Chương 40

"Message… sir…" Kirk's eyelids fluttered. He sat on Peakhold's wall, having climbed up the ladder by the well. A chill wind caressed his face. Summer's grip on the mountain foothills had begun to wane-- out of the northeast tumbled a rainstorm, dragged along by anvil-shaped clouds. By the afternoon, a drizzle would slant across Peakhold. Yet Kirk came here. Because he couldn't look away from the long line of wounded.

Or at the proliferation of little tents, much squatter and less grand than the Sanctum's tents, set up by newly arrived Conduits, looking for opportunity. Because he kept hearing Sandra Wheedle's words. That young man turned up with his legs broken, refusing to speak of it. They still haven't found the girl. Kirk clenched a fist.

"Message for you, sir." Kirk finally twisted around. A runner panted on the ladder, offering a roll of parchment. He took the scroll from the runner and glanced at it. Please come see me at your earliest convenience. -Administrator Rayna"Did she want me now?" Kirk asked the boy. The boy gave him a helpless look; no one had bothered to tell him what the message said. Kirk didn't like the dismal feeling of helplessness in his chest, rivalling the steely storm rushing toward them.

But just as he decided to meet the Administrator to distract himself, he saw a growing commotion by the Healer's Quarter. Immediately, Kirk gave the runner a copper coin and decided that the Administrator could wait for a time. He swung down the ladder and picked up his Larian Saber, which he had left at the bottom. Seizing the hilt, he squinted at the dark metal of the blade.

"Am I pitiable?" The weapon didn't answer. Kirk shrugged, slung it across his back, and made a beeline toward the medical area. The crowd of Conduits by the Healing area had grown surly, muttering and shifting. When he arrived, a bearded Conduit spat on the ground in front of one of the aides.

"If that wine-soaked healer ain't out here in a minute, I'll fucking cut open your belly. See how much he likes watching his subordinates die. Levy-bellied disgrace." Kirk narrowed his eyes and hurried past. To his surprise, even before he made it to Michaels' tent, he could smell the familiar tang of alcohol in the air. Some of his anger toward the bearded Conduit transformed into uneasiness. Inside, Healer Michaels snored into the wood of his desk. Kirk walked up and rapped against the furniture.

"What happened?"

"Eh? Ah, it's my fellow masochist. Wasting our time protecting Conduits from themselves." Michaels swayed as he propped himself up and wiped at his eyes.

"Jolly day, ain't it?"

"What happened? How-" Kirk gave the Healer a closer look.

"Your Archetype feels wounded. How does that happen?"

"Fucking sharp senses, for a kid," Michaels muttered. He groped around for his mug of water. Rather than drink it, he splashed it directly onto his face. Michaels licked his lips, catching as much of the drips as he could with his tongue.

"I have the distinct pleasure of overdrawing my Archetype. It… well. Can't do much about it now. Unless I can soak in energy, I'm out of commission for a bit."

"Why?" Kirk said in a quiet voice. The Healer gestured through to the connected tent. Kirk's eyes widened. He was so distracted by the Healer that he hadn't noticed three individuals were in the next room. Plus, their breathing was almost inaudible-- they were on the brink of death. Likely, they had been forcefully dragged back there by the Healer, leaving him in this state.

"The other Conduits- don't they know-" Kirk stopped himself.

"If we can just get them to donate their energy, like I've been doing-""Any prick can vomit their groundless opinions on cue." The Healer waved a hand.

"Yet when ya tell them to get off their asses and help? Suddenly, all their motivation and self-righteousness evaporates. It's easier to put the blame on someone else."

"If they contribute, the world will be better." Kirk said.

"Together-" Michaels gave him a look filled with pity.

"Yea, maybe. But you know what's horrifying? Your world, Kirk. Where everyone built their own hell, either via apathy or poor choices, and now they need to live in it. Easier for them to deny it." Kirk felt frustration bubbling up in his chest. It took him a moment to realize there was something deep inside him, something from his past life. His stomach soured; it felt like he had swallowed acid, listening to Michael's words. He took a breath and suppressed that feeling. He offered the Healer his hand.

"So? What do you think? Can we fix this? I heard someone threatening to butcher one of your attendants outside." Michaels muttered unintelligible curses into the wood. He knocked his forehead a few times against the desk, either in self-flagellation or in motivation. Then he straightened and took Kirk's hand.

"I want it on record that living ain't worth all this effort." You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Maybe not for just us. But if it helps everyone?" Kirk didn't flinch as his energy, including everything within Runic Battery II began draining at a very rapid rate. Michael's grimaced. After a few minutes of just swimming in Kirk's energy, he had recovered enough to hobble out of the tent.

"Oi! Victor, what's this I hear about you being a shitstain?"

"You- You!" For a second, the red-faced Conduit wheeled around, having thoroughly browbeaten the healing attendant. Victor's eyes narrowed when he saw Healer Michaels.

"You drunk fuck, you dare saunter out here, smelling like a marinated duck?! If you don't heal Oosario right this fucking minute-""I bet you've heard. What Kaddie and her crew did." The Healer interrupted.

"What they were like, when they were carried back to me. So why are you throwing a tantrum?"

"You are drinking and Oosario-""Look at me." Healer Michaels sighed.

"Really, look at me. Does it look like I'm living it up, over here?"

"You- I've heard the rumors. Why you ended up stuck in Peakhold," The Conduit's face reddened.

"You have a responsibility! You don't get to pick and choose-""Do you know, in the six years I've been here, this fuckin' kid is the only one I saved and the next day he shows up, offering me his energy as repayment?" If anything, this just seemed to infuriate the man more.

"Why the hell should that matter? Some Tier I fool. Healing is your job. Meanwhile, Oosario has been a pillar-""I would have told you the same. Why even fucking bother? But it did matter." The Healer glanced sideways. Kirk felt slightly uncomfortable at the raw look in the Healer's eyes.

"You know how much power a Tier II holds, how much I've got, or pretty close to it. Wisdom doesn't give me deeper energy reserves. Accumulation and Deepening- that's just marginal. You know I stabilized Kaddie and her crew, who would have died if I hadn't acted. So tell me again, why should I bleed myself dry for you?"

"You aren't some hero. You are just-" The Conduit hissed. But then his face crumpled. He released a low sob and stared at the ground. When he spoke, he didn't lift his gaze.

"You… please. Save him. I don't have any energy left, but if I did-" The Healer just grunted. The other Conduits exchanged glances and whispers. Kirk walked with Michaels past the downcast man to a small cluster of individuals. They parted, revealing a man on a palette, sweating and panting with his eyes closed. Healer Michael's closed his eyes. Without a sound, he shaped the syllables to create his Rune. Kirk felt the Healer once again leave his Archetype almost without energy.

As the Rune formed and settled on Oosario, the man's expression eased. Without a word, Michaels swept back to his tent. Inside, he groaned and collapsed at his desk.

"What happened with Kaddie?" Kirk asked.

"Desperate levies," Michaels muttered into the wood.

"But longtime Peakholders. With so many out-of-towners crowding in- and hell, I bet your rumors had something to do with it- They scouted a location, set up a defensive perimeter, then Kaddie tried to Ascend." Michaels snorted.

"Let's not argue about pollution. Geos are massing. Even a weak Ascension stirs up energy like crazy-- their small group was overwhelmed and brutalized within minutes. They had to drag Kaddie back. The kicker? She passed out during her second Refinement! Bah." The Healer shuffled over and allowed himself to lie down in his bedding.

"People lose their one good brain cell over Ascension."

"It is the moment that changes your life," Kirk observed.

"It's the path to unlimited power." Michaels spat to the side.

"That's the problem, kid. Everyone thinks that. But no power is unlimited. And it never changes as much as you wish. Sure, that's the moment when you get that heady rush. But your feats are set. Your previous Archetype is set. That moment didn't determine your future, what you've been doing up until then did. Ascension is just the moment of transition. Everyday things, the choices you make and repeat without thinking? Those are what can change a life." Kirk offered a bow to the Healer before he departed.

It was a small act, but Kirk knew a way he could help. With long strides, he rushed toward the Rift. Inside, he found a boulder large enough for cover and just crouched, absorbing the ambient energy. It was thick. Almost oppressively so. Further detection was beyond him. When his Archetypes had drunk their fill, Kirk left the Rift. It galled him, but this was all he could do. Healer Michaels' words kept swirling around in his head. That Ascension made people crazy, but it wasn't the important moment.

It was everything else that determined the outcome. Ascension was just when all your efforts were acknowledged. Even if it created a huge splash of energy, it was just recognition. The guards offered Kirk a salute as he came back through. When he approached Peakhold, the ever-lengthening line outside the healer area made his heart tighten. He walked up to the Healer's tent and knocked. Michaels came out and scowled at Kirk.

"I didn't ask you to courier energy, you know."

"You didn't have to," Kirk chuckled. When the Healer became bristly, it was almost cute. Michaels made a noise. They moved together to the treatment area, but were stopped when that furious Conduit from earlier stepped in front of them, with a companion.

"You squeezed yourself dry," The man said.

"So. Here we are. You can have our energy, as much as we have." Healer Michaels sneered.

"Do you think I need-" Kirk watched the man master himself.

"Well, I certainly need something. If you're all I've got, it will have to do. We don't have time to waste." Staggering back to his tent, Kirk suddenly remembered the message from the Administrator. He groaned and pivoted toward the main keep.

"Kirkland Albion. What a pleasure you managed to make time in your busy schedule." Administrator Ranya met Kirk in her office. This time, she took the comfortable seat behind the desk, leaving him with one of the other chairs. She gave him a forced smile.

"How… have you been adjusting? You know." A realization snapped into place. Ah, was it rude that I took that chair behind the desk? When Kirk pondered, the Administrator offered a dry chuckle.

"Ah, good. We are done with that charade, are we? Excellent. Then let's be frank; you've undoubtedly heard of our current predicament. For various reasons, I would like to resolve this Rift Wave as soon as possible. Considering your connections, we wondered if you had any ideas. Either a business transaction, or… direct intervention." Kirk looked around at the other figure in the office, that powerful shadow wielder, whom Kirk could barely sense.

"Direct intervention?" The Administrator steepled her fingers.

"We are aware that a sufficient disturbance in the energy density inside the Rift could help, but we weren't sure what sort of order of magnitude would be required, or what could suffice."

"A drain on energy…" Kirk muttered.

"Nothing too aggressive, obviously," The thin man said. He rubbed his hands together.

"Action isn't strictly necessary. But also, we would be willing to work closely with your family on this, or others, if you have the connections." A few disparate facts stirred in Kirk's mind. He blinked slowly. His gaze shifted to the shadow wielder. The constellation of the Glimmer Mage began to tumble, as though excited.

"Actually… I do have an idea. But we would all need to work together. And clear up some of the rumors Maesters are spreading."