Oath of the Survivor

The caravan continued its journey across the plans uncontested for another two days.  The captain – who Kyle learned was named Earl – attributed the safety to his squad’s superior fighting force.  The entire notion was laughable, but it also reinforced the problem Kyle was having.  Dealing with these zealots would require a careful touch, which was almost assuredly one of the points of this test. 

As they’d walked, C.H.A.D.D. had been quietly reviewing the lectures and notes they’d taken on the Archdrake Supremacy.  Because people of all species and backgrounds were welcome to join, it was easily the most diverse faction ion the universe.  At the same time, the entire society pushed back heavily on anybody who offered slights to the religion.  While it rarely took the form of violence, open critics of the Supremacy would often find themselves unwelcome in affiliated establishments.

If he handled this incorrectly, Kyle ran the risk of starting his career as an independent operator with one of the wealthiest and most influential factions putting pressure on his business.  Hell, depending on how poorly he did, the impact could even spill over onto the other refugees coming from Earth.  So, he reviewed every note he’d taken on the specifics of the social structure, hoping to find a way forward.

Because of the diverse backgrounds that fed into it, the Archdrake Supremacy had a well-defined structure for interacting with one another.  The first, and simplest of these tenets was that Dragons were to be venerated.  As the only species that consistently achieved A Grade, the religion contended that all Dragons were chosen by mana to be leaders, with other species designed to serve.  In theory, this meant that the Archdrake Supremacy viewed themselves as beings above the other Collective members.

The important thing with the first tenet was to ensure proper respect was offered.  The Archdrake Supremacy hired a lot of contractors and mercenaries, even though many didn’t abide by the religion.  So long as there wasn’t outright heresy, the influential powers that be didn’t tend to particularly care, provided the jobs were getting done with consistency. 

The second major tenet was in the vein of the first – a Dragon’s realm is sacred.  Basically, don’t show up unannounced and uninvited to a Dragon’s lair.  It seemed pretty simple, but apparently there had been some real issues with Dragon hunters early on in the universe.  Even though Dragons were born at C Grade, they develop slowly.  Given their particularly high affinity for mana, Dragon scales, bones, and blood were highly prized materials for certain types of craftsmen.  The second tenet was designed to protect younger Dragons from these types of invaders, and retaliation would be swift and brutal for any violators.

From those two core beliefs, the organization branched into its structure.  B Grade Paragons were at the helm, working closely with the Dragons.  That was the highest rank non-Dragons could achieve, and was also the only one with a restriction on personal power.  Practically, other high-ranking members of the Supremacy were C Grade and above, but they had reviewed cases where independents had unknowingly insulted even high-ranking unawakened and faced consequences. 

Kyle was fairly certain that the guards for this caravan were neither high-ranking nor influential.  Unfortunately, Kyle doubted the caravan’s leader was self-aware enough to realize that.  The angle he’d need to take was to demonstrate that his course of action was somehow better aligned with the Dragon’s purpose than theirs was.  To do that, he’d need to get a better understanding of what they were even doing making this delivery.

“Can you tell me anything else about the egg?”

[I’M AFRAID NOT, DR. MAYHEW.  IT CONTINUES TO SLOWLY GATHER ENERGY, AND IS OTHERWISE INERT.]

There’s no way it’s a dragon egg, right?

“Can you see what’s inside of it?  Any scans you can show of the embryo would be helpful.”

[UNFORTUNATELY, I AM UNABLE TO GET DETAILED SCANS OF THE INTERIOR.  THE LAYERS OF PROTECTION AROUND IT MAKE THE IMAGE QUALITY LACKLUSTER AT BEST, WELL OUTSIDE DIAGNOSTIC STANDARDS.]

Kyle’s gut told him that they wouldn’t trust a dragon egg to a squad led by a buffoon like this leader, but it was still something valuable.  What’s more, the aura it released was something that attracted beasts.  If the first attack wasn’t evidence enough, C.H.A.D.D. picked up signs of multiple other creatures at the perimeter of its range.  Other than the initial attack from the birds, most of the beasts were weak, and appeared unwilling to risk attacking the caravan. 

The case he was preparing was fairly simple, but tied directly to the goal of the Archdrake Supremacy – Kyle would offer to take the item and personally carry it, accompanied by several of the guards and their mounts.  That would enable them to make significantly better time, while also reducing the risk of death for the caravan.  Conceptually, Kyle thought that it made a lot of sense, allowing the leader to save some face, and giving Kyle a chance to get the job done without risking his reputation among the Supremacy.

He resolved to present it publicly when the caravan settled in for the evening, but just as they began to slow C.H.A.D.D.’s scans revealed over a dozen presences, approaching quickly from three different directions.  From the signatures the drone was revealing, it was the same birds that first attacked them, now in larger numbers.  This time, Kyle didn’t bother trying to run to the caravan leader.

“We’ve got incoming!  More of the birds from before, coming from the south, southeast, and east.  Get into defensive formations!” 

A couple of the guards listened to Kyle, but the rest turned towards their leader, who wore a thoughtful frown.  For a moment, just a brief moment, Kyle hoped the man would be reasonable.  That hope was dashed with the first words out of his mouth. 

“Prepare to set camp, as before.   Our scouting skills don’t detect any threat.  If the outsider is correct, we were able to fight them off before.  We will do so again.  It’s the mark of a true amateur to overreact in such a manner to the natural movements of beasts.”

“It’s not a natural movement.  I was right before, and I’m right now.  Whatever’s inside that armored coach, it’s attracting them.  I can take it and run to draw them off, or we can get ready to fight.  Those are the only two options we have right now.”

The leader responded with a sneer.  “Just because you were worthless in the last engagement doesn’t mean my men are frightened.  If the beasts approach, we will repel them like before.”  He turned away from Kyle and looked to the nervously shuffling guards.  “Now, set up camp!  I want fires lit and food on before it gets dark.”

Kyle was ready to slap the man.  Against these numbers, no matter how hard Kyle fought, the guards would have casualties.  Being unprepared would just add to them.  Kyle stormed up to the leader, right as one of the scouts spoke up. 

“Sir, he’s right!  They just got into our range, and they’re approaching quickly.  Fourteen total, what are your orders?”

The leader shot one glare at Kyle, filled with loathing and contempt.  “Prepare for battle.  Outsider, try not to be a waste of space this time.”

To their credit, the guards did a much better job of getting in formation this time.  When the first birds arrived, they were met with a steady stream of arrows and bolts from the Rangers, who were protected by a line of leveled lances.  In most circumstances, it might have been enough to drive the creatures away.  Unfortunately, these circumstances were anything but ordinary.  C.H.A.D.D.’s scans had been inconclusive, but as the birds approached Kyle’s Auric Perception felt the distinct signatures of three D Grades.  The one from before made a return with its flock, and each of the other groups consisted of three of the jet-black E Grade avians and a D Grade leader.

This was made clear as the strange sigils began to glow on the D Grades as they treated injuries and uplifted their followers.  For the first time since leaving Earth, Kyle was confronted with the reality that he couldn’t save everybody.  There were too many of the birds fighting over too large a space, and he didn’t have the tools to support all the guards across it.  Resigning himself for what would be, Kyle’s focus sharpened.  The best way to preserve lives now was to deal with the threats.

Kyle held the baton crafted by Themestra, and activated IGNITION.  Normally, he reserved this skill as a finisher.  It was quite the departure from HASTE, which he had used liberally across all components of his fighting style.  Feeling the pain in his body as the skill drew in power, Kyle took a breath before exploding into action. 

A man screamed as one of the birds dismounted him with a double-footed kick, and Kyle was there in a moment.  The man’s chestplate was crumpled, and Kyle knew it was too late to save him.  Instead, Kyle focused on the attacking bird.  IDENTIFY showed him the power flowing into the creature, and a tendril of PARASITIC RESONANCE disrupted the beneficial energy as a flash from the baton caved its head in.  A moment later, Kyle ducked under a piercing beak as another tendril of energy connected to his new assailant.  With a minor effort, he twisted.  The second bird fell lifeless to the ground.

The pain from IGNITION was beginning to intensify, and Kyle clenched his teeth through it.  He locked eyes with the D Grade whose flock he’d been thinning, which promptly ran towards its allies with a series of croaks.  Kyle was about to pursue, when an explosion rang out.  A blinding light came from the direction of the armored caravan, and Kyle’s vision cleared just in time to see the caravan leader riding off into the distance with a large parcel under his arms.  The absolute bastard.

The birds, seeming to notice their target was gone, turned to pursue.  Kyle looked at the caravan, with all but the Rangers heavily wounded or dead.  The encounter had been a quick one, and if it had persisted much longer Kyle had no doubt that there would have been even more bodies.  He walked through the camp, using PARASITIC RESONANCE to provide quick triage while evening out the mana levels of the survivors.  Four of the guards were dead, as were six of the dro’khar. 

One of the injured men looked up at him, a hollow look in his eyes as he stared at the fallen bodies of his companions.  “What will we do now?”

“Stay here with the caravan.  I’m going to retrieve the package and finish the job.”  Red light coalesced around Kyle as IGNITION was activated once again, and he dashed out into the growing gloom.