C.H.A.D.D. projected a hastily-constructed map of the area below, as two more of the creatures exploded out of the sand towards him. With Ignition enhancing his Perception, he got a better look at the approaching beasts. They were a moving horror; about a meter long, with a good third of their body encompassed by a large mouth with sharp teeth. Thick orange scales coated their bodies, with small fins on their back, sides, and tail. They reminded Kyle of living torpedoes, and Kyle understood their movements as he recognized familiar concepts in the mana surrounding them. Magnetism. Their bodies, the volcanic sand, it’s all magnetic, Kyle realized.
That was all he had time for as one of the beasts drew within his range, Kyle using his Corthian Mining-issued baton to meet it midair. The force from the blow deepened the network of cracks on the failing weapon, even as it redirected the fish. The second one flew by right where Kyle had been, his body having repositioned from the first clash.
As he fell toward the shifting dunes alongside the first fish, Parasitic Resonance grabbed hold. He was surprised by the overall level of resistance, the beast’s Willpower markedly greater than the Wall’s had been. Unfortunately for it, Kyle was at an entirely different level. A push with his skill left the creature finishing its descent as nothing more than a corpse.
Already more of the creatures were closing in on his location, while the ones that had flown past were beginning to reposition. Kyle looked at the map, mind struggling to keep pace. Not used to trying to respond to multiple targets from all angles, gotta work on that. Tendrils of Parasitic Resonance were reaching out as the black sand below shifted and surged. Seven of the creatures exploded out towards him, and Kyle grunted as he was hit by the first.
Trusting his Enhanced Carapace and stonebloom armor to handle the brunt of the blow, he used the creature’s momentum to knock him away from the others. Jagged, rocky teeth ripped at his arm, hurting like hell but unable to find much purchase against his skin. He felt a soft impact as he was slammed down into the sand, an explosion of black dust thrown up into the sky. Parasitic Resonance did its job, and Kyle threw the body away as he stood up, already seeing the other fast-approaching presences.
Adaptive Regeneration was repairing the small tears in his arm. The damage was minor, though he didn’t relish the thought of being buried beneath a pile of the monsters. Storm Shelter sprang to life around him, and soon the air was filled with the sound of crunching bones and shattering scales. Kyle smiled, the resilience of his barrier far beyond what the fish could handle.
Tendrils of mana snaked out a moment later as Storm Shelter deactivated, and the disoriented fish scattered around him died swiftly. Still, more came. Pushing Parasitic Resonance to its limits, more tendrils slowly appeared. Twelve had been Kyle’s maximum when he’d first upgraded the skill, and he’d never been forced to really push beyond it. Sixteen, eighteen, then twenty threads of mana sprang out from him as he pushed, a dull ache pressing against the back of his eyes.
For whatever reason, the fish appeared to have no sense of self-preservation. They continued to launch themselves at him, and soon a cycle of slaughter was born in the black sand. Deep orange bodies littered the ground as Kyle drained the beasts’ mana before reaping their lives. Unfortunately, Parasitic Resonance did nothing to halt the momentum of the fast-moving creatures.
He was knocked into the sand for what felt like the hundredth time as another lifeless shell smashed into him at high speed, taking his footing from him. He was panting, the physical exertion from moving in the deep sand taxing him to the limit. More than twenty of the fish were dead, and more were still circling.
[RETREAT MAY BE A WISE DECISION, DR. MAYHEW. THIS ENVIROMENT IS QUITE DISADVANTAGEOUS.]
“I’ll… be fine, C.H.A.D.D.” Kyle gasped, using a quick Heal to repair some strained tendons in his right leg. The drone was right; this wasn’t a great environment for him to fight. The deep sand severely limited his mobility. Even with Covert Dexterity, he couldn’t adapt quickly enough to the constant changes in footwork. Even more, the sand would agitate when the fish approached. Identify showed Kyle that this was a result of their magnetic manipulation, but neither disruption nor death would change the magnetic field created by the fish.
“How many more can you detect?”
[EIGHTEEN, DR. MAYHEW. THOUGH BE ADVISED, THERE MAY BE MORE. THE MANA CONCENTRATIONS MAKE THE EDGE OF MY SENSOR RANGE… FUZZY.]
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One of the fish exploded out of a nearby drift, aiming for the back of Kyle’s head. He ducked, a tendril of Parasitic Resonance ripping out its mana as it continued its journey. “Seventeen now. Let me know if the situation changes.”
Looking at the body of the nearby fish, an idea began to form in Kyle’s mind. Dodging two more of the creatures, he stepped on it. It sank slightly into the sand, but soon stabilized. Another shot straight towards him, and he leapt to a nearby body, the rusty scales providing a stable platform. As if something clicked in his mind, Kyle found himself jumping between them with ease, Covert Dexterity somehow grabbing onto the knowledge that there was solid footing available.
Kyle leapt between the bodies, the pace of the battle shifting dramatically in his favor. Before, he was being consistently battered by the creatures in exchange to land decisive blows with Parasitic Resonance. Now, his evasion was near effortless. Adaptive Regeneration was hard at work patching up his bruises and scrapes. The equilibrium with Ignition stabilized, and his mana remained topped off through a combination of the atmospheric energy and ripping mana from the fish themselves.
Whether or not the fish realized this, Kyle couldn’t say. Their tactics remained unchanged, exploding towards him from the dunes again and again. They fell one by one, until only three remained. One moved to attack, and Kyle killed it with Parasitic Resonance. Before he could step out of the way, however, immense pain shot through him, emanating from his core.
Taken by surprise, Kyle doubled over before being smashed off his platform and into the sand by the lifeless body of the fish. The pain continued to twist and burn, and Kyle felt the control over his skills beginning to slip. He screamed as it continued to burn, barely noticing the impact as the two remaining fish barreled into him. Teeth ripped at his armor and exposed skin, razor-sharp grains of volcanic glass getting into each minor wound that opened up.
[DR. MAYHEW, WHAT’S WRONG? WHAT HAPPENED?]
Kyle heard C.H.A.D.D.’s voice, but found himself unable to respond, a raw scream the only sound he could muster. He felt the mana in his body going wild, all being drained towards the central point above his navel. He blacked out for a moment as the pain hit a crescendo, and then it was gone. All at once, the sensation of his cells being ripped apart vanished, leaving a hollow relief in its place.
Finally registering the fish trying unsuccessfully to devour him, he reactivated Adaptive Regeneration and Parasitic Resonance. The latter skill jumped to life with unusual speed, and the fish died near-instantly when the skill connected. He pushed the heavy bodies of the creatures off of him as he stood on shaky feet. His left arm had been mauled pretty badly by one of them, and he rested his right hand on it to channel Heal to speed his recovery. Thankfully, the other fish hadn’t been able to bite through the D Grade stonebloom armor, leaving little more than some ugly gouges in the material.
[WHAT HAPPENED, DR. MAYHEW?]
“I’m not sure, C.H.A.D.D. Whatever it was, it came out of nowhere.”
[I’M STILL DETECTING UNUSUAL FLUCTUATIONS IN YOUR MANA, DR. MAYHEW. IT MAY BE WISE TO GO BACK TO THE ENTRANCE TO REGROUP.]
Kyle suspected he’d need to enter meditation to get answers, and he nodded. “It’s a good call. Thanks, C.H.A.D.D.”
Trudging through the volcanic glass, he grabbed the body of one of the fish. It was heavy, even with his Strength, but with little effort he hefted it over his right shoulder. [WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THE BODY, DR. MAYHEW?]
“I want to make sure it wasn’t connected to what happened. It also looks like it could be good to eat, if I’m being honest.”
[I DOUBT IT WILL BE MORE NUTRITIONALLY COMPLETE THAN THE BEETLES, BUT I WILL BE HAPPY TO RUN AN ANALYSIS. I CAN ALREADY ADVISE NOT EATING THE SCALES.]
While it would be faster to activate Ignition to make the journey back, Kyle ultimately decided against it. It was simply too risky to use his boosting skill when his mana was exhibiting irregularities. The safe decision was to go back to base, figure out what was going on, and then continue exploration when he had answers.
Kyle only made it four or five steps before an orange warning light flashed. He ducked reflexively as a blade of obsidian rushed through the air where his head had been. The fish he’d been carrying was less fortunate, two neat halves falling to the ground as blood flowed out into the arid ground. So much for cautious. Power coursed through Kyle as Ignition activated, Auric Perception warning him of his opponent before he even turned to face it.
A single, slate gray fin as tall as Kyle broke the surface of the dune, beelining toward him at incredible speed. It moved through the sand with the grace of a bird in flight. When it was just ten meters from him, it burst forth. It had a rotund body nearly four meters long covered in dark gray scales. A mouth that best resembled a grouper’s opened, sharp teeth bared and ready to swallow him whole.
Storm Shelter activated at the last moment. Despite himself, Kyle smiled at the sound of cracking teeth as the beast recoiled, diving back into the dunes. His mirth was short-lived, however, as he felt mana building in the air around him.
The dunes of volcanic glass began to swirl and shift, the bodies of the fish stirring as well. Identify showed him the magnetic fields he’d grown accustomed to from the smaller creatures taken to an entirely different level. If it had thought him easy prey before, its actions now indicated it was taking him far more seriously.
[DR. MAYHEW, BE CAREFUL.]
“I know, C.H.A.D.D. Keep watch, and stay ready.” A long rest wasn’t an option anymore; not against an opponent like this. Another D Grade.