26 – Conflicting PrioritiesHector spent another ten minutes or so resting under the long, angular boulder, waiting for his muscles to stop twitching and for his excitement—no doubt fueled by the euphoria of the level-gain—to fade. Of course, he was eager to find out where his new “Phase Pathways” were going to lead, but he had to dial that down if he wanted to avoid making foolish mistakes. Every step out there on the stony plain was risky.Still, while he lay there, observing and waiting for the adrenaline to flush out, he contemplated the notion. When it came to aura systems, “phasing” often meant some sort of matter transition, and it usually had to do with movement or defensive abilities. Considering his archetype was Reaver, he thought it was likely to lean more toward movement or even attack—some kind of charge or matter disruption or…Lock it down, dummy. There are thousands of possibilities. Focus.The self-chastisement hadn’t occurred in a vacuum; something massive had moved nearby, close enough to make the little puddles in front of his hiding spot ripple. He never saw the lumbering creature, though he imagined it was a hook titan moving somewhere behind him. When the rumbling passed, and the water stopped dancing in the puddles, he emerged from his hole and began running again, watching as the dark line of trees grew more and more distinct.He’d seen woods like the one in front of him before, and when he realized it, he cursed. Those trees might not drip acid, but the ground beneath their canopies would be soft and wet—a veritable marsh. He spoke into his comm channel with Paige. “We have any survey data on my location?” It was a question he probably should have asked sooner, but he hadn’t expected to range so far afield, and he’d been hoping some sign of the rift would present itself before he got to the treeline.Movement in the dark areas between the trunks caught his eye, and Hector (...)