Chapter 10
I stepped back through the portal, wiping my face with a wing tip.
“Is he-” Flippy Dew began to ask, but upon seeing my face, she knew the answer. She gave a sad nod and turned, heading towards the others as they sat around the table in the middle of the room.
Glancing back, I got one last glimpse of the beautiful realm, the tree and the graves. The portal snapped shut with a pop, revealing the couch covered in Loric’s things.
Taking a shaky breath, I compose myself and walk towards my friends.
“Thank ye, lass,” Luzzumi said, giving me a nod.
I just gave a nod back and pulled out a seat, plopping myself between Roxxy and Summer Breeze.
“Now that yer all here, we can begin,” he said, raising his hand and causing a projection to appear above us, displaying the symbol of the Enforcer’s. “Welcome new Enforcer’s. We usually have a large celebration when we bring in new members, but this isn’t like tha old days. We also don’t usually get this many at once. Questions?”
“Yeah, do we get Ego’s and cool weapons?” Dude asked, getting straight to the point.
Luzzumi just chuckled, shaking his head, “that’s always tha first question. Aye, ye get all that, an' more. We have access ta a lot more here than anyone else, even a few forgotten techniques.” He then looked at me, “you an' I will need ta talk aboot your inherited ego after this be done, ye hear?”
“Yep,” I replied, still not fully present yet.
A few images appeared above us. “First, we will talk aboot options available ta all ye. Being an enforcer, ye have a must wider selection o' choices than those nae in tha know.”
“Like what?” Nightstreak asked, leaning back in his chair and kicking his hooves up.
The images rearranged themselves. There were three of them: A sword, a skeleton covered in metal attachments, and a figure of a man standing with a ghost-like spirit floating behind him.
“You be able ta split your soul in half ta gain access ta powerful objects. Most people chose tha Ego weapon, as it be tha simplest an' be immediately tha strongest o' tha three choices. Ta get stronger with an Ego weapon, ye simply have ta kill or absorb Ego, an' tha weapon itself gets stronger. Eight out o' ten Enforcer’s will choose this option,” he said as the image of the sword spun around.
“The way my parents talked about their weapons, they were the most amazing things they’d ever seen. Even had their own personalities,” I said aloud, but my friends knew all this already. We’d all obsessed over our parents' time on the Eternal Plains.
“Aye, all three options have their own personalities, they just act differently based on which option ye go with,” he said with a nod. The next image started spinning, the one with the man and the spirit. “Ego Spirit be tha second most popular choice. Instead o' a weapon, ye gain a Spirit that fights for ye. They will always be there, ready ta defend ye an' react ta threats, even if ye don’t see it coming. Tha downside be that other Ego users can see your Spirit, an' if they deal direct damage ta your Spirit, it’ll return ta ye an' take a few moments ta return. This isn’t that big o' a drawback, as tha stronger ye an' your Spirit get, tha more o' a threat you’ll become. Getting stronger be just as simple as using an Ego Weapon, except yer Spirit will only get stronger if they be tha ones ta deal tha killing blow. You’ll never be alone on tha battlefield with an Ego Spirit. Two out o' ten Enforcer’s will choose this option.”
Most of my friends didn’t seem interested in that option, but I saw at least one of them light up at the idea.
“Next up be me personal favorite, an' tha one i’m currently using,” Luzzumi said with a smile as he stroked his beard. The image of the skeleton with metal on it began to spin. “Egonetics, tha most unique o' tha three options, but also tha least popular choice. Just like with Ego Weapon’s, you’ll have ta collect tha correct kind o' metal that speaks ta ye. But unlike with weapons, you’ll have ta collect a lot o' it, more if ye plan ta upgrade. Egonetics uses tha metal ta attach ta every bone, muscle, an' nerve in your body. This will increase every aspect o' yourself; speed, strength, durability, brain power, reflexes, etc. Tha downside be that most people can only handle one upgrade on top o' tha normal benefits. Increasing tha effects o' tha Egonetics itself be also harder, as ye have ta both absorb Ego an' also strengthen your soul through other means.
“Another downside be that ye lose out on having a way ta naturally gather Ego, meaning you’ll have ta find other means ta do so. This reason alone makes Egonetics inferior ta tha other two options, but if ye be able ta increase tha power o' tha Egonetics, an' handle more than one upgrade, 'en tha potential be endless. Zero out o' ten Enforcers will choose this option.” He then looked right at me, “in me opinion, Egonetics will complement your current Ego. Ye may be able ta handle more than one upgrade, possibly a few.”
I frowned, as I’d wanted to get a badass weapon. But the more I thought about it, getting something that enhances my already badass abilities did sound very appealing.
“So we get to pick?” Summer Breeze asked, smiling up at the pictures. “That’s so cool.”
“Aye. 'afore ye pick though, I suggest ye let me unlock your Ego’s so ye can make a well informed decision,” he said, getting excited looks from my friends. “There be three kinds o' Ego: Skill, Personal, an' Class. Skill Ego be tha most common form o' Ego, where that’s mostly all ye see out in tha world. This be a wide variety o' abilities an' powers. An easy example o' a skill Ego wou' be Lady Bronwyn; her Ego be elastic. She’s able ta attach her Ego ta anything an' pull it any way she sees fit.”
“Bronwyn actually lost her Ego,” I point out, getting a shocked look on his face. But instead of asking questions, he continues his lecture.
“Personal Ego be a unique one, as it focuses on only affecting tha host. It be rare ta see someone with a Personal type Ego, as ye won’t know they have one till ye face them. These types o' Ego be very dangerous, as they can range from simply just increasing your current attributes, ta even allowing ye ta never die.” He then looked at me, “Loric had a Personal Ego, so now do ye, Ms. Beltosh.”
Not seeing much of a reaction out of me, he continues on. “The last type, Class Ego, be a strange one. Sometimes, if you’ve spent a significant amount o' time training a certain way, or with a certain weapon, 'afore getting your Ego unlocked, there’s a chance it’ll focus around your training. An example o' this wou' be if ye spent all your life using a longsword, there’s a chance your Ego will come with abilities that complement your use o' a longsword. I’ve only known a few who have gained this type o' Ego.
“The type o' Ego ye get be entirely based on ye, your soul, an' your life experiences. Sometimes they don't’ make sense at first, but over time, it’ll all come together,” he said, stepping back and waving in front of himself. “Now come on, new Enforcer’s, line up!”
They didn’t need to be told twice as they all rushed forward, forming a line in front of him. I just stayed in my seat, since this part had already happened to me.
Dude was first, of course, jumping from hoof to hoof.
Luzzumi held out his hand and a cyan glow spread from his hand down onto Dude, who just got more excited. Once the glow disappeared, Luzzumi then held up his other hand, causing a few symbols to appear in front of Dude.
“Hmm,” he said, reading the symbols. “Trading Cards. You’re able ta turn things ye witness into cards for later use. This includes people, abilities, objects, an' so on. Tha card will make an exact copy o' anything it creates, for a limited time. Ye need ta use excess Ego ta create a card, an' tha creation can only be as strong as tha amount o' Ego used ta create it. This has many kinds o' applications in both combat an' everyday life.”
“Huh… kinda cool, I guess,” Dude muttered, looking a bit disappointed as he walked back to his seat. “I wanted a cool superpower ability…”
Roxxy stepped forward next, looking confident as the muscular stout man held his hand out to her. Once he finished unlocking her Ego, he raised his other hand and read the symbols that appeared before her.
“Betting. Interesting. Ye be able ta make bets with others where each side wagers anything they want, an' tha winner o' tha bet gets tha pot. Tha more excess Ego ye have, tha larger tha bet ye be able ta make with someone. Theoretically, ye can use this ta take someone else's Ego if they wager it an' ye win whatever bet was made.”
She shrugged, not showing how she felt about the Ego.. As she returned to her seat, Flippy Dew stepped forward carefully, looking very nervous.
He did the same process to her.
“Hmm, Forcefields. Ye can create a forcefield made o' Ego. Its strength be based on how much Ego ye put into it. There doesn’t seem ta be a limit ta its shape or application, outside o' being 'ithin your sight an' available Ego.”
Flippy Dew smiled happily and flew to her chair. At least someone is happy with their Ego, since the other two are still looking upset.
Summer Breeze was next, wincing a bit as he held his glowing hand above her.
“Calm, lass,” he said in a calm voice as he finished, reading her symbols. “Regeneration Manipulation. Ye have tha ability ta control regeneration, which can be used ta both heal others, or make current wounds worse. This Ego be tha control o' cells, so tha possibilities be endless, only limited ta your excess Ego an' knowledge o' tha body ye be working on. You’re going ta need ta brush up on medical knowledge for this Ego ta reach its true potential.”
“So I can heal and help others?” she asked, a smile on her face. At his nod, she looked completely overjoyed, bouncing in place.
As she went to her seat, Nightstreak jumped forward, ready for his turn.
Luzzumi held his hand up, going through the process. “Absolute Counter. This Ego only works if ye consciously activate it tha moment ye be aboot ta take damage. If timed correctly, what ever attack that was coming your way will instead damage tha attacker. This Ego be very dangerous, as ye can only use it if ye be aboot ta take damage, nae your weapon. An' if ye fail an' mistime tha counter, you’ll take tha damage instead. Ye can also apply excess Ego ta tha counter an' increase tha power o' tha attack ye counter, hitting your opponent with double damage, or even more. This be an Ego ye will have ta put work into 'afore even trying ta use it in real combat.”
“I can live with that,” Nightstreak said, smiling as he moved to his seat.
The table was a mix of self pity, sulking, and happiness.
Luzzumi stepped back in front of the table, looking at everyones mixed reactions. “Do nae worry, just because ye got an ego that seems useless, doesn’t mean it be. Ego’s be only as useful as ye allow them ta be. Be inventive, think outside tha box. Because i be telling ye this right now, everyone o' your Ego’s be useful an' amazing. Especially if ye be all grouped up an' working together.”
This seemed to help the ones who were upset at least buck up, but it’d probably take practicing with their Ego before their moods improved. I mean I get it, we can’t all have an amazing Ego like I do.
“Now, time ta choose how ta use your soul,” Luzzumi said, waving his hand over the table, causing three sets of six pictures to appear. “Take tha picture o' tha option ye want ta use, an' I’ll help get ye started.”
Everyone seemed to know what they wanted, all going for the Ego Weapon’s pictures. However, Flippy Dew and Summer Breeze grabbed one of the Ego Spirit pictures, smiling happily as they sat down hugging the pictures.
I held back, still unsure. Looking at Luzzumi, I saw he was looking at me expectantly.
On the one hand, I can get a badass Ego Weapon, like my parents. But I could also get Egonetics and try mixing my Ego with them to become an absolute badass myself… Huh, that kinda sells that idea!
I reached forward with my tail and took a picture for Egonetics.
“Excellent choices!” Luzzumi said proudly, snapping his fingers caused three lights to come on over three different pathways. “All o' ye that chose a Ego Weapon, go down tha far left path. Use one o' tha consoles ta find tha metal that speaks ta ye. As for ye two, Ms. Dew and Ms. Breeze, go down tha middle path an' I’ll follow along shortly ta help get ye started. Tha process for Ego Spirits be a bit different compared ta tha other two options.”
As they all quickly ran off, he turned to me, smiling. “Good choice, Ms. Beltosh!”
“Just Shayla,” I replied, waving him off.
“Okay, Shayla,” he chuckled, pointing to the far right path. “Head that way an' use tha console ta pick out your metal. I’ll be there shortly.”
ooo000<^>000ooo
I scowled at the console, still swiping through all kinds of metals. So far, none of them have ‘spoken’ to me, whatever that means.
“Found tha one yet?” Luzzumi said as he walked into the room with me.
“Nope,” I grunted, swiping faster.
“Try connecting your Ego ta tha console,” he said, getting a frown from me. “Ah, sorry lass, I just had tha same problem with tha others. I forgot ye all aren’t knowledgeable on Central Dimension tech.”
He stepped up and pointed to a little port on the side of the machine. “Place your hand there, it’ll do tha rest.”
With an annoyed grunt, I place my hand on the port. I saw a bit of Ego run down my leg and into the machine. The screen before me began to scroll quickly, going so fast the screen was just a blur. After a moment, it came to a stop, a single picture of metal highlighted.
“Perfect,” a voice suddenly said in my mind. I recoiled in shock, as it sounded like it was right inside my mind.
“Did ye hear a voice speak ta ye?” he asked, a knowing smile on his face.
“That’s fucking weird!” I exclaimed, my eyes wide.
“Did it sound like ye?” he questioned, leaning towards me expectantly.
“No, not at all,” I replied. The voice in my head sounded like a much older woman’s voice, deep and husky.
“I figured that’d happen,” he said, chuckling as he touched the screen, selecting the metal for me. “Normally, tha Soulbind takes on a form similar ta tha host. But if tha host has a wandering Ego, it’ll more than likely take over tha Soulbind.”
“So what’s that mean for me?”
“Well, tha soul o' tha Wandering Ego be that o' tha original owner, Rosmarinus. So that’s who ye just heard.”
“Wait, Loric said his special someone was Rosmarinus, and that’s the grave we sat at…” I said, many questions running through my mind.
“Yes, Loric inherited his Wandering Ego from Rosmarinus after she was killed. He’d been performing tha duties o' an Enforcer for two resets wi'out even having an Ego. He was a… very special man.”
I grimaced as I was brought back to the mountainside. Shaking my head, I look next to the machine to see there was a pile of metal there. It was purple in color, with little blue specks dotting it.
“Ye ready?” he asked, getting a nod from me.
Stepping up to the metal, he picked up a few large chunks and held them up. “So this be simple, Shayla. I’m going ta use me abilities ta fuse this with ye an' your Ego. This metal will become a part o' ye an' will cover your skeleton in a thin coat o' Ego metal. It’ll seep into tha bones an' attach itself ta your nerves an' joints.”
“Is it painful?” I asked, to which he smiled sheepishly.
“Aye, it hurts. A lot. But tha long term benefits be worth it,” he said, trying to reassure me.
I just sighed and shook my head, “no pain no gain.”
“That’s tha spirit!” he laughed. “Tha basic benefits you’ll see right away will be increases ta all o' your attributes. Just a simple fifty percent increase.”
“Wow! It’ll double everything?!” I asked, getting very excited at the idea.
He just blinked at me. “Eh, nae, that’s nae how percentages work. Let me make this simpler. It’ll apply a 1.50x modifier ta your attributes.”
“Oh… that’s not as cool,” I mumbled.
“You will increase that modifier as you train and get stronger. And of course with any upgrades you’re able to handle,” he said as he moved closer. “Ready?”
I looked at him, rethinking this whole thing. This seems like it’ll take a lot of work to make useful…
“Yeah, do it,” I said after a moment, deciding to do as my mother always says and take no shortcuts to getting stronger.
He pressed the metal to my body and began to mutter to himself. His hands began to glow cyan as the metal began to melt into me.
“That doesn’t hurt that bad…” I commented, only feeling a slight burning sensation. Then my eyes went wide as I felt every bone in my body scream in agony.
ooo000<^>000ooo
Groaning loudly, I opened my eyes, finding myself laying on the ground. My body felt strange, like something was inside of me holding every part of me.
“What happened?” I asked aloud, forcing myself to sit up, rubbing my face.
“Ye passed out,” Luzzumi said as he washed his hands in a sink. “Don’t worry, that’s very normal for anyone having Egonetics added ta their body an' soul.”
Looking myself over, I saw nothing different about me. But looking closer, I saw a little port on each of my front legs, right at the wrist. Reaching down to my left wrist, I pulled out some kind of connector attached to a wire that ran into my wrist. “What the…?”
“Another benefit o’ Egonetics,” he said, pulling his suit sleeve down and revealing his own port. “You be able ta interface an' connect ta any device an' piece o' technology in existence. That little connector will morph ta fit any kind o' connection port, so nae need ta worry aboot finding tha exact port ta jack into. Right now, only tha soulbind inside o' your Egonetics can interact with anything ye connect ta, but if ye upgrade your optic nerve, 'en you’ll be able ta as well.”
He tapped behind his ear, revealing he had another port right there. “Careful with tha one on your head, that one connects directly ta your brain an' soul. Only use that one ta connect with others ye trust.”
Standing up, I found I felt a bit better. As in, my vision was slightly better, and my body moved just a bit more gracefully. “So, you keep talking about upgrades. What are my options?”
He chuckled as he waved his hand, causing a small screen to appear beside him, with a long list of scrolling words. “There are plenty of upgrades available, just most can only handle one. I think we can squeeze a few into you, once you start mastering Soul Enhancement. But as of right now, we can’t add any upgrades to you. We have to let your body and soul adjust to the Egonetics. Has Rosmarinus spoken to you yet?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“I prefer just Rosemary,” a voice said from inside my head as a woman suddenly appeared next to Luzzumi. She wore simple clothing with a skirt and a bulky jacket with a high collar. She even wore combat boots and striped stockings. “Hello, Shayla.”
“Whoa…” I said, blinking at her.
Luzzumi looked at me and to where I was looking, smiling, “before ye ask, only ye can perceive her. She’s a caring person, even if she doesn’t seem that way all tha time.”
“Thank you, for staying with Loric in his final moments,” she said, a pained look on her face. “That meant a lot to him. And me.”
“Ummm, yeah, it was no problem,” I said lamely, smiling awkwardly.
“Ye also don’t have ta speak out loud for her ta hear ye,” he laughed, followed by her chuckling as well.
“We will talk later, Shayla. For now, I need to get accustomed to being inside of you. It’s very different in you than it was with Loric.”
I just gave a nod as she faded away.
“This is trippy,” I said, flexing my body a bit.
“'afore we return ta tha others, I need ta give ye a quick rundown on your Ego,” he said as he adjusted his suit. “Soul Enhancement be a very unique Ego, as it performs many roles, while most other Ego’s only perform one. Nae only can ye use it ta get stronger, but ye can use it ta create your very own abilities. O' course, this takes time ta learn, as ye first have ta learn how ta manipulate your own soul first. Once ye do, you’ll be able ta do almost anything ye want with your Ego. This Ego made Loric tha strongest member o' tha Enforcer’s, only rivaled by our leader, Wyntir. With me guidance, I believe one day you’ll be able ta rival both o' them.”
“When you say create my own abilities, what do you mean exactly?” I asked, a feeling of excitement rising from within me.
“Exactly that. Say ye wanted ta fire a blast o' Ego out o' your hands, ye cou' do that. Or ye wanted ta create an ability that once activated made your next attack become empowered with your Ego, striking your opponent with a devastating attack. Honestly, this be tha fun part o' Soul Enhancement, just making new abilities ta use. But tha most important thing ta do be train an' get stronger. With your Ego, training now has extra benefits. One o' tha big ones be now you’ll never get weaker. As in, ye can only get stronger now. Taking time aff from training will nae longer hurt ye. Your body an' soul can only go up from here. Another nice one be that from now on, you’ll get all tha benefits from each training session, so you’ll get stronger faster.”
Now this was very appealing to me! I’m already used to working out and training everyday, so now having it to where I get the maximum amount of benefits from each session is amazing!
“I’ll guide you along the way,” Rosemary said from within my mind. “I’ll teach you a few of Loric’s training methods.”
“Thank you, Luzzumi,” I said with a smile. “Now, about weapons…”
He just laughed and waved for me to follow him. “Don’t worry about those. I’m sure Loric left you something to use. If not, we have plenty in the armory.”
“Armory?!” I exclaimed, a very excited look on my face.
“Aye!” he said back. “We have a little of everything here!”
“I love this place…” I whispered to myself.
“Loric left his things to you,” Rosemary said calmly. “That means he left my swords to you. They’re two katana’s, both covered in rose designs and with a rose for a pommel. I named them ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’.”
‘You really like roses,’ I thought to her as Luzzumi waved for me to follow him back to the main room.
“They are special to me,” was her response. “My swords are Ego infused, so they’re indestructible to a fault. Take care of them, I’ve had them since the Election process back before I became an Enforcer.”
‘The Election process?’ I thought, raising an eyebrow.
“We have a lot to go over it seems,” she replied. “This is not the time nor place for that discussion.”
I just shrug and continue down the hallway.