Book 2 Chapter 24
The brothers sat in silence for a full minute. Oskar wanted to tell Erik everything was going to be alright, but he knew it would feel like an empty promise. He understood where Erik was coming from. No one wants to sit around waiting to die, but they wouldn’t even know where to go to attack Valla if they decided to do so.
It makes sense. Until the cave, the closest he’d looked to getting better was the day after we’d saved him.
Since then, they’d fought often, forcing Erik to defend and heal the others, and it had taken its toll. Everyone knew it, but Oskar had hoped they’d find a way to stop it or that the problem would fade with time or distance from Valla.
They needed information, and the Kobolds were the only sure way they had a possibility of finding it.
They won’t be at the Great Collective anymore with the Oasis gone, so there’s no telling whether she’s holed up somewhere or if she’s chasing us personally.
Unfortunately, it was now looking more and more that the only way to save Erik was to kill Valla. Maybe that would undo whatever was still killing his brother. He spoke directly to the PUB, hoping for some feedback.
This isn’t a matter of being forced to fight anymore. I know we already planned on killing her, but I didn’t realize how much he was still being affected. Maybe I should have asked… and I’ll be better about that in the future… but he’s right about one thing. We’ve got to get the ball rolling, not only for Erik, but to get the Crocs off the Kobold people’s backs. I know that’s not our fault, directly, but they’re using Fox and Touwon’s ‘defiance’ as an excuse, and they’ve suffered enough. More than enough.
His PUB was unusually quiet, so after a minute, Oskar continued, watching his brother’s haggard, thin face.
And so has Erik, Oskar thought, but to Erik, he said, “So, are you saying you don’t want to find her people first? You just wanna turn around and go after her?”
“It might be comfortable to find safety. To stop, safe, and wait till all this passes… but what if it doesn’t? All it takes is one mistake. She finds us one time, and then we’re out of places to go. Maybe run to one of the Drakon places, but is that really an option?”
Oskar laughed bitterly, shaking his head. “No. No, it is not.”
“I know… that’s suicide. I’m just freaking out, man. We meet the Kobolds and then we go after Valla. It really is the right move. I guess what I’m saying is I don’t know how much longer I can keep going like this.”
Oskar reached over and squeezed his brother’s shoulder, and Erik gave him a nod back.
Almost a hug, coming from Erik, Oskar thought with a smile.
***
For the second night in a row, Oskar had not gotten nearly enough sleep by the time the red sun poked up over the distant horizon. He’d had some difficulty going back to sleep, which was expected, but the it was made worse both because Penny wasn’t there and because of why she wasn’t there. He could feel her through the bond, and though there wasn’t really sadness, there was a heaviness. Above all, though, he could feel her determination, so Oskar told himself she was fine. Better than fine, she was learning something. Whether or not the Insight Gem replayed the fight for her, offered her a new ability, or some hybrid of the two, she would come out of it with something new.
Feeling her calm determination had been enough to finally let sleep take over. He dreamed of watching the world from above. He couldn’t feel his body, but he knew it was down there. His mind, though, was floating in a place high above and rising slowly. He felt something calling out to him, gently encouraging him to rise further, but as quickly as the dream began, it ended. And then, Oskar’s sleep was just sleep. However, both PUBs detected a very unusual buzz in the air.
***
A few hours later, Oskar woke, as usual, with his foot propped up on Penny. She looked the same as usual, and was laying still in the opening to the tent. What actually woke Oskar was his entire body immediately breaking out in sweat as the sunlight hit the foot.
Just like Iraq. I’ve been woken exactly like that a hundred times. All it takes is a single ray of sunshine, and its butt-sweat soup for breakfast.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
There was no telling what had happened with the gem. The information the PUB had on his companions was relatively scarce, and Oskar figured he’d learn eventually if there had been any change. All that mattered is that she felt peaceful. Happy.
And that’s good enough.
Remembering the odd dream from the night before, of floating above the world, he lay still, thinking about what it might mean until the discomfort of sitting still and sweating finally prompted him to sit up. He yawned, sighed, and then set about inspecting the prosthetic foot and liner. Although the foot seemed to be holding up incredibly well after Touwon’s alterations and improvements, the liner was beat to hell. If not for the healing properties of the Wayspring water, he knew he’d be dealing with all sorts of skin issues.
Luckily, the water took care of everything from sun damage to chafing, so all he had to do was take care of the material. Unfortunately, the rubbery thermosplatic elastomer material, otherwise known as TPE, was obviously irreplaceable here.
Cloth wasn’t an option. Not only would it destroy his stump, but the system that held the prosthetic in place consisted of the liner, which stayed on his leg via suction, and an A-Pin on the end of the liner that locked into the leg itself.
So… not only would a makeshift liner not stay on from lack of suction, but it also wouldn’t stay in the socket, either. Well, it’s gonna be fine till it ain’t. At least I can take to the sky again if something goes wrong. Can’t do anything about it now. That’s future Oskar’s problem, and I’ve made it very clear that I hold him in little regard.
// Yeah, baby, that’s the spirit! Screw future Oskar! //
With a cynical smirk, he slid the liner in place over his stump and carefully stood, still hunched over to stay under the meager shade of the tent. The general commotion and the sound of the liner pin locking into place was enough to wake Penny, who offered a yawning “kwinn” before wandering off to destroy the local wildlife. By the time his head cleared enough to remember her taking the Gem the night before, she was outside the camp. The Pangolor seemed pleased, though. He suspected she would show him what she learned when she got back. She was no good at playing it cool.
Beside him, Erik groaned out a yawn himself and sat up. Oskar pretended not to see his brother try to pick himself up on both elbows before his mismatched eyes briefly showed a dark look, and Erik adjusted to completing the motion with his single arm.
Without looking at his brother, he called out, “Good morning, suns-shine,” with mock cheer.
Erik put on a fake smile himself and said with even more enthusiasm, “Oh golly. What a splendid morning! My back barely hurts a lot! My joints feel great, too! Pleaaase tell me we’re gonna walk 12 hours today! Please!”
“Yup! And after a few days of that, if you’re good, we’re gonna find a group of hated and hunted rebels no one has heard from in like a decade!”
“Oh gee. You’re too good to me, Oss. Honest!”
Oskar laughed and threw his brother a waterskin. With a little awkwardness, Erik caught it and pulled it close to his chest so it wouldn’t fall into the sand. He gave Oskar a deadpan look, and Oskar smiled back. He briefly considered taking the tent down before his brother had gotten out of it but thought that might take “treating Erik normally” a little further than necessary. Instead, he walked over to check on the Kobolds. Touwon was sitting on the dune opposite the one Oskar had been on the night before.
He looks really happy with himself.
// He should. His mind is incredible. He broke into Peak D Mind last night. That’s incredibly rare. He wouldn’t have known if he had not been wearing me. The plebs, or PLUBS, hahaha… they just get a general feel for their stats, if that. Most people’s stats don’t rise because they are often dealing with the same general types of life challenges with little variety in degree or intensity. And, they usually deal with those challenges in the same exact ways. People tend to, for obvious reasons, find the safest way to live. The path of least resistance. //
Makes sense, really. What does wealth in this part of the world look like, anyhow? Even if you survive getting stronger, all it does is put a target on your back, and you still have the basic same lifestyle as everyone else, right? Fight or avoid the natural predators while you search for water every other day or so and try to protect your people and what you’re carrying. It’s easy to see how people get stuck in the cycle.
// Yup. It takes effort, ingenuity, and consequences to improve… in addition to your personal specialty… opportunity! Your particular ability to piss off large swaths of people at a time has pushed everyone to their limits and kept them there. Great job giving your Collective plenty of opportunities, and almost, but not quite, killing your friends! It’s super effective, growth wise. //
Well, thanks. I think. I really am beyond grateful to have the Kobolds here. If it wasn’t for them, I’d never have found or rescued Erik. I knew Touwon was smart, apparently just now how smart he is.
// You have no idea. You probably haven’t seen this, but I got a glimpse of things when he was wearing me. He’s been making constant upgrades to his gear. He’s created scenarios and solutions, and even when watching him work on the other PUB set, the moment he understood the basics of how the system works, he was already thinking about other projects. From blade grenades to mobile shade. //
Should I be jealous?
// Oh no, not at all. There is zero competition. Trust me, he’s way out of your league. But don’t get upset; it would be like getting upset because Penny digs better than you do. //
You’re feisty today, PUBs.
// Sorry, I’m just excited to have a new friend! By the way… I know I say this every morning, but it’s gonna be a hot one, today. //
Oskar fought back a groan and wiped a trickle of sweat from his forehead with the back of his arm.