Void's Psionics (35 page)

“
Fall back.” Oliver ordered
and he never once took his eyes off the large creatures. Stone and
Steven did likewise.

Passing a certain point the biggest one in
the back made a much louder roar and the others went silent. They
sat down still as statues, but their bright blue eyes stared
unflinching. Oliver never once looked way as he said kindly “I will
be thankful to any help you can offer, but what did you call them
again?”

“
Zeramndillieq villip or as
the humans may refer to native fauna species as a Liger. A feline
species with the trainable mentality of their canine, but vastly
more intelligent. This Pride is the last we know of and we cannot
move them. They will kill themselves and any others to do their
master’s duty. To take them from this world and city will kill them
as surely as if I slew them myself. And their duty has been to
watch over and kill any who dares to cross into the city and leave
only to sate their hunger.”

“
Makes sense now that we
haven’t seen any Tarantula carcasses lately. I’d bet my left nut
they eat every part of their prey.”

“
Your wager would be
correct. They leave nothing behind and give their waste to the
forest to grow.”
The Archiver returned to
the task.
“These remaining twelve are the
last of the Queen Fru’s Pride. They have lost nine others from
accidents and they do not breed without the approval of a master.
Hence our request you make them your Pride, Oliver Void. You have
the skills necessary to bind them to your will and allow them to
live again. If I must beg, I shall. Do not…”

“
I’m not heartless. They
have been alone and forgotten all this time yet still they stay and
work.” Oliver took a breath and turned his head to stare into smoky
blue eyes and was one of the rare moments he had to look up to
someone. “I know how it feels to be left behind without answers
too… they must be sad without her.”

“
Do not touch their mind or
it will provoke an attack and they will come. Only their master is
allowed, but I can tell you I have done it and what sadness they
can feel is great. But they only see Solarians as their master
unless the master gives their young as a gift. Many of our greatest
warriors have tried to sway them, but it is impossible. Your Match
is too weak to survive so you must undertake this task
alone.”

“
What must I do?”

“
It is called the ritual of
Vasiqk. Fighting the Pride is suicide as you’ve witnessed their
unparalleled speed and strength. No fauna in existence is their
superior in physical combat. The armor you see is like what you
wear and it makes them even more deadly. They were bred for such
perfection and are inherently immortal, such as yourself. They were
bred to defend if ever a Cerberus came too close and are well
equipped to fight even without the armor.”

“
I take it fighting is out
of the question.” Oliver said dryly.

“
Indeed. To force that old
Pride to give you their loyalty you must endure the greatest pain
imaginable and make not a sound. You must go naked and unarmed
right up to the Pride leader without the scent of fear. If you
smell of fear he will eat you, but should you stand before him, he
will bite down over your shoulder and mentally stab at the pain
receptors to feel your pain as his own. If you survive and don’t
make a sound, he will submit and the entire loyalty of the Pride
will shift to you. So you know, that male is one of the largest
I’ve ever seen before. He will be difficult. He has been trained to
endure pain only Queens are trained to endure. Let him inside your
mind and do not resist. It would be a challenge deserving of death
he will not hesitate to act on.”

“
One snag you left out. The
air is toxic. He can’t go naked.” Renee said, her heart hammering
at hearing all this. She feared greatly, knowing Oliver already
made up his mind by the setting of his shoulders.

“
To human physiology, yes.
To Solarians, no. He will choke and cough some, but his biology
will adapt, just as yours will.”

“
I don’t like this.” Stone
said too late as Oliver removed his mask and doubled over as the
first breath burned down into his lungs like acid. Renee was at his
side in an instant, her concern greater than before as his bronze
skin turned red as he coughed for breath.

But before she could go over and punch the
Archiver, Oliver’s gagging coughs slowly relaxed and his coloring
settled. “Give me a few minutes.” He leaned back to sit down. Not
one to let her man suffer alone, Renee remover her mask and fought
the sudden influx of toxic air, but slowly the pain receded to the
point breathing was a little labored, but bearable.

“
Brother, these Creelin are
quite literally sending you into a lion’s den. Forget twelve of
these so called Ligers and…”

“
You know I can’t, Stone.”
Oliver said kindly. Knowing his friend was merely concerned and
well founded. “They are part of my heritage and I can’t bring
myself to kill them regardless if
they
get in my way.” He gestured to
the three Creelin still standing around. “If pain lets me take them
out of here, I’ll bear it. Besides, imperial laws are against
slaughter of endangered species, especially numbering twelve. Thank
you, but…”

“
I understand, Brother. I’m
just going to let you know that if things go south I’m going to
kill them.”

“
No, I will… because I know
I’ll die anyway if my Match does. You guys get out and make sure to
report this place.” Renee said and turned to frame both sides of
Oliver’s face. “Do your best, Idiot.” And gave him a deep kiss,
hiding tears to seem strong. “Don’t die before I kill you myself.
Got that?”

“
Love you too.” He stood up,
laid his weapons and bag of transmitters down and completely
absorbed his armor back into the vambrace on the right
arm.

Deciding on a course of action, Oliver looked
off the road and moved to a flowing stream that was ice cold.
Chilly temperature made it feel as if something kicked him in the
chest, but he did a quick bath to remove four days worth of body
odor. When Oliver sniffed his arms it was going to be as good as he
got, being watched by a single pair Liger eyes while the rest
hardly blinked to the rest of the group.

Leaving the water completely naked, cold and
shivering did though settle the emotions. Doing a mental exercise
Callier taught, he began to shed every emotion away till nothing
was left. No fear, happiness, nothing. Just leaving a sense of
determination to succeed.

His approach antagonized the Pride into
roaring warnings, but he didn’t pause. Primal fear didn’t take
hold. Merely washed away like warm water. It only got louder and
still he came forward completely naked and mentally open.

At the line, they stopped warning so one
swiped at him and Renee shrieked.

The paw’s extended claws simply didn’t
connect. He kept walking. Two snapped loudly centimeters from his
face and arm, but also didn’t connect. Roars, feints and displays
were meant to frighten, but he paid them no mind and they never
touched him.

Until he came to a stop in front of the Pride
leader, the great alpha male. The Pride’s king. It yowled deep and
threatening, displaying long, deadly fangs to show his dislike at
this when he was already hungry, but stopped and came forward to
sniff. He had that much control over basic needs. When it leaned
back the extra frightening armor began to ripple towards the neck
and withdrew into a collar the same color as his icy eyes.

Left behind was a glorious white Liger
standing near face to face with Oliver. The anger in his expression
would make anyone cower even without the sound that shook the air
much like Jake Dorgen’s gravelly voice. Thin black stripes pattered
down it’s lithe and muscular length. A mane of platinum hair with
just the very tips being black encircled a thick, muscular neck
while deep blue seething eyes like a mountainous glacier seemed to
bore into Oliver as if saying ‘Last chance. This pain will be far
worse than being eaten.’

Oliver stared back defiantly.

It happened in an instant
and Archiver Branbbit had understated the amount of pain involved.
Understating
gravely
. Pain that made one want to die to end it all. To end the
suffering. Having four teeth twice as thick as a man’s thumbs and
twenty eight centimeters long were a scrape compared to the mental
stab that came from the Liger. It was so great, screaming didn’t
have a chance to vent out what would happen. The teeth could have
crushed his entire upper torso, but it just held him still. Length
of the fangs piercing the bare chest nearly came out the other
sides. The pain was enough to make the mind want to shut down to
protect itself. The Liger intended just that as collapsing was
tantamount of giving up and becoming prey.

The thing was, the Liger also felt the pain
and it was a test of wills to see who could hold on the longest. To
make it harder, the Liger had been long ago trained to eat his own
leg off to get free of a trap and still do his duty immediately
after. To be burned, whipped, cut, stabbed and trained to never
surrender except to one individual who would understand pain and be
worthy to take on responsibility for their needs.

Only sheer willpower kept Oliver looking
straight down the feline’s muscular length to distract some and as
a focal point to not pass out even as spots danced in his vision in
greater numbers and depth. The mental stabs were like cherry red
hot spikes being driven repeatedly inside his skull.

It wasn’t as bad as losing Renee and he held
onto that memory to endure. That hollow pain was all that could
match the searing jabs rapidly being delivered at the speed of
thought.

Seeming days, months and agonizing years
passed within the mind, but in fact was merely a dozen or so
physical hours.

During the hours of waiting Renee already
dislocated a finger punching Steven’s helmet covered face and sent
him sprawling for some comment she forgot about as her emotions
were too high as was anxiety. She paced like the felines had, no
one able to calm her down. It was so difficult for her no one dared
say anything else or risk her hair raised wrath and burning green
eyes. Her jaw throbbed from clenching, her gaze locked onto
Oliver’s form being bitten completely over the whole left shoulder
and most of the upper torso. She was too far gone with worry to
think clearly with her life-mate in so much danger, but any time
she paced too close the other white creatures they yowled or
grunted and she scurried back a little. Even Sparky withheld
personal comments.

As painful as it began, the attack ceased and
following it was not exactly a voice. The king of the Pride could
take no more after thirteen long hours. More a sense of loyalty and
regret for the pain that had been given came from the feline.

Showing the upmost care, the beautiful Liger
unlocked his jaws and fangs gently slid out.

From him followed other gentler emotions of
respect as the Pride leader had found one truly worthy to be the
new master. As a show of loyal submission, a wide tongue lapped
trickled and older dry blood from the great and deep puncture
wounds. Thankfully the bite was done in a way that nothing vital
internally hemorrhaged. Nanites were already clotting the gaping
areas, but from behind another Liger without armor licked gently up
his throbbing back that shook involuntarily.

His whole body shook from the experience and
standing completely still the entire time.

A shuddering breath left Oliver and the large
male sensed his weariness and about to collapse to grunt and a
third great head came up to lift his right arm up to hold him
erect. An offer of support.

An influx of sensations from the twelve
gently eased the raw searing of his frayed mind and the dancing
spots were gradually shrinking. Oliver had never been through
anything so draining where all he wanted to do was curl up in a
ball and pass into oblivion. It was so bad he couldn’t think
straight for several minutes as they tried to help. There were
three large males in comparison to the barely noticeable nine
females without manes and from them he felt their willingness to
please him much like Oliver had read about dogs. They were eager to
work too. They had slept and done the same thing for so long they
longed for something new to do. Sights to see like the mistress
they had not felt since before she had tasked the Pride to keep
their territory safe. The females especially longed for cubs to
their mates now that they had someone to ask.

It was a tremendous amount to take in, but
not at all difficult to work with and comprehend. What was odd is
they felt like an extension of himself. It was proven as widening
the link allowed Oliver to easily see through the big one’s eyes
the best, but the others weren’t hard. With his mind, he saw from
thirteen different views and wasn’t confused. What’s more, they
were happy he saw through and with them. It proved he was of the
people he were born to serve. Oliver’s ability to take in rapid
quantities of information merely extended to them, but was
effortless compared to seeing through another’s eyes without
delving too deep. It was mesmerizing how connected they all were
now. And he could hear through them too. Their acute senses were
his at will and was returned so they could know where he was at any
time.

He knew right away they wanted praise for
working so hard and long all alone. “You guys did a good job. I’ve
got you now and won’t let you be all alone ever again.” He began to
roughly pet them how they liked and found their fur was silky soft
and warm.