Aurora held her own and still gave Gus a challenge as she multitasked and fought both of them at once.
After working for another couple hours they decided to break for lunch. Gus hadn’t eaten breakfast in his haste to get to the arena and was ravenous.
Gus left Jet in the arena, wanting to try something. As they were eating in the cafeteria, Gus sent the message ‘come to me’ to Jet. He told Aurora and they waited to see if the weapon could sense what he wanted from this range, and how long it would take to make it past the doors and across the different floors. They were both surprised when, in less than two minutes, the lift opened and Jet flew out of the opening doors, doing a little flourish as it reached them, reminding Gus of a victory dance.
“Is Jet bragging?”
“It kind of looks like it,” Gus said, laughing. “Okay, buddy, take a break. We’re going to be really busy in the future, and you’re going to be a big help.” The wide blade dipped as if bowing and rested atop a long table nearby.
Ever the strategist, Aurora began planning the afternoon. “After lunch, we should make some quick upgrades to the manor, then train your new abilities.”
Gus nodded and looked forward to using the new abilities, especially Advanced Flight. It was the one power that he had wished he had when he was young. If only he could fly, it would confirm that he belonged to the family and was a super. Right after his older brother had come into his powers, his father would have Alan give Gus piggyback rides to help him improve the skill. The feeling was exhilarating. To actually fly himself, rather than do an extended jump or hover, almost seemed like a validation to him, despite all he had been through.
“One of them is Advanced Flight, and Nick recommended I try that outside on level ground before I get too crazy. Maybe we can have Nick and Daphne sync and you can see how it is done so you can improve your skill.”
“Is that even possible?”
“Sure is, sister,” Daphne replied.
Aurora shook her head. “I’ll admit, I’m curious why we were conditioned this way. Skill growth would be much easier with this type of cooperation in the academy,” she mused out loud before going on. “Anyway, it would be helpful to get some rendezvous points and scope out some vantages where we can await their attack. What about the cafeteria upgrade? Didn’t that make it possible to get something to boost stats while we’re out in battle?”
Gus kicked himself for not getting on this immediately. As soon as they entered the cafeteria, he waved to the kitchen and the waiterbot wheeled out.
“What boosts should we get?”
“Let’s do MP and HP boosts, and something to boost healing speeds. I think we’ll be okay with our stats as is, but those could be clutch in a battle.”
Gus made the order and noticed a timer pop up in the lower left of his display.
“It’ll take about three hours,” he informed her.
“That’s perfect. Let’s eat, then head outside. Don’t forget to bring Jet with you.”
A half hour later, Gus picked up the naginata on the way out, looking again at the formidable weapon. What other secrets do you have, Jet?
Chapter Eighteen
She’s Crafty
They headed out to the grassy field in front of the manor and Gus tried Advanced Flight for the first time. The movement was effortless and he could move in any direction and hover without any conscious thought of anchoring himself in the air. His hands began waving back and forth as if treading water by instinct but, upon testing, he found that the movement was totally unnecessary, and did nothing to keep him aloft.
“Here, try to lift me,” Aurora said.
Gus floated down and grabbed her arms. When he raised in the air, the additional weight anchored him and he couldn’t budge her at all. He could tell by the lack of pressure in their grip that his flight wasn’t exerting much force beyond being able to lift himself.
“I guess that’s a bust. Daphne, can you show me what the ether around this looks like?”
Aurora walked around Gus and observed him from different angles.
“Gus, try moving a little this way.” Aurora motioned to his right. “Okay, now the other way.” She squinted and then closed her eyes. Some cords on her neck stood out but she stayed earthbound. She opened her eyes again. “I’ll have to work on that. Here, let me shoot some weak projectiles at you and try to dodge.”
“Will they hurt?”
“Only if you get hit,” she said wryly. “One, two…” she said, firing her first mini Ion Storm before hitting three.
Gus dodged backward reflexively, angling upward and to the side. He spun sideways and twisted to face her once again while keeping relatively close. Usually, he ended up far away from his attackers, which was perfect for staying out of the claw reach of zombies. Now, with Leech, he had to find ways to get in close.
They practiced more, and Gus found a couple additional movements that he could use in a pinch, trying to circle around behind Aurora after she attacked.
The better he got, the more she ramped the speed and number of snowball-sized Ion Storms. The air reeked of ozone when Aurora decided they had practiced enough and Gus had reached level 3 in Advanced Flight, getting another 1,000 XP and FP for the levels.
From there, they moved to stealth skills. Gus would hide and then try to make it to the front door without detection. Camouflage worked well when in more dense foliage but he
