Death Smith - Book 2 - Chapter 7

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Bottom Feeders

The following day.

Late-March, 14 AR.

United Kingdom, Ipswich.

Lance noted the time on his phone, calculating whether he’d make it to his destination, Ipswich, on time. It was a habit of his when using public transportation. It did not matter if he took an earlier train, he’d still unconsciously wonder at what time he’d get there or if there was a delay. He noticed his reflection on the cracked screen, seeing the tired expression on his face, hinting at the horrible night he had suffered through. They were happening more frequently.

Like he had experienced in the hospital, strange and lifelike dreams had tormented Lance. This time it was Thomas fighting against a Lizardling, back during their first Rift. It wasn’t so much a dream of Thomas, as it was one through Thomas’s eyes. His dreams were forcing every feeling, thought, and ingrained instinct from Thomas onto Lance, demanding him to emulate those moments. By the time he had woken up, he had been a mess of sweat and aching muscles, with Ash standing over him with a curious expression.

Pushing the memories of his horrible night away, Lance forced his mind to focus on the task at hand. The broker he had hired back at the Workshop had pulled through and had set up the meeting for Lance and the party he would be joining. Lance had studied all the information about the party, as well as the information about this Rift. The party he would join today, ‘The white clovers’, had provided the information about the Rift.

From what Lance had learned about the party was the fact that there were always 3 core members, with seasonal members joining them now and again. They had only lost one member in the last 4 years and that had happened upon the Rift-event closing, with the Rifter exiting the Rift at an unfortunate angle and speed. Beyond that, they only took official GRRO Rifts and focused on closing Rifts that were ranked as level 1 or 2. The list Lance stated other variables such as the average payment per Rift, typical expenses, interaction and standing with other Rifters and their recorded modus of operandi.

It was a lot of data. The GRRO kept track of a lot of things, maintaining a steady supply of information about the coming and going of items, materials and Rifters. Here, Lance wasn’t as interested in what the white clovers’ financial score was, but how they operated.

“Bottom Feeders,” Lance whispered, feeling the disgust that was associated with that term. The white clovers were a party that specialised in clearing Rifts, meaning they would constantly enter and clear the Rift-event until the Rift itself destabilised back on Earth and would collapse. These types of Rifters were called ‘Clearers’ or ‘Closers’ depending on what region of the country you were in. On paper, it was a very important job, seeing as it removed a Rift from a location, allowing normality to return to the area. Sadly, some Rifters looked down on these types of Rifters, claiming that they were too weak, unskilled, or cowardly to clear a ‘proper Rift’, giving them degrading names such as ‘Bottom Feeders’ or ‘Tremble shards’.

Lance wasn’t sure what he’d make of these types of Rifters, having only encountered Rifters who worked as employees for companies such as R.A.M. and those belonging to larger guilds such as Dieter and Daniel. In the end, he figured that there were positive and negative opinions for many jobs and types of Rifters. Lance decided that he instead focused his attention on what he had to do right now; Learn and get stronger, quickly.

Eventually, Lance felt the train slow down, revealing that they had arrived at Ipswich station. He steeled himself for what was to come before he collected his things and threw his backpack over his shoulder, making his way to the nearby exit. Lance smiled as he passed by the train conductor, still seeing the confused look on her face. An hour ago, she had asked him to show his ticket, only to be met by a GRRO sanctioned Rifter ID. It meant that he could travel freely to and from Rifts without question, although in most cases this meant the airport or taxi. No doubt the conductor had not seen a lot of Rifters that used the train, not to mention prefer standard class.

“Have a nice day,” Lance said before he exited the train, his senses picking up on the unique sounds and smells that made Ipswich the town that it was.

* * * * *

Seeing as Lance had arrived early, he had about two hours to spend on his own. Having never visited Ipswich, he did a bit of sightseeing. He did this both to get a feel of the place and to calm his nerves. It was a level 2 Rift, and he had been inside higher ones, but each Rift carried a unique set of threats and dangers, be it terrain, climate, or life forms. But this Rift would be the first one without Thomas.

Lance had bought and finished a sandwich, some candy bars and ice cream, stuffing himself as full as he could. While Rifters could only bring Rift-related items with them inside a Rift, they could eat and drink normal things on the day of them entering a Rift, provided there was about a solid 6 hours of time in between. There had been studies done on why this was so, with a scientist by the name of Michelle Eldrin being the first one to document the process. Eldrin had figured out what things a Rifter could eat and drink beforehand and how long it would take before the radiation from their white-shards would have changed and affected those nutrients. With eight hours to go before he would enter the Rift, Lance ate as many calories as possible, while also treating himself a bit.

When it was time to meet up with the others, he made his way to where the Rift was located, just a short walk from the town centre. It wasn’t hard to spot it because of the many layers of barriers in place, preventing average citizens from nearing it. From what Lance had read about the Rift, it had appeared in a large apartment complex, with the Rift swallowing it up whole and parts of the adjacent buildings. It had happened during the day, so the Rift had caught only a handful of people inside of it when it appeared. A few other Rifters had cleared the Rift already, but only to stop it from growing beyond a certain point. Afterwards, most Rifters stopped caring when the level of the Rift had gotten too low.

From what Lance could see and had read up, this had been going on for about a year now, with a section of the town now inaccessible because of the Rift. It wasn’t in a favourable and remote location where companies could buy the rights to it to mine or farm it. So, it simply stood out like an eyesore here in the heart of Ipswich, constantly reminding people of a horrible day in their lives. All the while, the town bled resources because of a section of the town being blocked off.

‘It feels weird that in a short while this Rift will go away,’ Lance thought, remembering the deal the broker had bartered between Lance and the party he would be joining. He passed a corner and noticed a small crowd waiting outside of a small restaurant. ‘Found them,’ Lance thought, noticing the name of the place and seeing several reporters and locals standing outside, peering in with both eagerness and curiosity. Sighing, Lance grabbed his backpack more firmly before he walked towards the restaurant, slowly making his way past the onlookers. He ignored their comments of irritation and questions, with them no doubt thinking he was just a random civilian that wanted to get a closer look. Lance continued to move forwards. It wasn’t like any of them had the strength to prevent him from just slowly pushing his way inside.

Lance closed the door and noticed the people inside, with most of them staring at him. It wasn’t hard to figure out who was a Rifter and who worked for the GRRO or for the restaurant. The chain mail, leather, swords, and axes quickly gave it away. ‘Myles Howard, Noel Burke, Claudia Young,’ Lance told himself repeatedly as he made his way over to them. He hated this, meeting new people, and introducing himself. It was the reason he preferred only to have a handful of friends and acquaintances rather than dozens like some might have. He felt a slight ache in his chest as he neared them, catching him off guard as he felt an unusual instinct take over. A second later, Lance flashed a warm smile as he grabbed Myles’s hands. “I am assuming you guys aren’t here for the ravioli,” Lance said, his smile strangely confident and infectious.

Lance heard Myles and the others laugh at that before the others shook his hand, introducing them one by one. Mentally, Lance made notes, trying to produce a mental picture of each of them and combining it with what the broker had provided. ‘Myles Howard. My height, white skin, grey eyes, blonde hair, late thirties. Warrior class. Around level eighty,’ Lance thought, examining Myles’s chain mail and thick leather armour. It was not a fancy design, rather one of practicality. Someone had designed it to not hinder movement, and it displayed signs of being used in the field. Beyond that, Myles had a shield on his back and a one-handed sword on his hip. Lance could see a pistol and a knife secured at his side.

The woman next to Myles wore mostly leather armour, with thick padding underneath it. Her arms and legs had steel plates woven into leather guards. ‘Claudia Young. Shorter than me, tanned skin, green eyes, brown hair, early thirties. Warrior class as well. Around level seventy,’ Lance recalled, eyes taking in the axe and mace on her hips, offering that she might be a dual wielder. Slung around her back was a shotgun, big and sturdy, designed for a Rifter.

In the back sat Noel, busy finishing his coffee while rubbing a hand through his thick grey beard. ‘Noel Burke. Average height, dark skin, brown eyes, greying hair, in his late fifties. Mage class. Around level eighty-five,’ Lance noted. Noel’s outfit included layers of cotton, leather, and a scale-like material. What stood out most were several shaped mana stones embedded in his gauntlets. Beyond that, Noel carried a large spear and several throwing axes.

“Good of you to join us,” Myles said, before offering Lance a seat.

Noel nodded at that. “Always better with a fourth. The broker mentioned you had a healing skill?” The older man asked, his gaze somewhat hopeful.

“Yeah, I can mend minor wounds. It just speeds up the healing process, so no reverting damage or anything like that,” Lance said honestly, knowing it would be better to be as open about his skill set as possible. These three had known each other for a long time, and every member was at a higher level than Lance was.

Claudia chuckled before nudging Noel in the ribs. “See Noel? We care. I told you we’d get you someone to help you out, you old fossil. This is almost as good as a private nurse, right?” Claudia said with a teasing grin. Noel and Myles chuckled at that, with the former trying to look upset, but failing to do so.

Lance then slowly raised his index finger, drawing their attention and halting their mirth. “Er… Actually… I am a registered nurse,” Lance told them before Myles fell off his seat, laughing, while Claudia’s face lit up like a Christmas tree.

* * * * *

Several hours passed since their meeting, with Lance slowly getting to know each of them. From what he had read from the broker, these three were the core members and had been working with one another for many years. Myles and Noel knew each other the longest, with Claudia joining the group a few months after that. Since then, the group had cleared an impressive number of lesser Rifts.

“Are you ready?” Noel asked, watching Lance with a calm expression.

Lance nodded as he finished putting on his gear, looking hopefully out of place compared to his three companions. He lacked protective clothes and armour, had only basic tools to defend himself, but even then, Lance looked quite calm. “Yeah, I guess I am. No doubt that will change when we go in,” Lance explained, flashing Noel an enthusiastic grin.

The other three members of the party were all ready and armed to the teeth. Myles carried a large duffel bag and Noel had a big backpack strapped to his back with large rods sticking out from the side. The four of them had done all they could to prepare, going over the information that was known about the Rifts, reports of the previous Rifters that had cleared it and going over the strategy that the four of them would use in the beginning and throughout the Rift itself.

“It is a level two Rift. Just stick to my side and you’ll be fine. Myles and Claudia will hold the front,” Noel said reassuringly, his eyes focused.

Lance nodded to the man. He did not feel the need to explain that he would not hide in the back. He wanted to take the fight to the monsters. He had to. The whole reason he wanted to go back in a Rift was to level up. Lance watched Myles finish up with the GRRO employee and the reporter that he was talking to.

“Go time!” Myles said with a grin as he slapped his cheeks a few times to get himself ready. Then, as if practised, the three of them grabbed folded cloaks from their table and slung them around their shoulders. The cloak was a perfect green fabric with a dyed white clover in the middle. “You mind wearing one, Lance?” Myles asked calmly, trying not to sound too pushy.

“Sure, it will help hide my pyjama-like outfit,” Lance replied, seeing Myles grin at the comment.

Claudia walked up to Lance and handed him a spare one, smiling when Lance accepted it. “They made me promise not to comment about it, but your current outfit is horrendous,” she said, helping Lance put on the cloak.

“It isn’t Rift material, so don’t get attached to it. We usually have it bulk made for a few hundred pounds and wear them when we head to the Rift itself. It helps with our public image, seeing our logo. That and it displays unity,” Myles commented as he did his finishing touches on his cloak.

“And it makes us seem bad ass when the cloak disintegrates as we enter the Rift,” Claudia blurted out, slapping Lance’s shoulders before she led the way outside.

Lance and the others followed her, moving next to one another as several local reporters began taking pictures, others asking them to comment about the Rift. Like rehearsed, the party members kept walking, turning the corner, and making their way towards the Rift and the GRRO barricades and safety net surrounding it. With all the pictures being taken, Lance was glad that he was wearing the cloak, seeing as it allowed him to cover his face and his basic equipment.

Although Myles had already spoken with the GRRO representative, each party member still had to provide their Rifter IDs before they could go inside. One reporter with proper clearance followed them inside with a camera. Although this Rift was insignificant and wouldn’t get any attention nationwide, on a local level, this was a momentous occasion. These Rifters weren’t there for a quick clearing to prevent the Rift from spilling open or growing out of hand. No, these Rifters were here to get rid of this blight on their town once and for all.

The Rifters stood next to one another, facing the large pulsating black Rift. It was quite large compared to the Rifts Lance had encountered before. The size of a Rift meant nothing in terms of the dangers that lay within. Still, it was impressive and intimidating to look at.

[You have retrieved an item from the inventory.]

[You have retrieved an item from the inventory.]

A steel hand axe suddenly appeared in Lance’s right hand while a sturdy entrenching tool appeared in his left. He slammed them together to feel the weight of the material and psych himself up. The start of a Rift was always hectic, with nearby Monsters being drawn by the sudden presence of Rifters.

“We go in as a team,” Myles said, pointing his sword at the Rift, his face devoid of any emotion.

“And return as one, in victory,” Claudia and Noel said as one, each of them gripping their weapons tightly as they waited for the GRRO to start the timer. A nearby screen displayed a number, slowly counting down from 10.

Then, at the 0 mark, four Rifters rushed towards the Rift, as the unnatural black energy swallowed them up. The last thing the camera caught on action were four green capes being torn apart as it touched the Rift. Bits of the cape fell on the ground, partially displaying a white clover symbol.

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Author: Osirium

Copyright: 2022 OsiriumWrites

Released: 2022