After a thorough medical examination confirming they were both in fair shape, Skippy and Kyle left the arena to cheers from the mining expedition. While most of it was directed towards Skippy’s strong performance, Kyle still got his share of pats on the back and comments about the durability of his shielding skill. The crowd dispersed shortly after, Chester and Rochelle the last to leave. Skippy’s smile never left his face, and he spoke once nobody was in earshot.

“Your shield skill is unfair. Like really unfair. You gotta tell me how it works.”

Kyle snorted.

“What are you talking about? The shield doesn’t even matter to you. You just have to use that portal skill and punch me anyway.”

Skippy waved dismissively.

“That’s cheating. My people have a saying, ‘the wind rips through all but the deepest roots.’ I want to be that wind, Kyle. I want to be able to rip up anything that gets in my way.”

Kyle nodded.

“It’s the classic issue of an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. I wish I could help you, I just don’t know what to say.”

“That’s a weird way to put it. Who wants to be an immovable object? Much better to be the unstoppable force.”

“I think you’re missing the point, Skippy.”

“No, I’m pretty sure I’ve got it. Anyway, you want to help, give me a chance to keep working on the problem. Spatial concepts worked to bypass it, that’s a start. It does a great job dispersing and shielding force, heat, vibrations…”

Skippy continued muttering to himself as he walked beside Kyle until their paths diverged. If he even noticed Kyle walking away, he didn’t show it. Kyle made his way back to his quarters, reflecting on one interesting piece of information: both Randolph and Skippy had made comments about the potency of his STORM SHELTER.

Kyle felt like it was a fairly simple skill, but without other D Grade defensive skills to compare to he didn’t have a great comparison. Neither of the others had that issue, which made Kyle certain he’d need to spend more time reflecting on exactly how STORM SHELTER worked. With any luck, he could tie some of the concepts into his training, even merging them into other skill upgrades.

He opened the door and headed to clean up, enjoying the refreshing feeling of warm water running over him. Looking at his nav bracelet afterward, he saw he was slated for departure the following morning, leaving him with several hours before bed.

“C.H.A.D.D., do you have any scans of me using the defensive skill?”

[YES, DR. MAYHEW.]

~~~

The next morning came much faster than Kyle anticipated, having stayed up much later than he should have to review in detail various aspects of his STORM SHELTER skill. He had some ideas to work on, though he likely wouldn’t get much opportunity to experiment until his next assignment was completed. He followed the instructions uploaded to his nav bracelet, and before he knew it he was on board another shuttle. The captain didn’t take time to introduce himself, as he was busy arguing with somebody via communicator.

Kyle took the time to look around. It was consistent with the other shuttles he’d been on, although the uniforms this time consisted primarily of dark trousers and red shirts. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about, he thought, mind going back to old-world sci-fi reruns he’d watched as a kid. His concern grew a little as the scheduled departure time came and went, until finally another group of individuals boarded, two of whom he recognized.

Skippy and Duroc walked on either side of the group, with a young man in an ornate black uniform in the center. They were all ushered up to a different part of the shuttle, and it calmed Kyle quite a bit. Short a major calamity, there wasn’t much that could threaten the three of them if they had to fight together. The shuttle made its way down to the planet with little more than quiet chatter, and within a couple hours they were landing just outside the region he’d been in before. A crackling sound came over the ship’s intercom, and silence filled the room

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“Objective here is simple folks. Recon squads tagged a natural treasure but were forced to an early evac. We’re here to retrieve it. It’s a condensed lump of soil, details and tracker being uploaded to your nav bracelets.”

With that, the crew departed and got to work. While Rochelle’s squad had a heavier emphasis on researchers, this team was made up of many more fighter types. At this point, the goal was a simple retrieval. He expected they would find the abandoned treasure and be airborne again in a matter of minutes, but he frowned as he looked at the details on his nav. The treasure’s tracker was indicating that they were standing virtually on top of it, yet there was no sign of anything on the damp ground.

Kyle’s immediate thought was that the ants had taken it underground, and if that was the case they may as well pack it up and leave. Even with the three D Grades there were still too many ants to deal with.

A sudden tremor took Kyle by surprise, and he turned, ready for combat. What he saw was a group of the specialists with their hands to the ground, turning up large swaths of earth. Other uniformed personnel were standing around idle, and Kyle turned to one of them.

“What are they doing? Aren’t they worried they’ll damage the treasure?”

The woman he spoke to jumped at the sudden question, until recognition flashed in her eyes.

“You’re the Mayhew guy, that’s right. They’re just tilling right now, it looks flashy but the actual damage to the soil is very limited. The mana readings from the treasure mean it shouldn’t have much issue withstanding a little shockwave like this. Also, heard about your fight yesterday. Anything bad happens you make sure I’m inside that shield of yours, alright?”

She tossed him a wink before going back to watch the excavation. At this rate, they would have the whole area turned up in fifteen minutes.

This continued for the better part of an hour, and everybody knew something was wrong. The treasure was still nearby, but no matter what they did nothing was coming up. It was like the infused soil was shifting in the ground beneath the crew, and everybody was growing frustrated. Kyle’s head went back to his initial thought, that the ants might have taken it. While it was unlikely they would have sat idly by while their hive was being disrupted by the specialists, other creatures might not mind at all.

“Is it possible to put a little more into the bursts?”

Kyle asked the question out loud unintentionally, and quickly backtracked.

“Sorry, that was out of line.”

“It’s not like anything else is working.” One of the specialists said, shrugging.

“Might as well give it a shot.”

The Mages congregated in a circle, and with a pulse of mana that was nearly palpable to Kyle’s Auric Perception they pushed into the ground. A geyser of earth erupted, and in the center of it all was a worm. Yes, a garden-variety earthworm was in the middle of the debris. If it hadn’t been a dozen meters long, it would have looked exactly like the small creatures Kyle was used to. From within the creature, Kyle could sense it. Furthermore, so could the squad’s nav bracelets. All indications showed that the energy they were tracking emanated from the body of the worm.

A group of specialists with polearms stepped forward, seeming to have been prepared for a situation like this as well. With practiced discipline, they formed a semicircle around the wriggling creature, which appeared to be trying to get its bearings. Kyle frowned as he felt something through his Auric Perception. Between the natural treasure and the pulse of mana from the Mages, he missed it. A presence was approaching, and quickly.

“GET BACK NOW!”

Kyle’s volume surprised even him, and the men jumped to listen. Not a moment too soon, as a rust colored missile exploded through the rainforest at incredible speed, crashing into the large worm and biting deep with ferocious jaws. The creature continued to move with its prey, slowly circling as it rose into the air, chomping the hapless creature in its jaws into mincemeat. The beast was likely fifty meters in length, with a segmented body made of a deep orange chitin. Massive legs sprouted from each segment, angry crimson spikes driving into the ground as it moved. Its head bore two massive antennae, and two massive pincers sat alongside its mandibles. In just moments, it had devoured the worm, its attention turning to the expedition.

Kyle felt the presence wash over him as it entered, power on full display. This is one of them. He remembered the vision he was shown after he’d tried to absorb essence the last time. CONSUME, OR BE CONSUMED. THERE IS NOTHING FOR YOU UNTIL YOU DO. This was a full-blown D Grade beast, and not a weak one. Looking up at the monster, Kyle was overwhelmed. No way in hell I’m fighting this thing. The expedition members had already been given the order to retreat, and many were making their way back to the shuttle. He moved to follow them – or at least he tried to.

His feet wouldn’t follow his instructions. The thought of running away from this creature, from escaping, was unacceptable. I’ll die here if I don’t do something. Move. MOVE! It was no good. Any intention to retreat just wouldn’t register in his body. The voice kept washing over him. BE CONSUMED. It’s the essences, Kyle realized, his stomach dropping. We’re going to get stuck in a deathmatch because of these stupid essences. As if reading his mind, the creature seemed to fix its gaze on him, antennae bobbing in the air as it prepared to move.

[DR. MAYHEW, IN CASE YOU WERE NOT AWARE, YOU SHOULD PROBABLY LEAVE.]

“I’m trying, C.H.A.D.D.”

[HAVE YOU CONSIDERED TRYING HARDER, DR. MAYHEW?]