Apocalypse: Rise of the Last Survivor
Chapter 4: Arbiter's Game
Kael Draven's vision flickered, his body teetering on collapse as the System Arbiter loomed before him, its rune-covered form radiating menace. The warehouse vibrated, a new rift tearing open above, its purple glow casting shadows of a massive beast stirring within. The Codex screamed: System Arbiter Threat Level: Catastrophic. No Weakness Identified. Rewind Unavailable: Arbiter Lock Engaged. Kael's vitality was at 1%, his legs buckling, the Bloodfang Dagger lying useless on the floor. Covenant hunters stood frozen, their pulse rifles raised but unmoving, caught in the Arbiter's time-lock. Survivors screamed behind crates, unaware of the new rift's threat. Kael's mind raced—he had seconds to act, or the Arbiter would erase him, and the beast would finish the rest.
The Arbiter's blank mask glowed, runes pulsing like a heartbeat. Its voice was a cold blade: "Kael Draven, Chronoshift User. Your timeline manipulation disrupts System protocols.
Explain your rebirth, or face termination." Kael's chest burned, the Core Enhancer's side effects still clawing at him. System Overload: Stabilizing. Vitality: 2%. He forced himself to stand, leaning against a crate, his Glock's single bullet a weak comfort.
The Arbiter wasn't a monster—it was a System enforcer, a watchdog for the Erythra's apocalypse. But Kael's Codex, his edge, was silent on how to fight it.
"I didn't choose this," Kael rasped, buying time. "The System reset me. Ask it why." The Arbiter tilted its head, runes flaring. The air thickened, as if reality itself was bending. Above, the rift pulsed, and a low growl echoed—a beast bigger than the Rift Alpha, its shadow coiling like smoke. The survivors' gunfire faltered, their panic rising. Kael's Codex pinged, a faint signal breaking through the Arbiter's lock: System Loophole Detected: Arbiter Protocol Limits. Cannot Terminate Without Violation Confirmation. A spark of hope. The Arbiter needed proof he'd broken rules—proof it didn't have yet.
Kael's eyes flicked to the rift. The beast was emerging—tentacled, with a maw like a furnace, its body wreathed in black flames. Codex Entry: Rift Behemoth. Weakness: Thermal Core, 5-second exposure window. Kael had no firepower for that, not with one bullet and a drained body. But the Arbiter's time-lock held the hunters, and the survivors were distracting the Behemoth with their gunfire. He could use the chaos, turn the Arbiter's game against it.
"You want answers?" Kael said, stepping forward, his voice steady despite the pain. "Check your logs. The System gave me Chronoshift. If I'm a glitch, that's your bosses' fault." The Arbiter's runes flickered, as if processing. Kael's Codex whispered: Arbiter Distracted. Time-Lock Weakening. Rewind Available: 10 seconds. Cost: 15% stamina. His stamina was near zero, but the lock's fade gave him a window. He needed to move—now.
The Behemoth roared, slamming a tentacle through the warehouse roof, sending debris crashing. A survivor screamed, pinned under rubble. Kael recognized her—Mia Chen, the woman he'd saved outside. His Codex flagged her again: Key Ally. Survival Critical. He cursed under his breath. Saving her meant risking everything, but the Codex's insistence nagged him. She'd been vital in his past life, and he couldn't ignore that.
Kael lunged for the Bloodfang Dagger, its red glow reigniting as he grabbed it. Vitality Drain: -5% per minute. He had maybe two minutes before he blacked out. The Arbiter's mask turned, its voice sharp: "Unauthorized action detected." Kael ignored it, sprinting toward Mia. The time-lock shattered, and the hunters snapped back to life, their pulse rifles firing. Bullets tore through crates, one clipping Kael's thigh. He stumbled but kept moving, diving to Mia's side. She was conscious, blood trickling from her temple, a steel beam trapping her leg.
"Hold on," Kael grunted, wedging the dagger under the beam. Its System-enhanced strength let him pry it up, freeing her. Mia gasped, clutching his arm. "You came back," she whispered. Kael didn't respond—trust was a trap, but he needed her alive. The Behemoth's tentacles lashed out, forcing survivors to scatter. Sera's voice rang out: "Draven's there! Take him!" The hunters advanced, their barriers glowing, but the Behemoth's thrashing kept them pinned, its flames licking the walls.
Kael pulled Mia behind a crate, his vision spotting. Vitality: 1%. The Codex screamed: Rift Behemoth Thermal Core Exposed: 3 seconds remaining. He glanced up—the Behemoth's chest glowed orange, its core vulnerable. His Glock's last bullet could hit it, but the hunters were closing, and the Arbiter was watching, its runes pulsing faster. "Protocol violation confirmed," it said. "Termination imminent." Kael's Codex flashed: Kinetic Pulse Available. Cost: 25% vitality. He had no vitality to give, but the Arbiter's threat left him no choice.
He activated Kinetic Pulse, the blue shockwave erupting.
It slammed the Behemoth's tentacles back, exposing the core longer, and knocked two hunters off their feet. Sera's barrier held, but she staggered, cursing. The Arbiter didn't flinch, its runes blazing. Kael's body screamed, System Overload: Critical. Collapse in 10 seconds. He raised the Glock, aimed at the Behemoth's core, and fired. The bullet struck, igniting the core in a blaze of orange light. The Behemoth roared, collapsing in a wave of flames that scorched the warehouse. Codex Update: Behemoth Eliminated. XP Gained: 1,200. Vitality: 0%.
Kael fell to his knees, the world fading. Mia grabbed his arm, dragging him toward a side exit. "Move!" she hissed, her strength surprising for someone half-dead. The Arbiter's voice boomed: "Chronoshift User, stand down." Kael's Codex pinged, desperate: Arbiter Termination Sequence Initiated. Loophole: Appeal to System Oversight. 5-second window. Kael forced words through gritted teeth: "System Oversight! Review my reset! Arbiter's overstepping!"
The Arbiter froze, its runes dimming, as if a higher power was listening. The hunters hesitated, Sera's eyes narrowing.
The moment held—then shattered. A new figure emerged from the shadows, a survivor with a scarred face and a System-etched rifle. Kael's Codex scanned: Unknown Male.
System Skill: Cloaking. Status: Hostile. The man fired, not at Kael, but at Mia. She gasped, a pulse round grazing her shoulder, and Kael tackled her behind a crate. The Arbiter's runes flared again, its voice cold: "Oversight review pending. Hostile action noted." It turned to the scarred man, energy crackling, but didn't intervene. Kael's gut sank. The scarred man wasn't just a survivor—he was Covenant, cloaked to infiltrate the enclave.
Kael's vision blackened, his body shutting down. System Overload: Collapse Imminent. Mia shook him, her voice urgent: "Stay with me! We need you!" The Codex flashed: Covenant Spy Identified: Joren Kade. Objective: Sabotage Enclave. Current Action: Reporting Kael's Location to Lara Voss. Kael's blood ran cold. Lara was closer than he'd thought, and this spy had just blown his position. The Arbiter's mask glowed, its termination sequence resuming. "Review complete," it said. "Erasure authorized."
Kael forced himself up, grabbing the Bloodfang Dagger. Vitality Drain: Active. He had seconds before collapse, but he'd take the spy down first. He lunged, the dagger slashing Joren's arm.
The man snarled, his cloaking skill flickering, revealing Covenant insignia on his gear. "Lara's coming for you," Joren hissed, dodging Kael's next strike. The Arbiter raised a hand, energy coiling, but Mia threw a chunk of rubble, distracting it. Kael used the moment, tackling Joren, pinning him. "Where's Lara?" he growled, dagger at the man's throat.
Joren laughed, blood bubbling. "Too late, Draven. She's already here." The Codex screamed: Covenant Signal Spike.
Lara Voss Location: 0.2 miles east. Intent: Eliminate Kael Draven. The warehouse shook, not from a rift, but from an explosion outside—System-grade, Covenant tech. Survivors screamed as the walls buckled, and the Arbiter's runes pulsed, its voice final: "Termination now."
Kael's body gave out, collapsing onto Joren. Mia dragged him toward the exit, her strength fading. The Codex flashed one last warning: Arbiter Lock Disengaged.
Rewind Available: 20 seconds. Cost: Fatal Stamina Overdraw. Kael's hand trembled on the dagger, his vision gone. Rewind would kill him, but staying meant erasure. Lara was seconds away, her hunters closing, and the Arbiter's energy was about to vaporize him.