Planet Ignis | Ch. 19 (Patreon)

You didn’t have enough space so that I could program all my memories in your neurons, but this recording won’t occupy much space. Hopefully, you can extrapolate a lot of my personality from what I will tell you. You were born in Essen, Germany. Your sister’s name was Naomi. Your father was called Christian, and your mother Miriam. You were always fascinated by computers and have studied hard to become a specialist in artificial intelligence. I would describe you as someone resourceful and dedicated. Based on what I did, I would also describe you as a coward. But remember... cowards stay alive.

Files salvaged from the Raptor’s Ghost Drive. Recorded by Schneider, the Raptor

Eli now saw that reaching the mountain had been the easy part of the journey. Traveling had become more complicated, and the rationing even stricter. They only had one meal daily, leaving Eli in constant bitterness and frustration. Eli had never felt so hungry in his whole life. More than the physical pain, however, the psychological pressure of completing their mission and of being powerless to help in the raging battle happening far away was a burden on their spirits.

Trother and Eli had been ascending the towering mountain for two arduous days. The treacherous path demanded a combination of walking and climbing, with certain sections requiring them to scale the sheer faces of the rugged terrain. The presence of ignium, the heavy elements that made their bodies denser, only compounded the already intense burden imposed by the planet’s heightened gravity.

As they persevered in their ascent, they hoped that gravity would gradually relinquish its vice-like grip on their bodies. Despite their status as lits, beings who were never meant to set foot on the planet’s surface, part of their arduous preparations for this journey had involved honing their climbing skills.

“Did you know, Eli, that we would roast without ignium in our bodies?”

“Is that so?” Eli was not in the mood for talking but his teacher was like a dig with a bone, a dog with a bean, or whatever the expression was.

“Originally, it was one of the greatest challenges the settlers faced. According to the records, water evaporates when it reaches 100º Celsius. They would boil in minutes, even if they didn’t leave the shade. The human body is normally made up of 60% water.”

“How do you know this stuff?” Sometimes Eli wondered if his teacher didn’t just make some of this stuff up.

“Because our body is 60% ignium right now. Therefore, originally, it must be 60% water, no?” That was reasonable to assume. “Too bad it doesn’t help with the cold.” Eli felt that the higher they went, the colder it got. The colder it was, the more energy he spent to keep their bodies polarized.

The cold wasn’t the only challenge in climbing, though. It was difficult for Eli to concentrate despite the cold, weariness, grief, and hunger. Climbing in these harsh conditions necessitated coordination and the engagement of multiple muscle groups. While the legs provided the primary source of strength, the toes, fingers, hands, forearms, shoulders, and torso played crucial roles.

Scaling kilometer after kilometer in the oppressive gravity left them with no choice but to utilize their enhancements. As Eli and Trother ascended the mountain they bulged and activated their muscles in a  rhythmic sequence. They selectively enhanced the specific muscles required for each movement. Only four or five individuals in the Burrows could enhance with such precision. Every ounce of effort was dedicated to conserving their limited longevity.

As Eli looked down, he couldn’t help but marvel at his teacher’s skill. Although their sequence of enhancements looked the same, the degree to which their muscles expanded varied. Eli’s muscles seemed to swell uniformly, while Trother’s exhibited more nuance. Some muscles would merely bloat slightly, while others would bulge significantly. Despite being twenty-four years old, Eli had already mastered the art of Enhancing individual muscles. However, Trother had achieved something more exceptional—he could simultaneously burst different body parts with different intensities.

Trother chose to enhance his fingers with dark red-grade energy while his quadriceps radiated a vibrant orange. His forearms blazed in bright red. This level of control enabled Trother to accomplish tasks with only half the expenditure of longevity. According to Eli’s knowledge, such mastery was possessed by only two individuals in all the Settlements, or perhaps just one, depending on the course of battle.

Eli twisted his neck, straining to peer toward the East, searching for a glimpse of hope. After a few moments, his gaze settled on a solitary yellow beam piercing the sky.

“It seems Brodnir is still fighting.”

“Yes.”

“How do you know it’s Brodnir and not the queen of the Centigrades?”

“I’ve seen him burst before. That plasma beam has his signature.”

The earlier display of an immensely powerful emission and the reduced number of blue emissions led Eli and Trother to deduce that Brodnir now battled alone. They surmised that Linari, having sustained injuries, had chosen to terminate. Golden emissions now dominated the conflict, suggesting that Brodnir had abandoned his quest to destroy the Raptor, opting instead to slow it down or find an opportune moment. If that was so, there was little hope that Brodnir could finish the drone.

“Pawn to D5!”

Eli stared at his mentor in disbelief, momentarily halting his climb to cast a judgmental gaze downward. “Are you joking? You want to play chess now?” he retorted incredulously.

“We still have two-thirds of the journey ahead of us, my boy. I think we can spare a few games,” Trother replied, a mischievous glimmer in his eyes.

Pressing forward, they continued their arduous climb. Hours stretched on, and finally, they stumbled upon a narrow crevice where they could rest. Both men sank against the mountain’s unforgiving surface, their weary bodies taking respite while witnessing the mesmerizing flashes of vibrant hues illuminating the distant horizon.

Eli broke the silence, eager to voice his observation. “Master, the temperature has begun to drop,” he declared, his words cutting through the stillness.

Trother nodded, a subtle frown creasing his forehead. “Indeed, it has,” he acknowledged. Both men were feeling the mounting difficulty of sustaining their bursts as the temperature plummeted.

“Master,” Eli ventured, curiosity tugging at his words, “I still can’t understand how you manage to burst in distinct colors with different body parts simultaneously. How do you do it?” Eli struggled enough with Enhancing the specific body parts he needed, let alone Enhancing his entire being. He gazed at Trother with a mixture of admiration and puzzlement, fascinated by his mentor’s extraordinary control.

Trother’s lips curled into a patient smile. “It took me years of relentless practice to achieve this level of mastery. I call it Simultaneous bursting. To accomplish it, you must first learn to compartmentalize your mind.”

“And how does one learn how to do that?” Eli inquired, his curiosity piqued.

“You must begin by becoming intimately familiar with every muscle and joint in your body, Eli. Train yourself to move each muscle individually. I initially focused on my facial muscles, which amount to over forty in total.” As Trother spoke, his face contorted into an array of peculiar expressions, each subtle twitch and movement highlighting the activation of a specific facial muscle. Eli watched, captivated by the display. While some of the resulting contortions looked funny, hunger and exhaustion prevented him from finding much humor in it.

“Then, you gradually progress to coordinating pairs of muscles,” Trother continued, his face now showcasing the synchronized movements of muscle groups in pairs. The abnormality of his features intensified, leaving Eli astounded. Why was all of this sounding familiar? Suddenly, a realization dawned upon him.

“Wait a minute! Is this why you insisted on that bizarre training with my toes while we practiced rock climbing?” Eli exclaimed, his eyes widening with sudden comprehension.

Trother erupted in laughter, his amusement tangible. “Well done, Eli. You’ve seen through my guise,” Trother acknowledged, his laughter subsiding.

“And is this why you always insist on playing chess at inconvenient times? Were you teaching me to compartmentalize all along?” he asked, disbelief lacing his words.

Trother’s smirk returned as he regarded Eli with a twinkle in his eyes. “Exactly. That was precisely my intent. You’re not far from achieving Simultaneous bursting yourself,” he affirmed, accepting Eli’s bow with a dismissive hand wave. Still slightly bent, Eli murmured with a hint of frustration, “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Trother replied, his gaze shifting toward their destination. Eli broke his bow immediately, feeling exasperation. Why did the old man keep giving him a hard time at every turn?

“What do you think, Eli? Should we attempt a swift ascent with a golden enhancement or maintain a steady pace?” His inquiry carried a weight of sincerity, earnestly seeking Eli’s opinion.

Eli pondered the question, his mind tracing the battle’s progress unfolding in the distance. “How do you think the fight will proceed?” he probed.

“It has been two days,” Trother reflected, weariness tinged his voice. “The queen of the Hollows fell half a day ago, and Brodnir can’t hold on much longer.”

“Agreed,” Eli concurred, a sad note in his tone. “The increasing frequency of golden emissions suggests that Brodnir mostly utilizes Plasma. It’s probably an effective attack against the monster.”

Trother’s gaze turned distant. “The Raptor’s resilience against Brodnir indicates the presence of energy shields, just as we feared. Let’s see how the battle progresses, and tomorrow we’ll make an informed choice on our climbing strategy.”

They tried to sleep in the cold embrace of the mountain, replenishing their energy for the challenges ahead.

Ch. 20