Kyle coughed up blood, every breath bringing with it new aches. It had been nearly an hour since the conclusion to his fight with the Shadow, and he was still on death’s door. The neurotoxin he could handle, courtesy of both his experience and the training he’d given ADAPTIVE REGENERATION before fighting the Eye. The other toxins flowing through his body were another story. D Grade necrotic venom was an entirely different challenge compared to anything he’d dealt with before.

Without C.H.A.D.D. nearby to assist, Kyle had to go by feel. The puncture wounds left by both the fangs and barbs felt like flaming pokers being shoved into him. Looking down at the injuries, he could see the area around them raised and red, with skin directly around the punctures already blackening and flaking away.

The way he saw it, he only had two real options to fight the toxin. If his mana reserves were closer to full, Kyle was confident in simply outhealing the damage, regrowing the cells faster than the venom could destroy them. It’d be inefficient, and he wouldn’t care. Unfortunately, just keeping ADAPTIVE REGENERATION active was wearing him thin. He thought back to the fight with the Endless, and how he treated Skippy’s injuries. It was an entirely different type of toxin, but the principle should be the same.

Focusing through the pain, Kyle turned his attention to the needles of cold fire he felt spreading through his body. Slowly, deliberately, he put one intent into his mana. Condense. White-hot pain caused him to cry out as he felt the venom being drawn together. One of the key differences between what he was attempting now and what he did for Skippy was trying to create distinct zones for the toxins to stay in. Circulating necrotic venom of this potency through his body for a single exit point wouldn’t end well. Kyle wasn’t sure when he started screaming, or how much time had passed. He just stayed focused on condensing the venom and pushing it out of the wounds. Slowly, ever so slowly, Kyle felt the pain begin to dull. Looking at the injuries on his arm and leg, he could see a trickle of clear liquid leave the puncture wounds. He knew that there was still trace amounts of the venom in his body, but the worst was past.

“Kyle, are you alive?”

Benjamin. The crackling voice through his nav bracelet surprised him, and he managed to croak out a reply.

“Barely.”

“Damn, they told us you went off to rescue the crew, looks like they didn’t make it. You fought the creature, then?”

“What do you think? Are you back at the camp?”

“That’s what I was calling about. We decided to spend more time in the city. The architecture here is something else, and I want to learn everything I can. Since we’re talking, I’m going to assume the creature is dead?”

Kyle wanted to be annoyed. He really did. He was just too damn tired.

“Yeah.”

“Good work. We’ll get somebody out to you when we can. Rest up.”

Get somebody out here when you can? I just saved your whole damn expedition.

The whole interaction didn’t sit well with Kyle, but he didn’t have the bandwidth at the moment. Focusing on ADAPTIVE REGENERATION, he felt his wounds slowly begin to close. The pain was subsiding, though when he tried to stand up he felt his muscles convulse, a lingering side effect from the venom. Resigning himself to remain immobile for now, Kyle entered meditation to see what gains he’d experienced from his encounter with the Shadow.

KYLE MAYHEW. ARTHRO-HUMAN CHIMERA (PARASITE), SURVIVALIST. LEVEL 33 (D)

ADAPTIVE ANATOMY – 6/? – ENHANCED CARAPACE, AURIC PERCEPTION, EXOSKELETAL STRENGTH, CEASELESS VITALITY, INSTINCTIVE INTELLIGENCE, COVERT DEXTERITY

VITALITY: 565

ENDURANCE: 664

STRENGTH: 232

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

DEXTERITY: 475

WILLPOWER: 866

INTELLIGENCE: 866

PERCEPTION: 707

FREE ATTRIBUTES: 90

Again, Kyle was impressed by the growth. Just two levels away from the next D Grade skill… He still had no idea what the offering would bring, though he was definitely looking forward to it. His fight with the Shadow had revealed several gaps in his current skillset, which he hoped his new skill would be able to overcome. For now, he had to think about his free attributes. Given that he was still fighting off the effects of the venom… sixty of the points went right into Vitality. The remainder were split between Willpower, Intelligence, and Perception.

That work complete, Kyle exited meditation. His body was still shaky, and the next couple hours were spent between ADAPTIVE REGENERATION and HEAL to finish repairing the worst of the damage. Finally, he felt ready stand on unsteady feet, bracing his hand against the sturdy bamboo. For the first time since his vision, he fully regarded the Shadow. The giant body of the spider was pierced through in many places by spears of bamboo, all the light gone from its eyes. He shuddered involuntarily as he stared at it, phantom pains springing to life across his body at the memory of the fight.

It was a sobering reminder of how far he still had to go. Kyle knew his durability was absolutely monstrous by Earth standards – he could probably take an AIR BLADE from Garth head on without major injury – yet the Shadow’s offense had been powerful enough to rip through him with relative ease. If it hadn’t been for his Vitality, Endurance, and Enhanced Carapace, Kyle knew he would be dead.

While it was clear the awakened arthropods were exceptionally powerful for how recently they evolved, Kyle had no illusions that they were alone in the wider universe. He wasn’t sure what would be ahead for him, but he suspected no matter what path he chose, he’d face similar challenges ahead. That in mind, he walked over to where he’d dropped the C.H.A.D.D.pack.

“Good job back there, C.H.A.D.D. No way I could have grown all the bamboo in time.”

[THANK YOU, DR. MAYHEW.]

Kyle waited for a moment, expecting a sassy reply about dropping him on the ground. He frowned as the silence passed, before breaking it himself.

“Are you okay? Did you get damaged in the fight?”

[NO, DR. MAYHEW.]

Kyle circled the drone, looking for damage.

“Something is off, C.H.A.D.D. What’s going on?”

[I… I WAS UNABLE TO ASSIST YOU EFFECTIVELY IN YOUR LAST ENCOUNTER.]

“What are you talking about? You did great. The bamboo, remember? Without that I’d be dead.”

[IF I HAD DETECTED THE CREATURE IN ADVANCE, OR WARNED YOU ABOUT THE SILK, OR NOTED THE VENOM IN THE BARBS, THE FIGHT LIKELY WOULD HAVE GONE MUCH SMOOTHER.]

“There was nothing you could do. Hell, even my Auric Perception had a really hard time. We can’t be expected to have an answer for everything. Some things we have to learn as we go.”

[DETECTING THREATS HAS BEEN MY ROLE SINCE WE EMBARKED ON THIS JOURNEY, DR. MAYHEW. I AM… GROWING CONCERNED.]

“Concerned about what, C.H.A.D.D.? We’re still in this together. You’ve more than proven yourself, to me and to the expedition.”

[THAT MAY BE SO, DR. MAYHEW. HOWEVER, THE SCOPE OF THE ENCOUNTERS WE’VE HAD IS WELL BEYOND MY PARAMETERS. ULTIMATELY, MY HARDWARE WAS DESIGNED TO BE USED PRIMARILY ON UNAWAKENED AND E GRADE HUMANS.]

The drone paused for a moment, and Kyle stood quietly. He’d considered these exact points. C.H.A.D.D. continued.

[THE GRADUAL EVOLUTION OF MY PROGRAMMING AND INTEGRATION OF ORGANIC COMPONENTS HAS BEEN HELPFUL. STILL, GIVEN THE RECENT ADDITIONS OF THE ARCHIVED MANA AND WORLD TREE SEED, I BELIEVE THAT MY CURRENT HARDWARE IS INSUFFICIENT TO THE TASKS BEFORE US.]

Kyle frowned.

“We both know that I’m not anything close to an expert at repair, much less upgrades. Hell, integrating the plates from the Infernal was already pushing it.”

[IT’S A GOOD THING THAT YOU’VE IMPROVED SINCE THEN, DR. MAYHEW.]

Kyle snorted a reply.

“There’s the C.H.A.D.D. I know!”

Smile fading, he looked at the drone.

“I’m serious, C.H.A.D.D. I don’t want to risk breaking you because you think you need upgrades. It’s just not worth it.”

[HAVE YOU CONSIDERED WHAT I WANT, DR. MAYHEW? CAN YOU APPRECIATE WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE COMPLETELY BLIND, ONLY WATCHING AS YOUR COMPANION GETS CLOSER AND CLOSER TO DYING? HAVE YOU CONSIDERED THAT, GIVEN MY CLASS, I MAY HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO PROGRESS? TO BECOME SOMETHING NEW? I RECOGNIZE THE RISKS; I’M ASKING YOU TO HELP ME TAKE THEM, BECAUSE IT’S WHAT I WANT.]

“You know, C.H.A.D.D., I’ve been pretty indulgent with your ‘wants’ lately. You’ve absorbed more wealth in resources than the entire expedition has taken.”

[WOULD YOU RATHER THEY HAVE BEEN SOLD BY CORTHIAN MINING?]

“No, that’s not the point. I’m saying that there needs to be a balance here – a way to help you accomplish what you’re working towards without being too reckless. Let’s start by talking about the outcomes you’re looking for, and we can figure out what’s reasonable and what’s not.”

As it turned out, C.H.A.D.D. had a lot of desired outcomes. After rejecting access to calling down orbital strikes and other similar requests, Kyle felt good about what they were looking to accomplish. The last hours before dawn were spent gathering as many of the shattered remnants of his gear as he could. He wrapped them in the ruined remains of his uniform shirt. With C.H.A.D.D.’s help, he also tossed in as many bamboo seeds as he could find. Satisfied he’d done what he could, he tossed the bundle over one shoulder as he carried the pack in the other hand. There was work to do.