Kyle sidestepped the bolt from Jax before vaulting over a wall of stone and running toward the end of the objective.  Motes of light still lit up the air as the remnant of Trex’s attack pursued him, and Kyle drew in even more energy through Ignition.  His body burned with the power as the stonebloom armor’s rejection field amplified around him, taking most of the edge off the blows.  He ducked under an arrow fired by Tillienne, opening himself up to another bolt from Jax.  Gritting his teeth, Kyle barely managed to keep his footing.  Eyes focused on the goal; he ran.  Just a little farther. 

Trex let out another, far weaker blast in attempt to stop him.  It ripped up the ground in front of Kyle, but it was simply too slow.  Storm Shelter activated on instinct, blocking the beam.  The moment the attack faded, Kyle deactivated his skill and continued forward.  Tillienne jumped down to intercept him, Jax a half-step behind.  A silver spear and shield appeared in two of her hands as a crackling bar of lightning appeared in Jax’s. 

Kyle changed his approach, moving directly toward Jax.  Dark hair swirled around him as he held his ground, raising the bolt of lightning into a swordsman’s stance.  Electricity crackled across his skin as he activated his boosting skill, expression resolute.  This wasn’t the first time Kyle had seen the young man fight in melee, and while he was certainly competent, he was the weakest of the trio by a fairly wide margin.  Parasitic Resonance connected, forcing Jax to focus his energy on keeping his skills under control. 

The moment of hesitation was all Kyle needed, dodging a sweeping slash while landing three hard strikes with his baton.  As Jax reeled back, Kyle blew past.  Tillienne was rushing to intercept him, but was too far away.  A smile broke across Kyle’s face as he took the final step to the target destination.  What a way to end the training. 

It wasn’t the first time that Kyle broke into the destination over the last three weeks, but he failed twice over for each time he succeeded.  More often than not, however, his failures were a result of mistiming Trex’s large-scale attack.  Tillienne and Jax had managed to stop him on their own a few times as well.  Their daily training had resulted in each of them further refining their approach to the different challenges, with each finding opportunities to come out ahead despite squaring off against one another.

Jax and Tillienne walked up, both wearing satisfied expressions.  He couldn’t blame them, they’d each performed exceptionally well during their last exercises, too.  Trex floated down as well, algae swirling in the air behind the other two.  “It has… been a pleasure… training with you.  We wish you… all success in your… final trial.”

Kyle inclined his head in a polite bow.  “Thank you.  It’s been a great experience.”  After a pause, Kyle turned to Jax.  “And thank you for the offer to train at your family’s facilities.  It was generous, and appreciated.”

Jax just smiled.  “It’s a networking expense, and well worth it.”

Tillienne nodded her agreement, a twinkle in her eyes.  “Then let’s enjoy a last meal together before we depart.” 

Kyle smiled, glad that she’d returned to the same bubbly personality he’d gotten to know before Phase Two.  Things had been tense for a couple of days after their first sparring match.  He could tell that it bothered her to think that Kyle didn’t have to take her seriously, though getting opportunities to see both him and Jax struggling in their respective training sessions seemed to take the edge off of it.

Soon, Kyle found himself standing on the teleporter, bags in tow.  Jax walked up and clasped his hand.  “Enjoy a little break, see you at the start of Phase Three.”

“You as well,” Kyle said, before turning to Tillienne.  “And thank you for the introduction.  Let’s get together at your sister’s restaurant when this is all done to celebrate getting our licenses.”

The fae woman’s smile deepened at the words, as she gave a gentle bow.  “I would very much enjoy it.”

With that, Kyle was whisked back to his district in the Hub.  His body was still sore, but he had just over 10 days before he had to report to the Institute to start Phase Three, which was plenty of time to recover.  As he walked back to his apartment, he couldn’t help but look at the splendor around him.  The bustling city was spectacular, and it felt oddly comforting to be back after having spent so much time away at the Cain family’s facility.  I never would have guessed I’d feel so comfortable in a big city, Kyle mused, a wistful smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Getting back to his apartment, he cleaned up before resting in his bed.  He knew there was plenty to work on before arriving at Phase Three, but for now he wanted to reflect on his gains before making a list.  Closing his eyes, Kyle entered meditation.

KYLE MAYHEW.  ARTHRO-HUMAN CHIMERA (PARASITE), SURVIVALIST.  LEVEL 53 (D)

CORE OF THE PARASITIC DEVOURER 0%

ADAPTIVE ANATOMY – 7/? – ENHANCED CARAPACE, AURIC PERCEPTION, EXOSKELETAL STRENGTH, CEASELESS VITALITY, INSTINCTIVE INTELLIGENCE, COVERT DEXTERITY, UNBREAKABLE WILL

VITALITY: 832

ENDURANCE: 966

STRENGTH: 351

DEXTERITY: 628

WILLPOWER: 1178

INTELLIGENCE: 1178

PERCEPTION: 932

FREE ATTRIBUTES: 0

His leveling speed was surprising, though he supposed confronting multiple D Grade powerhouses through several weeks of intense training aligned pretty well with his path.  He hadn’t invested any of his free attributes into Intelligence or Willpower through the last few levels, instead opting to shore up his physical attributes and Perception.  With Ignition providing a boost to all attributes, Kyle figured the higher his baseline, the more impact he would see from the skill.

Even more exciting to him was how quickly he was approaching Level 60, and the upgrade to HEAL.  He didn’t expect to cross that threshold during Phase Three, but he didn’t think it would take too long afterwards if he found the right environment.  He’d been getting a lot of practice with his skill over the last few weeks, and his control was improving daily.  Kyle had no doubt he’d get some interesting upgrade options when the time came.

Of course, levels and attributes weren’t the only things Kyle gained from his time training.  His ability to manipulate and enhance the field offered by the stonebloom armor had improved significantly.  The effect was still too weak on its own to fully nullify the mana from potent D Grade attacks, but it still managed to mitigate the force somewhat. 

Kyle had also grown far more comfortable with the prolonged use of Ignition in combat, feeling at ease as the skill ramped up to its equilibrium.  It had yet to reach the effortlessness that he’d enjoyed with Haste, though he was more than satisfied with the progress.  As Garth had shown him so long ago, there was a distinct difference between prowess and levels, and the intense training had been fruitful for both.

He smiled as he thought about his friends making their way to the Hub, making a note to reach out to them soon to check the status of the evacuation.  With the first shuttles from Earth set to arrive soon, Kyle knew he’d at least want to check in with Corthian Mining to see how the relocation efforts progressed.  With luck, some of his friends would be among the early arrivals.  In any event, it would have to wait until he finished Phase Three.  Jumping out of bed, Kyle began to pace through the room.

“We’ll need to update some of our supplies, and get more pogrit seeds, just in case.  C.H.A.D.D., how confident are you in drawing energy from the World Tree Seed into the armor?”

[I’M QUITE CONFIDENT IN THE APPLICATION, THOUGH THE CONTROL WILL BE DIFFICULT.]

Kyle nodded.  “No way to make it more subtle at this point?”

[IT IS UNLIKELY, DR. MAYHEW.  EVEN LIMITED, THE POWER FROM THE SEED IS IMMENSE.]

“Then we’ll keep that in reserve, no need to show all the cards right away.”

He’d first noticed the change after the return from Phase Two.  It was slight, but there was a gentle shift in his relationship to the World Tree Seed after drawing in the atmospheric mana for so long.  In some ways, it reminded him of a similar shift during his fight with the Storm.  He found that, with C.H.A.D.D.’s assistance, he could draw faint streams of energy from the seed. 

The power was incredible, though Kyle was loath to do it outside of a genuine emergency.  If there was one thing he appreciated, it was the value of a treasure like the seed.  All it would take would be the wrong person to see him use the energy and put two and two together for him and C.H.A.D.D. to wind up in peril.

Outside of his own power, C.H.A.D.D. was able to glean some insights as well.  Kyle was able to negotiate with the Cain family mechanics to purchase several of their schematics.  Their drones were far more reliant on mechanical components rather than runic inscription, but it was still information that C.H.A.D.D. was reviewing when considering the next steps in its upgrades.   

[YOU WILL BE PLEASED TO LEARN THAT THE OTHER PROJECT WITH THE SEED WAS A SUCCESS, DR. MAYHEW.  THE POGRIT SEEDS AND STONEBLOOM BOTH HAD CHARACTERISTICS THAT WERE ABLE TO BE ARCHIVED WITHIN THE WORLD TREE SEED.]

“That’s fantastic news, C.H.A.D.D.  What does that mean in practical terms?”

[THE MOST IMMEDIATE BENEFIT WILL BE EFFICIENCY IN GROWTH OF BOTH PLANT TYPES.  IN THE LONGER TERM, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO APPLY THE CHARACTERISTICS TO OTHER PLANT LIFE WHEN USING THE ENERGY FROM THE SEED.]

“We’ve got a long way before we’re drawing more out of it, but this is a great start.  Other than restocking supplies and recovering, I still want to get a message sent to Marcus Kulhavey, though that shouldn’t take much time.  What are we missing from the list?”

[I BELIEVE THAT SHOULD COVER YOUR NEEDS BETWEEN NOW AND THE NEXT PHASE, DR. MAYHEW.]

~~~

The remaining time flew by, Kyle largely spending his days in light training and reflection.  His message was sent to Kulhavey’s office within a day, his shopping was complete, and all that remained was counting down the time. 

Anticipation warred with excitement in his chest as he approached the entrance to the Institute.  He was one of the first applicants to arrive, watching as others entered through the door.  Judging by the expressions on their faces when they walked in, his mix of emotions was far from unique.  He nodded at Tillienne and Jax, who waved in return. 

Time ticked down, and when there was only a minute left Kyle realized that Arhades wasn’t present.  There’s no way he didn’t pass Phase Two, is there?  As his curiosity began to run wild, the door opened once more, revealing the velgian clad in his resplendent armor.  At a glance, his expression appeared bored.  Looking more closely, however, Kyle thought he saw the man carrying more tension than usual in his shoulders. 

“Welcome, applicants!”  The familiar voice rang out through the hallway, and the gentle murmurs of conversation were all cut short.  “This marks the beginning of Phase Three of your Practicum.  You’ll approach the teleportation platform, one by one, and let the proctor know which trial you’ve selected.  You will then step back, with every different group being teleported at once to your various destinations.

“We will call you by name, and the breakdowns of each individual trial will be available to you on your nav bracelet.  Arhades, of the Alabaster Court, please step forward.”

The velgian practically glided across the floor, making his way to the dais with unmatched grace.  “Arena Combat.”  He spoke two simple words, then stepped back into the prepared waiting area. 

Kyle looked at his nav bracelet, and saw a name entered underneath the header.  As more names were called, Arena Combat was far and away the most popular choice.  Over half of the remaining applicants signed up for it, including Tillienne.  Mercenary Guild is popular for a reason, I suppose.

Jax was one of the few to elect for Defend Position, and Target Hunt was similarly sparse.  Labyrinth Escape had a few more applicants, while Artifact Retrieval had yet to see a single applicant.  When it was Kyle’s turn, he strode up confidently, looking forward to be the first to choose that trial. 

“Kyle Mayhew, you’ll be pleased to know we have already received your request to participate in Labyrinth Escape.”