Chapter 11 – EVO
***Tirnanog, The Old Camp***
***Astra Frost***
Why are you hiding on the roof?
I almost dropped Gurneys latest report and suppressed an exclamation of shock when a voice spoke from behind me. Fumbling, I pressed the sheet of paper against my chest and turned to glare at Thalia.
Dont sneak up on me like that! I reprimanded her, trying to cover up the embarrassment of not having sensed her approach. I could have lashed out at you!
If you had flared out your filaments from the beginning, I wouldnt have been able to sneak up on you. Thalia waved her hand dismissively. And besides. You should recognize my voice. Why would you want to hurt your best friend?
Because you keep waking me up at ungodly hours, I grumbled.
I am doing it for your own good, Thalia replied unapologetically. Your parents told me to keep an eye on you so you wouldnt laze off.
She walked closer and leaned down to where I was sitting. So? Why are you hiding up here? Are you watching the sweaty men down there on the training field and fantasizing about their-
I turned and hit Thalias knee with my fist. It wasnt enough to hurt her, but the impact combined with the angle caused it to buckle.
If she didnt have wings that she could use like additional appendages, she would have likely fallen and slipped off the bunkers dome-like roof. To my dismay, she quickly used the hard spikes at the ends of her wings to hook into the roof and create additional support. This prevented her from finding a wet end down in the pond next to the bunker.
Moody much? she back-pedalled from her earlier comment. Okay, I wont tease you anymore.
Very much appreciated, though I would have liked to see you slip off the roof and fall into the pond. I smirked at the thought.
Thalia shuddered. No, thanks. I am not the greatest of swimmers.
She said that, but I knew her to be a very good swimmer. Underwater, she could use her bat-wings like gigantic fins to propel herself forward.
I huffed and carefully folded Gurneys report before I hid it away beneath the filaments which were currently acting as my clothes.
Aw, come on! Thalia pawed at me, trying to get to the report, but I slapped her hands away.
Tell me!
Stop being so childish! I retorted and deflected her groping hands to the best of my ability.
Its you who is being childish for hiding the report, Thalia shot back. Do I really have to go and ask Gurney what he gave you? He wont say no to me.
I sighed and gestured down to the training field where the newcomer was having spear practice together with this Mark guy. Its the one who we saw running from the gutters. His skills look like they are compatible with mine. Very compatible if he manages to improve them.
Well, whats the problem then? Go and get him! I cant wait for you to stop pining around the arena grounds like some old maiden. Thalia asked and turned to watch the two men playing around with the freely provided training weapons.
Tulkas drew his hand back and it blurred, sending a spear into and through a training dummy as if it had been fired by one of the ballistas on the wall.
Wow, Thalia exclaimed. Thats a mean throwing arm. What are his skills?
I narrowed my eyes. Thats the problem. His primary evolution comes from zippers.
Oh. My friend clicked her tongue. Those things are almost impossible to catch, even if they are like rats.
She frowned. But maybe he can do it? The problem with catching them is speed and he clearly has it in abundance.
Yeah I pursed my lips and wrung my fingers. I guess I am also watching him because I want to find out what he is like. To make sure he isnt some asshole like Roderick.
Thalia coughed.
What? I grumbled. I knew what was coming.
She threw up her hands. I knew that would happen! Astra, you have to come down from your perfectionist trip. You spent years coming to the arena fights so you could find someone who is compatible with your evolutions. Now he is right there and you won’t take him because you are concerned about his personality?
What am I supposed to do? I asked. I cant just walk up to him and tell him I want to do it because I want his evolutions.
Thalia slowly knelt next to me. You know, that would actually work with nine out of ten men. Her expression turned smug. I bet most wouldnt even think about possible evolutions.
Not really, I rebutted in disapproval. Are you trying to say most men are stupid? I would think people can control themselves when its about survival.
She considered my argument for a few moments with a contemplative expression.
Okay, then maybe seven out of ten! Thalia corrected her statement. My point still stands. Your standards are just too high, woman. This male ideal of yours doesnt exist in the real world. You want perfect compatibility and then he has to be some kind of hero or prince on top of it?
I spread my filaments and caught an upwards air-drift. Then I looked towards the forest, but frustratingly enough, Tulkas and Mark had already disappeared.
I sighed.
Well, anyway. With this attack, there were other matters I had to take care of first.
It wasnt unheard of for clan members to attack and kill each other outside of the arena, but it had been a long time since the Aerie and the Thich had resorted to open warfare. Ivonne attacking me on the streets like some assassin had certainly broken the unspoken accord between the clans.
I angled my filaments and flew back towards the bunker, intending to address this issue immediately. It was best to establish the narrative in my favour before Ivonne managed to crawl her way back from wherever she had landed.
The front of the bunker was clearly in an uproar, and I found Liam and four more Aerie facing off against a group of five Thich. Thalia was backing Liam up against possible violence.
Which meant my arrival came just in time to dissuade the two groups from exchanging blows because my presence restored the balance of power.
Whats going on here? I asked when I landed.
The leading Thich, a man with an impressive stature, looked at me with an incredulous expression. We had an argument. His eyes wandered towards the entrance of the bunker, from where two Hochberg clanners watched what was happening with rapt attention.
The bastards insulted our clan! One of our men pointed at the Thich, clearly incensed.
Liam raised his hand to stop the youngster from making more trouble. No matter what opinion they have of us, it is no reason for violence.
Speaking of violence Thalia turned to me. Do you know who just flew over the camp, screaming like it was her first flight?
I pursed my lips. That was Ivonne, and she didnt fly. I threw her because she attacked me in an attempt to kill.
That caused the expressions among the Thich to darken.
Though, I dont believe I have killed her, I added quickly to defuse the situation. But I would like to know what her problem is. Do we have to regard the Thich as a group of dangerous rogues?
It was convenient that Gurney chose this exact moment to step out of the bunker. He wasnt exactly a personage of power, but his affiliations with all the clans would have likely turned him into the impartial judge of any conflict.
The leading Thich grumbled but gestured for his goons to back off. Ivonnes issues are none of your concern. We will see to it that she stays out of trouble from now on.
They left, making their way back into the bunker and past the two Hochberg and Gurney who were still eyeing what was happening with great attention.
Once they were out of sight, Thalia turned to face me. No shit? Ivonne tried to kill you? Why?
I dont know why, but I would rather like to know why another group of Thich caused trouble at the same time, I replied. The entire situation stank to the high heavens. Like they had tried to create some distraction.
What I couldnt understand was the why. Had Ivonne succeeded in killing me, it would have likely sparked a war between the Aerie and the Thich. There would have been no way of hiding it with her attacking me in broad daylight. It would have seriously affected the proceedings within the Old Camp. There is nothing to gain as far as I can see.
Liams expression turned concerned. I do believe you are gravely mistaken, Astra. Did you forget the peace treaty? We aren’t allowed to directly interfere with the exile’s mutations and no clan is allowed to bring more than one unpaired, capable fighter to the Old Camp. Ever since you maxed out your evolutions, you have been filling that position. If they managed to kill you with a lucky shot, there would have been little we could have done about it aside from complaining. I dont believe we have the battle powers to stand against them without you.
But the other clans- I pointed out but was interrupted by Liam.
Would have done nothing about it. Maybe they would intercede in a conflict thats happening right in front of them, but they would have done little to nothing if presented with a corpse! He drew in a deep breath. We would have needed to send a message back to Aerie to get help. Your parents would have caused quite the ruckus, but even they cant influence the seasons. It would have been impossible to go to war before the winter, and who knows how much support they can gather in the next year once the hotheads had time to cool down?
I shut my mouth and considered the situation from Liams point of view. He was just a doctor, but he was one of the oldest and most experienced people I knew. And that meant something in this hellish world.
As much as I wanted to deny it, there was a slim possibility that the Thich could have killed me and succeeded without many repercussions, provided that Ivonne had gotten in a lucky shot.
What about Ivonne? Thalia asked. Is she a danger to you?
I considered the question. Not if we fight in the open, though I admit that close quarters might be problematic. She has a mutation that makes her extremely tough, even tougher than Roderick. I couldnt put a scratch on her until I decided to just fling her across the camp.
My filaments were a great mutation on paper, but they had a weakness. A lot of surface area and little weight meant I could allow them to simply drift through the air. But it also meant they didnt have a lot of mass behind them.
Whipping someone with my filaments was like using a piano wire to whip a normal human. It was likely to cause superficial injury, but the tougher opponents would likely just get mad and run me over.
Like hydraulic muscles, my filaments were great at expansion and contraction, which actually allowed me to keep up with opponents who had a strength mutation. Using my filaments to stab instead of slash brought more power to the table, given I could anchor myself somehow.
After having witnessed Ivonnes toughness first-hand, I wasnt exactly keen on inviting her to a wrestling match.
When the silence stretched out for longer than was comfortable, Liam cleared his throat. Well, then we probably should avoid getting you into a confined space with that woman. I will talk to the other clan representatives and send a messenger home to forewarn them of possible conflict. There is no way we can just ignore attempted murder. We have to at least make a gesture of being mad about the attempt.
I sighed. I dont need these complications right now.
Thalia gestured for me to get going. I know exactly what you are thinking. Go on, little stalker. I am sure we can handle things from here. Its highly doubtful that the Thich will try something so brazen again anytime soon. Especially not after we talk to the other clans. Once thats done, everyone will be keeping a close eye on them.
I threw a thankful gaze at my friend and tried to ignore Liams interested expression. Then I departed and headed quickly in the direction I had seen Tulkas and Mark disappear in.