Etteria burnout.
He sat up on the bed and rubbed at his chest. The burning pain, the shortness of breath, had faded quickly, once the others got him to the apothecary. Chakra had immediately gotten to work with his gestalt, soft pinpricks of light on his claws that had stitched up the worst of the wounds, and more importantly, alleviated his overworked Etteria core.
Shawn, to borrow a term from your past…you drained your mana bar. Completely. That was not a great idea.
No, it was not, he silently conceded while Chakra examined him, his face scrunching in focus as he probed his chest.
“Shawn, I need to know something. This Etteria you absorbed gave you three separate gestalts?
And a mental wingmate. But, if we mention that, we’re going to end back on this table, probably as a cadaver.
He nodded in acknowledgment to both of them. “It was a little unusual. On a scale of one to dead, how close was I?”
“Second stage of Etteria burnout. No permanent damage, minus any healing work I could do. Shawn, you need to learn your limits, because you can seriously hurt yourself by overdoing it,” he scolded, then softened his expression to one of more compassion. “That said, I won’t disagree with the outcome. Lance is alive. You’ll recover in about a few hours. You’re taking the day off from training tomorrow, as a precaution.”
Regia nodded beside him. “He took out a Thunderhead, Chakra. He did exceptionally well. Garrett is currently examining that corpse to see what the Chasms drove it into such a frenzy. I don’t know if it was charging right at Vea’lant, so much as being driven by something. It’s worrying.” She had refused to leave his side in the past hour, standing stoically on one side of the bed. Claire sat down on a simple chair, next to the bedside.
“What he did was reckless,” Claire uttered, shooing a scathing glare his way. He didn’t react to it, and she leaned in. “Don’t ever do that again, Shawn. Because I don’t know if I could take losing you.”
“You won’t. Lesson learned, and I know how far I can push it, now.” Chakra was still tapping one spot over what he thought was his sternum, and Shawn raised a feathery brow–the man was utterly focused, and slipped down a pair of glasses over his face, with a faint glow coming from the frame of the lenses. “What’s that?”
Chakra leaned in, eyes focused. “Part of my gestalt. I have an unusual ability to ‘see’ the Etteria within people. But, it’s too strong, and I use these lenses to dim and give focus to the ability and filter it out into something I can meaningfully interpret. It also helps me diagnose any gestalt-related problems, with my knowledge of Aveeran physiology, and other species. But your Etteria core is…unusually bright. And woven through your body--the physical and the aetherial. This is…well, it’s already networked to the level of what I would expect from a middle-aged individual with good health.”
“So, has Telga told you the exact circumstances?” He asked cautiously, glancing at Regia’s response, who gave a soft nod of her head.
“She told me that the Etteria deposit they found was preserved in some kind of locked chamber during her misadventure to the core world,” Chakra answered, and he traced his finger across Shawn’s left arm. “This is very unusual. The weave of the Etteria–both the physical filaments, and the elsewhere–is intricately detailed. There’s enough Etteria filament here for two people.”
I wonder why, Shawn thought in a comment directed toward Halsey, who had a rather subdued reaction.
So, this could mean that I was a person, at one point?
Possibly. Though this whole 'can't tell anyone, anything' is a bit of a roadblock to getting answers.
“Look, Chakra, tell me one thing. Is this a good discovery, or a bad one?” he finally asked.
The healer took a step back and allowed Shawn to cover back up. “Well, at a glance? You shouldn’t have suffered Etteria burnout, if these were normal circumstances. You should be dead from organ failure, by this point.”
“That’s…grim. I like my new favorite feathered maniac to continue to fly above the ground, rather than be buried in it,” Regia said with a click of her beak, and pointed a claw at him. “New rule, don’t push it, next time?”
“Lance could have gotten killed if I wasn’t distracting it,” Shawn pointed out. “That thing was dangerous.” She had the look of wanting to argue, but looked away and a gruff sound emanated from her throat.
“The team did alright. Though I will concede, falling back to the safety of the walls, while normally a good tactical option, wasn’t going to work on something clearly in a driven enraged status. I need to have you go out with Garrett more to learn the lay of the land," Regia conceded.
“These findings are…interesting. We should examine the Etteria tomorrow,” Claire pointed out, looking anxious. “Because we still have one sample sitting around that I could use? But I’d like to know the risks, given all we’ve observed.”
“We should make it a priority. I’m going to let Shawn stay here for a few hours, and then, you’re taking a day off, at least,” Chakra scolded. “We also could stand to do some blood work, while I’m at it.”
“Let’s not poke and prod him all at once,” Regia interjected. “Priorities: we rest, we train, then we go clear out that mine. Most of Shawn’s plans don’t work until we have a steady stream of supplies, and Valtiria Prime has been blowing off Telga. I need to put a talon to the backside of Her Royal Majesty,” she added with a low-toned growl.
“Who, Telga?” Shawn asked, with a slight smirk.
“No. The actual, official ruler of these parts. Claire, don’t let him work obsessively when he’s at Varrick’s shop, either?”
Claire shrugged in resignation. “Regia, I’ve been trying for years,” she sighed.
There were a few things that Shawn was looking forward to when they got back to the smithy. The first was a hot bath. Then, sleep. Claire explained what had happened, with Varrick looking on with amusement.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“You’re telling me this lean Aveeran took on that thing?” Varrick asked, sounding skeptical.
“I had help. Regia and I combined efforts, the others hit it while I held its focus. I doubt I could have taken that thing on my own without becoming a statistic of Remaria. Predators are still one of the top leading causes of death, you know,” Shawn quipped, and Varrick hooted with laughter.
“That they are! Alright then, let’s get you cleaned off, then. Claire, mind fetching water from the–”
“I can manage,” Shawn replied softly. Varrick's gritted beak, told him that this wasn't an argument he was winning.
“No, you’re not. You’re taking a break, after a day like that,” Varrick scolded. “Telga would skewer me with one of those light spears of hers if I let you push yourself stupidly to the point of collapse. By the look of it, you’re halfway there.” He had already grabbed a large basin, and pumped water into it from the nearby reservoir. “Children these days…always thinking they’re invincible,” he grumbled.
“We’re not kids,” Shawn protested.
“Yeah, you are. You might be of an age where you’re adults, but here on Remaria? You’re a fledgling, barely older than a teenager. If I let you, you’d work yourself to the bone, because you think you have something to prove.”
That scolding look Varrick shot his way, felt unusually harsh, but he chose to listen this time. What he heard wasn't a dressing down–but a voice of concern. “Shawn, life is hard in this world. Out in the capital, where I used to live, people got soft. Then they’d venture out into frontier towns like this, to start scratching out something for themselves. Or they'd help build up the central infrastructure of that eyesore of a city…and you know what happened?”
“No, I don’t."
“There are nothing but bones, everywhere–from remains to abandoned and destroyed settlements. If it’s not monsters, it’s bandits, especially in the far reaches, where the law is only as close as the one you make. We do hold that close, and we thrive when we work together. Something I think you two have an inkling about.” Varrick’s stern look softened when he looked at Claire. “I’ve known you two for a handful of days. You have talent. You’ve faced danger. But the line between daring and reckless is feather thin.”
“We're going to do what it takes to survive. His sister is somewhere on this ball of rocks, and we're going to find her, someday. I get where you're coming from, Varrick. We can learn,” Claire responded, her eyes alight with determination.
“Learn fast.” He grabbed a paper-wrapped package from a table, and handed it to her. “I had this sent for in the adjacent township, a few hours away. It’s an alchemist book, for all your tinkering needs, and hopefully proves useful.”
“This could be useful. Thanks.” She set it by her impromptu lab bench. Varrick then reached for another package, and handed it to him.
Shawn, I also got you some more tools. I had a favor owed to me by the resident smith over there. Tool bits. They're made of Etteria-infused materials, tung…tungsten carbide, I think?”
“Tough stuff. These will last.” He looked at the drill bits, each cut carrying various fluting and drill sizes, including some cutters with a flat head. “We get our crazy contraptions made, the priority is to replicate these. I’m rather impressed they have tungsten carbide. It’s not easy to make."
“Well, I can work small miracles here, but in the capital? They make bigger miracles. The problem with this planet is the propagation of tech–bits of scattered knowledge, everywhere, and the teleport strands leave much to be desired.”
“You know it just occurred to me, I didn’t ask how you guys traverse the various tectonic continents. Are there connection points like with Telga’s retreat?” Claire snapped her fingers, even as she helped set up the tub in the washroom.
“Correct. Some are bigger, you can transport carts, large groups of people, and even small armies. But…the tech to replicate them is in the hands of the Radiants. Unlike Telga, there’s gated access, and building more of them is a pain.” Varrick explained, puffing out his feathers. “You know, as much grief as I give that old bird, She’s possibly the most caring Radiant I’ve met. She has managed to get trade, industry, and some semblance of security to parts of Valtiria. It was a mess before she came into the equation.”
Several trips of heated water later, Shawn was satisfied with the lukewarm bath, and Varrick had gone into detail about the Radiants nearby, of which, there were three. Two in the capital, one in another retreat, a good distance away. Bits and pieces of a plan were coming together, slowly but surely.
But first, he needed to wash this filth and grossness off himself–Regia had hosed him down earlier, but hadn’t gotten everything. The lukewarm bath was, at best, tolerable. But he’d also swam in ice-cold streams when he’d been on his survivalist trips before. It wasn’t long before the water was...murky. He took care to wash his feathers, as best he could.
Some day this has turned out to be, Halsey. His companion spent a few seconds processing, as glyphs spun and whirred, and he heard her voice again, inside his mind.
I’m with Claire. You need to take care of yourself, Shawn. Because you can’t protect anyone if you’re dead. I worry if Telga was betting it all on you. If she did, then she has nothing left as a backup.
More vigorous scrubbing. At least his feathers cleaned well, he was worried they might have gotten stained by the blood, but that had been an unfounded worry. We learned more things today. My barriers can take the energy blast from that thunderhead. We learned I can instant-freeze standing liquids of considerable volume, and we can flash-freeze foes to limit their mobility. These are all very important. And, my barrier can be used as a force multiplier. It has…incredible utility if I can get around this Etteria limitation.
He frowned as he finished wiping his face. What was that glow around me, earlier? A residual barrier?
No. I think your Etteria network grew. I felt it, just a small amount.
But, how? And what does that mean?
Remember how Varrick said that the Etteria could grow over time? It’s either replicated by trace minerals in our diet, or exposure to something in the environment.
He straightened up, wincing as he stretched his sopping wet limbs and temporarily forgot about his just-healed wounds. So, what are you thinking? Exposure to something? I don’t think it’s anything I ate. It happened after I killed the thunderhead.
Yes. While I do believe the effort of Etteria usage may be tied to slow development–like exercising a muscle group in training–this seemed much too quick. It might have been tied to that…but, I don’t know by what mechanism. The only thing I felt–and you might not have–was a faint trickle of energy.
It was zapping everything in sight. Look, I’ve had a very long day Halsey, and I’m exhausted. He rubbed his beak gently, and could still feel aching muscles all over. Chakra’s work did not help entirely with that pain–just the injuries. Let’s start fresh tomorrow, okay? Unlike you, I feel all of this.
That’s…not entirely true. I do feel your pain. When you get hurt, I do, too. Even if the pain isn’t physically there.
That small revelation surprised him, and he rubbed at an aching wing joint. How can you feel, Halsey?
I don’t know. But I want to find the answer, Shawn. There’s an answer, somewhere, in this ripped-apart world. Maybe we’ll find it along the way, when we look for Maggie.
He thought that, for a split second, Halsey might be being manipulative. That she was pushing him to further her own objectives, whatever they might be. But, so far, she had done nothing but be sincere. A silent companion, whose success was tied to his. What if we don’t find her, Halsey? What if Claire was right, back then? What if there’s nothing left of her but gnawed-on bones, in a monster’s lair?
Don’t lose hope. I haven’t. If she's anything like you, she would have found a way to survive here.
He finished cleaning and threw on a clean set of simple garb for nighttime–another set borrowed from Garrett. He had no money to buy anything and was getting hand-me-downs. But he glanced at the mirror, and clenched his beak, and narrowed his eyes.
He was not letting rampaging monsters or mad gods get the better of him. Hey, Halsey...I think we need to do something a little dangerous.
What's that?
We have to tell Claire about you.
...You really are insistent on having a death wish, you know that?
He really needs to learn how to pick his battles. Monsters are one thing, people are another...
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