Val’s eyes focused on the highlighted icon rocketing towards her under the ground, relaxing slightly as she grew accustomed to Noir’s new overlays. She tried not to think too hard about what the Daemon was doing to her neural pathways to make the whole process seem smooth; instead, she was just happy that she wasn’t going into this fight blind anymore.

Heh. Get it, blind… because it’s a mole.

Val, I swear I will just sit here and watch you struggle against this pitiful F7 creature if you don’t–

No, wait, I’m sorry! Val cursed Fynn under her breath for afflicting her with his terrible sense of humor. Alright, bad jokes aside. I’m ready to fight like a real User! Any other suggestions for me?

Are you trained in dual-wielding small weapons?

Val looked sheepishly down at her hands, each gripping one of the needle-like weapons.

… No.

Then I recommend you don’t start now. We have enough to cover without you trying to avoid stabbing yourself. Actually, I recommend you use the spear form of the weapon.

But I’m not really trained in spears either.

That was obvious from how you “tested” the weapon back in the safehouse. Val winced at Noir’s blunt, yet accurate, assessment. Luckily, humans have been jabbing things with long sticks for literally millenia. Point and poke - it’s pretty straightforward. Plus, in this case, you need the extra range to get to the mole while it stays underground.

Still uncertain, Val decided to nevertheless follow Noir’s advice. Retracting the needles, she joined the two batons before extending it back out into a short spear. Taking a step forward with her left foot, Val pointed the tip of the spear at the oncoming mole.

Are you sure this thing can get through all the rock and the mole’s protection?

Absolutely certain. We’ll use a technique to increase our penetration power. I’ll take care of the nano subroutine this time. You just focus on aiming for the mole. Get ready, here it comes!

Val pursed her lips together in concentration as the mole neared. The creature came within five feet of her before it suddenly dove down deeper into the rock and then slowly circling beneath her. Her eyes widened as the bright glow started forming again, this time beneath her boots and coalescing much faster.

Unlike the last time, she didn’t wait for Noir’s warning to move.A jagged spike of rock erupted from the ground, but Val had already jumped to the side and out of danger. Her eyes stayed fixed on her enemy even as she dodged several more spikes, falling into an easy rhythm of steps and jumps now that she could see the attacks coming. Unfortunately, the mole seemed to have entered a routine of its own as it circled slowly deep within the granite floor of the cave, sending an endless cascade of spikes up towards Val.

The spear will give you some range, but you need to lure the mole up closer. Any ideas on how to do that?

What is this, a lecture now? I didn’t realize I signed up for “How to be a User 101”. And really - the Socratic method, Noir? That’s so pre-Singularity.

Technically, I’m also a pre-Singularity philosopher, so I don’t see the problem. Don’t change the subject just because you don’t have any good ideas.

Val scoffed, ducking her head as she stepped too close to the side of the cavern and a spike jutted out from the wall suddenly. And you do have some good ideas?

Of course. But it doesn’t help either of us if you don’t use this as an opportunity for growth. I can certainly make up for your lack of strategy or creativity now, but it would be better for you to cultivate your own skills too. Noir paused for a moment before adding, I’ve given you the ability to see your opponent and their attacks. Now show me what you can do with that.

Val’s brow furrowed, partly in concentration and partly in annoyance. Her relationship with Noir had improved steadily over the past few days, but clearly the Daemon was still testing her. She couldn’t tell whether it was out of stubbornness, spite, or a genuine desire to improve her, but it still irked Val. The past few years had been filled with people telling Val that she wasn’t good enough, that she still needed to prove herself. She had hoped that passing User Selection would be sufficient to shut up her critics, but clearly all it did was move the bar. Well, that’s fine. It’s never stopped me before, and it won’t stop me now.

Despite her renewed conviction, Val felt a kernel of frustration grow in her chest as the mole maintained its distance. A slight crack near her foot made her glance down, eyes widening as she saw how close she had been to stepping into another trap. She slid her foot away from the thin layer of rock covering the pit trap as she turned her gaze back to her target.

Val’s heart leapt into her throat as she saw the mole was suddenly much closer than before. She raised the spear to prepare a counterattack, but the creature was already retreating again. Val’s eyes narrowed as she puzzled over the mole’s behavior. Did it notice I wasn’t watching? She looked sideways away from the mole for two seconds before whipping her head back, but the mole hadn’t budged this time. Hmm, no. Could it be…?

The next Val dodged one of the pillars of rock, she purposefully stepped closer to another one of the pit traps. Immediately, the mole shot towards her, although it paused about halfway when Val didn’t step into the hole. A grin spread across her face as the rest of the idea came together in her head.

Alright, I think I’ve got it, Noir. Val looked dubiously at the spear in her hands, inspecting the impossibly thin tip. But are you sure this thing won’t break against the ground?

I’m positive. I’ll handle the relevant nano subroutines this time, but you should pay attention to how it feels. The more comfortable with it you are, the less I have to fight you for control of your nanosystem and the stronger the subroutine will be.

Val let out a breath, bringing the spear up with the tip pointed down towards the ground. Alright, I’ll trust you and pay attention. Here we go.

As the next spike of earth shot up, Val threw herself sideways towards the center of the cavern where the ground was littered with pit traps. She landed heavily just short of one of the traps, but she let her momentum carry her into a slide forward. The thin layer of stone broke under the weight of her exosuit, plunging her leg into the ground. Taking the bait, the mole rocketed up towards its immobilized prey.

Unfortunately for the mole, Val was expecting the creature’s sudden rush. Raising her arms above her head, she plunged the spear down as the mole hurtled into range. She felt the odd sensation of Noir taking control of her nano as they sent a pulse of energy outward from her core, through her arms, and into the spear. She felt the nano coalesce at the spear’s tip just as she made contact with the rock.

Despite not understanding the specifics of whatever subroutine Noir had triggered, Val could not argue with the results. The spear cleaved through the rock with complete ease, the lack of substantial resistance almost causing her to fall over. The mole seemed just as surprised as Val by the attack. It tried to swerve out of the way but failed miserably, instead impaling itself deeply on the spear.

Noir immediately sent a stronger burst of nano down through the spear. Rather than stop at the speartip, Val could sense the nano blasting off the end of the weapon and into the mole. The injured creature immediately stopped thrashing and went limp. Val pulled back the spear, ready to attack again but the mole didn’t move.

Did we get it?

Yes we did. You got lucky and pierced the mole’s core, which I then flooded with your nano. Even for a weak beast like this, they have become reliant on their nano. Disrupting their core leads to a complete shutdown of their nanosystem, which is in turn lethal.

Val pulled the spear out of the ground, staring at the weapon in disbelief for a long moment. Shaking her head, she collapsed the weapon and stored it back into her armor. Pulling her leg out of the hole, Val sat down on the ground to recover after the fight.

That just… seems way too easy. Everything I was trying before bounced off the mole’s armor. But one stab with the spear and the fight is over?

Yes. In this particular instance, we got lucky. But in general, the first hit we land can disrupt our opponent’s nano and lower their combat effectiveness. Which lets us land more hits, impair them further… until even a non-User could take them out.

You’ve said that before, but it’s just sinking in now just how dangerous your techniques are. But I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised after seeing what you did to Brawn.

Be careful, Val. What happened with Brawn was a fluke, only possible because he wasn’t expecting it. At our current level, he could have completely negated that subroutine if he was prepared for it. Which he will be the next time we meet him. Plus, it came with a significant cost to you as well – a double-edged sword, as it were.

Right, I know. There’s a big difference between a F7 mole and whatever the hell Brawn was. Val grimaced slightly. After seeing how effective Noir’s techniques could be, it was unsettling to hear their frank assessment of how far she was from holding her own against some of the dangers she was up against.

By the way, Noir… Val swallowed nervously as she thought about how to phrase her next question. You mentioned that a disrupted core is lethal to most beasts, right? What would happen to a human in that case?

I thought you weren’t interested in hunting down rogue Users?

I’m not! No, I’m wondering about… my own core. Part of the significant cost you mentioned… I felt the same sort of pain in my core when fighting Brawn as when I originally fractured it during User Selection.

There was an unnervingly long pause before Noir responded. I was wondering when you would ask about this. I can answer some of your immediate questions. It’s extremely unlikely you would die if your core shattered, especially with me around to handle the aftermath.

Val let out a breath of relief that she hadn’t realized she had been holding.

However, your combat effectiveness would be significantly impaired. And yes, the forced activation trick I pulled against Brawn added additional strain to your core. We should try to avoid any large bursts of nano like that until we understand your condition more comprehensively.

Just big bursts? But the small bursts of nano we used today are OK?

That’s right. I should learn the exact limits as we go forward, but I detected no adverse effects to your core from the fight against the mole.

Well, alright. I’m still nervous about my core, but I guess that’s good enough for now.

I know, Val. We’ll figure this out.

They lay together in silence for five more minutes before Val finally stood up with a groan. As was now customary, Val ran over her armor and weapons. The cracks in the armor on her leg were fairly deep, but didn’t compromise the integrity of the exosuit. She slapped a patch from the armor-repair kit over the fractured plate, mentally sending Bri thanks for inspiring her to bring the kit along. Over the next few hours, the patch would integrate with the nano-infused steel of her exosuit, and her armor would recover much of its strength.

Rifle at the ready, Val hiked back out of the cavern. After ten minutes of winding rock tunnels, the cave system opened back out into the forest. Val blinked as she looked around at her surroundings before Noir populated a new route.

Ready for your next challenge?

Val sighed but then drew herself up. If one thing was clear from her last fight, it was that she had a long way to go. But with Noir’s help, she was much more capable than she thought.

Bring it on.