Alex waved over to Klaus as he assessed the situation. The man was dressed like a guard, and Klaus was with him. Neither wore a mask, which, in his mind, was the best thing about the situation. However, they were running for something, and Alex had to assume that the threat wasn't far behind.

"We can do that. You have a name?"

"Erick," the man gasped.

"I know Klaus already." Alex smiled. "Tell us what's going on."

"Something's wrong with this town. Doc's gone crazy. He's got the Captain and the Lieutenant. They're going to kill everyone."

Without context, it sounded like he was rambling. Alex could place 'Doc' as the doctor Klaus had told him about. If the guard worked for the outpost, that meant he had run across Klaus and taken Klaus back to the outpost. If Klaus had told the same story to the guard, he would have reported it to his superior officer. Alex assumed that the doctor had acted and done something to the guard's superior officers after Sayed had pulled his stunt to get the book.

It would have been very complicated to explain for a man running for his life and soaked to the bone from a swim in the bay. Alex could sympathize with being cold, wet, and confused. That was the summation of his first day on Erth.

"You cannot run forever!" a man yelled from the street. "Come back, Private Landson, and do your duty. Die to protect this town!"

Alex didn't need the explanation because the problem was already present. He opened his gate and let electricity flow through his limbs from his heart in a pulsing, steady rhythm. The world around him lit up with all the metal forming points in his mind.

"Sayed," Alex said, walking past Klaus and toward the street. "Let's go."

He didn't bother with Erin because she had already made her position clear. Back on Glory Plateau, when they had worked together to escape the arena, she had been willing to work with them, but this would be a step too far. It was regrettable, but Alex fully believed that every person needed to live their own lives by their own values.

"Right, brother," Sayed said, drawing his sword from his back as they stepped toward the street.

Three figures molded out from the fog, like sculptures coming from globs of shadow. One was a large man with a strong jaw, built wide like a wall. His short-cut hair was spiked up, and he wore an open black jacket over his bare chest. Beside him was a much smaller man, though still muscular. He wore a duelist's uniform in the same black and red and a hat with a feather resting on his head. Both of the men wore the same porcelain masks as the villagers.

Behind them was a bent old man who rested himself on a cane. He wore a dirty white lab coat and looked at Sayed and Alex through foggy glasses. The old man paused, and the two men stopped with him.

"Oh, more people to deal with. More calculations to make," the old man said as he looked over Sayed and Alex. "I suppose you two are here to stop me. 'Sword Saint' Sayed, I believe you said your name was."

"Indeed, foul villain," Sayed said, holding up his sword and pointing it at Tanis. "I need to repay you for your trickery."

"You need to give me back my book," the man said, crossing his arms behind himself. "And who is this with you? Another ruffian."

"'Tin Man' Ortega," Alex said, holding up his fist with a finger on his thumb and a coin balanced there. "Rail Shot."

With a flicker of electricity through his fingers, he sent the coin flying off with all the force he could push into it. It shot across the street and right toward the doctor's head. The big guy's meaty hand shot out faster than Alex thought possible. The coin hit his hand with a solid sound.

Thnk.

"Not much of an intellectual, I see," the man said. "A pity."

Shing. Thump.

The swordsman drew his sword, and the big man slammed his fists together before they walked forward and took on stances. Alex nodded at Sayed. They were in for a fight, and he was pretty sure the guy in the lab coat was the doctor Klaus had mentioned. Everything was falling into place.

"Captain Hawkins!" Erick came to the edge of the alley, holding onto the corner as he looked out over the eminent fight. "What are you doing? Fight off whatever that mask is. Don't you want your promotion? Lieutenant Tanis, you have to stop!"

"Enough of this whining," the doctor said with a wave of one hand. "Eliminate all of them."

"PRO—" the big man yelled as he charged Alex.

"Step." Alex jumped backward like he had taken a thousand steps instantly, disappearing into a blur as he led the man he assumed was Hawkins away.

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"Let us take this to where it began!" Sayed yelled at the swordsman and jumped to the rooftops above.

"Step." The man named Tanis disappeared after him, and they were both out of Alex's sight.

Alex and Sayed had been working together for a few weeks, and one of the first things they figured out was that while they could fight together, it was generally better to keep out of each other's way. Alex's magnetism and Sayed's sword didn't always mix well, and they were both strong enough to fight on their own in most situations. Hence, when facing off against people, it was better if they stayed out of each other's way.

"You're with me, Hawkins," Alex said as the man charged at him again. "Step."

First, he would lead Hawkins away. With Tanis occupied and Hawkins fighting Alex, Alex assumed that the doctor wouldn't be that much of a threat. He was just an old man. What trouble could he cause?

----------------------------------------

Erick watched the situation unfold with hope and horror in his heart. He had successfully gotten Klaus away from the ship, but the doctor followed him. He had run across some strangers, and they had agreed to help him, but they were outlaws. Now, he stood facing the doctor on the street from where he leaned against the alley wall. Klaus and the woman in green were behind him, and he didn't know what Doctor Livesay could do.

"That is the problem with drones," Doctor Livesay said as he looked up into the fog. "You cannot give them too specific orders, and they are not the same as having thinking soldiers. It is unfortunate, but it is a design flaw I have yet to fix."

He seemed almost sad as he said it. Erick held his breath, and he could hear Klaus whimpering in the alley behind him. Should they run? Should they fight? He wasn't sure, and the doctor's confidence threw off his instincts. If he had his spear, he would be more confident.

"Oh, right," Doctor Livesay said, turning to Erick like he was just remembering the man existed. "I almost forgot about you."

A chill ran up Erick's spine as the man advanced toward him.

"He's going to kill you," Agnes whispered to him. "If you don't kill him, you'll be joining me soon."

Erick choked out short breaths. He balled up his fists. Doctor Livesay was just an old man. He was a private in the Military Police. He could take the old man. It seemed dishonorable, but this was a life-or-death situation. He stepped away from the wall and held up his fists.

"Oh, interesting," Doctor Livesay said, holding up his hands. "You wish to fight me then? Why don't we try an experiment? Hit me as hard as you can and see if you can take me down. If you can, I will give up and let you arrest me."

"What game are you playing?" Erick asked.

"I am playing no game. An experiment is the only way to know if you are right that you can best me. I am merely allowing you to see if you are right. So please, try and hit me."

Erick didn't like it. Everything about the situation felt off. He felt like he should run, but what was there to do? There was a town of infected people surrounding him. Captain Hawkins and Lieutenant Tanis were distracted. He would never have a better opportunity than that moment to finish everything. He closed his eyes and charged at the doctor, throwing his punch right at the doctor's face.

Thump. Crack.

"Grah!" Erick fell to the ground as pain ripped up his arm.

He held his hand in front of his face, and it swelled and reddened. It was like he had just tried to punch a brick wall with all his strength, and the wall had punched right back. He looked up and saw that Doctor Livesay was smiling down at him.

"You should know that to achieve any minor rank, including Doctor and Lieutenant, one must know one of the Five Paths. I know the Path of Grit."

Erick knew that. He really did. Lieutenant Tanis knew the Path of Step. Captain Hawkins knew the Path of Might and the Path of Breath. Acquiring paths was hard, and he had never imagined Doctor Livesay doing any. The doctor never seemed to do anything physical; he was so old.

"Now, hold still. This will only hurt a little bit."

Crack. Snap. Rip.

Two stumps bulged up from the doctor's back, and he leaned forward as they cracked down his body. The white coat tore under the pressure with a sickening rip, and two long clawed arms clacked at the air from the doctor's back. They looked almost like crab legs in the dim moonlight.

"What are you?" Erick fell back, the pain in his hand forgotten as his heart tried to jump out of his chest.

"I am the next step of humanity," the doctor said as a second pair of arms cracked off of his back and pushed his body up into the air. "This is the result of my experiments with the creatures. A body to fit my mind!"

Clack. Clack.

Erick scrambled back across the cobblestones and toward the alley. All he knew at that moment was fear, and he ran from the doctor. When he reached the alley, he saw Klaus huddled next to a box and covering his body. Erick stopped as he watched Klaus.

A soldier in the Military Police, a soldier of the Empyrean, was supposed to be a hero. They were supposed to serve justice and keep the people safe. The stories Erick had heard as a child, over and over again, were of brave soldiers standing up and driving out outlaws and warlords who preyed on the weak. It was a soldier's duty to fight for those who couldn't defend themselves, even if they had to die trying.

"Alright," Erick whispered to himself as he turned around and stood straight.

He balled his fists tight as the doctor advanced on him, one clattering step at a time. He would stand and fight even if his spear were broken, even if he couldn't hold his own for more than a minute. He was a soldier, and he would do his duty.

"Oh, are you ready to fight me now?" The doctor's face cracked along lines that ruptured in his skin like a broken mask "Are you ready to face the next level of humanity?"

"I'll take that," Erick said, spitting on the ground. "I may just be a human, but I'm not about to let someone like you hurt people!"

He charged at the doctor. The doctor swiped out with one of his claws, and it caught Erick in the chest. He flew through the air and into a wall. White flashed across his vision, and a sudden hard pain slapped across his back as he hit the stone wall of the building, and he slid to the ground.

"Ha ha ha," the doctor laughed. "Such a weakling to be spouting such high-minded ideals. What could you do in the end? You were stupid and weak, and you are where you deserve to be!"

"Why are all of you like this?" Erick had only barely noticed her before, but the woman in the green cloak walked out of the alley and looked at him, shaking her head. "Why are all of you willing to fight so hard when you know you'll lose? Why do I want to help you?"

She pulled a bag from her pouch, and Erick saw her open the string and pull out a few small dark objects. With a flick of her wrist, she threw them at the doctor, and they clattered against his shell before falling to the ground.

"Thorn's Grasp."

Vines exploded out from the dark objects and climbed up the doctor's body as the woman ran past him and to where Erick lay. Green light glowed across her hands as she reached out to him, and the pain along his back and down his limbs lessened.

"You're all idiots," she said.