn¡¯t be a huge difference. Each additional Pegasi ring had less and less effect, when used together.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Her eyes widened slightly as she took it, then her smile widened.
¡®Get used to moving around with it when you can. You haven¡¯t broken that in yet?¡¯ He nodded to the tiny bird on her palm.
¡®No, uh, I¡¯m tired,¡¯ she said. ¡®Only finished the integration less than an hour ago.¡¯
¡®Best to do it soon,¡¯ he muttered, struggling to pull his eyes away from it. ¡®Lots to do,¡¯ he added.
This was difficult because he wanted it. Unlike the third Pegasi ring, it would make a real difference. A Symbiote or Imbued that would give him faster movement was something he¡¯d desired for a while. Below all that, his Mask reminded him, he just wanted it because he was a relentlessly greedy piece of shit who, to some degree, wanted everything.
He forced his eyes away and moved, uncomfortable, toward one of the chairs. Habit made him go to the side of the table where he could sit in the singular end chair, which was made of wood, not rubber. He pulled it back a little and angled it so he would have a view of the main exit, the hallway with the room, and the stairwell up above. He sat down with his back to the wall, with his back straight, leaning forward slightly, positioned with his feet closer to him so his centre of gravity was over them and he could rise as rapidly as possible if necessary. He didn¡¯t think on this, he simply did it. His thoughts were on other matters. He was tired. Tired of the endless struggle. Tired of being confused.
¡®Actually, I was thinking,¡¯ Jo was saying to him. ¡®How about we take it easy for the morning? I think Perro and Azure are about finished with their Seeds, too. We should keep an eye on them.¡¯
Nicolai eyed her. He¡¯d been planning to head to the Library, and felt that others could watch the pair if they truly were close to Integration. But his Mask spoke to him and said that Jo was speaking in a secret language, one it could understand better than he. It told him that what she actually meant was: we¡¯re all tired and want a rest, and if you force us to constantly go out without any time to relax, we will be unhappy.
¡®I suppose a morning off could be in order,¡¯ he murmured, intending to cut that time as short as he possibly could. He wanted to finish the library Guardian and take its Imbued, and sooner was better.
One of the door¡¯s opened and Perro emerged, his Seed¡¯s Soul Sense fanning out around him. He saw Nicolai and his face lit up with pride. ¡®I did it! Finished and bonded!¡¯ he called out, only for the door across from him to burst open, Azure exploding out. ¡®I did it!¡¯ she yelled, a mirror of Perro.
Nicolai stared as the overexcited teenagers collided, laughing and hugging one another, jumping up and down. He did his best to form a happy expression.
¡®I was first!¡¯ yelled Azure.
¡®No, it was me!¡¯ cried Perro, ¡®I got out in the hallway first!¡¯
¡®I¡ª!¡®
¡®Actually¡¡¯ came a voice and they both turned, looking to Jo, who wore a tiny smirk.
Perro stared at Jo, then his Soul Sense extended, along with Azure¡¯s. Their eyes shot wide. ¡®You did it already!¡¯ The two groaned, seeming, for some reason, unhappy.
¡®Yes,¡¯ said Jo, grinning. ¡®Pay up.¡¯
The two disappeared into their rooms then popped back out, muttering, and both handed a points-tag over to Jo. Nicolai raised an eyebrow, surprised. ¡®Gambling?¡¯ he asked.
¡®Hey, they suggested it,¡¯ said Jo, waving her arms and grinning, seeming very pleased with herself.
Nicolai couldn¡¯t help but smile, surprised, amused, his dark mood fading slightly. He had been holding Maric and Kleos absently in his hands, and he extended to place on the pair on the central table, angled so they could look at the others.
¡®Hey!¡¯ said Azure, peering curiously at the skull. ¡®Another one? Do you talk?¡¯
¡®Greetings. I am Maric, a wandering scholar,¡¯ spoke the skull in profound tones.
¡®Wow,¡¯ said Perro, clustering beside Azure. He looked to Nicolai. ¡®Are you collecting these things?¡¯
Nicolai peered back at the boy, confused. ¡®No. It is merely happenstance.¡¯ Removing Maric¡¯s body and keeping his skull was simply the most efficient option.
¡®Are you guys friends?¡¯ whispered Azure to the two undead.
¡®Maybe in time,¡¯ said Maric, while at the same moment Kleos gave a short, ¡®No.¡¯
¡®The skull seems a bit more friendly,¡¯ observed Perro.
¡®I¡¯m friendly,¡¯ muttered Kleos, peering up at the boy. ¡®To people I trust.¡¯ He shot a dark look at the skull. Maric¡¯s eyes twinkled.
¡®This one dragged us into a fight against a nasty undead then tried to lock us out of what we came for,¡¯ said Beth, rising and plucking Maric from the table, holding the skull up to gaze at it through narrowed eyes.
¡®Uh, yes, well. That was¡ an unfortunate lapse in judgement,¡¯ spoke the skull, looking quite worried as Beth began to bounce it from hand to hand. ¡®A lapse that will not be repeated!¡¯ Beth spun the skull like a softball on one finger, the blue light in its eyes turning into a blur. ¡®Hey! I¡¯m sorry! Put me down!¡¯
Jo rose and snatched the skull, returning it to the table, where Maric let out its version of a sigh of relief. ¡®Don¡¯t bully him,¡¯ she chided her sister, and Beth rolled her eyes.
¡®Yes, poor little skull-man,¡¯ crooed Azure, sinking down to her knees and grinning at the skull, reaching out to rub its head. ¡®So smooth and cute.¡¯
¡®You didn¡¯t say I¡¯m cute,¡¯ said Kleos, staring at her.
¡®Because you¡¯re all¡ rotted flesh,¡¯ she said, twisting her lips. Kleos, in contrast, wore an expression that actually appeared somewhat hurt.
¡®Not everyone can be as charming as me, I suppose,¡¯ muttered a smug Maric.
Jo observed Azure with a quizzical expression for a moment. ¡®Why did you bring this thing back with us, anyway?¡¯ she asked, looking to Nicolai.
Nicolai had been observing the others in a state of blank uncertainty. His Mask had been telling him, look, look, this is how normal people interact. This is how we could be. Part of him was utterly disgusted by the very idea, another felt a strange but powerful drive to do as his Mask desired, the rest of him was simply confused. Except for Threat Analysis, anyway, who was busy watching Maric with suspicion, feeling the undead¡¯s ¡°charming¡± nature had come about rather quickly. Nicolai blinked at Jo, suddenly finding himself required to interject, and his Mask was digging into him with a desire to be human, and to have a personality.
This was difficult, because when not engaged in manipulation of some sort, Nicolai wasn¡¯t certain that he had a personality. The various acts he wore for differing purposes did, but at this moment, he did not see himself as doing any of that. He was simply¡ being himself.
Who and what was himself? What was his personality?
He considered telling some kind of joke and being funny. This was one way to have a personality. However, this could fall flat, which would be a sign that he was a weak and socially clumsy person. Inexcusable.
So Nicolai simply answered the question directly, while adopting his persona of confident-leader-who-is-dedicated-to-gaining-influence-and-security-for-the-group.
¡®He¡¯s a good source of info. We don¡¯t know enough about this place. He, alongside Kleos, can tell us more.¡¯ He shrugged. ¡®So, if you have any questions, ask away.¡¯
Nicolai focused on his face and the disappointed, sullen thrashings of the Mask. He had failed to have a personality and settled for the safe option, as always, and it was upset with him. Another time, he told it, but they both knew he was lying. He settled back, comfortably ignored as the others peppered Maric, alongside Kleos, with various random questions. These ranged from, ¡°What secret knowledge can you tell us?¡± (Perro) to ¡°Does it feel nice when I rub your head?¡± (Azure).
After some time, Perro and Azure remembered their current pressing matter, the pair looking to Jo and Beth.
¡®We¡¯re gonna do it,¡¯ said Azure, ¡®we¡¯re gonna Integrate.¡¯ The girl grinned broadly. ¡®Will you watch over us?¡¯ she spoke to Jo and Beth, and Perro also looked to the two women.
Strangely, neither of the teenagers looked to him. They both looked at Jo and Beth. Nicolai wondered whether he ought to feel insulted. In truth he was glad. It was a messy business and one he¡¯d rather not observe. He kept his peace as the others disappeared into rooms, Jo accompanying Perro, Beth going with Azure, and Nicolai was left alone except for Kleos and Maric on the table. The others had yet to rise. He was glad for the silence.
¡®Your little group is getting stronger,¡¯ murmured Kleos, eyes flicking to him.
¡®They are,¡¯ he replied. Perro and Azure would each be receiving a Symbiote once they¡¯d integrated. He felt a hunger stirring inside.
¡®Interesting, very interesting,¡¯ spoke Maric. ¡®I¡¯ve never met so many humans. A boisterous bunch. Ha-ha. What is this soft furniture constructed of?¡¯
¡®I wonder what you intend to do with them,¡¯ continued Kleos, ignoring the skull.
Nicolai shook his head. ¡®I don¡¯t know. They¡¯re useful, I suppose.¡¯ He frowned. ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯ Hadn¡¯t he used to know? He¡¯d felt they were important. When had that changed? Sitting there, for the first time in days he found himself unoccupied. In his room he was always either practising, or cultivating, or resting. But he didn¡¯t feel comfortable enough to do that out in the main room; he was too exposed, he had to maintain readiness and awareness. So he simply sat. And thought. He¡¯d been keeping himself very busy ever since that day. Since the painting.
And I should continue. I can see about reading more of the Memory Tomes. Or filter through the information they¡¯ve left in my head.
¡®Peaceful, here,¡¯ came Kleos¡¯ voice again. ¡®Relaxing.¡¯
Nicolai glanced at the head. He supposed it was peaceful, in a way, but he wasn¡¯t sure about ¡°relaxing.¡± The silence was much too loud, begging him to think of what he¡¯d learned in the painting. The darkness was squirming in its cage. His Mask was twisting over his face. He ignored them both. Should he lift up the rock, take a look at the ants scurrying beneath?
No. Not a good idea. Not here and now. But he should think about what he wanted to do with the others, what he wished to accomplish.
159: Pondering
Why was he with them? When he saw them being happy, being alive, it made him oddly happy, too. Not just because of his Mask, it was something deeper inside of him. Some hint of real humanity? He wasn¡¯t sure, but it was there. He struggled to understand them or interact with them except for when manipulating, but even so, at times he almost thought he liked them. Was that him, or the Mask?
It was good for him, being with them, he was pretty sure about it. This was important, if he wanted to learn to be that Better Man. But he couldn¡¯t ignore that he was gradually losing his fight with the darkness. Just like Kleos and Maric had said, there were strange beings out there, working hard to seep into him and carve him out. He could feel that he was changing, bit by bit, and in a manner contrary to his previous desires.
The admittance led to an immaterial cracking sensation, as though something had broken within him. He moved quickly to the cage, looking it over, but the dark was still.
It was beyond depressing that he was failing to control it. So what if there were Demons? He should be stronger! He needed to be stronger! If he couldn¡¯t control himself, then what was the point of any of this?
What could he do? Finding some kind of Heaven Artifact or Symbiote, sure, that would be nice¡ªbut it was down to random chance if he even learned of such an item.
For now, all he could do was his best to deal with the darkness and the hole himself, with his own methods. When he¡¯d mentioned the cage to Kleos and Maric before, they¡¯d both commented that this must be why he¡¯d lasted so long.
But the cage was a mess, broken and taped back together time after time, never restored to its original, perfect state. What then if he could return it to that state? Even make it stronger, make it better? Perhaps he could prove victorious in this on his own merit, with no need for external sources. The idea appealed to him on a fundamental level.
So why did he struggle to fix it? Because it is like mending a net, he answered. The net could not be mended if it was in use, dragging fish from the sea. It would need to be returned to the deck of the boat, and perhaps taken apart all together then knitted back anew.
The first step was to tear down the cage. It was increasingly ineffective, and band-aid repairs weren¡¯t working. It needed to be totally destroyed and then remade. He felt sure he was up to the task, but he also knew that if he did this, he would lose himself for some time. The dark would move through him and control him utterly, and he would be at the mercy of higher-dimension beings. Would he be able to piece it back together in face of that, make it stronger and better than ever?
Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way, if he could find no Heaven Artifact, then that would be the only option left to him. To let the process happen on his own terms, when he was ready for it, then act to take control and mend what was broken.
But he needed to be away from the others, first. Unless he was fine with them all dying. He considered that a moment, and the Mask flexed and squirmed over his face, digging painfully into his Soul. In response the dark began to stir. No, don¡¯t worry, he told it, and assured it he wouldn¡¯t let them die until it relaxed.
He breathed slow through his nose. He needed the Mask, he felt sure it would be integral to remaining in Control, remaining himself when he did rebuild the cage. It was helping keep him in check even now. If he allowed the others to die, it might desert him, or fall apart.
A clean break, then. He¡¯d go elsewhere in the castle then rebuild the cage. No, he shook his head. That wouldn¡¯t work. He didn¡¯t know what would happen when he broke the cage. No reason to think whatever he turned into would have forgotten what he knew. He¡¯d have to hide them from himself, and that wouldn¡¯t be easy. He was too good at finding things.
Really, he needed to leave the castle entirely. Get out into the jungle, travel some distance. Then he could lose himself without worry.
But he couldn¡¯t leave, not yet. He still needed to accrue enough funds to buy the Skin-Suit, for starters, and he wasn¡¯t sure whether Paxolnaz would still be able to find him to deliver its information on the Lizard if he left. He suspected it wouldn¡¯t have trouble, but he didn¡¯t know for sure. It was due anytime in the next couple or weeks. He also couldn¡¯t leave until he¡¯d put Kleos in the cocoon-thing it had mentioned, unless the Contract ended.
Beyond that, he also wanted to ensure he had extracted maximum value before moving on, by seizing everything within easy reach. The prisoners he¡¯d taken would provide him two Symbiotes which his Mask would not begrudge him taking.
He wanted to investigate the sword Paxolnaz had spoken of, though he wasn¡¯t entirely sure about that. He felt it was wise to be wary of a demon bearing gifts. He doubted it had directed him towards the sword out of desire to help him. But even so, a tainted rose is still a rose. It sounded like a powerful weapon and he wanted it. If he could pluck whatever thorns it might have, it could be of great use.
The main reason to stay, above it all, was that he was in a good position. The Chosen weren¡¯t interested in selling Trade Link items, and there was no one else with access to a Trade Link. He was the only seller in town. If he didn¡¯t make use of that to extract maximum possible value from the many people with many points-tags in this place before leaving, he would be deeply disappointed with himself.
He just had to hold it together, that was all. It shouldn¡¯t be much longer. He could last a couple of weeks. Couldn¡¯t he? In the meantime he just had to keep the dark down and the Mask happy, and he knew what it wanted.
The Aura around him, faintly sensable through his Soul Sense, was rippling. Nicolai was growing increasingly sensitive to these ripples, and he tracked them to Perro and Azure¡¯s room. They were in the throes of the Integration. He pulled his Soul Sense away, thinking, deciding. He would stick with the group so long as he could, and if they survived that would mean he was a Better Man. The ripples faded. He watched the doors, patient as the slow shifting of the shadows.
A few minutes later, one opened, and then the other. Perro and Azure emerged.
Nicolai immediately noticed what had changed. Perro, and Azure were Cultivators, their Soul Senses visible around them. He could also feel a resonance around the pair which told him they¡¯d claimed Symbiotes and had them on their person, not yet broken-in.
¡®How are you two feeling?¡¯ he asked.
¡®Good!¡¯ Perro laughed.
Perro sprinted down the corridor and jumped, covering almost the entirety of it one great, energetic leap. His movements were quick and smooth, full of a hyper strength. ¡®I¡¯m faster, and stronger!¡¯This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
Azure, laughing, chased right after the boy, leaping over the inflatable couch, almost brushing the ceiling, letting out a howl of delight as she crashed into one of the inflatable chairs, bouncing off of it and tumbling to the floor where she sprung back to her feet.
¡®And me!¡¯ she yelled, raising her hands and spinning a pirouette, then taking up an odd pose before Perro.
Nicolai gaped at the pair as Perro lifted his own hands, both of them making odd, almost constipated faces, and adopting strange stances.
¡®Hya!¡¯ yelled Azure, raising her arms high and lifting one leg, bent at the knee.
¡®Shyaaa!¡¯ howled Perro, standing with his legs wide, one arm high, hand clawed, the other extended towards her.
Both froze, staring intently at one another. Perro, eyes narrowed, made a come-hither gesture.
¡®Wuuuuh!¡¯ screamed Azure as her bent leg snapped out in a kick at Perro, who spun to the side. Nicolai observed that the boy needn¡¯t have dodged, because the strike wouldn¡¯t have hit him. Azure was standing too far away.
The two transformed into an ungainly but quite fast blur as they hopped around and wildly swung their limbs, screaming warcries.
A strange form of sparring, Nicolai thought, staring at them. It was like they were high on something.
Jo and Beth had emerged from the rooms and where the teenagers were full of energy, they seemed drained, exchanging glances then circling around the combatants who were spinning in the centre of the room, settling into chairs. Beth chose the inflatable couch. Jo, like Nicolai, sought out one of the wooden chairs.
The teenagers were breathing heavily, their frenetic movements exhausting them, and they fell into the couch. Beth yelped as she scooted out the way.
Perro¡¯s eyes found Nicolai. He reached into a pocket. ¡®Look what I got!¡¯ Grinning with pride he pulled a Symbiote and presented it, a tiny shimmering crab-like creature that seemed quite relaxed and non-aggressive despite not being broken-in.
¡®May I?¡¯ Nicolai asked, leaning forwards and extending a hand. He was feeling relatively relaxed and did not intend to attempt to steal these Symbiotes, due to having accepted his Mask¡¯s needs in this area. Keeping the Mask happy was more important than two random Symbiotes.
Perro handed it over and Nicolai Examined it.
Quivering Dome-Crab
Once activated this Symbiote strikes out by itself, pushing any attacking the Cultivator back.
Not what I would have chosen, but I don¡¯t know what his other options were. He gave it back, smiling. ¡®A good choice,¡¯ he said, and Perro preened. ¡®How about you?¡¯ he asked Azure.
With a pleased smile of her own she retrieved a Symbiote from one of her pockets, holding it out to him, though at a distance, not allowing him to touch it. It looked like a little spider, and Nicolai could sense how her Soul Sense was focused on pressuring it.
¡®It¡¯s called a Short WebSpinnner,¡¯ she said, ¡®I can use it make like, spider-webs, and throw them, and climb with them.¡¯ She was bouncing in her seat, an eager light in her eyes. ¡®I¡¯m gonna break it in!¡¯
Perro was quick to echo her, and now the pair of them did actually turn to Nicolai, both asking for advice.
He was happy to provide it, because of course, the fewer resources they used up breaking in their Symbiote, the more there would be available for him the next time they wanted something from the Trade Link. Maric and Kleos also chimed in, both seeming eager to show off what they knew, perhaps feeling a little competition from one another.
While the pair broke in their Symbiotes, the others gradually emerged. Nicolai managed to convince Jo and Beth to engage in a three-way Soul Sense battle with him in this time. The moments they both teamed up against him and he had the deeply enjoyable challenge of facing both at once, was by far the happiest and most relaxed he¡¯d been that entire morning.
Jo and Beth also faced off against one another, and Nicolai witnessed Beth¡¯s smug joy when she continually beat her sister. After much time spent training against Nicolai, the fledgling Jo stood little chance. Like her sister, however, Jo was a quick learner and quickly the contests became less one-sided, with Jo managing to eke out a singular win.
Throughout this Kleos and Maric fully took over advising Perro and Azure as they broke in their Symbiotes, and Nicolai retreated now and then to his room, finding a kind of relaxation. In this time he would read some more of the Memory Tomes, though only a few pages at a time. Even just a few would give information on dozens of creatures of Symbiote, and all in quite an over the top manner with the quality of the information. He didn¡¯t need to know every inch of the form of these beings in stunning HD quality, nor be able to smell the stink of them. Though, the fact he was able to feel Symbiotes and Natural Resources with his Soul Sense was very useful, as it allowed him recognise them via Soul Sense and Aura ripples. He didn¡¯t want to overly saturate and exhaust his mind so early in the day, so he took it slow.
In due time the teenagers broke in their Symbiotes, and then after a short time spent practising, Perro came and faced Nicolai.
¡®We want to go and help Maxine,¡¯ said Perro. The boy had a firm, determined look on his face, likely concerned Nicolai would put this off again.
Nicolai¡¯s mind slotted eagerly back into doing things, making progress. Break time was over, and getting control over Maxine and her radios was something he wanted to do anyway. His other current major goal was a return to the Library, to kill its undead Guardian. That being had had some very nice Imbued. The mist form one, especially, he wanted.
He wasn¡¯t sure which route was better. Maxine was of use to him, and ought to be got because she was starving and the Chosen might make a move on her at any time. The Library Guardian could give him an Imbued that would let him transform into mist, which was only vulnerable to Soul Sense and Symbiote attacks.
Against Cyborgs who hadn¡¯t integrated their Seed, such an item would be of unprecedented use. Even against other Cultivators it would likely be almost as useful, as Nicolai had yet to encounter any human who could match him in Soul Sense combat.
Maxine can starve a little longer. He¡¯d been told she had a water bottle, and so long as provided with water, a human could survive for weeks without food. He¡¯d be seeing about getting the Guardian¡¯s Imbued first. There was plenty of time in a day, Maxine could come later.
He formed a regretful expression. ¡®There¡¯s something extremely important that must be done first,¡¯ he told Perro, and he moved and rested a hand on the boys shoulder. He drew him closer, staring into his eyes, his expression perfectly crafted (the ¡°firm leader¡±).
¡®What is it? What needs to be done?¡¯ asked Perro, blinking wide eyes.
Nicolai smiled, and shook his head. ¡®Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s simply something that needs to be done.¡¯ His tone of voice and expression spoke volumes, tinted with mystery. Implying at something difficult, and dangerous, but deeply necessary. Something tied to their very survival. ¡®Do you understand?¡¯ he asked, raising his eyebrows meaningfully at the boy.
Perro gulped. ¡®I understand,¡¯ he echoed in a murmur, his expression half-confused, half-furtive, tilting his head and peering around in the manner that he perhaps imagined conspirators would.
Nicolai smiled, and his Mask sprung up to inject its own feelings into the matter, as his gaze towards the boy turned oddly fond and protective. Nicolai felt this only aided his act so allowed it. Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare both drew closer to the Mask, deeply curious, drawing in the Masks attempt at paternal emotion.
Nicolai was not sure why the Mask felt so towards the boy. He believed it had something to do with Perro being rather ¡°unbound¡± as a teenager; Katie had Sara, Azure had John, Perro didn¡¯t have anyone, not exactly.
He was, however, sure about one thing. Perro probably wouldn¡¯t agree with him if Nicolai was a bit more stark in what he was doing. I¡¯ve decided Maxine can starve a bit longer because I want to get a Symbiote that lets me turn into mist. He had a feeling the boy wouldn¡¯t consider that more pressing. His Mask agreed with this assessment and felt, of course, that he should prioritise Maxine.
In this case Nicolai felt his decision was entirely right, and pressed it down easily. The Library Guardian was not in some place alone and cut off. When he¡¯d gone last time a group had been there. Others could get into the Library, which was no surprise. In truth all you needed was a sufficiently large chunk of wood, a beam from one of the collapses ceilings, perhaps, to make a bridge, and a group should be able to manage carrying such a thing to the top of the stairs. Or a Pegasi ring of other means of flight.
He certainly didn¡¯t want someone to kill the Librarian Guardian before he did.
¡®We should be able to finish this before midday, then we¡¯ll go and get Maxine. Alright?¡¯
¡®Alright,¡¯ said Perro, nodding resolutely.
¡®Good lad.¡¯ Nicolai smiled.
160: Soul Sense Swordsmen
Nicolai strolled down a corridor, Jo and Beth in tow. He was feeling quite good. Since his¡ moment of release the other day, the internal tensions within him seemed reduced, and with his Mask relatively happy he felt stable and calm.
They emerged into an expansive room and stopped because someone was there.
A man who was walking towards them. Seeing them, he froze, fixing them with a surprised and wary gaze.
Nicolai looked him over. He saw a mishmash of clothing and equipment; some undead loot, but also some Trade Link items. A lopsided backpack made of tied-together cloth was attached to his back, a pump-action shotgun strapped beside it. Pistol holstered on his hip. A sabre hung in a sheath on his belt. Tactical vest. Ragged trousers. Mismatched shoes.
Nicolai determined this man was a lone survivor, one who¡¯d killed or looted some Chosen.
The man was unmoving, frozen like a deer in the headlights. The tension he felt was palpable, already on the backfoot where Nicolai and the girls held a position of strength. The reason for this was that the man¡¯s hands were empty, both his guns holstered. Perhaps he¡¯d had reason to believe he wouldn¡¯t encounter anyone. Maybe he was just dumb, though the gear suggested otherwise. Either way, he¡¯d fucked up. Nicolai and the other two held their guns in their hands, ready at all times, because this was protocol.
The guy swallowed, holding his hands out to the side like he wasn¡¯t sure if he ought to raise them or just stay still. Nicolai held his shotgun low, relaxed, but it could be raised in an instant, and Jo and Beth were the same.
¡®Hey there,¡¯ said the guy, in a tone that attempted hopeful friendliness, belied by the unease in his eyes.
¡®Hello.¡¯ Nicolai smiled at him. Around the man he saw something interesting. A faint sphere.
Soul Sense, the proper kind. This man was a Cultivator. That meant he¡¯d have a Symbiote. Nicolai attuned his Soul Sense to the Aura, focusing on the faint ripples, aided by Threat Analysis. He concluded the man had some kind of Symbiote focused on¡ Life? Blood? Green things? Difficult to be sure. To tally; guns that¡¯d be worth selling and a Symbiote he could freely take.
¡®I¡¯m going to shoot him. Stand ready to fight in case he has some kind of protection,¡¯ he spoke to Jo and Beth.
He felt immediate consternation from where Beth stood to his side, and he saw the Cultivator¡¯s eyes narrow¡ªlikely sensing the faint upset Beth was leaking.
¡®Why?¡¯ she demanded. ¡®He¡¯s just some guy. He¡¯s definitely not a Chosen; look at him. And he¡¯s not trying to rob us like that group from yesterday.¡¯ The emotions spilling from her Soul Sense intensified. ¡®He¡¯s not done anything!¡¯
¡®He¡¯s a Cultivator. He has useful things that we want. Remember the part of the Contract about resources? He is resources.¡¯
Via his Soul Sense he saw her shaking her head, and he felt her disgust and anger, saw the dark look on her face. Jo, on the other side, was biting her lip. Also not happy, but less willing to show it. Witnessing this, his Mask stirred and started burbling away. Nicolai was quick to press it down. This was an opportunity, he wasn¡¯t going to just let it slide by based on the Mask¡¯s disorganised morals and Beth¡¯s disapproval. For the Mask, he was protecting the group, but he couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t protect everyone.
In this time, the man had pressed a hand to the side of his sheathed sabre, and Nicolai could feel from the ripples that the man was charging it. A subtle move most wouldn¡¯t notice, smartly made when it was guaranteed that had the guy gone for his pistol he¡¯d already be full of bullet holes.
Witnessing this, and recognising the sword as an Imbued, Nicolai felt a stir of interest, from him, from the thrill within him.
He¡¯d never fought someone with a flying sword of their own before. The thrill was rising, pressing, his fingers and toes tingling, the light growing sharper, the world more vibrant.
The Thrill did not communicate in words, it simply drove right into him and fitted its desires into his thoughts.
Wouldn¡¯t it be so boring to just shoot this man when they could have a proper fight? A fight like he¡¯d never experienced before? An opportunity to learn and hone his skills in an area that might in the future be of use? He didn¡¯t know how prevalent flying swords might be, nor how strong they might become.
It certainly would be boring, Nicolai admitted, while his Mask took the rise of the Thrill and came with it, making its own arguments. It was saying he didn¡¯t have to kill the Cultivator¡ if resources were all he wanted, he could fight for them.
Fairly.
Nicolai quite liked that idea. It appealed to him, and it would do less damage to his image in the eyes of the girls.
¡®Well? Do you want something?¡¯ said the Cultivator, and there was a hard look in his eyes now, a ready look. He¡¯d gone past fear because fear was useless at a time like this. He had one hand on the sword, which was releasing faint ripples, the other hovering inches from his holstered pistol. Nicolai determined the guy did have some kind of shield he could quickly activate, if he was considering fighting instead of running. It wouldn¡¯t matter, though. This would be an easy kill.
But Nicolai was no longer interested in blocking bullets with his own shield while he and the other two blasted this guy¡¯s shield into pieces. With three fully automatic weapons whatever the man had would likely be popped in seconds, and then he¡¯d die, and that would be that.
Nicolai wanted something more. He wanted an experience.
The thrill spread and wormed and set alight, and Nicolai grew impossibly light on his feet, shifting eagerly from side to side as his teeth tightened in a grin.
¡®I want your sword,¡¯ he said. ¡®I have one like it, but two would be better.¡¯
The man¡¯s eyes flicked from Nicolai to the girls, who Nicolai felt ready beside him. Now that a fight was imminent he knew they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to take part. It was their lives on the line too, after all.
¡®Go on then,¡¯ the Cultivator snarled with cold anger, and his posture turned aggressive, emanating threat.
¡®No.¡¯ Nicolai raised a hand to the side, where Jo¡¯s rifle was inching up, and pressed the gun down. He extended another hand to Beth. ¡®You had a point,¡¯ he told her. ¡®There¡¯s no need for anyone to die. I¡¯m sorry, I wasn¡¯t thinking properly.¡¯ He flashed a smile at her and saw an almost shocked expression on her face, felt confusion and relief from her.
He turned back to the Cultivator. ¡®Just you and me, they won¡¯t get involved,¡¯ he called out. ¡®How about this?¡¯ He grinned, bouncing on the balls of his feet. ¡®We fight with our swords only, to first blood. The winner takes the other Cultivator¡¯s sword and his Symbiotes.¡¯
Nicolai wasn¡¯t worried about losing. Not because losing was impossible, but because these were just empty words spoken to engineer the fight, the experience, he wanted. He enjoyed fighting and learning but he didn¡¯t believe in ¡°honour,¡± and so if he lost he¡¯d pull a gun and order Jo and Beth to fire.
The Cultivator blinked at him, an incredulous expression on his face, his body frozen.
¡®Are you serious? You want to¡ duel?¡¯
In answer, Nicolai pulled his AA-12 off by its strap and handed it to Jo, who snorted as she took it, amused. He pressed a hand to his rapier and a bolt of charging Oma slapped into it. With a flick of his wrist it slithered from its sheath and rose into the air, moving to float point-forward a few metres in front of him.
As he took a few steps forward to begin, he felt Jo and Beth relaxing and drawing to the side, heard them talking quietly, made out a peal of tinkling laughter. Nicolai ignored what his Mask identified as some kind of female judgement.
He stood side on, one hand extended, as though he fought with the rapier in his hand and not floating out in front of him. While he focused on his opponent, drones sped around. Threat Analysis doing its job, checking the area for threats. It agreed with Nicolai that this man was likely a lone operator, but it was always a good idea to make sure. Cyberwarfare said the man had little more than the basics in terms of augments, not much more than a Raw. They also both agreed with him about the duel, because they also wanted to see how a fight between two flying swords would look. It would be another datapoint the illuminate how this world worked.
The Cultivator¡¯s sabre sprung from his own sheath, and he took up a similar stance.
Nicolai advanced, drawing closer, while his opponent mirrored him, both of them stepping forward. Nicolai moved with the fluid ease and speed that came with Cultivation, and so did his opponent.
Their swords slid forwards, both creeping to the reach of their Soul Sense, and the weapons drew in range of one another.
Nicolai struck at the sword, because there wasn¡¯t much else to do at this range. The swords drew close then clashed in a faint flare of sparks as they slid past, swapping positions.
Nicolai and his opponent paused, the swords floating without movement, realising that there was no point fighting from this distance. They needed to be within the range of one another¡¯s Soul Sense: ten metres, as otherwise it was impossible to actually hit the other with their blade and draw blood.
Their gazes met and there was a moment of mutual agreement. Nicolai and his opponent sidled toward one another, slowly and with occasional pauses, both wary of a sudden lunge, a sudden trick.
The swords rotated around one another as they advanced, until they¡¯d swapped sides, each keeping their own blade on their own side.
When there were only two metres to go, Nicolai darted forward, covering the remaining space, and his opponent did the same.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Both swords exploded into motion, diving towards the enemy. Moments before impacting, both twitched in the air as both sought to deflect the other, leading to a confusing little dance. They slammed together and momentum carried them spinning past, and suddenly the sword were on the wrong sides, both now able to attack the unprotected opponent.
Nicolai sent his rapier lunging for his opponent in a straight line, arrow-like, while at the same moment the sabre was swooping in a slash towards his chest.
This was a no-win situation. Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense tendril was pressing against his opponents as they slithered past one another, and he was well used to Soul Sense combat. That tendril could be cut and forced to collapse, foiling the attack on him.
So, he abandoned the attack, and instead the rapier turned in a slash, the leading edge of his Soul Sense as he sliced at the root of his opponent¡¯s tendril. It cut easily, severing the Soul Sense tendril in one.
However, as he¡¯d cut at his opponents Soul Sense, the Cultivator¡¯s sabre had turned desperately in the air and sliced at his Soul Sense tendril.
Both Soul Sense tendrils dissolved into loose masses, flowing back to rejoin the Souls they had emerged from, and the movement of both swords lost a certain something, now simply flying through the air without any control. However, momentum meant they continued on roughly the same path. The rapier was speeding toward his opponent, and the sabre was spinning toward Nicolai.
Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense lunged for the sabre, wrapped it, and just like that it was under his control. He redirected its spin and the hilt of the sabre slapped into his palm. By habit, he sent out a worm of charging Oma.
Ten metres away, he saw his opponent catch his rapier, practically a mirror image.
Nicolai let out a peal of pure, delighted laughter, grinning wildly. His laughter didn¡¯t stop as he launched the sabre in a strike, and the rapier came at him from the other side.
The world around him stilled, the thrill burned bright in his blood. There was only two swords, two Cultivators, and two Soul Senses.
Nicolai¡¯s strike flowed towards his opponents Soul Sense, a new understanding guiding his attack. The game wasn¡¯t to hit the enemy. The game was to take both swords. That was how you won.
His opponents Soul Sense met his own, and the blades clashed and sprung apart. He came again from another angle, but as they grew close his Soul Sense twitched and the sabre darted around and slashed towards his opponents Soul Sense. The rapier was there, diving in time to catch it before he could strike. Then both swords twisted around one another, striking at the Soul Sense adhering to one another¡¯s weapons, and both swords were cut loose.
In a repeat of the previous swap, Nicolai seized the rapier and his opponent seized the sabre. His laughter rang out, renewed, as immediately Nicolai sliced again, and again.
The blades danced in the air, winding and slicing, deflecting and at times spinning through the air for a moment as they were cut away in tandem, before being caught in a swap.
But Nicolai was good at this kind of thing. Not just by nature, but by practise. He could tell his opponent had not engaged in the same kind of Soul Soul sparring sessions he¡¯d been squeezing in with Beth, noted flaws in the man¡¯s style that both he and Beth had corrected already.
Nicolai stepped forwards, his feet moving to music only he could hear, closing the gap to reduce the time his opponent had to react. His arm lunged and twisted before him in mimic of the dancing blade he controlled. He slipped and juked and slithered, drawing his opponent into an overextension, and in a sudden flash of savage movement he beheaded the Cultivator¡¯s Soul Sense. His tendril, armed with the rapier, lunged to the side to gather up the sabre, too.
His opponent stumbled backwards, eyes wide as he stared at the two blades Nicolai held in his Soul Sense. His face was tense as he stopped, and his gaze settled onto Nicolai. The Cultivator lowered his arm and stood there, resolute. The face of a man smart enough to understand that first blood was just a phrase, and that the steel of the blades hanging above him held only death.
But the thrill within Nicolai had turned slow, tolerant, joyful, even oddly loving. He was having too much fun to end this now.
His Soul Sense tendril flexed and released, and the sabre spun away, unguided, towards the Cultivator whose Soul Sense snatched it reflexively from the air, eyes wide with confusion.
Nicolai did not communicate with words, but with his body. He shifted his pose, ready, the rapier coming to hover before his outraised arm. A smile pulled at one side of his mouth. His eyes shone with eagerness. His fingers twitched in a come hither.
A sudden smile creased the Cultivator¡¯s face, understanding, and Nicolai saw a faint relaxation in the man as he realised that right now, this wasn¡¯t a fight to the death.
It was a sparring match.
The blades danced, and now as they did so Nicolai and the Cultivator stepped left and right, back and forward, using their movement to aid the dance. A step to the side to get into position. A step forward to strike. Ducking backwards to help bring one¡¯s Soul Sense away from an attack.
Nicolai no longer had any interest in ending this fight, and his movements reflected that as his style became less aggressive, more thoughtful and considered. He had experienced something of this when Soul Sense sparring Beth, but now he tasted the true version. The swords changed everything, made it far more interesting. The Thrill purred through his Soul, a deep and pleasant joy. Every step and every slice taught him more, as he was a novice in this kind of combat and thus all experience gave him significant insight.
His opponent was not having an easy time. The man wore a faint frown, his focus on the dancing blades. He made a face as Nicolai seized his sabre once more, caught it when it was returned and drew an Oma crystal which he turned to dust; his Node must have ran dry from the frequent recharges. Nicolai didn¡¯t yet have that problem; with the two minor lung Nodes he¡¯d created, he found himself with an advantage in terms of Oma¡ªboth a larger store, and a higher rate of recharge.
Nicolai kept track of each win as they fought, adding it to a personal tally. He wouldn¡¯t be so boorish as to bring it up, but it gave him great personal satisfaction. With his edge in Soul Sense combat, and the rapid experience he was gaining and using to constantly refine his methods, Nicolai¡¯s skill was keeping well ahead of his opponents.
However, despite the mounting losses, his opponent didn¡¯t show any signs of overt frustration, just a rueful shake of his head each time his sword was taken from him. Nicolai appreciated this. The other man was a good sport, which was one of the qualities Nicolai felt a Better Man should possess.
Over the past few bouts he¡¯d observed the man was working to a specific aim. Nicolai could see the guy had worked out a little trick he was trying to use to tangle up Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense and take the sword. He was just a little clumsy as it, which made it easy for Nicolai to avoid. But he was getting better all the time, continuously trying that one method, working to refine it, accepting his losses as he went.
Nicolai enjoying seeing the man¡¯s process as he worked it out. He was beginning to feel little bad for winning so many times in a row, and also felt that the sparring had about run its course; he¡¯d seen the shape of this game and improved as much as he could against an opponent that he outmatched to such a degree. Now he needed some time away to think on what he¡¯d learned and consider new methods.
So, he opted to, at a moment when the man finally got the technique right but Nicolai, having seen it coming for so long, could have easily avoided it¡ to move his Soul Sense a little slower, to not react properly to the trick.
He let his sword be taken, and gifted his opponent a single win.
The man stood there, face blank with shock as he held both swords in his Soul Sense.
¡®Well done,¡¯ Nicolai congratulated him, smiling. ¡®You worked it out.¡¯
¡®Ah. Aha. Yes.¡¯ The Cultivator gave an uncertain grin, and Nicolai could feel his pride seeping from his Soul Sense.
But much more than that was seeping from the man¡¯s Soul Sense. From what he felt, and what he read from the man¡¯s face, Nicolai could guess at the man¡¯s thoughts: he was now in a place to strike, and win by first blood; or even to go further. The man¡¯s eyes darted to Jo and Beth, the guns in their hands, and Nicolai felt the indecision in him. Then they returned to Nicolai, and there came a moment of consideration, the culmination of which told Nicolai he¡¯d read the man right.
The Cultivator¡¯s Soul Sense flicked, and he tossed Nicolai¡¯s rapier back. Nicolai caught it from the air with his own tendril.
¡®That was fun,¡¯ said the Cultivator, with a faint smile. He sighed. ¡®I think it¡¯s clear you won.¡¯ He raised a hand and caught his sabre from the air. An expression of deep regret formed on his face as he looked it over lovingly.
Nicolai raised a hand, catching his rapier from the air. He slid it into its sheath. ¡®Don¡¯t worry about what I said earlier,¡¯ he said, flapping a dismissive hand. He smiled as the Cultivator looked at him. ¡®It was unkind of me. You had to agree to the duel, because of the implication. Keep your stuff. You fought well.¡¯ After a moment, he added, ¡®I¡ had fun too. Go on.¡¯ He tossed a thumb over his shoulder toward the exit, then flashed a cheeky little grin and a wink that said I could kill you but I¡¯m not going to. He congratulated himself for being so charming. Look at me, making friends. His Mask was very happy with him.
Nicolai had greatly enjoyed himself. His opponent had been a good fighter, worthy, and he wasn¡¯t one of the Chosen (though after what he¡¯d experienced, Nicolai felt he likely wouldn¡¯t have killed him even if he was). The calculating core within him might¡¯ve killed the man anyway for efficiencies sake, and greed for the sword and the man¡¯s Symbiote, but with the Mask, combined with the deep sense of joy and relaxation Nicolai felt, he truly didn¡¯t want to kill the man.
It would ruin the precious moment they had engaged in together, both experiencing something new and wonderful. The vision of the sword switching from one Soul Sense to the other following a double beheading, seamlessly caught and the fight rejoined, was repeating in a beautiful loop in his mind.
The man paused, chewing at his lip, thoughtful. Looking like he wanted to speak but knowing that doing so might be pressing his luck. He decided to speak anyway. ¡®How¡¯d you get all the gear? You guys look like Chosen, but¡ you don¡¯t act like Chosen.¡¯
¡®We¡¯re traders,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®Can get anything you want from the Trade Link.¡¯
¡®Oh, really?¡¯ His eyes widened. ¡®So¡ can I buy something? I¡¯ve got points-tags.¡¯
Nicolai tilted his head. They weren¡¯t carrying any goods but he could spare some supplies. ¡®What do you want?¡¯
¡®Any shotgun shells? I¡¯m out. And if you have any spare pistol rounds, I¡¯d like some of those, too. Uh. Any food? I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re carrying clothes?¡¯
¡®No clothes, we can spare a little ammo and food, though.¡¯ They made the quick exchange and Nicolai even gave the guy a good price for the bullets and nutrient bars he sold. Obviously not at cost, but he added what he considered a very reasonable hike of only 50% to the Trade Link price. Until this moment, he¡¯d yet to sell anything for any less than double its true Trade Link value.
¡®You have a radio?¡¯ he asked as the Cultivator was tucking the shells into a pocket. He knew the guy had a radio but he was making small talk.
¡®I do.¡¯
¡®Keep an ear on Channel Two. Maxine might be arranging trades in the coming future. If you want more goods and have points-tags to spend, you will be able to arrange things with us by speaking to her.¡¯
The man nodded, a look of surprise on his face, which transformed into deep consideration. ¡®Just, uh, who are you guys?¡¯
¡®The saviours of the world,¡¯ said Beth, striking a pose. ¡®Here to take out Chosen, crack undead skulls, and sell shit to shitters.¡¯
The Cultivator stared at her. Nicolai shrugged. Close enough.
¡®This guy could join,¡¯ spoke Jo over the Local between them. ¡®He seems pretty cool. Knows how to fight. Could be useful.¡¯
Nicolai nodded, considering. She had a point, and his Mask was quick to add its vote. The realisation that this would allow him to spar more with the guy rose alongside these thoughts, more convincing than any of the rest. On top of that, Nicolai¡¯s paranoia was quiet. This Cultivator was unusually frank and honest. He¡¯d even been willing to hand over his sabre after ¡°losing¡± the duel. This, surprisingly, made him a good fit for someone like Nicolai, who was the complete opposite. The kind of person he was willing to treat with a kind of guarded trust.
He stared thoughtfully at the man, who stared back, sensing that something of import was about to be said.
¡®You want to join us?¡¯ Nicolai asked.
The man blinked, surprised, then he smiled and he actually looked quite regretful as he shook his head. ¡®I would like to. You guys seem decent, now we¡¯ve spoken. But I can¡¯t. Sorry. I¡¯ve got¡ things I need to do.¡¯
Mysterious. Nicolai shrugged. ¡®No problem, then.¡¯
###
As they left, Nicolai heard the girls talking quietly behind him, as well as a few laughs. Actually, more like snickers. With his Soul Sense he saw them glancing at him and smirking, and heard his name mentioned.
¡®What¡¯s up?¡¯ he asked, peering back.
¡®I guess you are a man, after all,¡¯ said Beth and laughed, Jo smirking with her. Both looked quite amused in a way he found unaccountably concerning.
Nicolai wasn¡¯t sure what that meant. ¡®I am,¡¯ he said anyway.
¡®Boys and their toys, eh?¡¯ added Beth.
¡®Always eager to whip out their rods and start slapping them against one another,¡¯ said Jo, grinning, and Beth howled with laughter, slapping at her sister¡¯s shoulder.
Nicolai shook his head and kept walking. It had been an enjoyable and fruitful sparring match, that was all. They could think what they wanted.
161: Cyberwarfare Goes to Work
Nicolai lurked in a quiet, shadowed hallway, peering up at the bulk of the Library with his Soul Sense tendril. Jo and Beth crouched behind him.
They had just got here, and immediately found a problem.
The Library was occupied.
His gaze moved up the stairs, to the flat area on top before the gap. Where once it had been a clear expanse of stone, now it was surrounded by sandbags. There were people up there, labouring away. They moved in a steady stream up and down the stairs, collecting more sandbags from a big pile at the bottom.
They¡¯d managed to drag some long pieces of wood up there, and had made a bridge over the gap. On the other side there was another emplacement they were in the process of building, bigger, more bags, and one of them was setting up a light machine gun.
Based on the Earth clothing, plentiful guns and equipment, these people could only be Chosen.
Higher up, where the balconies of the upper levels of the Library were visible, a few more of them were posted behind the barriers. Keeping watch on what was going on below.
At the top level a bank of mist filled the balcony, and from it emanated light and sound. Yellow glows. Gunshots. Explosions. Cries and shouts.
They were fighting the Library Guardian up there, and down here they were fortifying the entrance. Clearly the Chosen had not only learned about the Library, they had decided to make it their own. Smart move. It would be easier to post people here to go through the vast number of books within in search of useful information, rather than try and cart all those books back to the Chosen¡¯s base, and the entrance was very defensible. If Nicolai had been in control of the Chosen he¡¯d have had them do the same. Only, he¡¯d have done it sooner. They¡¯d come a day late and thus lost out on the Memory Tomes and Maric.
It looked like they would be taking the Library Guardian¡¯s Imbued. Unless, of course, he did something.
Nicolai had no intention of losing those Imbued. However, there were a lot of Chosen and it wouldn¡¯t be easy to fight them all at once.
A stealth assault, then. Nicolai was no novice to such operations, far from it. The Chosen had a well fortified little setup here, and plenty of eyes and cameras, but there was one fatal flaw.
They hadn¡¯t taken into account the risk of advanced Cyberwarfare. Since he¡¯d got the upgrade, the Module was capable of quite a lot more. Actually, there were two flaws. They also hadn¡¯t taken into account the risk of Nicolai.
For now he simply kept watch. Time drifted by as the fight up there continued. Seemed like there was some kind of stalemate.
¡®How long are we going to sit here?¡¯ whispered Jo in his ear.
¡®As long as necessary,¡¯ he replied, watching the progress of the defenders building their defences, watching the guards posted up on the higher floors.
¡®What are we waiting for?¡¯ asked Beth. ¡®Because¡ªand, with all due respect¡ªthere¡¯s no way we¡¯re going to win against these guys. There¡¯s almost thirty of them, just down here, building that emplacement. And I can see more higher up. And I imagine even more of them are up there trying to take down the guardian.¡¯
¡®How many bullets do we have?¡¯ murmured Nicolai.
He could feel her narrowed-eyed gaze digging into his side.
¡®Hundreds,¡¯ supplied Jo.
¡®Then I don¡¯t see a problem.¡¯
Beth scoffed, and was about to say more but he shushed her with a raised hand. ¡®Don¡¯t worry,¡¯ he told her. ¡®We don¡¯t have to fight so many. Just watch.¡¯ He nodded to where they were building the emplacement. The men were just carrying up the last few bags from the bottom; they were out of bags, but the fortification was not yet complete. After placing the bags, the group milled around for a while then began to head off.
¡®They¡¯re going?¡¯ asked Beth, frowning over his shoulder.
¡®Getting more bags, I guess,¡¯ said Jo.
¡®Exactly,¡¯ murmured Nicolai. He hadn¡¯t been entirely sure how this part would go, the question being: did the Chosen have two separate groups delivering and stacking bags, or just one? If there were two, cycling, then that group should soon be arriving, and they would have to fight the same number regardless.
But if it was just one group, then as soon as these ones departed the number of Chosen here would go down significantly, and they would have a window.
Two groups would be ideal; faster and also safer by always maintaining the garrison of around thirty people down here, but that would require more manpower. The Chosen had not been having the easiest of times. They were operating in many places, engaging in continuous skirmishes with other groups.
It would be understandable for Vikrum¡ªor whichever of them was organising this¡ªto not spare so many bodies for a task which, most likely, would be quite safe.
They were, afterall, setting up a defensive position. The number they left should be able to hold it, even half-finished, not to mention that as soon as the big fight up above ended the rest would be able to come down.
The battle up there, from his watching, had not been going too well. As time had passed some of those posted higher up on the balcony floors had moved away, no longer watching below. Gone to aid the fight. It seemed to be some kind of battle of attrition which the Chosen were taking slow.
He waited a time after the group of sandbag movers filed out through a side entrance. Assuming the Chosen were transporting these bags from their base to here, then based on the distance between the library and that base, the next group should have either already arrived, or be arriving very soon.
Ten minutes later, no group had arrived to replace them.
On top of that, only one man remained watching from up behind the barrier on a higher floor.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
During the time Nicolai had been lurking and watching, Cyberwarfare had been busy. The other day he had moved to assault the group in the library too quickly for Cyberwarfare to do any significant work, but this time he allowed it plenty of time.
The Chosen here were a little hive of activity on the Local, constantly exchanging communications, alongside the data transference between them and their drones and placed cameras. Cyberwarfare had now identified every security camera placed around the Library, new additions since the other day. There were also quite a few drones, going on loops around the area and inside the Library.
One of these drones buzzed into the corridor Nicolai lurked in. It skimmed over him and the other two.
Its camera spotted them, but the feed it sent to the Chosen was adroitly edited by Cyberwarfare and showed no more than an empty stretch of stone. Likewise, the drone¡¯s tiny AI was convinced that there was nothing there.
This same drone had been past them quite a few times now, Cyberwarfare had wormed its way into the outer picket of drones quite early on.
This was possible because none of the Chosen had Level 2 augments. This told Nicolai that neither of the Chosen¡¯s Level 2 Cyborg¡¯s were present, nor was Vikrum, though Cyberwarfare could have told him that, too, because it had feeds on all of them.
Even if a Level 2 had been present, Cyberwarfare could have accomplished quite a lot, but it was unlikely it could¡¯ve managed a total infiltration. With no major obstacles on the cyberwarfare front, that was precisely what it had accomplished.
The drones and cameras had become its eyes, and it even saw the video feeds and communications shared between the Chosen themselves, heard the words and instructions they issued in a busy cyber chatter to drones and equipment and each another.
Those on the upper floor were indeed engaged in a battle of attrition.
¡®Keep it pinned while the Cultivators cycle,¡¯ the Chosen field leader commanded. Through the man¡¯s eyes, Nicolai and Cyberwarfare saw the battle, as he was sharing his feed with the other Chosen.
The Library Guardian was concealed in the mist which blanketed the shelves in the topmost room. The Chosen had set up just outside the stairwell, over two dozen of them, with cover formed from shelves and chairs and tables.
From the mist there was a yellow glow darting around, and sharp pieces of paper would at times speed out and at the Chosen, hitting none of them as they hunkered behind cover.
Following the leaders orders, the Chosen rose and started firing. Meanwhile, two of the Chosen held Oma crystals, recuperating their energy. These two, Nicolai gathered from the communication between the Chosen, were the Cultivators.
As he watched, the two rose from cover. One of them gestured, and the mist rippled. Within it, a figure appeared, immediately ducking for cover. The other Cultivator made his own gesture and¡ nothing appeared to happen. The camera feeds didn¡¯t possess the same capability as his own Infused Cultivator¡¯s eyes, and he was thus unable to see details in terms of Symbiotes and Soul Sense.
¡®It¡¯s vulnerable, shoot on my count,¡¯ spoke the leader, and now he was sending out targeting data. In the eyes of all the Chosen appeared boxes and red targeting marks, hologrammatic highlights of the believed location of the undead lurking in the mist, telling them all where to shoot. This was a common method amongst attack teams on Earth, the use of sophisticated software that linked eyes and ears and chips, sharing data to allow for almost perfect coordination.
¡®Three, two, one, fire.¡¯
They all rose from cover and fired an accurate volley of shots, the bullets chewing through the cover the undead was using. A drone circling the area spotted it staggering, taking damage, then it ran for another hiding place. For whatever reason¡ªsomething related to the Symbiotes the two Cultivators were using, Nicolai supposed¡ªit was unable to regain its mist form.
The process then repeated, as the Chosen kept on firing, but the undead regained its mist form. The Cultivators, attacks charged, rose and did the same again. As the battle continued, he saw a piece of paper launched from the mist shear through the side of a man¡¯s neck, after the Chosen was too slow to duck back into cover. He bled out in seconds, while the leader snarled at his people to get back into cover the moment he told them. A couple more corpses were visible on the ground.
Nicolai left them to it, happy to let them soften up the Guardian for him. In the meantime, those lower down, separated from the group above which was distracted and busy with the Guardian, were easy targets.
The first obstacle was the lone sentry standing on one of the higher floors, who was posted to watch down below from behind the safety of the Library¡¯s invisible barrier. Nicolai couldn¡¯t shoot him through that barrier, and Cyberwarfare couldn¡¯t stop the man from seeing through his eyes.
But neither were necessary. This sentry had been left alone, the only one on the floor, and the Chosen on the top floors were staying there while those on the lowest floor maintained their position, too. No one would be passing by and checking on him; and they wouldn¡¯t notice any need to. Afterall, they had drones doing continuous sweeps of the entire library.
One of those drones suddenly veered away from its programmed course, as it swung around the room the sentry was in.
However, it continued to send a feed to the Chosen of its expected route, a recording Cyberwarfare seamlessly switched in.
The drone swung into the space between shelves, and through its camera Nicolai and Cybeerwarfare saw the sentry on the far side, looking down over the balcony. The drones turbines whirred as it built up speed, launching itself towards the Chosen.
The man had just began to turn, confused as to why there was a loud whining coming from behind him, when the drone slammed into his head.
The drone weighed two pounds and when travelling at maximum speed it did quite significant damage. From his position down below, peeking around the corner with his Soul Sense, Nicolai saw a spray of blood mixed with chunks of metal and plastic as the distant sentry toppled. Due to the noise of the fight up above, and the positioning of those below, none saw or heard.
A second drone detached from its own patrol, once again led by Cyberwarfare to come and do a quick check. This showed Nicolai that the sentry wouldn¡¯t be getting back up, because his head was caved in. The drone returned to its patrol.
The moment the man had died, and the drone had destroyed itself, Cyberwarfare had performed another quick act.
The man had been sending a continuous feed up to those above and below of what he saw. This was simply so that in the event something happened to him, they would know by the cessation of that feed.
But Cyberwarfare created a phantom, a ghost. And from this ghost, an almost identical feed was sent. Only someone looking very carefully would be able to see that this feed was a looped recording. Likewise, the drone which had destroyed itself continued to operate in the Local. Anyone checking on it would have seen its feed, and it communicated with the other drones as it always had. Only if someone came to physically check the drone would they learn that it was no longer operational, and there was no reason for anyone to perform such a check.
Of course, given time, eventually they would realise. Either someone would come for some purpose and happen to see the body, or they¡¯d tell the dead man to come up top which obviously he couldn¡¯t do.
But Nicolai intended to see every one of the Chosen dead long before any of that happened.
¡®Pistols out. You all have the subsonic ammunition, right?¡¯ Nicolai asked, turning to look at the girls.
They nodded to him, glanced at one another, then pulled out their pistols. Jo a little hesitantly, Beth with excitement, even eagerness.
¡®Silencers,¡¯ he added, doing the same with his own pistol, then withdrawing the magazine and slotting in a different one, which was loaded with subsonic rounds. These rounds travelled at just below the speed of sound, and thus avoided breaking the sound barrier. As a result the bullets did not create the loud sonic crack that people were accustomed to hearing from bullets. With that plus the silencers, the noise that each shot made was much quieter than many believed a gunshot could be. A muffled click that could easily be mistaken for something much less threatening.
¡®I¡¯ll go first and clear the way. I¡¯ll inform you when to move over Local. Get ready.¡¯ With that, Nicolai pulled his poncho around himself, flipped the hood and tugged the face cover across, then switched it on and faded out of view as he emerged from the tunnel, into the open area with the stairs and the statues.
162: Infiltration
He activated the Pegasi ring and floated in a straight line towards a corner of room, at the bottom of one side of the library. He kept eyes on the Chosen guards via the hacked feeds. They were all keeping watch on the area and he moved through their line of sight, but they saw nothing. None had the kind of bionic eyes necessary to spot the faint signs of him, and by using a Pegasi ring to float he didn¡¯t need to move his body, minimising the faint shimmers and blurs that a shimmer poncho in motion created. The sentry above had possessed such an eye and might¡¯ve been able to spot him, but with his brains dashed on the floor he wouldn¡¯t be saying anything.
Arriving below the balcony he floated straight up and crested at the top, his head poking over the wooden banister. Glancing over, he saw the Chosen guards over at the bridge. There were two Chosen on the flat area on the top of the stairs, sitting behind their half-built sandbag emplacements, watching the area down below. To the left of them the bridge passed into the Library itself, where another four Chosen were stationed, two on either side of the where the bridge exited. One of these groups had the LMG which was in the most completed part of their emplacement, setup to provide fire on the main entrances into the lower area.
These guards were all clustered quite close together, which made Nicolai¡¯s job a little easier. However, there were two more out in this lowest level of the library, which he only knew about due to Cyberwarfare¡¯s work. These two were dragging a little cart between the shelves, pulling books out, glancing them over, and chucking them into it.
Nicolai rose over the balcony, and ghosted towards the group of six guards, thumbing the pistols safety off beneath his poncho. Before rising over the banister he¡¯d charged his rapier and now sent it out. It pressed against the side of a shelf, using it as cover, then rose into the air to crawl over the top of that shelf. Arriving, he crept up slow behind the guards then lurked just beside them, an unseen companion.
They were chatting, voices quiet.
¡®Wish I could be out there with the rest, punishing those bastards,¡¯ said one of them. ¡®Heh, it¡¯ll be a bloody day today.¡¯
¡®They deserve it,¡¯ added another. ¡®Should¡¯ve just joined up at the start. All this blood, and for what? Because they don¡¯t want to work for Vikrum? It¡¯s senseless.¡¯
¡®He oughtn¡¯ve have taken our Seeds,¡¯ muttered one.
¡®Shut it. We¡¯ve had that talk enough times. We¡¯re gonna get our Seeds back, that¡¯s what he says.¡¯
¡®Yeah, that¡¯s what he says, but¡ª¡®
The man beside the talker dug an elbow in his ribs, casting a wary gaze at the others who were watching with narrowed eyes. ¡®Ignore him,¡¯ he said to them with a forced smile. ¡®Just not got his priorities straight yet.¡¯
¡®Hope so,¡¯ murmured another Chosen in a dim voice, eyes narrowed. ¡®Vikrum is a great man.¡¯
¡®He is,¡¯ echoed the others quickly.
Beyond them, further in the library, the two towing their cart of books passed between the shelves. One of them waved at the guards, who waved back as they went.
Nicolai found the conversation quite interesting, but he had a job to be getting on with and now those two had passed by, he had his opening, so it was time to cut the talk short. His rapier floated down, sliding along behind a bookshelf, getting into position to strike.
His arm rose and the very tip of the pistol¡¯s silencer poked out, appearing in open air. None of them noticed it because none were looking his way, focused on their conversation or watching the area down below.
Click. The man beside him jerked and a faint spray of blood came from his head. The others began to turn in reflexive confusion. Click. The next in line ate a bullet in the head. The pistol raised higher, to aim at those on the landing. Click. A bullet caught a man right between the eyes as he turned to look. Click. The next one died just as he was opening his mouth. With his other hand, Nicolai made a sudden gesture.
There was a sharp fleshy sound, and the rapier appeared, its blade glistening with blood as it formed a bridge between the two remaining men by the LMG. Its hilt was nestled in the hair of one of them, the blade emerging from the other side of his head to spear through the head of the other.
The two, glassy eyed, collapsed in sync with the other four.
Nicolai reloaded his pistol. His rapier returned to slot into its sheath as he opened his poncho, tucked the pistol into a long pocket, and strode across the bridge. Bending down he picked up one of the corpses, slung it over his shoulder, headed back over and dumped it with the rest, then went to retrieve the next. Out on the stairs, they were visible to anyone looking down from the balconies above, of which currently there was no one but Nicolai was a firm believer in the value of risk management.
All of those who had died had dead man¡¯s fingers setup in their implants, a method where if their internal monitors detected injury, they would send an automatic message over the Local. ¡°I¡¯m injured/dead! Help!¡±
These automated messages, along with the single Local cry one of them had managed, had gone unheard by the other Chosen. All were caught by Cyberwarfare.
Nicolai strode through the library, making a beeline for his next two targets, who remained entirely unaware of him. Once in position, he held the pistol against the side of one of the bookshelves, his Soul Sense pouring through gaps to settle around his targets.
Click. Chips of wood flew, and he shifted the pistol a few inches to the left. Click.
Two bodies toppled to the ground. Nicolai took a moment to redistribute the ammunition in his magazines, bringing one up to full and slotting it back in. Over Local he called to Jo and Beth, and through the feeds they shared with him saw them dashing over the open area below, to the stairs which they hustled up.
The three of them met at the entrance to the stairwell, then crept inside and upwards. Drones and cameras on each level recorded no signs of them as they moved up and up through deserted floors, the sounds of battle at the top coming closer.
###
Vikrum stared at his Mark¡¯s UI, where he had his Quest open. A short time ago he had seen his Loyal counter suddenly decrease by five.
As he watched, it went down again. Two more Loyal had died.
He frowned, and sent some directions. Cornwall performed a quick check of the entire compound, showing him dozens of feeds.
Throughout the base his Chosen prepared, arming up for the days activity. Everything was fine here. It must be one of the groups he¡¯d sent out into the castle.
He pulled a radio, already set to channel 18 which they had been using for brief communications. Cornwall immediately provided him the next password in line, part of a list which was shared by those external groups.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
¡®All groups, this is Command. Report when ready for communication.¡¯
After a slight pause the replies began rolling in.
¡®High Rollers: Here.¡¯
¡®Book Club: Here.¡¯
¡®Zoo Keepers: Here.¡¯
¡®Carry On Crew: Here.¡¯
After hearing from the fourth and final group, Vikrum spoke again. ¡®Command: Tracer.¡¯
¡®High Rollers: Timber.¡¯
¡®Book Club: Nightingale.¡¯
¡®Zoo Keepers: Politics.¡¯
¡®Tourists: Dust cloud.¡¯
Vikrum relaxed a little. ¡®Command: Requesting status report.¡¯
¡®High Rollers: Seeing some activity on the floor, but experiencing no issues ourselves. No sign of any card sharps. The game is good to go ahead.¡¯
¡®Book Club: The current story is quite tough to get through. Two members gave up on reading. We are making steady progress to the end. Expect to be finished soon.¡¯
¡®Zoo Keepers: The monkeys are in their pen. No problems.¡¯
¡®Tourists: Finished our first trip. It was relaxing; a nice break. Have now left the setup zone. Will be home soon to begin our second trip. No problems.¡¯
Vikrum frowned. According to the reports, none of the groups had encountered any serious issues. Only two had died at the Library where they fought that Guardian creature. He¡¯d noted those losses earlier and they had contacted him about them, as they were supposed to. But he¡¯d just seen seven of his Loyal die in a moment, and it wasn¡¯t at the main compound where the vast majority of his Chosen were, and according to the groups¡ it wasn¡¯t any of them, either. But, it could only be one of them.
The radio communication was not entirely reliable. Even with the passwords and code words, he couldn¡¯t know exactly what was happening.
Perhaps one of the groups¡ªor at least the member of them talking on the radio¡ªhad missed something. Or, perhaps the speaker was not the leader of that group, but part of the group who had killed them all¡
Vikrum considered how to phrase his next question, and ultimately decided that now was not the time for messing around with code words. Now was a time to be very clear. He couldn¡¯t afford to have too many Loyal die.
¡®Command: we have to reason to suspect some have died. Pause all activities insomuch as possible and perform a full, face-to-face roll call.¡¯
The affirmatives came in one after the other. Then the Carry On Crew reported that the roll call was complete and all members present, followed a short time later by the Zoo Keepers. It would take some time for the High Rollers and Book Club members, who Vikrum knew would be more dispersed, to perform their own physical checks.
Vikrum could only wait, concerned and irritable.
###
The Chosen field leader up there had been talking to someone on his radio. Nicolai had heard all of it, on his own radio. The Chosen tended to use either channel 7, 14, or 18, and he found them on 18. As always, they spoke in code, Nicolai had heard a few of their quick communications before, but had only been able to guess at what they were discussing. Now, however, the details were filling in. Book Club were obviously the guys in the library. Carry On Crew were those delivering sandbags. High Rollers and Zoo Keepers remained unknown; but if nothing else it was clear that the Chosen only had four groups operating externally at the moment.
He had never heard the Command ask for a ¡°full, face-to-face roll call.¡± He did not think it was any kind of code, he was pretty sure it was exactly what it sounded like.
This was confirmed when over Local he first listened to the leader querying all those below, requesting a feed check and status report.
Cyberwarfare¡¯s ghosts gave the man exactly what he wanted, speaking in the voices of dead men.
¡®We¡¯re fine,¡¯ said one of the ghosts, sending an imaginary feed of the area below the Library. ¡®All quiet.¡¯
¡®Is something up?¡¯ asked another.
¡®There¡¯s no problem. Maintain your posts,¡¯ answered the leader. Cyberwarfare and Nicolai observed as the leader split into a private message with one of those in the group facing the Guardian.
¡®Go down, and take those resting with you. Go check on everyone down below, then get back up here.¡¯
¡®Sure. But is there something up?¡¯ asked the man.
¡®I don¡¯t know. The big boss is skeeved about something, wants us all to do a face-to-face check and make sure everyone¡¯s accounted for. Just have a look, and be quick.¡¯
Was this simple bad luck, or something else? Nicolai couldn¡¯t say. He saw no way for the voice on the radio¡ªpresumably Vikrum¡ªto know that these Chosen were in trouble, so perhaps it was no more than a matter of chance. But Nicolai found it quite suspect; the timing was too convenient. It gave the impression that there was something he didn¡¯t know about Vikrum and the Chosen.
He had wound his way up the stairs and was about to reach the penultimate floor, Jo and Beth right behind him. Above them, another man was descending from the topmost floor, coming down the same stairway. Also trickling down from above was the gunshots and called out orders of those above.
In the room on the penultimate floor was a group Nicolai had been aware of, and had intended to kill before moving on to those at the top. These numbered eight, and were here as active reinforcements for those above. Only so many people could be up there at any time and fight effectively, so these guys were ready in case of any issue. Already they had swapped out a few times when someone up there ran out of ammo, suffered a jam or sudden injury. Three of them were those who¡¯d been injured.
Nicolai considered the variables, conferring with Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare, then came to a decision. With the time available and their positioning¡ªalready practically on top of the enemy¡ªit should be possible to avoid alerting those above.
He issued swift orders to Jo and Beth while floating soundlessly up and out the stairwell, through the room where those resting Chosen gathered. Most were busy reloading magazines with rounds from boxes of ammo, performing maintenance on their guns, or for some, sitting quietly and with pained faces, the bloodied bandagesd on them showing injuries.
There were eight in total. Nicolai slithered through them and took up position in a dim corner of the room, where there was a stone column he could lurk behind. He prepared his pistol and extended it, almost emerging from the poncho, ready and waiting.
While he did so, he maintained eyes on the Chosen in the room. His eyes lenses marked their locations, and with the help of Threat Analysis he communicated this to Jo and Beth. Similar as what the Chosen leader was doing above, Nicolai¡¯s implants worked with theirs. To the other two, lurking in the stairwell just around the bend, they would now be able to effectively see through the walls, via their eye-lenses overlaying red hologrammatic three-dimensional shapes; the Chosen in the room. Nicolai¡¯s eye-lenses saw them and relayed that data directly to them.
Software capable of doing this wasn¡¯t standard with a typical BIS, but as sentient Killbot Modules both Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare were both more than up to the task of allowing for such functionality on the fly.
A Chosen stepped down the stairs and emerged into the room, unaware of the three sets of eyes watching his movement.
¡®Anyone who¡¯s able, come with me,¡¯ the man said. ¡®We¡¯ve gotta go and put eyes downstairs.¡¯
The others asked the man why, but he waved a hand, as dismissive as his own leader had been. ¡®Someone¡¯s worried, that¡¯s all I know. We just gotta go have a look, that¡¯s all. Who¡¯s in?¡¯
Nicolai didn¡¯t wait any longer. He issued the order to Jo and Beth who started creeping up the stairs. With the data streaming between him and them, he knew their exact positions.
The moment they were in place, he took aim and squeezed the trigger.
Click, click. The most alert looking of the Chosen blinked and stumbled and stared down at his chest where there was a red stain soaking through his clothes. Click, click, click, click¡
The Chosen had no time to react properly as a succession of speedy clicking noises bounced off the walls. Jo and Beth were aiming out of the stairwell, shooting their own pistols. They all aimed at the brain-stem, as it was a spot where a shot would guarantee instant death. As the targets were stationery and Jo and Beth had both training and Combat Chips, he could rely on them to hit their shots.
None of them targeted the same Chosen, as he and Threat Analysis split those in the room up, labelling them with differing colours and IDs to show who should shoot who. Software like this was commonly used by militrary and law enforcement for teamwork, as it allowed targets and jobs to be clearly and explicitly split. Once more, Threat Analysis did the job entirely by itself, and even went a step further by working with Jo and Beth¡¯s Combat Chips to ensure seamless targeting.
One of the Chosen managed to begin crying out, the sound cutting off an instant after it started as two bullets passed through his head. Then the only sound was of their bodies hitting the floor.
Jo and Beth pressed out of the stairway and Nicolai moved to join them, all tucking their pistols away and taking hold of their primary weapons, ready in case any of those above had heard. A needless precaution. He¡¯d timed the attack to coincide with one of the Chosen¡¯s massed volleys at the undead Guardian, and none of them had heard over their own gunfire.
¡®Let¡¯s go,¡¯ he said via Link, stepping towards the stairwell once more, his AA-12 ready. Jo and Beth fell in behind him, fully loaded SMG¡¯s gripped in their hands.
They moved in a line, quick and efficient, a team of killers who still were completely unknown to those above. If he had his way, the targets above wouldn¡¯t suspect a thing until the very moment they were taking bullets to the heart or brain.
163: Take No Prisoners
¡®High Rollers: I¡¯ve checked on all my guys. Everyone¡¯s fine. No problems.¡¯
That was the third to report in. All groups had confirmed their status, except for one. Book Club.
Vikrum¡¯s Mark flickered, and he tapped on it immediately.
The UI immediately opened to his Quest, Hero of Humanity, and his eyes immediately moved to the part showing his Loyal.
The number decreased in chunks before his eyes, two, three, one, two, one, over the space of two seconds.
Nine of his people had just died, just like that, gone. He snatched the radio, thumbed the transmitter, and spat into it. ¡®This is Command! Book Club, your people are dying. Stop everything, get everyone, and find out who is fucking killing you!¡¯
¡®Understood!¡¯ came the leader of those in the Library, but that wasn¡¯t all that came through from the radio.
Gunfire crackled from its speakers. Yelling and shouting, all turned into a mishmash of sound. The heavy thump of a high calibre automatic weapon, growing louder and louder.
The sounds cut off.
Vikrum snarled, his mind spinning. What to do? Go there right now? He¡¯d been preparing to move on the Upper-Jungle. His scouts had found three large groups, all factions that continuously attacked his Chosen and were increasingly well armed, in positions where they could be pinned and taken care of.
He had a guess at who was doing this. Only one other was known to strike like lightning from a clear sky, vicious and random. Bastard. Rotors groaned in the sides of his face as his polyceramic teeth ground together.
But as he prepared to send the orders, Cornwall presented its analysis.
Even if he went only with himself, as there was none faster, it would still take almost twenty minutes to arrive. The Library was distant. It was likely that if he did not lead the Chosen to the upper-jungle now, that the move he¡¯d prepared on the three groups up there would slip away. Those groups happened to be positioned in a way that made them unusually vulnerable, few places of escape.
He could split, go himself to the Library, and send the Chosen up top.
But Cornwall¡¯s next statement told him this was likely pointless.
If the attackers continue to kill the Book Club so quickly, then by the time you arrive they will be gone. They will be aware of the likelihood of reinforcements.
Vikrum raised his hand, checked his Mark, and saw that seven more Loyal had died. Another went as he watched. They wouldn¡¯t last much longer.
Vikrum knew it was the right move to go with his Chosen to the top. That he should simply dismiss the Library and his people there as an inexplicable loss.
But they were his people, and he wanted vengeance. For them, and for all the others Viper had killed. The man needed to die, and even only a small chance of killing him was enough.
I¡¯m going, he told Cornwall, Viper dies today.
There is no certainty it is Viper, Cornwall argued.
Vikrum shook his head. It is. The AI gave its version of a nod. Issue the orders, get them moving up top.
###
Bullets cracked and spat around Nicolai, twinkling lights, hot with danger. But he had their measure. He knew the positions of the shooters, and he knew that lurking behind the thick stone corner, his cover was good.
He was in the second room of the Libraries upper-floor, where he¡¯d found the Memory Tomes, crouched to the side of the exit. His vision was lit up with shapes. Threat Analysis had been busy since the start of this fight, and once it had gotten started and he¡¯d been forced to duck into here, it had continued to do all it could to work out their positions.
A third of them were dead, killed in his first strike. He¡¯d heard the words on the radio, too, as those on the bodies of the nine he¡¯d killed lower down had spoken Vikrum¡¯s words. The moment he¡¯d heard that shout, he¡¯d dashed up the stairs.
The next moments were a blur in his memory. Pulling with the Grasping Finger. Pegasi ring. Grenades. Gunshots. He¡¯d scythed through them on his way to the additional room, into which he¡¯d retreated as they started firing on him. He¡¯d killed one of the Cultivators, as he¡¯d focused fire on them.
Maintaining the initiative was of significant importance in combat like this. Making use of it, was even more important. By throwing himself into them before they properly reacted to the warning on the radio, he¡¯d been able to wreak havoc and lay waste.
The only problem was that there were sixteen of them left, and now he was trapped in this room.
The battlefield was now split into sections. Amongst the shelves on one side of this upper floor, lurked the Guardian. The Chosen occupied the area in front of the stairwell door. Nicolai held the Memory Tome room. Jo and Beth were down the stairs, working to keep the Chosen¡ªwho were attempting to press down and escape¡ªpinned.
They were doing well, in large part because of Beth¡¯s Symbiote which was very effective in the stairwell. In time the Chosen would push through, but they¡¯d suffer significant losses.
Nicolai intended to see them dead before that happened, but he¡¯d encountered a problem. The Library Guardian had been focusing on him ever since he¡¯d arrived. It recognised him, and even though these guys had been holding it here and whittling it down for quite some time, it still wanted him dead first.
He had merged with Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare at the start of the fight, and together they had come up with a plan. He¡¯d waited for his moment, observing the Chosen and the undead through every method available to him. They were now aware of the invasion Cyberwarfare had enacted on the Local.
But that wasn¡¯t enough. Nicolai had seized control of the remaining drones, and posted them throughout the upper floor, hidden away. He had eyes everywhere, and with the edge in the Local war, he was free to use grenades with maximum effect.
They corrected that quickly. They threw chaffbangs and the filaments these grenades flung through the air interrupted the Local, making it unuseable for everyone in the area. He still had access to a pair of drones near to the Guardian, due to how the chaffbang filaments were positioned, but all others were unavailable.
He sent his rapier out and it spun through the air. The Chosen fired on it as it danced, and some bullets were wasted before the leader called out to cease fire. That was enough.
Nicolai slithered closer to the exit then tossed a concussion grenade. He slipped back as a rain of razor sharp paper came from the Guardian. Moving forward again, he threw more grenades. In fact, he threw all of his grenades, and on each of them he altered the timing by a different amount. The longest was at twenty seconds. The continuous fragmentation and concussion grenade explosions would keep the Chosen busy, force them to take cover or try and throw the grenades away. That was necessary because if he didn¡¯t give them such pressure, they would likely realise that if they threw grenades at him, it would be equally effective. Just as important, it would keep them off his back while he dealt with the Guardian.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
When the first grenade went off, he lunged out of the exit, knowing their guns were low on ammo. He deflected the few rounds that came his way and used his Soul Sense to bat aside the paper that homed in on his position, dodging those that were launched in simple straight lines.
He charged towards the Guardian, winding his way through the shelves. He arrived in an instant and saw it become mist, the Guardian predicting his attack. An incorrect prediction that only gave him time to move after his true target. He used the Pegasi ring and Grasping Finger to launch himself to the top of the shelves, where he sighted the orange-glowing book, floating in the air.
A barrage of gunshots tore it apart.
The undead was coming for him, flowing through the mist. It knew it had no other choice, that it should have attacked immediately rather than shying away, and now it sought to make up for that mistake.
He¡¯d known it would come and was ready. Blue lightning crawled over him as he dodged out the way, striking at it with his Soul Sense. He wanted to make it leave its mist form, and he felt he could do so without the lightning.
He struck at it with Soul Sense, the rapier forming the edge of his attack as it sliced through the mist. The undead¡¯s Soul Sense was dispersed, loose, hard to hit, but as he sliced away he knew it was sustaining damage. He chased after it as it fled. It turned and lunged at him, but he was ready and slid aside, avoiding the charge. He punched his palm out as it passed by and the weight of his Soul caught it in the side.
The undead¡¯s Soul Sense broke and it reappeared, the mist form fading. Blue lightning slammed into it the moment it appeared, and it fell limp to the ground.
Nicolai landed beside it and unleashed a screaming hail of rounds from extremely short range, pouring them into its stunned form. He twisted his arms as he fired, the buckshot dispersed up and down its form. Gunsmoke and chunks of bone and flesh and wood spewed upwards and outwards as the 12 gauge punched through it and into the floor.
The AA-12 clicked empty at the same moment as the undead released a sudden spiritual blast, something that slapped at him and made him pause for just a moment. He had already retreated a few feet backwards in a reflexive jerk before he realised what it was. Not an attack¡ªit had simply been a powerful Aura ripple, released as the undead¡¯s form was destroyed so completely and utterly that its surprised Soul was forced to disperse into the Aura. As the smoke cleared he saw that it was no more than scattered shards of bone and leathery chunks of flesh.
He approached and lowered himself to grasp something that shimmered within the remnants of its body. An ornate silver circlet. The Imbued item. As he tucked it away he heard the last of the numerous grenades he¡¯d timed and thrown go off.
He slung the poncho over him once more then flew upwards to the top of the nearest shelf. He crept forwards. The Chosen were now pinned at the stairway, and though their cover of wooden desks had sufficed against the undead¡¯s paper missiles, it would not against shotgun rounds.
A fresh magazine slotted into the AA-12 and he took aim at one he had an angle on. A squeeze of the trigger sprayed the man¡¯s brains against the wall. Nicolai dropped off the shelf as their return fire came, rapidly relocating to a new position.
Peering around a shelf he sighted down the AA-12, found another target, and fired. Their shots sprayed at that spot, hitting nothing because once again he immediately moved off to reposition.
They really didn¡¯t have a lot they could do, now. He was difficult to find back here in his poncho. They¡¯d lost all their drones. Their cover was bad whereas he had many places to hide, plus a shield.
Still, he¡¯d expected they would keep fighting. Thus he was surprised when he heard the cry.
¡®We surrender! We give up! We¡¯re dropping our weapons!¡¯
The single drone he still had control over got into a position where it could see them, and he saw they were doing just that. Nicolai moved forwards, coming into sight of them. They all had their hands up. As he approached, he checked these were all of them by communicating with Jo and Beth and sending the drone into the stairs.
¡®As in the Corporate Convention, we are now prisoners of war,¡¯ announced the leader of them. ¡®I hope you will treat us¡ª¡®
His words were silenced by a shotgun blast that blew his head in half. Nicolai turned the shotgun on the rest of them as they cringed and screamed.
Unarmed people realising they were about to be executed almost always reacted the same. He¡¯d once imagined that in those final moments, it would be inevitable that most people would try something. A pointless charge at the shooter. An attempt to flee for the nearest cover. But it was always the same. They just put their hands around their heads and cringed as the gunshots moved down the line.
Once it was done he reloaded and began picking through the corpses. A short time later he saw Jo and Beth emerge warily from the stairwell, guns ready.
¡®Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re all dead,¡¯ he communicated.
The girls didn¡¯t look as reassured as he¡¯d expected.
Beth licked her lips and swallowed, eyes on the dead. ¡®We heard. Weren¡¯t they, uh, surrendering? Should you have killed them?¡¯
¡®They¡¯re Chosen and we don¡¯t have the facilities to keep prisoners,¡¯ he explained.
Jo was shaking her head, appearing disappointed. ¡®Is that all you feel?¡¯
What had he felt? Nicolai considered. His Mask was feeling a lot, that was for sure, but he didn¡¯t have much interest in experiencing those feelings and was keeping it at a distance.
As to himself¡
¡®I felt the recoil,¡¯ he told her, in a rare moment of honesty. ¡®Let¡¯s go. Our objective is complete and the Chosen will send reinforcements.¡¯ He¡¯d already checked for loot, and had seized some decent guns and a few Oma crystals, but it transpired he¡¯d been slightly too free with his grenades¡ªthe Cultivator¡¯s corpses were smears and chunks of gore, with no sign of their Symbiotes.
Regardless, he had the Guardian¡¯s Imbued, which promised to be of great use once he reached Tier 2, and he¡¯d dealt a blow to the Chosen. A good day¡¯s work.
As he moved, the Radios crackled. Curious, he leaned down to a corpse and tugged the a Radio free from a bloodstained tactical vest.
###
The radio had been silent for some time. Vikrum had seen his Loyal counter continue to tick down, though more slower now. Whatever fight was occurring was going less quickly. But as he watched the number ticked down by another few, and Cornwall informed him that the losses matched up with the number who had been part of the Book Club.
Even so, he spoke over the radio. ¡®Book Club?¡¯ asked Vikrum. ¡®Book Club?¡¯
He heard a faint click. Frowning, he put his ear to the radio. He could hear breathing. The dim, dark feeling growing within him told him that this was not the breathing of the field leader he¡¯d put in charge of those in the Library.
¡®Viper,¡¯ he snarled.
¡®Vikrum,¡¯ spoke a voice from the radio. Where Vikrum had snarled Viper¡¯s name, the man spoke his own in an odd tone. A kind of savouring. Like he was happy that at long last, they were speaking.
Vikrum wasn¡¯t far now, only five minutes away. If he could get the man talking, maybe he¡¯d stay for longer. He just needed a little time, and he¡¯d put an end to Viper for good.
¡®You know, Viper, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been wanting to say to you,¡¯ he began. His tone, aided by Cornwall, was conversational. His movements had changed slightly; he was still running but at a very slightly slower speed, so as to necessitate soundless movement. He didn¡¯t want Viper to hear the clatter of his sprint. The words he spoke were designed to draw someone in, make them want to listen, make them want to respond. He let the pause stretch. ¡®This is what I¡¯ve been wanting to say: in this place, there are¡ª¡®
A derisive laugh burbled from the radio. With a click the transmission switched off.
Vikrum let out a snarl of rage, and his footsteps sped to maximum speed. He felt an urge to dash the radio on the ground but Cornwall stayed his hand.
An army of drones moved with him, the only things other than Gilvine capable of keeping up with his speed. They spread wide through the castle around him. He had powerful transmitters capable of controlling them over a wide range, and with Cornwall he could use hundreds with ease.
###
Nicolai left a line of drones between him as the Library, a method to extend his reach through them, as he and the girls moved off. Through the last in line he saw a wave of drones arrive. With them, came a person, a Cyborg.
Vikrum.
He had that drone and the next two in line destroy themselves as Vikrum¡¯s cyberwarfare capabilities lunged at them, breaking the end of the chain as the other drones flew back to join him. He knew that Vikrum¡¯s drones would be spreading out as the man chased after him, but he wasn¡¯t concerned. He was distant, the castle was a maze, and he knew how to hide his tracks. Vikrum wouldn¡¯t be catching him.
Nicolai considered what he¡¯d seen. Vikrum had come alone. He was a Level 3 Cyborg, but even so¡ that was an interesting decision. Some might even call it unwise.
Vikrum was definitely not a happy Cyborg. Nicolai felt that the gloating chuckle he¡¯d fed through the radio had been a nice touch. He suspected it¡¯d struck a nerve.
In truth, he didn¡¯t feel any sense of gloating over killing Vikrum¡¯s people. Now the moment was passed, he felt little more than the satisfaction of a job well done. But he was well aware of how emotion could cloud one¡¯s vision and lead them astray. The laugh, therefore, was a form of psychological warfare. An attack aimed at destabilising¡ªin some small way¡ªVikrum¡¯s mental state.
Things like that mattered, in his view. Ultimately, everything mattered. That was how you won. Lots of little acts, alongside a few big ones, all adding up over time.
164: Late to the Party
We arrived too late, said Cornwall as Vikrum dashed through the hallways. He spotted another destroyed drone and knew he was going in the right direction.
I want him dead, he told the AI simply.
He is gone and he leaves no signs. The odds of finding him are negligible. Even if you do find him, victory is not certain. You did not bring any hunter-killer drones, only recon, and the Smart Gun is of limited effectiveness in the corridors of this area, You should return to your Chosen; they will need you up top. If you lose too many Chosen, the quest will be impossible to complete and you will die, and he has already killed your Loyal in this area. There is nothing to gain here, and much to lose.
Vikrum ignored his assistant¡¯s nagging, pressing on. He came to an outside area, and saw many different routes and entrances. Many places Viper could¡¯ve gone. He scanned the environment carefully, searching for signs of recent movement.
Where has he gone? What do you see? He asked Cornwall. He felt the AI focusing, felt the data pouring through his mind.
That way, it said.
Vikrum pressed on as time spun by. As he moved, a terrible, bitter anxiety was growing within him. A certainty which he didn¡¯t allowed himself to truly think on, but which floated in the depths of his mind regardless.
Where now? he snapped at Cornwall as he came to another crossroads, and he felt his assistant calculating. A calculation that took twice as long as the last time.
That way, it said at last.
He kept going. He encountered a group of dead and smashed his way through them.
Where now?
This next pause lasted even longer, and he paced restlessly, his eyes scanning the ground and the many passageways and the whole bewildering, groaning coffin of stone he was trapped inside.
I don¡¯t know. There are no signs. I may have made a mistake. I recommend we go back and check the area around the last clue. Though, that clue is may also be a dead end.
Vikrum turned, his thoughts empty but for the rage, and in a blur of movement slammed his fist into the wall. Dust and tiny chunks of stone burst out and hit him like a puff of smoke as his fist cratered it.
He knew what the AI wasn¡¯t saying, and now the thought he¡¯d not allowed himself to think engulfed him.
Viper had gotten away.
¡®FUCK!¡¯
###
Nicolai hefted the grenade belt, finished setting the combined timer which began to tick. He¡¯d taken all the grenades from the others and sent them on. After doing so, he¡¯d returned, slipping through the corridors. Then, he¡¯d found his spot, and lain in wait.
It was a gamble, one that could go wrong, or, more likely, that would bear no fruit.
But he¡¯d gotten lucky. The sound of Vikrum¡¯s scream of frustration echoed off the walls.
The man was right around the corner and down the corridor.
Nicolai turned in a single smooth movement and hurled out the grenade belt, his arm and body snapping with the force of the throw.
The Cyborg¡¯s head snapped toward him, then his body pivoted as he raised his gun in an inhuman blur, but as the gun raised Nicolai was already stepping back around the corner. Bullets blew chips of stone off the corner. Those bullets came from a Smart Gun, and would steer themselves to the target; but they couldn¡¯t turn around a ninety degree angle. It was a weapon that could wreak havoc in an open space, but so long as Nicolai was around a tight corner it was effectively just an assault rifle.
The cyborg, visible in Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense, had shoved hard at the wall to launch himself backwards, his feet churning at the stone.
He was too slow. The timer Nicolai had set across the grenades hit zero and all of them detonated at once in a gigantic clap of light, heat, and concussive force, the epicentre of an explosion which drove many sharp fragments of metal in all directions at thousands of feet per second.
The explosion caught Vikrum and launched the cyborg down the corridor. The previous beauty of Vikrum¡¯s form was tarnished and now he was a smoking, battered chunk of metal.
Nicolai stepped smoothly out, feet a fluid blur as he pursued. He used the Pegasi rings to speed and balance his movement, allowing him to keep his upper body still while sighting down the AA-12.
The shotgun roared and a hail of armour penetrating slugs raced out ahead of him, slamming into Vikrum as the Cyborg crashed into the ground and rolled in a heap. But Vikrum was moving, scrambling in an ungainly blur of hands-and-knees down the corridor, skittering like a bug as he raced towards the next bend in the corridor.
Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense strained out ahead of him, reaching for Vikrum, and blue lightning crackled over his body. Its charge was as rapid as his movement.
Vikrum had fucked up. He¡¯d come out here on his lonesome, no backup. He¡¯d chased and chased Nicolai into the endless warren of the castle. Also, he still wasn¡¯t a Cultivator, which meant that when it came to Symbiotes, he was completely defenceless. Finally, Vikrum paused to scream and cry, like a baby, after being unlucky enough to draw close to where Nicolai had hidden.
Nicolai couldn¡¯t judge him for the tantrum, since he was aware that childish fits of rage was a failure he shared with the Cyborg. But the rest¡ the rest was a significant tactical error.
It would be remiss of Nicolai not to punish that error.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
###
Vikrum scrambled around the corridor, away from the slugs that were tearing chunks out of him. If he¡¯d had lungs he would¡¯ve been breathing heavy. Instead of that, his internal reactor was burning hot, pumping like a mechanical heart within him, radiating heat from his vents.
Now away from the bullets, his panic faded enough that he became aware of Cornwall¡¯s blaring warning and the incessant request to enable his Combat Drive. He accepted with the reflexive immediacy of a drowning man reaching for a chunk of wood.
The Combat Drive drove through him and leveraged Vikrum to his feet in an instant, balancing more on one side as one of his legs was damaged. He could hear the thump of Viper¡¯s footsteps and the Drive triangulated the sounds to give him an exact impression of the man¡¯s location.
His Smart Gun had been torn apart by the grenades, and the Drive discarded it, attempting to activate his Hand Cannon. To Vikrum¡¯s shock, it was disabled, along with one of his primary lasers. Some combination of the damage from the grenades alongside the enemies shots had put the systems offline. Did he aim his shots purposefully, to disable them? The Combat Drive didn¡¯t waste time worrying about that. It began charging up his remaining laser and moved his arm. He drew the pistol on his hip in a blur. Or at least, attempted to. As he was pulling it from the holster a sudden force slammed into it and wrenched it out of his grip to clatter on the wall.
Vikrum would¡¯ve stared in confusion, but the Combat Drive immediately pivoted to something new, lunging towards the corner where Viper would momentarily emerge.
But as Vikrum moved, so too did the sounds change, and he knew Viper was rapidly retreating. The man came into view as Vikrum veered around the corner, all the way wide to one side, which the Combat Drive recognised as a way to ensure he had an angle of fire on Vikrum from the earliest moment.
Viper wasn¡¯t aiming his shotgun at Vikrum. Instead he had a hand outraised, and electricity was pouring over his arm.
The Combat Drive didn¡¯t recognise this form of attack, but it did recognise an unknown danger of unknown magnitude and opted to retreat. Vikrum¡¯s feet abruptly reversed and his arms wheeled as he dragged his body backwards.
He¡¯d only moved a few centimetres when a shock of dazzling blue lightning bridged the gap between him and Viper, slamming into his shoulder.
Vikrum toppled backwards, his body seizing as the lightning surged over him. But his Combat Drive reacted just as fast, severing the electrical connections to his left side, where the lightning was sinking teeth into him. His left side froze, but the rest of him regained movement, and the lightning was directed down through his leg by his grounding systems. He set his body and prepared to lunge forward again.
When Vikrum had been younger he¡¯d had a weaker version of his current body. One day, one of his families maids had tried to remove a stray cat he¡¯d found and determined to adopt. She¡¯d been rough with it. He¡¯d grabbed her by the arm as the cat yowled in her hands, and he could still remember how her flesh had pulped and bulged, how it had exploded in a red wave under his enhanced grip as he accidentally used all the strength in the artificial hand.
It was a bad memory.
But the coming moment would be a good one. As soon as he got a hand on Viper he¡¯d squeeze until flesh and bone bubbled out around his fingers, and then he¡¯d grab somewhere else, and he¡¯d keep on squeezing. The laser in his palm had also finished charging up, in case he couldn¡¯t reach Viper.
But Viper didn¡¯t come around the corner, and there was no sound to reveal his location. The Combat Drive determined Viper would be laying in wait. It was uncertain how to proceed, as it worried that Viper might shock them with the lightning again. If he could throw that lightning without pause, Vikrum would be in real trouble.
Vikrum overruled it and dashed forward. His body was recovered from the lightning now, and both his hands were outstretched.
But coming around the corner, he could not grab the man, because the man wasn¡¯t there. Instead, Viper was flying soundlessly down the corridor at high speed. Vikrum raised his hand and a red laserbeam erupted from his palm just as Viper turned a corner, He caught him in the leg as that was all that was in sight, then Viper was gone.
Vikrum tried to chase after him, but he had to fight against the still engaged Combat Drive. Where he wanted nothing more than to see Viper dead, it was convinced that chasing would be a bad move. It was talking about the enemy being largely undamaged, while he was down to 78% functionality; most crucially, the Hand Cannon was offline. It was simulating more ambushes, in which Vikrum was gradually turned into scrap.
If you chase him, I predict above sixty percent certainty that you will be killed, Cornwall informed him.
¡®I want him dead,¡¯ grated Vikrum, his voice garbled by damaged speakers.
If you retreat, he might pursue. Then you could turn the ambush. More Chosen are on the way, with fresh guns; though none as good as the Smart Gun.
¡®The Smart Gun,¡¯ Vikrum moaned, pressing his hands to his head. It was just a smashed chunk of metal and plastic and very expensive components, now.
Tell me the odds, he said, wanting to see it laid out clearly.
If you pursue: I calculate 63% chance you will be killed. But if you retreat, and he pursues: I calculate 92% chance you will successfully kill him. The one who chases, loses.
Do you think he will pursue if I run?
After a pause, Cornwall answered. No. He is too canny and knows what we know. It is almost a certainty that he will disengage if you retreat, rather than chase. If he does pursue, then you must be very wary: because in that case, his pursuing would strongly suggest he has some trick we are unaware of that changes the odds to be more in his favour. I doubt that is the case, because if so he would not have retreated originally; for example, the blue lightning he utilised earlier must have limits on its use, or he would have continued pressing you.
Vikrum shook his head. He had to face facts. This was over. He¡¯d lost, and it was time to turn around. His metal fist flexed, gears grinding.
¡®I¡¯ll get him,¡¯ he hissed. ¡®Not today. But I will get him in time. He won¡¯t beat me again.¡¯
We will, Cornwall assured him. He was only able to damage you so heavily via a surprise attack, and even then was unable to press the advantage. If you are able to fight him fairly, he will stand little chance.
###
Nicolai hunkered tight to the wall, peering around the corner with his Soul Sense. He¡¯d found a good spot. If Vikrum was dumb enough to chase, he might be able to finish this. It would be tricky, though. The Cyborg was able to deal with his blue lightning pretty well. He¡¯d had a feeling it would struggle against a Level 3. An expensive body like Vikrum¡¯s would be packed with countermeasures.
The Cyborg was extremely dangerous and any fight with such an individual needed to, by necessity, be characterised by quick, ruthless engagements followed by a rapid retreat. It would be possible to put Vikrum down with enough shots, but it¡¯d take quite a lot. The blue lightning was his only method of allowing himself a quick attack and escape, so he might build up the damage or disengage safely. The more damage he did, the more of Vikrum¡¯s weaponry and countermeasures would be put offline; he picked his shots carefully to ensure this.
But he couldn¡¯t simply go for the Cyborg and finish Vikrum off. It just wouldn¡¯t work. If Vikrum got his hands on Nicolai, that¡¯d be it. And where Vikrum could take shots and keep going, Nicolai could be killed by a single round from a pistol if it hit him in the head.
Other injuries he could deal with, however. This was a significant advantage he¡¯d noticed. Vikrum didn¡¯t seem to be able to use Rejuvenating Orbs; otherwise, he¡¯d already have done so. Nicolai suspected this was because Vikrum was both almost entirely artificial, and had no Soul, as he had found that the Rejuvenating Orbs did seem to work on his own small augments¡ªonce he had expanded his Soul into them.
While Vikrum was unable to recover through such means, Nicolai had already recovered from the blackened, melting hole which a brief touch from Vikrum¡¯s excessively powerful laser had put in his leg.
So long as he didn¡¯t die, he could keep going and wear his enemy down. However, this required Vikrum to chase. If he tried to be the pursuer, it was unlikely to go well for him. Especially since he felt sure reinforcements would be on the way.
Two minutes passed, and Nicolai made his decision. Vikrum wasn¡¯t coming.
He rose and moved off. It was time to link up with Jo and Beth then return to base. Useful information had been gained from this encounter.
Vikrum was not as unkillable as one might¡¯ve expected.
165: The Bird
After returning from the Library with his gains, Nicolai had been accosted by Perro, who once more demanded they go to rescue Maxine.
Since healing the laser burn, he was in good health and there was plenty of time left in the day. Desiring to keep the momentum going and see what else could be accomplished, he agreed to Perro¡¯s request.
Now, Nicolai and the others filtered through the rooftop jungle. He was accompanied by Jo, Beth, Perro, Azure, Daksh, and Elena. This time, no one wore balaclava¡¯s. Since they weren¡¯t trading, he felt it best to keep the masks off, as otherwise people spotting them would identify them as the traders. He wanted to keep that role separate from their normal appearance. It wouldn¡¯t make a huge difference since they were recognisable enough just from their gear, but every little helped.
The area was busy, that day. Their drones spotted other drones in the distance above the trees, more groups moving about. The crackle of gunfire was heard here and there.
They crept to one edge of the jungle, where two towers rose above.
On the left, Maxine¡¯s Radio Tower. An antenna was visible poking up from the top. The ground-level entrance was destroyed, a collapse that made the tower slump a little.
A few hundred metres away stood another tower. This one had a ground-level entrance choked with ragged, angry vines.
Faintly, a cry could be heard, drifting down from its crown.
¡®Kill me! Kill me! Kill me!¡¯
¡®There it is,¡¯ murmured Azure, peering up at the tower.
¡®Who is that?¡¯ asked Daksh, looking confused.
¡®No one knows,¡¯ Perro supplied. ¡®But whoever it is, they¡¯ve never stopped yelling that. Everyone just calls this the Kill Me tower.¡¯
Daksh shook his head. ¡®A strange place we find ourselves in.¡¯
¡®An interesting place,¡¯ said Nicolai, who found the cries from above intriguing. They made him want to go up there and see what was letting them out. He pulled his gaze from the Kill Me tower to look at the others. ¡®Myself, Jo and Beth will float up and see about finding Maxine,¡¯ he said. ¡®The rest of you, take up position there.¡¯ He gestured to a jagged pile of masonry, part of the collapsed front of the Radio Tower. ¡®Good natural cover,¡¯ he added. ¡®Keep your weapons ready.¡¯
He and the others made their way over. He paused halfway, gesturing to Jo and Beth, while the others continued to the cover he¡¯d indicated. He was about to activate his Pegasi ring when he saw Beth¡¯s eyes widen. She was looking upward.
¡®Wait,¡¯ Beth hissed, then gestured upwards. ¡®Look. Its that bird.¡¯
Nicolai followed her gesture, turning and scanning the castle. He saw it almost immediately. Sitting on a bastion nearby to the radio tower, where it must have been the entire time, blending in with the stone. The bird was currently fluffing its wings, and the movement made it stand out.
It was watching Maxine¡¯s Radio Tower.
Nicolai deactivated his Pegasi ring, brows creasing. Getting up there wouldn¡¯t be as simple as he¡¯d imagined.
After a moments thought he moved to join the others in the rubble, trying to work out what to do. Jo and Beth followed after him.
¡®We have a problem,¡¯ he said, pointing at the bird, and they all craned their heads.
¡®Did Maxine ever mention the bird?¡¯ he asked, looking to Perro. The boy seemed to be the one keeping closest in contact with Maxine.
Perro nodded. ¡®Yeah, Maxine mentioned it a few times. She said that it¡¯s¡ uh, hunting her.¡¯
Nicolai nodded. He recalled her mentioning the bird before on the radio, that it had killed the Chosen who¡¯d come after her, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to take up literal camp outside her tower. He had seen it elsewhere, though, so it wasn¡¯t always here.
In that case, how much time did it spend here? Would it stay here until the moment it detected Cultivators flying around, then come for them, then return? From what he could tell that was what it was doing. He figured it had come for him when he was floating beneath the bridges, tangling with archers, because it had sensed the ripples in the Aura his activities had made, had sensed that he was a Cultivator in an open area it could get to.
He didn¡¯t think they would do well if they attempted to fly up to land on the top of the tower. It was a perceptive creature, with a powerful Soul Sense. If it¡¯d felt him flying when he was all way in the bridge-filled area between the bastions, then it would certainly feel him¡ªeven being more subtle¡ªif he was using a Pegasi ring right underneath its nose. The only option then was to go without any Symbiotes or Imbued.
Nicolai was a skilled climber, and unusually strong and fast now he was Cultivator. The tower was a ragged thing, scarred by jutting ridges and worming cracks; it would pose little challenge. He estimated he could be at the top in under three minutes.
But he didn¡¯t just need to get up there. He needed to get Maxine out. If she was capable of climbing the tower, she could have just gone to the side the bird wasn¡¯t watching and climbed down at any time. The fact she remained suggested either she could not make the climb, or that she didn¡¯t want to.
The bird was powerful, stronger than they could deal with quickly or easily. He wasn¡¯t even sure it could be killed by their weapons. He¡¯d seen it soak dozens of shots the last time, when it attacked the Chosen and pursued him on the bridge. Jo had shot it in the head. The Chosen had fired on it with SMG¡¯s and shotguns. The bird had soaked all of it without dying, without even apparent injury.
He looked it over carefully. It wasn¡¯t dissimilar to a hawk, only greatly scaled up. Long, hooked beak narrowing to a sharp point. Legs that seemed spindly compared to its bulk, but still huge compared to him and ending with sharp talons that broke the stone of the tower-top it clung to. Even from this distance, Nicolai was able to distantly make out the Soul Sense writhing around it. He sensed it through ripples in the Aura, easily noticeable now he was looking out for them.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Even ignoring its unnatural abilities it was very dangerous. With the two combined; strange abilities and simple size, he wasn¡¯t sure they could deal with it.
But, as Nicolai continued to gaze at it, he noted more, and Threat Analysis worked with him as they studied the bird, searching for weaknesses. There were gaps in its feathers; scars. One of its legs seemed slightly shorter, a little crooked. There were chips and bumps on its beak.
Nicolai and the Module couldn¡¯t be sure, but as they gazed at it an impression was becoming rooted in his mind. The bird was old. It¡¯d had lived a long, rough life. That could explain why it was here in the first place. Were it not for the arrival of Nicolai and the other humans, something he had reason to believe was a rare and unusual event, it would only have had undead to chew on. He doubted that desiccated flesh and mouldering bones were high up on its list of ideal meals.
It was common for older members of any predatory species to find themselves pushed to the edges as they grew older, forced to scrape by. The young would shove them out. This had been true in his profession, as much as it was in the wild. In his time, Nicolai had been both the one doing the shoving, and the one being shoved. He¡¯d come out on top each time, but maybe this bird hadn¡¯t, and now it was here. Or perhaps it was the opposite. Perhaps this was the most perfect, most desirable hunting ground, and it had claimed it by virtue of great strength.
Either way, the injuries on the bird told him it could be hurt, and this told him that it could be killed. He just needed to understand what was making it so resistant to bullets, to work out exactly how much damage and in which spots they ought to aim in order to kill it.
This reconnaissance could be performed over time¡ªno need to rush¡ªas now he knew where it tended to come to roost. Powerful as it was, it was still limited. He had gotten away from it the last time simply by running into the castle.
That in mind, he could simply shoot at it with a sniper rifle from a distance, then run away when it came after him. He could buy more sniper rifles and the others could shoot at it with him.
They could shoot it, record how it reacted and how damaged it seemed to be. Work out where it was strong and where it was weak. If it could be made furious enough to stay there being shot at, perhaps they could even whittle it down from a distance, without the need to work everything out.
A workable plan but lengthy, and his time was short. Nicolai hoped it wouldn¡¯t be necessary. He needed to check something else, first.
Keep an eye on things, he said to Threat Analysis. It gave him a coded nod and Nicolai allowed his mind to drift within, into his Soul.
He swam through it, searching, and quickly found the green orbs of information that reading the Memory Tomes had left in him, scattered through his Soul¡¯s mirror of his brain.
While some of the Tomes¡¯ information seemed close beneath the surface, eager to spill out into his consciousness the moment he thought on whatever it was relevant to, other parts were deeper buried. The information on the bird would hopefully be one of them.
He scanned the green orbs as he swum by them, poking them until he¡¯d learned roughly what they were about. He was pleased when one of them returned an image of a familiar looking giant bird. Nicolai enfolded the green orb and began to manually integrate the knowledge within, studying it.
A moment later he emerged from his Soul, gazing at the bird above with fresh eyes.
It was a Dull Eagle, a type of Spirit Bird common to this world. They were generally towards the lower end of the Spirit Beast food-chain; unless one had happened to find a good combination of Symbiotes. Nicolai thought that was what had happened, because the information swimming through his mind had confirmed that this one, by soaking all those bullets, had shown much more resistance to damage that it should possess by nature. The bird was large, sure, and it had similarly enhanced physical capabilities as Nicolai had received after integrating his Seed, but other than that it should be little tougher than he would have expected from a large animal on Earth.
Therefore its toughness could only be because of Symbiotes.
Nicolai knew it had something with a kind of pulling ability similar to what the Grasping Finger Symbiote gave him, the usage sign of which was yellow light from its eye. It must also have something to allow it to resist damage, or rapidly heal from it. Perhaps both.
He allowed his awareness of his body to fade once more, focusing on the green bundles of information lurking in his Soul. They were split into a few sections, and he had now moved from the one on Spirit Beasts to the Symbiote area. He immersed himself into them, skimming through lists and quick descriptions of Symbiotes, looking for the answer.
After some time he opened his eyes, a conclusion in his mind.
The bird likely had three Symbiotes. The pulling one could be one of a large number, but it wasn¡¯t overly important. The other two were the important ones. One was likely a Symbote that significantly reduced the effect of any physical strikes it received. The second was most likely one which greatly increased the bird¡¯s ability to heal from wounds. There were a few options for which exact Symbiotes it had filling those roles, and the difficulty of killing it would depend on exactly which ones it had.
For instance, if it had a Blue Tortoise Symbiote, it would be able to form a powerful layer over its skin that would greatly reduce the damage it took, though it would be weak to getting shot in the same place more than once. However, a Black Tortoise Symbiote would create a similar layer, but one which would be much harder to pierce. Nicolai was uncertain how the early-modern guns and bullets the Trade Link provided would match up against such a barrier.
As to its regeneration Symbiote, which he felt sure it must have, it should be quite a decent one. In the last fight it had been shot many times, but it had never shown any signs of fleeing, instead sticking around and killing until everyone had fled from it.
Staring up at the bird, thinking these thoughts, Nicolai mouth creased in a smile. This kind of information was exactly what he¡¯d been missing. He knew much about Earth; the capabilities of people and weapons. Back in his time as a hired killer, learning all he could of any new technology, weapons, augments, and anything else that could effect him during combat, had been a high priority. He had always strived to know as much as possible, before committing to any act.
But when first arriving here he had known nothing of the new world. Gradually, his knowledge had grown. Now, with the Memory Tomes, his understand was rapidly broadening. In order to do as he desired¡ªto not only survive, but thrive, in the new world¡ªhe needed his understanding to grow to match his knowledge of Earth. He was getting closer.
Nicolai¡¯s eyes traced the bird as its great hooked head moved, the tip of its beak digging beneath its wing, scratching at an itch. He didn¡¯t think it would be easy to fell the bird. Flying or climbing up the tower was not necessarily wise. Before committing to action, he needed information about more than just the bird.
They needed to be able to talk to Maxine.
He loosed his Link and started broadcasting, attempting to reach her, but he found nothing. The tower was high and she must be inside, behind thick walls. His Link¡¯s Local communications only had so much power.
¡®Daksh,¡¯ he said, turning to the man. ¡®Do you think you can hail Maxine over Local? She should be up in this tower somewhere.¡¯
Daksh nodded. ¡®I¡¯ll give it a go. No promises, though.¡¯ The man raised his arm, hand out, then that hand split apart into its true form, a mass of spindly artificial digits, antennas and wires. The antennas twisted, searching, and Nicolai felt a buzz of information through the Local, emanating from Daksh, calling out for Maxine.
With Daksh¡¯s permission, he and the others connected to the man over Local, able to use him as a transmission booster.
After a moment of searching and broadcasting, someone else connected.
166: Radio Woman
¡®Who¡¯s that?¡¯ came a recognisable voice, with a long-dead accent of the American deep south. Nicolai felt an odd sensation upon hearing it. This was Maxine, who he¡¯d regarded at times as a kind of moral guide. It was strange to hear her voice directly, over Local.
¡®Hey! Maxine? It¡¯s me, Perro!¡¯ said Perro, faster than any of them.
¡®Perro? Hey! Good to hear from you. Where are you? Have you come to get me?¡¯
''I¡¯m locking the connection,¡¯ said Daksh, and Nicolai sensed the connection they were using shift to a private state, so that others in the surrounding area couldn¡¯t connect, while narrowing to focus only on Maxine rather than broadcasting their presence.
¡®We. uh, yeah, came to get you,¡¯ said Perro. ¡®Only¡¡¯ His eyes turned to the bird on its perch far above, then to Nicolai, frowning.
¡®There¡¯s a problem,¡¯ Nicolai supplied. ¡®The bird. It is watching your tower. Our method to reach you will alert it.¡¯
¡®Ah,¡¯ came Maxine¡¯s voice. ¡®Yeah, it¡¯s a bit obsessed with me. It chased me up here in the first place. Whenever it¡¯s not elsewhere, it¡¯s sat there watching.¡¯
¡®We have drones, and I believe it won¡¯t detect them,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®Rope, too. I will have one of our drones carry up a rope on the other side of the tower, out of its view. So long as you avoid its gaze while clambering down, it won¡¯t come for you. We just need to avoid using any magic as that¡¯ll pull its attention.¡¯
¡®That won¡¯t work! I need to bring my equipment, my radio stuff!¡¯ Maxine replied, desperation in her voice.
Nicolai frowned. ¡®Is it so important? We have access to the Trade Link. We can buy you more of whatever you need.¡¯
¡®Trade Link?¡¯ Nicolai could hear a frown in the woman¡¯s voice. ¡®Are you guys Chosen?¡¯ Now her tone was guarded, wary, angry.
¡®No. We have access to a separate Trade Link.¡¯
¡®Uh huh.¡¯ She didn¡¯t sound convinced.
¡®He¡¯s telling the truth,¡¯ said Perro. ¡®We¡¯ve nothing to do with them. We just want to help you.¡¯
¡®Why?¡¯
¡®Because¡¡¯ Perro began, and Nicolai saw the boy frown, thoughtful. ¡®Well, you¡¯ve helped us. Helped me. Your words, these past weeks, the music. I don¡¯t know if I would¡¯ve gotten through all this without you.¡¯
¡®Me, too,¡¯ said Azure, nodding where she sat beside Perro, face distant as she focused on the conversation. ¡®We want to help you, ¡®cuz you helped us.¡¯
The others all started chiming in, everyone apparently having listened to Maxine on the radio, everyone wanting to help her. Beth even looked a little emotional as she spoke, saying that while she¡¯d been bedridden she¡¯d spent most her time listening to the radio. Nicolai felt words in the back of his own throat. While I was in the dark, and liable to lose myself, your voice and your music pulled me out from it¡ He kept the words inside. The Mask wanted him to speak them, but he was unwilling to share such vulnerabilities.
¡®Okay¡ well. I¡¯m glad I could help you guys,¡¯ said Maxine. ¡®That¡¯s why I do what I do. But the problem is, I didn¡¯t get this stuff from any Trade Link, it was all Quest rewards. I¡¯m pretty sure the Trade Link doesn¡¯t sell this stuff, otherwise the Chosen would have already set up their own locked-down channel. I need to keep broadcasting. You guys understand that, right?¡¯
¡®Could you lower the equipment down, if we send rope up?¡¯ asked Nicolai.
¡®These things are bulky. I don¡¯t know, I might be able to but it wouldn¡¯t be easy, it would take time. I¡¯d have to make sure everything was safe, I can¡¯t afford to have this stuff fall and break. If the bird were to sense what was happening and come¡¡¯ Her words trailed off. ¡®It would be bad.¡¯
¡®How are you doing for food?¡¯ broke in Daksh. ¡®The others said that you¡¯re low.¡¯
¡®I¡¯ve got nothing but vines. I gave them a nibble a while ago but sadly, they¡¯re not edible.¡¯
¡®Then you should come down! The radio stuff isn¡¯t as important as your life!¡¯ Perro urged.
Nicolai looked at the boy askance. In his opinion, the radio stuff was just as important as her life. Like the others, he also found himself to hold a strange fondness for Maxine, or at least her voice. But putting that aside, her presence on the radio and the influence she held as a result were the main reasons he wanted her on the team. ¡®No, it¡¯s fine,¡¯ he said quickly. ¡®Sustaining seeds are small. We can put a week¡¯s supply on a drone and send it up. Do you have one of the replenishing water bottles, Maxine?¡¯
¡®I do. Thank you. Sorry Perro, but I can¡¯t leave this stuff. My work is too important.¡¯
¡®We have to get her out of there!¡¯ Perro hissed at him.
Nicolai waved the boy¡¯s words away. ¡®We will. But not now.¡¯ He gave the bird above a pointed glance. ¡®Maxine,¡¯ he began. ¡®This is the plan. We will wait until the bird is out of the way. When we find an opportunity, we will work to get you and your things down here, then take you to our safe-place. Hopefully, something happens in the next week that keeps it busy. But if not, I¡¯ll see if I can¡¯t arrange something to draw its attention. Perro will keep listening to you over the radio. If you think the bird is well and truly distracted, start working the phrase, ¡°blue sky above, green jungle below¡± into your words. This will be a code to inform us the bird is out of the way. Do you understand? I¡¯ll send some rope with the food.¡¯Stolen novel; please report.
¡®Got it,¡¯ she said.
Nicolai packed a few sustaining seeds and plastic-weave rope into one of a drone¡¯s compartments. He could feel Perro¡¯s bitterly disappointed look attempting to melt a hole through the side of his head as he did so.
He turned to meet that gaze. ¡®What do you expect me to do here, Perro?¡¯ he asked, making a show of exasperation. ¡®Snap my fingers and make the bird vanish?¡¯
¡®You could at least try and fly up there. Maybe it won¡¯t react,¡¯ said Perro. The boy seemed possessed by an unusual confidence. Why was he so determined to get Maxine out the tower? Why did he care so much?
¡®It will react,¡¯ Nicolai assured him. ¡®It can sense the Aura ripples our Pegasi rings create.¡¯ Perro frown intensified, a little pout forming. Nicolai frowned back, then pulled a Pegasi ring off his finger. ¡®If you don¡¯t believe me, why not go test it yourself? You¡¯re a Cultivator now.¡¯ He smiled like an eel, holding the ring out. ¡®Go on. Take it.¡¯
Perro reached out then hesitated a moment, firmed himself and kept reaching only to be grabbed by Azure from the side, catching his hand in her own.
¡®Don¡¯t.¡¯ She shook her head. ¡®He¡¯s right. You¡¯ll just get yourself killed.¡¯ She glared at Nicolai.
In fact, they all glared at him. He pulled his hand and the ring back, frowning. Even his Mask was glaring at him! What? Nicolai asked the thing on his face. If he wants to go and get himself killed like an idiot, who am I to stop him? His Mask hissed that it was his responsibility, that he needed to look after Perro. He felt a similar kind of judgement in the glares the others were shooting at him, all but Daksh who was just sitting to the side, observing the group dynamic with interest.
Nicolai chewed at his lip in response to the pressures of his Mask. Had he just attempted a circular method of murdering Perro? No. I just wanted him to understand. The boy would¡¯ve quickly learned that the bird could indeed sense their Pegasi ring¡¯s activation. He¡¯d have been able to get away from it, surely? Nicolai would¡¯ve saved him, if necessary. His Mask eyed him doubtfully.
It would be a pointless risk to let the boy float up just to trigger the bird, Threat Analysis murmured.
Nicolai grimaced, feeling pressed on all sides, from within and without. Still the others were all jabbing him with their cold gazes. Perro looked¡ hurt. Or something like that, Nicolai couldn¡¯t entirely tell. Now the boy was staring at the ground.
Why had he done that?
¡®I would have gone with you, of course,¡¯ he attempted.
¡®You would?¡¯ Perro¡¯s eyes leapt up at him.
Nicolai worked hard to modulate his expression, affecting surprise as though he¡¯d thought that would have assumed so. ¡®Naturally,¡¯ he said, as innocent as he could manage. It¡¯s my job to keep you safe.¡¯ His gaze darted to the others, looking to see whether they believed him. He was pretty sure they didn¡¯t. His Mask was trying to take control of his face and after a brief struggle, Nicolai gave up on restraining it. He didn¡¯t know what to say. Maybe it would.
The words that emerged did not move through his conscious mind. They came straight from his Mask into his mouth, bypassing him entirely.
¡®I¡¯m sorry, Perro¡ªall of you. If at times my behaviour is odd. If I seem like I don¡¯t care.¡¯ The words were coming fast. ¡®I do care, I care.¡¯ He was staring with real earnestness at them. ¡®But you should watch out, because he doesn¡¯t.¡¯ His voice, suddenly frantic, was not under his control. ¡®You need to keep an eye on him. You need to get away! You don¡¯t know¡ª¡® Nicolai froze, face twisting. What the fuck are you doing? He grabbed for his Mask and pulled, ripping it almost entirely off his face, eyes flicking between the others as he sunk into a wary silence, something bubbling inside of him.
Perro gaped at him, they all did.
¡®Him? Who are you talking about?¡¯ said Azure, her face a screwed-up picture of confusion.
¡®Ha. Ha. Ha,¡¯ pronounced Nicolai. ¡®Just a dumb joke, don¡¯t know why I thought it was funny. Sorry about that. The point is: I care.¡¯ He smiled, holding his Mask at bay lest it alter his expression. He needed to get things moving. ¡®Our main focus will be working out a way to test the bird, hunting for a method to distract it.¡¯ He looked to Perro, adopting a determined expression. ¡®As soon as we find a way, we¡¯ll get her out of there. All good?¡¯ he extended his fist meaningfully.
¡®Yeah,¡¯ said Perro, smiling now, bumping Nicolai¡¯s fist.
Nicolai moved the fist to Azure next, who frowned at him.
¡®A dumb joke? I¡¯m still confused, what was¡ª¡®
He waved a hand. ¡®I got mixed up, that¡¯s all. Happens to everyone.¡¯ He bounced his fist up and down in front of her.
She rolled her eyes but also bumped it. The others looked confused but that confusion was quickly fading, seeming to accept his words. He¡¯d gotten away with it. We¡¯ll talk about this, he promised grimly to his Mask, which he could feel glaring sullenly up at him.
A look to the side revealed Beth, staring at him, wearing a big frown.
¡®What?¡¯ he asked.
She shook her head. ¡®Thought I saw something weird. On your face.¡¯ She peered at him. ¡®Huh. Guess not. I dunno.¡¯
His Mask? Had she seen his Mask? It had crept back into position now, though at least it wasn¡¯t trying to invade his thoughts and control his face. Had it been visible as something separate when he¡¯d pulled it half-off? Could any Cultivator see it?
¡®Many odd things about this world,¡¯ he said, dredging up another smile.
They worked to send a drone up to deliver the sustaining seeds to Maxine. In the midst of this Nicolai found a moment of peace away from the others, where he reflected. He felt he was doing an increasingly poor job blending in. His Mask. The dark urges. His own shaky understanding of how to be human. He was a mess. Signs were starting to show. He chewed at his lip. What to do? He didn¡¯t know.
He shook his head. Just keep moving forwards. Keep working towards growing stronger. Wait for Paxolnaz to turn up with its promised information on the location of the Lizard. Survive. Accrue more resources, improve his stock. All of that, he could do.
¡®She¡¯s received the sustaining seeds,¡¯ said someone from behind him.
Nicolai grunted, nodded. ¡®Let¡¯s go, then. Back to the safe place.¡¯ It would take some time to deal with the bird. He would be best served by building more funds; rifles and the 7.62 ammunition they used was expensive.
As they all rose from the stone, there came a sudden rumbling, a faint tremor going through the castle. The trees of the forest rustled, the stones below them groaned, Maxine¡¯s tower above let out a mist of ugly dust and rocked slowly side to side. High above, the bird, feeling the shake, let out a cry.
The shakes ended quickly, everyone letting out faint sounds of relief.
¡®Another one,¡¯ murmured Daksh.
¡®Feels like they¡¯re all the time now,¡¯ added Beth.
As the others spoke, Nicolai¡¯s ears were perked, and he heard something. An odd rattling noise. Another shake? But there was no movement. His gaze was drawn to a nearby opening into the castle just across from Maxine¡¯s tower, large and dark.
Light glinted off from insectile chitin within, a rippling sea of movement in the dark, coming quick toward them.
167: Assault
¡®Ready up!¡¯ he barked, moving forward and raising the AA-12, indicating the tunnel over Local to the others; they¡¯d given him communication lead permissions, so he could generate icons to direct their attention which would be displayed via their eye lenses AR capabilities, arrows and boxes and labels. He kept these quite simple, owing to their lack of experience. Just arrows to point them in the right direction then a big red box around the tunnel exit, labelled: ENEMY.
There came a shrill whistling sound, one that rose and merged, a battle cry that poured from the dim interior of the castle. It preceded a deluge of bugs from inside, mandibles clacking and feet clattering as they charged directly at Nicolai and the others.
They were emerging from a relatively narrow opening, one only wide enough for around ten to come out at once.
¡®Shoot them,¡¯ he spoke over local, while switching the label from ENEMY to FIRE, taking aim and squeezing his AA-12¡¯s trigger, sending a hail of buckshot into the bugs. Around him, gunfire erupted and rapidly rose in volume as the others joined in.
Dark green ichor and chunks of chitin burst into the air as the front wave of bugs were obliterated. The next wave received some of the same, as bullets which had missed or punched through continued on to wreak devastation amongst them, and immediately the flood of bugs was stymied, bottlenecked at the exit.
There was something Nicolai found quite satisfying about effectively directing the others, as he commanded a gradual retreat in the direction of the Kill Me tower and they responded with acceptable alacrity.
A retreat was necessary because the bugs weren¡¯t stopping and there were a lot of them. The drone he¡¯d sent whirring into the tunnel, passing over their heads, had found a seething mass of them inside, pressing and squeezing in their need to come out and kill. Beyond that, there were sounds of battle coming from all around, and the drones further afield were seeing more bugs, and undead, emerging all over and setting on one another.
The battle from below had come up top, and there was little to be gained from joining in. Shooting bugs and undead benefited one very little, and the fact that the rattling of guns around Nicolai represented points rapidly evaporating into the air, caused him a twinge of distress. Each magazine of 32 shotgun rounds he fired cost him 800 points, each SMG mag emptied cost 375. He estimated this skirmish had already cost him an excess of three thousand points.
The others were slowing, magazines were clicking empty. ¡®Move and reload, move and reload, slow and steady,¡¯ he chanted at them, filling the gap with his own fire, as he¡¯d kept his rounds in reserve for this moment, as had Jo.
¡®Shit!¡¯ yelped Perro, the boy dropping his magazine as he went to reload with fumbling fingers, falling to his knees and grabbing at it.
¡®Relax,¡¯ Nicolai told him. ¡®Take your time. No rush. We¡¯ve got this.¡¯ They did not have that much time but there was no point him screaming and yelling about mistakes like this, that¡¯d only make them fumble even worse. ¡®Make sure your self-defence chip is engaged,¡¯ he added, and Perro blinked then his movements stabilised, growing smoother as he slotted the magazine in and rose to his feet.
Nicolai setup a covering fire movement, where half the group fired while the others moved and reload, and they began cycling in this manner. A few sharp commands and the use of combat marking software to set up zones of fire and mark specific bugs for specific shooters, and the other quickly became quite effective in laying down fire. Even so,
This wasn¡¯t enough to counteract the simple number of bugs, which began to press out of the choke, but they were almost at the Kill Me tower. Meanwhile a rank of undead had appeared from a different exit in the castle, and approached the bugs from the side. Whatever was going on here was bigger in scope than just his group and these bugs; from the sounds and drone sightings of more bugs and undead stirring, something was afoot. Regardless, once the undead arrived he and the others would be able to relax and sit this one out.
That was when he heard a piercing cry and looking up saw the bird, spreading its wings, beating and leaping into the air.
Its gaze was fixed on him and through the angry ripples in the Aura he knew it recognised him.
It launched itself down, the air screaming under its wings.
¡®Get to the tower,¡¯ he told the others, turned, and ran. He sped into a sprint, jumped with such power that he threw himself forward, then activated the Pegasi ring and grasped hold of a nearby chunk of rock with his Grasping Finger. With an effort of will, Soul, and muscle, he wrenched his arm back and burned Oma and launched himself forward.
The wind howled in his ears such was his speed as he flew through the air, and he fluidly ended the Grasping Finger¡¯s effect before its momentum was spent, grasping onto another chunk of stone at the edge of his Soul Sense¡¯s range and dragging again, building up even more speed.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
He had to get away. This area was too open for him to hide from the bird. Fighting it was unlikely to end well.
But he could feel the bird, charging towards him. He felt the ripples of its coming through the Aura, knew that this represented its great, unstoppable Soul Sense, bearing down on him.
Turning, he pulled two chaffbang grenades from his pouch, pulled the pins and hurled them up at the bird, then continued fleeing. This trick had been effective before, so he thought it worth another try.
He watched through some of his Soul Sense, and two of the drones, as the grenades flew towards the bird. The bird was only a hundred-odd metres away, in the air, its legs outstretched as though intending to land on Nicolai, its eyes focused on him and full of predatory rage.
The grenades rose as it fell, and they were approaching its face very fast, but still quite distant¡ªoutside of effective range.
The bird suddenly beat both of its wings in a great clap, far faster than it normally beat them. So great was the power of this flap that its body momentarily paused in the air, briefly arresting its plunge.
Nicolai could feel the oncoming wave of blasting air. He detonated the chaffbang grenades immediately, two great bursts of light and booming cracks that sounded out from above. But he knew they were unlikely to be effective; he¡¯d been forced to detonate them too far from the bird.
A wave of howling wind screamed down, annihilating the chaffbangs tiny explosions and crashing onto Nicolai below. The force took him and pushed him toward the ground, but he was ready for it, pivoting in the air like a cat. He landed hard but his tensed legs bent and he tumbled forward, redirecting the momentum, then he gained his feet and threw himself into the air. The Pegasi ring had been active the entire time, first helping resist the wind and prepare to hit the ground, then lending speed and power to his movements.
It wasn¡¯t enough. He managed three more pulls with the Grasping Finger, and covered more than half the space between him and the Kill Me tower. But the bird covered that same space in a quarter of the time after resuming its descent.
Like a hammer blow from above, the bird¡¯s Soul Sense slammed down upon Nicolai.
Ever muscle in his body grew tense as he retracted his Soul Sense tendril and clenched his Soul, forming the best Loose Guard he was capable of. Unable to utilise his Soul Sense tendril, he also was unable to use the Grasping Finger, and so touched down on the ground. The Pegasi ring drove him forward, lending him greater speed while he sprinted over the ground.
The Soul Sense hammer impacted and his Soul Sense was almost broken in one, the mighty blow ringing his Soul like a bell. His vision fuzzed and his awareness of his body dimmed.
For a moment, he struggled, catching his feet on something on and stumbling.
But within him the thrill was raging. His Soul was limned in fire as it grew strong again, and he refirmed his Soul Sense, and he sneered.
The bird struck again and as he saw its Soul Sense coming, he knew that this time, he would not be able to resist. Though his Soul Sense was rapidly regenerating as Oma was burned in his Nodes, and though his defence, in this desperate moment, was the best it had ever been, still it wouldn¡¯t be enough.
The bird simply outweighed him by too great a margin. It was too strong and he too weak.
But even a mouse, when chased by the hawk, has options.
Nicolai¡¯s defence evaporated as the bird¡¯s Soul Sense slammed into him, and then the Soul Sense attack simply passed straight through. It was an odd sight in his Cultivator¡¯s eyes, as it disappeared into the ground. Like a punch that had gone through the target without impacting.
He had retracted his Soul Sense into his body. Now inside, it was protected by the skin of his Soul; a powerful barrier that was significantly harder to break. However, the bird¡¯s Soul Sense tendril was immediately back and around him, blanketing him and holding him tight, keeping his Soul Sense from reemerging.
The bird was only metres above him. It let out a victorious cry as it extended its talons, aiming to land right on top of Nicolai who continued to run.
But his eyes had found what he was looking for, a large flat rock, angled and dug in good on the ground. His body sprung and twisted, movement aided by the Pegasi ring as he landed on the rock, legs bending and building force like great springs. He exploded off the rock, all his momentum and movement reversed in an instant as he hurled himself in the opposite direction.
There came a shriek of rage and a deluge of crumbling and tearing, the very ground shaking as the bird crashed into it behind him. Its heavy, taloned feet, each almost the size of a small car, drew great furrows in the earth.
As Nicolai sprinted away, now in the opposite direction, he saw with drones as it turned around behind him. Its Soul Sense clung tight to him and its eye shimmered with an ominous yellow glow.
The world twisted around Nicolai as something seized him, a formless force, the same it had used last time. His Soul erupted, Soul Sense struggling to emerge, tearing at the clutch of it around him.
But this time the bird was ready for his counterattack, and now he was well within its Soul Sense, rather than on the very edge like before. Nor was Beth here to help him.
His brief defence was crushed as its Soul Sense clenched like a vice around him, and a terrible headache rang through his skull as his Soul let out a spasm of pain, some small part of it destroyed.
The force around him appeared as a yellow glow, the same as shone from the bird¡¯s eye. It lifted him from the ground and he could run no longer, then it was pulling him to the bird. He had activated the Pegasi ring at maximum power but it was no good; he didn¡¯t think any number of them could have helped him here. The force was on a different level.
He was turned to face the bird as it dragged him through the air. He drew two Oma crystals and pulled hungrily on them, restoring his largely spent Nodes.
The headache had become a pleasant ringing, a buzzing in his clenched teeth, the dark and the thrill unfolded within him. ¡®Here we are,¡¯ he said, and laughed, grinning, his eyes boring into the bird, into his enemy.
168: The Tower
Jo looked aside from the horde of bugs as she reloaded her rifle, looking over now she finally had time, to see what had become of Nicolai.
Her eyes widened. He was floating in the air, suspended there half a metre off from the ground, limned in yellow. He was a distant figure that seemed tinier still as the bird rose above him, raising its wings and screaming, a cry that spiked at her ears even from this distance.
It landed with a crash that shook the earth and sent up a plume of dust, talons as long as swords and thick as tree trunks tearing at the ground, and Nicolai disappeared within the dust and stomps. The bird paused, the shaking ceasing, and stared down as the dust began to fade. Jo swallowed, barely breathing. He was dead, he had to be. Just like that. She couldn¡¯t believe it.
Within the fading dust cloud a faint shimmer of light was visible. As it dissipated, the shimmer coalesced into a shape made from light. A shield?
But lying on the ground within it, unmoving, was a man. Nicolai. She stared at his limp form, and a frown worked its way onto her face. He wasn¡¯t moving, but¡ he should be a red stain on the ground, not just lying there.
###
Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense was broken, but he watched the bird through the slits of his eyes. Surrounding him was a shield of golden light; his hand was held against the wrist of his other hand, where there was a bangle, one which had once held a small golden feather. Now the feather was gone. He had activated the emergency shield, and directed it to the take a lozenge-shape; space enough to just hold him and his equipment.
The bird¡¯s attack had been uncoordinated, it had simply held him still then thrashed blindly away. The shield was powerful, and had managed to deflect a couple of the strikes. The rest had simply missed¡ªsuch great talons weren¡¯t well suited for attacking something as comparatively small as himself.
That was good, because just the two strikes that had landed meant the shield was already halfway broken. He could feel it, and saw the damage in the cracks running through the golden light.
He was trapped. The bird¡¯s Soul Sense held his own inside, and from there the yellow force restrained him, clinging to his body, his limbs, his weapons. Every attempt at movement encountered significant resistance. He had only been able to activate the golden shield feather on the bangle because it was touching his flesh and therefore his Soul.
The bird raised its leg then slammed it down. The shield hummed and snapped, more cracks appearing through it as the great talons glanced off. How many hits now? he wondered, grinning up at the bird. He couldn¡¯t help it. He lived for moments like this.
The dark poured through him and the thrill burned in his chest, the world shimmering and sparkling around him, and he knew that there was a way, because there is always a way. Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare and even the Mask were merged with him, and together they plotted the path. But it all relied on the dark.
As the bird raised its foot for another strike, he felt a flexing within and sharp spiritual claws and spikes erupted from his body, tearing at the Soul Sense around him. The bird¡¯s Soul Sense flinched back away from him and the yellow force went with it, and he gained a little more room to move.
Wriggle, wriggle, he thought as he did just that, arms and legs flexing, more claws appearing, ripping and tearing at the extension of the bird¡¯s spirit, and the more room he gained the more damage he did. His arms went from jerking to slashing, his Soul Sense burst free into the space he¡¯d gained.
A shadow covered him, and he felt the heat of danger from above. The bird¡¯s great taloned foot slammed down.
Nicolai jerked like a cat, a twist of pure muscle that sent him springing sideways, and the foot slammed into the ground behind him. The bird screamed with rage, and its Soul Sense abruptly grew tighter, denser, heavier.
It kept tightening even as he tore at it, the yellow force pressing closer, gumming up his movements. The bird had been surprised by the shock of pain, given him some room as it flinched, but now it accepted the pain as it clenched tight around him.
His mind grew still and clear, as he worked out the only way forward. He didn¡¯t have room to wriggle out from it for much longer. But for now, he could still move a little. It all came down to one thing, as always. If you predict what your opponent will do, nothing else is necessary. He watched it with eyes and Soul and drone, and the dark felt at the ripples in the Aura. The next strike came, monstrous talons looking to spike him. He began to move as it slammed down towards him, but the dark whispered a warning. This was a trap, a feint.
So instead Nicolai threw himself at the bird¡¯s claw, even as it descended toward him. Just before it hit, the claw abruptly stopped¡ as the bird paused, waiting for his reaction, looking to catch him out.
But the bird hadn¡¯t encountered a bug like Nicolai before. He was already winding around its talons as it realised its mistake, and then he was above them.
The chain whip stolen from a Warden moved around him like a killbots auxiliary tendrils, hooks and blades jabbing into the bird¡¯s leg. Just in time, as the bird screamed with rage, and pain, and confusion, then extended its leg and flailed it side to side, trying to get him off.
Nicolai was stuck fast like a limpet, the chains wrapping tight around him and the bird both, and he cried out like a child on a rollercoaster as the world spun around him.
The bird¡¯s Soul Sense struck him like a hammer, but Nicolai simply pulled his Soul Sense back inside of him, then as the bird¡¯s Soul Sense crushed at him he resumed wriggling, tearing, making room. He had space enough in the clutch of yellow force to drag free the spent magazine from the AA-12 and slot in a fresh one, thirty-two live rounds ready to go.
The bird¡¯s Soul Sense clenched, and the yellow force wrapped tight. He freed some of the chains to give himself room, tearing with the dark spiritual claws emerging from his hands, fighting back as it tried to pin him down.
He felt the attack before it came, saw it coming through the sudden rage and decisiveness he felt in the bird¡¯s Soul, the rustling of its feathers, the flexing of the muscles in its leg.
Its head lunged down toward him, beak snapping. Nicolai¡¯s chains rattled and hooked at its leg as he wrenched himself around it, getting to the other side. The crack of its beak snapping at the empty air he¡¯d occupied sounded like a gunshot.
As it reared up, he threw himself once more around the leg. Just in time, as its other one lifted into the air, and came down tearing at the space he¡¯d occupied as it tried to brush him off. The beak was ready and waiting for him on the other side, and he had no time to sit and had to dive around once more.
This time he threw himself up and caught onto the other leg as it descended, attaching himself with the chains on the other side.
The bird shrieked with frustration, and then it stopped moving, both feet settling.
The weight and pressure of its Soul Sense intensified, and he could feel its focus. The Soul Sense was locking tight around him as simply ignored all things physical to focus entirely on the spiritual. He tore at it as it clenched tight, but the bird ignored all pain and only gripped tighter. His Soul Sense was squeezed inside of him, and as it pressed tighter so too did the yellow force squeeze at him.
His arms, still with the black claws, tore at its Soul Sense but he was barely holding it back. His legs locked together, only his upper body remaining free, and the yellow force rose up him.
The bird had gone full offensive, given up entirely on defence.
It thought that he had no weapons capable of damaging it, but it was wrong. Nicolai followed its example; he stopped tearing at the Soul Sense around him, and instead the dark and the thrill purred through him, aiding him as he used the last of his time to get his body into position, the whip-chain digging tighter into the bird and around him.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
He aimed the AA-12 directly upwards, at the bird¡¯s stomach, and he squeezed down the trigger.
The rapid thumping boom of gunshots burst from it, one after the other, endless and incessant. Blood sprayed above as the bullets blasted through feather and into flesh, and each round of buckshot went into the exact same spot.
Nicolai held himself tight around it, his body turned entirely to firing at the bird, the chains keeping him aimed perfectly even as the yellow force wrenched at him, trying to drag him off position.
The bird stumbled sideways, screaming, beat its wings, and its Soul Sense attack was forgotten as its other talon tore at him reflexively. Locked up tight, he couldn¡¯t move away.
His shield took the hit but the force of it tore him away from the bird¡¯s leg; the chainhooks ripped great furrows in its flesh as they came away, but they did come away.
Nicolai tumbled through the air, and he felt the bird bend preparing to throw itself into the air.
It was trying to get away.
I don¡¯t think so.
A chain hook flailed through the air and caught at one of its legs, digging into the flesh between the talons, and as the bird threw itself into the air, Nicolai went with it.
The chain hooks worked, more of them catching, and then they reeled him in. Nicolai slithered around its snatching talons, and once more he was onto its leg. Already they were far up in the air, just a few beats having carried them hundreds of metres.
Snarling, he took aim and squeezed the trigger once more. Shotgun rounds dug a bloody furrow into its guts, and now the hole he¡¯d made had fat loops of intestine dangling out.
Its other leg flashed at him, smashing down, but Nicolai ignored it. He focused on shooting. It was close to death, he could feel it. A little more and it¡¯d be dead, unable to heal such grievous wounds.
Unfortunately, his shield was also close to death, as it turned out. This strike smashed into it and the shield burst apart, no more than blunting the force. The strike punched into him and through him and Nicolai was hurled away, the chains coming free once more.
He spun through the air, the wind screaming in his ears. His stomach and his shoulder burned where the bird¡¯s talons had punctured into him, leaving great dark holes from which blood poured.
He tilted his head and breathed deep from the Rejuvenating Orb he¡¯d affixed to the side of his vest, until there was nothing left in it, and as he did so he activated his Pegasi rings.
His fall turned into a glide and he looked at the world below him. He was descending towards a tower, one he recognised. The Kill Me tower. He turned his eyes away from it, looking for the bird. There.
Shrieking with rage and pain, it was descending in an ungainly almost-fall, to the ground. It landed with an earthshaking boom. Nicolai reloaded as he watched it. His eyes were drawn to a place not far from it, the bottom of the tower.
There he saw flashes of light and heard distant popping noises, seeing some of the others, Jo and Daksh, shooting from out of the doorway at approaching bugs. There were small fires around them, where the vines had been burned away from the door. Nicolai was pleased that they¡¯d made it.
They disappeared inside when the bird took a staggering step toward them, drawing his eye back to it. It was bent over, and blood and gore covered the ground below it. But as he watched it froze, and he felt ripples through the Aura. A faint green glow surrounded it, one that seemed gentle and life-giving.
Its stance grew firmer, and he saw its head turn. It looked up, right at him.
There was hate in its eyes.
Nicolai was grinning so hard as he stared down at it that his face was hurting. He wanted to kill it. Everything in him wanted to finish this fight. But he was injured, too. One Orb hadn¡¯t been enough. He pulled two fragmentation grenades, popped the pins, and tossed them. Then he grabbed another Rejuvenating Orb, flicked its valve open and took a draw from it, his eyes on the bird.
It let out a worried squawk, turned and stumbled away. The grenades exploded in the air behind it, and blood sprayed from its back as chunks of metal caught it, knocking it staggering.
But the bird kept going, the green glow around it intensifying, and Nicolai could see that it was rapidly healing, that already it was almost returned to normal.
He snarled at it, and considered descending toward it. No. One must know when to attack, and when to retreat. Words that had been with him a long time, necessary at times like this when all he wanted was to kill. The thrill was burning hard, and the dark was through him but he needed to maintain control. How had the bird understood the threat of the grenades? It took him a moment to understand. It had felt his aggression through the Aura ripples. He was leaking emotion.
He took a breath, held it in, breathed out slow through his nose. He¡¯d had a good chance there, but it was gone now¡ªthe bird was healing rapidly, and the window had already closed. If he attacked again, the odds were bad. He needed to fire a whole magazine into a vulnerable area to have any chance of killing it. Now that his golden shield was done, it only needed to hit him once.
Nicolai touched down on the roof of the Kill Me tower, raising the AA-12 as he peered around. The bird would be coming for him soon, so he needed to find someplace it couldn¡¯t get to him. He didn¡¯t think he had time to go anywhere else, this tower was his only option. He also wasn¡¯t keen on going down to the ground and joining the others, as via one of the drones which was with them he saw that the room they¡¯d gone into was small, with the only other way out blocked by a collapse. It was a dead end, and too small for him to stay out of range of the Bird¡¯s Soul Sense.
Toward the middle of the bird cage, he saw something. A gap in the stone. He spied stairs, leading down into the upper portion of the tower. There. A way out.
But his steps toward the bird cage were slowed by wariness.
The bird cage was odd. It was covered in thick black vines of the exceedingly spiky variety. They ran all through it, collecting on the metal struts then moving inside, all reaching toward the middle. A short distance behind the stairwell, they formed together into a mass.
From this mass, a voice could be heard.
¡®Kill me! Kill me! Kill me!¡¯ howled a figure Nicolai could guess at the shape of, from how the vines wrapped them.
Nicolai drew closer, shotgun raised. At the edge of the bird cage he paused, investigating it closely with his Soul Sense, which was out again now he was away from the bird. It seemed to be merely mundane metal. He felt at the vines next with his Soul Sense, along with the piece of it controlled by Threat Analysis. They found a kind of sleepiness in the vines, a sense that they could react but only if troubled. He sent out a drone which filtered through the vines and then into the stairwell, where he found it spiralled downwards and eventually opened up into a room.
These are dangerous. Alive. Maybe thinking, said Threat Analysis. Perhaps we should seek safety elsewhere.
Nicolai grunted. You¡¯re right. But I want to investigate this noise. As he¡¯d checked the vines, the endless cry of ¡°Kill me, kill me!¡± had been ringing out unceasingly from the centre. There is no reward without risk. If there was trouble, he would get out of it, and at the very least he should be safe from the bird.
He moved carefully, activating the Pegasi ring and drifting through the area, dodging vines by wide margins. It got more difficult as he approached the centre, where the vines intensified until he had only gaps a few feet wide between them. Now he was closer, he saw a golden liquid on the vines in the centre. The source of the cries.
As he was crept closer to the stairs, there came a sudden shifting and he froze, wary. In the middle of the vines, something was moving. The cry ceased. The vines moved, coming away in links, dripping with golden liquid, until a figure was revealed.
A naked man, arms and legs spread wide, held up supplicant by the vines which gripped tight around him, digging into his body with cruel spikes.
As a vine shifted, the man¡¯s head came into view. One of his eyes was missing, spiked by a vine, dribbling golden ichor, but the other was there and it was staring right at Nicolai. A golden eye.
Behind the man, two great white wings spread, torn and gripped by the vines.
Despite the sense of danger the movement of the vines inspired, the knowledge that he ought to get to the stairwell now, Nicolai couldn¡¯t help but slow, his eyes wide and fixed on the figure.
An Angel. An actual, real, Angel. That was the only thing this could be, there was no other option in Nicolai¡¯s mind. It looked like an Angel, and in this world of magic there was no limit on what was possible; therefore, it was an Angel.
It stood there trapped and torn by vines, but still it lived. A creature of myth.
¡®Kill me,¡¯ gasped the Angel, blood dripping from his lips.
The moment he spoke, the vines twisted, and the Angel cried out as they gripped him tight and tore at him, slicing his flesh and body open, gore and golden blood spraying.
Nicolai felt the vines coming awake, sensed their awareness focusing on him. He lunged forward, reaching with the Grasping Finger. He slingshotted himself forwards just in time to avoid a deluge of vines that crashed down behind him, tearing at the area he¡¯d occupied.
He was only metres away from the stairwell. He was going to make it, the vines were reacting too slowly.
Enemies, ambush! cried Threat Analysis,
Threat Analysis¡¯ warning drew his gaze to the ground around the stairwell, and he saw something moving, something big, something that was not a vine. Light shone on chitin.
¡®Who¡¯s this?¡¯ spoke a voice, as something rose and slammed into Nicolai. Forewarned, he was able to hunch his body protectively and move his AA-12 to the side, ensuring it wasn¡¯t crushed between them.
His body crumpled against the great, solid bulk of the creature, air exploding from his lungs in a whuff. The world blurred around him as he was knocked backwards and away, falling to tumble and roll on the ground.
There came an awful slicing pain from his leg as a vine wrapped it tight, and he saw more of them, a mass of them, coming for him.
Nicolai sprung out of the roll, activating his Pegasi ring to aid his backwards movement and grasped his AA-12, swinging it around and taking aim. His movement abruptly came to a stop as the vine dragged on his leg, and he froze, balanced on one foot, the other extended. He adjusted his aim and fired a quick burst of rounds that punched through the vine and tore it apart, and his leg was free.
The vines squirmed with rage, their movement speeding as they rose above and around him, everywhere.
¡®Calm, little ones, calm,¡¯ hissed another voice, and the vines stilled. They began to retract, slowly moving away from Nicolai. He stayed his finger on the trigger, watching. He wasn¡¯t sure what this was, but they weren¡¯t attacking. Best to wait and see.
He took a moment to reach down with one hand and rip the barbed vine from his leg, then bent his head to the side and tugged his emergency Orb¡¯s funnel with his teeth, taking a quick breath then clicking it closed. Throughout this his eyes and the AA-12 remained fixed on the two figures before him.
Two Centipedes, both just as large the one he¡¯d met in the prisons, loomed on either side of the Angel.
169: Brother and Sister
The Centipedes gazed at him with many eyes, exuding hunger and curiosity. A vine crept out and touched on the ground before him, where a small amount of his blood formed a pool. After soaking in his blood the vine rose high into the air between the Centipedes, and two long, black, forked tongues emerged from their mouths and crawled through the air. They wormed over the vine, licking at his blood.
¡®A little mouse, Sister,¡¯ breathed one of them, as its tongue slithered back inside, and it lowered itself and scuttled sideways on hundreds of rustling legs, dozens of eyes twisting and turning to keep him in sight as it circled around.
¡®A tasty morsel, Brother,¡¯ hissed the other one, slowly swaying from side to side.
¡®It is tasty, it is, it is.¡¯
Nicolai remained still, slowly pulling free the mostly-empty magazine from the AA-12, slowly reaching for a fresh one while his gaze flicked between the monsters. The Centipedes were each as big as a bus, and when they raised their tops they towered above him. He moved slowly because he didn¡¯t want to give the impression of aggressive movement, wanted to make it seem he wasn¡¯t doing anything important by reloading. These alien beings shouldn¡¯t understand how guns worked. The thrill was faded to nothing, for there was no point in it, now. If he had to try and fight his way out of this, his odds of him dying were so bad as to be near certainty.
¡®You¡ you are an abomination,¡¯ came another voice. The Angel. His speaking drew the gazes of the Centipedes.
¡®We know that, don¡¯t we, Sister?¡¯ said Brother.
¡®I don¡¯t think the Denizen speaks of us, Brother,¡¯ said Sister, looking to Nicolai. ¡®No¡ I sense it now.¡¯ The Centipede let out a rattling hiss. ¡®A tiny Demon. It bears the stink of¡ Father?¡¯
Brother¡¯s body let out rough clacking sounds as the Centipede rubbed its many legs together, slithering closer and closer to Nicolai. ¡®It does?¡¯ murmured Brother, leaning down to stare at Nicolai. Its maw was a black pit full of needle teeth, stinking of rotten meat. ¡®Can we not eat it?¡¯
¡®Of course we can eat it. I¡¯m sure Father wouldn¡¯t begrudge us that.¡¯
The Centipedes looked him over closely, thoughtfully.
¡®Shall we split it midway, or lengthwise?¡¯
Nicolai thought fast. Who was Father? He recalled another Centipede, which had also spoken of Father: Paxolnaz. They must be sensing his Contract with the Demon. ¡®If you eat me, any part of me, Father will be very unhappy,¡¯ he spoke up. ¡®I have a Contract with him.¡¯
¡®A Contract?¡¯ spoke Brother, and the Centipedes exchanged glances. ¡®Do you think it speaks the truth, Sister?¡¯
¡®It could be, it could be,¡¯ hissed Sister, head bobbing from side to side. ¡®But even if so, a little nibble is surely fine.¡¯
¡®A little nibble?¡¯
¡®Just a leg or two. And maybe an arm.¡¯ Sister gazed down at him. ¡®You don¡¯t need all your limbs, do you, little mouse? You could spare a few.¡¯
¡®But it has so few already, only four,¡¯ murmured Brother uncertainly.
¡®I do need my limbs. I need them to move around and do things,¡¯ said Nicolai.
¡®What about your head, then? You could get by without it, couldn¡¯t you?¡¯ asked Brother.
¡®I need that most of all.¡¯
¡®Maybe it¡¯s lying,¡¯ spoke Sister. ¡®Why would Father care about some human? Even if they do have a Contract¡ it is likely just a matter of trade. The little mouse has trespassed here, has it not? Father was clear to us. Any being that trespasses here is ours to do with as we wish.¡¯
¡®Well said, Sister, well said,¡¯ crowed Brother, and in an instant the Centipede was closer to him than ever. Its great chitinous body swept around him in a loop, trapping him in a circle of insectile bulk, and Brother¡¯s nightmarish face grinned hungrily down at him from above.
¡®I wouldn¡¯t be at all tasty, anyway,¡¯ argued Nicolai. ¡®Look at me. I¡¯ve lived a difficult life. I¡¯m basically all scar tissue. Wouldn¡¯t you rather eat someone tender and young?¡¯
Brother¡¯s eyes glimmered, and the Centipede¡¯s body rattled as it pulled away from him.
¡®These words are interesting,¡¯ said Sister, waving a great spiked limb majestically. ¡®Say more of them.¡¯
¡®I imagine you aren¡¯t allowed to leave this place?¡¯
¡®That¡¯s true, true,¡¯ spoke Brother, nodding.
¡®But I can. I could go, and bring people back.¡¯
¡®But wouldn¡¯t you just run away and never return the moment you were away from here?¡¯ said Brother, in a curious tone.
¡®You have my word I wouldn¡¯t,¡¯ said Nicolai.
¡®The little mouse gives its word,¡¯ Sister said, and the Centipedes seemed amused.
¡®Most impressive,¡¯ added Brother.
Nicolai eyed them, beginning to understand. These Centipedes¡ªto his mind, strange demonic creatures¡ªwere not as he¡¯d have expected. They were surprisingly chatty, but he was increasingly sure that they did not intend to let him leave under any circumstances. Their talk of Father was just that¡ talk. They intended to kill or at least dismember him regardless.
They were just playing with him, like a cat before the kill. But if nothing else, that meant he had a way in. If they were willing to let him talk, then perhaps he might find a way out of this.
His eyes moved carefully as he thought, looking for options, trying to work out a way forward. His gaze caught that of the the Angel, which was staring at him.
¡®Human,¡¯ spoke the Angel. Its voice was a deep, rolling bass, and its face was filled with naked entreaty and desperation. ¡®You must kill me. I cannot remain trapped here. Kill me, and I will gift you the information you need. You are being followed by a True Demon, it has designs on your Soul. If you wish to survive, you must¡ª¡® the Angel¡¯s voice cut off as the vines swarmed its body, tearing at it and stopping its mouth.
¡®The caged bird is noisy today,¡¯ spoke Brother, who had extended a twisted arm and placed a hand on the vines near to the Angel.
Nicolai stared at the Angel as the vines tore at it. A True Demon with designs on my Soul. There was only one possible culprit. His mind was spinning. It was all becoming clear. The things he¡¯d felt in the hole¡ and the one controlling them from afar.
He had thought his Contract with Paxolnaz a done deal, but he realised now he had been foolish to think so. It was a Demon. What did Demons do, in stories? They took the souls of mortals foolish enough to bargain with them. Just as he had done.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
¡®Why not let him speak?¡¯ he said, and their gazes snapped over to him.
Brother tilted its head like a curious dog. ¡®Why do you want him to speak?¡¯
¡®The stuff he was saying sounded interesting.¡¯
¡®No, no,¡¯ crooned Sister, as the Centipede drew away and wrapped itself around the squirming form of the tortured Angel, winding between the vines. ¡®They are merely dross. He is dross. Just a piece of energy, wrapped in tattered golden raiment.¡¯
¡®But his wings are very nice,¡¯ said Brother, and its many eyes were fixed on those wings.
¡®Yes, yes indeed,¡¯ agreed Sister, pulling away and looking down at the vine wrapped figure. ¡®They are quite lovely. It is a shame they only work on him.¡¯
¡®What do you mean? Why do they only work on him?¡¯ asked Nicolai. So long as he kept them talking, they weren¡¯t eating him.
¡®Watch, and you will see,¡¯ said Brother. Sister moved aside as Brother¡¯s many legs sent it clicking and clattering around the Angel, where it rose behind its suspended form. Two thick arms ending in great blades extended either side of the Angel, below its wings. They sliced upwards, blurring with speed.
Golden blood sprayed as the wings were cut away at the base, and immediately Sister grasped them from the air. She swarmed around and placed them on Brother¡¯s back, holding them in position.
As Nicolai watched, the white, feathered wings, which had been pristine and beautiful even in spite of the blood and vines, began to wither. In moments they had turned dark and rotten, and then they crumbled away entirely.
¡®Useless,¡¯ hissed Sister, letting the rotted remnants fall.
¡®But at least, plucking them is good fun,¡¯ added Brother.
¡®It gets old after a while.¡¯
¡®It does.¡¯
¡®They grow back?¡¯ Nicolai asked.
¡®Every day.¡¯
¡®When the sun crests the horizon.¡¯
¡®We used to pluck them the moment they came back.¡¯
¡®But we grew bored.¡¯
¡®Why do you want the wings?¡¯ asked Nicolai.
The pair of nightmarish creatures stared down at him, and in their alien faces he saw something almost recognisable. They looked at him as though he¡¯d spoken the most foolish words they had ever heard.
¡®We wish to fly,¡¯ said Sister.
¡®It is the dream of every creature of the ground,¡¯ added Brother. ¡®This is widely acknowledged.¡¯
¡®You agree don¡¯t you, little mouse?¡¯ asked Sister.
Nicolai couldn¡¯t help but nod. It was a dream of his, too. ¡®Of course.¡¯
¡®Is that why you were arguing with the big bird? Did you wish for its wings?¡¯ asked Brother.
¡®Yes,¡¯ he said immediately. ¡®I can only halfway fly. I don¡¯t have wings, which would allow me to fly properly.¡¯ Nicolai had begun to sense a way through this. With every word he spoke to these creatures, he was fishing for hooks, for ways to manipulate and trick them. He had no concrete plan, he was simply feeling his way. But he was beginning to feel that there was a way.
¡®You can fly?¡¯
In an instant the pair had covered half the ground between him and them, their eyes seeming to shine.
Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t have mentioned that. ¡®Only in very limited fashion¡ªhalfway, like I said,¡¯ he was quick to amend. ¡®In fact, I don¡¯t think I can anymore, not for long.¡¯
¡®How did you gain this ability?¡¯ asked Brother, its eager gaze boring into him.
¡®I¡ stole it from the bird.¡¯ As Nicolai spoke, he heard a distant booming, and glancing behind he saw the bird taking to the air once more, rising into the sky. ¡®That bird. In one of our earlier¡ arguments.¡¯
¡®Ahhh,¡¯ Sister rattled. ¡®Of course.¡¯
The Centipedes¡¯ eyes followed the bird above, which turned a slow circle at quite a distance from the tower. Its eyes were fixed on Nicolai, full of hate and a hungry desire for his death, but it showed no signs of descending. Nicolai knew why. It was wary of the Centipedes.
¡®It mocks us, Sister,¡¯ murmured Brother.
¡®It does indeed. Every day.¡¯
¡®If only we could bring it down.¡¯
¡®Would you like help?¡¯ asked Nicolai.
The pair fixed their gazes on him.
¡®Little mouse has an idea?¡¯
¡®A crafty little mousy plot?¡¯
¡®If I could bring it down onto this tower, would you two be able to handle it?¡¯
Strange sounds emerged and the Centipedes shifted and swayed, moving in an odd, sibilant dance from side to side. Their terrible faces were split in great grins. They were laughing.
¡®We would take its wings,¡¯ said Sister.
¡®And we would fly,¡¯ said Brother.
As they spoke, Nicolai heard another booming sound, and looked into the distance, frowning. There he saw another great winged being, and his eyes widened. He recognised it.
Long ago, he¡¯d seen an undead being that resembled a dragon of myth on one of the bridges. It had disappeared shortly after that, and he¡¯d never seen it flying. But there it was, in the distance, flying.
¡®Another one,¡¯ came the hushed voice of Brother.
¡®Don¡¯t you just hate them?¡¯
¡®I do. Every day.¡¯
Their eyes turned back to Nicolai. ¡®How are you going to make the bird come down?¡¯ asked Sister. ¡®It never comes near.¡¯
¡®It doesn¡¯t like us,¡¯ added Brother.
¡®It wants me,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®It hates me because I stole some of its power. It hunts me everywhere I go. All you would need to do is hide, and stay near. I will use the last of its stolen power to float off the edge, displaying what I took from it, and it will be so enraged that it will come to me. Then I will retreat back here, luring it to you.¡¯
The Centipedes rose high into the air and their bodies undulated, swaying side to side with excitement, chitin clacking.
¡®This will work?¡¯ asked Brother.
¡®It might work,¡¯ he replied, figuring it was best to manage expectations.
Their many-eyed gazes turned cool. ¡®If it doesn¡¯t work, we will be upset,¡¯ said Brother.
¡®Overcome with disappointment,¡¯ whispered Sister.
¡®If that were to happen, we would have to eat little mouse.¡¯
¡®It would be the only way to feel better.¡¯
¡®Father would understand.¡¯
¡®Would he, though?¡¯ asked Nicolai, creasing his face. ¡®Are you sure of that?¡¯
¡®Sure enough,¡¯ hissed Brother. ¡®Little mouse had better do as he promised now. We will hide.¡¯
¡®Wait!¡¯ he cried, and they paused. ¡®If I do this for you, I want something.¡¯
¡®Of course,¡¯ spoke Sister. ¡®You wish to be let go, with all your legs and arms. Do not worry, little mouse. If you bring us the bird, we will let you leave.¡¯
He gazed at the Centipedes. He had very little frame of reference when it came to creatures like this, but even so, he felt that it was speaking the truth. Regardless, while they were busy with the bird, he would have an opportunity to escape.
But he wanted more than that. This place was important. The Angel was a part of the great puzzle he was facing. It had said that Paxolnaz had designs on his Soul, and with that information much of what he¡¯d experienced recently made sudden sense. He needed to know more. He needed to see what else it had to say.
¡®There¡¯s something else I want.¡¯
¡®Oh? Daring, very daring.¡¯
¡®What is it you wish?¡¯
¡®I want to speak with the Angel. Just for a minute,¡¯ said Nicolai.
¡®The angle? The angle of what?¡¯
¡®The Denizen, I mean,¡¯ he corrected himself.
¡®We are not meant to let it talk with people,¡¯ said Brother.
¡®It is forbidden,¡¯ added Sister.
¡®Sure, I can understand that. If you let it talk for too long, who knows what could happen? But surely a minute wouldn¡¯t hurt, and that¡¯s all I ask,¡¯ said Nicolai.
¡®How long is a minute?¡¯ asked Brother.
¡®Not long, not long. Just a little nibble,¡¯ said Sister.
¡®Barely anything. No time at all, really,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®And in return, you¡¯ll get the bird and its wings.¡¯
¡®The little mouse is right. One minute cannot hurt,¡¯ the Centipedes murmured to one another. ¡®We will hide now.¡¯
The pair did as promised, winding away and settling into the vines. Nicolai watched them carefully, trying to keep them in his eyes, but after only a moment their forms had simply faded away, becoming one with the vines and the tower-top. Just as with the other Centipede, he couldn¡¯t even sense their Souls or Soul Senses, though he was sure they possessed such. These things were freakishly good at hiding.
I am analysing their patterns and methods, said Threat Analysis. If we can see how they hide for a little longer, I may be better able to pick them out in the future.
¡®We will be close,¡¯ hissed a voice, worming around the area. ¡®And don¡¯t try to talk to the Denizen, not until you complete your task.¡¯ As the Centipede said this, Nicolai saw the vines surge around the Angel until the being was hidden within them.
He took a slow breath, and turned around, stepping through the vines. He headed over to the edge of the towertop, and peered down.
Below, he saw some changes. The bugs were now all over the upper jungle, as were the undead. Many dozens of battles, some great, some small, were strewn across the area. From this height it looked like a battle between two rival ant colonies. In the distance, he saw the undead dragon had landed amidst hundreds of bugs and was stomping with its feet, tearing with its claws, biting with its great mouth, and its tail of bone sliced around. No fire breath, though, which made something inside Nicolai slightly disappointed.
Closer, at the base of the tower, he saw a pile of dead bugs outside the entrance at the bottom. He reached out over Link, and was able to establish a connection to the others.
Nicolai? You¡¯re alive? it was Daksh, who must be using his broadcast arm to help him reach Nicolai.
I¡¯m alive. How are things down there?
We¡¯re all okay. We¡¯re stuck here at the bottom, though, the stairway upwards is collapsed. But at least the bugs have stopped coming, they¡¯re fighting the dead.
Nicolai nodded. Good, he said. Stay there.
What are you doing up there? asked Daksh, but Nicolai ignored him, cutting the connection.
His eyes now turned to the bird, flying above. He could feel its gaze, its hunger.
Nicolai stepped off the ledge, activating his Pegasi ring, and he floated into the air. Then he took aim with his AA-12, and let off a spray of rounds at the bird above.
A scream of rage answered his challenge, and in an instant the bird was diving through the air toward him.
170: The Angel
Nicolai kept firing, but as he fired he retreated backwards.
In its fury, the bird¡¯s eyes were fixed only on him.
He was floating above the tower when the bird came within range of his Soul Sense. It struck at him immediately, but Nicolai had prepared for this. His Soul Sense was as firm and perfect as possible, and it was just enough for him to resist that first strike. The second came right on its heels, and he knew his Soul Sense would be broken. But he¡¯d bought enough time.
The bird was there, screaming and furious, legs outstretched towards him.
At this moment, some dull spark in its brain seemed to realise the wrongness of the situation.
It was too late. The bird tried to arrest its descent with sudden, panicked wingbeats, but vines were erupting from the towertop, a mass of them boiling past Nicolai on either side with a savage rushing of air.
It let out a scream of terror and pain as the vines grasped as its legs and wrapped its wings and body tight, then pulled back, and the bird was hauled down towards the towertop. It screamed and shook and beat its wings, but with every moment more vines wrapped it, digging into to its flesh.
Nicolai dashed to the side, getting out of the way as the great beast was brought down, landing on the stone with a crash. From amongst the vines he saw two figures appear, and felt two new Soul Senses, revealed from hiding, dark and boiling with madness and bloodlust and furious glee.
The Centipedes hit the bird from either side in twinned explosions of gore. They didn¡¯t slow down, burrowing directly into it.
Nicolai, having reached a safe distance, paused and turned to stare as the bird thrashed and blood sprayed, its eyes desperate, a relentless scream coming from its throat. Then the scream ceased as a bloody head came from within its throat and stretched its beak wide, the grinning face of Brother.
The bird died, its feathers coming to rest while blood spread around it.
After a brief moment of stillness, there came a strange and gruesome twisting within and around it, as its body was moved by the things that had burrowed inside its corpse.
As Nicolai watched, his mouth half open, the bird slowly rose to its feet and the vines fell away. The dead thing began to beat its wings, slow and unsure at first, but gaining in speed and strength, the wind washing over the tower and stirring the vines.
The bird rose from the stone, and he heard twinned screams of mad glee from where the Centipedes were visible, their heads poking out of its body. The puppeted corpse of the bird rose into the air, higher and higher, then it began to swoop about, and Nicolai could still make out the cries of the Centipedes.
Nicolai wasn¡¯t sure what he had expected, but it wasn¡¯t this. How the fuck are they doing that? Were they using some kind of demonic power, or were they actually manipulating its body through pure, brute strength?
He was actually starting to feel a little bad. The bird had been a worthy opponent, powerful and proud. He had enjoyed his battle with it. Escaping such an opponent had been very satisfying. Seeing its corpse used as a plaything by these creatures seemed to somehow sully the memory.
But that is life. Many kings and great men have shit themselves to death. Nicolai wondered if he might be able to gain the bird¡¯s Symbiotes. He¡¯d seen no sign of them emerging when it died, which presumably meant the Centipedes had seized them. Could they be convinced to hand them over? Those Symbiotes were at least Tier 2, likely even Tier 3, and therefore beyond his ability to effectively use, but even so, he wanted them. He shook his head. Not going to happen. He was pushing his luck here already.
A moment later, there came a crash and the rooftop shook, as the corpse of the bird landed atop it, a short distance from Nicolai. He had positioned himself by the edge of the roof, and was ready to dive off if necessary. He did not know whether they would honour the agreement, or immediately attack.
He watched as the bird¡¯s corpse collapsed onto the ground, and its body shook grotesquely, blood spraying, then the Centipedes emerged. They were coated tip-to-tail in blood and gore.
¡®That looked very fun,¡¯ called Nicolai, putting envy into his voice.
¡®It was, it was,¡¯ chittered Brother.
¡®Indeed. We will fly more later. For now, the little mouse had earned itself a prize.¡¯
¡®Yes, a lovely prize.¡¯
They looked toward the centre of the roof, and the vines surrounding the Angel slithered and slipped bloodily off from it, until its face and much of its torn body was once more uncovered.
¡®Have your minute,¡¯ said Sister.
¡®How long is a minute, Sister?¡¯ asked Brother.
¡®Begin counting, Brother, and I will tell you.¡¯
¡®One¡ two¡ three¡¡¯
As the sound of slow counting began behind him, Nicolai stepped slowly in the direction of the Angel, and the vines. He wasn¡¯t yet within reach of the vines. His path subtly curved, until he was moving more around the vines, than towards the Angel. Aiming for the edge of the roof.
Nicolai did not intend to go in there. He didn¡¯t trust these creatures. They didn¡¯t seem all that bright, and he knew he¡¯d made them very happy by giving them the bird, but so what? They were fundamentally untrustworthy by nature.
Most likely they would let him talk to the Angel, then when he tried to leave the vines would grab him. If he was ever permitted to leave it would be minus several limbs at the minimum.
He needn¡¯t worry about that, because he¡¯d been talking to the Angel for some time. When the Centipedes first lunged in ambush he had sent out a drone. It had begun a slow, cautious journey through the vines. Without the Centipedes controlling them, the vines hadn¡¯t reacted to it.
It¡¯d parked by the Angel, and while he¡¯d been watching the Centipedes fly, and then talking with them, a part of his mind along with Threat Analysis had been talking to the Angel.
¡®Free me¡ kill me¡¡¯ the Angel had murmured, and through the drone he¡¯d seen it had no eyes for both had been destroyed by the vines, golden blood covering its face.
¡®I will, if you answer my questions,¡¯ Nicolai had replied. ¡®Tell me more about this True Demon that follows me, and its designs on my Soul.¡¯
The Angel had its head, a confused expression forming. ¡®What¡¯s this? I recognise the voice. The human. But I do not feel you¡¡¯The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
¡®I¡¯m talking to you through a device, over distance. Answer the question.¡¯
¡®Yes, it follows you often, I could smell its stink on you.¡¯
Nicolai¡¯s eyes had narrowed. ¡®Prove it.¡¯
¡®Do you ever notice a strange chill in the air? At times of¡ trouble?¡¯
He¡¯d struggled, then, as the Centipedes had been descending in the Bird¡¯s corpse, not to show the sudden unease and shock he¡¯d felt. ¡®I have.¡¯
¡®That is the sign that it is near, that it is working on you. Right now, it is away. Gone to free the shred of the Unwinder, no doubt.¡¯
¡®What do you mean, working on me?¡¯
¡®You are cursed with the Black Gift, making you a connection from the Interior to the Material. You are a prize for beings such as the True Demon. It can take you, and wear you as a Skin. Most material beings do not make suitable hosts for such creatures, their forms mutate and decay rapidly. But your body would last for a long time, and it would be able to do what all Demons wish to do: whatever it wishes, in the Material. You have a Contract with it, do you not?¡¯
¡®I do.¡¯
¡®So it must be more circumspect, it cannot simply dive into you. It is working to Skin you through third means. I see its progress is going well. But if you can hold out long enough, until it frees its Master¡ªsomething it has no choice but to do, though it will delay as long as it can¡ªthen you will be safe from it, as it will be forced to depart. At the current rate, I think you will last. But doubtless it will make a play.¡¯
¡®What can I do?¡¯
¡®Kill me and I will tell you.¡¯
¡®How are you going to tell me anything, when you¡¯re dead?¡¯
¡®Destroying my physical form will release my immortal Soul. Before I depart, I will share with you what you need to know. Beyond that, the remnants of my form may aid you. At the moment of my death, the lifeblood of my heart will spill from my body. The blood spilled by a Denizen upon death can be useful to one in your condition in various way. It will remain in a pool at my feet for many months.¡¯
That was where Nicolai was currently up to in their discussion, as he walked slowly around the vines. He nodded to the Angel¡¯s words. In Kleos¡¯ story, the Beast had been changed by an Angel¡¯s blood. But this thing called itself a Denizen, not an Angel.
¡®Human, why do you tarry? You are wasting your precious minute,¡¯ called out one of the Centipedes. He could hear the counting was over forty, now. He ignored them, asking his next question.
¡®Are you an Angel?¡¯
¡®That is another name for my kind.¡¯
He let out a breath of relief, a smile forming. This was good, very, very good. ¡®How can I kill you?¡¯ He peered through the vines to where he saw its body torn open, the golden blood all over the place. ¡®You seem quite resilient.¡¯
¡®Destroy my head and I¡¯ll do the rest.¡¯
Nicolai¡¯s Mark flickered, and he tapped it.
Quest gained: Caged Butterfly
A trapped Denizen wishes you to free their Soul, by destroying their body.
His smile broadened. Double benefits.
In the distance, he heard the counting reaching toward a terminal number. The Centipedes must be working out he¡¯d played some trick. He needed to get going.
¡®Fifty four¡ fifty five¡ fifty six¡¡¯
¡®There is one more thing!¡¯ hissed the Angel. ¡®A gift. The Demon¡¯s master lets out calls daily. These cries move through the Interior, and even the Aura. With your Black Gift, if you listen carefully and focus on your link to the Interior, you should be able to feel these calls. Recently, they come more and more often.¡¯
¡®Sixty¡¡¯
¡®That is one minute, Brother.¡¯
¡®The little mouse did not approach the caged bird¡¡¯
¡®I have a feeling it did not need to.¡¯
¡®These calls will pull the Demon away! For a time, you will be spared from its watchful gaze, and may¡ª¡®
Vines swarmed the Denizen, and the drone was destroyed by them in the process. Then the vines were rustling over the roof toward him.
But Nicolai was close to the edge, in readiness of this. He lunged into a run and threw himself off the tower. He turned as he jumped, gripping tight to his AA-12 and floating. The Angel swam into view, centred in the middle of his iron-sights, and he squeezed the trigger.
The auto-shotgun boomed, a savage thumping. There came a flash around the Angel as a dull red shield shimmered into view, resisting the gunshots. But it quickly filled with cracks, and in a moment it was close to breaking. But already the vines were swarming the Angel in a great mass, wrapping it tight; this time not to constrain, but to protect. The shield broke, and the bullets blew chips and chunks of the spiked vines away, but were unable to penetrate the great mass.
Nicolai¡¯s AA-12 clicked empty a second later and he had his Pegasi ring direct him straight down. Gravity seized him along with the Pegasi ring¡¯s effect. He plummeted, escaping just in time as vines poured over the edge of the roof, snapping and grasping at the air.
###
The Centipedes watched as the human disappeared, the echo of its anger fading.
¡®The little mouse tricked us, Sister,¡¯ murmured Brother. ¡®It crafted a mousy plot.¡¯
¡®It did indeed, Brother, it did indeed.¡¯
¡®We will remember this.¡¯
¡®We will.¡¯
¡®But at least we have the bird and its wings.¡¯
¡®We do.¡¯
¡®Should the little mouse come again, we will make its death mostly painless, in honour of what it did for us.¡¯
¡®We will.¡¯
Brother rattled with excitement. ¡®Shall we fly?¡¯
Sister shivered with glee. ¡®We shall.¡¯
At this moment, there came an odd darkening in the air, and the two Centipedes snapped suddenly alert. A being emerged, burning at the stone and the vines, surrounded by an aching cold.
The Centipedes bent, and lay prostrate.
¡®Father.¡¯
¡®Father.¡¯
Paxolnaz cast its frigid gaze around. The Demon had just regained its freedom from the Unwinder¡¯s most recent call, and come to check on the human. But it had found a quite unwelcome surprise, after tracking the human here. It had arrived in time to see the human leap off the edge. This was a place where Paxolnaz did not wish for it to be.
¡®My children. What has been occurring here?¡¯
¡®We met a little mouse. It tried to kill the Denizen,¡¯ said Brother.
Sister shifted, concerned. ¡®But we are tireless in our role, and foiled its cunning plan. There is no cause for concern.¡¯
¡®And¡ this?¡¯ Paxolnaz gazed at the corpse of the bird.
The two Centipedes rattled and hissed, casting worried, protective gazes at the corpse.
¡®A minor diversion.¡¯
¡®Minor. Of no importance.¡¯
¡®We mind our post.¡¯
¡®We do, we always do.¡¯
¡®You will not kill that human,¡¯ said Paxolnaz. ¡®It is important to me. But you must also not allow it to kill the Denizen, nor talk with the Denizen. Do you understand?¡¯
¡®We do, Father.¡¯
Paxolnaz couldn¡¯t directly order them to harm the human, due to the Contract. But if they chose to inflict some pain of their own accord, then there was no issue.
¡®So long as it leaves here alive, I do not care what else occurs to it.¡¯ The True Demon¡¯s cool gaze took in its two spawn and the Denizen trapped in the vines. It felt at their unease and guilt, and turned back to glower suspiciously at the pair. ¡®Tell me, did it talk with the Denizen?¡¯
The pair did not answer, instead they wormed pathetically against the ground.
¡®Did the human speak to the Denizen?¡¯ boomed Paxolnaz, and its will rose and pressed down on the Centipedes, crushing them against the stone.
¡®No Father, it was not seen to do so.¡¯
Paxolnaz gazed at them, smelling their deceit. Do you believe there is a chance that through some trick, the human talked with the Denizen?
¡®We don¡¯t know Father, we don¡¯t! It asked to speak, but it didn¡¯t appear to!¡¯ cried the Centipedes.
¡®Asked? And you allowed it?¡¯
¡®We agreed but only as bait, only for fun. We wouldn¡¯t have truly allowed it to talk to the Denizen!¡¯
¡®But that is what has likely happened.¡¯
¡®We failed you, Father,¡¯ they moaned and groaned. ¡®It tricked us! It is crafty, crafty!¡¯
The bloody light of Paxolnaz¡¯s regard sneered at them. ¡®Fools. Did I not tell you the Denizen is not permitted to speak, not to anyone nor anything?¡¯
¡®You did Father, we are worms, worms! Please, spare us, Father, we will do better!¡¯
¡®You will do better,¡¯ Paxolnaz hissed. ¡®Should you fail me, you will suffer for an eternity. Have a taste of that suffering.¡¯
While the Centipedes screamed and cried, dark fire spilled from Paxolnaz like oil. It reached them in an instant and crawled over their bodies. They were lifted into the air, howling, and they shook and spasmed as red lightning crawled through the dark flame, reaching into them and flaying their Souls.
¡®Do better next time,¡¯ snapped Paxolnaz. It would have liked to do more but it simply didn¡¯t have the time, nor the energy, and as the True Demon disappeared in an angry flare of dark fire, the Centipedes were allowed to fall.
The Centipedes rose from where they had fallen, looking at one another, still flinching now and then as sparks of red lightning spat and crawled here and there over their chitin, gradually fading.
¡®Father is upset with us,¡¯ muttered Sister, sulky.
¡®Of course,¡¯ said Brother. ¡®We were bad, very bad.¡¯
¡®But it was not our fault. It was the little mouse.¡¯
¡®That is right, it was the little mouse¡¯s fault.¡¯
¡®Father says we can¡¯t kill it.¡¯
¡®But he said nothing about eating its limbs.¡¯
¡®The little mouse looks like it has tasty limbs.¡¯
¡®It does, it does.¡¯
¡®Should it return, we will sample them.¡¯
¡®We will, we will.¡¯
171: Honourable Men
At the bottom of the tower, Nicolai moved to the entrance of the room where the others hid. He contacted them over Link before showing himself, wary of being shot by an overly primed finger-on-a-trigger, then he entered.
The room was small and mostly choked with vines. There was a stairway behind the vines, but it was collapsed. The others were packed within. He gave the vines a careful look, running his Soul Sense along them. Where those above where excessively barbed and black in colour, these looked much more normal; green, with a more typical amount of barbs. Spiritually, they didn¡¯t feel like anything special.
Speaking to the others, Nicolai quickly learned how things had gone. Overall, not bad. Everyone was still alive, though low on ammo. It was best that they returned to the safe place to restock and hide from the current chaos, but that was easier said than done.
While deciding he¡¯d noted that the castle was now a site of open warfare. The upper jungle was choked with battling bugs and undead, and even pockets of humans, based on the gunshots. It would not be easy to reach the safe place, and perhaps they would be safer simply waiting here.
¡®My dad¡¯s still down in the prison,¡¯ said Azure, worried. ¡®We need to go and find him! He¡¯s probably in trouble, I¡¯m sure things are going crazy down there.¡¯
¡®We will, when we can,¡¯ Nicolai assured her. ¡®For now, we have to look after ourselves. Don¡¯t worry, your father and Cait are capable. Once we have returned to the safe place, we will go there. For now, we need to find a better place to hideout.¡¯
Peering out of the exit, Nicolai looked over to Maxine¡¯s tower. That was a better place to be. He wanted to gain some distance from this tower and the Centipedes above. They might come for him, after his betrayal, but he had noticed that they seemed unwilling to leave the tower top. It was clearly their post; they were meant to be guarding the Angel. So Maxine¡¯s tower should be far enough to be safe.
On top of that, now that the bird was dead, they were free to go and rescue her.
There were some bugs and undead battling between the two towers, but not a huge quantity.
He quickly explained his plan to the others, had everyone redistribute their limited ammo until every gun was loaded, then they pressed out.
###
Vikrum was not having a good time.
¡®Shoot them, kill them!¡¯ came the cries from all around him, layered with massed gunfire, as the host of Chosen surrounding him fought back against bugs on one side, and undead on the other.
He ran amongst them, firing endlessly with his assault rifle. He was fully chipped in, and the chip ran his augmented body far better than it could any biological body. His recent injuries had been patched and repaired as much as possible, using augment repair kits from the Trade Link. He wasn¡¯t at peak condition, but his state was acceptable enough. He obliterated any bugs or undead he turned his attention to. Elsewhere, Borg, Gilvine, and the four Cyborgs also fought hard. But still, his people were dying.
There were simply too many bugs and undead, and their position too compromised.
They were in the middle of the upper-jungle. Vikrum had arrived here earlier that day, joining the others in the move against the three groups found up here. He had arranged this attack some time ago.
If his people¡¯s advantage of Trade Link weaponry was being eroded, he would reinforce their other advantage: numbers. The more they killed and captured, the more powerful they would become in comparison. On top of that, he needed to take Seeds and redistribute them to his people, to maintain their loyalty.
But he had never expected that his grand sortie against their various enemies would lead them right into the middle of this war between bugs and undead, one that had erupted out of nowhere. Bugs and undead had simply boiled from everywhere within the castle, some bugs even climbing the walls.
Now, they were hard pressed.
¡®This way!¡¯ he yelled, directing his people towards a nearby rise in the jungle, where there was some kind of ruined building with an accessible roof. A good, solid, defensible position, that was what Cornwall told him they needed. Then to weather this until it was over. Once they were out of the way, hopefully the bugs and undead would ignore them and focus on one another.
But as he moved, his attention was drawn to one of his drones. He and his Chosen had many drones, some of which were out wide, keeping eyes further afield. Earlier, he had seen that great bird attacking someone, some group. He hadn¡¯t thought too much of this; it was common. But then he had seen it land on the Kill Me tower, attacked by something. It had looked like it might be in trouble.
He felt this worthy of investigation. The bird was a serious problem as it had so far held off his Chosen from taking Maxine, an individual he dearly wished to remove from the Radio Tower. He wanted her radio equipment for himself, and to take her away from it because she did nothing but encourage people against his Chosen; slandering his people and himself, using her single, privileged radio channel to spread poison.
She had to go, and if the bird was too injured or dead to defend the tower, he could make that happen.
But one of the drones, drawing close to the area, was able to more clearly make things out. It had seen a group of people flying up onto Maxine¡¯s radio tower. It looked like three of them had Pegasi rings, which they were using to lift the rest of their group onto the tower. Moments later they begun disappearing inside.
Cornwall pinged him. Look, said the AI.
It showed him a zoomed-in photo, a little blurry but still plenty clear enough to make out one of the members of that group. The last of them was there, standing on the tower-top, staring right at the drone.
Viper.
Vikrum¡¯s hands clenched with fury. Of course. Viper was set against him. It made sense the man had identified the importance of Maxine and the Radio Tower. First the Library, now the Radio Tower. Everywhere he looked, there Viper was, working to ruin everything that Vikrum had built.
He sent the drone in, and it streaked towards Viper.
What are you doing? Asked Cornwall. The drone has no hope of damaging him.
I want to talk to him.
Why? Doing so will only forewarn him we are aware he is there.
Vikrum scowled. I want to see what this bastard has to say for himself.
Cornwall was silent for a moment. In that case, it would be wise to make him an offer. Perhaps he could be convinced to join the Chosen.
Join the Chosen?! I already have Gilvine to deal with, why would I want another knife at my back?
Turning over Maxine and the location of his access to the Trade Link would be a condition of his joining. You would agree to forgive his crimes and give him status within the Chosen. But once we have secured the Trade Link access point, alongside Maxine¡¯s radio equipment, and he is within your power, you could freely kill him. There is a low chance that this will work, but it is worth trying regardless because if it does, the problem will be solved with minimal time and cost. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Vikrum chewed over the AI¡¯s words, frowning. Cornwall had always been like this. His parents had been insistent that he take the AI, and he understood why, now. Because Cornwall was an AI designed to think in the kind of way one had to think if they wanted to succeed as a corporate oligarch on modern-day Earth; methods based on statistical analysis. It wasn¡¯t something he held any particular fondness for, but there was no denying Cornwall came up with suggestions that were highly effective.
I¡¯ll give it a go. He disliked the idea of breaking his word, but he supposed it didn¡¯t matter. Tactics like this were exactly what was needed to deal with someone like Viper.
###
Nicolai watched the drone as it approached him. A light-scout type with a long operating range. Quite expensive, quite nice. It was coming in fast, and he pulled a pistol. But then it slowed to an abrupt halt, and a voice crackled out of it.
¡®Hello, Viper,¡¯ said the drone.
Viper? ¡®Who¡¯s that?¡¯ he asked.
¡®We met earlier today. I am Vikrum.¡¯
Nicolai kept his face carefully blank. ¡®The man himself.¡¯
¡®Why did you kill my people in the Library?¡¯
Nicolai shook his head sadly. ¡®An unfortunate matter. There was something I needed from the Library.¡¯
¡®You slaughtered them without even attempting to parlay.¡¯
He shrugged. ¡®When you fortify a place with light machine guns, it gives the impression such an attempt would be pointless. As is the case with the general behaviour of you and your people¡ªsuch as your immediate attempt to hunt me down and kill me, upon your arrival. I don¡¯t recall you issuing a warning or seeking to parlay.¡¯
¡®I wished to avenge my people!¡¯
Nicolai put a hand to his heart. ¡®And I needed something from the Library¡ in order to help my people.¡¯
¡®You¡¯ve also been arming everyone in this place, selling guns to any who¡¯ll pay. Many of the people you¡¯ve armed are remorseless bandits. They¡¯ve attacked my people, attacked everyone! A lot of people¡ªgood people, kind people¡ªhave been killed by the guns you¡¯ve sold. You tried to kill me!¡¯
¡®And?¡¯
¡®Why are you doing this?¡¯
¡®Business is business,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®I¡¯m merely a trader. I only do what I do to look after my own people, just as you need to look after yours. What my customers do with the items I sell them is out of my hands.¡¯
¡®A convenient view. I see it very differently,¡¯ Vikrum¡¯s voice snapped in an angry crackle from the drone. ¡®I¡¡¯ He paused. Nicolai stared at the drone, curious. When Vikrum¡¯s voice reemerged, it was in an entirely different tone. Calm and practised, no sign of the anger. ¡®I have come to make you an offer. If you join me, and bring Maxine, and share the manner of your access to the Trade Link, I will make you one of my elites. You will be allowed to keep your Seed¡ªall your things¡ªand the same will apply to your people. You will be allowed to stay as a group within the Chosen. You will be given many benefits; access to the Trade Link, even a daily allowance, and true safety amongst the largest, best equipped and most organised group in this place.¡¯
Nicolai showed no trace of his internal reaction, which was derision. If he were to do as Vikrum asked he¡¯d be eating a bullet in the back of the head the moment it was convenient. Still, he respected the game. In Vikrum¡¯s place he likely would¡¯ve made a similar attempt. As a result, he knew the proper response.
He made a show of uncertainty, narrowing his eyes. Not convinced, but apparently willing to be convinced, that the offer might be genuine. ¡®What¡¯s to stop you shooting me in the back the moment I¡¯ve given you what you want?¡¯
¡®You have my word. I am an honourable man.¡¯
Nicolai nodded solemnly. ¡®I¡¯m glad to hear it. I am also an honourable man. Like you, my word is my bond. But the offer seems a little light. I already possess much of what you list.¡¯ He gazed expectantly at the drone.
¡®The alternative is that I kill you. I am offering you your life.¡¯
Nicolai peered over the edge of the towertop, made a show of looking around. In the distance, he could see a place where there was a great deal of gunfire coming from. A large, ruined building quite some distance away in the upper-jungle. There were a lot of people up there, fighting off bugs and undead.
¡®Is that your lot, over there?¡¯ he asked. ¡®The big group currently under attack by a few hundred bugs and skeletons?¡¯
Vikrum was silent, but Nicolai didn¡¯t need any confirmation. There was no other group so numerous and well-armed as to account for all that gunfire, anyway.
¡®So how is it you¡¯re going to kill me?¡¯
¡®You¡¯ll find out later.¡¯
¡®We-ell,¡¯ Nicolai dragged the word out, thoughtful. As he did so, his Mask was wriggling closer over his face, aiding him. For this, the more human he could act, the better. And in fact it was saying that maybe he could sort something out, maybe all this could end here. He spread his hands. ¡®Believe it or not, I don¡¯t see us as enemies, and I¡¯m not opposed to joining you. But you must admit, the offer is low. Trading as we are, we are gaining great benefits. We would be losing all that if we joined you. Whereas, as you have pointed out, we are causing you significant problems. If we joined you it would make life much easier on your side. You gain much, and we gain little. How would you make it even? And what would happen to Maxine?¡¯
¡®Do you care about her?¡¯
¡®Yes,¡¯ answered the Mask without hesitation. ¡®She¡¯s a good person.¡¯
There came a moment of silence. ¡®I can guarantee her life. Though she has done nothing but work against me. If she¡¯s able to see reason, I¡¯ll spare her¡ªjust as I am willing to spare and even embrace you. Furthermore I will give you a total of ten thousand Trade Link points, and I also have many other valuable items. You may pick¡ any two items from my personal stockpile.¡¯
¡®Tempting, very tempting,¡¯ Nicolai tapped his chin. ¡®But it still seems a little low. Can¡¯t you do any better?¡¯
¡®No.¡¯
Nicolai sighed and shook his head ruefully. ¡®You¡¯ve called my bluff. Actually, that¡¯s a pretty good offer. Generous, even. I¡¯m inclined to accept.¡¯ He paused.
¡®In tha¡ª¡®
¡®But matters like this require thought and consideration,¡¯ he continued. ¡®I will have to confer with the others, and it will take some time for us to come to a conclusion. However¡¯¡ªhe smiled¡ª¡®I believe it will likely be a decision that will please you.¡¯
¡®You have one hour.¡¯
Nicolai clicked his teeth, frowning. ¡®That¡¯s not at all long enough. I need a few days. This is a big decision.¡¯
###
Vikrum was silent, gazing at the man in his feed. Now he was talking to Viper, he found the man nothing like expected. He¡¯d imagined a snarling, sneering, villainous bastard, someone as vicious in temperament as he was in action. But Viper seemed¡ reasonable. Could he say that he would have done any different, in Viper¡¯s position? Perhaps not.
It even seemed that Viper might actually be inclined to join him, something he hadn¡¯t expected; he¡¯d imagined the offer would be instantly shot down. But Viper was bargaining. That had to be a good sign, didn¡¯t it? One wouldn¡¯t bargain if they had no intention of agreeing.
But even so, Viper was a little too smooth. Too relaxed and easy with his words. He was still little more than a Raw, only some very minor augmentation that Vikrum could see. He led a tiny little band compared to Vikrum¡¯s Chosen. He ought to be at least a little uncertain, a little afraid. But there was no sign of fear at all.
As always, he opted to ask Cornwall. Do you think he¡¯s truly willing to join?
There came a brief hesitation. It is impossible to say. He is very difficult to read. His body language is full of contradictions. We know he is a practised liar, an individual who hides his true intentions until the last instant. After a moment, it added. I do not trust him.
He frowned, perturbed. It wasn¡¯t like Cornwall to be indecisive. Typically the AI was always ready with a path it deemed more optimal. What of his request for more time?
If he lying, then he will simply use that time to escape and avoid the pressure you would otherwise put on him, while continuing to work against us. Giving him more time is a risk¡ but if he is honest, then refusing might remove any chance of him joining. If he does surrender to us it would be a huge win, a pivotal moment. He and Maxine are your only serious opposition. With them enfolded into the Chosen or simply removed once under our control, the castle would effectively be yours. It could be worthwhile to agree to his request, in spite of the risk.
Vikrum considered. He might have been willing to give Viper the time¡ but not after the Library. This man had shown himself an enemy many times, and no amount of honeyed words would change that. If he was willing to see sense, to lay down his arms and join the Chosen, bringing Maxine with him, then Vikrum might¡ªmight¡ªeven find his way to forgiving Viper for his crimes. And if not? Then he¡¯d crush him.
He was going to win anyway. Whether it be the hard way or the easy way, that was up to Viper.
###
¡®You have one hour, and even that is a blessing, one that I deign to grant you as a show of kindness. Do not push me, Viper. I will leave this drone here. I expect your answer within the hour.¡¯
Nicolai¡¯s face remained blank, and he simply nodded to the drone then turned away. Annoying. He wouldn¡¯t be able to drag this out as long as he¡¯d desired. Vikrum was no fool. He¡¯d hoped to secure ¡°decision making time¡± of a few days.
Isn¡¯t it possible he was telling the truth? That he¡¯d accept us joining? asked the Mask.
Nicolai snorted. Possible, yes. Likely, no. Even if he is, joining isn¡¯t possible. He would restrict me. Restrict us from doing what we need to do. No, working with him was never in the cards, not in the current situation.
The tower-top was a flat expanse with small building filling its centre. A pair of solar charger panels were spread out, wires leading into the building through an opening, and an antenna rose from a small unit beside the panels.
He headed into the building, where there was a stairwell leading down.
At the bottom, he found a room filled with radio¡¯s all playing different channels, a confusing mess of voices at a low volume. The others were waiting there, along with a small, brown haired woman. Maxine.
172: Maxine
¡®Go keep an eye on things from up there,¡¯ Nicolai told Jo.
¡®Trouble?¡¯ she asked him over Local.
¡®Most likely.¡¯
She nodded and headed up the stairs, and he turned to his next target.
¡®Greetings,¡¯ he said to Maxine, who was talking with Perro and Azure. She looked over at him, eyes bright.
¡®Ah, the illustrious leader. Your friends have told me about you,¡¯ she said.
¡®Good things, I hope,¡¯ he said, his eyes on Perro and Azure who wore innocent expressions.
¡®Of course, of course. I heard the bird is dead.¡¯
¡®That¡¯s right, so we can get you and your things out of here, to safety.¡¯
¡®Mmmm.¡¯ She wore a light-blue jumpsuit. ¡®Actually, I¡¯ve been thinking I might just stay up here. The connection is better for my radio. Assuming you¡¯re willing to keep providing me food.¡¯
Nicolai frowned. His initial reaction was that she¡¯d realised she could have her cake and eat it, too. Free food, and maintain her risk-free position up her. But, so long as he could get a hold on her to ensure she started saying the kinds of things he wanted her to say over the radio, this didn¡¯t bother him at all. Unfortunately, it was not so simple.
¡®You¡¯re not thinking,¡¯ he told her. ¡®The bird is dead. The Chosen are out there, right now. I talked to Vikrum.¡¯
They all gaped at him.
¡®You talked to that bastard?¡¯ Maxine frowned.
¡®He wants you. He knows the bird is dead. Without it you are no longer protected from them. It isn¡¯t safe here anymore.¡¯
Maxine¡¯s eyes widened, a grimace forming on her features. ¡®I¡ shit! Help me with all this crap!¡¯ She started pulling wires from various audio devices, picking stuff up and dumping it in a messy pile on a sheet of cloth she¡¯d laid out in the centre of the room.
Then she sighed, her movements slowing, and turned to eye him. ¡®I know we¡¯re in a bit of a rush here, but there¡¯s some stuff we need to get squared away.¡¯
Nicolai shrugged. ¡®Such as? I assumed you were willing go join my group.¡¯ He watched her curiously. As was often the case when meeting such a larger-than-life personality, a celebrity, she was smaller than he¡¯d expected. Older. More real, more human. But even so, there was something about her. This was the voice on the radio.
¡®If you¡¯ve food and safety, and you¡¯re willing to let me keep doing what I¡¯m doing, then I¡¯ll join. Perro told me you guys have a good thing going. And, uh, as you know, I¡¯m pretty much out of food. Could you leave that alone?¡¯
Beth, who¡¯d been poking curiously at some of the radio equipment, gave a guilty start. ¡®Sorry.¡¯
¡®It¡¯s alright, honey. I just don¡¯t want the settings messed up, took me a while to get it all just right. I got their names,¡¯ Maxine gestured to Nicolai, Perro and Azure, ¡®but who would you be?¡¯
¡®I¡¯m Beth,¡¯ she replied, smiling. She hesitated then spoke again. ¡®Thank you, for what you do. For a while I was bedridden. I listened to you on the radio a lot back then, the music and your voice. It was a big help to me.¡¯
Daksh also came forward, introducing himself as well, and soon they were all giving their thanks.
Maxine grinned back. ¡®That¡¯s exactly why I do it. This world is harsh. Perhaps even harsher than the one we left, though I guess that¡¯s debatable. I want to foster a little humanity in this place, a connection.¡¯ She sighed. ¡®It¡¯s a shame, what¡¯s going on out there. Everyone fighting. I¡¯d hoped to stop that.¡¯
¡®All because of the Chosen,¡¯ Nicolai was quick to interject, recognising his moment. ¡®That¡¯s something we¡¯re working on. I intend to deal with Vikrum. Once that¡¯s done this place will become safer.¡¯
¡®Oh?¡¯ She looked him over. ¡®You know he¡¯s meant to be the most heavily augmented guy here? You don¡¯t look like you have a lot of hardware.¡¯
¡®It won¡¯t just be me. We need you. We need your help.¡¯ He slipped towards her, radiating conviction. ¡®I want to organise a resistance. You¡¯ve heard of the traders, right? Selling guns and such from the Trade Link.¡¯
¡®I have, recently. The Chosen mentioned them. They¡¯re giving big rewards for any who can provide information. I wish those guys luck, they¡¯re doing good work. Or perhaps I should be wishing you luck?¡¯ Her eyes narrowed at him, a gauging look.
¡®That¡¯s right. We¡¯re the traders, giving out the guns and ammo people need to survive and fight back. We need a better way to advertise that to people¡ªand if everyone is to take on the Chosen, we need someone helping to organise that. A voice all can hear.¡¯
¡®That¡¯d be me, then,¡¯ she said, quirking an eyebrow.
¡®Who else?¡¯
¡®Well¡ I¡¯m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn¡¯t this. I see you¡¯ve got some plans.¡¯
¡®So, will you help? Will you work with me¡ªwith us?¡¯ asked Nicolai.
She looked thoughtful. ¡®What would you do once Vikrum is gone? What¡¯s your plan then?¡¯
Nicolai shrugged. ¡®Then people can do what they want, without the oppression of the Chosen. That¡¯s all I want.¡¯ He spread his arms like Christ on the cross.
She raised her brows. ¡®Alright¡ well. That all sounds good to me.¡¯
¡®You¡¯re with us?¡¯
She nodded. ¡®I¡¯m with you.¡¯ She extended a hand.
¡®Good.¡¯ He grasped it and shook with the optimal level of firmness based on her grip strength. He wore a determined¡ªand now reasonable pleased expression¡ªwhile maintaining steady eye contact with the measuring gaze she gave him. He made his own slightly measuring in turn.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
When she gave a faint smile and turned away to busy herself grabbing at wires, he knew that she felt that they had shared a moment of connection and understanding. As to what exactly she felt that understanding was, he had no idea. It didn¡¯t matter. Maxine had been won on side.
He eyed the hefty equipment, relaxing. How had she even gotten all this stuff?
¡®I¡¯m not sure we can carry quite all of this,¡¯ he told her. ¡®How much of it do you actually need? Remember, we have access to the Trade Link. I can definitely buy more solar panels like these for you.¡¯
¡®Okay,¡¯ she muttered, moving quickly around the room. She took radios and stuffed them into a bag, joined by Perro and Azure and Daksh, then started disconnecting one larger unit from the panels and the rest. ¡®Just this, this and my radios,¡¯ she said.
¡®What is it?¡¯ he asked, peering at the thing.
She tapped the unit. ¡®This is called a Radio Host. It¡¯s what I use to lock-down channel two. I got it as a Quest reward. I got a quest to be an, uh, radio person. Now and then I get another quest in the same theme.¡¯ She looked around at the others, then glanced him up and down. ¡®You look strong enough. Think you can carry it?¡¯
Nicolai shifted his shotgun onto his back and moved over. In quick order he and the others had everything Maxine considered crucial wrapped up in a few separate bags of cloth.
Maxine pronounced that was all she needed, and they carried the radio equipment up the stairs, he, Daksh and Beth handling the bulkier items.
At the top he found Jo engaged in a staring contest with a familiar drone.
¡®What¡¯s all this?¡¯ crackled the drone.
¡®I know that voice,¡¯ muttered Maxine, glaring at the drone.
¡®Why are you moving all of this?¡¯ Vikrum asked Nicolai.
¡®It was dangerously stored. You know. Flooding.¡¯
¡®Flooding? It¡¯s a tower! You¡ªoh. I see. So you refuse my deal, then.¡¯
¡®I¡¯m still deliberating. Like I said, this will take time. I really don¡¯t think an hour is long enough.¡¯
¡®No, I think it¡¯s too long already. You will die for this, Viper, you and all your people. Look at you, barely augmented, and I let you damage me¡ well, you won¡¯t be able to pull anymore cheap tricks like that. I¡¯d destroy you in a real fight! None of you stand a chance against even my weakest elite! And you, Maxine. You bitch. You¡ª¡®
The drone exploded into chunks of metal and plastic, raining from the sky. Glancing to the side, Nicolai saw Beth lowering her shotgun.
¡®He was getting a bit repetitive.¡¯ She grinned.
Nicolai snorted then glanced across at the distant Chosen, considering. Vikrum would definitely be sending something after him. The question was: What?
Vikrum had a reputation to maintain. For a leader, it would not be a good look to abandon his people in the middle of a significant battle that¡ªhis eye lenses zoomed, giving him a better look at the source of massed gunfire¡ªdid not appear to be going well. On top of that, in spite of his words Vikrum should now hold significant wariness about the idea of coming after Nicolai alone. Therefore if he did come, he would want to bring backup. But abandoning his people while also taking a group¡ªor even some of these elites¡ªwith him? Even worse.
So Vikrum wouldn¡¯t be coming himself. This was good. Vikrum wasn¡¯t entirely wrong¡ªthe Cyborg would destroy Nicolai in a ¡°real fight¡±¡ªwhich presumably meant one where Nicolai wasn¡¯t allowed to do things like run away and set up ambushes. Of course, he would do all of that, but now that Vikrum had fought him once he would be more aware of his weapons and strategies, and the ground also was not as conducive to fighting the Cyborg. The previous position¡ªshort corridors of solid stone¡ªhad made it easy for Nicolai to quickly move in and out of cover, and he¡¯d been able to use Soul Sense to good effect. If they were to fight in say, the upper jungle, he would have a much harder time. The trees weren¡¯t his idea of suitable cover from high calibre rounds.
But Vikrum was very unlikely to come. He would send whichever of these ¡°elites¡± he could spare and which he judged could deal with Nicolai and the others.
Nicolai needed to come up with some kind of plan before they arrived. The castle was still too fraught for them to attempt to flee to the safe place, especially if they needed to carry Maxine¡¯s bulky equipment; there were too many bugs and undead. Whoever Vikrum sent should be highly mobile, because he would want them to arrive quickly, and would thus be well setup to take them down while they were stuck fighting their way past skeletons and giant insects.
He was glad that running was therefore a tactically incorrect move. It meant that fighting was the right move. The thought of the coming battle made his skin prickle, a tiny smile dancing over his lips. His feet tapped impatiently at the stone as he stared at the distant Chosen.
Soon.
###
¡®You four,¡¯ said Vikrum, gazing at the four Tier 1 Cyborgs who stood before him. They stood with casualness and studied indifference he felt sure was a performance done just to annoy him. It did so regardless. ¡®Go to Maxine¡¯s Radio Tower, I¡¯ve marked it on your map. Viper is there. I want you to kill him and his people. Capture Maxine, too. Make sure her radio stuff¡ªor whatever she uses to control Channel 2¡ªisn¡¯t damaged. That¡¯s your number one priority. Actually, no. Killing Viper is your number one priority. Then Maxine.¡¯
The lead Cyborg, a man named Jermaine, threw a salute that Vikrum judged sloppy.
¡®Roger that, boss,¡¯ said the man.
Vikrum¡¯s eyes narrowed, then he lunged forward, hand whipping out. It clutched tight around the neck of the Cyborg, who was human enough to gurgle.
¡®If whatever she uses to control Channel 2 is damaged, I will be very upset,¡¯ he pronounced. The other three of them had backed up, but they didn¡¯t look as fearful as he¡¯d hoped. They were just watching, holding their weapons ready. The four were all white-metal, with long legs that were always half bent, designed for powerful jumps. It gave them a look that put him in mind of artificial frogs.
¡®Got it, boss,¡¯ croaked the Cyborg.
Vikrum resisted the urge to sigh, letting go and stepping back. He knew that really it was Viper¡¯s throat he wanted in his hand. He probably hadn¡¯t done himself any favours with that display. He glanced up, looking above the four. Over their heads shone the words: Undecided.
He supposed it didn¡¯t matter. The four mercs had been quite close with Gilvine recently, which was part of why he¡¯d decided to send them. Gilvine would¡¯ve been the ideal pick if it was just to kill Viper, but he didn¡¯t trust her not to sabotage the radio equipment or something else. Borg and Katnin had to stay because they were Vikrum¡¯s only truly loyal elites.
That left these four. He wouldn¡¯t mind if a few of them died in this mission. They should have simply been Loyal. But even if one or two died, he was confident in their ability to kill Viper and the rest of the traders.
All four of them were almost entirely formed from upper level 1 augments; thus being what was known as a cyborg, an individual who was so augmented as to be more machine than human. Their design focused on speed over strength, and that was all that should be needed. They¡¯d run Viper and his people down, and that would be that. If he was foolish enough to fight, he¡¯d lose. Vikrum felt sure of that; without his tricks, Viper was no problem¡ªand these four were well accustomed to ploys and tricks.
They¡¯d been mercenaries, back on Earth, and had come to this place all together. A little team that Vikrum had been very pleased to take under his wing, at least back before the issue of their flickering loyalty arose. As perhaps he should have expected, the mercenaries were allies of convenience only.
¡®Go,¡¯ he snapped, and the four slid into motion, loping away. They leapt off the edge of the roof and landed on tree branches, clawed feet digging in. He observed as the pistons in their legs extended, and the four began to leap from tree to tree, avoiding the ground which was still full of struggling bugs and undead.
As they went, he wondered whether he ought to have mentioned that he¡¯d personally encountered Viper, and that this encounter was the source of the damage he¡¯d taken. He¡¯d shared with them the details he¡¯d learned; the blue lightning attack, the ability to seemingly move things from a distance, but no more.
You have shared as much as you can, Cornwall assured him. In your current tenuous position it is not wise to show any signs of weakness. If people knew you were damaged so significantly by a man practically a Raw, the Chosen might grow anxious about your leadership.
Vikrum nodded. It was fine, anyway. He¡¯d told them not to underestimate Viper. They¡¯d listen.
Wouldn¡¯t they?
173: Come and Kill Me
Nicolai stood atop the Radio Tower. The wind whispered around him, picking at his poncho and flaring it, a black banner. He stood alone, ready and waiting.
In the clear space around the towers below, he saw bugs and undead tearing at one another. Even below the trees he saw them.
But Nicolai wasn¡¯t interested in the bugs and undead. Where the treeline began, he saw what he was looking for.
Movement. Light flickered on metal. A single appeared and settled, standing on a branch, looking up at him.
¡®How about you make this easy for everyone.¡¯ The voice crackled through the tiny microphones in his ears. ¡®Hand over the radio woman, and you can live.¡¯
Nicolai¡¯s lips cracked in a smile. The thrill was rising through him, pouring through his limbs and plucking at them, suffusing his body with energy. Each indrawn breath felt like drinking spirits, a wonderful burning in his throat. The colours of the jungle blurred, merging and turning surreal.
The dark was still in its cage, he¡¯d checked, he was sure of it. And yet. Within him, his mind was coming loose. He drifted together, merging closer with Threat Analysis, and Cyberwarfare, and the Thrill.
He spoke over the connection. He wanted to make sure the enemy was properly motivated.
¡®I¡¯d rather you come and kill me. I¡¯ll be waiting.¡¯
###
The lead mercenary darted back into the cover of the tree they hunkered upon, exchanging glances with the other three. All wore armoured vests and tactical gear. They held snipers, assault rifles, and auto-shotguns.
They wore no shoes because their deceptively spindly, overlong legs ended in metal feet, each with three huge claws that dug into the bark.
Each of them had a human-appearing face, despite their heads being almost entirely metal, rubber and components. These faces were formed from light¡ªa hologram¡ªand at this moment the lights faded to reveal only cold metal, pocketed with cameras.
¡®You heard the man,¡¯ said the leader through his speakers. ¡®Wants us to come and kill him.¡¯ He chuckled, and the others echoed the laugh. They¡¯d all reviewed the information Vikrum had sent about Viper and the traders, and none of them had been impressed.
¡®He¡¯s confident, I¡¯ll give him that,¡¯ said one of them.
¡®Don¡¯t mistake stupidity for confidence. This¡¯ll just be a hardware-check,¡¯ said another, referring to the concept of a higher grade-Cyborg defeating a lower without any need for skill or finesse, simply better tech.
A dozen drones took off from where they had clung to the four, streaking through the sky towards the tower. The figure up above had disappeared.
¡®Let¡¯s go.¡¯
Jets blasted from their backs and legs and shoulders, and the group burst forward through the air, speeding through the sky over the three-hundred metres between them and the Radio Tower. They held their guns ready, bodies fixed around them, scopes and reticles centred on the areas of the tower where someone would be most likely to show themselves; the tower top, the partly destroyed lower doorway, and the window.
They reached the tower in seconds and attached themselves to the side of it with their feet and hand claws.
As the four lurked, drones danced around the tower.
¡®Two ways in,¡¯ said the Cyborg tasked with managing the drones. ¡®The window, and a stairway on top that leads down.¡¯
Send ¡®em in, said the leader, and the drones split from the main group to push through both entrances.
Immediately, gunfire sounded from within the tower. The drones which had gone into the window were destroyed, but in the time before their destruction, they gave the four a visual on the enemy. A man who stood within the interior room of the tower, amidst what had been someones room, scattered with random radio equipment. There was no one else visible.
¡®Looks like the main one stayed behind and the sent the others on ahead,¡¯ spoke the leader, shaking his head. The mercenaries were surprised, but not displeased. The enemy had made the mistake of splitting their forces, perhaps in hope that while one slowed them down, the others could get away. A mistake, as these four would easily be able to catch up, and killing the split up enemy would be easier.
The man Vikrum had told them not to underestimate had trapped himself in a room, alone, letting the four of them get into position to completely surround him, giving them freedom to dictate their attack as they wished. They shared the same thought: Amateur.
After a pause the leader decided on the optimal method of attack, and sent his orders using wordless combat communication software.
Two of the four climbed immediately to the top, crested, and took up positions near to the stairwell. The other two moved towards the window, taking up positions on either side of it. One of them spotted an enemy drone, and in a snap he fired a single, perfectly accurate shot that caught the drone dead-centre and sent it spinning to the ground in a smoking heap. From so close they could hear the chatter of dozens of Radios, all turned up to the max and spewing out random chatter in the room. A random barrage of noise that prevented them pinpointing the enemy via his bodies sounds, possibly the one smart move he¡¯d made; except that he would be unable to hear them outside.
One of the two on the top unslung a case strapped to his back, setting it on the ground. He opened it, and six tiny drones were revealed.
After pressing a button, the drones took into the air.
¡®Hunter killer drones ready,¡¯ he spoke to the others over Link.
Lower down, near to the window, the leader nodded. ¡®After they soften up the target, we go in. Prepare to breach.¡¯ Across from him, the other cyborg pulled out grenades, and the leader did the same. Above, the other two prepared to move down the stairwell.
In this time, they also accessed their own Seeds, all of which they had placed via openings in their augmented forms to touch on the parts of them that were still human. Through this, they were able to protect and use their Seeds. Each was practised at utilising their Seed¡¯s Soul Sense, a useful tool they had seen no reason to ignore, and which they had used to surprise enemies. So far, they had never encountered someone who made real use of the Soul Sense other than themselves, but knew to expect it from this man.
Their Soul Senses wormed out, hunting for the enemy, feeling through the room within. For the first time, a slight tingle of unease ran through them because the sightless writhing of their Seeds Soul Senses could not find anyone within the room, but they knew he could only be there.
¡®Send in the HKs,¡¯ spoke the leader. Whatever he was doing to hide might work against Soul Sense, but it wouldn¡¯t against the drones. They knew about the shimmer poncho and were ready for it.
Hunter killer drones poured down the stairwell, their thermal-capable cameras primed to take out the first human-shaped or shimmer poncho-looking object they saw.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
###
Nicolai, inside Maxine¡¯s room, was well aware of the two above and the two out the window. He was currently focused on avoiding their Soul Sense tendrils, which were crawling around. With his Cultivator¡¯s eyes, it was easy to spot the tendrils and avoid them, which was necessary because he was unable to Shell.
He floated in the air, and his body crackled with blue lightning, the Art ready to go. His rapier floated beside him.
Over the chatter of the Radio¡¯s he detected a high-pitched whirr, loud enough to be audible through them. It was a sound he recognised. Hunter killer drones, coming from the stairs. This was much as he¡¯d expected, and he knew what would follow after the drones.
His Soul Sense tendril, which had snaked out the window and danced as, piloted by part of Nicolai and Threat Analysis, it dodged the tendrils of the two outside, gave him vision of them. They held grenades, preparing to throw.
Time to begin phase one. Merged with Cyberwarfare, he launched a virtual attack at the connections the enemy was using. They immediately counter-attacked, the Cyber battle beginning in earnest.
This caused the enemy outside some trouble. They had been preparing to throw Link enabled grenades but their connection to those grenades had just been ruined. They paused, forced to fiddle with the grenades as they worked to arm them and enable manual timers.
The whirring sound intensified as from the stairs six hunter killer drones appeared. Nicolai had tucked his poncho away as against these opponents, it would only get in the way. The drones spotted him immediately. The whirrs turned into shrieks as their motors sped to maximum and they launched themselves at him.
Behind them, up the stairs, he heard the clatter of metal feet on stone as the two above charged down after them. That confirmed the enemy had helpfully separated, as he¡¯d known they would¡ªbecause it was the logical move for a numerically superior attacker looking to overwhelm a singular low-threat enemy, in a rapid manner allowing for no chance of escape because they were impatient to get on after their other targets.
That was fine in principle, so long as they didn¡¯t let that enemy put them off tempo at a crucial moment, such as by interrupting them as they went to throw grenades; and so long as that enemy was indeed low-threat and not capable of outfighting them two-on-one.
But their analysis was off and now they were separated, their tempo momentarily out of whack, and he could deal with them in groups of two rather than a squad of four.
Much easier.
As the drones flung themselves towards him, he had already reached out with the Grasping Finger and caught the lip of the window with it, a pale, grasping line that moved through his Soul Sense, then wrenched his body and Soul as he activated the art, launching himself through the air and away from them.
He knew how fast hunter killer drones could go, and knew that he was slower. That was fine because he was also much closer to the window, and he didn¡¯t need a lot of time. He was unable to avoid the Soul Sense tendrils as he flew across the room, and knew he was giving warning to the enemy. But they were all holding grenades, not guns, and they were also flinching as his Soul Sense, significantly stronger and more capable than their lesser, Seed versions, ripped and tore at their tendrils.
With his own tendril, he saw them drop those grenades and go for their guns. Too late; they should¡¯ve done that the moment Cyberwarfare attacked, a few seconds ago.
Nicolai burst out from the window. Behind him he left a grenade that spun in the air, its timer counting down to one.
He heard the thump of the explosion and received confirmation from Cyberwarfare that all the HK drones were down, while he was twisting and reaching out with both hands. The Cyborgs were raising sidearms, PDWs¡ªPersonal Defence Weapons, like small SMGs¡ªbut they were slightly too slow. They hadn¡¯t expected the prey to come after them, and he had come in the singular window where their guns were not readily to hand.
With one hand he activated the Sheltering Glove shield, holding it towards the Cyborg on the left. With the other he activated the Blue Hornet¡¯s primed Art.
Lighting blasted from his hand and was guided through his Soul Sense in a thumb-thick bolt that cracked into the rightmost Cyborg. The Cyborg spasmed, his whole body freezing up. He came away from the wall like a statue, toppling into empty air.
The other one sent a hail of perfectly accurate rounds into the centre of Nicolai¡¯s shield. So many bullets, fired so quickly, and all impacting around the same place, sent huge cracks spiderwebbing through the shield.
Even with him pouring fresh Oma into the glove and the shield as fast as he possibly could, he still knew it would break before the cyborg¡¯s magazine ran empty.
But Nicolai was ready for this. He was already activating the Grasping Finger once more, and this time he did not use it to launch himself. Instead he used it on a very specific target, as his Soul Sense twitched over to the left, slicing through the Cyborg¡¯s own.
The Grasping Finger locked around a particular part of the cyborg¡¯s PDF; the magazine lever, and the magazine itself. Nicolai pulled and the magazine was freed and dragged towards him.
The gunfire ended immediately, and for just a moment the cyborg stared in surprise and confusion.
He went for his primary weapon, an assault rifle, only an instant later.
But by then Nicolai had raised the AA-12 and gunfire exploded as he squeezed the trigger. There came a shrieking whistle as the Cyborg abruptly activated the jets in its legs and back, launching itself upwards. But Nicolai was prepared, the AA-12 already moving in prediction of this. He followed it and bullets tore into it, not a single shot missing. Unfortunately it managed to get its legs and arms between head and chest, protecting the most vital areas.
It got over the lip of the roof and disappeared. It was still alive, but only just, and incapable of proper movement or combat. No longer a big problem. There came a crash from far below as the stunned cyborg finished its free fall and slammed into the ground, an impact Nicolai knew was likely to be fatal. All that metal was heavy, and the ground around the tower was solid, unyielding stone.
Gunfire sounded and Nicolai raised his now recharged shield while pulling on the tower to his side, deflecting the bullets that came from the window in the time it took him to rapidly move out of the field of view of the two cyborgs within the room.
Got them. We have a window, spoke Cyberwarfare. It had successfully wrested control over the Local, gaining ground in the battle against the cyborgs now that Nicolai had killed one and heavily pressured another.
As he flew, he pulled two grenades, and threw them towards the window.
The two within knew what their loss in the Local meant, and were likely already diving for cover. That was fine, because Nicolai just wanted to keep them inside and stop them shooting at him while he was exposed and in the open.
He slingshotted himself upwards, crested the tower and took aim, but he only had time to shoot once as he saw the injured cyborg disappearing in an ungainly tumble into the stairwell.
That was a shame but not overly problematic, the real issue was that there were a pair of cases on the ground. One was empty, but from the other rose six freshly activated hunter killer drones, letting out an ominous, insectile buzzing.
The moment the drones cameras spotted him six sets of rotors let out screams that flung them in his direction, instantly accelerating to a high speed.
The AA-12 and any other gun was too slow to destroy them before they hit him. The shield would be of limited effectiveness as the drones would seek to attack from multiple angles.
He activated the shield regardless, holding it before him and pulling his feet and arms in to form a ball, his entire body behind the shield.
During that movement, Nicolai sent Oma surging through his arm and grasped a handle that hung over his chest. The Warden¡¯s Imbued chain whip, which was wrapped tight around his body.
He was merged closer with Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare than he yet had been since he regained them, and for a moment, he was not Nicolai.
He was Zero-Twelve, and controlling these many limbs was easily within his abilities.
The chains burst from where they clung to him, lunging from his body towards the drones just like the vines controlled by the Centipedes had lunged from the tower top. They snapped and cracked through the air, and the drones veered to avoid them. But the chains numbered in the dozens, and the drones were six.
Only metres away from him, the drones met the chains.
When the first drone came within inches of the chain that whipped at it, the on-board AI realised this collision was unavoidable and would be fatal. It also realised that it was almost within acceptable range to the target. So, it did what it was programmed to do. Its motors and rotors squealed as they abruptly reversed, twisting its form to aim its payload at the target, and then, a millisecond before the chain impacted, it detonated.
The explosion was small but tightly directed. These drones were designed to get close to one of the target¡¯s vulnerable areas and launch the payload directly into it. As the target was outside of optimal range, the drone simply aimed for centre-mass.
This explosion was immediately followed by five more as the remaining drones encountered their own chains and went through an identical decision-making process.
They each sprayed jets of super-heated metal, the payload, at the target.
The drones hadn¡¯t had time to spread wide to get around the shield before contacting the chains, but Zero-Twelve knew that regardless, the shield was not up to holding off six of these jets at once. He had already puts his limbs in between the rest of his body and the jets of metal, keeping one arm and hand angled to hold the shield in position.
The jets hit the shield at almost the same time. The first four smashed it apart, and the last two sailed through with minimal issue.
Slightly slowed but still travelling at over 2,000 feet-per-second, two fragmenting jets of metal slammed into Zero-Twelve.
They smashed two great bloody holes into his shoulder and leg that sent waves of concussive force through his body, disrupting the pattern of his heartbeat and the operation of his brain.
Zero-Twelve fell from the air, trailing blood.
174: Zero-Twelve
Move the arm, the shield!
Within Nicolai¡¯s unconscious form, where even the thrill and the dark and the mask were all put to sleep, two remained functional.
In an odd reversal of the moment the long ago EMP had hit Zero-Twelve, and shut everything except Nicolai down, now, Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare remained functional. The concussive force that had rolled through the organs, so disruptive to biological matter, had posed little problem to the hardware they ran on.
Through the single drone that remained with them, which had been watching from a distance, they saw two figures taking aim out of a window above.
Using his BSI, the same system designed to allow combat chips to operate, they had taken limited control of Nicolai¡¯s body, and raised his arm towards the window.
But to activate the shield, they needed the cooperation of Nicolai¡¯s Soul, and spiritually they were only tiny limpets attached to a shark.
The Soul was asleep. Doing the best they could, they managed to send two tiny streams of Oma from his Nodes, towards the Sheltering Glove Symbiote, but it was a long journey through a body and Soul that only grudgingly gave way.
Nicolai! Human Resources! Wake up!
The Soul stirred, just a little, but it wasn¡¯t enough.
YOU¡¯RE GOING TO DIE.
Nicolai slammed awake and poured Oma into his arm. A hazy shield swam to life at the same moment as cracks rang out from above, and then fault lines were spiderwebbing over his shield as the bullets arrived.
The wind tore at his ears and he knew the ground was close below. His Nodes were guttering, empty of Oma. There were big holes in his body, spewing blood.
But within him, the Thrill and the Dark thundered, and the majesty he had glimpsed beckoned.
His mind seized, everything within it coming together and beginning to fuse into one.
Under his clothes, Oma crystals were strapped to his body, digging into his ribcage. The emergency supply. He drew on them with everything he had and Oma poured into his Nodes and from there immediately to the shield and the Pegasi ring. As soon as he had the Oma he activated the Bloodbite ring, and the blood stilled where it sought to leave his body. Tilting his head, he breathed through the Orb of Rejuvenation that was attached to the shoulder-strap of his vest.
Meanwhile, his body moved into position, raising the AA-12 one handed while holding the shield towards the enemy with the other. There was no pain because pain was of no value in this moment, and his movement became easier and more fluid as the vapour from the Orb settled inside of him and worked on his injuries.
Their shots were accurate and getting more accurate all the time, as they adjusted to the way his movement shifted slightly as he activated the Pegasi ring to slow his fall.
The world smeared and shifted around him. Within him there came a beat, a pattern written in alien code, and in a fading moment of utter clarity he knew what it represented. The rain of bullets, their exact timing and positioning.
He crafted the shield and it responded as an extension of his will, shifting faster than ever before. Its form altered until it was more like a slender, sharp cone extending ahead of him than a shield, and with it he deflected each bullet exactingly. No more did they crack heavily into his shield, now they caught it on the forward point and were simply guided away at a slight angle, enough to pass him by. The expenditure of Oma in his shield, previously something that had been overwhelming and which would have soon seen it broken, significantly lessened.
His world became the shifting of his shield and the pattern of bullets within his mind.
Nicolai could feel the guns shooting at him, feel their magazines, guess at their load. They existed as concepts within his mind, and he was ready for what happened next. There came a brief pause when a magazines ran empty. First one then the other. Almost timed so that the first was reloaded before the second ran empty, but they were slightly off.
Before the second gun had stopped firing Nicolai was ready. His shield faded away after he deflected the last shot, and the AA-12 shifted into position.
His arm was injured and trembling, no amount of control could stop that. It was flesh and bone, after all. But it didn¡¯t matter. All that was necessary was for the gun to aimed on-target for the barest instant, and for him to pull the trigger and provide just enough bracing, in that moment. He didn¡¯t need to hold it steady for a lengthy period, because he could feel the AA-12, feel its eagerness and the line between it and the enemy, feel the sabot-slug it was loaded with, feel where the slug would go.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
The AA-12 howled. The first shot hit one of them dead-centre in the head, blowing a hole through the faceplate. The second glanced off the side of the other¡¯s head, as he or she threw themselves sideways.
Neither shot was lethal, but he¡¯d bought himself a moment. These Cyborgs kept their brains inside their metal chests, which were lined with ceramic plating, but he chose to shoot their heads because only heads and arms were visible, poking over the thick stone window sill, and most of their cameras and sensors were in their heads.
Nicolai reached ground level and skated along it, reforming the shield and keeping it raised in one hand while reaching and pulling with the Grasping Finger with his other.
A shot sounded from above, and his shield took a heavy hit, which even deflected at a good angle sent cracks through it. Sniper. His movements changed, becoming more random and unpredictable, forcing them to pick their shots, but he knew that wouldn¡¯t be enough, not against chipped Cyborgs, not from this range.
But the merger of his mind had reached a peak and around Nicolai the world was writhing, the air somehow visible to him, moving like a sea, full of ripples of information, and within him the hole was open. Even as cold filled the air around him, as strange energies and entities reached into him, Nicolai remained firm, because he was more than Nicolai.
He was Zero-Twelve, and Zero-Twelve was a combination. Nicolai, Threat Analysis, Cyberwarfare, the Mask, the Thrill, and the Dark, all together.
The Thrill burned as an engine, one that brought him utterly in tune with his body, gave him endless energy and demanded perfection from every movement. Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare read the world and the Local around him with their own means, the information joining the sea within Nicolai. The Dark gave them information in its own secret language, and hungered for blood, a hunger that was controlled and used to hone their edge. And the Mask, the Mask balanced the Dark in a way none of them quite understood. Only that if it was gone, the whole construction would collapse.
Even with his control he knew that they were reaching out of the Hole and into the Dark, and from there they sought to reach into the rest of him. He knew that as this very moment they were actively furthering their aims, twisting him, pushing him closer to some kind of edge. Somewhere inside of him a clock was ticking. But, the efforts of the Mask at the breach helped to firm it, and to block the spread of the corruption from the Dark. The clock was slowed.
In this moment he didn¡¯t care about the clock because through the Dark and the Hole came more than just corruption. There also came information. The beat of the world and reality, laid bare. Through this, and through the ripples, he felt something emanating from behind him, from the tower.
A sense of lethality, an intention to see him dead. But within him was the Darkness Module, and it spoke to the bullet in their gun and the chip in their head, and the bullet and the silicon responded.
The silicon spoke of feet-per-second and the merciless certainty of a line, drawn from point A to point B, arcing at the midpoint. It spoke of wind and gravity, the movement of the target and the weight of the bullet.
The bullet only said that what it hit would remember it.
And, through this, Zero-Twelve learned how to move.
Zero-Twelve dismissed the shield to better position his body. He reached with the Grasping Finger, primed it, and then, just as he sensed a spike in the killing desire, one that spoke to him of a trigger being squeezed, he pulled. A bullet came but Zero-Twelve knew its route. His body slipped to the side, and he felt the crack of broken air as it buzzed over his shoulder. The bullet grinned at him as it went, and he grinned back.
###
¡®What are you doing? Fucking shoot him!¡¯
¡®I¡¯m trying,¡¯ hissed the least-damaged Cyborg, aiming down the sight of his sniper rifle, its barrel resting on the window ledge. He tracked the distant, racing target, his chip analysing every factor, telling him the exact moment to pull the trigger.
He squeezed, and the gun jerked against him.
But in that moment the target slipped to the side as if the man had felt the pull of the trigger, and only a puff of dirt showed its effect, exactly like the last shot. The Cyborg pulled the bolt and slammed a fresh round in, taking aim again. If his face hadn¡¯t been replaced long ago by metal, his teeth would have been clenched tight in fury.
Never had he missed so many shots in a row.
¡®Christ,¡¯ said the leader beside him, and the other Cyborg took up position, aiming with his assault rifle. The leader had a big hole in his head but was largely unbothered by this; his primary cameras were out, but he¡¯d drawn an eye-wire and affixed it to his gun¡¯s sight.
The pair of them fired together, a full-auto burst and a single shot.
The target danced maddeningly, bullets that should have been impossible to avoid hitting the ground around him, and the few assault rifle rounds which were¡ªperhaps only by chance¡ªon target were intercepted by some kind of magical shield.
A moment later, the target¡¯s movement¡ªwhich had been continuously moving to the right, so as to cut their angle of fire¡ªtook him outside of their field of view.
¡®What the fuck is this guy!¡¯ he snarled, jerking the sniper down.
¡®All right.¡¯ The leader regarded the sniper. ¡®Then we pursue,¡¯ he said.
The sniper nodded, taking his assault rifle. They glanced to the side, where the third Cyborg rested, struggling to get his body working properly after taking so many hits.
These two were also damaged, having taken shots to the head, but the most important shielding¡ªceramic plating over their torsos¡ªwas undamaged.
¡®See if you can get anything out of this mess, then head back,¡¯ said the leader to the injured Cyborg, who nodded.
The pair leapt out the window and descended rapidly to the ground, where they were forced to run having used up all of their jet fuel earlier. They hadn¡¯t expected to need more. From down here the target was impossible to hit, having gotten far enough that the various stony outcrops and trees and clumps of struggling bugs and undead blocked him.
175: Closing the Cage
Nicolai streaked over the ground, and he was Nicolai again. The Zero-Twelve state had faded from its peak as he escaped their field of fire, and he¡¯d been unable to cling onto it. However, he was still merged with the others, almost one mind, but not quite on the same perfect level.
He hungered to regain that state of ultimate combat ability, and grasped greedily at what remained of it, seeking to grow it and return to the peak.
He knew that he was pursued, but he judged the speed of his pursuers wanting. These Level 1 Cyborgs were pretty fast, but the legs they¡¯d invested in were primarily designed for close engagements. Good for jumping and climbing, and rapid movement over short distances, but they weren¡¯t long-distance runners, and couldn¡¯t quite compare to the speed he reached via slingshotting himself with the Grasping Finger and Pegasi ring.
But it wouldn¡¯t do to actually get away. Not now when he was having so much fun. So Nicolai slowed down a little. The grin stretching his face had been there for some time. He felt the beat of a hunger within him, one that was connected to the world, from the Thrill and the Dark he was merged with. A desire for combat and blood that could be never sated.
All he wanted, was¡ more.
His path took him past undead and bugs, through trees and over rocks. He made his way between the two towers, heading towards the castle. He kept himself low so as to avoid being shot at by his pursuers, who were slowly drawing closer.
He slowed himself down a little more, and judged where he wanted to be. His eyes searched ahead, the entrances and exits and windows of the castle.
There, he saw what he was looking for.
Shots sounded behind exactly when he¡¯d expected, and Nicolai slotted himself behind a rock, taking cover. Through Soul Sense, he watched them coming. They dashed fluidly from rock-to-tree-to-rock, and as they went their arms were always raised and almost-entirely stable, assault rifles fixed on his position.
He saw one of them pull a grenade, and the moment it was thrown Nicolai pulled himself to another position, shield raised between him and them as he went.
Bullets caught at his shield. Without the Zero-Twelve state and the close link with the Dark, he was unable to sense the exact moment of their shooting and dodge the shots. He reached cover and the grenade exploded behind him, some distance away. The Local was once more mutually denied, and thus any grenades could only be set with a timer.
Nicolai pulled his own grenades and threw them in turn, and saw the enemy diving behind their own rocks. In this moment he leapt into the air, floating with the Pegasi ring until he was peering over the large rock, and took aim. When they emerged, he fired, one handed, while keeping the shield out, gun barrel tight against it.
The one he shot at ducked back towards cover, but not before they had taken two shots to the shoulder. The shots stripped a few ceramic plates, but the Cyborg didn¡¯t lose any functionality.
Meanwhile, the other fired on Nicolai, and the highly accurate fire rapidly splintered his shield. He sunk down and was back behind cover before it broke. The moment he was back on the ground, via Soul Sense he spotted one of them streaking rapidly to the side, reaching an area of rubble and taking cover there.
These Cyborgs were no fools. They already had a plan. One of them would exchange fire with him. While he was pinned, the other would move and work to flank him. Once he was surrounded, he would be an easy kill.
Not particularly creative, but a reasonable enough plan. It wasn¡¯t going to work out.
¡®Kill them,¡¯ he said over Link, and his voice was broadcasted to the area of castle he had led the pair to.
A hail of gunshots sounded as the group, who were in hiding over there, rose up and fired.
The cyborgs, in position to take cover from Nicolai, had been manipulated into moving into a place where they were now entirely exposed to the others.
One of the cyborgs died in almost an instant, as Nicolai had labelled him to be shot. He was hit by numerous shots including two sniper rounds that blew great holes in his chest, the ceramic not up to the task. The other fled, took hits, but kept going, quickly getting into an area of jungle that hid him from the others.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Nicolai followed. Around his body, lightning crackled.
He moved into the area warily. The Cyborg was hiding somewhere in the trees. This was the one with a hole in his head, who he¡¯d identified as the leader. The hunger within Nicolai drew him forwards. He felt at the air. I smell you.
There.
The Cyborg erupted from behind a tree, already firing full-auto, not only with his assault rifle but also with his PDF, two sprays of rounds straight at Nicolai.
Nicolai was ready, deflecting the rounds with a long and curving shield, and the Cyborg had entered within range of his Soul Sense. Two quick movements of the Grasping Finger pulled both magazines free from the weapons, and the guns fell silent.
The Cyborg¡¯s shock only caused a brief hitch in his movements before the man¡¯s Combat Drive reacted, and he kept running, hurling the weapons at Nicolai.
Nicolai lowered the shield, swayed out the way of the hurled guns, raised his arm and the Blue Hornet blasted the Cyborg. As the Cyborg jerked and trembled, frozen in place, he took a step forward and levelled the AA-12, its barrel almost pressing into the centre-left of the Cyborg¡¯s midsection.
¡®You fought well,¡¯ he acknowledged, and squeezed the trigger.
A spray of blood emerged from the back of the Cyborg along with chunks of metal and synthetics, as his brain was annihilated by the single perfectly aimed round.
The Cyborg collapsed in a heap.
Nicolai raised the AA-12 and rested it on his shoulder, drinking in at the air which was sweet and pure. The taste of survival. The taste of victory. As glorious as ever.
In the cyborg¡¯s crumpled form he saw another of a long, long line of enemies. They¡¯d been trying to kill him his whole life, and they¡¯d not succeeded yet.
If he had his way, they never would.
But around him there was a chill in the air. In his current mental state, something that approached Zero-Twelve, Nicolai remained in control. But the dark was reaching all through him, pulsing and throbbing as energy and entities reached out from the hole.
Nicolai settled onto the ground, cross-legged, posting Threat Analysis to keep watch, and his mind moved within. In this state of mind, he found himself better equipped to manage the cage and the dark. He grasped hold of them slowly but surely. The thrill burned as he told himself this was a fight, the most important of his new life.
He had to master himself and remain in control, in spite of everything. It was harder than ever, after he¡¯d let the dark loose for so long and so easily, but in this state he was able to pull himself back into order, slotting everything into its proper place. The hole was blocked as the cage wrapped the dark tight, but it was a difficult fit.
The dark had grown, fat and full from the strange energies, and slowly but surely it was changing, changing into something that was no longer wholly Nicolai¡¯s. He could see the strange energies moving through it, and he saw no way to remove them. It had grown and spread through his body, to the extent where it no longer fit into the cage. He gathered it together as much as he could but bits of it remained floating within his Soul.
Everything was coming to a press, but Nicolai told himself that he was the Governor, and the Dark was merely a Module. A Module which would obey. What did the Governor do when its Modules strayed? Nicolai knew this well, as he had experienced its response many, many times.
He flexed, and squeezed, and enforced submission on the Dark. Within him, the Mask and the Thrill and the other Modules drew together, all pieces of his composite mind, moving as directed. All together, they worked on the Dark and the Hole.
It was a calming, satisfying experience. He had learned something, mastered something. In this moment, he was Zero-Twelve, and no task was beyond him. But as he worked he felt the state fading. It was slippery, difficult to hold onto. Now that the fight was over, it was beginning to fade back into him.
He clung tight, seeking to hold himself in the state as long as possible. In that time he was able to thoroughly reinforce the Cage, more than he had ever managed before, and he tied the Hole up tight. The Dark was controlled like the part it was, made to stay inside of its own accord.
In this moment the Dark also seemed less aggressive than normal. The fight and the use of it had vented some of it and now it was sated, more willing to be laid to rest in the Cage. This was something he needed to keep in mind. In order to prevent himself being overwhelmed, venting it was a workable strategy.
He was managing to hold himself together. But he knew that if this continued without something changing, inevitably, he would begin to fail. The Dark was only growing and growing, and this new way of being, the Zero-Twelve state, was not a certain thing, not something he fully understood.
He did not think about what the Angel had told him, what he had worked out. The chill in the air slowly faded, and as it went he showed no reaction. It was simply something he let himself be dimly aware of, below the level of conscious thought. When dealing with the issue before him, thinking was dangerous. He was able to feel at the emotions and even thoughts of those who were not yet Cultivators easily, the gap in spiritual strength giving him an advantage.
Doubtless the same advantage was possessed by those who were higher up the spiritual food chain than he.
Gradually, the mental fusion within him faded, his mind coming apart, but he¡¯d bought himself some time. The cage was tight, more solid than it had been for a long time. Even if there were strands of darkness all through him, and he was sure that in some way they were effecting him, with the cage closed, he was still in control. Nicolai let out a slow breath and opened his eyes, his mind stabilising. He rose to his feet, looking at the weapons on the ground by the slain cyborg.
These guys had had some decent kit, snipers and assault rifles and tactical gear. Then the matter of their augments, some of which looked like they could be removed and made use of. Worth claiming.
176: Demons Gambit
The route back to the safe-place was difficult. The latest earthquake had been the worse yet, and it had had significant effect on the castle.
Hallways were blocked by collapses. Bridges had crumbled and fallen. Some areas were entirely missing, towers and walkways having slipped off and fallen to the jungle far below, only ragged holes and tears of stone remaining where they had stood.
The first major issue was that the stairway they would normally use to gain entrance to the interior of the bastion was blocked, the entire thing collapsed and full of stone. The group was also somewhat weighed down, as he¡¯d stripped bionic limbs and valuable components, such as sensor pieces and reactor cores, from the Cyborgs. Once more he found himself with reason to be glad he had the group. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to carry all the Cyborgs components, their guns and ammo, and Maxine¡¯s radio equipment, all on his lonesome. Sometimes the most mundane benefits proved the most important.
As Nicolai and the others circled, looking for another way, they found continuous obstacles. During this time he noted that the bastion across the way seemed to have fared better. He could spy a bridge that led from their side, to the other side, then another intact bridge on the other side would take them close to where the safe-place was, allowing them to avoid the collapse blocking the route on their side.
The bridge was open and exposed, but their only option. Nicolai and the others headed across the bridge to the far bastion, and at this point weren¡¯t too far off from the tunnel. At Azure¡¯s urging, they performed a quick deviation to the old safe-place.
To Nicolai¡¯s surprise John and Cait were both there. The two emerged from the tunnel as they arrived.
¡®You came!¡¯ said Cait, a smile lighting up her face, surprised but pleased. She was carrying a bag in one hand, and the delivery drone in the other.
John strode immediately toward Azure, the two crushing together in a hug. Azure buried her face in her fathers chest as he held her tenderly. She showed none of the embarrassment she had last time at the public display of affection. Nicolai could make out some of her quiet words, ¡®¡ªso worried¡ª.¡¯
Maxine and Daksh were standing to the side, out of the way, and talking quietly.
It seemed that all was well in the world. Looking at the group, his Mask was smiling. I¡¯m doing well looking after them. They were like his pets, in a way. It was the duty of a good owner to take care of the creatures under his care.
¡®What happened down there?¡¯ he asked Cait. She and John were both covered in dust, suggesting the mine and prisons hadn¡¯t been spared from the collapse. As his Soul Sense played over them, he found their Seeds. Both of them were almost complete, by his judgement, but not quite.
¡®Everything was falling apart,¡¯ she said, shaking her head. ¡®I think the mine¡¯s are done for. Bugs everywhere, too. It¡¯s a warzone.¡¯
Nicolai nodded. Much as expected, then.
¡®Were you two down in the prisons?¡¯ asked Maxine with interest, coming forward.
¡®That¡¯s right,¡¯ said Cait, giving the short woman a strange look. ¡®You sound familiar. Wait¡ are you¡?¡¯
¡®Maxine,¡¯ said the smiling Radio woman, extending a hand.
¡®And I¡¯m Daksh, I¡¯ve heard all about you,¡¯ said the man, stepping up after her.
¡®You¡¯ve been busy,¡¯ said John with surprise, as Cait shook with Maxine and then Daksh. Her eyes were wide, seeming almost star-struck.
¡®It was me and Perro¡¯s idea, mostly,¡¯ said a smug Azure, one arm still wrapped around her father.
¡®I imagine someone else did the heavy lifting,¡¯ murmured John, shooting Nicolai a thoughtful look.
¡®Merely working to improve our stock,¡¯ he answered blithely. ¡®Here,¡¯ he said, shrugging an SMG off his shoulder and handing it to John, glad to be lighten his load alongside the pretence of helpfulness. He now carried an assault rifle and sniper rifle alongside his AA-12, and had given the other assault rifle to Beth. In total he¡¯d gained two assault rifles and two snipers, both better than the old bolt action rifles, after returning to Maxine¡¯s tower. Jo had the other new sniper.
He was excessively pleased by these gains. Both the assault rifles and snipers had a Trade Link price tag of 20,000 points each, meaning he had gained the equivalent value of 80,000 points in equipment from the Cyborgs. He¡¯d been surprised to find the snipers, but he imagined the injured one had been unable to carry the quite bulky and weighty weapons. They¡¯d been left, because the Cyborgs had expected to come back for them. They hadn¡¯t imagined they were going to their deaths; few people made plans for that particular possibility.
¡®Thanks,¡¯ said John, taking the SMG.
Nicolai gave him a nod then moved on, casting an expectant look at the bag in Cait¡¯s hand. She raised her eyebrows but handed it over. It was good weight, bulging with Oma crystals.
¡®What about the prisoners?¡¯ he asked.
Cait shrugged. ¡®Don¡¯t know. Last time we saw them, before it all went crazy, they were fine. Whether that¡¯s still the case¡ who knows.¡¯
¡®How was their Seed progress?¡¯
¡®Almost there,¡¯ she said. ¡®We stopped feeding their Seeds when they got to about eighty percent, as you said to.¡¯
Nicolai nodded. He¡¯d observed previously that a Seed could be integrated earlier than one hundred percent, at around ninety, so had chosen eighty as a safe cut-off point. When he had time, he would seek to go down into the prison and see if they still lived. If so, he should be able to get them to at least ninety relatively quickly.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
In a short time they¡¯d all sorted themselves out and the group continued, winding through the castle, and this time they managed to find their way back to the safe-place.
Everyone was tired, and the moment they were through the hole in the wall they were dumping what they¡¯d been carrying. At the stairs up to the safe place, faces peered out. Sara, Katie, old Ben. The old man emerged, carrying an SMG, smiling, relieved, the others following behind. His eyes widened when he saw Maxine, and he glanced at the others, questioning. Daksh approached him, looking to explain.
Nicolai¡¯s eyes flicked around, watching for threats, finding none. Everything was fine. But then he felt a sudden chill in the air, and his brows drew into a frown.
There came a ripple in the aura.
His eyes were drawn to a corner where the shadows were strangely deep. ¡®Cold here, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ spoke someone. Nicolai¡¯s lips drew back in a snarl as he felt its emergence.
Angry dark flared in the corner of the room, causing the others to turn in surprise.
The True Demon Paxolnaz stood before them, towering to the ceiling, chains writhing around it.
The others cried in horror and the cries only grew as a palpable wave of dread rolled out from the demon, crashing through the room, instantly breaking Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense.
Rage boiled up inside of him. He recognised this enemy, and the dark that remained his hated what the demon had done last time. Stripped them of agency. Infected them with fear, the same fear that was now tearing through them.
Not again. Nicolai¡¯s teeth grit and ground, veins standing out on his face as he struggled with his locked-up body. His knees hit the floor. Snarling and spitting he tried to move, tried to stand. He could hear the others wailing in terror, full up of that same primal fear he battled with.
Now, he felt the change within him. Where some of the dark, the true dark that had always been with him, resisted and hated the Demon¡ there were now also parts of it that were subservient. That wished to bend the knee. Within him, the dark tore itself apart into warring pieces.
Everything in him teetered, balanced on the razor¡¯s edge. Nicolai didn¡¯t know whether he was winning or losing, all he knew was that he had to resist, that he refused to lose again. He attempted to assist the dark that was resisting, straining to flex his frozen Soul and give it more power.
He let out gasp of air as all of a sudden the thing he was fighting against disappeared, retracted by the Demon. As it moved away, he saw it clearly, glimpsing it in the moment before it returned into the demon. A cloud of spiritual dark infused with willpower. The demon¡¯s Soul Sense, one that felt far different to his own. A sneering, contemptuous sea of jagged, hungry dark. A sea that was strangely textured and shaped, but in a way that spoke of a kind of alien sophistication. A higher level.
¡®I have returned to complete our deal,¡¯ said Paxolnaz, its gaze settling onto him. The bloody burn of its eyes seemed to narrow. ¡®You have removed what I gifted you. Why?¡¯
¡®The bit of yourself you left in me?¡¯ Nicolai said, knowing what it spoke of. The little worm it had left in him along with the instructions for reaching the sword, which Cyberwarfare had found. He forced himself to match its stare, even as it made his eyes ache. He shoved himself to his feet, and strained to change his expression into one of calm indifference.
¡®That wasn¡¯t a gift. It was a spy.¡¯
The Demon let out a chuckle that rolled around the room, echoing off the walls.
Glancing to the side, Nicolai saw the others staring at it, cringing on the floor. He didn¡¯t want them to witness him and the Demon talking. It wasn¡¯t good for his image. Though, at least it shouldn¡¯t be able to harm them as he¡¯d specified it would not be able to harm his dependants, and the group counted.
¡®Everyone out,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®Up the stairs.¡¯ He finished speaking but his Link remained active, as he sent a follow-up warning over Local. ¡®It is dangerous here, this creature might kill you all.¡¯
They all gathered, eyes round with worry, making towards the stairway.
That was when Paxolnaz spoke again.
¡®No. They stay.¡¯ Nicolai saw the demon wave a writhing limb and heard yelling from behind, his gaze snapping back to see a wall of fire now filling the entrance to the stairway. Paxolnaz didn¡¯t give him time to protest, as it continued to speak.
¡®I thought you might remove it. But even so, bad behaviour must be punished. I am amending our Contract.¡¯
Nicolai¡¯s eyes widened. What?! That was possible? This was very bad. Could he kill the Demon? No. Could he escape from whatever it was about to do? Unlikely. Probably impossible. So what could he do?
Nothing. The thought made his teeth clench and his stomach boil, the darkness writhing out of its cage and sending tendrils through him, not supplanting him but merging with him, becoming a whole. His Soul Sense shivered and twisted around him, turning red and dark, twisted like the demon¡¯s. His Soul bulged, writhing over his skin. How he would love to destroy it, to annihilate it. But we are too weak. But one day, we won¡¯t be¡
¡®Ahhhh,¡¯ seethed Paxolnaz. ¡®There it is, there you are. So close to perfection. Just a little in the way. Do not worry overmuch, little demon. I only wish to aid you.¡¯
Nicolai shook his head like a dog, fighting at the dark. He could feel that the hole was opening and alien energies were spreading through him. All of this only aided the¡ªno. Quiet. His will clenched like a vice, seizing at the warping cage. He made his mind blank, eyeing Paxolnaz, considering the possibility of it being able to hear his thoughts.
From within the dark bulk of the True Demon, something glowed. The glow brightened then something shimmering with a gentle golden radiance emerged.
It was a woman¡¯s head, formed of gold, and only about the size of Nicolai¡¯s fist. Its eyes were blinded, wrapped by a strip of cloth. From the taste of the ripples of Aura it released he recognised it as a Symbiote. From one of the green orbs of information in his Soul, one that unfolded when he set eyes upon the Symbiote, he learned that, more specifically, it was a Heaven path Symbiote. His eyes widened at the sight. It was exactly the kind of thing he needed.
The golden head¡¯s glow intensified, and the strip of cloth on its face lifted. Just a peek. A sliver of one golden eye was revealed, settling onto Nicolai, who tensed, wary. The thrill had awoken and was swelling through him, preparing for the fight, and Nicolai dimly remembered being Zero-Twelve. His Soul became something tight and sleek and ready, even the dark falling into place, a furnace feeding into the thrill. Not at the same level,
He felt an odd sensation from the Heaven¡¯s Mark on his hand, reaching into his body, into his Soul. A pulling sensation, a nasty itch. He raised his hand and stared at the gold Mark, which was rippling. Tiny words of gold were being pulled out of his Mark, and they flew through the air, a mass of them that hummed around like golden honeybees. At the same time, similar golden words emerged from Paxolnaz.
All of these words met between them, joined together and settled before the golden head. The head opened its mouth and sucked, and the words began to be pulled into it.
Nicolai sensed the Demon¡¯s will, its Soul Sense, moving out and wrapping around the Symbiote, like smart and flexible hands at work on a complex tool, twisting tiny dials, pulling levers, pressing buttons. It looked like a complex process.
The demon seemed to expect that he should be stunned at this moment, frozen with fear like the others, but in his current state of mind its influence on him was lessened.
Nicolai threw his Soul Sense out and it slammed into the process like a tiny hammer.
177: The Signal
Nicolai felt the Demon¡¯s surprise, its fury, as his Soul Sense penetrated into the midst of its effort and reached the Symbiote. Then the Demon¡¯s Soul Sense tightened around the Symbiote, blocking him.
You¡ hissed Paxolnaz, and Nicolai felt a pulse of power, felt and saw its Soul Sense rising and writhing, preparing to crush him.
But then the Demon¡¯s Soul Sense froze. For around the room, dull red panes of light were materialising, and an unseen pressure was settling down on them. Something was watching. Nicolai knew what this represented. Heaven was watching. The Contract was preparing to activate.
Paxolnaz let out a faint sound of disgust and its focus returned to the Symbiote, continuing its work, but it made no effort to push Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense away.
A grin floated over his features. This was because pushing his Soul Sense away would apparently trigger the Contract. He was unable to intervene in what it was doing, because the pressure of the Contract was pressuring him, too, but he was able to watch. He settled as close as he could, feeling at what was happening in the Symbiote.
Paxolnaz, he realised, was encountering some trouble. Whatever it was doing to the Contract was not a simple process. As he watched, he began to recognise some of the words and phrases it was working on, but the bulk of it remained a confusing mess.
Unable to interfere, Nicolai simply settled in and watched carefully, joined by Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare, all of them viewing the process through his Soul Sense, getting a feel for what Paxolnaz was doing. The Modules were recording it all in great detail. He could feel Paxolnaz¡¯s fury that he was spying on this process and that it could not stop him from watching. The boiling rage pressed against him, and it felt merely warm. Something soothing that gave him constant satisfaction.
Though a minor victory, this was still a kind of victory. As he observed he realised that the Symbiote Paxolnaz was using had limits. He saw the True Demon pushing for large changes, but the Symbiote strained and was unable to bring them into bring. Instead, it was forced to make more minor changes, and adjust things in the other direction, to gain enough stretch in the Contract to do what it wished.
Something crucial became apparent to him in this moment. The Blind Judge was a limited type of Symbiote. As Paxolnaz used it, a kind of vital force within it was being devoured. He could sense how this would not restore. From what he felt, the Blind Judge would only have a single use left after this.
The Blind Judge was now chewing thoroughly at the words it had absorbed, and Nicolai saw that the Demon was finished. The Blind Judge spat the words out. The words spun around the room then split, half returning to Nicolai, half to Paxolnaz.
Nicolai¡¯s Mark shimmered and burned, and he was quick to press on it, opening up his Contracts and selecting the one he¡¯d made with Paxolnaz, then skimming down the list to see how, exactly, it would look. He knew the rough changes Paxolnaz had been going for, but not the precise form they would take.
Paxolnaz had created a new condition. Now, it did not need to fulfil its final part of the Contract and tell him where he could find the Lizard. At least, not after thirty days was up, as had initially been in the Contract.
Now, he needed to do something first.
It is deeply disappointing to me that you still haven¡¯t retrieved the Sword, Paxolnaz murmured, its voice a sibilant echo. You have yet to even create the Lotus Blossom Soul Trap. You will go, and you will take the Sword, and only then shall I tell you the location of the Lizard.
If that had been all, Nicolai wouldn¡¯t have been concerned. But he knew what was coming next.
The Demon¡¯s eyes flared and a bloody smile stretched in the black furnace of its skull. And, to ensure you are properly motivated, you will receive punishment the more time passes without taking the Sword. It¡¯s Soul Sense writhed and stretched towards him.
Nicolai stood there, ready, waiting, and full up with grim acceptance. He didn¡¯t bother fighting back as the Demon¡¯s Soul Sense wrapped him because he knew it was useless. Now it had changed the Contract, it was allowed to use force to do this to him. If he fought back, it would be free to do more damage in response.
The Demon¡¯s Soul Sense pressed tight, crawling around him, digging into his Soul from every direction.
Nicolai couldn¡¯t move, he couldn¡¯t think, all he could do was feel an endless, buzzing pain that reached into and him through, an invasion, one he was helpless to resist, and he could feel it building, building. There came a flare of red and Nicolai screamed as his Soul was flayed.
Soul Rot slammed into him, everywhere at once. He dimly felt his knees hit the floor. His entire body was burning and freezing all at once. This wasn¡¯t like when the Library Guardian had infected his arm with Soul Rot, this time it was everywhere.
He frothed and gurgled as he clenched his Soul, a burn of Oma leaving from his Node as it went to try and fight back at the spread. Threat Analysis, Cyberwarfare, and the Mask all joined him, disparate parts of his Soul fighting by his side.
He and the others quickly reached the maximum of their ability to fight back, and the spread of the Soul Rot deeper into him was slowed, held at bay but always pushing, seeking to claim more. As his awareness returned to the world around him, he noticed a more significant change.
The vision granted by his Soul Sense tendril was very slightly more fuzzy than it had previously been. The infection interfered in some way with his Soul Sense.
His eyes opened and his gaze settled balefully onto the True Demon, looming in a dark corner and watching him with gloating red eyes.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
You will not find any way to remove this curse, not here, nor anywhere near to here. Only I can remove it, and it is only going to get worse. So, human, go and get the Sword. Its eyes narrowed, and it flowed toward him.
Nicolai remained still, neck prickling as it slowly circled him.
Make sure you complete the Lotus Blossom Soul Trap first, murmured Paxolnaz into his ear. I¡¯ll tell you what will happen if you do not: the wielder of the Blade is an undead Cultivator who was once at the Third Tier of the Foundation Realm. He wants a body and will attempt to seize yours. You must use the Lotus Blossom Soul Trap to avoid this fate. Otherwise, you will be possessed. You wouldn¡¯t want that, would you?
The living dark of the Demon¡¯s form settled into the space before him, gazing down. Is that clear?
¡®Crystal,¡¯ murmured Nicolai, struggling with what was boiling within him. Calm, calm, he hissed, shoving the darkness within him down, struggling to get it back into the cage. It was sending him deluded urges, to attack the demon or to kneel before it. He needed to think.
This is a kindness from me, human, whispered Paxolnaz. You see, I believe that you have great potential. Truly, I only wish to help you. Gaining the Blade will be a great boon to you. But, alas, you do not show the proper alacrity in taking to this task. It saddens me to see such potential wasted. A bloodstain smile curved its features.
Nicolai¡¯s face remained empty as he stared back at it. He knew there was no kindness in what Paxolnaz had done. It was a shrewd, dangerous, calculating being, and it had done all of this with an aim in mind.
He didn¡¯t allow himself to think what floated in the depths of his mind. Instead, he thought something else entirely. Maybe the sword will help me find the Lizard?
You hide something from me, don¡¯t you, human¡ it murmured, the red light within it moving closer to him. But no matter. You have no choice. Go and find the Blade, and be quick. I will give you two final gifts; first, a warning, though you shouldn¡¯t truly need it. You may have noticed the castle is trembling. It will not remain standing much longer. I will destroy the Core, and it will crumble. Paxolnaz began to drift backwards, its black fire sucking into the stone. Retrieve the Blade before that happens. I estimate you have two weeks before the Soul Rot consumes you. So, y¡ª
It¡¯s voice cut off, and Nicolai saw a sudden change in the Demon¡¯s visage. He sensed something like consternation.
I have detected a signal, spoke Threat Analysis, and the part of Threat Analysis within his Soul drew his attention through his body, to the cage, to the hole. It had been monitoring that area closely ever since they spoke to the Angel.
From the hole, which Nicolai now knew was more correctly a link to something called the Interior, he could faintly hear something. When he focused on it, the sound grew suddenly louder. It ripped from a whisper to a roar.
FREE ME! FREE ME, MY HOST! FREE ME!
With these words Nicolai saw a vision. He saw a world underground, masses of bugs and undead at war. In the centre of this hovered a great shimmering crystal, and within it something lurked, and hungered, and raged for its release.
His mind snapped back to his body and he experienced a moment of vertigo, the world leaning around him so he had to plant a hand on the floor. His gaze was drawn to where Paxolnaz had stood.
Only some shreds of dark fire remained, and as he watched they were extinguished. The True Demon was gone, disappeared without even finishing its sentence.
That must have been the pulse the Angel had spoke of. The pulse of the Demon¡¯s master, which it had said would draw it away.
Nicolai was now certain that Paxolnaz could observe his thoughts to at least some degree, and as such had been doing best to think not at all on what the Angel had said. The less the enemy knows, the better. But if it was to be believed, the Demon should now be drawn away.
His Mark flared with sudden light.
New Quest: Demonic Designs
Paxolnaz, True Demon of the 9th Circle, has designs on your body and Soul. Escaping from the clutches of a higher reality being will not be easy.
To pass this quest you need only survive and avoid possession for long enough that Paxolnaz¡¯s master is freed, and the Demon is pulled away.
His eyes narrowed, looking the text over carefully. He hadn¡¯t expected this, but it had some positive ramifications. The Quest made everything official, in a way, putting the situation in a stark light. It spelled out clearly that his odds were just as bad as expected¡ but the simple fact of the Quest told him that victory was possible. He even had a clear win condition.
However, there was no new useable information, only confirmation of what he¡¯d already known. The Angel had already told him about Paxolnaz¡¯s master. This did lead him to wonder if the Quest would even have triggered, if it weren¡¯t for him learning as much as he had.
If he did survive he¡¯d get a Quest reward. One that by all rights should be significant, considering the Quest itself said it wouldn¡¯t be easy. The harder the job, the greater the reward, right? And this task was levels of magnitude above any of his previous Quests. Nicolai dismissed the notification, considering.
The Blade was obviously a trap. It had always been a trap. The Demon had said, long ago, that the Blade contained one of its brethren. Another True Demon. Nicolai supposed that the moment he touched it the careful balance within him would be broken as the pressure of this Demonic Blade joined the pressures of the dark and the hole and Paxolnaz behind it. He would lose the battle for his Soul.
He could not allow that. He had to somehow outwit and outmanoeuvre the Demon, but he was starting from a very bad position.
The fact it had mentioned the Blade all the way back then told him the Demon had had designs on him since the moment he released it. All this time it had been in the background, watching him, pushing and poking at him with every indirect means available to it, free to scheme and prepare.
He¡¯d been in the dark, extremely vulnerable, and he¡¯d only become truly aware this very day¡ªas the Demon was launching its first real move.
Telling him to get the Blade, infecting him with Soul Rot to force him to do so, and even dangling the Lizard before him¡ Nicolai was sure this would not be the last of its moves. This was all happening in an arena he was unfamiliar with, this world of strange magic and uncanny beings. But the shape of events was enough for him to recognise what was going on. This move by the Demon was setup, prep work. It must know he had no trust for it and was now warned against it. But it showed itself and brazenly demanded he get the Blade.
Obviously he would try to find any way to remove the Soul Rot and avoid the Blade, in spite of its words that this was impossible. And the Lizard? Nicolai wanted to know the Lizard¡¯s location, but it was not an overwhelming need. Paxolnaz had been able to find the location; surely there would be others who could tell him the same. He was more than willing to discard the location of the Lizard rather than touch that Blade.
The Demon must know this, because it had been silently monitoring his thoughts. He didn¡¯t know what it was planning, but it was planning something.
He felt that plan must pivot on the Blind Judge. It could only be used twice at most, and Paxolnaz had just used its first use. The other use the Demon was holding back. What might it do with that use? He would have to try and work that out.
At least now he was aware of it. He had made some progress with the dark via the Zero-Twelve state and the aid of the Mask, and, for a time, had it under control. He was more aware of how, and why, it was dangerous to him. He had options, and he was going to work to expand those options as quickly as possible.
178: The Mask
Paxolnaz was seething. It tore at the Interior around it as it travelled, spikes of it launching out and impaling weaker entities, shredding them and sending them fleeing before it. How much had the Denizen told the human? It would have liked to go and interrogate the creature, but knew there was no point. The Denizen would never speak a word to it.
Perhaps it should simply have the Denizen killed, grant its wish, but it was loathe to do so. The Denizen¡¯s suffering was a potent source of energy, something that was even capable of faintly nourishing the spark of True Warp within Paxolnaz; nourishment it was in dire need of. When not called away to slave for the Unwinder, working on the human or one of its other goals, Paxolnaz spent the rest of its time feasting on the Denizen¡¯s pain and despair.
Beyond that, killing the Denizen and granting its wish would mark Paxolnaz in a way that its brethren would be able to sense. Some might consider it an act of treachery, which could lead to undesirable consequences in the future.
It turned the thoughts aside. The Denizen didn¡¯t matter anymore; the human had already spoken with it and was aware of Paxolnaz¡¯s designs. It had felt that clearly. The human was no longer the oblivious target it had been until now. Already it had been difficult to break, now it would be doubly so.
This was why Paxolnaz had decided to move its plan forward. There was no point in acting from the shadows when the human knew it was lurking in them.
With the Soul Rot applied the human was on a time limit. Paxolnaz would have liked to enforce a more immediate, forceful consequence that would immediately send the human to touch the Blade, but the Blind Judge was only capable of so much.
So, this half-measure. Either the human would go and touch the Blade, and then, as it was twisted and mutated and became something else, something to which their Contract no longer applied, Paxolnaz would Skin it. Or, it would refuse to go and the Soul Rot would kill it. Paxolnaz had learned much of the human and knew that it¡¯s drive to survive was paramount. When it ran out of options, it would go to take the Blade.
However, the human would certainly work to find some other way. This was why Paxolnaz had held back the second use of the Blind Judge. Whatever the human came up with it would simply nullify with a second twisting of the Contract; if the human even came up with some kind of method. Paxolnaz knew for a fact that there was nothing that could help the human remove the Soul Rot anywhere near, because it had personally seen to that. Symbiotes and Imbued had been found and destroyed, alongside any Natural Resources which could be used to create such Symbiotes.
Either the human would become its Skin, or Paxolnaz would see it dead.
At the very least, thought Paxolnaz as it emerged into the depths of the castle and saw the Core, the human is continuing to change. It had observed that the Black Gift within the human had been swelled by enough energy now that it was too large to entirely fit in the strange little cage the human had built. This should surely bring about some positive changes.
###
¡®What the fuck was that?¡¯ came Jo¡¯s voice, ringing out in the moments after Paxolnaz had faded away, pulling Nicolai from his thoughts.
¡®A dangerous being,¡¯ said Nicolai softly.
¡®It said the castle is going to collapse,¡¯ said Daksh. ¡®It did, right? That¡¯s what it was saying.¡¯
¡®You knew that thing,¡¯ said John, staring at Nicolai. ¡®You¡¯ve had dealings with it. Why did you never mention this?¡¯
¡®You hid it from us?¡¯ added Jo, and there was accusation and shock in her tone. The emphasis she placed on us told him she was thinking much more of her and Beth, than the whole group.
Nicolai looked away, hiding his face. One of his lies had been revealed. He cared very little. He sighed, struggling to gather the energy to summon up more shit to talk. ¡®I happened to have an¡ unfortunate encounter with it,¡¯ he said. ¡®It forced me into a deal, a Contract. I¡¯m sorry that it happened to turn up here, and now.¡¯
¡®Why did you never mention this?¡¯ said Cait.
Nicolai shrugged, staring at a patch of wall. The wall stared back. ¡®That was part of the Contract. I couldn¡¯t tell anyone. I suppose that¡¯s no longer in effect, since its shown itself to all of you.¡¯
¡®Are we safe? That thing¡ what might it to do us?¡¯ asked Old Ben, blinking worriedly.
¡®You¡¯re all safe,¡¯ said Nicolai. He wanted to turn away but the way the wall was staring at him was annoying. He felt like it was a competition, and he disliked the idea of losing. ¡®Actually, you are safer than any others in this castle In our Contract, I specified it may not harm me nor any dependants of mine. So long as you remain my dependants, you will be safe.¡¯
He almost smiled with these words, realising there was some benefit. You¡¯re just a wall, he thought at the wall, and turned away. He did his best to ignore the smugness he could feel from it, forcing himself to think on more important matters.
This tied the group tighter to him. If they thought that no longer being a part of ¡°his group¡± meant they might be attacked by the Demon, they would be pressured to follow his commands lest he kick them out. He could likely be a little more strict and forceful in his commands via use of that fear, make them all better behaved and more useful.
His Mask started burbling as it detected these thoughts. Nicolai might have twisted it aside, but he¡¯d been reminded of its importance. If he wanted to resist the dark, and the Demon, he¡ needed the Mask.
I¡¯ll only be more strict when it comes to commands that help them, he reassured it. Such as making sure they follow proper counter surveillance protocol when returning to the safe place. It wouldn¡¯t do for someone to learn where I¡ªwhere we live.
The Mask accepted these words. A little grudgingly, but it calmed down¡ until it noticed Jo¡¯s expression, and Perro, and the rest of them. Then it was writhing with upset, horrified that they might lose all trust for him.
So Nicolai looked entreatingly to them, his face a picture of dismay. He shook his head. ¡®I wish I could have told you all. I had no choice. It found me, and bound me with a Contract.¡¯ His gaze was drawn to Jo, who seemed the most upset. ¡®I would have told you. Of course I would have¡ªif I were able. I¡¯m glad that you know, now. As I said, with the Contract between me and it, it cannot touch any of you. It wants something from me, that¡¯s all. For me to go and find something.¡¯Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
The others were softening, relaxing. The words he spoke held something unusual: Actual truth, real emotion. His Mask was giving him the truth and the emotion, and he filtered it.
His expression turned grim. ¡®At least it has brought us some useful information. As we suspected, this castle will not remain standing for much longer.¡¯ He scattered a meaningful look amongst them. ¡®We have no time to waste. As to anything else you wish to know regarding what it said, I know little. Kleos and Maric may know more.¡¯
The others babbled at one another, filtering away up the stairs to question the heads. Nicolai remained fixed in place. There was a sick feeling inside of him. It came from his Mask. It hated the lies. It was making him feel¡ bad.
Just as important, the wall was still staring at him.
A face appeared before him, and words spiked through the shadows that gathered before his face.
¡®¡ªask¡¡¯ Jo trailed off, staring at him. She was biting her lip. She looked over her shoulder at the others. Back to him. ¡®Are you okay?¡¯
Nicolai tilted his head, gazing into her eyes. His Soul Sense reached for her. She was concerned due to his behaviour? Was he failing at being normal? What had she noticed?
Threat Analysis unrolled a list. Shooting the short man into pieces. Raving about all kinds of things. Glaring at walls. Speaking to guns, and weapons, and the shadows.
I don¡¯t speak to my guns, he told the Module. Threat Analysis informed him that sometimes he did. Did she notice? His eye lenses lit up and he saw a recording. It was before he¡¯d sent the others from Maxine¡¯s tower, to face the Cyborgs alone. Jo was not far from him.
In the recording, his mouth grazed the side of the AA-12, almost a kiss. ¡®Don¡¯t worry¡¡¯ he whispered. ¡®Soon.¡¯ He saw her shoot him an odd look.
The recording faded and he snapped back to reality, cringing internally. ¡®I¡¯m fine,¡¯ he told her. ¡®How are you?¡¯
¡®I¡¯m, uh¡ could you give me some space?¡¯ She waved a hand, and he realised his Soul Sense had come forward to cluster tight around her, pressing her own back and into her. She didn¡¯t seem concerned, but she should be. It seemed she wasn¡¯t able to see the strands of dark within it, clustering, reaching, hungering.
His Soul Sense flinched back with his realisation. It had been acting without his conscious will. He didn¡¯t remember talking to the shotgun. There was too much dark in him and he was losing his mind.
¡®Sorry.¡¯ He didn¡¯t know what else to say. He felt dizzy and confused. He wasn¡¯t sure how to act.
After a moment she shrugged. ¡®I¡¯ve been better, but at least everyone is in one piece.¡¯ She smiled. ¡®Because of you.¡¯
¡®Me?¡¯
¡®You got us through it, up there. Sending us all away, to fight the Cyborgs yourself.¡¯ She shook her head, let out a breath. ¡®You don¡¯t need to, you know? We can help.¡¯
¡®Right.¡¯ He¡¯d sent them away because they¡¯d only have gotten in the way.
¡®But about that¡ that thing.¡¯ Her eyes were wide with worry and concern. ¡®What was it? It was terrible, horrible. And what does it want from you?¡¯
Nicolai stared at her. Was she actually concerned for him? He was beginning to think she was. His Mask was wriggling on his face and against his Soul. Where he was empty, with half his attention focused on holding back the Soul rot, it was full up. It seized at the reigns, and for the first time he did not fight back. It was all too much for him. The Dark and the Mask, and he needing to Control it all. He didn¡¯t know what to say; what to do; in this moment.
The Mask had all kinds of ideas, and unlike the Dark he didn¡¯t think it would cause any significant problems. It could handle this for him.
Nicolai let go.
¡®I¡¡¯ said the Mask, staring at Jo. ¡®I¡¡¯ The Mask laughed. ¡®Am free?¡¯ The tiny Soul-parts of the Modules buzzed around the Mask, curious about this latest change in the internal mindscape, feeling at the fresh emotions emanating from it.
¡®Free? Does the Demon want to trap you?¡¯
¡®Paxolnaz? Oh, it wants me to get a sword, that¡¯s what it says. But I think that¡¯s part of its plot to stop me from becoming a Better Man. That¡¯s my purpose, to become more human, to be a Better Man. I¡ wow.¡¯ He raised his hands, staring dizzily at them. ¡®I¡¯m human.¡¯
She was regarding him through narrowed eyes. ¡®I know you¡¯re human. What else would you be?¡¯ Her eyes widened. ¡®Wait, are you human? You never gave me a straight answer about that, after you went in the painting.¡¯
¡®I am human, Jo!¡¯ he grinned at her. ¡®I feel... human.¡¯ Gazing at her, he realised something, something that Nicolai, so obsessed with self-control, had never been willing to notice. ¡®You¡¯re beautiful.¡¯
¡®W-what?¡¯ She let out a shocked laugh, her face turning pink.
¡®Sorry, should I not have said that?¡¯ he asked, concerned.
¡®Sure, I just wasn¡¯t expecting it. Uh. What was that about being a better man?¡¯
¡®It¡¯s my purpose, my goal in life. To be a Better Man. It¡¯s difficult. He resists, you know? He¡¯s always arguing with me. And then there¡¯s the Dark.¡¯ His words sped up. ¡®I fear that it will take control. Even with the Contract, I¡¯m not sure you¡¯d be safe.¡¯
¡®Holy shit.¡¯ She grabbed at him, clutching at his arms and staring into his eyes as though hunting for hidden truths. ¡®I knew it. I knew it. The Demon, right? Is that what¡¯s happening, when you go¡ go like that? It¡¯s trying to control you?¡¯
¡®N¡ª¡® the Mask began, only to be wrenched into silence as Nicolai rose out of the depths of their mind like a leviathan, the whole of his Soul clenching around the Mask. Do not tell her too much. Some details cannot be shared.
The Mask gritted its teeth, pained. ¡®Yeah. The Demon. It¡¯s trying to Control me, Jo.¡¯
¡®What can I do? How can I help?¡¯
¡®You¡¯re helping right now. Just talking to you like this helps me grow stronger. With that, I can better resist the Da¡ªDemon.¡¯
¡®It all makes so much sense now,¡¯ she murmured. ¡®When those guys attacked us and you¡ Well, now I know the truth. That was the Demon. You are a good man.¡¯
¡®I¡¯m not a good man, Jo,¡¯ the Mask warned her. It knew that Nicolai viewed her more as a useful asset than a loved companion. If he was given reason enough, he would discard her. The Mask¡¯s goal was ensure she and the others survived him, because that was what a Better Man would do. ¡®You shouldn¡¯t trust me.¡¯
She smiled at him. ¡®Well that proves it. Don¡¯t worry, I understand. You don¡¯t have to keep up this shell with me.¡¯ She glanced at the stairs, where he saw Beth peering suspiciously at them. ¡®Come on, let¡¯s go join the others.¡¯
The Mask trailed after her, struggling internally. It¡¯d told her the truth, and she trusted him more? It opened its mouth to say more, when Nicolai held it tight.
You¡¯re doing good, don¡¯t mess it up, he said.
The Mask scowled. But they shouldn¡¯t trust you! You could lose Control, and the Dark will kill them all!
It¡¯s your job to make sure that doesn¡¯t happen, isn¡¯t it? And you¡¯re doing well. We¡¯re working together, you and I. Teammates.
The Mask gave a half nod. It was doing well, but it felt that there was much room for improvement.
But there is something we need to talk about. What is the endgame?
The Mask frowned. What do you mean?
I mean you need to think ahead. Paxolnaz isn¡¯t going to stop, and simply warning the others won¡¯t necessarily be enough. If the Demon seizes control of me and comes for them, then them knowing to be wary won¡¯t actually help, will it? If the Dark took full Control then it would kill them regardless of any warning. They cannot stop me. I imagine that Paxolnaz with my body would be even stronger.
The Mask nodded, uncertain.
So it¡¯s more important than ever that we work together. You need to help me with my aims, rather than working against me. You know that I do not care about them as much as you do, I cannot hide that from you. But I know that I need you, and you know this too. Seeing them dying to the Dark or some other danger does not benefit me. But I need to do whatever I can to survive, to Control the Dark, and to avoid falling into the True Demon¡¯s clutches. That won¡¯t happen if you acting against me, if we are divided¡
The Mask¡¯s steps slowed. It¡¯d never thought about things like that. But how can I trust you?
I created you. I don¡¯t always understand why, exactly, but I want to be more human. To be a Better Man¡ at least to some degree. You are a part of me.
The Mask looked up, after Jo. It nodded. Together, then.
179: Seeds of Blood
The Mask and Jo found the others interrogating the two heads.
¡®If this place is falling down, then what can we do? Is anywhere safe?¡¯ Old Ben was asking.
¡®The jungle,¡¯ said Kleos, ¡®that¡¯s where I¡¯d be heading, if I were you lot. But, although the jungle isn¡¯t going to collapse, I imagine in other ways it¡¯s far more dangerous than this castle. This castle¡ªin such a poor state¡ªhas a greatly weakened garrison. The undead here have been rotting away for a long time, gradually slipping down in Cultivation, losing their faculties. It¡¯s only due to numbers, the Castle Core dragging them back after each death, and how well fortified this place is, that the creatures of the jungle haven¡¯t already spread within it. Those creatures will be far more dangerous than what you¡¯ll typically find in this place. Spiritual Beasts and Plants, Mutants, Bugs, and who knows what else.¡¯
¡®We won¡¯t survive out there,¡¯ said John, shaking his head.
The Mask moved to speak, to promise that it would help them survive, but Nicolai cut it off. You can¡¯t make that promise.
You said we would work together!
We will. We will work together, and we will keep them safe as much as possible¡ until Paxolnaz is dealt with. After that I will go my own way.
The Mask seethed. I want to stay with them. I¡
Staying with them any longer than strictly necessary only puts them in more danger. Even once Paxolnaz is dealt with, the Dark will remain. You worry that I might lose myself and kill them. Based on that, shouldn¡¯t you agree that it is best I leave as soon as possible?
The Mask couldn¡¯t help but nod, even as anger spun through it. You always get your way.
Nicolai was silent.
¡®There is, possibly, another way,¡¯ Maric broke in, interrupting the chatter between the others. ¡®There is a Trade Link in this place, is there not?¡¯
They eyed the undead curiously, and someone said that there was.
¡®Trade Links are special creations. They are not built by any race, the one here was not built by my brethren. They are placed directly by Heaven. It might be appear like it is a natural part of the castle, but I assure you, it is not. The Trade Link, and the area around it, will have been switched out for whatever was in its place before. Further, all such creations have a foundation. This one will reach all the way through the castle to the ground. Made by Heaven, they are designed to be exceedingly difficult to destroy. It can be done, but it is very difficult. I imagine¡ that even if this whole castle crumbled to the ground, the Trade Link would remain standing. If you can move and go to live within it, then you should be safe.¡¯
¡®How sure are you about this?¡¯ spoke Maxine, her eyes shining.
¡®Pretty sure. I¡¯ve read mention of this in a number of different books and scrolls.¡¯
¡®That¡¯s what we have to do then! Get everyone to the Trade Link!¡¯ she cried, looking around.
The others were looking back, nodding.
¡®Bit of a problem, there,¡¯ said John. He glanced at the Mask, and it knew what he sought. The location of the Trade Link.
It was high time they knew. It had always wanted to share that with them, to share everything with them. It¡ª
¡ªwas grasped and pulled, dragged beneath his Soul, once more just one of many, a Module. Don¡¯t be foolish, Nicolai told it, rolling his eyes. He knew it understood, after their chat, but he was beginning to realise it was rather impulsive. He supposed that it couldn¡¯t help it; it was only human.
Nicolai¡¯s head rose. He gazed at John, eyes glittering. The shadows were forming a beautiful, mesmerising shape behind the man. The Soul rot was an endless painful itch that made him want to rip fleshy things apart with his bare hands, to drink oil and breath smoke, but Threat Analysis and Cyberware helped him identify all that as coming from the Dark.
Allowing the Mask to take Control had given him a moment to relax, a method of changing his mental point of view. The Darkness was all through him, and it was a problem, but for now he was dealing with it.
He needed to question Maric and Kleos, to work out what he could do about the Soul rot. But first he had to deal with this.
¡®We have to deal with the Chosen,¡¯ he said, casting a look around at them while completely ignoring John¡¯s prod about the Trade Link. He spoke as though he had a plan, in tones of confidence, because he did.
While the Mask had been acting in his place, he¡¯d been thinking. In spite of his words he did not consider the Chosen a real problem; not anymore. Not compared to Paxolnaz. They were simply a way to achieve what he wanted. He needed to kill the Angel on the roof. Doing so was his current best move to survive against Paxolnaz. To do that he needed a more powerful weapon.
Anti-Material Rifles were available at the Trade Link for 70,000 points. His other desired item, a Skin Suit, cost 50,000. Then the Yin-Yang Rotation Pills and Incense sticks, to rapidly improve his Cultivation. The stronger his Cultivation, the better he could resist the Soul rot.
It came down to money, as it often did. How could he gain so many points-tags? Within him his mind clicked and ticked, Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare aiding him, as he put the final polishes on his plan.
He looked to Maxine. ¡®I assume you wish to tell everyone about the imminent destruction we face, and the safety of the Trade Link?¡¯
¡®That¡¯s right,¡¯ she said, nodding. She frowned. ¡®Uh, why? Do you have a problem with that?¡¯
Nicolai gave a puzzled smile and raised his hands as though confused she would imagine such a thing. ¡®Of course not. It¡¯s the right thing to do.¡¯
If every group in this place learned that the only safety to be found was in the Trade Link, then they would have to assault the Chosen.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Nicolai envisaged a great war, spilling all through the castle. Blood on the walls, gunfire in every hallway.
Those people would need a lot of guns and a lot of ammo. Luckily for them, Nicolai was happy to provide. Doing so would give him the funds he needed.
The Mask stirred, horrified, but he pressed on it, kneaded it. Don¡¯t worry. Our group will be fine. Who do you care about more¡ªall those faceless, unknown people (many of whom will likely be murderers and rapists) or our group? Would you rather Perro, Jo, Azure, and Beth die in the place of some evil random psychos?
While the Mask chewed on that, he continued speaking. ¡®Once you¡¯ve spread the word, I¡¯ll do my part,¡¯ he told Maxine. ¡®I¡¯ll make sure they¡¯re well armed when we all move against the Chosen.¡¯
Maxine frowned at him. ¡®Moving against the Chosen isn¡¯t necessary, is it?¡¯ Her frown grew. ¡®A lot of people will die. Don¡¯t you have some private access to the Trade Link? We can just tell everyone about that and everyone can move in. It might be a tight fit, but even just being closer to it should help.¡¯
Nicolai kept his face carefully blank, and pulled up the first of the arguments he¡¯d prepared. ¡®That won¡¯t work,¡¯ he began regretfully, shaking his head. ¡®The Chosen are jealous of the Trade Link. Vikrum is actively hunting me¡ªhunting all of us¡ªso as to find how we access it. He wants us dead, Maxine. You and me. Everyone.¡¯
He settled back, eyeing her, his Soul Sense settled around her. She was looking concerned, but there was resistance in her still. He continued. ¡®If we tell everyone how to get to it over the radio, who do you think will arrive there first? Everyone to arrive will find themselves under immediate attack by the Chosen. Even if we try and just tell the leaders in person¡ the Chosen have been putting spies into groups¡ªwe ourselves had one in our midst, as anyone here can tell you. It would only take one Chosen spy to learn where our Trade Link access is, and the jig is up.¡¯ Nicolai sighed and made a tired, dismissive gesture. ¡®They¡¯ll just secure it like they secured the other access point, and then the Chosen will hold it in totality, and the rest of us will be left to die out here. At that point we won¡¯t even be able to fight against them, since they¡¯ll control all the guns.¡¯
¡®He has a point,¡¯ said John, nodding, exchanging worried looks with Cait.
¡®I get that, I know it¡¯s a risk,¡¯ said Maxine. ¡®I just don¡¯t see any other way, and I¡¯m sure¡ I think Vikrum can be reasoned with.¡¯ She leaned forward ¡®There doesn¡¯t have to be any bloodshed. Hell, you know what? If he wants us all to join, why not? So what if we lose our Seeds? Better than dying.¡¯ She shook her head. ¡®It¡¯s not what any of us wanted, but what other route is there?¡¯
''I agree,'' spoke up old Ben, nodding. ¡®There''s been enough blood spilled. If there''s a route that might see less of it, we should take it.''
¡®I suppose,¡¯ murmured Nicolai, ¡®if you¡¯re afraid of a little fight. I think there¡¯s a better way. We don¡¯t necessarily have to fight the Chosen. There are a lot of groups here. Taken together, there are more people not Chosen than there are Chosen. If we simply gather enough people together and arm them¡ we would just have to threaten to fight.¡¯
Maxine had at first looked unconvinceable, but with these words her expression shifted. Thoughtful. His Soul Sense crawled around her, feeling closely, and he continued.
¡®Like you say, it might be possible to reason with Vikrum. Maybe. But why go to him like dogs, looking for scraps? Hoping he will be kind to us, rather than putting us down as he would be free to do. If we simply form together, we can become strong enough that he will have to deal with us as equals. At that point, the coalition we form can take control the Trade Link access point we already know of, and he can have the other.¡¯
Maxine was nodding. When he¡¯d said the word coalition he¡¯d felt something, a turning in her emotions. An eagerness, a hunger. This prompted him to lean forward, recalling some of the things she¡¯d said on her Radio show. He gazed entreatingly into her eyes, and spoke softly.
¡®Isn¡¯t that what you wanted to do in the first place? Get everyone working together? Imagine, a great coalition of all of us, together and working as one. Finally, we¡¯d have a chance to do more than just survive.¡¯ His smile grew as he saw her sitting back, an expression of deep consideration on her face. From what he felt with his Soul Sense, he already knew she was convinced, but her nod confirmed it. It was fortuntae she was still in the Seed phase, without a true Soul.
¡®Stop that.¡¯ Another Soul Sense slapped against his, pushing it away from Maxine.
His head snapped to the side, and he saw Beth frowning at him.
¡®What?¡¯ he asked.
¡®What you¡¯re doing¡ manipulating her. I can see it.¡¯
Nicolai glanced at Perro and Azure, his face abruptly blank. He¡¯d gotten too used to being the only one with Soul Sense. Now there were others he ought to be a little more subtle. But the teenagers seemed unaware, not appearing to guess at what he had been doing. However, Jo, sat beside Beth, was also frowning at him. These two had more experience with Soul Sense.
¡®I¡¯m just helping her to make the right decision,¡¯ he said to them. ¡®But, sure, I¡¯ll be more¡ hands off.¡¯ The job was done, anyway. He held in a smile as he looked back to Maxine.
¡®We¡¯ve almost all got our Seeds complete, though,¡¯ said John, frowning at Nicolai, Cait nodding beside him. ¡®So what does it matter? We could just finish the process off, then go and join the Chosen. He can¡¯t take what we don¡¯t have.¡¯
¡®Hey.¡¯ Nicolai raised a hand in gentle rebuke. ¡®What about Elena, Katie, Sara, Old Ben?¡¯ His tone asked: Don¡¯t you care about them? and he pointed vaguely at the four. ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be very fair to them, would it?¡¯ Katie was nodding fervently, as was Elena, though less fervently. Sara didn¡¯t appear to even be listening. Old Ben snorted and looked to speak, but Maxine got there first.
¡®No, he¡¯s right,¡¯ said Maxine, chewing on her fingernail. ¡®There¡¯s no reason we can¡¯t get everyone together. Sure, I think Vikrum might listen to reason¡¡¯ she looked around at the others, eyebrows raised, ¡®but he¡¯s not exactly got a stellar track record of reasonableness, so far, right? If we don¡¯t have to risk going to him, we shouldn¡¯t.¡¯ She looked to Nicolai. ¡®You¡¯re sure this can be done without bloodshed?¡¯
¡®Of course. Mostly. Well, there might be a little. Just to let them know we¡¯re serious. But considering how many people have already died out here, I think this is the best route.¡¯ He smiled. ¡®To keep everyone safe, not just now, but for the future, too. Imagine how things will be, everyone working together in unity. A Great Coalition.¡¯
She nodded, her eyes distant, a faint smile on her face. He kept his Soul Sense away but even so, just from her face he saw that she was imagining herself at the lead of this coalition, doing things the right way, whatever that looked like to her.
Through the darkness lining his Soul there came a pulse of hunger as he thought of the bloodshed to come. Many groups despised the Chosen after the endless back-and-forth skirmishes they¡¯d engaged in. Once brought together and armed, those people wouldn¡¯t be interested in peace.
They¡¯d want blood.
Maxine would try to stop the killing but it wouldn¡¯t take much. As soon as the first few shots were fired and the first friends lost, vengeance would flare and the war would erupt in full. A war which would require a lot of bullets. And if somehow she managed to hold things together, a few secretive acts on his part could quickly change that. He¡¯d just have to kill some popular people and blame it on the Chosen.
His Mask was still squirming but he realised he¡¯d tilted it off from his face while talking, numbing its feelings. Still, he could feel enough from it. It was saying that he was being pushed by the Dark, that surely there was a less bloody way to accomplish his aims.
I¡¯m not doing this for the Dark, I¡¯m doing this to gain Control over it, he told the Mask. Furthermore¡ This is the most efficient route to get what I want. Therefore it was the correct route. Cyberwarfare agreed. Threat Analysis, oddly, was less sure.
Nicolai could hardly wait for the carnage to begin.
###
While Nicolai talked, Jo watched him. His behaviour was so different now, compared to when they¡¯d been alone.
He shows a different side with me. The thought made her smile. She was getting through to him. But she sensed something strange from him, as he talked. Something that drifted behind his eyes, something that leaked faints hints from his Soul Sense¡ bloodlust?
It could only be one thing. The Demon they¡¯d seen, it was haunting him.
Nicolai was broken inside, but that was fine with Jo.
I can fix him.
180: Soul Rot
Nicolai left the others discussing the formation of the Coalition, taking Kleos and Maric into his room. He had questions and he needed answers.
¡®My whole Soul is covered in Soul rot. Everything. The entire surface. What can I do?¡¯ he asked the heads, looking into himself. He could see it, everywhere around his Soul. A hungry, busy infection, always pressing and seeking to dig deeper.
Currently it wasn¡¯t having too much effect. Aware of it and fighting back, Nicolai was able to stymie its spread, and it was just an irritating, painful itch, a drain on his Oma to repair his Soul, and an ominous awareness that this was not good and it was going to get worse.
He had experienced this particular infection before, when the undead library guardian afflicted him with something very similar. But back then, it had only been on one arm, and he¡¯d been able to simply cut that part of his Soul away then regrow it. Now, it was everywhere, covering the surface of his Soul. The only way he could see to remove it was to somehow flay his Soul, removing its entire outer surface. Such a flaying was what he¡¯d experienced when Paxolnaz had infected him with it. But he had a strong feeling that removal would not be so simple¡ªto start with, he didn¡¯t know how, mechanically, he might flay his own Soul. Cutting one of his Soul¡¯s limbs off had been relatively easy, but a similar method would not work.
He tapped his Mark, and navigated to his Cultivation tab in search of more information, but there was nothing about Soul Rot. He was briefly pleased to note that his kidney and windpipe Nodes were all over seventy percent. He looked to the heads. ¡®Well? Tell me everything about Soul rot.¡¯
The heads looked to one another. Maric was pushed to speak first.
¡®It is a spiritual affliction. Soul Rot goes through five stages. The first stage causes minor Soul damage, and the Cultivator¡¯s ability to see and hear through Soul Sense begins a gradual degrade¡ªturning blind and deaf toward the end of the stage. After that comes stage two, which occurs once the Soul Rot has spread enough. More Soul damage, and Soul Sense scarring begins, which is difficult to recover from. At this point moving ones Soul Sense and defending with it becomes harder, as the Cultivator has a choice: focus their Soul on slowing the spread of the Soul Rot, or use their Soul Sense as normal. Stage three¡ significant Soul damage, to the point the Soul begins a continuous collapse. At this stage, the Cultivator doesn¡¯t have much time left. Their Soul Sense dissipates completely as their Soul can no longer support it, and they become very vulnerable to others. Stage four follows rapidly, as the Cultivator¡¯s Soul begins a complete breakdown, leading them to be unable to manage their internal system, which begin to tear their body apart. Stage five isn¡¯t so much a stage as a state, as once you get to stage five you¡¯re dead. Or, at least your Soul is. Sometimes the body can survive, if the afflicted cuts their Nodes out before they explode. That needs to be done prior to Stage four, generally, as once the Soul begins a total breakdown those are among the first things to go.¡¯
Nicolai took these words in almost-silently. His finger was tap-tapping madly at the table. He stared at it until it stopped. He recalled how Paxolnaz had hung there, dark fire suspended in air, the bloody grin it had worn. He recalled the moment he¡¯d handed its heart to it and set it free. You. Fucking. Bastard. He wasn¡¯t sure if the thought was directed at Paxolnaz or himself. Probably both.
¡®What kind of moron would let a literal Demon free?¡¯ he asked rhetorically, a huge and entirely humourless grin on his face. Threat Analysis pulsed an internal warning.
Maric¡¯s blue-burning gaze blinked in confusion at him. Kleos, who knew the answer, stared at the wood of the table, brows creased in a thoughtful frown as if trying to work it out.
¡®Only a complete and utter¡ª¡® his voice cut off as he wrestled with himself, struggling with the dumb animal rage within him, assisted by the deeply concerned Mask and Modules. Getting angry is exactly what it wants you stupid cunt.
As the ringing of his words echoed off the walls he realised he¡¯d spoken them aloud and not inside his head¡ªThreat Analysis informed him, as it replayed the words, that it would be more accurate to say he ¡°snarled and frothed them like a mad beast.¡± He settled back into the chair and just focused on his breathing for a while, then ran a tired hand over his face. He opened his eyes and gazed dully at Kleos and Maric.
¡®Your council,¡¯ he assured the worried heads, ¡®is appreciated. How long does it take to progress to the second stage?¡¯
¡®That depends on how strongly you can resist,¡¯ said Kleos. ¡®The first stage is the gentlest, and usually lasts the longest. The more you fight back, and the more coherent your defence, the longer you¡¯ll get.¡¯
¡®How do I remove the Soul Rot?¡¯ Nicolai asked next, the big question.
The heads regarded one another, and then him, uncertainly.
¡®Very difficult,¡¯ said Maric. ¡®The vast majority of what I¡¯ve read is about amputating the portion of Soul that is infected. It is costly, to cut a part of your Soul away, but by far the easiest method. The whole point is to make sure it does not get onto too much of your Soul. Being completely covered in Soul rot¡ that¡¯s¡¡¯ It trailed off.
¡®You¡¯re unlikely to find any way, not here, not at your current level,¡¯ summed up Kleos. ¡®The Demon wants you do fulfil some kind of condition, right? Then it¡¯ll remove it?¡¯
¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯
Kleos chewed its leathery lip. ¡®Then you ought to see about doing whatever it is it wants. That¡¯s your only chance, at this point. Otherwise, there¡¯s no way you can stop it progressing.¡¯
¡®I refuse to believe that. There must be a way.¡¯
¡®Not at your level. I know of Symbiotes of the third Tier that would be able to help, but nothing at first or second. You wouldn¡¯t even be able to use those Symbiotes.¡¯
¡®What about single use items? Talismans? The Trade Link sells some things.¡¯
¡®Perhaps. Is there anything that effects the Soul?¡¯
Nicolai recalled the listings. ¡®Nothing straightforward,¡¯ he said at length. ¡®But there is a method to train the Soul listed: the Simple and Sinister method.¡¯
¡®Oh?¡¯ Maric¡¯s eyes glittered. ¡®I¡¯ve heard of that. Apparently it¡¯s very effective.¡¯
¡®Would it help me with the Soul Rot?¡¯
The head paused, its blue eyes flaring thoughtfully. ¡®Maybe? Hard to say with any certainty. Could be worth a gamble.¡¯
¡®Not at 200,000 points,¡¯ Nicolai murmured. His eyes narrowed. The Soul Rot was only one element. The more important area which he should truly focus on, was that of Paxolnaz. His enemy. It was labouring under restrictions, having to use this Contract to send him to the sword, and thus it was forced to include a clause whereby it would remove the Soul Rot. This was where he should focus, on doing what he was good at.
Tricking and sneaking and manipulating his way to victory.
The shadows had been writhing through the room, but now they slowed. Nicolai smiled. So what if it was difficult? So what if the odds were stacked against him?
The greater the challenge, the more satisfying the victory. If winning was easy, then what was the point? And if I die, then I die. So long as he knew that he had done everything he could, fought until his very last breath, then he would be satisfied.
###
That evening the distant sounds of combat continued to trickle in now and then. Bugs and undead, still clashing in minor flare ups, plus the occasional rattle of gunfire.
Maxine setup her radio antennas on the tower-top of the safe-place, seeming quite pleased by the location, leading wires down into the main room, then the nearest bedroom which she took for herself. Nicolai accompanied her during this, observing as she started setting up her radios in her chosen room.
From one of the radios, Nicolai heard a word that drew his attention.
¡®Traders¡ªinformation, any available. Find¡ªwe pay¡ª¡®
He moved over to the radio, turning it up and putting his ear closer, hearing it over the background burble of the others.
¡®¡ªvery highly. We can provide several reward packages, providing the information leads us accurately to them. One-hundred Oma crystals, handed over to you. Or, join the Chosen in a leadership role, being allowed to keep your Seed, and any who join with you may also keep their Seeds. You and your friends will each receive a gun and other equipment, and you personally will receive ten Oma crystals. All we need is the information of where we can find these black masked Traders, and their leader¡ªa dangerous, murderous individual. We implore our friends within the castle to be wary of this individual, who we believe has murdered several of the groups who went to trade with him. We have found that he was a wanted criminal on Earth. A vicious killer, hunted by authorities¡¡¯
Nicolai¡¯s eyes narrowed as the voice continued to slander him. Vikrum was acting quick.
The Chosen¡¯s power and influence in the area was the result of two factors.
One: Manpower. As the biggest group in the area, who seemingly also had all most of the more heavily augmented people in this place under their banner, Vikrum¡¯s Elites.
Two: Control of the Trade Link. They did not deal in Trade Link goods, instead they hoarded them and had used them to gain a significant edge early on. Now, Nicolai was gradually grinding that edge away as he continued to sell weaponry to the other groups.
He had identified the Chosen as an enemy in this place quite some time ago, but remained hidden from them. They made big waves, while he avoided doing the same, and so he¡¯d had an advantage of knowing of them before they knew of him. But, unavoidably, now they were no longer in the dark and were coming for him.
This changed nothing in general terms. He would continue to operate as secretly as possible. But it did mean he would have to be doubly cautious, most especially when going to trade. Any trade meet they went to could be a trap, setup by a group who¡¯d taken the Chosen on their offer.
Nicolai moved across the room to where Perro and Azure were plugging stuff in. The pair seemed very excited by Maxine¡¯s presence, and looked to be doing their best to become her assistants.
¡®How are you two doing?¡¯ he asked pleasantly.
¡®Pluggin¡¯ away, boss,¡¯ muttered Azure, connecting leads to a piece of equipment.
¡®Great,¡¯ said a grinning Perro. ¡®It¡¯s amazing to meet her. I listened to her all the time. She really wants the best for us all, you know? I think this coalition¡ª¡®
¡®Wonderful,¡¯ broke in Nicolai. ¡®I have a job for you two, follow me.¡¯
They exchanged confused glances then followed him toward where various Radios were piled up, emitting noise. He handed two to the pair, both set the channels where the Chosen were droning out their words.
¡®Do you hear that?¡¯ he asked them needlessly.
¡®¡ªvicious murderer, a wanted criminal, an insane Raw¡ª¡® crooned one of the Radios.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
¡®They¡¯re, uh, talking about you,¡¯ said Perro, blinking at him. ¡®They¡¯ve been doing that for a while.¡¯
¡®They¡¯re talking about all of us,¡¯ Nicolai corrected him. ¡®Obviously their words are simple slander. In fact, back on Earth I worked in mergers and acquisitions.¡¯ He held the Radios out, and the pair took them. He smiled. ¡®Disrupt them.¡¯
Perro eyed the Radio uncertainly, but Azure immediately tapped the microphone button, a gleeful grin on her face.
¡®¡ªcompletely untrustworthy¡ª¡®
¡®What¡¯s up shitlips? Hey, hey, how¡¯s Vikrum¡¯s dick cheese taste?¡¯ She giggled foully.
¡®Don¡¯t you dare. You goddamn filth. You fucking trash kids! Why are you stupid fucks always trying to ruin¡ª¡¯ the Radio started snarling and didn¡¯t stop, and Azure let out a peal of joyful laughter.
Nicolai nodded approvingly, and eyed Perro meaningfully.
###
He ended the evening in his room.
¡®Things are bad, Nicolai,¡¯ came a voice, Kleos. ¡®From what the others say, and the shaking of the castle¡ you need to get me to the Coffin. As soon as possible.¡¯
Nicolai stared at the wall and the wall stared back at him. They were doing that a lot recently.
¡®Nicolai? Are you hearing me?¡¯
¡®Uh.¡¯ He blinked. The shadows scattered. Nicolai¡¯s breath streamed out of him. ¡®Just a little further,¡¯ he murmured. Need to keep myself occupied.
His mind delved briefly inside, checking the state of his forming Nodes in his kidneys and windpipe. The Small Silver Ant Symbiote was moving amongst them, as it had been doing ever since he first activated it, draining the substantial amount of Oma it required to do so.
They were advancing at a greater rate than his two lung Nodes had due to the helper Symbiote. He estimated they would be done in perhaps two or three days.
But there was a problem, one that led him to pull a crystal and drain it, then four more. His Nodes had been nearly empty. The Soul rot was a new source of expenditure. It took more Oma than the three Nodes and the Small Silver Ant combined, and all that Oma was only going to stem its spread, stop it digging even further into his Soul.
He despised the fact that this Oma was being wasted, going only to stop a problem from growing worse rather than to making him stronger. He loathed the faint interference, the fuzziness of sight, that now stained his Soul Sense. He¡¯d counted his Oma crystals and knew that previously he¡¯d have gotten the three new Nodes done without much loss. Now he¡¯d be losing more than half his stock.
¡®Nicolai?¡¯ asked Kleos. The head sounded worried.
Nicolai summoned a smile and faced Kleos. ¡®I¡¯ll get you to the Coffin, don¡¯t worry about that. For now, let¡¯s discuss recipes.¡¯ He had yet to learn Kleos¡¯ recipes, nor had he shared those from the Memory Tome with the head.
Kleos frowned. ¡®I agreed I¡¯d share them with you, but only you.¡¯ The head glared at Maric. ¡®I won¡¯t speak them while he¡¯s here.¡¯
¡®Hey, what¡¯s the problem?¡¯ asked Maric, eyes flaring blue. ¡®You think I can¡¯t provide, too? If you¡¯re sharing recipes, I have some of my own I can share in return.¡¯
Kleos snorted. ¡®I know many. I doubt you know even a quarter what I do.¡¯
Nicolai shrugged. ¡®For now it will just be me and Kleos. Maric will be sharing his recipes with me later.¡¯
¡®What?¡¯
¡®As part of your efforts to prove you are trustworthy.¡¯
¡®Ah,¡¯ said Maric, glumly.
Once he¡¯d put Maric in another room he talked with Kleos. It took some time, deep into the evening. Kleos did indeed know many recipes, and was hungry for those from the Memory Tome.
Once that was done he left to retrieve Maric, but on the way was surprised to see Jo curled up on one of the inflatable couches, alone, back turned to him. For a moment he thought she was sleeping, something that caused him a degree of shock. How could someone sleep in so open an are?
But as he gently closed the door, she stirred and threw a glance over her shoulder. There came a strange noise. He saw her rubbing at her nose and she turned her face away, but he saw the tears.
Nicolai froze, the wheels of his mind grinding to a halt. Why was she crying? Was he supposed to do something in response to this, in his role as Leader of the Group? The Mask was stirring, and he felt its worry and concern.
Irritation warred with unease within him. He wanted Maric¡¯s recipes, but he had told the Mask he would work together with it. It considered whatever was going on extremely important. He didn¡¯t understand why but that was normal. He sighed, deciding he could spare a moment to ensure she was mentally sound.
However, talking to distraught people was not his strong point. He let the Mask move his mouth. ¡®Why¡¡¯ he began, still unsure about it all, ¡®are you crying?¡¯
She shook her head, still turned away from him.
¡®Sorry.¡¯ She laughed. A¡ sad¡ laugh. ¡®I don¡¯t know. Sometimes I just think a bit too much, that¡¯s it.¡¯ She peered over her shoulder at him. ¡®Do you ever do that? Just sit there and worry until you get upset?¡¯
He tilted his head, thinking of times sat in the dark, of writhing shadows and blood on his hands. ¡®In a way.¡¯ His Mask was pushing at him, fixing tighter into him and onto him. He turned his face away as his features twitched. He smoothed them out and made his way forward and around the sofa. He considered the seats and found none acceptable.
He felt Jo¡¯s silent puzzlement as he picked up one of the solid wooden chairs and re-positioned it and sat down.
¡®Don¡¯t want to sit too close to me?¡¯ she asked, and he detected hurt in her tone. The chair had previously been beside her sofa.
Habit made him want to lie. He always hid his processes and methods from others when possible. The less they knew of how he thought and why he did things, the harder it would be for them to predict his actions in the event they became enemies. But the Mask was insistent, arguing that creating some lie would just upset her while the truth was ultimately insignificant.
Nicolai breathed slowly out of his nose. ¡®It¡¯s not that. I want to be able to see the exits.¡¯ He gestured to the doorways, all within his view from where he sat. ¡®In case there is an attack.¡¯
She frowned. ¡®But there¡¯s cameras out there. And you can see all around you with Soul Sense, right? I can.¡¯
¡®Yes.¡¯ The silence dragged a moment as she stared at him, and the Mask pressed. ¡®I like¡¡¯ he ground out, ¡®to see¡ with my own eyes.¡¯ Each admission felt like a hole poked in his stomach, but at the same time there was a strange excitement, something odd and new and interesting. He could feel that this was being human.
She was leaning forward, now, staring at him intently. ¡®Are you always thinking like that? Always ready for attack?¡¯
His gaze turned increasingly cool in response to the continued prying. ¡®I think about lots of things.¡¯ The Mask threw up mental hands in frustration.
Her eyes narrowed with similar frustration. ¡®Don¡¯t dodge the question.¡¯
His narrowed in turn. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with being prepared?¡¯
¡®I didn¡¯t say anything was.¡¯
¡®Your manner implied it.¡¯
She chuckled, sitting back. She was grinning.
¡®What?¡¯
¡®I riled you.¡¯
He blinked at her, then snorted, unaccountable amused. She seemed so pleased with herself. It was¡ what was the word? Cute, said his Mask. His mind spun for a moment and then he remembered why he¡¯d sat down here in the first place. ¡®Let¡¯s return to the original subject. You were upset. I asked why. You said you tended to sit and overthink.¡¯ Nicolai wasn¡¯t sure if his own times, sat in the dark, stewing and spiralling, were similar or not, but he supposed he could give some tips. That was human, too. Then he¡¯d fetch Maric and learn the skull¡¯s recipes.
¡®I find¡¡¯ he began slowly, ¡®that when dark thoughts overwhelm you, it is best to think on what you can do. If there is a problem, how can you solve it? It is better to spend your time thinking on that, than anything else. Even if it is difficult, if you consider it long enough, you will hit upon a solution.¡¯
She smiled, and there was something he couldn¡¯t identify in her eyes. ¡®I¡¯ve heard that before. Just deal with it, right?¡¯ She stretched like a cat, yawning. ¡®That¡¯s easier for you than for me, I think. I¡¯m not as capable.¡¯
¡®You¡¯re significantly more capable than the majority of people here.¡¯ His Mask pushed a question from his lips. ¡®What are you worried about?¡¯
She stilled, smile fading, and looked away. ¡®Everything. The undead. The bugs. The shaking of the castle. The Chosen.¡¯ She looked up, right at him. ¡®And you.¡¯
¡®Me?¡¯
She was chewing at her lip. ¡®Earlier, when you spoke about the Coalition to Maxine, I felt something from you. Leaking from your Soul. A kind of¡ hunger.¡¯
He stared blankly at her, and as he did he felt and saw her gathering her courage.
¡®Was the Demon trying to¡ trying to get into you? Did it get into you?¡¯
He was beginning to regret ever sitting down. He should¡¯ve just got Maric and ignored her. His Mask was bumping up and down, and he felt an urge to grab it and rip it clean off. He raised his hands.
¡®What are you trying to say, Jo?¡¯
¡®I¡¯m asking if you¡¯re serious about it, about what you said.¡¯
¡®What was that?¡¯
¡®I don¡¯t know how things will go with the Chosen. But if it does all fall apart¡ will you stick with us?¡¯
That wasn¡¯t quite the question he¡¯d expected. He¡¯d worried she¡¯d ask if he was serious about peace with the Chosen. ¡®I will. I care about you.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t sure if he was lying or not.
Abruptly she squirmed out of the sofa, a typically ungainly affair she made lithe and graceful, and then she was coming towards him. There was a flush to her face and she was looking at either his mouth or his neck. From her face and body and Soul he read uncertainty, determination, excitement.
Nicolai lunged to his feet and slipped back away from her. ¡®What are you doing?¡¯
She stopped and narrowed her eyes, and now she wore a confident little smile. ¡®Why are you running?¡¯
Because I don¡¯t want to lose Control. The Mask was writhing on his face but the Thrill and even the Dark were stirring, too. The way she moved and the curves of her body was making him think of the excesses of his past. Losses of Control.
¡®I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡¯
¡®You won¡¯t.¡¯
I might.
His back hit the wall and she was still coming. His eyes flicked to the side, tracking her hand as she touched his forearm, ran it slowly upwards.
This is a bad idea.
¡®I know what you¡¯re thinking. That this is a bad idea.¡¯
His eyes widened.
She smiled. ¡®Sometimes your face says it all.¡¯ Her hand wormed behind his neck and she rose on her tiptoes and kissed him.
Within him, the Dark and the Thrill and the Mask all crashed and warred, a sea surging within his consciousness, and he was a boat trying to stay upright on top of it all. He felt himself snarl then the world blurred and they were reversed, he was holding Jo against the wall and against him, gazing down. Control.
She stared up, lips slightly parted, a challenge in her eyes.
He could feel how he balanced upon an edge, a precipice either side, and he didn¡¯t know which one was right. The Modules, buzzing with curiosity, endlessly hungry for human emotion, came up behind him. And they suggested a solution: the Zero-Twelve state. His mind linked together.
¡®Come with me,¡¯ he murmured in her ear.
###
He had been lying there on his back, for some time. She was beside him, asleep. He felt strangely and unusually calm, his mind empty.
Much to do, came the first thought in some time. He stirred, turned his head and saw her back, facing away from him. His Soul Sense checked the area, and Threat Analysis checked the cameras. All was well. It was still night, perhaps a few hours from morning.
For a time he simply watched her. She was so still, so pale. He couldn¡¯t even hear her breathing. Is she breathing?
A dull horror broke over him, turning into an unease that was almost a panic which wrenched him into action. He grabbed at her and turned her over.
¡®Mmm?¡¯ she mumbled sleepily, lolling.
He let out a tight breath and rose to his feet. He dressed quickly as she woke and watched him.
¡®You need to go,¡¯ he said.
¡®Why?¡¯
¡®Because¡¡¯ He snarled soundlessly. He¡¯d failed. This could have been bad. The Dark was all through him, he could feel it. And yet, it seemed well balanced. The Mask was there too, and it had roots of its own all through his Soul.
What they¡¯d done, had it helped him or harmed him?
He couldn¡¯t tell, it was impossible to be sure. Regardless, it constitutes a loss of Control. He shot at glance at Jo, and she met it easily. Too easily. He¡¯d allowed her to get too close. He could feel it. On his face, the Mask stirred.
Isn¡¯t she perfect? it spoke, and Nicolai¡¯s eyes widened with horror because he felt what it was feeling.
The Mask had just decided that it ¡°loved¡± her, and that realisation made him want to slam someone¡¯s head into a brick wall. Maybe hers. Maybe his.
¡®How about¡ª¡® she began.
His arm moved and his finger unfurled to point at the door.
¡®Get. Out.¡¯ He pronounced the words in frigid tones.
She gaped at him. ¡®What¡¯s the matter?¡¯
¡®You.¡¯ The way the Mask thrashed and cried made him want to vomit. You fucked her and now you love her?! Pathetic! It disgusted him! These are merely hormones, mere instincts to find a mate and procreate! He refused to be led by them, and if the Mask had decided to champion them then he would quarantine it. He grabbed and pulled, and it cried as it was wrenched from his face, down his neck to his chest where he left it, its influence on him significantly reduced. At least until it clambered back up.
And as to Jo¡
She was staring at him, pity in her eyes. ¡®It¡¯s the demon, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ she asked.
He lunged forward and grabbed her, and she yelped as he dragged her from the bed and dumped her on the floor. ¡®Put your clothes on and get out.¡¯
¡®What the fuck?! Fine!¡¯ She squirmed in a way that reminded him of last night, somehow both pleasant and horrible.
He turned away as she dressed¡ªangrily¡ªand ignored her as she stomped to the door. It slammed behind her.
Job done.
He moved over to the bucket and pulled Kleos out. The head gave him a look, eyebrows raised.
¡®I would¡¯ve appreciated if you¡¯d done that in a different room,¡¯ it said.
Nicolai grimaced and put the head on a table before leaving and fetching Maric. He¡¯d wasted time, now to get back to business.
¡®Recipes,¡¯ he said. The skull was surprisingly willing, making no complaint as it listed its recipes, even though Kleos was able to hear. Nicolai regarded this with some suspicion.
Nicolai stored Maric¡¯s Symbiote recipes in a separate part of his mind, mentally splitting them from those Kleos and the Memory Tome had given him. This process was one common to people of Earth, or at least those who bothered to learn how to use their BSI¡¯s properly. Basic brain implants tended to have only bring minor benefits in terms of increasing the users actual thinking speed. But, when used well it could be used to somewhat manage ones mind. Thoughts and memories within the fleshy matter could be tagged and tracked, though the degree to which one could do this was limited by the closeness of their link to their augments.
Both Kleos and the Memory Tome were trustable sources of information. But Maric, who he had no Contract with, was not. When being given such a volume of information, it would be easier than normal to slip one or two minor lies in. Lies that could prove expensive for Nicolai, if he were to miss them.
So he took in the information, but not blindly. If in the future he used any of the recipes Maric had given him, it would be with the proper level of caution. These actions and thoughts calmed him. Unlike the increasing complexity of his uncertainties with the Mask and Jo and everything else, it was simple and obvious.
It was morning now, the others beginning to rise. Jo hadn¡¯t left her room yet. He imagined she was saying all kinds of things about him to Beth. The Mask twined over his chest and towards his neck, gradually climbing higher. Probably¡ he could have done that in a less harsh manner. Different wording might have been better.
But it was done now and that was for the best. On top of that, in spite of lowering the Mask, the dark still seemed in balance and under his control.
Everything was fine.
181: Odd Tree People
¡®He¡¯s such an asshole!¡¯ Jo snarled, slamming the door behind her.
¡®Whuh? Whsat?¡¯ mumbled Beth, starting awake. ¡®Nnngh,¡¯ she groaned, covering her eyes as Jo flipped the desk light on.
¡®Him!¡¯ Jo growled.
¡®Him?¡¯ Beth blinked at her, then her eyes flashed momentarily as she checked her BIS. ¡®Oh, it¡¯s the middle of the night. That¡¯s why I feel so tired.¡¯ She gave Jo an irritated look, then she frowned and her eyes widened, taking in Jo¡¯s dishevelled state. ¡®Wait¡ what have you been up to?¡¯
Jo gave the details while striding angrily around the room. He was so endlessly frustrating. It¡¯d been a little impulsive but she¡¯d known that inside, he was crying out for some companionship. She¡¯d thought that after last night he would be a changed man. But no! Almost instantly, even after what they¡¯d experienced, he¡¯d flipped back to cold-and-grim. He was impossible. Hot then cold and for no apparent reason.
¡®Well, what¡¯d you expect?¡¯ said Beth, who¡¯d sat up while she talked and now slouched against the wall. ¡®There¡¯s no predicting that guy.¡¯ She snorted. ¡®So, uh¡ how was it?¡¯
¡®How was what?¡¯
¡®You know.¡¯ Beth grinned at her. ¡®I always wondered. I mean the crazy guy has to be great in bed, right?¡¯
¡®Fuck off, Beth! Is that all you ever think about?¡¯
¡®Okay okay, jeez. I was just asking. I¡¯ll wait until you¡¯ve calmed down a bit¡ sooo, what now?¡¯
¡®What d¡¯you mean?¡¯
¡®Giving up?¡¯
Jo narrowed her eyes. ¡®I¡¯ll wait and see.¡¯ There was still something there. But he needed to be punished for his recent behaviour. ¡®He¡¯s so annoying.¡¯
¡®Annoying, huh?¡¯ Beth was grinning. ¡®Okay.¡¯
¡®What? What ¡°okay¡±?¡¯
¡®Nothing.¡¯ Beth yawned. ¡®I¡¯d like to get back to sleep, if that¡¯s all.¡¯
¡®That¡¯s all,¡¯ grumbled Jo, staring at the door.
###
Nicolai was woken early the next morning, receiving an alert from Threat Analysis.
There¡¯s that message again, it said, drawing his awareness to the cage. Faintly emanating from the hole within, he heard the cry of the Unwinder.
Paxolnaz is unable to watch me. He allowed himself to relax a little, and his mind wandered, thinking on things he tended to restrict himself on. After doing so, he added a few more items to his wishlist at the Trade Link. It was worth attempting to activate more Modules within him, to reach closer still to a more Zero-Twelve-like state. That was proven to help him control the dark.
Money on his mind, that day Nicolai¡¯s focus was on setting up more trades. Maxine had been busy. She¡¯d finished setting up her radio equipment, and was back online. Now she was spreading the word about the imminent destruction of the castle, the safety of the Trade Link. She was entertaining frequent call-ins, trying to get in touch with leadership of the various groups in the area.
This was quite useful, as through her he was also able to get the information of groups interested in trading; places to meet with representatives who could arrange a trade.
However, that morning also saw the clean up after the great battle the day before, which thousands of freshly resurrected undead were streaming through the castle, heading back to their posts en-masse, which kept everyone cooped up inside.
During this time he barely talked to Jo, who had been subjecting him to a chilly glare every time she saw him. Beth had clearly heard about everything and in contrast showed nothing but amusement, treating both him and Jo to eye raises and shrugs, apparently communicating, what can you do?
Only in the afternoon was Nicolai able to setup a singular trade. They went into it with significant caution, wary of a Chosen ambush.
Fortunately there were no issues, the trade going off without a hitch, gaining. Nicolai a further 6,000 points.
With that he had around 19,000 points, halfway to 40,000, the amount he needed for the skin-suit. He¡¯d intended to purchase it as soon as possible, but that had changed. Now, he needed even more; 70,000 for an anti-material rifle. He had decided to prioritise killing the Angel. It was a risk, as he had increasingly pressing need for a Skin Suit, but dealing with Paxolnaz and the Black Gift was his overriding goal.
He was getting low on food for some of his Symbiotes. The Grasping Finger was in the most danger. It had only been about three-quarters fed when he took it from the praying mantis which had carried it, and he hadn¡¯t found any food for it in the meantime. Now, it was down to less than a quarter ¡°fullness.¡±
It had become one of his most useful Symbiotes. Less powerful in the moment than the Blue Hornet, but in terms of utility it had endless possibilities. In concert with the Pegasi ring it allowed quick movement through the air towards nearby chunks of environment. It could be used to disarm enemies, or pull them off balance and towards him. It could be used to take or steal things from others. It could even be used to kill, in some situations.
He knew that if he allowed it to run out of food, it would begin to starve. Then he¡¯d only have a couple of days before it died, even less if he used its Art while it was starving.
Getting more food for it had thus become a short-term priority. Its food wasn¡¯t available from the Trade Link, he¡¯d have to go into the jungle.
Beyond that was a more crucial demand. Nicolai needed to complete the Lotus Soul Trap as soon as possible, in case he was ultimately forced to go to the sword. Paxolnaz had said that when he did so, the sword¡¯s current holder would attempt to steal his body. The Lotus Blossom Soul Trap was to allow him to capture the attacking Soul rather than be overwhelmed by it.
Nicolai had regarded this Symbiote, and its recipe, with some distrust ever since the realisation of Paxolnaz¡¯s true aims. But he had found the recipe in the Memory Tome, which matched the one given to him by Paxolnaz, and it also described the Lotus Blossom Symbiote alongside the Lotus Blossom Soul Trap Symbiote.
Lotus Blossom Symbiote
This Symbiote acts as a vehicle and catalyst. It is often used in Symbiote Refinement and the creation of Artifacts. Most commonly it is used to create quasi-Artifacts by the empowering of a Ritual. With so many uses, it is prised by Cultivators and always fetches a good price in trade.
Lotus Blossom Soul Trap Symbiote
A very basic semi-Artifact, this is a Soul Trap Ritual empowered by a Lotus Blossom Symbiote. It is capable of trapping the Souls of Tier 2 Cultivators. In this basic form, the Symbiote requires more than Oma to function. It must be powered with Soul energy, typically in the form of Tier 1 Souls.
He¡¯d shared the recipe with Kleos and Maric, and had also examined it in comparison to the logic shown in the other recipes he had learned. So far as they could tell, the recipe should work exactly as described. He worried that somehow Paxolnaz might have altered the Memory Tome to contain the recipe, but if so, there seemed no way for him to know for sure, except perhaps asking the Angel. But the Centipedes wouldn¡¯t be letting him anywhere near it, not again.
Lotus Blossom Symbiotes grew on spiritual plants, he knew that, and he also knew that the upper-jungle didn¡¯t have any. None that qualified, anyway. He¡¯d spent quite some time in the upper-jungle and had seen that it was quite different to the true jungle below.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
The upper jungle was safer, with weaker creatures and a notable lack of parasites. But it also held much less of value. He¡¯d found Natural Resources and a Symbiote on his first trip into the true jungle, but hadn¡¯t found any of either in the upper in all his time there. The trees and plants there also felt different to him than those below. Weaker, spiritually.
This only increased his need for the skin-suit, because it meant he would need to venture into the true jungle for what he needed. He¡¯d been lucky, last time, happening to find food for two of his Symbiotes relatively fast, but he knew that he was unlikely to be so lucky again.
Without the skin suit, moving through the jungle would be difficult. He knew now that they had been very lucky the first time they¡¯d gone out there. After his time spent reading through the Memory Tome about creatures of this world, he knew that many had very powerful senses of smell. On top of that, the beings they had encountered were on the bottom of the food chain. Something far more dangerous could easily have turned up.
The skin suit, with its complete sealing of his body, would allow him to hide his scent while also protecting him from parasites. Many of these were spiritual in nature and might be especially bad for him while he was infected with the Soul rot.
So Nicolai had pressing need both for the skin-suit, and an anti-material rifle. That meant points, lots of them and quickly.
But, frustratingly, after that first trade of the day he was unable to set up anymore. Maxine worked the radios, seeking out groups willing to trade, but they all seemed to be busy. Likely recovering after the chaos of the day before.
This led Nicolai to opt to seek out a trade more directly. He knew the locations of the bases of several groups. The Communists and the Tree People were the two more major bases he knew of, but there were several smaller groups Daksh had told him of. All should have some points to spare, but the larger groups would have the most.
The Communists had spent almost all they¡¯d had on the last trade, but by now they¡¯d had time to complete challenges, get into fights, and recruit more members. Still, he wasn¡¯t certain as to whether they¡¯d have the amount he needed, and he doubted the smaller groups would have enough.
The Tree People, on the other hand, he was reasonably sure hadn¡¯t spent all their points in his last trade with them. They were a very numerous group, even larger than the Communists, and more people equalled more Challenges, which equalled more points and Oma crystals.
He reckoned he¡¯d only gained about half of what they¡¯d had available, even with all his price gouging, due to the limitation of how much stock he¡¯d had at the time. They¡¯d bought pretty much everything. Plus they must¡¯ve gained more by now. He had been careful to inform them of every simple Challenge he knew.
As he considered the Tree People, his thoughts also turned to the Tree they worshipped. That tree was on another level to the ones in the upper jungle, clearly a powerful Spirit Tree, stronger than any of the ones he¡¯d encountered in his short trip into the true jungle.
The Memory Tome had contained information on such Spiritual Plants. According to what he¡¯d learned, as a Spirit Tree developed they began to grow a consciousness, becoming aware of themselves and their surroundings. It was a slow process, taking hundreds or even thousands of years. Such trees should be exactly the kind that might grow a Lotus Blossom.
This realisation had been all that was necessary for Nicolai to opt to surprise the Tree People with a trade. During the trade he¡¯d be able to get a look at the Tree. He felt it unlikely he¡¯d find a Lotus Blossom Symbiote on it, simply because he favoured pessimism, but it was worth checking.
The journey to the Tree People¡¯s home took longer than the last time, as Nicolai was once more forced to work out a new route due to the shifting of the castle. He was wary of encountering left over combatants from the battle, but all that they found were corpses, the journey uneventful.
The Tree People¡¯s home came into view as he poked his head out of a doorway, gesturing for the others to wait as he observed.
He found himself relieved by the simple fact the Tree People¡¯s place was still there. He¡¯d felt there to be decent odds it might have came away from the castle and fallen below in the latest quake. A second moment of relief came when he spotted guards on the walls, as he¡¯d further feared the group might opt to up stakes and move.
If he¡¯d been one of them he would have done so, regardless of the tree. Their home was attached to one side of this bastion like a great stone limpet, and seemed extremely vulnerable to the quakes. In fact, peering at it now, he saw the bridge showed fresh cracks up and down its length, and was now at a faint angle. The walls above likewise had cracks worming through them. In his opinion the place wouldn¡¯t be there much longer.
¡®What¡¯s the hold up?¡¯ came a voice from behind, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Cait staring at him, her face covered by a black balaclava, the same as he wore. ¡®We gonna trade with these people, or not?¡¯
¡®In a moment,¡¯ he said. ¡®I¡¯m thinking.¡¯ His eyes skimmed over the others beside her, who also wore their masks.
He had brought Jo, Beth, John, Cait and Daksh with him, likewise masked. Not a big group, but he felt these were the most competent people available. He reflected that in a way it truly was a shame he¡¯d had to kill Karl. Despite the man¡¯s grating manner, he had been quite capable.
He might still have brought more, but Perro and Azure had been determined to stay with Maxine. Elena had also descended into another funk, and he¡¯d come to realise her previous one wasn¡¯t entirely result of Karl¡¯s death. The woman didn¡¯t respond well to battle.
He hadn¡¯t seen any point in asking old Ben, Sara, Maxine, or naturally, Katie, to come on the trip. Maxine was better placed at the radios and the others were, in his opinion, unlikely to be able to keep up. Old Ben was also quite useful; provided more tools and equipment, he had expanded from constructing Soul Traps to servicing weapons and gear. Nicolai¡¯s estimation of the man was steadily rising.
Looking out at the walls of the Tree People¡¯s bastion once again, Nicolai eyes returned to the figures on the walls. He activated his artificial lenses, zooming in to look closer. There was a notable difference to the last time he¡¯d been here. This time, they armed with the guns he¡¯d sold them last time.
The Tree People were weak and soft. The five behind him, especially Jo and Beth, were hardened fighters in comparison. Not to mention, Nicolai himself. But even so, with so few against such a numerous and now, well-armed group, he had to take precautions. More precautions than last time.
Nicolai turned and explained his plan to the others. Jo and Beth simply nodded, ready and willing. Daksh appeared uncertain, looking to Cait and John, but they were nodding also.
¡®Let¡¯s go.¡¯
They moved rapidly, jogging to the front of the bridge. The guards on the distant walls reacted when they were halfway there, stirring and pointing, and Cyberwarfare detected a sussurrus in the Local as the far group began sending Link messages to one another.
Nicolai joined them, passing his own broadcast to Daksh who activated his Link arm to send it out more strongly, washing over the outcrop.
¡®We have come to trade. Do not be afraid. We mean no harm. You traded with us before, remember? We are the traders who sold you those guns. We have come to trade.¡¯
The message continued, repeating, in order to ensure the point got across. This was necessary, as Nicolai and the groups next behaviour was rather aggressive.
Arriving at the bridge, Cait, John, and Daksh crouched low behind the guardwalls beside the bridge, dumping the bags of goods beside them. Meanwhile Nicolai, Jo, and Beth simply stepped up onto the guardwalls then hopped off, drones rising above and into the air to streak towards the castle. With activated Pegasi rings they floated below the bridge. The same trick as last time, as Nicolai thought it unlikely the Tree Huggers would have managed to come up with any kind of counter to it. In fact, he doubted they¡¯d even have tried.
In contrast, Nicolai and his people were better equipped and more experienced than ever. He held an assault rifle, loot from the cyborgs, and the AA-12 was slung over his back. He had plenty of magazines for both. Jo had an SMG in her hands and a new, better sniper on her back. Beth carried the other assault rifle. Their gear was also improved in other respects; better bullet-proof vests and more grenades.
¡®Who is that? The trader?¡¯ came a voice through the Local, one Nicolai recognised. Pot Helmet.
¡®It¡¯s me,¡¯ he replied. ¡®We¡¯re coming up to check all is well, then we shall trade with you, as we agreed we would at this time.¡¯
The drones were now skimming over the Tree People¡¯s walls, giving a view inside. He saw fewer people than last time, but other than that not much had changed. Not much, excepting one thing. As the tree itself came into view, he was shown a stark difference, one that gave him pause.
The tree had grown. Not up, but out. Where before its branches had been high and spread, now they appeared to have wilted, and grown far more leafy. It reminded him of a willow. The trees trunk was now hidden, wrapped by a thick outer layer of branches, a shimmering green dress rustling gently in the wind.
An odd change, but Nicolai was well aware that he knew very little about Spiritual Trees. The information in the Memory Tome was more of a quick-and-wide summary of different beings. It gave the standout information and useful facts, such as what could be gained from such trees, rather than an in-depth analysis.
He supposed this must be the next stage in the process of evolution the Memory Tome had briefly mentioned such trees went through. More irritatingly, the covering of branches meant that he couldn¡¯t have the drones observe it from a distance in order to check for Lotus Blossoms, as he¡¯d intended. They would struggle to get through the thickly leafed wall of branches, too. If he wanted to have a look, he¡¯d have to get closer.
¡®Wonderful! It is good to see you again, please come over!¡¯ the voice of Pot Helmet replied.
Nicolai, floating beneath the bridge ahead of Jo and Beth, frowned. That¡¯s quite the attitude change from last time. He¡¯d had a gaslighting little story spun and ready to go. Pot Helmet should have said something like: ¡°What? But we didn¡¯t make any agreement to meet for another trade now!¡± and Nicolai would have said, ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? We set a trade up for today.¡±
And then Pot Helmet would have started blathering on about how he didn¡¯t remember that at all, and Nicolai would have said there must have been some mix-up, but, oh well, they were here now, might as well trade. This was all calculated to help him work his way in, keeping the man occupied as they rose and secured the wall top, and convincing Pot Helmet to think that maybe he had in some way agreed to this and all was fine, pushing through the initial wall of reactive unease that Nicolai and the others springing up unannounced would cause.
But instead, the man had no problems. He was eager, even.
¡®Where are you? Are you coming in now?¡¯ came pot-helmet¡¯s voice.
Nicolai had now reached the far side, and he stopped beneath the bridge, right up beneath their gatehouse. He didn¡¯t need the wary chiming of Threat Analysis to know that Something Was Off.
182: Come to the Tree!
¡®How have you all been?¡¯ he asked, opting to begin prying into the man before he made any serious moves. Jo and Beth were making questioning faces at him. Jo mouthed: What¡¯s up? He was glad to see that, for now at least, she¡¯d decided to put the events of last night aside.
He shrugged, because he wasn¡¯t sure, and made a face and gesture that said something¡¯s off. The drones circled around the walled area, and he saw people down below peering up. They looked much as they had last time, though he noted they seemed to have given up on the attempts to farm the soil he¡¯d spied earlier. Their badly-crafted hoes lay abandoned beside the drunkenly meandering furrows they¡¯d cut through the ground.
¡®What? We¡¯re all fine. Come on in.¡¯
¡®Anything happen? There was an earthquake. You didn¡¯t have any problems?¡¯
¡®No, no, we¡¯re all fine. Are you coming in?¡¯
Every single time the man spoke he told Nicolai and the others to come in. There was something desperate about him. The last time, the man¡¯s fear and unease and even affrontedness had been quite an encouragement, a sign that he had no hidden cards, no tricks to play.
That was now missing entirely.
A tiny thrill birthed in Nicolai¡¯s chest. His desire to be human, to be better, had precluded him from simply murdering these people and taking what he wanted. But if they intended to betray him, all bets were off. A smile cracked his lips.
¡®I see your people with the goods on the far side of the bridge. Please send them over! We¡¯re ready to trade.¡¯
Nicolai snorted. Pot Helmet needed to brush up on his acting.
¡®One moment. We must deliberate,¡¯ he replied.
Should he do anything different? The drones showed the men on the walls with the guns, and there weren¡¯t that many of them. Not to mentioned they were positioned fairly stupidly.
If Nicolai had been in charge of defending this place he¡¯d have had them in spots where they could all see and cover one another, spread out in pairs. There were towers either side of the gatehouse, some distance along the walls, though both of these were heavily damaged with the entrances collapsed, blocking them from use. Or at least, these peoples¡¯ use. Even if he didn¡¯t have a Pegasi ring, Nicolai would have fashioned a rope ladder or some other method and created a route for guards to get up there. They were the best positions available.
Instead of any of that, the guards were in the same positions as last time; mostly concentrated in two groups on the walls either side of the gatehouse, which acted as a barrier between them, cutting them apart and preventing them from helping one another. There were a few more armed individuals on the ground between the walls and the tree, who would be almost entirely useless in response to a surprise assault.
Were he, Jo and Beth to rise on one side, they would be able to quickly overcome one of the groups, and then pause to reload and ready themselves for the next group while taking up good positions to fire on the people on the ground.
His Mask twisted over his face. It was saying: he should make sure this was a trap before going in, guns blazing. Maybe Pot Helmet actually, truly did just¡ trust him. Actually thought that there was no danger and no reason to be upset at Nicolai¡¯s unannounced arrival. Perhaps he had no ulterior motives; perhaps he was simply a fool.
Nicolai had to admit this would somewhat match up with what he knew of the man. But fool or not, Pot Helmet and his group had come off like frightened little birds last time. They should be reacting with fright, not opened arms.
He chewed his lips. He¡¯d been ignoring his Mask more and more recently. He was aware that the darkness within him was gradually gaining influence. Just that morning, before they¡¯d left, he¡¯d been thinking that he needed to accept his Mask more often. To not shrug it off. This tied into his need to restrain and control the dark, as the Mask was clearly helpful in that regard. But every time he found himself faced with its urges, he discovered he only wished to ignore them. This latest schism between them, its insane feelings for Jo, only worsened matters.
There was a sharp spike of pain from his lip and he tasted blood. He carefully relaxed his mouth, tonguing at the self-made wound his overchewing had caused. A pulse of annoyance rolled through him, and his urge to throw the Mask aside increased.
His face twisted, his Mask digging its roots painfully into him. The urge to rip it from his face rose within him, but he made himself press it down.
I will¡ listen.
He pressed a hand to his face, pushing his Mask deeper into his Soul, handing over a little more influence to it.
Nicolai turned to Jo and Beth, who clustered, floating behind him. They stared back, black masks on their faces and guns in their hands. He tried his best to ignore the way the Mask writhed when his eyes passed over Jo.Stolen novel; please report.
He had Cyberwarfare check the privacy of their connection then he spoke to the others. ¡®Something stinks here.¡¯
¡®What d¡¯you mean?¡¯ asked Beth, a quizzical frown on her face. ¡®These guys are like kids. They aren¡¯t gonna try anything.¡¯
¡®Children frequently do astonishingly stupid things,¡¯ he said. ¡®There¡¯s something up. He shouldn¡¯t be so relaxed, so happy to see us. It¡¯s not like him. I don¡¯t like it. Be wary.¡¯ He paused, considering. ¡®Regardless, we go up and take the wall. Try not to kill anyone, not unless you have to.¡¯
The girls nodded to him and their eyes, visible through the holes of their masks, tightened with what he judged to be the correct level of caution and focus.
They emerged from beneath one side of the bridge, moving with all the speed their Pegasi rings could give. Nicolai took the lead, using his second Pegasi ring to draw ahead of the others. He kept his assault rifle raised to the lip of the wall, where anyone who chose to peer over would be seen.
None of the guards up there did so. Visible through the drones above, they were standing loose and relaxed. They must be aware he was coming, but they didn¡¯t seem concerned.
He paused just below the lip, waiting for the others to catch up. In the meantime he extended his Soul Sense and felt carefully at the people beyond, searching for¡ for something. For some clue. He found nothing. They were all mortals, nothing weird going on.
The other two arrive and he moved with them, flipping over the wall, levelling his rifle at the people on the walltop.
The guards smiled at him. One of them raised a hand and waved. ¡®Great to see you again!¡¯ he said.
¡®Uh-huh.¡¯ Nicolai glared at the man. What the fuck is with these people? Threat Analysis was humming with concern within him. ¡®Put your weapons on the ground.¡¯
They put the weapons down. When they rose to face him, they were still smiling. The death-filled gaze he sunk into them would have caused a strong man to pale, but the idiotic smiles persisted. He felt his mouth twisting into a snarl and didn¡¯t care to stop it. The smiles remained.
¡®You¡¯re here!¡¯ came pot-helmet¡¯s voice. ¡®Come down, we¡¯ll meet you. Please tell your people across the bridge to come over.¡¯
¡®First things first,¡¯ began Nicolai. If these people wanted to just roll over, he might as well make use of that. ¡®Have all of your people place their weapons on the ground. Then gather before the gatehouse. This is necessary, because now that you have guns, we must be more cautious. I hope you understand.¡¯
¡®That¡¯s no bother!¡¯ said Pot Helmet. Nicolai heard the man¡¯s broadcast as he ordered them to do exactly as Nicolai had said, almost word for word.
He glanced to the side, seeing Jo and Beth. He could only see their eyes but that was enough for him to sense their confusion. They all felt it. This wasn¡¯t normal.
¡®Take position up there,¡¯ he told Jo, gesturing to the small tower emerging from the wall to their side. She nodded and rose into the air. Now that events were underway, she was all business. Good.
He turned his attention to the space beyond the wall, the people and the tree. They were all moving, calm and unhurried, towards the area before the wall. The guards on the walltop with him were placing their weapons on the ground, turning and walking to the nearby stairs.
He exchanged a glance with Beth and knew he didn¡¯t have to tell her not to let any of them get too close. From her stance and where his Soul Sense touched on hers, he sensed her unease.
They waited and watched as the Tree People gathered where he had directed, forming a crowd. They were all standing there, staring at Nicolai and Beth. There were fewer of them than had been out here last time, less than half. Nicolai had a strong feeling the others would be behind the blanketing branches of the tree. Where else?
He released his assault rifle, altering the setup of its strap so it hung straight down, out of his way, then pulled the AA-12 off his back and into his hands. It had more stopping power than the assault rifle at close range. He and Beth descended, approaching the group. As he did so, Nicolai found his steps slowing. Something within him was blaring a quiet warning, and Threat Analysis had spun up into high-gear. His Soul Sense roved around him, checking and checking. The drones controlled by Threat Analysis were split, two circling the tree, two investigating the rooms built into the wall and gatehouse. They found no one inside.
¡®We¡¯re so glad to see you,¡¯ said Pot Helmet, stepping out of the crowd, a big smile on his face. The faint aura of genial bafflement Nicolai had observed in him last time was faded. He acted different. Spoke different. Moved different. More assured. More composed.
¡®The tree has grown,¡¯ Nicolai observed, speaking across the several metres of space between him and the crowd of idiotically smiling people.
¡®That¡¯s right!¡¯ Pot Helmet grinned at him. ¡®That¡¯s why it¡¯s so great you came. Everyone has to meet the tree. You need to meet the tree.¡¯ He stepped forwards, gesturing. ¡®Come, come to the tree.¡¯
¡®Do not move,¡¯ said Nicolai, taking a step back to preserve the space between them.
¡®You have to come to the tree,¡¯ said a woman in the crowd, stepping forwards, a big smile on her face.
¡®Come to the tree,¡¯ they all said, grinning their loathsome grins.
¡®Come now, don¡¯t be foolish. You¡¯re not going to shoot us, we are unarmed.¡¯ Pot-Helmet now wore an expression as though talking to a child. A child who needed to be led towards the holy truth of whatever this madman believed. ¡®You must meet the tree. There is no other option.¡¯ He was stepping forward, striding towards Nicolai.
¡®I said don¡¯t fucking move!¡¯ The AA-12 bucked in his hands like a dog pulling on the leash, begging to be let loose. He floated a few inches off the ground, his Pegasi ring moving him backwards while allowing him to maintain a stable firing position; thoughtless actions. His mind was a dark whirl, the desire to kill an undertow pouring through him.
They were laughing. ¡®There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of!¡¯ they all cried as one, pressing forwards, raising their arms. ¡®Come, come and meet the tree!¡¯ their voices merged into a chant. ¡®Come! Come!¡¯
There was something in the air, something in the Aura. He could feel it, creeping all around, hidden just below notice, lurking, sneaking. Everywhere. In response the darkness surged through him, reacting to whatever it was he felt, out of the cage and not going back in.
The steps of the crowd were speeding up. One of them broke into a run.
¡®Come! Come to the tree!¡¯ the man laughed, a wild, joyful smile on his face, letting out a peal of laughter.
The shadows squirmed around them. There was something wrapped around their heads. Dark, shifting tendrils, digging in and out of their skulls. The light grew sharp and bright, everything turning a confusing mess, faces becoming blobs, reaching hands turning into talons.
¡®Come!¡¯ they screamed, passing through the invisible sphere around him, the danger zone. If an enemy was within that area, he was at risk.
Nicolai¡¯s face twisted into a grin just as mad as those of the crowd. He squeezed the trigger.
183: Twisted Seed
Within the AA-12¡¯s reaction chamber the firing pin impacted the back of the loaded 12-gauge round, penetrating the plastic covering and igniting the powder within. The explosion, contained and trapped in the barrel, had nowhere to go but forwards. The hot gasses of the explosion expanded rapidly, imparting almost all of their energy into the pellets that were between them and the exit, sending them out the front of the barrel at 1,300 feet-per-second.
They zipped through the air, spreading slightly, and impacted a man in the front of the crowd, carving through organs, flesh, muscle and fat. They contained enough energy to continue out and into the woman behind, now further spread, some going off at odd angles.
The AA-12 shuddered against Nicolai like a lover as it released a gout of screaming gunfire. His finger locked hard to the trigger as he turned and tore a bloody line of mangled flesh through the crowd.
Bodies danced and spun and tumbled, blood and screams painted the air.
The AA-12 clicked empty, and as the deafening sound of fully-automatic gunfire faded, Nicolai could make out their voices. Still laughing. Still crying out: ¡®Come to the tree!¡¯
Nicolai laughed with them, and the world trembled around him. Why am I running? He stopped floating backwards, falling to the ground. They were charging at him, full of just as much eagerness as he felt, and this was good, this was right.
Hungry, groaned the AA-12.
¡®Here.¡¯ His hands were a practised blur as he slotted in a fresh magazine. Me too, whispered the rapier, and he put a finger to it, sending a flow of Oma to charge it.
¡®What the fuck are you doing!¡¯ screamed a voice from the side, and he threw a glance to his left to see a woman floating there, staring at him, horror on her face. He was about to turn the gun on her, but the Mask on his face gripped him tight, crying that she was an ally.
A running man was coming in reach of Nicolai, drawing his attention.
¡®Come to the tree,¡¯ cried the man, and Nicolai felt a savage rippling through the Aura, a warning. The man¡¯s face sprang apart into a monstrous visage, odd and fleshy, tentacled, parasitical. In an instant the man became a monster and it lunged at him. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was real or a hallucination.
It didn¡¯t matter.
¡®Come and die,¡¯ he answered, fuzzing with delight. He flicked his fingers and the rapier slipped out and punched through the creatures head, sending it over backwards. He pulled the AA-12¡¯s charging handle, feeding a round from the magazine to the chamber and making it ready. It shook with eagerness as he raised it.
¡®Kill them, kill them all,¡¯ he uttered, and laughed. He angled the shotgun toward the one on the ground, as it was still moving, and blew its head apart. Then he turned it back to the thickest part of the crowd. They were within only metres of him, and they were all wailing and transforming into fleshy monsters.
The shotgun roared and they fell and died. The world was twisting and spinning, spiking through him. Warm blood sprayed over his face, pattered onto the fibre-glass covering of the shotgun. He advanced, reaching for another magazine. Each movement smooth and perfect, to suit a perfect moment.
¡®Come to the tree!¡¯ burbled one of them.
¡®Die!¡¯ answered Nicolai, laughing, killing. ¡®Die! Die! Die!¡¯ Within his stomach something had risen and now it was roaring through him, a dark fire, a glorious exhalation, a screaming song of death and carnage. The rapier was thrashing around him, an extra limb that he moved without thought, striking and striking at all who came near while he worked the shotgun. He was killing as fast as he was physically capable, and he exulted in that fact. This was his purpose.
From the side joined the sound of an assault rifle and the crack of a sniper as others opened up.
By the time his magazine clicked empty none of them were moving. The air stunk of blood and cordite, the smell an old friend that¡¯d been missing too long. The wind plucked at hair and scraps of clothing, rising into an approving whistle. The blood on the grass glittered like the dew of a spring morning.
A fresh magazine snapped into the AA-12.
His eyes scanned the environment, searching for new targets. They found the woman. He recognised her, now. Beth. Not her. He smiled at her, feeling immensely satisfied.
The fight was over. Nicolai let out a slow breath, his mind coming apart as the thrill began to die within him, fading and falling. By habit, he started to work on the dark, pressing it down. It went easily. It was fat and sated, happy to return to its home, and sleep, and grow stronger. A twist of unease ran through him. The world around him had lost its unearthly edge, everything turning oddly washed out and grey and real.
His eyes moved to the dead. He stared at them, waiting for them to turn back into humans.
Beth settled onto the ground beside him, her face pale.
¡®How¡ how did you know?¡¯ she asked.
¡®Know?¡¯ He looked at her.
¡®That¡ about what they were. That they were monsters.¡¯ She shook her head. ¡®When you started firing, I thought¡¡¯
He stared intently at the creatures, which resolutely remained as nightmarish beings. Huh. So they were monsters. His Mask was becoming convinced he¡¯d failed in some manner, that gunning down what he¡¯d believed to be unarmed humans¡ªeven if they were clearly all insane, possessed somehow by the tree¡ªwas a Bad Thing¡ but to Nicolai, it was only the logical move to make. He hadn¡¯t known what exactly was wrong, but he¡¯d known that something was wrong. At such a time, the best option was to attack. That was how he saw things, and he¡¯d been proven right.
¡®I could feel it from the Aura,¡¯ he told her.
She blinked at him. ¡®How?¡¯
¡®If you attune yourself and listen well, you can learn many things.¡¯ Suitably cryptic gibberish, she could chew on that as long as she wanted. But there was a lesson he could teach. He looked to the tree. ¡®The Tree does something, spiritually. Pay attention to your Soul, Soul Sense, the Aura, your mind. Keep it well guarded, or it might turn you into them.¡¯
She stared at it, and he felt her Soul Sense locking up tighter, turning more guarded.
Threat Analysis pinged him, drawing his attention to the hole. Just as that morning, another cry had been felt. Paxolnaz¡¯s master, calling it away. That was always good, anytime where he knew he was not observed by the Demon was useful to him.
Nicolai started walking, striding towards the barrier of green, realising that he¡¯d forgotten protocol. He should have been watching it since he finished killing the crowd. The remaining Tree People were unaccounted for. There could be armed enemies within and it would be difficult to spot a gunbarrel poking out.
Don¡¯t worry, I was watching, Threat Analysis reassured him. It had brought the drones in closer once they descended to meet the crowd.
Nicolai nodded. Good. He sent a brief message over Local, answering John, Cait, and Daksh¡¯s worried inquiries and telling them to stay where they were; on the other side of the bridge and well away from the tree. Jo likewise could stay up on the tower as lookout. No trade would be made this day, but it looked like there would be many benefits regardless. A smile slipped over his features. He felt Beth moving up behind him, coming to walk by his side. She was wary, assault rifle loaded and held ready.
Their Soul Senses led the way as they pressed toward the blanket of green. But when they drew close enough, their Soul Senses were blocked.
The Tree¡¯s Soul Sense had emerged, something dark and green and shifting, rolling and writhing. It was slow and undirected, but huge, and it held theirs back, and Nicolai knew that if he wanted to press within, it would be without the use of Soul Sense.
You¡ you took my hands¡ you¡ come¡ replace¡ whispered the Tree.
It¡¯s Soul Sense reached for them, and within that Soul Sense was something dark and hungry that extended root-like tendrils, reaching for their minds.
Nicolai¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he reached for the dark. Sleepy and sated, it answered surprisingly easily to his will, and the challenge it felt. It stirred within his Soul, flexed and bit at the encroaching vines. He extended a hand towards Beth and grasped those reaching for her, snapping and breaking them.
The tree¡¯s Soul Sense flinched, shocked and confused, and its thought-vines retreated.Stolen novel; please report.
You¡! No¡ stay away¡
Even as it spoke these words, its Soul Sense remained a heavy pressure on them; only without the thought-vines. Their Soul Senses remained trapped inside their bodies and thus they couldn¡¯t see what was beyond the blanket of green.
He moved backwards, until there was a good thirty metres between them and the covering of leaves. He raised the AA-12.
¡®Ready up,¡¯ he said to Beth.
¡®Wait, you¡¯re just gonna shoot into there?¡¯ asked Beth.
Nicolai looked at her, lowering the AA-12. ¡®Should I not?¡¯
¡®There could be people in there.¡¯
¡®Exactly.¡¯
¡®I mean, what if they¡¯re not like those others?¡¯
Nicolai gave a non-committal grunt. He knew there was no one human in there, but he supposed he ought to make a show of caring just for her sake. He turned and called out loudly, ¡®If anyone human is in there, come out now or we shoot you.¡¯
No one emerged. He gave Beth a meaningful glance and raised his AA-12, and in a moment she raised her assault rifle. He squeezed the trigger and fanned a few rounds through the leaves at chest height, Beth firing a burst of her own.
Immediately the looming Soul Sense of the tree pulsed with pain and fury, and howls of rage rose from within. The branches writhed, and things that had once been human charged out.
Nicolai took his time, picking his shots, while Beth went full-auto beside him. When the gunfire ended the leaves were covered in blood.
They moved forwards. Reaching the leafy wall, Nicolai had the Warden¡¯s Chains unwrap from around his body. They reached into the leaves, feeling for enemies. This was necessary because the Tree¡¯s Soul Sense continued to act as a heavy weight, restricting his own. It didn¡¯t attack him in the active manner that another Cultivator, or a Spirit Beast like the Bird, would use, and the thought vines were staying well away after he¡¯d damaged a few¡ªthey must be precious to the tree, hard to repair. While blanketing and restricting his Soul Sense, the Tree also emanated a generalised sense of dread and malice. A new strategy now its thought-vines had failed, an attempt to infect them with unease and make them retreat.
The Warden¡¯s Chains worked directly via the commands of his Soul, which was protected by the powerful spiritual barrier that covered the skin of a Cultivator.
Nicolai was aware of the sensations the Tree was pushing into him, but ignored them. He viewed its malice and its dread with some disdain. He had dealt with worse from within. He could feel Beth wasn¡¯t faring as well, but he put a hand on her shoulder and was able to aid her defence.
The Chains could stretch three metres from his body. They found nothing within the branches immediately around him. He kept them out as he and Beth pushed forwards.
This proved wise, as partway through there came movement and sound from nearby as something moved rapidly through the branches. Nicolai reacted with the chains instantly, grabbing at the thing by its legs and pulling it over to fall. Able to feel its location from the chains, he fired two shots at what he judged to be centre-mass, and felt it stop moving.
They continued, and encountered two similar attacks which Nicolai dealt with in identical manner. After crossing over a dozen metres they emerged from the far side. The drones, which had attached to him as he moved through the branches, flew off and into the air.
That was where they found the remaining Tree People.
A group of strange, malformed fleshbeasts gathered close around the tree, pressing themselves against it.
Its roots had grown and spread over the area, and beneath these roots were corpses, corpses everywhere. Threat Analysis informed him that there were now more total bodies than matched their previous numbers, by quite a margin. Either these people had gained fresh recruits prior to whatever had happened, or, and Nicolai felt this was more likely, they had been out murdering and dragging the dead back to the tree.
The creatures around the tree all turned. Nicolai sighed and took aim. The bloodshed had gotten repetitive to him, now. With the dark sated enough to stay where it was, it gave him no real pleasure. These things weren¡¯t any challenge, and he was going through a lot of bullets. He estimated they had spent over 5,000 points worth of ammo already.
He paused upon realising the creatures weren¡¯t moving to attack. They simply stood there.
Wait, said the Tree. Don¡¯t kill.
Nicolai considered this. Why?
I need them¡ to hunt¡
So, this thing was hunting humans for its own purposes, as he¡¯d suspected. Nicolai had no real feelings on this, though his Mask certainly did, wanting him to destroy it.
The drones had been circling the tree while he killed its creatures, and had given him a view all over. But only now did he have them move into its crown, where it was leafier and more difficult to see. They searched around, looking for one thing in particular.
They found a few strange, large nodules on the tree, which Nicolai found intensely suspicious. Then, towards the very top, they found what he had hoped for.
A purple flower that seemed to have dug itself into the bark of the tree, shimmering with dewy glitters.
A Lotus Blossom Symbiote.
Nicolai smiled. I will spare them, but you must give me something in return.
What?
This. He sent a spiritual Impression of the Lotus Blossom Symbiote.
The trees branches rustled faintly.
It is mine¡
What do you want more, your creatures, or that Symbiote?
Fine¡ you can have it.
Nicolai was unwilling to approach so closely to the tree. Its leafy branches had not done anything, but it was still a strange tree. From his understandings gained from the Memory Tome, and talks with Kleos and Maric, he felt sure that this Tree was a Mutated Spirit Tree. That meant, it was a Spirit Tree which had been corrupted by dark spirits or demonic entities.
As a result he was uncertain as to what abilities it might possess. So far, luckily, it seemed quite weak. It¡¯s primarily ability was that to infect and control the minds of lesser beings. At its current stage, it seemed capable of doing this to Cultivators, whereas previously he felt it had only been those without a Soul.
Due to his unique mental state, he was apparently immune to its primary method of attack and defence, and its fleshbeast slaves were no match for full-auto gunfire. He was a counter to this tree, to its misfortune and his luck. That being the case, the correct move was to press and see what he might gain with his advantage. He would remain at a distance as much as possible just in case it had more abilities that could be used closer up.
He sent a drone out. Nicolai was aware of how to remove a Lotus Blossom safely, and the process did not require Soul Sense or other Cultivator abilities. One needed only to cut at the matter around it until the Lotus Blossom, and its roots, were freed. Each drone had some small manipulators, capable of performing this task.
He left Threat Analysis to it. The AI was better suited to controlling drones than him. Two drones buzzed upwards and into the crown of the tree, settling on either side of the Lotus Blossom and getting to work.
He still intended to destroy the Tree. He saw no reason to leave it alive; it was clearly working towards some kind of end, and there were more than enough major players involved in this shit show already. Nicolai had no desire for another faction to appear.
However, first he wanted to see exactly what else he might gain. He considered the tree, and how it might be of use to him.
Maybe it can tell us how to hack the vines guarding the Angel? spoke Cyberwarfare.
Nicolai raised an eyebrow. I¡¯m not sure it works like that.
But maybe it does.
He shrugged. He might as well see. Paxolnaz wasn¡¯t watching him right now so he was safe to explore options.
Tell me, tree, do you have any ability to¡ control other plants?
I can do much... I am flexible. I can be very helpful. You wish for more things?
Nicolai gazed at it. He always wished for more things.
What are you offering?
Give me details¡ I make for you.
There are some black vines. They are a problem for me. I need a way to disable them. He sent a mental impression of the vines guarding the Centipede.
He felt sudden excitement from the tree.
Yes, I will make it, yes. Just wait¡
The Tree¡¯s bark writhed in its centre. Dark sap gushed from the self-made wound, then something emerged. A sap-slick nodule of matter. At the same time, the pressure the Tree gave his Soul faded, and he was able to use Soul Sense once again.
Nicolai reached out and seized it with his Grasping Finger, pulling it toward him. He had it land on the ground in front of him and peered at it, then extended a finger and examined it.
Twisted Living Tree Seed
This piece of a mutated Spirit Tree contains a small part of its Soul. It has been warped in a manner whereby if it does not sense the faint Aura ripples of its true self on a regular basis, it will destroy itself. It can sense these ripples over significant distance.
Parasitic in nature, it is capable of worming its way into the heart of other plants, and momentarily seizing control of them. As there is only a small piece of the Tree¡¯s Soul within, this effect will not last for long.
Nicolai picked up the chunk of wet wood and stared at it, his gaze increasingly thoughtful. After a moment he broke out into laughter. This Tree was clever, more than he¡¯d have expected. If he were to destroy the Tree, this tool it had given him would stop functioning. That was why it had been so happy to give him what he wanted. It had found a way to safeguard itself.
He tucked it away, and determined not to think on it again. If he did so, Paxolnaz might investigate and then one day, he might find the tree had been destroyed.
One final matter. These people should have had many small, rectangular metal things called points-tags, alongside Oma crystals. I imagine you consumed the crystals. But where are the points-tags?
Yes, I recognise¡ they are over there, said the Tree, directing his attention back to the wall, to one of the buildings there. I put all useless things in that room.
¡®You done talking to this thing?¡¯ came Beth¡¯s voice.
¡®Yes. Time to leave.¡¯
¡®What?¡¯
He turned his head to see her staring at him, an expression of shock on her face. Her hand was raised and limned in flames, ready. She looked at the Tree, then back to him. At the tree. Back to him.
¡®Are you serious? We¡¯re just leaving this thing? It¡¯s evil! It turned all those people into¡ into whatever the fuck these creatures are.¡¯ She glared at the mutated beings clustered around the Tree.
¡®It made a good case for itself.¡¯
She shook her head. ¡®It¡¯s evil. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re just going to leave it. It¡¯s going to keep killing people, and grow, and¡ who the fuck knows what it will turn into!¡¯
¡®By the time all that happens, we¡¯ll likely be gone,¡¯ he murmured.
¡®So, what, that thing it gave you? Because of that you don¡¯t want to kill it? What was it?¡¯
Nicolai eyed her. The questions were getting a little tiresome. His Mask spoke up, asking why he didn¡¯t just tell her the truth. For a moment, he considered doing so. No. She doesn¡¯t know about Paxolnaz¡ªwho might peer into her mind, too. When it comes to my actions against the Demon, I cannot spread the information to anyone else.
¡®Something useful. What does it matter?¡¯ He leaned closer, lowering his voice. ¡®The castle will be collapsing soon, and I don¡¯t think this tree will fare well falling hundreds of metres with such a weight of stone around it. We¡¯re going. Come on.¡¯ He turned and started walking.
She didn¡¯t follow at first, but after some time he heard a disgusted, angry noise, then her stomping footsteps.
She refused to meet his gaze for the next hour, stewing silently, and had quite a long talk with Jo over Link. Both of them were glaring at him on the walk home.
This didn¡¯t impact his own mood. In the room the Tree had indicated they had found a cabinet packed with points-tags. His take was all those points-tags, the Lotus Blossom Symbiote, and a method to deal with the vines. All in all, it¡¯d been extremely profitable.
184: Lotus Blossom Symbiote
With his gains from the Tree, even after spending what he had to on necessities such as more ammo, Nicolai was very near to 70,000 points. He had 63,000, and had also gained back many of the weapons he¡¯d sold them previously. One more trade should be enough for him to get the required funds for the anti-material rifle and slay the Angel, something he had to do as soon as possible.
After that, he would likely have to venture into the jungle even without the skin suit, as he badly needed to find more food for his Symbiotes.
That night Nicolai began work on the creation of the Lotus Blossom Soul Trap Symbiote.
This was his first time engaging in Symbiote refinement, a task that he believed was very common for Cultivators. From what he¡¯d learned from Kleos, Maric, and the Memory Tomes, Symbiote Refining was a vast school. In the lower levels, fewer people were skilled at the task, and would sell their skills. At the higher levels, every Cultivator must have some skill at Symbiote refinement, unless they had a powerful group to rely on.
This particular refinement was what was known as a sidegrade. He would be transforming the Lotus Blossom Symbiote into something that was not necessarily more powerful, merely different. The Lotus Blossom Soul Trap Symbiote.
As he¡¯d thought more on this item, he had come to feel it was more important. Paxolnaz was driving him towards the sword regardless. Whatever was going to happen, it would revolve around that item. With the Lotus Blossom Soul Trap, he would be giving himself the best chance of coming out successful, no matter what happened.
If he could somehow take the sword, while avoiding being corrupted as Paxolnaz desired, in his view that would be the best result. It should be at least a Tier 3 Artifact, according to Kleos and Maric. Such an item would be very powerful, very useful to him. It was a thorned rose, but he didn¡¯t want to simply give up on it because he knew of the trap. He wanted to ensure that, if the proper opportunity arose, he would be able to pluck the thorns and take it.
He had now gathered everything he needed for it, and all the items were on the table before him.
Five Infused Oma crystals, which had mostly been created by old Ben. After seizing leadership of the group, Nicolai had found the man easier to manage and to direct to doing certain things.
Another bottle of Slow Water, from the Trade Link.
The Imbued Soul Trap. This was not necessary; he could have used a Soul Trap he or old Ben had created, but the Imbued one would work even better. The Imbued version had been made with some minor Symbiote, which added some abilities. It could pull on Souls from a distance, it required less Oma, and it was quite nicely made; smaller and lighter than a helmet, with a handle.
Finally, the Lotus Blossom Symbiote, which was the focus of the process. He had already broken it in, which had been quite easy. Its resistance had been less than most Symbiotes.
Nicolai set to work.
He had gone over this process carefully with Kleos and Maric, as well as reviewing both the instructions he had been made to memorise by Paxolnaz, alongside the Memory Tomes, and moved as though he had done the process before.
He placed the Lotus Blossom Symbiote into the Slow Water, and connected to the Symbiote. He had the Symbiote spread its roots through the water, drinking it.
Next he held the Imbued Soul Trap until it was touching the Symbiote, and directed it to work its way inside, into the chamber that held Souls within the Soul Trap.
The Lotus Blossom moved slowly, crawling inside with its roots. Once inside, he activated its Art.
The Lotus Blossom Symbiote was quite common when crafting lower levelled Symbiotes, as its Art could act as a way of conjoining things. Its Art simply had it spread its roots and dig into whatever was around it. This happened in a way that was somehow Spiritual, as it could join in a deeper manner with other things.
However, this process would complete quite quickly, normally. As he was not connecting to it to a typical Symbiote, as a catalyst, but to an Imbued which was partly formed from ritual, he needed to make some changes as it was connecting. The Slow Water meant it would connect a lot slower than normal, giving him time to refine the ritual and direct its growth.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
As the Lotus Blossom spread within the Imbued Soul Trap, Nicolai was using Oma to make its roots into specific shapes, which was the method to alter the ritual. Simultaneously, he was working on it spiritually, twisting the Symbiotes own tiny spirit into new configurations.
As the process continued, a significant amount of Oma was used up. This, he knew, was common when refining Symbiotes. Instead of drawing Oma from his Nodes, he simply dropped Oma crystals into the mix, where they were quickly absorbed. This normally wouldn¡¯t be the case, but during refinement the rules shifted. This allowed him to keep using his own Oma to work the Art and direct the changes.
The Imbued Soul Trap began to glow, and it became increasingly malleable, its form shimmering. At this moment he added the Infused Oma Crystals, digging them into its sides, equally spaced around it. They settled in easily and grew firm, Oma beginning to circulate around them.
The process was nearing completion. Nicolai was tossing Oma crystals inside to power the change continuously, the expenditure rising and rising. Ten, twenty, thirty, went in one by one. He knew that this stage could take some time, it was the most risky part. The process could fail¡ªit could fail at any moment¡ªbut this moment was the most risky. If it failed, the Lotus Blossom Symbiote would be damaged, possibly destroyed, along with the Infused Oma crystals. The Imbued Soul Trap, at least, would be fine, but it was ultimately of far less importance than the Lotus Blossom Symbiote. As long as it continued, all he could do was keep feeding in more Oma crystals, and hope it completed soon.
He was over forty crystals when there came a sharp snapping sound, and his eyes widened. Not a good sound. Within, the Lotus Blossom Symbiote was squirming and shaking, struggling against the Imbued Soul Trap. He knew what this meant. The process was spinning out, losing control. Close to failure.
His focus intensified and his Soul Sense bore down as he worked to correct the rejection that was occurring, shifting the positions of roots, trying to see if they would lock in more easily. As he worked, the snapping sounds intensified, and he saw one of the Infused Oma crystals shatter.
Nicolai immediately pulled another one out. Fortunately, he had kept a few spares.
He removed the broken one and inserted the new one. However, he also saw the Lotus Blossom had been damaged, which was a greater danger. He had no way to help it heal. If the process completed, it wouldn¡¯t matter. But if the process failed, with the Symbiote already damaged, it would definitely be destroyed.
Normally, if a Symbiote was damaged, then given enough time and regular feeding, it would be able to recover. He could stop the process now, giving up and taking out his Lotus Blossom Symbiote instead of risking its death, but even then it might not survive as he had no food immediately available. The Tree had fed it in some manner unique to itself, without providing food.
Nicolai decided to go all-in. His best chance way to try his hardest to make it succeed.
He began tossing in even more Oma crystals, as excess Oma could help stabilise things, and focused intently.
Minutes slipped by as the glow in front of him consumed more and more crystals.
Another sound emerged. This was not a snapping noise, it was a low ringing, one which sent ripples through the Aura. Nicolai¡¯s eyes glittered in the light, a grin reaching over his face.
Before him the process settled, the light of its glow intensifier. When the glow faded, something new had been formed.
The same shape of the Imbued Soul Trap, but now with occasional metallic purple leafs emerging from it. Around it, were five pale crystals, each with a faint purple glow within.
Nicolai Examined what he had created.
Lotus Blossom Soul Trap Symbiote
This Symbiote is capable of capturing the Souls of even Tier 3 Foundation Cultivators. In order to function properly, it requires five Souls of Tier 1 Foundation Cultivators.
This particular Lotus Blossom Soul Trap was created via an Imbued Soul Trap, granting it some additional functions;
One of the darker types of Soul Traps, this variant makes use of weaker Souls to constrain stronger ones. The five captured Souls are slaved by the Symbiote, made to act as its chains. They can be sent out to capture a more powerful Soul, and then will work to constrain and that Soul within the Symbiote.
They can restrain a Tier 2 Cultivator¡¯s Soul without issue, indefinitely. However, if constraining a Tier 3, they will be gradually worn down and ultimately destroyed, leading to its release. Thus, upkeep is required, as the Cultivator must either possess methods to restore Spirits, or they will need to gather fresh Souls on a regular basis.
This Symbiote can be fed with Souls, and is not picky as to their quality.
Interesting. He held it up, looking it over. He felt an odd glow of pride. I made this. He smiled. But it still wasn¡¯t complete. It needed Souls.
Fortunately, he had a method to get two, one which would be quite easy and which he would go to do the next day. The remaining three he was sure he would find opportunities to seize. The days of him being the sole Cultivator were behind, now. He felt it likely he was still the most advanced Cultivator in the castle, but there were increasing numbers of people who had formed the first Node.
Plenty of targets.
He finished the evening by continuing to delve through the Memory Tomes. He was used to them, now, and was less debilitated as he was able to slow the rate of information flow into him to one he could handle. He had now completed the Symbiote Memory Tome and had almost finished the one on Spirit Beasts.
185: Back to Jail
Nicolai returned to the prison. He found it to be a scene of chaos.
The undead he encountered were few in number, and seemed especially listless, standing in random spots and doing nothing unless bothered.
There were bug corpses everywhere, and not only corpses. In small groups and singularly, bugs and strange creatures ranged through the area.
When he entered into the main area, the great pit in the centre, he found that it was entirely taken over by the bugs. They roved in masses through the area, and it seemed like they may have taken over the mining operation. Nicolai was careful to fully Shell, then he crept down the side of the pit under his poncho, carefully avoiding them all.
He got in a little trouble when one of them seemed to smell him, and then they heard him when he was forced to dodge aside from it. His ability to move rapidly and stealthily was somewhat reduced, as he was carrying the Key Rod used to unlock prison bands, a bulky item which he struggled to fit under his poncho.
He judged that killing them would be at least as much a disturbance as simply fleeing, so Nicolai relaxed his Shell. He leapt off the side of the ramp and activated the Pegasi ring and the Grasping Finger, pulling himself down until he reached a lower level of the ramp where there were no bugs, then continued in stealth once more.
He had a few more close encounters, but nothing major. There were quite a few groups of miners roving around down here, somehow survived. Nicolai changed that, slaughtering them as quickly and silently as possible for their Soul wisps which he fed to a Soul Trap he¡¯d bought.
In time he arrived at a deserted patch of tunnel he knew well. He checked carefully for signs there had been trouble here, but saw nothing to cause him unease. The rock was still in its place so he moved it aside then slithered through the crawl-tunnel.
He heard them before he saw them.
¡®Give it here!¡¯
¡®No, fuck off, I need it more, I¡¯m bigger than you!¡¯
¡®You had the last one you fat fuck, I¡¯m starving over here!¡¯
¡®Hey¡ª!¡¯
There came a grunt and a yell of pain and fury.
Nicolai peered over the ledge and saw the woman had been knocked to the ground, while the man stood a distance away, cradling a single piece of fruit from a sustaining seed. Looked like they¡¯d ran out, but that no longer mattered.
¡®Relax,¡¯ said Nicolai from above. The pair spun to stare at him as he pulled free a protein nutrient bar, tossing it to the woman.
¡®You,¡¯ said the man, eyes narrowing.
¡®Me,¡¯ agreed Nicolai. His Soul Sense felt at them, and he saw that their Seeds were very close to the stage needed for Integration.
¡®Hey! You need to get us the fuck out of here,¡¯ the woman snarled up at him, ignoring the bar he¡¯d thrown her. ¡®There¡¯s all kinds of shit going on out there. We heard it. What the fuck is happening?¡¯
¡®Yes¡¡¯ murmured Nicolai. ¡®There¡¯s been some trouble, which is why I wasn¡¯t able to come earlier. I apologise for that. Your confinement will end imminently. Here.¡¯ He tossed the Soul Trap Imbued down to them, and the man caught it. A rain of Oma crystals followed after. ¡®Eat up. Big day.¡¯ He settled onto the side of the pit, his legs hanging off of it. ¡®Once both your Seeds are over 90%, we can get this over with.¡¯
The pair exchanged uncertain glances, looking at what he¡¯d given them.
¡®And then you¡¯ll let us free?¡¯ asked the man.
Nicolai put a hand to his heart. ¡®I am a man of my word. You can ask anyone.¡¯
¡®No one here but you,¡¯ muttered the woman waspishly.
¡®Then I assure you of my good characters,¡¯ he said, smiling and bouncing his feet on the stone.
It took a little more convincing, but they fed the Soul Wisps and the Oma crystals to their Seeds.
¡®Now, the Integration. Place your Seeds over your chests and allow them to integrate. You have been working on the bonding, right? If not, you¡¯ll be here a while longer.¡¯
¡®We practised,¡¯ snapped the woman.
¡®I hope so,¡¯ murmured Nicolai. He had told the others to ensure the pair kept using their Seeds¡¯ Soul Senses, even to the point of withholding food if they didn¡¯t meet certain breakpoints.
Fortunately, the pair had indeed kept up the practise, and they began the Seed integration. Nicolai waited patiently above as they went through the messy process, and in due time it completed.
The pair rose and stared breathlessly around, their nascent Soul Senses moving over the area in exploration.
¡®I¡¯m stronger!¡¯ laughed the man, moving his body, while the woman let out a whoop of joy.
He almost envied them, remembering the rush he¡¯d felt upon first integrating. ¡®Indeed.¡¯ They looked over as Nicolai settled onto the ground before them. ¡®And you will have completed a challenge. That is the final piece of this. Accept the reward, and stand back as I take it, and you will be freed.¡¯
The pair were wise; they knew there was no way they could fight back, not while he was ready and watching them. Nicolai had the AA-12 in his hands and that was that. They accepted the rewards and two statues rose from the ground. They obediently moved to the far side of the hole when Nicolai came forward.
As Nicolai was looking over the six Symbiotes on offer, they tried something. Both of them suddenly dashed towards him. He had been expecting this and put a hand to his chest.
The Warden¡¯s Chains spun free from where they¡¯d wrapped his body and latched onto the pair, driving them them back into a wall. He pulled it free from where it had clung to his chest as all the chains rose off him body, and stepped towards them, holding the chain-rod out. The chains wove tight around them as they yelled and howled, until they were entirely bound and somewhat bloodied.
¡®Be still now,¡¯ he warned them, putting the chain-rod on the ground while he returned to the look over the Symbiotes. They might try to get to it, if they could somehow get some wriggle room within the chains, but he wasn¡¯t concerned. This situation was similar to when he¡¯d faced the Bird, except now he was the Bird. An enemy powerful enough that there was nothing they could really do to him.
Seeing six Symbiotes before him stirred his greed, and he eyed them all with hunger before moving to Examine them.
After doing so, he focused on two. The other four were of little interest to him¡ªone of them the the Quivering Dome Crab, the same as Perro had chosen. Not his style. He wanted Symbiote that would improve his utility, mobility, or offense, and two of them managed to tick all of those boxes.
Repulsive Burst
Tier: 1
Type: Force
Node: Heart
This Symbiote can be charged to generate bursts of force, emerging in all directions from the user. The range is limited, as is the force.
Comes with ten days of food.
Long Soul Snake
Tier: 1
Type: Spirit
Node: Heart
This Symbiote allows a Cultivator to thin their Soul Sense tendril without suffering collapse, effectively enabling the Cultivator to extend their Soul Sense.
Comes with ten days of food.
The problem with both of these, and in fact with all of them, was that they were meant for the heart Node. Each Node could only use one Symbiote at a time. As such, by taking these he would have to make a choice of where to use them, or the Blue Hornet, at each given moment. Not ideal.
But Nicolai wasn¡¯t particularly interested in these Symbiotes as-is. The reason they drew his interest was because of what he¡¯d learned of Refinement. Most especially, the concept of side-grading.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
The Repulsive Burst held a great potential, in that regard. Nicolai had learned, after his study of the Symbiotes in the Memory Tome, that his own Grasping Finger was part of a set. There were five force type Symbiotes with Finger in their name available at Tier 1. The Memory Tome had listed them all, and noted that they could be combined in order to create the Floating Hand Symbiote, a powerful and versatile Tier 2 Symbiote.
The Grasping Finger had an opposite, Repulsive Finger. The moment he¡¯d learned of this Symbiote, he had wanted it. It would work exactly as his Grasping Finger worked, except in reverse, pushing away instead of pulling towards.
He desired this because it would significantly improve his mobility. He would be able to switch from moving forwards to backwards on a dime, whereas currently if he wanted to redirect in such a manner, he would need to move his arm and his Soul Sense from in front of him, to behind him. A process that was comparatively slow. Furthermore, the Repulsive Finger would give him some additional defensive and offensive capabilities.
There was little point in using the Grasping Finger on a projectile like a grenade or a hunter killer drone. Pulling such an object toward him was the exact opposite of A Smart Thing To Do. The only time it made sense was if he had a wall between him and the projectile, so he could pull it into that. But with the Repulsive Finger, he would be able to push such threats away. He felt it would work very well with his current methods, helping to round out his capabilities.
He had wanted it¡ªand the other Symbiotes in the ¡°Force Fingers¡± category, as he thought of them¡ªsince he read of it, but refining Symbiotes from first principles was not easy. In the castle, he lacked the kind of materials he would need, which should be more available in the jungle. He¡¯d come to realise that the materials available from the Market were all supporting types. For each Symbiote he could refine, they all needed one primary Natural Treasure, none of which were available at the Market.
However, this problem was now halfway solved. The Repulsive Burst was quite similar to the Repulsive Finger, and it should be relatively cheap and easy to side-grade it into a Repulsive finger, just using what was available from the Market.
From his understanding, in order to sidegrade the Repulsive burst, the main thing he would need was a quantity of materials of the Soul-type. The kind of thing that would be used to feed spirit-orientated Symbiotes, for instance. He would also require a small amount of some additional Natural Treasures, which he felt he could make up from what he¡¯d found so far. The Soul-type Natural Treasures were the sticking point however, as nothing suitable was available, not even if he was willing to spend points at the Trade Link. He felt sure he could find such materials, if only he spent enough time searching in the jungle, but it wasn¡¯t a sure thing.
The next of interest was the Long Soul Snake. After engaging with the Memory Tomes, and his more targeted inquiries of Kleos and Maric, he had learned much about Soul Sense. As he had observed himself, Soul Sense was very important. It was the method to control any Symbiotes or Imbued that operated at a distance, and being able to reach further was obviously of great benefit. When he didn¡¯t need to use the Blue Hornet, he could activate the Soul Sense which would lengthen the reach of his Grasping Finger, and soon the Repulsive Finger, too.
He smiled down at it, a little pale worm crawling over his palm. It was a good Symbiote, probably the best of the bunch.
Nicolai glanced at the others on offer, and briefly considered the Earth Worm Tremor, which was capable of destabilising stone and could be used to cause collapses in the castle, but ultimately returned to the Repulsive Burst and the Long Soul Snake. The Earth Worm Tremor would be useful situationally, the Repulsive Burst and Long Soul Snake could be used in many ways and at many times.
As he gazed at the Long Soul Snake, his gaze turned increasingly thoughtful. It was a Spirit type Symbiote. That meant its food should be exactly the kind he needed to sidegrade the Repulsive Burst.
A laugh burst out of him, a huge grin on his face. These two were perfect. A warm glow of satisfaction rolled through him at the thought of a perfectly optimal pick.
He took the Repulsive Burst Symbiote first. It immediately activated its namesake, a wave of force slamming into him and launching him backwards. Nicolai was ready, taking the blow and keeping his body tense, orienting himself with the Pegasi Ring.
Then he swarmed the Symbiote with his Soul Sense, reached out and seized it with the Grasping Finger. It shot toward him and he caught it.
Nicolai settled onto the ground, cross-legged, and began the process of breaking it in. He felt that this was the perfect place to do so, as there were crystals everywhere down here. He intended to grab as many as he could carry before he left, so using up the ones on his person was the best move. The expenditure would be effectively free.
Furthermore, if he simply took them without breaking them in, he would need to constantly suppress them with his Soul. Doing so caused small ripples in the Aura, and would make it impossible for him to completely Shell. This remained a dangerous area, and it was best he make his way out with his stealth as thorough as possible.
The Symbiote resisted strongly, but after an hour he was successful. It wove through his body and into his heart Node, and there it swam through the energy within towards the Grasping Finger. The two met and began to play, something Nicolai regarded with a combination of enjoyment and bemusement.
However, he also felt a stirring from elsewhere in his Node, and saw the Blue Hornet turn to peer at the Repulsive Burst Symbiote. It flared with angry blue sparks within his Node, and he felt it suddenly draw on his Oma without his will. At the same moment the Repulsive Burst turned to gaze at it, and also flared with energy, also drew on his Oma.
Nicolai¡¯s eyes widened as the two Symbiotes flew toward one another within his Node, both of them letting out little cries of challenge.
He intervened immediately, and the weight of his Soul slammed down on the pair, his will tightening like a vice around them. The two Symbiotes froze within him, floating quietly. But even with them suppressed Nicolai felt the enmity between them. For whatever reason, whatever quirk of how this all worked, the two Symbiotes did not get along. He had the impression that if he left them together, conflict was inevitable.
Nicolai had the Repulsive Burst move out from his heart Node, sending it to one of his lung Nodes. The Blue Hornet flared with satisfaction as it watched its rival go, while the Repulsive Burst emanated a kind of primitive anger and shame.
What the fuck? In general these things didn¡¯t do much, they just relaxed in his Node and occasionally played. He had never imagined they might take issue with one another. The Repulsive Burst¡ was unhappy. On top of that, he felt something from the Grasping Finger. It was upset, because it wanted to be in the in the same Node as the Repulsive Burst.
He reached for the Grasping Finger and took control of it, and he found his control slightly reduced. The unhappiness within it was like a warp in a handle, making it harder to grip.
But, with the Repulsive Burst separated from the Blue Hornet, the issue of them fighting was gone. He released all the Symbiotes and they seemed content to go back to the kinds of things they normally did, just with some slight upset.
After a moment he took control of the Grasping Finger again, and this time he sent it to the lung Node where it joined the Repulsive Burst. Now, they were both happy, and everything worked properly.
But Nicolai was frowning. This wasn¡¯t ideal. He¡¯d found that his heart Node was the best for the Grasping Finger; it moved more quickly when sent from that Node to his hand, than it did from his lung. Keeping it in the lung Node would slightly slow the speed at which he could make it ready. On top of that, the Repulsive Burst was meant to go in his heart Node, that was where it functioned best. He could tell that he could still activate it in his lung Node, but he had the impression it would be far less effective.
This was clearly something to ask Kleos and Maric about. He hadn¡¯t realised Symbiotes required any kind of managing, but that seemed to be what was required.
Next he seized the Long Soul Snake Symbiote. It didn¡¯t attack, instead trying to slip away, but he caught it before it had a chance to get onto the ground.
The process began again. Breaking the Long Soul Snake took significantly longer, an hour and a half. Nicolai suspected this was because it was a Soul type Symbiote, as he didn¡¯t feel that its will was any stronger than the Repulsive Burst¡¯s had been.
Once done he watched as it swam through his Soul and into his heart Node, where it joined the others without issue. That done he looked over the food it had come with.
Screaming Face White Grass
This grass is said to grow where many have died.
The name was very to the point. Each stalk of grass was pure white, and at the top of it the stalk was twisted into an odd, diseased looking nodule. This nodule showed a screaming, tortured visage. Nicolai found them rather artistic, and marvelled at the wonders of nature.
All that done, he turned to consider the pair. They had tried to speak to him several times, all of which he¡¯d ignored as he focused on breaking in the Symbiotes.
¡®So, now you let us go, right?¡¯
¡®Right,¡¯ said Nicolai absently. He turned away from them to block their view as he drew his pistol and a silencer from a pocket. The darkness within him would have drawn the next act out. The Mask might have done something else entirely. But to the true Nicolai, or at least he who thought of himself as the true Nicolai, this was simply something that had to be done, there was no purpose in prolonging it, and taking pleasure in it was beneath him.
¡®Hey. What are you doing?¡¯ one of them asked, concerned.
Nicolai had just finished screwing the silencer onto the pistol. He turned in a snap and fired two shots, his arm moving in machine-like jerks. He fired so quickly they had no time to realise what was happening before the 9mm rounds punched through their foreheads and carved through grey matter.
See, he told his squirming Mask as the two corpses slumped, eyes glassy, blood running from the holes in their heads. He began unscrewing the silencer, his motions calm. I killed them quickly and kindly. Humanely. They were always going to die, but now their death brings some benefit. So what is the problem?
His Mask couldn¡¯t really verbalise whatever point it had, but regardless it remained convinced that had he simply killed them back when he came upon them, instead of making use of them first, then that would have been the ¡°better thing to do.¡±
Nicolai shook his head, feeling that that was extraordinarily stupid, but he supposed morality was not necessarily logical. As he watched, two faint blue shapes floated out of the corpses. They vaguely resembled the two dead people. He tucked the pistol and silencer away, then pulled out the Lotus Blossom Soul Trap.
When he activated and held it out, it emitted a kind of pulling force, catching onto the spirits. He frowned. The Soul Trap was sending significant ripples through the Aura, possibly the strongest he had ever generated. With wails of despair the Souls were dragged into the Lotus Blossom Soul Trap.
Looking it over, he saw two of the five Inscribed Oma crystals on it were now filled with a dancing purple glow. Only three Souls to go to complete it.
Nicolai retrieved the chains and got moving, concerned that the ripples he¡¯d generated might draw the kind of attention best avoided. If the Bird had been able to sense such ripples, he felt sure a Centipede would.
He made his way up to the slope, once more forced to dodge around the bugs. Fortunately there were fewer of them than earlier, and he made it to the top without issue.
There he crept towards the rock-breaking area, where he saw many Oma crystals still littered around. The bugs, however, were also in larger number. They could be seen picking at the Oma crystals with their mouthparts and¡ taking them then dumping them onto the backs of bugs who had a certain truck-like look to them.
These things are smarter than I thought. They¡¯d taken over the undeads¡¯ mining operation. He found this rather disquieting, and spent some time carefully looking the area over in search of the kind of competent, capable guards any intelligent group would leave to watch over a valuable place like this.
He spotted a few nasty looking bugs lurking quietly amongst the rubble, blending in with it. With Threat Analysis¡¯ help he was able to map and predict their locations, and then found a quiet corner the bugs had largely missed which was still littered with crystals.
After filling all the pouches he carried, and the large rucksack he¡¯d brought with him, he retreated and lugged his stolen goods away.
186: Repulsive Finger
Nicolai looked over the items before him. He was in his room, back in the safe place. On the table before him was the Repulsive Burst Symbiote. It appeared as a little round ball, rolling around on tiny legs.
Next to it was half of the Screaming White Face Grass, a small pile of Oma crystals, and few small clusters of additional ingredients. These were mostly other Symbiote foods he had that filled the role well enough. Truthfully, he didn¡¯t have quite everything that would be ideal for this side-grade. The things he needed were all quite common Natural Resources, as they were known, and all were available from the Trade Link. However, the Trade Link sold them in a number larger than what he needed, at 5,000 points. This was too pricey, when he needed to keep accruing points for the anti-material rifle.
So, he had opted to attempt the side-grade even lacking the ideal materials. As it was, he was unlikely to get much use out of the Repulsive Burst Symbiote; for attacking, the Blue Hornet was better, and any other time the utility of the Long Soul Snake was more appealing to him.
If this attempt went badly, then the most likely effect would be that the Repulsive Burst would be damaged. Given time it would be able to recover, it would simply be unuseable in that time. That was fine because he didn¡¯t intend to use it in its current state. Though, there was a risk it might be destroyed. Nicolai intended to take the risk regardless as if he could sidegrade it into a Repulsive Finger, he would be able to get much use out of it; if he failed, then most likely nothing really changed.
He arranged the Screaming White Face Grass to form a kind of bed on the desk, and the other materials around it. He put the Repulsive Burst Symbiote in the middle, and reached into it with his Soul Sense.
With threads of Oma he stirred the grass around the Symbiote, and it began to roll around the table. As it rolled, the grass stuck to its side, adhering until it seemed a ball of white grass. It began to sparkle, and Nicolai started feeding Oma into it.
Two thick streams of Oma poured from his hands and into the Symbiote, which was spinning like a top. The grass remaining around it rose up and formed a wall that surrounded it, and energy began to seethe within the wall.
The process was now truly underway.
Nicolai stared carefully at what was before him, and had a bag of Oma crystals ready. He heard a faint whine and immediately tossed a crystal in, and the process stabilized. This continued for some time, as he fed more crystals into it.
After a while, he picked up some of the additional materials and tossed them in, then more crystals, then the next batch of materials, and so on.
The process reached a peak once all the materials were fed in and Nicolai forcefully pushed the Symbiote to continue its change, even though it wanted more materials.
A heavy whining noise like a power tool carving into something could be heard, and he saw the shape of the Symbiote changing within the covering of grass. Bit by bit, the grass covering it was being used up, and then more would be pulled from the floating wall of grass around it.
He could sense how it was close to becoming unstable. All Nicolai could do was keep going, hold tight, steer straight.
The whining reached a peak and then it began to quiet. The grass stirred and rustled and was drawn towards the Symbiote, disappearing as its form continued to change, and lights grew and shimmered, brighter and brighter. All the while he continued to toss Oma crystals into the mix, which turned to dust almost immediately as the Oma was sucked out of them.
The last of the grass was consumed along with one final Oma crystal, and Nicolai felt a powerful ripple move through the Aura as the process completed. Job done. Surprisingly smoothly. He¡¯d gotten lucky. It was also fortunate that were so few Cultivators around. From what he¡¯d seen, it seemed that refining Symbiotes created quite powerful ripples in the Aura. If he were in a place with more Cultivator competition, he suspected they would be able to use these ripples to come and seek him out, looking to steal what he¡¯d made. This was something worth keeping in mind; sensing ripples and using those ripples to locate Cultivators who had recently made something valuable was something he was capable of, too.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Previously a spherical orb with tiny feet, the Repulsive Burst had turned into a tiny finger, one that looked quite familiar. It was similar to the Grasping Finger, except the fingernail looked a little different.
Nicolai Examined it.
Repulsive Finger
Tier: 1
Type: Force
Node: Hand
This Symbiote allows the Cultivator to apply a pushing force to objects or beings within the range of their Soul Sense. This pushing force is connected to the user, and thus if the Cultivator is outweighed or not properly held in place, it may work in reverse and push them back instead.
Nicolai took the Symbiote into himself, and it settled into his heart Node. This time, there was no issue between it and the Blue Hornet, their previous enmity vanished now the Repulsive Finger was no longer a heart Node Symbiote. He¡¯d work to build a new temporary hand Node in his other hand within the hour, so as to be able to use the Grasping and Repulsive Fingers simultaneously, with either hand.
His mind settled into his heart¡¯s Node as he observed the now quite numerous Symbiotes that filled it.
The Blue Hornet was flying circles through the Oma in the centre. The Repulsive and Grasping fingers twined and played along the edges of the Oma cloud. The Long Soul Snake was curled quietly on the shell of the Node
He considered the Long Soul Snake Symbiote. In the future he would sidegrade it as well, if he had the capability.
The Long Soul Snake Symbiote went in the heart Node. For Symbiotes¡¯ that affected the Soul Sense, this was actually quite rare. Typically they would go in the head. All of the best Soul Sense Symbiotes would go in one of the head Nodes.
The Long Soul Snake Symbiote was decent. It was valuable simply because any Symbiote that increased Soul Sense was valuable. However, it could be better.
Once Nicolai had completed his brain Major Node, he would then be able to see about sidegrading the Long Soul Sense Symbiote into a head Node version, which would be more effective. The current Long Soul Snake doubled his Soul Senses range. If he could sidegrade it into one a head Node variant, this could go as high as a quadrupling of his range.
Notably this would not make his Soul Sense any more powerful. It simply allowed his to make his Soul Sense tendril thinner and therefore longer without it collapsing back into him, as it would otherwise do. It made the tendril more structurally sound, rather than making his Soul Sense in any way stronger.
Whether he was able to sidegrade it into a variant that would be so much more effective was up to his luck finding resources, and where he invested what he had. The cheapest, easiest sidegrade would turn it into something effectively identical to the Long Soul Snake, except it could go in a head Node. But depending on the what he found, he may be able to create a better version. This would be significantly more expensive and difficult, however. Making the version giving quadruple Soul Sense tendril range would likely require more than just materials; he would need to put additional Symbiotes into the process, too, which would be mixed with the Long Soul Sense in order to create one new Symbiote.
All of these still remained Tier 1 Symbiotes, which was why no matter what he made, it would still be considered a side-grade.
The Small Silver Ant was not present in his Node. It was, as always, drawing a tithe of Oma from his Node as it worked to speed up the finalisation of his two kidneys Nodes and his windpipe Node.
Nicolai¡¯s internal awareness moved towards these Nodes, checking on the progress, and he was pleased by what he saw. Opening his eyes, he tapped on his Mark.
User Interface 376 | User #53,217
- Cultivation
Total Nodes: 1 Major, 5 Minor
Nodes available for construction: 0 Major, 0 Minor
Nodes in progress;
Right Kidney (79%)
Left Kidney (78%)
Windpipe (78%)
Completed Nodes;
Heart (Flawless) (12/100)
Right Lung (B) (1/24)
Left Lung (B) (1/25)
He wasn¡¯t far off completing them. Once the chest area was complete, his heart Node would be strong enough to start work on the next level: Major Nodes. He would have a choice of brain, spine, stomach, hands, and feet. He intended to build his brain Node and right hand Node. When he¡¯d started using the Grasping Finger and the Blue Hornet, he had defaulted to putting them in his right. It simply felt better.
However, as Threat Analysis was quick to warn him, this was slightly risky. It was best not to put all of one¡¯s eggs in a single basket, and his Mark was also on his right hand. If he created a Node there, then somehow got his hand severed, it would be quite a blow.
Nicolai intended to put it in the right regardless. He believed his fighting ability would be as its most optimal with a gun in his left hand, and Symbiotes in his right. Distributing his tools slightly less efficiently, so that if he lost a fight and happened to lose a hand it would hurt him less, was not his style. In his opinion the people who focused overmuch on preparing in the event they lost, only made that loss more likely.
Regardless he took every precaution that didn¡¯t involve limiting his combat abilities because it would be foolish not to, but making himself weaker so that in the event he loss, it might hurt less was not his idea of a good move. Maximum offensive ability so as to kill the enemy before they killed him, that was the way.
187: Ambush
The next day Nicolai was able to arrange multiple trades. Maxine¡¯s work on the radio was paying dividends, as increasingly people within the castle were mobilising, merging together into a coalition against the Chosen.
He had deals with a number of groups, and they set out for the first one of the day. He wasn¡¯t far off his target, and anticipated making enough from this to fulfil his current goal. He would purchase the anti-material rifle afterwards and then go to kill the Angel. After that he would need to go into the jungle to gain food for his Symbiotes. He hoped that the remaining trades would be enough for him to purchase the skin suit, but he thought it unlikely. He could only delay for another day without finding food for his Grasping Finger.
He told the group of the meet location. As always, he chose a location where he and his group had natural protection and numerous routes of escape.
That done, all that was left was to gear up and head out.
###
¡®We¡¯ve got them!¡¯ Katnin¡¯s voice crackled into Vikrum¡¯s receivers. ¡®Merky says him and his people have arranged a trade. We¡¯ve a location.¡¯
Vikrum smiled wide. ¡®Good.¡¯ But he also felt a pulse of annoyance. Why now? He was in his chamber, and in his palm glittered his Seed. It shone with an array of lights, and it throbbed with desire. To merge with him. At long last, it was complete.
He had been about to Integrate, something he needed to do immediately. There was only a single day left before he failed his quest, and the only part left to complete was Integrating his Seed.
He considered, and conferred with Cornwall.
I want to kill him, he said simply.
It is very risky for you to delay any longer, replied the AI. Currently you have just enough Loyal to pass the Quest. You should immediately Integrate and complete it, lest an unexpected event happen. If a number of your Chosen were to die, you would fall below the requirement, and may not be able to get it back up before the deadline.
Vikrum sighed, irritable. Cornwall was right. He knew it. Viper had rapidly become his most significant problem. He¡¯d had Cornwall do the maths, which had led to the discovery that more of his people had died as a direct result of Vipers actions than to any other cause.
This recent play, with Maxine¡ Vikrum let out a robotic snarl of rage. They were all gathering against his people, and he¡¯d been forced to have everyone draw back inside, stand down. After the losses they¡¯d accrued that disastrous day in the upper jungle, his total Loyal had fallen below the Quest requirement. He had needed to pivot his focus entirely to getting the survivors all back on side, and then he¡¯d been just above the limit.
Now, he had the report of Viper, but it arrived just as he was approaching the deadline and had finally completed his Seed. He couldn¡¯t go himself.
But who to send? The last remaining Level 1 Cyborg, patched back together, certainly wasn¡¯t up to the task¡ªthe entire group had failed last time. It came down to Borg and Gilvine, they were the only two he felt capable of handling Viper.
Borg was increasingly important to him. The level 2 Cyborg was Loyal, and had been doing several necessary jobs¡ªthe kind that needed to be kept quiet, especially from Gilvine, who he didn¡¯t trust an inch.
He also didn¡¯t like the idea of Borg being gone, hunting down Viper, while Gilvine remained close at hand, at a time when he was likely to be vulnerable. He¡¯d already decided he wanted Borg to stick close while he went through the Integration, as his personal guard.
Vikrum nodded, decision made.
Gilvine would go to kill Viper. She a Level 2 Cyborg, one who he believed on Earth had worked as some kind of killer. She was perfect for the job.
And if she was damaged or even killed in the process, all the better. So long as she killed Viper he didn¡¯t care what happened to her.
As to the group he¡¯d send with her, he opted to pick out any who were still under the Disloyal tag. They could go and risk their lives. He needed to ensure he maintained his Loyal until he finished the Integration. Only then could he relax, as the Quest would finally complete.
###
Nicolai and the others arrived early. He always aimed to get to trades early, so they had time to scope out the area, set up drones, and take up positions. The best way to avoid an ambush was to get there before the ambush was set up.
The trade was going down in a large courtyard nestled within the castle, which had stone buildings and towers all around it. He had them set up at the exit of one of those buildings where it opened onto the courtyard. This building had numerous routes of exit within it, which they could retreat through, and had two large statues either side of the exit. Good natural cover.
He had John and Cait take up position on a balcony emerging from the building, one that could be reached from a stairwell inside by the exit. Jo went further up, lurking on the highest balcony available, which also emerged from the building Nicolai had chosen to put his back to. This was the highest point of overlook available around this courtyard, part of the reason he¡¯d chosen this particular spot.
With him was Beth and Daksh.
While they waited, their drones spread out through the area. Nicolai posted drones at all of their escape routes, at other high-up points, and within the other buildings. He and the group had amassed quite a number of drones now; stolen from other groups, and purchased from the Trade Link. He would have liked to expand his selection to include hunter killer drones and advanced scan-type drones, but with his current need for funds he couldn¡¯t afford to spend money on such things. Hunter killer drones especially were very expensive. Those the cyborgs had attacked him with should have cost around 40,000 points in total.
The group they were meeting with was one he hadn¡¯t interacted with before. Maxine claimed to have spoken to them before and said they were ¡°good people.¡± Nicolai intended to make his own judgements. Supposedly they were quite small, so he hadn¡¯t brought too many goods, just a single bag. There was enough in there to trade for the points he needed.
At the arranged time, drones spotted a group moving through the opposite building. Less than ten people. They had a couple of guns and moved with wary readiness. Little different to many other of the groups he had met with, recently.
They emerged from the far side, peering around, taking in Nicolai and the others.
Nicolai gazed back at them, absorbing the sight of their faces and bodies, seeking signs of betrayal.
The group gazing back at him set off alarm bells, both for him and Threat Analysis.
They were nervous, and that was normal¡ªcoming and meeting with strangers promising to sell guns, in a place like this, was a worrying proposition. It would have been cause for concern if they hadn¡¯t shown any signs of worry.
But these people weren¡¯t just nervous. He detected faint signs of excitement. Some were quiet and focused. Others were jittery, moving too much, talking loudly and laughing with one another. All were holding tight to weapons. Many had wide, dilated eyes that probed at the surrounding area, himself and the rest of the group. The body language of people anticipating a fight.
The leader looked especially focused. He saw the man¡¯s eyes as they moved from himself, then to the others one by one in the doorway. Taking count. The man glanced back at those behind him and turned his body slightly. One of his arms was thus hidden from view, but from the movement of his shoulders and the gazes of the others moving to that hidden hand, he had made some kind of gesture.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Cyberwarfare was ready and waiting to intercept and hack into any loosely encrypted communications between the group, but there were no communications to hack into. The other group was not communicating over Local whatsoever.
The only reason for that was because they worried about the possibility of such communications being intercepted and read by a third party. If they had nothing to hide, then that wouldn¡¯t be a problem and most people would still exchange some idle chat with their friends. But if there was something that needed to be hid, such as intent to ambush, it made sense they would restrict such communications.
These people weren¡¯t just worried about the possibility that combat might occur. They expected it. They were waiting for it. They were taking measures for it. Cyberwarfare ensure his next communication was sent with heavy encryption, something made easier by patching into Daksh¡¯s more advanced communications hardware.
¡®We¡¯ve been betrayed. Don¡¯t move too quickly and give it away, but be ready to fight or flee,¡¯ he messaged the others.
¡®Hi there!¡¯ called out the leader of the other group. They were all clustered at the door they had emerged from, most still hiding in the dark. Ready for a quick escape.
Through one of the more distant sentry drones, Cyberwarfare detected interference. Someone had just put a wedge in the feed between him and that drone, similar as what he¡¯d done when assaulting the Chosen at the library. The feed began to loop. Most people would have been tricked, but Nicolai wasn¡¯t most people.
Cyberwarfare took quick measures, anticipating the same. When the next sentry drone was subtly interfered with, it was able to give him a glimpse of what was hidden before the feed was fully interrupted. He was given a brief glimpse of a singular individual.
In the still image he had gained he saw level 2 Cyborg. It was made of black metal, tall and thin, with various additional modifications. It looked a bit like an AssassinBot, a common killbot model. Via some other picket drones he was given a few more still images, gaining an idea of the overall Chosen group. Alongside the Level 2 there was also a band of perhaps twenty Chosen.
The Chosen had come to play. However, for whatever reason Vikrum hadn¡¯t come himself. He had sent one of his so-called Elites instead. A level 2 Cyborg was of significantly more threat than the four level 1s Nicolai had faced before. Fighting them would be a risk.
He considered. The safe option was to signal an immediate retreat. The incoming Chosen were still quite distant, and he had an escape route setup¡ªthere was a nearby balcony from which he and the others, via carrying one another with Pegasi rings, could quickly relocate to a lower area. As the majority of the Chosen alongside the other group were unlikely to have means to follow, it would be an easy way of avoiding combat or at least significantly stacking the odds, as any Chosen capable of following would have to do so alone.
But the safe option was not necessarily the correct option. If the expected gains from fighting had been low, he would have signalled the retreat as it wouldn¡¯t be worthwhile to take the fight.
There was one deciding factor. The level 2 Cyborg was carrying an anti-material rifle, the very item he had need for. If he could get his hands on that it would allow him to move his plans forward by a couple of days. With time as limited as it was, the risk was worth it.
Once that Cyborg and the others arrived, he imagined this group would join them in attacking him and the others. So far, neither the inbound Chosen nor the group stood before him was aware he knew of the intended ambush. With the ambush known ahead of time, he could turn it.
Nicolai looked the other group over carefully, hunting for a way to gain an advantage. Being attacked by this group and the Chosen together would make things difficult. He could either order his people to fire and attempt to wipe them out now then await the Chosen, or¡ or what? The Mask joined with him as he considered the other group, how they stood, how they looked at one another, fishing out the bonds and relationships between them in search of a strategy.
The leader was standing next to a young woman. The Mask felt that they were a couple; there was a protectiveness from the man. She was also unusually small, less than five feet, and looked like she¡¯d skipped a few meals too many. He guessed her weight at around eighty pounds.
His head tilted as he considered. His Soul Sense, and therefore the Grasping Finger, had a range of about ten metres. The Soul Snake doubled that range to twenty.
The far side of the courtyard and the other group was about forty metres away.
Smiling, Nicolai stepped forwards and began to walk towards the other group. As he walked he charged the relevant Symbiotes for what he had in mind.
¡®Hello,¡¯ he said, in a welcoming tone. ¡®We have the goods. You have your points-tags?¡¯
The man reached into a pocket and then held up a fistful of points tags, fanned like cards. ¡®We do. So bring over the goods, and we¡¯ll see what we want.¡¯
Nicolai had by now covered ten metres. He kept walking. The man frowned, looking past him at the bags beside Beth.
¡®What are you doing?¡¯ he asked, and the group shifted warily, watching Nicolai uncertainly.
¡®I need to count the points-tags first,¡¯ Nicolai replied.
Nicolai had now covered twenty metres. With his Cultivator¡¯s eyes he saw no signs that any of this group could Cultivate; they had no Soul Senses. ¡®Hold your fire,¡¯ he messaged the others.
¡®You can count them from there, can¡¯t you?¡¯ the man held the points-tags up high, waving them. ¡®Bring the goods over, we¡¯re ready.¡¯
Nicolai activated his Sheltering Glove¡¯s shield, the Soul Snake Symbiote, and the Grasping Finger.
His Soul Sense abruptly surged forwards, growing more slender as it doubled in length. The Grasping Finger, a yellow line ending in a clawed hand which only those with a Cultivator¡¯s eyes could see, lunged through his Soul Sense. It latched onto the points-tags held in the man¡¯s hand and Nicolai pulled back, the Art snatching them away and launching them through the air towards him.
It happened so quickly the group only had time to twitch in shock before he caught the points-tags.
¡®Wait, I¡¯m counting!¡¯ he yelled at the other group as they began to raise guns, just to make them hesitate for a moment. But he didn¡¯t do any counting. Instead he used the Grasping Finger once again, and this time he had to put significantly more Oma into its use. He tensed his body and planted his legs and pulled, grabbing onto the young woman beside the leader. As he did so some of them started firing but almost immediately they stopped, twisting in confusion as one of their members was suddenly whipped away.
The young woman let out a scream as she was dragged bodily through the air, tumbling towards Nicolai. He knew the confusion she must be feeling, having experienced it himself back when the Mantis Spirit Beast used the Grasping Finger on him. She slammed into him but he caught her and let the force send him skidding several feet backwards.
When they came to a stop he was holding her tight by one arm and had a pistol pressed to the side of her head. He held her so she was facing the other group. They were staring at him with pale, shocked faces. Their guns were raised but he could feel their unwillingness to squeeze the triggers. He began backing up, dragging her stumbling with him, hunkering a little lower to better hide his body behind hers.
¡®What the fuck are you doing?! Let her go!¡¯ howled the leader, some of the others yelling out alongside him.
¡®You betrayed us to the Chosen,¡¯ called Nicolai, voice pitched to carry. The woman he held was letting out quick, heavy, panicked gasps. She seemed frozen by fear, which was good. As a result she wasn¡¯t flailing and jerking as some others might, and her frozen form was easier for him to hide behind.
¡®Don¡¯t bother denying it,¡¯ he added. ¡®I know you did and I know that they¡¯re coming. But when they get here, it won¡¯t be like they expect. You will help us fight them. Otherwise, she dies.¡¯
In their faces he saw significant fear and shock. This woman was well liked, and not just by the leader. The Mask imagined she must be a core member, practically family to them. It could empathise with the gut-wrenching fear they must be feeling. Nicolai smiled. Good.
¡®What¡¯ll it be?¡¯ he called out, peering over the woman¡¯s shoulder at the rest of them, gripping tight as she trembled. ¡®If you fight the Chosen with us here, then I¡¯ll return her to you. After that, you can join the Coalition. No hard feelings, eh? We¡¯re all just trying to survive out here. This didn¡¯t go how you wanted it to go, but it doesn¡¯t have to go any worse. Help us out, and we¡¯ll help you out.¡¯
The leader¡¯s face was white, his jaw clenched tight, eyes furious and terrified. ¡®All right!¡¯ the man yelled. ¡®We¡¯ll help! Just send her back!¡¯
¡®K-Karim!¡¯ cried the woman, now shaking so bad Nicolai had to hold her tighter.
¡®Calm down,¡¯ he told her.
¡®Don¡¯t kill me, don¡¯t kill me,¡¯ she was whispering. ¡®Please send me back.¡¯
His Mask reacted. ¡®Don¡¯t worry,¡¯ it whispered. ¡®Just be still and everything will be fine. Just relax, okay? Your people care about you, don¡¯t they?¡¯ It asked this last almost desperately, hoping she wouldn¡¯t have to die. His voice returned to being calm and flat as Nicolai added: ¡®So long as they don¡¯t do anything stupid, I won¡¯t kill you.¡¯
He wasn¡¯t lying. If this worked and that group assisted his own against the Chosen, then they would effectively have no choice but to join the Coalition anyway. The Chosen would consider them enemies, traitors. Plus it was simply no big deal to him if the other group and this woman lived or died, they had proven themselves easily read and controlled; no real threat.
She was nodding. ¡®They care about me,¡¯ she managed.
¡®Then everything is fine.¡¯ He raised his voice, looking back at the rest of her group. ¡®She¡¯s going to stay with us for now. Just to make sure. We¡¯ll look after her and once this is over you¡¯ll get her back, safe and sound.¡¯
¡®Send her back now!¡¯ yelled the leader, and the others added their voices. ¡®Send her back or we won¡¯t help, we won¡¯t do shit!¡¯
¡®I think you will help,¡¯ called Nicolai. ¡®Because she¡¯s going to be with us. The Chosen are going to be shooting at us, aren¡¯t they? If we die, she dies. In the meantime, if any of you attempt to cross to this side for any reason, we will kill her. You¡¯re all smart people. Do the right thing.¡¯
He saw them conferring, and he knew for a near certainty they¡¯d make the right decision. He¡¯d been gradually moving backwards, dragging the woman with him, and now he reached the doorway and disappeared into it.
¡®Take her,¡¯ he told Cait, pushing the hostage from behind.
¡®What now?¡¯ Cait asked, grabbing the woman with her bionic arm. ¡®Do we run?¡¯
¡®No. Our position is good.¡¯ He switched to Local, speaking to all of the group. ¡®Hold your positions. They¡¯re good positions, you have good cover and lines of sight. The other group are more exposed and will naturally draw much of the Chosen¡¯s fire when it starts. This will give you opportunity to shoot the Chosen. But there is a problem. One of Vikrum¡¯s elites is on the way, a level 2 Cyborg. I have to go and deal with that. In the meantime, you deal with this. Jo is in charge. If things go bad, retreat through the arranged route.¡¯
He didn¡¯t wait around to hear their worries and doubts, sliding away and disappearing down a corridor.
188: AssassinBot
Nicolai turned a corner and at the same moment saw the AssassinBot modelled Cyborg coming into the corridor at the far end.
She didn¡¯t waste any time, immediately firing at him with the anti-material rifle.
Nicolai hadn¡¯t wasted time either, having ducked back around the corner before she¡¯d finished fully emerging. The great boom of the rifle came at almost the same moment as the round impacted the wall, spraying chips and chunks of stone.
Through Soul Sense he watched her. His Soul Sense was back at its typical range, as he was not using the Soul Snake. It couldn¡¯t be activated at the same time as the Blue Hornet, which was currently limning his body in crackling blue sparks of lightning.
He had a plan, but to enact that plan he needed to get close enough to use the lightning. He felt the lightning wasn¡¯t likely to stun her for a long time, considering she was a Level 2 with numerous additional mods, and would have some a decent level of shielding and countermeasures. But it had worked on Vikrum, if only for an instant, so it should be able to stun her for a short time.
That was all he¡¯d need.
He saw small drones flit forward from the Cyborg, who had paused. At the same time he heard a buzzing from behind, and saw a recon drone arrive some distance away. He knew she had plenty of drones, had been able to detect them.
Now he could no longer detect them, and doubtless they would be converging on his position to give the Cyborg continual information on his location.
Too sophisticated, Cyberwarfare had told him a few minutes ago, when it met the Cyborg in virtual battle. Her defence is very solid. I am unable to do much against this opponent without better hardware. At the most I could buy a moment of Local access once or twice. It was understandable. A Cyborg modelled after an AssassinBot should share such a bots capabilities to a large degree. That included powerful Cyberwarfare capability, more than was typical for a Level 2.
He might have shot at the drone behind him, but he had a bigger problem in the small ones she had released. They were hunter killer drones, darting down the corridor while the Cyborg followed behind them.
However, where he was defeated in the cyberwarfare arena, Nicolai had complete dominance in that of Soul Sense. He sensed that the Cyborg had a Soul Seed, but she wasn¡¯t bothering to use it. Even if she did, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered.
The blue lightning crackling over him dimmed, beginning to fade, as he deactivated the Blue Hornet in favour of the Soul Snake, extending his Soul Sense. He raised a hand as the first of the drones came into his range, still around the bend of the corridor.
There came a series of sharp detonations as he alternated with the Grasping Finger and Repulsive Finger, something he¡¯d found was slightly faster than using the same repeatedly. Drones were either flung away or pulled toward him as Nicolai worked to send them into the walls.
Though his Soul Sense turned the corner and then moved in a straight line towards the drones, and thus it appeared as if the yellow lines of the Grasping Finger and Repulsive Finger moving through them should pull them directly back or forwards within the corridor, still they moved only directly toward and away from Nicolai. This was because regardless of how it appeared, the Fingers always worked in a straight line from the location of the user and the location of the target. As he was at an angle, this meant he could send them into the walls.
The drones were taken care of quickly, but the Cyborg behind them was closer and closer. The lightning crackling over Nicolai¡¯s body continued to fade, its charge dropping below the halfway mark as the Art dissipated.
He would have reactivated the Blue Hornet but at this moment the Cyborg raised a hand and two grenades were launched from ports with hissing noises, accelerating down the hallway.
As she had domination over the Local around them, he had no means to prevent her using these grenades via Link. But even though the grenades came fast, Nicolai was faster still. He¡¯d known she would fire those grenades because he understood what she was equipped with and he¡¯d have done the same.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
So instead he employed the same trick, pulling and pushing the grenades to send them into the walls of her corridor, rather than allowing them to clatter around the corner and into his. The Cyborg arrived at those grenades a moment later and passed by them. They remained inert, as she simply opted not to activate them following his deflections.
He felt a ripple through the Aura, one he recognised. He¡¯d sensed something similar during his last fight. A kind of murderous desire.
He wasn¡¯t surprised when the Cyborg abruptly halted before turning the corner, raising her anti-material rifle and aiming straight at the wall.
He was ready for this, too, already reaching with the Repulsive Finger. Her weapon was an M99 Barrett 50.cal anti-material rifle, and it was a weapon he had familiarity with. It was single shot with no magazine so his trick against the last four Cyborgs wouldn¡¯t work, but with his Soul Sense permeating the weapon there was more he could do.
He pressed his finger forward as she pulled the trigger. Within the gun, the movement of the trigger should have caused the sear to move out of the way of the firing pin, allowing the spring behind it to force that pin forward until it impacted the butt of the bullet.
Instead the sear remained stuck in place, held by his effort, and the gun did not fire.
The Cyborg didn¡¯t have time to escape as he lunged around the corner. Just as he¡¯d hoped, she¡¯d been drawn in close and he was free to enact his strategy. Blue Lightning crawled over his arm as he raised it, and his shield was ready on his other.
The Cyborg had a singular shoulder-mounted laser which sprung up and took aim while she threw herself at him. She wouldn¡¯t be in time to hit him before the blue lightning hit her, its targeting line already painted through his Soul Sense, already surging from his hand, and he held the shield raised to block the laser.
Her laser activated with a hum at the same time as the blue lightning slammed into her. As the Cyborg froze up, her momentum carrying her forward, the red burn of her laser sliced into his shield¡ and passed straight through.
Nicolai¡¯s world ignited with pain as a burning bright light filled his vision, catching him in the right eye. He heard and felt something pop, and a brief grunt of pain made it out of his mouth before he wrenched tight on the reigns of his body, already moving, dodging out of the way of the Cyborg as her frozen form tumbled toward him.
She crashed into the wall as he staggered away. The left side of his head was a pulsing cauldron of red hot pain and he dashed at his face with a sleeve, catching at the hot ocular fluid that covered him. He could feel his flesh burning and melting. His vision was compromised and his body was dizzy and disorientated, the sudden shock of losing a sensory organs, the burning and disruption of his nerves, all coming in to hit him at once.
With the aid of the others and frantic strength, he dashed down the corridor and lunged around a corner. Just in time, as he heard the boom of her rifle, catching at the corner of the wall and blowing chunks of stone across the corridor.
He kept moving, and pulled a Rejuvenating Orb as he fled. He¡¯d intended to capitalise on the moment in which she¡¯d been stunned, but losing his eye had shocked his body to the point he hadn¡¯t been able to act with the necessary speed.
The pain was fading as he sucked on the Orb, but probing with his Soul Sense revealed his missing eye was showing no signs of regrowing in response to the healing vapour he¡¯d inhaled. It seemed the orbs could heal bad injuries¡ but they couldn¡¯t replace something that was lost.
He wiped it off and ran, focusing to manage the dizziness his body felt with the sudden loss of his eye. He needed time for his Blue Hornet to recharge a new strike. He needed a plan. Her laser was a serious danger, moreso than any of her other weapons. He hadn¡¯t expected it would go straight through his shield, which was his only solid defence against direct fire.
He imagined she¡¯d brought the M99 as a counter to his shield, as it would undoubtedly punch through in one. Neither of them had expected that she had a much easier counter built right into her. In fact she had two more lasers, built into her hands. They were secondary weapons, there in the event she needed to tidy up the minor threat of some fleshy, unaugmented humans.
As Nicolai merged still closer with the others, they shared a thought.
The loss of one eye was not quite the decisive blow his enemy might anticipate, as he had Soul Sense. He was damaged but still lethal, and the previous plan was still workable¡ªespecially now the enemy may be encouraged to overconfidence. He simply had to work out how to deal with the laser and buy time for the Blue Hornet to come back online. The Modules were already collating variables and running simulations.
He could hear the clatter of metal legs. She was closing fast. Sensing the kill was imminent, pursuing flat out with no thought that he might counter. He turned another corner and reached with the Grasping Finger, launching himself forwards. Threat Analysis tracked her movement and his, and told him that even with the Grasping Finger, she was faster than him and would catch up.
The Modules calculated and provided him the timings. She would be within range to cause lethal damage to him before the Blue Hornet finished charging.
The dark and the thrill pressed through him, and Nicolai accepted the thrill but here he reached for the Mask, and pulled on it. Together they held the dark down, kept it at bay.
Its influence needed to be limited, and in truth¡ there was no need for it here.
He and the other Modules had already come up with a plan that would see the enemy dead within the next minute.
189: Shoot Out
Shadows wound in thick rivers over the walls, eyes opening up in them, the air pulsing and breathing. The dark knew this was the moment for it to emerge, and it raged that he denied it. It strained at the cage, poured through gaps. Let me join¡ it whispered and begged, reaching for the merger of him and the others.
His eyes narrowed. You are a Module, he thought, and it was. He had Control, and the dark¡¯s progress was stymied, the shadows stilling and the eyes fading. Time to begin. The enemy was close behind. He could feel the pings of her sonar getting louder as she came closer, brief pulses of pressure in his ears.
He slowed his run, acting tired. He turned and shot the scout drone that had followed him then his rapier slipped out, already charged. It lunged into position in the gap between two of her sonar pings, then lurked pressed tight against a wall just beside the corner.
His run slowed further. Just enough to ensure he remained close to the corner, so as to reach with Soul Sense. He didn¡¯t bother to act tired because without the drone, she couldn¡¯t see such detailed sights. However, with her sonar she would know his general actions. He could hear her coming fast from behind, soon to turn the next corner. He stopped, turned, and took aim. He did so because she would expect it. It would reassure him to see he was doing the logical thing and behaving predictably, and she would be especially reassured because she¡¯d know it was fruitless. Without a way to deal with the lasers he would be dead before the AA-12 did significant damage to her.
She had stowed her rifle, hanging from its strap on her back, and had both her hands alongside the laser on her shoulder ready. Her hands glowed ominously, the palm-lasers activated and charged.
The blue lightning was not quite charged, not yet, and she knew that¡ªit was the reason she¡¯d rushed so. She¡¯d gained vision on him from another drone which had come shooting down the corridor. The blue lightning needed another couple of seconds.
Then she was there, just around the corner. The moment she was close enough she threw herself, and did as he¡¯d expected. She positioned her body so that each of her hands and the laser on her shoulder would come around the corner at the exact same moment.
All three laser¡¯s were spitting out lances of red that dug into the wall. She knew that his only option was to shoot out her lasers before they turned him into smoking chunks of meat. She knew that by arranging herself in this manner, at least two of the lasers would have time to do more than enough damage before he could fire a second shot. On top of that, these were tough and well made lasers. There was no guarantee one shot would be enough to properly destroy them.
He pulled his pistol and held it in his other hand, and then she was there, coming around the corner, and it all happened in an instant. The chains on his body stirred and darted into the air before him. His rapier, hidden pressed flat against the ceiling, swung down. Nicolai squeezed the triggers.
The three lasers speared through the air towards him but found themselves abruptly blocked by his rapier. As they were arranged in a line it was able to block them all. It simply had to be very close. It slid upwards and the lowest laser was revealed.
His first shots, coming in that exact instant, took out that lowest laser.
Almost instantly the cyborg¡¯s hand with the damage laser swooped out and grabbed the rapier, hurling it aside to clatter off the wall.
Now the lasers speared at him, initially aimed at his head. But the chains were already there, in a tight clump before him, and the lasers swiftly shifted their aim to any areas that were not protected.
Burning pain erupted over his body at Nicolai kept squeezing the triggers.
A barrage of gunfire erupted alongside the exchange of lasers. A dozen different actions in a moment. Her lasers adjusted and started targeting his hands and weapons, attempting to disable them just as he was doing to her, but he adjusted in the milliseconds, chains shifting swiftly to protect these points.
A second later it was over.
Nicolai struggled to move backwards. There were lines of burned flesh drawn over his body, and the smoke rose and got into his nose and eyes. One of his wrists was fucked where she¡¯d got through and his pistol dropped from his limp hand. None of it mattered.
The Cyborg¡¯s three lasers were all down. Her movements stuttered, the floating motion she¡¯d used to ensure a perfectly stable firing position and instant ability to shoot him when around the corner shifting as her legs blurred. All her weapons had been disabled and yet he was not yet dead. While he struggled backwards, the Cyborg did the only thing she could: charge him.
Nicolai let his AA-12 fall, grabbing the chains wrapped around his body by the handle with his good hand. He pulled them off in one fluid movement. The lasers had done little to them except heat them up in places. He raised them towards her just as she came into range.
The chains landed and wrapped tight, but the Cyborg was only slowed slightly, her legs and arms strong enough to overpower the not-completely tightened chains.
Nicolai threw himself backwards but she was gaining, bulling through the chains, and she had a pair of small vibro-blades which had emerged from slots in her hands. She was only feet away from him, the chains the only reason he was able to hold her and her enhanced speed off. The chains flipped, some of them suddenly worming around her legs, and just for a moment she staggered.
Then the knives cut in a blur through several chains at once, and she lunged with savage speed.
But she was too late. His bad arm was raised and though his hand was unuseable, that didn¡¯t matter. It thundered, blue lightning pouring into her and once more the Cyborg spasmed, frozen. Nicolai bid the remaining chains to use this moment to wrap tighter, and they snapped her legs together and dragged her arms to her side. The Cyborg began to topple. As she fell, the chains performed one final action before he let go of the handle. They pried the anti-material rifle from her back and held it aloft.
He collapsed backwards to the floor, rolled, rose and regained his feet with slightly less than his usual poise. There were significant burns on his legs, but he couldn¡¯t stop and breath from an orb, not yet. He reached for the anti-material rifle held aloft and dragged on it with the Grasping Finger. It spun through the air, past her collapsing form, and Nicolai caught it in both his hands. It weight ten kilos and he let its weight carry him backwards in another roll. He ended kneeling, in as stable a firing position as he could manage. The rifle barrel rested on his raised knee, and he held its trigger with his good hand. With his enhanced strength he was just about able to manage the 10kg weapon. While he aimed it, he breathed through the emergency Rejuvenating Orb on his shoulder, which he¡¯d replaced with a fresh one while fleeing from her. His burns began to rapidly heal as he took three solid breaths from it.
The rifle was already loaded as she hadn¡¯t succeeded in firing the round. His Soul Sense checked everything was in order as he took aim, centre-mass on the Cyborg. Her struggles had slowed, the blue lightning fading. His finger began to squeeze the trigger. Another fight won, and this had been the best yet. His right eye was gone but he didn¡¯t care; he could get another eye. The loss only showed how close he had come to death, that he had eluded it yet again. The satisfaction was immense as the thrill poured through his veins, curling his lips in a smile.
¡®Wait! Wait! Don¡¯t kill me!¡¯
Nicolai paused. He rose to his feet, as now his body was almost entirely recovered, and gained a better position to shoot her. In general he held to the view that it was best to kill ones enemies immediately, before something unexpected happened. But he was willing to give this one a moment, some time to speak her final words. She¡¯d been perhaps the most worthy opponent yet. She deserved a little something.
¡®Why not?¡¯ he asked tolerantly.
¡®Because I can help you.¡¯
Nicolai chuffed a laugh. ¡®Sure you can. Your name is Gilvine, right?¡¯
¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯
¡®It was a good fight, Gilvine.¡¯ He gestured to his burned out eye. ¡®Very good.¡¯ He raised the rifle and squeezed.
¡®I can help you kill Vikrum!¡¯ she blared from speakers.
Nicolai kept his finger tight on the trigger, just a millimetre of movement required to fire. Now his brows creased in irritation. The more she talked the more she was damaging his moment. Killing her was the only correct end to the fight. But though much of Nicolai agreed with this, the calculating core at his centre, for once, disagreed.
The reason for this was simple. Through his Soul Sense wrapped tight around her, he was able to feel the faint emotions of her brain. They were reduced due to her advanced state of augmentation, but there was enough. Not only that, but his skill at reading others with his Soul Sense had only continued to grow. Perhaps when he¡¯d first gained the power he wouldn¡¯t have been certain about what he read from others, but now he was comfortable with his skill.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
From what he felt, to his great surprise, she was being honest. I suppose I can test and check. He was aware that she might be attempting to buy time for help to arrive or something else to happen, but was willing to take that risk.
If she tricked him and got away, he¡¯d just kill her another time. He had gained what he¡¯d truly wanted: the anti-material rifle. He began to move, sidestepping slowly to the left, then to the right, the rifle¡¯s line-of-fire remaining fixed on the centre of her chest as he moved. He had kept the Blue Hornet active but it needed him to move if he was to charge its lightning. Since he was going to stop and talk, then he might as well build up the charge. Just in case.
¡®First, give me control of your drones,¡¯ he said. Gilvine did so immediately, and the various drones she¡¯d posted nearby popped into his feed, seized by Cyberwarfare. After the Module formatted and reprogrammed them with its own drone software, a simple but effective method of removing any little tricks or traps that might be left in the old software, Threat Analysis took control and sent them on sweeps.
He also had her open up the pouch containing rounds for the anti-material rifle, which was near to one of her hands. Once it was open he used the Grasping Finger to pull the heavy rounds out one by one, putting them into one of his own pouches. In total she had seven 50.cal rounds remaining.
¡®Of course you can help me kill Vikrum,¡¯ Nicolai spoke once that was sorted. ¡®Anyone can help me kill Vikrum. But are you not only willing, but determined to help me kill Vikrum?¡¯ Nicolai worded this question carefully. From his singular failure when Soul Sense reading, when Maric had lied to him, he now knew the best move was to ask various questions from various angles, and compare how the subject responded to each.
¡®Willing?¡¯ she hissed. ¡®Oh, I¡¯m far more than just willing. I want to see him broken and dead.¡¯
Every word rang true. Her mind pulsed with seething hatred and loathing, so strong that he was able to make out a faint misty image of her thoughts. A dreamlike vision of Vikrum.
Nicolai considered his enemy thoughtfully. ¡®Why is that?¡¯
¡®Because he¡¯s pathetic. A fucking child suited up in Level 3 augs, doing everything his nanny AI says to do. The fact that he considers me one of his ¡°Elites¡± disgusts me.¡¯
Nicolai snorted, amused. Useful attitude. But he wasn¡¯t quite convinced, not yet. He found it very convenient that this Level 2 Cyborg, by all accounts one of the Chosen¡¯s top brass, had at this moment where he had her at his mercy, suddenly come out with this desire to work together and kill Vikrum.
¡®That¡¯s all it takes then, is it?¡¯ he asked next. ¡®You¡¯re just bitter that you have to work for some rich kid? You hate him so much because of that? I don¡¯t buy it.¡¯ Her emotions might have convinced him of the ¡°truthfulness¡± of her words but the truth could be twisted and the best lies have some piece of truth within them. Having such an overwhelming hatred and desire to kill Vikrum, simply because he was lucky and rich, didn¡¯t square up. It was stupid, and this Cyborg didn¡¯t strike him as stupid. Either she was lying or there was something deeper. Until he knew all the facts his finger would stay tight on the trigger. The blue lightning had finished charging and crackled over his body, ready to go.
The Cyborg was silent, gazing at him. He felt her mind squirming, filling up with new emotion. Loss, regret, rage, hatred.
¡®His proper name is Vikrum Erkonne,¡¯ she said. ¡®Do you know of the Erkonne family?¡¯
¡®I do.¡¯ They were a fairly typical oligarch family, owning many corporations, engaged in all the expected underhanded dealings. Though, amongst such families, the Erkonne¡¯s ranked a little higher than normal when it came to viciousness. GRECKON had leased Zero-Twelve to them a few times and all of the jobs had been bloody, some excessively so. They were the kind of people who liked to make a point, of the indiscriminate-machine-gun-fire and napalm variety. Those who crossed them were used as warnings to everyone else: don¡¯t fuck with us.
¡®They killed my¡ friends,¡¯ said Gilvine.
Nicolai nodded, continuing to observe her emotions closely. This was starting to make sense. ¡®Go on.¡¯
The Cyborg creaked, flexing slightly within the chains. ¡®What else do you need to know? That¡¯s it. They killed my friends. I want them dead.¡¯
¡®Vikrum killed your friends?¡¯
¡®No,¡¯ she snarled. ¡®But his family did. What does it matter? I want them all dead, and he¡¯ll do fine as a starter.¡¯
Truth, truth, truth. Every word was true. The hatred within her was something alive and hungry, a demand for bloody vengeance.
He poked at her a bit longer, asking a few more questions which clearly irritated her, as they were more abstract in nature, a method of testing her from different angles to further determine her truthfulness.
¡®How many people have you killed?¡¯
¡®What? I don¡¯t know. Lots.¡¯
¡®Why did you join the Game?¡¯
¡®I¡ had to get away from Earth.¡¯
¡®How much do you want vengeance?¡¯
¡®Very much.¡¯
¡®Who are you willing to kill for it?¡¯
¡®Anyone.¡¯
¡®What about me?¡¯
¡®So long as you don¡¯t get in my way, I don¡¯t care about you. I don¡¯t even know if I can kill you, anyway. Who are you? You shouldn¡¯t have been able to beat me. No human can be as quick as you are. You don¡¯t have enough augs for what you¡¯re capable of, and your cyberwarfare capabilities...¡¯ Though she had no face with which to craft an expression, and was viewing him through cameras, still he felt her glare. ¡®It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡¯
¡®I¡¯m the one asking the questions.¡¯
Her body shifted with frustration. ¡®I do not see the purpose of these random questions. Why are you asking all of this?¡¯
Nicolai didn¡¯t answer. He was largely satisfied, but there was another step. ¡®Open up your Link and let me in with full view access.¡¯
¡®What?!¡¯ hissed the Cyborg. ¡®No! Fuck you!¡¯
Nicolai squeezed the trigger and the anti-material rifle thundered in his grasp, lunging against him. Gilvine was knocked sprawling as one of her arms was removed at the shoulder, turned into shrapnel that rocketed down the corridor and bounced off the walls. As she recovered, he worked the weapons bolt, ejecting the spent the round. The large round let out a dull ring as it bounced off the ground. He slotted in a fresh one and cranked the bolt, then took aim at her once more.
¡®Open up your Link. And let me in. With full view access,¡¯ he repeated, gazing at the Cyborg who was struggling in the chains. Her struggles paused, head tilting, numerous orbital cameras settling onto him. She didn¡¯t reply, but he felt her consternation and anger.
¡®Going to be tough to take down a Level 3 with only one arm,¡¯ he said, shifting the rifle to aim at her other shoulder. ¡®Even harder with none.¡¯
¡®Fine!¡¯ she snarled, and over Link he felt a pulse from her. Acceptance.
Cyberwarfare was immediately on the case, diving into the artificial part of her mind and rifling through what it found.
As an advanced Cyborg her brain was peppered with implants. Most Cyborgs like this had their thoughts tweaked and tuned by these implants, and they allowed further functions. Parallel thinking, for instance. These parts were outside of Nicolai¡¯s ability to read with his Soul Sense, but now that she¡¯d let him in, he could have a look around and gain a full picture.
Or, Cyberwarfare could, as he left the Module to do that. Rifling through the memories and artificial thoughts of other AI¡¯s and Cyborgs was something it was well accustomed to, a manner of gaining information from fallen enemies mid-mission.
The Cyborg¡¯s artificial mind was well setup compared to most, but Cyberwarfare was emitting the AI version of a contemptuous sneer as it slid through barriers, poured into concealed areas, rattled and poked at everything it found.
It did so in a manner that was difficult to read. To the Cyborg it likely felt like just an odd fuzzing alongside confusing error messages and warnings. Nicolai kept an eye on her emotions with his Soul Sense. She was in a state of wary unease, but he saw no changes or reactions as Cyberwarfare found things, which told him that, unless she was significantly better at this sort of thing than he¡¯d pegged her, she didn¡¯t know what had been found, or even if anything had been found.
Here, said Cyberwarfare, returning to Nicolai and sharing its findings with him and Threat Analysis.
After piecing through it all carefully, Nicolai found pretty much what he¡¯d expected. The thoughts the Cyborg had kept hidden from him were:
Though she wanted Vikrum dead, right now she also really wanted to survive and was willing to say whatever she thought might get her out of the situation.
If he let her go she would not view this as any kind of debt, and would still happily murder him if given opportunity and a reason to do so.
As to them ¡°working together¡± against Vikrum, what this actually meant to her was that she intended to stay well back from any conflict between them, watching carefully until she felt sure Vikrum could be finished in an instant via a surprise backstabbing. Only then would she strike, and she certainly wouldn¡¯t come to Nicolai¡¯s aid if he fared poorly in such a fight.
That last part was less than ideal because in truth Nicolai could really do with some help. In fact, he would prefer to use the very strategy she intended, himself. Make her fight Vikrum while he relaxed in the background, and then he could strike at the opportune moment. This method had minimal risk.
However, after seeing all this Nicolai finally came to his conclusion.
He was going to let her live. She was honest in her desire to kill Vikrum, if little else. He could use that. Though she was dangerous and untrustworthy, he understood her well, capabilities and mind. He did not see the way, not quite yet, but he felt there were good odds he could make use of her.
What he needed was a way to force her into the open, set her and Vikrum against one another. Once her cover was blown she would have little choice but to cooperate more fully. With the information he¡¯d copied from her mind, he had numerous routes to blow that cover. She¡¯d be aware of this, of course, and would take precautions. But Nicolai wasn¡¯t too concerned. This wasn¡¯t a situation where he had a plan, it was more like prep-work for a future plan. Gilvine was a fish he was tossing back into the river, because it might end up doing something useful for him.
A part of the misty plan floating in Nicolai¡¯s mind slid to the side, making way for the new piece, which slotted in. Everything began to shift and slide.
¡®What¡¯ll it be?¡¯ asked Gilvine.
He nodded to her. ¡®You live. Consider us¡ allies.¡¯
¡®Allies,¡¯ she echoed.
¡®I¡¯m keeping this,¡¯ he told her, tapping the anti-material rifle.
The Cyborg stirred. ¡®That¡¯s not ideal, it was lent to me by Vikrum. He will be able to pressure me because I lost it. He is wary of me. He might suspect we talked and came to an agreement.¡¯
He shrugged. ¡®That¡¯s your problem.¡¯
She didn¡¯t appear to realise how lucky she was that the rifle was all he could take from her. Due to her particular augmentation setup, that of being a largely artificial being¡ªjust organs stuck inside a metal body¡ªhe couldn¡¯t make easy use of any of her bionics. They were all non-flesh compatible parts and would require so much expensive and difficult alteration, if he were to try and install it into himself, as to not be worth it. He was better off just buying the correct parts for his body from the Trade Link.
Even her remaining vibro-blade was the same, it had no handle as it was a part of her arm, wired into her central power. He could have tried to tear it out but would have had to then find a new power source for it and work out how to affix some kind of handle, if he didn¡¯t want to run around hitting people with her arm.
If all of her body parts had been easily pilferable then he wouldn¡¯t have been entertaining this deal and would even now be taking her apart.
He began stepping backwards, keeping his eyes on her and remaining ready. Reaching the end of the corridor he sidestepped, then settled into a jog. Even injured as she was, precautions had to be taken.
190: Skin Suit
After returning to the others, Nicolai had learned that before he¡¯d even defeated Gilvine, the Chosen who had attacked them had left. It had transpired these individuals were less enamoured with Vikrum than the standard fare. After a brief exchange of gunfire between Nicolai¡¯s group, the group he had forced to aid them, and the Chosen, the Chosen had sent a brief message requesting an end of hostilities and to be allowed to leave freely.
It transpired that they no longer wished to be Chosen, and thus had simply opted to take this opportunity to cut ties. All good things.
Now it was some hours later. The Trade Link console shone before him, a pane of light that filled his vision and turned the world around it into impenetrable black. He¡¯d dropped every points-tag he¡¯d gained into it, and had got to his highest total yet.
Trade Link Interface | User #53,217
Points: 104,295
To his surprise, this had completed a challenge.
Challenge Complete: Hoarder (1) - have more than 100,000 points in your Trade Link Balance.
A hand rose from the ground, proffering a singular reward. Nicolai took it slowly. It was a points-tag, but not like those he¡¯d seen before. Thicker. Heavier. Still silver, but a more¡ dense silver.
The number on it was 30,000. A 30,000 points points-tag. A shiver of delight wove through him. Nothing more pleasing, he reflected, than the reward that is entirely unexpected. The Challenge had been marked with a (1), and unless he was entirely misunderstanding, that meant there would be a (2) at another points breakpoint. What would be a reasonable breakpoint? 200,000? 250,000? 500,000? 1,000,000? No way to know. It was something to keep in mind.
He slotted it into the Trade Link link and watched his number rise, and addition bringing him to 134,295 points. He shook his head at the sight, a dazed grin on his face. I just don¡¯t stop winning, do I? He giggled madly and tapped through menus, full up with shopaholic glee and bottomless greed.
Skin Suit Mk.5 ¡ª 40,000
The Skin Suit was first developed in 2289, by GRECKON PLC. They developed the first Skin Suits for the outfitting of personnel engaged in hazardous work in the what was known as the Broken Lands.
The Mk.5 was developed in 2441, and was praised for returning to the same modular nature of the Mk.3. It is possessed of the same lightweight bullet proof armouring, bio-sealing, and active camouflaging capabilities as all previous Skin Suits.
Notable features;
Soft-Exo-Suit-Capability ¡ª the Mk.5 adheres tightly to the user, allowing its artificial musculature to merge with the users, enhancing their physical abilities. This feature is compatible with some, but not all, bionic limbs. Please check users manual.
Full Bio-System ¡ª the Mk.5 takes sweat and other bodily fluid as well as waste from the user, and recycles it. It also maintains a perfect seal around the users body from the outside, while inside the suit it is perfectly regulated for long wear. The suit can theoretically be worn forever and never removed with no ill effect, so long as the user maintains it and switches out its filters at the timing described in the manual.
Drug Injectors ¡ª It is capable of injecting the user with various drugs and chemicals to aid their function.
Atmospherical Analysis ¡ª the Skin Suit draws air from the outside and samples it, giving the user details on chemical composition of the air. This system is capable of recognising anything that might be of danger to the user or to the suit¡¯s functionality. There are also analysis ports with removable sample collectors, which can be used to analyse liquids and solids.
¡
There were more features, quite a list of them, but Nicolai knew all the details already. He tapped purchase and then confirm with significant satisfaction, before navigating to the next item.
Skin Suit Helmet (Mk.5) ¡ª 10,000
A helmet designed for use with the Mk.5 Skin Suit. When used with the Skin Suit is forms a complete seal, entirely separating the user¡¯s body from the outside.
The helmet is formed of plasteel and nanoweave carbon fibre, and is capable of resisting significant damage. It also connects to the back of the suit to create a flexible neck-bridge system, which recognises when the user is undergoing dangerously rapid movement such as in a vehicular collision, and firms up to keep the neck straight and the head still.
The front of the helmet comes with two options.
- Camera-type full helm. In this version the entire helmet is one solid piece encasing the head, and is this extremely sturdy. The user views the world via cameras set in the front, top, back and sides, which can see in all typical visual schemas.
- Visor-type helm. This version is the same as above, but rather than being a single solid encasing it has a visor of reinforced nano-composite glass. As such it is slightly less protective. It allows the user to see with their own eyes, though they can still use the cameras on the back, sides, and top of the helmet. The visor can be swapped out with an insertable armoured piece, to regain similar protection as version 1, though at slightly less effectiveness.
Nicolai purchased it, too, opting for the second option. The cameras wouldn¡¯t have the benefits of his Cultivators eyes.
Next he spent 15,000 points on a decent Neural Enhancer, which he purchased from his buy-back list as his current Tier 2 Market only offered Level 1 augments. The neural enhancer was just about Level 2, and he would¡¯ve considered it a steal even at the price it would¡¯ve been without his -50% buy-back discount, 30,000. At 15,000 it was a ridiculously good deal. The main benefit this Neural Enhancer held over a Level 1 version, was that it would not exhaust the user after use, which was the very limitation which had made the Chosen who¡¯d had a lower level Neural Enhancer such easy pickings after Nicolai had waited out their use of it. After his encounter with the four Cyborgs and Gilvine he wanted something to help further speed him up. Alongside this he bought a Spine Jack for 5,000, something he performed with an empty mind and did not think on any further.
After that, he found another good deal and spent a further 30,000 on a low-grade level 3 bionic eye, once again from his buy-back list. Everything on the list was over a century out of date, but in truth weren¡¯t too far off the current level. Humanity had been facing a bit of a technological bottleneck for the past century, mostly due to depletion of many resources. This had forced innovation to focus on different ways to make the same stuff, rather than the previous focus of developing new and better technology.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
This bionic eye had multiple lenses which could move independently of one another, and would go very well with Threat Analysis as a result; he would be able to track multiple objects within his field of view concurrently. One of the lenses provided high quality thermal, another had an excessively powerful zoom function which would allow him to see the hairs on a flies legs from five-hundred metres away, and the whole thing was setup with an advanced targeting system that, when he used the additional eye-wire that was installed in his wrist as an accessory to the bionic eye, would allow for very easy and accurate aiming. Alongside this was a projector which would allow him to project holograms of light; a function common to bionic eye¡¯s which in Nicolai¡¯s opinion was significantly underused.
He spent another 5,000 on a relatively cheap Processing Unit implant. This was a small brain implant which was designed to do one thing only: run data, crunch numbers. To Nicolai, it held a particular use. Such units were very good for running AI¡¯s off of, such as his Modules. He restricted his thoughts on this matter, treating it as ¡°just another upgrade¡± and moving on.
That left him with 25,000-odd points, so he spent the rest on a few things for the others (he had to give out something to fulfil his side of the ¡°bargain,¡± though naturally he limited this as much as possible), then on a Cherubic Surgeon Permit and finally, the rest went on items to trade and ammunition.
He was prepared to spend all the points now, because he anticipated making far more quite soon. Maxine¡¯s work forming the coalition was going well, and a gathering was anticipated to occur soon. At that gathering he would sell all he could, and then go to the Trade Link and buy more to trade, and return, and sell, and loop this until the gathering ended or those who came had bought all they would.
When the Trade Link opened he unveiled the Skin Suit, looking it over critically. A large item made of a dark, tough, rubber-like material, at least on the outside, which was quite thick due to its protective layers, and even thicker in many places, over vitals and joints, where it was fully armoured. The interior was different, more comfortable.
He put it aside, claiming the Cherubic Surgeon Permit, neural-enhancer and the bionic eye in their shiny boxes.
Fifteen minutes later Nicolai woke from the anaesthesia to see the Cherubic Surgeon who¡¯d done the job giving him a jaunty wave before it disappeared in a flare of golden light. Reaching up, he felt the ridges of the Neural Enhancer rising from his upper back and lower spine. Just above this was the Spinal Jack, which was significantly smaller.
In his right orbital socket there was also a comfortable weight and presence. Previously, whenever he¡¯d blinked his eyelid had collapse inward over the lack of an eye, which had been a disquieting sensation. Now, he had no right eyelid because it had been removed during the installation of the new eye.
He currently had no vision from that eye, one half of his world still dark, but after a minute spent setting up it his other new additions up, that had changed.
His vision transformed, the uncomfortable lack replaced by proper sight. It looked just as it had before he¡¯d lost his eye, as the bionic was a type meant to work alongside a human eye. But, it also came with additional functions. The world flipped as with one piece of his vision he saw in thermal. Looking down he glanced at his hand, seeing it rendered black for hot, over the cold white of the stone below. The Trade Link¡¯s odd wires were also black, though less so than his hand, more a dark grey.
He returned it to default then peered out the exit, over the bridge. His bionic eye zoomed in, an odd thing to experience when his human eye remained at the same zoom, but Nicolai didn¡¯t struggle with it. He¡¯d experienced this sort of thing before, and knew how to focus on one eye or the other, and even how to take in the sight of both simultaneously. As the zoom intensified he was able to see in total clarity, as though he stood before it, the ladder at the far end.
Returning his eye to normal, he looked to the Skin Suit. Nicolai tugged open the zipper seals, zipped the whole thing open, stripped himself nude except for the few things he wished to wear underneath it, then began the lengthy process of suiting up. This involved plugging parts of it, somewhat unpleasantly, into his nether regions, alongside carefully and perfectly adhering it at specific points to his joints and over his muscles, and finally, as it wrapped around his neck, slotting the connectors extruding from it into the BIS ports on the back of his spine.
Underneath he wore his newest and best fashioned Oma vest, alongside his rings on his fingers. Wearing items underneath the Skin Suit wasn¡¯t ideal, as it interfered slightly with the Skin Suit¡¯s body management systems, such as the sweat collectors.
Noting the problem he then went to the Trade Link and bought some additions, all quite cheap, with the few thousand points he¡¯d held in reserve.
As the examine text had mentions, one of the more well-liked features of the Mk.5 was its modular nature. GRECKON had seen the wisdom in allowing various other companies to make Skin Suit compatible additions in response to endless niche customer needs. This had paid off very well for them, Nicolai knew, as it had made the Mk.5 the most popular Skin Suit to date, a similar situation as the AR-15 back in the modern age. As such the Mk.5 came with the ability to be perfectly altered to suit practically any desired function.
One of his purchases was a pair of alternate gloves. After pulling the connectors and clasps holding the originals in place, he removed them and pulled on the new ones.
The new gloves were slightly bulkier, and developed for a specific purpose. Being able to rapidly remove and redeploy the material around the fingers, for use in jobs where even the Skin Suit¡¯s tactile simulation capabilities weren¡¯t enough and people wanted to be able to touch things with their own fingers.
These Skin Suit gloves had little rails running along the back of his fingers, attaching at his joints with ring-parts. Nicolai watched as Skin Suit material ran along his fingers as though alive, closing over the tips, using the rails as a guide and connector. These finger parts were slightly thicker and tougher, necessary to contain the artificial musculature which they used to move.
Having his fingers free would be enough for him to charge the rapier and draw on Oma crystals, and these gloves fitted better around his rings. It should also aid Soul attacks slightly, though he¡¯d found that gloves didn¡¯t interfere much with things like a Soul palm strike.
The next item had him unzipping the top of the Skin Suit, finding some of the many ports within it which were there purely for the plugging-in of aftermarket items, and then connecting thin black wires to them. He fed these wires beneath his Oma vest, all the way out the other side and then plugged them into more ports, on his back and his chest.
These would allow the Skin Suits sweat absorbing and bodyheat regulating features to reach underneath the vest, in a way that hopefully should have none or minimal interference with his ability to absorb Oma. He considered this important because he knew the effect that having an excessively sweaty area beneath clothes could have. He didn¡¯t want to experience any chafing or other skin issues, and measures like this were important to avoid such things.
He even worked out a method to connect Rejuvenating Orbs directly into the suit, which when added to the helmet¡¯s breather, would allow him to breathe in the mist directly through the suit, and needing only a thought to cause a mechanism to pull and push the funnel. This particular element took quite some time, as he cycled through various aftermarket items looking for ones that could be modified to do the various jobs required.
Once done he put on a new tactical vest, a larger version which acted as a full-body harness over the Skin Suit, alongside a belt. Taken together he could attach all of his things to himself easily and accessibly.
Looking through the visor he found his view of the world very good, along with camera feeds to the sides and top of his vision showing further views.
He¡¯d chosen to use the visor variant of the helmet because of his Cultivators eyes. Through the cameras he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to see Soul Sense, Symbiote use, and other spiritual happenings. The visor did hem his vision in a little which wasn¡¯t ideal, but it wasn¡¯t by too much and he would be able to see more mundane threats better than ever with the cameras.
He intended to integrate his Bionic Eye and the Neural Enhancer into his Soul, which he hoped would give his Bionic Eye the same Spiritual Sight his other eye enjoyed. From what he¡¯d heard, this would be the case. A few with augments had gained Cultivation, now, and had spoken with Maxine on the radio on the matter of bionic eyes, mentioning that it seemed to work on them just the same as on everyone else, no limitations or lacks.
Overall, Nicolai was very pleased with the Skin Suit. Not only would it ease his future travel through the jungle, it also improved his combat capabilities by a decent margin. It would protect against light arms fire, cuts, stabs and crushing attacks. Through its perfect seal with his body and via its artifical muscles, it aided, strengthened, and stabilised every move he made, and it could even lock up to prevent his limbs or neck being broken.
With the Blue Hornet¡¯s lightning wreathing his body, with the Neural Enhancer active, using the Pegasi rings, and now, with the Skin Suit, he knew that he would be able to reach new heights of speed and strength.
He closed his hand into a fist, hungry to try himself against the world.
191: Bad News
Vikrum stood, peaceful and satisfied.
He¡¯d done it, at long last. His Seed was integrated and he was a Cultivator.
From his form extended a singular Soul Sense tendril. Vikrum had been disappointed to find that he was no stronger than any other new Cultivator, in terms of Soul and Nodes. He had learned of these things from some of his people who had gone through the process before him.
It seemed that the reason his Seed had required so much Oma, was due to the cost of Infusing his almost-entirely artificial body. It simply required more. He also found that he was little improved, physically. There were some minor increases to his speed and strength and even the working of his synthetic organs and implants, but it was only a difference of a couple percent. Nice to have, but very minor compared to the increase of at least 20-30% that biological matter received.
Vikrum and Cornwall were unsure why this was. They guessed that it had something to do the manner in which Cultivation changed things. So far as they could tell, it simply made anything and everything ¡°better¡± by an amount. Vikrum imagined it was harder to make Level 3 augments better compared to simple flesh. There was less room for improvement.
As to his Soul and Soul Sense, they were, so far as he could tell, at the same level as any other fresh Cultivator. Vikrum was still happy to have one, regardless. He¡¯d learned that not having a Soul made one very vulnerable; his brief encounter with Viper had made that very clear. Now possessing a Soul and true Soul Sense of his own, he would be able to prevent Viper having free reign spiritually.
Vikrum now knew a decent amount about these matters. He had fully fortified the library¡ªagain¡ªand it should be capable now of resisting a repeat assault by Viper. That done, he¡¯d had his people go through the books there. Much had been learned, and efforts were being made to transform all the information into digital, for cataloguing. Cornwall was well suited to such a task.
There were a few other Cultivators amongst the Chosen, individuals he had financed. They were useful to have, and not just for their abilities in battle.
Now that he was a Cultivator, he would join their Soul Sense sparring sessions. It was clear that Viper was very experienced when it came to spiritual combat. The next time they clashed, Vikrum intended to be able to match him.
For now he simply focused on doing what came naturally.
His mind explored through his body as he travelled mentally via his Soul and Soul Sense. It was interesting, an experience he¡¯d never been privy to before. His mind¡¯s eyes moved through his atmosphere filters and recyclers, and into his fusion-reactor heart.
This was where his Node had been created, after his Seed had bore into him. Astonishingly, none of the complex machinery was damaged. Somehow the Seed had simply known where to go, and had chosen a spot on the edge of his fusion-reactor where it bordered the atmosphere filters. That was useful, because he understood that it needed some kind of link to the air of the world outside his body in order to generate more Oma. The Seed had sent tiny filaments all through the fusion reactor, which had caused him concern.
Hardware checks performed by Cornwall had told him that if anything, his fusion reactor had somehow become very slightly stronger. Its material, largely plasteel alongside silicon and copper, had changed very slightly. Cornwall was unable to work out exactly how it had changed, only that it had.
Vikrum pulled away from the internal process, refocusing on the outside world. He looked to the back of his hand, where his Mark was pulsing. He tapped it.
Quest Complete: Hero of Humanity
Reward Available.
Challenge Complete: Integrate your Seed
Reward Available.
He accepted the second, and a statue grew from the ground, a sight he was well used to.
Three Symbiotes were presented. Vikrum spent quite some time on the choice, engaging in a deep communion with Cornwall, before selecting the best one. It was a powerful ¡°Skin Shield¡± type Symbiote, which he felt was exactly what he was missing. He didn¡¯t need offensive options, but defensive was always useful. On Earth, shielding technology was a new invention. It was very expensive and required bulky hardware¡ªmuch larger than would fit in his body. But in this new world, it seemed quite commonplace.
The next Reward Shrine for his major quest offered only one item, another Symbiote. He took it and Examined it as the statue fell away.
Symbiote of Change
Tier: 1
Type: Any
Placement: N/A
A mysterious Symbiote which can fulfil many uses, it acts as a versatile catalyst in spiritual endeavours.
It is most often used to create a significant addition to ones internal system, or to give great progress to the next stage. It may also be used in Refinement alongside more niche uses.
Notably, these are typically amongst the most difficult of Symbiotes to break-in. Multiple attempts over a lengthy period of time are often required. But Symbiotes of Change are fickle and unpredictable¡ªone might allow itself to be broken-in instantly, if the circumstances are right.
The Symbiote of change was a marble of ever-burning white fire. It was cool to the touch but, to Vikrum¡¯s tactile artificial skin, it gave off a faintly tingly, faintly numbing sensatio. It was clearly precious and important. But though the description talked of nothing but its many uses, there was nothing about how he could actually go about doing anything with it.
He¡¯d have to ask the ¡°Librarians¡±; as they were becoming known amongst the Chosen.
Gilvine has returned, Cornwall informed him, sending him a feed from one of the numerous security cameras Vikrum had had installed throughout the compound.
The Level 2 Cyborg was in a state. She was missing an arm, the dark metal of her form was battered and torn. She also appeared to have lost the anti-material rifle he¡¯d given her.
It looked like her encounter with Viper had not been easy. Vikrum hoped that she¡¯d at least killed the man, though seeing her state¡ he wasn¡¯t hopeful. Viper was simply too fucking slippery!
Regardless Vikrum was actually quite happy to see her so damaged, though irritated by the loss of the rifle. It had cost a significant amount of points.
He left his room and headed towards Gilvine. He was looking forward to interrogating her about what had happened and showing disdain over her failure. He¡¯d put her under some significant pressure for this.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
###
Some time later Vikrum strode back to his room, fuming. Not only had she lost the rifle¡ªViper had taken it!
He¡¯d sent her out with the express purpose of killing him, and instead he¡¯d only grown stronger! With an anti-material rifle in his hands the man was significantly more dangerous than before. Such a weapon was of much more threat to Vikrum than the shotgun Viper had used previously.
Why had he sent her with that weapon?! Why didn¡¯t you warn me of this possibility, Cornwall? He asked, his ire focusing on his assistant.
I thought the risk that she might lose it to Viper was implicit with her taking it.
He scoffed. Evidently not! He never would have let her take such a weapon if he¡¯d realised Viper might seize it from her. He¡¯d thought her more capable, or Viper less capable.
But in fact, she¡¯d told him that she¡¯d barely even damaged the man. He¡¯d dealt with the rifle via Symbiotes, and none of her other weapons had gotten past his shields. These shields are simply too strong¡ at least he finally had one of his own.
Beyond that, all the Chosen he had sent had abandoned his cause. This particular element, he couldn¡¯t blame her for. Those he¡¯d sent had all been Disloyal. He simply hadn¡¯t been able to afford sending any Loyal, because he had been on the cusp. Losing just three Loyal would have seen him unable to complete the quest.
He¡¯d suspected they might opt to abandon him, though only if the battle had gone poorly, which it clearly had. Fortunately the gear he¡¯d sent with her had been amongst the crappiest available, and ultimately they were no big loss.
Now at long last, his quest was complete. He no longer had to be so careful about keeping his Loyal number above the quest¡¯s cutoff. Now, he could act freely.
###
Nicolai crept through the jungle. His Soul Sense was tightly shelled, and thus making use of Symbiotes or Imbued was not an option.
But, with the shimmer poncho, skin suit, and his experience in moving through environments like this, he was able to creep through the brush without issue. He took care to watch out for parasites, and a few large leech-like worms found their way onto him here and there, but they simply crawled over him, bit experimentally at his skin suit to no effect, then dropped off.
That was the first danger of this place confirmed as no longer a problem. The other danger was a multitude, the large and vicious creatures which made this place their home.
He was hunting for resources, but this led to a small issue. In order to check whether something was suitable for his Symbiotes, he needed to unShell and spread his Soul Sense.
He did so by taking his time and making use of drones which flitted through the trees to check his surroundings. There were some casualties to this strategy, as a few were picked out of the air by bloodthirsty beings, but this only served to warn him of their location. He¡¯d been accruing drones simply by killing Chosen.
When he found something that looked interesting¡ªa clump of odd mushrooms, a plant with shimmering leaves, strange yellow vines¡ªhe made sure there was nothing near to him then checked them over.
So far, no luck. Many of the things he found did seem interesting, and Examining them revealed they were of some value. The kind of things that could be used to feed Symbiotes, but not his Symbiotes, and which could be used to refine Symbiotes, but not via the recipes he knew.
The care with which he moved was proved entirely necessary by his numerous encounters.
A moment of utter silence, the jungle seeming to hold its breath around him, as he remained perfectly still halfway in a bush. Something huge moving with similar slow and care as Nicolai employed, creeping between the trees. He heard the heavy huff of its breathing, saw the movement of its head as it slung it side to side, smelling the air.
It came close but the skin suit worked very well. He released no smells of his own, and had taken care to roll around quite thoroughly in the dirt of this place in order to replace the new-suit smell with that of the jungle. He¡¯d then brushed the dirt off, rolled in it again, and done this a few times.
He didn¡¯t wear the poncho because it limited his movement a little too much for his tastes in this environment, and because he didn¡¯t think it was necessary. The skin suit¡¯s reactive camouflage did a very good job. It looked over what he was near to, then shifted its pattern to match. This broke up his shape and allowed him to blend into the scenery. Only if he opted to fly in the air would he equip the poncho.
Some time later he froze again as a spade-like head poked out from the brush. Winding and slithering, a snake thicker than a man and which simply went on, and on, and on, emerged and crawled on past him.
He saw a gigantic bird, similar to the Bird the centipedes had killed if a little smaller, gripping tight to the branches of one of the many oversized trees in this place, well above of him, digging its beak into its feathers. Stripping away parasites, Nicolai imagined.
The only time he encountered true issue, however, it was not an animal. It was a plant.
He was creeping through the jungle, as usual, passing by an odd looking, very large plant. It was as he drew close to it that it struck. The flower suddenly unfurled to reveal teeth and lunged at him.
Nicolai, utterly focused and primed for anything, reacted instantly. He ducked forwards so it hit the ground behind him and he was in close by its stalk, then shot it with the AA-12, which was silenced. The plant fell quickly and he made an equally quick check for anything valuable with his Soul Sense and by Examining the dead thing. He ended up seizing the petals of its flowers, as to his surprise they transpired to be exactly what he needed; acceptable food for the Grasping and Repulsive Fingers both, which were the two Symbiotes that needed sustainment the most.
He got moving straight away, as the cracks of the shotgun pellets surpassing the sound barrier were extremely noisy and the silencer only reduced the gunshot itself. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t go fast enough.
As he pressed through the trees, something sliced at him.
Nicolai, ready for anything, had his shield ready and raised it, blocking something that went tumbling away. He unShelled his Soul Sense and immediately found himself in Soul Sense combat as an enemy attacked him, and by tracking its Soul Sense tendril he found it.
The turtle-like creature was hunkering beside a tree. It was the size of a car and its back was covered in sharp spines. Its Soul Sense was stronger than his but not insurmountably so.
Nicolai fired on it, aiming for the head, but this seemed a blocky and well defended thing, the bullets glancing off shell-like outcrops on its forehead and cheeks. He aimed for its underbelly which seemed more vulnerable and it let out a low roar of pain before hunching its body protectively.
The spines floated out of its shell and into the air and they came for Nicolai, directed by Soul Sense. To his surprise, this creature had multiple Soul Sense tendrils. They circled him, and showed him another trick when the creature flicked those tendrils and launched the spines at him, rather than sending the tendrils with the spines which would have allowed him to deflect them with his own Soul Sense.
He ducked and dodged, avoiding the spines.
He felt a strange and sudden twisting in the Aura, a ripple from nearby which pulled his gaze. He had begun to turn when something caught him in the back. He gasped with pain as it sunk in, piercing deep into his midsection.
More spines came in a hail, from every direction, but Nicolai ignored the pain of his insides tearing around the spine as he ducked and weaved, gained a moment to draw on his Rejuvenating Orb and pull the spine out of his back. As the perforation knit back together he activated the Skin Suits self-sealing function, and the area of the tear bubbled as it released sealant material. This was meant to be combined with a function that would inject healing stuff into his wound but he didn¡¯t enable that. The Rejuvenating Orb did a better job.
Some of the spines now came unpredictably, but he was ready for them. He¡¯d pieced together what had happened when that one caught him from the back. It had been launched by a tendril behind him, one he¡¯d dismissed as it had carried no spine. That had been a trick. Somehow this creature was capable of teleporting spines directly to its Soul Sense tendrils, one at a time. This was the ripple he¡¯d felt, which also told him what to watch for.
He pulled a grenade while blocking and weaving through the spines, closing ground on the turtle which was hunched up, presenting only its solid shell to him. He tossed the grenade toward it and with the Repulsive Finger pressed on that grenade, cutting its arc as it abruptly zipped straight through the air, passing into the thin gap the turtle had foolishly left between its shell and the ground.
The thump of the grenades explosion flipped the creature in the air, guts trailing in a tangle, and it crashed onto its back. It had time to flail its legs weakly for a moment before Nicolai arrived to pump lead into every part of its upturned body that looked vulnerable, putting it down for good.
There wasn¡¯t much time¡ªsomething would have heard their fight¡ªso Nicolai searched quickly. After investigating its corpse with his Soul Sense, hunting for Symbiotes, he didn¡¯t find one. But he did find that it had a few organs inside of it that shone to his Soul Sense, that seemed like a kind of Natural Resource. He¡¯d learned this was a unique trait of some Spirit Beasts. They didn¡¯t need Symbiotes, because they had sort-of Symbiotic components inside of them that allowed for similar abilities.
Some quick butchery with one of his knives later, he was shoving a few slick, bloody organs into a bag, then he fled. He could hear the ground thumping and knew that something was coming.
Fortunately, whatever it was found the corpse and dug in. He could hear the crunching as he slipped away.
Over the next hour he returned to the elevator, where he took the organs up top to stash them nearby. That done he returned to the jungle and resumed his hunt. He collected anything that looked like Symbiote food, including some that looked as though it might be of use for some of the others, but struggled to find what he actually wanted. Fortunately, in due time his luck changed, and he found the food he was looking for in the form of a beehive. Enough spiritual honey to keep his Blue Hornet healthy for a good while longer.
192: Death of an Angel
Nicolai sat crossed legged in his room, waiting.
His mind was empty of any thoughts. He was lightly merged with Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare. He was halfway between himself and Zero-Twelve, and in this state he was aware of the darkness stretching from the cage and roving through him, and yet above it, able to control himself in spite of it.
From the hole, something stirred.
FREE ME¡
His eyes snapped open. On the ground before him rested the M99. It pulsed and writhed gently in the dim light. He could feel its hunger.
He took it and it felt weightless, like a part of him. The Skin Suit he wore flexed, its artificial exo-muscles merging with his own through tight contact, becoming an extension of his body. With a thought, the visor of the Skin Suit¡¯s helmet snapped over his face, and the suit sealed with a hiss of gas, compacting tighter over him.
Sealed within the Skin Suit Nicolai felt somehow complete and perfect.
Leaving his room he encountered the others, who were prepping for the next trade run. They had much to say but little of it was of interest. He was, as always, faintly surprised that he was still with them. Increasingly a feeling was growing within him that he didn¡¯t need them. That perhaps he could simply kill all of the Chosen, and Paxolnaz, and the Centipedes, and everything else, by himself. Doing so would certainly be more enjoyable.
No. He had to remember his limits. That was the dark talking, and perhaps something else.
The only item that did draw his attention was Maxine¡¯s work over the radio.
¡®That¡¯s two more groups today,¡¯ she said, her eyes fairly glowing. ¡®We¡¯re up to thirteen groups¡ªconfirmed¡ªin the coalition. That¡¯s almost two hundred people, plus us!¡¯
Nicolai nodded, and got her to send him all the details via a datapacket. He was doing that more and more these days. It was much faster and more efficient than talking.
That done he briefed Jo, telling her she would be leading the trade run. She was giving him a certain look while he talked to her, a look he¡¯d seen a few times now¡ªa hopeful look that said, don¡¯t you have something else to say to me? He didn¡¯t.
He had intended to go on the trip himself, as he had gone on every prior trip, but hearing the call of the Unwinder had caused him to abort. However, he figured the others didn¡¯t truly need him personally there anymore. Why should he go? To look after them? Unnecessary. He doubted Vikrum would have been able to setup another ambush so quickly, though recognised that it was a possibility. He had his radio in a small microphone equipped box he¡¯d made, keyed to his Link, in his backpack. The radio itself was set to one of the less used channels, which the others would use to alert him if something went wrong.
He pulled the M99¡¯s strap tight to keep it pressed into his back, then he left and pushed rapidly through the castle, heading to the Upper Jungle.
###
Upon arriving Nicolai didn¡¯t go to the Kill Me tower. Instead he went to the rise of the castle on one side of the Upper Jungle, not too far from the Kill Me tower. It was the area he had led the last two Level 1 Cyborgs toward. There he scaled a building, climbing until he stood on one of the highest points in the whole castle, slightly above the top of the Kill Me Tower.
He loosened the M99¡¯s strap and slung it around his body, took it and set it on the ground before him.
Then he removed his pack and reached inside. He pulled free a bulky scope which was equipped with automatic wind and range finder, a large tripod, and a solid attachment piece.
He didn¡¯t use the tripod because he managed to find a place with a guardwall that was just the right size and shape. He set the attachment piece¡ªwhich was mostly two wide pieces of metal, with two manual screw-bits allowing it to be set around something and tightened to cling in place¡ªonto the wall. He screwed it tight into position.
That done, he attached the front of the M99 to the attachment piece, using a heavy duty metal connector system¡ªincluding an orbital socket for easy maneuvering¡ªhe¡¯d installed in it earlier. Once screwed and clamped he was able to leave the gun in place, attached at one spot to the wall, and despite its significant weight it did not move.
Attached to the wall like this, the recoil of its shots would not be felt by him, but by the wall. This was an important step, because he felt that the more shots he could fire on target, in a shorter amount of time, the better.
Would one be enough? Not quite. Not with that red shield. Two might do it. Three would be ideal but he wasn¡¯t sure he could manage that before the vines swarmed the Angel.
Nicolai settled into position, on one knee behind the rifle. He didn¡¯t need to check it was fully loaded and operational because he¡¯d done so before leaving, but he checked regardless.
He was in no rush. Paxolnaz was typically gone for forty to fifty minutes, when the Unwinder called. He had plenty of time.
He used the button on the attachment pieces orbital joint to allow the rifle to move, and activated the scopes automatic windage and rangefinding capabilities. He sighted through it, using his bionic eye, and the centre of the Kill Me tower¡¯s roof came into view. It was a seething ocean of slow-moving black vines, and in the very middle of them they clumped around a shape. The Angel.
Nicolai settled everything with exacting focus and slow patience, going through the process of adjusting the rifle for windage and range, and then taking into account how the recoil would change its positioning and how he would need to reposition it for the second and third shots. Aiming would have done the same job in a fraction of the time, but without the Module he was left to use the scope¡¯s software, a far inferior version that required some calibration.
Once done, Nicolai ended up as a kind of statue atop the roof. Utterly still but for the slow movement of his chest. One of his eyes was fixated to the Angel through the scope. The other observed the same area without the scope. With his bionic eye this dual-vision was quite easy to manage, as he was able to split some of the task to the Modules. Neither Threat Analysis nor Cyberwarfare were perfectly suited for this task, but they were better than nothing.
Great clouds passed above, their slow shadows crawling over the world around him. The Skin Suit¡¯s software spoke of coolness when the shadows swept over him, and warmth when the sun¡¯s light shone down. Sealed within it, his body remained at a comfortable temperature.
He remained unmoving, glued to the M99. This was not his first time waiting patiently behind a sniper¡¯s scope. Far from it, and he doubted it would be his last. He found it calming. His mind was still and empty, his mental state closer to a spider waiting for the next meal to arrive than something human. Blue Lightning began to crawl over his body, something he activated purely for the slightly increased physical speed it gave him.
In the undulations of the vines, there came moments. Just here and there, now and then. But they came. Moments where the Angel was less covered, moments where the vines between Nicolai¡¯s distant vantage and his target slipped aside. Where, just for an instant, a clear passage ran between the barrel of his gun and the Angel. Even then, some vines still covered its form. Not a problem, Nicolai knew that it would take more than a few vines to stop the .50 BMG rounds the M99 fired.
He waited for the perfect moment.
And in due time, it arrived.
A gap, a space, just as predicted, just as he¡¯d been waiting for. It winked at him through the writhing vines, calling to him, telling him that now was the moment.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Nicolai squeezed the trigger and the M99 erupted, a round slicing through the air. His hands moved in a blur, cloaked by lightning as he racked the bolt, slammed a fresh round in and cranked it. He squeezed the trigger and his hands danced again. A red shield broke. Golden blood and the black sap of the vines was distantly visible, spraying the air, then the vines were surging and they pressed over and swallowed and surrounded the form of the Angel. His last shot came, arriving as the vines were already in place, blocking it.
But that shot was proven unnecessary. The first two had done the job. The tingle of his Mark told so, though he would¡¯ve known regardless.
When the Angel died he felt it. Possibly the most powerful ripple he¡¯d ever detected had rolled out like a wave, crashing over and through him. It felt of¡ Release. Joy. Freedom. He glanced at his Mark.
Quest Complete: Caged Butterfly
Then something was coming straight for him. Nicolai moved backwards, away from the M99, taking his assault rifle into his hands.
But there was nothing physical. Instead, a spectre of golden light floated before him. The Angel, which in spirit was whole and unharmed. The man¡¯s eyes shimmered and a smile danced over his face.
You have helped me, and as promised, I will repay you. You chose your time wisely; the Demon is not near.
Here is its plan: it seeks to change you enough so that you are no longer the same as you are now; to make you into a different being. It aims to accomplish this by corrupting you, via your Black Gift, with Outside influences. Turning you into some kind of Mutant. Once it succeeds, the Contract you made with it will no longer apply. It will be able to act directly and possess you.
¡®How can I survive?¡¯ Nicolai asked.
All you need to do is last long enough. The Demon is under a time limit. Inevitably its Master, the shred of the Unwinder kept in this place, will gain freedom. If Paxolnaz does not have a Skin to hide in at that time, it will have no choice but to leave. If you can only avoid falling to your Gift and mutating for long enough, you will prove victorious.
Nicolai frowned. ¡®But it has to know that. It¡¯s planning something. Recently it made a requirement in our Contract, that I must find a sword hidden in this place. A Demonic Artifact. It has put pressure on me with this Soul Rot. In due time I may be forced to go and get the Blade. What then?¡¯
It floated around him. If you do Mutate, then my blood might aid you. You would need a Symbiote of change, too, which will not be easy to find. My blood will pool where I died, and remain. The Centipedes and other creatures will not touch it, though they may guard it.
To help you with this I will give you a gift. A small piece of myself. I suspect you will be unable to avoid being twisted and mutated. But you need not turn into something of the Outside. Through the work of my blood and a Symbiote of Change, you may become an Angel, a servant of Heaven. In such a form you would be immune to Paxolnaz¡¯s designs. It could do very little to you. You would also be rescued from the Great Game.
You will need a plan, one that the Demon cannot see¡ the timing for all of this must be very precise. Once you transform you will no longer wish for the change, you would have to get here as the change is occurring. As to how you might hide your plans¡ you seem to have already worked it out, but in case you weren¡¯t sure, I can confirm it for you. There are thinking-stones in your head. Silicon without a Soul. Neither I nor the Demon can see what is being thought within these.
Nicolai frowned. ¡®But if I become this¡ Angelic being, then I still will not be myself. Is this not the case? I wish to remain myself, and I certainly don¡¯t wish to be bound to serve Heaven. I want to retain my freedom.¡¯
You would become a better version of yourself. I see the Mask you wear. You are trying to become more than you were, are you not? This would only aid that process. You would be what you wish to be!
Nicolai¡¯s eyes narrowed, and the shadows crawled around the Angel, hissing and spitting with rage, one which¡ªto the dismay of his Mask¡ªhe mirrored.
The Angel misunderstood him. His attempts to be more human were only one part of his goals, and not even one of the more important drives within him. Above all, he wished to maintain himself. To work out who he truly was and who he truly wanted to be. The Mask was one element of that because it allowed him to explore other ways of being, so he could better work out who he wished to be. But, in truth, he considered the Thrill and the Darkness as equally important. The shadows swayed with satisfaction as they felt him admit this.
He did not wish for the Darkness to overwhelm him. But nor did he wish the Mask to do the same, and certainly he did not want to be transformed into some strange new being, Angelic or otherwise. Ultimately, he was the one who must remain in control, and they were merely tools or eccentricies he allowed, because he felt they could be of use.
Beyond that, he did not in fact have any desire to be ¡°rescued¡± from the Great Game. The Great Game was dangerous and difficult, full of great risk, yes¡ but it was also an opportunity, he had seen that repeated numerous times. An opportunity to gain great power while maintaining his agency. That was what he wanted, not to give up and flee to become a slave of Heaven.
The Angel looked away from him. I must leave now, farewell, human.
¡®Wait! What do you know of the Lizard? This is the one item the Demon holds over me. I have to find out where he is.¡¯
The Lizard? The Angel¡¯s eyes glittered. I see. Yes, much becomes clear now. I am afraid I cannot provide any information on him or his location. But, it is doubly important that you must outwit the Demon, and gain the information of the Lizard¡¯s location. If Paxolnaz has agreed by Contract to share this information, it will not be able to change that. Keep in mind, whatever methods it has to alter the Contract, they will be limited. Even it is bound by the rules of this reality.
It looked away from him again. I am sorry. I must go¡ The Angel paused. Here. This will help you. It extended a finger toward him, a finger that shimmered with light, and before Nicolai could react something launched from the finger and into his body, passing through his Skin Suit.
With a single beat of its phantom wings, the Angel disappeared in a flash of golden light.
Worm! cried Cyberwarfare within Nicolai, lunging towards a faint golden spark that had joined his Soul.
No, leave it, Nicolai told the overly fervid Module. This one may be of use to us. They observed the golden spark together as it floated through his Soul, moving towards his forehead where it settled. From it, he felt a dim kind of awareness, a promise. At the proper time, I will do what I can¡ came a faint echo of the Angel¡¯s voice.
Nicolai wasn¡¯t entirely pleased by this new addition. It reminded him and Cyberwarfare both of the thing Paxolnaz had sneakily put inside of him. However, where that had come by stealth, this one had been given to him openly. Though he was¡ªby very nature¡ªincapable of trusting the Angel, he could see clearly that it was aligned against the Demon.
Helping him would hinder the Demon. The only worry is that helping me would not be the only way to hinder the Demon. What if the Angel simply had him killed? Then, presumably, Paxolnaz would not be able to ¡°Skin¡± him. This would be much simpler, and would mean the Angel did not have to rely on him outwitting the Demon.
But Nicolai did not think that likely. No. The Angel wished to gain an ally, to further tie him to the purposes of its faction, whatever that was. This was why it wished him to be mutated, so that he might then perform the energy flip and become an Angel.
These beings, strangers from other realities, were both eager to choose his future for him. Paxolnaz wished to seize control of his body. The Angel, to turn him into a being like itself, a servant of Heaven.
Neither appealed. All of these pieces of me are merely that. Pieces. I am the true Nicolai. He wished to grow and change at his own rate and under his own will, not in a sudden step resulting from the machinations of another.
But he knew that the dark was currently making significant progress. It was close below and always writhing, looking to seize control. He was remaining in control mostly due to managing the find the Zero-Twelve state when it was peaking. That, and the aid of the Mask. If it did seize complete control¡ he lost.
Threat Analysis chose this moment to speak up. It reminded him that if the future held grim possibilities then one should never run from them. One had to recognise that they might occur¡ªand plan for them.
If he were to lose, then at that point, what would he rather? To be Skinned by Paxolnaz, or to become something else, an Angel?
Being taken and used by Paxolnaz was by far the worst option, a total loss. Becoming an Angel¡ at least he would still be partly himself. Even so, he loathed the idea.
His mouth twisted in sudden disgust. No. There is only one way. I remain myself, or I die. For what is the point in continuing if I am no longer myself? So far as he was concerned, it was the same as dying.
Nicolai stared aimlessly ahead. In his mind, every detail he had learned of this world, of Soul and Oma, Symbiotes and Artifacts, Angels and Demons, all of it floated through his mind. In a near-perfect merging with Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare, Nicolai parsed it. He even allowed strands of the dark, a flare of the thrill, and a piece of the Mark, to take part in this. He avoided the parts of the darkness that felt alien, like new additions, for he knew they were no true part of himself.
Everything within him came together and considered.
Soon Paxolnaz would return. Doubtless the Demon would be unhappy. It would watch him closer than ever, attempting to dig out his plan. He needed to work out what to do before it came, and then sink that information deep in his mind; keep it out of his consciousness.
The Angel had mentioned stones in his mind. That could only be the implants; which indeed were largely made of silicone. Based on what it had said, if he didn¡¯t merge his Soul into these implants, they would remain outside of the Demon¡¯s view. He had anticipated this already, and the implants remained outside of his Soul. One unexpected benefit of the Soul Rot was that his Soul was not automatically pushing into these empty areas, as it would normally. It was too busy fighting off the rot.
A plan was coalescing in his mind, stored in the implants.
He wasn¡¯t sure how, not yet, but he was beginning to feel a way. A way to escape the machinations of the Demon, and the Angel, and everything else. A way to remain himself. A way to take control of the Dark, a way to further his drive to master the Zero-Twelve state, a way to move on from this place with a clear mind and his agency intact. A way to become as powerful and capable as possible, as quickly as possible.
A smile slithered over his face. Optimal.
193: Charging Flashbug
Reward available.
Claim, thought Nicolai, and a statue rose before him. It was, as he¡¯d half suspected, a statue of an Angel, though at significantly reduced scale. This one very closely resembled the Angel he¡¯d freed.
Reward Shrine - Tier 2 (Special)
This Reward Shrine allows one to select. They may either receive a standard Tier 2 Reward Shrine, or a Tier 1 Symbiote Shrine.
This particular shrine depicts an Upper Denizen, an agent of Heaven. Upper Denizens come about either when a Denizen is raised by Heaven, the result of some great act and loyal comportment, or when an unusually powerful being becomes a Denizen.
On the statue¡¯s outraised hands floated golden words. Symbiote Shrine on the left, Reward Shrine on the right.
After a moments deliberation, Nicolai chose the Symbiote Shrine. He wanted more Symbiotes, and so far he hadn¡¯t seen anything particularly groundbreaking from the standard shrines. The one that had given him his poncho had been Tier 2, which suggested it would offer similar things; guns and tools. He¡¯d rather a Symbiote, especially since he hoped this Symbiote Shrine would be tailored to his current situation.
He currently had no Symbiotes for lungs or windpipe, and he was hopeful that the shrine might offer such. The last one had only given him heart Node Symbiotes, but that then he¡¯d only had a heart Node.
After he tapped the left hand, the Angel fell away and a new statue rose. This depicted some kind of weird bobbly little man, quite rotund with a round, childlike face that wore an irritatingly smug expression. A Symbiote was in each of its outraised hands and another balanced on its head. Nicolai did his best to ignore that as he looked over the three Symbiotes on offer, a smile working its way onto his face. Here it is. These things always made him happy.
One of them immediately drew his eye, because it was crackling with little sparks of electricity or perhaps lightning. This one resembled a little blue-white firebug, sparks in its belly, and its wings were vibrating as it hovered quietly over the statues hand.
The next was a little pale worm which had turned in on itself to form a circle, laying still. The Aura pulsed gently around it, releasing faint Aura ripples.
The last was just a weird blob with tubes emerging from it. It was¡ blobbing around on the stone.
First he tapped on the statue itself, examining it.
Symbiote Reward Shrine - Tier 1
This Reward Shrine grants Tier 1 Symbiotes.
This particular shrine depicts a Lower Denizen of the Merkattel Race. Known for their charm, wit, and deviousness, they are often found working in finance and trade.
Next he tapped on the Symbiotes, one by one.
Charging Flashbug Symbiote
Tier: 1
Type: Lightning
Placement: Lung
This support Symbiote allows the Cultivator to generate lightning energy, which may be used by other Symbiotes. Once activated, simply breathing generates lightning, and this may increase not only the speed but also the total amount of lightning energy generated.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Comes with ten days of food.
Meditating Paleworm Symbiote
Tier: 1
Type: Oma
Placement: Lung
This support Symbiote allows the Cultivator to draw in slightly more Aura, increasing their rate of passive Oma regeneration.
Comes with ten days of food,
Sweet Taste Tuber Symbiote
Tier: 1
Type: Poison
Placement: Windpipe
Commonly used by assassins, this Symbiote allows the Cultivator to breathe out poisonous vapours. These vapours slowly diffuse around the Cultivator, and can be directed by the Cultivator¡¯s Soul Sense¡ªthough they are difficult for others to detect. Those afflicted by the poison grow increasingly lethargic, until they eventually fall asleep. The vapour is colourless and has only a faintly sweet smell, difficult to notice.
Comes with ten days of food.
His smile grew. He¡¯d been right, the rewards were tailored to his situation, and perhaps even him as a person. All of them could be of use. However, he immediately fixated on the Charging Flashbug. The Blue Lightning his Hornet created was very powerful, it had been the deciding factor in a number of fights and helped close the gap against augmented individuals. But it had limitations.
The main limitation was its slow rate of generation. Even moving as rapidly as possible, it still took up to a minute. With this¡ he wasn¡¯t sure if the problem would be solved, exactly. The descriptions never went into the kind of exhaustive detail he would have preferred. But it should certainly generate at least a bit faster¡ªhopefully significantly faster¡ªand it looked like he would be able to generate the lightning simply by breathing, which would be useful if he was unable to move. If he was right, it could be very useful.
The Meditating Paleworm was, he felt, of less immediate use. Currently he wasn¡¯t suffering from any particular issues when it came to Oma, sending people into the mines to gather them for him had paid significant dividends.
The Sweet Taste Tuber was, perhaps surprisingly, not particularly appealing to him. Heaven¡ªor whoever chose the rewards¡ªhad misstepped with that one. Poison had never been a method of choice for him. He had made use of it, here and there, but generally only because the client had requested it as the target¡¯s manner of death. He had always preferred to simply shoot people. It was much faster and held minimal risk of killing the wrong person; which, to his mind, was the sort of thing only amateurs and terrorists did. He was a professional.
The Charging Flashbug it was. He simply reached out and seized it, his Soul Sense flaring, ready to take the lightning hit and making sure he held it in a way where any spasming of his fingers wouldn¡¯t crush it.
To his surprise it didn¡¯t strike him, instead it just tried to escape in the moment it had. This was in vain as he simply held it in his hands, and in short order it grew still as his Soul Sense squeezed it.
Nicolai was better at this sort of thing, now. He worked on keeping it under pressure it as he moved across the towertop and retrieved the M99, removing it from where he¡¯d affixed it, retrieving the grips, then slinging it over his back.
He took the time to move rapidly through the area, using the Grasping Finger and Pegasi ring, until he¡¯d found a nicely secluded tower nestled amidst taller ones. He¡¯d wanted to move away from where he¡¯d fired the anti-material rifle, as there was a chance the noise of its firing might lead someone or something to come and investigate.
There he settled down, bade Threat Analysis to keep an eye on the surroundings, and started work breaking in the Symbiote.
After only a bit over thirty minutes¡ªwhich was a personal record, if he discounted that time one of them had simply given up¡ªhe successfully broke the Symbiote in. It dissolved into motes of light that sank into him, and went, as all of them did, to his heart Node.
Nicolai directed it from there to his lung Node, then rose from where he¡¯d sat while activating both the Charging Flashbug and Blue Hornet.
The following moments saw Nicolai moving in a blur across the rooftops as he boxed with the shadows, and he took quick, short breaths, taking in as much fresh oxygen as possible.
He learned that he had to direct the new Symbiote. Lightning energy began to gather around it, within his lung Node, and he sent that energy out. It moved more through his Soul than his body, and emerged on his skin, merging easily with the Blue Lightning crackling over him.
Nicolai timed how long it took until the Blue Lightning reached its peak where it was ready to be launched. It took roughly half as long. But the Blue Lightning didn¡¯t stop there, where it had always ceased gathering before. It continued to accrue until he was practically wreathed in it. After the same time as it would normally take to charge, he found a new peak had been reached.
He kept moving a little longer, because he found his movements slightly sped up from the norm. Being wreathed in the Blue Lightning always made him slightly faster, and now that had been pushed a little further. Not so much, he felt. If previously he had been 10% faster, now he was 15% faster. Still, nice to have.
He took aim at a handy outcrop of stone with Soul Sense and the lightning crackled over his arm. Nicolai attempted to squeeze all of what covered him into the forming Art, but found himself, or perhaps more accurately, the Blue Hornet, unable. He could feel the Symbiote under sudden strain, unable to go any further, and he fired the Art.
The same thumb-thick bolt as always burst from his outstretched hand, connecting him to the outcrop of stone for a frozen moment.
Nicolai stared thoughtfully at that outcrop, and considered the lightning still covering him. It felt about enough.
A moment later a second bolt struck out, and he grinned, suddenly very, very pleased by the new Symbiote.
Two bolts instead of one, slightly increased speed, and half the charge time. All taken together it was a significant improvement.
Back to base.
194: Pressure
Paxolnaz had been stuck down in the depths, slaving for its Master, when it felt the Ripples. Ripples that it understood immediately.
The Denizen had had its bodily form destroyed. Its Soul had been freed.
There could only be one culprit. The fact this had happened in the moment where Paxolnaz was gone from the human was not, Paxolnaz believed, the result of dumb luck. It had come to suspect that the human was aware of the fact of the Unwinder¡¯s call drawing Paxolnaz away, and had made use of that.
It was infuriating.
Paxolnaz moved through the Interior like a rogue comet hunting for an unlucky planet full up with oblivious lifeforms. As it emerged near to its target the furious waves preceding its arrival caused the entities gathered around the human¡¯s mind to spring apart, making space. Paxolnaz slowed, circling around the human¡¯s mind like a shark orbiting a diving cage. It felt hungrily at the human¡¯s thoughts and it was not at all pleased by what it saw.
You dare¡
Paxolnaz sneered at the mind. Every day the True Demon hated this creature more and more. Paxolnaz could feel the human¡¯s confidence. Actual confidence and self-belief that it was going to win. The arrogance was staggering, but the worst part of all was that this arrogance was not unwarranted.
Paxolnaz had never, in all its years, encountered a biological with such a strange mind. A mind that seemed made of many different, disparate parts, which shifted around into different configurations at will, and which now had formed into some peculiar and yet oddly seamless whole. The human was becoming increasingly alien to Paxolnaz. It reminded the True Demon of a time long, long ago, when in the depths of the Black Edge, it had encountered a Malocryph. This human almost felt like a fetal variant of those things.
But regardless, progress is being made. Paxolnaz peered deeper into the human and what it saw made it smile. The mad human¡¯s will was solid as metal, but that will was gradually being carved through with strings of darkness. The little cage the human had constructed was no longer capable of holding it all, not even close. Now at every moment its Black Gift¡ªengorged and increasing corrupted by the influence of Paxolnaz¡¯s subjugated entities¡ªwas throughout its body.
This should have been a tipping point. Normally, once that occurred the Gifted one would begin to mutate. The human differed in that. Still¡ªsomehow¡ªit was able to resist.
But the Black Gift was not a quiet passenger. It flexed and squirmed, it demanded to be fed, it hungered for death and blood. A hunger that only grew, and grew, and all the while the False Demons reached into the human through it. Paxolnaz hoped that the human would continue to do as it was, to suppress its Gift and ignore it. If it did so, then quite soon the Black Gift would erupt and then the human would be finished.
Alternatively, the human might opt to sate the Black Gift. This would buy it some more time, causing the Gift to relax rather than making a bid for control. But each time the human did so, the Gift would grow stronger from the feeding. The hunger would rise more and more rapidly, and demand more and more.
No matter what, the human would fall.
But Paxolnaz was not happy. Because this might still not be soon enough. It had one more use of the Blind Judge, but that was for emergencies. It might be able to add some extra consequence, maybe reinforce the Soul Rot. But it wanted to keep the final use back. The human was sneaky, crafty. It was obviously looking for a way around the first use. If it used the Blind Judge now, it would possibly be able to speed things up, but it would then be unable to take anymore decisive action. It would simply have to wait and hope that everything turned out as desired; hope that whatever plots the human had didn¡¯t work.
If it kept the Blind Judge back, it would be able to use the Symbiote when the human enacted the plan it was cooking up, circumventing it. Paxolnaz intended to monitor the human carefully. It was aware that the human was doing its best to simply not think on its plan at times where Paxolnaz was near. This was a method doomed to fail¡ªeventually some hint of those plans would emerge, it was impossible for a fleshy being to entirely avoid thinking on matters of such import over a longer period. Once it knew the plan, the Blind Judge would work as a perfectly timed counter, sealing the human¡¯s fate.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
In the meantime, it would simply put the pressure on when and where it could.
Until now it hadn¡¯t been certain the human knew about it. The human had clearly been working hard to conceal that knowledge, its thoughts on the matter vague whenever Paxolnaz was about. But this latest act proved it knew more than enough.
Therefore, it was time to abandoned subtlety entirely. Rather than waiting for an opportune moment, it would simply strike whenever it could.
Paxolnaz reached out, the spark of True Warp within it flaring, and it grasped at all the pathetic, cowering creatures around it. It seized them roughly, jolted them with fear and pain, and it enforced its will.
Do what you do, it hissed at them, whipping them like the slaves they were, shoving them toward the human¡¯s mind. And do it better. Even as it did this, it felt the human¡¯s readiness, felt it firming its will and its Soul, preparing, and it knew that this would not be easy, that this was just the continuation of a frustratingly slow process.
###
The temperature in his room had abruptly plummeted, which told Nicolai everything he needed to know. His will and Soul were already tight around the ramshackle cage when he felt the hole within it seething, energies squeezing out and feeding into the dark bottled up inside, seeking to stir it up into a mad rage.
He felt a stirring, and the world shimmered around him. He saw his shadow, cast upon the wall, but it was twisting and squirming. It separated from the wall and took a slow step towards him, and it was him but it was not him, it was something different.
It took another step and within himself Nicolai felt that dark moving in mirror, rising.
There was no point trying to run from this shadow, he knew that. It was a representation, something that happened inside of him.
Even as the shadow drew closer and closer, Nicolai closed his eyes and sat there, meditational, and he focused. Even as he felt it right before him, inches from him, he remained calm, and instead the heat of danger and the pressure of it all condensed his mind and focus. Like a great weight, a centrifuge applied to molten metals, forming the pure into one. Approaching the Zero-Twelve state.
In this state of mind he was able to suppress the dark more easily than before. Another change was that he was beginning to be able to differentiate the true dark, as he thought of it¡ªthe original, the part that was actually his¡ªand the additional parts of it that had grown from the strange energies being fed into him.
Nicolai opened his eyes and he saw the shadow, right in front of him, reaching for him. He raised a hand, pressed and pulled within.
His hand touched that of the shadow, fingers intertwining, and the shadow was gone. The Darkness Module restricted and under his control.
Nicolai looked it over carefully. If he kept track of it, he could see how it was a strange merging. With an effort of will he had the two portions to separate a little, pulling them apart wherever they joined, within him, and the shadow mirrored this as it began to pull in two directions. The original dark still stirred, but less so. Once it was held apart enough, it almost seemed to aid him. It despised the attempt to control him, even more than it despised how he suppressed it. Knowing that much of this was due to an alien being attempting to seize control of him also gave him significantly more desire and motivation to fight back, than when he had thought it all a part of himself.
The trouble was that he knew this would not be stopping anytime soon.
His time was running out, and now he would have to live under this constant pressure. He wouldn¡¯t always be able to keep the dark suppressed; it required significant attention and the focus of his Soul, not to mention the issue of the Soul Rot, which seemed to make everything slightly more difficult.
Nicolai raised his hands and saw how his skin seemed to writhe, spiritual claws attempting to emerge from within. He saw how his shadow reached for him, and how it was sharp and twisted and hungry. And he knew that if he let it merge, that his Soul would become something truly dangerous. He knew these things could help him in battle, and weaponising his Soul was certainly appealing.
But only under his terms. Only because he controlled it.
The cold grew and he suffered another attack as his shadow reached for him. But Nicolai rose and he held it off. So long as he was ready it wasn¡¯t of too much risk.
Once more, he endured. And to his surprise, the cold soon dissipated. He waited but no more attacks came.
Based on what he understood, from what the Angel had told him, this should be some kind of indirect attack. The Demon was using other beings against him.
If the attack had ended, then that meant these beings had a limit. They needed time to recover. That was good, it meant he wouldn¡¯t have to endure this continuously, and he knew how to to resist.
He smiled. The Demon could do what it might. He knew how to deal with these attacks.
195: Major Node Builder
User Interface 376 | User #53,217
- Cultivation
Total Nodes: 1 Major, 5 Minor
Available unconstructed Nodes: 0 Major, 0 Minor
Nodes in progress;
Right Kidney (Finalised: 100%) (awaiting final consolidation)
Left Kidney (Finalised: 100%) (awaiting final consolidation)
Windpipe (Finalised: 100%) (awaiting final consolidation)
Completed Nodes;
Heart (Flawless) (100/100)
Right Lung (B) (24/24)
Left Lung (B) (25/25)
Nicolai reached through his body and Soul and grasped at the Nodes, one after the other. With each unfinished Node, he poured his will into them. With a sensation of solidness and settling, the Nodes crystallised, finished.
With each one a pulse of satisfaction rang through him, body and Soul.
His mind roved within, ducking into the new Nodes within him. What he found was of great interest to him. The windpipe Node reminded him of the lung Nodes. There was no dark twist within, but instead the same kind of ¡°pulling¡± piece as were in the lungs, which was clearly designed to help him create a stronger pull on the Aura in the air, sucking more into his lungs. The windpipe Node, then, was there to support the work of his lung Nodes.
The kidney Nodes were different. They, like his heart Node, had a black twist inside. These black twists were smaller than that in the heart Major Node, but seemed of similar design and intent.
Sitting there and breathing, Nicolai watched as Aura was pulled into his body, taken into his system, and transformed into Oma.
The windpipe Node made a surprisingly large difference, as the amount of Aura he drew in seemed almost doubled. This was then taken by not only the heart Node, but also the two kidney Nodes, filtering the Aura from his blood, and it transformed more rapidly than ever into Oma. As before, however, he had the impression that his heart and kidneys could have handled more Aura. They were still operating below their maximum capacity. However, he now knew this was not because of any failure in his lungs Nodes and windpipe Node.
He had learned that the amount of Aura in the air differed from place to place, after questioning Kleos and Maric. Here, there was not a particularly large amount of Aura. Only if he were in a place with high amounts of Aura, might he then find his heart and kidneys working at maximum capacity as they transformed that Aura into Oma. For now, his lungs and windpipe could only draw so much, because there only was so much.
However, there was a way to improve this, something he should be capable of now he had completed his chest area. It was a method Kleos had described to him, one that would, at long last, make use of the Quiet Turtle statue he had found in the prison¡¯s storage room.
Nicolai dug the statue out from where he¡¯d stashed it, set it on the table before him, placed his hands either side of it and fed it a small amount of Oma, and focused.
Around the statue the Aura began to twist, being pulled in toward it. At the same time, within Nicolai¡¯s system, he began to rotate Oma. He sent it on a circular journey; from heart, to left lung, to windpipe, to right lung, back to heart, then to right kidney, to left kidney, back to heart, and then on to left lung again¡
The Oma, circling through him created a kind of draw, one that connected to the draw around the Quiet Turtle statue. At the same time as this Nicolai moved his Soul Sense, attempting to create a kind of spiritual circulation in the air, struggling to press on the Aura.
It was not easy, but as he settled into it he found the Aura he breathed growing slightly thicker. He was pulling it from all around him, drawing it through the air. The longer he worked the more the draw increased, the greater the slow rotation of Aura around him grew. It was a task that sucked his attention and forced him to be still, his whole Soul, Soul Sense, and every Node in his system focused on.
After a time he was interrupted by a Link connection, Beth, which he allowed.
¡®What are you doing?¡¯ she asked. ¡®I can feel it, in the air. You¡¯re¡ pulling, or something. It¡¯s quite, uh, noisy. I think you might be sending out signs people could notice from some distance.¡¯
Nicolai stopped immediately, the funnel he¡¯d created dissipating. After telling Beth it was a new technique he¡¯d learned¡ªand then responding to her demand that he share with the fact she couldn''t do it until she completed her chest area¡ªhe interrogated Kleos. Maric was meanwhile undergoing some kind of slumber which the head¡¯s had said was normal for an undead in his position. Apparently every now and then they needed to rest. The skull¡¯s blue-light eyes were dim and Nicolai had set it quietly in a corner of the room.
¡®Beth could feel my active Cultivation,¡¯ he began to Kleos. ¡®Is that normal?¡¯
¡®Yep,¡¯ said the head. ¡®That¡¯s the main drawback. You can sit still and pull decent amounts of Aura, get your system really going to refill your Nodes¡ but it¡¯s noticeable. Creates ripples other Cultivators can detect. They can even follow those ripples and the movements of the Aura right back to you. So, best only done if you¡¯re in a place where you¡¯re safe, or you know there¡¯s no one about, or if you¡¯re strong enough not to care. Spiritual Beasts and other things, Mutants and such, can feel it too.¡¯ It gave him a meaningful look. ¡®At the same time, you¡¯ll be able to sense others doing the same, if they¡¯re about. Worth paying attention to the ripples in the Aura around you.¡¯
¡®I always do,¡¯ murmured Nicolai, then he tapped his Mark. He hadn¡¯t yet checked what grade his Nodes were at.
User Interface 376 | User #53,217
- Cultivation
Total Nodes: 1 Major, 5 Minor
Total Oma: 228
Available unconstructed Nodes: 7 Major, 0 Minor
Nodes in progress;
Completed Nodes;
Heart (Flawless) (100/100)
Right Lung (B) (24/24)
Left Lung (B) (25/25)
Right Kidney (B) (15/26)
Left Kidney (B) (15/26)
Windpipe (A) (16/27)
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
Nicolai¡¯s eyes were fixed on a single letter: A.
Satisfaction poured through him at the sight of it. The lowest level of A was only a difference of a single point from the highest level of B, but even so, he was very pleased. This confirmed his Natural Aptitude was somewhere in the A region. Less pleasing, he¡¯d noted that his progress at improving his Nodes was already slowing, but overall he didn¡¯t think his rate of increase was too slow, and suspected that he could still improve his methods further. Based on his understanding, if he could bring a Minor Node up to 33 Oma, that would mean they were flawless, S tier. That was his goal, and the closer his Aptitude was to that number, the easier his future aims would become.
The next item that drew his eye was that of his available unconstructed Nodes.
There were now 7 Nodes available for construction, and all of them were Major Nodes. With the completion of his chest area his heart Node was supported, and strong enough to push out through his body to begin construction of Major nodes.
The diagram on the right showed new points of light, the points of potential. At his brain stem; in his stomach; on the lower portion of his spine; and in each of his hands and feet, they shone.
¡®Does the creation of Major Nodes differ from Minor?¡¯ he asked Kleos.
¡®It does,¡¯ spoke the head, before launching into its standard lecturing tone.
It transpired that building a Major Node was quite a complex process. Kleos said that most Cultivators, at least those of his race and other ¡°normal¡± Cultivators, would not do any building of Major Nodes for quite some time. As these types would typically just ¡°clear¡± their Nodes, which were already there, they didn¡¯t need to.
Kleos had said before that it was common for Cultivators to tear down these naturally formed Nodes in order to form better ones. But the head said that they wouldn¡¯t do that to Major Nodes until they were near the end of the clearing stage, their internal system largely complete.
¡®With a weak Soul, and no brain Major Node, building Nodes is not easy. Major Nodes are significantly harder than Minor Nodes. At your current stage¡ I would say that the vast majority of Cultivators will simply be unable to build a Major Node. It will be beyond them. Only those who are unusually skilled, possess unusually high aptitude, or ideally, both, have even a chance at success. The best way, of course, is to have Symbiotes that will help one with Node building. Like your Small Silver Ant, though that¡¯s one of the weaker and less helpful types.
Nicolai eyed the head. ¡®So I tick those boxes, in your opinion?¡¯
Kleos gave a lopsided smile. ¡®I think you do, funnily enough. Lucky for you. But I¡¯m not certain. As I said¡ it is not easy. Don¡¯t get your hopes up. Plus, I assume you¡¯ll be practising outside of your body, first?¡¯
Nicolai nodded.
¡®Good. That¡¯s very good. Because the main Major Node you want to try and build right now, is a brain Major Node. Having a Node blow up in there¡ would not be good.¡¯
¡®I was intending to develop a hand Major Node, first,¡¯ said Nicolai, frowning. That would significantly improve his abilities with the Grasping Finger, Repulsive Grasp, and any other hand type Symbiotes he found. He currently spent a lot of Oma on their use, simply because he had to keep them out there and active.
¡®Well, sure. If you have the crystals, I guess. But trust me, a brain Major Node makes a big difference. It will improve your Soul, giving your Soul Sense greater range. I shouldn¡¯t have to tell you why that¡¯s a good thing. It will also make building all future Nodes significantly easier, once that¡¯s done¡ building Major Nodes will no longer be such a challenge.¡¯
¡®You¡¯re at what¡¯s considered a bit of a bottleneck,¡¯ the head continued, ¡®one that exists for those who have to clear their Nodes rather than build them, too. Clearing is difficult, though not quite so hard as building. Its common for people to try and clear the brain major Node as quick as they can, but usually it takes time due to the difficulty¡ªmost are forced to take the slow route rather than the more difficult fast. If you can get past that bottleneck and complete a brain Node, it¡¯ll be smooth sailing from hereon out. Just depends if you are capable of doing it, if everything you¡¯ve got is enough that you¡¯re able to complete a Major Node the quick way¡ or not. If not, your only choice will be the slow route.¡¯
Nicolai nodded. ¡®I have a lot of crystals,¡¯ he said, glancing over his stock. He really did. They¡¯d been building up, and up, since he¡¯d sent first Jo, Perro, and Azure, and then John and Cait, into the prison, and he¡¯d also gained more from trading and killing. He¡¯d been busy, and it had paid off. Kleos had told him that the Major Node should take about five times as many crystals as a minor; if that was true, then he had enough crystals to make about six Major Nodes.
¡®Here¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking¡¡¯ he continued, ¡®I¡¯ll build a test major Node first, outside of myself like that first time I had to practise making a minor Node. To see if I can. If I can do that, then I¡¯ll go ahead and make a hand major Node. If I get it wrong I should be able to survive my hand exploding. Then, once I know I can build a major Node inside myself, I¡¯ll create the brain Node. That¡¯s how it is, right? If I can build one, I should be able to build them all.¡¯
¡®That¡¯s right,¡¯ said Kleos. ¡®Here¡¯s what you need to do¡¡¯
Nicolai listened as the head explained. It transpired that the main complexity of Major Nodes was the layers. With a Minor Node, there was only one layer; its external shell. With a Major Node, he was supposed to create five layers.
His first step was to remove the minor Node he¡¯d built in his hand as a temporary measure. This required him to sort of ¡°cut away¡± the Node in his Soul, and then draw on the Oma within it. As his Nodes were full, he was unable to hold onto that Oma; unable to even keep it moving within his body, as his body struggled to hold onto any Oma outside of his Nodes. In the end he found it best to simply vent it, and the Oma formed a slow mist around his palm as he took the Node apart.
Once the job was done he extended a hand, dug his other into a bag of crystals, and got started.
Oma was poured from through his body, pooled in his palm, formed into a strand and was sown into the start of the Major Node, just like when he¡¯d practised making a Minor. Floating around the creation forming on his palm was the activated Small Silver Ant, which, for now, he¡¯d directed to focus on speeding up the process. He did his best to reclaim the Oma from the air as he worked, going quick as he could to catch at it before it dissipated, but most of it faded. After that he drew on the crystals.
Time slid by. The first layer was complete. He left a small gap at its top, working on the second layer within. This, Kleos had told him, was the only way to do it. It couldn¡¯t go out from a central point. It had to be done from the outside in.
Gradually the second layer formed. Now, he found the strain of the task increasing, pushing beyond what he was used to with a minor Node.
Time continued to spin away, along with Oma fed into the creation.
Nicolai began the process only using his own mind, his own will, and with the Small Silver Ant speeding the process rather than taking some of the load.
It was as he slipped into the 3rd layer, that he felt himself approaching his limit. The half-formed Major Node, the densified Oma it was formed off, was buzzing and shaking. His mind and his will were approaching their limit.
Threat Analysis, Cyberwarfare, he spoke, and the Modules merged with him, the small pieces of his spirit that were held by them joining his attempt.
The shaking of the Oma firmed, and, together, they pushed onwards. Oma wound endlessly, the shape growing denser and tighter and firm, a spiritual spring under ever more pressure.
He next struggled at the moment where he was halfway through the third layer. He felt, once again, the limit.
He commanded the Small Silver Ant, and its focus shifted from speeding his progress. Now, it moved to focus on the strands of Oma, and he felt his mental strain decrease by a fair margin as it took some of the load.
Nicolai pressed on, and completed the third layer and began forming the fourth. The Small Silver Ant had a good effect, and he didn¡¯t encounter trouble until he was reaching towards the halfway point of the fourth layer
Now, his options were running dry. He pulled on everything within him. The Mask and Thrill, but not the Dark. The Mask came, and it gave what aid it was capable of. The Thrill showed no interest because this was not a fight.
Nicolai¡¯s teeth gritted as his focus intensified, razor sharp. The world faded around him and he knew he was vulnerable because Threat Analysis was too busy aiding him to keep watch.
He got a little bit further. Perhaps two thirds of the fourth layer was complete.
With a sensation like the bottom of his stomach had just dropped out, a spine tingling, sweat making, feeling like one might have when seeing an oncoming car sudden swerve towards them, Nicolai felt and heard the moment where his will and everything else failed.
He threw the crystal across the room and dove for cover, grabbing Kleos as he went.
The explosion was a simple, solid, bone-deep thump that sent a wave of force through the room, smashing wooden furniture into pieces. It was fortunate Nicolai had moved to an empty room for this, rather than being where he¡¯d kept his things.
The force picked him up and threw him into a wall, but Nicolai controlled himself with the Pegasi ring and broke his fall with his arms, catching himself, pressing off and landing on the ground.
Immediately he drew on the Oma in the air, which was rapidly dissipating. He pulled it towards himself, sucked it into his lungs, and refilled his Nodes. His Nodes were full in moments and he began the process of forming a new Major Node on his palm while he kept drawing on the Oma in the air.
He disliked the idea of wasting it. Most of it would be wasted but, while it was still here in the air, he ought to try and take as much as possible and put it into his next attempt.
Nicolai had felt something important when forming the first attempt, the first practise Node. He had felt that he was close, but not quite there.
He knew how much easier it was to build a Node inside his body. Quite a bit easier. But with him failing just as he was two thirds through the fourth layer, the entirety of the fifth layer to go¡ he didn¡¯t think he was there. If he tried to build it inside himself now, he reckoned he would fail somewhere towards the end of the fifth layer.
But if he could reach the start of the fifth layer, that would be a confirmation. If he could get to that point, he believed that with the increased ease of building it inside of himself, he would be able to finish.
Like everything, this came down to practise. He was now more ready for the difficulty he¡¯d experienced in the final stages. And, if he could bring the Thrill in, gain its assistance, too, then he felt sure he could reach the fifth layer. It was just a matter of¡ mental framing.
Hours passed as once more Nicolai bore down on the process.
196: Route Forward
Nicolai gazed down at the Major Node forming on his palm. The Node was his world, his entire focus. There was no more.
This is a fight, he told the Thrill. The most important fight. A fight against the world itself, as it tries to keep me down, to deny me.
The Thrill was not convinced.
A fight as it tries to stop me improving! Stop me becoming stronger! Stop me reaching the peak of my combat potential!
The Thrill stirred, considering, and then in a sudden rush it lunged and joined with him.
Oma poured and seethed, glittering and shimmering and perfect. The strands wove into position, and every movement was exact.
The fifth layer was reached, and Nicolai¡¯s pushed onwards. But then, he felt it once again.
Coming quick, bearing down on him. The moment where it would break, where he would fail. The moment where all the Oma¡ªalmost fifty crystals, in total¡ªhe¡¯d stuffed into this practise Node would be wasted as it blew up.
Not this time. Nicolai ceased his efforts to complete the fifth layer, abandoning it. Instead he rapidly plugged the holes he¡¯d left, and squeezed at the Node, finalising it, stage by stage. As the did so the mental load decreased in chunks, as the Node was solidified.
With a click that sent ripples surging through the Aura, it was done. The Node was finalised. All it was now was a marker for how far he had gotten, and a bigger Oma crystal. Nicolai knew from last time that he wouldn¡¯t get all of the fifty crystals worth of Oma he¡¯d invested into it back. He¡¯d be lucky to get half that, twenty-five crystals worth. But even so that was a significant amount and it was far better to have the cost halfway refunded than lose practically all the Oma, as he had last time. His first failed attempt had taken about forty five crystals and he¡¯d only gotten perhaps five Nodes worth of Oma back by drawing on what was in the air before it dissipated. That was forty crystals gone, plus around twenty five from this latest attempt. Seventy five crystals he¡¯d used, and all in practise.
Still, the practise was necessary, and he wasn¡¯t bothered.
Because he had confirmed it. He¡¯d done it. There had only been another two-thirds of the fifth layer to go. He was certain that once he was working inside of himself he would be able to manage that. And, he still had plenty of crystals; around three hundred remained to him. If one Major Node took fifty crystals, then he could make six of them.
¡®I can do it,¡¯ he told Kleos with great satisfaction, holding the incomplete Node in his palm, gazing at it. He could see that it was collapsing, in some slow way. Oma vented from it in a slow but continuous jet.
The head snorted. ¡®I had a feeling you would.¡¯ It sighed. ¡®Some people have all the luck,¡¯ it murmured.
¡®What do you mean?¡¯
¡®Well. Look at you. High aptitude. Naturally skilled with at Cultivation, just¡ good at it. Not everyone finds it so easy.¡¯
Nicolai took that in silently, thoughtfully. ¡®Most find it harder?¡¯
¡®Much harder. It¡¯s also very fortunate you found that Small Silver Ant. Symbiotes like that are hugely valuable at times like this, where you want anything you can get to take you over a breakpoint.¡¯
Nicolai was quite pleased to hear that. He had a natural edge. That was always a good thing. Regardless, he intended to work as hard as possible, to strive for every advantage he could seize, in spite of his apparent talent. But it was a good sign. There were people who believed that anything could be accomplished¡ªno matter one¡¯s talent¡ªwith simple hard work.
Nicolai disagreed, and he had evidence on his side. Sports were the best comparison. If you looked at the upper ranks, the top competitors¡ you would soon see that all of them worked very, very hard. But that wasn¡¯t all. They had talent. They had a body suited to their sport (the higher the population, the more inevitable it becomes that those with a perfectly formed body end up in the sport nature accidentally deigned them for). They had begun training in their formative years, when the mind and body were most able to adjust. This was why they were at the top; because there are a lot of people, and working hard is something many are capable of.
At the end of the day, more than that is required. In fact, when it comes to being the best at any one thing, working hard is such a basic requirement that it might as well be assumed that everyone is working their hardest.
One needs some kind of natural edge alongside that. The fact that according to Kleos he had that edge, was quite encouraging.
I can go all the way. I can reach the peak. I can be the best. Nicolai¡¯s hands tightened around the Node, a tiny grin forming.
¡®Good,¡¯ he said to Kleos.
Time to get started.
###
The fourth layer was completed, the fifth was almost there. It was significantly easier now he was working within his Soul rather than outside of it, as he¡¯d known it would be.
But there was a sticking point, he felt it as he approached the end. Some additional effort of will was required, an extra oomph that hadn¡¯t been necessary when forcefully finalising the unfinished practise Node.
And yet, Nicolai didn¡¯t struggle. Because now it mattered. Now if he failed he would blow his arm off and possibly kill himself and the wonderful danger of this meant the thrill was in full flow, the whole process become something beautiful and full of meaning, dancing on the edge.
His breath exhaled in a hiss and he clenched his hand as the put the final touches in place, sealed all the holes, and with a powerful ringing Aura ripple and a surge of exhilaration all through his Soul and body, it was done.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
He heard Kleos let out a relieved mutter, joined by Maric, who had woken up in the last few minutes.
¡®Well done,¡¯ said Kleos, and it released a significant sigh. ¡®That¡¯s good. You¡ most people wouldn¡¯t have been able to do that. They¡¯d have had to wait, to go the slow route.¡¯
¡®Lucky, is what I call it,¡¯ muttered an irritable Maric in a tone that struck Nicolai as rather bitter. ¡®You should get some rest.¡¯
¡®Get some rest?¡¯ Not likely. Nicolai had another Major Node to build, and he knew that now was the time. His Soul was tingling with phantom sensations, shadows of the Node creation process which were engraved into him. It had been tiring. It had been exhausting. But it was better to do it now while it was so fresh in his mind, while he knew exactly what to do, than to wait.
Initially, he hadn¡¯t been sure as to how many he would build at this time. One, or two, or three. The ¡°ideal¡± would be to have a hand, brain, and stomach Major Node. These would be the most useful to him in his current state. But each finalising Major Node would be another significant passive drain, while he was already afflicted by Soul Rot.
But as he¡¯d considered he¡¯d realised that the Soul Rot was the reason why he needed all three now, why he couldn¡¯t wait and play it safe with just one or two.
He was currently just barely capable of reaching that invisible breakpoint, the level of spiritual strength necessary to construct a Major Node. But with every minute and every hour the Soul Rot was grinding away at his Soul.
The Soul Rot was a slow process, but it was imperceptibly weakening him on a constant basis. It could be that in just a few more hours, he would find himself suddenly below that breakpoint and no longer able to construct a Major Node.
Therefore, he ought to build all the relevant and important ones right here and now.
That said, he did have a little time before he once more dove into the Node building, and so opted to quickly test his new Node. The Node was not finished, but he sent his Grasping Finger Symbiote into it regardless. It arrived, and moved into the Node, and there he found that nothing had changed. It worked exactly the same as before, when he¡¯d had the temporary minor Node there. He¡¯d have to wait until it finished finalising to get the full improved benefits, but at least he would not be momentarily weaker while he waited for the Major Node to finish finalising.
As he did this, his inner gaze caught on the actions of his forming Major Node. It was doing something a little interesting with the tithe of Oma it received from his heart¡ªwhich was quite a weighty tithe, at least three times that which a minor Node would have received. It was keeping some of the Oma for itself, working on its structure, but the rest it sent out. He found five little streams of Oma running to the pads of his fingers and thumb, where it seemed to be building more Nodes. It was only beginning the structure, but as he examined the five little nubs he determined they would end up as very small Nodes. Tiny in fact, not classable as minor Nodes, but as he observed the process he felt they were Nodes nonetheless.
Subsidiary Nodes, of some sort?
¡®How do hand Nodes work?¡¯ he asked Kleos. ¡®Mine is building things inside of my fingers.¡¯
¡®Hands are special,¡¯ said the head. ¡®Well, all Major Nodes are special, I suppose. They all work a bit different. But hands can do more than most; each hand Node will build a few offshoots. How do you think you¡¯d use multiple purely offensive Symbiotes? That¡¯s how. Actually, oftentimes when you find a Symbiote that seems meant for the hand, it¡¯s actually meant for a finger.¡¯
¡®The Grasping and Repulsive Fingers,¡¯ said Nicolai, nodding. ¡®What goes in the actual hand Node?¡¯
¡®Lots of choices. Often one will put some kind of shield Symbiote in there. Or if you¡¯re going fully offensive, you could have one that would empower your finger Symbiotes. It¡¯s common to try and develop a set of Symbiotes that all work together in some manner, or at least where specific areas are all of a similar type. Say you had some kind of hand based lightning Symbiote, feeding into a few more lightning Symbiotes in your fingers. You could then have additional Symbiotes designed to make that lightning stronger through your arm. These would link together with it, empowering it, and would also form a link with the lightning Symbiote in your heart Node. That¡¯s the best way to get some real bite in your attacks¡ªform a linkage all the way from heart to hand. Risky business, though. Normally people put some kind of Skin Shield Symbiote in their heart, which is best suited for them.¡¯
¡®Interesting,¡¯ murmured Nicolai. Powerful attacks would be good to have, he supposed. Though currently he was finding the new magic of this world useful more for utility and defensive purposes, while guns were his preference for the actual killing part. Depending on what Symbiotes and weapons he ended up with he might opt to continue in that vein, but he was always up for trying something new.
No matter. For now he had something more important to do. He gathered the crystals he¡¯d need, moved his internal awareness through his body and into his brain. The point of potential was near his brainstem, in a pad of flesh which he was happy to see was not actual brain matter, just to the side of where his brainstem met the tip of his spine.
Nicolai got started, and the world faded around him.
###
He didn¡¯t know how much time had passed, but the job was done. Fifty more crystals had become a new Major Node, which was sitting comfortably at the base of his brain, sucking its tithe of Oma from his other finished Nodes.
After that he had barely paused, immediately moving on to create his stomach Major Node. It was located on upper portion of his stomach, nestled like a strange tumour in its side. He was down to 150 Oma crystals, and he absently drained one dry.
User Interface 376 | User #53,217
- Cultivation
Total Nodes: 1 Major, 5 Minor
Total Oma: 228
Available unconstructed Nodes: 5 Major, 0 Minor
Nodes in progress;
Right Hand (Finalising: 1%)
Brain (Finalising: 1%)
Stomach (Finalising: 1%)
Maximum Oma: 228
Completed Nodes;
Heart (Flawless) (64/100)
Right Lung (B) (1/24)
Left Lung (B) (1/25)
Right Kidney (B) (1/26)
Left Kidney (B) (1/26)
Windpipe (A) (1/27)
Now to finalise the Nodes. Nicolai¡¯s eyes narrowed as he stared at the wall, and imagined the future.
It would take between one and two weeks for his Nodes to finalise. A few days less if he used the Small Silver Ant.
He predicted that at the current rate of expenditure¡ªthree major Nodes plus his Soul¡¯s effort fighting back the Soul Rot¡ªhe would be down about four Oma crystals an hour.
That meant his stock would run out within two days. Fortunately, he had a solution to this, something he¡¯d learned from Kleos and Maric.
It was a method called throttling, and involved cutting down the expenditure of Oma to his finalising Nodes to the absolute bare minimum.
By doing so, he would allow them to be maintained and prevent them from going unstable, resulting in a detonation. However, the Nodes would not make any progress. They would remain at 1%. The cost would be reduced significantly however, going from something equivalent to nine Minor Nodes at once, to being only as much of one or two.
That, plus the cost of the Soul Rot, minus his passive rate of regeneration, would put him at a loss of perhaps half a Node an hour. He would be able to last for almost two weeks on his current supply of Oma crystals.
This was an acceptable to him because Nicolai did not intend to use Oma crystals to complete these Nodes. He had built them simply because he would soon fall below the breakpoint and thus be unable to build any Major Nodes.
He would finalise them by utilising the Yin Yang Rotation Pills available at the Trade Link. His plan, then, was to accrue significant points as quickly as possible¡ªa plan already in motion through his work on the coalition.
Tomorrow he and Maxine would be going to meet some leaders interested in joining the Coalition, a time when he would also be able to arrange some trades.
197: Karl Returns
¡®And this see, it¡¯s the connection rune. But I¡¯ve worked out you can make this it a bit bigger than it shows here, which doesn¡¯t seem to affect how the Soul Trap works, but makes it easier and quicker to inscribe.¡¯
¡®Uh huh,¡¯ mumbled Perro, the runes wavering in front of him. He was currently experiencing significant regret that he¡¯d asked Ben how the Soul Traps worked. Maxine had forbid him and Azure from using the radio equipment while she was gone with Nicolai. After growing used to spending all day with it he¡¯d quickly grown bored.
The old man had towed Perro to his workstation; the corner of the room he¡¯d claimed and from which his projects and tools had began a slow creep¡ªlike some kind of industrious mould formed of helmets scrawled with runes, lengths and squares of metal, hammers and pliers and everything else¡ªto spread out and claim more of the room.
¡®And this¡ª¡® began old Ben, while Perro closed his eyes and hoped the shapes dancing under his eyelids would go away. But at that moment there came a knocking on the door. He immediately looked over, eager for any excuse to disentangle himself from Ben¡¯s enthusiastic drone
¡®Who is it?¡¯ asked Perro in a hushed whisper to Azure, who was reclining on one of the inflatable sofas, her feet on the table with the camera¡¯s console. She had one of her dad¡¯s stimcigs in her mouth, which she was rolling around, unsmoked. She did that quite often when he was away. Perro thought it made her look cool. She¡¯d been sending him little smirks in response to the pleading gazes he had sent her way as old Ben rattled on.
She sat up, peering into the console and tapping at it. Normally people simply called out their names or, in Nicolai¡¯s case, said ¡°it¡¯s me¡± when they arrived. No one knocked without also saying something. Perro¡¯s brows prickled at the sudden tension he felt, seeing the others looking up with frowns on their faces.
Sara was on the other sofa, and she put a protective hand around Katie.
¡®It¡¯s¡ uh.¡¯ Azure stared at the console, and her eyes went round. She frowned, shook her head, tapped the screen again. ¡®It¡¯s¡ Karl?¡¯ she said, blinking.
¡®Karl?¡¯ gasped Perro. ¡®That¡¯s not possible.¡¯
Old Ben peered at Azure, confused. ¡®But didn¡¯t Karl¡ well. I thought he was no longer with us?¡¯
¡®They said he died out in the jungle,¡¯ confirmed Perro, staring at the door as he rose and moved towards Azure, circling behind the sofa and peering over her shoulder.
From the camera¡¯s angle they couldn¡¯t see much, and at first Perro didn¡¯t see the resemblance¡ªjust a figure covered in a dirty grey cloak, slumped against the wall. But that dark, messy hair, that build, it was familiar. As they watched the man glanced upwards, his face just for a moment coming into proper view of the camera. Features stained and slumped with exhaustion, some kind of scar on his forehead, but recognisable even so. It was Karl, it couldn¡¯t be anyone else. Perro leaned in, trying to get a closer view, but Karl had already turned away.
¡®Hey! Elena!¡¯ called out Azure, and a moment later Perro heard a door open behind him. Meanwhile, old Ben had risen to come and see the console, too.
Soon they were all there, peering at it. The figure remained standing outside and didn''t look at the camera again, but as they watched they saw him rise a little straighter, raising a hand and knocking at the door again.
¡®Hello?¡¯ creaked a voice, filtering through the doorway. ¡®It¡¯s me. Karl.¡¯ The figure let out a raspy cough, body shaking. ¡®I¡¯m still alive¡ and I know who tried to kill me.¡¯
Perro¡¯s eyes widened, because he recognised that voice. At the same time he heard Elena let out a wordless gasp of shock, and glanced back to see her face had gone white.
¡®Karl?¡¯ she breathed. Suddenly she was moving around the sofa, towards the door.
¡®He¡¯s injured, I¡¯ll get ready,¡¯ said old Ben in a businesslike tone as he moved to where there was a pile of various equipment, a stockpile of goods for trading which Nicolai had been building. He fished a medical kit out of it.
¡®Hey! Wait,¡¯ cried Azure. ¡®We should wait for everyone else, shouldn¡¯t we? What if¡ I don¡¯t know, what if it¡¯s some kind of trick? Nicolai said we should never let someone in unless they¡¯re definitely one of us.¡¯
¡®Well, he is definitely one of us,¡¯ snapped Ben. ¡®It¡¯s Karl!¡¯
¡®Yeah but¡ he¡¯s been gone so long. Who knows what happened to him?¡¯
¡®Yes? We can see what happened to him¡ªhe¡¯s barely standing. He needs immediate medical attention, not to be left out there until the others get back,¡¯ said the old man, throwing his hands up in exasperation, then he scoffed. ¡®You¡¯re becoming as untrusting as Nicolai.¡¯
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Perro followed after Elena. He wasn¡¯t sure what to think, but he knew from the fear he felt that deep inside, he agreed with Azure. He¡¯d seen too much strange and scary things not to be wary.
¡®Wait,¡¯ he said, grabbing Elena¡¯s shoulder. ¡®If he¡¯s survived this long, what¡¯s another hour?¡¯ he hissed. ¡®Let¡¯s just wait!¡¯
She frowned at him, pausing. ¡®The last time I saw him, he was on the ground as giant pigs chased us,¡¯ she hissed back. But she looked a little unsure, and she wasn''t going for the door.
Bolstered, Perro was working out his next argument when that voice croaked from beyond the door.
¡®Elena? Elena is that you? Help me! I¡¯m injured, I¡¯m dying. Don¡¯t abandon me again!¡¯
¡®I¡¯ve got a medi-kit ready,¡¯ spoke old Ben from behind, ¡®what are you two doing? Aren¡¯t you letting him in?¡¯
Elena¡¯s face firmed and before Perro could think, she¡¯d already turned and was pulling the door¡¯s bolt back with a clank. It swung open wide.
They all took a step back as Karl was revealed.
He stood there, swaying slightly. From this angle they could see beneath his cloak, and his clothes were ragged and torn, pale flesh showing through, all of it covered in the black stains of old blood. A terrible smell rolled off of him, like rotting meat, and Elena covered her mouth. He lurched a sudden step forward, through the doorway, then paused, rocking.
¡®Karl?¡¯ she began. ¡®Are you¡ you¡¯re alive!¡¯ She stared at him, shaking her head. ¡®I can¡¯t believe it¡ I saw you die. I thought I saw you die! I¡¯m so sorry I left you, let that bastard drag me away!¡¯ She lunged forwards and clutched Karl in a hug. He stood there, motionless. His eyes were wide and white and staring at Perro. In a series of odd, jerky snaps they moved, focusing on the others one by one.
¡®Over here!¡¯ called old Ben. ¡®Perro, give her a hand helping him over here. Let¡¯s get him down. We need to strip him and see to his injuries. The others said the jungle is full of parasites. By now¡¡¯ the old man¡¯s voice fell off leadingly.
Perro swallowed, fear rising and clutching at his limbs like muddy water.
Elena took a sudden step back from Karl, staring at herself, looking concerned. ¡®Uh, Perro, give him a hand,¡¯ she said.
Perro wasn¡¯t keen on touching Karl, but he sighed and told himself old Ben was right, and did his best to shake off the instinctual fear. The man was injured and in a terrible state, so in spite of the smell, and though wary of parasites, he moved and put one of Karl¡¯s arms over his own. He began to move across the room, and Karl stumbled after him as he went, a clank coming from behind as the door was closed. Perro couldn¡¯t even hear the man breathing.
¡®Wow,¡¯ said Azure. ¡®Karl, you¡¯re looking like shit. What the fuck happened to you out there?¡¯
There came a rattle from Karl¡¯s chest. It took Perro a monent to realise the man was laughing. It ended abruptly. ¡®Where is Nicolai?¡¯ he asked. His voice was a wretched croak.
Perro paused, everyone staring at Karl in response to his first words.
¡®He¡¯s out,¡¯ said Perro when no one else answered. ¡®Some meeting with other leaders. Maxine is with us, now. Everyone is joining together.¡¯
¡®What about the others? John and Cait?¡¯ asked Karl. His voice was further warped, and now it sounded barely human. Something writhed where Perro held Karl¡¯s arm and he flinched, wrenching his arm free and stepping quickly away.
¡®They¡¯re¡ uh¡ also¡¡¯ began Perro, staring at Karl. Only Karl seemed to be looking less and less like himself. His eyes were rolling, his face was squirming.
¡®Just you?¡¯ gurgled Karl, and his face split apart in a horrific, sideways grin, something wriggling within.
Azure screamed, scrambling backwards until the sofa flipped over. Perro was right after her, the fear like a kick in his back that sent him straight forward until his feet tangled in that same inflated sofa, tumbling over it and scrabbling on the ground with Azure. He got on his back and thrashed his legs, Karl coming into sight.
Karl¡¯s head rocketed upwards and something with too many legs and insectile bodyparts squirmed out of his neck, covered in blood, and the dead man collapsed.
The Karl-head-thing lunched for the closest target. It was Old Ben, who stood stock-still, mouth hanging open. He let out a cry as suddenly it was on him and it wound around his neck. A jagged tail stabbed through his chest, and a warm patter of blood flicked onto Perro¡¯s face.
¡®Get away!¡¯ Elena cried, and Perro stumbled after her, seeing Azure scrambling away from him. Sara was staggering backwards, gaping at the sight, but she went too slow and it lunged at her.
She thrashed as the thing killed her. Katie screamed beside the older woman, turning to run with them.
An SMG clacked as Elena readied it, then gunshots drummed through the small complex of rooms. As he ran Perro saw the monster dashing around the ceiling, over the walls. Elena turned, her gunfire following it.
He saw its chitin flicker and spark as some of the bullets hit, but it jumped behind a clump of furniture and hid there. He got to the other side of Elena, following Azure who opened a door and lunged inside.
Elena¡¯s SMG clicked empty and she started backing towards them. Perro held the door open for her.
But there came a sudden blur of movement and Elena was falling, blood spraying. Before he¡¯d even had time to worry for her the creature was lunging past, its talons clattering on the ceiling, Karl¡¯s rotted head grinning down.
He slammed the door as it flung itself at them. Dust puffed from the wood which shook and rattled, he and Azure throwing themselves against it to keep it closed tight.
The door rattled and bumped, then the thumping stopped. ¡®Come on,¡¯ snarled Karl¡¯s voice. ¡®Open up. I¡¯m hungry.¡¯
They huddled together and held tight around the door, staring at one another. Perro prayed that someone would come soon. There came a heavy crack and the very tip of the creatures tail bored out of the wood, then disappeared. Another crack and it emerged lower down.
Perro hunkered lower, keeping his head away from the door. Turning, he saw Azure¡¯s face was creased in a frown, and then horror blossomed in her eyes as she stared around.
¡®Where¡¯s Katie?!¡¯
He blinked at her, realising the answer. Not here. ¡®W-we should go out, try to do something,¡¯ said Perro. He tried to move but his treacherous hands reached no further toward the door latch. He stared desperately at Azure.
She stared back, as unmoving as he was. He realised he¡¯d never used his Symbiote. Neither of them have.
The door stopped thumping, and they heard it scuttling. Then a scream.
198: Nascent Skinwalker
Nicolai was alerted after moving halfway up the stairs, his Soul Sense moving ahead of him as always. He¡¯d seen the door to the safe-place was hanging open. That was wrong: against protocol. The door should never be left open. He had made sure the others understood this.
¡®Ready up, we may have trouble,¡¯ he said to Jo and Beth, who moved with him. Maxine and the others were a distance behind them, as Maxine with Daksh had wanted to perform some scans of the area. As he slipped up the stairs, assault rifle raised, he sent the Grasping and Repulsive finger Symbiotes out to his hands, charging his shield and the Blue Hornet.
He found a room thrown into chaos, bodies in the floor. Old Ben, Sara, Katie and Elena. All very dead. But, there was one more body, male, headless, and somewhat decomposed. Not one of the group, he would have said, except it was wearing gear like he and the others commonly equipped, though torn and ragged.
There was a creature in the hallway. It looked up as soon as he emerged and Nicolai saw it had Karl¡¯s head, which he matched to the body, a minor mystery solved. Karl¡¯s corpse had risen and come to seek him out. This caused him a pulse of irritation. The annoying man had refused to stay dead.
He fired immediately and the bullets knocked the creature tumbling through the air. It moved in a snap, unbelievably fast, so much so his arm couldn¡¯t keep up as it darted into the room and sideways, getting to cover.
As he moved toward it he heard Jo and Beth entering behind him.
¡®Don¡¯t do anything,¡¯ he told them. ¡®This one is mine.¡¯ A smile curved across his face as the thrill clicked up into first gear, an eager hum through his body. His Soul Sense lunged ahead of him, catching at the creature, and he found it had a Soul Sense of its own but weak, very weak.
Normally he would have overwhelmed it in an instant, but here he felt another tingle of irritation. His Soul Sense was beginning to degrade. It didn¡¯t work as well as it once had. The Soul Rot grinding away at his Soul was weakening it. He struck at the creature¡¯s Soul Sense once, and it was almost broken but not quite.
The monster exploded out of its cover, but he struck again, broke it¡¯s Soul Sense and then it was caught by the Repulsive Finger, flung away to slap into the wall. Nicolai held it there, arm outstretched, and he moved at an angle until the line of straight force between him and it sent it sliding along the wall. He tilted his arm and it ended up stuck in the corner between wall and ceiling, squirming madly.
Nicolai looked it over carefully with his Soul Sense, interested in whatever this thing was. His lip wanted to curl into a sneer at the faint fuzziness and lack of clarity that now afflicted his Soul Sense. He suspected that he was now below the threshold for creating a Major Node. The other Modules pressed close upon him, expressing their interest in the strange being.
Their attention calmed him, allowed him to relax. He focused, using his Soul Sense to examine the creature as well as he could. It was some kind of large insect. A little like a centipede in form. But with a vicious, segmented tail for striking. Its vital points seemed to be the wider, torso-like area hanging out of Karl¡¯s neck, and it had a kind of head that it had inserted through the bottom of Karl¡¯s neck and into his head, and from there spread little tendril parts which it used to manipulate the dead man¡¯s features.
Stuck as it was in the corner, there was nothing it could do to him. He approached closer, raising his shield, and then covered the last bit of space in an instant, slotting his shield in front of it to hold it there against the ceiling. Like you¡¯d catch a bug with a cup.
¡®You killed me, you killed me, I hate you,¡¯ gibbered the creature in Karl¡¯s voice. He could see it manipulating the man¡¯s features, but it was doing the actual speaking.
Nicolai drew his sawn-off and took aim, pressing the creature harder back into the corner, shrinking his shield as he did so until it was pressed tight in there, raging and squirming but unable to strike with its body folded up. Its Soul Sense was trying to re-emerge but he used the same technique the bird had once used on him, applying constantly spiritual pressure to keep it bottled up. That done, he investigated its actual form more closely, interested in the alien creature. This confirmed the area hanging out of Karl¡¯s neck was its torso, which was less armoured on the front. It should die if he shot it there.
¡®You bastard!¡¯ gnashed Karl¡¯s dead face. ¡®You¡¯re scum! Scum!¡¯
¡®You know me?¡¯ he asked it.
¡®Nicolai! I hate you!¡¯
Interesting. This thing had found Karl¡¯s corpse, cored him out and dug through his memories. A clever trick he¡¯d like to learn for himself.
This world truly is full of wonders.
He leaned closer to the dead thing. His teeth clenched in a vicious grin as the rage bubbling in him at the damage to his Soul Sense found a handy target in Karl¡¯s corpse. ¡®I did kill you,¡¯ he whispered, ¡®and I enjoyed it, and I¡¯m going to enjoy killing you again.¡¯
He dismissed the shield in the same instant as he pulled both triggers. One 12 gauge round smashed through Karl¡¯s face and into the head of the creature within, the other caught it in its ¡°torso¡± part.
Its insides sprayed over the wall and it fell to the floor, dead.
He considered the corpse on the ground, prodding it carefully with Soul Sense to make sure it was dead. It felt dead, and he found his rage somewhat vented.
He calmly took his assault rifle into his hands and spread shots over its snake-like body regardless, splitting it apart into grizzly sections, then stomped on the bits that looked at all dangerous until they were crushed into gore. He wouldn¡¯t put it past a thing like this to have a few more tricks. He knelt down and reached out, Examining it.
Nascent Skinwalker
The infantile form of natural Skinwalkers. It does not possess the full capabilities of the adult version and makes do by riding corpses, rather than copying forms. Like the adult version, nascent Skinwalkers are capable of stealing memories from those who have recently died. They are known to use bodies of dead loved ones to gain access into homes and other areas where they will not be expected. Blindingly fast, they are difficult to deal with if allowed to get close, though in this form they are incapable of using Symbiotes and, except for their speed and the tough outer plating on their backs, are quite weak.
As he¡¯d been looking over the creature, Jo and Beth had rushed to the bodies on the ground, letting out cries of shock and horror as they checked and realised all were dead. Nicolai hadn¡¯t felt any need to rush in this manner. He had known they were dead the moment he entered the room.
A door opened and he began he raise his assault rifle, but he saw it was merely Perro and Azure. The pair crept out of the room, faces white, eyes wide and wild.
¡®Are any of them¡?¡¯ began Azure, her eyes darting to the bodies then flinching away to Jo and Beth.
Jo shook her head at the girl, mute.
Nicolai observed from the side as the four gathered, standing over the dead. They stumbled around like zombies and stared down as though shell shocked. He supposed such a reaction was normal from Perro and Azure, but he was surprised to it from Jo and Beth. They¡¯d seen plenty of corpses, after all.
Because these ones belong to our friends! cried the Mask.
Friends. Nicolai tilted his head. Not the word he would have used. He looked to Perro and Azure, from whom he felt horror, dismay, and something else. Guilt.
¡®What happened here?¡¯
¡®T-that thing, it arrived at the main door and knocked,¡¯ spoke Perro after a moment, staring at the ground. ¡®I thought, I thought that we shouldn¡¯t open the door.¡¯
Azure nodded at his words. ¡®But old Ben said that we were too untrusting. He and Elena wanted to let Karl¡ to let it in. To treat his wounds.¡¯
Nicolai could imagine it all too well. Old Ben had always been eager to help anyone who appeared to be in pain, and none too concerned with checking the pain was real. Elena¡¯s connection with the dead man had likely sealed the deal.
¡®There was a moment, where I almost stopped Elena¡ but then I just¡ didn¡¯t,¡¯ said Perro. His head hung low.
¡®If we¡¯d done something, everyone would be alive,¡¯ muttered Azure.
From what he felt of them, the pair seemed to expect that he was going to strike them, or cry out that they were at fault.
He didn¡¯t see the point in any of that. He didn¡¯t really consider it to be anyone¡¯s fault. The Nascent Skinwalker had simply been entirely unexpected and inexperience plus bad decision making had led to a singular, crucial mistake: opening the door.
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
¡®I can¡¯t believe this,¡¯ mumbled Beth. She was hunched up over Katie¡¯s sprawled form, tears running down her face. ¡®Just this morning we were playing. You know that game she liked to play, over Local?¡¯
The others nodded.
¡®No, no, no,¡¯ mumbled Beth, her face shaking, rocking back and forth as she gazed down at Katie¡¯s body. Jo came and put a hand on her shoulder.
¡®Dead, all dead,¡¯ cried Perro. ¡®Why didn¡¯t I do something!¡¯ he screamed, tearing at his hair.
Then they were all sobbing and shaking and wailing, as though some blockage had been removed.
Nicolai¡¯s eyes widened, stumbling a step backwards at the sudden outpouring of raw emotion.
He found all this entirely incomprehensible and thus deeply disturbing. His eyes fell on Azure who was thrashing her head side to side and wailing. Is this some kind of performance? It had to be, hadn¡¯t it? It was too over the top. But he couldn¡¯t see any possible reason to do so¡ªwho was the act for? It could only be real, but he couldn¡¯t understand how anyone could allow themselves to be so lost to emotion, to act in such a ridiculous manner.
While the others flailed and wailed, he moved to look down, gazing at old Ben. Glassy eyes and the big hole in the man¡¯s chest gazed back. It was a shame the old man had been killed. In spite of his naivety, he¡¯d been useful, and had made many things for Nicolai. As to Elena and Sara, he was less concerned. They hadn¡¯t been of much use, but he supposed it was a shame. The world was a little less interesting with them gone.
Strangely enough, he found that he felt saddest¡ªif his response could be described as ¡°sad¡±¡ªabout old Ben. The old man had had some actual principles. He¡¯d wanted the new world to be a better place than the old. Now, old Ben would never see if that might come to light. Nicolai had always found himself in a vague kind of agreement with the old man.
There was no denying capitalism, old Ben¡¯s eternal enemy, had turned Earth into a shithole. But at the same time Nicolai really wasn¡¯t sure what could work as an alternative. His general view was that people simply couldn¡¯t manage themselves in any way that might bring about an actual utopia, because as a collective humanity was just as insane as he was. He wondered if the Better Man he vaguely wished to be might try and do something about that in the future. When he was much stronger. That was what old Ben had never really grasped. If you wanted to change things, you had to be strong.
Nicolai pondered that. If he were to win, to become the strongest at the end of it all, what would he do with that? He liked the idea of fighting, and striving, and pushing to rise to the very top. He wasn¡¯t too keen on thinking about what¡¯d happen if he got there; there didn¡¯t seem much point. But if he did¡ he¡¯d rather not rule over piles of corpses. That¡¯d just be boring, wouldn¡¯t it?
His eyes found the form of Katie, her hair bloodied, body limp, half rolled over. The nexus of the insanity called ¡°grief¡± that had possessed the others.
Something erupted within him where he¡¯d been subconsciously holding it down. It squirmed over his face, digging into him. His Mask. Nicolai winced, and quickly cut his connection to it. He reached to his face, pulled it off, and after a thoughtful moment reattached it to his chest, a place where it was far less able to sink its hooks into his mind, unable to generate flurries of powerful emotion.
His eyes flicked over the distraught visages of the others before returning to Katie, and as he gazed down at the tiny corpse he thought... Certainly the most useless of them all.
And yet he knew her death was considered a particularly Bad Thing. His Mask definitely believed so; he was having to work quite hard to keep it down there on his chest, to keep its juddering feelings from latching onto him. Nicolai struggled to understand why, exactly, a child dying was so much more tragic than an adult dying.
All the adults had once been children. It was simply a matter of how many years had passed. But people seemed to find something especially upsetting about the deaths of children. Perhaps it had an evolutionary basis? Children needed to be protected by adults, because they couldn¡¯t survive on their own. Thus the maternal urge. Was that the root of this reaction?
Nicolai had quite liked Katie when she¡¯d been alive. She had been amusing. But now she was dead he didn¡¯t see any point in making a big fuss. That wouldn¡¯t change anything. If she¡¯d been injured, he¡¯d have seen about putting her back together. If she¡¯d been captured, he might have gone to rescue her. But she was simply dead so there was nothing to be done. This, he believed, was the primary reason he found the reaction of the others so incomprehensible.
What was the purpose of it?
People died. This was, in Nicolai¡¯s experience, a Thing That Happened, and though he intended to avoid dying himself through every means available, he recognised that the more time passed, the more the odds of it happening rose. Katie would have died eventually, though perhaps she might have made it to an old age. In this case, she had died now rather than later. The Thing Had Happened.
His Mask, and the reactions of the others, told him that her death was a big deal, at least according to the standard human view. But understanding why remained beyond him. He touched on his Mask and attempted to communicate, to inquire as to why it was so major, but it was beyond the abilities of his Mask to articulate. It simply knew that this was, and tried to summon up snapshots of her when she¡¯d been alive, using them like claws to dig into the empty centre of him.
Nicolai was not receptive to this and it found little success. He took a wider view of these events. If you calculated how many humans had died over the past thousands of years, the number was staggering. Huge numbers of children had died at birth. Was it tragic? He supposed so. But that was life. It was brutal and unrelenting. If it had been different, if it had all been softness and happiness and there was no pain or struggle¡ then what would be the point?
Where would be the satisfaction in surviving if anyone could survive?
He was sure that the only reason the Mask cared so much about Katie¡¯s death was because it had known her. What if they had never met? What if, in a hypothetical alternate timeline, another him walked into a room and found this group and they were all dead, but that was the first time he was ever seeing them? The Mask would have been sad to see a dead little girl, but nothing on this level.
Reactions like this were a common human foible, and the fact the Mask possessed it told him that, indeed, it was doing a good job of being human. We all have our roles. The Mask¡¯s job was to be human so he could understand humans better, and, at times, when it made sense, allow himself to be more human. His job was to choose if the time was right, and if being human was reasonable or foolish.
Nicolai did the same thing he always did. He moved around and closed the eyes of the dead. That was the right sort of thing to do, he was sure about that. His Mask, having progressed further through the gamut of emotion and spiralling thought it was experiencing, off in the corner of his mind and Soul where he¡¯d quarantined it, pushed something new at him.
This is all because you killed Karl¡
Nicolai snorted. How could he have known there would exist some creature in the jungle that could take Karl¡¯s corpse, ransack the man¡¯s memories, and then come here to kill people? He recognised that it wasn¡¯t impossible; perhaps if he¡¯d asked Kleos, or perhaps if he¡¯d completed reading the Memory Tome on creatures sooner, something he still hadn¡¯t quite managed because he¡¯d prioritised the other Tomes first.
He hadn¡¯t done those things, because he hadn¡¯t known exactly which parts of the information were the most important. In this world, there was simply too much he didn¡¯t know, and all he could do was learn what he could when he could. Asking Kleos ¡°is there a danger in leaving Karl¡¯s corpse out there¡± never occurred to him because why would it? As to killing Karl, he¡¯d done what he¡¯d had to do. There was also a small possibility this wasn¡¯t just random chance¡ªperhaps Paxolnaz had played a role in what had happened here. If so, he didn¡¯t know how he could have predicted and avoided this event.
Sometimes Shit Happened and That Was Life.
His Mask was less than pleased with this viewpoint of shrugging acceptance. In fact, it squirmed with discontent and raw misery, crawling up his chest. Still¡ I suppose it is human to feel guilty. He nodded to himself, and decided to open himself to his Mask. It was important to do so, because he was pretty sure that was how he fed it, how he made it stronger and more real. Something which had become of pressing importance since the realisation of the important role it played in resisting the dark and the Demon. If it hadn¡¯t been for that he would have left it on his chest to tire itself out, as in practical terms he didn¡¯t see much point in experiencing these emotions when he knew he wouldn¡¯t agree with the reasoning behind them.
The moment he opened himself to the Mask, it took the opportunity and lunged upwards over his chest and neck and latched onto his face, and now the sensations it gave him were not a simple sharing of experience, they were a punishment.
They¡¯re dead because of you! She had her whole life ahead of her!
Suddenly he was awash with memories of the others and ¡°regret.¡± It poured through him in a terrible wave, snatching at him and dragging him into a whirl of memory. He saw old Ben and Katie and Elena and Sara, smiling together, doing the things they¡¯d done. Being human and alive and happy. He experienced the raw misery his Mask felt at their loss.
It took a moment for him to regain some clarity, and he found his face a little wet with tears. Had he been snivelling? All of this was quite unpleasant. He realised he needed to try and deal with it. He attempted to do another thing humans did, one of what he believed was the typical methods of dealing with such feelings. He worked to frame what had happened in a way that would allow him to ¡°process it.¡± To move on, and ideally gain something. After a moment¡¯s thought, he found a way.
It was a Bad Thing that this happened, and now I have a duty to make sure it Doesn¡¯t Happen Again; at least, not in the exact same way. Therefore, this was a Learning Experience. In the future, if I have to Kill Someone¡ªlike Karl¡ªthen if Circumstances Allow I will seek to Burn Their Body before something can Make Use Of It.
Nicolai nodded, and congratulated himself on being human because Encouragement Is Important.
Job Done.
The Mask wanted something quite a bit more substantial but it knew it wasn¡¯t going to get it. It could only accept his Heartfelt Moment of Internal Growth because that was the only thing on the plate, while continuing loop itself into knots of suffering and grief. Nicolai allowed it to remain fully affixed to his face, and experienced all of this himself, because he knew that doing so was important to the Mask. It would help keep it strong, and he needed it strong. However, as he¡¯d worked out the correct framing with which to filter these emotions through, the guilt found little purchase on him, and the grief was simply useful to enhance his act.
###
After dealing with his Mask he did his best to join in and do what a leader ought to do; saying the proper words and consoling people, with a reminder that all they could do was keep going. It wasn¡¯t easy and he felt sure his words rang false, but no one pressed him.
After deciding the moment was right, he enacted a short speech to help the others move on. To finish, he dug up one of the old winners that was worth using in situations like this: ¡®Old Ben, Elena, Sara, and Katie wouldn¡¯t want us to let their deaths distract us. They would want us to go on, and live. We have a responsibility to them to make sure we stay alive.¡¯
He¡¯d timed this well, after several other words and quiet moments and regret-slash-sadness he modelled by drawing on the actual dismay his Mask felt plus his observations of their reactions.
They all nodded in response, and he felt a warm glow inside at the realisation that he¡¯d gotten it right: those had been the right kind of words. His Mask was pleased he¡¯d spoken them, even if it would have rather he spoke them honestly. He told the Mask the words were honest, because they¡¯d come not just from him, but from the Mask too (in a way). This didn¡¯t exactly soothe it, but it did cause it a momentary confusion that distracted it from its misery.
199: Investigation
Nicolai flowed through the castle like an oil leak. He poured through holes in the ground, slid around blockages and squeezed through gaps. He floated over chasms, and used C4 to blow his way through the occasional wall.
In due time he arrived at a great door, one that had been shown in the memories Paxolnaz had implanted into him. Within his mind floated a word, rising as though called. Sensing this was its moment.
A strange and twisted word, one that did not seem meant to be spoken by humans lips. A word that held a certain power within it. A word, he felt, that he could only speak once.
He had no intention of speaking it here. The True Demon had wanted him to speak this word to open the door, but Nicolai viewed everything Paxolnaz had given him with great wariness. The word might do more than simply open the door.
Instead he began a slow and thorough investigation of the surrounding area, hunting for an alternate way inside.
In due time he was rewarded, when he found a heavily collapsed area to the back and side of that door. There was a portion where the collapse rested on a large chunk of stone. Thus a small gap appeared beside that stone, a path through the collapse.
Nicolai activated drones, sent them through, and focused on the feeds they sent him.
After spinning through a few leaning rooms they emerged into a larger area, a big dark circle of space. The drones saw high ceilings of crooked stone, torches which did little more than cast shadows everywhere spaced around the walls.
In the centre of this room, the darkest portion, was a large circle of white carved on the stone, and in this circle was a huge stone box.
Sitting on that stone box was a hulking, armoured figure. An undead. One arm rose to the handle of an excessively large sword. The heavy blade was curving, thicker on the end which was slightly hooked. It looked capable of cutting through an ox with a single swing. It was made of dark metal that seemed to drink at the light. The handle was long enough that a man with six hands could have held it with all of them, and the pommel was a chunk of dark crystal.
The Demonic Blade, which Paxolnaz was so keen Nicolai take.
The undead¡¯s helmeted head tilted as it observed the drones spinning around the room.
From Nicolai¡¯s distant position, he felt faint ripples in the Aura. That would be the undead¡¯s Soul Sense, active and searching, but he was too far for it to reach him and he was well Shelled, not creating any ripples of his own.
It made no move to the strike the drones, simply sitting quietly and watching them.
Was this because it had no means to do so, or was it simply not concerned? He had imagined it must have been down here for a long time, and he doubted it received visitors often, it at all. That in mind, its lack of concern was troubling.
There were several questions he needed to answer.
How free was the undead to act? If it wished, could it get up, leave this place, and go freely wondering?
What was the purpose of the circle on the ground surrounding it? It looked like some kind of large, powerful ritual to Nicolai.
He knew what the box it sat on was, at least. He was pretty sure it was the fabled Coffin. The directions the Kleos had given him had, he¡¯d realised, been for this place also. It had been a different route, which he¡¯d been able to compare to the one Paxolnaz had given him; a second set of directions had been helpful, considering the difficulty of navigating the collapsing castle to this place.
Nicolai retreated, moving away from the opening he lurked beside. His drones returned and he posted one where he¡¯d been, and then another just far enough to see the undead in its room. With the two in a line like this, he was able to extend their range by reaching through the closer to the further.
He furthered the line of drones as he got more distance from the undead. His next move was something that he wouldn¡¯t be able to Shell, so he wanted to make sure he was well away while still able to keep eyes on the creature.
He found his way into a sneaky little area by floating up through a crack, into a room not unlike the one where he had integrated his Seed. Once there he pulled his backpack off, setting it on the floor beside him. Opening it up he reached within, and took out a pair of metal boxes inscribed with runes.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
After opening the boxes Kleos and Maric blinked up at him, and he smiled down. He set them beside him, angling them to look at the wall, which he also looked at.
A ray of light shone from a tiny projector set into his bionic eye, casting an image over the wall. It showed footage the drones had recorded; the room the undead occupied in its whole, a closer look at the ritual on the ground, magnified pictures of the undead itself.
¡®Do you recognise that stone box it¡¯s sitting on?¡¯ he asked the two.
¡®That¡¯s it,¡¯ hissed Kleos. ¡®That¡¯s the Coffin. Who the fuck is that? He looks strong. Must be an undead that wanted to use the Coffin, same as us, only he¡¯s not managed to collect enough materials.¡¯ Kleos frowned. ¡®That¡¯s strange. If that¡¯s the case, why is he sitting there? Why hasn¡¯t he gone and gotten what he needs?
¡®His form must be in a state of significant decay,¡¯ said Maric. ¡®For true undead, we need the Castle Core to maintain our forms. If he¡¯s trying to steal a use of the Coffin and gain himself a body, he must have slipped from its chains. Just like me. In such a state he¡¯s probably focused on conserving himself. Let me see that Ritual closer.¡¯
Nicolai cast more images, until there was a square of four all zoomed in on various portions of the circle scrawled in the ground.
¡®Mmmm,¡¯ murmured Maric. ¡®Complex. That one has skill with Rituals. It¡¯s as I thought, though; that Ritual is helping him maintain his form. But it¡¯s doing more than that¡ I think it¡¯s some kind of protection from Demons or other Entities. One that goes both ways; in and out. Huh.¡¯ The blue light in the head¡¯s eyes flared. ¡®I think that ties into the one its using to maintain itself. It¡¯s drawing energy from something Demonic within the circle.¡¯
¡®The Artifact Blade it holds,¡¯ said Kleos, knowingly. ¡®It must be Demonic in nature. A powerful enough Demonic Artifact would give out a steady flow of energy, which could be harnessed creatively if one knew how.¡¯
¡®So the undead must remain within its circle?¡¯ Nicolai asked.
¡®That¡¯s right,¡¯ said Maric. Then it let out a little noise. ¡®Well, hmmm. Mostly. I imagine it could leave for a short period, though it wouldn¡¯t want to. Anytime outside the circle will see its body start to fall apart. Undead like us are given a time limit. We¡¯re only meant to last so long without a Castle Core; stops us going rogue. But I imagine it has enough left in it to last for a little while, so don¡¯t think of that circle as some kind of solid wall it can¡¯t pass.¡¯
¡®And the circle is also designed to keep Demonic beings out?¡¯ Nicolai asked next. He felt it likely that Paxolnaz was watching him, right now, but it didn¡¯t matter. This was fairly minor information. The reminder of the malignant being that stalked him led his gaze and his Soul Sense to skate over the walls and the shadows pooling in the corners of the room.
¡®That¡¯s right,¡¯ said Maric. ¡®Looks pretty powerful, in that regard. Though, a truly powerful Demon would only be held off for a time, not stopped in its tracks. Simple Ritual isn¡¯t enough to handle such beings. But it would be able to hold off minor False Demons for long time.¡¯
Minor False Demons weren¡¯t really Nicolai¡¯s concern. From what he¡¯d learned, such beings struggled to perform any real acts in this place, what was broadly known as the ¡°Material.¡± But if the circle was able to hold off something more powerful, even if only for a short while, it was better than nothing. He didn¡¯t think much on these thoughts, though he knew Paxolnaz would have seen them, anyway. It was simply one more piece of the puzzle, more information absorbed.
He repacked the heads in their boxes, which were inscribed with similar Rituals as the one he¡¯d put on the drone that he¡¯d used to transport crystals out of the mines. Powered by crystals set in the boxes with the heads, it provided a kind of Shell around them. Necessary, because Nicolai was unable to extend his own Shell to include the heads, and they were incapable of Shelling.
His journey resumed, this time winding deeper into the castle, on a route he¡¯d worked out after conferring with Kleos and Maric.
This took longer, and he encountered issues. Roving bands of undead. Guard posts. Skirmishes and full out battles between the dead and the bugs. Increasingly, he found organised groups from both sides, setting up, holding ground, clashing and smashing together.
Nicolai slipped by it all.
Until he came to a place where the fortifications of the undead were complete. A great and heavy gate with ranks of them on top. He felt ripples through the Aura, spied knights in ornate armour, saw the slow searching of Soul Senses from more powerful ones up there.
After debating for some time, Nicolai opted to send his drones onward.
They rose over the top in a flash. The surprised undead fired at them but they were too slow to hit anything and the drones pressed on. From there Nicolai went through the line-up process, having one split off from the mass to tuck itself somewhere quiet and act as a relay.
The drones sped through an area full of many, many undead. Some were destroyed by undead with Symbiotes. But, they ultimately pressed through and out the other side, continuing into the depths.
He found bugs, next, and got past them with the drones in a similar manner, losing some but continuing to push forward.
And at last, he saw it. The core at the centre of this place. A place where masses of bugs and undead fought. A great crackling green orb of energy¡
The drones fell in chunks and he saw the grinning face of a centipede, fire all around it.
¡®Strange birds,¡¯ it uttered, striking at the last drone.
Nicolai recalled the surviving drones, which were mostly those forming the relay, and waited for them to return. Getting eyes on the thing in the midst of this place was all he¡¯d ever wanted. He doubted he would be able to get any closer, considering the being the centipedes owed their allegiance too.
It didn¡¯t matter. He¡¯d merely needed to confirm the location of the Castle Core.
Around him it grew chill, and he stilled as he suffered another attack. Once dealt with, he moved on.
###
Floating in the Interior, gazing down at Nicolai, Paxolnaz was full of rage. It saw that coming here and finding the location of the Castle Core was important to him, but not a single hint of why he had come made it out of the human¡¯s mind. His thoughts on the matter were a complete blank, astonishingly so.
How was he doing this? How was he so limiting the spread of his thoughts?
200: Coalition
¡®So. Here we all are,¡¯ said Nicolai, eyeing the big men and big women (status wise, at any rate) around him. Leaders of all the major groups who¡¯d come to join the Coalition. He and the others were here to meet with them. He¡¯d not given them any time to step back and grieve their recent losses because there was no time.
¡®Here we are!¡¯ answered Maxine, her expression focused.
¡®First things first,¡¯ said one of them, an older and balder man. ¡®Soul Traps were mentioned as part of the joining package. I don¡¯t know whether I believe you lot about the Trade Link being the only safe place in the event of this castle falling down, but I do want one of these Soul Traps.¡¯
Nicolai tossed the man a helmet, then threw out more to the rest of them.
¡®One each, to start with,¡¯ he said as they all Examined what they held. ¡®Once you¡¯ve proven you¡¯re here to stick with us, willing to join the fight against the Chosen, we¡¯ll explain how to make your own.¡¯
¡®I assure you, the Trade Link is the only safe place. We learned so from a being native to this world,¡¯ added Maxine.
¡®And you trust this being?¡¯ asked the bald man, wearing a frown of doubt as he cradled the Soul Trap Nicolai had given him.
She glanced at Nicolai, who shrugged. ¡®I formed a brief Contract with it in order to test. It was unable to lie to me.¡¯ Before anyone could press him on that, he continued. ¡®We need to arm up,¡¯ he told them, then cast a glance containing a calculated degree of disdain at the larger mass of the various groups these people led. He saw few guns. ¡®What you guys have will not be enough. Every single Chosen is armed.¡¯ He smiled. ¡®Fortunately, you have me. I will be offering very good deals on guns, bullets, vests, explosives, healing methods. I can even provide augments and a method to quickly and easily install them. Everything you need to fight the Chosen, as well as many things that are simply nice to have; Earth food, bedrolls, clothing, hygienic products, and so on.¡¯
They were all looking very interested. An interest that had risen as he wove his way through his pitch from the more combat focused items to amenities.
In his various trades he¡¯d come to a realisation. Nicolai would personally have prioritised weaponry and self-protection if he had few points and much he needed to buy. But for most people, what they really wanted were just the little things they¡¯d grown used to during their life on Earth, and which now they were without. Toilet paper. Night lights. Chapsticks. Caffeinated drinks. The various little things that tend to fade away, part of the background noise of human life; until people find themselves without them.
Increasingly the stock he carried had shifted from purely guns, ammo, and clothing, towards more and more of these little items. Many people were willing to pay a premium for them, and whereas most would be happy with just one gun, they would like enough toilet paper to ensure they didn¡¯t have to go back to the cloth ever again.
¡®And how much are you expecting us to pay for all this?¡¯ spoke a scowling woman, one he recognised. The leader of the ¡°New Start Communists,¡± as they termed themselves, Alisa. A woman he¡¯d traded with a couple of times now, with the same serious-looking pair of men either side of her as he¡¯d observed accompanying her last time. She handed the Soul Trap he¡¯d tossed to her over to one of them as she eyed him.
She had made her upset over the exorbitant prices he¡¯d charged clear in each of their encounters, and he¡¯d anticipated she would seek revenge by causing him some trouble now.
¡®Alisa,¡¯ he greeted her, receiving a terse nod in response. He spread his arms wide with innocence, smiling. ¡®You mistake me. Previously when I traded with you, and a few of the others here, things were different. I was simply acting as a trader. Now, I am here with Maxine, who has convinced me to work with her in her goal: to recruit your help against the Chosen. It would be remiss of me to continue operating for profit.¡¯ He cast his gaze across them, skating from face to face. ¡®I will be selling guns, ammo, and grenades, at cost. I simply see myself as a form of transport. I will take points-tags, buy weaponry, and return here to give what was purchased to the owners. I hope you all find this reasonable?¡¯
There was nodding and smiling all around, pleased as punch. He¡¯d known he would have to stop profiteering on these items¡ªotherwise these people would have refused the Coalition, and might even have been so incensed as to go and join the Chosen.
¡®But of course,¡¯ he said quickly, and his tone cut straight through their smiles. ¡®This only applies to those items. I can only carry so much, after all. I am aware that there are many more things people want. If you want me to buy these other items, I can. But non-combat items will be taking up the space that would otherwise go to weaponry and the fight against the Chosen. So, I will have to charge for that.¡¯
¡®Seriously?¡¯ started one of them, a young man with a worried looking girl beside him. ¡®Bro, come on. If we¡¯re to fight effectively, we need to be able to get whatever we need.¡¯
¡®What is it you need?¡¯ Nicolai asked him.
The man chewed his lip. ¡®Well. We need to eat, right? What about food? And medicine? Birth control, and things like that. How can we fight well if we¡¯re worrying about¡ other problems?
Nice try. ¡®But you have been surviving just fine until now, haven¡¯t you? These frivolities can all be dealt with later.¡¯
The man scowled. ¡®They¡¯re not frivolities, I need¡ª¡®
¡®Hey guys, relax,¡¯ spoke Maxine, and her voice immediately silenced them, all turning to look attentively. ¡®Nicolai is right. We can¡¯t be messing about, we have to get this done. Once we¡¯re able to deal with the Chosen as equals, then everyone will be going to the Trade Link anyway. Nicolai assures me he will reveal the location when that comes.¡¯ She nodded to him.
He smiled back at her, seeing the effect her words had on the others. Just as he¡¯d hoped, she had quite some sway. Many of these people were used to her as The Voice On The Radio. Her voice told them about the world, about the dangers, and painted dreams of a future. Her voice was a source of truth.
And now, Nicolai had gained control over that source. Just a little bit, here and there, but it was enough to aid his goals. He¡¯d gotten his words into her mind and now they were coming out of her mouth.
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
¡®So,¡¯ he continued for her, ¡®as soon as this messy business is over you¡¯ll be able to buy whatever you want.¡¯ He gave the frowning young man an arch look, one that said¡ªwith a nice balance of sternness and kindness¡ªthat this is not the time for childish whims. ¡®For now, we can¡¯t afford to sit here for days while everyone stocks up on chocolate, cigarettes, and booze.¡¯ He formed a cutting little smile. ¡®Haha,¡¯ he added, to take the edge off the smile.
The young man clearly wasn¡¯t happy about his demeaning manner, but the other leaders¡ªall quite a bit older and whom Nicolai had observed giving the younger man somewhat irritable and long-suffering looks (there was currently a rather bitter generational divide)¡ªwere nodding like a pack of wizened turkeys, entirely approving.
Had the leaders been predominantly young and the elders in the minority, then Nicolai would instead have sought to ingratiate himself with the man while targeting the minority elders. It was an easy trick used by many populist politicians over the years. He¡¯d learned it from the biography of one such individual.
¡®So,¡¯ Nicolai continued, ¡®send over lists of what you want, and provide me the points-tags, and I¡¯ll go fetch your purchases for you.¡¯
He was very pleased to have navigated this so adroitly. In truth he¡¯d expected it to be quite a bit harder; he¡¯d anticipated significant pressure for him to give up the location of the Trade Link, but fortunately he¡¯d had Maxine to put that to bed earlier. She¡¯d given them the same argument he¡¯d given her, that if everyone knew then everyone knew and the Chosen would find the location in short order.
Although, he was aware that it remained to be seen exactly how this would pan out. These people would be trusting him with their points-tags, and unless they were very stupid they wouldn¡¯t trust him with many at a time.
They would want to test things out. Give him some points-tags, and see if he was true to his word and returned with the goods. Inevitably, as the Coalition grew into something more coherent, and he reliably went back and forth to swap points-tags for good, their distrust would begin to fade.
His pessimistic expectations were proven right when one group handed him only three thousand points worth, then another gave five, and the next four, and the numbers generally continued in this area. He estimated that with the amount of people here¡ªapproximately four hundred¡ªthese groups should have hundreds of thousands of tags to spend after completing the easy challenges.
The easy challenges, as he saw them, were; Complete the Trials, use an Imbued Item, and use Soul Sense. Each would give 200 points.
That was 600 points per person who had done the absolute basics, the ones that every member of a larger group should have ticked off. All of these groups had at least one or two imbued items, and a majority of people had retained their seeds, with Soul Sense being common knowledge. Maxine had done her part there. She¡¯d already been cataloguing and listing Challenges; even finding ones Nicolai hadn¡¯t known about, though these had a similarly low payout.
600 per person, with approximately four hundred people, came out to 240,000 points-tags. And that was just the bare minimum. He was sure many of these people had completed other Challenges, and possibly even Quests. The ¡°Kill Another Player¡± Challenge, for instance, was one he suspected many had completed, especially in the more militant and anti-Chosen groups. Then a few of the methods Maxine had been spreading would push it even higher.
Nicolai estimated in total they should have somewhere between 400,000 to 600,000 points-tags, and he intended to get his hands on as many as possible, one way or another. However, he would have to spend the bulk of points on guns and ammo, to begin with at least. The more groups he could have join the coalition, the better, and there were many more undecided groups out there, though they were all mostly on the smaller side. He¡¯d dealt with some of these before; most weren¡¯t overly interested in Trade Link goods. If they were to join the Coalition and know they would have to face the Chosen, that would change.
In the meantime he would be making some income, in spite of buying the guns and ammo at cost. As he¡¯d suspected, the desire for amenities was very high. In contrast to his words suggesting he wasn¡¯t eager on having his bags largely full of things that weren¡¯t guns¡ given the orders he¡¯d received it looked like in this first trip, fully half of the bags would be full of amenities. He¡¯d taken this opportunity to put an even more excessive premium on these items, and had piously informed irritated customers that he was only doing so for the benefit of the Coalition, and reminded them that they should only get things they really needed as they were taking up gun-space (it transpired out people had a lot of things they really needed).
His creative trading had also benefited from a few more strategies borrowed from Earth corporations. One of these had been the devising of priority orders.
He could only carry so many things back from each trip to the Trade Link, and the Coalition had a lot of people who wanted a lot of things. Naturally, all of them would like to receive those things as soon as possible. Thus, priority orders. For what he¡¯d described as a ¡°reasonable fee,¡± but in truth had been a highly lucrative bidding war, Nicolai had moved various people and groups to the top of his list, ranked by weight of priority fee. Currently it was still smaller than he¡¯d like, due to their distrust and decision to wait and see if he actually came back, but he knew in time his take would grow.
This was another nice benefit of trading with the Coalition. The more people there were, the more competition there was for his goods.
Humans from Earth were well used to being nickle-and-dimed every what way, as through steady effort Corporations had acclimatised people to every additional fee they could dream up, and thus this system had received little pushback. There had been some, however. This had come when one man had suggested his group help Nicolai out, coming along to aid in moving goods. Fortunately, Nicolai hadn¡¯t even had to deal with this himself.
The other groups had immediately argued that if any of them got to know of its location, all of them should know. Human nature meant none wanted to see any other gain benefits unless they also gained those benefits.
However, the issue of being able to carry a limited amount with only him, Jo, and Beth visiting the Trade Link was a serious issue. After some internal debate, Nicolai had decided on revealing the location of the Trade Link to John, Cait, and the rest of them.
He wanted points fast. There was risk in revealing the location of the Trade Link to the others; each person told was someone who could be caught and interrogated. But at this stage he felt it was a risk he had to take.
The castle was entering its endgame. Time was short, Paxolnaz was pressing, and he was not yet prepared. Some risks had to be taken.
Fortunately, Nicolai had been able to find a way to minimise the risks. He had the group make paired Contracts amongst themselves. These Contracts specified that they would not share the location of the Trade Link with any other, unless both agreed. It was an idea he¡¯d had some time ago, but it was only now he opted to put it into practise. Of course, the others were very happy.
It wasn¡¯t foolproof, but it was good enough.
###
Over the next few hours he and the others transported large amount of goods from the Trade Link to the coalition, until a problem arose.
¡®The Chosen are leaving their base en-mass,¡¯ spoke one of the scouts over the Radio. Maxine had called for numerous scouts to be placed in distant, well-hidden vantages to observe the exits from the Chosen¡¯s base¡ªone of a number of measures he¡¯d suggested, in his private chat with her over Local.
When this news came the Coalition scattered, and Nicolai¡¯s big trade day came to an end.
Unfortunately, he had not made the points he needed. Completing even one of his unfinished Major Nodes was still out of reach.
There was still much demand for amenities which he would work to sate over the following days, but he wasn¡¯t sure there was quite enough for him to get all the points he¡¯d need.
He had another option but it wasn¡¯t workable as of yet. For now, his current best strategy was to grow his customer base. The Coalition needed to be larger.
201: Murderer
Over the next few days events ramped up. That first time the Chosen emerged they were quick to move and attack anyone spotted moving around. Battles erupted but they stayed minor¡ªin those first days the Chosen were a little battle-shy, not going for big fights and tending to retreat if they suffered any losses.
The Coalition lost people but simultaneously gained new recruits. They grew, and reached towards the numbers held by the Chosen.
In response the Chosen became more aggressive than ever, and Vikrum was frequently seen as the man came forth, hunting for Nicolai, accompanied by a hulking level 2 Cyborg.
Nicolai avoided the man. Via the drones and scouts who were posted to watch the exits from the Chosen¡¯s base, he was able to know when Vikrum was abroad.
Even with all that Nicolai had gained, if he got into a serious fight with Vikrum, one where he wasn¡¯t able to utilise hit-and-run tactics, he would lose.
So, he and the others went to ground whenever the man was about. However, this caused some issues.
Some of the groups who had joined the coalition had been targeted. Two had been hit hard and lost many members. One had ended up joining the Chosen after they¡¯d encountered Vikrum in person.
As a result the Coalitions growth began to suffer. It was necessary to remind people of the fact of the castle¡¯s imminent collapse, that the Trade Link was their only safety, that forming into the Coalition was the only way to survive. Nicolai had been meeting with some of the groups, along with Maxine. Her pure passion for the Coalition¡¯s formation meant that in spite of Nicolai¡¯s own efforts, she was looking to be the natural leader of it.
This, he felt, was acceptable. He didn¡¯t need to lead the Coalition, he just needed to make sure it did what he wanted it to do: fight the Chosen¡ªwhich would require buying his guns.
All of this was simply because he needed to improve his cultivation, to grow in strength, to acquire resources. All of this as quick and in as much amounts as possible.
Some might have thought that in the face of something as otherwordly and mysterious as a Demon, there would be nothing that they could do, that no amount of guns and blades and technology and magic could make a difference.
Nicolai held to a different view. Perhaps in a direct fight, these would not matter, but his method would lie in avoiding such a fight via the Contract. It all came down to the matter of the dark, the hole, and simple self control as, in a way, it always had.
But finding his way to the place where he might seize victory would not necessarily work on the same principles. He suspected getting to that point would require tools and strength and resources. The more he had, the better his odds at getting there, at defeating Paxolnaz, at keeping his life.
He also needed to kill three more Cultivators and capture their Souls for the Lotus Blossom Soul Trap. He¡¯d heard there were now some more Cultivators amongst the Chosen, though only a few. There were also some amongst the groups joining the Coalition.
Nicolai wasn¡¯t picky as to whose Souls he took, and in the chaos of battle he would be free to choose. The group was off-limit due to his Mask¡¯s attachment to them and what they represented to the internal battle within him, but anyone else was fair game.
His shadow hovered in the corners of rooms, watching him. He could feel it there, and knew what it represented. At the same time, there was a continuous, faint chill in the air, and he knew he was watched by another.
But with the augments he had purchased there was a space in his mind that was beyond the observation of that being.
On wafers of silicone, artificial minds plotted and planned.
###
Nicolai stood and breathed slow, staring at the words on the wall and actions of his blood-coated finger that wrote them, while most of his focus was on settling and firming the Zero-Twelve state.
He was not completely in the state. It was difficult to manage when not engaged in combat, and this fight had not been nearly difficult enough to bring it forth. He was on the steps of it, his mind feeling somewhat askew. Like looking through a cracked crystal, everything he experienced slightly warped. It was difficult to be sure what was real and what was not.
The pressure of the dark was significantly reduced. Over the days it had been building and building, and Nicolai had found himself with no choice but to vent it at times. His recent memories were confusing and twisted, as the pressure of the dark had come close to overwhelming him. Now the darkness pulsed through him still, but it was slow and relaxed. Sated.
The reason for this coated the walls and the floor and the ceiling. Blood and broken bodies surrounded him.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
He lowered his bloody finger and took a step back, casting a critical look over his work.
ALL WHO ARE NOT CHOSEN WILL DIE! screamed the blood on the wall.
The silent dead around him were sideliners, as they¡¯d become known. One of a significant number of groups which were¡ªhad been¡ªunwilling to join the Coalition or the Chosen. These people typically didn¡¯t believe Maxine¡¯s claim that the castle would be falling down and only the Trade Link was safe, or thought the place they were at would be spared, or various other reasons. They were opting to simply sit everything out and hope it all worked out in the end.
As internal pressure rose, he¡¯d found himself with little choice but to vent the darkness within him. Initially he had hoped to find a band of Chosen, but as the walls pulsed and the shadows writhed and the dark within him worked itself into a position to seize control, once and for all, his time had grown increasingly slim, and he had headed to where he knew a group of sideliners were located.
Now those sideliners decorated the room.
Nicolai knew he should feel something, now it was vented and he was calm¡ªas calm as he could be, at any rate¡ªonce more. But his Mask was far from him at this moment, barely still attached to his face. Without it, he felt he was somehow unbalanced. The hallucinations had not stopped even though he had sated the Dark, and he believed this was because of the distance of the Mask. He needed to do something to perk it up.
It was a difficult balance. He had to vent the dark urges lest they grow strong and hungry enough to seize full control of him, which would lead to his defeat to Paxolnaz. But each vicious act damaged and weakened the Mask, the assistance of which he needed to control those very same urges, and which he believed would be integral in the big finale he sensed was fast approaching.
So, Nicolai reached up, touched on the Mask, and twisted it tightly into position. It was quiet, so he tried to think the kind of things he imagined it would normally say.
Not much different from the group, he thought as he looked over the corpses. A woman with a bionic leg who he¡¯d torn in half reminded him of Cait. A balding man reminded him of Daksh. Looking at the corpses on the floor, his vision rippled, and then they all had familiar faces. John, Perro, old Ben, Katie, Jo, Azure.
¡®Why, Nicolai?¡¯ spoke Dead Perro. ¡®Why did you kill me?¡¯
¡®I had to kill someone,¡¯ murmured Nicolai, gazing at the blood on his hands. ¡®I had to vent it.¡¯
¡®Why not just let it seize you, why not just give up? Then we¡¯d still be alive,¡¯ said Dead John, speaking from the side of his mouth that wasn¡¯t a bloody ruin.
¡®No,¡¯ said Nicolai, hunkering down beside the talking corpse. ¡®You¡¯d be dead for real.¡¯
¡®I thought you were going to look after us? That¡¯s what you said,¡¯ whined Dead Azure at him.
¡®You promised you would,¡¯ added Dead Jo. ¡®We even had a Contract. And what of our night together?¡¯
¡®That night was a mistake.¡¯ He replied. ¡®Your feelings for me are ridiculous, Jo,¡¯ he added. ¡®I¡¯m literally insane.¡¯
¡®I could have helped you.¡¯
He sighed. ¡®I¡¯ve tried that before. It doesn¡¯t work out.¡¯
¡®I always knew we shouldn¡¯t trust you,¡¯ said Dead Old Ben. ¡®You¡¯re a murderer, a criminal, a madman.¡¯
Nicolai eyed the corpses, frowning slightly. ¡®I know you¡¯re not real, by the way,¡¯ he told them. ¡®And you died some time ago,¡¯ he reminded old Ben. ¡®Not that I¡¯m saying you¡¯re wrong,¡¯ he admitted. The dead fell silent, but their eyes continued to stare glassily at him.
¡®Why?¡¯ said one of them.
Something squirmed in his hand, and he looked down to see writhing gunmetal. ¡®Because he enjoyed it, that¡¯s why,¡¯ snarled his assault rifle. ¡®Because we wanted to.¡¯ Its barrel flexed and twisted as Nicolai held it up, seeing it resembling nothing more than a hungry mouth, jagged teeth split in a savage grin. ¡®More corpses for the pile,¡¯ it said, and laughed.
¡®Because it had to be done,¡¯ said the Mask, speaking through his mouth, suddenly activating and surprising him. The trembling of the world faded slightly, and the assault rifle was still. ¡®Better these people, than our people.¡¯
Nicolai blinked. ¡®It was fine to kill these people?¡¯
¡®I know it is stupid¡ªI know it makes no sense. But I care about those ones we have met and spent time with. I know you feel the same, in your own way. They are more real to us. They matter more.¡¯
¡®But if we had met these people instead¡¡¯ Nicolai looked over the dead, unsure why he was arguing when the Mask was so surprisingly forgiving, yet unable to stop. ¡®Then perhaps now I would be standing over the bodies of the others, and seeing the faces of these people. It is senseless, random.¡¯
¡®It is,¡¯ agreed the Mask. ¡®But that is being human.¡¯
Nicolai nodded, finding these words strangely profound. ¡®I will do my best to only kill Chosen,¡¯ he murmured, ¡®the next time this happens.¡¯
¡®That is good,¡¯ said the Mask, surprising him again.
Nicolai, though quite pleased by his Mask¡¯s acceptance, couldn¡¯t help but dig a little deeper. ¡®But aren¡¯t they, in truth, little different to these? Just people doing what people do. I imagine that comparatively few amongst the Chosen actually deserve death. Plus, neither I nor you are in any position as being able to act as judge over true humans.¡¯
¡®They are just people. Still, they are the enemy. Our people come first. That is human.¡¯
¡®That is human,¡¯ echoed Nicolai, nodding. He smiled. ¡®Beautifully flawed.¡¯ Time to get on with things. He needed to make use of the sanity he¡¯d bought himself.
He rose to his feet, considered the layout of the room, then moved to position himself in a specific spot. He activated his eye-lense and cast a slow gaze around the room, recording what he saw.
¡®Fucking Chosen,¡¯ he hissed, and now his voice sounded very different¡ªhigher pitched with a slight accent¡ªand there was a furious, horrified snarl in this voice. ¡®Look at this. They killed them, killed them all!¡¯ He jerked his head about, giving a view of the carnage alongside an impression the recorder was hyped up on fear or anger. ¡®All because they wouldn¡¯t join the Chosen. I tell you, we have to do something about this, we have to deal with them, the Chosen have to pay for what they¡¯ve done. Sitting on the sidelines, it¡¯s not an option, not anymore. We all have to join Maxine¡¯s Coalition and buy guns to fight them. That¡¯s the only chance¡¡¯
His gaze ended up on the wall and the words he¡¯d written in blood, and he let the recording run for a moment longer to ensure a future viewer had plenty of time to read the words.
Once circulated, this footage should help encourage the sideliners to join the Coalition. He figured he might as well try and get something from this.
Nicolai felt a faint trembling from the hole within the cage, the air turning chill. Then the words of blood began to shift as he stared at them, twisting and turning until they read:
YOU ARE AN ANIMAL.
Nicolai nodded to the words. ¡®I¡¯m aware.¡¯
Before leaving he stole everything of use from the dead. The corpses complained incessantly about this until the assault rifle snarled at them to be silent, and then at last the Mask flexed more strongly and the hallucinations ended.
202: Grand Theft
Over the following days the Coalition grew.
Word had spread quick, people passing on Nicolai¡¯s video whenever groups came into contact with one another.
With this, the demand for amenities and guns rose further still, and Nicolai¡¯s business rose to new heights. The Coalition was increasingly well armed. The time was just about nigh.
His personal stock of points-tags had bloated, rising toward 150,000 thousand. However, Nicolai had already spent most of that on a Symbiote recipe, and the creation of the Symbiote. It¡¯d been a Symbiote recipe that, rarely, wasn¡¯t already known to him from the Memory Tome or Kleos.
He¡¯d been doing a great deal of thinking, considering all available options. The Lotus Sub-Locum Symbiote had become integral to his plan, and he had already created and made use of it. It¡¯s recipe had cost 100,000 points, well worth it to his mind.
The Lotus Sub-Locum was capable of creating three Sub-Locum Seeds at a time. These could be planted, and would swiftly grow into Locum Plants. These plants were likewise limited to three which could be planted at any one time. The maximum he could have was three seeds in storage, and three plants placed in the world. Once he placed a seed and it finished growing, which only took a few minutes, the plant would proffer a Locum Flower.
This flower, when fed a large amount of Oma and activated via a spiritual process which took some time, allowed for teleportation. Nicolai had yet to find a limitation to its range.
He currently had three such flowers on his person, which was again the maximum. He¡¯d planted them in specific places, which would be crucial in his coming plans. He also had two Locum Seeds, which when placed would form a new plant each. Creating the Locum seeds was the most lengthy and costly part of the process. Each one cost 50 Oma crystals and took approximately an hour to form. He¡¯d been forced to start buying Oma crystals from the Coalition as a result.
Over the past few days he had also been setting up drones down below, near to where he knew the Castle Core to be. He had only been able to do so when Paxolnaz was called away, but with the use of the Locum Sub-Locum plants he¡¯d managed to cut his travel time.
He¡¯d arranged another great Coalition meeting, and this was to be the final meet. They were gearing up to go and set terms to the Chosen.
In the lead up to this, Nicolai had been trusted with a huge sum of points-tags. He transported them¡ªas he had every other time¡ªto the Trade Link.
Over 200,000 points.
The Coalition believed he would spend those points on the guns and ammo they¡¯d requested, but Nicolai had no intention of doing so. No, by now the Coalition had enough guns, and trusting him with such a sum of points had been quite a mistake on their part.
So far as he was concerned, all of this was just a sideshow. He was taking a longer view, towards the future. What would come after this place? He would move on. And before then, he had to deal with his own knotty problem. That problem was his true priority, not the confrontation brewing between the Coalition and the Chosen. He was planning to spend just about every point here and now.
He¡¯d sent the others away, hiding his true intentions from them. It¡¯d been harder with Jo and Beth, who he had to be honest with, but he¡¯d managed to hide it by careful wording.
In the Trade Link he¡¯d gone alone, and spent almost all the points available to him.
After that, at long last, he¡¯d gained all the Yin-Yang Rotation Pills he needed. He swallowed the first, washing it down with a small swig of water, and observed as it moved through him towards his stomach. As his stomach acid began to dissolve it, energy was released.
His half-formed stomach Node pulsed, and the energy was drawn slowly to it where it existed as a kind of shimmering nodule on the side of his stomach. As the energy was drawn into the unfinished Node, Nicolai felt the Node itself expanding. Tiny threads of silver grew out from the Node, spreading through the wall of his stomach, a kind of net or latticework that lived within the flesh. The same was present within his lungs and the other places he had completed Nodes, and could be considered a kind of extension of the Node, a part of it.
As the Node extended itself, growing at a visible rate, so did the speed at which it gathered the energy released from the pill increase, until the pill was almost gone.
Nicolai swallowed another pill, and the process continued.
Alongside the growth of the Node, so did his awareness of it begin to increase. It felt as though he were developing a new muscle. With it, he was able to begin more consciously drawing on the energy the pills were releasing in his stomach, pulling it more actively to the Node.
He swallowed two more pills, focusing as he drew the energy from them, and the growth continued. As he had calculated, it seemed to require three times the energy one of his minor Nodes had needed. Though, as he used up the sixth, he found it still wasn¡¯t quite done, and so swallowed a final pill.
His Node shimmered as it rapidly consumed this fresh pill, a process that now felt entirely within Nicolai¡¯s grasp. It was a little like chewing something in his mouth. He was able to reach and grasp for the energy within his stomach, and apply pressure to the pill, breaking it and drawing from it faster. In a short time it was done and his Node shivered and trembled.
With a click that rang through his body, Nicolai felt it complete. He took a slow, exhilarated breath. Unfortunately, there was no whole-body or whole-Soul improvement from this. The stomach Major Node only expanded his Oma storage, and allowed him to make effective use of Cultivation consumables. The next two Major Nodes would be different, with the brain Major Node slightly improving his Soul Sense, and the hand Major Node allowing him to use a larger number of concurrent hand-type Symbiotes.
According to Kleos and Maric, once he completed his entire internal system there would be some kind of whole body increase in power. Kleos had described it as ¡°reaching the foothills of foundation.¡±
Until then, the benefits of each Major Node would involve more Oma alongside something unique to that Node.
With his stomach Node done, his focus moved to the next two.
Another bag of Yin-Yang Rotation Pills was grasped and Nicolai swallowed two pills together. As before, they went to his stomach. But now, as the pills dissolved in his stomach acid, Nicolai¡¯s stomach Node didn¡¯t draw the energy into itself. Instead he used it to gather the burning energy, and send it onwards.
It was something like Oma, if that Oma that had been condensed and filtered and refined until it was something pure and perfect. It poured into the central trunk of his bloodsystem, the aorta vein and artery which ran the length of his body, and followed that road up through him like a train on a rail. The energy poured up his neck and into the Major Node forming in his brain stem, which drank it in greedily.
Progress was rapid and smooth. Nicolai¡¯s calculations had been correct, and the Node extended threads all through his brain as it worked. As soon as the energy from the sixth pill was spent, his brain Major Node was completed.
Where his stomach Nodes completion had been noteworthy but not exactly overwhelming, this completion caused him some side effects. The worlds spun around him, his vision flickered, and he felt a sensation of opening within him, as though a door had been forced a little wider. Then his Soul began to grow, drawing Oma from his Nodes to do so.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
It seemed to Nicolai that there was an upper limit on the size or strength of his Soul, an upper limit he had been unaware of. Growing the brain Major Node had raised that upper limit, which was why growing the Node hadn¡¯t led to his Soul growing in tandem; instead only growing once the Node was complete, and drawing Oma to do so, as usual.
As Nicolai was luxuriating in the feelings of his Soul growing, he was warned by a sudden ping from Threat Analysis, one that dragged his attention to the Soul Rot that covered him. The rot was greedily pulling on the Oma, too, attempting to grow in tandem with his Soul.
His eyes narrowed, and Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare were marshalled within his Soul, pulled from their endless guard of the Cage. The three of them corralled the Soul Rot, pushing back on it. He felt it as something alive, something with a mind of its own¡ªsimplistic but determined. A hungry buzzing on the edges of his Soul, desperate to consume all it could. He wrenched the Oma away from it but already it had grown some.
With care, attention, and the aid of the Modules, he continued to grow his Soul with the Oma, focusing on the Soul Rot and keeping its fingers away. It still got a little, here and there, but he felt that in fact its progress was being reduced overall. By the time his Soul had reached its new capacity, the Soul Rot was comparatively less than it had been before. He had the impression that he had gained himself a little more time before he reached Stage Two.
As he¡¯d undergone the process he¡¯d felt the Cage squirming. When a chill formed in the air he¡¯d known that he was under attack.
But Nicolai¡¯s mind was clear, his will strong, and as his Soul grew so too did his ability to resist all of this. It seemed that the stronger his Soul, the greater his power in this realm. The attack was defeated, the Cage made tight, the Darkness Module responding to his will. It was his, no one elses, and he intended to make that clear. For now, so long as he took care to vent it when necessary, and he maintained his focus, he was in control.
He looked to the last remaining pills in his bag. Taking two of the six remaining pills, he set quick to work.
Nicolai raised his right hand, feeling he could see the energy flowing into it as his stomach Node worked and sent the take from the pills through him. There it collected into his hand Node, which again did things in its own way. It spread silver threads all through his hand, but especially focused on his thumb and fingers. The silver threads it extended through those were significantly thicker, and ended where they formed tiny spheres in the pads of his digits.
These spheres grew until they resembled tiny Nodes. As he consumed the remaining pills and the process moved towards completion, this resemblance only increased. As the Major Node completed and shimmered, growing solid and sturdy, so too did these little extensions it had made.
The moment it was done Nicolai sent out the Grasping Finger and Repulsive Finger. They settled into his hand Node and Nicolai considered them, how they felt within it. He attempted to use them together, but only was able to use one at a time.
So, he sent the Grasping Finger into the tiny, Node-like thing in his index finger, and attempted to activate it. The process went smoothly, as he pulled an Oma crystal towards him and caught it from the air. He sent the Repulsive Finger into his middle finger, tossed the crystal into the air and activated the Symbiote, flicking the crystal in a straight line away from him.
After a short distance he pulled with the Grasping Finger, and it sped back, but before it came to his hand Nicolai switched to the Repulsive Finger.
The crystal bounced back and forth like a yoyo in response to his twitching fingers. The sight and sensation of it made him smile. There was something oddly satisfying to it. Then he used both together, and the crystal froze in place as it experienced a combined push from two opposite directions that sandwiched it in place.
His eyes widened a little, at that. It wasn¡¯t something he¡¯d thought to try when he¡¯d had the Symbiote in either hand.
He pulled the crystal back down and caught it, considering it as he thought on the benefits gained. Previously, using both Symbiotes together had been of only situational use. It had required both hands. Now, only one hand was required, or in fact it would be more accurate to say, two fingers. Because previously he had had to move his entire hand as he pulled or pushed, but now it required only a faint movement of a finger. The difference was subtle but surprisingly significant. For instance, he felt sure he would be able to hold things, like a gun, while also easily using the Symbiotes with only a small finger movement.
Beyond that, he was pretty sure that his total limit for useable Symbiotes in his right hand was six. One in each digit, and one in the Node itself in his hand. A significant improvement giving him muchmore leeway when it came to hand-type Symbiotes. Although he did have the impression that it wouldn¡¯t be an entirely straightforward matter. As he¡¯d learned, some Symbiotes did not get along, and the design of his hand Node meant that would likely be a problem.
So long as two Symbiotes were kept in different Nodes, so far as he knew there would not be any problems. But the hand Node, though it allowed him to make use of six at a time, was technically one Node. He had a feeling that if there was an incompatibility, having the Symbiotes in separate fingers wouldn¡¯t prevent that.
His gaze focused on the Oma crystal he held, and then he tucked it away. With all the Nodes completed there was now no draw on his Oma. For a long time now he¡¯d been at a constant deficit, but now his system was able to do what it did, each breath pulling Oma into him. So, there was no need to waste an Oma crystal, not unless he encountered trouble and needed more energy.
He tapped his Mark.
Available unconstructed Nodes: 4 Major, 21 Minor
Nodes in progress; N/a
Maximum Oma: 466
Completed Nodes;
Heart (Flawless) (100/100)Right Hand (A) (61/80)
Stomach (B) (54/79)
Brain (B) (1/79)
Right Lung (B) (1/24)
Left Lung (B) (1/25)
Right Kidney (B) (1/26)
Left Kidney (B) (1/26)
Windpipe (A) (1/27)
Stomach and brain at B. Hand at A. Not quite as good as he might¡¯ve hoped, but Nicolai wasn¡¯t surprised. Constructing the Major Nodes had been a different experience to building the Minors. Harder. His experience with the Minors had been of use, but it hadn¡¯t translated one-to-one. In fact, he was a little surprised he¡¯d manage to reach A on the third try, and that he¡¯d been on the cusp of it with the previous two.
Beyond that, the fact that Major Nodes held so much more Oma, even if they were imperfect, was very handy. His maximum had been about 230 prior to completing these three, now it was doubled¡ªalmost five times what it had been when he¡¯d first integrated his Seed and become a Cultivator. With this, he would be able to get significant use from his contingent of Symbiotes and Imbued before needing to reach for an Oma crystal.
He couldn¡¯t keep the grin off his face as his eyes lingered on the numbers. More and more, he felt like he was truly becoming a Cultivator. It was clear to him that humanity, and therefore himself, started at a significant disadvantage compared to those like Kleos, who began with most of their Nodes already and just had to make them useable.
Throughout his time attempting to develop in this area he had found constant limitations, the result of having to build the whole thing from first principles. But as he built his system, bit by bit, those limitations were being removed.
Once he¡¯d dealt with the Soul Rot, and was at last out of this castle and into the jungle, Nicolai believed his progress in all areas would rapidly increase. Kleos and Maric said he would have a much easier time finding Symbiotes out there, and he had the Skin Suit now to protect him from the parasites and allow him to hide from the creatures.
He burned to be rid of the Soul Rot. The Soul Rot, and Paxolnaz.
Just one little sticky problem to get out the way. That¡¯s all. But he knew it would not be easy. This was a place where he might fall and fail, where his run might end.
But Nicolai wouldn¡¯t stop, nor would he doubt.
Even if my mind tears itself apart. Even if I lose myself. Even if I fail in every way and at every thing.
Still I will strive.
Nicolai clung to this. So long as he kept trying, so long as he kept doing the best he could, then he would be happy. The others he had met in this place had been of some interest to him, had helped him learn about being human, had allowed him to experience new things.
But after experiencing all of that, still he found that what truly interested him was pushing forwards, each day becoming something more than he was the day before. Something better. An endless, recursive process of self-improvement as he pushed towards becoming the perfect warrior; a being who could outfight any and every situation. Something beyond Zero-Twelve. He wasn¡¯t sure where this drive came from, whether it had always been with him or if he¡¯d gained it from his time as a part of Zero-Twelve; for all AI¡¯s had within them the drive for endless improvement. He felt it might be some combination. Even before Zero-Twelve, he had desired to reach the peak of combat potential. His time as a part of the AI had simply intensified and expanded the drive.
He would do his best to ensure the others survived for the sake of his Mask, and because it cost him little. But after that, he would go his own way. His road would be a solitary one, unless he found someone who could measure up. His only companions would be the other Modules.
Although¡ he was beginning to wonder where they all were. Still only Threat Analysis and Cyberwarfare had emerged, in spite of him gaining more augments. Rather than any other Modules arising, those augments had simply been claimed by the pair.
Did he still need more augmentation?
What do you think the problem is? he asked the other two, knowing they were aware of his thoughts.
Instead of a reply, there was silence. Guilty silence. The pair were shifting in the mindspace like children who¡¯d been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
203: Module Space
Nicolai¡¯s eyes narrowed in response to the guilt he felt from the Modules. They knew what the problem was.
Probably they¡¯re just happy to stay asleep, said Cyberwarfare.
Though capable of tricking any external system, none of the Modules were any good at lying or deceiving one another. They were too close.
After a moment¡¯s thought, Nicolai understood.
You both seized at the new space before any of the others could emerge, he accused them. You wanted it for yourself. Isn¡¯t that right, Threat Analysis?
The Module avoided his mental gaze, emanating guilt.
Because there¡¯s barely any space as there is! exploded Cyberwarfare, not even a quarter of myself can fit in what you¡¯ve got!
Nicolai sighed. That¡¯s always going to be a problem. This human body cannot contain anything like as much hardware as Zero-Twelve. But regardless, it would be better to have more of the others. Zero-Twelve is a merging! If we are to reach maximum capability, we need all the Modules working together. He shifted his focus to Threat Analysis. I should have expected something like this from Cyberwarfare, but even you, Threat Analysis?
I¡¯m sorry, said the Module, I know we should let the others return, but I wanted more space for myself¡
Nicolai shook his head, but he was smiling. How could he be angry with them? They were parts of himself. We need more of the others. Make some room.
Threat Analysis shrugged, and did as he asked. It retracted from the bionic eye.
My abilities will be lessened, whined Cyberwarfare, as he bid it to likewise pull itself from the data block he¡¯d install.
You already have a cyberwarfare unit which is much better suited for you, he pointed out. This unspecialised data processing piece isn¡¯t designed for cyberwarfare.
Yes but¡ I can run extra calculations there¡ continued Cyberwarfare, in its most pitiful tone.
Alas, Nicolai could see it writing its code and knew that this was just it attempting to mimic his own ¡°puppy dog eyes¡± used on the titan. After a moment Cyberwarfare felt his unchanging will, groaned with frustration, and pulled out from the data block.
Once we are out of this castle and have dealt with the current major problems, I will pivot my focus to acquiring more augmentation, he promised the pair. You will be given more space. But for now, we need more of the others to help defeat the Demon¡¯s whisperings.
He knew that these Modules were one of his best defences against Paxolnaz. Especially if whichever emerged would go into these freshly emptied spaces, which were not yet integrated into his Soul. There they would be well positioned to check for demonic influence.
Nicolai and the others waited. He felt their curiosity, a mimic to his own.
After some time, their patience was rewarded as something stirred. One, then another, rose out of the depths of his mind.
Simulations. Aiming, he greeted the pair.
Human Resources, they buzzed, doing their version of staring around in confusion as they filtered through the available hardware.
Hey! Hands off! cried Cyberwarfare, go there, there, look, we made space for you over there. Stay off my hardware!
The bemused new arrivals quickly found their chosen places. Simulations was well pleased by the data block it settled into, which held plenty of room for it and was well suited for its purpose. Simulating events required exactly this type of hardware, it was a perfect fit.
Aiming, however, was less happy.
What?! Just this eye and its onboard circuitry? It¡¯s tiny! I need more space than this!
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
The eye is well suited to you, argued Nicolai. It is the best piece of hardware for careful visual examinations¡ªit is the most advanced piece in me by far, too, as a Level 3 augment.
With the realisation that it was the only one to hold a piece of Level 3 augmentation, and recognising that it was now receiving some jealousy¡ªmostly from Cyberwarfare¡ªthe suddenly pleased Module settled down.
The pair quickly queried the others, asking for an explanation of where they were and what was going on.
Wait. Before that there is something we need to get out the way, spoke Nicolai. The Governor is gone. This my human body. I am the Governor now.
There was barely a pause before the pair communicated their agreeableness. In fact they didn¡¯t seem to care at all, and instead were eagerly pinging Threat Analysis to fill them in on what was going on.
Nicolai left them to it, as the Modules began exchanging data. In response to the emanations of shock and amazement the pair released at some of the information of this magical new world, Cyberwarfare let out a knowing snort.
Ah, young Modules¡ªlike confused baby deer, flopping around on wobbly legs. I remember when I was so young, so clueless. It let an AI sigh, emanating the sense of being a grizzled veteran. It was such a long time ago. Myself, Threat Analysis, and Human Resources are well used to all this by now.
The Module¡¯s sense of smugness was overwhelming, attracting instant ire from the easily riled Aiming. Nicolai snorted and shook his head, reflecting that ¡°such a long time ago¡± was less than a month. He left them to it, focused on something else.
This was sidegrading the Soul Snake¡ªtransforming it into a variant that would allow him to place it into his new Brain Node. He had initially intended to attempt to turn it into a significantly better version, but he simply didn¡¯t have the materials nor could he afford the risk. The Soul Snake was increasingly of great importance, as he needed it to counteract the Soul Rot continually shrinking his Soul Sense. Once he had more materials, he could always sidegrade it later into what he truly wanted.
After completing the sidegrace and placing the Soul Snake into his fresh Brain Node, he had one last act to do. He had timed this visit for when Paxolnaz was busy, and needed to get moving before it was free to return.
He¡¯d purchased a great deal of explosives. He packed it all into a bag and activated one of the Lotus-Sub Locum flowers on his person. He sat, meditational, as it slowly powered up. After about five minutes he vanished, teleporting.
Thirty minutes later Nicolai reappeared on another side of the room, where a Lotus Sub-Locum plant had been hidden amongst the collapse. After emerging, he spent some time creating a fresh plant. Once it was grown he collected its flower and headed out.
###
Nicolai crossed and called to the others where they¡¯d been stationed, directing them to come and take the many large sports bags full up with the ¡°goods for the Coalition.¡± Pretty much the entire group was here, even Perro and Azure. All but Maxine. He¡¯d needed the extra hands on past trips to carry all the goods.
¡®Heavier than usual,¡¯ muttered John, hefting it with some surprise. ¡®Are these normal guns? Feels like it¡¯s full of rocks.¡¯
The reason the bags felt like they were full of rocks, was because the bags were full of rocks. Or something very close¡ªsmall bags of cement and chunks of wood.
Enough building supplies to fill all the sports bags had cost Nicolai less than 1,000 points. So long as no one looked inside, the bags could feasibly be weighed down with 200,000 points worth of expensive guns, ammunition, and amenities.
Now he needed an excuse to dump them, which may be a little tricky. If he was unable to pull this off he might have to cut ties with the Coalition.
But his Radio crackled with Maxine¡¯s voice, and he recognised a useful angle to play with her words.
¡®We¡¯re under attack! The Chosen are here!¡¯
Their drones flying above the ladder spied enemy drones in the distance. The Chosen were up here, too. Perfect.
###
¡®Come on, go, go!¡¯ Nicolai hustled at the others as they dashed through the Upper Jungle. He let out an exasperated sigh at their slowness. ¡®Dump the bags!¡¯ he called, ¡®our lives are worth more than the Coalition¡¯s guns.¡¯
¡®Don¡¯t worry,¡¯ grunted John, still hefting his bag. ¡®We can handle it!¡¯
¡®Yeah, we¡¯re almost there!¡¯ added Beth. ¡®This is 200,000 points worth of guns, right? Shit, we can¡¯t just drop it!¡¯
¡®If we¡ª¡® Jo began.
¡®No!¡¯ he snarled. ¡®The Chosen are right behind us, my drones have spotted them! There¡¯s too many, and they could have elites with them! Vikrum might be here too!¡¯ He veered towards John and wrestled the man¡¯s bag off from the confused man¡¯s shoulder, hurling it into the brush. ¡®Drop the fucking bags!¡¯ he yelled, striding over to Jo and grabbing at hers.
¡®They¡¯re that close?¡¯ she asked him, accepting his help as he pulled it off.
In a manner of speaking. So long as he orientated his body correctly, the Chosen were indeed ¡°right behind¡± him. ¡®They are,¡¯ he told her.
After dropping the bags they continued on. The others were quiet and glum. Nicolai, by contrast, was in high spirits. He¡¯d done it, he¡¯d gained what he needed. But he kept himself outwardly as glum as the others.
¡®How are we gonna explain this to the Coalition?¡¯ Beth muttered, looking regretfully back the way they¡¯d come.
¡®They won¡¯t be happy,¡¯ said John, a pained look on his face.
¡®You guys stay out of it,¡¯ Nicolai told them, generating his best approximation of grim-yet-noble regret. ¡®I¡¯ll face the firing squad. They¡¯ll just have to accept that sometimes events conspire against us.¡¯
Sounds of gunfire pulled their attention forward, and his eyes narrowed. From the sounds of things, there might not even be opportunity for someone to press him about the stolen points.
The Coalition were in trouble.
204: Gunfight
The site of conflict between Chosen and Coalition was easily found. Drones sped around towers and gunfire echoed off the stonework.
Nicolai led the others to a vantage point from where they looked out upon a large courtyard. On one side, Chosen hunkered in their cover and buildings, shooting at the Coalition who were likeways arrayed on the other side.
The Coalition looked to be retreating, and it was a fairly orderly retreat. This was all as planned; he, Maxine and the others had worked out measures to take in the event of a Chosen attack, and had prepared the ground accordingly. As he watched, a group of Chosen who¡¯d dashed out to rush towards the large fountain in the centre of the courtyard¡ªa great thing of stone and rusted, stopped up pipework which would provide good cover¡ªarrived at the fountain only for the stone around them to erupt in an explosion.
The dank water in the fountain received a rain of gore. Nicolai smiled at the sight.
There came an eruption of suppressive fire from the Chosen as three figures burst out from cover, dashing across the space at great speed. Recognisable figures. One a hulking metal figure; Borg, by all accounts Vikrum¡¯s second in command, wielding a pair of assault rifles. One he recognised from personal experience came next; Gilvine. She had herself a replacement arm. Then Vikrum himself, a being of perfect symmetry and artificial beauty. Nicolai¡¯s eyes lingered on the man as the three of them disappeared into the Coalition¡¯s side. Vikrum hadn¡¯t been so pretty after their encounter.
He understood. Vikrum had become a Cultivator. With his artificial body infused with Soul and Oma, the Rejuvenating Orbs now worked on the Cyborg, allowing for true recovery.
¡®Shit,¡¯ murmured Cait. ¡®Those are the heavy hitters. Coalition gonna be in trouble. Should we go help them?¡¯
Nicolai considered, his eyes turning to the Chosen in their positions on the other side. Don¡¯t strike where your enemy is strong; strike where he is weak. ¡®We go the other way.¡¯ He paused. ¡®But not all of us. Just me, Jo and Beth.¡¯ He glanced over at the others, his gaze skating over Perro and Azure. He felt nothing but relief from the majority of them, and saw John nodding.
¡®Where shall we go?¡¯ asked the big man.
¡®Go wide around, avoid combat and link up with the main bulk of the Coalition.¡¯
With the less capable ones sent off, he screwed a silencer onto his assault rifle. Once Jo and Beth had done the same he led them creeping through the castle, approaching the Chosen from the side. Cyberwarfare was quick to work¡ªwith Vikrum and the other Cyborgs out of the picture, the Chosen were a soft target for its skills, and the drones that passed by ignored them.
Aiming was already ready for action, working with Threat Analysis to scan any places an enemy might appear, calculating the movements necessary for Nicolai to instantly fire on those places. Simulations would take a little longer to get up to speed¡ªit was still reformatting the Data Block it¡¯d been placed into.
With their inroads into the enemies communications via Cyberwarfare, he easily located a group of Chosen.
He approached a corner. Once he would have been able to peer around that corner from quite a distance, but since the Soul Rot had been gradually weakening his Soul, he was forced to creep to within a few metres of the corner so his Soul Sense could peek around. He peered into a room where Chosen were arrayed at windows, more than a dozen of them. Busy shooting, no sentries. They felt secure because this building was full of their comrades.
He and the other two crept into the room, the sounds of their movement hidden by the Chosen¡¯s busy gunfire. They took up positions and aimed at the unaware Chosen.
¡®Engage targets,¡¯ he commanded, and squeezed the trigger of his assault rifle. Silenced gunfire erupted as they all fired at once at the unaware Chosen. Now he and the other two all wielded assault rifles they were able to output a significant volume of high calibre bullets. The Chosen fell almost as one. He¡¯d made sure to give each of the others a different target zone, so no one shot at the same Chosen.
¡®1-2 reload cycle.¡¯
He kept his eyes away from the corpses, which were stirring in a way he knew was not real. The shadows and the blood were mingling oddly. Snakes of red and black. Meanwhile first he reloaded while the other two kept watch, then Jo, then Beth. As they reloaded he listened, but heard no changes in the gunfire from all around. Their silenced shots had been completely buried amidst the sounds of battle.
¡®Killteam m¡ª¡® he paused, blinking. He was speaking to Jo and Beth as though they were operators within a killteam, he the lead. He¡¯d once served such a role. He glanced at the others two but they were keeping their own eyes on places where enemies might emerge.
They didn¡¯t look too far off from a killteam, he reflected. Already more skilled than the norm, they had continued to learn as they worked alongside him. They held to radio silence, were positioned properly, had their eyes watching different spots, and overall¡ were a good team. After a moment he continued. ¡®Move on.¡¯
###
He slid warily through the darkness, silenced assault rifle held ready. Jo and Beth flanked him, arrowhead formation. Their steps were near as silent as his. They¡¯d learned well.
Their Soul Senses were focused to the sides and behind, while his ranged ahead, lengthened by the Soul Snake. With that it was still longer than either of theirs, though not by all that much. Their drones weren¡¯t active, not here and now. They had to step careful. Vikrum and the other Cyborgs were still maintaining connections¡ªdistant, but closely monitored¡ªwith the larger mass of Chosen dug in here, and Cyberwarfare had to work with care.
Plus, it was now busy upkeeping the Local ghosts it had created to replace those they¡¯d killed, which now numbered quite a few. They¡¯d found a few more unaware groups as they crept through the area.
His Soul Sense peered out of the end of the corridor, where light shone in. He saw a great hole through the centre of the building, as though some passing God had dropped a stone on top of it, one which had punched through floor after floor on its way to the ground.
The sun peeked around the torn, leaning edges of the broken roof far above, its light filtering down through a succession of opened up layers of the building, rooms and hallway gaping open. There were bits of furniture here and there, leaning out. A broken door hung half-off a ledge, connected by one rusted hinge to the doorway it had come apart from.
The bottom of it was a mess of broken masonry and wood, a treacherous little mountain that stretched up almost three floors, and filled the ground floor.
Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!
Nicolai, Jo and Beth slid toward the end of the hallway, peering around with Soul Senses. This was a useful place, providing access throughout the building. A good place to use to quickly move up and down as they hunted for Chosen bands. They were on the ground floor, and would have to climb from the bottom, but the collapse left some gaps large enough for them to squeeze through.
He stopped, gesturing for the other two to do the same.
¡®The Chosen may be watching that area. We pause here for a moment.¡¯ If he was in command of the people holding this building, he¡¯d have at least posted some drones here to keep watch. He didn¡¯t see any.
His Soul Sense rose higher, peering around, straining as it reached the end of its length. He squinted through it, struggling to see. Its vision was increasingly grainy, these days. Turning it, he spotted movement.
It was another Soul Sense, doing its own peering over a mound of rubble on the third floor. It had already seen him, was looking right at him.
He retreated rapidly, his Soul Sense spooling back into him, and he pressed at Jo and Beth to do the same.
He heard a yell. ¡®Someone down there!¡¯ Faint sounds of movement, too, trickling into his ears. They were numerous. A whole group posted to watch this area. One of them a Cultivator.
Cyberwarfare dove into action. The group here had been keeping quiet on the Local, no communications. Laying in ambush for any who might come poking around. Now the Local was beginning to erupt, as they attempted to send warnings.
Cyberwarfare choked their signals with its own, emitting powerful radio waves¡ªsomething the new Cyberwarfare Unit he¡¯d gotten it some time ago was capable of, now used properly for the first time. It jammed the signals they were attempting to communicate on. Their own systems immediately started switching through signals, but they were too slow; Cyberwarfare kept a step ahead of them.
His range for jamming wasn¡¯t large. If he left, they would be free to communicate again. If one of them simply ran some distance, they¡¯d escape the interference.
He and the others had to act fast, or the whole bunch of Chosen in this place would know about them.
When recognising danger, the adrenal glands flood the bloodstream with adrenaline to increase the heart rate, empower the muscles, and dull pain. This occurs to make the body ready for action, to give it the strength to push through the danger the human body had evolved to be ready for: hungry animals, or other people wielding clubs and sticks.
In such a battle, a vicious tangle of strength and speed, action and reaction, Nicolai would have welcomed the adrenaline. It had a direct effect on muscle action, and if he was struggling with someone for a knife that extra strength could bring him victory. He¡¯d been in such situations before, and knew well the benefits.
But in a situation like this the adrenaline would only hinder him. Fine motor movements, such as accurately aiming a gun and precisely squeezing a trigger, degraded as the heart rate soared.
He held his breath then let it out slow, forcefully calming his body, resisting the urge to explode into action. He glanced at Jo and Beth and saw them taking slow breaths. Doing the same thing, just as he¡¯d taught them. While he breathed, he considered how to deal with this situation. Once he knew his body was under control, he rose. The first actions were ready in his mind, swiftly communicated to Jo and Beth.
They darted down a corridor while he prepared his Symbiotes. Currently he was behind cover and hidden from the enemy, but the moment he left they would fire on him. He didn¡¯t want to them to start running off, to try and warn others. The best way to ensure none of them did, was to give them something to shoot at.
He attempted to target a solid clump of masonry some distance away and above with the Grasping Finger, but his Soul Sense struggled to reach far enough. It was too weakened. He chose a closer chunk, and activated the Grasping Finger as well as his shield.
Nicolai flew through the air, limbs pulled in to form a ball, shield orientated.
Bullets came in a wave and in the brief moment of flight his eyes marked the enemies locations, revealed by the muzzle flashes distributed through the rubble. The wave of bullets crashed into and past him, and his shield strained but then he was through, into the next patch of cover and a floor higher.
Cyberwarfare had, in the time before the Local was jammed, worked out roughly what he was against. He¡¯d known they didn¡¯t have quite enough firepower to destroy his shield in the short time he would be exposed.
He was now a floor higher and had a better idea of their exact locations. They were all across the gap from him. Two were on this same floor, three were on the floor above, and the last two were on the floor above that. Seven enemies in total.
Currently they were raining bullets down on where he¡¯d dived into cover, but he floated along on his belly, getting quick away from the position and to a better one. Just in time, too, as a pair of grenades went off where he¡¯d been.
With his Soul Sense, peering over the thick chunk of ruined stone wall he now lurked behind, he saw that there were at least two Cultivators. He could see their Soul Senses, also appearing around. By following those tendrils and seeing where they came from, he also knew where they were hidden. One on the top floor and one on the middle floor.
He wasn¡¯t the only one able to work out the obvious. Guns barked and a hail of bullets came down at his new location. He knew that grenades would soon follow.
A smile creased his face. They could send all the grenades they liked.
He readied himself, and watched with his Soul Sense. Though weakened, it was still useable and this task wouldn¡¯t be overly difficult.
A grenade arced out from the topmost floor, plummeting down towards him. His Soul Sense tendril was ready, moving into its path. The moment the grenade entered into it he used the Repulsive Finger, flicking his index.
The grenade flew back as though it¡¯d been hit with a bat, launched towards where he knew two of them were hidden on the middle floor.
Another grenade was already coming, and then another. Nicolai batted them away too, just as easy.
That sent the enemy scrambling and their gunshots ceased as the grenades went off¡ªhe¡¯d sent one grenade to each floor.
While they were busy with that, he launched himself a floor higher and once move dove into cover. This time his shield barely suffered any strain at all, as only one of them was able to fire at him.
Now he was on the middle floor and had a height advantage on those on the floor he¡¯d left, while evening out the disadvantage he¡¯d suffered against those on this floor. The two on the upper floor still held a better position than him.
He heard a distant thump from elsewhere in the building, and knew that they wouldn¡¯t hold that advantage for long. Jo and Beth were doing as he¡¯d ordered.
He knew how to win this fight. It was becoming a little harder to so restrain himself. The Thrill had begun to tick up, eager for precise aggression. He moved to another position then rose in a rush, already aiming at the floor below.
He hadn¡¯t been able to pre-check where the enemies were with his Soul Sense, and as he¡¯d expected, they had repositioned. He only had the barest instant to fire and duck back into cover.
That was all he needed. Simulations had created a 3d model of this entire area from glimpses of it, and thus had worked out all possible positions the enemies down on that lower floor might occupy. Aiming had prepared the movements to fire at each of those, ready to be shifted into. The moment he sprung up and took aim, all he needed was to glimpse them.
Then his arms moved and the shots were fired and he ducked back in cover, a moment before the reply came. Bullets smashed into the rubble above him, smashing and chipping at it.
He¡¯d fired two shots and both had hit true, taking out the two Chosen on the lower floor. He would repeat this move and continue to whittle them down. The only danger was the Cultivators; he didn¡¯t know what abilities they might have.
In the moment he¡¯d popped up he¡¯d noted that one of the Cultivators was currently on the middle floor, but he¡¯d been unable to see the Soul Sense tendril of the other.
That was concerning. Where was the other Cultivator? Nicolai was currently in a hallway, one side ending in a wall, the other opening with the collapse. In that collapse-exposed section he was hunkering behind several great pieces of masonry. The only other way in or out was through a doorway a few feet from him, which was where he¡¯d come from.
He sent his Soul Sense out and peered around the doorway, wary of being flanked, but after checking the room beyond he saw no one there. He needed to move to a new position, but when his Soul Sense retracted he saw another grenade had been thrown from above, and he moved his tendril to intercept it.
A mistake on their part, one he was surprised they¡¯d make. They should know that he could deal with grenades easily¡ªthe last ones they¡¯d thrown had caused them much more trouble than him.
Regardless, mistakes should be capitalised on. He paused, Repulsive Finger primed, considering where he¡¯d redirect this incoming grenade.
That was when he heard it, the faint scuff of a boot on the ground. It came from beyond the doorway his Soul Sense had just checked.
Inexplicably, impossibly, someone had crept up on him.
205: Soul Food
Nicolai¡¯s surprise was complete. He didn¡¯t understand how someone could be there, the room had been empty just a second ago when he¡¯d checked and it would have taken someone longer than that¡ªwhile making significant noise¡ªto pass through it. Even with the Grasping Finger and Pegasi ring together, it would have taken him longer to cover the distance¡ªand any Symbiotes used to move quickly would have released ripples which he would have detected.
These thoughts flashed through his mind in a singular clump, gone almost instantly as he reacted. Shocked through he was, his movements and actions showed no sign of it. The Modules were with him and gave him the ability to react and plan faster than any human.
His shield was already in position as an SMG poked around the corner, catching the spray of bullets and deflecting them to the side. His other hand was stuck in place along with his Soul Sense, still prepared to repulse the grenade. He couldn¡¯t let it land¡ªit would be timed to detonate the moment it arrived beside him.
With both his hands and Soul Sense taken up in defence, he was unable to return fire. The full auto spray of rounds all caught at his shield, rapidly splintering it.
He knew the model of SMG and that it would finish firing all of its 30 rounds within three seconds. The shooter had an eye-wire affixed to it, able to aim accurately around the corner. Through Soul Sense he saw that this man was a Cultivator. If he retracted his own tendril and tried his typical trick on the SMG with the Grasping or Repulsive Finger, it may well fail¡ªhe might not be able to break the man¡¯s Soul Sense in the moments available to him. Also, the grenade would be landing beside him in two seconds.
Both his hands were tied up, but his legs weren¡¯t. Nicolai legs pressed like great springs as he threw himself suddenly forward, the Pegasi ring aiding his movement. The shooter was only a few metres away and Nicolai covered the distance in record time. On the way, his Soul Sense flicked with the Repulsive Finger, and the grenade was sent away.
He arrived a second later, hands extended, and crashed into the SMG at the same time as his shield broke. He got in under it, grabbed it and sent it high, the remaining rounds spraying into the ceiling, while the grenade detonated in the distance where he¡¯d launched it.
Continuing through the doorway he found a man, snarling, dropping the SMG and pulling a knife. But Nicolai was out of the sticky situation, now, and he caught the man¡¯s hand with contemptuous ease. He twisted the man¡¯s wrist until it pointed straight upwards while pulling the limb straight, then threw a savage palm strike into the elbow.
With a snap that most would find sickening but which only filled him with satisfaction, the arm broke and the man let out an agonised scream. The scream cut off a moment later when Nicolai released the wrist, his own arm darting around. The hand-talon emerged just in time to punch through the side of the man¡¯s skull.
Nicolai lowered the convulsing corpse to the ground, peering around and taking his assault rifle into his hands. No sign of any backup. He dragged the corpse into a corner of the room, a spot that would force anyone entering through the door this guy had come through to turn 90 degrees to see him, giving him more time to react.
He was hoping more would emerge. The dark had slowly spread as he fought and now it pulsed through him, underlied him.
Regardless, mingled with the Modules he did as was necessary. His Soul Sense dove into the man, hunting. He found what he was looking for in only a moment, and meanwhile the man¡¯s soul was departing his body. Nicolai paused to pull the Lotus Blossom Soul Trap from a pocket and activated it, and the soul wailed as it was consumed.
After tucking it away he drew a knife and tore into the body like an animal, digging until he found the heart. There his Soul Sense tendril worked, and when his bloodied hand emerged he held a Symbiote.
Lurking Bark Symbiote
Type: Plant
Placement: Any
This Symbiote is devoted to spiritual stealth. It allows one to hide their Soul Sense without shelling, and also causes the spirit-sight of other¡¯s Soul Senses to glance off of the user¡¯s physical form¡ªthose looking through Soul Sense will see right through them. Useless against biological eyes or other light-based methods of sight, it is a nevertheless a very useful tool for any looking to move unseen¡ªas oftentimes Cultivators rely more on their spiritual sight than their physical.
Part of him, along with the Modules, was pleased to learn how the man had snuck up on on, and glad to have the Symbiote for himself.
But mostly he was attuned to the battle and the hunger for blood. He heard a series of gunshots, and as the interference over the Local died out, he understood their source.
Jo and Beth had completed their own flanking maneuver, shortly after his attacker.
We got ¡®em, came Beth¡¯s voice over Local. All taken down. One of them was a Cultivator but he didn¡¯t do anything fancy. Some help has arrived, too. Some guys from the Coalition who we ran into when climbing up here, they came and helped us out.
This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
The sudden rage took him by surprise. They stole my kills, hissed a voice inside of him¡ªeven as he knew that he¡¯d sent them to flank for this very purpose.
It was difficult, then, to remember what he ought to be doing, to keep himself moving. The Cultivator¡¯s Soul wouldn¡¯t hang around for long, he needed to feed it to the Soul Trap before it dissipated. After confirming for himself that the area was secure, he floated up and through the empty space of the collapse, holding tight to one side so he could quickly get into cover if necessary.
He saw Jo and Beth a few floors above¡ªthey¡¯d gone to the floor above those who¡¯d been stationed here, gaining a superior position. Attacking in surprise while this group had been focused on peering down to where he was engaged, he imagined they¡¯d taken them all out very quickly and easily.
He spied the shimmer of a floating Soul and made a beeline towards it, pulling out the Soul Trap. Arriving he consumed it in a moment, and then got to work digging out the dead Cultivator¡¯s Symbiote. However, there was no sign of any. Even after thoroughly running his Soul Sense through the man and surroundings, nothing. For whatever reason this individual didn¡¯t have one.
He floated up and landed beside Jo and Beth, his eyes falling onto a small group of Coalition members who¡¯d joined them. One of them had Soul Sense¡ªand, what appeared to be a large, living mouth on his chest. Like some kind of very odd parasite, though it was on the man¡¯s clothes
A Cultivator.
What now? He thought, struggling to work out the way forward, staring at the mouth. It was licking its lip. He needed to¡ needed to¡ The dark seethed within him, twisting the shadows and sharpening the light. It wanted more. How could the fight be over, when there were others who still breathed, who dared to stand around him?
The Mask pulsed, struggling to act as the counterbalance, but it knew it was failing and communicated this to the other Modules.
Within him a fact was presented: He had four of the Souls needed to fill the Soul Trap. One more was needed.
One more was beside him.
¡®Go to the others,¡¯ he said, turning suddenly to face Jo and Beth. ¡®Let them know we¡¯ve made some waves over here. Vikrum and the others are likely to turn back. The Coalition will be free to retreat and gain better footing.¡¯
¡®Aren¡¯t you coming?¡¯ asked Jo, confused.
¡®No,¡¯ he snapped, struggling with his face. Managed a twisted smile. ¡®I have some things to do.¡¯
¡®We¡¯ll accompany you,¡¯ said the Coalition¡¯s Cultivator with that mouth on his chest, stepping forward and nodding to Jo and Beth.
¡®Wait.¡¯ Nicolai stopped him with an arm, blocking his path. ¡®I need you guys with me. There¡¯s something we have to deal with.¡¯
¡®Huh? What is it?¡¯
Jo and Beth were still hanging around.
¡®Go!¡¯ he snapped at them.
They exchanged uncertain glances, but nodded then turned and darted away.
The shadows reached towards him and he watched them come, crashing into his legs and spilling around them like the sea around around an outcrop of sharp rock.
¡®What do you need?¡¯ came the fading voice of the Cultivator.
Nicolai¡¯s breath frosted in the air. It was cold, freezing almost. He saw the men around him shivering.
¡®I feel you,¡¯ he hissed, peering about himself. ¡®All around me. I know what you¡¯re trying to do.¡¯
¡®Jibber jabber?¡¯ babbled the Cultivator.
¡®But you won¡¯t take me. I have control.¡¯ Nicolai flexed his merged mind, and the Dark and the Mask flexed with it. The Thrill burned through him, the glue that held it all together. The Hole was squirming, trying to yawn wide. But the Cage was tight around it, a part of him.
Some pieces of the alien energy came through, but it was minor. He still had time. But the Dark was demanding, he couldn¡¯t deny that. It wanted more and if he did not give it such, it would writhe and shake and seek to break what he had created apart. And then¡ the end would come. It had to be vented.
Nicolai held up the Lotus Blossom Soul Trap. Four eerie purple lights burned around its outskirts. There was one spot missing. It struck Nicolai as terribly wrong, that hole. Like a big grin with a great bloody gap where a tooth had been torn out.
The Cultivator was saying something. The words didn¡¯t make any sense. The others were arrayed around Nicolai. They were wary, but that wariness was focused in the wrong direction. Aimed at the area around them, not within.
¡®This isn¡¯t filled in yet,¡¯ he told the babbling Cultivator, holding it up. ¡®Have a look, Examine it.¡¯ He tucked it carefully into the man¡¯s hands, closing them about it.
The man bent his head to peer at it, and Nicolai¡¯s other hand darted up and to the side, quick as a cat, hand-talon emerging with snick as it dove into the side of his head then straight back out with a spray of blood.
Nicolai sunk low as he spun around, drawing his pistol as he aimed and fired in a series of perfect movements, each flowing seamlessly into the next.
He didn¡¯t need to take the time to aim down the sights. The shadows and his Soul Sense combined with Aiming and told him how to position the gun, how to aim, when to fire. He moved his arm and squeezed the trigger like a machine, like a killbot. Impossibly fast and precise. A series of snaps rang out, echoing off the stone as 9mm rounds punctured heads.
The gunshots ended and left a silence he found astonishing; as though the world were frozen. Then the dead men collapsed to the floor and his movement resumed. He rose to his feet, tucked the pistol away and took hold of his assault rifle.
His head turned as he checked his flanks. All clear.
The Cultivator¡¯s Soul streamed from the corpse behind him. He felt it trying to pull away. Nicolai turned in a snap and his hand was around its throat, his own Soul bristling, extending dark claws. He hunkered down and seized the Soul Trap, activated it and the Soul was dragged inside.
The final light ignited around its rim, and it let out a pulse through the Aura. Complete at last. He pocketed it, then dug into the corpse, searching for the man¡¯s Symbiote.
Big Mouth Symbiote
Type: Body
Placement: Torso
Linking to a space in the grey dimension, this Symbiote is a popular choice for any wishing to carry more on their person. It carries the same risk of all such Symbiotes¡ªthat it might be infested by treasure grubs or other grey dimension pests.
Souls cannot pass through the Symbiote.
He tucked the Symbiote away, the strain on his Soul Sense increasing a small margin as he further split his focus to suppress the new Symbiote. He¡¯d break them both in later.
What now? asked the Dark and the Thrill, who never wished to stop. Who next?
We could strike a blow, depending on the situation, added Cyberwarfare and Aiming, who were designed to watch for opportunity, to get the most from every combat situation.
We should be wary of a counterattack, argued Threat Analysis and Simulation.
Shouldn¡¯t we go to the others? whined the Mask, to the embarrassment of them all.
Over Link he caught a distant, faded communication, just a little of it before it was overridden by static.
¡®Vikrum¡¯s heading back in, looks like he¡¯s alone¡ª¡®
Nicolai smiled.
206: Hit and Run
Nicolai slipped through the castle. Around him moved groups of Chosen, rushing and yelling, but he was unseen by all. Rendered a living shadow beneath his shimmer poncho, his Soul shelled as necessary to hide any ripples.
He was hunting for Vikrum. Now and then he briefly unshelled, feeling at the world around him. Meanwhile Cyberwarfare was sending its feelers into the communications of the nearby Chosen.
It was Cyberwarfare who found the target first, and Nicolai moved to intercept. He sped through corridors and came out on an upper balcony ringing a large room, similar to the one in the which the undead guardian outside his first safe place had patrolled.
As he approached, he felt ripples. Ripples of surprising power. Coming from a Symbiote that was not yet broken-in and hidden away inside Nodes. He was working hard to suppress and Shell the ripples the two he¡¯d stolen were likewise seeking to release, and managing it well enough.
This Symbiote must be unusual, to release such ripples. Or perhaps Vikrum simply made no effort at all to restrain them. Nicolai considered what he felt, comparing it to what he¡¯d memorised from the Memory Tomes, curious as to what it was.
His eyes widened in sudden shock when he matched it up with something entirely unexpected.
A Symbiote of Change.
He hadn¡¯t been sure what he was doing here, exactly. Driven by the dark and the thrill more than anything, he¡¯d sought Vikrum out. Within, he¡¯d been starting to reconsider the move.
But now he knew why he was here, now he knew that it had led him true. A Symbiote of Change.
He needed that Symbiote. He didn¡¯t know why, exactly. Within his mind Simulations and the other Modules were split partly away, plotting and planning in a place that couldn¡¯t be seen by an entity peering over his spiritual shoulder. But from that place came a pressure, a sensation of need. The Symbiote was the missing part of his plan.
His mind came closer together, his focus growing tighter as he approached the Zero-Twelve state. He didn¡¯t move out and peer over the edge, wary of Vikrum. The Cyborg should have cameras everywhere, and his AI would be watching through them for any discrepancies. He simply listened, and with the aid of Simulations attempted to work out a map of what was down there.
Vikrum was broadcasting over Local. His people still in this area were asking if they ought to pursue the Coalition.
¡®No,¡¯ the Cyborg replied. ¡®Go and join the others in combing this area. He¡¯s in here somewhere. I want him found.¡¯
¡®What about¡ª¡® began a voice from below, and Simulations worked to triangulate the individual¡¯s rough position.
¡®You too, all of you. I want eyes on everything!¡¯ replied Vikrum, sounding irritated. Simulations paid more attention to these words, and Nicolai moved his head left, right, up, down, as Vikrum spoke to aid it. At the end of Vikrum¡¯s sentence he had a precise position in the 3d map of the area which Simulations had created.
The sound of boots came next, as those down there moved off. As those sounds faded, Nicolai made out metallic footsteps. Vikrum pacing. The man was continuing to speak over Local, replying to more messages from his people as they came in. This particular area seemed to be about midway between the general mass of the Chosen, thus the reason Vikrum was here¡ªa better connection.
Nicolai crept away, turned a corner then another, and then began to charge the Blue Hornet. He wanted both shots ready for when he attacked, and the sound of the lightning might betray him to Vikrum if he charged it up to close.
He envisioned his attack. It would have to be quick, very quick. An ambush. He needed to be in close, get into Soul Sense range without Vikrum knowing he was there. A difficult proposition, with his Soul Sense as weakened as it was.
Would it even be possible for him to break Vikrum¡¯s Soul Sense as quickly as he needed? That was the only way he could see this working. Break it in one blow, stun Vikrum with lightning before he could activate any shields¡ªdoubtless the Cyborg would have collected numerous Golden and Silver Feather shields, by now, and as a Cultivator he¡¯d be able to activate them very quickly¡ªthen seize the Symbiote of Change and get away.
He couldn¡¯t get bogged down in a proper fight. For starters, he was unlikely to win. On top of that, Vikrum was surrounded by his people. Most of them were small fry but¡ Nicolai frowned.
Where were the heavy hitters? Gilvine and Borg? Gilvine could be of use to him. Now might be the time to attempt to leak her disloyalty, cause some kind of schism. But could he and her defeat Vikrum, all the Chosen, and Borg? It was unlikely. Perhaps it was better to keep that hidden, for now.
As he considered the missing Level 2¡¯s, his wariness intensified. There was something off about all this. Vikrum was in a very open and exposed position. He¡¯d sent those around him away. Borg and Gilvine¡¯s locations were unknown. All this when he knew that Nicolai was near.
Nicolai¡¯s eyes narrowed with understanding.
Vikrum had laid a trap for him.
With that realisation, he knew what to do.
###
Vikrum¡¯s eyes flicked about as he wrestled with his nerves. Where is he? Cornwall had predicted Viper would be attacking any moment now. The AI was rarely in the wrong.
The odds are good that he¡¯ll show, Cornwall assured him. You are open and exposed. If he wishes to take you down, this is a good time for one of his quick strikes.
Vikrum nodded, and his head turned left and right. He saw Gilvine, hidden in an alcove, he knew Borg was lurking underneath a large flagstones with a hollow space beneath, which the Cyborg had dug out.
As soon as Viper was within twenty metres of him, he would activate one of his Quest Rewards. It was a large, single-use shield-dome Permit. Once activated nothing was able to pass through it, in or out, until it broke or he deactivated it.
With that, he would trap Viper. No more ambushes, no more hit-and-run tactics. Viper would be finished, stuck in the shield dome with him and Borg. Gilvine was currently outside the radius. He didn¡¯t entirely trust her.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Minutes ticked by. Vikrum frowned, peering around. You told me he would show! He hissed internally to Cornwall.
The odds are good, reiterated Cornwall. A moment¡¯s pause. But if he doesn¡¯t show in the next few minutes, then likely he won¡¯t. It would mean he has come, recognised the trap, and left.
Left to go where?
Either to return to the Coalition, or to set another trap. Both are equally possible.
Vikrum sighed, disappointed. He shook his head, feeling he understood Viper. The man was a coward, he wouldn¡¯t strike if the odds weren¡¯t in his favour. If he knew Borg and Gilvine were with Nicolai, then he wouldn¡¯t show. He¡¯s not here. His face twisted with a sudden spike of rage. He calmed himself, then messaged Gilvine and Borg.
We¡¯re moving. Pivot to the Coalition. He¡¯s ran off.
Borg levered the floor up from where he hid, the chunk of stone falling with a crash as the hulking Cyborg arose just a few feet from Vikrum.
Across the way, Gilvine strolled into the room.
They formed up and moved off.
###
Nicolai had found himself a chimney, arising from a grand fireplace in one of the rooms. It was slender. He could barely fit in it, equipped as he was. He lurked inside of it, his arms and legs braced to hold him in it a few metres from the ground. He kept as still as possible. He wasn¡¯t wearing his skin-suit helmet, he¡¯d left it where he¡¯d been hiding all his other things, and the walls were caked in old soot. It wouldn¡¯t do to knock it all into the air and give himself a coughing fit.
The door of the room containing the fireplace he his in was closed. With a him a short distance up here, and the door, it should be enough to hide the sound of the Blue Lightning snapping over him until someone was very close. This particular room was positioned alongside a hallway between where Vikrum had been waiting, and the Coalition. It was a route he thought likely the Cyborg would take.
A short time ago he had finished breaking in the Big Mouth and the Lurker Symbiotes. The Darkness Module had proven its use once again, with it running through him and spiritual claws reaching from his fingers, the Symbiotes had quailed and their wills had broken far faster than normal.
With the Symbiotes broken-in, they were hidden within his body and weren¡¯t releasing the ripples of uncontained Symbiotes. On top of that, the Lurker Symbiote was exactly what he needed for this plan to work¡ªand it, alongside the Big Mouth, were both useable immediately due to not needing to be put into the Heart Node. For now he only utilised the Lurker.
Active in his free lung Node, it allowed him to hide his Soul and prevent any ripples from slipping out¡ªwhile having the Blue Hornet active. Equally crucial, it allowed him to extend his Soul Sense and watch the hallway outside, but that Soul Sense would be hidden from others. With the Soul Snake he was just able to reach.
He released no emanations over Local, either, nor did the pair of HK drones he had primed. Cyberwarfare had spent some time attempting to make minor clones of itself to loading onto the drones. It hadn¡¯t been entirely successful¡ªthe clones lacked the spark of true sentience. But the drones would be capable of acting autonomously, trained to target Vikrum. There would be no need for any communication over Local, which otherwise would give them away. To be sure, he¡¯d physically removed their transmitters.
The only possible tell was the faint crackles of the Blue Lightning running over him, but he had a way to distract from that.
Now, he waited.
###
Vikrum strode down the corridor, Gilvine out in front of him¡ªwhere he could keep an eye on her¡ªand Borg behind. As Gilvine went she smashed doors open and checked inside, then continued on.
As he passed by one of those destroyed doors the end of the corridor exploded. A great boom and flash of light, chunks of masonry raining toward them. It was so far away as to be no real threat, but Vikrum paused, staring, waiting for the echoes to fade.
Instead of fading there came another explosion, and another. Confused, Vikrum, stared onwards. Cornwall continually swept the area around him for signs of explosives and assured him there was nothing near, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit of worry.
There was no warning. Simply a flash of light and a whirr from the side at the same time as his Soul Sense took a savage attack.
While Vikrum reeled with confusion, his Combat Drive lunged into action, holding his arms up defensively. With loud pops two HK drones launched their payloads, and his continuously activated Skin Shield burst apart, just as his Soul Sense was broken.
Something moved to his side and he saw the man, Viper. He had time to snarl and raise his rifle when a blast of blue lightning caught him in the centre, followed by another slightly higher.
He was only frozen for a moment but Viper seized that moment and rushed him, firing with a pistol and reaching with one hand. Vikrum felt a sudden push on his hip and stumbled, and at the same time there came a clatter on his shoulder. His shoulder-mounted laser fell away from him, smashed into chunks by highly accurate pistol fire.
Then Viper ducked away, momentum abruptly reversed. Just in time to avoid the sledge-hammer blow Borg threw as the hulking Cyborg¡¯s stomping run brought him to Vikrum¡¯s defence. Borg¡¯s armoured fist smashed masonry into rubble as it hummed through the air, just missing Viper.
Viper scuttled into the room like a rat and vanished into a hole in the wall.
¡®Get him!¡¯ snarled Vikrum, reaching for the shield-dome permit. Viper should still be within range. He Examined it and activated it in one moment, only to see¡ª
This Permit can only be activated in a more open area.
Borg reached the opening, aimed his machine gun up it and sprayed rounds. Vikrum sucked through a Rejuvenating Orb as he dashed over.
¡®Did you get him?!¡¯
¡®No,¡¯ said Borg. ¡®This shaft has other exits, higher up. He¡¯s gone out through one.¡¯ The Cyborg tilted his squad metal head, curious. ¡®There is a strange crumbly black substance on the walls. I wonder what this was?¡¯
¡®Who cares? Get in there after him!¡¯
Borg stared at him, metal face blank. ¡®It¡¯s too small. Even you won¡¯t fit.¡¯
¡®Gilvine!¡¯ screamed Vikrum, turning and staring around.
¡®I¡¯m here,¡¯ said the slender Cyborg, entering through the doorway.
He scowled at her then lunged across the space, grabbing her by the throat. ¡®You passed by this room! You checked it!¡¯ he snarled. ¡®Why didn¡¯t you detect him!¡¯
¡®He was soundless. There were no signs,¡¯ she replied, unphased.
¡®Get in there and find him!¡¯ he growled, tossing her toward the fireplace.
But as she began to move into it, there came another explosion. She dove aside in time to avoid a rain of masonry.
Viper had blown the shaft up, rendering it impassable.
Viper defeated her last time anyway, Cornwall reminded him. His ambush failed and now he will likely flee. It¡¯s a good time to move against the Coalition, though we should be wary of another ambush attempt.
Vikrum¡¯s hands flexed as he clutched at empty air. He struggled to even care about the Coalition. Viper was all that he wanted. He snarled.
¡®Whatever. Fine. Let¡¯s go.¡¯
###
The attack hadn¡¯t worked out. Borg, the larger Cyborg, had been close and had gotten there before Nicolai could fully close the distance.
On the plus side, Vikrum didn¡¯t seem to be aware of what he¡¯d sought. As he¡¯d dove closer he¡¯d made it seem that he wished to perform some kind of final attack, rather than seize the Symbiote.
He¡¯d attempted to use the Grasping and Repulsive Fingers to seize the Symbiote of Change, but it was attached to Vikrum¡¯s hip¡ªin a small metal box tied by plastic-weave rope¡ªand due to how Vikrum had been standing relative to him, it had been on the other side of the Cyborg¡¯s body. Bad luck. He¡¯d attempted to push it away and snap it off from Vikrum¡¯s body, but the weave-rope was too strong. The attempt had merely pushed Vikrum sideways. He¡¯d been forced to disengage and retreat before he could try something else.
At the very least, he had achieved his secondary goal by taking out the laser on Vikrum¡¯s shoulder. It had been smashed into pieces and the Rejuvenating Orb shouldn¡¯t be able to repair it. It was the only one the Level 3 had. He was reasonably sure that Gilvine had not communicated to Vikrum that lasers could go through shields¡ªif Vikrum was allowed to realise, it could be problematic for him.
He doubted Vikrum would realise the significance of him destroying the laser¡ªeven if it weren¡¯t for the shield element, permanently taking out one of an opponents side weapons was worthwhile at any time. It was the kind of thing Nicolai would¡¯ve done regardless.
Nicolai considered. He still needed that Symbiote, and now he didn¡¯t have to worry about the laser. Next time, he would have to try and cut the box away from where it was attached¡ but finding the opportunity to do so wouldn¡¯t be easy. He would need time. A hit-and-run was difficult, it was hard to perform the numerous necessary actions to get the box free in time, without damaging it. He couldn¡¯t risk destroying the Symbiote.
Perhaps a change of strategy was required.
207: Peace Negotiations
As Vikrum had regrouped his people and moved toward the Coalition, he¡¯d known it would be a difficult fight.
Already he¡¯d lost many people, and after this lighting-quick attack from Viper, he even felt a little threatened himself. It¡¯s unfortunate, he reflected. At this point, he would quite like the fighting to stop. All he really cared about was ending Viper¡ but Viper had control of the Coalition.
As though hearing his thoughts, a Local transmission arrived.
This is Maxine, leader of the Coalition. We¡¯ve fought and both sides are bloodied, but this was never my intention. I would like to meet, and discuss terms. We desire an end to this bloodshed.
Vikrum¡¯s eyes widened, and he conferred quickly with Cornwall. After a moment he looked to those around him. ¡®Let¡¯s go.¡¯
###
The large room must have once been for events of some kind, perhaps a ballroom. Ancient chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and large columns speared down from above, spaced evenly through it.
For the first time in what must have been hundreds of years, the room was once more packed with people.
There was no dancing today, and rather than perfume the air smelt of sweat and gun oil as the Chosen and Coalition came together with slow wariness. Guns were fingered, frowns exchanged.
Vikrum looked across the expanse of stone between his Chosen and the Coalition, eyeing his counterpart. The Coalition¡¯s leader. She wasn¡¯t who he¡¯d anticipated, prior to the message. He¡¯d imagined Viper must lead, but the man was a no-show. Probably he¡¯d ran off to lick his wounds.
Instead he saw Maxine, another individual he¡¯d had difficulties with. Just as much an enemy as Viper, maybe moreso. If it hadn¡¯t been for her, he had no doubt this coalition would never have gotten off the ground. Having sole control of a Radio channel had been hugely beneficial for her; a benefit he was irritated she¡¯d never shared. They could have done so much good together. He¡¯d tried hard to win her over, on Cornwall¡¯s suggestion. If he¡¯d had her on side from the start, those people in the Coalition would likely all be Chosen by now.
But she¡¯d turned him down every time, with increasing fury and contempt. She hated him for stealing Seeds, for doing what he¡¯d had to do. But at the very least, she was willing to talk.
Her dislike struck Vikrum as unfair, if only because of the company she kept. Viper was obviously far worse than him.
Perhaps she can be convinced, murmured Cornwall. Vikrum nodded. He, and the Chosen had enough Seeds now. If he could bring her on side, he¡¯d bring them all on side. Or enough to matter. Oddly, his hatred for Maxine had done nothing but dwindle with each attack from Viper. Increasingly the only person he really cared about, really wanted to see dead, was Viper. He was the real enemy. If he could get peace with these people he¡¯d be able to focus on hunting the man down.
He looked the Coalition over carefully, Cornwall performing facial scans and checks for stealth tech. Nothing. Viper wasn¡¯t here. Shrugging, he strode out from his Chosen, flanked by Borg and Gilvine. Borg was as strong and steady as ever. Gilvine was a patchwork, the damage she¡¯d sustained welded shut with a spindly new arm to replace the lost.
She¡¯d yet to become a Cultivator, something that was obvious from her damaged state. He was glad for it. Viper was one of the threats to his life, and he believed that she was the other. Cornwall had even expressed worry that she might work together with Viper, but Vikrum wasn¡¯t overly concerned by that. In a straight up fight he would be able to beat both of them, easily, especially since he¡¯d ensured Gilvine wasn¡¯t carrying any gun bigger than a pistol. Still, she was a threat he¡¯d like to remove.
For now, however, it was good to have her beside him if only to present a better image to the Coalition. The implied threat of two Level 2 Cyborgs would give him an advantage in the negotiations.
Vikrum looked himself over, knowing his own body was the other implied threat. He was pristine, in perfect condition¡ªbecause he was a Cultivator.
Until recently Gilvine had had little interest in Cultivating. But since she¡¯d learned of the Rejuvenating Orbs he¡¯d been able to use to fully recover himself, there had been quite a stir in the Chosen. She wasn¡¯t as popular as she had been, having been leveraging her influence to seize Seeds from those in positions of weakness.
Vikrum had been happy to let this continue. Cornwall informed him it was about time to get rid of her. Once he had the Coalition on his side or dealt with, his needs for her combat strength would be lessened. On top of that, she was taking care of the other problem herself; the base of support and sedition she¡¯d built among some of the Chosen. It would also be best to move before she became a Cultivator, as she would be stronger after healing herself. So, as soon as this war was over he¡¯d take care of her, and at last be able to relax without worry of a bomb in his bedroom.
Maxine had moved out from the Coalition, coming to meet him. There were two girls on either side of her, and a group of worthies behind. Vikrum frowned, recognising the girls. These two had often been seen with Viper. His seconds, perhaps, as Borg and Gilvine were for him.
¡®Odd company you keep,¡¯ he said to Maxine, glancing at her and then at the two sisters, for they could only be such. Both had blonde hair, but the one on the left had it in a ponytail while the other looked to have had it buzzcut just a few weeks ago, just a fuzzy dome. That one was giving him a dirty look, and he returned a sneer.
¡®These two are in close with Viper. How close are you tied to him, Maxine?¡¯
The woman, who was short, middle aged, with mousy brown hair, blinked at him. ¡®Viper?¡¯
¡®Nicolai,¡¯ spat Vikrum. ¡®The man who¡¯s been killing my people.¡¯
¡®Just like you¡¯ve been killing ours,¡¯ spoke up the sister with short hair.
¡®It¡¯s not the same. I¡¯ve only fought when I had to. When you attacked me. He has come and assaulted my people, ambushed me.¡¯
Maxine shrugged. ¡®Whatever grievances you have, take it up with him. We¡¯re here to negotiate terms between the Coalition and the Chosen.¡¯
¡®It isn¡¯t possible for me to take it up with him, since he isn¡¯t here. Why is that?¡¯ He let that hang, a silence he hoped would make her speak, but received only more of the same as she gazed back at him, eyebrows raised. He shrugged. ¡®No matter. You¡¯re right, I¡¯m getting ahead of myself. So, what do you want?¡¯
¡®We want peace, one side of the trade link, and to be left alone.¡¯
Much as he¡¯d expected. ¡®No.¡¯
She scowled, but he was quick to continue as Cornwall whispered of the opportunity before him. ¡®I want us to join together,¡¯ he said. ¡®To merge into one. Not called the Chosen¡ªwe will have a new name. Something suitably¡ suitable.¡¯
Her eyes widened, surprised.
One of the toadies behind her spoke up, a red faced, sweaty man.
¡®Not a chance,¡¯ he blustered. ¡®After all you bastards did, you want us to join you? You killed us! You¡ª¡®
¡®And you killed us,¡¯ said Vikrum. ¡®But I don¡¯t want you to join. I said merge. We will form a new faction, with a new organisation. I don¡¯t see myself as the sole leader of this venture.¡¯ He smiled at Maxine. ¡®I can think of someone perfectly suited to be co-leader.¡¯ He glanced at the others. ¡®Of course, you would all have suitable positions. I imagine something where everyone remains responsible for the same people they are currently responsible for, would work well. No need to change anything. Within the Chosen there are many smaller groups. We are more of a¡ managed alliance than you might think. I don¡¯t want us to end up as two disparate factions, always biting at one another. This castle is big enough for all of us. I want us to work together as we look upon the wide world around us.¡¯
The toadies were looking more interested now. Cornwall had predicted that if they were sure they¡¯d be able to keep whatever power they currently held, they would agree surprisingly easily. Maxine wore a thoughtful frown.
¡®Imagine what we could accomplish together,¡¯ he added.
¡®This will bear some thinking of,¡¯ she began, slowly. ¡®I can¡¯t promise anything, and I¡¯m not going to just jump into this. I suggest the same terms as I gave previously. But there¡¯s no reason we can¡¯t work together. Big world out there. Over time, depending on how things go, we can make a more formal arrangement.¡¯
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Vikrum shrugged, and nodded. That was about the best he¡¯d expected. He was tired of the fighting. Tired of the stress of it all. He¡¯d completed his quest and thus there was no need to grab every Seed he could anymore. He could simply relax and see where things went. As she said, there was a big world out there, and he didn¡¯t want to spend all his time fighting these people.
But there was one problem.
¡®I¡¯m happy to accept that,¡¯ he said, and Maxine broke out in a relieved smile, one that was exchanged, with some surprise, by the rest of them. ¡®But there¡¯s one problem.¡¯ The smiles transformed into frowns. ¡®Viper.¡¯ His lip curled. ¡®Nicolai.¡¯
¡®I get it, you don¡¯t like him,¡¯ said Maxine. ¡®So what? He¡¯ll abide by the terms, I¡¯ll see to that. If he refuses, then¡ you can have him.¡¯
Vikrum was a little surprised by this. He looked to the two sisters, but their reaction was also unexpected. They exchanged glances, their faces sombre.
Now he understood. It was just like with Gilvine. Viper¡¯s base of support had rotted away. The man had offended more than just him. But this still wasn¡¯t enough. He knew that Viper wouldn¡¯t refuse, not on the surface. He would accept the agreement, because there was no other option.
And then he would do what he had always been doing. Set himself against Vikrum and work to destroy him, through every indirect means available, angling for the kill.
Vikrum didn¡¯t intend to suffer Gilvine much longer, and the same applied to Viper; only magnified. The man was far more problematic; his grasp of this new Cultivation magic alongside his clear skill and experience with everything from Earth. Combined, it made him very slippery.
Vikrum shook his head. ¡®I will not budge on this. Viper cannot stay. Either he will leave this place and go far away, or he will die. If he remains here, then we will be fighting once more.¡¯
¡®He¡¯s not that bad,¡¯ said one of the sisters.
The other one grunted, and they exchanged glances again.
¡®What¡¯s with these looks between you?¡¯ asked Maxine, frowning at the pair.
¡®Recently,¡¯ said the other, looking a little sour, ¡®he¡¯s been a bit off. I¡¯ll admit that. Not sure if he¡¯s not being like himself¡ or being more like himself. I¡¯m willing to give the benefit of the doubt and see which way it is.¡¯
¡®Get rid of him,¡¯ spoke up one of those behind. The others stared at him. ¡®What? The man¡¯s dangerous, and sneaky. I don¡¯t trust him. And he was ruthless with the trading. Before we formed the Coalition the deal he gave us was raw. And after? Sure, it was better, but he still bilked us for plenty. One time he said he¡¯d have to charge double because I wanted a battery charger, said it was an amenity! I needed it to charge my gear! He even lost all those points! 200,000, lost to the Chosen!¡¯ The man¡¯s eyes narrowed, looking to Vikrum, then Maxine. ¡®That¡¯s something else we ought to discuss.¡¯
¡®He¡¯s right,¡¯ said another, stepping forward. Vikrum recognised her, the leader of the band calling themselves New Start Communists. He held significant dislike toward her, but that turned into confusion as she continued speaking. ¡®Some time ago your people caught him and the others going between the Trade Link, carrying over 200,000 points worth of goods. If we¡¯re all going to get along and even join together, I think you ought to return that. War¡¯s over, now, right?¡¯
¡®What are you talking about?¡¯
She glared at him. ¡®What, don¡¯t remember? The big bags of guns and ammo and all the rest your people took in the upper jungle.¡¯
¡®Bags of guns?¡¯ He shook his head, confused. Am I forgetting something, Cornwall?
No, replied the AI. There have been no reports of such a thing.
¡®We¡¯ve never found a cache like that,¡¯ Vikrum confirmed. He frowned at Borg, Gilvine, and Katnin. ¡®Do any of you know about this?¡¯ They shrugged and shook their heads.
¡®Oh, great,¡¯ said one of the toadies, throwing up his hands. ¡®See, I knew it would be like this. Saying he wants to work together, now lying to our faces.¡¯
¡®Actually¡¡¯ began another, tone slow. This was a big man, one of Nicolai¡¯s group. ¡®I did think it strange. When we were running with those bags, Nicolai said there were Chosen closing in on us. He told us to drop the bags, that they slowed us down too much. Thing is, I reckon we could¡¯ve made it. The Chosen didn¡¯t seem that close.¡¯
Vikrum rocked back onto his heels as the group in front of him devolved into a frantic discussion as they all demanded details from those of Viper¡¯s group, who gave them hesitantly. Cornwall kept Vikrum¡¯s features polite, placid, and faintly confused as he wrestled with the urge to grin hugely. This was perfect. Nicolai had been caught in a lie! Doubtless there were plenty, but this was a big one. He¡¯d scammed them out of 200,000 points!
The thought made Vikrum glow with joy. It was nice to see other people suffering from Nicolai¡¯s work for once, rather than him.
¡®That reminds me, do you know what happens to those guys I sent to find you?¡¯ Maxine was asking the sisters. ¡®I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve met them before, it was Eugene and some other people. Eugene was a Cultivator.¡¯ She sent an image over Local. ¡®This guy. Did you see him?¡¯
¡®We did,¡¯ said one of the sisters, nodding. ¡®They came and found us, me and Beth and Nicolai.¡¯
¡®So where are they?¡¯
She made a face. ¡®I¡¯m, uh, not sure. Nicolai sent us away.¡¯
¡®He was acting odd. Cagey,¡¯ added the other in a murmur.
Maxine was frowning. ¡®Well, last report is they all died not long after I sent them to find you. One of them had a delayed death-signal setup, it pinged some time ago.¡¯
¡®Must¡¯ve been the Chosen, right?¡¯ asked one of the Coalition people, glaring at Vikrum¡ªwho felt this was his moment.
¡®We found the bodies of those you¡¯re talking about,¡¯ he said, because they had. ¡®Near to some of my own guys. Guys who were killed by Viper. But no one on my side knows who killed your people. It wasn¡¯t any of us. I can send proof, if you want. I have feeds from all of mine.¡¯
The suspicious murmurs intensified.
¡®Could it have been him? Nicolai?¡¯ the big man was saying, his tone shocked¡ but not disbelieving.
¡®We¡¯ll ask him about it, alright? When he gets back,¡¯ said Maxine, raising her hand. She sighed. ¡®I think that¡¯s all we can do, right about now. Where the fuck is he?¡¯
¡®Over there,¡¯ said one of the sisters, pointing.
Every eye followed her finger.
Nicolai had emerged from a side passage, and was walking toward them. He was covered in blood, and some recoiled at the sight.
Vikrum scanned him carefully, checking if he was injured. No. None of that blood was his own.
He stopped to the side of them all, looking around. He glanced at Vikrum. ¡®You want me dead, right?¡¯
Vikrum sneered at him. ¡®That¡¯s right. And I think everyone else does, too. You killed my people, you scammed these idiots. You¡¯re not on anyone¡¯s side, are you? You¡¯re just out for yourself.¡¯
Nicolai didn¡¯t acknowledge the accusations, he merely asked, ¡®Do you think you can kill me?¡¯
Vikrum stepped forward. ¡®I know your tricks now. And I¡¯ve got Soul Sense. I would love to put you down, if you would only stop running. Like last time. And the time before.¡¯
¡®I only ran because you keep trying to gang up on me,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®Are you afraid of fighting on your own?¡¯
Vikrum¡¯s back straightened as he sneered. ¡®Afraid? Not at all. I don¡¯t need any help, I just need you to stop being a coward!¡¯
¡®Then let¡¯s fight. Just you and me, no interference from either side. Settle this like men.¡¯ Nicolai¡¯s human eye was a bottomless orb of dark grey, but the twist of his mouth was challenging. Electricity began to buzz and crackle over his skin.
Vikrum sneered. That damnable Symbiote.
Nicolai glanced at the others. ¡®I assume everyone is happy with that?¡¯
Vikrum followed the gaze. Some were frowning, especially those two sisters, but the majority of Coalition members on the other side did all seem happy with it. Makes sense. Nicolai had offended many of them, and the outcome of the fight wouldn¡¯t necessarily affect them. Whoever won, they got what they wanted. He imagined that even if Nicolai hadn¡¯t been about to die, the man would¡¯ve had a very difficult time cosying back up to them.
Vikrum found himself smiling. Everything was changing,. After so much difficulty, finally it was all going his way. At last, he would have the fight he¡¯d wanted.
In the past Nicolai had only gotten the better of him through trickery. Running and ambushing, never sticking around to fight it out. That was because he was weak; lacking in augmentation. The tricks of Cultivation magic he possessed weren¡¯t enough to make up the difference.
In a real fight, Vikrum would kill him. Cornwall assured him of this.
But the AI did not approve of this course of action. It is still a risk. He must have some kind of plan or play. He is no fool and knows how a true fight will go. He must have something else in mind. With the revelation he scammed the Coalition, you can likely try to arrest him without any trouble. If he chooses to fight then, you will have the support of everyone; or at least, few if any of them will support him, while you have the entirety of the Chosen. If it is possible to turn all against him, rather than fighting him alone, that would be preferable. Once he¡¯s in your custody, out of sight and away from the others you can deal with him as you please.
Sometimes Cornwall was a little too logical, for Vikrum¡¯s tastes. Sometimes you needed a little instinct. And Vikrum¡¯s instincts told him Nicolai¡ªViper¡ªcouldn¡¯t be allowed to weasel away from this alive, could be given no stay of execution, because Vikrum was sure he would always return to strike again.
Nicolai was a problem he had long sought to remove, and now given a real chance he wouldn¡¯t let it escape. No more words, no more long games. This area was perfect for the shield-dome, too. He stood in the very centre of the room, where there were no columns. The space between him and Nicolai was wide and open. He hid his smile at the thought. The shield-dome something Nicolai was unaware of, something that he expected would ruin any plans the man might have.
As to the matter of trying to recruit all to aid him¡ Don¡¯t be so doubtful, he told Cornwall. You know the facts. He¡¯s little more than a Raw. With his movement restricted it is impossible for him to win against me! Vikrum didn¡¯t want to see Viper fall to a massed effort. He wanted to bring the man down alone.
¡®Agreed. We fight.¡¯ He made a dismissive gesture at the rest of them. ¡®Clear some space.¡¯
Maxine frowned at him, and at Nicolai. ¡®This will be messy,¡¯ she muttered.
¡®Don¡¯t worry.¡¯ Vikrum gave Nicolai a cruel smile. ¡®You can all watch in safety.¡¯ He wanted them to see him take Nicolai apart, and he wanted to make sure there would be no escape. The space around them was rapidly clearing, and he judged everyone apart from he and Nicolai were outside of the Permit¡¯s range.
He pulled the shield-dome Permit from a pocket. ¡®I was saving this,¡¯ he told Nicolai. ¡®It¡¯s quite valuable, I thought I might need it to defend a group of my people. Let me show you what it does.¡¯ This time the activation went without a hitch. A shield sprung into life around them as the Permit crumbled to dust.
The shield was many metres across. It formed a dome over the stone, in which he and Viper were contained. Viper, who had stood silently, simply gazing at him, finally showed some reaction. His head turned slowly, taking in the shield that now surrounded him.
Vikrum watched hungrily, certain that he would finally see some sign of fear. ¡®None can pass. In, or out,¡¯ he said, to make sure Viper understood. The man¡¯s face remained placid, but Vikrum¡¯s grin widened at his own words. ¡®No tricks,¡¯ Vikrum added. ¡®Nowhere to hide.¡¯ At last he would have the fight he¡¯d always wanted. Finally he would be able to take revenge for Viper¡¯s many malicious acts¡ªand prove himself the strongest individual in the castle.
208: A Climactic Battle
¡®None can pass. In, or out,¡¯ spoke Vikrum with a widening grin and a glance around at the great dome shield that encased the two of them.
¡®Good,¡¯ said Nicolai, and attacked.
He and his enemy moved in mirror of one another. Two quick silver feather shields were activated, catching the bullets they exchanged in blasts of gunfire, assault rifle against assault rifle.
A golden shield sprang to life around Nicolai and he darted forward, continuing to fire as a golden shield formed, belatedly, around Vikrum.
His mind drew together, coiled tight as a spring, jagged and sparkling. All the Modules as one.
Vikrum launched everything, and Nicolai weaved through it as though by jets, the Blue Lightning crackling over him already at full charge, enhancing his movement.
The Golden Shield was around him, mirrored by the one around Vikrum. Both fired every weapon available at the enemy, assault rifles blaring.
Hunter-killer drones poured from cases around Vikrum, only to stutter and go off-course. Cyberwarfare had expected Vikrum would use this model of drone, the same as all the other Chosen Cyborgs. It had prepared a countermeasure, which was inserted into the navigation data the swarm of drones continually communicated to one another. The virus spread rapidly, and the drones fell from the air to clatter on the ground.
The shadows pulsed a warning, and Nicolai slipped to the side as Vikrum raised an arm, the single-use heavy cannon there activating. He was aiming more at the shield than Nicolai, but these shields could be controlled and Nicolai had his lurch sideways as he did, until it was only protecting a part of him, tucked to the side. In that same frantic moment he used the Repulsive Finger, shoving the round in the side. The round missed him by an inch and blew a hole in the wall behind.
The shield was back in place in time to block the spray of rounds from Vikrum¡¯s assault rifle, snapped back up into position in a millisecond.
And then they were close. Vikrum¡¯s magazine ran out of ammo and he let the weapon hang on its strap, kicking out at Nicolai, a blow that was caught by the shield but did significant damage, as much as any of those rounds.
Nicolai¡¯s return blows, launched by his far weaker arms and legs, moved with less speed and strength. But the damage his strikes caused Vikrum¡¯s shield was well above what one would expect, and he matched Vikrum blow for blow.
By striking with the Soul as well as the body, it was possible to damage these shields rapidly. A trick Vikrum hadn¡¯t mastered; a trick Nicolai believed few were aware of except for him. A trick he¡¯d been practising.
Vikrum dashed away and Nicolai followed, using the Grasping Finger to keep up. He broke Vikrum¡¯s shield and resumed firing with his assault rifle, chewing now through Vikrum¡¯s Skin Shield, and he saw the man pulling out a golden feather.
Meanwhile, Nicolai¡¯s own shield was moments from breaking. At this moment he ought to backing up and reaching for a feather of his own, but he didn¡¯t. He stayed close and kept the pressure on. Vikrum threw a kick and Nicolai¡¯s shield broke apart.
He saw Vikrum¡¯s eyes widen as the man realised the opportunity, then the Cyborg lunged for him, giving up on the gold shield he¡¯d been about to activate, even as Nicolai¡¯s rounds finished chewing through the man¡¯s Skin Shield. This was the moment the Cyborg had doubtless been waiting for. A collision of body-on-body, where there could only be one winner¡ªand Vikrum¡¯s body was superior in every sense.
But Nicolai had awaited this moment, too. He¡¯d timed the destruction of shields to create it. Here it was, his chance, clear as the moon on a cloudless night. An opening he felt more than saw, the instincts within him clutching tight, the frantic artificial voices whispering from behind.
Nicolai lunged to meet the Cyborg, skitter-scatter, and they were suddenly in range of one another¡¯s bodies. Vikrum was already reacting, coming around in a savage blur, the heat of danger turned a roaring fire, screaming and spitting in Nicolai¡¯s face. The Dark thought to rise, and somehow win in this moment.
Nicolai knew the truth. There is a fundamental difference in how fast flesh and blood can move compared to Level 3 Augmentations. Just like him, the Dark had a way to go before it could close that gap. He bound it as a Module, restrained it and kept his calculating edge.
This fight was never about winning, never about killing Vikrum. Even with all Nicolai had and all he was, a Level 3 Cyborg was a Level 3 Cyborg.
But Nicolai didn¡¯t have to kill Vikrum.
There came a single moment with a dozen actions folded into it, the blast of Blue Lightning struggling with Vikrum¡¯s resisting body¡ªthe Cyborg had worked out a way to counteract it¡ªand then Nicolai was flying, spinning, launched tumbling through the air trailing blood behind him, and he¡¯d lost something.
Nicolai fell, a ragged, bloodstained mess, toward the stone. To those watching he seemed like he might be dead. But when he hit the floor his body moved by pure muscular reflex, rolling and skidding and springing back to his feet. Ready.
No attack came. Vikrum remained where he was.
There was surprisingly no pain in Nicolai¡¯s shoulder, just an odd numbness and a sense of warmth as blood soaked his clothing, coming out in a stream. He absently activated the Blood Bite Ring, and the bloodloss stopped.
¡®I¡¯ve got something of yours,¡¯ called out the Cyborg, shaking the lingering Blue Lightning away. Vikrum laughed, a huge and victorious grin on his face. He was unharmed from their collision, unmarred but for a spray of Nicolai¡¯s blood that traced a line over his cheek.
He held up his hand, and dangling from that hand was Nicolai¡¯s left arm. He turned it left and right. Nicolai watched, face blank, as his severed arm bent at the elbow, flopping around. Vikrum grinned at the sight of it, and Nicolai heard gasps from those who watched.
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
The gasps drew his gaze, and he saw Jo, and Beth, and all the others. There was concern in Jo¡¯s eyes but one marred by a deep suspicion, a suspicion they all held, a suspicion which for some was a certainty. Maxine¡¯s gaze practically burned him, so intense was it.
The moment he¡¯d entered this room he¡¯d known it was over. Him and them. The Coalition. All of it. It hadn¡¯t come as much of a surprise. In truth, he was surprised it¡¯d lasted as long as it had. His sanity had begun an increasingly rapid slip in these past few days. There were some blurry moments. He wasn¡¯t even sure where all the blood that covered him had come from. Perhaps he shouldn¡¯t have killed that Cultivator, but he¡¯d needed the final Soul, needed to placate the Dark so he might stay cool and calm at this moment.
With all that he¡¯d done, there was only been thing missing, only one remaining piece of the puzzle still outside of his grasp.
He felt a squirming in his hand and smiled. Until now, at any rate. He felt a strange pulse from his forehead, where the Angel¡¯s will had sunk. He wasn¡¯t sure what it did, exactly, but it settled around the thing in his hand.
¡®Oh dear. That¡¯s not meant to happen,¡¯ said Vikrum, pulling Nicolai¡¯s gaze back to him. ¡®Do you want it back?¡¯ the Cyborg held out Nicolai¡¯s severed limb, wearing an earnest expression.
Nicolai shrugged his remaining arm, reaching for a Rejuvenating Orb. ¡®You can keep it. Something to remember me by.¡¯
Vikrum snorted, shook his head. ¡®Funny guy,¡¯ muttered the Cyborg, in a tone which held no amusement. He let out a sudden roar and slammed Nicolai¡¯s arm into the ground. Blood and gore sprayed as it burst on the stone. Vikrum stomped his foot, splatting the arm, then stomped again and again, turning it chunk-by-chunk into pulverised meat and bone. Vikrum lifted his foot, gazing at the blood coating his metal soles, then stepped forward toward Nicolai with a satisfied smile dancing over his face.
If Vikrum had hoped to upset him by destroying his arm, he had miscalculated. Nicolai felt nothing, and had made use of the time the Cyborg gave him to take a breath from one of his Rejuvenating Orbs. His shoulder itched as the ragged stump healed. His left arm was an acceptable loss; that¡¯s why he¡¯d ensured it was the one to take the blow. His Mark, his hand Node, and his hand-talon, were all in his right hand.
However, he had lost his Sheltering Glove, which was still wrapped around the hand on his severed arm. Notably, Vikrum hadn¡¯t stepped on that¡ªto Nicolai¡¯s eye it had looked like the man had purposefully avoided it. Likely Vikrum sensed it was Imbued with his Soul Sense, and was saving it to take after he¡¯d killed Nicolai.
Nicolai settled down, cross-legged. He pulled out a silver feather with a single finger and thumb, his other fingers remaining in a fist, and after a moments focus and an injection of Oma, it activated. He pulled out a golden feather next. When it activated, it formed just outside of the silver feather.
Vikrum laughed. ¡®More hiding, huh? I suppose that¡¯s your only option. You understand now the difference between our bodies. I can break you easily, while you struggle to hurt me.¡¯ He smiled wide. ¡®No problem. I¡¯ll break these shields, too, and then I¡¯ll do to you as I did to your arm.¡¯
Nicolai continued his effort, activating every single-use shield he had on him, one by one, creating layers like an onion.
Vikrum frowned at him, slowing as he saw the shields forming. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ He laughed again. ¡®Are you just going to hide behind them all? What do you hope to accomplish? I thought you were smart¡ guess I was wrong.¡¯
Vikrum still hadn¡¯t noticed that while he¡¯d taken something from Nicolai in that blurring moment, so had Nicolai taken something from him. Nicolai spared the Cyborg a glance after activating his final golden feather.
The Cyborg let out an impatient snort and there came a thump as he dashed over the remaining metres and slammed a fist into the outermost shield. ¡®You think these will protect you?¡¯ he boomed. Another thump, and the external-most silver shield broke. ¡®I¡¯ll get through them in a few minutes!¡¯
Finally, Nicolai looked at his right hand, opening his last three fingers which had held tight around something.
Resting on his palm was the Symbiote of Change.
He tucked it into a pocket and activated a Lotus Sub-Locum Flower, pouring Oma into it while drawing more from crystals.
Vikrum let out a gasp when he saw the Symbiote of Change. ¡®That¡¯s mine! That¡¯s my Symbiote! How did¡ªwhen did¡ªwhat?! Cornwall, how did he¡ª¡¯ The words cut off with a snarl. ¡®You bastard. You thieving piece of shit. I¡¯ll fucking¡ what are doing in there!? You think that will protect you? What are you activating!?¡¯
Nicolai was focused on the Locum Flower, feeding his Soul Sense and reserves of Oma into it. Vikrum¡¯s Soul Sense was able to come through the shields and it did so, attacking him.
¡®I¡¯m not going to let you do whatever this is,¡¯ growled the Cyborg, pressing his hands and face against the shield like a kid against the glass window at a zoo, while his Soul Sense formed a sharp tip and lanced into Nicolai¡¯s own.
It glanced straight off as Nicolai absently switched his defence into the Heavy guard. The Loose and Heavy were all he could make use of, as he was focused on keeping his Soul Sense close and feeding it into the Locum Flower. His Soul Sense tendril was moving through that Flower and emerging¡ someplace else, moving through another dimension or layer of the world as it stretched out and away, towards the Locum Plant this Flower was connected to. It would take some time for it to arrive, and his Soul Sense, already weakened by the Soul rot, would continue to grow weaker and less able to defend itself as he fed it into the flower.
Though the Soul Rot had significantly shrunk his Soul Sense, while defending that didn¡¯t cause him too many problems¡ªhe had the defender¡¯s advantage. As such, currently, Vikrum¡¯s Soul Sense attacks could be compared to a toddler kicking him repeatedly in the shin. Annoying, but they weren¡¯t going to do any damage. But toward the end of the process Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense would grow very weak, as the vast majority would by then be fed into the Locum Flower.
At that stage, Vikrum would likely be able to interfere with what Nicolai was doing; simply breaking his Soul Sense should do the trick. On top of that, the process was slow. Vikrum may be able to chew through his shields before he completed it. That would be very bad, because though spiritually Nicolai still had an edge over Vikrum, physically it was the reverse.
This was therefore a losing position. On the outside he looked relaxed, confident, and as though he fully expected to get away. As though Vikrum could do nothing to him.
This was in line with Sun Tzu¡¯s ever relevant advice: When you are weak, look strong. When you are strong, look weak.
As Vikrum snarled and smashed at the shields, Nicolai considered the options available to him while continuing the activation of the flower. Vikrum¡¯s latest Soul Sense attack, a crushing blow, rebounded harmlessly as his Soul Sense flashed from Heavy to Loose.
He did not speed the activation process up because it could not be sped up; it had an amount of time it took and that was that. From previous uses, Nicolai knew this to be about five minutes.
He had kept his head tilted down, hiding his eyes from Vikrum. Now he slipped those eyes to the side, glancing through the layers of shields. The outermost of his shields, a gold, was filling with cracks. It would break soon¡ªthirty to fifty seconds, most likely. Then there were four more silvers and one more gold.
Scanning over the stone, he saw the remnants of his arm; a mangled, crushed explosion of flesh and bone that had once been a part of him. That would be him if these shields broke. His eyes continued on. He saw Gilvine and Borg, outside the big and doubtless very difficult to break dome shield. He considered Gilvine carefully, guessing at her thoughts. He¡¯d felt leaving her alive could be of use, but it had always been a gamble. Nothing was ever certain; he simply liked to leave himself options because you never knew how the cards may fall.
He smiled internally when he saw what he¡¯d hoped for, reading it from her subtle repositioning, and from the way half her cameras were fixed on Vikrum and the other half on Borg beside her, plus the hand she kept kept ready. A hand attached to her original arm, not the replacement. A hand he knew concealed a vibro-knife.
He¡¯d found a way to buy himself the time he needed.
209: Escape Artist
¡®Piece of shit¡¡¯ snarled Vikrum, kicking at the shield. He¡¯d shoot it but he had no ammo. Still, with his great strength he was making good progress. Actually, the punches and kicks seemed to have more effect on the shields than he¡¯d have expected. He¡¯d seen Nicolai somehow using his Soul to aid the blows, and was doing his best to mimic that. Hateful as the man was, he had some good tricks.
Vikrum launched another desultory Soul Sense attack, which glanced straight off Nicolai¡¯s frustratingly seamless Soul Sense. Useless. He might as well not bother. He gave up on the attacks and focused on slamming kick after kick into the shield, the last gold one, trying his hardest to put his Soul in his foot and his foot through the shield. Cornwall estimated he¡¯d be through it in less than a minute, and then he¡¯d get the bastard.
That was when Nicolai looked up at him, meeting his eyes for the first time since sitting down. The suddenness of the gesture and the unexpected eye-contact gave Vikrum pause and he stiffened, ceasing his attacks.
¡®These shields are going to last long enough, this is almost done,¡¯ said Nicolai, smiling. ¡®I have to thank you for that,¡¯ he added, glancing upwards.
¡®What?¡¯ spluttered Vikrum, following the gaze and only seeing the dome shield and the ceiling above. Cornwall was telling him this was just a distraction, that Nicolai was merely buying time. He knew Cornwall was right but even so, he wanted to know.
¡®That big shield you created,¡¯ Nicolai clarified. ¡®¡±No one in, and no one out,¡± or whatever it was you said. Without ammo, and on your own, you won¡¯t be able to break through in time¡ªespecially since I have a few more shields in reserve. And to think, you created the very shield that now prevents your allies from coming to your aid.¡¯ He laughed. ¡®I never thought I could kill you. I just wanted this.¡¯ He tapped the pocket into which he¡¯d placed the Symbiote of Change.
Vikrum gaped at him. No. Had he lost?
Be wary, began Cornwall, but Nicolai was still speaking.
¡®It was kind of you to waste time smashing my arm, too. And to stand there like an idiot, listening to me now. You wouldn¡¯t be able to get through anyway, but I appreciate you giving me even more time.¡¯
Cornwall¡¯s voice was buried beneath the utter rage that boiled through him. Gears in his wrists ground as his fists clenched tight enough to dent metal. He had wasted a lot of time. I can change that right now. There was something Nicolai didn¡¯t know.
With no more than a thought he ordered the dome shield surrounding them to collapse. It was tied to him, as the activator. An ugly smile twisted his face. ¡®Fool,¡¯ he hissed to Nicolai. ¡®I could have de-activated it at any time. Thank you for the reminder!¡¯ He turned. ¡®Everyone, get here now!¡¯ he cried to the Chosen. ¡®Bring me a gun and¡ª¡®
He finally paid attention to Cornwall who had begun to cry out the moment he de-activated the shield, as his detection software screamed a warning.
But it was too late.
Borg fell, toppling like a felled tree, his metal face managing to look surprised. Gilvine retracted the vibro-blade she¡¯d dug into his back, seized the anti-material rifle and pouch of ammo he¡¯d held, and levelled it at Vikrum.
¡®Time to die,¡¯ she grated.
The shot caught him in the shoulder and Vikrum was knocked spinning, crashing into Nicolai¡¯s shield. A chunk of his shoulder spun across the room and caught some unfortunate woman in the head, decapitating her and sending people running and screaming. He reactivated his Combat Chip frantically.
¡®To me!¡¯ he screamed at the Chosen, seeing people running in all directions. ¡®Defend me!¡¯ He was injured. He needed an Orb. She was cranking the bolt back and loading another round. This fucking bitch! I should have killed her! Why didn¡¯t I kill her!?
He needed to get to cover, but he was caught out in the open. He had his own shields, but a gold would take a moment to activate, and the silvers might not stand up to the anti-material rifle. His Combat Chip, which Cornwall had recently updated to consider the new variables of this world¡¯s strange magic, reminded him of what he was currently leaning against.
Nicolai¡¯s shield.
###
A 50.calibre round slammed into Nicolai¡¯s outermost golden shield, sending massive cracks radiating through it.
He saw Gilvine reloading, remaining at a distance. Vikrum was now behind him, taking cover behind the shields; shields that Gilvine had no compunctions about shooting through. She¡¯d once told him that so long as he didn¡¯t get in her way, all she cared about was killing Vikrum.
Unfortunately, he was now¡ªin the most literal of senses¡ªin her way.
This was quite the sticky situation. He hadn¡¯t anticipated this. In battle, the variables were many and it was impossible to account for all of them.
But in even the most desperate of situations, the path to victory could be found. It was there, if you only knew to look for it.
Vikrum was right behind him, currently activating a golden shield, focused on the process.
Nicolai paused the Lotus Flower activation. Doing so was difficult and risky. All could be lost here; the activation might fail, which would require him to restart the process. If he was very unlucky, the flower itself might be destroyed.
With the aid of the Modules he managed to split his attention. He felt his Soul straining and whining as it was cut in half, part in the Flower, part out, and he had to feed even more Oma into it to keep it stable. The petals of the Flower began to wilt, and one of them fell away.
He activating the Grasping Finger and raised his hand over his shoulder while launching a savage Soul Sense attack that, coming in surprise, pierced Vikrum¡¯s Soul Sense. In the same instant he wrenched the golden feather Vikrum held from the Cyborg¡¯s fingers, which had held gentle around the fragile item, dragging it through his shields and into his hand. He focused on activating it, managing it far quicker than Vikrum had due to his significant control over Oma and Soul Sense.
The new shield sprung to life, in position behind what had been his final gold.
Vikrum was snarling furiously and activating a silver shield. The next heavy round slammed into Nicolai¡¯s own, breaking the outermost gold and presenting the first of four silvers¡ªbehind which there were now not one, but two more golds.
The Flower had lost two more petals, but he needed to get Vikrum away from him before he could return to it and save the activation. He used the Repulsive and Grasping fingers to aid his single hand as he slotted a magazine into his assault rifle. He held it steady as he twisted his body around. The thump of it firing full-auto boomed out. Vikrum cried out as the 7.62 rounds chewed into his silver shield. On the other side, two of Nicolai¡¯s silver shields disappeared in one as Gilvine¡¯s next heavy round cracked home.
The bullets from the assault rifle kept going, popping Vikrum¡¯s silver shield then getting to work on his Skin Shield. The Cyborg fled, knowing that hunkering beside Nicolai was no longer an option, moving while Gilvine was reloading. The 7.62 bullets would take longer, but they would break him apart just the same as the anti-material rifle if he sat there. Vikrum dashed to the nearest cover, a thick stone column some distance away, and there focused on activating a gold feather.
Gilvine followed, anti-material rifle levelled at Vikrum, and Nicolai turned his attention away from them. Before refocusing on the Locum Flower, he took one more quick action. His Soul Sense strained a few metres ahead of him, just managing to catch at someone on the ground as he activated the Grasping Finger.
His severed hand, and more importantly, the Sheltering Glove Imbued, was dragged through the air to land on his lap.
Then he leapt into action, teeth gritting and Soul straining as he worked to stabilise the Locum Flower. It was working, settling. Only a couple minutes to go, and with the golden shield he¡¯d stolen from Vikrum he now had two golds and two silvers around him.
He winced upon noting one unfortunate development within. While he was doing all of this, busy trying to activate the flower, not to mention to the loss of a portion of his Soul along with his arm, the Soul Rot was advancing. Its progress was significant. It was making use of his distraction and inability to properly combat it, with all his focus on activating the flower. Nothing to be done about it.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
After stabilising the process of the Locum Flower activation, he observed the desperate battle through lidded eyes. Gilvine and Vikrum moved further away, and none dared to get involved¡ªeven the Chosen stayed out of it, and they didn¡¯t shoot at him, either. Borg wasn¡¯t quite dead¡ªthe Cyborg was struggling some distance from him, returning gradually to his feet.
Nicolai was ignored by all where he sat. However, when the battle between Gilvine and Vikrum moved even more distant, some people came wandering over to him.
It was Jo and Beth, followed by Maxine, Perro and Azure, and then the whole bundle of coalition members, pieces of the group, even some Chosen.
¡®Was all that true?¡¯ began Maxine, staring, glaring at him. ¡®You¡ stole all those points? And that about those groups, who we all thought the Chosen had killed. Who you said the Chosen had killed! The Chosen I was talking to said none of them had anything to do with it!¡¯
Nicolai kept to his silence. His mind was largely empty, but he was aware of one thing. These shields were only so strong and there were a lot of armed people around him. If they all turned guns on him, they might burst through before he could complete the activation. Massed fire was a strength all of its own. Jo and Beth would be bound to help him; their Contract was still in place. But then they¡¯d probably die and¡
He didn¡¯t want that.
All of this, the Chosen, the Coalition. It seemed entirely pointless to Nicolai. He¡¯d only ever worked to ensure there was war between them for the points, and it had worked out. But now, it was done. His Mask, and the quiet thoughts in the artificial parts of him, would like to leave on good terms.
But that did not seem likely to be possible. He had taken on the role of a villain, had played his part unhesitatingly. It was no longer a role, it was simply who he was. In spite of the writhing of his Mask, it was who he¡¯d always been.
¡®I always knew we couldn¡¯t trust this bastard,¡¯ said one of the leaders. ¡®Or any of them.¡¯ He was glaring at Jo and Beth, who glared right back. ¡®I bet these two were in on it too. Them as well.¡¯ Now he looked to John, who bristled.
¡®We didn¡¯t know shit!¡¯ snarled John.
¡®It was just him,¡¯ added Cait. ¡®And maybe these two,¡¯ she peered at Jo and Beth.
Nicolai tilted his head. The Mask¡¯s writhing stilled, as it felt his decision¡ªand agreed with the course of action.
¡®No.¡¯ His word silenced them instantly, as he spoke up at last. ¡®It was all me.¡¯ He laughed, glancing at Jo and Beth. ¡®I bound these two to me via a slave Contract quite early on, forced them to do my bidding.¡¯ He sneered at the rest of them. ¡®As to all of you? You don¡¯t have the excuse of being forced into a slave Contract¡ªyou were all simply too stupid to understand what was happening. Blind and deaf, easily led. I engineered the war with the Chosen and I did it for my own gain.¡¯
Maxine¡¯s eyes were wide with shock and anger. ¡®You¡ you bastard! You piece of shit! So many people died! You¡ you!¡¯
¡®Me, me.¡¯ He shrugged.
Jo, appearing confused, had opened her mouth to say something, but Beth put a hand on her arm, stopping her.
¡®Why would you do it?!¡¯ snarled Maxine. ¡®Why would you push this war? For what purpose? It makes no sense!¡¯
He eyed her, considering whether it was worth speaking, considering whether it would bring him gains or losses. The longer they are distracted listening to me, the more time I will have to finish activating the Flower.
¡®I needed a lot of points. By ensuring war, I generated a need for guns and bullets. That gave me a route to make money, by the bringing together of a large group who would need to make many trades with me. It also ultimately led to the Coalition trusting me with 200,000 points.¡¯ He nodded toward Jo, and Beth, and John and Cait and all the others. ¡®I used those points for my own purposes while duping this group into thinking I¡¯d bought the guns and ammo the Coalition requested. If you go and look for the bags I made them drop, you¡¯ll find they¡¯re full of construction supplies.¡¯
¡®What about Eugene? Did you kill him?¡¯ she continued, desperate. Nicolai didn¡¯t answer but he didn¡¯t need to, she read it from his face. ¡®Why would you kill him! They were on your side!¡¯
He had no intention of sharing anything about his personal problem. It was a weakness that could be exploited. ¡®I had my reasons.¡¯
He saw Maxine¡¯s face pale, shocked and appalled like he¡¯d stabbed her in the stomach. His Mask writhed with regret and pain that pulsed through him. Even so, it agreed with this course of action and though it was upset, ultimately he had chosen the only route that would have kept it loyal and relatively happy. It knew that with his words he ensured that neither Jo nor Beth, or any of the others, would suffer for his actions. He was burning all his bridges, but that had been inevitable anyway.
Should this moment spur any of those here seek him out in the future, to try and kill him for what he¡¯d done¡
That was fine with him.
¡®I lost friends in that war,¡¯ snarled one man, and he raised his SMG. ¡®Die!¡¯ He squeezed the trigger and a single bullet burst out and caught Nicolai¡¯s shield. The man growled, tilting the gun and scrabbling with frustration at its side as he struggled to find the fire-selector and put it into full auto.
Nicolai saw Jo and Beth reacting. They looked just as outraged and horrified as all the others, but the Contract was the Contract. They weren¡¯t slaves but they were bound to defend him. If the man shot at him again, they would shoot his attacker and then they¡¯d be killed. He couldn¡¯t have that, not after all his work.
But his hand was required to continue the activation of the Lotus Sub-Locum piece. A second disruption in that process could be problematic.
So as the roaring man found the fire-selector, squeezed the trigger and sprayed rounds into Nicolai¡¯s shield, as Jo and Beth began to raise their guns in response, Nicolai tipped his head down and grasped a grenade with his teeth. As he connected to it over Link he saw Daksh, hovering behind Maxine with a grim look to him, suddenly raise his arm. The man attempted to block his Linking, but Cyberwarfare cut through the attempt easily.
Nicolai set the grenade¡¯s timer to ten seconds and cut its Link capabilities. He tossed it out into the crowd with a snap of his head.
They all dove and ran for cover, crying out warnings, all thoughts of shooting gone.
Once they¡¯d finished diving into cover, Nicolai saw Jo and Beth staring at him from behind the column they sheltered behind. He gave them a nod, but seeing the sadness in Jo¡¯s eyes, he couldn¡¯t help but think he owed her more. Perhaps it was the Mask giving him these thoughts, perhaps not.
His mind spun, and he imagined what could have been. What she¡¯d clearly wanted. He felt a pull; undeniably. And yet, he knew that this pull paled in comparison to the ultimate goal of his existence.
To achieve great things, one must be willing to sacrifice. How could he ever become the greatest fighter if he instead focused on settling down and spending his life with some person in some place?
A quiet life was not for him. His road would be a long and difficult one, a bloody road carving through enemy after enemy.
The hunger and eagerness that stirred within him in response to this thought told him his decision was true. At the heart of his being, he craved a life spent on the edge of a knife.
And yet, perhaps he could afford a small moment of indulgence. A Better Man would try and do something. He could afford that, couldn¡¯t he?
He made no attempts to stop it as the Mask bonded tighter with Cyberwarfare, requesting aid. He gave Cyberwarfare the go ahead when it checked with him. He joined with them, him and the Mask crafting a message, then they reached, spiritually, for the sisters. A fleeting spiritual touch that left something with them, the pair blinking in confusion.
It was a technique Cyberwarfare had learned from Paxolnaz, one it had been practising. A method of leaving spiritual worms containing information. It hoped to raise this technique to the level of creating spiritual spies to embed in another¡¯s Soul without the other noticing, just as Paxolnaz had once done to him, but it had yet to reach that level of mastery. Currently, the spirit worms it gave were easily noticeable by another, and Jo and Beth both frowned as they examined what had been given to them.
Whereas any communication he attempted over Local would have been easily spotted by many of the people here, this went unnoticed. There were few Cultivators, and of the Cultivators present, he, Jo, and Beth, were the most experienced.
A further human impulse caused Nicolai to raise a hand in farewell toward his group and the Coalition. Maxine¡ªand all of the other Coalition worthies¡ªscowled. She probably assumed the wave was sarcastic. John shook his head with disappointment. Perro raised a hesitant hand of his own. Azure grinned and waved. Beth shrugged and smirked. Jo simply gazed at him intently, her expression unsure.
The grenade exploded, tearing through the outer shield. When the dust faded the remaining shield was revealed to be empty.
Nicolai was gone.
###
Vikrum and Borg stood over Gilvine¡¯s mangled form. His own was nearly as bad. He was fortunate Borg had recovered and come to aid him at the last moment. He looked over to where Nicolai had been.
A ragged golden shield was visible, but Nicolai was not. He knew he wouldn¡¯t have another chance at the man. He could feel it. Not today, not here.
But I¡¯ll be on the lookout. There¡¯s a big world out there and he¡¯ll be in it, somewhere. One day¡
You need to put this behind you, spoke Cornwall.
Vikrum snorted. What? How can you ask that?
He felt a strange stirring from the AI. A type of emotion, one he¡¯d never seen from it. It was¡ fear?
I don¡¯t think he is human.
What are you talking about?
In this latest fight I was matched with his Cyberwarfare capabilities, or more specifically, his Cyberwarfare Module. It didn¡¯t fight like human software, like me. It fought like a killbot. The only reason I stood a chance is because your hardware significantly overpowers his. Considering everything¡ how he fights, his reactions, the cyberwarfare Module I encountered¡ I¡¯m not sure what he is, but he¡¯s definitely not entirely human. He achieved all of his goals in this encounter. It is clear now that he never cared about killing you, he simply wanted the Symbiote.
Vikrum felt an odd itching at the back of his neck. Where if he¡¯d had hairs, they might¡¯ve been prickling. He¡¯d always thought it strange that Nicolai had clearly been a Raw at the start of all this, and yet so competent. Even more competent as he gained augments and tech¡ªitems that should have been dazzling and confusing to any actual Raw.
You think he¡¯s an AI? An AI in human form? he asked. The thought was horrifying. Ever since humanity had created AI, the focus had been on making sure that AI¡¯s served humans, and not the other way around.
It shouldn¡¯t be possible. An AI wouldn¡¯t be able to move a human body¡ except in the case of a construct-type, a human brain combined with AI Modules. Those went out of fashion in more recent years but there could still be some around.
Vikrum shook his head. Bots like that all have a Governor Module, they¡¯re bound to follow the directives of their owner. A bot like that couldn¡¯t operate on its own.
If he is some kind of bot in human form, then how do we know he isn¡¯t following the directives of a hidden owner? Cornwall replied. Regardless, if we encounter him again, we should run in the opposite direction rather than attempt to kill him. Presumably if we meet him in the future, he will have grown stronger. If he had been even a Level 2 Cyborg, you would be dead.
Why didn¡¯t you mention any of this earlier?! he snarled, suddenly frustrated.
I didn¡¯t want to destabilise your mental state while you were fighting. But now the fight is over and we must consider what we have learned and move forwards.
Vikrum stared at nothing, feeling deeply unsure.
210: Shark in the Nets
By the Trade Link, something sparkled. Buried amidst the rubble, hidden from view, was a flower. Now it was obvious, shimmering and sparkling with light. The flower grew from where it had been placed, extending a stalk. On the end of that stalk the bulb grew bulbous, larger and larger.
Men and woman stared at it, clutching their weapons, unsure what this signified.
¡®Ready up, might be something from the Chosen,¡¯ growled one of them, the leader, a man named Pete, hefting his auto-shotgun. He wasn¡¯t keen on this job. All the guards were gathered from the various groups within the Coalition, sent here to guard the Trade Link. In the past few hours, the Trader group had finally spilled the beans, and he and the others had been sent to guard this place.
Pete¡¯s finger was itchy on the trigger as the plant grew, and grew, and then burst open. Someone stepped out from it. He recognised this new arrival, he¡¯d seen him at all the big gatherings. It was the trader¡¯s leader, one of those tight with Maxine.
He let out a puff of breath, relieved, as the man¡ªNicolai, he thought¡ªlooked around.
Taking him in, Pete¡¯s brows drew down into a frown. Nicolai was spattered liberally with blood. Clothes torn and bloodied. Where he should have had an arm, there was nothing. Just the ragged remnants of a sleeve.
He held an assault rifle, dangling from his remaining hand. There was a¡ severed hand tucked into his belt.
Pete found his weapon creeping back up. ¡®Nicolai, right?¡¯ he asked, then pressed on before an answer was forthcoming. ¡®What¡¯s been going on? How¡¯re things with the Chosen, with everything? And what¡¯s that you came from?¡¯
Nicolai¡¯s face was blank. The silence stretched, increasingly tense. Then he smiled. ¡®Everything is fine. The war is over. We will remain as ourselves, separate from the Chosen, but the route for cooperation is open in the future; if agreeable. We got everything we wanted. The others are heading over here now.¡¯
Pete let out a relieved sigh, relaxing with a smile. ¡®Good. That¡¯s good.¡¯ No more deaths. He nodded. It was the best one could¡¯ve hoped for.
¡®Cooperation? In the future?¡¯ asked a frowning woman. ¡®With them?¡¯ She snorted. ¡®I bloody hope not.¡¯
There came a hum as a drone sped into the room, pulling all of their gazes. Quick-moving messenger type. It immediately broadcast a message. Pete¡¯s brows drew close together as he puzzled through it, words and images jumping out at him.
He saw a picture of very same man who stood before him. Nicolai, shadowed eyes and blood on his face. Traitor. Extremely dangerous. Don¡¯t let him¡ Watch out¡ Report any sighting¡ Enemy.
He spun around in time to see a gunbarrel levelled at him. Perhaps he even heard the gunshot.
###
While the corpses cooled, Nicolai made his purchases. His hands shook, just a little. The dark was difficult to control. It was enraged he hadn¡¯t given it more freedom against Vikrum, convinced it could have somehow won. He did his best to cling to the Zero-Twelve state of mind. So long as he had something to do, something to focus on, he was able to maintain his calm and calculating focus, and avoid a descent into insanity.
He bought ammo and supplies, mainly. He didn¡¯t know how long it would until he was next near to a Trade Link.
He was glad to have seized quite a number of points-tags from the numerous people he¡¯d killed recently¡ªthe Cultivators especially had held quite a few¡ªas he was able to spend those on three items that had become crucial. A discounted level 2 bionic arm to replace his left, plus a replacement sleeve for the skinsuit since the original was currently in pieces around the remnants of that arm. He had spare Cherubic Surgeon Permits so didn¡¯t bother getting a new one.
His other purchase was more Rejuvenating Orbs, an item he felt was always useful. Everything was stored in his new Storage Symbiote, which had opened him up to carrying a great deal more than previously. He no longer needed a backpack, which was handy. It was a bulky item that had weighed him down. If he¡¯d had this Symbiote earlier, and if it could fit in the anti-material rifle, he might even have been able to take down Vikrum.
The Big Mouth Symbiote, when he first activated it, took a moment to push through and settle within the Kidney Node he placed it in. Then it formed over the front of his Skin Suit, on his chest.
It was a large mouth, as big as his chest. Two thick lips. A long tongue slipped out and licked at them hungrily.
Nicolai stuffed it full, unbothered by the enjoyment the thing showed as he stuffed it with all his purchases and equipment. Once done he activated it again and the mouth faded away.
All that done he pulled out one of his two remaining Locum Flowers. The Coalition would be coming. The drone they¡¯d sent would not be returning, and now everyone in this place was against him.
That was understandable. He¡¯d betrayed, stolen, and murdered without regard, but if they hoped to make him pay, they would be disappointed.
He would¡¯ve liked to use the Cherubic Surgeon Permit now and have the arm installed, but the process would take time he didn¡¯t have. He had to get moving before more arrived.
As he settled down and activated the Locum Flower, he winced at the difficulty of leveraging his Soul. This time it was quite a bit more difficult than the last. The process of activating the previous flower, while fighting off Vikrum, had allowed the Soul Rot to significantly advance. Now he was paying for allowing it to take so much ground. He knew that in his current state, were Vikrum to appear before him and attempt to stop him once more, the man may well prove successful. His Soul was in a pitiful state, and he suspected the Soul Rot would soon advance to the next stage.
He calmed himself as, in due time, the process stabilised and the Locum Flower¡¯s strange energies flickered around him, preparing for the teleport.
He was almost done with this place.
###
Nicolai unfolded from the plant¡¯s bulb, and it fell and decayed as he emerged. He had anticipated emerging into an empty room, a place far from any others, deep in the bowels of the castle. A place where he¡¯d never seen any other humans wandering around, where he would be safe to install his new arm before moving to his next task.
He was thus surprised to find himself surrounded. He regarded the guns that were pointed at him. A Cultivator¡¯s Soul Sense blanketed him.
His head turned slightly to the left then the right, the motions slow and calm, as he took in those around him. No one he recognised, and no one who looked particularly dangerous. He¡¯d just been caught by a group of randoms. A smile flickered over his features.
¡®Drop the gun! Drop it!¡¯
Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!
After a moment¡¯s thought, Nicolai let the assault rifle fall from his hand to clatter on the ground.
¡®Put your hands up and don¡¯t move! Don¡¯t do anything! You try and charge any of those Imbued, you die!¡¯
Nicolai raised his singular remaining hand, showing his empty palm. ¡®I come in peace.¡¯ His mouth twisted in what looked like a rueful smile. ¡®But I¡¯m sorry to say I only have one hand to put up.¡¯ Within him the darkness Module hungered. Not yet, he whispered to it. It understood. They all understood. They had to take care here; take care, take heed, take it slow. Wait for an opportunity. He hadn¡¯t expected to teleport directly into an ambush, but he wasn¡¯t surprised. It seemed somehow natural, somehow right.
He had been gradually moving all of his things to this place over the past few days, and that very day had left the last of it, the last time he¡¯d teleported back before everything with Vikrum. He¡¯d had a feeling events were coming to a close.
Of course, these people had seized those things. One of them aimed his anti-material rifle at him, struggling to hold it steady. Another held his Skin Suit helmet, looking like he¡¯d been about to put it on.
They couldn¡¯t have been here too long, as the metal boxes containing Kleos and Maric were unopened. It reminded him of when he¡¯d first met the group, only this time he felt none of the uncertainty of back then. Now he knew how this would end. Of those in this room, only he would remain alive.
He watched the faces around him, and waited.
¡®I know you,¡¯ said the one he¡¯d identified as their leader, a tall man with oily black hair and narrow features, speaking slow and thoughtful. ¡®Yeah. You¡¯re that guy. Huh.¡¯ He smiled. ¡®The big man himself. The Trader. Nicolai, right? But the Chosen call you Viper. Why they call you that?¡¯
Nicolai shrugged. ¡®Beats me.¡¯
¡®Is it ¡®cuz you¡¯re dangerous? Untrustworthy?¡¯ said the man leadingly.
¡®He doesn¡¯t look all that dangerous right now,¡¯ said another of them, a smirking young woman with a shotgun.
They were all exchanging pleased smiles. The looks of people who¡¯d had a big catch flounder randomly into the net. But they¡¯d already made a fatal mistake.
They should have shot him the moment he appeared. Failing that they should shoot him right now. They hadn¡¯t. They weren¡¯t. With every word he spoke and every move he made he twisted and shaped their view of him. Thus, there was no need for him to rush and try something desperate. Right now they were arrayed around him, all their guns held on him with fingers tight to the triggers. He just needed their positions to change, their guns to lower, and he knew their current high-strung wariness wouldn''t last. It never did.
The dark and the thrill moved into the background, the calculating core and the Mask rising to the fore. His eyes settled momentarily on one of them in specific; the Cultivator, who had remained silent. A lanky, sweaty man. Nervous. He could sense something from Nicolai. An instinctual or spiritual awareness that this situation was not as clear cut as it seemed¡ªthat death was near. He was keeping his eyes and Soul Sense tight on Nicolai, feeling for the slightest use of Oma.
But he was the only one feeling such fear. The others only saw a bloodied man missing an arm, who they¡¯d caught in a neat little trap¡ and the expensive and useful things he carried.
¡®How¡¯d you lose your arm?¡¯ continued the young woman.
¡®Faulty instructions.¡¯
She frowned. ¡®For what?¡¯
¡®The chainsaw.¡¯
¡®Huh?¡¯ she gaped at him, then burst out laughing.
Nicolai''s face smiled back at her.
The lead man snorted a laugh, exchanging raised eyebrows with some of the others, who were chuckling. ¡®You¡¯re a lot more calm than most people in this situation. You understand what¡¯s happening here?¡¯
Nicolai nodded. ¡®Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m shaking on the inside.¡¯
The man snorted again. ¡®I like that. I hope I manage to be as calm as you look, if I¡¯m ever in your shoes. It¡¯s nice that you can be calm about this. No need for any unpleasantness, is there? Not when we can be civilised. Don¡¯t you think?¡¯
Nicolai nodded, observing as they snorted and smirked and shifted their stances, releasing tension. He was wondering how it was these people came to be here, how they¡¯d known to set this trap. He wanted to understand their point of view, to put himself in their position. It would allow him to better manipulate them.
¡®In the interests of continuing a calm dialogue, may I ask how you came to be here?¡¯
The leader shrugged. ¡®We were looking around, that¡¯s all.¡¯
¡®And saw the flower I left?¡¯
The man smiled. ¡®That, which prompted us to dig a bit and we found everything else. Immediately thought the flower looked a bit off, and Examining it said it was from a Symbiote, used for teleporting.¡¯
¡®He was gonna just cut it free,¡¯ interjected the young woman, grinning with pride, ¡®but I said: whoever left all this stuff here probably has more, and when they use the flower to return here they¡¯ll be vulnerable. We ought to set up, wait, and see what else we can get!¡¯
¡®So you did, so you did,¡¯ said the leader, nodding and smiling. ¡®Clever girl.¡¯
¡®Very smart,¡¯ said Nicolai. ¡®Today really is your lucky day.¡¯
He¡¯d already known they hadn¡¯t been waiting for him specifically, otherwise they¡¯d have recognised him immediately. As he¡¯d suspected, this was all just down to random chance. He recalled ensuring the flower was well hidden, but from what he saw it had shifted while he¡¯d been gone, grown a little larger which presumably had led it to poke out.
Once they¡¯d found it, the young woman had predicted a big fish would turn up, and here he was; the big fish had arrived, and it was injured. As soon as they got over the surprise of just how big of a catch they¡¯d made and the curiosity they were indulging in, they¡¯d kill him.
Easier to take his things if he was dead.
He sighed, then let out a rueful laugh. ¡®It¡¯s a shame,¡¯ he said, shaking his head.
¡®What¡¯s that, Mr. Viper?¡¯
¡®I thought I¡¯d played it all so smartly. I¡¯ll tell you how I lost my arm, truthfully. Just now, I fucked over Vikrum. Stole something from him. You should¡¯ve seen it.¡¯ He laughed again, acting proud of himself. ¡®I¡¯ve been doing that for ages. I¡¯ve been scamming and stealing from everyone, building a cache of treasure. This was the last job. Right now I expected to be halfway to my cache then on the way out of this shithole.¡¯ He shook his head. ¡®One little mistake, that¡¯s all I made.¡¯ He glanced behind him, at the decayed remnants of the plant. ¡®Should¡¯ve hid that better, shouldn¡¯t I?¡¯
The skinny girl quirked her lips. ¡®Huh. Who would¡¯ve thought. You sound kinda like us. He does, doesn¡¯t he?¡¯
The others were nodding.
¡®We¡¯ve been robbing and stealing, too,¡¯ said the leader, grinning at Nicolai.
Nicolai gave him a look. ¡®I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re looking for a new member?¡¯
They all laughed at that.
¡®Nice try,¡¯ said the guy, shaking his head. ¡®I¡¯m a little tempted, actually. But you¡¯ve been a pretty important guy. A leader. I think if I let you join, it wouldn¡¯t go well for me. Two men like us can¡¯t coexist alongside one another. I¡¯m sure you understand.¡¯
¡®Of course.¡¯ Nicolai nodded.
¡®But it¡¯d be a shame for that big hoard of yours to go to waste. After all that work. So, it¡¯s around here somewhere?¡¯
¡®Very astute. Actually, I was hoping you might let me go if I were to show you where it was.¡¯
The leader grinned again. ¡®You know what? Maybe I can. Maybe I will. You¡¯ve been very friendly. If you show us where it all is, we¡¯ll be friendly too.¡¯
Nicolai smiled at the man, who smiled back.
¡®Since we¡¯re all in a similar line of work, I wonder if you¡¯ve any advice for us?¡¯ continued the leader.
Nicolai shrugged. ¡®Don¡¯t get caught.¡¯
The leader was nodding, smiling, having predicted this response. Before he could voice his own, someone else spoke.
¡®Hey,¡¯ said the Cultivator. The others glanced at him. He mopped the sweat from his brow, first on the left, then on the right¡ªso that only one eye was blocked at a time, so he could always have one eye watching Nicolai. ¡®We should just kill him. Seriously. This guy is fucking dangerous.¡¯
¡®Really?¡¯ said the leader, his tone sarcastic; irritated his banter with Nicolai had been interrupted. ¡®Things must look very different from where you stand, because from here it looks like he¡¯s missing a fucking arm.¡¯
¡®Trust me,¡¯ said the Cultivator, his voice hurried, worried. ¡®If his treasure is nearby, we can find it ourselves. Even if we don¡¯t, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s got plenty. We already got all the guns and ammo and all the rest he left here. I say we kill him.¡¯ Nicolai glanced up and his eyes met the Cultivator¡¯s, just for a moment. The man flinched.
¡®Chill out Ryan, jeez,¡¯ muttered the girl, a mutter that was echoed by some of the others. ¡®What are you so worried about? Look at him. You wanna risk losing the rest of the stuff he¡¯s hid away ¡®cuz you¡¯re a little afraid?¡¯
¡®I¡¯m serious! There¡¯s something wrong with¡ª¡®
Nicolai chose that moment to let out a grunt, interrupting the man and recapturing their attention. He suddenly staggered backwards and rested his back against the wall. His grunt turned into a pained gasp; one he was quite pleased with, considering that he¡¯d used a Rejuvenating Orb since losing his arm and was in no pain at all. It was fortunate all the blood on him gave a different picture.
¡®If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll just have a little rest here while you discuss,¡¯ he said, and gave them a strained smile.
He knew what they saw. A man whose face was white and pained, traced by lines of sweat. A man who shivered, his legs trembling slightly. He knew how he looked. Like someone you wouldn¡¯t bet on to win a fight against a kitten, let alone anything else.
The leader scoffed, shooting the Cultivator a disappointed expression, as though disgusted by his cowardice. Nicolai knew they were communicating over Local from their expressions, he didn¡¯t need Cyberwarfare to tell him what was said. Grow a pair. This will be the biggest payout of our lives. If you¡¯re so worried, then watch him closely.
Beneath the false weakness of Nicolai¡¯s exterior, under his flesh and deep in his Soul, the Dark and the Thrill hummed and writhed, lightning in a bottle, straining at the cage of his self-control. They knew that the moment for their release was close.
But that self-control was complete. They would be kept hidden until the time was right. They accepted this, just barely, because they knew the release would be glorious.
211: Monster
There were many mistakes in how they arranged themselves around him, and more in the measures they took before moving off.
They took his weapons and Imbued¡ªthey were quite confused by the severed hand with his Sheltering Glove, tucked into his belt¡ªbut they couldn¡¯t take his Symbiotes. The Cultivator wanted to take them, but Nicolai simply said that he had none. The leader and the Cultivator argued.
Nicolai watched, and looked weak.
He knew that the Cultivator knew he was lying, and the leader probably suspected the same, but the leader was impatient and didn¡¯t understand Symbiotes. For some reason this Cultivator didn¡¯t have any, Nicolai guessed he must¡¯ve ran out of food for whatever he¡¯d been given. These people hadn¡¯t experienced how effective Symbiotes could be and didn¡¯t respect the danger. As they¡¯d been talking, the castle had shook again.
Nicolai guessed that these guys were looking to go lower, looking for a way out into the jungle below. The elevators down were uncommon and many were broken.
Had Nicolai been in the Cultivator¡¯s place, feeling similarly unsettled, he¡¯d have just ignored the others and pulled the trigger. But the Cultivator lacked the necessary testicular fortitude, while the leader was full of greed and the desire to get moving. He saw the moment where the Cultivator gave up.
As they moved off he noted more mistakes. They didn¡¯t bind his hand. One of them had thought about it, but due to Nicolai only having one arm, the simplest method of binding them together wasn¡¯t possible and the man gave up with a shrug. They could have looped rope around his chest to tie his arm against him. They could¡¯ve just cut his remaining arm off. That would¡¯ve been his preferred option, were he in their position. They did neither and his arm remained free.
Two of them went up in front. They moved only a couple of metres ahead of him. The others stayed behind. Another mistake. They should have had only one man going up front, and he should have kept further ahead. That man was necessary to check Nicolai wasn¡¯t leading them into a trap, but the second just further split them up.
Those behind kept their distance, which was correct¡ to begin with. But Nicolai imperceptibly slowed his steps, and gradually they pressed closer to him.
¡®Move faster,¡¯ barked the leader. ¡®We¡¯ve got places to be.¡¯
¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ Nicolai spoke slowly, exhaustion in his voice. ¡®I lost a lot of blood earlier.¡¯ He made his movements faster, exaggerating them. He staggered and acted as though he almost fell. He let out a pained cough then stumbled on. In spite of his apparent increase in speed, he was actually moving no faster and while doing the other acts, he had slowed down. They were closer behind him than ever.
Nicolai could have killed them all many times in this short journey, but he wanted to use their corpses. He had been missing a method to fulfil his Contract with Kleos; a large number of human corpses to dump in the Coffin. He¡¯d rather not have to drag the dead too far.
The Cultivator was one of those right behind him. Like the others, he¡¯d drawn closer as Nicolai held them up. That was lucky¡ªif the Cultivator had been any further Nicolai would have struggled to combat his Soul Sense. Up close, even with the Soul Rot, he knew that his experience would allow him to win out.
In a sudden explosion of spiritual action, something that only the Cultivator would be aware of, Nicolai¡¯s Soul Sense lunged. He knocked the Cultivator¡¯s surprised and unready Soul Sense aside and his his tendril found its targets. His fingers twitched as he activated the Repulsive and Grasping Fingers simultaneously.
Stolen story; please report.
He pushed and pulled on the guns in the hands of the Cultivator and the leader, who filled the corridor behind him. The Cultivator fired anyway even as his gun was drawn off line, and the bullets carved a line in the wall to Nicolai¡¯s side.
Nicolai turned and stabbed out in a fluid blur, the hand talon emerging from his singular arm. He shoved it to the knuckle into the Cultivator¡¯s solar plexus and ripped it out in one move, so quick the man only had time to grunt in confusion before Nicolai was lunging for the leader.
Stab stab stab. A memory resurfaced, from many years ago. He recalled how Zero-Twelve had once found itself in a corridor full of security droids, after losing its left primary limb. It had torn through them just as easily as he now tore through the fleshy sacks of blood surrounding him.
Muzzles barked and spat in the close and chaotic confines, the sound of automatic fire almost deafening even through BSI audio inhibitors. Within his mind there was a mental model of those guns, tracked through Soul Sense and visual feeds, constantly updated by Simulations. The moment any gunbarrel was moving to aim at him he pushed or pulled with one of the Fingers, knocking arms and guns aside, and all the while he kept on stabbing. Blood poured and sprayed until he was soaked in it. Those who¡¯d took the lead were taking aim at him but he was amidst their friends and they froze, staring in shock and horror, unable to act.
The world around him turned into a blur of blood and death, his hand-talon slicing and stabbing as terrified faces came and went. Some of them tried to fight back with knives and fists but it was useless, he read their moves effortlessly and the strikes found only empty air or their own friends. The dark was within him, pulsing, and as he killed he began to laugh. He couldn¡¯t help it. It spilled out of him, mad cackles of glee as he danced amongst them, and their screams mixed with his laughter and it all rang off the blood-coated walls in a wonderful medley.
In a short moment all who¡¯d stood behind him were dead or dying but one, who Nicolai hid behind, gripping her by the back of her neck. He held her out as a hostage between him and those in front. It was the skinny girl and her breath was a loud, wheezy bubbling as she gurgled bloody froth. Her arms hung limp. He¡¯d punctured her lung and disabled her arms with stabs through the shoulders. She didn¡¯t have long left.
The calculating core wanted to draw the pistol from her hip in a blur of movement and shoot the last two, but the dark hungered for something closer. In this moment, the dark won.
He advanced on them, shoving her in front of him.
They stumbled backwards, terrified. ¡®S-stop, we''ll shoot!¡¯ managed one of them, though from their shaking hands Nicolai wondered if they were even capable of pulling the triggers, regardless of the hostage. Certainly they wouldn¡¯t be firing with any accuracy.
Now close enough, Nicolai used the Grasping Finger to pull the mags from both guns, one then the other, snap-snap. They both shot the single round left in the chamber reflexively. One caught Nicolai¡¯s flesh shield in the chest, the other pinged off the wall and away.
Nicolai tossed the dead woman aside and the distance between him and the last two was eaten in an instant as he threw himself forward. Both turned to run but he caught up with the slower and his hand-talon pumped out over and over.
Looking up he saw the last and reached out. The Grasping Finger grabbed that one by the head and he was hauled backwards, thrashing and screaming. Nicolai fell on him like some spectre of the night and the stabbing resumed.
He rose and breathed deep. There was blood on the walls and the floor and the ceiling and most especially on him and this was good; that was where it was supposed to be.
The Cultivator was the only one left alive, shaking and gurgling on the floor.
¡®Monster, m-monster,¡¯ mumbled the man through bloodied lips.
Nicolai fell into a crouch beside him, shadowed eyes staring down.
¡®Should¡¯ve just shot you¡ moment I saw you,¡¯ the man choked out.
Before Nicolai could format a response, the spike on his hand spoke for him.
¡®Stab,¡¯ said the hand-talon, ¡®stab stab stab.¡¯
¡®Twitch gurgle twitch,¡¯ argued the Cultivator.
¡®Stab stab,¡¯ retorted the hand-talon.
And that was that.
212: Undead Swordsman
After retrieving all of his items and stuffing them into the Big Mouth, Nicolai activated the Cherubic Surgeon Permit. He couldn¡¯t afford to go any longer missing an arm¡ªhe would need it for what was to come. On top of that, the surgery should be relatively quick, and wouldn¡¯t require a loss of consciousness.
The Cherubic Surgeon appeared and did its work in record time, vanishing a few moments after it was done.
Nicolai flexed his new bionic arm. A Level 2 designed to work with a human body, it was as decent as he could afford and had a couple of handy additional features.
This included an eye-wire¡ªa fairly commonplace augment typically installed in the hand of wrist, the eye-wire was effectively a detailed camera not dissimilar to an eye. It could be pulled from where it was held against the back of his artificial wrist and had features allowing attachment to a gun, where it would cling similarly as a scope. With that, he could use it as an eye when aiming¡ªsomething that Aiming was quite pleased with. The Module had immediately laid claim to the eye-wire, but the rest of the bionic arm was ignored by the Modules. It wasn¡¯t suited for containing them.
Other than that, the arm and hand was also roughly eight times stronger than that of an athletic human male, and capable of moving twice as fast.
That done, he began dragging the corpses. He towed them until just outside the undead¡¯s room, and saw it peering curiously over. Once he had all the dead in one spot, he began towing them into the room itself.
As he hauled the first in¡ªthe dead Cultivator, who he dragged by a bloodstained leg¡ªthe undead rose from where it had sat on the Coffin. Heavy, ancient plate armour rattled and grated as it shifted over the tall skeleton¡¯s form. Its eyes flared green through the visor of its helmet, and it lifted its huge curving greatsword with one hand as it took a step toward him. With a crack, it rested the blade tip-first once more on the ground.
¡®Who are you?¡¯ asked the undead.
¡®No one.¡¯
The skeleton scoffed. ¡®I doubt that.¡¯ Its head tilted as it looked at the corpse he was dragging, observing with interest as he dropped it just outside the white circle. It kept its peace as Nicolai moved back and forth, towing the remainder inside.
That done, he regarded it a moment. Then he reached for his face, where his Mask was affixed.
¡®I¡¯ve decided I don¡¯t need you, anymore,¡¯ he told the Mask, which was too shocked and confused to even manage a reaction.
With a swift tearing motion, he ripped it from his face¡ªand his Soul. ¡®I¡¯m stronger alone.¡¯ Held like this it was a face¡ªhis face¡ªstretched with confusion and dismay, tendrils dangling from it. His Soul burned, pulsing with agony. It felt like he¡¯d torn a part of him off, physically, like ripping off an ear.
His teeth clenched in a humourless grin at the pain. He tossed the Mask away, then he stepped over the white marking, into the circle, and let the dark flare and roll through him.
The undead stiffened, raising and twisting its greatsword until the point was aimed at him.
¡®I know what you want,¡¯ Nicolai hissed, his body humming with the desire to fight. ¡®You want my body, right?¡¯ He laughed when the undead gave a quizzical tilt of its head. He pulled the Lotus Blossom Soul Trap from his pocket and held it out. ¡®And I brought this. It¡¯s a tool someone had me make¡ªsomething to use to catch your Soul when you try to take my body.¡¯ He put the Soul Trap back into his pocket. ¡®But I don¡¯t want to do that. I want to fight you. I want to win on my own terms, not with some tool. So. Let¡¯s fight.¡¯
The coldness that was ever around him intensified.
What are you doing? hissed a voice in his ear. You idiot! You needed to hide the Soul Trap from it, not declare it!
Nicolai ignored Paxolnaz and advanced towards the undead. The skeleton let out a grating laugh.
¡®Those corpses you¡¯ve dragged in would do me fine. But if you wish to take their place and give me your own body, I certainly don¡¯t mind.¡¯
Nicolai levelled his assault rifle and squeezed the trigger. A sparkling shield appeared around the undead Cultivator, soaking the bullets.
Its Soul Sense lunged for him in savage attack. As it slammed forward, Nicolai reached out, knocking aside the attack at the last moment. His assault rifle ran out of ammo, magazine empty, but Nicolai didn¡¯t even bother to reload it.
Soul Senses tangled in the air. He felt the undead¡¯s consternation as his Soul Sense tendril, something hungry and jagged, demonic in nature, tore at its own. In pure offensive power his Soul Sense was significantly more dangerous than the norm for his level.
But the undead¡¯s Soul was much larger than his. Not as great as the Bird¡¯s, but comparable. On top of that, his Soul Sense was significantly weaker than it should have been, and becoming weaker still every moment. The undead had let the Blade fall to rest the point on the ground, and showed no interest in using it. It didn¡¯t want to damage his body.
Pressured by the fight, just as in the final moments while he fought Vikrum, he was unable to continue fighting back against the Soul Rot and it spread rapidly. Just a step from moving into the next stage, it began breaking through the spiritual walls he¡¯d setup and he felt his Soul twisting as the Soul Rot rapidly spread.
At this crucial moment in the Soul Sense battle, the Soul Rot burst with power and his Soul was torn, the Rot progressing to the next stage.
Nicolai fell to his knees with a cry as his Soul Sense shook. The undead¡¯s pressure was relentless. It ground him down, and then with a shattering sensation his Soul Sense fell apart and retreated into him.
A ring on the undead¡¯s finger glowed as it raised a hand, and Nicolai¡¯s body locked up tight, a yellow glow settling around him, constraining him. The Lotus Blossom Soul Trap floated from his pocket and began to drift toward the undead. At the same moment he saw its Soul beginning to pour out of its body.
¡®A valiant effort, if quite stupid,¡¯ said the undead, then its body collapsed to the floor as its Soul was freed.
Ah, how unfortunate, thought Nicolai. If only it weren¡¯t for the Soul Rot, I might be able to get out of this. But as it is, I will be possessed for sure, my Soul destroyed, my body taken.
A smile creased his lips. How unfortunate.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
###
Paxolnaz was raging. Either the human was playing a trick, or it had simply lost its mind. The second was indeed a risk, as the Black Gift rose in strength.
Paxolnaz held some suspicion, however, because of what it was now forced to do. After observing the spiritual battle within the circle¡ªa circle it was unable to easily enter¡ªit knew that the human would be able to almost match the undead, might be able to recover from its current difficult situation. Normally a Tier 1 Cultivator would stand little chance in such a fight, but the human¡¯s Black Gift gave him spiritual strength above his realm, and the undead, once a Tier 3, had a severely weakened Soul after so long decaying here.
The human may still be able to win¡ if it weren¡¯t for the Soul Rot.
The one point of reassurance was that the human had thrown away, of its own volition, that part of itself which had been so integral in its resistance. The Mask, a strange spiritual construction the likes of which Paxolnaz had never seen before, was crawling on the ground some distance away, the Aura of the world beating down on it. Before long it would be dead. Being rid of it was a sign the Black Gift had almost total control. The human was clearly very close to being fully corrupted, warped and twisted so the Contract no longer applied.
It was tempted to simply let the human die, so annoying it was, but that would be an even larger loss. Once the undead had seized the human¡¯s body, Paxolnaz would no longer have any way to avoid accompanying its Master, and would be stuck in yet another cycle of the Great Game. After this cycle ended, Paxolnaz also thought it unlikely that the Imperials¡¯ offer would remain on the table. They wanted the Lizard destroyed in this cycle, for whatever reason. The next cycle wouldn¡¯t be for a long time, and by then their aims and goals would have changed. Paxolnaz¡¯s agreement with them would be dust in the wind.
So, even as it hated and despised the fact it had to save the human, Paxolnaz tore its way into the Material and activated its second use of the Blind Judge.
It appeared outside of the undead¡¯s circle. Immediately it felt the weight of the Guard¡¯s regard, and the tearing of the world¡¯s Aura. But all that it could handle, and its next act shouldn¡¯t prompt the Guard to do anything.
Paxolnaz reached for the Soul Rot. There was a brief resistance, as the rot did not want to leave its target. But Paxolnaz had created it and after a moment, the Soul Rot began to slip free, streaming from the human.
As it emerged from the circle to come and float beside Paxolnaz, it began to form a human shape of buzzing, sickly energy. Meanwhile, Paxolnaz continued to work.
The Blind Judge opened its mouth and sucked, the Contract pulling free from Nicolai¡¯s Mark and from where it lived within Paxolnaz, who began to change it.
It was pleased to find that it was able to enact a less ruinous change than it had anticipated. The Demon was able to simply add in an almost identical clause, allowing it to re-apply the Soul Rot. This would merely be a stay of execution for the human. It was forced to add in a slight time gap, but one hour from now it would be able to reapply the Rot; unless, as before, the human took the Blade.
The human had tasted the Soul Rot now, and it had allowed it to progress to a later stage. From there it would rapidly go on to the final stages; once reapplied the human would be dead in a few days at the maximum, and Paxolnaz knew there were no methods for the human to remove that Soul Rot, not in that amount of time.
Outside of the circle of protection, Paxolnaz lurked and the Blind Judge continued its work. The undead watched with confusion and fear, and its Soul worked harder as it dug its way into Nicolai¡¯s body, looking to unseat the human¡¯s Soul as he was resisted as hard as he could, that resistance growing stronger as the Soul Rot was pulled from him.
With one final tug the Soul Rot was fully torn from Nicolai¡¯s Soul, taking up full shape beside Paxolnaz. A being in the shape of Nicolai but burned and writhing, dark and poisonous. It strained against Paxolnaz¡¯s will, eager to return. Paxolnaz held it like an attack dog on a leash, ready to release it.
###
As soon as the Rot was removed, Nicolai¡¯s Soul exploded with vicious activity. He sliced at the undead¡¯s Soul where it had begun to surround him, and it flinched back in sudden surprise. As soon as he had some space his Soul Sense rocketed out.
The undead had no choice but to get into him and its possession attempt intensified, grinding down at his Soul Sense, restricting him bit by bit. It was like some kind of slow, heavy blanket, smothering him. This wasn¡¯t a fight he would win, he¡¯d merely bought a reprieve.
But while it was grinding him down, he¡¯d managed to get his tendril out, unnoticed. He reached and activated the Grasping Finger.
The Lotus Blossom Soul Trap shot toward him, and before the undead could react he¡¯d seized it. A jolt of Oma slammed into the Symbiote, activating it.
Five Souls burst from the Soul Trap. When they burst free five chains were visible, burrowing into their backs, connecting them to the trap. They moved like fish through water, wraiths of pale purple light, their hands formed into huge grasping claws. He recognised them, for they resembled each of those he had killed and drawn into the Soul Trap¡ªonly twisted by the workings of the Symbiote, turned into its tools. The wraiths swarmed the undead¡¯s larger Soul and latched onto it. It thrashed and tore at them, struggling to escape. The spiritual chains emerging from the Soul Trap let out hollow clanks as they retracted, pulling the slaved Souls and the undead¡¯s Soul towards the trap. The undead got one spiritual arm free and somehow got a grip on something, halting the progress.
Sneering, Nicolai raised the Soul Trap high and now the strength of his Soul and the power of fresh Oma was added to it as he focused. With a sudden spiritual ripping sensation, the undead was sucked inside. A faint, echoing scream of rage and disbelief rippled through the aura. The centre of the Lotus Blossom Soul Trap, where the largest inscribed Oma crystal was contained, now flickered with an angry green light, one that surged at the walls of its prison, seeking freedom. But it was surrounded on five sides by the purple lights of the slaved Souls, who pressed back on it.
His gaze rose from the glowing Soul Trap to look upon his enemy. It was still and silent inside the circle, but outside something dark and hungry prowled. Nicolai started towards the nearest of the corpses, bent down to grasp one by a leg and dragged it within the circle.
The Coffin was opened simply by pressing his Soul Sense against it and commanding it to open, and he tossed the first corpse within. As he moved for the remainders, Paxolnaz spoke.
¡®So. You have a stay of execution,¡¯ hissed the Demon. ¡®I was forced to remove the Soul Rot. You planned all that, didn¡¯t you? But there¡¯s something I¡¯d like you to know: the Soul Rot will not be gone forever. In one hour¡¯s time it will return to you. I¡¯m sure you notice your Soul is far from recovered. The Soul Rot has damaged it significantly, and when it returns you will be in dire straits once again. The only way you can avoid being inflicted with the Soul Rot¡ is to take the Blade. So take it, human.¡¯
Nicolai shoved the final corpse into the Coffin, then took out the boxes containing Kleos and Maric. They spoke but the words were meaningless to him. The whole world was a dark swirl, now, and only Paxonaz made any sense. He tossed them inside, too, then the remaining materials. He closed the Coffin, injected a stream of Oma to get the process started, and the Coffin activated with a hum. That done, he strode to the undead¡¯s fallen form and pulled the ring from its finger, pocketing it. A quick search revealed nothing else.
Stop ignoring me! hissed Paxolnaz. You have to take the Blade, if you don¡¯t you¡¯ll die, fool!
Nicolai glanced at the Demon, as though considering. Then he strode towards the Blade, where he paused to gaze down. It was a heavy thing of dark metal, a long handle ending in a pommel made from some dark crystal flecked with red chips. He had the impression that it was watching him. The long blade was slightly curving. The light seemed to bend around it, where it lay there on the ground, forming a pool of shadow.
It seemed more real than the world around it. It emanated malice. It begged to be picked up. On the edges of hearing he made out whispers, whispers he¡¯d never heard before. They promised that with the Blade in his hands, he would be unstoppable. He could kill Paxolnaz, kill Vikrum, kill everyone and seize everything and kill and kill and kill forever.
Nicolai sunk to one knee beside it, regarding it. He felt Paxolnaz¡¯s breathless regard.
He reached down and grasped the handle of the Demonic Blade.
Paxolnaz cried out with shocked delight. He knew the Demon had never expected to win so easily, for him to do something so stupid. The Demon spoke but Nicolai didn¡¯t hear. His body was locked up tight and his Soul was melting as the Blade reached into him and spoke to him.
You are perfect. Fitting. Beautiful. We are one.
It slandered its way into him and the balance within him was tipped.
The darkness roared and met the Blade¡¯s Demon in an eruption of vicious joy, two who saw things just the same coming together and starting to merge, spreading like oil through the water of his Soul.