Spearbound Ch. 74

Kade stood by the doorway of the hotel room and watched over a dozen [Healers] work to save Tugan from the jaws of death. They had just stopped the copious bleeding from the stump, and now they were restoring his vitality.

“I thought you were dead at the end,” Eliza commented lightly.

Kade glanced at her and saw a glared directed at Tugan. “Me too, but Tugan has… honor.”

Eliza scoffed. “Are you sure we can trust him in the city?”

He nodded without hesitation. In a way, Tugan might be the person he trusted the most in Chicago. He had no choice when Tugan had his life under control and chose to not only do nothing, but admit defeat and take a substantial hit to himself.

The System had been clear that all the destroyed monsters contribute to the energy he absorbs to get stronger. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to understand the System pulled energy from Tugan after he admitted defeat and gave it to him.

“If you’re sure,” Eliza sighed. “Well, I can’t be of help here. I’ll help clear up the straggling monsters. Thankfully, you and Tugan killed a lot of them unintentionally in that rampage.”

Kade watched her go, recognizing she sounded different. Maybe seeing Tugan’s power convinced her to be proactive in gaining strength.

He chuckled and waved that thought off. He had no idea how her thought process worked.

Kade directed Hellion to go back to the survivors he had left behind and lead them back to the city. He observed the [Healers] for an hour before leaving for his personal room to get some privacy. He closed the door behind him and summoned his [Soulrend] to study it.

Tugan mentioned it was far from upgrading, and he believed it from seeing the changes, or rather, how little it changed.

He ignored the worn look the [Soulrend] had from the battle and tried to see if there was anything he missed; some minor change that could signify something big, but no.

The most Kade could admit to being real was a slightly bluer shine of the blade.

He sighed and directed his vitality into the [Soulrend], feeling well over a quarter pour into it, and returned it to pristine condition. He stored it and asked, “System, am I supposed to defeat a hundred Tugans to upgrade my Soulrend?”

That could be necessary. As mentioned before, a Soulrend is unique to the user, and so are the upgrade requirements.

Kade twitched in irritation. He had thought there was an answer to the puzzle, but was told the answer only worked for Tugan.

He shook his head and made it a priority to find out. He would need a new trump card before challenging a higher-class rift zone, and that might be the way to get one.

Tugan had his freakish spatial powers, and he had nothing comparable.

A knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts. He answered it to see Matt standing there with a terrified look on his face.

It took Kade a moment to realize his presence was once again causing an issue. If it was anyone else, he wouldn’t bother, but he activated [Suppression] to put Matt at ease.

Matt blinked in confusion at his sudden loss of fear and smiled warily. “How’re you doing, Kade?”

“Fine?” Kade replied, wondering why he was stalling.

“Right, uh, I might as well rip the band aid off. I’ve been keeping an eye out for your friends, but none of them have shown up in Chicago. After the recent outbreak, if they still haven’t been found, it’s... well, you know what I mean.”

Kade had frozen the moment Matt mentioned his friends. It was out of guilt for thinking so little about them, even if he could do much other than exactly what he asked Matt to do.

“Just… keep looking for them. Maybe something will turn up,” Kade said, swallowing a knot in his throat.

Mat nodded and said, “Sure, sure, I can do that.” He gave him a weak smile before leaving the room.

Kade let out a puff of air and still hoped. He had more control over Chicago than ever before, and searching for three people wasn’t impossible. A slight chance was still there.

“Celine, send some healers to my room once Tugan is stable,” Kade sent the message and got on the bed to get some rest.

***

Eliza: Stop lazing around in bed and look at the org chat. They want you here for the celebration.

Kade had been resting for over eight hours, and he found doing nothing refreshing. He had healed and intended to stay in bed until Tugan woke up.

He reluctantly checked the organization chat.

Jae: Recruiting draft headline: “Last Monster Falls to Our Leader.”

Kit: That sucks. Makes it sound like Mr. Beckett sat on his ass and waited to take the glory.

Luisa: What glory? You mean how hundreds died against these things?

Tomas: It sucks, but it’s better than the entire city getting wiped out.

Kit: Should we ask him to kill the lizard or is that weird?

Vaughn: I think it’s fitting. He killed like a quarter million. Deserves to kill the last one if he wants.

Baker: Finn, what does the boss want to do?

Kade dismissed the interface and proactively messaged Finn. “I’m coming down. Where should I go?”

He exited the room and went down the stairs before getting a reply.

Finn: I told Derek to show you the way. He’s waiting outside the hotel.

Kade saw a man in his late-thirties approach him the moment he left the hotel. Derek was square-jawed, with a three-day salt-and-pepper stubble that framed a smiling mouth.

He had never met the man before, but that didn’t stop him from being polite. “I’m told you will lead me to the celebration?”

“Yes, sir,” Derek said with a firm nod. “If you’d follow me.”

Kade glanced at the man walking beside him and said, “You can talk to me. It’s not like I bite.”

“Apologies.” Derek hesitated. “It feels like a wrong word will end my life.”

He forgot to activate [Suppression]. He did so and said, “You should be fine now.”

Derek looked fascinated, but didn’t ask questions about it. Instead, he pushed to what was bothering him. “Is Danny… well adjusted? He mentioned you two are close.”

Kade pulled back in surprise. He didn’t expect to be asked about the boy Hellion brought back to the city, and even then, it was only a few hours ago. “Why do you want to know? Are you related to him?”

Derek shook his head. “My daughter befriended him, and she has been feeling down since the people she used to know from before are most likely gone. I just want to be sure she’s making a good friend.”

Kade was silent for a few seconds. He pictured a teenage girl seeking a connection after her losses. He felt some pity, but at least she had a father that cared about her.

The problem was Danny. He might like the kid personally, but that was from the viewpoint of strength and courage. “I can’t say he’ll be a good friend, but my first impression of Danny was good. Maybe you should observe him yourself.”

Derek grimaced. “It feels strange spying on kids like that, but I can’t trust anyone. It’s a lawless land.” He paused and looked startled, remembering Kade was there. “Not that I don’t trust you, sir. It’s just—”

“I get it,” Kade interrupted. Other than Hellion, Tugan, and Eliza, he doesn’t trust anyone else, so he would not be a hypocrite and claim otherwise.

Derek chuckled nervously. “Good. That’s good.”

They were heading to the border. Given that there was a monster they captured, it made sense to hold the start of the celebration on the outskirts of the safe zone.

“What about the bird? Is it tamed?”

“He,” Kade said instinctively. “His name is Hellion, and he won’t cause any trouble.”

The sharp tone made Derek fall into silence.

Kade knew Hellion was making a name for himself in Chicago. A brief panic ensued when a fire bird flew between the skyscrapers; people thought the safe zone had fallen to a high-level monster, but news of Hellion as his companion spread quickly.

Kade had assumed Hellion would explore Chicago for a short time and then tire of it, but the juvenile ember falcon found endless fun in hanging around the city’s teenagers.

He wondered if the teen’s penchant for chaos that spoke to Hellion.

“We’re here, Mr. Beckett.”

The crowd’s density surprised Kade, filling what used to be a wide-open space like sardines. He knew it couldn’t be everyone who contributed to the city’s defense, but it was still a significant portion of it.

The number would easily approach a hundred thousand.

The cheers of the crowd were deafening, and all he could do was stare in amazement at the sight.

Eliza: Don’t just stand there! Do something!

Kade snapped out of the daze. He summoned his [Soulrend] and held it up high; the sun glinting off the blade.

The cheers somehow grew louder, and he heard the start of a disjointed chant that slowly synchronized.

“Beckett! Beckett! Beckett!”

Kade wasn’t sure if they were cheering his name, or if they were cheering for the organization they were a part of. Either way, he liked the feeling it brought up in him.

He walked down the path created by a parting gap in the crowd, and it led him to a terrified kobold that was frozen in place by the presence of the crowd.

Kade almost felt sorry for it.

He looked around and wondered if he should make a speech, but then he realized the atmosphere was getting to him. He was terrible at speeches, and all it would do if he dared to give one now was kill the mood.

Kade decided on a spectacle. He mentally apologized to kobold and walked up to it before gently impaling its shoulder and activated [Arc Chain].

A thick bolt of lightning struck down from the cloudless sky and incinerated the kobold, completely erasing its existence. There was a brief pause in the cheers from shock, but the crowd took the roiling thunder that followed as a sign to restart the ear-deafening celebration.

Eliza: I think you might have riled them up too much.

Kade laughed and decided it wouldn’t hurt to join in on the fun for a bit.