Chapter 12 Realm of the Countess: Starvation Protocol
Something was tugging on her dress. E4 opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by fog. Her dress had long been torn up, her gear lost. Her spine was freezing, and it felt as if Mara was trying to pull her soul from her body. She could feel the tingling in her fingers and the telltale scratching of the isopod within her skull, a sound all ravagers dreaded hearing. Yet when she tried her hands they closed, she could still feel her toes, and aside from a few scratches she didn¡¯t feel any pain. Around her she heard people talking, though it was quickly interrupted.
¡°Hey, what¡¯s that dog got?¡± A child¡¯s voice asked. Immediately the rest of the sounds seemed to pause.
¡°A prize for the butcher, won¡¯t be long now.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not a dog.¡± Someone spoke.
¡°That¡¯s a c¡¯psee¡¯ter! Get it!¡±
E4 was heard the thing let out a roar bark, which caused it to promptly drop her. It followed with a low growl, which stopped the voices for a moment before someone spoke up.
¡°Do c¡¯psee¡¯ters actually hurt folks?¡±
¡°I mean, we sanitize wounds with c¡¯psee¡¯ter spit, and they¡¯re mildly Aetheric, so they can¡¯t be that bad.¡± A man¡¯s voice replied. ¡°Here boy, come here, look into my eyes.¡±
E4 opened her eyes again, seeing a cloudy sky above and the c¡¯psee¡¯ter guarding over her. She tried to sit up, only for her abdomen to blaze to life with pain and drop back down, her arms and legs refusing her directions.
[[Unknown anomaly. Attempt to retract host soul to Mara¡¯s bosom failed. Myst interference suspected. All ATP redirected to regeneration. Caution: Soul extraction attempted by unknown power. Attempt resisted due to regeneration. Unknown power has extended an offer to Host: Second chance. Spare the host¡¯s life with minimal resources in exchange for a favor. Host has 1 favor- Red Queen]] E4 vaguely remembered something like that, but only as if in a dream. She tried to get up again, and let out a groan of pain for the effort.
¡°My word, she¡¯s still alive. Get the healer!¡±
E4 felt herself be picked up, which the c¡¯psee¡¯ter allowed before following her closely. She felt no pain despite being jostled, her isopod sparing her the agony since she wasn¡¯t moving. Her stomach grumbled loudly, indicating her attempts at regeneration had depleted her of ATP. A quick chittering returned no response, indicating her gear was gone. As they carried her she felt her heart seize as she saw the building they carried her to, and the large butcher¡¯s knife shaped sign hanging by the door.
She may have lost consciousness, for the next thing she could sense were skilled hands examining her. Either her dress had been removed, or it had been so damaged that there wasn¡¯t enough to remove. ¡°She is alive, somehow.¡± E4 felt a hand on her chest over her heart. ¡°I believe she is an omen, a sign from The Myst of a coming disaster.¡±
¡°You¡¯re kidding, we¡¯re in no shape to handle an Omen.¡± A male voice replied. ¡°If we kill her, does it still count as an omen?¡±
¡°I¡¯m awake.¡± E4 rasped out. Her throat felt like sandpaper and sitting up made her head spin. The entirety of her chest felt like it was full of wool, which she knew was her isopod muting the pain. Had it not, it would feel more like steel wool, and it would be red hot. Her head spun, allowing her to see who else was in the room. An older woman in a brown canvas coat and matching skirt stared at her in surprise. The male voice was a similarly aged man with a hawkish nose and stern shadowed eyes. A younger man, who looked like a younger version of the man stared at her. It was only at that moment E4 realized she was only wearing a sheet, which she promptly pulled up. As she did she realized just how far Mara had gone to keep her alive. She looked like a skeleton, her skin stretched across her bones and her arms looking as if she had been shrink wrapped. Strange veins bulged with dark fluid, the ravager isopod sacrificing its disguise to preserve her life.
¡°Well first of all Ri¡¯ard yes, it does count. An omen is The Myst sending us a courtesy. Second, shame on you. Even The Butcher at his worst had the decency to welcome his prey¡± E4 saw that the woman¡¯s eyes were clouded while Ri¡¯ard¡¯s were shadowed. The younger man¡¯s eyes glowed with golden irises indicating another Blessed. ¡°Look at her, she looks like she hasn¡¯t eaten in a month. I¡¯ll be surprised if she makes it through the night.¡±
[[ATP: 0. Starvation protocols initiated. Find a source of nutrients immediately. All MIST scores redirected to Tenacity.]] E4 felt weak, her muscles were stripped bare for nutrients, her mind felt slow and sluggish. [[Skill received: Cannot display skill due to lack of nutrients.]] ¡°May, may I trouble you for some food.¡±
¡°Is she worth feeding?¡± Ri¡¯ard asked. E4 immediately didn¡¯t like him.
¡°Uncle Ri''ard, how can you even ask that?¡± The Aether Blessed man asked. ¡°Hold still, I¡¯ll get you something.¡±
¡°Stop¡ and he¡¯s gone.¡± The woman sighed. She reached into a pouch and drew a coin, which she slipped into her mouth. ¡°Be forewarned, whatever he brings back, do not eat it. You will die.¡±
¡°Refeeding syndrome?¡± E4 asked, and the woman nodded, looking a bit surprised. ¡°I¡¯ve been on both sides of that coin before, though never within The Distant Shores.¡±
¡°So you¡¯re from beyond?¡± Ri¡¯ard asked, still glaring at E4 in a way that worried her. He wore a black coat adorned with an iron badge with a padded leather vest underneath. He had a hard look about him, one that E4 guessed implied some sort of security or military work. At his hip he carried a huge knife which looked a bit too much like a cleaver. ¡°Does that mean she¡¯s not an omen?¡± The healer did not reply, getting to work heating what E4 suspected was rice. She shook several shakers of some substances into it before returning them back to one of the many pockets in her coat. ¡°Hel¡¯en, this is important. The Von Veil family is breathing down my neck here.¡±
¡°I agree, but she has to be alive to tell us. If you have this much free time go check on your nephew Richard, make sure he doesn''t get pulled into one of his adventures again. Maybe make sure he¡¯s clearing out the standing stones, those going down is the last thing we need.¡± Ri¡¯ard huffed but was off.
¡°Where am I, and what¡¯s an omen?¡± E4 asked.
¡°I¡¯m surprised you have the energy for questions.¡± Hel¡¯en replied, tapping the pan she was working on with a wooden spoon before taking it off the burner. E4 noticed the device appeared to be powered by a small metal cylinder, a gas burner rather than electrical. Strangely enough, it looked like there was some kind of coin slot on the machine. Your MIST scores have to be bottomed out, starvation does that. She made a gesture and tendrils of mist descended from her hand over the rice, cooling it. She served a small bowl for E4. ¡°Here, eat. It¡¯s not going to feel like much, but it¡¯s all your stomach can take right now.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡± E4 tried to eat slowly, she really did, but after two bites her tongue seemed to slither right out of her mouth and scoop up the rest of the bowl¡¯s contents before pulling it into her mouth. A mild telekinetic field ensured not a grain was lost. On some level she knew it was rice with a few black and golden flakes of unknown material, but it tasted like heaven. That raised an eyebrow from the healer. ¡°Sorry, guess I was hungry.¡± She felt her stomach rumble as it awoke. Within a minute the rice was digested, reduced to Myst, and converted into ATP and Aether. ¡°Can I have some more.¡±
¡°In a few hours.¡± E4 sighed. ¡°Now, what is your name?¡±
¡°E4.¡± That raised an eyebrow.
¡°E4 is a designation, and one more often used for an engineer than a combat servant or scout. What was your name on Earth?¡± E4 remained silent. ¡°How about your Myst Folk name, let¡¯s start with that.¡±
¡°Ere¡¯th¡¯var.¡± Hel¡¯en nodded.
¡°Yes, I see. The Myst Folk naming convention strikes again. And how long have you been in The Distant shores?¡±
¡°I want to say a week or two, probably less than a month. With traveling time gets strange.¡± E4 replied, which Hel¡¯en nodded. ¡°Why did that man, Ri¡¯ard want to kill me? What is an omen?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t take it personally, he¡¯s under a lot of stress.¡± Hel¡¯en replied, slipping a coin into the heater, which made a small gauge increase by about a quarter. ¡°Ri¡¯ard is the captain of the guard, and the creatures of The Myst have been getting stronger lately.¡± She tapped her chin. ¡°It¡¯s almost as if cutting our little town off from the rail system was a bad idea and The Myst is punishing us for it.¡± She saw the question rising on E4¡¯s lips. ¡°Yes, that is a thing. Many Myst Cursed do not realize it, as The Myst hides things from our vision, but those of us who were once Blessed sometimes remember a few points. I recall a few times when my little band was approached by a sole survivor of an attack, as if The Myst guided them to us. I know not if this was to guide the creature to us that it might slay us or as a warning so we might not be taken by surprise. Sometimes it was even an Aether Blessed, one who had some favor with The Myst. Those times were often the worst, since a creature strong enough to slay a group of Aether Blessed tend to be truly dangerous.
¡°I had a favor.¡± That raised an eyebrow. ¡°Our party slew an undead scolophant, and I received a favor from The Myst. I was betrayed, but I received a notice, that I would be allowed to live in exchange for a favor.¡±
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
¡°I think it would be more a favor to let you die. You have a lot of recovery to work on,¡± At that moment the door was thrown open and a blood spattered man was half carried half dragged in. ¡°And you come at a horrible time.¡±
E4 was quickly shunted into another room. She took a deep breath, and as she exhaled a fog of pure clear Aether left her. ¡°Down to eating the Myst in the air am I? Mara, your first fang is in a bit of a pickle.¡±
[[Favor: 1.]] E4 eyed the notification. ¡°That wasn¡¯t used up? Red, what¡¯s going on?¡± E4 pushed herself up and found that the pan of rice had been left beside her. She quickly ate another helping, careful not to eat too much. Five minutes later she was a bit better, and five minutes after that she finished the rest. ¡°Ok, better,¡± She said as a bit of muscle returned to her limbs. It was far more than mere rice should have done, but Ravagers made do. She stood, wrapping the blanket around her, and made for the door.
¡°Be still!¡± E4 froze as black mist surrounded her. For a moment she thought it was the murk from the undead, but it moved differently. ¡°How are you even standing?¡±
¡°I¡¯m feeling a bit better?¡± E4 asked. Her stomach growled. ¡°Still hungry though.¡±
¡°I forget how pig headed we can be, just because your tenacity says you¡¯re still alive doesn¡¯t mean you can go running off without doing yourself further harm.¡± She eyed E4. ¡°Do you have a healing power?¡±
¡°Healing hands.¡± E4 replied, not admitting she had regeneration. ¡°I¡¯m trying to hasten my recovery, but I need food, and a lot of it.¡±
¡°And I need the bed you¡¯re occupying. I¡¯ve come to an agreement with a regulator I know to let you stay with him for the time being, seeing all you need is food and rest.¡± She paused. ¡°And clothes. If you go out in that someone¡¯s going to mistake you for a revanant.¡±
¡°Are those real?¡±
¡°Maybe it¡¯s a Myth, maybe it¡¯s The Myst.¡±
E4 was quickly dressed in an old flannel shirt and baggy pants. They were too big. Hel¡¯en quickly found some clothing sized for a child, also a flannel shirt and pants which on her looked more like shorts. It left her stomach and lower legs exposed, but she managed to get them to sort of fit
¡°Well I guess I look like a scarecrow, but at least no one will think I¡¯m a threat.¡± E4 said, flexing. She still felt weak, but not nearly as much as she had. Her stomach growled again. ¡°Oh hush, I¡¯ll feed you in a bit.¡± She paused. ¡°Is there a standing stone nearby?¡±
¡°By the regulator¡¯s guild, or what¡¯s left of it. We only have a few regulators these days.¡±
Stepping outside of the healer¡¯s office E4 was immediately struck by how low the clouds were. From the humidity she could almost swear it was about to rain, and the chain link fence around the city was just barely holding back the fog. For just a moment she thought she saw something out there, a darker gray against the gray of the myst. The fence let loose a loud buzz and a spark of light, and the shadow was gone.
A low chuckling sound caught her attention as something soft and fluffy rubbed against her hand. She looked down to the c¡¯psee¡¯ter that sat beside the door, now rubbing its ear against her hand like a giant cat. Its straw colored fur was soft and plush, brown spots and stripes breaking up its coloration. It had a frill of darker fur along its spine, as well. Its long legs were darker, and its long tail swept an arc along the ground as she scratched it.
After a few minutes of petting the adorable creature E4 returned to her task. Inside she noticed that doing so released a flood of dopamine and serotonin, but she was too hungry to wonder if it was her isopod encouraging her to keep the creature that saved her life or an effect of the c¡¯psee¡¯ter itself. It didn¡¯t matter, both were welcome. As she shuffled along she received several looks, as did her companion. As the Myst folk¡¯s eyes were shadowed she couldn¡¯t quite tell what they were thinking. Fear and concern seemed to be the most likely, though she could not tell if it was regarding her, or their own situation. All around the Hymn sang discordant notes. Time to work, danger, seek shelter, work, fight, the signals shifted and commanded as she ignored them, as was her right as Aether Blessed.
The Regulator¡¯s Guild was a large stone building fallen into disrepair. Cobwebs hung in broken windows, and a strange generator protected by a cage lay dormant in the back. Next to it the standing stones rose from the ground like mismatched teeth. Several of them had cracked, and were held together through some manner of black chains. E4 immediately approached the chains. She tapped on one, and confirmed it was not made from murk but from a metal she could not identify. The light chuckling of her companion alerted her that she was not alone.
¡°Caw! Pretty doggy, pretty doggy.¡± E4 turned to see a long haired man in a lavender hooded robe decorated with darker accents and black ravens. He wore his black hair short, and his eyes blazed with sapphire and silver light respectively indicating him as an Aether Blessed. A black raven perched on his shoulder, on a small perch of cork that seemed attached by two belts. The man was lithe without being thin, and his nose resembled the beak on his pet.
¡°Good Morning, Art thou the omen that does this day darken our door?¡± The man spoke. ¡°My name is Corvus Cain, and this is Cap.¡±
¡°Good morning. Good morning.¡± Cap spoke.
¡°Good morning. My name is E4 and this,¡± E4 paused. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure what to call my little friend here. Fido?¡± The c¡¯psee¡¯ter shook its head. ¡°Stripe?¡± Stripe roar-barked in approval. ¡°Stripe it is.¡±
¡°Is he a gift from your patron?¡±
¡°How did you know I have a patron?¡± E4 exclaimed, her claws out immediately. Her tail twisted, ready to fend off a lurking threat.
¡°My companion did greet both you and your patron.¡± Corvus reached over to pat Cap, who nuzzled against his hand. ¡°He could have been greeting your pet, but I find your reaction is quite telling. You both have a patron, and have suffered harm for it.¡± He shrugged and Cap flew from his shoulder to hers, his claws sinking into her clothing but not her skin. ¡°Cap, I realize she resembles a scarecrow, yet that is no reason to be hostile. She is but tier 0 and weakened by her exertions, while you are tier 1 and have a history of biting through bones. Come here.¡± Cap squawked before turning and biting her horn, technically an antenna but it resembled a horn more.
¡°Hey, that¡¯s sensitive.¡± E4 replied, before Cap jumped back down and landed on her tail. E4 gave an irritated swish, but the bird flapped its wings and stayed on. ¡°Your bird is a mischievous sort.¡±
¡°Oh I am quite aware, did he nibble your ear?¡± Cap squawked and took off, landing on Corvus¡¯s outstretched hand. ¡°Bad bird, you don¡¯t eat people who are still alive. Bad enough how you tear into the creatures of The Myst.¡± Cap let out a short cackle. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, I¡¯m guessing you want to tap the standing stones?¡± E4 nodded. ¡°Then I would ask you to wait, there are only three so blessed within this land, and Richard would be quite annoyed if we left him out.¡±
¡°Hey, there you are.¡± Richard called running towards the pair. He wore a red tuinic with brown pants, both of which were covered with flour. He carried a picnic basket in one hand, while his other was free to grab one of the dozen knives on his belt. A young lady in a deerskin tank top and skirt followed after him at a more sedate pace, her steps accented by the small bell attached to the bow she carried on her back. Two quivers, one also on her back and another on her leg, as well as a turquoise bead studded headband completed the archer¡¯s outfit. It took one look at her shadowed eye for E4 to figure she was a Myst folk. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be up and around, you still look like a scarecrow.¡±
¡°I¡¯m already a bit better, just need a bit of dense mist to fix myself up.¡± E4 replied. ¡°You know what they say, doctors make the worst patients.¡± That caught both his and Corvus¡¯s attention. ¡°What?¡±
¡°Hel¡¯en has been the only medical practitioner since we have been cut off from the rails. We have been trying to convince her to join us for a Hail Mary mission to reconnect us.¡± Corvus replied, a slight smile forming at his lips. ¡°Now we may not have to. Yet that is a discussion for later, let us partake in The Myst¡¯s bounty.¡±
Each gathered around the standing stones, the archer hanging back so she wouldn¡¯t get zapped. Each held out their hand. E4 felt the way her hand should be, but she felt something else.
¡°Ready?¡± Corvus called out. ¡°Now!¡±
Lightning fell and E4 felt her muscles twitch, her jaw forcibly opening wide and her hand twitching at the worst possible moment. Immediately she felt like she had licked a 9 volt, before the sensation increased to the point it felt like a car battery. The myst from the standing stones flooded into her throat, filling her stomach and flowing through, being absorbed and being converted to Aether. Her nerves sent a cacophony of signals, reminding her of being struck by a dozen tasers. The imbalance of Aether and Myst pulled more Myst from the standing stones and into her skin and muscles. Her isopod immediately moved to flood her body with endorphins, reducing what should have felt like horrible stabbing pain and intense burning to the sensation of scratching a full body sunburn.
As the endorphins faded and the whole-body sunburn turned from itch to a mild burning sensation E4 opened her eyes to notice her share of materials were less than the others. Richard had a frying pan, a dozen knives, and new oven mitts. Corvus had a dozen bolts tipped with raven feathers, a carved raven dagger with an obsidian blade for a beak, and six potions that shimmered with Myst. E4 had a half dozen black eggs in a basket made from woven straw. Each of them also received a small bag of coin emblazoned with a symbol of raven perched on a butcher¡¯s knife.
¡°Woah, what happened to you?¡± Richard asked.
¡°It seems The Myst has taken offense to either the misdeeds of our new friend or her patron.¡± Corvus spoke. He approached her and extended a hand. ¡°Come, let us retire to the guild hall that we might brace ourselves for the coming times.¡± E4 took his hand and stood, feeling a restrictive tightness as she rose. ¡°I retract my judgment, it seems The Myst favors you after all.¡±
E4 examined herself. The shirt, already too short for her, now looked as if it may burst. The pants too bulged at the seams. Wherever she was not covered by cloth her skin revealed lean muscle, even if it did look like she had just forgotten the sunscreen after a day at the beach. Her tail twitched, also as red as a sunburn, giving her a rather devilish look. Yet it was not the tail nor the burn that caught Richard¡¯s eye.
¡°Hey, Richard eyes back in your head.¡± The archer quipped, placing a FIRM hand on his shoulder. ¡°You are mine remember?¡±
¡°It seems I am restored,¡± E4 replied, checking herself over again. As far as she could tell she was back to normal, though. ¡°I think I will need a change in clothes.¡±
¡°I believe we can find you something, but I would recommend we move into the guild before Lady Von Veil shows up.¡± He shot a glance towards the bargain in the center. It was a thick brown bag, leaking with something putrid. Next to it were two large brass cylinders that glowed with the blue of Chirenkov radiation. ¡°Don¡¯t touch those, no one with any sense would take that bargain.¡±
As they approached E4 wondered how they would get inside. The door was thick steel and the walls around it were smooth stone lacking seams or mortar. For a moment she wondered if it was concrete, but it lacked the uniform color of concrete. She reached out to the Hymn of The Myst for answers.
¡°This is shaped stone, some masons can fuse multiple stones into a singular stone, molding it like putty before letting it harden.¡± the archer, who E4 realized was named Ar¡¯ow but titled A7 replied. ¡°I believe this was done by the druid Ophelia.¡±
¡°One of the many benefits of Aether shaping, and something I recommend every regulator learn during tier 3, if not tier 2.¡± He smirked. ¡°And one of the many benefits to having a patron to help you.¡±
¡°So how are we getting in? I think I could slip in a window if someone could keep lookout.¡±
¡°Why?¡± A7 asked. With a click the lock on the door opened. ¡°Corvus is the acting guild master, he has a key.¡±
¡°Even better.¡±
Chapter 13 Realm of the Countess: measurements taken
The group quickly shuffled inside, and E4 immediately heard The Hymn telling her to clean up. With a gesture a broom flew to her hand and she froze. Corvus shot her a questioning look. ¡°The Hymn made me do it.¡±
¡°Then we must get you charged as soon as possible, a tier 0 Blessed will not last long out here.¡±
¡°I¡¯m tier 1.¡± E4 replied. ¡°I have a skill that lets me hear The Hymn so I can know what¡¯s going on around me and can follow along. I think it gives me a bit of knowledge on how to do what I¡¯m supposed to.¡±
¡°An omni-compitence skill? That¡¯s rare and highly useful.¡± Corvus commented.
¡°Does it let you navigate a train?¡± Richard asked.
¡°That would be truly powerful, but conductors are touched by Aether so I doubt it extends that far.¡± Corvus corrected, while fiddling with another lock. ¡°Have a seat, or just relax a bit. I¡¯ll get the furnace running.¡±
E4 nodded, and went back to cleaning. With a bit of telekinesis each sweep of her broom moved enormous amounts of dust and dirt. She quickly dropped into the Hymn and within a single minute she was done with the first floor. A single tear dropped from her eye, and when E4 went to remove the dust that caused it she found an isopod. She smiled at the little creature, letting it feed from her hand for a moment before dropping it into the large pile of dust she collected. Immediately it devoured the dust, before scurrying off to find a hiding spot. She shot a look to make sure A7 and Richard hadn¡¯t noticed, to find the pair lip locked in the corner, Richard¡¯s hands finding their way under A7¡¯s shirt. A few moments later the lights flickered before coming on. Richard paused for a moment, though A7 did not.
¡°Having fun love birds?¡± E4 jumped at Corvus seeming to appear behind her. He smiled, amused at her fright. ¡°Seems we have to work on,¡± he noticed her hand half way to his throat, and the glimmering blades that stopped just centimeters from his throat. ¡°your perception. Where did you get those?¡±
E4 retracted her claws, the ravager toxin fading into Aether rather than myst. ¡°It is a subset of telekinesis, as well as the skill Aetheric edge.¡±
¡°So you went from Aetheric weapon to Aetheric edge? I¡¯d think a healer would prefer ranged weapons.¡±
¡°Before I came to The Distant Shores I was a doctor. Guns weren¡¯t allowed, but a scalpel is always handy. When I met my patron she granted me my claws that I might never be without a weapon. Adding Aether to them was the next logical step once I came to The Distant Shores.¡±
¡°You knew your patron before you arrived?¡± E4 paused, realizing what she had just revealed, but nodded. ¡°That is, interesting. My fellow pawns were under the impression that our patrons were Myst cursed who have been here long enough that they have gained a true understanding of The Myst, if not become partially merged with it. Now we know at least some of them can come from beyond The Distant Shores, or at least have a corresponding entity. Who did you say your patron was?¡±
E4 froze, ice in her spine. She rolled her die on a nearby table, and came up on a 1. ¡°Sorry, my boss is saying no.¡± With a gesture the die jumped back into her hand. ¡°She¡¯s a bit shy.¡±
¡°I get it, my patron is not fond of his name being said aloud either except if I am declaring his victory before his enemies.¡± Corvus stroked Cap¡¯s head and Cap let out a croaking sound. ¡°And this adorable devil can¡¯t keep a secret to save his life. Though I must ask, which group are they in? My patron is from the Flight of Feathers.¡±
¡°They arrange in groups?¡± E4 asked. She got no response from Mara, which we interpreted as Mara hiding her surprise. For all her intelligence, Mara¡¯s knowledge only seems bottomless.
¡°Sure, Lords Who Crawl, Flight of Feathers, Uncrowned Kings, Circle of Decay, Counsel of Seers, Titans of Industry, like minded entities who form non-aggression pacts. Some patrons even join multiple groups.¡±
¡°Just don¡¯t call them pantheons, for they are not gods right?¡± E4 asked, earning a very confused look from Corvus. ¡°What?¡±
¡°That¡¯s a very odd sentiment. While none of the patrons can claim to be an all powerful creator deity, each has the power of a minor god, to administer their own domain within the world. Did your entire world fall prey to one religion?¡±
¡°No, there are a few, but most agree there is one God, just not which one. The big three believe in the same god, and yet they can¡¯t agree on how best to worship him. M¡ My patron wants none of that. Anyone who dares pray to her or call her a god is immediately rebuked, gently at first, harshly after. Puking up coffee grounds is usually enough to get most fangs to seek religion elsewhere and just do their job.¡±
¡°And you refer to yourselves as fangs, sounds like the Pride of Beasts shall soon get a new member.¡± There was a loud bell sound that echoed from outside. ¡°Well it seems our betters are out of bed, quite early if I do say so.¡±
The device E4 was led to was a large table attached to a machine that resembled a humanoid torso with six arms. A crystal ball shot through with flecks of some kind of metal sat where the machine¡¯s head should have been, and someone had given it a blonde wig with four braids, two pig tails and two front braids. A dress had been thrown over it, a fine silk dress bearing symbols of pickaxes and forges. The six hands rested on the table on either side of a crystal ball slightly larger than the machine¡¯s head.
¡°A relic from a more prosperous age.¡± A7 answered before E4 could ask. ¡°Donated by Gerric Stone-Weaver, High Mason of the Uncrowned Kings. Later modified by Mason Eagle-Wood, if the rumors are true. Place your hand on the handles and channel Aether into them.¡± E4 eyed the two handles, both dull gray and resembling the ones used to charge the stove back on the Eagle-Wood¡¯s train, then a separate handle that had gold worked into it. ¡°Part of the Eagle-Wood modification.¡± As she spoke she drew three cards. ¡°He believed that a Myst Folk who spends long enough with a Blessed can develop skills like you do. Turns out he was right. If I served you then you¡¯d grab those two, I¡¯d grab this one, and it would read me rather than you.¡± She shrugged. ¡°But I¡¯m taken, so it¡¯s a moot point. Now go on.¡±
Taking a slow breath E4 examined the machine. With a gulp she reached out and gripped both of the dull gray metal handles. For a moment nothing happened, until she noticed a slot for coins. She placed a coin inside and heard a click before placing her hands back on the handles. Immediately she felt the Aether running through her hands, and the machine sprang to life. Its head began to glow and spin, the metals casting strange reflections across the table. The hands moved with inhuman rapidity, making a series of gestures the purpose of which E4 was unable to discern. Two sets seemed to examine the crystal ball on the table, two the crystal ball on its head, and two seemed to reach out towards her. She noticed this set of hands bore several strange looking springs within glass, as well as devices that resembled tuning forks. She felt a strange resonance, and her right eye began to tear. She noticed the isopod that slipped out begin to scurry towards the machine, and made a move to catch it.
¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Corvus admonished, raising a hand over hers but not touching her. ¡°If you move your hand you could corrupt the reading.
E4 watched the isopod slip into the machine, and felt when it took hold. A moment later several cards shot forth across the table. The Hymn prompted her and E4 waved her hand across them, pulling them up with telekinesis. She quickly moved to pocket them for later examination, but she had no pockets in her current clothing and they went all over the floor.
¡°Allow me to,¡± With a gesture they jumped back into E4¡¯s hands. ¡°I see you favor privacy as much as your patron.¡± Corvus coughed into his hand. ¡°Well let¡¯s get you into a set of decent clothing before,¡± A loud THUD struck the door. ¡°Devil¡¯s handkerchief, they must have half murdered the horses to get here so quickly.¡±
Immediately the door was struck again, throwing it open to reveal the intruders. To E4¡¯s surprise two men in full metal riot gear approached, their steps heavy and slow. Silver masks with crystal eyes stared out, while a golden shield crossed with a syringe and a scalpel sat etched on the pauldrons and chest. Her heart caught in her throat as she saw both armed with the long headed axes they had been known for. Short black clubs meant to subdue sat at their hip, but she could smell a faint wiff of the sickly sweet ISC9 that followed them. Each carried a four barrel shotgun on their back, for the rounds they fired would melt the barrel otherwise.
¡°Corvus, Darling, Doth thou not know thy must inform me before running to play with thine friends. Mine heart may freeze with loneliness lacking thine presence¡± A Husky voice announced. One of the men in riot gear stepped aside as a woman in an opulent red gown stepped into the room, her dress seeming to squeeze together so it would not brush the door frame. E4 couldn¡¯t see much of her, her red gown went down to her ankles and while its sleeves only went to her forearms she wore long pink lace gloves. A red hood reached up her neck and covered her hair line, which was further hidden by an elaborate hat that looked as if someone had taken a blood red tricorn had and added a stuffed peacock to it. E4 could even see the glass eyes of the poor bird staring at her. Whoever did the dye job to turn the thing pink had either intentionally or unintentionally left it uneven, giving the bird a sickly pattern like bruised flesh. Immediately The Hymn demanded E4 curtsy, which she did even as her clothing threatened to rip. A7 did likewise, but had her eyes not been shadowed E4 suspected she would see some nasty emotions behind them. ¡°Alas Richard, no welcome for thy dear mother?¡±
¡°Greetings Step Mother.¡± Richard replied, a wince on his face.
¡°And what vision is this, Corvus, A strumpet of thy own? What fey fortune you have found.¡± The woman tutted behind her fan, which was emblazoned with an image of a raven perched on a butcher¡¯s knife. ¡°And an exotic one as well, and so daring. That red skin, I must match it with the black leather dress I just had made, and such a clever tail, can it function as a whip, tell me truely.¡± E4¡¯s tail twitched, no one else had noticed her tail yet this woman called her out without trying. ¡°You simply must bring her by. Bring Richard and his pet, I know Bul¡¯gor has been dying to get his hands on her and Sir¡¯fan would love to clutch her flesh as well.¡± Richard said nothing, his blanching face spoke loud enough. ¡°Pity. Now, about the tax, for as lightning falls from above so too coins into my purse.¡±
E4 eyed the others before taking out her small coin pouch. She didn¡¯t have any pockets, so she had just tied it around her waist with the drawstring. She paused, eyeing the armored purifier. The man eyed her from behind a blank mask. She hesitantly approached, and turned over the bag before stepping back out of range of his club. The man emptied the bag into his hand and pocketed half before throwing the rest back to her without a word.
¡°Skittish, shame. Here I thought I¡¯d get to break her. A hellion vision she does appear, a freak borne from the darkest of unions, yet a tame pet beneath ferocious skin. A fine whore for a fop like you Corvus, to be used and discarded. Now, hurry up. I hunger for breakfast.¡±
¡°I am going to bring up the taxes and regulation clause.¡± Corvus spoke as he turned over his coin purse, which the armored purifier accepted before taking half and returning it. ¡°Only the Regulator guild can establish a tax based on what is received from the Standing Stones. Further, items from the Standing Stones cannot be taken except as allowed by the anti-undeath accord or in the case of emergencies in which case certain allowed consumables can be purchased at an agreed upon rate.¡± The purifier then took the entirety of Richard¡¯s. ¡°That seems excessive.¡±
¡°It is not my fault his strumpet cannot provide for her own taxes. Stretch her throat with a soul instead of thine manhood if thou so dislikes it.¡± The woman replied, plucking a coin from one of the purifiers and swallowing it. E4 saw her shiver in pleasure even from within her voluminous dress. For just a moment E4 caught sight of the woman¡¯s face. Her mouth was caked with red make up, but the flash of sharp fangs within her mouth caught her eye. They weren¡¯t that of a vampire, or at least, E4 didn¡¯t think they were. They certainly weren¡¯t ravager fangs. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you peons to it. I¡¯ve had my fill, even got some new tanks out of the deal for these new FOG¡¯s.¡±
¡°You didn¡¯t!¡± Richard exclaimed, only to receive a beanbag round to the gut from a wrist mounted launcher. Two more beanbags shot forth, flying over his head and striking the wall behind with a loud THUMP. E4 winced, remembering how much those hurt even with an isopod taking the sting off it.
¡°Hold your tongue boy. Leave these decisions to your elders and betters.¡± With that she walked out, her two guards waiting a few moments before following. As they did E4 noticed they each had a large copper tank on the back, one shedding a bright blue light the other far dimmer and slightly pitted as if it had been exposed to acid.
¡°Who was that?¡± E4 asked as soon as she was sure the woman was out of earshot. ¡°What just happened?¡±
¡°Countess Ni¡¯ole Von Vale and her minions. Looks like they found new FOG armor, I don¡¯t recognize the make, but the arm mounted weapons are new.¡±
¡°And they really hurt.¡± E4 quickly assessed his wounds, finding as she expected a fairly bad bruise but partially to her surprise it was no worse than that. A7 brought her a small doctor¡¯s bag from behind the counter and E4 got to work. It was quick work, a topical analgesic followed by a concoction of chili peppers and volcanite lily to increase blood flow and hasten the removal of damaged cells. As she worked E4 felt the Aether her body was producing being directed towards her efforts, helping to break down damaged flesh and attract the surrounding Myst to create new flesh. Stripe licked it for good measure, and immediately started gagging at the taste of the medicine. ¡°It¡¯s tingly.¡±
¡°I think that means it¡¯s working, still getting used to treating bodies made from congealed Myst.¡± E4 replied.
¡°With that out of the way we do have work cut out for us. If she took the bargain, we need to make sure whatever comes after her doesn¡¯t go through the town to do it.¡±
¡°She can do that?¡±
¡°Countess Von Veil does as she sees fit, regardless of how much we peons must suffer for it.¡± Corvus replied. ¡°Sometimes I think she¡¯s a myst cursed whose eyes just never arrived. A7, get E4 something to wear, I need to check on something.¡± With that Cap took flight and Corvus removed a copper mirror from his pocket. As A7 lead her away, E4 noticed the mirror was decorated with ravens, and the reflection was displaying some sort of image from high above the ground.
The room A7 brought E4 to looked like a giant walk in closet, and functioned the same way. Countless outfits, as well as several sets of many kinds of gear, had been arrayed. Armor sat on armor stands, though it was far less common. A7 quickly took her by the hand towards a corner.
¡°So quick question, you¡¯re not taking that noble¡¯s advice are you?¡± E4 asked, eyeing the leather corset and skirt on a stand as they passed.¡±
¡°I think you¡¯d look good in them, and they provide some protection, but that one¡¯s for me.¡± A7 moved to a different shelf and pulled out what E4 first thought was the remains of a black leather outfit, only to realize all the missing parts were intended. ¡°Maybe for an informal gathering.¡±
¡°What kind of informal gathering requires, no, not going there.¡± E4 shook her head to clear the image. ¡°Just, if you ever meet a woman named Marissa Eagle-wood, never show her that.¡±
¡°Are you trained in heavy metal armors? We have a few but, it will be a bit of a squeeze.¡± A7 mentioned. ¡°We don¡¯t normally have many female regulators, just A5 and I, so most armors are sized for men. We could go with A5¡¯s old gear, you¡¯re about her size, and she won¡¯t need it.¡±
¡°Did she pass?¡±
¡°No, she¡¯s pregnant so it doesn¡¯t fit.¡± A7 quickly fetched the armor, which E4 found a little tight but a few modifications using fast fabrication, and a few more when A7 was looking for something else with flesh fabrication, E4 had a decent set of clothing consisting of a soft leather shirt and knee length skirt. Both had several stone, obsidian, and turquoise beads worked into them, the shirt having an obsidian raven perched upon a turquoise butcher''s knife while the skirt had a black ostrich or some other type of terrestrial bird against an orange background. E4 noticed the skirt had a slit that went almost up to her hip, but it did allow for her to crouch and move more effectively. A slight modification to the shorts she was already wearing ensured she retained her modesty, though salvaging the material shortened them even more than they already were. A7 passed her a hardwood bow carved with several lightning bolts. ¡°Well now you look like a proper archer. Should we rename you A8?¡±
¡°E4¡¯s fine with me, and I use a crossbow rather than a bow.¡± E4 paused. ¡°Is renaming a thing commonly done?¡± A7 shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s leave things as they are then. On that note, I do have to do something about a weapon.¡±
¡°You said a crossbow, right? I think we have a few but they might not be in the best repair.¡±
¡°That¡¯s perfect, I have a fabrication skill.¡± She paused. ¡°Though I need some privacy to use it, and lots of food. Is there a workshop I can use?¡±
A7 left her in a basement workshop to get to work. A small Aetheric forge, which resembled a squat half dome with several metal levers on it, sat ready for use besides a workbench with more tools than E4 knew what to do with. E4 eyed the device, and a thought came to her. She made a few gestures, cupping her hands, before conjuring a symphony of resonance in her hand. She closed her eyes and tried to remember. A lambent green flame, the fires of the metabolism that purified all they touched, reducing them into small and reusable bits. A fire borne not just of fuel and air, but of resonance. A lout SNAP echoed in the room as the resonance resolved into an electrical discharge, and lightning sprang from her hands.
¡°Guess that won¡¯t work.¡± E4 placed her hand on the forge, and it began to hum. She noted a coin slot, and upon placing a coin in a small blue flame formed, a flame made from Aether and which could be guided somewhat with telekinesis. ¡°A poor substitute. Still, have to start somewhere¡± E4 quickly got to work, laying her cards on one of the worktables and taking out her basket of eggs. She gave one a shake, pouring resonance into it before cracking it over the crossbow A7 had found in storage. Thousands of threads of myofibers poured out. Tearing a strip of her own flesh off, which came off easily, E4 got to work.
Muscle tissue replaced the string, and the arms were strengthened by bone supports which grew out of her arms at E4¡¯s command. She downed two of the eggs to replenish the required nutrients, not trusting the surrounding myst to do so in a reasonable time. A few minutes later she had her crossbow back. Two more eggs replaced her twin fang knife. She examined the bone blades, and gave them a toss. Their telekinetic cells allowed her to throw it with far more force, and on a whim she made the blade curve midflight and sink into the side of a training dummy. With a gesture the blade opened up, one of the prongs ripping out of the dummy a moment before she pulled it back. Another gesture and the circle within the blade was filled with crackling electricity, which immediately burst forth in a cone. ¡°Why if that doesn¡¯t bring a tear to your eye.¡± As she spoke an isopod slipped from her right eye and she placed it into the pommel where it latched on and grew into the weapon. It wasn¡¯t a true isopod, just a modified harvester, but it allowed the weapon to have a better store of ATP ¡°I can¡¯t wait to show¡ I can¡¯t show this to Marissa can I?¡± She frowned. ¡°Maybe when I¡¯m tier 2 I can think of something.¡± She examined the cards again. She immediately noticed that while her skills were displayed, her subversions weren¡¯t. She chittered in frustration, and as she did she caught a glimmer. She chittered again, and the subversions were revealed in invisible ink.
E4 eyed the cards, noticing the cursed ones had an ominous black outline and some disturbing text while the achievement ones had a red and gold outline. Each card¡¯s back had her name printed on it beneath a monogram of an M stylized to appear to have fangs, which made R4 roll her eyes. ¡°Real subtle there Mara. Maybe you should make tee shirts. Fangs of Mara, definitely not a cult.¡± She next examined her remaining eggs. She considered what she could make, before a soft head plopped itself on her lap.
¡°Well hello there.¡± E4 said, petting Stripe. He purred in response, slow blinking with his forward facing eyes. ¡°Maybe I should make you some armor.¡± Stripe sneezed. ¡°No?¡± She continued petting, and Stripe continued to purr. ¡°So, how exactly are you purring? Are you some kind of cat?¡±
¡°E4, you down here?¡± E4 turned to see Richard trotting down the stairs. He wore a black apron over a set of what looked like biking leather, dyed white with orange and blue flames on the arms and legs. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s where your pet got off to. What are you working on?¡±
¡°New dagger.¡± E4 replied, giving the blade a toss. Richard froze, until with a gesture E4 caused it to levitate right in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s got some special properties so I can use telekinesis on it more easily.¡±
¡°Really?¡± He reached out and E4 felt him try to take it. She let go and the twin fang dagger dropped for a moment, before slowing. He put his hands to his head and squinted his eyes, yet the blade¡¯s descent only slowed to a crawl rather than stopping. With another gesture E4 pulled it back. ¡°How do you do that? You can only use telekinesis on small stuff.¡±
¡°I got a skill for it, and I¡¯ve got a lot of practice. I¡¯ve been moving stuff bigger than this since before I arrived at the Distant Shores.¡± E4 replied. ¡°It is harder at range, but that¡¯s why I made this blade to be easy to grab. What are you doing down here, are you just here to get me?¡±
¡°No, cooking.¡± He said with a grin. He quickly stepped into a side room and E4 followed him to find a kitchen, but not like any kitchen she had seen. There were seven different ovens, one of which she was certain was actually a blast furnace. Above the island, a granite edifice that proudly jutted from the center of the floor and had enough surface area to qualify as a continent, hung dozens of tools. Most were various knives in copper steel and obsidian, but a few were definitely two handed blades; and at least three warhammers numbered among them in three different materials..
¡°What are you cooking, tanks?¡±
¡°Why would I cook a tank?¡± Richard asked, before lifting a metal tank almost as large as himself and tapping on it twice. ¡°would boil the stock and make the whole thing blow up.¡±
¡°No, tank as in, armored vehicle.¡±
¡°Ah, Corvus has told me of those. Train cars that move on tracks rather than rails, I would like to see one someday. I was born in The Distant Shores, so I have never seen the wonders of television or diesel motors.¡± He quickly got to work, preparing some manner of roast. R4 watched with interest as he worked.
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¡°So, question, why are those two cloves of garlic kept in a different box than the other six?¡±
¡°20 charge garlic, protects the body from afflictions, vampires, and nobles.¡± He replied, sauteing several vegetables before adding them to the roast. He made a gesture and one of the ovens turned on. ¡°Unfortunately you need the 100 charge ones to make a skill, and those are hard to come by. Corvus noticed a few rotting corpses coming our way, so I¡¯m making something that should protect us from the undead¡¯s sickening abilities.¡± R4 noticed a pile of potatoes and with a gesture began peeling them with her claws. Initially she thought they were going to be put into the roast, but the hymn told her otherwise, so she began cutting them into fries. ¡°What are you doing?¡±
¡°You wanted these cut into fries right?¡±
¡°Well yeah, I was thinking about it. Corvus told me about this place with a giant golden W run by a clown. It was a strange story, but some of the food sounded pretty good.¡±
¡°You sure it¡¯s not an M? Either way, I¡¯ll handle those if you like. My claws are good for dicing, and telekinesis is good for moving lots of little things.¡±
¡°You sure? I can barely get it working unless I concentrate.¡± With a gesture R4 send a dozen potatoes through her claws, cutting them into uniform fries before sending them into a pot. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll leave that to you.¡±
As E4 continued to help she noticed a strange pressure building in her skull, which was echoed in her joints. She set the fries to soak, before stepping to help Richard dice another vegetable for the roast, then shred some lettuce for a salad. Moving the fries to the stove top to boil she observed as he used telekinesis to maneuver a whisk at inhuman speeds through some batter, all without losing a drop. ¡°I thought you said you couldn¡¯t use telekinesis.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t say I can¡¯t use it, just only for specific things. I have a skill called ¡°Good to the last drop¡± which lets me avoid spilling anything no matter what the conditions are. I also have a skill called ¡°Returning blade¡± Which allows me to call my weapon back to my hand if I drop it. I recently got it up to ¡°Dancing Blade.¡± He fiddled with his pocket and pulled out a pair of cards. On the back was a symbol of a raven sitting on the handle of a meat cleaver.
¡°These are sweet.¡± E4 gushed returning the cards. ¡°I wish I had this back in the hospital ward, or our cook had them. Does Good to the Last Drop work on medicine?¡±
¡°As long as it¡¯s a liquid and you drink it. Watch.¡± He took a bottle of cooking wine and took a swig. ¡°Look.¡± E4 did, and noticed there was a section that was lighter floating on the top, and crackling lightly with Aether. ¡°take a sip.¡± E4 did, it tasted fine, as fine as cooking wine did. Yet as she took a second sip she noted a slightly different taste, and it felt denser.
¡°Is this safe for Myst folk to drink?¡±
¡°A7 doesn¡¯t mind, but most can¡¯t stand the taste. It¡¯s supposed to be for Myst elixirs and potions, but it works with baking too. Water doesn¡¯t work so well, but if you''re trying to make a really thick sauce it works great.¡±
¡°Also, this bleeding thing, does this mean regular bleeding or is there a status called bleeding?¡± E4 asked.
¡°Regular works, but the worse they bleed the more I heal. When you use a skill enough you get an advanced version based on how you use it. However, if you use a skill in an unusual way you get an achievement skill, which is a bonus and does not lock you out of other skills.¡± He picked up the batter he was making and poured it into a pan. He eyed the pan, then the bowl, then the pan E4 pulled from the proper cabinet without being asked. ¡°That¡¯s handy.¡±
¡°Here,¡± R4 showed him her card. ¡°Hymn Listener, it lets me take on the role of any Myst folk, and an assistant chef would know where the pans are and realize when you¡¯ve got too much batter.¡±
¡°That¡¯s pretty handy, why is it¡ wait.¡± He took the card. ¡°What¡¯s this about your maximum MIST score? Is your patron trying to get you killed?¡±
¡°Yeah, I have another skill that lets me channel Aether into my body, so I¡¯m not as weak as I look.¡± E4 continued to help with dinner, and continued to ignore the pitying looks that Richard was giving her. There wasn¡¯t much left to do, and dinner was on the table within 8 minutes. E4 had no issue setting the table, her telekinesis and the hymn allowing her to finish in moments.
¡°That is a very convenient skill, is it an advanced version?¡± Corvus asked. ¡°Or a mutated form?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a synergy between Telekinesis and Hymn Listener.¡± E4 replied.
¡°Unfortunately it¡¯s cursed.¡± Corvus froze, though A7 continued eating her salad.
¡°Cursed? How on Earth did you get a cursed skill?¡±
¡°Is that bad?¡± E4 asked.
¡°Generally, yes. Cursed skills often come from consuming bargains without completing the requirements, or from your patron if they are upset with you. In some instances, it is the nature of your pact. Rarely they can be inflicted from an outside source.¡± He drew a pair of cards, seemingly from nowhere, and extended it to E4.
The first card was marked Pact and was decorated with a symbol of a crow sitting on a branch and had a sinister purple outline. The second, like hers, had an ominous black outline.
E4 turned the cards over, noticing both had a symbol of a raven sitting on a butcher¡¯s knife with Corvus¡¯s name on them. ¡°Huh, I don¡¯t have any pact cards, just two cursed.¡± She extended them to Corvus while returning his cards, and watched as he turned pale. For a moment he did nothing, so she finished off her salad and got to the roast.
¡°E4, does your patron hate you?¡±
E4 looked up. ¡°Why do you say that?¡±
¡°As far as I know, there are no foods that could inflict a curse like this. Even if there were, it would say acquired rather than innate. Innate abilities come from things you had before coming here, or things that come from our connection to The Myst. The ability to infuse our weapons with Aether, telekinesis, and a few other things come from the connection between our soul and The Myst. I know of no creatures that could corrupt these skills in this way, but should they exist they would slay you without any effort. These skills both seem rather powerful on their own, but the curse makes them horrible liabilities. First, you can¡¯t learn Aether shaping since you can¡¯t carry enough Aether to make it work, I¡¯d be surprised if you could even fire a zap pistol let alone the more powerful Aether weapons. Worse, you have to exert what little Aether you do have just to get above the average of a Myst folk.¡±
¡°So, it gets better with time?¡±
¡°E4, you sweet summer child, the human maximum is 4, but with each tier your maximum increases by 5. You¡¯re stuck at 1 right now, 3 if you exert what little reserves you have. Normally a young regulator would go hunting for reagents, skills, and achievements to increase their score before the day of imbuement, yet your curse prevents even that from working for you. Forever shall you be reduced to mediocrity. Even at the peak of your power your score shall be 4, 12 in short bursts. Even a mediocre regulator would have such stats by the end of their third tier, for that to be your apex is a tragedy.¡± He folded his hands. ¡°Were I to bear your burden I would revoke my pact and welcome the release of death, that your next life be better. Alternatively live a safe pampered life as some noble¡¯s wife until you can find a way to remove the curse.¡±
¡°I have healing abilities though, those have to be useful.¡± E4 replied, panic gripping her heart. ¡°Besides, those stats can¡¯t be that important. Guns and ranged weapons have to make up for a lot, and planning too.¡±
¡°Normally yes, but you have Aetheric blades, and your patron even has stolen from you ranged weapons, giving you claws in their place. You are meant to be up close with your foes, or to use them only as a last resort.¡± He paused. ¡°E4, you are not meant to be a soldier, but a sacrifice. Your patron wants you dead, his only goal is to ensure you die for whatever plot he is working on. You can barely heal, since healing hands and most of its skills are based on intellect and yours is crippled¡±
¡°No, that can¡¯t¡¡± E4 felt the fear and anger pass from her mind like a match dropped in water. ¡°I see.¡± Her eyes began to recede into shadows. ¡°So that¡¯s that.¡±
¡°Corvus, come on, you can¡¯t mean that.¡± Richard shot back. ¡°Corvus,¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, but from where I stand that is the only option I can see.¡± He extended another card. ¡°A7, do you mind showing E4 your card?¡± She did, as did Richard.
¡°I see.¡± R4 replied, ¡°What exactly do these stats mean?¡± Looking at Corvus¡¯s card something looked off, his Intellect score shimmered, the 9 vanishing and a 17 appearing, though only to her right eye.
¡°After generations of study, we have figured that the higher numbers are better.¡± Corvus replied. He made a gesture and a pair of spectral glasses appeared, while a tome with a raven on it seemed to coalesce in his hands made from myst. ¡°Approximately 50 years ago a brilliant natural philosopher and botanist tested forty individuals who all had 3 in might, 3 in speed, and 3 in tenacity. They managed to bench 100 kg 15-20 times in five minutes, run 100 meters in 14 seconds, and survive being flayed alive for about 3 minutes. A pair of might 8, speed 6, and tenacity 9 individuals managed to bench 300 kg 40 and 42 times in five minutes, run 1000 meters in 90 seconds, and slay the philosopher shortly after seeing what happened to their juniors.¡± He closed the book. ¡°Primitives, unwilling to sacrifice for the good of science.¡±
¡°That¡¯s horrible.¡± R4 replied taking a bite of the roast, for a ravager can eat just about anything regardless of circumstance. To be fair, the roast was quite good, even if the conversation turned her stomach.
¡°Agreed, my family have much to answer for, but that is why I am trying to do right by the people here.¡± Richard replied. ¡°Once I reconnect our land to the rail system I shall join the regulators in earnest and travel the land righting the wrongs of the world.
¡°Regardless, it seems that ability score improvement is not linear, though the improvement each tier makes also affects the abilities. That, at least, has some documentation since it is easy to have a regulator do a before and after.¡± With a rustle of wings Cap returned to Corvus¡¯s shoulder. The bird whispered something in his ear, that made Corvus stand. ¡°An opportunity has arisen, the time to act is now.¡±
¡°But we just got to the main course.¡±
¡°It will have to be leftovers then, we must move.¡±
As the others stood, A7 begrudgingly so, E4 looked at her meal one last time. With a gesture she threw a large chunk of the roast into the air and speared it with her tongue before opening her mouth wide to devour the entire thing. Her fangs extended over her teeth, turning her mouth to a storm of telekinetic blades. She swallowed, the entire thing going down with even less issue than it would on Earth. E4 politely wiped her mouth and was off, a final gesture calling her crossbow and holster from where she had set it on her chair.
¡°E4 come on.¡± At Richard¡¯s words E4 felt a strange swiftness to her steps, almost as if another force was pulling her.
[[Changes have been observed in host structure, potentially a new skill is forming. Observation will continue. Remember to stay safe and have fun.]]
Just outside the guild hall Corvus was waving his hands around while black feathers seemed to form from the surrounding myst in a circle marked by a dozen coins. ¡°Careful, don¡¯t smudge the circle.¡± He spoke, as E4 carefully stepped inside. ¡°By the Flight of Feathers, let us cast aside the ties of mundane earth and fly!¡± Immediately E4 felt lighter, and her hymn shifted. Immediately both she and Corvus shot into the air, followed shortly by A7 and finally by Richard, who seemed to fly in an odd shifting pattern. ¡°Come, flight is easier if one does not stop, for to soar is to thrive but to hover is hard.¡±
¡°I think I¡¯m going to be sick.¡± Richard replied.
R4 was already high in the air, doing circles as The Hymn sang into her ears. Immediately she was aware of the many mice and rabbits on the field, how easy it would be to swoop down and grab them. ¡°Hey, I think the Hymn thinks I¡¯m a hawk.¡± She immediately tried to do a loop, and lost control of the flight. She hit the roof with a hard THUD. ¡°I¡¯m ok.¡±
¡°I will remind you this once that you have 1 tenacity and can be knocked over by a stiff breeze.¡±
[[I will remind you that you actually have 12. You are probably fine.]] E4 grinned inside before jumping down, using the instructions from The Hymn to control her descent. ¡°This is really cool, I wish I had this back home.¡±
¡°You can have it!¡± Richard yelled, floating helplessly about three meters up, before he promptly fell back to the ground.
¡°A7, will you get him up? My feathered companion has brought news most dire¡ to our foes. Come, let us strike at their moment of vulnerability.¡± With those words he took off, large black wings coalescing upon his back as he flew over the fence. E4 took flight after him. The Hymn whispered wind currents, not consciously, but in the back of her mind. For a normal person it would sound like ghosts, speaking secrets just out of hearing. Yet E4 grinned, for to her it held not a candle to resonant. She leaned to one side, banking far, before correcting. ¡°Maid, how fair you in your flight?¡±
¡°I¡¯m loving this, I always wanted to fly, but my patron never granted me the ability. We had airplanes and helicopters, but it¡¯s not the same.¡± She smiled. ¡°Probably the closest I ever came was swimming in the ocean.¡±
¡°Is your patron one of the Regent of Waves, or Lord of Lakes?¡±
¡°If those involve power over water then not in the slightest. My patron swims in the blood of her followers, and by their bones are her desires known. Her designs are carried out by twitching flesh and clicking gears¡ or was it clicking flesh and twitching gears?¡± E4 paused for a moment. ¡°To be fair I¡¯ve never been sure which was the correct interpretation.¡±
¡°I see, so a failure as a warlock then as well as now.¡± E4 gritted her teeth, but said nothing. ¡°I can see why she has cursed you so. Perhaps in the next life she shall relent and you may actually be a worthwhile servant. There, I see our opportunity.¡±
Before them a large, armored figure in familiar riot gear wielded the classic axe of a purifier against a cohort of thin women in black veiled dresses armed with short blades. E4 saw he stood on a gravel path that led between the town and a distant structure that might have been a mansion given how large its silhouette was. Both the structure and the town seemed to be built on taller elevation, with the pathway going through a low spot marked at the center with a wide stone bridge over a now dry riverbed. With a single swing the figure cleaved in twain two of the women, and immediately both burst into lambent violet flames that immediately sealed the wounds. The torso of both figures let out a low moan even as the flickering flame devoured them. With a burst of agility the armored figure leapt over one of the shuffling women, snapping her neck in the process, before bathing the remaining four in a cone of flames.
¡°Wait, I know that maneuver.¡± E4 realized as they landed upon a wide gravel pathway that led up towards a distant structure obscured
¡°Come crows, fill your beaks with the spoils of battle.¡± Corvus called out, shadowy myst gathering in his hands. With a gesture the shadows became an entire flock of crows which burst forth, finishing off the still burning women. ¡°Well met flaming knight.¡±
¡°Oh great, a wizard and his pet amazon, this whole place is full of nut cases?¡± R4 heard the man whisper under his breath, in a voice she recognized.
¡°Donovan?¡± E4 whispered, quiet enough that Corvus couldn¡¯t hear her
¡°Come friend, seems you have been dealt a bad hand. Where are your fellows, they were quite keen on kicking in my door before absconding with their unjust tax.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t know nothing about that.¡± Donovan replied, turning to face them. Rather than the blank facemask that most purifiers wore his was sculpted to a more human shape, with glowing blank eyes and a grill that provided a stern mouth. Over his armor he wore a tabard emblazoned with a weasel curled up in a beaker, its head resting over the edge. E4 actually smiled at the image, remembering when Donovan confided in her the story behind it.
¡°Well what lies before me if not a proper peacock, customized FOG gear is neither common nor cheap. Where hast thy mistress gone off to, leaving one such as you all alone?¡±
¡°Behold wizard, for on this day did not these wretches awaken and choose violence. Hast thou come to my aid in slaying such foul entities such as these? Alas the lady Von Veil has left me alone to deal with other affairs.¡±
¡°Nay naive, I have come for thy armor. Remove it, or I shall wash thy flesh from within.¡±
¡°Woah, isn¡¯t that a bit harsh?¡± E4 asked. ¡°You said we had an opportunity, you didn¡¯t say we were going to murder a man for his armor.¡±
¡°Be silent maid,¡± He spoke throwing E4 off balance with a telekinetic shove. ¡°This is not a man, for has he not cast his lot in with that foul pretender?¡± He made several gestures, which disguised him drawing a piece of glass and a bit of silk from a hidden pocket. ¡°I will have your answer, beholden to a false queen. Surrender, or die?¡±
¡°Look man,¡± Donovan replied, ¡°I know not thy quarrel with Countess Von Veil, not my business. Should you seek armor two sets does she have, with fuel greater than mine. Yet should you insist on this set,¡± He aimed his wrist at Corvus and R4 saw the wrist mounted launcher aim. ¡°Problems we shall have.¡±
¡°On black feathers spark, LIGHTNING!¡± Immediately the air split as a crackling bolt of plasma simply appeared before Corvus and struck Donovan. Immediately his launcher went off, firing and detonating a flare round right in front of Donovan. Yet as E4¡¯s eyes recovered from the blast she saw only a minor burn on his armor.
¡°Pretty lights wizard,¡± Donovan replied, loosening his shoulders as he gripped his axe. ¡°But this armor was designed to fight biologic nightmares in any condition.¡± With a gesture his axe burst into flames. ¡°Now let¡¯s see how well you disappear.¡±
¡°Corvus, what are you doing?¡± E4 exclaimed.
¡°Insolent little maid, this is no man, a puppet that dances from the strings of the countess, herself a puppet. It is no more a sin to snuff him out than to slay a kobold¡± He made a gesture with both hands that for a second convinced E4 his hands had turned inside out. She was thrown back by a cloud of black fog, and immediately every muscle locked up.
¡°Corvus, what are you doing?¡± Richard exclaimed, finally flying in with A7 beside him.
¡°Behold, before us is an agent of your step mother¡¯s will. His destruction shall bring us victory from her twisted schemes. Worry not, for none shall miss a Myst folk.¡±
¡°He¡¯s not a Myst folk!¡± E4 shouted. ¡°He¡¯s from Earth!¡±
With a roar of machinery Donovan charged, hidden thrusters pushing him forwards on jets of steam. For all his speed the black fog Corvus threw hit him first. The armor locked up, landing awkwardly before falling into a roll that slammed right into Corvus. The axe fell from his hand, promptly starting a grass fire.
¡°Corvus!¡± Richard exclaimed, running towards the man and heaving Donovan off like he weighed nothing. ¡°Are you alright?¡±
¡°I will live.¡± Corvus replied, his hands still cloaked with cloying darkness. ¡°Quickly, extract the canister.¡±
¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, that is Purifier equipment bestowed upon me by,¡±
¡°Under the sounds of ravens all voices are silent.¡± Corvus spoke. Immediately E4 felt feeling return to her limbs. ¡°And maid, should the notion of intervention spark in your skull, I will not hesitate to spark something else through your chest.¡± E4 shot a concerned look at A7 and Richard. A7¡¯s expression was unreadable, but Richard¡¯s was not.
¡°Corvus, are you sure this is a good idea?¡± He asked, hands reaching for the man¡¯s armor. ¡°Stealing from the countess is one thing, but this armor has clear heraldry. We don¡¯t know who¡¯s backing these mercenaries.¡±
¡°Do you want to escape your step mother¡¯s grasp or not. She is strangling the life out of our home with her excessive taxes and cutting us off from the rest of the Distant Shores. If we want to save our town we need to fix the rails, and the only one who can do that is a Myst Cursed. We can¡¯t get a Myst Cursed so long as that pretender sits upon her throne.¡± He held up the power source, a metal cylinder that churned with dense Myst and glowed with an eerie purple light. ¡°This shall allow us to do so. No matter how many soldiers she conjures, we shall bring them low.¡±
¡°Fool, you play with forces you know not. A device such as this uses minerals found in the darkest depths of the world, minerals that lay to ruin all flesh.¡±
¡°Away knave, for thy babbling of falsehoods bores me.¡± With a gesture Corvus threw Donovan to the side. ¡°Feathers of flight, pin this fool to the ground!¡± With another gesture dark myst formed into a trio of feathers and shot forth like a canon. To E4¡¯s horror all three went through Donovan¡¯s armor, piercing right out the back before they came to a stop. ¡°Come, let us depart before the countess¡¯s curse animates this one as well. Come maid, that you might be of some use.¡±
E4 was already examining Donovan¡¯s armor, trying to remember where the emergency release was. ¡°E4, come on.¡± Richard spoke up. ¡°We¡¯ve got to go before he rises.¡±
¡°What is wrong with you, you just murdered a man!¡± E4 exclaimed towards Corvus.
¡°Forthooth, for I forgot your foolishness. Before you lies a Myst folk, little more than condensed myst and as temporary besides. It walks upon its hind legs and sounds as a man, yet it is but a phantom of condensed myst, no greater than a goblin or kobold.¡±
¡°Kobolds are sentient creatures just like you and I.¡± E4 snapped back.
¡°Then truly thou art a fool. Come Richard, for this one will only slow us down.¡±
¡°You sure? we still need a healer,¡±
¡°A bird who cannot fly is to be shoved from the nest, to soar or be crushed. With this artifact my patron¡¯s power shall carry us aloft. The countess¡¯s curses and afflictions shall cast aside before they can take root.¡± He held out a hand, which Cap immediately perched on. ¡°On the wings of the black raven do we fly, Winged gate!¡± Immediately the wind picked up, throwing black feathers into the air. E4 covered her eyes for a single moment, and they were gone. Yet that was of little importance to E4.
¡°Come on Donovan, don¡¯t be dead.¡± She quickly flipped him onto his back, despite the fact he was in metal power armor. E4 checked his armor¡¯s locks, and found them in bad shape. ¡°Seriously, you always harped about how much work your armor was, and NOW you decide to skimp? She extended her claws and dug into the armor. ¡°Come on, fail open, FAIL OPEN!¡±
With a POP the armor opened up, revealing the man within. He had three feathers the size of spears through him, and E4 immediately knew he was doomed. One was in his right lung, one was going right through his lower intestine, and it would be a miracle if the third hadn¡¯t skewered his liver.
¡°Ok, this is fine, you¡¯re going to be ok.¡±
¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± Donovan replied, his voice a low croak. Without his armor he was far from the imposing man who had struck fear into the hearts of his enemies and lit hope in the hearts of his friends, which E4 had counted as both. He was tall and lanky, and far thinner than she remembered. He hadn¡¯t shaved in days, lending him a scruffy brown beard that contrasted with his completely bald head. Yet his eyes blaze the same bright Amherst as the flames of his suit, and he still had the square chin that his wife had loved so much though it was a little thinner than E4 remembered. Those same eyes stared into E4¡¯s, making her look away with their accusation.
¡°No, I¡¯m being reassuring there is a difference.¡± E4 replied, taking out her healing kit. ¡°Come on, you¡¯ve got over a decade of experience and a bag full of magic goodies, what fixes internal injuries?¡±
Her mind immediately set upon a treatment. She first went for the c¡¯pse¡¯eter spit, then for the cotton. Her hands worked a blur, Aether flowing through her limbs and sending pins and needles of feedback up her arms. The feathers she had to pull through, eliciting a low groan from Donovan. ¡°Shoot, hold on, I have some pain killer.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know if I want to see what pain killers you use out here.¡± E4 extended a small round pill that gleamed slightly, ¡°What is that?¡±
¡°Powdered White aspen bark around a core of grave lily and 1 mg of silver.¡± E4 replied, reading the label. She thought back to her textbook. ¡°Grave lily help stem bleeding, powdered white aspen bark eases the pain, the silver stops lycanthropy and vampirism. I think the base is calcium carbonate.¡±
¡°You think?¡± Donovan asked before taking the pill, and E4 held her flask of Aether elixir to help him swallow. ¡°What is that?¡±
¡°Aether elixir, oh, and this should help.¡± E4 quickly applied Aether jelly to the wounds, which immediately started to steam.
¡°Is it supposed to do that?¡±
¡°I think so, I¡¯m still learning.¡± E4 paused as she watched the piercing wounds fill in, reduced from punctures to scars. ¡°Um¡ so, we might have to cut you back open.¡±
¡°Pardon?¡±
¡°The Aether jelly is good for healing skin, my mistress used it on acid burns and it worked like a charm, but I¡¯m not sure if you have internal injuries.¡± E4 drew a scalpel. ¡°Sorry.¡±
¡°No, you put that down.¡± Donovan replied. As he rose E4 half expected him to burst into flames like his ax had done, but nothing happened. ¡°I¡¯ll get to a doctor, they have one in the nearby village right?¡±
¡°Hel¡¯en, yes. She might be able to help.¡± E4 replied, reaching down for Donovan, who quickly took her hand. ¡°Lean on me.¡±
¡°Yet maid, should not thou chase after thy master?¡± Donovan replied skeptically. He took a step, and within a few steps he was moving mostly normal. ¡°By the blood, doth this magical potion work with such,¡±
¡°Save your strength, only Corvus actually talks like that.¡±
¡°The Countess does too, occasionally.¡± Donovan replied, switching back to normal speech. ¡°Is this place always so weird?¡±
¡°I only just got into town, so I don¡¯t know what¡¯s normal.¡± E4 replied. ¡°I think the countess disconnected her town from the rest of the continent, and that¡¯s bad for some reason.¡± Donovan let out a low groan. ¡°Hold still, I¡¯m going to try something.¡± She drew a long sheet from her bag and lay it down. With a gesture she levitated the outer edge, making a pseudo stretcher.
¡°Telekinesis?¡±
¡°Yeah, you haven¡¯t learned it yet?¡± E4 asked, as she began running now that she didn¡¯t have to worry about jostling Donovan. ¡°Both my mistress and her step-brother can do it, I think all Blessed can to some extent.¡± E4 winced, thinking of the pair. ¡°I really wish they were here right now.¡±
¡°Buck up, we got this.¡± He whispered, before closing his eyes. ¡°Just, let me catch a little shut eye.¡±
¡°Same old Donovan.¡± E4 whispered quietly. She crested the hill to the town and saw the fence was under attack. Dozens of withered humanoids slammed on the fence, each dressed in threadbare gowns and pale of skin. One turned to her, its lips pulled back to reveal the long fangs in its mouth and the fang scars on its neck. ¡°Vampires?¡±
¡°Maid, what are you doing out there?¡± Ri¡¯ard exclaimed. ¡°Never mind that, where¡¯s Richard and Corvus? The countess¡¯s dinner seems not to agree with her anymore.¡±
¡°Out of my way!¡± E4 yelled, drawing her crossbow. Immediately five bolts were in the air and in the backs of the vampire spawn. The spawn barely reacted even as Aether began to leak from their backs. One turned, and hissed at E4 just before her claws found its throat. Immediately Aether began to pour forth, and the creature dropped. That got the attention of the rest, which immediately turned on her. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this!¡± She yelled, and with a gesture lightning danced from her hand into the first, igniting its chest and sending it stumbling to the ground. The one behind it tripped over it, and the one behind that tripped over it, sending the crossbow bolt deeper. A second bolt sent the entire pile alight with a strange pale flame that seemed to be made mostly of Aether. E4 was already reloading and raised her weapon towards the final of the five just before it dropped, the ravager toxin doing its job. Yet even where five had fallen, so many remained.
¡°I don¡¯t have time for this.¡± E4 exclaimed, raising her dagger. ¡°Bio-lightning.¡±
Immediately her dagger lit up as her arm swelled with hidden capacitors. Sparks danced across her arm, before shooting forth and striking half a dozen spawn. Immediately they were obscured by Aetheric static, and when it cleared nothing remained. E4 grinned, before launching herself into the remaining spawn.
Yet there were so many. E4 cleared the next one with three swipes of her claws, and the one after that with four, but in that time three had surrounded her and one managed to strike her. That one got a rebuke from her tail in the form of a poisoned cut across both legs that rapidly leaked Aether, but there were always more. E4 kept fighting, keeping the attention of the spawn on her. She dared glance where Donovan lay, only to see small hovering black hands carrying him off. ¡°Donovan!¡± In her distraction one of the brides grabbed her, and another bit into her neck.
That proved to be a mistake. The biting spawn got a dose of ATP rich blood. Had that blood been full of dense myst the spawn would have benefited. Had it been full of Aether rich blood it could have tolerated it. Yet when all those cells, still drawing resonance from E4, registered they were outside of their host body they reacted, poorly. Immediately the liquid blood latched onto the nice dense myst flesh of the spawn, and calcified. The spawn stepped back, retching.
A crack echoed from overhead, and the spawn and E4 were all drenched in a sweet smelling solution. E4 immediately recognized it, ¡°Bio lighting!¡± The sweet smelling gasoline went up, lighting her and the spawn on fire. The Spawn went up like tinder, E4 dove for the nearby grass, rolling to extinguish the flames. She quickly felt something grab her and struggled to break its grip.
¡°Girl it¡¯s me, hold still so I can put out the fire.¡± E4 froze at the words as Hel¡¯en covered her with a thick blanket that extinguished the flames. ¡°You were supposed to step back and let me light the fire, not ignite yourself.¡±
¡°I heal quickly.¡± E4 replied, pushing the blanket off and looking at the remains of the spawn. They lay on the ground, reduced to bones and bits of twitching flesh. ¡°They don¡¯t. Wish I knew they hated fire so much before I started.¡±
¡°Come, let¡¯s get you and your friend inside.¡± Hel¡¯en chided. ¡°What were you thinking taking off without Corvus, how did you even get beyond the fence?¡±
¡°He was with me, we flew.¡± E4 replied as they approached the gate. She saw Stripe waiting by the gate, ashamed eyes looking at her in concern. He approached her, immediately licking her wounds. ¡°Hey, easy boy.¡±
¡°Their saliva treats wounds.¡± Hel¡¯en reminded her. ¡°Cowardly as they are, they do have their uses.¡± Immediately Stripe turned to Donovan, his stretcher still held aloft by tiny shadowy hands, and sniffed before ignoring him. With a gesture Hel''en pulled him towards her. ¡°What¡¯s with this one?¡±
¡°Corvus struck him with some sort of feather attack. I managed to treat the surface wounds, but I fear he has internal injuries.¡±
¡°Well let¡¯s get him inside and I¡¯ll take a look. Blessed tend to heal internal injuries fairly quickly, remember you¡¯re not as reliant on biology as you used to be.¡± She put a hand on his chest. ¡°Tsk, not even charged. Even one of those spawn could have dropped him. Change in plans, get him into the coffin and get him charged. That should fix up the damage.¡± She eyed the standing stones, which were already opaque with Myst. ¡°Hit the standing stones first. The Myst can smell desperation, maybe it will give you something good as a bargain.¡± She sighed. ¡°This town is probably doomed, might as well get some good out of it.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡± E4 asked.
¡°Look around you, with how heavy The Myst is we¡¯re going to be crawling with creatures of The Myst shortly. The countess has been making spawn like that for years, but they never actually came out of the pit she dumps them in.¡±
¡°She, makes those?¡± E4 asked. ¡°And you just let her?¡±
¡°I¡¯m Myst Cursed, I can¡¯t even approach her castle without getting sent back here. Used to be The Butcher lived In that castle. He¡¯d come by, put a bounty on some rare creature, and a Regulator would come by and bring it to him. He¡¯d decide they would make a good meal and either they¡¯d get butchered or escape. Maybe they¡¯d lose a Myst Folk now and again, but that was the deal. It provided stability, helped remind the Blessed we¡¯re not invincible. A cut of 100-200 charge steak prepared by The Butcher was often a rite of passage, used during your ascension to the second tier. We all did it.¡±
¡°You make him sound like a early-mid game boss.¡± Donovan spoke up.
¡°Donovan, you¡¯re awake.¡± E4 worried. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re going to get you fixed up.¡±
¡°I heard, but this is important information. You say this guy was someone the blessed often bothered.¡±
¡°Often no, never without preparation. Beating the Butcher was one of the final tests before you hit second tier. Yet The Myst does not let anything go to waste. If The Butcher died his spirit would return in time, and a new butcher would rise. The face and hungers may be different, but we knew he¡¯d always be back.¡± She paused. ¡°Except this time he didn¡¯t. Come, we¡¯re wasting time we do not have.¡±
E4 helped Donovan get into position and helped him tap the standing stone. Before her plopped a bag of ingredients, beans, tomatoes, and garlic that seemed to that gleamed with its own internal light. She also received the usual coins and a few eggs. Donovan received a set of mechanical gloves, a hefty bag of red peppers, a container of beef emblazoned with a butcher¡¯s knife, and a large copper cylinder that crackled with Aether. In the center, resting on a pillow, sat a hefty wooden stake. Next to it was a gleaming set of power armor, just Donovan¡¯s size.
¡°No, do not take it.¡± E4 spoke up quickly. Hel¡¯en shot her a disapproving gaze
¡°Why not, it¡¯s right there.¡± Donovan said weakly.
¡°If you take it the creature of The Myst will know where you are and come after you. See that stake, I bet blood and bones it would be Countess Von Veil.¡± E4 turned to Donovan. ¡°Did anyone teach you this stuff?¡±
¡°I woke up on the ground in damaged armor. Protocol dictates if we become cut off from command we are to connect to the local government and support the relief efforts of the afflicted and the purification of the lost. Countess Von Veil was surprisingly helpful, especially after I showed her guards how to use the armor.¡± He rubbed his head. ¡°Now that I think about it, she was strangely persuasive, and her people took right to it. Like, they were already trained. But still, there were a set of those stones in the castle, and we¡¯ve been taking the stuff from the center all the time.¡±
¡°You fool, have you been killing the things attacking the castle?¡±
¡°We were, but they started to get tougher. Lumbering brutes that brushed off our rounds and became immune to our fire.¡±
¡°That is why you move on, so The Myst does not get used to you.¡± By this time they were in the guild hall. Hel¡¯en lead them into the basement, then off to a side room E4 hadn¡¯t noticed. Inside were several machines, and the coffin. ¡°Strip, leave everything out here except for the container. We¡¯re on a time crunch, and that catalyst will make the process faster.
¡°So, what is this thing?¡±
¡°So, how it was described to me and from what the books I¡¯ve read say, when we come here our souls coalesce raw Myst from around us to make a body.¡± E4 explained, before going into a more detailed explanation. ¡°If you like, you can think of it like optimizing your genetic code.¡±
¡°More than optimizing, rebuilding and enhancing. Mightier, smarter, faster, tougher, all around better than you were before.¡±
¡°Funny, I know a few folks who tired that. Didn¡¯t work so well.¡± He chuckled before asking, ¡°Think you could rig it that I get some fire protection?¡±
¡°The Myst bestowed you charged garlic for protection and chilies for fire. A pot of extra spicy garlic chili would likely give you exactly that. If you ask nicely, maybe someone will make some.¡±
¡°No problem, I¡¯ll even save you some.¡± E4 replied, which made Donovan chuckle.
¡°You know, you remind me of an old friend of mine.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Yes, an old friend I lost a long time ago. A friend I hope to see on this side, if God allows.¡± He closed his eyes. ¡°Ready.¡±
¡°Wait, what do you mean by,¡± The coffin closed and with a loud whirr the machines lit up. Sparks began to ladder, and gauges shifted. ¡°Wait, what was that last part?¡±
¡°No clue, but I can¡¯t stop the machine now that it¡¯s going.¡± Hel¡¯en replied. She eyed one of the machines. ¡°I might not be able to use my old self¡¯s Intellect score, but I¡¯d guess you have about 8 hours until the machine¡¯s done. Plenty of time to start that chili and maybe thin out the horde of creatures a few times. I have a feeling they¡¯re going to get bad soon.¡±
¡°I see, I¡¯ll get to work then.¡±
E4 quickly found her way to the kitchen and got to work.
[[Currently Ravager isopods can only be created at tier 0. Once patient Wallace Donovan is Tier 1 he will be unable to receive a ravager isopod.]] E4 continued cooking, finishing up slicing the garlic before placing them in the pot.
¡°Red Queen, how many times did we sneak an isopod into someone¡¯s eye or force them to become a ravager?¡±
[[3 times you used subterfuge and 2 times force was used.]]
¡°Wait, we actually did that?¡±
[[Records indicate it was tried twice, in one instance the potential ally became an aberrant cannibal and consumed fifteen individuals before being put down, in the other they immediately jumped off the building they had previously been cornered on. You personally used subterfuge 3 times, once slipping a ravager isopod into a woman¡¯s contact container, once tricking an individual into a pool full of ravager isopods, and once leaving a ravager on the cheek of a comatose patient you were treating.]]
¡°But that patient was suffering from a coma and was going to be terminated if she didn¡¯t wake up.¡± She huffed. ¡°Lindsey made a great ravager anyhow, just took her a few days to come around.¡±
[[Incident disregarded. Two incidents remain. The former, Fang James Rockwell went on to turn evidence against the purifier group, which stalled them for two years before they overthrew the country formerly known as Canada and attempted to execute him. He survived the attempt before retiring to the nation formerly known as Cuba. Purifier Rhiana Green underwent surgical removal of her isopod. By that time the isopod had fully consumed her occipital lobe. She did not survive the procedure.- Red Queen]]
¡°Yeah, that¡¯s about the time Donovan and I stopped talking.¡± E4 remembered. She did not speak until the chili was simmering. She drew an isopod from her eye and, with a little work, made an automatic stirrer. ¡°You know what to do right?¡± The isopod, who now was connected to three seperate wooden spoons gave a small salute before using a third spoon to take a bite of the chllie. ¡°Not too much of that, there has to be enough for three people.¡± She eyed the eight gallon pot which was three quarters full. ¡°Hope we have enough. Red Queen, can you set an hour long timer?¡±
[[1:00:00 set]]
E4 took off the apron she had found in the kitchen and made her way to the fence. Awaiting her were several dozen withered figures covered in scabbed over skin. Several of the townsfolk were stabbing them with spears, but the hardened scabs seemed to act as armor, deflecting the points.
¡°Here goes, Aetheric boost.¡±
[[Notice: I do not think you need to speak a skill to use it-Red Queen]] Regardless E4 jumped over the fence and landed without a sound. Immediately she charged, slashing into each spawn before moving to the next. Half of the spawn noticed, but half did not. The ones who did notice began stumbling after her, their nerves already numb from the scabs and dead flesh further numbed by the toxin. Already slowed by the poison E4 had no problem taking them apart one by one, lashing out at joints at first, as the toxin continued to slow their movements. One tripped, and received a claw through the temple for its negligence. The remaining ones were barely moving by this point, and were dispatched with ease. The ones at the fence were already down for the count by the time E4 returned, the toxin combined with the Myst Folk spears having done their work. Hel¡¯en was already outside the fence with a pair of pliers pulling fangs, while two spawn just out of range of the spears were being held down by shadowy hands.
¡°Are those valuable?¡±
¡°Actually yes, you can submit them at the guild as evidence that you have slain the creature, and every year the guilds gather them up in a huge pile within the standing stones and set them alight.¡± She drew a knife and threw it into the throat of one spawn, and a shadowy knife broke off to penetrate the forehead of the other. Both went still, and she gathered four more fangs.
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Oh yes. If you cannot wait you can place them in the standing stones when you tap them and get additional rewards. Most times it¡¯s just more money, but some regulators claim you can get specific materials or ingredients for the right combination. Personally, I always found they worked better as ingredients. You can extract the last bits of vampire spawn venom from them to make a potent analgesic. A blacksmith could turn them into blade points, with interesting properties. Fortunately these aren¡¯t true undead, and neither are their mistress.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Countess Von Veil may style herself as a vampire, but her real name was Cla¡¯de¡¯dar when she was a Myst Folk. Does she still eat coins?¡± E4 nodded, even as Hel¡¯en took another coin. ¡°A true undead would not bother. We Myst Cursed can consume coins to boost our power temporarily, some Myst folk can do it too in order to extend their life. I suspect it¡¯s why she¡¯s taxing us so hard, she wants to generate enough density to become a true undead.¡±
¡°And that¡¯s bad, right?¡±
¡°Extremely, especially cut off from the rails as we are. With no way to escape our souls would be consumed by her, and this town would soon belong to the undead. Her minions could reach out to other towns, and tied back to her The Myst would be unable to stop them. Only if someone from another town was able to track the undead back to her would they be able to slay her, and then we¡¯d be free. That could take years, years of torment.¡±
¡°And we¡¯d still be dead.¡± Hel¡¯en didn¡¯t agree. ¡°Right?¡±
¡°Worse, we¡¯d be cursed. Getting killed by an undead is how I ended up like this.¡±
¡°Wait, what?¡±
¡°You haven¡¯t figured it out yet?¡± Hel¡¯en asked. ¡°We¡¯re already dead, I¡¯m not sure if this is Heaven¡¯s basement or some weird circle of Hell Dante did not visit, but we¡¯re dead.¡± She gestured wildly to the Myst folk around her. ¡°These guys, geists and spirits sent to keep us thinking we¡¯re still in the mortal plane.¡±
¡°Really?¡± E4 looked over at Ri¡¯ard who was holding a spear and quietly motioning for them to come back inside. ¡°Well I think that spirit is trying to get us inside, and I can¡¯t exactly blame him.¡±
¡°They aren¡¯t real! They are the product of our dead minds as we fade into nothingness!¡± E4 looked at the woman as she promptly tripped over one of the spawn.
¡°Are you high?¡±
¡°I might have had a few coins.¡± E4 couldn¡¯t see her eyes, couldn¡¯t see if her pupils were dilated. ¡°But I do know this, being cursed is bad. You are trapped in whatever back water town The Myst sends you to. Worse, you won¡¯t always realize it! When I was Blessed I met Cursed who saw nothing wrong with the world around them. They thought they were still alive, thought NOTHING was wrong with there being monsters that just appeared. They remembered nothing about Earth. They thought SPONTANEOUS GENERATION was NORMAL!¡±
¡°Hel¡¯en, calm down.¡± Ri¡¯ard said, taking her by the arm. He hugged her and stroked her hair. ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright, you¡¯re going to be fine. Go home, get some sleep.¡± He turned to E4, ¡°She needs her rest, please leave her be for now.¡±
E4 took a moment to consider the matter before beginning her trek back to the guild hall to check on Donovan.
¡°Please do not let it concern you.¡± A man said as she passed him. ¡°Do not let Dr. Hel¡¯en worry you, she gets like this when she¡¯s been up too late.¡± A woman spoke, completely dropping the conversation she was having with another woman. Just outside the guild hall a young boy pulled on E4¡¯s skirt. ¡°Don¡¯t let Dr. Hel¡¯en worry you.¡± He promptly skipped off.
¡°Red Queen, does that seem strange to you?¡±
[[Qwery: Do you mean that three individuals have approached you regarding the same incident over the course of 5 minutes despite not witnessing said event, or that The Hymn has been telling everyone around you to encourage you to disregard the matter?]]
¡°Both, I don¡¯t think The Hymn knows I can hear it, or it doesn¡¯t care enough that I know.¡± She paused. ¡°Do you think she was right, if I was killed by an undead, would I come back as a Myst Cursed?¡±
[[There is only one way to find out. Mara does not encourage self termination except in especially rare situation. Remember, in the event of an emergency the isopod in your skull can serve as a consciousness escape device which can regrow the rest of your body given adequate time and resources. Notice: Mara has taken an interest in how this would work in The Distant Shores. This is, however, a low priority and should only be performed if the situation arises.]]
Checking on the food, as well as Donovan, E4 found both were coming along nicely. A quick bite, or two, of the chilli sent waves of warmth down her spine, and she could almost feel the skill forming. After a few minutes of rest she went back to the surface, to find the standing stones already full of Myst, and creatures of The Myst banging on the fence.
¡°Is this normal?¡± She asked, tapping the stones. When no one answered he jumped the fence again. ¡°Alright, who¡¯s first?¡±
Spawn fists met ravager claws, and where they had numbers E4 had speed. Yet this time around they were a little faster, and when she tried to peel off a few of the spawn the rest of the horde followed. ¡°So you¡¯re not making this easy for me?¡± She drew her blade and fired a bolt of bio-lightning that fried several, but of those struck only two stayed down. ¡°Bleeding Havoc, are you guys tougher? She dove in, harassing the horde and punishing any that overreached, yet this group was faster. Twice she darted in to punish an overreach, only to catch a blow from one of the other spawn. ¡°You¡¯re getting faster huh?¡± E4 ran back to the gate, slipping in before the spawn could get to her. ¡°Anyone have some kerosine? Anyone?¡±
One of the Myst folk brought forth a small wrapped bundle. E4 took it, and immediately an icy chill went down her spine as she unwrapped it. It was a grooved off sphere labeled ISC-9. With only a moment¡¯s hesitation the grenade was in the air, and the ground before them was reduced to a sea of lambent purple flames. So hot were the flames that even getting near them the spawn burst into flames and fell to the ground. E4 watched the flames burn for exactly 18 seconds before the fuel was expended. So hot were the flames it did not even have a chance to spread. Even when the flames were gone E4 remained, staring at the small wasteland she had so easily created.
A wasteland that brought back memories she would rather forget.
Chapter 14 Realm of the Countess: Castle Crashing
[[A reminder, there were eighteen liters of chili in this pot. There are currently 13. -Red Queen]]
¡°Look, things are pretty bad out there. If I¡¯m going to die it¡¯s not going to be on an empty stomach.¡± E4 replied, adding in the latest batch of 200 charge tomatoes, finely diced, into the pot. ¡°And see, it¡¯s fourteen liters, 13¡¯s bad luck. The Myst has been really generous with ingredients.¡± She gestured towards her fourth cup of coffee. She looked over towards the coffin, noticing the strange distortions flowing from it in tune with the loud humming. ¡°Should I be seeing sounds?¡±
[[You have turned back six attacks, alone. You have suffered three broken limbs, five broken ribs, and one concussion not to mention having lost 5 liters of blood. I feel its rewards have been well earned. Also no, you probably should not be, yet it may be an effect of the coffee. -Red Queen]]
There was a low Clunk, and the buzzing stopped. E4 was at the side of the coffin with enough speed she left after images. As the coffin opened she looked down to see Wallace Donovan pushing his way out. Now that he was no longer injured she noted he now sported short messy brown hair with a short beard, and slightly darker skin than before, which was now wrapped over 120 kilograms of lean muscle and bone that was far denser than what he had before. He was over 2 meters, and looked like he could lift a truck. Immediately Amhyrst eyes locked onto hers.
¡°E4, did you get in a fight?¡± The concern was obvious in his voice. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding.¡±
¡°What?¡± E4 put her hand to her nose, finding a bit of blood dripping out. ¡°Must be the coffee, I am on my fourth cup, and it is charged with Aether.¡± She pointedly did not look at him, though even with the control over her biology her isopod provided she still turned red as a beet. ¡°I¡¯ll get your clothes.¡±
¡°Right, that¡¯s probably for the best.¡± Donovan replied, getting out of the coffin and looking at a nearby mirror. ¡°Woah,¡± E4 looked back just in time to see him flex, and a bit more blood flowed from her nose. ¡°I don¡¯t think I looked this good in college.¡± He put a hand to his chin. ¡°Is this device supposed to change bone structures, I¡¯m pretty sure I didn¡¯t have this square of a chin.¡±
¡°I would not know, you would have to ask Guild Master Arnold once we reach Los London.¡± E4 brought Donovan his clothes, which had been simple enough to clean with a bit of telekinesis and Aether. She made a point to avert her eyes as she did so. She paused for a moment. ¡°Let me guess, they don¡¯t fit.¡±
¡°Nope, bit too small.¡±
¡°Seems to be the theme. I had the same problem, made worse by my Mistress¡¯s tastes and sense of humor. Follow me, we¡¯ll find you something.¡± She paused, passing him a fluffy white towel, ¡°And please wear this until we do.¡±
When he finally returned to the kitchen Donovan wore a simple black shirt and pants, as well as a set of bronze arm guards and a chain shirt he had found. Within five seconds flat E4 had the food dished up and coffee ready for both of them. ¡°How are you moving like that?¡±
¡°Four cups of coffee?¡± E4 replied, taking a sip of her fifth cup.
¡°Maybe take it easy on that stuff¡ wait, is this,¡±
¡°100 charge black coffee for speed and energy, 50 charge oat milk because it seemed appropriate and I think oats promote either energy regeneration or physical protection.¡± She moved onto the main dish. ¡°Chili made with 100 charge garlic, which boosts resistance to conditions such as diseases and curses, and 100 charge chili peppers which are supposed to push the aspect of other abilities towards fire. Given the creatures I¡¯ve been dealing with resemble vampire spawn and like to bite, that should protect us from any diseases they¡¯re carrying. There¡¯s also 200 charge tomatoes, and from what I read tomatoes tend to provide a boost to offensive abilities. Served over a bowl of mashed 100 charge potatoes which are supposed to promote healing and occasionally give healing powers. I can attest to that as I got the healing hands skill from a dish containing charged potatoes.¡±
¡°Woah woah woah, first of all you said that in under 3 seconds which means I think you¡¯ve had enough coffee. Second, are you saying foods give super powers? I thought that came from armor.¡±
E4 shrugged. ¡°You can get,¡± She took a moment to slow her speech, ¡°From what I¡¯ve read and experienced, it comes from food easily, but it is then shaped by what you experience and how you use it. You can also get skills from doing things, but it is rarer. There is a machine that helps quantify it, but we¡¯ll get to that later¡± She sat down at her own meal. ¡°Dig in.¡±
Donovan dug in with the enthusiasm of a starving dog, which was still half the enthusiasm E4 had. ¡°So vampire spawn, are those common in The Realm Between Eternity?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve encountered goblins, ghouls, shadowy hat men, lizard style kobolds, wild dogs, and an undead creature that fills the same ecological niche as an elephant from a different version of Earth, and that¡¯s this month. Yet These spawn are the first thing that have adapted to counteract me. They¡¯re getting faster, and they¡¯re growing armor.¡± E4 asked. ¡°What is this Realm Between Eternity?¡±
¡°Here.¡± Donovan gestured around them. ¡°I think. At first I thought it was a rumor, some kind of device that opened a door to another dimension. Seems to work.¡±
¡°Why?¡± E4 asked. ¡°Purifiers are built around security and medicine, why do you care about another dimension?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know, High Administer Mundo took that to his grave,¡± he chuckled, ¡°or maybe he didn¡¯t. From what I¡¯ve heard, and this is just the rumors, he was throwing our best scientists into a project. There were a lot of rumors, but the biggest ones said he was working on nuclear weapons, a way to finally scour the world clean. Yet, in a single night, the entire facility vanished, with him in it. All that remained were seven crystal vials filled with a strange misty substance, and a document on how to use them. It explained that the vials held a fuel that, if we added it to our flamethrowers, we could burn our foes out of reality itself. The plan called for the best of our men to seek out the worst of our foes, and rid the world of them. A final solution to the epidemic.¡± R4 shivered at the phrase and Donovan chuckled. ¡°I didn¡¯t like that phrase either. When I joined the Purifiers I swore I¡¯d never follow an order that took me down that path. I like to think I followed that oath.¡±
¡°You would be in the minority.¡± E4 added. Donovan began to object. ¡°The Detroit Autoworks Hospital fire. The media did a pretty good job editing the flames, but I was there and I saw the violet color.
¡°The place was a hotspot for O. Candidiasis fungi. I saw the photos, the mold growing out of the victim¡¯s eyes and fingernails
¡°We were making progress before the grenades started flying. They didn¡¯t even bother trying to evacuate. I had to amputate my own hand because in our haste my suit ripped.¡± R4 replied. ¡°Though that is one thing I like about this place, I¡¯ve already lost an arm and it grew back ¡± She went back to her food, before noticing the question on Donovan¡¯s lips. ¡°Yes, it did itch as much as they say, and we had to restrain several patients so they wouldn¡¯t scratch their own eyes out or rip out their fingernails to get at the tissues. Now, what were in these vials? Burning holes in reality is a pretty bold claim.¡±
¡°I thought the same, until we tried it. Grant Kindred, the Golden Spider himself, managed to trick one of our high priority targets into an ambush. The head of the Iron lungs, or whichever head there was this week since they kept dying, and burned them all down. Within 24 hours every case of iron lung pneumonia cleared up. A multi-spectrum antibiotic resistant bacteria, gone as if it never were. You can bet there were arguments over who should get to use the stuff and who to use it on, but Mundo had made a plan. His final legacy would be a world without bioterror. My target was Corric Leechwort the Witch of Wu-cog.¡±
¡°Wasn¡¯t the Wu-cog plague zone in southern Africa? I didn¡¯t think the purifiers could reach that far.¡±
¡°Normally we can¡¯t. Yet a lot changes when you accept you¡¯re not coming back. I had been infected in the line of duty, so it was decided I would be the one to give him a visit. I loaded up on as much Panacea as I could without falling over and parachuted in right on his compound. Leechwort didn¡¯t expect anyone to be dumb enough to attack him so I dropped right on his roof. I must have fought through dozens of his minions, and I got bit up right good too, but it was worth it to see the look on his face when I blasted him with the serum imbued flames. Still better than what he deserved for the Fungal Bloom Massacre. Next thing I know, I¡¯m here.¡±
¡°So is he the person you are looking for over here?¡± E4 asked.
¡°No. See, there was a woman, her name was Erin. She and I were close when we worked for the WHO, before I joined the Purifiers and she joined the Bleeding Heart Society. She was lost when the society was destroyed by a disease, I think it was some sort of parasite that could control the host. Yet, while examining the records of the High Administrator¡¯s project I noticed her on camera. I believe she managed to survive, infected but alive. If coming here cured me of the rotting pox
1 surely she must have been cured of whatever parasite destroyed the Bleeding Hearts. I only hope she has found a safe place to hide until then. She is too soft for a place this dangerous.
E4 considered telling him, or smacking him over the head, before standing. ¡°Ok, I think I feel a new skill coming on, and we need to get you checked too. After that, we¡¯re about due for another wave of spawn. Feel up to some exercise?¡±
E4 showed Donovan the card reader, receiving two new cards and an updated stat card. ¡°Hey, I got an achievement for setting myself on fire.
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Fire starter (Acquired): Fire leaps to your will and hesitates to burn you. You can always create fire, even with green or wet wood. Expend Aether to imbue existing fire with Aether, making it burn hotter and do increased damage to creatures of The Myst without using additional fuel. Fire based weapons are less likely to explode. In addition the wielder is resistant to fire their rank or lower. Uses the higher of intellect or speed
¡ú Friendly fire (achievement): In defiance of all sense you have lit yourself ablaze to defy your foes. Your fire does not burn you. You may designate a number of allies who are immune, and whom you take reduce damage from. Increases tenacity by 1
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Metabolic fire*: Generate lambent green flames that can feed off resonance rather than air or fuel. Rapidly breaks down unwanted matter into components, especially potent against prions. This fire will go out without resonance. Grants host immunity to fire of their tier or lower
(So remember when I said we can¡¯t be a mage, well we can still throw fire. That¡¯s something rogues do right? Just go easy, it¡¯s ATP intensive- Red Queen)2
¡ú ??? flames (achievement): I think I can exploit this, feeding resonance into the flames. Maybe we can boost healing or energy regeneration? More study is needed. Increases tenacity by 2
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Perfect Position (Acquired): A proper maid is exactly where her mistress needs her just as a nurse is always at her doctor¡¯s side. Doubles speed when out of position or when called for. Exert Aether to do so silently. Increases speed by 1.
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Telekinetic Step*: Proper maid my eye. You decide where you need to be. Exert ATP to double your speed whenever you want. While active throw yourself to avoid hazards and never overshoot even if the target location moves. Increases speed by 2
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Reagent:
Mountain marrow (Tenacity +1)
Charged Coffee with oat milk (Speed+1)
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E4 Age 20: Innate/Infusion attributes
M: 1/3
I: 1/3
S: 1/3
T: 1/3
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E4 (Erin Johnson) Age 20 (actual age 32): actual attributes (innate+infusion+skill+reagents+subversion= total)
M: 1+2+1+0+3= 7
I: 1+2+4+0+7= 14
S: 1+2+2+1+5= 11
T: 1+2+2+1+8= 14
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¡°Sweet, I got an achievement for setting myself on fire.¡±
¡°Wow, I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re dedicated or just crazy. Erin would have liked you.¡± Donovan took his place, E4 inserted the required coin, and the mannequin began to move. Within a few moments he had his cards.
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Aetheric weapon (innate): channel Aether into a weapon. Increases damage against creatures of the myst and converts some dense myst into Aether. Allows for the use of Aether based weapons. Uses Might
¡ú Plasma weapon (advanced): The lightning of Aether and the heat of plasma are intertwined. Exert Aether to add fire damage to any weapon. If the weapon is already a fire weapon increases fire damage. Uses intellect
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Armor borne (innate): You were either born in armor or have worn armor so much that you feel naked without at least 20 kilograms of steel protecting your fleshy self. You do not take a speed penalty to armor nor does it penalize your movement regardless of what kind of armor it is. Uses tenacity. Increases might and tenacity by 1
¡ú Human reactor (incomplete/achievement): Your skill with powered armor combined with your loss at being crippled by a damaged reactor or missing power supply have awoken a new resolve. Never again shall you be without your greatest asset. Reduces power armor fuel consumption by 10%. Skill is incomplete.
¡ú Unknown
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Company man (pact/cursed): You have sworn an oath to a force greater than yourself, not a patron, but a group of like minded individuals. Whenever you cleanse a standing stone gear acquired will be branded with your company symbol and be of higher quality if applicable. Some of this gear will be usable only by you. Bargains may be 1 tier higher than normal.
¡ú Company Script (pact): when defeating foes or carrying out orders from your company you may acquire tokens from your company.
¡ú Unknown skill: Skill detected details elusive
Curse: You are expected to tow the company line. Actions deemed counter to company standards will result in black marks, suspensions, or possibly expulsion.
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Fire starter (Acquired): Fire leaps to your will and hesitates to burn you. You can always create fire, even with green or wet wood. Expend Aether to imbue existing fire with Aether, making it burn hotter and do increased damage to creatures of The Myst without using additional fuel. Fire based weapons are less likely to explode if damaged. In addition the wielder is resistant to fire their rank or lower. Uses intellect or speed.
¡ú ISC-9 (pact/cursed): What have you done? Through reckless disregard for chemistry and obsession you have created a fire that burns through unknown chemical mechanisms beyond human comprehension. Exert immense amounts of Aether to convert regular flames into violet flames. This fire is treated as one tier higher than you. Increases intellect by 1
¡ú Curse: Your hubris shall damn you.
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Healing hands (Acquired): Expend Aether to accelerate healing. Bruises and minor wounds heal with just a touch. Larger wounds still require stitches or bandages. Aether cost scales with damage. Doubles the effect of all Aetheric medical devices. Reduces the risk of infection. Uses intellect.
¡ú Iron kin(Achievement/incomplete): healing poultices and potions such as the Aether elixir also repair armor for 10% of the amount they heal the body. Skill is incomplete
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Sacrifical resolve (innate): Your entry to The Distant shores was marked by sacrifice. You chose to come here in order to drag someone else with you. Increase your tenacity by 1. Even when out of usable Aether you may burn the myst that makes up your body for more power. Whenever facing the individual you dragged into The Distant Shores double your tenacity against them.
Purifier resolve (pact/advanced): Your conviction burns as hot as your weapons. When afflicted by a curse, disease, or poison expend Aether to burst into flames and burn off the effect. You remain on fire for a number of minutes equal your tenacity. Tenacity while in this state increases by double your tier. Increases tenacity by 1
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Reagents:
Charged Coffee with oat milk (Speed+1)
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Wallace Donovan: Age 38
M: 5
I: 4
S: 4
T: 6(8)
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¡°That MIST score is pretty respectable, and you¡¯ve got a lot more advanced skills than I did when I was charged.¡± E4 spoke up, peering at the card. ¡°I¡¯m told 5 is human maximum, so even without skills you were pretty close. I¡¯m guessing the coffee counted as a reagent to bring your speed up one.¡±
¡°What about yours?¡± E4 showed Donovan her card, and the Hymn listener card. ¡°You got the short end of the stick. Those skills alone are supposed to get you way above that.¡±
¡°I manage, now let¡¯s get going.¡±
By the time they got out the townsfolk were already working hard to keep the withered women out. Each woman was covered with thick scabs that resisted the stabs and their withered limbs seemed to always be just out of reach of the spears. Long fingers seemed to grab the spears at the worst possible moment, and several were already lost beyond the fence.
¡°Tap the stones and get some gear, I¡¯m going ahead.¡± E4 exclaimed. She jumped, kicking off a building, and soaring over the fence into the thick of it. Immediately she lashed out with her claws, drawing the ire of the spawn. She quickly noticed that their now nearly skeletal limbs did a good job isolating the poison, thick swelling nodes sucking up the ravager toxin even as they leaked Aether into the air. ¡°That¡¯s not ideal.¡± Five of the spawn lunged for her at the same time, and only a telekinetic leap back kept her from their claws. ¡°You may be fast, but I¡¯m faster than ever. Come on, come get me!¡± She called out. The spawn assaulting the fence turned towards her, and that was their mistake.
¡°Purity in Death!¡± A pair of shots rang out, one taking a spawn¡¯s head clean off while another shredded a spawn¡¯s arm and chest before both burst into flames. E4 cast a glance over to see Donovan, now dressed in a green and bronze riot suit with a matching mask and holding a shotgun that made him look like a child with his father¡¯s weapon. He pulled back on the fore-stock, kicking out two spent shells the size of her fist from the double barreled abomination.
The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°What is that?¡± E4 called out, taking advantage of the spawn¡¯s confusion at the cannon fire.
¡°Call it a sign on bonus.¡± Donovan shouted back, this time aiming at a cluster of spawn. With a single pull of the trigger four spawn were struck, and immediately went up in white Aetheric flames. ¡°The brass was working on this beast called the Chirion. Fires ten red hot flechettes the size of your pinky with every pull of the trigger. Holds two dozen of them in the twin magazine.¡±
¡°That is most definitely a warcrime.¡± E4 replied, ducking under a blow before stabbing the spawn with her blade and zapping it with bio-lightning. ¡°But it sure seems to work.¡± She reached out, blasting two more spawn with more bio-lightning.
¡°Woah, is that magic?¡±
¡°Technically, no.¡±
The remaining spawn split between the two of them lasted less than a minute and E4 quickly collected the fangs.
¡°Didn¡¯t even get to try out this beauty.¡± Donovan pulled a large silvery ax from his back. It was the large and heavy kind the Purifiers preferred, good for intimidation, chopping through barricades, and cutting through disease scarred flesh. As he held it the blade seemed to glow and flickers of white Aetheric fire appeared.
¡°Do all your weapons burst into fire?¡±
¡°Actually yes, the Chirion is supposed to fire burning rounds,¡± Donovan replaced his axe and reloaded his gun, taking a moment to show E4 the shell before loading it into the double tube magazine. She quickly counted as the gun swallowed a dozen of the shells. ¡°But now that I look at them these aren¡¯t incendiary rounds. Every round I shoot is on fire!¡±
¡°You sound way too happy about that.¡± E4 replied.
¡°Doth thou not have a ranged weapon of thine own fair maiden. Might I pluck a quote from an ancient paragraph that might guide thine progress?¡± E4 nodded expectantly. ¡°Git Gud.¡±
¡°What, you¡ I walked into that didn¡¯t I?¡±
¡°Yes, yes you did. Do you need to rest or are we raiding the castle?¡± Donovan made a gesture towards The Myst. Almost as if on cue lightning fell, illuminating a large structure in the distance. Yet it was not some quick flash, so much as a continuous stream of bolts. E4 saw The Myst begin to grow thin, before it was suddenly scattered by a peal of thunder that threw down the fence and sent several of the houses tumbling. The standing stones shattered, reduced to gravel.
¡°That¡¯s not good.¡±
¡°What the¡ The Hymn is gone.¡± E4 muttered. ¡°Look at the Myst Folk.¡± She pointed, and every man and woman just stood stock still. Then, as one, each one drew a knife, raised it to their throat, and E4 averted her eyes before she saw what they did. In the back of her mind she heard The Hymn shift. She felt her own hand reach for her blade, draw it from her sheath, and held it while the hymn told her to harm herself. A moment later a new order came to her. ¡°We have to go to the castle.¡±
¡°Lead the way.¡±
Despite the instinct that had just been running through her mind, E4 found they were not alone in their walk. Several women, all between 18 and 24, walked alongside them. Each wore decent clothes, mostly dresses save for one who wore long pants and a buttoned up shirt, and each carried a long dagger. E4 approached one, noting they bore a blank expression though she couldn¡¯t be completely sure due to the shadows over their eyes.
¡°Creepy, isn¡¯t it.¡± Donovan said, grabbing a blonde woman by the arm. She stopped, her brown dress swaying in the wind. ¡°Reminds me of the orange grove in Old Florida, a bunch of workers came down with, Hey!¡± The woman turned and stabbed Donovan with her dagger, the Blade growing black with darkened Myst as she did and cutting into his riot gear. It didn¡¯t hit skin, but it surprised him enough he lashed out with a backhand. Immediately the woman was sent sprawling, and she didn¡¯t get up. Her body flickered with Aetheric flames, and in moments there was nothing left but a few bones and the mysterious dagger. ¡°Woah, that, did I just,¡±
¡°Either your plasma weapon skill is a lot more dangerous than I thought, or whatever has them in its grip is draining their tenacity.¡±
¡°Are you crying?¡± E4 put a hand up to her eyes, blood was dripping down them. Immediately her tongue snaked out of her mouth and licked it. ¡°Um...¡±
Immediately E4 was struck with a sense of dread, of sand slipping through her fingers. Small smooth lumps were present, but she couldn¡¯t tell what they were, they felt round and flat though. She felt one shoved into her mouth, swallowed with a gulp of something salty that bubbled against her tongue. ¡°It¡¯s not my blood, my blood has Aether in it, this is dense myst. I¡¯d say Myst Cursed blood, though I¡¯ve never drank Myst folk blood. I¡¯m picking up some kind of sensation with my psychic skill, but I can¡¯t tell what it means.¡± E4 noticed they had continued walking, as had she and Donovan. Within a few minutes they made it to the low spot where she had met Donovan, and the group began the walk up towards the castle.
¡°So, what do we do?¡± Donovan asked. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think I should have grabbed that stake.¡±
¡°You¡¯re a Purifier, just act like you¡¯re escorting a bunch of G. Rigimendis patients into the furnace. I¡¯ll play one of the helpless victims. The moment we see the countess I¡¯ll hit her with my claws and you spray her down with fire. Remember, we¡¯re both fire resistant, but these folks aren¡¯t. Try not to hit them.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±
¡°Will that be a WHO enforcer try or a Purifier try?¡±
¡°35% casualties.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s try for 15%¡±
¡°25%.¡±
¡°Deal.¡±
Finally the myst thinned enough that E4 and Donovan could see the mansion. Immediately E4 was struck with the size of it. The structure was at least 300 meters wide and 40 meters tall. The top 10 meters were dominated by high pointed spires and even as she looked up lightning descended to strike the building. The entire structure was made from a strange black stone that resembled marble streaked through with obsidian. Glassy eyes stared out at them from countless stained glass windows stylized to look like humans, though E4 had no idea who. Most carried butchery tools, and several had wicked grins.
¡°Donovan, you were here before, what are we getting into?¡±
¡°A gunner¡¯s nightmare. Lots of long hallways that lead to larger cluttered room with enough clutter to hide a threat but nothing solid enough to provide cover., secret passages, and it¡¯s dark. Really dark. There should be some gas lamps but sometimes they work sometimes they don¡¯t.¡±
The procession continued until the first woman stood before the doorway. Before her stood a monster of a double door, at least 10 meters in tall and just as wide, made from a single piece of wood. She raised her hand, and the doors opened with a low squeal. Beyond a single gas lamp provided scant illumination to a single figure. E4 could not see her face, yet she seemed to hover ominously a meter above the floor. Below her a dozen women dressed in maid outfits lay dead, their blood pooled around her feet.
Immediately each of the women bowed, E4 quickly did the same while Donovan just stood resolute. The first woman approached and was immediately desiccated as every drop of blood seemed to jump from her neck and join the pool.
¡°MORE¡± A female voice called forth. The voice carried a deep gurgling sound, as if the speaker was choking on something. E4 felt her throat constrict, as if something was caught in it even as it was being crushed from without. The next woman approached, her arms and legs trembling at the sight, yet still she was compelled forwards. She stopped just shy of the threshold. ¡°MORE!¡±
Within E4¡¯s head several hymns played. One commanded her to be still, to wait her turn. Another demanded she run, to flee from the monster before her. A third cautioned her to wait her turn, and lash out at the threat when it least expected it.
¡°Get back!¡± She called, reaching out. Immediately the woman was pulled from the doorway, the figure within letting out a shriek so loud it shook the stained-glass windows. For a moment, just one moment, the spell was broken and The Hymn silent. The women turned and ran, and that was all the opportunity Donovan needed.
¡°Purity in death!¡± He called out, pointing with one wrist. Immediately a spray of flames burst forth, dousing the house with napalm. A horrific shriek echoed from within and the doors slammed shut. Immediately flames began licking at the windows from the inside. ¡°Quickly, we must seal this place, lest the countess escape. You go left, I¡¯ll go right, we shall burn this place to the ground.¡±
¡°What about anyone inside? What about A7, Corvus, and Richard?¡± E4 asked.
¡°The folks who betrayed you and tried to kill me? They made their choice. Now their fate is in the hands of the flames.¡±
¡°Just, give me a few minutes.¡± E4 replied. ¡°Go, start your fires, but I¡¯m going to see if I can get them out. Just don¡¯t shoot us when we escape.¡±
¡°No promises on the crow wizard. He¡¯s my 25%.¡±
¡°Fine.¡± E4 turned and ran, expending ATP to move faster. She felt her feet grab the ground with telekinetic force and throw her with speed she had never managed previously. It felt natural to do, as simple as sprinting. As she zipped across the landscape she kept a close eye on the mansion, looking for an entrance. Each window she saw was either stained glass or had been replaced with black bricks and some sort of red mortar that looked like old blood. Within moments she arrived at the edge of the house, throwing a wave of telekineitic force that immediately brought her to a dead stop. Of course, it did so by allowing her to crash face first into it. ¡°Woah, definitely going to have to practice with that.¡± E4 muttered, straightening her nose. Between her tenacity and regeneration protocol she was back on her feet in moments. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to see how that works in the water. For now though,¡± She threw open a smaller window, the first one that was neither boarded over or stained glass. It had been filled with stained glass at one time, but something or some one had been thrown through. E4 quickly helped herself through, and noticed a shred of leather caught on the broken iron that had once held stained glass. ¡°A7? I hope she¡¯s alright.¡± She turned and noticed a thick wooden door that stood next to a thin wooden wall that now sported a human sized hole in it. E4 quickly confirmed the next wall over bore the same damage. In the distance she heard a loud clang of metal striking something hard and the shriek of a raven. ¡°That doesn¡¯t bode well.¡±
E4 quickly stepped into the first room, which appeared to be a bedroom, and then peered into the next room which she quickly identified as a sitting room. Both rooms were plushly carpeted, both had very well padded chairs, and both had numerous gold ornaments. R4 quickly produced a small isopod and set it on a candle stand sitting on a bedside table. ¡°Ok, consume this and anything else made from the same material then meet me outside.¡± The little isopod wiggled its antenna and got to work. R4 quickly stepped through the hole and found herself in a hallway.
Like the previous rooms the hall was elaborate. Gold and bronze decorations were everywhere, but not a hint of silver. R4 walked quickly but carefully, eyes always on the many doors she passed. A low creak caught her attention, and her dagger was already in the air. It struck the inside of a door and burst into metabolic fire, immediately reducing a chunk of the door to myst. Below lay the body of A7, barely alive and reaching out for her with an arm that lacked its hand.
¡°A7, hold on,¡± Even as she moved something pulled A7 back into the room and locked the door. Perhaps E4 could have picked the lock, but instead she slashed the door in an X pattern with her claws and thrusting both hands forwards sent the top three chunks flying into the room, leaving the lower one be as not to strike A7. The left and right chunk flew off into the walls, while the top section smacked right into something large and hairy.
As the chunk of door fell R4 saw the creature, and for a moment she was stunned. The woman, for it was clearly female, was horrific in its beauty. Pale and delicate skin merged seemlessly with soft brown fur on its forearms arms, and below its knees. The monstrosity wore a short yet heavily layered dress the color of blood, with a plunging neck line. Its face looked human, save for the gleaming yellow cat eyes and the pair of bat ears poking from its black hair. For just a moment E4 could see the woman not as a bat monstrosity, but a woman in knee high boots and wearing long gloves. Even the claws on both the hands and feet could be overlooked, for E4 had them though they were less noticeable. As she opened her mouth E4 saw long fangs ready to bite down into A7.
¡°Hey, back off!¡± E4 lunged, shoving the woman off A7 and flying back into a 4 posted bed. Immediately the canopy fell and a plume of dust engulfed the room.¡± Hey, A7, you awake?¡± E4 quickly pulled A7 into the hallway and noticed the small bleeding holes on her neck. ¡°Dang.¡± With a low thud the canopy was pushed aside and the bat woman took flight, immediately sinking her claws into the ceiling. ¡°You know, if you weren¡¯t such a monster, you could probably feed off almost anyone you wanted to.¡± The bat woman looked down at her and a bout of curiosity overcame E4. ¡°How does your dress not fall down?¡±
¡°No, I¡¯m married.¡± A7 murmured, catching E4 off guard. As she was distracted the bat woman lunged, wrapping her first in her arms and then in the large black wings on her back. Immediately E4 was caught off guard. She expected the creature to dig its claws into her arms, but the creature¡¯s hold was surprisingly warm. For a moment her muscles relaxed, until she notice the subtle scent of mood altering pheromones coming from the creature.
¡°Kill. Me.¡± E4 was caught off guard by the creature speaking, right until it took a bite out of her shoulder. Immediately E4 lashed out, her own claws cutting into the creature, her tail lashing out and slicing deep into the creature¡¯s bat wing. The woman screamed, but did not let go.
¡°What? You want to, Back!¡± E4 slashed out and felt something go limp. She grabbed onto the woman and threw her off, and what she saw made her heart drop.
As the bat creature fell she saw the ruin that had been her head. It looked almost as if someone had taken a hacksaw to the back of her head, scooped out her brain, and replaced it with copper wires and shadowy fog. The back of her dress had been crudely ripped to reveal even cruder surgical work. Silver wires and bloody pins had been forced into her exposed spine and crackles of electricity danced across as the clearly cobbled together device malfunctioned and sent the creature into convulsions. E4 immediately put her hand to her own spine, her isopod wincing in sympathy.
¡°It... hurts.¡± The bat woman spoke. As she rose E4 saw her begin to wither. The woman, just moments ago early 20¡¯s, was already aging. Wrinkles formed, her skin already graying. Only her eyes remained ageless in their intensity. ¡°The silver, it hurts.¡±
¡°Can, can you talk?¡± E4 asked.
¡°So hungry, your blood, it¡¯s different. The pain, fades a bit¡± She spoke, stepping forwards. E4 saw her mouth open inhumanly wide, two large fangs already stretching out. She cried out. ¡°The Mistress, she hurts. The dark magic, a pact. She burns, but cannot die.¡±
¡°What do I do?¡± E4 asked.
¡°Cut the threads.¡± The bat creature let out another shriek. ¡°Tear out the pins!¡± As she spoke her skin became more and more gray, with black cracks forming around her eyes. With a wild shriek she lunged for E4, claws outstretched.
E4 ducked under, lashing out with her tail at the passing monster and slicing her from neck to groin. The red dress, pretty and noble a moment ago, fell from the flying corpse. Yet even as black ichor dripped the woman hit the wall and kicked off, flying for E4 once again.
¡°Poor monster.¡± E4 replied, jumping up at the last moment, a thrust of telekinesis throwing her just above the bat creature¡¯s claws, and letting her own claws find the woman¡¯s. ¡°Never bet against a ravager in a battle of claws.¡± In an instant the woman¡¯s wings were clipped. R4 reached out with telekinesis and pulled the pins from her spine, immediately she went limp as a dead fish. Only the sound of her jaw still gnashing its teeth let E4 know she was still alive. She reached out, sensing her own blood within the woman. Just like with the withered maid before, it was already wreaking havoc on the foreign body. ¡°Peace in Death, for another I could not save.¡± With a gesture the blood within ignited in metabolic fire. Within moments nothing was left but ashes and wires. Quickly E4 turned to A7, taking out her medical kit. ¡°A7, are you still alive.¡±
¡°Ow, everything is sore, everything is cold.¡± E4 quickly took A7¡¯s pulse, finding it racing. The woman was far paler than she should have been.
¡°Hold on, it looks like you¡¯re lost a lot of blood.¡± R4 extended a single claw and poked A7, injecting just a tiny bit of ravager toxin. Immediately her shivering reduced in intensity. E4 quickly drew a canteen from her medical bag, the object just seeming to be on top even as E4 felt a bit of ATP leave her body. She took a small sip of the canteen, a taste of herbs blooming across her tongue. ¡°Drink this, it will help replace the blood, or what we have instead of blood.¡±
A7 drank greedily, E4 having to stop her a few times. ¡°Poor Ca¡¯mil¡¯a. She didn¡¯t deserve that.¡±
¡°Come on, I¡¯m getting you out of here.¡± E4 said, lifting A7 and trying not to hurt her worse. As she carried the woman, she noticed her arm was bent in a way it definitely should not have been. ¡°Stay with me, keep talking.¡±
¡°But,¡±
¡°Who was that?¡± E4 asked. ¡°Ca¡¯mil¡¯a? Did you know her?¡±
¡°The countess¡¯s adopted daughter. The townsfolk said she was kicked out of Hell, and the countess took her in. It¡¯s all bunk, She was a bully, but she wasn¡¯t all bad. When Richard and I shared our first night she doused our door with pig¡¯s blood, but when Richard and I got in over our heads fighting a creature of The Myst a week later she flew in and clawed out its eyes.¡±
¡°She always looked like that?¡± E4 asked.
¡°She actually preferred white, not that anything she wore stayed white. First time I saw her she was wearing a wedding dress, and announcing she was marrying Richard. They were 12 at the time.¡± E4 saw the hole in the wall, just before the room collapsed and buried it behind burning rubble. ¡°One time Richard got her a dye that he told her would turn her fur white. It actually turned it yellow, and she looked like a canary. We got scolded for that, and she pranked us back. Those were the good days, when Richard¡¯s father was still alive, Lady Von Veil still loved him.¡± She closed her eyes. ¡°Hard to believe it¡¯s ending, I thought we might make it out this time.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not over, just hold on.¡± E4 set down A7 and winced. Extending her claws she gripped the burning rubble and lifted. She felt the heat on her hands, felt the flames trying to burn her even as she resisted the heat, yet the more she pulled it seemed the heavier the weight and the hotter the flames. ¡°What the Blood?¡±
¡°The house is cursed. Its walls reinforced with shaped myst.¡± A7 whispered. ¡°Corvus crafted it for Countess von Veil and tied it to her. So long as it is around, she cannot die, and so long as she is around it cannot be broken.¡±
¡°Every disease has a cure, even if it kills the patient in the process.¡± E4 replied. She paused, ¡°harvest-man, come back.¡±
E4 winced at the size of the isopod, now the size of a terrier, as it skittered over. Its frame was made from gold now, at least 30 kilograms of the stuff and enough muscle to bear it all. ¡°Red, has Mara managed to research how to create a telekinetic barrier?¡±
[[On Earth, distributed among the servers and wise minds sure. Here, no. The laws of physics are different here, and we can¡¯t use computers in the same way we did on Earth. We need to use something else, the most important building material.]]
¡°Human flesh, the most important of building materials. Of course we do, bleeding havoc. Harvest-man, dig deep, take her with you, make sure she has enough air.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, for we Myst Folk are on borrowed time and our death is not that bad. When I joined Richard I knew this is how our love would end.¡± A7 murmured. Inside the ravager toxin eased the pain, but being Aetheric it didn¡¯t exactly play nice with a Myst folk body. E4 tried not to think about that fact. ¡°Stay out of the shadows, I¡¯ll tell you that for free. Cost me an arm and a leg.¡± At her final words A7¡¯s arm and her right leg, which E4 now saw was half missing, both began leaking Myst by the gallon. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll meet again, don¡¯t hold it against Richard if you¡¯re not on the same side. For six lifetimes he has been cursed, perhaps in the eighth he shall be free.¡±
¡°Bleeding Havoc.¡± E4 muttered getting up and leaving the rapidly vanishing body of A7 behind. Returning to the hallway she immediately became aware of just how many shadows there were. In the distance she heard a loud CLANG followed by the cawing of crows. ¡°Maybe Donovan was right, should have let this place burn.¡±
Moving down the hall E4 listened for an ambush, for the grinding of gears that might indicate a trap, for anything that might indicate danger. Yet aside from the occasional calling of ravens or the clang of metal, the only sound she heard was a strange vibration. She closed her eyes to listen, but she couldn¡¯t tell exactly where it was coming from. Finally she reached an ornate wooden door stylized with a resplendent raven perched on a carving knife. E4 reached out for the handle, but froze as she felt something cut into her hand. Gently, gingerly, she pulled back and watched as a trickle of her blood rolled down a long length of wire, cleverly hidden in a thin yet long shadow cast by a nearly impossible to notice decoration on the nearest light. She quickly bandaged her hand and clipped the wire with her claws. Given her regeneration her wound was healed before the wire fully receded, but there was no need to give that detail away. Immediately she heard the snap resound behind her, and numerous gears and pullies begin to move. ¡°Bleeding Havoc!¡±
E4¡¯s horns buzzed as long shadows were cast across her, and razor sharp wires followed. She threw herself to the ground as the blades whipped past, almost losing her tail to one. She winced as she lost the first joint of one of her fingers. She slowly turned, and bore witness to the shredded remains of the door, and the figure beyond.
¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding.¡± E4 approached, kneeling to avoid a tense wire in case it decided to shot towards her. ¡°Countess Von Veil?¡± She slid forwards, before pushing herself back before a wire lashed through her space.
Before her Countess Von Veil neither floated nor levitated. While her black boots did not touch the ground it was no display of arcane or occult power, but merely the fact the rope around her neck would not stretch any further. Though she had seen her only once, and only played the part of a spoiled noble, The Hymn sang a tragedy of nobility lost, of desperation and longing hidden behind red regalia and makeup.
¡°It¡¯s like I came in at the final chapter of a story, I think I need more context.¡± A loud CLANG caught E4¡¯s attention and drew her eyes, only for a stray thread to lash out and cleave a chunk from her skirt. Had her reflexes not been inhumanly fast E4 would have been sporting a single leg rather than a split skirt. ¡°Ok, go slow, go quiet.¡±
With a gesture E4 conjured a small flame, which dispelled the shadows around her. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking of it earlier, as the threads immediately became more visible. Making her way past the body of Countess Von Veil she ascended the staircase behind her. ¡°What is with mansions that have large staircases in the main entryway? Does the owner sit up here waiting for guests?¡± As she made it to the top of the first set of stairs she did find a well adorned chair complete with a small book case on its left side. Two additional stairways, one to the left and one to the right, offered themselves. The one on the left was on fire, and the one on the right was making such an attractive cawing sound.
E4 charged up the stairs, only for Richard to be thrown out and knock her right down the stairs with enough force to bend one of her horns and send her vision reeling.
¡°Don¡¯t you get it Von Veil.¡± Corvus spoke, approaching the stairs. His eyes were now hidden behind glowing purple light, his black hair long and filled with black feathers.
¡°Ugh, did I miss a power up sequence?¡± E4 asked as she tried to resolve which way was up. ¡°Also when did you guys have a falling out?¡±
¡°Lo, the low warlock limps back into the flames.¡± Corvus made a rude gesture, which immediately resolved into a spectral crow that soared from his hand towards E4. Quick as a wink she had her blade in the air and the crow was pinned to the ceiling. ¡°Welcome to the final act of The Butcher of Von Veil.¡±
¡°What? What¡¯s that have to do with anything?¡± E4 exclaimed. ¡°Time out, I think I missed something.¡± She quickly switched to resonant. ¡°Red, help me out.¡±
[[Current data is insufficient]]
¡°And Lo did not the butcher shed his mantle that he might take the form of a man, to free himself from his curse that he might begin anew.¡± Corvus gestured, dark myst lifting Richard into the air. ¡°Yet not once did you think of the damage it would cause to your little hovel. For without a cursed no village nor town may endure, for they are fleeting as morning mist, a signpost set in sand rather than stone.¡± With a gesture he threw Richard towards his step mother. Immediately a shadowy thread lashed out at him, only a lightning fast slash with a butcher¡¯s knife sparing him. ¡°Yet your sins find you still, a butcher¡¯s knife shall find thee always.¡± He turned to E4. ¡°And you, the failure of a maid, are these flames your doing? Did thou steal the weapon of the failed knight?¡±
¡°Harm me not fell wizard, for my knight shall avenge my death. Lo, for the flames of his wrath even now lick the foundation of this fell cathedral.¡± E4 replied, noticing The Hymn influencing her words as she spoke.
¡°Hark, for thou art a knave. For the destruction of this mansion shall be the death knell of this province. Was it not by my guile that the lady was deceived into separating her domain from the rails? For truth, every action was for the feast of my patron. The Circle of Decay shall not be denied this bounty.¡±
¡°Decay, I thought your patron was a bird.¡± E4 asked.
¡°Fool, the raven is both an agent of decay and a bird, a patron might hold domain in multiple courts.¡± He pointed to her. ¡°Yet your soul shall be claimed, a prize for the circle of decay. Your life forever devoted to your new master¡¯s feathers, to feeding the eternal,¡± At that moment there was a low crunch as the floor behind him collapsed. He turned, and before his eyes a large golden shelled isopod waved at him. ¡°cycle?¡±
That was all the distraction E4 needed. She threw herself up the stairs, taking advantage of her subversion to bypass the need to use the stairs and her claws were already at Corvus¡¯s throat. ¡°Devil¡¯s handkerchief, what magic is this?¡±
¡°Your patron has their tricks,¡± E4 replied, lashing out with her claws, before spinning around to let her tail sweep low and knock Corvus off his feet. While her claws he deflected with his staff her tail caught him in the back of the knee and sent him to the ground, ignorant of the cut or the toxin within. ¡°Mine has hers. Now tell me, what did you do to the village?¡±
¡°Quite a mess, a little lie to the countess, told her how to become a real Myst cursed. All she had to do was accept the mantle of the Raven who Circles, didn¡¯t even see it was a noose. One quick push off the balcony,¡± He nodded and E4 noticed a spot where the handrails were damaged, ¡°And that was all it took. Of course Richard didn¡¯t agree, spineless welp couldn¡¯t turn on his dear old step mum even as she drained him dry. How The Butcher could fall so far I do not know. Yet now he is food for my master. It matters not if you slay me or not, for I have already won. Yet personally,¡±
E4 turned back just as an enormous raven slammed into her, throwing her right through where the guardrail was already damaged, right into the range of the hanged woman.
Chapter 15: Old flesh, New flesh, Ravager Flesh, Blue Flesh.
Ere¡¯lur looked over her small village. The stone structures, so strong to human hands, felt like so much kindling. Two weeks the horrors had been clamoring at the fence. She pumped the well, her bucket ready to catch the water that was to come.
¡°Ere¡¯lur, hurry up.¡± A friendly voice called. She looked over at Gol¡¯cru, looking lovely in the long black dress of her maid¡¯s outfit. It was old, repaired and handed down much like her own. Her long curly black hair hung loose behind her hairband and her yellow eyes seemed to glow with her usual cheerfulness. In her arms was a basket of eggs. ¡°The sky grows dark, the rotters shall soon be up and about.¡±
¡°I will be there soon.¡± Ere¡¯lur responded. She eyed the well. While the pump was far nicer than having to use a bucket, she looked in envy at the two silver prongs. If she were blessed she could grab those and have all the water she wanted. ¡°Oh, if only I could swallow a soul.¡±
¡°You still on about that?¡± Gol¡¯cru asked, stopping by. ¡°Ere, you¡¯re 19, if you were going to swallow a soul you would have by now. All blessed reveal themselves by the time they¡¯re 10 or so, you know that. They taught us that in church.¡± She quickly stood beside her. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re too short.¡±
¡°But do you remember being 10? Maybe we were created last week with memories that stretch back these 19 years.¡±
¡°Maybe not five minutes ago.¡± Gol¡¯cru teased back. ¡°Just hurry up. According to Her¡¯th¡¯grav there will be a regulator coming by tomorrow. Maybe you¡¯ll be lucky enough to get picked. I¡¯d hate to leave you behind because they thought you looked tired. No one likes a lazy maid.¡± Ere¡¯lur went back to work, but Gol¡¯cru remained. ¡°Just think of it, no more this town, no more village boys trying to get into your skirts, no more worrying if tonight¡¯s the night the monsters finally get you. Traveling with the Blessed, seeing the world, maybe even finding romance if you¡¯re lucky. They say their trains are wonders of the modern world.¡±
¡°Oh, I agree.¡± Ere¡¯lur replied. ¡°But still, I don¡¯t want to just marry a Blessed, I want to BE a Blessed. I don¡¯t want to cook meals and listen to my master or mistress tell me about adventures, I want to GO on adventures.¡± With a gesture she produced a blade. ¡°And if I have to slay a thousand rotters to get The Myst¡¯s approval I will do it.
¡°And that¡¯s why none of the boys approach you.¡± Gol¡¯cru teased. ¡°Better learn to be a lady quick, if you don¡¯t get picked soon you¡¯re going to be an old maid. That or the mayor will get you.¡±
Ere¡¯lur went back to her work, and with a final pump managed to fill the large bronze bucket she was working on. As she reached to pick it up she noticed something small floating in the water. She reached for it, and her hand went numb as the thing bit her and crawled up onto her hand.
Immediately The Hymn sang in her ears, and she lifted the isopod to her eye.
E4 blinked, sitting up and nailing her head on the bunk above her. ¡°Ow, what the,¡± She blinked yet even as the dream faded from her mind the darkness remained. She held her hands before her face, but she couldn¡¯t see anything. ¡°Did I go blind, or,¡± She put her hands on her head, feeling short hair and a smooth skull beneath. ¡°No horns?¡±
[[Favor: 0. Lone survivor achievement has been replaced by unknown achievement]]
¡°Ok, that¡¯s¡ bad?¡± E4 stood, checking herself over. Aside from missing her ravager features she felt alright. ¡°But where am I?¡± She closed her eyes, and listened. The Hymn was more muffled than it was previously, but she could still hear it. It directed her to the door, where a light shone through.
¡°Ere¡¯lur, what are you doing up?¡± A gruff male voice asked. She whipped around, reaching for her claws¡ except rather than claws her hand found a dagger hidden in her night clothes. Before her, sitting in an old rocking chair, a gruff looking hunter sat. In his hands he held a shotgun, though it was not aimed anywhere in particular. He did not look dressed for hunting, rather he wore a simple white shirt.
¡°My apologies Hir¡¯th¡¯grav, I was just¡ Wait, no, that¡¯s not right.¡± E4 shook off The Hymn. ¡°How did I get here? I was just,¡±
¡°Ere¡¯lur, you still half asleep?¡± The man, Hir¡¯th¡¯grav asked. He raised his shotgun, ¡°Or have ye¡¯ been taken by a spirit?¡±
¡°What, no, I¡¯m not Ere¡¯lur. My name is E4,¡± She paused, and froze. She tried to remember, but couldn¡¯t. She remembered everything from the time she awoke in her mistress¡¯s car, and she remembered her life as Erin, but Ere¡¯th¡¯var was gone. A moment ago she could remember her parents and her village home, but now she could not. Instead of her father, she pictured Hir¡¯th¡¯grav the maid minder. Any woman in the village whose parents died was trained as a maid, in hopes that a blessed would take them in. ¡°She¡¯s, she¡¯s gone. What, what¡¯s going on?¡±
¡°Well someone¡¯s eager, haven¡¯t even been picked by a regulator and you¡¯re already going by their names. Though I believe E is normally for engineers, unless you¡¯ve been taking engineering classes from Tin¡¯gol in the forge. You should go back to bed, my bones ache something fierce. The Myst is thick, and creatures lurk. Soon the Regulators shall come.¡± A loud BANG struck the door, causing both of them to jump. ¡°Quickly, back to bed¡±
¡°What¡¯s out there?¡± E4 asked, blade out. Her tail twitched, or the nerves that controlled her tail did. ¡°Red, are you there?¡± She whispered, trying to speak resonant. It came out garbled.
[[Er¡]]
¡°Maid, go back to bed. These things are dangerous.¡± The door slammed again, then again. ¡°Dang, they heard us. Go back, lock your door.¡±
Unbidden a memory from Ere¡¯lur crossed E4¡¯s mind. A vision of a regulator, and despite the impossibility she could have sworn it was Mason, running their hand across their blade and leaving it sparking with electricity. She did the same, but with no reaction. The man smiled at her, and patted her on the head. E4 couldn¡¯t tell if it was an actual memory or just an illusion of The Myst, but she did as the memory instructed, though she accidentally nicked herself and spread a line of blood along her blade. Immediately Aetheric snow began to crackle along the edge.
With another BANG the monster knocked the door right off its hinges. Hir¡¯th¡¯grav blasted it with his shotgun, and E4 heard the monster fall back, only for another to stumble forwards. Caught with an unloaded weapon Hir¡¯th¡¯grav hurriedly tried to reload, dropping the shotgun shell in his haste.
In that instant E4 saw the intruder and took barely half a moment to analyze the situation. The fallen creature and the still standing one were both humans, or had been. Both bore dull blue skin, as if they had frozen to death. Their hands had turned black, further hinting at frostbite. Their eyes lacked the shadows that most Myst folk had, yet their eyes had some manner of growth covering it. Each corpse allowed their mouth to hang open, though no saliva dribbled out, and both had a rough hole where their nose had been. Had E4 not been there the stumbling corpse would have grabbed Hir¡¯th¡¯grav long before he could have reloaded. Yet E4 was there, and she had a knife in her hand. With practiced ease augmented by her new body¡¯s already practiced muscles she thrust the blade cleanly into the creature¡¯s neck. She got maybe a few centimeters before her blade stuck, as if she had stabbed into thick mud. With a grunt of exertion she pushed forwards, unbalancing the corpse before driving her full weight behind the blade. There was a POP and both Aether and myst poured out of the wound as the corpse stilled. With another cry of exertion she forced the blade back out and stabbed into the temple of the other one before it could right itself. Her first blow was shallow, her second went right into the brain. An outflowing of Myst rushed past her, as if being pulled somewhere else.
[[Dense Myst detected. Accelerating growth]] E4¡¯s eyes began to bug out, strange colors flashing across them. She closed her eyes, counting to 10.
¡°What are you doing, get back inside.¡± Already E4 saw more of the undead converging. Nearby she saw one break into a house, immediately she remembered it was the home of the Weaver family. She couldn¡¯t remember much about them, but one detail stuck out in her mind. When she had lost her family Mrs. Weaver had made her a cloak. It was by her efforts none of the maids were for want of clothes. On some level E4 had to wonder if this wasn¡¯t The Hymn encouraging her to intervene. On the other she was already sprinting towards the pair of rotten corpses.
¡°Hey numbskull!¡± One of the undead turned her, its pallid face blank, its mouth open in a moan. Immediately E4 slammed her knife through the roof of its mouth before ripping it back out in a shower of rotting teeth. With a gesture she threw a lightning bolt at the other, or tried. A small spark of electricity shot from her hand and struck the undead, but it did nothing more than burn a chunk of flesh and get its attention. It turned away to face her, and received a smack upside the head from Mr. Weaver. E4 took advantage of the opportunity to stab it right in the spot she had struck with electricity. Compared to the others, its skull was softer there and a second jolt carried through the blade resulted a rush of darkened Myst which exploded from its eye sockets.
¡°Spi¡¯cr, are you alright? Anyone bit?¡± E4 asked, The Hymn supplying the name. She immediately recognized both occupants despite having never met them. One of the rotten¡¯s arms began to twitch, which lead to E4 grabbing its arm and stabbing it in the joint once, twice, three times before it stopped. She took a deep breath, then another before panting at the exertion ¡°You stay down.¡±
¡°Ere¡¯lur, what are you doing out at this hour?¡±
¡°A bunch of corpses decided to kick in my door.¡± E4 noted the myst drifting off the dispatched corpses begin to flow with purpose out the door and down the street. ¡°Bleeding havoc, I¡¯m under powered for this. She lifted the door, eyeing how it was supposed to fit. ¡°Think you can rig something to keep this from falling over?¡±
¡°We will think of something, but you should be,¡±
¡°I¡¯ve got Aether now.¡± E4 was surprised with the voice, for it was not her speaking but Ere¡¯lur. ¡°And I¡¯m going to do something with it.¡± She strode out, and immediately found the next group of undead. This one held eight, and one of them was armored.
¡°Red, can you hear me?¡±
[[Yes. Help limited. Isopod small- Red Queen]]
¡°Yeah, and how on Earth did it get in this body?¡± Immediately her mind went back to the dream, or memory. A sensation of wanting more, then a sense of an opportunity taken without reading the fine print. She hadn¡¯t even hesitated when the isopod ate through her orbital socket. ¡°Bleeding havoc, does The Myst know nothing about ravagers? It¡¯s asking for a feral mixing two souls like that.¡± Her hands went to her horns, yet her skull was still smooth and lacking of horns. She didn¡¯t feel any deviations, nor were there any voices in her head howling for food. As if summoned by her thoughts, her stomach started to growl.
¡°Hush, I¡¯ll feed you in a bit.¡± E4 whispered, her tongue not willing to chitter in resonant. She jumped onto the roof of a nearby building, or tried. Her attempt at a telekinetic leap flopped. She settled for scrambling up on limbs that felt far too weak. ¡°I haven¡¯t been this weak since before I got an isopod. I¡¯ll have to get tested to see what¡¯s going on with this body.¡± She paused, making a gesture. No flames appeared in her hands. ¡°Bleeding Havoc, back to square 1, or 1.5 since this body seems to know how to use a knife.¡± She paused. ¡°Shoot, I¡¯m going to have to apologize to her parents if they live through this.¡±
Creeping up on the rotter group was interesting. For one, her body felt normal enough but it was very different sneaking close as Ere¡¯lur compaired to Ere¡¯th¡¯var. Ere¡¯lur was slightly shorter yet more muscular. It didn¡¯t help that she had gained a few centimeters during her charging, which she promptly lost in this new body. Peeking over E4¡¯s hand twitched for her crossbow, four rotters were banging on an iron banded door while a rotter wearing a helmet watched. The other three had wandered off somewhere E4 noticed the watching rotten had armor on its arms and legs, but not its chest.
¡°Oh, you¡¯re about to regret that.¡± E4 threw herself from the roof, and promptly landed half way to her target. ¡°Fangs of The Lady!¡±
The helmeted rotten turned around, raising a blade in its rotting hand. The blade was rusted and pitted as if it had been resting in a mud puddle for years, yet that isn¡¯t what concerned E4. Instead, it was the clouded eyes that it saw through.
¡°You¡¯re myst cursed!¡± E4 exclaimed. To which the undead opened its maw, let out a shriek, and charged. Only a quick step back kept E4 out of its reach, and a quick slice with her blade caught it in the back of the knee. ¡°Good thinking with the armor, but it sure does slow you down.¡± The undead snarled and the other four turned towards her. ¡°Well, no emergencies in a pandemic. Catch me if you can."
Immediately E4 ran, the undead chasing her. Surprisingly the armored one managed to get to her first, its blade lashing out towards her head. E4 ducked beneath, stabbing it in its chest and piercing its unfeeling heart. Her blow slid cleanly between its ribs, and unlike the previous undead met little resistance. ¡°Nothing huh? How about it I do this?¡± E4 kicked the rotten off her blade, and with a gesture of her hand fed resonance into the previous cut. Immediately the cells lurking among the toxin went to work, forcibly relaxing and numbing the muscle. To E4''s surprise the blue of its skin seemed to writhe and make the underlying skin bunch up as it tried to flee from the wound. The leader stumbled, and that was all the opportunity E4 needed. She stepped forwards and plunged her blade into the thing¡¯s spine, Aether burning through the nerves. The initial blow staggered it, and E4 rained down half a dozen more before on the eighth blow the creature¡¯s head finally fell free. ¡°Alright, now you four,¡± She gestured towards the other undead. ¡°Drop.¡±
Instead E4 heard a low POP sound, and when she looked down a small oddly colored blob had forced its way out of the wounds. ¡°What the blood?¡± Immediately the slime mold began crawling towards the nearest rotter. ¡°Hey, none of that you!¡± She dropped, jabbing her blade into it, and the slime just kept moving. E4 tried stabbing it again, and again, but it kept ignoring the blow. E4 raised her blade one last time, but was forced to back off as two of the rotten attempted to stumble into her. She batted aside the first blow, yet it left her staggering and forced her to give ground to avoid the second. By the time she regained her balance the damage was done. The remaining rotten picked up the mold, and held it to its nose where it quickly squeezed in. ¡°HEY! That¡¯s my trick!¡± E4 eyed the other rotten approaching. ¡°Blast it, this isn¡¯t going to work. She heard a low Zip off to her right, and saw more rotten touch the electric fence. She noticed how they immediately lost their fingers, the fence converting some flesh to Aether and returning the rest to myst. The surrounding myst hung low to the ground, ¡°That¡¯s it! Hey Hymn of the Myst, if you can hear me, where¡¯s the standing stones?¡±
There was no response, save a low chitering. E4 couldn¡¯t parce most of it, but it gave her a general direction. Immediately she began running in that direction.
The standing stones were right next to the train tracks, which were just outside the electric fence. Dozens of undead milled around, thankfully on the outside of the electric fence. E4 whipped around finding the undead stumbling after her at their usual low speed save for the one who still had a face full of slime mold. ¡°Come on, you can go faster than that.¡± And with that she bolted for the standing stones. Immediately she noted a lot of myst accumulating within, and grinned. For a moment she could almost feel her fangs in her mouth. ¡°Hey Red, remember how Hel¡¯en said if we sacrifice components to the standing stones we get extra rewards? How do you think it would feel about an un-living sacrifice?¡±
[[¡]] E4 couldn¡¯t parse my response, but it was both disapproving and interested.
E4 positioned herself next to the standing stones, in a gap between the pillars. She pointed at the lead rotter. ¡°Hey, slime for brains, I¡¯ve got a surprise for you.¡± The creature seemed to pause, its nose seemed to leak as if the slime was trying to escape, yet the rotten charged forwards heedless of the danger. Yet danger there was, and with one arm E4 grabbed the creature by the throat, letting the force of its charge carry them both into the center of the standing stones. She reached up, and listening to The Hymn her hands twitched.
In the next instant E4 was ever so glad for the ravager toxin in her system muting her pain receptors.
E4 was not sure how long she lay there, only that at some point the sun rose. Awareness came slowly as E4 awoke. She sat up, and managed to knock her horns on the bunk above rather than her head. Progress.
¡°What the, Red, you there?¡±
[[Ravager deployment at 100%. Host is still in uncharged state, yet a clever workaround is in the works. Mara thanks you for providing a wealth of knowledge on the ravager life cycle within the distant shores. I am glad you are not dead, or, not still dead-Red Queen.]] A low scraping sound echoed through her skull as her isopod shifted happily within its home. It was quite fortunate isopods don¡¯t get clostrophobia.
¡°Good to have you back,¡± A low clinking sound caught E4¡¯s attention as she noticed the thick metal handcuffs currently around her wrists. ¡°Why am I under arrest?¡± She clicked the cuffs, and probed the lock with her telekinesis. They immediately fell off and she scrambled to put them back on in case someone checked. She stood, examining her surroundings. She was in her room again, wearing a thrown together gown that was more patches than fabric.
As she pushed through the door she was immediately stopped by two well built men, each bearing a spear, and one carrying a familiar blade.
¡°Why do you have my knife?¡± E4 asked. The myst folk shot her a shadowy eyed look and ran a hand through his beard.
¡°Ere¡¯lur, you have really done it this time.¡± A boisterous voice spoke. Each of the men stepped aside as a fat, truly fat at least 200 kg, man waddled forwards. He had a short mustache and a pig like nose. E4 half expected his eyes to be cloudy but instead they were shadowed. He adjusted his monacle, ¡°Skimping on chores and going out late, those I can forgive. Even refusing to warm my bed I can let slide,¡± He drew the die, ¡°But stealing regulator magic, I can¡¯t overlook this.¡±
¡°That is mine.¡± E4 exclaimed. She reached for it, but he quickly pulled it back.
¡°Nope, I¡¯m keeping it. After all, I know you stole it. I don¡¯t know how, but there is no way you could have gotten this legitimately.¡± immediately the die dropped from his hand, landing on a 1. He reached down to pick it up, yet his bulk prevented him. ¡°Sku¡¯re¡¯he, get that for me.¡±
¡°You realize that¡¯s a bargain right, keeping it will only bring you misfortune.¡±
¡°Well look at you using the blessed words.¡± He reached out and pinched her cheek, which earned him a bite on the hand. ¡°Bah,¡± He slapped E4 across the face, which despite the force she barely felt. Aside from some lightning marks along her arms she was fully healed. ¡°Get her dressed, the trains are coming soon.¡± He took a lock of her hair in his hand and sniffed it. ¡°With any luck, one of them will have a taste in red head and you¡¯ll be out of my hair. If not, then I will simply have you warm my bed.¡±
E4 looked him dead in the eyes, and returned a smile that hid the isopod leg fangs behind her teeth. ¡°Of course Mayor Sha¡¯ris. I shall wrap you a scarlet cocoon worthy of a black widow.¡±
¡°Hah, finally coming to your senses. Maybe I should hide you in the back.¡±
¡°Sir, we only have 4 maids without her, the regulators are expecting five.¡± One of the other men spoke up. ¡°They¡¯re going to ask questions.¡±
¡°Then get her ready. Do I have to spell it out for you.¡±
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
As the other men shoved her from what she qucikly realized was the town lock up back to the maid¡¯s residence. Hir¡¯th¡¯grav looked at the men escorting her with surprise. ¡°Get those off of her you fools, do you want the regulators to think we are trying to pass a criminal off on them?¡±
¡°She is a criminal, she stole regulator tools.¡±
¡°I got those from the standing stones same as anyone else.¡± E4 replied. This earned her a smack. Immediately her tail lashed out, catching the man sending him sprawling. She quickly curled up her tail before he could realize what had happened.
¡°She tripped me!¡± The man exclaimed.
¡°You fell on your own, damn fool.¡± Hir¡¯th¡¯grav replied. ¡°Look at her, Ere¡¯lur may be trained in the ways of the regulators, but you¡¯ve got a quarter meter and 20 kilograms on her. Go, I¡¯ll deal with her.¡± The two men turned and left, one of them sporting a still bleeding wound that he couldn¡¯t feel. Even as he walked E4 could see Aether and myst alike spilling from the wound. ¡°Ere¡¯lur, are you alright?¡±
¡°I will live.¡± She smiled, the cuffs dropping off her arms with a CLANG. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m wounded much, and I heal pretty quick.¡±
¡°Ere¡¯lur you¡¯re back. We were wondering where you were.¡± Gol¡¯cru said. Ere¡¯lur smiled, E4 following the instinct as she embraced her friend. ¡°Where did you get those ornaments? They look a bit exotic, are you trying to stand out? Wait, never mind, we have to get you ready.¡±
E4 was quickly pushed into a cold shower, and dressed in an outfit that vaguely resembled the one she had worn for Marissa. As she adjusted her headband she felt a tinge of loneliness.
¡°Just have to make a good impression, and then I¡¯m out of here and away from that pig.¡± E4 said to herself, adjusting her hair in the mirror. Her eyes shone slightly, one amethyst the other azure. They weren¡¯t as bright as they had been, but they were definitely the eyes of an Aether blessed. She noted she had a cute button nose, which reminded her almost of Marissa¡¯s especially with the high cheekbones. Ere¡¯lur¡¯s Raven hair had begun to turn red, though with black tips that E4 quite liked. With a little brushing she could hide her horns a bit, though it made her look as if she was wearing a strange wig. Her horns came out behind her ears, where they curled up into an incomplete halo.
Giving her dress one more look over she found the outfit was far from ideal. For one it was too big, causing it to sag in strange places. Her hands twitched, wishing she had access to her fast fabrication skill, but while she could almost sense it, she couldn¡¯t quite trigger it. She could remember how her fingers moved, but she couldn¡¯t replicate it. ¡°It¡¯s like I had a stroke and have to relearn everything.¡± She paused. ¡°Red, do I no longer have regeneration?¡±
[[Regeneration protocol had been hindered, but not stopped. Flash fabrication is offline but flesh fabrication will work to some extent. The harvest-man subversion is completely offline. Currently it is limited to what you had on Earth, so losing an arm will require a large number of calories and at least a week to restore, as opposed to 18 hours. Also, I have an interesting piece of information. Several innate skills returned the moment your host body implanted the isopod, and all innate skills returned once you were struck by lightning. I am not sure if this is because they are truly innate to you, or because they come from Mara¡¯s pact. Given the nature of being a ravager, I do not know if there is much difference for you, though other ravagers if they arrive or are created may vary. A number of subversion will still work without their corresponding skills though at greatly reduced levels and for far more ATP. Also you have a new achievement skill, which I will save as a surprise.]]
¡°Ooh, can¡¯t wait. I¡¯m sure it will be shocking.¡± E4 smiled at her little pun.
E4 was shown to her place next to Gol¡¯cru and three other maids that The Hymn seemed reluctant to provide the names for. She noted they were all in similar gray and white dresses, which resembled a maid¡¯s dress but with no frills whatsoever. She didn¡¯t even have pockets in hers, something she decided to fix as soon as possible, skills or not.
A loud whistling sound echoed from the town, heralding the coming of the regulators. ¡°Alright girls, just as we practiced.¡± Hir¡¯th¡¯grav tapped his walking stick, his shotgun attached to his back over a fine though worn blue coat, and they were off. E4 found she could easily walk in step with the tap tap of his walking stip. Despite the walking stick he moved surely and quickly, and memories bubbled up to E4 of him using it like a quarterstaff while she learned how to wield a dagger. The memory brought a smile to her face, even if she knew it wasn¡¯t her own.
The whole town was out to greet the regulators, and in the light of day E4 noted the town was far larger than she had thought. She quickly estimated at least 400 homes, mostly single story or two story, and mostly made from stone. Ere¡¯lur¡¯s memories told her there used to be more, and they were mostly wood, but that changed when the undead started to rise. ¡°Wait, when was that? The undead have only been coming for 2 weeks, yet hundreds of homes were converted from wood to stone?¡±
[[Going through your memories I noted several discrepancies. Ere¡¯lur has memories of being a child and fleeing from rotter, of seeing her mother slain by a rotter, and of seeing a potential romantic partner being slain by a rotter during a date. In each of these instances she received quite a shock as she did not know what the creature was-Red Queen.]]
¡°Sounds like someone¡¯s been messing with her mind. Better keep a close eye, if my memory starts changing, I¡¯d like to know.¡±
[[Agreed, the manipulation of brain chemistry is my domain.]]
The maids were escorted to just outside the regulator guild hall, which E4 recognized as the building the rotters were trying to break into. Two trains were currently resting beyond the fence, one refilling from a large water town and another behind it. E4 quickly noticed two groups of regulators, and one of them looked very familiar.
¡°Hey, where did you get this?¡± E4¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she heard a familiar voice, only for Hir¡¯th¡¯grav to take her hand and shake his head no.
¡°They¡¯ll get to us, don¡¯t worry.¡±
E4 smiled as she saw Marissa, now dressed in a blood red corset done up with black ribbon and a black dress beneath. Beneath she wore long black gloves and thigh high black boots, which E4 could tell because the left side of her dress had a slit high enough for her to see skin despite the boot. Next to her Marcus almost looked drab, a black vest and white shirt with black pants and his usual top hat and cloak. E4 watched the mayor begin to sweat as Marissa tore into him about something, then she noticed he was still holding her die. ¡°Misfortune indeed.¡±
¡°Here they come.¡± Gol¡¯cru whispered breathlessly. E4 quickly diverted her attention to a pair of regulators who were approaching.
¡°Alright, big smiles.¡± E4 smiled as The Hymn sang loud in her ears. She felt her eyes dim involuntarily, and just before she could shake it off a wicked thought appeared in her mind.
The two regulators that approached were both Aether Blessed, a man and a woman. The man looked the part of a seasoned adventurer, a thick vest bulged with pockets and equipment, a bandoleer held three rods, one silver and two bronze. His black boots matched with his black gloves, while his undershirt was a lighter tan than his vest. On his head, partially covering his curly black hair was a brown cap. On his hip he held a whip as well as a revolver. His eyes blazed with golden light. Substitute the rods for grenades and he¡¯d look ready to venture into the darkest heart of Africa, a seasoned adventurer returning to his homeland to finally uproot the secrets that had once been but myth and legend.
The woman however came from a different genre. She wore long boots, but that was her only concession to practicality. She wore a low cut silk dress that looked delicate enough to fall apart if she moved wrong. The hem only went down to her knees, and was open on either side up to her hip. A quick glance from her dress to Marissa¡¯s convinced E4 they might be competing. Her arms and legs were both adorned with flowing green tattoos which seemed to flow up her arms and to a round tattoo on her upper breastbone. E4 couldn¡¯t see how the ones to her legs connected, but there seemed to be a flowing line that went from the round tattoo between her breasts and down her dress before reappearing on her hips and stretching down until they disappeared into her boots. She bore a similar tattoo on her forehead that resembled a flower symbol. Most noticeably were the horn hair ornaments that seemed to be coming from just in front of her ears, each tipped with jade and a small emerald. E4 would have thought her a jade beauty if not for her golden brown skin. Matched with her eye shape, and the black eye of Ra style makeup E4 could swear she was of Egyptian origin.
¡°Let¡¯s see, who do we have here.¡± The man, The Hymn whispered the name Imnad Marked. E4 could see he was strangely uncomfortable. ¡°Ok, first, you are all here willingly right? We¡¯re not taking you from any happy homes are we?¡± E4 shot him a confused look while the other four all nodded. ¡°Tarnation, I hope I never get used to this. Alright, show me your teeth.¡± It seemed an odd request, but E4 smiled as did the others. Imnad turned to his wife. ¡°I can¡¯t, Vienna, you mind taking a look.¡±
¡°Does my esteemed husband not wish to view the lovely young maidens before him?¡± Vienna asked with a polite smile, before spreading a fan before her face. E4 didn¡¯t miss the complex looking symbols, part magic runes and part circuitry. ¡°Very well, this mistress shall examine each delicious fruit and determine which tastes the sweetest.¡±
¡°You know how I feel about this.¡± E4 noticed him run his hands across his wrists, wrists which bore thick scars.
¡°Oh hush husband, they are here willingly and there are no chains on their wrists. They are but projections upon The Myst, just like anyone else here.¡± She stepped forwards, her emerald and golden eyes blazing with life. Unlike E4¡¯s own heterochromia her irises were emerald on the outside and gold closer to the pupil, with a gentle transition between. E4 could sense the Myst entering her with every breath, and felt something familiar. Her horns twitched in the woman¡¯s presense, warning her that the woman was unnaturally solid. She was dainty, with a model¡¯s grace and figure, yet E4 could swear it felt as if the woman could bend steel beams with her bare hands and her skin was made from carved jade. ¡°Lay your eyes upon this fanciful lily, does she not bear the marks of Terra?¡± E4 froze as the woman stared at her, and with a gentle hand parted her hair to reveal one of her horns. ¡°Fair Marissa, mine eye has discovered something.¡±
¡°Coming.¡± Marissa shot the mayor a death glare as she handed over a stack of coin and took the die as well as a bag marked with a symbol E4 didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°What¡¯s up Vienna? I thought we agreed you¡¯d get first pick.¡±
¡°Examine this delicious young flower, does she not resemble someone you know? Perhaps a hint at your successor. Perhaps the Eagle-Wood family roots stretch even here.¡± A delicate yet cruel smile grew across her face. ¡°Or perhaps it a branch shall soon bud.¡±
Marcus had arrived by that time and examined E4. ¡°She kind of looks like you, maybe a bit shorter, but the face is different, the hair too. Her face looks a bit more like E4¡¯s, and the hair color reminds me of her hair under her wig. Now that I think about it, doesn¡¯t she look like a mix of you two? The ornaments are a bit odd, I didn¡¯t think Myst Folks liked exotic ornaments.¡±
¡°They¡¯re nice though, reminds me of a certain entry from Gargax¡¯s book of fiends. Think she¡¯s got some kind of mixed blood in her? Maybe The Myst is taking a liking to you Vienna.¡± Marissa replied, reaching up to touch one. Her hand slowly moved from E4¡¯s horn to her hair, until she was cupping her head. E4 leaned into it, The Hymn encouraging the action. ¡°Oh, I like this one, not afraid to be touched but look at her blush.¡±
¡°Mistress, I think we both know why that is.¡± E4 replied, burning off the shadows in her eyes.
¡°E4?¡± Marcus exclaimed, before Marissa embraced her in a hug. ¡°What, how did you get here? We left you with Patterson.¡±
E4 eagerly returned the hug. ¡°I missed you too.¡±
¡°Um, am I missing something?¡± Imnad asked. ¡°Did she just swallow a soul at this exact instant, because that is some unbelievable timing.¡±
¡°My beloved, I believe this one has just returned from a trip to the cycle of this world.¡± Vienna spoke. ¡°Tell me child, how much of The Myst¡¯s grace did you burn to escape the teeth of the grave? Did the hand of The Enshrowded pull you from those still lands and place you here?¡±
E4 held onto her mistress for a moment longer before answering. ¡°I had one favor.¡± She spoke, letting go. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have it anymore.¡±
¡°A single mote of The Grace of Heaven, to cheat the devouring fangs of death. Truly you are an unlucky sort. I fear your branches have been burned down to the root, only a stump will remain. Such tragedy is the norm in this place. Yet to return on the great wheel is in itself great fortune, and with a form unmarred or changed to one more vulgar.¡±
E4 gave her a look. ¡°Um, I don¡¯t quite get it.¡±
¡°Are you referring to reincarnation?¡± Marcus replied. ¡°Those theories cannot be tested, the evidence is shaky at best.¡±
¡°And what would the late patriarch of the Eagle-Wood family say? Does he lie peacefully in his grave and decay,¡± She promptly lay both hands upon Marissa¡¯s shoulders and whispered gently in her ear, ¡°or chase the maid skirts even now.¡±
¡°That was different.¡± Marcus retorted as Marissa blushed. ¡°We were using a highly experimental teleportation apparatus, and we were fresh off the great disaster with dozens of favor.¡±
¡°Um, fill me in.¡± E4 asked
¡°They¡¯re talking about what happens when we die, do we leave The Myst for Heaven or Hell, or do we just end up lost within The Myst again?¡± Imnad replied. ¡°It¡¯s a lot of metaphysics and mumbo jumbo that Vienna would love to lecture you on for hours at a time.¡±
¡°Yet without an in depth knowledge of the dao how can one transcend the mere physical to a more perfected form. Do I not regrow my scales with every death, only to shed them for this current flesh? For the heart shall always unbalance the feather, unless through understanding one¡¯s heart grows wings to embrace the divine.¡± She immediately began speaking, and at some point broke into another language E4 didn¡¯t know but could get the gist of if she focused. From how Marissa¡¯s eyes glazed over she didn¡¯t know it either, though Marcus seemed to and tried to interject a few times.
¡°So long story short, sometimes The Myst can save someone from death, and sometimes it nabs their soul and shoves it in a new body.¡± Imnad simplified. ¡°Seems like that happened to you.¡±
¡°It would be the second time, but I can¡¯t help but worry. Won¡¯t my body¡¯s original mind reassert itself? I can already access some of her memories, will she return?¡±
¡°That¡¯s just The Hymn messing with you, it feeds you false memories to try and get you to play along until you¡¯re old enough to crack the yoke it places upon you.¡± That didn¡¯t make the memories feel less real. ¡°It should stop once you¡¯re charged. On that note, how long have you been here?¡±
¡°Just since last night.¡± E4 replied.
¡°And you¡¯re not charged, that¡¯s not a good sign. Chances are you lost all your skills when you lost your charge, so you¡¯re going to have to rebuild them.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Tough luck, but it beats being dead.¡±
¡°So I¡¯m as powerless as I was two weeks ago.¡±
¡°Months.¡± Marissa corrected. ¡°It¡¯s been two months since you swallowed a soul. Just be glad you didn¡¯t have to start as a kid like Marcus and I did.¡±
¡°I disagree, being able to shape your innate MIST score lets you do some very neat things. Also taking a year or five to reshape yourself isn¡¯t a bad thing after all the nonsense we go through. It¡¯s almost like retirement, but as a kid rather than an old man. Come on, let¡¯s get her charged then we can get to work on this place. If two regulators showed up at the same time it can¡¯t be good.¡±
¡°There were a bunch of rotten here last night.¡± E4 replied, making the four other regulators freeze.
¡°Rotten? Like living dead?¡± Marcus asked. ¡°Did they bleed black mist?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think so? They looked like living dead, but they didn¡¯t have the black murk that The Screaming Dread had, and they weren¡¯t full of souls trying to grab onto anything they could, so maybe they weren¡¯t real undead? I¡¯m pretty sure one was Myst Cursed. I was kind of focused on not getting grabbed, you don¡¯t realize how much you rely on skills until you don¡¯t have them.¡±
¡°Did you kill any of them?¡±
¡°A few, and one I tricked into the standing stones before cleansing it. It had some kind of slime thing that crawled out of a dead one and another rotter picked it up and snorted. Knocked myself right out doing that, might have even got an achievement out of it.¡±
¡°Darwin award I bet.¡± Imnad replied. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get you charged and read. If they don¡¯t have a reader Vienna can work a reading.¡± As he spoke he led the way to the building the armored rotten group had been trying to break into. He gripped one of the doors and with a heave pulled it open.
¡°Is that a bad one?¡±
¡°Actually it¡¯s probably the best one you don¡¯t tell people about, aside from pact skills of course.¡± Marissa added. ¡°Blessed who have it are usually really powerful, or they are dead a lot. They tend to earn and spend favor the way we do Aether.
¡°It keeps a tally of all the stupid ways you almost died, and gives you a reagent bonus to your MIST score, but sadly it don¡¯t¡ doesn¡¯t stack.¡± He cleared his throat as a trace of accent slipped in.
As they entered the regulator guild E4 noticed it was far smaller than either the one Corvus oversaw or the one Arnold oversaw. There was a single room with a few tables and a job board. A near skeletal man stood behind a counter, and sitting at one of the tables playing with a canary was a heavyset man with a curly brown mustache. His face was covered by a hat, and he wore a plain white button up shirt and brown durable pants.
¡°Greetings Sir Puglist.¡± Marissa spoke up.
¡°Lady Eagle-Wood, fancy a brawl? Maybe you want a little something before the brawl, or something for the job after? He grinned a broken toothed smile. ¡°Mayor Sha¡¯ris reaped quite a bounty off your friend here, I know you already got some of it back, would you like the rest?¡±
¡°I figured as much, though I got the most important thing.¡± Marissa replied, holding up the bone die. As she spoke it dropped to the floor, bounced, and landed on a 17. ¡°That¡¯s good right?¡±
¡°Mostly.¡± with a gesture E4 pulled it back to her hand, where it floated for a few moments, spinning before stopping on a 15, then an 18, then a 20. ¡°My thoughts exactly,¡± She replied, returning the die to Marissa. ¡°Mistress, if you would hold onto it, I do not want to lose it again.¡±
¡°That¡¯s awfully good telekinesis for an uncharged. Are you a juggler?¡± E4 gestured for more info. ¡°Someone who uses thrown weapons. Usually uses reagents like multifold mushrooms or boomerang beans to automatically recover their weapons.¡±
E4 gasped as if scandalized. ¡°Good sir I am but a humble maid!¡± E4¡¯s eyes faded to shadow as she spoke. ¡°I prepare meals, I mend wounds, and I clean up messes. In life I was a physician, and in The Myst little has changed.¡± Imnad gave her a concerned look, as did Marissa. Immediately her eyes flared back to life. She approached the counter. ¡°So how do I re-register as a regulator. Do I need a death certificate or something?¡±
¡°No way.¡± The near skeletal man replied after E4 asked to register. ¡°Mayor Sha¡¯ris forbid me from letting you become charged Ere¡¯lur. His words were, if that silly girl enters the guild hall have her removed.¡± He turned to Marissa and Imnad. ¡°You¡¯re regulators, get her out of here. Guild master¡¯s orders.¡±
E4 tilted her head, listening to The Myst, as well as a bit of resonant. ¡°Per the Regulator Accords, Page 234 in the eight edition, any Myst folk may declare they are Aether blessed and be granted the chance to prove their claim by becoming charged. This incurs a debt of 10 coin, which may be paid off within 1 year at any regulator guild.¡±
¡°And you, young lady, owe me over 100 coin.¡± A boisterous voice replied. E4 turned to the mayor as he approached. ¡°Lou¡¯cla, good of you to contact me.¡± He reached out and grabbed onto E4 by the arm. ¡°So until that debt it paid you are not getting charged, and you aren¡¯t going anywhere. You are spending every night warming my bed and if I decide to let you out I will do so at my discretion, not yours.¡± A low humming quickly got his attention. ¡°Oh, and what are you going to do little regulator. I¡¯m mayor here, you can¡¯t do a thing.¡±
¡°Page 253, any Myst Folk attempting to restrict an Aether Blessed from recruiting a willing Myst folk or potential Aether Blessed is to be considered a creature of The Myst and no longer protected under the compact. They are to be declared malignant and destroyed utterly.¡± E4 recited, The Myst feeding her the info with strange insistence. ¡°Any rules regarding the recruitment of Aether Blessed or Myst Folk must be made readily available at the regulator¡¯s guild and prominently displayed with the mark of the lord. And what happened to you wanting me gone?¡±
¡°And I am the lord,¡± At his words and to E4¡¯s surprise his eyes seemed to shift from shadows to the murky fog of a Myst Cursed, ¡°so put your pretty little gun down before I have you put in the stocks.¡± A sleazy smile appeared on his face. ¡°Though given your dress you might like that.¡±
E4 heard the slap and pulled away as he staggered.
¡°You¡¯re on thin ice regulator.¡± He spoke. ¡°Guards, seize her.¡± In an instant a four men in leather armor stepped through the door as if they had been conjured from the shadows.
¡°Now now, none of that.¡± In an instant Imnad had placed himself between the guards and Marissa. ¡°You don¡¯t want to go making enemies with the Eagle-Wood family.¡± He smiled. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t do to have a dozen Regulators drop down on this town and start digging up all the dirty little secrets you¡¯ve been hiding Mr. Mayor.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t scare me filthy mudskin.¡±
¡°Well now that just hurts, but you know what hurts worse? Getting blacklisted by the regulator guild. The dead are already rising, your town is dense with Myst. You¡¯ve got maybe a few days before you¡¯re overrun.¡± The guards paused, realization appearing on their faces. ¡°You can try to arrest an Aether Blessed, but how many of you are going to die in the process? Like my friend just said, attempting to stop a blessed from being charged is a capital offense. Being Cursed might protect you, but they lack such protections. Even then, what happens when word gets out you killed regulators in their own guild hall? No more regulators mean no more coin. No more coin, no more trade, only the ever encroaching Myst. The dead walk Mayor, and they¡¯re hungry for your flesh.¡±
¡°Your threats don¡¯t fool me regulator. You¡¯ll cleanse the stones like you always do, too profitable not to.¡± Mayor Sha¡¯ris replied. ¡°And if not, well I¡¯ve got my own personal regulator to deal with that problem right¡¡± He paused, realizing at some point E4 had slipped his grip and left him with seven small puncture marks that still steamed slightly within his numb flesh, ¡°Where¡¯d she go?¡± He turned to his guards. ¡°Find her!¡± Immediately the guards stormed past them and into the guild hall. One grabbed the door to the basement, and let out a scream as his arm and a good chunk of his chest was immediately disintegrated. Hiding up in the rafters E4 watched as they searched. Within 20 minutes a good dozen guards were searching the guild hall, and she slipped out.
E4 quickly found a shadowy alley to hide in, slipping to a place The Hymn told her she would not be seen. A veil made from hair and her own flesh covered her head and horns. It had been slow going using flesh fabrication without flash fabrication backing it, but she had used her time well. No one stopped her, until she was almost to the fence.
¡°Psss, Ere¡¯lur.¡± E4 turned to see another figure in a black hooded cloak. She approached close enough to see it was Gol¡¯cru carrying a small basket. ¡°Ere¡¯lur, come here.¡±
¡°Gol¡¯cru, seems I kicked the hornet¡¯s nest.¡± E4 whispered. Gol¡¯cru fished a cloak out of her basket, and E4 saw a few familiar looking bits within. A carton of eggs, her knife, and her Wise Mind bracelet. ¡°Where¡¯d you get those?¡±
¡°In preparation for working with the Aether Blessed Mayor Sha¡¯ris had no problem with me cleaning his home in practice, and other things.¡± E4 winced at her words. ¡°His guards had no problem with me entering his home, and for some reason they all left in a hurry.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough for these, I¡¯m getting out.¡± E4 replied. ¡°I can get charged at any large town, this place is dead to me.¡± She paused. ¡°You should come too, I¡¯m sure I can talk the Eagle-Woods to find you a place, even if it¡¯s just temporary.¡±
¡°You sound sure of yourself.¡± She smiled. ¡°Yet I believe you. It is said when a Myst Folk swallows a soul to become Blessed they gain the knowledge of ancestors passed. Come, I know a tree that reaches over the fence."
Quiet as ghosts the pair crept through the town. As they arrived at the fence E4 eyed the guild hall, and noticed the Mayor and a group of guards leaving it. ¡°I have an idea, follow me and keep low.¡±
The main gate was made from thick wood crossed with metal bars that could be electrified. It was a massive construction, with the actual gate being a half meter thick and five meters tall, with a watch tower on either side. The doors could be barred with three huge bars made from steel. A small chimney from the left watch tower released steam and myst, powering the gate so it could be opened or closed far faster than would be possible by human hands alone. E4 remembered that there were supposed to be two guards on one watch tower and one on the other at all times, and more when it was dark or when there had been trouble. Yet since Mayor Sha¡¯ris had thrown a temper tantrum and called all the guards to him leaving only a single guard stood watch, and he was watching the myst as if a horrific monster might lunge from it and seize him by the throat at any moment.
Thus he paid no attention to the two figures who walked right out the front gate.
Chapter 16: Repatriation
A strange change hit Gol¡¯cru the moment she passed by the gate. For a moment she shuttered, then something imperceptible fell over her. E4 noticed it in the slight limp she seemed to adopt.
¡°Something seems off, are you ok?¡±
¡°Fine, just, feels weird. I¡¯ve never left the fence before.¡± She replied. E4 led her to the back of the train, feeling a slight jolt as she gripped the back door, and opened it to find it empty. E4 quickly found a hiding spot for Gol¡¯cru.¡±
¡°Stay here, I¡¯m going to go find Marcus or Mistress Marissa. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll help us.¡±
¡°Ooh, this is exciting, though I¡¯m a little worried. Do you think they will really accept us? I really don¡¯t want to be kicked off the train in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by the creatures of The Myst, I would surely die of fright.¡±
¡°Nonsense, Marcus and Marissa wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± E4 tapped her head next to her eyes. ¡°Knowledge of the ancestors, remember?¡± E4 realized what she had said as she said it. ¡°I mean,¡±
¡°That¡¯s,¡±
At that moment E1 opened the door. E4 and E2 immediately fell on their training, E2 more than E4 but between her borrowed memories, The Hymn, and what she knew from her limited experience she managed.
¡°E2 and E3, did Master Marcus send you ahead?¡± She asked. E4 paused as she saw that, beneath her glasses, E1 had bandages covering her eye as well as wrapping around her head. Her black bun had been shaved, and one of her arms now sat in a sling.
¡°E1, what happened to you?¡± E4 exclaimed, immediately stepping forwards. She reached for her healing hands skill, but nothing happened.
¡°That is not your concern E3.¡±
¡°Um¡ I¡¯m E4.¡± E4 replied. ¡°I know I look a bit different,¡±
¡°I see, come with me.¡± She turned all businesslike as if she wasn¡¯t an arm and eye short. As she walked E4 noted she had a pronounced limp. ¡°Working with the Eagle-Wood family is a very active profession, and involves many tight quarters. You may think you are getting off light only cleaning a train but the reality is quite different.¡±
E1 gave a detailed walkdown of what was expected, and then E2 and E4 got to work. E4 liberally used her hymn listener and telekinesis to get her work done faster. She found leaning on it altered her perception of time so that the work seemed to go faster, as well as allowing her to use tricks that The Hymn knew even though she wasn¡¯t consciously aware of them. She observed one such trick as she measured the perfect amount of ingredients to make dinner, instinctively knowing how much to add and when to stir which pan or pot. Still, she was glad she had worked on the train previously, the cramped space took some getting used to in her new body.
Within a few minutes, or maybe it was an hour, the train was moving. E4 instinctively knew when the door was going to open and turned towards it with the pot of soup in hand. ¡°Welcome back Mistress, dinner will be served in just a moment.¡±
Marcus paused, before stepping forwards to let Marissa into the car. ¡°E4, you made it.¡±
¡°How¡¯d you beat us to the train?¡±
¡°Numbed the mayor¡¯s hand with an innate skill, snuck out while he wasn¡¯t looking, and walked right out the front door. Now you might want to get scrubbed up, dinner¡ or is it lunch? I think it¡¯s lunch, will be served in a few minutes.¡±
Within a few minutes Marcus and Marissa were dressed for lunch, though Marissa still wore the delicious¡ fancy skirt. E4 tried to keep her eyes off of it, she really did. E1 joined them for lunch, and at Marissa¡¯s insistence so did E4.
¡°So I take it we are not staying to solve the undead, or rotten, problem?¡± E4 asked. She earned a harsh glare from E1.
¡°It seems you have still to learn to defer to your betters, the last E4 was like this as well but I had hoped it wouldn¡¯t become a recurrent issue.¡± E4 shrank back.
¡°No, not with that creep of a mayor. Something was off about him, you get some weird Myst cursed, even some hostile, but something¡¯s off about him. The way he suddenly went from Folk to Cursed, that was weird. You didn¡¯t bring anything from the standing stones with you, did you?¡±
¡°My knife, a few of those weird eggs, and a compass. I got the compass and eggs as a boon last time and the knife I made using fast fabrication, so I don¡¯t think those should be bargains. If anything the bone die would be, but I killed the Screaming Dread so that should be clear.¡±
¡°Good. That place is being left behind. When we get to a larger town I¡¯m filing an appeal to have it black marked. Black marked towns aren¡¯t regularly visited, and those who do visit them at least know what they¡¯re getting into. That mayor was clearly hostile both towards you and the Aether Blessed in general. Did you hear that man, he wanted to lock Marissa in the stocks, and he tried to arrest you inside the regulator¡¯s guild.¡± Marcus shook his head. ¡°We have the accords for a reason. Myst Cursed hold the towns, and we Regulators clear them of creatures. The moment you cleansed a set of standing stones he should have escorted you to the guild to get registered.¡±
¡°I think he wanted a pet Regulator.¡± E4 replied. ¡°Though it¡¯s still weird, I thought he wanted me gone, suddenly he insists I stay. Maybe he thought he could use me to cleanse the stones."
¡°And that¡¯s not how it works.¡± Marcus replied. ¡°Aether Blessed have to keep moving, otherwise The Myst will start sending more and more creatures designed to exploit their weaknesses against them. Having a stationary Aether Blessed is worse for a town than having no Aether Blessed. There are exceptions, Aether Blessed who are under 16 or so can¡¯t cleanse standing stones as well, but in exchange the monsters sent against their towns tend to be frequent, but weaker. When Marissa and I were growing up it practically became part of our weekly chores to kill the creatures of The Myst.¡±
¡°There¡¯s a lot of debate as if The Myst is showing them some kind of mercy, or setting them up to fail. No one¡¯s really sure.¡± Marissa added. ¡°But if you had been kept there, it would have ended up bad.¡±
As lunch concluded E4 cleaned up, before making similar for the rest of the staff. E2 entered, as did C2, but not E3, C1, or C3.
¡°Hey C2, should I bring something in for C1 and 3?¡±
¡°I¡¯m C1 now.¡± He replied. ¡°and Master Marcus is keeping an eye on the train, the former C1 and C2 are gone, as is the former E2 and E3.¡± He nodded to E2 formerly Gol¡¯cru. ¡°Nice to meet you, new E2.¡±
¡°The same.¡± She replied with a curtsy, and a giggle. ¡°Everything is so fancy here, so much different than back home.¡±
¡°It¡¯s like that.¡± E4 finished serving the food and went off to her other duties, which took very little time. Soon she found herself in the library, looking through the bestiary. For the first hour or so she managed, yet afterwards she found her mind wandering. Finally, she reread the same page on the black spotted harpy for the third time and had to give up.
¡°Missing that bonus to Intellect aren¡¯t you?¡± Marissa asked, looking up from her own book, which she had procured from the action section, which E4 recalled actually had some useful notes on Creatures of The Myst in them.
¡°Yes, my head feel like I just woke up after an all night surgery only to find there¡¯s no coffee, my muscles feel like limp noodles, it feels like I SHOULD be able to do things, but I¡¯m missing something. It reminds me of a stroke victim. Before I had a skill that let me feed Aether into my flesh to boost my MIST score, at the cost of not being able to shape Aether. I miss it¡±
¡°Neat, Aether infusion right?¡± E4 nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve met a few folks who have it, but a lot of them regret taking it since it makes it harder to learn to shape Aether later, and it¡¯s really inefficient once you get more powerful skills. I¡¯ve got a skill that boosts my speed by 4 when I¡¯m not moving.¡± E4 shot her a look as Marissa passed her a pair of cards. Each had the Eagle-Wood symbol on the back
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Sniper¡¯s stare (Acquired): The Distant Shores are full of things that are hard to look at, yet beneath your stare those things become a fine Aetheric haze. While aiming increase your speed and tenacity by 1 for every five seconds you hold still. This bonus is expended once you move or fire. Expend Aether to retain this bonus for 10 seconds. Maximum is equal to four times tier. Mist has reduced effect on your vision though Myst can still obscure your sight
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Increases tenacity by 1
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Run and gun (Achievement): Hasn¡¯t your mother ever told you not to run with scissors, well that¡¯s double with a gun. Negates the penalty to hip fire from running or sliding. Expend Aether while sliding to slow time. Never misfire a gun when tripping or falling
Increases speed by 1
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¡°So question, what¡¯s the point of a speed bonus if you can only use it while standing still?¡± E4 asked.
¡°Speed covers movement, reflexes, and aiming. There¡¯s an advanced version that lets me keep the speed for a quick getaway, but I lost it.¡±
¡°When you died?¡±
¡°We didn¡¯t die.¡± Marissa corrected. ¡°Marcus and I attempted to break out of the Distant Shores using a teleporation device. It worked in getting us from one town to another, we figured it would let us go back home. It didn¡¯t, throwing us back into whatever process grabs people from Earth in the first place. We actually kept our achievement skills and gained a few innate skills so we had a much easier start, though we lost our tiers and advanced skills. It doesn¡¯t hurt Mom is a really good business woman, even if she does want me to marry and settle down. A lot of Myst Folk who are given an inheritance from a Blessed tend to squander it. We were lucky she was Cursed.¡±
¡°I saw that happen.¡± E4 began to recount her adventures to Marissa, holding back a few details. After about an hour Marissa nodded.
¡°So the butcher is gone? Can¡¯t say I¡¯m sad about that cannibal nutcase being dead, but he was a rite of passage. You¡¯re not a true regulator until you¡¯ve taken him on. Even if someone killed him, someone else would take his place within a year. Marcus and I were going to go face him before being recharged.¡± She sighed. ¡°We really threw you to the wolves on this one, though you¡¯ve done well given the circumstances. I still can¡¯t believe Patterson shot you, but if he thought you had a patron I can see it. Patrons are dangerous at the best of times, even having Susan Eagle-Wood as a patron gets us a side eye, and lots of regulators do work for her. From what I¡¯ve heard a lot of new regulators used to get roped into taking patrons, but they always had to go on long and hard journeys to escape. These days we look for new Aether Blessed so we can get to them before the patrons can. Marcus and I got lucky starting out that the Regulator Guild was a thing, I¡¯ve heard things got pretty bad before that. E4, if you ever are approached by a patron,¡± She immediately noticed E4 not making eye contact. ¡°E4¡¡±
¡°Coming up on a village, get ready.¡± Marcus said, poking his head in. He shot his sister a look. ¡°And please put on some pants.¡±
¡°If Vienna gets to show off her legs so do I.¡± Marissa shot back as she stood. ¡°Oh, that reminds me, I have a spare skirt,¡±
¡°Mistress I am flattered, but knee length is fine with me.¡± E4 replied with a smile.
¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, this is longer than knee length¡ mostly.¡±
¡°Marissa don¡¯t be a deviant.¡±
¡°Oh Marcus, but you agree with me, don¡¯t you. E4 would look quite delicious, I mean lovely, in a split skirt.¡± She took a moment to stand. ¡°I know you share my tastes, and Mother won¡¯t stop hounding you until you choose.¡± Even as she spoke the idea of giving the outfit a try sang in E4¡¯s ears, the Hymn making the idea sound more viable.
¡°That¡¯s beside the point, she doesn¡¯t want to wear it.¡±
¡°She doesn¡¯t want to wear it yet.¡± Marissa corrected. She put a hand on E4¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll come around.¡±
¡°Marissa, she¡¯s still being affected by The Hymn, she¡¯s not charged yet.¡±
From the shocked look on her face Marissa had clearly forgotten. ¡°Oh¡ sorry.¡± She hung her head, and immediately The Hymn¡¯s suggestion dropped. ¡°My bad E4, I forgot.¡±
¡°I forgive you, but I¡¯d probably best get back to work.¡± E4 replied, standing and brushing off her skirt. ¡°Have to check on the weapons, just in case we have to make a speedy escape from this town too.¡±
As E4 expected the weapons were in pristine shape, but that didn¡¯t stop her from checking them over. Then, making sure no one was watching, she slipped off to the kitchen and returned with the eggs. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ve done this once, maybe I can do it again.¡± She held an egg in one hand and tried to remember how she had made her crossbow the previous time. Originally she had a base crossbow to work with, replacing components. ¡°Fast fabrication helped, but I should still be able to use flesh fabrication, right?¡±
[[Fast fabrication was an achievement skill, so repeating the achievement should make it work again. At least, that is what I presume. -Red Queen]]
Closing her eyes in concentration E4 got to work. Each was filled with half formed Myst, which seemed almost eager to take shape. ¡°Myst is easier to work with than the yoke we used to huh?¡±
¡°Who are you talking to?¡± E4 jumped as Marcus entered. ¡°What are you doing?¡±
¡°Um, well, I was trying to make a crossbow.¡±
¡°From eggs?¡± Marcus looked at E4¡¯s attempt. She even arranged them into the general shape of a crossbow, minus the string. ¡°E4, that¡¯s¡ I know the Distant Shores are weird, but I think you¡¯re pushing it. You can¡¯t just draw a circle on the ground and refine base materials into a finished product. Trust me, I¡¯ve tried. The Myst will let you bend a lot of rules, especially if you have the skills and spend the aether, but If you want to convert ore to ingots you actually have to use a furnace.¡± He took a moment to eye her materials. ¡°Did you do something like this on Earth?¡±
¡°Sort of. There were some experiment in making meta materials by growing them.¡± She picked three of the eggs, examined them, and began pouring ATP into them. ¡°There was this type of fungus we had that we could throw the spores over a mound of plastic, and within a few months we¡¯d be able to harvest them into this really useful fiber we made armor out of. Good thing, because most of the good stuff was being bought by the Purifiers. We were also working on a type of tree that could store electricity in its bark, and we could harvest the bark to make batteries. The guys working on that got the Purifier¡¯s best invention award.¡± She saw the question in Marcus¡¯s expression. ¡°Three bullets to the back of the head and their research stolen to never see the light of day.¡±
¡°You really hate these Purifier people.¡±
E4 cracked the eggs, finding small bone and chitin pieces that neatly clicked into place as she integrated them into the crossbow. Marcus wasn¡¯t close enough to see the tiny fangs that rasped away at the wood or the tiny joints that locked it into place. ¡°I used to admire them, actually had a poster of their leader in my bedroom for a while. Administrator Ignus Mundo, ¡®The people do not need Big Pharma, they need Big Protection and they need it Big time.¡¯ I¡¯m pretty sure he stole that from a book, but he was a strong and charismatic leader in a time when the whole world seemed to be going to rot. I actually got a research grant from him after the WHO broke up.¡± She finished her crossbow and gave the string an experimental tug. ¡°He sold us a dream, and we watched it become a nightmare.¡±
¡°Nightmares have a habit of becoming real here, do you think we¡¯ll run into any of them?¡±
¡°Oh, we already have. That purple fire you parted with the katana, that was them. Patterson was exposed to one of their drugs that certainly didn¡¯t help his paranoia, and I already ran into an Aether Blessed purifier named Donovan. Nice guy really, I¡¯m glad to see that he hasn¡¯t completely drank the flavoraid.¡±
[[Least Tendon repeating crossbow: A crossbow that uses numerous muscles and tendons to boost power. Due to a weakened host and improper materials this weapon is not operating as it should. Can regrow bolts when provided coin. Bolts can be tipped with ravager toxin from a reserve that requires 1 ml per bolt. ATP: 10/10. Upkeep 10ATP/day. Signal 1. Max signal 20. Capacity 5 bolts. Efficiency: 45%. Cost 5 ATP and 5 coin/5 rds (takes 3 seconds to regrow 5 bolts). If bolts are provided cost 5ATP/100 shots]].
¡°Fangs of The Lady, didn¡¯t get it.¡± Marcus shot her a look. ¡°The Fast Fabrication achievement.¡±
¡°That¡¯s an acquired skill.¡± He eyed the crossbow, and E4 reluctantly handed it to him. ¡°You need to use coins. It¡¯s cheaper to buy the pieces you need, but in a pinch you can burn coin to craft things, The Myst gives you a horrible conversion rate and you can¡¯t use special materials, but it works.¡± He returned the crossbow, ¡°We call it the weapon tax.¡±
¡°I got it as an achievement.¡± E4 replied, placing a dozen individual coins on the table, and fiddling with the crossbow. The coins started to evaporate, and the pieces of wood and chitin and bone began to mesh and grow together. E4 listened to The Hymn as she directed the growth via resonance.
¡°You get it from eating a salad made with charged lettuce and green beans, preferably while taking a break from working on a difficult project. You know it worked when you struggle with a product before lunch, then finish within an hour after. Also you can¡¯t get it before you''re charged anyhow.¡± He eyed her work with a skeptical eye. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re doing, but I guess it¡¯s working.¡±
[[Lesser Tendon repeating crossbow: A crossbow that uses numerous muscles and tendons to boost power. Due to a weakened host and improper materials this weapon is not operating as it should. Can regrow bolts for ATP. Bolts are automatically tipped with ravager toxin. ATP: 10/10. Upkeep 2ATP/day. Signal 1. Max signal 20. Capacity 5 bolts and 5 coin. Efficiency: 45%. Cost 1 ATP/5 rds (takes 3 seconds to regrow 5 bolts, can be accelerated to 0.5 seconds for one coin). If bolts are provided cost 1ATP/100 shots]]. Marcus leaned over her shoulder, putting a hand on her opposite shoulder that did things to The Hymn that made E4¡¯s pulse begin to race. ¡°Huh, does this thing turn coin directly into bolts?¡±
¡°Yes, it can hold 5 coins and I can regrow 5 bolts for 1 coin.¡± E4 neglected to mention that it didn¡¯t actually NEED coins. She quickly found the port just behind the firing mechanism and slipped in five coin. Each was the size of a dime, the same size as a copper or a chip.
¡°That¡¯s surprisingly decent, especially since it means you don¡¯t have to take the time to reload. A single coin is a lot easier to carry than a quiver of arrows, though it¡¯s more expensive, since you can get 10 bolts for a coin at the shop, but it¡¯s not like we¡¯re short on coin. Also, remember that coin is both plural and singular here. Saying coins is practically asking to get shortchanged by someone who thinks you¡¯re new to The Myst.¡±
Approximately 10 minutes later the train came to a stop and the group disembarked, Marissa and Marcus leading E4. E1 and E2 remained behind, as did C1.
¡°That¡¯s ominous.¡± Marcus noted as Imnad and Vienna turned from the front gate to greet them.
¡°Well funny meetin¡¯ y¡¯all, I mean, you here.¡± Imnad spoke up, correcting his accent.
¡°This regulator greets her fellows, surely The Myst has a plan for us to do great things.¡± Vienna added. She gestured towards the gate. ¡°And look, The Myst had given us something truly different. Have you ever seen such armor.¡±
E4¡¯s stomach dropped at the sight of two purifiers in full riot gear and bearing backpack mounted flamethrowers guarding the gate.
Chapter 17. Stone walls and aberrant forms: introduction
Chapter 17
Stone walls and aberrant forms: introduction
¡°Halt!¡± The purifier on the left called out. E4 immediately recognized the weapon in his hand.
¡°That¡¯s an F1 flamethrower. It fires a three second long stream of fuel up to 15 meters and refills every three seconds. That tank on its back usually holds about 30 shots and takes forever to replace.¡± E4 whispered. ¡°He¡¯s wearing Mark 1 Purifier armor, it can resist heats up to 800 degrees Celsius for up to 5 seconds, and they are trained to get it off in half that should they get sprayed with their own napalm. Those six barreled revolvers on their hips are called Red eyes, and 9 times out of 10 they¡¯re loaded with Cherry rounds. They burn red hot. Judging by the fact he¡¯s got a bronze colored mask and very little etching on his armor I¡¯d say he¡¯s rank and file.¡±
¡°This mistress is impressed, you are quite knowledgeable about them.¡± E4 shot a surprised look at Vienna who, despite being 5 meters away, both heard her and replied in such a way it sounded like she was whispering in E4¡¯s ear.
¡°Howdy, Regulators Vienna and Imnad Marked.¡± Imnad spoke up, producing his card as if via a magic trick. ¡°These here are Marissa and Marcus Eagle-Wood, and a maid they¡¯re bringing fer, for some reason.¡±
The two purifiers looked at one another.
¡°Brother, what¡¯s a regulator?¡± One asked the other.
¡°By the purifying flame brother, they¡¯re the guys who kill monsters.¡± The other replied. ¡°Weren¡¯t you listening to the morning briefing?¡± The other replied. He made a gesture and a small door opened in the large black metal gates behind them. ¡°Go on in single file, the doc will have to scan you for illness.¡±
¡°You dare?¡± Vienna exclaimed, and Imnad shook his head. ¡°We are regulators in good standing, you would dare deny us entrance?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t be a Karen lady, we¡¯re in the middle of a plague of undead. We scan everyone.¡±
¡°Is this going to be a problem?¡± Marcus whispered.
¡°Not as long as you¡¯re not running a fever.¡± E4 replied, touching her horns before adjusting her hair to try and hide them. A little telekinesis to hold it in place did quite a bit, and a few bone pins made using flesh fabrication made it look like she had put her hair up while also giving her a few handy projectiles for throwing. ¡°For me, maybe. I run a little hot, and if they find my horns I might have to answer some pointed questions.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask about those.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve noticed.¡± Marissa said at the exact same time, earning her a glance from her half brother. ¡°Do they discriminate against race?¡±
¡°Officially no.¡±
Vienna and Imnad went through the door first, and nothing unexpected happened. Marcus went next, followed by Marissa. As she waited, E4 took a moment to scan her surroundings. Outside the wall was the usual grassland she had come to expect within the distant shores. The wall before her, however, was different. It appeared to be made from solid stone, a single solid stone with no sign of tool marks save for where the gate was. The gate was an odd black metal with several wires that occasionally sparked. Above the gate the name Stone-Weaver shone in silver, a symbol mountain crossed by knitting needles shone beneath it. In addition to the two purifiers she noted a pair statues crafted from granite into the shape of a man in a stylish longcoat and a woman in a sensible dress. Both wore a blank mask as if the carver crafted everything but the face. As she watched the male statue turned to look at her, surprising her and allowing E4 to see that behind its mask the eyes rolled with Myst as if it were a Myst Cursed
1. She quickly faced forwards and waited her turn.
Finally one of the purifiers waved her forwards. Nervously, E4 stepped forwards The door opening before her and closing behind with a low click. The room was approximately a meter long and half that wide with a metal sliding door on each side. To the right was an oblong box made from metal riveted together and bearing three glass lenses. On Earth the device would have been made from plastic, but despite its change in construction E4 recognized the purifier issue plague scanner. The device pointed at her, scanning from the top of her head to her chin, before making a loud metal sound and retracting. E4 immediately realized something was wrong. For one, the scanner was meant to scan from the top of the head to the bottom of the feet, to ensure no hostile parasitic organism or pathogen was hiding within the host. She hadn¡¯t been on the committee that designed the things, but as a member of the WHO and later the Bleeding Heart Society she had certainly learned how to use them. The scanner would project rays on one side onto the receiver at the other side, which E4 immediately realized was missing. E4¡¯s heart picked up again. If they weren¡¯t actually scanning anything that meant their criteria for who could and could not enter was entirely based on the prejudice of whoever was watching. Was it based on how wealthy they looked, or if they looked sick? Did she look sick? Would they lock her up and use some pregenerated image to justify it? Would they even bother?
With a low whoosh the door opened. E4 practically shot through, only for Marissa to catch her arm. ¡°Hey there, where¡¯s the fire?¡±
[[Notice: Innate human mimicry has been proven to evade this matter of scanner, even if the scanner is set up correctly. You worry too much.-Red Queen]]
¡°Sorry, scans make me nervous.¡± E4 replied. ¡°Back home every time you walked through a scanner there was a chance you¡¯d get locked up for additional tests, and perhaps a bullet.¡± She took a deep breath and straightened. ¡°Did you notice that scanner wasn¡¯t set up properly? It didn¡¯t even have a receiver.¡±
¡°I¡¯m going to remind you that plastic isn¡¯t very common in The Distant Shores and computers aren¡¯t a thing outside of Los London either.¡± Marcus spoke up. ¡°If it¡¯s something that relies on either of those, it probably doesn¡¯t work or they got it from the standing stones and it¡¯s using Myst to work. They probably don¡¯t understand it unless an Aether Blessed or Myst Cursed is actively running it.¡± He made a gesture. ¡°Though that does bring us to our next issue.¡±
The town was infested with purifiers. Immediately E4 noted three patrols lead by purifiers wearing full riot gear, though they carried the huge four barreled shotguns they favored rather than flamethrowers. Each one wore a bronze mask as a symbol of rank, and to filter the air. Each patrol consisted of one purifier and two or three others wearing cloth masks bearing the crossed scalpels and flame of The Purifiers, though they wore leather armor bearing the symbol of the city. Standing right next to the Regulator guild hall stood a set of full Purifier power armor. The suit was 3 meters tall, done in white with gold accents and a blank gold mask with two small cameras where the eyes should be. Two enormous tanks, larger than E4 expected, sat upon its back. In its right hand it held an axe with a rounded blade half a meter in radius and bearing a fuel tank of its own in the handle.
¡°Where did they get a FOG suit?¡± Marissa asked. ¡°Those aren¡¯t supposed to appear unless there¡¯s a tier 4 threat at least. They¡¯re always a bundle of trouble.¡±
¡°From all the branding I think he has the same Company Man skill Donovan did, it gives him better equipment that has the seal of his patron on it. As for the suit itself, it¡¯s the Iron Golem Mk 1 suit. An earlier model, but it was still in service when I left Earth. I¡¯m not sure about the Myst variant, but on Earth it could operate for 8 hours on a full charge and could tear down buildings with all the efficiency of a bulldozer. That was before they managed to squeeze a reactor into them. The hands are articulate enough that it can pick up firearms or melee weapons designed for it, especially the Sample Retriever ax. Those barrels on the wrists could be loaded with beanbag rounds, or incendiary grenades. On Earth they held 10 in a magazine, but being The Myst,¡±
¡°Storage rings and extra dimensional spaces could hold a lot more, he could probably fit that within his FOG suit, assuming he doesn¡¯t have a skill that auto loads for him.¡± Marcus added.
¡°Yeah, I miss that skill.¡± Marissa added. ¡°Half the reason I use a zap gun is you don¡¯t have to reload. The other half is it¡¯s a cool lightning gun.¡±
As they spoke they arrived at the guild doors. E4 half expected there to be a half dozen purifiers guarding the door, but what she was not expecting was there to be a bunch of stone dividers on all the tables. As plastic was not common there were several holes that allowed the occupants to still see one another, completely defeating the purpose.
¡°Ah improper social distancing, I have not missed you.¡± She deadpanned. A quick look around the guild hall told her exactly what she needed to know. It was empty, save for one table that had a short and thin looking man in a regulation Purifier power armor undersuit. Normally made from kevlar, the outfit was of the purest white, with lots of little contacts that would sync up with his suit. Rather than a zipper there were several small metal buttons on the shirt as well as the pants. His table was covered with paperwork, which to E4¡¯s eyes looked like maps. Countless miniatures sat spread out on the map, though she couldn¡¯t see what they represented save for the one that looked like a Mark 1 Iron Golem. Half a dozen dice were scattered across the table, as if he had been playing a tabletop game. As they entered the man looked up, and E4 froze.
¡°Oh lovely, on top of Victorian steam punk and modern plagues now we¡¯re adding Wuxia. What¡¯s next, Lizard Wizards?¡±
2
¡°You DARE? Who are you to mock my people and culture?¡± Vienna snapped back without hesitation, and with quite a bit of ire. ¡°We kobolds have walked these mysts for generations, it was us who first learned to shape the Aether without the crude methods of pawns and men.
3¡± She stepped forwards, seeming to flow on the air as she did as the air filled with the scent of ozone. ¡°And what creature stands before me, too thin to be a conductor, are you some manner of gnome? Did you hop off a rainbow with a pot full of gold?¡±
Immediately he began to sweat, and E4 took a deep breath and made sure to keep herself on the far side of Marissa. The man was 140 centimeters tall, and he did have a red mustache and wild hair that was once red but had long since gone gray. His pale freckled skin probably hadn¡¯t seen the outside in weeks without a FOG suit. The Hymn whispered his name to her, but she already knew it. ¡°Grant Kindred, The Golden Spider.¡±
¡°You know him?¡± Marissa asked.
¡°Don¡¯t drink anything he gives you.¡± E4 replied. ¡°He fond of a number of drugs, and doesn¡¯t hesitate to share them with the unwary. If you see him take out a vial of purple liquid leave the room, do not return. That stuff is slow death in a bottle.¡±
¡°Vienna be at peace, certainly the man before you has only recently been charged. He has probably never met a kobold, let alone an enlightened kobold, with such grace as yourself. Ain¡¯t no¡ That is no way to treat a green horn.¡± He paused. ¡°You are charged, right?¡±
¡°Oh, are you from the lands beyond this Myst?¡± He looked up. ¡°Good Heavens, I can see you eyes. Finally, someone whose eyes are not locked in shadow. Do sit, Aproner, a drink for these fellows.¡±
¡°You know, I think he sounds more steampunk than we do.¡± Marissa whispered. ¡°You want to mess with him?¡±
¡°And what of you chaps, care to join us? Heaven knows there is much going on, now is not the time to go it alone, not with the undead wandering around.¡± Immediately Marissa and Marcus¡¯s ears perked up.
¡°What kind of undead?¡± Marcus was immediately at the table. ¡°Are we talking corporeal, or incorporeal? Pristine, corpse, or skeletal? How many died fighting them, and did they get back up afterwards?¡±
¡°Well I can¡¯t fault you for eagerness.¡± He looked up to Marissa and E4. ¡°Maid, why don¡¯t you fetch us a bottle from the bar?¡±
¡°Strong red, and some citrus?¡± E4 asked, picking up on the bottles he had set next to the table as well as the plate of lemon rinds next to them. The Hymn whispered the same a moment later.
¡°My word, it is like they can read minds no?¡± E4 caught the coin he flipped to her and quickly busied herself getting the drinks, and considered putting a few drops of ravager toxin in as well as the barkeep handed over the bottles. She was a heavyset woman, strong of build with curly brown hair and a face full of freckles.
¡°How long has he been in here?¡± She asked, sliding a coin to the woman.
¡°A week off and on, always going over his maps and sharing drinks with his troops. That set a¡¯ FOG gear he¡¯s got out front has been scaring off all of my usual lot, the ones he hasn¡¯t recruited.¡± She replied back quietly. ¡°I don¡¯t know where he gets the money to fund it all. I know you Regulators are rich, but it¡¯s like he¡¯s got pockets as deep as a well.¡±
¡°Yeah, he has a knack for that.¡± E4 said, gritting her teeth. ¡°Is the charging chamber in the basement open?¡±
¡°Sure it is, is your mistress paying upfront or in installments? Either way is fine, he isn¡¯t going to be using it.¡± She gestured to Kindred. ¡°Took one look at the chambers and thought we were trying to kill him, which is fair. If one of us got in there we¡¯d be gone.¡±
¡°Oh, no, this is for me.¡± E4 fished around in her pocket for the coin Marissa had lent her. ¡°Ten coin right?¡±
¡°Actually¡ there is something you could do. This is the last of the wine we¡¯ve got up here, and Mr. Kindred has been drinking like a fish. I¡¯d like to get more but¡ there¡¯s something in the wine cellar.¡±
¡°So I¡¯m going to do the adventurer¡¯s special and clear the giant rats out of the cellar?¡± E4 asked. The barkeep nodded. ¡°Give me a minute to speak with my mistress, I¡¯ll be right back. As she brought the wine back E4 saw that Kindred was detailing to Marcus and Imnad what was going on around the town, while subtly shooting glances at Marissa that set E4¡¯s teeth on edge. She also noted he was trying not to look at Vienna, but kept shooting glances at her horn ornaments. ¡°Mistress, I have been tasked with the adventurer¡¯s special.¡±
¡°Rescuing a princess from a dragon?¡± Marissa asked.
¡°I was unaware you were in such danger. No, clearing the rats out of the cellar of the first inn I go to.¡± E4 replied. ¡°Have to start from level 1 after all.¡±
¡°Is that a thing?¡± Kindred asked.
¡°Levels are not a thing, this isn¡¯t Dungeons and Dragons.¡± Marcus replied. ¡°Tiers and skills are. Those are the path to power, and you¡¯re not even charged yet.¡±
¡°By jove, you are the third person to insist on that metal death trap.¡±
¡°This mistress has another option.¡± Vienna replied. ¡°Should you gather enough Dense Myst and prepare the proper streams within the darkest forest The Heavens shall take note and bring forth a great tribulation. Surviving such a trial would surely bring ascension, and likely several achievements.¡±
¡°Yeah, the Darwin Award. Vienna, you told me you died the first time you tried that.¡±
¡°This mistress did not say it would be easy, for genius that I am still did I attempt it thrice before controlling the Aether with such skill as to survive.¡± She touched her ornaments. ¡°And was thus given the form I so envied in my youth.¡±
E4 stepped away before she could get caught in the conversation between husband and wife as Vienna espoused the virtues of ascension via tribulation, which involved tanking several lightning strikes of increasing intensity. E4 returned to the guild maid, who was quick to show her to the cellar.
¡°Cold down here.¡± E4 muttered. Beneath the guild hall the cellar was made from melded stone. Her guide took a hard right at the bottom of the stairs towards the pantry. E4 shot a casual glance to the left to see a large metal door etched with a bolt of lightning. ¡°Was this made by an Aether Shaper?¡±
¡°The freezer array has been colder than usual.¡± the barkeep replied. ¡°And the guild hall was built by Lord Mayor Gerric Stone-Weaver. He was here this morning, probably will come back tomorrow morning. He¡¯s likely seeing to the walls. He is highly skilled at his art of stone shaping.¡±
¡°Is he Aether Blessed?¡±
¡°Regulators often use that term, but I cannot wrap my head around what it means. I do not think so, for he is not a regulator nor does he leave. It is due to his benevolence that we have existed in harmony for so long. For he has constructed for us our homes, and provided stone guardians to protect us.¡±
¡°Sounds like a great guy.¡±
¡°Truly, he is. Yet¡ no, I have over spoken.¡± She opened a door, and at that instant E4 noticed that her right hand was not made of flesh, but of stone. A gold and silver bangle etched with symbols clamped fast to her wrist, right where stone met flesh. ¡°They are in here, good hunting regulator.¡±
E4 stepped in, and the door closed behind her. Immediately E4 checked to make sure she wasn¡¯t locked in, as like an idiot she hadn¡¯t checked BEFORE the door closed. Thankfully there was only a tiny latch that she could easily break, and rather than a door knob there was a push bar on the inside which would bypass the lock. ¡°Good to see they followed fire safety protocols, but seriously E4, this is how you get kidnapped by body breakers.¡± She drew her knife. ¡°Alright rats and rodents of unusually large size, come on out.¡± Her horns buzzed as she reached out with telekinesis. Her psychic skill allowed her to parse the feedback with more fidelity than she had on Earth. What once would have been a hazy image almost immediately resolved into a fuzzy, but workable, image. Several objects moved, and while she couldn¡¯t see their little whiskers E4 was pretty sure from the general shape they were rats. With a gesture a dozen of the squealing vermin were pulled form their hiding spot. Like an oversized cat E4 was upon them, blade in one hand claws in the other. One rat thought itself clever and ran between her legs, receiving a cut from her tail that bisected its spine. With a flick of her knife E4 shot a bolt of bio-lightning at a rat, which immediately vaporized it and slightly burned her knife. Immediately she felt her arm begin to prickle and steam, though the ravager toxin kept her from feeling the pain. ¡°Huh, I don¡¯t remember that hurting on Earth.¡± She rolled up her sleeve to find chunks of her own flesh simply missing, blood leaking slightly even as her regeneration protocol repaired the damage. She reached for the damage, yet while she thought she remembered how to use her healing hands, she couldn¡¯t quite get it to work. It reminded her of when she had first awoken and tried to use her claws, like there was a muscle she just could not flex. ¡°Lady Mara, I do relish your gifts, but they can be destructive.¡±
E4 continued her search, her telekinesis guiding her to a few rats that managed to hide for just a bit longer. With each one slain she made sure to inhale the dense Myst released, as little as it was. As she reached for one it somehow managed to slip away into a hole. She reached for it, yet something stopped her. Her grasp felt an odd coldness, and a strange stillness, that made her recoil. It hadn¡¯t harmed her, especially as she was still a few meters away, but it was unexpected. Crouching down and moving aside a sack of charged potatoes, something she noted she would definitely be asking about soon, she found some clever little rat had chewed its way through the wall and into another room.
¡°Sneaky little bugger.¡±
¡°Cold¡ It¡¯s cold.¡± A shiver shot down E4¡¯s spine at the sound. It came from the freezer, and sounded like a child. ¡°Sir
4, we don¡¯t like this. Please let me go.¡±
¡°Hello, is someone there?¡± E4 called.
¡°Aah, please sir, let us out!¡± E4 threw open the storeroom door and within an instant stood before the freezer. She ripped the door open, the handle not putting up any resistance, and froze at the sight.
¡°Bleeding Havoc.¡± The freezer before her looked more like a slaughter house than a freezer. Bodies, human bodies, had once lined the floor, yet now only torn up black canvas bags remained. The cause of these bags crouched over one of the last remaining bodies, its impressive rack of horns bobbing slightly as it ate.
¡°Hello?¡± It spoke in a child¡¯s voice that did not fit its grotesque form. ¡°Is someone there? We¡¯re so hungry¡± Despite its words it did not look up from the leg it was currently devouring as if it were a cob of corn. The creature¡¯s limbs were strong and muscular, yet its spine and ribs were skeletal thin. E4 quickly counted 15 points and knew she was in trouble. She turned, trying to be quiet, yet as she did she felt something hit her foot, something hard and round. She saw a loose potato, likely dropped at some point in making dinner one day, strike the wall with a low THUD. She shot a glance back, and the horned thing was looking at her.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°MISTRESS!¡± E4 called. She grabbed the door and threw it shut with all her might, but the ravager was faster, its body hitting the door before she could lock it. E4 threw her weight against the door, trying to keep the monster within, but she knew it was only a matter of time before it got out. The creature thrust a clawed foot through, five toes facing forwards and one backwards in the manner of feral ravagers
5. E4 was more than happy to unload a crossbow bolt into its foot, even if she knew the ravager toxin in the bolt was nothing compared to what was already running through its veins. With a wild swipe it grasped at her arm, shredding the flesh and cutting into the marrow of her ulna. E4 winced, even as the euphoria flooded through her veins. It was faint, the ravager toxin within her blood dulled it, yet inside she knew the damage was crippling.
¡°So hungry, I want to eat you. Can I eat her father? Please I want to eat her. Oi, I get the first bite you gluttons. Looks like meat¡¯s back on the menu.¡± The feral chittered, every second repeating a stream of horrific hungry babbling fifteen times. It sounded as if five different minds were contained within its brain, though E4 knew there had to be more, and all of them were starving. In a single moment one voice recommended a dozen ways to roast, boil, or fry her. Another voice wanted to play with her before killing her, a third recommended eating her while still alive, to preserve freshness. Another described its visions in such detail E4 could see her own head resting upon the lid of a roiling cauldron, and smell her own flesh within the stew. For just a moment she loathed the fact resonance was such a dense language.
E4 heard the sound of chairs moving, but she knew she had to do something to buy time. She jumped back, telekinesis carrying her farther than mundane muscles could. The ravager threw open the door and stepped into the light. E4 saw it wore a shredded dress similar to the barkeep. Its hair had hung in loose tufts, its head marred with scratches and scars where it had attempted to get at the isopod within, chunks of its chest and stomach replaced with the crude scars that tended to follow the feral ravagers after they repurposed any loose flesh they could find.
¡°Get back!¡± E4¡¯s left arm flopped raggedly from the elbow down, but the telekinetic nodes within still worked. She pulled back on her crossbow¡¯s lever and fired three more bolts into the feral, one of which it bashed away with its claws and the other two it ignored. It felt no pain, even as the bolts struck its stomach and chest. It opened its mouth impossibly wide, long needle like fangs pierced its gums where its teeth should have been as its cheeks split along scar tissue from where it had mindlessly healed the previous tears. A second set of fangs pierced through the bottom of its mouth, yet another sign that the mind within was truly gone for a sane ravager would only have fangs descending from the top of the mouth. It let out a wail that made E4¡¯s ears ring even as long cracks formed in the once solid stone. The ravager seemed to vanish, and only E4¡¯s experience being a ravager warned her to lunge forwards towards where it had been just before its claws would have severed her head from her body. A looming claw caught her leg, sending her tumbling right on her already injured arm.
Her arm made a sound far too reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard as the bone was ground into the stone floor. Yet even as she tripped E4 lashed out with her tail, catching the ravager¡¯s leg. It didn¡¯t cut as far as she expected, but it made a small cut. Against any other foe that would have been enough to give a euphoric dose of ravager toxin, but all it did was release a small but steady stream of aether.
The ravager paused as if it heard something, and E4 realized it was listening to someone coming down the steps. ¡°Hey hungry!¡±
E4 had often tested the limits of resonant on Earth. Like traditional sound it could be drowned out, but not easily. It could communicate extremely complex ideas and thoughts at high speeds, and she had just been on the receiving end of it. While no one had found a way to attack through resonant, no viruses or malware could be passed through it, the images and ideas it evoked could be very distracting.
E4 chittered an image. A warm fireplace, a cozy den, and the smell of a delicious roast. It was cooked just the same way the ravager¡¯s was, but there was something extra. Something the ravager couldn¡¯t know about. Something strangely sweet and spicy, something that promised the kind of calories that could satisfy even a starving ravager. The feral ravager froze, trying to parse out what E4 was chittering about. She chittered out another image, the stew pot open, a delicious hearty red stew just within, with some manner of herb floating on top. The herb was just out of focus in the image, and the ravager actually leaned over her as if by peering into the non-existing pot it could bring the tempting herb into focus. It stuck out its tongue, as if it could taste the illusion of stew. The ravager was chittering its own image, a third of the discord of voices urging it to eat her, two thirds dreaming of eating her head stewed with the mysterious herb.
¡°Consider this the end of our conversation.¡± E4 spoke, pointing with her right hand. ¡°At high volume.¡±
The bolt of bio-lightning struck the ravager right in the tongue, where is arced between the fangs and right into the back of the head. Like the horns and the tail, the tongue and fangs of the ravager are actually growths that stem from the isopod rather than the host. In a normal ravager they are far tougher than the surrounding flesh. The trade off is that damage to them can drive the isopod within berserk, damage such as aether directly disintegrating the Myst the isopod was made from. The isopod within its skull twitched, causing its entire body to go into spasms as E4 expected. What she did not expect was its entire face to burn right off, leaving a burned skull behind. The right eye looked as if an isopod was clinging to the orbital socket, its legs locked into the bone, while numerous legs stuck through the jaw where the teeth should have been and formed its fangs. Of its left eye nothing remained save a hollow eye socket behind which she knew the main isopod remained. Several spines jutted out from its head, most small and previously hidden by its hair, but what had once been horns were now revealed as antenna as they twitched, even if they were split and pointed.
A second bolt answered the first as Marissa¡¯s bolt rifle spoke, the crack of its Aether louder than E4¡¯s own. The ravager whipped around, giving Marissa a moment to whisper out a ¡°What the,¡± Before it lunged for her. Unlike E4 it did not rely on telekinesis to move, just sheer brute strength.
Which might be why its lunge veered slightly to the right, its injured leg not providing as much force as its uninjured leg. The ravager smashed into the wall, hard enough to send a spiderweb of cracks thrice its own size. This gave Marissa enough time to lay another bolt into its back, and Marcus to get between her and it.
Immediately Marcus was a flurry of blades, his cane sword finishing its third blow before E4 could even blink. The ravager, already injured, only managed to parry two of the blows, the third cutting across its stomach and spilling forth a stream of Aether.
How ironic, that a creature so obsessed with food, would lose its favorite organ so easily. The feral let out a scream that sent E4¡¯s mind reeling with the sheer outrage before it lunged forwards towards Marcus its claws and fangs ready to feast. From each hand six claws plunged into Marcus¡¯s flesh even as long jointed fangs reached for his face, only to stop a centimeter short. From where she lay E4 saw Marcus¡¯s cane sword buried to the hilt in the ravager¡¯s chest, right over its heart. With a flick of his wrist he tore free his blade before reflexively slashing its through just below the rib cage, a stream of Aether and myst flowing from the corpse. He gave it a shove with his elbow, which set the top half falling back separate from the lower half and tore off a good big of his shirt in the process.
¡°What a strange creature.¡± He winced, looking at the long thin scratches that covered his sides. He was bleeding, yet the claw wounds weren¡¯t deep. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, something about it sets my teeth on edge.¡±
¡°What was that, E4!¡± Marissa ran past the ravager to E4¡¯s side. ¡°What happened to you, what happened to your arm?¡±
¡°Shoot it in the head!¡± E4 called. Marcus looked up at her, just as the ravager sprang back to life and threw itself at him. For just a moment it was airborne, heedless of its lack of legs or the intestines that trailed behind it. Three lightning fast bolts of energy struck it, each one striking its exposed skull, before the third one finally disintegrated the skull revealing the isopod within. It was an ugly thing, gray shell marred by black and red tumors. Its mouthpart, normally small and able to feed only on plant life or blood, had been replaced by gruesome black mandibles. Said mandibles sank into Marcus¡¯s stomach, just before a bolt of lightning far larger than anything Marissa¡¯s zap gun could produce curved around Marcus and impaled the thing, sending the isopod and the torso it was still attached to flying across the room and right over where E4 still lay. The isopod immediately began chewing into the stone, before it got stuck. The torso began trying to claw through the stone, yet it its claws began to weep aether and disintegrate as the bleeding from its torso finally stopped. E4 looked up to see Vienna and Imnad charging down the steps
¡°Devil¡¯s Handkerchief what is that thing?¡± Marissa exclaimed. She leveled her zap rifle at the still struggling isopod, firing two shots into the torso¡¯s back and one actually striking the isopod. The body stopped, sagging.
¡°Is it dead?¡±
At her words the isopod pushed out and she fired. Her bolt hit a tumor which immediately ruptured in a puff of myst and steam, as the monster bolted back into the freezer, an ever lengthening line of intestines following after it. ¡°GET IT!¡±
E4 saw the isopod bite one of the bodies, severing its torso from its waist. Immediately dozens of tendrils shot from its spine and connected to the lower spine of the new body. As it did the remaining bodies seemed to evaporate in a cloud of myst. Hidden behind the cloud a horrific mockery of life pushed itself up, jerky in its movements and clearly unnatural
¡°The cur dares to insult this mistress of Aether?¡± Vienna charged into the freezer, bolts of lightning and a haze of Aether forming around her fists. ¡°This fool knows not to bow its head and face judgment. Come husband, let us teach it the might of the imbued.¡±
Immediately the pair were before the creature, Vienna lashing out with Aether infused fists and gleaming tattoos while Imnad provided support with a seemingly small revolver. Yet E4 could not blame his caution, as his wife was a force of nature, bolts of lightning shooting off of her with every move and the sound of thunder echoing after every blow. The woman was a blur, punches and kicks going so fast E4 could not follow them, only catching still frames illuminated by her tattoos.
The feral parried the first series, each blow receiving a tiny scratch in return, only for a precise shot from Imnad to reveal it was a feint. His shot caught the creature right where its tail merged with the host¡¯s spine, sending the entire body reeling. Vienna did not let its misstep go unpunished, calling out a phrase E4 could not understand in her native language before striking a pose from a martial arts flick and delivering a punch with enough lightning it could have lit a city block. The blow crushed every one of the ravager¡¯s ribs and sent it flying into the wall so hard it crushed every shelf and dented the metal, as well as cracking the stone behind it. Heedless of injuries the ravager threw itself back towards her. With casual disdain Vienna caught the creature¡¯s wrist, before its six fingered hand twisted with a bone breaking crack and sank its claws into her wrist.
¡°The toad hungers for the flesh of a swan, not knowing it bites a dragon.¡± Vienna called, and immediately her entire body crackled with lighting. She called something in kobold, which E4 did not understand but The Hymn translated into something along the lines of ¡°Divine retribution of righteous wing of the Ancient Dragon¡¯s Wrath which shakes The Seven Mountains.¡± The shock left the ravager blackened and standing stock still. ¡°Know your place.¡± With a single finger she reached out and pushed it.
¡°Dear I wouldn¡¯t,¡± Vienna let out a very un-jade beauty like scream as the isopod bent its host¡¯s body unnaturally and bit her finger. She pulled back and delivered an also unladylike kick right into the creature¡¯s groin, which elicited a CRUNCH not unlike an entire sleeve of potato crisps being crushed. ¡°YOU DARE!¡± Imnad exclaimed, emptying his revolver into the creature before going in with his cane sword. Immediately the ravager wheeled on the new threat, lashing out with a dozen cuts from its claws of which three got through. With every move black charcoal fell from its frame, evaporating into Myst as it hit the floor.
¡°MISERABLE WORM!¡± E4 didn¡¯t even see Vienna move, her form blurring, before she landed a devastating blow into the ravager, sending it reeling just as its foot stepped in a noose. E4 hadn¡¯t seen Vienna set the noose, but it wrapped around the ravager¡¯s ankle and yanked it to the side and just beyond her view. A loud CLACK sounded, accompanied by a spray of gore and a loud popping sound. For a moment the entire freezer was lit up bright as day, and the scent of ozone and flood of Aether that followed left only one conclusion. Vienna flicked a fan over her face to hide her smug smile. ¡°Bah, not even a worth my time.¡±
¡°Yes Mistress, truly allowing it to bite your finger was a stroke of genius.¡± Imnad replied, earning a glare from Vienna, before both laughed.¡± With a casual gesture she called a bear trap half her own height from the wall, a bug zapper sized for Mothra, and another tool E4 had no reference for to her hand. With a gentle gesture the entire assortment vanished in a cloud of Myst which was rapidly pulled into a tiny brass ring on her finger.
¡°Good Heavens, what are you doing down there?¡± Kindred called, E4 could practically see him wiping his forehead with a handkerchief. ¡°There is an awfully lot of banging.¡±
¡°Kindred, this mistress has several questions.¡± Vienna gracefully flew up the stairs, her feet not touching a single step. ¡°First, for what purpose did you lock a cannibal in the freezer rather than ventilating its skull?¡± In a move that only worked because she wasn¡¯t expecting it Vienna was shoved back down the stairs and the door was slammed. ¡°What The Myst?¡±
¡°You can¡¯t come up, you need to under quarantine to ensure you¡¯re not infected. A ravager infection,¡± In the time it took E4 to blink Vienna was up the stairs, through the door, and leveling a string of growls and threats that certainly did not sound like they were coming from a human throat.
¡°Y¡¯all I¡¯d better¡ Excuse me, I must mediate between my wife and Dr. Kindred.¡± Imnad quickly ascended the steps, gingerly stepping through the ragged hole in the door.
For a moment the basement was quiet, just Marcus, Marissa, and E4. The tension of the fight was over, the monster was dead, and as far as they knew they were safe. E4 listened to The Hymn for some cue that some new threat was upon them, but nothing stood out.
¡°So, E4, you seemed to know what that thing was.¡± Marcus spoke, finally breaking the silence. ¡°While it bore some resemblance to a ghoul or¡ unmentionable cannibal, I get the feeling this is something from your Earth. Care to comment?¡±
E4 took a moment to compose herself. Were they suspicious? She did have horns, they knew she had horns, but they were different. Her horns were short slender and curved, not large pointed racks that resembled a deer. She chittered a short prayer for wisdom, though not to Mara lest she never hear the end of it. She suspected God would understand resonant. ¡°That was a feral ravager.¡± She managed to stand, though Marissa was quick to support her. ¡°Did it get you?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Marcus replied, checking himself over. At the sight of his own blood he pulled up his shirt, and for a moment E4 noticed the perfectly sculpted washboard abs before her clinical and medical mindset took over. Marcus looked confused, despite the dozen claw marks that covered his sides where the ravager had gotten him. ¡°Doesn¡¯t hurt. Actually¡¡± He tapped the wound. ¡°Feels¡ warm? Almost like taking a hot shower.¡± He poked at one of the wounds and let out a low sigh. ¡°That¡ that¡¯s not a good sign is it?¡±
As he did so E4 picked up on the tiny resonant signals being given off by the toxin. ¡°If you want to further aggravate your wounds, no, it¡¯s not. Ravager toxin replaces pain with a sort of runner¡¯s high. Hold on, let me see how bad you are¡ shoot.¡± E4 held out her injured arm, her Wise Mind scanning Marcus and chittering out the details quietly in resonant. ¡°Only minor cuts¡ and that¡¯s a miracle in of itself. Ravager claws are sharp.¡±
¡°Here, use this.¡± Marissa fished in her bag and brought forth a medical bag similar to the one she had given E4 for the Screaming Dread hunt. The fact that bag was bigger than the bag she had drawn it from was but a minor detail. ¡°You might not have healing hands right now, but you can still use a med kit.¡±
Reaching in E4 found everything she¡¯d need, though it was a bit disorderly. She picked through, finding the C¡¯psee¡¯ter spit as well as the bandages and tapes she would need. She quickly dressed the wound with practiced precision. She noted a drain to her energy as she did, as the bag tried to drain her of Aether and she paid in ATP. ¡°So question, how good are you at handling withdrawal?¡±
¡°Withdrawal?¡±
¡°Ravager toxin is mildly addictive. I¡¯ve never had anyone go out into the swamps looking for more, but I¡¯ve had some folks dreaming about getting scratched, and waking up wishing for just a bit more. Had to put locks on the doors because someone tried trimming a ravager¡¯s claws and gave themselves an infection. Probably tomorrow you¡¯ll feel stiff, and might consider getting scratched again. Had a guy who used to scratch himself with a knife trying to get the feeling back, but he was an outlier.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve got just the thing.¡± Marissa replied, digging into her bag.
¡°Marissa, I¡¯m not drinking that.¡± E4 shot him a confused look, until she noticed Marissa had pulled out a 2 liter bottle made from glass and marked with the word ANTITOXIN in what she took to be wax pencil. Marissa uncorked the bottle, and a strong herbal scent swiftly filled the room. ¡°No, you¡¯re not,¡±
¡°E4, hold him.¡± Marissa spoke, grabbing onto Marcus.
¡°Going to point out I¡¯m missing a chunk of my arm, I think I¡¯m going to sit this out.¡± Even as she said it Marissa produced another bottle. ¡°So what is this thing?¡±
¡°It tastes like lawn clippings, but it binds to toxins and causes your body to burn them off into Aether.¡±
¡°Does it give you a skill for that?¡± E4 asked, already popping the cork and downing the bottle. Immediately she winced at the taste, yet a ravager¡¯s pallet includes anything not rotten through and most that are. She downed the entire bottle, and suddenly felt sick. Her serotonin and endorphan levels crashed, and she let out a loud gasp as the pain from her arm suddenly hit her. ¡°Ow! Owowow!¡± As she spoke Aether practically poured out of her mouth while her ATP levels skyrocketed. She felt tears come to her eyes. ¡°WHY?¡±
¡°Devil¡¯s Hankerchief E4, what¡¯s going on?¡± Marissa exclaimed, crouching next to E4 who was now a bundle of pain on the floor. Her arm felt like it was on fire, her tail lashed out at her pain leaving long slashes in the stone, her claws extending and retracting while leaving an odd circular pattern in the stone floor. ¡°Woah, that¡¯s, that¡¯s not normal.¡±
¡°That¡ Really¡ Hurts.¡± E4 groaned. ¡°Bleeding Havoc, it¡¯s like my arm is on fire!¡± Aether poured out of her mouth as well as from her wound, before it began pouring out of every pore in her body. She reached out to her Wise Mind and immediately saw why. The antitoxin had bound to every bit of ravager toxin and was feeding it into a point just within her skull. Only the fact she was making so much ATP to regenerate it all was keeping her alive. She turned her Wise Mind on herself to observe the data.
¡°E4, E4, come on, get up.¡±
¡°Let me be, I¡¯ll be,¡± E4 felt something cold poured over her arm which eased the pain, but not so much the effects of having her ravager toxin removed. ¡°Ow, reminds me of the first time I used naloxone with a broken arm.¡±
¡°Marcus let¡¯s get her into the charging chamber, that should help her heal her arm, and if there are more of those things we need her healed.¡± Marissa turned to E4, the bottle of whatever she had just used disintegrating into Aether. ¡°Are you ok to move?¡±
¡°Yes Mistress.¡±
It took a few minutes for Marissa to get the key for the charging chamber, during which time E4 heard her arguing with Kindred about something. Finally she came back down with the key. The charging chamber was sealed with a metal door, the same one E4 had seen coming down. It was smaller than the one in Los London, more the size of a large closet. Countless dials sat lodged within stone frames, stone cages surrounding the copper and silver wires so no one would bump them and get zapped. Marissa quickly helped E4 undress, while Marcus conveniently stepped out of the room.
¡°So Grant thinks we¡¯re all infected with Ravager pox and wants the guild hall quarantined for 24 hours. He says anyone touched by the creature has a chance to turn. You seem to know about them, anything to look out for?¡±
¡°Grant Kindred was accepted into the Purifiers for his knowledge of tactics and logistics, not his understanding of pathophysiology.¡± E4 noted the levels of ravager toxin in her blood had returned to normal as her arm was no longer a blazing stretch of burning pain and now more a warning light in her mind. ¡°He fit right in with the other purifiers as he preferred to shoot the infected rather than treat them, which was exactly what he did during the D. Nocturnus plague of Romania. He held off a force of 10,000 infected with a force of less than a thousand. He used a system of high intensity lights and trench warfare to neutralize their night vision and increased speed while his men shot any who approached his bunker and burned the bodies to ensure they wouldn¡¯t get right back up.¡±
¡°That sounds pretty good.¡±
¡°D. Nocturnis is a bacterial infection that causes the infected to believe they need blood to survive while also giving them increased perceived strength and night vision. It can be treated with aripirazole for the schizophrenic delusions during the early stages and a combination of piranizamide, isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol over the course of 3 months can cure it outright if you catch it before the brain damage gets too bad. Rather than treat the infected Kindred had them shot. The Bleeding Hearts tried to figure out how he kept his own troops from catching it, but all we found were heavily redacted records of an experimental drug called Panacea Number 7 and a lot of cremated purifiers.¡± She paused, deciding what to tell Marissa. ¡°Ravagers aren¡¯t created by a pox, and ravager toxin isn¡¯t infectious. Ravagers are spread by an isopod that has to craw into your eye to get in, and it¡¯s not subtle. If you lose vision in your dominant eye that returns in a few hours then you¡¯re in trouble.¡± She took a deep breath, considering what to say next. Her instincts, long buried, warned against it.
¡°You know a lot about them.¡± Marissa replied.
[[Don¡¯t. You know Mara won¡¯t like it if you reveal that.]]
¡°Funny what happens when you try to study a disease rather than burn it and anyone infected.¡± E4 heard a low clicking sound as some of the instruments indicated the chamber was ready to go. By this time she was down to just a linen shirt that barely covered her thighs. ¡°I guess that¡¯s my cue. If you like, I can try to write up a proper report once I¡¯ve got my Intellect stat back.¡± She said, finally getting into the coffin. ¡°One last thing, no matter what he tells you, don¡¯t take anything Kindred gives you. He¡¯s not above using poison to get rid of his detractors.¡± She flashed a smile. ¡°That¡¯s how I know your antitoxin tastes like hemlock.¡±
For the second time everything went white. For a single moment E4 felt her body go white hot, then ice cold. She felt her hands twitch, though this time they did not split. Pressure did not suddenly grow in her skull, rather it felt more gradual, as if she had a head cold, before the sensation suddenly vanished. For a moment E4 wondered if Mara had figured out how to make her isopod grow quickly, or if it had been when she was struck by lightning. As the thought passed through her mind she realized it was done.
With contemptuous ease she pushed open the coffin. Her Hymn reminded her she was naked, and with a gesture she wove from her own skin a new gown.
[[Flesh-woven gown: A gown made to be disposable yet soft. Is very comfortable despite its material, and tough enough to shrug off both blades and small caliber bullets. Can self repair ATP: 2/2. Signal 1. Max signal 2. Efficiency 50%. Upkeep 1ATP/week.]]. As she made the outfit E4 felt a sense of understanding return to her mind. [[Genetic memory has restored Fast Fabrication.]] A moment later she noticed Marissa had left her an outfit, and she quickly swapped most of the fabricated clothing.
[[New skill obtained: Ravager fighting style]]. E4 waited for some form of understanding to drop, but nothing did. [[No, I¡¯m not sure exactly what this is either. Maybe there¡¯s a way to exert ATP or Aether to improve your claws, but we do that anyhow. I¡¯m guessing this just makes it official. More research is required, maybe a better name- Red Queen]]
E4 dressed quickly, and just in time as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She quickly straightened up before Marissa could open the door.
¡°Oh, you¡¯re up.¡± Marissa set down the tome she carried and checked her pocket watch. ¡°After what happened last time I expected you to be finished quickly, but that was fast. Normal charging takes 12 hours or more.¡±
¡°It felt like a blink, like one moment I¡¯m getting in the next I¡¯m done.¡± E4 replied, stretching. She immediately noticed an issue. ¡°Mistress,¡± She tugged on her blouse, ¡°I don¡¯t remember my last shirt being this tight.¡±
¡°Must be an effect of being charged.¡± Marissa replied unconvincingly. E4 knew she had done something, though it wasn¡¯t entirely her doing.
¡°Yes, I think I¡¯ve grown.¡± E4 stepped next to her mistress, almost uncomfortably close, especially given she wore only a thin cream colored nightgown. ¡°I think I¡¯m just a bit shorter than you now, call it 180?¡±
¡°Probably, I¡¯m 190.¡± Marissa replied. ¡°You know, I think you look better in this body, stronger than the last one, a little more,¡± She glanced down and E4 rolled her eyes. ¡°The eye thing is a little odd, you don¡¯t see heterochromia in The Distant Shores very often. It¡¯s exotic,¡± She paused. ¡°Um¡ E4, what were the first stages of infection again?¡± She took a step back. ¡°Just curious.¡±
Chapter 18. Stone Walls and Aberrant forms: Conflict of Interest
Chapter 18
Stone Walls and Aberrant forms: conflict of interests
¡°Mistress, please stop reaching for your knife.¡± E4 said, easing into a stance. The Hymn seemed to guide her to the ideal stance and anchor her in place. Telekinetic fields surrounded her hands and feet, ready to answer her commands with far more ease than they had on Earth. ¡°Mistress please, I just got charged and I¡¯m both tired and hungry. I do not want to fight you.¡±
¡°E4, you¡¯re going to need to give me a sign you¡¯re not one of those things. I don¡¯t want to hurt you, but that thing took the five of us to bring down. Do you know how rare something that takes two imbued and two charged regulators are?¡±
¡°I suppose it won¡¯t help to tell you that was a young one?¡± E4 replied. Marissa slowly backed out of the charging room, hand over her blade but she hadn¡¯t drawn it yet. ¡°You can tell by the horns. Feral ravagers have big racks like a deer or an elk. Every time they eat someone it accumulates more prions in the brain and body, causing them to develop more points. Once they get to 4 they go into a short hibernation and get stronger, and again at 16. The one you slew was at 15 points.¡±
¡°You¡¯re saying that was tier 1?¡±
¡°Maybe? I don¡¯t know if the power scales like it does for Aether Blessed.¡± E4 paused. ¡°Sorry, not helping¡ um¡ give me a second. So the first symptom would be losing your vision in one eye for a while, which I clearly do not have. The second would be increased hunger,¡± At that moment her stomach let out a loud growl. ¡°Not helping. Ok, The Bleeding Hearts did a lot of study on Ravagers trying to learn how they became so hard to kill, there¡¯s got to be something. Um¡ They have a form of telekinesis that makes their claws incredibly sharp, ok that doesn¡¯t help. They have six fingers,¡± She held up her hand, which showed five fingers and two thumbs. ¡°See, I¡¯m not a feral, I have¡ seven fingers. Ok, not helping. They have a secret language which lets them communicate vast amounts of information quickly, they can mimic any voice they have eaten, they¡¯re easily distracted because every person they eat stays in their head. They don¡¯t have the ability to make long term plans because every voice in their head is starving.¡± She paused. ¡°You heard what that thing was saying, how hungry they were.¡±
¡°It was making an odd clicking sound¡¡± Marissa drew her dagger, ¡°Just like you used to. I¡¯ve heard you make that sound in the train before we lost you¡ But, that means,¡±
¡°Fangs of the Lady.¡± E4 sighed. She felt an itch in her eye, and wiped an isopod from her face. She eyed the critter, then looked back at Marissa who was staring at the isopod. ¡°Seriously Red? Bleeding havoc, now of all times?¡± The isopod gave her a little wave and E4 placed it on her shoulder where it dug in its claws. ¡°And of course NOW it occurs to me to remind you ferals can only mimic voices and scream in hunger, they can¡¯t actually think clearly enough to communicate. That or remind you we were together for weeks without incident despite the fact I was a charged ravager that entire time.¡± She flicked her tail in annoyance. ¡°If this were Earth I¡¯d be vanishing into the night and adopting a new name right about now, but unfortunately there¡¯s a purifier up stairs and I can¡¯t just fake my death again since apparently we come back from that. He¡¯d be on my tail the moment I came back.¡±
¡°Maybe, but you could die and come back as human.¡± Marissa replied, drawing her dagger. ¡°You were just charged, you wouldn¡¯t lose much. We could find you again.¡± From the wavering in her voice, E4 could tell she wasn¡¯t sure.
¡°It wouldn¡¯t work. I was a ravager for years before I came here, and I regained my isopod the first chance I got.¡± She winced. ¡°Still feel a little bit bad about forcing that on E4, yet this new body had an isopod before I even got to it. If I hadn¡¯t shown up maybe it would be like the body in the freezer. Even if I got to a body before the isopod did, I don¡¯t think it would be long before I found another one. E4 had an isopod¡¯s egg inside a cut on her hand, no clue how.¡±
Marissa took a step up the stairs. ¡°E4, before she swallowed your soul, cut her hand on a crystal we found in a ruin.¡± She took another step. ¡°Big round place, lots of melted wires, and a lot of ash.¡±
¡°Makes sense, I broke into a purifier research lab trying to destroy some blackmail and they were working on, oops.¡± E4 lunged, kicking off the wall and jumping over Marissa. She landed just before the door and with a single movement cut a strip of her own flesh off and stuck it to the door. Immediately Myst coalesced on the door, locking it shut. ¡°Sorry, can¡¯t let you go getting Kindred.¡±
¡°I was thinking Vienna.¡± Marissa dropped her blade to her left hand and as E4¡¯s eyes followed it she almost missed the zap pistol that seemed to appear in her hand already spitting lightning. E4 ducked under the first two shots, the third one catching her on the shoulder, though not the one her new isopod was on.
¡°Not worried about Vienna, she¡¯d only kill me.¡± E4 replied, throwing herself down the steps. She rolled under another shot and came up swinging. Marissa stepped back just enough to avoid the claws, but not the telekinetic blades that came with them. Immediately seven tiny cuts lanced across her flesh just barely breaking skin. ¡°Might even escape, wouldn¡¯t be the first time I crawled my way out of my own grave. Kindred would poison this entire town,¡± Another swing, this one Marissa ducked under, blasting E4 with another bolt which just barely missed, ¡°salt the Earth, poison everything within 5 kilometers. He¡¯d kill all of you, and probably try to do it again if you came back.¡±
¡°And you only want to turn me into one of those things.¡± Marissa turned and ran. E4 lashed out with her claws, yet a half second too late she noted a field of Aether and telekinetic force appear to delay her just long enough for Marissa to avoid the blow. In the time it took her to realize this she also realized Marissa had left a small glass flask, just before it exploded in lightning. Immediately she felt her muscles lock up and a burst of serotonin shot through her skull before she was thrown back into the metal door.
¡°To be fair, the one you fought was feral.¡± E4 replied, slowly pushing herself up off the floor. She stretched, half expecting to be hurt. She had a few bruises, a couple burns on her skin, yet she felt good. Even as she stepped forwards those minor wounds healed. [[Genetic memory is attempting to reinstate healing hands. Regeneration protocol up to 75% capacity]].
¡°Is this why Patterson killed you, because he found out you were a ravager?¡± Marissa took cover behind a wall, zap pistol at the ready. She poked her head out and fired a trio of shots, yet at the worst possible moment her hand drifted as the ravager toxin did its work. With inhuman agility E4 was behind the stairway.
¡°Maybe, but I¡¯m pretty sure he killed me because he found out I had a patron. He practically came out and said it. Which is kind of funny, since it was the purifier¡¯s poison that killed him.¡± E4 poked her head out of the stairway. ¡°Why are you even taking cover? I don¡¯t have a gun.¡±
¡°Right,¡± Marissa stood and took a single shot, before E4 reached out and grabbed her gun with telekinesis. ¡°What the?¡±
¡°Feral ravagers can¡¯t use telekinesis outside of their claws,¡± E4 gestured and pulled Marissa¡¯s gun up. In the time it took for her to bring it back down E4 was within arm¡¯s reach. ¡°Yet The Red Queen taught us much.¡±
¡°That your patron?¡± Quick as a wink Marissa¡¯s arm seemed to move just enough to evade E4¡¯s grip and she fired three times right into her chest. Yet E4 barely flinched. With a kick she knocked the pistol out of her hand and quick as a whip she grabbed it with her tongue and threw it behind her. ¡°What the?¡± Marissa drew her knife, ¡°How?¡± She nimbly turned aside a blow from E4, though even as she did she received another tiny cut from E4¡¯s second thumb.
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¡°Ah Ava¡¡± E4 pulled her tongue back in her mouth. ¡°That ravager was a myst folk, no protection from Aether.¡± She pushed a hand forwards throwing a telekinetic shove that set Marissa off balance long enough for her to step forwards and deliver a pair of lightning quick slashes. Yet to her surprise Marissa seemed to accelerate, blocking twice and lashing out a cut that should have left a nasty gash in her stomach. Instead the blade barely broke skin.
¡°And that means Aetheric weapons aren¡¯t going to work.¡±
¡°That knife cuts both ways, or doesn¡¯t in our case. Good thing were not using medical tools, we¡¯d probably both be torn to shreds.¡± E4 replied. She feinted left, spun, and slashed towards the right with both claws. Marissa blocked, but it wasn¡¯t enough. ¡°That¡¯s that, open wide.¡±
¡°What?¡± Marissa¡¯s eyes went wide in horror as the right side of her face went numb. As E4 feinted and spun the isopod on her shoulder had dropped off, and with a flick of her tail it went flying right onto Marissa¡¯s forehead. ¡°No, no.¡± She slowly reached up, only for E4 to grab her hands.
¡°Easy, easy. You don¡¯t want to mess it up now, you could lose vision in your eye for nothing.¡± Marissa tried to break her grip, yet a wave of euphoria washed over her. Suddenly, she wasn¡¯t sure why she was fighting. E4 leaned her back, and with a little telekinesis managed to slide Marissa onto her lap. ¡°For the record, we never liked forcing people to join. We lost good folks who weren¡¯t ready, and I really hope that doesn¡¯t happen to you. Yet we can¡¯t let the Purifiers know, we¡¯re only safe if it¡¯s a secret. Just take a deep breath, it¡¯ll be over in a moment.¡± She looked at the isopod sipping from Marissa¡¯s forehead, before it curled up and dropped off. ¡°Hey, where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± The isopod turned and waved its claws.
[[Her body is too resilient, we would need a tier 1 isopod to bond to a tier 1 body.]]
¡°And a tier 1 isopod would already have a soul in it, which bonding two souls together is how you get a feral, or in this world maybe an undead.¡± E4 paused. ¡°Fangs of the old lady, this just got complicated. So, Mistress¡¡± She looked, to find Marissa had closed her eyes. ¡°Um, Mistress, hello?¡± She tapped Marissa, but there was no response. ¡°Marissa?¡±
[[Based on the signals coming from the ravager toxin, she has dropped into REM sleep. You could probably take her to bed and she would not awaken. She may even believe this was all a dream.]]
¡°Worth a shot. The alternative is to leave, and I think I¡¯m not quite ready to go solo again.¡± She eyed the isopod as it was currently curled up. ¡°And what do I do with you?¡± She paused, an idea coming to mind. She quickly procured a jar of pickles, which she promptly consumed in a single gulp, before plopping the isopod inside. ¡°Hey Red, think we can put on a little show tomorrow?¡± E4 easily carried Marissa up the stairs after stashing the jar. ¡°That reminds me, how did she catch on? I¡¯ve got Innate human mimicry.¡±
[[Unknown. It is possible she bears some manner of identification skill. Alternatively she could have read off of your nervousness when she asked about your eyes. Clearly she did not know much about ravagers since your ability to communicate should have immediately dismissed the possibility of being feral. Perhaps keep this in mind should the issue arise again. Also I should note that the isopod is ready for metamorphosis.]]
¡°That¡ pity. Probably won¡¯t be able to use it but we can always make more.¡±
[[Approximately 2 isopods can be made every few days.-Red Queen]].
E4 took a quick moment to snatch a few potatoes from the larder, spearing the first right off the shelf with her tongue before shredding it with her fangs. She devoured the remaining five vegetables raw before lifting her mistress in a princess carry and ascending the steps. E4 nodded to the strip of flesh that held the door shut and it immediately withered away, feeding its ATP back into her as it did. In less than a moment there was no evidence it had ever been. As she slipped out she locked eyes with Vienna, who was meditating in the corner.
¡°So early does the maid awaken.¡± She spoke without opening her eyes. ¡°What happened to your mistress?¡±
¡°She fell asleep.¡± E4 replied.
¡°Yet this young mistress does smell ozone and Aether. Were you dual tempering thine flesh?¡± E4 tensed, while Vienna just smirked. ¡°Ah the pure love of sisters, were it that mine husband would embrace the current of the heavens with me. A word of advice, tempering the flesh is better with a steady current, embrace together the wires of the fence, start with a small town before embracing the full current of Los London and The Heavens shall bestow upon you their blessings, or achievements if you prefer my husband¡¯s crude phrasing. The Darwin Awards is a pathway to many skills some consider unnatural.¡±
¡°This grasshopper accepts the expert¡¯s teaching.¡± E4 replied, at which Vienna smirked before going back to her meditation. E4 quickly ascended the steps before coming to a few doors. Quiet as a mouse she opened the first and peered in to find an office, which as she closed the door she noticed it was marked Guildmaster¡¯s office. Chiding herself she peered into the next, which revealed itself to have a single large bed. Judging by the cane sword leaning against the bedside table and the pistol on said table E4 guessed it was Imnad¡¯s room. Upon touching the brass doorknob of the third room E4 felt frost. ¡°What the blood?¡± Quiet as a church mouse she opened the door.
Within the room was darker than even the night should have made it. Two beds, one larger than the other, sat within. Standing beside the smaller bed, its hand resting on Marcus¡¯s chest, was a form visible only because it was darker than its surroundings. E4 felt her muscles tense as the creature turned its hatted head and observed her with glowing red eyes. In one hand it held a silver dagger, far larger than the last one
¡°Y-you again.¡± E4¡¯s voice seemed to catch in her throat even as adrenaline and ravager toxin roared through her veins. The Hymn screamed at her to run. One instinct told her to drop her mistress and bolt, yet another instinct grabbed that first instinct and throttled it. It demanded she carry her mistress out of danger, by any means necessary. Yet it was the third instinct, the one from her isopod, that she followed.
With a sound like a whip cracking E4 lashed out with her tail, slicing into the abomination¡¯s form even as she practically tossed Marissa on her bed. Quick as a wink she pivoted and the Hat Man gained 14 new holes, each one conveniently connected to its lungs. E4 gave her wrists a quick twist to turn those fourteen small holes into two larger holes and expected the entity to vanish as it had the last time. What she did not expect was it to grab her by the throat and lift. She thrashed, trying to break its grip, yet it regarded her as if she was an annoying dog, lifting her with a single hand without even bothering to remove its other hand from Marcus.
E4 tried to breathe, tried to choke out some quip or speak something, yet the entity¡¯s grip on her throat was like iron. She reached out, pointing at its face, and a stream of bio-lightning burst forth from her hand. Immediately the hat man stumbled, even as the light failed to illuminate it. ¡°Master Marcus, Mistress!¡± Yet before she could try anything the abomination grabbed her with both hands and squeezed. She felt her throat beginning to give way and heard a low CRACK.
¡°Hands off my maid!¡± There was a sound like thunder and for a single moment the entirety of the room was lit by a blinding silver flash. When E4¡¯s eyes cleared she saw nothing but an empty room. She looked over to Marissa, who was now pointing her rifle at E4. ¡°E4, are you, Are you you?¡±
¡°Mistress, who else would I be?¡± E4 asked, doing much better this time. ¡°I found you asleep in the basement, it was nice of you to wait up for me but you didn¡¯t have to do that for me. I carried you up, only to see that thing attacking Marcus again.¡±
¡°Ow, and thank you for that.¡± Marcus groaned as he sat up, hands gripping his head. ¡°Feels like I¡¯ve got a killer migraine on top of horrible nightmares.¡± He looked up at E4 and his eyes got a little wider.
¡°You want to talk about them?¡± E4 asked, sitting down on his bed. She shot a look to Marissa, the Hymn reminding her she was Marissa¡¯s maid rather than Marcus¡¯s, which didn¡¯t make much sense to her since she worked for both of them, but she just gave a nervous nod.
¡°It was, I dreamed that thing from earlier had gotten you two.¡± He looked at Marissa. ¡°I saw your bodies get back up, and you were coming for me.¡± E4 saw Marissa¡¯s expression turn from confusion to fear, and her hand go up to her eye. ¡°We were back in our old home, before we came to the Distant Shores. No weapons, no MIST scores,¡± He paused. ¡°It felt so real.¡±
¡°That sounds scary, as someone who has dealt with feral ravagers both here and on Earth they¡¯re a piece of work. General rule of thumb, the more spikes they have on their horns, the worse they are.¡± She yawned. ¡°Remind me tomorrow morning to give you guys a rundown.¡± She looked at the two beds. ¡°Was there another room, or should I just grab a bench downstairs?¡±
¡°No, I think Marissa picked a big bed so you would sleep next to her.¡± Marcus replied, lying back down. ¡°Just, one question first. Is there a risk we¡¯re infected?¡±
¡°No.¡± E4 replied, lying down next to Marissa. Marissa looked at her a little worried, so E4 did something to put her at ease. She promptly stared into her right eye, then her left. ¡°In order to turn into a feral ravager you first need to have a ravager isopod eat your eye, then after about a week you have to eat your first human. I don¡¯t see one in Marissa¡¯s eye. Have you lost vision in either eye lately?¡±
¡°Not that I am aware of.¡±
¡°Then you¡¯re good. Good night.¡±
Chapter 19. Stone walls and Aberrant forms. Recon
The next morning E4 to the smell of cinnamon wafting from below and a warm and the touch of soft flesh arms. Slowly, carefully, she unwrapped Marissa¡¯s arms from around her and slipped on her shoes to check on breakfast. With a gesture she sent a small burst of Aether through her clothes to clean and straighten them. It wasn¡¯t a full shower, but it would do for the time being.
On her way through the guild hall E4 noted a few men gathered for breakfast, each wearing a mask emblazoned with the purifier¡¯s symbol. Down below a bartender she hadn¡¯t met yet, a dashing man dressed in copper and green wearing an apron emblazoned with the town symbol worked in the kitchen. ¡°Good morning, are you Hop¡¯los?¡± The bartender asked, flipping a cinnamon pancake with one hand while mixing something else with his other.
¡°E4, and I am Master Marcus and Mistress Marissa of the Eagle-Wood family¡¯s maid.¡± She gestured towards an unused section of the kitchen. ¡°Mind if I borrow some of the kitchen?¡±
¡°I suppose so long as you¡¯re not trouble. Wouldn¡¯t be the first maid to insist on making something for their regulators. What are you making?¡±
¡°I was thinking oatmeal pancakes. Quick, long lasting, and pretty good with some butter and¡ syrup. Maybe I¡¯d better see what we¡¯ve got to work with. Anything I shouldn¡¯t use?¡±
¡°I mean, just don¡¯t be wasteful.¡±
Searching through the cupboards R4 found the ingredients for the pancakes, though there was no maple syrup so she made do with a pot of honey she found. Using the excuse for needing eggs she fetched the jar containing the isopod from the basement, keeping it in her pocket where it happily slept and fed off the resonance R4 produced. As she worked she began to develop an odd craving for eggs and sausages, as well as a rice dish she didn¡¯t know the name of. Seeing as the pancakes were soon to be finished she began to work on them as well, trusting the Hymn to guide her on the right steps.
¡°Attend, Lord Stone-Weaver is coming!¡± someone cried out. E4 looked up from the sausages, took them off the burner, and wiped her hands off on a towel before stepping out. Each of the men were standing at attention as a well dressed man stepped into the guild hall. For a moment E4 thought he was being preceded by a conductor, before she noticed his eyes were the same clouded fog of most Myst Cursed. He wore a thick graying beard with a darker stripe in the center, and his hair matched the pattern. For clothing he wore a fine white shirt with a red vest and matching red pants, a fine red and brown cape provided a silhouette against the light streaming in through the door. Rather than metal, every button and even the chain that held his cape and clothing in place were made from stone.
¡°Greetings regulators, come come, let us hear what progress you have made.¡± Immediately E4 stepped back into the kitchen fetching the food she had prepared and brought it out, levitating Marissa¡¯s breakfast as well as the rice dish. E4 took a few moments to determine where everything should go just as Marissa and Marcus descended the steps. Both wore their full kit, Marissa going with heavy duty boots and a longer brown dress with numerous pockets and Marcus wearing a long sleeved gray shirt and darker pants along with a long black coat bearing numerous pockets. Marissa carried her zap rifle and pistol, while Marcus had his blunderbuss and katana rather than his cane sword. Behind them Vienna and Imnad descended, Imnad leaning heavily on his cane sword while Vienna seemed to almost float as she descended. E4 could almost see the crackles of Aether surrounding the woman, her horns glowing slightly and the gems within them shining with the same light as her eyes.
¡°Greetings Lord Stone-Weaver.¡± E4 spoke, placing her dishes on the table with a hurried grace. ¡°Presenting Lord Marcus and Lady Marissa Eagle-Wood.¡± The Hymn presented the words and even the appropriate gestures she should make as if following a script. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Marcus about to introduce himself, before stopping and nodding. She half expected Marissa to curtsy, but she just gave a wave
¡°Greetings Lord Stone-Weaver, Scholar Imnad Marked and Young Mistress Vienna Marked greet y¡¯all¡ You, greet you.¡± Imnad quickly corrected. From the tone of his voice he sounded as if he hadn¡¯t gotten enough sleep. Vienna gave some sort of hand gesture involving cupping one hand around her fist and bowing which E4 interpreted as a greeting.
¡°I see I see, well come down, it seems the cook has prepared us something, we shall talk over breakfast.¡± He immediately sat at the spot where E4 had set out the sausages and eggs, while the Eagle-Wood and Marked families took their seats. ¡°Server, are you forgetting¡¡± he stared at E4 for a moment.
¡°Ah, right, silverware. Be right back.¡± E4 replied, vanishing back into the kitchen with abnormal alacrity. With a gesture she pulled the utensils from their place and was back in nearly an instant. With a gesture each fork, knife, and spoon was in its proper position as dictated by The Hymn. ¡°Am I forgetting anything?¡± She waited a moment before taking her own seat, and then noticing Stoneweaver was staring at her. ¡°Um, did I miss something?¡±
[[Genetic memory is attempting to restore Perfect Positioning, yet something is still missing.]]
¡°Your face¡ Who are you?¡± He asked, rubbing his eyes. ¡°Do you work here? No, not with that uniform, you must work with the regulators.¡±
¡°My name is E4, formerly Ere¡¯lur, currently serving the Eagle-Wood family until my training as a regulator is completed.¡± E4 replied. A nervous thought passed through her mind, but she suppressed it.
¡°I see, Sir Eagle-Wood I was aware that your grandfather was experimenting with his maids, yet I only now see the benefits he was chasing. Truly, his tastes are timeless. How much would it cost for me to acquire this maid? I believe she would be a fine servant for my household.¡± E4 quickly shook her head while the man was not looking.
¡°With all due respect that would be ill advised. E4 is not actually the result of my¡ grandfather¡¯s experiments. She is an Aether Blessed lacking in ancestral knowledge. She was a maid who swallowed a soul while in our employ, so we are harboring her until we are sure she is ready to take on the Distant Shores.¡± He took a bite of his food and winced. ¡°E4, did you use corpse bee honey?¡±
¡°Is that what that was? I thought it was regular honey.¡± E4 took a bite, and was struck by the taste of thick spicy barbecue flavor. ¡°That¡ is interesting.¡± She continued eating, the smokey and spicy flavor was not unpleasant. ¡°Probably better on chicken than on pancakes.¡± She noted a sensation that grew in her throat, before a heat began to spread through her limbs. It was subtle at first, but as she continued eating it got stronger and stronger.
¡°Definitely, Marissa answered, taking another bite. ¡°It¡¯s also slightly charged, not enough to unlock any new skills, but enough that it could give a buff.¡± She took a thoughtful look, as if trying to figure out exactly what the food was doing. As she finished she made her conclusion. ¡°If I had to guess, I¡¯d say it¡¯s a speed buff, but maybe it¡¯s to fire resistance given how it feels warm, or possibly to fire resistance or fire weapons. Pretty handy if we¡¯re working with the purifiers. Speaking of which, where is Kindred?¡±
E4 tilted her head, twisted it again, nothing. ¡°Hey Marissa, could you deliver him a message?¡± Marissa gave her a look. ¡°The coin thing.¡±
¡°Um, ok?¡± Marissa took out two copper coins and clicked them together. Quick as a wink E4 snatched them from her hands and immediately The Hymn whispered his location. ¡°Be right back.¡±
Within 10 seconds E4 was several blocks away all without making a single sound. A small popup in the corner of her eye notifying her of the return of her perfect position skill. The home was made from thick stone blocks, small windows with thick metal bars sparcely decorated the walls. She tapped on the door, yet the noise it made was explosive compared to the force used. The door opened and E4 found herself staring down the barrel of a shotgun.
¡°Who is it?¡±
¡°Message for The Golden Spider
1. Lord Stone-Weaver wanted to see him in the guild hall.¡±
¡°Your message has been received.¡± The purifier made a gesture. ¡°Now off with you messenger.¡± E4 turned and walked off, but not before hearing the purifier add, ¡°Messengers get older every year don¡¯t they?¡±
¡°Not our issue, what are we going to do with the body? Boss isn¡¯t waking up, and neither is she.¡± E4 shouldn¡¯t have been able to hear that, but she still did. She picked up her pace just a bit, trusting her innate human mimicry to prevent anyone from noticing her. As she walked away she felt as if something clicked.
[[Unknown skill or subversion unlocked. Not quite sure what that was, I think it was an advanced skill or a synergy. Probably between Hymn Listener and Psychic. Nice job exploiting that aspect of The Hymn.]]
¡°It¡¯ll probably only work in town¡ I wonder.¡± E4 took the two coins and clicked them thinking of Marissa. Immediately a young boy appeared from around a corner. ¡°I have a message for Marissa Eagle-Wood. The trick only works with a partner. Meet you at the standing stones.¡± She handed the boy the coins, and noted that he caught them in a hand made of stone, which attached to his flesh at the elbow with some manner of bangle. Not seeming to notice her stare the boy was off. E4 adopted a brisk walk to keep up with him, and though it took longer she followed him right to Marissa, no longer inside the guild hall but now a few more houses down. A section of the town had been left open, and a formation of granite stones sat encircling a descending tornado of Myst. Imnad and Marcus were discussing something with a large book between them while Vienna was doing some manner of stretching. Marissa appeared to be watching over Marcus¡¯s shoulder, but E4 didn¡¯t miss how she was flexing her fingers, as if she could almost feel the claws that were not actually lurking beneath her skin. The boy approached Marissa and relayed the information before wandering off.
¡°It seems my assumption was correct.¡± Imnad spoke, adjusting his glasses as Marcus passed him a pair of coin. ¡°That is a useful skill, does it let you find anyone?¡±
¡°I am not certain, first time using Hymn listener like that.¡± She eyed the standing stones, and noticed the Myst swirling within had odd black streaks going through it. Occasionally small cracks of lightning shot through it. ¡°Is that normal?¡±
¡°Fortunately not.¡± Marcus replied. ¡°Vienna you¡¯re the eldest among us,¡± E4 looked at the woman who might have been 25 skeptically, ¡°Is this a siege?¡±
¡°You dare call me eldest and then ask ask this mistress such? Well, since I¡¯m feeling benevolent not yet. Observe the contained Aether, our resident spider has been here so long his aether is beginning to remain. The corrupted beasts shall soon assault this place en mass, and all attempts to leave shall be met with great difficulty. Perhaps a small train could escape, but the damage would be extensive and public trains such as our own will not come here. I suspect our own train has already departed and no public trains shall arrive. If we are fortunate and our conductors loyal they shall return occasionally, but it will be at great risk each time. Base supplies will be available for a while, though rare reagents will be near impossible to get.¡±
¡°So how do we get out?¡± E4 asked. She paused before adding, ¡°Your¡ excellence?¡± She mimicked the hand gesture Vienna made, The Hymn adjusting her hands. ¡°I mean, elder sister.¡±
Vienna paused, and splayed her fan to hide her smile. ¡°Truly my junior sister¡¯s ears are too keen. While we wait for our sleepy guest open your mind and this senior sister shall instruct you, for a siege is not a normal hunt. In most hunts you seek a specific creature, or perhaps the leader of a group like in the case of goblins or ignorant kobolds. Occasionally you have to kill a few. If you are not sufficient to the task, you leave your bargains and run. Such is the cost of thinking with your armory rather than your library. In a siege all escape is cut off. While the standing stones will still produce, they produce more consumables and tokens that are not useful outside the city. Generally the creatures of The Myst come in greater numbers than greater power, though stronger monsters known as bosses or lieutenants do appear.¡±
¡°Boss monsters, are they stronger or smarter?¡± E4 asked.
¡°Bosses are stronger and slightly smarter, lieutenants actually make decisions and can think. Telling the difference is not easy, the term comes from the game of Rout and the actual creatures are more a spectrum than a hard rule. Yet each contains far more dense Myst than the normal units, so slaying them is a larger setback for their masters. The siege can only be lifted if the commander is defeated or a lynchpin is pulled. Some sieges can be waited out, but this isn¡¯t one of them. Slaying him will require an assassin''s work, or the slaying of enough of his underlings until he must come forth himself. Perhaps a lynchpin exists that if pulled shall hamstring him, but there is no guarantee. Once The Spider arrives we shall partake of The Myst¡¯s bounty that we might be strengthened for the hunt.¡±
It took only a few moments for everyone to arrange themselves. E4 noted that Stone-weaver observed from nearby, though being Myst cursed he did not partake. Just as they were reaching out a voice called, ¡°Hold on there.¡±
¡°Dr. Kindred, how nice of you to finally join us. This mistress sees you have partaken deeply this night. It is good to know that the men of science in your era have not forgotten that they are but flesh and bone.¡± The way she said it E4 wasn¡¯t sure if it was a barb or not. Kindred raced towards them, dressed in a similar undersuit though this one was tan rather than white.
¡°Yes well I was up late into the night studying some records with a local historian. If we can find where this threat originated we may be able to get a better idea of how to get a handle on it.¡± E4 nodded, the idea was sound even if his words didn¡¯t match what she had heard. The group gathered around the circle, and each reached out. Immediately a bolt of lightning fell from the sky, striking the cloud. Rather than vanishing it seemed to spin, and with a flash of light the boons were passed out. E4 eyed the rather large crate of ammunition and a large bag marked with a sheaf of wheat that appeared before Marcus, while Marissa received a large box of granola bars and a box filled with dozens of vials of chemicals. Vienna received dozens of cards which to E4¡¯s eyes looked blank, as well as two huge bags of rice. Imnad got a 20 kilogram bag of sugar, a box of bullets, and a large kukri in a sheath made from what looked like banana leaves or some similar plant. His face looked grim as he drew the blade, and E4 noticed that as he ran Aether through it a red stain seemed to appear on the edge of the blade.
Kindred seemed to be the big winner. Two huge crates emblazoned with the symbol of The Purifiers appeared before him, one marked with a crossed fork and scalpel the other marked with the symbol of a bullet. A pair of fuel canisters that glowed a faint blue sat upon them. Finally, an envelope marked with the symbol of The Purifiers and a book with the same symbol sat on top. Kindred eyed the crates which were as tall as himself before running off to get his power armor.
¡°Who says selling your soul doesn¡¯t pay.¡± E4 jabbed. She stepped towards the food crate and reached up for the book. She eyed it and rolled her eyes.
¡°E4, it¡¯s considered taboo to take someone else¡¯s boon.¡± Marcus cautioned, even as he eyed the crates with a bit of envy.
¡°I¡¯m just seeing what Purifier Command was sending him.¡± She replied, stepping back without touching anything. ¡°Mundo¡¯s field guide to hostile Pathogens, Myst edition. He¡¯s been busy if he¡¯s already had time to make a new edition since coming here.¡±
¡°Junior, you are treading on thin ice.¡± Vienna cautioned as E4 returned to pick up her own boon. It was a small messenger bag with a large mouth that went along the entire width of the bag. She opened it and smiled.
¡°Yum.¡± E4 commented, pulling a sack of potatoes and a small sack of coffee beans to her hand with telekinesis, despite the size of each being more than that of the bag itself. As she replaced the food she retrieved a small bag of coin, though as she examined them she noted they were translucent gold rather than solid. ¡°Master Marcus, what are these?¡±
¡°Devil¡¯s handkerchief, hollow tokens.¡± Marcus replied. ¡°They are coin, and Myst folk will treat them as such, but if we leave this town they will vanish. The Myst wants us here,¡± He gestured to the supplies, and I doubt we will be leaving any time soon. Let¡¯s store these at the guild, then take a look at what we¡¯re dealing with.¡±
Storing the supplies took only a few minutes, after which they arrived at the wall in short order. Stone-Weaver traveled with them, two guards dressed in heavy stone armor beside him. Initially she thought they were wearing FOG suits, but after noting they lacked any Purifier markings she took a second look. Each set of armor was made from thick granite plates for the chest and limbs, with what looked to be layered sheets of slate that was somehow curved for the joints. The chest piece was in a black granite while the limbs were lighter brown for darker joints. The helmet looked to be made from steel, and was human size in contrast with the rest, leading to the guards being only two and a half meters tall rather than two and two thirds. Each guard carried a war hammer as tall as E4 and with a head that likely weighed twice what she did. A third guard in thinner slate armor with a similar coloration carried a thin rapier and a crossbow. All three guards had stone hands, with the heavily armored guards having appropriate sized hands and the lightly armored guard having one normal sized hand and one that must have contributed a quarter of his weight. Between the shadowed eyes and the stone armor they almost looked as if they were statues. She could almost believe they were animated stone armor, except for when one of the heavily armored guards cracked a joke she couldn¡¯t hear and the lightly armored guard quickly covered his laugh with a cough. From the top of the walls E4 looked out and received her first look at their current locale.
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Given the prevalence of stone E4 expected the city to be in the mountains. To some extent that was true, and in the distance she saw tall mountains that loomed high in the sky to the point Myst became clouds. Yet directly next to the city she saw a large swamp. A long and well paved road led through the swamp towards the mountains, and she saw a group of men riding in large wagons along the rails towards the mountains, tiny steam engines powering the devices. Far closer lumberjacks harvested wood from nearby and harvesters gathered cotton and other plants.
¡°Behold, my home.¡± E4 turned to face Stoneweaver, but was caught by the view of his land. House upon house sat in perfect rows, each one made from flawless stone with wood acting only as accents around the windows. Even the roofs were made from stone, though of a make she was not familiar with. They were dark, but incredibly glossy to the point they could have been mirrors. In the center jutted an enormous red and brown shard shot through with transparent crystals ¡°When I was born here it was but a tiny village, with only the Ruptured Shard to denote it from any other village. Through the bounty of our swamps and the wealth beneath our mountains we are now a city to rival even Towering Oaks.¡±
¡°Impressive, Grandfather and Grand Uncle Marcus didn¡¯t live long enough to see our home become as large as it is.¡± Marcus replied, pulling a spyglass from a pocket E4 was pretty sure was too small for the device. ¡°How did you pull this off without a patron?¡±
¡°The right people at the right time, that and a Lorrie load of hard work. The Eagle-Wood family helped me out back in the day, and I am hoping you can do the same.¡± He pointed. ¡°And that right there is the problem.¡±
A small group was returning, four men mounted on the terror bird like horit acted as scouts while a cart being pulled by odd camel like creatures with green fur as well as scales held what looked to E4 like long slender twigs. She blinked twice, resetting her right eye before zooming in again with her isopod eye. ¡°Did they shrink down a bunch of trees?¡±
¡°Spacial distortion carts, I¡¯m surprised you can see them from this range.¡±
E4¡¯s ravager eye picked up movement and she quickly noticed the horde shuffling towards the group. What she saw made her heart race, and her claws come out.
¡°Nightmares made real.¡± She whispered as the men on the horit drew their long spears and charged their attackers. The rotten corpses didn¡¯t even bother trying to block, for their flesh was already ruined. Immediately four of the rotten were run through, and immediately reached out to grab their attackers. To their credit, the guards drew pistols and fired. The moment the bullet left the gun it burst into a red hot flare that pierced its target¡¯s skull and burned the brain within, but that was four and E4 could see dozens more swarming.
¡°We have to help them!¡± E4 announced. She eyed the 10 meter high wall she stood upon, looking for a way down. As she did Marissa took a knee, drew her rifle, slotted in one of her vacuum tubes, and fired. Immediately a bolt of lightning shot force and nailed one of the undead, reducing it to Aether where it stood.
¡°Go, I¡¯ll cover overwatch from back here.¡± Even as she spoke she hit a release, allowing the vacuum tube to fall and slotted in four more. The spent tube evaporated before it even hit the ground.
¡°You won¡¯t get much Dense Myst from way back here.¡± Vienna admonished.
¡°By the time we get down there,¡± E4 took her words as permission. She was tier 1, and the ground wasn¡¯t. She took a running leap off the wall, reaching out with her telekinesis to push herself even further. ¡°E4 what are you doing?¡±
E4 aimed for the nearest tree, latching on with her claws as the branch dipped low, the entire tree bending from the force of her leap, before she pushed off with telekinesis and was bolting towards the caravan. She felt one of her skills begin to surge, and a new sense of lightness seemed to appear in her limbs. It was not as strong as when she had gained a new skill, but it was similar.
2
Within a minute E4 had arrived, not as fast as she had been but still inhumanly fast. Already the rotten were winning, one of the guards had lost his mount and was fighting with a short sword, trying to stab his foe while three others charged. With a final lunge E4 joined the fight, blade in one hand claws in the other as she immediately decapitated the first rotten before throwing her blade into the neck of the second. A gesture caused the blade to open up and rip its way back to her, leaving her target a head shorter.
¡°PUT ME DOWN!¡± E4 heard Marissa cry, and her eyes were immediately drawn to Vienna dancing from tree limb to tree limb like something from a martial arts film with a screaming Marissa in her grip.
¡°Come now, this sister is merely expediting your transition, see how benevolent I am?¡± She left Marissa in a tree and glided down to E4 as if she was a leaf on the wind, landing without a sound and spreading her fan over her face with as much care as if she was on a spring picnic rather than a battle field. ¡°Eyes straight junior.¡±
E4¡¯s ravager eye picked up the movement just before the rotten¡¯s fists could collide with her skull. She quickly twisted low, spinning and flicking her tail so that it cut deep into its chest. Immediately the rotten¡¯s wound began steaming as aether poured out. A second blow carried seven blades that left seven more cuts. Each wound continued to eat into the rotten as if they were laced with acid. A telekinetic push knocked it off its feet, and E4 judged the ravager toxin would slay it before it could become a threat again.
[[It seems there is a skill for that. I can almost feel it. Also, maybe try getting a scan of these rotten things.]]
¡°Yeah, if I can get a second.¡± E4 lunged for the next one, slashing it from hip to shoulder, doing very little real damage with the long but shallow cut yet getting a good scan from the Wise Mind on her wrist. She could tell it wasn¡¯t a great scan, but it was something. The rustling of brush informed her she would have several more chances.
¡°Ambush! Run for your lives!¡± One of the lumberjacks called out. There was a low CRACK and the cart was cut loose as the guard shot twice at the connecting point, allowing the two camel creatures to run. E4 questioned how a single bullet from a handgun could pack that much force, but her questioning came to an abrupt end as her horns shot a desperate warning. She ducked just as a tree, not a branch but an entire tree, sailed over her head. Instinctively E4 lunged in the opposite direction to get out of range of the threat.
Behind her was a creature that while humanoid, had clearly never been human. It stretched 4 meters in height, its legs thick as tree trunks while its arms were as thin as branches. Its body was not humanoid, but more resembled a twisted birch tree complete with diagonal dark stripes beneath a white exterior. Its face, or what might have once been a face, looked as if someone had carved a mask from stone and then hammered it into the trunk about a meter below where the arms were. E4 expected there to be a head or a neck, but it stopped right where the shoulders would be. Had that been where it ended, she would have taken it for some manner of animated plant.
Yet throughout the tree a sticky translucent slime mold lurked, small splotches of which were visible from small wounds in the entity. From the face¡¯s eyes and mouth a thick pale yellow goop leaked out. It raised the tree trunk, which looked comically large in its thin arms, only for a bolt of lightning to reduce its would be club to aether. Falling like a lightning bolt Vienna slammed her boot into the thing, smashing the creature¡¯s armor and revealing the muscle beneath what E4 realized was an exoskeleton.
¡°This mistress is impressed, something dumber than an Ent bug.¡± She splayed her fan over her face, and a dozen cuts seemed to appear on the creature. E4 noticed the Myst around her seemed to change, it wasn¡¯t quite like how Ophelia shaped Aether, yet it seemed familiar. ¡°Junior I know you are impressed, but eyes up.¡±
Immediately E4 was reminded she was surrounded by shambling corpses. Almost as if triggered by her words one of the rotten lunged, more of a shambling trip than anything else. E4 ducked under with practiced ease, leaving the rotten a severed hamstring via and a dose of ravager toxin in return. The next one lost its biceps, followed by a quick poke through its temple. The one after that received a quick and dirty lobotomy through both eyes, which E4 took advantage of to test something. She spun her claws, just like she had when carving runes with Ophelia, before pushing the ravager toxin within forwards like an injection. The results were immediate, Aether and Myst burst from the rotten¡¯s sockets with enough force to pop his eyes out, and the corpse fell over and almost immediately the top quarter evaporated. It took a bit more ATP than merely cutting them, but given ATP could only be spent in whole amounts it wasn¡¯t even relevant. ¡°Call that proof of concept,¡± with a gesture she threw herself into range of two more, stabbing one with her dagger and another with her claws before drilling into both of them and repeating the process. She immediately noticed it was harder with the dagger. With a flick of her wrist she threw the dagger into the skull of another rotten, applying the same twisting force that made the tool spin like a drill until it bored a hole into its target. It didn¡¯t penetrate as deep but it left a large hole that made the prospect of injecting ravager toxin a moot point. With a gesture she called it back, and dove into the horde.
For every body that shambled towards her she had a cut, a muscle group that crippled the rotten until she could get around to its head. Both hands blurred to life, and to her surprise her tail lashed out as if it had a mind of its own seeking hamstrings and other soft areas with an ease she had never before felt. Twice she cut into bone, finding her claws weren¡¯t quite strong enough to deal with them without destabilizing and drawing more ATP from her. Normally forming her claws was reflexive, taking so little ATP it instead sipped from the resonance she constantly put off, yet something was drinking in the resonance and draining her ATP. Each point of ATP was enough for a few cuts, but E4 was keenly aware she lacked a method to measure her ATP levels. Slicing through vertebrae was fine, and she could slice through a radius or ulna without issue, but not both. Her tail was slightly worse, being able to cut through neither the tibia or fibia, though it made up for in in range by lashing out at foes even three meters out. She noticed it had a tendency to wrap around legs before engaging its blade and ripping itself free, leaving a telltale spiral patter that practically plumed Myst and Aether. The rottens were dense, denser than normal flesh, and far more durable than the ones she faced before being charged, and she could tell her surgical strike was doing a lot of heavy lifting while her ravager toxin did the rest. Each rotten seemed to have a strange reserve of vitality, wounds healing immediately or more accurately surrounding flesh purifying to fall into the cut before stiffening to seal it. Only amputation truly took, though after enough damage the rotten would fall seem to slow enough for a killing blow or just fall over and begin to evaporate. Once she managed to wound a rotten with her tail, and send it sprawling with a kick, and by the time she managed to get to it the creature was already evaporating. Just as she finished the second to last one the final rotten lunged with a speed she didn¡¯t expect. Iron hands grabbed onto her arm, and rotting teeth bit into her arm. For just a moment she saw its eyes and to her horror they were filled with cloudy Myst.
Immediately her blood went cold. A sensation like freezing ice radiated from the bite and invaded her arm. For a moment her heart stopped, a fear she had hoped long abandoned re-surging. ¡°BACK OFF!¡± She stabbed her claws through the rotten¡¯s cloudy eyes, before releasing a full burst of bio-lightning directly into its optic nerves. Immediately everything from the heart up was vaporized, and a kick sent the lower section staggering back. E4 took a breath, and eyed the bodies surrounding her. A few she had managed to behead in the frenzy, yet not one was still moving. The ravager toxin may not have been able to flow through their nonliving veins, but it had eaten away where it sat leaving most somewhere between hollowed out husks and acid burned pieces. She beheaded the second to last body with an errant flick of her tail before curling it back beneath her skirt. As the rush of adrenaline and ravager toxin wore off she took a deep breath, the Dense Myst making it feel as if she stood next to a great waterfall.
¡°E4, you alright?¡± She turned, realizing what she had just done, to see Marissa looking back at her with concern. Before her mistress a wall of red and Myst white flames danced, rotten staggering in and immediately falling over. She threw another glass vial, and the fire immediately spread to engulf another group.
¡°There¡¯s something in their bite.¡± E4 replied, immediately dousing her arm in a silver and 4 charge garlic powder from her kit that The Hymn told her would forestall any infections. The cold sensation battled with her regeneration protocol, for a moment it drank the energy greedily, before finally being overpowered. She exerted ATP to activate healing hands, only to be rebuked as some key part of the skill seemed to just barely elude her. Wrapping her arms up tight and trusting that her regeneration would do the rest she looked up to see where she could best rejoin the fight.
Marissa was taking pot shots at rottens from behind a wall of flame, which they were too stupid to avoid. Marcus was running full tilt taking shots with a revolver with his cane sword in his off hand and katana on his back. Imnad had already arrived and had a stack of bodies each dispatched with a single swing of his cane sword, a strange multi bladed dagger seeming to bounce from target to target around him delivering deadly blows. Vienna was shouting something about divine retribution as she gleefully hacked away at the ent bug with her fan, her bare fists, and the occasional lightning bolt. Despite the thing being over ten meters tall, E4 felt a bit bad for it. With a gesture Vienna lifted up her fan, and a final bolt of lightning fell from above to vaporize the bug.
¡°Not even a challenge, that maniac in the freezer was worse.¡± Vienna announced, adding a laugh for drama. With a gesture a bolt of lightning danced from her fan and chained from the closest rotten into the next, reducing all but a few to myst. With a final cleave of his blade Imnad finished the remaining four, somehow cutting the head off of one and inflicting the same exact cut on the others. ¡°These poor retches are but tier 1, and not even intelligent. Such is, beneath us. Come husband, let us show our benevolence by giving them a swift death.¡±
¡°Dear one, let us temper exuberance with wisdom.¡± Imnad replied with a sigh E4 took to mean they had this conversation rather often.
¡°E4, come over here.¡± Marcus spoke quietly but urgently. E4 approached, finding him standing over one of the rottens. The corpse had a single hole that went in one side of its temple and out the other with enough force it didn¡¯t seem to do much damage to the face. ¡°What do you make of this?¡± He stood over one of the rottens.
Now that it was not moving, E4 had enough time to examine it. ¡°It¡¯s not evaporating.¡±
¡°That is due to one of Marissa¡¯s more ingenious creations, a tranquilizer bullet. It¡¯s not quite dead, but it¡¯s not going to get up.¡±
¡°Wonderful, you¡¯ve recovered the formula?¡± Imnad approached, already drawing a kukri from a holster on his back. ¡°I will definitely be placing an order as soon as you have a stockpile. Now, let us partake as men of science and wrest the secrets from this poor soul in the method of learned men.¡±
¡°Imnad, this is an early hunt for E4, I¡¯d like for her to get the full measure of experience of it. E4, I take it you have performed a dissection before.¡±
¡°Several.¡± E4 immediately got to work, drawing tools from her healer¡¯s kit. Every item produced cost her in Aether, which she used ATP to produce instead. She produced the thickest most protective mask and goggles she could, as well as some thin leather gloves she could project her claws through. ¡°Initial notes: rotten appears humanoid and has human characteristics. Notably the skin is a blue color that resembles hypothermia.¡± It took her only a few moments to open the chest, and she noticed a sheen of aether that seemed to dance across the cut. It took E4 all of three scalpels to realize that the flesh of the rotten was far tougher than she was used to. ¡°Skin is tough, almost like hardened leather. It¡¯s almost like trying to force a zipper when you¡¯ve got a sweater stuck in the teeth.¡± By her fifth scalpel she tried something. Rather than pulling a metal blade she tried pulling one made from flesh fabrication, doing so within the bag to hide what she was doing. What she ended up with was a short bone scalpel that shimmered with Aether along the telekinetic blade. Her next cut was smooth, not exactly hot knife through butter, but far more like what she was used to. She felt the scalpel sip her resonance for power, but the slight expenditure of ATP was hardly noticeable compared to pulling new scalpels. With each cut she noticed a faint sheen of Aether that almost had a zipper pattern to them on either side of the cut. As an experiment E4 allowed the two sections to meet, and they immediately sealed back up for a moment before the flesh disintegrated.
¡°Is that surgical precision?¡± Imnad asked, to which E4 nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a hard skill to get, where did you find the slicing scale crocodile steak and 80 charge potatoes to make that?¡±
¡°I got it as an achievement, hunting an undead scolophant. Patterson used a skill to highlight its weaknesses, and it just clicked. I got it back just a bit ago.¡± E3 paused before continuing, ¡°rotten flesh appears to be able to be rejoined using surgical precision, though the aether involved breaks down the flesh.¡±
¡°And you said the Darwin Awards was a bad skill.¡± Vienna added, nudging her husband.
Going back to her work E4 quickly clipped the rotten¡¯s ribs, a set of cutters that resembled garden sheers but made entirely from bone stretched their way out of the healer¡¯s kit which was far too small to actually contain them. Inside she immediately found the organs had been coated in a strange slime that seemed to allow them to function despite the fact there was no blood left inside. ¡°Ok, so subject presents with a strange slime within his, I presume this is a man from the pelvis, organs. Genitals have rotted off, as have sections of the nose for unknown reasons. Teeth are present but have been sealed together by fungal growth into what is almost like a beak, and lips have been further stitched together. Stitching appears to be post mortem. Skin has a large layer of rope like fibers beneath the cutaneous layer giving the body a lumpy appearance and color, likely mycelium though I am biased towards that and may be jumping to conclusions.¡± As she cut into the arms she winced at the cold feeling. ¡°Musculature is desiccated, yet still operational. Outer skin is backed by an extensive layer of fibers. Body exerts an unnatural chill that seems to sip life.¡± She fed it a bit of resonance, and immediately the hand grabbed for her, which she deftly evaded.¡± Immediately a bolt of lightning shot from Marissa¡¯s zap pistol, blowing the arm clear off where it evaporated into myst. As if in response a blob of clear gel shot from the nose, landing on the ground where it tried to slink off before several more bolts reduced it into Aether. ¡°Examiner¡¯s mistress seems unusually twitchy, though her concern is appreciated.¡±
¡°Did you see that thing, it just moved!¡± Marissa exclaimed. ¡°It should be dead! Marcus, you hit it with the tranq round. And, and, and what was THAT THING?¡± She pointed towards where the slime mold had been.
¡°That was actually me, I stimulated a hyphae that looked sensitive.¡± E4 partially lied, neglecting to mention HOW she stimulated it. ¡°So good news bad news. Good news, I know what this is.¡± She stood up, her mask dissolving into Aether. ¡°Bad news, the last time I saw it we lost half of Africa.¡±
Chapter 20. Stone walls and Aberrant forms: Initial expedition.
¡°Africa, as in, the continent Africa?¡±
¡°Devil¡¯s handkerchief, tell me The Vein was not touched!¡± Vienna exclaimed, her lips not quite matching what she was saying. It took E4 a moment to realize she had switched to kobold. ¡°Tell me my homeland was spared.¡±
¡°She means the Nile.¡± Imnad explained. ¡°Kobolds call it The Vein for it was the lifeblood of their civilization for a good long while. In their religion God granted one of his prophets the ability to turn it to blood for a short time, which only reinforced the name.¡±
¡°So there was a kobold Moses, that¡¯s interesting.¡± R4 replied, burning off her gloves with a burst of bio-lightning. ¡°It never got to Egypt, thankfully. According to the rumors, for the Internet was shattered and unreliable by that time,¡± She noticed Vienna and Imnad giving her a confused look, ¡°it started in an emerald mine.¡±
¡°Ok, so how did you stop it?¡±
¡°We didn¡¯t.¡± E4 replied. ¡°The Purifiers bathed a swath along the equator 5 kilometers wide with napalm and set it alight. The smoke nearly blacked out the sky, but by the end the disease was contained. Probably the only time I can wholeheartedly approve of their use of flames as a cure all. It didn¡¯t solve everything, but it solved enough.¡± R4 cast her eyes back upon the city. ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s an option here though.¡±
¡°So it¡¯s a fungus that reanimates bodies, that¡¯s just fantastic.¡± Imnad replied. ¡°How¡¯s it spread, and how do we know if we¡¯re infected?¡±
¡°The Wu-cog fungi is spread by insects, food, and the dead. Humans and mammals are highly resistant to it because of our high temperature, but it does like to leave spores in humans. You can be a carrier for weeks, and within an hour of dying your body gets right back up and starts looking for food. Without access to the internet,¡± Imnad and Vienna gave her the same look as before, ¡°A worldwide database and library,¡± Imnad smiled warmly at the thought, ¡°I think it can¡¯t last more than a month. Immunocompromised humans can hold it longer, but it¡¯s mostly spread by bugs.¡±
¡°Bugs?¡± Imnad spoke up. ¡°Did you say it¡¯s spread by bugs, what kind of bugs? Are we talking worms, beetles, bees, something like that?¡±
¡°I mean, without the internet or a copy of Mundo¡¯s Field Guide to Hostile Pathogens I can¡¯t say for sure.¡±
¡°We need to get that book.¡± With that Imnad turned and began running towards the city.
¡°Hey, where¡¯s he going?¡±
¡°Ah my bookish husband, he must always have the latest text, and he does so hate bugs. This one believes he is ashamed of his childhood, always fighting against the pests. Come, let us seek the source of this corruption.¡± She splayed her fan over her face. ¡°Let us follow the path back towards the source, perhaps we shall find some noteworthy clue or treasure that shall assist us in our endeavor.¡±
The wagon had not been subtle in its path, nor had it been charting a new route. Ruts twelve centimeters deep traveled along the path, and save a short yet hardy grass no plant dared grow where it would be trampled. Vienna took the front line, with Marcus and E4 behind her and Marissa in the rear. For a short time the swamp was silent, yet within a few minutes the croaking of frogs and singing of unknown birds began to echo through the swampland. E4 had to correct her assumption as a flying lizard flew down from the trees and snapped up a dragonfly right before her eyes.
¡°Vienna, are you familiar with this area?¡± E4 asked.
¡°Not really, Marcus, your family seems to know this area, any tales passed down?¡±
¡°The Stone-Weaver family was still very small when the Eagle-Wood family was at its peak, as far as I know. It is known for its stonework and I¡¯m pretty sure our freezer was made here, or at least the stone for it was carved here and the Myst Shaping work done here. From what the papers say he supplies 25% of all stone and has some of the best masons to carve it. We, meaning Marcus and Mason our great uncle and grandfather, did help him bring down a group of stone golems and an earth elemental to help get him off the ground. This led to Mason getting a black mark on his name since he had no skill at actually carving stone. That was before The Herald of Woe.¡±
¡°The what?¡± E4 asked.
¡°We do not speak of it.¡± Vienna replied, snapping her fan shut. ¡°To speak of it is bad luck, and will encourage it to return.¡± She eyed a tree that seemed to be getting ready to die, and with a gesture pulled down a branch. ¡°Tell me Marcus, what type of wood is this?¡±
Marcus approached, eyeing the branch she had plucked. ¡°I believe it is black ash¡ yet is that an apple?¡± He took it and eyed it. ¡°Something is wrong about it.¡±
¡°Fungal apple.¡± E4 corrected, pulling it from his grip with a bit of telekinesis. From her bag she removed an alcohol mixture. ¡°Here, wash up. This should burn off the spores without doing too much damage to your hands.¡± Marcus covered his hands in the mixture, which burst into aetheric fire for just a moment before leaving them clean and unmarred. E4 extended her claws and gently sliced into the apple. Within, rather than an apple¡¯s fruit, strange blue and gray threads lay tangled within. ¡°You can eat it, and it has certain beneficial properties, but it¡¯ll turn your stomach sour. Long ago it was a popular health trend to take pills made from this stuff.¡±
¡°That can¡¯t be safe.¡±
¡°Who would be that dumb?¡± Marcus asked, echoing his sister.
¡°In my era I faced many who thought it wise to sample our honored dead, fools they were, they thought the herbs once used to preserve bodies made a fine drug to sample, that they might attain the knowledge of ancient pharaohs. It did not, though within The Myst it sometimes works.¡±
¡°As it turns out, this stuff is actually an excellent beta lactam, cuts through most antibiotic-resistant methods. It is also a pain reliever, though in high doses it can cause euphoria and hallucinations. Think a mix of oxycodone and LSD, though milder on the LSD. That¡¯s where the problems began. You can make it non-addictive, but it¡¯s more profitable to leave it as is. You can bake it to kill off the fungus like yeast, but you get a bigger high if you leave it alive. Your body can''t hold down food, but so long as you keep dosing you don''t feel the cramps. Somebody figured that out, and soon emeralds were the second most profitable export from a little mine no one¡¯s ever heard of.¡± E4 eyed the tree. ¡°On Earth such a tree would be grown in an isolated area, and carefully watched. That or burned immediately.¡±
¡°Then we burn it. Marissa, do you have any alchemist¡¯s fire?¡±
¡°Better,¡± Marissa drew a flask from her bag. E4 expected it to be a glass flask, but it was actually a dark metal flask. ¡°Liquid thermite. It doesn¡¯t explode on contact with air, but all it needs is a spark to burn hot enough to melt several metals. She twisted the cap and threw the vial, which sprayed a fine mist over the tree. ¡°Better get back.¡± E4 quickly took cover behind another tree, Marcus doing the same. Marissa took several steps back before covering herself with some sort of net that seemed to immediately blend in with the leaf litter, while Vienna simply pointed at the tree and flicked forth two fingers.
That is where things went wrong. The tree went up in a brilliant flash, and the buzzing began. For as hot as the tree burned, whatever burst forth was faster. E4 felt the first one hit her like a bullet, and then it began to burrow. Dozens more struck, and then the legs began to dig.
¡°Burrowers, Scatter!¡± E4 heard Marcus yell. Immediately she flooded her body with bio-lightning to fry the bugs as she ran. Yet as she ran The Hymn slammed into her ears like a dictum from God himself. Perfect position screamed at her that she was in the wrong place, even as her head spun with vertigo as if she had found herself in the spin cycle of a washing machine.
¡°Red! What¡¯s going on?¡± E4 chittered, even as she turned on her heels and ran. As if a switch had been flipped the vertigo was gone. She exerted ATP, and to her surprise she began running even faster. Somewhere between instinct and telekinetic insight she reached out and grabbed Marissa even as she blind fired into the swarm while running. In one hand she held her rifle, in the other a zap pistol, and with every pull of the trigger dozens of the strange beetles fried, but there were so many it mattered not. She pulled something from her coat and pulled the pin, just a moment before E4 hit her with enough force that the object was thrown from her grip.
Prize in hand E4 kept running, yet she felt her speed drop. ¡°Come on Red, a little more!¡± She chittered as she ran. Trees and bushes zipped past and less than a second later they were clear from the swam. Two seconds after that E4 heard a sound like thunder as the swarm and everthing around it was engulfed in lightning and force. The shock wave threw her and Marissa to the ground, and the slope combined with their forward momentum sent them rolling head over teakettle.
Marissa stopped first, hitting a tree, an instant before E4 slammed into her stomach, eliciting a groan.
¡°Mistress, hold still,¡± E4 tried to stand, but found her leg was currently sporting an extra knee. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not good.¡± She looked from herself and to Marissa. ¡°There are no emergencies in a pandemic.¡± She winced, and gingerly bent her leg back into position. Ravager toxin or no she let out a cry as her leg seemed to burst into flames. For a few minutes she just lay there, waiting for the pain to subside. In that time Marissa let out a low moan. ¡°Mistress, hold still, I haven¡¯t had a chance to examine you yet, I don¡¯t know what damage you may have undergone.¡±
¡°Ow, did anyone get the number off that bus?¡± She opened her eyes. ¡°E4, did it work? Are the bugs dead?¡±
¡°They aren¡¯t following us, and right now that¡¯s about the best we can hope for. Hold still, I need to,¡± E4 gasped as her leg again burst into flames. A few moments later the pain eased from burning to a far less painful pins and needles. ¡°Excuse me, I must attend to my own wound. This will just take a moment.¡± Examining her leg a thought crossed E4¡¯s mind. With a gesture she flayed her leg open, and felt no pain. Through what appeared to be a haze of Myst she could see her tibia and fibia were both broken. ¡°Well that¡¯s not ideal.¡± She heard Marissa gasp at the sight. ¡°Um¡ don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯ll be fine in a bit.¡±
[[A reminder, we do not have confirmation on how surgical precision works. On that note Mara is very interested in this procedure, do continue.-Red Queen]]. As if called by her name, an ominous presence immediately fell upon the wood. E4¡¯s eyes looked this way and that, as if seeking some lurking threat. Immediately the entirety of the swamp went silent. That her conscious mind knew it was Mara interested in her work was of no comfort, within her isopod began twitching, causing her vision to distort and a scratching sound to echo in her ears as its legs scratched against her skull.
Resetting the bone was easy enough now that she could see it. Flesh fabrication, while normally used on external projects, worked just fine to put two bones back together, especially with regeneration helping it along. E4 checked, then double checked, then closed her leg back up. There was a flicker of pain as her nerves reset, but it was more of a pinprick sensation than the agony she had a moment ago. She put a bit of weight on it, and winced. She shot a burst of ATP through it with healing hands, or tried to as the skill again failed to activate. Her leg did let out a bit of Myst, which evaporated off with a sensation like a breeze against wet skin. She quickly splinted and wrapped it with implements from her medical bag, feeling a cost in ATP with every item she withdrew. As she finished with the splint she felt the pain recede, and within she felt the wound seem to redouble its healing rate. Given her regenerative abilities, that was a truly frightening speed.
¡°Sorry about that, now let¡¯s take,¡± Marissa¡¯s eyes were locked on E4, a look between fear and concern on her face. ¡°Mistress, please, I must ensure you are not injured.¡±
¡°E4, you just cut your leg open.¡±
¡°Yes, and it was far easier than when I had to do so on Earth.¡± She gestured to Marissa. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see what¡¯s going on with you, I seem to remember both of us going over that hill.¡± She shot a glance back to the slope they had just fallen from. It was strewn with rocks, and she noted the trees above had been reduced to tall spires free of branches and deeply blackened. ¡°Now lie down,¡±
¡°Are you going to cut me open¡¡± She froze, ¡°Are those claws?¡±
E4 eyed her claws, and with a gesture dismissed them. ¡°In my study of the ravagers on Earth, The Myst may have given me skills that reflect them. I would not be surprised if Kindred¡¯s lack of knowledge made him mistake me for a feral¡± She shot a glance left and right, making sure nothing was creeping up on them. ¡°Are you sore anywhere?¡±
¡°My stomach.¡± E4 touched a hand to her mistress¡¯s stomach, and quickly moved her top so she could see beneath. Already a deep bruise was forming. ¡°Hold on, this might feel a little weird.¡±
¡°Are you going to cut me?¡± Marissa asked.
¡°No, well, not yet.¡± E4 took her medical bag and set it next to Marissa. ¡°Here, see, no scalpel in my hand.¡±
Marissa lay down, and E4 quickly got to work. She placed her hands on her mistress¡¯s stomach and closed her eyes. Her horns buzzed as she felt beneath. She had used telekinesis to fix breaks and diagnose problems on Earth, but the difference was night and day. ¡°By the blood,¡±
¡°Is it that bad?¡±
¡°No, I have used telekinesis on Earth to diagnose breaks, but the skills granted by The Myst make quite the difference. It is akin to going from an old X ray machine in the field to a modern MRI in a cutting edge lab.¡± She traced a few of the organs beneath, yet some things were off. ¡°The kidneys and intestines seem, atrophied? No, simplified. When the text books mentioned that an Aether Blessed¡¯s digestive organs were less than that of a human on Earth they were not kidding. I see broken blood vessels, and would very much like my healing hands back. If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what is your tenacity?¡±
¡°8, maybe 9 now.¡± E4 continued her examination, checking Marissa¡¯s arms and legs. ¡°You know, this would be a lot nicer if we were in bed, and not wearing our gear.¡±
¡°Is this is how you distract yourself from trauma Mistress?¡± E4 asked. ¡°Or do you really have such a one track mind? Heaven preserve us should we ever meed a feminine vampire or succubus.¡±
¡°Vampires are only fun until you see them go berserk. After that, it¡¯s like knowing what goes into a hotdog.¡±
¡°That¡ I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± E4 finished checking Marissa, then checked again. It was mostly bruises and a bit of vertigo from bumping her head. Yet as she watched the damaged flesh seemed to be pulled inwards, breaking apart and being replaced. It was slow, on a cellular basis, but it was still far faster than any healing on Earth save a ravager¡¯s regeneation. She pulled Marissa¡¯s blouse aside to see that yes, there was a bruise that had shrunk in size as she was working on her. It wasn¡¯t much, maybe a few centimeters smaller. A thought occurred to her, and she cast a quick glance around to make sure nothing was creeping up on them and to what she could sense nothing was. She pressed her hand over the wound, giving her Healing Hands ability one more shot, before slowly moving her hand up under Marissa¡¯s shirt. ¡°And what would we be wearing Mistress, if not our gear? Those strange leotards from the night we encountered The Hat Man?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± She grinned mischievously. ¡°You know, Marcus also had an outfit from that little adventure, you¡¯ll have to ask him to show you.¡±
¡°Really?¡± E4 withdrew her hand to allow her mistress to get back up before making a gesture and calling two fallen branches to her hand. With a flash of her claws she had a walking stick for each of them. ¡°Just more reason to get through this mess,¡± She let out a breath as she pushed herself to her feet and extended the other to Marissa who was tucking her blouse back in
[[Note: your leg while sore will hold up. Repairs will conclude in approximately 3 minutes, possibly less if you consume more Aetheric elixir- Red Queen.]]
¡°Mistress, shall we continue, or shall we return? We have been separated, and my leg may slow me a bit.¡± E4 wiped her brow, while allowing her finger to slip near her eye and catch an isopod. Careful to shield it from Marissa¡¯s eye she slipped it into a hollow spot in her walking stick, where it easily crawled to the base and awaited a better moment.
¡°Follow me, keep quiet, and keep low.¡± E4 did, and shortly realized Marissa was leading her away from the blast site, but not towards the city.
¡°Mistress?¡± She whispered with apprehension. As she crept behind she noticed a tree that caught her eye due to its oddly colored leaves. With a little telekinetic push the isopod shot forth down the hollow section of her walking stick and landed on the tree. It dug its way in with single minded ferocity before extending a frond which quickly took the appearance of the tree¡¯s leaves.
[[Seems harvest-men is working again, so Wild harvest should work too- Red Queen.]] E4 nodded at the pop up, and froze when Marissa held up a hand. Before them a large creature rustled through the undergrowth. Initially E4 thought it was a pig or wild boar, until it lifted its head and she saw the strange mantis like eyes. Worse, while its shell was mostly green, blue hyphae granted it a coat that covered it from the back of its neck to the first joints of its legs. Despite having the head of a mantis, the creature was covered in thorny growths and had long whip scorpion like arms. The creature seemed to be consuming some sort of mushroom, which it immediately spit back up and moved on from.
¡°What is that?¡± E4 asked.
¡°Whip brier scorpion, I think. You said the fungus liked to grow on bugs?¡± Marissa drew her zap pistol, leaving her rifle on her back. She leaned upon the walking stick for balance, still a little unsteady from her fall even if she was healing at an inhumanly fast rate. E4 noticed Myst seeming to settle upon her ourstretched arm, only to vanish into crackling Aether as she fired a shot that went right through the brier scorpion¡¯s head and scorched the tree behind it. The creature¡¯s body ran forwards a few steps before it it a tree and began slashing at it with its claws. Marissa fired three more shots into the thing before it finally fell and evaporated into Aether. All that remained was a bit of its claws, now purged of its fungal infection.
¡°Yes, roaches and little spiders, not¡ that thing.¡± E4 paused, ¡°Do you think that is what Imnad was concerned about?¡±
¡°I¡¯m certainly concerned about it now. That first shot should have evaporated it. What did you say that fungus does?¡±
¡°To humans, it eases pain, kills bacterial infections, and causes hallucinations in high doses. It kills a lot of microbes, which is why they don¡¯t die the first time they get a cut and keep walking. In bugs it does similar.¡± She paused. ¡°And it messes up their stomach so they throw up whatever they eat, spreading the fungus. That was a major challenge we faced, Africa had problems feeding its people already, so rather than throwing out infected food the population would throw out the infected section and eat the rest, like cutting the moldy section off bread and eating the rest. The fungus would give them diarrhea and without proper care they would die, and rise up again when traces of the fungus grew within their bodies.¡±
¡°So it¡¯s not spread by bite?¡±
¡°It is, and it can give you a nasty infection, but even on Earth it wasn¡¯t a death sentence. A bad infection can cause vomiting, diarrhea, hallucinations numbness which is a problem because an infection can go unnoticed in the early stages. A good antifungal will clear it up, and that¡¯s without inhuman levels of tenacity.¡± She flexed her fingers. ¡°My bag provided me a mixture of powdered silver and garlic, I would call that a folk remedy if it didn¡¯t work so well. Once I get healing hands up and running again hopefully I can treat it regardless. I can practically feel the skill, but it¡¯s just out of my reach.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get it.¡± Marissa replied, marking off the location on a sheet of paper. E4 looked over to see that the paper was a map, partially filled in. ¡°Self drawing map, got it while you were with Patterson. It fills in general details, but specific details must be put in by hand. Marcus and I were planning on using it to scout out the area where the fungus was present.¡± Before their eyes a small x was drawn and the words ¡°Several Mantids, possible nest?¡± were written. ¡°Looks like he¡¯s ok if he¡¯s still taking notes.¡± As she spoke an arrow was drawn in a wide loop that led back to the city.
As Marissa and Marcus got to work planning their exploration E4 heard a sound. Quiet as a church mouse she crept up to a tree, and with a single leap was in the branches. Looking out she saw a forest of green as the leaves of the trees and the green muck of the swamp blended together into a complex tapestry. Here and there she saw alternative colors, and she felt her Wild Harvest skill mark them for study. Several cinnamon trees and a few willow trees that she vaguely remembered she could harvest salicylate from to create aspirin lit up, and a few other trees she didn¡¯t recognize. A few puffs and a few harvest-men now had a new tree to snack on. As her eyes sought more trees they fell upon a pool that glowed with blue light, and was surrounded by trees stripped of bark.
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¡°Red, that can¡¯t be¡ can it?¡± Even without a reply E4 knew the truth. ¡°Marissa, I need to go check something out.¡±
¡°What do you see?¡± Marissa called back up.
E4 thought about how to phrase things. ¡°Something that definitely shouldn¡¯t be there. A ravager pool. Looks like it¡¯s inhabited, might be the source of the ravager we encountered earlier.¡± She continued to peer out. ¡°There¡¯s some stripped trees, some stripped of leaves others of bark, one of both,¡± She saw a flurry of movement as something darted out of a bush and snatched a bug that had been camouflaged against the tree from the air. In a flash it downed the insect in a movement that made her throat hurt just watching it.
An endless pit of hunger opened up within E4¡¯s gut, a maw that could never be filled. Endless needle teeth extended from it, each one a barb against her esophagus, more than happy to devour it should she not give it something else. She shook the memory away. She had just eaten, and if she was truly hungry she could eat the bark off a tree, a ravager¡¯s stomach could take it. She paused, ¡°Wait, a ravager can turn Myst into Aether and get ATP out of the deal, shouldn¡¯t I be able to eat wood too? And if they¡¯re that hungry,¡± She hopped down cushioning her fall with a bit of telekinesis. ¡°Mistress, do you mind if I check it out?¡±
¡°I¡¯m going with you, and if we see one we run.¡± Marissa replied.
¡°Alternatively, I can match a tier one ravager in close combat while you shoot it.¡± E4 replied. The moved quickly but quietly as she continued, her voice lowered. ¡°Go for the spine, while the tail is heavily armored the connections to the rest of the body are fragile and hard to reconnect. Feral ravagers are weakest where their isopod connects to their flesh. If the isopod ejects target it. A feral isopod may try to take over a new body.¡±
¡°Can they do that?¡±
¡°Hello?¡± E4 made a gesture to be quiet. Quick as a wink Marissa was in the trees, and quiet as a wraith. A moment later E4 was on the ground. Quietly she crept towards the pool. Once she was far enough from where Marissa had perched she spoke.
¡°Hello?¡± E4 called out.
¡°Hellooooo?¡± Immediately the tone of the voice had E4¡¯s claws out. ¡°Little peeeeeeet? Where did you gooooooo?¡± her skin crawled as a cold sensation spilled from behind one of the trees. There was a loud SCRAPE and a long length of bark fell before a figure stepped out, the bark in its mouth. The creature was dressed as a woodsman, but the illusion was a thin mask indeed. Perhaps once it had brown hair, but now two horns jutted from its rapidly balding head, a rash of eczema turning the flesh red where the isopod had not quite subjugated the immune system. Its skeletal arms ended in hands swollen and red with arthritis, a sixth finger made from bone jutting out uselessly from one end of the hand. The feral ravager was hunched slightly from its swollen spine and a vestigal tail swayed to the right in such a way that made E4¡¯s tail wince. She could see claw marks on the withered limb where the ravager had tried to claw at it. Her eyes quickly found their way to its eyes, where its right eye was swollen and sore yet the isopod was still clearly visible and in contrast to its brown bloodshot left eye. Finally her eyes drifted a bit higher, where a single point curved off the left horn. ¡°Little peeeet.¡±
As if its call was a starter pistol the ravager lunged for E4, and immediately it received a bolt of bio-lightning to the face. E4¡¯s bolt was immediately outdone by the blinding flash of Marissa¡¯s zap rifle. With a scream of surprise the feral ravager turned tail and bolted back towards the pool, its withered legs and swollen joints giving it a strange loping lunge that seemed to throw it over the twisting roots of the trees and sending it sprawling in equal measures.
¡°After it!¡± E4 exclaimed, ¡°Before it heals!¡± E4 charged forwards, exerting ATP to throw herself forwards on telekinetic claws to bypass the uneven ground. Ahead she saw the ravager running for all it was worth, yet it had to contend with the tangle of undergrowth and the twisting roots of the trees. She did not.
¡°Go on ahead, I¡¯ll try to hamstring it.¡± Immediately E4 felt a rush of endorphans from Perfect Position and blasted past the ravager. With a twitch of her legs she stopped, a burst of telekinesis neutralizing her momentum and shaking the branches of dozens of trees behind her. The ravager before her froze, its eyes twisted in confusion. Here before it was a delicate and delicious morsel, so succulant her flesh would practically fall off the bone, so why would its legs not stop shaking? In the brief moment before confrontation she had a chance to get a second look at the threat.
The feral ravager was bone thin, lacking even the muscles usually spared by the ferals¡¯ out of control metabolism. His single point indicated he had only consumed a single human. E4 quickly noticed his eyes were not shadowed, nor did they shine with Aether, yet they also lacked the characteristic fog of a Cursed. They resembled the eyes she would see on Earth, right down to the bloodshot left eye indicating the isopod¡¯s immune system was tearing the human eye apart. Now that she had a moment to observe she could see his clothes were covered with blood long dried. Despite this, she could not smell the scent of gore nor even body odor on the feral. His shoes had at some point been lost and replaced with clawed feet that looked mangled and bloody from ill care. The handle of an axe stuck out above him like an antenna, as if he had tripped and someone tried to bring the axe down on his spine but missed.
¡°Little peeet, so hungryyyyyy. Let me eeeeeeat.¡±
Once again the feral ravager¡¯s words were a starting pistol, though this time not for itself. E4 noticed a suble blue line pointing form the trees, and lock on his leg. There was a crack of thunder as a bolt from the zap rifle struck him right in the hamstring. The result was immediate and devistating as the feral ravager dropped to its knee. E4 threw herself forwards, cutting into the creature¡¯s neck. Her claws went right through its flesh, stopping only as she hit the isopod¡¯s tail where it had replaced the ravager¡¯s spine.
Immediately the fight was on. For every blow E4 made the feral replied in kind, or tried. The creature fought with a berserk ferocity, hunger driving it to kill its prey with little regard for injuries. It knew that once it fed it would heal, no matter how grievous the injury. Ever cut, no matter how small, would inject more toxin. Even if it suffered a dozen grievous wounds all it needed was one serious blow to hamper its foe, and even if it never got such a blow even a handful of scratches would allow the toxin to do its work. Had its mind not been so flooded with Ghrellin and its stomach so empty it might have realized that none of the wounds it had received hurt at all. Finally it managed to drive her back before gathering its full strength for a lunge, landing on top of E4 and feasting on her flesh before going for its next meal.
Or, that¡¯s the fantasy its mind told it in its final moments. E4 matched it blow for blow with just as much ferocity but with a decade of skill. Even as she ducked and danced around his blows she watched its movements. While the feral ravager kept his claws together, trying to land a heavy strike to her chest or head, E4¡¯s hands twitched and danced to The Hymn of The Myst. The feral¡¯s heavy and untrained strikes seemed to follow a tempo she could almost hear in The Hymn, and it was to that beat she added her own melody of notes. All seven fingers lashed out, cutting patterns whenever the feral let down its guard, even if it meant she got a scrape. On Earth minor cuts and scrapes would heal in minutes, but even in the midst of combat she could feel her wounds not just healing but evaporating beneath her regeneration.
Normally her and its ravager toxin would be fighting, their resonance battling within as each tried to neutralize the other. It was not uncommon on Earth for two ravagers to rip one another to shreds before either noticed, and even sane ravagers had to watch their wounds lest they accidentally turn a small cut into a horrific tear. However E4 was charged with Aether, and the feral was not. Within her flesh the toxin was quickly burned away into aether, while her toxin burned away at the feral ravager from the inside, numbing nerves and soothing the mind even as flesh was burned and the nerves silenced forever. Worse, beneath the gaze of R4¡¯s Surgical Precision the feral¡¯s muscle groups were practically illuminated and her claws were drawn to them as if by a magnet before tearing their way back before the feral could retaliate. A quick stab to the ravager¡¯s deltoid muscles left an opening for a quick spin that brought her tail into play and left her target¡¯s legs wrapped tight. She ducked under an overhead and lunged back into a handstand and back to her feet, the maneuver ripping her tail free and taking both of the feral¡¯s hamstrings with it. The feral ravager, unable to feel any of this and completely unaware that its legs were hanging open by flaps lunged, and with a sickening SNAP fell right on its face.
E4 stood over it, scanning it with her Wise Mind bracelet, before stabbing through its skull with her claws, and twisting. She withdrew a circular section of feral isopod chitin, and with a flash of bio-lightning reduced it to Aether.
[[Data recorded. Sending to primary Wise Mind. Cost: 2 ATP and 5 minutes, 1 ATP and 1 hour, 0 ATP and 4 hours]] E4 felt a wave of exhaustion as the rush of the fight combined with the cost of ATP left her.
¡°E4, are you alright?¡± Marissa asked, hopping down from a tree. She saw the dozens of scratches and E4¡¯s absolutely wrecked dress. ¡°My word E4, we have to get you back to the city! That much blood, the venom, how are you even standing?¡±
E4 could have come clean, she could have brushed it off. She could have been a good ravager and kept her cover intact by playing off the injuries.
¡°What are you talking about Mistress, I¡¯m fine.¡± E4 replied with an easy smile, before her eyes happened to fall upon her injuries. ¡°Oh my, this is a lot of blood. I¡¯ll be up all night washing this out.¡± She lifted a section of her sleeve, and the entire sleeve seemed to unravel and fall to the ground where it immediately evaporated. ¡°My dress isn¡¯t going to return to Myst is it?¡±
¡°E4 lie down, or at least sit down before you pass out.¡± Marissa ordered. E4 gave her a confused look but sat down. She quickly took out her kit and began to work on her wounds, more for Marissa¡¯s state of mind than her own. A quick dusting of an antibiotic powder, followed by a bit more of the silver and garlic powder for the fungus. Marissa quickly found her Aetheric elixir and practically shoved the canteen into E4¡¯s hands. ¡°Drink.¡± E4 did, and immediately the wounds on her flesh began to evaporate. ¡°That should help, but we need to get you some help. Can you use your Healing Hands skill?¡±
¡°I lost it, it feels like I can use it but I¡¯m just missing one detail that holds the whole thing together. I actually have a su-secondary skill that comes from it.¡± E4 barely caught herself from saying subversion. ¡°I should probably use that pool I saw earlier to wash off.¡±
¡°That¡¯s probably a good idea, but we should boil it first. There¡¯s no telling what could be inside it.¡±
Actually finding the pool was simplicity itself, within ten steps E4 could sense the resonance coming from it. Tilting her head as if she was listening to The Hymn, which was rather faint this far from town, she corrected her steps. ¡°Marissa, does The Hymn sound more faint the farther you get from town? It¡¯s much fainter out here, I can kind of tell it¡¯s coming from that direction but not how far¡± E4 gestured.
¡°You would have to ask E1 or the new E2, we can¡¯t hear The Hymn.¡±
¡°Right, I wanted to ask,¡± While E4 spoke she turned her head to her mistress, and pomptly missed the sudden slope of the ground. She fell forwards, waving her hands to balance, and saw what she had almost fallen into. With a wiry grin Marissa couldn¡¯t see she ¡°accidentally¡± dove into the water and with a single kick sent herself right into the center.
The pool itself was about 5 meters in diameter, with a sloped bottom that made it relatively easy to climb out of. All along the bottom of the pool a strange seaweed grew despite the fact the water itself was fresh and clean. Immediately E4 was bombarded by resonance, but it was not proper resonance. It sang a discordant note, not enough to harm her, but while within a normal pool she would receive a small but steady flow of ATP via the resonance within this pool she only received a trickle, maybe 1 per hour. She eyed the plants, kneeling to touch one. The Sargasso, once again unhelpfully named to mess with the Purifiers, grew in long leaves along a slender stalk. It was a handy plant that could turn sunlight into ATP, though in a very limited way. E4 immediately snatched a strand and shoved it into her mouth before Marissa could notice. Several isopods chittered at her in surprise before latching onto her tongue, their foreign ravager toxin making her mouth go numb.
¡°Out.¡± She whispered. The isopods obediently let go as E4 spit them out, before immediately latching onto her arm. Dozens more darted out from their hiding place, finding a hold on her legs and arms. E4 sighed, but did not deny them their meal.
[[You have acquired 64 harvest-men. Caution, you are above your signal maximum. Also your signal maximum is 64, good to know. That¡¯s a bit higher than it was on Earth, Mara will be pleased. Also it seems this pool isn¡¯t liking up properly. Maybe take a look at that.]] Immediately E4 felt Mara¡¯s gaze fall upon her, a pressing weight of expectation.
¡°E4, hold on, I¡¯ve got some rope, just have to find it.¡± Marissa immediately began searching through her bag, tossing tools this way and that. E4 recognized some of them, a compass, a grappling hook sans rope, some manner of chart, a weapon repair kit that looked like it could barely fit through the mouth of the bag, and several other items she didn¡¯t notice. Finally she found the rope and threw it. ¡°Grab on.¡±
¡°Coming.¡± E4 made a gesture with her Wise Mind bracelet and dropped a dozen ATP into it. She felt herself sag from the exertion, and fell back beneath the water.
[[E4, your ATP levels are drastically low. Since we know you just spent 12 ATP, I calculate you have somewhere between 15 and 30 ATP max. My diagnosis is you need rest and you need food. That Aetheric Elixir you drank helped, but you need true rest. Also it seems you have a new skill]] E4 felt a slight change, less like something had changed and more like something had gone back to how it should have been. She took a deep breath, and smiled as a flood of serotonin and endorphins welcomed her home.
¡°You know Red Queen, for a place called the distant shores there aren¡¯t a lot of breaches. For all the time we spend working, it¡¯s easy to forget that ravagers are actually amphibious.¡± At that moment a shadow appeared above her, a humanoid shadow. ¡°She didn¡¯t.¡±
E4 felt Marissa grab her by the arm and heft her out of the water. Immediately dozens of tiny forms darted out of the sargasso, immediately latching onto Marissa¡¯s legs. E4 tried to stand, but between her sudden expenditure of ATP and the flood of endorphins her legs decided they didn¡¯t want to work right.
¡°Come on, almost there.¡± Marissa spoke quietly as she pulled E4 out. She quickly flipped her on her back and knelt down next to E4¡¯s head. ¡°Ok, still breathing, now just,¡± She noticed the isopods, which all looked back at her. For a moment they just stared, before one waved. She drew her zap pistol, only then noticing a dozen isopods crawling on her as well. Immediately she dropped her firearm and began trying to rip them off.
¡°Mistress, hold still.¡± E4 reached out and grabbed Marissa¡¯s walking stick. With a gesture she did some quick carving before placing a few drops of blood down the staff, then doing the same to her own. ¡°Off.¡± E4 spoke first, then chittered. The isopods both on her and Marissa froze, looking at her with pleading eyes. She pointed the walking sticks at Marissa, before dropping it to the ground. ¡°DROP.¡± Immediately each of the isopods dropped from both her and Marissa, before making a Bee line for their respective walking sticks. The last isopod stayed in the back, becoming a part of the walking stick.
¡°E4¡ what did you do?¡±
¡°Well,¡± At that moment E4¡¯s stomach seemed to drop as an overwhelming pressure overtook her. She felt her mind begin to race as an unknowable presence closer than her skin seemed to flood her senses. At the same time a presence old as stone and even more unyielding clashed against Mara¡¯s presence. A third presence, Singular but many, alien yet ever present, appeared as if trying to suppress the other two. From the shocked look in Marissa¡¯s eyes she felt it too, such that she immediately fell to the ground. Immediately the Myst surrounding them seemed to part, and above the gloomy overcast seemed to recede as lightning shot across the sky, followed immediately by booming thunder. The earth began to shake, roots from the trees seeming to rip from the ground. Rocks and pillars shot up through the soil, regardless of the trees, throwing bones and chitin this way and that as if trying to purge Mara from her new dwelling. The ravager pool was spared, a pillar of bone thrust upwards from the center and crackling with bio-lightning. Immediately lightning fell from the sky to strike it, only for the bolt to be redirected into a nearby tree and reduce it to an Aetheric haze.
¡°E4, catch!¡± E4 looked up just in time to get hit in the face with a bundle of cloth. She looked up at Marissa to see her already putting on a similar garment which was revealed to be a cowl. The material was dark cotton, with copper and silver threads running through it in a pattern around the ears as well as several lines that ran up the back of the head before splitting around the front to encompass the face. E4 quickly threw hers on, finding it went down to about her armpit and flared out to cover her shoulder. Immediately the pressure receded from an overwhelming panic attack to mild anxiety. Her brain chemistry, which her isopod should have been handling, quickly stabilized.
[[Error: Connection to Mara has been greatly weakened. Max signal has been reduced, connection to several of the harvest-men has been lost, rerouting through staff. Switching to local copy- Red Queen]]. E4 tried to observe the hood, but was rebuked. [[Object has no resonance. Diagnosis inconclusive. Perhaps a skill would help? Identify is the common term in games. Also make sure to bandage your head as soon as possible, your isopod panicked.]]
¡°E4 come on!¡± Marissa was already running, and E4 bounded after her. Contrary to my expectations, perfect position worked without any expenditure of Aether, letting E4 easily catch up before it cut off. It seemed that her orders would increase E4¡¯s speed whenever she was 4 meters or more away, and cut off once she was within one meter, giving E4 a sort of rubber banding pattern.
[[Update: Perfect position can work without aether, giving you a boost of speed. Mara wants to,]] Before I could even finish my thought E4 poured ATP into her legs and pushed even harder, though she immediately began breathing hard from the exertion. Immediately she reached out and grabbed Marissa, her speed falling but still moving at inhuman rates.
¡°Mistress, give me an order.¡± E4 called, trying to speak over the rush of wind. Above the skies turned dark and lightning crackled through the air. A bolt of lightning brought down a tree, which immediately exploded in spores and slime. As if set off by the attack dozens more trees began to weep the strange slime, followed by countless bugs that followed. The wind began to whip even as strange roots that resembled bone spines began to rip themselves from the ground. Great spires of stone and ore shot forth in response, as if trying to push back the bone. Even beneath the cowl E4 could feel the pressure building on her mind. Mara¡¯s presence the weakest but the most familiar, with the presence she had felt during the Screaming Dread hunt and the new presence both pushing against one another. Heavier and heavier, it felt as if she was descending deeper and deeper under water, as if her skull might crack under the pressure. ¡°Marissa!¡±
¡°Run, run until we¡¯re at the city!¡± Immediately E4 felt herself accelerate. The trees whipped by, and the bugs were left behind. Within a single minute the swamp had thinned and the walls were in sight. Above the storm still raged, rain falling from the sky as lightning still crackled above.
¡°Marissa!¡± E4 glanced to the side to see Marcus, currently being carried by Vienna as she leapt from tree top to tree top.
¡°We have to get inside, The Heavens themselves are opening up to deliver divine judgment upon one of the great beings.¡±
[[Mara, Be careful. Great powers dwell here and we are yet visitors.]] E4 chittered. Immediately she winced as Mara¡¯s attention flickered to her, and she saw when Marissa and Vienna twitched. Either Marcus was made of sterner stuff, or lacked the ability to sense her presence. E4 quickly crossed herself and said a quick prayer, for herself and her patron. Almost immediately Mara¡¯s presence faded, leaving a silent anxiety in its wake. She wasn¡¯t gone, E4 knew that, but she was lurking in wait.
¡°Did it stop?¡± Marissa asked, eyeing the swamp lands, before a wretched buzzing echoed from the woods. Indistinct shapes, too numerous to count obscured as they were within the mist. Lightning crackled and thunder boomed as the skies made known their disapproval. One of the shadows hopped forth, and the sight filled E4 with dread. A grasshopper the size of a large dog, its carapace ruptured with fungal bodies and fuzzy with a layer of blue mycelium. E4 wasn¡¯t sure what was worse, the fact it was covered with fungus, or the fact it had a scorpion tail that seemed to be thrashing around like a whip.
There was a CRACK as Marissa unloaded an overpowered blast from her pistol that reduced the thing¡¯s head into a ruin. ¡°Nope! E4, to the walls!¡±
Thrown from her daze E4 ran as fast as she could towards the walls. Marissa quickly reloaded, firing pot shots at anything that tried to catch up with them. With casual ease Vienna lifted Marcus, who E4 thought she could hear yelp, and seemed to gracefully bound after her. Even as she ran she called down walls of lightning to reduce the pursuing bugs to aether.
¡°Halt!¡± A guard announced, leveling a flamethrower at E4. Two other guards, these ones dressed in stone armor rather than the riot suit like purifier armor, both gave the purifier guard a look. E4 quickly eyed the man up. He was wearing usual purifier armor, which consisted of heavy kevlar coated riot gear and backed by a more fragile but non-pourous material to keep out any form of infection. His copper mask betrayed no expression though it did show his low rank. It bore only a single filter, marking him as expendable. In terms of weapons E4 saw he carried the flamethrower that marked him as a purifier, a four barreled shotgun, and a blade that resembled a machete. In contrast the other two guards had heavy stone hands which held an over sized spear and a long sword at their hip, both with stone for the blade. Both wore a cloth mask, purple with the sign of the Purifiers. ¡°Who are you and where do you come from?¡±
E4 immediately released Marissa and moved her hands so he could see she was unarmed. ¡°Presenting Lady,¡± Immediately the shotgun was aimed directly in her face, ¡°Hey, ease up. We¡¯re Regulators.¡±
¡°You DARE?¡± Vienna shouted, dropping Marcus off. E4 saw the tic she knew all too well, panic blooming in her chest. ¡°Do you not see the horde coming this way? You address a Senior Regulator, Mistress Vienna Marked, First Daughter of,¡± The purifier didn¡¯t wait to hear the rest before he pulled the trigger and a shower of magnesium sparks burst forth from his shotgun. E4 knew it was magnesium, as had it been a forge breath round it would have hurt far more.
¡°E4!¡± Immediately Marissa was at E4¡¯s side trying to extinguish her with a blanket and reach for her elixir at the same time, causing both to fall to the ground, while Marcus had his blunderbuss leveled at the guards. The city guards were looking at the purifier as if he had grown a second head, their blades out but they were uncertain where to point it. Unbothered by his fellows¡¯ stares he calmly racked another round and pointed his firearm back at Marcus.
¡°Brother, what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± One of the guards asked. ¡°Can you not see they are regulators.¡±
¡°These refugees are nothing but trouble. They may look fine, but they¡¯re trouble one and all.¡± The purifier¡¯s voice boomed with a brass inflection, likely the closest The Myst had to the robotic voice modulators from Earth. ¡°Look behind them, clearly they did something and are trying to hide within our walls. That¡¯s not to mention the plague of undead. We must assume they are infected,¡± he moved his shotgun from Marcus and towards Vienna who looked as if she might strike him down at any moment, ¡°and purify them.¡±
¡°I invoke the Right of Sanctuary.¡± For a moment it seemed as if the world stilled. The guards both turned in unison to Marcus, who held one hand over his heart and his blunderbuss pointed to the floor. ¡°I swear upon The Myst that we shall cause no harm to the Cursed Lord nor his people so long as we are shown the same courtesy.¡±
For all this time Marissa paid no mind to the drama, trying to help E4 with the burns. The purifier had tried to shoot Vienna, yet E4 had managed grab the barrel. She had exerted what little ATP she had to activate perfect position, not realizing it would activate on its own. While she had intended to knock the shotgun away with her right arm, she had overshot and ended up grabbing it with her left, leading to the shot striking her right in the chest. ¡°You¡¯re going to be alright, just open your mouth.¡±
¡°Ma,¡± As soon as her mouth was open wide Marissa dumped the entire canteen into her mouth, cutting off E4¡¯s words. She drank greedily, and the Aether poured out of her chest. Muscle and flesh knit back together, but it was slow going. The burns didn¡¯t want to heal, not like mere pulverized flesh. Yet at the same time the magnesium rounds didn¡¯t burrow as deep.
[[Try not to move. Your chest is badly burned, but nothing penetrated deeply. There is good reason the purifiers used fire]]
¡°You monster, I should sever your spine for this.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t, that would violate the sanctuary.¡± Marcus spoke up. ¡°Marissa, how is she?¡±
¡°Marcus, how can you be so calm at a time like this?¡± Marissa snapped. ¡°We¡¯ve got some kind of disaster in the woods, and now the guards are shooting at us.¡±
¡°Let go!¡± The purifier cried out as one of the other guards ripped the shotgun from his hands. ¡°They¡¯re infected!¡±
¡°They¡¯ve invoked the Right,¡± The Stone-Weaver guard spoke calmly as he easily overpowered the purifier.
Marcus locked eyes with the purifier, before calling the shotgun to his hand. ¡°Rogue guard or not, they wouldn¡¯t break sanctuary, that¡¯s a death sentence. It¡¯s an uncharged weapon, damage is probably minimal right E4?¡±
E4 took a breath, then another, ¡°Ow, it still hurts.¡± She wrapped the blanket tightly around her. ¡°Hurts to breathe, probably have a cracked rib. Really missing healing hands about now.¡±
¡°Right, we need to get you to the guild hall.¡± Marcus spoke quickly and professionally, though with an edge of swiftly hidden concern beneath his voice. ¡°Per the guild code a medical professional must be there or available at all times. A Myst Folk doctor will not be as good as a Blessed one, but it¡¯s better than nothing.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t let Kindred touch me.¡± E4 gasped out. Marcus shot her a look as Marissa picked up E4, trying not to hurt her but lacking a better way. ¡°Trust nothing colored purple.¡±
¡°No, she must be cleansed.¡± E4 had just enough time to see that the purifier had broken free before everything was bright.
Chapter 21. Stone walls and aberrant forms: Medical Malpractice
The flowing water let E4 know she was dreaming. That or Marissa had figured out she had gills and left her in a river. She remembered a little about getting shot, but most of it was a blur. Even without healing hands she had her regeneration.
[[If nothing else we now have a read on how your tenacity affects your regeneration. And the answers are favorable. I wish we could bring the rest over here.]]
¡°The rest?¡± E4 didn¡¯t bother trying to look around, she knew I wouldn¡¯t be there.
[[The other ravagers. We could create a nice beach for them, or maybe a giant ravager pool. A dozen, full of various herbs for foods and weeds to make medicine. The reports from the Harvest-men indicate that Harvest-men farther out noted valuable plant life in the early stages of growth in the exact location Harvest-men planted closer had been. It is likely The Myst was restocking, and far faster than even our resonance enhanced plants can allow. That and it¡¯s a lot easier to meet caloric requirements when we can convert Myst into Aether and generate ATP in the process.]]
E4 felt a sense of peace and contentment coming from Mara, whose form she could vaguely see off in the distance. Judging by her elevated heart rate, her patron was somewhere between 15 and 20 kilometers away, though given the benzodiazepine providing a comforting cushion across her thoughs she could be a lot closer. The water was nice, rich in oxygen, and the resonance filled her with comfort and energy, even if it was a bit hollow from being a dream. She held up her thumb, then crossed it with her other, and could just barely cover Mara¡¯s form. At this distance she could see a vague black shape, but the rule was if she was too big to cover with the thumbs on one hand you were too close. Humans had even less safety,
[[Well we think, considering we¡¯re not sure how much of her got dragged over. Mara might not even be Mara, just a shadow in the Myst, one of the Patrons that everyone keeps talking about.]]
¡°So Mara might not be Mara, and you might not be the real Red Queen.¡± E4 replied. ¡°But presuming you are, and I haven¡¯t seen any solid evidence you¡¯re not, what about the other Ravagers? If Mara¡¯s here who¡¯s keeping an eye on them? Did all the ravager isopods vanish like with the iron lung pneumonia?¡±
[[You presume Donovan was telling the truth.]] From E4¡¯s expression it was plain she did. [[If they are here, they have not made themselves known. If they were all cured, likely they are all dead. A ravager¡¯s consciousness is stored in their isopod, unless the mechanism replaced the human brain they would be husks at best and most likely dead. Yet, I do not think that is the case.]]
¡°Why not?¡±
[[Faith.]]
¡°And not the fact that, since the isopod is the container for the soul in a ravager, identified because we can heal any wound aside from critical damage to the isopod, then pulling the isopod here would also drag the soul with it?¡± E4 asked. ¡°Thus if we don¡¯t hear from them, it is likely they are simply not in a location to find an isopod yet or have decided not to take one up.¡±
[[¡ That too. Shouldn¡¯t you be waking up soon?]]
E4 blinked, and quickly sat up. She was, in fact, in a tub. A steaming white murky fluid covered her, occasionally bubbling with aether as her body converted it. A mask was firmly affixed over her face, and attached to a hose which led right into the fluid. E4 removed the mask, and noted there had been a clamp attached to the tub to ensure that the hose remained out of the fluid. She examined the clamp, ¡°This wasn¡¯t screwed in right.¡± With a puff she expelled the rest of the fluid from her lungs, which fortunately were reinforced to handle water. ¡°Though, how was there enough air in the bath tub?¡±
[[Oxygen saturation was fine until about 4 hours ago, at which time your gills had to kick in. The amount of usable oxygen was surprisingly high, I believe we have a skill to thank. Oxygen levels began to dip 5 minutes ago, at which point I woke you. Oh, by the way, somewhere between that spicy honey and getting set on fire the new skill gave you back Fire Starter. You can throw fireballs again.]]
Standing E4 reached out and called a towel to her hand. The room she was in was dark, though she could vaguely see curtains separating her from parts of it. Only a small candle that glowed with aetheric flame shone light around her. ¡°Mmm, soft and fluffy.¡± She spoke as she wrapped it around her. She quickly found a mat next to the tub to dry off on. As she dried skin seemed to fall off in long shreds, evaporating before it hit the ground. ¡°What am I, a snake?¡± E4 eyed her skin, finding it red and itchy, but the bruising from the shotgun was long gone and given she had been doused in kerosine she was pretty well off. Her skin was still red, a little darker than a sunburn, beneath the dead skin, but it lacked the itch of a sunburn. ¡°Either regeneration is doing some serious work, or,¡± E4 listened, and with a gesture pulled her WiseMind from a pile of clothes. Slapping it on her wrist she quickly scanned the bath before setting it to analyze. Even spending a single ATP left her feeling like she had run a marathon. ¡°Ok, none of that.¡± Her stomach let out a loud growl. ¡°Clothes, then food.¡±
Clothes came next, though rather than a maid¡¯s outfit she found a plain slate colored dress, which to her surprise came down lower than her knees. She checked it twice, for some slit in the leg or some other slight against modesty, but it seemed normal enough. There was a shortage of pockets, though a purse had been left over a chair that E4 figured would have to do. Rather than sturdy boots she found simple comfortable cloth shoes and socks. As she dressed she also found a green shawl. ¡°Marissa, are you saying I¡¯m an old lady?¡±
[[That¡¯s actually from Marcus. He knitted it while watching over you.]]
¡°He knits?¡± E4 asked. ¡°Also how do you know?¡± A moment later she felt a presence, and with a gesture reached out to call her Harvest Hive staff to her hand.
[[Harvest Hive staff: A work of biotechnology combining charged birch and harvest-men isopods. Can hold up to 2 dozen harvest-men and project them at moderate range. The hive resonates with the harvest-men so the host does not have to. May be used as a focus for certain subversions. ATP:1/4. Signal 4. Max signal 29. Efficiency 50%. Upkeep 1ATP/day. Note: Due to rapid craftsmanship this resonant tool will break if it starves rather than fall dormant.]] The staff was near a meter and a half of polished wood with a chitin handle and the etching of isopods carrying bundles of straw and wood on their backs. ¡°Why do they all have straw hats?¡± E4 asked, poking the staff.
[[I thought it would be funny, and it has less connotations than giving them sickles and pickaxes. Marissa has the other one, though it¡¯s been sitting in her room so I don¡¯t have a complete picture of what she has been up to. It seems there has been quite the shake up in leadership in the time you¡¯ve been out, but I will leave that to Marissa-Red Queen.]]
Now dressed E4 wrapped her shawl around her and stepped out to face the day, immediately walking right into two soldiers guarding the door. ¡°Excuse me.¡± She whispered, one of the guards moving aside unconsciously. As she passed she noticed she stood in a stone hall.
¡°Halt.¡± E4 froze, turning slowly to the guard who did not move. ¡°State your business, the healer left over an hour ago.¡± The guard placed a hand on a long stone blade. ¡°Who are you? What is your business in the house of healing?¡±
¡°My name is E4, I was left in there.¡± E4 gestured. The guards looked at each other as if they were confused.
¡°The maid E4 was discharged hours ago.¡± One guard whom the Hymn whispered was named Ms32 said to the other, gesturing to a clipboard hanging from a stone chain on the wall. ¡°So who is this?¡±
¡°Well she¡¯s dressed like one of Lord Stone-Weaver¡¯s muses, so hold on, let me get the book.¡± The guard took a small black book from his pocket. ¡°Ok, now let¡¯s go down the list. If humanoid, go to page 4.¡±
¡°Wait, what?¡± E4 stepped closer to look at the book, and the guard immediately stepped back. She approached, and he stepped back. ¡°What is that book?¡±
¡°This is my family guidebook, handed down from elder brother to younger brother, father to son. Mn G1 all the way down to Mn G54. It has increased our annual survival rate by an astounding 30%.¡±
¡°Is that¡ good?¡±
¡°For a muse guard, very.¡± The other guard replied. ¡°We muse guards are the last line of defense between Lord Stone-Weaver¡¯s muses and the litany of things that want to hurt them to hurt him. The No¡¯eep family has been producing Muse guards for generations. Emmett is the 54
th of his line, and he¡¯s lived to his 3
rd year, which makes him what, the 14
th to make it this far?¡±
¡°15
th, my elder brother was turned to stone on the first day of his fourth year while holding back a twinwing succubus who had attempted to pose as a muse to kill Lord Stone-Weaver. He¡¯s in the Crypt of templates, forever locked in combat.¡± E4 could practically hear the joy in his voice. ¡°One day I hope I will be able to join him, can you imagine the honor? Such sacrifice forever enshrined.¡±
¡°We also protect Lord Stone-Weaver himself, though he can mostly protect himself. He used to be a regulator before he settled down to raise our little town into the mighty city it is now.¡± As the guard spoke E4 saw his helmet begin to gleam a bright green, not that the stone helmet was glowing but something within. She stepped closer, and saw two green lights where his eyes should be. ¡°What are you doing?¡±
¡°Are either of your hands backwards? Do you have six clawed fingers?¡±
¡°Your eyes are glowing.¡± She replied. ¡°And no, to both.¡± She splayed her hands, taking a moment to make sure they were still as they should be. Two thumbs, two pointer fingers, two ring fingers, and a middle fingers on each hand in a symmetrical pattern. She noticed that her hands were a much lighter shade, closer to her normal skin color. ¡°Don¡¯t mind the coloration, that¡¯s a side effect from my recent injury. It¡¯ll fade¡ I hope.¡±
[[You know, if the Purifiers knew anything about ravagers seven fingers would be a dead giveaway. Maybe don¡¯t offer the info on your horns either.]]
¡°No backward hands, no six fingers, Wings?¡± The Muse Guard was too busy looking at his book to notice E4¡¯s hands in the slightest.
¡°No wings sadly. I¡¯d love to be able to fly.¡±
¡°And if you can see that glow it means you¡¯re blessed.¡± The other guard replied. ¡°That¡¯s part of being a Muse Guard, we are trained to handle a little bit of Aether from Lord Stone-Weaver. We have a few skills, and can actually destroy the creatures of The Myst. It also means that, either one of the muses swallowed a soul, or you are not a muse.¡±
¡°Wait, if she¡¯s not the muse, where is she?¡± Immediately both guards ran into the room E4 had just left. Before E4 realized it one of the guards had grabbed her by the wrist. With the flick of a switch one of the guards lit the room bright as day.
No longer concerned with her clothes and now in a fully illuminated room E4 saw she had been in a stone four clawed tub, one of a quartet in the room though all were now empty. The room itself had been made from pure white slate, with a few flecks of gray to give it some life. In the corner sat a desk and chair for a nurse to observe the baths, stocked with medicines and a few books of medical references as well as a romance for the nurse. Beside each of the tubs stood an angel, arms outstretched. From three of the tubs these arms held some manner of bags or bottles, which E4 immediately realized served a similar function to an IV bag. Each angel was lovingly carved, every fold in their robe and every feather defined, though each had a simple mask where their face should be. The one she had been in now had an empty container, which had been used to add the ingredients to her bath.
Immediately Emmett examined the bath that E4 had been in. With a gesture his hand seemed to unfold, revealing he had not been wearing stone gauntlets but his hand had been outright replaced. For just a moment she saw a flash of gold from a bangle that denoted where stone met flesh. His eyes lit up behind his helmet, and the water immediately began to bubble away. ¡°Was this the one you were in?¡±
¡°Yes, this was mine.¡± E4 replied. Emmett checked the medications and frowned.
¡°Missy, check the others. Muse Nor¡¯win was set to receive treatment through the night.¡± He immediately checked the next tub, finding it empty.
¡°Hey, there¡¯s something in this one.¡± Missy called. She waved Emmett over, and E4 followed. Within a bar of an unknown block was half dissolved and three bags of medication hung from the arms of the angel looming over the tub. ¡°Looks like stone salve, and this is a hydration agent, and here¡¯s the vazolam to keep her calm.¡± She examined it, ¡°Except this is slated for an E4, not Nor¡¯win.¡±
¡°And this one is slated for Nor¡¯win, someone switched them. I¡¯d say about 4 hours ago based on the time stamp
¡°So, as a medical professional, how does this work?¡± Emmett, Mn G54, or whatever he chose to call himself turned to face her. ¡°It sounds like this bath is supposed to treat a skin condition, and these bags,¡± She touched the bags which rather than plastic were made from some manner of tightly woven cloth, ¡°Administer medicine that is absorbed through the skin. Judging by this clamp,¡± She touched the metal and stone device, ¡°The patient is submerged and wearing a mask. I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s why a sedative is needed, since sleeping under water takes practice.¡±
[[You would know.]]
¡°Nor¡¯Wen was suffering from stone sickness. Her hands had already turned, as most muses lose a limb or two early on, but the stone was creeping up her arm.¡±
¡°And that¡¯s different from what you have?¡± E4 asked.
¡°Guards are expected to have stone sickness, it¡¯s a prerequisite for us. Working closely with Lord Stone-Weaver tends to cause the condition, better those already afflicted do the work.¡± Missy gestured and her hands shifted into claws, then a long blade, then a giant spoon, before returning. ¡°Our curse allowed us to channel some Aether, though not at the same level as a regulator. We wear charms to keep it contained, yet Muse Nor¡¯win was afflicted with an advanced case for unknown reasons. She was fine a few days ago, but just yesterday burst into Lord Stone-Weaver¡¯s office with her entire arm turned to stone. We don¡¯t normally use stone salve on someone that young, it can make the stone brittle, but her case seemed strange.¡±
¡°Hence the treatment. Was it just in her hands or her feet too? If her legs were turned she couldn¡¯t have gone far.¡±
¡°The opposite, stone legs do not tire.¡± Emmett clarified. ¡°It makes you heavier, but stronger. Though only her hands and right arm were turned, so that should not be a problem. I am more worried about where she wandered off to. The chemicals should have rendered her barely able to move, but if someone swapped her meds for yours who knows what¡¯s going on. What were you in for?¡±
¡°Kerosine burns.¡± E4 gestured across her body.
Searching the tub room took very little time, though Emmett paid special care to examine several shelves of linens in case Nor¡¯Wen decided to take a nap in them. ¡°Vazolam makes you very tired.¡±
¡°Does it make a good poison?¡± E4 asked, considering if she should pocket some.
¡°I find that a very concerning thing to ask,¡± Emmett replied. ¡°But no, it has a distinctive taste like bitter cherries. Further it breaks down within the body readily. Within 5 minutes of consumption the target would wake up, shorter for a regulator.¡±
¡°And how do you know that?¡± Missy
1asked
¡°I might have been a bit nervous for my first week.¡± Emmett replied. ¡°A little in my canteen, a sip every few minutes, it helped. Yet at that dosage it was very mild, Nor¡¯wen would be at a much higher dosage.¡± Regrouping at the door Emmett paused. ¡°And that concerns me.¡±
¡°She shouldn¡¯t be in a stupor, if it wears off that fast.¡±
¡°The bath dose is a lot stronger.¡± Missy replied as she locked up the tub room with a stone key that looked as if it vanished right back into her hand. ¡°Back when I was a muse I had a treatments when it started crawling up my legs. Being in a bath of Vazolam is like being under the warmest softest and heaviest blanket. It also sticks to your skin, so unless you¡¯re really careful when drying off or you get a quick dunk in something else you¡¯re going to be down for the rest of the day. If she¡¯s wandering around covered in dried Vazolam she¡¯s practically sleepwalking¡ The stairs!¡±
¡°I¡¯ll check the upstairs, you check down. E4, stay with Missy.¡±
Missy took off, and E4 had to hand it to the woman she was quick. Even wearing full stone armor from head to toe, she moved with speed even a professional sprinter would envy. E4 kept pace, but only because she already had inhuman speed and was augmented by her perfect position skill. In mere moments they arrived at the stairs. Missy quickly examined them, and reached for something at her hip. Retrieving a rod she quickly folded it, and folded it, and with one last twist she had a baracade. It reminded E4 of the cheap child barriers used to keep toddlers off the stairs, but taller. Within a few moments Missy had it set up. ¡°That should do.¡±
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°So you don¡¯t think she went down the stairs?¡±
¡°If she did we¡¯ll find her, I¡¯m more worried about her falling down them.¡±
Looking at the barrier, E4 had an idea. Tapping her staff against the stone barrier to place an isopod. Reaching into her purse she quietly cut a bit of flesh from her hand and fed it to the isopod, who immediately began to swell with her provided resonance. Within moments it had the appearance of an ornate bone charm with three smaller bones hanging below a bit like a wind chime. She saw Missy eyeing her. ¡°An alarm, so if someone tries to remove the barrier or bumps into it I will know.¡±
Room by room they searched. The solid stone construction lent an oppressive feeling, though frequent windows and white paint helped to offset the feeling. Had it been day E4 was sure it would have been quite airy, yet outside the oppressive night negated these effects. E4 noted there were several beds prepared, as well as stretchers and open rooms should casualties mount. The medical storerooms reminded her she was encased in solid stone, their dark coloration and lack of windows bearing down like an oppressive shroud. Crate after crate, each labeled in hurried scrawl, presented countless shadows where some crouching fiend could watch from. The Hymn whispered the translations into her mind, revealing countless herbs and box after box of bandages. Beyond the usual E4 found lobotomy needles, trepanning drills, and more forms of restraints than she preferred within a hospital setting. Charms, ritual needles, and a warpaint that claimed to prevent the spread of diseases counted among the more questionable medicines. Twice E4 jumped at a sound of something scuttling around up there. On the third time she jumped, grabbing the edge of a crate and peering at the unseen stalker, only to see a gargoyle with crystaline eyes crouched upon the crate.
¡°Did you find anything?¡±
¡°Just medicines.¡± In the half second E4 took her eyes off the little gargoyle it vanished, reappearing on the next box. ¡°Also this weird gargoyle thing.¡± She hopped down and with a gesture called a few items from boxes that had already been opened. I¡¯m grabbing some of these charms and this paint just in case we¡¯re dealing with a supernatural cause.¡± It went unsaid that, if they didn¡¯t get used, she would be using them for study.
¡°You think this is a curse?¡±
¡°I have no protocol for dealing with curses, but best practices suggest having a full kit when dealing with unknown conditions.¡± As she spoke a low growl reminded her she had been undergoing some significant healing and hadn¡¯t had lunch yet.
¡°Here,¡± Missy fetched some sort of nutrient bar from one of the crates. E4 downed it in two bites, feeling the bland tasting bar filling her up for a few moments before it vanished into the black hole that was her stomach. It tasted mostly of oatmeal and cinnimon, with a hidden bitter aftertaste of coffee. She noted that the cloth packaging denoted it was an energy bar, and not to give it to patients. ¡°Just remember to inform the quartermaster for whatever you take, we don¡¯t want to run out during this siege.¡±
¡°Missy!¡± The voice was barely audible, yet E4 picked up on it.
¡°We¡¯re being called.¡± She quickly made her way out of the supply room and into the stairway before she heard Emmett again. As she broke into a run she realized the stone had been stifling his voice. ¡°How do you normally communicate when the walls catch sound like this?¡±
¡°There are aetherically powered pipes that amplify voices, but only to specific rooms.¡± Missy explained. E4 chittered worriedly at the prospect of being unable to call for help only for her voice to be swallowed in stone, though a black spark ignited reminding her that she could just as easily use that against any would be threats.
E4 made it to the next floor long before Missy, her perfect position accepting Emmett¡¯s call. She arrived to find a beautiful woman strapped to a surgical table. The woman¡¯s robe had been discarded to the side, leaving her wearing only her undergarments. Yet E4¡¯s eyes were drawn not to her figure but to the eight armed angel currently fighting with Emmett. Of its eight arms, two held syringes, and four held long scalpels while the remaining two were currently locked in a grapple with Emmett. The angel was a work of sculpture, every fold on its robe implying it was facing into the wind and carved from purest white marble.
¡°Get the controls, they¡¯re on its back!¡±
E4 seemed to appear there, only for the syringes to twist in a way only possible on a non-biological entity. One stabbed at her with the speed of a cobra, only missing by a few millimeters. E4 saw several keys and switches, a single place on the construct that sacrificed aethetic for practicality. With a quick stab she hit the emergency stop button, a large circle made from red quartz. Immediately the construct froze, before retracting its blades back into the sleeves of its robe and adopting a pose where each hand was folded in prayer. ¡°What was that?¡±
¡°A bladed angel, they¡¯re designed to perform surgeries with a precision no human can replicate.¡± He turned to the woman. ¡°Nor¡¯win, are you alright? Who did this to you?¡±
¡°What are you doing?¡± The woman, exclaimed, quickly releasing her restrained arm. E4 realized not only was she fully conscious, with no signs of anesthetic, but one of her arms hadn¡¯t even been strapped down. ¡°You need to turn that machine on, you need to get this parasite out of me!¡±
¡°Parasite? What are you talking about?¡± E4 immediately chittered, and only her staff chittered back.
¡°Look at me, look at my arm! It¡¯s already spreading, you need to take it out!¡± She yelled, her voice ascending in octave as she became more hysteric.¡± She immediately got up and began working on the straps on her legs, at which time E4 got a look at her arm.
¡°Hold still, I¡¯m a physician. Let me take a look.¡± She immediately took the woman¡¯s arm and found the spot where stone met flesh. From the tips of her fingers to just above her elbow the flesh had been turned to slate, with small flint fingernails for color. A gold bangle signified where the stone ended. Yet that is not what concerned E4. Where the stone ended and flesh should have begun there was instead a spot where the flesh had, not rotted per say, more receded. It reminded her of the result of an emergency amputation, where the remaining flesh as sewn into a stump to cover the bone. The only exception was the short section of slate humorous that reached from the flesh to connect with the well sculpted stone. E4 was further surprised to find that, while the stone was hard, it seemed to squish where she touched it as if it were malleable flesh. There was a slight delay, but to test she tried to pinch a section, and after a moment it moved to allow her. It was stiffer than normal skin, more like squeezing clay than skin, but when released it returned to its shape like normal skin. ¡°Your stone skin seems, far more alive than I thought, though the connection here is strange. When did this occur?¡±
¡°Why areren¡¯t you listening to me, it¡¯s in my eye and I need it out! That cursed bug flew right into my eye AND I CAN¡¯T GET IT OUT!¡±
¡°Let me look.¡± E4 replied. ¡°Hold still,¡± She looked into the woman¡¯s shadowed eyes, the darkness preventing her from seeing anything. ¡°Emmett, hand me a light.¡±
¡°Here, an occular light.¡± E4 eyed the device, which looked to be a small sphere that buzzed in her hand and projected a red glare out of three small lenses. She shone it upon the woman¡¯s eyes, and to her surprise the gloom actually lifted to reveal what looked to be a human eye. She could not tell the color of the iris, perhaps it was red perhaps it was very pale, but only a thin line denoted where it separated from the white of the eye. The pupil was dark, likely black but given the color of the light she could not be sure. ¡°I don¡¯t see any bites, nor any holes. What was supposed to be in your eye.¡±
¡°A ravager beetle! The thing that broke out of the guild and killed the regulators! It flew into my face and crawled behind my eye! You need to get it out!¡±
E4 gave her a look. ¡°A ravager beetle? Dead regulators? There was a ravager locked in the freezer, but Imnad and Vienna killed it.¡± She handed the light back to Emmett. ¡°Can you see out of both eyes?¡± Nor¡¯wen nodded. E4 leaned close, peering into her eyes one more time using her ravager eye and chittered. No resonance answered, though she did see a small bite just above the eye. ¡°If you were on your way to becoming a ravager you would either not be able to see out of one eye or there would be some telltale marks around the eye. They¡¯re not obvious to the lay person, but once you¡¯ve treated a ravager patient you don¡¯t forget it.¡± E4 released Nor¡¯wen with a gesture. ¡°I do see a bit of an insect bite, so I believe something bit you, but definitely not a ravager beetle. I¡¯m more concerned with the fact your skin is receding from the bone in your arm. When did that start?¡±
¡°What are you talking about, that¡¯s a sign that I¡¯m turning, you have to get that thing out or¡¡± She paused, her eyes going so wide E4 could see it even despite the gloom. ¡°You have to kill me.¡±
¡°That is not happening.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t get it, Kindred told me what happens when a ravager beetle takes hold. I don¡¯t want to eat people, I don¡¯t want to kill Lord Stone-Weaver.¡± She froze. ¡°The panacea, I need more panacea!¡±
¡°More? Don¡¯t tell me,¡± At that moment the door exploded into shattered chunks.
¡°That is enough out of you church bell.¡± E4 looked up, only to narrowly dive out of the way before the crack of gunfire turned shredded the wall behind her. It was only by luck that Nor¡¯wen wasn¡¯t hit.
¡°What is the matter with you? This is a hospital, why are you shooting a gun in here?¡± E4 yelled at the purifier. ¡°You could have hit my patient!¡±
¡°I¡¯d be more aware of your own station.¡± Kindred spoke, his voice brassy behind his mask. ¡°You stand before the Physician Protectorate of the city, at the very eve of a plague. I would think a dame
2 such as yourself would be content to kneel before one such as I. Delusions of invincibility is but the first sign of a ravager. Men, take her alive.¡±
Immediately E4 was surrounded by a dozen men. ¡°You can¡¯t do this.¡± She stepped back, stopping just before the wall. ¡°Subsection 4 of plague conquest protocol, the senior most purifier may take command of a city should a majority vote elect to grant them emergency powers. That hasn¡¯t happened yet.¡±
¡°Oh, didn¡¯t you hear?¡± Kindred¡¯s mask seemed to light up with joy, ¡°the vote was called, the result will be announced tomorrow. As the only Purifier I¡¯m a shoo in.¡± He gestured to one of the guards. ¡°Get her.¡±
Crossing herself and speaking a prayer for protection E4 reached into her purse as if grabbing a weapon, and discreetly creating a pair of long scalpels. Even as she did she heard the click clack of the bone die slip out of her purse. As it hit the ground she noticed it landed on a 6, before flipping to a 13. Immediately she ducked under the first purifier, who trusted in his large form and heavy riot gear to protect him. He did not expect her to slide between his legs, additional acceleration provided via telekinesis, hop up behind him, and slice his suit from groin to neck. A thin line of blood leaked from his skin, barely enough to count as a paper cut, yet singing out in resonance as the ravager toxin did its work. Yet she didn¡¯t have time to celebrate as the rest converged on her even as the wounded one turned to grab her again.
To the Purifier¡¯s surprise six strongly built men, each wearing riot gear and heavy duty gloves, had quite the time tackling a 180 centimeter woman, even one with a gymnast¡¯s build. For E4¡¯s part, the purifiers surrounding her seemed to move almost slowly. She danced and wove out of the way of their clumsy grabs, their blows impeded by their armor more than her blades were. Her blades flashed, turning every third blow into a toxin filled rebuke. Yet like a pocket watch winding down she could feel her limbs slowing, the protein bar she had eaten had barely been a snack. She could feel the clock counting down on her own movements even as the purifiers began to succumb to the toxin. With every blow she avoided she felt her limbs slowing.
One of the Purifiers, a man slightly taller and more aggressive than the others, bore more cuts than the others. His armor was badly damaged, and both blood and aether flowed from it. One bite, just one, and she would have enough energy to make it through. It would be just one, not even from anywhere fatal. She would get a few prions, but she could purge those and things would be fine. E4¡¯s mouth opened involuntarily as her fangs grew past her teeth. She shook her head violently, shaking off the thoughts, and that was all it took. A blow from a cudgle managed to catch her on the arm, and that spun her off balance enough for another to land. Her tail flicked out quick as a whip, rebuking both men before returning to its hiding place, but it was enough. The blows fell like rain and E4 did her best to cover her head.
¡°That¡¯s enough. Get her up.¡± One of the purifiers lifted E4 up, aggravating the bruises she already had. Everything was sore, but the ravager toxin kept her from feeling the worst of it. He took her head in his armored hands. ¡°Hmmm, I will say your master has good taste for you muses.¡± E4 glared at him. ¡°Don¡¯t like that look in your eyes though.¡± He stepped over to Nor¡¯wen. ¡°Now this is a woman who knows her place. She knows she¡¯s sick, and she goes to get treatment.¡± He gestured to E4. ¡°You¡¯re too stupid to even know what¡¯s good for you. Now dear, just lie down and I¡¯ll get that pesky beetle out.¡±
¡°You touch my patient and the medical board will be the least of your worries.¡± E4 snapped. The outburst earned her another smack on the head that had her seeing stars. She felt her isopod skitter within her head, and her tail lashed out and sliced through the Purifier¡¯s armor like it was butter. Only the fact it was laced with ravager toxin kept him from feeling the incision, or the flow of blood that poured out and immediately boiled away into Aether. and saw the die seem to shift where it was.
8, wait.
¡°Oh, you want to go first? Get her up here.¡± Kindred pushed Nor¡¯wen off the table, eliciting a squeak then a scream as one of her legs hadn¡¯t actually be unbound and a low crack issued from where it bent in a way it shouldn¡¯t have. ¡°Oops.¡± He pressed a button and the table released, letting her properly drop off. ¡°Get her up here.¡± The Purifier holding E4 down tried to stand, only for his legs to give out. ¡°Come on, I don¡¯t have all day.¡± Another Purifier picked her up, three others taking her limbs and conveniently missing her tail which whipped out and cut each of them one more time before she was slammed down on the table. With a series of clicked Kindred stepped out of his armor, taking a moment to check his hair.
¡°You know, the locals here have some funny beliefs. You know they don¡¯t like to go to sleep?¡± He drew a length of metal from his pocket and E4 froze as he removed the cover. It was crafted from silver and gold, and had the emblem of the purifiers, but all the decorations in the world couldn¡¯t hide the fact it was an ice pick. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d meet someone who preferred to go through surgery awake. I¡¯m sure Aaron will be thrilled once he gets here.¡± He saw the horrified expression on E4¡¯s face. ¡°Oh, you recognize my little friend? It¡¯s said that a man by the name of Freeman used one of these little guys to do over 4000 lobotomies, going town to town in his van spreading the good word.¡±
¡°He also killed 15% of his patients.¡± E4 retorted.
¡°Well, accidents happen. I¡¯ve had a good bit more luck with my patients.¡± He saw when E4¡¯s eyes realized the implications. He calmly unscrewed his tool and checked the canister of violet liquid before replacing it. ¡°British engineering and all that, or Los British I suppose.¡±
¡°That¡¯s why you were late to the stones yesterday, you had to clean up a corpse.¡± She accused.
¡°Not in the slightest, my last patient was just a so appreciative of my curing her that she wanted to thank me, again and again. The women here are so receptive,¡± He grinned a smile revealing the golden teeth that a fellow ravager had once knocked out, ¡°As I¡¯m sure you will be soon.¡±
¡°You so much as get near me with that thing and I¡¯ll snap your neck like a toothpick.¡±
Kindred stepped back, the sheer aggression from E4¡¯s voice chilling him to the heart. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve never been much of a surgeon,¡± He approached the table, pointing the ice pick at E4¡¯s eye. ¡°But no true genius gets it right on the first try.¡±
The bolt of lightning did not so much wound Kindred¡¯s hand so much as vaporize it. ¡°Drop your weapon!¡±
¡°Marissa, you¡¯re supposed to say that BEFORE you shoot.¡± Marcus chided, cane sword already pointed at a group of Purifiers.
¡°They¡¯re infected, Burn them all!¡± Kindred called out, trying to pull the cork on a vial with his missing hand, before pulling it with his teeth and downing it. Immediately he faded away.
¡°An invisibility potion!¡± Marissa exclaimed. ¡°Where¡¯d he get the 24 charged amber, that¡¯s so unfair.¡±
¡°Marissa, focus!¡± Marcus shouted, and for a moment the man seemed to vanish. An instant later he reappeared, and three Purifiers were missing their right arms.
¡°I¡¯ll take the six on the right.¡± Marissa shouted, throwing a flask into the air. Immediately a bolt from her zap pistol caught the flask, and three purifiers were struck down by the cloud of sparking Aether that engulfed them. E4 gestured to conjure metabolic fire, and immediately her head spun and her stomach and intestines were gripped with spasms but both were empty. Yet with the purifiers weakened by ravager toxin and already leaking aether out of every wound they were in no shape to handle Marissa or Marcus. Within moments all that was left was armor, the bodies of the purifiers evaporating away and their armor dissolving with slightly less alacrity.
¡°E4, are you alright?¡± Marissa asked.
¡°I¡¯m alive.¡± E4 replied, getting up even as her stomach growled. She shot a look over to Nor¡¯wen, who lay still on the ground covering her head. ¡°Which is more than I can say for her. How¡¯d you find me?¡±
¡°One of the Muse guards came running over to get us, and we came as quick as we could.¡± Marissa explained, approaching Nor¡¯wen. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡±
¡°That is what I would like to know.¡± Stone-Weaver¡¯s voice was grim and his eyes as hard as flint. ¡°Maid you have a lot of explaining to do.¡±
¡°Lord Stone-Weaver, E4 is just as much a victim of this as your wife.¡± Marcus spoke up, only for Stone-Weaver to hold up a hand. Immediately dozens of stones seemed to form as if being created from ambient dust to form a large circular barrier before him.
¡°That may be the case, but one does not get to my position by trusting in the best intentions of others.¡± He approached Nor¡¯wen. ¡°Are you injured?¡±
¡°Sir, please stay back. I don¡¯t want to infect you.¡± She cried out, causing Lord. Stone-Weaver to back off. ¡°I¡¯m infected sir, some horrible parasite has crawled into my eye. Kindred gave me a panacea to stop it, but it¡¯s wearing off! Look at my arm, The parasite is eating me! This horrible maid won¡¯t let him take it out of me.¡±
¡°He was going to lobotomize her.¡± E4 replied. ¡°He had a bloody ICE PICK coated in that purple poison.¡±
¡°The panacea, I need it.¡± Immediately she jumped up and pushed past Stone-Weaver to run after her killer. ¡°Doctor Kindred!¡± She called after him.
Stone-Weaver shook his head and dusted off his hands. ¡°Looks like she is lost to me.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a shame sir, but no one stays a muse forever.¡± Missy replied. Even with their armor, E4 hadn¡¯t noticed she and Emmett had arrived and now flanked the door. ¡°Shall we detain Kindred? He has at least violated the oath of sanctuary. We could send him and his men against the bugs.¡±
¡°We have Purifiers guarding every gate and their skill with flames have been keeping the bugs out. While this incident is distasteful, we still do not know exactly what happened. Until we are sure, we cannot be leveling accusations.¡± Stone-Weaver paused, his eyes lingering upon E4. ¡°Though if you wished to submit your account of events, I would be more than happy to hear them.¡±
¡°Sir, there has been an incident,¡± Another voice called from outside of the door. A short man with a complex set of stone glasses stepped in. ¡°Ah, Lord and Lady Eagle-Wood, perfect timing. I needed to speak with you regarding the incident in the packing district.¡±
¡°E4, I believe we need to get out of here, now.¡± Marissa quipped. E4 found he hand gripped in Marissa¡¯s and in mere moments they were on the streets. Immediately E4 noticed that this house of healing was a block from the gate she had been burned at, and noticed there were now a pair of purifiers guarding the gate with a pair of city guards observing.
¡°Unnerving isn¡¯t it? Those guys were shooting at us yesterday, today they¡¯re the ones watching the gates.¡± Marcus spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ve counted two dozen separate Purifiers we¡¯ve passed this morning. They¡¯re all wearing masks so I can¡¯t be sure, but I think the majority of them are Myst Folk.¡±
¡°It¡¯s creepy, and where is he getting them all? He couldn¡¯t have brought them with him, as far as I know only our train is here. The Marked family don¡¯t have one. Is he that charismatic that he¡¯s recruiting them that fast?¡±
¡°The Golden Spider has a knack for that.¡± E4 replied, reaching into her purse and producing a trio of masks which she distributed. ¡°Here, back on Earth everyone wore them. It makes facial recognition harder, especially with those masks they¡¯ve got. Even Earth¡¯s optics weren¡¯t perfect, I doubt they can see too well out of them. Purifier combat doctrine calls for flame throwers and shotguns because they can burn, but also because precision isn¡¯t a requirement for use. Back then they used an AI program, a computer program, to highlight obstacles and threats. Telling clothing apart was hard. I take it that skills and talents on Earth translate somewhat to skills in The Distant Shores.¡±
¡°Innate skills definitely do, and it shapes which acquired skills you get. Kindred isn¡¯t charged though, so he shouldn¡¯t have that much power.¡±
¡°Could he be half cursed?¡± E4 asked. ¡°He certainly seems to have significant pull with The Myst, being able to pull so many recruits out of thin air. He¡¯s also got at least one, possibly more, pact skills.¡±
¡°No such thing E4, Either you¡¯re cursed or you¡¯re not. No one knows exactly how it works, we know Arnold and Gerric became cursed and there are rumors of people who have broken their curse, but the exact details vary. Now, let¡¯s get you back so we can get you equipped. We¡¯ve got a siege to break.¡±
1Emmett and Missy are Aether Blessed, but they were slain by an undead and most of their souls are lost. In creating his muse guards Mn G54 and Ms 4 first took their appearance, then their names. Their souls are slowly being pulled towards these bodies, and the undead are being drawn here. Later (not this story) the undead will show itself, and upon it¡¯s death they will become fully blessed.
2Kindred has no idea who E4 is. He doesn¡¯t recognize her due to the skin change, and he thinks the maid is already dead so why bother?
Chapter 22. Stone walls and aberrant forms: Swarmed
It took E4 all of five minutes to get dressed in a spare maid outfit that Marissa just happened to have on hand. By an even greater coincidence it was not a size too small, but fit perfectly. The fine material was further augmented with leather in places that were liable to be struck. The black dress went down just below her knees, matching nicely with the short black boots and contrasting with the white stockings which bore additional padding on the knees. Her apron was of a durable white material with dozens of pockets which seemed larger on the inside than the outside. A new medical satchel made from durable canvas fit around her shoulder nicely, as did a bandoleer for her crossbow.
¡°Mistress, if you already had this, why did you bring me the other one when I awoke?¡± E4 asked as she met with Marissa in the kitchen. Rather than staying in the guild hall she had been shown to a house nearby that Marcus and Marissa had rented. It was a smaller place, but was also private. The entire house had a living room, kitchen, four bed rooms, and a war room with numerous maps and cork boards. There was also a cellar with built in panic room. The whole thing was made from stone and steel, with countless Aetheric based technologies. Marissa was currently making use of the oven and the sink, both powered by Aether rather than traditional means such as wood or a hand pump.
Marissa looked up from where she was frying up some zucchini and bread crums. ¡°Well,¡± She looked very guilty as she shot a glance to her brother who immediately went back to the dozen of maps on the table. ¡°I¡¯ve got a few maid outfits, but I¡¯ve never gotten any of the maids to wear them. It took me months to get one to wear something that short and snug.¡±
¡°And I can¡¯t imagine why.¡± E4 replied, placing her hands on the rather large window in her blouse. That and the slit up the side of the dress made up the expected perversions to modesty, though at least the slit had a practical purpose. ¡°Thank you for the undershirt Marcus, that was very thoughtful.¡±
¡°That was Marissa, I had no part in that outfit.¡±
¡°I figured, maybe you¡¯d go for it maybe not.¡± Marissa explained quickly. ¡°There¡¯s a mesh over it so it¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to catch a spine through it. Either way, it¡¯s a nice dress, no need to waste it. The dress and undershirt are both tier 1, so you don¡¯t have to worry about getting stabbed too much.
¡°It¡¯s got the feel of it, though it still feels too soft to turn a blow.¡±
¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re tier 1. It¡¯s moving with you. If you tried to wear tier 2 stuff, or you tried putting tier 1 stuff on a Myst Folk it would be like trying to walk in a suit of stiffened leather. We can get you a set of leather armor, or even chain armor if you really want, but I usually don¡¯t go heavier than a breastplate and a thick coat.¡±
¡°Is it because armor is too heavy?¡± E4 asked. ¡°Back on Earth I usually had a bullet proof vest or something unless I was in a secure hospital.¡± She bit her tongue back so she didn¡¯t blurt out it was the or something she wore most often.
¡°That and our tenacity. A high tenacity makes your skin as tough as the best leather, but it also affects your clothing. A high tenacity regulator in silk is tougher than a low tenacity regulator in steel.¡± Marcus explained. He reached into his bag and pulled out a few materials. ¡°Some materials will elevate your tenacity, but at the cost of your might and speed. 10 charge lead is some of the heaviest stuff around, a suit of armor with it will drain away 5 points of speed but grant 10 in tenacity.
¡°Sounds very abstract, like the statistics of the armor have more to do with who¡¯s wearing it than what it¡¯s actually made from.¡±
¡°Once you get your head wrapped around it, it¡¯s ok.¡± Marcus replied.
¡°Do I smell corn bread¡± Marissa asked, shortly before Imnad and Vienna stepped into the dining room.
¡°Family recipe, y¡¯all¡ are we ready for the planning meeting?¡± Imnad quickly corrected himself. His wife nudged him gently. E4 immediately noticed both were armed, and while Imnad continued to wear tan his wife had changed into a cerulean dress with a cresting wave pattern. Hundreds of small beads seemed worked into the material, and she could practically feel the restrained Aether ready to be released from the outfit.
The two teams quickly set up, spreading the dishes they had brought and going over the maps and figures. The city was well documented and mostly orderly, yet the mountain plans were a confusing maze and the forests were covered in splotches of color. ¡°Later, eat first. Can¡¯t plot on an empty stomach.¡± Imnad chided.
Immediately they dug in. E4 found herself starting with a huge helping of mashed potatoes, and within a few bites she felt the healing hands skill slip right back into her mind, like remembering the name of a song that had been playing nonstop through her head for the last few days. This was followed by cornbread, which while charged did not provide a skill, as well as some manner of fish that reminded E4 of swordfish but was a bit tougher and crunched slightly when chewed With every crunch the herbs, something a bit like orange but not quite as strong, exploded against her tongue. As she did she felt¡ unfulfilled. It was similar to eating a low calorie version of a snack, it tasted almost right but she knew there was something better that was more filling. As a ravager with a caloric requirement half again a human¡¯s and subversion that cast from calories E4 rarely ate the low calorie version of anything. She quickly finished the dish, and immediately her eyes sought out more.
¡°That didn¡¯t last long, you sure you¡¯re not part kobold E4?¡± Marissa teased. ¡°Vienna, looks like you¡¯ve got competitions for seconds.¡±
¡°What, you think just because I¡¯m a kobold I love wave-scale?¡± Vienna asked, as she helped her to the last piece of the fish. E4 tried to move on to the next dish, a complex looking salad Vienna had brought, but her ravager eye involuntarily watched as Vienna took her first bite. ¡°I mean, I love wave-scale, but not because I¡¯m a kobold.¡±
¡°Dear, you once got into a bidding war with Ophelia over a single cut of the fish. How many hundred coin did you end up spending?¡±
¡°None, she won it. I¡¯m not going to spend two thousand coin over one cut of fish, even if it is 300 charge.¡±
¡°That sounds delicious.¡± E4 replied. Even as she spoke she felt the Myst shift a bit in how her body absorbed it. She could almost see scales covering her skin. ¡°Is this fish addictive?¡±
¡°The way my wife and Ophelia the druid fight over it you¡¯d think, but it¡¯s not. Apparently it¡¯s just a kobold delicacy. Wavescale tend to give buffs involving water and defense, sometimes they even let you breathe water for a bit. If you get a skill from them it would probably involve tenacity, speed, or water breathing.¡± Imnad paused. ¡°when you ate that, did you feel a sense of fulfillment, like you needed more but the piece you got wasn¡¯t going to cut it?¡±
¡°Something like that.¡±
¡°Oh you poor soul.¡± Vienna shook her head. ¡°You just found one of the reagents you need to get recharged, and it¡¯s one of the most expensive ones there is. Admittedly it¡¯s good, it improved my rain dancer skill to the flood dancer skill. The ability to move through water like air while also being able to breathe under water are niche but undeniably useful. It also expanded my aether shaping. I¡¯m looking forwards to getting some high charge bladescale so I can get the abyss dancer skill for tier 3. Not sure how high the charge has to be, but I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s going to be rare.¡±
¡°And cost a mint.¡± Marcus replied.
¡°That sounds amazing. Are there a lot of under water creatures of The Myst?¡± E4 asked. ¡°For a place called the distant shores we¡¯ve faced very little in the way of beaches.¡± She shot a look at Marissa, ¡°Despite my mistress¡¯s¡ proclivities.¡±
¡°Oh really?¡± Marissa adopted a lecherous grin. ¡°Well I know where we¡¯re going next.¡±
¡°Sister, behave. You can be a deviant later, and E4 please don¡¯t get my sister started when we¡¯re trying to work.¡±
While their meal settled they gathered around the maps and details Imnad had found.
¡°I managed to fast talk Kindred into letting me take a look at the book he got. While I can¡¯t approve of stealing it, if he were to misplace it I wouldn¡¯t be opposed to passing Sketch a hefty purse of coin for it.¡± He moved a set of papers from the side to the center of the table. A well illustrated image of a human deep in the grips of the Wu-cog fungus. Blue fibers seemed to stretch off the man like fur, his eyes were glazed over and his teeth twisted into a beak like growth. Beside the image was a description of the disease, the patterns of those infected, and how to fight them.
¡°I half expected the treatment to be kill it with fire,¡± E4 commented, ¡°but the treatment of critical persons is surprisingly lax for Mundo, a solid 50 coin for an essential worker or 500 for a political official, he must have been feeling generous. There¡¯s even a payment plan for recouping investment, he must be feeling very confident.¡±
¡°E4, that¡¯s a twentieth of their income. That would be a lean year for even one Myst folk, let alone if both parents and the children got sick.¡± Marissa snapped.
¡°Marissa, the children aren¡¯t essential, they wouldn¡¯t be included.¡± E4 replied. For a moment Marissa just glared at E4. ¡°Don¡¯t blame me, I¡¯m not the one who came up with this plan. By the time this sort of stuff was being published officially I was already on the outs with the Purifiers.¡± She turned to Imnad. ¡°I¡¯m honestly a bit surprised he let you copy this.¡±
¡°Well¡ he didn¡¯t really let me copy it. I might have dropped by for tea and made a quick copy while he was busy with something.¡± Imnad replied. ¡°His office was very orderly, it only took a few moments to find the book and take a few pictures.¡± He gestured towards a wood and gold tablet with several gears and unknown mechanisms literally bolted on. One of those sections appeared to be a printer, which was even then running its way through a piece of paper and transcribing some notes. ¡°He had this and one other section bookmarked.¡± He moved to another few pages, and E4 quickly noted the horned humanoid that crouched over a human body. ¡°Look familiar?¡±
E4 took one look at the ravager and every hair on her head stood at attention. The face looking back at her was a mask of scar tissue, with one ravager eye swollen large and one human eye receded deep into its skull. Its maw was elongated, chitinous material forming a bestial muzzle that stretched out from a mouth frozen in a permanent scream. Six elongated fingers, each possessing an extra joint and a long claw beyond, stretched from each of the hands with one hand reaching towards the viewer. The figure was crouched over a human corpse that E4 noted wore a Bleeding Heart shirt, her red hair long and splayed around her body even as her one purple eye stared lifelessly at the sky. Yet the clincher was the rack of horns, bearing 64 points. She immediately started hyperventilating, having to get up and begin pacing.
¡°E4, what is it?¡±
¡°Crazy.¡± E4 gasped out. ¡°That man put in an illustration of Crazy.¡± E4 took a deep breath and tried to sit down, but her eyes immediately went back to the page and she got back up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I need a minute.¡± She immediately ran to the bathroom and turned on the tap in the tub. Lightning poured from her hand as she powered the pumps, leaving a faint burn on the metal even as water flooded in. Immediately E4 plunged her head into the water and let out a scream. That scream quickly turned into sobbing, which continued for a good five minutes as her isopod created stress hormones faster than her eyes could carry them out.
[[Hold on, I¡¯m going to try to override that, give me a bit- Red Queen]]. Within her isopod several memories were going berserk, and it was no wonder. Ravagers acted as if they were a step above humans on the food chain, so one would have to be desperate to attack one without overwhelming force, and crazy to do so for food.
Yet a ravager with that many horns was always hungry.
Breathing water forced E4 to focus. All ravagers could breathe water, but it was not as easy as breathing air. The human brain was designed for air, and while the isopod could replace much within the brain it didn¡¯t replace the dive reflex for some reason. A ravager had to intentionally breathe under water. Sleeping under water was possible, but falling asleep under water was something most ravagers never learned. Being forced to breathe manually forced E4 not to think about the horrific predator for a few minutes, and the plentiful water helped E4 wash away the chemicals her isopod insisted on creating. Finally she stood up and with a gesture the water flowed off her and back into the tub where it drained away. Taking a deep breath she walked back into the dining room where Marcus and Imnad were in deep discussion on which location within the forest was the best to lay an ambush.
¡°I think if we had the Purifiers dig in here we could lead the bugs right to them. I¡¯ve run a few tests in the forest and they seem to like a strange combination of copper salts and sugar.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t like trusting them with something that important. Especially now that their leader tried to lobotomize both E4 and one of Stone-Weaver¡¯s muses.¡± Marcus replied. ¡°His people have violated the Right of Sanctuary right in front of two Stone Guards. Stone-Weaver hasn¡¯t brought him to heel, which gives me a bad feeling.¡± He looked up to E4, ¡°Did you dip your head in the sink?¡± E4 gave him a confused look, before realizing she had forgotten to dry her clothes. With a gesture the water seemed to leap off of her and dive into the sink. ¡°Did you learn water shaping while you were asleep?¡±
¡°Did not this mistress tell you the dao of Darwin was a path to great powers?¡± Vienna added with a smile. ¡°For falling asleep in the bath she was given the power of water shaping.¡±
¡°That wasn¡¯t shaping, that was telekinesis.¡± Imnad replied with a shake of his head. ¡°A useful parlor trick, but far weaker than true shaping. Back to the matter at hand, they are still Myst Folk and thus will fight the Creatures of The Myst. Even if Kindred ordered them to fire upon us, between us and the creatures, they would shoot the creatures.¡±
E4 held her tongue, but in one hand she kindled a small flame and took comfort in the fact it did not burn her.
¡°According to what the Purifiers have been reporting, this disease isn¡¯t acting like a true disease. It almost looks like it¡¯s being guided. It started here,¡± Imnad pointed to a section of the map, ¡°and spread out from there. See how it followed the trade routes, as if it was targeting them.¡±
¡°Mind if I take a look at the reports?¡± E4 asked. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve studied epidemiology.¡± Imnad handed her a packet of papers and she immediately dug in.
¡°So, how many Stone Guard are we going to be using?¡± Marcus asked.
¡°We¡¯re going to be using a contingent of 20 Stone Guard and 80 Purifiers. I told Kindred that was a ludicrous amount of force, but he insisted this plague must be stemmed. He did state that he wanted 20 of those Purifiers to go here first,¡± He pointed towards a small pool on the map, ¡°then meet up with the remaining force.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a ravager pool. I¡¯d leave it alone, attacking it won¡¯t end well.¡± E4 commented. She stared at the page, then turned to another, then skipped two. Data flowed into her head and she felt her isopod vibrate as it absorbed, sorted, and discarded data. She felt her heart pick up the pace as her isopod doubled its caloric intake, and somewhere in Marissa¡¯s room her crossbow and staff began to resonate with her. She quickly stood up to fetch them, and got back to work.
¡°This mistress applauds your preparation Marissa, most regulators touch not the mesh and bonded items until second tier, yet you equip your maid so thoroughly. Do you also have such treasures? I did not know the Eagle-Wood family had enough rail-steel to facilitate such.¡±
¡°We don¡¯t.¡±
E4 noted that down as she went through the papers. The Hymn supplied her with data even as she read. Mistakes were noted and with a flick of her fingers a pen of bone and blood appeared and she began to make notes. Stacks vanished and within moments she had her answer.
¡°Here.¡± E4 replied, pointing and circling in blood a part of the forest. ¡°It¡¯s coming from here.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a bold claim.¡± Imnad stated.
¡°Hmmm, this mistress is intrigued, would you like to place a wager on that?¡± Vienna asked. ¡°Perhaps, 20 coin? Did you really read these reports,¡± She gestured and the papers were flung this way and that before returning to her hand, ¡°Or just skim?¡±
¡°I have the Psychic innate skill, and it manifests as object reading. Just by touching the papers I can tell what¡¯s on them, and The Hymn whispers the errors and duplicates in my ears.¡± E4 replied. ¡°Wish I had that in college, but that¡¯s beside the point. Look.¡± She pointed out the map. ¡°They followed this supply route. If you read the reports closely you see a pattern. Look how much wood and steel they¡¯re carrying out here. I¡¯ll repeat, they are moving wood to this area, despite the fact the swamp has lots of wood, not from it. Why?¡±
¡°Maybe they¡¯re making a new mill, a place to manufacture wood out here. Logs are heavy.¡± Imnad replied. ¡°I¡¯ve seen how much work goes into making finished processes. If you can get an energy source¡ you think they found a source of Aether out here? That they have a blessed or a cursed?¡±
¡°The Witch of Wu-cog was a mine foreman, and he knew his stuff. He knew how to push his men, and how to fudge reports. I saw one of his earlier lairs, built before he had the perfect strains of fungus to drive his men to near fanatical states. Even as a young man he was ambitious, leading three separate mines into creating unions before turning to the dark side and crushing them instead. Marissa, you said that young blessed don¡¯t have the same problem of attracting tougher monsters that adult do right?¡±
¡°Yeah, Marcus and I slew monsters as part of our chores but it was never anything more than a few goblins.¡±
¡°What if a young Blessed showed up, could they be given a junior foreman title and sent to a remote village to keep it secure, especially if there was a rare resource there?¡±
¡°Wouldn¡¯t work.¡± Imnad replied. ¡°The best and most Myst laden resources can¡¯t form in places where aether abounds. There are hunting grounds and mines we can only visit every few months because otherwise it won¡¯t regenerate. A few are only opened once a year, though going there for anyone lower than tier 4 is a death sentence.¡±
¡°The Great Maw!¡± Vienna exclaimed. ¡°Remember when that was found? A giant pit that had once been a lost kobold city.¡±
¡°I remember that¡ from a journal my grandfather wrote.¡± Marissa replied, drawing a knowing look from both of the Marked family. ¡°We, I mean Marcus and Mason, went there years ago. A lost city that had been missing for 20 years, that¡¯s actually where we¡ they got the Myst dense parts to create and the riches to fund the creation of the teleportation device.¡±
¡°There were so many resources there it took nearly three years to gather it, the most powerful regulators cycled out only long enough for the Creatures of The Myst to lose their scent before bouncing back. Some of the safer areas were safe enough for first tier but had resources equivalent to second tier.¡± Marcus added. ¡°My knitting needles are made from Myst iron from there. So you¡¯re thinking they found some lost city and Stone-Weaver wants to keep all the treasure?¡±
E4 made a gesture and closed her eyes. She rolled her die, and with a final gesture pulled a pair of papers from the pile. As she opened her eyes she didn¡¯t need to look to know she rolled a 20.
¡°Eight pieces of black basalt, personally carved by Lord Gerric Stone-Weaver, eight hundred kilograms of fine sawdust and eight boxes of ironwood, all signed for by one Co¡¯ic Le¡¯ort.¡± She waited for the recognition to hit, but it didn¡¯t.
¡°That¡¯s quite the investment, what were they shipping back?¡± Imnad asked.
¡°That, I haven¡¯t found anything being shipped back. Maybe it just wasn¡¯t reported?¡± E4 peered through the papers again, rolled her bone die, but it came up a 1 and the hymn was silent, save for the fact something was burning. ¡°Did we leave something in the oven?¡±
¡°The Pie!¡± Vienna exclaimed, quickly fetching it without regards to the fact it was in the oven and she had no gloves. E4 quickly saw it was a shoo-fly pie, and her mouth already began to water. Vienna quickly cut the pie and each of them had a piece.
¡°This is delicious Vienna, I haven¡¯t had this in a long time with the rationing. Did you make it?¡± E4 asked.
¡°Imnad did, when it comes to sugary treats he¡¯s got quite the sweet tooth.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t y¡¯all go spillin¡¯¡ That is not a story I wish to share here.¡± Imnad replied. ¡°Regardless, this pie was made with Aetheric sugar. When you¡¯re collecting resources you always find a bit more with a good pie in your stomach. I knew the chance to gather some resources might come up, but if this is a lost city we¡¯re visiting it¡¯s a good thing to have.¡±
¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± E4 replied, taking a second piece. As she bit into it she felt something crunch, and felt a rush of chemicals go down her throat. It took her half a second to recognize the beta-lactams and pseudo-opioids within. ¡°What the, it¡¯s infested!¡±
¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Imnad said, just as a fuzzy blue grasshopper dropped from the ceiling and immediately burrowed into the pie. As one the regulators looked up, to a ceiling blue and squirming.
¡°Marissa,¡± Immediately Marissa had a dozen tiny vials flying into the air, and they all burst into sapphire Aetheric flames. ¡°Time to go!
E4 was already half way to the door before a stink bug the size of a sedan stuck its head in the door. The wicked ice pick that was its mouth-part rose up waiting to stab her. For just a moment she paused, her mind deceiving her that before her stood Kindred with his ice pick. Yet isopods have no time for trauma, and within another moment seven cuts had severed the mouth-part and another seven stabbed the air where Kindred¡¯s face had appeared. From her outstretched hand bio-lightning fell like rain upon the creature. Behind it a trio more pressed forwards, until with a gesture three bolts burst forth to strike two in the head and one in the shell. The two dead ones immediately began to evaporate, but worse was the fate for the survivor. As its muscles seized from the electricity E4 stepped to it and severed its spine before setting it alight with a spark of Aether.
She was the first one out, but Vienna practically dragged Imnad out with Marcus and Marissa close behind. The moment she was out the door Marissa threw something into the building and the entire structure was engulfed in cyan blue flames.
¡°Something tells me we¡¯re not getting out deposit back.¡± Marissa quipped.
¡°We have bigger problems, Everyone down!¡± E4 hit the dirt just as a blunderbuss shot took the head off a fungus covered mantis. To her surprise the creature remained standing, its arms stretched out and slashed where she had been. With a gesture she blasted it with a bolt of bio-lightning and felt the energy finally drain from her arm.
[[Four shots from a single use where once we received one, this is unexpected but most welcome. Do you think it scales with one of your MIST scores or is it a skill you have acquired? I¡¯m borrowing the Wise Mind- Red Queen]]
¡°Looks like The Myst doesn¡¯t want us getting fat off such a large meal.¡± E4 quipped.
¡°That¡¯s the Regulator diet.¡± Marissa replied, firing off a burst of lightning at the nearest bug before slamming a colorful liquid filled bulb where her usual vacuum tubes would go. What burst forth from her gun was not lightning, nor was it fire, but somehow the reverse of both. It was dark and for a moment E4 thought she had gone deaf. Yet the trio of spidery insects the size of German Shepherds were immediately reduced from flesh to ash, and then to Aether. ¡°Might as well eat well every meal, you¡¯re either going to be dead or burn it off within a few days.¡±
Without a word Vienna took off, leaping to the roof of a building, then another, then a third with such alacracy that the only sign of her passage was the burst of wind and the after images E4¡¯s eyes barely caught. Yet in the distance she could see what she was running towards.
In the distance dozens of dragonflies, each the size of a school bus, were dropping off bugs as if they were helicopters. They didn¡¯t have to go far for more troops, it seemed they flew over the wall, dropped a large bug or a few smaller, then landed just on the outside of the wall. Immediately the bugs began rampaging through the streets. The smaller ones went into homes seeking food and prey, the bigger ones simply smashed holes into the homes, or tried. The stone walls were sufficient to resist a few blows, but an oversize stag beetle forced its way into a house before E4¡¯s eyes, even at the cost of its horn.
¡°Devil¡¯s Handkerchief, who taught those bugs mixed air tactics? Marissa, Vienna, bring down those fliers! Imnad and E4, Groud patrol!¡± Marcus shouted, raising his blunderbuss and firing. Immediately E4 felt herself lunge for the nearest bug, a horrific mixture of ladybug and tiger beetle with mandibles that were currently chewing through a door that the Myst Folk family behind it were desperately holding closed. She felt the jolt of whatever skill Marcus used give her an extra push, and as she slashed into the creature her blade went through the armor as if it was barely even there. Immediately she had her crossbow in her arms and bolts flying through the air. Each bolt found its target, the crossbow correcting for her movement and the bolts twisting in air before delivering a deadly payload. Ravager toxin ravaged the insects¡¯ primitive nervous system, shutting off pain before lulling them to sleep, and then converting the Myst that made up their nervous system into Aether. Every bolt neutralized its target, but it was a target rich enviroment.
A scream caught her attention, and before her eyes a pair of cockroaches with razor claws darted into a house. Without a thought E4 had her crossbow up and a hail of bolts were in the air, each one striking a different cockroach. Immediately three went down, their bodies already beginning to dissolve away, while the other two kept going unaware of the malicious toxin already ripping them apart. ¡°Marcus! They¡¯re going after the folk!¡±
¡°Leave them R4, if we don¡¯t kill these things there won¡¯t be any folk left to save. This is an emergency, we have to move! Push forth!¡±
For a moment E4 felt The Hymn driving her forwards. She began to run, before a phrase dropped from her lips. ¡°There are no emergencies in a pandemic.¡± Her perfect position fired and she seemed to appear at the door of the house the insects had broken into even as she dropped a coin into her crossbow. ¡°Get down!¡± She yelled, Her eyes locking on vital nerve clusters even as the bolts took flight. Each one sank directly into its target, releasing a toxic payload where it would do the most damage. Each of the bugs dropped like a puppet with their strings cut. ¡°Are you alright?¡±
¡°We¡¯re fine miss,¡± One of the Myst folk, an elderly man with gray hair spoke up, two children behind him.
¡°Run, find somewhere to hide.¡± E4 stepped back into the street, and already she could see more of the infected bugs trying to break into the other houses.
¡°Regulator!¡± E4 turned to see Missy charging forwards on a horit, the bird looked decked out for war and its long pointed beak sported a metal blade that attached to a helmet to protect its head. ¡°Leave these bugs to us, help your fellows.¡± With a gesture she charged another bug, this one a hornet the size of a motorcycle that was trying to chew its way into a house through the roof. Her right arm turned into a long stone lance, and with a deadly thrust she speared the thing through the abdomen, before jumping from her mount and laying into it with a stone fist.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
¡°E4 what are you,¡± E4 leapt, exerting ATP to boost her speed even as she felt her perfect position pull her, and in a single moment she was before Marcus. He stumbled backwards, and almost caught a claw from another mantis for his distraction. At the last moment his blunderbuss seemed to twitch in his hands and blast the thing¡¯s arm free from its mooring. ¡°Let the Stone Guard protect the Myst Folk. If we don¡¯t stem the tide they¡¯re going to get overrun.¡±
¡°If we cannot protect those before us,¡±
¡°Would a surgeon treat a scuffed knee or leave that to a nurse to deal with a stroke?¡±
The rebuke left E4 reeling, only for an oversize tiger beetle to slam into her, its oversized jaws worrying her dress. Immediately she thrust 14 claws into each of its enormous eyes and gave a quick twist, removing two perfect cylinders of flesh and fungi. Immediately flickering green flames engulfed her hands, sterilizing them. No sooner had she freed herself from the first beetle four more arrived.
¡°Duck!¡± E4 dropped to the ground just moments before Marcus spun around with his sword, aether lengthening the blade and striking the four beetles.
¡°Nice great cleave.¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Marcus eyed the descending dragonfly carrying eight more of the beetles. At that exact moment a bolt of lightning worse than anything E4 had ever seen descended, not upon the dragonfly, but where Marissa knelt aiming her zap rifle. For a moment time stood still, before the bolt shot forth and speared the dragonfly before jumping to a second, and then a third. The crack of thunder blew E4 right over, and only a combination of telekinesis and perfect position let her land on her feet. Blinking the spots away she saw Marissa, her hair fluffed out from the static electricity and a section of her zap rifle actively melting away, kneeling in a circle of rapidly evaporating materials. Behind her, arms outstretched, Vienna stood without a hair out of place but with a wicked smile plastered on her face.
¡°Aether Shaping rocks!¡± Marissa yelled, the front section of her rifle flying off as she gave her rifle a shake and landing with a splat. ¡°Let¡¯s do that again!¡±
The high buzz of more dragonflies echoed through the sky as the infected bugs descended. Each dragonfly was smaller than before, but far faster. Immediately ranged weapons were out, with Vienna utilizing throwing daggers that arced lightning in a way not dissimilar to E4¡¯s own Bio-lightning. Suddenly she stopped. ¡°Get to cover!¡±
E4 fired one last time, and suffered for it. A needle fine hair dropped from the sky, striking her with the force of a bullet and slipping right through her arm. For just a moment she felt a razor shoot through her muscles before the ravager toxin stole the pain away. Sending a burst of metabolic fire into the wound ensured no fungi would grow, and to E4¡¯s surprise the flame didn¡¯t hurt a bit. It felt more like the jets of a very warm hot tub as the lambent flames agitated the surrounding flesh.
[[This is your reminder you have a skill that specifically mentions your own fire doesn¡¯t hurt you. Also you might want to seek cover, tarantulas shed.]] Immediately E4 became aware of the pair of eight legged shadow currently dropping hairs like shrapnel. Marcus was already running for cover, while Vienna was projecting an electrical field above herself and Marissa as she casually strolled beneath a roof. E4 dashed over to Marcus, a bit of telekinesis pushing any hairs she might encounter away from her.
¡°Vienna, can you get up there?¡± Marcus asked. His voice was only slightly louder than normal, but E4 could see Vienna look to him. ¡°That thing is going to crop dust the entire city if we don¡¯t stop it. If those hairs have the fungus on them we could have a massive infection.¡±
¡°They do.¡± E4 added. ¡°The Purifiers will try to burn every house it touched, and likely the people too. We need to bring it down fast.¡± Marcus shot her a cautionary look. ¡°Wu-cog fungi suppresses pain, but it doesn¡¯t do much against swelling. That dragonfly¡¯s wings have to be about ready to break, especially carrying that spider.
¡°Say no more.¡± Vienna replied, her voice barely audible before she leapt high into the air, end descended upon the dragonfly with a bolt of lightning highlighting her trail. E4 covered her ears mere moments before the crack of thunder resounded with enough force to shake the windows of the building she huddled beneath. She watched as the dragonfly dipped slightly, but kept on flying. As she watched a shudder ran down E4¡¯s spine.
¡°Marcus, how big do you think that is? If Vienna is 180 centimeters tall, my math says,¡±
¡°Over 30 meters long.¡±
¡°How? Dragonflies don¡¯t have lungs, they rely on their small size to breathe. That thing shouldn¡¯t be able to get enough air to survive, let alone fly.¡±
¡°It¡¯s from Terra.¡± Imnad explained, running over to them. ¡°The air is thicker over there, things grow bigger. In The Mysts that takes new heights. Where Earth has Leviathan and Helosbird
1 Terra is full of giant bugs and dinosaurs that speak the human language. What is not real there is real here.¡±
¡°Is it a Myth, or is it The Myst?¡± E4 and Marcus replied in unison.
¡°We have to get up there and help her.¡± E4 spoke first.
¡°Vienna can handle herself, we have to focus on the bugs down here.¡± Imnad replied. As if to prove his point a dozen grasshoppers dropped down from the wall. Immediately he leveled a revolver and blew two of them apart with a single shot. The remaining ten immediately pounced on him and the fight was on.
Marissa fought with a dagger and pistol, while Marcus waded in with his katana. E4¡¯s blades reaped their tithe of infected flesh, but it was Imnad¡¯s bade that truly took its toll. The man moved with calculated steps, always just out of reach of a bite or a kick, while his own blade cut with a butcher¡¯s precision on exposed legs and eyes, spearing through gaps in chitin as if they were laid before him on a chopping block. While E4¡¯s surgeon¡¯s precision had similar effects, when a sudden movement might spoil E4¡¯s strike Imnad¡¯s bade punched through armor like it was tinfoil.
[[I get the feeling he¡¯s attacking like that for practice. He could punch through that armor easy, and that blade of his is putting off a lot of energy.]] E4 ducked under a bite, only for a thrust from Imnad to turn the offending locust into a cross section, the fungus exploding into a cloud of spores that set Marcus to coughing. As if on cue Marissa started to cough. [[Caution: these insects are producing far more spores than normal- Red Queen]]
¡°Spore carriers! Masks on!¡± E4 called out, a minor telekinetic field keeping her from breathing in the pollutants. With a gesture she wove together strands of flesh and hair into a mask which she quickly affixed to her face. Almost on instinct it began to grow into a beaked shape full of filters and membranes that kept out the fungus. She began creating another, but even as she began she saw each of her companions had their own methods. Marcus immediately retrieved the mask E4 had given him, stretching it over his face even as he slashed his way through a creature combining the worst traits of a cockroach and a stink bug. Marissa smashed a flask on the ground, and now a cloud of vapor surrounded her and shimmered slightly as it burned away the spores. Imnad¡¯s strategy was the simplest, he had already evacuated from the cloud and slain the half dozen reinforcements that were attempting to join the fight.
¡°Imnad¡¯s right, we¡¯re needed here. Leave the dragonfly and spider to Vienna.¡± Marcus spoke up.
E4 shook her head but didn¡¯t argue. Half a dozen ants the size of house cats and almost as fuzzy marched in unison from around a corner. Exerting ATP she charged them, only to realize they were the first of nearly a hundred of the bugs.
[[No one¡¯s watching. Burn them all!]] With the encouragement E4 clicked her claws and twin plumes of metabolic flame appeared in her hands. Throwing the flames as if they were water baloons each plume splashed down and burst into a crackling bonfire, igniting every insect it touched. Antenna and fingal hyphae burned first, before the rest of the ant. The first few popped as their insides expanded faster than their shells could handle. Under her breath E4 chittered, guiding the resonant flames. To E4¡¯s surprise the second row of ants turned and tried to run, only for the third row to continue the crush. As she stepped forwards, splashing more fire before her the second row perished and the third row took but a few scurrying steps before repeating the process. ¡°Go forth!¡± E4 chittered, throwing another plume of fire with an exaggerated swing. Immediately her arm tingled like it was falling asleep, before the plume splashed in a flood of flames. Immediately everything within several meters of the point of impact were engulfed metabolic flames, including her. [[Interesting, all that from a single unit of ATP, we have yet to see this level of efficiency.]] E4 froze, checking herself over. [[Note: you have a skill that reduces all fire damage and negates the damage of your own fire. ]] All around her the ant horde was ruined, save a few who now retreated as if their shells were on fire. Curiously, this group had only lost their fungal coating and were not actually still burning.
¡°I¡¯m alive, I¡¯m alive.¡± E4 took a deep breath. She eyed the retreating insects, then looked for more threats. ¡°Red, what was that? Metabolic fire used to give a few shots per ATP, what was that? I don¡¯t remember getting a skill for AoE damage.¡±
[[Analysis: The Myst is interfering. Metabolic fire normally is a utility for sterilizing tools, creating light, and destroying infected bodies. It has been observed acting as a ranged weapon with limited spread.]] E4 dropped an ATP into the Wise Mind and it began to hum softly. With a gesture she called forth more metabolic fire, before a devious idea came to mind. Compressing it heavily she felt something flow from her to it. While ATP is usually used in units, what exactly a unit entails was never something the Bleeding Hearts were able to define. [[A continuous glucose monitor has shown some efficacy in measuring the effects of subversion use. Odds of finding one at this stage are¡]]
¡°Slim to none.¡± E4 shook her head, tapping her horns as she broke into a run. ¡°You¡¯re in the middle of combat, head in the game.¡±
[[Yes, your Intellect is only 14, perhaps 20 would allow you to contemplate and fight at the same time. Have you figured out how you are going to get up to the dragonfly?]]
¡°Well first,¡±
¡°Stop, what are you doing?¡± A voice cried. E4 looked over to see a woman crouching over a man, perhaps her husband or brother.
¡°He is infected and must be burned.¡± The purifier¡¯s gleaming copper mask prevented E4 from seeing the look on his face, and the mask flattened his voice to an authoritarian certainty. Yet her bias told her he was smiling beneath.
¡°Hey, hold up!¡± E4 did not lunge so much as appear behind the man just as a burst of flames shot from the flamethrower. With a quick twist she cut off the flow of fuel, causing his weapon to flare before going out. ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡±
¡°What you lack the will to do. They are infected. ¡°You carry flames, but you do not use them where they will do the most good.¡± E4 noticed the lambent green flames still clinging to her arm, waiting patiently as if it were napping upon a slow burning log.
E4 sighed and approached the shivering pair. She examined both, and found the man had sustained a hair through the leg. Opening her healer¡¯s kit she retrieved a fluconazole tablet, which ¡°happened¡± to be sitting right on top, and popped it into the man¡¯s mouth. ¡°Bite this.¡± She shoved a stick into his mouth and he bit down just before a bit of the flames on her arm shot through the wound, eliciting a mighty scream. A shot of healing hands closed the wound, and she felt the cauterization actually reverse as Surgical precision did its work. ¡°Take shelter for now, see the healer tomorrow to get checked out. If you notice unusual swelling or veins appearing go immediately, got it?¡± She tapped the man on the shoulder. ¡°Now go before this pyromaniac changes his mind.¡± With that they were gone. ¡°And with that I¡¯m out of time.¡±
¡°Halt. You are under arrest for,¡±
¡°Got to go, in case you haven¡¯t noticed we¡¯re under seige.¡± E4 replied, already out of range of his flamethrower. ¡°Remember, shoot the things with MORE than two legs¡±
Into the fray E4 threw herself, coming across more and more swarms. She practiced with bio-lightning, claws, and metabolic fire. The fire worked best on lots of small creatures in a large area, as she found when her first fireball washed an entire courtyard clear of mosquitoes the size of rats. It worked less well against the pair of fungus ridden beetles that somehow managed to have two heads and the beaks of snapping turtles. Spending an entire point of ATP on a single compressed ball of metabolic fire sent one flying back, while the other managed to duck and catch it on its shell. A single stab from her claws into a joint between its leg and body discouraged it from getting up while she took the other beetle apart, and the ravager toxin that flowed through its body both kept it down and broke down its Myst based nervous system enough that two quick stabs into appropriate nervous clusters killed it. Yet while it was expensive E4 found bio-lightning was the most effective, as she blew the chest out of a praying mantis and sent its still smoking head tumbling to the ground. The more she used it the easier it got, until she could blast four bolts at four separate targets and hit them reliably using the same hand. Using both hands was, tricky.
¡°Power, Unlimited power!¡± She yelled as bio-lightning slew dozens of infected insects.
[[Notice: ATP usage indicates high levels of inefficiencies. Have you considered simply stepping on them?]] E4 paused as the aether faded, leaving only half disintegrated chunks of the previously chinchilla sized insects. [[Estimations indicate your claws would be more efficient, and metabolic fire has already showed fine effect against small enemies. I acknowledge lightning is excellent in presentation. Now you just need a cape and a wrinkled mask.]]
¡°Yeah, that took an entire unit of ATP.¡± E4 caught a bug trying to creep up on her, and with a throw that would make her old softball coach proud nailed it with a ball of metabolic fire. The sphere splashed, igniting everything within 9 meters which included two other stalking bugs which had previously be invisible. The previously invisible bugs, an abhorrent blend of mantis and grasshopper both lunged, their forms illuminated by green flames. E4 threw herself past them, a quick telekinetic push throwing her under their blades just as her claws struck their joints. She felt when one of them lost a leg, and both began resonating from the ravager toxin. Throwing herself into a twirl she let her tail lash the thorax of one while also placing it between her and the other one.
As she danced around a claw strike and slashed at the offending member E4 ducked under a strike, only to realize it was herself. The mantis creatures had incredibly iridescent scales, yet as it moved and twisted they seemed to reflect the light like a mirror. Hopping to the side she lashed out, only for her claws to be met with a matching telekinetic force. Leaping over the mantis she slashed at its back, managing to catch a section of scales still covered in the fungus and leaving a deep wound, only for the other mantis to slash at her. Ducking quickly she received only a crude haircut before a telekinetic slide threw her between the creature¡¯s legs and out of range. ¡°Let¡¯s see if,¡± With a gesture E4¡¯s arm sparked, and bio-lightning burst forth at the creature. Just before it struck E4 felt her hair stand on end just as the lightning bounced back at her!
¡°EEP!¡± E4 exclaimed, a sound that had Marissa been nearby would definitely have caught her attention. She quickly bolted a bit further back, keeping out of range of the mirror mantises, and eyed her targets. Both were wounded, with the one she had just struck only being held together by strands of the fungus. Had it been alive it would have gone into shock, and even as she watched blood quickly flowed out of its wound before evaporating into myst. Raising the Wise Mind towards it she took a quick scan. ¡°Red Queen, how much blast did that thing return?¡±
[[Judging by the delightful sound you made rather than a scream in pain or being a stain on the floor, I¡¯d say maybe 50,000 volts. Enough to disable a human but merely an unpleasant jolt for a ravager, or maybe not unpleasant for you. To be fair I do not know if your resistance is due to your skills, your inhuman tenacity, or the fact ravagers are just tougher than humans. I¡¯m sure Marissa would be delighted to help you study this.- Red Queen]]
¡°Please don¡¯t tell her.¡±
[[Worry not, it will be our little secret]]
The second mirror mantis quickly overtook the first, crawling right over it with such haste that it snapped the wounded one¡¯s abdomen. E4 readied herself against the charge, and as the mantis made a downward swipe she leapt to the side, blasting it with her crossbow¡ only to fall to the ground as the third creature seemed to step out of the myst with her leg already in its jaws.
¡°No, go away!¡± E4 kicked out at the creature, her boot smashing into the bug¡¯s head. To her eyes the creature resembled a cockroach. She kicked it in the head, before writhing like a snake on a frying pan to escape a flurry of blows delivered by the remaining mantis. She gave one final kick to the roach and it promptly ignored her. ¡°Bleeding Havoc I just got these boots!¡± forsaking yet another piece of her disguise E4 lashed not not with a stomp, but with a the claws on her feet. While not as articulate as their seven fingered hand, a ravager¡¯s foot could grab in a way similar to that of a falcon using a split heel in the place of a thumb. Force sufficient to crush a steel pipe squeezed with seven scalpel sharp blades that reduced the roach¡¯s head to pulp. With a twist that would make a break dancer proud E4 managed to throw the creature by its now shreaded head into the mantis¡¯s chest. The mantis slashed out at the surprise projectile, one of its claws getting stuck in the thick shell of the roach. As it was dragged down by the sudden weight E4 drew her crossbow, ¡°Bio-lightning!¡±
Simple as it was, the crossbow was still a living thing, and it had a crude nervous system that allowed it to move slightly. It was not intelligent by any means and could not actually feel pain. It did, however, use electricity to send signals. As E4 channeled electricity through it the arms clenched tight, exerting enough force to snap the release and sending the bolt with enough speed that the lightning that followed it seemed slow. As E4¡¯s eyes cleared she saw the city wall cracked and scorched far behind where the mantis¡¯s abdomen used to be. With a fitting CRUNCH its thorax fell to the ground, already a charred wreck.
[[Congratulations, you¡¯ve just attracted the attention of anything with eyes to your location. Also your crossbow is broken. Did I hear the dinner bell?]]
¡°I could go for a bite¡± E4 replied, reaching out to grab a mantis leg. She looked left and right, and with a gesture metabolic fire shot through the leg, burning away the fungus and leaving cooked mantis meat. Her tongue shot from her mouth like a harpoon, shooting down the mantis leg to grab at the meat before pulling the cooked flesh into her mouth. Telekinetic blades did the chewing for her and she swallowed a big gulp that would have choked a human. ¡°Needs butter. Definitely too gamey.¡±
[[Genetic memory is attempting to retrieve a skill or memory. No soul detected, but the meat is weird. There¡¯s too much nervous tissue here, or the idea of nervous tissue. Mind shunting that into the Wise Mind?]]
¡°Sounds good, but I¡¯m going to run out of ATP at this rate.¡± With a gesture E4 puled over another leg even as the other ones were evaporating. She cracked the chitin with her claws and devoured the meat inside, before noticing a Imnad and a Stone Guard step around a corner. ¡°Um¡ want some?¡±
¡°Is that even edible?¡± Imnad asked, his voice quiet but still audible.
¡°Hey! If you¡¯re hungry there¡¯s a lot more of those mantis things over here!¡± The Stone Guard called.
[[This guy gets it.]] E4 was already half way to them before Imnad could react, drawing his blade. E4 didn¡¯t even have time to notice he was guarding it facing her rather than the mantis, but by that time was going too fast to stop as she bolted past the pair. [[Think that¡¯s going to be a problem later?]]
¡°Possibly, I¡¯ll likely have to smooth talk my way out of trouble.¡±
[[There is a reason you were a Fang of Mara and not her tongue.]]
Charging into another pair of mantises, this group aided by a trio of blade hoppers, E4 wasted no time in giving the first mantis a 7 bladed lobotomy before it could even turn invisible. The first of the blade hoppers received a gout of metabolic fire mid air sending it off course and catching the other two. The injured insect snapped its jaws blindly, missing E4 but receiving her claws in return. The Mirror hopper vanished, just before a loose clout of dirt struck it and exploded into a cloud of fine dust that glowed brightly where it stuck to the now revealed mantis. Imnad stepped from a garden patch it had been standing near and with a casual lack of concern bisected the thing with his cane sword.
¡°Y¡¯all¡ are you sure these things are edible?¡± He asked, eyeing the unappetizing mess before him.
¡°You have to cook it right,¡± E4 replied conjuring more flames. With a gesture she snatched up a leg before it could evaporate and pulled it over. ¡°You want some? It could use some butter, but it¡¯s not horrible if you¡¯re hungry.¡±
¡°I just ate¡ and so did you.¡± He took a sip from his flask, a puff of Aether passing from his lips. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you got the glutton skill?¡±
¡°Something like that.¡± At that moment a loud CRASH interrupted their chat as Vienna managed to disrupt the dragonfly enough to sent it falling to the ground. ¡°Looks like that¡¯s our cue.¡±
¡°Yes, I will meet you there¡± Imnad stepped back into a patch of grass and dropped out of sight. E4 took a moment to make sure he hadn¡¯t stepped through a manhole, but all that she saw was some tall grass and flowers in a patch of soil.
¡°Huh, neat trick.¡± E4 whispered before taking off. She immediately exerted ATP, burning off the calories from the mirror mantis in mere moments to power the subversion. She ducked and dodged around insects engaging the town guard and Stone Guard, lashing out with her claws and tail at any opportune targets. With every blow she felt the insect begin to resonate, and with each bug added the resonance got stronger. Every instance of resonance amplified the ravager toxin within each, further slowing them and increasing the rate the aetheric toxin burned away at them. Resonant cells traveled within the toxin, producing more as they drank in resonance and Myst in a way that didn¡¯t happen on Earth.
[[Analysis indicates target insects are approaching a threshold. The results of crossing this threshold are unknown but should be interesting. Want to watch some fireworks?]]
¡°Oh, but Red, how can we have fireworks,¡± E4 pointed towards the tarantula Vienna was fighting, ¡°Without the grand finale?¡±
[[I think your new body is affecting you E4. I¡¯ve missed the fun you.]]
By the time they reached the tarantula it was already missing a leg, though if it was hurt by the missing limb it certainly wasn¡¯t showing it. if anything, the 10 meter long spider was even more of a menace on the ground than in the air. It had landed upon a large single story house and was currently making use of the rubble to trip up any attackers. While a traditional spider would be using its fangs this monster clearly knew it was big enough to simply kick things over, which it demonstrated by mowing down a pair of guards with a simple gesture as the same time as punting a rock into another guard¡¯s chest. One Purifier ducked under the kcik and opened fire with a dragon¡¯s breath shotgun, flaming magnesium striking the spider and lighting its hairs on fire. Yet the creature was almost as large as the house it had landed on, and barely flinched at the damage.
Faring much better, Vienna danced around the spider¡¯s blows as it tried to kick and bite at her, fangs three meters in length and dripping with venom that burned the very stones it drippued upon stabbed down with the speed and frequency of a sewing machine. Yet Vienna was having none of it, dashing backwards even as a row of perfect gouges were dug out of the stone street they were fighting on. Where there had been houses around them there was now rubble. Other insects mindlessly approached, the fungus urging them onward, yet the arachnid brooked no trespassers and swatted them aside with the same disdain as the guard and Purifiers.
¡°That¡¯s going to be one big firecracker, think it has an isolated circulatory system?¡± E4 gazed on at the fight for a moment. There were several smaller spiders that were crawling around on the back of the larger one, but they were not tarantulas. They were colorful, and slow moving with fungal coats on them. As E4 watched a bolt of lightning form Vienna struck a leg, nearly taking it off. Within moments the little spiders darted to it, shaking off their letharic movements for just a moment as they made a flying leap to the damaged section. Immediately they began packing the wound with fungal infected webbing.
¡°Little medics, I want some.¡± Immediately E4 felt a harvest-man slip from her eye and slink into her bag. Immediately she felt it begin to drain ATP as the isopod began snacking on the bandages and medicines. ¡°When did we learn to do that?¡±
[[Examination of protocol indicates it will not work well, but it may be enough in an emergency. Perhaps a skill shall change things.]]
¡°Darwin Awards?¡± That didn¡¯t even require a response. ¡°Red, if you tell me to get on that thing¡¯s back, do you think Perfect Position would work?¡±
[[Analysis indicates that fungus might itch something awful. E4, you should go scratch it off.]] E4 took off, exerting ATP as she threw herself across the landscape and up one of the legs of the giant arachnid. Unfortunately while she moved with great alacrity it was far from what we had hoped.
¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Vienna called. Her once lovely dress now looked tattered. While she was not bleeding several deep bruises had formed across her face and now exposed arms. ¡°It is the duty of the senior sister to deliver the finishing blow!¡±
E4 slashed through the first of many spiders nestled on the giant, its flesh coming apart in her claws with a bit of effort. A second one lunged, crossing the six meter gap between the legs only for E4 to twirl around and lash it with her tail. She had intended to make it stop short, but her tail instead cut it in half, one missing her and the other slamming into the leg with a wet THUMP. ¡°This junior will distract the interloper.¡±
¡°This senior accepts your offer,¡± She ducked under a leg sweep before giving a brutal kick to a flying beetle that sent its ruined body flying back and into the shield of a Stone Guard. ¡°Try not to die!¡±
As E4 ran her tail whipped out behind her, leaving cuts in her wake. With every step the claws on her feet dug into the spider, injecting more ravager toxin. Tarrantula hairs tried to stab her feet back, but what little damage they did had to overcome her regeneration, and that was a tall order for the little hairs.
¡°Vienna, I¡¯ve got this joint!¡± E4 called, before manifesting her claws as large as she could and cutting into the spider. Surgical strike guided her blades as if they were magnetically attracted to the most delicate parts of the spider¡¯s leg. Just beneath the skin the mycelium formed a subdermal barrier, her psychic surgery not able to get a grip on the stuff but the sharp blade cutting through with some effort. Suddenly a spray of vile sludge erupted from the cut, enough to throw E4 off the spider and blast the leg clean off.
The spider immediately turned its focus to E4, fangs up and ready for a lethal bite. With a speed more akin to a cobra than a spider it brought down the twin razor sharp needles. E4 threw herself aside with a burst of telekinesis that sent her spinning uncontrollably, and even then the blades missed by only millimeters. Yet that distraction was long enough.
¡°Dog, you have tried this mistress¡¯s patience enough.¡± Taking advantage of the moment¡¯s reprieve Vienna quickly carved a number of symbols into the ground and spread out a dozen items. They were a strange amalgam of jade and steel, or Eastern mysticism and steam punk gadgetry. Jade slips attached to lightning rods, small paper charms attached to geared arrays that spun and clicked. Lightning poured out from Vienna, her tattoos blazing with light and shifting in color from blue to green and every spectrum between. She spoke a complicated verse, a combination of growls and squeaks that made no sense to E4 as she dodged and weaved past the spider¡¯s fangs. For a moment the world seemed to stop. A dozen vulture sized mosquitoes froze in mid air, the giant tarantula stopped moving, even the great dragonfly high above stopped moving, allowing E4 to notice it was missing one of its wings and had a stone balistae bolt through its thorax.
[[Is the world buffering?]] A moment later everything jumped, each creature and person advancing a few seconds. [[Oh, now this is bad. Hypothesis: The world is a simulation. Extrapolation: Something is using a whole lot of computing power to render. Advisory: Brace for impact]]
For a moment all was light, and a moment later E4 hit the ground, as if the time it took to fall had never happened. Her human eye saw nothing but glare, though her ravager eye was far more resilient and saw naught but smoke and Myst. A gust of wind rushed past her, allowing her to see Vienna with a railsteel and paper fan, and the scorched ruin that had been the tarantula a moment ago. All around her bits of the aracnid lay, still burning with metabolic fire that devoured the remains and lit any of the smaller spiders nearby alight. E4 immediately felt invigorated by the plentiful resonance the fires put off.
¡°With desperate need we call to The Heavens,¡± Vienna pointed her fan towards the sky, ¡°And The Heavens answer.¡± She held the pose for just a moment, long enough for a boy with a press cap to take a picture with a gear covered camera, before nearly falling over. In a flash E4 was there to catch her, her own back and legs sore from the fall followed by the sprint. ¡°That was fun, now we just have to,¡± With a mighty CRUNCH the dragon fly that had been carrying the aracnid pair hit the ground, two basalt bolts the size of telephone poles sticking from its body and a third through its head. ¡°Seems this mistress isn¡¯t alone in slaying titans. Well shot Stone-Weaver.¡±
¡°That was amazing.¡± E4 spoke, placing a hand over Vienna¡¯s arm. She paused for just a moment, ¡°Senior Sister, do you require healing?¡±
¡°This one will be fine on her own, but I shall allow it.¡± E4 immediately got to work, her hands buzzing as aether rose from Vienna¡¯s wounds. It was an interesting process, and she exerted a unit of ATP into the Wise Mind to allow it to observe. While a ravager¡¯s regeneration was miraculous on its own, the readings the Wise Mind recorded were completely different. It almost appeared as if damaged tissue was disintegrated and the aether converted back into flesh, or the dense Myst that made up sections of Vienna¡¯s body was spreading out to fill in the gaps. Bites smoothed, swelling calmed, and pain receded fastest of all. Several poisons fought against an immune system that seemed to have already created specific cells to absorb and destroy it, which only redoubled with E4¡¯s aid. It didn¡¯t completely remove the toxin, though E4 felt it would help. She fished out a vial marked antitoxin, which Vienna winced at before drinking.
[[Analysis reveals inconclusive data. Healing is strange. Is she just a lump of Myst with an Aether core, or does she actually have organs in there? Are there veins that carry blood, or do things just bleed when we cut them because that¡¯s what cut things do? Could we convince a rock to bleed if we cut it?]]
¡°Easy Red Queen, we¡¯ll figure it out eventually.¡± E4 finished up as Vienna kept a vigilant eye. ¡°So, where¡¯s the next fire?¡±
The next fire was already out, the bugs E4 having slashed on her way igniting when the ravager toxin burst into metabolic fire, but the one after that was not. A group of Purifiers were gathered around a house, blasting it with flames.
¡°Greetings Burning ones, what manner of beast lurks within this abode that calls you all here? Be it some manner of lightning bug or venomous tick?¡± Immediately they let loose with their flamethrowers, violet flames bursting forth with enough heat to melt the stone. ¡°In 10 thousand years, I have never seen such flames.
¡°What happened in there?¡± E4 asked. ¡°Was some sort of infestation in there?¡±
¡°That¡¯s beyond your clearance.¡± One of the Purifiers spoke, his voice mechanical and cold. His helmet seemed to glow in the firelight, an innocent bronze angel unfeeling towards the screams of the damned he stood over. He was innocent and they were evil. Surely destroying evil was good, and thus he was esteemed over all civilians who let such filth fester under the guise of mercy and ignorance. E4 shook away the dark thoughts that threatened her mind, only to realize those screams weren¡¯t in her head.
¡°Someone¡¯s still in there!¡± she cried out, already racing towards the building. She was just before the fire when she felt the heat, and froze. Without the Purifiers continuing to spray their abomination against science, the ISC had been consumed and the lavender flames had been replaced with the bright reds and yellows of regular fire which licked and spit from the wood within the stone structure. Within she heard wordless screams. ¡°Get some water, hurry!¡±
¡°Nothing in there but the dead.¡± one of the Purifiers spoke. He reached out and grabbed at her arms, manacles in his off hand. E4 jumped to the side, his armor slowing him down too much to grab her. ¡°Now I¡¯m going to be nice and give you two choices. Submit, or I¡¯m throwing you in there.¡± His voice went quiet. ¡°Might be better if you just jumped, we know what you are ravager. I¡¯ve got enough fuel to make it quick.¡±
¡°I sincerely hope that¡¯s the Panacea talking.¡± E4 snapped back. ¡°Red, do you think I can convert this to Aetheric fire and get through?¡± She quickly chittered.
[[Analysis: the Purifiers do not know you are fireproof, and that is useful. This detail may save your life in the future, yet you would discard it to save someone you do not know and who may die soon regardless. As you know,]]
¡°There are no emergencies in a pandemic, and no human could survive that.¡± E4 spoke with shame, glaring at the Purifiers. She ducked past the armored man, knowing if she pushed him aside they would surely burn her. Guilt grabbed her by the gut as she walked away, easily ducking under the heavily armored Purifier¡¯s hand. She did not however expect the blow that followed it. It was not so much a physical blow as a torrent of fuel that sent both her and the Purifier sprawling.
For a moment up was down and all the world spun until E4 hit the ground with a low THUD that was echoed by the purifier beside her. Immediately E4 was on her feet, throwing the fuel off of her flesh with telekinesis. Imediately it ignited, turning her surroundings into a circle of fire. The Purifier beside her was not so lucky, immediately catching fire.
¡°A fitting end.¡± The man spoke, his armor protecting him from the fire for now. E4 knew it wasn¡¯t rated for ISC, and even the regular fuel could burn through it eventually. ¡°That I might fall purified, and taking with me a primary vector.¡±
¡°What is the matter with you? Your team just threw us both into a house fire!¡± E4 immediately turned to the door, only to find a set of stairs leading to the floor above, crudly fashioned from wood and already burning. All around her were scraps of armor, and ruined bodies. Each one looked as if it had been starved for weeks, yet none had returned to The Myst. As the fire burned a few of them twitched, six fingered hands reaching for not for salvation but for flesh long denied. None had horns larger than E4¡¯s own. ¡°What have you done?¡±
¡°What we had to.¡± E4 turned to the man as he removed his helmet, his face beneath pale and sallow. Dry wounds, like popped blisters that refused to bleed, crossed his face even as his flesh charred. ¡°This world is sick, you are sick, yet I die pure.¡±
Chapter 23. Stone walls and Aberrant forms: The rot beneath.
Surrounded by fire on all sides Ere¡¯th¡¯var huddled up, tears in her eyes. She was in the basement of a burning building, and outside she was outgunned and outnumbered by pyromaniac zealots who wanted nothing more than to reduce her to a fine ember. Hopeless and crying for her mistress the maid burned away
Outgunned and outmatched Ere¡¯lur saw no way out of her situation. If she stayed she was dead, but if she tried to get out she¡¯d be shot down by the pyromaniacs. Donning a wicked grin she dashed forth, daring them to try. She¡¯d escape, or she¡¯d go out like a proper regulator.
Both options flashed before her, before E4 shook them off and focused on the task at hand. All around her E4 saw fire, bright and orange. The air was hot, but not yet enough to set her alight. With a gesture she conjured a plume of metabolic fire and threw it at her feet. Immediately she fed resonance into the lambent green flames which devoured the fuel around her, making the fire burn out. More metabolic flames climbed up her outfit, yet to her surprise it resisted the flames only leaving the edges somewhat scorched before she stopped. In the wan light she saw cracks forming in the stone supports, and most of the wood was already gone. Covering her face with a mask from her healer¡¯s satchel, reinforced through flesh fabrication, E4 quickly found a spot beneath the staircase occupied with some barrels. She quickly shoved them out of the way, and just in time as a section of the ceiling fell revealing the barrel to be full of pickled herring as well as her idea for shelter to be sound.
¡°Red Queen, I need options.¡±
[[Analysis: unless there is a hole in the wall you can go up or you can go down. Clearly you can¡¯t stay here, even if you don¡¯t burn you¡¯ll run out of oxygen. That is, assuming you still need it within The Distant Shores which I think we do but the exact physics are a little fuzzy]]
¡°Well I can¡¯t go up, and it¡¯s not like there¡¯s a hole in the wall, wait, oxygen!¡± E4 reached out, telekinetic fingers groping until she felt it. ¡°There¡¯s airflow! That must mean,¡± She bounded over the debris and ripped away a wine rack which immediately went up in flames to reveal a tunnel. It took E4 all of half a second to practically throw her down it. Casting her eyes around E4 saw it was reinforced with wooden supports, small LED lanterns hung from the ceiling though none were active. E4 crept down the tunnel, her ravager eye letting her see through the darkness as she traveled. Despite her care loose rocks plagued her steps, forcing her to use telekinesis to stop them from rolling further down the hall and giving her away.
Stepping around a corner she sensed a light switch. Flipping it she heard a generator spark to life. She waited a few moments before sensing the Myst around her increase and the LED lit up. Immediately her eyes fell upon the generator, a device that resembled something between a wood stove and a furnace. According to the indicator it was less than a quarter full, which E4 remembered was not entirely accurate in older models as the float tended to stick.
1 Judging by the rust, this was an older model, and judging by the increasing humidity it was also leaking.
¡°If the Myst is thick and the air is damp first you should take out a lamp.¡± E4 whispered the rhyme Marissa had showed her in one of the tomes. ¡°For by sight and by light do the creatures feel slight. Yet within the dark of the night do they spawn and bite.¡± E4¡¯s eyes went immediately towards the darkest shadow she could find, and immediately sensed a small cloud of Myst beginning to form. With a gesture her arm crackled with electricity and she blasted the area with bio-lightning, dispersing the gathering Myst. ¡°No.¡±
E4 quickly pressed forwards, coming to a thick metal door emblazoned with the symbol of The Purifiers. In exactly 15 seconds she had her dagger out and had unscrewed the heavy screws that connected it to the stone, proving that Purifiers never update their security protocols. The moment she was through she found a tablet made from onyx and entered Password, before realizing that the tablets used didn¡¯t have password protection.
[[Did one of them leave the key under the mat?]] There wasn¡¯t a welcome mat E4 could find, but what she did find was quite concerning. Within the complex were several tunnels, also barred with heavy doors. Each door was unlocked, and she quickly explored through them. The Purifiers, in their nature, had a bathroom and bunks that were spotless and sterile. The armory was empty, every flamethrower and firearm taken from their place. Fuel and ammunition had been left behind, but not much. A few lockers remained closed, but each had a thick combination lock that E4 could not reach into to unlock from within. All that remained were some rations and a few canisters of fuel, which E4 quickly helped herself to. As she did the liter sized canisters clinked and jostled noisily in her pockets and bag. ¡°Red, any idea when we can make some of these extra-dimensional pockets?¡±
[[Analysis is currently inconclusive. It is thought a skill may be used in their creation]]
Meandering through the secret basement E4 found a large map, which she quickly made a copy of through flesh fabrication. As she worked she heard a sound, just at the edge of her hearing. The quiet splashing of water flowed into her ear, and E4 drew her claws at the sound.
¡°Hello? Any hungry ferals about?¡± E4 whispered in resonant. Her mind jumped to the six fingered bodies she had passed not five minutes ago. She took out another ration bar and opened it up. ¡°Got some tasty blueberry rations for,¡± Even as she spoke her own tongue whipped from her mouth and dragged the ration back as if it were a fly and she a hungry frog. ¡°never mind.¡±
Following the sound of flowing water E4 found herself before a well fortified door. Unlike the other doors this one was not screwed into the surrounding stone but bonded by thick steel plates hammered into the stone, then filed down to the surrounding steel so it could not be pulled free. A several digit code was implanted into the door on a wheel system, and a steel cover had been secured over the wheel with a hefty padlock requiring a key. Examining the lock E4 found it was emblazoned ith the word ¡°UNPICKABLE¡± in bold letters. Reaching inside with her telekinesis she found it was indeed an intricate piece of work. The key hole was large and round, and the oversized tumblers would make turning the thing with picks very difficult. Closing her eyes she stuck her claws into the lock, telekinetic force filling in where the key should be. She turned slowly, only for her concentration to be broken when a metal hammer cam down on her claws, startling her and causing the force to dissipate. ¡°Ok, that was smart, but what if¡¡± E4 tried again, and this time when the hammer fell she didn¡¯t flinch at the sudden force. The sudden electric jolt that sent her flying back into the wall with an ¡°Eep!¡± was another story.
[[Having fun?]]
¡°Concussion aside? Sure, I love breaking into Purifier strongholds.¡± E4 replied tossing the remnants of the lock she had been holding to the ground. She stood and stretched, ¡°One lock down,¡± she spun through the wheel system, finding 8 wheels with several letters on them. ¡°You have a favorite 8 letter word? None of the letters are X?¡± For kicks she tried entering Purifier, but it didn¡¯t work. She tried reaching into the mechanisms, but the results of her telekinesis were confusing. ¡°Why does this need so many gears? I can¡¯t tell what goes where.¡± She huffed. ¡°Maybe Kindred left his code lying around?¡±
¡°TAP¡±. E4 paused as she heard the sound. Immediately she walked back into the locker room and listened. ¡°Tap tap.¡± She turned, finding a small puddle on the ground. Slowly¡ painfully slowly¡ she did not look up and see what was making the sound. Immediately she darted back three meters and raised her crossbow towards the dripping pipe that snaked through the room. She reached out with her telekinesis, but didn¡¯t detect any movement save for the dripping of the pipe. She quickly followed the pipe to the showers, a large square room with several shower heads and no privacy. She kept her human eye up while her ravager eye scanned ahead, granting expanded vision without losing too much depth perception and causing only a little vertigo.
¡°Drip¡ drip.¡± One of the showers continued to drip, each drop landing on a small pool. E4 eyed it, but her telekinesis found only water, object reading indicating there was a high concentration of limestone but no lead or other hazards. Still, something felt off. Casting another glance at the ceiling, finding it shadowy but not enough for something to hide, she approached the shower head. To her surprise she felt a sudden coldness.
¡°Red, what was that?¡±
[[Analysis indicates a unit of ATP just vanished. Several unknown introns have turned into extrons and have begun producing something. I believe it is that skill you obtained earlier when exploiting your Hymn Listener skill, but analysis is inconclusive on what it does. On a very much related note, how attached are you to your left hand? It appears several nodes of nervous tissue are growing there and connecting to the muscles in unknown ways. Amputation is not recommended at this time, for Mara has a morbid fascination.]]
¡°Red, be serious. How dangerous is this?¡± E4 asked.
[[Analysis inconclusive. Mass of nervous tissue is still being formed. Unknown nodes present with high levels of repairable nervous tissue similar to horns. I am more concerned about what triggered so many introns to go off, and also where they came from. I suspect when gaining a skill you gain several introns, and as you experience more stimuli some become extrons. Analysis on if this is unique to you as a ravager or common to all regulators is ongoing.]]
2
E4 eyed her arm, before deciding it was not worth amputating yet. ¡°What are the odds it¡¯s a reflexive organ, somehting that can detect danger and react to it before my conscious mind is aware of it?¡± Her hand flexed, and she felt pins and needles as water from the floor seemed to jump to her hand, before falling away.
[[Estimation: High.]]
¡°So why trigger now?¡± E4 asked as she walked back to the troublesome door. As she did she felt as if a rope were tied around her wrist, pulling her towards a door she had not examined. The door was unlocked, and behind it she found a huge box made from steel and filled with vacuum tubes and printed circuit boards. Countless punch cards and rolls of ticker tape lay scattered around it. ¡°Ugh, Kindred what is this nonsense?¡± She approached the device carefully and tapped it. Immediately it began humming and spit out a page of code. E4 examined it, then flipped it upside down, then right side up. ¡°I have no idea what this says.¡± Turning it around she noticed someone had sketched an image of a Purifier shooting at a humanoid figure. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be a Wizard to cast fireball.¡± She read captioned at the bottom. ¡°I really hope that¡¯s supposed to be a zombie and not a civilian.¡± Putting the page down she turned and immediately drew her crossbow. Five bolts were in the air before she realized the figure behind her was a stone sculpture, which now sported four deep bolt wounds and was missing a finger from an upraised hand. ¡°Whoops, sorry Kindred.¡± She chuckled, letting her arms relax as she fed resonance into her crossbow to reload. The sculpture fit the man to a T, from his proportions to his clothing to his hair. The only flaw was the face, which was completely blank. ¡°Hey Red, you think Kindred commissioned this?¡±
[[It is in Stone-Weaver¡¯s style, so either that or it was a gift.]]
E4 noticed a bit of Aether burning where it had been struck, shortly before the bolts burned themselves away taking small bits of the stone with them. ¡°That¡¯s handy, but hold on.¡± She holstered her crossbow and put a hand on the statue. ¡°There¡¯s a slight current of Aether running through this statue.¡± She examined it, and on a whim began scanning it with her arm, waving the new sensory organs over the statue. Nothing happened, until she fed it another unit of ATP, which it accepted greedily. Immediately her hand and arm twitched, before her thumbs pulled in two opposite directions and her middle finger pulled sharply in one direction. It did this for a few seconds then returned to normal. ¡°What was that about?¡±
[[Hard to say, though the nerves located in your arm seemed to react quite similarly to your auditory organs, though if they actually heard anything or were just straining to I can¡¯t tell. Whatever they did it was quite energy intensive. On that note,]] E4¡¯s stomach growled loudly.
E4 winced as she took one of the rations from her pocket. ¡°Please don¡¯t be mint.
3¡± she whispered at the leaf symbol on the foil seal. As she opened it the scent of mint permeated the room, causing her isopod to flinch and her entire body to freeze up for just a moment. Not only was the wafer mint flavored, but it was charged with Aether as well. Not much, definitely not enough to provoke a skill, but possibly enough to give a buff.
The low THUD that reached her ears caught her attention. Immediately she threw the wafer into her mouth as she whipped around and ran into the previous room, dagger drawn. The previous room had nothing, save a strange scuff mark leading towards the showers. Slowly, quietly, E4 moved towards the shower room again. She adjusted her grip on her knife, ready to either stab or throw it. As she did the telekinetic edge flickered, and began to release the scent of mint. ¡°Seriously?¡± As if triggered by the scent a loud banging erupted from above. E4 just barely caught the sight of something in the shadows just before it vanished into a hole. ¡°What was that?¡±As if called by her words a cockroach like creature covered in fuzzy blue fungus darted along the pipes towards the hole. Quick as a wink her dagger was in the air and the creature was down. Even as E4 withdrew the dagger the creature was already evaporating away. ¡°Ok, just a bug. A big one, but nothing I can¡¯t handle.¡± She looked at the hole again. ¡°No way I¡¯m crawling through that? Red, what are the odds that hole used to be a vent that leads deeper into this tunnel?¡±
Not needing a response E4 returned to the door, which led her back to the computer. She hit a few buttons, which led to the computer spitting out a chunk of paper asking for a password. She immediately started examining the walls looking for a sticky note, and checking under the computer for clues. As she did she found the computer was not plugged into anything, and was in fact powered by an independent aetheric steam generator. A good chunk of the bottom was actually a water and oil reserve, Myst infused oil boiling Myst infused water to generate electricity. As she examined the computer further she found several vacuum tubes, countless gears, a dozen green printed circuit boards, a disk hard drive, a solid state drive, and a complex gold and white crystal glowing from a human skull with sapphires for eyes.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
¡°There is so much about this I do not understand.¡± E4 muttered, shutting the door on the joke at her expense. As if to mock her pain there was an etching of a cloud of Myst that had formed into the shape of an eye and a hand pulling down on the lower eyelid. There were several characters beneath, which might have been a brand but were not in any language I could read. They could have also been gibberish. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s lovely.¡± E4 tapped on the branding, which immediately changed color and revealed itself to be a LCD screen. It promptly displayed a ticking grandfather clock, before asking for a password. ¡°Are you BLOODY KIDDING ME?¡± She stood up and sure enough, there were punch cards. She looked back to the clearly modern screen, then to the tickertape print outs, then to the punch cards. ¡°Red, I think this place is messing with me.¡±
[[Analysis: Now is a bad time to tell you that computer has been a hologram this entire time.]] Immediately E4¡¯s blood pressure spiked 10 points. She put a single claw on the computer, and the tickertape immediately began going. The computer was, in fact, not a hologram.
¡°Password required¡ why yes I know that. I don¡¯t suppose you can give me a hint?¡± The tickertape immediately continued. ¡°I don¡¯t care how big the room is¡¡± E4 paused, reading it again. ¡°I don¡¯t care how big the room is,¡± She turned over a few more pieces of paper, finding the drawing. ¡°I don¡¯t care how big the room is, I cast fireball.¡±
Immediately the computer dinged and printed out a map. E4 took it, examined it, turned it upside down, and examined it again. ¡°I feel like this is important.¡± She turned it over, but there was nothing on the back. She knelt down by the screen. ¡°Ok, so what is this map?¡±
The computer hummed, then beeped a few times, then everything immediately stopped. ¡°Huh, what?¡± E4 opened up the computer, only to find the water tank had run dry. ¡°Oh come on.¡± She stored the map in one of her pockets. ¡°We¡¯ll research this later, now let¡¯s get that door open.¡±
To E4¡¯s expectations the code on the door was fireball, and with a few turns of the wheel the door opened up into a tunnel. Trusting her ravager eye E4 walked forth without a light source. Yet within a few meters and one turn she didn¡¯t need one anyhow.
¡°What¡ The¡ Blood?¡± E4 paled as she beheld the nightmare before her. ¡°Kindred, what did you do?¡±
Before her E4 saw dozens of metal and glass tanks. Rather than being large glass cylinders they were mostly brass, with glass plates where an observer could look in. In all but two E4 saw a body, some twitching some still and one in the process of being dissected by several mechanical arms. Each body was covered in mycilium and some were growing strange growths. A full dozen cylinders filled the room, the broken ones leaking blue growth. Books and notes lay stacked on tables, boards and sketches scattered around the room some knocked over most standing. Immediately she began breathing heavily, her heart rate skyrocketing as her thoughts became panicked. E4 quickly scanned the boards with her Wise Mind, but she needed no assistance in analysis. Still, she asked.
¡°Red, tell me I¡¯m misreading this. This is a time chart based on time to infection. Where did he get this?¡± Her breaths were now panicked and non-conductive. ¡°Growth patterns? Antigen strains, alternate vectors.¡± E4 closed her mind. ¡°There are no emergencies in a pandemic, there are no emergencies in a pandemic. Oh God, I need strength, grant me clarity.¡± She continued praying for a few moments, my awareness receding to give her some privacy, before finally her breathing steadied.
¡°Red, we need to burn this place.¡± R4¡¯s voice was steady, despite or perhaps because of the slick of chemicals flowing down her face. ¡°Samples will be taken, but this place must burn.¡±
Immediately E4 went to work. Quickly she found a cabinet full of reagents, and her flesh fabrication went into overdrive as she mixed and distilled several concoctions from the dregs that remained. Swiftly her healer¡¯s satchel was filled with several chemicals that while useful in the medical field would fall more under poison than medicine. From there she further strayed from the hypocratic suggestion to create works of chemistry that had no purpose being within the human body. As she worked she found she had not been the first with this idea. ¡°Composite 5,¡± She muttered while placing a bubbling beaker full of accelerant beneath one of the cylinders. ¡°Less force the C4, but much more heat. I guess on this both Kindred and I agree.¡± She quickly added a few layers of bone, converting the brick into a shaped charge that would project all the heat and force straight up into the cylinder that even as she worked was producing more spores. She made sure to leave a small tube in her shaped charge so a sharp red hot bolt of force would blast into the beaker and send burning accelerant across the floor. To ensure it worked she added a tiny bone spike to the tube which would shoot out like a bullet. As she worked she braided hair from her head into long strands of rope, impregnated with metabolic fire that smoldered in small cysts of keratin, just waiting to be released. ¡°Sure hope this works.¡±
¡°You seem to be doing alright.¡±
¡°The last time I tried to break into a Purifier base I was just deleting black mail, and look I got sent to another dimension. Now I¡¯m playing with both resonant and Purifier explosives. I¡¯ll be lucky if I don¡¯t blast myself straight to Heaven.¡±
¡°Scritch¡ scritch¡ scratch¡¡± E4 froze as she heard the sound, whipping around to see nothing. Her eyes peered through the dim lights of the lab, lit only by flickering lights and the glow from the fungal infested cylinders. Yet she did not see the source of the sound. ¡°Red, what was that?¡±
¡°Look up!¡± E4 looked up, just in time to jump to see something scurry into one of the vents. ¡°Analysis indicates that is going to be an issue soon.¡±
¡°And my analysis indicates this place is going to be a fireball soon. Perhaps one last look over everything to make sure there are no surprises.¡±
¡°Yeah, I really have to get a camera or a copier like Imnad so I can record this stuff.¡± E4 laced a chamber full of fungus and what looked like some sort of giant cricket with an ATP imbued ethanol mix which would burst into metabolic fire at the slightest prompting. She found a progress log and made sure to wrap it in gause before packing it into her bag. Each of the cylinders had one, but most were too far gone to be read. As she approached the second to last one it lashed out at her with chitinous barbs. ¡°Hey!¡± She slashed out, her ravager toxin affecting the fungal mass with a numbing coldness, before the aether within the toxin set upon it like starving wolves on a steak. ¡°Red, I¡¯m going to guess that was a tier 0 monster.¡± That statement needed no response. Lifting the last log book E4 eyed the creature inside, or more the lack thereof. ¡°Mataan
4? Shouldn¡¯t that be Mat¡¯aan?¡± E4 paused. ¡°Unless it was a Blessed. Would Kindred test something like this on a Blessed?¡± E4 quickly looked into the notes, and frowned. The notes were done in a sloppy scrawl, as if the person who wrote it couldn¡¯t get their thoughts onto the page fast enough. E4 eyed the scrawl, tipped it up, then frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t read this.¡±
¡°I thought you had practice reading a doctor¡¯s handwriting. Your own can pass for military encryption.¡±
¡°Only when I¡¯m going fast.¡± E4 shot back a little too quickly. She turned a few pages, glancing up at the vent a few times. ¡°Aha, someone has started translating.¡± She turned a few more pages before she stopped. ¡°They only got a few pages deep, I¡¯ll need to,¡± without a second¡¯s hesitation her dagger was in the air and the thing in the vents let out a rasping squeal. ¡°Gotcha!¡± She quickly shoved the book into her bag, yet the thing in the vents did not emerge. ¡°Bleeding havoc, get back here you!¡± She reached out, felt her dagger, and pulled. Immediately the blade expanded, holding fast into the quickly retreating form. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to track that later, aren¡¯t I?¡± She reached out, and with a gesture her hand burst into metabolic fire. A moment later she felt a surge of resonance followed by dissonance as the blade burst into metabolic fire within its target.
Immediately E4 went back to work. It took a few more minutes, but finally she was satisfied. Ropes of aetheric ethanol infused hair connected bricks of composite 5, and numerous bone pots filled with viscous oils and chunks of fat smouldering with metabolic fire filled the room, awaiting a spark.
¡°Ok, now just have to get to a safe distance and we can light this candle.¡± E4 took a moment to admire her work. ¡°Is it a bad thing I can¡¯t wait to see this go off? I don¡¯t want to become a Purifier.¡±
¡°Hello?¡± Immediately E4¡¯s moment of glee dropped into her stomach.
¡°Hello? Child?¡± E4 called back, concern evident in her voice. ¡°Did someone wander down here?¡± She reached out with her horns, attempting to use her telekinesis in reverse to get a sense of what was around her. ¡°Can you hear me?¡± She glanced back to the lab, one hand itching to destroy the threat once and for all. She gestured, it would just take a snap of her fingers, and it would be gone. ¡°There is no emergency in a pandemic.¡± She spoke, heart calming, ¡°and the lab will be there when I get back,¡± A sly smile crossed her face, ¡°Though not much longer.¡±
¡°Hello?¡± Immediately E4 abandoned her Purifier like musings to rejoin the search, leaving a trail of woven red hair like a lethal ribbon behind her. Every few meters she left a cyst full of metabolic fire, just waiting for the signal to go off.
¡°Child, where are you?¡± She called out.
¡°Hello?¡± Immediately E4 froze, extending her claws. She reached out with her senses, her telekinesis pinging off something not too far off. Slowly she crept forwards, turning a corner and seeing a child, lying on the ground.
¡°Hello, can you hear me?¡± E4 asked. The child did not react. ¡°Speak up, say something else.¡± A cold pit opened in her stomach as E4 dreaded what was before her. Mara had forbidden the creation of child ravagers, yet the isopods were often not so discerning. From birth they hungered for sentient blood, and the concept of age did not exist for them. ¡°Please don¡¯t be infected.¡±
The claws hit before E4 had any time to react. Six blades sank into her back from behind. Immediately the telekinetic force that held them together collapsed, but there was so much force behind it that didn¡¯t matter once. Immediately E4 coughed up a mouthful of blood as one of her lungs collapsed. Her tail lashed out, leaving a line of aetheric fire along the offending ravager as she threw herself away from it.
Immediately E4 knew she was in trouble. The wound was healing, yet even as her lungs sealed she could feel the fungus trying to grow within her. Already a mutant form that could tolerate the higher heat spread along her skin, and with every breath the brute before her puffed out more of the pale blue spores like tainted smoke. In the scant second it took her to realize this the brute was on her, unformed claws flickering into existence just in time to strike before shattering and fading away into nothing. E4 furiously tried to block, her own claws holding up far better. Yet even for her skills the creature was impossibly strong and radiated an icy dissonance that made her muscles feel cold and limp.
¡°Red, tell me that¡¯s not an infected ravager!¡± E4 chittered, ducking a blow and lashing out with her own claws. Her claws pierced skin and hit a layer of mycelium beneath which answered her question. ¡°I need options, that thing¡¯s got to be second tier!¡±
¡°I¡¯m working on fighting off these spores. They use a quite novel approach to targeting the insect nervous system, they¡¯re resistant to heat, brace for a cough.¡±
E4 burst into a hacking cough, during which the infected feral grabbed onto her. The creature eyed his prize for just a moment, giving E4 a chance to see the isopod replacing its right eye. Blue fungus stretched the chitinous plates of the isopod, growing from it like moss from between window blinds. Skin to skin contact let its corrupted dissonance interfere with E4¡¯s resonance, and let me interact with its dissonant cells.
Within the infected ravager its body was fighting itself. Its human skin looked as if an eczema patient had taken a bath in acid and scrubbed down with steel wool. Blue fungal carpet stretched from every wound, giving it a look not dissimilar to a half transformed werewolf. Its long fangs were stained with blue, and partially fused into the beak E4 had noted on the dissected rotten. Its body was swollen with muscle, and starving for fuel. It wasn¡¯t resonating properly, its cells relying on blood flow alone to supply it the oxygen and nutrients it needed. The fungus in its lungs were somehow increasing the oxygen levels even as they overclocked the muscles giving the creature hysteric strength. Rather than the horns of a normal ravager strange fungal growths curled from its head in seventeen corkscrew horns that bore erosion marks as if they had been eaten by acid. Its six fingered hands had fused into a thumb and two fingers with the last knuckle locked straight.
However most importantly, without resonance it had no ATP. The creature seemed to be using Myst, channeling it directly into its muscles, and turning it into some mockery of ATP that didn¡¯t work as well as it should have.
¡°E4, it¡¯s locked in hysteric strength, its muscles are pushed to the limit.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve noticed!¡± E4 chittered, before breaking into another coughing fit as she tried to rid her lungs of the wretched fungus. ¡°E4, how fireproof do you think I am?¡±
¡°Do it!¡± Immediately E4 conjured metabolic fire within her own lungs. Normally this would have been a horrible idea, lungs aren¡¯t meant to do that. Yet I could see E4¡¯s line of thought.
|
¡ú Your fire does not burn you. You may designate a number of allies who are immune, and whom you take reduce damage from. Increases tenacity by 1
|
Grants host immunity to fire of their tier or lower
|
Two of her skills granted her explicitly immunity to her own fire. Of course, it still irritated her lungs and sent her into a choking fit, her lungs spasming to finally spit up the burning fungus right into the infected ravager¡¯s face. Suddenly presented by a face full of burning phlegm it let go, trying to scrape off the mass only to find it spreading to its hands. The dying flesh, already pushed far beyond the breaking point, burned hot and fast.
¡°Looks like you¡¯re hefting a lot of bulk,¡± with the honed skill of a surgeon and the preternatural speed granted by The Myst E4 had a syringe in the ravager¡¯s gut in the same moment it touched her hands. ¡°I prescribe 2,4 DNP. Might make you a little warm though.¡±
E4 turned and ran giving the infected ravager one last kiss goodbye with her tail. The creature let out a scream before lumbering after her, yet its steps were slowed. E4 dashed back the way she had come, following the red thread of hair back to the lab. She whipped around, only to see that the creature was not behind her.
¡°Don¡¯t tell me it turned around.¡±
E4 watched and waited, drawing her crossbow and readying herself. Yet it was a scratching sound from above that got her attention. She threw herself forwards into a roll and came up shooting, a bolt striking and deflecting off a layer of mycelium. The infected ravager rose from where it had fallen, ripping chunks of stone out with it. The creature shook its head as it lumbered forwards in a reckless charge. E4 ducked out of the way, an errant claw cutting into the creature. The brute hit the wall with enough force that cracks crawled all the way to the ceiling, before turning and roaring at her, ¡°Hungry!¡±
¡°Eat bone.¡± E4 replied, shooting the thing right in the mouth. To her surprise it knocked the bolts aside and with a gesture grabbed her in a crushing telekinetic embrace. Clouds of dark Myst encircled her, the infected ravager¡¯s crude imitation of E4¡¯s own telekinesis showing themselves as tricks of The Myst.
¡°E4, blow it!¡±
E4 gestured, yet even as her resonant signal reached out to the explosives a deluge of dissonance squashed it. The sheer force of it sent E4 reeling, her ears ringing and her human eye flickering. The creature stepped forwards, its maw stretched wide even as mycelium dripped down its lips. ¡°Hungry.¡± It spoke, a dozen voices stretching from its hollow throat. ¡°So hungry.¡±
In a flurry of motion E4 reached into her bag and with a low ripping sound the scent of mint permiated the room. She winced, but the ravager staggered back at the scent. Stepping forwards E4 flung the mint flavored ration right into the ravager¡¯s jaws, sending it into a choking fit.
The heat of the blast did the rest.
Chapter 24. Stone Walls and Aberrant forms: Mundanity
Hunger and thirst woke Ere¡¯lur from her dreams. She had dreamed she was a regulator, in service to the lord of a powerful city in exterminating a horrific infestation.
Again she found herself awake. This day was a struggle, and the victims were endless. Each day she washed bandages, prepared casts and struggled to bring healing to the afflicted. She ached to be out on the front lines, yet she was needed here. Not four hours passed that the insectoid menace attempted to infiltrate the hospitals, and at each instance she was there to show them right back out.
Again she found herself awake, and stronger this time. It was a good thing, a group of the Purifiers tried to hassel a fellow healer. Yet she showed the man what for and sent him packing.
Again she found herself awake, even stronger. A dozen Purifers showed up, yet she held them off until Lord Stone-Weaver arrived. And did he arrive if not descending from the sky like a meteor that sent all Purifiers reeling and stumbling back. Ere¡¯lur could not hold her excitement back, blasting the sole Purifier who kept his feet with the strange Aether she possessed. She did not harm him much, yet her heart nearly exploded from her chest at the thought of such power. And did not the lord look upon her favorably. It was just as the tales had told her.
And it was from this dreamy state that E4 awoke, dressed in trousers and a low cut top that meshed practicality with a touch of sensuality through clever use of mesh and flesh colored cloth. A few meters away she heard the ¡°Click Click¡± of marble being chipped away.
¡°Where am I?¡± She asked, half expecting to be dizzy or light headed but she was fine. She wasn¡¯t even hungry, foggy memories revealing she had just had lunch after assisting at a makeshift infirmary.
¡°Oh, hold still, hold that pose.¡± E4 froze, just long enough to hear a few last clicking sounds. ¡°Good. How are you feeling Ere¡¯lur?¡± E4 turned to see Stone-Weaver who now bore a tired, yet satisfied expression. Before him was a statue of Aether infused marble in her likeness, with only the face missing.
¡°Foggy, I remember being beneath the streets,¡±
¡°Good, good. That¡¯s more than you had yesterday.¡± Stone-Weaver replied. He made a gesture and the stage she was on settled to ground level.
¡°What have I been doing?¡± E4 asked. ¡°I have vague memories, but the last few days have been a blur.¡±
¡°Ere¡¯lur, we have an emergency!¡± E4 turned to see the towering form of Missy roll through the doorway before standing back to her now three meters in height. ¡°Four more Purifiers and a dozen guards just came back from the front and they¡¯re really hurting.¡±
¡°Duty calls.¡± E4¡¯s words had a strange snap to them, a sense of united purpose as The Hymn and her own will met in perfect unison. ¡°Pick up¡ wait, why are you sculpting me again?¡±
¡°Come on, I¡¯ll explain on the way.¡± Missy spoke up, taking E4 in an oversize but delicate hand. ¡°We found you a few days back in the crater of a blast site, apparently it was one of Corey¡¯s labs that went abandoned. Best Stone-Weaver can figure you must have been one of his volunteers for the trials.¡±
¡°Woah woah woah, Corey? Who¡¯s that?¡± E4 asked, easily keeping up with the armored woman as they ran down a flight of steps. At the bottom rather than duck beneath the door Missy rolled, the crash bars built into her suit ensuring that she didn¡¯t put the weight of her armor on her head. As E4 followed through the door she saw a pair of maids standing aside, one looking startled and another just shaking her head. Beyond them the pair ran through a large gallery of statues, mostly marble but some granite, of dozens of figures rendered in stone. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve met him.¡± Though inside a pit of black dread was quickly building up in her gut.
¡°Corey¡ can¡¯t remember his last name. Something with an L. Came through town a few weeks before the Eagle-Wood and Marked families. You were in his lab so you must have met with him.¡± She ducked under another door, startling a maid though in a feat of dexterity that surprised E4 she managed to catch the bundle of clothes and return it to her. ¡°The Soul summoning experiments? Trying to draw a soul from The Myst into a body?¡±
¡°I¡¯m already blessed, and we¡¯ve already met. Did the fire burn me that badly?¡± E4¡¯s hands went to her face, only to find bandages covering all but her eyes. The skin on her hands was patchy, meandering lines of red and pink against a pale background.
¡°Wait, that was you? E3, no E4. So that¡¯s where you vanished off to. I didn¡¯t recognize you under the bandages.¡± Missy replied. As E4 continued to touch her face she realized the bandages had been made by her flesh fabrication. She could feel her fingers through the bandages, which was a good sign. ¡°Explains a lot, I was wondering how one of us was using so much Aether without getting turned to stone. I¡¯m sure The Eagle-Woods will be happy to see you when they get back from the front.¡±
¡°The Front?¡± As E4 and Missy stepped through the door to the outside she was shocked by what she saw.
Guards in Stone-Weaver¡¯s livery patrolled the streets, each escorted by a Purifier with a flamethrower. Yet for every Purifier there were two guards and a third wearing an enlarged suit of stone armor. Now that she was in the sun E4 could see Missy¡¯s armor was on the smaller side. Every guard carried a large chopping blade as well as a crossbow that looked ready to chuck the meter long bolts with impressive force.
¡°I thought Power Armor was supposed to be rare.¡±
¡°It is, we don¡¯t have many sets but we¡¯re using all of them.¡± Missy replied. ¡°My set isn¡¯t actually a FOG suit, but with what¡¯s been going on I figured I was going to need every advantage, even if it means I¡¯m going to be a statue soon.¡±
¡°Wait, run that by me again?¡± E4 asked.
¡°Being a Myst Folk I¡¯m not supposed to have Aether, but by channeling Stone-Weaver¡¯s power I can use it for a bit, at the cost of slowly turning into stone.¡± Missy answered. ¡°It happens to all muses, I¡¯m just burning my candle a little quicker than most.¡±
¡°Why?¡± E4 asked.
¡°Because Stone-Weaver needs strong guards, now especially. I will rest beside my sculpture, a contrast between who I was and who I became for my lord.¡± She replied. E4 could not see her face through her helmet, but guessed the woman would have a serene expression. ¡°Come on, we have to move.¡±
E4 didn¡¯t have to be shown to the infirmary, half way there her horns sensed the sickness and two thirds of the way The Hymn grabbed her by the ears and almost dragged her, her perfect position skill activating without her exerting any ATP. She was already putting on a mask drawn from her healer¡¯s kit as she entered the door. The Hymn sang to her the conditions of the dozens of patients before her.
¡°Where was this when I was doing my residencies.¡± E4 muttered to herself, a wide grin plastered on her face. With a gesture she called a cart of medicines to her side, and a maid dressed in a gray dress and wearing a similar mask stepped to attend her. Before her sat a young man, his chest a mess of wounds riddled with fungal debris. ¡°Nurse, get the anethesia,¡±
¡°No, don¡¯t put me out.¡± The man whispered.
¡°You sure?¡± The man nodded, extending his arms and legs to allow the nurse to bind them in thick leather straps. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll be quick.¡± With that E4 gave him a quick jab of her claws and went to work.
E4 found her elevated intellect stat allowed her to take in and process aspects of her patient that she would normally require an entire team to keep track of, The Hymn interacting with her healing hands skill in an interesting way to let her feel what was wrong. It wasn¡¯t the level of information a full lab panel and CT scan would tell her, but for a field hospital with a low technology level it was just the thing she needed. Immediately she knew that if she tried to brute force it with healing hands her patient would die. While in a Blessed the skill would burn off the damaged Myst and replace it with ambient Myst, without their innate resistance to Aether a Myst Folk would be burned through and there wouldn¡¯t be enough Myst left for them to survive. That meant doing most of the hard work through surgery. As she got to work E4 found the nurse, Gr¡¯now as she quickly learned the woman¡¯s to be named, seemed to be just as in tune with the hymn as she was. Whenever E4 reached for a tool or a supply Gr¡¯now was right where she needed to be with just the right implement. It didn¡¯t help that the cart seemed to ¡°happen¡± to have whatever she needed the moment she turned to get it. True Gr¡¯now had no idea what a blood type was, but E4 quickly discerned that her first patient was O+ and the flesh scaffold she drew from her bag from flesh fabrication was a universal donor. Within a few minutes she had cut free the worst of the infection, burning the rest free with careful application of metabolic fire, and replacing the holes with the scaffolding before applying bandages and a mild antiseptic. She followed up with a burst of healing hands, which made the man wince as it burned the ravager toxin out of him and made his skin seem to shrink. E4 winced at the damage a shot of Aether did to the man, but The Hymn assured her that between her surgical precision and her other efforts
¡°Five minutes, it seems the sulpting is working.¡± Gr¡¯now spoke up as they finished.
¡°Sculpting?¡± E4 asked.
¡°Stone-Weaver¡¯s sculpting allows up to channel Aether like the regulators do.¡± Gr¡¯now replied. ¡°My own showed special care to my hands, granting me the skill perfect position. I normally use it in the kitchen and dining room, but that is for later. Let us move to the next patient.¡± She stepped to the next patient, a young woman with impressive musculature and a crushed right arm. Gr¡¯now immediately drew a saw. ¡°This may hurt.¡±
¡°Hold up, wash your hands.¡±
¡°Excuse me?¡± Gr¡¯now asked.
¡°You have to scrub between patients. You¡¯ll spread something between them if you don¡¯t and that can be as bad as the fungus.¡± E4 immediately moved to a sink, her speed stat and perfect positioning letting her move through the rush of bodies as other physicians and assistants did their work as if they weren¡¯t even there. She washed, the water hot and soap foamy, before a burst of healing hands burned off the surface layer of her skin and replaced it with fresh flesh. She then applied a new set of gloves.
¡°There is not time.¡±
¡°If there is not time to do it right there must be time to do it twice.¡± E4 replied. ¡°come wash.¡±
Gr¡¯now grumbled, but did as she was told. Immediately they moved onto the next patient, another guard with a limb half chewed off and some manner of venom in his veins. The body of the creature that had bitten him lay on the floor beside him, a butcher¡¯s knife still lodged in its skull. E4 quickly took a sample of its venom over to a machine that she didn¡¯t recognize despite the fact she knew she had used it before.
¡°Red?¡± She chittered. ¡°When did we start handing these out?¡± The object, or perhaps creature, before her was an antigen fabricator. To the outside eye it looked like a red box with a stylized M on it. To anyone with resonant senses it would light up like a beacon. A harvestman isopod within it had been given plenty of flesh and reagents, indicated by the dozen small bottles currently hooked up to the bottom and left side. The instructions were written in three language, English and two E4 did not recognize. Two empty slots waited for the final two components, a sample of the patient¡¯s blood and a sample of the venom to create an antigen to.
[[The antivenom forges were put up two days ago, Ere¡¯Lur was quite insistent.]]
¡°We¡¯re just passing out resonant tech?¡± E4 asked as she applied the blood and the sample. The device began to hum and she heard it chitter, which was immediately replied six responses. ¡°What?¡± She paused. ¡°There are seven of them? How did we get enough harvestmen for 7? That¡¯s great.¡±
[[Ere¡¯lur was quite thrilled to take up the reins. She quite enjoyed going on a secret mission to the ravager pool, and almost got caught a few times. She will need to learn the stealth side of things, but Mara in her grace deemed the risk worth the benefits. She has begun cataloging genetic markers from the Myst folk, with surprising results which warrant further study following the current crisis.]]
E4 scrubbed and moved on to the next patient, a woman whose injury was fortunately just a broken leg from where a charging beetle had struck her. While the injury wasn¡¯t horrible the woman was irate when E4 asked about it. ¡°I shot that thing three times with that burning boomstick P-23 gave me, and what did it do? It crashed right into my leg and snapped it like a twig.¡±
¡°So the shotgun didn¡¯t kill it?¡± E4 asked, nodding to her nurse and fetching a bite stick. While the nurse was gone she poked the woman with her claws, giving just enough ravager toxin so she wouldn¡¯t feel what came next.
¡°No, it was dead, but that much bone doesn¡¯t just stop.¡±
¡°Momentum¡¯s a witch.¡± E4 replied. With surgical precision she flayed the woman¡¯s leg, thin lines of aether manifesting on the edges. Within a few moments she had the bones back in place and began sealing them with healing hands. She winced at the amount of aether being used, but there was nothing for it. ¡°So I can put your legs back together, but I don¡¯t think your flesh will appreciate the aether. You might have some burning in the legs, and they¡¯re going to be fragile for a while.¡± She winced, trying to figure out how much to tell the woman. ¡°If you don¡¯t heal up right, you might lose your leg for good.
¡°Doc, you haven¡¯t been on the front lines. Those bugs just keep coming. Get me up, even if you have to encase my body in stone to do it.¡± The woman tried to sit up, only for E4 to push her back down. ¡°Our lot is short, here especially. Let me at least earn a stone limb before I go.¡±
¡°Red,¡± E4 chittered, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose Ere¡¯lur managed to figure out the power armor we were working on before we came here?¡±
[[That is negative. We had yet to figure out how to get that to work on Earth. The Wise Mind is backlogged as it is, and that¡¯s with the antigen forges crunching numbers. Maybe we could replace a leg.]]
Yet even as E4 and I conferred something happened neither of us expected. The woman¡¯s leg sealed up without E4¡¯s intervention, and turned to stone. All across the medical hospital similar things happened, causing a few of the other doctors and nurses to quickly step back as their patients had their wounds petrified closed. Several folk immediately went still as the stone invaded critical organs, but the majority let loose a cry of exultation, immediately rising from their beds.
¡°What the blood?¡± E4 gasped at the scene. The other nurses were quick to collect the bodies of those who did not survive. ¡°What just happened?¡±
¡°A miracle.¡± her asssitant spoke. ¡°Lord Stone-Weaver has brought healing to those who would be crippled, and peace to those too far gone.
¡°We could have saved them.¡± E4 snapped.
¡°No, you could not.¡± Stone-Weaver spoke even as he carried in a man clutching a crushed arm. A dozen Purifiers followed him, making E4¡¯s hackles raise as she prepared to fight her way out again, only to realize they were bringing in more wounded. To a man they were all in Purifier uniforms. ¡°Triage, if my restoration was insufficient to heal them, then you will not have time.¡±Stolen novel; please report.
¡°Do you even hear yourself?¡± E4 asked, her voice cold with rage. ¡°These were your people,¡± At that she noticed the twitch in his face, the sweat dripping down his face and the deep breaths he was trying to hide.
¡°Alright, welcome to double overtime.¡± A self assured voice called as a Purifier in full armor stepped in, stooping to get through the door. As he did he kicked a bed, which immediately went flying and knocked a nurse to the ground. Immediately E4 was by her side, checking on her. ¡°You, up. No time to lie around.¡± Even as he spoke he gestured with his gun.
¡°Can you stand?¡± E4 asked as she lifted. The woman tried, yet as she did her right leg seemed to collapse beneath her. ¡°That¡¯s going to need a splint.¡±
¡°Hey, I said up.¡± The Purifier snapped. ¡°This is a medical emergency chop chop. Get the lead out.¡±
¡°You just harmed a medical professional during a medical emergency.¡± E4 replied coldly. ¡°Under Article 21 of the Geneva convention you have committed a war crime. Under penal code 324 that¡¯s a one way trip to the front line, without armor.¡± Immediately she found a shotgun pressed into her face. ¡°Did I touch a nerve Nurse Purifier?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you dare quote the Geneva Suggestions to me Folk.¡± He replied. ¡°And it¡¯s Doctor Wakemen to you.¡± E4 eyed his armor, noting the lack of insignia denoting the accomplishment. He paused, as if thinking of something. ¡°Though, I will forgive you if,¡±
¡°What¡¯s the hold up, we have wounded and they aren¡¯t in beds within 15 seconds I¡¯m declaring everyone in here infected.¡± Another Purifier exclaimed, stomping into the infirmary. ¡°MOVE!¡±
E4 moved before the Purifier could stop her, already taking charge of one of the patients. The man had a crushed lung, which fortunately telekinesis was perfectly capable of stretching back into the proper shape. Of course, being possible and being easy were two very different thing. The process still took over an hour, during which time a Purifier demanded she hurry up twice and once demanded she abandon the patient due to some other emergency that took priority.
¡°I¡¯m glad I nabbed that book on Purifier emergency protocols.¡± E4 replied. ¡°You¡¯d think these Purifiers don¡¯t know their own rules.¡±
¡°Hey Nurse, you done yet?¡± A Purifier in full riot gear demanded. ¡°You¡¯ve got three more patients this hour, tic tock.¡±
¡°Per protocol I have to scrub and change into different clothes.¡± E4 replied, taking her time to wash her hands.
¡°Per protocol you get to do what I say.¡± The Purifier grabbed her by the shoulder, spinning her around and throwing her to the ground. ¡°Worthless Folk, can¡¯t do anything right.¡± E4 saw the stomp coming, and rolled out of the way. Only after she had did she realize that, out of instinct, her tail had lashed out at her assailent. Normally this would have done nothing, Purifier armor being sturdy stuff. So the fact her tail cut clean through the man¡¯s tibia and his leg immediately started leaking Aether. The man glared down at her, not noticing the wound, before turning and stomping off. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in five, you¡¯d better be working.¡±
E4 did get to work on the next patient. A part of her wanted to give the man a Purifier¡¯s mercy, and it would be so easy to just douse him with metibolic fire while his arms were restrained. The man bit down hard on a piece of wood as she worked.
¡°Are you sure you want me to do this while awake?¡± She asked, eyeing the wound in the man¡¯s gut. ¡°A perforated bowel isn¡¯t something I¡¯d want to go through awake.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you dare put me out.¡± The sheer venom in the man¡¯s words made E4 take a step back. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare Folk, bad enough I let you touch me.¡±
E4 glanced at the man, his eyes shadowed and dark. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk.¡± With a gesture lightning danced across her fingers, distracting him as she jabbed him with a single claw. ¡°You¡¯re nothing but a Folk yourself.
¡°You take that back.¡±
¡°Blessed and Cursed aren¡¯t afraid to go to sleep.¡± E4 reminded him. She quickly got to work, practically flaying open skin and trusting her surgical precision to let her sew him back together after. A part of her knew she should have gone with a less invasive procedure, yet another darker part wanted to see what she was capable of and if that cost a few, dozen, Purifiers then at least their lives would have worth. She quickly shook off the thought, though the cloud remained circling her mind. ¡°If you¡¯re not a Folk what are you? You¡¯re not Blessed or your eyes would be glowing. You¡¯re not Cursed or you¡¯d have cloudy eyes.¡±
¡°I¡¯m a Purifier.¡± The Purifier replied.
¡°Oh really, look down.¡± The Purifier did, and immediately began to retch at the sight of his own organs. ¡°You¡¯re lucky we¡¯re within The Distant Shores, if you were on Earth this kind of surgery wouldn¡¯t be possible without a dedicated surgical suite. One surgeon and one Nurse, your buddies dragging you back with your bowels opened by a giant bug, you¡¯d be dead and that¡¯s that.¡± E4 finished her stitches, using a bit of healing hands to close the wound, before closing up the layers of flesh she had to cut away to get at it, which she stitched closed with a surgeon¡¯s precision and sealed with more healing hands. On a whim she slipped him a Harvestman beneath his bandages to keep an eye on his vitals. ¡°Fifteen minutes, personal best.¡± She turned to her nurse, who looked a little green. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s get scrubbed up and onto the next one.¡±
E4 continued work, yet it seemed as if the tide was unending. The Hymn rang loud in her ears, guiding her from patient to patient, feeding her information as she needed it. She examined the triage notes more out of formality as The Hymn gave her more information than was contained within the scribbled notes. Telekinetic fields flowed from her hands and were read by her horns, informing her on every cracked bone and patch of ruined flesh that needed to be repaired. She vaguely remembered eating something, a ration or wafer that tasted vaguely of apple and cinnamon charged with Aether. The information from The Myst flowed more freely after and she vaguely felt as if she had gained a skill
1. At some point she noticed she was in a different infirmary than she remembered being in, the floor slick with blood and limbs lying all around. The Smell of rot warred with the scent of detergent, while the brilliant lights seemed to reflect across the pooling blood and give the scene a strange too bright sheen.
¡°Hey, stop, take a breath, think.¡± She wispered to her fellow healer, a man with a bushy beard and whose white apron was stained with both fresh and dried blood. Her hands were on his arm, holding tight but not trying to hurt him. ¡°Put down the hacksaw.¡±
¡°The hand must come off, it is infected with a rot most foul.¡± The man said wearily as if in a trance. The echoes of the Hymn that spoke in his ears echoed across her own, her claws manifesting from her free hand as if of their own accord.
¡°Yes but first,¡± E4 adjusted the sheet over the man, covering the healthy hand and uncovering the injured hand. To the man¡¯s credit, the injured hand had a pair of ant heads the size of a bowling ball locked onto it, and it had turned black either from the venom or the tourniquet that was keeping the venom out. It most definitely needed to come off. ¡°How long have you been at this?¡±
¡°I cannot know. I was prepping for the lunch rush when the purifiers demanded I assist them.¡± He gestured to his tools, and the body parts that a weary nurse pushing a cart was only now returning to collect. ¡°As you can see I am a butcher by profession.¡±
¡°Have things become so desperate that we¡¯re pulling everyone who can cut or stitch?¡± E4 heard a scream as a pair of men with a band saw worked to remove a limb that was mangled far beyond repair. Both wore the plaid colors that marked them as wood cutters. ¡°My word.¡±
¡°Enough chit chat, there¡¯s more injured.¡± Another Purifier announced, bringing in more men.
¡°This cannot continue. Clearly we are all beyond our fatigue thresholds.¡± E4 replied. ¡°These men must rest or the risk of mistakes will skyrocket.¡±
¡°There is no time for rest nurse, they will make do.¡± The Purifier replied.
¡°We are all way over our limits.¡± E4 spoke sternly but calmly, as if explaining something to a child that it was bed time, and gestured to a nearby window. Someone had drawn the blinds, but it was clear that the sun was already high in the sky. ¡°We¡¯ve been up over 24 hours, accidents will start happening, we can¡¯t,¡±
Any other day E4 could have caught the blow. She could have ducked, stepped aside, or perhaps even stabbed the man through the hand with her claws. Yet her fatigue and frustration had dulled her senses.
¡°Shut your mouth nurse.¡± The Purifier replied, removing his helmet. Beneath was a pale faced man, his hair white and whispy. Immediately E4 was drawn to his eyes, red veins shooting across the sclera like craters and even breaching the iris in a way she knew wasn¡¯t normal. ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, one of these will get you in shape,¡± He spoke with manic energy before drawing something from a pocket of his armor and lunging at her. Yet the sheer horror of the vial gave her the jolt of energy she needed.
E4 scrambled back as if she had been burned by tell tale purple vial of poison. It glinted in the light in the Purifier¡¯s hand, as if inviting her to try it. ¡°Poison, you¡¯d have us poison ourselves!¡±
¡°It is medicine, take it.¡± The Purifier demanded. With a gesture a section of his armor opened revealing a leg swollen and pale, several puncture marks still visible. Before E4¡¯s eyes he stabbed himself with an auto injector full of the Panacea 7. The syringe, made from brass and glass rather than plastic, let out a hiss as the spring loaded injector released its payload, and the Purifier¡¯s sigh echoed its sound. ¡°See, it is medicine.¡± With a gesture another vial dropped from a belt pouch. ¡°Hold still,¡±
E4 did not hold still. She turned and ran out the door, tackling it open and bursting past a group of a dozen Purifiers, eight piled in heaps upon stretchers carried by the other four. E4 did not stop even as she passed the heaps of ash that had once been insects, or maybe civilians. She did not stop even as she broke through carefully positioned yet horribly staffed road blocks.
It was only after her second roadblock, a pitiful construction of loose gravel packed into sacks and manned by a Purifier in ill fitting armor that E4 felt a strange burning. ¡°Have to find a place to hide, a place to rest.¡± With a gesture she rerouted more ravager toxin to her limbs, only to find them torn apart from the lactic acid. The remnants of a syringe still stuck from her leg, the poison within keeping her from realizing it, and keeping her body from repairing the damage. With a gesture she removed the offending limb, only realizing in her exhaustion the damage she had done a moment later as her face hit the ground, and just kept going.
It was hard to tell how long she lay there. She did not feel the flames, nor did she feel hands lifting her up. She was not aware of anything until she heard the ¡°Click Click¡± of marble being chipped away. She opened her eyes to see Stone-Weaver working on a model of her sleeping form. It was small, small enough to fit in his hands, yet of frighteningly high detail. Sitting up she found herself lying on a mat in a dark cell, lit only by the strange flickering glow of some manner of metal container further within the cell.
¡°Three days were too much?¡± He asked. E4 didn¡¯t answer, so he continued. ¡°According to the other nurses you¡¯ve been working for four days, save for when I pulled you onto my pet project.¡± He blew on the image, the dust flying off with the wind and landing in a neat pile which evaporated immediately. ¡°You¡¯ve had a busy week, and you did a lot of good; even if it was those pyros you did the good for.¡±
¡°Three Days? It felt like one.¡± E4 eyed the statue. ¡°How long as I out?¡±
¡°A few hours, I work quick.¡± He turned the image, showing that only the face was missing. One additional quality was the purple discoloration on one leg where she had been stabbed. ¡°I was going to do the face last, I¡¯m a bit out of practice on those.¡± He paused, as if mulling over something. ¡°Tell me, did you see anything strange about the Purifier who stabbed you, and yes it was him who stabbed you.¡±
¡°He was completely out of his mind on Panacea 7. His eyes were so bloodshot the veins were crawling across his iris. His leg was swollen and if it were not for the anti-biotic properties I¡¯m sure it would have been rotted through.¡±
¡°I see, and what else?¡±
¡°He was wearing Purifier armor, all brass and iron like they always do. A gleaming mask to cover the smoke and shame.¡± E4 thought about it a bit more. ¡°He had a shotgun on his back, no fuel tank. I don¡¯t remember¡ wait, are you saying he was Blessed?¡± She thought about it. ¡°His eyes didn¡¯t glow, but they weren¡¯t shadowed either. I guess if his eyes were that blood shot I might not see the glow.¡±
¡°You are half there.¡± E4 felt a sensation like a feather had crossed her face as Stone-Weaver began chipping away on the statuette¡¯s face. ¡°Let me tell you a little secret, it¡¯s something of an open secret. I can¡¯t see faces.¡±
¡°Is that why you never put faces on statues?¡± E4 asked. ¡°Sure beats the reason,¡± She immediately covered her mouth before she could blurt out the real reason.
¡°You thought I only valued my subjects for their bodies, and their minds and personalities were irrelevant? I¡¯ve heard it before, I¡¯m not bothered.¡± He went back to his work. ¡°I was blessed once, traveling the rails with two of my best friends. Yet when they married and settled down I needed to find a new hobby, so I traveled collecting stones to carve. I made statues for all the largest cities, even the founders of the Eagle-Woods have a statue. That was my undoing.¡±
He examined the little statue for a moment. ¡°When I received a call from my friends I was in the middle of a commission. Alexander Greatfields, The High Inquisitor of the League of Man, rendered in rare two toned marble. It was to be magnificent.¡± At this he put down his tools for a moment to examine the face that was slowly coming together. ¡°Missy told me something was happening, the creatures of Myst were getting stronger. I sent back a telegram reminding her that creatures of Myst do that when you stay in one place and that she and her husband needed to pack up their new son and go.¡± He shook his head. ¡°How was I to know it was but one of the first signs of the Herald of Woe?¡±
2
Picking up his tools he got back to work. ¡°I petitioned first Sister Mercy, yet she who heals has little power over undeath. Next I petitioned The Uncrowned Kings in general, for my patron Mountain Sculptor was among their members. A pact was made, that I would rule over a city and the undead who had slain my friends would be imprisoned beneath the deepest part of the mountain. There was deliberation over the price, or maybe there wasn¡¯t who can say with the patrons? In the end they wanted a city lord to support their interests. I would aid them in their war against the Titans of Industry and make a city that was a center of craftsmanship. In exchange, the undead would be sealed beneath the monster, crushed in rock and its captives souls extracted. Of course, no bargain like that comes free. It was decided that, since I could not break from my carving to save my friends, I would become face blind. I can create all but the most important part of the statues I, and even should my friends return they would have to recognize me for I could never recognize them. In truth, it is normally a boon. I can tell Blessed apart from Folk easily, and with the resources from the city I have done quite well. At least, I thought so.¡±
¡°Then it all went wrong?¡± E4 asked.
¡°Pretty much, but that¡¯s normal over here. Hubris gets us all eventually. We found an abandoned mine, and at that exact time a promising young Aether Blessed showed up. He seemed young, but he was a bright one. Said he worked mine management back on Earth, and I figured why not? Give the Uncrowned Kings some extra resources to work with, and you don¡¯t normally have to take up the nomad lifestyle until you¡¯re 18 so give the kid an easy start to being Blessed. Then he said he found something, some fungus that was making the workers sick, and he needed a lab to study it.¡±
¡°And you didn¡¯t think that was odd?¡± E4 asked.
¡°Not at the time. Once you have a high enough intellect stat you tend to accumulate degrees like so much baggage, unfortunately there is no wisdom stat. I should have watched him more closely, but I didn¡¯t. Then, when all this nonsense started happening Kindred showed up, and well now I¡¯m explaining this to a fugitive nurse in a hole in the ground. According to him I¡¯m undergoing intensive treatment. The reality, he sent his goons into my home with flamethrowers.¡±
¡°Dealing with Purifiers tends to do that.¡± E4 replied. ¡°Yet you were talking about eyes? What is the significance of seeing a Purifier¡¯s eyes
¡°Yet getting back to my original point, I cannot see faces. Part of why you caught my eye was because I can see yours.¡± E4 filed that bit of information away, a notable flaw in her innate human mimicry. ¡°However, I can see creatures of Myst without issue, including humans.¡±
E4 gave him a curious look. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that just Myst Folk?¡±
¡°No. The exact reason is unknown, but some Myst Folk lose their connection to The Hymn. According to the Folk they give up on the hopes of ever receiving a soul.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Not sure if that¡¯s true. We Cursed must always watch out, for they swiftly become human or kobold monsters. They lose empathy for their fellow Folk, and they will never follow a Blessed.¡±
E4 thought of the Purifier who stabbed her with the Panacea. ¡°That tracks. What do we do?¡±
¡°Well I could always abandon my home, abandon my hopes of recovering my friends, and get a job under Arnold in Los London.¡± He tilted his head, putting the final finishing touch onto the statue. ¡°Or, we could kill Kindred. I¡¯ve seen you work, and most of his men are wounded or out fighting. I¡¯ve already drawn the poison from your leg into this statue, if you die it will break and you will return to where it sits. There¡¯s a big vat of concentrated Myst right over there, if you purified it the result would be like tapping 10 standing stones at once. I was saving it to bribe Vienna into getting rid of the man, but seeing how much you dislike him I don¡¯t have to worry about you turning me in to him.¡±
¡°What about Leechwort?¡±
¡°Well that is an issue, without the Purifiers those fungi will likely overrun us, but I cannot leave my people here under his rule. With the fungi either we live or die. Under him, the eternal threat of a death by fire, that is not life.¡±
¡°I wish we had more like you on my Earth Stone-Weaver.¡± E4 replied, standing up and testing her leg. It seemed alright. ¡°So that thing will break if I die, and I¡¯ll go to wherever it is?¡±
¡°In theory. It¡¯s not perfect, but I used to use them back when I was blessed. It should be even more powerful now that I¡¯m Cursed.¡±
¡°Did you make one for Kindred?¡±
¡°I did, though it was to let him channel power not revive. I will go break it before you slay him.¡±
¡°Oh, that¡¯s already been taken care of.¡± E4 said as she approached the metal container, which opened at her approach. Within swirling Myst strained against runes and echings worked into the metal. E4 couldn¡¯t help but think of the thing as a furnace for how it looked. ¡°Any chances you can sneak that thing into his office?¡±
¡°You would slay yourself to get the jump on him?¡± Stone-Weaver considered it. ¡°Certainly a bold strategy.¡±
¡°Oh hardly,¡± E4 reached out, the Hymn singing her the directions she should make. As she did crackles of lightning began to form within the storm. Her hair stood on end, making her head look like a red pom pom. From somewhere a low breeze began to blow. ¡°But that¡¯s just a contingency. I intend to come back after killing Leechwort.¡± As she continued she began to chitter, her Wise Mind activating and scanning the mass of dense Myst before her. It calculated and advised her, adding resonance to the already potent brew of Myst and Aether before her. Immediately the breeze stiffened into a gale.
¡°You say that as if it is certain. Four Purifiers, two of higher tier than yourself, and an army of my men and Purifiers have tried and failed.¡±
¡°Let me tell you a secret a Purifier friend told me, a secret he used to finish off Leechwort the first time.¡± At her voice the wind became hurricane force, and The Hymn screamed in her ears to finish. ¡°A lot changes when you accept you¡¯re not coming back!¡±