Chương 5: 3B. The Final Bastion

Sam headed for Bastion's center afterward, where titanic black walls surrounded the city's heart. The old suburb from before the cataclysm was now unrecognizable. The walls had gone up soon after the figurative end of the world, limiting space for building. Bastion had no choice but to expand upwards. One of the city's most powerful families had bonded with a family of powerful nature spirits. They kept their cards close to their chest, but Sam suspected they had won the favor of a grove of dryads.

They had grown trees out of or around houses and apartment buildings, shaping them into warm rental apartments. None in Sam's profession could afford them, but they allowed far more people to live within the safety of Bastion's giant walls. The family also maintained the farms outside of the city's walls, hastening crop growth and significantly improving yield. Thanks to their influence, Bastion looked like a lush but poorly planned urban forest.

People in Sam's circles liked to joke that the colorful foliage was meant to distract them from their otherwise depressing lives. Sam stopped by the city's inner gatehouse first to look for job postings. Much to his disappointment, the bulletin board was empty, and two dozen scavengers sat around, chatting, reading, or playing card games. He didn't bother waiting around and left for the guards' training grounds.

It wasn't as well-equipped as the academy compound, but it was open to all, regardless of social or financial standing. The chances of running into the people who got him fired from his old job were also lower. First, Sam removed his jacket and shirt, then jogged, using Internal Ether Flow. It got his heart rate up and began drawing ambient ether into his body. As an unawakened mortal, he lacked the means to store any of it.

IEF, as he liked to call it, helped him hold it for a moment, and the lack of strain let him keep the technique going longer. Sam had purchased the manual not just to make his work as a porter easier, but also with the foresight of combining IEF with another technique. Once sufficiently warmed up, Sam adopted a low horse stance and drilled palm-heel strikes. They weren't the most effective during live combat, but they helped him stay focused as he practiced stalling the ether flow in his right arm.

The amount entering remained the same, but he imagined a funnel, narrowing the flow away. Gradually, the volume accumulating in his forearm increased. Sam inhaled, held his breath for a moment, and then released it swiftly while launching another palm strike. He simultaneously released the accumulated ether. Much to his disappointment, only a quarter of the ether exited through his palm. The rest rushed back up through his arm toward his heart. Blinding pain followed.

Sam's chest burned as he collapsed to his knees, coughing and clutching his chest. It felt as if someone had thrust a lump of superheated steel into his heart. It was easy to panic, but he didn't let himself shut down like when Thomas had struck him with his palm technique. Instead, Sam focused on IEF, guiding the accumulated ether away from his chest and equally distributing it through his body.

"You alright?" a woman asked, kneeling next to Sam. She appeared barely older than Thomas. He recognized her from the gatehouse. She was a scavenger much like him. Sam nodded, struggling to his feet. The discomfort in his chest had dulled but refused to fade altogether. He kept IEF going since there was still too much ether accumulated around his chest and heart. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"New technique," Sam replied, struggling to form a sentence.

"Mistimed the release."

"Did you buy a new manual? Maybe—" Sam shook his head.

"Borrowed." He knew better than to broadcast his recent fortune. The young woman seemed nice in passing, but that didn't mean she wouldn't rob him if she had the chance. There was also no telling who else was watching or listening.

"Client let me borrow it during the job."

"That's a shame." The young woman sighed.

"I've only got a couple of enhancement techniques. One for general strength and toughness, and another for my senses. I feel an attack technique would make my chances of getting better jobs much easier." She paused, studying him for a moment.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Thanks for checking." Sam shot her a polite smile, resisting the urge to tell her to go away so he could continue practicing.

"We need to look out for each other. The guards and bastards who hire us certainly aren't going to do it."

"There were two of us when I started my last job. I came back alone."

"I noticed. Mark was a friend." An awkward silence hung over them for a moment. Sam broke it by offering a hand.

"I'm Sam. I suppose it's time I start introducing myself to the other scavengers."

"Sophie," she replied, shaking his hand.

"It helps to know one another. Sometimes employers ask for recommendations when they need more porters. Speaking of, the guards told me that there are big fish in town. They prefer scavengers who have awakened their talent or know how to use a technique or two and are heading out for a new job in the next day or two. Deep pockets. Influential."

"Thanks for the tip," Sam said.

"I owe you one."

"You don't have to if you let me watch you practice." Sophie grinned.

"You don't have to tell me how the technique works or what it is. I'd just like to watch."

"I suppose there is no harm in that." Sam felt self-conscious as he resumed his practice and did his best to put Sophie out of his mind. He spent a few minutes focusing on IEF, keeping the ether flow slow and controlled. Once comfortable, he stalled the flow in his right arm again. The manual was written for an already awakened individual who had developed internal energy channels and could store modest quantities in his body, or so Sam assumed. No one knew where the first technique manuals had come from.

People had copied and reproduced some, making them easier to access. Others connected directly to the reader's mind and were apparently nearly impossible to replicate. Some theorized that the cataclysm had opened hidden doorways to other dimensions. Relics and literature had fallen through the cracks, or visitors had brought them through. Some theorized that interdimensional travelers lived among mortals, awakened, and had claimed ruling or influential positions.

Sam believed people needed to focus more on the merchants and nomads who preferred to travel the Abyss and occasionally visit safe havens where rare resources, manuals, and talent seeds were for sale. When Sam launched his palm thrust, he put only half as much ether into the technique. He'd realized that even though the forces at play were supernatural, Newton's Laws still applied to some extent. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

It explained why the manual advised keeping internal flow active during the release. It didn't just allow for quicker recovery, but the current shielded the ether channel from rebound. Instead of traveling back up his arm, the excess trickled out of his palm, lacking the force and form of the initial third.

"Better?" Sam smiled, nodding.

"No backlash, but I'm nowhere near ready to use it in a spar, let alone real combat."

"Thanks for letting me watch," Sophie said.

"Will I see you in Scavenger's Hall tomorrow?"

"Of course," he replied, resuming IEF for another attempt.

"We have big fish to hook."