“Come, please, this way.” Mul’Jin said and Robin had a hard time turning his gaze away from the amazing scene as he followed her.

  “This place is a miracle…” he muttered absentmindedly as they returned into the tunnel system surrounding the cavern.

  “It is, right?” the old woman chuckled, “Let me lead you down into the forest, we’ve prepared a small feast to celebrate your visit.”

  Robin, Ang’Tue and Niu followed the Eltaran through the tunnels for a long while before they exited another set of doors and found themselves in a wide grain field, the big trees and mushrooms towering in the distance behind it.

  The animals they had seen before were close now, lazily grazing on a patch of grassland, and the sound of babbling water from the brook could be heard.

  ‘Damn, in moments like these I really wish I had my color vision back. This must be even more impressive if it wasn’t all in gray…’ Robin thought and shifted his focus to a collection of tables and chairs, set with a variety of food and drinks. A few Eltaran were already there and waiting for them. Among them was a little girl, maybe ten or eleven years old, who rushed forward as soon as she spotted the new arrivals.

  “Grandpa!” she yelled in excitement.

  Ang’Tue quickly passed the others and caught the girl in a big hug, twirling her around as she giggled.

  “Gaya’Beo!” he laughed when he sat her back down, “You’ve grown so much, wow!”

  “Yeah, I’m eleven already. Not much longer and I’ll be a grownup!” The girl nodded enthusiastically, which made her two pigtails wildly flail around, “And then I can follow you and explore other systems and travel to big cities!”

  “You still wanna become a Seeker? That’s good.” Ang’Tue smiled, “Then you have to listen well to your teachers and learn as much about the world as possible. It’s important to be prepared, right?”

  “Yup!” The girl agreed with a serious expression.

  Before she could continue, a woman stepped forth and put a hand on Gaya’Beo’s shoulder.

  “Father-in-law, I greet you.” She said and bowed deep, “Thank you for everything you’ve done for us. Because of you, Gaya’Beo… all the children, they have a future.”

  “Hen’Beo, child, please drop the formalities.” Ang’Tue said and stepped forth to hug her.

  After they exchanged a few more hushed words, Ang’Tue turned to the others who were waiting in a polite distance together with the councilwoman.

  “These are Robin Tulward and Niu Alaris, they are part of the group that not only saved my skin on more than one occasion but also helped me recover the lost data and even let me join their crew.” He said and then pointed at the mother and her child, “This is Hen’Beo, my dear daughter-in-law, and this little whirlwind is my granddaughter Gaya’Beo.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Robin said and shook Hen’Beo’s hand while Happy ruffled the girl’s braided hair.

  “Aren’t you a cutie?” she chuckled, “I’ve heard so much about and shall I tell you a secret? You even saved your grandpa’s life once!”

  “I did?” The girl tilted her head in confusion, “But I was here all the time…”

  “Yes, but talking about you made him wake up from a really bad and dangerous dream. Only when he heard your name did he manage to find his way back!”

  “Really?”

  While Gaya’Beo’s three eyes went wide in wonder when she heard that, Robin noticed that Mul’Jin and Hen’Beo both took on serious expressions.

  ‘Maybe Happy was a bit quick to touch on such heavy topics.’

  It followed another round of introductions with a few Eltarans of the city’s management when they sat down and began the feast. Mul’Jin soon raised her cup.

  “To our new friends!”

  “To friendship!” Robin followed up.

  After tasting a few of the dishes, he started a conversation with the councilwoman.

  “Thank you for this warm welcome. It’s much appreciated!”

  “Of course, you are not only friends to the Eltaran but our saviours. Your support during the attack on our waystation saved many lives and helping the Elder to get the data from the Mystic Sea had an even bigger impact.”

  “Speaking of it,” Robin said, “How is the waystation?”

  “Well, its location was compromised so we have to relocate it. That will take some time but it’s not too bad. We will celebrate our victory and mourn the fallen after the new waystation is established and things have calmed down.”

  “I’m glad we could help, really.”

  “You’ve risked your life for us, the Eltaran will not forget that.” Mul’Jin said and then continued in a lighter tone, “This wasn’t how you expected your visit to go, right?”

  “No, not at all.” Robin laughed.

  “If I may ask,” she said, “why did you want to come here in the first place? I was only informed about your request by the council when they asked us to agree. We rarely receive guests.”

  “Look around!” Robin grinned, “Isn’t this place worth traveling, no matter the distance?”

  “Oh, of course. But you didn’t know that an hour ago, didn’t you?”

  “Right.” He nodded and tasted some kind of thick green leaf, “You know, I left Rucasur with the childish dream of exploring the universe. Visit exciting places and meet new people. I found an amazing crew, friends who stick with me through thick and thin.”

  He picked up another leaf and munched down on it before he continued, “Things… not always went as planned and after Ang’Tue officially joined our little crew we spoke about coming here. He wanted to visit his family and I hoped to finally have an amazing trip without all the… action that seemed to follow us everywhere.”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “I understand.” Mul’Jin said and bowed her head a bit, “That didn’t work out too well, did it?”

  “No,” Robin shook his head, “no it didn’t.”

  “Sorry if I’m overstepping, but please humor this old woman for a moment. I stand by my word, you are an honored guest and a welcomed friend no matter your answer, but I’m responsible for my people and for this city.” She said and put down her cutlery to fully concentrate on him, “I’ve heard you made quite the mess out of the defense camp. We Eltaran know a bit about genes and G-Anomalies. An ability like that is not something regularly found, if at all. Effects like that come at a cost and more often than not have severe downsides. I don’t wanna pry your secrets, but please answer honestly: Is your mutation a danger to this city?”

  From her tone alone Robin realized that this was more than a simple question and when he saw her eyes glowing with a dim light, he was sure lying wasn’t an option.

  ‘A lie-detection skill? The Eltaran really have the most amazing abilities!’ he thought, not at all offended by her actions, ‘If she had asked if ‘I’ were a danger, this would be a tricky question to answer, considering all the shit we’re dragging along with the Second. But that is not a topic for tonight. Since she just wants to know about my mutation…’

  “No, not if we leave in a week or two.” He said and explained a bit more when he saw that her eyes still glowed, “I have no idea where this skill comes from. I’m not even sure if it’s an aspect of my mutation. I cannot really control it but I had another outburst once before already. Both times I noticed the power building up within me, threatening to erupt, over days to come. If I had to guess, I think I’ll have at least two or three months before I enter a critical stage again.”

  Mul’Jin observed him for a moment longer before her eyes turned normal again.

  “What a peculiar skill you have.” She said, “Thank you for your honesty.”

  “You’re welcome.” Robin shrugged, “And to be honest, I would have told you anyway. Being here at a main colony of the Eltaran, the experts for G-Anomalies, is a chance I can hardly let pass. If your people could take a look at my genes and see if there is anything wrong with me, I would be really grateful. It’s not great to run around with a ticking bomb. I don’t even wanna imagine what could happen, if I had an outburst while on a ship…”

  “Very well,” Mul’Jin agreed, “you’ve helped the Eltaran more than once and if we can help with our knowledge, we’re more than willing!”

  “Thank you very much!”

  “That goes without saying. I’ve heard a bit from Elder Ang’Tue and his… troubles. He has requested a thorough check-up as well. You can simply accompany him when he visits the research facility tomorrow.”

  The feast continued for a good while and Robin talked with the different Eltaran about Farlight and how they manage to survive out here. Turns out they had good trading agreements with Data Falls through a number of hidden shell companies that protected their identity. Aside from that, they produced most of the food they needed for the few thousand citizens themselves.

  Two hours into their little party Alena joined them. Apparently Krez had finally fallen asleep after getting his medical treatment and should be back on his feet tomorrow.

  That night they celebrated and finally got a chance to wash away all the pent-up stress.

  ***

  Early the next morning, Ang’Tue woke Robin and took him to another part of the city. There, the earthen walls were replaced by sterile, bright metal panels and all the Eltarans he saw wore white coats, checking different tubes and monitoring complex machines.

  Another difference Robin noticed was the sharp increase of power usage in this area. His passive sense informed him about the many high voltage lines under the floor and in the walls.

  “Elder Ang’Tue, it’s a pleasure to meet you!” A young Eltaran greeted them as they entered another room, “And you must be Mr. Tulward, it’s an honor to have you here! I’m Kel’Bak and in charge of this facility.”

  Robin stepped forth and shook the man’s hand while he inspected him. Like all Eltaran, he didn’t look much different from any human. He was in his 30s and had a scrawny build with a head full of disheveled brown hair. What really stood out were his glasses. He was the first Eltaran Robin met who wore a pair and seeing the strange construction with three lenses felt more alien to him than anything else he had seen before.

  Suppressing a chuckle, he shook his head and concentrated on the conversation.

  “Thanks for giving me a check-up, I hope you’ll be able to clear some of the mist surrounding my G-Anomaly.”

  “I’ll do my very best, Mr. Tulward.” Kel’Bak said, “Councilwoman Mul’Jin already informed me that I am to provide as much support as possible, including not only analysing your mutation but even repairing and upgrading it if possible. Uhm, if that is what you want, of course!”

  “Thanks, much appreciated. Let’s first see what your machines can get out of my genes, then we can talk about eventual modifications, okay?”

  “Naturally!” The researcher nodded seriously and led them deeper into the lab, “We have two examination stations here, so please take off your clothes and lie down on a stretcher.”

  Robin inspected the table while he slowly stripped down to his underwear. He recognized the station with the many holes in the stretcher, it was similar to the one they found in the Mystic Sea on Seavis.

  As he climbed on the table, he saw that Ang’Tue was already lying down on the other one with his eyes closed.

  “This will take only a moment and you may feel a few small pricks.” Kel’Bak said when he activated the machine.

  “Oh, I’m well aware.” Robin chuckled, “Just make sure there isn’t as much blood as last time. Damn, that was awkward, right Ang’Tue?”

  “Blood?” The young Eltaran asked in confusion.

  Robin had to suppress laughing out loud when he thought back to the bloody mess the old man had made of them when he upgraded Robin’s and Patience’s G-Anomalies in the old facility they had found.

  “I still feel phantom pain every now and then when I remember the beating I got from that savage after she woke up…” Ang’Tue whimpered.

  Robin noticed a few power fluctuations in the machine and a few moments later Kel’Bak started mumbling to himself.

  “Ah, right, right. Doesn’t seem good. Ah… uhm… yeah, those are bad signs…”

  “Care to share instead of just making me nervous?” Robin asked, his heartbeat quickening.

  “Oh, no, I’m talking about the Elder.” The researcher said, “You’ve overused your mutations ways too often. There are strong signs of deterioration. Edler… you should hear the voice of the demon already, right?”

  “Hear?” Ang’Tue scoffed sadly, “I had to make a damn deal with him or I would have never been able to come this far. It would have consumed me long before…”

  “You made a deal? That is amazing!” Kel’Bak exclaimed in excitement but quickly caught himself, “I mean, that is terrific! Lucky that you manage to come to an agreement. Most aren’t able to take that step.”

  “It was a necessity.” Ang’Tue sighed, “It’s working out now. I just wanna know if my state is deteriorating even further despite finding a balance.”

  “That is not an easily answered question, Elder.” The man said, “But I strongly suggest you take the advanced gene treatment. Mul’Jin has already reserved the spot for you. It will help you suppress the voice in your head and seal away part of the mutation again.”

  “I…” Ang’Tue hesitated, “I’ll think about it.”

  Robin, noticing that his friend wasn’t in a mood to discuss this any further, quickly chimed in.

  “Take your time, old man. You’re safe here and there is no reason for you to make hasty decisions.” He said, “Kel’Bak, what about me? Found anything interesting?”

  “Huh, to be honest? Yes and no? On the one hand your mutation looks like a polished and optimized piece of art. I can see artificial upgrades and repairs and even found traces of Eltaran Heart-Blood which was used to further strengthen it - not to mention the utterly stupid powerlevel your G-Anomaly has reached. I cannot even classify it, but if I had to, it would be at least Class A or above!” The young researcher said, his voice a mix of awe and confusion, “On the other hand I see nothing that explains your ability to interact with ?ther or hints at that strange ability you used to wreck our camp. It’s as if this is an innate ability of yours, but…”

  “...but humans do not have innate abilities.” Robin completed his sentence, having had this discussion before.

  “Yeah, and a human you are.”

  Robin tilted his head to look at the man, “So, what does all that even mean? Scientifically speaking…”

  “Scientifically speaking?” Kel’Bak made a hollow laugh, “Considering your G-Anomaly, you are a perfectly normal human. A freak, no question, but a perfectly normal freak.”