Chương 34

After having his own wound mended, Kirk sat while Michaels used his energy to heal others. But when his usefulness ended, Michaels flicked his fingers at him.

"Off with you. Darken my threshold no longer, strange geometric." Walking away, Kirk couldn't help but shake his head. But already, physical and energy exhaustion blurred his senses. He didn't even notice the last several steps. Like a freshly birthed calf, a slippery, bare-skinned Kirk left a trail of sweaty leather and weapons on the ground and curled up on the bed. He closed his eyes on Eira and opened them in a dream. Golden sconces. A velvet couch smeared against the wall.

A massive portrait hanging in front of him, depicting a brilliant, golden lion with five arms, fighting against the shadowy figures that ambushed it. Kirk felt small. His bare feet were pressed against a cold ground. The surroundings buzzed like a hornet.

"Kirkland, pay attention." Kirk swiveled around, so fast he dropped a little carved lion he hadn't even noticed he had been holding. A man sat on the couch, so tall he was only just a shadow, leaned forward. He had the same dark eyes as Kirk.

"Can you not remain focused for even a moment? You are an Albion. Act like it.

"Or… you know." Despite their darkness, the tall man's eyes burned. Kirk's eyes snapped open. For a moment, the buzzing hallway tumbled through his mind as he stared up at the ceiling. A frown slowly dominated Kirk's face.

"A memory?" He shook himself. He felt curious about his mysterious past, but it was the present that could harm him. It had been an adrenaline-fueled streak of days: training in the Rift, the news of the Rift Wave, and the Maester's Tribunal before that. So now Kirk felt liberated just to stand, shirtless, outside of his tent and swing the Larian Saber. He didn't need to worry about consequences, safety, or his strange dream. He just felt the weapon's weight. He felt the muscles and tendons of his arm tensing.

The tickle of fresh sweat needled along his back and shoulders as the sun rose higher in the sky. I'm close, Kirk bit his lip as he chopped through the air. Just a little bit more and his strength would be enough to comfortably wield the weapon. The dark blade gleamed in the midmorning light. Finally, his shoulders heaving, Kirk stopped. The ignored Bestial Senses I reasserted itself. Kirk twisted; from further down the lane, a group of a few slightly older women stared at him.

When he noticed them, they tittered and hurried away. Kirk scratched his cheek and looked down at himself. He was as gleaming as a lathered-up pig.

"Should I practice with a shirt on? But then I would need to wash it…" Sighing, Kirk grabbed a towel and headed to the bathhouse. Living was hard. After, he picked up his small sack of harvested cores and headed toward Tafaro's building. But the path there was a gauntlet of susurrations. Groups of two or three Conduits or laborers clustered everywhere. With tense expressions they urged each other to be careful, to leave Peakhold soon, or asked what had happened at the Tribunal.

They quibbled over the timeline until things would tip past the dangerous point. Kirk even heard one woman insist to another that the Rift Wave was arranged by the Maesters, because of the disrespect the Administrator had shown him. Fewer Conduits headed to the Rift. Most seemed more interested in lingering until more information emerged. With the extra population, Kirk had resigned himself to the merchant's being crowded. And it was- but not in the way Kirk expected.

Two young individuals, their expressions wooden, stood outside of the Wheedle hut. Kirk opened his mouth to speak, but a reverberating shout from within the building left him stricken.

"Woman! I will not allow it! You will depart with me by the end of the week." The two waiting outside the building offered Kirk a nod of commiseration.

"If you do not respect my decisions," a quiet voice replied to Tafaro.

"I will no longer include you in them. This is serious, Tafaro. It's not about charity. The whole of Peakhold-""I understand your reverence toward necessity." Tafaro dropped into a hiss, but with no less venom in his tone.

"Yet why do you barely acknowledge more storied values? Loyalty, tradition, Family." There was a moment of silence.

"How can you say that? For so long, I've tried-""What does that matter, when you are about to throw it all away?"

"When did your heart shrink, Tafaro? The loss of life- let's not even talk about Conduits, too poor or without the connections to shift to a different Rift. The laborers who have built this place, the surrounding villages-" Kirk heard Tafaro snort.

"Oh, let's not pretend like this is some new rending. Rift Waves are infrequent, but not unimaginable. Don't blow this out of proportion." There was a moment of silence. Kirk could hear them both breathing.

"Goodbye then, Tafaro. I hope you never forget that you were the one to walk away, while I remained here for the home we built." With that, a woman walked out, dressed in her leather armor. Tafaro's wife, the very same that was one of Kirk's first new memories. Her lips were pressed together and tears ran down her cheeks. She breezed past the three waiting individuals without even noticing.

"How did I walk away? You are the one walking! Damnit, you'll be back. Otherwise-" If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. A series of stomping and crashes came from inside the shop. The three waiting individuals looked at each other. The first, a nervous, rat-faced young man, smiled at Kirk and gestured.

"After you, Young Master Albion."

"Thanks," Kirk nodded and stepped into the shop. His hand shot up and caught a glass jar-- if Bestial Senses hadn't whispered to him, it would have cracked against his face.

"Excellent reflexes. Had it broken, I would have forced you to buy it." Tafaro growled. The heavyset man had the hollow eyes and hunched posture of an enraged bear. He glazed toward the door and clicked his tongue.

"Of course it's you. At my weakest, it's always you. What is it this time?"

"Selling cores," Kirk said.

"Let's seem 'em, then," Tafaro gritted his teeth. Kirk poured the cores out onto the counter. With quick movements, Tafaro touched the cores, tested them, and flicked them into one of three piles. Occasionally, he would flick too hard and the core would careen into its waiting fellows and send them skittering sideways, some falling to the floor. Kirk just watched Tafaro the entire time, as the man sweated and cursed. It seemed-"Just say it," Tafaro finally growled.

"You've got something to say- who is Kirk Albion but someone who offers opinions when it's inappropriate?" Kirk shrugged.

"Why are you trying to force her to leave with you?"

"It's for the best. With her soft heart, if she is here when the Rift Wave happens and a single innocent stubs their toe and trips while fleeing-" Tafaro bit his lip.

"It's for the best."

"It's not what she wants."

"And what about what I want?" Tafaro looked up. The area around his eyes was red and sagging, like dripping candlewax.

"She is self-righteous about her choices, but what about mine?"

"I don't think she would stop you from leaving," Kirk said.

"You are such a child. What would be the point of my leaving, if she remained and got herself killed?" Kirk examined the desolate merchant for five full seconds. She made her own choice, but you aren't even acknowledging it. Your desire requires choices from both of you. That… is not fair, Tafaro. But looking at his face, Kirk couldn't bring himself to say that. The destructive fury seeped out of the merchant. The rest of their transaction concluded in silence, with Kirk taking 7 silver for the cores.

As he walked out, Kirk could only sigh. Connections are difficult. A past is heavy. It weighs on us, warps us. Until the fair thing isn't enough. When he returned to his tent for lunch, and to organize his thoughts, Kirk found one of the Administrator's assistants waiting for him there. The runner just offered him a few parcels.

"Delivery for Kirkland Albion."

"Call me Kirk," He responded automatically, but took the items. A package the size of two fists and an affixed scroll. Kirk frowned and shook the parcel, just slightly. A heavy something bounced around inside. The runner bowed and departed. Kirk stepped inside his tent, set down the package, plucked off the scroll, and read the letter. Almost immediately, Kirk wrinkled his nose. Dearest Kirkland, I have been delighted to hear of your recent successes.

As always, warm pride fills my chest whenever your exploits reach me. Obviously, not every rumor can be trusted. And they do not always speak with your best interests at heart. But I know you. Who knows you better than I? And your tireless work for the future of which we've spoken. I'm writing to inform you of a small success of my own. I am almost too shy to put pen to page, to mark such a mundane occurrence. Yet I know you will support me, no matter how minuscule my accomplishments.

I have finished my water-color painting. Yes, that one. As such, I believe it is time for our plan to move to the next stage. While your detractors are vigorous, they cannot compete with our united forces. You'll find a small gift, the cutting edge of research into energy storage. I believe, with the Cultivation Method, you will reach new heights with your Ascension. We shall speak soon. Stay safe. Eternally Yours, Your devoted fiancé, Eloise Skytear"I have a fiancé?" Kirk muttered.

For a brief moment, he pictured himself red-faced and swearing, while some woman (who might have a passing resemblance to Clara) stormed away from him. Kirk scratched his cheek. The scroll included two sheets; Kirk shifted the top letter and looked at the second sheet. Kirk's eyebrows rose.

"This isn't a watercolor. Eloise Skytear… sent me a map?" Not that Kirk wouldn't say maps couldn't have aesthetic value, but even the fairest appraisal of this particular map would be bad. It was messy, depicting a maze, with various routes either circled or crossed out. He set the map to the side and picked up the package. The heavy object rolled around. Let's see how much I owe Eloise for this gift. He ripped through the paper wrapping and found a wooden box inside. When he removed the lid, his eyes widened.

The interior was lined with glittering runes. Sitting in the box was an uneven orb and a small scrap of paper. By opening it, he had broken the runic circuit. A dense wave of energy billowed outward, filling the tent. Kirk sucked in a breath, while simultaneously his Archetypes snapped to attention, sensing the energy. The Ancient Bladed Beast manifested. It opened its mouth and guzzled it down. Kirk plucked up the note. This is a raw artificial core, the genius idea pioneered by my own cousin.

Not only is it stable, but if you bring another core near, it will take on that element. Ascend well. Kirk looked at the orb. The Ancient Bladed Beast was curious about it too, using its paw to bat at the object. It was the size of a strawberry, a decahedron of cold iron. But various runes had been etched into its surface, some in copper, a few in silver, and even one in shimmering gold. Its hard surfaces were warm. Kirk rubbed a thumb across it in wonder.

He didn't need it for Ascension, but already he could feel excitement building in his chest. If this was an object that could be used to store energy, and a huge amount of it, perhaps he could give it to Healer Michaels for use. The Beast Archetype batted at the core more vigorously. The runes on its surface sparkled and the energies stirred. Kirk licked his lips. Helping those Conduits and getting their agreement to help Healer Michaels was a good start, but individuals could only accomplish so much on their own.

But if he could take this Core into the Rift and repeatedly charge it- The Ancient Bladed Beast flexed its paw. Those silvery claws emerged. Before Kirk had even recognized the danger, the Archetype slashed. The runes flashed. Energy exploded outward, filling the tent and then spreading rapidly as a huge concentration of energy billowed in every direction. Kirk heard shouts of surprise and alarm outside his tent. Simultaneously, the Ancient Blade Beast purred in satisfaction and began to drink the energy down.

This time, even the constellation of sparks that was his Glimmer Mage appeared, swimming through the dense energy. In all of ten seconds, the energy contained within the core was either drunk down by his Archetypes or spread out around him. Kirk's expression was stiff as he looked down at the inert piece of metal in front of him, even as his two Archetypes radiated satisfaction. He squeezed the dull hunk of metal.

"Ah. Well, the gift definitely was very valuable."