The days turned into a routine of exploration, documenting and testing powers. Henry's unique connection to the core allowed him to level up as he hunted for food, gaining valuable points that he could allocate to his skills. The group's curiosity about these developments was evident, leading to discussions about the best ways to utilize these newfound abilities.
"Strength is probably straightforward, likely increasing your body's power," Owen mused, his uncertainty painted across his face. "But when it comes to intelligence, does it make you smarter, or does it influence the potency of your abilities, akin to a game?"
Ella chimed in, her thoughts weaving through the possibilities, "I think it might impact the strength of his abilities, but we won't really know until we give it a shot."
The conversation turned—what attribute would serve Henry best? Emily offered her perspective, "Out of all six stats, intelligence makes the most sense."
Counterpoint emerged as I considered, "What about strength? If it lives up to its name, wouldn't you want more power in your punches? Plus, you might even best me in an arm wrestle if you channel it into strength."
Benjamin, the voice of reason, interjected, "I don't think that would be a great idea at the moment, Atlas."
"Okay, I was just half joking," I conceded, a hint of amusement lingering in my tone.
Testing the enhanced poison skill, we observed its increased potency as it rapidly decayed plants. However, Henry's body struggled to handle the newfound power, and we discovered the limits of how much he could use it.
Armed with newfound insights into Henry's remarkable abilities and limitations, our journey pressed on. Our mobile camp afforded us the freedom to navigate the enigmatic alien forest, unraveling its secrets step by step.
As we strolled almost in unison, a collective tension seized us, halting our steps. The echoing crash of falling trees rang from the west, growing ominously nearer with each passing moment. "We need to hide," Amelia hissed in a semi-loud whisper. Urgency fueled our movements as Owen pointed to a concealed hollow in the ground, cleverly shielded by a tree and foliage.
We barely squeezed into the cramped refuge, bodies pressed together just in time. Above us, the thunderous noise of trees being felled resonated through the ground. A colossal figure rushed overhead, casting us into darkness, and then light flooded the hole as the immense form moved away. Breathing a collective sigh of relief, I cautiously extricated myself from the hiding spot and peeked outside.
The scene that unfolded before me stole my breath. Trees within a 5-meter radius lay utterly demolished, everything around us crushed into the ground. In the distance, I glimpsed a massive serpentine form slithering away. Summoning the courage to breathe, I inhaled deeply as Ella emerged from the hole with a gasp. "Is it clear?" Amelia's muffled voice came from within. "I think it's clear for now," I replied, my voice trembling.
As everyone emerged, we surveyed the devastation in astonishment, grappling with the raw power of the unseen force that wrought this chaos. Amelia broke the silence, "We need to get out of here and put as much distance as possible between us and that thing." "I'm way ahead of you," Emily called back, already heading for the cover of the trees.
Putting the harrowing event behind us, we treaded more cautiously through the forest, our senses attuned to the subtle sounds around us.
During the trek, I walked along a path Amelia was forming with a knife through the thick forest but then my hair rose as if I was being watched, with a chill spreading through my body. A distant rumble caught my attention, and in the corner of my view I saw something with my reflexes guiding me to dodge just in time. A massive boulder soared through the air, crashing into a tree with incredible force, splitting it in two.
Emerging from the underbrush, a colossal creature came into view. It stood on two legs, towering over us at an astonishing 9 feet tall. Its appearance was a confluence of the bizarre and the terrifying—an otherworldly fusion of a bear and something altogether alien. The creature's four eyes gazed intently at us, and its massive hands were adorned with a single giant eye on each.
Tension thickened in the air as the colossal creature's glowing eye met our gaze. Suddenly, its hand-eye began to glow, forming a boulder that it launched with precision toward Henry. With a Swift reaction Henry was barely able to dodge a direct hit, but the projectile still managed to wound him in the shoulder.
Before we could react fully, Amelia's sharp instincts took over. She aimed her gun, her aim true as the first shot struck the creature's eye. With A chorus of gunfire following, Amelia's determination unwavering as she targeted the creature's weak points. The creature's pained roars echoed through the forest, but its onslaught didn't cease.
Amelia's efforts partially blinded the creature, but its frenzied attack continued. I seized the opportunity, wielding my knife with calculated precision. I aimed for the creature's leg joints, attempting to limit its movements. The strikes, although not as effective as I had hoped, still succeeded in weakening the creature's stance.
Desperation fueled the creature's actions as it lashed out wildly, its massive claws tearing through the surrounding foliage. Instinct kicked in as we all moved swiftly to evade its frenzied attacks. Benjamin, Owen, Emily, and Ella worked together seamlessly, focused on extracting Henry from the imminent danger. Blood stained the ground, a grim reminder of the raging battle.
Dodging its erratic slashes, I maneuvered close to its legs, aiming to inflict deeper wounds. But the creature anticipated my move, and with a swift downward swipe, it aimed to impale me. Rolling aside just in time, I narrowly avoided the deadly strike, only to be caught off guard by its follow-up attack. Its massive arm slammed into mine, sending me reeling backward. Pain seared through me as I assessed the long gashes on my arms, blood flowing freely. Despite the agony, I gritted my teeth and rose to my feet, determination overriding the pain as I charged back into the fray, eyes fixed on the creature.
"Target its eyes and hands!" I shouted, a surge of adrenaline lending urgency to my voice. As Amelia deftly evaded a projectile, I seized the opportunity to strike. With a series of shots ringing out, Amelia hit one of the creature's eyes, momentarily blinding it on one side. Seizing the advantage, I closed in, slashing at its open wound a decisive blow that brought the creature crashing to the ground, incapacitated.
But victory was short-lived as a razor-sharp rock erupted from the ground, skewering my leg and sending me tumbling in agony. As I struggled to recover, the creature attempted to crush me under its massive hand, rolling to the side i narrowly avoided becoming pulp. then a barrage of gunshots diverted its attention. Summoning all my strength, I fought through the haze clouding my vision and the searing agony that pulsed through my body. With determination fueling my every move, I propelled myself upright and hurled myself onto the creature's massive back.
Ignoring the clawing pain at my side, I drove my knife into its upper right eye, twisting the blade with determination. The creature convulsed violently before collapsing, throwing me off its back and into a nearby tree. Gasping for breath, I surveyed the aftermath of the intense battle, the creature now motionless on the forest floor.
Silence descended upon the clearing, broken only by the sounds of our ragged breaths and the fading echoes of the fight. Adrenaline still coursing through our veins, we stood amidst the chaos, the weight of our victory mingling with the surrealness of the moment.
Amelia's voice sliced through the tense air. "Is everyone okay?" Benjamin and Owen had stabilized Henry's wound, the makeshift bandage holding firm around his injured shoulder. Despite his pallid complexion, Henry's eyes held a determined glint. "I'll manage," he assured us.
I shifted my focus to my own condition, wincing as I took stock. A stone jutted from my leg, surrounded by long gashes along my arm and a canvas of forming bruises. "I'm... alright," I managed to croak out, though the words felt hollow against the pain.
Benjamin hurried over at the sight of my injuries, his curses muttered under his breath. "You call this 'alright'?" he exclaimed, his concern evident.
"I'll survive," I replied through gritted teeth, bracing myself for the impending treatment.
As Benjamin stitched up my arm, a searing wave of pain rippled through me when the disinfectant made contact. The real challenge, however, awaited with the removal of the stone from my leg.
"You might want to bite down on something," Benjamin suggested, preparing to extract the stone.
The moment he pulled it out, an involuntary scream escaped my lips as if he were pulling out a porcupine's quiver. To my horror, the stone indeed bore tiny spikes in all directions.
"Sh...," Benjamin muttered, quickly working to stitch up the bloody wound.
"Does this earn me a cookie for blood donation?" I quipped weakly, trying to inject humor into the situation.
"Well, you'll live to joke another day if you can muster the strength," Benjamin remarked with a faint smile.
"Yay," I attempted a celebratory gesture, only to be met with a sharp reminder from my protesting arm. "Guess I'll stay put," I conceded with a grimace.
After the battle's tumult had settled, we turned to assess the aftermath. Ella led the efforts to dissect the fallen guardian, meticulously gathering valuable resources. Meanwhile, Amelia ensured everyone's safety before seeking out Benjamin for a medical update on Henry's and my condition.
As Amelia approached, Benjamin's demeanor remained composed, his experience evident in his calm assessment. "Henry's injuries aren't as dire as they might have been. He has a fractured shoulder and a broken arm, but it appears that the core's influence may have mitigated some of the damage," he explained, his tone carrying a note of relief before turning serious. "However, I'm more concerned about Atlas. The risk of infection is alarmingly high given the number of cuts he sustained, and the puncture wound in his leg isn't helping matters. Plus, we're running low on disinfectant. If the bleeding doesn't cease soon, we may have to resort to cauterization," he concluded, a grimace shadowing his expression.
Amelia's concern was palpable as she absorbed the news.
As I surveyed the scene, my gaze lingered on Ella, who expertly dissected the creature while Owen and Emily grappled with the recent intensity of events. The appearance of the serpentine creature had been a shock, and then this encounter had left its mark on the crew.
Amelia's thoughts turned to the crew's dwindling ammunition supply. The realization that we had only three bullets left underscored the need for caution. Each shot was precious, a resource we couldn't afford to squander.
Amidst the dissection, a pulsating glow caught my eye—the guardian possessed a core, akin to the green orbs we had encountered previously. Ella's voice rang out, a mix of amazement and enthusiasm as she revealed the core's significance to the group.
As they gathered around, Ella held the gray and brown core in her hand, its pulsations quickening in proximity to each of them. What transpired next surpassed our expectations entirely.
The core practically leaped to Amelia, her eyes widened as the core reacted to her presence, and liquefied entered her body. A transformation took place, her very being becoming a conduit for the core's power. The crew watched in awe as the core made its way to her heart, and then halted losing its brightness.
Amelia's voice was a mix of astonishment and excitement as she relayed the information. "It's... it's like it's giving me abilities. I have a stat screen too."
Ella couldn't contain her questions. "What does it say? What abilities do you have now?"
Amelia's gaze shifted to the screen before her, her words carrying the weight of her amazement. "My screen says... Name: Amelia Grayson. Level: 1. Strength: 5, Health: 4, Speed: 6, Stamina: 4, Intelligence: 6, Dexterity: 4."
Emily's voice held a mix of wonder. "And what about skills?"
Amelia continued, her voice filled with excitement. "I have an Earth Manipulation skill, rank 1. And... I have the Multilingual skill."
"That’s incredible." Ella said, astonished.
Comments (0)
See all