The first reaction upon waking was to feel his left side ribs in search of any wound. When he found none, he checked the other side. Nothing there either. Stephen blinked as his eyes adjusted to the new environment, the interior of a house taking shape.
Simple, wooden. The walls were bare planks darkened by age, gaps between them letting thin slivers of grey light seep through. A single window on the far wall was covered by a faded curtain, its floral pattern barely visible under layers of dust. Stephen noticed he was lying on the couch, a worn thing with sunken cushions and armrests that had lost most of their padding. A small hum came from a hallway that seemed to lead to the kitchen. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. No pain. His muscles didn't respond well to movement, felt locked, but other than that... He felt whole.
"Milla."
The panel glowed. Ah. You're awake.
"Did you miss me?" He asked, standing.
I don't have feelings.
There was no way to argue with that. The floorboards creaked under his feet as he crossed the hallway and reached the kitchen. The girl was there, near a stove, stirring a pot that bubbled. Her reddish-brown hair covered half of her white blouse. Jeans accompanied it. Her Synthetic Conductor was navy blue.
The kitchen was cramped, everything squeezed together, furniture fighting for space. A small counter ran along one wall, cluttered with cans and boxes. The sink beneath a foggy window was stained with rust around the drain. A single overhead bulb cast yellowish light that made the peeling wallpaper look sickly. The stove she worked on was ancient, one of the burner grates missing entirely.
"You complained about not getting the kill," was the first thing she said. Sharp voice, but soft. It seemed more like disbelief than judgment. The girl was still focused on the pot.
Stephen blinked, processing the information. "I said that out loud?"
"Loud enough for me to hear."
"Sorry. I was... I like numbers." And that was it. His truth.
"It's bizarre that you thought about that while about to pass out."
Once again, he couldn't argue.
"Need help?"
"Actually, yes." She pointed to the sink with some loose ingredients. "Peel the potato and cut it into small slices."
Stephen followed orders. He rummaged through some drawers for a cutting board and knife, then started working.
"I imagine you're dying to ask questions," she said, inviting him to speak.
"I'm almost losing it," he dramatized.
"Ask."
"Did you become a Resonant after the... whatever happened? How long have you been awake? How did you kill the Amalgam? Have you seen anyone else alive? What's your name? I'm Stephen. Whe—"
"Okay, okay, enough." She interrupted, but seemed to be holding back a laugh. "Ashe, my name. Yes, I became a Resonant during the explosion, just like you. I've been awake for seventeen days. Yes, I've seen one person. An old man. He died. The Amalgam was destabilized when you used that salt barrier. Because it had many metallic affinities, the contact with salt made it unstable. Already unstable, my PoisonCane covered in Mercury worked like a poison."
Ashe took a deep breath. "Anything else?"
"When dinner is ready."
A few minutes later, they sat in the living room to eat. The floor seemed more inviting than the couch because it had a small table to rest the plate on. The table was low, scratched, with water rings marking its surface like tree rings. The living room stretched around them, sparse and functional. Stephen looked at his plate. Chicken, potato, some rice. His right hand held the fork, motionless.
"If we're going to survive, you need to eat. I don't want another death on my conscience."
Analysis: Ashe is correct. Although the salt treatment applied restored your body and vital points, you are still a liability. You need to eat. Milla said.
Comment: Milla is correct. The voice came from the panel on Ashe's forearm. A bit noisier than Milla.
Stephen raised his eyebrows.
"How long did I sleep?"
Two days. Milla answered.
His fingers whitened as he gripped the fork, as if the poor utensil were to blame for something. Two more days lost. Two days in which his family could be in danger, or looking for him.
"Ashe... Have you tried to leave?" He realized he didn't know how to formulate the question. "The district, I mean. I don't know how far this goes." He finally started eating.
Ashe briefly raised her gaze as if trying to analyze him.
"Harvis talked to your... AI. They agree that the Dragon's Tail is the most likely theory. Especially because I told them about the salt and silver towers I saw."
Stephen frowned and looked at Milla. It took three seconds to realize that was stupid. "Salt and silver towers?"
They are towers that emit alchemical pulses and crystallize the components of the Dragon's Tail. These towers exist in the database and are called The Saline Membranes. Heptabounds can conjure them quickly and contain disasters like what happened. Milla explained.
"But there's a problem," Ashe added after finishing chewing a potato. "We're... infected, I think, with the Dragon's Tail. So the towers prevent us from crossing. I spent about ten days looking for a gap, where the pulses are weaker. Well, I found one."
Stephen knew a but was coming.
"However, to reach the Silver City from the point where we can exit, we need to pass through The Crucible."
The Crucible. A zone classified as rank A. To explore it, Resonants needed licenses and contracts. Teams always had a rank S Resonant. While they... were beginners.
"We barely handled the Amalgam," Stephen murmured.
That is because you made a scientifically stupid decision, Milla argued. Indeed, she had warned him the ability wouldn't work.
"I have a theory," Ashe spoke again. "After three days awake, I realized I had an affinity with Silver, besides the Mercury I discovered early. Two days ago... I discovered an affinity with Antimony. I think we're in constant transmutation under the Dragon's Tail. That's why you discovered salt at that moment."
"And that's why they keep the towers active," Stephen murmured. "If the transmutation is constant, after awakening all seven affinities, the next step is probably becoming a monster."
Stephen couldn't help thinking whether his parents and sister had gone through this, and if so, had they escaped before the final transmutation?
"That's why I haven't left yet," Ashe concluded. "I'm training here, because usually the monsters in this district are weaker—damn Amalgam—while I wait to awaken more affinities so I can cross The Crucible. Then I found you, a lunatic who thought it was a good idea to face the Amalgam head-on."
He blinked.
"You're not wrong, but... we made it. It's a good first step toward facing The Crucible."
Analysis: current survival chance for both Resonants in The Crucible: 16%. Milla said.
Confirmation: I confirm Milla's calculation. Harvis added.
Stephen noticed a brief smile shadow the girl's face.
"Suggestion: search for survivors while we train to add an extra member to the mission." Ashe emulated the AI's voice. "But seriously. A third member would be essential. If everything goes well, we'll leave here both as Heptabounds, but we don't have the necessary training, so the mere existence of affinities won't save our asses out there."
He nodded but didn't give an immediate response. The plan made sense. The escape route too. Upon arriving at Silver City as Heptabounds, they would get contracts equivalent to living like royalty.
But something didn't fit.
"While we train, I need to look for my family," he confessed. "I stopped by home and there was no one there. Based on the time of the explosion, I'm almost certain my dad and sister were home. If they weren't, they left together. Maybe to get my mom."
Ashe nodded. "I'm also looking for my brother, but..." she hesitated, as if speaking aloud caused pain. "We need to deal with the possibility of never seeing them again. I've already walked through almost every corner of this city and seen few unconscious people. I tried to wake them, but couldn't. It doesn't depend on external stimulus. Just... It's very likely they've already escaped, or turned into monsters."
Stephen blinked and felt his throat close. Blinked again. Once more. The tears retreated before running down his face. He stabbed the fork into a piece of chicken and went back to eating. He tried to say something else, change the subject, dispel the uncomfortable tension that had taken hold of the air, but his body didn't obey.
He gave up and focused on eating.
The next day, they decided to go out and train. Ashe opened a gray case. The interior was composed of padding with slots for ten ampoules, vials, and other containers.
"I'm still training my magnetism," she confessed, removing a lined metal box and extending it toward him. "I often miss and waste due to lack of coordination. But anyway, this is Sulfur."
Magnetism. The ability that made Stephen dream of being a Hydrarch. A function required in all exploration teams and with a high salary. If your only affinity is Mercury, you'll be protected by the team, won't need to be involved in combat. A lot of money to... extract the residue left by monsters when they die.
But Ashe was something more. Triplebound—for now.
"Thank you," he replied, soft. "Do you think there might be other weak points in the barrier? I mean, that others might have found and used to escape."
"Well," Ashe paused. "It's not impossible. Harvis?"
Hypothesis: Resonants who escaped may have led the RCD to reinforce the areas they passed through. Not ruled out. Harvis answered.
"We need to believe," she said, but something hung in the air. Something that didn't need to be spoken. It's the only option we have.
Stephen and Ashe went out to hunt.