Like a gunshot signaling the beginning of a Scout race, the moment his visor snapped closed the Swarmling burst into action. Bounding forward once, it used its rear two claws to leap off the ground and onto the fallen tree before him, latching on before jumping directly toward his chest within the span of a second.

The little monsters were incredibly fast, able to close the gap through most anyone's defenses if they got close enough. Luckily for Kellin, they were also very predictable.

Like a cannon going off in its side, his large right metal gauntlet impacted the creature mid-air in its chest with a loud crack, sending it tumbling off to his left across the creek, screeching in pain. Without missing a beat or even rolling over more than once, the beast was already on its feet and bounding toward him, leaping at his chest again from across the creek.

[Swarmling Health: 41/45]

He was ready, though. Before it had even contacted the ground, Kellin had begun pivoting around his strike, bringing him to face the creature again as his left gauntlet came screaming upward, contacting it in the lower jaw.

[Swarmling Health: 35/45

Minor stun]

The body still collapsed against him as the Swarmlings large talons scraped against his right shoulder, trying to latch on even as he lifted it up higher with his left arm underneath it and sent it's momentum over the top of his body. He stumbled backward slightly but regained his footing as he turned to face the creature that was shaking its head back and forth, screeching as some of its fangs dislodged themselves from its maw.

[Marine Integrity: 49/50]

"Captain Finnel needs to accept [Evolution] to-"

"A bit busy, Gyps," he replied playfully, setting off into a run at the downed monster and catching it in the side with his right boot, sending it crashing into a tree behind it.

He was thankful for the suit retaining its heavy mass despite the reset of practically all other functions.

[Swarmling Health: 31/45]

The stun effect on the Swarmling wore off as it slammed into the tree, crying out as it hit and screeching again as it lept off the ground toward his chest in the same manner as always. The creatures prioritized latching onto their target, using frenzied attacks and numbers to drag it to the ground for the kill. Unfortunately, the monster's nose met the Combat Suit's lowered shoulder rather than his chest as Kellin charged forward, crushing its head and body back into the tree with his mass and stunning it a second time.

[Marine Integrity:48/50]

[Swarmling Health: 27/45]

Rather than allow it to get back up again, Kellin kneeled the massive suit down on the creature's neck, raising his right fist and bringing it down multiple times in succession. Sooner rather than later, a ding resounded in his mind as the ugly monster stopped moving.

[Credits earned for the defeat of Infantile Swarmer Class individual: .5]

[Marine Integrity: 45/50]

The suit had taken a bit more damage from the stunned monsters frenzied movements, claws raking against his leg and chest a few times in quick succession, but ultimately it led to a non-threatening fight. Countless years engaging these creatures left him in a vastly superior position even if he had been too slow to properly catch the thing in its head on his first strike.

"There," he said, fist-raising up from his last strike as he began to stand. "See? We aren't that weak compar-"

"FROM THE RIGHT!" came a shout as the suit crouched once again against his will, rocking his body inside it.

[Marine Condition: Integrity 45/50

Health 44/50]

He'd barely gathered his wits as another Swarmling, barely missing his helmet, landed on the ground near the downed tree before using it as a backboard to leap toward him. Turning and beginning to stand to face it, he ducked just in time as another came leaping from behind, Gypsy warning him right before it happened. The second one collided with the first as it flew over him, sending itself into and over the fallen tree as the first one landed just to Kellin's left on its side.

[Swarmling(1) Health: 44/45]

[Swarmling(2) Health: 50/50]

Reaching down, Kellin grabbed at the first Swarmlings head and rotated his body to the left, swinging it up and around and letting go to launch it toward its friend. The second dodged the attempt as it lept sideways onto the downed tree before tearing through the air at him, Kellin barely able to get his left arm up in time to throw it over the top of himself as more talons found purchase in the suit's armor.

[Marine Condition: Integrity 43/50

Health: 44/50]

"TAKE THE SECOND OPT-"

"I AM," Kellin yelled back, finally having half a second to himself to choose [The Companion] in his mind as the two monsters struggled to stand.

[Congratulations! Individual Kellin Finnel, Gypsy, Designation #Progenitor has selected The Companion as their first Evolution! Time until complete Stat Adjustment: Five Minutes]

"Well, that isn't good," he muttered, reading through the notification quickly. "What do you suggest, Gyps," he asked, rotating his body to catch the Swarmling behind him with a heavy right fist in its jaw as the other slammed into his back.

[Swarmling(1) Health: 39/45

Minor Stun]

[Marine Condition: Integrity 46/55

Health: 48/54]

"Class selection would-" she began, but within moments of her speaking another prompt made itself known.

[Note: Class selection cannot begin until Evolution completes]

Stumbling forward, Kellin braced himself against the downed tree as the creature's jaws and claws behind him latched onto his left shoulder and sides. Making a quick sacrifice, he dropped the stone in his right gauntlet and reached up to its elongated upper snout, crushing it with as much strength as he could muster and trying to pry it off. Despite the apparent pain it was in from the guttural snarl it let out, the monster refused to let go, choosing instead to bite down harder and thrash its neck about.

[Marine Condition: Integrity 41/62

Health: 50/59]

[Swarmling(2) Health: 47/50]

Thinking fast, Kellin shoved himself forward, pulling the Combat Suit on top of the fallen tree. Standing atop the massive trunk he turned around and lept off, crashing back first into the ground.

The crunch when he contacted the ground was sickening.

[Swarmling(2) Health: 19/50

Maimed, Stunned]

"It's coming," came a warning from Gypsy.

Rolling off the creature and to the side from where he lay, Kellin heard the first Swarmling impact the second one moments later.

[Swarmling(2) Health: 15/50

Maimed, Stunned, Bleeding]

In the time it took him to get to his knees, it was already bounding toward him. Again, his right fist came up and caught the beast in its stomach, throwing it over the top of him as he fully stood up and moved toward the downed one.

[Swarmling(1) Health: 37/45]

"Standing, turning. Another two coming in from same direction, one slower!" Gypsy advised, keeping track of the position of the first and informing him of some unfortunate news.

"Tell me when they're jumping!" he replied, focusing on his work as he bent down and gripped the stunned monster's rear two legs tightly.

A second later, the signal came.

"Now!"

Swinging the suit around, he drove the injured Swarmling's body into two of its allies, causing three of them to tumble to the left side as he reached down to his right hip. In one fluid motion, he unlatched his Cannister Rifle and swung it up and outward just in time to catch the final Swarmling in its jaw with the large metal gun, causing it to land near the other three creatures to his side.

[Swarmling(1) Health: 35/45]

[Swarmling(2) Health: 5/50

Maimed, Stunned, Bleeding]

[Swarmling(3) Health: 54/55]

[Swarmling(4) Health: 42/45

Minor Stun]

"Can we buy ammo?!" he yelled out, bringing his gun back into a two-handed grip and training it on the three moving creatures with one fluid motion, all jostling to stand as the injured one succumbed to its wounds and allies claws.

They'd landed near the felled tree, causing him to move back and to his left to get closer to it as well. He needed to get uphill.

[Credits earned for contribution to the defeat of Juvenile Swarmer Class individual above your Threat Level: 1]

"Ten rounds for 1-"

"Refill as needed!" he interrupted, finger pulling the trigger as he continued moving back and to the left, sending the first round of bullets through the front leg joints of the three monsters still alive before targetting their heads.

[Swarmling(1) Health: 27/45

Maimed, Bleeding]

[Swarmling(3) Health: 40/55

Maimed, Bleeding]

[Swarmling(4) Health: 32/45

Maimed, Bleeding]

The creatures screeched out in pain and confusion at the unexpected attack, loud booms echoing through the forest with each successive pull of the trigger. After putting another round in each and two into the larger of the three, Kellin had reached the fallen tree and ran out of ammo. Taking a moment to confirm their states again, he turned around and hopped to the other side of the tree and began backing up the hillside quickly.

[Swarmling(1) Health: 12/45

Maimed, Bleeding, Confused]

[Swarmling(3) Health: 19/55

Maimed, Bleeding, Confused]

[Swarmling(4) Health: 6/45

Maimed, Bleeding, Confused, Stunned]

His Cannister Rifle fired slower than a Gauss but dealt slightly more damage. When shots were placed in the same spot, it compounded heavily. At this point, he confirmed all three should be bleeding out soon, the first notification sounding out with a ding in his mind shortly after they left his sight.

[Credits earned for the defeat of Infantile Swarmer Class individual: .5]

"Another ten," he said, continuing backward as screeches from across the forest began to reach his ears.

Reaching forward with his thumb, he left the rifle in its single-fire mode as he continued back up the hill, hearing the telltale sign of bullets auto-loading into his mag.

"Retreat highest priority," Gypsy stated.

"Need to see where they're coming from to know where to run," he replied.

[Credits earned for the defeat of Infantile Swarmer Class individual: .5]

"Multiple signatures incom-"

The sound of the rifle exploding into motion interrupted her as Kellin unloaded another nine rounds into the first five creatures he saw bounding out from the bushes and around the trees, all on the downhill side of the tree. After disabling four, he sent the final shot of the magazine into the fifth and turned the suit around, sprinting uphill and away from their current location and swapping his gun to fully automatic.

"Not so safe anymore, eh Gyps!" he shouted, chancing a look back every so often and spraying a quick burst when he thought it necessary.

"Agreement was for safety."

"You made a deal with the thing?!" he cried out, leaping over a three-foot-wide crevice with a loud crash as the heavy suit continued onward. "What made you think a Savul would be a good creature to trust?!"

No voice responded as his mind and body raced against time, hill slowly leveling out. Turning around one final time he fired another burst toward the approaching creatures before beginning his sprint down the other side of the hill.

[Credits earned for the contribution to defeat of Juvenile Swarmer Class individual above your Threat Level: 2.5]

He could hear the group catching up again but didn't want to chance turning to engage. Running downhill was much more dangerous than running up and he knew they'd likely be slowed a bit as well.

"Any chance you can keep us moving forward?" he asked.

"Uneven terrain and no practice-"

"Then shoot," he said, setting the Cannister rifle to single-shot mode and firmly gripping the gun in his right hand. "Aim for the center of their bodies."

"Accuracy due to lack of prac-"

"Gypsy, shoot or we die," he demanded, focusing his efforts once again on sprinting and dodging around pitfalls and broken trees in less than ideal lighting.

The first shot sounded out followed by several more, the commotion of enemies approaching closer from the left and rear meeting his ears. After adjusting course slightly to the right, another fifteen shots, one deep scrape in their back, and a minute passed, he began to feel their pace increase and the approaching creatures from behind slow. Another two minutes later and having crashed through a small river, the gunfire slowly died out as their body reached its peak, though the sounds of Swarmlings on all three sides were still present.

[Marine Condition: Integrity 74/100

Health: 69/80]

Checking their state one last time, he was glad to see the numbers slowly ticking upward from the increased [Stats]. Without them, they'd have less than half the suit's integrity left, a thought that made him nervous just by being in his mind.

Thankfully, none of it mattered much any longer.

"[Class] choice, Shield and Sword," he yelled out, feeling Gypsy confirm the selection immediately afterward. "[Cloak]!"

The small man ran as she watched from afar, a twinkle in her many eyes and a unique sense of wonder in her being. He was interesting, as was his charge.

The prisoners released did their job, funneling the Human to his people, and though many things her new existence was unsure of, one she knew for a fact: They would return someday.

They had a deal.