The absurdly powerful monster’s eyes widened to a comical degree. It looked around in embarrassment, then whipped up its smoke once again to hide its strangely skinny body. Much skinnier than it had been twelve hours ago.
Noem crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently as he stared daggers at the apex. “Well?”
The apex tilted its head to the side as if it wasn’t a spirit powerful enough to be able to talk.
“I know you can talk, so talk.” Noem extended an upturned palm and gestured for the apex to take its turn. It continued to feign stupidity and whipped its head from one side to the other like it was looking around for someone else Noem could’ve been talking to. “See, right there, that’s how I know you’re smart. It takes brains to act stupid, and you’re acting the wrong kind of stupid. The human kind of stupid.”
A low grumble, like a pouting child using the voice of a full-grown fat bearded man, escaped the smoke. Silence followed for a few seconds, and then a deep sigh coincided with the apex sticking its head out of the smoke and into the tunnel.
“Most of your kind do not know spirits can talk without being bonded.” The apex said in a voice that rumbled down the tunnel, but softly dissipated like rising smoke instead of echoing. “Was it pure logic that dictated your assumption, or were your words carried forth by the confidence of experience?”
Noem nodded and waved away the slight smoke that came with the apex’s words. “I tried to bond an apex once. Not a wild one, like you, but one that had just lost her bonded. She stopped talking after her bonded was murdered, but between the time I gave her an anchor and the bonding failing, she talked to me.”
Coils of translucent smoke partly covered the apex’s eyes, giving the sense that it was narrowing them in suspicion. “You not only attempted to bond an apex, but presented an anchor suitable for the bonding. Yet it still failed. I see no reality where that is possible.”
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“Well, reality’s not as nice as you seem to think.” Noem brought up his stats and flipped the screen around so the apex could see. The apex stared at it for a moment, then narrowed the smoke around its eyes to small needle-like points.
“Your mastery of the system is troubling. Those things in your ears that allow you to comprehend my words through all of the distortion I am forcing into them are magnificent, but that screen is something that should not function.” The apex opened its mouth a sliver and let a long tendril of smoke snake out, which Noem watched with little care as it reached up and gently nudged his arm.
The screen didn’t shake at all.
“Stable holograms that account for the movement of the projector. From all I have seen, it is not possible without an external anchor for the hologram to emanate from. Yet you work your system without such aid.” The apex continued with something that could have been growing respect or disdain. “Why is someone with your technological prowess living isolated in the wilds?”
Noem extended his index finger and gestured over his shoulder with it. “Mona. She was comatose from an accident for a long time, and for reasons I’m not telling you, I had to bring her out here to keep her alive. And since you didn’t run away the second you saw that big ‘ol zero for the bonds I can have, you’ve got at least a little interest in bonding with her.”
The apex let out a series of low breaths and slightly shook its head. “Yes, I am interested in her. Her Qi is not only an uncut gemstone; it is multiple seams of unrevealed wealth. Yet I am what I am. If she does not possess the strength of mind and resilience of spirit to bond, her Qi matters not. That does not include the need for an anchor that can properly contain… my…”
Smoke retracted in a burst of the apex’s own Qi. It stared down the tunnel as its mouth opened wide to leak a breeze that wafted over Noem’s clothes and carried with it a pleasant scent of burning wood and evergreen. One moment it was motionless, like an intricately carved statue, and the next its nose pressed hard against Noem’s chest in a burst of wind.
“You made that.” It hissed intensely. “I have seen ancient treasures with worse capabilities than that anchor. What variety of monster are you?”
Noem pushed the apex’s nose away, much to its blatant surprise. “I’m not a monster. Hell, I’m not even close. But if you’re willing, you could help make Mona into one. Not sure why you’d want to minimalize your power to go help an eighteen year old go to school, but hey, I’m not you.”
“That is correct. You are not.” The apex cleared its throat in a puff of smoke. “I suppose you wish to know my reasoning for attacking you and your sister if not to kill or dissuade you.”
“No. Your reasons are your own. All I want to know is if you were testing us out there.” Noem recalled his hologram with a swipe of his finger, then crossed his arms. “You’re huge, you’re powerful as fuck, and you’ve got all the weirdness of the quarry to yourself. Why the hell would you want to leave?”