Chapter 773 Spoken Contract, Part 1

The orange runes scrawled across the air between James and Lee Seng. The runic writing turned to English and lines appeared at the end.

"You're really covering your bases. Are you paranoid we'll backstab you like you did to us?" James asked.

"Sign with your finger." Lee Seng motioned at the line. James did and Lee Seng turned with the contract and motioned for the rest to do the same. "I'm not afraid if you'll backstab me. You could've done it while I was asleep for three hours."

"But I didn't."

"Exactly!" Lee Seng watched Kiara sign it and the orange letters compressed together into an orange glass ball. Lee Seng turned and showed everyone it. "You didn't, so I can do this just in case. This is the contract and if one of us breaks the contract, it'll shatter. It'll glow red if you break it and it'll grow silver if I break it."

"What happens if you complete it?" Jane asked.

"Then it'll turn white and one of us gets a crystal ball." Lee Seng released the ball and watched it float. "Good for a couple creds if you're in a pinch."

"Come on. Let's go." James ordered.

James and Eli led the way while Jane and Kiara stayed in the back. They slowly weaved through the broken city, catching sight of scavengers. Lee Seng followed a younger one as she struggled to follow the group. An older man was waiting for her, beckoning her to jump.

"Scavengers?" Lee Seng asked. Jane and Kiara looked up.

"Something like that. They're material finders. They find workable material for building." Jane explained. "After our old home got destroyed, we had to branch our search farther for materials."

"The mines and forests provide enough, but a little bit of the old world keeps the older generation calm." Kiara continued. "A rook's been added to the search. They will struggle loads."

The path to the city was long and rocky. Lee Seng had to put in the training he had done on the drill course. They had to climb buildings and descend. Lee Seng asked if they wanted him to fly them to the forest, but James was against it. They needed to stick to the path, so James and the others could identify when the affliction started.

It took a couple hours to get out of the city, but once they did, it was smooth sailing. They followed the path for quite some time until it was almost noon. James moved them over to the shade and wiped his brow.

"This is as good of a place to set up for lunch." James sighed. He looked over to Lee Seng and motioned him to sit. "You can sit while we figure out what we're going to eat."

"There isn't much out here now… The affliction has caused a lot of the wildlife to disappear." Kiara quietly spoke. "We'd be lucky if we found anything."

"We could eat a hearty salad." Eli suggested.

"That rabbit food will only sustain me for a minute. I need something better than that." Jane commented. Lee Seng turned and sat. He took his time looking around. The flowers were budding on the trees. He could smell the flowery scent. It would soon agitate his eyes and he would be rubbing his eyes to get the pollen out of his eyes.

James' group unloaded their packs and set up a campfire to cook. They had prepared some food in advanced for their exact situation. Kiara and the others hadn't found anything to hunt, so they resorted to their reserves of cooking some meat and eating it with some week old bread. Lee Seng took his portion and quietly ate while he kept a watch out.

"James." Eli whispered to the Sergeant. James' eyes went to Eli who covered his mouth before speaking. "Based off the information we have on him, do you think he'll actually be able to figure out what's causing people to go mad and die within the forest ahead?" The two men both looked at Lee Seng while he ate at the edge of the shade. Jane had come to sit and make small talk with Lee Seng - not something out of the ordinary for her to do.

James' eyes swirled with bits of purple and green energy. He could feel the young man's energy was different. It flowed well. He was experienced in combat and using his power, but the longer James looked, the more he couldn't understand Lee Seng. Gold, silver, purple and black energy swirled inside of him. It naturally created an aura around him that sparkled like the night sky. Lee Seng's energy was as vast as the night sky and James wondered how a young person could even attain such energy.

"We'll have to see." James answered Eli's question. "I sense something deep within him. Something that feels foreign yet familiar. Something dark yet light. He's like the night sky, always shining."

"When we were walking earlier, I could feel his power surge. I don't know how Kiara and Jane even handled it. This Fox… This young man… He's dangerous. I hope we can get this mission over with… I don't want him around any of us." Eli whispered. James nodded and continued to eat his food.

The group finished lunch and Lee Seng offered to clean their plates and utensils. He drew the water symbol and James' group watched in surprise as water poured. He grabbed some soap and a sponge he had taken from Daros and started to clean away. He quickly finished and dried them off and stuck his cleaning instruments back into the Void and handed the cleaned plates and utensils off to Jane.

"That's a nifty trick." Jane complimented Lee Seng. "Are you a runic mage?"

"It's complicated." Lee Seng rubbed the back of his head.

'If I use anything else, they'll know I'm definitely something else… They're already suspicious of me because my Fox Spirit powers can't be dampened.' Lee Seng thought.

"If you have access to runes, I wonder how you'll fare in battle." Kiara piped up. "You said you were a Specialist, right? Fighter and Glass?"

"Y-yeah." Lee Seng nodded.

"He healed me earlier…" Jane looked at the others. She turned towards Lee Seng. "Is that from the runic magic?"

"Well…" Lee Seng scratched his neck. "Not really. It's… complicated."

"A Biohuman who's much more." James casually commented. "I'm interested in what you'll do when we come across the monsters."

"Monsters?" Lee Seng's interest was peaked. James nodded as he leaned against the tree.

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but there's absolutely no animals here. It's silent." James informed Lee Seng. Lee Seng nodded. He had noticed there wasn't any animals. Not a chirp of a bird. Animals usually stayed quiet but birds were usually loud. "The animals of this forest all know that its a dangerous place to be. The affliction on this forest may be a couple of hours more, but the forest is already changing because of that affliction. Animals are relocating and hunting has become harder."

"It'll be interesting to see what you're made out of, Fox." Eli grinned. "If I could have it my way, I'd fight you here and now to show everyone what you're made of… But we can't afford to waste 'precious energy' from you. You're still so young. How old are you? 19, 20?"

"Nineteen…" Lee Seng answered almost unsure. They had either completed a cycle on Daros or less… It was still confusing to him, but he knew two earth years had passed.

"A young soul. A very young one at that." James sighed. He pushed off the tree and grabbed his bag on the ground and strapped the bag to his back. "You are young yet you look like you haven't reached your potential… Your energy is vast."

'He noticed?' Lee Seng thought. 'A Biohuman's capable of knowing that sort of thing?' James looked at him and smiled. He could see that he had caught Lee Seng off guard.

"Are you shocked I know that by looking at you?" James asked.

"I… I just thought no one could tell without equipment to tell you." Lee Seng awkwardly answered. "I'm just… Shocked someone can tell off sense."

"Being one with the lands gives you opportunity to learn from the lands. You should try it sometime. Maybe the sky will become brighter if you listened to the land more." JAmes suggested. "C'mon, we got a couple more hours until we reach the affliction spot. Keep your wits about you and stay cautious. We'll need to be more careful from here on out."

Eli followed after James leaving Kiara and Jane with Lee Seng. Lee Seng followed after, assuming his usual position between the two pairs.

'If a Biohuman is capable of Energy Sense, that means they'll be capable to so much more…' Lee Seng thought as he looked at James. 'Sergeant James… I wonder if he noticed with his eyes or not.' Green and purple oozed off James. 'These four have purple energy tied with their own energies… I wonder if they were touched by the Deimons somehow… Maybe that's how he knew. I should be cautious and use my Biohuman powers. Using too much of my Fox abilities already landed me with more suspicious eyes…'