56 (II)

Bedfellows

Havel’s eyes widened, and for a moment, Shiv thought he was outraged. But then the man’s features shifted into a subtle smile. “That would delight me more than anything. Alas, I must see what I can do. I don’t know how much of him will be left after I’m done. Of him. Of his line. Of his reputation.”

“Bastard!” Adam roared. He nearly slammed his fists into the window, but Shiv caught him—held him back. “Bastard! Bastard!” Something inside the Young Lord had come undone, and rage was pouring out of him. Enough rage that his courage just then was unbreakable. Shiv could feel a fiery heat emanating off Adam Arrow with his Dread Aura, and he knew the Young Lord was beyond fear.

Adam struggled against Shiv, tried to push him off, but Shiv held both of them in place with his gravitic field and let the Young Lord vent his rage on him. He shot an apologetic look at the Weaveress and the others as Adam slammed his elbows into him over and over, the air crackling with every blow. “Give us some distance.”

They acknowledged. After a good minute, Adam finally vented his frustration entirely. When he was done, he couldn’t meet Shiv’s eyes. “You done?” Shiv asked.

“I… I apologize for my outburst,” Adam said, swallowing. “It is unbecoming.”

“No, I mean if you’re still mad, keep going.” Shiv shrugged. “Don’t need you feeling bad for no reason.”

Uva spoke again, then. “There is more to this—there are other memories that are not such direct communications, other things detailing the alliance between the Inquisition and this Greater Demon. I will have transcripts made for you both.”

“Thanks, Uva,” Shiv said. He paused momentarily and regarded. “How are you doing?”

“Better than well,” Uva declared. “The Jealousy… Well, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever worked with before. The mind of the Greater Demon is beyond sophisticated. It might be one of the most powerful Psychomancers that we at Weave have ever seen. Describing Legendary Psychomancers as few and far between would be an understatement. So, for a medium Heroic-Tier to be taken alive and in an ego-broken state, yet with its memories intact is… Well, the Composer might wish to speak to you tomorrow morning and compose a song in your honor.”

Shiv whistled. “Oh, that’ll be another interesting meeting. Hopefully it isn’t about my spying career, though. Might not make for a good song.”

“Comedic tunes are popular,” Uva said coolly. Shiv grunted. “There’s also something else,” she continued. “Even with the Jealousy dead, its mind is reactive. It latches on to things. I think it’s a natural instinct left over. We might be able to use it directly or fashion it into a tool somehow. Perhaps it might even be able to heal broken minds that we cannot help with. The opportunities that this offers, they’re practically boundless for both healing and offensive action. We will likely be studying its capabilities for months, if not years.”

Shiv smiled at that. “Well, I’m glad I got my mind broken for something. Are you almost done for the day?”

“Yes, perhaps in a few hours.”

Shiv nodded. “I’ll wait.” He regarded Adam with a look of uncertainty. “Are you gonna be okay?”

The Young Lord was at the “cold hatred” state after his rage had run dry. “I’ll be alright once we deal with Havel. Once we tear into the Inquisition and discover what’s going on. All this scheming, plotting to murder my father—to murder a hero of the Republic. Not to mention cavorting with demons. It’s all just…” Adam drew in a long breath. “It’s madness.”

“Yeah. And they’re going to pay for it,” Shiv agreed. “We even got proof. But…” He didn’t want to voice his suspicions about how helpful the Ascendants might be. He had a feeling things were even more complicated than he expected. “We’ll deal with it. Whatever it takes.”

Adam clenched his jaw and nodded. “Yes. I… Again, I shouldn’t have hit—” Shiv jabbed him in the upper arm and made Adam stumble. “What was that for, you bastard?”

“That,” Shiv said with a grin, “was a hit. Whatever your baby arms did weren’t hits. They were like… tantrum-touches.”

“You—” Adam’s nostril flared. “I’m going to drive my fist through your head someday, Omenborn.”

Shiv laughed. “I look forward to it, Young Lord. But until then, if you need to work your Physicality or deal with some stress, swing away any time. I won’t notice.”

The Deathless and the Young Lord sneered at each other for a moment longer, before Shiv dropped the tease. “You’re not going to do anything stupid, right?” Shiv asked.

“Don’t worry,” Adam said. “I will not do anything reckless. I think I will go flying again and take in the sights of the city… Clear my mind. I will take the others. I need some room from you anyway. Before you remind me what other terrible skill you’ve gained in the last five seconds.”

Shiv chuckled under his breath. “Yeah, you better. Before you decide you hate me more than you hate Havel.”

“It’s a near thing between you two,” Adam said, but Shiv could tell that was bullshit.

“Valor?” Shiv said. “You sticking around?”

“I think I will go with Adam for a while. Perhaps, as we venture, we might be able to chart out some other armor stores and smithies.”

“Yeah,” Shiv said with a sigh. “There’s still that problem. Well, you guys get out of here first. I think I’m gonna wait on a lady.”

Adam was about to leave before he paused. “Do not come back to the apartment. There is more than a little chance I’ll be there at some point tonight.”

“Don’t intend to,” Shiv replied. “Don’t intend to at all. I think Uva and I are going around flying too.”

Adam snorted. “Flying, or being thrown around repeatedly? There’s a difference.”

Shiv looked down from the window at Uva. She had her arm on her hips. “That depends on how you throw someone, doesn’t it?”

The Young Lord’s expression turned uncertain. He looked out the window, staring worriedly at Uva, and then back to Shiv.

“Shiv, when you do this, uh, do take care not to… splatter her.”

Shiv frowned. “I’m not going to splatter my girlfriend, Adam.”

“Yes, but ‘you’re not going to’ means you don’t intend to. When we were racing earlier, you also didn’t intend to blast through three different buildings and nearly cut a demon in half. And, well, you certainly did intend to throw the goblin at me multiple times.”

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“I hated that,” Siggy whimpered.

“Sister Uva is a remarkable Pathbearer,” Adam said, straightening himself. “She… has a keen mind that is essential for our current… ensemble. Especially when I am the way I am. And with you being an idiot.”

Shiv rolled his eyes. “Thanks Adam. Also, this is the most awkward way I’ve ever seen someone describe someone else as their friend.”

“Yes, well, fine. Just don’t splatter my friend and your…. something else,” Adam finished.

“I won’t.” And now Adam had Shiv feeling a little worried himself. “I guess I’ll take it slow. And controlled.”

“Yes,” Adam said, nodding. “She has many skills. But while she won’t admit it, she really needs more Toughness. I don’t know if she’s even at Adept there.” Adam paused, sneering slightly at Shiv. “With you growing fatter by the day, leveling that should be a priority for her.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Shiv asked, glaring at Adam.

“What are you insinuating, Hero Adam?” Uva asked as well.

Adam froze. “Ah, you could hear me too?”

“Yeah,” Shiv said, angling his body and showing Adam that he was still holding the talk button for the oubliette. “It’s also important for our little group to have good communication. So. What do you mean, Adam?”

Adam was already walking toward the exit before Shiv finished his sentence.

***

When the Young Lord and the others left, Adam actually turned around one last time and advised Shiv to take it slow when turning corners, and to remember that he flew like a large, blind bomb, not a graceful hawk. There was some useful advice wrapped up in the condescension, but Shiv would probably have to learn on his own. Frankly, that was how he learned: by doing, failing, and retrying on his own.

It took approximately a small eternity for Uva to get done, but when she finally finished, he watched her unbind the Jealousy from her mind and leave it within the oubliette. There, the Greater Demon rested, its limbs splayed out, its eye unblinking, pointed at the ceiling. Uva was barely a speck beside it. However, even unlatched from the Jealousy, her Psychomancy field remained changed. It was fainter than ever; subtle, barely perceptible.

Shiv wondered if this was natural, if this was what was about to happen before a Skill Evolution. I wonder what her Psychomancy might become, Shiv thought. She’s probably on the verge of becoming a Master.Well, considering what she’s been doing with the Jealousy, she might be able to jump straight to Hero.

Shiv wondered how good he, Adam, and Uva would perform in a fight together once Uva’s Psychomancy evolved. That would cover practically all our most pressing weaknesses as a team. We might even be able to take Harkness on. Hells, I’m looking forward to seeing the owl again.

Uva ran her hand through her dark hair and gave an exhausted groan once she was finally released. “The Jealousy is a treasure trove of knowledge and memory, but it takes a lot of energy to delve. Most of our Psychotechs are exhausted.” She frowned. “I expected more from them. With a bit of focus and drive, we could be so much further.”

“Well,” Shiv said, smiling. “I don’t think everyone has what you have.”

She paused. “Perhaps. I have been accused of being consumed by my work.”

“There’s nothing wrong with dedication.” Shiv shrugged. “It’s just not for everyone. Some just wanna take life easy.”

“And you?” Uva asked.

“I’m a pretty simple guy,” Shiv said casually. “I just want to break big monsters over my knee and cook their corpses afterward. Now. About getting a supply of meat from the Jealousy…”

“I told the other Psychomancers about your request,” Uva said with a wink. “They all thought I was jesting. You’ll have to assert this yourself, or they’ll just keep accusing me of telling bad jokes.”

“I’ll bring it up with the Composer during our next meeting, I guess,” Shiv muttered.

After about twenty minutes of taking a series of elevators back upward, they left through a series of interconnected stores. All of them seemed to be cafés of some kind.

“It’s pretty weird how your Elaboration is hidden among the public infrastructure,” Shiv muttered, looking at the customers, wondering if they knew what was nearby.

“That is the point of Elaboration. If it was a large, obvious building, well, it would be particularly easy to compromise.” A bead of silence passed between them. “Of course, with how deeply we were penetrated at Passage, I am not sure if these measures are enough. Perhaps we are merely lying to ourselves, and this secrecy is only a means of psychological comfort rather than outright effectiveness.” She let out a breath as Shiv opened the door for her. She gave him an appreciative smile. “I must admit, you are a run of good fortune.”

“Oh, for you personally, or for the city?”

“Yes,” she answered mathematically. “The Jealousy, Passage, everything you’ve done thus far, has benefited the city greatly. And, well, it’s made my days and nights more interesting.”

“More interesting?” Shiv said, chuckling. “That’s your approximation of me?”

“Well, you’ve also woken up a certain gluttony inside of me.” Her voice turned low as she smiled slightly at him. “But, before we make a mess of ourselves again, I think we should get some matters done.”

Shiv looked up. The orbs above the skyscrapers were practically dark. “Uva, I think it’s well past midnight.”

“So?” she said. “As Pathbearers, sleeping is only for matters of exhaustion. And exhaustion comes later.”

Shiv paused as he processed her words. “Later… Wait. Let’s do this first. I’ve been looking forward to this.”

Uva blinked. “What are you—”

He wrapped an arm around her, and her eyes widened briefly before she clung onto him. “Do not drop me.”

“I won’t.”

“And do not splatter me, as Adam said.”

Shiv stared at her. “I won’t.”

She nodded resolutely. “I’m trusting you.”

“Okay,” Shiv said. “Now you’re making me nervous.”

“Don’t be,” she said. “But do not splatter me, Shiv. I will haunt you. I will burrow into your mind and leave an imprint of myself perpetually frowning at you.”

And that was a torment Shiv didn’t want to deal with. With a slight hop, they drifted upwards like a balloon instead of a soaring missile. They climbed in an awkward hover, drawing attention from people all around. But the gravitic field held, and Shiv tugged them along slowly, their forms bobbing up and down the air, drifting through the sky.

“This is,” she said as they bounced slightly, “rather comforting, like being a child in a cradle.”

“Yeah,” Shiv muttered. “It’s also kind of awkward.”

She looked at him. “Do you want to go faster?

“Aren’t you afraid of getting splattered?”

She considered it for a moment. “Well… We can… accelerate slowly…”

Shiv shrugged. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you. Not with my field. And not with my Woundeaters.”

“If you need to use your Woundeaters on me at any point, you’re still getting the frown.”

“Got it.”

And then, with a harder lurch, they shot across the city like an arrow. Shiv felt her heart rate increase and her adrenaline spike. He could feel the thrill, feel her mind bound to his, and to his surprise, he really liked it too.

Uva liked going fast. She liked sprinting to the scene of danger. She liked charging at fires. She liked diving onto out-of-control demons to calm them with her mind magic. That was the favorite part of her job. And she really, really liked this.

“You know,” Shiv said as they shot over a manta-shaped demon, causing everyone on top of it to look up and point, “Adam’s a pretty good flyer. He glides, he twists through the air.”

“But?” Uva asked.

“But where he’s got speed and grace, I have horsepower.”

Silver Tongue > 15

“Oh? Well, then show me. I did wonder what it’s like to be carried across the world by a hurricane.”

Shiv laughed and did as the lady asked. With a new pull of his field, they blasted through the air. Buildings rolled by below like waves, and the horizon zoomed towards them.

Weave had a different look when you were traveling just below the limits of the sound barrier. Different, colorful, and Uva’s barely suppressed squeals of laughter made it all a delight.

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