July 28, 491 U.C.

Birds are musical creatures. They chirp and sing, letting everyone know how they are feeling. The one on the fence let me know what it thought of my archery, chirping out a mocking melody while ruffling its feathers. Embracing the bird inside of me, I let out a loud shriek of frustration, sending the bird flying down the fence.

“Stop that!” Job barked with a look of exasperation.

“It was taunting me!” I scowled. “Just like the rest of them! Little monsters.” I gestured to the line of birds, who had nothing better to do than critique my dismal shooting skills.

“Can you blame them?” Job said with a sigh. “Again. Line it up so that it’s straight. Exhale and release.”

I nocked another arrow. Pulling it back, I released the string. The arrow zipped through the air, missed the target, and bounced off a strand of fence. The wire vibrated while the arrow embedded into the ground. The line of critics continued their endless critique.

Job sighed, stood behind me, and began guiding me. “Straight. The arrow and your arm need to be straight. It needs to be straight with the bow.”

Wishing for a montage spell, I embraced my inner bird and began singing every montage song I knew while I shot an endless stream of arrows at my target, occasionally even hitting it.

Job, like the birds, continued his own stream of critiques. His were far more useful than the twittering birds who eventually got bored and flew off. I wanted to do that too; Job was having no part of it. Instead, I spent hours upon hours out there.

It took me a few days to hit the target reliably. I was no sharpshooter, but at least I wasn’t shooting grass or air. Walking up to the target, I pulled out the arrows and grinned up at Job.

“Nice work.” He patted me on the back.

“Thanks, Job.”

“Lord, you’re getting tall.” Job stretched and pulled out practice swords. “Now, let’s see what you’ve got. I’m not going easy on you this time.” He grinned and swung a large, padded wooden sword. “No magic.”

I grabbed the others and began trying to run circles around him, my feet dancing on the grass. Like lightning, Job struck hard and fast. He zipped forward, swinging.

Dashing back, I barely stayed out of range of the large blade, nearly tumbling twice. The blade kept swinging, nearly clipping my head as I ducked. Struggling to deal with his long reach, I focused on keeping his large blade at bay while my breathing rocketed.

Sweat began pouring down my back. I swung and sidestepped rapidly. He knocked a blade away, leaving me open. I snapped my other up as his blade caught me in the chest, sending me tumbling through the dirt and grass. I got a mouthful on my way by. Vaulting up, I felt a bit like a slow cow. The grass and dirt didn’t help the feeling.

To my surprise, Job didn’t stop. He charged and kept going. I rapidly began fighting my losing duel again. Embracing my training, I let myself go into some hyper-focused auto-pilot. I swung my blades in a rapid flurry. Feinting, I moved and tried for an opening. His blade nicked my shoulder as he countered.

Our dance continued as we stomped down the surrounding grass. The nearby birds went flying as we got too close. They landed nearby and continued their commentary. Then they flew off, leaving us alone with the sound of shuffling feet and thunking swords.

The silence seemed to grow as sweat ran down my body. My blade met his, sending another blast down my arm. I did my best to continue as another strange feeling slammed into me. Part of my brain screamed. Then Job shot forward, far faster than before. I tried to dodge; he stepped forward and grabbed me. Scooping me into his arms, he bolted back towards the wall, tossing me up into the air as he got close.

Flying upward, panic hit. I aimed and landed on the wall, wobbling like mad. With the skill of an airplane, I whirled my arms to prevent my fall. Job hurtled up the ladder.

Correcting my balance, I spun and saw why. A small group of raptors were running through the grass. One looked at us and chirped; I assumed that it was miffed about losing a free meal because it charged forward.

Not wanting to be a meal, I grabbed the bow and nocked an arrow.

“Shit!” Job yelled. “Down, Casey!” He scrambled up on top of the wall.

I ignored it and exhaled as the raptor leapt. Like a small missile, the raptor hurtled through the air, its feathers rustling in the wind. I released the string, launching the arrow forward. It bounced off its skull, breaking into pieces with a crack.

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With a dazed look on its face, the raptor’s leap went unabated. Then a massive fist smashed into its head, sending it straight down.

“Down!” Job barked.

I rapidly scrambled down the ladder. The thud of the raptor passed through the wall. It let out a soft shriek while I continued downward.

Skipping the last rungs, I dropped and landed with a soft thud. Then I got out of the way as Job dropped. He let out a long breath and shook his head.

“Careful, Casey,” Job said softly. “Let’s practice in the shop.”

I nodded and followed.

“There were more. You know that, right?” Job asked while we walked.

“Yes. Sorry.”

“What is the downside of our retreat?” Job asked.

I paused and thought about it. “We’re in a weaker position if they make it over the wall?”

Job nodded. “We’re trusting that the wall and fences will be enough. If not, we’re trusting the drones and guardians to show up. Care to tell me why you haven’t just gone there?”

“I can’t, Job,” I whispered. “It’s complicated.”

“Come on, Casey. I think that I’ve earned that right.”

“You know why,” I whispered.

“Because you managed without them?” Job asked with a raised brow.

I nodded. “Yes.”

“I don’t know that they’ll hurt you because of that.”

“They will,” I said softly. “It’s complicated. Family history and all that.”

“Ah,” Job said. Then he went quiet as he contemplated things. “Just promise that you’ll come find me if you are ever in trouble.”

“I will.” I grinned up at him.

He seemed to get lost in his thoughts again. I shrugged and continued walking, periodically looking behind me. Eventually, the sound of birds returned, which helped put me at ease.

“You better head home,” Job said as he approached the shop. “We can practice again tomorrow evening.”

“Thanks again, Job.”

He patted me on the back and sent me on my way. I skipped off down the roads, briefly studying the various buildings on my way. I passed a convenience store, a few houses, a log cabin, and a surly policeman.

“There you are,” Officer Kilpatrick said with a frown.

“Innocent, sir!” I chirped at him. Spinning, I headed towards home.

“There have been rumors of a vigilante pretending to be a guardian. I need you to come to the station.”

I sighed as my stomach grumbled. “It’s dinnertime. You already have my blood scan. I got it this spring.” That was true and false. I’d faked one that spring at Dad’s behest.

“Who else would run around killing things?” the officer asked with a frown.

“The platinum-haired guardian,” I replied. “Does this look silver?” I tugged on my hair.

The officer frowned, leaned down, and plucked a hair from my head, causing me to yelp. He began studying it.

I spun and scowled at him. “You are so mean!”

With a sigh, he tossed it aside. “I suppose that’s true.”

I focused on my annoyance instead of the hair. “If you have questions, ask. But I may get a lawyer. This is very circumstantial.”

He scowled back at me. “Stop killing all the fish.”

“No way. It’s not illegal, and you know it. Catch your own.” I started walking faster.

With nothing better to do, he followed me. I started daydreaming, imagining Earth again. Call me sentimental, but I missed the place. It has problems, but it isn’t that bad.

As if to prove that point, a plume of steam rose from the terraformer. Vuln’s sirens blared to life. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my oxygen mask. Then I slapped it over my face and turned it on.

My escort did the same as he followed. Then he veered off somewhere. I waved at a few people who picked up their pace. Then the humidity hit. That made me look up. A wall of clouds blanketed half the sky. Ah, here it comes. Not wanting to get soaked, I turned my walk into a high-speed jog, dashing down the roads like everyone else.

Thunder boomed through the air, encouraging everyone to move it. My feet pounded concrete and asphalt. Dashing down the roads, the sound and smell of water hit.

I shot into the airlock and waited. A few neighbors came flooding in with me. I smiled at the couple with their young son. They had grocery bags in their arms. “Hi, Thompsons. How are you?”

“We made it out of that, thank God,” the man with parted black hair replied. “How are you, Casey?”

“Swell. I avoided it.” Then I stepped into the passage. “How are you, Jake?” I waved at the young boy, who grabbed the air in front of me.

With a giggle, I picked him up and darted down the corridor. He giggled as we raced down it. With a growing smile, I held him up and let him touch the top of the tunnel. Then the rain crashed onto it.

Water flooded over the plastic, washing away everything. “Rain!” Jake said happily as he hit the plastic with his little fist.

I pulled him down and walked him over to his house.

“Thank you,” Mrs. Thompson said as the door clunked open. She walked in with the groceries.

“No problem. Have fun, Jake. Enjoy the rain.” I set him down. He ran off to play with his toys, tearing down the carpeted hall on his little legs.

Turning, I journeyed down the deafening hallway. The rain bounced through the chamber. With a smirk on my face, I began singing, adding noise to the cacophony.

With a song bellowing from my mouth, I opened the door and walked inside.

“Stop singing!” Dad bellowed from down the hallway. “Cook!”

Like I said. He has always been a critic. I stopped singing and headed towards the stove. I fired it up and began cooking while wishing that I’d managed to get raptor meat instead of fish.

Current Level 3 Current XP 7.14% Current Max Mana 26.28 Regen per minute 0.15 Growth Time (Days) 5.73 Potential Mana 3.50 Reputation 50

Tier Skill Cost Tier 1 User Time Dilation

- User experiences 4 seconds for 1 earth second. - Costs 1 mana per earth second.