August 01, 4021 09:14 [Matriarch 04- Makeshift Arena]

The lower floor of the arena was enveloped in a blue aura, bathing the place in azure light. Indra’s flames of darkness dissipated into nothing. As the smoke cleared, the silhouette of a tall figure was given form. Tengri stood between them, blocking Kaluza’s fist with an open palm while keeping a firm grip on the hilt of a dagger, embedded deep within Indra's arm. Indra looked surprised, pulling back reflexively. Dark blood pooled out from the open wound, dripping down to his fingertips.

"Sorry, I can't have you killing each other just yet," Tengri stated with an apathetic inflection. "Both of you should get to the infirmary. Unfortunately, you're going to miss the other matches."

You could have stopped it before it ever reached this point. Indra scowled.

Tengri requested for Jin and Grisha to preside over the remaining matches while he escorted Kaluza and Indra to the hospital. Jin scoffed, leaping over the railing to the first floor with Grisha. The latter seated herself on her side so she could continue to lounge about lazily, much to Jin’s chagrin. Before the next match started, three panels opened along an untouched portion of the wall, housing a set of small cleaning drones. The drones popped out of the opening, quickly clearing away debris and repairing the rest of the arena, retiling the flooring and laying an adhesive paste along cracks in the concrete. They brought out a drying unit to fix the adhesive, subsequently returning to their original location.

The Crow followed Tengri, slinging Indra’s arm over his shoulders while Tengri looked after Kaluza as they exited the arena. Indra winced, taking shaky breaths with each step.

“What did this have to do with Shakti?” he asked, visibly irate.

Tengri looked bemused, irritating Indra further. “I thought you of all people would understand.”

Indra ruminated over the day’s events, settling on the most logical conclusion. "You didn't stop the fight until we both used Shakti.”

The Hyena grinned.

"I figured as much," Indra sighed.

Kaluza stared at them, puzzled. “What are you two talking about?”

“Think of Shakti like a set of gears. When you put the teeth of two gears together and spin them in opposite directions, they produce torque without much resistance. Shakti is similar in that principle where you take two users of different affinities and pit them against one another, profoundly increasing their growth and attunement with Shakti.”

“What about users with the same affinities? Wouldn't the gears stop moving since they're rotating in the same direction?” Kaluza asked.

“Now you're getting it. Shakti users of the same affinities wouldn’t see significant growth if they were to face one another. In fact, if pushed to their limits, gears rotating in the same direction will break their teeth. I'll let you draw your own conclusions from there.”

Indra grimaced. He did not want to find out what that meant, figuring it best to avoid pointless fights with his new teammates.

“Regardless, I'm impressed by what I saw from you two. You'll be strong contenders for promotion if you keep up the pace.”

Indra pondered for a moment. There was something he'd been meaning to ask regarding the promotion ladder.

“How come we're getting promoted straight to the Hyenas? What about the Crows and the Owls?” He eyed the Crow, suspicious.

Tengri’s face darkened. “All of us earned our stripes serving in either the Crow or Owl Divisions. We paid our dues in full. However, circumstances have changed at a much faster rate than we had anticipated, so we need all able-bodied soldiers at the ready. That means pushing younger recruits up the pipeline in terms of the rank that they bear, though that also means assuming the responsibilities that come with the title.”

Indra frowned. What did this mean for the others on the frontlines?

“It's far from an ideal solution. The mechanics are going to be the most vulnerable—”

Indra's head snapped to the side. Searing pain shot through his neck but he paid it no mind.

“What do you mean by that?”

“We're deploying Uturian machine artifacts called Lancers into the field. They're still mostly untested, so they’ll likely require on-the-clock maintenance. Nobody on the frontlines knows yet except for the Hyenas, of course. Luckily, they'll be stationed far away from the thick of things, guarding our supply network.”

Indra felt sick. His head spun, an onset of dizziness overcoming him. Aisha. They were going to deploy his baby sister and there was nothing he could do about it. They stepped into a transport shuttle traveling to the infirmary. At the terminal, the Crow remained on the shuttle with Indra while a group of nurses led Kaluza away. Tengri handed a small device to the Crow before following after the nurses. Something told Indra that he wouldn’t be going to the hospital. The shuttle's windows turned black, the dark tinting obscuring the view outside to prevent passengers from discerning their current location. The gyroscopic stabilization implemented in the shuttle’s cabin system prevented people from knowing whether the train was making turns, further concealing the location of their destination. After an indiscernible period of time, the cabin door slid open, revealing to Indra that he had returned to Aegypius Lab, although this time, he was going to be conscious during his visit.

The Crow helped him out of the cabin, leading him inside to another sterile room. It appeared to be an average consulting room a clinician might use.

“Wait here,” the Crow said, exiting the room, leaving Indra alone with his thoughts.

He looked around. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary, but his mind wouldn’t let him sit still. Worry etched deep inside him, and the pain from his injuries started to become unbearable. His healing had been slowed down once again, this time by Tengri’s dagger, which he could only assume was coated in Amrita.

The Crow returned with a lone Vulture wearing a long white lab coat. He handed her the device Tengri gave him. The Vulture took the device gently, lifting it up to the light to inspect it. After careful examination, she plugged it into a dock on her desk. A video began to play on her monitor displaying Indra’s match against Kaluza. She paused near the end, right at the moment when shadowy flames engulfed Indra’s arm. The Vulture replayed the video a few times, watching with great intrigue. She scribbled down a series of extensive notes on her HoloPad. Once finished, she looked at the Crow. The Crow stared blankly, walking out of the room.

The Vulture moved closer to Indra, staring into his eyes momentarily. What was behind those darkened lenses?

“You have multiple contusions, fractures, bone breaks, and possibly some internal bleeding. Not to mention, the high likelihood of a concussion,” she said in a heavily digitized voice.

She motioned for him to remove the DIVE Suit. Indra obliged, painfully aware of how awful he must have looked at that moment. As he peeled off the suit, the parcel Stanley had given him fell out of his pocket. Indra froze. The Vulture swiped the package from off the floor before he could even make an attempt, examining the box carefully before opening it to look inside. She paused. Indra’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest, given how hard it was beating. What did she see inside? Would Stanley get in trouble for giving him medication? He started to sweat as the Vulture took out a pill.

“Where did you get these?”

“Nowhere.”

“You obviously got them from somewhere. I have to know what these are for, otherwise, I’ll be forced to dispose of them.”

“Wait! Don’t throw them out! They’re meant to counteract the Amrita in my system, but I can’t tell you who I got it from, though.”

“Don’t bother, he’s not concerned with being conspicuous,” she replied checking the underside of the box.

Indra looked confused. The Vulture sighed, showing him the box. A symbol portraying a solid square and a thin needle bisecting it were printed on the back.

“Chait, huh? Figures, he would do something like this. When were you planning on taking this?”

“Tonight, to expel the Amrita, and possibly heal faster.”

She nodded, still staring at the pill. “Better to take it with supervision,” she said, handing it to him.

He eyed her suspiciously, slowly bringing the capsule to his mouth and swallowing. Indra puckered his lips; the pill was sour, like a lemon. A chill washed over him, calming his nerves as it enveloped his body. The Vulture sat on the edge of her seat, watching as Chait’s medicine worked its magic. His bruised mandible and other injured extremities began to mend. The ringing in his ears quieted and the sharp stabs of pain he felt every time he moved a muscle subsided. Vision returned to his damaged eye, his depth of perception returning to its original strength. Indra blinked a few times after peeling off his eye patch to get accustomed to using both eyes again.

“This is incredible,” The Vulture murmured, in awe. “He’s better suited as a Vulture than he is a tailor. Why he insists on continuing that outdated practice is beyond me. Even the DIVE Suits are outsourced to our R&D department.” She shook her head. “It’s a shame, really.”

The Vulture moved closer to Indra, extending an arm to touch his bare chest. She caught herself, hesitating for a moment before running her fingers along the previously wounded areas of his body, muttering to herself as she checked his physical health.

“Everything seems to be in order. We’ll just need to take your vitals and you’ll be good to go. Here” —she handed him the box of pills— “you’ll probably want this back. I hope you don’t mind, I took a few so we can reverse-engineer them for mass production. I doubt Chait will complain, seeing as he left his calling card.”

Indra thanked the Vulture, taking the box from her. She pressed a button on her desk, calling in a nurse, whose face was shrouded with a similar mask. The Crow followed her back inside the room, exchanging a glance with the Vulture. As Indra’s vitals were measured he became uncomfortably aware of the fact that both the Crow and the Vulture were staring at him with intense curiosity. His tests came back normal, filling Indra with a sense of relief as it meant he was free to leave. He thanked the Vulture and her nurse, returning to the Residential District with the Crow by way of shuttle. As they traversed through town, evening-goers stared apprehensively at the hulking figure beside him. People were quick to step over one another to get out of their way. For once, Indra was glad the attention wasn’t on him.

“Are you hungry?”

“Huh?” Indra blinked at the unprompted question.

“It’s getting late, and you haven’t eaten anything, right?”

He tried to deny it, but his stomach betrayed him, rumbling loudly.

The Crow nodded, motioning for him to follow. They took an off-beaten path, down a maze of winding alleyways until they reached a restaurant nestled in-between a bookstore and an apothecary. They entered a small dining area, its soft lighting casting a warm glow. There were no other patrons in sight. A little old lady came out from behind the counter to greet them. The Crow lifted two fingers. She nodded, leading them to a corner booth.

“Pick whatever you like,” the Crow said, handing Indra a menu booklet.

Indra flipped through it, identifying a number of dishes he had never seen or heard of before. He went down the list until he found something that sounded interesting.

“I’ll have this,” he said, pointing out the dish to the old lady.

She nodded, smiling pleasantly as she wrote down the order, walking back into the kitchen.

“So why exactly did you bring me he—”

The Crow stopped him, holding up a hand. “Eat first, then we’ll talk.”

Indra twiddled his thumbs nervously as they sat in awkward silence, waiting for the food to arrive.

“Aren’t you going to order anything?”

“No.”

The old lady brought a steaming bowl to the table, setting it in front of Indra. She waited patiently as the Crow fished money out of his waistbelt, thanking him wordlessly before disappearing behind the counter.

“Now are you going to tell me—”

“Eat.”

Indra obliged, keeping his eyes focused on the soldier staring blankly at him behind scarlet lenses. He put the broth to his lips, the rich flavor of the stock spreading across his tongue. He forgot all about staying vigilant as he dug into the soft goat meat and potatoes, the reduced onions melting in his mouth.

As he tilted his bowl to get the last drop of broth he turned his focus back to the Crow still sitting silently, watching him without moving a muscle.

“Now, we can talk,” The Crow stated.

“About what?”

“Your plan of exit.”

Indra gave him a puzzled look.

“You know where you’re headed I assume? Chait loves to blabber.”

“The Sunken Forest.”

The Crow nodded.

“What lies within…you will not return if you enter the forest. The Hyenas and I–there’s a greater chance of survival for us, but anyone else? Like lambs to the slaughter, all of you. You are merely going to be used as bait to draw them out.”

“Draw who out?”

The Crow became silent.

“Look, if you’re going to give me half-explanations then I can’t really make a sound deci—”

“I don’t know what they are. But I saw the expedition crew’s final recording before they disappeared. The creatures were unlike anything I’ve seen. Grotesque beings; their anatomy was all wrong.”

Indra’s skin crawled. He didn’t doubt the Crow’s words.

The Crow placed something on the table in front of Indra.

“What is it?”

“Take a look.”

Indra examined the item that lay before him. It was a card, marked with a digital tag meant to be scanned. He used his Nerve Cord to do so, causing two messages to pop up on-screen. Indra’s eyes widened. The first read: [BOTULINUM FAILSAFE DEACTIVATED].

“You–how?”

“Chait, naturally.”

“Of course,” Indra chuckled. He checked the second message; his eyes practically bulged out of his skull: [CLEARANCE TO CLOUDBURST ARCHIPELAGO GRANTED. ENTRY CARD LEVEL: REFUGEE]

“I-I don’t understand. Why are you doing all of this for me?”

“I can’t tell you that. All I can do is advise you to leave before you’re deployed into the Sunken Forest.”

“But what about the other Homunculi here?”

“I’m sorry, but you don’t have the luxury to worry about others.”

“My sister she—”

“I’ve seen to it that she’s been placed far away from any real danger.”

Indra put a hand to his head. “So it’s true, they are deploying her.”

“I promise, she’s in a safe position.”

“How did you manage to coordinate this? And why are you helping me specifically?” Indra narrowed his eyes. “Who are you?”

The Crow was silent for a moment. “I’m a friend of a friend,” he answered, getting up from his seat and promptly exiting the establishment.

“W-wait a minute! We’re not done here!” Indra called after him. “Shit!” he muttered under his breath, running out of the restaurant.

The Crow stood outside leaning beside the entrance, staring up at the night sky.

“You know you’re asking me to desert, right? I’ll never see the outside of that lab if they catch me. What happens to the people I care about if they find out? What happens to you?”

“I’ll worry about all of that. Your job is to escape, and seek asylum in Cloudburst.”

Indra laughed out of frustration. “Even if this were possible, what’s the plan? What are the logistics of me leaving this place in one piece?”

The Crow turned to him.

“You’ll take the first chance to escape once you’re placed on guard duty. You’re new here. Regardless of your candidate status, the senior Hyenas aren’t going to let you off that easily, especially since you haven’t paid your dues. Guarding the Matriarch is a must.” He patted Indra on the shoulder. “Get some rest. Take some time to prepare yourself mentally.”

Indra was too tired to protest any longer. He simply nodded. The two made their way back to the main street in the Residential District watching as the nightlife passed them by. Eventually, they reached the housing units. Indra thanked the Crow once again for the meal and the advice, and they parted ways. By the time he entered room 222, Prasanna and Emil were fast asleep. He could see bandages wrapped around Prasanna’s arms and a few scratches on her face. Emil, however, looked pristine, dozing off peacefully. Looks like they had a full day. Laying in bed, Indra could feel the onset of sleep. His eyes felt leaden, the thrum of the air conditioning unit lulling him to sleep. Maybe this dream will be nice.

***

Indra awoke on the surface of an endless black sea. Fuck.

“How did you do that?”

He screamed, scrambling backward. Before him sat a Siren in its unadulterated form. The dark creature lazily swished its serpentine tail back and forth. Its enormous avian wings were furled and its meter-long claws were retracted. It posed no immediate threat, watching Indra with blank white eyes, its hideous grin giving away its identity.

“How did I do what?”

“Don’t play me for a fool, insect. How did you take my power? What method of trickery did you use?”

Indra frowned, picking himself up. “If I recall correctly, it was you who played some trickery when we were forming our contract.”

Usha waved away the accusation. “Water under the bridge. Regardless, I didn’t give you that power willingly. Nor did I want you to take it from me as you so incorrectly and, might I add, shamelessly assumed in your last scuffle.”

“What if it was your subconscious—”

“Never,” Usha spat.

“Alright, but it wasn’t a scuffle and I needed the power—”

“Power is not given, it is EARNED!” Usha’s voice boomed.

Indra glared defiantly at the Siren. “Fine, how do I earn your power, then? I can’t help you reach your goals if I can’t even protect myself.

“I don’t need your help, worm. I am merely biding my time, gathering my strength,” he scoffed.

“Whatever lets you rest easy at night,” Indra said, shaking his head.

“I do not need sleep. I am immortal.”

“It’s a euphemism, you fucking fossil. Besides, immortal doesn’t mean invincible right? That’s how the Devas were able to defeat you with Amrita and seal you away.”

“A gross generalization. But I wouldn’t expect a creature that has lived for less than two decades to understand the finer details behind such a violent conflict.”

“Enlighten me then,” Indra replied smugly.

“I refuse. It is beneath me to explain myself to one so plain.”

“Hey! I wouldn’t be talking so high and mighty when you took my ‘plain’ form during my last few visits.”

“Ah, yes, about that. I feel more in control than before. I was barely able to hold form in our prior meetings inside my Domain. To my dismay, I had to resort to using that distasteful replicate of your body to make our interactions more personable, though it seems I am able to hold my regular form now. I wonder what changed?”

“The pill,” Indra answered.

“Pill?”

“Yeah, a friend of mine developed a pill to drive Amrita out of my body, so we should be able to heal faster if we’re ever injured with it.”

Usha’s grin grew wider. “This is most welcoming news. With this, we’ll be able to dispel attacks imbued with purity–maybe even stand a chance against the Devas.”

“I have to ask, what is with you and this vendetta against long-dead gods?”

“They are not all dead,” Usha growled.

“Yes, I know, I just meant that their influence has been nonexistent for thousands of years, much less any of the other Holy Pantheons.”

“I have no qualms with other pantheons, only the Devas.”

“Why is that? You started the war, they ended it. You would really dig up a conflict thousands of years old just for revenge? I would bet that most of the gods you’re angry with are already dead.”

“If they were, my brethren would not still be sealed. You speak out of turn because you are unaware of the events that led to the war.”

“Then tell me! For crying out loud, if you insist on remaining so cryptic and guarded, then I can’t help you!”

The Siren leaned in close, its menacing aura returning. “Know your place, Vessel. You have not earned my trust. You should not speak of transparency when you yourself have created barriers. How is it that I cannot see any memories from before you were eight years of age?”

Indra stood his ground. “No, you understand your place. This is my body. You’re just coming along for the ride. We made a deal and I’ll help you out however I can, but you need to get it through your head that we’re equals. You are not my master and neither am I yours.”

Usha stared at him for a moment, perplexed. Then, just as quickly, his expression turned to amusement. “Very well. If you insist on earning power, then I shall grant you the opportunity. Just know that the payment for this will be significant. Do you understand?”

Indra nodded. “Yes, I understand.”

“Wonderful,” Usha cackled.

They shook hands, and the deal was made.