[DO THEY SEEM A LITTLE TOO EAGER TO YOU, DR. MAYHEW?]

“Definitely.” Kyle stood at one end of a path, surrounded by raised pillars of various elevations. The path ended with a round area with some brush, and Kyle’s goal was to make it to the end while avoiding or blocking ranged attacks from his training partners. The idea was great, but after seeing the cheery atmosphere while they sat together, Kyle couldn’t help but wonder if he’d made a mistake agreeing to this type of training.

Kyle could appreciate the excitement from the D Grades, particularly in that they could each test their skills against somebody who could take them. He hadn’t counted on the E Grades mirroring that enthusiasm. Even as far away as he was, Kyle could make out broad smiles on most of their faces. I suppose they don’t get many opportunities to let loose.

A flare shot into the sky from the ending point, and the air around him was instantly filled with colors as C.H.A.D.D. highlighted over a dozen incoming attacks. C.H.A.D.D. and Kyle had developed a system to differentiate physical and mana attacks, and he immediately realized that it was worthless in a situation like this one. There were simply too many attack types coming in for him to realistically adapt to all of them.

He pushed mana through his connection to the drone, activating the properties of his stonebloom armor. “Just highlight the physical attacks!” C.H.A.D.D. obliged, now only highlighting two incoming techniques. Kyle ducked as a stream of fine glass shards sliced the air above his head, then stepped to the side to avoid a lance of ice jetting towards his position.

Bolts of lightning mingled with gouts of flame and shockwaves of pure force, lighting up the sky before fizzling into nothing before they could even touch him. Kyle felt a grin growing across his face. His first field test of his armor had been against Ger’Sinh, and had been easily overwhelmed. He’d known it wasn’t fair to use that as the sole measurement of its ability, but part of him felt like he’d made a mistake investing so heavily into it. Now, he was vindicated. The attacks from E Grades were entirely nullified, not even touching him.

Another volley of glass projectiles shot towards him, highlighted by C.H.A.D.D.’s sensors. Kyle sidestepped this one too, only to raise his arms just in time to divert a javelin thrown with insane speed by Tillienne from across the training field. The sharp edge of the weapon left a cut on his right arm, which he repaired with a quick Heal. The ground behind him shook, and walls of earth sprang up, forming a semicircle to limit his movements.

This time, the volley of attacks was joined by a bolt of lightning as thick as his wrist, splitting the air like rifle fire. He activated the ability of his armor again, this time attempting to focus the effect in an area directly in front of him. It wasn’t nearly enough to stop the full force of Jax’s attack. The bolt slammed into him with enough physical force to smash him into the earthen barrier. Kyle was disoriented, the smell of ozone overpowering.

[YOU MAY WANT TO MOVE, DR. MAYHEW.]

The drone’s flat tone brought him back into focus as a storm of ice and cold began to rain down on him, courtesy of the same E Grade who threw the lance of ice before. A thin layer of frost began to build on his armor, and Kyle sighed. Not seeing a way around it, he activated Ignition. Power surged through him as he felt the tingling pain across his body, the nullification from the stonebloom boosted by the flowing power.

The storm of cold was pushed back by the enhanced range of the armor, just as the atmospheric mana replenished his reserves. Another javelin flew his way, and this time Kyle ducked under it. He felt the shrapnel from the remains of the earthworks behind him as it exploded, then raised his arm to intercept a small cloud of glass heading directly towards his face. Each shard was no larger than a grain of sand; trying and failing to break his skin.

[IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS MORE DIFFICULT THAN EXPECTED, DR. MAYHEW.]

“No joke,” Kyle said, jumping to avoid a pitfall created by the earth manipulator. “They coordinate exceptionally well.” He was genuinely impressed with their overall level of ability, and could easily see this team putting up a meaningful fight against most early D Grades, even without Jax and Tillienne involved. Speaking of, Trex hasn’t done anything yet. Kyle risked a glance down the field with Identify active, and saw the floating mass of algae veritably glowing with mana. It seemed to be charging for an attack of type, though Kyle couldn’t figure out what it could be. Maybe light mana? Whatever it was, Kyle had never come across the energy it was converting before, and it gave him a bad feeling.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

He didn’t get an opportunity to analyze further as Jax launched another precision bolt, which Kyle barely managed to avoid thanks to the boost from Ignition. Flame and lightning swirled around him, though with the expanded range and power of the stonebloom armor, the E Grade attacks weren’t even getting close. A warning flash from C.H.A.D.D. alerted him to another javelin, and this time he dodged underneath, before taking his first real step toward the finish line.

Kyle heard energetic shouting from the pillars as he advanced, the E Grades near the beginning running to try and keep pace with him. The sounds were drowned out by the peals of thunder as Jax launched bolt after bolt, Kyle only managing to dodge two before being blasted backwards. His muscles twitched as the electricity flowed through his body. Still too difficult. Kyle’s attempts to shape the field from the stonebloom were unsuccessful, the field responding too slowly to Jax’s sharp attacks.

More earthen walls sprang to life between Kyle and his objective, and he saw ice begin to coat the ground and walls. A hazy cloud coalesced, and Identify showed Kyle a combination of the small shards of glass in conjunction with fire and ice mana being blended in near-equal proportion. They’re shifting from offense to control. It was a good decision on their part, showing quick adaptation to the circumstances. “C.H.A.D.D., can your sensors see through the cloud?”

[EASILY, DR. MAYHEW.]

An orange overlay sprang to life around him, highlighting the environment as Kyle dove into the cloud. The ice on the ground wasn’t yet thick enough to provide a meaningful obstacle, though that was changing with every step. Auric Perception alerted him to a surge of energy in the ground in front of him, and he vaulted over stone spikes that erupted toward him. The mist swirled around his body, shards of glass and ice both failing to find purchase against his armor and skin.

A bolt from Jax went wide, missing him by nearly a meter. It’s hampering their visibility too, Kyle realized, once again thankful for the nearly endless utility that C.H.A.D.D. provided. Then why are they keeping it up? As soon as he had the thought, he felt a shift in the ambient mana. Without a second thought, he activated Storm Shelter. Just as the barrier sprang to life, a blast of heat and light struck the area around him.

Stone and earth shattered as the mist burned away, and cracks began to form across the surface of his shield. From within, Kyle activated Identify as he observed the attack. Light, fire, and force certainly. What else? It was a truly impressive attack, a charged beam with both heat and weight, pulverizing nearly the entire pathway. While Kyle didn’t think he’d be in mortal danger from taking it head on, he knew it would have taken him out of the fight.

As Storm Shelter faded, however, Kyle realized the attack wasn’t done. The attack left hundreds of glowing spheres of energy in its wake, dotting the remaining path like stars. Kyle’s eyes widened just as they began to streak towards him from all directions. He dodged what he could, but the sheer number of attacks was too much. Each blow left scorch marks, and another bolt from Jax knocked him back completely. As he tried to get up, a thrown javelin from Tillienne landed next to his left ear.

The ground below him began to wrap around his arms and legs, while a layer of ice started to form over it. No way around it, Kyle had been thoroughly trounced. Despite himself, Kyle smiled, indicating through the nav bracelet that he accepted his defeat. A cheer rang out through the assembled E Grades, and the ensnaring skills deactivated. Kyle sat up, deactivating Ignition as he felt Adaptive Regeneration work on healing his injuries. His armor was scorched and cracked in a couple of places, but he felt confident in repairing it in short order.

Trex was the first to arrive, followed by Tillienne and Jax. The E Grades stayed back, seeming more than content to celebrate their victory together. Kyle sat up, greeting the Phytan. “That was one hell of an attack. Way beyond my expectations for this training exercise.”

“Thank you… Kyle Mayhew… Your barrier was… impressive as well.”

Jax just grinned. “I think we all deserve some recognition. I’ll give it to you though, you’re really tough. I can’t believe how many hits you were taking.”

Tillienne nodded, meeting Kyle’s eyes. “In case you were wondering, Kyle, that’s what a victory is.”

Kyle nodded as he finished getting to his feet. “No complaints from me. Thank you for the experience.”

He truly was thankful, as amidst the training he felt he’d gained another level. Apparently handling sustained attacks at this level was a method of progression as a Survivalist. Coupled with the practice using his armor’s abilities, it was a truly valuable experience.

Jax looked him up and down, a frown on his face. “We might have overdone it a bit. How long do you think you’ll need to recover? I can call for another medic if you want. We also have armorers on staff if you need them to take a look at any of your gear.”

“I think I’ll be alright, should be right as rain in a day or so,” Kyle said. “Though if you have any mechanics or drone technicians on staff, I’d love to learn more about the equipment your family uses.”

“I’ll see if anybody would be available. For now, let’s call it a night. Trex, if you’re free tomorrow, we’d love to have you help with more training.”

The phytan swirled in the air as if moved by an undetectable wind. “We have… several other assignments… but will join when… we can.”

Jax nodded to Trex. “Just let us know, you’re more than welcome.” Turning to Kyle and Tillienne, he said, “Come on, let’s get some food and rest. Tomorrow we’ll be back at it again.”