I staggered.
Every nerve in my body screamed in protest, yet I pressed on.
I pressed on.
My bones cracked with every movement. Blood trickled from my nose, and my breathing was uneven. My body was practically begging me to stop, but I refused to listen.
Here I was.
Michael Ozor.
The very definition of inhuman perseverance.
Or perhaps just an idiot with an extraordinary inability to recognise when he should give up.
Either way, I continued walking.
Step after step, I dragged myself through this twisted landscape, my mind racing through countless possibilities, calculations and decisions. Every movement required consideration. Every direction presented a potential risk. I couldn't afford to wander aimlessly, not when something could emerge from the trees and finish what the previous creature had started.
Of course, this was no ordinary landscape.
No, I knew exactly where I was.
A Monster Ground.
I'd spent years studying practically every piece of knowledge I could get my hands on. History, science, human behaviour, the nature of abilities and everything else that might help me understand humanity a little better. I wanted to dissect the logic, or rather, the lack of it, behind human decisions.
And now, apparently, I had the privilege of applying all that knowledge to a place designed to kill me.
Wonderful.
I stopped walking and released a tired sigh.
"So, out of all the places Emox could throw us, it had to be a monster ground."
I glanced around.
"Just wonderful."
From what I understood, this was probably a Level One Monster Ground. That didn't mean it was safe, however. The classification could still accommodate monsters ranging from Level One to Level Five.
Quite the welcoming environment for a group of students who hadn't even completed their evaluations.
And that was another problem.
None of us had been assigned a rank yet.
We had no idea where we stood, what our abilities were worth or how well we would perform against the creatures inhabiting this place.
We had been thrown into the wilderness and expected to figure things out ourselves.
I suppose that was Emox's idea of education.
I looked down at my body.
Strength was the only currency that mattered here. Intelligence could help me make decisions, but it wouldn't stop a monster from tearing me apart if I lacked the strength to respond.
And in my current condition?
I was practically a walking corpse.
If I died today, my father could always have another son. Elizabeth would probably find another distraction.
And yet, here I was, still struggling to survive.
Delusional, Michael.
Very delusional.
I had travelled nearly ten kilometres by the time I finally stopped to tend to my injuries.
My legs were barely cooperating, and every breath seemed to remind me of the damage I'd sustained. I crouched down and unpacked the few scraps I'd managed to collect along the way.
They weren't medical supplies.
They were barely even useful.
But desperate circumstances called for desperate solutions.
First, my nose.
I found a broad leaf and used it to pinch the damaged area into position. Taking a deep breath, I adjusted my grip and forced the bone back with a sharp twist.
CRACK.
I gritted my teeth.
Wonderful.
Next came my leg.
I found a reasonably straight stick and positioned it alongside the injured limb. Using strips of material, I secured it tightly, creating a makeshift splint.
It wasn't particularly comfortable, but it would have to do.
Then there was my back.
A minor misalignment, or so I hoped.
I examined the surrounding area before finding a sturdy wooden plank. I studied its position, calculated the angle I needed and carried it towards a nearby tree.
This was going to hurt.
I climbed, positioned myself above the plank and jumped.
My back slammed against the wood.
CRACK!
A sharp wave of pain travelled through my spine. I bit down hard enough to draw blood, fighting the urge to scream as my body absorbed the impact.
I remained still for a moment, trying to determine whether I'd made things better or considerably worse.
Well...
I was still conscious.
That was encouraging.
There was no time to waste.
I didn't have time to waste. My life was short, my time was short, and every second I spent recovering was another second I could have spent moving towards my objective.
I could wait.
They couldn't.
I started running.
At first, my movements were sluggish, but I gradually picked up speed. My legs protested, my injuries threatened to pull me back, yet I continued pushing forward.
Thirty miles per hour.
I oriented myself towards the west.
The sun would set there first, which meant I could use its position to estimate how much daylight I had left. I needed to find shelter before nightfall. Once darkness arrived, the risk of encountering something dangerous would increase considerably.
My plan was simple.
Move west while there was still light, find somewhere suitable to shelter, then adjust my position towards the east before sunrise.
I wanted to avoid unnecessary encounters during the night.
At least, that was the plan.
I pushed harder.
Forty miles per hour.
My attention remained fixed on the direction ahead. I had no intention of wasting time admiring the scenery.
Then—
SPLAT!
I came to an abrupt halt.
My eyes shifted towards the source of the sound.
I'd left the trees behind and entered a stretch of barren, desert-like terrain. Scattered rocks interrupted the otherwise empty landscape.
And there, draped over one of them, was a body.
Blood continued oozing from its wounds.
Someone had been thrown into that rock with enough force to turn their body into a ragdoll.
I stared for a moment.
What could have done that?
More importantly, was it still nearby?
I needed to pass through this area. There was no obvious alternative, and turning back would cost me valuable time.
I lowered my body into a launch position.
My muscles tightened.
I was ready to move at the slightest indication of danger.
Then, within 0.1 seconds, a shadow crossed my vision.
I twisted.
Another shadow.
I dodged again.
A third movement came from a different direction.
I shifted my weight, narrowly avoiding it.
There was no time to think.
No time to analyse.
Only survive.
"STOP IT! YOU'LL RUIN MY BEAUTIFUL TOY!"
I froze.
That voice.
My head nearly exploded.
No.
It couldn't be.
I'd driven my blade straight through her skull. I remembered it clearly. The knife had pierced her head, and I had watched her fall.
So why was I hearing her voice?
I turned.
And there she was.
Mone.
The short, dark-skinned menace stood before me, wearing the same sickeningly sweet smile I'd come to associate with trouble. She looked delighted, as though she'd just discovered a new toy to torment.
"MICHAEL!"
She beamed at me.
"Did you think I'd die so easily? Come now! Let's make babies and populate the world together, Michael!"
I nearly choked on air.
What?
Why?
How?
Why was it that the person I actually wanted couldn't spare enough time for me, yet this absolute menace seemed determined to dedicate her entire existence to extracting my holy juice?
Was this some sort of cosmic punishment?
Had I offended God?
Perhaps I had.
"Michael, don't you have an answer?"
Her face flushed. She shivered with excitement, practically trembling as she clasped her hands together.
"Just remember the name of your future mistress..."
She leaned towards me.
"Mone."
God, what a world.
Heaven above, please take me now.
I was beginning to think death wasn't such a bad idea after all.
Mone's eyes suddenly glowed a sickening pink.
She lowered herself to her knees, and the atmosphere around us began to change.
"ABILITY: CUPID'S INVERSE!"
The ground trembled.
The earth beneath her began to split, and something emerged from below.
Worm-like monsters.
One after another, they crawled out of the ground, each clutching a heart-shaped arrow. Their bodies twisted and writhed as they surrounded her.
But what disturbed me most were their eyes.
They glowed with the same pink hue as Mone's.
They were looking at me.
And judging by their expressions, they seemed to share their master's enthusiasm.
Fantastic.
I had somehow managed to attract an entire army of lovesick worms.
I examined them carefully.
Their movements were unpredictable, and each carried an arrow that appeared capable of turning me into some sort of puppet. I had no idea how the ability worked, what its range was or whether getting struck by one of those arrows would leave me completely helpless.
I couldn't afford to find out.
My injuries were already severe. Fighting an entire group of creatures while dealing with Mone would be an unnecessary risk.
I needed to incapacitate her.
Once she was unconscious, I could deal with whatever remained.
I stared at her.
Then I grinned.
No.
I laughed.
My eyes widened, and my pulse quickened.
Perhaps it was the pain.
Perhaps I'd finally lost my mind.
Whatever the reason, I could feel something stirring inside me.
I was going to enjoy this massacre.
"MONE!"
She immediately trembled.
"YES, MICHAEL?"
I tilted my head.
"You want me?"
Her head bobbed eagerly, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"YES!"
I tightened my grip around my knife.
Then I launched myself forward.
The blade glinted as I aimed directly for her.
"THEN DIE!"
My voice rang across the barren landscape.
"I DON'T WANT YOU! YOU'RE NOT ELI!"