Chương 94: 2.35 A Crime Against Nature

"All right, Evie, quit being cute," Hector said, peering into the small, former airlock chamber. There was diffuse, pale light coming through the hatch. He guessed it was midday on the rift world—something his clock, still oriented for Mars-time, couldn't tell him. //Well, as you know, rift denizen tissue has been used for bio-mechanical augmentation in the past. It's difficult and requires a certain level of potentia infusion, but a clever aura system can make use of it.

A bit of aura-driven gene editing was required, but the reaper's cellular architecture proved remarkably compatible with your corpus vivum. The system started with your blood and marrow. Once the changes took hold there, they spread naturally into the organs that process nutrients, filter toxins, and exchange oxygen. You see, I wanted to use the reaper's biological material to repair damage, but the system couldn't just do it piecemeal. The damage was too extensive.

Replacing isolated tissues would have created incompatibilities between the repaired structures and the surrounding organs. The aura system's algorithms determined that a broader integration was more efficient. // When Evie fell silent, Hector paced, looking at his hand, flexing it, frowning when he felt the strength coiled in his muscles. He'd been strong before, but something more had happened." Ghosts, Evie! Am I even human?" // You are, Hector, but your corpus vivum is heavily modified.

//"Mm-hmm, and why do I feel stronger?" //Well, you were going through a level-up, and the donor material from the reaper was rich in potentia; the aura system took advantage of it. I've generated reports. Are you ready to read them? // Hector stood there listening, watching the hatch, as he gave himself a few moments to experience his body and the changes it had gone through.

It wasn't the first time he'd had biological modifications, let alone cybernetic ones. In one of his… iterations, he'd had more chrome than flesh in the end. The Empire liked to experiment with injury treatments. Even so, it was the first time Evie—or the aura system, if she insisted on the distinction—had tinkered with his genes and spliced a damned alien monster into him. He clenched his jaw, stretched his neck, inhaled and exhaled, then asked, "The others? They're all okay?"

//Yes, though Mathews hasn't exactly been checking in with me. She asked me for regular updates as to your status, however. // All right. Let me see the report. A blinking window appeared on his AUI, and Hector focused, expanding it into his field of view: //Corpus vivum conditioning complete and level advancement has been applied. Pathways have advanced and connections multiplied; the discovery of new abilities and boosts is imminent.

Potentia-rich materials, exogenous to the corpus vivum, have been incorporated, resulting in greater than expected gains.

Level results are as follows: Strengthened aura pathways, increasing maximum load—use caution when exploring this limit to avoid aura overload Aura Pool increased from 36 to 50 Strength increased from 18 to 24 Speed increased from 22 to 26 Regenerative and adaptive biological structures incorporated, increasing corpus vivum Vitality rating significantly: 16 to 52 Corpus vivum improvements applied: Enhanced Bone Density 2 -> Similite-Infused Skeleton: The skeletal structure of this corpus vivum has been permeated with a significant amount of similite ore, resulting in enhanced durability and passive aura regeneration.

Phase Pathways 2: Enhanced specialized aura pathways capable of limited matter-state transition, allowing for more pronounced versions of advanced movement, defensive, and offensive phase techniques. Tissue Regeneration 2: This corpus vivum has incorporated biological material from a highly regenerative organism. As a result, it will rapidly self-repair most physical damage. Environmental Adaptability 2: This corpus vivum has incorporated biological material from a highly adaptable organism.

As a result, hostile environments, temperatures, and even chemicals will have a significantly reduced impact on its biological processes. Abilities and boosts applied: Ghost Reaver: Slip into the veil, phasing out of physical space for a short time and enhancing your movement rate. Aura constructs will remain anchored in physical space and continue functioning while transitioned. Cost: 30 aura per 3 seconds Aura Potentia Available: 76 End Report.

// Hector rubbed his jaw, unable to put words to his thoughts as he read the report a second and third time. He'd never seen such gains. His vitality was basically Praetorian-grade, and he was only level ten. His other attributes had seen gains that would require ten levels or so for most archetypes to match. In other words, his desperate fight with the reaper combined with his lucky similite discovery had resulted in something that shouldn't really have been possible.

Finally, his tongue loosened in his mouth, and he said, "Evie, you're either a damn genius or the two of us just committed a crime against nature." Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. Evie sounded insufferably smug as she replied: //Perhaps it's both. //"Heh." Hector held out his right hand—fingers half exposed through the slowly disintegrating gloves—and, with a thought, summoned his Aura Blade.

The aura flowed through him effortlessly, sliding into his palm in the blink of an eye. The blade sat there, thrumming softly, a crimson length of razor-sharp glass that steamed menacingly. With no hesitation, Hector sliced the blade deep into his left forearm. His armored sleeve was gone—hanging in tatters from the shoulder, and he watched as his bronze-toned flesh parted under the blade. He hardly felt it, but that wasn't surprising. The Aura blade possessed an edge fine enough to slip through steel.

In fact, the cut was so fine that he had to release the blade and spread it with his fingers before it started to bleed in earnest. He let go and watched as, in a matter of seconds, his flesh knitted back together—pink scar tissue forming and then fading almost immediately.

"Damn," he said, chuckling.

"Better than top-tier medical nanites." //You don't heal as quickly as a reaper, but you're right; what you have is far better than nanites. Your natural healing process is vastly more efficient. It relies primarily on your normal metabolic reserves rather than consuming your tissues for raw materials. Nanites would require maintaining and flushing, and would be susceptible to pulse attacks and phage warfare.

// Hector looked down at himself; his armor was mostly intact, though it was torn through in many areas and rotting at the seams. Even with the tears, his muscles strained the fabric, and he could tell from the proximity of the ceiling that he'd grown several centimeters. There'd be no hiding that. He reached up to run his fingers through his hair, reminding himself that his helmet was ruined; the others would see that he was breathing just fine without it, and— //Your teeth are probably different.

// Hector coughed.

"Excuse me?" //The similite infusion—your teeth probably have a metallic or iridescent sheen. // Groaning, Hector picked up his broken helmet and tilted the visor so it reflected his face faintly. Baring his teeth, he turned it left and right, trying to get the best angle. Sure enough, his teeth bore the telltale similite sheen.

"Son of a bitch. Mathews is going to have a fit." //And you? // Hector knew what Evie meant: was he upset that she'd used the similite?

"No, Evie. How can I complain? You saved my life, and, more importantly, you made me a hell of a lot stronger. When it comes to my purpose in this life, strength is paramount." With that, Hector walked into the airlock and effortlessly pulled himself up through the hatch. He squatted there, looking over the stony landscape from a new perspective. Despite his torn armor and his missing helmet, Hector was comfortable.

His breathing was relaxed; the air tasted good to him—slightly metallic and damp, but it no longer felt oppressive. Beyond that, he was surveying the world with his naked eyes, and though he had retinal implants, the layers of filtering and data his helmet's visor had provided were gone. Things were clear and sharp, and when he tilted his gaze up the slope, he noticed something he'd missed before: bits of gray-tinted plasteel here and there, leading away in a straight line toward a stony outcropping.

Without a thought, he nimbly padded up the slope, pausing at the first bit of plasteel. It was narrow and smooth, and he had an idea of what it was. Evie confirmed: //The remnants of an extruded track—something machinery might have moved along. // Hector loped the rest of the way up the hill until he came to the outcropping and the dark, square tunnel leading into the hillside.

"The mine." //Very likely the source of the similite ore. // Hector decided he probably shouldn't be speaking aloud, so he switched to subvocalizations: Mark the spot. Maybe we can assuage Mathews with the data; there are plenty of independents who'd pay good money for the location of a similite vein. //Done. // Hector opened his comm channel, frowning at the failed connection icon; without his helmet boosting the signal, the little antenna in his ear was struggling to connect to Mathews and the others.

//Yes, my last contact was twelve hours ago before your helmet's circuitry failed. // Well, keep an eye on the connection. As soon as I have a signal, let me know. Hector turned toward their hideout and started running. As he went, skirting shapes or shadows that hinted at shapes long before he got to them, he took stock of his body and the changes that his aura system had wrought. His breathing never grew labored, despite his much-increased pace. His legs felt strong, and their reserves of energy seemed limitless.

He knew that was an illusion; even a Praetorian could be taxed. It just took a lot to do so. He wanted to try out his new Ghost Reaver ability, but he knew he ought to check in with the others first. Still, he had almost enough potentia to purchase another level, and he intended to get the process started before he rested again. At the thought, he wondered exactly how much he'd need, and Evie picked up on the query. //94 potentia to purchase level 11. You're currently at 76.

// It had been a while since Hector had looked at his full status sheet, so he focused on the icon on his AUI with a quick thought to Evie: Let me see my status, but leave off the ability and boost descriptions. A moment later, a new window appeared, and he glanced over it as he slowed to an easy jog: //Status: Level: 10 Archetype: Reaver Aura Pool: 50/50 Aura Potentia: 76 Attributes: Strength: 24 Speed: 26 Vitality: 52 Perception: 16.

25 Corpus Vivum Improvements: Similite-Infused Skeleton Phase Pathways 2 Tissue Regeneration 2 Environmental Adaptability 2 Abilities and Boosts: Berserk Aura Blade Speed Boost Shadow Stalk Critical Eye Ghost Reaver End Report. // Reading the report reminded Hector of the secondary effect of the similite infusion he'd undergone. Evie, aura report. //Aura Pool: 50/50 Aura Gain: 8. 21 units per minute. //"That's…" //More than twice your old ambient recovery rate.

// Hector knew the number was higher in the rift world than it would be back in the Sol System, but even so, the change was incredible. If people knew about the benefits of infusing similite into a person's skeletal structure… Dammit, they probably do! //It's likely that such a thing has been attempted. If a Great House found such an advantage, though, they most certainly wouldn't share it. // Same would go for the trade consortiums. Corpos hoard their secrets. An icon flashed on his AUI.

//You're in range of the team's comms. // All right, Evie. Let's break the news to Mathews.