The sorceress’ pulse slowed a little. It was faster than normal, but much slower than it had been.
Richard envisioned a camping mattress and sleeping bag. He pulled them out of his pack. Since Nickelo had implied old twentieth century and twenty-first century Earth gear was cheap on Power, Richard figured it was best to use the older gear to save Power. Because his stealth shield was using more Power than he could regenerate, Richard knew he had to be frugal with his Power.
Once Richard had a semi-comfortable bed made, he placed a sheet over the sorceress and removed her clothing. He then filled a basin with warm water from the canteen. While the idea of the pack and canteen had seemed implausible, Richard had come to accept their capabilities as givens. They were life savers at the moment.
Being as discreet as possible, he cleaned the worst of the blood and gore off the sorceress and placed her on the makeshift bed. He then took care of his own body’s needs. Although Nickelo protested to no end, Richard removed his battle suit and put on a pair of jeans and a pullover shirt. The battle suit had kept him alive, but it definitely wasn’t built for comfort. Richard was relieved to finally get out of its confinement.
With a little experimentation, Richard found he could summon all sorts of camping gear from the pack. Before long, he had a nice little campsite made up, and he was soon cooking a pot of stew on a propane camp stove.
I feel like one of the old timers on a camping trip, Richard told Nickelo. By the way, where does this stuff come from, and how much is there?
I don’t know, Rick.
Guess, Richard said.
I’m a computer, said Nickelo in a tone that indicated he was insulted. I don’t guess. But since you insist, I’d say there’s a twenty-two percent chance some type of teleport system is set up at a central warehouse somewhere. How much gear is there, I can’t say. But, considering the credits that have been spent on you already, I’d say the amount of gear is extensive. After all, whoever is doing this created fifty-five battle helmets designed to only work with me. The cost of that alone would be astronomical. I’d say the cost of a few thousand sets of camping gear would pale in insignificance compared to that. Besides, it doesn’t have to be a one-time shot for each piece of equipment. If you send the stuff back through the pack when you’re done with it, logically, it should be able to be used again. That’s just my opinion.
Makes sense to me, Nick. Also, you said I could summon anything I could imagine out of my pack if I had the Power. Don’t you mean, I can summon anything someone thought to store in your hypothetical warehouse?
That sounds logical, Rick. Are you sure you’re not part computer?
Chapter 19 – The Spheres
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The days passed slowly. Things got a little hectic when Nickelo pointed out the sorceress needed food and water. Since she was paralyzed, she could not swallow. Eventually, Nickelo volunteered to help Richard set up a medical band on the sorceress’ arm. Nickelo told Richard a medical band was the modern version of a twenty-first century I.V. While the old I.V. would have cost less Power to summon, Nickelo had advised against exciting the sorceress by sticking needles in her. Therefore, Richard ate the Power cost and summoned a medical band. Once the medical band was in place, Richard only had to change out the liquid and nutrients’ bag twice a day to insure the sorceress would not dehydrate or starve.
On the third day, Nickelo made an announcement to Richard. You know, Rick, I believe it would be safe for you to reduce your stealth shield from your highest to your lowest level. This room has an even better stealth shield than you can ever hope to create. I’ve been monitoring the room’s shield for leaks the last two days. I see no reason to think it won’t shield you as well as it has shielded that sphere over the last who knows how many years.
I don’t know, Nick, Richard said unconvinced. The demon’s threats were still fresh in his memory. Richard hated to admit it even to himself, but he was worried. He had no desire to let a demon get its hands on him. If that meant hiding behind his stealth shield for the rest of his life, then so be it.
Well, let me put it this way, Rick, said Nickelo in a tone similar to the one teachers at his orphanage had used when lecturing him. You’re down to less than fifty percent Power in your reserve now. We still have several days before the sorceress will be able to walk on her own. When we try to leave this place, we’re probably going to have to fight our way out. Your normal recharge rate on your Power reserve is about one percent every fifteen minutes. That means you could normally completely refill your Power reserve in a single day. That’s assuming you aren’t using any Power at the same time. Your best stealth shield uses slightly more than one percent of your Power every fifteen minutes. Not much more, but enough to insure your Power reserve cannot be replenished. If your stealth shield was the only draw on your Power reserve, it could probably last for about a year before you ran out of Power. But it’s not the only draw. We’ve been using your Power for scans and to summon items. Get the picture?
Richard got the picture, but he didn’t like it. You’re saying I’m going to run out of Power before we get out of this place if I don’t allow my Power reserve to recharge.
Bingo! said Nickelo. Give the cadet a cigar.
Richard wasn’t sure what a bingo was. Maybe it was some kind of animal, but he had heard of a cigar. What it had to do with their current situation, he had no idea. But, just the short association with his battle computer had convinced him that sometimes it was best not to ask.
Nick, can I be honest with you?
Nickelo appeared to get serious, because the levity was gone from his voice when he said, I wish you would, Rick. We can’t help each other if we’re not honest.
Well, Richard began, until three days ago demons were just something in old fantasy books. They were make-believe creatures in scary stories older children in the orphanage told to frighten the younger kids. But now, I’ve seen an actual demon. It’s real, and it’s sworn to hunt me down and rip me apart one slow piece at a time. On top of that, I’ve found out zombies, ghouls, and magic-using sorceresses exist. During my time in marine recon, I have dropped behind enemy lines, faced a charging line of plasma-firing armored vehicles, and even withstood a strafing bombardment from an enemy starship. But this time I’m out of my league, Nick.
Richard halfway expected his battle computer to crack a joke, but he didn’t. He replied in a serious voice, There’s actually quite a bit of information in my databanks about demons, so we won’t be making decisions completely in the blind. The sorceress was holding her own against the demon for a while, so that demon is a mid-level demon at best. I don’t think it’s all powerful or all knowing. We just need to keep a low profile for a while. It will eventually have more important concerns than capturing a nondescript, wizard scout cadet.
What if it tracks us down before it loses interest? Richard said. What then?
Then we’ll fight it, Rick.
You told me I didn’t have the skills to fight it, Nick. You told me to run during the battle.
I’ll admit, said Nickelo, that you don’t have the skills to fight something as powerful as that demon right now. But that’s going to change, Rick. I’ll help you get trained. If I have my way, you’re going to be the toughest wizard scout to ever wear a golden dragon insignia. In the meantime, you need to trust me when I make recommendations. I’m not going to steer you wrong, Rick. Heck, I’m embedded in your battle helmet. Anything that happens to you is going to happen to me as well. You may think I’m a set of programming instructions in a piece of computer hardware. However, in my mind, I am a thinking being who does not want to be terminated.
Fine, Nick, Richard said reluctantly. But if that demon catches and kills me, I swear I’ll come back and haunt you.
Duly noted, Rick, said Nickelo. Now, do us both a favor and shift down to your lowest stealth shield so you can start recharging. I’d have you shut it down completely, but I don’t want you to take any u
ndue risks.
Richard muttered under his breath a little, but he complied with his battle computer’s request and shifted his stealth side down to its lowest level. Once completed, he informed Nickelo. Richard spent the next hour on pins and needles, but when no unexpected visitors appeared, he relaxed.
A few hours after he had changed to the lower-level stealth shield, Richard went to check on the sorceress to change her eye bandages. When he removed the bandages, he saw the sorceress blink her eyes. It was the first movement besides breathing he’d seen her make in three days.
“Great” Richard said. “Welcome back to the land of the living. Let’s see if we can set up some communication. If I ask a question, you can blink once for yes and twice for no. Okay.
One blink.
“Excellent” Richard said.
Richard had been unusually bored the last three days, so even a limited interaction with the sorceress was a useful distraction.
“Are you in pain?”
Two blinks.
“Good. Are you comfortable?”
Two blink.
“Okay,” Richard said, “stupid question. Of course you’re not comfortable. Can you swallow?”
Two blinks.
“No? Oh well, a little bit at a time. Maybe you can by tomorrow. Do you want me to put the bandage back on your eyes?”
Two blinks.
“I don’t blame you. I hate not being able to see. I’ve got the lantern turned down low, so hopefully the light won’t be too bad on your eyes. Are you bored?”
One blink.
“Of course, you are,” Richard said. “I would be too. In fact, I can move around, and I’m still bored. Would you like to hear a story?”
A short pause, then the elf gave one blink.
Nick, Richard said. Do you have any stories translated in her language that I can read to her?
I have lots of books in my databanks, Rick. I can translate any of them for you. How about a classic story from your home planet about a big white whale? It’s chased by a man who is obsessed with tracking it down and killing it? Kind of like you and the demon in reverse. Do you know the story?
No, Richard admitted. I didn’t read much fiction when I was growing up. Is the story any good?
A lot of people think so, said Nickelo, but you’ll have to judge for yourself. Put on your helmet, and I’ll send the translation to the heads-up display. You can read as long as you want.
Couldn’t you just read it to both of us, Richard said. We had a teacher in the orphanage that used to read to us. She was nice. I always liked to hear her read. But, don’t use my voice. That would be weird.
Richard put a stool a few feet from the sorceress’ bed and put his battle helmet on the stool. He then pulled his own stool next to the sorceress.
“My, err…, friend is going to read a story to us,” Richard told the sorceress. “I don’t know if you know what a computer is, but my friend is one. He lives in that helmet. He’s going to read to us. If you get tired and want him to stop, just blink your eyes a lot. I’ll know what that means.”
“Do you want to hear the story now?” Richard asked the sorceress.
One blink.
Okay, Nick. We’re ready. Fire away.
Sounds good, Rick. But if you get bored, just say the word, and I’ll stop reading.
Nickelo began reading in a voice that sounded amazingly like the way Richard imagined his battle computer’s voice would sound if he were human. It was an interesting voice, and from almost the first words, Richard was mesmerized by the story. He was not bored. Nickelo read for two hours straight before he paused.
“Rick,” said Nickelo over the battle helmet’s external speakers. “You should probably ask the sorceress if she wants me to stop.”
Richard looked at the sorceress and said, “How about it? Do you want my friend to stop reading?”
Two blinks.
Richard and the sorceress listened to Nickelo’s soothing voice for another two hours. Then Nickelo stopped and refused to read anymore until Richard and the sorceress got some rest.
Richard grumbled they weren’t tired, and that he didn’t think the sorceress was ready to stop either, but Nickelo was adamant. Finally, Richard capitulated. He placed a moistened bandage over the sorceress’ eyes, said goodnight, and they went to sleep.
The next day, the sorceress had improved enough that she was able to swallow. Richard removed the medical band on the sorceress’ arm. He helped her drink out of a cup with a straw. He also fed her a warm broth. Once they had eaten, Richard raised her into a sitting position with her back against the wall. He sat next to her on the bed and supported her with his arm. Then he asked Nickelo to continue with the story. Nickelo read for hours. The only break in reading was when the sorceress had him stop long enough for her to partake of a light lunch. Then Nickelo read into the late afternoon until the book was finished.
“That was a great book, Nick,” Richard said out loud for the sorceress’ benefit. “Thank you.”
The next day, the sorceress’ condition had improved enough that she could eat a small amount of solid food. She still couldn’t talk, but Richard figured it was only a matter of time. He told her as much. In the meantime, Richard got bored again. Richard knew he got bored easily. He was well aware it was one of his faults. He also knew his affinity for boredom was probably responsible for a lot of the trouble he had gotten into during his time at the orphanage.
Eventually, Richard eyed the sorceress’ gear. He had taken all the sorceress’ gear and accessories off her on the first day and cleaned them as best he could. Her wands, staff, jewelry, belt, dagger and pack were lined up on a nearby stone bench. Her robe was hanging from a line Richard had strung in the room to let it dry after he’d washed it.
Richard went to the bench and picked up each wand and the dagger in turn and studied them. After a short discussion with Nickelo, Richard did a narrow-band, active scan on each. Since he’d switched to the lowest-level stealth shield, his Power reserve was once again at a hundred percent, so even Nickelo didn’t complain about the Power usage.
What do you think the wands are, Nick? Richard silently asked his battle computer.
They’re spell storage devices, said Nickelo. Wizard scouts are able to manipulate their Power directly from their reserves. Magic users are different in that they have to convert the Power in their reserve to a usable form of energy for their spells. Most magic-using creatures do this by a combination of verbal and hand motions. To save time, they can store Power that has been pre-converted into spells in storage devices such as wands.
Is that what her rings and necklace are as well? Richard said.
Doubtful, Nickelo said. They seem to be storage devices for pure Power. They are sort of like having backup Power reserves. I noticed during our battle with the demon that the sorceress drew Power from her rings, necklace and staff to energize her defensive shield.
She definitely saved our lives with her shield, that’s for sure, Richard said. Once I’m trained, will my defensive shield be that powerful?
Ha! said Nickelo. You wish. Your Power reserve is too small. Since you can’t store excess Power in items, you have to make do with the Power in your reserve. You will never be able to stand toe to toe with a major demon and slug it out. The sorceress’ shield was pure, brute force. You have to learn finesse.
Lucky me, Richard said. What do you think is in her pack?
Why don’t you take a look and see? Nickelo said. I don’t think the sorceress is in a position to argue at the moment. But, we have a pretty good idea what two of the items are. You’ll need to put on your battle helmet with the visor down before looking in her pack.
Richard put on his battle helmet. He then picked up the sorceress’ pack and sat down on the bench next to her and said, “Do you mind if I look in your pack?”
One blink.
“Do you mean yes it is okay for me to look in the pack?”
Two hard blinks.
A series of two blinks.
You’re mean, Rick, Nickelo said with a laugh. I’ll have to remember that one.
I have my moments, Richard said.
He lowered his visor and opened the pack. Two leather bags in the shape of spheres were on top.
“Hmm. What do we have here?” Richard said innocently.
Richard heard a gurgling sound from the sorceress as she strained to speak. He saw her eyes blinking wildly. He pretended not to notice. Pulling out one of the leather bags, he started to open it. He stopped before he got it open. A thought had come to him.
Richard said to Nickelo privately, You know, Nick, maybe I should put on my battle suit and activate the override. That other sphere had me in a trance when I looked at it. I’d have been in a bad position if you hadn’t been able to take control of the suit and get me out of trouble.
Rick, said Nickelo in a strange tone, do you know how rare you are?
Richard didn’t understand what his battle computer meant. He admitted as much.
Nickelo said, Your battle suit’s override was designed for emergencies. Few wizard scouts trust their battle computers enough to use the suit’s override except in the direst of situations. Some wizard scouts would probably not use the override even in the face of certain death. But yet, you have not balked when I have asked for control. Just like now, you sometimes use the override as a ‘just-in-case’. You’re a rarity in trust, Rick, and you’re not even a full wizard scout yet.
Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles 1: Wizard Defiant Page 17
