The Shadow on the Trail
[Warning: 'The Tracker' is closing in.]
[Distance: 850 Meters.]
[Estimated Time to Contact: 4 Minutes.]
"Move! North-west, toward the marsh!" I commanded, my voice cracking with a newfound authority.
Hi and Shelton didn't question me. After seeing Ben take down a Mark IV drone with his bare hands, they were past the point of skepticism. We blurred through the thicket, our feet barely touching the forest floor.
[Energy: 4/50]
[Status: Starving (All Stats reduced by 15%)]
My stomach felt like it was digesting itself. I needed protein. I needed it now.
"Tory, wait," Ben whispered, skidding to a halt. He sniffed the air, his nose wrinkling. "Do you smell that? It's not the rain. It's... ozone and old leather."
[Skill 'Predator's Eye' (Passive) Triggered!]
My vision zoomed. Through the dense canopy, 600 meters back, I saw a figure.
It wasn't a LIRI guard in tactical gear. It was a man in a long, tattered duster coat. He was moving on all fours, his spine rippling with unnatural fluidity. Every few leaps, he would stop and press his palm to the ground, his skin shimmering like a chameleon.
[Threat Identification: 'The Tracker']
Level: 12
Class: Stalker-Hybrid
Danger Level: S-Rank (Fatal)
Level 12? I was barely Level 2.
"He's not human," I breathed. "He's like us, but... complete."
"We can't outrun that," Shelton said, his voice trembling as he checked his tablet. "Tory, he's moving at 40 miles per hour through the brush. He'll be on us before we hit the marsh."
I looked at the blue screen flickering in the corner of my eye. I had one chance.
[Skill Tree Available!]
[1 Skill Point available (Level 2 Reward)]
Option A: 'Alpha Roar' (Active) - Stun enemies in a 10m radius.
Option B: 'Pack Camouflage' (Active) - Conceal the presence of yourself and nearby Pack members for 60 seconds.
If I roared, I might buy us five seconds. But if I hid us...
'System, unlock Pack Camouflage!'
[Skill 'Pack Camouflage' Unlocked!]
[Cost: 5 Energy per minute.]
"Everyone, get in the hollow of that fallen redwood! Now!"
I shoved them into the rotting, moss-covered trunk. It was cramped and smelled of damp earth and decay.
"Tory, what are you—" Hi started.
"Shhh!" I pressed my hand against the wood. "Activate Camouflage!"
[Energy: 5/50 -> 0/50]
[Warning: Energy depleted! Commencing 'Life-Force Conversion'...]
[HP: 100/100 -> 90/100]
A veil of shimmering, translucent light draped over the log. To the outside world, we disappeared. Our scent, our heat, even the sound of our panicked breathing was dampened by the System's shroud.
Seconds later, the sound of heavy, rhythmic thuds approached.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The Tracker landed on top of the log.
The wood groaned under his weight. I could see the tips of his claws—long, yellowed, and dripping with a strange, viscous liquid—poking through the cracks in the bark just inches from Shelton's head.
Nobody moved. Nobody dared to breathe.
The Tracker tilted his head, his nostrils flaring. He was so close I could hear the wet rasp of his breath.
"I know you're here, little wolves," a voice rasped—a sound like sandpaper on bone. "The Master wants his property back. Why make this difficult?"
He walked the length of the log, his claws clicking like a typewriter.
[Camouflage Duration: 15 Seconds remaining.]
[HP: 85/100...]
My heart was hammering against my ribs. The System was literally eating my life force to keep us hidden.
The Tracker jumped off the log and stood in the clearing, scanning the trees. He stayed there for what felt like an eternity, his body perfectly still, before he suddenly hissed and vanished into the darkness toward the north.
[Skill 'Pack Camouflage' Deactivated.]
[Host is in Critical Condition!]
I collapsed against Ben, my skin deathly pale.
"He's... he's gone for now," I wheezed. "But he's circling. He knows the 'System' signature is still in the area."
Ben caught me, his expression fierce. "We need to get you to the Den. And we need to find out how to kill that thing before he finds us again."
[New Main Quest: The Hunter or the Hunted?]
Objective: Reach Level 5 before the next encounter with The Tracker.
Reward: 'Pack Evolution' Unlock.
I looked at my shaking hands. We weren't the apex predators of this island. Not yet.