Chapter 54 – Roche

“Wait… assuming that I go for this,” Sal began, trying to get his thoughts in order. “What makes you think that we’d work as a team? Is this just another case of you mind-controlling everyone toward victory? I don’t intend on being a pawn in someone else’s game.”

He looked for any signs of Erika’s true intentions, but even with the Deduction ability in his visor to give him clues, he came up with nothing. She sat there as though bored by the whole set of events. Rochelle kept her head bowed as she stared at her hands. Sal felt sorry for her; she was somewhat trapped as a victim of circumstance and her only chance was a team with Erika. It was completely her own fault, but Sal’s empathy didn’t discriminate.

Instead of answering, Erika stood up to her impressive height and leaned across the table to pull at the metal box that contained his revolver. She turned it so that it was visible to Rochelle.

“You have long-range capabilities, and an impressive suit of Epic-grade armor. Your tracker can help you break down information on targets, which gives you the same versatility as many Controllers, Offense, and Supports. You make complete sense as a recruit and can add value to multiple functions.”

Without turning, she jutted her thumb in the direction of Rochelle. “While I’m starting to like Healer Bitch as a name, the Vampire moniker was the one that caught my attention. Rochelle, despite her protests, can siphon off essence from opponents to heal our team. If she’s able to target demons with her ability, it’ll allow us to have her operate as both Offense and Healer.”

Sal frowned. “You seem to be putting a lot of focus on Offense capabilities. Is your recruit for that position not able to cut it?”

Erika’s face broke into a smile as she nodded. “Correct. Brophy, or Broken Brophy as he’s fondly referred to, is top of his class in literally every subject that doesn’t require the use of an ability. He’s essentially a walking bag of essence without a single way to output it. He’ll be useful from a martial perspective, but we can’t count on him for anything flashy or destructive. My thoughts are to have him on the team as a battery pack for our hungry little vampire.”

“Stop calling me that!” Rochelle snapped as she whirled around at Erika with a terrifying glare.

Erika didn’t even bat an eyelid. “Head down on the table.”

Rochelle couldn’t fight whatever it was that compelled her to do as she was told, and Sal watched in grim fascination as Rochelle’s face planted against the surface of the table. Only her shoulders struggling for control gave any indication that it was against her will.

Erika looked at her handiwork and smiled. “Good girl. Now, hush, the adults are speaking.”

Rochelle’s mutterings ceased immediately and to anyone glancing over, it appeared that Rochelle had just decided on an uncomfortable nap.

“Aren’t you being a bit excessive?”

Sal had no loyalty to Rochelle, but it was hard to watch her being used like a puppet.

Erika shrugged and waved her hand like it was nothing. “Her opinions don’t matter right now. She needs a way to get her rank up, and I need a Healer. I can find others, but she has limited options. If she wants to leave, I won’t stop her. What do you think, Rochelle…do you want to stay?” Erika leaned down until her face was inches from Rochelle’s. “Or do you want to run away?”

Rochelle’s voice came out in an almost mumbled whisper. “I’ll… stay.”

The struggling in her shoulders turned into more of a tremble, and Sal couldn’t stand to watch it anymore. Erika was coming across more like a villain than a hero. No matter what her powers were, there was no reason to use them on a classmate like this.

“Erika, could you please let Rochelle go and stop interfering with her? I’ll consider the team thing if you just stop using your powers, okay?”

Erika’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Sal, her face still incredibly close to Rochelle’s. “You’re softer than I thought, and my expectations were already very low. But suit yourself.”

With nothing but a smile, Erika moved away from Rochelle, and the Healer gasped as she almost flung herself off the seat. Whatever incendiary words she had been practicing in her head were cut off as she bit her lip. Clearly, she thought better of insulting Erika or putting a toe out of line.

Sal was a little overwhelmed with everything. Erika was by far one of the most powerful students at the entire academy. She was volatile and borderline unhinged, but she was capable and had a practically flawless record.

Underneath the terrifying persona was a tactician who hated failure. Sal didn’t like how she treated Rochelle, nor did he appreciate how she spoke about that Brophy guy. No matter what way he framed the situation in his head, there was no way they’d have any semblance of team chemistry. That weak structure was why she was seeking him out. Versatility in a Support would be a massive boon for these exercises. Sal thought about what he wanted to do for a little longer, but eventually came to a decision.

“I don’t think this is a fit for me.”

He didn’t know that many people in the other cohorts, and throwing away this opportunity would likely come back to bite him in the ass. Yet, he didn’t like Erika. She was used to getting her way and being in control, so he removed himself from the equation.

Erika’s expression didn’t falter in the slightest. She raised an eyebrow as she stared at him. “What would make it a fit?”

Sal exhaled loudly as he gestured at Rochelle. “I don’t feel safe knowing that the person responsible for keeping us alive likely hates the both of us. She has reason to hate you, because of how you treat her like a toy. She blames me for everything that happened to her, so I can’t rely on getting healing from her when I need it.”

Erika nodded, and Sal continued.

“You’re the primary problem, though. I don’t trust you. Your powers are one thing, but your personality is another. I can’t tell if it’s you putting on an act to keep people away, or if you treat everyone like they’re tools to be used.”

Erika smiled, but it wasn’t a friendly one. “You don’t trust me? I know a lot of things about you, Sal. All those meetings we’ve been a part of, the things I’ve seen and heard. Even Rochelle saw you do something that wasn’t very Appraiser-like. I keep your secrets, yet I’m not trustworthy?” Erika shook her head slowly from side to side.

“No, Salvatore. I think I’m very trustworthy. My power allows me to plant memories into your mind. I could make you think we’ve been friends since childhood. I could empower you to become the greatest Hero the world has ever seen.” Erika turned to Rochelle. “Or, I could make you courageous enough to confront the fears you’ve been facing.”

Her blue eyes locked onto Sal. “I use my abilities when the circumstance calls for it. Now, let’s try that again. What needs to happen for you to join my team?”

Sal sighed as he folded his arms. “First thing. Our team. If I join this, it’s not yours. It’s a collection of people with their own aspirations. A team needs to work together, build trust in one another and support them. There is no hierarchy in a team, just roles that need to be carried out efficiently and effectively. Our team of Supports won in the Silver cohort because we trained hard together.”

Erika gestured at the revolver in the case. “You also had the connections to get yourself kitted out in great equipment. If you join our team, would we be able to use these connections to get equipment?”

As Erika spoke, Rochelle looked around to distract herself from the conversation. Her eyes eventually landed on the blueprint that Sal had been mapping out.

“Can I look at that?” Rochelle pointed at the blueprint.

Sal didn’t hesitate and slid it across to her.

He already had it saved in the visor, so the sketch itself didn’t really matter to him anymore. She wouldn’t be able to determine much from it without context, so he was happy to let her see it. A small part of his brain worried that she might be petty and destroy it in front of him.

Erika frowned at the interruption but didn’t say anything as she looked back at Sal calmly. “Your value isn’t necessarily in the equipment you bring to the table, but it helps. I want you for your abilities and experience. What will it cost to bring you to my side?”

Sal laughed at that. “Bring me to your side? How do I know you’re not doing this to piss off Divinity?”

Erika’s smile returned as she tapped her long nails against the surface of the table. “I don’t have any animosity toward Divinity Khan. She has a competitive advantage from being able to see into the future and course correct. But when it comes down to capability, she will undoubtedly see a future in which I take the top rank in the academy.”

After a moment of silence, Erika got to her feet, surprising both Sal and Rochelle. “I have a Defense class to recruit and can’t spend all day sitting here having a back-and-forth. You may not like my personality or my methods, but you can’t reject my results. Think about my proposal and let me know by tomorrow.”

With that, Erika strode off through the canteen. A whole section of people in chairs moved their seats forward to clear a path for her, all in immediate succession. Sal sighed as he turned to Rochelle, who stared back at him.

Before he could say a word, Rochelle filled the space, but not before checking that Erika was well out of range.

“Ugh, I told her that you would never be on a team with me.” Rochelle took a relieved breath as she leaned in closer to the table. “It was like she didn’t care what I did to you, because she said she’d make it work. Apparently, that method was to mind control me into drooling on a table! No matter what I said to her, she stonewalled me and told me that I needed to follow the plan and do everything she said.”

Sal burst out laughing and nodded. “If it’s any consolation, I’d have you on my team before her.”

A radiant smile transformed Rochelle’s face as she placed the blueprint down on the table. “I’m genuinely sorry about before.” She looked away and took a deep breath, as though psyching herself up.

“Any chance we can start over?” Rochelle pointed at the blueprint. “I can detail my ability for you, if it makes us even?”

Her green eyes were wide, and she looked incredibly hopeful. Sal didn’t need her to do anything as his visor and ability would have been able to make short work of it. But looking at her trying to extend the olive branch, Sal slid over a fresh piece of paper and rolled the pen over to her. “Sounds like a deal to me.”

Sal’s humoring smile evaporated as Rochelle’s hand moved rapidly over the fresh piece of paper. Whatever he had thought he managed with his own sketching, this was like watching a master at work. Rather than drawing the weave, Rochelle focused on the threads and how they moved essence. She detailed a series of calculations that could only have been made up with the speed she produced them.

Sal wasn’t going to put any faith into what she was presenting, but he had to admit that she was ridiculously talented at drawing. A chunk of time passed before Sal was allowed to see what was going on.

Rochelle had taken one glance at Sal’s stare and used her arm to shield her work. A cheeky grin crossed her features, and Sal couldn’t help but laugh at the childishness of it all. Eventually, the sound of the scratching pen died and Rochelle moved away from the drawing. It was packed with a series of details and numbers that made zero sense to him. He didn’t hold much hope, but he activated his visor to check it with Analysis.

Transference (R:3) Raw Structure is being updated.

Transference (R:3) Raw Structure has been updated to: Transference (R:8) Essence Structure and Calibration Method

Essence Calibration and Essence Refinement have been improved

Rochelle’s smile grew even wider when she saw the stupefied expression on Sal’s face. “Pretty cool method, isn’t it? My essence absorption rate is atrocious, so I worked on developing an efficient method to refine what I could get. It’s much easier when you can heal any fuck-ups during experimentation!”

Sal couldn’t find the words to respond. Her drawing had been processed by his visor, and it had improved how he processed essence? There were too many questions running through his mind, but the biggest one was how an external device had somehow changed his internal state. His essence was linked to the visor, but for it to help him in such a way…he couldn’t get his head around it. Did this mean that he’d be able to improve himself just by using the visor to read things? Would he be able to use it to learn martial arts? Sal’s head swam with concepts that felt so alien to him.

Rochelle slid the newly constructed blueprint toward him, the smile not leaving her face. “If we’re starting over fresh, I’m Rochelle, but my friends back home called me Roche.”

She offered her hand across the table, and her smile faltered while Sal was busy reading through the information on his visor. When he saw the hand outstretched, he smiled and took it.

“Salvatore Argento, but everyone calls me Sal.” He laughed at the silliness of it all and was about to ask a question about her design when she raised her hand to ask him something.

She looked conflicted, and Sal wondered whether she was going to ask for some Q-Cred. He didn’t know whether it was just a cynical streak from growing up in an auction house, but he was rarely proved wrong about people. If she asked for money, he’d probably give it to her, but never see her as a friend.

“Can I heal you?” Rochelle asked out of the blue, which completely caught him off guard.

He pointed at himself, and Rochelle nodded.

“I can tell from your drawing that you’re trying to figure out why your ability is overloading your eyes. I can’t give you the answers, but I can regenerate what’s broken.”

Sal recalled her remark about his eyes the first time they had met. When he took her power, he had restored them with her ability, but he didn’t question what was causing the issues. Was his Mythcrafter ability not aligned to his capability? Like how Barry’s version of Illusion was too much for him to handle?

“I promise not to hold your health ransom this time,” Rochelle added with an awkward smile.

Sal laughed as he spread his hands wide. “Okay then, but if you find something to heal, I’ll actually pay you.”

Rochelle’s eyes widened, and Sal couldn’t even get his next words out before her eyes illuminated into a glowing ethereal green.