by Ryan DeBruyn
The next few hours of the night were spent in this pattern, with Sela standing as a mirror to his actions. At times, she would call a stop and point out a flaw in a foot placement or wrist angle and force them both to restart. At first, the errors were always his, but as the fatigue increased, she began to make a few mistakes herself, which had the same result of restarting the kata.
It may have gone on until the boys awoke, but eyes widening, Rocky began to notice a brightening to the night earlier than his well-tuned internal clock had expected. Looking back and forth during a brief reprieve, he realized the canopy had begun glowing blue, and when he looked out to the river, he was greeted by a familiar, increasing, swirling, blue illumination.
“What the fudge nugget?” Rocky said out loud as Sela and he stepped to the side of the lake together and gazed up at the cyan wave speeding towards earth.
“Seti’s lazy eye! Is that Ether?” Sela had time to ask before the wave crashed over the planet and brought the two screaming to their knees.
The noises that came from mouths were not under the control of anyone on the planet as the level of Ether was drastically increased in the blink of an eye. It felt like every muscle, every organ, every hair follicle, and every skin cell were being roasted over a fire as Rocky rolled on the river bank in pain. Creatures thrashed in the water, and trees groaned in the forest as they were force-fed the roiling energy.
The sun was coming up when through the haze of pain Rocky finally managed to force himself into a meditative sitting position. Trying to distance his mind, he began attempting to enter a state where the pain would be a secondary thought. It took him numerous tries before he finally felt himself slip into the proper headspace the samurai scroll knowledge had hinted at.
Once he had entered this state, he was able to perceive what was happening around him. Every living thing was having unstable Ether shoved into it. This made sapient creatures like him and Sela feel excruciating pain, but he could feel that sentient animals from the lake began to warp and change. Then there were the trees that creaked and inflated, growing ever larger at a disturbingly rapid pace.
Rocky turned his mind inward to look at the Ether which was entering his body through his skin. He had noticed early on that his body did this to a much lesser extent every moment as he interacted with the ambient force around him. Now, however, it was like the equilibrium was broken and due to the pressure of the external ambient Ether, it was entering his body and every living thing around them at a frantic rate.
This, of course, meant that bodies and structures that were not capable of handling this level of Ether were struggling to filter the amounts they were being subjected to. Rocky watched the path of the Ether through his skin, muscle, organs, and bones before the blue energy left his aura to rejoin the environment, somehow purer.
Grunting, Rocky decided he would try to control the flow of Ether to lower his pain. He stumbled along like a newborn giraffe attempting its first steps, often causing himself more pain with a groan before learning to lessen it. That was when he realized the energy could be directed through the cytoplasm of cells in his body instead of just around and through cracks between them.
This push through the cytoplasm of cells allowed Rocky to slow the speed at which the Ether flowed but also allowed his mind to focus ever deeper, reducing the pain further. It wasn’t long before he further realized that he could trace out paths through his cells that were not a straight line. Instead of the Ether flowing into and back out of him like a conduit, he forced the Ether to travel along arteries and veins within his body, taking a path he prescribed for it.
The next discovery he made was where his personal Dark Ether pool resided inside of his body. The personal Ether pool wasn’t in one place but, instead, was spread out through all the organs of his chest. Since the arteries and veins entered and exited each of these organs, he unintentionally connected these new pathways through his personal pool which was dragged along. Terrifyingly, it was now flowing throughout his entire body instead of coagulating in one area.
The wild Ether coming into contact with his personal Dark Ether created a further filtering effect and slowed it leaving his body even more. By the time Rocky opened his eyes and could actually see the world, most of the Ether had begun to calm, as it forced evolutions of sentients and was forcibly filtered through sapients.
Checking on Sela who had passed out from the pain and the boys in the cave were the same, Rocky grimaced and chose to place Sela with them in the cave as he checked his notifications.
Code Yellow
You have entered a zone where Ether is far too concentrated for your level. Please consider turning back. Warning code yellow per Statutes of Atlantis.
Code Orange
You have entered a zone where the Ether is unstable, and monster evolution and warping is likely to occur. We would advise you to flee. Warning code orange per Statutes of Atlantis.
Code Red
You have entered a zone where the Ether is actively changing the landscape, vegetation, and creatures. Activate your beacon of disaster and begin to flee in whatever direction seems safest to you. Good luck… Warning code Red per Statutes of Atlantis.
Congratulations! You have learned a new skill, Meditation.
Current rank Weak-Meditator Level 1
This skill allows you to enter a meditative state which will enable you to solve problems, gain techniques, and learn faster. Weak skill will increase learning at half a percentage point per skill level.
Congratulations! You have learned a new skill, Trance Meditation.
Congratulations! You have evolved a skill. Meditation has become Trance Meditation!
Current rank Weak-Trance Level 1
This skill allows you to meditate while in a trance-like state, ignoring pain to a degree equal to fifty plus two percent per skill level at weak rank.
In addition, you can use the original meditate skill.
Congratulations! You have learned a new skill, Internal Ether Manipulation.
Current rank Weak-Manipulator Level 1
This skill will allow you to form spells faster based off of your skill level. Weak rank will increase casting speed by half a percentage point per level of the skill.
Congratulations! You have learned a new skill, Ether Channels.
Current rank Apprentice-Channeler Level 1
This skill allows you to increase the amount of Ether in your body at all times.
At weak rank, each rank of this skill will increase your Ether regeneration by one point per skill level. Each rank of this skill will increase Etherience awarded due to increase filtering capacity by one point per skill level.
Rockland Barkclay Level 19
Class: Apprentice-Dark (Azrael) Revenant,
Level 1 Strategist
Class skills: Dark Blade, Dark Mend, Soul Blade, Dark Cloak
Health Points = 210/210 Points
Dark Ether Pool = 190/190 Points
You have 2 stat points and 2 skill points to distribute.
Stamina
*21* (Strength of Body)
Strength
29 (Strength of Arms x 2)
Agility
35 (Speed of Arms)
Dexterity
28
Intelligence
19
Wisdom
25
Charisma
27
Luck
7
Weak Level Skills
Non-Class Combat Skills
Stealth 21 (+13)
Swordsmanship 21 (+9)
Combatant 12 (+5)
Ether Manipulation 8 (+7)
Ether Channels 8 (+7)
Common Skills
Sneak 26 (+2) *Rank up?*
Endurance 20 (+5)
Perception 21 (+6)
Camouflage 7 (+4)
Tracking 12 (+11)
Trance Meditation 10 (+9)
Barter 5 (+4)
Analyze 28 (+12) *Rank up
?*
Profession Skills
Herbalist 14 (+13)
Skinning 17 (+4)
Butcher 17 (+4)
Cook 2 (+1)
Miner 1
Actor 5 (+4)
Trade 5 (+4)
Congratulations! You have ranked up an existing skill, Analyze.
Current rank Moderate-Analyze Level 1
Weak
By studying, items, monsters, plants, and other objects in your surroundings you will be able to see information previously hidden. At weak rank, you will be able to see two pieces of information, increase your rank to discover more.
Moderate
For each level in Analyze, you have a 2% chance to uncover an additional piece of information on your target.
Congratulations! You have ranked up an existing skill, Sneak.
Current rank Moderate-Sneak Level 1
Weak
Sneak will help you gain knowledge of the techniques of muting the sound you make when moving and hiding. Each level of Sneak will passively decrease the noise you cause by 1%. Base 15%
Moderate
Increases your ability to detect others in sneak. Each level of Sneak will passively increase your chance of hearing others by 1%.
Symbiosis
Stealth – 2% Reduction of Ether cost per Level of Sneak. Base of 25% for Moderate rank.
The two skill rank ups were amazing, and he wondered at what point they were available to increase. They were both above level twenty-six, but Rocky realized he hadn’t looked at them in a few days. He would have to keep a closer eye on skills in the future to discover exactly when they allowed rank ups.
The warnings made Rocky’s blood turn to ice in his veins as he recalled the initial days after the first Ether wave, and he shivered at the implications. It would seem that the world had just been hit with a second wave of Ether.
Would that even be the last one?
Chapter Thirty
It was around midday when everyone else finally woke up. It was extremely disconcerting to see people act so differently about a situation. The children who had been sleeping still when the wave hit didn’t even remember anything strange. Sela, on the other hand, had become somewhat manic, pacing around and muttering to herself.
When Rocky had finally gotten her to sit down and talk to him, the nerves went from physical action to her words. It was like listening to an auctioneer at times with the speed at which she was speaking, and at others, she would just fade out, leaving a sentence unfinished. After a half hour, she did calm enough that sense could be made of her still machine gun sentences.
“Ether waves are not supposed to act like that. That was like a tsunami compared to the pond ripples I am used to experiencing.” Putting that sentence together with some of her other ramblings, Rocky gathered that Ether could concentrate in areas. This would create something akin to oceanic currents, tides, waves, and other phenomena.
Jason, Oliver, and Alex had begun cooking once it was clear that they couldn’t do anything to help. The boys didn’t even seem phased by the revelations Sela brought up. Rocky looked at them and their reaction and shrugged. If you are in the middle of an apocalypse, you don’t worry about the second one. The tentacle that broke the surface of the lake and splashed back below the surface made Rocky jump.
Rocky tried to interrupt Sela and tell her about his new skills because he wanted to attempt to teach them to the rest of the group, but she didn’t seem to hear him. A moment later, she started back up again.
“This Ether Draught that Gaia experienced must be due to a spell, but no spell I have ever heard of could be capable of something like this. Maybe this is something else? If it was a natural drought, it shouldn’t have lasted as long as it did. Come on, Sela, think!”
Even though Sela was making more coherent sense now, she apparently wasn’t talking to anyone in the group. Rocky supposed that this was because nobody in the group had an inkling of the problems that these Ether waves represented. The entire planet besides her was completely illiterate in their understanding of the Etherverse.
Deciding to try a different tactic, Rocky walked over and stood in the line of Sela’s most recent pacing. At first, it seemed that she would just run right into the large man, but at the last second, she came to a stuttering stop. Her head jerked up, not understanding what obstacle had been placed in front of her.
When her eyes met Rocky’s, he could see unshed tears and a hysteria he never would have associated with the woman. Out of pure instinct, he reached out and pulled her into a hug. At first, Sela stiffened at the contact, but after a brief pause, Rocky felt her start to shake.
The tremors started small but soon grew to something akin to a constant jarring motion. The sobbing that followed had Rocky feeling slightly uncomfortable, and even the boys who had just met her turned to look at the scene with concern. When Sela did finally return the hug, it was fierce, seeming to almost be desperately questing for an anchor in a storm.
In his arms, Rocky held a brilliant, strong, and powerful woman and acknowledged that her fears scared him. At that moment, he nearly broke down as well, the only thing that stopped him from sitting down and giving up was a mantra he lived by during sports.
No excuses. No apologies. No regrets. Just actions!
Rocky repeated this mantra over and over again in his head until he felt his heart slow its furious pace and Sela’s form stopped shaking. Finally releasing the woman, he looked into her eyes again and saw the woman he recognized staring back at him, back in full control. Smiling, he nodded and then said, “I don’t know the first thing about what could be occurring, but I think we should sit down and eat.”
A slight smile crossed her beautiful face, catching his heart momentarily in a stuttering beat before she whispered in a raspy, cried out voice, “Okay.”
Surprisingly, Oliver spoke next. His eyes set on the firepit, feeling uncomfortable but needing to say his peace. “I think we need to worry about the people of Ottawa and your Territory. What is going to happen to people who haven’t leveled sufficiently? According to the notifications, every monster has grown in strength! What is going to happen when those military weapons that have been held in reserve are less effective? The immediate repercussions of this event are something we can mitigate.”
Looking around, Rocky saw the same look mirrored on everyone’s faces—wide, unfocused eyes and head tilted away from Oliver as if stunned by the insights the boy provided. Rocky, who had seen the boy’s logical thought process in action multiple times, just nodded his head.
This one event would give the dictator Corsair the opportunity to allow the survivors to slowly die in more dangerous monster hunts. It may even see monsters move back into previously claimed safe zones, which would threaten the lives of the militia guards who protected the city. In turn, whittling down the good in the militia and bolstering Corsair’s ranks.
In a flash of sudden worry, Rocky considered the missing member of his original trio. Where is Azoth? Would he be regarded as sapient or sentient during what occurred? Sela had earlier mentioned he couldn’t fly, so would he be stuck out in the open, exposed to evolved monsters?
“Sela, is Azoth going to be okay?” Rocky voiced, frowning, concern tinting his voice. He finished the statement with a glance at his female companion.
Sela looked up at the sky briefly then looked at Rocky before she grimaced, “Honestly, I am not worried about Azoth. He may be young, but he is probably going to be fine. Monsters normally get stronger due to higher Ether. Even if he doesn’t, he has grown a lot.
The real issue is for me and flying back to the Territory. I was bigger than most avian mobs on my trip over here, so I wasn’t harassed much. Anything bigger than me, I normally saw from a long way out. However, this might change that equilibrium. Maybe if I leave soon, they will still be adjusting to their new size?”
Rocky’s eyes unfocused as he sunk into himself, considering his next actions and dreading the answer he
felt to be inevitable. If the situation in Ottawa were different, Rocky would have rushed back to Algonquin Valley because he now was fairly certain his family was not in the city. The priority now would be creating something that would draw groups of survivors to him.
Unfortunately, if he left Corsair in Ottawa, Rocky worried that one day, his Territory may be threatened by Corsair’s regime. On top of that, the amount of death the dictator could cause to the innocent didn’t sit well with Rocky. His emotions roiling, he considered his options for dealing with the problem at hand and was forced to admit what he had already concluded.
The best solution to the issue was to assassinate Corsair. Rocky had been planning to do it anyway at level twenty, but if he was honest, that was an avoidance tactic. The next few moments, the group sat in silence while he hardened his resolve.
They needed to act fast to save as many lives as possible, so after a brief pause, Rocky said, “Sela, I think we need a change of plans from this morning. I need you to go back to the Territory sooner if possible. Drop off the weapons and gear we purchased for them. I know the settlement mentioned it had the effect of stabilizing Ether flows which should give them quite a bit of protection, but I would feel better knowing they were equipped with the best we could offer.
After you drop everything off, I want you to set everything up as best you can while a bird or if you have to use an additional Vial of Gambler Charge, but arrive back here before midnight.
“Okay? What are you going to be doing?” Sela retorted, looking at Rocky askance and getting a feeling of resolve out of his words. It was as if he had left something unsaid. It was confirmed a moment later when he glanced at the children and then back to Sela.
Rocky shook his head before he merely stated in an emotionless whisper, “Planning something that must be done.”
