Street Cultivation 2

by Sarah Lin

  Instead he headed around the side of the massive building, partially surveying more and partially marveling at the size. Technology really had come far, to store lucrim so much more efficiently. For a moment he wondered how they had ever done it in the ancient world, then he realized that of course they didn't store it in the same way. Lucrim was always in their bodies or in the environment.

  Though he mostly checked the surveying aura between his hands, Rick made sure to keep watch on his surroundings as well. Not so much to search for threats as because there was a lot of broken glass and occasionally a rusty piece of metal jutting from the earth. His defensive core wouldn't be hurt by those, but he still didn't want to run into them.

  Then he spotted it: a small furry body lying in the dirt. Rick glanced around and then advanced cautiously.

  To his surprise, it was a jackalope. It had been dead for some time, though he didn't know enough about decomposition to guess exactly how long. The strange thing was that a hole had been torn through its head. What kind of creature could create an injury like that? Certainly not another jackalope, and a dragon or wolf would have left a bite. Maybe a lucrim-using scorpion - he and Melissa had watched a documentary about the "Pueblo Assassin" once - but he didn't think they had any of those this far north.

  Rick carefully checked the area, wondering what might have caused it. He didn't see any animal tracks and didn't know a damn thing about tracking in any case. There was a broken bottle lying nearby that didn't look like it had any dirt on it, so he headed in that direction.

  There was a broken concrete wall ahead that could easily have hidden an animal, but as Rick circled it from a distance, he realized that he had entirely the wrong idea. Instead of an animal's nest, he found an old camper. It looked in bad shape, but still functional. Worse, there was blue smoke emerging from the top, so he realized what he was dealing with.

  It was a fucking meth lab. And it was making meth with lucrim somehow, judging from the wild distortions of the aura between his hands. Dumped waste probably explained why the area was distorted, but he was more distracted by the idea of what lucrim meth would even do to a person.

  Wouldn't that be horribly lethal? Meth itself took enough of a toll, wouldn't enhancing it make it burn straight through a person's body? Then again, if people were strong enough, sometimes normal drugs ceased to have any effect. Were these drugs for addicted fighters, the truly desperate, or something even more nefarious? Knowing Granny Whitney, probably all of the above.

  A gunshot rang out and Rick felt pain in his shoulder. He immediately turned and spotted a wild-looking man emerging from an abandoned-looking outhouse. Judging from the sores on his face, he might be sampling his own supply, but more importantly he was holding a gun.

  Rick reached up and rubbed his shoulder. His defensive core had crumpled the bullet before it damaged his skin, so that wasn't a major threat, but surely a drug manufacturer had better weapons. At that moment the man finished pulling up his pants, dropped the pistol, and leveled a shotgun.

  "That was a warning shot." The man stared at him with wild eyes, then gestured with his shotgun. "This baby fires lucrim bullets."

  "Look, I'm not here to bother you." Rick raised his hands in the hope that it would make the man calm down - if the shotgun really fired lucrim, that could be dangerous. "Granny Whitney sent me to take care of a little problem."

  "Eh? Who?" The man's disbelief was so stark that Rick found himself believing it. Of course, it probably made sense that Granny Whitney only operated several levels separated from someone like this.

  "It doesn't matter, the main thing is, I'm not here for you. I just want to do some work and go."

  "You might..." The man licked at the sores on his lips, his hands twitching as he aimed the gun unsteadily. "You might report me. I'm not supposedta kill anyone, but..."

  Rick burst into a Bunyan's Step, shooting mostly sideways in case the man fired in reaction. Yet the drug manufacturer just looked shocked, staring at the place where he'd been. So Rick used another Bunyan's Step to zig-zag back to the man, grabbing the shotgun out of his hands.

  "If I wanted to kill you, I could." Rick stared down at him and the man quailed. "But I'm not here for that. Just stay out of this area for the next few days..."

  "But... we need to get a batch made..."

  "You're attracting too much attention here. Without my work, you're going to get caught. I don't care what you do, but I don't want to see you again. Okay?"

  Since the man was trembling in fear, Rick waited for him to nod in agreement, then handed him back the shotgun. The man quickly retreated to the camper, and though Rick was on guard for a treacherous attack, none came. He waited for a while and though the camper didn't move, the blue smoke did begin to fade away. That would have to be good enough.

  As Rick backed away from it, he wondered just what he was doing. He'd never been a vigilante and there was plenty of drug use in his extended family that no one ever imagined reporting. Yet actively working to keep meth manufacturers in business... it might be hypocritical to make them move out of sight, but he needed to do this or Granny Whitney would punish him.

  The region continued to give off strange readings as he surveyed it. Had he made this attempt when he'd just started the job, he almost certainly would have given up. Yet now, he had a feeling that he could see patterns in all the noise. It wasn't just dumps of byproducts from drug manufacturers, he thought he saw traces of an anomaly as well.

  Rick began heading out in a wider circle, periodically using Emily's variation of the surveying technique in order to build a mental map of the whole region. Since it wasn't terribly large, he thought that he could cover most of it and then have a clear idea which area contained the anomaly. Once he had it narrowed down, it wouldn't be that hard. In theory.

  Eventually Rick spotted another building, a shack out in the middle of nowhere. He actually wasn't sure what it was, other than that he assumed it was now being used to make drugs. Bracing his defensive core again, Rick headed toward it.

  "Hello? If you're thinking of attacking me, I'm not here to fight." His call went unanswered and he tried to search for any lucrima souls in the area. Nothing, though a skilled fighter could be hiding.

  A wolf howled in the distance and Rick straightened in surprise. He looked around, as if expecting it to be right beside him, but of course the wolf wasn't anywhere near. Wild animals who weren't rabid or desperate - or jackalopes - tried to stay away from people, after all. There was still no sign of anyone nearby or in the shack.

  There was a very crude latch holding the rusty tin door closed. When Rick's knock went unanswered, he kicked the door open. It was shockingly easy, the door slamming open to reveal an empty shack. He stepped inside cautiously, looking around the dim chamber.

  He spotted some rusty silverware and a few cracked syringes that he guessed had been used for drugs at some point, but they looked extremely old. A thick layer of dust covered everything, rising as he walked in. Apparently this location had been abandoned in favor of the rolling lab. Though he checked through the few cabinets in the room, it contained nothing of note.

  Just in case, Rick bent down to survey for the anomaly, but there was nothing amiss. Well, it was another point in his mental map of the region. He got back up, feeling strangely dizzy, and headed back out the door.

  Rick stepped into the cool night. He reeled in surprise, looking around him, yet it seemed to have inexplicably become midnight.

  Could the time have gotten away from him so drastically? It had been getting later, but there was no way it could be later than evening. He couldn't deny the night sky overhead, dark except for too many gleaming stars, yet there had to be another explanation. Maybe he dozed off in the shack? Rick got out his phone to check the time, yet the screen only flickered meaninglessly.

  At that moment, he heard a howl. Much louder than before. He looked up and stared into the eyes of an enormous silver wolf.

  Chapter 42:
Endangered Cloud Wolves

  His first reaction was to run, but he held it down in case the wolf might give chase. His second reaction was to attack, but he forced that one back since it also wasn't attacking him. It sat on its haunches, staring at him with unnaturally silvery eyes.

  Since there was no immediate threat, Rick paused to look at the wolf more carefully. It was definitely larger than he thought wolves should be, with shimmering fur and highlights around the face that were almost liquid silver. The eyes were dark, though, deep pools that either reflected stars or were filled by them. He knew that it must be an unnatural creature, but he had no idea what it was or why it was so close.

  The wolf let out a low growl. Not necessarily aggressive, yet it still made his hair stand on end. It began to move toward him and Rick realized that he couldn't let this go. Hoping to intimidate the creature away, he summoned his aura into a flaming presence around him.

  In response the wolf snarled, the peace of the previous moment transforming into animal fury. It rushed for him, shockingly quick, and Rick barely managed to react. There wasn't time for a counter-attack, he just managed to duck aside. The wolf flashed past him, a silver shadow in the night, and landed behind him. He realized that he had only a split second to change the course of the fight.

  Rick launched himself backward with a Bunyan's Step even as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the ether cage that he'd gotten at the Refuge. When he ended his rush of speed, he was surprised to see that the wolf was turning to look at him, jumping back in shock. It really was fast.

  Not fast enough, though. Rick flashed around it with two more bursts of speed, then hurled the ether cage. When it had nearly struck, the wolf snapped at it, but at that moment the cage manifested, pale white arms extending all around the wolf. It pinned the animal until it dropped to the ground, then the cage slowly expanded so it didn't constrict the wolf painfully.

  Suddenly Rick was standing in the middle of the wilderness with the sun shining overhead. He rubbed his forehead, trying to believe what he'd seen. The wolf couldn't have controlled time, that wasn't possible, so had it created an illusion? Or had it all been in his head in some way?

  For now, the wolf lay in the small cage, slumped against the bars. At first Rick thought that it might have been faking, but it seemed that the cage itself had knocked the animal unconscious. Maybe some sort of reaction to the ether - he didn't really understand it, but he'd heard them talk about reactions at the Refuge. In any case, it was unconscious now but he had no idea how long it would stay that way.

  After frowning down at the cage for a while, Rick decided that he had no choice. He awkwardly carried the cage at first, his eyes nervously flicking between the wolf and the ground. It was frustratingly slow, but eventually he got back to the highway and managed to reach a bus stop. Getting on the bus took a serious argument with the bus driver that the wolf was actually an injured support dog, but it got him close enough to Branton. He used his new ether tier to get a taxi driver who wouldn't ask questions and rode all the way to the Peakless Wildlife Refuge.

  Along the way, he realized that underneath its glorious silver coat, the wolf was actually thinner than he thought. He could see its ribs as it breathed slowly, and one of its legs had a pus-filled injury that looked like it needed medical attention. Hopefully they could do something for it.

  When Rick walked into the main Refuge office, for once Adsila was at the desk. She looked up with a smile, but had barely started her greeting when she saw the wolf and her eyes widened. "Holy sh... Wemy, get in here!"

  "I told you not to call m..." Wemilat walked into the room, wiping his hands off on a rag, and trailed off as he saw the cage. Both of them just stared at it, eyes wide.

  Rick awkwardly set the cage down and stared back. "Uh, I don't think this is a normal wolf."

  "No shit, it's not a normal wolf!" Wemilat rushed down to kneel beside the cage, reaching out and almost touching its fur but pulling back. "This is a cloud wolf... they're critically endangered. Where did you find it?"

  "Uh..." Rick paused uncomfortably long. Though he didn't want to lie, telling the truth would definitely piss off Granny Whitney and she might take it out on the Refuge staff. He opted for a vague answer. "I was surveying an area that looked like it had been used to make lucrim drugs in the past. Could that have anything to do with it?"

  "It definitely could... I'm surprised it isn't sicker, if it was feeding off contaminated lucrim. The stories say cloud wolves had some kind of natural purification system, but I never really believed..." Wemilat looked up at him with a strange expression. "But why did it survive so long, then meet you?"

  "Maybe it chose him."

  They all turned sharply to see who had spoken, though Rick recognized the voice was Delsin's before spotting the old man. He stood in the doorway of the office, his face blank and unreadable. Though Rick wanted to reply, as Delsin walked into the room, he carried with him an air of solemn silence. Eventually he bent down beside the wolf and settled his hand on its head.

  "Long ago, cloud wolves were believed to choose their protectors... it is said they became the first dogs. I had always discounted those legends, but..." The old man looked up to stare at Rick. "Whatever its purpose, this means something."

  Rick stared back at him, then shook his head. "Bullshit. Why do you keep trying to trick me with the same old tripe?"

  To his surprise, Delsin didn't respond with a grin. Instead his eyes tightened and his gaze became something both serious and dangerous. From beside the cage, Wemilat stood up and cast Rick an angry glance. "We don't expect you to follow any of our traditions, but we thought you would at least respect them. You've been given a gift and you spit in its face?"

  "Uh, I didn't mean..." Rick desperately looked to Adsila, but even she wasn't smiling.

  "There are limits, Rick." She shook her head slowly. "Poking fun at traditions is one thing, but there are some things that you shouldn't mock..."

  "I..." After nearly being tripped up so many times, Rick had never expected this. He bowed in contrition. "I'm very sorry. I only thought that..."

  He trailed off as Delsin let out a snicker. The old man shot him a triumphant grin, while Adsila gave a little laugh. Even Wemilat lost all sense of tension and just smiled at him good-naturedly. Rick sighed and let them finish laughing at his expense before he tried to speak.

  "Alright, fine. But you're not going to tell me that this is just some normal animal."

  "Oh, it's a real cloud wolf." Delsin poked the cage with his foot and grunted. "I don't personally give a fuck, but some people care a lot about that sort of thing."

  "For good reason!" Wemilat scowled disapprovingly at his uncle and moved to push him away so he couldn't kick the cage anymore. "I wasn't joking about them being critically endangered. It would actually be irresponsible for us to take care of it here, but we can try to nurse it back to health and let it be introduced into a better controlled wildlife reserve."

  Adsila came from around the desk to crouch by the cage. "Come on, do we absolutely have to? Imagine what we could extract from this thing!"

  Wemilat stared at her in horror and put his arms around the cage defensively. "Absolutely not! That's a crime against governmental and ethical laws alike!"

  "At least let me take some fur? Surely it will shed some or you'll need to shave it or something?"

  "Stop drooling over it! This is a noble creature, not a body for you to loot!"

  While the two of them traded barbs, Rick looked back to Delsin. The old man had sat down on one of the couches in the entrance chamber and just seemed mildly amused by the whole thing. Rick went to sit down beside him. "Why do you think I actually ran into it, though?"

  Delsin shrugged. "Either it sensed your surveying technique and came to investigate, or maybe it wanted to eat something you were carrying. That sphere they gave you, for example. Maybe that's tasty to a wolf, how the hell should I know?"

  "Alright, that makes sense. If W
emilat can take the wolf somewhere safe, then I'm done here." Rick glanced outside and saw that it really had gotten late, given the amount of time it took him to transport the cloud wolf. Since he had Delsin here, there was really only one productive thing he could do. "I won't ask for any compensation, aside from what I've asked for from the beginning."

  "Yeah, fine." Delsin glanced over at him with a cool gaze. "I've been thinking and I'm willing to give you a shot. You might have enough of your generation rate free, maybe not. But you definitely need to improve the rating of your foundation. You do both of those things and come back here, then I'll teach you something."

  "Good. Thanks." Rick got up and bowed to him, but the old man just waved him off. After glancing around at the three family members, still bickering over the good find, he headed out the door.

  Though Rick wanted to take an easier method, he made himself bike again, even as it got darker. The cold ride gave him time to think and sort through everything that had happened during the day. It had been a stranger one than usual.

  He wasn't a bleeding heart for animals, but he clearly remembered how noble the wolf had looked when it stared at him. The idea that it could go somewhere safe to be with its own kind was somewhat satisfying. However else his job shook out, that was a decent thing that he'd accomplished.

  When he arrived at home, Rick discovered that Melissa had fallen asleep on top of her papers. He considered moving her to her bed, but decided that if she wanted to sleep on her work that was fine. Instead he just found a pillow and moved it under her head so she looked a bit more comfortable.

  That night he dreamed of walking in the night and staring into silver eyes, but he was fairly certain it was only a meaningless dream.

  ~ ~ ~

  The next day Rick headed out promptly, hoping to wrap up Granny Whitney's task as soon as possible. It didn't take him long to return to the region, but arriving left him a bit disoriented. All the residue was so unusual, it took him a while to get his bearings back. Eventually he felt like he had the pulse of the surveying technique and set out to finish his work.