Winter Dread, page 9
Shade Brain – 1 in a million, you managed to not only keep your memories, but you can also hide them. Your character sheet is elusive to even the strongest of will. UPGRADED - No one can penetrate your Shade now!
Spells - Active - Intensive Healing = Requires Kenosi of Rank 50
These new spells increase not only the strength and speed of your healing, but the distance you can use it.
Spells - Passive - Slow Fire Healing = Requires Kenosi of Rank 120
Spells - Passive - Medium Fire Healing = Requires Kenosi of Rank 150
Spells - Passive - Rapid Fire Healing = Requires Kenosi of Rank 200
Spell - Active - Lightning Fury – Requires Kenosi of Rank 20 – Damage increased by 50%
Particle projectile cannon
Uses energy direct from Kenosi reserves
Can store within battery compartments to aid when needed
Special attributes – when inside a mech it will enlarge to the size needed by its soul bonded owner
Debt to Darkness - Owed - He will not forget
Yun
Sitha Male
Level 71
Health = 98%
Strength = 164
Constitution = 90
Dexterity = 60
Intelligence = 57
Wisdom = 19
Charisma = 22
Luck = 20
Kenosi = Rank Unknown – draws from his bonded partner and the denti master.
Special Attributes
Made within the shadows, born of noble blood, all Sitha are sacred creatures to never be harmed. They are loyal to the core, respected by all species. Hurt or maim one, and your life energies will suffer until you can do something to redeem yourself. Chances are, you never will.
Abilities = Skilled Keix = Level 60 = Skilled swordsman. Once kenosi is harnessed, this Sitha is a killer. Nothing can withstand the sharpness of his blade or the strength with which he will wield it in your defence.
It was amazing to see Yun there once more. Relief flooded through me.
The doctor’s face lit up. “This is fascinating, and you really haven’t been here for too long either. There’s a piece of missing timeline, though?”
I nodded, “Yes, about a year. I do have some memories of it now. It’s mostly empty.”
The speed and height of the treadmill had notched up some. I wasn’t being pushed too hard as yet.
The base line of my heart rate and levels popped up as the doctor focussed on what I was doing. “Kenosi holding steady. You’re pretty fit, which is good. I’ll turn it up a notch and try to tax the kenosi at the same time. You will feel a little sting and drain. It shouldn’t be too horrid.”
“Okay, thanks.”
I waited to feel something. The speed increased and the inclination. It pushed my body slightly, heart rate increasing, and then I felt it. A slight sting. Just as he’d said.
There was indeed a slight drain. Nothing I couldn’t deal with. It wasn’t hurting or causing me major strain or stress.
I watched as he looked over my sheet, and he made notes on a data pad. When the treadmill turned up a notch once more, I felt the drain on my kenosi raise too.
Heart rate and breathing were both still okay, though.
“How you feeling?” Dr Herin asked, meeting my eyes.
I noted the scar to his left cheek. The bit of stubble he obviously couldn’t shave correctly around it. “Fine,” I replied. I did feel fine. I watched him glance to Lance. “Something wrong?”
He shook his head. I could clearly see there was. I looked around to see if I could see anyone else. Flickering above us now, a shield shone around us.
I watched Dr Herin punched the machine up some more and I was now at a pretty good pace. The drain on my kenosi still hadn’t moved much.
I could see the puzzling questioning on the doctor’s face, and this time instead of the treadmill, he moved something else instead.
This time I felt a pull on my kenosi, and it dropped a significant notch.
“Ah, that’s better,” he said. “I thought there was something wrong with the machine.” Then his face changed once again as instead of my kenosi drain still occurring, it rose back up to normal levels. “That’s impossible.”
I could do nothing now but concentrate on my breathing and what I was doing to stay on course. I managed to say to the two of them, though: “Keep going, turn it up some more.”
“I’m not sure if something goes wrong, our shielding will hold at this level,” Dr Herin said, his forehead scrunching.
“We need to know how far you can push him.” Lance raised an eyebrow, and I could see sweat beading on the end of his nose. Man, they were seriously worried. “Maybe we should wait till everyone else has gone.”
“Most of them are already done. Maybe you should get them back to the bunks?”
“I can organise it; I’ll return in a few minutes.”
When he left, I asked the doctor straight. “What is so weird about me?”
“I’ll show you, before he comes back because . . .”
An image appeared before me.
Two separate 3D scales. There was a vast difference for a while, then the top one moved and matched it perfectly.
“This is Commander Dray’s testing when he first came to us.” He pointed to the bottom line.
“And this is the exact same test?” I asked, noting where the changes were and the increase in gradient in the notes.
“Correct, you are the top line.”
I was no scientist in kenosi, or knew how they measured it, any of it. But that image. Wow. It was as if we were running straight, and then there was a sudden hill for him, and I just carried on, up and up.
A moment later and Lance was back. “Everyone has left, we’re clear. General Veti has been informed. Let’s see how far you can push him.”
“I don’t know if I should be intrigued or worried for your safety,” I said.
“I don’t think you’d want to hurt us,” Lance said. “But I do want to know what you are capable of.”
I snickered. “I would like to understand myself a bit more too. Turn it up.”
The doctor pushed forwards on the dials. “Here we go. You tell me if anything is too much, okay?”
“Will do.” The inclination on the treadmill rose up some. And then I could admit I struggled to keep concentrating. There was a sharp pain across my chest, and I saw the kenosi on the line before me drop a ton. “More,” I said.
He did exactly as I asked. The drain on my kenosi was a sharp line downwards. My heart rate was through the roof. 182 and I wasn’t sure how much more I could push myself in that regard, either.
The drain was more than a dull ache now though, painful enough to know that it was hurting a lot.
“How are you feeling now?” Dr Herin asked.
“It hurts, but it’s not crippling.” Sweat ran in rivers down my back. My clothes were soaked, I was sure.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. I can’t push him anymore. There’s no way to measure the kenosi potential he actually has.” Dr Herin said.
“What level draw does he have?” Lance asked.
“He’s got double if not triple that draw, grand master.”
“That’s . . . phenomenal!” Lance took a double take.
“Not compared to you.” He tapped the screen for me, my levels steadied off again.
We both watched as my continual line on the 3D image just stayed as it was, now fixed. The drain had levelled off. Now it sat there ticking away at the same level that Lance’s had been.
“How long do you feel you could keep up that pace?” Lance asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t think for a huge amount of time. I can try if you really want to watch me and see.”
“Keep going for a while, yes.”
“Well, you guys better keep me entertained some then. I’d like to learn more about the six team mech merge.”
“Oh, you don’t know anything about us here. At all?” Dr Herin asked.
I shook my head.
“He guessed with some luck, I think,” Lance said. “But I’m surprised the general didn’t send over the welcome training packages. However, we can run through it all now. If you’re willing to listen?”
“I might not always answer,” I said between breaths. “I will concentrate on what you’re telling me. What the view is out there on the battlefield, fill me in on what you legally can. Don’t break any trust.”
“Well then, I’d like to see the stats and all the results of your team. I know I am allowed to show you those.” Dr Herin said.
“Go for it. I need to know anyway.”
The 3D screen before me grew, and the full twenty-six sections of my team members appeared. Each like mine had two lines. “Using Lance for comparison still?”
Lance looked to the doctor. “Still?”
“Yes, commander. Your skill is, well, was still top of the charts till we met Kyle.”
“Can you show me the top six then down, bar me?” I asked.
Punching in a few more keys, he brought up the six screens. Other than myself, the top two were Los and Quill. Tyto, and surprisingly, Spike and Evia. “Really interesting, this is their kenosi potential?”
“Yes,” Lance said. “The top six are capable of grand master level. In fact, all of those you brought with you are. The M-Wolves I am very interested in.”
“You think they can breach grand master?”
“Yes, much like you, their level potential is a lot higher than even Commander Lance, who has up to now, broken all records here.”
“Damn,” he chuckled. “I feel bad, no longer at the top.”
My footing slipped because I almost laughed with him. I fought to keep my balance. “I don’t think I’m too much farther off blowing this now. But tell me about the big merge, please.”
Lance moved this time and pulled up a different image.
“This is the mega merge. We kind of never had a great term for it, so it is what it is.”
“There are thirty-six minds to connect to this, and all thirty-six must sync up really well. That means their kenosi and their thoughts.”
“I can imagine that’s pretty tough. You’re a grand master?” I asked and looked at Lance.
“I am. I’ve been teaching and merging the mega mech for several years.”
My heart rate, though steady now at a much lower beat, rose up a few notches. More from the thoughts of stress with all those minds to cope with, especially if I didn’t know them.
“How often do you need new teams?” I asked.
“We don’t go through anywhere near as many as you’re thinking. Though this training base is huge. These men here will last a long, long time. I’ve never known a team to be exterminated.”
“I am glad to hear that.”
“We are however constantly training, Kyle. The breach grows all the time.”
That made me feel better, at least for the potential life loss. But the idea it was getting bigger didn’t. My kenosi dipped again, and I’d technically had enough. I wanted to keep them talking on the mega merge though. I pushed onwards. “Who are you thinking of setting us with?”
“General Veti has split someone else’s team.” Lance’s face paled, he did add. “They’re really not happy about it. But she gave them a choice who would work with you.”
“And we got?”
“Someone with a lot of potential. Honestly though, we really are going to be more interested in investing in you with scores like yours.”
“Will everyone know these?” I pointed to my kenosi as it dipped once more, and the doctor finally moved to lower the treadmill.
“No, these are for the team leads only. Which technically you aren’t, but I am more than sure you will be.”
“Thank you for the confidence.” I breathed in deep and leaned on the side bars of the machine. Lance handed me a towel to wipe myself off, then passed me a drink. “I do not think this is going to be easy though.”
“No, neither do Ohara and myself. The way you handled her when you landed . . .”
“Oh.” The doctor’s face flashed curiosity. “What did I miss?”
“Kyle was about to take his whole team back to Tolsa,” Lance said.
“What? Seriously?” The doctor crossed his arms.
“She wasn’t going to let me have all eighteen of us here, and I wasn’t letting anyone take them away.”
“You realise you’re still going to have to merge with others now though?”
“Yes, but at least it’s even numbers.”
“That is true. It was a good call on your part then, Kyle.” The doctor agreed with me. “We should get you to your bunk, showered, and then you can eat with the rest of your team.”
I patted my belly. “That sounds like a fantastic idea, especially with the energy I just used.”
“Thank you for letting us see what we could get, even if you didn’t tap out.”
“I’m glad I didn’t. I’m almost worried what that might actually be at.”
“All I can tell you, Kyle, is we’ve never seen anything like it. I’d be right in saying it was near godlike levels. Even if you aren’t sure how to control it all yet.”
I reached out, and we shook hands. “I am guessing I might see you a few times while I’m here, doctor.”
“You may well look after yourself and your team, Kyle. I’ll be watching you from the side-lines, and if I can get the general to assign me to your team personally, I will see to it that you have the best care available.”
“I don’t see that being a problem,” Lance said. “In fact, I think you’re going to be the only one who she will assign. If this gets out, how strong he can be? No one should want to test that out. I get a feeling someone if they see those results will not only want to test his team to the max, they’ll want to eliminate them.”
“Eliminate us?” I wasn’t sure I’d heard correctly. “As in kill?”
“Kyle, there’s not only fierce competition out here. There are other evil souls we keep in check because we have to, because if they weren’t here in the dark fighting, they’d be out there with regular people causing chaos in their own worlds.”
“I have a lot to learn, Lance. I am not afraid to learn it. If you’ll keep teaching, I’m here to learn, all of it, and all of the bad sides too. If they need watching, I want to learn what to look out for as well.”
I will introduce you to as many people as I can and tell you a little of who they are if we’re out of earshot.
“Thanks.” We moved to walk out of the med hall, and my feet wobbled slightly, used to running and then suddenly being so slow.
The doctor left us at the door. “I’ll see you around, Kyle Ranz.”
10
Lance led the doctor and I towards a building, and once inside, down a corridor towards the back end of it. There were two sets of doors at either side of us and then at the bottom end, seemingly a classroom. Looked like any other dormitory or place of learning.
“This is yours, all of it,” he said with a wave of his hand. “You need to sit down and think about how you want to run this, and how you want to display yourself. We’ve asked the other half of your mega to report to the parade ground outside at six in the morning. They eat at five p.m.” He checked the time. “You have a few hours in here to settle, then you eat at seven p.m.” He handed me a chip. “This has all the details on for contacting myself and Ohara. If there’s any major issues don’t hesitate.”
I reached for the side of my neck, knowing I still had a slot with the AI implant. I slipped it inside and waited while my internal worked and their personal numbers came up. “Thank you, and for stopping to let us see the mega mech.”
“You’re welcome.” Lance stepped closer, so he was out of hearing distance for the others. “A warning for you: check that chip. I’ve also sent you the basic stats for those who you’ll see tomorrow. You’re up against it here. I know it, they know it.”
“I’m sure we are. But—”
“No buts. I’ve seen you fight. I’ve seen the energy you draw to you naturally. I have high hopes. But there’s many people here who aren’t on your side. Don’t let me down.”
He then turned and walked away. I moved to the computer station at the far end of the room and brought the information up I could as Asht went over the chip’s info.
Pretty simple. Utilities, bunks, classroom. My whole team then waited for me to speak. Eyes staring. “Three teams, one set of bunks for the techs. As we settle in here, the only ones I’m going to move around are going to be the merge teams, maybe. But for now, we’ll stick with our original teams for bunks.”
The team all moved off, throwing their bags into their area. Tyto held out his hand for mine, and I handed it over. Then I turned back to the computer screen. I could hear the others as their banter, laughter, and talk drifted towards me. There was a noise behind me though, and a small light let me know there was someone at our door. I made my way back down the corridor towards it and opened it to a face I didn’t know. The man before me was much older. Maybe in line with Tyto’s age. Dark hair crested his face, and his lips turned upwards slightly. “Kyle Ranz?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “You are?”
“Edward Kerns,” he said and held out a hand for me. I was a little hesitant in shaking it, but I did. He was strong. “I let the others go ahead for early dinner. I wanted to meet you first. Take a walk?”
I glanced backwards to the rooms behind me and nodded. “Sure, you can show me around our area here.”
“I can do that.”
Me - Ty, I’m stepping out with Edward for a walk.
Tyto - No way, I’ll be right there.
Me - I need to do this. I’ll keep in touch.
I cut him off and focussed on Edward. As we walked, I could see he was thinking. He kept glancing to me and then back to the hangar. In the end he asked, “You’re a level sixty—and kenosi rank of?”
