Arkana looked at the rest of the party and with a brilliant smile said, “Who’s next?”
“Well, there’s one thing we have to do first.” Booster said with a perfunctory smile and pointed at the corpse of the Elder Lasher. “We have a core to retrieve.”
Arkana looked at the position of the body. The part of the body that would contain the core was still in the ground above the tunnel. The body weight of the Elder Lasher must be equal to, or greater than, a large African bull elephant. It was probably more because the gravity on Argyra was 1.2Gs. If they could move the bottom of the beast to the side, they might be able to get to the top. She was reasonably confident that the 4 of them weren’t going to move the dead beast a sen.
“So how are we supposed to get to it?” She asked Booster.
“You know the old saying, ‘How do you eat an elephant?’”
“That’s not a saying. Nobody says that.” Arkana could tell she didn’t like where this was going.
“One bite at a time.” Booster sing-songed.
They did try pulling on the legs and tail first. It went about as well as expected. It went nowhere. So, while Booster and Mahina stretched out a leg, Arkana and Thaigoon hacked away at the hip joint. Then, the other leg. At this point, blood started rapid pooling.
“Do we really need this core?” Arkana asked. “I mean how important could it be?”
“It’s fine, we are almost there.” Booster said.
She looked at the still massive, partially legless, body and the spreading pool of blood. She moaned, “Almost there? This is going to get so much worse.”
“It’ll be fine.” Booster said with confidence.
“I’m recording this.” Thaigoon said.
Mahina and Booster talked for a few minutes and decided to cut into the body and try to pull a big chunk away with the tail. After making the cuts, which resulted in a lot of oozing of more blood and tissue, Mahina and Booster yanked the tail away. It was like uncorking a dam of gore and offal.
“Oh. My. God.” Arkana made a series of choking and retching noises.
“Don’t puke in your helmet!” Booster said laughing.
After a second, Arkana was able to control herself again. “I hate you.”
Then, they saw the problem.
“What now?” Arkana asked.
The torso of the creature was wedged in place.
Booster tried to look up the hole. Unpleasant things dripped on his shoulder. “I think the forearms are spread from where it was trying to crawl up.” He took a few steps back and then moved closer to consider the cavity inside the body. “Maybe I can lift someone up and we can get it from the inside.”
Mahina stepped closer and looked up. “There are still some organs in the way.”
“I could hold you up and you can cut away from the outside first.” Booster offered.
“This is why I work with plants.” Arkana said.
“Heh.” Thaigoon chuckled. “Booster is going to boost her.”
Booster squatted down and wrapped an arm around her legs just above the knees and picked her up. He was a little surprised at how easy it was. This would have been far more difficult before his upgrades.
Mahina cut away at the spine but couldn’t quite reach the top. “Can you lift me higher?”
Booster placed his left hand under her foot and then added his right hand under her other. He then lifted her to his shoulder height. She hacked away at the top as far as she could reach. A huge chunk of flesh dropped down.
“Ugh.” Booster muttered.
“Any higher?” Mahina asked.
Booster lifted her, extending his arms. He shuffled a bit forward. Mahina made a few more cuts with more gore falling to the ground.
“Ok, if it’s not in the tissue on the ground, we aren’t going to get it.” Mahina said. “Just let me drop.”
Booster gave her a little push up and stepped back. Mahina dropped to the ground and had to throw her hands out as her feet slid in the blood and guts on the ground.
Booster turned around and Arkana could see his helmet and armor were covered head to toe in bloody tissue. She laughed.
He held out his arms. “You laugh?”
Arkana snorted. “This was your brilliant idea.”
He walked toward her arms still out. “Now, you're making me feel bad. I need a hug.”
“You stay back!” She stepped backwards laughing. “I swear! I will bleeding vine snare your ass to the ground!”
Their upcoming altercation was interrupted when Thaigoon said, “I found it.”
This was immediately followed by Mahina saying, “Me too.”
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The small army was assembled outside of the mountain. General Sorodexis was conferring with a group of other Shins. Mako realized he couldn’t hear them talk. “Is something wrong with the sound?”
“I’m not sure what it is. Maybe they have some ability to dampen sound. It may be why we didn’t know this was coming until the troops started moving.” Skeet said.
“Anything we can use for vibrometry?” Mako tried to find something that might be vibrating with the sound of their voices. Unfortunately, they were all wearing armor.
“Not that I can see. Maybe if someone was talking to the back of their heads. But those pseudo-feathers are a little too susceptible to vibration.”
A moment later the Shins talking to Sorodexis broke away. About 30 of each of the Adepts, Warriors, and Archers, stepped away with several monks and scouts. They broke up into 3 teams and started moving west and north.
“Wonder what they are doing?” Going north and west would take them farther away from the Lander. “Maybe they know we have flight capabilities and are worried we will flank them.”
“That just means fewer for us to deal with.” Merlin stated.
“Did we get anything out of the captured Shins?” Mako asked without expecting much.
“Nope. They might as well be mannequins.” Merlin with an exasperated breath. He had pushed for more drastic interrogatory procedures. The rest of the leadership declined.
Mako stood and headed for the door. “Well, maybe we can get some information from the General themself. Wish me luck.”
Mako was once again kitted out with his Vortex loaded with Hellfire Incendiary ammo, Dual Magnetars, Tac-shield, extra ammo, and grenades. He had about 200 personnel also kitted in various ways. Most of them weren’t soldiers. A lot of the high-end equipment wouldn’t do much good in their hands. They truly didn’t have the personnel or equipment to fight a war on this scale. But even a side arm pointed at a target rich environment could do a lot of damage. They seemed to have a significant advantage in firepower. But the Humans didn't actually know what the Shins could do.
The Haardsuit was loaded up with twin vulcan cannons. That alone could do a lot of damage. The question was if they would get a chance to use it. Mako was tempted to use the shuttle and bomb them from above if only to strike their scouting corps. He didn’t want to strike first. Maybe this was some sort of show of force meant to intimidate us into backing down. He doubted it. But maybe.
Mako rallied his forces. And marched toward the place where they expected to meet the Shing’risgi.
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Thaigoon rinsed off the core on his hand with a little bit of water from a canteen. The core was a vibrant yellow. He wondered for a moment if this was something other than a beast core. He held it up for the others to see, “Are we sure this is a core?”
Mahina rinsed off the one she had. It was a green color similar to the Acid Vine Devourer core, but it had darker green swirls in it. “I wonder, can creatures have more than one core?”
Booster looked at them, neither of them looked like the other core they had previously found on an Elder Lasher. He looked around to see if he could see any more. He moved around some of the guts with his foot. Then, it struck him. “Oh.” He looked up at what was left of the upper torso. “Oooooh.”
“What?” Arkana said.
Booster pointed at the torso. “What was it doing?”
They all looked at him like it was a trick question.
He answered for them. “It was ambush hunting.”
Mahina caught on. “Oh.”
Booster grabbed the yellow core from Thaigoon’s hand. “It was eating other beasts. Beasts with cores.”
Understanding dawned on the faces of Arkana and Thaigoon.
“That is terrible.” Thaigoon grumbled.
“Why terrible?” Booster asked.
Thaigoon pointedly looked at the large pile of poop they had been artfully avoiding so far. “I’m not digging through that.”
Mahina pulled out a sample jar and tossed one to Booster. “We don’t have time anyway. We will have to come back to search further. Maybe we can figure out some way to rinse all of this down, but we need to keep moving for now.”
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Thaigoon had a machete in his right hand and the tac-shield on his left arm with the blade. The elder lasher stood before him.
“You can do it!” Booster rasped out as loud as he dared.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Thaigoon shook his shoulders and tried to loosen up a bit. This is crazy. This is crazy. He burst forward, trying not to think about what a terrible idea this was. With the machete held in a reverse grip, he jumped. It wasn’t nearly as high as Arkana had jumped. The blade got stuck halfway in and the Lasher screamed and flailed.
He held on as well as he could, but the machete wasn't that deep and came loose. The tail whipped back and forth. A yellow glowing 9 had also appeared in the upper right of his vision and was counting down. The invulnerability of his Honormark was in play.
The lasher stood up part way and Thaigoon fell to the side of the tail. He had to duck to avoid the tail as it searched for something to hit. He picked up the machete again and hacked into the base of the tail. The Elder Lasher roared again and stepped back almost crushing Thaigoon.
Thaigoon was pushed into the path of the tail. It hit him in the chest and knocked him over. He slid a little in the grime around the beast. Yet it did no damage to him. He still had 5 seconds on the timer.
He stood and timed a hit with the machete using the momentum of the tail. It cut half the length off. The creature surged up with a scream. Dirt and soil poured down the sides of the massive beast.
Thaigoon switched targets and hacked away at the leg next to him. He bisected the muscle on the back of the leg. The leg collapsed. He turned and hacked at the base of the tail again and cleaved it off the other half of the tail. Thaigoon tried to reach the other leg, but the lasher backed up and he had to move back. It was trying to reverse into the tunnel. The timer ran out.
“Get ready,” Mahina said, indicating to Booster and Arkana that they may need to step in.
He made it around the lasher to the other leg and chopped at the knee joint. To his surprise, the machete made short work of it. The lasher moaned. It continued to try wriggling out of the hole. Even that was intimidating. The huge mass rocking and forth felt like a boulder that might roll over him at any second.
He stood on the side of the lasher and made a long sweeping cut with the machete, opening up its side. Its innards spilled out. It tried to wriggle and back up more, but that just made everything worse for it. The creature moaned pitifully and let out a low keening sound.
He tried to figure out how to finish it off. He cut through the thick spongy rib cage. And cut out a circular hole. The whole time it made pitiful noises. Taking out his rifle, he shot several bursts into the chest cavity of the lasher and various angles.
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Congratulations!
You defeated an Elder Lasher (Tier 4 Level 12)!
Irragen points awarded!
You have earned an Honormark!
-You defeated an enemy more the 3 tiers above your level while fighting alone. The Titanslayer Honormark allows the Titanslayer ability to be used once a day to add 300% of your modified utility score to a melee strike.
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You have acquired sufficient irragen to increase your level!
You are now Tier 1 Level 16.
You have acquired sufficient irragen to increase your level multiple times!
You are now Tier 1 Level 18.
You have 3 attribute points to distribute.
Note: You have a total of 4 undistributed attribute points.
You have enough irragen to increase your level more, but you must choose your Phenotype before advancing past level 18. This will be done after your Phenotype is accepted.
Note: It is recommended that you apply any undistributed points before choosing your Phenotype since your current total points may have an effect on your available options.
Would you like to distribute your points now?
Y/N
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Thaigoon was relieved that it was over. He let the group know that he got the Titanslayer Honormark.
“Boo!” Arkana hissed since she only got the Giantslayer Honormark. “No fair!”
He currently had 8 AP in each of his attributes except for Control, which had 20. He quickly decided to add 2 points each to Durability and Utility bringing them up to 10.
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Congratulations!
You have reached level 18 and can now choose a Phenotype. Choosing a Phenotype will provide you with immediate abilities and provide a direction for how you will develop. The previous actions you have taken, your predilections, your work, your choices, and your physical and mental abilities, all factor into the options that will be presented.
The options will be presented 3 at a time, starting at the highest caliber available. You may choose one of those options or refuse all of them. None of these options will repeat. 3 more will be provided although they may not be of the same caliber and may be of a lower caliber. The higher the caliber the higher the number of attributes assigned at each level up and the more powerful your abilities will be.
If you keep refusing options, you will only be left with lowest caliber Phenotypes. One might not choose a Phenotype and attempt to change their options by doing something different. If this is done, you will not be able to level and irragen will not be held. Additional options may become available.
You can reset your phenotype at any time. This will result in the loss of all levels, Honormarks, and gained attribute points. You will begin again at Tier 1 Level 1.
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Choose from the following 3 options.
Option 1
Rogue Phantasm - Enhanced (+3 AP/Level)
Shadow Stealth – User can present as nothing more than shadow. Sound is also dampened. Effect duration depends on the combined Control and Power Score (5 sec per point). Points available recover at the same rate. Effect ends if dismissed, user loses consciousness, or if usage exceeds points available. NOTE: While attacks or being attacked will not end the effect, either may lessen the influence of the effect. Higher tier enemies or certain skills may pierce the effect.
Sensor Ghost – User can create a small illusion that can affect any or all of the primary 5 senses. The size limit of the illusion is a sphere 1.8 meters in diameter and has a line-of-sight range of .5 meters per point of Control. Illusion ends if dismissed, User loses consciousness, or if usage consumes all Power. (10 seconds per point) Cooldown is 1 minute.
Phantasmal Sight – User sees through any illusory sight or sound. They will still see or hear the illusion, but it will be distorted. The lower the tier the tier compared to the user, the more distorted the sight or sound is. Tiers significantly above the user may be able to create effective illusions. This depends on the combined Control/Power score of the user versus the score of the caster.
Option 2
Haxploiter - Enhanced (+3 AP/Level)
DDOS – Coopt a target’s irragen to create an anti-irragenic field by creating a feedback loop. The more the target attempts to use irragenic abilities to disrupt the field or regenerate irragen, the longer the effect lasts. User’s combined Control and Power score must exceed the Target’s Control score. The Target will take damage if Power is exhausted. Cooldown is 45 seconds.
Man-in-the-Middle – User corrupts the targeting of Target’s offensive ability to target one of Target’s allies. If there is no ally, they will self-target. Target’s ability must be activated within 10 seconds. User’s combined Control and Power score must exceed the Target’s Control score. Cooldown for the same Target is 1 minute or a different Target may be selected once the previous Target’s ability has been completed.
Aimbot – Scan a Target or multiple Targets for 3 seconds. 3 likely vulnerabilities will be highlighted for each target. User will select all or some of the vulnerabilities and the User’s weapon will automatically target the vulnerabilities. Vulnerability data will be saved until the end of combat to be used again without additional scans. Data will be updated to reflect any false positives. User must be in proper weapon range for a weapon for it to be used. User must have line-of-sight of the Target. NOTE: There is a chance that a Target with double the Control of the User will notice the initial examination.
Option 3
Primal Edgelord - Enhanced (+3 AP/Level)
I Studied the Blade – User has innate understanding of offensive and defensive techniques with any bladed weapon. All Physical Attribute Scores are 10% higher when using a bladed weapon. All blades are 10% more effective. Note: Understanding is not the same as capability. While the User will be immediately more capable, physical training and experience will be necessary to maximize this ability.
Get Rekt – User can dodge any incoming melee attack and reverse it with a punishing counterstrike. The User’s Utility Score instantly adds the combination of all physical scores (currently 28) and adds a percentage of damage equal to a percentage that is all the User’s attributes combined (currently 48%). The increases last until the counterstrike is struck, attempted, or 2 seconds. Whichever is sooner. This effect can be stacked with other damage enhancing skills. Cooldown is 30 seconds.
Firebrand – The user can add a flame to any bladed weapon. While the flame will not affect the User, it will affect anything else the flame touches. It will cast normal light and heat. User can use Power to increase the heat and light of the flame. Power consumption depends on the level of increase.
Please choose one option or refuse all.
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Thaigoon examined his options and sent them to the others. He had to admit they all fit him and the things he had done in his life. To his chagrin, even the Primal Edgelord fit him. He heard Arkana snicker. He rolled his eyes as her glanced at her.
“I wonder how Haxploiter will work with beasts.” Booster said. “I mean that seems tailored more toward fighting intelligent species.”
“Beasts use irragen.” Mahina pointed out. “Even Man-in-the-Middle says it affects offensive abilities. This Phenotype seems like it focuses on using an enemy's power against them.”
“I really like the Rogue Phantasm. It has a lot of adaptability and I do like being sneaky. But it really has no offensive abilities. It seems like a setup to become an assassin. I don’t want to be an assassin. All these options are very aggressive.” Thaigoon reflected.
“Well,” Booster thought for a moment. “Maybe the reason it has no offensive capabilities is because it’s NOT meant to be a basic assassin. There is surveillance, espionage, or infiltration. All of those might lead to violence but might not be the point. In fact, it seems made for you to avoid contact by distracting and disappearing. And to not get caught with your own tricks.”
“That is true.” Thaigoon sighed. He really liked all of these options. The Primal Edgelord was the easiest to dismiss. It was overtly confrontational. While he might have fantasies about that kind of powerset, really having it didn’t seem that attractive. Haxploiter seemed very overpowered. Both Man-in-the-Middle and Aimbot could be used rapidly. DDOS also had a relatively fast cooldown.
“I suspect that at the start of tier 2, we will be able to add an ability or perhaps improve existing abilities.” Mahina offered. “You may be able to add a more offensive skill then.”
That was a good point. “I don’t know. I feel like I should choose Haxploiter because that will be the most useful to the colony. I’ll regret not choosing it if I can’t make something out of Rogue Phantasm.”
Mahina walked up to him and looked him in the eyes. “We are better off when you are being the person you need to be for you. If you choose something because it’s useful and you hate it, you will only grow to resent all of us for asking you to use it. Or hate yourself for not wanting to use it. Choose to be the person you want to be. You don’t have to be anything for us except for the person you want to be.”
He looked at her and felt the weight come off his shoulders. “Thank you.” He chose Rogue Phantasm.
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Congratulations!
You have chosen the Phenotype: Rogue Phantasm!
Note: AP gains per level from Tier 1 level 19-36 will be increased by 2 to account for Phenotype AP gains not given in level 1-18.
You have acquired sufficient irragen to increase your level multiple times!
You are now Tier 1 Level 21.
You have 15 attribute points to distribute.
Note: You have a total of 15 undistributed attribute points
Do you accept these changes? Y/N
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Thaigoon accepted the changes and once again the white light enveloped him. A brighter white light started at the top of his head and scanned down.
He looked at Arkana. “That does tingle.”
He added his 12 points into Power. It was now unlocked and already showing a base of 6 for a total of 8 modified. He caught that up to his Control score. Then he added 2 into vigor and 1 more into Utility. He accepted the changes with another white light. He checked his current stats.
Name: Thaigoon
Variant class: 3
Tier: 1
Level: 21
PHENOtype: Rogue Phantasm
Attributes
Stats Scores Modified Durability 8 10 Utility 9 11 Vigor 8 10 Control 14 20 Power 18 20
Attribute points to distribute: 0
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They moved on to the next Elder Lasher with an illusory anime edgelord swordsman leading the way. He ran ahead into the dark tunnel ahead with his arms stretched out behind him.
"Dork," Arkana snorted.