Chapter 122 - Ruminations (Patreon)

<---Chapter 121 - Commercialized Agriculture | Table of Contents | Chapter 123 - Overpopulation --->

At the crack of dawn, Kyle and the other two Ghosts formed a squad with Drake, setting off deeper into the Keru Forest while Feldon and Jaden prepared the village defenses and trained the villagers. Sasha had been tasked by Kyle to work overwatch, serving as a long-range scout and an early warning system for any signs of Nest movements.

"Are you sure just the four of us are going to be enough?" Drake asked with an anxious undertone as he gingerly stepped over the ever-increasing twisting roots and ferns that grew larger and larger until they could barely see over them. The trees seemed to increase in size the deeper they went into the forest, as if there was a strange force making everything larger unnaturally.

"We will be fine." Kyle assured, using his machete to hack away at a few pesky branches and plants that blocked his path. He was confident that he alone could take on a mammoth hog, though it was also essential to have the Ghosts become familiar with whatever hunting method Drake had in place.

As they ventured further, Kyle could feel a slight tingle on his skin, the density of arcia energy getting higher. While it was not as much as a training cave like the ones he implemented back in Raktor, it was significant enough that even the Ghosts were starting to feel the pressure, their bodies absorbing the ambient energy. Countless sparks of arcia energy blipped in and out of existence along the lengths of the tree trunks, faint lines that looked like engravings snaking their way up to the top.

Kyle leaned in closer, inspecting the very faint but dense capillaries that channeled arcia energy along the surface of the bark. He used his machete to slice open an already peeling piece of bark, revealing the fresh, moist interior of the tree, glistening with arcia-infused water, though the arcia energy of the water was lost rapidly through evaporation. Above him, the canopy of leaves, flowers, and birds hiding amidst the growth felt a cool breeze, arcia energy dissipating out through the air via the surface area of the leaves. Interesting, the lifeforms here have truly adapted to arcia energy as if it was just another facet of life.

He was not too surprised - exotic materials found on planets always had their own unique ecosystem, though most of them were highly incompatible even with bioformed humans. To see arcia be able to integrate with well-known Ancient Earth lifeforms is nothing short of a technological miracle. The trees draw arcia energy and water up from the base, breathing it in and then breathing it out through the leaves. It's the same water cycle as usual, except arcia energy is also being diffused this way.

The squad continued along the trek, the trees still dense as ever as they watched every step, careful not to crack any branches and alert anything that might be stalking them. Strangely enough, Kyle noticed that there were a few outcrops positioned further away along a sloping hill randomly, as though they had been sprinkled through artificially. None of the outcrops' locations matched any other geological formations, but Drake warned Kyle to keep a clear berth of the lucrative iron ore deposits. "You don't want to mess with whatever is eating that."

"Eating?" Kyle cocked his head in confusion, but Drake placed a finger on his own lips, motioning for Kyle to crouch and keep quiet. He used the same finger to point over his shoulder, marking a solitary mammoth hog, grazing along the trees slowly.

The two Ghosts gasped before clutching their own mouths, astounded by the size of the hog. "No one told me it would be this big!" The mammoth hog truly lived up to its name, towering more than three stories high on all fours, while three snouts that acted like elephant trunks gave it a surprising dexterity, allowing it to pluck and strip bushes before stuffing leaves into its mouth, five large molars gnashing it before the pulverized leaves entered its digestive system of five stomachs.

Kyle wasn't too fazed by the size but more so by the ability for it to even exist. The gravity on this planet is Earth-like - such a creature would be horribly inefficient and succumb to its own weight if toppling... the only explanation is the availability of arcia energy. He kept low as he crawled along the forest floor, moving up with Drake to get a closer look. The three trunks were the width of a human, giant fingers that made the front of the hog look like an octopus. Its forehead featured a large pointy horn, its bony surface orange in color from the oxidization, only accented by natural engravings shaping along its length.

The mammoth hog snorted through all three of its trunks, acting akin to a vacuum cleaner for some decomposing leaves, clearing up the forest floor as it lumbered along, moving away from the squad. Kyle was about to continue following, but Drake instead motioned for him to retreat. The squad moved back quietly, until Drake was sure that they were out of earshot of the hog. "Okay, here's the plan. There's a place nearby where the hogs usually come to graze every day. We'll lay the bait there, and wait for the hog to eat it up. Once we are sure the bait has taken effect, then we'll strike." Drake used a nearby branch and carved a plan out into the dirt.

Kyle nodded, deferring judgment to Drake, who was the experienced hunter here. Personally, Kyle would have called in an airstrike to lay waste to the forest and form a clearing to hunt the hogs better, but alas, his options were limited. He watched on as Drake scattered the laced Poair Leaves along the floor, forming a pile of delicious leaves that no mammoth hog would be able to resist. As Drake returned to them, he suddenly walked to a nearby stream, scooping and slathering himself with mud. "We need to mask our smell - the hog can detect us from a mile away if we're not careful."

No one complained, masking themselves before the four of them separated, each of them climbing up the tree and taking up a hiding position. "Its sense of smell are really good, but only where its trunks are facing. Other than that, anything directly above where the trunk can't reach is basically a blind spot. Trick is to stay along the branches of the tree if you can help it. The weak point is the head." Drake explained.

A few minutes passed in silence, only the chittering of insects and birds masking the rustling of leaves in the wind and the sound of running water along smaller streams. Kyle took this time to inspect the environment, noticing the insects were the size of a toddler, skittering along the branches and leaves, some of them even using their feelers, which waved about in front of Kyle, trying to determine friend or foe.

One of the beetles that scampered past him had a strange engraving on its shell, the engraving lighting up when direct daylight shone right on it. The beetle found a perfect spot, laying there to rest and soak in the incoming radiation, its shell growing larger over time until the tail end of it snapped off, revealing the fleshy exoskeleton of the beetle beneath. It used its maw to grab the dropped shell, scampering to a hole in the tree and placing the shell neatly, apparently using it to cover its nest.

Kyle wanted to catch the beetle to see if the System would show any information about the engraving, but a large thud alerted him to the same mammoth hog, having turned around thanks to the scent emitted by the bait. He watched from above as the hog shuffled slowly, its three trunks continuously scanning the area through smell and touch both, its large beady eyes also looking around cautiously.

The first of its trunks sniffed the pile of laced leaves when it approached, the other two keeping at bay, ready to lash out at any nearby predator. Kyle and the others kept completely still, the trunks trying to sniff out their locations. He could see one of the trunks get near to him, sniffing and snorting, before it retracted, satisfied. Without any more hesitation, the first trunk scooped up the entire pile of leaves, stuffing it into its maw while it chewed away happily.

Kyle spotted Drake moving out from beyond his hiding position, his hand still held up with a stop sign, Drake's eyes intently watching the hog's movement. The hog didn't seem to be affected, continuing to chew and loiter about the area, its curious trunks still wiggling about. However, the mammoth hog suddenly stumbled over an obvious root, one it should have avoided. This was the sign that Drake needed. "NOW!"

The three of them popped out from their hiding positions, the two Ghosts using their Aspis MK2 Repeater to fire a hailstorm at the hog. While the hide of the hog was tough, it was far from enough to deflect the pellets entirely, many lodging themselves deep into the hog's flesh as it roared in pain, its three trunks suddenly letting out a sonic horn-like sound that blasted the two Ghosts off their branches. They tumbled down hard, crashing through branches and trees that broke their fall before collapsing onto the floor, bruised everywhere as they struggled to get up to their feet.

The mammoth hog charged towards them, its three tusks aimed at grabbing them, when a sudden projectile was shot towards the back of its head, an explosive round erupting and tearing through the hide easily with the ensuing explosion, sparks flying everywhere and causing leaves to smolder. Kyle slung the empty railgun behind him, drawing out his machete and leaping downwards onto the back of the injured hog.

Stumbling clumsily, the intoxicated and injured hog staggered through the forest, trying to limp away while Kyle landed right on top of it. A trunk swooped in from the front, attempting to remove Kyle off its back. Clenching his armored fist, the exosuit arm whirred into life as he drove the machete upwards in a devastating swing, timed exactly to slice the trunk cleanly off in one hit.

The mammoth hog recoiled in pain, letting out a series of grunts and whimpers while its trunk bled blue, dripping downwards in copious amounts from the severed wound. Kyle raised his machete, about to drive deep into the hog, when its horn began to glow brighter, its original orange hue blinding Kyle temporarily, causing him to nearly lose balance and fall off the back of the hog.

He clenched his eyes tight, trying to regain his vision. As soon as he opened it again, he saw the same severed trunk lunging back towards him, except that it was regenerating in real time. He swung his machete again towards the trunk, but felt his machete crack against the now hardened trunk, the tip having only regrown a bone spear. What?

Kyle ducked as the bone spear jabbed across him, skidding along the back of the hog while its legs threw a tantrum, trying to throw off Kyle. "Hit the eyes, the eyes!" Drake called out from afar, not having any weapon to be able to deal with it.

Thanks to Kyle's attack, the two Ghosts had enough time to heal up and rejoin the fight. They focused their fire on the eyes, one of the barraging pellets finding its mark and shattering the crystal-like structure of the beady left eye, earning yet another deafening pained roar from the hog.

With its sight now blinded, the hog relied only on its sense of smell and hearing, flinging its trunks wildly in a desperate attempt to shake off Kyle on its back as well as crush the two Ghosts. It navigated towards the fired shots of the two Ghosts, charging forward with its horn facing forward, the trunks sweeping outwards like an grader, smacking everything in its path.

The two Ghosts leaped over the trunks on the ground, tumbling and rolling into a shooting posture once more, though the back of the hog had no weak spots to shoot at. They witnessed yet another glow of the orange hue, the remaining two trunks now also growing sharp bone ends to their snout. Interestingly, none of the tips were the same - the first was a spear, the other was a hammer, and the last was a mace.

Kyle fended off the attacks, dodging and clinging onto the hairy hide of the hog as he clutched with both his hands, pulling himself forward towards the horn, resisting the constant shaking and slamming of the hog, which was trying everything. Over time, the hog's actions began to be more and more sluggish, allowing Kyle to easily reach the horn. Wielding his machete, he aimed at the base of the horn, using his exosuit arm to slam the machete deep beyond the hide, gouging out whatever flesh and organs were in the hog's head.

The hog's trunks twitched slightly as the machete's blade reached its brain, the nervous system control disrupted while its motions were no longer coordinated, tripping over itself. It rolled onto the floor, flinging Kyle off while it tumbled towards a nearby tree, the hog crashing into it violently and bending the stiff tree trunk slightly.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

Killed: "Mammoth Hog," +50 EXP, Killed: "Mammoth Hog," +50 EXP..

Only fifty? Kyle wiped the sweat and blue-splattered blood off his face. The noxious salamander he had defeated in the dungeon was far more worth in terms of experience. Sure, the hog was not as hard, but it still took great effort to bring it down just due to its sheer mess.

Drake clambered down the tree where he was watching, cautiously approaching the hog, unsure whether it was dead or not, the two Ghosts sharing his sentiment as they held their rifles at the ready.

"It's dead, don't worry." Kyle didn't waste any time, moving forward to check the mammoth hog. He hacked through the hide, revealing a red, tender flesh beneath that was dense and packed, the arcia energy already dissipating into the air.

"I can't believe you killed it so easily! Usually, we have to go a few rounds with the hog, and we're lucky that this adult was alone. Though, it is a little bit on the smaller side now that I look at it carefully."

"Smaller side?!" A Ghost blurted out in astonishment.

"Well now we know the method to hunt them, we should be good enough to start scaling up." Kyle remarked, chopping off a piece of the tender meat into his hand.

[Item]: Mammoth Hog Trotter Meat

A meat worthy for giants..

Requires detoxification through smoking.

"It wont be that easy." Drake shook his head, motioning to the two pouches filled with Lethargic Poair Leaves that he had on him. "We'll need way more of this to properly hunt them. Otherwise we'll be constantly fighting them at full strength."

"The Poair Leaves should be easy enough to forage for," Kyle replied.

"That's easier said than done - its growing pattern is sporadic at best, it won't be easy to find, not to mention the lack of Magneta Caps here."

"And where would you find them?"

"Those outcrops we saw before? There are caves beneath that have them. Very rarely do they grow on the surface, they love the underground much more."

"They love the underground..." Kyle pondered on it while the two Ghosts gingerly touched the legs of the dead mammoth hog, still in awe at the size of what they had just killed. "That's good enough for now. Let's head back to the village."

"But how are we going to-" Drake's words were stuck in their throat as he watched Kyle merciless carve through the leg expertly, ripping it off and lifting it up with his exosuit arm.

"Stay here and make sure nothing else eats the corpse." Kyle channeled his energy into his thighs, sprinting hard through the forest while hauling the mammoth's hindleg on his back, easily dashing through the trees and leaping over roots, the route fresh in his mind. What took them an hour to trek was cleared in just ten minutes, Kyle hardly breaking a sweat thanks to his 229-A-X package.

"Holy shit! But it took us ten days to hunt the last time round!" Jaden exclaimed in shock when he spotted Kyle walking back victorious. The hindleg was more than enough proof to the villagers, Kyle sending them off to cut up and gather the corpse back into more workable chunks. Soon, over the next hour, more than 6000 kg of meat alone was harvested, accounting for 55% of the entire hog's corpse. "Don't toss away the bone yet, we can reuse it to form spikes for traps!" Feldon reminded them.

Kyle did some simple calculations in his head. If he could bring back all six thousand kilogram of meat back, he could feed almost eight thousand refugees in a single week, assuming they consumed an average of seven hundred grams of meat each. Sure, meat wasn't enough on its own, but Kyle knew it would be more than enough to recruit and lure manpower to his side.

With each refugee he recruited, he would be able to scale up the hunting operation. The only problem is the lack of Magneta Cap. But instead of finding a way to drug the hogs, we should be finding a way to improve our firepower. Kyle wanted a railgun that could kill the hog in a single hit if aimed right, but even in its current form, a simple basic arcia crystal did not have enough strength to do so.

Thankfully, there were already hints of a solution with Hayden, who was now working overtime in her own house's workshop to make weapons for the villagers, using Feldon's Aspis MK2 Repeater as the reference. Her original self-doubt and unwillingness to participate in any conflict had now been swayed by Kyle and the village as a whole. With the appearance of the Ghosts of Versia, Hayden did not feel as hopeless before, now finding a drive to put her skills to work in order to get back at Harrison.

As Kyle entered the workshop, Hayden was fully engrossed in studying the engravings and improvements that Kyle had made to the rifle. "Who taught you how to etch? Did you go to the University of Raktor?" Hayden asked curiously. "The concept behind these guns are truly unique, I've never seen... well never even heard of some of the methods you used to engrave this."

"I read a few books on my own," Kyle replied nonchalantly, placing the railgun in front of Hayden's workbench. "I know you know how to refine the arcia crystals."

"Such a process is extremely dangerous, and I wouldn't recommend doing it. It could easily go wrong, especially in such an experimental weapon like this."

"Yet you have the village children playing with a whole bag of it." Kyle snorted. "And this is hardly experimental - its design is sound. I need to increase the projectile's damage dealt in order to hunt the hogs more effectively."

"Hmm.... " Hayden did a brief inspection of the railgun. "No, not possible. Not with these engravings - the traces are now too small to handle such a large influx of energy, which may cause arcia deviation. You certainly don't want your gun turning to ice cream halfway through a battle."

"I suspected as much. But I wasn't talking about the railgun. I was talking about the projectile itself." Kyle placed an example of the explosive projectile he was using, the engraving simple enough for Hayden to immediately understand what it does.

"So the projectile converts its own mass into energy that explodes outwards on contact, intriguing. But to hunt the hog, you want it to penetrate. I think I got just the idea." Hayden pulled out a piece of paper, sketching furiously and quickly. Her skills as an engineer were apparent, being able to draw to scale with accurate dimensioning and labeling for clear representation, even providing sectional cuts, albeit roughly. "How's this? We'll have the projectile be two-tiered. But in order to activate the second tier, you will need an additional source of ener-" Hayden stopped herself mid-sentence. "So this is why you want the refined arcia crystals. Aren't you afraid that you might overcook the hog from within if you do this?"

"I'm not going to be using basic arcia crystals like what you have, but the poor ones. This way, the internal explosion will only be limited to a specific area where it hits." Kyle showed Hayden a poor arcia crystal. "Can you do it? Just come up with the design, and I'll handle the production."

"Sounds like a plan." Hayden nodded, getting to work immediately while Kyle left back to the village. As soon as he stepped out of the door, he saw Jaden grinning widely from ear to ear.

"What's the matter?" Kyle squinted his eyes in suspicion.

"I... I want to join the Ghosts!" Jaden bowed. "I'll even give up the 5% of meat I asked for! Please train me; I want to be as strong as you!"

"That's not possible." Kyle immediately dismissed him.

"Wha-what?! Weren't you looking for Ghosts to recruit? That's why you were hunting the hogs, right?" Jaden was confused.

"I was referring to you being as strong as me."

"Well, if I train hard enough, I can -" Jaden stuttered as Kyle suddenly grabbed him by the throat, lifting him up with his legs dangling in the air wildly.

"Still want to be a Ghost? This isn't a game. This is life and death. You will suffer horrible things, and witness devastation far beyond this small pitiful region. And once you join, there is no turning back. If you ever decide to leave, you will be hung and executed before you leak any secrets. Are you sure you want to be a Ghost?" Kyle glared at the young man.

Jaden struggled to breathe, but there was a fire in his eyes as he nodded vigorously to Kyle, though he was unable to speak freely. Kyle let go, dropping Jaden to the ground as Jaden gasped sharply, breathing hard.

"Good. Report to Feldon that I have accepted you as a Ghost. Try not to die."

"Y-y-yes, sir! I won't let you down!" Jaden saluted sloppily, having not learned much decorum as a villager for the better part of his life. Kyle ignored him, instead walking off to the center of the village to oversee the meat processing.

The villagers were well accustomed to handling the mammoth hog meat, ignoring the blue blood and strong scent of the meat while hacking away at the flesh, chopping them up into strips and tossing them onto a woven straw mat. Two men hauled the meat into a smoking chamber, the meat idling for three hours at a high temperature before it was ready to be cooked further and consumed.

Kyle then had a few villagers gear up with him, preparing to return to the refugee camp en masse. Each of them had backpacks filled to the brim with meat, totaling a thousand kilograms of smoked meat that could be kept for a while. He led them back the same path Jaden had shown him, avoiding the Nest checkpoints under the cover of night and sneaking back. However, even from a distance, Kyle could tell that something was not right with the refugee camp.

All along the main road, torches, and arctech lanterns could be seen stretching towards the horizon, and the stream of incoming refugees only increased. More and more of them were coming from Ocra, and the desperation in their eyes was even stronger than ever, unlike those Kyle had seen a few days ago. Interestingly enough, he spotted a Versian soldier covering his uniform with a tattered robe, hiding among the refugees, attempting to sneak past anyone checking and entering the refugee camp.

He focused on the current task, bringing the meat back to the Ghost hideout and surprising Diya. "Ho-Wha-" She fumbled her words, unable to come to terms with the sacks of meat being unloaded by the villagers, Kyle organizing the Ghosts to pack them into crates for storage in a cool, dry place.

"That's not possible; it's only been two days!" Diya couldn't come to terms with it. Whatever Kyle had just done put every bribery and deal she had to cut with the guards to shame, making her wonder what the hell she had been doing for the past few months.

"I told you. You have the skills, just not the vision." Kyle shrugged. "Besides, this is only one-sixth of a hog. We'll get the rest when we've established a proper route."

Diya nearly fainted upon hearing that. With the amount of meat now available, it was basically a given that the Ghosts wouldn't be running out of food anymore. Still, this was not Kyle's end goal.

"Have the meat be distributed to those who are willing to join us. Do not distribute flyers, only recruit in person, and don't let any of the Desham guards see you." Kyle instructed the Ghosts. "We want this movement to grow, but only deep undercover. I only want fighters - priority are mercenaries and former soldiers, if any, or young men who are fit to be trained. We only have a short amount of time before we are able to launch any attack."

Even Diya's Ghosts were not antagonistic towards Kyle any longer, having seen how he had personally solved their own food crisis. "How many do we recruit?" One of the Ghost in the hideout asked.

"As many as you can. I want at least five hundred."

"Five hundred?! Are you trying to take on the army?" Diya spluttered. "Such a large force would definitely have leaks and spies among them. There could be those who join us only for the food offered, but sell the information to the Desham guards."

"And that's why I have you in charge here. You know most of the locals, work with those you trust." Kyle nodded towards her. "Now, let's get to work."

The next three days saw a flurry of action amidst the Ghosts, with meat now regularly delivered from the village. An improved projectile from Hayden now allowed anyone with a railgun to shoot a hog dead on sight, assuming they were able to withstand the recoil. Feldon was trained by Sasha to use it proficiently, before he trained others in turn. By the end of the third day, Feldon was competent enough to at least maim a hog on his own, while the rest of the villagers and Ghosts were playing clean-up. They also harvested Poair Leaves along the way, stocking them up while Drake continued to produce healing potions for the Ghosts and village to use in case of another battle.

In the refugee camp of Desham, recruitment was going strong. Food was a critical factor in their joining, though word did not spread due to the policy of only recruiting in person. New recruits enjoyed smoked meat alongside their daily rations, allowing them to regain their strength. Those selected were either former guards in their village, mercenaries, adventurers, or even former Versian soldiers who had deserted the army. All of them were dissatisfied with the current status quo in Versia, naturally aligning with the goal of the Ghosts.

Diya could visibly see the Ghost cell grow and develop rapidly, expanding at a rate that she could have hardly fathom a week before Kyle's arrival. Still, she was up for the job, managing and handling the training of the Ghosts as well as the distribution of supplies, becoming a proper Ghost leader within the three days, and no longer questioning Kyle. "Just... just how are you doing all of this?" Diya couldn't help asking, curious and hungry to learn the secrets to Kyle's apparent success and inherent ability to lead and organize.

"Looks like you're finally coming around." Kyle raised his eyebrows. "I thought you would still be reluctant for a few more months."

"I finally see how dumb I have been, content to laze around in my own benefits when there were bigger things to achieve and grab. With such a growing force, we could take over the whole of Desham!"

"In due time, yes. But as soon as we make a move, Harrison will come calling in a heartbeat to crush us. We must wait for the right moment to strike. Since you're interested in how I am doing all of this, why don't you try to predict what I will do in the coming days?"

Diya pondered, tapping her chin in deep thought. "I think you would wait for another two weeks until the refugee camp has built up a critical mass and the new Ghosts we're training have been prepared enough. We'll attack in the night and try to cut off all communication instantly by hitting any arctech radio repeater or extender tower. We could also jam the city. Then, we'll strike the military garrison head-on along with the city council, removing them from power."

"All well and good, though not exactly the right strategy."

"Not the right strategy...?"

"Instead of waiting two weeks, we strike in two days' time."

"What?!" Diya exclaimed in shock. "But you said that we needed to wait for the right time, otherwise Harrison will come to crush us."

"He won't. He'll have bigger things to worry about by then. It's been seven days since the Grand Exhibition, and neither side is going to linger around for much longer. Have you not noticed the influx of deserting soldiers trying to pose as refugees? They know what's coming, and they are running, afraid. Because in two days' time, Count Leon will launch a-"

Before Kyle could complete his words, a panicking Ghost suddenly interrupted them, sliding down the ladder hastily, his face aghast with disbelief. "There's trouble among the refugees; it won't be long before they raise another riot!"

"What? Why?" Diya asked hurriedly.

"There's word spreading among some of the refugees that the war has started. Harrison launched a first-strike attack on Count Leon!"

<---Chapter 121 - Commercialized Agriculture | Table of Contents | Chapter 123 - Overpopulation --->