Call of Caldiria Chapter 8

Call of Caldiria Chapter 8.

              “Where are we going?”  Veredel looked out the window at the endless expanse of pine trees.  “I have never been this far north before.”

              “I am taking you someplace where you can work on your abilities in peace.  Once you have them harnessed, you can start to hunt down the people who have caused this mess.”

              “And the people who took my brother?”

              Wren smiled.  “Of course.  Your brother.”  She turned her head and looked at Veredel.  “Don’t worry.  If you try your best, you will be able to find your brother.  And you will help all those people who had lost their own loved ones find their family members, friends, and such as well.”

              Veredel crossed her arms.  “You are really putting the pressure on me, aren’t you?”

              Kia’s head materialized out of Veredel’s neck. “Don’t worry so much. We will do great at solving this mystery.”  The young slime girl nuzzled against Veredel.

              Veredel moaned, the sensation of Kia rubbing against her body a bit overwhelming for her.  “Kia, please. . . don’t.”

              “Oh, sorry.”

              “It’s okay.  I am still adjusting to this.”

              Wren laughed.  “You two will get along perfectly.  Don’t worry too much.”  Wren smiled.  “Oh look, we are here.”

              A building seemed to materialize out of the wilderness.  “What is this place?”

              Kia’s slimy blue head appeared, moving in front of Veredel.  “Welcome to where I have been living for as long as I can remember.  Pulsar Industries.”

              Wren sighed.  “I was going to tell her that, Kia.”  She drove into the parking ramp.  “This place is about testing some more unique things, and we came up with the technology that is subduing your psychic abilities.  Don’t worry. We will be able to figure out how to harness your latent abilities, so you won’t accidentally hurt yourself.”

              “But why do you want to help me?  I don’t get it?”

              Wren parked the vehicle.  “I said it before.  Because you are special.  Don’t you want your brother back?”

              It was true.  Veredel would do anything to get Sean back.  It was her job to protect him.  But the more she worked with Wren, the more she felt something was off.  As she stepped out of the vehicle and walked into Pulsar Industries, she couldn’t help but feel she should run away.  But this was her best chance at finding Sean and getting her bleeding mind-reading issue under control.  Her nagging thoughts about this situation would have to wait.

              “You okay, hun?”

              “Huh?”  She blinked her eyes.  “Kia?”

              “Oh, you are wondering why you can hear me in your head?  Well, I don’t always have to come out.  We are bonded, remember?  I can sense something is bugging you.”

              Veredel kept her voice low as she followed Wren.  “I just. . . something seems weird, Kia.”

              “It’s just your nerves.  You can trust Wren, my dear.  I mean, I do, and you can trust me, right?  I will protect you with my life.”

              “I guess.”

              “Here we are.”  Wren stopped at a massive metal doorway.  “Are you ready, my dear?”

              “Ready for what?”  Veredel crossed her arms.  “What is inside?”

              “Just a little test.  One that should help you with your psionic capabilities.”  She opened the door.  “Now come on.”  Veredel followed Wren into a wide-open room.  “It won’t be that hard for someone like you.”

              “There isn’t anything here, though, besides a chair.”

              “Well, maybe you should sit down.”

              Veredel shrugged.  “Umm, okay?”  Veredel did as she was told.  As soon as she did, metal cuffs extended out of the ground and tied her arms to the back of the chair.  “Hey!  What is going on?”

              Wren smiled and pulled out Veredel’s earpiece.  “It’s a test, hun.”  Veredel moaned.  “You can’t use your hands to free yourself.”  She snapped her fingers, and a pedestal rose from the floor with an orb floating above it.  “Inside is a key, but you have to figure out how to free it from its restraints.  The orb is a puzzle.”  Wren ran her fingers over the orb.  “One that you have to use your psionic abilities to rotate.”  She walked up to Veredel.  “Pull the key out and use it to undo your shackles.  Once you leave the room, consider the test complete.”

              “But what if I don’t?  I could die of thirst!”

              Wren started to walk away.  “Then I guess you aren’t really worth my time, are you?”  Veredel’s eyes widened.  “Good luck, hun.”

              “Get back here.  Hey!”  Veredel gulped.  “Kia!  Do something!  Anything!”

              “Sorry, hun.  Not only is this a trial that Wren is doing, but I trust Wren with my life.  But I can’t really squeeze you out of constraints like this.  Sure, I can make you grow a little by adding my lovely proportions to your body like when I made your. . . boobs a bit more lovely, but this?  Nah, if you want out, you have to do what she said.”

              “Fuck!”  Veredel stared at the pedestal in front of her.  “Well, at least I have you to keep me company at least.”

              “Always.  I am not going anywhere.”

              “Now let me think.  It has to do with my abilities, right?  So what am I supposed to just think the key out of there?”  Veredel laughed.  “I never heard of something so fucking absurd.”

              “Still, it is worth a try, isn’t it?”

              “Ya, I guess?”  Veredel focused on the ball, her mind reeling from the effort.  “I don’t see. . .”  After a few moments, she could feel the ball floating above the pedestal.  The sudden realization caused her to cry out, sending the ball falling to the ground in the process.

              “What is wrong?”

              “I felt it, Kia.  With my mind.”  She gulped.  “What the hell is going on?”

              “Well, I guess you will have to figure that out if you want to get us out of here.”

              “But it felt so weird.”

              “Hey, you said that when I first joined with you, and look at where we are now.  I am sure you can handle feeling something with your mind.”

              Veredel took a deep breath.  Kia was right. Veredel had been through a lot of weird in the last few days.  She closed her eyes and reached out once more.  It was a lot easier for her to feel the spherical object this time, almost as if she were wrapping her hands around it.  Lifting the damn thing was another matter, and even getting it a few inches off the ground caused her great mental strain.  “Ughhhhhhh!”

              “Are you okay?”

              “I. . . am. . . fine. . . it just fucking hurts.”  Veredel dragged the ball over to her.  “Fucking hell, I hope Wren was right, and this is like working a muscle because I don’t want to deal with this pain all the damn time!”

              Veredel took a deep breath as the puzzle rested at her feet.  “Okay, here we go.”  She screamed as she rolled it up her legs.  “Ahhh!  Fucking hell, it hurts.  It hurts so much.”  At one point, she had the puzzle ball completely in the air, but the strain was causing her great harm.  It took all of her might to get the damn thing into her lap.  “Fucking hell!”

              “Good job.”

              “Now I just need to get that damn key out and free myself.”

              “You mean us?”

              “Yes, us.”  Veredel noticed the object had many moving parts.  “Great.  More mental pain.”  Using her abilities, she began to slowly side the sides of the ball.  Not only did it hurt to use her psychic powers, but she also had to focus on the task at hand.  She had to fight through the pain to focus.  Veredel could even feel blood dripping from her nose, but she knew she couldn’t stop.  “I almost have it.  I can feel the damn key inside.  I just need to see a keyhole to pull it free!”

              Then the moment came when she slid the pieces into place, and with a triumphant yell, she pulled the key free.  Veredel didn’t waste any time undoing her shackles.  “Yes!  Yes!”  She stood up.  “Fucking hell.  I hope Wren never does anything like this to me again.”

              The door suddenly opened, and a man walked into the room slowly clapping.  “Bravo.  Bravo.  You are as great as Wren promised.”

              “Huh?  Who are you?”

              He pointed at his chest as he walked towards her along with half a dozen armed me.  “Who am I?  Why I am the man who runs this place.  The name is Alex, and I have been waiting decades to meet you.”  He snapped his fingers, and armed figures rushed about to grab Veredel.  “You are going to help make the world a better place, my dear.”

              “What the hell?  Wren.  Where is Wren?”  The woman stood in the doorway.  “What is this?  What is going on?”

              Wren smiled as she rubbed her fingers.  “Sorry, my dear.  I could tell you didn’t trust me, and you should have listened to that instinct.  We needed someone with your skills for a very unique task.”  Wren smiled.  “But we needed to ensure you were the legit thing first.”

              “I don’t get it.  If you were deceiving me, why show your hand now?”

              Alex turned around.  “Because what we need you for doesn’t require you working with us.  And I am sure that with that inquisitive mind, Wren was telling me about, you would have figured something out eventually.  I couldn’t take the risk.”  He snorted.  “This will be better for all of us.  Don’t worry about a thing.”

              As Veredel was dragged away, she yelled at them.  “What do you even play on doing to me?”

              “You will find out soon enough.”  Alex crossed his arms.  “In the meantime, ensure she keeps practicing her psionic abilities.”  The men nodded.

              Veredel lowered her voice.  “You were in on this too, weren’t you, Kia?”

              “No!  I swear.  They kept me in a glass jar for most of my life.  I am with you to the end, even if it means busting their heads in for this.”

              Veredel sighed.  “Well, at least I have one friend here.”