Chapter 293
With his skill selection completed, Kyle took some time to study his center. The image of his path superimposed shone brighter than ever as Kyle’s insights into survival; his definition of survival, were woven in. It clashed against the pulsing crimson of the Core of the Parasitic Devourer, which seemed to thrum with more power than ever before. Through Pack Leader’s Instinct, he detected the awareness within the Core stirring ever-so-slightly, as if it was bothered by Kyle’s attention.
He’d need to be thoughtful about using Parasitic Resonance in the days ahead to try and get a Dexterity-based upgrade. What will you do when you get completely full? Kyle wondered. To his surprise, he felt a response through the bond, a general impression of hunger and consumption. That shouldn’t have been a surprise, he mused. At the end of the day, the Core of the Parasitic Devourer was designed to do just that; devour.
A tingling discomfort in his body drew his attention away, and Kyle exited meditation as he felt the slow expansion of his mana network, courtesy of Iron Will. He stood and stretched, unable to resist a quick use of Identify to see the shifts in his body. Between the tightly wound muscle fibers of Muscular Compression and the expanding coverage of Iron Will, his body was almost unrecognizable. I wonder…
[DR. MAYHEW, IS EVERYTHING WELL?]
Kyle snapped out of his distraction, looking up at the pack floating uncomfortably close to his face. “Everything is great, C.H.A.D.D. Just taking stock of some of the changes.”
[THE IMPROVEMENTS SEEM SUBSTANTIAL. IS THIS A NEW ACTIVE SKILL?]
Kyle shook his head. “Entirely passive, I think. There may still be some methods to manipulate it, but it should be a pretty straightforward reinforcement.”
[IN EITHER EVENT, CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER FOR ACHIEVING YOUR CAPSTONE SKILL. WHAT ELSE DO YOU HAVE PLANNED, NOW THAT THE HODAG THREAT HAS BEEN DEALT WITH?]
“Once Arhades has recovered, we’ll connect with Cletus and then head home. Why, do you have some other vacation destinations in mind?”
[NOTHING SPECIFIC, DR. MAYHEW. I WOULD IMAGINE THAT THE COURIER’S GUILD HAS PLENTY OF WORK, THOUGH I UNDERSTAND IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO TAKE ON MORE LARGE-SCALE PROJECTS.]
Kyle smiled. “You know, some easy jobs might not be a bad idea after this. It would give me a chance to get used to the new upgrades, and line our pockets with a few more credits. We’ll also have some homework to do once we’re back at the hub. Before we get to the C Grade evolution, I want to find somewhere we can go to hunt high Dexterity creatures. If there’s somewhere you wanted to visit that fits the bill, all the better.”
Through Pack Leader’s Instinct, Kyle felt twin thrums of excitement; the more powerful from C.H.A.D.D., and another from the Core of the Parasitic Devourer. They’re both too greedy for their own good, he thought. Of course, he wouldn’t throw stones. So was he.
Finally making his way back to Arhades, Kyle examined the velgian, putting in another round of Healing Impetus for good measure. The remnants of the poison were quickly fading, though the most meaningful damage was still to Arhades’ mana network. The strain from launching his capstone skill multiple times in succession was immense, though it had likely been the move that turned the tide of battle in their favor. If he’d had to try and fight the hodag with its staff and barriers at the ready, Kyle was confident the outcome would have been different.
Just as Kyle was preparing to leave Arhades to rest, his eyes opened. “Mr. Mayhew, it is good to see you. I take it, by your presence, that we emerged victorious?”
Kyle grinned back. “What alternative could there be?”
“Many,” Arhades began. “My seniors could have intervened, we could have retreated, the hodag could have retreated –“
“I get the point, Arhades.” Kyle said. “Fortunately, you guessed it right. The thrice-damned monster is dead.”
“Indeed. Quite the fruitful excursion, if I do say so myself.” His pale eyes rested on Kyle for a moment, and he raised an eyebrow. “You appear to have profited quite nicely as well. It seems as though our karma has once again been balanced.”
He paused for a moment with a thoughtful look on his face, then turned to Kyle once more. “You are under no obligation to answer, but I feel that I must ask; have you or your drone interacted with a World Tree?” He gestured down at the vine cocoon he had been resting in. “Having spent significant time beneath their branches, I thought I sensed the familiar notes of mana before. Now that I feel them emanating from the vines here, I’m all but certain.”
Kyle met Arhades’ eyes. “And what would you do with that information?”
“Nothing,” Arhades replied. “If my suspicion is correct, however, there is somebody you should meet, should you come visit the Alabaster Courts. His name is Cromwell Anmarian, one of our lorekeepers. He’s quite eccentric, but I doubt anybody else below A Grade in the whole Collective knows more about World Trees.”
Kyle raised an eyebrow. “From what I’ve heard, it’s hard for outsiders to even get close to the Alabaster Court home systems. Much less to meet with a lorekeeper.”
“I think you misunderstand, Mr. Mayhew. I would be facilitating the introduction, with you as an honored guest. Should my uncles attempt to do anything to harm you, it would reflect poorly on my honor, and by extension, theirs. Of course, that would be something for after we’ve each achieved C Grade.” Arhades said the whole thing with the casualness of discussing a grocery shopping trip, causing Kyle to shake his head.
“I don’t think it’s likely to be that simple,” Kyle said. “Besides, your whole path is about balance. I have no idea what I could offer to even the scales for an opportunity like that. Not to mention purchasing the value of your… discretion, as it pertains to the seed.”
“I believe you are overestimating the value of the favor. A diplomatic invitation for a powerful C Grade is hardly unusual. The Alabaster Courts may be largely isolationist, Mr. Mayhew, but we still seek to foster good relationships where we can. Even a weak C Grade tends to be a one-in-a-billion existence, and from what you’ve shown here, I’ve no doubt you’ll achieve a potent evolution.
“Now, as to your other request, I have an idea, though even I must admit that it’s a bit self-indulgent. But, since we’ll be waiting another few days before Cletus can return to unlock the teleporters, how willing would you be to engage in some light sparring? There are precious few D Grades I’ve met capable of holding a good match, and I’ve been hunting altogether too many monsters of late.”
“Arhades, with all due respect, your mana network is an absolute mess,” Kyle admonished. “You’re in no condition to be sparring at all right now.”
“I’m not suggesting we go all-out. Merely allowing me an opportunity to weave in some blade training with somebody who won’t be seriously injured. And if you or your drone feel that I am getting too injured, you may reserve the right to end the session at any time. Does that sound like reasonable recompense for my silence?”
“Fine,” Kyle relented. “Just don’t be disappointed if the training session is less fruitful than you’d like.”
Arhades smiled. “I don’t think that will be an issue at all, Mr. Mayhew.”
As it turned out, Arhades was right. They’d agreed on some simple ground rules; no active skills, just pure technique. The velgian even went as far as to remove his armor, wearing only a simple tunic and trousers that he had stashed in his spatial storage ring. Even without any of the layered skills and enhancements, Arhades still made short work of Kyle.
Over the last few years of training, Kyle had become quite proficient with the two stick escrima fighting style he learned from Frank, even incorporating some other moves he’d seen from his various encounters. But compared to Arhades’ mastery, he was just a novice holding a pair of twigs. The velgian’s blade flashed in and out, scoring shallow wounds on Kyle as Arhades effortlessly bypassed Kyle’s guard. His defense was just as impeccable, dancing at the edge of Kyle’s range while using the flat of his blade to swat away attacks and create openings to counter.
If it wasn’t for the benefit of Synaptic Barbs to help him read the air flow around Arhades, Kyle wouldn’t have even put up a fight. Even with that edge, it was all Kyle could to do keep the sparring sessions interesting for his opponent.
Finally, after a particularly intense sparring session, Kyle tucked his batons away as he shook his head. “How is this even useful for you? It’s pretty clear that you massively outstrip my level of skill.”
“Undoubtedly,” Arhades agreed as he sheathed his sword, panting heavily. “But against you, I can practice my swordsmanship in a much more realistic way. Most D Grades are only good for exchanging a couple of pointers. Against you, I can continue to work through combinations without a worry. Without my skills active, the blade barely scratches.”
So I’m basically just a moving, extra-durable training dummy, Kyle thought with a tinge of disappointment. He wished he could say his own fundamentals improved, but the frenetic pace of the sparring hadn’t allowed much time for reflection. C.H.A.D.D. had at least managed to grab recordings of all the sessions, so there would be some opportunity to review in more detail down the line.
Before Kyle could ask about another round, both of their nav bracelets lit up, and Cletus’ face appeared.
“Howdy! Sorry fer that delay, but I’m back on-world now. The teleporters will be up and running in the next hour or so, if you want to get moving back to the nearest processing plant.”
“Good to see you, Cletus,” Kyle said. “We’ll get heading that way shortly.”
“You should,” Cletus replied. “Them fellers in charge are all sorts of eager to get some cattle resettled and get the operation up and running again. Once they figure out what the heck happened to get all those hodags to C Grade, at least.”
Arhades nodded thoughtfully. “It sounds like there will be some busy days ahead. On behalf of the Alabaster Courts, we thank you for the opportunity to come and resolve the issue. Should Pragmus Meat Purveyors have any additional needs, I sincerely hope you will consider me.”
“Save the fancy talk for the people who write the checks,” Cletus chuckled. “Speaking of, I’ll be collecting a big one. See you fellers in a bit.”
A soon as Cletus’ face disappeared, Kyle turned back to Arhades. “Is it safe to say that our sparring sessions balanced the scales?”
“It is. With this, we are even. Although I do hope we cross paths again, Mr. Mayhew. I think we make a good team.”
“We certainly did,” Kyle agreed. The prospect of fighting alongside the velgian again wasn’t a negative one, though he hoped their next battles would be somewhat less life-threatening.
Before long, they were back at the main teleporter, looking down at a grinning Cletus. “Once again, I’ll be darned. I have to admit, I didn’t think y’all would be able to tackle that weird one. If I’d have known, I would’ve stuck around, made a few extra credits. Either way, Pragmus says thank you. I know the fancy folks worked out a deal where you paid to come deal with things, but after talking with some of the other workers we didn’t think that was quite right.”
Cletus entered a banking menu in his nav bracelet, and Kyle quickly received a notification that 30,000 credits had been deposited into his account. “It ain’t much, but it’s the principle of the thing. Y’all took good care of us, made sure we had some jobs to come back to.”
Kyle was about to protest, but was cut off by a look from Arhades. He bowed slightly toward Cletus, an awkward gesture given their height difference.
“We graciously accept, and wish you all a swift return to normalcy. Now, I take my leave.” He paused, turning to Kyle. “It was a pleasure working with you, Mr. Mayhew. May this be the first of many collaborations to come.”
With that, he stepped onto the teleporter, and was whisked away. Cletus looked at Kyle. “Your turn now. Good luck out there, with whatever the heck it is you do.”
Kyle smiled as he stepped onto the platform. “You, too, Cletus.”
The world around him warped, and the next thing Kyle knew he was back at a familiar teleporter in the heart of the Gray Conglomerate. It was time to go home.