Chapter 226
Nick had yet to give me an answer. Hed walked across the sandbar back towards the bluffs in a hurry, and was going over the stony wall with a fine-tooth comb, eyes furrowed as he ran his hands over any irregularity.
What are we doing? I asked.
Nick accidentally pulled a piece of craggy stone free and casually tossed it aside. You said itd be a net-zero.
If we both accepted Hasturs deal? I hurried to keep pace with him as he shuffled along the stone base, wildly looking back and forth.
Right. You become the man who feels too much, I become the rational unfeeling bastard. Nick glanced at me. Sorry.
I shrugged. Doesnt matter. Still not following you.
Thing is. Nick pried another piece of rock free with a grunt and tossed it aside. Its not actually a net-zero. Think about it. Even if I suddenly had your mindset, Id lack your experience, your history. Itd be like giving someone a gun with no safety.
It finally hit me. And Id be learning to manage a shitton of interference. Youre right. Its not net-zero. Its suboptimal.
Apparently not finding what he was looking for, Nick started knocking on the bluffs. Uh-huh. And youre the problem solver, so you tell me. Why would a being with god-tier foresightespecially one obsessed with creating a perfect futuremake a gambit with a suboptimal outcome?
Maybe he only needs one of us. I tried. Or this is his way of making sure were beholden to him.
Nick shook his head. What do we know about Hastur?
Hes an asshole.
Okay, yes, but I meant what does he want?
Supposedly? Peace. I frowned and went down the list. To end the transposition. And hes unhappy with the state of the order to the point hes willing to spill loyal bloodHoly shit. My jaw dropped. He should have foreseen the conflict between Sunny and Aaron. So hes not actually omniscient. Or at least, his ability to see the future is far more compromised than hes led us to believe.
Were off to see the wizard, toto. Nick reached inside a crevice, then grunted and withdrew his hand, still frantically moving down the face of the bluffs. Hasturs throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks. But its not all parlor tricks. He has power, actual power. Question is, how much?
I remembered, in a moment of discomfort, exactly how appealing the future Hastur described to me had been. How there was a part of me that still longed for it. Then how quickly his power and lucidity had drained away. Hes insightful enough that it has to be significant. But its not perfect. More like he has an idea of what one persons future will be, and how to change it, but cant guarantee that any action he takes will bring about his ideal ends. He has to make a change, then look into the future and see how it all pans out.
Wanna guess how many people he talks to? Nick glanced at me, raising an eyebrow.
Few. One in five? I guessed.
Closer to one in twenty. Nick said. So its not just bullshit. He needs us for something. If I He stopped suddenly, some of his energy draining away, looking vaguely nauseous. Then seemed to gather his courage and started again. If you didnt get to me before I... went through with it. With Keith. How would that have affected you?
Not well. I admitted. Bare minimum, Id put off revealing my identity. Thered be a lot of lost trust, and an upswing in self-doubt. Ive already been questioning whether I can play the Ordinator role without going off the deep end, and if I saw you go off the deep end Id be much more likely to take Hastur up on his offer.
Exactly. Nick said.
But thats only one potential future. The pieces fell into place. He had to know that he was putting us on a collision course. And if so, then
He knew damn well that this could happen, Nick finished. And Im betting, he accounted for it.
Just give me a second.
My eyebrows furrowed. Audreys mind felt more sluggish than usual. She wasnt dying, but I had probably submerged her for too long. When I asked if she wanted me to release and re-summon her, I got a dramatic response as scattered, shotgunned feelings that culminated in a vehement negative.
Okay, then come to the sandbar.
Audrey didnt answer. Twenty feet off-shore, there was an explosion of white bubbles.
What Nick started. But before he could finish, dark gray flesh breached the surface, water cascading down it on both sides. the actual fuck.
I reached for my crossbow even as a stream of mist sprayed up into the air. It took a second to register the familiarity of something Id only seen in YouTube videos and ocean documentaries.
Its a blowhole.
Nick unsheathed his sword just as a soaked, miserable looking plant broke the surface, her vines looped around the creature's sides forming half-reins, half-saddle. I caught his arm, signaling for him to wait as I held the crossbow at my side.
Audrey? You uh, catch something?
My summon released her hold, and with nothing to keep her balanced, slid down the whales rubbery flesh and slapped into the shallow water. I waited long enough to observe the creatures behavior. It seemed more or less passive, though no less imposing in terms of sheer mass. Once I was mostly sure Audreys impromptu mount would not turn around and eat me, I waded in and fished her out of the water, never taking my eyes from the creature as I carried her up to the shore.
How the helld you pull that off? I muttered, more than a little impressed.
Made new friend. Audrey coughedejecting a ridiculous amount of water back into the ocean as we waded back to Nick.
Again. How? I reiterated.
Simple mind Easy to subjugate. Audrey said.
I was so shocked I nearly dropped her. When shed said shed made a new friend, she wasnt being coy. She was being literal. A unique aspect of my summoner class was that my summons sometimes shared my abilities, and it seemed like Audrey had won the lottery in that regard. Before I could make a comment, Audrey wrapped a vine around my back, using me as leverage to raise herself high enough to look over my shoulder. Stay close. Eat tiny fish. Be happy. She barked at the whale with a surprising amount of authority.
A tail bigger than my entire body raised and slapped down on the water in response, sending up a geyser.
Despite myself, I chuckled. Always full of surprises.
Nick was waiting for us at the edge of the sandbar, eyebrows raised high enough that it looked like they were trying to jump off his head. Uh. I keep cycling through one-liners but I think Im actually at a loss for words.
I snorted. My plant summon mentally wrangled a mammal that outweighs her by a hundred tons or so and bent it to her will. Just business as usual.
Uh-huh.
No bending. Audrey protested. He was scared. I made him less scared.
There were a thousand questions I wanted to ask her. But only one that really mattered.
Once we reached the sandbar I praised her first, patting her head and pulling a raw cut of beef from the icebox in my inventory. She scarfed it down and looked somewhat restored.
Now. I crouched in front of her, waiting until I had her full attention. What was the whale scared of?
