Like he’d done almost every day for almost a year, Kyle was sitting on a lily pad in the middle of the lake, enjoying the quiet and shade as he quietly worked on his next project.  As it turned out, planting a diverse array of trees, grasses, and shrubs had proven to be quite profitable to increase the level of his World Tree Tender class.  In short order, he’d grown to Level 23, which was when he’d gotten his next skill selection.

Like the first he’d gotten in the class, two of the options were able to be dismissed outright.  One was for a skill called Root, which would have allowed Kyle to plant himself into the ground to gain nourishment and heal injuries.  He also expected it would offer insights into the concept of Growth that he used.  Unfortunately, nothing the skill offered was new or unique to him.  He already had better options for recovery, and had pogrit seeds to spare.  The insight into the Growth concept may have been interesting, but as things stood, he’d already made tremendous progress in that regard.

The second skill available to him was called Enrich, which allowed him to inject energy directly into the ground and atmosphere to create an environment that was friendly for various plants to grow.  The eventual ability to develop a full domain skill made this offering interesting, but the overall utility wasn’t that useful to him.  He and C.H.A.D.D. already had plenty of tools at their disposal to help the plants grow, and Kyle didn’t think that he’d need more.  Particularly when compared to the final skill he was offered.

Infuse.

It was another skill with incredible simplicity, while also offering near-limitless depth.  In this case, the skill allowed him to inject his own mana directly into a plant.  At its basic use, Kyle was able to mimic the effects of Enrich by providing a growing plant with mana directly, even if it was less efficient.  The limiting factor, naturally, was the quality of the plant.  Kyle could move a truly monstrous amount of mana around, and most of the plants he and C.H.A.D.D. were cultivating could only handle a small percentage of his overall output.  With one notable exception.

Kyle was focusing on the rough wood in his palm; little more than a stick.  A stick with a gentle golden hue.  Despite its small size, Kyle had been able to infuse it with mana day after day, attuning and refining the small object as he painstakingly inscribed new runes as it grew.  It was an investment in his future, and a project he genuinely enjoyed.

He’d just been getting settled in to inspect his latest runic formations when he felt a shudder through the World Tree Seed.  Something was trying to take control of a chaddling.

[DR. MAYHEW,] C.H.A.D.D. began, but Kyle was already moving.

An unexpected development with his evolution to C Grade was the expansion of Pack Leader’s Instinct.  While C.H.A.D.D. still gave the individual orders, Kyle could also exert instinctual control over the mindless acorn soldiers, and when he felt something challenge that control, his order was clear.  Kill.

Releasing near-constant blasts of Repel, Kyle flew across the lake and into the forest.  He wove through the dense woodlands without so much as slowing down, his enhanced control allowing him to navigate it with ease.  He was saving Genesis Engine for when he confronted the intruder, with Kyle already imagining some fungal monstrosity trying to take over.  He had plans for that contingency.

As he closed in, however, Auric Perception warned him of familiar mana as peals of thunder and flashes of lightning rocked the edge of his forest.  Can it be?  He felt C.H.A.D.D.’s elation before the drone projected a scan confirming his suspicion.  Jax!

Immediately, Kyle sent the order for the chaddlings to hold back, slowing down enough to appear and greet his friend.  At least, that was the plan.  Just as he moved to call out, Jax Cain turned, releasing a blast of electricity every bit as powerful as Arhades’ capstone skill.  You’ve come a long way,

Kyle thought, channeling the concept of Immutability through Iron Will.  At the same time, his Ferric Augmentation expanded, just in time to meet the lance of pure power.

Electricity coursed over his body as the concept of Immutability reinforced him.  While it stung something fierce, it simply didn’t have enough power to cause any real damage.  Allowing his Ferric Augmentation to revert back to its normal coverage, he smiled broadly as he heard Jax call his name, almost in question.

“It’s been a long time, Jax,” Kyle replied, coming to a stop in front of his old friend.

The young man had really come into himself over the last few years, the softer features of his youth having sharpened with time.  Between Auric Perception and a quick use of Identify, Kyle suspected the young man was at the high-end of D Grade, though not yet at the peak.  He also saw that both his body and mana network were in the middle of taking some nasty backlash from the skill he used, and with a thought he extended a tendril of Parasitic Resonance and activated Healing Impetus, clearing up the physical damage right away.

“It really is you,” Jax breathed, finally meeting Kyle’s eyes.  “I saw the videos, Kyle.  You were dead.  Nobody could have survived that.”

“By all rights I should be,” Kyle acknowledged, though not entirely willing to share the details of what C.H.A.D.D. had done to save him.  “It took a lucky breakthrough, tons of resources, and a very, very long time to stabilize.”

By now, the goblin that had been with Jax turned to see them talking, and shouted over.  “Who are you?  What are you doing in this forest?”

Kyle felt a gentleness to the old goblin’s mana; a certain resonance with the forest around them, and instantly formed a hypothesis.

“I’m an old friend of Jax’s, and I’m in the forest because I grew it.  And I take it you’re the one that tried to manipulate one of my workers.  Sorry about the surprise attack, I feared you were related to the fungal creatures that were on the planet before.”

The goblin seemed almost relieved at Kyle’s apology, and strode closer.  “Fortunately master Perhades of the Alabaster Court got that nasty business taken care of.  Now, how exactly did you plant the forest?  What did you do?”

Kyle understood the probing nature of the question, but wasn’t going to give away more than he needed to.  “I barely survived an attack from a C Grade, but it gave me an opportunity to evolve myself.  My second class is related to nature, and so I worked on regrowing the trees.  I thought it would be the easiest way to send a signal that I was here.”

He could sense the skepticism from the elderly goblin, but he didn’t press further.  “Well, I must confess that’s disappointing.  My name is Finn’el, we were sent to investigate the strange occurrences here, and it appears that you are the explanation for them.”

“Sorry for any confusion,” Kyle said, rubbing the back of his head with his right arm.  “Say, you wouldn’t happen to have any extra room in your shuttle to take me with you, do you?”

“Of course we do!” Jax said.

“Unfortunately we do not,” Finn’el replied.

The two looked at each other for a moment, with Jax’s expression becoming a storm cloud.  “This is my family’s shuttle, so I say he can come with us.”

“And you’re on a Guild job, where I am the client,” Finn’el shot back.  “Lest you forget, we aren’t even supposed to be on this planet.  Bringing him back with us right now would be inviting nothing but trouble.”

“Well we’re sure as hell not just leaving him here,” Jax growled.

“Of course not!” Finn’el replied.  “But we are going to return, and work through proper channels to ensure that your friend is able to be resettled before the auction.”

“What auction?” Kyle asked, his curiosity piqued.

“I’m afraid that’s classified,” Finn’el began, before Jax jumped in.

“The Gray Conglomerate is selling the planet.  From the sound of things, it’s going to go pretty cheap.  We were here to see if there was anything special growing in this forest before my family decided whether or not it’d be worth bidding.”

Finn’el shot another glare at Jax, who rolled his eyes.  “There’s no harm in telling him that much.  Besides, he’d find out one way or another.  Once the Collective finds out he’s alive and in C Grade, they’ll get him extracted, and it’ll be back to business as usual.”

“Do you at least have some way for me to reach out to my handler at the Courier’s Guild?  I really want to pass a message along,” Kyle pushed.

“If you give me their information, I’ll see if Grayson can get in contact,” Jax promised, which made Kyle smile.

“I’d really appreciate that, Jax.  Her name is Suierrillax, though with me gone, I’m not sure if she’ll still be working with the guilds.  You could also pass the information along to Jarberry Bandersnatch, and I’m sure he’ll get the word out.”

Jax pulled out his nav bracelet, pulling up a screen and typing out a quick message.  “There, done.  The Private Security Guild knows that you’re alive, and we’ll get the ball rolling on our side to do whatever the Collective needs done.  Stars above, it’s good to see you, Kyle.  Tillienne will be thrilled to hear that you made it.”

Kyle thought back to the last he saw of the fae woman; unconscious and being carried away by Skippy.  “How is she doing?” Kyle asked, almost hesitantly.

Jax’s expression dropped.  “She took it tough, man.  She’s been training like hell since getting back, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she crosses to C Grade soon.  From the sound of things, she and Arhades are making quite a name for themselves among the Mercenary’s Guild.”

At least she kept moving forward, Kyle thought.  She wasn’t somebody who lost a fight very often, and he’d worried the disaster of an expedition would have caused her to spiral.

While Kyle contemplated, the dark-haired man looked around, a pensive look on his face.  “Are you going to be okay here, Kyle?  We don’t have a ton, but I’m sure we could spare some rations if you need them.”

He was tempted to say “yes,” but thought about Tillienne, and the promise they made before embarking on the mission to Kertan Six.

“I’ll be fine, but get me on the books for a meal together when we all get back together.”

Jax’s eyes lit up at the words, and he reached out to clasp Kyle’s hand.  “I’m going to hold you to that.  Come on, Finn’el, we need to report back as soon as we can.”

Finn’el was staring intently at Kyle, and snapped back to attention at Jax’s words.  “Yes, yes we should…”  The faraway look remained in his eyes for a moment, then he fully refocused.  “It was a pleasure meeting you… Mayhew, was it?”

“It was good to meet you too,” Kyle said, watching them as they returned to the shuttle.  Kyle didn’t miss that the goblin sent a message, too.  Still, there was only so much that Kyle could do.  Even though this didn’t turn into a miraculous rescue, Kyle had plenty of projects to keep him busy until logistics got sorted out.  Beyond working on his new weapon, he and C.H.A.D.D. had been putting together a variety of unique uses of both Cultivate and Infuse in conjunction with the drone’s already existing experiments within the World Tree Seed.  When the time came for Kyle to make his return to the Collective, he had no intention of being a victim of circumstances.

No, he’d grown powerful.  He’d survived the end of another world.  He’d faced down monsters beyond his imagining, and he stood up time and time again.  And he would rise to face whatever came next.  He was resilient.  He was adaptable. He was Unbroken.