I sit patiently in Red Rock Resort's lobby. Well, not really. But I do manage to stop tapping my foot and annoying people.
"She still isn't back," a maid tells me, "but I can take care of your checkout process."
"Man…" I puff a sigh. "I wanted to ask her a few more things. Nothing for it, I guess."
"Wonder where she went," Diantha says, closing her magazine. "Maybe it was important."
"I remember seeing Trav drive east from here," I mutter. "And since Kisha was with him, I'm willing to bet there's an important place that way. Maybe if we're lucky, we'll find clues about Atticus there too."
"You wanna go there now?"
"Of course not! If that place is a major stronghold like I think it is, we'll need everyone in the action. I'm not that reckless."
"Aren't you?"
"What? I'm serious here!"
"I get it, I get it," Dia giggles. "You really have improved, Kit. You're more like a leader now. Someone worth trusting with my life."
I blink, then blink again. "Where's this coming from?"
"Where do you think?" She flashes me a sweet smile.
I feel like she's doing the thing where she wants me to figure something out, but if I fumble it she'll tease me. So I remain silent.
Then my gauntlet beeps. Sweet release!
Diantha sighs as I open the comms.
"Marc! What's the news?" I ask.
"Everything's under control at the wind farm facility," he reports. "Uh, mostly. Verni's turned into some kinda statue for some reason. Other than that, we're good."
"Well, we're on our way," I reply. "We couldn't talk to Selphia, but we cleared our business at the inn, so it wasn't a complete waste of time."
"Ru said they saw her at the forest facility. In a skysuit."
"What! They're not gonna make her fight, are they?"
"No idea. But Mom was pals with her! If we can find her again–"
"Let me stop ya right there, buddy," I tell him. "There's no need to pull her out of retirement for anything we can handle ourselves, yeah? And aside from that, I have a plan."
"You do?"
"Not you too!"
"What? I wasn't implying anything by it."
"You miss all the shots you don't take, okay? And I only miss half of the shots I do take! But there's still a chance I'll hit it, so give me a chance!"
"Um…?"
"Anyway! Just hang tight, we're on our way." I close the comm and look over at Dia. She doesn't say anything, though.
According to the information Hal gave us, the wind farm facility is in Steralin's southwestern highlands, about forty or so kiloms west of a city called Aeton. For some reason, the name rings a bell. I don't remember why.
As we fly above the low, scattered clouds, a thought crosses my mind.
"Hey, Dia. How're you supposed to farm wind?" I ask. "It's not like it grows. Or like, do they use the wind for something?"
"You haven't seen one before?" Diantha looks over at me. "They look like giant propeller towers, and they're great at providing energy in windy areas. Hence the name."
"Not nets or windbags? Wait, how does farming wind even produce energy? Air loses energy when it's captured."
Diantha puffs out a laugh.
"Hey, I'm serious here," I protest. "Do you know something? You sound like you know something!"
"You know what, don't worry about it." Dia points down at a town below us. "Wanna stop for ice cream?"
"I do like ice cream," I mutter, "but it's hard to eat while flying…"
Later in the evening, we find the facility at the edge of a wide, green plateau, its barrier inactive. There's a lift going up from the plateau's base to the facility grounds, and several propeller towers are calmly spinning in the breeze. I had a feeling Dia wasn't japing me this time, but I still don't get how these things make energy.
As we enter the facility, the stench of death assaults my nose. Dozens of bodies litter the lobby and adjoining hall.
"Yeesh, what went down here?" I mutter as Dia and I step through the carnage.
Once we're past the atrium, the bodies thin out. Then we get to the mess hall, where my comrades, Zoë, and Marc are sitting.
"We're here! Is Verni still metal?" I announce.
Rurin points at the silver statue in the chair next to him. "We know she's okay, at least. Maybe we should find Master Lee again."
I stare at her vaguely-outlined face. "Knowing her, she's either panicking or messing with us… if she's not dead, then I guess all we can do is wait," I say, taking a seat.
Zoë walks up to me. "Here. I made hot chococoa."
As I take the cup, Rurin starts to get up. "Uh, w-wait–"
Then I see what's inside. I freeze, trying not to drop the cup, or throw it.
This is not fortitude test mix. It's not. And yet, my flashbacks return – fainting, overwhelming putrid bitterness leaking from my mouth, that vile black liquid—
No! This liquid is brown. It's chococoa. Chococoa! No one is forcing me to drink it. No one is scanning me afterwards. No one is strapping me down and filling a syringe with it! Zoë is fine. Ru is fine. Marc is fine!
I down the steaming cup in one go. It's… sweet! And hot, and warming, and mellow, and sweet!
Rurin sits back down, looking relieved.
"Is something the matter?" Zoë seems befuddled.
"Nah. I'm good now," I reply. "More chococoa, please."
As I receive my second cup, Marc tries to speak: "Kit, you… I…"
It occurs to me that he picked up on my entire emotional ride, and now I feel embarrassed. "I'm fine, Marc," I reply over my cup. "Erm, now I am, I mean. Seriously, don't worry about it."
"You don't want a spoon?" Zoë holds one up.
"Why? It's in a cup, not a bowl," I reply, taking another gulp. "People get so weird about hot drinks."
"Reminds me of the time Kit ate some of Joseph's pasta while it was still cooking," Rurin says, taking a spoon for himself.
Marc's face changes, like he just figured something out. "Kit! You're so… unique! And special," he earnestly tells me.
I throw him an indifferent look. "Aren't all of us?"
"You got that right," Ru snickers. "Good on ya, Kit."
"What?" I notice that my cup is empty again. "More chococoa please."
"Glad you like it," Zoë nods.
"Yeah. It's fine if I close my eyes."
Marc wryly crosses his arms. I wonder if he wants to say something… I'd love it if I could read his mind for a change.
Rurin pulls out the laptop. "By the way, Kit. Marc finally decrypted the biggest file. And get this – it's titled Potential Big Boss!"
"Finally. Gimme the deets," I excitedly say.
"Ahem." Rurin starts looking through the document. "Says here he's number three on the AWMASC's wanted list."
"Uhm, AWMASC?" I get the vague feeling I've heard that somewhere before.
"Apparently it's some kinda council. Really big," Rurin continues. "Looks like they've been hunting him down for ages, but it's been slow going for some reason… Oh, here's a list. There's like a hundred names on it."
"Accomplices?" Diantha leans forward.
"Huh, they're all linked to dossiers. Seems like these are alter-egos," Rurin says. "Most are just regular-sounding names… there's some villain-y ones too, though. Mastermind, Headmaster, Neo-Emperor… and hey, Atticus Blaner is on this list!"
"Atticus!" Is he really the brains behind this mess? From what little we've heard, he honestly just seemed like an absurdly rich sponsor.
"I've heard of the Neo-Emperor before," Zoë recalls. "But he disappeared after the company he was funding shut down due to illegal trafficking. I was still a child then."
I twirl a ponytail, trying to piece things together. "So… he's old?"
"He didn't sound old whenever we commed with him," Marc replies, "not that it means much. With the right tech, you can sound however you want."
"Maybe you weren't talking to Atticus at all," Ru proposes. "Remember that one author Verni showed us who was a bunch of different people posing as the same person?"
Diantha sagely nods. "It is possible. And if it's true, it'll be an easier task, won't it? Like a divide-and-conquer type deal."
"Call it a gut feeling, but I don't think that's the case," I reply. "Really, we'll likely get more of the answers we need if we can locate Torblan."
Everyone else looks at me funny.
"W-what?" I look around. "Did I say something weird?"
Diantha raises a finger. "Kit, did you… actually find new information? All by yourself?"
"What the hell? I have my moments too, you know!" And here I was waiting for the perfect time to spring this info. The nerve of these creatures! "Torblan is the group that Travis defected to. He said it was the umbrella company over A-Tech, Qinn Industries, Metacorp, and Neocon." I shift my glare. "Quit looking at me like that, Dia, I'm serious."
Diantha tries to smother her silly grin. "Nonono, I believe you."
"I think I've heard of Torblan somewhere… it sounds familiar," Marc says.
"Hmm… I'm not certain myself," Zoë mutters.
Angelina suddenly straightens and looks around, her hair moving like a bed of snakes.
Rurin looks over at her. "What's up?"
"Two people, they're coming."
Zoë grabs a rifle and the ice gun. "This place should be lifeless."
"New visitors, they're coming from above," Angie reports. "The airpad, probably. Lots of… presence, it feels like they have."
"Weird… I sense them too," Marc says. "Picking up a lot of mind static. Maybe they're psycho-adept like me?"
"At any rate, we must be prepared," Zoë states, activating her body armor.
"Uh… you feel anything, Ru?" I ask.
"No," he shakes his head. "Why would I?"
"Just wondering. I don't sense anything either," I reply. "Where's that portal you told us about? Should we escape through that?"
"No," Ru and Angie both say at once.
"Oh."
Then the door opens. Zoë and Marc aim their rifles at the intruders– a man and a woman. They're both slim, with pale skin and shiny bald heads, but only the woman is wearing glasses.
"Identify yourselves. Don't take another step," Zoë says.
"Whoa there, Madame Villi-Adams and son. We come in peace," the bald man replies.
"But if you cross us, you will go in pieces," the bald woman adds.
"Boo." The bald man flashes her a thumbs down.
"Whatever. Anyway, we will not harm you without cause," the bald woman states. "In fact, I was hoping we could negotiate. We have the same goal, after all."
Zoë's armor slides off her face. "Who… are you?"
The bald woman grins, a curious glint in her eyes. "I'll let you guess."
"Clones!" I point at them. "You two are clones, aren't you?"
The bald man suppresses a laugh. "Don't tell me you've never seen twins before."
"Why don't you guys have hair on your heads?" Rurin asks.
"Don't worry about that." The bald man spreads his arms. "We are Ray and Bebe Gunn, armored executives of Qinn Industries."
Armored executives! My guard immediately shoots up, and I scan their bodies for weaknesses. "Wait a second," I mutter, staring at their bodies some more. "Where's your armor?"
Ray shrugs. "Nothing says we have to wear it all the time."
I carefully glare at them, my vibroblades active. "You sure? Nothing's stopping us from tearing you apart."
Bebe crosses her arms, more indignant than scared. "Hey, now, didn't you hear us? We have the same goal. That means we're allies."
"What could you possibly gain from destroying the biotool conspiracy?" Marc expresses all of our doubts. "Surely you must be in on it too."
"I'll keep it simple for now. Strictly speaking, AEs are just hired hands," Ray clarifies. "Outsourced managerial roles with no stake or bias for or against Torblan's operations, save for the contract itself. You should have at least found that much when you scanned our minds."
Marc flinches. "That's… I was just making sure."
"You'd think it would work the other way around," Bebe chuckles.
"Just– tell us what you want!"
"The biometal sample," Ray states. "We know an aeronaut stole it, and we traced an awfully similar energy flux to this location."
"We were coming this way anyway, so we figured, why not pick it up?" Bebe shrugs. "It's not like you guys need it."
All of us look at Vernicia's metal form sitting on the chair. The twin AEs' expressions freeze.
Bebe unfreezes first, looking back at us. "Excuse me, biotools? Hi, yes, hello. What the HELLS is this?"
Ray shakes his head, clearly confused. "I know the sample didn't contain this much biometal. There should only have been enough to cover… a hand, at most. Qinn and I both ran the calcs. It would take roughly twenty times more resources than they had to create a full body layer!"
Bebe calmly twines her fingers. "Explanation. Now."
Rurin scratches his head. "Yeah… so, there was this glowing gate–"
"Ohh," Ray and Bebe both say at once.
"W-what? I barely started."
Bebe adjusts her glasses. "The wishing-well transmog portal. Dr. Markovell completed it a couple of decades ago. And ever since Melania found it, the sealed rooms have been easier than ever to breach. I bet the only reason Qinn hasn't done anything about it is because of her."
"He likes that girl way too much." Ray shakes his head. "Remember when she wanted to make her own portal? Wait, we're off topic." He looks back at metal Verni. "I take it this means she put on the sample?"
"Yeah," Rurin nervously nods. "I'm pretty sure the portal changed all of us, but it got her the worst. What do we do? What can we do?"
"Quit being melodramatic." Ray kicks metal Verni a few times. "HEY! COME OUT OR I'LL SWAT YOUR FAERY!"
Vernicia's metal coating suddenly warps and shifts like it's rapidly melting, then quickly flows back into her hand, leaving a very angry-looking Vernicia standing on the chair. "Don't you dare! Wait, who are you?!"
Bebe turns to us. "See? Markovell's portal can't curse you. It's meant to grant your secret wish," she explains. "Though why he didn't just make a totem or something out of it, I'll never understand."
"Verni, what the hell," I complain, hands on my hips. "We were all worried!"
Vernicia looks sheepish. "Er, sorry. At first I wanted to see how long I could hold it, but then, uhm, I think I fell asleep. I guess that means I can do it for a while."
"My secret wish…" Rurin starts to look pensive, and Angelina thoughtfully strokes her hair.
"Sounds magical to me," I say, nudging Marc. "Unless you've got an explanation."
"Obviously. It's metatronics, remember?" He replies. "The science behind it is still largely unexplored."
Bebe raises a finger, then lowers it. Then she subtly kicks Ray's leg.
"I saw it too. Seems like he has two," Ray nods.
"Huh?" I suspiciously eye the Gunn twins. "Two of what?"
"Binds. It seems like we aren't the only ones with something to explain," Bebe states, pulling out a jewel-tipped stick. A wand?? "First, a mind block. Renders certain statements and ideas unfathomable."
Ray looks over at Zoë. "A biokinetic technique, if I'm not mistaken. Come think, what was Joseph's affinity again?"
"I know what you're insinuating," Zoë says. "Joseph may have been a mage, but he was a good man."
"Just a mage? A bind as strong as the ones on Marc can't be created by any old caster," Ray replies.
Marc looks around. "What are you guys talking about?"
"Shut up and hold still," Bebe says, then smacks him on the head with her wand.
Marc promptly slumps onto the table.
"Next, a heart seal." Ray produces a small crystal attached to a thin chain. "Locks up all magic energy and affinities. No arts, no items. Markovell's portal can't do a thing to him with this bad boy active."
Zoë now looks alarmed.
Bebe throws her a knowing look. "Still think Joseph was just a mage? The heart seal is a master-tier curse. And even then, most masters have never heard of it."
Zoë clenches her fists, then unclenches them. "I won't deny that Joseph did this to him. But why? He always has his reasons, but…" She exhales, then looks back at the twin AEs. "No use speculating. Use your gravin."
"Way ahead of ya." Ray touches Marc's back with the crystal, glimmering and star-shaped.
"That tiny thing is a gravin? What does it do?" I ask.
"What it just did," Bebe says. "Not very flashy, is it?"
Ray suddenly jumps back from the table. "Everyone, brace yourselves!"
"Hm?" As I look over, I'm suddenly blown into the air by an immense force. It's not destructive energy like when Rurin exploded, though—
"Oof!" I slam into the wall on the other side of the mess hall. Then I smack a table aside with my wings before it slams into me.
"It's Marc! Look," Rurin calls. Sure enough, he's the only one still sitting at his chair. Everything and everyone around him has been blown away.
Bebe hops to her feet, putting her glasses back on. "Ahem! Energy that's been bottled up for years tends to do that."
Angelina's hair undulates. "The energy, dark, it's… no, not quite… void?"
"Accurate assessment," Ray nods. "Though 'cosmic' also works. Most interesting."
As Marc stirs, the air around him begins to distort.
Zoë activates her armor. "Look out!"
Another shockwave knocks us back, breaking more chairs and tables. Vernicia turns into a statue.
"Ugh! Should've kept that seal on him," I grunt.
"I've never seen something like this before," Zoë says.
Then Marc stands up, rubbing his eyes. "What the… what happened?" He looks around, confused.
"I take it this means you're done exploding?" I call as I peel myself from the wall.
Bebe's glasses glint as she touches them. "His internal energy has regulated itself. He should be fine now."
Diantha gets up, pushing a large table piece off of her. "I had this thought. Maybe Joseph did the sealing thing as a contingency. Like, maybe he was at risk of losing control or something."
"His affinity most likely awakened when he was prepping for fusion," Ray speculates, "but It's clear that Torblan had no idea Marc was cosmokinetic."
Marc suddenly straightens. "Cosmokinesis… void magic!?"
"Marc, be careful," I say, walking to him. "You look like you're gonna fall over."
Right before I get to him, Marc falls over.
"Ohh-kay," I mutter, grabbing his arm. "Up you go. You'll be okay now, right?"
Marc looks at me with renewed wonder. "My eyes have been opened, Kit. It's like all this time, they've been locked shut."
I scrunch my eyebrows, thinking about those binds. "That's… more or less true," I reply.
Marc lets go of me, standing up straight. "I'm a mage. I get why Dad sealed away my power… it was to protect me."
His hands shine biometallic silver, then pulse with purplish energy. "Power on par with the AEs… maybe this was his plan all along."
"Awesome! We never could beat those guys, so you're gonna have to do a lot of heavy lifting," I tell him.
"Really? They're just armored mages," he replies.
"Mages are supposed to be squishy though?! Like a balance thing," I protest. "They've got such strong junk, you'd think they don't need armor! It's like getting through a cannon barrage only to find that the weak spot is covered in metal! It isn't fair!"
"Well, you can spar with me in the meantime," Marc suggests. "Your vibroblades can cut their armor, right? Sounds to me like you just need a strategy to compensate for their lack of range."
"Hm." I flip a table back upright. "You're willing to get cut?"
"Ahem! Not too badly," he clarifies.
"Kidding. I know how to hold back." I sit down, continuing to stare at him. The others start doing other things.
I twine my fingers. "Um, Marc. Do you still have your mind scan?"
"Not exactly something I can lose," he replies. "What's up?"
"You should become a monty," I suggest.
"A monty," he repeats, somewhat dumbfounded. "Like Kekuro? Kit, we have bigger things to worry about right now."
"Think about it, at least. I bet it would suit you."
Marc narrows his eyes. "Are you okay? You're being awfully demure all of a sudden."
I jump up and punch him in the arm. "Ow! Anyway, I don't trust Ray and Bebe. You can still scan their minds, right?"
"Not really," he shrugs. "I mean, I can, but there's a shitton of feedback. Almost migraine-inducing. I don't think they're psycho-adept, though. It's weird."
Ray re-enters the mess hall, pushing the solar beamer from the atrium. "Ahoy there! I'd like to run a test," he announces as he approaches us. "Try to focus your energy on this thing, Marc Adams."
"Don't say my full name like that," he mutters, holding up an arm. Then he concentrates for a second—
BWOMMM!
A black-glowing beam of negative energy rips through the target, the force launching Marc backwards a couple of meters.
"Whoa!" I look at the solar beamer, but it and several walls behind it have been reduced to stardust.
"Oof. I think I overdid it," Marc grunts, still on the floor. "Can't move."
I look back at him, twirling a ponytail. This is big. Huge, even. With this kind of power on our side, we can…
"Kit, wait. Stop planning revenge raids," Marc says, sitting up. "The AEs aren't a priority anymore."
"Come on, Crano at least! There's never been a skull my kicks couldn't crack," I protest. "I've gotta settle the score!"
Ray writes something down, and I glare at him. "Well, now," he says, ignoring me. "The only other person I've seen pull off a hyper beam with no training was a lumakinetic. Good stats all around."
I cross my arms. "Hmph… I'm gonna go check on Ru."
"Careful. Angie's up there too," Diantha whispers into my ear.
Angie?! With Ru!! I can't allow things to get out of hand!
Marc looks at me funny, but I'm already dashing upstairs to the roof.
Marc looks back at Dia. "Uh… why'd you rile her up like that?"
"Surprisingly impressionable, isn't she?" She replies. I know you know this too.
"S-she's doing her best! You'll never meet a more determined… lady," Marc tells her.
"Don't I know it," Dia serenely nods. Makes you wanna push her buttons, right? Ignite that sexy competitive spirit.
"N-no way. I respect her too much for that."
"I get it. But if you're too slow, someone else might get in front of you."
"What're you talking about now? Did you get another weird idea?"
"Did I?" Dia gives him a look. Why don't you scan your own mind for a change? Maybe you'll realize it too.
Marc remains silent for a moment. Then he takes a breath. "Perhaps after all this is over," he mutters. "She… has enough on her plate already."
I slam open the door to the roof of the facility. "Guys!"
"Eh?" Angelina looks over at me.
"Kit, you made it," Vernicia calls.
"Oh. Verni's here too. Phew," I exhale.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rurin asks.
"N-nothing. So what're you up to?"
Rurin continues his stretches. "I'm about to try something. If this doesn't work, Angie will catch me. Right, Angie?"
Angelina nods. "Catch you, I'll do that regardless."
"Huh, good one. Wish I'd come up with that."
I look between the three of them. "Is he…"
"Just watch," Verni tells me.
Rurin squats down, then shoots high into the sky like a ballistic missile wreathed in blazing light. Then his glowing form arcs in the air and rapidly descends–
SHABOOM! A burst of smoke rises up from somewhere in the forest.
"What the…" I scratch my head, then fly over to the edge of the clearing.
A few minutes later, Rurin stumbles out of the trees, trailing singed leaves. "Phew. Overshot a bit there, haha."
Vernicia lands next to me. "Hey, what gives? That's different from the thing you did at first."
"Nice blast." Angelina flashes a thumbs up.
"It's not really flying, but it'll help me keep up," Rurin says. "Don't worry, I'll rocket jump back. Like so!"
Ru suddenly leaps into the air, his feet trailing sparking flames. Then with another burst of fire, he changes his trajectory in midair and lands back on the facility's roof.
"Burst movement, huh," I note as we fly up after him. "Interesting."
"What's on your mind?" Verni asks.
"I suddenly remembered something. When I fought Crano, he said something about instinctive spellcasting," I tell her.
"You saying mage stuff comes easier to us?"
"I think so. Like, um… Angie, Ru. Remember when I made a hole in the roof? I think that was also some kinda spell."
"Oh yeah," Rurin nods. There was my crosswave slash, too. I didn't even think about it at the time, but I guess that's what instinctive means.
"Hmm… I wonder what I can do," Vernicia mumbles. "I've never tried it myself…"
Angelina's hair coils itself into a large braid. "Sensing magic, does that count?"
"It's all so strange the more we find out," I say, crossing my arms. "Just what are we?"
"Well, don't break your brain over it," Rurin replies. "We're just getting started, after all."
"Hey, maybe I should go through that portal too," I propose. "I bet-"
"No!" All three of them make Xes with their hands.
"What? No fair," I grumble.
"You're perfect just the way you are." Vernicia clasps my shoulder. "Trust me on this."
"It does something with your secret wish though, right? Maybe I'll get… um…"
"I'm serious here," Vernicia insists. "And also, the other facility is still crawling with earthmovers and guards and junk. It'll be bad if you get caught alone."
"Bleh… fine," I relent. "It might make me into a bug or something."
"Come on, let's call it a night," Rurin says.