The monstrous claw retracted, then slammed down again, shattering more of the floor. The makeshift barricade on the table groaned under the pressure from below. Skitterers were now scrabbling at the sealed pantry trapdoor, their claws tearing at the wood and stone.
Kenji watched, his heart pounding. His Aether was a mere trickle.
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[SAI - System Log/User Status - CRITICAL]
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USER: Kenji Tanaka
Internal Aether: 2/100 Units.
Condition: SEVERE AETHERIC EXHAUSTION.
SAI Functions: OFFLINE (Basic Diagnostics Only).
SYSTEM ADVISORY: Continued activity risks permanent Aetheric pathway damage.
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He felt utterly useless. His grand defenses, his scripts, all meaningless without the Aether to power them. He saw the fear in the villagers' eyes, the grim determination on Martha's and Finn's faces as they prepared to sell their lives dearly.
Lyra, sensing his despair, pressed her tiny, glowing form against his cheek. "Kenji... don't give up. Your mind... it's still there. The Architect... it's you, not just the Aether."
Her words, simple and earnest, struck a chord. The SAI was a tool, an interface. But he was the architect. Even with minimal resources, a good architect could find a solution, a more efficient algorithm. He thought back to his first encounter with the Putrid Wolf, how he'd instinctively understood its "code." He thought of the "System Notes" – Study of runes, enchantments, or creation of 'Aether constructs' recommended for process optimization and cost reduction. He hadn't had time to study runes or enchantments in the traditional sense, but what if he could "script" one? A basic one?
He needed to do something about the Brood Mother's direct assault. He couldn't stop it with force, but maybe he could… redirect its focus, or disrupt its Aetheric senses? The Brood Mother was clearly drawn to the Heartstone's pure Aether. What if he could create a "decoy" Aetheric signature? Or a "null-Aether zone" directly above the Heartstone to temporarily mask it?
The latter seemed more feasible with his limited Aether, a script designed not to project power, but to suppress or cancel it locally. It would be like creating a void or null pointer in the Aetheric field.
He closed his eyes, ignoring the chaos around him, and focused every ounce of his remaining will, his programmer's logic, into a new, desperate script. He wasn't just thinking of commands; he was visualizing the very structure of Aether, the way it flowed, and how to introduce a "cancellation wave."
// Script: Aetheric Dampening Field - v0.1 (Emergency Concealment) // Objective: Create a localized field that temporarily neutralizes or masks // strong Aetheric signatures (e.g., Heartstone). // Principle: Generate counter-resonant Aetheric frequencies to create // destructive interference. Highly unstable, requires precise tuning. // User Aether Cost: Low initial, but HIGH mental strain due to complex calculations.
function deploy_aether_dampening_field(target_area_above_heartstone, radius, duration) // ... (Complex real-time Aetheric frequency analysis and counter-pulse generation) ... // This isn't about raw power, but precise, minimal intervention. // IAS, if you have any processing power left, assist with frequency matching! system.log_critical("Attempting Aetheric Dampening Field. Extreme mental strain expected.") end
deploy_aether_dampening_field(CommunalHall_CenterFloor, 3m, 60s)
He felt a different kind of drain this time. Not a massive gush of Aether, but an intense, needle-sharp pain in his temples, as if his brain itself was being overclocked. He was drawing on something deeper than his Aether reserves – his core processing ability, his very focus.
And then, something incredible happened. His normally passive SAI flickered. New lines of text, not initiated by him, began to scroll rapidly across his internal vision.
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[SAI - System Log/SYSTEM OVERRIDE - EMERGENCY PROTOCOL]
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DETECTED: User attempting complex Aetheric manipulation with critically low
Aether reserves via direct cognitive interface.
RISK: Catastrophic mental overload. Permanent neural damage probable.
PROTOCOL INITIATED: 'ARCHITECT'S SPARK'
- Diverting all non-essential system resources.
- Unlocking Level 2 Core Processing Heuristics (Cognitive Load Balancing).
- Temporary Aetheric Siphon from ambient (clean) source detected (Lyra - Sylphid).
- IAS rerouting trace Aether to stabilize user's neural pathways.
NEW STATUS: SAI - Level 2 (Emergency Activation)
- Aetheric Calculation Assistance: ONLINE
- Script Optimization Sub-routines: ONLINE (Limited)
- Internal Aether: 3/100 (Siphon active, minimal gain)
EXECUTING SCRIPT: 'deploy_aether_dampening_field' with System Assist...
- Calculating counter-frequencies... Match found.
- Generating Aetheric null-field... Field initiated.
- Estimated Aether Cost (System Assisted): 1 Unit.
- Field Stability: Low (35%), Duration: ~45 seconds (degrading).
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Beneath the oaken table, the violent bucking of the floor lessened. The monstrous claw that had been probing paused, then seemed to withdraw slightly, as if confused. The oppressive Aetheric presence of the Brood Mother directly beneath them seemed to dim, become muddled.
It was working. Kenji, gasping, felt a tiny trickle of Aether – far too little to cast another major script, but enough to keep him conscious – flow into him, likely from Lyra and the newly-awakened functions of his SAI. His Interface was Level 2! The "Architect's Spark" protocol… it was a system failsafe he never knew existed.
The Brood Mother, its primary target temporarily masked, seemed to redirect its fury. A section of the communal hall's outer wall exploded inwards as several Elite Skitterers, evidently summoned by the frustrated behemoth, smashed through.
The fight was far from over, but Kenji had just rebooted his own system, and with it, a sliver of hope for Havenwood.