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VOIDBORN — Chapter 6: The Bait
West of Human Base #12072008 – 1 hour into the hunt
The sun of the Shifting Expanse wasn't like Earth's — it bled light from multiple angles, casting triple shadows on the cracked terrain as Squad Ruok moved westward.
They didn't find anything interesting till yet.
But then,
Ruok suddenly raised his hand — palm stiff, fingers slicing the air like a blade. The signal was clear.
"Stop."
Moon and Kai froze.
Ruok's voice dropped to a whisper, "Something's close… Essence beast, maybe burrowed."
Moon's fingers instinctively curled into a combat position. Kai's hand hovered above his katana hilt.
Ruok gave a short countdown.
"1... 2... 3."
Moon and Kai nodded to each other silently — twin instincts, forged in a lifetime of survival.
Moon slammed his fist into the earth.
A deep THUD echoed outward, shaking nearby roots and soil.
A squeak followed.
A small rodent-like creature — no bigger than a loaf of bread — burst out of a hole, fleeing.
Kai didn't hesitate. With a flash of steel, his katana sliced cleanly through the air — and the creature.
> You have killed a Drumpet Mouse.
• Essence Points Gained: 0
• Essence usable via consumption. Stored in reserve.
Kai exhaled and looked at Ruok.
"No gain," he said, shaking his head.
Ruok gave a small smirk. "Still better than missing."
Kai bent down, wrapped the mouse's body, and tucked it into his bag.
Moon raised a brow. "You sure we should keep that?"
Kai nodded. "Essence beasts don't rot. They convert to essence energy over time."
Ruok gave an approving glance. "Smart. Carry on."
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They continued their journey.
Ruok kept occasionally glancing at the twins.
> "You two move well together," he commented. "That little nod move — you train for that?"
Moon smirked. "Just... instinct."
Ruok chuckled. "Good instinct."
They encountered a few minor creatures along the way — tiny flying lizards, shell-covered bugs — nothing serious. But the terrain was no joke.
For nearly 24 hours, they moved across uneven trails, ancient ruins, and glowing root fields — only stopping to rest, hydrate, or strike.
They kept a steady pace of 90 km/hr. This wasn't a stroll. It was a test.
By dusk, they arrived at a quiet part of the Holy River's extension, a pale blue stream cutting across jagged rocks like a divine scar. Its slow waves shimmered under silver starlight.
Ruok halted the group.
"Set up camp. We'll rest here."
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At Holy River Trail – Camp Night
Moon sat by the river, sleeves rolled up, washing his shirt and splashing water on his neck. He looked exhausted but calm.
Kai sat nearby, sharpening his blade.
Moon broke the silence. "Hell of a day, huh?"
Kai nodded, wiping sweat from his brow. "My legs feel like stone."
Suddenly, a quiet footstep.
They looked up.
A young woman — no older than 23 — approached silently. She wore tactical robes but her body language was hesitant. It took a moment before they recognized her.
Kai whispered, "Wait... isn't she part of Ruok's squad?"
Moon narrowed his eyes. "Yeah… we didn't even notice her earlier."
Kai stood up politely. "Need something?"
She spoke softly. "The squad's cook… he needs the hunted meat. He asked me to collect it."
Kai nodded and handed over the wrapped Drumpet Mouse.
"Thanks," she said, then turned and vanished just as quietly as she came.
Moon leaned back.
"Something feels... off."
Kai shrugged. "Maybe. But I'm too tired to overthink."
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Dinner – Later That Night
The aroma hit first.
Everyone gathered around the campfire, surprised as the cook served a spread: skewers with spicy meat, a thick root soup, and even a kind of hardbread made from local fungus powder.
Moon blinked. "Bro... What the hell?! This tastes amazing!"
Kai took a bite. "I swear we gave him one rat. How the hell...?"
The cook, a bald man with burn scars and a deadpan face, grunted. "It's not about what you cook. It's about how you cook it."
Moon and Kai's chef instincts suddenly woke up , they wanted him to become their teacher and teach them how to cook this good with this much scarcity but they refused this in their thoughts.
Ruok grinned. "Gordon may look like a burnt potato, but he's a god with a pot."
Moon raised a skewer. "Chef Gordon… I salute you."
Gordon ignored the praise and returned to his pot.
Seeing this Moon felt a rush of embarrassment , and he shut up his mouth for a while .
Ruok cracked a few bad jokes — most of which landed like dead fish.
Even Moon, who appreciated bad humor, winced at one.
"Why don't essence beasts use doors? ...Because they phase in!"
Kai whispered to Moon, "Is it too late to switch squads?"
They laughed quietly.
Later, the squad laid down for rest.
Ruok gave instructions. "Don't worry about guarding. We've already sprayed beast-repelling waste."
The area around the tents stank faintly of ground-up essence creature bones, mixed excretions, and acidic fluid — a common method in Expanse camps. The smell kept wild beasts away.
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Day 2 to 5 – Routine Builds
Morning came.
They resumed their march. The silent girl didn't speak again. Kai and Moon chose not to bother her.
Day after day, the routine became mechanical — wake, walk, hunt, rest. Repeat.
By Day 5, fatigue had set in. Even for Moon and Kai, mental exhaustion was growing.
Constantly running even only at jogging speed consumes so much of their energy . But they stopped for a while under a large tree to break and hydrate themselves .
After 30 min of rest when they were ready to travel again Ruok suddenly felt strange .
That's when it happened.
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Day 5 – 1 KM From Hell
Ruok dropped back slightly, walking behind Moon and Kai.
A strange smile crept over his face — a twisted grin that vanished the moment Moon glanced back.
"Hey," Ruok called. "Got a reading. Essence spike... one kilometer west. Go check it."
Moon and Kai nodded.
They dashed forward. Within 30 seconds, they reached the location — a mossy clearing under shifting leaves.
But it was silent.
Too silent.
Kai whispered, "Feel anything?"
Moon shook his head. "Nothing... but—"
Suddenly, a bush rustled.
Moon's instincts screamed. He spun, gauntlets raised — just in time to block a brutal headbutt from a creature that looked like a blue-armored rhino, nearly two meters tall and three meters long.
The impact slammed him back, but the gauntlet held strong.
Kai shouted, unsheathing his blade.
They both turned to look back — toward Ruok, now a speck in the distance, standing casually with arms crossed.
But from that far... they could still see him smiling.
Normal humans couldn't see this detail from kilometers away... unless they weren't normal humans anymore.
Kai's heart sank.
"He brought us here... as bait."
Moon's eyes sharpened.
They were no longer on a mission.
They were in a trap.
Kai now understand the unsettling feelings he get from the Start of this hunt , but now they can't do anything else except fighting this huge fucking monstrosity.
Moon cursed "sonovabitch" while trying to get up from the ground .
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To Be Continued...
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