Chapter 26

In the mornings, they walked until the heat of the day really kicked in, and then Oskar led the group in a meandering path towards a Wayspring to rest. At the Waysprings, Oskar worked relentlessly to get more familiar with Sora. Channeling, pulling, pushing, and in small increments, he saw success. He tried everything he could imagine and then pushed himself to improve it as much as possible.

Afterwards, they’d walk until the light of both suns disappeared completely. Oskar and the Kobolds, and Penny of course, would then eat and then talk or occasionally just watch the sky in companionable silence. On one particularly clear night, without even the wispiest of clouds in the sky, Oskar and the Kobolds watched a light moving through the sky slowly.

“What is that?”

“It is part of the sky. If you watch it long enough, it will disappear.”

Sure enough, the light flickered off some time later and did not return, leaving Oskar with no answers and for some reason, he felt the tiniest pang of homesickness. Not sick for earth really, but maybe just for a sky that didn't feel so alien to him.

A sky where if something strange happened, or if a UFO popped up… the very next day, the news would just let you know it was an unusually fast-moving weather balloon and there is absolutely no need to panic, Oskar thought with a smirk.

After the momentary homesickness faded, the moment simply became a sobering reminder of how little he knew of this world. The only thing he was sure of was that he was woefully under prepared. He wasn’t yet good enough to use Sora in combat, really. He was only just beginning to understand what he was even looking at. Anything tangible just seemed to slip through his fingers the moment he felt like he was on the verge of some revelation. So far, he'd tried to be smart, but they'd mostly won the battle with the Vulk Collective due to Oskar’s ambush putting Falk out of commission at the drop. He couldn't rely on catching his enemies unaware. All things considered, he was simply too untrained and not yet as strong as he needed to be.

And that at least, was something Oskar could do something about.

So, he heavily ramped up his spear training with the help of his PUB. It was slow going by necessity since the PUB got much of its energy from the sun. It claimed it could use his magic as well, but not at Oskar's current level, and Sora wasn't ideal for it anyhow, whatever that meant. It wouldn't, or maybe couldn't, clarify.

During training, the PUB would show a misty outline of an enemy attack and then show Oskar options to deal with the attack using the same misty method. The 3D overlay in the Goggles was impressive, and the outlines were even true to the terrain they stood on. He was sure he looked ridiculous, if the looks he got from the chuckling Kobolds were any indicator, but Fox eventually started helping him with things like balance, center of gravity, and foot placement. When she got bored with that, she began throwing things at him while he continued practicing, and he'd try to react fast enough to knock them out of the air or catch them, depending on what she called out.

Within a few days, he was able to handle everything she could throw at him, literally. That's apparently when she deemed him ready for sparring. Sparring mostly consisted of Oskar feeling like he was flailing the butt end of his spear at a ghost he didn't have a chance at hitting. A ghost that took every opportunity to trip him every time his balance or footing was off. She'd fight back with light wooden sticks that dealt increased emotional damage upon successful hit. He got better, but she was in a class of her own, speed wise.

I can't hit her. She might be half my strength, but it doesn't matter if I can't get my hands on her.

// She's got claws, knives, and even sharp teeth if it comes down to it. Not sure what your plan is if you do catch her. //

It was a valid point. The training was going well, and now that he felt he had somewhat of a foundation, he began focusing more on specifically training for the potential fight with the Gryphus Vulture.

Unfortunately, the PUB had limited data for fighting “big ass birds,” so Oskar used a training sim of Gliders throwing spears to further improve his reaction time and agility, and played through his previous fights to help him learn what he could have improved on. There was… a lot to improve on, but Oskar was determined and made more progress. During each sim, after Oskar got the general idea and pace of each fight, the PUB would dial back the energy expenditure and switch to text, offering suggestions or corrections.He noticed on the morning of the fourth day that his increasing speed and agility was being reinforced by Sora, and he finally noticed the tiniest swirls of color that appeared around his body and limbs when he pushed himself and got into the groove of things.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

// Your mastery of Sora is growing quickly. You’re a natural. Spear mastery is improving, too. We need more data, though. //

Thanks. I just hope it’ll be enough.

// Either way, I’ll get data, just try not to get eaten. You’re starting to grow on me. Then again, that might be even better data. //

They’d found a rhythm, and the Wayspring water made it all possible. He needed less sleep, and his muscles recovered in hours instead of days. They hadn't been in a major hurry once they'd gotten some distance away from the battle with the Hyenamen Gliders, but with the help of Oskar’s PUB, they eventually found their way to where Oskar and Penny had first seen the huge vulture flying overhead. They followed the direction the bird had been flying in for another day until they finally saw the huge beast in the distance for the first time.

“That thing is terrifying,” Oskar said. Fox and Touwon simply stared at it quietly.

It loomed in the distance like a black bird of death, and even from miles away, Oskar wondered at the possibility of them being able to injure, much less kill, the Gryphus Vulture. Oskar forwent his spear training this close to the Gryphus and they camped for the night, but continued his experimentation with Sora. He both hoped and feared that tomorrow would be the day they found the bird’s lair.

Sleep was fitful, but eventually Oskar cleared his head enough to rest. Penny snuggled up under his arm, but as soon as the purring started, he forgave her for her rough scales. She was like a puppy made of slate. She was fierce, loyal, and had chosen Oskar as her person.

He was grateful. She was almost totally self-sufficient until it came time to sleep, when she made sure to be as close as possible to him. He eventually fell asleep himself with a smile on his face, the looming danger temporarily forgotten.

***

For the second time he could remember since he’d arrived on this strange world, he dreamed. At least this time, it wasn’t because he almost got killed to death. He was standing in a storm, leaning into the wind like the embrace of an old friend. He knew the wind, what it wanted, where it was going on a level of intimacy usually reserved for lifelong friends. For the briefest of moments, it flickered in and out of his grasp.

The spear felt secure in his hand, and he could feel the rest of the spear against his back, and in this world, it felt like an extension of himself. He didn’t look down, but could feel the buzz of electricity throughout his entire body.

Oskar still felt like himself, just again, in tune with the world. He felt the rain, the water in the clouds, like a part of him. He was calling Sora to himself, and it swirled around him like a whirlwind, merging with and then enveloping the rain like it had belonged all along.

Clouds were heavy overhead, flickering with lightning, and the wind and rain gained momentum. As the clouds lit up one last time, blindingly bright, lightning flashed down. It crashed through the whirlwind of water and wind around him and he woke up with a start, thunder still ringing in his ears.

Fox was watching him from outside the tent when he sat up with a sigh, but then turned away, watching again for danger. Kobolds needed very little sleep, but he still felt guilty allowing them to take over the bulk of watching. He normally only watched for the few hours before dawn while the two Kobolds napped and then packed up the camp.

He took some time to pull out the T-handle from his cargo pocket and do some maintenance on his prosthetic. The leg situation is going to need to be addressed soon. It was inevitable, and knowing his luck, it was going to happen all at once. Maybe, by some miracle, a prosthetist existed in this world.

// And a rocket surgeon! //

Hey, a man can dream.

He cleaned the liner, put the leg on, and stood up with a grunt. It was time to find water and then Oskar's little Collective would continue onward to get eaten by a gigantic bird. All in all, a busy day.

A notification popped up.

// Gambit Offered: Get eaten by a gigantic bird.

Success: I am amused. Data.

Failure: You live. //

“Honestly? You're in a mood today,” Oskar said out loud and laughed, turning down the Gambit.

As much as the PUB’s AI exasperated him, it did at least serve as a welcome distraction, and it had clearly shown itself to be on Oskar’s side.

He was getting better at finding water, too. It became less of a meander, and it seemed he knew where to look as opposed to having to roam around for a few hours until he walked close enough to a Wayspring to feel it.

That’s a lot of walking for a one-legged guy, after all.

There was water nearby, but it took a bit of navigating to get there without running into trouble or walking straight over the dunes- a bad idea if he wanted to avoid the giant snake nest under the sand nearby or getting blown ass over teakettle by the wind trying to climb over one of the taller dunes.

The last one definitely hadn’t happened the day before. Nope.

Both situations, though, usually ended up with sand everywhere.

Everywhere.

They’d avoided the nest of those giant viper things, mostly because that meant snakey momma was somewhere nearby. Fox mentioned they were a bad idea to tangle with, and Touwon had nodded. Penny was less enthused about avoiding them. She’d likely never forgive those things. She was a tenacious hunter and would be a terror as she grew.

Growth didn’t seem to happen like it did back home. Companions, specifically, Fox had explained, would sometimes grow into adolescence, or evolve overnight if some significant event occurred. Few classes had companions, though. In fact, she only knew of one- some of the scout versions of the wind riders had a class that allowed them bird companions.

// Usually carrion, who are usually easier to bait, catch, and tame. //

Except the carrion that happen to evolve into airplane-sized predators.

// Yeah. Except for those. //