EG Monster Island Chapter 11

*** AUTHORS NOTE ***

Eventually this will be chapters 11 and 12. I'm going to add more detail to the tower climb and the visions to make them a full chapter each, and then the rest (there's a note in the chapter already) will be 12. But not yet. I only barely got this done. I just got my second COVID-19 vaccine shot and it laid me out pretty good all day. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

And let me know if you want signed paperback copies of any of my books (except Craesti, still working on making that one). $15 each, or $14 if you buy more than one. Enjoy!

*** AUTHORS NOTE ***

I woke up, my throat scratchy and dry. Something was attached to my face, and bright lights shined through my eyes. I slowly became aware of the beeping of electronic monitors. I tried to shake my head, and felt a tugging on my nose and cheek. “Whah?” I said, lifting my arms and scrambling at the oxygen line stuck to my nose. My mind was full of marshmallows, though they were slowly dissolving into fog and clarity in equal measure.

As I started moving, I dimly heard a loud beeping begin, that was farther away. I was unable to open my eyes. I scrubbed at them and rubbed off the crusted sleep that was holding my eyes shut to find myself in a sparsely decorated hospital room. The pinching on my arm turned out to be an IV that was dripping something into me.

A few swallows cleared my dry throat just as a middle-aged woman in scrubs walked in. She saw my eyes open, then smiled at me. “I am so very glad to see you awake Caleb. Can you excuse me for a minute to find the doctor?”

“Ah, uh,” I tried to say sure, but my throat wasn’t listening, so I nodded. What happened? Where am I? I thought, still confused. I looked around the room, not seeing anything off about it.

A minute later, the nurse and another woman, this time wearing a white coat over her scrubs, walked in. “Good afternoon, Aiden,” the doctor said, her voice rich and reassuring. “I am Doctor Samantha Stevenson, the neurologist in charge of your care. You were severely injured when the truck ran over you, but you were able to get treatment quickly enough to stabilize you. Unfortunately, you have been in a coma for the last six months.”

“Six months?” I asked carefully, looking around. My mind had started to clear, but all I felt was confusion at her pronouncement. My arms were well toned, which part of my head was sending warning signs about, but nothing was percolating to the front of my head. “Uh, where am I?”

“University of Colorado Memorial Central,” she said. “You were flown here from Keystone directly via Flight for Life.” She proceeded to check my vital signs, and gave me a clean bill of health. “You’ve mostly healed from your injuries, just got to set up physical therapy and counseling, along with meeting social services to get you situated.”

“Thank you,” I said, alarm bells ringing in my head. “Uh, can I get the remote for the TV?”

“Sure thing,” she said, handing me the remote that was connected to the bed. “We’ll leave you in peace for a minute to process.”

I looked around, trying to remember what I had been doing. Was it a dream? A hallucination? No. It was too real. Too internally consistent. And it doesn’t make sense that Flight for Life would take me here and not Denver. Nor would the military not transfer me to Fort Carson. Nor why I am still strong. Six months laying in bed would leave me a scarecrow. This has to be another vision. I thought that, closing my eyes hard, then opening them to find myself in the same room.

“Well, that didn’t work. This is not real,” I said quietly. “It’s not. I really died, I really transmigrated, and this is a test of my determination. I don’t know what others would see, but this is NOT REAL!” I shouted the last, throwing every bit of my willpower against what my senses were telling me.

The world seemed to spin, the doctor and nurse running in as monitors started beeping like crazy. Jasmine came running into the room, yelling at the doctors and crying. My heart tried to burst. It’s just trying to distract me! Light, why! I thought, screaming that this was just an illusion.

Finally, with the sound of ripping paper, the room seemed to tear in half, revealing the last ten steps of the Tower. My exhaustion hit me like a bag of bricks, and I sagged, tears running down my cheeks. “It was just an illusion, it was just an illusion. Make it worth it,” I gasped, picking my foot up and stepping forward. Up and forward, moment by moment, I just progressed.

The last few steps came in a haze, and then I tried to step up but there was no up, so I fell face first onto the top of the Tower. I didn’t land, caught by strong, clawed, furry hands. “Congratulations, Craesti, you have reached the top. Rest for a while,” the announcer purred, and then I passed out. (This seems like a great spot to actually end a chapter. That means I’ll need to beef up the previous scene and probably the tower climb too, to make this a true chapter ending).

I don’t know how long I was out, but I woke up laying on some of the softest cushions I’d ever been on. I was still being squished to the ground, but only as strong as the fiftieth step or so. The energy flowing into my body, tempering me I think, was flowing four times as fast though, so I was getting much more benefit with less work. I slowly sat up, noticing a small table set next to the cushions. Eleven other contestants sat or lay spread out on similar layouts, a single table and cushions, but they were far enough away that attempting to talk would require yelling. On the table was a glass of water, six pill jars, and a loaf of bread. My throat was dry, so I quickly took a sip of water. As soon as I set the glass down again, a glow formed around it and refilled the little I’d drunk.

“Finally awake?” Librarian Narwan grunted from behind me.

I whirled to face him, suddenly dizzy. I started to fall forward, and would have left the cushions if he didn’t push me gently back onto them.

“Careful. The only reason you’re up at all is the cushions. They shield you from the majority of the pressure,” he said. “Drink some more water and take the blue pill. It is a healing and energy restorative. You’ll need all the help you can to take your reward.”

“My reward?” I asked.

“Yes, your reward,” the booming voice of the announcer came from behind me, though quietly. “You are one of twelve from the Condensation tier to successfully climb the Tower. As a reward, you will be allowed to temper yourself with the Geist for the next twenty-four hours. The Geist will improve your Aether capacity and mental stamina.”

“Okay,” I said. I looked questioningly at Librarian Narwan.

“This is a unique opportunity,” he said. “You may only ever stand on the Tower once. For those who were unable to finish the climb, what they achieved during the test is all that they will ever get from here. You, Vaya, and Lea will get to fully temper yourselves, if you can handle it. You will handle it.” The glare he gave me promised retribution if I didn’t.

“Only once? Then how are …” I trailed off, only now noticing that he was hovering a good ten centimeters off the ground. “Oh. Um, what do you suggest I do?” He glared again. “I mean, after I’ve drunk more water and taken the healing pill?”

“There are six pills. Two are Sun’s Renewal, which refreshes your mind and body while stimulating healing, and four are Geist Condensing Pills. After the first Sun’s Renewal has finished processing, take a Geist Condensing Pill. They last for two hours. Remove a cushion to get the full effect of the Tower’s pressure, but be aware of your limits. Take breaks in between to allow rest.” the announcer said.

“Will do, …” I paused, realizing I didn’t know his name.

He immediately started laughing, then turned to Librarian Narwan, “You and your kids. Really, you did not tell them my name?”

For the first time, ever, I saw Librarian Narwan with a chagrined expression, then he smiled slyly. “Knight Kupiec Aiden, I present to you, Sultah Aleahil Qaq, head of the Ashkha army and permanent advisor to the Supreme Council, widely considered the strongest and most important single person in the Ashkhas Oligarchy.”

Sultah Qaq just rolled his eyes while I tried to scramble to my feet, “Sit, sit! I will not have you pass out and waste this opportunity.”

I nodded, sitting back down. Sultah Qaq smiled, then looked at Librarian Narwan. “There is something different about him, and one of your others. I will be watching.” He strolled off, heading towards a Topraki who was stirring.

I looked over at Librarian Narwan. “Uh, sir. How many other energies are there? I though there was only Aether.”

“Quite a few, I am sure, though we do not know of many,” he laughed. “Aether is the bedrock of the world and everything in it. Geist is the foundation for consciousness, I think. The only places we have found that use it are old ruins or leftover relics from before our time. Tempering with it is a misnomer. You will be absorbing as much as you can, and it will hurt, but does not physically strengthen you. Now, eat some bread, take the pills, and make the most of this opportunity. We will speak more tomorrow.” He stood and headed towards Lea, who was trying to prop herself up on her left arm.

“Will do, sir,” I called softly after him. I scooted over slightly to better reach the table. Reaching onto it I pulled a piece of bread off the loaf and slowly chewed. It was rich and full of flavor. I swallowed it down, enjoying the Earthiness, and a surge of Aether flowed from the swallowed chunk and banished part of my tiredness. After a few more bites, I was feeling much better, though the aches of overstressing my body were starting to get louder.  I stretched, reaching for my toes and then reaching my hands over my head. I limbered up for a minute, then swallowed the first Sun’s Restoration. It felt like a ball of Light and Fire had dropped into my stomach.

Immediately, Aether shot through my meridians, circling and grinding through them. Tiny imperfections, minute damage from overstressing my entire system was healed just by the slightest brush of the energy. Once it made a full circuit through my meridian system, it spread out into my muscles, bones, skin, and organs. All the aches and pains I’d ever had were blasted away in the Light of the sun. The Aether then traveled to my brain, and the last vestiges of the fuzziness left over from my collapse vanished.

“Alrighty then!” I exclaimed softly, pulling out the first Geist Condensing Pill. Trepidation caused me to hesitate, but I just shook my head. Of course this is going to suck, but I’m still going to do it. I threw the pill into my mouth before I could change my mind, then removed a small pillow from the middle of the stack. I slid my butt down onto the stone surface.

The massively increased gravity slammed me into the ground, but the Sun’s Renewal pill’s energy was still flowing through me, soothing the damage. I focused on what the other pill was doing, trying to get the pain off my mind. Small spurts of Aether seemed to be wrapped around a ball of Geist as it soaked into my stomach, then into my meridians, before it lodged right next to my Core. I felt a tingle, and then the ball was sucked into my Core, and the Aether wrapped around it.

The pressure crushing down on me seemed to increase again, but the flow of Geist as it soaked into me nearly tripled, and I felt my meridians being strengthened somehow. It’s almost like they’re being made more supple? LIke they could stretch more. Slowly, the Geist moved inward, giving the same benefits to my center and Pool that they did to my meridians. It hurt, my center felt like it was being crushed and stretched at the same time. The Aether in my pool quickly started to soak into the walls, and large quantities evaporated into the dense gas that I had at Smoke before zooming into my meridians to soak into them as well.

The Aether from the pill worked to refill my Pool, but it was a losing battle. Finally, I was empty of Aether, and was almost violently ejected from my center. I fell backwards, then shoved on the pillow I’d landed on to get off the Tower’s surface. “Ow, ow, ow,” I whined, my chest aching from the reaction. I felt at the Geist in my Core, and though that maybe half was gone. “Darkness hide it, I’ve got too many meridians,” I whispered in annoyed realization. “I run out of Aether before the pill is fully used up.”

With a grimace, I reached over to get a drink and realized there was more food available. A small pile of meat cubes sat stacked next to another piece of bread and a hunk of cheese. I grabbed one and ate it, almost coughing at the sudden hit of spice. Aether flowed into me, my stomach and digestion system meridians letting me process and absorb it from the meat significantly more efficiently than most. I quickly ate another three, before washing them down with water and a hunk of bread to stop me from sweating.

I focused on gathering for ten minutes, filling my Pool almost all the way before rushing back onto the Tower to get more benefit from the Geist. I’d felt it being absorbed even after I collapsed, but the speed had slowed to a trickle compared to the water hose of the Tower’s surface. The pressure redoubled, and drove me down hard enough to hrt, but I ignored it to dive into my center.

This time, I focused on slowing down the rate of Aether while trying to direct the Geist to focus on specific areas. All this while keeping the Spiral Gathering Technique up and running. I’d originally tried to use the Runic Spiral Gathering Technique, but I couldn’t divide my thoughts enough to get that to work. I’d been using the Spiral Gathering Technique for long enough that I could maintain it subconsciously.

I could only hold so much Aether back, though, and the flood out was at least twice as fast as what I was absorbing. Still, it helped. I was able to continue to absorb the Geist energy until the pill ran out, then kept going past that for another half hour. My body felt battered and bruised, the pain and pressure finally making themselves known past the focus I’d maintained. I wearily scooted back off the Tower’s hard surface onto the soft cushions.

I laid there for a few minutes, letting my muscles relax a bit before I crawled over to the table and downed another glass of water. I then ate, savoring the food a bit more this time, before I gathered back to full. Hmm, I think I should wait another hour or so, then use another pill. I can feel the Sun’s Renewal working, but it needs a bit to fix me up all the way. Might as well use this to temper myself a bit more with Fire, I thought, then started up the tempering technique and flooded my system with every bit of Fire Aether I had.

My weary muscles soaked it up, and the technique seemed to fly through my arteries, as if they’d been primed and waiting. I had to slow down, pulling out of my center to grab a large handful of the meat and stuff it into my face. I then put a few more pieces in my mouth before dropping back into myself and just letting them dissolve in my saliva. This kept a tiny flow of Aether in, which let me rush through another large chunk of tempering.

I switched back and forth for the next eight hours, with two hours of Geist tempering and two of Fire Aether tempering, before I took a longer break. I lay back, sweating and red faced, after finishing the Fire Aether tempering of my blood vessels. This was significantly faster than I’d anticipated, but I thought that the Tower was the perfect location for tempering. At least, until I fell asleep, my body deciding that a break was necessary to continue to function.

Stupid, stupid, I thought, struggling to sit up and rubbing sleep out of my eyes. I hadn’t napped for more than two hours, but it still felt like a waste of time. I immediately popped the last Geist Condensing Pill into my mouth and shoved myself off the pillows. This last pill, though, felt different. The ball of Geist in it merged with the other three in my Core, and then they collapsed inward into a tiny, dense crystal. They were fully absorbed into my Core, becoming part of it, and the pull on the Geist around me doubled.

I felt it brushing against another attraction field, and looked over to see the Topraki to my right glancing at me curiously. They stared for a minute before shrugging and looking down again. Hoh boy that’s weird. Focus, this doesn’t feel like it’s ever gonna stop. Make the best of it! I mentally reached out, pulling the Geist inward. This time, though, it shot through me to reach my brain, and my thoughts became fuzzy as synapses were crushed and rebuilt. Over the next hour, my already prodigious memory cleared, and many things I’d only glanced at once or twice were suddenly much easier to recall. My thoughts ticked slightly faster, and I was able to add the runes for the Runic Spiral Gathering Technique, letting me continue to temper longer.

Finally, though, I was nearly out of Aether. I opened my eyes to find the sun had set, letting a massive swath of stars shine down on me. Everything hurt, beyond even how bad it hurt when I first face planted on the roof. I pushed through it to get back to the food. I spent ten minutes of just munching on the cheese, enjoying the sharp flavor and ignoring my throbbing body. The Sun’s Renewal pill had run out sometime in the middle of however long that session had been, and I debated taking the other right away, or just using Aether to heal myself.

Looking at the stars, I estimated that I still had another eight hours or so, which was just about how long the previous pill lasted. With a shrug, I popped it into my mouth, letting the Aether flow through me and rejuvenate my mind and body. Stuffing my face and gathering to refill my pool took twenty minutes, then I dove right back into tempering.

This time I was able to reach out and will the Geist into the places I wished it. I focused on improving my brain a bit more to start with. This is so much easier after that last tempering, but I can tell there isn’t much more room to improve, I thought as the last few synapses in my frontal lobe were dissolved and reborn. What next? How about the gathering meridians? If I can improve those, I’ll have even more endurance in a fight, or climbing up another tower like this one. Maybe I’ll be able to go to the Weltreich sometime and see where they get Geist from?

I divided the stream of Geist flowing into me into three strands, weaving it like the crystal in my Core, and let it flow up my gathering meridians. Aether from my pool joined it, and slowly expanded and strengthened them. This had a great side-effect of letting me continue to work longer, as the passive amount of Aether flowing into me nearly doubled. This is incredible. Coupled with the tattoos from Ambassador Saf’Ir, I’m getting nearly eight times what I had been getting before. I wonder what other ways there are to enhance meridians? Well, next I’m going to work on the projection meridians. After that, hmm, so endurance, offense, let’s do defense. Skin meridians would let me get my Iron Bones, Granite Skin Technique up faster and stronger, as well as enhance my Aether Shield. After that, physical endurance. Blood vessels, heart, lungs. Life meridian is a must. Ahh, so many meridians to strengthen!

I took a deep breath. One step at a time. Speaking of, I thought, then I pulled another pillow off the Tower’s surface. The amount of Geist increased, but only slightly. I quickly stacked half the cushions on the other half and scooted a meter or so away from them. This gave me a twenty percent increase in Geist, as well as a twenty percent increase in the pressure on me. Can’t deal with this forever, but I can deal with it now! I thought, directing the Geist, gathering, and enduring.

The next four hours flew by, and I was able to hit most of my major meridians. I was gasping for breath, having trouble breathing with the tiredness of my muscles, but I refused to stop. One more, I thought, then on a whim decided to temper my last meridian, the one Librarian Narwan thought had something to do with my soul. The Geist shot into it, pulling Aether behind, but then seemed to stop. A bang echoed in my head, and for a second I thought my chest was going to burst.

I growled, mentally holding the Geist to the surface of whatever was blocking it. Slowly, ever so slowly, single motes of Geist, glowing an ethereal blue-green color when I focused all the way down on it, seemed to transfer through the membrane blocking my meridian. I had to keep pushing on it, adding energy to keep the flow going. It’s almost like reverse osmosis, I thought. The membrane is only letting pure Geist through, and only some of the motes. Those glowing the brightest, I think. I’m really not sure. Light I wish I could zoom better, even though this is awesome.

Finally, after almost an hour more time than I wanted before a break, I crawled back to the cushions. Doubling up on them left me with even less passive Geist tempering when on top, but I needed the break. The sky was starting to lighten, so I quickly refilled my Aether, then sent a round of Fire Tempering into the muscles in my core for forty five minutes before dedicating the last two and a half hours to finishing at least a cursory directed Geist purge of the last of my forty two meridians.

As I finished up my kidney meridian, Sultah Qaq appeared in the center of the Tower, hovering above the ground slightly. “Congratulations to you all, and thank you for truly doing your best to take advantage of this opportunity. Your time is now up, and your advisors will be getting you shortly. The next event will be in a week. Use this time to familiarize yourselves with the benefits you have attained. I look forward to watching you all.”

Librarian Narwan appeared next to me, gesturing to create a platform of Air and Metal Aether. We zipped over to Lea first, who gave me a weary nod before collapsing on the other side of our ride. Vaya hopped on, giving me a big hug and whispering, “I only made it because you did. Thank you.”

I hugged her back, “I doubt that. You’re tough enough to have made it.” She smiled at me, then fell asleep on my shoulder as Librarian Narwan took us back to our hotel. I’m going to sleep for the next week. Yup, that’s my plan. I thought with a yawn.