Charybdis the all-knowing shuffled through paperwork at her dimly lit metal desk, sipping a mug of coffee. The ocean blue eyes that hid behind her angular glasses scanned over Wicke's file. Her tail, which was lizard-like and a deep indigo, curled absent-mindedly around the legs of the black chair. Her sea-dragon wings folded against the edge of the desk.
Not long after they had departed RimOps' base of operations, two of the three of Wicke's party had suddenly disappeared from the tracking radar. Now only Wicke's icon was active, located near a waterfall in the Badlands.
Charybdis knew that the waterfall meant fresh water and food. Something must have happened to the other two while Wicke took refuge in the oasis.
A moment earlier, Charybdis had sent a holographic copy of Wicke's file to the rescue team she'd commissioned. Hydra had been a bit disgruntled with Charybdis' request to "borrow" some of her precious bounty hunters, but Charybdis reasoned if they had nothing to do, they shouldn't get paid.
Charybdis loved when situations like these arose. The results were always so… dynamic. The mystery of a sudden disappearance sent adrenaline rushing through her spine. Sure, two or even three of her scouts could be dead, and if that were the case, Charybdis would mourn like any other regular monster. But for now, she could enjoy the thrill while it lasted.
What Charybdis would give to go out herself and conduct her own field study. Alas, as Charybdis the all-knowing, the Master of Information at RimOps and the official instructor for the scout division, she was forced to stay cooped up with her books in her office where it was infuriatingly safe.
Now that that deal was over and done with, Charybdis snapped her fingers and Wicke's file dematerialized into data, storing itself automatically in her computer. She snapped again, her magic drawing data from the computer and giving it form. A different file appeared in the air before gracefully floating down into her hands. Dr. Huxley.
Charybdis pressed a clawed hand to her face, sighing heavily. Dr. Huxley's handsome but fearful features had been engraved into her mind. She was obsessed with humans, and as the last living human, she desperately yearned to conduct her own, private experiments on him. The human body, the psyche, and the glorious and reckless brain that gave rise to all of recorded history.
But for now, she had to settle with his image. She glanced around briefly to see if anybody was watching, then closed her eyes…
…and licked it.
Silas slumped on his log. He hadn't slept a wink last night. Neither had anybody else, of course, but Silas had stayed up well over midnight exhausting his mana practicing. He deeply regretted it now. He hadn't made any progress. He'd cursed the earth for its uncooperative nature, decided that for some unknown reason, nature hated him. Either that, or he was just untalented.
Julia sat on the log next to him. She was talking with Jasper, so she didn't notice Silas staring at her. Her roughly knit sweater was thick, but Silas could still see the outlines of her muscles. Silas looked down at his own, only to find they didn't exist.
"Hey," Silas said suddenly, approaching Julia. He'd been looking for an opportunity to butt in but hadn't found one. Jasper looked annoyed at his conversation being interrupted, but he said nothing.
"…Thanks for having my back, back when we were fighting the bristle thingy," Silas said, scratching the back of his neck. He knew he should be more emotional, maybe even gazing at Julia with adulation at the fact she had literally risked her life for him, who she barely knew. Silas knew Julia was an honorable individual – there was no doubt about it, from the vibe she gave to the fact her abilities were all about protecting.
"Oh, no problem!" Julia said. "I really don't expect any thanks. I didn't even think about it, really."
"You said you didn't know what your powers were before. How did you know you could defend me?"
"…I can't explain it, really. I just felt something pulsing in my chest and my body just started to move on its own. Since then I've been able to cast small barriers on my own easily. I practiced for a few minutes when I woke up this morning."
"That easy, huh?" Silas said. Instinct. Saya could just innately sense things without even trying. Julia could cast barriers easily without any effort. Rekka already had full control over her flames. Everybody had worked like a well-oiled machine during the bristleback fight. Everybody except Silas. Why did he have to be so useless?
"Hey. If you think that this is the last time I'm going to help you, you'd better think twice. I did tell you I was going to protect you, right? We're a family. The last humans. Just think about it."
"We all have to look out for each other if we want to survive. We all have to work together. So of course I'd gladly risk my life for you." Julia gave him a charming smile.
Silas didn't like that charming smile. It made him feel like a little kid, his mother cradling him in her arms. Like he was helpless and couldn't protect himself, let alone others.
"That's right," Jasper piped in. "And you owe her one. So next time we almost die, you better ride in on horseback in shining armor and smite the fuck out of whatever comes her way."
"I'll try," Silas said unconvincingly. He would have loved to be a knight, but he wasn't strong enough.
"Hey, can you put that thing away, please?" Saya's raised voice shot through Silas' conversation.
"…but I feel more comfortable with it in my hand," Evelynn was saying, fingering one of her blades.
"Yeah, yeah, but it scares me. You're not going to do anything with it, I suppose?"
"Um… no?"
"Hey, hey," Axel butt in, leaning forward on the log so that he was in front of Evelynn. "You got something to say to Eve?"
Saya narrowed her eyes. "No, I suppose."
"Good." Axel said, turning away. "So, Eve, about that knife you were showing me earlier… Jacob, that's what its name was, right?" Evelynn nodded, staring at Saya, pleading with her to go away. Since Axel was blocking her from intervening, Saya shrugged frustratedly and stormed off towards Silas as Evelynn handed her knife to Axel to inspect.
"What was that all about?" Silas asked as Saya slumped down next to him, pouting. He'd never seen her like this. He got the impression that Saya was such a carefree individual she couldn't be fazed by anything. She'd just keep smiling no matter what.
"Stupid white knight idiot horseface," Saya muttered. "And her. She gives me psychotic insane killer vibes. Stay away from her, Silas. She's dangerous, I can tell. I'm never wrong."
Silas would have said, "I beg to differ," but he was too scared of being yelled at.
"I don't think they're that bad," Julia was saying. "It's not something to worry about. We all have our innocent quirks and foibles. Just because she likes weapons doesn't mean she likes to use them."
"Oh yeah. That's totally right. I like food but I hate eating it," Saya snarled.
How stupid and naïve could you get? Silas wondered, sudden anger pulsing up, directed at Julia. Of course it's something to worry about. You don't know anything about her.
But he realized that it was just jealousy speaking and he felt ashamed. Julia was, of course, bigger and stronger than him, kinder and even more talented with magic. She was likeable and pretty and good-natured, and she even already had made a friend in Jasper, while Silas was stuck pushing away Saya.
Julia wasn't perfect, but it was hard to find her flaws. She was just so much better, she had it so much easier, she wasn't useless, and everybody loved her.
Silas didn't know that, but he pretended he did anyway.
"But it's okay. I know at least you guys are good people," Saya said, a faint smile returning to her lips. "I can trust you, right?"
"I don't know about that," Jasper snarked. "I'm pretty nasty. Healing's the purest magic but also the dirtiest. I have to literally change your insides. I have to see you guys all bloody and bleeding and I have to fix that while staring at your deformed bodies. And I have to be okay with that. So I can really destroy your organs in the most gruesome fashion and not give a shit. I'm not nice."
"Pfft, I think that's what makes you good. You have the dirtiest job but you do it anyway," Saya said, brightening.
"That's the spirit," Julia chimed in.
"Uh, actually, I only healed you guys cause I need my meat shield live and not fried to a crisp. And it's not like I decided I want healing powers. I'd much rather be an epic swordsman who vanquishes foes with his charming good looks. It kinda sucks honestly that I was born with this."
"I can move some dirt," Silas said, trying to make a joke. He hoped it worked.
"Anything else?" Jasper asked.
"Nope. I've been practicing all night. Can you tell? No progress. I can just levitate some dirt and maybe a pebble or two."
"Damn, that's ass bro." Jasper clicked his tongue.
"Silas will get it, eventually," Saya said, slapping a hand on his back. That mopey, aggressive Saya was gone. Had Silas imagined it? "I trust him. Probably the most. He has a heart of gold."
"You're just up and saying that?" Silas asked. "And eventually? What's that supposed to mean?" Saya laughed.
"You should know where you stand with me. I'm gonna be honest cause otherwise it feels like cheating when I can read what you're feeling, I suppose."
"Hey, uh, Saya?" Macy interrupted, sensing and opportunity to join in. "I wanted to check on you to see if you're doing alright." Macy was twiddling her thumbs, looking left and right nervously. Axel was still talking to Evelynn, and he hadn't heard Macy's hushed tone.
"Sure, what's up?" Saya asked, beaming.
"Oh. Well, I-I would really like it very much if you and Axel could… not do that," she sighed anxiously. "I don't want you guys to fight. We just met; we should get to know each other before we make assumptions. We can't risk conflict – we have to work together as a team if we want to make it… y'know."
"You're right, I suppose," Saya agreed. "Sorry. I have a little problem with seeing black and white."
Saya had said that she had a problem with that, but she never implied she could be wrong about Axel and Evelynn. Only that they might not be as bad as she thought.
"Good to hear it," Macy said, looking satisfied, as if she had checked something off a long to-do list. Silently, like a snake, she sidled off to whisper in Axel's ear. Silas couldn't quit catch what they were saying, but Axel looked pacified.
"Macy's such a nice girl," Saya was saying. Silas wondered how she knew. She had talked to her before, but she was saying it like she'd known Macy for all her life. "She hates fighting. I bet that's also why she didn't attack the bristleback. The world needs more people like her, people who try and smooth out conflicts instead of escalating them."
Silas wasn't so sure it was safe to make sure a quick judge of character, but it was Saya they were talking about.
Just then, Rekka came dashing up, a serious expression on her face. She was dragging Wicke by her arms. Silas noticed a faint glow emanating from her crimson warlike irises. Sweat glistened on her cheeks.
"We need to go. Now," she ordered. Axel and Evelynn immediately jumped to their feet, ready for action. Jasper remained seated.
"What? Why?" he asked, crossing his arms.
"This." Rekka whipped out a broken, disfigured machine. It was small enough to fit smugly in the palm of her hand, a few centimeters in diameter. Her hand was coated in blood, which was still wet and running through the cracks between her fingers.
"It's a tracking device."