Vol. 2, Ch. 68: No Extra Credit
Rivilat Academy, Present Day…
No. No. I can’t write it like that. Wrong approach.
No. She won’t understand that. Another sentence was crossed out and omitted with a blob of ink.
Confound it.
A crumpled paper landed with a soft tumbling sound inside a metal grate trash bin, joining several other balled-up abandoned notes. Victor Serkin loathed the fact that he could shoot paper wads flawlessly into a basket from this distance, but couldn’t write a single damn letter.
Here he was, on a Friday night in his lab and office, trying to write a lifetime of regrets and confessions, and he couldn’t find the words that fully expressed the events from years ago. The bottle he’d kept on reserve for eighteen years had been reopened. The smoothly aged wine had been poured unceremoniously into the glass tumbler on his desk. The bottle was halfway full, or halfway underappreciated, by his measure.
The philosopher teachers down the hall might have a more refined take on the state of it. Tumbler half full or empty? All he knew was that this was one occasion that warranted opening this keepsake.
With the words failing him, he sat down unhappily by his desk, the glow of a small, arcane lantern illuminating his desk and chair, its green shade dimming the light to a comfortable level. He leaned back and listened to the wood and metal creak as he rocked it gently for a moment. He glanced at his desk, frowning.
There was a stack of overdue papers in one inbox. Student assignments sat ungraded in another. Research notes on souls and the Interface sat uncompiled in a tray; all of those should rank higher.
All that had been shoved down as unimportant priorities in the wake of Risha’s death, and the decision by Resalio to keep it under wraps for the moment. An argument that Serkin had lost, after Neska and the others departed.
He'd screamed all their peers deserved to know. She warned that Neska's presence here needed to be protected as much as possible. A reason Serkin didn't fully agree with. Neska needed allies and unfettered access to every resource.
The wine seemed more understanding, at least. He took a sip from the tumbler and let out a grunt of annoyance. I understand Resalio’s reasoning, but it still hurts.
Risha had always been a step ahead of them. Her research, her means of convincing others, and rigorous training all improved the Awakened's life expectancy. Her research had saved lives.
All the necessary steps she took to ensure humanity’s survival. Even at a great cost.
He knew she blamed herself for the current predicament. He initially expressed some skepticism, as if the machinations of a mad king and thousands of willing participants were something within her control. Yet, he knew she was driven by overwhelming guilt about the Sundering. It had driven her to extremes to stop the invasion, and with all her efforts, she may have been the one to find the missing piece needed to turn the war around.
He glanced at his notes from that day. Of what she'd said to him, the day of her departure, nearly three years ago. A confession that had stunned him.
"Lachmir accomplished exactly what he wanted to, because my discovery made it possible. I was a fool to trust the words of a man who claimed benevolence.
"I doomed the world for love."
Those words had echoed in his mind since that day. She hadn’t elaborated. He thought she’d exaggerated. Risha could be like that, taking on burdens that didn’t belong on her shoulders. He crumpled the partially finished note and tossed it into the basket.
One small flame blast later, the confessions of his soul were ash.
Neska’s arrival changed everything. And just like that, everything fell into place. The why he'd pondered for several years might have an answer, now.
He still couldn’t forgive himself for lying to Neska. She deserves to know the truth. I’m the only one who probably knows it, now. Maybe Harvine pieced it together, but if she did, she has said nothing. Kalloway, too.
A resigned sigh escaped his lips, and he leaned back in the chair, looking out the window, at the arcane lights slowly coming to life along the pathways connecting the buildings. Risha, you bet it all on her. I would never forgive myself if she got herself killed finishing what you started: a way to fight the Varadur.
To end this fight for good.
He sat up in his chair, with the ironclad thought ringing in his mind. Of course, Risha found a way. She always did. Why did he ever doubt her? She just went down a path no one had expected, a way no sane person would.
A creak of wood drew his attention to the doorway. Frowning, he stood up from his chair and took a cautious stance. He thought the door was latched and locked.
Privacy wards weren’t triggered. Glass is intact, lock mechanism untampered with; otherwise, they’d have triggered that. He was on high alert, now. He doubted it was just building settling with occasional creaks and groans of stretching wood.
He tapped his lapel pin. Maybe it was time to tell her the truth. A truth he knew would be painful…and necessary.
After a brief exchange, Neska agreed to meet him in his office. Good. Her lapel indicated she was with others wearing the badges–a small security feature few knew about. It didn’t identify who, just a proximity sense for students and faculty nearby. Likely her friends, or maybe the others she arrived with.
He checked the door lock compulsively. Why did he feel increasingly uneasy in his office? His privacy and security wards were customized, and few would be able to breach them without leaving signs.
He returned to his desk and put the tumbler on the surface. Something felt wrong about the room.
There were too many shadows. The room seemed unnaturally dark, even with his desk lamp running like usual, this far into the evening.
Too late. The motion registered in the corner of his vision as the mana bolt flew toward the source, impacting the writing board in an explosion of blue sparks, missing the target.
The next thing he felt was a pinch at the back of his neck, beneath his hair, and then a radiating numbness. His limbs went slack as all motor control left his body. He collapsed into a heap on the floor.
No. He could breathe, but just barely. The numbness left him unable to feel anything. Paralytic. Injection at the back of my neck. I can't move. Possible respiratory impairment.
This is not good.
The best he could manage was to shift his head weakly, his cheek already bruising from the fall.
Then, a quiet laugh, and a mocking clap, as a figure walked into the illumination of his desk lamp. Their body remained dark, silhouetted against the light source. A humanoid.
Definitely not a human, though. The voice was wrong, too guttural, and the person’s limbs were digitgrade. He couldn’t make much else out. And that mocking laugh…this came across as something well planned.
“Serkin. Working too hard?” The figure walked to the bottle at the desk, their face a blur of dark contrast. “Oh, that bottle is such a waste. All to drown your sorrows pining over one woman?”
He could barely speak. The paralytic made it impossible to get out more than a mumbled whisper, as the figure didn't wait for a response. “You know what, keep lying there, buddy. Oh, that's the venom doing its work. Terrible shame this one isn't recognized by many. The thing is, they'll recognize the little bit of nightshade you added to the bottle. Or I added. Similar pharmacological effects to elderwood. Little chance of being picked up post-mortem.”
“Why…” he managed to gasp out.
“Why? Because you let in a false idol, that’s why. Wittingly or not, you’ve created difficulties for some.” The words carried an arrogant sneer. “Difficulties we’re going to have to remedy.”
Who is this? They must know about Neska if they know about Risha’s death. “Risha’s work…will be completed.”
The figure snarled. “Wrong. Her research and efforts present a threat to everyone as a whole, just like they always have. Not that it matters to you. I’ll tell you exactly how this will play out: They’re going to see you, dead on the floor, and see the bottle of wine you opened. Oh, hold up, I need to get you positioned.”
The figure wore a black face mask. Only a glimmer of venom green eyes stared back at him. The figure easily hoisted them to their feet, dragging his limp body across to the chair, where he was roughly propped into it. The figure then took the bottle and placed it further away, deliberately spilling the tumbler on the small accent carpet, whistling as if this were as routine as doing chores. Then he opened the desk drawer and placed a small vial inside, hidden at a glance, but not so hidden that it couldn’t be found.
“Ah, there we go. About another five minutes or so. Meantime, do be a good sport…who else knows about Risha? Her death?”
“Go to the hells.” His whispered insult was barely stronger than a breeze. He had to survive long enough to get out a warning to Neska and her friends. He'd already triggered his [Arcane Regeneration], but it might only buy a few minutes, at best.
The figure let out a grunt of annoyance. “Stoic, huh. Well, that’s okay. I’ll dismantle Risha’s legacy, a bit at a time. How do you think they found her in the first place?”
They? The mimicoids dressed as Seekers? He feigned a weak head tilt, perspiration dripping off his body now, and his skin was feverish. “Your…work?”
“Yours." He tapped the arcane relay on Serkin's desk. "Sound familiar?"
Oh no. But how?
"You're wondering how, I imagine? It's not easy to reverse engineer the signal on these devices, especially since she never responded. But we narrowed it down to near the skirmish line with enough unanswered calls, then flushed her out with a few useful Varadur, who by the way, are no real friends of ours; just tools to weaken humanity and themselves enough that we come out on top at the end. Of course, one of our own grew a conscience and abandoned his duties, delaying that response; otherwise, Risha would have been dead long before she became a problem. ”
Wait. Abandoned duties? Jurik mentioned an unaccounted-for Mirage Serpent...could it be them?
The figure adjusted Serkin’s collar to be less ruffled. Posing him even before he died? What an arrogant move. “You know something, Victor? You earned this. You and all the soul butchers had no compunction about sacrificing countless lives to save humanity. But that bitch went too far and found something she wasn’t supposed to find. Now, all the Varadur will get wrecked, and that leaves us without leverage over humanity. We were supposed to be the chosen, the best of the best; as soon as the Varadur are gone, we'll be next: all the Awakened, because we're monsters, or loose ends, or both. We're just trying to survive, because we know what death feels like: it is cold, unkind, and cruel."
The figure leaned in, icy eyes narrowed. “You know what she found. What she had to do to get it. Where did she hide it?”
"Hide...what?" Serkin racked his brains for an answer. Risha had been on edge for the two years before her departure. Every major event played out in his head, every moment of tension.
Every tragedy.
And it dawned on him what this assailant was after:
The core.
The Tier five mana core. It was the only object that could warrant such desperation. He knew she lied about being destroyed. She kept it–of course she did. She never would have passed on something so powerful. The creature she had slain to get it killed most of her expedition team, and left her, Serkin, and two others alive.
The core was the only logical explanation for Neska’s uncanny powers, even at Tier two, and her own heritage Serkin had theorized on. A heritage he would take to his grave.
This knowledge of the core needed to die with him. “Destroyed. She was paranoid,” he wheezed. “Didn’t…trust us.”
The looming figure dressed in black smiled behind their mask, or at least, the mask creased upward. “There is absolutely no way she'd be so stupid as to destroy her best hope; hell, I'm more amazed she didn't use it on herself. The bitch might have been crazy, but she was crazy and dangerous. Who'd she use it on? The snake that showed up? You know she looked just like--"
Serkin heard shattering glass behind him, then voices as he turned to see Neska landing, with the mouse and the veteran warrior.
Panic. A startled reaction by his assailant, and his vision blurred. Serkin’s vision wavered, and he saw the room fill with shadowy smoke as the assailant used an ability. Seconds later, he saw Neska and the assailant go through the window to the ground below.
The room around him faded–he didn't know how much time passed. Juni, and the new man, Jurik, the veteran knelt by him, trying to keep him awake.
Why keep fighting?
Images transitioned in and out like a slideshow. Jurik, asking him if he saw what species of reptiloid had attacked him, trying to narrow down the venom type
Juni, pointing out the hemorrhage. The world was so blurry.
Then, another shattering of glass, and a shimmer of green and blue scales crouching next to him. Then he saw bright green eyes, a voice achingly familiar to him, but a body unlike hers. Who…
Neska. Risha’s Awakened.
Her prodigy.
All sound around him was muffled, as if cotton-eared. He could barely hear and couldn’t move. He saw the lamia move toward him, examining his eyes, checking for wounds along his body.
“Neska, I’m so sorry.” The words were a struggle. “Risha's death is on me.”
Of course it was. The magical communications he’d sent, gone unanswered…he’d beamed her position. He didn’t think about it until his surroundings began to unravel and fade around him.
Neska would be picking up the pieces for the sins of others.
She ignored his mumblings and instead opened her mouth, fangs extended. “Don't panic, it's going to be alright.”
Two punctures on his neck. The numbness stopped spreading. Then warmth spread from his neck, outwards.
His world darkened, but he knew…this might not be the end.
Risha…you’d be proud of how much she takes after you…
Jurik pushed Neska out of the way seconds after she had injected her anti-venom countermeasure into Serkin’s neck, trying to wake the man. He checked his pulse first, nodding silently.
Then he put an ear to his chest, listening intently, and his brow furrowed. He let out a sigh of relief a few seconds later. “He’s stable. For now. What did you do, Neska?”
“I gave him [Love Bites.] Technically, it's my venom acting in reverse order and healing rather than harming, but my Interface came up with a rather…quirky name.”
Jurik stared at her, stark-faced. “Was that a joke? No, no, it probably wasn't, from what I know of you. But love bites? I think you need to change the name.”
“Why?”
Jurik thrust his hand toward the unconscious man. “He's your professor? Surely you see how that could be misinterpreted?”
He had a point. That might sound a touch too awkward. “Antivenom bite it is, then.”
The other name is so much better.
Vivi, not now!
Juni ran over with a syringe filled with a pale yellow fluid, already tapping out a liquid from the tip. “Her ability neutralizes toxins and heals damage. She demonstrated this with Sergeant Corvin a couple of days ago. We'll have to get you up to speed. I think Serkin still has hemorrhage, and that can be fatal if left unchecked.”
“Damn. If that isn't a handy power. Having an emergency heal like that is always in high demand.” Jurik tapped his lapel. “Jurik to Chief healer Selkie, how far away are you?”
“I’m almost there, hold tight!” The healer's voice crackled over the arcane device.
Seconds later, the door to Serkin's office burst open, and chief healer Selkie rushed in, carrying a medical bag and forcibly pushing Neska and Jurik away. She found it odd that the small healer had such surprising strength, considering Neska was a rather large individual.
“Describe his wounds, what venom?” Selkie asked, checking the man’s abdomen, chest, then his head, and opened his eyes to check for a response. “Stable but unconscious. Light internal bleed, possible bleeding on the brain. The toxin seems to have broken down already. But how?”
“Reptiloid venom. But I think I neutralized it with one of my abilities,” Neska added hastily. “I don't know if the attacker was an Awakened or just a humanoid with a grudge. Hadley pursued them while I double-backed here when Jurik told me he wasn't looking good.”
The healer finished her quick examination and then motioned for Juni's syringe. “Yes, this is the correct application. Inject there at his neck, while I do my work here on his abdominal cavity. There is some hemorrhage. He's a mess, and I can't say I know what the rest of him looks like.”
More people rushed in, including Captain Nevin and several other militia members. “What happened here? Is everyone all right?”
“Serkin is stable, but I need to get him to the medical wing right away. Get a stretcher.” Sharp and rapid fire, Selkie gave instructions to the militia members, while also placing her hands over his abdomen.
Her hands glowed light green and remained nearly motionless, only faint twitches of her fingers visible. Then she did the same with his chest and his skull. “Light bleeding on the brain, for sure, but this isn't the worst I've seen. The venom appears to be inactive. Cassia,” she said for emphasis, “what ability did you use?”
“An antivenom that my body can produce. It's a new ability.” She just hoped that it worked broadly, and not against her specific kind of venom.
“Do me a favor? Save me a sample of it, in the name of arcanist science.” She waved angrily at the others after thanking Neska. “Don’t gawk, get him to the emergency center, and get Milson, wherever she is, right now!”
Within seconds, the militia had gently hoisted Serkin onto a stretcher and carried him out the door. Selkie kept her hand steady over his body, trying to work to amend the damage, even while in motion.
Captain Nevin let out a sigh of relief, then glanced at the trio gathered in the room. “Thank goodness he's at least alive. Now, could someone explain to me what exactly happened here?”
“A reptiloid attacked the professor, and I think he was trying to stage what looked like a suicide.” Neska pointed to the open wine bottle. “He then put something aside, I couldn't see what it was, then I think he put something in his drawer. No one touched anything in the room.”
Nevin glanced at the desk and opened the drawer. He pulled out a small, unlabeled vial. He uncorked it and took a sniff, then frowned before sealing it up. “Not sure what it is, I’ll have Sakiri identify this right away. Where were you during all this?”
Neska pointed to her lapel. “Serkin gave us a call minutes before he was attacked, and it sounded like he was distressed or knew there was someone after him. I nearly cornered the bastard, but he’s got a shadow walk that makes pinning him down difficult. He was about six feet tall, with green reptiloid scales, and wore a face mask. I could make out green eyes and pebbled skin.”
“Lamia?”
“No. He had legs. I assume it was a he,” Neska answered. “Hadley pursued while I returned to aid.”
Nevin sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “And where is Hadley right now?”
“I'm here."Hadley walked into the room, looking fatigued, and also bore a couple of scuff marks across her arms and face. “So, bad news: rather than be captured, he jumped off the cliff."
Nevin's eyes widened. “So, will I be recovering a corpse, then, at the bottom of the cliffs?”
“No, worse. A griffin mount grabbed him in the air and carried him off north. I managed at least to sink an arrow into the bastard's leg before he took off. The griffin looked like one of the ones from the academy stable. I have to ask: is the professor alright?”
Jurik nodded. “Neska was able to neutralize the venom at the last second, but we don't know the full extent of the damage.”
“Good. I made the right call.” Hadley winced as she rubbed at a bruise on her jaw. “Get me a griffin mount, I’ll track the son of a bitch.”
Nevin grunted. “He could be miles from here by now. Hadley, get checked out by medical, then debrief. I’ll send an airborne squad to pursue. We’ll find them.”
He regarded the others. “Let's get you patched up, then. I think we've got a long night ahead of us. I need full details of what happened here and how an assassin managed to breach Rivilat. Or if this is an external breach at all.”
Neska felt her spine shiver. This never got easier when the enemies were possibly already inside the walls.
Juni let out a frustrated growl, throwing up her hands. "Seriously, every time we think we're gaining ground, shit like this happens. Tell me we at least get extra credit for Serkin not dying. I'd take that, if nothing else!"
"I don't think--" Nevin started to say, but Neska wagged her tail for him to stop, giving him a look that said 'drop it.' "Either way, head to medical, get checked out."
Neska, keep this between you and me. I think there was something odd about our target. I was only able to get a brief ID tag. Couldn't get the species, but, there is a title that registered.
Lay it on me, Vivi. Does this relate to how you can identify monsters?
In part. He had a Title I was able to read. It's a very odd one.
Acolyte of the Chained Serpent.