CHAPTER 64
Daniel lay on the table barely able to comprehend the string of events and decisions that had led to this point. He had carried out open heart surgery on himself and now he was allowing Ivey a nurse to Ivey operate on him with knives that had been designed for about as much precision as a bazooka.
“I’m sorry we don’t have any anesthetic.” Ivey said quietly.
And he was going to feel all of it. But if he wanted to get back to fighting freely he had to do it and there were a heap more fights to come, his gut told him that.
Abruptly, he felt hands on his legs, sides and arms and his head and neck. “These guys will help to keep you still. Do you trust me?”
“No.”
Ivey giggled at that. “Try to stay still.”
There was a stinging pain in his back. He flinched, but it was not as bad as he expected especially when healing rushed in at the same time immediately numbing the sensation. There were tugs on his skin, sort of like when the dentist did some work. There was a weird feeling of something poking inside him. Warmth flooded from his mid-back down his sides and lower back.
The pain and healing both halted.
There was silence for a moment. “Are we done?”
“I don’t think so,” Ivey said carefully. “We might have removed three quarters of the scaring. I stopped because the healers need a couple of minutes to recover mana.”
“So much blood.” A fighter holding him said. Daniel thought about attempting to escape, but slowed his breathing. Blood and the act of losing it did not have the same weight to it now that it used to.
Tamara crouched in his eyeline. “You’re doing good Dan. It takes a lot of bravery to subject yourself to this. And I know you’re doing it for others.”
“Honestly, it’s not as bad as open heart surgery.”
She laughed, and he heard other people sniggering. “Bet that’s something you never expected to say.” She teased. He could hear the relief in her voice.
“Maybe, open heart surgery? Sure. Doing it without pain killers? Maybe. On a table with a hundred people watching that made it slightly less likely. Outsourcing to a plant? That’s the one that gets me.”
There were laughs at that.
“Now that I can talk without killing myself what’s the news.”
“Potentially by tonight there could be as many as two hundred of us.” Tamara volunteered
“Is that significant?”
She shrugged. “It’s a nice round number.”
A thought occurred to him. “Tamara, tonight we have to have a discussion.”
She looked uncertain.
“Not like that. I need to bounce some theories off you?”
The expression sounded intrigued. “I would love that.”
“Enough pillow talk.” Ivey declared.
“There isn’t a pillow to be seen.” Tamara muttered. If she could blush, she would be crimson. As it was, her eyes went to the floor, and she seemed to sink down a bit into itself.
Ivey thankfully decided not it was more productive to operate.
“Ouch,” he gasped as the cut felt significantly more painful than the previous ones.
She cut again.
Daniel involuntarily flinched and all the surrounding hands tightened.
“Look at me,” Tamara said urgently. “You’ve done amazing.”
He shifted, she smiled lovingly her face all soft and happy.
“When there were the handful of us in the first night none of expected to survive, but we have. And there’s going to be two hundred of us by tonight, possibly three hundred by tomorrow. We can build something special.”
“Thank you.”
She smiled. “And tonight I’d love to debate your theories.”
“I’ll organise a dinner for the two of you.” Ivey said brightly.
Tamara looked embarrassed again. “Dinner or not. I’ll listen.”
The stinging pain stopped again, followed shortly later by the healing energies.
He sensed Ivey step away and the rest of the hands released him. When he glanced at her eyes had a funny light coming out of them and she appeared to be peering in to his insides. She probably was.
“Pretty good.” Ivey said. “With the tools we had I think that’s better than we had any right to expect. I don’t think it’ll be productive trying to do anything further. We’ll probably screw it up.”
“I’m done?”
“Yes.”
Daniel leapt off the table before slowing himself down when he remembered the problem with his heart. Ivey was definitely going to want him to test that more thoroughly. He stuck his arm up in the air. This time there was a slight tweak, but at least he could use it.
Carefully, he tested his range of motion.
“Give me a week and I can fix the small bits of scaring left.” Ivey told him. “But heart first.”
“Thank you.” Daniel said honestly, looking at all the people who had helped him. All their healers were here, including numerous volunteers he didn’t recognise, but his eyes went to the triangle of sitting bodies radiating out behind Cindy. He could see wide pained eyes, sweaty browses and lots of surreptitious flexing of joints that clearly hurt to move.
These were all people who had volunteered to be a healing battery to keep him alive, and it wasn’t just the eight people who had been used. There was a larger group behind them who were there for the same reason. “Thank you,” he repeated, walking up to them. He knew how painful that healing was. “Thank you.”
Jordan grinned at Daniel. He was the most complicated relationship he had in the group. Someone who had tried to kill him but had since been turned around to an ally was right in the middle of the front line of volunteers. “No thank you, I’m alive twice over because of you. We all are.”
“I just did what anyone would have.”
Jordan chuckled. “So did we.”
“But I know how painful this type of healing is. And I assume you’ve all done it multiple times.”
“Three,”
“Five,”
“Three,”
“It’s my fourth,” Jordan stated quietly. “And it’s worth it to have kept you alive.”
“That’s too much.”
“Ivey?” Jordan asked. “How many times do you think Daniel’s passed out in pain because he has been pushing himself to get stronger or got saving lives?”
“At least ten.”
“See,” Jordan said, holding out a hand for Daniel to pull him up. “I owe you at least six.”
He laughed, and Daniel pulled him to his feet.
Jordan immediately encompassed Daniel in a hug. “Next time, don’t almost die.”
The seed wizard pulled away and other people crowded in. It was like everyone wanted to check that he had indeed survived. To confirm their sacrifice of time and effort was worth it, or in some cases it was just to thank him. Most of them were crying, and Daniel joined them, swept away by the outpouring of emotion.
“Okay give him space,” Ivey ordered. “That was wonderful and touching, but before we disband, we need to do an extra test.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Stay there.” Ivey made a circle to imply he shouldn’t step away from the current spot. “Activate speed and strength and hold them for as long as you can. Jump on the spot. Do one hand stands, that sort of thing.”
“I can’t do one handed hand-stands.”
Ivey smirked at him. “Are you sure? Dave can.”
When Daniel looked at Dave, he was flexing and showing off his biceps before throwing a thumbs up.
“I can do that.” Daniel said. Everyone around was watching with expectation.
Speed and strength, he activated them both and then with all the people around him moving like they were pretending to be statues he attempted his first handstand since he was a kid. He had failed every time then, but this time it was like he had extra muscles to help him do it. His body control was immaculate and rather than toppling over he could pull his leg in exactly the right position.
Then it was easy enough to lower himself till his forehead touched the ground and then push himself up when he wanted to. He marched his hands closer together, widening his legs as he did so to sustain his balance.
It was miraculous.
Was this his core helping him or did that increase in agility that his damaged interface had awarded for his levels make all the difference?
Probably the second, he concluded as he despite looking there was nothing coming from his core to help this apart from the lines of strength and speed that filled his body. He lifted one hand and then he was supported by a single hand. He pushed hand and his one arm threw him straight up hard enough that his feet hit the roof. Then he fell, and it was easy enough to twist to land perfectly, like a gymnast.
Intoxicating.
He did a backflip. Over extended slightly, but his hands could catch him before crashing.
Then a somersault.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Stupid acrobatics, but Daniel knew he would practise these skills going forward. No matter how ridiculous he looked, improving his body control could only be beneficial.
The internal alarm in him told him he had pushed himself too far. He lowered himself into a sitting position and turned both abilities off.
Instantly it felt like gorillas were pounding his chest. He forced himself to breathe. Gasping breaths down through a throat lined with razor wires.
There was a scattering of applause, and no healing hit him. Even though it was a struggle to focus, he looked toward Ivey and he saw her studying him carefully. Carly too.
“Small amount of damage.” Ivey admitted finally.
“Can I heal him?” Carly asked impatiently.
Ivey nodded.
A healing wave sunk into him and with a gasp he collapsed onto his back, staring up at the ceiling that he had kicked after launching himself off the ground with a single arm. If he had his abilities, how far could he jump? Two stories? Probably not, but it was a lot if a single arm had elevated him that high.
Daniel tried to recover from over extending his speed and strength and he could hear Ivey and Tamara encouraged space and he could hear the migration of feet out of the room.
Almost three minutes later, he sat up and found himself in a mid-sized conference room with extra high ceilings which had been cleared of the rest of onlookers. Only Tamara and Ivey were with him.
“I assume I got a clean bill to fight.”
Ivey nodded.
“Then I guess it’s about time for me to kill something.”
CHAPTER 65
Daniel played up his excitement as he left the conference room. The majority of people were still in the hallway, and he jumped up and down on the spot, exaggerating his mood.
It created smiles across the floor when they saw him. He was in a reflective mood. He had woken up confused in his suite and then they had been attacked. Everything had been overwhelming. The simple enormity of fighting back sufficiently to leave his room. Then the challenge to clear the floor, then the nearby levels and the larger challenges. An octopod, a super feral, multiple ultras, a huntsman that was downright terrifying and of course the most dangerous of all the animals, the sapient plant. After all that, he had managed the principal task he had set his mind to. The hotel was there’s and they could start building settlement or at the very least a temporary one while they worked out how to take care of the lizard.
He, no, not just he. They had defeated all the threats and now he would get to walk outside. The number of unfamiliar faces around him was incredible. These were the people who had been trapped by the monsters, been saved and were infused with hope. The shadowed memory of the lost that they all contained was there, but hope had settled in everyone’s stomach and drove their every motion.
They were winning.
“Easy does it, boy,” Alex winked at him. “We do this together and don’t get ahead of ourselves.”
Daniel was well aware of what he was talking about. They were going to try to save the trapped kids; they were on top of an office building two blocks away. It would be the furthest any single team from the hotel had travelled. That was why they were taking so much force. There were a couple of dozen survivors who had come further. All of them had survived by stealth while the streets looked empty. They weren’t.
Tamara put a calming hand on his arm. “How are you feeling?”
“Like killing something.”
“No, really.”
Daniel made a face to indicate only so-so. “Mentally I am psychiced. Physically.” he frowned. “Its probably psychological,” he tapped his chest over his heart. “I feel it and when I did that exercise there was a dull pain in my chest. Not pleasant.” He put the one arm up and winced slightly. He had free movement, but something still caught when he swung it.
Quietly, Tamara link arms with him as they headed towards the stairwells. “It’s worth it. Being outside is strange after the last week in here. The first time I stepped out. I felt like something terrible was going to happen.”
They got on the stairs.
“It didn’t and to feel the breeze and the sun. I wished you were there.”
Daniel paused at the stair markings. “Fifth floor?”
“Yeah,” Tamara agreed. “Alex, didn’t think I was sensible to leave anyone below here, so while you were cocooned the first time we brought you all the way up here.”
“Speaking of that cocoon spell, I think I learnt some of it.”
“What?” She looked at him in shock.
Daniel nodded. “It’s the discussion I want to have. It’s because of how my core works.”
“You picked up some of it from two casts? Are you sure?” she whispered to him urgently.
“Like ninety percent sure. Why?”
“It’s fantastic.” Tamara admitted. “But don’t talk about it.”
“Why?”
“Jealousy, plus it’s better to wait till we’re certain.”
Daniel nodded. That made sense and more importantly she had just promised to aid him. “Is there any reason he chose five? I mean specific threat or suspicion.”
“I think the second. Alex, why five?” Tamara yelled up the stairs.
“I wanted to get some stairwells between us and any monsters.”
Tamara giggled and then lowered her voice. “Paranoia.”
Daniel smiled.
All too soon. They reached the ground floor and the entire place was buzzing with excitement.
From the sounds of it, they were all energised and even though it was late in the afternoon, there was a commotion near the doors for a couple who had just made it. People were still trickling in. Better than he had imagined. The safety he had created providing an oasis for all the survivors.
Tamara saw his gaze and squeezed his arm. “It’s amazing how many people we’ve been able to gather.”
“It looks like a lot.”
“Everyone.” Alex raised his voice, projecting it to the entire lobby. Daniel was a little jealous of how effortless it was but it was probably a symptom of the practice in his old job. “Everyone who has volunteered for the kid rescue to the lobby doors.”
There were cheers of excitement and almost as many people already in the lobby versus those who had come down with him streamed toward the indicated gathering spot. Daniel recognised the majority of faces but it was a close call. There were a large number of men with week old beards that he did not recognise at all.
Daniel was impressed almost fifty fighters had gathered for the push. He didn’t know if that was overkill or necessary, but it felt potent.
Alex and Rosica confidently strode up, and with a sharp whistle got everyone’s attention.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming. This is strictly volunteer. It’s late and we’re going a long way from the safety of this tower. There was a bit of delay for Daniel. But it’s worth it because we’ve got our secret weapon back and loaded.” He did a big flourish and pointed towards Daniel.
There were some loud cheers and not just from the hotel fighters. Apparently, his reputation had spread to the newly joined.
Alex waited for the noise to die down. “We’re ready to do a proper rescue mission. I think anyone who’s been involved in a nightly information exchange knows about what’s happening at Pinnacle place.”
Alex must have seen some confusion in the gathered crowd. “According to our latest intelligence there are almost 30 people trapped within it. The majority of them are young kids.” There was a lot of noise and Daniel knew that despite everything, some would be reluctant to go on this rescue mission, but when he looked for them, he couldn’t find anyone who looked like they were here under duress. Everyone wanted to be part of saving others in need.
“They are trapped on the top floor fighting an insect hive. Before we go, I’m just going to read out what we expect to face. They are called Silver Flies. The first thing to notice is that they’re not from Earth. Now Richard, our expert on these things, took the time to brief me. Silver Flies are probably not what you’re expecting. They’re not Earth Flies. They won’t sting you to death instead. It’s better to think of them as being small pieces of metal that will batter you to pieces.” Alex held up a fist. “Each one is about this size. There are only three types, but we’ll only see two of them. Normal silver flies and the magical upgraded version. You won’t be able to tell them apart and the only real difference is the magical version is even harder to kill, as they can create a magical defensive sphere.”
“To kill them, you just bash them into a paste.” Rosica called out.
“Which given they’re made of metal that’s hard.” Alex told them. “Magic, with a few exceptions, is in the same boat. Luckily, they are vulnerable to ice and lightning and that’s about it. But we have a fearless leader back there that’s sort of expert in lightning, so that’ll help. Speaking of our fearless leader.”
There was a sudden drumming from all the tanks as they hit their weapon upon the shield. It was clearly preordained.
Daniel’s eyes narrowed. It was too much like a surprised birthday party for his liking. He scanned the room and then spotted Cindy and another healer who Daniel recognise from upstairs carried over an ornate box.
They put it down in front of him, and everyone, including Tamara hastily backed away.
Daniel knelt and put his hand on the elaborate box. “What’s this?” The fear in their eyes worried him slightly.
Alex cleared his throat with a touch of nervousness. “From our best guess, it’s your reward from the loot chest that we got from killing the Huntsman.”
“It’s a lightning thing we talked about.” Ivey told him. “Let’s see if you can use that. No one else can.”
Carefully, he flipped up the latch, which was holding the wooden lid shut. He remembered the power that he had briefly harnessed to kill the gigantic spider. That epiphany that he had had where he incorporated his scientific knowledge regarding how lightning worked and matched that to the abilities in his core from the lightning bug.
“What are you waiting for?” Alex teased.
Daniel opened the lid.
The hairs on the back of his neck immediately stood up and he could feel the potential that was gathering around him. The section of him he had taken from the lightning bugs lit up in his core and worked to establish the electricity zen state he had entered when fighting the huntsman. He was aware of everything electromagnetic for fifty metres. Options presented to draw that static in to boost his standard spell or even to channel its power externally to his body. He could send it as a spark to destroy something on the other side of the room or create a hurricane of electricity that would stun the majority of the gathered fighters and all of it without stressing his mana.
“Wow.” His hand dipped towards it and his magic ensured that he didn’t get zapped. “This is so cool. How does it work?”
No one said anything.
It was magic and even Daniel’s enhanced senses gave him no real guidance on what he was seeing. It was basically a source of positive ions.
Curiously, he drew a link between the artefacts and the ground well away from anyone else.
“Lightning.” He called out before he covered his eyes with his arm. The flash went through the flesh, anyway.
Boom!
When he looked up, all the newcomers who had never fought with him were reeling, hands clutching either their eyes or ears.
“Sorry.” He apologised more for form than anything else as all of his attention was focused upon the thin circuit of metal? Crystal? Weird. Unknown alien substance? Probably that one.
Daniel had discharged the static that have been building up but even as he watched it more positive ions were formed and more power was gathering. At a guess, it was going to take about a minute to recharge.
They had as good as said it was his, but now Daniel had seen what it could do. He wanted it. This was not a small percentage increase in power. If he was only casting lightning, it probably tripled his long-term battle output and increased burst damage by fifty percent or more. It was, in simple terms a veritable treasure.
With his hand on his club, he asked it what its preference were. Daniel already knew what he would push for, and that was for Blood Drinker to take the lightning artefact into its self. He suspected any other solution would cause problems. For example, if you tried to hold them every now and again, he would get distracted and probably be zapped by the thing’s power, or even worse, fry someone else.
A calm sense of acceptance came to the club.
And then carefully, before the charge built up too much. He plucked the object from the case and slipped it over the club.
The moment it slid over the handle and beyond where he normally held the weapon the wood warped freezing in place and brief flickers of electricity started building or put the club.
With a magic object safely contained, Daniel stood up.
Everyone was looking at him.
“That’s it?” Tamara asked finally.
“What?”
“You don’t have to do anything else to make it work. There’s no major ceremony?”
Daniel shrugged. “It’s not some mysterious object, it just builds up a positive charge. There’s no intelligence or there’s no purpose or specials things you need to say.”
“I don’t get it?” Tamara said finally.
“Don’t get me wrong. It’s dangerous and if I didn’t have a sapient seed club that, amongst other things specialises in magic manipulation. I wouldn’t even attempt this. But.” He shrugged. “I have that weapon so.” He waved the club around and streaks of electricity were left in its wake, and he hadn’t even used his own magic to generate them.
“How much does it boost you?” Alex asked the question that was on everyone’s lips.
“Hard to say. When I’m cracking heads with my club. The new artifact definitely increases the weight of Blood Drinker by a little. Maybe a one percent boost.” Daniel smiled.
“Hilarious.” Alex answered. “But seriously.”
“That was a serious answer. Only a small part of my offence is lightning base. For that segment it might on average be a two times boost but that overall is pretty low.”
“Two times.” Alex whispered appreciatively.
“For lightning.”
“I got it.” Alex waved his hands dismissively. “In any case, it’s great.”
“The day’s not getting any longer,” Rosica interrupted.
Alex laughed. “No, it’s not, but Daniel’s powered up, which is the main thing. Everyone moved out.”
With a small amount of good natured grumbling, Daniel, in the middle of the pack went outside. He, along with everyone else, was forced to push through the still purple leaves.
Alex saw his annoyed glance, grabbed his hand, and pointed. “See up there.”
He followed the finger to where the other man pointed. About a third of the way up, the side of the building was a flash of green.
“That’s been spreading all day. Was that you?”
Daniel shook his head. “The intelligence I created will burn out the purple parasite. It’s just slow. I did the west side.”
Alex laughed. “I also saw your effort a little more bit more than that.” He chuckled. “In a couple of nights, you would’ve converted this whole place.”
“Maybe.”
The wind hit him and Daniel shut his eyes and let it wash over him. The breeze ruffling his hair and the sun on his face was glorious. “I missed this.”
Pricilla climbed up into his hair and stood like up on her hind legs, posing, stretching upwards like a queen prepared for everyone to kneel in supplication in front of her.
Blood Drinker was in his hand, crackling with lightning and Finigan at his feet ready to fight anything that threatened them. Tamara linked her hand with his and rested her head on his shoulders.
“Priscilla is so cute.” She whispered to him a smile on her face as she looked up at the ridiculous mouse.
He chuckled.
He couldn’t help himself.
There was something special about being outside after everything the struggle they had been involved in. Ivey and he had started with nothing and now they were here.
He had done this.
He had conquered the hotel, next would save the kids then deal with the annoying lizard but he was not alone. There were so many fighters around him and he could see hope shining in their eyes. Determination. Community spirit.
Together, they would carve out a life.