19 Althea

She ran into some bushes before I tossed the spike where she hid. The metal left my hand, and I blistered towards her with clumps of grass flying off the back of my feet. I crashed into the greenery, but the scout disappeared. Resounding through the bushes, another destructive detonation of sound boomed in the distance.

A tree beside me splintered as another harpoon disappeared into the soil below. I gawked at the impaled dirt, grimacing at the damage done. Hustling toward the source of the sound, I broke branches, the bark bouncing off my face. The plants obscured my vision while vines whipped my chest. Losing track of her, the forest silenced.

Another lance pierced through the woods, sinking beside my foot. Racing towards the source of the sound, I pounded my heels into the forest floor, briars and bushes slowing me even further. The terrain fought me harder than she did. Popping into my vision, Althea’s cannon ejected the heavy, kinetic bouncer in the back.

The steel sank into the dirt as she pulled out a smaller tactical rifle from the cannon’s insides. The barrel flashed as shots zipped my way. The bright, red flashes dug straight into my chest. Pain exploded out like a hornet's nest. Skin seared as my flesh cooked. Ignoring the discomfort, I wove back and forth, moving my head in a chaotic flow. She remained calm, standing her ground and firing burst after burst at me.

I quit moving my head and shifted my body instead. Getting turned into swiss cheese while closing the distance, I changed tactics. I hid behind a boulder, waiting for my wounds to regenerate. I inspected the holes in my chest, finding no rounds left in me. Based on the red flashing, her rifle fired some type of energy munition.

It hurt like wildfire, but it inflicted little damage. Even when we met, her first few shots immobilized me, but they missed my vitals. Given her accuracy now, she chose debilitation over bloodshed. She aimed at taking me back towards her employers or something worse.

Interrupting my thoughts, whizzing rounds stabbed into my boulder barricade. Powdered rock floated in the wind as she walked around the stone towards me. Staying in place, I pulled my arm forward. I clapped my elbow into the rock, chunks of it falling out. Grabbing an armful, I waited for her to change her angle of attack.

She maintained a wide girth while closing the distance. I waited until she got near my side of the rock barrier before running out the other side. Right before stepping into her view, I tossed a rock in the direction where she expected me to come out. Her reflexes snapped into action, and she tore through the boulder piece I tossed up.

It disintegrated before I barreled towards her. She aimed at me right as I chucked another rock at her. The sharp piece snapped into her helmet, breaking several tubes leading towards her neck. She pulled back while I dashed closer, but the jungle impeded her as it had impeded me. She aimed once more, and I threw a stone again.

It snapped into another tube, more red gunk spilling into the jungle. She scrambled for escape after a few aiming attempts. No longer walking into a firing range, I closed in on my dashing distance. As the crimson fluid leaked from her armor, her hands shook. She pulled out a syringe from her side and stabbed herself. It stabilized her, making her sprint and run faster.

She aimed back and fired quick bursts, tagging me. I ripped the underbrush apart on my way over, my health dwindling to half. One option showed itself, so I leaned below a burst of fire before pushing off my heels. I shot towards her, wind rushing past my helm. Her knees wobbled as she unloaded a full clip into my incoming chest. It burned and raged like fire, but I kept upright, reaching her. Grabbing the end of the rifle, I jerked the weapon from her grasp.

She let it go, punching at my head. Her fist smacked into my helmet, denting it and whipping my head back. I grimaced at the sheer power she held in her tiny frame. Stunned for a second, I stumbled back while getting my bearings. Worried of her rushing in, I kept my arms high. Instead of capitalizing on my vulnerability, she let me go. Peering at her, I discovered why.

The arm that struck me mangled into a broken mess of blood and steel. A series of spiral fractures eliminated her usage of the limb, and the metal crumbled with it. My armor outdid hers, so despite Althea’s physical power, her bones shattered before mine did.

Taking the moment offered to me, I shook off my dizziness. I came in once more with a short jab. Althea reacted like lightning, tilted her head sideways. My fist brushed past her face as she countered my strike with her unbroken hand. She smashed a fist into my face, and my head bounced back as if running into a wall. My vision blurring, I buckled back, my knees wobbling.

I got my bearings, gawking at her in surprise. Her power and speed roared out like fury and fire. She aimed for strength and dexterity, her reaction times and power both first class. Taking another second, I let my health return to normal. My vision cleared, spots dissipating in my peripherals.

The armor over Althea hampered her regeneration, unlike mine. The twisted metal prevented her arms from reassembling. She heaved for breath from under her armor, both her arms resting on her sides and shattered beyond repair. Red fluid leaked from both of the broken tubes, no longer giving her an artificial rush of adrenaline. The goo pumped out of the suit, and once I healed up, I closed in.

I ducked under her desperate punch before snapping a quick hook into her side. She keeled over, her armor denting. Chaining my strikes as a combination, I lobbed a heavy uppercut as she slumped down, her head whiplashing up. Glass cracked, and she stumbled away from me.

I lunged forward. She pulled out knives of red energy. She sliced at my throat, but I weaved between her slow slashes. Her broken arms refused to listen to her commands, all agility having left her. She compensated midfight, holding the blade backwards. Whipping the knives, she slashed right at my vitals. Deadly but predictable, I kept myself calm and stayed close.

Althea struggled on, her willpower keeping her conscious. I pressured her back, keeping my attacks light. In time, her strikes turned desperate and wild. She trembled and shivered. When she stumbled back, I charged towards her for the killing blow. Midway through my strike, she changed directions.

She bounced off her heels, and a loud clamp echoed in my ears. Debilitating misery thundered up my leg as something clamped onto my foot like a viper's fangs. I howled out as she bolted towards me. Lunging at my neck, her blade slid forward with a smooth agility.

The fumbling chaos of before formed into a ruthless rigidity in an instant.

She played me, and I fell right into the trap. This entire time, she baited me around, pretending like she worked off desperation alone. Even in the moment, I admired the plan. It required guts, effort, and tenacity. However, it lacked an awareness of my abilities.

Her knife sliced at my neck, but I cranked my face towards her arm. Like a monster from hell, my helmet split open and chomped onto her crumpled limb. Metal pierced soft flesh, a torrent of blood flowing into my helmet as her armor crumpled. Holding her like a pitbull, I jerked her back and forth before pulling her down.

She lost her balance, her body lighter than mine. The red knife of energy fell from her hand as a high-pitched voice screamed through her voice intercom. On the ground, I tore a chunk off her armor and forearm. She howled out before kicking at my injured leg. I ignored the pain, snapping her head back with a fist.

Her head bounced off the dirt, and she stopped moving as much. I peered down, finding my leg bit into by a bear trap. The metal teeth carried a laser-lined edge, the red glow intermingling with my blood. I closed my eyes, jerking the trap off my leg. The trap tore out chunks of flesh, cooking and cauterizing the wounds.

I winced at the medley of blood and metal my leg turned into. The crumbled, umbral steel kept my weight up like a spiral peg leg. My regeneration came into its own once the trap fell down. Unlike Althea’s armor, mine reconstituted with my own health. Returning to normal, I grimaced before lifting the leg. No pain shouted back, so I turned back towards Althea.

I stomped down, bones in her legs cracking. She screamed, and I winced at the sound of it. Standing over her, I lifted my hand high. She pulled her arms up, “Stop! You don’t want to do this.”

Pausing for a second, I agreed with her. The two scavengers treaded farther from being human, but this woman sounded like a person. Like anyone I’d find on the street. That undue mercy of mine leaked into my words as I simmered,

“Why not? You tried killing me.”

“I could’ve killed you with the first shot. I didn’t.”

I narrowed my eyes, keeping my fist high, “Start talking then.”

“I-I’m here to scout. I was trying to take you back with me.”

“Where?”

“I can’t say.”

I frowned, “That’s convenient.”

She wrenched under me, her body convulsing. She winced, “Get away from me.”

Chips of glass fell from her helmet. A pair of deep, purple irises looked at me, fear stricken and panicked. My hand lowered to my side as I peered at her. I grimaced, “You're going to need to give me some answers.”

Two thin veins grew over her irises. An eerie feeling raced up my spine. Her voice deformed, “Get. Away. Now.”

Fear laced her voice, not towards herself but for me. The vibrant red mixture she pumped herself with mixed with my blood beneath us. I dipped my hand into it, rubbing it into my finger tips. It numbed wherever my skin touched. Slinging it off, I raised a brow down at her.

The goo anesthetized instead of invigorated.

I stood myself up before her body splintered under her helmet. A black tentacle shot out of her face mask and grabbed my neck. Like a tendril of steel, the limb lifted me upward. Other vines of black extended from her metal shell, rooting into the ground. As I rose up, her mechanized armor bulged outwards, the metal squealing as it bent.

With a sharp pop, the metal ripped open, revealing horror. Eyes opened in sporadic places, glancing around in a frenzy. Her stomach opened, intestines writhing outwards. Her flesh reformed into arms and feet and teeth. The abomination kept growing from the power armor towards me.

I bit through the tentacle holding me with my helmet. As I landed on the ground, I rolled away before standing up. The mound kept expanding in all directions as I lowered my hands,

"What the hell’s going on here?”

A ball of shadow radiated outwards before Torix walked from it. The lich gave the grotesque mass a knowing glance,

“What the hell indeed.”

Torix reached out a hand, freezing the creature in place. His palm shook as he squeezed a fist. The mound of meat retracted back into the torn armor. It stabilized, revealing a woman underneath the once writhing mass. She laid there, sleeping in tattered clothing. The sight of her struck me - she contrasted the deformity like night from day.

Her eyes and hair shared the same shade of lavender. Her skin shone silver in shade, though it only glistened from sweat. She laid out in the sunshine like an amethyst in a silver ring. As I gawked, Torix scoffed,

“I suppose you are rather young. Perhaps you’ve never seen a woman’s form before?”

I flushed under my helmet, “Of course I have, but come on man-“ I pointed at her, “Having that come out of that hideous blob, it’s, well, it’s insane.”

“Perhaps, but staring a little less would serve your dignity well.”

Ignoring the jabs, I mouthed, “I wonder who she is?”

“We will discover that once she’s been stabilized. Now-” Torix created a portal and shoved her into it, “Even a superficial glance exposes wells worth of eldritch energy oozing out of her. I’ve never seen anyone this contaminated with the eldritch yet still remain a system dweller.”

Torix turned and faced me, “She is still an unknown, however. This reformation process explains the reasoning behind that well enough.”

My eyebrows raised, “Why do you think she changed into that glob?”

Torix rubbed his hands together, “That is precisely why I am here. Uncovering life’s mysteries, why, that is my most consistent source of enjoyment by far.”

Realizing Torix dived in from nowhere, I leaned back, “Speaking of mysteries, how and why are you here?”

Torix stared forward, “I sent several of my summons to monitor you after you left. They diverted portions of their consciousness towards me, giving me a view of you. I ensured you didn’t run off after I gave you so many resources.”

I put my hands on my hips, “You kind of found me from off this planet. I don’t think there’s a chance I can hide from you now that you’re on it.”

Torix’s eyes flared red, “I thought the same of my son, and look where that has left me.”

I frowned, his words piercing himself more than me. We watched the jungle of the Evergreen Ravine, taking a second for silence. Torix interlocked his hands behind himself,

“My emotions for that matter have been settled, but the lessons learned still shout in my mind. I knew Alfred was likely to have passed before I found him. I spread the grief of his demise out over decades, though the confirmation of his passing was still a blow.”

Torix grabbed his hands behind himself, “Alfred taught me caution and foresight, and now, they are my greatest strengths. Should I wield them, they shall guard me. Those lessons guard you now as well, and by Schema’s grace, you need it.”

Torix peered in every direction, “The energy signature from your stunt with Baldag-Ruhl is attracting other presences from across the stars. This scout is likely one of those interested parties, so I’m going to see what she knows. Perhaps some experimenting shall take place, should she prove that she isn’t useful in other ways.”

I winced at the thought. My eyes set where she was, “I know it’s not my place to say this, but she did try warning me about her transformation. I don’t think she deserves torture.”

Torix rolled his fiery eyes, “Hah, she forfeited her life the moment she tried taking yours.”

“She didn't try to. She could’ve killed me if she wanted too.”

Torix shook his head, “That undue mercy of yours is far more grotesque than even this woman’s body.”

My eyes widened, “Would you say the same about me and my armor?”

Torix turned a palm to me, “Of course. If you allowed that eldritchian skin to overcome you thusly, then yes; I would say the same about you and your situation. You’ve contained it, however. She has not, and that makes all the difference.”

I flinched, “You-you think I could end up like that?”

Torix lifted his chin, “Likely not, though I can never be too certain. In all honesty, your armor’s stability is remarkable. Baldag-Ruhl’s work exemplified a relentless pursuit of perfection. Whoever tampered with that scout acts as a potent opposite; they demonstrate amateurish chauvinism.”

Torix sighed and peered down at me, “Regardless, I’m returning to BloodHollow. Do finish this dungeon and return forthrightly. I may have unlocked Miss Tolstoy’s secrets by the time you arrive...Preferrably without torture.”

Torix took off on his dark cloud of mana. I stared as he darted off with Althea. Lowering her chances of being tortured was about the best I could do for her. That repaid her for earlier.

Taking a breath, I shook off the jitters from the monster situation. Settling myself down, I slid down towards the bottom of the ravine again. Taking my mind off that dire situation, I met a few more komodo tigers. They offered little in the way of anything useful, including a good fight. They only gave me ambient mana, and by no means an enormous amount.

By comparison, the jungle itself was a wonder to behold. I picked a few of the stranger looking flowers and plants, hoping for maybe an alchemy or harvesting skill. Nothing happened, so I tried eating one of the glowing flowers. It burst out with a rancid mucus as I did. I spit it out, nearly throwing up. Vowing to never tell anyone about that, I marched onward.

I stumbled across a small cliff at the ravine’s center. There, a giant red eagle lounged with orange wings scorching out fire. Its chest puffed out with pride at its own form, an innate majesty oozing from it. The breathtaking beast spent a bit too much time looking dominant instead of being dominant, however.

I got one of the spears I tossed at Althea earlier before chucking the bolt at the eagle. It snapped one of its wings into the ground, and I charged it right after. I shattered the pinned wing. Flopping with its talons and pecking with its beak, it left a scrape or two on me before I crushed it to bits.

With the dungeon core ready, I handled more of my business.

[Flexible(Dexterity of 10 or more) - Your dexterity is good. Doubles flexibility bonus.]

[Perceptive(Perception of 10 or more) - Your perception is good. Doubles sensory bonuses.]

[Discerning(Perception of 15 or more) - Your perception is excellent. Double's comprehensive bonuses.]

After selecting Discerning, I finalized my choice. For the moment, nothing popped into place. I’d select the Beginner perk soon for the experience if no other perks showed themselves. It made me think about my quests. Not needing to complete them in one go, I ran back towards BloodHollow to cash in Schema’s rewards.

While running back, I checked out my tree menu. I’d stockpiled 233 points, so I put them into the Obliterator tree. Amazingly, I got nothing from it. Even with just shy of 250 points in it, I gained nothing. That being said, all of the other trees distributed rewards at set intervals. If this tree worked like the others, it could reward something at the quarter mark of the tree’s total, meaning 250.

Leveling towards that quarter mark took priority as I ran back towards BloodHollow. Noting the skill’s utility against Althea, I trained my Throwing during my journey back. To level the simple skill, I ripped off branches and tossed them at pinecones or the middle of trees. I missed less often than I expected, my finesse a far cry from my pre-status self.

By the time I reached BloodHollow, I gained three points in Throwing and one point in Physical Fitness. While sitting outside BloodHollow’s sheening doors, I placed my points into Obliterator. The satisfying ding of a notification rang in my ears along with the resulting rush.

An obliterator destroys, but all destruction ushers forth growth. The reason for that primordial principle is simple; for change to occur, the present must be wiped clean. An obliterator is the living omen of change for that reason. You bring that omen with you as well.

+1 attribute point per 5 levels. Effect is retroactive for all levels before 100.

The tree baffled any expectations I had prior. It gave me extra attributes permanently, and attributes always mounted to exceptional gains overtime. Ogling the bonuses for a moment, I took a moment to appreciate what this skill tree meant. If all four of the tiers acted like the first, I’d nearly double my attribute gain.

Combine that with my other trees, and my raw stat total exceeded others by leaps and bounds. Other people might get this same tree, however. In fact, there could be more people out there than me getting more trees at a lower level. If anything, families born into the system could pass down knowledge about what trees to unlock and when.

That knowledge might result in dynasties of individuals standing far over others. While ahead of normal people, I may not own an advantage over many of the elite out there in the stars. I smiled at the thought, the ceiling over me vast and infinite. Schema’s universe seemed that way, and Torix acted as the reason I pondered these ideas in the first place.

The old lich opened my perspective to the world beyond my own. I’d repay him for that one day.

Snapping back into the real world, the attribute screen popped up. After rereading Obliterator’s bonuses, I rubbed my temples in confusion. It worked for levels up until one hundred, meaning level ups from here on out wasted attribute gains from the tree. Of course, that assumed Obliterator kept giving the same style of reward for ascending ranks. All other trees acted like that, however, so I worked off that hunch.

Shifting my focus from leveling to skill gaining would grant me higher attributes in the long run. Considering the power of trees, focusing on leveling skills empowered me either way. Gaining attributes helped as well because of Obliterator’s bonuses. Staring at those bonuses, twenty attribute points waiting for allocation.

I put a whopping seventeen points into intelligence, and three into perception. I gained the requirements for intelligence and perception’s perks that way. Unlocking perks and perk points were different matters altogether, however. These attributes came from Obliterator, so I couldn’t unlock these boons yet.

Getting those perks required dungeon delving for cores. After handling Torix’s request, getting cores while training took priority. Arriving at BloodHollow, the sentinel and I exchanged some snappy words. I sprinted back towards the colosseum, trying to train different skills. Unsuccessful but still working on it, I arrived with Torix leaned over the scout’s body.

Althea rested on a runic table. Innumerable devices of metal laid at Torix’s side as he carved a small slit into her skin. I grimaced while walking up,

"I thought you said you’d avoid torture?"

He spoke between measured slices, "Always take heed of context clues, little one...Do you hear screaming, perhaps writhing or sweating?”

Peering at Althea, I shook my head. Torix used a bit of mana to clean some blood, “Therefore, the elements of torture aren’t present. This is surgery, and I'm carving a stabilizing rune into her skin. Do you recall the armor she wore before?"

Those crumbled plates laid in a corner of the colosseum, the metal shattered beyond recognition. I squinted at the pile, “Yeah, I remember. I thought it pumped some kind of stimulant or something. It numbed my fingers on contact, and she pumped a lot of it in her all the time. I’m guessing that gunk kept her from turning into an abomination.”

Torix's fire eyes narrowed, "Wait...How did you guess all that?"

I tapped the side of my head, giving Torix a smile, “I took heed of the context clues therein.” I interlocked my hands behind myself, pretending to be Torix, “You see, hm, the glass tubes busted behind her, hm, while I punched her, most indubitably. She started transforming rapidly, thereafter. Therein and therefore, I thus connected the two dots.”

I dropped the facade, “Eh, it made sense, yuh know?"

Torix reached out his hand, giving me a telekinetic flick between my eyes. I rubbed the spot as Torix scoffed, “You deserve that for the taunting.” He leaned back over, “Though it wasn’t the worst impression I’ve heard of myself, so there’s that.”

I touched where the invisible flick made contact, “Hah. Thanks.” Pacing over, I watched him work. He carved out tiny marks into her skin. He dabbed his instruments into pools of liquids, each colored a different shade. They carried varying consistencies, herbal and chemical smells wafting off each bowl.

The shining blue one reminded me of BloodHollow’s cyan pools. The others differed in texture, smell, and appearance to the other pools in this cave. These liquids covered a variety of needles and other warped pieces of a silver metal. With all these colored pigments, Torix created the lines for a tattoo of runes. Torix reached out a hand,

"Would you mind being a part of an experiment of mine? The risks are rather low, and they should enable us to speak with this individual.”

I crossed my arms, “Uh, sure. As long as it isn’t anything crazy.”

“Good. Give me your hand. I need your blood."

Hesitation ran through me before I reached out my hand. An aura of orange suffused Torix’s hand, and he brought my palm over the shining blue bowl. Slitting my palm, he eased blood into the bowl, and I winced, more out of habit than actual pain. Drops dabbled into the basin, changing the color of the mana to purple.

The bowl’s contents reminded me of Althea’s hair and irises, just brighter in shade. Torix leaned back from the saucer, "That is quite interesting. I imagined that her biology resulted from experiments with the eldritch. Her mind remains utterly uncorrupted by their influence, however."

Torix grabbed his chin with a hand, "It produced eldritch energy mixed with something else, and this production continues even when her mana is full. That oversaturation causes the energy to deform her." Torix tapped his chin as he said, "She’s unconscious, and so her mana has ceased production. Once awake, she will need a conduit for stabilizing her."

Torix turned towards me as he said with a dark smile, "Do I have any volunteers?"