Void's Psionics (17 page)

An alien sensation gently made Oliver go
blind, deaf and lose all sensation, but the hand pulling him out of
his own body was soothing.

All at once he could see and
feel again, but found himself looking through Callier’s eyes as he
looked back at himself with closed eyes and completely still. The
softness of her voice seemed to come from everywhere and she sensed
his distress.
“Fear not. Your body is held
as it was when I took you. See the flow of energy through my body
and eyes.”
She looked down and through her
glowing eyes there was normally invisible currents flowing
gradually and consistently down to her feet.

He spoke, but came out as
thought.
“I feel you sending a little you
Gather as if it were blood flowing through your body… through your
feet and make it feel like you stand on a semi-hard
surface.”

“
Correct. Now to go
backwards.”
Movement varied from standing
position.

“
Gentle pressure pushes all
over evenly on your body… like water.”

“
You are very astute. That
is precisely how I imagine it. Think you are always around liquid
and have it under your complete control. Think buoyant to rise and
weighted to sink. Feel through me for a short time and I will
return you to your body.”

She spent minutes flowing around the room,
twisting and turning her body like a swimmer in complete control.
It was disconcerting how she moved around his completely unmoving
body. And as promised she returned him back to his body after the
example. It felt immediately better after the second loss of
sensation.

The moment he was back and whole again his
concentration slipped, but remembered Callier’s lesson and stopped
mere millimeters from a painful landing. Without his hands to act
as guides he moved them differently as he would have during the
lift to levitate. “Wow… so simple and effective. It does free my
hands up as you said.” He floated upright with an easy smile,
enjoying the sensation.

“
You learn quickly. As
expected of your talents. Impressive, but now do not touch the
ground, not even to sleep. Just as you’ve trained to Gather at all
times to block weaker minds from invading. As you’ve witnessed, it
isn’t enough to block me. When you can do that while levitating, we
will proceed the lessons.”

“
Kind of like Renee teaching
me to Gather in my sleep. Have to say it took awhile… wait,
how
can you read my mind
when I’m gathering?”

Netul answered as Callier
took her place at his side by the fire.
“Greater control of our skills and greater individual power.
When she teaches telepathy you can choose whom to let in and what
they can Read. As she said a moment prior. I will teach projection
as that is where my own natural talent lays. Callier is a grand
master of the mind.”

“
You two are a definite
match in more than biology. You have opposing skills the other
lacks.”

“
Such is the way for true
matching pairs. What we lack, our Match completes. You have
telekinesis whereas Renee is exceptionally telepathic like the
Drake Sparky.”
Callier told him.
“Cease speaking. Move around till it is as easy as
it is to breathe.”

“
Alright.” Going slow, he
relaxed his muscles and began tumbling around the cave, constantly
watched by the two. It was a lot like being buoyant and let the
water do all the work.

Having power of a lower Class Twelve after
another scan from harvesting and assimilating the second Thunder
Lizard earlier meant to do simple levitation meant he could hold
himself indefinitely. He was left alone with his thoughts to rest
up for the incoming battle after all he had learned from the
unexpected visitors. After an hour though he watched as Callier
stripped out of her armor and wore a sleeveless shirt and pants to
lay down between Netul’s legs and rest her back against his chest
to patiently watch.

Eight hours later there was a supersonic
screech closer than ever than the week of being here. Oliver
flipped upright to say. “Looks like my little friend has come for
the party. Might as well invite him for supper.”

“
Remember, fight only in the
air. Only if you are hit by the sonic scream and are slain are you
allowed to touch the ground. If you do touch, your consequences
will be that I bind your dominant arm for the next Beast that
comes. If you touch ground again will both arms be bound.
Understood?”

“
Yes, Netul. Don’t go easy
on me. Rather than bind, just cut my arm right off. It’ll be more
motivation.”

“
Then I shall. Best of luck,
My Friend.”

Oliver found his sword, dagger and shield
next to the much larger Creelin golden ones. Without touching the
ground he reached out and sheathed the dagger to the left leg and
held the main weapons before flying outside. A look back showed two
pairs of glowing bluish eyes watching to make sure.

Remembering the last Fire Wyrm encounter
wasn’t pleasant. He still remembered the chunk of Inferno wood
splinter in his body after its scream turned the tree into
shrapnel. The sap burned badly to put it mildly.

Flying above treetops meant no cover and it
also proved beneficial as it gave ample warning as the Fire Wyrm
also flew out of the forest far from the Thunder Beast’s
destruction. The finned serpent opened its glowing mouth and Oliver
tucked in his arms and spun while suddenly jerking his body out of
the way as a ripple in the air fired through where he had been. The
supersonic scream was concentrated enough to blow him apart had it
hit. As it kept flying for its next meal, breathing in for another
attack, Oliver, with the aid of the chip, flew fast and dodged
again.

When in range for a slicing wave the Fire
Wyrm also spewed liquid flame. Oliver made the swipe that cut
through the liquid and Beast as it had no time to maneuver away,
but Oliver managed only a droplet of natural napalm, dodging the
rest high above the canopy. A thought removed the volatile liquid
along with the full grown Fire Wyrm, at least the part that didn’t
get separated with the prize. A quick few slices and using the
shield as a bowl held the grey matter. Dropping the rest, he made
way back to the cave.

“
Excellent application of
combat levitation.”
Callier welcomed him
back as he finished the last remnants and washed the shield before
hooking it on his back.

Chapter 5

Eight days were spent nearly completely in
darkness because of the unstable planetary rotation and in them
Oliver struggled. He mastered flight and was allowed to walk
around, but sleeping proved a difficult and painful experience till
at last levitating in sleep went uninterrupted. For a full week and
much resting proved that when the mind relaxes it doesn’t like to
work more than it had to. Training it was no simple feat. The first
five sleeping arrangements resulted in crashing to the ground and
crying out in pain, especially after landing incorrectly and
dislocating his right shoulder. Netul popped it back in place and
didn’t scold. They never did. They gave constructive ideas because
they had once trained in a similar way in their earliest
memories.

During the time he could not enter sleep
training it was filled with Beast combat or good companionship.
Callier and Netul were very pleasant to speak with and had a calm
about them that spoke of great age and wisdom, but a strength of
will that could not be broken should their ire be raised. Oliver
learned more about Creelin society that he didn’t know from
research all their children and descendants they always spoke
fondly of. It was clear they were in every bit in love as they had
been for over forty eons. Forty million years. They loved telling
stories of their children and the countless glorious battles they
had fought in. Oliver didn’t ask to skip to learn more about his
training because of a promise, but also he felt it would be frowned
upon, though Creelin couldn’t frown. Body language and ever
shifting eye color visibly showed their mood and it was enough to
trust and not push.

More than a hundred A and S-Rank Beasts came
by and each one fell to become one with him. Becoming stronger
inside him, to never be forgotten in a way.

Because of them, more had changed. His
pointed ears that peeked through thick brown hair had grown a
little more and stiffened. The cartilage remained soft, but would
spring right back. Hearing sensitivity had skyrocketed right up on
par with his sense of smell. The tiniest sounds were his to sift
and it had saved him on multiple occasions that would have proven
fatal. An example being two S-Ranked Sand Sharks able to pass
through most solid matter as if water attacked from either side.
Only advanced hearing caught subterranean movement before mouths
able to swallow him whole appeared, but got away to finish the off
first.

The most visible changes were of his Class
and of the armor. Now a Class Twelve that the medical pen scanner
that went above its parameters to read so it meant he had already
surpassed even the rarest of human potential. The armor was no
longer smooth around the edges. Everything about the armor was
solidified and sharp, especially the spikes around the shoulder.
Spiked pauldrons. Individual parts looked interconnected to allow
freedom of movement like plates. The plates never left a weak spot,
but when it no longer was showing it wash sharpening and becoming
more defined Oliver began to see the armor was growing more dense.
It made him think of a crab’s shell. Once it is defined, the shell
hardens into something dense. The armor did the same except for
shedding its exoskeleton in order to grow.

Netul had explained once the armor solidifies
it will reflect the strength of its host and be more durable as an
outward sign on what laid beneath the surface.

Then it at last happened as Oliver opened his
eyes to find it was Callier awake staring at the fire. Netul had
done something with his Beyleez shield as it became a cot to sleep
on. Still in the air he asked quietly “Did I finally do it?”

Her eyes and body language
was clearly pleased.
“Yes, your trial has
passed. You slept deeply without touching the ground. Your slumber
has went through all four cycles of sleep and the levitation did
not waver more than what it should.”

“
Great.” He chuckled and
turned in the air to sit by the fire with her. “Did you enjoy the
bath?” He asked, noticing how clean she was.

“
It was a wonderful
experience. I had forgotten how wonderful primitive bathing can be.
It is slow, but relaxing.”

“
Any changes with the
Cerberus?”

“
None, it is still six days
away. But another has reached this continent’s shore and will be
six hours behind. You must not be wounded if you manage to defeat
the first. In four hours a flock of ninety Salamanders will reach
us.”

Netul shed sleep about then
to blink and sit up. A quick exchange with his Match had him up to
speed on the situation.
“A rather
formidable opponent indeed. Now that you have slept under
levitation, are you prepared to learn from me?”

“
Like you need bother
asking. You are in my head all the time so we both know I’m anxious
to learn.”

“
Quite so. As a benefit you
show great restraint in not losing patience over time sensitivity.
Come sit with me.”
Netul patted the cot,
turning to cross his legs in comfortable meditation. Oliver eagerly
sat down, surprised the shield’s cot was so comfortable and could
hold his weight atop of Netul’s.
“Projection is what I do best, but for most it is not so
simple without practice. I will teach you defense first and offense
later. As what my Match did to show you how it is the mind that
truly controls Telekinesis, so shall I do. Let me do so. If you
resist it will cause mental damage.”

“
I trust you.” Oliver then
closed his eyes and eased the mental block.

The loss of sensation
returned when brought within Netul’s mind. Again he could see
psionic energy.
“Defense is the code all
warriors adhere to. We are not killers though to protect we often
must kill before innocents are slain. Before we begin, you must fix
an image of the barrier within your mind. Make a flat wall to stop
incoming threats. Angle it back to reduce the impact and divert the
energy being resisted up and away or aside. Make two walls angled
together to made a wedge to cut. Make a sphere to completely encase
from all sides. But be warned, a barrier can only resist with the
power you place on it. Taking the brunt will crumble if you use the
same amount to angle it away.”

“
Like an unstoppable force
meeting an unmovable object will create total devastation, but if
you can divert the unstoppable just a little you can let it keep
going on its way till it runs out of steam.”
Oliver spoke in thoughts.

“
A very understandable
metaphor and highly accurate.”
Netul raised
his four digit right hand.
“Gathering to a
point is mandatory for projection as it adds an anchor for the mind
so a stray thought does not corrupt intent. The palm is the most
ideal though some can focus to their feet or other part of their
body.”
Oliver couldn’t help noticing the
two thick toes on Netul’s feet.
“The
struggle you have is barriers require even distribution over the
area you designate or the result will cause a collapse and struggle
to maintain, requiring more energy than necessary.”
Through the eyes of a Creelin, Oliver watched and
felt how Gathering went smoothly down the arm and warmed the hand
rather than the vibration and not entirely pleasant sensation he
was used to. Rising out of the palm was a controlled bubble
reminiscent of a net. It began expanding into a simple square to
continue growing and expanding evenly.