PART XIII - SYMBIOSIS (IV)

Callie groaned and started to climb into her bunk. “Vanis, can you get my slug thing? I’m too short.”

“Of course,” Vanis said. He retrieved the Symbiote case from Callie’s footlocker and handed it off to Tasi.

“Before we get started,” Tasi began, sitting on the bed next to Callie, “I need to review some items with you.”

“Oh, oh,” Callie said. “Sounds ominous.”

“Master Trainer Thorn informed me of your … unique circumstances. I raised concerns about using a Symbiote on you without knowing your class. Plus, your lack of memory prior to this morning presents some ethical questions.”

Callie’s heart seemed to halt in place, suddenly worried she was being denied her chance. She also felt guilty continuing the amnesia ruse in the face of everything, but realized she needed to, at least until she and her friends decided on their next steps.

“I understand,” Callie responded slowly. “I can’t really speak to the lack of class, but I know I have the Conscription Curse, so I need to do something. Plus, I do have that Advanced Archery perk.”

“That is true, Little One. And you demonstrated it definitively earlier today, from what I hear.”

“Uh, what else did you hear?” Callie asked warily.

Tasi chuckled. “Let’s just say, the word is that you showed everyone true dedication and focus, along with showing … other things.”

Callie ran her palm over her face, groaning. Was this going to haunt her forever?

“But despite my reservations, it’s the Master Trainer’s decision to attempt a melding, so we will proceed as normal.”

Callie felt her heart restart.

“But we need to clarify something, and it’s imperative you listen closely. As you know, your Symbiote is very rare and precious. If it rejects you, we must get it back unharmed, in order to use it in another recruit at a later date.”

“How will I know if that happens?”

“You will be able to feel it, once the melding is completed,” Tasi explained. “I know when I was joined with my Symbiote, I knew immediately it was the case when I emerged from my trance. Just remain calm and think about what class you are. It should come to you quickly.”

“What happens if it turns out that it doesn’t want me?”

“It takes about four hours for a rejected Symbiote to, and pardon the pun, worm its way back out. If it does, we’ll need to capture it again.”

“What do I need to do?”

“If you awaken and you know you have not bonded, immediately share that information. I must stress again, immediately. We put a monitor in each house, and they will be able to put a sleep spell on you if that occurs.”

“You take this thing seriously,” Callie said.

“Little One, you have no idea how much your little Symbiote is worth. Please appreciate the gamble we are taking on you, and how important it is to salvage that gamble if it doesn’t pay off.”

‘I understand.”

“I don’t think you do. It’s not just money that is at stake here, but lives. If your Symbiote does not join with you, it will be at least three months before we are able to use it again. The next term of recruits starts in twelve weeks, closer to that three-month mark than we’d like. This means even longer before we’re able to try again with another Ranger recruit.”

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“Are you trying to talk me out of this?” Callie asked warily.

“No. I am just wanting to stress what is at stake, and if successful, what is expected of you. I just want you to be sure before we continue.”

Callie took a moment before she responded. On one hand, if everything worked, then she was fine and things would continue as expected, and she’d have the best chance of living through this Curse. On the other hand, if her bonding was unsuccessful, it would be months before the Symbiote could be used again, and, from what her friends said, two years before she’d be able to try bonding again if she determined she had a different class after all. Could she accept the responsibility now that she knew how big it was? It was a hard decision. And maybe a selfish one, in a way. Wait! Yes! She could do this, dammit! Koda had said to never let anyone tell her what she can’t do. So had her father. She could do this!

“I would like to try,” Callie finally said.

“Very well,” Tasi said. “I am going to give you another warning, however.”

Callie’s heart sank again.

“If your bonding is not successful, then you must not disturb your Symbiote as it exits. This is why we put a sleep spell on you,” Tasi warned.

“Why?”

“Because, if it is disturbed as it is trying to escape, it would be bad. While it will be encased in new armor, that armor is still hardening, so the Symbiote is still vulnerable. It may release its toxin as a defense.”

“That does sound like it would be bad.”

“Imagine something eating away at your brain like an acid,” Tasi said, painting a gruesome picture.

“Yup. That would be bad,” Callie confirmed.

“It would, and that is the kind of damage that no amount of healing will be able to repair.”

“Basically, as soon as I come to, let your person know yes or no on successful bonding.”

“Exactly.”

“Okay. I think I understand how important this is.”

“Then we will begin. Callie is your name, correct?”

Callie almost answered yes, and then thought about how important this was. “Calliope. My name is Calliope Willow Archer. Only my father ever called me Calliope, though. To everyone else, I’m Callie.”

Tasi looked at the Gnome for clarification.

“For this, you can call me Calliope.”

“It is a very poetic name, Little One. You remembered your father?”

“It’s like a distant memory,” Callie said. A half-truth.

“He must be a good man to leave such a memory.”

“He was,” Callie replied with a bittersweet smile and a tone that told Tasi what had happened.

“My condolences, Little One,” Tasi said, putting her hand on Callie’s arm.

The silence hung in the air as the Healer slipped off the bed and everyone started getting organized for the joining procedure. Callie lay down on her pillow, the right side of her head facing upwards, and reflected. She thought about her father, really remembering him, for the first time in a long time. The images she had in her head had been slowly fading to that of a distant memory, and that saddened her.

She had grown up close to her dad, but they had drifted far apart when she reached adulthood and was off at college. He hadn’t disapproved of her or the direction her life had gone, but Callie had used the distance as an excuse to push her parents away in favor of independence, as if she no longer needed them. It wasn’t until he died that she realized how wrong she had been. Since then, the idea of anyone else calling her ‘Calliope’ just didn’t feel right. It was his name for her, the name he gave her at birth because he’d said she would always be his greatest muse. The memories were bittersweet.

In that nostalgic moment, Callie made a decision. For him, she was going to somehow see this new world through, and either find a way home, or if she was stuck here, find a way to survive and honor his memory.

“Are you ready, Calliope?” Tasi asked quietly.

“I am.”

“Then we shall begin. Sania, If you would confirm, please.”

Callie smiled as she listened to Tasi’s dancing; checking off each step of the process with practiced precision.

“I can confirm it is a Ranger worm,” Sania said.

“Thank you. Meyra, if you would.”

She distantly hard the faint trickle of water,

She breathed in through her nose, out through her pursed lips, noting a little piece of blanket fuzz wiggling in the wind as she did so, like a lone flower in the middle of a field.

Something cool and wet touched her cheek, and she felt Tasi’s warm breath. “Hey there, little friend, I want you to meet Calliope Willow Archer. She’s a really special Ranger; a one-of-a-kind Little One who has lost her way. She needs you, just as you need her. Treat each other well, and together you shall be amazing.”

Callie heard the faint cracking, and could feel the cool wetness moving up her cheek. Tasi said something, probably confirming the colors for the record, but she didn’t hear it. She concentrated on the image of her father she was holding in her mind. And the image of her mother. And the image of her five new best friends. The image of her new, found family.

“A moment of panic,” a distant voice said, as the wet sensation began to seep into her ear.

“It is squishy,” Callie said with a giggle. She closed her eyes, and fell into a world of white.