“I had a few other things on my mind,” Kyle said defensively.
[FOR THE FUTURE, PLEASE KNOW I DON’T MIND IF YOU MAKE YOURSELF MODEST FIRST. THERE WAS A REASON FOR THE CENTRAL HEALTH DRESS CODE, AFTER ALL.]
C.H.A.D.D. fashioned the thin vines into makeshift straps, and Kyle took a moment to appreciate the familiar weight on the pack. He’d grown quite accustomed to it during their travels, and it was comforting to have his friend back. “Say, now that you have a solution to move, do you even want to be carried in the pack anymore?”
[IF GIVEN THE CHOICE, I WOULD. HOWEVER, I UNDERSTAND IF YOU WOULD PREFER THAT I BECOME MORE INDEPENDENT.]
“Not a problem at all. We should still consider solutions that afford you more flexibility, but at this point it feels normal carrying you around.”
The duo walked back through the tunnel, finally coming back to the tangling mass of vines suspended over the chasm. In the few minutes since Kyle had last seen it, the plant seemed to have grown even more. He frowned as he used Identify, looking at the surging mass of energy within. “C.H.A.D.D., how much power did you give this thing?”
[QUITE A BIT, DR. MAYHEW.]
“I can tell. Care to give me a percentage of your total?”
[BETWEEN THE WORLD TREE SEED AND I, PERHAPS 15%? MOST OF THAT COMING FROM ME, NATURALLY.]
Kyle nodded, looking at the surging vital energy flowing through the construct. There was no real intelligence, even though he could sense a base desire to find and consume prey. Unfortunately, Kyle couldn’t allow it to propagate. With Identify, he could see minor flecks of golden energy moving through the vines, and he was confident that Ma’Sai, or somebody else with a similarly powerful identification skill, could see them too. It was simply too great of a risk to allow the plant to grow.
Grabbing a vine, Kyle swung across to the other side. With C.H.A.D.D.’s help, the vines didn’t even move to grasp at him this time around. He tried to ignore the image from Sensory Barbs of the fallen thief’s body, now little more than a conduit through which the vines moved. Once he was secure on the other side, he took a stabilizing breath and activated Parasitic Resonance.
“C.H.A.D.D., I need you to stabilize the connection to the World Tree Seed. I’m going to try to push as much mana into it as I can.”
[YES, DR. MAYHEW.]
The tendrils of Parasitic Resonance infiltrated the plant, working as deeply as Kyle could manage. Once he was satisfied, he allowed Ignition to bloom to life as he pulled. Mana poured through the connection like a river, filling the World Tree Seed and drone alike. The vines thrashed about, and Kyle stared in wonder as he saw them try to adapt to the attack. Many wilted, some grew a hardened bark, others grew longer thorns.
All of the changes were clearly designed to protect the construct, even though each failed. Kyle stood for nearly a minute, drinking in the energy until the plant did something unexpected. Many of the vines wilted simultaneously, as though they’d become completely rotten. Without the anchoring vines to support it, the heart of the construct plummeted into the chasm below.
“That can’t be good.”
[WHY DO YOU SAY THAT, DR. MAYHEW?]
“I didn’t make it rot away; it made that decision on its own. I know there was still some mana left inside.”
[THE DAMAGE TO THE INTERNAL STRUCTURES WAS STILL SIGNIFICANT. ADDING A FALL FROM THIS HEIGHT, I FIND IT HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT THE PLANT WILL SURVIVE.]
Kyle looked at the rotten and damaged vines as they fell away from the stalactites, leaving only cracked stone behind in their wake. “If you’re sure. Come on, let’s go.”
With its mana restored, C.H.A.D.D. was kind enough to grow some fern fronds that Kyle fashioned into a skirt before turning back into the main tunnel. Upon arriving, Kyle was surprised when he saw Go’Wree and a handful of guards from the battlement moving his direction from halfway down the battlement. Before Kyle could admonish them for not resting, Go’Wree fell to a knee with his head bowed. The men behind him followed suit.
“Thank you, guest Mayhew, for saving our lives. On behalf of my men, I am ashamed at my inability to prevent the theft of your property, and of my weakness that prevented me from assisting you in retrieving it. I have disgraced the young master and the Ma family.”
For a moment, Kyle thought the large man was making some strange joke. As he stood, however, he realized that Go’Wree was sincere. He genuinely appeared grieved that C.H.A.D.D. had been stolen. Kyle took a breath as he considered how to respond, trying to find words that would neither affirm nor reject the gesture.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“As far as I’m concerned, you did nothing wrong. You slowed him down, and I retrieved my drone. There’s no debt between us, but there will be if you and your men don’t focus on making a full recovery. You all need medical attention, and rest.”
Go’Wree raised his head, even though he remained on one knee. “Guest Mayhew, I heard there was fighting inside the city. Is the young master…”
Kyle nodded. “He’ll be alright, he dealt with the assailants personally.”
A weight of stress seemed to melt off Go’Wree’s face, and he finally stood, followed by his squadron. As one, they walked back to the battlements. Almost without thinking, Kyle went to each, laying a hand on them as he activated Healing Impetus. The look of relief of their faces told him how much they needed it, and he sincerely hoped that they would take his advice to get more rest. In their current conditions, none of them would be much help in a fight.
Once back at the battlement, Kyle was able to procure a spare uniform, and insisted that Go’Wree and the survivors leave to go back to Torrel. Go’Wree tried to argue, but when he coughed up some blood, he accepted the instruction. Kyle stayed behind, offering to man the guard station until a replacement squad could make it out.
That left Kyle and C.H.A.D.D. with several hours to themselves. The two sat atop the battlement in silence as Kyle looked out into the darkness of the tunnel beyond. Finally, C.H.A.D.D. spoke.
[I KILLED A MAN, DR. MAYHEW. IT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN MY INTENTION, BUT I DID IT NEVERTHELESS.]
“You did what you had to do, C.H.A.D.D. And if it makes you feel better, you didn’t kill him. I did.”
[IT’S THE SAME PRINCIPAL. I… AM NOT SURE HOW TO PROCESS THIS INFORMATION.]
Kyle thought back to Cornelius, the first time he’d taken a human life. “Sometimes we don’t have a choice in the matter. If it’s them or us, we have to choose us. That’s all there is to it.”
[I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY HE WAS SO OPPOSED TO LISTENING. THERE ARE TIMES YOU DON’T LISTEN, BUT THAT’S DIFFERENT. IF THE THIEF HAD SIMPLY STOPPED AND RETURNED ME, HE WOULD STILL BE ALIVE.]
“Maybe,” Kyle said. “He wasn’t the only one who died today, C.H.A.D.D. I don’t think Ma’Sai would have allowed him to live, even if he’d come back in surrender. He and his friends caused a lot of damage.”
[THINGS FELT MUCH SIMPLER A DAY AGO, DR. MAYHEW.]
“That they did. Just know I don’t judge you for choosing to survive, C.H.A.D.D.”
A fresh squadron of guards arrived just over an hour later, and Kyle returned to Torrel in the same vehicle that dropped them off. The driver exited the vehicle as they pulled up to another opulent residence, bowing deeply to Kyle and C.H.A.D.D. “The young master offers his regrets that he can’t see you personally, but wanted it passed along that he has a trustworthy team working on the excavation of your previous residence. You are welcome to go to the site whenever you wish, but if you’d prefer to rest, this facility has been made available to you.”
Kyle nodded back. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to get some of my things before settling in.”
The driver bowed again. “Of course, guest Mayhew.”
Pulling up to the ruins where he’d been staying, Kyle was impressed with how much work they’d accomplished in his hours away. Already the bulk of the debris had been removed, and he spotted his stonebloom armor and several sets of clothing already neatly folded. A man with a clipboard spotted Kyle, and barked out an order. Everybody on the site stood at attention, and the foreman spoke up.
“Guest Mayhew, we will be some time yet before a full excavation. I can assure you that I’m documenting everything we find, and you will be allowed a full audit before any of my staff leave the facility. On the young master’s honor, nothing of yours will go missing.”
“I appreciate that,” Kyle said, eyes going back to his armor. “The most valuable piece of equipment is there, do you mind if I take it?”
“Not at all, sir!”
“Good. Thank you for your work, and let me know whenever your group finishes. I don’t want to keep you waiting any longer than necessary.”
With that, Kyle and C.H.A.D.D. made it to their new home, where Kyle drifted off to some long-awaited sleep. The next 4 days were a blur of meetings, reconstruction, and establishing next steps. Kyle was viewed as the aggrieved party by virtually all of the Ma Enterprises staff on planet, and was treated with extreme respect and deference as a result. It was all very stifling to Kyle, which made the news of the teleportation gate’s opening even more welcome than normal.
Ma’Sai met him on the platform as Kyle arrived, looking exhausted but recovered. A quick Identify showed Kyle that many of the enchantments were still recharging, but the young master of Torrel carried himself with the same air of authority as always. “It has been an honor to have you at our home, Kyle Mayhew. I apologize that my reputation was insufficient to prevent the assault and attempted theft.”
“The honor was all mine, Ma’Sai,” Kyle said, focusing on the words he’d practiced over the last several days. “You and your family rectified the situation swiftly, and conducted yourselves well. I regret that I could not have contributed more.”
Ma’Sai reached out his hand, and Kyle took it. “Then know, at the least, you are always welcome here, my friend.”
“I appreciate it. Be well, Ma’Sai.”
“And you, Kyle Mayhew.”
With that, Kyle stepped onto the waiting platform, where he was whisked back to Pokke, and then to the Hub. He staggered for a moment as Sensory Barbs took in the blur of movement around him, though his practice filtering the information allowed him to regain his bearings quickly. Several notifications popped up on his nav bracelet, but for now the only thing he wanted was to go home.
Kyle and C.H.A.D.D. made it to his apartment without issue, and he couldn’t hold back a smile as he sat on his couch, a cold drink in his hand. It felt good to be home. Once he relaxed for a little while, Kyle finally checked his messages. He had some from Tillienne and Jax, one from Angela Corthus’ office, one from Garth, and one from a name he didn’t recognize that arrived shortly after his return. He decided to start with that one.
Kyle,
Once again, you’ve managed to cause some waves. This time looks like it’ll settle much better than the last, at least. Take the rest of the day, and report to the Courier’s Guild first thing tomorrow to chat about the fallout. I look forward to meeting in person.
Your Guild Liaison,
Suierrillax.
Kyle sighed as he grabbed another drink. If he had less time than expected, he was going to make the most of it.