"Seriously, why did they give this man such a strong body? That perk is meant for seasoned adventurers. By the time a person naturally earns 'Body of the Mountain' they are several dozen levels, seasoned by their work. You don't give a child a scattergun."
"We weren't there Jan. It's not our place to judge the emergency measures of the past, because without doing what they did, we might both be dead. Also for reference, during the siege, they did give scatterguns to children. Thankfully they did not have to be used."
"I am indeed grateful for what they did, but that doesn't excuse them for making mistakes. An emergency situation does not excuse emergency measures that are thoughtless and dangerous."
"If you want to call out Representative Sutemos, that's on you. But I am pretty sure Sute is universally loved by everyone but you. Even if the patient is a mentally diminished fighter with the 'Body of the Mountain' perk, he has not caused a serious issue that hasn't been allieviated. And other than Representative Sutemos, Representative Uriel, Mast, and Flick, he is the longest serving Skygge in the Protectorate."
"...At the rank of Private. A long history of accolades and enough mistakes to get him barred from promotion."
"Just because he is incapable of leading soldiers doesn't mean he is incapable of serving. Anyways, how is their progress?"
"Other than the occasional twitch, the patient is doing well. No siezures. No rejection. Everything is on schedule."
"Rejection? There is a risk of that?"
"Yes. And the patient dies. It's why it's very risky for Lancer Gole like me to undergo hosting. Our minds do not play well with others."
"You don't play well with others? Say it isn't so Jan."
"Shut it."
"Struck a nerve, did I?"
"I wasn't talking to you. Well I was. I was talking to both of you."
***
[So I know by your memories, the battle was a few years ago. Was there anything that got harder after you joined the Protectorate.]
I thought back to a memory. It was when I was sitting down with Sute. She had a sad look in her eyes. I looked over to my right. There was a mother and her child. I recognized the boy. His name is Julian. We had been playing tag, but when I tagged him he had fallen down and started crying. They had to take him to a healer. Then I was told to come to this meeting.
Julian's mother Meesa was angry with me.
"Lark, I am going to have to ask that you not play with the other children anymore."
I was confused.
"Am I in trouble Sute? Did I do something bad?"
Sute looked sad. "No Lark…"
Meesa cut in, "Representative Sutemos! Lark is clearly a danger to others. I understand you did what you needed to do to ensure our survival, but he is too dangerous to be around children, or adults for that matter! I would go as far to say he is too dangerous to be around anyone. Why you would give him such power…"
Sute looke at Meesa and cut her off, "I can understand your feelings Meesa. Please understand mine. Your son was not permanently injured, and it was not done out of malice. As far as the law of this land goes, Lark committed no crime, and he has already monetarily compensated for the price of a healer.
"That beast broke both my son's legs! Playing! He needs to be kept in a cage!"
"Enough!" Shadows swirled around Sute ans fire danced in her eyes. Then she calmed
I was feeling very scared as I listened to Sute and Meesa yell at each other. For some reason, angry women always made me scared. Much more than when other men are angry.
Sute spoke to me, "Lark. You are a plated adult now. You must leave the games you played as a child behind."
I remember feeling the tears. I didn't mean to hurt Julian. But I was too big now.
"Lark do you understand?"
I nodded.
"Alright Meesa, Lark has promised not to play with other children. Now if you will excuse us, I need to speak with Lark and help him with a weekly schedule."
Meesa left, shielding her young from me. It was as if she thought I might hurt Julian by sitting here. Julian waved by to me. Looking back on this memory, it made me smile that Julian did not hold anger towards me.
I sat now with Sute. She smiled. She was always kind to me.
[Oh Lark..]
Sute started. "Lark, we are the last of our kind, the proud Skygge people. It is our responsibility to safeguard and protect our children. Before you might have enjoyed playing, but when you crossed the [gate] into Haven, you became something special. You are a survivor. And it is up to you that our people have a future. That's your new job. I wish I could let you play with the others, but you are too strong now."
Sute's tone softened. "So let's find a way to make sure you keep busy. Do you know what day it is?"
I nodded. "It's Monday."
"Good. We are going to make a schedule for you to follow each day. Can you read Lark?"
I shook my head. Words jumbled as I tried to read them. Even though I could read before the accident, it was as if I lost the ability to find meaning between the letters.
"Alright then. We can do shapes."
Sute made me a set of seven cards. Each card I understood was a day. Starting with 1 being Monday and 7 being Sunday.
She split the day in four parts. There was Morning, Afternoon, Evening, and Night.
Each card had four pictures. On Monday I had a sword in the morning and afternoon. This meant I would work. In the evening I had a picture of food. This meant I went and ate. And night had a picture of a bed. This is when I would sleep. Sute explained that I would get the hang of this routine, even if at the time i did not know what a routine was.
Along the side of the flashcards was a set of numbers. Sute told me that I could ask other people if I lost track of the routine. They would tell me where I was for the day.
On Sundays in the morning there was a big smiley face. This was when Sute said she would take time to meet with me.
[How did this routine work for you?]
It worked well. At first it was hard to get used to as I was late everywhere I went. But after a few days I figured it out. Each week at the end of the week, Sute would ask how the week went. I would tell her what I did and she would help me adjust my schedule. She had tried to split my cards into more sections, but it got too complicated, so we stayed at four sections per day.
[She met with you every week?]
She tried to. On a few occasions she would have me meet with Flick, who would reset my cards for me. After a while, Flick also got too busy. She was an important person, and could not spend all her time on an invalid.
That word again. Why do I know that's what I am? I don't even know what it means.
[Stay calm, Lark. There will be plenty of time for you to discover this clarity. But for now, it's my time to get to know you. I am new to this world. I need your memories to help me understand. Then I can help you understand.]
It was as if a calming stream washed over me. I felt refreshed. The voice asked of me to show, so I did.
My meetings with Sute used to be every week. Then they were once a month. Then the task of adjusting my schedule fell to my Protectorate Supervisor, then my next supervisor. In a way it was an accomplishment. I had been able to become a stable member of society that did not need the direct intervention of the most important person for our people.
***
As I worked to patch and bridge Lark's prefrontal cortex, I noticed another issue. His Limbic system was completely underdeveloped, which with the increased strain on his consciousness would probably cause severe emotional spikes.
It seemed this is what they meant when they said I was assigned to 'Split control'. I would have to concentrate in two separate areas with my primary feelers. One latching and rooting to his Prefrontal Cortex so he can be brought to a normal level of intellectual function.
The other to ensure his emotions do not spike.
The rest of my feelers went to the normal places. Sensory receptors, motor cortex, mana manipulators, memory, etc.
Lark would need a lot of help, but I am glad to do it. He is a kind soul, and I am lucky to have him as my host.
***