by H. C. Mills
[Ah, you’re up,] Suri chimes. [Congratulations, Emma, you’ve once again exceeded my every expectation regarding how foolhardy humans can be, as well as how tenacious.]
“Glad to have you still around, too,” I retort dryly, before frowning and touching my throat. My voice sounds kinda strange, smooth... “Say, Suri, it appears I now have ‘Charm,’ could you tell me what that does?”
[Yes, Charm. It is a rare thing for a human to possess.]
Hey now!
[I’m afraid I can’t tell you what it does. It’s classified.]
Well, that was to be expected.
[However, I would like to urge you not to reveal the existence—or your possession—of this stat to anyone just yet.]
Huh? I frown. “Why?”
[I’ll explain later. Just... do me a favour, and keep this to yourself for now, okay?]
That’s odd. Well, I suppose it can wait.
I stretch out my limbs and get up.
Alec walks in. “Hold on, I think I heard... Emma!”
His face lights up when he sees me, and then quickly shifts into a frown as he rushes over. “Are you okay? You slept a lot longer than we did. Say something!”
However, I can’t do anything but stare. Alec was always pretty fair-skinned, but his skin has now gone past pale and towards ‘hypothermic,’ with its new, bluish tint. It actually combines quite nicely with his sky-blue left eye and amethyst right eye-crystal. Also, his blonde locks are suddenly much longer, falling just short of his shoulders, and oh yeah, there’s a two-inch FRIGGIN’ HORN growing out of the middle of his forehead.
Dave barges in, looking mightily relieved, and just as alien. His skin has gained more of a reddish tinge. It’s warm, just like his deep brown eye and amber eye-crystal. His brown hair hasn’t lengthened so much as it has become less frizzy, more voluminous and curly. Finally, he’s got the beginnings of two horns, reminding me of those of a bull, coming out of the sides of his forehead.
“Emma, thank god,” he says. “We weren’t sure what to do. Are you okay?”
“Am I okay?” I finally manage to exclaim. “Have you guys even seen your—ugh, don’t tell me; I have horns too, don’t I?”
Alec smiles wryly. Dave nods in bemusement.
I turn to Kaitlynn’s bed, a painful reminder of her absence, and rummage in her bag for her pocket mirror.
Great. I gingerly touch the beginning of two ribbed, curly horns at the corners of my forehead. I also only now notice that my skin is a shade of purple that can’t be considered healthy, and contrasts more than it used to with my hazel left eye and cyan right eye-crystal. At least my acid burns seem to be gone, which is nice. Though to be honest, in this Realm of Weird-Ass Crystals, I was never too worried about them.
My hair also grew longer and feels softer somehow. It even seems a shade darker than before. Weird.
“You know what? I don’t even care,” I say. “This may actually work in our favour—give us an air of intimidation. Dave, how much time do we have left?”
“You slept an hour longer than we did, so about four hours,” he explains. “But more importantly, what happened with the Toxic Energy in your body? At the time I didn’t stop to consider what that might do during—”
He stops mid-sentence, before narrowing his eyes at me. I guiltily avoid his gaze by pretending to inspect my nails. Damn, these things actually seem quite a bit sharper and pointier than they used to be...
“But you did consider it,” Dave says softly, “and you did it anyway.” He shakes his head in disbelief. “That was... reckless of you, Emma.” He sounds disappointed.
“Maybe, but I succeeded,” I retort defensively. “What’s it to ya, anyway? It was my risk to take.” Plus, I did it for Kaitlynn.
“Emma, we are supposed to be a team,” he argues. I think this is the first time I’ve actually seen him get worked up over something. “Your decisions affect all of us!”
“You weren’t complaining when I risked my life to win you that Agility Power-Up,” I shoot back.
“Well maybe I should have, damnit!”
Alec’s head whips back and forth between us as if he’s following a tennis match. It would’ve been funny if not for the tension.
I take a deep breath, and continue more calmly, “I had to, okay? I had to try stack the odds in our favour, even a little. They’re bad enough as it is.”
“Well, it wouldn’t have exactly helped our odds of saving Kaitlynn if you’d died,” Dave says, though his tone is less biting, more tired.
I shake my head and push on. “It’s three versus five. Even if we catch them off-guard somehow, it’ll be tough to beat them. Tougher still to get to Kaitlynn in time so they can’t threaten us with harming her.”
Dave twists his mouth and folds his arms in front of his chest. He doesn’t contradict me, but he doesn’t exactly look happy either.
I sigh. “Look, I’m sorry for not telling you, but what’s done is done, and I survived. Now give me a sec while I check out what happened to the Toxic Energy in my body. Status Window please.”
A Toxic Energy Tolerance of 36.1%?! Holy shit!
I frown. “Suri, shouldn’t I have gotten a milestone notification when I reached 30%?”
[Ah, yes. In my defence, I was rather preoccupied with keeping you alive at the time.]
She... forgot?
“You managed to push out that Willpower notification though,” I ask, immediately suspicious.
[That one had priority. I felt it would boost your morale to know, thus increasing your chances of survival.]
Hmm. It did, I suppose, but damnit, I’m getting side-tracked again!
The Cold Tolerance that I seem to have gained is also pretty interesting, but can wait as well.
I lick my lips and say, “Well, anyway, I am currently 15 Onkh under my Tolerance Limit, so I think I’m good to go.”
“Wow!” Alec exclaims.
Dave purses his lips, but holds his tongue.
“All right,” I say, clapping my hands together with more force than intended. “What have you been up to while I was napping?”
“Right,” Dave says, calmer now. “Well, we weren’t sure how long it would take for you to wake up, so first I checked and sharpened our spears, and Alec fixed up the bad parts of your armour. Then I started coming up with plans, and I realised... it doesn’t have to be three versus five.”
I frown. “You want to involve the council?”
He shakes his head no. “Well, actually, that was my first thought. Even though I think they’re bluffing about having friends inside the council, it’d be pretty risky to involve them, and I’m not sure how much use just adding numbers would be in a hostage situation. But it did remind me of someone... that goth-looking kid who got kicked out of their gang. I can’t remember his name, though, can you?”
I squint at the wall. Come on, noggin, don’t fail me now; you can do this! Emo-kid’s name, Emo-kid, AKA...
“Jake!” I call out triumphantly.
Alec frowns, looking up from the straps on my restored armour he’s helping me don. “No, I don’t think that’s it, but it was something like that. Maybe... Jacob?”
Dave lights up. “That’s it!”
I glare at Alec for stealing my thunder as he continues strapping me in. I hate to admit it, but he did a great job fixing my armour, I can hardly tell where it was damaged. Though it fits kind of... tightly now. Is it just me, or did I grow a little taller?
“But wait,” Alec says, looking up again. “What if that’s who they meant, with their ‘friend on the inside’?”
“Well,” Dave says, running a hand through his long curls like some kind of hair-model, “to be honest, that might’ve been what they meant... On the other hand, we clearly saw Jacob get rejected by the council, and I have a hard time believing that us witnessing that was a part of some elaborately cooked-up scheme. The timing of the kidnapping alone makes it really feel like an act of desperation brought on by the annou
ncement about the first door being used.”
I nod. A similar act of desperation is what resulted in me finding the Stardrops, after all.
“More importantly,” Dave continues, “I think we need him if we’re to have any hope of getting close undetected. He’d know their hideout, the lay of the land, maybe even the location of the lookouts and where they would keep Kaitlynn.”
A silence falls as we all ponder the dilemma.
Alec finishes tying off the last straps of my freshly repaired armour and takes a step back. “Well, let’s say he really did break ties with them. Why would he help us? We can’t promise him the last Stardrop; that one’s for Kaitlynn.”
Something clicks inside my head, and my eyes go wide. I turn to Dave. “Remind me, what colour was his eye-crystal again?”
Dave frowns. “Ehm, yellow, I think?”
I nod thoughtfully. “That means he’s probably Yang, right?”
“I have noticed a correlation between colour temperature and affinity, yes.”
“Perfect,” I say with a big grin, “Then I know exactly what to offer him.”
CHAPTER 44
All around me are familiar faces
AS SOON AS WE’VE hashed out the exact details of our offer, I get to work. “Hey, Suri, could you send Jacob a friend request please?”
[Of course,] Suri chimes with a sigh. [There. I have sent a contact approval request.]
Good, that means he’s at least still alive. Provided we got the name right.
[Jacob has accepted.]
“Let’s check that’s he’s not at Kaitlynn’s location right now,” Dave suggests. “If he somehow got accepted back in Bruce’s gang, we’re pretty much screwed.”
I nod. “Could you show me his location on the map please, Suri?”
[Of course.]
“He’s near the temple,” I say, to Dave’s visible relief. “All right, then, here goes nothing. Suri, call Jacob, please.”
[Calling Jacob.]
Yes, it’s him! Man, this kid sounds like he’s been smoking for ages. Which is weird, ’cause he looked about the same age as Alec, last time I saw him.
“Hello Jacob,” I say out loud, giving Alec and Dave a thumbs-up. “Yeah, before I get to that, I’d like to ask you some questions.”
Yeesh. Lighten up, kid.
“Right. Now, you are Yang, correct?”
I roll my eye. “Dude, just answer the question. Yes or no.”
A beat of silence falls.
“Perfect,” I say with a grin, really rolling the r. “Second question, do you have a new Pearl yet?”
“Woah! Ease up there, Jacob,” I say, raising my hands defensively in a gesture that’s rather pointless since he can’t see me. “Trust me, I like Lego-ass about as little as you do. Anyway, I’ll take that as a no.” I pause for a moment, suspicion creeping in. “Say, how exactly did you lose your pearl? If you don’t mind me asking.”
It’s quiet for a moment, then Jacob snorts.
I grimace. “Ouch. Well, I’ve got good news for you... I’m about to make you an offer you can’t refuse.”
I lift the shiny white bauble I found in the Glade up to my eye with a small smile.
“I just so happen to have picked up a spare Yang Qi Pearl,” I say, silently thanking Carol-Anne for her sacrifice. “Tell you what: you help us out, and it’s all yours.”
“Found it out in the glade. I’ll spare you the details.”
Dave shifts uncomfortably. He didn’t much enjoy my story about how I looted Carol-Anne’s body. Alec, on the other hand, took it in stride a little too easily.
It’s silent for a beat.
“Oh, I think you won’t mind helping us too much. We need you to help us attack Bruce and his lackeys and get our friend back; they’re trying to blackmail us with her life. You help us get her back safe and sound, we’ll even help you obtain a Stardrop, and bring you along to the Fourth Trial.” That ought to do the trick. Not sure how we’re gonna get a fifth Stardrop yet, but we’ll figure something out. If we really can’t, we’ll have to leave without him before all the doors are used. “So, are you in?”
Oh man, he sounds pissed. Good.
I grin. “Come to my location on the map. We’ll hash out a plan together.”
Jacob makes his way over in record time. We go around the room, shortly introducing ourselves one by one, while he looks us over with his arms folded over his chest. “So,” he starts in his raspy voice when we’re done, “did Halloween come early?”
It’s an ironic question, considering that he still kinda looks like a depressed vampire, but I hold back my sarcasm. While he says it in a joking manner, I can tell by the tension in his jaws and the way his eye flits around that he’s still very much on edge.
“Nope,” I answer instead. “Our looks are extremely natural. You might even call them... supernatural.”
His mouth quirks slightly. “If this is the level of jokes in your party, I might have to reconsider.”
Ugh. Everyone’s a critic.
“Anyway, before we get started,” he continues, “can I see the Qi Pearl?”
Dave and I glance at each other. I give him a nod and ask Jacob to turn around as Dave proceeds to procure our last two pearls from their little hiding place between the rocks beneath the stove.
When Dave holds them out for his perusal, Jacob stares at the bright white spheres like a drowning man at a jet ski.
I clear my throat. “As you can see, we’ve got two Yang Pearls left, for two Yang people to level up with. That’s one for Kaitlynn, and one for you.”
Jacob stares at them for a moment longer, then licks his lips. “All right, I’m in. I’m all in. Just tell me what to do.”
“All right,” I say after Dave has squirrelled them away once more. “Take a look at this, and tell me if you’re familiar with Kaitlynn’s location. Suri, show him my map please.”
Jacob studies it. “Yeah, that’s their hideout, all right. I know that area like the back of my hand.”
I grin. “Perfect. Dave, time?”
“About three and a half hours left before Twinset.”
“Then let’s start planning. First, tell us all about the hideout, and the abilities of Bruce and his gang.”
Jacob nods. “All right, I’ll start with the location...”
Hidden between a couple of large leaves, one tree over from said location, I let out a low whistle. Their hideout is every bit as cool as Jacob described. Damnit.
It’s one of the enormous trees of Hub Two, but this one’s pretty dead. The most important clue is that the upper half of the tree snapped off at some point and now appears to be slowly sinking into the forest floor.
The lower half of the trunk still stands. About halfway up there’s a hollow, right above one of the few remaining branches. On that branch, guarding the entrance of Bruce’s hidey-hole, stands Sherlock, wielding a club.
But he’s only second on our hit list, because at the top stands that little Weasel that threw his shoes. His actual name is apparently ‘Wesley.’ Heh.
When I say ‘at the top,’ I mean that both figuratively and literally. He needs to be dealt with first, because he’s standing on top of the tree. Apparently, he takes most of t
he lookout duties, because he’s a huge suck-up and likes to chuck rocks at people from high places. Looks like he upgraded from throwing shoes, at least. He even made a slingshot to launch jicca nuts and small rocks with.
As expected, he’s currently on duty. Which suits our purposes just fine.
Less suited is the fact that our enemies have covered themselves in rudimentary armour: thin pieces of bark, strapped to their clothing with vines. No helmets at least, though.
So far, I’ve managed to stave off most of my worry by keeping busy and focusing on what to do next. Now that we’re this close, though, it’s hard to ignore how my stomach is completely tied up in knots. If these bastards harmed even one hair on her body...
Well, it wouldn’t change much, actually.
We didn’t come here to play nice.
I carefully sneak back around the trunk and look at my rag-tag team.
“All right, this is it,” I whisper. “Death or Kaitlynn. Everybody, move to your positions.”
“Hey, Bruce,” Jacob yells angrily as he comes bursting through the underbrush on the ground. “Guess what? I’ve been talking to the council, and I’ve decided I want my pearl back!”
Despite the effort he seems to be putting in projecting his voice, it’s soft as a whisper by the time it reaches my and Alec’s hiding spot behind their hideout. Like I’d suspected for a while now, it really seems like sound doesn’t carry as far in this dimension as we’re used to.
That, too, suits our purposes nicely.
Unfortunately, I can’t see everything that’s going on from where Alec and I are holed up right now. We’re hidden among the leaves on a tree, behind their hideout but at about the same height as its entrance. The upside is that from here we have a clear path via connecting branches towards the back of their dead tree.
But first up is Dave. Just for the occasion, he fashioned a kind of club by cutting a semicircle out of the side of a sturdy stick and gluing in a rock. Spears aren’t the most suited weapons to stealthily incapacitate people with.
