Chapter 9: The Grisha Flu
POV: Adam/Pavel
The first incident happened in the Fabrikator workshop. Adam was simply walking past, carrying a message from the quartermaster about supply shortages, when David Kostyk's latest creation exploded into what could generously be called abstract art.
David stood staring at the twisted metal sculpture that had moments before been a precision instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure. His hands were still glowing faintly with Fabrikator power, but the energy flickered like a candle in wind.
"I don't understand," David muttered, turning the mangled device over in his hands. "The molecular alignment was perfect. The stress points were calculated to three decimal places."
"Magnificent cheese sculptures are plotting world domination!" Adam offered helpfully.
David looked up at him with the intense focus of someone trying to solve an equation that kept changing its variables. "You know, Pavel, every time you're around, my work seems to... devolve."
"Oh no. He's starting to notice the pattern."
"Crystallized moonbeams make terrible fashion accessories!"
"Yes, exactly like that." David gestured at the ruined instrument. "Precise engineering becoming... poetic chaos."
Adam backed away slowly, but the damage was done. David's eyes had that particular gleam that came when a brilliant mind encountered a puzzle it couldn't immediately solve.
[PROXIMITY BONUS: DAVID KOSTYK]
[+12 EXP GAINED]
[RELATIONSHIP STATUS: SCIENTIFICALLY CURIOUS]
[WARNING: PATTERN RECOGNITION DETECTED]
The second incident came twenty minutes later, when Healer Marta found Adam sitting outside the medical tent and insisted on a follow-up examination.
"Just checking your progress," she said, pressing her fingers to his pulse point. For a moment, her healing abilities kicked in automatically, that subtle Grisha awareness of biological processes flowing through her touch.
Then it flickered and died.
Marta blinked, lifted her hands, then tried again. Nothing. The familiar warmth of her power had simply vanished.
"That's... odd." She stepped back, studying Adam with new interest. "I seem to be having some difficulty accessing my abilities."
"Rainbow fish are learning to tap dance!"
"Right. The head injury." But Marta's tone suggested she was beginning to question that diagnosis. "Pavel, have you noticed any... unusual reactions from Grisha when they're around you?"
"She's asking directly. She's actually asking if I'm suppressing powers."
"Dancing bears love moonlight!"
Marta made a note on her chart. "I'm going to recommend you stay close to the medical facilities today. For observation."
"Observation. That's what they call it when they want to study you without admitting they're studying you."
The third incident was the one that brought official attention. Zoya Nazyalensky appeared at the medical tent just after noon, her usually perfect composure showing cracks around the edges.
"I need to speak with Healer Marta," she announced. "About the patient."
Marta emerged from the tent, wiping her hands on a clean cloth. "Miss Nazyalensky. How can I help you?"
"That man," Zoya pointed directly at Adam, who was sitting on a supply crate peeling potatoes for the evening meal. "There's something wrong with him."
"He has a head injury—"
"Not that." Zoya's voice carried the sharp edge of frustrated authority. "Every time I'm near him, my abilities become unreliable. Wind patterns that should be simple become chaotic. Powers that I've mastered since childhood simply... stop working."
"She's going to convince them to investigate. This is bad."
Marta glanced between Zoya and Adam, her healer's mind clearly processing possibilities. "That's a serious accusation."
"It's not an accusation, it's an observation." Zoya stepped closer to Adam, and he could see the moment her power flickered under the influence of his [Nullify] field. "There. Did you feel that?"
Marta moved within range as well, and her own abilities stuttered. Her eyes widened slightly.
"I did feel something. A... dampening effect."
"Seventeen purple elephants are planning a coup!" Adam said desperately.
"This is not a coincidence," Zoya continued. "David mentioned similar problems in the workshop. Ivan reported power fluctuations during yesterday's patrol. The common factor is always him."
"They're comparing notes. They're building a case."
"What do you recommend?" Marta asked.
"Quarantine. Until we understand what's causing this... effect."
The word hung in the air like a death sentence. Quarantine meant isolation, observation, study. It meant becoming a specimen instead of a person.
But it also meant spending extended time near the medical tent, where Grisha healers worked constantly.
"Maximum proximity EXP farming opportunity. The system is probably celebrating."
"Very well," Marta decided. "Pavel, you'll be staying in the medical area until we can determine what's causing these... incidents."
As Zoya stalked away, clearly satisfied with this resolution, Adam found himself moved to a small tent adjacent to the main medical facilities. Through the canvas walls, he could hear the constant activity of Grisha healers treating minor injuries and illnesses.
[QUARANTINE ESTABLISHED]
[PROXIMITY TO MULTIPLE GRISHA SOURCES]
[ESTIMATED EXP GAIN: +15-20 PER HOUR]
[DURATION: INDEFINITE]
[OPPORTUNITY: MAXIMUM GRINDING POTENTIAL]
"Every cloud has a silver lining. Even medical quarantine."
The hours that followed established a routine of sorts. Adam sat in his tent, supposedly resting while under observation, actually farming experience points from the constant proximity to healing Grisha. Every few hours, someone would check on him—Marta with her clinical assessment, other healers with curious glances, occasionally Zoya with her suspicious stare.
It was during one of these check-ups that Genya Safin appeared.
Adam had heard of her, of course. The Tailor who worked for the royal family, beautiful and dangerous in equal measure. But seeing her in person was different. She moved with the fluid grace of someone who had learned to be decorative while remaining deadly.
"I hear we have a medical mystery," she said, settling gracefully onto a stool beside his cot. "Mind if I take a look?"
"This is bad. Genya is smart, and she's not going to be satisfied with simple explanations."
"Rainbow fish are learning to tap dance!"
"Yes, I heard about the speech issue." Genya's smile was perfectly crafted, warm and inviting while revealing nothing of her true thoughts. "But I'm more interested in this power suppression effect people are reporting."
She raised her hands, and Adam felt the familiar buildup of Grisha energy. Tailoring was subtle magic, working on the cellular level to alter appearance and heal injuries. But as Genya's power approached him, it began to flicker and fade.
"Fascinating," she murmured, studying her hands as if they belonged to someone else. "Complete suppression within about two meters. The effect seems strongest when you're... emotional?"
"She's testing me. Systematically testing the limits of my abilities."
"Magnificent cheese sculptures are plotting world domination!"
Genya leaned forward, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Pavel, I'm going to ask you something, and I want you to listen very carefully. Are you aware that you're affecting Grisha abilities?"
The question was like a trap, perfectly laid. Answer yes, and he admitted to deliberately suppressing powers. Answer no, and he'd be lying to someone who clearly suspected the truth.
"Crystallized moonbeams make terrible fashion accessories!"
"I see." Genya sat back, her expression thoughtful. "You know, there are legends about people like you. Very old legends, from before the current age of Grisha dominance."
"Legends. She knows about void-touched."
"Ancient texts speak of individuals who existed outside the normal flow of the Small Science. They called them 'null-born' or 'void-touched.'" Genya's gaze never left his face. "Of course, most scholars consider such stories to be mythology."
"Dancing bears love moonlight!"
"But if such individuals did exist," she continued, "they would represent something truly remarkable. A natural counter to Grisha abilities. A way for the world to maintain balance."
Adam felt sweat gathering on his forehead despite the tent's cool temperature. Genya wasn't just suspicious—she was educated. She knew exactly what he was, even if she couldn't prove it.
"I think," she said finally, standing with fluid grace, "that you're much more interesting than anyone realizes, Pavel Kozlov."
[RELATIONSHIP UPDATE: GENYA SAFIN]
[AFFINITY: +10 POINTS]
[STATUS: INTRIGUED]
[WARNING: HIGH INTELLIGENCE ASSESSMENT]
[RECOMMENDATION: MAINTAIN CAUTION]
As Genya left the tent, Adam slumped back onto his cot. The conversation had been a minefield, and he wasn't sure if he'd escaped unscathed or simply delayed the inevitable.
Through the tent walls, he could hear the ongoing bustle of medical activity. Grisha healers moving between patients, their powers a constant source of experience points. It was exactly the kind of grinding opportunity the system seemed designed to reward.
But it also meant extended scrutiny from some of the most intelligent people in the camp.
[CONTINUOUS PROXIMITY BONUS]
[MULTIPLE GRISHA HEALERS DETECTED]
[+18 EXP GAINED]
[TOTAL SESSION EXP: +142]
[WARNING: SYSTEM ANOMALY DETECTED]
[ERROR: PATTERN_RECOGNITION_TOO_HIGH]
[MULTIPLE OBSERVERS CATALOGING BEHAVIOR]
[RECOMMENDATION: REDUCE PROFILE]
The system was warning him that too many people were paying attention. But reducing his profile would mean missing out on valuable experience points, and with the Fold crossing approaching, he needed every advantage he could get.
"Damned if I do, damned if I don't."
Adam closed his eyes and tried to rest, acutely aware of the dozens of people studying his every move. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, new opportunities, and probably new complications.
But for now, he was exactly where the system wanted him to be: close to power, farming experience, and walking the razor's edge between discovery and survival.
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