The ground kept shaking. More Scarabs clawed out of the cracks, their red eyes fixed on the players. The battlefield was getting messy fast.
Aarav stood watching a moment, thinking. His temporary "Wind Gust" and "Mind Impulse" were gone. He had to figure out what to do next.
[AARAV SHARMA]
[EP: 35/50]
He was using up his Energy Points (EP) quickly. He needed something more effective.
The Martial Artist from the forge planet was a whirlwind of punches. Each Iron Fist landed with a loud thud, but the Scarabs were still too tough. He was strong, but getting hit back hard.
Maya, with her new claws, was surprisingly quick. She was trying to follow Aarav's advice, aiming for leg joints. One Scarab actually screeched as her claws found a soft spot, forcing it back.
[SHAPESHIFTER (RANK 1/10) DEFEATED: CRUCIBLE SCARAB (LEVEL 5)]
[XP GAINED: 50]
[MAYA (EARTH) LEVELED UP! LEVEL 2]
[MAYA (EARTH) GAINED: 1 ATTRIBUTE POINT, 5 EP, 5 SP ]
"Yes! I did it!" Maya cheered, though she quickly had to duck under another Scarab's attack.
Rohan was still struggling. He was trying to push a Scarab away with his mind, but it was like trying to move a brick wall with a feather.
[EMPATH (RANK 1/10) ACTIVATES: MIND TOUCH]
The Scarab barely noticed.
Aarav scanned the area. A tall, blue-skinned alien from another planet was fighting nearby. It looked like a Cybernetic Soldier. Its arm was glowing with a faint energy.
[CYBERNETIC SOLDIER (RANK 1/10) ACTIVATES: LASER PULSE]
A thin beam of light shot from its wrist, hitting a Scarab's shell. It left a sizzling mark, and the Scarab roared in pain. That was a direct attack!
Okay, that's what I need, Aarav thought. Direct damage. He focused on the blue alien's glowing arm, trying to understand the energy flow, the feeling of making light into a weapon.
[ADAPTATION: LASER PULSE (TEMPORARY MIMICRY) - ACTIVE]
[COST: 15 EP (HIGHER DUE TO ADAPTATION)]
[DURATION: 8 SECONDS]
A faint, almost invisible hum vibrated around Aarav's own hand. A small beam of light, weaker than the alien's but definitely present, shot from his palm. It hit a Scarab heading for Rohan, leaving a smoking dent in its armor.
"Woah! Aarav, you can do that too?!" Rohan yelled, surprised.
"Apparently," Aarav grunted, focusing the beam. He fired again, aiming for the same spot. The Scarab recoiled. It wasn't dead, but it was hurt.
Maya darted in, her claws finding the damaged area. The Scarab finally fell, twitching.
[AARAV SHARMA (EARTH) GAINED XP: 25 (ASSIST)]
"Nice assist, Aarav!" Maya chirped. "You're actually... helping!"
Aarav just rolled his eyes. "Someone has to. You two are a disaster."
He kept firing small laser pulses, trying to learn the feeling of it. Each shot drained his EP, but the Scarabs were falling, slowly.
Suddenly, a terrifying screech echoed across the plain. A much larger Scarab, easily Level 10, emerged from a wider crack. Its mandibles dripped with green goo, and its armor seemed even thicker.
[HOSTILE ENTITY: ALPHA SCARAB (LEVEL 10) - BOSS]
[WARNING: HIGH THREAT DETECTED
]
"Oh, come on," Aarav sighed. "A boss already?"
This Alpha Scarab headed straight for the Martial Artist, who seemed like the biggest threat. Its normal attacks were weak. The Martial Artist needed a stronger hit.
Aarav's eyes narrowed. He needed something big. He remembered the Elemental Weaver alien from before. What if he combined something?
He saw the Weaver alien, a few meters away, still casting small [WIND GUST]s, trying to knock back Scarabs.
Aarav focused, not just on the
[WIND GUST],
but on the raw energy the Weaver was channeling. He tried to
[ADAPT]
the concept of forceful magical discharge.
[ADAPTATION: PURE FORCE BLAST (TEMPORARY MIMICRY) - ACTIVE]
[COST: 25 EP (VERY HIGH DUE TO ADAPTATION)]
[DURATION: 3 SECONDS]
A greenish light pulsed around Aarav's hands, brighter than his previous [WIND GUST]. He pointed both palms at the Alpha Scarab. A wide, concussive wave of pure energy slammed into the creature.
The Alpha Scarab didn't just stumble. It was lifted off its feet, tumbling end over end for several meters before crashing down, its thick shell cracking.
[ALPHA SCARAB (LEVEL 10) STUNNED: 5 SECONDS]
The Martial Artist looked stunned, then saw his chance. He roared and charged, his
[IRON FIST]
shining with all his might.
"That was amazing!" Maya yelled, her eyes wide. "What was that?!"
Aarav just shrugged, a little out of breath from the EP drain. "Just adapting."
He was still lazy, but a new, strange thrill had just hit him. Maybe this "Adaptation" thing wasn't so boring after all. And maybe, just maybe, he could make this whole "save the world" thing slightly less annoying.