Chương 12: 7A. Seeds Of Awakening

It was tempting to look at the injured attacker or glance at the heavy, rapidly approaching, galloping foe to Sam's right. However, he kept his eyes on the target, trusting the boss to watch his back. He skidded to a stop, almost crashing into it. There wasn't time to carefully move pieces and keep the heap from shifting on top of Sophie. He violently tossed the rubble aside, attempting to get to her as fast as possible. Meanwhile, Sam heard more light beams sizzling through rock as the boss kept fighting.

Roars and cackles from Iris and Fred's opponents added to the chaos as attacks flashed or ripped apart what remained of the office block they were cutting through.

"Hurry up, Sam," the boss hissed.

"I need you and Sophie to get behind cover before I cut loose. I can't hold off two of these fuckers while protecting you."

"Well, it's just going to be me," Sam said, his stomach dropping. Sophie lay face down and immobile. The butt of a bloody, still-smoking spike stuck out of one side of her neck, and the point out of the other. He carefully turned Sophie over, holding her head and neck steady. Even though he knew what to expect, a lump formed in his throat.

"Sophie's gone."

"Fuck." More of the boss's jewelry flashed. She kept her beam channeled through a water lens, making it follow the uninjured, spider-like man. More light spheres manifested, floating over her shoulders. They fired pea-sized light bullets at the dismembered member of the crew. The three-limbed woman moved in an erratic zig-zagging pattern as she approached, narrowly avoiding all projectiles. She seemed maddened, and her eyes were wild. Sam didn't know if the water disks had any stopping power.

Instead of fleeing as the boss had instructed, he drew his weapon, a machete, and fell into a defensive stance. He doubted he had a chance against the crazed awakened or whatever they were facing, but he was sure his best chance at survival involved not letting the boss fall.

"Come on, you ugly fuck!" Sam yelled, grabbed a pan lid, and held it in front of him like a shield. He smacked it with his machete, attempting to create as much noise as possible. Even though the attacker looked more beast than human, intelligence shone in her eyes. She barely seemed to register Sam. He could tell she intended to rush through him. It was more than likely that a single swipe would rend his flesh and shatter bones. But he had to try.

His legs trembled, but he stood firm, determined to see things through. Much to his relief, the clash never happened. The spider-like woman got less than a dozen feet away from him, and the boss, before a blur of black and red, knocked her off her feet. It was Iris. She had returned to do her job as the rearguard. The spike thrower was nowhere to be seen, and Fred had taken over the scuffle with the grotesque tower of muscles.

Iris had shredded his flesh and trapped one of his limbs using a pike of solid blood, keeping him from moving around. The confrontation ended within the following minute. The boss's light met the spider-like man, cutting him in two through the torso. Then she turned her attention to Fred's opponents and had no trouble taking down the giant man. The beam, combined with seemingly random darts, sliced him to bits and peppered him with holes. Burnt flesh seemed slower to regenerate.

It took her a moment to focus all of her power on his head. Once it was gone, the twisted muscle man collapsed and didn't rise again. By the time Sam's attention returned to Iris, she had already finished her opponent. He caught only a glimpse of her manipulating and shaping spilled blood into a pike. It shot out of the ground, impaling her slain foe's torso and lifting it high up into the air.

Given that she had done the same to the spike thrower, probably after taking him apart, Sam couldn't help but wonder if it was something her primary spirit required her to do. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. Knowledge regarding the Greater Spirits was sparse. The little literature he had encountered while studying at Trinity suggested that they were powerful but dominating and demanding.

They set limitations on future companion spirits and, apparently, made it a struggle to keep them happy and cooperative. Sam didn't know enough about them, but seeing Iris in action awakened his long-dormant thirst for knowledge.

"Unfortunate," the boss stated, kneeling beside Sophie's lifeless body. Her eyes had glazed over.

"She was eager and curious. Any Seekers team would have been lucky to have her. Even more so if she ended up a healer."

"Who—How—" Sam stopped himself before he could ask how supposed powerhouses like the Seekers could get ambushed as they had. They weren't just supposed to be powerful but also have the sharpest senses around. His confidence was shaken.

"Why did they attack us? What happened to them?" Iris tossed a scrap of bloody metal, and the boss snatched it out of the air.

"They were us." She showed Sam the silver badge. The crest was a monocled Eye of Ra, and illegible numbers were inscribed in its heart.

"Seeker Squad 23. They were all reasonably new. More power than finesse. But they get the job done." The boss nodded at what remained of the hulking mass of muscles.

"He was the only veteran in their crew."

"I guess that explains how your familiar failed to detect them." Iris's comment sounded innocent, but Sam knew her well enough to detect the accusatory tone. The boss didn't reply. She only waved her hand and scanned the urban jungle. Her familiar was nowhere to be seen.

"This is the work of an Inhuman."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked.

"They can do that?"

"I smell it. There are traces of an Inhuman's touch in their blood."

"The bastards probably got in too deep and made a deal for power and survival," Fred said, spitting on one of the corpses.

"Except their bodies couldn't handle what's been done to them." He shook his head, sighing.

"I've seen this done to Ranger Squads and independent ascended groups. Sometimes it's out of desperation. Often out of greed. You can't make a deal with the devil and expect to walk away unchanged and unscathed."

"I didn't know this was possible." Sam knelt next to Sophie and closed her eyelids. He didn't know her particularly well, but they were still colleagues. She had never shoved him like the other scavengers or said a cruel word. In fact, Sophie was amongst the friendliest and most lively people around.

"I've heard of people being driven mad by Inhuman interaction or because of corrupted spirits. But never this. They almost seemed mutated."

"Like something overloaded their domains and vessels with power, twisting them in the process," Iris said.

"When something changes within the soul space, the effects extend into our minds and bodies."

"These two were stalkers with concealment, illusion, and trapping techniques," the boss said, nodding at the remains of the spider-like duo. The combo somewhat explained how they got through undetected. Sam wondered whether the swarm of flies was trapped in an illusion somewhere ahead.

"I was there when they received their last assignment. It involved reconnaissance around Camden. This doesn't look good for us. Does it, Fred?"

"It doesn't, at all," he answered.

"Do you believe there are more of them ahead?" Sam asked.

"It's possible," the boss replied.

"But now that Iris and I are aware of the possibility, we can prepare detection and dispelling techniques and spells. The biggest concern is who sent them."

"Fucking Inhumans," Fred grumbled.

"Bastards are trying to slow us down."

"So, whatever is in Wembley must be good." Iris held up a pair of pulsing marbles covered in coiling tendrils.

"Our old friends had these on them. I think Sam is good enough to get one of these. Don't you think so, boss?" The bejeweled woman nodded.

"We're at a point where you need to decide: accept a talent seed as pay, and withdraw now. Or follow us into the fire with the possibility of more."