As it happened, the fallout was a lot worse and far-reaching than Alin had expected.
He was grounded, but that was a given.
Even the length was within his projections.
What he hadn’t anticipated was the other thing.
“Suspended?” His mouth dropped.
“Yup.” His dad nodded.
“That’s ridiculous!” His mom was doing the tap-stomp thing with her foot when she was really annoyed.
“He technically disobeyed orders.”
“Yes, Cal, but he did it to protect his eight year old cousin from a fae nightmare creature!” She snapped.
“They reviewed the footage and came to the conclusion that his efforts were positive and that he didn’t cause any… issues… or impacts to the negative outcomes.”
His dad didn’t say it, but Alin was sharp enough to understand that the rangers hadn’t found him in any way responsible for the deaths, which lifted a weight off his shoulders.
“Uh, Mom, it’s okay. The rules are the rules and I did break them.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Fine, but they better watch themselves. My son won’t be crap-talked when he doesn’t deserve it. That monster broke your elbow and gave you a concussion and they’re suspending you!”
“Love, it’s done with.” His dad cut her off before she could gather steam again.
“Hmph!” His mom stalked out of the kitchen.
“How long am I suspended?”
“The rest of the quarter,” his dad said lightly.
“I’m sorry… what?”
“You heard me right the first time.”
“But thats— like two months!”
“Yes…”
“I just started!”
“You did…”
The world crashed around him.
He stood in a daze and walked to the sliding door leading to the balcony.
It opened and closed.
He returned to the kitchen table and plopped down.
“Um… anymore details that I need to know?” He sighed, running a hand through his mop of hair.
“Well… there was this technique I used to have to do at my old job. It’s called a shit sandwich.”
He gave his dad a baleful glare.
“So, if you have bad news to deliver, you do it in-between two pieces of good news. Makes the shit easier to eat.”
“Who wants to eat shit?”
“I think animals and monsters do sometimes.” His dad shrugged.
“Please continue…”
“Okay, so, good news first. You’ll have the opportunity to get right back into the J.R.R.P. for the next quarter.”
“But, I’m missing out on two-thirds of the classes and training. We haven’t even started squad level exercises.”
“Right, that leads into the shit part. You’ll have to pass some kind of test. A class room one and a field one. If you fail, then you’re out for the year. You’ll have to start over with the next year’s class… for now. I’m working on a fair way we can keep you on the same track as your friends so you don’t get held back.”
That meant there was a chance he’d be a year behind all his friends and he wouldn’t be able to go through the program with them.
“What’s the other good news?”
There was no way he could pass tests that relied on knowledge and practice that he wasn’t going to be allowed to learn.
The weight had returned, pressing in on him from all directions.
“The tests should be passable because we’re going to spend the next two months preparing you.”
“But… why? I’m grounded. Aren’t you mad?”
“Yes and no. I’m mad that you almost died, but I’m not mad that you did it to help your cousin. It’s complicated.”
“Then why punish me at all?”
“To remind you that doing the right things doesn’t entitle you to wholly positive outcomes.”
“That seems… dumb… no offense.”
“Oh, I agree, but your mom and I don’t want to encourage you to dangerous decisions. You got off really light. Very lucky.”
“I know. I saw them die,” he rubbed his eyes.
“Such sights can’t be separated from a life of violence. They’re only the first human beings you’ll watch die in front of you. Or you’ll be the one to die in front of a loved one, a comrade, a friend. If you stick with it.”
He took a deep breath.
“I’m not going to quit.”
“Okay, but we’re going to be a lot harder on you than the rangers. You’re going to earn the quality of your tutelage because it is a privilege that your peers don’t have access to.”
“Whatever it takes. I’ll study and practice every waking hour.”
“Well, maybe not every waking hour. You’ve still got to live a life. Spend time having fun with friends,” his dad raised a brow, “your new girlfriend?”
He coughed.
“We, uh, had one date and it was her reading to me while I lay in bed and talked about my weird dream.”
“There have been worse first dates. Don’t worry, your mom and I don’t want to get in your way with that stuff,” his dad grinned. “It’s hard to believe, it was just yesterday that—”
“Dad! None of that stuff about me running around naked everywhere! Please!”
His dad chuckled.
“Alright, alright. Just remember the rules and we won’t have problems.”
“Burned into my brain.”
“Good, remember you treat her like you’d want someone else to treat Lera. Now, enjoy the rest of the week. Relax, recover because the suck starts on Monday.”
“Understood.”
“You don’t, but you’ll find out.”
“I’ve gone through a few of your mindscape exercises before.”
“You have,” his dad nodded, “but, you also haven’t.”
With that his dad rose, patted him on the shoulder and went off to do dad stuff leaving him to wonder and worry.
----------------------------------------
January, 2047
Every culture marked the winter solstice whether they feared it or celebrated it.
Earth humans were no exception.
Alcaestus patiently listened as his liaison, Ronald, finished the re-telling.
“You are certain this Claus doesn’t exist?”
“Yeah… well, at least that’s what my dad said. That was pre-spires though and it’s possible someone or something like him exists now. I don’t know. I was born post-spires and our room in the bunker didn’t have a fireplace. I did get presents from Santa, but I eventually figured out that it was my dad’s handwriting.” Ronald’s eyes brightened with the spark of idea. “You’ve been to a bunch of different worlds… ever see someone like him?”
“There are common elements between your legend and those I’ve encountered. There is the tale of the Joy Giver from the root Molenoran culture on Enysomen, Third of Its Name. On the last day of winter the Joy Giver is said to leave a present at the base of the world tree under which their city had been dug intertwined with the life-giving roots. The present was said to be anything that the Molenoran needed. Of course, what the Molenoran needed was always the fruit, the leaf, the branch, or the sap. You see, a world tree is highly magical and occasionally sapient. Sought after by all manner of beasts and monsters, thinking or not, it uses the Molenorans as a defense mechanism.”
“Um… are they dumb?”
“The Molenorans? No. They are as any other sapient species. Tales are crafted to make sense of the world by their earliest ancestors and are passed down through the eons. With advancement and enlightenment such tales go from literal truth to metaphorical myth that they cling to out of tradition and habit. Plus, stories are more enjoyable for the children. That tale matches the positive aspect of your Santa Claus. As to the negative aspect? Consider the tale of the Heart Thief from the Allosians on Aehr, Hundredth of Its Name. It is said to visit twice. Once on the solstice day and once more on the last day of the season. It takes a heart from the Allosian’s chest if one was deemed to have shown an inadequate amount of loyalty to Aehr over the previous year. If the Allosian doesn’t do enough to earn Aehr’s forgiveness before the next visit, then the Heart Thief takes the second heart.”
Ronald scribbled madly in his ever-present notebook.
“How many hearts does an Allosian have?”
He gave Ronald a mirthless smile.
“Just the two.”
His liaison stopped writing.
“How come it sounds like the Heart Thief is more literal than the Joy Giver?”
“Because it is. The ‘Heart Thief’ isn’t a singular entity. They are many. Aehr’s agents.”
“But… why?”
“Allosians faith fills their hearts in life. Upon death it quickly dissipates. The only way to preserve it for Aehr is to quickly sever the heart from all physical and metaphysical tethers to the body and spirit. Hence swift removal. Doing so crystallizes the heart and the faith within. It’s similar to the organs of highly magical beasts and monsters turning into mana crystals.”
“How does that even work?”
Al shrugged.
“I don’t know.”
“Can’t you, like, ask your, uh, god?”
“Knowing is irrelevant.”
“I have so many questions… so you’ve quantified this ‘faith’? Is it just another term for mana or something similar?”
“The Gods’ works are not for us mere mortals to understand by definition.”
“But—”
A soldier materialized from the huge boulder’s shadow.
“Eidolon of Adras, op’s a go in two. We’re in position.”
“Best get to safety, friend Ronald.”
Al followed the soldier to their staging point.
The fence was made from thin steel wire.
Why bother with a barrier that could be cut or torn with ease?
Even a weak man would’ve been able to simply dig under the dirt or climb over.
The razor-sharp wire coiled at the top could be easily dealt with by throwing a thick blanket or clothing over it.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
It was strange to trust a dangerous facility to such a weak defensive fortification.
Operation Hydra.
Al’s part placed him near the heartlands of the nation.
His allies would strike like the many-headed monster in the hopes that these Cruces wouldn’t be able to respond to all of them.
The idea was that with the drastically-reduced time to respond to ownership challenges they would be able to challenge and defeat the true boss monster and claim ownership before the usurpers arrived.
At which point legitimacy would be in the hands of his allies.
It was their assessment that the Cruces wouldn’t challenge them for ownership because that would break terms in their prior agreement.
Broken terms would give Al’s allies cause to be more aggressive in their Quest to reclaim what was theirs by right and law.
More importantly, they believed that securing their greatest weapons would solve the power gap that forced them to behave like timid guests in their own home terrorized by a thieving invader.
Al had his doubts, but it wasn’t his place to question the Eidolon of Sunor’s orders.
The captain nodded as Al took his rightful place at the forefront.
“Give me the time,” the captain commanded.
Another soldier gazed intently at his watch and counted down.
When he hit zero the captain challenged ownership.
“Mark. T-minus ten minutes.”
“Marked.”
More waiting.
It was always interesting to Al that no matter which world or culture commonalities could be easily found.
In this case a soldier’s lot can be boiled down to a simple statement.
Hurry up and wait.
He hoped one of the owners would show up to contest the claim.
A truly challenging fight was something he hadn’t yet found on this new world.
The Eidolon of Sunor and the allied commander had both ordered that he was to stall, but not engage if one of the owners arrived.
But what if the owner didn’t allow them to stall or retreat?
Then, he would have no choice but to fight to protect his allies.
Ten tense minutes became zero.
The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief.
Al’s was one of mild disappointment.
“Claim secured. Radio the trucks. I want the warheads loaded ASAP. Let’s go.”
Al tore the fence down like wet paper at the captain’s words.
There’d be no battle for him tonight.
Just the simple work of a humble porter.
Unless…
Reality seemed to ripple.
“Ah!” he brightened as a wave just on the edges of his divinely-gifted perceptions swept out from the center of the facility.
It passed through the environment, forcing change in its wake.
Whole, if dirty, structures became partially-decayed ruins that glowed with an eerie green light.
Concrete ground broke and crumbled with glowing green spikes the size of trees jutting out like miniature mountains.
Weak perceptions wouldn’t have noticed the change taking place.
What stood before them was what had always been.
The captain cursed.
To the man’s credit he didn’t let the disorientation cause hesitation.
“Code Red!” he barked. “Belay those trucks! Prepare for combat!”
Squad leaders shouted orders.
Soldiers took up defensive positions, creating overlapping fields of fire to cover avenues of potential attack from the closest structures.
The spires were unpredictable.
Rules were as fluid as a flowing river.
History across a thousand worlds repeated.
Sometimes a challenge claim was simple.
The property changed hands as is from one owner to the next.
Sometimes the spires decided to ruin a person’s day.
When that happened the property reverted back to an encounter challenge if one was lucky and into a spawn zone if unlucky.
Al and the soldiers were going to have to reclaim it from the monsters if they wanted to take the weapons.
All of this was helpfully explained by the spires with a voice in their ears and text in their eyes.
An incessant beeping triggered across the entire company.
“Radiation!”
The call echoed across the hundred plus strong group of soldiers.
“Pills!”
“Counting. T-Minus five.”
Al didn’t fear the deadly substance.
Even just a sliver of Adras’ divine might rendered him immune.
“How much danger are you and your men in?”
The captain craned his neck back to hold Al’s gaze.
“Dangerous, but not instantly fatal.”
“How much time do we have to defeat both boss monsters?”
The captain chewed the inside of his cheek.
“With the five pill maximum… an hour. Anything more and we’re risking a short, painful death.”
Al pondered his paths.
The newly-initialized encounter challenge was within his level to solo at a threshold of risk that exceeded the acceptable level as commanded by the Eidolon of Sunor.
“Then we move swiftly. I will move ahead engaging the monsters, but not stopping to kill them all. Those that remain will be yours. I will not slow or stop. If it becomes too dangerous for your soldiers you will withdraw.”
“Understood.”
“Then we begin.”
The glowing green spikes burst open with his first step toward the main structure.
Monsters emerged like insects dripping out of soft-shelled eggs.
They glowed with the same inner green light pulsing from within the partially-ruined structures and spikes.
Translucent chitin dripped with viscous green slime.
They came on two, four, six or countless scuttling legs.
The soldiers opened fire with their combustion-based projectile weapons.
Al didn’t think highly of the simple, if effective things.
One anti-combustion spell would render it nothing more than a substandard club.
An anti-combustion field would do the same for the entire company.
Granted there were spells and Skills to counter anything, but why bother?
There were plenty of other weapons that could replace the firearms and be even more effective.
They barked like tiny yapping creatures.
Bullets zipped past Al.
A few struck him in the back like raindrops.
An explosion swallowed a knot of monsters to his left.
A sheet of sudden ice swallowed one to his right.
Those in front of him?
He burst them into glowing green goo with each punch and kick he landed in passing.
Monsters emerged from the small structure.
He ripped one of the giant spikes out of the ground to use as a club.
It lasted three earth-shaking blows before shattering.
The only thing that remained of the structure and the monsters was a rapidly-dimming puddle of goo and chitin.
He lost the soldiers shortly after entering the facility’s main structure.
It was here that their strategists expected to find the boss monsters.
The sounds of yapping gunfire dwindled in the distance behind him as he went further into the labyrinthine building.
The occasional explosion shook the entire place, sending dust and debris down on his head and massive shoulders.
Cramped corridors built for lesser-sized mortals triggered mild unease.
He was a hunter at his core and the great wide open world was his home.
That wasn’t to say that he hadn’t tracked beasts to their lairs or hunted those that lived underground in tight, twisting tunnels.
As an eidolon he had hunted and fought in all manner of environments.
And the knowledge that the walls were as paper to his great strength eased his mind.
Case in point.
A monster tore out of the wall to his left, swiftly wrapping him up in a many-segmented body with thousands of cutting legs and biting teeth.
It squeezed tight.
He flexed and thrust his arms out.
The monster exploded into gooey chunks.
He didn’t bother with the door and simply ran through it.
Then, he didn’t bother with the corridors, he simply ran through walls like the proverb of letting a thunderhorn run through a gem shop.
Rooms containing monsters when he burst into them contained shattered chitin and green goo when he left.
He followed the image of the map he had memorized to the exact spot.
It was in the middle of a stark corridor.
Once white walls were covered in growing green lines that pulsed like a great beast’s veins.
The floor was cracked and broken in places.
Just like the ceiling.
He jumped up and stomped down.
The floor gave way.
His great weight and an application of Adra’s gift turned him into a crashing boulder.
Floors passed by him in a blur until he landed on thick concrete that cratered underneath him.
He reached the section that was hardened against the enemy weapons.
Punching through slowed him down enough that a trio of soldiers actually caught up with him.
Two hulking supersoldiers and one of the Eidolon of Sut’s rare successes.
The young woman’s face was hidden by her helmet, but he recognized her posture and glinting yellow eyes.
He had seen it countless times in the predatory creatures he had hunted.
“Shall I wait for others?”
He estimated a punch or two was all that was left before he broke through to the heart of the building and the two boss monster fights to claim it.
“Negative. We’re all that made it through. The captain’s fallen back to the front gate to support the trucks and pick up reinforcements. He’s holding there unless it looks like we need reinforcements to secure this place.
“Very well. Keep your distance and stay your hand unless I request assistance.”
One punch reached open space.
He ripped an opening large enough for his bulk before dropping down into the command center.
The spires spoke in his ears and flashed text.
“Yes.” He accepted the boss fight as the three soldiers spread out behind him, flipping desks over to build cover.
A bright green flash of light blinded them and filled them with enough radiation to kill an elephant had it not been for a divinely-empowered body and alchemy-created anti-radiation pills.
The light winked out plunging them back into near darkness with only the thin veins pulsing in the walls providing a dim green glow.
“Contact left!”
Automatic fire filled the room with sound and fury.
Orange-white star bursts illuminated the faintly glowing translucent chitin of the disgusting amalgamation of human and insect as it skittered across the wall and onto the ceiling.
The soldiers stitched a trail of gun fire after it just a bit too slow.
It plunged into their midst.
Scythe-like limbs slashed like a whirlwind of blades.
The soldiers reacted with superhuman quickness and strength.
They abandoned diced guns to draw blades.
Sparks lit up the darkness from their clash.
Al finally cleared the stars from his eyes just in time to duck as a hulking body flew at him like a ballista bolt.
He ducked just in time to save the soldier from being smashed against his unyielding body.
The soldier slammed into the bank of screens. Hurt, but not dead.
The second hulking soldier was less fortunate.
First, his blade-wielding hands went flying.
Then, his head.
Al clenched a fist toward the boss monster, activating Adras’ dominion over gravity.
The young soldier shot toward him as though he was the fisherman and she was a tiny minnow on his line.
The boss monster stabbed its limbs into the floor and fought the pull.
Al really needed to improve upon his rudimentary grasp of one of Adras’ great gifts.
He cut it abruptly.
Momentum carried the young soldier to him with the speed of a bolt.
He caught her and spun in order to soften the impact.
The boss monster struck, landing slashing strikes across his broad, muscled back and stabbing thrusts into his calves.
Stinging pain, like pricking one’s finger on a needle.
Momentary.
Insignificant.
While still cradling the young woman, he spun with a crushing backfist.
His arm was a thick as a tree trunk and as hard granite.
The satisfying crunch of chitin filled the room like the earlier gun shots.
A crash of thunder shook the room as the monster went through the wall like an iron cannonball.
The victory notice followed shortly.
Fierce yellow eyes glared up at him.
The young woman he cradled like a baby didn’t seem to appreciate it so he unceremoniously dropped her.
She landed with the lithe grace of a jungle cat, padding over to the hulking soldier and helping him out of the tangled mess of broken glass, twisted metal and tangled wires.
An added benefit of the sparks was greater visibility.
Not that he needed it thanks to the animal-like senses held over from his old hunter class.
“That fight was easy, which means the true boss monster may be more difficult.”
The encounter challenge’s details had suggested that he could solo it, but with difficulty at the level that the odds were against him when it came to a full clear.
However, such things weren’t always set in stone.
Match-ups made a difference.
The monsters here relied on their ability to emit radiation.
He was immune.
Without their greatest strength the rest of their capabilities had proved woefully inadequate so far.
His remaining problem were the two soldiers.
He couldn’t protect them if the true boss monster was faster than him.
And from the previous fight it was likely that the true boss would go for the weaker targets first.
“What’re you waiting for?” Shining yellow eyes glared up at him from behind the full-faced helmet. “Start the fight.”
He shared his concerns.
Meanwhile the clock continued to tick toward zero.
“Perhaps you should join the rest of your company.” He gestured to the hole in the ceiling.
“We’re fine,” the hulking soldier said. “Plenty of pills and time left. You ran through the building like a train. Took less than ten minutes. In any case our chances are better here than trying to make it back out. You were fast, but you weren’t thorough. Supersoldiers or not, I don’t like our chances with just our blades and backups.” He drew a black pistol from his leg holster.
“I may not be able to protect you.”
“We don’t need it!” the young woman snarled like a prideful cat that thought it was a lot larger and fiercer that it was in reality.
The dangers of infusing the essence of another creature into a human were instincts overtaking rational thought.
“Very well.” He pulled his bow and a trio of arrows from one of the bags of holding on his belt.
He’d only get one shot if the true boss monster went for the two soldiers first.