Chapter Twenty-Three

"Conflicts don't arise solely from enemies." – Coach Williams

Level Five

Zar’Keth Village

Full Team

"The first night, and you already started a fire within the village?" James panted, arriving last at the team's campsite just before the agreed time.

"Relax, James. She didn’t mean to," Tuck said, glancing at Emy. Nadia chimed in, "Plus, no one saw her. Rose spotted it before it could get too bad, and Tuck and I were the first on the scene."

James took a deep breath, shifting his demeanor. "Are you okay, Emy?"

"She's doing better than Will, that's for sure," Tuck grumbled.

"Wait, where’s Will?" James asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Infirmary," Nadia replied.

"What?" James's face contorted with anger.

"Okay, this is the most flustered we have seen you, James. What's going on?" Trish interjected, trying to calm the team.

James looked at Trish and attempted to gather himself. "We just can't..." He started, then sighed deeply. "I'm sorry. I just finished with Elric, who told me we were one bad gesture away from getting kicked out of the village."

"Kicked out? Not yet!" Frank butted in from the side.

"No, not yet, Frank," James said, glancing at Frank, who seemed almost in a trance. "The gist is that Elric is willing to welcome our team into his village, but there's a lot of unease. Any false moves or changes to the 'quota' will get us kicked out. Starting a fire and having someone in the infirmary isn't the impression I want to set on the first night."

James redirected, "More importantly, is Will okay? Should we go there? Why aren't you with him, Nadia?"

"He's okay. Mostly deep bruising and some organ damage. I didn’t want to reveal my skill set just yet. These people... they are..." Nadia began but was cut off by Frank.

"Extraordinary."

"Yes, that, and well, Will needs..." Nadia continued, but Tuck interrupted.

"To learn a lesson."

"Why do I feel like I already know the story before you even tell us?" James chuckled. “Do I need to ask?”

"Oh no, not me. Not again. Nadia already reamed me. Will gets to tell his own story this time," Tuck said as smiles spread across the team’s faces.

James decided to move on. "What about you, Emy? What caused the fire?"

"I'm not sure," Emy replied, feeling disheartened. "I was attempting a small void jump using the new Quantum Gateway, and, well, it failed."

"Nex wasn’t able to help?" Trish asked, sensing Emy's response.

"Nex is... awesome. But AI can't teach this type of thing. The voids, my affinity, are more chaos-based versus processing speeds and databases."

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"As much as I want to help, she is right," Nex said, speaking to everyone through their connections.

"You will figure it out," James reassured her, his voice full of confidence. "We should have someone watching over you next time you attempt a jump."

"A babysitter?" Emy questioned with a hint of disgust, surprising James.

"So, uh, what else did we learn tonight?" Trish quickly changed the subject, giving Emy some space while James remained silent.

"I met the most incredible woman," Frank said with a sigh, catching everyone off-guard. They all turned towards him.

"A lady? Already?" Trish asked, then quickly said, "What's her name?"

"Oh. I don’t know."

"You don't know her name? What did you talk about?" Trish pressed.

"Uh. We didn’t really talk."

"Frank, did you stalk someone?" Tuck asked with a grin, actually missing Will's usual antics.

"Tuck." Nadia now spoke up. "Frank, could you fill us in a little bit?"

"Oh yeah. Sorry. Long night. She was working the primary forge at the Smithy. I've never seen someone work metal quite like that."

Tuck felt Will's absence keenly as Frank continued, "At first, I thought they were breaking or spoiling the weapons somehow to mess with the offerings, but then I realized I was wrong. Each strike was dead on. Each modification was as if it was fulfilling a purpose... a destiny." Frank then went silent, leaving the team waiting for more.

"Thanks for all the details, Frank," Trish said with a gesture, but Frank paid no attention. "Anyway, I visited the dump."

"I thought you were going to the Weaver's Den?" James asked.

"I was... but I just couldn’t resist. Turns out my instinct was right. This place has some history. The dump is not quite a dump. It is confirmed that this world was once integrated. The items discarded are things ages beyond Earth, yet these people live primitive lives."

"Meaning things like computers?" Emy rejoined the conversation.

"Think AI tech, energy emitters, mini-processors, large-scale augmented reality... I barely even scratched the surface. All of it is in piles, collecting dust."

"Maintaining the status quo," James mused.

"I don’t know if everyone is afraid of it or unwilling to learn," Trish added.

"Probably both," Emy responded.

"Yeah, well, Uma, the head of the dump, is a bit on the strange side, but I like that. We'll get along just fine."

"So, wait, you aren't going to the Weaver's Den?" Frank remarked.

"I don’t know. Maybe?" Trish hesitated.

"Based on your findings so far, I think your gut is one for one. I vote that you continue to follow it," Emy advised, receiving mixed reactions but a smile from Trish.

"I'm not sure if I agree with them being unwilling to learn, but maybe tech-averse?" Nadia pondered, drawing everyone's attention. "Lysa was a healer with an Earth affinity. Everything she did was similar to my healing, but yet so different. It was beautiful..." She paused, attempting to describe what she saw. "We have always viewed our energies as pulling and pushing what surrounds us, modifying and changing things that exist. She pulled from the trees, the soil, and the earth itself. She willed it to heal, and the tree listened."

"While I didn’t get much from the warriors due to Will's shenanigans, I felt the same energies, but not earth... within the air as if the wind was flowing with them. The strikes on Will were not just skills; the wind aided their punches."

"So clearly, Will ran his mouth, lost at something, and was beat up. Did I summarize it for you?" Emy questioned.

"Yep," Nadia answered for Tuck.

"Settled. He can stay in the infirmary. James, I think you're up last. How was..." Emy began but was abruptly cut off by a screech from above. "Rose! I'm sorry!" Emy quickly corrected herself, internally cringing at the thought that this bird already disliked her.

"I believe she is telling you not to let it happen again," James remarked as more screeches echoed from the bird. "She circled the camp and noticed a few worn trails leading to the lake we arrived by and a smaller mountain southeast of the camp. It appears the tribes frequently travel to both."

"Fish and ore," Frank said instantly. "I figured they might have treks somewhere with all the metals they are forging. Maybe helping there will earn me some goodwill with the Smithy."

"That connects to my conversation with Elric. Many of our predictions were right. There is an offering. It happens twice a year, but they note it as every two cycles."

"Seasons?" Trish questioned.

"Yeah, that was my thought as well. We should see at least two offerings while we're here. I think it's worth investigating, but the taint empowers and corrupts. And not just fire types. Elric spoke of four distinct villages below the mountains, each representing a different affinity. With the team's agreement, I may travel with Rose to gather more intelligence. If the taint empowers, I'd love to examine it."

"Would you like someone to watch you?" Emy jested but couldn’t hide the previous tension.

"Rose and I should be able to support each other, but I'm happy for others to join me," James said, questioning internally about Emy. He continued, "It's clear the system requires us to spread out a bit on this level, but we need to stick together. We should meet here every night to discuss and join each other when possible. Let's start with how we can help the village tomorrow, and then we can pursue our distinct opportunities."

"We can't even eat together?" Frank challenged.

"Okay, campsite for a recap and breakfast together in the morning for those who can join?" James adjusted.

"In!" Frank said with amusement as the rest nodded their heads with a bit less enthusiasm.