Julian sat on the floor of the dark hallway, staring down at the tile that lined the place. A few doors away, he could hear doctors and nurses calling out needs as they tried to save Monty. A light flashed through the gaps of the closed door. Corona was doing what he could, but things were looking bleak.
Omen stepped out of the shadows and curled around Julian. He laid his head in Julian’s lap, which caused him to pet the wolf absent-mindedly with his blood-stained hands. He had tried to staunch the bleeding.
Obi was quietly sitting in Julian’s jacket hood. He could feel across their bond that Julian’s thoughts were a mess, so he tried sorting them out quietly.
Many things were running through Julian’s mind: his promise to Maria back in high school to come to the West Coast together, his parents proud of him for following his dreams, his expulsion, and the friends he made while being here, including Monty.
Then, his thoughts lingered on Izun’s request, the flashing notification on his bracer growing harder to ignore.
[Chosen of Izun: Added]
[Advocate of Humanity: Pending]
What had his dream been, exactly?
He shook his head, feeling guilty and selfish for having these thoughts while Monty lay in the other room fighting for his life. Monty had believed in his dreams at one point. He told him so by being an advocate for him when he needed it most.
Not like it made a difference in the end.
Is that what it means to be an advocate? To place your bets on the underdog knowing it wouldn’t amount to anything?
That didn’t seem so hard to do. A waste of time and energy perhaps, but not too difficult.
Is that how he wanted to spend the rest of his time here? Betting and losing on people who didn’t deserve it?
Monty deserves it. He thought you did, too.
“Julian?”
He looked up to see Maria and Andre entering the hallway with a tired Dorffi hanging on Andre’s back.
“H-hey,” he choked out, clearing his throat.
“We looked everywhere, but we couldn’t find anyone who knew anything. The place is pretty quiet,” Maria said, taking a seat on the floor to Julian's left.
Andre folded his arms and leaned up against the wall across from them. Dorffi groaned, readjusting to lie on Andre’s shoulders and backpack. “Dorffi tracked the blood trail to where they attacked Monty, but there was nothing else to follow. The trail grew cold almost immediately. If I had to guess, the attack was by an Eidos.”
“A bonded one if it was within the safe zone, though,” Julian said, looking up at Andre.
Andre nodded, “That’s true.”
“But why?” Maria asked. “Everyone here loved Monty. He has kept this place sane ever since before the Eidos.”
“Remember, the campus is full of people who don’t know Monty. There are many people here just for the safe zone. Otherwise, they wouldn’t care.” Andre looked from Maria to Julian. “How is he doing?”
Julian shrugged. “I don’t know. We haven’t had an update since they took him back.”
Maria stood from her seat on the floor and offered Julian her hands. “Come on, up, up.”
“What now?” He groaned, unable to pull away as her hands grabbed his.
“Let’s go wash up. You need a new shirt and a jacket, too. They have a makeshift shower set up in between the dorms. Go clean up, and I’ll see about scrounging us up some dinner.”
Julian allowed himself to be pulled up from the ground, even though Omen groaned in protest before slipping back into Julian’s shadow.
He loved the head scratches.
“Okay. Andre, if anything changes-”
“You’ll be the first to know, bro. Now, go clean up.” Andre smiled at Julian, holding his fist out to him.
Julian bumped his fist against Andre’s, which forced a smile to come to his lips. “Thanks, dude.”
Andre just nodded, folding his arms again and resting against the wall, standing watch. Dorffi snoozed on his backpack with soft snoring and cooing noises.
As Julian followed Maria outside, he felt Obi stir in his hood.
Boss, just say the word, and we’re on it.
Julian was silent. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, but could his Eidos pull it off? His mind raced at the possibilities, but he didn’t know if it was the right path.
Stolen novel; please report.
The trees near the dormitories now blocked the resting quarters and the makeshift showers. Barrels sat out to collect water from the recent rains, and chairs sat out for people to put their things or wait. Everything was quiet except for the sounds of Eidos coming from the city.
As they arrived at the makeshift showers, Maria turned to Julian. “It’s just a water hose sprayer, but it does the job. I already set out some soap, and I’ll get you a shirt and jacket from your bag. Be back soon.”
Julian nodded. “Thanks, Maria.” He smiled at her, causing her to smile back as she took off to collect things for him.
He stepped into one shower and undressed. Obi flew from his hood and sat on one of the tree limbs overhead. Omen slipped out of Julian’s shadow and hid under the tree with Obi.
Julian tossed his clothes to the nearby chair and turned the water on. Grabbing the soap, he tried his best to wash Monty’s blood off his hands. The harder he scrubbed, the more determined he became.
He was getting the blood out of his bracer when his resolve snapped into place.
He immediately pulled up Obi’s information.
[Eidos: Oberon (Obi)]
[Abilities:]
Neural Network - Can create telepathic connections. Some limits apply. [Exclusive]
[Techniques:]
1. Telekinesis (Mental/ Elemental) [Rare]
2. Nettles (Nature/ Enhancement) [Uncommon]
3. Camouflage (Nature / Enhancement [Uncommon]
4. Entangling Vines (Nature / Control) [Uncommon]
Gear:
1: [Empty]
Upgrades:
1: [Empty]
He clicked [Entangling Vines], watching as a new option appeared.
[Replace?]
[Yes] [No]
He clicked [Yes], watching as a catalog opened up.
There was only one option.
[Control Plants: Epic]
[Allows the Eidos with Nature Affinity control of flora within an area of effect.]
[Area of effect = 4x Perception Statistic]
[Replace Entangling Vines: Uncommon with Control Plants: Epic?]
[Yes] [No]
He pressed [Yes], letting the new ability upgrade Obi.
Obi, neural network.
He immediately felt his head spin as Obi’s ability fell into place. He closed his eyes, resuming his cleaning.
Connect to Omen.
Omen’s presence grew deeper and more vivid in Julian’s consciousness.
Obi, go with him. I need you to relay information between us and share with me what you find. Omen?
He felt his wolf stand at attention. He could even feel the excitement coming from the wolf through their bond.
Julian quickly met the excitement with seriousness and resolve, sending the idea that this wasn’t for fun. This was a hunt for someone who hurt a member of their pack.
Julian immediately felt Omen go from excited to furious, resolve flowing across their bond between the two of them. He felt a mental nod come from the wolf as he understood what to do.
Good boy. Now, fetch.
——
Maria made good on her word, finding him a clean shirt and a hoodie from his bag, as well as some food for everyone to share. He ate a small dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches and soup with Maria and Andre before closing his eyes and resting his head back against the wall at his post from the floor.
The sun was rising over USF, and, after sending his Eidos out into the safe zone, Julian got a few hours of rest.
The doctors, nursing staff, and Kiyoka finally came out of the makeshift emergency room. Kiyoka was removing Corona’s capsule from her bracer as she walked over to the others. She looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes. She leaned up against the wall beside Andre before sliding down the wall to the floor in silence.
Julian stood to his feet as the doctors approached him.
One doctor, a woman named Dr. Winslow, stepped forward. “Mr. Koste, thank you for waiting for us. I’m sorry it took so long. If it wasn’t for Miss Miura and her Eidos, things would have gone a lot worse.”
Julian nodded, looking over to Kiyoka who was already half asleep on the floor. “So, what’s the update?”
Dr. Winslow leaned in closer to Julian. “Mr. Dupont is currently stable, but he is in critical condition. Whatever stabbed him did serious damage to his intestines, right lung, and right kidney, and it was sharp enough to cut through bone with relative ease. We’ve done what we can, and we will depend a lot on Miss Miura’s Eidos in the coming days.”
Julian took the news in. Monty wasn’t out of the woods yet.
Dr. Winslow placed a hand on Julian’s shoulder. “You all were lucky to have found each other when you did. He wouldn’t be here now if you hadn’t brought him here. A lot of us depend on Monty.”
Julian looked up at Dr. Winslow. “You depend on him? How come?”
Dr. Winslow looked confused for a moment. “You don’t know? At the twenty-four-hour mark on our bracers, Monty Dupont was given administrative control of this safe zone. If I had to guess, this attack had to stem from that knowledge. Nobody knows what would happen to this safe zone should anything happen to him.”
Julian nodded. “I see. We were out working SOS beacons at that time. We didn’t know.”
Dr. Winslow nodded. “Thank you for your bravery. It means a lot to us. Now, Mr. Dupont needs rest, and so do all of you. The timer is getting closer to zero hour, and we don’t know what to expect.”
“Of course. Thank you, and thank your team for us, Dr. Winslow.” Julian shook her hand.
“It’s the least we can do, Mr. Koste. Stay safe, and keep an eye open,” Dr. Winslow warned, before stepping away from everyone and following the nurses out of the dormitory.
Julian looked at his bracer as she left.
[Time Remaining: 03:03:05]
[Objective: Survive the Final Seeding.]
“So, now what?” Maria asked, stretching as she stood to her feet.
Andre leaned down, waking up Kiyoka gently and helping her stand up. “I’m going to get her to bed.”
Kiyoka grumbled softly. “I gotta be close by in case Monty needs Corona.”
Andre nodded. “Of course. Let’s get you settled in.” He helped her to a room next to Monty's, where she could be close enough to hear anything.
Julian watched them leave when he finally heard Obi break through his thoughts.
Boss? Omen found something. There’s a group out front near the entryway talking about what happens when they take over the safe zone. They’re including the guards from last night, trying to win them over. The lady is in, but the guy with the buffalo is trying to persuade them otherwise.
Is that so?
Yup, and one goon let slip that the admin in charge here is dead, so a new admin will be appointed soon. Probably when the clock hits zero.
They seem sure, don’t they?
They are clueless, boss. Just making assumptions with no evidence. Want us to keep a lookout?
Yes, stay silent, and keep finding out all you can-
“Julian?”
Julians shook his head, looking at Maria. “Hmm?”
“What’s going on? I haven’t seen you that pissed in a long time.”
Julian looked around the room as Andre came back from getting Kiyoka settled in. “Last night, I sent Obi and Omen out to find answers. They just reported in.”
Maria grew quiet, folding her arms as Andre joined their circle.
Julian looked down at his bracer, showing his Eidos locations to them both. “According to Obi, the group responsible for attacking Monty is currently at the front gates.”
“Then let’s go!” Maria stepped towards the doors.
Andre grabbed her shoulder. “Wait, Maria. We have no evidence that they are responsible. We have to wait for them to play their hand. If they find out that Monty is still alive, they might come here. They also might blab to the wrong people, which it sounds like they are doing. When word gets out, things will take a turn. We need to be ready when that happens and not set fuel to the fire.”
Julian folded his arms. “So what? We just wait for the clock to hit zero?”
Andre nodded in response. “That, and lie low with Monty. He’s still in danger. Maybe the whole safe zone acted against him. We have got to decide if we can protect him and whether it's our place to do so."