Chapter 278
“Marcus, I don’t know what to say,” Kyle began, before he was cut off by a wave of the Originator’s hand.
“Don’t say anything. Compared to the work on C.H.A.D.D.’s upgrades, this was nothing at all. Like I said, I don’t want to see some of my finest work squandered with substandard resources.”
Through Pack Leader’s Instinct, Kyle felt a sense of shock and awe from C.H.A.D.D., who was currently in the process of integrating the new functions through the pack.
[THIS IS QUITE A GENEROUS GIFT, MR. KULHAVEY. THANK YOU.]
Old advice came to Kyle’s mind, shared with him by none other than his grandfather. Remember, Kyle, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. “Marcus,” Kyle said. “This is incredibly generous, but this is too much for a gift. I don’t have a lot of excess credits now, but I’d like to pay you at least something for it.”
The older man raised a hand, voice taking a sterner tone. “I told you before, Kyle, your grandfather was one of the best men I ever knew. He did right by me, and as far as I’m concerned our accounts never got quite balanced. Consider this my way of getting square with him.”
Kyle smiled, a deep sense of pride in Clark’s legacy welling in his chest. “Then I’ll settle for a thank you. We’ll be back again, Marcus. And if you ever find yourself in need of a Courier, I’m sure I can work with the Guild to get you a discounted rate; at least from me.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Kyle.” Marcus paused for a moment, his smile fading as his face took a serious expression before he continued. “If you’ll indulge an old man, just for a moment, be careful out there. You’ve found yourself on some dangerous paths, Kyle. From what I’ve seen, you seem hell-bent on continuing down them, which is your prerogative. Just remember that there’s nothing wrong with a peaceful life. Misguided though we might have been, that’s why we established the Central Authority before we left. To give people a chance to live in peace.”
Kyle would be lying if he said it didn’t sound tempting. With the looming threat of Zierlan should he progress too far, nobody would blame him for choosing a quieter road. He’d considered it often through this past year, completing jobs where he was able. It was calm, it was stable, it was peaceful. But it wasn’t him. There was an itch, a longing to grow, to pursue more. To see what was beyond D Grade, and what else was out there in the universe.
Looking at Marcus’s eyes, he could tell the Originator understood. Though their pursuits were different, they each felt driven to pursue their paths, to push the boundaries of what they could achieve. Even though Marcus was right; that a quiet life was worth pursuing, both men knew that it wasn’t right for them.
Still, he appreciated Marcus’s concern. In many ways, he could see his grandfather’s influence in Marcus. Hell, he half expected that Marcus had given Clark a similar speech, which was why the old man stuck around on Earth. And I’m really glad he did. Kyle smiled, and extended his hand to Marcus. “I appreciate it. It’s good advice. If and when the time comes, I’ll remember it. In the meantime, I’ll be back to swap stories and share a drink. Thank you again, Marcus. For everything.”
The older man grabbed Kyle’s hand, his grip like iron. “I would very much enjoy that. Take care of yourself, Kyle.”
Kyle could tell that Marcus wasn’t much for extended goodbyes, and he excused himself.
[HE IS A GOOD MAN,] C.H.A.D.D. said, as they approached the teleporter to get back to the Hub.
“He really is,” Kyle replied. “I don’t know what happened between him and the other Originators, but I’m glad that he’s still around.”
[HE DID NOT SHARE EVERYTHING WITH ME; HOWEVER, I GET THE SENSE THAT HE TRULY HOPES THAT THEY ARE GONE.]
“I still wonder why he built those mechs in the first place,” Kyle wondered out loud. “If he constructed them back on Earth, it had to have been incredibly resource-intensive.”
[UNDOUBTEDLY. HOWEVER, THOSE ARE QUESTIONS FOR ANOTHER DAY. SHALL WE GO HOME, DR. MAYHEW?]
A few hours later, Kyle found himself back at his apartment. He’d been back fairly often between completing jobs, though this was C.H.A.D.D.’s first time back in almost a year.
“How does it feel to be home, C.H.A.D.D.?”
[IT IS PLEASANT; ALTHOUGH I HALF-EXPECTED THAT JARBERRY WAS GOING TO BE HERE WAITING FOR US.]
Kyle smiled at the thought of his diminutive mentor. Jarberry had been conspicuously absent over the last year, though from what little he’d heard, the imp had some projects of his own that were keeping him away.
“I’m sure that he’ll be very interested in your upgrades, when the time comes.”
[IT IS MY SINCERE HOPE THAT I WILL BE ABLE TO BRING THE TOPIC UP PROACTIVELY.]
“Oh?” Kyle said. “Somebody’s getting confident. Do you really think the new components will let you detect him?”
[I AM NOT ENTIRELY SURE, BUT I AM HOPEFUL. BUT WE HAVE MORE PRESSING MATTERS. HE WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL AFTER OUR TRIP TO THE RAZORPINE FOREST.]
“You say that as if we’re leaving soon.” Kyle teased, well-aware of the drone’s excitement.
[I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ANY REASON TO DELAY, DO YOU?] C.H.A.D.D. asked.
“That depends on how long you think you’ll need to adjust to your upgrades.”
[THERE IS NO BETTER WAY TO ADJUST THAN TO TEST THEM IN THE FIELD.]
“Then it’s a good thing that I’ve already got us the permits. We’ll take off in the morning.”
~~~
“Mr. Mayhew, welcome to Filmir. On behalf of the Archdrake Supremacy, let me thank you once again for your handling of the outlaw Ger’Sinh.” The human woman stood outside the teleporter, dressed in ornate robes. She had pale skin and dark hair, with a streak of gray running along the left side of her face. From what Kyle could tell, she was a decently-ranked member of the Archdrake Supremacy’s hierarchy, and possessed respectable power as well. Upper E Grade at least, he thought, though her aura felt odd to him. Still, he decided not to press the issue, being as he was standing at the teleporter.
They stood on an ornate teleportation platform, with towering buildings all around. The temperature was cool, with rolling gray clouds in the sky above. Filmir was an interesting planet, with only a few large settlements. The rest of the planet was untamed wilderness, the harsh environment making it nearly inhabitable.
He offered a respectful bow in greeting, erring on the side of more formal language. “I thank you, and the Supremacy for your hospitality, and allowing me to see the razorpine forests. I look forward to seeing what else Filmir has to offer.”
“Of course, Mr. Mayhew. My name is Eileera, and I will be serving as your liaison during your time here. I’ll have my information added to your nav bracelet, although I expect that you’d prefer to go to your lodge?”
Kyle blinked, taken aback at the comment. “I didn’t realize that there a lodge waiting. I was of the understanding that I’d be responsible for finding accommodations after arrival.”
Eileera smiled. “That was originally the plan, yes. After hearing who was coming to visit, however, Soffrinax, the dragon overseer of the razorpine forests, instructed us to offer you the treatment reserved for an honored guest. Before you leave, I’m certain that he would be interested in meeting you.”
Kyle suppressed a moment of panic at the comment, keeping his expression neutral. “I am honored by his hospitality, and would gladly attend a meeting, should it not inconvenience His Eminence.”
“Then we will be in touch to arrange the details, should she wish it” Eileera said smoothly. “In the meantime, a private teleporter has been prepared to take you to the commercial district on the outskirts of the razorpine forest. The lodge is a short distance from there.”
Saying his farewells, Kyle followed Eileera’s instructions, soon finding himself atop a teleporter overlooking a quaint mountain town. The market district below was bustling with activity, but Kyle’s eyes were drawn to the horizon. Without towering buildings obstructing the view, Kyle got his first proper look at Filmir, and the razorpine forests.
The landscape was made up of various shades of gray stone, jagged peaks of mountains visible at the edge of Kyle’s vision. Thick clouds swirled in the sky above, a common occurrence across Filmir, if the notes could be believed. The relatively monochrome backdrop created even more of a contrast as he looked at the razorpine forest. Brilliant yellows, golds, and oranges dominated the landscape, with some of the largest trees boasting bright crimson crowns that held dominion over the others.
The trees didn’t form dense thickets, leaving plenty of space between each razorpine. Even from this distance, Kyle could see craters and pits dotting the landscape in between. Very little grew across the surface of the planet, though from what Kyle read, the gentle drizzles that were commonplace included nutrient-rich water that the trees in turn absorbed.
He half-suspected that there was a thriving ecosystem beneath the planet’s surface, like he’d seen early on in his Practicum, but that wasn’t an avenue he planned on exploring, at least not yet. Instead, he pulled up his nav bracelet, looking at the instructions to his lodge.
[CAN WE GO TO THE FOREST NOW, DR. MAYHEW?] C.H.A.D.D. asked hopefully.
“Once we’ve gotten settled,” Kyle promised. “Before that, I want to check out the lodge, and see what other accommodations are around. Depending on the type of training we get into, we want to make sure we know what facilities are available to us.” Through Pack Leader’s Instinct, Kyle sent a feeling of caution. If the dragon overseer of the planet had taken an interest in his arrival, there was no way to know if ulterior motives were at play. Plus, the Archdrake Supremacy tended to look poorly upon D Grades who had fought and killed C Grades; given that many of those individuals were dragon hunters. While Kyle had improved at suppressing those parts of his natural aura in the past year, a C Grade dragon would easily be able to tell.
[VERY WELL, DR. MAYHEW. PLEASE BE QUICK ABOUT IT.]
Following the map, they soon came upon the lodges. There were a half-dozen, each on their own overlook at the edge of the forest. From what Kyle could tell, they were spaced nearly a kilometer apart to offer plenty of privacy, something Kyle appreciated.
“Is anything coming up on your sensors?” Kyle whispered as he walked up the path to his own lodge.
[NOTHING AT ALL, DR. MAYHEW. BETWEEN THE NOTES FROM JARBERRY AND THE NEW SENSORS, I BELIEVE IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO OBSCURE SURVEILLANCE FORMATIONS, AT LEAST AT D OR C GRADE.]
Kyle nodded, trusting C.H.A.D.D.’s instinct. The comment may have sounded arrogant, but Kyle knew that it was born from true expertise. After its upgrades, C.H.A.D.D.’s ability to scan and identify mana-based inscriptions in an area was truly top-notch. If the drone thought it had a chance at detecting Jarberry, Kyle had no doubt that it could detect inscription work by most anybody else.
The lodge itself was luxurious; a spacious kitchen, bedrooms, and living quarters, as well as a set of medicinal baths in the basement and a viewing room looking out at the forest. The occasional muffled explosion could be heard from the midst of the sea of colors, evidence of the razorpines’ propagation. Their goal was a simple one; get out into the forest, and drain mana from expended razorpine seeds that failed to take root.
Selfishly, Kyle was planning on giving his Adaptive Regeneration more opportunities to refine his Enhanced Carapace. His skin was already ridiculously tough, but he’d done little to temper it against shockwaves and piercing. Even if Adaptive Regeneration only helped a bit, every improvement was meaningful.
[ARE THE LODGINGS TO YOUR SATISFACTION, DR. MAYHEW?]
“They are, C.H.A.D.D. Now, let’s go see what the razorpines are all about.”