The Way, Final Part

[Jack]

6th of Ash, Year 4621

It didn't take them long to find their new home. Alice's betrayal had failed to materialize the way she wanted it to -- though it did bring back past memories. The betrayal that led to Daniel's death was still fresh in the minds of those who remained, the eleven of them that had survived all the Badland's toils.

Their new base ended up being remarkably similar in appearance to the place where Daniel died, but Jack tried not to think about it, or even comment on it. He did not want them to suffer more of a journey for the sake of his own grief. This... circular, enclosed mesa, it was a good spot to lay their heads. They would need to pitch tents and eventually build structures, but there were things he liked about it more than those rusted Unbroken bunkers.

He liked the feeling of the air more; it was crisper. He liked the ferns that grew along the walls, and the warmth that was somehow far better regulated than within that metal tomb. He also liked all of the places to climb, explore, and the natural protection of being surrounded on all sides, with lookouts etched along the walls as tiered levels. This was a good place for them to call their abode, and he was glad they could finally lay their heads and rest, even if he was puking out radioactive bile every several hours. It would wane now that the initial Mageblight infection was receding and settling in, but it was still painful, uncomfortable and disgusting while it lasted.

"Carlos," he called behind him, as the younger man loomed over, tempting fate as to whether or not he should sit down beside him. Jack made the choice easy, patting the smooth stone surface of his flank, glancing up and offering him a faint smile.

"Hey, Jack," he whispered, moving in to take a seat beside him. "How're you feeling? I was worried about you."

"Better," he tipped his head. "My mind's lettin' me rest for a while. Not... racin' so much. Just givin' me time to think, you know? About everythin'."

"What're you thinking about -- err, what does everything include?"

He shrugged, pressing his palms against the rocks to keep himself upright, looking up above him. "What my life would be like if my father and mother never came to the Badlands. Would I be all cushy like an Entente, like how I was born, or would I have gotten killed when my father inevitably lost his title and belongings to some cutthroat piece of shit? What fortune, what fate lied out there for me... I'll never know. Would I even be happy?"

"I think you'd be happy," Carlos nodded. "Somehow, Jack, you always find a way to be -- even in situations that would break so many others."

"You'd be surprised," he said. "That's the me I want you to see, you know? The me that's really there... really feeling all of these things, he's not so sure." Pausing, he looked toward the other, before lifting his hand for a moment and facing his palm toward him. "Hey -- you mind if I practice my magic with you, a little? The Overstepping's pretty much gone now; I'm fine. I had some stuff I wanted to practice. Can feel myself gettin' better."

"Err," Carlos hummed, his brows furrowing. "Uh -- sure, Jack. Just don't kill me."

"I won't. Besides -- better ways to die than bein' accidentally killed by a man you're crushin' on. At least I'll never forget you that way."

The other man wasn't certain whether to laugh, blush or punch him in the shoulder.

[Jack]

While at first the Weaver was tempted to test out Impel on Carlos himself, Jack eventually settled on asking him to collect large rocks for him, to see if he could both practice bending, pushing and pulling them individually and in bulk. And, of course, pulling them at all -- something he wasn't entirely certain he could do. He had heard the basic inklings of what Impel did some time ago, but not having his father around meant he needed to do a lot of exploration at his lonesome.

"Alright -- going to need you to throw some of the smaller rocks at me; not too hard, okay? Just... far enough to land near my feet, maybe."

Carlos nodded, albeit with a nervous look crossing his expression; he was abundantly afraid of harming Jack. With that being the case, once he had lifted one of the rocks, he threw it towards the other man fairly flaccidly as Jack wound his focus. He closed his eyes before the throw, honing in on the air around the object. Forming the Weave, all he would need to do would be to force it to reject it at first, almost like a shield. Once he knew he could do that, he could learn to fling the rocks back at a velocity.

Instead, the Weave collected the object and held it hovering, as if performing the beginnings of Compel. Jack quickly dropped the rock, frowning. He was too used to Compel's rhythm; he needed to disrupt it. It wasn't even a perfect opposite -- Impel wasn't really the reverse of Compel, just a branching path.

Carlos lobbed another stone. This time, Jack's focus was diluted, and the Weave failed to grip the object at all. Instead, it crashed near his foot, almost crushing his toes had the Raider not quickly swung his feet back, evading instinctively. "Oh, shit," he cursed, eyeing the cracked stone and then Carlos, who appeared somewhat guilty.

"Sorry!" he yelled.

"It's fine," Jack said, shaking his head. "I asked you to do this, didn't I? Don' worry about it."

Another attempt. Finally, his Weave managed to repel the object, hardening between them almost like a wall or a net and stopping the rock in its place. It collided with the hardened Weave and cracked into pieces, only to quickly collapse to the ground. "Okay... that's somethin'. Progress."

The crystalline, transparent-purple formation iridescently shifting through the air dispelled, Jack stretching and taking a breath. He needed a break -- practicing magic in the throes of Mageblight and not too long after Overstepping did not feel particularly good. He was fortunate that the Overstepping had only been light; his recovery had been fast, but he didn't want to test his limits. Magic was a patient man's ally, not the companion of a reckless child.

The two decided to take a break -- food, rest and some conversation filled their time, and in two hours they resumed. It didn't take long for Jack to get it right, once he'd garnered the basics. A few stone-tosses later and he was flinging the rocks back, throwing them with some modicum of precision towards the other end of the stone walls that enclosed their base. By the end of it, he was starting to feel Strain closing in, though not enough to inflict anything more than a stinging pain. He bared through it, meditating and focusing on controlling his breaths as each wave of anguish surged through his arms. Jack had experienced far worse, so as much as it hurt, he didn't let it perturb his progress. He was dead set on strengthening his mind. Maybe, he could only imagine, that was how he would keep alive.

"Sasha's pregnant," said Carlos, as the two sat in the small garden one of the members had started tending. A day in and they were already starting their new lives -- each one bringing their talents and belongings to this... new home.

"She really? Who's the dad - Anton?"

"I think so," he hummed. "Don't know for sure. I'm... not certain how to feel about it, though. What kind of life would this be for an infant? So many people dying, always moving around the desert... there's no stability. And you know -- if we fail, whichever gang finds us will kill every last person. Even a child."

Jack shook his head. "Moons might not," he said. "The rest, though? Yeah. I know. I told 'em not to take that risk, but it's what they want... and who're we to stop them, huh?"

Carlos sighed, lifting his tin jar of water to his lips and taking a sip. "Right," he replied. "Well, on the bright side, Anton says this area should be arable. The sun shining through the gaps means there's a decent amount of dryland we can convert into gardening patches. We must be near Indories for the soil to be viable."

"Hey, if anything, maybe that'll serve as a shield," said Jack. "Even the 'Breakers don' like to go out this far. And I doubt the Halamire will be pokin' into some place like this. Probably."

"Uh-huh, maybe. Well... you get some rest, Jack. I'm going to go and see if Emmanuel needs me for anything, okay? Be safe."

"Right," he tipped his head. "Thanks for the help. I, ah... appreciate it. And I enjoyed your company."

"Same to you," Carlos softly smiled, before standing upright and heading off. Within the gardens, seated alone, Jack pondered what his next steps would be -- what Scythe would do overall, and the part he would play in all of it. Remembering Daniel's death so vividly again made him think. Magic, he knew, was his key. As dangerous as it was, he had little left to lose. He needed to become a better Mentalist, and to gain more authority over his dreams. That had to be the focus going forward -- which meant, soon enough, returning to his roots.

[Alexander Cross]

XP: N/A

Magical XP: 5 (Mentalism)

Pieces of Knowledge:

• Mentalism: Impel
• Mentalism: Using the Weave to repel objects
• Mentalism: Using the Weave like a shield
• Mentalism: Impel is not the opposite of Compel, but a branching path
• Medicine: Recovering from Mageblight
• Climbing: Rock Formations

Loot: N/A

Injuries/Ailments: Early stage mageblight: Jack will vomit and defecate ethereal bile for the remainder of the season; in addition, he will need to eat more food to attain basic nutrients and energy due to corruption stewing in his body that destroys what he eats. He will also be weaker, more fatigued, and run on less stamina until the corruption is expunged.

Comments:
The closing chapter to another great series of thread, well done! Looking forward to Jack’s and the Scythe’s adventures (Base building too!). If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know. Enjoy your rewards!