Chapter 17

  Aspen waited for Danny to finish his retelling of the events of last night. The guide's face was an unreadable mask set in a half-scowl through it all. The lack of any sort of noticeable reaction began to make Danny feel uncomfortable, anger would be understandable, Danny had helped out one of the creatures on the hunt for them, after all. Something about that Dreadwolf had been different. Danny wondered if that invading energy he had felt was present in all monsters. “It hurt and burned all over like I was on fire from the inside out. Then I don’t remember much. After that, I woke up here.”

  “Get up.”

  “But I thought you said to—”

  “Get up native. There is something you need to see.”

  Danny rose from the tent floor, pushing through the dizzy spell that washed over him, the unyielding eyes of the guide watched him carefully. What-ifs began to race through Danny’s mind, competing for the most terrifying. Did that thing attack Indy? He wondered if he would be met with a three-legged fox hobbling around and missing an eye. Did it bring friends? That could be worse. Danny was unsure if he could fight like this, and Aspen had made it clear that the amount of help he could provide was carefully regulated. The tent flap opened revealing an excited Indy who had been anxiously waiting.

  Enthusiastic squawking lightened the tension in the air. Danny reached down to scratch the fox between the ears and under the chin, causing its leg to thump against the ground. He inspected Indy, but the fox looked perfectly fine. All limbs were accounted for. “For a second there, you had me worried. What am I supposed to—” There in the trees. A large gray wolf was lying in the trees, watching with intelligent eyes—a [Level 9 Direwolf]. The red clouds in the wolf’s eyes were replaced by a stunning green. A lot of things went through Danny’s mind at the moment their gazes met. Some were verified when he pulled up his Status screen and found a few new entries.

  [Lupine Ferocity: Call upon the monstrous heritage of the Direwolf. The King of Beasts gains enhanced agility, strength, and heightened senses. Claws and fangs serve as natural weapons. Costs a steady amount of Qi to upkeep.]

  [Would you like to learn skill: Purify?]

  [Purify: Your Qi can be used to purify either physical or spiritual corruption.]

  The class ability that Danny had gained meant that somehow he had Bonded with that monster. Which meant that the Direwolf used to be… The other skill was a no-brainer. This was exactly the thing he had been looking for: another way. Danny easily accepted the skill. Only one spot left, better make it a good one. Although, the wolf was now quite a few levels lower than before. From 25 all the way down to Level 9. And a little spark ignited something in Danny’s chest. All this time, “the only way” had been a cop-out, a lie. Something that was sold to him so he would go along with whatever genocidal agenda the System ran under. Maybe it wasn’t the System’s agenda… “Aspen, I think our conversation isn’t quite over.”

  “I figured you might have left something out. That wolf has been watching the tent while you were unconscious..”

  “That wolf is a monster—was a monster. A Dreadwolf from the nest. That was the monster that I had tried to heal last night.”

  “Native, it’s been two days. That thing isn’t a monster, just some Earth creature, like the fox. You are still suffering from whatever put you in that sorry state, Qi overuse most likely.”

  “No. I know what I saw, know what I did. The description of the class ability even mentions how it used to be a monster. I got a new skill too, Purity.”

  “That’s not a very useful…” The guide paused and truly considered Danny’s words for the first time. “No, no. That’s not how…” Danny had to fight a smile as he saw something on the guide’s face he never had before. Confusion. For once, he might know less about something than Danny did.

  “Monsters don’t have to be killed on sight. There is another way.” Danny said.

  “Native, I need you to listen to me. You are mistaken. Never say that again, never repeat what you have told me. To anyone.”

  “But, this is huge! What we thought was wrong. There is another way. We can actually—”

  “Native you do not understand the trouble you are in. Killing monsters isn’t something that we do because we have to, or because no one has ever found another solution. In the Multiverse, we kill monsters because it makes us stronger. Wealth, fame, power, it is all hinging on that one simple fact. There is a reason that no other way has been found, and that is because no one wants it to be.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Danny said. “You’re telling me that, what? People will silence me if I share what I know.”

  “Yes.”

  “Nobody would— It’s a good thing, right? Not everyone is content with how things are, someone out there must be willing to take me seriously, to make a change.”

  “Native, you blasted a hole through the head of a flying monster. Soon, you will be able to rip a tree out of the ground with your bare hands, and that is just scratching the surface. Who would give that up?” Aspen said. “They are just monsters, unfeeling and destructive. The only way to contain them is to put them down.” Aspen paused. “Keep quiet about this, native. If anyone asks, this is some rare Earth beast whose species was killed off by monsters. It’s uncommon, but not impossible. With your class, no one will look twice.”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore. You lied. You said there was no other way and you knew that there was. You knew!” Danny was overcome with the unfairness and betrayal of it all. All this time he had been led to believe that he was hanging on to a pipe dream. But that was all a lie. “I’m not going to kill anymore monsters, not when I have the power to save them. And screw you!” Danny added for good measure.

  “Please, nati— Danny. Just listen to—”

  “Why should I? Aren’t you just going to lie again or hide something from me?”

  “Because I can’t lose another one!” The fairy was now yelling. Pain was evident on his face like some long-scarred wound being torn anew. “I can’t lose another student because of a mistake. Not again.” He said, quieter this time. There was a long pause. Danny was ready for a big blowout, where both of them got angry and Danny would storm off, something easy, expected, but seeing Aspen like this took all the fight out of him.

  “What happened?”

  “That’s a long story…” Aspen sighed, his breath catching ever so slightly. “His name was—is— Teak. He had a Wildcard Integration, like you…

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  “Titania’s tits, I hate flying.” Ald cursed. I couldn’t help but laugh at the veteran who squirmed like it was his first time on a Qi Vessel.

  “This time, keep lunch in your stomach.” Holly jested. She was large for a fairy. Unlike most species of the Multiverse, Fairies don’t differ much between the sexes. If there was anyone I could count on to crack a couple skulls, it was Holls. Ald held a hand over his mouth. Holly chuckled at his misfortune. Linden was checking over some of the more…complicated equipment. Teak was the one who stood out. Unlike the rest of the squad he was a Shad’Jahar. A humanoid species with four arms and scarlet skin. Typically, they were massive, towering over most of the Multiverse’s races. Teak was an exception. He had a slight build, wiry. His people called him an Ah’rint. It wasn’t a lovingly-given title. Despite being small compared to his kin, Teak was a titan to the fairies. This vessel had to be specially commissioned to fit him. Not that Linden disliked the extra space to store his shiny toys…

  “Holls, lay off.” Teak said. His face was pulled back into a menacing scowl. That quickly changed. “The geezer might need to change his diaper if you keep poking him like that.” Holly and Teak broke into a fit of laughter. Ald was about to say something, but a bout of turbulence gave him other ideas. Barely been with us for two months and the kid was like family. To me, he already was. I went over and sat next to him.

  “Listen Teak, this is the most dangerous mission we have gone on since you joined. We’re going in blind. Just a distress signal. No I.D. Be caref—”

  “I got it, boss.” Teak said. His smile quickly faded into a serious expression. “I’m not Integrating on some backwater planet anymore. I’ll keep my head on a swivel.” I smiled. I knew it wasn’t just empty bravado. The kid was something special. Never before had an outsider been allowed to join an elite unit. Luckily, being the Alei-Tacht had some benefits. I turned to the rest of my Reapers.

  “Touchdown in ten! We have no eyes on the ground. Get in, find the source of the distress signal, get out. Clear?”

  Various noises of confirmation were made in answer.

  “Now let’s get down there…” I called.

  “And fuck shit up!” They all answered in unison.

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  Ald led the way through the swamps. He had centuries of field experience under his belt. Urban, jungle, desert, marshes, he had seen it all. Tall, leaning trees with branches that hung low made for poor visibility. “Tits and balls,” Ald grumbled, “tar pit!” He was already proving his worth. In terrain like this, one wrong step and you would be stuck. The unit followed Ald around. Fairies would normally fly over such an obstacle, but as their fearless navigator’s stained black clothes modeled, this planet was a fairy’s worst nightmare.

  I paid careful attention to the radar as we walked. We were getting closer. There was not much intel on this planet. Not Integrated. No sapient life. Just some marsh world in Sect space. Fitting place for cultivators. Strange though, that there were no monsters, the Sects liked to keep their wild planets well stocked for their junior members. Going so long without action was winding up my nerves, the rest of the squad’s too. I was beginning to get a bad feeling about this.

  A whizzing ball of fire flashed through the trees. It met Ald’s chest and only a smoking hole was left behind. He couldn’t even react. “Shit! A Stage 4. Scramble!” Fire and lightning shot through the branches as the ambushing force was revealed. The radar didn’t even pick them up. A trap. They managed to crack our Qi-tech or someone flipped either way, we were caught with our pants down. We went in blind, and now we paid for it. Holly, Linden, and I managed to regroup far enough away that we no longer had to flee for our lives. When I finally caught my breath I looked around. “Where’s Teak?” They both just looked at me. Into my transponder I said “Teak, point B.” That would be enough for him to find us. The three of us went to the rendezvous point. No one said the obvious. For my sake.

  ___________________________________________________________

  “Ald, KIA. Teak was missing. They fed us a transmission. A ransom message.” Aspen finished the story. “In exchange for a Favor they would let Teak go. When we were finalizing the deal, however, we found out Teak had escaped, but no one could find him. That was a long time ago. Too long. People don’t come back from the dead like that.” He breathed out heavily, having told it all. Danny let the silence hang for a moment.

  “Why for a favor?” He asked.

  “Favors are important to fairies. For whatever reason, we can’t go back on them. We have to try to do what is asked, even if it kills us. And, besides one from the Elders, a Favor from the Alei-Tacht is worth a kidnapping.”

  “What does that mean anyway? Alei-tacht, a title or something?”

  “It means Planet-Killer. It was a name given to me during one of the wars with the Sects.” Danny waited for further explanation, maybe even another story. It didn’t come.

  “Okay… are you going to tell me what you did to get that name?”

  “No.”

  “When you say Sects, do you mean cultivators? Like that temple we started at?”

  “Yes.” Danny waited. He realized he would have to work for more.

  “Do Sect people not get along with the fairies?”

  “No.” The guide sighed as Danny, yet again, stared at him expectantly. “Cultivators stay in groups called the Sects, each one has their own specialty or identity. Likewise, Levelers join System factions. The two are always at odds.”

  “Oh. Does that mean we are going to be enemies or something?” Danny asked.

  The guide laughed. “No. At least, for your sake, I hope not. The fairies are mercenaries. We don’t usually start conflicts, although we do have many enemies…” Aspen trailed off.

  “Am I going to have to join one of these Sects when the Tutorial ends?”

  “You don’t have to, but—” A low bark interrupted them. Both of them quickly rose to their feet and looked towards the treeline. A [Level 25 Dreadwolf] was backing Danny’s newest companion down, closer to the camp, a deep, threatening growl coming from its throat. “Looks like you have a visitor. He doesn’t seem very happy with your new friend’s change of heart.”