by Sarah Lin
Rick sighed, remembering that from after he'd graduated. "Oh, I believe it. Those are for people who are way richer than us and don't have to earn a living, or at least have parents to completely support them."
"Would you support me, though? If there was a really great internship?"
"Of course. Is there?"
"Just hypothetical." Melissa stared upward as they walked, eyes slowly drifting with the clouds. "A lot of them just seemed like being an aide to me. At best an aide with a couple lucrim-based skills. I'm not sure I bought that they were really a step forward."
"I think they can be, for certain career paths, but probably not us. You're much better off focusing on getting an excellent score on the CLAT."
"And hopefully this job will help with that."
Rick turned them in a different direction and Melissa followed, but glanced at him curiously. "If you don't mind, I want to stop by a store before we go home. I want to buy a lucrim bicycle."
"What, like a normal bicycle, just super reinforced with lucrim or something?"
"I guess we'll find out, won't we?"
Chapter 10: Lucrim Bikes
They had to go downtown into the central shopping district, which was actually less comfortable for Rick than the shady neighborhoods around their apartment or the Underground fighting arena. Melissa seemed familiar with it, though, and so helped him navigate the streets to the address he'd gotten online. Soon they stood in front of the bike shop.
It was on the ground floor in between a hipster bakery and some kind of fusion restaurant, so it wasn't exactly the best first impression. Yet it seemed to be a large store that did a lot of business, so that was probably what he wanted. Though Rick didn't trust the workers at the store to be that helpful, he trusted himself even less, since he knew so little about the topic.
"Are we going to go in, or just loiter outside?" Melissa glanced over at him and he realized he'd been standing there for a little while. He just shrugged.
"I was thinking we'd just stand here all day, yeah."
"Well, I'll just tag along, since I have no idea about any of this."
Since there was no reason to delay, Rick headed into the store. There were bikes and peripherals hanging on all the walls, but those looked perfectly ordinary to him. Some had a weight to them that suggested they were lucrim-reinforced, while others had a strange quality he suspected was ether-enchanted. He'd done some research about all that online, but he didn't know enough for it to be anything but a large collection of bikes.
He spent more time looking at the inhabitants of the shop. There were a few thin men and women in skinny jeans chatting in one corner, but also a man examining the bikes who rippled with muscle. Some of them had Birthright Cores granting them generation rates in low six figures, yet others had surprisingly low rates. One man in ripped pants and a loose vest had a generation rate of just 10,000 - ridiculous for an adult. Yet he felt more solid, as if he had substantial cores that somehow weren't included. It felt more like a statement than actual poverty.
Melissa was staring around at everything curiously, which reminded him that he was staring too much. She could just wander in and have fun, but he needed to chat with an employee and avoid getting cheated. He knew he couldn't pretend to be an expert, so he just hoped that his research was enough that he'd be taken seriously.
"Can I help you?" A man with an expertly coiffed beard stood up from behind a counter, wiping oil off his hands onto a rag. There was nothing marking him as an employee of the shop, but Rick guessed that was who he needed to talk to and approached.
"I'm looking to buy a lucrim bike. I'm not sure what exactly I need, but I have some ideas about what I want."
"Then we can definitely help you. This is my shop and I take pride in getting every customer to a bike they'll be happy with." The owner gave a huge smile that had to be fake and Rick tried not to let his caution show on his face. "First off, when you say you want a lucrim bike, are you looking for a normal bike with a lucrim frame, a lucrim-powered bike, or a lucrim construct?"
"Uh, not the first one, but I'm not sure about the other two."
"A construct would be like the lucrim vehicles you're probably used to. Like this." The owner reached down behind the counter and raised a small blue triangular chip. He channeled a bit of aura into it and the chip blossomed into a bright blue bike - Rick noticed that the owner easily held it by the frame with one arm. "They're convenient, but a bit more expensive. Of course, if you're looking into racing or serious biking, a construct is never going to be as efficient as an ether-engineered frame."
"I just want to use it to get around. But about the construct... do you have prices anywhere?"
Though the owner looked as if talking about price was an insult, he tapped on the counter and Rick noticed that there were very small price labels. He took a step back to compare all the different options and the owner went back to working on a bike behind the counter.
Rick was quickly astonished by how expensive the bikes could be: some of them cost as much as an entire fucking car. The normal bikes had a surprisingly large range too, but he learned to avoid those. As far as he could tell, there were cheap lucrim-powered bikes, more expensive constructs, and ridiculously expensive engineered frames. Clearly he didn't need the highest quality ones, yet he found himself wondering if he could justify the extra expense for a construct.
"Oh, just get it." Melissa spoke up from behind him, correctly guessing his thoughts. "Seriously, if you lock up the bike outside our apartment, it will definitely 100% get stolen. And where would you put it inside? Getting one that can compress into a little chip would pay for itself in approximately one theft."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Rick hadn't been thinking about the possibility of his bike being stolen simply because he usually carried everything important on him. That fact pushed him to want to do the same with his bike, so he began looking over all the chips in the glass counter.
There was quite a bit of variety with those, including a staggering number of different options. Not just size and color, but more complex options he wasn't sure he understood. He could start looking them up, but that would make him seem ignorant. It actually wasn't a bad thing when the owner approached again.
"We've got the right bike for you, don't worry. But if you're looking for a place to start, I think the first question you have to ask is if you want a bike that can be fueled by lucrim."
"Aren't all of them?"
The owner shook his head. "Not like that. Your average bike is like a core outside your body: you flow aura through it and it produces an effect, but it doesn't drain any lucrim. A lucrim-powered bike will do that, but on top of it you have the option of burning lucrim as fuel - a completely green, completely natural fuel, by the way. With a bit of experience, in one of these babies you can go way faster than a car."
Though Rick pretended to think about it, he doubted that he'd be taking that option. The purpose of getting a bike was to save money on transportation, not spend it in a different way. If he really needed to get somewhere fast, he'd use a different option. "I'm not sure I need that."
"But remember, you have the option. You can bike around leisurely without spending a single lucrim, but when you really need it, the power will be there for you. The hybrid models don't cost much more, either."
"I get that, but..." He was actually tempted for a moment, and that was what decided him. If he got a bike where he could spend a few lucrim to go faster, it would be a constant temptation. At some point when he was tired or just impatient, he might take that option. Better to force himself to constantly take the harder route. "No, I think we'd better go with a standard model."
"It's up to you!" The owner gave him another broad smile, but it didn't seem quite as enthusiastic as before. "I think I have a sense for what you need now. Maybe I could recommend this 8-speed model? Quite a solid bike, if you want a real workout."
What followed was a discussion of brands and specific fe
atures that Rick tried to follow, but he quickly felt uncertain about many details. The one thing he knew from his research was that the number of gears was important for using a bike as a method of training. Eventually he decided that he should focus on that before anything else.
"I haven't used a real lucrim bike before - is there a way I can test the different gears?" Rick asked.
"Oh, I think the 8-speed will do just fine for you as a starter bike."
He couldn't afford to just be swapping out bikes, but Rick didn't want to say that. Instead he glanced around the store. "Maybe so, but can I test to be sure?"
"Yeah, we have a machine over here." The owner led him to what looked a bit like a souped-up exercise bike. Rick carefully got on, remembering the bike lessons he'd had a very long time ago. That had been with Uncle Frank, actually, and he found himself wondering if his uncle had been thinking about something like this.
In any case, Rick began turning the pedals. It felt surprisingly easy and he heard a slight hum from the machine. He glanced down at the dial by the handlebars, trying to figure out exactly what it meant, but was interrupted by the owner's raised eyebrows.
"Huh, that's more than I thought."
"What do you mean?" Rick asked. "What gear am I in?"
"Let me see if the machine is working... no, you're in sixth. You have some real experience with your lucrima soul, huh? Let me turn this thing up a bit..."
He ratcheted up the gears and then Rick felt it: his aura was flowing through the bike and spinning the gears faster, he just hadn't noticed before because the effect had been so small. The bike was well-designed and his aura naturally flowed through the chain and wheels, so he got used to it soon.
Then he shifted to a higher gear again, noting how the process became more difficult. Rick kept shifting higher until it felt like trying to pedal through concrete - he was surprised by how much of an aura workout he was getting just riding the stationary bike. At the point where he finally gave up, he wasn't actually sure what gear he was in, since the levers weren't entirely clear to him.
"Uh, what gear is this?"
"26th." The owner shook his head slightly, then his smile returned. "Okay, it looks like an 8-speed wouldn't have been right for you! Is this a form of training for you? We don't stock them in the shop, but we could easily order a stationary machine for you. Those have over five hundred different settings, enough to challenge even the top professional bikers."
"No, I do want to use it to get around." Rick climbed off the bike, stretching his legs carefully. The primary workout had been in his aura, but his legs burned a bit from the effort pedaling.
"In that case, we should look at the 64-speed models. If you'll come this way..."
After considering many options, Rick felt like he was actually getting the right bike. The one that drew him was a bland-looking black bike, but it was practical and had enough gear settings to challenge him for quite a long time.
It cost him 999 lucrim, allegedly on sale from 1999. He winced at the payment and tried to focus on all the money he'd save not taking taxis or the bus. That wiped out almost all of his recent paychecks and gains, so he only had 5500 lucrim saved.
Once the bike was purchased, the owner tried to convince him to buy a ton of different gadgets and peripherals, but Rick was feeling broke despite his savings and declined them. He was already taking a risk on all of this, so he could worry about the rest after he was certain this was the right choice. Eventually he left the bike shop with just his black chip in hand.
As they walked out, Melissa clucked her tongue at him. "Not even a bicycle helmet! You're going to crack your skull with such recklessness."
Rick snorted. "My head is harder than those helmets."
"Put on a jacket or you'll catch your death of cold, young man!"
"Ha, are you an old lady now?"
"Stop hanging around with that Melissa girl! She's a bad influence!"
They kept chatting on their way back, and once they got out of the downtown area, Rick held out the chip and made his bike construct appear. For a moment it wouldn't quite work and he feared he'd been cheated, but it just took him several tries to get it right. After he tried it out a bit he got his feel for balancing again and with the bike in a low gear the aura part was easy.
Once he was steady, Melissa hopped on behind him and hugged his back. She urged him to go faster, whooping as the air sliced past them. Rick smiled, but his mind was already moving on.
This was the least of his problems. Now that it was taken care of, he needed to focus on the big ones.
Chapter 11: Serum and Void
Rick watched the remaining days counting down to the trial. As many different tasks as occupied his time, they seemed to pass before him as he focused on that goal. Whether or not he could take the Lucrim Authority job - whether or not he wanted to take the risk - would have a huge impact on every other choice in his life.
He decided that he'd focus on the upcoming trial first, which meant setting aside using lucrim to get rid of the aura leech or increase Graham's Stake. After spending so much on the bike, he had only saved 5500 lucrim total, but what remained he saved to choose how to invest later.
At least the bike itself worked admirably. His instincts for riding came back, actually aided by the fact that he needed to constantly circulate aura while riding. Even at a leisurely pace he went about as fast as running, and when he really exerted himself he could go faster than cars, though that quickly left him exhausted. Most importantly, it provided a good aura workout and saved a bit of money. It was too early for the bike to pay for itself or for the work to show a major improvement, but he thought it had been a good decision.
Otherwise, he was frustrated by how little he could do with just a week. Maybe if he had access to some kind of secret legendary training, but as far as he knew, lucrim simply didn't work that way. He put more effort into earning more, but only increased the strength of his Lucores a bit. At best, it was a foundation for future work.
The one area he did make good progress was the aura technique the Vice President had shown. He'd talked to some more people and made a visit to the library - though Heather hadn't been there to help - and had improved it further. His result wasn't perfect, but it seemed to produce exactly the same strange aura effect as in the demonstration. Hopefully that would be good enough.
Sometime later he'd need to spend more time in the library, particularly the lucrim section. Part of him wanted to branch out with a new core, and at minimum he could do some research for Melissa. Her Steel Lucore was nearly perfect and she had gotten the rating of her combat core increased, so she was in a position where she could use a unique core especially for her.
Then again, she was still in a position where she didn't know exactly what she needed because she hadn't decided what she'd do in life. For a few flickering moments he envied her, but usually he was a mix of proud and satisfied. Due to his work, she was in a position where her hard work could earn her what she deserved.
Her first week at the House of the Cosmic Fist had gone by without any problems, despite his worries and Jimmy's skepticism. She didn't have real combat instincts yet, but he'd taught her enough about defending herself that she was able to adapt to fighting other people. Though she'd taken a few bruises that looked worse than they were on her pale skin, her lucrima soul was definitely growing. So there was nothing that he needed to do to help her.
Meanwhile, he pushed down his own problems with relentless training. Not trying for more raw lucrim, more sharpening his skills. None of his core rankings had increased for some time, no doubt because he'd grabbed all the low hanging fruit and wasn't encountering real threats anymore.
Taking the job might change that. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
His growth was aided by the various elixirs and reagents Lisa sent for him to try. Just a bit of him had been afraid that it would be painful experiments like his time in the Underground, but she was starting wit
h modest efforts. Most seemed to be mixes of serum, low grade philosopher's elixir, and smaller ingredients that were supposed to slightly boost growth. He wasn't sure if they had much effect, but he dutifully recorded the things she asked him to.
One of her experiments he liked immensely: it was some kind of blend of serum that left his aura feeling surprisingly sharp. Usually serum tasted of tin cans and reminded him of days when he was dirt poor and could barely afford serum to recover. But she added some kind of mint flavor - he wasn't sure if that was an ingredient or just for the sake of taste - that improved it.
Honestly, he doubted that his work as a guinea pig was really worth the value of what she was giving him. But he'd been giving her training sessions for free and not taking massages in return, plus he knew she'd be insulted if he tried to pay for them. Besides, given his present challenges, he wasn't going to ignore the money it saved him.
Rick realized belatedly that he should talk to her more instead of just giving reports on the mixtures she sent him. He should tell her how good the serum formulation was, she'd probably like that. But since he was getting more and more focused on the upcoming trials, he decided to just make a note on his phone about it to remind himself later.
Thinking about talking to her made him consider who else he should contact for help. The situation wasn't urgent, true, but he wanted to take it seriously and not ignore his allies. He'd already talked to Uncle Frank, who seemed to be so busy that he barely answered messages anymore. Melissa and Lisa had already done plenty to help him, so who else?
Lying back on the couch, he considered his options. His boss would never help and Henry wasn't talking to people. Most likely the Advanced Lucrim had rebounded hard on him, making his situation worse - assuming that his demonic bonds hadn't taken over.