Chapter 494
Chapter 494
“So I was basically created by the Whisperers, huh?” Jake said.
“It is true,” Mick said. “Had they not stepped in, had they not tampered with the Dark Void, it’s highly unlikely that you would’ve survived the transformation.”
“Why did they step in, though?” Jake asked. “Why turn me into a morphus?”
“Isn’t it obvious? They needed all the help they could get. I think I already told you that. And after witnessing what Owen could do, after seeing how much more powerful he was than any human, they wanted to create a similar being who would eventually lend them a hand in their war against their enemies.”
“But what about Owen? They already had one morphus, didn’t they? So why create another one? Or wasn’t one enough for them?”
“Probably not. And probably because they simply could. The battle against their enemies ain’t gonna be easy, so they need every ally they can get.”
“So they are building an army of morphuses?” Jake asked.
Mick chuckled. “Hardly. They learned how the Dark Void worked and how to manipulate it to improve the odds of survival for whoever got trapped inside. However, the Dark Void is extremely rare. It might be months before it materializes somewhere. So no, while the Whisperers would no doubt love to create an army of morphuses, that’s not gonna happen.
“Besides, every ally needs to be developed to their full potential, and achieving that, reaching the top level and maxing out everything, every skill and ability at their disposal, takes a lot of time. So no, it’s highly unlikely that they would be able to get another morphus anytime soon. They already have two on their side, and that’s plenty. Each of you is worth an army of humans, no matter how well-armed or well-equipped.”
Jake thought it was premature to say he was on the Whisperers’ side. So far, he knew next to nothing about them, much less about their enemies or even the nature of the conflict between the two sides.
And of course, there was still no guarantee that those voices in Mick’s head weren’t just a product of his imagination. Jake didn’t really believe that was the case, but even so, it was too early to completely dismiss such a possibility. After all, he still hadn’t seen a shred of proof that the Whisperers actually existed and didn’t just reside in Mick’s head.
Unaware of what Jake was thinking, Mick went on. “Watching Owen level up, evolve, and grow even stronger, the Whisperers became more and more convinced that even a single morphus on their side could make all the difference. But the problem was that Owen wasn’t free at the time. The Commander kept him on a short leash, and it was hard to tell whether Owen would ever be able to break free.
“Eventually, he did, not without my help, of course, but they still wanted to try creating another morphus. They wanted to see if they could actually adjust the anomaly the way they wanted. While they had learned how to do it in theory, they hadn’t yet had a chance to test it in practice, so they needed an opportunity to see whether it worked or not. So they kept their guard up, waiting for the Dark Void to manifest somewhere. Eventually, it happened in your city, and you were the one pulled into the anomaly. They attempted to improve the odds of your transformation into a morphus and were successful.
“That’s it, Jake. Now you know everything there is to know about the Whisperers. I have nothing else to add.”
“It’s been a while since I got turned,” Jake said. “But they never tried to contact me directly, not once. Why is that? They studied the Dark Void, learned how to manipulate it, and waited for who knows how long for the chance to put that knowledge to use. You could say they went out of their way to turn me, but when I transformed, when they finally got their own morphus like they wanted, they never even tried to speak to me. That’s weird.”
“You’re right, Jake, but I don’t know the answer. I can only guess. Perhaps they’ve been simply waiting for the right moment to talk to you. Perhaps they’re still watching you develop and evolve, waiting for you to grow strong enough to be of use to them.
“But I personally think they simply couldn’t. I think, whatever the reason, they can speak only to me. They never said whether there was anybody else they spoke to. They never said anything about that at all, but I imagine that, for all their power, creating a telepathic link isn’t easy. They never explained how it works, but making mental contact across who knows how much distance can’t be simple. And then there are their enemies, always searching for them. Maybe contacting more than one person would make them easier to detect.”
For a moment, Jake watched him in silence. The fact that Mick was the only one who could hear the Whisperers definitely wasn’t encouraging. While Jake wanted to believe him, while he wanted to believe his story wasn’t made up, Jake knew he was going to have Mick provide some proof that his story was true.
“Alright then,” Jake said. “So I’m here now. That’s what the Whisperers wanted, right?”
“That’s right, Jake. They clearly wanted us to work together, to become allies. We could help each other a great deal.”
“So what now? Have they told you what they want us to do?”
Mick said nothing for a few seconds. Then an apologetic smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“No,” he admitted. “They’re not speaking to me right now. But that’s alright. Like I told you before, they can’t afford to maintain constant contact.”
“Because of the risk of being detected. I remember.”
“Yes. But they’ll reach out eventually. We just have to wait. Maybe a few hours. Maybe a few days. But they’ll contact me.”
“Or months,” Jake put in.
“Well, I certainly hope it won’t take that long. You and I are finally together, which is exactly what they wanted. It wouldn’t make much sense for them to stay silent now. I’m sure they’ll contact me as soon as they can.”
Jake didn’t say anything. Again, Mick must have interpreted his silence in his own way, because he added, “Look, I can try to establish contact with them right now if you want.”
“You can do that?”
“Well, I’ve tried before. A few times, actually. But I’ve never managed to reach them on my own, unfortunately. Still, I keep trying. Maybe eventually I’ll succeed.”
“Or maybe they can hear you just fine but just choose not to answer.”
“Perhaps. Though I can’t fathom why. Maybe they need to take some precautions to establish a safe connection, and me randomly calling out to them is anything but safe? I don’t know. It’s hard to guess without knowing much about them and how this whole telepathic system works.”
Jake didn’t say anything.
“Alright, so I’m gonna try to contact them right now,” Mick said. “But I want to warn you not to get your hopes up.”
Without waiting for Jake to say anything, Mick raised a finger and closed his eyes. His eyebrows knitted together, and his face assumed a strained expression. His lips pressed together so tightly they formed a thin line. He was even humming, barely audible. Was this all for show? Or did this visual display actually reflect his mental effort?
Almost a full minute passed before Mick’s facial muscles relaxed and he opened his eyes.
“Nope,” he said. “No luck, Jake. I’m sorry. I tried as hard as I could, but the Whisperers didn’t answer.”
Jake kept silent.
“But that is fine, Jake,” Mick said. “As I said, they will contact me as soon as they get the chance. We just have to wait.”
“Alright then,” Jake said. “Let me know when they do.”
Having said that, he began to turn around.
“Jake, wait,” Mick called after him. “Where are you going?”
“I’m leaving.”
“What? But why?”
Jake stopped and turned to face Mick again.
“Because there’s not much for us to do right now, is there? The Whisperers want our help, but we have no way of knowing what exactly they want from us, right? All we know is that they want us to keep leveling up and getting stronger. So that’s what I’m gonna do. And when they reach out to you, give me a holler, and I’ll come back.”
“But I was hoping we could work together, Jake,” Mick said.
“What exactly are you talking about? What exactly does working together involve?”
“Well, for starters, I’d have to study you.”
“Study me, huh?”
“Yes. Believe me, it’d benefit both of us.”
“You’ve been studying Owen for a while now, so you should know a lot, if not everything, about beings like him and me by now.”
“That’s true. But the two of you are different subclasses of the morphus. You are a Corruptor, while Owen is a Devastator. The two of you have different kinds of abilities now. Thanks to Owen allowing me to study him, I was already able to invent a couple of devices for him. You saw Owen use them during your fight with the Titan, right? Those power boots are quite impressive, aren’t they?
“And those claws are quite powerful too, capable of even doing a number on the Ravage. Your natural weapons can’t do that, and neither can most conventional arms. Only the guns the Spartans use are capable of that, but both those guns and the power claws were invented by me, and both work on the same tech.
“The boots and claws were built around the abilities of a stage II morphus, which means both you and Owen can use them. But right now, I’m developing a new piece of tech based specifically on Devastator abilities, so only Owen will be able to use that one. And if you let me study you, I could create technology tailored specifically to you, enhancing your natural abilities or even giving you some new ones.”
Jake didn’t say anything. Despite himself, he couldn’t help but feel interested. The fact that Mick was able to invent some useful tech was hard to ignore. He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of tech Mick could develop for him.
Jake said nothing, but seeing that he stood still, no longer trying to leave, Mick must have realized Jake was on the fence.
“Sure enough, studying you, the Corruptor, a new subclass I’m unfamiliar with, would greatly speed up the advancement of my Fabrication skill, and a new section containing various pieces of tech designed specifically for your subclass would be unlocked. It’s a win-win for both of us. So what do you say, Jake?”