by J M Hamm
“Old friends, the oldest really.”
“One of my men remembers meeting them in North Charleston, apparently they were heading up north to the Naval Weapons Station. Supposedly some survivors are there, but we haven’t had any contact.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Can I speak to him? The man who told you about them?”
She gave a slight nod, just a single drop of her chin. “Sure, I’ll have him find you later. You’ll be in your room, correct?”
The last bit didn’t seem like a question.
“Of course,” I said.
I meant it this time. That didn’t mean I was planning on sleeping.
Chapter Sixteen: Revelations
My back rested against the dull grey walls of my tiny room. Bands of blue energy that had been shaped into spirals and rotating helixes floated around my outstretched hand. I was beginning to feel the strain; my hand began to shake, and I felt a dull ache behind my eyes. The glowing blue shapes spiraled faster, continuing to gain speed as I fought to keep them steady. They collided, unraveling into translucent threads that quickly decayed into evaporating dust.
I’d been able to hold onto the energy for nearly a minute. My best time yet.
“Yes,” I yelled.
I stood and walked around the room to work out the kinks in my legs and back. I wanted to jump and shout in excitement, but I didn’t want to give the guard outside my door anything to gossip about. Instead, I collapsed into my cot as a grin spread over my face.
It had taken me hours just to accomplish this much. Simply activating Mana Manipulation had seemed impossible at first and I had almost given up before thinking to use a spell. What better way to observe mana than to cast a spell? I chose to use Arcane Shield, slowly trying to grasp the mana that bled from the shield like heat from a generator. It took me several minutes, and most of my mana, but I was able to draw the energy into my hands as thin, wispy tendrils.
I hadn’t found any practical use for the skill. The floating light show was immaterial and would be useless in combat. It might be good for parties, I thought. Still, I suspected that with practice its uses would be limitless. I could create spells or alter existing ones. Perhaps, I would even be able to create magical constructs on a whim.
Like with most skills, the first two levels of Mana Manipulation had come fast. Not only had it become easier to shape mana, but I had also noticed an increased ability to ‘see’ the energy. I had been able to feel mana even before gaining Mana Manipulation, but it had never been physically visible. It had been more like a muscle that gradually grew fatigued as I cast spells. Now, I could see the energy as a glowing pool in my chest. Streams of blue that formed into quickly changing runes would flow into my hands as I cast spells.
Everyone I saw had a faint blue haze around them. A few had auras of black and red. My own aura was sapphire blue with a vortex of crimson at the center. The red was so dark it looked almost black.
I could still feel the mana within me, but it was faint. It grew stronger slowly, and I could feel as the energy around me slowly filtered into the pool. I tried to speed up this process by grasping the ambient energy, but it was too thin and wild to be held. This ambient energy didn’t quite feel like mana, as if some force were changing the energy before I was able to utilize it.
Despite my fatigue, I was unable to sleep. My mind raced with possibilities as I came up with new, and increasingly outlandish ways, to practice and use the new skill. It was difficult to put these daydreams away, but I was able to turn my attention to my stats and other skills.
The two points in Eldritch Manipulation combined with the points I had gained in Mana Manipulation to give me a grand total of ten FP. I stared greedily at the number before opening my Feat Store. I was already most of the way towards completing Inspiration, so I began spending the points, one by one.
I had been subconsciously putting off purchasing the feat. I knew it made no sense, and that I was only delaying out of fear of being disappointed. The truth is, without life and death challenges I am a legendary procrastinator. I hesitated only for the briefest of moments before I spent the final point.
Inspiration ® - You have peered into the secrets of the universe seeking hidden, esoteric truths. Witnessing these truths has increased your intellect by two. Additionally, in a moment of inspiration, you have taken hold of hidden knowledge of great power. Ancient knowledge contains secrets of power long lost to modern ages, but so too does knowledge of self hold great value. It is up to the seeker to decide what path to pursue.
Do you pursue knowledge long thought lost, or do your studies delve inward?
Again, the system hit me with a knowledge wall. If I had examples to follow I could know the results of each choice. I suspected that the results would be different each time, but I had no way to be sure. Even if the results were random, I could have searched for patterns to find the option that gave the greatest return on average or produced the greatest number of highly ranked skills or feats.
For the first time, I regretted not staying with the Peacekeepers. They had all been reluctant to give me specific build advice, but surely, the archmage would have guided me had I accepted her offer. What else was the point of an apprenticeship than to learn from and avoid the mistakes of previous generations?
No, if I had stayed then I wouldn’t now have a lead on where to find Troy and Liv. I would probably still be dealing with the corruption eating away at my memories or be constantly looking over my shoulder wondering what Sebbit would do if he discovered that I had lied to him. I wouldn't worry about past mistakes. My only choice was to move forward.
Often the worst choice is not making one at all.
The options before me seemed overwhelming, and yet my previous indecision was lost. Something about the wording of the feat caused me to think that self-knowledge was the better choice. The ‘lost knowledge’ part also made me pause. If it was so powerful, wouldn’t it have been recorded? The construction of an atomic bomb was controlled and highly secret information, sure, but once it was proliferated it had become near impossible for that knowledge to be lost.
Then again, who knew what civilizations and magic existed in the universe? It was much larger and more mysterious than it had seemed only a few weeks ago.
I made my choice.
Your inward journey has focused on the mysteries of the mind. You have plumbed its hidden depths and found the darkness that resides within. The origin of this darkness is external and obscure, and yet it has become a part of you. By gaining knowledge of this darkness you have obtained a semblance of control over it. Beware its influence over you lest the servant becomes the master.
That was ominous, I thought.
Congratulations! You have gained a new feat(s).
Dark Companion Ⓛ - The dark companion that has haunted your dreams can now take material form. You control the timing and dismissal of this materialization, but not the actions of the companion while it is summoned. Your connection to the eldritch energies flows into you through this connection. The dark companion may also advise you or aid you in combat but beware that no power comes without cost.
Well … shit. That was even more ominous.
Just what did I have living inside my head? I considered summoning this Dark Companion to find out, but I wasn’t ready to face it, especially if it was the creature from my dreams. I didn’t have the mental energy to deal with its riddles or strange way of speaking.
I shook my head and looked back at my stats. I still had four FP to spend. The first thing I noticed upon opening the Feat Store was that inspiration was once again available, this time listed as Inspiration II (0/50). I briefly considering spending my points on Inspiration’s second level, but I decided I was better served by choosing something with more immediate benefits.
I opened the feat store, looking for how best to spend my four remaining points.
Hedge Mage (0/6), Warrior (0/3), Autodidact (0/4), Acrobat (0/3), Inspiration II (0/50
), Swordsman (0/4), Staff Defense (0/4), Sniper (0/4)
Hedge Mage was interesting but too expensive. I also immediately ruled out Swordsman and Sniper. In the end, it was down to Autodidact and Staff Defense. My finger hovered over Autodidact, it felt right, and the skill certainly fit into my intellect focused build.
My finger was halfway toward the screen when I heard a knock on the door. I sighed and dismissed the displays. It was probably better to sleep on the decision.
“Come in,” I said.
A man in camouflage pants and a tan sleeveless shirt opened the door. He squeezed himself into the room but had to press himself against the wall just to close the door.
“Hey,” he said. “I’m Millard, Pat sent me. Said you’d be expecting me.”
“Right, she told you to check up on me too. Didn’t she?”
“You’re not wrong, but that’s not really why I’m here.” Millard looked around, he crossed and uncrossed his arms several times before leaving them at his sides. “Your friends helped me out of a tight bind. I owe ‘em.”
“You met Liv and Troy? Where? Are they Okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, I met ‘em and they were fine last time I saw ‘em.”
“Oh, thank God,” I sighed. “Where were they?”
“North Charleston, a bunch of us had been hiding out in the Northwoods Mall. Some bug things got in, started chasing us. Killed almost all of us. I managed to escape but they were chasing me when that girl, no shit, comes out of now where and splatters ‘em all over the sidewalk.”
“Liv saved you from monsters? Liv?”
“Not just me, a bunch of folks. She had ‘em packed like sardines into the back of that truck. Said they were heading up to the base in Goose Creek. Troy, I think that was him, Liv’s guy, right?” Millard waited for my nod before continuing. “Yeah, he was running around blasting this hand cannon, must have killed six or seven of those crawling bastards.”
“You didn’t go with them?”
“They offered, a bit too pushy to be honest. I got family here, though,” he sighed. “I didn’t get to them in time.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me too.” We sat like that for a while, no more words needed to be said.
“Listen,” Millard said. “A few boys I know have this killer hooch. Maybe a little smoke, some guitar. Care to join us?”
I smiled. A distraction was just what I needed.
Chapter Seventeen: Night into Day
I stood across from Tiller. My arms were outstretched as power crackled between my fingers. He stood in front of a lowering sun, his gun held at the ready. I narrowed my eyes, waiting for the attack.
“Again!”
A cascade of Arcane Missiles launched from my fingers, falling around Tiller like a meteor shower. The missiles were widely spaced and yet each would curve towards their target before impact. They would even follow him for short distances. This made the attack almost impossible to dodge at close range.
Just as the projectiles were about to strike, Tiller dropped down before launching himself into a backflip. The missiles collided with the platform, sending up a cloud of pulverized concrete. Well, they were difficult to dodge unless you were some kind of precog ninja like Tiller.
I lost track of Tiller as he faded into the cloud of debris.
I heard gunfire. Something hard collided with my chest, pushing me backward. Then again. Three more times, a glowing stream of light collided with my Arcane Shield. My mana was getting dangerously low. A few more shots and not only would my defense be gone, but I’d also have no mana left for offense.
Blue sparks exploded from my shield as winding fissures appeared in the thin membrane. I smiled. I had him now. Tiller thought I couldn’t see him through the cloud of grey dust. He had no way to know that I was able to see the mana that flowed through his hands just before that last shot.
I waited. I just had to time it right. There! A faint spark of blue light signaled when and where the attack was coming from. I charged directly towards it, activating Staff Defense. I spun my weapon in front off me, completely failing to deflect the bullet. It didn’t matter, I had timed the skill just right to absorb almost all of the damage.
I swung, and my staff cut through the empty air. Tiller was just above me, I could see the glow of his gun as it prepared to fire at my exposed head. Gotcha. I cast a single Arcane Bolt which was followed by a loud grunt as the bolt struck Tiller’s stomach. He crashed into the cracked pavement, gasping for breath as he desperately tried to refill his lungs.
“You doing alright there, old man?” I yelled.
“I seem to remember landing more shots than you did.” He said, pausing between words as he struggled to breathe. “And I’m two years older than you, tops.”
“I just needed to hit you once,” I reached down to offer him my hand. “Besides two years might as well be —"
“Enough! Both of you should save your breath.”
Catayla sat on a railing, one leg hanging loosely over the edge while the other was pulled up to her chest. It looked as if like any casual movement could send her toppling over the rail and into the rocky water below. She was framed by a crimson sun setting beneath fiery orange clouds.
When Tiller and I had approached Catayla for tips on how to increase our skills we had been surprised when she had insisted on training us herself. That was three days ago. Three days of twelve-hour training sessions under a grueling tyrant. If we weren’t sparring with each other, we spent every minute of that time engaging in calisthenics that I was sure could double as “enhanced” interrogation methods.
“Foundation.” She had called it. “If your body isn’t fit, all the stamina in the world won’t stop you from collapsing from exhaustion halfway through a fight.”
She had claimed stats were more, or less, effective depending on the natural abilities of the user. Fights between warriors of equal stats and skill levels were often one-sided if one combatant had failed to temper their “foundation.” Or so Catayla claimed. The sheer joy she seemed to take in our torment made me somewhat skeptical.
Whatever her motive, I thought, her training has sure as hell been effective.
I helped Tiller to his feet and I couldn’t help but wonder at how much stronger I felt despite having received no recent boost to Might. It seemed that natural gains from good old-fashioned exercise were not additive, but multiplicative with the two points of Might I had gained from Mind Over Body.
Tiller was still breathing heavily but seemed to have mostly recovered by the time he reached his feet. It wasn’t the first time I had knocked the breath out of him. He may have gotten me back once or twice, as well.
“Good,” Catayla said. “Tiller you’ve already got a solid grasp on how to lead your shots but try aiming a little lower when your opponent is evading. The concussive effect of your shots can trip them up even on a miss.”
With a twist, she launched herself from her perch before landing a perfect flip right in front of me. Her eyes regarded me coldly.
“Finn, you still need to put in more effort. Never stop moving against an opponent like Tiller. His ranged attacks are quicker than yours and they interrupt your casting, but you refused to close the gap until the last minute. Take him up close and you neutralize one of his only advantages against you.”
We both nodded and walked back to the center of the platform. Tiller took the time to reload his weapon as I cracked my knuckles and shook my sore limbs. I downed a small vial of blue liquid and felt a small portion of my mana begin to regenerate. I smiled and locked eyes with Tiller, waiting for the signal.
“Again.”
Tiller was instantly moving.
He ran to the side, his revolver firing out constantly. Several shots exploded into blue sparks as they collided with my shield.
I activated Staff Defense just as he fired another shot and I almost cheered in joy as a glowing blue bullet was deflected by my staff. Two more shots exploded just over my chest,
creating a branching network of white cracks in the glowing blue membrane.
Already, I could see Tiller’s gun preparing to shoot. I fell into a roll, just as a bullet tore through concrete creating a shower of debris where my feet had just been. The blast knocked me to the side, but I kept my balance and began charging towards Tiller once more. I cast Arcane Missile twice, forcing Tiller to dodge. This bought me time to close the distance and slightly slowed down his relentless onslaught of bullets.
By now, Tiller’s gun should be empty. Any shots he fired after that point would be made from pure mana. They still packed a punch but didn’t have the stopping power of the real thing. If I kept him moving, he’d never have time to reload. I just had to find a way to turn that to my advantage.
I continued my charge but slowed down slightly as I began to cast Arcane Missile. It was a mistake I had made repeatedly during our early spars, and Tiller reflexively reacted. I sped up and fell into a forward rolled. I dismissed my shield at the same moment gathering what mana I could from the dissipating spell into a sphere in my right hand. Tiller had anticipated a slower speed, and his bullets fell behind me.
He was already matching my movements, firing another shot. I stopped completely, throwing my staff like a javelin, just as the ground exploded in front of me. Tiller effortless spun out of the way using an impressive pirouette. He ended the turn with his gun leveled at my chest. Rather than dodge, I released the mana in my hand into a brilliant flash of light. Two shots collided with my chest. I coughed and gasped as I desperately tried to suck in a breath. My entire chest felt like it was on fire.
I ignored it. A half dozen Arcane Missiles sprung from my fingers and flew towards Tiller. My mana was finally exhausted. My entire body felt slow and there was building pressure behind my eyes.
Even half-blind, Tiller managed an impressive display of evading the tiny orbs of arcane energy. He spun and slid as they flew over his head, but he didn’t dodge them all. A missile struck him in the left thigh causing him to stumble during a flip. He fell to the ground just as the final projectile struck him in the chest.
