Oath of the Survivor

Kyle felt his wounds closing as he regarded the Storm, which had stopped attacking his barrier.  IDENTIFY showed him that the mana coursing through the crustacean had reduced significantly, and he breathed a sigh of relief.  He was still in dire straits, but the monster wouldn’t be able to pull a repeat of the attack it had just used, at least not soon.  For now, it seemed content to wait for STORM SHELTER to fade away before renewing its onslaught. 

“Any ideas C.H.A.D.D.?”

[NOTHING YOU WOULD FIND PARTICULARLY HELPFUL, DR. MAYHEW.]

“Worth a shot.  What’s our inventory of seeds looking like?”

[STILL FAIRLY DIVERSE.  THE ATTACK THAT HIT YOU DIDN’T SEEM TO PENETRATE THE INSULATED SHELL OF THE PACK.]

That’s something, at least.  While Kyle and C.H.A.D.D. mostly carried bamboo with them due to the quick growth and reproduction, they did have several other seeds they’d accumulated.  He’d used all of their vines, but that still left two small acorns, some fern spores, and some of the strange sundew plants.  And the world tree seed, of course, though it seemed as stubborn as ever.

“Any new weak points come up during the last exchange?”

[I BELIEVE I UNDERSTAND NOW WHERE IT BREATHES, DR. MAYHEW.  WHETHER OR NOT THAT’S USEFUL, I’LL LEAVE IT UP TO YOU.]

With that, the drone projected an image of the Storm, then highlighted several places around and to the side of its whiskers.  The whole area was covered in a bubble of water, and an idea began to form in Kyle’s mind.

The barrier of STORM SHELTER began to fade, and Kyle placed a bamboo seed in each hand as he focused his mana into them, allowing C.H.A.D.D. to guide the growth.  Covert Dexterity had allowed for a seamless integration of his combat technique, and he felt it was time to test the evolution he and C.H.A.D.D were developing. 

The moment two full-sized batons had finished growing, the shield dissipated.  Kyle expected the spear claws to be the opening strike, and he wasn’t disappointed.  He parried the first to the side with his left hand, then swatted the second strike above his head as he closed the distance low.  Next is the blast.  Two of the smashing claws fired out simultaneously, and he ducked below the shockwave. 

The concussive force as it hit the ground behind him made him miss a step, and four of the floating water droplets managed to strike him.  The damaged armor plates on his right shoulder and chest let out a final crack before falling to the ground, the damage from the D Grade engagement simply too much for them to handle.  They had done their job, as Kyle rose with both batons flashing upward. 

His first attack smacked straight into the bubble, while the baton in his left hand was blown away by a quick shot from one of the smashing claws.  He brought the baton in his right back down, and it, too was intercepted.  This time, however, Kyle was planning for it.  With a surge of PARASITIC RESONANCE, he shattered the bamboo, releasing a small cloud of fern spores into the air. 

Leaving only a single tendril connected to the Storm, Kyle wove PARASITIC RESONANCE through as many of the seeds as he could, and felt the mana drain out of him as a curtain of foliage bloomed to life between him and the crustacean.  A spear-like claw burst through, punching a hole in his left shoulder.  Kyle grimaced as he felt the sharp carapace scrape against bone; the pain amplified by HASTE. 

Still, the roots of the ferns continued to grow, reaching out towards the best source of moisture – the body of the Storm.  Its claws got tangled, and the creature scuttled backwards as it thrashed, easily ripping apart the vegetation.  All the while, Kyle continued to push with PARASITIC RESONANCE, slowly gaining some control.  Between C.H.A.D.D.’s scans and IDENTIFY, he had a good understanding of where the Storm channeled most of its mana.  Focusing on the feathery plates on its abdomen, Kyle twisted his mana. 

The material was incredibly dense, and Kyle didn’t let up.  A moment later, he heard a satisfying series of crunching sounds, as one after another the feathers crumpled, the mana pathways within destroyed.  The Storm writhed in pain, finally free of its bindings.  The bubble of water surrounding its head was growing less stable by the second. 

It unleashed a barrage of attacks, and it was too soon for STORM SHELTER to be activated.  Kyle was pierced twice more, once in his stomach and once in his chest.  A moment later, he was struck with the full force of the broader claws, and he felt his ribs shatter under the force.  Kyle was knocked back, coughing up blood.  If it wasn’t for Ceaseless Vitality and Exoskeletal Strength, he knew he wouldn’t be able to move.  As it was, he was barely holding on. 

The Storm moved towards him to finish the job, and Kyle looked up, spotting what he was searching for.  There, in the bubble of water, were the two acorns he’d brought along, deposited by the baton when he first attacked.  PARASITIC RESONANCE connected to them, and Kyle allowed his mana to flow through.  He saw roots begin to form, but it was too slow.  He pushed harder, feeling his mana dwindling.

[DR. MAYHEW, THIS IS A DANGEROUS AMOUNT OF ENERGY EXPENDITURE.]

He didn’t stop, and opened himself up to the atmosphere around him.  He felt an incredible inflow of energy, pain erupting all throughout his battered and worn body.  He pushed more and more, not only into the acorns, but into the body of the Storm as well.  The crustacean moved faster, and once again Kyle found himself blown away, landing hard in the middle of the remnants of the flower field. 

He was numb, his body in the transition from burning agony to icy nothingness.  From his position, he couldn’t see the Storm directly.  Kyle tried to sit up, and found that he couldn’t.  So, he kept pushing energy through the connection.  He knew that if he was hit by one more attack like the last, it would spell the end for him.  Kyle heard cracking sounds, felt tissue and carapace alike giving way under his magnified assault.  He kept pushing.  His vision was blacking out, his body numb.

[DR. MAYHEW, THAT’S ENOUGH!]

The voice, barely audible to him, broke through.  With an enormous effort of will, Kyle severed his connection to the atmospheric mana.  He couldn’t move, and he felt himself fading into unconsciousness.  Kyle hadn’t experienced one of the strange visions, so he assumed the Storm was still alive.  It was over.  Kyle lost.  He drifted off, waiting for the creature to deliver the killing blow.

Is this the afterlife?  Kyle found himself in an empty void, with a warm golden glow suffusing the area around him.  He couldn’t move in the space, so he stayed where he was, enjoying the light.  It’s so… familiar.  Kyle tried to place it, though his thoughts were fuzzy.  He felt like he’d been here before. Wherever he was, he felt comfortable. 

Kyle floated, content, until he heard a faint buzzing in his ear.  He tried to ignore it, but it kept growing louder.  It was like an annoying insect had found its way into this place, and he couldn’t get rid of it.  Its volume grew and grew, until finally he could begin to make out the words being said.  Over and over, repeating.

[DR. MAYHEW?  DR. MAYHEW?]

C.H.A.D.D.?  While he still couldn’t tell where the sound was coming from, the voice of his companion caused him to stir.  Where are you?  Kyle tried yet failed to turn and move about the space.  Focusing his mind on the sound of C.H.A.D.D. calling for him, he tried again.  And again.  Finally, somehow, he got his perspective to shift as he slowly began to turn toward the source of the golden light.  He saw it, floating quietly in the void.  The world tree seed, bathed in a brilliant golden aura, and through it, C.H.A.D.D.’s voice. 

Kyle stared at the seed, full of wonder.  He’d only gotten short looks at it before, but he’d seen enough to know that something changed.  It was as if millions of small petals began to open and unfold, revealing the barest glimpses of eternity.  He continued to gaze at it, and as he did the pieces in his mind started coming back together.  He’d been fighting… something.  The Storm.  He snapped into lucidity, and the moment his memories returned, he found himself being pulled out of the strange space.  His eyes opened, and he looked up into the midday sun.  He tried to speak, his voice cracked and dry.

“Am I… still alive?”

[BARELY, DR. MAYHEW.  I WAS BEGINNING TO BELIEVE YOU WOULDN’T WAKE UP.]

“How long was I out?”

[TWO HOURS, DR. MAYHEW.]

“What happened?  Is the Storm dead?”

[A LOT, AND NO.  IT WILL BE BEST IF YOU SEE FOR YOURSELF.  FOR NOW, FOCUS ON YOUR RECOVERY.]

Kyle wanted to ask more, but his voice wouldn’t cooperate.  While his mana reserves were reasonable, courtesy of the atmospheric energy he’d absorbed, his body still felt strangely numb.  He knew that his injuries would need time to mend, and he lie there.  ADAPTIVE REGENERATION was repairing the injuries, and he braced himself for the pain to come.

The sun was quickly approaching the horizon by the time he’d recovered enough to move.  Kyle noted, absently, that his nav bracelet had been ripped off in one of the attacks.  If anybody had been looking for him, he didn’t know if they’d find him or not.  Wincing in pain as he sat up, his breath caught at the sight that met his eyes.

In the center of the ruined field stood two massive trees, intertwined around one another.  They formed a helix pattern, flecks of gold present on the otherwise dark brown wood.  Ensnared, crushed, and pierced by their roots was the Storm.  The trees had literally grown on top of it, smashing it into the ground and wrapping it up in their roots as they reached towards the heavens.  The bubble of water that allowed it to breathe was reduced to small pockets of water covering its gills.  Those, too, would fade soon.  He almost felt bad for the suffering of the creature, until he felt the hate as its violet gaze locked onto him. 

The bubbles of water left the gills and condensed into a single needle of water.  It shot forward and grazed Kyle’s cheek, cutting a line of blood through his Enhanced Carapace.  The Storm looked at him after its last, spiteful attack, and then its eyes seemed to dim, the stalks that held them drooping.  For a moment, nothing happened.  The luster left its opalescent shell, the small movements of body ceased, and a crimson beam of energy lanced into Kyle’s body.  For the second time today, Kyle found himself in the space between.