Then it was just the monk, myself, and Paige.
8
I held my staff in front of me as I gathered a massive amount of energy. The lights dimmed. I could feel Paige redirecting resources to properly store so much power, using my whole body like a supercapacitor. She was probably also expending a bit of effort hiding that sort of drain from the computers that monitored the ship’s power grid.
When the monk charged, I channeled that energy through the staff, building a hyperdimensional field that was way too dense for the lower dimensional space it was crammed into. If the idea behind a technomancer held true—that sufficiently advanced technology was indistinguishable from magic—then this was big juju. The hyperdimensional energy field collapsed under its own kinetic weight, releasing a shockwave of pure force which hit the monk just before he hit me. He went skidding and rolling across the floor to end up sprawled against the wall, half on top of the downed troll.
His bell was well and truly rung, and by the time he shook some focus into his jade-green eyes, I had the burning cold tip of my staff pressed against his chest. Frost formed in the loose weave of his robe. His nostrils flared as he drew in a sharp breath, then sniffed again. Those bleary green eyes, like emeralds in the cream, gray, and ash swirls of his face fur, suddenly widened, focusing on me.
The Felis monk made a thoughtful growl deep in his chest and sniffed a third time. “I do not believe we are enemies,” he said, his voice smooth and purring..
I withdrew the freezing tip of my staff from his chest and offered him my hand. “No,” I replied warily, “I don’t think we are.”