The second scale

The silence squeezed between us for too long. I felt he wanted to spit some crap out to get rid of it, but nothing came up.

"I wanna leave this crap behind," I said. "I gotta see what's beyond these walls."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Be specific. You have a reason, don't you, child?"

I nodded.

"Well, I'm gonna hunt a bastard down."

He sighed and swayed his head. The doctor reached for a cage to his left, one I didn't notice before.

The thing in the cage was a Dragoshard, no bigger than the last one that went down my throat. The lizard's scales glittered with a sapphire sheen as it crawled across his fingers.

"If you truly wish to survive in the Wastelands," he said, stroking the creature with his other hand, "you'll need it."

I stared at the writhing lizard.

"What's the catch?"

"Catch?" He laughed. "Curiosity is a virtue. I am surprised to see a guttersnipe like you display it. The catch is simple. Without it, you'll die within hours of leaving this place."

"And with it?"

"With it, you might last a bit longer than my calculations."

I frowned at his comment.

"How long?"

"Maybe a week. That is, if you don't run into any potential threats." He finished his sentence with a chuckle.

"Then why help me at all?" I asked. "What's in it for you?"

A grin spread over his face. 

"I'm doing this for the sake of research. Not that it personally benefits me to assist you. However, your body needs six more different Pawn-level shards to complete your niche. A seventh to ascend beyond the Pawn rank entirely."

"And then?"

"That is if you find seven unique ones, which I assume you won't. The ones I have here belong to the dusk class. Consuming one from the wrong class will result in instant death."

Dusk?

I remembered the words that told me mine was a dawn class scale. Interesting.

I steeled my nerves and reached for the blue lizard curling in the doctor's palm. I snatched it and held it an inch or so before my lips.

"Bon appétit," he said.

"Huh, easy for you to say."

I hesitated at first, but I was in no position to back down. Hesitation was for people who had choices. I popped the thing into my mouth and shut my jaws tight.

The only hints of agony this time were the clawing of the lizard against my throat. The experience was far smoother than the previous one.

The texts blazed up in front of me again.

[SCALE ACQUIRED. NEW ACTIVE BLESSING AVAILABLE]

Rank: Pawn

Scales: 2

Scale Class: Dawn

Health: Optimal

Active Blessings: Enhanced Strength, Touch of Embers

Passive Blessings: Bulletproof Skin

Curse: Acid Blood

Artifacts: N/A

Touch of Embers?

I wished for an explanation, and one popped in front of my eyes.

Touch of Embers: Grants the host the ability to ignite weak fireballs and shoot them. Inflicts mild damage.

Okay, okay. I could work with this. The ability was alright. What was I expecting? I'm still a pawn, after all!

"It seems that you enjoyed your meal."

"Feels like crap." I said. The words were partially true. The thing tasted like someone shoved mud down my throat, but the reward was worth it… I guess?

"All evolution requires suffering." He slid a briefcase across the floor toward me. "It may prove to be quite useful."

I hefted it. It was heavier than it looked. 

"What's in it?"

"Open it and find out."

I clicked the briefcase open. My eyes widened.

Cash! Six bundles of it! That's more than I could earn in a lifetime!

"Why? How does this help you?"

He'd already turned his back to the cages. 

"You'll need it. Now go, before my patience or your luck expires."

Without a word, I headed for the door.

The corridors of the abandoned hospital wing stretched before me like arteries in a corpse. My footsteps echoed off cracked tiles.

***

I left the hospital behind and made my way far away from the heart of the Fortress.

I came across a bridge that was narrow, barely wide enough for two people. Below, a murky stream flowed. I'd made it halfway across when someone bumped into me.

The stranger was tall and thin. He had a long coat and fedora like he'd stepped out of an old detective film. The kind of man who never smiled.

"Pardon me," he said.

A device on his wrist suddenly shrieked. It rang with a high pitch, and it pierced the air.

His eyes snapped to mine and locked into a cold gaze. He caught a glimpse of the green scales that peeked from beneath my wrapped arm.

"Well, well," he said. "I didn't expect to come across such a surprise."

I should've been more careful.

I backed away. He stepped closer. His hand drifted toward his coat.

"Target acquired!" he snarled into a walkie-talkie. "Sector 7! Moving! The suspect has a briefcase and is heading towards the southern outskirts."

A pistol came out smooth and fast. It was a plastic, translucent Glock with a black metal slide. The magazine was loaded with green plasma bullets.

He fired a few rounds as I vaulted the railing. Some ricocheted off skin, leaving slight burns. However, what caught me off guard was the damage done to the briefcase. The thing was up in flames! I dipped it in the stream, but it flared up. I left the case behind and took to my heels.

The man didn't mind getting his clothes dirty. He was on my tail firing until I could hear him reload for more.

Finally, a chance!

I rubbed my fingers and ignited a fireball. Before he could shoot again, I hurled it at the bastard. 

"Yes!"

I smiled and released a breath of satisfaction. The blaze engulfed and stunned him. In a few seconds, I hurtled and climbed from the stream, losing him at last.

As I swerved my way across the Fortress. Sirens wailed. I could hear the screech of tires patrolling the streets. Luckily, I discovered an old, abandoned building. I hid there until the heat cooled off.