No Class Found

Doc twisted the blade deeper, angling toward the core.

Except the blade didn't move.

His arm wouldn't respond. The plasma edge remained frozen in place, locked by ice spreading across the hilt and up his forearm.

The creature's hands tightened around his torso.

"Lux?" Doc tried to say.

Nothing.

The cold spread faster now. Not just beneath his ribs but everywhere. It crawled up his spine, wrapped around his lungs, pushed into his chest like liquid nitrogen filling every cavity.

Doc tried to pull back but ice held him fast.

The creature's face was inches from his own. Its mouth opened, and something dark poured out.

"Nanite response failing," Lux's voice said distantly. "Biomass integration exceeding tolerances. Host vitals—"

The words cut off.

Doc felt his heartbeat slow. Each pulse felt heavier and colder.

His hands went numb. The plasma blade flickered, its azure light dimming to a pale flicker.

Fish phased beside him, amber eyes wide.

She lunged at the creature.

It caught her mid-leap with one hand and threw her across the hall. She hit the pillar hard and didn't get up.

Doc tried to scream her name but his voice didn't work.

The creature leaned closer. Its fingers pressed deeper into the breach, and Doc felt his body accept it. Tissue that should have fought the intrusion began to adapt around it. Cells at the edge of the wound changed, knitting living flesh together with something that did not belong.

The creature wasn't taking him.

It was becoming him.

Doc's vision blurred. His armor felt heavier, colder. The blue tracings along his chestplate flickered and went dark.

The creature smiled.

The expression sat wrong on its face, borrowed from one of the fighters it had consumed above.

Then it opened its mouth, and Doc heard his own voice.

“Do it,” the creature said with his cadence, his tone. “Again.”

Doc's chest seized.

The world collapsed inward—

He woke gasping.

His body jerked upright, hands reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. Pain flared across his ribs and someone's hand pressed against his shoulder.

"Easy."

Ironha said in a calming voice.

Doc blinked hard, his vision clearing in fragments. Canvas overhead. The rhythmic creak of wheels beneath him. Crates secured to his left.

A wagon.

He was in a wagon.

Ironha sat beside him, her hand still on his shoulder. Her other rested on her satchel.

"You're safe," she said quietly. "The creature's dead. You killed it."

Doc's breathing slowed. His heart still hammered against his ribs, but the panic receded inch by inch.

He looked down at himself. His suit was gone. He was bare from the waist up, except for the bandages wrapped tightly around his ribs.

The absence of armor felt wrong.

"How long?" he managed.

"Eight days," Ironha said. "Lux contacted me after you collapsed. We've been traveling since."

Doc's hand moved to the bandage. Ironha didn't stop him, but her expression tightened slightly.

"Don't touch it," she said. "It's stable, but Lux said something integrated. I need to examine it properly when we stop."

Doc's fingers stilled.

Integrated.

He remembered the creature's claws finding the breach. The cold spreading beneath his ribs. The thermal purges.

The purges had worked. He remembered feeling the thing inside him wither and die.

So what had integrated?

Doc met Ironha's eyes.

"What exactly did Lux find?"

Ironha's expression didn't waver, but uncertainty showed in her gaze.

"I don't know yet," she said. "But we'll figure it out."

Doc nodded slowly.

He leaned back against the crates, exhaustion pulling at him despite the nightmare still fresh in his mind.

Fish's head appeared over the wagon's edge, her amber eyes locking onto his. She phase-shifted inside and pressed against his uninjured side.

Doc rested one hand on her head.

"Lux," he said quietly. "Summary. Last eight days."

Lux's voice came through the neural link.

"Beginning report."

Doc closed his eyes and listened.

"You sustained critical damage beneath the ribs. The creature's biomass penetrated the suit and attempted tissue assimilation. I deployed thermal purges to prevent integration. The purges succeeded but destroyed significant organic material."

He remembered the burning. The sensation of his own cells dying.

"The nanites required raw material to complete repairs," Lux continued. "I directed them to disassemble the creature's remaining biomass and repurpose it for tissue reconstruction."

Doc's mouth twitched.

He chuckled—just once, dry and quiet.

"So you took what the creature left behind."

"Primary objective required immediate action," Lux replied, his tone sharper. "Alternative courses of action would have resulted in host termination."

Doc's smile softened.

"You did good, Lux. I'm not complaining."

He rubbed Fish's head absently, feeling the warmth of her beneath his palm.

"You saved my life with quick thinking. So what's the damage?"

"An unidentifiable energy signature was present in the creature's biomass," Lux said. "I attempted isolation and purge during reconstruction. Both were unsuccessful. The signature is now integrated into the rebuilt tissues."

Doc opened his eyes.

"Integrated."

"Correct. I have been studying it since the procedure. Healer Ironha and I have discussed the phenomenon extensively. We believe the signature is magical energy or mana as the locals call it."

Doc went still.

Mana.

In his cells.

"You're sure?"

"Certainty is not possible until you had regained consciousness," Lux said. "I required confirmation that integration did not destabilize host function."

Doc processed that.

"Are there any adverse effects?"

"None detected. However, I maintained your unconscious state for precautionary reasons. I wanted Ironha present when you awakened in case complications arose."

Doc exhaled slowly.

He rubbed Fish's head again, her fur soft beneath his fingers.

Then he looked toward Ironha.

"Where are the others?"

Ironha pointed toward the far end of the wagon.

Doc followed her gesture.

Two figures lay curled beneath blankets near the crates—Mira and Cassira, both asleep.

"Calen's up front with Marron," Ironha added.

Doc shifted slightly and looked outside.

Four individuals flanked the wagon—gnolls on foot, carrying rifles and wearing militia gear. Their posture stayed alert, eyes scanning the ridgeline and treeline as they moved.

Ironha noticed his gaze.

"The Waste isn't safe," she said quietly.

Doc nodded.

He opened his mouth to ask something else, but footsteps approached from the front of the wagon.

A shadow crossed the canvas at the front of the wagon.

Calen leaned through the opening. His expression tightened when he saw Doc sitting upright, then broke into a relieved smile.

"Knew you'd wake up eventually."

Doc smiled. "Hard to keep me down."

Calen stepped inside long enough to look him over.

"How do you feel?"

"Like something tried to tear me in half."

"Sounds about right." Calen glanced toward Ironha. "Maz found an abandoned village ahead. She wants to stop there before we continue to Glasshold."

"Good," Ironha said. "We'll need somewhere quiet."

Calen looked back at Doc, lingering for another moment.

"Glad you're awake."

Then he slipped through the canvas and returned to the front.

Ironha adjusted the satchel beside her.

"Once we stop, Lux and I need to run tests," she said. "If that energy really is mana, we need to see how your body responds to it."

Doc met her eyes.

"Alright."

Fish shifted closer against his side.

Doc leaned back against the crates, the wagon rocking gently beneath him as the frozen landscape rolled past.

Eight days under, and now something from that creature was woven into him.

He exhaled slowly.

One problem at a time.

First, reach the village.

Then figure out what to do about it.

The village appeared through the mist in broken pieces. Several houses had collapsed beneath the snow, their roofs caved in and doors torn from their hinges. Deep gouges marked the stone walls, and abandoned belongings lay scattered across the road where people had fled.

A handful of buildings still stood intact enough to shelter in.

Doc watched from the wagon as Rurran directed his scouts with efficiency that reminded him of military deployments back home. The gnoll pointed toward three positions—northeast ridge, southern approach, western treeline—and issued instructions in low, clipped tones. Two scouts moved immediately to their assigned posts while the third remained near the wagon. Rurran established patrol intervals and fallback protocols without raising his voice once.

The entire setup took less than five minutes.

Doc appreciated the precision. Rurran knew what he was doing.

Marron pulled the wagon to a stop near the largest structure—a two-story home with a stone chimney and intact shutters. Mazoga walked up towards it and tested its door. It opened without resistance.

"This one," she said.

The group filed inside.

Doc moved slowly, Fish pressed against his leg. His ribs protested with each step but he didn't ask for help. Ironha stayed close.

The interior smelled of dust and cold stone.

Marron surveyed the space, nodding once.

"Kitchen's intact. Fireplace looks functional."

Cassira and Mira followed Tanna inside. Both girls paused near the doorway, their eyes moving over the unfamiliar room before they stepped farther in. Mira kept close to Cassira as she set down the supply pack.

"Can we help with anything?" Cassira asked.

Marron glanced toward the kitchen.

"You can help me get food started."

Cassira nodded and followed him toward the counter. Mira went with her, already opening the supply pack.

Tanna looked back toward the door.

"I gonna check on Snow Tusk and make sure he’s fully settled."

She stepped outside while Marron began sorting through their provisions, setting out root vegetables, dried herbs, and preserved meat.

"I'm no Bran," he said, passing Cassira a knife. "But I can make a decent vegetable soup."

Cassira took it and began cutting the roots while Mira gathered the herbs.

Doc settled into a chair near the hearth. Fish curled at his feet. Calen sat across from him.

The fire crackled to life as Marron fed kindling into the hearth. Warmth began spreading through the room.

Heavy footsteps approached.

Mazoga crouched beside Doc's chair, her amber eyes studying him carefully.

"How are you feeling?"

Doc smiled faintly.

"Could be better."

Mazoga chuckled—low and brief.

“Ironha explained what she could,” she said. “I didn’t understand most of it. Just that Lux used part of that thing to keep you alive, and now something from it might still be inside you."

Doc nodded.

"That's the short version."

Mazoga's expression sobered.

"Are you okay?"

Doc met her gaze.

"I don't know yet. That's why we need to test it."

Mazoga tilted her head slightly.

"Are you up for that?"

Doc straightened in the chair.

“I want to know what this is before we reach Glasshold,” he said. “If something’s wrong, I’d rather find out here.”

Mazoga studied him for a moment, then nodded.

“Fair.”

She stood and looked toward the door.

“I’ll have Rurran find us somewhere clear of the village. Far enough that we don’t put anyone else at risk.”

Doc inclined his head.

Mazoga crossed the room and stepped outside. A moment later, her voice carried through the doorway as she spoke with the gnoll commander.

Ironha moved closer, her satchel tucked beneath one arm.

“We’ll start small,” she said. “I’ll introduce a little mana near the repaired tissue and see how it reacts. Lux can monitor what happens inside you.”

Doc glanced toward Calen.

“And him?”

“His Resonance Veins can see mana moving,” Ironha said. “If the energy responds, he may notice something Lux can’t.”

Calen met Doc’s eyes from across the hearth.

“I’m coming.”

Doc nodded once.

“Maz too?”

“In case something goes wrong,” Ironha said.

Fish raised her head from beside the chair, amber eyes fixed on Doc.

He rested one hand on her head.

“And Fish.”

Ironha gave a small nod. “Definitely Fish.”

Outside, Mazoga called for them.

Doc pushed himself carefully to his feet.

“Alright,” he said. “Let’s find out what that thing left behind.”

Rurran found them a place beyond the western edge of the village.

It had once been a grazing field, bordered by a low stone wall that had collapsed in several places. Nothing stood nearby except the remains of a small shed and a few dead trees rising from the snow.

Two gnoll scouts watched from the ridgeline while Rurran remained closer to the village.

Mazoga stood near the broken wall, her hammer resting across one shoulder. Fish stayed beside Doc.

Ironha set her satchel on the wall and began laying out what she needed.

She placed the radio beside the satchel. Lux had linked to it before they left the house, allowing everyone to hear his reports.

Doc lowered himself onto a flat section of stone. The walk had left a dull ache beneath his bandages, but nothing worse.

Calen stopped several paces in front of him.

The veins beneath his skin began to glow faintly as he activated Resonance Veins.

“Ready,” he said.

Ironha looked toward Doc. “We’re starting small. I’m going to use a little healing magic near the repaired tissue. Lux watches what happens inside you. Calen watches the mana.”

“And if it reacts badly?” Mazoga asked.

“I stop.” Ironha glanced toward Fish. “And everyone moves away from Doc.”

Fish gave a low huff.

Doc rested his bionic hand on his knee.

“Go ahead.”

Ironha crouched beside him and placed two fingers against the bandages beneath his ribs.

Warmth spread from her touch.

It was faint at first, barely more than the heat of her hand. Then something inside Doc responded.

The sensation did not come from one place. It moved through his side in scattered points—beneath the skin, between his ribs, and deeper inside his chest. Threads of warmth stirred through tissues he could not normally feel, each one answering Ironha’s magic.

Doc’s breath caught.

“Energy signature increasing,” Lux reported through the radio. “Response detected throughout the reconstructed tissues. Muscular, vascular, and pulmonary involvement confirmed.”

Calen leaned forward slightly.

“It’s spreading through him.”

Ironha removed her hand immediately.

Her spell stopped, but some of the warmth remained — scattered rather than gathered.

Ironha watched his face. “Pain?”

“No.” Doc rested his hand over the bandages. “It feels like parts of me are waking up.”

“Confirmed,” Lux said. “A portion of the introduced energy has been retained across the reconstructed cells.”

Ironha frowned. “His body absorbed it.”

“Apparently,” Doc said.

Mazoga shifted her grip on the hammer.

"Is that bad?"

"Not that I can see," Ironha replied.

Doc looked toward Calen. “Can you still see it?”

Calen’s eyes remained fixed on him.

“Yeah. It’s spread through your side. There’s some deeper in your chest too.”

Doc considered that.

“Lux. Can I control it?”

“Unknown. Attempting correlation between neural activity and energy response may provide an answer.”

“In simple terms?”

“Attempt to gather it.”

Doc closed his eyes.

The energy was difficult to isolate. It was everywhere the nanites had rebuilt him—small traces scattered through muscle, vessels, and organs. He focused on the warmth one piece at a time, drawing those separate points toward the same place.

At first, nothing happened.

Then the scattered warmth began to move.

Calen inhaled sharply.

“It’s coming together.”

Doc opened his eyes. “Where?”

“Your chest. Near your left shoulder.”

“Confirmed,” Lux said. “Distributed energy is responding to voluntary neural activity.”

Doc tried again.

The remaining threads gathered more quickly this time, crossing his chest and moving into his shoulder.

Then they continued down his left arm.

His bionic arm.

A faint vibration passed through the artificial limb. Not mechanical. Doc knew every motor, joint, and feedback sensor inside it. This felt different, like static moving beneath the plating.

Lux went silent for several seconds.

“Lux?”

“The energy has crossed the neural graft and entered the prosthesis,” Lux said through the radio.

Doc lifted the arm and turned the metal hand over.

“It can do that?”

“The arm has always been capable of conducting mana,” Lux replied. “Previous reactions were caused by ambient mana entering through its crystal matrix. This is the first recorded instance of mana entering from your body and responding to conscious direction.”

Calen stepped closer, staring at Doc’s hand.

“I can see it. It’s moving through the metal.”

Doc flexed his fingers. The violet-blue filaments beneath the plating glowed faintly, and the crystal nodes in his palm gave off a low pulse.

“Give me something flat,” he said.

Ironha found a loose piece of stone near the wall and handed it to him.

Doc rested it on his knee and used the tip of one metal finger to scratch a familiar glyph into the surface.

The light rune.

He had practiced it enough to remember the shape, the spacing, and the exact orientation. Until now, he had always needed a battery wired into the rune to supply the energy.

Doc looked down at the faint glow moving through his arm.

“Last time I did this, I needed an external power source.”

“Correct,” Lux replied through the radio. “The battery provided the energy required to activate the glyph.”

Doc placed his palm over the rune.

“Let’s see if I still do.”

He focused on the mana inside the arm and pushed it toward his palm.

The crystal nodes brightened.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then pale light spilled from beneath his hand.

Doc lifted his palm.

The rune glowed steadily against the dark stone.

Calen stared at it. “You powered it.”

“Successful activation,” Lux said. “The internal energy is compatible with established rune structures.”

Doc watched the rune for another second before withdrawing the flow. The light dimmed and went out.

Ironha crouched closer to the stone.

“So the rune shaped it normally.”

“Apparently,” Doc said.

Mazoga looked from the dead glyph to his arm. “Does that mean you can use magic now?”

“It means I can power one rune,” Doc said. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

Lux spoke through the radio.

“A controlled rune confirms that the energy can serve as a viable power source. It does not indicate how the energy behaves without an external structure.”

Ironha reached into her satchel and removed a small metal cup. She filled it from a water skin and placed it on the wall beside Doc.

“Nothing alive,” she said. “Start with this.”

Doc held his bionic hand above the cup.

“What am I trying to do?”

“Release a minimal quantity of energy without imposing a predefined function,” Lux replied.

“That sounds less controlled.”

“It is.”

Doc focused on the warmth inside his forearm and drew it toward his palm.

The metal fingers grew cold.

Frost appeared along the joints.

Ironha took a step back. “Doc.”

“I’m fine.”

He released a small amount.

A thin layer of frost crept across the rim of the cup.

The water trembled, then a skin of ice formed over its surface.

Doc stopped immediately.

The cold in his arm faded.

Calen stared at the cup. “That wasn’t a rune.”

“No,” Doc said.

Lux processed the readings for several seconds.

“Thermal energy was removed from the water and surrounding air. The effect is consistent with the creature’s mana manipulation, though substantially weaker.”

Mazoga looked at the frozen water.

“So the rune made light because that’s what it was designed to do. But without one…”

“The energy defaulted to cold,” Ironha finished.

Doc lowered his hand and studied the frost clinging to his metal fingers.

The light had belonged to the rune.

The cold belonged to him.

Ironha crouched beside him again.

“How do you feel?”

“Tired.” Doc flexed his artificial fingers. “More than I should after freezing a cup.”

“The stored mana is nearly depleted,” Lux reported through the radio.

Calen nodded. “I can barely see it now.”

"Then we stop," Ironha said. "We know enough for today."

Mazoga lowered her hammer from her shoulder.

"Good."

He had expected corruption. Something buried inside him, waiting to spread.

Instead, he had activated a rune without a battery and frozen water using mana drawn from his own body.

That did not make it harmless, but it gave them something they could measure. Something he could learn to control.

Ironha began packing her equipment.

“We should get you back inside,” she said. “You need food and rest.”

Doc pushed himself carefully to his feet. The ache beneath his ribs had deepened, and the walk back suddenly seemed longer than it had on the way out.

Fish pressed against his leg.

“I’m fine,” Doc said.

Mazoga snorted. “You’re leaning on Fish.”

Doc looked down.

Fish looked back at him.

“Temporary support.”

Calen smiled. “Of course.”

They started toward the village.

The gnoll scouts watched them from the ridge but did not leave their posts. Beyond them, the damaged houses emerged through the mist, dark shapes broken by the warm glow now spilling from the windows of the house they had claimed.

By the time they reached it, Doc could smell the soup from outside.

Marron looked up from the hearth when they entered. Cassira sat near the kitchen counter cutting the last of the root vegetables while Mira crushed herbs beside her. Tanna had returned and was warming her hands by the fire.

Mazoga closed the door behind them.

“Well?” Marron asked.

Doc raised his bionic hand. A trace of frost still clung to the joints.

“I can use mana.”

The room went quiet.

Mira stared at his hand. Cassira’s eyebrows rose.

Marron looked toward Ironha.

“That safe?”

“We don’t know yet,” Ironha said. “But he can control a small amount.”

“A very small amount,” Doc added.

Marron considered that, then nodded toward the table.

“Sit down. Soup’s almost ready.”

Doc did not argue.

He lowered himself into a chair while Fish settled beside him. Calen took the seat across from him, still glancing occasionally at the metal arm.

Outside, the scouts continued their patrols. Inside, the fire burned steadily, and the smell of food filled the abandoned house.

They would continue to Glasshold once everyone had rested.

After that, Doc had tests to design, runes to study, and an entirely new part of himself to understand.

For now, he reached for the bowl Marron placed in front of him.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!