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When You Give a Man Power
Chapter 42
A punch impacted the side of my head hitting the dirt and grass. On and on this went and despite my best efforts I couldn’t get them off of me seeing stars and red at the edges of my vision. A hand with a strong grip grabbed my hair and forced me to look up at my attacker.
“Talked all that good shit a second ago. What about my parents?” I opened my mouth to speak but another fist silenced me before I was dragged back up again.
The kid looked like he came from a bad neighborhood. Sun-kissed skin with patchy clothes. Donald “Don” Montero.
“Well what about your parents? Look at them. If they cared about you, why aren’t they stopping me?” He said to me, it made my heart freeze for a moment head slowly turned to face them.
A man and woman that just looked average, easily forgettable faces looked down at me with emotionless expressions. My anger began to boil over when I saw those apathetic expressions.
Yet despite all my rage it wasn’t enough to get the bastard pinning me off. He laughed and laughed at me, his voice grew distorted. Then his body shifted and changed into someone I had grown to fear.
Moria. She looked down at me, her porcelain white skin gleaming yet the darkness grew around her. Unlike with Donald my rage had given me enough power to get her off. We clashed. Fist met flesh and bone.
Kicks parted the skin and muscle like water against a flood gate. Yet her body reformed, damage undone. She charged at me and I tried to do the same.
That was until chains appeared from nowhere wrapped around my arms and legs. The instant my fist would have made contact with her body it was stopped then pulled back by the restraints despite my best efforts to break free.
Moria took full advantage, beating me to her heart's content. Unlike her, my wounds remained. Everything was stacked against me.
“Giving up so soon? Have you learned nothing from me?” Miguel’s voice echoed out across the expanse with Moria going to town on me. Kicks impacted my face knocking it side to side before closing in multiple jabs going into my gut.
“Pick and choose your battles. Be smart about it.” Shey’s voice said.
The chains twisted and turned pulled taut across my body. Nothing I could do beyond let Moria crack her knuckles, an evil gleam in her eyes.
Just when her fists raised together I fought the chains keeping me shackled. Her clasped fists came down. Just when they seemed to hit me it all vanished.
Replaced by a mechanical beep with machinery humming. My eyes snapped open. Everything was tinted blue, my body was wet covered in some kind of slime.
I glanced around the room and saw numerous Echani in white outfits reminiscent of doctors and medical practitioners. I was in some kind of container suspended in this fluid. With my thoughts catching up piecing it all together all the pain hits me.
It was nowhere as bad as it was before in my battle against Moria…
The door across the room opened with a near silent hiss with the fluid in this oversized jar making it harder to make out what was happening around me. Selene walked in followed by several guards armed with staves and pikes.
“Glad to see you are awake Corvo. You had us all wondering if you were going to pull through.”
My body shifted with a breathing apparatus around my mouth and nose which felt like it was caked in cement. Was she referring to me surviving or to managing to pull off a victory against Moria? I did win, didn't I?
Selene gave a small smile and nodded to me. “You managed to win. Albeit at great cost to yourself.” She looked over my body clad in only form fitting black briefs.
She hummed as one of the workers was pulled over to discuss something with her. She turned back to me.
“Corvo, do you believe you can heal the rest of the damage to your body?” She asked me, making me question just how much damage Moria did to me.
It depends. How bad is the damage?
“Nearly all your teeth were shattered, you have multiple skull fractures, along with a few broken ribs, and you had some ruptured organs but that was taken care of immediately. Your arms and legs were some of the most damaged parts of your body.”
She listed off several more injuries, many of which made me look at her in shock. I hadn’t realized the extent of the damage taken over the course of that fight. While she explained all of this, the pain began to come in.
A deep dull ache that ran across the entirety of my body. My tongue touched where my teeth should be only to hit small nubs or spaces with no teeth there beyond hardened blood that had scabbed over.
I think long and hard about what she had told me. Most of that I could heal but some of it wouldn’t be pretty. Like the remnants of my teeth had to come out if I was going to grow new ones.
Despite what Skyrim would have you believe Restoration magic required more than just magicka to heal an injury especially one that was far worse than a simple cut or stab wound.
It required knowledge of whatever you're trying to heal using the magicka to force the body back to what it should be like. Almost like looking over a blueprint when someone put something together wrong and you need to go back to correct it. You have to take some parts off to rebuild it properly.
Restoration could do many things that most would consider miracles. It wasn’t just accelerated healing, but outright manipulation of flesh and life itself. The power to guide and direct it into whatever you needed it to be. It’s how flesh sculptors did their art.
Destruction magic was used to create a blank canvas for them to paint on and Restoration was the paint and brush needed to make what you wanted. It was one of the projects I had been working on before I got sent off on this nightmare of a job.
One that wasn’t fully finished but I had learned my fair share from using the bodies of the gang members to alter their appearances before becoming Death Korp members to make it harder to recognize them in the off chance someone did.
Weighting the pros and cons and right now there were a lot more pros compared to cons. But I needed clarification on some things.
I take it I am in a bacta tank?
She nodded.
“You have been inside of it for about a week and a half. It helped heal a large number of injuries after the emergency surgery was done. It’s the main reason your body isn’t a crippled mess. I owed you that much after what you had gone through.” She said after having read my body to know how long I had been out of it.
Yeah, that reinforced how bad the damage was… I would gesture more for clarification at the mention of the need for emergency surgery but I would rather not set anything off since it felt like one wrong move and the deep ache across my body may become something much worse.
Finally coming to an answer I nod at her and slowly gesture without too much motion. “Very well then. We will have transport for you back to the manor with what you need to fix the damage.”
One of the workers turned around looking alarmed at Selene's response, rushed over to her, and quietly but heatedly discussed something with her. A back and forth with Selene calmly responded to the worker but I couldn’t hear anything, everything was garbled beyond Selene's voice.
“Corvo has knowledge in the medical field and will be capable of handling the rest.”
On and on they talked until my eyelids grew heavy. It was a restful slumber with no dreams yet the previous one was stuck in the back of my head.
A dulled thud snapped me out of my rest when I see I am staring up at a ceiling. Then the pod I was in rose up before with a hiss the doors opened spilling the goop across the floor with gravity embracing me.
Far too clumsy for my liking, my arm tries to grip the sides of the pod but can’t quite reach it. After the fourth attempt, both hands managed to reach and properly grip the side and slowly pulled me forward.
In my impatience and annoyance at my current state I failed to notice I was pulling too much and falling down to the floor like a fish out of water.
A grunt escaped me with me slowly looking up to see Selene with several servants by her side. Serleena stood off to the side looking down at me not in pity but in respect. A servant moved forward at Selene's behest with an offered hand.
Taking it before getting hauled to my feet I almost fell back down when the servant had me lean more onto them.
“Thanks.” I huffed out taking the breathing apparatus off my face. The air felt cold and burned on the way down compared to the mask. Yet it felt like life had returned compared to the stale artificial air being shoved down my throat.
They merely nodded. With a hand wave my stamina that felt like a dry lake returned nearly full force with my shaky weakened limbs now having the power returned to them feeling like they could rip and tear apart durasteel.
The regular spells are enough to fix the minor damage for now but things like my teeth and ribs… those will have to be dealt with immediately.
I turned no longer needing the servant's aid and went inside the bathroom with a subtle green glow to my hand that no one else noticed.
…
A floating piece of bone spur covered in blood fell into a sink that had several more like it coating what had to be a bathroom that spared no expense with its luxuries now coated in crimson red.
My mouth was filled with blood once more with my gums begging me to stop. I could have used a painkiller but I needed to feel what was going on inside my mouth to know if something was wrong.
If this were the old me I couldn’t have done any of this. Telekinetically tugging out bone shards of my teeth or having the mental capacity while under this much pain to know if something was wrong.
Noting each piece is taken care of so the hard part is over. My reserves had regenerated enough for me to start. Hand held up as I used a basic illusion spell to show an image of the inside of my mouth.
Another spell that had been created out of curiosity and experimentation was brought up. Focused on the inside of my mouth with the magicka that fueled the spell directed into my mouth. At first, nothing happened.
Within a few seconds I could feel it working inside of my gums. Something was filling the empty space of my gums that hurt but compared to what Moria put me through this was nothing.
Then the image in front of me showed blood either clotted or flowing was shoved out of the holes in my gums before pure white bone slowly worked its way out. First molars. Then my canines looked more human than vampire before they elongated without me needing to guide them.
Then the rest slowly and painfully formed until my mouth was crimson red and white with the teeth looking pure as snow. No yellow stains or cavities. The pain in my gums receded the damage mended slowly over time to ensure no complications or issues so I don’t have to do this again.
A huge sigh of relief escaped me before feeling the rest of my body. Everything seemed back in place. The only thing I was struggling with was the phantom pain. That unfortunately Restoration can’t deal with and it will simply go away in time.
I hope.
A quick usage of telekinesis had the blood and bone fragments held into a tight ball in the air before a quick flame spell burned most of it away. Combined with telekinesis it drained me of what was left.
The remaining bones dropped back into the sink with tiny tinks against the porcelain or whatever this thing was made of with the remnants of the blood all but gone beyond an ash-like substance.
The telekinesis spell was one that much like Skyrim showed it was magicka-intensive and it could lift most things even heavier objects without too much of an increase in magicka to do so. It’s when you get to things like small buildings in their entirety or castle walls that you begin to have too much drain.
Beyond the magicka cost it also couldn’t be used on ‘living’ things. It was some weird metaphysical concept that a soul would have to be absolutely overwhelmed by their own existence to take control of their life physical form with telekinesis.
It’s why it could be used on the lowest of the low undead yet anything above that wouldn't work. It was because the equivalent of a soul they had was practically a speck of dust with no greater intelligence beyond following what the master ordered.
Some clothes or items on someone’s person could be manipulated but otherwise it couldn’t directly affect someone. That didn’t mean it couldn’t be used in other ways. It was something I always intended to improve especially if I am going to be dealing with people like Palpatine and the Jedi.
But with this recent incident of me almost dying I need to improve and get some plans rolling faster. I haven’t been resting on my laurels per se but I haven’t been rushing like the devil was right on my tail.
A chuckle escaped me as I processed how close I had come to biting the bullet. I was arrogant to even think that the Matriarch wouldn’t adapt to my trick to fool their body reading.
Shivers run up my arms with them quaking from the memory of the pain, blood, and just everything awful that happened in that moment. Even through the haze that clouded my mind some memories remained and I remembered them when I would prefer not to.
“It’s done. I finished it and now I can rest easy.” I muttered aloud to myself. More to help calm me down than anything else. It seemed to work with the shivers and shakes slowly easing up before disappearing altogether.
After several minutes enough magicka was in the tank to clean up the rest of it and dispose of the trash. My hands were now clean from the mess I glanced over at the shower.
Then back at the mirror showing my bloody face and neck. One long hot shower later I was in heaven. A hot shower was something I never thought I would take for granted but after all this time spent suffering in this hellhole, I am looking forward to Nar Shaddaa.
Once out of the bathroom I saw a clean set of clothes set on the bed with several servants standing at attention. Not paying them any mind I took the clothes back into the bathroom because I am not changing in front of them.
I may be vain and love the way I look but I refused to show my body to strangers.
“The Matriarch has extended an invitation to you for a feast in your honor for claiming the Second Sister for our House.” One said to me bowing in respect.
“Alright, lead the way then.”
So she did with me feeling far more comfortable in these clothes that looked pretty expensive. Like absurdly expensive. The kind of expensive that you could throw millions of paggats or credits at a famous tailor and they could turn their nose up at you type of expensive.
We went through the entirety of the manor with many servants stopping what they were doing just to bow in respect to me. Some people would enjoy it. I… I don’t know what I felt about it. On one hand I didn’t like it but on the other a darker part of me enjoyed it.
Miguel always talked about how despite what some people who made it to the big time would think they are better than everyone else, we are all equal at the end of the day. We all bleed red, and we will all die eventually. Death especially being the great equalizer as he liked to call it. Something that of my two other lives one would scoff at.
I shook my head to rid myself of such thoughts. Those were when he was close to the end.
Eventually we reached a grand room with all kinds of alien yet delicious looking foods. From some kind of massive bird the size of an ostrich with a delectable smell mixed with spices to sweets like some kind of orange and blue colored cinnamon rolls.
“There is the man of the hour himself. I am pleased to see you hale and healthy Corvo.” Selene said, getting everyone’s attention.
Many of her children were here along with plenty of guards and servants. The place looked like a beehive with everyone doing something in the room.
“Appreciate the bacta you got for me. I know it wasn’t cheap.”
I am genuinely thankful she was willing to invest in something like that for me. She could have just turned her back on me after I fulfilled my end of the deal and left me to die if she wanted to.
“No need Corvo. If anyone should be thanking someone it should be me thanking you. Against all odds, you have overcome a great trial. Hold your head high for you have done something not many have accomplished in a long time. You managed to fight and defeat an Echani Matriarch!” She threw her hands up in a grand gesture with the numerous servants and family members clapping their hands with enthusiastic applause.
I merely watched them as my face felt like it was carved out of stone. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy the appreciation and respect being shown, it was more because I didn’t win in my eyes. When you have to use a desperate move when you are at your limit and your adversary has you dead to rights, that isn’t a win to me.
A gamble that paid off when you otherwise had lost felt like a loss all the same. For me, victory should be achieved through skill and holding your own, and not out of desperation. It’s something that I even believed when playing online games.
If you barely win and that win is through the universe taking pity on you it’s not a true win. Selene read me like an open book, her expression warm yet she looked puzzled like a mother trying to understand her child’s reasoning.
“Now let everyone enjoy themselves this evening. This is a night to celebrate!” With that, everyone began to dig in enjoying themselves with some classy music playing in the background.
I walked forward, grabbed a plate, and sat down using the silverware like a gentleman with the memories of dining with the elite before I had to assassinate someone coming to the surface.
It was like an old hat for me. Some of the servants and family members of House Solorok even looked mildly surprised that I knew how to use them.
Enjoying the alien feast with the succulent meat all but melting within my mouth. A seat being taken beside me had me glance over to see Selene with her own plate.
I’ll give her that. She enjoyed her meat since there was nearly nothing but meat on her plate. “You can think what you want Corvo but you cannot argue you had come out as the victor in the end.”
“That wasn’t a true victory. Sure I am alive and… is she dead?” I was about to explain until the sudden realization that I didn’t know if Moria was dead or not.
Daintily biting down on a piece that looked suspiciously like roast beef before she responded. “I have been keeping tabs on her and her family. She is currently in a coma and is no longer in critical condition.”
My fork paused halfway to my mouth as I processed that. A coma. Not dead. A coma is all I managed to give her after multiple headbutts that would have shattered a normal person's head right open like a coconut. And she was in a coma.
“A victory is a victory, Corvo. Most fights are won with skill but there is always something else that can decide who wins and loses. Luck. Moria grew arrogant and wanted to make an example out of you when she should have gone for the kill.”
“While I understand your perspective on such things Selene, I disagree. A true victory is achieved when everyone can universally agree the better fighter has won and no one can argue otherwise.”
She tilted her head back and forth while chewing on her food. “Not necessarily a wrong belief but not a correct one either. As far as I am concerned you are the better fighter. You just lacked experience and given the time that had been cut short you could have been vastly better than her.”
Selene shook her head at that with me savoring the tangy fruit and vegetables along with the meat on my plate. It was an exotic combination yet it all meshed so well with nothing overpowering anything else as all of it could be tasted at once.
“Selene if we had done it your way from the beginning I doubt Corvo would have lasted. He has made it abundantly clear he is incredibly talented in our arts but yet cares little for them in the end.” Serleena's voice comes from behind me taking a seat beside Selene.
“Had we done it like I wanted to Serleena, we wouldn't have needed to worry about the outcome.”
“Well, it didn’t matter in the end since Corvo had won the battle.” She raised her glass filled with what smelled like powerful spirits. “Magnificent fight by the way Corvo. I didn’t expect what you did in the end. And I doubt Moria ever saw it coming if we didn’t.”
A smile and nod before raising my own glass when a servant came to pour wine into it for me. “Appreciate the praise Serleena and Selene. Once this feast is done I will have to leave by tonight since my job here is done.”
Taking a long sip savoring the bitter yet sweet wine and taking a few bites of my meal. Both women glanced at one another with a long look shared before them. Before I could decipher what they were talking about another person plopped down across from the three of us.
“Corvo you can’t just leave!” Celeste said showing the most emotion I have seen to date. Not that she was against showing some emotion like her being a battle junky. But she was more reserved where this was just openly on display with no need for the Echani body reading when anyone could see she was unhappy.
And apparently drunk if the smell of alcohol on her was any indication.
“I have to. My job here is finished and once this is done I need to get back to Hutt space.”
All three turned to look at one another with me looking up from my wonderful meal to see them sharing a look yet hiding whatever it is.
“Corvo, we also have another gift for you. One that you cannot pass up.” Selene said with a knowing smile.
A few hours go by with the evening winding down with everyone getting their fill of the food. No matter how many times I asked the three of them nor the servants would tell me what the other surprise was.
Despite the need to leave and get back in contact with Jabba about the job being done I don’t leave just yet. Simply because they have my curiosity on what they intended to use to keep me around. It had to be something they knew I would care enough to stick around for.
Plus it’s not like Jabba will hear about what happened anytime soon. And if he does as far as I am concerned I have earned this much for getting treated like a punching bag.
Celeste had managed to sober up enough after Selene made sure she couldn’t have any more alcohol to her annoyance but she stopped pouting when her mom had whispered something into her ear.
She smiled ear to ear like she just got promised the thing she had been asking for all year round and Santa had delivered.
The system's star had gone beneath the horizon with the night sky looking beautiful as I lounged on an outside balcony watching the stars above with the occasional ship passing by in the distance.
“Corvo I am happy you decided to stick around instead of just leaving,” Celeste said, walking closer.
There was a sway to her steps where it would seem she was still under the effects of the liquor if not as much. She had more control over herself compared to before but still open enough to make it far easier to read her.
She wanted me to come with her. “Time for you to see your gift!” She grabbed my arm leading me along while I allowed it.
She was kind of cute when drunk. Like a clumsy puppy rather than a battle-hungry maniac. We moved further into the manor moving across familiar territory when I realized where we were going.
The living room had a few of Selene's other children amongst the chairs and couches all with a few snacks and beverages. Selene sat in an oversized yet incredibly comfortable-looking chair that looked more cushion than furniture.
“Welcome Corvo. Our gift to you and for everyone to enjoy it together for this will be the last night Corvo will be with us.”
Intrigued, I stepped forward taking a seat beside Serleena who gave me a wane smile that screamed I know what’s coming but you don’t.
Sitting back and relaxing before the hologram began bathing the dim room with some light.
“To all of our wonderful viewers out there who watch this channel on the galactic holonet we wish to throw out a big thank you to a patron and donor to our channel who wishes to remain anonymous. Without them, what would have been the final season of Starro and Hoop before its cancellation has now managed to continue for another three seasons.”
I merely turned to look at Selene, a knowing look on my face. Selene merely smiled at me before we all sat back relaxed and enjoyed the show one last time together. I may not miss the grueling training but I will miss moments like this.
