The Astral soul system-Chapter 174: Be still my blade,my heart

A few minutes later, the three of them were done. Luckily they’d managed to get at least a few beast crystals from the spiderlings but they were clearly less potent than adult ones.

"Damn, I am exhausted"

Zyro and Zaine looked at the holographic system assistant sitting on Zen’s head, acting like she’d actually done anything. The little shit even had a tiny fan she was using to make a breeze for herself.

She seemed to have gotten out of her funk from a few hours ago,so they didn’t say anything to bring her down again, just begrudgingly letting her mock them, although Zaine was already cursing up a storm on the inside.

"So what do we do now?"

Zyro asked

"Isn’t it obvious? Kill some more beasts, unlike you guys,i like having a good meal"

"B-but it’s almost time to meet up with the others. Shouldn’t we-"

"Fuck that. Those cunts can go to hell for all i care"

Zyro sighed

"Seriously? Even Jade?"

"Especially her! I’m sick and tired of her goody two shoes attitude. I’d have done more than losing that bitch in the forest if you hadn’t -"

"You lost her?!"

Zyro exclaimed

Theia sighed and looked at Zen who’d quietly been sitting and watching. As usual he had absolutely no reaction or opinion whatsoever.

Realizing it was up to her, she floated off Zen’s head and got between them.

"Alright, everyone relax. Remember the rules?"

The both of them went quiet at that and a system screen appeared in front of the three of them.

"If we have a disagreement. We act like civilized people and take it to a vote."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Good. Alright. Zyro wants us to join up with the others, and Zaine wants to forget about them all and keep hunting. Cast your votes"

The system screen was divided into two parts,a red, and yellow area. Since Zen didn’t have an opinion,there wasn’t a black one.

A one appeared on each sides,meaning they were tied.

Everyone looked at Zen for the tiebreaker.

Zen looked at the screen before looking towards the opening of the cave letting in orange light from this planet’s star.

"It’s late"

He suddenly said

"Uh, yeah. That’s what -"

"No"

Zen suddenly said.

"It’s late"

He said like he was emphasizing.

The system screen dinged once again as Zen made his vote.

************

"Hey! We need help over here!"

Maximilian yelled as soon as he saw guards from the base.

Immediately noticing two students helping one of them walk, the guards quickly approached.

"We’re not sure what’s wrong with him. We gave him all the medicine we had but it had no effect, and it doesn’t feel like it’s just normal unconsciousness either"

"I already told you what it was"

Valerie said, looking at him like he just refused to listen to her.

He pulled too deep. His soul is stretched thin. I’m surprised his body can handle the fate that it accompanies.

The guards looked at Valerie like she was speaking crazy, but Maximilian didn’t react, just urging them to show them where he could rest and maybe see a doctor. Maximilian even showed his "appreciation"(recognized the scummy looks on their faces), transferring some credits to them both before asking Valerie to help him get Neo there.

They directed the students and walked away with big smiles.

Valerie looked back at the faces of the guards, snarling.

"Why did you do that?"

Maximilian scoffed.

"That’s just how things are. They knew we were desperate, they would’ve made things difficult if we hadn’t"

"I know, but why"

Maximilian was a bit confused. What did she mean by why?"

Looking back at the guards, especially the greedy looks on their faces.

"....Those hands-"

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud "

Maximilian looked at her suspiciously.

"Don’t get distracted. Come on, let’s get him to the infirmary "

Valerie shook her head again.

"I told you that won’t do anything. It’s not the kind of illness you fix with pills,at least not regular pills "

Maximilian sighed

"Honestly I believe you"

"..."

"The truth is,Neo’s ability doesn’t work like normal abilities. Abilities are more physical augmentations using the human body itself as circuitry. Meaning that in the event of overworking, what someone is meant to feel is more of a physical strain. People passing out isn’t exactly common, even for psionic type abilities. Not to mention that overload he did "

Valerie looked at him somewhat confused

"Overload?"

"Oh,i...uh...saw it, with my eyes "

The point is that every human has a limit to the amount of Aether they can use, ability levels just act as an internal power release system for the tank. No matter how hard you try,you can’t surpass your innate limit,at least... that’s what I thought before..."

They both looked at the unconscious Neo, different thoughts swirling in their minds.

"So if you know -"

"We can’t do nothing."

With that, Valerie didn’t ask any more questions, just helping to get their injured ally to the infirmary.

The three quickly reached the infirmary, dropping Neo with the doctors. They waited for about an hour in silence before the doctors spoke to them.

They said unfortunately there wasn’t much they could do for him. Appearantly, his body was only a bit strained, and even then it wasn’t to the point that it could explain him being unconscious. They’d given him a few supplements and an IV bag , but they had no idea what was wrong with him .

They left, giving the three some privacy.

As soon as Maximilian and Valerie stepped in, Valerie locked the door behind them.

She looked at Maximilian sitting next to Neo’s bed .

"So?"

"You’re right something’s not right here"

She answered.

"I’m quite sure those doctors are professionals, but they seem unnerved...or... stressed?"

He nodded.

"It’s quite odd for professionals to be so shaken, especially when the base is surrounded by beasts, meaning people get strange injuries everyday. But you missed something "

"I doubt i did"

"Maybe so. There are far too many injured students here, and absolutely no second years or teachers. I can understand if the teachers are busy, but the second years are here specifically to protect the first years, and they’re nowhere to be seen. Students are overconfident because they think someone is protecting them, they end up injured and unable to fight while the second years are gone doing....who knows what. I just can’t think of why"

"... yeah..."

Maximilian looked down at his watch and muttered.

"Still some time left "

Valerie’s expression suddenly hardened for a second. She looked towards Maximilian before suddenly turning to the door.

"Um,I need to go use the bathroom real quick. It’s an absolute emergency "

"Oh,o-"

*Slam*

Before he could finish, she’d already walked out, closing the door behind her .

Maximilian watched the door for a few seconds and after a few seconds he heard her footsteps disappear into a crowd towards the direction of the closest bathroom, unfortunately distinction wasn’t something he was good at when it came to sounds, but it seems she really was going to the bathroom.

He sighed burying his face in his hand.

"What’s going on with me? I don’t usually just... give out information to people i barely know like that. Sure she helped us but..." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Maximilian sighed, choosing not to think about it.

His position was just far too complicated. He could never really trust anyone, not when he was being hunted for a reason he didn’t even know . Yet here he was giving her valuable information when he barely knew anything about her. Was it because he had no way to contact his actual allies or...

Maximilian suddenly remembered something she said.

’You didn’t suddenly get a crush on me, did you?’

That question she jokingly asked passed through his mind, strangely silencing all his other thoughts,as the image of her singlehandedly defending them from all those arrows appeared in his mind,and for once, Maximilian actually doubted his own intentions, asking himself

"Do I?"

He scratched his head, genuinely curious

"So is this what they call... thinking with your other head?"

He went silent for about a minute , suddenly looking towards Neo’s face before he burst out laughing.

"I wonder how I’m going to explain to the others that i let you end up like this "

With a sigh, he muttered.

"Crush or not,it doesn’t matter. I need to take care of my own first, and right now,that includes you" he said, looking at Neo"

***********

Feeling that annoying tick leave, Valerie sighed.

She didn’t have any special sensory powers, but she trusted her own instincts above all.

She quickly changed directions, heading towards the back of the base and walking a little into the forest.

"You can show yourself."

She said, sounding bored.

"How perceptive"

An altered voice appeared out of nowhere, seemingly from all directions.

"You can drop the act. If I wanted to find out who you were,it would be as inevitable as your demise if you intend to cross me"

A chuckle reverberated throughout the forest,a cold wind howling.

Valerie visibly deflated, unimpressed.

" I have someone waiting,so If you’re going to drag this out,i might as well just leave "

She said, turning around and beginning to walk away .

"Stop!"

"No"

She said flatly as she continued to walk away.

A frustrated groan sounded and a flash of light suddenly appeared in front of her, and out of it stepped a figure In a cloak.

Valerie looked directly into the blinding light, unaffected by its intensity.

"So?"

"I have an offer for you"

"..."

***********

Valerie suddenly opened the door to the room

"Sorry i was late,i had a bad...lunch"

She said, looking around the empty room.

"Huh?"

She suddenly noticed one of the doctors and asked.

"Excuse me, sir? Um, sorry to bother you but could you please tell me what happened to my two... friends that were in here?"

The doctor looked up at her for a moment and at the room she was pointing to before speaking.

"Oh,those two? No clue. The blonde one just picked up his friend and checked out despite being told it was best to wait here. He didn’t listen and just barged out.

"Oh,thank you sir. That’s... disappointing"

She said, turning around and walking away.

The doctor suddenly called out to her

"Hey,kid. Do you know w-"

But it was too late, she was no longer listening.

Valerie looked at her open palm with a hint of suprise. She clenched her fists somewhat forcefully.

"I’m agitated"

She took a deep breath.

"Be still my blade,my heart... the time for slaughter will come"

She muttered before sighing,a melancholic air about her.

"Maximilian,Neo. You two..are in my way. Hopefully it’s not too late to remove them if necessary "

The doctor, not taking well to being ignored, walked after her

"Hey ki-"

His words suddenly caught in his throat as a person passed between him and the girl, and the second they passed, she was gone.

************

"Grkraaaa!!!"

Sable looked up at the familiar black figure that momentarily covered the moon in her vision and stretched out her hand, letting it land.

"Still nothing,huh?"

"Grkraa"

"It’s okay, it’s not your fault,we just need to -gh!"

Sable groaned,her knees giving out beneath her as she fell to the ground, clutching her stomach.

Black started cawing and pecking at her, trying to get a reaction, but she could only groan in pain,her eyes tightly shut and her mouth closed, mostly because she was afraid that acknowledging how they currently looked would only increase her thirst.

Her skin had become almost completely pale white and was sucking into her body, making her look malnourished with her bones being visible.

Struggling to speak without growling or hissing, she said in a pleading voice.

"Forget the ring. Find Zyro,or Zen or whoever! GRRR-Just...get him... and hurry,please. He should be close by,i can smell him"

The bird quickly took to the skies, but it wasn’t to get it’s partner,no,it had already done that telepathically. It was getting a bird’s eye view to see if it could find her any prey, having realized that that was her main need.

It looked around and almost immediately, it’s eyes found something, and it was already heading this way.....oh... this might be problematic.

Sable had her back pressed against a tree, her crimson eyes staring at the moon as she struggled to keep them open. For some reason, although she felt that she wouldn’t die if she closed her eyes, something in her bones was telling her the outcome would be much worse than death.

Just when she felt like she wouldn’t be able to hold on anymore-

"Sable?"

Her eyes immediately burst open at the familiar voice.

With all the strength she could muster, she looked towards the right,her eyes widening at the figure that had come out of the woods...alone

"...Jade?"