Shadow Runner [LitRPG]

Our grand aspirations for 'whittling down' the Zerx were great and all, but they were also limited by our actual ability. Most of the amazing stuff we could do would bring way too much attention down on us.

The kind of attention we might not survive.

There was also the fact that we'd lost half our personal forces in the latest clash. Sure, Amelia had a plan for fixing that. But said plan required 'raw materials', and a grand total of only forty-eight Zerx had survived our rampage. Nowhere near enough to make up for our losses.

"We need to start taking more prisoners soon…" I panned my eyes over to Mela, who was already back in her 'commander' persona. "Mela? Is there anything Amelia and I can actually help with here? Or should we start working on replenishing the troops and resting a bit more?"

She took a moment to wrap up whatever conversation she was having before turning to us. "We're kinda stuck waiting for more companies to progress deeper into the Zerx territory. Could really use more of those explode-y guys, if ya can manage, Amelia. Other than that… nah, it's a waiting game for now. Need to push deeper, draw out more Zerx leadership, or at least figure out where they are. That kind of stuff."

I blinked, confused, then snapped my fingers. "Oh! You weren't around back then… if Amelia turns someone into a drone, she can order them to reveal any secrets they know."

"Wait, what? Really? Those assholes ain't brain-dead?" She froze, her eyes narrowing on us. "Why didn't ya do that to my brother, then?"

"Oh, um… we figured, you know… that you wouldn't like that?" Amelia squeaked.

Mela pinned her down with an unreadable gaze for a moment. Then the redhead's eyes softened, and she looked away.

"Right. Makes sense. Uhhh… yeah, it would be great if ya could question all the fuckers. We really ain't got a clue who's leading the Zerx yet, actually. I mean, there's scrawny's daddy, sure, but out here? In the slums?" Mela shrugged. "Ain't no one talking or giving names."

"Can do." I entwined my fingers with Amelia's, ignoring the way hers were subtly shivering. "Let's go, love?"

She gave me a hesitant nod. I started leading us away from the van and back to the defiled Cattery, my mind working away at how best to handle this new wrinkle.

I wasn't an idiot. I wasn't blind, either, and I knew Amelia quite well at that point. She was trying to hide it, but any mention of her abilities made her spine straighten while a subtle tremor worked its way through her body.

"You know…" I squeezed her hand. "We talked a bit about it before, but I don't think you're like your father. Or that you're unstable and dangerous or whatever. And before you say anything dumb, remember that you went to sleep cuddling up to me for weeks while I was trying to figure out Stalker instincts. I could have ripped your face off at any point."

"But you didn't," she grumbled stubbornly.

"Exactly. I didn't. And you told me you didn't care about the whole 'eating people' thing. You said I wasn't a monster, remember? Well, you're not a monster either, Amelia. Or if you are, you're my monster. Just like I'm yours."

She winced, guilt and some other ugly emotion slipping onto her face. "I… sure, you were dangerous. I knew that then, and I know that know, but…"

"But?" I prompted as we approached the ruined wall.

"But I feel the need to change people. To collect them, like some kind of demented child growing a toy collection. To 'improve' their faulty bodies and turn them into creatures that fully express their 'potential.' And… when I close my eyes sometimes, I can see it: a massive bio-structure, covering the entire planet, making it a haven for me and all my creations. And… and I want to build it."

Her hands were twitching and rippling at that point. I had to hold back a flinch when her fingers sank slightly into my cybernetic hand and started wiggling around. The sensation cut out a moment later as Amelia turned to look at me with wide, horrified eyes.

"Don't even start." I cut her off before she could open her mouth. "You didn't do a thing to me. Listen, I know better than anyone how much eldritch nonsense can mess with your brain. We just need a way to raise your Essence up a bit higher, that's all. It made a lot of difference for me. I'm doing much better."

This was mostly true. The instincts and desires hadn't faded or anything. In fact, they'd grown more intense and vivid. But I felt more in control of them. And so far, that control hadn't faltered… much.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

I didn't think giving all that detail to Amelia was the best choice, though.

"I, ah… actually…" She trailed off as we entered the ruined ground floor of the Cattery. Her eyes darted around at all the bodies littering the floor and the group of living, captive Zerx tied up in the far corner. "I've been meaning to mention… My Essence has grown by fifty-four points since we started this whole mess."

I stared at her. "What?"

"I don't know, okay? Apparently, pushing myself like this and letting my Medic side out to play… it's doing something. I'm just worried that it's like what happened to you. That the Essence I'm collecting is Medic-Essence, or whatever, instead of 'clean' Essence."

That was frustratingly possible. I eyed my lover, a question coming to me unbidden.

"How close are you to a hundred?"

Her grimace was answer enough. "I'm… currently at ninety-two."

"Ah."

"Yeah. Guess we'll find out what's happening if I hit a hundred and suddenly end up with a weird new organ growing inside of me. And in the meantime, all I have to do is resist my urge to turn my own boyfriend into a brain-dead drone!"

"Do you have that urge?" I stopped walking, forcing her to stop with me. "I want you to really try to feel out how you… well, feel about me."

She gave me a look that suggested I was an idiot.

"You want me to really 'feel out' my urge to stick my fingers in your brain and play with it like putty?"

"Yep. Go on. Do it."

It took a bit of badgering, but Amelia finally closed her eyes with a huff. When they snapped open again, they were practically glowing green as she stared at me with disbelief.

"I… I don't feel it. Not around you. I can sense the bodies around us and the Zerx, but I don't feel like doing a thing to you. What? Just… what?"

It should have made me feel relief. Instead, all I felt was sadness, plus a pang of worry.

"Love, we read those reports together. Medics… don't go after other eldritch."

Now it was my gaze wandering around the room. I ended up staring at the Zerx, most of whom were looking at us in sheer terror. A few were even actively trying to crawl away.

I took a deep breath. "I guess this is as good as time as any to tell you that my Stalker side barely registers you as a valid target these days. I still feel that irritation around Mela, but it's starting to weaken around her, too. I… I don't think we really count as human anymore."

She didn't say anything for a long moment. Her fingers twitched a little, but she made no move or sound otherwise as her eyes lingered blankly on the Zerx.

When it finally came, her question just about floored me.

"Do you think we can still have kids?"

I didn't choke. I… strategically tried to clear my airways and failed, or something.

"W-What?"

"You're a Shadow-Stalker hybrid, and I'm a Medic. Can we even have kids anymore? And if we do, are they going to be human, or eldritch, or something else entirely? Because I want kids eventually, Adrian. With you, in case that wasn't clear."

"I… I'm pretty sure there's tests for that?" I hesitated only for a second before I grabbed her hand, lifting it up to press my lips against the odd material of her cybernetics. "And I want kids with you, too. Once we know we're safe."

That at least got her to smile, even if it was a small, anemic thing.

"Well… that's a relief! Not just the kids part. I was terrified I'd wake up in the middle of the night to discover I'd done horrible Medic things to you. If you're not a valid target for my instincts… that's at least one weight off my shoulders."

She pulled me in for a quick kiss, then turned brightly away. "Let's go transform some Zerx! There's also that guard captain guy Mela knocked out before they tried to blow you up. Maybe we can start with him? Shouldn't take me long to fix him up enough to talk."

The skip in her step was clearly faked. She'd pivoted from the talk about children so fast, it was a miracle we didn't have whiplash. But I let out a breath of relief nonetheless.

So long as we could keep our fears from taking over, we'd figure things out as we went along.

Together.

—

Gorilla guy was a sorry sight. Mela had dragged him down to the basement level after the explosion, and then proceeded to put every single type of restraint on him that she could.

He was tied up. He was wearing some very heavy-duty handcuffs. And Mela had found a couple long metal bars somewhere and twisted them around his limbs like pretzels. None too gently, either. The metal looked practically fused with the guy's cybernetics. I was fairly certain he couldn't twitch, even if he wanted to.

And oh boy… judging from the glare on his face, he wanted to.

The second Amelia came into view with her shifting hands, he started producing all sorts of unintelligible sounds his broken jaw simply didn't allow him to articulate. It was my appearance, however, that caused a much more interesting reaction.

He looked like I'd sucker-punched him all over again. Shock and horror shone in his eyes, along with something else I couldn't identify. Though he couldn't really move, he tried to lean away from me. He tried to talk again, too, but the jaw problem hadn't exactly vanished.

"Right." Amelia lifted her arm, apparently trying to cover any lingering doubts with a businesslike attitude. "Let's get you turned into a drone, shall we?"

"Wait." I wasn't sure why, but curiosity had taken root in me all of a sudden. "Can you please heal his jaw first?"

She glanced at me, eyebrows raised, then shrugged and did as I requested. The Gorilla tried to twist away from her lightly glowing hands, but it wasn't like he had anywhere to run. He shuddered violently in fear and revulsion as Amelia rooted about in his face, slowly putting it together.

When she finally pulled away, he found his tongue rather quickly.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME, YOU FUCKING ABOMINATION! I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU MANAGED TO INFILTRATE THE CITY AND LOOK HUMAN, BUT TITUS IS GOING TO —"

I slapped him, obviously. Good and hard, with claw tips extended. His entire head snapped to the side as several trails of blood opened up.

"Good!" I spat. "Now, tell me why the fuck you look like you've seen a ghost, asshole?"

His eyes fell on me again, that same strange look flashing in their depths.

"What did you do to her?" He started off quiet, but his volume rose quickly. "What did you do with Isobel, you fucking MONSTER?! WHY ARE YOU WEARING HER FACE?!"