6 Chapter 5
Waking up from my slumber, I have found myself laying on an unfamiliar bed. Looking more on my surroundings, I've noticed Lily sitting on a chair not too far away from where I was and Isaac just close to me.
"Oh? You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right?"
"W-what?"
"Nothing, don't mind what I just said. Good thing you're finally awake. I don't know what I would have to report if you ended up being a corpse"
"H-how long have I been passed out?"
"Just a few minutes really, 10 if you want to be more specific"
"10 minutes ehh... did anything bad happened to me while I was passed out"
"Other than you passing and having to carry you here, nothing much happened really"
It seems that I was just asleep. Good thing I didn't start sleep talking and chatter out random things.
"Oh right... did the drug worked doc?"
"Were about to find that out, Lily could you please bring that medicine here"
"Fine, just wait for a second"
"Thank you, Lily"
Hearing said order from Isaac, Lily quietly walked out from the room. It took her a few minutes to get back but when she did arrive, she brought back a cup with her.
"Here's the medicine Isaac"
"Thank you again, Lily"
Receiving the cup from Lily, Issac then came closer to me with the cup in hand.
"What's that?"
"A little medicine to help relieve your nerves, here drink it"
"Ehhh.. How can I be certain that it's not one of your weird stuff again?"
"Hahahaha that understandable, but trust me on this. Don't you want to know if drug work?"
.
.
.
-Sigh
"Fine... give it to me"
"With pleasure"
Receiving the cup from Isaac, I tried inspecting it first to see the contents of it. What I've found inside the cup was a liquid like substance that is colored blue. The smell of said liquid was somewhat similar to a mint and it doesn't seem to have any dangerous smell to it. Trusting Isaac's words, I began drinking the liquid substance. To my surprise the liquid that I drank doesn't taste bad at all. Drinking it I felt a fresh coolness running through my body which in turn made my body and mind somewhat calm and relaxed.
"Huh... It wasn't what I was expecting to taste like but it wasn't that bad overall"
"See, what did I tell you. While we're at it how you feel when drinking the medicine?"
"I'm fine... more relaxed than I was before if being specific"
"And what about the taste?"
"The thing was pretty thick, to be honest. I can still feel some parts of it in my mouth. But taste wise, it somewhat tastes like a minted smoothie"
"Hmmm.. Good then"
"What's with these questions anyway?"
"Before I answer that, Bruce did you know what you just drank?"
"You mention it as medicine but other than that nothing"
"Hahaha figures, well to inform you of that matter. Bruce, what you just drank was a medicine made from a plant with psionic properties"
"That's neat I guess.."
"That indeed is true. What the medicine does is it relaxes the body and mind of the person who drinks it and It also helps in the regeneration of one's psionic energy"
Hearing Isaac's description of the medicine, it somewhat reminds me of a mana potion that is so common in games especially rpg's.
"Fun fact Bruce did you know that if a normal person drinks the medicine, they can't taste any flavor in it. Even the coolness which one feels when drinking it doesn't register to them at all"
"So... does that mean.."
"Yes, what you're thinking is indeed true. You are now a psionic user"
"That's reassuring, so can I use psychic powers now?"
"Not quite"
"Huh?"
"Basically, before you can start using psionic abilities. You first need to figure out what psionic category you belong to"
"And here I thought that taking that drug will grant me immediate psychic powers"
"Well things are not that simple in life. And one of them is psionics, so would you like me to inform you more about it?"
"I don't really have much of a choice, so go for it"
"Hahaha well then... beginning in the psionic categories. As of now, we only managed to find 3 categories of in which all psionic users are grouped to. And those categories are enhancement, elemental and thought control. Enhancement is a fairly simple category, what it is the usage of one's psionic energy to enhance one's self or things. Elemental is basically the usage of again psionic energy to create or transmute any elements be it fire, water, earth, etc.. While thought control is the usage of psionic energy to control or disrupt the minds of people and creatures"
"That's quite a long explanation but I think I get it. So how do I determine my category?"
"The answer to that is very simple. You just need to find that yourself"
"Huh?"
"Basically, because of how limited our knowledge of psionics are. Most users tend to discover their categories through trial and error. But you're quite lucky to be honest, because 50 years ago in an expedition in the west frontiers some scientist managed to discover a very peculiar plant. The plant is called a Divination Flower, aside from being a good decoration the flower has a unique property which is very useful for psionic users that are beginners"
"And that is...?"
"Well it can tell one's psionic category, again you're quite lucky cause I actually have one in my possession"
"That's very convenient then, so how does it work?"
"How it works is that if you project your psionic energy in it. The flower will have a varying reaction depending on what category you belong. If you're in enhancement the flower will actually grow in size and bloom. If you're in elemental the flower will emit spores while if you're in thought control the flower will move and swing itself from any direction"
"So... all I have to do is project my psionic energy from a flower and then I can figure out what category I belong. That sounds pretty easy, so when do I start"
"Not quite, there's still more to it"
"Seriously?"
"Patience Bruce, I'm almost finish with the explanation"
"I better hope so because I still have a job to do after this"
"Back from the topic in hand, you can't just simply try the Flower test and determine your category. You first need to develop your psionic energy into said categories"
"What does that mean?"
"Basically, when one unlocks their psionic potential. The psionic energy from their body is still weak at first. At such it needs time to develop much like a child. And in the process of developing, one's psionic energy slowly forms and grow until its fully develop and its category is revealed. Again, like a child growing to adulthood"
"I sort of understand what you're saying. But you said it takes time to develop said psionic energy... how long is that exactly?"
"It depends, in most normal cases it usually takes a month or two while if you're unlucky it will take years"
"I see... let's hope I'm not one of the unlucky ones"
"Well fate will determine if you're unlucky or not. Also, that ends our discussion about psionics. If you need any help you can visit me in here. And while we're at it, if you're having trouble about psionics you can also try visiting Lily here. Unlike me she's a psionic user and has more experience in it"
Oh? she's a psionic user
"Why did you have to say that Isaac"
"Hahaha sorry Lily, I know you're not that good with people. But considering we lacked experienced psionic users in this settlement, having you train our juniors is all I can suggest. Plus having a student might help with that loneliness of yours"
"WHAT!!!!"
Hearing Isaac's words, Lily's face went full red. Seeing said conversation, I think that their relationship is probably more than just colleagues.
"Hahaha sorry-sorry. Oh right! do you still have any question Bruce?"
"I don't want to drag this conversation for too long so I'll just ask you some few question, doc"
"Do tell?"
"You said that one needs to develop their psionic energy in order to reveal its category. Do you have any tips on how to that?"
"Well from what I studied, how one's psionic energy develops usually depends on one's experience and personality. So the only thing I can suggest to you, is just live your life normally and try meditation. I've heard that meditating help concentrates one's psionic energy and fortify one's will"
"F-fortify one's will?"
"I forgot to mention it, but from what I've heard and studied. One's will is heavily crucial when it comes in psionics. How strong one's psionic abilities can be is affected by the users will and how one defends themselves from psionic attacks also is affected by one's will"
"What does that mean?"
"Well for example, if a thought control psionic user attacks you with a mind controlling ability in most cases you can't really do much to defend yourself. But... if you have a strong will, you can actually resist said attack. Said case can be applied to the psionic user. If the thought control psionic user has a stronger will than you, then its attack will affect you directly"
"Does it apply to all categories?"
"Oddly enough yes, we can't really find an explanation as to why and how it works. But if you have a high enough will you actually take a psionic explosion to the face without taking much damage"
"Does it apply to normal people, as well?
"I assume so, but I've yet to seen such cases occur from my eyes. But I've heard of rumors that the leader of the Underground Bandits is someone who's will is so strong that his able to take psionic users head on despite not being a psionic user"
"I see... so you're not sure about it"
"Sadly, that's the case. So is that all your questions?"
"I guess that all my questions for now, thank you for this opportunity doc"
"No need for the compliments, besides I also profited in this engagement as well"
"Well... I guess I can go and do the job that sir Banner asked me, now"
"Good luck on that then... farewell"
"Goodbye to you as well doc and L-lily.."
"No need to be embarrassed about it, just call me from my name. I don't mind"
"That's relief, again goodbye doc and Lily"
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Leaving the clinic, I again took a ride from the elevator. Oddly enough even though the facility has a total of 9 floors, the way they named said floors is somewhat fascinating. Normally a standard building with multiple floors will have each floor number start from bottom to top but this facility is the opposite of that. The first floor is actually the one from the top while the 9th floor is from the bottom.
With that said, the elevator that I was riding came to a sudden halt and I finally arrive at the 9th floor.
Arriving in said floor, I was greeted with more security cameras and a long hall. Following said hall, I arrive to an area which I can only describe as somewhat massive. What I found in said area was a group of people wearing armor and holding a variety of guns, I assume that they're probably the guards of this area. Along with the guards there's also a little room just near the massive metallic door in the end of the area. The little room has a single door in it with a glass panel that covers said room. inside said room behind the glass panel was a man sitting from a chair with a computer in his table.
Sir Banner said that the camp is east outside of here, I guess I should start by asking how to get out of here.
Going to the room near the metallic door, I tried asking the man behind the glass panel.
"Umm... hellooo.."
?
"And who might you be?"
"The names Bruce Edwards a new recruit"
"Bruce Edwards... let's see.... oh? It seems that you indeed are part of the settlement. Might I ask for what purpose did you visit floor for Mr. Bruce?"
"Sir Banner ordered me to look and inspect the camp east of here. So I need to go outside"
"I see-I see... just wait for a little moment, I'm just going to log your name first... and done. Please take the little door from the side if you're heading off to roam the caverns"
"Thank you... but before that can I ask a question?"
"If it's in my capabilities, then please go ahead"
"Thanks, I've noticed that you have tried logging my name. Does this procedure needed to be applied every time I go outside?"
"Well... said case can only be applied to this section of the settlement. If you want to go outside in a normal fashion, you can just take the elevator to the 1st floor and go outside from there. Unlike here, the first floor doesn't log anyone who tries to go outside"
"Uh huh... Why is that exactly?"
"Well... aside from the few settlements that exist in these sections, majority of the area outside of here is still untouched by modernization. As such it's very dangerous having people roam the areas outside freely. Another reason as to why we log every people who tries to explore the areas outside, is to keep a record of them. Just in case something bad occurs like dying or going missing for example"
"I see... that does make sense... Again I want to thank you for the information you have given"
"No problem, I'm glad to help. Please do be careful out there, many hostile creatures exist in the caverns outside. Especially rathounds, they're pretty common in the areas east of here"
"I'll keep that in mind"
And with that conversation over. I went and go to the little metallic door which was just part of the larger metallic door. Receiving a message from his ear device. The guard that was guarding the smaller door, calmly enter a code from a panel near the door. After entering said code, the door slowly opened and I was now able to go outside.
Stepping outside, what the information that i've manage to gather in this place has been proven to be true. Instead of seeing the blue skies that i've been so familiar with, what I manage to find instead was a somewhat rocky place. Rocks and stones everywhere in sight and even the upper area where the skies should be is just rocks. I can see a few plantation growing in the area and theres even a few lights that can be seen as well. I assume that the settlement probably created those, in order to help navigate the area.
-Sigh
This day has been a pretty long one, but here I am. All I have in me is a pistol and a few magazines so I need to be extra careful navigating this place. I dont want to fight any monsters knowing how poor I am with a gun.
Thinking more about the dangers that I will encounter in this place. I was quickly reminded of the Character Building Tool that I have.
"Oh right! I've yet to check those. Maybe those things can help me in any way"
Checking the Character Building Tool, I was caught surprised when I saw something new pop out in the screen.
-Feat Unlocked: Psionic Empathy
-Skills Unlocked: Psionics:
Enhancement: 0 + Elemental: 0 + Thought Control: 0 +
####### #######: Locked
"The hell are these?"
-End of Chapter 5
