Nicolai was sucked into a world of information. A great list of Symbiotes rolled out in front of him and dragged him inside. He saw dozens of them, all tiny little creatures, held out on hands.
They shone and activated and magic erupted, each one showcasing its ability. He was able to feel them with his Soul Sense, gaining an impression of how they felt, learning to recognise them. The visions kept coming. Now he saw them being fed, gnawing or drinking or nibbling on all kinds of natural resources, and again the sense of these resources washed over him. All throughout there was a droning voice, going into detail on everything presented, dozens of random facts that dug their way into Nicolai’s mind.
It kept going and going, Symbiote after Symbiote into the hundreds, vision after vision, and each vision burrowed into him, transforming into green orbs that sunk into his Soul.
After a period Nicolai forcefully pulled himself away. He wanted to gain a broader understanding than just that of Symbiotes. His Soul Sense was fuzzing, the world spinning, but he forced himself to open the next book, the one on creatures and monsters; information which was just as important.
Now his mind was filled with a confusing rush of visions of dozens of beings, cats and canines, birds and lizards, insects and amphibians. He saw them moving, fighting. He saw their habitats and methods of hunting and surviving. He saw more, and more, his mind and Soul increasingly saturated with the green orbs until it reached a point where he could contain no more.
Nicolai snapped back into his body, reeling and dizzy, his mind still filled with echoes of the visions and fading voices. It took some time for his eyes to adjust to the light of the room, for the stars and lights to fade.
All the information was bubbling around in his mind. With the help of the Modules he was already sorting and classifying it, and his mind was already capable of dealing with a great deal of information. But the method of delivery caused him some trouble. All that information was dropped into his Soul, not his mind, and then had to filter through his Soul and into him. His Soul felt somehow drained and overfilled, all at once. Wrung out like a dishcloth used to scrub pans all day long.
He had enough awareness to remember to put Kleos into the bucket of liquid, then he stumbled to his cot and crawled into it. Keep watch, and wake me at daybreak, he instructed Threat Analysis then fell asleep.
###
Nicolai was dragged awake by an incessant beeping, emanating from the microphones in his ears directly into his ear canal. He lurched into full wakefulness, lunging out of the bed, pistol already in his hand.
No threats. Daytime, said Threat Analysis.
Rise and shine, said Cyberwarfare.
He’d slept heavily, which was unlike him. But he could understand why; even sleeping like a dead man hadn’t entirely restored him after what he’d put his brain through the night before.
His eyes were a little grainy, and his body didn’t respond with quite its usual adroitness. Should’ve got more sleep. Nothing to be done for it now. The new day beckoned and Nicolai could only rise to meet it. Perhaps he ought to sleep in, but there was so much to do and he disliked the idea of being asleep while the others were awake. It wouldn’t give the proper impression of a leader that he desired to put forwards.
At the very least he wasn’t as tired as he might’ve been before becoming a Cultivator, and he had methods to alleviate the dullness he felt. On top of that, the remnants of information from the tome had stabilised within him mind and Soul. Not quite a part of him, not yet. But he knew if he attempted to delve into what he felt, the green orbs, he would be able to quickly access them. Over the next few days they should finishing moving through his Soul and be fully integrated.
He was also aware that he hadn’t the plumbed the depths of the Memory Tomes. They had more to offer him, but it was a process he would need to space out. His Soul could only take so much at a time.
Despite his tiredness, Nicolai removed Kleos from its bag of liquid, greeting the head and the skull (putting them beside one another), then settled into his morning routine, moving through the stretches and exercises. After completing both his state was improved, much of the grittiness gone from his eyes. He followed this up with some heavy gulps from the Green Water Bottle, which perked him up with similar effect as a strong cup of coffee.
After servicing and practising with his weapons, Nicolai equipped himself and left his room, not long after the torches had switched on. As he left, Kleos spoke up.
‘Take me with you,’ said the head, its first words that morning. Nicolai turned back, picked it up and was about to leave. Kleos had frequently been asking to be taken outside in the mornings, now. He’d thought it enjoyed resting in quiet, but it seemed Kleos was bored. It wanted to watch the others, talk to them. As he made to leave, Maric also spoke up.
‘Hey, me too!’ said the skull, its blue eyes flaring. ‘I don’t want to sit in here on my own.’
Nicolai paused, eyeing the skull. He trusted Kleos with the others because the head was bound to aid them. Maric, not so much. But his Mask stirred as he looked at the skull and it told him that he would also find it miserable and boring to be no more than a living skull, left to sit in a room by himself all day, and injected him with a pulse of actual human understanding and kindness, emotions which it crafted rather well. Nicolai, taken with the sensations, went and picked Maric up.
‘Kleos, keep an eye on our friend when I am not around,’ he said as he moved to the door. ‘Let me know if Maric doesn’t stick to his side of things; being fair with us.’
‘Gladly,’ muttered Kleos, while Maric let out an affronted little mutter.
Exiting, He found Jo and Beth there, talking quietly, both of them looking happy. Beth was curled up on the inflatable couch, and Jo was on one of the wooden chairs. She was staring at something held in her hands, and Nicolai immediately recognised the change within her.
The tendrils of Seed-type Soul Sense that had been permanently around Jo recently were gone. Instead there was one, thicker tendril, exploring the room, and his sense of her emotions was muted, shielded by her Soul. She’d integrated her Seed at some point in the night.
The two glanced up when he entered, and Jo smiled. She didn’t look like she’d gotten much sleep, shadows under her eyes. But in spite of that, her smile was held pride and satisfaction. ‘Look,’ she said, holding her hand out. There was a little living thing there; a Symbiote. It looked like a tiny bird, moving around her palm. It paused and cocked its head to stare at one of her fingers, looking like it was seriously considering giving the digit a nibble. He felt the Modules clustering within his Soul, gazing curiously at the piece of magic.
‘You did it,’ he acknowledged. ‘Well done. What’d you get?’
‘It’s called a Grey Plume Pigeon,’ said Jo. ‘The description said it can let one quickly move over short distances. Sounded to me like it lets you kinda, hop quickly about.’
‘Decent choice,’ he said, nodding. Mobility was always useful, and being able to move quickly should go well with a Pegasi ring and her preference for shooting from a distance. ‘Here,’ he said, pulling one of three Pegasi rings off his finger and handing it over to her. Losing it would make him a little slower when flying, but it wouldn’t be a huge difference. Each additional Pegasi ring had less and less effect, when used together.
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Her eyes widened slightly as she took it, then her smile widened.
‘Get used to moving around with it when you can. You haven’t broken that in yet?’ He nodded to the tiny bird on her palm.
‘No, uh, I’m tired,’ she said. ‘Only finished the integration less than an hour ago.’
‘Best to do it soon,’ he muttered, struggling to pull his eyes away from it. ‘Lots to do,’ he added.
This was difficult because he wanted it. Unlike the third Pegasi ring, it would make a real difference. A Symbiote or Imbued that would give him faster movement was something he’d desired for a while. Below all that, his Mask reminded him, he just wanted it because he was a relentlessly greedy piece of shit who, to some degree, wanted everything.
He forced his eyes away and moved, uncomfortable, toward one of the chairs. Habit made him go to the side of the table where he could sit in the singular end chair, which was made of wood, not rubber. He pulled it back a little and angled it so he would have a view of the main exit, the hallway with the room, and the stairwell up above. He sat down with his back to the wall, with his back straight, leaning forward slightly, positioned with his feet closer to him so his centre of gravity was over them and he could rise as rapidly as possible if necessary. He didn’t think on this, he simply did it. His thoughts were on other matters. He was tired. Tired of the endless struggle. Tired of being confused.
‘Actually, I was thinking,’ Jo was saying to him. ‘How about we take it easy for the morning? I think Perro and Azure are about finished with their Seeds, too. We should keep an eye on them.’
Nicolai eyed her. He’d been planning to head to the Library, and felt that others could watch the pair if they truly were close to Integration. But his Mask spoke to him and said that Jo was speaking in a secret language, one it could understand better than he. It told him that what she actually meant was: we’re all tired and want a rest, and if you force us to constantly go out without any time to relax, we will be unhappy.
‘I suppose a morning off could be in order,’ he murmured, intending to cut that time as short as he possibly could. He wanted to finish the library Guardian and take its Imbued, and sooner was better.
One of the door’s opened and Perro emerged, his Seed’s Soul Sense fanning out around him. He saw Nicolai and his face lit up with pride. ‘I did it! Finished and bonded!’ he called out, only for the door across from him to burst open, Azure exploding out. ‘I did it!’ she yelled, a mirror of Perro.
Nicolai stared as the overexcited teenagers collided, laughing and hugging one another, jumping up and down. He did his best to form a happy expression.
‘I was first!’ yelled Azure.
‘No, it was me!’ cried Perro, ‘I got out in the hallway first!’
‘I—!‘
‘Actually…’ came a voice and they both turned, looking to Jo, who wore a tiny smirk.
Perro stared at Jo, then his Soul Sense extended, along with Azure’s. Their eyes shot wide. ‘You did it already!’ The two groaned, seeming, for some reason, unhappy.
‘Yes,’ said Jo, grinning. ‘Pay up.’
The two disappeared into their rooms then popped back out, muttering, and both handed a points-tag over to Jo. Nicolai raised an eyebrow, surprised. ‘Gambling?’ he asked.
‘Hey, they suggested it,’ said Jo, waving her arms and grinning, seeming very pleased with herself.
Nicolai couldn’t help but smile, surprised, amused, his dark mood fading slightly. He had been holding Maric and Kleos absently in his hands, and he extended to place on the pair on the central table, angled so they could look at the others.
‘Hey!’ said Azure, peering curiously at the skull. ‘Another one? Do you talk?’
‘Greetings. I am Maric, a wandering scholar,’ spoke the skull in profound tones.
‘Wow,’ said Perro, clustering beside Azure. He looked to Nicolai. ‘Are you collecting these things?’
Nicolai peered back at the boy, confused. ‘No. It is merely happenstance.’ Removing Maric’s body and keeping his skull was simply the most efficient option.
‘Are you guys friends?’ whispered Azure to the two undead.
‘Maybe in time,’ said Maric, while at the same moment Kleos gave a short, ‘No.’
‘The skull seems a bit more friendly,’ observed Perro.
‘I’m friendly,’ muttered Kleos, peering up at the boy. ‘To people I trust.’ He shot a dark look at the skull. Maric’s eyes twinkled.
‘This one dragged us into a fight against a nasty undead then tried to lock us out of what we came for,’ said Beth, rising and plucking Maric from the table, holding the skull up to gaze at it through narrowed eyes.
‘Uh, yes, well. That was… an unfortunate lapse in judgement,’ spoke the skull, looking quite worried as Beth began to bounce it from hand to hand. ‘A lapse that will not be repeated!’ Beth spun the skull like a softball on one finger, the blue light in its eyes turning into a blur. ‘Hey! I’m sorry! Put me down!’
Jo rose and snatched the skull, returning it to the table, where Maric let out its version of a sigh of relief. ‘Don’t bully him,’ she chided her sister, and Beth rolled her eyes.
‘Yes, poor little skull-man,’ crooed Azure, sinking down to her knees and grinning at the skull, reaching out to rub its head. ‘So smooth and cute.’
‘You didn’t say I’m cute,’ said Kleos, staring at her.
‘Because you’re all… rotted flesh,’ she said, twisting her lips. Kleos, in contrast, wore an expression that actually appeared somewhat hurt.
‘Not everyone can be as charming as me, I suppose,’ muttered a smug Maric.
Jo observed Azure with a quizzical expression for a moment. ‘Why did you bring this thing back with us, anyway?’ she asked, looking to Nicolai.
Nicolai had been observing the others in a state of blank uncertainty. His Mask had been telling him, look, look, this is how normal people interact. This is how we could be. Part of him was utterly disgusted by the very idea, another felt a strange but powerful drive to do as his Mask desired, the rest of him was simply confused. Except for Threat Analysis, anyway, who was busy watching Maric with suspicion, feeling the undead’s “charming” nature had come about rather quickly. Nicolai blinked at Jo, suddenly finding himself required to interject, and his Mask was digging into him with a desire to be human, and to have a personality.
This was difficult, because when not engaged in manipulation of some sort, Nicolai wasn’t certain that he had a personality. The various acts he wore for differing purposes did, but at this moment, he did not see himself as doing any of that. He was simply… being himself.
Who and what was himself? What was his personality?
He considered telling some kind of joke and being funny. This was one way to have a personality. However, this could fall flat, which would be a sign that he was a weak and socially clumsy person. Inexcusable.
So Nicolai simply answered the question directly, while adopting his persona of confident-leader-who-is-dedicated-to-gaining-influence-and-security-for-the-group.
‘He’s a good source of info. We don’t know enough about this place. He, alongside Kleos, can tell us more.’ He shrugged. ‘So, if you have any questions, ask away.’
Nicolai focused on his face and the disappointed, sullen thrashings of the Mask. He had failed to have a personality and settled for the safe option, as always, and it was upset with him. Another time, he told it, but they both knew he was lying. He settled back, comfortably ignored as the others peppered Maric, alongside Kleos, with various random questions. These ranged from, “What secret knowledge can you tell us?” (Perro) to “Does it feel nice when I rub your head?” (Azure).
After some time, Perro and Azure remembered their current pressing matter, the pair looking to Jo and Beth.
‘We’re gonna do it,’ said Azure, ‘we’re gonna Integrate.’ The girl grinned broadly. ‘Will you watch over us?’ she spoke to Jo and Beth, and Perro also looked to the two women.
Strangely, neither of the teenagers looked to him. They both looked at Jo and Beth. Nicolai wondered whether he ought to feel insulted. In truth he was glad. It was a messy business and one he’d rather not observe. He kept his peace as the others disappeared into rooms, Jo accompanying Perro, Beth going with Azure, and Nicolai was left alone except for Kleos and Maric on the table. The others had yet to rise. He was glad for the silence.
‘Your little group is getting stronger,’ murmured Kleos, eyes flicking to him.
‘They are,’ he replied. Perro and Azure would each be receiving a Symbiote once they’d integrated. He felt a hunger stirring inside.
‘Interesting, very interesting,’ spoke Maric. ‘I’ve never met so many humans. A boisterous bunch. Ha-ha. What is this soft furniture constructed of?’
‘I wonder what you intend to do with them,’ continued Kleos, ignoring the skull.
Nicolai shook his head. ‘I don’t know. They’re useful, I suppose.’ He frowned. ‘I don’t know.’ Hadn’t he used to know? He’d felt they were important. When had that changed? Sitting there, for the first time in days he found himself unoccupied. In his room he was always either practising, or cultivating, or resting. But he didn’t feel comfortable enough to do that out in the main room; he was too exposed, he had to maintain readiness and awareness. So he simply sat. And thought. He’d been keeping himself very busy ever since that day. Since the painting.
And I should continue. I can see about reading more of the Memory Tomes. Or filter through the information they’ve left in my head.
‘Peaceful, here,’ came Kleos’ voice again. ‘Relaxing.’
Nicolai glanced at the head. He supposed it was peaceful, in a way, but he wasn’t sure about “relaxing.” The silence was much too loud, begging him to think of what he’d learned in the painting. The darkness was squirming in its cage. His Mask was twisting over his face. He ignored them both. Should he lift up the rock, take a look at the ants scurrying beneath?
No. Not a good idea. Not here and now. But he should think about what he wanted to do with the others, what he wished to accomplish.