A strange change hit Gol’cru the moment she passed by the gate. For a moment she shuttered, then something imperceptible fell over her. E4 noticed it in the slight limp she seemed to adopt.
“Something seems off, are you ok?”
“Fine, just, feels weird. I’ve never left the fence before.” She replied. E4 led her to the back of the train, feeling a slight jolt as she gripped the back door, and opened it to find it empty. E4 quickly found a hiding spot for Gol’cru.”
“Stay here, I’m going to go find Marcus or Mistress Marissa. I’m sure they’ll help us.”
“Ooh, this is exciting, though I’m a little worried. Do you think they will really accept us? I really don’t want to be kicked off the train in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by the creatures of The Myst, I would surely die of fright.”
“Nonsense, Marcus and Marissa wouldn’t do that.” E4 tapped her head next to her eyes. “Knowledge of the ancestors, remember?” E4 realized what she had said as she said it. “I mean,”
“That’s,”
At that moment E1 opened the door. E4 and E2 immediately fell on their training, E2 more than E4 but between her borrowed memories, The Hymn, and what she knew from her limited experience she managed.
“E2 and E3, did Master Marcus send you ahead?” She asked. E4 paused as she saw that, beneath her glasses, E1 had bandages covering her eye as well as wrapping around her head. Her black bun had been shaved, and one of her arms now sat in a sling.
“E1, what happened to you?” E4 exclaimed, immediately stepping forwards. She reached for her healing hands skill, but nothing happened.
“That is not your concern E3.”
“Um… I’m E4.” E4 replied. “I know I look a bit different,”
“I see, come with me.” She turned all businesslike as if she wasn’t an arm and eye short. As she walked E4 noted she had a pronounced limp. “Working with the Eagle-Wood family is a very active profession, and involves many tight quarters. You may think you are getting off light only cleaning a train but the reality is quite different.”
E1 gave a detailed walkdown of what was expected, and then E2 and E4 got to work. E4 liberally used her hymn listener and telekinesis to get her work done faster. She found leaning on it altered her perception of time so that the work seemed to go faster, as well as allowing her to use tricks that The Hymn knew even though she wasn’t consciously aware of them. She observed one such trick as she measured the perfect amount of ingredients to make dinner, instinctively knowing how much to add and when to stir which pan or pot. Still, she was glad she had worked on the train previously, the cramped space took some getting used to in her new body.
Within a few minutes, or maybe it was an hour, the train was moving. E4 instinctively knew when the door was going to open and turned towards it with the pot of soup in hand. “Welcome back Mistress, dinner will be served in just a moment.”
Marcus paused, before stepping forwards to let Marissa into the car. “E4, you made it.”
“How’d you beat us to the train?”
“Numbed the mayor’s hand with an innate skill, snuck out while he wasn’t looking, and walked right out the front door. Now you might want to get scrubbed up, dinner… or is it lunch? I think it’s lunch, will be served in a few minutes.”
Within a few minutes Marcus and Marissa were dressed for lunch, though Marissa still wore the delicious… fancy skirt. E4 tried to keep her eyes off of it, she really did. E1 joined them for lunch, and at Marissa’s insistence so did E4.
“So I take it we are not staying to solve the undead, or rotten, problem?” E4 asked. She earned a harsh glare from E1.
“It seems you have still to learn to defer to your betters, the last E4 was like this as well but I had hoped it wouldn’t become a recurrent issue.” E4 shrank back.
“No, not with that creep of a mayor. Something was off about him, you get some weird Myst cursed, even some hostile, but something’s off about him. The way he suddenly went from Folk to Cursed, that was weird. You didn’t bring anything from the standing stones with you, did you?”
“My knife, a few of those weird eggs, and a compass. I got the compass and eggs as a boon last time and the knife I made using fast fabrication, so I don’t think those should be bargains. If anything the bone die would be, but I killed the Screaming Dread so that should be clear.”
“Good. That place is being left behind. When we get to a larger town I’m filing an appeal to have it black marked. Black marked towns aren’t regularly visited, and those who do visit them at least know what they’re getting into. That mayor was clearly hostile both towards you and the Aether Blessed in general. Did you hear that man, he wanted to lock Marissa in the stocks, and he tried to arrest you inside the regulator’s guild.” Marcus shook his head. “We have the accords for a reason. Myst Cursed hold the towns, and we Regulators clear them of creatures. The moment you cleansed a set of standing stones he should have escorted you to the guild to get registered.”
“I think he wanted a pet Regulator.” E4 replied. “Though it’s still weird, I thought he wanted me gone, suddenly he insists I stay. Maybe he thought he could use me to cleanse the stones."
“And that’s not how it works.” Marcus replied. “Aether Blessed have to keep moving, otherwise The Myst will start sending more and more creatures designed to exploit their weaknesses against them. Having a stationary Aether Blessed is worse for a town than having no Aether Blessed. There are exceptions, Aether Blessed who are under 16 or so can’t cleanse standing stones as well, but in exchange the monsters sent against their towns tend to be frequent, but weaker. When Marissa and I were growing up it practically became part of our weekly chores to kill the creatures of The Myst.”
“There’s a lot of debate as if The Myst is showing them some kind of mercy, or setting them up to fail. No one’s really sure.” Marissa added. “But if you had been kept there, it would have ended up bad.”
As lunch concluded E4 cleaned up, before making similar for the rest of the staff. E2 entered, as did C2, but not E3, C1, or C3.
“Hey C2, should I bring something in for C1 and 3?”
“I’m C1 now.” He replied. “and Master Marcus is keeping an eye on the train, the former C1 and C2 are gone, as is the former E2 and E3.” He nodded to E2 formerly Gol’cru. “Nice to meet you, new E2.”
“The same.” She replied with a curtsy, and a giggle. “Everything is so fancy here, so much different than back home.”
“It’s like that.” E4 finished serving the food and went off to her other duties, which took very little time. Soon she found herself in the library, looking through the bestiary. For the first hour or so she managed, yet afterwards she found her mind wandering. Finally, she reread the same page on the black spotted harpy for the third time and had to give up.
“Missing that bonus to Intellect aren’t you?” Marissa asked, looking up from her own book, which she had procured from the action section, which E4 recalled actually had some useful notes on Creatures of The Myst in them.
“Yes, my head feel like I just woke up after an all night surgery only to find there’s no coffee, my muscles feel like limp noodles, it feels like I SHOULD be able to do things, but I’m missing something. It reminds me of a stroke victim. Before I had a skill that let me feed Aether into my flesh to boost my MIST score, at the cost of not being able to shape Aether. I miss it”
“Neat, Aether infusion right?” E4 nodded. “I’ve met a few folks who have it, but a lot of them regret taking it since it makes it harder to learn to shape Aether later, and it’s really inefficient once you get more powerful skills. I’ve got a skill that boosts my speed by 4 when I’m not moving.” E4 shot her a look as Marissa passed her a pair of cards. Each had the Eagle-Wood symbol on the back
Sniper’s stare (Acquired): The Distant Shores are full of things that are hard to look at, yet beneath your stare those things become a fine Aetheric haze. While aiming increase your speed and tenacity by 1 for every five seconds you hold still. This bonus is expended once you move or fire. Expend Aether to retain this bonus for 10 seconds. Maximum is equal to four times tier. Mist has reduced effect on your vision though Myst can still obscure your sight
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Increases tenacity by 1
Run and gun (Achievement): Hasn’t your mother ever told you not to run with scissors, well that’s double with a gun. Negates the penalty to hip fire from running or sliding. Expend Aether while sliding to slow time. Never misfire a gun when tripping or falling
Increases speed by 1
“So question, what’s the point of a speed bonus if you can only use it while standing still?” E4 asked.
“Speed covers movement, reflexes, and aiming. There’s an advanced version that lets me keep the speed for a quick getaway, but I lost it.”
“When you died?”
“We didn’t die.” Marissa corrected. “Marcus and I attempted to break out of the Distant Shores using a teleporation device. It worked in getting us from one town to another, we figured it would let us go back home. It didn’t, throwing us back into whatever process grabs people from Earth in the first place. We actually kept our achievement skills and gained a few innate skills so we had a much easier start, though we lost our tiers and advanced skills. It doesn’t hurt Mom is a really good business woman, even if she does want me to marry and settle down. A lot of Myst Folk who are given an inheritance from a Blessed tend to squander it. We were lucky she was Cursed.”
“I saw that happen.” E4 began to recount her adventures to Marissa, holding back a few details. After about an hour Marissa nodded.
“So the butcher is gone? Can’t say I’m sad about that cannibal nutcase being dead, but he was a rite of passage. You’re not a true regulator until you’ve taken him on. Even if someone killed him, someone else would take his place within a year. Marcus and I were going to go face him before being recharged.” She sighed. “We really threw you to the wolves on this one, though you’ve done well given the circumstances. I still can’t believe Patterson shot you, but if he thought you had a patron I can see it. Patrons are dangerous at the best of times, even having Susan Eagle-Wood as a patron gets us a side eye, and lots of regulators do work for her. From what I’ve heard a lot of new regulators used to get roped into taking patrons, but they always had to go on long and hard journeys to escape. These days we look for new Aether Blessed so we can get to them before the patrons can. Marcus and I got lucky starting out that the Regulator Guild was a thing, I’ve heard things got pretty bad before that. E4, if you ever are approached by a patron,” She immediately noticed E4 not making eye contact. “E4…”
“Coming up on a village, get ready.” Marcus said, poking his head in. He shot his sister a look. “And please put on some pants.”
“If Vienna gets to show off her legs so do I.” Marissa shot back as she stood. “Oh, that reminds me, I have a spare skirt,”
“Mistress I am flattered, but knee length is fine with me.” E4 replied with a smile.
“Oh, don’t worry, this is longer than knee length… mostly.”
“Marissa don’t be a deviant.”
“Oh Marcus, but you agree with me, don’t you. E4 would look quite delicious, I mean lovely, in a split skirt.” She took a moment to stand. “I know you share my tastes, and Mother won’t stop hounding you until you choose.” Even as she spoke the idea of giving the outfit a try sang in E4’s ears, the Hymn making the idea sound more viable.
“That’s beside the point, she doesn’t want to wear it.”
“She doesn’t want to wear it yet.” Marissa corrected. She put a hand on E4’s shoulder. “You’ll come around.”
“Marissa, she’s still being affected by The Hymn, she’s not charged yet.”
From the shocked look on her face Marissa had clearly forgotten. “Oh… sorry.” She hung her head, and immediately The Hymn’s suggestion dropped. “My bad E4, I forgot.”
“I forgive you, but I’d probably best get back to work.” E4 replied, standing and brushing off her skirt. “Have to check on the weapons, just in case we have to make a speedy escape from this town too.”
As E4 expected the weapons were in pristine shape, but that didn’t stop her from checking them over. Then, making sure no one was watching, she slipped off to the kitchen and returned with the eggs. “Ok, I’ve done this once, maybe I can do it again.” She held an egg in one hand and tried to remember how she had made her crossbow the previous time. Originally she had a base crossbow to work with, replacing components. “Fast fabrication helped, but I should still be able to use flesh fabrication, right?”
[[Fast fabrication was an achievement skill, so repeating the achievement should make it work again. At least, that is what I presume. -Red Queen]]
Closing her eyes in concentration E4 got to work. Each was filled with half formed Myst, which seemed almost eager to take shape. “Myst is easier to work with than the yoke we used to huh?”
“Who are you talking to?” E4 jumped as Marcus entered. “What are you doing?”
“Um, well, I was trying to make a crossbow.”
“From eggs?” Marcus looked at E4’s attempt. She even arranged them into the general shape of a crossbow, minus the string. “E4, that’s… I know the Distant Shores are weird, but I think you’re pushing it. You can’t just draw a circle on the ground and refine base materials into a finished product. Trust me, I’ve tried. The Myst will let you bend a lot of rules, especially if you have the skills and spend the aether, but If you want to convert ore to ingots you actually have to use a furnace.” He took a moment to eye her materials. “Did you do something like this on Earth?”
“Sort of. There were some experiment in making meta materials by growing them.” She picked three of the eggs, examined them, and began pouring ATP into them. “There was this type of fungus we had that we could throw the spores over a mound of plastic, and within a few months we’d be able to harvest them into this really useful fiber we made armor out of. Good thing, because most of the good stuff was being bought by the Purifiers. We were also working on a type of tree that could store electricity in its bark, and we could harvest the bark to make batteries. The guys working on that got the Purifier’s best invention award.” She saw the question in Marcus’s expression. “Three bullets to the back of the head and their research stolen to never see the light of day.”
“You really hate these Purifier people.”
E4 cracked the eggs, finding small bone and chitin pieces that neatly clicked into place as she integrated them into the crossbow. Marcus wasn’t close enough to see the tiny fangs that rasped away at the wood or the tiny joints that locked it into place. “I used to admire them, actually had a poster of their leader in my bedroom for a while. Administrator Ignus Mundo, ‘The people do not need Big Pharma, they need Big Protection and they need it Big time.’ I’m pretty sure he stole that from a book, but he was a strong and charismatic leader in a time when the whole world seemed to be going to rot. I actually got a research grant from him after the WHO broke up.” She finished her crossbow and gave the string an experimental tug. “He sold us a dream, and we watched it become a nightmare.”
“Nightmares have a habit of becoming real here, do you think we’ll run into any of them?”
“Oh, we already have. That purple fire you parted with the katana, that was them. Patterson was exposed to one of their drugs that certainly didn’t help his paranoia, and I already ran into an Aether Blessed purifier named Donovan. Nice guy really, I’m glad to see that he hasn’t completely drank the flavoraid.”
[[Least Tendon repeating crossbow: A crossbow that uses numerous muscles and tendons to boost power. Due to a weakened host and improper materials this weapon is not operating as it should. Can regrow bolts when provided coin. Bolts can be tipped with ravager toxin from a reserve that requires 1 ml per bolt. ATP: 10/10. Upkeep 10ATP/day. Signal 1. Max signal 20. Capacity 5 bolts. Efficiency: 45%. Cost 5 ATP and 5 coin/5 rds (takes 3 seconds to regrow 5 bolts). If bolts are provided cost 5ATP/100 shots]].
“Fangs of The Lady, didn’t get it.” Marcus shot her a look. “The Fast Fabrication achievement.”
“That’s an acquired skill.” He eyed the crossbow, and E4 reluctantly handed it to him. “You need to use coins. It’s cheaper to buy the pieces you need, but in a pinch you can burn coin to craft things, The Myst gives you a horrible conversion rate and you can’t use special materials, but it works.” He returned the crossbow, “We call it the weapon tax.”
“I got it as an achievement.” E4 replied, placing a dozen individual coins on the table, and fiddling with the crossbow. The coins started to evaporate, and the pieces of wood and chitin and bone began to mesh and grow together. E4 listened to The Hymn as she directed the growth via resonance.
“You get it from eating a salad made with charged lettuce and green beans, preferably while taking a break from working on a difficult project. You know it worked when you struggle with a product before lunch, then finish within an hour after. Also you can’t get it before you're charged anyhow.” He eyed her work with a skeptical eye. “I’m not sure what you’re doing, but I guess it’s working.”
[[Lesser Tendon repeating crossbow: A crossbow that uses numerous muscles and tendons to boost power. Due to a weakened host and improper materials this weapon is not operating as it should. Can regrow bolts for ATP. Bolts are automatically tipped with ravager toxin. ATP: 10/10. Upkeep 2ATP/day. Signal 1. Max signal 20. Capacity 5 bolts and 5 coin. Efficiency: 45%. Cost 1 ATP/5 rds (takes 3 seconds to regrow 5 bolts, can be accelerated to 0.5 seconds for one coin). If bolts are provided cost 1ATP/100 shots]]. Marcus leaned over her shoulder, putting a hand on her opposite shoulder that did things to The Hymn that made E4’s pulse begin to race. “Huh, does this thing turn coin directly into bolts?”
“Yes, it can hold 5 coins and I can regrow 5 bolts for 1 coin.” E4 neglected to mention that it didn’t actually NEED coins. She quickly found the port just behind the firing mechanism and slipped in five coin. Each was the size of a dime, the same size as a copper or a chip.
“That’s surprisingly decent, especially since it means you don’t have to take the time to reload. A single coin is a lot easier to carry than a quiver of arrows, though it’s more expensive, since you can get 10 bolts for a coin at the shop, but it’s not like we’re short on coin. Also, remember that coin is both plural and singular here. Saying coins is practically asking to get shortchanged by someone who thinks you’re new to The Myst.”
Approximately 10 minutes later the train came to a stop and the group disembarked, Marissa and Marcus leading E4. E1 and E2 remained behind, as did C1.
“That’s ominous.” Marcus noted as Imnad and Vienna turned from the front gate to greet them.
“Well funny meetin’ y’all, I mean, you here.” Imnad spoke up, correcting his accent.
“This regulator greets her fellows, surely The Myst has a plan for us to do great things.” Vienna added. She gestured towards the gate. “And look, The Myst had given us something truly different. Have you ever seen such armor.”
E4’s stomach dropped at the sight of two purifiers in full riot gear and bearing backpack mounted flamethrowers guarding the gate.