A great wind howls. Once dormant; now riled and awake.
Spirits consumed: [32/100]
I believe it is two, maybe three days since that thing begins its hunt. Fortunately, I've managed to consume more spirits while exploring the rest of the ruined facility. The corpses are all unscathed, somehow.
Slow, careful steps up a slope of concrete inside a deep crater with a mediocre fissure running down its middle. A sort of strange warmth permeates from the fissure. A warmth in which he has no intention of seeking.
The sky above darkens as a fleet of clouds moves across the sky.
That anomaly that defiles the sky and time itself seems to have passed. And a storm is brewing. I can smell it.
Moving to the lip of the fissured crater, he pauses to examine his surroundings.
Desert, lots of it—at least, what used to be desert, once-bare dunes now an outstretching landscape of snow-covered hills and ice-crusted ravines. An everlasting snowfall careens down from the skies. It feels as if everything is consumed whole by an Ice Age.
Any regular human cannot survive out here. Even I'm only persisting because of this body.
He steps in one direction. North.
. . .
Fwwshhhh... fwssshhhhhhh...
The harsh howling of wind. Gusts of snow. An intense blizzard persists.
It is six hours since I depart from that ruined facility. Three since this blizzard begins.
Snow clings to his garment, only to be once again brushed off with his hand. His gaze meticulously sweeps across his surroundings in search for something.
I can sense it. It is still following me, but at a distance.
It is cautious, but hungry.
Hhhhhhrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhh...
He pauses mid-step, glancing over his shoulder. Why? Because it, too, has stopped.
"Finally. You decide to make your move, mutt."
Ffmp-ffmp-ffmp-ffmp!
Rapid footfalls approach through dense snow from his rear.
I'll make my move then, as well.
The ground quakes. Snow erupts in a swiveling, rising whirlwind beneath his feet as he twists awry on his heel.
The wretched, vile beast lunges into the interposing wall of white snow. Its deformed, enormous claw rips through the air, swiping at nothing but the falling snow that obscures its vision, and hides its assumed prey.
Its hundred hundred eyes that plague its absurdly twisted, vile form narrow, sharply. A vague silhouette shoots past, moving toward its flank. And it is quick to react in accordance to its prey, promptly swiveling on its hind legs to slam the whole of its enormous mass into its prey.
Shrrk!
But it finds little of its mass to slam into such with, as a visceral tear of its vile flesh precedes the separation of its head from its torso, in a frightening display of sheer physical strength.
A soft thud resounds in the wake of his landing a few feet away from the decapitated monstrosity. He swipes his right arm aside, discarding its liquidly remnants from such, before casting an indifferent look down at the monstrosity.
"How unwise, blindly lunging at the unknown, out of hunger. But, I suppose I should not expect more from a—"
Sllchhh...
The twisting of flesh.
"..Good. I am going to be disappointed if that is all you amount to."
He watches as the twitching, headless monstrosity slowly rises from the ground. A guttural thrum sounds from its mass.
A wicked grin twists his pale visage, only for him to suddenly push off his feet to strike the side of its mass with his balled fist. Though, it does not hit his desired mark, as the headless monstrosity seemingly disappears into thin-air, replaced with a fading, wispy darkness.
He is quick to act, twisting on his heel to throw his opposite leg upwards.
Swwooosh!
Predictable.
Just as he anticipates, the monstrosity reappears directly at his flank, already in the process of reeling one of its enormous claws overhead to rip them into his back, only to be suddenly struck with his feet, and sent careening several meters like a ragdoll.
An instinct-driven beast always attacks from behind.
He does not relent, swiftly slamming his foot down into the ground to send a devastating quake through the ground, further staggering the struggling monstrosity, which attempts to stand back upright, only to be met with a third attack by what it previously assumes is its prey.
Soundless, quick footfalls.
He bites deep into his right pointer finger as golden ichor gushes free and sprays toward the rising monstrosity with a sharp flickering motion of his hand. The ichor streaks across its mass and then suddenly ignites, turning into a clinging blanket of flame that wraps the monstrosity in burning light.
It would be howling and crying in pain, that is if it still has its head.
It staggers from side to side, haphazardly swinging its enormous claws around in search for the predator, only to soon tumble hard onto the ground and fall still as the blanketing fire eats away at its twisting, visceral mass.
An echoing voice. [Congratulations! You have completed your Primary Directive: Survive the Hunt and eliminated a Tier 2 Adolescent Wittikka.]
That is an adolescent? How unsightly.
He approaches the corpse as the last of the flames gutter out under the cold and falling snow. He lifts his right hand toward it to take hold of the spirit still clinging to the charred remains, and consume it as he has had with the previous spirits.
Another notification follows: [You have consumed the spirit of a Tier 2 Adolescent Wittikka, unlocking one of its abilities, Teleportation.]
He blinks and promptly opens the System in order to read the newfound ability.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
. . . [T0 - Novice] . . .
//: >
Vitality: [Peak] — Strength: [Peak]
Cognition: [Stabling] — Memory: [Fractured — 3%]
Resilience: [Fluctuating]
//: >
[Defiance of Fate]
Immune to any form of precognition, prophecy, and deterministic control.
[Spiritualist]
[Progress: 1/100]
Due to the your origins, you have an affinity towards spirits. Occasionally, you may see and communicate with spirits, possibly influencing, or even going as so far to consume them.
[Made ████]
After absorbing the remnants of the ███████'s ██████, your very whole has been forcibly reshaped. You possess three derivative abilities:
-> Healing: Mortal wounds regenerate unnaturally fast. Death by conventional means is unlikely, but damage from sacred or anti-divine sources is amplified.
-> ███████'s Curse: The mind is constantly compromised by distant memories, emotions, and impulses that once belonged to the ███████.
-> Corpus Sanctum: The body is unnaturally strengthened. Muscle fibers now possesses traces of ██████. Your strength reaches beyond what is considered mortal.
[Teleportation]
The air slips between the crevices of your form. The body feels almost carried, perhaps guided in a way that it should not. Before the body even realizes, one's physical form has been displaced either through clear intent or instinct, allowing oneself to travel up to 70 meters.
//: >
________________________________________________________________________________________________
With a wicked smile, he closes the System.
On top of a useful ability, that thing's spirit is worth thirty. Not too bad.
He promptly twists away on his heel and continues in the same direction: North.
The blizzard that engulfs the unholy plane wanes, as it sometimes does. He peers into the distance and studies the shapes ahead, buildings tall and small rising from the haze. A city, buried beneath a dense blanket of eternal frost.
I come across many torn and desolate structures during my time in these strange lands, along with many lingering spirits and the vessels they leave behind.
It is not long before I consume a hundred in total.
Spirits consumed: [89/100]
Strangely enough, I have not felt any need to eat or sleep, even though I know I still can.
He continues to study the distant city.
While there is likely many spirits to consume there, it certainly will not be without any monstrosities. I'd rather not encounter something I have no chance in defeating.
Thus, he opts to move counter-clockwise around the city's perimeter, and continue North.
. . .
Cold. Wind. Snow.
Spirits consumed: [93/100]
The blizzard rages on, yet again.
And so do I.
Snow whips about his face and down his coat, but he does not flinch from the coat.
Fwwshhhh...
Whup-whup… whup-whup…
A distant sound rides the howling wind into his sensitive ears. He lifts his head and narrows his eyes, trying to catch whatever moves beyond the white veil that is the harsh blizzard.
Whup-whup… whup-whup… whup-whup...
Something is approaching. No. Two. Both cutting through the sky, fast.
He concentrates intently.
One is veering away.
****
Roughly two hours earlier, deep within an undisclosed facility in the southern Nevada desert, approximately 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
The lead researcher clears his throat and speaks first, tablet in hand. "Everyone, listen. Seventy six hours ago, we detect irregular thaumaturgic spikes from inside the Arizona black zone." He taps the screen, showing a more clearer satellite feed of the frozen blotch, with several different thaumaturgic signatures displayed across. "These spikes, while miniscule, are completely unnatural, and do not share any similarities to what should have been recorded. And the source seems to be moving."
The second researcher takes his place beside him. "The movement is measured at a steady pace. It is not weather. It is not residual energy. We believe it is an anomaly."
One of the operatives raises a hand. "Is this related to A-1314-3?" The first researcher glances down, then shakes his head. "It is believed to be an entirely separate anomaly, which is previously contained at the site. MV-1119."
The operatives shift slightly, some in unease. The lead researcher continues, "MV-1119 is one of three living anomalies housed at Romero-5. It is kept under stabilization by A-1314-3, and its status is listed as neutralized following the Emergence for nearly a decade after the presumption that it is destroyed."
The second researcher folds his arms and adds, "Satellite data shows the movement begins roughly three days ago, heading North from the site."
An operative in the back frowns. "If it is not destroyed, and instead dormant, what exactly wakes it?" The first researcher exhales. "We do not know. A-1314-3's collapse may disrupt the cradle that keeps MV-1119 inert. Or…" He pauses, eyes drifting toward the satellite feed. "Or it wakes on its own." The room grows quiet.
Another operative steps forward. "What are its capabilities?" The second researcher gestures to his tablet. "Unfortunately, we have very little on record regarding it or what it can do, likely because the project is highly classified and personally overseen by one of the late Administrators. All that we know is that they are trying to awaken it. Him."
"So we are going in blind," the same operative states. The lead researcher shakes his head and says, "Not exactly. This mission is not to terminate him, but safely extract him. He is considered a high-priority asset, believed to be highly intelligent, and hopefully not a threat."
The lead researcher steps forward again. "Your objective is simple. Locate MV-1119. Confirm stability. Extract if possible. Avoid engagement unless forced. If he is aware, cooperate. If he is not, do not provoke him. He likely has little to no knowledge concerning his circumstances, or well, really anything. We cannot be certain, though."
A brief pause, soon followed by the tall, bulky man standing beside the researchers stepping forward. "And remember, we might not be alone. There are several groups of interest that monitor the black zone since the Emergence Incident. Some show themselves to be quite opportunistic. If they locate MV-1119 before you do, we lose any chance of controlling this situation."
The lead researcher adds, "If you encounter another party, avoid contact unless it is unavoidable. Do not trust their intentions. Your only objective is MV-1119. Lethal force is authorized only if it is necessary, is that understood?"
The operatives nod in unison and shout, "Yes, sir!" The lead researcher closes his tablet and steps back.
The tall, bulky man then states, "Prepare for immediate departure. Lift off in twenty."
***