《Evolution After The Fall》
EAtF CH 1 (Book 1 CH 1): To Sleep
The waiting room was sterile and blank. There was nothing but white walls with the dullest of gray coloring for the furniture. A simple cushioned seat and table with a magazine and a remote for the small flat screen in the corner.
One of the walls had an opening, and behind it was a woman typing on a computer.
In the small seat behind the coffee table, an emaciated man with thin hair and sunken cheeks watched the news. His hair was thin and a dull black with gray streaks here and there. He was dressed in light loose pants and a shirt. Both of which were incredibly baggy on his sickly frame.
¡°-- a startling crime committed tonight. Just outside the campus¡¯ hottest nightclub. So far there is only one confirmed death, though apparently not the intended target. Three students, friends of the deceased, have stepped forward, crying out for blood against the driver who committed the crime in question.¡±
In the background, behind the reporter on the screen, a large man was struggling against several officers. He was clearly enraged and screaming obscenities that weren¡¯t being picked up by the microphone. Behind him were two women, one crying into the arms of the other while paramedics tried to help them.
All the while, another man was being pulled out of a car, the front end smashed, with the camera angled just the right way, to not show what could only have been the mangled corpse of the deceased.
¡°Xander... Xander!¡± A voice cut through the room, and the man in the seat turned his head. A bright smile lit up his face as he saw who was calling for him.
It was a woman dressed in a clean black dress suit. Her blonde hair was tied back into a bun, and she had a pair of glasses that were big and round. On her chest was a platinum pin of a silver owl perched on a branch, sitting on a navy-blue rectangle.
The logo of Sage Pharmaceuticals. One of the leading companies in medical innovation and life extension.
¡°Katie! Sorry... I was a bit too focused...¡± Xander stood from his seat, wobbling for a moment before gingerly stepping around the table. ¡°Can you believe it... I can remember when we went to that club back when you were a student...¡±
Xander smiled, but it didn¡¯t quite reach his eyes. He was lost in the melancholy of the moment, and the worry of what was about to happen to him.
Katie smiled, it was just as sad as his was, and he worried that he had upset her in some way.
¡°Yeah... I remember. Dad was pissed I came home too drunk to walk, but if I remember, you got a promotion for dragging me home safe and sound.¡±
Xander snorted at the memory. That hadn¡¯t been the first time he had met Katie, but it was one of the more distinct moments in their time together.
¡°I¡¯m just glad he decided not to fire me and let me explain things first.¡± That had been a tense night, but he¡¯d impressed his boss and gained his approval in the process.
Becoming the fianc¨¦ of the woman in front of him would¡¯ve been far more difficult if he didn¡¯t have both of those going for him.
¡°C¡¯mon. It¡¯s time to get you in the pod.¡± Katie wrapped her hand around Xander¡¯s arm. She was nearly a foot shorter than his 6¡¯3¡±, but with how little meat he had on his bones, it wasn¡¯t hard for her to lead him forward. ¡°You know the process, at least the gist of it, yeah?¡±
A shudder ran through Xander¡¯s body as he recalled the countless files and forms he¡¯d had to go through to get approved for this process. Even after getting help from both Katie and her father, it was still a slog that he didn¡¯t want to go through again.
¡°I remember. New tech, special preservation formula, total blood and fluids replacement, followed by submergence into some more fluids that will preserve my body for potentially years and years to come, right?¡± He gave her an overly exaggerated dopey grin that made her giggle.
¡°That¡¯s the gist of it.¡± The pair crossed through a sealed door, now well away from the waiting room. A heavy-duty elevator opened in front of them, and they began a rapid descent after entering. ¡°Thank you for doing this... I know you had some reservations, but I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re taking this opportunity.¡±
He frowned at how quietly Katie was speaking. It had often been hard for him to get people, even though he eventually got the hang of it. Just like how it was also hard for him to get numbers and science, and most schooling. But this was the woman he loved, and he knew that something was bothering her.
¡°What¡¯s wrong? You seemed so happy when I finally agreed to do this? Did something happen?¡± He was more than ready to back out if it meant making her happy. No matter how much it confused him, since she was the one who pushed for this in the first place.
¡°I guess I¡¯m just finally realizing everything... It¡¯s possible that it¡¯ll be years before we see each other again. If at all, since there¡¯s no guarantee that we¡¯ll even be able to cure whatever it is that¡¯s making you waste away...¡± Katie looked like she was ready to burst into tears.
Reaching forward, Xander wrapped her in his arms, even as the elevator came to a stop. They both ignored the opened doors. They closed a moment later.
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¡°Hey, it¡¯s going to be alright. You and your father are two of the smartest, if not the smartest, people on the planet. You successfully put a person in stasis and brought them back out several times already. If it was anyone else that tried to convince me to do this, I never would.¡± Xander leaned in and gave her a kiss.
¡°Besides,¡± he continued, ¡°if we don¡¯t do this, I¡¯ll die and never get to see you again. At least this way, there¡¯s a chance, right?¡±
Katie sniffled, ¡°Right.¡±
With that said, she reached to push the open-door button. Stepping out into the large, nearly hangar-like basement of Sage Pharmaceuticals. Here, hundreds of pods, most empty, but some filled, were spread out in neat rows with technicians and doctors all bustling about.
Just a few rows down, and elderly man with gray hair and a bushy mustache was looking over some paperwork with one of the scientists next to a pod that looked ready to be filled.
¡°Daddy,¡± Katie called out. The elderly man turned around.
¡°Mister Sage.¡± Xander inclined his head out of respect. Raymond Sage: this was the man who had both hired him at his lowest point, and eventually agreed to let him marry his daughter. Even if the latter was now on hold for an indefinite amount of time.
¡°Katie, Xander.¡± Though shorter than him by a few inches, Raymond was in a much healthier state, so he was more than capable of making Xander wince when he patted him on the shoulder with a broad smile on his face. One that fell away when he noticed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that... Things have happened far too fast, for all of us...¡±
Given that he¡¯d been nearly 250 pounds of solid muscle and was now barely more than half of that after just over a month, Xander was well aware of Raymond¡¯s troubles.
¡°It¡¯s alright, sir. Figuring out how to fix me is why we¡¯re here, isn¡¯t it?¡± Xander tried to smile again, but he could tell it didn¡¯t work. Not with how Raymond and Katie just frowned even more.
He decided to try a different approach. ¡°Is this my pod? I gotta say, they all look a lot more impressive in person. It¡¯s really an honor to be allowed a spot like this.¡±
¡°Oh, yes, this is it, and really, it was no problem at all. Not even a third of the spots have been reserved just yet, so we¡¯re still looking for volunteers, just like you.¡± Raymond seemed happy for the change in topic. ¡°That being said, I guess it¡¯s time we get you ready to go. Katie, you know all the processes. I¡¯ll let you finish things off.¡±
Xander turned to Katie. She gave her father a smile before turning toward him.
¡°C¡¯mon, Xander, we should finish getting you ready to sleep.¡± Holding out a hand she led him to a side room where he laid on a table after stripping down. ¡°Are you ready?¡±
Several needles had been stuck into him, both for draining and replacing the blood in his body.
He nearly said yes but thought for a moment. There were so many things he wanted to say. First and foremost, however, he wanted Katie to be safe, and happy, no matter what happened to him. Even if it wasn¡¯t what she wanted to hear from him right now.
¡°Katie... I love you, more than anything else in the world... But if I don¡¯t wake up, don¡¯t wait for me... Please. Don¡¯t hold yourself back just for me.¡±
Tears welled up in Katie¡¯s eyes, and Xander could only hope that she wouldn¡¯t hate him for what he¡¯d said. But he couldn¡¯t say anything else. He refused to be a dead weight that dragged her down if things went wrong.
No matter how hypocritical he knew he was, since there was nothing in the world that would stop him from finding her, if he woke up.
¡°Good night, Xander... I¡¯ll see you when you wake up...¡±
She flipped a switch, and Xander felt a cool sensation fill his body before the edges of his vision faded away.
His eyelids grew heavy, and in moments he felt them close against his will.
The last thing he saw before falling asleep was Katie¡¯s face, smiling down at him with tears running down her cheeks.
His last thoughts before the world went dark were that he¡¯d see her smiling face again, and when he did, there would be no tears.
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There was a flash of light, followed by a ringing sensation that pierced his ears and made him jolt forward in an instant.
The world was blurry, and his balance was off. He could barely stand up, but he forced himself to his feet.
¡°Xander! Xander!¡± A voice was calling out to him.
Who are you?
He tried to call back, but the words did not escape his lips. The world suddenly spun and the blurred world he was looking at cleared up. A building, broken and torn down to nothing more than rubble stood before him. A group of bodies were laid out just a few feet away from him.
Parts were missing. As if ripped off and strewn about amongst the debris.
There was a coppery taste in his mouth. Alongside the dusty feeling of ash.
Something roared. It was a loud and agonizing scream of rage and pain. It was followed by a sea of fire that filled Xander¡¯s vision, and he could feel the burn on his face... And in his throat.
I¡¯m the one that¡¯s screaming... He realized with a horrible certainty that made him sick to his stomach.
A burst of gunfire echoed from behind him. A shower of pellets hit his back. They were barely more than pin pricks, but he found himself turning around anyway.
The fog filled his sight once more, and he failed to see what was shooting at him.
Nor did he find out why what could only be bullets felt so small, so tiny, when he knew that such things should¡¯ve been far more deadly.
¡°Xander! Xander!¡± The voice called out again, this time from above him.
The world became clear once more, and this time he saw something even more horrific than before.
Monsters of all sorts roared in anger in front of him. Each one was crying out balefully at the sky. Fire spewed from their mouths, while steel and lightning rained down upon them.
Fighter jets shrieked overhead, and the whistling of bombs falling toward them screamed in his ears.
A burst of white light and the fog returned once more.
This time, the world remained blurry, but he could feel himself moving, sluggishly, and with far too much energy being used to so much as a twitch.
He could feel himself crawling. A pair of boots appeared in front of him. Armored soldiers, each one standing as tall as his head, even though he was crawling on his hands and knees, readied their weapons, bulky tools that shone with coolant and energy charges. Weapons that were far more powerful than what were used on him before.
Wait... How Do I know that? His question remained unspoken and unanswered. His body continued to operate on its own.
Is this a dream? He couldn¡¯t ponder things for much longer. With an electric whine, the soldiers fired.
Burning pain was all he felt before everything turned black, but only for a short time before a blinding white light was all that he could see, with muffled voices calling out to him with unintelligible words.
EAtF CH 2 (Book 1 CH 2): A Dream?
For Xander, the world was still coming into focus, and he could barely recall what had just happened to him. The world was still out of focus, and his hearing was muffled, almost like he was underwater. Yet he felt like he could still breath just fine, though the air seemed incredibly heavy, which was strange.
The quiet voices that didn¡¯t make any sense grew louder and something in front of him moved to the side.
It was at that point Xander realized that he wasn''t breathing air, but a strange liquid that was the perfect temperature for him to now know what it was. The stuff wasn¡¯t as viscous as oil but was still thicker than water. Xander also found out that it was slightly orange, since the world gained a blue tint when it was whipped away from his eyes, which immediately burned upon being exposed to light.
Something moved from around his body. His arms and legs, slightly tingly as the blood flow returned in full, gave out when the support holding him retracted into his pod. At this point, he could feel the air on his skin and felt some sort of spandex material covering his nether regions.
What the... The pod didn¡¯t have support clamps when I saw the plans... I was also naked... The thoughts floating through Xander¡¯s head were muddled, and half-membered details seemed to conflict with what was happening right now.
Even as a hand grasped his shoulder, and dragged him away from his pod, coughing and spewing up the strange fluid he was submerged in in the process, he felt a disconnect from his body. It was as if his mind was floating, and he could barely keep himself conscious as he was dragged forward.
Two humanoid figures, one taller than he was, and the other more than a foot shorter by his measure, stood before him. The figure that had grabbed him was wearing armor, but not anything that Xander had ever seen before. A distinct difference from the barely armored figures in front of him.
He failed to say anything as the two people in front of him spoke to the one holding him. A wave of dizziness overcame him when the latter shook him and pulled him up from his half-dragged position.
What the hell is going on? He tried to speak, but merely coughed up more liquid, this time splashing the shoes of the shorter figure in front of him. Something that made the one holding him scream something that he didn¡¯t understand.
There was a dull crack as something in his shoulder moved, but other than that he didn¡¯t know what just happened. His face then hit the floor as the one holding him fell to the side.
Xander tried to look over at the person, but what was once a fully formed human figure was now nothing more than half a torso attached to a pair of legs. One with its head missing.
The taller of the two figures he had been brought toward had an arm extended, but it was no longer humanoid. It was far scalier, twisted, and whip-like with extended claws that were longer than Xander¡¯s forearm.
Both figures looked down at him, and the smaller one held out a hand. While still blurry, Xander could barely make out more details as the figure, curvier than their taller companion, reached out with a glowing blue hand.
She, at least Xander assumed it was a she, touched his shoulder, and he felt it move against his will.
He didn¡¯t know why, but he felt like something had just been put back into place. Something that the now dead figure had broken.
The smaller person turned back to her taller, more masculine, companion. Xander could hear her say something to him. Her words were becoming clearer as his mind lost the fogginess that was keeping him half asleep.
Oh! This is a dream. Katie put me to sleep, and now I¡¯m dreaming. They said that this was possible.
As his mind grew clearer the world slowly began to make more sense to him. After all, how else could he have had his shoulder broken by one hand gripping too tightly and then healed by a woman¡¯s glowing hand not a few seconds later. Though the words being spoken to him were still utterly unintelligible.
Something in his chest twitched, and he immediately moved his head to the side, to ensure that he didn¡¯t get whatever was in his lungs on the woman¡¯s boots once again.
This time he was bent over, coughing and hacking, for several minutes, all the while the two figures stood next to him. Only when he was done, and he could feel himself taking a deep breath of what was actually air, did he finally become aware enough to see what was going on all around him.
Countless pods, just like his, but far sleeker, simplified, and seemingly advanced than his, lined the walls, and he was kneeling on a walkway suspended hundreds of meters in the air. A stark difference from the massive underground warehouse that his pod had originally been in.
¡°This... Is some dream...¡± he muttered as he watched hundreds of other figures dressed in armor, just like the now dead man, moved from pod to pod and dragged the inhabitants out without fanfare or ceremony. Something that he knew couldn¡¯t be real, since the process of waking up the sleeping subjects was explained in extreme to him when he was signing forms before going to sleep.
The process of taking someone out of their cryo pod took nearly twelve hours. You couldn¡¯t just pull them out and wake them up. All their blood was replaced, after all.
The two behind him spoke once more, and this time something told Xander that it was directed at him this time. So, he turned around and tried to stand.
More unintelligible words were thrown in his face, and he tried to make sense of it all, but failed to comprehend anything being said, even as his vision finally cleared up.
The two figures were probably the most beautiful woman and handsomest man that he had ever seen before.
Bright golden hair that sat softly on the former¡¯s shoulders framed a soft face with red eyes that seemed to swirl in the fluorescent lighting that shone up from the floor. She reminded him of a stalking lion prowling after its prey. Calm and focused, soft and fluffy looking, but with a terrifying presence and a strength that could destroy him with one swing of her arm. It was an odd feeling, since she was barely 5 feet tall at best.
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Darker yellow hair that was shorter and slicked back showed the widow''s peaks on the male figure''s forehead, but the sharpness of his eyes, and his narrow face made him look like a snake about to strike. There was a lethality in his gaze, and Xander sensed that getting on his bad side was not a good idea.
Shame I think I already am... He thought while glancing at the short woman¡¯s shoes.
Glancing to the side, he tried to find the body of the one who dragged him over here, but there was nothing to be found. More evidence that this was just a dream.
¡°Oy!¡± A shout from the man grabbed Xander¡¯s attention, and he turned back to see the man glaring at him.
¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying.¡± Xander couldn¡¯t help but focus on the sound of his own voice. It was deep and clear, nothing like the relatively weak rasp that he had been stuck with for the last couple of weeks before he was frozen.
Now that he was thinking about it, he realized that his body was in very good condition. Better, it seemed, than his peak before he got sick.
More words, this time from the woman, grabbed his attention, as did a commotion happening over by the pods. By this point, it seemed like all the pods were open. It seemed to him that they had been working on this for quite some time. Given that his was apparently right at the end of the massive hall, it was a given that they had cleared out more before his.
Turning back to his pod, he realized that it was even more different than he had thought. It was not only sleeker, and seemingly more advanced than many of the other pods, it was also emblazoned with the symbols of Sage Pharmaceuticals. Though there seemed to be golden highlights that ran around the primary symbol of the owl on a branch.
¡°The gold is a new feature.¡± He bent down to take a better look at the symbol of Sage Pharmaceuticals. ¡°I wonder why they made the change.¡±
He gently ran a hand down the side of the pod, only for the golden scriptures that bordered it to begin glowing. A tingling sensation spread through his arm, and for a moment his vision was filled with light. The was a small sense of vertigo, and it was as if he fell into a daze.
A hand grasped his shoulder once more, and he was pulled away from his pod. This time the two apparent leaders of the soldiers milling about were arguing. The small woman was obviously much more highly ranked, however, since the taller man backed down after just a few seconds.
Shaking his head to clear it, the dizziness from the golden light faded away. Looking over his shoulder at the one who had grabbed him, he saw that this time it was a woman, one dressed in the same armor as the man that had grabbed him the first time.
Without any rhyme or reason, he was dragged away alongside the other groggy people who had been pulled from stasis. Each one was dressed similarly to him. Though it seemed like they were in varying states of awareness.
More soldiers pushed them along, and while he wasn¡¯t being handled as roughly as the first time, the soldiers weren¡¯t gentle as they pushed him forward.
As one, the entire group met with more and more people, all from different pods, and seemingly from different rooms as well. Eventually, after several minutes of walking, they reached another large chamber, this one filled with obviously freshly built structures.
The architecture was nothing like the rest of the building that Xander and the others had been marching through. The fact that there were soldiers putting up new structures was also an obvious indication of their newness.
More people were gathered around as well. These ones weren¡¯t soldiers, however, since they were dressed in what looked like a cross between robes and lab coats. They all had badges on their chests too.
A bright golden traditional chimera with red eyes on each of its heads. Looking over the soldiers once more, he realized that their emblems only had a lion head etched into their shoulder plates. Something he had ignored as an unnecessary detail of this dream.
Before he could look much more into it, however, he was forced forward into one of the tents. It was large and contained several more figures in lab-robes. Alongside them there were several more figures, just like him, who had been woken from cryo and were strapped into chairs. Helmets were put on their heads, and they began shaking in their seats, but no screaming could be heard.
Instincts he had forgotten he had due to his inactivity cause by his sickness flared to life. Years of honed warning signals told him that something was wrong.
He ignored them, since this had to be a dream. If it wasn¡¯t, then it would¡¯ve hurt when his arm was broken.
Then, it was his turn in the chair. The helmet covered his head. He heard screaming, but he didn¡¯t know where it was coming from.
It was only a few seconds later, when his hair caught on fire and his nerves began to burn, that he realized the screams were coming from him.
----------
Elyria couldn¡¯t believe her luck. She was nearly ready to jump for joy, even with the primitive man¡¯s vomit all over her shoes. So much so that she had actually healed that apparently very important person with her own [Vigor]. The primitive had better praise her mercy when he finished recovering.
For now, she was focusing on the pod that had, ever so slightly, glowed at the touch of the primitive man that was sealed inside it. She stepped forward, uncaring of the ongoing lecture from her cousin. Her hand was placed just above the pod, a yearning for its secrets swelled in her chest.
¡°I have a report, my lady.¡±
Turning toward the quiet voices of her advisor, Elyria ignored the huff of annoyance coming from her cousin and stepped away from the pod. The wretched snake she was related to had just finished trying to chew her out for being too lenient to the obviously important figure that was sealed inside the ruin.
She nodded, and the small woman dressed in the formal robes of the Malicent Kingdom¡¯s Ruin Scholars spoke of what they had found out so far.
¡°The figure of importance has had extensive gene modifications done to him, but beyond that, we can tell nothing more than that he comes from the early Age of Imperial Strife. Prior to even the fifth Chaos Incursion.¡± The Scholar bowed her head in subservience and shame, emotions that Elyria could smell emanating from her small figure.
An angry growl escaped her throat. Elyria had hoped to learn more. Perhaps even find a few new [Gene Sequences] that might elevate her mutation to the 4th Evolution.
Behind her, she heard her cousin chuckle for barely a moment before he schooled himself. She didn¡¯t bother turning around, even though she instinctively knew what he¡¯d done. Doing so would just give him attention he was unworthy of.
¡°Have the conscripts been given the necessary language downloads?¡± She instead asked the Scholar without paying her causing any heed. ¡°If so, ensure that the VIP is brought to my personal dwellings. The study will do. I will interrogate him myself regarding what he knows. However, if what you¡¯ve said is correct, then there will be little he is likely to be consciously aware of. It¡¯s obvious that he was not a Scholar of any sort, after all.¡±
She sneered derisively down at the small Scholar, who bowed even lower. It hadn¡¯t escaped Elyria¡¯s notice that the Scholar was only of the 1st Evolution. Such a thing was shameful, and if she had any more influence on the Scholars, then she might¡¯ve struck this one down for failing to meet her expectations.
¡°Of course, my lady. The VIP will be brought to you the moment he wakes up from his download. Also, you may be pleased to learn that there has been no rejection to the download thus far. As such, your conscripts have successfully replenished their numbers, and we can begin further delves into both this, and the other Ruins within your domain within the month.¡± The Scholar didn¡¯t rise from her bow.
Elyria, on the other hand, grinned widely. Things were truly looking up for her.
EAtF CH 3 (Book 1 CH 3): A Nightmare
A stinging prick in his arm, followed by a burning pain. It spread through his body, but he couldn¡¯t scream. The leather wrapped bar that he was biting into didn¡¯t let him.
¡°You¡¯re doing great, Xander. Just a few more seconds.¡±
Seconds? Had he only been suffering this pain for seconds?
He nearly threw his head back to scream out loud, but he couldn¡¯t move. He couldn¡¯t control his own body.
That was when he realized he knew the voice of the one that had spoken, but try as he might, he couldn¡¯t recall their name. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn¡¯t remember.
With a jolt, the pain ceased, and he nearly spat out the bar, turning around to look at the one who had spoken to him. The world spun around, and he lost his balance.
Suddenly, he was falling.
----------
¡°Oof!¡± Xander let out a grunt as he rolled in his bed, falling just over a foot onto the ground and getting a mouthful of dirt in the process. ¡°What the hell?¡±
All around him the world slowly came back into focus. What was nothing more than a swirling mess of nonsense turned into a script that he could read, but it was strange.
He recognized every symbol on the walls of his current dwelling, but he also knew that they were a language that he had never seen before. Yet, as he continued to look it over, he found his own name written in whatever this strange new language was.
¡°This is the strangest dream I¡¯ve ever had...¡± He trailed off as a thought occurred to him. ¡°Can you wake up in a dream twice?¡±
He slowly shook his head and pushed himself up into a standing position. Looking around the room, he noticed that the words he saw were written in the door to wherever it was he currently found himself.
¡°What the hell is going on?¡± He repeated, and this time was answered by the door opening as he sat on the edge of his bed.
Several figures in the strange robes from before filed in alongside a few of the soldiers. The group seemed to be led by an older man with a much more intricately designed robe.
¡°Alexander Mar.¡± The fact that the leader of the robed people knew his name set him on edge. He was no longer nearly as muddle-headed as he was when he last woke up, and he was beginning to get an idea of what had happened to him. ¡°You are to come with us to speak with our lady. She has questions for you regarding the Era you are from. You will comply, or you will be taken by force.¡±
For a moment, Xander didn¡¯t say anything. He just looked at the soldiers, the memory of his shoulder shattering and being repaired in seconds flashed through his mind. Instincts from his training and field agent days flashed through his mind. From before he had become a bodyguard for one of the most successful women in the world. The one that was also the most important to him.
These bastards can snap me like a twig... His mind snapped back into focus as the soldiers stepped forward. ¡°Understood.¡±
He didn¡¯t leap to his feet, but he stepped down gingerly and rose to his full height. Happy to see that he was at least the tallest person in the room, if not the strongest.
Unfortunately, it seemed that his compliance came too slowly, since both soldiers grabbed him and dragged him out the door before he could take another step.
Several long and slow breaths came one after another as he closed his eyes and allowed himself to be dragged, not resisting. At least for now. He knew better than to operate with a lack of information in enemy territory. Hurried footsteps rushing behind him echoed through the corridor he was now in.
¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can tell me how I now know your language? I assume it has to do with the helmets you made us wear, but I could be wrong.¡± His voice remained level, and his tone neutral.
¡°...That would be correct. Did such technology not exist in your era?¡± The soldiers ignored him, but he was answered by the...scientists? He wasn¡¯t sure what they were; but he felt it was a safe assumption.
¡°No. At least, not during the time I remember being awake for...¡± Xander decided to remain silent after that. His current question was answered, but the grip on his arms was also tighter.
Instead, as they went through another door, this one guarded by two more soldiers, he winced as he was nearly blinded by a much brighter light. He was now in a large and cavernous area. Nearly twice as large as the warehouse he remembered being put to sleep in. There were also several small structures that had been set up inside the open space wherever there were flat planes.
Yet this warehouse was much more advanced, with what seemed to be incredibly advanced hardware being moved around to inspect and set up additional equipment for whatever they were looking into here.
Several strange devices poked out of the walls, and there were staircases leading both up and down, as well as numerous tunnels in the walls that were still far off. Piles of broken machines, robots, from what he could tell, were also numerous.
Once more, he saw the slightly altered, and much more majestic, emblem of Sage Pharmaceuticals emblazoned on the walls. This time, however, they were being covered by the soldiers. Large banners depicting a golden Greek chimera with red eyes on a black background were being hung in front of the original emblems.
Xander didn¡¯t know why, but the moment he saw that, he felt a searing hot rage well up inside him. His muscles tensed, and the soldiers¡¯ grip on his arms faltered for a moment. They paused, but he took a deep breath and calmed himself once more before anyone could do anything.
¡°Sorry... I¡¯m still a bit confused. Please take me to whoever your lady is. I will answer what I can, but I¡¯m not certain my memory is all there...¡± It was becoming more and more apparent to him that something had gone wrong after he went to sleep. ¡°Hopefully, I can also find out a few answers of my own...¡±
The last part was whispered, but it was clear that the ones holding him heard, but rather than do anything against him, they simply dragged him faster than before.
God I hope that this lady of theirs, whoever she is, will have the answers I need.
His thoughts grew darker as he was pulled toward the largest structure in the area. Thoughts of his fianc¨¦, and continued control of his breathing, were the only things that were keeping him calm.
Even though he knew that any resistance would likely be met with receiving a beat down.
Then the wall of the building they were approaching exploded outwards, and he was blown off his feet and sent tumbling across the ground. The old and familiar feeling of bones crunching as he bounced on the ground nearly made him pass out. This time the pain was all too real.
Warily looking up from his prone position on the ground, he saw the small woman that had previously healed him stepping out from the rubble. Her eyes glowed red, and her previously short hair had grown in length, while her canine teeth had extended, and her figure was far more beastly.
¡°What the hell have I gotten into...¡± He muttered with a pain filled gasp.
His only answer was the soldiers grabbing him again, gingerly this time, and moving to approach the beast in human skin.
----------
Moments ago, within the private study of Elyria Wrathmor.
Elyria laid her head on the cracked remains of her barely standing study desk. The intricately carved wood was nearly ten times tougher than steel but had cracked beneath the pressure of her clawed fingers.
¡°Those wretched bastards!¡± Her exclamation came out in a venomous whisper. ¡°I found this ruin! I cleared the final guardians, and they dare to lay claim to it, even after I was specifically granted this territory by my father!?¡±
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¡°Perhaps they feel that you simply need some support?¡± Her cousin said from his place next to her. ¡°After all, this is the largest, even if not the greatest, discovery our kingdom has made since it was founded. Obviously your siblings would want to steal a piece of the prize.¡±
The taunt in his words was obvious, and Elyria began taking heavy breaths that shook the air.
¡°It doesn¡¯t matter... They can¡¯t take this from me... Not after everything they¡¯ve already made me go through to get here!¡± She reeled back and lifted her head to the ceiling. Muscles bulged all along her arms and legs, while her face extended, and her teeth grew sharper. ¡°I won¡¯t let those bastards take this victory away from me! Not even if it means facing them on open fields in all-out war!¡±
Her final words were followed by a roar that cracked all the walls around her and made her cousin who was standing in the corner with a grin on his face flinch from the force.
She then threw the broken desk through the wall behind her, breaking it open and causing a shockwave to send everything, and everyone, on the other side flying. Something that she wasn¡¯t worried about since all her soldiers were at least late-stage 1st Evolution mutants. This would be nothing to them.
Then she stepped forward to address her follower directly and saw the injured form of her VIP being carefully carried forward.
¡°Gods dammit all!¡± She growled under her breath. Her Vigor started rising as she prepared to heal the ancient man before her. ¡°You¡¯d better be worth all this trouble.¡±
She ignored the raspy chuckles that came from behind her.
Killing her cousin wasn¡¯t worth the additional trouble it would bring. Even if it would grant her a temporary reprieve, she had more important matters to deal with.
----------
After being dragged through the rubble of the destroyed office room, Xander was brought through the small building to another, much smaller, room. This one had a spartan desk that didn¡¯t look nearly as opulent as the one that was in the first room. Even as wrecked as it was, that room was clearly the workspace of a rich and prideful individual.
The sheer amount of gold that had adorned the walls could mean nothing else.
¡°I apologize for my outburst. Some lesser rabble had the poor timing to give me bad news not long before you arrived. I hope that this meeting won¡¯t taint your image of me, even if our first meeting was not much better.¡± The short woman spoke softly and sat down. ¡°My name is Elyria Wrathmor. This is my cousin and advisor, Nicholai Wrathmor. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet an ancient person such as yourself.¡±
Xander focused on the short woman speaking to him. He recognized the tone that she was using. It was one he had heard from executives at Sage Pharmaceuticals more than once. Each one of them had been scumbags that sought to use him for his connections to Katie and her father.
He could honestly say, however, that those old fogeys at the company were much better at it than this woman was. Yet, seeing the posture and smiles of the others in the room, he could tell that no one else caught onto her manipulations besides himself.
¡°I understand. While I can¡¯t say I recognize your emblems, I can tell that a woman of your status must be dealing with a lot of stressful problems.¡± He pointedly did not say that she was forgiven, since that would give her an avenue to attack if he ever brought up the topic again. ¡°I hope that you can forgive me, however, when I say that I am not certain what use I will have to you. Everything I¡¯ve seen so far is more amazing than anything I can ever remember witnessing. It¡¯s obvious that I¡¯ve been asleep for far longer than I was supposed to be.¡±
The small smirk that had formed on the woman and thin man¡¯s lips at his first few words faded by the time he finished speaking.
It was obvious that they wanted something from him, so he knew that he needed to lower their expectations of him, while also increasing his value in their eyes. That was the only way he was likely to last long enough to get his answers.
He had a fianc¨¦e to find and get back to.
If she¡¯s even alive, that is¡
A small shake of his head threw such thoughts out the window. He wouldn¡¯t allow such doubts to taint his dedication. Even if he couldn¡¯t find her, he needed to at least find out what happened to her. What happened to his old life.
It was the least he could do for all those that had done so much for him.
¡°That is unfortunate¡ From what we could tell, your pod was the only one that was marked as ¡®very important¡¯ to the Sage Empire. Do you mean to tell me that one of the Largest Empires in the world, one with over a dozen 5th Evolution Mutants, wrongfully put you to sleep?¡± The doubt in Elyria''s words was obvious, as was the tenseness in her shoulders. ¡°I lost a lot of people digging up this ruin. I hope that there¡¯s something here that can make my time and expenses worth it.¡±
Xander knew a threat when he heard it. It seemed like it was time to increase his value more significantly. He just felt that it was a shame that he only had a few skills that seemed like they would be useful.
¡°While I wasn¡¯t privy to the more personal and private businesses of the Sage Empire,¡± Xander knew he¡¯d need to figure more out about that when the time came, but he knew that using these people¡¯s words would be best, ¡°I was¡ engaged to be married to one of the more important women of the family. I was, originally, her bodyguard, but eventually became her friend and lover. Unfortunately, not long after we were betrothed, I was stuck with a condition that caused my body to waste away, until I got to the point that I was barely even able to walk upright. I was frozen in the hopes that I could be cured and return to fight again in the future. It is clear that they succeeded. At least in part, as I don¡¯t think I could defeat even your weakest soldiers at this time. Even though I was more than capable of defeating teams of fellow guardsmen in direct, and indirect, combat.¡±
Elyria¡¯s face took on a more contemplative one. Which was good, but Xander could tell from her flexing hands and clenched jaw that she still wasn¡¯t happy.
¡°Regardless of that, I know that the extensive work that¡¯s been done to me should be of use to you. If you believe that you should have been able to find the records of my, and the other¡¯s medical history from before we were frozen. Take what you will, not that I could stop you, but know that much of it will be a mix. From what I can tell, several generations have passed since I was frozen, and it seems like some of my memories were lost, likely as a side effect of whatever treatments were used on me. So, please don¡¯t be surprised if you hear stories and reports from different eras.¡±
With that said, Xander hoped that any discrepancies would be circumvented when these people inevitably began interrogating the others.
Not that he had been lying. He knew that there was no way that he would¡¯ve been put into a different cargo pod without being woken up, The sheer difference in how they had frozen him meant that there were extensive changes put into place.
¡°In that case, mister¡¡± Elyria led on, and Xander realized that he hadn¡¯t introduced himself.
He failed to stop himself from wincing at that, as it could be taken as a perceived slight. Something he had been chewed out on during his etiquette classes back when he had accidentally lost Sage Pharmaceuticals a client when Katie had invited him to a dinner party.
¡°Alexander Mar. I would beg your forgiveness for not introducing myself right away. I am still regaining my balance from being asleep for so long.¡± For the first time since he got here, Elyria smiled.
It was both genuine and terrifying. Her teeth were far too sharp for it to be anything else.
¡°Forgiven. Though, I must say, if you are being truthful, I would¡¯ve expected such a renowned warrior to have at least one active mutation, to at least put him at the 1st Evolution.¡±
Xander frowned, his eyes narrowed, and he forced his voice to sound as if he was trying to remain calm, while also sounding insulted.
¡°The wasting that my body went through was extensive. At one point, I was informed that it was something that they had never seen before. It was as if my genes were destroying themselves while cannibalizing everything that was still working properly.¡±
A short gasp from behind him nearly made him turn around, but he stayed still. Elyria, on the other hand, waved at whoever it was that made the noise.
¡°You recognize this, Scholar?¡± She asked, and one of the people in robes stepped forward.
¡°Ah¡ I think so¡ It¡¯s from some old medical records that were dug up in the ruins found in the Central Wilderness by your grandfather, King Reynold the second. The medical text from those ruins led to several genetic cures for previously unheard-of diseases being discovered. One such disease that never occurred, but was among the records, details a hateful disease that was artificially created. One that could degrade the mutations of even a 4th Evolution Mutant.¡± The woman bowed her head and awaited Elyria''s response.
¡°Are her words true?¡± The lady asked another of the scholars. The elderly man who seemed to lead them,
¡°¡While I specialize in gene sequences, the history of plagues and diseases isn¡¯t something I¡¯ve focused on, but given that her mastery does, I would be willing to take her word on it. Though I would request she put forth the names of the texts she speaks of, just to confirm.¡±
It seemed like that was enough for Elyria, and Xander took the chance to take a better look at the so-called scholars. The one that spoke of medicine, and was currently bowing, had a much smaller badge that only had one color on it. While the one that seemed to be their leader had a larger badge with two colors, gold and red.
Status markers? Xander assumed but made a note to confirm later.
¡°If that is the case, then we will need to bring more scholars of the medical schools into the ruins. The technology here clearly isn¡¯t the only thing we need to study right now.¡± Elyria cupped her chin in thought. Her cousin opened his mouth to say something, but she held up a hand to stop him. ¡°For the moment, Alexander, I would have you undergo the same standard mutations that all soldiers of the Malicent Empire undergo. Given the extensive genetic modifications you¡¯ve undergone, there should be no problem with this, correct?¡±
Not knowing anything about the gene mods she was talking about, Xander could only nod his head and give his thanks.
¡°If it¡¯ll get me back to peak performance, then your gesture is appreciated. Though, I hope that we can further discuss terms for my service later. It would be nice to find out just how long I¡¯ve been asleep for. As well as find out what happened to my betrothed.¡± The polite speech was starting to irk him, but Xander knew better than to let it show. ¡°For now, I would greatly appreciate it if you might let me speak with some of the scholars, so that we can exchange some more information regarding the current state of my health.¡±
Elyria stared at him for a moment, and he began to wonder if he had stepped too far over the line. Then she waved him off.
¡°Go. You¡¯ll report to the medical building once it is completed tomorrow. You will be the first among those that will be joining our forces to receive your modifications. I hope to see you do well, and for your sake, you had best reach the 1st Evolution quickly. Weakness is a sin in this world, after all.¡±
Xander almost felt pity for her, as he could hear the painful melancholy in her voice.
But that just makes you more dangerous, doesn¡¯t it. He thought while standing up and bowing to the lady.
He knew how desperate those that sought power could become. Especially when they knew what it was like to be weak. More so when they had achieved something great and were at risk of losing it all.
It seemed like his new boss was more like him than his old one was. But that just meant he¡¯d have to watch his back even more carefully.
EAtF CH 4 (Book 1 CH 4): Mutations
Alexander originally thought that his position would remain as one where he was walking a tightrope at every second. But after the first few days of tests, mostly physical, with a few more interviews by the scholars, the apparent title for scientists in this new world he¡¯d woken up in, he realized that he wasn¡¯t being treated much more differently than the others. Though he was kept more privately secured than the rest of the people who¡¯d been in cryo.
¡°So, are you ready for your first injection of the mutagen? It seems likely that you¡¯ll be set for one of the high-quality gene mods. It kind of makes me jealous, to be honest...¡± the scholar, a 1st evolution student, sighed wistfully as she finished prepping Xander for his injections. ¡°I wish my compatibility was good enough for the good mods... then maybe I¡¯d be able to get to my 2nd evolution. Then I¡¯d be able to make some advancements in my studies...¡±
That had been another thing that Xander had done over the past few days. Along with providing information to the scholars and soldiers that questioned him, he¡¯d learned a few things here and there from conversations.
He¡¯d done his best to avoid just straight up asking questions, but his lessons on corporate espionage from when he¡¯d worked security had been incredibly helpful.
Apparently, mutations were split into three categories.
First were gene mods. These were general modifications that could enhance a person¡¯s physical state in various ways. People were generally limited to a specific number of mods depending on their genetic compatibility, which determined their genetic stability when the mod was incorporated into their bodies.
Genetic instability resulted in rampant mutations, which could turn a person into an absolute monstrosity, but also exponentially increased their power at the cost of higher thought processes.
Second were Evolutions. After a person managed to acquire a certain number of gene mods, they could undergo an evolutionary mutation. This would result in a total transformation of the body, compounding all previous mods into a cohesive whole. One that had an exponential increase in strength, similar to rampancy, but without any of the drawbacks.
Doing this required specific modifications, or else rampancy would occur when conflicting mods tried to combine, resulting in a cataclysmic breakdown and mixing of genetic components.
The difference between mods and evolution meant that some people were incapable of proceeding past a certain point, since they might be incompatible with mods that were required for their evolution. This could be overcome by finding different paths of evolution, but such things were incredibly rare and having a path that could reach the 4th evolution was enough to create a kingdom that would last a thousand years.
That was what had happened with the Malicent Kingdom, when their founding Monarch developed the Chimera Evolutionary Path. A path that was, apparently, only compatible with the Wrathmor family, hence they had ruled this kingdom for centuries.
The third type of mods were less direct modifications that had permanent effects, and more like supplementary mods that temporarily altered the body for specific purposes that lasted for a set amount of time. Such as healing boosters, shape changers, poisons, plagues, stabilizers, and other things that helped out in various ways. There were even combat injections and consumables that allowed for temporary increases in combat ability.
¡°Luckily, it seems like my genetic stability is high enough that any mods I¡¯m compatible with will be enough for me to make some quick advancements.¡± Alexander pulled himself out of his internal thoughts upon noticing that the scholar was waiting for his reply. ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll even let me have a choice in what mods I get first.¡±
He grinned at the scholar, who smiled back, seemingly happy at his supposed exuberance.
¡°I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re looking forward to this. Usually, most soldiers are tested more intensely, and over a longer period of time before they get their first mods. I guess that the folks in cryo here were top of the line when it came to genetics, since you¡¯re all getting streamlined for mods.¡± The scholar stepped away from Xander, leaving him shirtless and in a pair of stretchy skin-tight shorts. ¡°Now, it looks like you¡¯re ready to go. Just step outside and the soldiers will bring you to your table.¡±
Xander nodded and gave her a ¡®thank you¡¯ before stepping outside. He couldn¡¯t help but shiver when the cold air of the camp touched his skin.
He saw the soldiers that were waiting for him, but it took him a moment to approach. He looked down at his trembling hand before reaching over with his other one to hold it steady, massaging it as he took several deep breaths.
For nearly a week he¡¯d been forcibly compartmentalizing his thoughts and worries. Doing his best to ignore the panic and worry that he¡¯d been going through.
Prior to his entry into stasis, he¡¯d been through therapy and training to mentally prepare himself for the possibility that the world he knew would be gone when he woke up. Even so, practice and the real thing were entirely different beasts.
Keep calm... you can do this... Just play along for a little bit longer, get some upgrades, and find out what remains. He repeated this mantra in his mind for several seconds, now slowly taking steps toward the waiting soldiers. ¡°Sorry for the delay. Let¡¯s get going.¡±
The soldiers said nothing, but he saw them both glance at his hands. Though they weren¡¯t trembling anymore, he knew that they had seen what he¡¯d done to calm down.
A part of him hoped that they were looking at him in pity, given everything he, and the others were going through, but given the ¡®might makes right¡¯ mentality of the world, he knew that they were likely looking at him in disgust at showing such weakness.
I wonder if it¡¯s only the Malicent Kingdom that thinks this way. He hoped to god that that was the case. If not, then he¡¯d have a new goal for when he got out of here.
Moving in step with the soldiers, he found himself rushed to the front of a long line of other people, all of them looking downtrodden and near panic. His fellow cryo sleepers. A very small number of them looked ready for whatever was coming, and the vast majority looked confused, even scared.
Xander shook his head. He couldn¡¯t afford to worry about them right now. His own modifications were about to happen. So, focusing on that was all he needed to do.
Walking into the large, prefabricated building in front of him, Xander was brought into a private room where the old scholar that had been there when he¡¯d first woken up after getting his language download was standing in the corner. He was looking over a slate that had what looked like a digital interface on it.
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He and the other scholar he¡¯d been taking to fell silent when he entered the room. The old man looked annoyed and disappointed, while the other scholar looked at Xander in disgust.
¡°Something wrong?¡± Xander asked once the soldiers departed from the room. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that whatever¡¯s on that slate doesn¡¯t bode well for me right now.¡±
The older scholar sighed, and Xander realized he never got the man¡¯s name, while the younger one sniffed and walked out after turning her nose up at him.
¡°Simply put, these mods will not be kind to you,¡± the old scholar said once the other one left. ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know about the compatibility of gene mods to individual genetic sequences in people, right?¡±
Xander nodded, having a bad feeling in his gut as the old man went on.
¡°Well, the problem is your compatibility with the mods currently known to the Malicent Empire. Several noble families have provided mods for general use in the military and academic institutions. Unfortunately, it seems that, wherever mods were used on you in the past, as well as our relative lack of mods compared to the Sage Empire, means that your compatibility with the mods we have is incredibly low, despite your high genetic stability.¡±
Xander felt his heart drop into his stomach when he heard that. Even though he¡¯d only been living in this new world for a few days, he knew that not having gene mods, and undergoing evolution, he¡¯d be stuck as a slave at best, and killed off as trash at worst.
¡°That¡¯s a problem. I imagine that I must have some compatibility with at least a few mods, but the fact that your colleague walked out in disgust must mean that they¡¯re not very good ones. Dead end paths?¡± He did his best to keep his voice calm, but he knew that a dead-end path would make his life terribly difficult. It wasn¡¯t like he could walk out of here without any gene mods, after all.
That would defeat the purpose of being a VIP in the eyes of the lady he was supposed to follow.
¡°Indeed. Given the amount of value the princess had previously placed in you, it seems like everybody had high expectations. Only now, those expectations are about to be dashed away.¡± The old man sighed and sat down in a chair along the wall. ¡°It¡¯s times like this that make being a Gene-Sequencer so annoying.¡±
Xander forced himself to keep calm at hearing that. From what he¡¯d learned, Gene-Sequencers were scholars that were at the top of their field, specifically they specialized in creating and modifying gene mods and discovering evolutionary paths.
¡°If the path I¡¯m forced to take is one with a dead end, then I¡¯ll just make a new one while I¡¯m on it.¡± Xander said as he climbed onto the table. ¡°Given that you¡¯re a Gene-Sequencer, I trust that you¡¯ll be able to give me a mod that¡¯s got a decent compatibility with me. Hopefully one that will help me meet the princess¡¯ expectations.¡±
¡°...Are you sure about this? Not a single mod we have, that won¡¯t kill you once injected, is compatible with any of the evolutionary paths known to the Malicent Kingdom.¡± The old man stood up, looming over Xander¡¯s head with a frown and a glare that made the kind old man look like an angry madman.
¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve got any other choices, do I? So, give me the best you¡¯ve got. Preferably something that will help me survive in a fight.¡± Xander refused to back down. His entire body was tense, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel like there was a nagging in the back of his head.
It was like a memory that was just outside his grasp. He felt like he had been through this before.
¡°If that is your wish, then who am I to refuse you.¡± The scholar stepped to the side. He placed the tablet he held into the wall, and the room began to transform as mechanical arms and medical tools reached outward. Straps also wrapped around his body, pinning him to the table as it lifted into the air and tilted him into a vertical position. ¡°This particular mod will be incredibly helpful for your survival. It¡¯s also the one with the highest compatibility with your unique genetic code. Before we begin, do you have any questions?¡±
For a moment Xander thought about asking about the mod he was about to receive. That would¡¯ve been the smart thing, but then he looked at the glint in the scholar''s eyes. Rather than get his ears talked off by indulging in the man¡¯s passion, he felt that making a closer connection to him on a personal level would be better.
Having a doctor on call when you had problems was never a bad thing.
¡°Yeah, what¡¯s your name? I¡¯d love to talk shop with you a bit more after I¡¯m up and fighting fit.¡± Xander threw the scholar a wicked and toothy grin. One that was mirrored on the old man¡¯s face.
¡°I¡¯m Gene-Sequencer Gerome Welts. It¡¯s good to know that a warrior like you sees that value in a scholar like me.¡± With that said, Xander knew that his intentions were seen through, but that was fine.
Then Gerome flipped a switch on the console that had slid out of the wall in front of him, and he felt a prick in his neck before everything went dark.
----------
Looking over the smoking remains of the gene mod room, and the injured form of Gerome, who was being looked over by a few of his fellow scholars, Lady Elyria Wrathmor was as composed as she could be, regardless of the icy cold fury currently coursing through her veins.
¡°So... I assume that the modifications on our VIP were a success?¡± she flared at the figure of Xander lying on the crumpled table in the center of the room.
Fortunately, it seemed that none of the damage had gone past the limits of this room, but it was still a price that she wasn¡¯t happy to be paying.
¡°Indeed. He took to the experimental ancient mods with ease. In fact, I would say that the bio-energy he managed to output when the mods were finished just goes to prove the viability of the ancient mods that were put into the archives and forgotten.¡± Despite his injuries, and the fact that his lady was angry at him, Gerome was still smiling. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that we¡¯re missing the other mods that would allow him to reach the first evolution, but at least this way he¡¯ll remain controllable.¡±
Elyria sighed before punching the wall. ¡°Were there truly no modifications, outside the ancient ones, that were compatible with him?¡±
This time Gerome frowned. ¡°There were none. That man... whatever path he walked on before is one that isn¡¯t known to the Malicent Kingdom. However, if we¡¯re lucky, his ties to the ancient Sage Empire mean that we¡¯ll be able to find more ancient mods. Ones that will be compatible for him and allow him to make progress to the first evolution. Maybe we¡¯ll even find ancient mods that are compatible with our modern citizens. If so, then the power that the Kingdom will have might just be enough to grant it true hegemony of the surrounding areas.¡±
For a while, Elyria didn¡¯t say anything. She just glared at Xander¡¯s prone form, clenching her fists as she did.
¡°What does his new mutation do? Strength? Speed? A psychic ability of some sort, or perhaps a method of bio-energy manipulation?¡± The former two were common, but incredibly useful in soldiers, while the latter two were dangerous, but also useful, depending on what they did.
¡°The latter. Specifically, he can manipulate his own bio-energy to rapidly regenerate from injuries. As well as store bio-energy by eating mutant beasts. This will ensure that his survivability is high, while his ability to break away will be reduced.¡± Gerome sounded incredibly pleased as the smile returned to his face.
¡°... That¡¯s a second evolution gene mod,¡± Elyria muttered in disbelief.
¡°Only by modern standards. The Ancients had gene mods of a much higher quality back in the day. That, and whatever modifications were used on him before had prepared him for this level of change. At his peak, he most certainly had a significantly higher speed of regeneration than what he currently has.¡±
¡°Still... perhaps his lack of compatibility with our current mods isn¡¯t as bad a thing as we¡¯d assumed.¡± She paused, holding her chin in thought, Elyria allowed her mind to wander for several seconds. Everyone else just looked on in silence. Even her cousin, who had arrived just moments ago, didn¡¯t say anything.
¡°I¡¯ve decided; from this moment forward, Alexander Mar will become a part of our special archaeological forces. He shall take part in every mission into my territory¡¯s ruins and will be kept from the front lines for as long as it is feasible. Only if he manages to undergo his 1st evolution will he take part in the war with my siblings.¡± Her declaration was met with agreement, even from her less than supportive cousin. ¡°Hopefully, by that point, I¡¯ll have gotten enough merit that my father will call those other bastards off before the new fodder is ground up in the fighting.¡±
That last part was uttered in near silence but was still heard by all those who were at their 1st evolution.
No one said anything as she walked out, however, since they all knew better than to get on her bad side.
Not even one failed to send Xander¡¯s unconscious body an envious glare at his new posting. Being well away from the front lines in this world was a soldier¡¯s dream. At least among the Malicent Kingdom.
EAtF CH 5 (Book 1 CH 5): New Ability
There was a heavy feeling pressing down on every part of his body. It was as if he was underwater. Deep underwater, to the point where not even sunlight could reach him.
That wasn¡¯t all. Xander could see a series of constellations glowing in the darkness around him. It was an odd sight, since he didn¡¯t recognize any of the ones that he saw, but he knew what each one represented.
They were pathways. Infinite in number and crisscrossed to form an endless web of lights and lines.
Yet there was one light that was brighter than all the others. A light that gave him a sense of belonging, of comfort. It was as if it was a piece of himself that he hadn¡¯t known he¡¯d lost.
A mental nudge caused the blinking star to flash, and the sight of a blue gecko with glowing spots appeared before his eyes. Suddenly, its limbs were ripped off, and it was covered in cuts, bruises, burns and other injuries, only for all of them to heal and disappear while the small lizard returned to perfect health.
The gecko faded away, and the glowing light was all that remained, though the lines connecting it to several other lights were now lit up, and he could feel that there was something there.
Ten lights were connected to the one that he had just examined.
Upon inspecting these lights as well, he saw several creatures in full view, and several that were partially hidden, as if blocked by a thick fog.
¡°Are these the paths that are open to me?¡± The words escaped Alexander''s mouth before he realized that he had spoken. They felt right, however, and he wondered how he knew this.
¡°It¡¯s fascinating, isn¡¯t it Lord Mar?¡± the sound of a young woman¡¯s voice rang through his mind with a gentle chime. ¡°The healing properties of the Millennium Starlight Gecko have so many uses. Having them serve as the base of one¡¯s evolutionary path almost seems like a waste given what they could do if cultivated properly.¡±
The faint image of a woman with a passing resemblance to his fianc¨¦, Katie, nearly took shape, but faded away before his mind could fully grasp it.
A flood of information followed, covering all the relevant facts pertaining to the means of harvesting the genetic material he would need to continue along the various paths of evolution he now had access to. This included the multitude of ways that the genes belonging to the other mutated creatures could be used, even beyond the standard means of evolutionary mutations.
¡°What is this?¡± A sharp pain pierced through his head the second he spoke again, and he felt like he was forgetting something, even for all he now remembered.
Before he could attempt to recall anything else, however, he felt a rising sensation all over his body.
The stars and constellations surrounding him dimmed, and the world was filled with the blinding glare of fluorescent lighting.
----------
It took several minutes for Xander to come to terms with what he had just experienced. It was always clear to him that the time he had spent in stasis was long, but now it seemed that the time that he remembered wasn¡¯t the only time that he had been awake.
The problem was that he didn¡¯t know how many years he was missing, nor how many times he¡¯d been put into stasis. At least a thousand years had passed since he had last been awake, but now it was clear that he had lived a life before waking up to this one.
Possibly even more than one life, forgetting things over and over again, but regardless of that, his memories from before his first freeze never left.
¡°I can¡¯t deal with this right now.¡± He stood up from his bed and stretched. He¡¯d been given some time to center himself after the guards keeping watch over him had barged in when he¡¯d woken up. Apparently, he¡¯d been out for another day, but was feeling significantly better than before. ¡°I can figure out just what I¡¯m missing when I have more information on the here and the now. Best to check in with Lady Wrathmor before she calls for me. I don¡¯t doubt that she knows I¡¯m awake now¡±
Dressing in the uniform he had been given, Xander stepped outside as he tucked in his shirt. All around him, several others were dressed similarly or were wearing the armored uniforms or robes that the soldiers and scholars had. The loose-fitting clothes were comfortable, and tougher than any material he¡¯d ever worn before, while also being soft and smooth as silk.
The emblem of the Malicent Kingdom could be seen on the back. It reminded him of a dress uniform used by the military, though the lack of markings indicating rank and any other identifiers made it seem relatively plain.
¡°Ah, Alexander,¡± Gerome, who seemed to have been waiting for him, greeted Xander from where he stood outside the building that Lady Wrathmor had been using, ¡°Good to see you up and about. Did anything interesting happen while you were unconscious?¡±
Xander¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°What do you mean? Was something supposed to happen to me?¡±
Gerome opened the door and ushered Xander inside. ¡°Not necessarily, but sometimes those that undergo their mutation get hints regarding what they need to continue growing. Given that we don¡¯t have the full sequence for your evolutionary path, I was hoping that you might have seen something that would lead us in the right direction.¡±
With a sigh Alec pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Honestly, I did see something,¡± his voice was quiet, but Gerome seemed to hear him just fine, ¡°but I can¡¯t recall what that creature was called. I might need to look at your records to find it.¡±
Xander looked at Gerome from the corner of his eye. The scholarly man just smirked but nodded his head. The unspoken deal regarding the information Xander wanted access to was agreed upon. Though Xander knew he would need to be more careful.
Petty tricks like this wouldn¡¯t work on anyone with any political training. It was only effective against those that sought knowledge and didn¡¯t care about things like national secrets.
I¡¯m glad that I seem to be reading him right. If Gerome was any more interested in the security of his kingdom, rather than finding new genes, I might already be in a cell somewhere deep underground.
The thought nearly sent a shiver down his spine, but Xander kept calm while he and Gerome reached Elyria¡¯s office. With a gentle knock, the two were welcomed inside.
Elyria Wrathmor sat behind a massive desk, and Xander could see that she was up to her neck in paperwork. Thanks to the language download, he could barely glean that they were logistic reports and battlefront summaries.
Behind her, Nicholai was going over more papers and handing the to her after checking them over. The tension between the cousins seemed thicker than before, but Xander mentally shook his head. It wouldn¡¯t be good to get entangled in another mess when he still had to sort out his current situation.
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¡°You seem to be in good health,¡± Elyria said after giving Xander a glance, ¡°but there¡¯s little time to get you accustomed to your new state of existence. I¡¯ve already sent out the fodder to where they need to go. You will not be going with them and will instead be heading out to another set of ruins that was found nearby. Though still a few days away by truck. It¡¯s unlikely that it¡¯s directly related to the one that we¡¯re inside right now, but it would be better to get it checked over sooner rather than later.¡±
This was something of a relief, because Xander knew that the wouldn¡¯t get the answers he was seeking on the battlefield. At least not right now, when he was still much weaker than the people he¡¯d be fighting.
¡°While you¡¯re traveling, spar with a few of the soldiers and scholars. It would be good to get a sense of just how combat capable you are, now that you¡¯ve undergone your first mutation.¡±
Nodding at her words, Xander noticed Nicholai rolling his eyes from behind her, but didn¡¯t say anything before turning and heading out with Gerome.
¡°That was quick...¡± the scholar muttered when they were nearly at the entrance. ¡°I guess the war is taking more of a toll on the young lady than expected.¡±
Xander bit his tongue to stop himself from asking about the war. Such a thing had not been in the information he had managed to get from the people he¡¯d previously spoken to.
¡°Well, enough with the politics.¡± Gerome smiled and directed Xander toward another area of the camp. ¡°We don¡¯t set out for more than a few hours. Given your mutation, I think you can go a bit harder with the sparring than most, so let¡¯s go test out your new abilities.¡±
Seeing the wide pearly white smile on Gerome¡¯s face made Xander shudder. He decided that he didn¡¯t like where this was going, and that he was likely going to regret waking up when he had.
----------
The sparring grounds were an absolute mess when Xander and Gerome arrived. Several soldiers were sitting to the side with injuries, covered in blood and bandages. It looked more like a bloodied butcher shop than a fighting ring.
Two combatants were hammering on each other, one bare chested man, one woman with a sports bra covering her chest, both were letting out bestial shrieks and growls. Their bodies were still entirely humanoid, but there was an otherness to them that Xander couldn¡¯t put his finger on. He only knew that it must be a result of their mutations.
Besides that, the scene brought back more than a few memories from before he¡¯d gotten work with Sage Pharmaceuticals.
¡°Gruesome, isn¡¯t it?¡± Gerome spoke after a few minutes of staring.
Xander simply nodded. ¡°Yeah. But less so than it would be if you didn¡¯t have the means of fixing them up afterwards. I assume that the brutality is a result of both necessary preparation for the real world, as well as a vent for the foreign instincts and bio-chemicals that are now pumping through the body due to their mutations.¡±
Gerome¡¯s eyebrows rose, and he gave Xander a second look that he assumed meant the scholar was having second thoughts about him.
¡±¡ You weren¡¯t a scholar before you were frozen, were you?¡±
Xander shook his head. ¡°No. I just had the opportunity to learn a few things. Things that were needed in order to survive a few events in my life. The fact that they helped me make progress in my evolution was a miraculous bonus.¡±
The memories of the genetic sequences and pathways that had been unlocked upon gaining his first mutation flashed through his mind.
¡°I might know more when I undergo a few more mutations. We¡¯ll have to wait and see.¡± Xander went silent after this. Simply watching the fight going on in front of him.
¡°Inherited memories¡ We¡¯ll have to see what we can get from you¡ You know that this will make your life more difficult, don¡¯t you.¡± Gerome¡¯s words were not a question. Xander could tell that the older man was aware of his capabilities.
Shrugging with feigned indifference, Xander whispered his reply, ¡°Better to be honest now, than to be captured and interrogated later.¡± Left unsaid was the fact that he wouldn¡¯t be giving them anything for free, but he didn¡¯t think that Gerome would care about that.
Xander¡¯s knowledge, once unlocked, would be far more valuable than anything that they currently had. Exchanging lesser knowledge for ancient knowledge, without having to expend the resources needed to keep him alive through interrogation, would be far cheaper.
A sickly hiss filled the air, followed by a pain-filled scream, cutting off what Gerome was about to say. His mouth snapped shut as the ring was cleared. One of the fighters was covered in melted flesh from where his opponent had spewed some sort of corrosive venom at him from several feet away.
¡°Hmmm,¡± Gerome seemed to examine the still standing fighter. ¡°It seems like one of our guards managed to gain a new mutation. That girl shouldn¡¯t have that ability. She must¡¯ve gotten one of the newer scholars to implant one of the newly discovered gene-mods into her.¡±
The Gene-Sequencer did not sound happy, and Xander felt a chill spread through his body upon seeing the man¡¯s turn fully red.
¡°Hey!¡± A voice called out from the other side of the arena. ¡°You¡¯re one of the popsicles, aren¡¯t you?¡±
It was one of the soldiers that was calling out to Xander. The man had no apparent injuries but seemed to be fidgeting where he stood. His hands grasped at nothing, and his breathing was heavy.
¡°Get in the ring. I want to see what you¡¯re worth.¡± The man jumped over the short wall that made up the boundary of the arena.
Xander looked around, seeing that he had the eyes of all the other soldiers and the few nearby scholars pointed directly toward him.
Even Gerome was giving him an expectant look.
So, with a sigh, he unbuttoned and pulled off his coat and shirt, baring his chest just like the other fighters. The main difference being a few circular markings that seemed to line his back and chest. A result of his gene-mod, but one that didn¡¯t stand out too severely.
His opponent grinned with a hungry growl. A smile spread across his face, showing sharpened teeth, while his hand flexed, causing his nails to pop off and be replaced with wicked claws.
¡°May I ask your name and what stage you¡¯re at?¡± Xander inquired, both to learn more and to keep himself distracted from the pain he was about to feel.
¡°Name¡¯s Lark, Pre-Evolution 3rd gene-mod.¡± With that said, the ferocious soldier leapt forward, fangs bared and reaching for Xander¡¯s throat.
He ducked out of the way, only to receive a swipe to his side. Blood splashed across the ground, and he forced down a grunt of pain to not show any weakness.
His opponent grinned at him, only to pause and stare for a moment, rather than following up on his attack. Xander didn¡¯t have to look down to know what he was staring at.
A tingling sensation spread across his flesh where he had been cut up. It was accompanied by a slight glow from the markings on his torso, and a minor sense of fatigue.
To everyone else, it was apparent that Xander¡¯s body was rapidly regenerating. A feat that, if he was right, was something that only the most extreme and unique gene-mods granted as a mutation ability.
Flexing his body in a manner that he could feel pull several of his muscles beyond their safe limits, Xander launched himself forward and landed a punch on the still stunned soldier''s face.
There was a sickening crack and several crunches from where both his fingers, and the soldier¡¯s nose, were broken.
The difference between them being Xander¡¯s fingers jerking back into place within a few seconds, while the soldier screamed in rage and stumbled forward.
The continued back and forth went on for several minutes. With Xander taking several glancing blows, but returning fire even harder, and causing more damage to build up in the man across from him. More blood painted the ground, almost all of it from him, but that wasn¡¯t the issue.
I can¡¯t keep this up much longer¡ Xander¡¯s mind raced as he realized that his vision was going blurry. His gene-mod was obviously great, but it was sapping his stamina far more quickly than usual. There was also the possibility of backlash if he went too far.
The instinctive knowledge of his new abilities meant that he could tell that he would need to eat what was basically his own body weight in nutrients before he could do something like this again. A feat that would be difficult until he could get the gene-mod he knew would let him eat more.
¡°Let¡¯s finish this,¡± he muttered and threw himself forward. The other man was teetering on his feet, likely from a confusion thanks to the multiple strikes Xander made to his head.
The more bestial man barely got his guard up to protect his face, only for Xander to shift his lunge and land an elbow into his solar plexus. With a strangled gasp, the soldier fell backward, blood gurgled up from his mouth even more than it had when Xander had taken out several of his teeth.
Stumbling back from his downed opponent, Xander staggered back to Gerome, who was looking at him with an appraising gaze. The Gene-Sequencer¡¯s eyes traced up and down his body, looking over the now much dimmer spots that were running along his body.
¡°That was pretty decent, for a man without a battle enhancing mod, going up against a man with 3 of them.¡± Though he tried to hide it, Xander could sense the wariness in Gerome¡¯s voice.
Xander ignored this, too tired to bother with polite reassurances.
¡°Get someone to carry me to our transportation, and as much nutrient and calorie rich food as you can. I¡¯m going to pass out.¡±
With that said, he did exactly that and fell face first into the dirt.
EAtF CH 6 (Book 1 CH 6): Wilderness
Fortunately, this time Xander was only out for a few hours, rather than more than a day. However, the glances he received from everyone else showed how he had obviously managed to prove himself thanks to the spar from the day before.
There was an aura of respect from the soldiers, and one of curiosity from the scholars, now that he wasn¡¯t just a normal person with no power.
¡°That gene-mod seems quite powerful,¡± Gerome said.
He had continued to follow Xander around the camp while they finished preparations. They would be heading out just before nightfall. The darkness wasn¡¯t a problem, given the number of night-based gene-mods that existed.
¡°What are the side-effects? Besides the obvious.¡±
Xander took a moment to finish his current mouthful of food. He had practically been eating nonstop since he¡¯d woken up. A tingling sensation had also spread from the markings on his torso. Something that he knew he¡¯d have to check on when he had a moment later. But his new instincts were telling him not to worry about it, so for now he just focused on his recovery.
¡°Severe nutrient deficiency seems to be the extent for now. But the regeneration and healing seem to cover things like that too, so long as I have the fuel to power it. My stomach has limits, though, so it means that I should avoid using it as much as possible. The recharge time is far too great for consistent and regular use. Though, if my memories are right, that shouldn¡¯t be a problem once I get a bigger stomach.¡±
Currently, the duo was sitting atop one of the transport vehicles. It was basically a tank, given the sheer size and armor covering it, but didn¡¯t seem to lack when it came to internal space and terrain maneuverability. Xander had a data-slate in front of him and was looking through the information on the different mutant beasts that the Malicent Kingdom had access to.
The sheer number of creatures was immense, but fortunately he was able to narrow it down by searching for specific traits, which he knew thanks to the sealed memories that he was slowly unlocking.
¡°A bigger stomach¡ I can think of several genes that would let you have a modification like that¡ But if it¡¯s energy, wouldn¡¯t something like photosynthesis, or some other energy conversion mod, make more sense?¡± Gerome had his own slate in front of him, but wasn¡¯t looking things up like Xander was.
Instead, the Gene-Sequencer was writing a report of some sort. Likely including all the information that Xander was giving him.
¡°Different types of energy require different processing methods. My regeneration requires biological mass, along with nutrient energy, so pure energy conversion like that would actually be more wasteful. Food covers both requirements at once.¡± He stopped swiping through the archive of creatures on his data slate. ¡°This one¡ The Blimp Belly Toad. I don¡¯t know the means of creating the mod, nor the subsidiary materials, but I¡¯m certain that this is a creature with the genes needed for one of the paths my Evolution can take.¡±
Gerome paused, he put down his slate and reached over for Xander¡¯s.
¡°I can see it¡ The Blimp Belly Toad is amphibious, and is well known for swallowing entire lakes, only to spit up the water while keeping all the edible parts inside itself. Its stomach is usually used for the creation of unique expandable packs and water skins. Do you know what the end result of this evolutionary path would be? Would you be cut off from any others if you followed it?¡±
Xander shrugged in response. ¡°My memories only included the different sources for the next few gene-mods I can begin incorporating. The end goals weren¡¯t revealed to me.¡±
¡°Hmmm¡¡± Gerome shook his head. ¡°Look through the rest. There¡¯s little point in getting you purely supportive mutations. You need to be combat capable. Find the rest of the sources, then we¡¯ll talk. Besides, your genes are still restless from your first mod. They need to settle down before you can proceed any further.¡±
Xander sighed, noticing Gerome maniacally grinning while he looked at his own slate once more.
¡°You seem happy.¡± He muttered with a hint of inquiry in his tone.
¡°Oh, I¡¯m just excited¡ We don¡¯t know what the gene-mods are, exactly, but now that we know the primary source, it will be fun to experiment in order to find the proper supplementary materials. Thawing you out was truly a gift from the Empyreans!¡± Gerome sounded giddy and was nearly bouncing in his seat. ¡°If you keep proving yourself to be the treasure trove that you seem to be, you¡¯ll earn the merit needed to undergo your first evolution in no time.¡±
Unfortunately, Xander couldn¡¯t find himself feeling the same happiness. Instead, he focused on what Gerome had said about gifts. ¡°What are the Empyreans?¡±
The Gene-Sequencer just waved him off, focusing on his slate instead. ¡°They¡¯re just the rulers of the world, and the strongest of the mutants, humanoid or beastly. Each one has undergone 5 evolutions. They¡¯re practically immortal, only ever known for dying in battle, never old age, though rumors from some of the big empires say that they freeze themselves, like you did, in order to live longer. It¡¯s why the empires rarely start fighting with each other. You never know how many walking weapons of mass destruction the enemy might have.¡±
Xander stayed quiet after hearing that. The title given to the strongest beings in the world sounded so familiar to him. But it also felt like a lie. Something was eating at the back of his mind.
A shiver ran through his body, and he gripped his chest as he felt his heart rate increase.
No¡ Empyreans are not the strongest¡ There¡¯s something more¡ Something that I need to reach.
A sharp pain passed through his brain. With a wince, he discarded that line of thought for the moment. There were other things he needed to focus on, so he went back to looking through the slate in his hands for the different gene-mod sources that might allow him to grow stronger.
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Every ounce of his existence was telling him that it would be necessary.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
The first day of travel passed by slowly, but Xander passed the time productively, and managed to finish perusing all the known bloodlines accessible within the records he was provided with.
Several other options were found, many of which were more preferred than the toad he had found earlier. Though, none of them were perfect, since they granted more offensive abilities, but still relied on consuming enough fuel to power them.
He was still frustrated at the fact that he hadn¡¯t managed to find all the sources he was looking for. There were at least few more that he felt would be better, but they weren¡¯t accessible to him right now.
¡°It seems like you weren¡¯t able to find all the possibilities in our records. Well, at least now we know what sources we can investigate for additional gene-mods.¡± Gerome seemed indifferent to Xander¡¯s frustration as he looked over at his tablet. ¡°Although... I¡¯m noticing that there are a few general similarities that might make searching for alternatives a bit easier.¡±
¡°Oh? How so?¡± Xander put down his tablet and turned to speak more directly with the geneticist.
¡°Well, it¡¯s rather simple, all the biological sources you¡¯re examining are amphibians or reptiles. From there, it¡¯s just a matter of finding the ones that have a known common ancestor. Atavism is one of the established routes for mutative evolution, after all.¡±
Xander hadn¡¯t known that but took a moment to think and realized that it made a bit of sense. Chickens and other birds supposedly evolved from the tyrannosaurus and various large and more predatory dinosaurs.
It wasn¡¯t perfect, since not all ancient traits were ideal for modern times, but the theory of digging out ancient traits for specific situations, or in this case mutations, was straightforward.
¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know which--¡± Xander began asking Gerome if he was aware of any other creatures with similar ancestries, ones that might not be common in the Malicent Empire.
The sudden shaking of the ground, nearly tossing the armored transport vehicle to the side, forced him to hold that thought, and instead waste energy as he was forced to regrow his tongue. His jaw had clamped shut when he was thrown into the side of the vehicle.
¡°Wud da fak!¡± He slurred while holding on for dear life.
All the while, Gerome seemed mildly annoyed, but not nearly as shocked as Xander.
¡°It seems like we¡¯ve passed through the territory of a subterranean beast.¡± Loud noises echoed from outside the transport vehicle. ¡°Hmm... It must be at least rank 2 if the soldiers are using incendiaries. I might need to step in if that¡¯s the case.¡±
Xander swallowed nervously out of reflex. A Rank 2 beast was powerful. Generally speaking, ordinary soldiers were limited to the peak of rank one, undergoing only one full evolution, but permitted to have additional gene-mods afterwards.
Those were the upper echelons of the army, however, and most of the soldiers in this convoy were merely Rank 0, having had a few gene-mods, but had not undergone a proper evolution yet.
The ground shook once more. This time Gerome began to frown.
¡°I had hoped that the few rank 1s we have with us would be enough, but it seems like this might be a pack.¡± The back hatch of the vehicle opened, and several large, worm-like tendrils began whipping about.
At this point, Xander had recovered and regained his footing to better defend himself.
Though it wasn¡¯t much, Xander had been given some basic gear when their convoy had first set out. So, he wasn¡¯t unprepared and immediately dropped into a defensive stance while drawing a large combat knife the length of his forearm from a sheath on his hip.
It wasn¡¯t much, and it wouldn¡¯t let him stand up to the soldiers that were equipped with firearms, but it would help out with this fight.
The bio-luminescent spots running up and down his body began to glow. His gene-mod fired up and was ready to heal him if he suffered an injury.
Gerome, on the other hand, stood up calmly, and stretched, somehow avoiding the whipping tendrils like they weren¡¯t even there.
No... It''s not that he¡¯s avoiding them... It¡¯s more like they¡¯re being brushed off by him before they can make contact... Xander examined the worm-like appendages more closely and noticed that Gerome wasn¡¯t actually moving out of the way. The attacking limbs just couldn¡¯t land a solid hit.
¡°You can take care of this one, I guess. It¡¯s just a small fry that hasn¡¯t undergone its first evolution, after all.¡± A moment later, Xander nearly reeled back in shock at what began to happen to Gerome.
The older man¡¯s body seemed to ripple before it shrank a few inches down but became more muscular at the same time. Fur sprouted all over his body, and his face elongated into something more mouse or rat-like, while his eyes turned fully red and beady.
Wicked, dagger-like claws sprouted from his fingers, and appeared to drip with a venomous substance.
¡°We¡¯ll discuss more of these interesting gene sources once this is finished. If you¡¯re still alive.¡± The geneticist idly grabbed a tendril out of the air and ripped it apart, causing the rest to pull back as the attacking beast howled in pain. ¡°If you survive, that is. But if you don¡¯t, then it just means that you weren¡¯t worth the investment the Lady was considering you to be.¡±
With a gust of displaced air, Gerome disappeared, leaving Xander alone in the wrecked convoy.
¡°Oh shit...¡± He muttered with a sense of despair.
Nothing he had seen so far could¡¯ve prepared him for this. Not even the previous instances where he had witnessed the power of the soldiers that had undergone their first mutation. Lady Elyria was more powerful, by leaps and bounds, to be sure. Yet this was something else. Something truly inhuman and bizarre.
The pain-filled growls of the beast that had been attacking them pulled Xander from his shock, and he knew that he had to get out and into a more maneuverable space before he got trapped inside.
Pushing himself to his limits, he leapt out just in time to avoid the body of the beast as it dove back into the vehicle.
Now that he was outside, even though the sun was down, Xander could see that its body was like that of an oversized naked mole rat. Its hide was thick and wrinkled. The color was a mixture of grey and brown, likely useful for blending in with the world underground.
The starfish-like nose was much larger, however, and acted as the source of the tendrils that had attacked him and Gerome.
The sound of creaking metal getting warped and bent under the mutated beast¡¯s weight and force was distracting, but Xander took the moment of reprieve to look at his surroundings.
Dozens of these mole creatures were attacking the convoy, and that was just among the ones that he could see. He could hear more of them fighting over in another area.
With a loud shriek, the mole in front of him pulled its body out of the vehicle. It turned around, and Xander could see it staring right at him. Narrow eyes that glowed with scarlet light seemed to bare down on him. Sweat trickled down his back, even in the cool night air.
From what he could tell, this mutant beast had at least three, maybe four, mutant traits. The equivalent of humanity¡¯s gene-mods but naturally occurring in mutant beasts.
¡®Toughened Hide¡¯, ¡®Prehensile Limbs¡¯, ¡®Greater Strength'', and possibly something related to digging or sensory abilities. Meaning that it had at least three abilities that would make it more powerful than Xander. Hence, it would be a far more difficult fight than his spar with the soldier that only had one or two gene-mods.
He still didn¡¯t know much about the world he had found himself in, but Xander knew that this would be just the first of many trials and tribulations he would have to face.
¡°Come on then!¡± He spoke with a rumble in his voice as he took his stance once more.
Seemingly understanding the words of challenge for what they were, the mutant beast charged forward, its tendrils flailing about in the air while it barreled toward Xander¡¯s form.