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Jace felt his breath coming in shorter and shorter gasps. Ollie flew in front of him and filled his vision. “Hey. Come on. You’re better than this.”
“I…I-I can’t…” Jace whispered as the memory of being shot replayed over and over in his mind. The excruciating pain. The blood. Almost dying. He gripped the sides of his head and shut his eyes, “I…I don’t want to-to almost die again.”
This was different from fighting the Vyrknadine and losing his arm – that was just a limb, and he’d lost two before that. That whole experience of being shot was something he had never dealt with – and he was not able to drive the memory from his head. The loud bang, the flash of light, the pain-
He heard Ollie’s voice. Deep, soothing, almost tender in a way. “You will be fine.”
“You don’t know that,” Jace whispered in response. “I’ve almost died. Over and over.” He looked up at Ollie and could feel a few tears trickling down his face. “I…I need to live. For her. I have to bring her back…”
Ollie nodded and small, blue ripples of starlight cascaded from around his little neck as if he was submerged in the cosmos themselves. “Just take a breather. You’ve been going nonstop since we arrived here. Do your breathing exercise from before.”
Jace closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing as his mentor had taught him all those years ago. But as he tried to draw in breath, the loud bang of the gunshot echoed through his mind and he opened his eyes in a panic. Scanning the room, he found no sign of what made the noise. “Was tha-”
Ollie flew over to the entrance of the tunnel leading deeper into the mountain, “That definitely came from down there. Analyzing the sound. Standby…” His eyes flashed ‘on’, “It is a timer. This secret entrance will only be open for a limited duration. We have to hurry. Come on, let us go.”
Jace peeked around the corner into the tunnel, feeling his arm shaking. “I don’t know if I ca-”
Ollie flew over and slapped him. Literally, he could feel Ollie’s touch. What the-
“Snap out of it!” Ollie shouted angrily. “You have survived. Keep surviving. You are stronger than you were before! You have not faced a challenge you have not defeated yet! Sure, a few setback-”
“How did you hit me?” Jace asked as he cupped his jaw. Not in pain, more in shock. Wayfinders can’t interact with the world outside of The Cosmic System. That’s what he told me. Not unless we’re in the Starlit Sea.
Ollie’s frown became a grimace, “I…” then, a look of confusion.
Then, realization. “Oh. Oh! It is because you maxed out Cosmic Infusion, which sort of ‘fuses’ you with your Cosmic Power, and therefore makes you more ‘tangible’ to The Cosmic System’s elements. Myself included.” He frowned, “That does mean other Wayfinders could touch you – but they would not pose any real threat, just like I do not pose a threat.”
Jace reached out and tried to touch Ollie. To his surprise, he could feel the soft fur under his hand. I’ve never touched an animal before, he thought. Well, not counting the predators hunting me on that other world. The feel of fur under his fingers brought him some sense of calm. It was…soothing, in a way. He felt the tension in his chest begin to relax a little bit, and his breathing became calmer.
Ollie seemed frozen in place, unsure of what to do. “Uhm…huh. Humans when contacting cute, adorable animals – like my current form – feel a release of oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin. Those are feel-good chemicals in your brain tha-”
Jace grabbed Ollie and pulled him in for a hug. The warm fur and slight tickle of his whiskers made him chuckle, and the anxiety and fears of the traps melted away slowly as he snuggled the fuzzy companion. “Thank you...Ollie.”
“For what?” he asked, muffled by Jace’s torso.
“For keeping me alive...and just being here for me.” Jace let Ollie go, and the otter floated a short distance away, a bashful look on his face. Jace suppressed a chuckle at the slightly puffed-up otter. “I’m sorry for that just now.”
“The grabbing me or the whole ‘going through a mental break’ part?” Ollie began smoothing his fur down again.
“The mental break part,” Jace replied. “I…getting shot and almost dying was just, so different from any other near-death experience I’ve had. It’s just sticking around in my mind. I hadn’t thought about it until that-” he pointed to the hallway, “-brought it rushing back. The idea of traps since the last one was so deadly.” He shook his head, “I’ve dealt with them in the few times I ripped off corpo-shops with other street folk – but they weren’t lethal. Just stunned anyone who got caught by it.”
“Not a huge surprise that you have some PTSD. When we get back to The Eternal City, we will find you a therapist to help you resolve these issues.”
Jace felt his confidence returning little by little as he talked with Ollie. I can do this. I’ve survived so much so far. I’ll keep surviving. “Okay. Let’s get in there and get that Legendary reward. But first-” He drew his sword to use it as a prod on the ground, walls, and ceiling, and also pulled out his flashlight. Dark Matter Shield (Rank 3). The barrier thrummed around him. No more surprise damage.
“Why use a flashlight? You have me and your Cosmic Power vision.”
Jace turned the flashlight on and held it close to the ground, along the surface. He spotted the telltale sign of slightly-raised floor tiles – just like the pressure-plate fry-traps that were used in so many buildings back on Earth. Standard security tech; stepping on it would cause you to get jolted. “You can use a beam of light to spot issues more easily. Like that.”
Jace threw the blade at the tile, and once it impacted, an enormous, scything blade swung across the hallway before retracting into the wall. He willed the blade to return. “How long do we have to loot this place?”
Bang, the sound echoed again, and Ollie winced. “Those seem to mark out minutes. I do not know how long we have.”
Jace worked his way down the tunnel, using the hand-crank, rechargeable flashlight to spot any inconsistencies that his vision could not pick up. The dark vision and All-Seeing Dragon’s Eyes would have eventually caught the slight chips in the stone tiles, or the very, very minor ‘lift’ some of them had on the edges.
But the flashlight beam held at a flat angle would reveal those flaws almost instantly, as the shadows that filled those little, tell-tale pockets stood out immediately in the harsh light. He had to crank the flashlight a few times and trigger some hallway-wide traps with his sword before recalling it to his hand – but he made steady progress.
Every minute, the bang noise sounded off. After the fifth one in total – five minutes since he opened the passage – he arrived in a large, circular chamber. The walls were covered with murals that depicted some ancient history.
Ollie flew along the wall, but Jace held perfectly still as he scanned every inch of the room – floor, ceiling, walls. “This tells the history of the world,” Ollie stated. “But I already knew all of this from The Cosmic System. Nothing new in that regard.” He pointed to a small, recessed, stone hemisphere at the center of the roof, “That is the Secret Cache.”
Jace fired his grapple line up to the ceiling and willed himself to ascend. He was next to the stone half-sphere, and feeling around with the Anathema Arm, found a small, hidden trigger. This could be a trap. But I have the Dark Matter Shield surrounding me. He pressed it.
The sphere opened and revealed items inside. Two of them. A necklace with a heavy, metal amulet strung through the silver-colored but not-silver chain, and a ring that was a singular, white, metal band with no ornamentation. Swinging back and forth, he launched himself to the entrance he had come in from. “Anything else in here?” he asked Ollie.
Ollie dipped into and out of the walls, “Nope! Nothing hidden!”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Jace nodded and made his way out of the tunnel, avoiding every trap he had identified. He let out a sigh of relief once he arrived at the chamber with the slight, bubbling pool. “What are these?”
Ollie floated over and his eyes went black for a few moments before snapping back on. “Ah. The necklace is called a Mind’s Eye Amulet. Wearing it means that you can’t be subjected to mind-altering, reading, or influencing effects. Really handy.”
Jace put it around his neck and tucked it under his armored torso covering. “And the ring?”
“It is a Guardian’s Loop. Those are useful for keeping people safe. Think of it like a limited-duration barrier from all harm. For an hour, each day, the user can will it to activate and be protected from everything …well, except for your Anathema Arm or its built-in Skill. Or some other Skill-canceling…Skill” He chuckled, and his whiskers wiggled back and forth. “We use the word ‘Skill’ a lot, do we not?”
“We do,” Jace replied as he turned it over in his hand.
“It is something called a ‘bound’ item. Once it is equipped, it will only work for the person who first put it on. If they remove it, and a year passes, then it can be re-bound.”
“I know someone who could use this.”
“You, silly.”
Jace shook his head and popped the ring into his backpack. “Shhiv.”
Ollie stared at him, slack jawed. “Why?”
“Because she can be used against me. I’ve already made enemies of this Black Hole Conclave by taking out their drill, an Ascendant, and two Signers. If I were them, I’d be trying to find my friends and using them to get to me.”
Ollie nodded, “Ah. Makes sense. What about Quinn and Greg?”
Jace walked to the edge of the tunnel and began exiting the lava tube, “Greg can take care of himself. Quinn is part of the Star Council, so presumably she has protection. But Shhiv doesn’t. She’s just a Civilian.” And I’m not going to let her get hurt. They might have had a short time together, but he almost felt…responsible for her safety, given that she was a weakness of his that could be exploited.
Chroma would be the same when I bring her back, Jace thought. Unless I’m strong enough then that the Black Hole Conclave knows not to mess with me. I suppose I could build a reputation like that. Someone who shouldn’t be fucked with.
Ollie flew over and curled around Jace’s neck – not just hovering, but actually draping over his neck like a scarf. The feeling brought a small rush of happiness to Jace – which now he knew was from some weird chemicals in his brain – but he didn’t care. He reached up and scratched Ollie’s head, right behind the ears. “Next Complex?”
Ollie pointed and grinned, “That way!”
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Shhiv made it home and locked the door behind her. She had felt like someone was following her for days now. But she was safe in her abode. And, as a Civilian, she knew that no one could willfully harm her in Khrox or The Cosmic Corridor.
She heard a voice behind her – coming from her home-gym / living room combo. “Ahem.”
Shhiv wheeled around and bared her teeth – but stopped and relaxed as she recognized the figure. “Sera?”
The black-skinned, purple-eyed, and four-armed woman was sitting on her weight bench, sipping something from a metal tube. “Sorry for barging in. I’ve been following you, trying to find the best time to talk. This seemed like a good time.”
Shhiv nodded and laughed as she leaned against the door, “I thought someone was stalking me.”
“Oh, it’s not just me,” Sera stated as she crossed her legs and a pair of her arms under her ample chest. “You’re being hunted.”
“My siblings? Cousins?” Shhiv asked. “I mean, I know I’m low down the line of succession, but I-”
“Worse. No one knows it’s you – yet. But they’ve narrowed it down to your workplace. Black Hole Conclave.”
Shhiv felt an icy grip around her heart, right in her chest. “I…they can’t…they can’t hurt me, though.”
Sera frowned, “True-”
“What do they want with me?!”
“You’re Jace Seren’s lover.”
Shhiv stammered, “I-how-when did he-how do you know?”
Sera waved her hand, and hundreds of System screens appeared behind her, “I’m not just some ordinary Civilian. I cannot reveal the full truth…but let’s just say I have some massive resources at my disposal.” She stood up. “I don’t mind you engaging how you wish with Jace – but just by associating with him, you are in danger. And, if they get you, they can manipulate him.” Her voice shifted slightly and was filled with a determined sense of absolutism. “That cannot happen.”
Shhiv felt that fear festering in her stomach. A cold, solid lump that she struggled to keep down. Running to the bathroom, she retched into the shallow sink. Sera stood at the door behind her, “Why?” Shhiv asked.
“Jace is special. He is the only current user of a certain, hidden Cosmic Power. The Conclave wants you to use as a bargaining chip. Right now, they only know you by your pod designation -zal. But, given enough time-”
“They’ll find me,” Shhiv stated as she stepped into the hygiene station and let it clean her. Stepping out, she looked at the smaller but obviously well-connected woman. “What do I do?”
“I want you to move in with Jace-”
“What?! It’s way too soon for that. I didn’t want to rush thi-”
Seras sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with one of her hands, “Not into his room. The building he is in. I have full control of access to his floor. And he can configure it to have different apartments. You, Quinn, Greg and his fiancé – anyone who Jace has a connection to. I’m moving them all into one location where I can keep an eye on things and prevent the inter-Khrox-warp-system from taking people to it.”
Shhiv racked her brain trying to process all of this. “Inter-Khrox-warp-system?” she asked, clinging onto the only thing that seemed like an object she could cling to.
“How you get around in a minute by walking to a destination. I have the means to shut off access to certain locations.”
“What about my work?”
“You’ll work for me, now. From home. Don’t worry, I’m already working on converting the whole building so that the top floor is going to be apartments for Jace and his allies – yourself included – and then the rest to be customizable for all manner of activities.” She raised an eyebrow, “Swimming included.”
“I…I won’t be able to leave, will I?” Shhiv asked.
“It’s that, or risk being kidnapped by Conclave members. It is your choice.”
I can use this, Shhiv thought. I don’t like the idea of being confined to a single building, but if I’m being tracked down to blackmail Jace - a twinge of panic raced through her at the idea that they might capture her, take her to her home world, and torture her to force Jace to work for them. I can’t let them use me to get to him.
Plus…this is my chance to move in. Sure, it’s faster than I was anticipating, but what better way to make sure that he becomes my lover and partner than by living down the hall from him? I wanted an Ascendant lover to protect me – this is my chance. She nodded, “What do I need to do to get ready?”
Sera grinned, “Good girl, smart choice. You just pack up your bags.” She waved her hand and a gap in space appeared. Shhiv gasped as she saw Jace’s game-room with the falling snow. “Let’s go and get you moved into the building. One of the empty apartments. And we’ll decorate it.” There was an odd hint of excitement at the last statement.
Shhiv looked around the small bathroom and nodded. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.