Waterstrider

Basements, Tseludia Station, Pantheonic Territory, Fourthmonth, 1634 PTS

“We need to move faster,” said Rachel, interrupting my thoughts.

We had already freed all of the Reth, who had easily been convinced to come with us after speaking with Irid and Rachel. Despite the fact that I did not understand whatever language it was that they were all speaking, I had been able to realize that it was almost as if they were worshiping Rachel. At least, there was a certain sense of reverence to the way they spoke of and looked at her.

Solely based upon the fact that I could read their body language in such a way, I had already adjusted to their appearances far more than I would ever be able to for the truly alien races like Escalos or Exid. For a moment I wondered just why my people had seen them as abominations. Was it truly just because of the disputes between deities?

“Is something happening?” I asked, curious about the rush.

She nodded rapidly, causing her loose hair to flop behind her neck.

“There was a trap near the lobby. I’m concerned for the others there, and as for us…” Rachel’s voice lowered to a whisper, as if her final words were not intended for me to hear. “I still can’t figure out their aim…”

“Whose aim, the security forces?”

Her gaze snapped back to me, as if surprised.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. Just something I’ve been thinking about. Anyway, we need to get out of here fast. I’m worried that they might have figured out a way to send an alert to the Justice Office, and there might be reinforcements outside. We’ll want to escape before that happens.”

Her words were sound, though of course we had both known about such a possibility from the beginning. My decision to save the Canvasian test subjects had been a great risk in large part due to this very reason. Still, I nodded, accepting her explanation. It was clear there was something she wasn’t telling me, a feeling I had experienced earlier tonight as well.

When we finally made it out of here, the two of us would need to have a lengthy discussion with one another.

Scanning the hall, I saw the seven Reth behind us. The woman named Irid who we had rescued first met my gaze. Her eyes held the profundity of a vast ocean, and something glimmered inside. Though I knew it was merely a reflection from the pinprick light floating around Rachel, I could not help but feel that it looked like starlight reflected off a lake of blood. Her gaze was harsh, but I was able to glean certain facets of her nature from it. The woman was a fanatic, and she had taken lives before. I was certain of both facts.

“Fine, then,” I said. “What’s our quickest way back?”

“It should be right this-” Rachel’s voice choked, and her eyes suddenly blazed with annoyance. “Way…” she finished, before sighing. “Damn, now there’s another problem. Cyrus…”

She locked eyes with me again, looking as if she were ready to snarl.

“They’re locking down corridors, trying to box us in.”

“Can you teleport us to the lobby?” I asked, despite knowing that she would likely have thought of that already. I had learned from experience that it was best to always suggest the obvious solutions first, on the off chance that one of them turns out to be viable.

Rachel squinted, considering it as if she really hadn’t thought of it before. She shrugged.

“I could, but I assumed you wouldn’t want me to.”

I gave her an odd look, and she explained.

“I can get us out, but I wouldn’t be able to get us back in.”

“Why would that- oh.”

It had taken me a moment to understand the issue, but then I remembered the fact that there were almost a hundred martial artists, including my own subordinates, who needed Rachel’s assistance in order to escape the facility. If I were a cowardly man, I might have chosen that path, and Rachel would probably have allowed me to do so.

It had long become clear to me that Rachel was willing to expend any and all lives necessary if they furthered her cause. It made sense, of course. After all, to Rachel, we were simply aliens who looked somewhat similar to her own people. In a matter of loyalty, we could not compare to her devotion to the cause she fought for. It was simply a matter of an unbalanced scale. I wondered if part of the reason she had chosen me was because she hoped I would limit the need for her to make such decisions. I got the impression that her mentality could not handle such costly choices well, not when it was her own call.

She had once told me that she used to be an ordinary civilian, and from the day she was born to the day she died, the human named Rachel had never once raised a fist in anger. But, I supposed, the death of nearly everyone she ever knew would certainly be enough to change her into the person she was now. Even the truly good could be persuaded to go to war if there was sufficient need.

“Would you still be able to control the elevators even if you were on the outside?” I asked, still hoping for a simple solution.

“I can’t promise the Shade won’t interfere with my attempts.”

“There’s another Shade?” I asked, shocked by the revelation. I had never expected to be near a single Shade in my entire life, much less more than one. For a moment I felt as if they were everywhere, secretly rifling through data across the galaxy unbeknownst to the ascendants and Osine who wished to eliminate them.

That thought caused me to imagine the powerful beings as old men and women chasing vermin away from their garbage with brooms, bringing a slight smile to my face. It quickly faded as I controlled my mind, returning to the matter at hand.

Rachel nodded, her face sober.

“I’m almost certain of it, now. Though I find myself unsure what its purpose in interfering in this matter was in the first place.”

Some of Rachel’s muttered comments from earlier in the night were starting to make more sense, but I knew I didn’t have the time to focus on this matter at the moment. The Staiven were apparently trying to trap myself and the Reth, and I would simply have to fight my way free.

“Let’s just sorry about getting out the normal way, then. How powerful are the Reth here?”

Rachel glanced over at the group of aliens.

“I’m not sure how much you know about the Reth’s progression system, but Irid and Jekal are roughly equivalent to a particularly weak spirit refiner, while the rest would either be considered equivalent to a core formation or meridian establishment practitioner.”

That was actually much better than I had been expecting. While there were much fewer Reth than Seiyal, I had known their progression system had fewer bottlenecks than our own. I didn’t know much else about their abilities, other than that they were tied to some sort of dark mist said to have existed in their homeland.

“How quickly can they run?” I asked.

Rachel chuckled.

“I would say they’re quite fast, though that means nothing to you at this point. How about you cut a path for them?” she asked.

I smiled, liking the idea. An opportunity to test my new abilities would be quite appreciated.

“Just tell me the way,” I said.

The storm in my heart began to rage just a little stronger, causing the rivers inside my meridians to roar, fighting as if to escape their banks and spill across my body. My every action sped up, and I sprinted my way down the hallway at speeds even the fastest aero could not hope to match.

The look of the endless dark hallways was beginning to get old to me, but I found it a bit less unpleasant when moving at such high speeds. Now that the hatches had all slid down to seal areas off, I realized that there had been far more breaks in the corridors than I had realized. It was like there was a hatch only ever fifteen meters. Just what purpose did all of these barriers have? Perhaps, I thought, they existed simply to slow down escapees long enough for reinforcements to arrive. A spirit refiner will a strength ability would be able to break them with a punch, but one such as I would need to spend more time tearing their way through.

Of course, that was if I were barehanded, or wielding a normal weapon. But I held a true treasure of a weapon, forged by Domines herself from materials not even the Staiven could yet replicate. My sword was significantly harder than the hatches, and as I slashed out at extreme speed, it tore its way through the hard metal like a warm blade through butter. It took mere seconds for me to carve a hole in the first barrier, and I quickly made my way to the next, making quick work of the path.

“Is this all they have?” I asked, wondering why there were no guards, or at least some sort of turrets or sedative poisons of some sort. I had expected more from a facility of the Staiven government. This had really not been the test of my newfound ability that I had hoped for.

“They’re focusing on killing those at the lobby first. I expect they intend to delay you as much as possible and focus their effort once you finally arrive.”

“I see. They’re scared of me, then,” I said, growling with exertion as the downpour in my heart raged every more intensely. “I’ll show them why they’re right to be.”

My movements sped up even further, and I continued the grueling task of cutting my way through barrier after barrier. A drop of sweat dripped from my brow, but I continued the ceaseless task. I had a responsibility to perform, and I would do so to the very best of my ability.

I would save them all.

Reth (Region): [Sharing a name with its historical inhabitants, the region of the Crucible known as Reth is located in a massive caldera in the continent's interior. The region is filled with a mass of black smoke that rests in the caldera because it is heavier than air. This smoke, often called the Rethian Smog, is slightly poisonous to the Seiyal and Tovus, but causes no issues to the hardy lifeforms within. Despite how inhospitable the area might seem, it is actually thriving with life, from various animals to plant species that can only survive in such conditions. Or, at least, it was until it was blasted from orbit by the Staiven as part of their treaty with Sunlit Hall. In the aftermath, the Smog completely vanished, as if it had been destroyed.Now, Reth truly is a blasted hellscape, though one without the unique conditions it had once maintained. Rumors have it that much of the area's native wildlife still survives, taken away as crops and livestock by Reth refugees fleeing the planet. Unlike the other inhabitants of the region, the Reth themselves do not require the Smog to breathe, but they still have a deep connection to it. Once, the abilities they acquired from their progression system only functioned inside of the smog. Now, it is said that their abilities are able to work anywhere, and that black smoke forms around them when they use it. Some say that Saaya brought the Smog into the spirit world to protect it from destruction, in order to keep her children safe.]