by Sarah Lin
For a while he'd been tormented about how much to message his sister. He'd been worried that checking in with her constantly would seem condescending, and she would see right through attempts to be too lighthearted. At the same time, he thought that abandoning her to her current mindset was unacceptable. Even if they were half a world apart, he couldn't leave her alone.
So in the idle time when he couldn't train, he had decided that he would put so much effort into one message that his intent would come through. His idea had been that he'd draw a cartoon hamster like the ones she left him sometimes, but drawing turned out to be way harder than he'd expected.
Eventually Rick decided that his potato hamster wasn't going to get any better. He gave it a speech bubble saying "I am the greatest of hamsters!", took a picture, and sent it to Melissa with no explanation. No response, but of course there wouldn't be. Instead he paced around the room, trying to decide if doing another round of training would be harmful or not.
"You need a break." Katenka appeared by the doorway, pale eyes watching compassionately. "The drawing was a good idea, but you need to get your mind away from all your problems."
"I have nothing but problems." Rick realized how bitter he sounded and sighed. "Okay, fine. We can take a walk, but I don't know if it will help."
She smiled and faded through the door, prompting him to follow. Rick headed to the end of the hall and out the fire exit, but simply jumped over the side to land on the street below. Around here, that didn't even attract any attention. He stuck his hands into his pockets and began ambling down the street.
The Showdown Village was unnaturally clean except when it occasionally wasn't: he saw a messy pile of wrappers and beer bottles that had yet to be cleaned up by the staff. No doubt because there were still several Showdown candidates lying among them, sleeping off hangovers.
Some of the fighters in the Showdown seemed to consider this to be their end goal, their reward for all the work they had put in. Many had never fought anyone on par with themselves before, so they faltered when they encountered so many with similar strength. Rick had overheard conversations by some who didn't take Germany seriously as a location, not because it wasn't a world power, but simply because it was a time for them to drink and sleep with each other.
On the other hand, there were many who were like him, or even more focused. They tended to stay on their own and he only caught glimpses of them. Some even had special secure chambers aside from the main lodging area, though H said those cost more and that Rick didn't deserve them yet. In any case, for all that he trained, Rick couldn't feel in any way superior to his fellow candidates.
Thoughts of the village helped him for only a short time before his mood began to deteriorate. Just when all the old thoughts started to take over, Katenka spoke up.
"I've been thinking about your idea for demonic bonds."
"I had an idea for demonic bonds?" Rick asked. She smiled as if it was a joke, but that conversation in Siberia felt a lifetime ago.
"The concept of smaller demons giving out minor loans was interesting, though as I said there were several serious difficulties. Well, the idea stuck in my mind, so I've been giving it thought since then. I don't know if it would work, but I do think I have one clever thought."
"Go ahead, since you so obviously want to."
Katenka smiled and waved a hand, demonic snow floating in front of them to show a chart. "I started with your idea of maximizing sustainability instead of maximizing profit. There are lots of ways to structure a small bond that can't be abused easily. The problem is, they rely on people to plan ahead instead of drawing on the bond in an emergency."
Rick frowned, wondering where she was going, but decided not to interrupt as her snow diagram shifted to include a Lucore design he didn't fully understand.
"So I had a thought: what if we ask them to invest future lucrim? You've said that humans say they'll make better decisions, but actually don't when the time comes. It's the same with demons. But in this model, both sides will absolutely commit to a future investment that will create a small permanent bond. Not a legal commitment, but one forged in actual lucrim."
"And just how is that going to work?"
"By the same technology they use for Advanced Lucrim stations, of course. People use them because they think of 'future lucrim' as not really existing, so they don't think they're giving up future growth. How hard would it be to get them to instead commit that lucrim toward a demonic bond? Normally demons couldn't make a profit off it, but small types? They'd line up to get a chance at a small bond."
"That's nice in theory, but how would... wait." Rick trailed off as he saw her predatory gaze turn on him. "Let me guess: you need someone with direct experiences with Advanced Lucrim stations?"
"If it was that easy, more people would already have copied the technology. But I have direct physical access to someone who had a prototype Lucore implanted in them for a long time... combined with what Siberia has already stolen, I think I could do it."
"That's crazy. I haven't thought about that 'Golden Lucore' in so long... would it actually work?"
"It would require a lot of testing, but I think we could do it together." Katenka's smile faded slightly and she waved a hand through all her diagrams to dissipate them. "A model alone isn't sufficient, however. A bond like this would be considered too experimental and we might get rejected out of hand without approval from someone higher up. Think you can do anything about that with your human contacts?"
"What, like the Global Lucrim Authority?" Rick rolled his eyes. "Sure, I'll just call them right up."
"Are you sure that's so ridiculous? It seems to me that you do have a contact... but that's only one problem. The other I really don't know about: we need someone who has heavily abused both systems. Your lucrima soul is much too stable for me to get certain kinds of data. I need someone who's an utter mess to properly calibrate things."
Though Rick had scorned the idea only moments ago, he now found himself reconsidering. Though he didn't keep in touch with Damian, he knew the man had been accepted into the GLA. Furthermore, he did have a private line to contact him in the event of something interesting, and this was the first time Rick had run into anything interesting.
As for someone who was an utter mess... Rick hadn't thought about his coworker Henry in quite a while, but still had his number. Smiling, Rick messaged them both, then found the nearest park bench to sit down and plan.
"Okay, Katenka, I might have contacts for you. Henry will... probably do anything if we pay him. But Damian will need a really convincing case to stick his neck out even a tiny bit for us. Do you really think we can put together something like this?"
"I think there's no reason not to try." Katenka smiled again and floated down onto the bench beside him, beginning to show him their work.
It might have looked strange anywhere else, but in the Showdown Village, candidates had mental links, spirit companions, and who knew what else. Him sitting on a bench and apparently talking to himself didn't even merit a second glance. Instead he just let himself delve deeper into the problem.
The core issues involved lucrim engineering he couldn't even begin to understand and detailed demonic contract theory, which Katenka had to oversimplify for him. But Rick did know a little about Lucore construction, and he was surprised how relevant his experience long ago proved. That Golden Lucore might not have transformed his life, but perhaps it would change someone else's.
Eventually things started to come together and he began to believe it might actually work. They were months from completing anything, of course, but Katenka was confident the theory was sound. Working with her proved surprisingly enjoyable and he felt a vague retroactive guilt for all his negative thoughts toward demons.
Of course, it might still all come to nothing. Damian hadn't responded and there would be other hurdles. But somehow, his crazy idea seemed closer to reality than he'd ever expected.
Once they were far enough a
long to do actual lucrim work, Katenka reminded him that they shouldn't do it in public. The sun had dropped to the horizon and Rick realized that it was almost time for his last training of the day. He headed back to his quarters, dodging several revelers slumping down the street.
Until one shifted toward him, Raggest waving a sack with little regard for anything around him. "Rick, check this out! Sacred pills forged by the Demonic Legionnaire herself! Alger says I'm not strong enough to handle anything like this, but I'll show him!"
"Just how did you get those?" Rick asked. They didn't feel like anything special to him, but they might not, necessarily. He'd suspect that they were a tourist trap... if it wasn't Raggest.
"I ran into this chick who challenged me to a fight! She was a heavyweight and she kicked my ass, but I impressed her enough that she gave me these!" Raggest swung his sack around to hit Rick in the shoulder. "You missed out, Rick! You've gotta come with me next time!"
"Yeah, maybe I will."
Though Rick smiled and nodded until he got past, in actuality he barely gave Raggest a thought. His mind was absorbed by this idea of this new type of bond and what it could potentially do. He tried not to get ahead of himself, but if it actually worked, it could make a real difference.
When he got back to his room, his thoughts were finally interrupted, but in a good way: Melissa had responded. She sent him a picture of his attempt at drawing inside a mirror, with a cartoon potato looking into the mirror proudly. Rick laughed out loud as he realized that her mind had gone to exactly the same place and he heard Katenka laughing over his shoulder.
His door banged open and he was about to get angry at Raggest... but it was H, his expression as serious as always. Rick's mentor closed the door behind him and spoke in a low voice.
"The immortals have finally made their decision: the fight will take place in two and a half months."
"Two and a half..." Rick considered briefly and nodded. "So that's three locations from now?"
"Correct. The Showdown will move from Germany to Brazil, then the Nokan Empire, then the battle will take place separately. Most likely in the United States, as Josiah is insisting he's traveled too much this year." H folded his arms and fixated on Rick. "There's no time to waste: we'll skip events here and in Brazil. You need to compete with the Nokans, but we'll consider that a test run before the final event. Can you focus on this?"
"Yeah, I will." The answer came automatically, despite everything swirling through Rick's head. H wasn't satisfied, but he accepted it sourly and stormed out.
Two and a half months. Given everything he was trying to balance, they would be over before he knew it. Rick locked his door, then sat down and got to work.
Chapter 39: Besting Evolution
After more than half a year in the Showdown, Rick had adjusted to the cycle of spending each month in a different location. It didn't coincide with the beginning of the calendar month, and occasionally there were differences of a day or two, but he knew what to expect. The rhythm of preparation, participation, and recovery had gotten deep into him.
So when H announced that they were leaving Germany over a week early, Rick was surprised. He was even more surprised when they entered the helicopter only to find a woman waiting for them. His first instinct was that it was an ambush, but H strolled past her with barely a nod.
"Rick, this is Abril. She'll be getting you physically ready for the competition."
"I work in Brazil, so I'll be hitching a ride along with you." Abril gave him a polite smile. The helicopter lifted into the air next, briefly deafening before the noise canceling field took effect. While they lifted off, Rick tried to look at her without making it obvious what he was doing.
He thought Abril was about his age at first, but realized that she was probably several years older, just exceptionally healthy. Her brown skin positively glowed in a way that he wasn't sure was quite natural, though it wasn't aura. She wore her dark hair in an ear-length bob, which combined with the loose pants and shirt to give a casual look.
When the sound of the helicopter cut out, she gave him another smile. "So, Rick, I understand that you're interested in body modification."
"I am?" Rick glanced toward the cockpit, but H had yet to emerge. Abril paused for a moment, then shook her head.
"Just like him, not to explain anything. I suppose I might as well, while we travel." She spread her hands, bracelets he hadn't noticed before jangling. "I am a body enhancement expert, specializing in combat modifications. Yes, the same field is a step toward immortality, but that goes much further. I assume that Horatio merely wants you to better prepare you for Showdown combat."
"So, what, you're going to implant ether into me?" Rick had a sense that was a thing, just far too expensive for him, but to his surprise Abril shook her head.
"We'll use ether, but implantation isn't really my specialty. Also far more expensive, and requiring complex Lucores. No, what I generally do is actually change your DNA to improve you as a fighter."
Rick frowned, immediately suspicious. He had relatives who had wasted money on bullshit like that. "I don't know if I want to mess with my DNA. I figure that evolution does a pretty good job making people and I don't think I know better than it."
"A common misunderstanding." Abril tapped the side of her face with one carefully manicured finger, then spoke smoothly, as if she'd had this conversation many times before. "Tell me, what does evolution actually select for?"
"Uh, like a scientific answer? I don't know... making animals stronger, or faster, or generally better suited to their environment."
"Not quite. Evolution favors species that are better able to spread their genes, full stop. If making an animal stronger helps with that, then you might see it happen, but evolution doesn't care about strength. It also doesn't care how long you live beyond reproduction age, or if it does, it might want you to stop living after breeding. Evolution doesn't care about any of the things we do as individuals."
That was a new way to think about it. Rick sat back and tried to think it through, wondering just how unqualified he was to deal with this. She could claim a lot of things and he wouldn't know if she was telling the truth. What she said seemed to make logical sense, however.
"Sorry if this is throwing too much at you," Abril said. "Do you have any questions?"
"Oh, I have a lot. But I guess I'm mostly wondering what is actually going to be done to me."
"Making you less pathetic." The cockpit door slammed open as H entered the main chamber. "Don't expect me to pay for fixing your back problems or curing any congenital diseases. But improving your body enough to fight a little better is possible. We're doing blood and skin."
"Blood and skin?" Rick frowned at his mentor. "I assumed it would be changing something about how my body uses lucrim."
Abril shook her head. "Only a small part of that process is biological. It can be improved, but that's an extremely expensive process for minor gains. On the other hand, we can improve your skin to better conduct aura, which would make your Lucores work a little more efficiently. Blood doesn't carry lucrim, but we can still significantly improve its functioning."
"If these changes are possible, why don't humans already have them?"
"Because they're expensive in a biological sense. Think about growing horns: larger ones might be useful in some ways, but they also require more nutrition. Evolution doesn't select for the biggest horns, only the most balanced. But since we've developed DNA-modifying Lucores, we can optimize for the things we care about."
H sat down beside them and folded his arms. "Enough theory. You need to choose where you're going with this. Better blood will help anything, and improved skin is suited to your defensive style. But if you intend to compete in the senior Showdown, you need to decide on a highly specialized form."
Though Rick had found himself trusting Abril, this activated his suspicions again. "What do you mean by specialized?"
"Exactly what the word means. Take the au
ra javelin throwers: you think they just throw aura like that naturally? No, they've modified everything about themselves to improve that technique. Generally the real elites at some point liquefy their entire lucrim portfolios and rebuild them to synergize perfectly with their new bodies. For you, that will mean dedicating everything to power the Triune Golden Spheres."
"That feels like it's going too far. Why not just change things so I'm in peak physical condition?"
To his surprise, H sneered. "That's utter nonsense. Think about the best athletes: does the same person win the Olympics in both running and weight-lifting? Of course not. Generally they can't even compete in both sprinting and distance running. Someone who tries to have everything will be beaten in each event, because they'll always be inferior to someone who optimized for one result."
Rick couldn't deny the logic, though his mind certainly tried. "I thought I was competing as more of a generalist. I don't like the idea of completely giving up Lucores that don't support a single goal."
It looked like H was about to lecture him, but Abril spoke up first. "Is there really any need to argue over this? You wouldn't be making such decisions now, and certainly not with me. Let's start with a few modifications that will be helpful no matter what, okay?"
"Fine." H crossed his arms tighter, muscles flexing. "But when the time comes, Rick, I don't want to hear any childish talk. I'm already doubting your commitment to this. Don't think that we'll give you everything in exchange for your second best."
There was nothing he could say to that, so Rick only nodded. The rest of the helicopter ride was in stony silence, H glaring at the air as if he could personally choke out any attempt at conversation. Rick went through his usual exercises and Abril pulled out a book, which she read contentedly. If she was this accustomed to H, Rick wanted to learn how much she knew about him.
When they arrived, as usual, there was no time to explore. Rick caught a glimpse of beaches and forests, but they sped onward to a city, as usual. It went slowly, but he was surprised how grimy the skies were. He'd heard about the pollution problems, but seeing it for himself was something else.