After investing the remaining EP, Marcus could feel that his connection to the wheelchair had deepened, the mental interface becoming more intuitive. He could sense the chair's mechanical systems as extensions of his own body, directing its movements with thought alone. The "basic defensive capabilities" intrigued him.
What form would those take?
Testing immediately, Marcus directed the chair to protect itself from a hypothetical attack. The wheelchair's frame vibrated briefly before reinforcing its structure, metal components shifting subtly to create a more resilient configuration. Not dramatic, but potentially useful if he encountered physical threats.
With his EP reserves depleted but his contracted allies significantly enhanced, Marcus turned his attention to the next phase of his plan. The improvements to his Tempest skill brought him closer to replicating Voss's etheric resonance field technique, but he still needed practice.
—He needed a safe environment to conduct his experimentation.
His apartment was too confined, and the rooftop too exposed. He needed a space where he could test the full range of his enhanced abilities without observation or interruption.
The Eastern District Training Ground was an option, but after yesterday's incident, he preferred to avoid official Transcendent facilities for now. The city's abandoned industrial sector offered another possibility. Warehouses and factories had been left vacant as manufacturing declined, now awaiting redevelopment that perpetually stalled due to economic fluctuations.
Marcus had researched several such locations earlier, identifying a former textile factory approximately three miles from his apartment as particularly promising. The building had been vacant for nearly a decade, its remote location and structural concerns deterring squatters and urban explorers alike.
Getting there would be challenging but not impossible with his enhanced capabilities. His autonomous wheelchair could handle the journey, especially with its improved terrain management, and his Tempest skill could assist with any particularly difficult obstacles.
Decision made, Marcus prepared for an evening excursion. He dressed in dark, practical clothing, packed a small bag with water and energy bars, and secured his apartment. As twilight descended over the city, he directed his wheelchair toward the service elevator, bypassing the lobby to avoid potential witnesses.
The journey through darkening streets required careful navigation. Marcus kept to side roads and service alleys, avoiding main roadways where his solitary presence might draw attention. His wheelchair performed admirably, handling cracked sidewalks and occasional debris with newfound agility.
When he encountered a section of collapsed sidewalk that would have been impassable before, Marcus simply activated his Tempest skill, lifting himself and the wheelchair over the obstacle with controlled flight. The sensation of freedom, transcending physical barriers that had once defined his limitations, remained exhilarating despite his focus on the practical mission.
The abandoned factory loomed against the night sky, its broken windows like dark eyes watching his approach. Security fencing surrounded the property, but years of neglect had left gaps and collapsed sections that provided easy access.
Marcus guided his wheelchair through one such opening, entering the property with a sense of trespassing that was both concerning and thrilling. The main building's ground floor featured a vast open space where machinery had once stood, now empty except for scattered debris and the occasional structural column.
Moonlight filtered through broken skylights, casting eerie patterns across the concrete floor. The space was perfect. It was isolated, spacious, and unlikely to attract attention if he kept light and noise to a minimum.
Marcus positioned his wheelchair in the center of the floor, took a deep breath, and activated his Tempest skill at full capacity. His perception expanded dramatically, sensing air currents throughout the building and beyond. He could feel the subtle movements of rodents in distant corners, the flutter of bats in the rafters, even the passage of vehicles on a highway nearly half a mile away.
Now for the real test. Voss's etheric resonance field involved rapidly vibrating air molecules to create a frequency that interacted with spectral entities. The principle seemed straightforward, but the execution required precise control and significant energy.
Marcus focused on creating a sphere of compressed air around himself, similar to what he had used when destroying the electronic devices, but larger and less dense. Once established, he introduced vibration. It was subtle at first, then increasingly rapid until the air molecules began to emit a faint blue luminescence.
The effort strained his concentration, but his enhanced Will skill provided the mental focus necessary to maintain the complex pattern. The sphere of vibrating air expanded to encompass a ten-foot radius around him, its blue glow providing gentle illumination in the darkened factory.
"Etheric resonance field."
Marcus murmured, satisfied with his creation. It wasn't as refined as Voss's version, but the fundamental principle was the same. If a Vitality Wraith entered this field, it would be forced to either fully materialize or retreat. Either way, it would lose its advantage of partial incorporeality.
He maintained the field for several minutes, adjusting parameters and testing variations in frequency and density. Each modification required careful concentration, but the process became more intuitive with practice. By the third attempt, he could establish the field in seconds rather than the nearly full minute it had initially required.
As he prepared for a fourth iteration, something changed in the atmosphere around him. There was a subtle shift in pressure, a faint disturbance in the air currents he was monitoring. His enhanced Tempest skill's atmospheric sensing detected it immediately.
—Something was moving through the factory, disturbing the air in patterns that didn't match any natural phenomenon.
Marcus dissolved his practice field and established a combat-ready version, expanding his awareness to locate the disturbance. There, near the eastern wall, approximately forty feet away, a shimmer in the air, barely visible even with his enhanced perception.
"I know you're there. Show yourself."
He called, his voice echoing in the empty space.
The shimmer intensified, coalescing into a familiar translucent form: elongated limbs, wispy torso, and eyes like burning coals. The Vitality Wraith had found him, just as he had secretly hoped it might.
But something was different about this encounter. The Wraith didn't immediately attack or retreat. It hovered at the edge of his etheric resonance field, studying him with what seemed like curiosity rather than hostility.
Marcus didn't care about any of that. The moment he had noticed the shift in the atmosphere, he had immediately prepared an air pressure blade with his right hand while maintaining the resonance field with his left.
"You killed Celia Abernathy. You fed on her life energy while I watched, helpless to do anything."
His bloodshot eyes blazed with fury, his voice filled with animosity. He couldn't wait to tear the creature before him apart.
The Wraith tilted its head in an unsettlingly human gesture. Then, to Marcus's shock, it spoke, not with a physical voice, but with a psychic impression that formed words in his mind.
"The caretaker. Yes. Strong connection to you. Marked by proximity."
The mental voice was alien: cold and distant, yet comprehensible. Marcus's enhanced Will skill's psychic shielding flickered in response to the contact but held firm, preventing deeper intrusion. Sensing this, Marcus immediately tensed, his expression turning solemn.