Mike leaned back against the earthen wall, taking a moment to try and regain his mental equilibrium. Sliding down the wall, he took a seat and closed his eyes. The overwhelming stench of dirt and blood was enough to make him want to avoid breathing through his nose. He wasn’t sure if it was due to overcycling his center or just due to the constant activity, but everything ached.
Tipping his head forward, he opened his eyes to stare blankly at the ground between his legs. For some reason, he found himself focusing on the few stubborn bits of green that refused to die.
‘Good for you. Your tenacity is admirable,’ he silently complimented them, feeling a sense of kinship with the greenery that was clinging to life in these harsh conditions.
Raising his head, he looked around to see the rest of his unit taking advantage of the break. Each of them looked terrible. He could tell that some of them were still carrying wounds, not having the energy to go and find a healer. Everyone was covered in grime, as nobody felt like wasting the effort to cast a cleaning spell.
He reached out to check his internal clock and realized that it was already 2600.
Frowning, he tried to remember how many days they’d been fighting. Two, or maybe three?
Right as he was about to do a mental deep-dive to try and figure out how long he’d been in the field, he heard the sound of a generator failing. Raising his head, he looked around to figure out where the hole in their line would appear.
“Everyone up! Move it!” yelled some captain Mike didn’t recognize.
Groaning, he forced himself to his feet. ‘Hells be damned lizards couldn’t give me five minutes to catch my breath!’ he complained sourly.
Before he knew it, he and the rest of his unit were back in the thick of it. They were tasked with providing cover for mages who were manually maintaining a portion of the shield while the engineering corps brought in a new generator. It was a familiar duty, and he and his unit were getting good at it.
As he forced a kobald’s spearhead into the ground with his shield, he opened it up from hip to shoulder with his sword. His sword glowed faintly with a red sheen as it sliced through the air. It was almost effortless now to imbue his blade with his ability.
If there was any good news resulting from all this combat, it was that he could feel his ability to cut improving drastically with all the stress he’d been under. Hopefully, when all this was over, and he finally got the chance to sit down and meditate, he’d probably gain at least a few points in experience too.
‘Don’t think about it. Focus on the fight,’ he reminded himself.
Tilting his head to the side, he let a kobald’s spear slip past him. Before the little bastard could retract it, Mike stepped forward and lifted it up by the haft with his shield. Aiming low, which was difficult considering how short the kobald was, he jammed his sword into its leg, nearly severing it. Quickly stepping back and rejoining the line, he watched coldly as the kobald stumbled back and tried to decide whether or not to run.
He’d found that injuring them was preferable to killing them. Whenever he killed one, there was always another one just waiting to replace it. However, if he only scared them with a flesh wound, they’d stand there stupidly, giving him a few seconds of peace before they eventually succumbed to whatever urge was pushing them forward.
As expected, the kobald shook his head, then snarled and stumbled forward on his ruined leg, seemingly eager to die for its cause. Mike obliged and quickly set it off to its destined afterlife.
They never stopped. They never ran. They were relentless.
Feeling his sword getting heavier by the minute, he panted heavily as he hacked into the next kobald that threw itself at him.
Behind him, he heard a loud shout, “Brace!”
Familiar with what was coming, he dropped to a knee and hid behind his shield. Closing his eyes to avoid being blinded, he felt the air above him ignite. Even through his eyelids, the light was enough to make him flinch and cower.
The same voice called out, “Recover!”
Smoothly rising to his feet, he looked out to a changed battlefield. The after-effects of the spell cannons never ceased to amaze him. Yes, it was a shame they didn’t have enough to cover the entire battlefield.
The area in front of their lines had been transformed into a field filled to the brim with chunked kobalds.
When he’d first seen the cannons in action, he hadn’t bothered to look away. As a result, the sight of the flame web charges expanding as they flew through the air was now burned into his memory. ‘Calling them an effective mob deterrent is the most absurd understatement I’ve ever heard,’ he thought to himself with a dark chuckle.
Looking over his shoulder, he watched as the mages and the cannoneers rolled the spell cannon away to their next firing position.
Now that he had a good view of the battlefield, he could see how far they’d come. They’d been pushing the kobalds back further and further into the mountain. Off in the distance, he could see Dorchester, it was now much farther away than it had been when all of this madness began.
Turning back to look at the killing fields, he could see burning trees and large groups of kobalds moving around in the distance. With the gradient height of the mountain, he couldn’t see how far they still had to go before they forced them back into the tunnels, but he couldn’t imagine it being much further. If it was, whoever was running this shit show had better rotate them out for fresh troops.
He could feel everyone around him was just as tired as he was, if not more so.
Movement to his right caught his attention, and he looked over to see a group of mages cutting out sheets of earth to compress and form into a fresh set of bunker walls. It would seem the front lines were moving forward once again.
Unsurprisingly, he heard someone shout, “Twenty paces forward!”
With a sigh, he rolled his shoulders and stepped over the kobald corpse on the ground in front of him.
—--
Nero felt the forced conversation going on all around him, but he pretended not to. After all, it wasn’t his fault that they refused to get up a decent hour. Breakfast was the most important meal of the day, and he would be damned if he didn’t let himself enjoy it.
But, like all things he avoided, eventually, he was forced to deal with it.
The moment he set down his fork, Vera’s tone completely changed to business mode and she asked, “So, Nero, are you ready to start your day now?”
Nero looked up to see everyone staring at him with undisguised interest. Frowning in annoyance, he couldn’t help but feel like recent circumstances had somehow cast him into a leadership position despite all of his protests.
It wasn’t like he didn’t know why it was happening. Random, stupid events kept occurring, and all of them were somehow centered around him. Whether it was someone trying to kill him, someone trying to reward him for surviving someone trying to kill him, or some other ridiculous noble bullshit, all of their current concerns revolved around him.
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Sitting up a little straighter than normal, Nero tried to look as serious as possible. “I get that there are a great many things that I’ve been avoiding. Vera’s been running all the business stuff. Nick’s been kind enough to follow me around as I’ve been off fulfilling whatever dumbass trials the nobles forced me to take. Cathleen, I know you’re only here to help me grow or whatever, but I’m sure I haven’t been making it easy on you either,” he said to each of them, then turned to Rose and added, “You, I’m guessing are here to get out of the general’s pocket and avoid whatever fate you think I have planned for him.”
Nero stifled a chuckle as Rose winced. Considering how little he actually knew about her, he was happy to see his guess was correct.
Turning to address the academian, Nero said, “I’m not really sure exactly what the evaluation will entail, but I don’t really mind you sticking around. Are you always going to be the one assigned here? Or are you guys going to be working in shifts or something? And do I have to worry about you or the other evaluators spreading secrets to my enemies or anything?”
Nero was too tired to be discrete with his accusations, and he was betting on a guy like Quincy being unable to lie believably when asked directly if he was trustworthy. From what little Nero had seen, the man was like an over-excited teenager in the body of a middle-aged accountant. Either way, how the man answered the question would tell Nero all he needed to know.
Academian Quincy’s face turned serious, or as close an attempt at looking serious as he could reasonably pull off, and he said, “Lord Walker, I assure you, we have no interest in aiding your enemies. Besides, as a unique, you will no longer be a threat to the local nobility. Regardless, for the most part, I’ll be joining you and your companions for the time being. Occasionally, I’ll have to leave and meet with my team who should be busy with various other tasks associated with your evaluation. You can just pretend I’m not here, and go about your business. I promise not to relay anything to anyone that might cause you any problems.”
Nero gave the man a dead-pan stare, not believing for a second half the things the man was claiming. The only question was, did Quincy actually believe that load of bullshit due to ignorance, or was he just that incredible of a liar.
Considering Nero wouldn’t be covering any particularly sensitive topics at the moment, he figured it didn’t matter much.
Nero looked Quincy in the eye and said, “Uh-huh. Well, welcome aboard, I guess.”
Turning back to the people who actually mattered, Nero said, “I know there are a bunch of decisions you’ve been waiting for me to make. But before all that, how do we know that I’m actually going to be confirmed as a unique? Shouldn’t all of this still be hypothetical?”
Academian Quincy immediately answered, seemingly unable to play the silent observer like he promised. “Actually, based on all the testimony and memory engrams included in the initial filing for your change of citizenship level, I can reasonably say that your ascension to unique is assured.”
Giving the man the side-eye, Nero asked, “So, I should start filling out all the paperwork and crap now? Before I even formally get the title, or whatever I get for becoming a unique?”
Nodding a little too enthusiastically, Academian Quincy replied, “Absolutely! I’ve already assigned two scholars to compile the forms you’ll need to take up your new position. I’ve also taken the liberty of signing off on the creation of your personal house and started the process of your adherent’s licensing.”
Nero wasn’t sure what Quincy was talking about, but it sounded important. And since he was trying to be serious Nero at the moment, he just replied, “Good. Well done.”
Once again turning away from the man, Nero looked at Vera and said, “Nick mentioned your house taking over my assets and becoming a branch house for House Walker. Is that the best way to handle this?”
Vera stiffened, and replied woodenly, “Nero, however you choose to handle the situation is up to you. I won’t say any more on the subject.”
Narrowing his eyes, he replied, “I get it. You don’t want to influence my decision or anything. But seriously, I don’t have the relevant background to know how any of this works. So guide me, woman! Or at the very least, list my options so I can make an informed choice.”
Vera grimaced as if she’d bit into a particularly sour lemon. “I understand your point. However, there is a conflict of interest here. I don’t feel comfortable presenting you with your options when I stand to benefit from them so massively. I will say that you could always avail yourself of the Center. The wayfinders there would be more than happy to help you through this difficult time of your life.”
Everyone in the room seemed to nod along with Vera’s suggestion as if it were the most reasonable way for Nero to proceed.
However, Nero wasn’t having it. “Look. I don’t trust them. I trust you. You’re my wayfinder. If you’re going to screw me over, then congrats on your payday. Do you want your house to buy me out of my interest in Precision shipping and all the other places I own? If so, then that’s fine with me. I don’t even know what all House Walker owns at the moment. If you recall, you’ve been the one handling all of that. So, please, with a cherry on top, advise me. Just tell me the best option for me to get this over with.”
Cathleen chuckled and nodded as if Nero had said something extremely profound.
While Vera thought over how she wanted to handle Nero’s request, Nick decided to interject, “Nero, I’m probably the only person here who understands where you’re coming from. Try not to take it personally. She’s just having trouble dealing with the fact that you don’t know anything, and you absolutely don’t care enough to learn.”
Vera shot Nick a look that promised future retribution, and Nick just shrugged with a smile at her glare. He remained completely unapologetic.
Turning back to Nero, Vera said, “Well, if you really want my opinion, I suppose I could consider it my last act as the proxy to House Walker. In fact, since you’ve never actually signed the contract for my services, in a way, I’ve never actually been the proxy to House Walker.” She paused at that, and crinkled her face as if she were trying to figure out a particular complicated math problem.
Nick asked, “Vera, dear, what do you mean?”
Vera came out of her thoughts and looked over at Nick. “Well, Nero doesn’t do any of the house’s paperwork. I figured he’d get around to it eventually, but I suppose it doesn’t matter now. Wait…” she paused, then turned to look at Nero with the most serious expression he’d ever seen on her face.
Her tone was intense as she said, “Before you do anything else, you need to go through the paperwork I’ve sent you through your link. Start at the beginning and fill out each page in order.”
Nero widened his eyes at how serious she was being. “OK. But why?”
Nick chimed in, asking, “What do you mean Nero hasn’t filled out any paperwork? What has he missed?”
Vera glanced briefly at Academian Quincy, before looking at Nick and replying, “Nothing serious. He just has a few outstanding forms to fill out since he’s been off fighting in the wilds. Before we deal with any of the issues associated with him becoming a unique, he should probably deal with them first.”
Vera then turned to stare at Nero, forcing him to feel a little uncomfortable as she wasn’t saying anything. A few seconds of silence passed before Nero noticed Vera starting to frown.
“You mean I should deal with that stuff now? I thought we were discussing how I’m going to deal with the house problems,” he said, looking at her with confusion.
Vera seemed to come to some kind of realization, then asked, “Nero, have you lost your link?”
Nero replied quickly, “No. Why?”
Vera’s frown returned. “Then why aren’t you answering your pings?” she asked.
Nero shrugged, and said, “Oh, I turned all that stuff off. If you focus on the settings menu, you can get it to pretty much ignore everything. I’m pretty sure after all my tweaking, my link will even let me sleep through Captain Angelton overriding my privacy settings.”
Everyone in the room looked at Nero with varying levels of shock.
Nick asked, “You changed the link’s primary operating functions? How? Why?”
Nero looked at them all in confusion, and replied, “What’s the big deal? You’re the one that taught me that all I have to do is think at it. If you focus on the link, you can get a feel for what it is trying to do, and then all you have to do is convince it to not do it anymore. I did it a while ago when I was screwing with it in my tent when I didn’t feel like reading. I guess I kind of forgot about it after that. I can still send and receive pings if I actively connect with it, so nothing’s really changed. I’m just not connected to it at the moment.”
Nick shook his head in exasperation. “Nero, that is very illegal. It’s also something you shouldn’t be able to do.”
Vera, however, had a very different concern. “Have you not been reading any of your messages? What about all the filings that I sent you? You haven’t been ignoring those too, have you?”
Nero, not caring all that much, replied, “Last time I checked, I had like over 400 pings waiting for me. I sure as shit wasn’t going to go through all of them, one by one. After a certain point, I just stopped looking at it.”
Everyone leaned back in stunned silence, including Academian Quincy and Cathleen. It was inconceivable to them that Nero could be so deliberately irresponsible.
Seeing how they were reacting, he said, “What? I’ll get to them eventually. You should have seen my mailbox back home. I had like 10000 emails I’d never bothered opening. I think keeping it under 1000 is pretty good if you ask me.”
Vera hopped to her feet and immediately rushed out of the room.
Nero watched her leave with a stunned look on his face. ‘Where the hell is she going in such a hurry?’ he wondered.
Nick’s voice brought his attention back to the group. “Nero, a lot of what you’ve been ignoring were probably important documents covering everything from the acquisition of your numerous assets to the legal consequences of your various run-ins with the Tower of Law. To put it simply, this is not good.”
Nero felt like he’d just found out that he’d be receiving a fine for ignoring a jury summons or something.
“OK. But, it hasn’t really been all that long. I can just go through it now. What’s the big deal?” he asked.
Vera rushed back into the room and presented Nero with a piece of paper. Her tone was full of fury, as she demanded, “Nero, read this, then sign it.”
Nero, still confused, started skimming the form she’d given him. Looking up at her, he said, “This is a form stating that you’re to be my legal proxy. Didn’t you just get through telling me that you can’t be my proxy anymore?”
Vera, through gritted teeth, replied, “I can’t be the head of House Walker’s proxy, as the Dorchester House of Walker will soon no longer exist. I can however be the personal proxy to Lord Nero Walker, the unique. As you haven’t gone through any of the incredibly important forms you’ve received, this form will allow me to deal with them on your behalf.”
Academian Quincy butted in. “Excuse me, but do you realize what she just gave you? You can’t sign that! You’d be putting her in charge of your entire life!” he shouted at Nero, then turned to Vera and demanded, “What game are you playing at? You think I’ll just stand here and let you co-opt a unique without doing anything!”
To say Nero was shocked would be an understatement. The Quincy he’d come to know had completely changed. The Academian Quincy in front of him now was a totally different person. He was standing tall, veritably bursting with authority and presence. The difference between who Nero had thought the man was and who he actually was shocked him to his core. Rarely had ever been so wrong about a person’s personality.
Vera met Quincy’s stare, both of them now standing on opposing sides with Nero in the middle, still seated on a couch.
Her tone was cutting, as she replied, “I’m trying to deal with the things he refuses to acknowledge! Do you have any idea what kind of damage he’s opened our business’ and investments up to? With those contracts sitting unsigned, who knows what could be happening at this very moment? We need to get those forms filled out and signed immediately!”
Nero shrunk into the couch, feeling like he was a child having his parents arguing over him.
‘I probably should have checked my mail,’ he thought sourly.