Chapter 9: Healing
Ranger
Chapter 9: Healing
By Wanderer D
Bradford opened the door to his temporary home and sighed. "You're back."
Sunset looked up from the table, where she was poring over her book, and raised an eyebrow at him. "You did say I could crash here when I was not on guard duty."
"I was drunk," Bradford said, closing the door behind him and sitting down on the bed in the main room, running his hand through his short hair.
The place was big enough to have a smaller room in the back, which Sunset had claimed as her own. The day after she had brought him home and he had woken up to see her studying her book, there had been a short, but terse conversation. Eventually, having found whatever he was looking for in that conversation, Bradford had simply shrugged and let her be, although he often would express grumpy surprise at her still being there despite his less-than stellar attitude.
"You seem a lot more serious today," Sunset said, closing her book. "What's going on?"
"I got a message," Bradford replied, "from an old friend. He's dying, but he… he found something, and he's been working on it with some other people and his daughter. He wants me to go over and take a look."
"Oh?"
"I don't have much time to get to him, maybe a few months… and he's in another continent."
The pair went silent for a few moments.
Bradford spoke up. "You can have this place an—"
"I'm going with you," Sunset interrupted. "You'll need my help."
Bradford snorted. "I'm more than capable of taking care of myself."
"I'm not staying here, Bradford," Sunset said. "You've been training me an—"
'No, nonononono! This is not interesting. Next video!
Sunset looked at the burning remains of what had been her home for the last four months. She was covered in scratches and blood of different colors. She wiped her bloody forehead with the back of her hand.
ADVENT had attacked out of nowhere, Vipers and troopers had flooded the town and soon the whole place was a bloodbath of both, alien and human nature, the cost of life had been high, although the small outpost had survived against all odds.
However…
"Stupid," Bradford gasped, coughing blood and forcing himself to look at the gaping wound caused by a nearby explosion. Shrapnel had perforated his lungs… and he was losing consciousness fast. He coughed again. "Sunset, my friends… you have to get to them," he pawed around his chest, trying to find something, but failing. His eyes rolled back and he collapsed in a bloody heap.
Sunset grit her teeth and looked around. Whatever survivors were left had already abandoned the site, it was just her and Bradford.
Kneeling down next to the dying man, she ripped his shirt open, taking out the biggest pieces of shrapnel and letting the blood flow out of his body. He looked deathly pale, and was barely breathing.
"Idiot," Sunset muttered, although she wasn't sure if she was telling herself that or to him.
She concentrated, drawing the magic out of the blood, which glowed ruby-like as she traced runes and magical circles above him, the blood snaking around them both.
Now this is what I'm talking about, my dearest Sunset!
The world whirled as she pushed and kicked in her mind. The scene became a blur of colors until it all became darkness and she was standing in front of a familiar man in purple armor.
"Geist," Sunset growled. "You'd dare invade my mind?!"
"My, my, Sunset," Geist sat down in a chair that materialized in the empty space. "Is that really the best way to greet an old friend?"
"Friend is a very strong word for how you and I are acquainted."
Geist leaned back, touching his chest in mock hurt. "You wound me, Sunset. And here I am, trying to save your life still, how is that for gratitude?"
Sunset frowned. "Saving m—" The landscape changed and she was looking down at the gaping wound in her stomach as the Assassin burst into light. Her hands quickly traced a circle over the wound just as she started pitching forward.
"I must say, my dear, that was quite the feat. You subconsciously did… whatever it is you did before you lost any chance of doing so." Geist leaned back in his chair, holding Sunset's eyes with his own. "From what I heard, Bradford threatened the pilot of your lovely floating base with dire consequences if they didn't make it here in time to save you."
Sunset felt sick, panicky even. She barely had the presence of mind to materialize a mental pillow—just like the ones back in Equestria—as she sat down heavily on it.
If Geist was surprised by her choice, he didn't show it. "So far I've had to take care of you myself, for the most part, except for some of my most trusted medics… your unusual psionic skills would… possibly cause a panic both here and with XCOM if they found out."
Sunset rubbed her face. "It's not… it isn't psionics, Geist. We've been over this before. It's not something I can teach your Templars with meditation. We might be able to feel each other's wavelengths but it doesn't mean we're compatible. You remember what happened when you tried to train me on how to Rend."
Geist smiled, rubbing his arm. "Yes, well, as destructively chaotic as that was, I feel you proved your point by accident that one time."
Sunset shuddered.
"In any case, we haven't informed anyone in XCOM other than Bradford about your… uniqueness. Since he already knew about your… proficiency with blood… he was glad to hear you had managed to pull your tricks and survive being stabbed by one of the Chosen." He smirked. "Whether he has informed his precious Commander… well, that I would not know."
"So the others didn't see?"
"Apparently not, although you might become a legend after surviving such a thing. That and our healing skills will probably earn a bit of underserved fame."
Sunset sighed. "So, if you already know all of that, why were you poking through my memories?"
"Do I need a reason?"
"Yes. Yes you do," Sunset growled. "You might escape before I do permanent damage, Geist, but you wouldn't forget the experience. So why?"
"Information, of course," Geist replied, opening his hands as if that explained everything. When it was clear it didn't, he relented. "Fine, have it your way. You encountered the Assassin, and you have heard of the one that hunts the Reapers."
Sunset nodded.
"Well, it turns out that we have a stalker of our own, and she calls herself Warlock," Geist explained.
"But a warlock would be male."
Geist shrugged. "Far be it for me to judge what goes in those alien minds of theirs. However, there's an interesting thing… she and I have had some… encounters, would be the best description, and though her powers far outweigh my own, I did discover something interesting… our dear Warlock uses similar energy to yours, although it has been…" he trailed off, frowning as he visibly tried to find the best way to describe it. "...mutated… by the Elders. Despite her nickname, she is not able to use it as you do, but the signature, so to speak, is pretty much the same."
Sunset frowned.
"I had my doubts, of course," Geist waved his hand dismissively. "It could have been simply comparable. The Warlock's psychic feats—are after all—very much achievable by a well-trained Templar, albeit on a smaller scale." He leaned forward. "However, imagine my surprise when you're rushed in, and your wound is already healing and that disturbing echo in the Warlock's aura, is emanating from you too."
The pair was silent for some time.
"They come from where I came from…" Sunset finally said. "I don't know how. I've never seen anything like them, or read about anything like them. But the Assassin… she knew what I was."
Geist didn't say anything, simply watching her.
"She doesn't have powers like mine, but she recognized it… and there was something… something that broke my—" she glanced up at him. "I had her trapped, unable to move… but then, something she did, or rather used, broke my hold on her."
"You realize you have just confessed to being an alien, my dear Sunset."
Her eyes went wide and she looked at him with growing fear.
"Oh my, don't tell me even Bradford doesn't know you're not human?" Geist chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't judge you, you are clearly not one of them… if anything you have more in common with the Skirmishers than I originally thought."
Sunset licked her lips nervously. "Don't tell anyone."
"Oh, I wouldn't dare!" Geist declared, smiling. "But I do want something in return," he said, eyes darkening. "I have convinced Bradford to take one of my Templars as a warrior for your cause, but what I want from you is to promise me to make the Warlock a priority."
"I was planning on making them one as it is." She felt herself calm down and looked at him curiously. "That's all? No secrets of my craft? No power-ups that I might be able to give your Templars?"
"My dear Sunset," Geist smiled. "I don't want my people to explode."
"...imperative that you let her sleep for a few more hours."
Sunset's eyelids felt heavy, she knew she was ordering them to open, but it was hard, as if she just simply didn't have the strength to do so.
"The last thing we want is to make her injuries worse," Bradford's voice said. There was an unusual tone to his voice.
She tried to speak, and felt her mouth part, but only a soft wheeze came out. Her stomach hurt, even though she knew she was heavily medicated at the time, which was a clear sign of how close she had come to dying.
"It appears that Sunset is waking up," Mox's unmistakable voice said.
She felt the others shuffle around her, just as her eyes finally, forced themselves open, even if it was still frustratingly slow.
Geist, who was the one talking originally, leaned down and held a straw to her mouth, so she could carefully drink some water.
She sipped at it gingerly. It was flavored, probably containing additional nutrients, Finally, she felt strong enough to speak.
"So… will I play the piano again?" She asked, joking. What came out was a raspy gasp that sounded to her less than words and more like the wheezing gasp of a dying elk.
"I think she was attempting to tell a joke," Geist said dryly, "which can only mean she should be good to go by tomorrow."
"Good," Bradford said, straightening up. He looked down at her. "The Chosen Assassin has managed to send us several messages. Apparently the commander is their main target now, and we'll need all our best soldiers to take them down before they can get close. Make sure you rest, Sunset, I want you back in action as soon as possible."
Sunset nodded, steeling her face, although the prospect of facing the Assassin again—she forced herself not to shudder—was… not something she really wanted.
"The commander asked to be informed of your status," Bradford continued, "So I'll go and spread word of your quick recovery. We expected you to be out for half a month at least."
"You have quite the constitution," Mox said with a slight hint of awe. "I have seen wounds like that kill some of the toughest aliens instantly."
"Yes, yes," Geist interrupted, motioning for another Templar, who Sunset had not noticed, a tall, dark-skinned woman, to come closer. "Let's allow Laetitia here to continue her healing of Sunset's wounds. I'm sure the commander is eager to hear you'll be up in the air soon."
Mox nodded, patting Sunset's shoulder and stepped out of the room, followed shortly by the other two, and leaving her alone with the healer, who closed the door behind them. "I can continue my psychic healing," she said, "but I'm also under Geist's orders to let you use your own skills if you want." The woman had an accent Sunset hadn't heard before, it was pleasant, however, almost French-like at times.
Sunset nodded, gulping and trying to push the mental image of the Assassin's serrated smile out of her mind. She closed her eyes and concentrated as best as she could, allowing her magic to flow into her veins and into the recuperating areas of her body.
She gasped at the sheer amount of damage that she had lived through, and despite the fact that a spell had kept her alive, her respect for Geist's healers went up several notches. She opened her eyes and looked at Laetitia with open admiration. "How… did you heal all of that?"
The woman raised an eyebrow, but smiled a little. "With a lot of patience and encouraging your body to heal. We were lucky that whatever you did allowed your cell regeneration to work even faster than ever before. Geist did most of the work, and I am glad he did, because I would have attempted to interact directly with your own energy. I had a lot to learn."
"Yeah, that wouldn't have been a good thing," Sunset said. "Let me... um, could you prick my finger?"
Sunset would normally not expose her magic like this, but they were alone for now, and Geist already knew more than he should. If he had left her with Laetitia, she was one of the few that knew about her unusual abilities.
Laetitia shrugged, grabbing a nearby pin and doing as Sunset requested. Carefully and tiredly, Sunset moved her gown out of the way and traced a few symbols on the regenerating skin, before pressing her palm there, and casting her spell.
She fell the magical drain immediately, but the soreness was gone. "L-leave it like that…" she stopped to yawn. "... for about three hours, the energy should be dissipated by then and you can…"
Laetitia watched as her charge drifted off to sleep. Careful not to disturb the design, she covered Sunset up with a blanket and shook her head in admiration before heading out the room. She would check on her in a few hours as requested.
Geist had told her and a few others about this girl, but it was more than she could have imagined. With what she was seeing—XCOM, Skirmishers, Reapers, Templars… and this girl—maybe things would change. Maybe they would push the elders back.
Only time would tell.
o.0.o End Chapter 9 o.0.o
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Good to see you again Discord. Love the new look.
FYI, John de Lancy voiced Geist in the game.
Welp, if the Warlock is female, and has a similar energy reading/aura to Sunset's, Sirens confirmed Chosen.
8721617
Shut the front door! Are we saying that Geist is the... are Templars human?... version of Discord?!
... Geist's portrayal in this chapter makes so much sense now.
Well good thing Sunset's out of danger now. Those Templars sure are handy, if a little invasive.
Anyway with sure having an unusual team forming up here. And you refer the commander as "her", Celestia getting confirm? Though Luna's fine too.
Geist
8721617
You do realize that definitively puts discord as Geist in any pony crossover, right? His humane counterpart, that is. Or at least makes the serpent watch him closely... really close. Although... by the time frame of the story he'd not be free in equestria yet. So no discordant shenanigans, unfortunately.
So, magic is NOT psi, but something really close. That reacts explosively with one another. Our dear sunny is so going to explode some sectoid heads by simple raw magic application. And Avatars. And those beholder things. And oh gods if an Ethereal comes out to play things are going nuclear
It's at least safe to say mind control is not something XCOM should fear if bacon horse is in the mission.
By the way, is that templar Fleur? And a female Comandy One? Celly or Lulu? Oh Sunset is going to blow a gasket if it's Celestia.
8721617
I never noticed that until you pointed it out just now. Brb, need to make my Discord soldier a Templar.
Btw, for any of you who play XCOM 2 WOTC, there's a character pool mod on steam called Canterlot Militia that adds the EGQ characters as soldiers. Just in case you didn't know.
Goddammit, Sliver Spoon, you will bond with DT and like it! Stop flirting with the medics!
8721617
Huh. I had thought that it was Discord flicking through Sunny's memories at first. Guess I wasn't that far off after all.
8721694
The Commandy One is the Commandy One. To suggest they are anyone else is heresy!
Never did get around to playing Xcom 2 for whatever reason, so it's my own fault for playing catch up with the characters here. That said... Bradford drunk is deeply amusing.
I upvoted after last chapter, and honestly not too much to add for this one at such an early juncture, other than I bet I know who the Commander is. But I'll say it directly, this is off to a really good start, and thanks for writing.
Im gonna go ahead and guess that the Chosen are The Sirens
8721694
Pretty sure Ethereals were only in X-com 1. I assume by beholders you mean Gatekeepers, and don't forget the Codex.
8722015 The Ethereals are the Elders. They just don't make a direct appearance in XCOM2 like they did in 1
I'm almost sure Geist was out of his mind to probe Sunset's memories like that.
8722015
That's the beauty of literature, the iconic power enemies can appear. I always found it extremely lazy of them not to include ethereals as enemies in XCOM 2.
8722084
Wait, really? Huh. Didn't know.
8721617 Heh, I was going to return to the chapter to make an author's note about that but you beat me to it
8719093 Bloodwalk does sound pretty cool! Although given the low availability of magic in this world, I don't know if she could pull it off!
8722119
They were a little bit busy rapidly dying from UNLIMITED POWAAAAAAAAAAH!
8722119
There were legit story reasons for it, which included the Avatar.
8722015
End of Game and possible game plot Spoilers depending on if the theory is accurate or not, view at yer own risk!
It’s kinda sorta revealed at the end of XCom2 that the Ethereals/Elders are using the Avatars as, well, just that, since their own bodies aren’t capable of lasting for a long time. With a bit of reading in between the lines with XCom: Enemy Unknown and The Bureau: Declassified, It’s safely assumed that Ethereals Don’t have a proper body themselves, and that the husks you fight in Enemy Unknown are simply a slapping together of hundreds of strands of Human DNA- and that it’s horribly unstable. With XCom2, they’ve had time to refine the process a la the avatar project, which is why they’re so bloody terrifying.
8722119
The Ethereals do appear at a distance - piloting the Avatars
8722353
I've seen multiple full playthroughs of X-com 2. Not spoilers.
My favorite part of all this is that the Templars are actually good at healing in-game. Many of their strategy map bonuses revolve around it, I just never use them because the best defense is not getting shot.
from me, those alien minds
though
I know it's not Xcom, but I felt compelled to put this here.
Why is it that John de Lancy is always voice acting these mischievous characters with psychic superpowers and what not? And he does such a good job of it too! The reason I love Alarak so much is because of how sort-of-evil he is and how John de Lancy does such a good job at representing that in his voice acting.
Discord at his finest!
Cross realities all you like Sunset, you will never escape John ‘The Man’ De Lancie.
8730690
I had no idea, as I have no real XCOM exposure, and that just makes everything about that exchange so much more entertaining.
8724724
Wait Discord is in xcom 2?!?!?! must replay now
8721767
Oh wow. That's awesome. Pity Sunset's and Rainbow's hair is just one colour :/ But still, really cool. I'm going to have to replay WOTC now with that :D
I’m rather chill with the zany adventures of Dadford, Uncle Mox, and Sunset Sue.
I suppose physical regeneration would be something blood magic would work quite well for ...
I take it Sonata is the Hunter and Adagio is the Warlock then?
like
Looking forward to when Sunny gets Arias gear ... wonder who will get that of the others though ...
Was there a retcon in later chapters? Because the warlock was clearly not female in later chapters though I won’t say anything more then that.
9501499 It's explained later on during the story, due to the nature of certain items the Warlock carries.
Okay so three things; the Chosen somehow know the existence of magic, the Warlock is now a girl and not a guy, and finally, this version of the Warlock is either Equestrian or a human-counter part of someone from Equestria... I'm going to guess Twilight's human counterpart
Wait, how Geist knows Sunset? I am pretty sure this is the one of those things that Sunset did during the time skip.
Finally reading this and wondering if the female Templar accent is an Annette Durand shoutout
Get out of my head! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!
Well Shit... I guess Celestia send someone after Sunset and that got the individual/group captured.
Sunset jump of the Death Sickel this time, lucky mare in human body...
There are other X-Com stories, one of my favorites is a story with Equestria fighting with the Earth population.
This is my most favorite story still getting written ♡