Arc 2: Revelations - Chapter 14: Osmosis Crystals

Cole takes on Rush in a race, crashes into Lucky, then learns more about the crystals. He meets with the nomads getting a glimpse that there’s more outside of the NGP.

For a long while the four men didn’t do anything, only looking up at the sky mulling over everything said. After several minutes of this Blazer breaks the silence resuming his speech, “So anyway, I think you’re starting to get the idea Cole. There’s a reason we stick together here, living as the New Generation Pirates. We’re all just trying to survive this crazy world. You’ve been lucky. Now all that being said, ain’t you glad we saved your butt back there?”

“Of course. Thanks for having my back guys.”

“No problem man. After all, you’re part of the Lucky 7 now. You’re part of us.”

Rush interjects talking quickly, “Yep yep lucky duck. Ultras here are always looking for ways to compare and compete with their powers. Man since hearing about how you outran the wolves, even I’ve wanted to race you.”

“What, race you?! You’re so fast!”

“Don’t worry we all know you will lose. I guess I’m just bored is all.”

“Ha! Why should I even try?”

“Come on come on! Let's race!” Exclaims Rush, his legs becoming fidgety.

“Yeah! Fine, I'll race you!”

Rush’s eyes go big, like a baby with candy dangling in front of his face.

“You serious?! You want to race?”

“Sure man, I want to test my power out too. Honestly I think I can take you. I’m really starting to get a hold of my power. It’s amazing how natural it feels.”

“It's a nice thought, but no way! I’ve got you in a match of pure speed.”

“Alright Mr cocky. When are we doing this?”

“Let’s do it right now!! We’ll go from the gate to the forest’s edge and back. Deal?”

“Deal!”

Together the group heads to the gate. Kid calls for everyone at the camp to come watch, “The new guy and Rush are gonna race everyone!”

Within moments a crowd of onlookers forms at the gate. Even the large ogres break their stone cold personalities for the show. They watch curiously, craving some new entertainment. Cole and Rush take their stances in front of the gate. Rush’s legs jitter uncontrollably into a blur. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t hide his excitement. His jitters are so erratic they could be mistaken for a nervous twitch. Cole takes a stance hunched over on his thumbs. He looks over noticing Rush’s tattoo, a lightning bolt on the back of both his calves. An ogre steps in front raising and dropping his arm to signal the start of the race.

The two blast forward with pure speed. A gust of wind as powerful as a jet engine blasts the crowd backwards. Collectively they fall to their knees, oohing and aahing in amazement. Excitedly the inhabitants of the New Generation Pirates call out to each other taking bets. Shouts of encouragement explode from the crowd. Rush pulls ahead of Cole as his reaction time is just a tad faster. His iconic faint red tracer forms following him. His skin turns a dark red glow as he picks up speed. With each step the faint tracers become more vibrant. His speed quickly becomes even too fast for the tracers, which are now struggling to hold onto him.

As Rush’s speed hits its maximum Cole begins to feel something powerful, something hidden deep, something exponential. It’s as if he’s gliding, ice skating on the ground. It's not just a feeling of power, but a feeling of experience. He’s not consciously aware of how he’s gliding with such precision. He just understands a sensation of being able to push it further, to go faster. The wind under his feet creates pressure, a frictionless surface to glide on after each push. In combination the wind in front of him pushes away any resistance. It pushes around accelerating him from behind.

Rush becomes frustrated having to push through Cole’s wind. He’s forced off the beaten path thrown off his stride. Within moments they reach the forest neck and neck. Suddenly a crazed mountain man wearing a thick black bear fur coat stumbles onto their path. He’s hard at work using a vividly colorful chainsaw to carve a bear out of a tree stump. Various colored power crystals are integrated into the chain. Both men take evasive actions to dodge this mountain man. Cole uses the wind to glide around him, whereas Rush jumps off of the tree bear carving. The men blast by him causing the mountain man to cry aloud, “What the hell was that?!?”

The mountain man seemingly startled finds he can’t control himself. He succumbs to laughing hysterically rolling around on the ground. The men turn around just inside the forest, still neck and neck. Cole uses his wind to maneuver the turn fastest. Once again they blast past the dumbfounded man leaving him to his laughing fit. The mountain man quickly gets to his feet watching them disappear in the distance. He empties the contents of his dinner bowl into the forest.

“I need to lay off the mushroom soup.” he murmurs to himself.

Cole is only a few feet ahead of Rush approaching the gate fast. The cheers from the crowd grow louder. Cole looks over at Rush cracking a grin. He pushes even harder, pulling ahead. A combination of surprise and determination overcomes Rush’s face. With a stroke of bad luck a tall man struggling to carry a large pot trips in front of Cole’s path. Cole crashes into him at full speed exploding hundreds of different colored crystals from the pot. Cole rolls five times before coming to a stop leaving crystals littered in his hair. Rush gives no mercy taking advantage of this mishap, quickly taking the race. The shouts and laughter from the crowd are resounding. An overall feeling of letdown fills the air. The clumsy man reaches for Cole offering a hand up, “Sorry about that. They don’t call me Lucky for nothing!”

“Lucky eh? Well that’s ironic!”

Rush calls from the crowd, “I wasn’t even using my full power!”

“Come on man! I had you but this guy ran in front of me!” retorts Cole yelling loud enough for everyone to hear.

Kid pulls Rush to the excited crowd. They pick Rush up carrying him back to the base chanting his praises.

“Are you alright? You came out of nowhere!” says Cole to Lucky while picking crystals from his hair.

Lucky is a peculiar man wearing mostly green including a green top hat, giving the impression of a large leprechaun. He’s six foot with a larger build, and blond hair. His arms are covered with tattoos of Pokemon, Zelda, and Ninja Turtle themed images. He notices Cole staring at his arms.

Lucky comments, “Just remnants of the old world at this point. None of these are the tattoos from master Death. The clover on my hand, that’s the one he gave me. Sorry about that! It was all my fault! I lost my balance. I’ll try to steer clear from you next time.”

“No way it was my fault. I was going too fast. We were being reckless.”

“Wow…? Thanks! I’m used to people getting mad at me. But no really, it truly was my fault.” Lucky replies, tipping his hat to Cole.

“What? Why would I get mad? It was an accident.”

“No, I made it happen. Not on purpose! It's just, my power. I have the ability to control luck. That's why they call me Lucky!”

“Whow! Now that’s a cool power. I can only imagine what it would be like to have good luck all the time.” says Cole still pulling crystals from his hair and depositing them in the pot.

Lucky gathers some from the ground speaking, “Yes well, it was great, before The Event.”

“What do you mean, before The Event?”

“Before The Event I was always lucky. I mean even before I became an Ultra. I lived a blessed life just doing whatever I wanted. I never reaped any sort of consequence. I was a professional gambler. I had the car, the big house, and the trophy wife. All my friends were jealous of me.

“Wait, so you’re saying your success was because of the fact that you were able to manipulate your luck?”

“Yes, one hundred percent. After a while I became scared of my luck. I thought for sure it had to run out eventually. So I went to take the Bar exam. I wanted to become a lawyer in case I ran into trouble. I completely guessed on the test and got a perfect score. That’s when everything went downhill.”

“For sure. It has to be impossible to guess on a test like that. That’s amazing!”

“It was amazing, and yet, no, it wasn’t. I thought I couldn’t do anything wrong in life. Then I was confronted by the school board. Apparently they raised the difficulty of the test that year. Everyone else who took the test failed. I alone passed. When they asked how I did it, I simply said I got lucky. To say the least they didn’t believe me.”

“Lucky!”

“Nooo it wasn’t! That’s when my luck took a turn for the worst. I was accused of cheating and thrown straight in jail. Over a test! Once inside the guard informed me that the casino cartel pushed for the system to keep me in there. There was nothing I could do, I couldn’t even get a phone call. It was ironic really. Towards the end I knew for sure karma was catching up with me and my luck was going to destroy me. I was going to die alone in that cell. Then The Event happened. Probably my fault too. Go figure by the blessing of my cursed luck I woke up here as an Ultrasapien, along with my unlucky powers.

“Your power sounds complicated.”

“You have no idea. I’ve had the worst luck since waking up in this so-called afterlife, or whatever you want to call it.”

“That’s the second time I’ve heard that!”

“I guess afterlife is a general term. It's just a time marker to me, or AL, after life I call it. Ever since I’ve been trying to get back into my good luck. I really do have the ability to control luck! You have to believe me!”

“I believe you man! No worries.”

“Thanks, I needed that. Nobody is nice to me anymore. If you find any green power crystals when you’re out exploring let me know. I’ll be willing to trade. I need them to keep my luck in check.”

“Green power crystals? They help control your power?”

“Ya that particular color of crystal works with my power. When I feel a spout of bad luck coming I grab onto one of them and it seems to help alleviate how bad the outcome is going to be. I know it sounds superstitious.”

“I mean I don’t know much about these crystals. Death told me that he was going to give me six power crystals, but I haven’t had a chance to ask anyone about them.”

“Ah you’re lucky. Those will come in handy I’m sure. Honestly I don’t know too much about them either. What I do know is Death knows how to use them best, but he’s usually only interested in the black crystals. The crystals he’ll give you are probably different colors like these ones.” says Lucky pointing inside the pot, “Though the ones he’ll give you have been energized.”

“What like a battery?”

“Kinda. Different colored crystals can be bestowed with different powers. Although we haven’t quite figured out how Death does it so perfectly. Most of us haven't even figured out which crystals work for us. In Fact we haven’t figured out why Death wants the black crystals at all. They don’t seem to do anything for the rest of us. I think I heard Arch call them osmosis crystals for the technical term.”

“Huh, Osmosis..? You mean to tell me these crystals can give me more powers on top of what I already have?!”

“Ya they are pretty helpful, but the effect is short lived. They can be handy to get you out of a tight spot. Like I said though, I don’t know much about how to use them. If you’re interested I’ve heard rumors that the nomads know a great deal more.”

“Nomads?”

“Yep, they're here now, and they don’t come around too often. You almost crashed into one back by the forest. I’m on my way to trade these crystals with them.”

Lucky gathers himself remembering his purpose before he got sidetracked with the conversation, “It was nice to meet you Cole. You’ve been the first person to talk to me candidly in a long time.”

He lifts his top hat signalling his exit, “I really feel like my luck is changing! Here have this one on me. I’m betting clear will work with your power.”

He flicks a small crystal from the pot to Cole. Cole examines it close in his hands. Sure enough it's clear like glass, and even resembles the black crystals structure. However this one instantly becomes warm in his hand, emitting a slight yellow-green glow.

“What the... Is this normal?”

“Hey would you look at that! It’s working for you!”

“Get away from him!” interjects Blazer running over to stop their meeting. “Oh no no no no! You get away from Cole!” He turns to Cole, “If you hang out with this guy you’ll be cursed with bad luck for days! It's already bad enough that you crashed into him!”

Lucky's face turns a bright red nodding in agreement.

“No really it’s all I can do to keep him out of trouble!” says Blazer tugging on Cole’s arm leaving the clumsy man to pick up the rest of his crystals, “He has enough bad luck going for him right now. He doesn’t need yours too! Let's go Cole.”

Rush and Kid quickly join the two taking stride behind them.

“He’s not a bad guy, but man you got to stay away. Just being around him things seem to break. Stupid luck comes out of nowhere. Just stop getting into trouble already!” says Blazer shaking a scolding finger.

Cole isn’t listening though. He’s completely fixated on the glowing gem in his hand.

“It’s so strange. I feel like I just ran a mile. I can’t catch my breath.”

“You just ran two miles! Remember? We just raced.” interjects Rush.

“I know that but the race didn’t drain me like I feel now. I mean look at this thing. Is this normal?”

Cole holds up the crystal for them to see. They inspect it closely.

“What?! You already got one that works for you?!” exclaims Blazer.

Rush excitedly takes the crystal from Cole.

“Feel better now?” he questions.

“Whow! Yes, much better. What the hell?” replies Cole panting.

“It looks like the clear crystals work for your energy type. That’s lucky considering it usually takes some experimenting and practice before you find one that matches.” says Rush.

“But why do I feel better now? What did that thing do to me?”

“Well, it’s an osmosis crystal.”

“Come on man, I don’t know what that means.”

“What you don’t remember from your biology class?”

“Man that was a long time ago.”

Kid bursts out, “Come on even I remember!”

Rush smirks at Kid before continuing, “Osmosis in this case is the transfer of energy into a crystal of lower energy concentration. I’m not exactly sure how it works, but this type of crystal will take some of your power. Hence why you felt drained. For you this thing will be awesome if you find yourself low on energy. You can just yank this thing out and it will give you a boost. Buuut, for others, instead it will let them use that type of ability.”

Rush takes a few steps back. A tremendous force of wind explodes around him before launching him away at a speed Cole has never seen before. So quick in fact he all but dematerialized. A split second later Rush explodes back into view in another explosive gust.

“And that’s what you can do when you learn to combine the powers to enhance your own. Short lived though. Your crystal is kinda small.”

“Hey don’t talk about its size like that! I’m sure it's perfectly normal as far as crystals go.”

Kid impersonates Yosemite Sam dancing around shooting his pistols in the air celebrating. Blazer can’t help but giggle while taking the crystal, giving it back to Cole. Cole becomes strained once again with the physical contact of the crystal.

“Since we’re talking crystal control 101, there’re some things you should know first before using these.” says Blazer taking a more authoritative tone.

“Ok shoot.”

“First, I’m sure you’ve already noticed a big problem. When you’re touching the crystal it fills up with the energy of the beholder. Then when you’re already low on energy, and you hold onto a crystal of your type, it drains you even more. It takes twice as much time to regenerate your depleted energy because it's going to the crystal at the same time.”

“Yeeep I’m experiencing that problem right now.”

“However, it will only do this until it’s full. When it's full it’s great because it gives you more energy. Second, the other crystal types won’t drain you like that, but you can’t charge them either. Third, with practice different crystal types can enhance your power, but only if the powers mix well.”

“Like wind and fire?”

“Exactly. If the powers don’t mix well then they will simply just be an added ability. Lastly, and this is the most important piece so listen. If you ever break your fully charged crystal it will explode an enormous amount of your energy specifically. That might even destroy you. So never let someone go after your crystal if you get into a fight.”

“What, but I thought Ultras couldn't die like that?”

“That’s true for the most part, but a concentrated explosion of your exact energy type could definitely take you out. Not many have survived that.”

“Holy crap these things are dangerous!”

“Yes they are a double edged sword. They are a weapon, and you should respect them like one. You just have to be smart on how you use them.”

“Lucky says these nomads know more about these crystals.” says Cole peering into the crystal holding it up to the sun.

“I bet so! They are kinda strange though. You want to meet them? They’re heading to the market.” replies Blazer pointing to the entrance to the base.

“Hell ya!”

Cole turns in time to see an ogre blowing a horn from a view tower. With the signal the gates open allowing a small caravan of eleven nomadic merchants to come in to trade from the forest.

Cole questions Blazer, “Those are the nomads?”

“Correct, they come to trade every once in a while.” replies Blazer beckoning Cole to follow him back to the NGP base.

“So they don’t live with the NGP?”

“No, not everyone stays here.”

“Really? Why wouldn’t they stay here? Isn’t it dangerous outside?”

“Hell yes it can be dangerous. These guys travel around to different settlements trading and exchanging news. For one reason or another they decided that they are fine on their own.”

“You mean there are other places out there like the NGP?”

“Yes there’s more out there. I personally haven’t seen any though. We’re basically just going off of what the nomads tell us. The other camps must be pretty far away.”

“Wow then they must be pretty powerful to be able to travel like that.”

“I’m sure they are incredibly powerful.”

“What’s their powers like?”

“No idea. They’ve never shown us, or had a reason to show us I should say. I think all these guys are Ultras, except for one guy. Supposedly he never died in The Event like the rest of us. He says he survived in his cabin and weathered everything. I don’t see how that’s possible without a bunker though. There’s no way to know, the guy is a bit of a shut-in nut if you know what I mean.”

Cole remains silent simply following the men, realizing the more he asks the more overwhelmed he gets.

I’m about to go talk to some powerful and crazy people. What am I doing?

The three men quickly make their way back to the base. A crowd of Ultras and humans alike have gathered to trade. The traders have each brought their own mobile stand decorated in colorful cloth and designs. In the center of town they created a circle greeting the customers. Even in the clutter of people Cole’s attention is quickly captured by one individual. He’s an incredibly large man covered head to toe in muscles. Every bit of his body has developed for pure strength. His head is shaved and at his hip dangles a large sword giving him a formidable appearance. Most importantly though, he bears a large purple wolf pelt. Cole instantly recognizes this as the pelt Blazer salvaged from the wolf they encountered.

He charges towards the large man confronting him, “Hey that’s Blazers coat! Where did you get that from?! Did you steal it?!”

“I traded fair and square for this, and never call me a thief.” replies the large man in a stoic deep voice.

“No way Blazer would never trade that! He loved it!”

“Are you still calling me a thief?!” replies the man now with a bit of anger.

“Blazer! This guy stole your coat!”

The large man becomes flustered as everyone in the market looks at them. A slight growl comes from his throat and his brows bow in anger. Blazer quickly jumps between the two, “Byson my man! Is Cole here giving you a hard time? This guy is such a troublemaker but I know he wouldn’t be doing that right now.” Blazer punches Cole on the shoulder.

“Ouch! Not again!”

“He’s calling me a thief!”

“Look he has your coat!” Cole exclaims to Blazer.

“Just chill man, I traded that to him earlier. Now say you’re sorry. These are our guests.”

“Sorry for calling you a thief.” replies Cole loud enough for everyone to hear, “I didn’t know.”

“This coat is the only thing big enough for me. I just had to have it. Thanks Blazer, but you drive a hard bargain.”

“Hahaa anyhow Byson, moving on from that. Cole here is looking to learn more about the crystals. Do you know who we should talk to?”

“You should talk to the mountain man Craig. He uses them more than any of us.” replies Byson slightly disgruntled.

“Thanks mate!” replies Blazer once again punching Cole in the arm.

“Won’t you stop that!?”

“Not until you stop making life hard for me.”

Kid and Rush each punch Cole joining in on the hazing.

“You guys suck!”

“Stop screwin up.” they both reply in sync with a hint of childish enjoyment.

The men follow Blazer to the mountain man Craig’s booth. It’s a small wooden booth with a colorful canvas canopy providing shade. The designs on the canvas are of different multicolored psychedelic mushrooms. His display is littered with small animal bones, wood carvings, colorful crystals, and dried mushrooms. On the sides of the booth stand larger wood carvings ranging from bears, eagles, and wolves. Just behind the mountain man a few chainsaws dangle from the rafters. The saw's teeth are embedded with different colored pulsating crystals giving them a stellar appearance.

“This looks like the place.” Cole murmurs to himself.

Cole can’t quite grasp it but there’s something strange about the mountain man. Cole watches as he’s whispering to a human skull, oblivious to his surroundings. It makes Cole assume he has spent too much time alone in the forest.

“Ah hem!” says Cole clearing his throat.

“Hmm you guys look familiar.” says Craig, now taking notice of them.

“Ya sorry about that. We were in the middle of a race.”

“A race you say? What for?” says Craig, setting the skull down and patting its head.

Cole has a confused look on his face, “Well, to see who was the fastest in a foot race.”

“Yes, but why?” says Craig with his eyes becoming wide and fixated on Cole.

“You know, for bragging rights.”

“For bragging rights? Hmm why would you want to brag about that? Seems strange don’t you think?”

No you’re the strange one. Cole thinks to himself. “I guess you got me there.”

“Yes, strange.” replies Craig, nodding to the skull, “Very strange they are.”

“I was wondering if you could tell me about the crystals.”

“The crystals?! You want to trade eh? Here look at this piece.” Craig picks it up showing it to Cole. “It’s a lovely bear. Eh eh? See? Here touch it. Smooth, smooth, eh? I did that with my smoothing saw.”

“Eh, yes very smooth, but I want to know about the crystals specifically.”

“Yes indeed. I made this with crystals! Crystal chainsaws! Many years of practice.”

“Yes but what can you tell me about them?”

“Yes yes of course. They make bears! Or wolves!”

“Huh?”

“And lots of other nifty things.”

“But how do the crystals work?”

Craig joyfully picks up the skull speaking to it, “They ask weird questions.” His insanity shows itself even more when he dances and sings a little tune to the skull, “They want to know what the crystals do!” then whispers, “Should we tell them?”

He sets the skull back down before leaning over the counter whispering to Cole, “Skully says no, but I like you. So I’ll tell you! Here, look at this green one. This one cuts the trees down faster. The brown ones, they make the rocks exploooode into colors!”

Cole can’t help but show how he feels. Craigs face becomes confused in return, “You don’t like the bear? You want mushroom instead? It helps you see things.” he continues in a persuasive, yet crazy voice.

“Umm, is that like, a magic mushroom?”

“Yes, and this is my magic chainsaw.” he says pulling down his chainsaw.

The saw's teeth are intricately interwoven in a rainbow of different colored glowing crystals. Cole excitedly jumps up and down, “Those! That’s what I want to know more about. How do those work?”

“Very simple. They make and take.”

“What are you talking about? You're not making sense!”

“Hmm well the best combo is the multi crystal blades. They give me the best work. Like this bear! You like it? Want to trade? I worked very hard on this one.”

“But what do you mean make and take?”

“Well...” Craig scratches his head looking for the words, “What is the opposite of make? It’s take!”

“Wait, do you mean they can destroy?”

“Yes, they can do that. Here look.”

Craig picks up a red crystal holding it up beckoning Rush to hold it. Rush becomes fatigued as the crystal glows. The mountain man excitedly takes the crystal back, “See! See! They take! They take from you, but not from me. Crystals can’t take from humans, only from the masters of the power.”

“How is that possible? Are you really telling me you’re not an Ultrasapien? You’re not even wearing a suit. The radiation would kill you.”

“Ohhh yes I survived The Event. I didn’t die and come back like the rest. I watched the whooole thing just sitting in my cabin eating my mushrooms. The sky was incredible! Then it was dark. Then it was bright again! I mostly keep to myself these days because I’m pretty sure I’ve gone craaaaazy! One day I went out for supplies but everyone was gone. So strange! So I trade bears for what I find. That’s what I do. The bible says you shall not steal, but it doesn’t say you cannot swap. I only make fair trades. Maybe it's my diet. Lots of fiber. I make sure to eat only naturally grown foods. None of that genetically modified crap. Here, I like these mushrooooms!! At a very good price! Can make mushroom soup, mushroom on steak, mushroom sandwiches. You want to trade for them? Very tasty!”

“Well...” Cole holds out the crystal from his pocket, “I have this clear crystal. I’m not worn out anymore, so I think it’s full.”

“Would you look at that! This one shines bright and clear! Very rare. What you want for it? I can make lots of bears with that.”

“I told you I want to know about the crystals.”

Craig scratches his chin for a moment then quickly pulls a bear from under the table. It’s eyes are encrusted with two larger clear crystals.

“Final offer. Fair deal. I stayed up all night working on that one. It’s special!”

I’m not getting anywhere with this guy, and two bigger crystals is better than just having one…

Cole finally succumbs slightly annoyed that he didn’t get any information from this guy, but also happy that the bear will give him another crystal. He hands over his crystal receiving the bear in return. His energy has been drained over and over again, but now he’s holding the weight of two empty crystals at the same time. He feels a vibrating sensation as his energy is sucked from him.

“Those crystals like you. They told me so. Crystals like to find their master.”

Cole’s knees buckle sending him to the ground. The bear remains balanced between his arm and chest. His head spins, he can’t even breathe.

Is this how I die? A wooden bear on my chest sucking the life from me?

“All trades final!” calls the mountain man leaning over the booth. Craig finishes by seemingly arguing with his skull, “No it was a fair trade! Bible says you shall not steal, but it doesn’t say you cannot swap. It was fair trade!”

Blazer, Rush, and Kid fall to the ground laughing at Cole. It's all the energy Cole has to grunt for help, “Help me you idiots!”

Blazer lifts the bear off of Cole, “Too much for ya? Well it makes sense. You’re really getting the crystal candy crush course today. Alright let’s go ask the others. I don’t think this guy is going to tell us anything.”

“Oh, thank, you!” replies Cole gasping for air.

Blazer leads the way to a group of five more nomadic merchants standing as a group chatting amongst themselves. He breaks the ice by pointing and making introductions for Cole.

“Hey guys! This is Cole. Cole, meet Broin, Niklas, Runa, Erika, and Curledor.”

Cole notices Broin’s attire first out of the group. He’s wearing a dark cloak with a large six foot sword sheathed at his hip. A hawk sits perched on his shoulder. Cole questions him first, “I’m trying to learn more about these osmosis crystals. Can you help me? I tried talking to that Craig dude but I’m thinking we are on a different wavelength if you know what I mean? He even says he’s not an Ultra but we all know that’s obviously not possible.”

Broin replies in a stoic voice, “No he’s right, he’s not an Ultra. Neither am I for that matter. I can tell he’s telling the truth. I can see it in his eyes.”

“You’re saying you’re not an Ultra either?”

“Indeed.”

Now Blazer questions, “That doesn’t make sense. How is that possible?”

“If you want to know, it will cost you.” says Broin.

“I don’t have anything to trade.” replies Blazer.

Broin points to the bear, “I’ll take the bear once the crystals are filled. I’ll tell you my tale, then take the crystals. Though I don’t think you’ll believe me. Fair?”

“Deal!” Blazer tosses the bear to Cole. Kid and Rush laugh watching Cole collapse, being robbed of his energy again.

“Not again!” gasps Cole.

“Hold onto that, it’s story time!” says Blazer eagerly.

Broin begins interlacing his fingers, “I’ve been around much, much longer than Ultras. I’ve been alive long enough to see empires rise and fall through the ages. I’ve seen all the wars, and history written and rewritten.”

Kid and Rush sit down next to Cole like kids waiting for a bedtime story. They pat Cole on the chest consoling him, finding the whole situation hilarious. Blazer replies, “What you’re saying doesn’t make any sense. How could anyone have survived outside of a bunker without reviving as an Ultra?”

“I’ll tell you how. Black magic. Evil magic. I’m cursed. I was born thousands of years ago. I can hardly remember my original life now, only bits of images. Though I can remember what evil fell upon me vividly.”

Cole gasps, “This, is going, to be a long, story. Guys I’m gonna die.”

Blazer replies in a condescending tone, “You’re not going to die, you just might take a nap.”

“Uuhhhg!” squeals Cole.

Broin continues his story emotionless to the situation, “I was a noble celtic warrior living a simple life. I had the honor, the land, and my family. I had everything. Then my life shattered. My first and only child fell ill. There was nothing we could do. I traveled to the far cities looking for the wise sages who could help. I spread the word wide and far. Every potion and herb we tried failed. Nobody was able to restore my boy's strength. I had lost all hope and returned to spend the final moments with my son. On that final night, late in the hour, we received a knock at the door.”

Broins hawk launches from his shoulder taking flight as if startled by the events in the story. Even Cole seemingly comes out of his fog, piqued by this tale. He sits up crossing his legs still holding the bear. Blazer sits with the men too.

“I answered the door angrily. How dare they interrupt me in this final hour! A black cloaked sage stood at the door. He called himself the Black Prophet. He had heard my call. He said he alone could save my child. He told me he was no potion maker, that he had powers reaching through the veil of the afterlife. He explained that this type of magic didn’t come without consequences. This type of magic could only be sustained by trading life forces. The cost of this magic? The cost of saving my son? I’d have to feed a demon in the nether realm.”

The men go wide eyed at the word. Blazer questions, “Do you think it’s the same? The same demon?”

“Yes. One in the same. There’s no way it could be any other. I have to feed that damned demon every blood moon, and if I don’t then my soul will replace the soul of my son. If I had, or ever do fail in my task, I will be pulled directly into the depths of hell. I don’t know what to say. In my grief I would have done anything, and I did. I allowed this Black Prophet to draw his symbols on my floor. I followed his incantations. I spilled my blood. I did it all blindly without question. What I didn’t know when making this pact with this demon, is this pact was forever. Forever, well beyond my mortal life. Forever immortal only if the quota is met. After all, why would this demon want me to stop feeding him? And so you know my tale. I saved my son. He lived a long and full life. I watched the generations of my lineage spread around the earth. I’ve killed many. I’m cursed. Cursed to travel to the end and beyond it seems. Ironically, I ran in fear all my life, and now the demon is in this realm. Whatever this place is.”

Broin walks over taking the bear from Cole, “Thanks. Though I’m sorry. I don’t know much about these crystals. I’ve never needed to. I just know how to trade them. The best I can do is warn you to stay out of my way and hope you never cross my path around a blood moon. Though I’d try not to go after anyone at the NGP, there’s just not as many people around these days.”

Lucky, oblivious to the serious tale, happily stumbles into the conversation. The three men stand up with surprised expressions. Cole says first, “Yaaa, soooo, we’re just going to go talk to those guys over there.”

“Ya we were really just looking for crystal info, sorry to disturb you.” says Rush.

“Wow look at the time! Lucky have you met Broin here? Sorry we gotta go talk to them.”

Cole walks to the other people in the group. He tries his best to find someone who looks as normal as possible. Suddenly he’s approached by a half black half Mexican looking man. He’s of small build, yet toned, and shirtless. He has the appearance that makes his age hard to judge. He could be anywhere from eighteen to forty. He walks up to Cole smiling.

“I’m Curledor, nice to meet you.” he says shaking his hand. His smile widens further, turning to giggles.

Cole questions, “What’s so funny?”

“Oh nothing I just think you’re funny. You just woke up, I can tell.”

“You can tell just by looking at me?”

“Easily. It’s how you ask questions. How you present yourself.”

“Yes I did just wake up. I guess I can say I was born yesterday!”

“You are a dork.” says Curledor with a strange everlasting smile.

“Can you tell us anything about these crystals?”

“I could, but I wouldn’t do it justice, if you know what I mean.”

With the words a splash of light materializes around Curledor’s neck. A white cross appears out of thin air. He touches the cross saying, “I’m a friend if you couldn’t tell.” Curledor calls two people over, “Pappa! Clio! Come, Cole has arrived.”

“Who are they?” questions Cole.

“They are the ones you’ve been seeking. They are of the forest people. The Enlightened Ones.” replies Curledor.

“I haven’t been looking for anyone in particular. The Enlightened Ones? Who are they?”

Cole looks back to Curledor discovering he’s gone. It wasn’t even a full second and Curledor had vanished without a trace. Confused, Cole jumps around trying to figure out what just happened. Though his attention is soon recaptured by someone talking to him.

“Why yes actually, you have been looking for us.” calls Clio excitedly. She shakes Cole’s hand aggressively, speaking fast, “You just didn’t know it yet. So very nice to meet you! I’m Clio! I’m a huge fan! And this, this is Pappa, Pappa Legba.”

Cole is confronted by a quite intimidating looking tall black man. He’s imbued with the style of voodoo black magic. His eyes are yellow, and his face is covered in a white paint. On his head a tall black top hat, interwoven with small animal bones.

Cole questions, “What, what happened to that other guy? He was here just a second ago…”

“Who?” asks Clio.

“Oh never mind. How can you be a fan? I don’t know if you realize, but I’m new around here. Who are you guys?”

Clio replies scratching her head, “All in good time. Let's see here. Today is Tuesday, and the sun is over there, so that means… Ah, this is the first time we meet and you’re here to learn about crystals.”

“Uhh yes?”

Pappa speaks slowly in a strong Jamaican accent, “Awww yiss we can tell you all about the crystals. Aannnnn Clio here has told me about you. You have much hidden power this much I can tell you now.”

“How would she know about me?” asks Cole.

“Well, I can see things before they happen. That’s my Ultra power, and boy have I seen a lot of you!” replies Clio excitedly.

“Wow, the ability to see the future! What have you seen?!”

“Nope, I can’t tell you yet. Today is just your crystal 101 day. Today we can only talk to you about the crystals. Otherwise we can set things off track.”

Pappa approaches Cole. He bends over eyeing him up and down with a squinty eye, “Yessss the crystals will help you in your travels. Hmmm, your aura is very powerful. It’s brilliant, wild, and uncontrolled.”

“I don’t see anything.” says Cole looking under his arm.

“Assss you know there are different colored crystals. They interact with the auras of each person’s energy. They wish to find those that they match with. They want to find their master. They crave to share their power with them.”

“They? You’re talking about the crystals like they are alive.”

“They are alive! They are crystalized souls!”

Clio cuts in, “Yes what you probably didn’t know is they were formed from those who were alive. You see, these crystals formed from the residue of the lost souls after The Event. Once the humans died, their will tried to bring them back, but without a strong enough will to do so their energy collapsed into the crystalline form.”

Rush and Kid remain silent in awe, absorbing all the information in these conversations. Blazer can’t help but say to Cole, “When I’m around you I just keep finding out more and more! I’m not taking you out of my sight!”

Clio continues, “If you really want to understand crystals, then you need to understand this. You can only charge crystals that match your aura type. Then there are places out there where you can find concentrations of soul energies that formed into crystals. These areas have crystals that have concentrated to the point where they grow as crystalline plants. In order to find the crystals compatible with your aura you have to find an area where there were like minded people like you, before The Event. That’s where they died, that’s where their energies settled.”

“I don’t think I understand.” says Cole.

“Imagine a prison full of evil people. When The Event occurred they all died in that area. You could go there to find black crystals, due to the collection of dark energies. In your case, your aura is a yellowish green, almost clear. This means your personality derives from a creative heart, and a focus on communication. You would be able to effectively charge and use crystals in that spectrum.”

“I can’t believe the crystals I was just playing with came from the energies of lost souls. Man that just seems messed up.”

Clio nods, “No energy is lost. Even when an Ultra is killed, eventually their energy disperses into the area forming crystals.”

“So then what are the black crystals? You said those would be in prisons?”

Pappa Legba waves his hands as a warning, “Those be very dark Cole. Theyyy are vaaaery dangerous, born by evil. They only form in those places where nothing but evil remained. It’s wise to stay away from those.”

“I fought some drones and there were black crystals in their stomachs.”

“The drones are born from evil. Remnants of the evil men clawing to stay alive. They pulled themselves back from the void by pure hatred. Though they never had enough will to sustain themselves. Only by consuming more hatred, more black crystals are they able to survive. There are truly worse things than dying. You are lucky to have survived them.”

“Death covets the black crystals…”

“Yessss Cole, Aaannn now maybe you see. For now dis is all we can teach you. Eeeevil surrounds you, it’s coming for you. I can see the darkness getting closer to you, closer and closer each day.”

Clio steps forward giving Cole a hug, “He’s right, time is running out. Now that you’re here things are in motion. There’s a plan for you. Soon everything will make more sense. Soon you will join us in the forest. Don’t try to find us before as you will never be able to. We will help you when the time is right, but now is not the time.”

“You mean we, as in The Enlightened Ones?” asks Cole.

“Yes, oh and it was fun meeting you! I’m excited to see all the things you do in the time to come!” calls Clio waving as she and Pappa start walking back to the forest.

Blazer, Kid, and Rush all have stunned expressions. Kid whispers to Rush, “Who is this guy?” “I don’t know. You think they really know who Cole is?” Rush whispers back.

Blazer interjects their whispers, “I’m tellin you guys, just stick with Cole if you want to watch things unfold.” Blazer speaks to Cole, “Man that was mysterious.”

“Hell ya, what do you think they mean by don’t go looking for us yet? I mean why wouldn’t they just take me now if I’m supposed to meet up with them?”

“Man you’re asking me?! You’re learning more about this world than I ever did in my years. What I do know is we’ve explored the forest countless times. If they were in there we would have found them. But man that was an eerie conversation. What are you going to do?”

“I think I should go talk to Justice. I promised Gaze I’d go meet with her. She said she could help me. Today only made me want to visit her even more.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, it's like I’m missing a part of myself. Like parts of my memory, or something inside me. With all this stuff going on… The different dimensions, other versions of me, these mysterious forest people. I just need to figure this stuff out, and I think Justice can help.”

With the mention of her name white crosses sparkle into existence around each of the men’s necks. Blazer produces a small half smile. Rush throws his arm around Cole, “Ah you’re one of us! Now we trust you, and that’s the first good idea you’ve had! We’ll take you there, but before we do we should stop and get those power crystals Death offered you. You know now that we know a bit more about them.”

“Let's go.” says Cole with a determined look on his face.