The Shadow didn’t let up. Volley after volley of ranged attacks burst towards Kyle, who did everything he could to defend as he made his way through the web of sticky silk. He knew that trying to hold his ground at the heart of the trap would be a fool’s errand. There was simply too much that could go wrong, and he didn’t have the luxury of shedding his armor twice. The Shadow seemed to understand that as well, keeping up the bombardment with its deadly blades.
The one thing Kyle did have going for him, at least, was the depth of his mana reserves. As powerful as the Shadow was, it had used a lot of big techniques for a relatively low payoff. The creature was no longer even trying to keep its stealth skill active, and if Kyle’s observations were correct, the barbs on its abdomen were beginning to grow back more slowly. Of course, that by no means meant the beast was out of the fight.
The form of the spider blurred as the bamboo it gripped beneath its claws was sliced neatly in two. It flew at Kyle like a missile, impossibly fast. Talons on its forelegs slashed at him to rip the young man to pieces. Kyle fell flat to the ground, deep furrows gouging into his back as he avoided a blow that otherwise would have meant almost instant death. PARASITIC RESONANCE was active, and Kyle took the opportunity to try and cause more damage, though the window was just too short. Despite the power of the technique, it wasn’t instantaneous.
The Shadow managed to move across the entire range before Kyle could do more than make the connection. This is bad. Even with ADAPTIVE REGENERATION working on the deep cuts in his back, it would take time to heal the wounds. Auric Perception detected mana accumulating near the Shadow, and Kyle rolled to his feet to see another wave of the razor-sharp barbs flying right towards him. He dodged what he could without stepping in the silk, and managed to knock several barbs away with his baton.
The Shadow hadn’t taken the time to connect this volley with the silken threads, opting instead for a swifter follow-up attack. Kyle did not get out unscathed. Another barb hit his right shoulder, one his right thigh, and two others bit deep into his stomach. He choked back a cry of agony as he pulled them out with his left hand, not daring to loose the grip on the baton with his right. He could already feel the necrotic venom warring with his body, causing his muscles to convulse unnaturally. Even though ADAPTIVE REGENERATION was quickly building a tolerance to the poison, the effects were debilitating.
Blood spattered the ground along with the clattering of spent barbs, and Kyle looked up at the Shadow. He was near the edge of the cleared area, and already small shoots of bamboo were beginning to rise from the remnants he’d shattered before. Kyle felt like death. Creeping cold mixed with lances of pain where he’d taken the injuries from the barbs. Until he fought off more of the venom, dodging was going to be a problem. Preemptively, Kyle activated STORM SHELTER. He needed to buy time to work through more of the toxin.
The Shadow, despite its advantage, was also in rough shape. In its first dash towards Kyle, one of the damaged legs fell off, now leaking ichor as the spider clung to the wall created by the forest. There were no barbs remaining on its abdomen, and Kyle suspected it lacked the mana to continue to produce more. The light in its undamaged eyes had dimmed, and unlike Kyle, it had no means to quickly recover. Even now, it was waning while the young man stabilized.
As when they first engaged, there was a stillness between the two, almost an acknowledgment. They would have one more exchange, and the victor would be decided then and there. Kyle felt more than saw the creature tense up, and he knew his options were limited. Even so, he didn’t plan to die without a fight. Pull through for me, C.H.A.D.D.
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The gentle glow of the shield flickered, then faded. The Shadow burst towards Kyle, scythe-like legs and fangs prepared to end him in a single strike. Instead, the creature slammed into a phalanx of bamboo spears. They splintered and shattered against its mass and momentum, but kept growing all the same. Kyle tasted blood as he strained, pouring mana into the attack. He connected to C.H.A.D.D. via PARASITIC RESONANCE, and then connected to as much of the bamboo as he could. The plants greedily drank in his mana, shaped by the drone, and exploded to life with magnificent effect.
Ichor flowed freely from the Shadow as legs were blown away, its torso pierced through by several of the stalks. It wasn’t quite enough. The creature slid down one of the spears that had impaled its body and brought its fangs down towards Kyle, each dripping with venom. Even if its death was certain, it was going to try and take its killer down. Kyle met the attack with his baton, and all the force he could put behind it. Grabbing each end with his hands, he held it out before him against the base of the Shadow’s fangs.
Slowly, inexorably, the fangs drew closer. Kyle’s arms shook with the exertion. Even if he could connect to the Shadow with PARASITIC RESONANCE, he was spent. Between eliminating the poison and providing energy to grow the bamboo, he just didn’t have anything left in the tank. Still, he was going to fight. Even if it took him to his last breath, Kyle wasn’t going to die quietly. Kyle felt an ominous creaking beneath his hands, and a moment later the baton he was holding snapped. Two things happened, then. Kyle’s shoulders were pierced by the fangs of the Shadow, just as red light left its body and slammed into his.
~~~
Kyle’s perspective shifted, and he saw himself grow – first a small and insignificant creature in a cage. Prey was brought to him, and life was dull. Then, in the moment when humanity fell, he ascended. His kind were never supposed to be here, and he hunted. Countless prey fell before him, until there were none left to hunt. Any who came close to his domain were destined to die. Until they arrived. Kyle saw the perspective of the Shadow’s fight against Skippy and Duroc, then the ultimate encounter with him, which had cost its life.
As the perspective faded away, Kyle tried to focus on his body. He couldn’t feel it at all. Which was a problem. Whatever condition it was in, he knew he didn’t have the time to fall unconscious. If he didn’t make an effort to treat his injuries, he would die.
AMUSING, LITTLE LARVA. YOU HAVE ONCE AGAIN EMERGED VICTORIOUS.
“Yeah, for all the good it’ll do me if I die.”
DEATH IS THE END OF ALL LIFE, JUST AS THROUGH DEATH NEW LIFE EMERGES.
“I’d love to stay and discuss the finer points, but as far as I’m concerned new life can wait for a long, long time.”
OH? HAVEN’T YOU EXPERIENCED THE DEATH OF ONE LIFE, AND THE BIRTH OF ANOTHER?
“Again, not the time. Unless you have a trick to keep me conscious, this could be our last chat.”
THEN WOULD IT NOT BE A BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME TO ASK YOUR QUESTIONS?
Now Kyle was annoyed. The creature was clearly playing with him – it had never offered answers before, and he knew it wasn’t now. The wiser part of him still knew antagonizing a power like this was a bad idea, though from the little it had let slip it was clear that it had restrictions of some sort.
“I’ll have time to ask more questions after I’m done dealing with the mess you made of Earth. For now, either help or leave me alone.”
The presence faded, and Kyle detected a sense of amusement from it. Now all that’s left is to see if I can pull through.
His consciousness snapped back to reality, and his body seized in pain. The fangs of the Shadow were embedded several centimeters into his chest. As he slowly pulled back, he felt the toxins flowing through him. All of that paled in comparison to an incredible pain shooting through his body from head to toe. My new adaptation, no doubt. Despite the pain, he was conscious. That meant he could work. A thank-you might be in order. Kyle slumped to the ground, back resting against the growing bamboo. He closed his eyes, and focused on putting what few resources he had left into his healing. He was battered, his equipment was destroyed, but he was alive.