Morning came like lightning.
Tatehan had been woken up by nothing, and the first thing he saw when opening his eyes was the radio.
He picked it up, turned it around in his hands, studied its features, and dropped it back on the floor.
"[Morning, host,]" came the voice of the spaceship's AI as the dim lights flickered back on. They were still faint, but brighter than before.
Tatehan didn't reply. His head was buzzing with questions, and he wanted answers.
Still lying down, he stared at the ceiling and asked,
"What the hell was I told yesterday by the radio?"
The AI answered; "[That device is not really a radio, it's more of a history recorder. I should have told you that earlier. When you turned it on, it gave you records of the Awakening Institute, where humans who didn't gain abilities on Earth managed to awaken theirs after coming to Mars.]"
Tatehan felt a sharp wave of irritation.
"Then why didn't you just tell me?" he snapped, pacing the small space.
"[I planned to today. Not by me, but through the radio itself. It's meant to feed you history and information when you need it.]"
The anger faded as fast as it had come, and Tatehan sighed. The AI was right, he had barely arrived here...
"So anytime I need information, I just flick it on?" he asked.
"[Yes. But it's random. One day it might tell you the history of the settlements, another day it might tell you about how Martian birds look. That's how it works.]"
Tatehan rubbed his chin, scratching the back of his head. "Last night, I heard some guy named John Beckham interviewing Nathan, who awakened powers at the Institute."
"[Yes,]" the AI confirmed. "[That Nathan later became the man who started the rebellion against the Institute.]"
Holy crap.
Tatehan's eyes widened.
"What? He sounded like a decent guy and… and…" he trailed off, speechless. "Why didn't the radio say that?"
"[It did, but indirectly. The interview was a prelude. Nathan was a spoiled brat drunk on power. History says he even killed his own parents when they tried to stop him. Now, he's a full-blown villain.]"
Tatehan struggled to breathe.
The AI's voice softened slightly:
"[I wasn't planning to tell you this yet, but now that you've stumbled on it, you know. That's the truth.]"
"This is insane to take in." Tatehan's voice was low, his eyes roaming the walls.
"So all humans can only awaken one ability? He said his was super strength."
"[Correct. And he pushed it far, upgraded it to something cosmic. Now, he wears red, commands armies, and walks around like a god. And he's dangerous.]"
Tatehan looked surprised and he inhaled and exhaled slowly, his worrying only deepening
"[But you're not like them,]" the AI continued. "[Your system can grant you multiple abilities. Gravity manipulation is just the beginning. You'll be able to awaken more, if you earn them.]"
Tatehan turned toward the viewport, staring at the Martian sky. What kind of hellhole was this place?
"[Nathan now goes by 'the Obscuron.' And while there are hundreds of other powerful humans hunting for this ship, he's the biggest threat for now. But don't panic, you're far from the populated zones. The ship's location is in a desolate area full of dumb monsters. Ninety-nine point nine percent of people won't dare come here. Still… you'll need to act fast. The Obscuron craves power.]"
---
Tatehan didn't have breakfast before leaving the spaceship. It wasn't like there was any anyway. The potato chips were the only thing eatable there and he had eaten all the previous night.
As he walked down the path he took before, he couldn't help but think of the Obscuron. The power he possessed and how wicked he was.
At this point, he was the hero (at least he was going to be) and the Obscuron would be the villain (he was already a villain anyway, a viscous one).
He was on his way to get glowing rocks from carapace brutenecks.
At first he didn't know what to face, how to face them, and how to defeat them. But now that he knew, that would make the difference.
Too tired for drawn-out battles, he decided stealth was smarter. He'd hide, strike first, and wipe them out before they even realized what happened. But he'd also need to watch his back, getting ambushed himself would ruin everything.
He had come up with a plan before embarking on this journey though. His strategy was simple: hide, wait, and use gravity to launch sharp rocks at their soft, exposed necks. Kill them before they knew what hit them.
He decided to avoid the normal brutenecks, they would be useless to fight at this point considering one never benefitted from engaging in fights with them.
If he saw one, he'd either dodge or drop it quickly with a stone to the neck. No wasting energy. He wasn't going to risk engaging in a long fight with any as it was not worth it.
After ten minutes of walking, he finally spotted three brutenecks, gaunt and snarling, prowling for prey.
Tatehan smirked. He wasn't going to be their meal. They were about to feed the ground.
There weren't many big boulders nearby, but ahead he saw one perfect for cover.
Tatehan sprinted forward, light on his feet, holding his breath. In a blink, he slid behind the boulder.
The brutenecks froze, turning at the faint sound.
Complete silence.
They saw nothing.
Tatehan crouched, aimed jagged stones with his gravity power, and fired at their soft necks.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
They collapsed instantly.
"[Congratulations, host, you've just killed three brutenecks.]"
Tatehan scoffed. "Useless creatures. Can't even give me anything."
He peeked out from behind the boulder, then froze.
A massive carapace bruteneck lumbered into view, drawn by the corpses. Its thick armor glistened as it bent down and began chewing on the bodies.
Disgust twisted Tatehan's face.
He tightened his grip on the stones. His gravity surged.
Jagged rocks shot forward, slamming into the beast's vulnerable neck.
Booyah.
It hit...