Chapter 28:
The Strangers
Part 2
Day Five
Date: 05/01/01
Location: In the City
Mission Duration: Four Days
Remaining Time: 6 Hours 42 Minutes
Objective: Reach the City Gate
Subject Names: Thomas, Samira Ali, Amanda Jefferson
Native: Khorcha (Guide)
Previous Success Rate: 85%
Expected Success Rate: 70%
Failed Subjects: 250
Successful Subjects: 10
Success Percentage: 4%
Experiment Results: 96% Failure
Experiment Outcome: Termination
Next Stage: Initiated
Objective: Monitoring
Stage Duration: 30 Days
Days Count-Down: 30
Amanda's Point of View
Although it was hard for me to get used to this screen popping up in front of me and the sound in my ears, I still had to concentrate on everything I saw and heard while checking the environment around me in this alien world, surrounded by danger at every step I took and the ruined city that filled my vision.
{Mission Update: Survive the Beast and Eliminate the Threat.}
{Target: Class-C Mutated Beast — Type: Unknown.}
{Reward: 200 Points + Skill Upgrade.}
{Penalty: Death.}
The message flashed before me, each glowing word burning into my brain. My pulse raced as the ground trembled beneath my feet. A deep, guttural sound echoed through the shattered street, making my chest tighten with dread.
I gripped the crystal club tightly in my shaking hands. The weapon still shimmered faintly from the last fight, its translucent surface catching the dull light from the gray-green sky above. My first battle had been against that hideous rodent — and I had barely survived it. Now, this sound… this presence felt far, far worse.
My breathing came in short bursts. I could almost feel my heartbeat in my throat,"This can't be happening again," I whispered, taking a step back. "No, no, no — not again…"
But the sound grew louder — heavy, uneven footsteps crunching on the cracked pavement. Then I saw it.
The creature emerged from the ruins like something born of a nightmare. Its body was massive — twice the size of a lion, covered in patches of rough black skin that looked like molten rock cooled too quickly. Veins of dull red light pulsed beneath its hide. Its head was elongated, somewhere between a reptile and an insect, with four eyes glowing a burning amber.
When it roared, the sound shook the broken street around me.
{Warning: High-threat entity detected. Threat Level: Medium.}
{System assistance not available. Combat decision: Manual.}
"So now the system decides not to help, huh?"
My knees nearly gave out. Every instinct screamed at me to run — to find somewhere, anywhere, to hide. But the system didn't give me a choice. There was no timer this time, no escape clause. Just one simple directive: Survive.
And even if I ran — to where?
I tightened my grip on the club, forcing air into my lungs. My hands were slick with sweat, but my mind cleared for a single moment. If I run, I die.
If I fight, maybe… maybe I live. Sure, I might die, but there's no way I can defeat or even escape this thing.
The creature lunged forward without warning, shaking the ground with its sheer weight. I barely rolled to the side, feeling the rush of air as its claws slammed into the ground where I'd been standing. The impact cracked the pavement, sending shards flying into my face. I swung the club as hard as I could at its leg. The blow connected — a sharp crack echoing through the air — but the beast barely staggered.
It turned its burning gaze toward me.
{Health Condition: 72%}
{Moderate damage detected. Heart rate unstable.}
"Yeah, no kidding — tell me something I don't know," I shouted, stumbling backward.
The monster lunged again, jaws snapping. I ducked behind a broken wall, but its tail — thick and spiked like a steel whip — smashed through it easily. The impact threw me to the ground, knocking the wind out of me. My hands trembled as I tried to push myself up.
{Warning: Sustained damage — 41%. Recommend immediate counterattack or retreat.}
The voice was calm, mechanical, almost mocking. I gritted my teeth. "Easy for you to say. Retreat to where? At least give directions," I muttered, picking up the club again.
My entire body screamed in protest, but somewhere deep inside — past the fear — something stronger began to rise. A kind of cold determination. I wasn't going to die here. Not like this.
As the beast charged again, I swung the club upward, this time focusing every ounce of strength and anger I had. The crystal weapon pulsed, glowing brighter, and when it connected with the creature's jaw, a burst of energy shot through the air. The beast reeled back, snarling in pain.
{Skill Activation Detected}
{Strike — Level 1.}
{Temporary Boost: Strength +10%. Speed +5%.}
I didn't know what that meant — finally something useful came out of this — and at the same time, I felt it. The surge of power flooded through me like lightning. My legs steadied, my arms felt lighter, and before I knew it, I was already running forward, swinging again. Not because I wasn't afraid anymore, but because I finally had a chance.
Each strike left a faint trail of light behind, the club cracking against its armored hide again and again. Without thinking about anything else, I repeated the same motion. It roared, twisting violently, its tail sweeping low. I jumped — barely — and felt the rush of air as it missed me by inches.
{Health Condition: 51% — Stable.}
Stable? Maybe. But one wrong move and I was done.
The creature lunged again, jaws wide — and this time, I didn't dodge. I dropped low, sliding beneath its neck, and brought the club up with both hands, hitting the underside of its skull. The impact sent a shockwave through my arms. The beast howled, staggering back, its glowing eyes flickering.
For a second, I thought I had won.
Then its tail lashed out — faster than I could react. It hit my side with bone-crushing force. The world spun. I hit the ground hard, rolling across the broken street, gasping in pain.
{Warning: Health Condition Critical — 28%.}
{Immediate recovery recommended.}
I tried to get up, but my vision blurred. The monster's shadow loomed over me again, its breath hot and foul. I gripped the club weakly, knowing it wasn't enough.
Then through the haze, I thought I heard something.
A human voice.
---
Thomas's Point of View
I didn't think — I just started moving.
I wasn't one to care about restrictions, and I couldn't ignore someone who needed help if I could provide it. I had to do something — anything I could — and I would do it without hesitation. As for what Khorcha said about the system, at that moment, I didn't care much.
Samira called after me, her voice sharp. "Thomas! Wait!"
But I didn't stop. I followed the sound of the clash of stone and metal — and the unmistakable cry of a human voice — through the maze of broken buildings. My boots pounded against the alien pavement, every step lighting faint ripples of blue beneath me.
Khorcha moved silently behind me, his pace effortless despite his size. Samira caught up seconds later, breathing hard, weapon ready.
I didn't know what was driving me at that moment. For the past few days, I'd been moving on instinct more than reason — not that I was ever rational to begin with. I'd always been the spontaneous type, especially when it came to acting on primal feelings. And then I saw what I'd feared.
Like déjà vu — similar to when I first met Samira — except this time, the setting was different. A young woman, maybe around my age if not younger, was struggling against a massive creature. It towered over her, bigger than any beast I'd seen until now — a grotesque mix of reptilian hide and burning veins that glowed beneath its skin. Its claws could have torn a car in half. She was swinging a glowing crystal club with everything she had, but she was running out of strength. From the way she moved, I could tell she was injured too.
The creature lunged, its claws raised — and before I could think twice, I grabbed a shard of metal, or whatever material it was, and charged.
I felt heat all over my body — like the air itself was burning around me. The system chimed faintly in my ear.
{Warning: Unregistered engagement detected. Combat participation unauthorized.}
I ignored it. It wasn't like I was going to stop now.
I brought the metal shard down on the beast's foreleg, the impact sending a deep vibration up my arm. The creature screeched, twisting toward me, its massive head swinging around with a hiss.
"Get back!" I shouted to the woman.
She stumbled back, blood on her lip, eyes wide with disbelief. "Who—?!"
Before she could finish, the monster's tail whipped toward me. I ducked, barely avoiding it, then lunged again, slashing at its exposed flank. The cut wasn't deep — barely a scratch — but it bled dark, steaming liquid that hissed when it hit the ground.
Apparently whatever I grabbed was sharp enough to penetrate its hard skin.
Samira's voice echoed behind me. "Thomas! Move!"
I dropped as a bright flash exploded beside me. Samira had raised her wrist weapon — a repurposed energy tool, the same one she'd been using to scan the area — and fired a concentrated pulse. The beam hit the creature square in the chest. It roared, staggering back, its movements growing erratic.
{Mission Update: New Objective for Subject Samira Ali — Assist the Human Survivor.}
{Reward: +200 Points and One Skill Unlock.}
Samira blinked. "Seriously? Now you tell me?" she muttered.
The creature swung again, but this time Khorcha stepped forward. With one swift motion, he plunged his curved bone blade into the beast's shoulder. The blade glowed, humming with energy. The monster shrieked, slamming him aside, but he landed gracefully, rolling to his feet.
"Strike the lower jaw," he said calmly, his voice cutting through the chaos. "That's where the core is."
"Core?" I didn't ask how he knew — I just nodded.
Amanda — because that name suddenly appeared above her in front of me, in faint blue text — met my eyes briefly. We didn't speak. We didn't need to.
We moved together. She swung the club from below, hitting the creature's jaw upward. I followed immediately, driving the metal shard into the same spot. The combined force made a deep cracking sound — then a burst of blue light erupted from the wound.
The creature convulsed violently, its glowing veins flashing white — then collapsing in on themselves. It fell forward with a heavy thud that shook the ground.
Silence engulfed all of us, anticipating what would happen next. None of us were sure if it was dead or going to rise again. I didn't think a monster that huge could fall that easily — I was prepared for a longer, bloodier fight.
Amanda staggered back, dropping her club. Her breath came in ragged gasps, eyes wide with exhaustion and disbelief.
{Target neutralized. Mission complete. Reward distributed.}
{Subject Amanda Jefferson: Level Up. Skill Unlocked — Strike Level 2.}
I lowered the shard slowly, my arms trembling. Samira approached cautiously, weapon still raised, while Khorcha watched the fallen beast with unreadable eyes.
"You are reckless," Khorcha said to me quietly. "But sometimes, recklessness brings results."
I exhaled, shaking my head, not sure if he was praising or scolding me. "Thanks, I guess. I didn't have time to think," I said, trying not to sound sarcastic — I was getting used to his way of speaking by now.
Samira smirked faintly. "That's new."
The young woman — Amanda — finally spoke, her voice hoarse. "Who… who are you people?" She was specifically looking at Khorcha, her expression a mix of caution and fear.
I turned toward her, still catching my breath. "The same as you," I said. "Humans who found themselves here, just like you, I guess." Then I pointed at Khorcha. "This is Khorcha, one of the native inhabitants of this world. I can't call him an alien — because we're the aliens here."
Her eyes darted between us — between me, Samira, and Khorcha — then down at the creature's body. "This thing almost killed me. I thought I was done for."
"Luckily you're not," I said, adding silently in my mind, "At least for now."
The wind swept through the street again, carrying with it the faint hum of the system — ever watching, ever waiting.
{Subjects have converged. New parameters initiated. Monitoring resumed.}
But that was a message none of them received.
Khorcha looked toward the horizon, where the faint outline of the City Gate shimmered in the distance like a mirage.
In an inaudible voice no one else could hear, he murmured, "This meeting was not coincidence. The system has begun its next trial."
A/N
Hello dear readers,
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I am delighted by your response and constructive comments. I am doing my best to satisfy you in every way I can. Please continue your support, as it is what motivates me to do more.