Chapter 69 Pills and Pokes

Chapter 69 Pills and Pokes

The Colonel took out a briefcase from a safe in the room and set out another whole array of pills, except for the one Karl had already taken.

"Dragonite is a restricted substance, and difficult to get. We don't have a second dose, and it's not something that the Academy usually has access to." She explained, then gestured for Karl to continue.

Karl took the next two pills, and a warm feeling washed over him while his thoughts seemed to become a bit more clear. It wasn't a big change, and everyone seemed disappointed, but Valerie gestured for Karl to move on to the next.

[That one smells good.] Hawk noted as Karl picked up the pills.

[Let's hope it works. I have no idea what it is supposed to do.]

The pills dissolved the same as the Dragonite pill had, and suddenly the proper method for activating his skills became clear in Karl's mind. How to make them more efficient, more powerful, faster to activate. Everything about the two skills became clear, and then the whisper of a third skill entered his mind as Hawk gained new insights into [Wind Shield].

Karl couldn't use it yet, but as Hawk's understanding improved, the feedback coming from Hawk's advancement was giving him glimpses of the method.

"That one is incredible. I understand my skills so much more clearly now, and even Hawk is having a breakthrough in understanding, despite his knowledge level already being incredibly high, as Rend is an innate skill to his species." Karl explained.

"Wonderful. That pill can be hit-and-miss. Some people don't understand much, while others make great strides. We will keep a note in your file so more will be available once you have learned more skills." The Colonel replied.

The next pill vanished with a swirl of energy into the air around him, as if his body was forcefully rejecting the pill.

"Well, that was different. Something about that one is incompatible with him, despite the effect being nearly the same as the second one you took." The mage commented as her fingers flashed over the keys, making a note of the strange energy phenomenon.

Colonel Valerie glared at her, but Karl realized that the two were actually good friends, in some strange way.

The man loaded the needles into a mechanical injector, and gestured towards Karl's chest.

"You need to take your shirt off. We will inject them into the upper arm. The other optimal spot is the buttocks, but it's a bit forward to ask you to drop your pants without warning." He joked.

Karl removed his jacket and the simple white uniform shirt and set them over the chair beside him.

"Alright, this will hurt. I'm not going to lie or sugar coat it. Just mentally prepare yourself, and we will wait for the injection to settle before we move on to the next."

Karl nodded and turned his head away before a pain shot up his arm and across his chest, feeling like his body had been set on fire.

"Here, drink this, you will need it." The mage's voice was a distant whisper, but she poured the drink into Karl's mouth as he clenched his eyes closed to keep the painful light out of his eyes as his body burned.

The drink seemed to contain some sort of energy, and the burning of his body faded as it absorbed the power. Then, the power began to flow back into his mind, and Hawk suddenly shot up in size, going from Hawk sized to larger than a turkey or a condor in a matter of seconds.

Hawk was a gangly and malnourished giant, but he was slowly filling out as the bird frantically tried to fill its ravenous belly.

"Hold up, something in that one made Hawk grow uncontrollably. He's huge and starving, but there is food for him in the space. Give it a few minutes before we do anything else." Karl explained, still holding his eyes closed, though he was unable to meditate with the pain.

"Alright, notify us when Hawk has stabilized, and we will give you the second dose." Colonel Valerie agreed.

Hawk panicked a little at that news, but Karl had already known that the Colonel wouldn't give up on a treatment that was producing results so easily.