Stormblade [Skill Merge Portal Break] (B1 Complete)

The bus didn't take us back to Jessie's school. It dropped both of us off outside of our building, and I wheeled her to the elevator, then to our apartment.

She was really hurting—both physically and emotionally.

And there wasn't anything I could say to help her through it. We'd been quiet on the way home, and after I helped her onto the bed, she was silent there, too. She didn't even go for her computer; instead, she curled into a ball under her heavy blanket and lay there, shivering. It took me a little while to start hearing the quiet sobs.

When I looked her way, she only tightened the ball and pulled the blanket over her head.

"Alright. You need some space. I'll be in the kitchen if you need to talk," I said quietly. Something moved like Jessie was nodding, and I retreated to the stools. After a minute of twiddling my thumbs and waiting, I pulled up my status.

User: Kade Noelstra
E-Rank
Stamina: 11/200, Mana: 103/250 (Stamina +10)

Skills:
1. Stormsteel Core (D-01, Unique, Merged)
2. Thunderbolt Forms (E-01 to E-03, Altered, Merged)
3. Dodge (E-09 to E-10)
4. Recovery (E-01 to E-05)
5. Lightning Reflexes (E-01 to E-04)
6. Light Armor Mastery (E-01 to E-03)
7. Dash (E-01 to E-02, Active)

Path: Stormsteel Path
Laws: First Law of Stormsteel

The medics had checked me out and pronounced me 'healthy enough to leave.' That was a miracle I could only attribute to Recovery. That skill had been running nonstop since my first injury, and I was still healing the cuts and gouges even now. If I wasn't careful, it'd pass Dodge and ruin my build.

And speaking of Dodge, it was officially in the danger zone. I could, if I wanted, try to force it to D-Rank right now, but that'd mess up everything on my way to whatever Stormsteel Core turned this next merge into. More importantly, the more I used it from here on out, the more likely it'd be that I triggered an in-combat rank-up. I needed to avoid that at all costs, at least until I'd leveled the other four skills in my merge up to six.

Several of them were close, and Thunderbolt Forms had grown decently. On the other hand, Stormsteel Core hadn't. Part of me had expected it to. I was using it all the time, but at the same time, I wasn't D-Rank yet, and until I was, I could expect any skill at D or higher's growth to slow to a crawl. If I was lucky, it'd hit D-02 or D-03 before I ranked up myself. I couldn't count on more than that.

I'd also—finally—capped my Stamina. Short of ranking up merged skills for bonus Stamina, Mana, and the opportunity to learn Laws, this was as strong as an E-Ranker could get.

And it hadn't been nearly enough.

Officially, I was the responding delver, so the rights to the portal were mine. But I hadn't argued when a team of B and C-Rankers from the Roadrunners offered me five percent of the profits—the standard fee—to clear it. I'd been out of juice, and Jessie needed me.

I closed my eyes and sat there, on the uncomfortable, rigid stool. I'd been looking forward to being Kade instead of Delver Noelstra for a few hours, hanging out with my sister, and watching her have fun with her classmates. Instead, I'd spent the fifteen or so minutes of the portal break in a state of panic that had only ended because an S-Ranked delver had appeared, ended the break, and then just as suddenly, left. I hadn't thought. I'd just reacted. Dad wouldn't have been disappointed, but he would have been concerned.

None of this made sense. It shouldn't have happened. Not to Jessie, and not to me.

"Kade?" Jessie asked, peeking out from under her blanket.

"Yeah, shrimp?" I said, trying out the name I'd called her before Dad died. It'd been a while, but I'd had to be both brother and dad, and somehow, the name had gone by the wayside. It wasn't an insult so much as a nickname.

She narrowed her eyes, and I looked at the floor, hands up. "Sorry."

"You're okay. I think I'm going to get some rest. Or…try to," she said after a minute.

"Alright. Try to sleep. Things might be different in the morning."

"I will." She hesitated. "And Kade?"

"Yeah?"

Her head poked out from under the blanket. She'd been crying, and her eyes were red, but her eyebrows were furrowed in a determined glare. "I still want to be a GC rep."

"I wouldn't have expected anything less from a Gerald," I said. "Dad would be proud."

The next morning, Jessie's school was canceled.

I wasn't surprised, but for some reason, it hit her really hard. She was struggling, and I didn't have a good idea for helping her through it. Eventually, after raging quietly for a while, she hopped on her laptop and disappeared from reality.

So did I, sort of. A lot had happened last night, and I needed to process it.

First of all, I'd accidentally gotten myself on everyone's radar, especially the Roadrunners. I'd been so stupid; if I'd just talked to the Light of Dawn, I would have just been another E-Ranker who did something stupid and lived through it. Those types were a dime a dozen. Instead, I'd stood out. With the egg sitting under my sink and my Path, I couldn't afford to do that.

My only saving grace was that it was Angelo Lawrence. He had a million more important things to do than dig into an E-Ranker. But I'd have to be careful.

I stood up and wandered to the bathroom. The egg was still under the counter, and it was still growing.

Kade: You're sure yours is the same size it was?

Ellen: Pretty sure, yeah. I've been measuring and weighing it. Haven't you?

Kade: I didn't know I was supposed to…

Ellen: There's not much research into the life cycles of portal monsters, so I've been going off of reptile eggs and documenting the hatching process in sticky notes just in case we have some massive breakthrough that changes everything we know about portal worlds.

Ellen: If yours is behaving strangely, you should document it too

Ellen: I've gotta go. Phone call. Ta-ta for now.

"Ta-ta for now?" I muttered to myself.

I was midway through typing a response when my phone buzzed in my hand. I tried not to bobble it, failed, and dropped it on the tile. Jessie snorted, then looked at her computer as I ducked down to recover it. I hadn't expected another message, especially from the place my caller ID said this one was from.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Acme Tower Number Two: Hello, Mr. Noelstra. My name is Debbie Callahan, and I am, for the moment, in charge of outreach and compensation for the Roadrunner Delving Guild. I have a few free minutes this morning, and would like to meet with you regarding your claim on the portal break yesterday in the downtown/Sky Harbor area. I can be at your apartment in fifteen minutes if you're free.

My first instinct was to say no. I had the five percent commission from the portal clear, and for a D-Rank portal, it'd be significant. But I could just send them a bank number and have them deposit it. Then again, the Roadrunners knew that. It wasn't as if they didn't clear portals several times a day, and collect the five percent fees themselves.

Which meant the Roadrunners wanted to meet me, specifically.

I looked at Jessie. She was in her pajamas, under the blankets, and on her laptop. Neither of us had showered or brushed our teeth since yesterday morning. The apartment looked like a war zone, right down to the bloody clothes I'd changed out of in the bathroom. There was no way I could get it cleaned up, shower, and give Jessie enough time to be presentable. And worse, if whoever Debbie Callahan was happened to be a high-ranking delver, she might be able to detect the egg.

That was an unacceptable risk. But I had an alternative.

Kade: I'll meet you in the lobby in twenty.

Acme Tower Number Two: Twenty minutes is agreeable. I'm on my way.

Eighteen minutes, thirty-two seconds later, I stood in the lobby, fresh out of the shower and in a white T-shirt and jeans. The car—a sports car from some European city—pulled up, and the biggest woman I'd ever seen got out.

I recognized her right away, even though she wasn't in her armor. The armband with the cartoon roadrunner was still present, but even without it, she was striking. At six foot four, she dwarfed me, and she carried more muscle under her suit than most of the tanks and fighters I'd seen. Her black hair was back in a ponytail, showing a scar across her face.

It was the woman who'd sparred with the roadrunner spearman. An A-Ranker, even if she was controlling her aura right now. That information felt important; I filed it away for later.

"Mr. Noelstra," she said, sticking a hand as big as the Ice Troll's out.

I shook it. "Ms. Callahan." As I let go, I tried—and failed—to keep from wincing. She was strong, and she hadn't even been trying. She was just that much stronger than me.

"I'm skipping the preamble and getting to business, because I don't have much time here. You caught Guildmaster Lawrence's attention last night, and he called me to look up your build. One merged skill, and another on the way. You're trying for the 5-merge S-Rank build, aren't you?"

"I am," I said hesitantly, suddenly thrilled that I hadn't registered my full build yet. Her information was outdated, but she'd done her homework. I'd been right; the Roadrunners' eyes were on me. What I didn't understand was why. Yeah, I'd fought, but I hadn't done that well. And I already had my build laid out—it wasn't like a guild could offer me something better. Unless…could they?

"That's what I thought. He's got a favorite lecture he gives his people, about the trials of determination and responsibility, and when I told him you were likely merging five skills, he was thrilled. He's going to watch your career with, and I quote, 'great interest.'"

"What does that mean?" I asked.

She smiled. I'd never seen a more predatory smile. "It means you're not familiar with the classics. And also that, if you want it, help is available for finishing the rest of your build quickly. The Roadrunners would be happy to have you aboard."

"No thanks," I said.

"What?"

"No thanks," I repeated. "I've got responsibilities. A sister I promised I'd take care of. And I can't abandon that. Being independent gives me the freedom to work on delving while she's at school."

The smile turned, if anything, even more predatory. Ms. Callahan looked exactly like a tigress toying with a mouse; something was up here, and I didn't understand what, but I was getting caught up in a game I couldn't afford to play.

"Very well, Mr. Noelstra. Can we sit?" She pointed to a pair of chairs in the dingy lobby. I checked the door. Outside, Ms. Callahan's sports car was drawing all sorts of attention, and a man in a suit was standing next to it, sunglasses on. He looked bored, not impatient. I'd expect someone who only had a few minutes to act more serious about resolving our conversation, especially after how she'd opened it.

But I still followed her to the chairs and sat across from her.

She pulled a tablet and a single D-Rank core from her suit pocket. "The D-Rank portal closed two hours ago after an all-night mining operation. The Roadrunners were able to claim almost three hundred thousand dollars worth of materials, of which five percent is yours. That amounts to fifteen thousand, minus the core, which we assumed you'd want. I've taken the liberty of filling out a direct deposit for that amount. If you provide me with your bank information, I can have it electronically added right now.

"However…I also have an alternate offer You're working on a five-merge build, and all the skills for your second merge are likely at the correct level to merge. It's a race for you to find a D-Rank core before you force a rank up, and judging by the place you live, you don't have the money to buy one if one does show up on the market. I propose that you take five thousand dollars in cash, and…" She paused, reaching into her pocket before producing a pair of additional D-Rank boss cores, "this, instead."

I stared at the verdigris-covered orbs in her hand, my mouth watering. I needed those cores. I needed them bad. And five thousand…that'd be enough, with my delver's registration, to finally move out of this apartment and into something that actually fit a teenager and a grown man. I might even have enough to help Jessie afford the monster computer she wanted—or at least to save for it with the money she was going to earn.

But…

But Ms. Callahan's offer was obviously fishy. Cash and a core implied that she didn't want the money to be tracked; she'd probably deposit the cash in an account she owned, then say she'd given it to me. And that implied…that she was offering the second offer without the Roadrunners' knowledge.

Was two D-Ranked cores worth getting involved in an inter-guild conflict? Even if she was an A-Ranker, and rejecting her offer would make an enemy?

No.

I nodded, though. "I appreciate the offer, Ms. Callahan. It's very much what I need, but right now, I'm more concerned with what my family needs. That money is enough to move us out of here and into a place where my sister can get some space, get me a bed, and start saving instead of spending. And the one core keeps me ahead of where I need to be."

Then I scribbled my banking numbers on a sticky note I found in my pocket, slid it to her, and said, "I'll take the Roadrunners' payout, not yours."

I didn't need a big guild's support—not when I could do it on my own.

On my own, that was, with the help of my friends.

Angelo Lawrence hadn't lied to the kid.

He was many things, after all. None of them was a liar. And one of them was thorough.

He had more important things to do than wait. He'd directed his people to look into Kade Noelstra the moment he'd boarded his helicopter. Chances were good that he knew more about him than his own half-sister. For example, Angelo knew that Kade had run a portal with one of the Portal Tyrants' top recruiters. He knew that he'd killed another delver, and that the other three who'd tried to kill him here almost certain to be released from prison the next time there was a crisis.

And he knew the details of his 'Extremely Hazardous' Unique skill, the intricacies of his planned build, and where he was going with it.

Angelo would have focused his entire morning on Kade Noelstra, but an unfortunate interruption ruined that before he could get started.

Not that Councilwoman Harriet Myers's visit was unexpected. She followed up on every portal break inside Phoenix, and the S'edav Va'aki break was in the Roadrunners' territory.

The hawk-like woman practically perched at the edge of her chair in Angelo's office. "Have you been keeping data on the number of portal breaks in your zone? How many, of what rank, and what archetypes the breaks were?"

"Yes, of course. I have people interview all teams after every portal. We have a very good picture of Peoria, Downtown, and Sky Harbor. To the best of my knowledge, there has been no uptick in portal breaks, and the ones we have had…have been dealt with efficiently." Angelo stared at Councilwoman Myers. Her brown eyes stared right back.

He broke first. She might be an unawakened, baseline human, but Myers was the second in command for the Governing Council. She hadn't gotten that far by being afraid of S-Rankers.

"The reason I ask, Guildmaster Lawrence, is that several other districts have reported an increase in portal breaks, and almost every other district in Phoenix and Tucson has noted an acceleration in portal activity in general. That's true outside of our walls as well. It's especially bad near Carlsbad, but not severe enough to warrant a relief and resupply convoy. I'd ask that you double-check your records, then make them available to my team," Councilwoman Myers said.

Angelo nodded slowly, face impassive. "Are you concerned about a portal surge?"

"Yes. Very much so. It's been almost a year. We're not overdue, but I'd expect one soon."

"A portal surge is serious. You'll have our cooperation. Do you need the Roadrunners' support with anything else?"

Councilwoman Myers stood. Her posture reminded Angelo of the cranes that occasionally wintered in New Mexico. He'd grown up near a wetland there, and they were his favorite birds. Red heads, gray bodies, tall and graceful. But Harriet's eyes were those of a predator. A raptor.

"No. Get us your data, then keep us informed of any changes. When this surge happens, we'll be ready."