Oath of the Survivor

Kyle felt a strong impulse to rush in and join the melee, but he kept himself in check with a breath.  There was something more going on here that was stirring these creatures up, and that gave him a niggling feeling of doubt as he observed from a distance.  HEAL would take a little longer to get his arm back to perfect condition, and with no more approaching creatures this provided an opportunity to watch events unfold.  A wide array of mutated insects were attacking one another, but none was as successful as the monstrous beetle rampaging through the town. 

Kyle wasn’t sure what drove the other creatures to even attempt attacking the thing, because no challenger even managed to scratch the armor-like chitin that covered the beast.  He was more confident now than ever that there was something else happening – there was no rational explanation for so many of the insects to throw their lives away.  “C.H.A.D.D., what are you picking up from the area ahead?”  Kyle was intentional with his wording, not wanting to color the drone’s perspective with his own bias. 

[DR. MAYHEW, THE MANA SIGNATURES EMANATING ARE QUITE OVERWHELMING.  A DIVERSE ARRAY OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF CREATURES ARE PRESENT, THOUGH THE BULK SEEM TO BE DECEASED.] 

“Thanks, C.H.A.D.D.  What do you –“ Kyle was cut off as the drone continued.

[CAUSE OF DEATH FOR VIRTUALLY ALL OF THEM IS SEVERE BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA.  LIKELY CAUSED BY BEING SMASHED BETWEEN THAT LARGE CREATURE AND ANOTHER STRUCTURE.  I’D ADVISE TRYING NOT TO GET CRUSHED, DR. MAYHEW.]

“Very helpful, C.H.A.D.D.  I’ll keep that in mind.”  Kyle replied. 

[IF YOU FEEL IT NECESSARY TO SET ME ASIDE FOR THE DURATION OF YOUR ENGAGEMENT, I WOULD COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND.]

“You just don’t want to get squished.”

[QUITE ACCURATE, DR. MAYHEW.]

“Well, I’ll do my best.  No promises.” 

C.H.A.D.D. had a witty reply, but Kyle wasn’t listening.  His arm was fully recovered, and he’d seen enough of the creature to feel confident in his plan.  It was powerful, easily outstripping the physical strength that Cornelius had brought to bear by virtue of size and strength alone.  Kyle was also impressed by its sheer durability.  Dozens upon dozens of stingers, claws, and mandibles had tried to find purchase in its chitin armor with no success.  His mind was already racing, thinking of different ways to use such a durable material. 

Before he consciously realized it, he was walking towards the creature.  Likewise, the elephant-sized beetle had taken notice of him, hesitating for a moment before slowly shambling towards Kyle.  When the distance between them had shrunk to about fifty meters, they stopped, facing each other.  In the back of his mind, Kyle realized what a ridiculous sight this would have been to an observer, a man staring down a monster the size of a house.  Despite that, Kyle felt a connection to the creature. 

It gave off the familiar aura he’d detected for so long in the caves, but somehow even wilder, more intense.  Given that it had stopped to observe him, Kyle stopped suppressing the mana that pulsed through him, every bit matching the potency of the creature before him.  While he was by no measure the match of the beast in terms of strength or durability, Kyle’s observations confirmed what he’d hoped. 

The pulse of mana Kyle emitted was the starting gun.  With an angry hissing sound, the massive beetle lowered its horns towards him, charging at its maximum speed.  HASTE was already active, and for all its power the beetle might as well have been standing still.  Kyle wasn’t nearly as strong as the beetle, nor was he as resilient.  He lacked the size and destructive power that the monster could bring to bear.  That didn’t mean he was any less specialized in his own way.  Adrenaline coursing through his body, Kyle darted to his opponent’s right side.  He watched the beetle’s momentum carry it past him, and it struggled to stop and turn around to face him again. 

The young Healer used that opportunity to close the distance, finding himself behind the monster in the blink of an eye.  To confirm his observations, Kyle gave the shiny chitin a solid punch.  Pain blossomed in the knuckles of his right hand, running up his forearm and into his shoulder.  It felt like punching a sheet of solid metal, and a quick visual inspection showed him that the chitinous armor was completely unharmed.  That’s about right, Kyle thought.  If the last one was the Infernal, this one’s the Wall.  Kyle jumped back as the Wall finished its turn to face him, mandibles still chittering angrily.  Unsurprisingly, the creature lowered its horns once again and charged. 

Just as before, Kyle dodged to the right, this time closing in on the Wall as soon as it passed him.  Running to the abdomen of the monstrous beetle, he rested the palm of his right hand against the sun-warmed shell.  He activated RESONANCE, feeling the mana of the creature moving in unison with his own.  While the flow was the same, trying to establish a connection was considerably more difficult.  He rotated the mana in his palm to try to match the pathways he could feel from within the creature, but the changing flow of the creature’s mana made his work more difficult than he expected.  Practicing on tree branches and inert chitin was one thing, connecting to a mana network that was in active use was an entirely different ball game.  He was able to keep his palm resting on the creature for only a couple of seconds before disengaging, the Wall attempting to smash him into the ground with one of its six massive legs.  Kyle jumped out of the way, gaining distance from the huge creature.  The beast turned to face him once again, and the process repeated.

Dozens of similar clashes played out, neither side injuring the other.  Kyle had no illusions how things would end if he lost concentration – any injury from this massive creature would likely be far too much to heal – but despite the danger he found himself enjoying the puzzle before him.  When he was selecting this skill, he had theorized that it could be used in a wide variety of applications – and he’d been proven right.  A major part of his inspiration came from treating the survivors he’d encountered, the stress of their constant exposure to the chaotic ambient mana having caused noticeable internal damage. 

It wasn’t too radical to think that manipulating mana in an object could physically change it, after all, that was essentially what Kyle did when be used HEAL or REGENERATION.  That led him to the idea of connecting to inert objects and using his mana to reshape them into something more useful.  It wasn’t easy, though eventually Kyle got used to creating a “key” with his mana that would fit the inert pathways of the materials he shaped.  His many failures as he practiced taught him another important lesson: it was much easier to break something than shape it. 

The countless shattered tree branches were a testament to the difficulty of doing what he had hoped, which led him to the application he was now testing.  One of his biggest weaknesses in his encounters against strong enemies had been his inability to land decisive blows, but what if he didn’t need to?  What if all he needed was a touch to end his fights?  The Wall was the perfect specimen to test the theory – it was both an unstoppable force and immovable object, in many ways reminiscent of Cornelius.  

Kyle remembered well the feeling of frustration and powerlessness against the other man, unable to do anything other than run.  Never again.  Staring down the monstrous beetle after another engagement, Kyle didn’t feel any of that now.  Instead, he was filled with a blend of anticipation and calm – the moment of stillness after jumping off a diving board.  He had started down this road willingly, and a part of him knew that overcoming this trial in this moment would mark a turning point for him. 

The Wall charged at Kyle, and once again he positioned himself to counter.  His introspection had cost him.  The large beetle closing the distance faster than he’d expected.  Kyle still comfortably dodged in time, though he was unable to finish forming the mana in his palm to match what he’d identified in the creature.  His palm slapped against the creature’s thick armor, and instead of having a solid key trying to connect, Kyle’s mana was rotating but pliable, more like a twisting putty.  And it clicked. 

Kyle felt the mana in his hand get swept up in the flow within the Wall, being bent and turned in the exact way it needed to in order to match the flow.  He felt the massive amounts of vital energy within the creature, the power that it held within.  Then he had to break the connection, drawing his hand back as he disengaged the monster once again.  Pieces fell into place as Kyle considered what had just happened.  He wasn’t confident that he could replicate it consciously, so it was time to deploy his secret weapon. 

“C.H.A.D.D., did you record what happened with that last attempt?”

[YES, DR. MAYHEW.]

“Thank you, C.H.A.D.D.  Let me know when I’ve got it right.” 

With that, Kyle activated RESONANCE and began manipulating the mana in his hand.  He didn’t bother trying to strike the beetle again, which allowed him much more freedom in his evasion, easily keeping distance between himself and the Wall as he focused on the skill in his right hand.  It was tricky work, fortunately C.H.A.D.D. was well equipped at this point to offer feedback.

[ROTATION IS THIRTY-EIGHT PERCENT TOO FAST, DR. MAYHEW.  THE PATTERN OF THE MANA IS TOO TIGHT, IT NEEDS TO BE MORE RELAXED.  NO, NOT LIKE THAT, YOU’RE TOO RELAXED NOW…]  This continued for nearly fifteen minutes as Kyle avoided the monster chasing him, all the remaining buildings in the ghost town reduced to rubble in the pursuit.  Despite the cooler fall weather, Kyle was a sweaty mess.  Finally, he heard the message from C.H.A.D.D. as he felt the mana stabilize. 

[THAT’S A CLOSE APPROXIMATION, DR. MAYHEW.] 

Without a word, not daring to deactivate the skill, Kyle turned towards the beetle on his heels.  He dodged the horn as it dug a deep furrow into the earth, placing his hand on the front right leg as he passed.  Kyle was prepared for the feeling of connection, and this time the moment he felt the link he pushed with all the Willpower he could bring to bear.  He felt the resistance from inside the creature, which was demolished before Kyle’s resolve.  In a battle of physical power, the Wall was the clear victor.  In a battle of Willpower?  That wasn’t even a question. 

Kyle took command of the mana inside the creature, drawing some of it into himself to replenish his own reserves, while twisting the mana coursing directly under his palm.  The results were immediate, a loud crack breaking the air as the leg buckled.  The Wall hissed, and Kyle was forced to break the connection as he created distance again.  He watched the beetle turning to face him, compensating for its injured leg.  Kyle smiled as he squared off against his opponent, feeling his mana reserves surging.  It was time to end this.

~~~

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