The companions had met and discussed what their next steps were going to be.
TJ had arrived with Miss Agnos and Lars. Lars had been released from the guard rota to accompany the party with their task, and they had discussed their plans for the following day. They would leave at first light to get the most from the day. Sniffer would take his truck as they would struggle to keep up on foot with Tiddles. Due to the speed, he should be able to track the Geblex.
Concerning equipment, they had found everything they needed inside the property. It was equipped with the latest contraptions and items they could think of, and the incredible fact, that they had all been over the moon with, was both hot and cold running water, heating, and lighting. Kyto had tried to spend time in the boiler room looking at the fancy equipment that provided the System but had been dragged away and banned from going back there by Tabs.
The three cubs had also wanted to go along, but Tiddles had been adamant that they stayed behind. The cubs were going through a growth spurt, and their initial fluffy cub looks were starting to fade, becoming more defined as the predators they would eventually grow into. Not that they weren't predators now because they were. Being inside the compound area also meant they had been allowed to roam in the enclosed wood and surrounding area. After the last day or so of them being cooped up, they ran riot, leading to all three being dragged to one of the bathrooms in the mansion to be cleaned. They could not call it a house due to its size; it was so ostentatious in appearance and style that it made any previous home seem insignificant in comparison. The only house Kyto had ever seen that was anywhere near as richly furnished was Silver’s from Montgomery Metals.
Tabs, Crystal, and Elizabeth would continue to work at the hangar for now, dealing with those still recovering from their injuries. These were much fewer wounded than they would have been without Kyto's support. Several people had been crippled by the fighting and treated before Kyto had joined them at the hangar, and unfortunately for those who had lost limbs, he was unable to heal them. It had not mattered how much mana he had pumped into them once their limbs had been lost or amputated due to damage. They would not grow back. Those poor individuals would require time to come to terms with their losses and have a lengthy recuperation before returning to any sense of ordinary living, if at all for some.
TJ had ensured that both Sniffer and Lars took pistols with them. Sniffer had initially tried to reject the offer but eventually relented, not that he was by any means skilled with a firearm, but at least it gave him an extra element of defence.
"I still have my skill to select," Kyto said, sitting on a soft plush sofa in one of the downstairs rooms. Tabs was seated next to him and was leaning against him, reading a book she had found in their new bedroom. It was called Winter Harvest by Dawn Chapman, and from Tab's description after reading the first few faded and tattered pages, it was a science fiction book full of skills and statistics, which seemed to be how they lived now. Space was something that the Risen knew about only through history and texts. Since the world had lost the ability to fly or build aircraft due to the falling and the vast loss of knowledge, space may as well be a million miles away.
"Have you thought which one you may choose yet?"
"I am thinking System Influence. We know that the System has started to do updates. If I can influence it, I may be able to change it or adapt it.”
"All the skills are unknown, so anything will be a bonus."
"True. Ok, I have decided I will accept System Influence." Kyto focussed on his skills tab.
Please select the skill you would like to learn.
He focussed on System Influence and accepted it.
Are you sure you wish to select System Influence? This is a unique one-time option. Yes/No
He selected yes.
Congratulations, you have learned the skill of System Influence. System Influence allows you to invite Non-Enlightened party members, who will gain any party buffs while a member of your party. These buffs will support their Non-Enlightened abilities. WARNING - This unnatural progression of a Non-Enlightened may have side effects for those chosen.
Kyto viewed his party window and saw the added flashing icon. Looking at Tabs, he was given the choice to add her to the party,
"Damn, I can add members to the party interface. It comes with a warning, though, about potential side effects."
"Does it say what they are?"
"No. Nothing at all, just that being Non-Enlightened may have side effects."
"Do you want to try and add me?"
Would you like to invite Tabitha to your party? Yes/No
Kyto chose yes, and Tabs reacted immediately. "I have a System notification asking if I wish to accept your party invite."
Tabs selected, Yes.
Her head spun as her interface suddenly updated, and she blinked her eyes for several seconds, trying to adjust to the added information that was displayed. "This feels strange. I have a status window showing you, Tiddles and myself. I can also see red dots in my vision. It is really unnerving."
"That is where party members are. It has a range of 500 metres. You get used to it after a while. I felt a little disoriented at first when I did it. Do you have any options to change your display?"
"No. Nothing, I can see the bars and the map dots for our statuses."
"It seems that the display settings I have on my display are being sent to yours. Let me alter something."
Kyto focused on his display and adjusted the way the bars were displayed. Tabs suddenly groaned. "What did you just do? I cannot see?" she panicked.
"I adjusted the display. What happened?"
"I cannot see. Hang on, my vision is coming back," she said, sighing with relief.
"Has the display changed?"
"Yes, the bars point upwards now."
"Well, that confirms whatever I do to my display automatically adjusts your own."
"Losing my sight, though, when you change it is horrifying."
"I am going to change it back."
Tabs groaned again as she once again lost her vision temporarily. "Please don't do it again?"
Kyto studied his display, and rather than the usual colour bars for himself and Tiddles, Tabs was showing as a green bar. He tried to look at her details and status as he could, with Tiddles capturing a summary of his progress, but there was nothing available apart from her being Non-Enlightened and Unchosen. Preventing him from seeing her full status was frustrating. It would have been great to see her progression and statistics.
"It mentioned it would give buffs, but I wonder how they may help you or even if they will. The buffs I know of are due to our new skills and bonuses we get using them, and I have never known my old skills to behave in the same way."
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"I cannot tell if anything is different or not, to be honest, but I suppose it at least allows us to see each other’s statuses and health."
"True. Which, if during a fight, could help me to know whom to focus my healing on."
"It says I can choose to leave a party when I wish to."
"Ok. Let's see what happens."
Tabs focussed on her display, selecting to then leave the party. She immediately felt nauseous and quickly jumped up and ran towards the backdoor. Throwing the door open, she just managed to make it outside before doubling up and projectile vomiting.
Kyto jumped up and went over to her. "Are you ok?"
Tabs ran her hand across her mouth, wiping away the remnants of her dinner that evening. "The warning needs to say that it will cause extreme vomiting. That wasn't very nice. It was as though I had just been spun around continually."
"Well, at least we know the side effects now," Kyto replied, smiling weakly.
"I need a drink." Tabs responded, walking back inside and through to the kitchen area, pouring herself a glass of water and glugging it down.
"This party invite option could help tomorrow when we go out with Sniffer and Lars."
"Just make sure you warn them both!"
"I will go and find them tonight and get them to join so they can get used to it," Kyto said, smiling.
Tabs suddenly turned and bolted for the backdoor again. A few moments later, returning and drinking more water. "I hope this does not last long," she replied worryingly.
"I wonder if I invite you back into the party, it will stop."
Would you like to invite Tabitha to your party? Yes/No
Kyto tried to select yes but was faced with a System message.
You may only invite a previous party member back into a party once a 24-hour cooldown has been completed.
"Oh. I cannot invite you back for 24hrs."
"That's ok." Tabs replied as she ran for the back door again.
Tabs continued to get sick several more times over the next thirty minutes. The side effects of the party for a Non-Enlightened being quite severe. She had laid down on the large sofa, eventually complaining that her stomach hurt as it was so empty now and her throat burned from repeatedly vomiting. Kyto pushed his strands into her to ease her discomfort. It had not removed the dizziness or nausea, but at least her throat was not feeling as raw from the acidic vomitus.
Lars turned up, joining them in the lounge, and sat in what would be an oversized chair for an average-height person, but for Lars, it seemed a perfect fit. He looked tired, his beard scraggly and unkempt, and his hair tussled on his head. He had been working like a Trojan over the past couple of days, and the toll of the exertion was showing on his face. Kyto had offered to give him an endurance boost, but he refused as he wanted to ensure he slept this evening.
'Everything is ready, and the truck is all packed.' he signed.
"Thanks. I could have helped you know." Kyto replied.
Lars chuckled at his comment. Initially, Kyto had gone to help, and Lars had had to shoo him away and pack it properly. Kyto had wanted to load one of everything, and they were only planning on doing a quick recce to find the Geblex before bringing the guard along. He had stripped most of the equipment from their backpacks and only had a minimum with a few days of dry rations as a precaution, and the truck was now ready for first light.
Sneezy charged into the room, skittering across the polished wooden flooring, and hurtled into a trestle of tables by the sofa, startling them all. Pouncer close on his tail, although he could not stop as he slid past where Sneezy had come to rest.
"What are you two arguing about now?" Kyto asked.
"Sneezy stole my steak," Pouncer complained.
"How did Sneezy steal your steak?" Kyto asked, looking at him as Sneezy stood unsteadily on his feet from where he collided with the tables, shaking his head.
"I went to the toilet, and when I came back, he had eaten it," Pouncer growled.
"I didn't steal it; Crystal had put it in the dish, and you walked off, so I ate it," Sneezy replied.
Tiddles was not hunting from inside the compound area, and the cubs had been given some raw Keefir that Sniffer had brought back from town as food for them.
"I am sure there is more," Kyto said to Pouncer.
"Nope, Dad said that was all we had, and I am starving now," Pouncer replied as he began stalking his brother, his eyes and features showing the predator he was.
"Sneezy. Did Crystal feed you your steak?" Kyto asked him.
"Well, yeah, but...." he replied.
"That was not a nice thing to do, was it," Kyto asked him, frowning.
"No," Sneezy replied bashfully.
"Well, say sorry then, and I will go and see about getting some more food," Kyto said.
"Sorry," Sneezy said, holding his head down in shame.
"I am going to eat you instead," Pouncer replied, leaping at his brother.
Sneezy yelped in shock and went to bolt, but his feet were slipping on the floor, making a comical sight as his four legs tried to propel him away from his brother's flying form. Just before Pouncer was about to land on Sneezy, a large hand swiped him from the air and brought him up in front of Lars's grinning face.
"No fair," Pouncer complained, looking at Lars as he stroked him on his head.
Sneezy achieved traction and disappeared as fast as he had arrived somewhere further into the mansion.
"I will go and check for more food," Kyto said as he went to stand.
"There you are. Your food is in your dish. I put more food down, but you were too busy chasing your brother." Crystal said.
"I have food!" Pouncer said.
Kyto finished explaining briefly what had been going on. "........he has food down, apparently," Kyto said to Lars. Lars lowered the leg-flailing cub onto the floor to witness another comic scene before he also gained traction and zoomed off towards the utility room.
"Thanks, Crystal. We would have had Cub Wars otherwise. Pouncer looked ready to kill Sneezy. He had an evil look on his face." Kyto said.
"Well, Sneezy deserves to be in trouble stealing his food. I saw him do it, so I waited for Pouncer to come back in before putting anything down, but by then, it was too late. The pair of them had scattered," she replied.
"Tiddles said to Pouncer there was no more food," Kyto said.
"We have half a Keefir carcass out the back. There is a cold room where Sniffer put it." Crystal replied.
"I thought he brought back steaks?" Kyto asked.
"Well, if that thing hung in the room is what they call a steak, then I don't ever want to feed them a full Keefir!" she replied.
The companions all eventually filtered through into the oversized lounge area. There was more than enough seating with the sofas in the room. They sat discussing the party interface, and after Kyto explained the warnings from Tab's experience, he invited Lars and Sniffer. Tiddles had already been to see Kyto after he had invited Tabs and was aware of the plan after seeing her appear on his display. He was sprawled on the floor between two large sofas, and Sniffer was using him as a footrest.
The evening light was beginning to fade as they looked out of the rear windows, and even though they had slept for most of the afternoon, they all still looked tired. As they began to turn lights on to fend off the darkness, some of the companions began to leave for their rooms, the luxurious beds calling out to them. At least Kyto knew where everyone was staying and would avoid repeating the same mistake of climbing into bed with Crystal. The companions had all found it hilarious when the sisters had teased him, waiting specifically until they were all together for the perfect level of embarrassment. They were a force to be reckoned with when they teamed up. The wrath he had received previously when he healed the injured man was the only other occurrence worse than his current level of humility.
"I think I am going to go to bed. We are up early," Kyto said to Tabs.
"Not without me," she replied, standing and closing the book. She had been reading it all evening alongside the conversation.
"See everyone at first light," he said as they went upstairs.
Tabs did not take long to fall asleep once they settled in their room. For Kyto, it was a different story. He could not switch off and thought about what lay ahead for them. The number of Geblex that had hit the township was so large that he was worried that even if they found the infestation site, they would not be able to stop it, and if he was being honest, he was worried and fearful. He was also concerned with the thought of Lars and Sniffer coming with them but knew he would never be able to dissuade either. He did not like the pressure of having their safety as his responsibility. Tiddles was an Enlightened like himself, but Lars and Sniffer were only regular Risen. This thought had then concerned him even more the way he had considered them Risen but not classed himself under the same banner.
Since the System update, everything had changed for him. It was mentally exhausting from being the earlier introvert he had been as a tinkerer to portraying the extrovert persona he did now. It still felt unnatural, and only in times of solitude and thought did he begin to question the meaning and reasons behind the System's choices and why he had been one of them. He still hoped that they may come across other Enlightened at some point in the future.
He lay next to Tabs with his hand on her upper chest, feeling her slow and steady heart beating rhythmically. He loved this woman whom, several months earlier, he suddenly decided to help. They had not been together very long in the scheme of things, and he knew that everything he was doing deep down was to make sure he could care for her as much as he could. Tabs had always been stronger and more rounded due to her experiences, but he felt compelled by his sense of duty to protect her. It reminded him of how Jacob and his Nanna had always cared for him and the other scavvies as a child. Their group, now as newly formed as they were, was the closest reminder of the extended family he had lost to the raiders. His temper flared, considering it, and the images from his childhood flooded back. If only then he had had the abilities he had now, he could have possibly saved them. His heart ached at the memories and the pain of the loss.
His remorse only began to lift as the sun rose and the first light rays broke the morning sky. He stood from the bed and walked to the window, pulling back the drapes. The view was beautiful as the sun’s rays began to glint off the lake's crystal surface at the rear of the property. He stood there momentarily, wondering how such beauty could exist alongside the ugliness of the last few days. He returned to the bed and gently woke Tabs before getting dressed and heading downstairs to meet the others.