Kyle ducked and weaved as blades of volcanic glass formed from the dunes and ripped towards him.  Each blade was packed with mana, and he had no doubt that they would inflict meaningful damage if he got caught.  Risking an activation of Identify, he realized that a good chunk of the energy was being drawn from the mana already infused in the glass.  That allowed the giant fish – which Kyle had taken to calling the Maw – to expend far less power maintaining the chain of attacks.

Unfortunately for Kyle, understanding the mechanics did little to help him counter them.  The Maw simply floated through the dunes at a distance, seeming perfectly content to allow its attacks to whittle him down at range.  From the impression offered by Identify, it was a fairly lopsided creature.  It was highly specialized in Endurance, Willpower, and Intelligence, with laughably low Dexterity and Perception.  But Kyle had no time to laugh.

Its overall level of power was significantly lower than any of the D Grade beasts he fought on Earth, and in a different environment Kyle would have had no issues taking it down.  It was highly specialized to fighting in the dunes, and that was the first challenge to overcome.  It reminded Kyle of his fight against the Storm, though this time he didn’t have the means to separate the creature from its home field advantage.

Sidestepping another blade, Kyle darted toward the creature.  Many of the dead fish had been cut by the stream of attacks, leaving numerous footholds for Kyle to use.  The Maw’s tire-sized eyes regarded his approach impassively, and a fierce grin broke out on Kyle’s face as invisible tendrils of Parasitic Resonance lashed out, connecting to it.

The moment they did, Kyle’s mana began to fluctuate wildly.  Mana was ripped from the Maw, being drained at an alarming rate.  Rather than replenishing Kyle’s own, he felt the energy get drawn into his core with an almost ravenous hunger. 

In a panic, Kyle struggled to deactivate the skill.  It persisted longer than it should have, as though it had a mind of its own.  Finally, the tendrils dissipated as the Maw thrashed and dove beneath the swirling black sand.  Kyle let out a bitter breath.  He couldn’t risk another episode in this fight.  Still, without his trump card skill, he had little confidence in his victory. 

[DR. MAYHEW, THIS IS GETTING DANGEROUS.  THE MANA SIGNATURE FROM THE CREATURE IS SPIKING.]

“I feel it too, though I lost sight of it when it dove away.  Any idea what it’s doing?”

[NONE IN THE SLIGHTEST, DR. MAYHEW.  I DOUBT YOU WILL FIND THE EFFECTS BENEFICIAL, HOWEVER.]

“Thanks for the advice.” Kyle said dryly.

A map popped up in front of him, as well as a gentle orange light guiding him to the beast’s location.  It was a good fifteen meters below him in the sand, mana appearing to build with every moment.  Even if C.H.A.D.D. didn’t know what the specifics of the technique were, it didn’t take a genius intellect to understand that Kyle didn’t want to be on the receiving end of it. 

With Ignition still functional, Kyle sprinted away from the creature.  He darted toward the entrance platform, where hopefully the Maw would expend its energy on a big attack.  If he was right, Kyle would be out of range by the time it took place.  Without warning, everything within two hundred meters of the Maw began to swirl and float.  The fish body Kyle was standing on was no exception, and Kyle found himself hanging on as he was enveloped in a tornado of black sand.

Coarse grains scratched against his skin as larger metal objects that were obscured in the dunes flew in circles, rapidly picking up speed.  The sand climbed into the sky in a pillar over a dozen meters high, with the Maw waiting below.  C.H.A.D.D. highlighted all the debris as it flew, specks of orange in the obsidian vortex.  In that moment, Kyle soon realized that their usual tactic wouldn’t be effective.  The projected highlights were dispelled too quickly by the magnetic pulses, and Kyle couldn’t keep his eyes open long enough to make good use of the information.

He clung desperately to the thick, hard scales, his only handholds in the storm.  What the hell can I do?  He wracked his brain as he was struck over and over by flying debris.  Blunt force was still one of his greatest weaknesses, but between his natural resilience and recovery he was able to shrug off most of the damage.  His biggest problem was his lack of offensive power, particularly against a creature with such high Endurance.  Attacking a beast that size with his baton would be laughable, even with Ignition active.

Even worse, he didn’t dare use Parasitic Resonance to connect to C.H.A.D.D., which also prevented him from making full use of the various seeds in his pack.  If he failed to control the skill, there was a real risk of accidentally killing his drone companion.  That was simply an unacceptable risk in his eyes.

He opened his mouth to ask if C.H.A.D.D. identified any weak spots in its scales, and immediately shut it as razor-sharp glass flew in and cut the inside of his cheek.  He spat it out, the iron taste of blood fresh on his tongue.  That made him pause, an idea coming to life.  Before he could figure out how to put it in action, an obsidian blade slammed directly into his back.

The stonebloom armor absorbed the cutting edge, but the sheer force of the strike knocked him wildly, the scales of the fish he’d been holding onto no longer able to keep their form.  As his handhold disintegrated, another blade of black sand caught him, this time tearing a line in his left thigh.  He winced in pain, the glass biting into him like a rotating saw blade. 

Kyle was in a free fall now; his momentum being shifted back and forth as more and more of the attacks connected.  Adaptive Regeneration and Heal were put on full display as he desperately knit together torn flesh.  His armor was getting battered by the assault, and he could only hope that he could repair the damage afterward. 

As the seconds wore on, Kyle lost track of his orientation, spinning through the air as he endured what felt like an endless assault.  Just as panic was truly beginning to set in, the attacks stopped.  Kyle felt himself plummeting, and as he opened his eyes, he saw a rain of black sand falling alongside him.  He turned wildly, trying to find his opponent. 

He spotted the Maw, directly below him with its mouth open, as if to swallow him whole.  A quick use of Identify showed that its mana was moving sluggishly, the power barely a fraction of what it had been just minutes ago.  Kyle found some comfort in the notion that he’d survived its trump card attack head-on, though he had no doubt that he looked like a bloody mess.

[DR. MAYHEW, YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING. YOU’LL BE -]

The Maw jumped, propelled by its magnetism.  Like a trout jumping out of the water after a bug, its jaws snapped shut, swallowing Kyle whole.

[- EATEN.]

Kyle swore as he pulled his left leg in, the force of the bite breaking his ankle despite the boots he wore.  He could recover broken bones, but they hurt. The jaws pumped up and down, trying to chew the Survivalist into pulp.  Kyle rolled up into a ball, keeping his extremities away from the jagged, stony fangs.  Its breath smelled like rotten fish, and he fought to avoid gagging.

He felt the Maw growing more agitated by the moment; frustration apparent in its movement as it tried, and failed, to digest him.  Kyle knew he didn’t have much time until it changed tactics, and moved quickly.  Reflecting on the training with manipulating the stonebloom armor’s passive field, he tried to apply the same principles to one of his most-used skills: Storm Shelter.

Kyle’s experience with the skill left him with a strong understanding of the fundamentals.  Using his center as the origin, mana was projected outwards to form the dome of the skill, with the structure solidifying when it reached an appropriate distance.  Using Parasitic Resonance, Kyle had been able to create multiple instances by tapping into another person’s mana network and using it as the ‘origin’ of the skill.  Now, he wanted to manipulate the formation of the structure.

Instinctive Intelligence had, on multiple occasions, brought the barrier up faster than when he put conscious effort into it.  To him, that hinted at the ability to speed up or slow down the formation of the structure of the barrier. 

With a breath, he tried to activate the skill.  Nothing happened, as the mana wasn’t able to meaningfully project in the small space.  The pressure from the beast’s mouth weighed down on him, increasing the difficulty.  He tried again, thinking about manipulating the field from the stonebloom armor.  The principles were the same, shaping and moving the mana according to his will.  He tried again, and failed. 

The Maw was thrashing now, and Kyle wasn’t able to entirely keep up with the movements.  Heavy bites cracked both armor and bone, and the pain was immense.  He tried a third time, feeling the shape come together before a particularly violent movement made him break focus.

[DR. MAYHEW, WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING DOESN’T SEEM TO BE WORKING.  MAY I ADVISE GETTING OUT OF THE FISH’S MOUTH?]

Ignoring the drone, Kyle inhaled and closed his eyes.  He felt the mana leaving his body, the clarity provided by Unbreakable Will near its all-time high.  He solidified hexagonal pieces of the barrier’s structure, while keeping the ‘joints’ between the hexes flexible.  The partial structure formed around him in the tight space, and something in his mind clicked.  Pushing with all the Willpower he could muster, the barrier sprang to life. 

The hexagonal plates snapped into place, forming the spherical shape Kyle strove to create.  It met resistance inside the Maw, which was now twisting and turning as it tried to spit out what it once thought to be a tasty morsel.  Between Ignition and Unbreakable Will, the force of Kyle’s mana was beyond anything he’d felt before.  The resistance broke a moment later, Storm Shelter fully forming around him, destroying everything in its path.  The Maw exploded outward, a glowing barrier in existence where it’s head had once been.

Kyle stood as he deactivated the barrier, his body screaming in protest.  He made it seven shaky steps before collapsing into the sand, allowing Adaptive Regeneration and Heal to mend bleeding cuts and broken bones.  He looked at the now-headless body of the Maw, considering the implications of what he’d done. 

In many ways, Storm Shelter was one of his most powerful skills, both at a conceptual and practical level.  The barrier was significantly more powerful than many people thought it should have been, and had saved his life more times than he could count.  It was profoundly simple, and exceptionally effective.  While he hoped he wouldn’t have to use it in this way again, it made him think about his next two D Grade skill selections.  It was easy to get wrapped up in complexity, and this reminded him of the importance of simplicity.  Sometimes the best tool is the one that can be used in any circumstance.

Kyle reflected on that idea as he healed, too pained to enter meditation as he mended broken bones.  An hour later, he stood.  The worst of the damage had been worked through, and Kyle was ready to get back to the entrance and confront the culprit behind his episode: the Core of the Parasitic Devourer.