The simple request took Kyle by surprise. Before responding, he clutched the egg tighter to his chest. “That’s not going to happen. I don’t know who you are, or why you’re here. I’m just doing a job, and I intend to see it through.”
The man gave a rough chuckle, though his orange eyes didn’t show a hint of mirth. “I know that you’re here as part of some Collective test, and that this job only means a pass or fail to you. Well let me tell you something, it means a hell of a lot more to me and mine.”
His expression grew angrier, and through IDENTIFY Kyle could see energy moving through him in cadence with his apparent frustration. To his credit, he took a stabilizing breath, then a second, before continuing.
“We’ve lived under the oppression of the damn lizards for millennia. This is a chance to spit in their eye. You killed a lot of the birds I helped raise, but I’m willing to look past that. Give me the egg. Fail your test, and retake it again. We all walk away alive, and you can thank your stars you’ll never have to cross us again.”
The implication was clear, but Kyle decided to ask anyway. “And if I don’t? What happens then?”
“Then I kill you, take it, and get on my way. From what I can see, you’d have a hard time keeping up with me even if you didn’t have to protect it. You pick this fight, you don’t have a chance.”
Given what he understood of the man’s level of power, he tended to agree. At the same time, however, Kyle also knew that he had more than a few cards to play that most identification skills wouldn’t reveal. Between IGNITION, PARASITIC RESONANCE, and C.H.A.D.D.’s ability to manipulate plant life, Kyle was confident that he’d be able to put up a better fight than the mysterious stranger anticipated.
Kyle shook his head. “I believe you when you say this means a lot to you and your organization, but I’ve got goals of my own. The egg is going to make it to that city.”
The man’s expression broke into a sneer, and Kyle reflexively swayed back as a whip cracked the air where his face was just moments before. Instantly, Kyle found himself being pushed back. His opponent wove a long chain of attacks together, staying just outside the range of PARASITIC RESONANCE as he did. Each strike split the air with a peal of thunder, and the mana flowing through the weapon was clear to Kyle’s Auric Perception.
Kyle felt an impact against the bracer on his right forearm, then heat against his cheek as the weapon grazed him, managing to draw a thin line of blood. ADAPTIVE REGENERATION healed the minor injury in moments, though the stranger only seemed to press harder after drawing first blood.
Kyle found himself slowly pushed back under the ferocious assault. Kyle couldn’t advance any closer to the city without putting the egg at risk of damage, and even though his opponent struggled to land any meaningful strikes, he was slowly gaining ground.
How does he know the range on PARASITIC RESONANCE so well? That bothered Kyle more than anything else. Even if he had some sort of a mana-detection skill, Kyle hadn’t extended the tendrils anywhere close to their full range during their fight. Kyle turned his shoulder to absorb a blow aimed for the egg, the small pauldron of his armor absorbing the attack. Is it a danger sense? Maybe a D Grade version of a skill like ANTICIPATION?
Kyle’s train of thought was interrupted when his assailant decided to change things up. C.H.A.D.D. highlighted three balls that were thrown in his direction, and without hesitation Kyle activated STORM SHELTER. The grenades exploded against the shield, significantly weaker than he’d expected. Their purpose became clear to him when he felt the subtle presence of mana inside the thick smoke.
[THERE APPEARS TO BE A NEUROTOXIN PRESENT IN THE CLOUD, DR. MAYHEW.]
Kyle nodded, IDENTIFY already active as he tried to figure out the different components that made up the poison gas. “What else are you detecting?”
[IT ALSO CONTAINS MUSCLE RELAXANT PROPERTIES, IN ADDITION TO A VARIETY OF SEDATIVES. WHILE IT IS UNLIKELY TO BE DEADLY, I DO NOT ADVISE INHALING THE GAS.]
That was consistent with what Kyle was observing as well. The mana in the air didn’t have major ill-intent that he could see, rather being focused on stability, keeping the curtain of smoke condensed in the air around him instead of dispersing. The toxins themselves were all quite a bit weaker than those he’d encountered against the D Grade monsters on Earth, though Kyle knew it would still take some time for him to eliminate the poison entirely. “C.H.A.D.D., can you give me an idea of what other equipment he has?”
A moment later, a projection of his opponent appeared within the barrier of STORM SHELTER, and several items were zoomed in on and highlighted. Tucked into the armor were two daggers, one more grenade, and what looked to be some type of revolver with odd bullets that seemed to contain some type of liquid. “Any idea what the bullets do?”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
[NONE AT ALL, DR. MAYHEW. MY SCANNER ISN’T ABLE TO DETECT THE COMPONENTS OF THE LIQUID WITHIN, IT’S CONTAINED QUITE EFFECTIVELY.]
With only a few scant seconds remaining until STORM SHELTER would drop, Kyle considered his options. The stranger had a flexible style that centered around the use of his whip, but clearly had options in place to fight at a variety of ranges. From what he’d seen so far, Kyle knew that in terms of pure martial skill, he was simply outmatched.
Not seeing many other choices, Kyle took in a deep breath of clean air as he activated IGNITION. The moment the barrier dropped, Kyle exploded through the cloud directly towards the man. C.H.A.D.D. flashed warnings as the whip lashed towards him, and with his senses enhanced by the boosting skill Kyle dodged it with little effort. It was odd, using the skill in combat like this. This activation was disappointing compared to the state of clarity he’d experienced before. How can I get to that state faster?
Even so, judging by the loud string of curses coming from his opponent, the stranger certainly didn’t seem to think so. Kyle closed the distance rapidly, and the tendrils of PARASITIC RESONANCE finally got their mark. While the man’s Willpower was nothing to scoff at, it was still weaker than Kyle’s. Slowly, inexorably, Kyle broke down his defenses as he attempted to wrest control of the mana pathways away from his assailant.
A look of grim determination came over his face, and the man grabbed the final grenade, detonating it between Kyle and himself as the Survivalist closed within a few steps. This one didn’t release a cloud of toxic gas, instead exploding with massive concussive force. Kyle barely got his body between the explosion and the egg as he was hurled away, turning midair to take the impact of his fall on his back.
Kyle clambered to his feet to see his opponent doing the same nearly twenty meters away. He’d hurt himself more than Kyle with the blast, his armor tattered and body bleeding from multiple small cuts. Despite that, the look on his face was calm. “I’m going to give you one more chance. Give. Me. The. Egg. Now. There’s no going back from what’s coming, and even if you manage to survive by some miracle, you’ll have a target on your back the rest of your miserable life.”
IGNITION was still burning away at him, bringing him closer to his prime equilibrium. While Kyle wasn’t a big fan of the whole ‘mid-fight banter’ thing, every moment he waited was a moment that he would gain an advantage. “How generous of you, letting me surrender after you nearly blew yourself up. I’ll counter. Get out of my way, take the loss, and move on. I have no interest in you or your organization, and this isn’t personal. At all. You leave now, and we’ll never have to see each other again.”
A sneer broke out over his adversary’s scarred face, orange eyes meeting Kyle’s without a hint of fear. “Cocky rich brats like you are everything that’s wrong with the Collective. You’ve probably never had to struggle a day in your life, getting all the benefits of a nice sponsor or patron. You have no idea what it’s like to try to scrape by while being pushed into the muck under the lizards’ claws.”
“And I told you before, that’s not my issue. It’s yours.” Even though he’d have liked to wait a little longer, he was closer to the point of equilibrium he was searching for. In a blur of motion, Kyle darted outside the range of the whip and started running towards the city.
Auric Perception warned him of an odd flow of power, followed by a warning from C.H.A.D.D. Kyle ducked, and he could feel the air move above his head as the whip cracked. I knew I was out of range, what the hell? Before Kyle could continue his train of thought, he was forced to dodge twice more. He finally had space to turn around, and his eyes widened at what he saw. The same markings that had covered the birds now covered the scarred man’s body. Kyle could sense the mana flowing through him, and understood in a moment that their duel was far from over.
~~~
“That’s absolutely not allowed! Mayhew was free and clear. This is a clear violation of no less than seven different statutes for outside interference. Get a representative from the Archdrake Supremacy, right now! This will not be tolerated!”
The goblin woman was in an absolute rage, cheeks flushed a dark green as she barked orders. Suierrillax understood the sentiment. The Practicum environments, though not necessarily controlled, were curated thoughtfully. When the news of the transport caravan was leaked to local revolutionary factions within the system, it was done thoughtfully. All reports indicated a cell that was operating alone, with a leader in middle D Grade. The Archdrake Supremacy would come out well either way – with the task complete, or more information regarding local rebels that they could quash.
Instead, a Backer got involved, and not a weak one. While upper C Grade was possible, it was more likely a B Grade that tore open the spatial rifts from such a distance, allowing what they thought was the rebel leader to confront Mayhew directly. It was a grave miscalculation. The balance of Phase Two in its entirety – at least for the human – was thrown into complete disarray.
The largest problem now, and the one the goblin was trying to resolve through her shouting, was what they could do from here. There were pages upon pages of regulation on proportionate response both within the Guild system, as well as throughout all Collective law. While the rebels may not abide by Collective law, it was something they clearly understood and benefitted from in this case. Had the B Grade backer shown themselves, or ripped Mayhew apart with a spatial storm, both the Guilds and Archdrake Supremacy would have responded with B, and possibly even A Grade force.
But what was the appropriate response to this type of interference? It was direct manipulation, yet at the same time only indirectly harmful in that it didn’t touch Mayhew’s person. Still, it could have. As such, directly protecting his person could be deemed inappropriate. Working with the Verdant Republic was always challenging in this way, and Suierrillax knew that it was well and truly out of her hands at this point. Nonetheless, she watched the screen as the two humans fought. At this point, she just hoped Mayhew would come back alive.