The hair on the back of Kyle’s neck stood up as he turned to face the source of the voice. Before him stood a hunched, diminutive creature, just over a meter tall. It wore dark robes, with only its head and one clawed hand visible. It made no effort to hide, but Kyle’s fear only grew as he realized that the being was entirely invisible to both Auric Perception and Synaptic Barbs. From the drone’s stunned silence, Kyle could only imagine that C.H.A.D.D. was in the same position. Other than Jarberry, nobody else had come close to replicating that feat.

  Of course, this was no imp.

  Its skin was ashen grey, looking like aged leather. Its head was shaped like an inverted teardrop, with no visible nose or mouth as it tapered toward a sharp, pointed chin. Its single eye, set on the left side of its face, looked intently at Kyle and C.H.A.D.D., the purple iris blazing like a miniature sun against the pitch-black sclera. A stubby horn, reminiscent of a goat’s, stuck out of its forehead on the right side, matching the skin exactly.

  Kyle’s instincts screamed at him to run, and he activated Ignition instantly. The creature let out a click of what sounded like admonishment, as its hand made a quick gesture. Before Kyle could even take a step, he felt an incredible pressure on him from all sides. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t budge an inch.

  “You are far too interesting a specimen to be allowed to run away. No, no, that simply wouldn’t do.” The creature’s words were casual, no hint of effort or strain. What’s more, Kyle still couldn’t detect anything with Auric Perception, despite what had to be an incredible amount of mana being used to pin him.

  He activated Identify, and saw… nothing. Whoever – whatever – this creature was, its stealth capabilities were a tier above even Jarberry’s. A drop of cold sweat ran down Kyle’s back. That meant the being in front of him was at least B Grade, potentially higher.

  “Who… who are you?” Kyle managed to ask, the pressure around his mouth allowing him to breathe and speak freely, despite the rest of his body still feeling like it was being crushed.

  “What an unimportant question,” the creature said, tilting its head sideways as its one visible hand rose to scratch at its jutting chin. How is it talking? Kyle thought to himself, still not taking his eyes off the creature. His mind was racing, trying to find a solution to escape. There has to be a way out, he thought, not willing to accept the inevitability of his position.

  Its purple eye seemed to flare for a moment, and it nodded for a moment. “Still, I suppose a discussion wouldn’t hurt. A discussion of important topics, of course. Tell me, child, what do you think of the life on this planet?”

  Kyle was a little taken aback at the question, but if answering could buy him some time, he was all for it. “It’s incredibly diverse,” Kyle managed. “I haven’t been here for long, but what I’ve seen has been impressive. Are you from here?”

  “Do I look like one of the native species to you, child?” The being asked.

  “No,” Kyle admitted. “Which begs the question, why are you here? My understanding is that this planet was only recently in communication with the Collective.” Kyle hoped that the mention of the Collective would give the creature pause. No matter how powerful it was, the various factions that made up the Collective had plenty of powerhouses of their own. The Verdant Republic alone had dozens powerful B Grades in their home systems, with rumors of A Grade clan heads currently in seclusion.

  “The Collective, you say? Interesting… interesting indeed. Of course, I suppose it was only a matter of time until their grubby paws would make their way to this system. Oh well, so it goes. That’s why one can never be too careful. The isolation barrier I put in place should ensure our conversation stays nice and private, even if the Collective has been bothered to set up nearby communications.

  “Now, back to the matter at hand. Of the species you’ve observed, what do you think about the beast fighting the shrikes? And don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about, I’ve seen the aftermath of your encounters with them.”

  Kyle considered his choices for a moment. If this monster had really been following Kyle’s recent progress, there was a possibility that it already knew that Kyle had been in the sealed basement in Railen’s Folly. If he tried to conceal what he’d learned, he could easily end up dead. Of course, that was predicated on the gray creature already having a baseline of knowledge about the beasts. If it didn’t, Kyle could give up valuable leverage by sharing too much too soon.

  “Why are you interested?” Kyle asked, trying to measure the creature’s response.

  “Because, you’ve found a novel method of handling them. Encounters like this one are somewhat common, and the amalgams are typically fine, even if they’re driven off to recover. That’s not to say that they can’t be killed with brute force, of course, but they were designed to be resilient enough to handle most anything they could encounter beneath the apex of D Grade. Your method, on the other hand, seems significantly more effective.”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Kyle’s blood ran cold as the monster talked; its voice still disgustingly casual. It called them amalgams, and referred to their design. How could it know, unless it had real, firsthand knowledge of their creation? And if Kyle’s suspicions were correct, that this was the mysterious “teacher” referred to in Rai’Lenelat’s notes, then he knew exactly what kind of person he was dealing with.

  Kyle knew the Collective wouldn’t stand for experiments like the ones it had helped run. Even in areas outside of Collective Space, they would respond harshly to abuses like these. Doubly so for somebody in B Grade or beyond experimenting on lower-grade individuals. That’s just not how things were done. Since the “teacher” knew about the Collective, was cautious enough to put up safeguards to prevent communication, it wasn’t going to let Kyle survive.

  “They’re innocent people, and they’re in pain,” Kyle finally said. Despair was creeping through him at the sheer disparity in power; he knew that he was at the creature’s mercy. At least he’d let the bastard know how he felt about its handiwork.

  The “teacher” looked at Kyle in silence for a moment. “Odd, then, for you to seek them out and consume them. Each corpse I’ve observed bears the hallmark traits of mana absorption. Tell me, what drives an abomination like you to interfere with my experiments?”

  What? Kyle thought, a fleeting expression of confusion moving across his face. What did it mean by calling him an abomination?

  “It is no matter,” the “teacher” continued. “Now that I’ve had a better look, I’m certain. You bear the energy of a true Progenitor, do you not?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kyle said. He wasn’t going to tell the monster about the World Tree Seed. Even if Kyle died here, he hoped that C.H.A.D.D. would be left alone. The drone remained blessedly silent so far, there was still hope.

  “Don’t play coy,” the monster said, flicking a clawed finger skyward in a vertical slash. A moment later, Kyle felt a hot flash of pain across his chest as the stonebloom armor and his shirt were sliced cleanly in two. Another flash of motion, and Kyle’s chest was exposed as his armor and shirt fell in tatters to the ground.

  The creature’s violet eye widened as it drew nearer to Kyle, reaching out and resting its palm against Kyle’s stomach.

  What is it –

  Before Kyle could even finish forming the thought, a wave of pure agony washed over him, originating from his core. He felt Ignition fluctuate, then stabilize, followed by Parasitic Resonance being forcefully activated, tendrils swaying wildly in the air. Kyle cried out in anguish, the pain unlike anything he’d felt before.

  The creature withdrew its hand, looking first to its palm, and then to Kyle. “Incredible. How did you assimilate such pure energy? It seems fundamentally incompatible with your body, and yet it has been integrated. Not perfectly, but still… fascinating.”

  Kyle couldn’t answer. His breaths were still coming in ragged gasps, still feeling phantom waves of pain shooting across his body. He struggled to restrain his mana, to get some semblance of control over his skills. He failed.

  The gray monster finally took its other hand out of its robe, and began making a complex series of hand gestures as it muttered under its breath.

  [THIS HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH. STOP WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING THIS INSTANT.]

  The voice took both Kyle and the “teacher” by surprise, and the creature stopped its movements.

  “Did your backpack just try to talk to me?” it said, violet eye on Kyle.

  [I DID NOT TRY. I SUCCEEDED. AND I DEMAND THAT YOU STOP THIS. YOUR ACTIONS ARE INHUMANE, AND YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED.]

  The eye narrowed just a fraction, as the creature paused to walk around behind Kyle. “And who are you to lecture me on humanity, robot? No, that’s not it. Cyborg? Hmmm… interesting.”

  [AS THE ONLY OTHER QUALIFIED BEING PRESENT ABLE TO SPEAK AT THE MOMENT, WHO ELSE SHOULD THE RESPONSIBILITY HAVE FALLEN TO?] C.H.A.D.D. replied.

  Kyle knew that the drone couldn’t detect the creature, had no idea where it was other than listening to its voice.

  “Oh my, you’re carrying quite the little surprise, aren’t you? What fortune, to acquire a Progenitor-bearer and a World Tree Seed in one interaction. I’m so glad that I came.” The voice practically dripped with honey, and Kyle felt the despair sink in even deeper. In just a few short moments, this monster unraveled all of their secrets. There was no escape for either of them, now.

  The gray creature shuffled back in front of him, and resumed its chanting, hands once again weaving complex patterns. Then, against his back, Kyle felt a small vine. It was faint, he could barely feel it through the waves of pain still wracking his body, but he could make out the words.

  Dr. Mayhew,

  I am going to try to detonate the Seed. Hold on. I do not know if it will work. If it does, run.

  Thank you, for everything.

  Kyle’s eyes widened, despite himself. No, C.H.A.D.D. Don’t… His thoughts trailed off. If he had to choose between dying here or being experimented on by this monster, he knew what he’d choose. And he knew that C.H.A.D.D. would feel the same.

  There was no way the drone would survive a move like that, even if it was capable of pulling it off. Kyle didn’t expect he’d survive either, but if he did, he would put every ounce of effort he could into ensuring this monster didn’t get what it wanted. Escape wouldn’t be an option. Resolving himself, Kyle focused his attention on the creature’s eye. As soon as C.H.A.D.D. gave him an opening, he knew he’d only have a moment.

  Abruptly, the chanting stopped, and it raised both palms flat in Kyle’s direction. A runic formation of pure mana materialized in the air, then pressed forward, branding itself into Kyle’s stomach. Then, the pain erupted anew. It was like every cell in his body was lit on fire, his mana forcefully circulating, tearing him apart from the inside. He screamed. Conscious thought slipped away, except for one spot on his back.

  Hold on, Dr. Mayhew

  Another wave of ripping agony. He could taste iron in his mouth as he started to bleed. Small wisps of crimson energy began to leak from his skin.

  I am working as fast as I can

  A third wave. Kyle’s voice was gone, his vision blurring. Simultaneous heat and cold radiated from his center, the Core of the Parasitic Devourer stirring and squirming, resisting the formation trying to rip it out of him.

  The sky darkened. Reality cracked. A presence descended.

  RELEASE MY PROGENY NOW, FIEND. OR BE CONSUMED.