The conversation died as we continued our journey, the Corruptors gradually falling behind as we maintained our steady pace toward the first location marked on the map.
The wasteland now felt like a landscape of only subtle hostility, not overly threatening, but devoid of comfort... at least I couldn’t see anything I could use as a bed.
When we reached the designated location for the first outpost, Finn consulted both his internal senses and the map, confirming we had arrived at the correct place.
"This is it." he announced, looking around at the relatively flat area surrounded by rocky soil and so silver buildings here and there. "Good visibility in all directions, solid ground for building."
Kira imdiately began examining the ground, digging her fingers into the dirt and pulling out small samples to inspect closely. "I can work with this." she decided. "My vines can grow on this soil."
While Kira prepared her seeds, Finn began grabbing so silver left by the old buildings around and molding it with his ability, turning it into the foundation of what would eventually beco a small shelter.
The silver flowed like liquid as he moved his hands, reshaping it according to his will, hardening into solid structures that glead under the wasteland light.
"The marker needs to be visible from as far away as possible." he said as he worked. "So go as big as you can without starting to feel the backlash fatigue Kira."
She nodded, already on her knees, burying so seeds in the spots she’d prepared. "As long as the soil below holds enough water and we have enough ti, yes. I’ll create a vine structure that can be seen from afar."
Coco and Phinyx established a periter, placing canteens of black water at strategic points to mask our presence from any nearby Corruptors. I stood watch, constantly scanning the horizon in search of uninvited guests, my hand always holding my yo-yo... though I could use a pebble instead, but carrying rocks in my pants wouldn’t be as comfy.
I was used to having the yo-yo always close to , it only felt natural.
The work progressed smoothly for nearly an hour. Finn’s silver structure began taking shape, a small bunker with walls thick enough to withstand a Corruptor’s initial assault... probably.
Kira’s vines had already pushed through the soil, growing at a speed that made wonder how much progress she’d made during this eight months.
Then, as expected in the wasteland, everything went wrong.
"Finn!" Kira’s alard voice cut through our focused work. "Behind you!"
I turned to see a Corruptor erging from behind a rocky formation we’d dismissed as too small to hide anything significant. It moved with that terrible, jerky motion directly toward Finn, who stood frozen, his hands still manipulating a silver beam.
The Corruptor had found him because he was too far from the nearest canteen of black water, his concentration on the silver structure made him forget our safety protocols.
"Help!" Finn cried, stumbling backward, dropping the silver which clattered to the ground. "Allaran!"
The distance between us was far enough, I wouldn’t reach him before the Corruptor struck.
Unless I used Quickstep.
The pattern ford in my mind instantly, three spheres aligning in perfect harmony, the visualization now as natural as breathing.
"Quickstep." I whispered.
The world blurred. One mont I stood watching the scene unfold, the next I was beside Finn, the Corruptor’s maw opening to reveal rows of shifting teeth.
My hand was already closed around the yo-yo, I took it outside my pocket and focused on the Corruptor’s head, establishing the connection between it and the object in my palm. The ntal link ford instantly, like a thread that tensed between two points in space.
Switch.
The transition was silent, almost anticlimactic. One mont the Corruptor was lunging forward, jaws open, death’s manifest. The next, its head was in my hand, dark fluids dripping between my fingers, its body collapsing to the ground as it passed beside us, falling with a wet, heavy sound.
My yo-yo tumbled through the air where the creature’s head had been a mont before, spinning before hitting the dirt with a soft thud.
The entire sequence, from Finn’s cry for help to the Corruptor’s death, had taken probably three seconds.
I turned to Finn, who stood pale, his silver laying at his feet. "You okay?" I asked.
He nodded mutely, his gaze fixed on the Corruptor’s severed head in my hand.
After that, I tossed the Corruptor’s head aside like garbage. Then walked over to where my yo-yo had fallen, picked it up, and brushed the dirt from its surface.
[You Slayed: Pawn Nira - Level ???]
[Corruption Fades]
A notification appeared before , which I dismissed with a thought.
When I looked up, all four of my companions were staring at with expressions ranging from shock to awe.
"That was..." Coco began, then faltered, words apparently failing him.
"Efficient." Kira interrupted, her voice steadier than I expected.
"And terrifying." Phinyx added, a hint of his usual humor returning despite the tension. "Remind never to challenge you to a duel."
Finn just looked at , then at the headless Corruptor, then back at . "I thought they were... I always imagined they’d be harder to kill."
"They are." I said, wiping dark fluid from my hand onto my pants. "For most people." I examined the yo-yo for damage before returning it to my pocket. "But it seems like the ability I got by moving boxes for years was their weakness."
The silence that followed was filled with unspoken questions, they ca from the sudden realization that what I’d done before in January, now didn’t need luck on my side.
"We should finish the outpost." I said finally, breaking the silence. "There might be more Corruptors nearby."
Everyone returned to their tasks with renewed urgency, but I felt their eyes on as I resud my watch position, noted the subtle change in how they moved. The casual ease with which I’d killed the Corruptor had probably transford in their eyes from their usual friend to sothing else, sothing both reassuring and unsettling.
I touched the yo-yo in my pocket, so unchanged despite everything it had done.
Damian had called a weapon. What would he think, knowing my actual weapon was a yo-yo?
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