The System's countdown halted at Ali's sudden, cascading thoughts.
Oh, wait. What if we don't throw a big rock? What if we find a smaller, sharper one? Heavy enough, but shaped right. Aim for the eye socket. It doesn't need to crush the skull; it just needs to pass through and scramble everything inside. You keep talking about mana reinforcement—sure, mana runs through them like blood and breath—but he doesn't look like a combat type. I'm not saying he's weak, just… not a mana-reinforcer, you know? A scout, a tracker. His reinforcement might be general, not focused on turning his bones to steel.
The data-stream adjusted, incorporating the new parameters.
[Amending Query 4: Kinetic Ranged Neutralization - Penetrative Variant.]
Analysis: Your intuition has tactical merit. Target specialization is a factor.
Seeker Profile Reassessment: Based on gait, aura distribution (leaning towards perceptual sharpening, not kinetic fortification), and tool usage, probability of specialized [Ironbone] or [Stoneflesh] reinforcement is low (<15%). General systemic reinforcement is still present, raising durability approximately 30% above baseline human.
Projectile Adjustment: A sharp, dense stone (e.g., flint, quartzite) with a pointed tip. Mass: 300-400 grams. Optimized throw can achieve penetrative force at 25 meters.
Targeting: The ocular orbit is a natural breach in structural reinforcement. A successful penetration has a 92% probability of causing immediate catastrophic brain trauma, resulting in instantaneous neural shutdown.
Advantage: Significantly quieter than a crushing impact. Sound is a dampened thud and wet crack, not a loud crack. May not even trigger a vocalized response.
Conclusion: A superior method. Lethality probability rises to 89%. Acquiring the ideal projectile is the next step.
Ali's mind, now operating in a cold, hyper-rational space, pushed further. And what if it doesn't kill him instantly? What if we need a follow-up? We don't just throw one. We have two, three rocks ready. If the first doesn't drop him, we aim again. For the other eye. For the throat. For his knee or elbow joint. You can recalculate faster than he can scream. Could we immobilize him?
[Scenario Extension: Volley-Fire & Maiming Protocols.]
Feasibility: High. With optimized stance and pre-placed ammunition, a second throw can be launched within 1.2 seconds of the first.
Joint Targeting: Striking kneecaps, elbows, or shoulders with sufficient force can break bones or dislocate joints, severely limiting mobility and spellcasting ability (many gestures require arm articulation).
Sequential Strategy: Throw 1 (Penetrative, Head). Throw 2 (If target standing/jerking, Head/Joint). Close distance during disorientation for final, guaranteed neutralization (knife, large rock).
Outcome: Probability of complete target incapacitation (lethal or immobilizing) rises to 97%.
New Risk: Extended engagement time (4-6 seconds total) increases chance of his mana flaring in alarm, potentially activating a defensive artifact or sending a pulse that could be detected by a remote partner.
Then came the most audacious, dangerous thought yet.
Or… what if we don't kill him right away? What if we immobilize him, then… try to open my gate while he's still alive? A living core is a stable reactor, you said. Could we… siphon from it? Use his conscious, active mana as a controlled key, instead of a dying burst?
The System's silence was profound. When it replied, the text seemed heavier.
[Query 3 - Revised: Live-Subject Mana Siphon & Gateway Interfacing.]
Concept: This is no longer speculative surgery with a rusty shovel. This is attempted vivisection and forced metaphysical graft on a conscious, resistant subject.
Theoretical Possibility: Exists. Near zero.
Practical Execution:
You would need to subdue him completely without killing him—a complex task.
You would need to maintain physical contact, likely at his core location (solar plexus).
I would attempt to use your core as a parasitic drill, boring into his core's matrix to extract a coherent stream of his mana and channel it against your gateway seal.
Problems:
Resistance: His core is part of his will. It would fight back instinctively. The mana would be turbulent, hostile.
Control: You lack the skill to dominate another's mana flow. I could attempt to brute-force guide it, but the conflict would occur inside your shared conduit. It would be a magical tug-of-war with your soul as the rope.
Backlash: If he has any mental training, he could purposefully detonate part of his core, or send a corrosive pulse back along the link.
Ethical/Psychic Contamination: Forcing a living connection is an act of profound violation. The feedback—his terror, rage, pain—would flood into you unfiltered. It could break your mind.
Time: The process would take minutes, not seconds. You would be utterly vulnerable.
[Conclusion: The live-siphon idea is exponentially more dangerous than the post-mortem attempt. It combines the risks of contamination and backlash with the added volatility of an active, hostile consciousness. The probability of your survival without severe mental or core scarring is less than 1%. It is not a viable tactic. It is a path to becoming a monster or a vegetable.]
The verdict was absolute. Ali let the dark idea go, but a part of him noted the System's capacity to even calculate the odds of such a horrific act.
Alright. So we're back to rocks. The sharp one. The volley. Then the knife if needed. But we need to be sure. System, you said his reinforcement is general. Can you, with my Mana-Sense right now, try to get a finer read? Look for where his aura is thinnest, where it pools, where it flows. If we're aiming for an eye, tell me if there's a detectable difference in density around his head. Is he reinforcing his senses, not his skull?
[Initiating: Passive Mana-Sense Deep Scan. Target: 'Seeker' (Perimeter).]
[Warning: Increased focus risk. Scanning now.]
Ali closed his eyes, becoming a perfect receiver. The world resolved into a pressure map. The steading was a warm, dim glow. The forest a green murmur. And there, a prickling, focused point of intelligent energy—greasy, methodical, like oiled clockwork.
The System zoomed his perception in, interpreting the data.
[Scan Complete. Aura Distribution Analysis:]
Subject's mana is primarily concentrated in:
Cranial Region (Moderate-High): Reinforcing perception, mental acuity. A faint shimmer around the eyes and ears confirms sensory enhancement.
Right Arm/Hand (High): Channeling focus for the detection rod. The hand holding the rod pulses with structured energy.
Core & Major Pathways (Moderate): Standard systemic circulation.
Notable Deficiencies/Lower Reinforcement:
Posterior Cranium (Low): Back of the head. Reinforcement favors forward-facing senses.
Left Side (Slightly Lower): Right side is dominant for tool use.
Joints (Variable): Knees and elbows show standard reinforcement, no extra fortification.
Ocular Orbit Openings (Minimal): The mana forms a sheath over the eye, like a transparent lens. It does not fill the socket or significantly reinforce the thin bone behind it. This confirms your hypothesis. The eye is a viable breach point.
The analysis was a sniper's gift. The seeker had made himself sharp, not hard. He was a sensory instrument. And instruments break.
Perfect, Ali thought, the final piece clicking into place. We hit him where he's sharp, not where he's strong. We break the instrument.
[Protocol Finalized: Operation 'Silent Breach'.]
Phases:
Bait: Execute faint misdirect draw (North-West).
Exit: Scale south wall at designated weak point (loose log, identified).
Advance: Move to spruce blind spot using provided silent path.
Engagement: Upon target entering engagement zone (back turned, attention diverted), launch penetrative kinetic projectile (Eye/Occipital). Immediate follow-up volley if needed.
Verification & Cleanup: Neutralize completely. Secure body and artifact. Determine disposal method.
[Mana Allocation for Operations: 0.00008 units (for optimized throw mechanics, sensory sharpening).]
[Bodily Energy Reserve: Sufficient for one (1) optimized engagement. Post-operation collapse: Moderate-High (localized muscular failure, neural fatigue).]
It was a plan. A brutal, simple, efficient plan. It turned his greatest weakness—his minuscule mana—into a scalpel, and the System's precision into a guillotine's blade.
Do we have a suitable rock in here? Ali asked, looking around the dark shed.
[Scanning immediate environment.]
[Target Acquired: Wedge-shaped fragment of granite (field stone, used for sharpening/weight). Mass: ~370 grams. One edge naturally tapered. Acceptable.]
Ali picked it up. It was cold, heavy, and fit snugly in his hand like a dark, jagged heart. He hefted it.
Alright, he thought, his breath steadying. Let's go bait a trap.