Chapter CCCLXXV: Are and Kllkll ~Lich

Lich lay on the surface of the pool, his eyes closed. His hands passed lazily to and fro in the cool water. A swim in the jungle spring had refreshed him after walking through the heat – in fact, the water seemed to hold some sort of curative property. He noted the place mentally for future reference.

He was enjoying himself. Being cooped up on board the Spectrum and in the A’gul village had sparked his wanderlust – it was being satisfied now. Going out into the wilds by himself, getting around predominantly by foot, and discovering new things and new places was one of his greatest pleasures. G’lirer had opened up an entirely new realm for him to explore. With his heritage and the prophecies, he reckoned he was likely to have free reign over where he went.

Now, however, there was the pressing issue of finding Hl’garng and taking him to Fa’Diel before the infernal time limit set by the Pandoran Army ran out. Lich opened his eyes and treaded water.

At the other end of the pool was a tree, much like the others around it, but what set this one apart was the carving done into its trunk. Lich peered at it, noting how fresh the wound was – sap still dripped down the bark. It was a very simple, done with some sharp instrument, nothing more than five short vertical lines arranged in an arc, except the one in the middle was set back from the rest, with an arrow pointing straight ahead. He guessed it to be a note from Hl’garng, telling him where he could be found.

He swam to the bank where he had thrown his footwear and belt with the Cyan Arc, and put them on. It was his spare belt he was wearing now, thanks to Malachai’s theft; it was the belt he had worn on Zolott. When he got to Fa’Diel, he could begin to find a way to Malachai, and his Pokémon.

He set off once more, following the arrow. It was not long before the land started to incline. Around him, the mist was beginning to close in. He climbed further, and turned around, hoping to see the valley and the village – he could just make out parts of it amid the glare. He resumed his path, relying on purely walking in a straight line in the featureless landscape. Lich surmised that he was on a moor.

He had no sense of time up here, where the fog crowded him in, making his skin prickle. However, it was not too long before he saw the shadows of two hills forming a gorge. From what he could tell, it was not what he would consider particularly narrow. After a while, more shadows emerged – five pillars of rock three times his height, hewn by nature, arranged into an arc, with the central one placed back. He’d found his target.

“Hl’garng?” he called, stepping into the formation.

There was no answer. He checked the Mana Field and found him on the other side of the set-back pillar. He approached it, his hand on the Boomerang, ready to pull it out if the warrior was hostile. Wary, he stopped before the pillar.

“Hl’garng, it’s me, Lich. I come in peace.”

Again, there was no reply. He rounded it and found Hl’garng, sitting with his back to the rock, machete across his lap, staring blankly. He could see the remnants of redness around his eyes.

“Hello,” Lich spoke kindly.

“I have hurt my lord, have I not?” Hl’garng spoke blankly, without looking at him.

Lich was taken aback. He was ashamed of telling him his vision? Quickly, he regained composure and said, “No, Hl’garng, you have not.”

“Then why dost thou seek me out?”

“Because this is what friends do,” Lich replied, dropping to his haunches next to him.

“Lord, it…it seemeth to be in disrespect to have told thee, and for that I am sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologise, Hl’garng. In fact, I’m glad that you told me. It’s given me warning. And, please, call me Lich.”

“Lord, I…I am not comfortable with that name.”

Lich raised an “eyebrow”. “Why not?”

“I…I had a vision of one who called himself by that name. He hath been here, only last night.”

Lich nodded. “Right. He is the Dark Lich. Unfortunately, I share part of his name as, well, my adult name, and he seems to have taken some sort of offence to that. I mean, I didn’t come up with the name, it just was…well, given to me in malice and to defeat that malice shown towards me, I just accepted it.”

“We shall see him again,” Hl’garng spoke flatly.

Lich sighed. “I thought so.”

Hl’garng swallowed. “Lord, Li-ch,” he started, allowing himself to say his name, “I…I hope that thou shalt not lessen thy opinion of me, but…I am the Head Warrior of the A’gul. I am to be brave at all times and in all places. But, before him, I am not. I see great and horrible pain, for me.”

“He makes his fear run deep, Hl’garng. I have a lot of fear of him. But, to survive against him, you have to turn your fear around. Back home, they discovered we have this thing called adrenaline inside all of us, and what happens that, when you’re afraid, it starts shooting itself all around your body, giving you all of this energy so you can continue to fight, or to get away.”

“I believe that to be the same in a hunt, against a fierce beast, Li-ch,” he replied.

“Yes, I guess you could say that. Fighting the Dark Lich is like fighting a fierce beast in a hunt. You can’t give up, at all.”

Hl’garng nodded, and gulped. He was silent for a moment’s contemplation while Lich waited. Afterwards, he finally turned his head to Lich and spoke, “Here, amongst these pillars, the Banished Tribes entered G’lirer. The pillars’ names are Hurt, Chagrin, Sorrow and Anger. But this one, set-apart, where we sit, is called Hope. This place is where I come when I need solace, and here I sit, restoring my hope; the hope that is beyond the pain.”

Lich looked up at the pillar. He was certain it was familiar to him from something he had seen before. It was hard to tell in the mist. Returning his gaze to Hl’garng, he answered, “Hope is what we all need. You’re going to need to hope a lot.”

“Thou hast still a want for my coming with thee, Li-ch?”

Lich nodded. “Yes. In fact, when we go back to the village, we will be leaving as soon as we can. We will be travelling through a place called the Shadow Dimension, a realm of darkness. We have three guides who will keep us safe, one of them being my cousin. After we have passed through it, we will be on a world called Fa’Diel, where I hatched. I have business that I must attend to there, part of the fight described in the Prophecy of Two Worlds. My weapon is the Cyan Arc, and I am its Guardian; I am part of it and it is part of me. Because I am its Guardian, I have obligations that I must fill from time to time on this world. This is one of them.”

Hl’garng’s eyes sparkled. “Another world…it soundeth amazing.”

“Yes,” Lich smiled. “It is.”

Suddenly, the warrior frowned. “However, Li-ch, it…it seemeth wrong that I shall be leaving G’lirer alone, without all the Banished Tribes. I will be alone.”

“But you will be the first to leave, Hl’garng. Your name will be passed down for generations.”

Hl’garng looked daunted. “Yes…yes, I suppose it shall be, Li-ch.”

There was silence for a moment.

“I do not mean to intrude on thy business, Li-ch, but I ask what it is that we shall do whilst we are there.”

“It’s good that I tell you. There is a war, and I must fight in it.”

Lich frowned. He would have to explain many years of learning about Mana succinctly.

“You see, there is a force in the universe called Mana,” he started, “and it is what binds it altogether. Mana exists everywhere, even inside us. The people of Fa’Diel, including myself, have learnt how to use Mana. That’s how I knew you were here, because I felt the Mana inside you near me. You can do many things with Mana.”

Hl’garng nodded, allowing the concept to fester in his mind.

“Mana, though, exists as a balance. If I do something to disrupt the balance of Mana, it will rebalance itself. Now, there are two places that Mana depends upon. One is where the Mana Goddess resides in the form of a tree. The second is…well, it’s not really a place, but it is, in a way. It is the Mana Sword, a weapon whose power depends on the power of Mana. It exists to balance the Mana Tree – the Tree creates, the Sword destroys.”

Hl’garng nodded again.

“Now, what has happened is that the Mana Sword has been taken from Fa’Diel and is in evil hands. The link between it and the Tree has been severed. The world is beginning to decay, and part of it is this war. The Tree is starting to die because the Sword is not there. I must find the Sword, and to do that, I need to find eight Jewels that come from there, but have been scattered. I have already found three of them. You see, the Child of the Moon came from Fa’Diel. It is known there as the Diamond of Gokar.”

“It did, Li-ch?” Hl’garng asked.

“Yes. I believe it was taken from there to or by the Ll’grhng’shi, who then took it to the Homelands. The other two stones are here,” Lich pointed at the Ruby of Erisot, “and around the Hunter’s neck. I have five more of them to find. Only when I have these Jewels together will I be able to counter the might of the Mana Sword, so long as it is not on Fa’Diel. But, the Prophecy states that the battle will take place on another world altogether, so I’m…not…worried?”

Lich looked around him. It was getting darker by the second.

“I do not believe that the time for nightfall is nigh,” Hl’garng mentioned, also confused.

Lich looked up at the pillars, seeing them crowned with ethereal flames of blue and purple. He quickly checked the Mana Field, and felt a powerful figure approach. “Gulto!” he swore.

“What is the meaning of ‘gul–’”

“Hl’garng, run,” Lich spoke worriedly, getting to his feet and pulling the Boomerang from his belt.

“I am to be brave in all times and all places, Li-ch,” Hl’garng spoke, also rising to his feet, the machete in his hand. “I shall stay and fight with thee.”

You’re gonna get yourself killed! Lich thought as he rounded the pillar. “Then stay behind me,” he hissed.

He placed the forefinger and thumb of his right hand over his closed eyelids, then re-opened them, able to see more clearly. In the arcane light, there stood a cloaked and hooded figure at the edge of the formation. A cold wind blew the cloak silently, chilling Lich to the bone. By his very presence, Lich’s mouth opened and he started to babble, “It’s chilly and dark and I hate having to use Eagle Eyes to see what I'm doing and there's some guy in a cloak here disguising his Presence on the Field…” He paused, stunned. “Did I just say all this?”

The figure nodded and took a step closer.

“Who presenteth himself here?” Hl’garng asked.

“He who called,” the figure spoke, his voice familiar, yet trying to accent itself. “Wrote, rather.”

Lich looked to Hl’garng. “You didn’t carve that tree?”

“No, he didn’t,” the figure answered before Hl’garng could. “I did.”

“Who are you?” Lich asked, unable to pinpoint the voice just yet.

“Just a man. A man up for change.” He snickered. “Why don't you look again? That mental barrier of darkness can be distracting to maintain.” He folded his arms and chuckled.

Lich felt the Mana Field again. His eyes shot open and his widened pupils burned with fury. “What do you want, fake?”

“Fake? Now, now, I assure you,” Tehxnot’lucan said, and threw the cloak aside, a forest-green one on underneath, his black sword in hand, “I am no fake, lizard.”

Remembering Hl’garng’s reaction to the word, Lich held his hand out to bar his way. “There is only one Multehx, and I am his ally and friend and companion.”

“Take a good scan again. Note how perfect things are,” the demon snickered.

Lich did not do so, it was enough for him. “What do you want?”

“I suggest to thee that thou shouldst depart from this place,” Hl’garng growled an interruption.

As Hl’garng’s yelp echoed around as his own shadow threw him aside, T’lucan answered, “Simple. You dissed me. Now I’m mad. No-one to help you this time.”

There was a groan nearby as the warrior got to his feet. “The battle beginneth!” he cried. He charged into the fray, his machete drawn.

T’lucan laughed as he swung a backhand. His confidence turned into confusion, however, as Hl’garng leapt out of the way. “This is between me and orangie here!” he yelled. “Stay out!” He clenched his fist, wound up, and delivered a blow that would have floored Hl’garng – yet again, the Yoshi sidestepped it. However, the shadows rose around him and he yelled as they started to beat him. The demon laughed, leapt and turned mid-air, striking the Rhyjulian II down. Lich rolled out of the way at the last moment.

Hl’garng stood shakily as the pummelling ceased. “I shall not be easily defeated,” he sneered.

“No, you shan’t,” T’lucan smiled. “Then taste the fury of true darkness!”

“Run, you fool! Dammit, run!” Lich yelled, then sprang and tackled T’lucan, as the demon leapt into the air, his arms spread.

Lich knew what the next feeling was the instant it happened. His body seemed to shoot away ahead of him, then snap back, while the world spun around him. He had just teleported a short distance into another dark area, lit by more of the blue and purple flames. He was dropped to the ground.

“Well, make it easy for me, why don’t ya?” T’lucan winked.

Lich got to his feet and stumbled forward, his daze continuing. “Damn…you…” he growled.

The demon drove the sword into the ground, then balled his hands together and slammed into Lich’s shoulder, knocking him down. “Looks like, alone, I am truly the stronger on–”

He released a hiss as Lich struck his own shoulder with the Boomerang, a flash of light emanating from the contact. The Yoshi rose to his feet, the effects passed, ready to strike again.

“So, resorting to your little ‘secret’, are we?” T’lucan grinned, gripping his shoulder as the pain throbbed.

What the…

He lowered the Boomerang slightly. How could he know? “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lich fibbed.

“What'sa matta? Not man enough not to admit to being not totally biotic? Hyeheh! Little inhuman in speed there, and strength behind the throws!”

Lich forced himself to cock his head. “What do you mean?”

“You tell me, cyborg lizard,” he snickered.

The Yoshi flinched. He could not reveal to him that it was true and ask, “How do you know that?” Instead, he would have to resort to what his job required: Tehxnot’lucan’s death, or his.

The demon laughed cruelly. “Don't tell me you forgot about the ole coot at the tower who fixed you up with this bit, long with that ball a light you freaks worship!”

It began now. Lich drew the Boomerang back and charged. “What did you do to Shero?!”

T’lucan leapt back. “Seems I struck a nerve,” he chuckled. “Testy lizard you are. Nothing yet. I have no business with them, only you. In fact, I have been granted a special gift to send you to Hell in a very glorious manner.”

Infuriated, Lich thumbed a facet of the Ruby and threw the Cyan Arc. Instead of making its namesake, it encircled T’lucan tightly, the warning crackle of electricity aiming to discourage movement.

T’lucan merely raised an eyebrow. “Think that’ll save ya?”

With time up his sleeve, Lich began to call upon Lumina. Quickly, the demon also called, this time muttering Rhenzin. What appeared to be a long stick sprung from beneath the cloak into the Boomerang, sending it straight back at Lich. Not ready for it to return, its blunt edge smashed into him, throwing him back head over heels, before continuing on its way. Lich raised a hand and the Cyan Arc curved and returned to it.
He saw what had sent the Boomerang back at him – a golden staff, with a black stone set at its head.

“Straight from the hands of my partner himself, the staff of Nictem,” T’lucan announced, approaching. “Mayhem really; Nictem was a shoddy disguise. You know him better as Mayhem Grimael Havering.”

“Nictem?!” Lich exclaimed, returning to his feet. “Nictem is…hang on…a Havering?”

“Mayhem, the son of the notorious Pseudo Havering,” T’lucan chuckled, raising the staff.

He was the one who took the Mana Sword! If Tehxnot’lucan was working with him, then this was the way to it!

Lich saw the staff get struck by black lightning, and begin to pulse with a purple light. He stood up.

“You know them both, I believe.” T’lucan snickered. “Fat lot of good it’ll do you, ‘cos you’re gonna fry!”

Lich got to his feet and summoned Dryad. He then drew a large circle before him with his forefingers, each drawing half of it, pole to pole, and then in the same graceful movement he brought his hands back to himself. He clenched a fist, and was bathed in a green orb of light. It broke and fell to the ground in a shower of green stars.

It was just in time as bolt after bolt of the strange, evil lightning shot from the staff, over its jewel, and towards him. Before it could reach him, it smacked into a barrier, visible only by the green flash the struck area gave each time. Lich stood and yawned, mocking him. “Come, come now, don’t you remember this one, fake boy?” he taunted, in the demon’s same vain.

He frowned. “Do not call me anything but the genuine article, sir!” He raised the staff and grinned wickedly. “I simply must use the reading I did back in the library at Kippo.”

Lich simply continued to taunt, twirling the Boomerang around in his fingers, until he swung it up and in the same movement, thumbed the laserfire facet of the jewel, striking the demon’s face with the beam.

He brought his hand up to his face as it struck, and then growled as he lowered it, revealing it, now sporting a black mark. The hand continued onto the staff and thrust it towards him as the growl turned into a yell of “Darkness! Dispel all light that offendeth thee!”

A dome of darkness descended over Lich, fading into him with scatters of darkness fragments, before shooting a beam off towards the horizons in four directions, taking the Wall spell with it. Defenceless from any magical attacks, Lich threw the Boomerang at T’lucan’s leg. Now the battle had changed – he had to find a way how he could get the demon to reveal whether or not Nictem, now as Mayhem, still had the Sword. Killing him would yield no answers, so now he had to pacify him.

T’lucan groaned with the Boomerang’s hit, and then slid the staff down his back. He extended an arm, his forefinger and thumb bent into an L-shape, while the other hand clasped the wrist, to steady it. An orb of darkness formed between the fingers and threw itself at Lich. The Yoshi jumped back, only to have another one where he landed. He narrowly missed it as well, and jumped back from the next one thrown at him.

“Give up! No-one can outlast my machine gun-shadow-blast!”

Lich kept jumping, starting to go from side to side, trying to zigzag his way up. He started to pant, but steeled himself to keep going. He could hear the staff hum.

Suddenly, T’lucan snickered as he launched another blast, and threw the staff at Lich. The Yoshi dodged the blast only to land right in the staff’s path. It knocked him backwards, and he staggered to stay on his feet, but he ended up on his back as he tripped over a rock.

The demon laughed, and took the black sword out of the soil with both hands. He walked towards Lich, holding it menacingly. “You don't hang around Jaded for all those years and learn nothing. And to do this with my personal weapon.” He sneered at him, and then started a run.

Lich could feel the staff beside him on the Field. He checked it for any potential traps, finding none; but as he did, he gaped. Its gem was none other than the Onyx of Are!

“Zoooooorrrrrrrn– ” T’lucan started, raising the blade above his head and drawing it back.

Lich grabbed the Boomerang in his teeth and leapt for the staff. He grabbed it in his hands and swung into T’lucan’s legs, tripping him up. He drove the sword into the earth deeply as he fell. Lich leapt to his feet and jumped, trying to smash the staff over the demon’s back, but his target rolled over and kicked into Lich’s stomach with both of his legs. Winded, Lich was thrown back and the Boomerang dropped from his teeth onto T’lucan’s legs, shocking him. They had a spasm as electricity coursed through the demon, making the weapon fall onto the ground. Lich landed back from him, too far to reach the Boomerang with hand or tongue, fighting for breath.

The demon snickered. “You might have got me once, but never twice!” He leapt to his feet and pulled the sword from the soil.

Lich looked up at T’lucan, who was sheathing the Rhyjulian II on his back and growling with pain. He clutched the staff to his chest protectively.

“Well, with my powers on the fritz as I just funnelled them into that thing and through it, I do estimate ‘tis time for a hasty retreat!” T’lucan proclaimed. “I'll be back for the staff soon enough, and remember: you aren't safe for a minute!” With a wave of his hand, the skies brightened, and the flames moved over to him, surrounding him, and fading away as he did.

Still gasping for air, Lich was unable to give him a parting gesture like last time. He heaved for breath.

“Li-ch, is everything alright with thee?” came Hl’garng’s voice.

Lich looked up to find the warrior standing over him. “Yes,” he croaked, sitting up. “How’d…you find me?”

“I could see the flames from the hilltop, Li-ch. I stayed away. I ask thee, please, thinkest of me not as–”

“You did the right thing,” Lich answered, as his breath finally returned. “I just got another of the Jewels from that demon.”

“This is good news, Li-ch.”

“Yes,” he agreed. He got to his feet, walked over and picked up the Cyan Arc. He looked around. “You’d better show me back to the village.”

The two Yoshies walked in relative silence until the mists parted and they went down into the valley, the afternoon sun low on the rainforest-covered mountain range. Lich was the one who broke the silence with, “Did you hatch here in the A’gul village?”

Hl’garng nodded. “The Grng’alapata Valley, in the Lands of the A’gul, is my home.”

Lich had not found out the names of the geography around the area. Ung’grl had told him about where the A’gul’s territory ended: the river to the east, an escarpment on the other side of the western rainforest, the far side of the northern hills, and an invisible line between two hills to the south in the valley. “Grng’alapata” meant “stone pathway”; he guessed it to be the way one went to the five pillars. “So, what are those hills called?”

“E’hut’ng,” Hl’garng answered.

Lich smiled and nodded. They were “Foggy” by both name and nature. The names had stirred his wanderlust further. “What is beyond the hills – actually, what is beyond the A’gul Lands?”

“Where the stream and the great river meet, one shalt find the Lng’gora Lands. The A’gul be at peace with the Lng’gora…now.”

“Now?”

“Two cycles ago, the Lng’gora and the A’gul battled. I lost two friends to their spears.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Hl’garng.”

Hl’garng shook his head. “Do not be. They died valiantly. We drove them back to the Grng’alapata’s end, back into their own lands. Victory was ours, peace reigneth, but still, the Lng’gora and the A’gul are not friends.”

Lich nodded. He was beginning to see why Recugrian had tried to unite the tribes back home. “What of the other tribes?”

“The Nyng’ta Lands lie beyond the E’hut’ng Hills. The A’gul be at peace with the Nyng’ta, as the Nyng’ta be in constant war with the Mt’hrya, whose lands lie beyond the great river, and therefore wish not to provoke more fighting.”

“What about the Mt’hrya?”

“The Mt’hrya be like the Nyng’ta.”

Lich nodded again. “What about to the west?”

“Beyond the Angt’hl’mng Cliffs, one findeth the Lands of the Mng’wah. The A’gul tradeth with the Mng’wah – however, it is not often, as the Mng’wah and the A’gul must travel around the mountains, through the Lng’gora Lands and the Gng’ngya Lands. The Gng’ngya be at peace with the A’gul and be allied with the Mng’wah. No-one maketh an alliance with the A’gul, for our ways are the ways of peace – the A’gul provokes not the other tribes, and the A’gul defends, not attacks.”

“The Mng’wah? Weren’t they a seafaring tribe?”

“Yes, Li-ch. The ocean is very far from here. Nevertheless, they retain their ways of trade.”

It was not long before they reached the village again. As he was beginning to grow accustomed to, Ung’grl scurried over to him. “Lord, I am pleased to see you return, and you too, Hl’garng.”

Lich nodded to his advisor and looked around the village. Already, the huts appeared to be nearly finished, a frenzy of activity happening as the Yoshies aimed to get their work done by sunset. “Are my guests still here?” he asked.

“The Goddess of Healing hath not been seen, whilst the God of Warriors left in thy time away, lord.”

Lich frowned. “I hope they return soon.”

Ung’grl nodded. “The first Guest and the blue one seem ready to depart. They have been awaiting thy return, lord.”

“Right. I’ll say my farewells to them, then.”

“As welcomed Guests, they must be farewelled, lord.”

Lich paused. “Yes, that’s right. I think I remember you telling me what I had to say. Hold on.”

He entered his hut and found Naaro and Vector in the main room, Naaro seated at the table and Vector on his feet.

“So, I had three fighters coming at me from over here,” Vector said, gesturing, “and I was thinking, ‘sh–’ oh, hi, Lich.”

“’Ano. I take it you two are ready to head off?”

Naaro nodded. “Yes. We would have gone sooner, but Ung’grl said we had to be farewelled.”

“I’ll just organise that now. Come outside.”

The three of them came outside. Lich closed his eyes for a moment and remembered what needed to be said. He cupped his hands around his mouth. “The Guests of the A’gul are now departing!” he called.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to the three of them.

“Thank them for their hospitality,” Lich spoke out of the corner of his mouth.

“Thanks for the bed and grub!” Naaro called.

“What he said!” Vector called out.

Slightly bemused by their responses, there were various cries of “Come again” from the Yoshies.

“Okay, you go now,” Lich said quietly as he turned to both of them. “Good luck, bring him back, alive, where we said.”

“Enchanted Forest, near Kippo,” Vector nodded.

“Yep. See you both on Fa’Diel.”

Vector gestured to Naaro as he got himself into a riding pose. Naaro climbed on Vector’s back, and soon, the blue Yoshi’s feet were revving themselves up. A few moments later, the air distorted and a sonic boom ran out as Vector sped down the valley. Lich waved as they went.

There was a crashing noise behind him as an unsecured roof fell off one of the newly constructed huts. Lich cringed.

The Yoshies returned to their work, some starting to hoist the roof back up onto the hut again. Ung’grl turned to Lich and placed a hand on his arm. “Yes, I believed so, lord,” he spoke, half to himself.

Lich looked at his advisor. “Pardon?”

“It is time for thy repainting, lord,” Ung’grl told him, withdrawing his hand. “The paint is mixed with the sap of the Kllkll tree – it bondeth to thy skin, safe from water, sweat, and dirt. It may only be removed by the leaves of the same tree mixed with water.”

“I…see. Okay. Why does it need to be removed, Ung’grl?”

“If it is left on for too long, the paint maketh one sick, and maketh one ill of mind. Lord, I…I have an apology to make.”

Lich looked at Ung’grl up and down. “You…you didn’t give them Kllkll leaves?”

Ung’grl shook his head. “I have failed thee, lord. My deepest and humblest apologies.”

Lich quickly turned towards the south, seeing only settling dust where Naaro and Vector had been, on the way to his painted brother. He whispered a Pandoran curse and then spoke quietly, “You’d better be faster than normal, Vector.”