Chapter 67
Ryker
Enveloped by rage and consumed by hatred, I fought. Equipped with the knowledge that the blood of my enemies would sustain me, I pushed deeper into the crowd of snarling beastmen, becoming a scythe among an endless field of wheat, reaping the harvest of power that I claimed as my own.
Repeatedly, Ruby tried to help me, but in my rage-fueled state, I was more beast than the enemies I faced. Over and over again, Ruby would try to guide me to dodge an attack or counter a blow, but I was too far gone to listen to reason. Instead of avoiding the bite of the blade, I welcomed the agony, throwing myself onto the blade of countless foes. It never failed to surprise them when I pulled their weapon deeper inside of me to better reach their vitals.
Eventually, Ruby abandoned her attempts to guide me. Instead, she focused all of her efforts towards keeping me intact long enough for my healing to piece me back together. Splinting bones, holding organs in place, or preventing a limb from being completely severed became her job for the remainder of my war.
After accruing countless injuries and spilling an ocean of blood, I found myself walking alone. The enemy had retreated long ago. At first, I gave chase, nipping at their heels like a rabid dog, until a lucky blow broke both my legs, giving the army enough time to escape my clutches.
After several hours of searching unsuccessfully for something to take my anger out on, I felt the tide of rage begin to ebb away. A fog lifted from my mind, and clarity reasserted itself. I looked around and found myself standing at a trailhead of corpses leading back to an silent battlefield.
As I turned, I felt several jabs of pain. Looking down, I was shocked by what I found. I was no longer covered from head to toe in Ruby’s reinforced nanofibers. From the waist up, I was completely bare and covered in several layers of dried blood and viscera. I found the source of my discomfort protruding from my abdomen: The six sharpened ends of a pitchfork that had been impaled in my back for who knows how long. I reached around and carelessly ripped out the offending tool, examining the rest of my body.
I was completely healed from head to toe. Despite the dreamlike memories of my bones shattering and my flesh peeling away from my body, I was whole and hale, with three full bars indicating I was ready for more. I took a deep breath, centered my mind, and said, “Ruby, what happened to the suit?”
Appearing in a subdued manner, she looked up at me and said, “During your episode, you sustained a substantial amount of damage. In turn, the suit took a real beating, and after using all traces of alloys left in your system to replenish your nanoswarm, I eventually couldn’t keep up.”
”I see. What can I do to help you recover the swarm?” Ryker asked.
Gesturing around at the dead, she said, “For now, I will create a backpack that I want you to fill with as much metal as you can.. I'll have the swarm break it down, and I will start working on our new suit.” Without skipping a beat, I felt a few layers of the material covering my legs begin flowing up and over my skin, settling into the shape of a sturdy external-framed backpack, similar to something I had seen the military carrying around on TV.
Reaching the corpse of a rat-looking creature, I pulled a dagger out of its forehead and threw it into a pile of weaponry I had collected from the dead. After deciding the bloody heap of twisted metal was enough, I took a large hammer and began bending and breaking the larger metal swords, spears, and other tools that I had collected. Filling my new pack to the brim, I hefted the payload onto my back and started retracing my steps.
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As I hiked back the way I had come, I began to worry. Sensing my turmoil, Ruby appeared walking next to me. Glancing over, I gave her a weak smile and said, “What’s the matter?”
”I am worried about you, Ryker. Every time the worm pulls that shit on you, I can't help but be afraid for you. I had to stand by and watch you get torn apart over and over.”
The sound of Silvar's gravelly voice heralded his arrival. I turned and found him staring daggers at Ruby as he said, “You don't have to like my methods, but you know my reasons for pushing the boy as well as anyone! I can't afford to coddle him!”
”That is no excuse for what you did, and we both damn well know it! You still have plenty of time…”
Scrunching up my brows, I watched on in confusion as the tone of the argument rapidly changed from that of outrage to something more akin to concern, which alarmed me immediately. I stopped walking and stepped towards their exchange, saying, “Why do I have the feeling you two aren’t being completely upfront with me right now?”
Silvar turned in my direction, scowling, then said, “Boy, this is none of your concern.”
”Silvar, he deserves to know. At this rate…”
Seeing their exchange, I knew something was seriously wrong and said, “If you're trying to protect me, just save it. I don't have the bandwidth to handle you keeping secrets from me. Let’s get everything out on the table so I can deal with it.”
For the first time, I saw Silvar's avatar appear to be at a loss for words. He stood there, staring at the ground in deep thought for a full minute, then he said, “Ryker, I am dying.”
Standing stock still, I stared at the two avatars, speechless. Ruby seemed to be the only one of us able to find the words and said, “As you are aware, Silvar originally chose to attach himself to your heart due to it being the ideal location for your vital energy to congregate. Turns out he was absolutely right, and your heart soon became the perfect cultivation tool. With every level you obtained and every point of mana you placed, your heart has been steadily changing for the better. Its steady evolution has increased your ability to create and move mana, store vital energy, and even move blood more efficiently.” Ruby made her way to Silvar's stern form and placed her hand on his shoulder, continuing, “Due to the experimental nature of your merger, your growth has had an unforeseen side effect on Silvar. With every advancement you make down the road of cultivation, a little piece of Silvar’s body is absorbed into your heart.”
Listening and nodding dumbly, I struggled with the words but finally was able to string together a sentence, “Silvar, how long have you known?”
"At first, I thought it weird how easily your heart accepted my presence, but after you gained your first level, I knew my days were numbered. The moment you broke the threshold to level two, I felt myself being drawn deeper into your flesh and spirit.”
“What do you mean? Like my heart is eating you?”
Silvar let out an amused chuckle, shook his head, and said, “No, no, no, nothing so menacing. The best way I know to explain it is that you and I have bonded in such a way that we share all things. Your lifeblood flows through me, your vital energy sustains me, and your emotions drive me. The stronger you get, the stronger that bond grows, and regardless of how we feel about it, soon I will fully merge with you and I will cease to be.”
Stealing my heart, I locked eyes with the grumpy old worm that had given me a new lease on life and said, “How much time do you have?”
Smirking wryly, Silvar looked out over the battlefield and said, “With all the progress you made today, it’s just a matter of allocating your points, then I will be gone.”
Ruby’s expression took on an indignant look, and she shouted, “What!? Why didn’t you tell me it had progressed this far?!?”
“For this very reason, I have lived longer, done, and seen more than even a powerful machine like you can imagine. I spent thousands of years building galaxies and watching over countless worlds of my creation being born, live, and die. All while waiting for this idiot to trip into my tank. I would have loved to see Viltrix meet his end, but knowing I will be leaving you two behind is enough.”
Not trusting myself to speak without losing it, I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. Turning back towards the path of destruction I earlier paved, I willfully ignored the sight of Ruby throwing her arms around Silvar's stoic visage and beginning to weep. I put one foot in front of the other and pushed my sorrow aside. My pain can wait; humanity needs me.