Banished Pt. 10

I chuckled a little at the response, then gave him a thankful nod as I gathered up the fallen dagger and gestured to Francesca to retrieve the piece of armor he was wearing.

As I took Bianca to the sleeping area and gently rested her down, she stirred again.

"Stay," she pleaded, and I took her hand, as she curled up into my lap.

As I stroked her back comfortingly, and she quickly drifted off to sleep, I took another look into her energy pattern and noted that while the flow of the threads were labored when one's core was close to depletion, in this restful state it actually resumed a more steady rhythm as the depleted energy slowly regenerated.

Was this a mechanism prompted by our implants?

I made a mental note to observe Lucia the next time she'd depleted her core, and went to sleep.

As Bianca slept, however, I decided to focus on my energy manipulation skill.

Danica had said that by using it I would be able to eventually unlock access to the other skills embedded into my armor, and it made me curious as to what those skills were.

As I activated the skill, however, I noted an energy source coming from the dagger I'd retrieved, and as I returned my attention to Bianca, I realized that a skill carried by the dagger also seemed to be manifesting in her.

Every skill node was unique, and while I couldn't quite tell what they were at a glance, I could certainly discern the ones that aligned.

So, was Bianca learning some kind of skill related to using daggers?

It would be interesting to test that out... although, now that I think about it, we'd been training Lucia with daggers as well.

I made another note to check her later for traces of the same skill.

"Every time I take my eyes off of you, you're putting some kid to sleep," Cameron called. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were provoking me on purpose."

I turned, smiling a little at the comment as Cameron came to my side.

"This one isn't a kid though," I said, and Cameron rolled her eyes at me.

"Could have fooled me," she said. "You and Casey sure disappeared for a while this morning," she noted, and I rubbed the back of my head nervously.

"We had a lot to discuss," I explained, and she waved it away.

"It's fine. I've already made peace with how much you care about her," she said. "Besides... I overheard her talking to Ryker earlier about delivering a baby."

She shot me a suggestive wink, and I chuckled nervously.

"Well, I did need help making sure we got everything ready," I said, and Cameron shot me a questioning look.

"You're pretty excited about this, huh? I figured we have ample time to get everything organized."

I shrugged.

"Better early than late?" I suggested, and she scooted closer to me, and rested her head against my shoulder.

"How's she been adapting?" Cameron asked, casting a little glance down at Bianca.

"It'll take some time... and effort."

She chuckled a little.

"I'll say. I saw her training with Francesca earlier," she said, and I shot her a teasing look.

"Didn't wanna join in?" I asked, and she rolled her eyes at me.

"I did, actually. But you've been a bit of a Nolan recently about me doing anything combat-oriented."

"Ouch. In my defense, I have some right to my overprotectiveness," I countered.

"How so?"

"There's a lot more than feminine grace here to protect," I said, gesturing to her belly, and she folded her arms defiantly.

"Well, maybe I wanna be there to help protect the father of my unborn child from being murdered by monsters? I mean, I can't keep letting Francesca do my job for me, can I?"

I chuckled a little, before turning to study her.

How many skills had she picked up? I wondered.

She'd hardly worn armor, hadn't she?

As I studied her carefully, I saw traces of really small bumps in her energy web, but to my surprise, there was a significant cluster of threads all tied to what looked like a core being formed where I imagined Cameron's womb would be.

Was that it?

Was that my child?

I studied the thing with amazement for a while, when Cameron finally shook me from my reverie.

"That's not creepy at all," Cameron said, eyeing me curiously, and I rubbed the back of my head nervously again.

"Sorry. It's a new skill I learned recently; to see what skills a person has, and what the flow of their energy looks like."

"Oh? So you were, like; checking me out?" she teased, and I snickered a little.

"Yeah, but also. I think I just saw a glimpse of our baby."

Cameron's jaw dropped, and she almost stepped on Bianca's hand as she moved immediately to kiss me.

"Did you really?" she asked excitedly, and I chuckled nervously, as I gave a little nod.

I peered into her energy pattern once more, then committed the view to memory.

Our child, I thought.

The idea sent a pleasurable flutter up my spine, and as something pulsed out from me, a thought message quickly came to me.

Nate! Did something happen?

I took a tentative look around to spot Casey casting slightly panicked glances around the camp until she spotted me.

She quickly began to approach, but as she caught the look on my face, and took a quick read of the situation, she paused.

Do you need me to come? She asked into my mind, and as I shook my head subtly, she gave a little nod, but even as she headed away, she cast a few worried glances back in my direction.

"Do you mind if I join that little sparring group?" Cameron asked, and I shot her a slightly glum look.

"You don't have to ask my permission," I countered, and she shrugged.

"I wasn't planning on listening to you anyway," she teased. "I was just playing at being the 'good wife'."

She chuckled a little, as she slipped away from me, but not before giving me a little peck on the lips.

Bianca stirred, and made a little whining sound, and I quickly returned my attention to her as Cameron shot me an apologetic glance, before heading off.

As I returned my gaze to Bianca, however, I decided to try putting my newfound energy manipulation skill to work, as I tried to pour my own energy into her in an attempt to accelerate the regeneration of her core.

As far as I could tell, it was working, since I definitely felt the flow of something between us, and it required a huge amount of concentration to maintain, but the difference it made to her energy pattern seemed non-existent.

Nevertheless, I persevered, and as I focused on the task, the world around me seemed to fade into the background.

***

"We're going to have to do something about this lull," the man finally said, and Joanna turned to study him.

"We have almost six months to work on him; do we really need to rush things along? I mean, that herald is still hunting him..."

He shrugged.

"Be that as it may, I'd rather lose an asset in development than have our time expire without him showing any significant progress; and I don't need to remind you that the singularity still hasn't changed. That means that nothing will happen if we don't intervene."

Joanna swallowed uncomfortably.

If a five-hundred-year-old otherworlder couldn't stop the singularity, then what chance did our asset really have?

Unless Danica would really die sometime between now and then...

But if she survived Irileth, then what, save for an encounter with Lilith, could seriously pose a threat to that woman's life?

And that just begged another question.

Where was Lilith now?

It had been over a century now, on Kepler 452-B at least, since her last confirmed sighting.

"So, how should we proceed?" Joanna asked, and the man smirked wickedly.

"I'm glad you asked," he said, as he gestured to the display on his desk.

Joanna moved to his side of the desk, as he made room for her to stand over the display, and she rolled her eyes as his hand immediately came to rest on the exposed bit of flesh just beneath the short cut of her work-suit.

She ignored the transgression as she studied the image, and as she tapped the screen, turning on the audio, the situation became a little clearer.

There was a younger man strapped to a chair, his head restrained and his eyes forced open as another man directed him to an image of Nathan.

"This is the man who killed you," the man's voice spoke, and the younger man shook his head.

"It isn't- it was a man in gleaming blue armor."

"This armor," the voice spoke, as an image of Nathan wearing Raul's armor appeared on the screen.

"Yes... this armor," he replied, his voice hypnotic almost.

"This is the man that killed you," the voice said again.

"No. It was the man in-"

"This armor," the voice said again, cycling the image between an ordinary image of Nathan, and Nathan seemingly dressed in Raul's armor. "This is the man that killed you."

"This... this is-?"

"He was wearing this armor," the man offered.

"He was wearing this armor," the younger man repeated.

"This is the man that killed you..."

And this time, he repeated it, and Joanna let out a soft moan, as the wandering hand moved up her leg.

"Mmh. You're turning him into a portent?"

She spread her legs a little, allowing the probing fingers to slip past the little crotch of her panties to her sex.

"Not just him... them," he clarified, and Joanna swiped at the screen, scrolling to different feeds which showed the brainwashing procedure being performed on the three deceased members of the group whose cores had been turned in at the guildhall.

"You're going to unleash three portents on the forest?" she asked, and he nodded.

"And the perfect minion for the job awaits their arrival."

Jasper, she thought, moaning as a pair of fingers slipped inside of her.

"Won't three portents be a bit much?" she asked, and he laughed.

"They'll barely survive, that's for sure. But as long as our asset does; he'll be stronger than ever."

Those poor souls, she thought, as the fingers worked pleasurably inside of her cunt.

***

"Nate!"

I shook my head a little, my eyes flickering open from... sleep?

When did I fall asleep?

"Nate, wake up!"

I let out a tired groan, as my eyes fluttered awake.

"Francesca?" I asked, and I furrowed my brow as I noted the sheer panic in her eyes. "What happened?"

"I think there's something coming," she said. "I... I feel something, but I dunno what."

I studied her carefully, as I took a tentative look around.

What happened to me?

I remembered trying to pour my own energy into Bianca's core, but after that... everything was hazy.

I took a quick look inwards, at my own energy flow, and noted that my core, while not depleted, was quite low on power.

Had I drained that much of my own power by using energy manipulation?

Francesca helped me to my feet, and I immediately noted that Casey and Gisela were quickly making their way over to us with worried looks on their faces.

Cameron, Jeannie and Jordan also made their way over.

"What's happening?" Jordan asked, and I shook my head, turning to Francesca.

"What did you sense?" I asked, and she bit her lip nervously.

"It felt like... when those monsters were staring at us, with those hungry, desperate eyes."

I studied her carefully.

"And you said it was coming?" I asked, and she nodded, closing her eyes for a second, then suppressing a little shudder.

"Yes. I can feel it; even now. It's getting closer with each second."

"Can you tell how far away?" I asked, and she shook her head.

"And why can't anyone else sense it?" Jordan asked, and as her eyes began wavering uncertainly, I rested my hand on her shoulder, and steadied her as I held her gaze.

"I trust you," I said reassuringly, and she smiled, as I turned to the group.

"Let's arm up!" I called out. "Me, Francesca, Raul, will form a forward team. Jordan, Jeannie; create two separate squads with hunters. Gather everyone to the center of the camp, and let's get ready for whatever's on its way here."

Everyone began to move, as Gisela directed the Kobalt to follow our lead, and everyone quickly swapped out whichever armors needed to be moved around.

I retrieved my halberd, and Francesca moved to my side as Casey helped Raul to get his armor on.

"Focus on sensing that thing," I said, as Francesca shot me another worried look, before nodding.

She took a deep breath, but as she closed her eyes and focused, her eyes shot open, and almost at the same time, I felt it; the pores along my neck standing on end as I felt the piercing feeling of the creature's presence, but before I could react, a scream rang out, and I turned in time to see Lucia, a dagger in her hand, darting toward the line of trees along the training area.

"Lucia! GET BACK HERE!" I screamed, but there was a murderous look in her eyes as she charged blindly towards the thing, screaming as she did.

Fuck!

I slung my halberd over my shoulder and darted after her, shooting Francesca a quick glance, and she took off after me without a word.

Lucia's burst of speed seemed to defy what her little legs should have been capable of, but as I tore after her, what really astounded me was the sheer terror that this creature's presence evoked.

Running towards it felt like running straight through a swarm of killer bees, and I wondered what kind of tenacity it took for a child to plunge through such a chaotic presence unperturbed.

There!

I spotted her darting past a nearby trunk, but no sooner had I darted in and scooped her up, skidding to a halt, than an indescribable feeling of dread filled me, and as I looked up, I saw the panicked look on Francesca's face as she hurled her spear past me with as much effort as she could muster.

I turned my head just in time to see the creature swat the weapon away like it was a toothpick as it barreled towards me, and as it leapt, a small armored hand snaked it's way around my neck from behind just as the creature's jaw clamped down on me, and he grabbed the hand, and twisted wildly back and forth.

Francesca screamed, but she kept her hand firm and jabbed at the creature's face with her other hand as it twisted and thrashed.

Eventually it threw her horribly aside, and Lucia screamed, struggling in my grasp to break free.

Is this the one who killed your papa?

It was so strange...

I'd seen that creature before, and it was nothing near as formidable a thing as the beast that stood before me now.

I restrained Lucia as I prepared to throw myself between the thing and Francesca's unmoving body, but its eyes were transfixed on me.

"Danica's... minion... must... PAY!" the creature bellowed, and my eyes went wide as I recognized the warbly voice.

That was Hans!

But... how?

I crouched and readied my halberd in a defensive posture, but when the creature finally attacked, my chest tightened uncomfortably as I immediately realized how hopelessly outmatched I was for speed.

The difference was so overwhelming, that even as his direction shifted and he darted past me, I was still raising my halberd's point in the direction of his approach.

I turned, as he darted away...

Wait; that's the direction of the camp!

Lucia struggled in my grasp again, and this time, I smacked her across the face, and pushed her to the floor in Francesca's direction.

"She risked her life for you! Now, protect her!" I barked, and she cradled the place where my slap had landed, looking to me like a scared, wounded, puppy.

But as she turned and saw Francesca, slumped over and unmoving; her anger seemed to abate, and she drew her little dagger, then nodded, as she stood protectively over Francesca's body.

I turned and took off after the creature.

He said I needed to pay, didn't he?

Why would he run past me and head for the main group?

I felt a pit form in my stomach as I pushed my speed to the limit, trying to get back to the camp as fast as I could, and I got there to a scene of absolute chaos.

There were two bodies on the floor; one looked like Myrinne's, and the other, Jeannie's.

I couldn't tell if they were still alive, but the amount of blood was significant.

The creature growled, and I turned my gaze to the treetops, where the thing was leaping from branch to branch.

"Pay. Pay! PAY!" it screamed.

I tracked his movement with my eyes, then I saw it; the moment when his eyes locked onto its target, and I followed the piercing gaze to Cameron; crouched helplessly beside Gisela, and my eyes went wide as I darted toward her.

I made it halfway there when the creature landed in the open space between me and her, and it shot me one snarling look, before turning to Cameron and leaping.

"NO!" I screamed, charging hopelessly, desperately with my halberd; but I knew there was no hope of beating him to her side.

I all but gave up as he raised his clawed hand to strike, when the last person I expected to see stepped in his path.

"Deine krallen sind verschwunden - Your claws are no more!" Miriam cried out, and the creature stopped, then stared at its own claws, a look of sheer confusion plastered on its face.

I paused for a second, then swept in; but he swiped at me, and I just barely managed to deflect the blow.

"Deine augen sehen ihn nicht -- your eyes do not see him!" she called out, and as the creature turned, he began to cast confused looks everywhere.

I froze, and he swiped wildly several times, hitting nothing but air in a semi-circle around me.

I took a tentative step, and the creature's head turned toward me, but as he swiped, I easily evaded the blow, then sliced him across his midsection, before leaping away in Cameron's direction.

She seemed about to speak, but I put a finger to my lips, and she quickly covered her mouth, muffling her own whimper, as she nodded her understanding.

I eyed Miriam, but she was now teetering on her own feet.

Her core!

I moved to her side, and placed my hand on her hips, steadying her, and as soon as I identified the flow of energy within her, I poured my own energy into her, and tried to direct the threads toward the bump that I was certain represented her hypnosis skill.

She shot me a thankful nod, as she steadied herself in my arms.

"Sie werden angst vor uns haben- You will fear us!" she called out, and this time, I felt a significant pouring of energy from her, and the creature made a loud, wailing cry, before leaping into the trees overhead.

It took one more panicked look around, before leaping to the nearby tree and scrambling up the bark, before swinging its way from tree to tree and fleeing the area around our camp.

"Nate!"

My eyesight was blurred, and as I felt myself fading from consciousness, Cameron's panicked cry was the last thing I heard before everything went black.