Malcolm climbed out of the subway tunnel, the cool night air hitting him like a slap after the stale rot below. Rain hammered the streets of Neo-Eldoria, turning neon reflections into smeared rivers of color. Shadowfang hummed faintly at his side.
Malcolm: (wiping blood from his lip) "One alpha down, and the city's still crawling."
His phone vibrated—a notification from the Hunter's Guild app: Level Up Achieved!
He tapped the screen:
· Hunter: Malcolm "Shadow" Thorne
· Level: 8 (New!)
· Stats: Strength: 12 (+1), Agility: 18, Magic: 15 (+2), Endurance: 14
· New Skill: Void Cloak
Malcolm: (grinning faintly) "Void Cloak, huh? Alright, I'll take it."
He confirmed the selection, feeling a faint tingle as the app synced with his tattoos. The buzz faded, and he walked on. His phone buzzed again—a priority alert. New Bounty: Undead Infestation in the Undercity Markets. Multiple alphas. Team recommended. 20,000 credits total. Level 8+ preferred.
Malcolm: "Team? But 20k... that's rent."
He took a hover-cab to a graffiti-covered elevator shaft. It descended into the thick, scented air of the Undercity Markets. Chaos reigned—screams echoed, vendors barricaded their shops.
He found the Guild rendezvous: four hunters by an overturned noodle cart.
Kira, a human tech-mage with neon-blue hair and crackling augmented arms. Gronk, a seven-foot orc with an enchanted warhammer. Sylas, a fox-kin thief with poison daggers. And leading them, Elara, an elven archer with a humming bow—a Guild veteran.
Elara: (nodding) "Thorne. Heard you leveled up."
Malcolm: (shrugging) "Credits talk. What's the sitrep?"
Kira: "At least three alphas coordinating the swarm. They're funneling civilians into traps."
They moved out. Malcolm activated Void Cloak, shadows wrapping around him as he scouted ahead.
The first skirmish hit—ten augmented ghouls.
Malcolm emerged from cloak, Shadowfang flashing. He decapitated two. Sylas darted in. Gronk's hammer crushed three. Kira's lightning chain fried the rest.
Malcolm: (panting) "Alphas incoming."
The ground trembled. The first alpha emerged—a hulking behemoth with mechanical tentacles, its core glowing purple.
Alpha One: (hissing) "INTRUDERS... FEED THE MASTER!"
Gronk met it head-on. Malcolm flanked, using Void Cloak to stab at the core. A tentacle grazed his arm.
Malcolm: (gritting teeth) "Kira, fry its tech!"
Kira hurled an EMP orb, shorting the tentacles. Gronk shattered a limb.
Then the second alpha appeared: a spectral wraith, phasing through walls.
Alpha Two: (wailing) "SOULS... JOIN US!"
It targeted Elara, draining her mana.
Malcolm: "Umbra vortex!"
Shadows erupted, crushing the wraith's form.
They pressed on. The third alpha waited in the central plaza—a colossal zombie lord in scavenged plate mail, wielding a rune-crackled cleaver.
Alpha Three: (booming) "YOU DARE CHALLENGE THE HARVEST?"
It commanded lesser undead to swarm.
Elara: "Formation!"
The battle raged. Gronk tanked the cleaver. Kira's lightning clashed with runes. Sylas poisoned weak points.
Malcolm, cloaked, circled. "Void arrow chain!" He unleashed a barrage into armor gaps.
The alpha staggered, then slammed the ground, knocking everyone back. Sylas took a bad hit.
Malcolm: "Finish it!"
He leaped, Shadowfang plunging into the core. Tendrils spread, siphoning energy until the beast imploded.
Silence fell, save for heavy breaths. Undead remnants crumbled.
Elara: (clapping his shoulder) "Good work. That level up suits you."
His phone dinged: Bounty Complete. +20,000 credits. Progress to Level 9 - 45%.
Malcolm: (smirking) "Not bad for a team effort."
As they collected alpha cores, vendors whispered about a "Necro-Lord" behind the surges. Something bigger was brewing.