DISCOVERY PART 4C

Day 427; 1534 (Afternoon)

Focus: 513

Several hours had elapsed since 513 had left his basecamp. Throughout his journey, he had utilized his True Sense ability to locate dangers and potential threats in three dimensions -- front-to-back, left-to-right, up-to-down.

Mentally, it was draining. However, he had prepared for such strain since acquiring the ability long ago.

[If I can't keep this up, I'm as good as dead.] He thought, convinced of the power that the ability held.

Unlike normal vision, True Sense utilized three sensory receptors -- thermal (temperature), chemical (taste / smell), and mechanical (tension / movement / distortion) -- to locate and identify objects within a limited space. In other words, 513 used hearing, smell, and touch in tandem to see without his eyes. It was like an evolved form of echolocation.

To further conceptualize the ability, 513 created a projected image in his mind using the receptors as inputs. For the image, everything around him spanning a certain range was compiled, reorganized, and assembled into basic shapes which served as representations of animate and inanimate objects.

At first, the image conceived was fairly simple. By utilizing gradient hues of black and white, 513 was able to separate moving and stationary entities apart by the speed at which they moved; in a projected image full of dark, stationary objects, lighter shades represented objects in movement, where the faster an object travelled, the brighter they became.

As 513 became more proficient through practice, his True Sense ability gained considerable range and complexity.

For instance, at the start of his expedition, 513's True Sense ability had a spheroid detection radius of around 30 meters. Meanwhile, the mental image conjured by the ability had been enhanced to dynamically alter the transparency of static entities in pockets of high activity. This was done in order to show moving objects more clearly, without obstructions. The change was like x-ray vision for movement.

However, there was one major drawback to the ability, and that was endurance. By altering True Sense to be more practical on-the-field, it became an active task, rather than a passive one, similar to how jogging is an active function while breathing is a passive act.

This meant that 513 could only use True Sense for a set duration of time before becoming fatigued.

Although extending the time-limit was possible, it required more training. The quicker option for 513, would be to forcefully extend the time-limit through hyperfocus or intense concentration. Doing so would allow him to use True Sense for a total of 15 continuous hours. However, the mental toll would be immense.

From personal experience, 513 knew that the immediate drawbacks -- temporary loss of control in motor functions, sensory chaos, memory lapse, and psychosis -- were not worth the trade-off.

Instead, in order to make efficient use of True Sense’s 6-hour limit, 513 achieved a method of cycling the ability through short-duration pulses, similar to radar. By pulsing the ability, he could freely extend its application without going over the time-limit.

For example, a short, two-breath pulse of the ability, followed by a pause spanning a single breath, could extend True Sense’s practical time-limit by roughly 50% -- more if 513 extended the time between pulses or shortened the pulse duration; he was free to adjust the ability to fit the situation.

[Well, at least the idea of pulsing the ability works in-practice...but it’s still not enough.] He mused as he travelled further into uncharted lands. [I need to find an efficient way to overlay the mental image over-top my normal visuals...like a wireframe map...hmm.]

While he continued brainstorming ways to improve his detection skills, his travel speed gradually came to a full-stop.

513: “So, there were more...”

He silently whispered as he positioned himself behind his sled and grabbed a handful of rocks from his pouch.

[If this keeps up, I’ll have to build a rock quarry.]

◊◊◊◊◊◊

Day 427; 1654 (Afternoon)

Focus: 513

513 pressed onwards after burning the latest group of False Arachnes that came to ‘greet’ him. Like the rest, he casually dispatched the spiders by throwing rocks into the center of their heads before they were able to strike.

513: “Why is this so effective?”

He murmured inquisitively while looking at the rock centered in his palm.

As the ash pile made from spider corpses blew away with the coming wind, 513 squinted his eyes to give the rock nestled in his hand one last look-over. Finding nothing of merit, he deposited the rock back inside the pouch located on his utility belt and resumed his business of waging a one-man war.

[Disappoint. Very disappoint..] Thought 513, in broken English.

The latest group of spiders marked his fifth encounter of the day, and he couldn’t be more unimpressed.

He had expected push-back from the spiders, being that he was invading their occupied territory. However, he did not expect just how dull the resistance would be.

513: “Maybe they are scheming.”

He contemplated, still in a daze over how easily he was killing the False Arachnes.

*CRUNCH* *STOMP* *CRUNCH*

No longer careful with being stealthy, 513 noisily stomped around while he travelled and constructed the pathway back to his basecamp. The act itself was meant to goad and cajole local predators into attacking him. Of course, he did this fully knowing what kind of trouble he might get into, but he didn’t care.

Unsurprisingly, living a life in constant strife had coerced changes to 513’s personality. He had become enthralled with battle and was slowly becoming a battle maniac -- if he wasn’t one already.

◊◊◊◊◊◊

Day 427; 1706 (Afternoon)

Focus: 513

[Looks like I’m going the right direction.] 513 thought as he passed another sickly looking tree.

The scenery around him had gradually become more decrepit and ruined as he ventured further into False Arachne occupied territory. More of the trees had become withered and splattered with the blood and entrails of unfortunate victims, while the canopy ceiling had become enveloped in an ever-growing mass of white silk. Even the putrid smell of death had become more prevalent in the surrounding air.

513: “Blegh. Sometimes I loathe having heightened senses.”

He complained as he retched in disgust; becoming accustomed to the smell didn’t mean he had grown fond of it.

513: “...but where are all the cocoons?”

He questioned while tilting his head up towards the treetops. He was curious why the primary, defining feature of the False Arachne’s activity was the only thing missing from the current, depressing scene.

[The blood-stained, razor-sharp, tall grass...the battle-scarred trees...everything else is the same as when I first woke-up in this place...but the cocoons...where the hell are the cocoons?] He thought while swapping his vision between the branches of several sickly-looking trees.

513: "...a trap. It must be."

He spoke with sudden realization.

Of the 80-or-so kilometers he had travelled since departing from the basecamp, this was the first time he had felt such ominous foreboding.

513: "Heh...wouldn't it be a shame to trigger it prematurely?"

He continued, as a demented smile, fit for a schemer, slowly appeared on his face.

---Chapter End