Mistrunner 2 - Chapter 30 - The Back Door (Patreon)

I had to kill three upstarts today, two of which I’ve known for more than a decade.  I didn’t even give them the chance to explain themselves. I couldn’t afford to. Not when doing so would only be interpreted as weakness. Jeremiah never had to deal with that kind of thing. When he spoke, people listened. I don’t have that kind of effect on people, so I don’t have a choice but to rule with an iron fist.

Nora Lancaster

I swung around Nova City, taking a wide course that would keep me off the Enforcer’s radar. I’d left my pursuers far behind, but I didn’t discount the possibility that they were still following. It was unlikely, given the steps I’d taken to obscure my trail, but I wasn’t about to discount anything. Instead, I intended to head north for a few days until the commotion died down.

I wasn’t even sure anyone had followed me, but with the size of the explosion I’d caused, I thought it was fair to assume that they had. That close to Biloxi, they’d have to be fools not to investigate. And when they did, the degree of firepower I’d brought to bear would be evident. Hopefully, they’d just assume it was an Enforcer drill or something, but I couldn’t afford to bank on it. So, I had run.

Eventually, once I’d covered nearly thirty miles, I slowed to a stop in front of an abandoned building. It was a few stories tall, and judging by the clump of other buildings nearby, it had once been part of a town. However, most of the other structures had already surrendered to the effects of time and neglect, so it had become the town’s lone survivor. Even then, kudzu coated the walls, and it was missing its windows and doors. Still, it was the best shelter I was likely to find.

With a groan, I dismounted my Cutter and hobbled toward the front door. I wasn’t so injured that I’d lost all sense, though, and I summoned my R-14 before entering. Stepping through the door, I looked left and right, but I saw no threats. Like that, I cleared the bottom floor before heading to the second. Then, the third. And finally, the fourth. I found nothing dangerous.

There were a few areas that had clearly housed various wild animals, but they were long since abandoned. The building was empty.

So, with that done, I found one of the innermost rooms and settled down to tend to my injuries. Arduously, I stripped down to my underwear to find a body that had been put through a crucible. I didn’t have any major lacerations – the combination of the Sheath and my Infiltration suit had kept anything more than surface level cuts and abrasions at bay. However, they’d done little to combat the blunt force trauma to which I had been subjected. My entire body was covered in bruises, each with varying degrees of seriousness, my knee was swollen to at least twice its size, and I could feel a sharp jab of agony every time I took a deep breath.

And I couldn’t do much about any of it.

The cuts and abrasions weren’t bad enough to require anything more than an antiseptic wipe, and there wasn’t anything to be done for broken ribs. The same was true for my knee. When I looked at the silhouette on my HUD that was meant to indicate my health, I saw that my knee pulsed a deep orange, while my side was a bright red.

That’s when I remembered that, after rearranging my interface, I could check my conditions. I did, letting out a deep sigh at the results:

Conditions:

· Broken Ribs (R2, R3, L4)

· Torn Lateral Collateral Ligament (Right)

· Strained Medial Collateral Ligament (Right)

· Concussion (Mild)

· Abrasions (Multiple)

· Contusions (Multiple)

· Minor Lacerations (Multiple)

It was exactly what I’d expected to see. I’d known my ribs were broken, and finding out that I had a concussion wasn’t a surprise. The only thing that really worried me was the torn ligament in my knee. I had no way to tell how bad it was, but I suspected that if it had torn all the way through, I’d have had a lot more trouble walking. As it stood, it was painful, but I could still move well enough if the situation called for it. That, coupled with the fact that it wasn’t accompanied by an red indicator on my silhouette, suggested that it wasn’t as serious as it could have been.

After summoning a blanket from my Arsenal Implant, I covered a portion of the floor, then sat down. Leaning against the wall, I considered what had happened to me. For the first time since Mobile, I’d come close to dying. All Wildlings were dangerous, but I’d thought their danger lay rooted in their numbers. That clearly wasn’t the case. That alpha had been big, fast, and incredibly strong. In addition, even my advanced weaponry wasn’t enough to put her down easily.

The BMAP, which had destroyed that entire house, hadn’t even been enough. I’d had to finish her with the Pulsar.

It would have been different if the ambush had been the result of a misstep. I could accept that, correct the issue, and move on. But the Wildlings had come out of nowhere; even with Observationrunning, I’d had no indication that I was even being stalked. No – I couldn’t have done much differently, aside from maybe bringing the BMAP out a little sooner. However, I’d been concerned about stirring up a commotion. That, plus I’d been worried about using the artillery platform when my enemies were so close.

Judging by how beat up I was, that was a valid concern.

But I had survived, if only barely. I could learn from that, too.

I summoned a med-hypo from my Arsenal Implant, then pressed it against my bare thigh. I hit the button, and, with a pneumatic hiss, it discharged its payload of pain relievers and antibiotics. I was fairly sure that my Regeneration and Resistance would protect me from most infections, but I wasn’t willing to take that chance – especially when I wasn’t trying to conserve supplies. Soon, I’d be back in Nova City, where I could restock.

After storing the used med-hypo back in my Arsenal Implant, I let another deep sigh. Relief was already spreading through my body, smothering the pain that had bypassed my Pain Tolerance. As I leaned back against the wall, I knew that I’d gotten incredibly lucky. If that alpha had been the one to initiate the attack, I would have been dead.

That was the difference between the wilds and Nova City. In Nova, I could predict the dangers and prepare for them. Outside, though? That was different. The moment I got comfortable was the moment I’d end up dead.

Not for the first time, I imagined how the world must have felt just after the Initialization. Back then, they’d been wholly unprepared. Millions – perhaps billions – had died. More, I was once again floored by the fact that my uncle had survived. He’d even thrived, and with nothing but old world weaponry at his disposal.

Of course, he’d also lost almost everyone he cared about, too. In that respect, we were remarkably similar.

For a few minutes, I sat there. I had been riding so high off my victory in Biloxi, and now, I’d had that success undercut by almost dying. It was a cruel world that seemed intent on keeping me from gaining any sense of equilibrium. It made me anxious for what might happen next, and I couldn’t stop myself from clutching the grip of Ferdinand II, just in case something snuck up on me.

Eventually, though, the combination of my fatigue, injuries, and the med-hypo took their toll, and I drifted off into an uneasy sleep. Thankfully, my recent experiences didn’t affect my dreams.

The next morning, I awoke to the sound of chirping birds and unrelenting discomfort. My entire body hurt, and badly enough that my Pain Tolerance was helpless against it.

Pushing myself into a sitting position, I winced at the sharp pain in my side. Wryly, I muttered, “Almost like I was in an explosion. Or I was attacked by a giant, superhuman Wildling.”

That brought a grim chuckle that soon became a pained snarl. Summoning a ration bar and a bottle of water, I choked down my breakfast before consulting my interface. On the positive side, the various abrasions and lacerations had disappeared from the readout. On the negative, the ligament in my knee was still torn, and my ribs were still broken. Fortunately, the concussion was gone; I hadn’t meant to fall asleep, which was terrible when under the influence of a concussion, but I hadn’t been able to resist.

Settling back down, I resolved to wait. Soon enough, my injuries would be healed by my abilities; I just had to endure. Which was what I did. For three days, I sat in that building, barely moving as my body healed itself. I had plenty of ration bars and enough water to last me another month, so I wasn’t in a hurry to head back to Nova until I was completely healed.

To pass the time, I spent hour after hour engaged with my Mind training program or writing various Ghosts, most of which I discarded as soon as they were done. The majority were just variations of what I already had but written completely differently. It was a good exercise that forced me to be creative with how I built them. Not terribly productive, but it didn’t need to be.

On the third day, I summoned my status onto my HUD:

I usually didn’t consult my status very often. When I’d first gotten access to my interface, I couldn’t go more than a few minutes without looking at it. However, my constant training had broken that habit, and once I’d gotten my class and the upgraded skills that came with it, the glacial progression had further dissuaded me. So, it had been weeks – perhaps even months – since I’d last looked at it.

However, I was happy with the changes I saw. I hadn’t increased the tier of any of my skills, but I had made good progress, especially in [Combat], [Demolition], and [Acrobatics]. [Mistrunning], [Fieldcraft], and [Infiltration] had lagged a little behind, but that wasn’t necessarily unexpected. That I’d progressed them at all was a good sign that my training was effective.

But what really drew my eye was the fact that I’d progressed two levels, bringing my potential for each of my attributes up to ninety-four. In addition, my actual attributes had continued to progress very well, likely due to my constant focus on training. My enhanced Constitution was probably the only reason I’d managed to survive my most recent battle.

It was nice to see that my efforts hadn’t been in vain.

Over the next two days, I checked and reloaded the weapons in my Arsenal Implant, but aside from that, I occupied myself with more mental exercises. Slowly, my injuries healed enough that I could get up and move around. I didn’t overdo it, though, and I confined my exercises to light calisthenics. A further three days, and I was back to normal.

So, I donned my Infiltration Suit, made sure that I hadn’t left anything behind, then went back outside to resume my journey back to Nova City. I wasn’t that far away, so I could see the various platforms looming large on the horizon, and I wasted no more time before mounting my hoverbike and heading in the appropriate direction.

I didn’t head toward the gates, though. As I was, they’d never let me in. And my disguise as a Banshee wasn’t credible enough to fool their much more accurate sensors. On top of that, they had access to the Enforcer database, which meant that it would only take a single scan before they recognize me for the imposter I was.

Fortunately, I knew another way in.

Originally, I’d intended to contact Gunther who’d claimed he could smuggle me in. But I chose not to do that for two reasons. First, I still didn’t completely trust him. He’d yet to betray me, but I suspected that was more because he was waiting for a bigger payday. Or maybe I was just being overly paranoid. Either way, I wasn’t going to give him the chance to hang me out to dry. Second, I didn’t want there to be any record of my comings and goings. That was a good way to get caught.

So, it was a good thing that I had both the skills and the knowledge to take the back door into Nova City, which was why I found myself staring up an enormous, concrete pillar. In the shadow of the giant city platform, it was almost like night had fallen, but I could see the steel pitons running along its length easily enough. I’d already climbed down once before, so I didn’t see any reason I couldn’t climb back up.

Once I’d dismissed my Cutter, I got to work, using the pitons as a ladder to climb the column of concrete. It wasn’t pleasant, and I made a point not to look down too much, but at least I wasn’t being attacked by a flock of bloodthirsty birds, which made it a lot better than my descent had been.

Even so, it took me hours to climb, and by the time I reached the base of the platform, my forearms were screaming at me. I kept going, though, because I didn’t exactly have any alternative.  Turning back around, I gripped one piton with both hands while balancing atop another. Then, I spied my goal almost a dozen feet away. Taking a deep breath, I used Balancebefore flinging myself towards my destination.

Windmilling my arms, I had a brief moment of vertigo as I realized that there was nothing between me and a thousand foot drop. Then, I grabbed the piton connected to the bottom of the platform. It was L-shaped, so it offered a decent handhold, but still, I almost missed.

My heart jumped into my throat as I felt the piton slip from its anchor. As my stomach twisted into knots, I was showered with tiny bits of concrete as the piton worked free. Without Balance, I would have fallen, but the ability gave me just enough opportunity to swing to the next piton. As I let go of my previous handle, it broke free of the concrete and tumbled into the air.

A single instant more, and I’d have fallen right beside it. I wasn’t sure if I could survive such a fall. Maybe. But it wouldn’t be pleasant. And given the predators that made the swamp their home, I didn’t fancy my chances if I were to be stranded in the marsh, injured and immobile.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I swung from one piton to the next until, finally, I reached the grate. Perching on the ledge, I drew my nano-bladed sword and went to work. The blade cut through the mundane iron with ease, and before long, I pushed into the tunnel and collapsed onto the water-stained concrete, my breath coming in ragged gasps.

That had been too close for comfort.

But now, I was back in Nova, and despite the issues I’d encountered, I’d accomplished my goals. I only had to head back to Lakeview where I could meet with Mia Salvatore. She would hold up her end of the bargain, and the next part of my revenge plan could commence.

I still had some way to go, but I was getting closer and closer by the day. Soon enough, Nora would fall, I’d get my vengeance, and then…

I didn’t know what would come next. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. But that didn’t matter; until Nora paid for what she had done, I couldn’t spare much thought for anything else.

So, with my mind firmly ensconced in my plans for revenge, I used Mimic to adopt the identity of a middle-aged woman I’d seen during my first trip through Underground, and donned a mundane outfit before setting off to find my way to the surface of the city. My trip went off without a hitch; apparently, nobody expected someone to come from down below, so there was no security barring my way. I used that to my advantage, and within twenty minutes, I was back among the familiar megabuildings of the Garden District.

I sighed in relief.

As much as I hated everything Nova City represented, it was still home, and I would never be quite as comfortable anywhere else. Here, everything made sense. I knew most of the rules. But outside, things were different. One wrong step, one little mistake, and I’d end up in some ridiculously powerful monster’s belly.

Shaking my head, I realized it wasn’t really so different in Nova. There were plenty of hidden threats in the city, too, and I’d be a fool not to tread lightly, even if I thought I knew what I was getting into.

With that in mind, I climbed out of the drainage trench where the entrance to the Underground was located, and quickly found my way to the monorail, which I rode back to my compound. When I finally reached my destination, I felt myself relax for the first time in quite a while.

But I couldn’t let it last. Not for more than a day. After that, I needed to get back to it.