CHAPTER 44: TWO PEOPLE WITH A COMMON ENEMY

"It’s a small sword," Tatehan said, keeping his voice steady. "I left it behind before I came here. I was afraid it’d break in the fight and I’d lose my powers."

Kael looked at him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he nodded slowly.

"Smart," Kael said. "Most people don’t think that far ahead."

Tatehan felt the tension drain from his shoulders. The lie had worked. For now.

Kael stood and tossed another piece of wood onto the fire. "Get some rest. You’ll need it."

And that was it. The conversation ended.

Tatehan lay back down, staring at the cave ceiling. He’d gotten away with it, but he still felt some bit of guilt. Kael had saved his life, and here he was, lying to the man’s face.

But what choice did he have?

Over the next few days, Tatehan found himself thinking constantly about the spaceship.

Was it safe?

Had anything happened to it while he was unconscious?

The questions ate at him, but there was nothing he could do about it in his current state. He could barely walk properly, let alone make the journey back through the canyon and the bruteneck area.

So he waited.

And he trained.

Every morning, when Kael left to hunt, Tatehan would force himself to stand and move. He tested his limits, pushing his body a little further each day.

He also tested his gravity manipulation.

At first, it was frustrating as hell. He could activate the ability, sure, but only to a limited extent. Anytime he tried to lift something heavy or hold his focus for too long, his concentration would slip. His brain felt sluggish, like it was still rebooting from the trauma.

But he kept trying.

Lift a small rock. Hold it. Drop it. Repeat.

Day after day.

Slowly, his control began to return.

He also tested his kinetic absorption. One morning, after Kael had left, Tatehan punched the cave wall as hard as he could. His fist connected with stone, and he felt the impact—but less than he should have. The armor absorbed most of it, storing the energy.

He waited a few seconds, then released it.

His next punch cracked the stone.

Tatehan grinned. It still worked.

His enhanced durability, though? He couldn’t tell. The level was so low—0.3—that he didn’t notice any difference. Maybe his bones were slightly denser. Maybe his skin was a bit tougher. But it wasn’t enough to feel.

Still, it was there. And that was something.

By the end of the week, he could lift a boulder the size of his torso and hold it steady for nearly a minute before his focus wavered.

It wasn’t much. But it was progress.

One morning, as Tatehan sat recovering from another training session, words flashed across his retina:

[Congratulations, Host]

[Partial Regeneration has been working overtime]

[Progress: 98% healed]

Tatehan stared at the notification, feeling a wave of relief.

He was almost there and he was almost ready.

That night, Kael and Tatehan sat by the fire, eating in silence. They had seemed to be free with each other over the week they’ve been together. They never discussed deeply about their lives but they engage in banters and all that. Even though their age difference was huge.

After a while, Kael spoke.

"My clan used to handle things like this," he said, staring into the flames. "Monsters. Threats. We’d clear them out."

Tatehan looked up. "Your clan?"

Kael’s jaw tightened. "Yeah. But that’s not important right now."

He changed the topic quickly, too quickly, and Tatehan knew better than to go further.

But the word "clan" stuck with him. Kael wasn’t just some lone survivor. He came from somewhere. He had people.

Tatehan realized something then. Kael was like the humans from the settlements. He had an awakened weapon. He had a clan. He was part of a larger world that Tatehan had only glimpsed.

"There are others?" Tatehan asked. "Humans with weapons like yours?"

Kael glanced at him. "You really grew up alone?"

Tatehan nodded.

Kael let out a breath. "Thousands. Mars is bigger than you think, kid. There are cities, clans, factions. People with awakened weapons and abilities."

Tatehan absorbed that. Thousands. He’d known there were survivors, but hearing it confirmed like this made it real.

He wasn’t alone.

But he was still an outsider.

After a long silence, Tatehan stood. His ribs were mostly healed now. He could move without wincing. He could breathe without pain.

He faced Kael.

"I’m going back," Tatehan said. "We need to defeat that monster."

Kael looked up at him, his expression unreadable. "You sure you’re ready, I mean, I want to defeat it too."

"Well, I think I’m fine," Tatehan admitted.

Kael smirked. "I’ve been trying to kill that thing for months. Haven’t found the right opening."

"Then it’s time," Tatehan said, his voice hard. "Time for vengeance."

Kael stood, picking up his chakrams from where they rested against the wall.

"We’ll need to train first."

Tatehan furrowed a brow.

"Train?"

___

Tatehan and Kael stood outside the cave, the morning sun casting long shadows across the rocky terrain.

Kael had his chakrams strapped to his back. Tatehan had... nothing, except for his armor which was on him except for his helmet (visor).

Kael noticed.

"Here," Kael said, unsheathing a sword from his belt. It wasn’t fancy. Just a plain, well-worn blade. But it was sharp.

He tossed it to Tatehan.

Tatehan caught it, surprised. "You sure?"

"I’ve got my chakrams," Kael said. "You need something to fight with. Just don’t break this one."

Tatehan nodded, gripping the hilt. It felt good in his hands. Not as good as his rock sword had, but it would do.

Kael sat down on a flat rock and gestured for Tatehan to do the same.

"Alright," Kael said. "Let’s talk strategy."

Tatehan sat.

"The Mauler is territorial," Kael began. "It won’t leave the amphitheater. That’s good for us. Means we know where it’ll be."

"Weak points?" Tatehan asked.

"Joints, eyes, underside of the carapace," Kael listed.

Tatehan thought for a moment. He had been expecting the man to mention the bio neutral core but seeing he didn’t, he was somehow relived.

"What if we use the environment? Collapse part of the cave entrance, trap it?"

Kael raised an eyebrow. "Not bad. Limits its movement. Makes it easier to pin down."

He nodded. "We can work with that."

Kael stood. "But before we go, you need to learn how to read it."

"Read it?" Tatehan asked.

"The Mauler is fast," Kael said. "But it’s predictable. It learns patterns, so you can’t repeat the same move twice. You need to adapt."

Kael drew one of his chakrams. "Come at me."

Tatehan hesitated, then stood and raised his sword.

They sparred.

Kael was skilled. Decades of experience showed in every movement. He was fast, precise, and controlled. Tatehan held his own, but barely. Every time he thought he had an opening, Kael was already two steps ahead.

At one point, Kael disarmed him with a flick of his wrist.

Tatehan’s sword clattered to the ground.

"Again," Kael said.

Tatehan picked up the sword.

They sparred for hours.

By the end, Tatehan was exhausted, drenched in sweat, his muscles screaming. But he’d learned. He could read Kael’s movements now. Anticipate them.

Not perfectly. But enough.

Kael sheathed his chakram. "You’ll do."

Tatehan caught his breath. "You could’ve killed me easily."

"Yeah," Kael said. "But I didn’t."

There was some sort of weight to those words. Trust was fragile between them. Tatehan knew that. Kael had saved his life, but that didn’t mean they were friends. Not yet.

They were just two people with a common enemy.

For now, that was enough.

They marched toward the amphitheater together.

The journey was tense. Quiet. Neither of them spoke much. The only sounds were their footsteps on stone and the distant wind.

Tatehan’s mind raced. He thought about the Mauler. About the fight. About whether he’d survive this time.

He glanced at Kael, who walked ahead with the confidence of someone who’d done this a hundred times before.

Tatehan wondered what drove him. Why he’d been here for months, trying to kill the Mauler. What his real reason was.

But he didn’t ask.

Some things were better left unsaid.

They reached the ridge overlooking the amphitheater.

Tatehan crouched low, peering over the edge.

The Mauler was there.

It was feeding on a fresh kill. Blood and gore stained the ground around it. Its six legs scraped against stone as it tore into the carcass with its serrated jaws.

The presence of the monster was nightmarish. Seeing it again made Tatehan realize how true that was. And the size..., this was an extremely large beast. Even with his abilities, if his body wasn’t an enhanced one, he wasn’t sure he’d have a say over a monster as this. He wouldn’t be able to match its pace. The only efficient ways to hit it was to jump really high and he couldn’t do so in his normal body.

Then beast stopped. Its head lifted, it sensed them.

Slowly, the Mauler turned.

Its red eyes locked onto the ridge.

Onto them.

Tatehan’s grip tightened on his sword.

Kael’s chakrams began to spin lazily on his fingers, glowing faintly blue.

"Ready?" Kael asked, his voice low.

Tatehan’s heart pounded.

"Yeah," he said.

The Mauler roared.