Eray pushed deeper into the forest.
The trees here were not made of wood. They were massive, giant-like pillars with hard, stone-like purple bark. Their leaves were red and sharp like razors. When the wind blew, it did not create a rustling sound, but a metallic scraping.
Pain shot through Eray's left leg with every step. The damaged motor of the exo-suit dragged the leg forward, working with loud, uneven noise.
Vzzz… Crack. Vzzz… Crack.
"Damn it," he muttered.
He stopped and leaned his back against a thick tree trunk. His breathing echoed inside the helmet. First, he checked his status.
He felt the pouches on his vest. Two full magazines. The grenade was still on his belt. The knife was in its sheath. His ammunition would last for a few more fights, but the forest seemed endless.
He removed his helmet. The smell of sweat inside was suffocating.
Eray's face was revealed. He was a pale young man with sharp jawlines. His jet-black hair was stuck to his forehead with sweat. Dark circles sat under his eyes from exhaustion and stress, but there was no fear in those coal-black eyes.
Only pure survival instinct.
The noble, arrogant gaze inherited from his bloodline was now mixed with the feral edge of a street dog.
He took a sip of water from his bottle. Even as he drank, his eyes scanned his surroundings.
Then he heard it.
Heavy, rhythmic footsteps.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
This was not a pack of Ghouls.
This was one large thing.
Eray quickly put his helmet back on and raised his rifle. Through the trees, about fifty meters away, he tried to make out the approaching silhouette.
A massive creature burst into the clearing, knocking down the stone-hard trees.
It was at least three meters tall. It looked like a mix between a gorilla and an armored rhinoceros. Its body was covered in rock-solid gray plates. Spikes lined its back. Thick saliva dripped from its mouth, and when it hit the ground, it burned the grass like acid.
In Raiders records, it was called a Stone Breaker.
One of the few creatures known to challenge tanks head-on.
"Perfect," Eray said through clenched teeth."It's like every cursed monster gathered in this dimension."
The creature had caught his metallic scent. Its small, bead-like eyes locked onto him. When it roared, Eray felt his chest vibrate.
The beast lowered itself and charged on all fours.
It came like a freight train.
Eray did not panic.
You can't pierce the armor, he thought quickly.The joints. Soft tissue.
He aimed. Held his breath.
Tak-tak-tak!
Three shots rang out. The bullets struck the creature's head plate and bounced off in a shower of sparks. Useless. The armor was too thick.
The monster was within ten meters.
Eray shouted and threw himself to the right.
The creature slammed into the tree where Eray had stood moments before. The massive trunk split in half like a toothpick.
Eray rolled across the ground. Pain from his leg brought tears to his eyes, but he could not stop. He pulled the grenade from his belt, yanked the pin with his teeth, and spat it out.
"Eat this!"
He rolled the grenade under the stunned creature, toward its exposed belly.
BOOM!
The explosion did not throw the monster into the air, but it knocked it off balance and sent it crashing sideways. Black blood seeped from the plates around its abdomen.
But it was not dead.
It was angrier.
The creature roared in pain and pushed itself up. Eray raised his rifle.
Empty.
No time to reload.
The monster swung its massive claw.
Eray could not dodge.
The blow slammed into his chest armor.
The air was forced out of his lungs. He flew five meters back and crashed onto the hard ground. His visor cracked.
Armor integrity: 20%.System error.
From the ground, Eray saw the creature step closer. It raised its huge foot, ready to crush his head.
Technology was gone.Bullets were gone.
Only one thing remained.
That cursed magic.
Eray pulled off his glove and raised his bare hand. His eyes turned completely black.
"STOP."
It was not a shout.
It was a command.
Eray's shadow surged from the ground. This time, it did not form spears. It shaped itself into a massive hand and caught the descending foot in mid-air.
His muscles screamed in agony. Blood streamed from his nose.
"Die…" Eray growled through clenched teeth.
The shadow hand tightened its grip. The sound of breaking bones echoed through the forest. Then the shadow wrapped around the creature's throat.
The beast thrashed wildly, clawing at the invisible force.
Eray poured his last strength, his entire will, into the shadow.
"Break it!"
With a violent twist, the shadow hand snapped the creature's head to the side.
CRACK!
The massive body collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash.
The shadow vanished instantly. Eray's arm dropped lifelessly to his side. His vision blurred. The world spun.
Blood from his nose reached his lips. A metallic taste.
"At least…" he whispered,"…I killed it."
As his eyes closed, he heard whistling sounds coming from deeper within the forest.
Then—
Light, graceful footsteps.