The overwhelming majority of Samurai initializations occur during an incursion, as that is where most people will come in contact with Antithesis. That doesn't mean it's impossible to initialize outside of one. It's just much rarer.

  Take me for example: I initialized when the top secret Antithesis research lab I worked at accidentally let loose its several hundred specimens. Don't worry, I'm no longer under NDA, mostly because I killed the bastards responsible.

  -Samurai Helios, 2052

  It took me a second to really process what Rudy had said. To my defense, I had a lot to take in at that particular moment. Rudy, claiming to be a Samurai while cradling his severely burned arm. Campbell and Hazel, both writhing on the floor with their own nasty burns. The dead Thirteen, its center completely exploded beyond repair and tentacles littered all across the cavern. And…Barrett. Dead. The blade of a tentacle skewered him directly in the heart, and if that didn’t kill him, the mangled remains of his flamethrower’s canister certainly finished the job.

  “Huh?” Was about all I could muster together at that current moment.

  “I think I’m a Samurai now,” Rudy hissed out, his words slower and more enunciated. “Please don’t make me repeat myself. My arm really, really hurts, and it's killing my ability to think straight.”

  A few seconds later, he spoke up again, though this time not directed at me. “I’ll take both, Lycia.”

  A box dropped right next to him, literally appearing from thin air. With his good arm, Rudy quickly took out both contents. One I recognized as a Nano-Regenerative Suite, but the other was some sort of ointment that he didn't wait to slather all over his burned arm despite the pained wince that followed. Half a minute later, the ointment had solidified into a sort of thick film, which Rudy promptly peeled off to reveal no signs of any burns on the now fresh, albeit raw, skin, all while taking a hearty gasp of the Nano Regenerative Suite in the meantime. Well, if that didn’t cement him as a Samurai, I don’t know what would.

  He slid the canister over to me. “Here, this should be enough for the other two, if you wouldn't mind. I've… got a lot to process.”

  I didn't blame him, so I gave a nod and moved over to the others, each groaning in pain. “So, I just rub it all over the afflicted areas?”

  Correct. I would like to note that the entire process does quite literally peel off the outer layer of affected skin, hence why Rudy decided to buy a Nano-Regenerative Suite to go with it.

  “Alright, let's not fix what ain't broke then. Give me one for each.”

  Purchased: Nano Regenerative Suite x2 - 40 Points

  Point Total: 1954

  The inhalers fell to the floor, and then I looked at the empty one, which I had unintentionally kept in my hand. I stared at it for a moment, then fully realized the problem that was slowly compounding.

  “Y'know what, get me that bag.”

  Purchased: Class 0 Bag - 1 Point

  Point Total: 1953

  A black bag with a strap appeared next to me, which I quickly filled with the inhaler in hand.

  All things considered, the process of tending to the wounds was pretty straightforward: cover the burned areas in the ointment no matter how badly Hazel or Campbell complained, let it sit for a minute, then peel it off while puffing a healthy dose of Nanos down their throat. Hazel got off the better of the two, suffering from heavy burns on both of her arms but her face remaining mostly untouched. The lower half of Campbell's was not nearly as lucky, every ounce of facial hair he had singed off and looking like he had dumped his chin in fryer oil. He would survive, of course, but his beard was to be missed.

  “Barrett?” Hazel weakly asked, recovering enough to push herself into a sitting position.

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  “...Gone. Dead before I got here.” The grim silence that preceded my answer was likely enough to convey the result, but I’d rather rip off the band-aid now.

  Her face reacted far less than I expected–she probably had already guessed so–but a look of pain still flashed upon it before letting out a deep, morbid sigh. “That’s…more paperwork for me.”

  “We're gonna have to regroup, Hazel.” Campbell said, rising to his feet and reaching for his now gone beard with a disgruntled look. “Hard to do an operation down a man and with no ammo.”

  I gave a nod. “I agree. You two report back to Shermanson with everything here, while me and Rudy clean up the hive.”

  “Wait, you and Rudy?” Hazel and Campbell both said simultaneously, a look of confusion flashing across their faces.

  Whoops. Forgot to mention that. “Yeah, uh…he's a Sam’ now. Thank him for the burn ointment, not me. Thought I’d show him the ropes while we wrap this up.”

  The two stared at their teammate for a solid minute, but Campbell did so much more intensely, and with a particular look in his eyes. Was that a look of…disdain?

  “Of course.” He grumbled, then silently turned back down the tunnel, not even bothering to pick up his long since empty rifle.

  Hazel looked at him with a worried expression, but gave a little nod of empathy before glancing back at us. Quickly she pulled something out of her pocket and tossed it to Rudy, who just barely caught it. “Turn on that receiver once you've cleared everything out, and we'll be back with a larger force.

  A quick glance went over to the deceased form of her comrade, and rigidly turned away. “We’ll deal with the…cleanup procedure later. Stay safe, you two.”

  With that, she slowly limped her way out of the tunnel.

  For a moment we were left watching the two travel farther and farther down the tunnel until only the flashes of their lights could be made out. Only the suffocating silence of the cave remained afterwards, highlighted further by the smell of burning plant flesh and the heat emanating from its corpse. It was just us two, me and Rudy, against whatever else that hive decided it wanted to throw at us. Though the fact that both of the Thirteens were down and very little else followed was a good sign that this hive had been mostly exhausted. At least, that was the hope.

  Eventually, Rudy broke the silence. “I don’t deserve it.”

  It was easy to see where that line of thought was coming from and going to. Rudy didn’t deserve to be a Samurai. He’d let Barrett die. Why would the Protectors choose someone like him? Apparently it wasn't an uncommon thought, based on what Cal had told me before. Hell, I’d thought it all myself.

  “I’m…not exactly the oldest Samurai myself, so I can’t exactly speak for everyone,” I said, scratching the back of my head. “But from everything I’ve seen and heard, these chips in our heads don’t make mistakes about choosing the right person. Whatever factors they use to determine who would make a good Samurai, you fit them. End of story. Though I’m sure your AI is giving you that whole spiel themselves right now.”

  That cracked up a smile from him, albeit a small one. “She sure is.”

  “And I know why you’re thinking those thoughts and…I’ve felt that before. Honestly, I’m feeling it a bit right now.” All the possibilities of what I could have done differently with regards to these last fifteen or so minutes. Hold more caution when first checking out the hive’s center. Realize the Thirteen had broken away sooner and pursued. Kill the first Thirteen faster. Better equip the merc squad. Every one of these rampant possibilities caused the heat of anger to swell within, but I had to work to keep it down. Keep it directed. Slow, deep breaths.

  “But we can’t change what has already happened. All we can do is make sure we don’t repeat those mistakes again.”

  I looked over at the corpse of the Thirteen, the last of the flames that killed it slowly burning out. Then my eyes fell upon the dead form of Barrett, his suit plastered with blood. My anger began to build, but this time I let it smolder more intensely, now directed at the proper source.

  “And make sure we kill the shit out of the bastards responsible,” I growled.

  Rudy seemed to have done the same, loading the gun on his hip with none of the hesitation that I saw earlier, and a sharp, focused look in his eye. “Right.”

  Actually, on the subject of his weapon, just a pistol probably wasn’t going to cut it, even if we were just going to be finishing up this one hive. “Cal, what’s my point total right now?”

  Assuming that you do not care about the specific number, just under two thousand points.

  I gave a nod, then turned to Rudy. “‘Kay, I’m giving you…let’s say three hundred points. Use it to buy a weapon and some armor. You can even use my catalogs if you need.”

  Rudy’s eyes widened in surprise, but a moment later he pushed back. “You don’t need to. I still have a hundred points left. Lycia says I can buy a decent starting weapon with that.”

  “Decent doesn’t cut it down here,” I replied, promptly cutting that off at the bud. “Hives are nasty work, and if you give them an inch they’ll make it a mile. I’m not gonna railroad you in a weapon or anything, but you gotta make sure to get something actually good.”

  “Didn’t you say we’re just cleaning up the last of this hive?”

  My face tightened. Guess it was finally time to address this bad feeling I’ve had since entering the hive. “Something about this entire situation has been bugging the hell outta me, and I’d rather not get caught unprepared. Just in case this really isn’t over.”