Void's Psionics (14 page)

Raw and warm, Oliver savored the delicious
meal, taking care to throw the skulls out later. Whatever he had
heard in the forest had left the food he let go and was surprised
and a bit curious to see what it was and especially what it tasted
like. He was salivating at the thought, but needed to rest.

The cut wood from earlier was shoved beneath
the tub of full water. To ignite it Oliver opened the lever to his
power and focused it to his thumb and index finger. Between them
crossed a constant spark he laid over the dry wood which caught
surprisingly quick. The hole in the mountain from the last cannon
shot that allowed for the cave to be possible acted as an excellent
smoke vent.

When the icy water was heated, Oliver grabbed
one of dozens of bottles of unscented soap and took a hot bath he
sorely needed, taking none unless Piranha fishing counted. A good
soak was exactly what was needed after a hard day’s work. When it
got a little too warm Oliver got out, his skin redder than normal
and let the dirty water flow out and fill back up as he crawled
into the Flare’s comfortable bed and kept the lid open to alert him
in even the ship’s systems fail, however unlikely. He closed his
eyes and went into a light sleep to recover, but not so deep
something could find him easy prey. Sleeping with a sword was
security and gave peace of mind.

Distant thunder rolled through the land
foretelling of a coming storm. Growing moisture in the air coupled
with ever increasing wind turned out to be rather invigorating.
Light dreams as usual were plagued with thoughts of impotent anger
for those who had stolen the sole reason for living. Other times
were flashes of seeing Deegen’s throat split wide open. Deegen and
Bell were the first close people he had ever seen killed, never to
talk to again. Biological immortality didn’t guarantee you couldn’t
die, only took away fear of cellular degradation, but losing one he
had called friend was still a great loss. Rose’s memories of him
proved he truly was a good man, but misguided. He didn’t want
Deegen dead as much as he wanted Renee held captive, but time could
not be reversed.

Only thing to do is what could be
accomplished in the here and now.

Random tumbling of the planet made it seem
like night was falling into twilight and from mental calculations
of the coming storm had Oliver decide to get back to work and he
got out of bed. Walking to the cave’s edge he decided to increase
safety for rock climbing and modified his armor around the waist to
craft a bulbous object attached to a line around the waist and
shoved it in the crack running all the way down to the floor.

The modified egg flattened as it was pushed
deeply in the crack to be expanded while taking on a rough, barbed
texture for added friction and grip. Taking out the dagger from his
leg Oliver carefully crawled down and placed boots on the rock face
to use the knife to cut through the stone and create a solid ladder
out of the solid gray granite. With each step carved and excess
tossed away, his armor thinned little by little as he made more
line to go down further and further. Three quarters the way down
and two hours later, he made a second anchor point, unhooked the
longer line and reabsorbed it back into armor.

Slowly and steady he worked, but on high
alert as he was dangerously exposed. Camouflaging the armor to
mimic the rock did help, but every Beast cry had him looking over a
shoulder. One mistake with his back turned and he could be plucked
right off.

Less than ten minutes before returning to the
cave the showers arrived and both thunder and lightning transformed
the view. Rain varied from a gentle drizzle to a downpour the eye
could not penetrate. The angle of the cave didn’t allow for rain to
get in so Oliver sat comfortably beside a fantastic fire for warmth
and to listen to the cheery crackle over the deluge.

Observing was an integral part of hunting
Beasts as even in storms they were active, using it to surprise
other prey. But as Oliver continued to watch alone he noticed a
Thunder Lizard’s trademark though he could not see it among the
trees as lightening often struck the same area again and again.
That Beast was S-Rank for good reason as nature itself helped
enhance electrical abilities without suffering any damage. He noted
another area also being struck and the hunting opportunities in
this area were great.

Sitting didn’t mean he did
nothing. Oliver took it all in from how the land was full of hills
and shallow valleys to jagged caves. Dangerous forests held untold
danger around every leaf of uncountable number. Looked for the best
places to ambush and
be
ambushed. Where to lay traps to lure out the best
Beasts.

The only ones he truly worried of were the
rare X-Rank Beast, the highest and deadliest category. Just one
would decimate entire cities overnight and were said to be near
impossible to kill. And with all the scents mixed on the winds, he
could not find them as everything was so delicious.

As he observed he spoke to the ship’s
personal log. “Day two on BQX-63 has me in the cave due to severe
weather, but I finished basic needs for a base camp. I have clean
water and a spectacular view that is easily defensible. Have a good
storage of dry firewood and supplies. With basic needs complete I
can begin developing my abilities till I hunt all worthy prey in
the vicinity and move to another area. For now though I know for a
fact two Thunder Lizards are here as well as a Fire Wyrm since I’ll
never forget the sound of its voice after my last run in on Zerika.
End log.”

Eventually the storm passed and the land grew
bright again without falling into night. Rain had soaked the dry
forest, leaving everything smelling clean, fresh and glistening.
Realizing now would be the best time to identify scents before they
cross and mix up again he filled his cape with enough fresh water
for two days and jumped out. During the fall his armor transformed
to expand wings so as to glide, remembering the escape from New
Wrangler Prison to dodge cannon fire while gliding over an active
super volcano seemed easy now. He felt no wind, but his helmet
didn’t filter scents and he used them to glide over and around,
turning his suit a shade of lavender to mimic the sky. His shadow
still fell over the canopy, but the long glider wings didn’t make
enough noise to alert the active forest below.

The glide would never reach the Thunder
Lizard area as the air after a cooling rain didn’t make strong
enough thermals to keep perpetually aloft.

During the slow flight a curious sighting had
Oliver circle and land quietly nearby. His suit reformed into
camouflaged battle mode and he drew both shield and sword. The
ground suddenly shook with a thump and it made Oliver crouch. The
ground showed heavy Beast activity, so much so that the muddy
prints covered one another. It showed just how recent it was.
Taking a path off the game trail he came around to hide behind a
bush.

Laying on its back in the middle of a
clearing was a full grown Skipper, a Beast more than thirty meters
long that looked much like an overgrown grasshopper. It had a
woodsy insect’s shell and enormous eyes that were more like lenses.
Surrounding it were dozens of Beasts, some bringing it food from
their kills. He saw Moles, Tortoises, small Stingray, varying
insects, above ground Vipers and so on. From this vantage Oliver
watched as a Mole with it’s strange pink nose climbed up on the
Skipper’s powerful back legs that pulled back and held still as
those overlarge eyes moved little by little, calculating
somehow.

The next instant the Skipper’s bent legs were
fully extended as the Mole left the planet for elsewhere. The thump
from earlier shook the ground again from the Beast’s launch into
space.

The barest of snapping branches from the
sturdy trees had Oliver look up just in time to see a pair of long
dripping black fangs from a great Tarantula Beast. Ten meters long
and silent despite its size. When its prey realized it had been
spotted it dropped from its web, but Oliver’s quick reflexes got
him out of the way in plenty of time to follow up with quick
slices. Eight spider legs as thick as his torso fell severed and
it’s scream drew the other Beasts.

Oliver couldn’t pass up such a gathering. A
living buffet. The first to strike nearest was a Mole that spat a
thick glob of poison to paralyze him. After finding how the shield
worked quite by accident really, Oliver pushed power into it and
threw it forward. Instead of a sharp slicing wave the cutlass
makes, the shield generated a curved bluish wall that expanded as
it gained distance. More power put in the further it would go and
expand. The wall caught the poison and slammed right into the
charging Beasts now smelling him for what he is.

Using inhuman speed and reflexes he began
beheading most creatures, but the Stingrays needed to be
halved.

Vipers dove underground while he was
preoccupied with a Praying Mantis, but as the ground opened up into
a gaping pit with a pair of fangs, he was already gone, but not
away before stabbing his cutlass deep through the dirt to kill the
burrowing Beasts. Thankfully these Beasts were just lower B and
C-Rank Beasts. Easily dealt with. In two minutes there were only
two remaining alive. A Solarian and a Skipper. Oliver expected it
to attack like other Beasts, but like the reports said, it didn’t
react to anyone. He went about the grizzly task of cerebral
extraction, but also cut open a few for some liver and a little
muscle for protein. He piled the dripping matter together and left
to eat somewhere safer, but not before seeing one of the smaller
arms of the Skipper reach out blindly, never taking its eyes from
the sky, till it snagged the body of a Stingray to begin eating it.
Oliver left before the great smell of fresh blood drew in more than
he could handle.

Up in a tree a kilometer away, he began
eating fast rather than savor.

A nearby stream washed him, but smelled
tainted so he left it without drinking.

After another night Oliver found a Salamander
nest and when his armor turned its reflective silver their fire was
useless. A deadly stinger though found it’s mark in his left thigh.
He silenced the nest of eleven Salamanders, but was glad he decided
on bringing the synthesizer as he rapidly used his tablet to whip
up a counteragent for the painful poison and injected himself
before the poison took full effect and killed him. Nanites stopped
the bleeding and the armor proved invaluable again as a bandage as
well as a compress. He harvested his needs, but called it a day
back up in the cave to heal.

With the serious wound, his combat
effectiveness went way down.

After a week, the stinger puncture had all
but disappeared and changes were already showing as he looked at
his reflection after a shave. The roundness of his ears had changed
just a little, but they were extending. The armor itself had
gradually grown sharper in areas and defined in others as well. A
medical scanner had also revealed his own brain scan had jumped to
a Class Eight psionic user. The increase made starting fires easier
and he was able to erect a decent barrier, but manifested Gathering
was troublesome to do.

But his arrival hadn’t gone unnoticed. His
smell began to draw Beasts from near and far, especially from those
of superior rank.

A powerful odor suddenly washed inside the
cave and Oliver’s mouth filled with saliva like it had when first
smelling the air. Grabbing sword and shield he hurried to the ledge
as the scent was fresh and closer than ever. The scent was mixed
with ozone and the flavor was hunger inducing. From his vantage he
noticed distant activity fifteen kilometers away where smoke rose
and all around it Beasts fled. Being downwind didn’t matter as it
hadn’t rained in the week he was recovering, but knew that was the
exact path taken after dealing with the Salamanders. It was
tracking him and no Beast was willing to try to take it down. Few
Beasts made others flee for their lives, but it drew the strong and
foolish. Oliver was a bit of both.

Fighting near his cave was a terrible idea so
he decided to deal with the challenge elsewhere. But before leaving
he grabbed the synthesizer and hooked it to his lower back and made
a holster on the hip for the injector. He had a feeling it may be
needed.

Gliding by suit saved time and energy till
Oliver landed in a spacious clearing made by a landslide from long
ago. He touched down and withdrew the armor around his chest as the
wind shifted direction, blowing his hair around his face. Letting
his own scent lure. Oliver lost the scent of the tantalizing Beast,
but after a few minutes on the breeze there came a trembling roar
in the distance that had him grinning. “Come and get me, Big Guy.”
He challenged and let the wind keep blowing over the naked
torso.

Tree destruction and smoke followed the
Beast’s path as it indeed altered course to be led. Oliver put the
armor back on and readied on the opposite side. The ground shook as
it came ever closer.

Bursting through the dense forest, knocking
fat trees over like saplings revealed a Thunder Lizard. The
creature had the silhouette of a buffalo, the long horn of a
rhinoceros and the tough hide of a dinosaur. It’s back end was
smaller than the impressive shoulders and chest. From ground to the
top knot of muscle in its shoulder was over a thousand centimeter’s
tall and twice as long. What really made the Thunder Beast
terrifying was not just scars from many battles, but it’s dark
reddish body sizzling with terawatts of electricity from lightening
strikes it absorbed. The sparks are what made the trees smoke as it
moved through the jungle. The blackened horn was the lightning rod
that gathered nature’s fury. The danger it presented is to touch it
is suicide, but also it can expel bolts from the horn as well. It
had great eyesight and olfactory senses so running away wasn’t a
long term survival option. It had Oliver’s scent and wouldn’t stop
till those curved teeth were eating the tiny morsel that was
him.