C.H.A.D.D.’s scanners still proved invaluable locating the wandering groups of beetles, though Kyle was surprised to find that his Auric Perception was a noticeable help as well. It wasn’t that he could detect the beetles themselves, rather that he could feel fluctuations in the way mana was moving around them. The disruptions became more and more noticeable as they drew closer, and within a few dozen meters he had a good sense of what they were about to face.

The first group of three beetles fell quickly before Kyle’s blows, but before they could even get the meat back to the kitchen C.H.A.D.D. had already picked up signals from another four groups wandering around the ruins of Albaum. That gave Kyle pause – prior to their departure they would typically only see one or two groups this size in a week. Five groups detected in such a short time was abnormal to say the least. Still, it provided some unique opportunities.

“C.H.A.D.D., are you picking up anything… off with the beetles you’re detecting?”

[NO, DR. MAYHEW. THEY SEEM TO BE CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WE’VE BEEN ENCOUNTERING, ALTHOUGH WITH THIS DISTANCE I CAN’T GUARANTEE THAT THERE AREN’T DEVIATIONS I’M UNABLE TO DETECT.]

“I won’t hold you to it. Once we drop off this haul, can you take me to the smallest group?”

[CERTAINLY, DR. MAYHEW.]

A short while later, Kyle was holding the little drone as he observed two beetles wandering the streets. They seemed agitated to Kyle, mandibles clicking angrily as they made sharp, jerking movements. At first, he thought they had somehow detected him despite suppressing his mana, but the longer he observed the more it felt that they were just worked up about something. He felt the mana flowing around and through their bodies consistent with what he’d seen with the other beetles. In comparison to the feeling of atmospheric mana being drawn to him, it was night and day.

The ambient mana in the air flowed into him, but it was drawn in and caught up in the flow of mana within his body, gently pulling in energy from his surroundings. Even C.H.A.D.D. drew mana in more significantly than these beetles, and Kyle could only attribute it to their relative weakness. They had mutated, certainly, and were a real danger to any unawakened or non-combatant like he had been, but they weren’t actively using mana, nor did they channel mana for natural processes.

He thought about the Infernal and the way it released those blasts of heat. It had certainly been able to draw and utilize mana, akin to any upper E Grade mage. Even the mutated fly he’d encountered had some sort of grasp on mana utilization – and Kyle was beginning to form an idea that real mana manipulation from these creatures was likely tied closely with the strange red orbs he’d absorbed from them. Curiosity satisfied for now, Kyle activated HASTE and engaged the insects, quickly adding more meat to his collection.

The next two groups of beetles fell in short order, and the duo was in pursuit of the last group, which C.H.A.D.D. identified were in the southern part of the city. Kyle thought back to his conflict with the beetle swarm, feeling like it was nearly a lifetime ago, even though it was only a few short months. If I was as strong then as I am now, what would have happened? Kyle’s mind drifted, thinking about the possibilities, all leading to the same conclusion. I don’t think I even would have had to run. The thought was surprising, but accurate. He felt confident that he could make quick work of groups that size, the gap in speed and power too vast for the creatures to cross.

His head snapped up as his Auric Perception picked up traces of very familiar mana. He’d spent a month detecting the fluctuations from the Infernal, and trying to prevent the same fluctuations from leaving his body. There was no doubt in his mind that whatever had been here carried the same crimson orb. His certainty only grew as he and C.H.A.D.D. crested the hill and looked out at the destroyed shipping yard. For his part, Kyle had caused the bulk of the damage when his fight caused the large crane to collapse. Still, somebody or something else had picked up where he left off.

Shipping containers looked like they’d been hit by a bulldozer, flipped on their sides and strewn across the upturned earth with massive dents. Virtually none of the metal scaffolding was left standing, instead littering the ground in random patterns. He could see the group of beetles they were tracking wandering over the wreckage with interest, but they were the last thing on Kyle’s mind at this point. What the hell caused this? The traces of mana were unmistakable. Another mutant creature. The traces of mana were more powerful in this area, although Kyle expected that it was more a function of time spent in the area than recency.

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“C.H.A.D.D., what are you picking up here?”

The little drone was silent for a moment, then responded.

[DR. MAYHEW, SCANS HERE ARE STRANGE. I ONLY DETECT THE THREE BEETLES WE’VE BEEN TRACKING, ALTHOUGH SCANNERS ALSO PICK UP SOME STRANGE MANA READINGS. RESULTS ARE INCONCLUSIVE. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION.]

That’s not exactly reassuring. Kyle thought, as he started walking down the incline to explore the wreckage.

He combed the area with C.H.A.D.D. in tow, still shocked with the amount of destruction they were seeing. Shocked, and if he was honest, a little excited. Whatever had done this was incredibly powerful, to be certain, but the thought of what he could learn from an opponent like this was enticing. Soon, Kyle found what he was looking for. Most of the ground below them was cracked cement, with some patches of soft earth. There, ripped into the ground, were massive footprints. Well, more accurately, clawprints.

Meter-wide holes were smashed into the ground, dragging slightly as whatever made them moved north. Kyle could feel the traces of mana around him as he stood between the tracks, nearly ten meters separating each trail. The creature that had caused them was absolutely massive, and as he looked at the trail of destruction it had left to the north, he spoke.

“C.H.A.D.D., we’ve found our next target.”

[THAT’S ALL WELL AND GOOD, DR. MAYHEW, BUT BEFORE YOU GO RUSHING OFF, I’D HIGHLY ADVISE YOU DEAL WITH THE BEETLES COMING TO EAT YOU FIRST.]

With a start, Kyle turned to see that the small group of insects was only a few meters away. After making quick work of them, he looked at his pile of meat and sighed. A big part of him just wanted to chase after this thing and see if he could catch it before it got too far away, but given the trail it was leaving it wouldn’t be too difficult to track down. Besides, he still had an item left on his list.

As the sun was beginning to set, Kyle looked at the ovens all full of recently butchered beetle. There was still a lot that was in cold storage, but this should be enough cooked meat to last a good, long while on the road. While it cooked, he turned his attention to the problem he’d been working on for the last several weeks. It simply wasn’t feasible for him to continue to carry C.H.A.D.D. under his arm while he traveled, nor was it a reasonable solution to stash the drone away every time he got into a conflict.

Maybe he was being greedy, but Kyle wanted to find a solution that allowed his metallic companion to join him on the road, and provide support in combat situations. At the same time, he wanted to make sure that C.H.A.D.D. was safe while he did it. His original idea had been to use the abdomen of the Infernal as a basket he could wear, but it was unfortunately too large. After practicing with RESONANCE on the journey back to Albaum, however, Kyle discovered an application that allowed him to build on the idea.

While practicing, two things became abundantly clear. First, Kyle wasn’t able to use RESONANCE to connect with materials that hadn’t conducted mana before, or more broadly with purely inorganic matter. Concrete, steel, and stone were all off the list, however things that were no longer living such as tree branches and beetle chitin could be connected with the skill. The second important lesson was the way he was able to move mana. Simply linking to a valid target allowed him to use its mana, and his initial hope had proven true – he could also move the mana inside whatever he linked to. This included organic but separated materials.

It took a lot out of him to accomplish this – after all, broken tree branches didn’t have mana of their own – but he could push his own mana into the material. On its own this was academically interesting, though ultimately useless. That is, until he had one fortunate accident. He was practicing linking to a tree branch when C.H.A.D.D. alerted him to a group of beetles approaching from behind, and his surprise in turning to face them led to him inadvertently rotating the mana he’d been infusing into the wood. This caused it to warp and snap, which he’d noticed after defeating the group of beetles. Further experimentation made him realize that rotation and flow were key when he was infusing his mana.

The theoretical applications were tremendous, and now that he was settled into his home in Albaum, he had the time and safety to explore these ideas meaningfully for the first time. Resting his hands on one of the plates he’d scavenged from the body of the Infernal, Kyle drew in a deep breath and activated RESONANCE. He felt his mana network connect to the surprisingly dense plate, and intentionally circulated it through the material. Slowly, carefully, he began to rotate and twist the flowing energy, willing the material to shift. He felt the changes begin to take form and redoubled his efforts.

Opening his eyes nearly thirty minutes later, his face broke into a broad grin at the results of his handiwork – a woven basket-shaped piece of chitin perfectly sized for C.H.A.D.D. Looking at the pile of materials left to change was daunting, but now he had a functional proof of concept. Smile still on his face, Kyle grabbed the next plate and got to work.