Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Viridescent light danced across the room from the half open closet. It painted the bed and nightstand with a spectral glow, and nipped at the edge of the hall that led inside. Caught only in the dim reflection was a small couch and end table, nestled between the entryway and the mirror door of the closet.

A mechanical clack echoed in from the front door, and powerful white lamps illuminated the space. Hitori walked inside and tossed a bundle of gear onto the ruffled covers of his bed. He stripped the remainder of his armor, adding to the pile, then grabbed a few items from the closet and disappeared into the hallway.

After a quick shower he returned once again to the bedroom, grabbed a pouch from his closet, and dragged the pile of equipment from his bed to the front of the couch. He sat down and began absentmindedly tending to it; sewing, cleaning, and oiling where appropriate.

He just finished a debriefing with Gustaf Foster, the academy headmaster. Well, he called it a debriefing, but they spent more time chatting about Hitori’s mother than they did the events of the Wychwood. Apparently, Maia had been a real trouble maker during their school days, and she used to wander about the forbidden forest on her own.

It was pretty typical for conversations to turn towards his mother, the legend. For once, Hitori was glad of it. He felt strangely reluctant to talk about what really happened in the forest, especially with regards to the giant spider, Wickham. Every time he thought about him, Hitori felt a twinge in his stomach, and a cool sweat on his palms.

The fucking bug really pisses me off.

The half tree creature had been ugly, certainly, but Hitori couldn’t believe he’d been afraid of him. He paused the ministrations of his gear and pulled a small stone from his pocket, holding it in front of his eyes. It fit nicely between the tips of his fingers, too lumpy and rough to call it a definite shape. Golden light seemed to shimmer within.

He discretely pocketed the yellow gem when Newton helped him up, and so far hadn’t mentioned it to anyone. Why was he so reluctant to share his suspicions about it, he wondered.

Hitori was confident the tiny rock was, in fact, a tag, which allowed Wickham to communicate with and control other creatures. If so, it would be incredibly valuable, but that was no reason not to tell Mr. Foster about it. He would get the bulk of the money for its sale, or could even keep it. Nova only wanted to know about things like it so they could be studied when they weren’t in use.

There was no reason to keep it a secret, and yet he’d done so anyway, even from his own team. For a moment, Hitori considered the possibility the stone was somehow influencing his behavior.

What a crazy idea.

Highly unlikely. Still, he placed it far away on the end table before returning to his gear. He attached a new Stim pouch to a hip strap while thinking about the lucky guy who would eventually find his lost Dragon Stims.

After an hour of work, he returned everything to his closet and slid the mirror door closed over the squat tower of greenish vials on the floor. As he walked to his bed a puzzled look flashed on his face. He lifted his hand and was surprised to find the stone resting lightly in its grip. He didn’t remember picking it up. Eyeing it skeptically, he returned to the closet. Perhaps he should bury it at the bottom of his sock drawer.

He slid the door open, and his eyes were caught by the glimmer of green light below. It came from a specialized piece of furniture used to store Stims, keeping them fully charged with Vital Energy. He tried not to look at the four empty spaces on the top row, and returned to his bed. He shut the lights with a panel above his nightstand and threw himself on top of the covers.

 

---

 

The darkness was absolute. The slow beat of a heart and the steady draw of breath permeated the environment. The only sensation from the outside world was the feeling of a small stone tucked in palm.

Alright, I managed to hold onto it. Now I just have to figure out how it works.

The world grew still, a single quiet moment stretched into eternity. The dim form of a bed emerged, a few items of nearby furniture concealed in mist.

Okay… I was right, this tag gave Wickham his power. I can’t believe I almost let it slip through my fingers. It’s surprisingly intuitive too. Does the arte contain some level of intelligence? Hard to say.

I’ve never heard of something like this, so I suppose I get to name it. It seems to work something like a WebComm, so how about the Thread Line Arte? It won’t win any awards, but I think the crusty old spider would approve.

Now, can it take me somewhere other than this bedroom.

The world pushed away, shrinking small enough to fit in one hand. It rotated to and fro, until centering on the six continents of Esper—mostly clustered in the southern hemisphere.

I… am I… finally… ?

Time slipped. A surge of emotions broke through the calm. Laughter shattered the quiet air.

Okay… Okay… easy. Take it easy. Deep breaths… so to speak…

Hah. Hah. I’m such a comedian. Better tender my resignation to the Mercenary Guild.

…

Anyway, this… this is fantastic beyond words. I can go anywhere on Esper. It’s been so long, I’m not even sure where I would want to go.

The world pulled in, then slipped between various locations until it settled on a narrow strip of land connecting the Northwest and Southwest continents. The great Outer Sea stretched further west, while the Inner Sea was tucked in to the east. Between those two oceans was a pair of mountain ranges, touching at the isthmus. Far to the south, after easing through rolling hills and gentle plains, lay the vast city of Seitoji. The smaller city of Duroterra was similarly situated to the north.

Ah, the Yingshan mountains. How long has it been?

A morbid curiosity.

The mountains expanded, growing to their true scale, then shifted around until they arrived at a wide ledge high above a long valley. The view gravitated towards a pile of stones.

A ripple of anger.

Is this the place? Can I get under these rocks?

Okay, that’s… interesting. If I poke around I can feel inside. His knives are there, so then this is… this is where…

A wave of remorse, yearning for a path untraveled.

Gods no, no dwelling on the past. Anyway, someone took his swords. I hope they bring nothing but misfortune.

Sadness clawed from the depths.

What am I even doing here?

The mountains receded, diminishing from view until they were little more than a line of ridges on a great sphere of black mist. The whole world sat in murky shadows, something like a cloud of soot undulating on its surface.

This must be a vision of all the malhahons on Esper. It’s like the whole world in the palm of my hand.

The mostly uniform motion of the dark particles was interrupted by a ripple centered on the Eastern continent. A closer examination revealed it to be coming from a point deep in a vast mountain range to the south.

What’s that?

The world drew in to the disturbance, growing in detail until it was revealed to be emanating from a roiling mass of black smoke on the edge of a cliff. The cliff itself overlooked a narrow valley, with a small village nestled at the bottom, surrounded by a vast forest. The misty figure was almost the shape of a man.

What are these wispy tendril things? Can I touch th—

“You’re right, I don’t like it at all.”

A jolt of shock.

What was that! Could I hear that person speaking? Is that normal for Thread Line? Everything’s been otherwise so quiet…. Can I do it again?

“—hardly ideal, but I guess you’re right. Still, I feel like there has to be a better— what?”

I seem to be listening to half a conversation. This man doesn’t sound like a native Seitojin, although I would guess he’s speaking to one.

“I think someone is watching us.”

Does he mean me? And who is us? Am I intercepting a WebComm?

“It could be, but I doubt it. If the Black Temple had the Oracle Stone and was looking for me, I doubt they’d be so careless as to get this close.”

The Oracle Stone? Does he mean my Thread Line Arte? Maybe it already had a name, though I like mine better. Still, I’m sure Wickham didn’t have anything to do with the Black Temple.

“No, I’d guess they have a different one. I mean, the stone I found was merely an ODA from a snake. There’s no reason to expect there couldn’t be more. Still, our watcher’s very interested in us.”

Should I get out of here? I doubt there’s any danger, though this man seems to know more about Thread Line than I do.

“That’s a good question. It depends on a lot of factors. If their stone is similar to mine, then I’d guess they can’t hear you. They might be able to hear me though, our connection isn’t exactly stable.” The impression of muted laughter. “Yeah, that too.”

Bleh. Even if there isn’t any danger, listening to half a conversation is frustrating. Maybe I should go somewhere else…

“It’s possible. I have some ideas, at least, but there are so many unknowns it might not be. Still, it’s worth a shot.”

Okay…? He seems to have shut up. I guess I’m— Wait… are those weird tendrils moving?

Ensnared in a tangled web. A surge of panic.

Let go of me! What the fuck are you doing you—

“Hello?” said the man’s voice, now perfectly clear. “What’s your name?”

 

---

 

A flurry of chirps and squeaks erupted from inside a nearby copse, followed by an electric crackle and an angry bark. The Molniya were at it again. They were small yellow furred rodents with an electric arte they used when threatened. Or when they were being cheeky.

Hitori smiled at the little miscreants. He was leaning against a large rock in the Park, a forested area that capped the Training Center at Nova Academy. It was inside a clear dome with a commanding view of the world outside the walls. Nova housed its population of metafauna up here, a group collected over the years for special training programs.

Hitori arranged to meet with Elvira at eight, although he got ready an hour early. There were a few things to take care of, and besides, it had been a long time since he visited. That, and also he’d woken up to the unsettling sight of Wickham’s tag sitting on his nightstand. He kept an eye on it the whole time he got ready, half expecting to see it jump around on its own.

He absentmindedly checked his pocket and almost yelped when his fingers brushed a smooth stone. He calmed down. It was his WebComm, a small device constructed from imported Southern computers and native made arteware. He pulled it out to check the time.

Just then a steel door banged against its frame, and a woman hollered in the distance. Hitori hopped to his feet to greet Elvira as she climbed a small hill overlooking the rest of the Park.

“You’re late,” Hitori said.

“By like two minutes,” Elvira shot back. Hitori looked at her. “Oh, don’t give me that, Gordon was like twenty minutes late yesterday.”

Hitori laughed. “Yeah, exactly. I need you to set a good example for that slacker.”

Elvira gave a playful huff. “Where are we anyway? I’ve never been up here.”

Hitori spent a few minutes explaining the Park.

“Ah, I see. We’re here to beat up spiders. I’d of thought you had enough of them by now.”

Hitori laughed. “So much no, for so many reasons, the least of which is there aren’t any. It’s only you and me training up here today.”

“What’s the greatest reason?”

“Nova decided to—“Hitori glared at Elvira. She grinned mischievously. “Questions for later, for now let’s get to work.”

“Right, you’re teaching me how to do, uh, techs, right?” Elvira said. Hitori nodded. “And to be clear, you mean those snappy explodey things Bridget was doing yesterday. You can do that too?”

“I literally hit you with two of them.”

“But yours didn’t explode.”

Hitori rolled his eyes. “Kids these days. Anyway, you’re going to make a VN Pact, and then we’ll develop your first tech and practice with it a bit.”

“Pact?”

“Just a catchy term for an interface between your conscious mind and your Vital Net. After you make one you kind of see what they were going for.”

“Alright, sounds cool,” Elvira said. “So, how do we do it?”

“Normally the process takes about a year of constant meditation and mental exercises, plus dozens of hours in sensory deprivation, but we’ll take a little shortcut.” Hitori held up a thin black pouch made of coarse fabric. “This is an Inductor. We can use it to force a connection in a few minutes.”

“A few minutes seems hard to beat, what’s the catch?” Elvira looked at him skeptically.

Torture and death, mostly.

“A number of things, one of which you’ll experience first hand in a minute.” Hitori paused, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Elvira sharpened her gaze. “It’s extraordinarily painful, and I heard it’s worse when you make your first VN Pact.”

“Oh goodie, a gal can never have enough unspeakable agony in her life,” Elvira said playfully. “Sign me up, how does this work?”

Hitori removed a metallic cylinder from the black canvas tube, an indent at the middle separated a textured handle from a polished wooden cover. He pulled them apart to reveal what could best be described as a knife, except it was made with multiple thin spikes of various lengths.

“This is going to end well,” Elvira said through a mirthless grin. “So, what, I guess I stab myself in the heart with that?”

“Please don’t. That would be dangerous,” Hitori said. “You’ll want to hit a little below, about where your ribs meet. Close enough to get your VN to panic, but not so close that if something goes wrong you’ll die.”

“Ah, so this whole process is panic inducing in general. Good to know.” Elvira nodded. “So… that year long process is looking pretty tempting. How about we postpone the final till the end of next Étoile?”

Hitori laughed. “You’ll be fine. But don’t miss.” He smiled, then quickly added, “Oh, and if your Vital Net collapses, don’t pull the Inductor out. Do you know how to tell if that happened? I mean, it’s pretty obv—“

“Yeah, I know.” Elvira took a deep breath. “Alright, give it here.” Hitori handed her the knife. She studied it a moment. “So, not like I’m trying to stall or anything, but are we sure this is going to work on me?”

“What’s to be nervous about, a little stab in the not in the heart? There’s barely any chance you’ll die at all.” Hitori grinned. “But yes, we’re very confident. I picked this up from Ms. Athens earlier and when I asked she said, according to the Grey Order’s files, your VN will react similar to the standard Vital Net.”

“Oh, Li, yeah, she wasn’t here this morning.” Elvira looked away, a hint of red flushed on her cheek. “Just me and Newton.”

Hitori watched her a few seconds. “Okay, I’ll bite. Why are you embarrassed? Did Ms. Athens do something weird, and what was that about Newton?”

Elvira laughed, weak and unconvincing. “I’m not sure how to describe it. Heck, I’m not even sure if I should try.”

Hitori continued to stare.

“Well, okay, but if this is weird or something don’t gossip about Li behind her back.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

But what if it’s funny? Would you let your cowardice take that joy from the world?

“So, Newton is staying with me and Li because Gustaf invited her to finish her work at the academy.”

“Makes sense. We’d love to have a native Southerner on the staff. Not sure why she moved in with you guys though.”

“Me either.” Elvira shrugged. “Anyway, Newton comes into the apartment a little after supper with a note from the headmaster, hands it to Li and says she’ll be staying.” Her blush deepened. “Then Li tells her to take a bath and Newton is like, ‘I’ll do it in a bit, got to unpack.’”

“Sounds reasonable,” Hitori said. His nose twitched a little.

“But then Li grabs her by the arm and drags her into the bathroom. Newton’s hollering and splashing for like twenty minutes, but then walks out looking pleased and Li’s acting like nothing happened. I don’t even know what to think, let alone if I should do something about it.”

“Ah, I see what’s going on.” She’s a prude?

“What! Really!”

“Shared baths are a traditional Seitojin thing, so of course it’s going to seem natural to Ms. Athens, especially since she’s so, you know, direct. I’d be surprised if she never asked you to join her.”

“Oh! Oh yeah, she did ask a few times when I first moved in. I was kind of weirded out, but I completely forgot. Are they a Southerner thing too?”

“No idea, to be honest, but actually I think Newton is just like that.”

“L-like that,” Elvira said. She leaned in, whispering. “Do you… uh, mean she’s, maybe, into women, or something like that.”

Hitori laughed and prodded Elvira back into her own space. “If I had to guess I’d say Newton isn’t into either sex. What I meant was she seems the sort of person who gets so into her work she forgets to take care of herself. Given her reaction, I think she had a friend in her old life who looked after her.”

“Oh, so…”

“It made her feel at home.”

Elvira spent a few minutes staring unfocused at a distant point on the horizon. She leaned against the boulder Hitori was standing next to.

“Anyway, I believe you were in the middle of stabbing yourself?” Hitori said. “Not in the heart.” Elvira glanced at the knife in her hand, then returned to the moment in a jolt.

“Right, right… I forgot,” Elvira said. She laughed weakly. “I mean, my cunning plan to distract you worked perfectly.” Hitori returned her sly grin. She held up the knife, pointing it at her chest and gently tapped herself with it. It was blocked by a myriaite plate in Li’s armor, which Elvira arranged in much the same way she had yesterday. There was a line of crude stitches in one side.

She studied her top, and then looked at Hitori a second before turning back to her clothes. Her face burned red in an instant. Hitori had a faint smile.

“Hell with it!” Elvira said. “Hold this!” She handed Hitori the Inductor and turned him away from her.

“You know I’ll have to keep an eye on you while the Inductor is working, right?” Hitori said. He could hear her unstrapping her top behind him. “Do you want me to get Ms. Athens?”

You are reading story Nova: Omega at novel35.com

“Whatever, hand me the thing,” Elvira grabbed the device and tossed her coat on the ground.

“You should probably sit down,” Hitori said. He heard a dull thud and a gasp.

 

---

 

Blood ran freely in the forest clearing, spattered on the trees, the ground. Sprays of red and blue decorated the webbed surfaces. A gash was torn into the canopy above, ringed by scorched branches and molten silk. Nearby was the tattered remains of what could perhaps best be described as a particularly juicy wooden statue.

“Wow, they really did a number on him,” Virgil said. He’d traded out his desert robes for a set of casual slacks and a button down shirt. Nearby, the indistinct figure of Reaper was standing in front of a grey furred anthropomorphic wolf, a Lupin. They appeared to be deep in conversation, but the words they traded were made of low guttural sounds.

Virgil shrugged. “I was kind of hoping to see him for myself, after all the stories I heard. What do you think happened?”

Reaper finished the conversation with the Lupin and approached.

“How was your conversation with wolfy boy?” Virgil said.

“She’s Bloodfang,” Reaper said. “Best translation.”

“And way easier to say than all that snarling. Honestly, how do you do that?”

“Practice. Anyway, we’re done here.”

“Any luck with the stone?”

“No, the Lupins claim that what happened was some natural ability of Wickham’s.”

“And what exactly did happened. Wickham dying right after Magnus escaped can’t be a coincidence.”

“The spider started a fight with a group of men, and used a newly developed power to control her tribe.” Reaper shrugged. “Then he lost it. Could not stop Bloodfang from feeding him to her clan. She did not find any stones in his body.”

“You think she’s telling the truth?”

“I have no reason to doubt her.”

“So our target was on Eastern?”

“I hope so,” Reaper said. “We should depart quickly, I’m worried about his plans for the Reaping Stone.”

“Are you sure we should leave so soon? It’d be a damn shame if he was hiding out nearby. Maybe we should ask at the nearby settlement.” Virgil had a sly grin.

Reaper gave him a flat look. “Yes, I am sure. I can explain when we get in the air.”

“I was joking,” Virgil said, his hands up in a defeated gesture. A flash of disappointment crossed his eyes. “But it wouldn’t hurt to drop by.” Reaper looked at him and he gestured vaguely. “I’ll tell the girls to pack up and plot a course. We should get there by daybreak tomorrow.”

Reaper nodded and returned to Bloodfang, exchanging more words in her harsh language.

Virgil spent a few moments surveying the destruction in the clearing. “Wouldn’t it be funny if he fought here?” Virgil laughed. “I’m sure he took after you a little.”

 

---

 

Elvira turned as fast as she could, aiming towards a random bolt on the distant wall she noticed earlier. She tried to manage her spin so her feet would naturally plant themselves in position. She had to wiggle her left foot a bit to get it to catch. Couldn’t have taken more than a tenth of a second.

She pushed her Vital Net to activate her Dash Tech, which she made earlier that morning. She had been practicing with it ever since, pausing only for a quick lunch and supper. Right now she was trying to use it without—

Hitori appeared in front of her in a blur, weapon at the ready. She already felt her VN guiding her body, settling under the force of gravity to ensure good traction for the move. It was too late for her to back out. Tech canceling was an advanced technique with significant trade offs. In particular was the one where she hadn’t learned how to do it yet. Instead she tried to time a swing of her sword to parry the blow.

Her weapon landed in the dirt behind Hitori with a dull thud. Taking stock of her situation, she realized Hitori impaled her through the left kidney. Her VN punished her with a spike of pain while it directed blood away from the injury. Also, her arm had somehow wrapped its way over Hitori’s shoulder. He held her up as she slumped down.

“Went for a parry?” Hitori said, pushing her into her own space. “A bold move, and not a bad idea, but you’ll have to incorporate it into the tech if you want to pull it off consistently.” He backed away gently, removing his blade without further damage. A wave of light closed the wound, but left a small line of blood on her skin.

“God, I’m horrible,” Elvira said. Her outfit was now more than half covered by Armor Tape patches. She retrieved her sword from the ground and replaced it to her sheath. “Nothing I’ve tired today has worked at all.”

Hitori gave her an incredulous look. “Oh, you mean it wasn’t you rocking that Dash Tech all day?” Elvira huffed. “Don’t sell yourself short. Making a useable tech on your first try is very impressive.” Hitori added with a chuckle, “Hells, my first one launched me sideways.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Elvira shrugged. “But it doesn’t really feel….”

“Like a win?” Hitori said. Elvira nodded. “Well, if it’ll make you feel better I can give you a free hit.”

“Har, har.” Elvira pushed him on the head. “But yes, it would have been nice to get at least one thing on you.”

“You know, I get that, but I think you might have the wrong perspective.”

“You mean there isn’t a really important practical exam tomorrow that even if I pass will be out of pity?”

“See, that’s what I’m talking about, perspective. Nova isn’t sentimental or indulgent. We’re pragmatic, almost pathologically so. It wouldn’t be sensible or reasonable for us to expect you to be on the same level as someone who’s been training their whole life after six months. Our training would be useless if that’s all it took.”

“That’s fair,” Elvira said. “But I wish I felt it.”

“Alright, you don’t have a lot of faith in yourself. Fine. You should, but okay, you don’t. Do you trust me, at least?” Hitori said. Elvira nodded reluctantly. “Then trust in my trust in you.” Hitori smiled.

Elvira laughed, then doubled over with a groan. “Oh God, why does laughter hurt so much.” She was still smiling in spite of the tears in her eyes. A few drops of blood fell to the ground and her smile faded. “And seriously, why am I still bleeding? I know I have plenty of Vital Energy remaining.”

“Your Vital Network is trying to conserve resources. That, or it’s being petty, one of the two.”

“Is that it Vinni? You being a little bitch?” Elvira said. She paused for a moment, and then frowned. “She said yes.”

Hitori laughed. “You know, I heard that there was an uptick in chatty VNs from the Inductor. Kind of reminds me of back when I was a kid.”

“Oh, you’re the one Vinni mentioned?” Elvira said. “This is your fault?”

“Honestly, maybe.” Hitori looked sheepish. “Nova’s Inductor is designed to accumulate traits from users, and the chattiness started after I used it last year. In my defense my VN stopped talking to me ages ago, after I met Protius.”

“Well, your sassy robot ghost is very annoying.”

Hitori laughed. “Technically, it’s more like you’re talking to yourself.”

“Oh great, I’m getting doubled teamed by my own bad attitude. Well, you know what Vinni, I only want you to be nice and supportive, you hear that!” Elvira paused, then her face drooped. “She said she doesn’t know how.”

“That’s rough.”

“Okay, that got way too real,” Elvira said, bracing herself. “Time for an abrupt subject change. What the heck is the World Net? Vinni mentioned it a few times when I was under, and if your talking to myself theory is true, she shouldn’t know things I don’t. Explain that, Mr. Technical.”

“Well, Ms. Real Talk, if you want to get technical, I said it was like you were talking to yourself. Your Vital Net conveying knowledge to you in your voice is like you talking to yourself,” Hitori said. Elvira huffed, then Hitori continued in a more serious voice. “As for the World Net? Basically it’s a kind of weak Vital Net made of cast off restructors. I think it plays a part in preventing mutant strains from forming. Possibly does other stuff. Chandra would know more, I’m sure.”

“Oh yeah, Chandra. I think I’m supposed to be able to do those, oh, what are they called? Sigils?” Elvira said.

“I think Paladin Crafts in the technical term,” Hitori said. “But yes, that’s what Ms. Athens told me.”

“Vinni noticed some unusual functionality in herself, I guess that’s it.” Elvira sagged with a groan. “I’m so far behind. Should I grab Chandra and stay up all night?”

“No. As long as you can still transfer Vital Energy”—Hitori looked at her expectantly. Elvira nodded—“then that’s good enough for tomorrow. We can worry about craft tokens later.”

“So, are we done for today?”

“Not quite, there’s one more thing I want to do. It will be fun, and educational.” Hitori gave a shrill whistle. A small animal bounced out of a nearby clump of bushes, chittering happily. It had bright yellow fur, and large round ears that wobbled on its big head. A giant poofy tail wagged behind it.

Elvira gasped. “It’s so cute!” She blushed and tried to strike a cool and relaxed pose, though she couldn’t hide the grin camped on her face.

Hitori knelt with his arm out, and the creature bounded onto his hand then climbed from there to his shoulder. It nestled into his neck with a faint purring sound.

“Ah, quit it! Quit it!” Hitori yelled while laughing. He gently pushed the creature away. “You mischievous little brat!” He scratched it under the chin.

“Is that a meta?” Elvira asked. “Wait, yes, obviously.” She paused. “I think? To be honest I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in person this close before, at least one that wasn’t trying to bite my face off.”

“Was your first encounter with metafauna yesterday?”

“Yeah. With Li it’s been nothing but drills and lectures, and none of our classes have covered them. Before that, well, different circles, I guess. I didn’t know they could be cute, or friendly.”

“That’s a common misconception,” Hitori said. “Now don’t take this and go off thinking you can wander into the forest and cuddle any old critter you see, but still, the monstrous reputation of metafauna far outstrips their actual danger.”

“Really?”

“Of course. At heart, metafauna are animals. Sure they don’t get along well with humans, but animals have never gotten along well with each other anyway, it’s just these ones are a lot more powerful and a bit smarter.”

“How much smarter?”

“Depends on the animal they were before they changed. In something like a spider it—“Hitori paused a moment, a distant look flashed in his eyes—“uh, usually, anyway, doesn’t count for much. In rodents like this… well, I think it adds to their charm.”

A shimmer of suspicion crossed Elvira’s face. “You don’t strike me as the animal loving type.”

“You’ll see.” Hitori grinned back mischievously. “We’re going to play a game.”

“A game?”

“Yes, a simple game of tag. You and me versus this little guy.” Hitori motioned to the creature on his shoulder.

“Was is it, anyway?”

“The Codex lists them as Molniya, but the students at Nova like to call them Thunder Bunnies.”

“Thunder Bunnies? I think I see where this is going,” Elvira said in a flat tone. A playful note lingered in her eyes. “I’m starting to think you have a sadistic streak in you.”

 

---

 

Hitori watched Elvira step through the metal frame, wild hair clinging to the steel door as it swung open. She fussed with her head, splashing water on her hands and patting down the mayhem as best she could. He followed behind, taking the door and gently guiding it shut.

Hah, she looks like a cotton ball.

His hair managed to avoid complete disarray, owing to the generous application of product he used. Still, a few strands broke free, and were floating above his head. He coaxed them back into position.

“Electrified’s a great look on you,” Hitori said. Elvira hissed at him and he laughed.

“Thanks to your shenanigans I lost my hair pin,” she said.

“You mean this?”

“Ah, give it!” She snatched it from his hands. “Uh, I mean, thanks.” She smiled. “I was rather fond of that one. Still, that game was terrible.”

“That why you were laughing your ass off a minute ago?”

“It’s more fun when you’re getting zapped.”

“Hey, I told you they were mischievous.” Hitori grinned.

“No you did— uh, ok, I guess, but not directly.”

“Consider it a lesson, gotta pay attention to every detail, stay on your toes.”

“I’m sure that’s what you were going for,” Elvira said. Hitori grinned impishly. They approached an elevator, and Elvira pushed the button to summon it. “Anyway, fine, maybe it was a little fun, but why does Nova have so many metas? Was that a normal training thing you guys do?”

“Oh, no, that was an unsanctioned ‘game’ devised and executed by ‘children’ for ‘fun’ of course,” Hitori said. Elvira gave him a dry look while they boarded the cab. “On a totally unrelated note, recently cities have started accusing mercenary groups of breeding and releasing praepotent metafauna to generate business.”

“Praepotent?”

“A fancy way of saying very powerful. There’s some details and theories and stuff, but nothing important.”

Elvira hemmed. “Shouldn’t you not have them at all then?”

“It’s too late for that. What are we going to do now, kill them? To satisfy urban paranoia?” Hitori waved his hand dismissively. “They’ll drop it in a few years anyway, Mr. Foster is only trying to keep the peace. As long as we’re not training with them we can claim they’re here for study.”

“I guess,” Elvira said. They waited in silence as the elevator slid to a stop and the doors opened. They walked out. “You could get rid of them, let them go or something.”

“I don’t think doing what the cities claim we’re doing is going to convince them we’re not doing it,” Hitori said.

“Yeah, I totally understood that.” Elvira laughed.

“Put more clearly, because we’ve had these metafauna so long, they are, technically, praepotent. Pierre alone could kill a hundred D-Ranks.”

“What’s a D-Rank?” Elvira asked.

“Are you familiar with CAST?” Hitori said.

“Some kind of mercenary logistics thing, right?”

“Close enough. In it, combatants are grouped according to their threat rating, with D-Rank being one level above a normal adult. You’d probably fall somewhere around C.”

Elvira nodded and laughed. “I think I vaguely remember Li explaining this.” She glanced behind her. “I assume Pierre is the sparky little brat. Is he really that powerful?”

“He’s more skilled than powerful. The game’s a lot harder when he’s the one chasing you.”

“Does he use techs or something?”

“No, metafauna can’t use techs, unless they have a human shape. Like, do you remember those wolf creatures from yesterday, the Lupins?” Hitori asked. Elvira nodded. “They can, at least if they figure out how.”

“So, if Molniya can’t use techs, then how is, uh, Pierre able to catch up, heck, how are regular metas dangerous at all?”

“Artes, mostly, but outside humans restructors are free to make drastic changes. You’d be surprised how useful an extra twenty tons can be in a fight.”

Elvira laughed. “It barely sounds helpful at all, really.” They walked a moment in silence, before Elvira said, “I’m not saying you should, but still, couldn’t you like, you know…”

“Kill them?”

“I was going to say euthanize, but yeah, basically.”

“Wouldn’t that be a waste? The cities are going to drop it in a few years. They’ll get into another hot mess and then mercenaries will be true Esperian heroes, for a little while.”

“It’s not like you can’t capture more.”

“I suppose.” He glanced at Elvira. “That’d be a lot of extra work, and, uh…”

“You know, it kinda sounds”—she met Hitori’s eyes—“sentimental.”

Hitori started laughing, but abruptly quieted at a look on her face. “Ah, yes, maybe we can be a little sentimental sometimes.” He spend a moment studying her. “That doesn’t mean we don’t think you’ll be useful.”

“And that’s better?” Elvira said.

“Is it?” Hitori asked. They stopped walking and matched gazes.

Elvira flinched. “I don’t know! Whatever, I’m tired.” Elvira walked off at a clip, her eyes locked forward. Hitori watched her leave before continuing.

What’s her problem?

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