Chapter Twenty-One
The trip back was uneventful and after a quick statement of mission complete I hit the showers to rinse any of the gore that managed to get between my armor and my skin. When that was done I went to find Master Jason. He was in his chambers and while I knew where they were, I had never been inside, simply because I never had a reason. Weather that was out of some grand design of Master Jason's or just a fact I didn't know. I had just ended the lives of twenty-four immortals without hesitation and wasn't in the mood to ponder over obscurities. The more I thought about what all to ask Master Jason, the more I thought that he had to have known all about the powers and skills of these immortals. When I reached for the coms unit to let Master Jason know that I was here, the video feed came to life before I actually touched anything.
"Good evening Eathen." Master Jason Said through the speaker. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, looking neither confused nor as though he'd been caught off guard by my arrival.
"I completed my assignment and had a few questions. If this isn't a good time..." I said letting my sentence trail off.
"No, No. this is as good a time as any. Come on in." he said and the door opened "I figured you might have a few more questions after coming into contact with other immortals." Master Jason said.
I followed his voice down the short, door lined hallway, to a small sitting area with two comfortable looking chairs. Master Jason was sitting in one and motioned for me to take the other. I nodded and sat. "I trust your mission went well?" he asked.
"Well enough. There were some things that might have been good to know before hand, thing that could've been included in the intelligence report, but it was nothing beyond my ability to handle." I said as I made myself comfortable.
"And, if you don't mind, could you elaborate on these missing pieces of information for me?" he asked as though he was expecting what I would say next.
I knew that there were things that I hadn't been taught yet, and I was okay with being patient and learning them at the Master's pace. Rather than play word games, I told him of the hybrids that I'd come across on my mission.
"Oh," Master Jason said, sounding genuinely surprised for the first time that night. "I'm sure that you adapted and did just fine."
"They didn't prove to be beyond my abilities, no. Although, one of them did manage to heal himself." I said, trying not to talk too negatively about the dead.
"Healing is a skill that you've not been taught yet, but it is another application of shockhaven control. Still, how did he heal himself exactly?" he said, as though I should've known about healing already.
I bit back my frustration. Why hadn't I been taught how to heal myself before I was sent on an actual mission? Were they so confident that I wouldn't be hurt? "He reattached his arms after I cut them both off just above the wrist." I said, calming myself. I was more than capable of completing the mission, I told myself and decided that it really didn't matter. It was done and over with.
"I'm sure that after you've learned the theory behind shockhaven healing, that it won't be outside your abilities. Although it's important to know that healing doesn't make the pain from the injury disappear. Teaching you how to not need to heal yourself seemed more pressing." he said and I couldn't help but acknowledge that he had a fair point. "However, I'm sure that is not why you're here." he added.
Why was I there, I asked myself. Was I there to express my anger over not being told anything of the abilities of immortals, because if I was, then I was doing a horrible job. Rather than bring emotions into it I just simply asked what I wanted to know. "What is the full extent of an immortal's power?"
He sighed, then smiled. "You do understand that we, the Masters, have little to do with choosing your missions and weather or not you are even ready to go on them." he said.
Answering a question with a completely unrelated question was a tactic to change the direction of a conversation. "Your point sir?" I asked.
"My point is that if it were up to me or, any of the other Masters you wouldn't have seen action for months maybe even a year. I would have taught you everything I know about immortality and so would've the other masters long before you ever faced one in combat." he said.
"A little late for that don't you think?" I paused. "But I understand." I said. I couldn't be that angry given that I had suffered no injuries. "So what can you tell me about other immortals?" I asked, deciding that I would just let it go and get the answers I'd come for.
"Quite a good bit so I suggest we start at the beginning." he said, and I nodded. "The term immortal refers to a person who's spiritual purity is above or below the level of normal mortals. There are several different levels of immortality." he said, summoning a piece of paper to the table and a pen to his other hand. "This," he said, drawing a horizontal line on the paper. "Is what is known as the purity scale. In the middle," He said drawing a circle in the middle of the line. "You have mortals. Then to the right," he said, as he drew a circle to the right of the first. ", you have the first level of immortality. They are known as Nymphs They have the ability to make solid masses with their shockhaven, although, the masses stay transparent, tinted with the color of their shockhaven. The next level," he said, drawing another circle to the right. ", is the level that you were born into. They are known as Arch Angels or Nimpheds. They are able to create solid mass that is no longer transparent and isn't limited in color, but isn't living tissue." The he drew another circle at the right end of the horizontal line. "Then you have the end of this side of the scale. Immortals that reach the final level are simply called Gods. Gods can create life, although most choose not to, out of moral reasons and that history hasn't been as kind to the creations of gods as it should." he said.
"So what's on the other side of the scale?" I asked.
"That is the side for those who's spiritual purity has fallen." he began, while drawing three circles on the left side of the line. "The first are called Imps, and they have the same abilities as Nymphs The next level has the same abilities as Nimpheds and they are called either Damons or Impids depending on who you ask." he said, bringing his pen to the circle at the left end of the line.
"So, what is that level?" I asked.
"Immortals who reach that level are known as Demi. There hasn't been an immortal that has reached the level of Demi in many, many years. They're more rare than Gods and the level itself is far more difficult to reach." he paused. "To become a God one must simply ascend to that level, which is no small feat, but to become a Demi an Arch Angel on the verge of becoming a God must experience something so terrible that they don't simply descend in purity. Their purity must jump to the other side of the scale and in turn they become something so evil that they change the galaxy. Where Gods are said to be the creators of life, Demi are the creators of death and destruction." he said.
Anyone can end a life, I thought to myself. Although, with as rare as Demi were I didn't want to spend time asking about them since I didn't think that I'd be seeing or fighting one anytime soon. "So, if I'm a Nimphed, or at least was born as one, how do I create matter from nothing?" I asked. I was here to learn about the abilities that I was born into and hadn't been taught yet, not the mysteries of the universe.
Master Jason smiled. "To be completely honest I have no idea." he said. Somehow, coming from the man that I thought knew everything, that wasn't surprising. After all, he was only mortal. "However," he began, as though he was offended by my thoughts, which I was growing more and more suspicious that he was able to read them somehow. "I am able to mimic the abilities of a second tier immortal. I can't however, create life or death , regardless of how much shockhaven control I have." he said.
"So you could impersonate a Nimphed if the need arose." I asked, thinking of the implications.
"That, a Damon, or anything in between the two, if I had the need." he added.
"So even though you can't do it the traditional way, you can teach me how to take on my mortal form then?" I ask
ed.
"Yes I can. Along with a great many other things. Your training is far from over, but you have proven yourself capable time and time again. Tomorrow we can begin with the training of your choice. However, this has been a long and eventful day I am sure you have plenty to think over and could use the rest before we get into it." He stood and so did I. "So, if there's nothing else that you would like to ask then I will look forward to our training tomorrow." he said.
"Nothing that can't wait sir." I said. With a nod and a bow I saw myself out the way I came in. Tomorrow I would learn how to grow wings for myself. I couldn't help but see the irony that I was going to learn how to be an immortal from a mortal. Not that I didn't appreciate Master Jason, he was a wonderful teacher, but it was just odd. I learned how to use my reploid armor from an actual reploid, not because it was outside of Master Jason's abilities, but because Master Miller was a master reploid. Wasn't there someone who had mastered the skills of an Arch Angel, that the GPF could've had train me in the ways of immortals, I asked myself.
As I reached my quarters I realized that I was asking the wrong questions. Master Jason was teaching me about the powers of immortals because he was able to. The real question was, why was Master Jason, with all his knowledge, skill and power, still mortal. I knew little of spiritual purity, but I didn't think of Master Jason as evil. He was no more evil than I was and I was still an Arch Angel, at least we thought so. I made it a point that the next day I would ask Master Jason why he was still mortal.