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Book 2: Chapter 41
🕑 Added 2025-11-08 14:22:24 +0000 UTCWell, at first it looked like the little void had disappeared, but squatting down with arms resting over his knees, Luke stared at a small patch of it that had remained when the rest of the opening disappeared. He frowned and reached out with a trembling finger, unsure what to make of it. The tip of his finger brushed up against something solid, and it let out a squawk.
"Huh?"
Unsure what to make of it, he wriggled the finger, then moved it across the shape, extending the rest of his hand. The small void began making another sound.
"Is that..." Curtis began, leaning forward and narrowing his eyes. "Is it purring?"
"I... I guess?" Luke said, pulling his hand back.
Pain lanced up his finger, and he jerked the hand away, shaking it. The void clung to his finger with what felt like teeth. "Gah! Let go, you little shit!"
A snap of his finger freed it, and the creature crashed through the air and to the ground with a squee. Blood poured out of several small puncture wounds, prompting Luke to heal himself.
"Where did it go?" Hannah asked, turning left and right.
"Right there," Luke said, pointing, finding the spot empty. "Uh."
Martin: "LUKE!"
"Coming!" Luke shouted, turning to start another puzzle.
Hannah grabbed his arm. "I'm heading back home. See you later?"
"It's pretty far," Luke said, nodding to the pile of flesh. "Those guys have a helicopter."
"Don't worry about me. I'm a Traveler, remember?" She gave him a small grin, then stepped toward Curtis. Rather than pass him, she placed her foot in his shadow and fell into it, disappearing without a trace.
"I feel violated," Curtis grunted.
The DIA Integrated rushed up to them just as Luke was about to help Alan's people.
"Can you talk to them while I fix the others?" Luke asked Curtis, who gave him a tired, dark look, and Luke squeezed his shoulder. "Stop glaring at me. It won't kill you."
Using Weaver's Perception was a strange and somehow soothing experience compared to the chaotic jumble of information that the many skills from before resulted in. He stood there over the pile with closed eyes, taking it all in with a calm detachment. Pieces fit together, and he knew how to make them whole again, not just their physical bodies, but the way the system intended for them to exist, before The Fallen Shepherd asserted his dominance over them. It even made using Threads of Mana easier, and he felt his control over them grow as he worked, extending them farther. When he first became a Lifeweaver and learned Weaver's Grasp, he managed to extend a single thread a couple of inches. Now, he worked with six threads, piecing people back together from a distance of several feet. If he pushed, they could even go a little farther.
In that calm, he pondered what to do next. He'd accomplished what he'd set out to do. Kill Relian. Now perhaps it was time for some rest. Strange thing was, he didn't feel tired. Not at all. Energy poured through him and made him want to run and jump, and to fight. Somewhere in the deepest part of his mind, he'd considered he might not be coming back from this trip. Now that he was out on the other side, he wanted to keep going, to grow stronger. With no portal nearby, perhaps he might at least find some people to heal. A whole lot of people.
It took Luke the better part of an hour to complete the morbid puzzle, and the DIA Integrated stood watching in fascinated horror until he was almost finished. Once torsos and limbs came together, the nakedness of Relian's victims made most of them blush and turn away. Curtis sat on the ground back at the school, having found a couple of monsters lagging behind, and he now busied himself trying to work on his Seeker profession. How Luke could tell, he wasn't sure, but he attributed it to Weaver's Perception.
Once everyone was dressed and decent, Alan's team sat in the grass off to the side, most of them staring out into the distance, hugging themselves.
Martin had a haunted look about him, too, but he wasn't so shaken he couldn't talk. "Looks like you didn't need our help all that much."
"Huh? If I were alone, Relian would've won without breaking a sweat," Luke said, meaning it. "Even dealing with the orcs and other monsters would have been too much, not to speak of being able to get away and stop the nuke."
"Right... nuke," Martin said, working his jaw.
Luke raised an eyebrow. "What?"
He cleared his throat. "You have the nuke?"
"Maybe."
"The DIA won't let it stand, much less the rest of the US government. If you joined the guild, Mr. Schmidt and his legal team would be able to offer a lot of assistance."
"What are you talking about?"
"You thought they would just let you walk off into the sunset carrying a nuke? They'll come knocking at your door soon. I'd be surprised if they weren't on their way right now. Since before Relian died, even."
"Shit," Luke said with a wince. "Didn't think of that."
"So?" Martin asked.
"Huh?"
"Are you going to join us or what? You'd get pretty much whatever you asked for."
"Let me think about it," Luke said, not wanting to rush into a decision based on what the government may or may not do.
"Of course," Martin said, looking up into the sky. "The helicopter should be back in a few minutes. You need a ride back?"
Luke nodded. "Can we pick up Dot on the way? I'll message her, but I think she's still in Toledo."
"Yeah, sure. Of course."
Someone cleared their throat, prompting Luke to turn around.
"Mr. Quinn? I'll need you to stay here until a few agents from Cleveland arrive," one of the DIA Integrated said, a man Luke hadn't seen before. He was older, perhaps as old as fifty, with a clean-shaven face, cold blue eyes, and skin that looked like he enjoyed spending a lot of time in the sun.
"I'll talk with them if they get here before the chopper."
Mr. Blue-Eyes took a step closer. "I'm afraid I must insist you come with us. Orders, I'm sure you understand."
Martin: "Alan does not want us to scuffle with the government. You're on your own for this one. Unless you join the guild, of course."
Luke: "Gee, thanks."
Luke raised an eyebrow and took a step closer, too, putting them far too near each other for comfort. "Really?"
Luke: "Johanson. I'm sure you're in on this to some extent. Can you get these people to back off?"
Johanson: "A decision was made far over my head. I'm sorry, Luke, but you need to go along with this. You are not under arrest, so I'm sure we can find our way past this as soon as you explain what happened to The Fallen Shepherd, that frightful opening in the air, and of course, the nuclear warhead."
Luke: "You saw the opening?"
Johanson: "We have several drones in the air giving us a live video feed from several directions. The warhead disappeared when you touched it. It's clear what happened. Give up the nuke, and I'm sure this will be settled without prison time."
Luke: "If you saw everything, then why would I need to explain?"
"Well?" Mr. Blue-Eyes said. "I'm sure whoever you just spoke to explained the seriousness of the situation?"
Johanson: "Nuances, Luke. Nuances."
Luke: "You tried to nuke us. I dealt with The Fallen Shepherd. Now, somehow I'm the bad guy?"
Johanson: "Like I said, it is out of my hands."
"Do we have a problem here?" Curtis asked, his voice deep and threatening as he appeared next to Luke.
Luke considered his options before giving his reply, even as the DIA Integrated shied back from Curtis's looming presence. Indignant rage wouldn't get him far, and having the government out to get you, always on the run, didn't sound like a great idea for anyone who didn't want to be labeled as a villain, much less a healer.
"It's fine, Curtis," Luke said with a sigh. "I'll just go with them and straighten this out."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure. You go with the others, and I'll see you back in Chicago."
"Maybe. We'll see. I'm thinking of heading south."
Luke turned to him. "South?"
"Intruder."
"Alone? You sure?"
"My brother lives down in Charlotte. He's an Integrated too."
"You're sensing one that far away? The same one?"
"Excuse me, but what are you talking about?" Mr. Blue-Eyes asked.
Curtis ignored him. "Yes."
"Well, call me if you need me," Luke said. "I mean that."
"You got it," Curtis said before trudging off across the field without looking back.
"Hey!" Mr. Blue-Eyes shouted.
Luke turned with a glare, then put on his best shit-eating grin, raising his wrists toward him, as if expecting handcuffs. "I'm ready. Take me away!"
