Unchained Potential (The Whispering Crystals: A LitRPG Series Book 4), page 18
The idea of using actual birdshot and seeing if I can consume not just fruit but meat, crosses my mind, but... well, I have no idea if that would actually do anything for me, or if they’d just Fade or something, and considering Raindrop’s reaction when I tried to eat a flower, I don’t think she’d approve.
Either way, all I want is to scare them off, so I make sure to Imagine rubber pellets before I turn off the safety and place my finger on the trigger.
When another fruit pops, I take aim at it, wait for the first critter to approach, and shoot.
The shotgun kicks my shoulder as it spews fire and rubber with a deafening bang.
As expected, the sound hardly startles the critters this time, but to my surprise, neither do the pellets! In fact, they hardly seem to take note as the small balls bounce off.
I turn my puzzled gaze to the shotgun, but it’s exactly how I remember it.
Hold on...
I Imagine a new cartridge, this time filled with lead, and take aim at the trunk of the fruit tree.
The shotgun gives another satisfying kick, but when I move closer to take a look, I see exactly zero damage on the rough bark.
Looking down, I find a scattering of tiny lead balls. They’re just lying there, between the needles.
An inkling of what’s going on begins to dawn.
Shit. My shotgun is the product of my Imagination, and these birds and trees are all Extant. It’s like when I tried to use my Imagination to make a flower grow, I’m just not affecting them in the slightest!
So basically, whether I Imagine rubber or lead, there’s just no real power behind it, so this shotgun is useless. I sigh and pull on the motes inside of it, managing to resorb about a third of them.
Maybe I should just move on and—
Something bonks my head from up in the tree.
“Ow,” I mutter, having actually felt that, and finding the sensation distinctly unpleasant.
Rubbing my head, I notice the pit roll against my foot. I look up.
One of the birds up in the tree gives me a haughty look, then it lets out a burp.
You little—
I freeze, and look back down at the pit. Oh. So that’s how it works.
I look back up at the bird with a smirk, then start collecting pits. Just you wait!
It takes me some time to set up my second attempt, but I’m all the more proud for it.
A few more fruits have popped while I worked, but the frequency is slowing down as their numbers dwindle, and there are still a couple left.
I take careful aim at the tree with my life-sized catapult, and wait for the next one to pop.
The moment I hear the tell-tale sound, I pull the lever controlling its release mechanism.
The giant springs I Imagined are released from their coiled-up state and the large wooden bowl that holds the payload of Extant pits shoots upright.
The pits are launched at high speed into the gaggle of critters racing for the fruit.
This time, my method proves successful, as they scatter under the heavy pelting, and I manage to reach the fruit first, and stick it in my pouch.
Success!
The only problem is, now I’m out of pits.
A bunch of critters actually leave this time, but a few of the fastest remain, including the stinking bird that threw its pit at me earlier.
Another fruit pops. I kick my tail as hard as I can, but it gets there first and snatches it away.
Damnit!
Annoyed and unwilling to let all my work on the catapult go to waste, I look for more ammunition.
My eyes fall on the pebbles in the stream.
Should I...?
Another pit hits me in the back of the head. I grit my teeth, positive of the culprit even without looking up.
They’ll do.
When the next fruit pops, I once again fire my catapult.
Perhaps my frustration unconsciously leaks into the catapult, for the effect is... a little stronger than I anticipated. The pebbles punch holes in the bark, break branches, and one of them actually hits and launches the fruit off the tree.
Perhaps more importantly, one of them hits a bird—not the annoying one, unfortunately—and it crashes to the ground, limp.
I frown, scratching my head. Ehm, whoops?
As I’m pretty sure I can consider that latest fruit lost, I walk over to the hurt bird, a little concerned.
Now that it’s lying still instead of blurring past me, I can see how pretty it actually is. It has dark eyes, a small, sharp, bright red beak and a vibrant blue-and-white plumage covering everything from its single pair of wings to its tail.
I’m relieved to see it moving a bit as I approach, until I notice a problem.
The tips of its long tail feathers are starting to Fade.
“Oh, shit,” I mutter.
I crouch down next to it with growing alarm.
It blinks up at me, tries but fails to roll over, and just seems mostly bewildered.
I study it, unsure of what to do, and frankly, a little torn.
On the one hand, I instinctively want to help it, try and prevent it from Fading, but have no idea how, really. On the other hand... well, this bird contains a lot of Espir, and absorbing it somehow might go a long way towards lengthening this stay, and allowing me to practice resisting mind control.
Come on, Emma, pull yourself together; it’s just a bird, and you’ve eaten plenty of chicken without a shred of guilt.
Then again, it’s not really a bird, is it? It’s... a kind of spirit, an Extant being. How old might it get if it doesn’t Fade?
Actually, what kind of life cycle do the beings in this Realm even have? Akir suggested Raindrop was young, and would get smarter as she grew older due to an increased ability to generate Espir allowing her to sustain more complex thought processes... Was she a bird like this once?!
“Shit...” I mutter, guilt hitting me hard and heavy. I quickly rummage in my pouch, take out one of my fruits, and put it down next to it. “Here, try—try eating this...”
It stares at the fruit for a moment, seeming dazed, then renews the struggle to get up, even as more and of its feathers flake off.
Man, what do I do? What can I—
“Eh-ma!” a cheery voice chirps behind me. “I found you!”
“Raindrop!” I exclaim as I turn around with my heart in my throat. “What are you doing here?!”
“We’re playing hide and go seek, silly,” she chirps happily, looking far more energetic and sober as she lands in front of me with a fluttering of her wings. “I got bored from just looking, so I just followed the thread from the bird-whistle! What’s that?”
“Oh, ehm...”
“Oh no, what happened?” Raindrop exclaims, practically leaping down towards the Fading bird.
“Well—never mind that, is there anything we can do? I tried giving it the fruit, but—”
Raindrop jumps up and lets out a shrill, echoing shriek.
I stare at her for a second, uncomprehending.
“She’ll be here soon,” Raindrop chirps, wringing her feathery hands together. “I just hope it’s not too late.”
“She?” I ask, an ominous feeling building inside me. “Who do you mean by—”
Suddenly, a dark storm front rushes in at unnatural speed and, in no time flat, covers the world in darkness. The sudden gloom is disturbed only by occasional angry flashes, as lightning serpents clash in the writhing overhead sea of clouds.
I gape at the phenomenon wide-eyed. The hairs on the back of my neck rise as I sense a presence behind me.
I turn to find Goddess staring at the Fading bird that’s somehow in her hands now, with infinite grief. The very sight of it causes me to tear up.
“Can you save it?” Raindrop asks tremulously.
“I’m sorry, child,” Goddess says, her voice a chilling requiem. “Its Core is broken, the very Essence of its being leaking out. Nothing can be done.”
Then her owlish visage falls upon the catapult, the pebbles, and finally, me, turning dark and terrible.
“You... HOW DARE YOU?” she demands, her voice like the low notes of a giant church organ filling a cathedral with a blasphemous symphony.
My body is paralysed with fear under the weight of her gaze, which presses down on my chest like a mountain, but at the same time, I cannot defy her demand, the need to answer overwhelming. “I-I just wanted the fruit, to extend my Visit, and they kept getting in the way,” I stammer. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, please, forgi—”
“SILENCE.”
The command is absolute, and the world obeys. The crash of thunder, the burbling of the stream, and all other sounds around us disappear in a single, jarring instant.
In the quiet, her voice is all that remains as it fills the world with its terrible splendour. “My Realm is one of peace. ‘No sapient being shall harm any being except in defence of oneself or another.’ That is a rule even your wretched masters don’t dare break!”
She sighs, and the tree roots around us droop lethargically as her mood shifts, the regret tangible in the air. “I knew letting you run around here was a mistake. One it’s high time I rectified.” She narrows her eyes. “Now the question just becomes how. Perhaps I should just blot you out of existence, see how you like being Erased. They do say the punishment should fit the crime...”
“Goddess, no!” Raindrop pleads, anxiously flapping her wings, apparently spared from Goddess’ oppressive command. “Please, please spare her! I’m sure it was an accident! Eh-ma is a good person!”
Goddess remains perfectly still for a moment, then lets out a sigh. “Ah, I’m sorry, my child,” she says, her face turning melancholy and kind, her voice gentle as a forest stream as she turns to Raindrop for a moment. “I’ve let you witness something unsightly. For your sake, I’ll spare her life. But, this will have to go.”
She lifts a hand. The necklace around Raindrop’s neck snaps and the bird whistle comes flying over. The moment her hand closes around it, it turns to quickly fading dust. I can feel the connection I had to it recoil, the snap of the thread stinging in an unfamiliar way.
“I already tolerated this for too long,” Goddess continues firmly. “You’ll find someone else to play with.”
She turns back to me, and her cold gaze lands on me with all the subtlety of a dropped anvil. “Now, as for you... WHENEVER YOU TRY TO VISIT THE REALM OF IMAGINATION ON YOUR OWN, YOU WILL BE WITNESS TO THE FULL EXTENT OF THE HORROR YOU WROUGHT TODAY.”
This time, I notice the flow of Espir that enters me as the words brand themselves in my mind, providing me with a brief flash of overwhelming grief.
Tears fill my eyes. If I had any control over my limbs, I would sink to my knees in utter bereavement.
“Under the circumstances, this will have to suffice,” Goddess mutters. “Now, BEGONE!”
And with that final command, I am ejected from Her Realm.
CHAPTER 24
Ratrace
Getting thrown out of the Realm of Imagination is kinda like being out on a stroll on a lovely spring day and then suddenly getting dunked into a darkened tank of ice water.
Disorienting, painful, and altogether just very unpleasant.
I spin through a dark void with no way to tell what’s up or down as I am bombarded with sensations. Flashes of too-bright light blind me, knives of ice tear at my quickly disintegrating form, and a kind of white noise fills my mind, threatening to overwhelm my ability to form thought.
I flail blindly for my chain and somehow manage to grab hold of it with the remaining fingers on my left hand. I clutch at it with all the force of will I can muster, and tug more desperately than I ever have.
The chain goes taut and, with a rush, pulls me away.
Back in my room, I jerk out of the lotus position I was in and fall off the bed.
“Son of a bitch,” I curse, lying in a heap on the floor, clutching my head, the terrible throbbing inside only compounded by the freshly forming bruise on my hip.
[Good grief, what happened?] Suri chimes.
“Just a... bad cramp,” I bring out through gritted teeth. “Don’t worry about it.” Holy shit, that was scary!
[Odd,] Suri chimes. [Well, you have been at it for a while, perhaps a little activity will do you good.]
“Yeah... in a minute,” I get up, stretch out my sore limbs, then flop back down on the bed, thoughts whirring through my head.
Well, that was a disaster. So. In the Realm of Imagination, no sapient being is allowed to harm any other being. If that’s such an ironclad rule, why didn’t anyone make that explicit to me sooner?!
I guess it must seem self-evident to creatures living in such an idyllic place. Ones not forced to fight and kill for their lives on a daily basis.
I should’ve just cut my losses after the flashbangs stopped working. Damnit, I just had to get greedy again!
And another paid the price. The memory of the bird—no, the spiritual being—starting to Fade in front of me, makes my stomach clench. I shake my head, as if to erase the thought in the hopes it will take the queasiness with it.
What else did Goddess say, something about my wretched masters? I really don’t like the sound of that... Sounds like Goddess knows what’s going on here, and it may just be as bad as we feared.
There’s no gold at the end of this rainbow. Whatever they have planned for us after the Trials is probably nothing good.
Which makes it all the more crucial for me to have access to the Realm of Imagination, but Goddess just took my ticket to that Realm away, and then some!
I shudder at the memory of the overwhelming grief that assaulted me.
At least she didn’t stop me from entering entirely, only from doing so by myself. She must have some kind of understanding with whoever is running this shitshow. Perhaps something to do with the Skilldreams? It does seem odd that those are happening in her territory.
And what was that place I ended up in just now? Something like the space between Realms?
I have too many questions and far too few answers, but this isn’t the time to go looking for them. What’s done is done. I’m still alive, so all hope is not lost. I better focus on the next Trial instead of putting myself even more at risk.
I hop out of my room in an understandably shitty mood. Kaitlynn is sitting on the loveseat with her eyes closed, so I slump down next to her and, with a groan, rest my head on her shoulder.
She stirs a little but otherwise doesn’t react.
The only reason I don’t drift off is probably that I literally just napped.
Eventually, Kaitlynn turns to press a kiss on the top of my head. “Hey you. Everything okay?”
I nod wordlessly, though I’m not sure I really am.
As always, Kaitlynn picks up on it. She turns to me fully and puts her arms around me, pulling me further onto her. I rest my head on her chest and sigh as she strokes my hair.
“It’s going to be all right,” she murmurs. “You and me together? We’re unstoppable.”
I close my eyes with a nod, and will myself to believe it.
We eat a simple dinner, finish up our final preparations, and go to sleep. With the coming Trial looming over us like a dark cloud, neither of us is in the mood to get frisky, so we just lay there, Kaitlynn spooning me from behind.
One more Trial. Then, one more Hub. But what comes after that?
Perhaps what I’m most afraid of, is that we’ll get separated somehow. Especially since the next Trial involves every single participant. I doubt there’s going to be a merry living room for everyone afterwards.
“What’s going on in there?” Kaitlynn whispers, tapping gently on my temple. “I can practically hear the gears grinding.”
I wriggle a little until Kaitlynn loosens her grip on me, and I can turn to face her.
My eye pierces the dark, drinking her in. “I wasted so much time. Now I fear we’re running out.”
She stares back quietly for a moment. “At least we had this week. I’ll be honest, it’s more than I expected.”
A tear drips down my cheek and onto the hard, scratchy pillow. “I’m sorry.”
She gently shakes her head and kisses another tear away. “Don’t be. I’m glad.”
“I love you,” I rasp out, the words that have been ringing through my head for minutes finally making their way past the lump in my throat.
Her smile starts out watery but quickly turns blinding. “I love you too.”
She leans in and I kiss her like it’s the last time.
Soon after, we do a bunch of other stuff like it’s the last time, but it feels like it’s honestly more about clinging to each other for comfort than anything else.
Standing before the exit, I nervously check the straps on my armour and the integrity of the retrofitted section.
We were already wearing two small Focus Crystals each, one tied to the wrist and one on a thread around the neck, but since we’re now using our respective medium Focus Crystals a lot as well, we integrated those in our cuirasses. I totally look like Iron Man when the big black octahedral slotted against my chest lights up bluish-white with my Yin Qi. Alec would be proud.
This way, we can maintain continuous conversion cycles between Qi and our respective energies, and still have Focus Crystals available for various Qi-based Skills.
Of course, after all the practice we got in with our now nigh-inexhaustible Qi, we’ve got a few more new tricks up our sleeves than just the conversion cycles.
Next to me, Kaitlynn stares the door down, her jaw and shoulders set in determination.
In my head, I count down the final seconds.
The door grinds open, revealing a small room without doors. My heart sinks when I see the two pods.
We share a glance, but this is a race.
We can’t waste time on hopefully needless goodbyes.
Kaitlynn steps into her pod, and I hop into mine, craning my neck for one last look before it closes around me.
A portal opens around me almost instantaneously to whisk me away.
