Icarus Awakens

Evalyn’s group wasn’t the only one to leave mid-performance. It was getting late, and though impressive, such shows weren’t uncommon to the citizens of Aughal. Farthest Run hadn’t been too moved by the songbird.

Mostly. “How could I ever compare to that? It’s not fair,” Taloran sulked. It wasn’t his night.

“Come on, I bet that Bard’s never had to fight a monster, Tal. You’ve got that on her. Maybe a level too.”

“But did you see how everyone was looking at her?”

“Wait.” Daniel peered at Taloran and noted an important omission among what the Bard was carrying. “What kind of instrument do you play?”

The man looked offended by that. “I don’t play, I sing.” He forced bravado into the last word, but the faint song of the singer that crept through the tavern they were departing made it seem hollow. “Oh,” he sighed. “But for a voice like that-”

“Ok. I will be next.” Tak cut in, drawing focus away from Taloran. “I would like to speak with a Berserker about my power.”

“Tak, I don’t know if-”

“It’s what he wants to do,” Evalyn shrugged, cutting Daniel off. “You sure Tak?”

“It seems like the smart thing to do. They might know someone.” He pointed to Farthest Run who was looking mildly confused and, in one case, depressed. Tak then explained what the group had explained to him after the excitement over Khiat’s recovery had died down. While someone else might have agonized over who to share his secrets with, Tak was more lighthearted.

“It’s a total transformation?” Marky asked. “And not aligned with your totem. Odd. I’m not the most familiar with Totem Warriors so I can’t say if that’s rare or not for your class at your level, but why ask a Berserker?”

“We think it only happens when I’m angry enough,” Tak explained simply as the group headed back to the Hunter’s Guild. It was in the north-eastern part of the city so they lost some time retracing their steps, but not much since they were already close to the city center. “It has only happened twice, so I do not know for sure.”

“Three times,” Hunter corrected.

“Right.”

“It also looked like it was improving his Regeneration?” Daniel offered unsurely. “When we were fighting the greater skink he almost got torn in half, but he was mostly fine a few seconds later. I have something that can identify powers, but it’s not showing up when I try it on him.”

Marky took a moment to think that over. “Yeah, definitely not within my experience. Even when I, or you,” he nodded to Hunter, “are in a form we die for real if that dies.

“Sounds like a rage power. Smart to ask for a Berserker,” Gordon commented.

“I am not too smart, but thank you.” Tak bobbed his head with a slight smile. He was getting better with his intelligence. Specifically, he’d finally gotten it past 10 over their month spent hunting and was now only suffering one degree of level disparity. That hadn’t manifested as remarkably as Hunter’s early improvements to the attribute, but if you knew the man you could tell. Then again, he’d always been wise. It was like Tak was good at putting puzzles together but struggled to find the right pieces.

It was after midnight when they arrived back at the guild. Going up to the roof might resolve some curiosity as to whether Lograve and the rest were still bickering, but again, not why they were here. This was Tak’s turn in a game Evalyn had created out of maddened frivolity and, better yet, this probably wouldn’t cost anyone coin.

Though some corners of the city still played witness to the actions of the day walkers, the guild was now firmly in the hands of the people of the night. While the simple entryway Daniel had first arrived through was not built for them, other parts of the guild were. Numerous doors lined the outside of the guild, doors that had not been there before, and some were two meters tall. Rather than search through corridors and rooms, Farthest Run took them back to the courtyard where a few giants were being served a very meaty breakfast. Another thing about the evolved races, duskers liked meat. Daniel tried not to think about why.

“I’d let Gordon do the talking,” Qess said to the group, who kept back. There was an air of separation to the courtyard almost as strong again as the enmity towards Farthest Run when the Ranger had thrown her bolas. “It’s not like before, well, they’re not especially fond of Druids either, but it’s a rare sight for duskers to mix with the other teams and vice versa. Not as bad as gestalt, but still not common.”

Khiat shifted in place, wondering if anyone else here had come from a village like her. Anyone could advance until their wall, but superstition held that those who grew up in the city had a better chance of getting a class. Just for a moment, she thought about what it would be like to adventure with others of her kind and felt guilty about how hard it was then not to think about it. “Does anyone do it?”

Qess looked up. “Besides you, you mean? Yeah, a few. Less duskers active during the day than Druids in the guild though, and you mostly see kinds like Rogues who like night fighting stick with duskers going the other way.”

Gordon ran back after only exchanging a few words and also looked at Khiat. “You, uh, haven’t seen him use that power have you?”

“No.” Khiat shook her head.

“Damn. They’re being cagey. Someone passed along what happened earlier today.” He glanced sideways at Qess. “Said they wanted to hear it from you.”

“I could still tell them!”

Gordon shrugged. “Might as well try I guess. You could always come back tomorrow and see if there’s someone else…”

“But then it wouldn’t be tonight,” Evalyn finished the sentence. “I could try talking with them?”

“I think I can do this.” Khiat gripped both hands. “I can do this. It’s just talking to people. Strong people who my entire village look up to.”

“Khiat, your village looks up to you too. You can do this,” Evalyn encouraged, and Khiat smiled.

“Thanks.” She walked off, and Marky asked a question.

“What class did you say she was again? With most of you it’s obvious, but I’m getting, I don’t know how to describe it exactly. An odd feeling from her.”

Evalyn and Daniel, the two secret keepers of the group, exchanged a look. We have a cover, but with them, will it hold up?

“Ranger,” Evalyn lied despite Daniel’s attempts to transmit his misgivings. Gordon and Qess raised their eyebrows.

The avianoid spoke up. “Oh! What powers does she have? We could give her some tips, or ask her directly if it’s not for you to say.”

Just don’t go into specifics. Daniel tried not to show the sudden spike of panic. “It’s probably fine. Honestly, with that monster of a bow, which you haven’t seen, she can keep up with us without using powers. The problem’s when the monsters get close to her. The only one that’s not, uh, basic I guess is Sun Resistance, but she doesn’t have too many overall.”

Qess winced. “Ah, I hope she doesn’t tell them about that. Resistance, though. Not Immunity? Huh. Well anyway, I have talked with a few duskers before about that and they’re particular about that specific power. Or, powers.” She frowned, beak clicking as Qess opened and closed her mouth. “Yeah. Yeah, Immunity wouldn’t be level 1.”

“Let’s not forget why we’re here, Qess. It looks like that exchange went better than you thought.” Gordon pointed as one of the duskers returned with Khiat, although the majority kept to themselves.

“You. You hunt with her?” A deep, deep voice asked. This dusker was at least two and a half meters tall, one of the largest in the space, and his chitin looked sharp for all its smooth surface gleamed. Something that might have been from a power. Daniel had the sense he was of a higher level than even the true Rangers.

“Yes.” Evalyn stared directly at him, undaunted. “We were there when she got her class.”

“Really? And a gestalt?” The large dusker appraised the group, minus Farthest Run who had separated themselves and backed up. He took note of Hunter’s bared fangs but didn’t remark, then settled on Tak. “You. Totem Warrior. You can rage?”

“No? Maybe. Maybe?” Tak’s gaze was also unbroken on the dusker, but there was less force behind it. Also less hidden fear. A hand larger than his head moved past Daniel, who flinched away. Tak cocked his head as a finger roughly poked into him. “What are you doing?”

“Hmm. Don’t feel it in you. Too kind. You’re mistaken.”

Daniel would have called out after the dusker as he walked away, but the thought of being squished by the hand overrode the impulse. Hunter was not one to run from fear. “You are wrong. He has it, a, a changing power. I have seen it. It happens when he is angry.”

It had to be said that the novelty of a talking monster had weight to it even if Hunter was supposedly a Druid. It was enough to stop the Berserker for a moment. He turned and narrowed his eyes. “Druid? What kind of team is this?”

“A strong one.”

Something passing for respect crossed the dusker’s face, though only Khiat recognized it. “He is not of my kind. Not my class,” the dusker explained, with a little less indifference. “You are mistaken.”

“I have seen it.”

A thought occurred to Daniel then. While he was smart enough to know the consequences of airing it, if they could find a way to control Tak’s power, and the dusker really wouldn’t help otherwise, what was the harm? “That might be part of it. Tak’s only used the power a few times and doesn’t seem to know he’s using it, but it’s always when Hunter’s in danger.”

“This one?” A large finger extended towards the ringcat and just for a moment, Tak tensed. Evalyn looked at Daniel as if she’d wished she’d thought of it first. “Bonded?”

“He is my friend,” Hunter replied with half of a snarl.

“Interesting.” A huge hand slammed into the ground, knocking some of them off their feet. The dusker had aimed for Hunter, who had only evaded because of his Flash Jaunt. The afterimages of the ability caught the eye of anyone who hadn’t looked at the sound of the blow. “Very interesting.”

“Hey!” Daniel shouted before the dusker looked at him. In the eyes, there was something that made his fears of being crushed real for a moment. Definitely a power, his phone attested to a fear effect when he brought it out with shaking hands. The rest of his group was hit as well, all except Tak and Hunter.

“Gtoll!” A voice snapped from the roof. Rasalia peeked over and looked twice at the group she’d dismissed. “What’s going on?”

“Training,” the massive Berserker replied cooly.

She sighed. “Keep the earthquakes to a minimum! We’re still hosting the Council. What’s left of it.” She muttered the last sentence.

“Yes, Commander.” Gtoll looked from Hunter, back on all fours with fur raised, to Tak with a curious expression on his face. “Not enough.”

“I am trying, but I have tried before. Something is wrong with the power, I think,” Tak explained.

“If you have it, somehow, it’s not your class,” Gtoll said with the longest string of words he’d used yet. “Odd. But I’d like to see. Show me.”

“I am trying,” Tak said helpfully. Brightly. The Berserker frowned again, then blurred. Despite the fast movement by such a large creature, the ground didn’t tremble as before. Hunter also blurred across the courtyard but in a different way, dodging the attack.

The Berserker clicked with his mouth, sharply. “Skilled in that body. Sharp.” Gtoll raised a fist and punched out. Hunter Jumped back rather than spend more mana on the costly ability. Daniel tried to fight against the fear keeping him back, but it was strong. If this was a battle he’d be dead faster than if the dragon was still after him, either one. But, this wasn’t a fight, Gtoll was just trying to provoke Tak. He knew that. The problem was, Tak knew that too.

The Totem Warrior looked worried, sure. And he wasn’t simple, he was a hunter of his own right before Daniel knew what that was. Anger just didn’t touch him, normally. The lightning dragon hadn’t brought out his inner beast, and if rage was how his power worked, it was easy to understand the trouble he was having.

Gtoll stopped after the third punch. He was no fool either. “You. Both. Fight me.”

“Like training?” Tak asked.

“Use everything.” The dusker looked to the roof and added, “Nothing loud.”

Tak and Hunter looked at each other and seemed to speak without words. Which, they did. “Ok! Do we start now?”

“Yes.”

The rest of them were trapped, kept from the fight by a fear as real as any physical barrier. Daniel had felt this effect before but not as consistent or menacing. Uncaring. Dominating. Rasalia had said she was the only level 5 in the city that fought, which meant that this wasn’t a power above the scale of Lograve. In fact, there was no guarantee that Gtoll had gained this power at level 4.

Hunter and Tak felt none of it. Some trepidation for going up against someone that outclassed them both in size and level, but this wasn’t a real fight. Not to Tak, at least. Because this was training. When you got down to it, there were rules people tended to follow, like the one that kept Qess from asking about Gadriel’s wish. This was just training, and Gtoll wasn’t going to do anything permanent. Rasalia was right there if things got out of hand. Though Tak tried not to push for that emotion normally, whatever anger he reached for fled his grasp.

“Use your powers,” Gtoll commanded. “It doesn’t matter. You won’t break me. But try.”

“Ok!” Both Tak and Hunter shot toward the giant tracing a rough X with their path. Double Cut, a marriage of two attacks made stronger by a bond. The two didn’t collide at the point of intersection, that would have been suicide in an actual fight. Rather, one reached it just before the other did, the timing guided by the ability.

Hunter had the teeth and claws of an alpha predator, whereas Tak had mimics of these and a body covered by magically sharpened feathers. The destructive potential of their full combination attack was such that they refrained from using it on small level 1 enemies just to make sure there was something left to harvest. They even aimed for one of the larger exposed sections of Gtoll’s underflesh between the plates of armor on his midsection.

It wasn’t scratched. That shouldn’t have been surprising, especially to those who knew of Gtoll’s contemporary in the Thormundz. Berserkers were a class that could give in to senseless rage while fighting monsters and were granted the powers to survive such recklessness. But Gtoll wasn’t angry, just terribly impassive. He watched the two like he was a sword master fencing toddlers and had found they could at least pick up their blades.

“Good. Can you use this when raging?”

Tak shook his head. “From what they say, I only scream and attack. No other powers.”

“You do not remember? You do not control.” Gtoll lashed out against Hunter again, arm flexing to attack beyond the angles the ringcat had anticipated. All of his attacks focused on the ringcat, whereas his words were for the Totem Warrior. “Like a freshly awakened one. As much danger to friend as foe. To be my class is to first know rage, and then master it. Or you are lost.” Khiat saw a sneer on the giant’s face. “You can’t manage that.”

“Yes,” Tak sighed. “But I am trying.”

This was a moment for a Star Wars quote, but the only one capable of making it was being thoroughly suppressed. Instead, Gtoll said, “Then I’ll try too.” He blurred again, the difference between a Berserker with low and high dexterity evident. It was hard to see each attack and they were speeding up each time like Gadriel’s Momentous Strikes, only in this case Gtoll was steadily using more and more of his dexterity.

Hunter continued to dodge and, as he did, his fur started to stand on end and give off a faint glow. The predominantly golden fur inched towards the yellower end of the spectrum. Gtoll noticed this, but his focus was on Tak. Even as Hunter continued to dodge as if he was against the greater skink again, Tak was attacking. This wasn’t why he was here, but this was also just a game. Neither his emotions nor his mana were cooperating to reveal his ability. It shouldn’t be this hard, it was his after all, and he’d already used it.

The Berserker was invincible. That’s what it felt like. Despite Tak’s improved strength from Ringcat Aspect, his claws couldn’t do anything to him. One of them chipped, which was less of an issue given Regeneration. If this was a real fight, both he and Hunter would be dead. Tak did feel a little bit of annoyance as he continued to skate his claws off the dusker’s armor, but that didn’t come close to what he needed.

After about a minute of Hunter dodging and Tak swiping, something happened. Unfortunately, it was the ringcat showing off. They’d all advanced over the past month and gained new powers. One of Hunter’s, Lion Charge, reached a critical point. Electricity was arcing off individual strands of fur, though it didn’t discharge even when he contacted something conductive. Instead, Hunter waited until he was glowing bright enough to illuminate the whole courtyard before lashing out with a forepaw. All of the electricity collected in the limb, augmenting the attack and causing the Berserker to stop in place to inspect the slightly charred chitin.

“So that’s what that is. Strong. But we waste time and I grow impatient. Many Hands.” With the incantation, two additional arms shot out of Berserker’s midsection as the armor plates morphed to accommodate them. Without proper shoulders their range of motion was limited, but you’d still probably die if one of those hands punched you.

The two fighting the Berserker realized that in all of this time, he hadn’t been using active powers. They had known that already, but now that Gtoll had used one it opened the door to others. He was in complete control unless he did something to upset Rasalia. Just playing with them. Was he helping, or was this a high-level dusker taking amusement from toying with the newcomers?

One of the new hands pointed to Tak, who was starting to think about Jumping for the dusker’s eyes. “You. Show me what you have been hiding. Or this will get worse.” Gtoll brought his two lower arms down to briefly mimic a centaur before he charged at Hunter. The speed was such that Flash Jaunt couldn’t completely evade the attack. Gtoll just waited out the ability before getting the first solid connection of the spar. The ringcat larger than a motorcycle went flying along the length of the courtyard, while the fear effect on the others intensified to prevent interference.

Oh, Tak thought. His hands were clenched. Gtoll paused for a second to look, but nothing happened. Hunter picked himself back up, bruised from the punch, but Regeneration would take care of that. Tak felt relieved, and Gtoll frowned. The Berserker’s hands caught on fire, though it didn’t burn him.

A bane to Regeneration. Not as hard a counter as necrotic energy, but if the Berserker had pulled that out someone else might have stepped in to stop him. There were things you just didn’t use against another mortal, even one wearing the body of a ringcat. Fire, however, was fair play. Burns healed and didn’t permanently taint a wound. With that said?

Hunter snarled in pain as one of the hands brushed past him. It could have been a solid hit, but Gtoll elected to just catch Hunter on fire. Some of the fur burned away to leave bald patches. This had happened before as the desert had fire-aligned monsters they’d come across. It was just an annoyance, it would grow back once the burns were healed.

Tak abandoned the hit and run tactics he normally used against stronger enemies and clambered onto the dusker, using the plates as handholds while he lashed out between them. It did nothing. Gtoll had ignored him this entire fight but for the barbs.

His concentration on attacking was broken by a strangled sound, as if Hunter had yarl’d but the air escaped too quickly. Gtoll had struck another full-body blow with fire behind it and the ringcat burned. Hunter got up and considered running, just for a moment. For any but two he might have, though Tak was one of them. Gtoll continued with his fists. The fact that there was a giant ax leaning nearby and unattended escaped most of those watching.

The fear effect on them was strong now. Strong enough to suppress active powers, any attempt to move mana was disrupted. Except in one case, when someone used a power that ran deeper than normal magic. The Berserker stared as Hunter employed a tactic learned from the greater skink fight, first Jumping and then employing Dodge Roll in mid-air. The thread of mana connecting to the ringcat didn’t go unnoticed and the dusker on the cusp of level 5 followed it with his eyes.

“Triple bonded?” The surprise in his voice was clear, but that didn’t stop him. He continued the assault even as Daniel started supporting him from afar despite the fear effect on him. Tak, meanwhile, had fit himself in between one of the largest gaps to use his sharpened feathers directly. In any real fight, Gtoll could just crush him between the shell plates, but the dusker was careful not to compress that part of his body.

When it became clear that the spar was primarily with Hunter instead of the one he was trying to provoke, Gtoll decided to bring things to a close. The fire on his hands went out as he grabbed at Tak, picking him out of the cavity and tossing him aside a good distance away. “Worthless.” He pointed to Daniel with one of the false alarms. “This one does more for your friend. No wonder his bond is stronger.” Gtoll was guessing here, trying to find a weakness beyond those he could punch.

The words did hurt. That alone might have… No, Tak still couldn’t find true anger. He didn’t have Daniel’s insecurities or a need to be better. Having something was enough. Besides, he was smart enough to know the dusker didn’t mean-

Gtoll grabbed Hunter this time. He could have done it at any point. He was a little bemused, as the dusker wondered if any of them knew who he really was. Mostly, though, there was grimness in him. The Druid taking a ringcat’s form had run out of mana at this point and couldn’t escape his grip.

Clinically, he looked closer at the one he hadn’t expected to catch his interest. Gtoll had long outgrown the feeble intelligence endemic to his class. You didn’t see anyone truly unwise over level 3 so long as they avoided disparity. The armor in and of itself stood out. Knights always outbid everyone else on the enchanted gear. To make a near full-body set for a Druid, nonetheless one of its combat forms? Madness, and a sign of a strong bond.

But the armor didn’t cover the whole body. The quadrupedal nature of ringcats made coverings for the legs too restrictive, especially one that liked to jump all over the damned place. That meant it was quite easy for Gtoll to grip one of the forelegs at the joint and tear it off in one clean motion. There was a little more resistance than he’d expected, but the Berserker was simply too strong.

Gtoll casually tossed the severed limb aside, in full view of Tak. The Totem Warrior had only assumed the Berserker was going for a throw. Something that would just hurt Hunter. Neither of them were strangers to pain. But this, the blood running from the wound and onto the ground was real. Nothing he could do would change anything. Tak had known that from the beginning, only now did he appreciate how unfair it was. In seconds, the Berserker could just end his friend and there was nothing he could do. That, finally, provoked some anger in Tak. At himself. And more than that he felt… he felt…

The giant dusker idly reached for the other forelimb, pantomiming cruel indifference while making sure no one else would interrupt. This was maybe a step too far, but nothing else had worked. This avianoid didn’t get angry for his own sake, Gtoll had figured that out in seconds. But now, he saw it. The Berserker waited until Tak was past the tipping point before laying Hunter on the ground. “Sorry. Wset! Fix this. I’ll deal with him.”

In front of Gtoll, Tak was senseless to the words. He changed, a process that left even Marky taken aback as the Totem Warrior twisted not to mimic the form of another monster, but was made to appear as if he’d been one all this time. In less than five seconds the monster was ready. It raised its head to shriek, when the giant wrapped his hand around it. Like Hunter before Gtoll examined it while he squeezed, trying to knock it unconscious.

“Ow,” Gtoll grunted, grimacing as the talons of the creature dug into his hand. Deeper than they should, given his defensive powers. It wouldn’t matter but it was, “Interesting.”

…

Tak awoke on the ground, fully himself again. He hadn’t been out long, and the dusker Arcanist Wset had provided a little bit of life energy to hasten the process. Healing wasn’t entirely the domain of Clerics, as Regeneration itself attested to. Tak looked around, breathing slowed as he saw Hunter standing on all four legs. Had it just been an illusion?

“Are you awake?” Gtoll asked from behind him. Tak turned on the ground to see the dusker standing some ways away. His friends were also in the periphery, no longer being held back by an active fear effect but still wary of the giant. Khiat was whispering something to Evalyn in a way that everyone nearby could hear, but Tak didn’t focus on the younger dusker.

“Yes. That was…” Tak thought for a moment. “Rude.”

“Maybe,” Gtoll admitted. “You asked for it. It’s not what you think.”

“What?”

“It’s not a rage power. Not from my class, at least.” If Tak could read the man’s expressions he’d see the frown. “I don’t know what that was. You had anger, but that wasn’t it. At least, not all of it.”

“Oh.” Tak turned his head. Are you ok?

No. Hunter pouted for a moment. Yes. It just hurt.

Thank you.

Anything for a friend.

“I thought you had multiclassed into Berserker by mistake,” Gtoll said when Tak didn’t say anything else. The intensity of the dusker was still there, but no longer directed. “It happens with Totem Warriors sometimes. Similar roots. But that’s not from my class. A twisted combination of mine, yours, and Druid perhaps, but nothing the Octyrrum would bless. I have no idea what that power is.”

“It is ok.”

Gtoll raised an eyechitin. “You harbor no grudge?”

“I do not think I would have done that if you hadn’t brought it out of me. This was not the right way, but you stopped me from going down the wrong one.”

Gtoll clicked again in the way of his race. “An odd sort. For ones that survived the Thormundz? Maybe not. If you can provoke the ability again, you may better understand it. Gain awareness during it, then you may retain your other powers. Not that I expect you to ask me for help again.”

“Oh. Thanks though!” Tak chirped and nodded to a man most others would be cursing or screaming at. Because that wasn’t who he was.