Chapter 298
[IT IS GETTING AWAY, DR. MAYHEW.]
“I’m well aware, C.H.A.D.D.,” Kyle growled, continuing his pursuit of the fast-moving amphibian.
Ordata was an interesting planet; one under the control and administration of the Pillar, the phytan civilization. From what Kyle understood, they purchased rights to the planet, which was originally in a Gray Conglomerate system. The world was covered entirely in water, with a perpetual blanket of thick clouds that gave a constant drizzle of warm rain.
C.H.A.D.D.’s initial interest in the planet had been due to the massive network of aquatic plants that lived both under the surface of the water and atop it. What Kyle could best describe as massive lily pads spread out as far as his eyes could see, many of which condensed orbs of water-affinity mana, which dispersed into the atmosphere and maintained the gentle rain.
He was surprised to learn upon his arrival that, other than a small outpost near the teleporter, the phytans hadn’t done any meaningful work to settle Ordata. Though, as he began his hunt, Kyle expected it might be due to the prevalence of the obnoxious frog-like creatures like the one he and C.H.A.D.D. now pursued.
From C.H.A.D.D.’s research, part of the reason the Gray Conglomerate had been willing to part with the planet was that these creatures had been introduced inadvertently during a corporate exploration, and the population had absolutely exploded. The D Grade amphibians stood nearly two meters tall, with almost two-thirds of their height in their legs. They had no remarkable attributes whatsoever, with the exception of their Dexterity, and their loud, incessant croaking. In a fair fight, Kyle expected that a single chaddling could take down quite a few of them. Assuming the frogs stayed to fight, that is.
The Pillar had a standing bounty on the creatures in an effort to control their population, though the pay was low enough that very few people bothered. Moreover, the frogs were fast. Despite only being in early D Grade, they were nearly as quick as Kyle with Ignition active. Coupled with their ability to run across the water, courtesy of their large, webbed feet, chasing them across the endless fields of lily pads was a challenge.
Kyle swore as he stepped on a lily pad that sunk into the water, reflexively activating Repel to give himself a boost as C.H.A.D.D. engaged its flight mechanics. From his vantage, he launched another, weaker blast directly in the path of the froglike creature, just as it leapt to try and avoid him. Water exploded in the wake of Kyle’s skill, and the frog was unable to react in time as he finally closed the distance enough for Parasitic Resonance to connect, ending the frog’s life.
The Core of the Parasitic Devourer greedily drank in the mana, as had become habit over the last week of hunting. He felt a growing sense of anticipation through his bond with the core, one that he shared. Unlike much of what he’d done before, this hunt was tightly curated, with a specific goal of gaining his last Adaptive Anatomy upgrade, at least before it filled to 100%. After that, he had no idea what to expect.
Collecting the body, Kyle made his way back toward the teleporter, stopping just long enough for C.H.A.D.D. to drain a handful of the water lilies along the way. As he drew near to the small outpost, he intentionally suppressed his aura, a habit that was becoming more and more natural. He was met by a familiar swirling cloud of red and orange, and he raised his hand in greeting.
“It’s good to see you, Oovel. I’ve got another one.”
The phytan, Oovel, swirled in the air as a gentle telekinetic force lifted the frog, floating it toward a cold storage. Its voice was a soft buzz, spoken in an odd cadence. “That… is good… Mr. Mayhew… We hope that… it was not too… troublesome.”
“It’s not a problem at all,” Kyle replied. Truthfully, he appreciated that the phytans requested the remains to be stored, processed, and fed to some of the other creatures on the planet. Even if it was a little more work to bring them back, he wasn’t leaving decomposing bodies behind.
Oovel, despite being in early D Grade, was apparently an environmental scientist. The planet’s lack of day and night cycles, coupled with Kyle’s sense of urgency around the timeline meant he’d only stopped to rest at the outpost a couple of times, but the conversations with Oovel had been elightening. From what the phytan told him, one of the biggest issues with the frogs was the slow damage they were doing to the unique plant life on the planet. Oovel’s job, among others, was to investigate methods to preserve the plants while also reducing the frog population, work Kyle found particularly interesting.
“If I… may ask… why are you… hunting here? Surely… you are powerful enough… to find other opponents?”
Even with his aura suppressed, Kyle understood where Oovel was coming from. Most D Grades didn’t bother to come here to hunt, with the few individuals he’d seen having been at the upper realm of E Grade, or otherwise lower-tier D Grade. By the simple virtue of being licensed as a Courier, Kyle was already overqualified. Fortunately, he and C.H.A.D.D. worked on an excuse.
“I’m mostly here to test out a new skill, and to work on shoring up some of my foundations. The bounty on these creatures helps offset some of my costs,” Kyle replied.
“I see… In that case… I bid you good… hunting.”
Kyle nodded, turning to leave. He could already hear the discordant croaking echoing across the water, and he took off in a random direction. The benefit of these frogs’ overpopulation was that tracking them down was simple. Less than twenty minutes later, Kyle had already found his next quarry, and the chase began anew.
During their hunts, they’d tried a variety of different techniques in an attempt to speed things up. C.H.A.D.D. offered to launch vines at the frogs, they attempted to approach from above, and even went as far as trying to slow them down with direct strikes of Repel. No matter the strategy, however, each chase wound up with Kyle frantically trying to gain ground on the speedy beasts. So, they cut out the bells and whistles, instead focusing on making the pursuit as efficient as possible.
Individually, the frogs had relatively little mana. Even so, as dozens upon dozens of the creatures fell, the Core of the Parasitic Devourer slowly but surely filled up. With each of the frogs that he hunted, Kyle felt the anticipation building inside the core. Finally, just over a month into their time on Ordata, something shifted.
He almost lost his balance on the lily pad for a moment as an expected wave of vertigo washed over him. Fortunately, this time it passed quickly. There was nothing immediately noticeable, but as he moved to a larger lily pad to rest, Kyle felt that it was slightly easier than before to move across the shifting surfaces with the frog across his shoulders. Upon finding a comfortable spot, Kyle settled in and entered meditation. He hadn’t gained any levels, but he drew his attention to the line he’d been waiting to see.
KYLE MAYHEW. ARTHRO-HUMAN CHIMERA (PARASITE), SURVIVALIST. LEVEL 107 (D)
CORE OF THE PARASITIC DEVOURER 97%
ADAPTIVE ANATOMY – 14/? – ENHANCED CARAPACE (FERRIC AUGMENTATION), AURIC PERCEPTION (SYNAPTIC BARBS), EXOSKELETAL STRENGTH (MUSCULAR COMPRESSION), CEASELESS VITALITY (TENACIOUS VIGOR), INSTINCTIVE INTELLIGENCE (PACK LEADER’S INSTINCT), COVERT DEXTERITY (REFLEXIVE EVASION), UNBREAKABLE WILL (HEART OF CREATION)
Despite cutting it close, Kyle achieved his final Adaptive Anatomy upgrade, with only 3% left before the Core of the Parasitic Devourer hit 100%. What that meant, Kyle had no idea. All he knew was that he was excited to see what would happen. And with the upcoming assignment with Corthian Mining, Kyle expected the final pieces would be filled sooner than later.
[DOES THE ENHANCEMENT MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS, DR. MAYHEW?]
“Hard to say,” Kyle said, exiting meditation. “Though at the end of the day, it’s hard to be disappointed after getting an opportunity like this. Of course, you know all about that.”
Kyle felt a sheepishness from C.H.A.D.D. through Pack Leader’s Instinct. [I DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT, DR. MAYHEW.]
“Oh? So you haven’t been putting aquatic enhancements into the chaddlings?”
[THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON SOME UPGRADES,] C.H.A.D.D. admitted.
Kyle hopped lightly across the lily pads, paying attention to see if there were any differences in his movements. Maybe I’m keeping my balance a bit better?
[IN FAIRNESS, I DID NOT WANT TO DISTRACT FROM YOUR BREAKTHROUGH WITH SOMETHING SO INSIGNIFICANT BY COMPARISON.]
“We’re a team,” Kyle said, taking a running leap off a larger plant. “We picked Ordata because it had opportunities for both of us. Of course I’m going to be happy about anything you gain, even if it seems small.”
[I APPRECIATE THAT, DR. MAYHEW.]
During the rest of the journey back to the outpost, C.H.A.D.D. described in detail the plans for amphibious chaddlings, as well as theories to offer the plant soldiers improved mobility. For his part, Kyle just listened and smiled, finally arriving at the outpost just under an hour later to turn in the bounty from his final hunt.
“Welcome back… Mr. Mayhew,” Oovel offered in greeting, swirling excitedly. Kyle allowed the frog’s body to be lifted from his shoulders, giving a warm nod to Oovel.
“Thank you, Oovel. With this, though, it’s time to go home. Can you send a message to get the teleporter opened up?”
“Certainly… Mr. Mayhew. Is there… a particular reason… you are choosing… to leave now?” Oovel buzzed curiously.
“I think I’ve finally gleaned everything I can from this environment,” Kyle said truthfully. “Still, I might come back someday. Ordata is beautiful.”
Kyle was serious about that. Though the frogs were certainly annoying, there was a strange tranquility to the planet, with its gentle rain and lazy clouds. Kyle could see himself coming back to meditate, or take some time to explore the deeper waters of the world. Another day, he admonished himself.
“I will… send word. Good fortune to you… Mr. Mayhew.”
Because Ordata shared a teleportation network with other phytan worlds, it took Kyle the better part of two days before they were approved for passage to one of the Pillar teleportation hubs, which in turn sent Kyle and C.H.A.D.D. back to the Hub. Finally, they stepped off the platform nearest Kyle’s apartment.
[NOW THAT WE HAVE RETURNED, WHAT ELSE WILL YOU DO WITH YOUR TIME?]
“I’m not entirely sure, C.H.A.D.D. Though this seems like as good a time as any to enjoy a few more days of rest and relaxation. Something tells me that we’re going to need them.”