Oath of the Survivor

It wound up being two more days until they left, Kyle quickly realizing he wasn’t up to full strength, and Arianna and Frank enjoying having a new student to teach.  The foundation Kyle had been building started to bear fruit, and he was picking up the basics quickly. 

“Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”  This mantra was consistent in his trainings, and he was appreciative of Frank’s patience.  Garth was a good instructor, but his style was very much centered around powerful, direct strikes.  He rarely faced an enemy that could take more than a couple strikes with his sword, and even fewer that could handle his skills when he brought them to bear. 

Kyle by contrast had neither strong offensive skills like AIR BLADE or the relative Strength that Garth possessed.  The only tool that came close was his heavily infused HASTE skill, and that was a double-edged sword that he’d rather avoid using.  Frank told him the name of the art he practiced was Escrima, an old-world style from the Philippines.  The focus wasn’t on big flashy attacks, but rather on precise strikes and flowing combinations. 

The style was also flexible enough to use a wide variety of weapons as well as barehanded variations, which was appealing to Kyle.  Thinking about all the makeshift weapons he’d had to make use of, he appreciated the framework that he could apply to the tools he had on-hand.

He learned that Frank had actually killed a handful of wandering beetles with the dual stick style, an impressive feat for an unawakened.  He remembered back to how Dalen had been so badly injured by just one of the mutated insects, and his respect for the man grew.  Frank was a kind man, but at his core he was an incredibly disciplined and competent instructor. 

The athleticism and physical benefits provided by Kyle’s ever-growing attributes could cover for a lot of technical flaws, but the slow movements made him appreciate just how sloppy his motions were.  Frank never let a mistake go without correction, but his words were always seasoned with kindness and grace. 

Arianna, on the other hand, was draconian.  Even though she wasn’t nearly as skilled as her grandfather, she had an eye for detail and wasn’t shy about telling Kyle where he was making mistakes.  Usually, it came down to a lack of patience on Kyle’s side leading to swings being too wide or letting his arms make the motion without the hips following.  None of it got past Arianna’s sharp eyes, and she was quick to put his failures front and center. 

The most surprising of all, however, was Amalia.  While she had no interest in learning Escrima, she had an uncanny grasp for the rhythm and flow of the fighting style.  That was a skill she’d likely picked up watching her grandfather and sister train, and Kyle couldn’t do much about the pang of grief he felt towards his own grandfather.  I wonder what he’d be doing in a situation like this he mused, remembering fondly time spent together. 

There’s one thing that was certain – Clark would have helped as many people as he could with the power he had.  That solidified the decision he’d made to help this family, and as they’d talked and trained over the last two days Kyle had finished mapping out his next steps.  Ultimately, there were people in danger to the southwest of Nierburg and refugees on their way.  If there was a place he could do good, it was there.  Even better, he could leave Albaum as a home base. 

If people making it to Nierburg saw Kyle on the opposite end, any search parties sent out for him would likely start there.  It meant he needed to figure out a system for his supplies, but the shape of the idea was getting clearer and clearer.

The walk to Nierburg was relatively quiet, Kyle was at the rear with C.H.A.D.D. leading the group, scanning for signs of beetles and other signs of life.  Frank was behind C.H.A.D.D., with the girls in the middle.  Amalia wasn’t thrilled about all the walking, but she quickly discovered a solution – making Kyle carry her.  Much more satisfied with this mode of transportation, they made quick time through the woods and before the sun set over the ash-covered horizon they broke into the clearing surrounding Nierburg.  Putting Amalia on the ground, Kyle turned to Frank and Arianna. 

“This is as close as I should get.  It looks like it’s a pretty easy trip over, and I wouldn’t want to cause any trouble for you.  I’ll stay here in the trees in case something unexpected happens, but you should be safe from here.”  Frank nodded, holding out his hand and grabbing Kyle’s. 

“Thank you, for everything.  I can’t tell you what it means to me to get my girls somewhere safe, with opportunities.” 

Once again reminded of his grandfather, Kyle smiled as he shook the older man’s hand.  Arianna was looking at the city, anticipation and anxiety clear on her face.  Amalia just jumped up and hugged Kyle with all the strength her little frame could muster, and Kyle couldn’t help but laugh.  He watched them for nearly an hour, until he saw them approach the guard station at the gate without incident. 

[DR. MAYHEW, WAS THAT WISE?] 

“Wow, that’s a little heavy, don’t you think C.H.A.D.D.?”  He looked at the drone that was floating patiently near his head. 

[DUE RESPECT, DR. MAYHEW, BUT YOUR HEROISM NEARLY GOT YOU KILLED.  THE CONSEQUENCES TO YOUR HEALTH ARE STILL UNKNOWN, NO STUDIES AVAILABLE IN MY RECORDS HAVE ANY EVIDENCE OF CHANGES LIKE THE ONES HAPPENING IN YOUR BODY.  YOU ARE A HEALER.  YOU ARE A DOCTOR.  YOU ARE NOT A FIGHTER.] 

Well, damn.  Kyle was about to quip back at the drone, but he had to admit that there was something to what it had said.  Suppressing his sass, he decided to try to explain it in a way that the drone might understand. 

“It wasn’t about fighting, C.H.A.D.D.  It wasn’t a rational decision, and I recognized the risks when I went there.  It was about having the power to help and knowing it was the right thing to do.  It’s what my grandfather would have done.”  There was silence as they walked for a while, until C.H.A.D.D. finally responded. 

[AS A POINT OF FACT, YOU AREN’T YOUR GRANDFATHER EITHER.] 

The words were like a punch to the gut.  A mix of emotions stirred up within him that Kyle had a hard time sorting.  The drone was right, of course.  He couldn’t hold a candle to Clark’s legacy or power, and while he no longer felt the guilt the way he did, he accepted the fact that Clark’s power would have made a meaningful difference in an environment like this one. 

He realized his strengths and skills were in entirely different spheres than his grandfather’s were.  And trying to solve problems the way his grandfather did was likely as not to just get him killed.  At the same time, hearing those words from C.H.A.D.D. caused a blossom of anger to flare up in his chest.  He had helped people.  He had bled and sacrificed and been hurt to help people.  And yet instead of praise, or words of encouragement and thanks, the drone had the audacity to tell him his heroism was misplaced?  That he shouldn’t have done what he did? 

Trying to keep the heat out of his voice, he responded as best he could. 

“I know I’m not.  But that doesn’t mean that I’m off the hook for doing what I can when I can.  Even if that means I am in danger or I get hurt, if I don’t do something nobody else will.”  The drone floated in silence next to him, Kyle anticipating a snarky response.  None came, however, and Kyle activated HASTE, grabbing C.H.A.D.D. and making their way back to Albaum in silence.  

~~~

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