The fog grew overly thick as they marched, their sight now limited to a few tens of paces away. It was getting such that Dominic found it hard to see the front of their procession, let alone the trees around him. If he didn’t know better, he would assume himself to be in a grassless meadow with the occasional tree, not the thick pine forest they were currently in.

  His Sense, on the other hand, thrived. It read everything in about a third of a naut around him. The fine lines of eather relayed their information back to his brain. His brain took all that information and formed pictures, sounds and other such images directly into his consciousness. Marveling at the Sense took him back to his conversation with Bethany. How he might be able to help her better understand. Unfortunately, he has come up with nothing better to tell her though he’s thought of a lot of useless metaphors.

  Imagine it like seeing in a moon filled night where everything glowed. Imagine it like the hairs on your skin, only longer and these hairs fed you more information than simple touch. Imagine smelling the location of everything around you. On and on his brain thought doing his best to relay the Sense to one who was still learning.

  His face scrunched up as he felt the land slowly begin to rise to each side in the distance. If this was Cascadia that change would signify the start of a river valley. In the Eather it could mean a world of things, most of them a pain. The simplest, of course, would be a minor rise in elevation before it leveled off. The worst he’s experienced was a hill that rose to the foot of a canyon wall. The latter of which extended over three nauts to each side.

  “Terrain difficulty ahead.” Dominic, using a common Knight skill, mentally sent to Seth. Odds were Bethany already spoke to him about the change, but it was still his job. It was better to confirm someone else’s information than assume information was sent when it never was.

  “Kind?” Seth asked in return, his body still marching as if nothing had happened.

  “For now, it seems to be a river valley.” Dominic replied as he shifted his Sense a bit. He pushed out the bubble of his Sense deforming it to look more like an egg. He could shift it all the way to be a tunnel far before him. That, however, would leave them vulnerable from possible ambush.

  “Very well, I will have Bethany scout it out.” Seth replied and a moment later Bethany darted off from the group. Sensing her movement Dominic pulled his own Sense back into the standard spherical shape. She would inform them of any difficulties well before he would see them.

  “Did it hurt?” Dominic’s eyes darted in panic as he tried to find the threat. He hadn’t sensed any true beast making its way towards them. Was it perhaps an enhanced that attacked?

  “The thing on your arm, did it hurt when you got it?” The voice spoke again. A few seconds later Dominic realized that someone was speaking to him. Not about a threat, but his bodily modifications.

  “Not really hurt, per say,” Dominic replied as he looked towards the young man who was the most difficult to bind earlier. The young man was understandably intently staring at the bracer on his left forearm, the look of which is a bit disturbing if you weren’t used to the metal and flesh cohering. The older soldier to his right glanced at him then smacked the back of his head.

  “Ouch,” The young soldier said as he turned back to face the older man. “What was that for Hank?” His tone went high for a moment.

  Dominic just stared as he gathered his thoughts. Suddenly his HUD highlighted the soldier as if taking a cue from his intense shift in focus. Soon it displayed all known and gathered information of the target.

  Human male,

  age low to mid-twenties,

  Eatheral density faint red,

  name unknown,

  threat minimal,

  Eatheral….

  With a sigh, Dominic shut off that function of his HUD for the moment and stopped the stream of information.

  “It did itch beyond reason,” Dominic continued his answer from earlier drawing the two soldiers’ attention. “Probably the worst part of the whole process.”

  ubconsciously he itched at his hip which also had a similar attachment.

  “No,” A voice said from Dominic’s left. If he wasn’t aware of everyone’s movement inside his Sense, he would have twitched just like the two soldiers did. “I would say the worst part was the initial test. The wait, and pressure that you felt.”

  “Tylor,” Dominic said with a sigh. “Aren’t you supposed to be covering the flank?” His tone was one of simple resignation.

  “Like anything will get by you,” Tylor replied as he matched pace with Dominic. “I mean I didn’t even get as much as a flinch out of you just now.”

  “That’s because you weren’t trying.” Dominic said in a slight laugh. “Besides I disagree, the itching was far more irritating than the initial test.”

  “What was the initial test?” The young soldier asked as he caught back up to the group.

  The older man, Hank, sighed before he spoke. “Private, Leave the Knights alone.” His tone was not as harsh as many orders Dominic’s heard. Clearly, he was just trying to stop the young man from annoying Dominic.

  “It’s fine,” Tylor said before Dominic could even think. “It’s not like it is a secret or anything.”

  Dominic stared at Tylor for a few seconds. While, true, it wasn’t a secret, it was considered a faux pas to speak on it. Tylor continued to speak clearly ignoring the gaze of his friend.

  “You see our skills come from tiny little machines in our blood. Without them one can’t survive for an extended period in the Eather. With them you get to do cool things like this.”

  Suddenly Tylor was gone, wisps of Eather flowed from the sudden absence of matter. Dominic shifted his gaze slightly to the right, the location his Sense told him his friend had jumped to. His mind already saw what would come next, it wasn’t often Tylor got such attentive participants.

  “The nanomachines both prevent poisoning and utilize the Eather as a power source.” Tylor said. His voice caused the young soldier to once again jump. The weathered soldier Hank, however, had shot out his spear towards the noise, his reflexes clearly trained. Dominic watched as Tylor quickly shifted his weight and his arm moved up to block. The spear and forearm collided as Hank pivoted to prepare himself for battle.

  The two men stared at each other for a few seconds before Hank pulled back his spear.

  “You should be careful with that magic of yours, wouldn’t want to mistake you for a beast again.” Hank said as he turned back to the procession that was leaving the four of them behind. Dominic held back a sigh as he saw a slight smile form on Tylor’s mouth. Clearly the man had impressed his friend.

  “So how does one get these magic nanowhatevers?” The young man asked as he looked towards Hank, the man marching towards the procession. He turned his head back towards Dominic and Tylor for a second or two before he turned and jogged to march with Hank.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  Tylor looked at Dominic and smiled before he jogged up to the two men. Dominic let them go for a moment while he focused on the area around him. He needed to make sure his distraction didn’t let something through.

  “Not really magic,” Tylor responded as he neared the two men.

  “Could’ve fooled me,” Hank snapped. Dominic sensed more than saw Tylor sigh before he again began to speak.

  “Don’t listen to him,” Tylor said. “Most people call it magic, but it isn’t. We don’t take from nothing to make something, we convert the Eather into energy or matter.”

  “Yeah, I’ve seen all that” The young soldier replied with a wave of his hand. “But how do I get the nano thingies to do the magic.” His tone went a bit high once again. “What is the test I have to pass?”

  “It’s not magic,” Tylor replied while his hands moved and rubbed the side of his temples. Dominic quickly jogged up to the group, he couldn’t let his friend get stuck on the definition again. To a man like Tylor who spent his free time doing research into the Knight system calling it magic was simply waving a hand at all the work he did. Dominic understood it a bit, as he had majored in creating circuits and skill chips himself.

  “The test is the nanomachines,” Dominic answered while he cut off his friend. His eyes darted quickly as he felt Bethany enter his Sense range. “They give you a blood infusion from a high colored Knight. Then they wait and see how well the machines propagate inside your blood. If they grow faster than they decay it is a start. However, that isn’t enough to become a Knight, they have to reach an optimal level of saturation in less than a two-week span. This is most easily achieved while the subject is young.” Dominic hoped his stream of information would derail his friend’s frustration.

  “So, there is no hope for me?” The young man said his body deflating.

  “Not necessarily, while yes, odds are better while one is young or has a relative that has the nanites, that doesn’t mean that you can’t pass. The rate at thirty is still about two in fifteen applicants. However, unless you have the money, the test will require a four-year commitment of service. Speaking of, how come you all haven't already been tested.”

  ‘The draft,” Hank replied without looking at the three of them. “Most of the men here are from the draft and are already forced to do four years. To risk another four is simply courting death. Especially over something juvenile like the Knight’s magic.” The man’s words were gruff as he continued his march.

  Dominic almost lost some of the words as he noticed the group had reached the base of the river valley. From this close he could see the valley walls soon grew steep, nearly impossible to track over. Most likely they would need to choose their path before they continued, else they run into a box canyon or an impossible cliff wall. The later destinations would mean the convoy would have to turn around, costing precious hours.

  “Single file,” Captain John ordered from the front. The troops moved in a well-practiced manor. The one on the left moved while the one on the right stopped for a few seconds then fell in behind. It was clear to Dominic which path they planned to take after the order was given. They would most likely follow the game trail on the right most slope. Had they not sent Bethany earlier they would most likely have had to wait at this location while she scouted their correct path.

  “So, you’re saying there's a chance I could become a Knight?” The young soldier said as he fell in behind Hank. Though he was supposed to have been in the front it was clear the youth wanted to speak to Dominic and Tylor more. At the same time his body was once again standing tall.

  “Give it up Michael, it isn’t worth the four years you are bound to get.” Hank said matter of factly. “Just do your four years and get out of this God forsaken job. Do you know how many of us survive to their eighth year?”

  “Forty percent,” Michael said in a barely audible tone.

  “Exactly, and those that do survive the service don’t live much beyond that. Many find their body carries debilitating scars from this place.” Hank replied followed by a short sigh. “Look, I understand your new and all of this seems wondrous. Take it from me, you don’t want to go down that path. It isn’t worth it.”

  There was a long silence as they marched along with the group. Dominic watched as Michael would lift his hand and open his mouth as if to say something only to bring them both down again. It was clear he was working through information he had just received. After many moments the young man finally spoke.

  “Why didn’t they just test me when I was younger?” His tone soft, words barely audible. “Wouldn’t that be easier?”

  “Not necessarily,” Tylor responded quickly. “While Knights are in great need, Cascadia doesn’t believe in binding a child for life. I mean how would you feel if the government decided you would be a pig farmer for life when you were eight.” Tylor paused and let his words sink in. “Thus, if they tested everyone at the age of eight, where the binding rate is nearly forty percent, it would leave us with far less people for the other important jobs. Jobs like farming, schooling, doctoring and such. No, even with such a flawed system as we now employ it is far better than the one you speak of.”

  Dominic took note of how Michael’s form once again deflated. He knew there was much more to the subject than what Tylor had said, but some of that was considered state secrets. So, he left the explanation and tried to change the subject. Before he had that chance, however, Michael once again spoke.

  “That makes some sense. Still you would think that magic would be useful for things other than fighting. Couldn’t a farmer use it to increase the rate at which they planted?” Dominic was impressed at the mind this young man had. There were many in the academy that couldn’t make a jump like that.

  “Eather can’t be used well inside the shell,” Dominic spoke the approved line. “As such you would see little benefit in having Knight farmers. Look, this is much to think over. Give it a month, learn the risks. Then perhaps you can make the right choice for you.”

  “I guess that makes sense,” Michael replied. Soon after, his head faced forward, and he fell into a clearly practiced march.

  Tylor was gone moments later having jumped to scout a point of interest. Having been left to his own devices Dominic fell into focusing on his Sense. The Eather density has risen to low orange levels. This fact was probably why most of the conversations had died down. The level of risk had risen a good deal.

  As such there was little spoken of over the course of the next hour. The fog, on the other hand, began to lift, giving sight to the deep canyon to their left. The tall pine trees that rose on the ridge line above them to their right and the grass that grew all around. Though there were a few incidents that caused Dominic to double his attention, none of the beasts that came near made their way to the convoy.

  Even the latest of which were barely a threat. The two or three presences that there were, were just outside two tenths of a naut away. At the moment the Beasts were idle and have been for as long as Dominic could sense them. Having informed Seth already, his only course of action was to keep his Sense on them.

  Ahead on the trail his Sense informed him the hill finally crests and had begun to work its way back down. If Dominic had to guess they’ve traveled about six or so nauts from Cascadia by now. that would put them nearly halfway.

  “Halt!’ Seth ordered. Dominic’s mind quickly made sure the presences hadn’t moved, nor that any other Beast had snuck by his Sense.

  “Formation Beta.” The new order came, and the Soldiers moved like a well-oiled machine. Forming a small circle with a few on break inside. Dominic as well as the other Knights made their way towards Seth to see what the issue was. It could be a simple break, but it was far more likely that something had been spotted in the distance.

  As he neared the crest of the hill Dominic began to understand. The path before them quickly began to descend, but that wasn’t the issue. Maybe a half naut or so down the path was a massive cliff wall. It stretched farther than one could see in the fog from this direction. Thinking ahead Dominic shifted his sense to a long tunnel and stretched it as far as he could, roughly a naut and a half. Even with that, he could find no end to the wall.

  “Any luck?” Seth asked as Dominic stopped beside him.

  “Not unless you want to climb a cliff face.” Dominic answered as his eyes narrowed in on the massive scrapper which towered over five stories on the path before them. Though it was embedded into the rock wall, it felt vaguely familiar to massive structures that still stood in the city of Ports in Southern Cascadia. The top of the structure stood about a story over the cliff and had a massive maple like tree growing out of it.

  “Captain Prescott, you’ve been out this way last month. Does anything look familiar enough that we might have a path?” Seth asked without skipping a beat.

  “Not in the slightest sir. Even the trail here has almost completely changed.” The Captain answered.

  “I guess that leaves us with the scrapper. What do we have for beasts?” Seth asked.

  Having anticipated this question, Dominic was already sensing the inside. He went about gathering what information he could.

  “There are five, maybe six presences,” He said with a pause as he tried to identify them. “Three owlmaris, and two hellhounds. The sixth presence is too far underground for me to be able to identify. Four maybe five stories under. Very unlikely to be a lair.” Dominic knew that last bit of information was what Seth was really searching for.

  “What say you, Captain? Do you feel your group can handle this? Or would you rather go around.”

  “I will of course defer to the Seniors’s judgment, to your judgment, in this and make only one statement. We still have roughly ten nauts to walk this day, and perhaps half of the next. This mission is only for four days.” John replied.

  “Noted.” Seth said as he looked towards the scrapper. “Senior Bethany, do you feel comfortable going with Senior Tylor to scout that scrapper? We must make sure it is definitely not a lair before we proceed.”

  “I will ask Senior Tylor, but as of right now I don’t see any problem with us scouting the scrapper before us.” Bethany replied.

  “Do it, the rest of us will take a bit of a rest.” Seth said as he dismissed the would-be counsel.