After finishing a grueling day of testing, Zayd slumped in relief when Priestess Eirian rescued him from Eion’s endless battery of examinations.
“Looks like you’re approaching your limit,” she said, taking in Zayd’s sweat-soaked clothing, labored breathing, and exhausted posture. “I’ll take you back to your room, we can discuss things over dinner after you wash up.”
Once they returned to the suite Zayd had first woken in, Eirian shooed him in the direction of a washroom that provided not only the essentials but a glorious shower in one corner that spilled hot water from a rocky overhang like a natural waterfall. In the opposite corner, an even more luxurious soaking tub called out to his aching muscles but knowing that the priestess was waiting on him he opted for the shower. While it might not have been as restful as a hot soak, it was still beyond luxurious compared to the sonic scrubbers that the company had provided to contractors like Zayd in the mining camp.
Once hot air jets had dried him, Zayd found a new set of rich emerald green clothing trimmed in a shimmering ocean blue. Twin coppery emblems were pinned on either side of his collar, shaped like butterflies whose bodies had been replaced by wickedly pointed spears. The cut of the outfit felt similar to the uniform he’d worn as a student but the crisp military feeling had been softened with sleeves that billowed slightly and pants that felt more functional than formal with a loose fit that was easy to move in. After raking a comb through his short, dark hair, he felt refreshed enough and presentable enough to not embarrass himself in front of Eirian.
“You have good timing,” Eirian said as Zayd emerged from the washroom. “Take a seat, I’ll have dinner ready in just a few ticks,” she said, filling a pair of bowls with richly aromatic chunks of succulent meat, seared root vegetables, and something that looked like a hearty purple grain in a creamy sauce. “The flavors may be unfamiliar but I’ve verified that this will all be digestible, even with your limited metabolism. You may not gain all of the nutritional benefits from it that Fae would, but you won’t have any difficulty.”
“I’m surprised that you’re cooking,” Zayd said, taking in the stunning woman’s figure looking strangely domestic as she assembled a meal. “It looks like Fae technology is sophisticated enough for an Autochef to prepare complete meals and from the way Eion spoke about you, you’re not someone of low status to concern yourself with menial tasks like cooking.”
“It’s because I’m not of low status that I cook with my own hand,” she said, sauntering over to the table with a gait that emphasized her well-shaped legs and flared hips. “Programmable cooking machines can be compromised. It’s much easier to ensure my own safety if I cook my own meals or delegate to a trusted subordinate.”
“You have to worry about someone poisoning you even while you’re aboard this ship?” Zayd said in surprise. “I would have thought everyone here was loyal to Lady Nimue and the House of Gael.”
“Loyalty to the House of Gael and loyalty to Lady Nimue is not the same thing,” she replied, taking a delicate bite of her meal. “And neither of those is the same as being a devout member of the faithful. People can hold loyalties that mostly overlap but only fools expect that they will never face betrayal from within when something applies pressure to the places a person’s competing loyalties don’t overlap. Is the food to your liking?”
“It is,” Zayd said, shoveling more of the nutty purple grain into his mouth and savoring the complex texture of the plump grains and the creamy sauce. “I’ve been drinking most of my meals since I shipped out for this hell hole and I can’t remember the last time I had solid food, much less real meat,” he said around a mouthful. “Is this something special, or do you cook things like this all the time?”
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“This is a little different from what I cook most of the time,” the priestess acknowledged. “I tend to prefer things that are both bloodier and spicier than this,” she explained, poking the tender meat that had been cooked until it could be cut with a spoon. “Without knowing your tastes, I didn’t want to overwhelm you with anything too intense. Hopefully, you don’t find it bland,” she said lightly.
“It’s not bland,” Zayd answered honestly. “It’s… earthy. In a good way. The most I can say for the nutrient paste I’ve been eating is that it’s salty and the cheese flavor tastes almost like real cheese,” he explained with a shake of his head. “No one stationed here enjoys food this good, not even the managers in charge of the planet. Maybe next time you can make something more adventurous for me to try. I’m sure your palette is much more refined than mine.”
“I’ll consider it,” she replied with a charming smile. “And how about everything else,” Eirian asked, leaning forward and giving Zayd a glimpse of her cleavage. “All to your liking?”
Shaking his head, Zayd put down his fork and looked suspiciously at the priestess. “Why are you being like this?” he asked, frowning slightly. “Are Fae women normally this… aggressive? Is this a cultural thing that I’m not understanding or is there something else going on? Don’t get me wrong,” he added hastily, not wanting to offend his powerful captors. “Everything is wonderful, but I haven’t done anything to deserve so much luxury and you don’t know me well enough to be so… forward. Unless I’m missing something?”
“Zayd, there’s much that you aren’t understanding,” she said, leaning back in her chair and resuming her meal, disappointed that he’d derailed the mood she’d been working to cultivate. It didn’t mean she was giving up, only that she’d change her approach. “I’ll admit to being ‘forward’ as you say, though, as I expect most Fae women wouldn’t be as decisive about things as I’m being. You have to understand just how powerful that relic is. I expect that it will have a significant impact on your personal evolution. While you may not be extraordinary today, in another ten years or so, you could evolve into the kind of man that would sire exceptional progeny. I’m just staking a claim early. Who knows, our offspring could climb to heights that neither of us could reach in our lifetimes,” she said with a sultry smile. “That alone is enough to entice me or any of the truly faithful.”
“Oh,” Zayd said flatly, seeing the genuine desire and hunger in Eirian’s eyes. Not hunger for him, per se, but hunger for what he could be. Seeing such a naked hunger was off-putting, to say the least. Somehow, he wondered if Eirian had ‘evolved’ herself using genetic material from an insect species that devoured their mates after securing their seed. Once she had what she wanted, what use did she still have for him? Perhaps she was after the results of the Genetic Optimization the relic had offered. “Well, there’s plenty of time for that once I’ve become worthy of your attention, don’t you think?” Zayd said, hoping to move on from this topic.
“Less time than you think,” she replied with a shake of her head. “I’ve spoken to Lady Nimue. She understands the ‘mission’ the relic has given you and we’ll look for an opportunity to help you achieve it but right now, you’re in no shape to make the attempt. Even if we provided you with weapons and armor right now, not only wouldn’t you understand how to utilize them, but your capabilities are woefully substandard to utilize Fae equipment. You need enhancement and training to achieve your immediate goals and we only have so much time to train you before we need to field you as Lady Nimue’s Champion. Once you take the stage as a Champion, I’m afraid the days I can claim you for myself without competition will come to an end.”
“What do you mean about needing ‘enhancement’ along with training?” Zayd asked, choosing to ignore her comments about other women competing for him. “And what do you mean about being ‘substandard’?”
“You’ve experienced the energy weapons used by our soldiers,” the priestess began to explain. “What you likely don’t realize is that those weapons serve to provide structure and amplification to a soldier channeling Dark Energy through them but the source of energy is the soldier themselves. Based on the measurements we’ve taken, your body holds a minuscule amount of Dark Energy, enough to fire no more than five shots from a basic energy rifle. After that, your body wouldn’t be able to either regenerate enough energy to fire again or absorb enough Dark Energy from the environment to fire again for at least a minute,” she explained. “And that completely ignores the Dark Energy required to power your armor or perform any strenuous combat actions.”
“Can you explain something to me?” Zayd asked. “What exactly is Dark Energy?”