Death Smith - Book 2 - Chapter 22

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A bounce in one’s step

Ten minutes later.

Late-April, 14 AR.

Ireland, East of Galway, Outside Rift 12.

Lance felt the warm water wash away all the days’ worth of blood and dirt. The water was hot enough to have turned his skin red and made the cuts on his body sting. He had both hands pressed against the steel wall of his private cubicle, supporting his tired frame. His muscles ached in a way that only a Rifter could understand. The water was a blessed relief. It felt like he was washing away everything bad that had happened inside the Rift and gently reintroduce him to civilisation.

The water underneath him was a murky brown, tinged with yellow from monster blood. It swirled around his feet like an eddying vortex of filth before going down the drain. ‘Fewer bruises and cuts compared to normal,’ he mused as he looked at the bruises and cuts on his body, seeing only a handful of them this time. Lance was getting stronger, faster, and more durable. Upon making a fist, he could feel the strength in his grip, dwarfing what he could do in the past. ‘I am slowly getting there, Thomas.’

As he stepped out of the shower, he inspected his naked body in the mirror, running his hand over the scars and bruises that adorned his frame. He traced his fingers across an old bite wound on his stomach, then followed the many smaller cuts on his chest and arms. The scars were like a roadmap, each one telling a story of a battle fought and won. Some cuts were still healing, the flesh around them pink and tender. ‘I sure have changed since the days when I was still working at the hospital,’ Lance thought before he opened the locker and retrieved his shaving cream and his razor.

A few minutes later, he had finished his shave, towelled himself off and got dressed in his civilian clothes. The jeans and shirt felt strange after weeks of wearing nothing but his Rift gear. “It almost feels weird to wear jeans and a shirt again,” Lance said out loud as he finished packing his bags and storing most of his gear in a spare bag. It was easier to store it inside his inventory, but Lance had filled that up with monster corpses.

He retrieved his smartphone from his inventory and heard it buzzing mere moments later now that it finally had the chance to connect to a cell tower back on earth. He spotted several emails from Oliver with questions about the Rifts, suggestions for cool weapon names and several music samples that were attached as files. The last email he got from him was about something major that was happening in Paris with a link to a speech. ‘I’ll look at that tomorrow,’ Lance thought. He had just gotten out of a Rift and was too tired to watch a long public speech.

Beyond the emails, he had also received several text messages from both Dieter and Daniel. They were interested to hear how the Rift in Ireland had gone and were asking him to contact them when he got back. ‘Like having two additional mothers. I swear, Dieter is becoming more like Daniel.’ He smiled as he read their messages, feeling both uncomfortable at their meddling nature and glad that they took the time to do so.

Several other messages were from the GRRO about recent updates to the app on his phone, a transfer of funds, and several open requests for parties that were being formed to take on a Rift. “Not today,” he said as he ignored their requests. He scrolled down his contact list and spotted the last message he had received from Kate. It was a picture of her orchestra during practise, with Kate looking smug as usual.

Lance felt conflicted about his feelings for Kate. On one hand, he thought it would be disrespectful to Thomas’ memory if he got close to his sister. But he also couldn’t forget the way she kissed him and the evening they spent together. A part of him longed for her and he had fond childhood memories of when she would flirt with him, and how blissfully confused it would usually make him. He finally stored his phone again as he reminded himself that his focus should be on the oath he had sworn. So, Lance grabbed his bags and left the cubicle, stepping outside.

* * * * *

After closing his private cubicle and letting a GRRO employee know he was leaving, he made his way over towards his van. The dull grey material of the vehicle was comforting, although it looked anything but flashy compared to some of the other cars that were parked in the lot. A bright red sports car stood out the most and it was absolutely screaming ‘Scott’.

‘It’s almost like status and money turns most people into bloody peacocks,’ Lance thought as he imagined the smug face Scott would have while driving the car. He then picked up several small pebbles from the ground and spotted two nearby trees that he could use as a target. He made sure there wasn’t anyone around him before he aimed the first pebble at the tree on his right and activated his skill.

‘Ricochet’

[You have used Ricochet lvl 1 at the cost of 25 Stamina]

[Current Stamina 117/500]

When he activated the skill, he instantly noticed a faint black line connecting with the right tree. It then jumped and continued towards the other tree, right where he had wanted to hit it. It was a thin black line, and Lance was sure that only he could see it. Just in case, he grabbed his smartphone and peered through the camera as he took a picture of the trees and the black line. Like he had guessed, there wasn’t a line on the picture.

He tried to aim along the black line as he threw the first pebble and missed completely, much to his own amusement. ‘It’s like with the bloody bow all over again,’ Lance thought, remembering the dozens of arrows he had missed in the beginning before he had even hit one target.

‘Ricochet’

The second pebble had hit the tree, but at the wrong side, forcing it to bounce off to the right and into the dirt. It was hard to judge the skill’s effectiveness. Lance thought it had gotten faster after he had hit it, or at the very least it had not lost momentum. He threw the pebble two more times, with his Stamina nearly running out. The second one had finally hit the tree in the right spot, following the vague black line, only to speed up when it hit the right tree. This time, it was clear to see the effectiveness of the skill, as Lance heard the pebble violently hitting the wood.

He realised that the skill wasn’t an automatic aiming skill, nor something overpowered. It simply showed Lance the best spot to hit something to bounce it perfectly and increase its velocity. ‘If I level this up further and use knives, this is going to be quite handy,’ Lance thought as he activated the skill again and tried shifting his target from the trees to a car, or the side of the pavement. Each time, he could vaguely see the black line shift and change, forming a new line.

Sometimes he noticed the line going downwards, only to bounce upwards and hit the underside of a car. Other times, the line pointed at a signpost in the back in order to bounce and aim at Lance’s van. It was silly, but when he imagined these objects being monsters, it suddenly made sense. All of this meant that he could now target monsters on their exposed flanks, or even ignore a shield as he bounced a knife or javelin from the side. ‘Now I just need to get good at throwing. No pressure.’

A throwing knife was less effective compared to a bow or a javelin, despite how Hollywood and games portrayed it as this amazing ‘one-hit kill’ weapon. But, with his increased Stats as a Rifter, the skill Ricochet, and a large Inventory, Lance was certain he could make it quite powerful. He remembered just how brutally effective Daniel was with his daggers as he imbued them with a lightning skill that electrocuted monsters upon contact.

He dropped the pebble as he grabbed his car keys so that he could unlock his van. He was about to signal to his remaining companion in the sky to dive into the car quickly without being spotted when he heard someone behind him.

“That is an amazing ride,” Iyas said sarcastically as the man walked up towards Lance and inspected the van. “I mean, a low profile is great and all, but this might be a step too far in that direction.” He chuckled, letting Lance know that the comment was playful.

“It beats the overcompensating red monstrosity there,” Lance said as he pointed at the car that would no doubt belong to Scott. It wasn’t lost on Lance just how well-dressed Iyas was. The man was wearing a tailored suit that emphasized his tall frame and tanned skin. Compared to Iyas, Lance suddenly felt extremely underdressed. For a moment Lance wondered if the red car belonged to Iyas.

Iyas grinned as he nodded. “That it does. Overcompensating might be putting things lightly. By the way, I am sure you were just going to store your gear and not leave already, right?”

“I…”

“Come on, a goodbye isn’t that bad, right? Might I remind you that lovely Mira is a skilled sharpshooter and can use explosive projectiles?”

“Fair point,” Lance said, agreeing with Iyas. He had gotten used to being on his own, both to protect himself and others. He knew he didn’t have time to make new friends, not while his path was to get justice for Thomas. Still, Iyas was right about saying goodbye. It would be rude not to, seeing as the three of them had fought side by side for several days.

“Smart choice.” Iyas leaned against the metal frame of Lance’s van as he closed his eyes and relaxed in the morning sun. “So, what are your plans next? To celebrate on your own, or to find a new Rift to jump in?”

Lance smiled at the last bit, knowing full well that he had been constantly throwing himself into Rifts. “Probably sell what I collected and upgrade my gear a bit. Afterwards, I’ll enjoy a proper night’s rest without a second sun dangling above me.”

The two men continued to chat for a while. Lance enjoyed the brief chat with Iyas, hearing the man go on about a Rift he had been in Morocco where it dumped him into a world that was in constant darkness and that the wind played tricks on your senses. It had been a level one Rift with incredibly weak monsters, but the world itself and the sound of the wind had terrified Iyas to where he had taken several months off from being a Rifter before he had built up the courage again.

Lance found it easy to talk to Iyas, or at the very least, listen to him. Iyas had seen a lot of the world but had a well-grounded mindset about the type of Rifter he wanted to become. Iyas had asked Lance about the Workshop back in London and was comparing it to other places like it all over the world, including the one in Dublin called the Foundry. It was the next stop Lance would go towards.

He had a backpack full of items to sell and safely stored inside his rented ‘lair’ he had even more already processed and stored. “And your experiences at the little Market?” Lance asked, hoping that Iyas might know of that place and be willing to share the location with him. Iyas froze and stopped talking. Lance immediately felt bad, wondering if he had soured the mood permanently. “I am simply curious. I heard other Rifters talk about it, but I haven’t the faintest idea of what it is exactly and how to get there.”

“I see,” Iyas commented. It seemed like he was thinking about something before he spoke up again. “I suppose it is a healthy curiosity. But you’d be better off at GRRO sanctioned locations.”

Lance smiled, hoping to calm the tension a bit. “Like I said, it is just a curiosity. I have been trying to expand on my traps and figured the little market might have more ‘effective designs’ that a typical GRRO sanctioned market might not be willing to sell.”

“I’ll think about it,” Iyas said before he nudged Lance in the ribs and pointed at the direction Mira was coming from.

* * * * *

A while later, Lance was driving back to Dublin. He had a little over two hours left on his journey to the Foundry. The wind was whipping through the van, pulling at his clothes and hair. Both windows were open, and Ash was sitting next to him, wearing a hoodie to hide most of his pale features. Alpha and Beta were in the back of the van, watching a long documentary about birds hunting in groups. Icarus was flying above their van, occasionally diving low or landing on Ash’s arm.

Lance was still tired, but the occasional mend wounds skill helped stave off any fatigue he was feeling. The idea was to sell some of the monster parts he had harvested and quickly make his way home to eat and take a quick nap. He had wanted to sleep for several hours, but Mira and Iyas had tag teamed him into agreeing to meet up later that evening for some drinks. A part of him wanted to ignore it, seeing as he wasn’t there to make friends. But both had stood at his side when Scott had confronted them. In the end, he had agreed to their demands, knowing it was the least he could do to thank them.

“Alright, Ash, call him back,” Lance said as he watched the man stick his hand out of the window and slap against the metal door. Seconds later, Icarus landed on Ash’s arm and flew to the back of the van to join his brethren.

Lance was proud of his companions. Their first Rift together had been a tremendous success and field testing them entering and leaving a Rift had opened several new opportunities. Already, Lance was getting tempted to try his hands on a level one Rift on his own, just to see how quickly he could solo it with his companions. ‘The experience gained might not be great, but all the black-shards would essentially be mine.’

“So, any preference for the type of armour I am going to get you?” Lance asked as he nudged Ash in the sides. The man barely reacted, instead he was simply observing Lance as he was driving. Lance had instructed him to do so previously, telling him to pay close attention.

“No…”

“Again, try to sound less like Satan himself. But I was thinking of thick steel plates and sturdy leather. Sort of like a mobile tank,” Lance explained as he tried to imagine just how much more effective Ash would be when armoured. The protection would help, but he still wanted Ash mobile and stealthy. Most of Ash’s kills had been because of traps and ambushes. “You have been practicing your boxing and fighting styles, right?”

“Yes…”

“Good work. I’ll teach you some chokeholds and takedown techniques when I have time. That should be useful for you when fighting against a stronger opponent. You did great in the Rift near the water. Truly.” He patted his pale companion’s knee playfully before he pointed at the steering wheel. “Want to try driving for a while?” Lance asked with an innocent smile.

At that point, Lance was still blissfully unaware of just how scared he could truly be in a matter of minutes.

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Author: Osirium

Copyright: 2022 OsiriumWrites

Released: 2022