This is where Alan is staying Hank asked the two men that were standing outside of the presidential suite of the hospital They exchanged a glance With fewer patients staying those that did were afforded more room From the shape of the building there was likely an entire houseÆs worth of space behind the golden inlaid door that the two guards protected
President Howard is resting right now The one guard eventually said reaching up and adjusting his sunglasses If you return tomorrow hopefully he will be feeling good enough to receive visitors
Hank smiled at the man feeling not an ounce of kindness in his soul ThatÆs my brother Let me see him IÆm a big boy I can take it
Unfortunately the guard began but HankÆs frayed temper snapped
His Hard Right smashed the guard against the wall the back of his head knocking with enough force that Hank believed he felt something crack As his body slid down the wall Hank just looked at the other guard The gaze froze the man who was reaching simultaneously for his plasma pistol and for his wristlet to call for backup
HankÆs smile widened The guard stayed still
Just here to visit my brother boys No need to get so feisty Hank said casually as he reached forward and twisted the knob of the door There was a faint tingling on the back of HankÆs neck but he went forward anyway
There were four men with plasma rifles waiting on the other side of the door The leader of the four cleared his throat Hank recognized him as a lazy if law abiding man Sheriff Howard I understand your worries But until President Howard regains consciousness we are under strict orders to let no one
HankÆs Dodge Roll put him right up between the four rifle users and it changed the manÆs pleas into quiet curses One of the more useful items Hank had learned in Donnyton was how to manipulate the Skill so they performed differently depending on what he wanted Which was why he was able to cover 5 meters in a single roll which was a feat that would have left him just as shocked as these guards if Hank had seen it two months ago
Well Hank amended mentally Not this shocked
There was one woman on his left and three men to his right All were frozen except the rotund leader who realized quickly that he couldnÆt turn the plasma rifle in the enclosed hallway and dropped it He let go of it just in time to take a Sharp Left to the face As Hank pulled his punch back he brought his elbow into the nose of the woman behind him breaking it in a smooth stroke
Deftly Hank put his foot out under the butt of the gun and lifted it with his toes He threw it accurately Entranced the farthest man jerkily caught the gun as it floated towards him As his hand gripped the heavy rifle Hank had already doubled the boss over hit him in the temple with his pistol and then smashed the third man with a Sharp Left
The third guard had none of his bossÆ toughness and dropped like a rock It looked like the fourth guard pissed himself Without a second glance Hank turned on his heel and walked calmly forward down the hall It took them about three seconds but it seemed like the woman had reset her nose and was talking rapidly into her wristlet while looking at HankÆs back Hank had to admit that she had some spunk for all that she hung around politicians all day
A sense of doom was seeming up from the very ground of this hospital as Hank walked down the hallway But Hank didnÆt mind After all he was empty He arrived at the door on the end with the label Alan Howard and opened it It was as empty as he felt
Hank showed his teeth to the room His Soul Skill was keening like a coyote Someone would pay for this
Chapter 573
Nathan understood the look that the pretty woman was giving him He was slightly tired of it but she was more circumspect than most But what adults always seemed to forget was that as they grew more understanding of what was happening they were slowly numbed to it When they could spot things further out in the future they could afford to be lax
For children there was so much they couldnÆt understand So their entire beings were wired to be sensitive to even the smallest change in the environment Nathan thought himself as growing slowly older but he felt like even now he was falling further behind Kiersty It wasnÆt a competition but Nathan knew the day would come where she would need him He needed to grow strong for that day
Tatiana tapped her finger lightly on the corner of the desk IÆm sorry if I seem distracted Can you explain again what exactly you do for Baloo
Nathan smiled as brightly and reassuringly as he could I handle class stuff You donÆt really like your Class right I can help you find a new one ItÆs a little bit complicated but basically stuff like that
Tatiana seemed anything but reassured Hesitation was hanging heavy on her every motion and word Well thatÆs unique I donÆt hah it wonÆt hurt anything will it Okay yes IÆd like a better Class
Okay so whatÆs your Class now Can you hold my hand while you talk please Nathan said offering his hand He had already used his Investigate Aether Skill to see into Tatiana but he had found that people were more reassured when he pretended to need permission to do what he did
That was a waste of time in NathanÆs opinion He much preferred times like his operation on Hank where the other person was unconscious It saved him so much time and meant he didnÆt need to hold back in using his Skills Still Randidly had made him promise to keep a low profile The holding of hands was motivated in a similar vein he didnÆt need physical touch to use his Skills but people liked the reassurance
Sighing inwardly Nathan wondered which of them was really the kid as Tatiana took his hand
Ah my Class is Cutpurse IÆm Level 27 right now Tatiana said after a brief pause
She was lying at least about her Level Nathan couldnÆt see the exact Level but she was much closer to 35 than 30 He wondered about that Most people he had met would brag about their Classes by saying they were a higher Level than they were NathanÆs curiosity was piqued but he was a consummate professional and did his best to let it pass without comment
Level 27 huh Nathan couldnÆt resist saying doing his best to sound curious without prying
Tatiana half shrugged still holding onto his hand Yea well even living in the cities arenÆt the easiest thing Monsters sometimes infest the sewers or sneak in through the city limits Besides without Leveling up I started to feel like I was stagnating you know I owned a business but Ah this is just me complaining Anyway what are you doing
Just getting a sense for you Nathan lied Truthfully he was testing how sensitive she was to changes in Aether around her This was most important because how much Aether she could passively absorb had a pretty direct correlation with how much Aether Nathan could shove into her new Class A person who had a Class that was a bit insufficient for their images would cope by pulling from the world
Tatiana was pulling from the world but a relatively normal amount Well normal perhaps an understatement but it was only about half as much as that man Hank was pulling in And he was a little bit less than people like Tykes But Nathan hoped that once Hank realized the changes that had happened inside of himself he would learn to follow his instincts more directly
Okay Next what sort of Class do you want Have you thought about it at all Cutpurse seems a bit Nathan was going to say weak and mundane but thought it might be mean to say to the woman Besides Randidly clearly wanted to work long term with her So Nathan had to be nice
He had one brief shiver saying a thankful prayer that his mom was back in Donnyton fussing over Kiersty
yea itÆs a bit dishonest but TatianaÆs eyes unfocused as she looked at something in the sky Then she sighed and glanced back towards their clasped hands Well my old job was a little on the edge of the law When the System arrived this Class just made sense to me It felt right But now I wonder if I was thinking a little small time And bound to the city That I think is what I hate the most I want to go out and help but IÆm just a Cutpurse