The Mech Touch

The Avatars of Myth weren't the only ones who struggled with the unexplainable enemies they fought against. The sights they had seen were beyond alien. If anything, the ghost mechs and the giant tentacled whale made them feel as if they had become stuck in a fantasy drama!

When talking to Melkor, Ves found out that ascribing all of the weirdness to the Nyxian Gap was the best way to go. This strange and perilous region already acquired a reputation for abnormal phenomena. Blaming the Gap for everything was a convenient way to handle most people's doubts.

"I'm not sure, Ves." Commander Melkor frowned. "The final enemy we've faced reminds us a lot of your glows. Is that a coincidence, or do they have something common with each other? Somehow, I don't think it's a coincidence that Venerable Jannzi's impressive energy projection just so happens to match the glow of her mech. Is that giant lizard the true source of your glows? Is this exobeast the same kind of existence as the tentacled whale?"

Ves stopped in his tracks. He turned to his cousin with a serious expression. "I know you have questions. I know that many others are in the same boat. I can't provide you with the answers you want to hear. Some knowledge is too dangerous to spread. Knowing too much not only turns you into a security risk, but will also insert too many unnecessary thoughts in your mind."

"What are we supposed to do, then? Continue on with all these doubts lingering in our minds?!"

"Just deal with it." Ves bluntly replied. "There are many things that people like us don't understand. For example, I can tell you all about designing mechs but I don't have much of a clue about biotechnology. The same goes for mech pilots such as your Avatars. I am sure that they are good at what they do, but I don't think that any of them know how to put together a mech. That doesn't stop them from piloting mechs with incredible skill!"

The examples provided by Ves put the problems into perspective. No one was capable of knowing everything. That didn't stop society from working.

Specialization was the key to humanity's rise as a race. Starting from their caveman days, humans learned that trying to do everything was worse than dividing specific tasks to specific individuals.

By allowing some humans to become hunters, a tribe became capable of filling more bellies.

Compared to generalists, specialized professions such as lawyers, artists and accountants became capable of outputting much better work.

It didn't matter if a lawyer wasn't able to pilot a mech. He could let professional mech pilots do this job in his stead. In turn, mech pilots were always able to turn to lawyers for legal assistance.

This was how modern society worked.

Therefore, once Melkor began to view the problem from this lens, much of his unease began to clear up. "You're right, Ves. Maybe it's better if I don't think too much about this stuff. Still, it would help if we could obtain more guidance."

"Talk to James Ylvaine."

"The Living Prophet? Are you kidding? Have you converted into a believer all of a sudden?"

"I'm still a Brighter, Melkor. Don't worry about that. It's just that James is probably the best person to talk about your doubts. He.. isn't entirely delusional. Don't give me that face! Talk to him first before you rule out this option!"

Melkor clearly thought dubiously of this suggestion. Whether he followed it or not was his own business. Ves merely offered him another option.

Once they reached the sick bay, they moved to a recovery room. Several Avatar infantry soldiers in full combat gear stood guard. The importance of Venerable Jannzi was very clear to the Larkinsons. Safeguarding her life was one of the clan's highest priorities!

As Ves stepped through the hatch, he immediately felt the difference.

A faint sense of protection and warmth dominated the compartment. It was as if Ves instinctively felt he could rely on someone.

That someone happened to be Jannzi Larkinson, the first true expert pilot of the Larkinson Clan.

Right now, she was sitting on her bed while talking to Joshua, her boyfriend. Both of them turned to the newcomers.

"Patriarch. Commander." Joshua greeted.

Ves studied Jannzi for a moment. Though she looked fatigued, Ves could clearly sense the rock-solid force of will emanating from her mind.

It felt as if she was always ready to solidify her force of will into a shield whenever necessary. Every Larkinson could count on her to step up and shield them from danger.

Of course, this wasn't entirely literal. Force of will was something intangible and only capable of affecting minds. In order for Jannzi to stop physical rounds and laser beams, she needed to merge her force of will with a suitable expert mech in order to change reality.

What Ves found curious was how Jannzi's force of will differed from that of Brutus.

Both of them possessed similar convictions. Yet they had differences as well. For example, Brutus was much more selective and judgemental in whom he should fight for. As for Jannzi, Ves felt that she was willing to fight for every Larkinson without making any greater distinctions.

Venerable Brutus clearly developed a protective force of will, yet he opted to specialize in piloting rifleman mechs. To him, his best way to protect his loved ones such as Gloriana was to destroy her enemies!

As for Venerable Jannzi, Ves had the impression that she was more inclined to adopt a more supportive role. That didn't mean she eschewed attacking her opponents. After all, Qilanxo proactively attacked the Unending One at the end of the previous battle.

"Ves." She finally spoke after staring at him for a time.

Her eyes conveyed much greater depth than before. This was something that Ves had seen in many expert pilots. It was as if they were much more capable of seeing the truth of matters.

Part of this was because of the force of will they developed. This empowered will was no longer locked within their minds, but could spread around them like glows. This force of will was able to inspect anyone who came within its range.

Even now, Ves felt her force of will brushing against his mind, allowing Jannzi to subconsciously judge him by his spirit rather than his outward facade.

Ves tried his best to ignore the uncomfortable subliminal inspection. No one liked to expose their true selves to people.

"I am glad to see you are awake and unharmed. I hope you'll recover as quickly as possible. Our clan is still in the inner periphery of the Nyxian Gap. With all of the losses we suffered, we need you to inspire our remaining mech pilots."

Jannzi frowned a bit. "Do you intend to stay in the Nyxian Gap?"

"Oh, no! Not at all!" Ves raised his palms. "Once we are done here at Ulimo Citadel, I immediately intend our task force to leave the Gap. We have met most of the objectives after this battle. Our clan has already paid a heavy price and we truly can't afford any further losses."

Both Jannzi and Joshua looked relieved after hearing that. Just like many other clansmen, the pair no longer looked forward to any further adventures in the Nyxian Gap. If they had to face something like a dark god again, the task force would probably be wiped out to the last man.

Ves began to sit on a chair next to the bed and asked some basic questions. He checked to see if there was anything amiss with her physical, mental and spiritual state.

Though he couldn't say much about her physical state, spiritually she was already stronger and more vigorous than ever. Though she couldn't match the intensity of stronger and more established expert pilots such as Venerable Brutus, Ves knew that she had a lot of room for growth.

She flicked her eyes at Melkor, Nitaa and Joshua. "Could you leave for a moment? I need to discuss something with Ves in private."

Ves had an inkling of what she wanted to talk about. "Joshua, Melkor, you go ahead. Nitaa can stay. She can be trusted."

The two male Larkinsons suppressed their curiosity and reluctantly left the recovery room. Even if they wanted to stay, the will of an expert pilot had to be respected.

Rank didn't always matter. While Melkor technically commanded the Avatars, of which Jannzi was a part of, the Larkinsons always revered expert pilots from their own midst.

They weren't unique in this. The Mech Corps was very similar.

Ves couldn't ignore Jannzi's status either. Even though he stood equal to her as a Journeyman, the greater honor and renown of expert pilots meant that they always enjoyed a much better reception.

"I spoke to Qilanxo." Jannzi began. "Though we haven't talked for long, I learned some of the truth of who she is and where she came from. I.. I never imagined my Shield of Samar and every other Aurora Titan mech is being watched by a giant lizard who transcended death."

"..."

Well, this was awkward. It turns out that Qilanxo wasn't shy in letting Jannzi get to know her better.

This shouldn't have come as a surprise. Qilanxo invested considerably in Jannzi's development. At this stage in their relationship, Jannzi deserved to know who supported her whenever she piloted her personal mech.

Ves activated his signal jammer.

"Well, since you know this much, I might as well stop holding back. Qilanxo isn't human. Despite this, she is a friend and ally to us. She is even a part of the clan." He stated and stretched his hand to Nitaa. His bodyguard handed him the Larkinson Mandate. "During the founding of our clan, she was with us and invested a part of her essence in this book."

After opening the large and heavy book, he rapidly flipped the pages until he reached the third-to-last page. He then transferred the tome over to Jannzi.

She could feel the familiar spiritual signature in the page. This reassured her for some reason.

Nyaaaa?

Goldie looked curiously at Jannzi and began to nuzzle her cheek against the hand holding the book.

Due to her increased spiritual sensitivity, she actually felt the warmth and love emanating from the ancestral spirit!

Jannzi's eyes grew fuzzy as pleasant thoughts and emotions popped in her mind. Her will to defend the Larkinson Clan resonated with her current feelings.

A sense of peace and acceptance flowed from her body. She carefully closed the Larkinson Mandate and handed it back to Ves, who passed it on to his bodyguard.

"Thank you for letting me touch your book. It was.. an enlightening experience." She softly said. "I can understand why you don't talk about this. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone about Qilanxo and where your glows come from. Just make sure to lead the Larkinson Clan better."

"The battle we fought is painful, but our clan has never shied away from taking sacrifices." He said. He couldn't very well tell her that he made a mistake! "Our clan will grow stronger because of this battle. Larkinsons died, but their sacrifices are not in vain. We will recover and become greater after we return. As long as we are stronger, we are much more capable of surviving the challenges to come."

Jannzi frowned a bit. "You constantly talk about growing stronger, but are we getting happier because of it? How many clansmen have lost their families? How many Larkinsons have lost their fathers, mothers, brothers or sisters? How many of us have lost our lifelong friends and comrades?"

"This is the greater hardship that our clan must learn to endure." Ves glibly replied. "It was no different when we used to be part of the old Larkinson Family. Many of our mech pilots fought against the Vesians, and not everyone makes it out alive. Despite that, our family kept sending our mech pilots to the Mech Corps, because we knew that we were fighting for a greater cause."

"Are we fighting for a greater cause or are we fighting to advance your personal ambitions?"

Ves pressed his lips.