Victor watched the cars roll into the garage one by one. Loki stood on the other side of the entrance with a bored expression.

They’d found the building chained up and empty. Loki had broken through the bindings with a single flying slash, letting them store the cars inside.

“Where are Lillie and Amadeus?” Loki asked idly.

“Lillie’s gone off to coordinate the others and Amadeus is helping fight some of the stronger monsters roaming about.”

“I should’ve gone with him. Amadeus could use my help,” Loki replied.

“He’s grown plenty strong, and you’re needed here. These are the only cars still working right, and we have to make sure we don’t lose them,” Victor told him.

“What of you, Victor? How strong have you grown?” Loki asked him.

“Not enough. Not yet.”

****

A thunderstorm boiled overhead. It’d gotten bigger with Amadeus’ progress of his powers. Victor felt jealousy all over again.

His own powers were progressing, yes, but not at the rate he needed them to. And they were transient at best. What he needed was to advance the Timewalker’s Origin. Yet it seemed the Seed stubbornly refused to follow his pace, and instead kept its own. One that was infuriatingly slow.

The thunderstorm rained down bolts on the street ahead of them, calcifying the Metamorphs that came to fight them. Amidst them were some Daughters of Mara as well, though those ran off quickly after.

Amadeus took his time to relax afterwards, leaving the cleanup to Victor. The Timewalker would’ve blasted them with his guns, but he felt it prudent to use his Seeds instead.

Blades popped from all over his body, carving up Metamorphs and other monsters that dared to come through the Gate through their watch. No more of them would invade under their watch, not as long as he still lived.

****

Much of the same work that was done across Washington happened to Angel Heights. Audrey was a bit apprehensive at letting Victor take charge, but he quickly brought together all the people struggling to survive within the city.

“We’ve got bases set up along the entire city. That’s a good thing. Means we can commune with each other and make sure we’re not caught off guard,” Lillie explained to the people.

Victor and Loki were busy then. They’d had to bring out one of the EVs and drive away from the city. That way, they could avoid the Gates that led into the city of Angels.

Amadeus was outside playing with the children, mediating some sort of argument over toys.

I hope Victor’s doing better than me… she thought as she continued lecturing the gathered leaders of the different settlements.

****

The car ride to the Gate was quiet. Victor and Loki had gone on their own, as it would be quicker. They were both fast from their Seeds, and individually some of the most powerful Wielders of their ranks.

What worried Victor was that the rank they were at wasn’t the strongest. There were already whispers from travelling Wielders that visited Angel Heights of the Gaunt Knight, or Hero of the Seas that would lead people to Atlantis, or even Weiss Heracles, who was being trained in Germany.

They were all far and away stronger than Victor.

For now, he reassured himself.

They arrived at the Gate and Victor took out his pack. Walking beyond the Gate found them in an unfamiliar part of the other world. Victor could not recognize it, but the floating rocks in the skies and fish made them seem underwater.

“Shall we go?” Loki asked.

Victor nodded and they strode off.

****

Communication Seeds would come from Thinker Metamorphs. But those were usually surrounded by Brutes and more exotic kinds of other Metamorphs. So their best bet was instead something much easier to hunt.

“Echo dolphins,” Victor sketched out on a pad to show Loki. They looked much like normal dolphins, albeit with larger gills under their necks that could open up much further.

“They’ll be flying through the air. Catch them by surprise and take them out, and our ears won’t be ringing by the time we’re out,” Victor finished.

Loki nodded in reply and the both of them made their way closer to where the monsters would be found.

While they did so, Victor found the time to look at the abilities he’d gotten during his brawl with Jeffords. Quicker Blades and Blade Movement…

They weren’t anything special. He’d known how to use them instinctively when he got them, just like with his Weaponsmith Heart’s Infuse Attack. Blade Movement allowed him to move around the blades around his body as he wished, while Quicker Blades just made them faster. Fast enough that Victor was able to pull off a few tricks in the air.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

But the mentality he was in upon unlocking it, that stuck out to Victor. Was there something there he could use to advance his Seeds faster?

His eyes drifted over to Loki when he thought of that. A dangerous edge. Maybe he was onto something there.

****

Loki and Victor kept watch from some bushes while they waited for the Echo Dolphins to arrive. Loki could feel the man’s eyes on him through the entire day, even as hours passed.

“Victor, if you must say something, you can say it,” He told the man.

As if a floodgate had been opened, the questions started.

“How did you progress your Seeds so quickly?” Victor blurted out.

“That was what had been bothering you?” Loki asked.

“I have three Seeds, Loki. And you’re still somehow ahead of me with just one.”

“You should have focused on a single one better, Victor. That way, you could’ve better understood its needs,” Loki told him.

“Its needs? You realize the Seeds aren’t alive, right?” Victor asked.

“Yes, but you realize their namesake, correct? A Seed needs nourishment to grow, Victor, and each one requires a different kind.”

Loki faced the man as a solitary slash appeared in the air above his hands. it was a half-formed thing that stuck there, barely a white shine.

“Your professor narrowed down the name of my Seed. It is the Perfect Cut. Its abilities include projecting slashes outwards that can cut through solid objects depending on my level of mastery.

“What do you think I’ve been doing to help it progress?” Loki asked him.

“Cutting down enemies?” Victor asked.

He was wrong, as Loki shook his head.

“That is part of the answer, but not the whole. I’ve been cutting down everything. From the softest fabric to the hardest steel. I’ve tried my abilities out on whatever I could find, testing its strength.

“Sometimes I will make wider slashes. Other times shorter. And I will not only use my Seed, but weapons I can find around the city. I’ve practiced with knives and swords as well, so that I could better understand my own Seed. Pondered on the feeling in my chest as it lays there waiting to be used. And through all that, I’ve moulded my body after the Seed. I aim to be The Perfect Cut, not just try it,” Loki finished.

That… explains a lot, Victor realized.

All his epiphanies regarding his abilities had helped him. even if he hadn’t gained a new stat boost or ability, he at least got a better understanding of how to use those same abilities, and that would lead to further advancement down the road.

He’d been so busy focusing on a single aspect of the Seed that he’d ignored what else he could do to supplement his training.

That understanding brought a new clarity to Victor. He looked inside himself at the Seeds he had.

The information screens had distracted him from the fact it wasn’t a game. He couldn’t just gain experience and have that do the bulk of the work for him.

“And that got you this far?” Victor asked him.

“And it will take me further,” Loki replied.

Victor found within himself a new respect for the man. He’d saved him in the heat of the moment, and Loki had paid it back in full.

“I’ll be sure to look out for you next time, Loki Smith,” Victor told him.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Victor chuckled,” Let’s just watch out for those dolphins.”

More hours passed in their search, but not without some conversation. They asked about each other’s’ lives before the Fall, and Victor got to know the man’s life.

“I was named by my mother. She liked Marvel comics a lot,” he explained.

“That’s why you’re named Loki?” Victor asked. He almost felt bad for him.

“It’s the name I’ve grown up with. I’ve gotten used to it.”

“And what about your parents? Where are they now?” Victor asked.

Loki’s face stilled for a moment. He didn’t show much emotion at the best of times, but this was different. It was as if he was deliberately keeping it that way.

“I don’t know,” Loki replied before changing the subject.

“I’ve got two little siblings. Brother and a sister. Good kids, though my mom used to sic them on me. I learned quick how to take care of kids, though I’m not as good as Amadeus,” Victor explained.

“Amadeus seems much more at ease now that he has them back,” Loki noted.

“Yeah, he is.”

The shadow of a flying creature passed by in front of them. Victor and Loki both looked up and saw a swarm of dolphins follow.

“It’s time,” Victor said, standing up and pulling out his guns.

He ran to the edge of the bluff they were on that overlooked the swarm of dolphins. The monsters looked more like exotic animals than real monsters, and they were swimming around in the air on invisible wings.

“How do we strike?” Loki asked as he came out.

“The one in the centre has the biggest chance of dropping the Seed. Can you hit it from here?” Victor asked.

“They’re moving too quickly.”

“Then we’ll just have to disperse them. Get ready, Loki,” Victor said.

He shot his guns into the air and the dolphins took notice. They spread out in every which way to avoid the bullet fire. In their midst was the largest and quickest of the Echo Dolphins, and it rushed downwards.

Loki let loose a slash that carved into the stone below. It was twice again the size of a man and cut into the Dolphins flippers.

The monster let out a scream and turned in their direction. Victor knew what was coming once it started breathing inwards.

He jumped and tackled Loki to the ground as it let loose a sonic scream. The shout pierced their ears and caused ringing, but they weren’t hit directly.

Victor took that as a win and got off Loki. He ran back to the bluff, and saw the monster was already running away into a forest of reeds.

“Don’t let it get away!” Victor shouted to a confused Loki.

He jumped down from the bluff onto other outcroppings. His feet came close to the edge as he did. Victor didn’t mind it and kept jumping, until he was at the bottom of the small cliff.

Loki jumped down beside him and the two of them started running. They followed the bloody trail of the animal and Loki rubbed his ears.

“That was… loud,” Loki complained.

“You’ll get your payback once we reach it,” Victor told him. He jumped over some vines and kept continuing, but Loki seemed to get caught in them.

“Victor, please take a side!” Loki shouted at him and Victor ducked to the left.

A slash came dangerously close to his right and cleaved down the giant reeds in front of them. The slash continued to cut down reeds until they caught a glimpse of the monster again.

Victor fired into it and the dolphin screamed in pain. Its tail frosted over and it stumbled to take to the skies.

“I’ll give you a boost! Finish it off!” Victor told Loki.

He stowed his pistols and jumped ahead of him. Abruptly, Victor turned around and cupped his hands. Loki got the gist and hiked a foot onto it, whereupon Victor launched him into the skies.

In the skies, Loki spotted the dolphin. He raised a hand towards it and let loose a final slash. projectile flew and cut down more reeds before finally piercing the dolphin.

It bisected the monster in an instant, and Loki landed in a roll not far from it. Victor came up running to the body in its death throes.

He looked away, but Loki kept staring. And kept staring until the monster finally perished. Though it didn’t look much a monster, Loki realized. Not much a monster at all.

“Did we truly need to kill it, Victor?” he asked suddenly. A Seed materialize out of its body.

Victor pocketed it just as quickly as it came.

“I don’t like it as much as you do, Loki. But we don’t have the luxury to choose right now. And if it’s between us or the monsters, I choose us,” he said.

The two of them weren’t done hunting by the first one, however. Victor took Loki to a few more spots, so that he could harvest the Seeds from their bodies. Only once they’d gotten enough for the major settlements did they leave, and Loki was glad for it.