18 Reasoning

After introductions were out of the way, Donovan began giving a speech he'd prepared. Burns didn't waste his time listening to it though. Instead he used his time productively, focusing on understanding his magic's changes.

Since the Third Shift his magic had clearly changed but thus far Burns still hadn't understood how. Everyone else he'd seen since the Third Shift had been able to use their newfound powers straightaway, if without a great deal of skill, but none of them were Erratics. Unlike them, Burns could only fumble around in the dark and hope to discover how to use his magic. That was assuming he'd even be able to actively use his magic now. The situation he feared the most was that he'd still be unable to control his magic, just like before.

Still, Burns felt that shouldn't be the case. The netherworld he visited whenever he descended into sleep had to conceal a clue somewhere. In the past two nights Burns had searched that mysterious realm, visiting many scenes from his past. Despite his efforts he still hadn't found anything but he did have something he wanted to try.

With a thought, Burns slipped back into the eerie halls of the Crimson Valley, within his own personal netherworld. In the short time he'd been coming here Burns had already grown used to the many strange sights hidden within. He'd also developed the ability to navigate the many passages, even though they sometimes rearranged themselves.

Before long, Burns stood in the cave he'd visited twice before. The same lonely beam of light was still illuminating the area's otherwise dark space. The chains he'd seen before still lurked in the shadows, rustling faintly. They reminded him of coiled vipers, waiting to strike an unprepared victim.

Out of all the things in this place, these chains seemed to resemble Burns' magic more than anything. He walked over to them and looked at them more closely. Although it was hard to get a good look at them with the poor lighting, they seemed in good shape, almost pristine in fact. Burns reached out with one hand and grabbed a chain near him.

The chain reacted instantly, wrapping around his arm within moments. The other chains in the cave moved too, spring forth before covering Burns like bandages on a mummy. Less than a minute later, the Erratic Jack was cocooned in metal.

At the same time he was hidden away by the chains in his netherworld, Burns physical body was shielded by a bubble of Onyx Flood's metal. He was totally cut off from all outside influences. Donovan and the other team members noticed the change as the Steam Jack concluded his speech.

"Should I use my telepathy to see if he's okay" Clarissa asked cautiously.

"No, don't distract him" Donovan replied. "As an Erratic, Burns has his own struggles to overcome. We can't help him on that front. Just keep an eye on him and be ready to help out just in case something goes really wrong."

"Why is he your second-in-command anyway? Surely there ought to be far more reputable, powerful, or reliable people you could've chosen for the position" Hope asked.

Donovan laughed and said "Honestly, I hadn't originally intended to have Burns on my team. It wasn't till Aceron first started recruiting Jacks recently that I even learned of the Erratic Jack.

Perhaps some of you know but I've been a Jack a long time now. In that time, I've seen countless Jacks. I've seen Jacks stronger than me, Jacks wealthier than me, and Jacks more ruthless than me. I don't have a clear grasp on his strength but I suspect Burns is stronger than me. He certainly isn't as wealthy as me. As for ruthlessness, he's at least my equal. More than anything though, he's someone I don't want as an enemy.

Your average Erratic is dangerous because their magic doesn't follow the rules. They can cause unbelievable destruction in a short period of time. Unfortunately, Erratics have a short expiration date. Most are lucky to last a week, a few live a whole month after becoming Erratic. Burns has lived over a year as an Erratic and I've only seen his External Magic used once. Although he can't control his magic, it defends him of its own accord. Above all else, that scares me.

Even without his External Magic, Burns is dangerous but he's no more threatening than many Jacks I've encountered before. When you factor in his External Magic, that's when how terrible an enemy he could be becomes clear. In a spar I could most likely beat him but in a battle to the death I don't have any confidence.

Bearing that in mind, why wouldn't I work with him? As an ally, he'll fight my enemies instead of threatening me. As my ally, he'll have more opportunities to gain wealth and power. We may view each other as threats but so long as we can both benefit from working together, why not?"

Hope accepted Donovan's explanation "That's a reasonable explanation I guess. I've never seen an Erratic myself so I'll take you at your word."

"Donovan isn't exaggerating" Orthos said in a robotic tone "I've seen just what an Erratic is capable of personally. Very few people can fight them directly. Generally when trying to hunt down Erratics, attacking from extreme range is the simplest way to win, however even that strategy bears risks. The best choice when dealing with an Erratic is often not to deal with them at all. They all drop dead eventually. That's what makes Burns so deadly; he isn't going to die to his own magic. In other words, fighting Burns is always going to be a risky proposition."

Hope nodded and then questioned "Will his magic work in the VR simulation? It'd be kind of pointless for him to do the VR training with us if it doesn't."

"I've been assured it'll work with anyone" Donovan explained. "If it really doesn't work though, we'll just have to deal with that one way or another."

Following Donovan's statement the conversation died down. The team members had had the plan for their immediate future explained to them earlier during Donovan's speech and decided to start training straightaway. Some of them still needed time to grasp how their magic had changed after the Third Shift. As for the few who had already adjusted, namely Hope and Clarissa, they split up. Clarissa left the mansion with the intent to return later; on the other hand Hope chose to do some VR training.