Beyond The System

Luna? Wyrem? I called out mentally.

What’s up? Luna replied.

Oh. Uh, nothing. Just saying hi.

Hi? Are you sure? She pressed. Anything wrong?

No! No… nothing wrong, I answered quickly.

Real convincing, the worm chimed in. We talked about sharing, remember? So what’s the issue?

No issue. Seriously. I’m fine. I really didn’t want to test that mystery girl’s tolerance. Seriously, fine.

Fine, Luna said, thankfully letting it go. But we’re around if you need us.

Thanks. I stood and headed over to the others, just in time to catch the tail end of a scolding.

“You have to be more careful,” Miss Star snapped. “The kids I get, but you all as well?”

She wasn't even looking at Vel, Thea, and the rest. The grown men were getting the full brunt of her glare.

Velea had just woken, rubbing her eyes. The second she saw me, she lit up. “Peter!”

She bounced over, unraveling herself from her fluffy perimeter. “Look!”

She pointed her hand straight at me again. Yeah, we were definitely going to need to break that habit.

A pulse of power hit me, forcing me back a step. “Wow.” If that had been point-blank, it would’ve actually hurt. “Vel, you can already use Blasting Wave?”

She nodded so hard it looked like her head might fly off, throwing both arms in the air. “Yep! What do you think?”

Her sleeve slipped when she lifted her arm, and she quickly shoved it back down, suddenly sheepish.

I glanced behind, everyone else still seemed locked in the lecture, though it wasn't quite as loud.

“Velea…” I lowered my voice, leaning in with a Phantom Whisper. “Don’t rush, alright? I can’t really talk much either, but like I said—”

“Younger, I know.” She looked down. “Everyone’s already so strong, and I just wanted to…”

I crouched to her level, meeting her speckled eyes. “I get it. Trust me—I really do.” I rested a hand on her shoulder. “But we already carved a path through pain. The whole point is so others—so you, don’t have to.”

She nodded, silent but understanding.

“Of course,” I added, “if you figure anything out, you share. Who knows? Might help us a ton.”

Her eyes lit up again.

“Safely, okay?”

“Okay!”

She followed close as I walked toward the rest of the group.

“Got it?!” Miss Star barked.

Marcus nodded. “Of course, sweetheart, I would—Peter!”

Déjà vu. From a middle-aged man, though, the excitement was way less endearing.

“We should go. You need a workout, right?” His eyes were practically pleading.

Not that it mattered, he wasn't wrong so I didn't mind lending a hand. “Yeah. Wanna spar?”

He shook his head. “We should get out of—go on a hunt.”

His eyes lingered a second on his wife, who was giving him a very suspicious look. “Pretty sure we could all use some fresh meat.”

I heard someone stifle a laugh behind me as Sia’s mother sighed, already giving in. “Alright, you’re free. Go on.”

He stood and kissed her cheek. “I’ll be back with something. Watch the fire?”

“You’re kidding?”

He grinned. “It’s unsafe, right?” 

Bit of a low blow I thought.

With a snicker, “Let’s go, Peter.”

I figured she wouldn’t appreciate her own words being thrown back at her, but she just shook her head and smiled. “Have fun.”

Marcus broke into a light jog. I turned, waved to Velea, and followed.

Footsteps rushed behind us. A glance back showed six small shapes sprinting our way, yawning mid-run. Bristle took the lead, of course.

“We’re gonna speed up, but I’ll let the spirit dogs lead,” Marcus called out from ahead.

“No problem!” I called back. I wasn’t worried, I could easily handle the pace.

We ran in silence, cutting farther and farther from camp. Marcus kept changing direction with the dogs, never sticking to a straight path. Eventually, the dogs slowed… then stopped, crouched low in the brush.

Marcus held out a hand, signaling me to stay low.

“We get something?” I whispered.

He held a finger to his lips and shook his head.

I assumed that meant “don’t talk,” not “they’re pretending to be tactical for fun.” But with these mutts? Could go either way.

Heavy, plodding steps reached my ears as I tuned into the surroundings. Wind blowing. Leaves rustling. Everything in immaculate detail.

More steps, definitely a herd... Unless this thing had a lot of legs.

We edged forward, creeping through the brush.

There were three of them.

Large creatures. About twice Marcus’s width, but roughly his height. So… about the size of the commander. Two were larger than one by quite a bit.

Cracked, fractured gray stones covered their hide like armor. A long, barbed tail stretched behind each one, tipped with a spike nearly as large as the one jutting from its head.

Could we even eat these things? I guess under all that rock there had to be meat, right? Judging by the size, one should be more than enough—Well, assuming the dogs didn’t have bottomless stomachs.

I saw the frost spears begin to form, Marcus was already crafting his shard. Guess the icicle spell had synced with his system now.

I focused, forming one of my own without using Precursor Sense. It wobbled, unstable at first, even with my full concentration drowning in it. Eventually, it steadied, and I locked in on our target.

“The one in the back,” Marcus murmured. “After I release.”

But before I could fully brace, one of the hounds loosed its bolt. Then another. Then Bristle caught up and joined in. The rest followed in a chain reaction.

Marcus launched his next. Then me. All at the largest one.

It was like lightning. First a crack, then a crater. The stone shell split open before the creature could even groan. A hole formed, then widened with every strike.

A shudder. A faltering step. Then it collapsed.

The other two bolted, but none of us gave chase.

We approached slowly. I bent down for a closer look.

Four legs and thick hide, but it seemed reptilian. The heavily modified scales looked carved in a way, but what caught me weren’t the claws or the shell.

It was the teeth. Every last one was a flat molar. 

I’d been surrounded by monsters and meat-eaters for so long, just seeing that threw me.

“What’s wrong?” Marcus glanced over, tugging at one of its legs.

“It eats plants?” I asked, still weirdly stunned.

“Yeah, looks like it. Which means it’ll taste great.”

He had a point. Of course there’d be herbivores in a place with plants, but still, there was something comforting about it.

I helped him lift the creature, mostly to keep circulating World Force and lock in the progress from earlier.

Then came a chorus of high-pitched whines below. The dogs weren’t thrilled about being cut off before snack time.

Rough!

Bristle barked once, sharply. The others fell silent. He turned to me expectantly.

“Uh. Yeah. Good boy, show them who’s boss,” I offered, scratching behind his ear.

His tail wagged with satisfaction.

“I’m the boss…” Marcus muttered. “I literally control them.”

“Apparently not more than he does—ugh!” I grunted as the weight shifted unfairly toward my side. “Rude.”

“Tch. You should train more anyway… This thing is heavy, right?” Marcus panted beside me.

I nodded. Even for me, it was no joke. Whatever this thing was, it was dense.

“Sooo… how’s it going with Sia?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation toward something useful.

“Yeah. About as good as I could hope,” he said, exhaling hard. “She’s willing to talk. That’s more than enough for me.”

“And your new son?” I grinned. “That relationship can’t be something you expected.”

“Ha. Don’t get me started.” He shook his head. “I can’t press too hard or at all really. Last thing I want is to push her away, now or ever.”

“She didn’t seem to mind you making Elric uncomfortable.”

“And I’m sure even that has its limits,” Marcus said with a wicked grin, “but don’t worry... his time to train with me will come. I won’t hold back even a little.”

I doubt he’ll have a choice with that boy, Wyrem added dryly.

I don't know, I admitted. Even now, with all Marcus’s familiars, I’m not sure I could stand up to him.

Fair.

Is Elric really so special? Luna asked, her tone carefully casual. More than me?

She was definitely fishing. Wyrem didn't seem to notice though.

My student is of course the best! Wyrem declared proudly. Trained by me? How could some mere boy compare?

He expertly lifted both Luna’s confidence, and himself, with the same flourish.

It was nice seeing them bond like this. Strange, but nice.

“We should try jogging,” I said aloud. “Otherwise it’s gonna take forever to get back.”

“Let’s make it a run, then.” Marcus glanced back and raised his voice. “C’mon boys—lead the way!”

I regretted it instantly.

Sure, I said I could keep up, and I could. What I forgot to factor in was that Marcus clearly had some serious stat boosts from his years of training.

He was panting, yeah, but he wasn’t slowing down. His sheer stubbornness was kind of impressive.

“Please… break,” I begged between breaths.

“We’ll be there soon,” Marcus replied, exhausted but unbothered. “That’s the third time you’ve said that in ten minutes.”

I cursed him silently. Cursed his drive. Cursed his fitness.

Finally after several more painful minutes, I spotted the fire. The silence.

Everyone was fine. Either sleeping, meditating, or standing watch. No chaos. No emergencies. Just the crackle of flame and the hum of quiet safety.

A woman gave us a gentle smile as we passed, but it was too subdued for my taste.

Luckily, I knew how to fix that.

“Thea! I brought snacks!”

A familiar pair of storm-colored eyes blinked open.