Oath of the Survivor

Kyle’s heart soared as he saw Skippy and Duroc.  The grey-skinned alien bore a fierce smile, bouncing in place as the flames danced around his hands and feet.  Duroc, by contrast seemed much more serious.  He walked forward with massive tower shield in his left arm, and long, thick spear in the other.

Behind them, he saw a smaller shuttle like the one that had picked him up before.  A crew was getting the survivors on board, and Kyle knew they would be clear in just a couple minutes. 
“What are we dealing with here?” Duroc’s question came out in a high-pitched squeal, though Kyle found no joviality in it. 

“The creature is extremely resilient, and has coated its shell with some dangerous toxins.  It can use some semblance of earth manipulation to use a wide-scale bombardment.  Each hit was relatively weak, which it made up for with numbers.”

Kyle paused, then added. 

“And it’s really big.  Like really big.”

Duroc grunted in acknowledgement. 

“Can you still fight?  Do we need to get you carried to the shuttle?”

Kyle shook his head. 

“Not this time.  I’m here to help, we’re taking it down.”

Skippy laughed excitedly at Kyle’s words. 

“Then I’m counting on you!”  With that, he charged the Endless.

“Didn’t you hear me?  I told you it’s got toxins all over its carapace!”

“Get ready to heal him when he gets back.  Cover the evacuation.  Skippy and I will take the front.  We’re counting on you.” 

Duroc’s tone was stern.  It was clear the porcine alien was taking the encounter seriously, and Kyle nodded in response.  Despite the gravity of his words, Duroc didn’t seem too concerned.  Kyle was more than happy to trust in their experience, and fell in behind them.

Thunderous impacts shook the very air around them as Skippy’s attack started in earnest, and Kyle was once again impressed with the Skrell’s skills.  Each attack landed with massive force, and it seemed like no matter what the Endless tried to do, the grey alien was always able to find a way to keep the attacks going.  Scorch marks were slowly accumulating on the beast as the assault continued, until finally the Skrell disengaged, running towards Kyle. 

The Endless tried to pursue, but its movements lacked the same precision they’d had before.  Auric Perception picked up waves of energy from Duroc assaulting the creature, pressing it into the ground.  He’d seen the skill on display against Skippy once before, albeit at a much lower level.  While it wasn’t enough to entirely stop the enormous creature, it slowed it considerably.  What halted its movement entirely was another silvery blast of energy from Duroc’s shield, knocking it backwards.

It responded by rearing up, then smashing its legs deep into the ground again.  Duroc was ready, and released another blast of mana, ripping up much of the earth and disrupting much of the attack.  Several spears of earth were still created; however, the scale was much smaller than Kyle expected. 

Skippy spoke when he got to Kyle, holding out his hands as the flames dispersed. 

“Duroc is something else, isn’t he?”

“You’re not kidding.” 

He watched as the porcine alien strode up to the Endless, thrusting at its face with his spear.  Turning his attention to Skippy’s hands, his eyes widened. 

“C.H.A.D.D., give me the scans, now.”

His hands only had three fingers and a thumb, and the palms of each were scratched and bloody.  That was well within the realm of what he might expect after a fierce series of attacks against a target like the Endless.  The danger was in how much of the toxin he may have absorbed. 

[A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF POISON IS PRESENT IN THE BLOODSTREAM, DR. MAYHEW.  PROJECTING SCAN NOW.]

Kyle and Skippy both looked at the overlay, with the toxin being reflected in purple light.  It was most heavily present in the arms, but was swiftly flowing to other parts of his body.

“You should probably get to work, Mayhew.”

Kyle was already using HEAL, and wracking his brain to try to find solutions.  Without more specific understanding of Skrell anatomy, it was difficult to target the toxins specifically.  With time, he could systematically eliminate it across Skippy’s body by focusing on one point and waiting for it to circulate through.  Unfortunately, time was a luxury he couldn’t really afford. 

Duroc was almost assuredly putting up a great fight, but the matchup wasn’t a great one.  The Endless was just too large to effectively block with a shield, and the reach offered by the spear meant little against a foe this size.  He had to find a solution that would get Skippy back on the battlefield, and quickly. 

Kyle thought about his experience with the toxin – painful, and enhanced by the mana designed to circulate and inflict as much damage as possible.  That gave him an idea.  If the Endless had the ability to infuse its toxin with an intent, even unintentionally, why couldn’t he?  Without letting go of the HEAL skill he was channeling, he also activated RESONANCE to better connect to Skippy’s mana network.  The Skrell flinched, though he didn’t pull away.

With the connection, he could feel the three distinct presences within the body.  His own, Skippy’s and the toxin.  He thought about the trees in the rainforest, the simple intent to grow.  Focusing on the toxin, Kyle imparted a simple idea inspired by the treasure he and C.H.A.D.D. came across in the canopy– condense.  At first, nothing happened.  As he watched, however, the circulation of the toxin slowed, then soon stopped.  Kyle’s Willpower was much stronger than the Endless, and it won out. 

The first step was completed.  Skippy now had several pockets of condensed, dangerous toxins in his body instead of a free-flowing stream.  The next step would be considerably less pleasant. 

“This is going to hurt.  I don’t have time for anything else, I’m sorry.”

Without waiting for a response, Kyle forced the concentrated blocks of toxins through Skippy’s system and out through the wounds in his hands.  Globs of clear liquid were forced out, and he could feel the grey alien tense up as he worked.  In less than a minute, Kyle was done.  There were still some remnants of the toxin in his body, but the worst had been handled.  With a final push of HEAL on Skippy’s hands, he also pushed some of his mana into the skrell’s body before severing the link.  It was the least he could do, after all.

During this time, Duroc had been fighting the Endless to a stalemate.  While the blast from Duroc’s shield was far and away the most destructive skill he’d showcased, he didn’t need it to be a menace on the battlefield.  His mastery with a spear-and-shield fighting style was incredible, and Kyle saw him parry and redirect attacks he was certain would land. 

When the Endless attempted to trample him, he would position and dodge with a grace that was wholly unexpected given his large frame.  Skippy had rejoined the fray, and soon the thundering rain of blows continued.  The shuttle was airborne, and Kyle’s focus turned to one of pure support. 

He watched the battle with intense focus, rushing towards Skippy or Duroc when healing would be necessary and to remove the toxins from each as they accumulated. 

As the minutes passed, the outcome became clear.  The Endless simply didn’t have the flexibility in its approach to deal with the three D Grade opponents.  Under normal circumstances it likely could have fled, but the compulsion to stand its ground prevented it from doing so.  Still, that’s not to say it wasn’t a dangerous foe.  Each attack carried incredible force, and the trio facing it were all haggard from the encounter.

Finally, an opportunity presented itself.  The Endless had attempted to catch Skippy with its pincers, and was knocked aside by a well-timed shield blast from Duroc.  It was knocked to the ground near Kyle, who didn’t hesitate.  He ran to its head as it tried to recover from being dazed, and activated RESONANCE with both palms pressed against it.  The damage it had taken through the fight already left it close to death’s door, and this was the final push that it needed to cross the threshold. 

The brain activity ended, Kyle breathed out a sigh of relief.  Just in time to be knocked away by the creature’s thrashing legs.  This wasn’t a glancing blow, and Kyle felt the air leave his lungs as the force transferred through his armor.  He knew he had at least a couple broken ribs, and he sat slack-jawed as he watched the creature thrash about. 

The antennae and pincers weren’t moving, but the body of the Endless was stomping all across the clearing with no rhyme or reason.  How the hell –

Before he could finish the thought, he activated STORM SHELTER to avoid being squished as it continued to go berserk, the series of stomps pounding against his barrier.  Duroc and Skippy each moved into position, and unleashed their own attacks against the creature, who didn’t even attempt to dodge.  Skippy’s attacks cracked several segments, and Duroc’s spear pierced through.  In moments, the Endless stopped moving.

Kyle breathed out a sigh of relief.  He’d never been in a single fight that lasted this long, and he was exhausted.  ADAPTIVE REGENERATION was hard at work repairing his damaged ribs, and he brought himself to his feet to greet Skippy and Duroc, both of whom looked equally exhausted. 

His plan was simple – treat the two of them as best he could, then examine the body of the Endless to see if there was an essence he could absorb.  Before he could say a word, however, intense red light burst out from the centipede’s corpse, which rushed from the creature directly into Kyle.  His world turned black, and he fell to the ground.

~~~

Thank you all for reading!  Please take time to share a review, and if you'd like to support the work please check out the Starsworn Saga on Patreon for advanced access to chapters and other upcoming bonus content!

Starsworn Saga | The official page for early access to the Starsworn Saga! | Patreon