Shift

[Andromeda]

He appeared tired of the events and repetition. Nereus placed a single finger on the chainmail exposed through all of her fighting. “I can see the weakness so easily. Just a slight crack is all that is needed to break something so fragile.” Suddenly all of the links in Chiharu’s chainmail shattered. Her protection blew off her body as the force sent her flying away. “It all crumbles like dirt. Worthless dirt.”

Crashed into the earth, Chiharu laid on her back left with only her leather padding that the chainmail had rested upon. The sort of defense it provided against enemies like Nereus was meaningless, but it still left her shaken. Motionless, she could not move for a minute. ‘Defeated that simply? I can’t believe it…’ Her mind had trouble getting around the idea.

She was not certain what to do. Nothing she did made it through him. He easily penetrated her defense. ‘How do I beat someone like that? Any attack I make he intercepts. I can’t surprise him! The hidden attack is supposed to be my specialty.’ Unease crept into her heart. She was shaken down to her core. She had no injuries, but the wound she took was far worse than any physical one.

Chiharu heard the crumbling of the earth underneath Nereus’ feet. His approach came sooner than she thought. How much time had she lost in thought? She did not know what was happening to her any longer.

Flipping backward off the ground, she gave herself a little room. His eyes seemed even less focused than before. He might have seen her as dirt before, something that he walked over, but it was not even that anymore. It was as if she was the very air around him. Just something invisible and pushed aside just as simply. She was of no concern to him.

The thoughts made her want to fume, but she lost even that. She could not get her legs to move towards him. She did not expect to face such a thing from him or any of them.

Fear. Doubt. Timid.

Chapter 250 – Mindless Animal

Chiharu ground her teeth realizing her weakness. ‘I’m supposed to be in charge, calm, in command,’ she chastised herself. She was letting everything take over. She was…

Emotional.

‘I’m better than this…this isn’t me. Why is he getting to me so?’ Her hands tensed up trying to deal with everything flooding through her. Nereus stood over her, his presence enlarging his stature. He seemed to cast a shadow that went on forever.

“Disappointing. Already giving up.” Nereus stretched out his hand, grabbing Chiharu by her leather undercoat. “I don’t kill something that isn’t even alive.” He then turned back in the direction of the Capital bringing her with him.

She knew what he planned to do. She was not about to let herself by captured, especially without so much of a fight. She did nothing meaningful. All her talk before was just puffed up pride and arrogance if she threw in the towel now. ‘I can’t let it just end here. This isn’t me!’

Sapped of her strength, Chiharu faced the struggle of breaking free. Her body felt stiff and unwilling. The paralysis went deep. But she could not allow herself to be captured. ‘Move it! Damnit! Are you a Chinen?!’ Her hand slapped the side of her thigh, a signal that part of her body finally started to follow her commands.

Some confidence flowed back into her. It gave her enough strength to break free from Nereus. She leapt several meters away from him, bouncing a lightly on her feet a few times to increase the distance. “I won’t be going with you.”

A raised eyebrow was his only reaction. He did not look bothered by it. Nothing seemed wasted on the matter. “You won’t be able to achieve anything. Dirt is still dirt. Nothing more. You’ve failed all tests.” Nereus’ disinterest increased quickly with Chiharu. Only his order kept him from leaving.

“I don’t care about your damn tests! I’ll prove to you I’m more than you think.”

“I find that unlikely. You’d have to be a human to even stand a chance. Everything I see makes it clear that’s impossible. Dirt only has one purpose, to submit to the superior.”

It was his words again. They made her angry and difficult to hold back her urge to attack. Unfortunately, she knew that none of it worked against him. All she attempted failed. She needed something different against him. It was her only chance. Yet she did not have many options. Everything she tried ran through the majority of her options. ‘I don’t really have anything else to throw at him. At least that I’m aware of. That weakling might have given me more than I know, but I don’t know how he thinks. I have to rely on what I know and can achieve on my own.’ Mustering any amount of determination forced her to confront her emotions. They rested on the surface easily called upon thanks to Nereus.

Her thoughts gave her something to consider. There was one last technique that she had available, though discovered by accident. ‘It’s the only option I have anymore. It might give me a little more of a clue to what his power really is.’ The more she saw his power at work the less convinced she became that it was simple water control. The timing and reactions he had were not explained by water. Nothing she could think of explained it, yet. ‘I’ll figure him out.’

Chiharu turned away from Nereus. The distance she had on him made it too close. She was still not comfortable with the ability. She wanted to be sure that she had the distance and time to put it together correctly. It was all about the right perceptions.

Disappearing from a blur, Nereus naturally lost sight of her. Seconds slowly passed by for him. He waited to see what she attempted. ‘Still struggling even though it’s pointless. I don’t understand why it keeps bothering. It’ll never reach.’ In front of him, Chiharu appeared suddenly, but also on his right and then his left. They all looked real. “This your attempt? It’ll meet the same end.”

Her voice came from all of the copies of Chiharu, “We’ll see about that.”

“You already tried it with multiple projectiles, multiples of you won’t make a difference.”

She did not take his advice. Maintaining the copies ended. Each one moved on a different arc for Nereus, yet they still all reached the same point. It did not matter how different she moved. It did not matter that she guided each differently. She controlled every action tightly. It was all her, but she still arrived at the same point. His hand effortlessly blocked everything she tossed at him.

All she got for her trouble was a slightly damp hand, his strange water defense at work, same as always. ‘I don’t understand it. Why can’t I do anything else? I have to reach the other sides, but I always end up on the same course. What is he doing to me?’ It still did not make any sense. It only increased her frustration. Clinched hands and gnashed teeth did nothing for her, even if it was her only outlet.

“I told you how this would play out.”

“Shut up already! I’ve had enough of your condescending tone.”

“I’m only speaking the truth. This is reality.”

The way he did not even raise his voice at her only infuriated her more. Nothing ever got a rise out of him. She just was not worth the effort. That annoying thought persisted in her head. “Reality? I’ll tell you what is reality. You’re just the same as me. Two humans with different gifts or powers if you want. That’s it. Nothing more than that.”

“You couldn’t be further from the truth. I am human, you’re right about that. But you’ve failed all of the tests. You don’t even register as a human. Failing all measures of being human means you can only be something less than human. Since you can’t even protect yourself you’re not even an animal. Even a spider or mouse has a means to defend itself from aggressors.”

Nereus raised his finger with his arm to point at Chiharu, probably the first time the whole fight he had any sort of acknowledgement on her presence. “You can’t even do that. Something that can’t even defend itself is less than an animal. Nothing but dirt.”

There he went again. She could not stand him comparing her to dirt. She was nothing of the sort. She could not control her anger anymore. It might have been pointless as before. All of the punches or kicks she threw before were equally as effective as anything else she did. Anger did nothing to solve anything, but she could not hold herself back. Chiharu attacked him.

None of it matter to her. She just needed to vent. It was pointless, meaningless. She wasted her energy, but she could not help it. “I told you to shut up about the dirt. I’m a human being! If anything you’re dirt!”

Lowering his brow a little, after he stopped all of her attacks, he stretched his hand open in front of her. “Then prove it.” An invisible force unleashed from his hand blasting Chiharu at point blank range.

Blood trailed through the air as she flew backwards. Numerous tiny cuts of impossible thinness appeared across her body. The amount of blood held to only a few drops, as the wounds were too thin to release much. However, the damage was done.

Chiharu quickly corrected her position and landed. ‘He cut me up with ease…’ she commented as she examined one of the wounds. ‘These are too thin for a blade, it’s almost like it was done by a nanoblade. But I didn’t see anything like that on him.’ She stared across the field at his hand. The whole time she saw nothing. It was invisible, but knowing their power, she assumed it was yet another aspect of his power. Yet it did not get her any closer to understanding what he did. ‘What’s his foundation, everyone seems to have a theme, but what’s his?’

“You did well to hold against that. But it seems it’s natural defense rather than your own will to defend that protected you.”

“Then try again. If all you can do is microscopic cuts, it’s going to take more than that.” Without any warning, she felt a change in the air. Something was off. Then she realized she had another cut on her arm. ‘When did he?’ It was invisible like before, but no gestures. He was getting more serious with her. Chiharu disappeared to dodge the attacks. Unfortunately, she still was hit with it even at her speeds. ‘Is he doing something widespread since he can’t see me?’

She tried to keep moving in different directions. Even at her speed, he should not be able to see her actions. The cuts still came, which gave her the confirmation she needed. ‘It’s a blind attack.’ However, it remained effective even blind. Yet, she started to feel a bit of the changes in the air before the invisible blade came. She just needed to get her timing down.

It took more mistakes before Chiharu managed to figure out the feel of it. ‘It’s so small, but I can finally detect when it is coming. Whatever it is, it’s still using natural laws. This is a lot easier now.’ Chiharu resurfaced from her evasion. The attacks still came at her, but she had the timing down to dodge while still appearing not to have moved a centimeter. “Your attack’s meaningless to me. You can’t hit me with it.”

“So you can improve. I guess I’ll have to amend my previous statement. You seem to be enough to be called an animal, mindless as you are.”

A vein popped up on Chiharu’s forehead. “Animal?!” It was hard to know if she was angry over a minor correction or that he was still acting superior to her.

“It should hardly be that surprising. You remain unable to pass any of the other tests. You can only react and not act. You’re a follower, looking for the sheppard.”

“I’m no follower! I’m the head of my clan! I command others!”

“I find that unlikely. As you are, you’re weak and directionless. You’re not fit to lead only to follow.”

That was the last straw for Chiharu. She no longer had any reason. Everything about her fell to her rage. “I am their leader!” Consumed, she charged blindly at Nereus. Nothing was effective against him. She even used her speed, disappearing on him repeatedly. “Shut the hell up about things you don’t understand!” Nothing changed, but she could not be reasoned with any longer. He hit what never should have been hit.

None of it mattered. Results and outcome were the same.

Blood sprayed into the air.

Nereus had landed his invisible attack on her, her blindness made it impossible for her to dodge anything. She did not care about dodging. She would only be calmed by seeing the bloody pulp of his face under her fist.

The reality was he hit her with numerous attacks. Still small, they began to add up. She lost more blood with each failure. “I’m tired of hearing your voice!”

“Because I’m right,” he replied calmly, halting her attack. Nereus turned her around and threw her into the ground. However, Chiharu escaped from his grasp and came on the offense again. He could stop her all day. The amount of energy it expended was insignificant against such a beast. “The way you are I can only see anyone following you dying. Failure of any leader is the death of those that follow them.”

Chiharu suddenly stopped. While blind, her hearing still worked perfectly. His annoying voice continued to fuel her, until now. “Death? Dead…my men…” Images from her raid on the Higoshi Clan’s stronghold returned to her. She led her men on an attack for revenge for them killing her grandfather, yet she failed them. Men died listening to her. She failed.

“You’re not a leader, you’re just a failure. A mindless beast, barely better than the dirt you stomp on.”

Failed.

Just a failure.

‘Worthless? They’re dead because of me.’ Her body started to shake. She could not move. All she could see were the images of her men. They were all dead before. ‘I killed them. I failed them.’ Chiharu completely lost sight of Nereus. The world disappeared. Everything went black. ‘I’m no leader. I fail at everything I do. I have to rely on others for my success. I’m nothing.’ The light left Chiharu’s eyes. Her body was lifeless.

She was dead to the world.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Nothing happened the entire walk. No words exchanged, no subtle movements for tricks. It was just a simple walk, almost as if they might have been good acquaintances. Calling them good friends would have been too much, real friends would have talked. They just looked completely comfortable with the situation. No questions. No problems.

Yet it did not change the fact that it all had to end eventually. The point at which they reached a safe distance from everyone else came. Neither would react if it was too soon or too long. Both just seemed to agree on the matter in silence. The distance was enough.

Such behavior was a natural course for Haruo since if he said anything it would have been a surprise. He read the atmosphere clearly to know what was going on. A completely passive approach. If it had been any more willing you might have thought he already had surrendered himself to Teris.

Turning to face the other, Teris broke his featureless expression the moment he looked at Haruo. It would have been impossible for even someone like Seiji not to see how excited the man was about the potential that Haruo represented for him. He wanted to know more. “You’re a very interesting man.”

Stone faced, Haruo made no sort of twitch to mark his own quandary on Teris’ reaction. ‘He still referring to my power or something else? Feels like he’s looking deeper.’

Haruo was correct about Teris. “I’ve been looking over the reports about you. Unlike the others, you’ve shown off your power the least with only a single engagement. You’re cautious individual. It’s left things with a lot of uncertainty regarding you. Makes me very curious.”

Unknown to Teris, it was largely not a case of caution. It was often just how things worked out for him. ‘Fighting is unnecessary. Best to avoid it when possible.’ He traveled with them, but was not motivated by the same things as them.

Digging his hand around in some void, which ate his arm up to the elbow, produced a stack of papers. Teris flipped through enjoying the tactile feeling of the paper. “The reports from the other Agents are probably the strangest I’ve seen since I’ve joined. It says you stayed behind to allow the escape of two others.”

Such information was hardly news to him, since he was present. So he wondered what the man tried to achieve by bringing up something unneeded.

“Says here that the entire situation just ended. None of the Agents report about an engagement of any sort. Just that after your comrades left things just ended. Very mysterious. Surrounded by twenty Agents and nothing happens, if the reports are to be believed.” Teris tossed the papers back into the void, disappearing from sight. Refocused, his eyes locked on Haruo with a deeply penetrating stare. A stare that wanted to dissect and breakdown every part and piece of Haruo to understand it better. “Care to add your commentary about the situation?”

“No.”

Raising an eyebrow, Teris seemed a little surprised by the refusal. “If an understanding is to be reached multiple perspectives are required. These reports are meaningless.”

While hardly a persuasive agreement, nothing changed Haruo’s decision. “Abstain.” It was nothing he planned to talk about. It was a pointless pursuit.

“So you’re going to keep quiet on how you managed to defeat twenty Agents without fighting.” Teris had some thought about the subject. It gave him a few pieces to work a theory, but a theory only went so far until it needed to be tested. The one to test it stood before him, refusing him. “I can glean a little from their statements. Whatever happened then you did so in such a way that no one wishes to talk about it or is unable to talk about it. Unless you have other powers outside of your animals, I find the latter an impossibility. I can’t rule anything out yet. I doubt you’ve shown the full potential of your power yet.”

There was one thing Teris was correct about. Haruo felt certain that his power was not at its maximum yet. However, he did not know how powerful it could be or what he needed to do to be able to reach that strength. The whole thing was as foreign as Atlantis. Powers, super humans should have been something of fiction left to authors, yet it became reality. A reality that swallowed him up. “So…”

“So I want to see your power in action. Oh sure, I’ve got orders to capture or kill you for suspicion of rebellion and colluding with Eudokia. But that’s only a secondary matter. You’ve got something interesting inside of your body. That’s far more compelling then the orders.”

The direction and reveal of Teris true motives did not surprise Haruo much. From the start, it was one of the possibilities that Haruo concluded based on his initial reactions. It should be a positive thing for him, however Haruo felt certain it was not so simple. “No fighting?”

“Now, I didn’t say anything about that. Though it’s going to depend on what you can tell me. Practical experience is more useful.”

Unfortunately, there was little that Haruo could answer. He knew a little about his power, but it still remained beyond his understanding. “I can’t answer.”

“As I would expect. Revealing your secrets would open up weaknesses for me to exploit. This is still a combat situation for you. So it would only invite disaster. Hence why this’ll come down to fighting. It’ll be the only way to satisfy both of us.”

“I don’t have the answers you want. I don’t know why it works, just that it does.”

“You can cover yourself up as much as you want, but there’s no need to pretend.”

“I’ve run tests. I know how to make it work, but the reasons are beyond me.”

Teris lifted his hand to his chin in thought. ‘There seems to be something of a truth to what he says. Is it actually possible?’ Even true, it did not stop Teris’ goal. “No matter, I’ll figure out how it works for you.”

“I find it unlikely.” If he could not figure it out from his testing his body, it seemed unlikely a stranger would have better luck. His power did not make any sense. There was nothing logical about the way his power worked. Haruo could not understand it.

Chapter 251 – Reluctant Beast

“Sounds like a challenge. That’s why you seemed interesting. I like a tough problem.” The white uniform disappeared in place of a white lab coat along with a simple tan leather vest and shirt. An orderly appearance replaced the stock one. Already tall, even more so next to Haruo, the length of the coat seemed to make him stretch in length further.

Even though it was a clear sign of intent, Haruo made no action. ‘It’s come down to a fight again. This is not why I came.’ He stared over at Teris to get a read on his stance, one that was different from others. It was not very martial related like he saw from others. “I’ve no reason to fight.”

“You do seem more like the tag along type from the way I saw you in your group. And judging from your lack of engagements, but it’s going to happen. I want to see your power at work and you need to defend yourself.”

“No.”

“Your physical body won’t be able to take the sorts of things I’ve got. You will need to do more than just stand there.”

‘There’s no convincing him.’ Still unmotivated, Haruo waited for Teris to make an action. Reaction was better in his situation, especially since he did not know what the man could do.

A glass vial containing a clear liquid popped up from seemingly under Teris’ coat sleeve. He balanced it atop his index finger with effortless ease, likely with no effort thanks to his power. “If you’re going to be like that. I’ll just have to show you that you need to be more accommodating.” Twirling his finger around the base of the vial like it was glued to his finger, the contents seemed to be stirred up in prep. He tossed it once he felt things were ready.

Before it even hit the ground, a light came from inside the glass reacting to the chemicals. It burst open into a violent explosion just a meter away from Haruo. Despite the blast, Haruo made no move do anything about it. Smoke and a strange blue substance surrounded the air around him. A lack of any sort of response from Haruo made it clear that the results were poor.

Once the cover from the explosion blew away, Teris got a better look on Haruo. It confirmed everything that he speculated from the early test results. “A sturdy body on top of your strange power. I see why you’ve resisted the need to fight.” Producing two vials this time, he seemed to have a new plan. “Just as a warning, this is going to amplify the power of that explosive you just witness tenfold. You’ll need to do something more than just stand there.”

Bluffs did not seem in his nature, something Haruo judged. It did not change what he knew that Teris aimed to achieve, while Haruo remaining unwilling to cave. ‘I’ll still survive a blast like that, but it wouldn’t come out unscathed like before. I’ll need to do something.’

The amount of time he had to come up with a plan ran out fast. His next attack already was in motion towards him. Haruo stared at the two vials, one clear like before and the other purplish. An easy identification, but Teris had no intention of hiding it. He just wanted to force Haruo’s hand, killing him would have ended what would be interesting.

An explosion went off again, completing covering Haruo. Yet it did not seem anymore intense as the last. Teris noticed immediately and narrowed his eyes to examine the situation. ‘What was that I saw? A blur of something…’ Just before it blew up, a part of Haruo’s body blurred in his eyes, his arm. “So you prevented my enhancing agent from mixing with the explosive agent. Stubborn still.”

Haruo lifted his left hand up to reveal the protected purple liquid. It remained intact from the blast, hence unable to add to the blast. “Your explosive agent consumes the liquid in here acting as a catalyst that it feeds on to exponentially increase the rate of the compound’s heating and energy artificially.”

Teris clapped his hands actually pleased with the quick deduction. “A fellow intellectual. You will be a very interesting one indeed.” Popping up from his sleeve again, as though the man was a magician, a yellow hued liquid appeared in a similarly shaped vial. “This time it’s mixed together. So you won’t be able to avoid it this time with your sleight of hand. Though it’s more unstable mixed and the results are actually less even and predictable, I don’t prefer it like this. Lacks the sort of elegance.”

‘Another attempt, but if it is as unstable as he saying, it could be very bad. An uneven consumption and release of energy is going to make some areas weaker and others far more powerful.’ Considering the odds he dealt with did not make Haruo secure in his position. It was escalation in the worst way possible.

There was no hesitation in its use. Teris tossed it stirred up at Haruo with some hopefully expectations. Unable to prevent it, the blast went off two meters away from Haruo, a case of its unstable properties. Unstable or not, the explosion was no less than what it was talked up to be. It completely covered up Haruo and ripped into the grass taking out random chunks to toss as debris.

However, when the smoke cleared Haruo remained unharmed and no closer to summoning its animals. It did not mean Teris was without answers. His eyes quickly locked in on a strange arc carved deeply through the earth. ‘So you used your leg strength to force enough earth up with near equal force to counter the blast. It rendered it weak enough for you to just take the rest unguarded.’

Some frustration would be natural for Teris, but it just made him think even more. He wanted to see this animal power in person. He needed to analyze it himself. All the reports were done with too little information and unreliable. Not until he saw it could he grasp it. Something unscientific like spirits was a curiosity he normally ignored.

Opening his lab coat, a quick peak beneath it revealed a wealth of thin vials stored on loops. Retrieving a single small vial, no larger than a needle, the significance of it could not be understated. Teris glanced over at Haruo, but his stoic expression prevented any thing to read from him. However, he knew from the previous displays that Haruo would immediately understand the importance.

Another of the usual vials popped up in his hand as an accompaniment. He tossed them into the air far beyond Haruo, where it exploded. The size was about the same as the first, but it did not seem to be the important part.

Watching the fallout from the blast, Haruo started to deduce the intent. ‘The blast was meant as a transport for the smaller compound he pulled out. Likely it needs to be spread through the air to be effective. Could be a poison, but that would defeat his purpose. But it needed to be distributed as an aerosol.’ The limited information he had could only produce theories. He had to wait to what happened and gamble that it was not something dangerous him.

Suddenly his stance slipped and he forced himself to readjust his footing. ‘The ground’s even almost soft…’ He dropped his sight to the earth, realizing whatever Teris released into the air must have started to have its affect. His foot slipped again. He had trouble keeping his balance. ‘Liquefaction?’ Another second later his foot pushed through the earth. It was as though he fell in quicksand with it swallowing him up too quickly to react. Further movements just made it worse.

Teris walked up to Haruo putting one of his vials near the edge of the liquefied ground. It was of a different color again, a pale blue. “This explosive is quite a bit more powerful than the other I used alone, but it’s quite a bit more stable. Easy for transport.” He dropped down another of the purple enhancing compound, followed by a final clear vial. “See this one? It’s an acid, powerful enough to melt this glass as you can see. I use it as a timer. You’ve got about thirty seconds before the acid is released and triggers the others.”

Standing up and walking away to a safe distance, the whole thing played out so casually. It was all just an experiment, for science. “You’ve got twenty seconds now. I’d suggest you make your decision soon on using your power.”

Haruo stared at the three containers. All out of his reach, nothing could be done to stop them. Not with him stuck in the sinkhole. ‘Looks like he found a way to corner me…’ The options finally ran out. He would be forced to use his animals. It was not the way he would have preferred, but he could not let himself die.

A bright light broke through parts of the earth. It grew stronger as the earth seemed to mound and rise.

Time ran out.

Bright red blasted out over the area throwing chunks of earth and waves of mud. Smoke covered over the entire area form the blast. It cut out everything with shattering silence.

Thinning clouds allowed a faint white light to bleed through. It took on further shape as the smoke dissipated. The form was large and wide, but became clear quickly through pockets of the clouds. A lion’s head bathed in white light revealed itself. Seated on its back, Haruo, dirtied from the experience in the liquefied earth, unharmed still.

“Now we can begin,” Teris remarked with excitement.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Thinning clouds allowed a faint white light to bleed through. It took on further shape as the smoke dissipated. The form was large and wide, but became clear quickly through pockets of the clouds. A lion’s head bathed in white light revealed itself. Seated on its back, Haruo, dirtied from the experience in the liquefied earth, unharmed still.

“Now we can begin,” Teris remarked with excitement. The moment he waited for had not disappointed him. More questions continued to rise in his mind. Question that needed answers. ‘Their powers work on a fundamentally different level than ours. Is it truly a spirit or non-corporeal entity? Or is it just a manifestation of his ability? So many things I must know!’

His eyes quickly started to analyze what he had of Haruo power. All he had at his disposal was the animal, which not a lot for him to go from. ‘A lion, is there meaning to it? Significance in this rather than another animal. It’s clearly too large to be a real lion. None have ever been known to be that large. So it’s fictitious, but he using it as a model. Judging from the mane, I’d say it’s a Cape Lion, but they’ve been extinct for a while. Definitely not real. Does this mean he uses his memory or imagination to create the animals? Would imply this is not a spirit then.’ Too much speculation, that was all he could conclude. He needed more sample points. A single animal was not enough.

‘He’s not wasting anytime examining my power,’ judged Haruo. Both of their insight and deductive skills were high. The more each revealed the more dangerous it would become for the other. Weakness came out quickly in such a situation. ‘I’ll have to be careful with him. I already don’t want to fight, but he’s going to push me to do so. Last time I was able to manage, but he’s clearly more resourceful and talented than them. He’ll find a way through my defense in time.’ Haruo stared across the field at Teris with equal intensity. The man had nothing new to show, but Haruo could not miss a moment with him. ‘The possibility this reaches the point where I’ll have to fight back is very high. If that happens I should try to end it quickly, just to keep things from dragging out.’

Just examining the situation reached its end. A new action would obtain further information. The decision made, a new vial appeared in his hand. “Let’s see how your pet handles this.” Another identical vial of shape and color accompanied the other. “From here on out you’ll have to use that brain of yours to figure things out. No more hints.”

“Fine.” The previous warnings came as a little surprising, but it did give Haruo a good sense of the man he faced. He was fair, if nothing else.

Chapter 252 – Restrained Beast

The battle began, though calling it one might have been overselling the scene. Haruo remained defensive even with Teris throwing the vials at him. It seemed more aimed at the lion than him. So dodging it was easy.

Shattering in the grass, a hiss came from the burning as the liquid poured out. Anything it touched completely dissolved in moments. ‘Acid, perhaps the same from before. I never saw the reaction it had. But it’s clear he’s trying to understand how my power works. Breaking down the animal would certainly give him some valuable information.’

An expected result for Teris, however a simple challenge barely provided any interest to him. He would just have to keep trying. ‘He’s not attacking still. He seems set on not making an offensive action despite his situation. It won’t be like before.’

It sort of went against his method, but his style did not fit well with someone that had as fast reactions. A normal pace from other humans was what he was used to dealing with. More vials appeared in his hands, but the count increased with him fanning them out behind his fingers. It was like taking a shotgun to the problem. An inelegant solution, but still the only option. He needed to get a hit.

‘Numbers, makes sense. If they all move as expected, then it shouldn’t be a problem. But he can use his power…’ Haruo needed no preparation, even with the escalation. The watchful eyes kept locked on each of his movements. He would be able to be ready.

Released into the air, dozens of glass vials spun end over end towards Haruo in the animal. The spread on them went wider than initially telegraphed. Dodging did not prove to be an issue, in fact it was even easier. Until he realized one of the vials was not like the others. It was already reacting before he could do anything.

Chain explosions went off throughout the array as more hidden vials appeared. The yield was low enough that the risk did not come from blast, but what the blast did. It managed to spread and accelerate the acid in all directions. Avoiding it would have been impossible. The lion understood that and leapt in front of Haruo to shield him.

‘Hmm…looked more like the lion acted rather than commanded by him. Does it have a mind, its own intelligence? I would have figured that he’d command it. An interesting detail…’ Once the smoke cleared away, it gave him a better look at the beast. Holes dotted its frame from where the acid burned through.

Nothing serious, yet.

When the regeneration began Teris interested peaked again. ‘So the damage can be healed. That’ll be problematic, but how much damage can it take?’ More tests were required.

Summoning up more of his usual, things advanced to the next stage. Rather than holding them this time, they flew out from under his sleeves. It became easily apparent for the reason. He stopped dealing in only a few that he could hold. The count went beyond the norm. Many rolled around on the ground while he continued to launch more.

Haruo stoic face narrowed a little watching the scene. ‘Such a large scale, but judging from these they aren’t the same timed attacks. Guessing this is a proximity like charge and given his previous attack, likely a variety of compounds.’ He knelt down pressing his hand to the earth for a moment. ‘He’s observant, anything I do he’ll pick up on unless I distract him.’ Finally, he started realizing a proactive role in the situation.

Within sight of him was one of the unknown compounds. A quick assessment based on the color gave him a good enough guess. He picked it up and threw it what he believed a safe distance of three meters in front of him, between Teris and himself.

The blast however was more powerful than he expected and caused a chain reaction throughout the field. Explosions popped up from flying debris, but the main one covered all way the back to Haruo. Intense heat burned against his skin, but it was still no more than like opening an oven door.

‘Testing? Or a screen?’ wondered Teris, until the smoke cleared. Then he understood. Wolves appeared alongside the lion. ‘A subspecies I don’t recognize, probably a small regional type. Still the fact that he wanted to hide him calling these means that seeing it would give more clues to how his power functions.’ He grinned a little with excitement. Working the problem was when he was at his happiest. ‘Even when you try to give me nothing I’ll still get something. Every action is a new piece of information for me.’

The white color of the wolves matched that of the lion. Everything down to the larger than normal size fit in line. However, the more important note that Teris picked up on was that the wolves moved in an aggressive manner. They looked like they stalked their prey, already fanning out. The pack of six wolves each kept contact on Teris. Infrequent low growls kept their intent clear.

‘Most curious. The animals actually seem ready for a fight, yet the expression on his face hasn’t changed. He still looks completely detached from the situation. Is it because he can use his pets by proxy and keep himself removed?’ Encircling wolves turned up the tension in the air as the mood shifted down quickly. ‘Looks like I’ll have to make a move and stop thinking. I’ll have more time later once I deal with this.’

Monitoring the progress of the wolves advance, he picked exactly the measures needed. His hands slid through the air moving through a strange pattern, traced by his fingers. It was a series of vertical lines evenly spaced. “Got it.” His hand came to a stop and his index finger moved as though it pushed button, even though it was only the air.

The action was not for play. Immediately in response, a sudden blast of water with rapidly freezing properties stretched out in all directions. The nearby wolf could not react quickly enough falling for the trap. It only partially encased the animal.

Another air button press triggered another trap, this time smoke, but quickly turned to flame as the partials combusted. The beast went up in flames running about unable to put it out. Further explosions and traps went off finally putting it out of its misery.

More traps went off for the remaining four wolves. The effects varied with differing amounts of success, none were ever the same. It made the diversity in the vials clear.

Both of the men were thick in calculations based off what they learned. Haruo needed to know more of what to expect, but did not plan for such accuracy. ‘So he has an eidetic memory. The hand motions are his means of recall like pushing buttons on a panel. And he stopped using normal means of catalyst. They were all created by his mind, so he can set them off whenever he desires. He’s gotten more serious.’ Out of the wolves, he still had three that survived. Recovering their injuries, they would be ready soon.

Teris had a new wealth of information based on his traps. ‘I can conclude now that what he’s creating doesn’t have a physical body in the traditional sense. It’s still effected by its surroundings, but doesn’t hold the same properties. Poisons and paralysis have no effect, the ice only froze it, but didn’t cause any damage to limbs or internal structure. They can be destroyed with enough effort. The animals are his power, whatever he uses manifests them and they are created out of that source.’ He felt it still too early to conclude if they were spirits, but the theory lost some support from his current findings.

Refilling the field with more of his vials, he readied the next round of tests. The wolves seemed ready for the attack once again. Their stalking already began. Encircling them, Teris stood at the ready to dispose of them, yet the opportunities did not come when he expected. ‘They’re avoiding the traps I revealed before. They know which ones have no effect.’ Glancing over at Haruo, it made him wonder once again about his previous findings. ‘Is it their instinct or is he controlling them? It seems unlikely they’d understand that quickly. How can he see from his position if he is commanding them?’

New questions came to Teris, but they would have to wait for later. The wolves came close enough to leap for an attack. Their timing was exact to be sure it was a three-prong strike from flanking positions.

A white glove materialized on Teris’ hand as he produced a vial. The wolves immediately understood the familiar color, the ice trap. However, already committed, their course could not be changed. Teris poured out the contents of the vial in an endless stream. Using his gloved hand like a brush, he actually seemed to control the course and strength of the water flow as it froze. Unlike the wolves trapped in ice, his hand never froze.

‘A special glove he can use to manipulate the water? It probably can be used with many of his compounds to alter them on his will.’ As much as Teris learned about the intricacies in Haruo’s power, the reverse remained equally true. He needed to see the man’s defense for his next plan.

Haruo held one of the vials spread out over the field. The color was a faint pinkish hue, but more orange. Each compound had subtle differences, mostly by color. He could tell the slight alterations, likely meant to be easy identification for Teris and stump his opponents that lack a discerning eye.

Throwing the container across the ten meter distance was a simple effort for him. Strength behind his arm easily shattered it on the ice as it continued to vine out over the wolves. Flames ignited as the fluid spread out. It quickly grew out of control following the path that Teris mapped with his hand. The wolves looked to be engulfed as well until the ice shattered consumed by flame allowing them to break free.

Freedom granted to the beasts, they dropped down. Scattered fires persisted along their bodies, but had no meaningful affect. They wasted no time jumping back into action, wanting to bring Teris down ending the fight immediately, as desired by Haruo.

Pinning Teris down, the three wolves clawed at him working up to the finish. However, vines grew up from around his body latching on quickly to the wolves. As they grew larger, it pushed the wolves off Teris and into the air until they were completely entangled.

Removing himself from the greenery, Teris stood up nearby. His hand rested on one of the vines grown out to a thickness greater than his body. “Incredible plant. Highly reactive to any sort of movement. It loves to grow and wrap around anything that moves.”

‘That’s not normal growth, he must have accelerated it somehow. Such science isn’t possible with current technology, meaning he’s not limited himself to just the present day. He’s investigated future advancements. This makes him even more unpredictable.’

“You’ve gotten more active finally. You’ve been far too passive to have been taking this seriously. I’m guessing you’ve still got plenty left to show.” A new container appeared in his hand, but it was no longer the standard glass vial. Clad in metal and sealed with bolts, the multi-faced shape defied Teris established motif. “Know what I’ve got stored in here?”

Haruo had no response for him. It was a rhetorical question. The whole point meant to draw his attention to it. However, the container concerned him. ‘What requires such an unusual design? The implication is that it is dangerous.’

His hand moved towards the seal on the metal container. “A fabricated element of the cosmos lies inside.” A strange light began to break through the partial opening in the seal. Everything in the area died expanding outward.

To be continued…