Verigenesis: Bounty (Rifthunters Book 1), page 32
Ellie barked a humorless laugh. “Yeah, fun is a word for it. I thought you’d gone full mental on us there.”
Nate winced, propping himself up. “Sorry about that. It…did something to my mind. All of my actions somehow made perfect sense. Like dying was for our own good.”
He shuddered, then looked over at Ellie. Out of all of them, she was now the halest after the magical healing she’d received. “What happened to you, anyway? Last I saw, you were down for the count.”
“Yeah, that sonic blast hurt like Null. Everything went black. The next thing I knew, Vince was there, telling me it was going to be alright.”
Vince nodded. “Aye, I gave her one of my healing gems to speed up her body’s natural recovery. About a minute, and she was good as new.”
Healing gems. Not for the first time, Nate was reminded of the value key items could provide a team. He really needed to get over his reluctance to spend any of his drops on gear upgrades or consumables. His only true magic item, his boots, had been a gift from the Precursor Trials.
“Good work, both of you,” Nate said. “And nice thinking with that Contingent Suppression at the end. If you two hadn’t pinned me down there, I dunno what I would’ve done.”
That wasn’t true; he knew exactly what he would have done had he been given the chance. He bowed his head, unwilling to meet their eyes. A hand touched his shoulder, and he looked up to see Ellie smiling at him.
“It’s not your fault,” she said. “That thing beat the Source out of all of us, and I bet your soul sickness made your mind particularly vulnerable. Did you notice how the music changed while we fought it?”
Nate nodded, grateful for the change in topic. “It kinda felt like a boss fight in a video game, getting more intense with each phase.”
Now that the clarinet was defeated, the music had returned to its soft piano ditty. Nate found he much preferred it over the adrenaline-pumping fare they’d just had, even if the tune still sounded slightly ominous to him.
“Probably just another way this sector is trying to mess with our minds,” Vince said.
Nate wasn’t so sure. In a way, the music had provided them with useful information, bolstering what they could see by adapting to fit the situation. Perhaps they could even make the sector’s magic work to their advantage…
“You know,” Nate said hesitantly, “there might be a better way to search this place besides checking every room for clues. After all, I don’t exactly relish the opportunity to fight more of those instruments.”
“What do you have in mind?” Ellie asked.
Nate mustered a pained grin. “First, let’s attune and get healed up. Then I want to try something.”
Chapter 38
It turned out Vince usually kept five Mortal-grade healing gems on him at a time. Though the specific weaves they contained had minor variations, the effect was the same: vital essence designed to quicken the body’s natural healing and mend even serious wounds.
Nate hesitated to take one, not wanting to burn through their limited supply. In the end, though, he gave in and spent the one vera required to activate it. Without the numbing effect of the clarinet’s control, his pain was simply too debilitating. He’d never stand a chance against his old guildmates, let alone the Lord Protector.
Such healing came at a cost, and Nate spent several minutes gritting his teeth against the agonizing sensation of his bones and flesh knitting themselves back together. More powerful vital veristry might’ve done the job in mere seconds, but those spell gems would be prohibitively rare and expensive.
Vince consumed another of their gems to heal the burns Nate had inflicted on him. That left two for emergencies after the one Vince had already used restoring Ellie. Nate had a sneaking suspicion they’d need them before the day was up.
For once, he didn’t resent the delay to attune. He relished the chance to replenish his vera and unwind after how nerve-racking that last fight had been. His guide didn’t make another appearance, but he was pleased to see that he’d earned almost three hundred essence for the combat.
At this rate, he might be forced to store some of his essence as drops until he figured out how to ascend to Journeyman. Once his current essence capacity filled up, any more would simply go to waste.
Nate’s thoughts turned to the Lord Protector. Since this mission began, he’d generally considered the end result a sure thing: if they could get to the Lord Protector, then the bounty would be theirs.
Yet the power of this sector was a stark reminder of just how much weaker their own veristry was compared to that of their foe. Maybe Wes had been right to doubt their chances back in the Flurrying Chasms.
A Null-cursed clarinet had almost murdered them all. How could they possibly expect to stand up to an Immortal with a mastery of veristry none of them could match?
Such worries plagued Nate as they regrouped in the ruined dining room after attuning. He took a deep breath, forcing his doubts aside. They could concern themselves with the Lord Protector after they’d found him and dealt with their old guild. No reason to worry about future problems when we have plenty of current ones.
Ellie appraised him, leaning her hands on the back of one of the few chairs to survive the battle unscathed. “So, you said you had a plan for navigating this sector?”
Nate gave a quick nod. “If I’m right, we might be able to follow the music straight to wherever the Lord Protector is hiding.”
“That would be mighty convenient,” Vince said skeptically. “You think the music is coming from the Lord Protector?”
“Not exactly. I don’t think the music originates from anywhere specific. But I do think it’ll keep changing to suit our circumstances. If the encounter here was any indication, it can tell when we’re in a fight for our lives and adjust itself accordingly. So, why wouldn’t it have the same sense of progression with our search?”
Vince still looked confused, but Ellie’s face brightened. “Just like the compass needle got stronger as we neared our destination, you think the music will change the closer we are to our goal.”
Nate nodded. “That’s the theory anyway. Maybe it’ll get more suspenseful or morph altogether like it did in here. We’ll have to figure it out as we go.”
“Seems like an awful lot of faith you’re putting in a few chords,” Vince said.
“It’s better than moving room to room, especially with what we now know might be waiting for us,” Nate replied. “Maybe the whole thing’s a wash, and we end up having to start over. But if I’m right, we’ll be able to cover a lot more ground far more quickly.”
Vince pondered that for a few moments, then shrugged. “Alright, you’ve got me convinced.”
“Me too,” Ellie said. “Nice thinking, hotshot.”
She smiled at Nate, and he smiled back. Then Vince cleared his throat loudly. Nate blushed, turning away.
After a few last preparations, they set off from the destroyed dining room. Rather than going door to door like they had before, they moved at a steady pace down the winding hall, pausing frequently to listen for any noticeable shifts in the music.
At first, the whole thing felt like a giant waste of time. No matter which way they went, the music sounded exactly the same, as if to mock their well-intentioned plan. But over time and across larger distances, they started to pick up on subtle shifts in the melody: a quickening of tempo here or a slight alteration in the notes there.
It was nowhere near as efficient as using the compass had been. They had agreed that the more intense the music grew, the closer they were likely getting to the Lord Protector. When that happened, they knew they were on the right track and were good to continue.
However, when the opposite occurred and the music lessened, they had no choice but to double back however long it took for the music to return to its previous state.
At least they encountered no further opposition. Any additional verabeasts in the sector seemed confined to the multitude of rooms they ignored.
Several hours later after a good deal of backtracking, Nate stood before a pair of ornate double doors. The music had swelled as he approached, rising to a crescendo before stopping altogether when he was just outside.
For the first time since entering this sector, they were left in absolute silence.
“Well, that’s definitely creepy.” Ellie eyed the doors as if they might try to jump out and bite her at any moment.
Nate studied the doorway, tension weighing heavily upon him. Whatever else the music might be doing, it was certainly proving effective at manipulating his emotions. He placed one hand on the doors, then hesitated. The silence was deafening.
“No sense putting it off,” Vince said. “Might as well get it over with.”
Vince was right; the clock was still ticking. Mustering his courage, Nate pushed gently on the doors. They opened beneath his touch, unlocked unlike the others he’d investigated. As they did, music boomed around them, making them all flinch. Soft piano had been replaced with screeching strings reminiscent of a horror movie soundtrack.
Nate stared at the revealed space, trying to process what he was seeing. It had likely once been a sitting room, with plush couches and chairs strategically positioned around small tables to enable easy conversation. Now it was littered with corpses. At least a dozen bodies were strewn across the floor or draped over the seats.
“By the Source…” Vince surveyed the carnage with wide eyes, his usual bravado falling away.
The body nearest Nate trembled. For a terrifying moment, he thought it was about to rise as a grotesque zombie. Then he realized the truth was far more gruesome: had these been corpses, they would have already been reclaimed. That they were still here meant they were all still alive.
He approached the nearest body, kicking it over to reveal Dale’s terrified face. He didn’t see any blood, nor any open wounds. Yet his old squadmate’s body seemed strangely loose, like a half-deflated balloon. The lifeweaver’s mouth moved soundlessly as he tried to form words.
“No vera,” Ellie muttered, studying Dale as well.
Her confused expression shifted to one of horror. By now, the screeching music had softened somewhat, though it still radiated a tense aura of danger.
“Nate, look at his arm,” she whispered.
Nate glanced down. There were no blemishes on the arm that he could see, nor any wounds marring the skin. He shrugged at Ellie. Despite her obvious dread, she managed an eye roll.
“Sorry about this,” she said to Dale.
She bent and lifted his arm. The limb flopped unnaturally in her grip, the arm unable to support itself as it sagged and twisted in the middle.
“It’s broken,” Nate realized. Vince edged closer, either to hear them better or just for the sake of comfort. “Looks like in over half a dozen different places.”
“More than that, I’d say,” Vince added, stooping down. “Something sure did a number on him. Doesn’t look like he’s in any pain though.”
Nate glanced at Dale’s face and saw Vince was right. Dale looked dazed at the sight of his flopping arm, but little more. He should’ve been howling in agony.
Ellie poked and prodded over his body. “It’s not just there,” she said. “Something shattered his entire skeleton apart. There’s no way he could walk, and his spine…that must be why he’s not feeling any of this. He’s completely paralyzed.”
“How is the poor sod not dead?” Vince said.
Good question. Nate’s knowledge of medicine and the human body was limited, but he was pretty sure most people needed their spine. That kind of catastrophic injury should put even a verist down for good.
Another thought occurred to him. “If he’s paralyzed, how is he able to move his mouth or twitch his body?”
Ellie shook her head. “I have no idea. Maybe it’s whatever trickle of vera he has left in him. It seems like there should be other signs of damage too, such as bruising or internal bleeding. But it’s like the bones just…shook themselves apart.”
Nate looked around at the other figures in the room, noting the strange angles of many of their limbs relative to their torsos. Had every single one of them suffered the same fate?
Whatever had done this to them had managed the feat in a room full of experienced verists, systematically breaking apart each of their bodies. Then it had just left them here without even bothering to kill them.
A savage part of him rejoiced at the sight; after all, they had abandoned him and Ellie in a similarly tortured state. Mostly, though, all Nate felt was a sick dread. The Lord Protector. It had to have been him. Who else could have left such carnage in their wake?
Nate’s earlier doubts came rushing back. If the Lord Protector could so thoroughly trounce the best the Riftwalkers had to offer, Nate, Ellie, and Vince would have to be fools to take him on themselves. Nothing could stand up to this kind of power.
Searching through the bodies, they discovered that a few of their former guildmates were missing. Perhaps they’d been the ones lucky enough to die in the clash, or they had escaped to elsewhere in the sector. Commander Grisham and Bastion were among these, as was Sandra.
“Nate, you might want to see this,” Ellie called out.
Nate found her crouched behind one of the sofas, leaning over a body. She scooted to the side when he arrived, revealing Wes’ familiar face. Nate tried to sort through the barrage of conflicting emotions he felt: rage, hate, pity, guilt, sadness…
Wes’ body was as broken as the others they’d seen. Nate met his eyes for a fraction of a second and had to look away.
This was the person he’d thought was his best friend, who had not even a day ago betrayed him to his enemies and left him to a fate worse than death. They’d been inseparable once; now Nate wanted nothing to do with him.
Wes shuddered as Nate turned away, weakly thumping his limbs against the floor.
“I think he wants to tell you something,” Ellie said quietly.
“Well, I don’t want to hear anything he has to say.”
The words sounded petulant even to him, but Nate didn’t care. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He didn’t need to look to see who it was; at this point, the gesture was becoming familiar.
“Nate…” Ellie said.
“What?” The word came out far harsher than he’d intended, but Ellie didn’t seem to mind. She just looked at him sadly.
“He was your friend, Nate; mine too. What he did was terrible, but isn’t this punishment enough?” Ellie gestured at the macabre scene around them.
When it was clear he didn’t plan to respond, Ellie sighed. “At least hear what he has to say. If you don’t, you might regret it.”
Nate’s first instinct was to snap at her to mind her own business. These backstabbers could flop around here forever as far as he cared. Then he remembered Ellie’s story about her past life on Earth. She was no stranger to regret.
And she was right. What he craved more than anything else right now were some answers. Things might never be the same between him and Wes, but perhaps they could still salvage some measure of closure out of this nilstorm.
“Alright,” Nate said.
Ellie opened her mouth, clearly expecting to argue. She trailed off as she processed his response. Drawing strength from Ellie’s presence beside him, Nate leaned in so he could better hear Wes’ faint speech.
It sounded like he was repeating the same phrase over and over again, though Nate couldn’t quite tell what it was. He moved closer until his ear was just above Wes’ lips, and he could barely make out the words of his quiet plea.
“Kill me, kill me, kill me, kill…”
Nate jerked back, sick to his stomach. Ellie’s hand grasped his, and he clung to it tightly, like a lifeline. Taking a deep breath, he studied Wes for a long moment. Finally, he came to a decision.
“Hang on, Wes; this is going to hurt.”
Chapter 39
The constant music did little to drown out Wes’ pained shrieks. At least the music itself had mellowed since they’d first entered the sitting room. To Nate, it felt like the music was biding its time, waiting to see what they did next.
Nate had already offered his guildmates’ broken bodies a quick death with his Ice Blade. He had expected to feel something—satisfaction, perhaps—as he sent them to reclamation. Yet even as he’d executed the skyweaver who had called him Frostburn, all he could muster was pity. Wes was the only one of them that remained.
Ellie winced beside Nate, covering her ears. “How much longer is this going to take?”
Nate shrugged, speaking loudly to ensure they could hear him over the wails. “No idea. I don’t think I’ve ever seen vital veristry try to mend something quite so...devastating.”
While he’d granted mercy to the others, he wasn’t quite ready to do the same to Wes. Instead, Nate had given him one of Vince’s last two healing gems. As precious as they were, he wanted to have a more in-depth conversation than Wes was capable of in his current state.
Though he told himself it was so that he could pick Wes’ mind for strategic information on the Lord Protector, he knew the truth was far more complicated. Now the vital essence was knitting Wes’ bones back together; a process which, if his screams were any indication, was excruciatingly painful.
Beside them, Vince seemed entirely unconcerned by the racket. In fact, Nate noticed he was whistling along in time with the background music.
“Vince? Hey, Vince!” The man ignored Nate, continuing to whistle.
Annoyed, Nate poked him in the back. Vince jumped a little, turning to face him. “Aren’t you bothered at all by the noise?” Nate asked.
Vince just shrugged, seeming a bit lost. Then he reached into his spatial bag and retrieved two small gems. He held them out toward Nate and Ellie.
“What’s this?” When Vince didn’t respond, Nate studied the magic emanating from the crystals. The weave felt like wind-aspected aerial essence, concentrated into small tubes shaped almost like plugs.
