Leo and Lara burst from the cover of the jungle, the roar of the exploding tower fading behind them. They were battered, bruised, and covered in soot and blood, but alive. The dense coastal forest abruptly gave way to a harrowing landscape: a makeshift, dilapidated Mountain Village clinging precariously to the cliffside.
The village was a cluster of wooden shacks, rope bridges, and crude watchtowers, all seemingly abandoned. It was a terrifying ghost town, but Leo's Meta-Strategist II trait instantly recognized it as a massive, intricate death trap.
"Keep moving! No rest here!" Leo gasped, his voice raw. His back was searing from the shrapnel and explosion blast, but his maxed Stamina (12) was pushing his body forward.
"It's empty, Leo! Where is everyone?" Lara asked, pistol held ready, her eyes scanning the dark windows and sagging roofs.
"It's not empty, it's staged," Leo corrected, his Mind (9) working furiously to process the danger. "The Solarii cleared out, but the Trinity operative on the helicopter knows we're heading inland. This is their staging area. Ambush."
He had to allocate his final Level 8 Attribute Points now, before the next engagement. The fight ahead demanded a boost to his Strength for combat and his Mind for tactical oversight.
[Attribute Allocation Log]
* +2 Points to Strength. Rationale: Boosting the power of his Pry Axe and 9mm Pistol. Essential for taking down Trinity's heavily armored soldiers.
* New Strength: 11
* +1 Point to Mind. Rationale: Pushing his tactical awareness higher. Crucial for predicting the Trinity soldiers' professional, trained maneuvers.
* New Mind: 10
[Attribute Allocation Complete! New Base Stats: Strength 11, Dexterity 11, Stamina 12, Mind 10]
[Tier 2 Cap Reached: Mind Maxed!]
Leo felt the familiar surge. His muscles tightened, and his thoughts sharpened to a razor edge. He was now Tier 2 Maxed in Stamina and Mind.
"We're boxed in! The bridges are all rigged!" Lara suddenly shouted, pointing to a central rope bridge spanning a dizzying canyon. She saw the carefully laid tripwires and explosives.
Just as she spoke, the first Trinity soldier appeared.
Not one, but a patrol of three soldiers, dropped onto the high watchtower platform from a second, smaller helicopter that had been concealed behind the mountain. They were clad in heavy tactical armor, armed with automatic rifles, and moved with ruthless, professional speed.
"Target confirmed! Engage!" the lead soldier's voice crackled over their comms, echoing chillingly through the deserted village.
The air immediately filled with the sound of rapid, controlled gunfire.
TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!
Trinity's training was immediately evident. They didn't spray; they laid down precise bursts, tearing into the wood around Leo and Lara.
"Move!" Leo yelled, dragging Lara behind the cover of a massive, ancient bell tower.
"We're pinned! We can't climb over them, and the ground level is mined!" Lara frantically pointed out.
Leo pulled out his Pry Axe and looked up. His Mind (10) instantly saw the solution. "The bell! It's heavy! We drop it on the bridge! It'll funnel them and clear the main path!"
Lara immediately understood the environmental weapon. She sprinted to the bell tower's pulley system, climbing the wooden structure with dizzying agility. She needed to cut the main rope at the top.
Leo covered her ascent. He pulled out his 9mm Pistol, focusing his enhanced Strength (11) into controlling the weapon's kick, aiming for the unarmored head of the nearest Trinity soldier.
BAM! BAM!
The soldier, surprised by the accurate return fire, flinched back, momentarily disrupting the team's firing rhythm.
"Leo, suppress them! I can't reach the rope from here!" Lara yelled from the unstable platform high above.
Leo needed a distraction—a big one. He quickly nocked a Fire Arrow into his Recurve Bow. He didn't aim at the soldiers, but at the dry, stacked wooden logs beneath their watchtower.
He ignited the arrow and fired. The Fire Arrow slammed into the kindling-dry wood, and a towering column of flame erupted immediately, engulfing the base of the watchtower and sending thick, black smoke skyward.
The Trinity soldiers were momentarily engulfed in smoke and heat.
"Now, Lara! The rope!"
Lara, using the confusion of the smoke, scaled the final few feet of the tower. She plunged her Climbing Axe into the thick, heavy rope that held the massive bell suspended. The rope snapped instantly.
The ancient bronze bell came crashing down with an Earth-shattering CLANG! It slammed directly onto the central rope bridge, tearing the flimsy structure apart and sending debris plummeting into the canyon.
The main path was now a sheer drop, cutting off two of the Trinity patrol.
"Two down! One left! He's trapped on the watchtower!" Leo yelled, breathing heavily, the heat from the fire overwhelming.
The remaining Trinity soldier, isolated and furious, began laying down blind, heavy fire from the burning watchtower.
"The rope bridge to the main mountain trail is clear now, Leo! We jump the gap and run!" Lara shouted, rappelling back down toward him.
Leo, however, didn't move. He had survived the ambush, but he needed to neutralize the final threat before he could leave. He had to loot the fallen Trinity soldiers for their advanced gear.
He saw his chance. The fire beneath the watchtower was climbing, forcing the soldier to climb higher for air. The soldier was exposed.
Leo raised his Recurve Bow. He had a clear shot at the center of the soldier's helmet.
He drew the string, feeling the perfect alignment of his Strength (11) and Dexterity (11).
He fired.
The arrow flew true, but the soldier turned at the last second, and the arrow struck the thick Kevlar shoulder pad with a loud THWACK, failing to penetrate.
The soldier, seeing his chance, raised his rifle to deliver the final shot.
Suddenly, a loud, piercing scream cut through the noise—not from a human, but from the jungle. A massive, shadowy beast, seemingly composed of mud and rage, burst into the village from the surrounding forest, drawn by the sound of the explosions.
It was a Mountain Oni, a terrifying mythological guardian of Yamatai, far larger and more monstrous than anything they had encountered.
The Oni ignored Leo and Lara, its focus instantly locking onto the isolated Trinity soldier on the burning watchtower.
"Leo! The mountain guardian! Run!" Lara screamed, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the burning structure and toward the rope bridge that now led to a lower, safer trail.
They sprinted, leaping over the chasm where the bell had landed, heading for the next dark cave entrance.
Behind them, the terrifying roar of the Oni drowned out the soldier's scream, followed by the sound of splintering wood and crunching armor. They had escaped one enemy only to be thrown into the territory of another, far more powerful one.
They raced into the darkness of the cave.