Vibrations from the cracked and abandoned highway were strangely comforting. For too long the simple pleasure of driving a vehicle on a long trip had slipped from Kit’s fondest memories. Firs, Birch, and Oak trees passed quietly in dense forests along the battered highway. Tires jostled and jumped from the lack of highway upkeep and earth shifting from The Nova.
Thankfully Kit’s Jeep was outfitted with good suspension for this very problem. Up-armored and the engine overhauled, his Jeep was ready to crash into a battle zone if it had to. Where he was going, he had to be ready for anything. Eyeing the small polished carnelian hanging from his old AUG bullpup rifle, it reminded him of a stone made entirely from orange soda.
It always made him smile even at the harshest of times. The stone clanked on his weapon as it swung back and forth with the jostling jeep. Clear skies gave way to a strange blood orange hue despite being the middle of the day. Ley-energy had permeated the atmosphere and hung ripe and ready for anything to take advantage of.
This seemed like a good thing until it was quickly realized that humans weren’t the only ones taking advantage of it. Hell, it was bad enough that humans were able to take advantage of it. Regardless, Kit needed to reclaim lost territory. This time he didn’t just need some bear spray and a good sidearm. He needed to be fully loaded.
Scratching through his sun bleached hair, he stretched his free arm while holding the wheel with the other. A yawn escaped him and he did his best to regain his focus. Anything could happen out here and it was too easy to become complacent. Still, more often than not there really was nothing going on.
Pistons coughed and his Jeep turned off and became unresponsive. Thankfully the brakes still worked. With both hands on the wheel he took a deep breath and slowed the vehicle down. As he pulled over he ran a checklist of what could be wrong and he didn’t like the most likely answer.
Grabbing his AUG and his backpack, he checked the rounds inside the weapon and charged it to be ready for anything. Checking his backup mags on his combat harness, he had four backup mags on his person and three in his backpack. Seven spares in the crate in the back of the jeep.
Snapping his ear protection over his ears, he checked his watch. Sure enough, it was dead. It also killed his Safariland ear protection's ability to amplify sound. At least it could still dampen it. Something had used an electro-magnetic pulse to kill his electronics.
What that could be, he couldn’t say. Taking a deep breath he exited the vehicle at the ready. Scanning the forest directly behind him, he searched for any human outlines.
Stepping carefully, he focused his ears and nose for foreign sounds and smells.
Something was watching him. He could feel it. Some things. An ear piercing screech came from the skies, and what he assumed was a murder of crows began to dive bomb furiously at the vehicle. Kit knew better than to be in the open and dashed for the tree line. Within seconds the first of a dozen crows swiped at the vehicle, talons tearing aluminum and denting steel.
Kit had to think of the best way to handle this. Opening fire with a rifle would stir their ire and cause them to focus on him. At the same time, he can’t walk another thirty miles to his designated forward camp. He knew he had to handle this fast or they will find a way to destroy his jeep and everything in it.
Trying to follow a bird he sighted his rifle and guessed at how accurate he could be with them going so fast. He knew he couldn’t be accurate with a single shot. So, he had to improvise. Unclipping the carnelian from his rifle, he kissed it.
“Don’t fail me now old friend.” whispered Kit fondly.
Imbuing it with Ley-Energy, he threw it as hard as he could and landed it directly on top of the jeep. As soon as it landed arcs of pure lightning began to arc out from the stone. Crows were zapped and nearly fried as they tried to swoop, piercing shocks arcing directly to their chests. Screeching in pain they flew off haphazardly, one by one.
Kit waited patiently behind a thin pine tree until the arcs from his stone and caws from the assailants faded. With a sigh of relief, he knew they weren’t coming back. However, he still had one huge problem on his hands: He needed to not only fix the roof of his jeep, he needed to fix the electronics systems. He now also needed to figure out how to fix his watch and ear pro.
Grunting in frustration he tried to remember he at least escaped without any damage done to his person. Somehow it didn’t make him feel any better. At least there’s a few energy drinks in the back of the Jeep he can sip on while he works.
Scanning the skies above one last time, he stepped carefully out into the road. One threat was deterred. Who knew how many other potential threats were nearby. Approaching his car he heard clacking of taloned feet on the pavement. Readying his rifle, he slowly stepped around the vehicle to find an alarmingly large black bird twitching as it slowly hopped in circles on the pavement. It must have been the size of his old Australian shepherd dog standing up.
Kit didn’t know much about birds, let alone ley-touched animals, to know what this poor bird was dealing with. He wasn’t even sure if it was a crow or a raven. All he knew is it was likely part of the pack that attacked his Jeep and he wasn’t too keen on letting a potential threat become one again.
“What are you?” he blurted out.
[//> Err]
A strange icon appeared and hovered over the bird’s head. Floating text akin to an ID tag in a heads up display in military grade augmented reality goggles. But his ballistic glasses weren’t electronic at all. Taking them off, the icon remained over the bird’s head.
Kit blinked his eyes a few times to verify he wasn’t hallucinating. Flipping the safety on his rifle, he slung it behind his back. Readying his sidearm in his right hand, he slowly approached the bird. It continued to hop around aimlessly on the ground.
How could he snap this poor bird out of it’s stupor? Loud noises weren’t a good idea. Poking it didn’t seem like a good idea. Glancing at his Jeep he grabbed his road canteen and and filled the cap, throwing water at the raven’s head. It simply rolled off the bird’s feathers. Next option? Poking it. Whether it’s a good idea or not.
Slowly pushing the bird with his boot, Kit very gently nudged it and it fell over. The icon over it’s head disappeared as it lay motionless on the cracked pavement.
”Ah shit I killed it. I’m sorry big guy.” blurted out Kit, his heart sinking.
Killing was a necessary part of life, but he didn’t particularly enjoy it. For all the time he spent playing games where killing was the main goal, killing in reality hit him different.
As his arms dropped he steeled his mind to the idea. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. Holstering his sidearm he moved on to inspecting his jeep more closely.
Thankfully the birds only did cosmetic damage to the top. Maybe let a little rain in, but that’s the worst of it. Popping the hood he inspected the guts of the vehicle. Thankfully none appeared to take any damage. A few black marks from where the carnelian likely arced under the hood, but nothing that damaged components.
Next he found his tool bag in the back and pulled out a small device for diagnosing the vehicle. Plugging it in, the device itself didn’t turn on.
“Of course. Why would I think this works if the jeep doesn’t. Son of a-” cursed Kit.
As he cursed he began hearing raven claws clacking on the pavement behind him. Looking back he saw the black bird standing and looking directly at him. This time the tag over the bird changed.
[Saga]
Drawing his sidearm he attempted to aim at the bird. Before he could get a bead on it, it took to the sky and circled around him a dozen feet up.
[Saga>]: Is that any way to greet a friend?
A small chat box appeared in the lower left of his vision. Taking his glasses off again he blinked a few times. It followed his vision, and though he could read it and understand it clearly, it didn’t take up much of his view.
Kit had to think for a moment. Normally he was quick on his feet but this was just… weird. If it were attacking him he could react with no thought. But it talking to him? That broke his tactical brain for a moment.
“Are you… Hold please.” said Kit.
He realized mid sentence he could piece together Saga floating above the bird’s head and a message labeled from Saga. The bird was talking to him. Why, he couldn’t say.
Gliding down from the sky, the large black bird landed on top of Kit’s Jeep. It cocked it’s head and blinked at him.
“How are you?” it said out loud in a raspy voice.
Kit looked at Saga and cocked an eyebrow.
“You can actually talk too?” exclaimed Kit.
[Saga>]: Not as well as I can here, but yes. Actually I can’t say much other than that one phrase. It's more about manipulating my version of a voice box than the understanding of language.
Kit wasn't sure what to say.
"Ah, but can you see why kids love the taste of Cinnamon Toast crunch?"
The bird cocked it's head and cawed in confusion.
[Saga>]: What now?
"Nevermind, old commercial." grunted Kit, chuckling to himself.
Crouching down, Kit took a closer look at Saga. He could see a slight colorful sheen reflecting off the feathers, striking him in a way he'd never felt before. Saga spun slowly around, flicking it's tail as it did.
[Saga>]: I see you appreciating this. Wanna see what it really looks like?
Kit's eyes shifted, and his entire landscape changed colors. Thankfully the concrete beneath him didn't change much, but the feathers changed from a slick black, to vibrant blues, greens, and purples. Saga continued to hop around, spreading it's wings and showing off it's colors. Kit was in sheer awe of the beauty.
“Maybe you can see why they like it…”
[Saga>]: Ravens have tetrachromatic vision, meaning we see in the ultraviolet spectrum. Thanks to the Ley-Lines, I can gift you a minor glimpse into that view. Amazing isn't it?
"I cannot argue that..." mumbled Kit.
As colors turned to normal, Kit watched Saga hop around the top of his vehicle. Looking down the other side, it seemed to be fixated on something on the ground.
"So if you can do that, can you help me fix my electronic stuff your friends fried?" asked Kit bluntly.
[Saga>]: Actually, yes, I can. What's broken?
"More like what isn't broken. The computer in the Jeep is fried, my ear muffs, my watch, the car diagnostic tool, I've got a laptop in there-"
[Saga>]: Alright, alright I get it. Let's fix the vehicle then we can do the rest while we move.
"We? Where did we come from?" mused Kit.
He knew he needed to make more allies. Every single risk he took was greater when he was alone and he knew it. But a raven that could manipulate his body with Ley-Energy? Was that even a good idea?
Saga's head drooped as it looked at Kit. It seemed sad at the idea Kit didn't want to take him along.
[Saga>]: Yeah, we. Come on, you can’t tell me you aren’t even a little bit curious what it’s like to have a raven companion?
"I can say honestly it’s never even so much as crossed my mind buddy."
[Saga>]: Hey, I'm not your buddy guy.
"I'm not your guy, friend." Kit reluctantly played along.
[Saga>]: I'm not your friend, buddy.
“I'm not your buddy guy."
Kit couldn't help but appreciate the bit. He grew up on snarky comments and razzing people. It wasn't in his nature to back out of a comedic bit.
Saga apparently appreciated it too, bouncing it's head and stepping back and forth in excitement. Kit didn't know any better, but he could swear Saga was laughing.
[Saga>]: See? We get along fine. Why wouldn't we stick together? I do want to make sure you know before hand though that my raven friends and I have, in the past, been convicted of murder.
Kit audibly grunted at the pun. A bird was making puns at him now. What could the rest of the day bring if this is where he was at?
[Saga>]: Fine, fine. Serious talk. Are aware of the fact you are Ley-Touched?
Kit's eyes grew wide. He'd never considered that possibility before. It made sense though. Before leaving New Saint Paul he excelled at imbuing quartz with Ley-Energy. Everyone could do it to some extent, but he had a knack for it.
[Saga>]: I'll take that as a no. I will admit, I wasn't looking for a human to saddle my wagon to. In fact, I've been avoiding humans altogether. My murder attacked you specifically because we could feel your aura and agreed Ley-Touched humans should not be allowed to roam the wilds.
"Is that why you shitheads attacked my Jeep?" blurted out Kit, angry now.
[Saga>]: Absolutely. And before you judge us, ask yourself how you feel about humans walking around Ley-Touched. Wouldn't you be at the very least mistrusting of a human wielding that much power?
Kit couldn't argue that logic. He believed there were good people still, but whether humans should all be walking around with that power was a different problem entirely.
"Yeah, I guess. That's a complicated issue. I can't say I'd shoot someone just because I knew they were Ley-Touched and I didn't know whether they were good or bad though. That's not how morality works."
Saga cocked it's head for a moment.
[Saga>]: That attitude is exactly why I want to come with you. Despite us attacking you, you chose a non-lethal option. This means you value life and don't take it lightly, and that's not something we typically see from humans.
"I chose that option because trying to kill you wouldn't have worked. I considered shooting but it wasn't going to do me any good. Though I won't pretend I wasn't happy about not having to kill." offered Kit.
Talking was getting on his nerves. They were spending too much time in the open and no way to get mobile if things get weird. Saga cocked it's head and hunched, lost in thought.
"Look, I'm fine with you coming with for now if you can somehow get my Jeep rolling. Which we need to do now." demanded Kit, returning to the hood.
Saga jumped and flew, gliding around in a circle to land on the engine. It hopped around in pain as the engine burned it's feet.
"I was driving for almost four hours before you hit me. That's gonna be hot." chuckled Kit.
[Saga>]: Thanks for the warning? Where's the computer on this thing.
Kit had to think for a moment. He knew just enough to get some basic things going again, but he was far from a mechanic. Remembering there is a connector to the onboard computer on the driver's side, he went and opened the door.
"Somewhere under there. No idea how I'm going to get to it, or if I can even fix it."
[Saga>:] If you can get me somehow connected to the computer, even through a cable, I can re-establish it's ability to conduct a charge assuming it didn't physically destroy something. That will work in the case of what we did to it considering we grounded it rather than overloaded it like a traditional E M P.
Staring at the black bird quietly sitting on the car seat and cocking it's head, he contemplated how this bird could even be so knowledgeable. How does it even know what an electro-magnetic pulse is?
"Ok I gotta ask. How do you know this? I know corvids are intelligent but understanding electronics and currents are a whole different level."
Saga hopped with joy on the seat.
[Saga>]: I love when people ask this! Too bad I can't quite divulge that yet. What I can do for you however is offer you this: The ley-lines are a bigger part of reality than you could ever imagine.
Sighing in disappointment, Kit rolled his eyes and focused on the vehicle. Now was not the time to contemplate the cosmic implications of the Ley-Lines. Pulling out his diagnostic tool, he connected it to the cable that connected to the onboard computer. Placing it on the seat next to Saga, Kit tried to turn it on again and failed.
[Saga>]: One moment please.
Hopping up to the device and placing it's beak on it, it cawed lightly, with red energy wisping out of it's beak like breath on a cold day. The cloud dissipated over the device and the display slowly flickered on. Moments later the Jeep radio and lights flickered on for a moment then immediately turned off.
[Saga>]: Done. Give it a try.
Grabbing the device, Kit turned it on and ran a diagnostic. As far as the machine was concerned, nothing had happened. No errors, no nothing. Turning the key the Jeep turned on without so much as a hiccup.
"Color me impressed. I guess having you around wouldn't be so bad if you can fix things I can't." muttered Kit.
He wasn't exactly excited about having company. He'd left New Saint Paul for a reason, and it was largely the people. A raven wasn't people though, technically.
"Well, at least we can get moving again. Are you riding with me as I drive, or what? Not sure how comfortable you are with that." asked Kit.
Saga cocked it's head and considered it for a moment. Hopping on the passenger seat, it flicked it's tail in happiness.
[Saga>]: I'll happily ride with you. Give my wings a break. Though if you need me to scout out an area ahead we can always stop and I can scope it out for you. I am quite good at scouting even in wooded areas.
Kit hadn't considered that advantage, which was an incredibly large one. He had a cheap drone in his Jeep for scouting out areas, but it was incredibly loud and fragile. A raven flying by may not even arouse suspicion in most cases.
"That's actually pretty awesome if you can. Would make me far less on edge being out here alone if I can identify what I'm up against before having to engage." grinned Kit.
Grabbing a drink out of the cooler, he hopped back into the driver's seat to get back on the road. Saga hopped out of the window and onto the roadside. Kit waited a moment, pondering what it could have been doing. Within moments it hopped back into the driver's seat with a bright orange polished stone in it's beak.
[Saga>]: You definitely don't want to forget this.
Kit almost punched his leg for forgetting that. It was one of the few sentimental possessions he had. Of course a raven would make sure to keep the shiny stones in inventory. With how useful it had been when imbued, that in itself may also be an advantage down the road.
"Alright, alright. You're pretty cool and pretty useful I get it. Thank you for remembering that. Wait, how did you remember that?" exclaimed Kit.
[Saga>]: I saw you throw it at the car while diving at it. I couldn't fully change course to correct by the time I got shocked, but I did see it. Good throw by the way.
Wheels turned as the Jeep began to gain speed down the broken highway again. Kit dismissed the compliment as he is wont to do.
"Uh thanks." he replied, grabbing the stone and latching the chain on it to his keys.
[Saga>]: No problem. So where are we headed?
Kit had to remind himself what his objective even was. To find a nice piece of land he can set up a base of operations for himself to stay and homestead. Maybe from time to time trade with the in-tact reservations nearby.
“We’re heading north, towards Crosby. There are a couple of reservations there that traded with New Saint Paul from time to time, and they have said there is land available in some riskier parts to the south. We’re headed to the risky parts to see what we can claim for ourselves.” explained Kit.
Saga cocked it’s head for a moment.
[Saga>]: How bold of you. The reservations won’t even expand there but you see that as an opportunity to set up shop? Where’s the logic in that kind of risk?
Kit thought for a moment how much he wanted to divulge. He had a good reason to believe a section of those woods weren’t dangerous at all if you didn’t present danger yourself. Ley-Lines had touched more than just fauna.
“I have reason to believe a good chunk of that land is reactive to the people engaging with it. If you come in peace, it isn’t hostile.”
Kit didn’t want to tell more than that. Saga nodded and flicked it’s tail.
[Saga>]: Interesting theory. If true then having the land itself on your side would be a formidable defense system. You want to set up shop on that land?
Kit nodded and watched the trees pass as he drank a mango energy drink. He didn’t have too much day light left, but he was already beat enough setting up camp for the night will take more than he had. Assuming he can even find a safe enough looking place to set up camp that is.
