Mistrunner - Chapter 44 - On the Precipice of Adventure (Patreon)

Objectively speaking, I have been on plenty of adventures. To me, though, most of them consisted of a parade death and loss. I don’t recommend it to anyone, least of all someone I care about. But our world doesn’t care what I want, and adventure, with all its horror, will find you, whether you like it or not.

Jeremiah Braddock III

Armed with all the confidence I’d earned through my copious training, I returned to the Dewdrop Inn, my head held high. When I got there, I found my uncle and Nora sitting at one of the tables, so I wasted no time in crossing the common room to join them. To my surprise, Jo soon sat down beside me.

Over the past year, we hadn’t had a lot of time to hang out; I was busy with my training, and she had her job at the inn. Still, we’d found a few hours here and there, and our friendship had continued to deepen. I knew that there was a part of her that wanted it to turn into something more – I could read the signs as well as anyone, after all – but I just couldn’t give her that, and not only because I wasn’t attracted to women. My hesitation was also rooted in the fact that I knew she wasn’t either. Not really. She just wanted to cling to me because of what I represented, because I was a way out of the town that had been her home for her entire life. I couldn’t be that for her, either, so I’d kept her at arm’s length, which was less than she deserved.

Even so, she was still my friend, and when I moved on, I would definitely miss her. So, I was happy that, on the eve of my final test, she’d found some time to be with me.

Glancing at Nora, I was also happy that her comments about Jo had never really held any teeth. Sure, the big woman probably found Jo attractive, but the whole situation had been designed to add a little extra motivation to my training. And it had worked, too. Even after I realized that Nora had no intentions of pursuing my friend, I was so entrenched in the training that I couldn’t even begin to think about letting up.

“The woman of the hour!” Nora said, raising a chunky, earthenware mug frothing with beer that had been brewed by Jo’s father. It wasn’t to my taste, not least because it was useless in regard to its intended purpose. No matter how much of the stuff I drank, I couldn’t actually get drunk. Even when I wanted to. “Here, here!”

I wanted to crawl into the nearest corner, curl up, and hope nobody ever noticed me again. It wasn’t that I hated attention – I did, but that was only part of it. Rather, woven into my feeling of embarrassment was the notion that I hadn’t done anything particularly noteworthy. Sure, I’d kept going well past the point when I thought my endurance would give out. However, that didn’t make me special.

In fact, everything special about me had been given to me by my uncle. The Nexus Implant that had changed my life had come from him. So had my skills. My training. Everything that made me, me. To then be praised for something for which I wasn’t really responsible had pushed me past my limits and into embarrassment.

Nora knew this, of course. So did Jo. I’d intimated as much to the both of them at one time or another. And in those moments of weakness, when the training had pushed me past my limits, they’d both been shoulders to cry on. That Nora brought it up now was just her way of pushing my buttons.

“Thanks,” I said, feeling my cheeks warm with embarrassment.

Jo asked, “What now? Are you going on an adventure or something like in those books you always read?”

“Uh…I’m really not sure,” I answered, glancing at my uncle. Jeremiah hadn’t said anything, but I could see the tiniest of smiles on his face. He was proud of me. Others might not see it, but I knew him well enough to see that much in his reserved expression.

He spoke up, saying, “Let’s not talk about that right now. This is a celebration. Today, Mirabelle completed the most difficult training regimen I could provide, and she did it by reaching far higher than I could have imagined. I’m proud of you, Mirabelle. Prouder than I’ve been of anything or anyone in a long, long time. Maybe ever.”

“Awww,” said Jo. Nora echoed her sentiment with a wide grin and another toast. I wanted to sink into my chair. Or fight monsters out in the wilderness. Maybe a giant crab, like I’d found in Bayou La Batre. Anything but accepting praise.

After that, the night became a blur of well-wishes, good food, and Nora’s increasingly drunken ramblings. By comparison, my uncle remained his same reserved self, and after a few more hours, asked me to accompany him to my room. I followed obediently, and soon, we were alone. And his serious expression had come back.

“Sit, Mirabelle,” he said. “We need to have a talk.”

“O-okay,” I said, sitting on the bed. As I did, he started to pace.

Finally, after a few awkward seconds, he asked, “What do you know about the Mist?”

“Just what you’ve told me,” I said. “It’s a galaxy-sized cloud of nano-machines that swept through and enveloped our planet ninety-something years ago. It gave us access to skills and increased attributes, as well as advanced our technology.”

It was a good summary, though it didn’t cover everything. For instance, left unmentioned was how it had affected the world’s wildlife, making them larger and far more dangerous than ever before. The Mist also seeped into the very Earth itself, transforming mundane ores and other materials to such an extent that they gained almost mystical properties. Some, but not all – the same as the planet’s wildlife.

“That’s a succinct explanation,” he said. “But it is incomplete.”

“I know. I left out the animals and –”

“Not that,” Jeremiah stated. “What I’m about to tell you is something only the elite of the elite of this world knows. So, don’t go running your mouth and telling everyone you meet, okay?”

“I know how to keep a secret.”

“Like you did with Kimiko?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I quickly lowered my eyes to the floor. When I’d first gotten my Nexus Implant, he’d told me to keep my skills a secret. However, almost as soon as I’d gotten to Mobile, I’d told the doctor about a few of them. Nothing had ever come of it – she was trustworthy – but Jeremiah liked to remind me of my blunder. And if I was honest, I kept it in the forefront of my mind as well, because I knew just how badly things could have gone if she hadn’t been who she was.

“This is important, Mirabelle,” he said. “I need you to acknowledge that.”

“I do.”

“Good. In addition to everything you just said, the Mist also resulted in something we call Rifts,” he said. “Normally, they’re nestled within Dead Zones, or areas of incredibly high Mist concentrations. We’re not sure which comes first, the Rifts or the Dead Zones, but they always come in tandem.”

“What are they?” I asked. I remembered, back before we even reached Mobile, Jeremiah discussing a Dead Zone with a couple of his subordinates, and I knew a little about it. According to that conversation, the closest Dead Zone was named such because, within its boundaries, most Mist-powered technology ceased to work due to the incredible concentration of the Mist as well as its volatile nature. Belatedly, I’d realized that the name probably had another connotation, notably that, within that Dead Zone were extremely powerful monsters that would kill anyone who ventured into the area. “The Rifts, I mean.”

“Alone and untouched? Nothing,” he said. “Just areas of extreme Mist fluctuation. But the denizens of the galaxy long since discovered a way to harness that energy and create portals to a series of pocket universes. Sometimes, these spaces are uninhabited. Other times, they are guarded by fierce creatures. But always, they have these.”

At that, he summoned something from his own Arsenal Implant. It was a glowing blue crystal the size of my thumb, multi-faceted and, when I looked closer, it looked like it contained an entire galaxy.

“W-what is that?” I breathed, my eyes wide in wonder. I had never seen anything so beautiful in all my life.

“This is what makes the entire universe work,” he said. “It’s called a Rift Shard, and this tiny, low-grade example is enough to power a mist vehicle for a year. Or a small spaceship for a day or two. It’s also responsible for your gear, and it’s why nobody from Earth can create anything close to the technology the aliens possess. Most of humanity doesn’t have access to these yet. And if the aliens have their way, we never will.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, already knowing the answer. The aliens would either use us to take the planet’s new resource, or they would exterminate us to take it for themselves. My uncle had already intimated as much.

“You know what I mean,” he said. “There are so many alien factions in the universe. Some are content to leave us alone. Others want to protect us. But most? The overwhelming majority want to exploit humanity to varying degrees. The only reason they haven’t taken over already is because of the hundred-year quarantine period between the Initialization and Integration. Once it’s over, our world is fair game.”

“And you don’t think we can protect ourselves,” I said, remembering his previous statements saying as much. “Isn’t there anyone who can help us?”

“The Templars,” he said. “That’s why they exist. They’ve been recruiting on Earth for years, now, but their requirements are so specific that very few have met their standards. Even less made it through their training. As of now, there are less than a hundred human Templars. Maybe half again as many trainees. They will get support from the larger organization, but it won’t be enough to resist the worst of the exploitation. The best they can do is keep the planet from being completely enslaved.”

I sighed, trying to make sense of everything, but it was difficult for me to wrap my head around the scope of it all. My uncle went on to explain that the aliens would continue to utilize human pawns to get what they wanted, though after the Integration, those pawns would grow even more powerful than before. If the stories he’d heard from his contacts in the Bazaar were to be believed, our already unjust and unequal society would grow even more lopsided the longer the aliens were pulling the strings. Eventually, there wouldn’t be room for anyone to get ahead; instead, the entire planet would have to be content being engaged in the mindless drudgery of mining Mist Shards. We would become slaves in everything but name.

“What am I supposed to do?” I asked, overwhelmed by the weight of that information. “How am I supposed to change any of that?”

“You’re not.”

“What?”

“It’s already done,” Jeremiah said. “Even now, the people in charge are bound by alliances with these predatory aliens. Sure, they could still resist, but, right now, they have no reason to. It’s only when it’s too late that they’ll realize their mistakes. Even then, they’ll probably blame others. That’s human nature.”

I sighed, massaging the bridge of my nose. “So? Why are you telling me this, now?” I asked. My uncle was a lot of things, but free with information wasn’t one of them. If he was telling me this now, then he wanted something from me. And given the timing, I expected that it had something to do with my final test.

“There’s a mining operation within the Dead Zone north of here,” he said. “With the right skills, some aliens can slide in under the system’s radar. That’s what’s happened up there, and they’ve used their superior technology and abilities to enslave a small group of people. Two generations’ worth of human beings have known nothing but slavery. I want you to free them.”

“That’s it? I just go in, kill a few aliens, and –”

“It will be far more dangerous than you can imagine,” he said. “But there’s more. I also want you to enter the Rift. You need experience with them, and the best way to get that is to dive right in.”

I didn’t say anything, but I knew my discomfort with the idea was written pretty large on my expressive face. I didn’t mind killing a few aliens, especially after what my uncle had told me. However, the notion of going into one of these Rifts filled me with dread. Part of it was because it was all so unfamiliar, but another part of me was terrified of what I might find in there.

“Have you been in one before?” I asked.

“A few,” he acknowledged. “They’re all different. Some are naturalistic representations of the wilderness. Others are cities. Still others can be completely alien environments. So long as you adhere to your training, you will be fine. I promise. You’re one of the best-trained people in this world, and you’ll have everything you need to do what you need to do.”

“Will you be following me like you did when I went into Bayou La Batre?” I asked.

My uncle shook his head, saying, “No. I can’t get close. They’ll sense me, which will bring much larger threats into the area. But you, you’ve got Disguise and Deception. You should be able to get in there without them sensing you. After that, you will be free to wreak havoc.”

I lay back on the bed, saying, “This was your plan all along, wasn’t it? That’s why I have those skills. That’s why so much of my training lately has been in evasion.”

“One of the reasons, yes,” he said. “Everything revolves around those Rifts, Mirabelle. Everything. If you have the tools to infiltrate them, to steal those Rift Shards right out from under their noses, you might survive long enough to escape this planet. We might find a better way to live in the universe.”

“Or we could save everyone,” I suggested.

“People have to want to be saved for that to work,” he said. “Right now, they don’t. And by the time they do, it’ll be too late. Humanity is lost. Even if Earth avoids complete enslavement, it won’t be a good life. They will be exploited and enslaved until there’s not even a memory of freedom left to seek. It’s happened with other newly Integrated planets, and it’ll happen here as well. I’ve accepted that, and I’ve decided to move on. You should, too.”

“I…I don’t know if I can do that,” I said, thinking about all the people in Mobile. Jo. Nora. The amigos. Even Helen, my Mistrunner teacher, who’d departed the moment my training was finished. Vanna and Simon. Even those people I’d met back in Bayou La Batre. If what my uncle said was on the horizon ended up coming to pass, they would all be enslaved. I wasn’t sure if I could accept that, regardless of how fruitless my uncle claimed that fighting against it was destined to be.

“You’ll see,” he said, running his hand over his bald head. “I didn’t want to believe it either. Not until I saw evidence with my own eyes.”

“Maybe we can just agree to disagree for now,” I said.

“That’ll have to work,” was his response. “Besides, when you get done with this training mission, I’ve got a surprise for you.”

I definitely perked up at that. “What kind of surprise?” I asked, turning over to prop my head on my hand. “Is it a hoverbike?”

I let out a long-suffering sigh. “It is not a hoverbike,” he stated, though there was a twinkle in his eye. “Let’s just say that there’s a reason I didn’t get you anything big for your birthday this year. I was saving up for something extra special.”

I grinned. If I was honest, I had barely even noticed when my birthday came and went. Sure, we’d had a small celebration in the common room of the inn, and I’d gotten some presents from Nora, my uncle, and Jo, but they were small things. And while I had appreciated them, I had been way too focused on my training to give them the attention they deserved. I guess that made me a bad friend. Or at least an ungrateful one. But in my defense, I’d had a lot on my mind at the time.

Jo had given me a self-styler for my hair, which turned out to be a Mist-powered machine that was shaped like a bowl. When I put it on my head, it could style my hair according to whichever templates I’d uploaded. Of course, I hadn’t had time to use it, but I knew it would prove to be a valuable addition to my burgeoning beauty regimen.

Almost predictably, Nora had given me something lewd. Specifically, an all-access pass to one of the brothels on Bourbon Street in Nova City. I’d blushed furiously when I had realized what it was, but curiosity had seen me slipping it into my Arsenal Implant, where it would wait until I returned to the city. I didn’t really intend to use it. Probably. Maybe. I mean, I’d check it out, sure. No harm in that.

Of course, there was no way I would let my uncle find out about it, though. He was a fairly progressive person, but there are some things you just don’t share with the man who basically raised you.

Finally, Jeremiah had given me a map-making program that could be uploaded into my KOI. With it, instead of the simple, two-dimensional mapping function that had come with the optical implant, I now had information on elevation, points of interest, and some details on local wildlife. It was an incredibly valuable gift, even if it wasn’t quite as sexy as a new rifle or subdermal armor.

Or a hoverbike.

“Well, that’s it for now,” Jeremiah said, his tone awkward. He really wasn’t good with people. He patted my leg. “In the morning, I have some people I’m going to introduce you to, and then you’re heading up north where you can finish this mission. Tonight, I want you to think of any questions you might have, because, once you’re in the thick of the Dead Zone, communication will be impossible.”

With that, he turned on his heel and slipped from the room. Alone, excitement and dread filled me, and I knew they would keep me from sleeping. So, I decided to use my time wisely, just like Jeremiah had suggested, and think of any issues that I might encounter. Eventually, though, fatigue caught up to me, and I drifted off into unconsciousness.

That night, I dreamed of Rfits that looked like black holes and tentacle-faced aliens that kept demanding I mine the Rift Shards more quickly. It was a weird dream.