Blademaster Ascension

17- Hidden Figures, Hidden Tales

"You should go first. I told you a lot of things I shouldn't have the other day," Isa insisted while keeping up with Rowan's pace in the dark. They were currently on their way to the marsh. Isa was quite curious to know why Rowan would take such risks these days.
Whatever Rowan's secrets were, Isa was sure it wouldn't lose to the one he had in his hand.

Rowan was silently observing Isa from the corner of his eyes. After assuring him that the poison would take a long time to come into effect, Isa had calmed down and now seemed as harmless as a kitten. Chip told him a few minutes ago that he could finally sense Isa and scan him. The stats that popped out following the scan was unsettling. Even though Rowan was mentally prepared for something unusual, he was still caught off guard.

[ subject's stats-
  Strength: 5
  Speed: 4.5
  Physique: 4.8
  Innate ability: none awakened.
  Elemental affinity: metal (level 4) earth (level 4)
  Mutation compatibility: 61%
Constitutional limit: rank two (evolvable)  ]

The amount of change in Isa's stats was ungodly. Ten percent increase in mutation compatibility, two levels increased in elemental affinity, and the primary stats were already catching up with Rowan's own. No wonder it had been so difficult to duel with him a while ago. Isa's speed of improvement might leave his in dust if he slacked off for a single day.

"Hey, stop checking me out. It's creepy."
Isa's complain broke his chain of thoughts, making him grit his teeth in anger. Swallowing the urge to smack him on the back of his head, Rowan started his tale,  albeit with much edits. Instead of telling him about Chip, Rowan spun a half-true, half-false story where he found the legacy of the blademaster, hidden in an inexplicable machine that now resided behind his left eye. He told Isa how the machine told him about the benefits of consuming monster flesh. He skipped the parts with sensitive information, like Chip's abilities, his exchange with Turio, or his experience with magic. But he knew that Isa wouldn't press too far. Everybody had some secrets they would rather not divulge even in moments where they had to confess it all. Rowan similarly wouldn't push him to tell him anything Isa didn't want to as long as he got a satisfying explanation from Isa.

After hearing Rowan's outlandish tale that sounded like a wild fantasy even in the dark, abyssal pressure of the night sky, Isa remained silent for a long, long time. Rowan could feel his disbelief; hell, he himself wouldn't believe it if someone were to tell him something like this. Just the amount of time he had escaped death in the last few weeks was enough to stun a veteran of continental wars.

"I think it's time you started speaking, Isa."

Isa finally broke his silence and cleared his throat awkwardly. Hesitantly, he begun his own tale.

"You remember that day when I told you about the musician's book? Yeah, I wasn't being totally honest there."

It was Rowan's turn to be struck with disbelief. Was there more to the story? Damn, that's what it seemed!

"Wait, don't give me that look. I actually didn't lie at all that day. I simply chose to hide some details...ok, a lot of details. So let me recount the story."

"That day, before going to the bunker with the rest of the kids, my dad and mom called me over to a side where no one could hear us and gave me some weird instructions. I tried to persuade them to tell me what was going on and how they knew those things, but they refused to tell me anything."

"What was the instructions about?"

"...About the bunker, or more accurately, a certain something hidden inside the bunker."

Rowan's mind raced. A lot of thoughts flitted through his consciousness as he re-evaluated his opinions about the chain of events that led to their venture into the bunker that day. He remembered the oddity of an AI at the front door of the bunker, refusing to let others in unless they were under seventeen, and the town council's unnatural ease regarding this matter.