Bloodsteel Horizon
Episode 8 — Forged in the Wilds
Current Level: 88
Evolutions: 1 / 150
Mods: Target Lock Mk. I, Overcharge Burst, Precision Strike, Rift Breaker Rounds, Bulletstorm Core (Unlimited Power Tier I)
Currency: $100,000
Recovery & Restlessness
Kael sat on a steel outcropping, legs dangling over a hundred-foot drop. The Steel Wilds were quiet again — or at least as quiet as a world full of hunters and Rift beasts ever got.
His guns rested against his knees, still warm from the last battle. He studied them.
They weren't the same weapons he'd first summoned when his powers awakened. The barrels were longer, lined with glowing runes that pulsed faintly with every heartbeat. The grips had reshaped themselves to fit his hands perfectly, and thin veins of magic light ran from the triggers up into the plating along his arms.
Since unlocking Bulletstorm Core, the guns felt alive. Not just hungry, but restless — twitching faintly as though itching for a target.
Kael smirked. "Yeah… I'm getting restless too."
New Rift — Quarry Field
His HUD blinked.
OBJECTIVE: Eliminate 3 Rift Beasts — World Tier 3.
Reward: +3 Levels per Kill. Bonus: $4,000 per Beast.
The Rift spat him out into what looked like a massive, open quarry carved from black stone. Waterfalls of molten glass poured from jagged cliffs, cooling into strange crystal pools below.
Kael's boots crunched on shattered glass as his Target Lock pinged the first target.
First Hunt — Ironhide Mauler
The ground shook as a beast resembling a colossal bull, plated in segmented metal armor, charged from the far side of the quarry. Its horns glowed with the same molten glass as the waterfalls.
LVL 89 — Ironhide Mauler
Kael moved sideways, Bulletstorm Core still cooling down from the last fight. Precision Strike painted red markers along its shoulder joints. He fired in short bursts, forcing the Mauler to pivot into awkward angles until one leg buckled.
When it stumbled, Kael dashed in and used Overcharge Burst at point-blank range into the gap under its neck. The explosion knocked him back several feet — the Mauler didn't get up.
LEVEL UP!
Current Level: 91
Second Hunt — Skyglass Wyrm
A shadow swept over him.
A serpentine Rift beast with glass-like wings dove from above, its body reflecting the molten glow of the quarry.
LVL 92 — Skyglass Wyrm
Kael switched to Rift Breaker Rounds, targeting the wing joints. Two shots shattered the left wing, sending the beast spiraling. It crashed in a spray of crystal shards.
Kael walked forward and fired into its skull until the light faded from its eyes.
LEVEL UP!
Current Level: 94
Third Hunt — Riftborn Stalker
The last quarry target didn't rush him. Instead, it hunted him.
Kael caught flashes of movement — a humanoid creature with elongated limbs, its skin stretched tight over bone, eyes glowing like forge embers.
LVL 95 — Riftborn Stalker
It came for his back. Kael rolled forward, firing over his shoulder mid-spin. The creature shrieked as rounds tore into its chest. It vanished into shadow, reappearing above him — but Target Lock already had the kill lined.
One Rift Breaker Round through the head ended it instantly.
LEVEL UP!
Current Level: 97
After the Quarry
Levels Gained: +9
Current Level: 97
Currency Earned: $12,000
Total Funds: $112,000
Kael's guns pulsed again — the runes along their barrels glowing brighter. The magic wasn't just decorative anymore; the light flowed between the etchings like molten circuits, occasionally sparking at the muzzle ends.
He flexed his grip. The weapons felt faster now, as though they were already compensating for recoil before he fired.
⸻
Rift Shift — The Ember Ruins
The next Rift dumped him into the ruins of what looked like an ancient, burning city. Stone towers crumbled into rivers of lava, and the air shimmered with heat.
His HUD picked up two high-level monsters immediately — both likely drawn by the smell of his guns.
Fourth Hunt — Flamecarver Brute
A massive, humanoid beast made of black stone and burning magma lumbered from between two collapsed buildings, carrying a cleaver of molten steel.
LVL 98 — Flamecarver Brute
Kael kept his distance, using the environment to weave between the ruins. Each burst he fired chipped away at the molten seams in its armor. When its movements slowed, he activated Bulletstorm Core.
The sudden shift to unlimited fire for fifteen seconds ripped through its plating in a storm of bullets. It collapsed into a molten heap.
LEVEL UP!
Current Level: 100
Fifth Hunt — Emberwing Ravager
Almost immediately, a massive bird with wings of living fire descended from above, the heat wave knocking Kael to one knee.
LVL 101 — Emberwing Ravager
Kael switched back to Rift Breaker Rounds, aiming at the point where its wings met its torso. The first shot tore through, but it still dove. He rolled to the side, firing again and again until both wings shattered in midair.
It crashed into the ruins, and Kael ended it with an Overcharge Burst to the head.
LEVEL UP!
Current Level: 103
After the Ruins
Levels Gained: +6
Current Level: 103
Currency Earned: $8,000
Total Funds: $120,000
His guns now had faint trails of ember-like particles whenever he moved them — a sign the magic inside was reaching higher resonance. They were no longer just mechanical weapons; they were artifacts in the making.
Kael could feel something coming. The guns weren't just evolving… they were calling for a true test.
The next Rift pulsed brighter than any before.