Twenty-Seven

"A battle aura already?" Benny asked with a single raised eyebrow as Diur and Kon sat in front of him. The E-Grade rift treasure sat to the side like an abandoned toy, a lumpy geode of glimmering stone, light passing through it to cast a rainbow across the table. Kon sipped on his drink as he stared at the blob of food in front of him, exhaustion dragging him down as he looked between the two of them.

"A battle aura is how one can weaponize the energy inside of themselves, forming it into a raw manifestation of power. It's not rare and often seen early on in training. Techniques are ways to fully harness the power and keep it efficient, similar I believe to what your runes do," Diur explained as Kon looked between them confusedly.

"It's something that is a cultivator thing. Didn't know if you were going to be able to do it with having your runes," Benny said.

"I've seen Alice's aura though?" Kon asked.

"Seen it. That's just a representation of the power around her. She wasn't really using it to power attacks, it's closer to a calling card for Knights, though some of us can do things with it with enough time and practice," Benny explained.

"While cultivators can use our power to warp the world around us with our techniques. The visual representation of this is an aura. What you did was pull forth all the stored energy in your body and use it to amplify your strike on the guardian. Which is why you collapsed right after," Diur said.

Kon nodded along as he tore a chunk of blob free and ate it, chewing it a few times before it simply melted away, leaving a trail of over-seasoned slime down his throat. Water quickly washed it down with a swig of water before looking at Benny.

"Why is there so much seasoning on this food?" Kon asked. Benny blinked a few times and then guffawed.

"It's salt and pepper. Bit of garlic. Expensive to get a hold of if you're off the World-Ships. Not my fault you kids all grow up on broiled food," Benny said between gasping breaths as he wiped at his eye, a mirthful tear pooled on the edge of his eye.

Kon froze as he stared at the blob of food and what Benny had just told him. If what Benny was saying, then he'd just ate years of wages in spices. Diur looked at him curiously as he blinked repeatedly.

"They're old earth food. They're extremely expensive spices. Extremely. I've only heard about them," Kon said. Benny looked over at him and raised his eyebrows.

"You know the cost of old Earth spices, but not our histories or politics?"

"Grew up on a hydroponic farm. I know a lot about growing food," Kon said with a shrug. His embarrassment about how little he knew was slowly waning as he continuously consumed the history lectures Jurgen had given him along with Benny's lessons.

"Some spices are rare at home depending on what planet in the confederacy they are grown on. But the food tastes fairly plain to me. We have several spices similar to this," Diur said.

"I know. Salt isn't actually a spice. It's a mineral and finding the appropriate salt is hard. We have several planets that we have trade deals with to acquire it. That's besides the point and I think we've gone off topic. That rock there isn't going to be decent for your body cultivation or your armor. We'll store it and you can sell it, just remember to give Diur her share," Benny said, pointing at the natural treasure.

"Of course," Kon said, though he had no idea how they were supposed to sell it. Benny nodded appropriately and his eyes went glassy for a second before snapping alert.

"We'll be leaving now. I can drop of the information at the closest relay station and this mission is accomplished. Your share of the reward is the harvest you two collected. Diur, you have some of the cores, right?" Benny asked.

"I saved several of the E-Grade cores for myself. I'm looking to secure an array to purify cores to use to cultivate even while we're in the ship," Diur said.

"I got one stored away. You can use that and the next mission, you can have equal value of what Kon used here past his share line," Benny said, rubbing his worn hands together.

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"The goblins," Kon said even as he stifled a yawn.

"Yes. We'll rendezvous with reinforcements and then you two kids get to learn how large scale raids work. We'll be acting as a scout ship when we enter the system. The Puca isn't seen when I don't want her to be seen and her sensor array is top of the line. From there, we'll formulate an effective battleplan. Depending on who shows up to the rendezvous, we'll have to be a bit creative," Benny started. Kon perked up as they started talking.

"It'll be fine for me to be there?" Diur asked, apprehensive. Benny waved a lazy hand at her.

"You're with me, you'll be fine. These kids will listen if its who I think is showing up. Even if they don't, you'll be fine. Now, this is going to be bloody and violent. It goes against how I normally operate, but you have to get training in this type of fighting and its an excellent opportunity. I would like you to be in full armor, but that'll take too long," Benny said, tapping a finger to the table as he looked them over.

"I still don't get how our armor is supposed to be so much stronger than other power armor. It has something to do with treasures," Kon said, waving at the stone still on the table.

"That is a well kept secret. One even I'm not willing to break. I can help you collect the necessary supplies, but your armor will be between you and your Armorer." Diur nodded at his words, looking non-plussed while Kon felt a brief flare of anger.

"All these maybe their secrets is frustrating. How am I supposed to know what I can or can't say?" Kon scowled as he thought and Benny saw it, the old man piercing through what was troubling him in an instant.

"Get your own ship and be strong enough to flout the rules. Then you can decide what secrets you get to keep. I'm not the man I used to be, I have to follow some of the rules," Benny said.

"That makes sense. The strong rule," Diur said, nodding her head.

"What do you mean not the man you used to be?" Kon asked, ignoring the fact the iron-clad rules Alice had imparted upon him were more suggestions. Benny sighed and leaned back, crossing his hands over his flat stomach as he looked them over.

"I'm old, boyo. Very old. Rift energy and cellular rejuvenation and all other sorts of tricks can keep age at bay. But it catches up to you eventually. I'm not going to croak right now, so get those looks off your faces. Hell, I'll probably outlive you two, but it saps away what you can do eventually. I can be who I used to be, but it's more in spurts than constant. So I'd rather not have to strain to do that because of some loose lips, do you understand?" Benny said.

"How old are you?" Kon asked again. The first time he'd asked the old man had avoided the question while Diur scolded him. Now she leaned forward with an inquisitive look of her own.

"Not going to scold him for asking about my age?" Benny said, looking to Diur. She shook her head.

"I've never heard about someone getting so old they die of old age once they reach C-Grade," Diur said.

"Who said I reached C-Grade?" Benny shot back. Neither Kon or Diur said anything, both of them looking at him with disappointed looks on their faces. Benny sighed again before leaning back, his head looking up at the ceiling.

"Hell. I don't know. The years just blur together at a certain point. Sometimes I think I should have let go, let someone else take up my mantle. But I want to see her again," Benny said.

"Who's her?" Kon asked, but Benny ignored him as he clapped his hands together and tilted his head back to look at them.

"If you live long enough you'll understand what I'm going to tell you. You need to find something to live for. The constant drive for growth grows empty in time, leaving you nothing more than a shell. I've seen prodigies who only desired strength fade and wither as the millenia pressed upon them, their minds nothing more than mush. Find it and protect it, guard it with your very being for when the centuries continue forward, it'll be what holds you still."

"What is it that you hold?" Diur asked quietly, peeking up through her eyelashes as she seemed almost embarrassed by the question. Benny smiled at them, pure joy radiating out of him, a complete switch from the solemn warning he'd just given.

"My people. Humanity. I survive for them. I remember the old days when we faced extinction. I will never let that pass. I will find us our home again," Benny said, each word a declaration that rattled the air, power warping around him as that rune that constantly followed him pulsed with each statement.

"Earth? You're looking for the lanes to return back?" Kon asked, excitement filling him. Benny looked at him and in his eyes there was madness, cackling heat and energy that belied his ancient appearance.

"Yes. There are quite a few of us actually. It's a small Order but old, powerful, distinguished. It's not quite an Order, but we treat it like one. Those of us who search."

Kon leaned back and thought about Benny's words. About the weight of ancestry that Diur had talked about. His own lacking feeling, how he didn't know what a home was. His own lost to rift beasts. His grandparents watching them as they boarded the ships to leave, holding each other's hands as the last refugee ships flew off the colony to leave them to die.

"I'd think I'd like that. A home," Kon said slowly. A bit of the madness dimmed in Benny's eyes as he leaned forward, his manic smile softening into something comfortable.

"After this is over boyo, I'll teach you about home. About our world and how we will find her again."

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