Bypassing Jell’Or was a relatively simple task, and soon Kyle found himself leaving the dense foliage of the jungle, which was replaced by rolling hills. He felt a tension leave his shoulders as he followed the road toward his coordinates, the creeping fear of the C Grade shadow being left behind. Smaller groves of trees still dotted the landscape here and there, and Kyle was surprised to see deep gouges in the trees near the first copse they passed.
[I DETECT 3 SHRIKES WITHIN, DR. MAYHEW.]
Kyle’s first response was to say that they needed to keep moving, but he stopped himself. They were now well over a day ahead of schedule, and his travel speed would likely only improve now that he was out of the jungle. Besides, Kyle thought, with the trees so close to the road, these shrikes could pose a danger to other travelers. Weak justifications in mind, Kyle looked at C.H.A.D.D.’s map and began to slowly enter the shrikes’ territory.
The forest was quiet as Kyle carefully stepped over broken branches and fallen leaves in pursuit of his prey. As before, a trio were nestled in the heart of their territory in what Kyle suspected was their nest. He found it odd that so far he’d only seen them in groups of 3, and he hoped he would get an opportunity to further study their behavior.
Once he made it to the nearest edge of the nest, he finally saw them. 2 of the large reptilian creatures were curled up on the ground while a third was gnawing on a thick bone. There was no semblance of a guard posted, but then and again, why would they need one? The C Grade shadow notwithstanding, shrikes appeared to be the apex predators of this part of Er’Mithren, if not the entire planet. Of course, that’s not to say that they were lazy.
One of the things that struck Kyle as odd during his first interaction with the shrikes was how quickly and precisely they’d attacked him once they realized he was there. He’d read before about wild beasts that possessed Perception-boosting skills when they were under attack, and wanted to see if that was the case with the shrikes. If so, it would make sense why they appeared so uninterested in the world around them while they rested.
Finding a comfortable spot nearby, Kyle activated Parasitic Resonance, this time splitting the tendrils to attack both of the sleeping creatures. As before, the tendrils were able to invade without an issue. Kyle sat perfectly still as the skill did its work, with no reaction from the shrikes. With his eyes fixed on the conscious shrike, he pulled.
The reaction was immediate. As one, the shrikes lifted their heads the moment Kyle shifted his skill to attack. It was too late for those he’d already infected, but the remaining shrike immediately launched an attack at his position. It’s not just a danger sense, Kyle realized. It also gives them insight into the direction of the attack.
The whirling buzz saw of energy slammed into Storm Shelter, and was easily rebuffed. Kyle knew he was still too inexperienced to meaningfully understand the concepts tied into his skill, but there was something interesting about watching its interaction with the shrike’s attacks. Comparing Storm Shelter to the skill Ghork used against the Glaivebeak, Kyle noticed some key differences.
Indulging himself to allow the shrike to continue its assault, Kyle focused on the way Storm Shelter stood up to the whirring blades. It was almost as though Storm Shelter imposed its dominion over the space it covered. The skill felt stubborn, unyielding in purpose. The buzz saws of mana didn’t lose potency when they attacked. Their energy wasn’t disrupted, nor did the skill diffuse or deflect them. Instead, the blades were stubbornly worn down and dissipated against the unmoving barrier.
On the other side of Storm Shelter, Kyle could see confusion and anger plainly on the shrike’s face. Its companions were dead, and it knew Kyle was to blame. Allowing Storm Shelter to drop, Kyle exploded into motion as small vines appeared from the C.H.A.D.D. pack. He ducked underneath a horizontal slash, then dashed to the right to avoid a vertical blade meant to split him in two.
He felt vines falling to the ground through Synaptic Barbs, though more quickly took their place. They darted out, drawing the shrike’s attention and distracting it as Kyle closed in. This time, another thin vine reached out and bound the creature’s beak as Kyle pressed his palm against its chest, activating Parasitic Resonance from point-blank range. A moment later, it was done.
Kyle felt the Core of the Parasitic Devourer within him drain the energy, and the hunger that still remained. A lot more shrikes would have to fall before Kyle got his next Adaptive Anatomy upgrade. His feelings on that front were mixed, however, seeing the beasts used as weapons against a civilian population helped alleviate the guilt of his wholesale slaughter.
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“Is there anything inside their den that sparks your interest, C.H.A.D.D.?”
[NOTHING CLEAR TO MY SENSORS, DR. MAYHEW.]
“Then let’s keep moving. No need to sift through more remains than necessary.”
As they traveled through the hills and plains, Kyle and C.H.A.D.D. encountered a handful more shrike nests, each of which was disposed in similar fashion. An odd pattern was starting to emerge, which gave Kyle pause. Why are they always in groups of 3? Once or twice could easily be a coincidence, but after the eighth encounter it was clear that there was something significant to the relatively small group of pack hunters. As the final shrike of this group fell, Kyle looked to the den in the center of the copse. “What about this one, C.H.A.D.D.?”
[NOTHING, DR. MAYHEW. AND AT THIS POINT, I FEEL AS THOUGH I MUST NOTE THE BLATANT UNFAIRNESS WE ARE EXPERIENCING.]
Kyle raised an eyebrow, even though he suspected the answer. “Unfairness? Explain.”
The other oddity, much to C.H.A.D.D.’s misfortune, was that there were no stranglevines present in these dense groves of trees. Some of them certainly met the criteria for the height of the trees and abundant prey, yet the plants were suspiciously absent.
[WE HAVE NOT FOUND A SINGLE STRANGLEVINE SPECIMEN THAT WE COULD DEFEND OURSELVES AGAINST SINCE LEAVING THE JUNGLE.]
“There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation,” Kyle offered.
[I DO NOT WANT A REASONABLE EXPLANATION, I WANT MORE STRANGLEVINES. I FEEL THAT I AM CLOSE TO MAKING A BREAKTHROUGH IN THEIR ARCHIVE, AND IT IS FRUSTRATING TO BE UNABLE TO DO SO.]
“Is there really that much more you need? Your tests with the vines seem promising already.”
C.H.A.D.D. had used their recent encounters to test weaving in concepts from the predatory plants with the normal vines it manipulated. The results were mixed against the shrikes’ cutting power, but were nevertheless impressive.
[I AM LESS CONCERNED WITH THE APPLICATION, AND MORE WITH THE NATURE OF THE VINES THEMSELVES. THERE ARE ASPECTS OF THEIR NATURE THAT DO NOT MAKE SENSE, AND WITH A LITTLE FURTHER STUDY I AM CONFIDENT I COULD UNDERSTAND THEM FULLY.]
“What doesn’t make sense? Maybe talking it through could help.”
[MY ATTEMPTS TO GROW THE VINES DIRECTLY HAVEN’T WORKED, AS THEY DO NOT SEEM TO POSSESS ANY TYPE OF ROOT SYSTEM; NOR DO THEY POSSESS A FRUIT OR SEEDING STRUCTURE.]
Kyle nodded as he walked out of the grove of trees. “That is odd. Do you think they could be a natural growth on the trees?”
[THAT IS DOUBTFUL, DR. MAYHEW. THE PLANT’S MANA AND CELL STRUCTURES DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THE TREE. THE MOST INTERESTING NOTE, TO ME, IS THAT THEY DO NOT APPEAR TO HAVE A METHOD FOR CONVERTING NUTRIENTS INTO GROWTH. INSTEAD, THEY HAVE CELL STRUCTURES THAT CONVERT THE NUTRIENTS INTO ENERGY, AND FUNCTION AS A TYPE OF STORAGE.]
A frown was beginning to spread across Kyle’s face. “That doesn’t make any sense. From what you’ve just said, it sounds like they don’t have any means to grow or reproduce. But we know that there were hundreds of them moving into the canopy.”
[EXACTLY. DR. MAYHEW, WE ARE MISSING AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THEIR LIFE CYCLE, BUT I AM OPTIMISTIC ADDITIONAL STUDY WILL PROVIDE THE ANSWERS. IT IS UNLIKE ANY OF THE PLANTS ARCHIVED IN THE WORLD TREE SEED, AND WOULD BE A WORTHY ADDITION.]
“Well, if we don’t stumble across any others on our way to meet the Resistance, we’ll be sure to stop and search for some more on our way back to Er’Mithren. Who knows, maybe the data on local flora will have some answers.”
That response seemed to placate the drone, at least somewhat, and Kyle looked out into the fading light of the day as he once again returned to the road through the hills. Their pace had been slowed significantly by his hunts, but they were still well ahead of schedule.
Tomorrow should find me in Resistance territory, Kyle thought. He traveled another 2 kilometers, then found a spot off to the side of the road to set up a small camp as stars began to appear in the darkening sky. Kyle took out some rations, as well as the books Jarberry lent him. C.H.A.D.D. provided a gentle orange light as Kyle began his training. He fixed his mind on keeping the shapes of the letters as pages began to turn. Wayward thoughts threatened his focus, and he gritted his teeth as he tried to push them away. With a limited amount of time until he had to return the books, he was going to make use of every last minute.
A few hours later, Kyle collapsed with exhaustion, the phantom pain from the final book still echoing through his mind. He fell short of his records on every single one of the books this evening. There was certainly an element of frustration tied to that – Kyle didn’t enjoy failing – though it was mixed with a strange excitement. It had been quite a while since Kyle felt truly stretched and pushed, and trying to raise his scores to Jarberry’s exacting standards was a goal that scratched that itch.
As he wasn’t ready for sleep quite yet, Kyle pulled a small, fourth book out of the C.H.A.D.D. pack. It was a simple journal he purchased back on the Hub, and he started writing notes, along with his scores. He detailed everything he could, highlighting the distracting thoughts from the day, and the moments he felt his control of the tomes slip.
Even if there was nothing he could do to mitigate the outside factors, he felt it was important to reflect on them. His combat with the shrikes and stranglevines had led to another level, and he was only 2 away from his penultimate D Grade skill. C Grade was still a distant goal, and he intended to make the most of Jarberry’s advice as he approached it. Each day provided a new opportunity for him to improve his foundations, and Kyle didn’t intend to squander a single one.