Kyle felt the mana begin to build within the pillar of water, and knew with certainty that the shuttle was within striking range of the Storm. At the same time, he was still under pressure from the water surrounding him on all sides. He could try to distract the creature and draw its attention, and if he did there was a chance the shuttle could escape. It would also leave him exposed, outside of STORM SHELTER, and at the Storm’s mercy. Time seemed to stand still as Kyle felt the final moments of the mana building, knowing what he needed to do, and hating it.
[DR. MAYHEW - ]
“Not now, C.H.A.D.D.”
A second passed, and a blast of water exploded against the side of the shuttle, followed by another. The vehicle rocked, and a continued barrage of attacks met it in the air. Blow after blow smashed into the hull, and if Kyle had been watching he would have seen the glowing runes along the sides sputter and fade before the shuttle fell into the water.
The moment the Storm launched its attack, Kyle sprang into action. Pushing energy into a handful of seeds, C.H.A.D.D. acted as the catalyst for explosive growth. The bamboo lifted him like a pole vault into the air, deactivating STORM SHELTER at the last possible moment. He felt the water close in on him as the reeds pushed him through, tendrils of PARASITIC RESONANCE already reaching skyward towards the monster.
He felt the mana connect, and immediately encountered a level of resistance only exceeded by the world tree seed. Kyle knew he wouldn’t be able to land a decisive blow right away, and instead focused his effort on something he could control: disrupting the Storm’s control. While the creature had enormous amounts of Willpower, maintaining its grip on the water had to require incredible concentration. IDENTIFY showed him where the mana branched out and flowed into the water, and he had his targets.
The Storm noticed the intruder, but it was too late. Vines wrapped around Kyle’s left arm as they also reached towards the beast, ensnaring several of its claws as he drew closer to it. Kyle grit his teeth as he forced his mana through, connecting to the feather-like plates along its abdomen. The lower body of the creature was still submerged in the water, and Kyle could see that it was using each of the feathers as a sort of anchor to the sea. Focusing his Willpower against the feathers, he felt himself lurch in the air as the pillar of water fell apart, both he and the Storm plummeting to the ocean below.
Kyle could see mana flowing around the creature, desperately trying to draw the water back in. With Kyle actively destabilizing the connection, however, it didn’t have the opportunity. Still, Kyle knew he was in trouble. In moments, they would fall into the water, and the Storm would once again have home field advantage. It was time for a gamble. Pulling the device out of his trouser pocket, Kyle activated the Transportation Array.
His perspective shifted as he saw a kaleidoscope of color, and he fixed his mind on a familiar sight – a field of flowers. Kyle had no idea if it would work, but he pressed the second button, activating the final formation in the array. They landed in the water, right as the world around them began to blur.
Kyle felt a wave of heat, a blast of concussive force, and then he fell hard on the ground. He coughed up water as he got to his feet, feeling light burns across his skin. The vines that had wrapped around his left forearm had been ripped free, ripping the bracer on that arm free. He was standing in the center of a flower field, possibly the same one he’d visited earlier. His clothes were drenched, a puddle forming below him as he stood.
“C.H.A.D.D., are you okay?”
[THIS NEW PACK IS DELIGHTFUL, DR. MAYHEW.]
While that wasn’t really an answer, Kyle didn’t have time to go back and forth with the drone. Just two meters away, the Storm was clambering to its feet. It seemed disoriented, though Kyle didn’t expect that would last for long. Even as the tendrils of PARASITIC RESONANCE reached out to the creature, Kyle got his first really good look at the Storm.
The monster stood nearly two and a half meters tall, with its abdomen roughly the same length. It had six forelimbs on its upraised torso; four thick, lobster like claws that were tightly tucked into its chest, and two that were longer and narrower, almost resembling fishing harpoons, which rested at its side. The plates along each side of its abdomen gave off a rainbow glow in the open sunlight, the effect only magnified in Kyle’s vision due to the raw mana flowing through them. Thick, crablike legs supported it, barely visible under the feathery armor.
As soon as PARASITIC RESONANCE connected, violet eye stalks focused on Kyle as its whiskers thrashed violently. Kyle could feel a palpable air of malice radiating from it. It matched his Willpower, and the two stood motionless for a moment, each trying to wrest control. Slowly, bubbles of water began to rise, though they didn’t appear to be focused on attack. Instead, they swirled up and around its head, forming an odd, astronaut-like helmet of water.
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The moment the last droplets entered the helmet, the Storm burst into action. The four, thick claws it kept close to its chest exploded out with incredible force, each accompanied by a sound like a cannon. Taken by surprise, shockwaves ripped into Kyle, and he was able to hear audible cracks as the damaged pieces of his armor began to break apart. He could taste iron in his mouth, and he spat out blood as he caught his footing, barely managing to weave to the side as one of the longer, spear-like claws pierced the air where his heart had been.
Now that he knew what to look for, STORM SHELTER sprang to life around him as another round of thundering blows were released. They pounded into his shield like a repeating cannon, and Kyle was reminded of Skippy’s chain attacks. Unlike the skrell, however, the Storm hadn’t been training specifically to break through Kyle’s defenses. The shield held, and he used the moment of reprieve to analyze his options.
“C.H.A.D.D., what weak points are you picking up?”
[VERY FEW, DR. MAYHEW. THE SHELL IS REMARKABLY MANA-DENSE. AS USUAL, THE JOINTS AND THE EYES ARE LIKELY GOOD TARGETS.]
Looking at the creature, Kyle highly doubted that his baton strikes would do much damage. Its carapace was simply too thick, and there was no way Kyle was getting close enough to hit it in the eyes. With PARASITIC RESONANCE still connected and working, Kyle just hoped that he’d be able to get the upper hand in time. The speed of the Storm’s attacks was frightening, and even with HASTE active he wasn’t confident in dodging all of them.
Despite that, Kyle felt the crustacean’s mana begin to deplete. Each attack was only a small slice of its overall pool, but now that it wasn’t connected to the ocean, it didn’t have an endless source of replenishment. In a battle of attrition, Kyle felt confident in his abilities.
“Do you think you can do anything with the grasses?”
[I SHOULD BE ABLE TO ENCOURAGE GROWTH.]
“Alright. When I drop the shield, we’re working on entanglement.”
A moment later, the blue glow of STORM SHELTER faded away. Kyle could see the energy building in the Storm’s claws, preparing for another round of attacks. He dashed to the left, avoiding most of the shockwaves. At the same time, the grasses and flowers around the crustacean’s legs began to grow, winding and turning about its legs. It was able to rip them free with relative ease, but it slowed the beast just enough. Kyle got to the Storm’s side, and jumped onto its abdomen, directly behind its torso.
The creature thrashed wildly, clearly displeased by Kyle’s action. Vines began to extend from one of the holes in the C.H.A.D.D.pack, and soon Kyle had bound himself to the creature’s torso. It continued to spin and scuttle wildly, but it was unable to dislodge the stubborn Survivalist.
Kyle let out a small sigh, thankful his gambit had worked. The creature had absolutely incredible attack power in the area in front of itself, which likely served it well underwater, where it had ease of movement. He’d banked on the creature being unprepared to deal with the same issue on the land. Firmly nestled in, Kyle allowed PARASITIC RESONANCE to work.
Slowly, he was gaining ground against the Storm’s Willpower. He estimated the creature to possess around 1000 points in the attribute, just slightly above Kyle’s own 903. In the relatively short span that they’d been connected, Kyle felt as though they were roughly evenly matched. Given more time, Kyle knew that the fight was a foregone conclusion. That is, until the Storm changed tactics.
He felt the mana in the air around the creature begin to shift, at first attributing it to the ground he was gaining. Soon, however, it was clear that something was wrong. C.H.A.D.D. detected it a moment later.
[DR. MAYHEW, I RECOMMEND EXTRICATING YOURSELF FROM THE VINES.]
Kyle hesitated for a moment, unsure of the best course of action. What can it do to me up here? Before he had a chance to explore that further, his world went white with pain. It was as if something was trying to tear apart every cell in his body. He felt the vines around him crumble away, and fell off the Storm’s back, landing on the hard soil. Where is the grass? Where are the flowers? He rose on unsteady legs, and his eyes widened as he beheld the skill on display.
From where he’d been positioned, Kyle wasn’t able to see the feather-like plates on the Storm’s abdomen. He assumed that, without being surrounded by water, their function in the fight was over. He was wrong. They each glowed with power as they floated parallel to the ground, showing the creature’s legs beneath. In a small circle around the monster, all the plant life had withered away. The moisture in the soil was gone, leaving cracked, dry earth.
It was trying to rip the water out of my body, Kyle realized, horror setting in. His natural defenses warded off the worst of the attack, though looking at the scene before him, he knew he was in trouble. Droplets of water floated around the Storm as it turned to face him.
A spear-like claw exploded towards him, while simultaneously dozens of droplets sped his way, each heavily infused with the Storm’s mana. He dodged the claw, gritting his teeth as the droplets carved away at him as they passed. The second spear aimed for his chest, and he barely managed to push it down and to the side, resulting in a furrow along his ribs.
STORM SHELTER sprang to life as a series of explosive punches from the other claws rained into it, and Kyle panted heavily with exhaustion. Blood was running freely down his cracked and damaged body. PARASITIC RESONANCE was still connected, though at this rate it wouldn’t ramp up fast enough. He worked on mending his injuries as he stared through the barrier at his opponent. The Storm had surpassed every expectation. It would only be a moment of reprieve before their battle would resume, and it was one Kyle wasn’t sure he could win.