I'd say that couldn't have gone any better.
We might as well have been dancing together.
But perhaps we did get carried away with the fighting.
—Ursus Regulus, “Invictus Shakes”
Stephanie coughed as she tried to clear her eyes. She almost caught a glimpse of Violet’s calculating stare, but it was gone after she blinked. The younger girl wore nothing but a relieved smile with a hint of anxiety and fear tugging at the corners every few breaths.
“V–Violet… you survived?” she asked. Violet folded the bag her meal had started cooking in and nodded vigorously.
“Oh, yes, although it was a close call. I thought I was the only one! Are you alright? I’m trying to make food, but I don’t know if it will help at all. I saw Jack, and… well, at least it was better than what happened to Derek. I just… I panicked, and I ran, and… and… oh God, I’m so sorry. You never said if you were okay! I’m just… I’m just…” Violet trailed off as her rapid response quickly devolved into uncontrolled hiccups. Water ran down her cheeks, and her fingers trembled. She acted as though she were preparing the meals, despite the simple work already being done. As if she wanted to hide how quickly she was breaking down.
Stephanie was clearly struggling to cling to consciousness, but Violet kept the act up regardless. “It’s— it’s fine,” the Lancer assured. She was on the ground, using a long-abandoned car as support for her back, and she struggled to slide herself further up the side. Violet could see strain in trembling arms as her prospective guide shook with the effort. Stephanie coughed as she tried to force herself into a fully conscious state. It was a minute before a long groan indicated the woman was fully awake.
“How?” Stephanie finally managed to ask. She had a burst blood vessel in one eye, filling it with red even as it locked onto the younger woman. Violet tilted her head.
“H–How?” she asked. She swallowed hard, biting her lip before continuing. “Do you mean how did Derek…” she trailed. Stephanie groaned again, shaking her head as the noise prevented her from speaking for a moment. She had to take several deep breaths before she could clarify her question. Violet bit back the rising thrill of the extra effort she was drawing from the injured woman, policing her expression to maintain that of a frightened girl.
“How… How did you survive?” Stephanie finally asked. Violet blushed, rubbing the back of her neck and looking away.
“Well, it’s… I sort of... found my calling—out in the mist,” she admitted. “It gave me a chance to…”
“F–Fight a green hedron?” the injured lancer questioned skeptically. Violet turned a brighter shade of red.
“No… just… just a chance to run away,” she replied with shame. “I wanted to help Derek, but he… it was too late. Running was all I could think to do.”
Stephanie grunted. “I c–can hardly blame you for that, I suppose,” she admitted through sharp breaths. “It’s the only thing I managed, after all. Still. I’m surprised you made it to safety. You must have just b–barely touched red. A red category should— should be dead, even if you tried to run.”
Violet raised a curious eyebrow. “Well, you don’t believe that at all, or you wouldn’t have brought me, right?” she asked. The lancer’s eyes caught on Violet’s innocence like fish on a hook. The much stronger woman broke eye contact first, her injuries and guilt weighing her down in concert.
“R–Right. I was just… impressed,” the woman lied. Barely a moment later, she suddenly grimaced, pressing one hand to her side. The dishonesty interrupted by clear shooting pains almost made Violet laugh. Instead, she shrugged.
“A quirk of my new calling more than anything, I think,” Violet responded. She watched the greenish bag inflate as it heated the probably-disgusting meal. “I’d be dead without my first talent. And without all of you, of course. Your sacrifice is what I really have to thank for my life. Seriously. I don’t know if I’d be brave enough to risk myself for your sake—if the roles were reversed. I am so glad you’re still alive.” Violet had water forming in her eyes even as she pulled the heated food from the bags. As she peeled back the aluminum tab, revealing each meal, her expression morphed to a smile hiding a grimace. One of them smelled a bit like canned ravioli, but the other was the same excuse for an omelet she’d been served earlier. She stood and carried the better meal to Stephanie.
“Here,” she offered. “After how hard you fought to keep me alive, you’ve earned the better meal. Mine had cookies with it, too, if you want those. Eating that, uh… omelet is the least I can do after what you’ve done for me.” Stephanie eyed the meal. She was clearly hungry, barely holding on to consciousness. Violet kept a close watch on the older woman’s face. She wanted to see if she would accept the “thanks,” or if she’d refuse, insisting the girl she’d tried to sacrifice got the edible food instead. The lancer did hesitate, but eventually extended one hand and accepted the food. Violet’s eyes only narrowed for a brief moment, and by the time Stephanie focused on her face, the smiling teenager had returned. Violet retrieved her own meal, bringing the plastic sporks, cookies, and the trail mix which had come with Stephanie’s food.
Stephanie accepted the spork and poked at what looked like macaroni and chili. “How?” she finally asked, before taking a sparing bite. Violet sniffed, looking down at her own disgusting food with the suspicion she wanted to reserve for the woman in front of her.
“I’m sorry? I don’t understand the question,” she pushed.
“How did your calling help you survive? That was a category green hedron. I’ve never seen a red talent strong enough to help anyone escape a monster like that. I can see you’re injured; you must have encountered it. Especially—” she stopped, cutting herself off before saying something incriminating. She was finally strong enough to speak in full sentences, but not present enough to avoid saying anything stupid.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“Especially what?” Violet pushed, her voice communicating absolutely nothing but curiosity. Stephanie paused. She’d wanted to know about the chain and the bait littered around Violet before the hedron attacked. Violet should have been even more helpless than usual, and she should have been the first to die. She couldn’t have simply avoided the monster. It would have been headed right for her, and she would have been trapped. But she couldn’t just ask that.
“It’s nothing,” she replied instead. Violet shrugged it off, scowling before taking a bit of her omelet and choking it down. “I’m just curious what talent we can thank for your survival.”
“Oh,” Violet responded, allowing the false tone of her cheer to ring through her voice. “Let me show you.” Violet put her lunch down and leaned forward, pressing her right hand onto the asphalt beneath them. As usual, branches like a tree etched themselves into the surface. Each limb displayed Violet’s soul as the empathy ring interpreted it. Her name, category, degree, and attributes perfectly matched what had been displayed before. Her calling and talent, on the other hand, lied at Violet’s behest. Violet internally smirked at the information surrounding her hand.
Violet Asher
Category - [Red]
Calling -
Degree - {6}
Talents
Second Chances
Tools of the Trade
Stephanie’s eyes widened at Violet’s degree, the rate of growth exceeding anything she’d ever seen before. She didn’t have a chance to ask about it, however, as Violet sent the mental command to display her talents instead. “Tools of the Trade” was standard, but “Second Chances” offered the explanation Stephanie was looking for.
Second Chances - [Red] - {1}
“The scout lives a dangerous life. She is often the first to encounter danger and rarely has the means to defeat it on her own. While she explores the mist to find safety for her friends, she will be given a second chance. She will survive exactly one otherwise fatal incident, without exception. This talent will not be replaced once it has been expended.”
“Kind of a bummer to burn through one of my talents the moment I get it, but I can hardly complain. I’d be dead otherwise, and not much I could do with a different talent if I’m not breathing,” Violet lamented. Stephanie’s eyes read and re-read the talent description, flicking back to Violet, before she finally sighed.
“Well, I’m glad to have company,” the lancer replied. “I’m not sure I could make it back to Roseville on my own."
“Yeah…” Violet responded with a somber tone. “Me either.” Stephanie sniffed, then took another bite.
“How…” she trailed off, glancing at the sheet Violet had used to cover Jack’s body. “How did Derek…” Violet tensed, then hung her head.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t ask that,” she whispered, and it was Stephanie’s turn to go rigid. But Violet continued. “It was my fault. I know no one knew the hedron would attack, and that’s why I was still chained. But I didn’t think to use my new talent yet. I didn’t even realize I had it yet. When Derek was fighting the hedron, I saw it happen. I saw him lose, and I saw the monster pursue. I could have stopped it. I could have distracted it. But… but I didn’t know I had the tools to escape yet. I couldn’t reach them. I was trapped, and I let him die. If I’d just thought a little faster, he’d still be here. I’m… I’m sorry.” The lancer grimaced, her chewing slowing down as the food lost taste in her mouth.
“I… see,” she responded after forcing herself to swallow. She looked down at her meal and grit her teeth, taking another bite. Violet followed suit, exaggerating the twist in her face as she tasted the disgusting egg. “Well. This won’t help, but it doesn’t matter anyway. We are all dead, regardless.” Violet paused while chewing, swallowing hard as her eyes widened.
“What do you mean? We got away! You don’t think we’ll make it home?” she asked.
“I don’t think our home will make it, rather,” Stephanie whispered. “There is a nest out there, Violet. A category green. It’s still early, but… but I’m the last lancer Roseville has, and we aren’t getting new ones in time. That hedron that killed all of my friends? We are going to be dealing with hundreds of them in a matter of weeks. And we won’t be able to get supplies in the meantime. I know you just got your calling. I know it must feel like an act of God that you are alive. But Violet, there is nothing we can do. We are all dead the moment that nest is finished.”
Violet stared at Stephanie for a long moment, then sighed in relief. “Oh, is that all?” she asked. “Yeah, I took care of that.” She stood as Stephanie coughed. She was a little awkward as she walked back to where she’d been sitting. She picked up the crystal drum with the green crystal inside and held it up. “I figured I was still involved in the lethal incident I shouldn’t have survived, so I went ahead and took the heart. I thought maybe it was the only time I would definitely survive, right?” Stephanie stared at her. “It’s inside. I’d take it out, but it’s, uh… also full of acid. I don’t really know how to do that safely. They can figure it out when we get back.” Stephanie continued to stare, then threw her head back and laughed. It was a pleasant noise, almost enough for Violet to forget how much she wanted to kill its owner.
“I think you’ve earned the chilimac,” the lancer finally admitted through chuckles. “You just… You walked over and took a green heart. And shoved it in a barrel of acid. Holy shit. Violet, you just might be my fucking hero.” Stephanie finally offered the better food to the teenager she’d tried to murder. Violet beamed.
“Hey, now, my father always said: ‘Profanity is the resource of a small mind.’ Please, call me your hot and smart hero,” Violet playfully lectured. The ice had been broken, and the two women actually enjoyed the rest of their meal. After an hour of rest, Stephanie finally managed to climb to her feet and offered to lead them home.
It was a long walk, and both of them were injured. Violet supported Stephanie’s weight, and Stephanie fought any of the smaller hedron who attacked. It was excruciating for Stephanie, but the hope Violet had offered her made it easier. The hedron that attacked were small—even smaller than Stephanie expected. The one benefit of traveling as a pair was they attracted far less attention from the crystal fauna than a full squad of lancers would’ve. Stephanie, injured as she was, could still use her lightning talent. And the orange hedron which consistently targeted her usually died before getting close. When they didn’t, she and Violet would split up so her more powerful talents could be used effectively. Luckily, they seemed to always choose her when picking between the available targets. This made it far easier for her to put everything she had into killing them before Violet was in danger.
She may have planned to betray the younger girl. To abandon her to death. But she’d done that to save everyone else. And, if she was being honest, herself. But Violet had done that instead. So she would fight to keep the teenage girl alive. Violet had earned that much. Someday, maybe she would even admit that it wasn’t Violet’s fault Derek had died. Someday.
The lancer had decided to like Violet. And she liked her enough that she didn’t even notice, no matter how many times she had to fight off a hedron. Roseville appeared on the horizon before she had the chance to examine the strange behavior of the monsters. Especially with the pain she was fighting through and all the stress of the day, it didn’t even occur to her after every fight that not a single hedron made any attempt to attack, harm, or threaten Violet.