NSFW Author

I hadn’t moved since Frank had made me the offer, and Kyle and Frank tried to remain as motionless as possible, but Kyle felt like he was no longer welcomed in the room but never received his authorisation to leave.

I knew however that he had been selected for his particular ability of emotionally provoked thought reading which far exceeded Frank’s or, apparently, any one’s.

That is why, I somehow understood, he had been the first one to engage me.

Kyle, from what appeared in my mind, had the ability to add emotional stress on his speech pattern and thus provoke voluntary thought patterns into his target to that he would be able to intercept them.

With just a simple random question, he is able to determine all of the plans his interlocutor has in mind by causing him to simply rethink his strategies.

His rating in thought reading was so high what only a handful of people, Frank and I included, were able to block him.

Now that his talent was useless, he wanted to run from the room but since he couldn’t read Frank either, he was condemned to sit there looking impatient.

I didn’t wish him any discomfort and I feared that whatever abilities I had were being overrun by his emotional state.
“Frank, perhaps we should continue without Kyle. I don’t think he is going to be helpful for the rest of this conversation.”

Frank simply waved Kyle away with his fingers and within seconds, we were alone.

“Did you read Kyle to figure this out?”

“I am not sure. I knew why he was picked, for his talent in emotionally provoked thought reading and that he was unable to use it on me. It’s not like I heard him think or anything like that. It just came to me. I knew it as If someone had explained to me earlier and I was suddenly remembering it.”

“Did you have this experience in the past?”

“No, well, yes. I saw two of your men yesterday capturing a women and I knew who she was and who they were.”

“Yes, that woman has mind stealth skills and she was using them to rob merchants without being seen. We have been trying to capture her for weeks. Are you sure you couldn’t just hear them?”

“No, it came as a thoughts directly into my mind as soon as she bumped into me. After that, I knew who your guys were”

“That’s unique. Rather extraordinary. My impression is that your mind is a little like a pitfall. When she hit you, she must have tried to use her powers and that awakened your mind. Then, our two agents tried to erase the memory of the event from your mind and instead, you knew more about them. It’s as if anyone trying to use their abilities on you ended up revealing themselves to you.”

“And that’s unique?”

“Unheard of. Your abilities would be purely defensive in nature. Normally, defenses are learned but offensive skills, those that target others, are instinctive. What usually means that everyone is stronger in offense than in defence. You seem to be built on the opposite of anyone else and as such, have impassable barriers.”

“So, what do we do now?”

“That’s actually a pretty good question. Normally, we separate recruits in three groups. In the first, we put everyone who isn’t really powerful enough to be used externally but which may pose a threat to sheeps.”

“Sheeps?”

“People without powers.”

“Colorful… what do you do with that first group?”

“Depends. We generally rewrite their personality.”

“So, they become your slaves…”

Frank ignored my comment and moved to the second group.

“Then, there are our operatives. Those who have enough powers to actually serve the Enclave. Those that can track rogues or influence a business deal for a clients of ours. They get new jobs and give us a cut of their salary. A big cut.”

“Well, from what I understand of our conversation, you can’t rewrite my personality to serve, so I don’t belong in the first group. It also appears that I don’t belong to the second one unless I actually manage to get a lucrative skill. That leaves the third group, doesn’t it?”

“You are very perceptive. The third group leads the Enclave. We form a kind of cabal which rules everything. Only the strongest in each of the skillsets can sit on the council and gets tremendous advantages.”

“Interesting. But why would you want me there? I mean, what do I have to offer if my skills are only defensive in nature”

“Ha but if your defensive skills are absolute, you might be able to protect the council from any internal influence. We are not necessarily immune to each other’s skills. One of us might be able to control the council without anyone realizing it.”

“And you would welcome me without knowing more about me?”

“Oh, don’t mistake me, you’ll be tested. But I have a good feeling.”