Oath of the Survivor

“I still can’t believe it.” Ma’Sai said, wide eyes focused on the 4 corpses Kyle stacked outside the battlement.  “I saw as they jumped on you, they were alive.”

Kyle nodded.  “They were.  And now they’re not.  Are you going to let me in?”

Kyle and C.H.A.D.D. stood outside the fortification, Kyle having taken the time to let the stirring in his core settle back down.  He didn’t think Ma’Sai would be able to notice anything, but it was worth it to him to keep some things hidden.  One thing was certain; Kyle still wanted that 10,000 credit bounty on top of continuing to fill his core. 

“Styxlions don’t just die, Kyle.  You did something to them, and I want to know what it was.”

“I told you, I’m a bad match for them.”

“The young master asked you a question!  You will answer with the respect he is due!” Go’Wree roared.

The hulking man’s rifle wasn’t pointed at Kyle, but it wasn’t far off. 

Kyle met his eyes, allowing the burning red light of Ignition to illuminate the cavern.  “I have a skill that gives me an edge in situations like this.  Nothing more, nothing less.”  The last thing Kyle wanted to do was explain all the details of Parasitic Resonance to them, and he hoped the explanation would suffice. 

Ma’Sai opened his mouth as if to respond, but Go’Wree spoke before he had the chance.  “And could this skill be used against the young master?”

“Yes.” Kyle said flatly.  “You hired a D Grade Courier.  You hired somebody who could survive a D Grade storm while carrying a pack full of fragile equipment.  People like me aren’t harmless.  We can’t afford to be.”

Veins bulged on Go’Wree’s forehead, and Kyle was ready to move.  The whole confrontation with the large man felt so unnecessary, but he wasn’t going to kowtow to paranoia.  Fortunately, Ma’Sai stepped in, placing a hand on Go’Wree’s shoulder.  “Mr. Mayhew is correct; we knew who we were hiring.  At least, we thought we did.  Come, you’ve earned your rest.”

The large man seemed to relax, just slightly.  The gate opened, and Kyle walked through, hoisting the bodies of the styxlions as he went.  He didn’t break eye contact with Go’Wree, who offered a scowl in return.  Kyle suppressed the rising heat in his chest.  There’s no reason to escalate things.  Keep calm.

A car was waiting for Ma’Sai and Kyle on the other end of the battlement.  They traveled in silence down the dark tunnel, until the sight of the battlement was long gone.  Ma’Sai ran a hand through his hair as he sighed.  “This hunt could have gone much better.  I apologize for Go’Wree’s… enthusiasm.  He takes my safety very seriously, and today it nearly led to unnecessary conflict.”

Kyle simply nodded.  “It did.  Is there going to be a problem with me going out to explore the tunnels?  I’m here to do a job, not to antagonize your security forces.  At the same time, I’m not going to say no to earning some extra credits.”

“It shouldn’t be a problem.  I’ll see to it that the guards are instructed to let you come and go freely.  Before that, however, you owe me one more for my collection.”

Kyle raised an eyebrow.  “How soon are you going to be ready to go back out?  By my count you have 3 D Grade cards to charge, not to mention getting your injuries looked over.”

“I’m hardly injured at all, thanks to you.”

“Something tells me your people aren’t going to accept that as an excuse.”

Ma’Sai groaned.  “You’re probably right about that.  Give me 2, maybe 3 days.  I’ll be ready.”

Kyle nodded.  “That works.  I plan on heading back out tomorrow, but I’ll meet you in 3 days’ time for another outing.”

“So long as you’re fit to help me acquire another of the styxlions, I have no complaints.  I’ll have word sent to the battlements now.”

The two said their goodbyes, and soon Kyle was closing the door to his temporary home.  [DR. MAYHEW, DID -]

“Just a minute, C.H.A.D.D.  Help me check to make sure that we’re not being watched.”

The drone obliged, scanning the estate as Kyle focused on Auric Perception, looking for any traces of mana leaving the home.  After a few minutes, Kyle was satisfied.  “Alright buddy, go ahead.”

[AM I CORRECT IN ASSUMING THAT YOU EXPERIENCED THE SAME PHENOMENON FROM YOUR PRACTICUM?]

“Yes.” Kyle said simply.  “And this time we’re going to get paid to explore it further.  In the same vein, what do you think about the sealing techniques Ma’Sai used?  Anything you can apply?”

[I BELIEVE SO, PARTICULARLY IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOME OF THE PRINCIPLES I’VE GLEANED FROM THE ORB.]

“What are you thinking?”

[I’D PREFER TO EXPERIMENT MORE BEFORE COMMITTING, BUT I BELIEVE THE WORLD TREE SEED CAN PROVIDE A FOUNDATION TO ‘SEAL’ QUITE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT FLORA.  THEORETICALLY, INSTEAD OF HAVING TO GROW PLANT LIFE FROM SEEDS, IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO SUMMON IT DIRECTLY.]

Kyle hadn’t considered an application like that before, and it was certainly interesting.  If C.H.A.D.D. was able to make use of the World Tree Seed in that way, it opened up a variety of avenues that they’d be able to use in a pinch.  “What do you need from me to test?”

[MANA, MOSTLY.  I KNOW YOU’VE INFUSED QUITE A BIT INTO THE WORLD TREE SEED, BUT FOR THIS TO WORK, I’LL NEED TO BE ABLE TO USE AND DIRECT THE ENERGY.]

“Then you’ve got it.  When do you think you’ll be ready to start testing?”

[WHENEVER WE FIND A COMFORTABLE PLACE TO PRACTICE, DR. MAYHEW.]

~~~

Jarberry zipped through the air outside the Collective Institute for Independent Licensure, unseen by everybody milling below him.  Details were getting finalized for his next job, and he had a few items left on his to-do list before stepping away.  She should be leaving any minute now… there. 

An invisible grin crossed his face as he spotted his quarry, a skrell woman leaving the compound for the day.  Even better, she was leaving alone.  His scouting showed that she occasionally went out for a meal with her colleagues, delaying his plans until she was done.  Even when working the long game, Jarberry preferred saving time whenever he could.

He zipped down, floating a meter above and behind her.  3 different skills activated as Jarberry analyzed the area around the woman as she walked, checking for tracking marks, eavesdroppers, and other annoying effects.  His grin grew fiercer as he spotted an innocuous sigil, invisible even to most C Grades.  The rune work looked to be Velgian in origin, intended to activate when a specific set of conditions were fulfilled.

He wasn’t sure what the conditions would be, though he suspected their trigger would be related to Kyle.  Not bad at all.  His fingers moved as invisible tendrils of mana twisted and turned, connecting to the sigil.  Jarberry could simply dispel the mark, however there was a chance that whoever placed it would be notified if that happened.  Even if most of the heat was off Kyle at this point, there was no reason to take risks. 

His brow furrowed as his skill worked, making subtle alterations.  Moments later, he finished his edits, regarding his handiwork.  The rune was still in place, though now it would only activate in response to the presence of a sea snail greater than 10 meters in length.  A fine alteration, if he said so himself.

Satisfied with his work, he cast an isolation field around the woman.  One could never be too careful when it came to eavesdroppers, after all.  “You’re Suierrillax, right?  Don’t look around, keep walking.”

To her credit, the skrell woman handled the surprise well.  She continued to walk, barely missing a step.  He could see her subtly trying to get a view of him, and respected the effort.  “Don’t bother looking for me, you won’t have much luck.  And relax a bit, I’m not here to hurt you.  I’m here to talk about a mutual friend of ours, and offer you an opportunity.”

“I’m listening.”  Her voice was terse, body language betraying signs of her discomfort.  Jarberry could see a tension in the muscles in her neck and shoulders, hands clenched into fists.

“I told you, relax.  Records show me you were observing a colleague of mine during his practicum, Kyle Mayhew?”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss the results of any of our applicants.”

“Sure you’re not.  Just like you’re not allowed to steal somebody else’s nav bracelet to send them a warning about their Practicum.”

At that, Suierrillax stopped walking.  “If you know about that, I assume that you’re here to administer punishment.”

“Nah, not at all.  It was good work, and I doubt anybody other than me noticed.  At least until they really start digging.  Also, keep walking.  I’m blocking the sound, but it looks awful strange for you to stop in the middle of the sidewalk.”

Suierrillax frowned as she resumed her stride.  “You’re not with the Institute?”

“Nope.  Like I said, I’m a colleague of Kyle’s.  And I gotta say, you impressed me.  You know as well as I do that he bit off a little more than he could chew during his Practicum, and now there’s damage control to take care of.  From what it seems like, you’re somebody who could help with that.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying you should come work for us.  Frankly, your talents are wasted at the Institute.  You’ve got a great eye for detail, and you know how things work in the Hub.  Something Mayhew will need if he wants to have a chance at getting his feet under him.”

“This is an awful lot of trouble to go through for a brand-new hire.”

“I’m protecting an investment.  Nothing more, nothing less.  I’m going to have details sent to you through a secure channel, but if I was in your shoes I’d take the offer seriously.  It’s as much an opportunity for you as it is for him.”

Suierrillax let out a breath.  “I’ll keep an eye on it.”

Jarberry smiled as he flew away.  She tried to hide it, but he knew she was interested.  He had already prepared the message, and planned to send it later in the day.  He didn’t want to come across as too eager, even if time was of the essence.  Speaking of… Jarberry checked his nav bracelet, and let out a soft groan.  Ma’Rin just arrived at the hub, and asked to meet him for a private meal.  Unfortunately, this was one obligation he couldn’t ignore.  He sent a response that he’d be at the restaurant shortly, and took off toward the designated meeting place.  Never enough time.