Oath of the Survivor

It felt good to stretch his legs. HASTE active, Kyle made quick progress through the bog and mire.  Covert Dexterity helped tremendously, allowing him to make nearly instantaneous corrections to avoid getting sucked into the mud.  After the extended time he’d spent aboard the flagship, Kyle could safely say that he much preferred being on a planet.  Soon, he was well outside the range of the camp, and Kyle felt comfortable speaking aloud.

“How is everything feeling, C.H.A.D.D.?”

[BETTER THAN EXPECTED, DR. MAYHEW.  SCANNING FUNCTIONALITY IS TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVEN PERCENT BETTER THAN BEFORE.  MANA DRAW IS AMPLIFIED BY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT PERCENT ON AVERAGE.]

Those were significant gains.  The improved mana draw allowed for the drone to put much more power into the formations it used to run its diagnostic scans, which was then improved even further by the amplification formation.  Unknown to Chester or Themestra, connecting C.H.A.D.D. to the arrays inside the pack was fairly simple due to PARASITIC RESONANCE.  The tendril of mana would touch both, allowing C.H.A.D.D. to gain the benefits from each of them. 

It took a little trial and error to get right, but thanks to Themestra’s unintentional hint about the cabling, Kyle figured it out.  The last threads of the silk from the Shadow connected the drone to each of the distinct formations, only requiring mana to be channeled through them to finalize the link.  The self-repair would be a viable long-term solution to the wear-and-tear that was natural to the work, and the amplification formation boosted C.H.A.D.D.’s scans far more efficiently than before.  The telemetry formation, however, had a different use.

“Are you ready to test the ping?”

In response, Kyle felt a gentle draw on his mana through their connection.  He heard a faint, barely audible click.  A moment later, a full map of the surrounding area was projected in front of Kyle’s vision.  He broke out into a broad grin. 

[IS THIS SATISFACTORY, DR. MAYHEW?]

“It’s incredible, C.H.A.D.D.”

The drone’s absorption of the mosquito’s essence had been relatively disappointing, with the ability gained being the creature’s sonic attack.  Given that C.H.A.D.D. had neither the mana pool nor physical means to create the sound, they hadn’t explored it further.  Now, with the telemetry formation connected to the drone, they found a different use. 

C.HA.D.D. would grow, then snap a small frond grown from the fern spores.  This would release more spores from the broken plant, effectively creating a sustainable source for the skill.  The broken leaves were captured in the space below the drone, allowing Kyle to open the sealed holes to clean them out. 

For all intents and purposes, C.H.A.D.D.’s link to the telemetry array created a fairly sophisticated sonar pulse.  The sound wave gave a strong grasp of physical presences, while the accompanying mana picked up any anomalies.  Kyle suspected that if they encountered the Shadow again, the oversized spider wouldn’t have been able to hide at all.  Not that the fight would have been any easier, but at least it would have had a more difficult time ambushing him.

Still, it would take some getting used to.  Kyle wasn’t entirely sure how to interpret the data in front of him, nor was he able to determine direction relative to his current position.  C.H.A.D.D.’s navigational functions had become useless through the course of their travels.  Even so, the headwinds were a long way from stifling Kyle’s mood. 

“Can you estimate how large an area the ping covered?”

[I WOULD ESTIMATE FIVE TO TEN KILOMETERS, THOUGH IT’S DIFFICULT TO SAY.  MY MAXIMUM RANGE SENSORS, EVEN WITH THE BOOST, ARE CURRENTLY CAPABLE OF RELIABLE DETECTION WITHIN ROUGHLY THREE KILOMETERS.  OVERLAPPING THAT DATA INDICATES A GOOD DISTANCE MORE.]

“Then we’ll keep testing until we get a better handle on it.”

They returned to camp several hours later, having mapped out the entirety of the surrounding area.  Still, Kyle wore a grave expression on his face as he crossed the perimeter.

The expedition’s captain looked at him for a moment, before speaking up.  “What’s wrong with you, Mayhew?  You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“We’re going to be in for some trouble.  We didn’t get a great look, but there’s a swarm of flies heading this way.”

“And you led them right back to us?”  The captain’s voice carried a note of incredulity.

“They were already coming your way.  The real option came down to facing them with me on your side or facing them on your own.”

The captain paled a bit at that.  Over the months working alongside the miners, he’d grown to appreciate the value he was bringing to the table.  If they didn’t trust he had their best interests in mind by now, he wasn’t going to bend over backwards to change their minds. 

“Of course we want you fighting with us, I just didn’t think we’d have trouble so soon.”

“That makes two of us.  It looks like something got them stirred up.  Once we stabilize things here I can go check it out.”

Of course, Kyle had a pretty good suspicion that whatever stirred them up was the mana signature that C.H.AD.D. picked up. He wasn’t going to bring that up to the captain, though.   For now, it was time to prepare for the swarm.  The light was fading, and Kyle turned his attention to the horizon, where he could make out the forms of the large flies approaching, zipping through the air erratically.  Another ping from C.H.A.D.D., and the drone provided an update.

[FORTY-SEVEN OF THE FLIES.  THEY APPEAR QUITE SIMILAR TO A CREATURE ON THE CENTRAL HEALTH RECORDS, THE TSETSE FLY.  IT IS TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE IF THESE MUTANT VARIANTS ARE CARRYING PARASITES, BUT BE ON YOUR GUARD.]

“Anything else I should know?”
[AT A NORMAL SIZE, THE BITES WERE SUPPOSEDLY QUITE PAINFUL.  I IMAGINE THAT WOULD STILL BE THE CASE NOW THAT THEY’RE THE SIZE OF A LARGE DOG.]

“Thanks, C.H.A.D.D.  Always useful.”

The flies were approaching, and bursts of fire and ice flew out from the miners.  They took down a couple of the creatures, though the majority evaded the attacks without much issue.  Similar to the mosquito, Kyle suspected that they had some means to instinctually detect the attacks in the air, giving them an opportunity to dodge.  Unfortunately for them, Kyle had experience against this type of opponent. 

Dashing into the fray, he took out both of his batons.  Kyle had observed Frank and Arianna use a two stick style before, and with the smoothness provided by Covert Dexterity, he found his rhythm.  Tendrils of mana whirled about him, connecting to flies and dropping them instantly.  His weapons flashed, beating down the insects with rapid, successive strikes.  One of the creatures landed on him, claws scrabbling at the combat armor before PARASITIC RESONANCE connected and killed it. 

Kyle noted with a frown that the new armor was somewhat of a downgrade.  Thin scratches were present on its surface, while the carapace from the Wall wouldn’t have had a mark.  Still, there was nothing else for it.  Kyle continued his attack for another minute, stopping when there were no flies left.  Turning back towards the miners at the camp, he saw mixed expressions of fear and awe.  He had no doubt that they would have come out alright since they’d been prepared, though he expected even best case they would have seen casualties.  The captain of the squad seemed to know this too, and nodded at Kyle. 

“That was impressive work out there.  They told me you were a Healer, but you could give any of my team a real thrashing.”

“D Grade has its perks.  I’m going to head back out and see what else is out there.  We didn’t detect any other swarms like this one, but that doesn’t mean that it’s safe.  Set a perimeter and post a watch.”

“Yes, sir.”

Kyle took off into the evening, once again feeling a sense of freedom as he moved.  Despite the dimming light, between C.H.A.D.D.’s regular scans and his own adaptations, it was as if he was walking down a sidewalk at noon.  The hazards that would otherwise prevent mobility just didn’t mean much to him.  With HASTE active, he made great time. 

Kyle considered the skill as they covered ground on the way towards the source of the strange readings they’d seen earlier.  The skill selection at Level 35 was still a wild card, but Kyle was fairly certain he would upgrade HASTE next at Level 40, leaving HEAL for Level 60.  He just wasn’t sure exactly what direction he wanted to take it.  RESONANCE had a clear weak point he wanted to shore up in its limited range, which made the focus leading to the upgrade much clearer. In this case, he had a lot of choices. 

Before he could dwell on it too long, C.H.A.D.D. flashed a warning.  Kyle slowed to a stop, looking out at the area before him.  Not seeing anything, he frowned.

“What is it, C.H.A.D.D.?”

[I AM UNCERTAIN, DR. MAYHEW.  HOWEVER, I’M PICKING UP ANOMALIES AHEAD.  MANA SIGNATURES INDICATE SOMETHING POWERFUL, THOUGH IT DOESN’T GIVE THE SAME INDICATIONS I WOULD EXPECT FROM AN AWAKENED INSECT.]

The sun was just on the horizon, causing the water of the wetlands to reflect it.  Hopping from one dry area to another, Kyle came across the source of C.H.A.D.D.’s readings, though his Auric Perception didn’t detect anything.  A massive plant spread across a relatively clear pond, hundreds of long, flat leaves laying down like vines.  On each end of the leaves were drops of sap that reflected the light of the sun in a brilliant display of color, and their purpose became clear as Kyle noticed other leaves, these coiled up towards the center. 

Bodies of hundreds of flies were trapped inside these curled leaves.  Kyle watched as, before his eyes, acid melted the insects.  The foul liquid ran down the leaves and into the center of the plant, before the leaves once more unfurled with small drops of dew already forming at their edges.  He stood, transfixed.  In awe.  And in fear.  It was evident why Auric Perception, a skill tied to an insect, would struggle to detect a predator like this, specifically designed to catch them. 

“Any idea what this thing is, C.H.A.D.D.?”

[I HAVE NO IDEA, DR. MAYHEW, THOUGH I MAY HAVE A SOLUTION TO LEARN MORE.]

“I’m listening.”

[IF YOU CONNECT TO IT, CONNECT ME AND THE SEED AS WELL.  THERE’S A CHANCE WE CAN GLEAN MORE.]

Kyle was skeptical, but without another idea he decided to try.  One thing was for sure, he wasn’t going to get any closer than necessary.  A tendril of mana reached out as PARASITIC RESONANCE activated, connecting the plant, C.H.A.D.D., and the world tree seed.  Immediately, a flow of mana akin to the first treasure the drone absorbed flowed through him.  He allowed it to continue freely, and was surprised to feel it move past C.H.A.D.D. and directly into the seed.  Kyle was about to stop the connection, when the drone interrupted.

[PLEASE ALLOW IT TO CONTINUE, DR. MAYHEW.  THIS IS QUITE INTERESTING.]

Kyle acquiesced, and several minutes later the torrent of energy ceased.  The leaves of the plant looked… droopier.  If it was possible for a plant to look tired, this one did. 

“Do you want to tell me what happened?”

[I THINK I’VE PUT A PIECE OF THE PUZZLE TOGETHER, DR. MAYHEW.  THE SEED FOUND THE INFORMATION PARTICULARLY INTERESTING, AND I CAN FEEL REMNANTS OF IT THROUGH THE CONNECTION.  I BELIEVE THAT ORGANISMS LIKE THIS CAN HELP TO ACCELERATE AND ADAPT THE SEED’S GROWTH.]

The implications of the statement were huge.  Of course, Kyle and C.H.A.D.D. had very little to go on, but the idea of making the seed grow more quickly was appealing.  Even with near-constant exposure to PARASITIC RESONANCE, Kyle still couldn’t get it to react.  If organisms like this could, it was something worth exploring.  First, though, he had an important order of business.  Watching the last moments of the sunset, a glimmer of beauty in a world doomed to die.