That night E4 woke to a strange sensation. Her ravager instincts screamed at her that she was being watched, that she had to move. Yet when she tried, nothing happened.
[[Diagnostic indicates Host is asleep]]. Scrolled across her eye. She tried to twitch, tried to move, yet nothing happened. [[Host is experiencing sleep paralysis.]] E4 paused, considering. As Erin she had never suffered from sleep paralysis, and the previous E4 had no memories of it. Then, she felt the itch. It started as an itch, slowly gnawing at her back. Like something running razor sharp nails down her spine, not hard enough to draw blood, but hard enough to be felt.
With a thought she exerted ATP and rolled over, claws extending as she did. Her left eye saw only a pair of glowing red eyes. Her right eye saw the outline of a figure, visible only by what it obscured. From what she could see the man, or man shaped thing, wore some manner of overcoat and a wide brimmed hat. In its hands it held the only thing that was not pure black, a silver knife. Without hesitation she plunged her claws into the thing’s head. She felt a jolt of energy surge through her arm and felt both her ears pop as the thing vanished from existence.
[[High density Myst is being converted to Aether. Overflow is being used to accelerate regeneration process]]
Immediately the room went form pitch black to dark. The rumbling of the train returned to her ears, and she again felt the gentle swaying of the train as it followed the tracks.
“What was that?” E4 stammered. Looking around she found that E1, E2, and E3 were all missing. Dressing quickly, she stepped out into the car.
Evaluating her instincts, she found her Myst instinct was telling her to go back to bed, her maid instinct was telling her to check on her mistress, and her ravager instinct was telling her to murder whatever thing just tried to attack her.
Then eat it. Then analyze its DNA so she could copy its paralytic properties. E4 grinned, fangs slipping from behind her teeth, and extended her claws, which caused her right arm to do the same and rip free.
“Bleeding Havoc!” E4 clenched her teeth as her right arm tore free and slid into place with a loud POP. It didn’t hurt so much as feel like she had just shoved her entire arm in ice water. As the shock wore off, she flexed the arm and extended her claws. Her new arm was slightly lighter than the other one, and covered in amniotic fluid. “Red, warn me next time.” Three telekinetic blades appeared, each a meter long. E4 looked at the blades, before retracting them to the seven shorter blades more suited for close combat. Each bore a slight sheen along the edge, which was new. “Though I do like the option, now let’s go find the hat man.”
The first place to look, her master’s bed room. E4 knocked quietly, then listened. She didn’t hear anyone moving around, so she quietly peeked into the room and found her mistress fast asleep. Marcus, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found. E1 lay in his bed, wrapped tightly in the blankets. E4 smiled and slid the door back into place.
Next E4 sneaked into the engine, or tried to. C1 immediately turned to her.
“Evening Colette.” He nodded to her with a grin. E4 gave him an incredulous look. “Did Marcus send ya’ up to check on things?”
“No, I thought I saw something dangerous on board, I’m looking for it.”
“I see. Most Myst critters can’t get on the train, and they don’t like touching the track because of how much Aether runs through it. Tracks are the veins and arteries of The Myst ya’ know. In the old days, navigators were married to their roads, they knew their road like they knew their woman, and now we conductors do the same with the rails.” He let out a low laugh. “Course that’s the only woman we tend ta’ know unless a maid decides ta’ look our way. Heard ya’ tried kissin’ the rail. Rite a’ passage, a laborer can’t become a conductor unless they kiss the rail. A’ course we normally make ‘em wear a good suit an’ have a little weddin’, but that’s mostly just hazing.”
“Wait, that’s real?”
“Sure is. Gives ya’ a feelin’ fer th’ rails an’ a little Aether behind yer’ eyes. A’ course ya’ still need trainin’, but if bein’ a maid doesn’t work out and ya’ can’t hack it as a regulator I’m sure we can train ya’. Yer’ a little tall, but we’ll work somethin’ out.” He chuckled. “Here, put yer’ hands here.” E4 did. “Now, where are we?”
E4 closed her eyes to concentrate. Immediately she felt a subtle rumble in the tracks. “We’re on, I’m guessing a main rail. It’s very smooth, very well worn. We’ve got enough fuel and water on board for a week and a half, and if I do this,” She tried to inject some Aether into the rail, and immediately hit a wall. She winced, and tried ATP. Her hand vibrated, and somewhere between the two she felt the train begin to accelerate. She felt her flesh begin to merge with the controls, to reach down towards the engine.
“Woah there, easy.” C1 exclaimed, taking the controls. “Don’t go having us jump the rails on yer’ first go. We’ll find time fer’ trainin’ later, fer now you have a critter ta’ find.”
E4 checked the sleeping car again, finding nothing she stepped into the lab and kitchen. She found a pot of coffee cooking on the stove, which she noticed was boiled down to sludge. She turned it off and moved into the library car.
Immediately a feeling of dread fell over her. The once cozy library car now felt claustrophobic. Despite the lights being on it seemed unnaturally dim, and from every corner shadows seemed to reach out unnaturally as if they might grab a passerby. E4 felt her human eye close, yet her right eye resisted and with it she saw the threat. A tall man in a black coat and black hat held a knife out towards Marcus where he lay sleeping, a book still open in his lap. E4 saw his eyes staring at the man yet despite the knife the man had scratching his chest Marcus seemed unable to move.
“Be gone!” E4 exclaimed, slamming both of her claws into the creature’s back and ripping to the left and right in a move that would shred the lungs of a normal person. She hit no bone, just a strange semi-tangable mist. The creature did not seem to react, it did not scream, it did not flinch, it seemed to just disappear.
[[High density Myst is being converted to Aether. Aether capacity is full, releasing Aether]] E4 felt her hair, or the wig she was wearing, begin to stand on end. She reached for Marcus, and as she did there was a loud CRACK of static electricity.
“E4?” He startled, climbing up in his chair as if he had just awoken from a nightmare. He looked around, blinking rapidly. He took a deep breath, then another. “What did you see?”
“Master Marcus, are you alright?” E4 asked. “What was that thing?”
“You could see it too?”
“I saw it hovering over you my first night.” E4 paused, realizing it had only been two days since then. “It attacked me earlier, but I managed to get free.” She shook the life back into her hands, “It seems to release high density Myst when driven off, but I do not think it is dead.”
“So it is real!” Marcus exclaimed. “My parents always told me it was just a night terror, but it does exist.” He pushed himself up. “E4, we need coffee, as strong as you can make it. I’ll get Marissa and the other maids up. We’re pulling an all nighter.”
“Yes Master Marcus!”
Making the coffee was easy enough, though E4 considered some of the harder chemicals she had once had access to. As she was considering it Marissa stormed past, wearing nothing but her night gown and an overcoat, and by the time the coffee was finished brewing she had a flask of something that glowed and flickered in the light. E3 followed, with concern writ across her face.
“What is that Mistress?” E4 asked.
“A little something to keep us awake.” She replied, pouring the entire flask into the coffee pot. It immediately steamed and a cloud of gray steam burst forth, from which lightning immediately shot into E4’s arm. “Huh, wasn’t supposed to do that.”
“Is this safe?”
“Should be.” Marissa replied, taking the coffee pot and pouring some for herself. She took a sip, and her eyes went wide before she downed the entire thing. E4 poured herself a cup, and tasted a bit.
“Mistress, this is an amphetamine. They are addictive!” In response to her words E1 covered her mouth in shock.
“How are you able to tell that by taste?” E4 refused to make eye contact. “It’s a mild one, infused with a bit of Aether so it will actually affect us. Regular amphetamines wouldn’t touch our nervous system. For that reason, do NOT let the other maids have this, it would kill them.” E4 quickly found some tape and wrapped the coffee pot with it before marking it with a pen “I won’t make you take it if you don’t want.”
“I’m not going to, just be careful. I’ve seen what this stuff can do to people, people with regular bodies. What could a mind altering substance do to someone whose body is made of malleable Myst?”
“Drug fiend.” Marissa replied. “I’ve heard of them, but thankfully never seen them. Rumor has it they can destroy entire towns if not caught quick enough.”
“That’s real?”
“Might be a myth, might be The Myst.” Marissa took a sip of her spiked coffee. “That’s pretty much our job to figure out. She led E4 back into the library. “Ok, so Marcus, what’s the plan?”
“The plan is we’re going to figure out what this thing is and how to kill it.” Marcus replied. “I’m going to go through the old journals we have collected, maybe we’ll find a reference. Marissa, you go through the bestiaries and periodicals. Half of those things are junk, and you’ve got a knack for figuring them out. E4, I want you going through the medical journals. You were a doctor, right?” E4 nodded. “I doubt we’ll find anything, but unknown Myst entities have been misidentified as diseases before.”
“Like vampires and Tuberculosis.” E4 replied getting the connection. “Right. This condition resembles sleep paralysis demons, specifically The Hat Man.”
“The what?” Marcus asked.
“Never mind, I don’t want to taint your research. I’ll start with sleep based ailments and spiral out from there. Won’t be the first time I’ve had to use paper records with incomplete info, I miss the internet.”
“Did that ever take off?” Marcus asked.
“Oh, it most certainly did, but when anyone can post anything the trick isn’t finding what’s right but wading through what’s not.”
And so began their first night of research. They continued as the sun began to rise behind the Myst, and only stopped when it was time for lunch. As they worked Marcus and Marissa both used some manner of tablet made from metal, one in gleaming ruby and one in a blazing sapphire. E4 settled for using regular books, though she did eye the devices.
“E1, what are we having?” Marissa asked, stepping into the dining car.
“Omelets, you were not here for breakfast.” E1 replied, placing a bacon and cheese omelet on Marissa’s plate. E4 and Marcus received one as well, but theirs steamed, Marissa’s did not. “Also, I noticed someone used the good coffee pot for a science experiment.”
“It was an emergency.” E1 eyed her critically. “Who is the mistress here?”
“We maids are employed by Marcus Eagle-Wood per our contract.” She eyed E4 critically. “On that subject, shall we put out word for a new maid, since this one has joined The Regulators, or was it The Conductors? A female conductor, such a thing hasn’t happened in over 50 years.”
“Not yet E1 but keep that in mind.” Marcus replied, before turning to E4. “On that note, care to elaborate on that?” E4 took a sip of the juice that had been laid out. Neither Marcus nor Marissa commented on how red she was turning. Finally, she managed to compose herself.
“So, from my research there are a few diseases that can force a person into a sleeping sickness, a few that affect both Myst folk and Aether blessed, and a few that affect Myst Folk but not Aether Blessed. None that affect Aether Blessed but not Myst folk, though there are rumors. From what I can tell, our constitution is different enough that we’re immune to a lot and there aren’t enough of us for most diseases to specialize in affecting us. We constantly take in Myst, and convert it to Aether. To most diseases we’re the equivalent of a furnace. Diseases of the nervous system and heart must be inflicted by creatures with a lot of dense Myst due to how quickly we burn them off, and you have no idea how relieved that makes me feel. Diseases of the skin, liver, and surprisingly the lungs have a bit of an easier time. The GI system is a mixed bag, there’s enough nerves there to ensure lots of Aether but most of those diseases are about the body kicking stuff out so a lot of GI diseases are just shorter in duration” She paused. “Yet on the issue of psychological diseases, sleep paralysis and sleep paralysis demons are the closest thing I have found. There isn’t a lot of info on them here. From what I can tell most Aether Blessed who succumb to such conditions don’t live long. Most of what I have on them come from Earth.”
“I found a record of a bunch of different monsters that like to haunt dreams. First and foremost,” Marissa took an image of a beautiful yet scantly clad woman with goat horns and hooves. In the image a man stood spellbound by the woman, not noticing her long claws nor the tail that wound around his legs. Her long hair was the color of the blood she appeared ready to shed. “My favorite monster.” E4 watched Marcus’s expression as he calmly sipped his coffee. She just tried not to think of how similar the long sinuous tail in the image resembled her own. “There are records of hags and other Myst shaper types doing things with dreams, as well as nightmares made manifest.” Marissa referred to some written notes. “Most tend to attack in the dream though, chased through dark woods, strange locations, that sort of stuff. I did notice sleep paralysis demons were mentioned, but mostly just mentioned as what people disregard real threats as. There are a few types of hob-goblin that have paralysis abilities, body snatchers, some kinds of reptiles and insects. Some rumors say certain undead can too, but undead are the cause of everything unexplained until proven otherwise. Either case they can be disregarded by the local sheriff as nightmares and sleep paralysis until it’s too late.” She turned to her brother. “Anything on your end?”
“I’ve gone through dozens of journals, mostly skimming due to how much daily stuff there is. A couple ghosts that can go through walls and attack sleeping individuals, but in those cases the ghost was haunting a location that the Aether Blessed was staying at, or they had a cursed item on them.”
“Ghosts are a thing?” E4 asked.
“Sort of. There are a lot of types, and telling which one you’re dealing with is tricky at best.” Marissa replied. “Some can be hurt by the sun, some don’t care. Most don’t like holy symbols, some are attracted to them. The sound of bells disrupts some, but other will be drawn to them. Some follow the last thing they were doing mindlessly; some pursue goals they had when they were alive. Also, some come from Aether Blessed who can’t accept they’ve died.” She paused. “Those are either the best or the worst.”
“They resist physical weapons, but any Aetheric weapon will hurt them at least a bit which is part of why Aether Blessed are critical to dealing with them, with the exception of the Aether Blessed ghosts which are more resistant than we are. I’ve seen two. One was just ticked that his research was going to rot in his basement, and vanished as soon as we got the door open. The other, we had to run. I think it took twenty imbued regulators and an army of Myst Folk to finally put it down. From the journal our Grandfather left only 5 people made it out, all Aether Blessed.”
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Their discussion went on through lunch, even as E1 served dessert. Finally, they were finished.
“I’ll help clean up lunch before returning, my brain needs a break.” E4 spoke as she rose. Once Marissa and Marcus had left she stacked the dishes and got to work. “I can sense you want a word E1.”
Silent as smoke E1 was beside her. “I’ve noticed you have been shirking your cleaning in favor of fraternizing with our Master and Mistress.”
“I do as Master Marcus and Mistress Marissa ask.” E4 replied. “They have enlisted my help in this matter due to my background in medicine.”
“You are a maid first, I do not know what folk remedies you may have learned, but I expect you to do the job you are hired for.” She replied sternly. “If you do not then I will see you off this train. You can go serve the regulators, or maybe the conductors will take you in. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that little spectacle. You could have harmed the Eagle-Wood name that day.”
“I will do my best E1.” E4 replied. She paused. “Have Master Marcus or Mistress Marissa complained about my work?”
“They do not have to. It is my duty as head maid to ensure it never reaches that point. Now, the bed rooms have to be cleaned, and I expect it done within the next hour. Chop chop.”
E4’s Myst instinct bid her obey, and her Ravager instinct indicated she should do so. Yet her Maid instinct, rather than following the head maid, told her to go to her Mistress. “I see.”
E4’s work was quick. Now with both telekinesis and two hands she could extend her reach far beyond the norm, and carrying large bulky loads without issue. Getting them into the washing machine by the armory was a bit of a trick, but she had plenty of training even if she had to lean on the old E4’s memories to use it. While she was cleaning the conductor’s beds, which appeared to have been covered in oil and sweat, Marissa found her.
“I thought you were just cleaning up the dishes.”
“E1 instructed me to get back to my maid duties.” E4 replied. Marissa gave her a surprised look. “Did I misstep?”
“So rather than doing what Marcus and I tell you, you did what E1, our subordinate, told you.”
“She is the head maid, and two of my three instincts agreed with her. Being a maid is a bit, better, than what I was doing on Earth.”
“I thought you were a doctor.”
“I was, at first. Politics has a way of creeping into everything, and it has no place in the world of medicine. I made a few treatment decisions men in black suits disagreed with, and after having 80 year old men overrule me on why penicillin was NOT a miracle cure for the Feline flu I switched to the pandemic response team. That bought me a few years before they took my license. Have you ever tried to explain to a man in a black suit who has never opened a medical text book why a disinfectant that kills 99% of germs on a counter top should not be administered by IV? Why a profitable oil well MUST be quarantined because the men working in it caught something up that causes them to bleed from the eyes and hunger for flesh? I have done both, and it has gotten me mocked in public and shot at in private.” She folded the last of the sheets into a basket. “Then they found out I caught something we couldn’t cure. That got me shot at in public too, if anyone noticed the symptoms. This place is a new start, and if dressing in frilly black and doing laundry is the cost of that, you won’t find me complaining.” She paused. “Sorry, rant over. Did you need me to do anything else Mistress?”
“Um, Marcus found a medical journal we could use some help with. Once you’ve thrown that in the wash have E2 or 3 dry it.” She paused. “So much for 2030 being a time of enlightenment.”
“Oh, I have stories, but that’s for later.”
It took E4 an hour to read through the medical journal, after which she sighed. “I don’t think this is it. This text describes a disease that causes someone to relive their memories and misremember them. Actions your allies took become more suspicious, wounds become worse, and this entity is either a shared hallucination or some kind of incorporeal creature that feeds on misery.” She closed the journal. “Sorry.”
“At least we know.” Marcus replied, stretching. E4 noted he had taken off his coat, wearing only a light shirt. She tried not to stare, her mind calculating how much muscle he hid beneath his coat. A part of her brain calculated the caloric density of all that muscle, before she shut it down. “There, is one method we could try.”
“No, no way.” Marissa replied. “You pull that thing out of its cupboard I am burning it.”
“I understand your hesitancy, but it is still an option. If this is a new creature of The Myst only by communing with The Myst can we learn about it.”
“So, we ask The Myst for a stat block on this thing?” E4 asked.
“If it was that easy Marissa would not be reaching for her lighter. We would have to get off the train in the middle of an area of dense Myst, then use a communion board to reach out to The Myst. Best case scenario we gain some insight into the creature and have to fight our way through a few dozen monsters on the way back.”
“Worst case it actually shows up, empowered by The Myst and ready to murder us. That or it steals our Aether and we’re stuck as Cursed for a decade or more.”
“That can happen?”
“Arnold used to be Aether Blessed, but something happened to him during a hunt and he came back cursed. I’ve heard there are potions that can remove the curse, but they’re rare.”
E4 thought about it for a moment. “We could try sleeping in shifts. The two times I saw it all it took was a single blow to dissipate it. The first time I just used a regular knife, I didn’t even know what Aether was.”
“That’s a good point.” Marissa winced. “Blast, we’re supposed to be safe on our train. This is going to be rough. Think we could convince some of the maids to watch over us as we sleep?”
“Might not be a bad idea, but remember we only have 4, 3 since E4 is now Aether Blessed, and only E1 is actually trained in combat.” Marcus shrugged. “Doesn’t help Lady Eagle-Wood called us so we’re on a time crunch.”
The trio spent the remains of the afternoon in study, yet retread only what they had already found. Over dinner, which E4 stepped out early to prepare, they reflected.
“I hate to say it, but this might be something new, or something no one has survived.” Marcus spoke first, taking a bite out of the hamburger E4 had made. “Hmmm, what is this seasoning?”
“It’s a mix of pepper and lemon grass. E1 made the seasoning, so I’m not exactly sure what’s in it.” E4 replied, taking a bite. It was quite good, and she registered a higher than average serotonin yield. Then again, a ravager’s pallet included anything not rotten through, and most that are. “Back in the pandemic response team, figuring out how a disease spread and how to prevent it was one of the first things we had to do. Normally the first step was to isolate the patient…” She paused, “Huh,”
“You’ve thought of something?”
“Well without consulting the internet, which I miss right about now, The Hat man was a sleep paralysis demon, which we know. I think it targeted those who were sleep deprived, or maybe those who took certain medications.”
“The Myst is known for stealing monsters from folklore and the public consciousness.” Marissa added. “We came through during a time when serial killers novels were very popular, and serial killers started walking out of The Myst shortly after.” E4 stared at her for a moment in horror. “That’s bad I take it.”
“Without getting off track, I come from an era of hostile pathogens so yes.” E4 replied. “But getting back to the point, only Marcus and I have been attacked so far, but it was when we were alone. You were in the lab the first time, and this time E1 was with you and E2 and E3 were somewhere else on the train. Master Marcus was in the library, I was alone in our room. I’m guessing C2 and C3 were in their room.
“I can confirm that.” E2 spoke up from where she was mixing dough for some bread, before turning red.
“So everyone who had fallen asleep and was alone were attacked, but everyone who had someone else in the room or who were awake were spared.” E4 finished. “It’s a shaky theory, but it’s what I’ve got for right now.”
“And you are sure it is not just a chance to get into Master Marcus’s bed?” E1 asked, seeming to appear out of nowhere from behind her.
“E1, do I detect a note of jealousy in your voice?” Marcus replied. E1 did not respond, though she did turn rather red. “So does that mean everyone buddies up?”
“I would say groups of three. The first time Marissa got up to do something in the lab, which isolated you, and in my case E3 got up to retrieve something from the medical car. It doesn’t seem to attack people who are awake, so if someone had to go to the bathroom or something they should be safe while the other two protect one another.” She considered the thought. “Though sleeping in shifts would likely be the safest. I can take first watch tonight, and we’ll see how it goes. If that is acceptable Master Marcus.” E1 gave her a nod in approval.
“Does this mean we have to sleep in armor?” Marissa asked, before she perked up in a way E4 found concerning.
“I doubt it will even show up if we are wary, though I will leave that decision to my superiors.” E4 replied, making eye contact with E1, who nodded.
“Ok, so we’ll try this tonight.” Marcus replied. “E1, do you mind joining me this evening? If we’re sleeping in shifts we could use the extra eyes.” E1 cracked a smile and nodded even as she turned red.
“And I’ll take E4.” Marissa replied.
“Remember you will have to do some actual sleeping.” Marcus chastised, which sent E2 into a fit of giggles she quickly suppressed. “E2, I want you to keep an eye on E3 and the conductors. Make sure no one is alone. This thing hasn’t attacked any Myst folk yet, but that doesn’t mean it can’t.”
E4 quickly made her way to her room to change into her night gown. Yet as she did she found something else sitting in the same cabinet. A sly smile crossed her lips as she dressed for the night, then knocked on her mistress’s door.
“Mistress.” E4 spoke sweetly. “I found your gift, but, I have questions.”
Marissa threw the door open with such force E4 was afraid it was going to break. She watched as Marissa’s look of delight turned to disappointment. “I don’t think I’m wearing it right though.”
Marcus looked over from his bed, wearing a soft shirt and pajama pants with little sheep woven into them. He paused, seeing E4 in a nightgown, and over the nightgown wearing an ornate long sleeved leotard. It didn’t help that aside from adding color, the leotard provided little hinderance to seeing the nightgown beneath save certain critical points. A bit of skillful seam work allowed the night gown to fit through the leg holes of the undergarment, though it caused it to hike up around the legs. E1 stared disapprovingly.
“No, you’re supposed to wear that instead of the night gown.” Marissa pouted. It was at this point that E4 noticed Marissa was wearing a matching leotard, though hers was black while E4’s was a light blue “I was looking forwards to seeing how you looked after becoming charged.
“Marissa, remember when you promised me you would actually sleep tonight?” Marcus chastised. “You can be a deviant later. And E4, please wear that properly under your nightgown. It took me a week to sew that and I don’t want you to stretch it out.”
“You made it?” E4 asked, quickly slipping out of the nightgown before slipping it over the lingere.
“Despite how it looks that is Tier 1 Aetheric silk. It’ll turn a knife or take the bite out of a mundane bullet. It was made to handle a vampire’s claws following a rash of attacks upon women while they were sleeping.” He made a gesture and the lights turned off.
E4 took the first watch, and partially to her surprise nothing occurred. As she traded off with Marissa she felt Marissa take her hand.
“Do you mind?” She asked.
“I suppose not, Mistress.” E4 flashed her a smile before sitting down. Within moments of lying down she was alseep. It was with some surprise when she awoke to the rising of the sun, Marissa’s hand still in hers. Inside her instincts told her it was time for breakfast, and she quietly slipped out the door following E1 who was doing the same.
“Did you see anything?” She whispered as they were changing into their maid uniforms.
“No, no demon of the night disrupted our Master nor Mistress.” E1 replied, gingerly removing her arm from its sling and moving it cautiously. She smiled at whatever she felt. “As it should be. You did well, resisting Marissa’s temptation. You are not the first she has set her eyes on, though the previous maids did not appreciate her more adventurous ideas. I half expected you to balk when she had me place her surprise. She has something of a reputation. It is said she takes after their grandfather in her tastes.”
E4 removed her wig and looked into the small mirror in their room. Marissa had a larger one within her wardrobe, but this one would do. Under her wig she had a fuzz of red hair coming in, though it would be a while before she could style it to cover her horns. Her left eye gleamed an emerald green, though her right eye was now brilliant Amethyst, the pupil an odd crossed shape that looked like both cat’s and a goat’s. As she stared the iris separated as the ravager isopod twitched, and her vision zoomed in to a near microscopic degree. “Um, she does know this is a wig right? After being charged my hair is coming in red.”
“If the rumors are to believed Mason Eagle-Wood had a wife to go with every season. I believe you will fit in well during the fall, though you’ll have to go back in the closet during winter.” E4 whipped around to see E1 chuckling.
“You just made a joke, you can make a joke?”
Quick as a blink E1 was stern and stoic. “It must have been your imagination. Now come along, breakfast will not make itself.”
The next four days, went by in a similar routine. E4 spent some of her work time acting as a maid, and some of it learning from Marcus and Marissa about how to be a Regulator and an Aether Blessed. They stopped at two towns to refuel and tap the standing stones, but due to their summons neither Marissa nor Marcus paid any attention to the bargain provided by either. E4 managed to receive more of the strange eggs, and a bracelet made from bone which neither Marcus nor Marissa could figure out.
“So, how do you tell a good job from a bad one?” Marissa asked as E4 was serving lunch.
“A good job has enough details that you have a pretty good idea of what you will be dealing with, but not so many that it sounds suspicious or like another regulator is writing it. A bad job will offer far more money than you feel the job is worth, because there is a catch you aren’t being told and they are using the sunken cost fallacy to persuade you. If it’s too detailed it’s being given by another regulator and if they’re not upfront about it something is up. Also if the standing stones shower you with gold and offer your heart’s desire as a bargain, it’s time to leave.”
“Exactly. What are the tiers of the Aether Blessed?”
“The Aether Blessed have four or five tiers. Basic or uncharged, which is an Aether Blessed when they are first born or arrive. Some scholars don’t count this as they are barely distinguishable from Myst folk at this stage. Charged or Tier 1, which is what we are. This revises the metabolism, altering the lungs, stomach, intestine, and in turn affects the muscles and bones shortly after. While Aether is created as soon as one becomes Tier 0, this is when we can first use it. This is when you can first measure a MIST score, standing for Might Intelect Speed and Tenacity. It used to be Myst with the Y standing for Yore, but it was changed within a year. Normally this is done when you’re first charged, but we were in a hurry to leave. The human maximum is 5, and you can get up to 10 at tier 1. Tier 2 lets you get up to 15, and it increases by 5 per tier after that. Next comes Imbued or rebuilt, which is Tier 2. This revises the bones and skin, making them far harder to break and allows the muscles to work at full strength. This comes with a large boost to Tenacity. Next comes Tier 3 or rewired. This focuses on the muscles and nerves, taking advantage of the stronger bones. This comes with a boost to Might and Speed. Tier 4 is refined, but the book didn’t really explain much about that. At each stage the peripheral and central nervous system get a small boost. This mostly increases the senses and allows for better multitasking, though some Blessed become smarter instead. There was some mention of Aether Shaping, but it didn’t elaborate. There was also a passage about some kind of special armor known as FOG but it was mentioned once and never again, so I’m guessing that’s something we don’t learn about until later. The highest tier of a creature of The Myst was tier 6, though tier 7 and 8 are speculated to exist. It is thought that The Myst itself is tier 8, but so diffuse that it cannot directly act. While the first charging is relatively easy and paid for via debt or a sponsor, the second must be paid for by the individual and requires reagents unique to each individual. The charged Aether Blessed will know these when they see them, and they often come from standing stones. Occasionally they come as part of a boon, but mostly they fall into the bargain category or as a reward from certain hunts. If you take a bundle of trouble, you HAVE to finish the assignment. Holding on to a bargain item without completing the bargain brings the hostility of The Myst down on you, causing the monsters you didn’t destroy to follow you. As they walk through the Myst they get stronger rather than falling apart. If you use one during your recharging or empowering it can crumble and kill you. If it doesn’t, it acts as a bargain item you can’t get rid of until you destroy your target, and it will usually be stronger than you by that point.”
“Good, what if you find one and lose it?”
“You can find another one. The most extreme example was a woman named Little Red, who gathered fourty eight reagents when she needed only twelve. She spent an entire week and enlisted three different experts, including Arnold of Benedict who we met, to decide which ones to use. In the end she became extremely specialized in the use of the spear and rifle, to the point she could not fight in enclosed spaces but could destroy creatures of The Myst two tiers above herself in an open area.”
“Good, now what is the difference between charged and uncharged?”
“Uncharged are the same as Myst Folk, save they can resist The Hymn of The Myst, instincts imposed by The Myst. Some can use Aether, most can’t. Charged are stronger, faster, and more resistant. They can be harmed by specific weapons and tools but most creatures of The Myst don’t have them. There are some creatures that can bypass this, but most just overpower it with sheer strength. Incidental damage, such as falling or shrapnel, can be almost disregarded unless they are somehow charged. Charged use Aetheric weapons, which they power by channeling Aether into them. They have a number of Aetheric abilities, such as Master Marcus’s Aetheric blade which allows him to run additional Aether through a weapon to do extra damage or do so with a weapon that isn’t designed for it. Mistress Marissa has Aetheric ammunition, which allows her to fire a gun without bullets, or increase the efficiency in a gun like her zap rifle which feeds on Aether anyhow. Further, most Aetheric weapons do not bypass a charged individual’s defense, so while getting shot by your gun would still hurt, it would be more likely to leave welts or bruises rather than be fatal.”
“Ok, here’s a question, why do I not have Aetheric ammunition and why does Marissa not have Aetheric edge?”
E4 paused. “I don’t know, I’m guessing either they are incompatible, or they need some resource you don’t have a lot of.”
“Sort of, but I’ll let you think on it. You should figure it out before we leave.” As he spoke a loud whistling sound echoed through the train. “Oh, you’re going to want to see this.” With a gesture he pulled open the windows and the trio looked out to see the view. Immediately the other maids as well as C2 and 3 seemed to arrive as if on cue.
Outside the train E4 saw a valley surrounded by a large cliff. The train was currently descending the cliff, following a hard-won slope that must have been blasted from the stone, or dug with countless hands. As they descended E4 saw that the town was centered around an enormous home made from wood and rock, both likely harvested on site. Beyond the town stood a tall metal fence at least six meters tall with thick metal bars supporting it. From above those bars silvery towers spun casting an odd shimmering light here and there. Beyond the wall lay the forest, full of tall dark trees that E4 was too far away from to identify. All she could see was a green smear, and then Myst that engulfed the forest past the first few rows of trees.
“Welcome to Towering Oaks.”