KILL ALL KAIJU

Despite having gone though the same process several times before it somehow still managed to be a novel experience every time. Feeling his body primed to evolve a new ability and grow in strength once more. Ryker stood up tall over the remains of the Kaiju he’d gorged on. His shifting footfalls digging furrows into the grass as he swayed a bit. The weight of a full stomach in a body as large as his enough to offset his center of gravity slightly, even as his body was fast breaking down his meal and preparing to unlock the next ability in his musculoskeletal gene segment. Ryker spared a brief moment to look around at the damage he was partly to blame for.

The suburb looked like it had just been hit by a small catastrophe. Only instead of the damage being simple destruction from nature’s elements each told Ryker a story.

There was the hole in one home that Ryker had made when he’d tackled the Berserker and fell into it. The widespread damage to roofs and shingles as he’d ran across the rooftops to get to the Snapper before it ate any fleeing civilians. The police car lying upside down next to a tree where Ryker had thrown it. Then there was the damage Ryker had caused to all the nearby homes and backyards he was currently standing in when he’d finally snapped the Charger’s neck.

His heart ached at seeing the formerly pristine homes take so much damage. He could barely remember what undamaged houses used to look like before being sent back in time. Then the moment he actually gets close enough to see these people’s homes during the day it was only because he’d brought devastation to their doorsteps.

It only took a moment for the decades of combat experience to assert itself and force Ryker to compartmentalize his aches, the lingering pain from his wounds, and the regret of upsetting so many peaceful lives. Pushing it all down, especially the shameful memories of his recent “rampage” against the police. Ryker looked at his surroundings with a tactical eye. The veteran in him assessing the aftermath of the battle and his performance.

Sloppy. Ryker chided himself. Even knowing full well it was an unfair comparison.

His circumstances were drastically different from what he should have expected from himself if he were operating in Armor. Even when he’d rushed ahead of others to engage Kaiju he still would have had the fire support of other pilots acting as backup. Not to mention the constant drone of combat information being fed into his mind via his Integrated Intelligence. But he was alone now, for better or for worse. Without any of the ranged capabilities or technologies he’d relied so heavily on as a pilot.

This upgrade won’t get me where I used to be but its something. Ryker mused as he gave his body the go ahead on unlocking the confusing fourth rung of his Musculoskeletal gene. He still wasn’t sure if it offered the tail or the horn he’d seen on the other Kaiju he’d killed. Maybe it offered him a choice? That would be odd but not impossible he supposed. At the end of the day, Kaiju were just too weird to have any expectation on what they could do. To the point where Ryker barely blinked back in the day when he’d fought Kaiju with some God forsaken never before seen ability.

Ryker had been expecting the upgrade to feel like all the others before it. See an ability in his genome, and get that ability in his genome. But his eyes widened the instant he felt his body eat through his entire store of fresh proteins. The feeling of surety and control over his evolution slipping from his grasp as his body tried to shift itself without Ryker’s direct input for the first time.

What? Ryker groaned as he gritted his teeth. Bending over as he felt his muscles ripple in ways he hadn’t been prepared for. His claws clenching hard as he mentally wrangled with his own body for control. What is this?!

Ryker’s mind raced for an answer as he shuddered with the effort of holding back his own ability from manifesting. A memory snapping to the surface of his mind as desperation called it out of the depths.

“Have you ever heard of Darwin’s Finches Ray? Or the Galapagos Islands?” Beck asked him from across the lunchroom table.

“I think? What’s Darwin got to do with Stage One Kaiju though?” Ryker asked as he leaned forwards in his chair. His sandwich forgotten as he prepared to drink in the information.

When Ryker had started interacting with Beck more and more to test his experimental weapons he’d made fast friends with the doctor. The other pilots didn’t seem to get why Ryker bothered in the first place with the civilian scientist but Ryker payed them no mind. The pilots were all good people- eh scratch that, most of them were good people. But once they returned from a mission and debriefed they were all too eager to hole up in the Rec center and not talk about Kaiju. It made sense not to talk about work when you were trying to relax but Ryker was a workaholic at heart and in Beck he’d found a kindred spirit. Someone who obsessed over the details like he did, looking for any edge over the monsters he could find.

Plus the mechanics had kicked him out of the Armor docking bay for hovering behind them while they worked so he’d met up with Beck for lunch.

“I am stretching the example a bit but its easier to explain using Darwin’s Finches.” Beck began. His eyes bright even after hours of labor in the lab. “Essentially the Galapagos Islands have a remarkable amount of biodiversity in their environments. To the point where a single species of Finch spread out across the islands and over the course of generations of natural selection led the same species of Finch on different islands to adapt differing beak shapes to better survive in their own unique environments. To the point where each is considered its own species now. One Finch’s beak is optimized for eating insects, another is well suited for breaking open seeds, do you see where I’m going with this?”

Ryker nodded but still frowned as he thought over the explanation. “But how does that apply to Kaiju? They all start out the same, and have the same template of abilities in their DNA even if most don’t unlock everything in there. They don’t really start changing until they reach Stage Two.”

“That’s what I believed as well until recently.” Beck said animatedly. “Until we looked at some remains of different Stage One Kaiju and examined the similarities in their activated abilities. They both reached the same exact gene locked portion of their DNA’s Musculoskeletal segment but exhibited wildly different body types. Different enough to not be the result of a simple epigenetic modifier.”

“Are those the two Stage Ones that got trucked in this morning?” Ryker asked. Recalling the sight of the retrofitted dump trucks hauling the bodies in. “Those two with the horn and tail?”

“The same.” Beck confirmed. “Now you have to ask the question. How do two Kaiju with the same level of development and genetic abilities unlocked have such different forms? Well its remarkable, this portion of the genome-” Beck paused as he whipped out a napkin onto the table and took a pen out to sketch on it. The intertwining strands of a double helix quickly taking shape as beck pointed to the fourth rung of the helix. “This one right here. Its like Darwin’s finches but also not. A predetermined, built in divergence in a Kaiju’s form to better adapt it for its preferred style of combat. Well before it cocoons to evolve to Stage Two. It’s like natural selection on steroids.”

“How have we not figured this out sooner?” Ryker asked. Leaning in to get a better look at the napkin.

“I suspect that the other gene segments hold a similar genetic divergence but are not immediately visible. This is likely the most overt and obvious change while others are more subtle as they take place within the body itself. It-” Beck began before he faltered. His lips moving as he tried to form the words. “It makes me hope the Bioweapon Theory is real.” He said somberly.

Ryker startled at the abrupt change in conversation as well as the sharp grimace on his friends face. “What makes you say that? If the Bioweapon Theory were true… you know what that would mean.” Ryker said cautiously. The theories of the Kaiju’s origins had run rampant for years but several theories had taken root as the most plausible. The Bioweapon Theory held that Kaiju were actually human made bioweapons. The only contention on that theory being who developed them, the United States or the Russo-Asian Coalition. If the U.S. was responsible for Kaiju being released upon the world, even unintentionally it would mean war. With every country that Kaiju had wreaked havoc on or even a civil war. It wasn’t too hard to believe enraged Americans wouldn't be deterred from striking back at its own government if they were the ones responsible for their years of loss and suffering.

The thought made Ryker steeple his hands on the table. A civil war breaking out while America was still reeling from their current war against the Kaiju would be near suicidal. They did not have the recourses or the manpower to wage a war on two fronts, especially against themselves. And Ryker didn't even want to entertain the thought of imagining where his loyalties would lie if push came to shove. It would mark the beginning of the end for his country and the idea of the Russo-Asian Coalition being responsible wasn’t much better. It would still mean war, only with a foreign power instead. One with the second largest nuclear arsenal on the planet that had somehow, created the most powerful bioweapons in human history.

“I hope the Bioweapon Theory is true.” Beck said softly. His eyes staring hard into the table as the pen shook in his hand. “Because I don’t want to believe these… monsters are natural. I was raised to believe in a higher power, even if I’m a paltry excuse for a believer now. But my late wife… ” Beck’s words cut off as he mastered himself. His fist tightening hard enough for Ryker to make out a pale outline on one finger. As if the ring that used to be there hadn’t been there long.

“She never lost faith. Even near the end.” Beck said with resolve. “I refuse to believe that the God she put so much trust in could be capable of creating creatures that have taken so many lives. I can’t accept that, I just can’t.”

“I get it.” Ryker said softly. Wanting to help during his friend’s moment but not really knowing what else to say. He was the last person to talk to about faith. His own feelings towards the man upstairs were... resentful to say the least. “My mom… she was like that too.” He said instead. Feeling a pang of loss at her memory.

Beck grunted as he took the napkin he’d sketched on to dab at the wetness in his eyes. The silence stretching between them for a moment before Beck gave Ryker a wan smile. Trying to bring the mood back to something less dour. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to drag down the conversation like this. The stress is a bit much at times.”

“Don’t apologize.” Ryker responded. Shaking his head as he looked up from his cold lunch to scan the room. His eyes lingering equally on the faces of those he knew and didn't know. “We’ve all lost people. Only difference between us is how many.”

Ryker shook as he came back to the present. As if he could shake off the bittersweet tang of his own memories. Instead Ryker focused on his understanding of what the ability was trying to do to him, that knowledge helping his fears greatly as he finally got a hold of himself. This is supposed to happen. Don’t panic. Just breathe like Riley taught you to. It’s just a… a Divergence Point in your DNA. Ryker thought as he focused. Now that he’d gotten control over his rebellious body it left Ryker free to think and analyze what was happening to him.

In hindsight, the suddenness of the reaction may have made Ryker overreact a little. Even though it was causing him no small bit of strain to keep in place, he was first and foremost a pilot and a damn good one too. If he could keep a giant war machine under control he was sure he could keep his body from altering itself and even influence what form his body took if he focused hard enough. The problem now was that his body was trying to make a choice for him while he hadn’t taken the time to think through his options properly. Mistakenly believing that he’d have time after he acquired the ability to choose. At the moment the form Ryker felt his body was trying to pick for him was abundantly clear. It was like holding a dog back on a leash as it tried to pounce on a juicy steak.

But why would my body want to grow a horn so badly? Ryker thought perplexed. But the answer became obvious as he thought over his past conversation with Beck.

To put it bluntly without sugar coating anything, Ryker was a brute in close combat. His most recent fight against that group of Kaiju only reinforced that image in his mind. The first chance he got he went in close to the less evolved Kaiju and broke them down one by one. Overwhelming them with raw physical power. The same was true for his previous fights to a lesser extent as well. Despite his dislike for the Charger whose horn he was apparently so suited for Ryker had to admit he fit the bill a little too well for his liking.

This isn’t just a pure power up on its own though. Not like the previous abilities at least. It’s going to alter my center of gravity. I’ll be more top heavy and in addition to the horn my upper torso will thicken as well. Those changes will carry over into Stage Two and they’ll set the foundation for what kind of Kaiju I’m going to become. Ryker glowered. Even though his body felt a horn was best suited for him Ryker saw the addition as a net negative. Despite his large size he’d been relying just as much on his speed and agility as his brute strength. That had been why he’d focused on his Fast Twitch Muscle Fibers modifier for his Increased Muscle Density. Specializing as a heavier brute like Kaiju this early in the game wasn’t the right call.

Ryker needed to walk a careful line. He needed to be strong but not to the point it slowed him down. Durable but also able to adapt to different types of damage. Able to survive on his own in a fight but also capable of bringing the fight to a numerically superior enemy.

But is the tail the right option though? Ryker thought worriedly. On its own the change didn’t really inspire a lot of confidence in its combat potential. Even his own tail had been something Ryker only took advantage of sparingly. Back in his fight with the Snapper the whip tail had been overshadowed by the more fearsome Charger and Berserker Kaiju. It had even been the first thing he’d disabled in the fight when he managed to bite it off. Would a less powerful change like a whip tail be preferable over a piercing horn?

No, wait. Ryker thought as he pondered. I’m not thinking about this properly.

He was judging the tail’s potential by what he’d seen the Snapper do with it. A simple minded and unintelligent Kaiju. If anything, Ryker should have been grateful the Snapper hadn’t used its tail to greater effect against him since it could have a number of uses. When Ryker was grappling he could use it to tangle a Kaiju’s legs to take it off balance, wrap it around a Kaiju’s arm to immobilize the limb, and even choke one of the monsters if he wrapped it around its neck. Not to mention it would be the first ability to give Ryker a somewhat ranged option for combat.

Then there was the future to think about. Just because the tail was whip like now didn’t mean that Ryker couldn’t evolve changes and improvements to it with time. Hell, he may be able to do that before he even reached Stage Two. Who could say what the epigenetic modifiers for a tail would allow him to do? Combine that with the yet to be unlocked modifiers for his Increased Bone Density, which he was sure had something to do with the sharpened spinal bones he’d seen Kaiju in his past life develop and a compelling idea was starting to form in Ryker’s mind for what he could be capable of in due time.

Choosing a change to the tail will carry over into Stage Two. But that change would be a lot more manageable. Ryker thought definitively. Unlike the Charger’s horn, Ryker didn’t see any future complications with the change of a longer tail to his body. It was a relatively light change, probably meant for more flighty and less durable Kaiju. Something that could give them an advantage against less mobile foes. It would also mean that Ryker wouldn’t be locked into a less mobile style of fighting.

As Ryker held his body back from making him a horned copy of the Charger he swished his tail experimentally. Despite working it into his existing combat style he’d only used it in the most simplistic of ways. Kaiju getting too close? Tail swipe. Just slashed a Kaiju and need some distance? Tail Swipe. Multiple opponents closing in? Believe it or not, also tail swipe.

Time for an upgrade. Ryker grinned as he made his choice and focused his will upon his body. There was a resistance as he forcibly pulled his body away from the evolution it preferred but the resistance was paltry at best. Though it was far removed from what he’d trained for, fighting with a rebellious body that thought it knew best wasn’t too far removed from fighting for control of a damaged electronic one. After all, any good pilot worth their salt had to be able to force their machines to do what they wanted when they wanted in the midst of combat. Kaiju weren’t the type to wait until you could run diagnostics and get your Armor checked over for faulty electronics.

Finally Ryker felt something click within himself as he successfully forced his body to accept the Tail evolution instead of the Charger’s Horn. His own tail, often times going unnoticed as Ryker acclimated to it, flexed as a wave of heat spread through it. The combined friction of rapid cell division and muscle growth enough to leave Ryker uncomfortably warm in the cool morning air as he experienced his most significant change yet. The change only taking ten seconds or so as Ryker rode out the change.

His tail had been slightly over half the length of his body before but as Ryker stared back and examined himself he realized his tail was now easily the longest part of his body by far.

Weird… Ryker thought as he experimentally moved his tail around. Feeling newly grown muscle tensing and relaxing as he waved his tail in lazy loops. The simple movement a novel experience after having a tail that would have been incapable of the same feat. Despite knowing he’d made the right choice suddenly having a part of yourself nearly triple in length was disorienting to say the least. The weight was different, the way it moved was different, it was like he’d gotten his old tail removed and a brand new one installed. One that didn’t come with an instruction manual.

This is going to take some time to get used to. Ryker concluded as he tried moving his tail in tighter more controlled motions. To his surprise his tail was even more flexible than he’d believed. Even though the end of his tail was as thick as a grown man’s arm he was able to easily loop the end of his tail around a stray lawn chair and lift the entire thing up into the air like it was a child’s plastic toy. With a wry smile that showed off far too many teeth, Ryker bobbed the lawn chair up and down, waving it through the air like he was actually playing with it. He obviously wasn’t, he was far too professional for something so childish, but it was good practice.

Practice. Right. Ryker nodded seriously as he put the chair down and deliberately ignored the beach ball and other inflatable things he could practice picking up in a pool a few backyards over.

Getting his mind back on track Ryker looked upwards towards the remains of the construction site he’d first encountered the Kaiju whose corpses he was now standing over. Almost imagining the untouched remains of the other smaller Kaiju there just waiting to be consumed. Likely buried under a multitude of concrete but Ryker was willing to do some excavating for his meals if he had to.

They’re probably not enough to get the capstone evolution for the Musculoskeletal segment but it’ll get me part of the way there. Ryker huffed. Giving the remains of the Berserker and Charger one last disdainful look before marching back towards the construction site. His steps carrying him directly over the bodies with two satisfying cracks of bone as Ryker got one final bit of petty post mortem vengeance on the creatures who’d blinded him and left a painful hole in his side.

It wouldn’t be worth trying to climb back up the cliff he’d fallen down so Ryker decided to take the slightly longer way up. Cutting around near the back of the suburb where the incline was less steep and he could get to where he needed to be. As Ryker walked down the middle of the empty street he looked out over the tops of the surrounding houses towards the sounds of sirens blocking the main roads. The sound had grown in the short time he’d acquired his tail. Likely the result of the backup the police had been calling for earlier. If he could still see he was certain the flashing lights would be quite the show.

Gonna be a bit before I can start to see again. Ryker thought glumly as he marched. Knowing he needed to make himself scarce. They’ll have already begun healing if the itching is anything to go by. God, I can’t believe I’m thinking this but I’m actually grateful for once that Kaiju healing factors are so damn persistent.

Ryker was in the middle of squeezing between a tight row of houses to get to the street beyond when Ryker paused as his foot came down on the sidewalk. The size of his tread nearly taking up the entire space from the edge of the lawn to the curb where his claws scraped the edge of the gutter.

Ryker stared and he could swear he felt a vein pulse in his forehead at the sight. Knowing that despite his years of careful training and near symbiosis with his Armor that he’d actually grown again without noticing. That growing larger was absolutely necessary for fighting Kaiju didn’t matter to Ryker in the slightest. It was the principle of the thing that offended him most.

Damn it. Ryker thought with an angry snort as he pointedly stepped over the sidewalk. I can force a Kaiju body to go against its own instincts to evolve the ability I want but I can’t even begin to anticipate or even notice growing in the first place. Out of all the things that should be the most blatantly obvious thing to notice right? I should be complaining about how tiring it is growing larger, not that I can’t feel it happening at all!

Still arguing with himself Ryker finally exited the suburb, stepping over the six foot fence surrounding the development with an almost depressing level of ease. His now thirteen foot tall body not even needing to hop to get over the fence to the other side.

Entering the wall of woodlands surrounding the suburb Ryker began his winding path back up to the construction site. Testing his tail’s massively increased dexterity along the way as he weaved it between branches and tree trucks. With the time Ryker had to walk, now among the peace of the trees he mentally felt along the image of the Musculoskeletal gene segment in his DNA. Looking at the available epigenetic modifiers for his most recently unlocked ability with a discerning eye.

All four were tail related thankfully. Ryker had harbored some worry that he might not have the full range of options with the Divergence point pushing him to grow a horn. But that concern was moot. If he had to guess, choosing to grow a horn instead would change the ability’s epigenetic mods to be horn related as well. That meant that in the future whatever the options were for the Neurosensory and Cardiopulmonary Divergence points he could choose whatever option he pleased and still receive the full benefits of mods as well.

The first epigenetic modifier Ryker puzzled out in record time. The feel of it sticking out since its focus was on the end of Ryker’s tail instead of any other part. The mod would make the end of his tail… pointy? No, that wasn’t right it was more like a pincer. One detail of the modifier immediately peaking Ryker’s interest.

Another pair of venom glands in the tail? That’s pretty significant. Ryker thought as he regarded the Envenomed Pincer. If the venom glands he developed in his tail were the same as the ones in his fangs that would be a potent addition to his fighting style. Being able to inject Kaiju at range and strike out directly behind him was tempting, almost enough to make Ryker get it right then and there. But common sense prevailed in the end as he felt out what he’d have to give up for the Envenomed Pincer.

The modifier immediately set itself apart from the pincer by affecting Ryker’s entire tail. Even down to the muscles at the base of it. He could feel the way the modifier would increase the level of muscle mass along his entire tail. Thickening the appendage a good deal. The caveat for that would be that his tail wouldn’t be able to crack like a whip against other Kaiju but…

What are these dense parts? Ryker thought as he focused. Interspersed all along his tail would be some surprisingly dense nodes that started a few feet from the base of his tail and continued all the way to the end of his tail. Culminating in a densified point at the end more for slamming into others than piercing. As plain as the Densified Tail modifier was compared to the more flashy Envenomed Pincer Ryker couldn’t nock what he’d felt in the modifier. That was a lot of muscle he’d be packing into his tail, and what little he’d be sacrificing in dexterity would be multiplied a few times over in the shape of pure crushing force.

A whip like venom pincer or more muscle bound slamming power? Ryker thought as he weighed the two option. For once having to spend some time weighing the pros and cons of two modifiers instead of instantly siding with one over the other. On one hand the pincer offered a wicked amount of combat utility. Doubling his available venom as well as enhancing his ability to deliver it at range. But the cost of that increased attack power was leaving his tail vulnerable to severing. Ryker had done exactly that in his fight with the Snapper, and the thought of having his own tail get bitten off by another Kaiju sent a shiver through his frame.

On the other hand though, the increase in thickness and muscle mass would be a defense in its own way. A thicker tail wouldn’t be immediately severed by an errant claw swipe, and even if it were bitten into Ryker was pretty sure he’d have enough time to turn and wail on whatever thought it could bite him and get away with it. The increased density and thickness would make it less agile, but he was more than certain he’d be able to use it in the ways he’d originally intended. If anything, grappling other Kaiju might be even easier with his tail’s increased strength and weight.

Food for thought. Ryker decided as he shelved the idea of deciding on a modifier immediately. He had more than just one thing to consider after all. His body wasn’t just an assortment of parts to be piloted anymore. His body was made up of many intertwining biological systems. Whose to say his yet to be activated Bone Density modifiers wouldn’t affect how he used his tail? He should take the time to get a feel for all his modifiers before he committed himself to anything.

Speaking of food. Ryker thought as he ducked under a branch and left the tree cover for the remains of the construction site. Despite bringing down a good deal of the construction Ryker in a fight for his life, there was still a pang of regret at having to destroy so much, though that was muted now. It helped that the only things he’d destroyed were just large incomplete blocks of uninhabited concrete, that was a lot easier to stomach than people’s homes getting crushed.

Stalking into the site itself, Ryker leaned on his senses to ferret out where the remains of the smaller Kaiju he’d killed were. He dipped his nose down to the ground as he drank in the scents in the air, searching in a textbook grid search pattern till he got a whiff of what he was looking for.

That’s one. Ryker grinned as he dug his claws into the concrete. Tossing aside a large slab that would have taken hours for people with construction equipment to move as he dug down and struck pay dirt. With a uncaring wrench that definitely cracked a few bones in the corpse Ryker hauled the Kaiju out of the ground in a small cloud of concrete dust. Ryker was tempted to chow down right there but it would make more sense to wait until he got them all first.

It went on like that for some time. Ryker digging out the remains of the Kaiju he’d slain and tossing them into a pile in the center of the construction site as he found one after another. Now that the fighting was over and Ryker could examine his kills in detail, he almost felt bad seeing how much he’d savaged the weaker Kaiju.

Almost.

Damn… I really fucked you up didn’t I? Ryker thought as he examined the head, or the pile of mush and bone that had once been a head, that was hanging onto the body by thick strands of gore. He recalled smashing one Kaiju’s head into his knee but hadn’t realized how much damage he’d done in the moment. The heat of the fight making some details blurry in his mind.

Whelp, overkill is just as good as any other type of kill in my book. Ryker concluded as he tossed the corpse onto the top of the pile. Dusting off his claws as he rose to his full height and made his way over to the dinner pile. Time to get down to business. Ryker thought as he licked his lips in anticipation.

Eating these Kaiju was actually an easier ordeal than breaking down the other three he’d killed. Their lack of Enhanced Scales making them easy to tear open as Ryker filled himself up. Their smaller size a boon to the man turned Kaiju as he had to spend less time reducing their body parts into something he could fit down his throat.

As Ryker worked on consuming the remains, deliberately ignoring his body’s urge to evolve the cheaper Synaptic Defrag, he focused on the other two mods he’d have to choose between for his tail.

The first felt sharp, and for good reason too. The modifier altered the exterior of his tail's entire length, growing a series of large serrated edges made of bone across the top and bottom of his elongated tail that could be used to slash any Kaiju that came within range of it. The utility granted from such a simple modifier alone immediately set Ryker’s mind alight with the possibilities.

Grappling with other Kaiju would be that much more effective if I chose this wouldn't it? The serrated edges would be able to hook into their bodies so it would be even easier to take them down and even normal swipes would slash out at Kaiju instead of just knock them away. Not to mention it would pair well with both the Envenomed Pincer and the Densified Tail. Ryker thought approvingly before moving onto the next epigenetic modifier.

The modifier was, paradoxically, taking up the same area that the Envenomed Pincer would take. Only instead of making a dedicated piercing pincer it was more akin to a maul made out of bone at the end of the tail. With some wicked spikes as well. The mental image threw Ryker for a loop since he’d never seen another modifier take up the same exact spot as another one. At least, in a way that seemed to render the other modifier inoperable.

That can’t be right. Right? Ryker asked himself as he pondered the modifier. There was no indication that the two would cancel each other out though. So Ryker delved deeper, focusing hard on the two modifiers till they overlapped in his mind. At first Ryker thought he was just being stupid, looking too deep into his Kaiju biology to the point he was seeing things that didn’t actually connect at all. Kaiju were just dumb monsters after all, even if their biology verged upon the realm of the impossible. It would make sense if they had some part of their biology that didn’t work seamlessly together.

But the closer Ryker examined the two it seemed like they didn’t cancel each other out like he’d thought but meshed together. The venom sacs being protected by the mass of bone that formed the maul and in turn, each of the bone maul’s spikes acted as a delivery mechanism for the poison.

Damn… Ryker breathed out as he thought over the combination of modifiers that resulted in something he hadn’t expected. For a split second Ryker nearly tossed aside his plan for holding out on selecting modifiers. After all, what could be more damaging than a poisoned bone maul at the end of his tail?

No, no. Don’t pick something too quickly. Ryker thought as he shook his head to ward away the temptation. We just picked up more abilities in one sitting than I ever have before. My scales' Adaptive Armor, the Adrenal Trigger, the Paralytic Venom, as well as this new tail. Those are all going to need testing and practice to determine how best they operate in combat. Plus, there won’t be any way for me to undo modifiers I unlock if I get something I don’t want. If I’m locked into a certain loadout I need to consider it from every angle, so whatever my final Stage One build ends up being it will be enough to carry me all the way through Stage Two and beyond.

As Ryker’s mind wandered his pile of foodstuffs disappeared before him almost completely. Frustratingly though, even after devouring all of that he was less than half of the way to his Capstone ability. A capstone ability he couldn’t actually sense too much of yet. He could tell it affected his entire body at least. So it was sure to be something good.

Damn. Never thought I’d regret not pestering Beck more about Stage One Kaiju abilities. Ryker mused.

It was something Ryker should have known, he readily admitted that, but understanding what abilities fodder Stage One Kaiju developed had been well below his list of priorities at the time when Ryker had been sent on mission after mission to kill the much more threatening Stage Twos. What he did know was that once a Kaiju reached the end of a gene segment like the Musculoskeletal segment, they acquired the final ability for that particular segment of DNA and had the opportunity to evolve to Stage Two from there. It was typical for a Kaiju to leap at the chance to evolve since they received such a boost from the evolution. Doubling in size, being able to acquire mutations to their existing abilities, and having the chance to adapt new abilities as well made it a tempting choice for any Kaiju. Which was thankfully, why so many Kaiju didn’t develop into monsters like Storm Breaker and Spore Tyrant. They jumped the gun on their evolutions instead of building a foundation in Stage One, lowering their overall potential.

Of course a less developed Kaiju was still a giant monster at the end of the day. So even if Kaiju like Spike Jackal or Blaze Dozer wouldn’t be able to wipe cities off the map it was little comfort when they were rampaging through your side of town.

A shame I can’t hit the capstone right away but that’s fine. Ryker thought. Its just a matter of time till I eat enough to get it anyway. And I’ve got enough on my plate at the moment unlocking the rest of the musculoskeletal ability modifiers.

Standing in the middle of the destroyed construction site, Ryker tiredly reviewed everything he needed to do as he wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his claw. First I’ll test out my new abilities deep in the woods where no one will see. Get a good feel for them. Then I’ll find another source of food. Supermarket, Kaiju, doesn’t matter. I’ll need that capstone ability if I’m going to be getting into more fights with tougher Kaiju. Then I’ll have to hunt around for more food for the abilities in the other gene segments. Oh, and make sure I unlock all the epigenetic ability modifiers too. I’ll have to make sure my actions remain… monstrous if anyone is recording me but not so much that I draw too much military attention. Maybe try and find a way to prevent the Children of Gaia from gaining influence if I can. There must be something I can do to stop them as a Kaiju. Then I have to keep heading north to find Storm Breaker before it grows too strong. Kill it. Then Spore Tyrant, then Glacier Fang, then Magma Gore, then Red Tide.

With a pained grunt Ryker made to get up. Using the remains of a concrete pillar to bear his weight as he stood. I’ll need a way to cross the ocean. Either by developing wings or gills. I should be able to swim across if I need to right? What else do I need to do? I’m forgetting something, there must be something I’m forget- urk!

With a crash the concrete under Ryker shifted and he slipped in surprise as his footing gave way. Falling forwards and catching himself with his claws before he could impact the ground completely Ryker heaved a shaky breath as he looked down. There was a slight tremble in his claws as they dug into the concrete. For a moment he was back in the abandoned radio station. But rather than the horror he’d experienced at his new body Ryker felt almost offended at the weakness he felt now. For all his life Kaiju had been an unstoppable threat and he’d pushed himself to endlessly to match them.

That he could feel weakness in the same body of the monsters that had haunted him all his life almost didn’t compute.

God I’m tired. Ryker thought suddenly, not remembering the last time he'd slept. HIs shoulders sagging as the weight of all he’d done and still had to do bore down on him. The wounds were one thing, he’d been trained to deal with the psychosomatic feedback from damaged Armor and physical pain was just an extension of that. But even as a pilot he’d had time to stop and speak with his fellow pilots. When he’d returned his Armor to the docking bay for repairs he’d had people he could rely on and a place that allowed him to rest from the never ending war for survival he woke up to every day.

But all that was gone now. And to compensate Ryker had been running full tilt since the start in a marathon that might last years or even decades. Too afraid to stop for even a moment knowing that the slightest mistake on his part could spell doom for millions down the line. He was the only one who could stop what was coming, slowing down, even to rest after a battle felt wrong. Like betraying everyone who’d fought by his side for a better future.

For the first time in recent memory Ryker wished he wasn’t fighting alone.

Man, it would be nice to talk to somebody. Ryker thought softly. Talk about not knowing what you have till its gone.

Holding a claw to the stinging wound in his side Ryker mastered his breathing and allowed himself a moment to stop. He tried to open his eyes and felt a twinge of color return to the world before the stinging pain of his acid burns forced them shut again.

He’d be no good like this, even for the training he’d planned if he dropped from lack of sleep and rest.

Just a few hours. Ryker promised as he held still. The brief moment of inaction almost enough to convince him to drop face first into the concrete to sleep. I’ll find somewhere a bit more hidden and get a few hours of shut eye. Then… Then I’ll keep going.

The sound of rustling branches reached Ryker’s ears a good distance away and made his head turn sharply towards the noise. The sound was hard to miss but it was there, like whatever it was had been trying to sneak up on him. In the time he had before it became visible to his mix of senses Ryker forced himself to stand. Reaching out to the Adrenal Trigger in his mind and preparing to flip the switch in an instant if he had to fight.

A Kaiju? Ryker thought tensely before he saw what was moving through the trees towards him. It was only a mass of scents and sounds in Ryker's mind's eye but it was a shape he recognized as it left the tree line at the edge of the construction site's debris. Small, fragile, and unmistakably human.