Oath of the Survivor

Kyle grunted as a heavy stone struck him square in the stomach, knocking him several meters back.  He was a little over 2 days into his delivery, and the storm was no joke.  From what C.H.A.D.D. told him, the swirling mass encompassed nearly half the planet’s total surface, growing more hazardous closer to the center. 

At the onset, Kyle was simply faced with strong winds, rain, and hail.  It was laughable compared to the environments in his Practicum, and he made great time.  The farther he progressed; however, the more barren the landscape became.  The rains stopped.  The foliage disappeared.  Now, a constant stream of sand and debris scoured the planet’s surface.  Kyle was left with little more than the scent of ozone, the drab grey of swirling clouds, and a rocky, lifeless landscape.

Now, he began to appreciate the difficulty of the delivery.  There was no shelter, no caves, no outcroppings.  All he could do was continue forward.  More stones the size of basketballs flew through the air, and Kyle avoided most of them, allowing a couple to strike him so that he could keep practicing with Heal.  It wouldn’t be long before his breakthrough to Level 60, though there was little chance of being able to meditate in the storm.

[PREPARE YOURSELF, DR. MAYHEW.]

Kyle activated Ignition, trusting C.H.A.D.D.’s sensors.  A moment later, orange light flashed a warning.  Kyle followed the drone’s instruction, sidestepping as hundreds of the large stones began to rain down in a squall.  They bombarded a zone nearly 10 meters across, moving rapidly through the storm.  Kyle and C.H.A.D.D. encountered this particular pattern twice before, and the last time Kyle had been forced to use Storm Shelter to avoid having his pack damaged.

He was just a touch too slow to avoid it with consistency without Ignition active, though the boost made the storm trivial.  He dodged and weaved as the squall passed, the screaming winds picking up the stones as they continued on their endless journey. 

If anything, ensuring the goods made it to their destination undamaged was the most difficult part of this particular job.  He was assured they were durable; he knew they were packed well, but he would feel incredibly foolish if he completed the delivery, only to have to redo it.  He could afford to put his own body in peril; he couldn’t do the same with the pack. 

The days wore on, each one bringing new challenges.  Massive bolts of lightning struck occasionally on day three, and day four added acidic eruptions from the planet’s surface.  That was all well and good, until Kyle pressed forward during day five.  He was tired, worn out, and barely noticed the increasing heat around him.  C.H.A.D.D. offered a timely warning, and Kyle got out of the way just as the space he’d been standing combusted in an explosion of green flame.

At this point, Kyle was ready to be done with the delivery.  Outside of the occasional flash of lightning or flame, the only light remaining as he approached the eye of the storm was the gentle orange glow provided by C.H.A.D.D.  The morning of the 7^th day, Kyle felt himself cross the threshold to Level 60.  The anticipation of choosing the upgrade to Heal proved to be sufficient motivation, and with a push of effort, he made it to the coordinates on his nav bracelet on the 8^th. 

Sidestepping a particularly nasty series of stones, Kyle looked around.  C.H.A.D.D.’s orange glow revealed nothing; only empty soil remained before him.  “Is this some sort of joke?  C.H.A.D.D., what can you detect?”

[IT APPEARS THAT THE SETTLEMENT IS SUBTERRANEAN IN NATURE, DR. MAYHEW.]

“Then how do we get down to it?  I don’t see any stairs or elevators.”

[PERHAPS YOU’RE EXPECTED TO DIG, DR. MAYHEW?]

“Digging wasn’t in the job description.”

[AN OVERSIGHT?  AN OMISSION PERHAPS?]

Kyle dodged as another squall of boulders came crashing down.  Ignition had been burning for over a day, and Kyle couldn’t keep it up much longer.  He looked down at the coordinates on his nav bracelet, frowning.  This is definitely the spot.  The way Kyle saw it, his job was done when he dropped the pack at this location.  It wasn’t his fault if nobody was around to pick it up.

Just before he could unsling the pack from his shoulders, a message pinged on his nav bracelet. 

So sorry!  Your progress was faster than expected.  Stay where you are, I’ll send people shortly.

Ma’Sai

A moment later, a dome of crackling green energy appeared, nearly 100 meters in diameter.  The dull roar of the storm quieted instantly.  From the damage, Kyle doubted the barrier would last more than another handful of seconds.  Already small holes were being opened up as nature raged around it.  A set of stairs appeared nearby, descending into the planet’s surface.  Kyle didn’t hesitate to take them. 

The steps were made from a dark, heavy metal, though after crossing into a hallway, Kyle was met with the familiar luxury he’d seen in Pokke.  The hall was made of beautiful marble with golden inlays, and a smartly-dressed figure was waiting for him at the end.  It was an older man, with pronounced crow’s feet wearing an old-earth style suit.  The man was thin, though appeared to be fit underneath his clothes.  He bowed as Kyle approached.

“Courier Mayhew, my apologies for the delay in letting you in.  You completed the task far more quickly than expected, and the young master has not yet returned.  We have a transport ready to take the pack, and I would be honored to show you to your quarters.”

“That sounds great.” Kyle said, not feeling up for a flowery conversation.  Even though his body was still in relatively good shape, the journey had taken it out of him.  He was tired, and hungry.  A large truck was waiting as promised, and he dropped the pack on it without ceremony.  If the gentleman cared, he didn’t show it.  Another transport pulled up behind the first, and the man gestured for Kyle to enter. 

“The young master would like to dine with you; however, he understands that will not be possible today.  We have many restaurants in Torrel, please select what you’d like to have delivered and we will accommodate.  Courtesy of the Ma family, of course.  Regardless of your choice, it will not count against your per diem.”

Kyle raised an eyebrow as he surveyed the list.  “There were only 4,000 people in Pokke.  You mean to say you have enough people here to support that many restaurants?”

The corner of the old man’s mouth lifted slightly.  “No, we do not have the population to support them.  However, we do have other means to attract and retain the talent.” 

They drove through the subterranean city in silence after that, Kyle looking up at the brilliant lights that had been placed at the top of the cavern ceiling.  It really did feel like daytime, despite being underground.  A thriving, gorgeous city expanded all around them, while the planet’s surface was made desolate by the endless storm.

They pulled up before a manor on a hill that overlooked a good portion of the city.  “This will be your home, should you find it to your liking.  When you’re ready, please feel free to order whatever you’d like.  The young master will coordinate with you when he returns.”  The old man bowed, then stepped back into the transport before Kyle had a chance to reply.

[YOUR RAPPORT COULD USE SOME IMPROVEMENT, DR. MAYHEW.]

“I’m tired, C.H.A.D.D.”

[THEN GET THE REST YOU NEED, DR. MAYHEW.  JUST DON’T TAKE TOO LONG.  I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO SEE IF THERE ARE UNIQUE PLANTS IN THE CAVERNS.]

“Sounds like a deal.”

Kyle stepped inside the manor, and had to stop.  The luxury on the outside could hardly be compared with the lavish furnishings.  It was far and away the nicest room Kyle had ever been in, and he was suddenly very conscious of his general dirtiness, and he knew he didn’t smell pleasant.  Oh well.  Their loss.

An hour later, he was resting on an incredibly comfortable couch with a glass of cold water and piles of delicious food.  He decided on sampling a little bit of everything – spicy, savory, sweet.  And it was all delicious. 

While he was eager to enter meditation and look at the level 60 skill selections, Kyle made the hard call to defer for the morning.  A full stomach and warm shower helped him relax, and now the fatigue settled deep in his bones.  The last thing he wanted was to make a decision when he was half asleep.

The next morning, Kyle felt refreshed.  Heart beating with anticipation, Kyle crossed his legs and meditated.

He jumped past the attribute points, allocating broadly to his lower attributes to keep rounding them out.  For the next little while he was going to focus heavily on Intelligence and Willpower, so a little investment elsewhere beforehand would help.  Most importantly, it brought his Perception over 1000, which was a milestone he was excited about.  The boost from Ignition was only as effective as his processing power, and Perception helped him make the most out of it.

That done, Kyle focused his attention on the glowing orange orb signifying a skill upgrade.  Heal popped into his mind, and as before, 3 different choices made themselves known to him.

Greater Heal:  This option was no surprise to Kyle, and he fought to keep his disappointment in check.  It was a standard upgrade path to the skill, and not a bad upgrade at all.  It took everything that Heal did, and made it, well, greater.  The speed and magnitude of the recovery were both increased significantly, and it was also widely known to be more mana-efficient than Heal. 

When applied with techniques like his venom isolation and removal, he expected it would truly shine.  Kyle’s tribulations had led to a vast array of different injuries to heal, and Greater Heal would make that all easier.  However, it wasn’t what Kyle wanted.  He already felt that his path was something unique, and this skill felt too generic.  Hoping for better choices, he moved on.

Field Stimulant:  This upgrade was a major departure, only loosely relating to Heal.  From what Kyle could tell, the actual healing properties of the skill were worse than what he already had.  Instead, it offered an immediate boost of power.  It appeared that it would provide a material boost to Strength and Dexterity, and a modest increase to Perception.  The effects were short, and it looked like there would be a modest backlash when the boost ended.

Kyle could already see many uses for an upgrade like this.  As it had with Ignition, Adaptive Regeneration could, with time, reduce the severity of the backlash.  It was his primary source of recovery as things stood, and stacking this boost on top of Ignition had the potential to turn Kyle into a real menace in close combat.  From an attribute perspective, at least. 

That was the key issue with Field Stimulant.  For all its power, it would be limited by the specialization Kyle had already been undergoing.  Strength and Dexterity were far and away his weakest points, meaning the boost wouldn’t be as effective until he brought them more in line with his other attributes.  Lastly, it meant he wouldn’t be able to meaningfully heal others.  It was silly, but part of him didn’t want to give up that aspect of his class.  With a steadying breath, he looked at the final option.

Healing Impetus:  This upgrade path changed the healing energy from a constant infusion to a major wave.  If Heal was a stream, Greater Heal was a river, and Healing Impetus was a tsunami.  Kyle couldn’t keep the smile off his face, and there was still more.  The wave of energy looked to continue to circulate through the body, leaving traces of regenerative energy in each cell.  From what Kyle could tell, that power would be “banked,” waiting for the next round of healing, effectively supercharging it. 

It wasn’t a skill that would be well-suited to a hospital environment, and selecting it meant Kyle would lose flexibility.  In terms of emergency triage, however, he’d be nigh unparalleled.  Stabilizing patients quickly and priming them for future recovery was the dream of most trauma doctors.

When he factored in the more selfish element, and the synergy with Adaptive Regeneration, the decision was made.  Kyle chose Healing Impetus, then exited meditation. 

[I ASSUME YOUR SKILL SELECTION LIVED UP TO EXPECTATION, DR. MAYHEW?]

“Definitely.  We’ll need to conduct some tests, but I’m very pleased.”

Just as he was considering heading back to the surface to get some practice with Healing Impetus, Kyle received a message on his nav bracelet. 

Mr. Mayhew,

The young master will be returning in three hours’ time, and will be meeting you at your residence upon his return.  Tailored formalwear will be delivered shortly.  We thank you again for your contributions, and wish you a productive and restful stay in Torrel.

Kyle sighed as he closed the message.  Field testing would have to wait.