The wasteland began just beyond the camp's borders, a barren land littered with rusted fragments of long-dead machines and the bodies of nameless trees, like black matches stuck in the gray dust.
Annalise stood at the main gate of Camp Ash. Her armor was light, crafted from the remnants of old plates and wrapped in layers of protective fabric. She carried spare wax tubes on her belt, like silent threats.
—Ready? — Lyra asked, coming closer. Her own equipment was more impressive — a lightweight suit with superimposed elements from a biofuel and a sleeve with symbols of the old faction. Her spear shone with a blue resonance.
— How can you be prepared for what you don't know? — Annalise said softly, looking around the group.
There was another one with them, Toren, a burly hunter with a smooth mask and a double blade on his back. He rarely spoke, but he seemed used to the brink of death.
—Forget everything you know. — He shouted. — Outside the camp, everything has teeth. Even the earth.
[System activated: Mission — "Exploration of Sector D-9"]
Objective: To explore the ruins of the research station.
Potential danger: Moderate.
Recommended number of participants: ≥ 3.
Side tasks: Collecting bioluminescent crystals, analyzing traces of mutants.
The gate opened with a long screech. There is silence outside. There was no wind, no sound. Only the bright sky, covered with ash, and the flickering of red dots on the horizon — the sensors recorded the movement.
The first steps were difficult. Every patch of ground under her feet could be contaminated or mined. Lyra moved confidently, Toren walked at her side, slightly behind, and Annalise... she followed, feeling the tension building inside her.
"I shouldn't be afraid. Not now. I should be learning. Seeing."
Along the way, they came across small creatures that looked like rats, but with transparent skin and fragile bone growths.
They didn't attack, but hid, hissing and flickering with a strange light. Lyra explained:
— These are garbage parasites. Their core has no value, but if they escape, it means that something more is nearby.
And at that moment, the air changed. Heavy. Saturated with the smell of metal and burning.
—There was a fight here. — Toren whispered, kneeling down.
There are signs of a struggle underfoot. The ground was scorched, and among the ruins was a fragment of a claw, too smooth, as if it had been chiseled. It was flickering green— a toxic energy.
Annalise came closer, and as soon as she touched the wreckage, the system flashed:
[Analysis completed: a fragment of a Rank 2 chimera mutant has been found.]
[Category: Bio-Mechanics]
[Increased Aggression | Divided Mind | Unstable Mutation]
Lyra swore:
—If he's still here... we can't handle it.
But it was too late.
A mechanical crackling sound came from the ruins to the left, followed by a heavy hum. Something that resembled a beetle, but three times the height of a man, emerged from the shadows, its body composed of living muscles wrapped in copper veins and fragments of old carapaces.
The creature's eyes—six luminescent lenses—blinked with a crimson light.
[The Chimera Mutant has detected the group. Mode: Hunting is activated.]
— Back! — Lira shouted: —Form a triangle!
Annalise formed a wax shield, but this time it was shaking. The creature was moving at breakneck speed, despite its mass. The first blow knocked Toren off his feet. He didn't get up.
Annalise's heart began to pound in her chest. She formed a blade, rushed to the side, and made it. The shield crumbled. The creature howled.
Something snapped inside her. It was as if pain and fear mixed, and the wax in her hand began to change.
It was no longer smooth and hard. He became alive, with droplets that broke off from his body and crawled.
[The deviation is registered. The evolution of the ability...]
[The second form is manifested: "Parasitic droplets"]
[Description: Small wax units with autonomous activity.]
Annalise watched in horror as these droplets found cracks in the mutant's armor, penetrated the skin and bit into his flesh, causing resonance.
The creature howled. But now — not as a predator. As for the one who is injured.
[Host's Condition: Annalise]
[Level: 2]
[Class: Novice Hunter]
[System active: Yes]
[Body condition: Tired, slightly injured]
[Memory Status: Blocked]
[Fusion with substance: 12%]
[Skills:
Wax Blade 1. Lvl. Creating a bone blade from hardened wax
Wax Shield 2. Lvl. Medium-strength shield, blocks up to 2 strikes
Parasite droplets (mutated) 1. Lvl. Autonomous wax units, weaken the enemy and spy]
[ Progress:
Experience: 85 / 200
Next level through: 115 XP
Number of skill points: 1
Materials used: Biomass, chimera-iron fragment
Monster Analysis: 2 out of 10 (current stage)]
A drop of wax soaked into the monster's flesh began to pulse, as if reacting to the panic and pain in the air. Annalise felt her—not as an object, but as an extension of her own body. It was as if a channel had opened inside: she could hear it. Hoarse, ragged breathing, a mind burning with rage, and—pain.
[Parasitic Droplets — Level 1 activated]
[Sensor connection established]
[Limited control over the target's pain receptors — access is allowed]
The metal Chimera howled, convulsing. The iron fragments embedded in her body trembled, as if the body itself could not cope with the internal disorder.
Lyra exchanged glances with Toren.
—Now, while she's disoriented! Stop it! — He shouted.
Without waiting for an answer, Toren rushed forward. He was the strongest of the group, and before that, he had easily chopped up two small mutants. His movements were confident, sharp.
But the monster, though suffering, was not defeated.
A sudden push, and the predatory blades that were hidden beneath his skin sprung out from his sides. One of them pierced Toren before he could strike. He shuddered, and blood spattered onto the ground.
—Toren! — Lyra cried out.
He didn't fall down immediately. He got down on one knee, gritting his teeth. His eyes—bright, determined—met Annalise's.
—Finish it...— He croaked: —Do it.
Annalise watched as his blood spread under his feet, and the chimera's body trembled from the pain she had caused. Fear clenched in a lump, but... with it something else.
A sense of power. Opportunities.
The wax flared in her palm. The drops that were already inside the creature activated as if on command.
[Side effect activation: pain response. The target takes doubled damage from pain.]
The monster howled, twitched, and at that moment Annalise took a step forward. Her wax formed itself into a long, thin spear, and she threw it.
The tip pierced the shimmering heart between the monster's ribs. A flash of light, a ragged howl, and everything went quiet.
Toren slowly fell to his side. Lyra ran up to him, grabbing his hand, but everything was clear.
—He saved us. — She said dully, her voice cracking: — He always had our back.
Annalise stood silently, breathing heavily, feeling a strange throbbing in her chest. The system sounded again:
[The combat mission is completed. Experience gained.]
[New level: 3]
[The Parasitic Drops skill has been upgraded to Level 2]
[New effect obtained: Pain Echo — temporary weakening of the target's will upon contact]
[Host's Condition: Annalise]
Level: 3 ( new )
Experience: 10/300
Skill Points: 2
Condition: Fatigue, shock, emotional instability
Merging with the substance: 18%
[ Skills:
Wax Blade 1. Lvl. Base Damage
Wax Shield 2. Lvl. Blocks medium attacks
Parasitic Droplets 2. Lvl. Capture of pain centers, effect: "Echo of pain" (new )
***
The return to the camp was silent. Toren's body was carried in his arms. Annalise walked behind, feeling guilt, fear, and a new... silent respect for death mingle in her chest.
The world was cruel. And if she wants to stay alive, she will have to figure out how to live in it—and who she will become.