Pink and orange light shone through the gaps in the bamboo as Kyle ran, heralding the beginning of the sunset. I have time. Navigating through the thick foliage was a challenge, and Kyle hoped that would prove the same for the predator stalking the expedition. They had gotten too greedy, disregarding the lessons from the last two encounters. Now, it had cost them. Kyle was exasperated. If they just took the situation more seriously, they might not be in this mess.

His frustration wasn’t just directed at the expedition crews; it was also towards Benjamin and Chester. Their clashing interests contributed to a false sense of safety. It wasn’t likely that either of them would have to deal with the repercussions on a personal level. Kyle, on the other hand, would. In some ways he was reminded of Victor DeRosa, and his willingness to trade lives for his perceived greater good. Focus, Kyle. You can’t save them all.

Letting his eyes drift down to the nav bracelet, he saw that he was closing in on the last squad.

“C.H.A.D.D., can you pick them up on your scanners?”

[IF YOU’D BE SO KIND TO TURN, DR. MAYHEW.]

For once, Kyle complied without comment. Watching the footage from the last sparring session made him appreciate much more fully the impact the D Grade mana had on the drone’s sensors. It also brought up another, less pleasant thought. C.H.A.D.D.’s hardware was designed to be used on unawakened and low-leveled E Grades, not sustained exposure to the powerful energies that were constantly around it. Furthermore, the C.H.A.D.D.pack was beginning to get some serious wear and tear. After this round of encounters was over, he would need to get serious about finding new solutions.

[I’VE FOUND THEM, DR. MAYHEW.]

“Thank you, C.H.A.D.D. Any signs of the D Grade?”

[NONE AT ALL.]

Simultaneous relief and concern flooded through him in a bizarre mix. If it was following its trajectory, it should have been close. The fact it wasn’t meant that the survivors would make it back to the camp safely. Though that left the question of where –

A ping on his nav bracelet drew his attention, at the same moment C.H.A.D.D. spoke.

[ONE OF THE SQUAD MEMBERS WAS JUST KILLED, DR. MAYHEW.]

The hell! “What happened?”

Before the drone could respond, another ping.

[ANOTHER IS DEAD, UNCERTAIN OF THE CAUSE.]

“I thought you said the D Grade wasn’t around?”

A third ping.

[THEY’RE ALL GONE, DR. MAYHEW.]

Continuing to run in the direction the bracelet directed, Kyle came upon the scene. The first body he saw was the last to have fallen, nearly a dozen obsidian black spikes sticking out of the woman’s back. He saw a head a short distance away, the body being pinned down by a massive clawed foot. The final body was being consumed, a sickening crunching punctuating the gentle rustling of the bamboo.

The spider was jet-black, though unlike the Wall, its carapace didn’t shine. Instead, it was the darkness of night. Eight legs supported the creature, each tipped with two scythe-like claws, ready to reap the lives of its opponents. Blood dripped from the maw of the beast, two wicked long fangs gripping the remains of its unfortunate prey. Eight eyes glowed violet, though two on the left side seemed much dimmer than the others, a thin network of cracks in its otherwise pristine carapace. Nice work, Skippy. Its abdomen was covered in a forest of rustling, black blades that matched the wounds on the body at his feet.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

While finishing the human remains, creature regarded Kyle. He felt a cold sweat breaking out. Something about the monster was just… wrong.

[DR. MAYHEW, SENSORS ARE PICKING UP STRANGE BEHAVIOR FROM THE DECEASED. IS THE CREATURE NEARBY?]

His eyes widened in realization. C.H.A.D.D. can’t sense it. Hell, I can’t sense it. Whatever it was, the spider had somehow completely suppressed its ambient mana – to a greater degree than Kyle had ever encountered. Now that he focused on the creature, Auric Perception was able to pick up the shape. Not due to the creature giving off energy, rather from the lack of mana visible in the space.

“Yeah, C.H.A.D.D. I’m staring at it.”

The drone didn’t respond. Kyle remembered the CAMOUFLAGE skill he skipped over at his D Grade evolution, and figured the spider had something similar. Despite being unable to detect its presence, Kyle had no doubt he was facing the genuine article.

The spider never looked away as it finished its macabre feast, seeming unsure of how to approach. Bloodied boots and a backpack fell to the ground. Then, suddenly, the spider vanished. It appeared to simply melt into the lengthening shadows of the forest, and a moment later Kyle felt a hard impact to his back, nearly toppling him over. He heard a clattering noise as he turned to look, seeing four of the black barbs on the ground.

“C.H.A.D.D., are you ok?”

[THE IMPACT DIDN’T BREACH THE PACK, DR. MAYHEW.]

That was a small comfort, at least. Kyle turned, looking around for the creature. His Auric Perception picked up a shift in the mana to his left. Almost by instinct, Kyle dropped into a crouch, as a clawed limb materialized from the shadows and sliced through the air where his neck had been. Jumping back, he narrowly avoided being pinned down by the creature, which landed and lunged.

This time, Kyle was ready for it. Tendrils of mana reached out and linked to the creature as PARASITIC RESONANCE activated, and he felt the tightly controlled system that the gargantuan spider was using. With a surge of Willpower, Kyle tried to inflict as much damage as he could. He disrupted whatever stealth skill the spider had, allowing both him and C.H.A.D.D. to sense it for the first time. He tried to cause even more damage, but the spider quickly leapt backward, legs gripping onto multiple stalks of bamboo as if it was scaling a wall. As it did so, barbed spikes shot out from its abdomen to skewer Kyle, preventing him from following.

This put the creature just out of range of PARASITIC RESONANCE. The spider, which Kyle had dubbed the Shadow, stood still for a moment as its stealth skill reactivated. There was no doubt about it; this creature was a hunter. While it may have lacked the sheer size and power of the Endless or the Eye, it made up for it in its specialization as an ambush predator. They stood silently as the bamboo gently rustled. A single leaf floated in the air between them, undisturbed by the monsters about to do battle. The moment it touched the ground, the deadliest duel of Kyle’s life began.

~~~

Garth looked out over the wall. The harrier team he’d sent out was late in returning, and he was growing restless. They had done well in buying time, better than he’d dared to dream. Still, there was a lot to be done. The ammunition they had set aside for this endeavor was running low, and the ants were getting closer each day. The shambling horrors continued to gain ground, seemingly uncaring of all the effort the people of Nierburg had put in to slow them.

Despite all of their work, estimates showed there were still nearly a hundred thousand of the mutated ants in the swarm, many of whom seemed to be infested with the fungus. There were several scientists who wanted to get samples to study. Garth had other ideas – namely keeping a Fire Mage on each squad to burn as many of the bodies as possible. Nothing good could ever come from experimenting with mind-eating fungi.

Gath’s train of thought was interrupted as he spotted the harrier team making their way towards the wall. Some tension left his shoulders as he looked out at the field between Nierburg and the forest. Teams were working at all hours to prepare as best they could with spiked fortifications and earthen barricades littering the field. As if these people haven’t suffered enough. He let out a breath as he descended the battlements to meet his scouts. A war unlike anything he’d experienced was coming to Nierburg, and he had to be ready for it.