The earthen barrier shuddered under the assault of the Skitterers on the other side. It wouldn't last long. Kenji, leaning against the inner palisade for support, knew he was running on fumes. Lyra was frantic, trying to nudge him away from the fighting.
"Kenji, you've done too much! You'll collapse!"
"Can't... stop... now," he gasped. The villagers were fighting with the courage of cornered lions, but the sheer number of Skitterers still inside the initial breach was overwhelming. Finn had joined Martha, his spear a blur, but even they were being pushed back.
Kenji needed to thin the herd inside. His complex traps were out. His Aether was too low for large-scale environmental manipulation. He looked at his Aether Shard script. Low damage potential. But what if he "overclocked" it? Pushed more Aether into a single, more potent shard, ignoring the system's efficiency warnings?
// Aetheric Lance - v0.1 (High-Cost, High-Impact Single Target) // WARNING: Unstable script. High risk of Aetheric backlash. function create_aether_lance(target_elite_skitterer) lance = new AetherConstruct.Projectile(type: 'concentrated_lance', density: 'extreme', velocity: 'variable_max') lance.set_properties(ignore_stability_protocols: true, maximize_impact_force: true) // ... (Force-channel Aether far beyond safe limits) ... self.consume_aether_raw_burst(10) // Direct, unfiltered Aether cost lance.launch(target_elite_skitterer.center_mass) system.log_critical("Aether Lance deployed. User Aether levels dangerously low.") end
He targeted one of the larger Elite Skitterers that was tearing through the defenders.
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[SAI - System Log/Action Report - HIGH RISK]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPT EXECUTED: 'create_aether_lance' (Unstable Configuration)
TARGET: EliteSkitterer_ID_ES004
AETHER CONSUMED (RAW BURST): 10 Units.
SYSTEM ALERT - CRITICAL:
- User Aether levels: 6/100.
- AETHERIC EXHAUSTION IMMINENT!
- Severe risk of backlash and temporary ability loss.
- CEASE ALL AETHERIC ACTIVITY IMMEDIATELY!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A brilliant, searing lance of blue-white Aether, far more substantial than his previous shards, erupted from Kenji's outstretched hand. It screamed through the air and struck the Elite Skitterer squarely in its thorax. The creature exploded in a shower of chitin and black ichor, the force of the blast knocking nearby Skitterers off their feet.
The effect was devastating, but the cost was immediate. Kenji cried out, a searing pain shooting up his arm as if his own Aetheric pathways were tearing. His vision went white, then black. He collapsed, Lyra's terrified cry the last thing he heard.
When his senses partially returned, he was on the ground, Martha shaking him roughly. "Lad! Kenji! Stay with us!"
The battle raged around them. His Aetheric Lance had momentarily stunned the attackers in that section, but more were flooding in. The earthen barrier was crumbling.
"My... Aether..." Kenji croaked. His interface was a blur of red warnings. He could barely focus.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[SAI - System Log/User Status - CRITICAL FAILURE]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
USER: Kenji Tanaka
AETHER STATUS:
Internal Aether: 1/100 Units.
Condition: SEVERE AETHERIC EXHAUSTION.
System Protocol: Emergency Aetheric Shutdown. All active SAI functions
beyond basic diagnostics are now OFFLINE.
Forced stasis recommended.
PHYSICAL STATUS:
- Unconsciousness imminent.
- Severe internal Aetheric backlash trauma detected.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Offline? No! He tried to force a command, any command, but his mind felt disconnected from the interface, from his power. It was like trying to compile code on a dead machine.
Just as a massive Skitterer lunged for him, Finn's spear transfixed it. The young guard pulled Kenji back. "We need to fall back to the communal hall! It's the most defensible point!"
The retreat was a chaotic, desperate scramble. Villagers fell, but others dragged their wounded, fighting for every inch. Kenji, barely conscious, was half-carried, half-dragged by Finn and another villager. He saw Elara, her face grim, directing the retreat, her voice, though strained, still carrying authority.
They reached the sturdy wooden doors of the communal hall just as the Brood Mother, having finally smashed its way through the outer perimeter defenses, began to advance slowly into the village proper, the ground shaking with its every step. The monstrous queen of the swarm had arrived.