Chapter 16: The Rise of the Hunter
The fourth dawn in the Canyon of Perdition brought no light—only a thick, yellowish fog that cloaked the city in an oppressive shroud. Visibility was reduced to barely twenty meters, turning the ruins into a ghostly maze. For Klaus, it was both a blessing and a curse. A curse, because it hid danger. A blessing, because it hid him.
He moved like a ghost through the chemical haze, M24 at the ready, his senses sharpened by the Shadow. The incident with the sniper in the silo and the subsequent use of the M79 had depleted his explosive resources, but cemented his confidence. He was no longer a reactive survivor; he was an active predator.
>> Fog level: 89%. Critical sensor reduction. Use for aggressive movement in open areas. <<
The Shadow's strategy was solid. While most would hide, waiting for the fog to lift, Klaus would advance. His objective: the two remaining Criptolites. The map showed the safe zone shrinking toward a compact central area—a public park surrounded by government buildings. The last treasures would be there.
His first stop was a courthouse. The once-imposing architecture was disfigured by craters and bullet scars. The main hall was an echo chamber, his breath amplified by the cracked marble.
>> Heat signature detected. Single. Second floor, library. Stationary. <<
Klaus ascended the main staircase, avoiding cracked marble steps. The library door was slightly ajar. He pushed it open with his foot, M24 sweeping the interior.
The heat signature belonged to a recruit. He was seated in a leather armchair, back to the door, head tilted backward. A thin stream of blood trickled from his temple, dripping onto his coat shoulder. Suicide. The pressure had been too much. Next to him on the floor, an open backpack lay exposed.
Klaus approached cautiously, checking for traps. Inside the backpack, between rations and common ammo, was the sixth Criptolite. The recruit had found it and, seeing no hope, had decided to end his own journey.
>> CRYPTOLITE [RARE] ACQUIRED. <<
>> SECONDARY OBJECTIVE UPDATED: 6/10 CRYPTOLITES. <<
Klaus pocketed the crystal without a word. There was no emotion, only the recognition of an acquired resource. The man's death was a silent reminder of the cost of failure. Klaus left the library, leaving the body behind. The System would soon dematerialize it.
The fog was beginning to lift as he reached the edge of the park. What should have been a green haven was now a cratered, muddy battlefield. And in the center, outlined by a pulsing aura in his HUD, floated the seventh Criptolite, hovering above a destroyed war monument.
It was obvious bait. An open field. No cover.
>> Terrain analysis. Multiple sniper points in surrounding buildings. Ambush probability: 97%. <<
"Alternatives?" Klaus whispered, crouched behind a low concrete wall.
>> Wait for the exclusion zone to force movement. Or create a larger distraction. <<
Klaus looked at the M79. He had only one 40mm grenade left. Not enough. Then, he remembered the Chimera Arm. The kinetic overload. He had never used it.
"Status of Kinetic Overload."
>> ABILITY: KINETIC OVERLOAD [READY] <<
>> EFFECT: RELEASES A CONCENTRATED WAVE OF KINETIC ENERGY FROM THE CHIMERA ARM. RANGE: 15 METERS. COOLDOWN: 2 HOURS. <<
It wasn't a distraction—it was a localized earthquake.
He repositioned, crawling closer using a shallow trench filled with filthy water as cover. He could see the Criptolite, glowing tantalizingly fifty meters away.
"Mark all possible sniper points on my HUD."
Immediately, eight red outlines flashed in windows and rooftops around the park. They were waiting for someone foolish enough to run for it.
Klaus wouldn't run. He would make them come to him.
He took a standard frag grenade—his last—and threw it not toward the Criptolite, but twenty meters to his right into an empty space.
The explosion rang sharp and loud in the damp air.
Like flies drawn to rotting meat, the snipers revealed their positions. Bursts of fire from at least three directions struck the area of the explosion, thinking a desperate recruit had revealed themselves.
That was Klaus's cue.
"Activate Kinetic Overload. Target: base of the monument."
>> Confirmed. Channeling energy. <<
The Chimera Arm emitted a low, deep hum, like a swarm of metallic bees. Golden energy filaments glowed intensely through the residual fog. Klaus felt rising heat, a mounting pressure building in the artifact.
He raised the arm, aimed at the monument's concrete base, and released.
There was no sound. No flash. Just a deep, muted THUMP he felt in his bones. The air between him and the monument rippled, like heat rising off asphalt on a summer day. Then, the monument's base simply... disintegrated. Not exploded—turned to fine dust.
Deprived of support, the monument slowly tilted with a screech of twisting metal and crashed to the ground with a quake that shook the earth.
A dense curtain of dust rose, engulfing the Criptolite and most of the field.
>> Distraction created. Thermal scanner ineffective. Move now. <<
Klaus didn't wait. He ran—not in a straight line, but zigzagging, blending with the dust cloud. The snipers, disoriented, fired blindly toward the collapse.
He entered the cloud, vision reduced to near-zero. The Shadow guided him using a contour map based on his last visual input. He stumbled over the monument's debris, his hands finding the Criptolite still pulsing serenely amid the chaos he'd created.
>> CRYPTOLITE [RARE] ACQUIRED. <<
>> SECONDARY OBJECTIVE UPDATED: 7/10 CRYPTOLITES. <<
He pocketed it and crawled away, exiting the dust cloud on the opposite side, vanishing into the park's broken trees before the haze settled.
He had done the impossible. He'd taken the bait—and survived.
The rest of the day was spent in a methodical, relentless hunt. The zone had shrunk so small that encounters were inevitable. He took down two recruits in brief and brutal firefights, his Firearm Mastery ensuring swift victories. The Shadow optimized every move, every reload, every step.
When night fell, only three Criptolites remained. The match was nearing its end. Klaus, hidden in the attic of a destroyed house on the edge of the park, took final stock. He had seven out of ten crystals. A fortune. But ambition—now an uncontrollable flame—whispered that almost was not enough.
The next morning would bring the climax. The exclusion zone would leave no room to hide. It would be a final massacre. And Klaus was ready. He was no longer the Collector or the Scavenger.
He was the Hunter.
And the Canyon of Perdition was full of prey.