[Warning! 'The Tracker' has reached Host Location.]
The air grew cold. The sound of chirping frogs and dripping rain stopped instantly. Silence descended over the marsh....a heavy, expectant quiet.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The steps were deliberate now, no longer a sprint. He was savoring the hunt.
"He's here," Ben said, his fists clenched, the faint silver shimmer of his [Guardian] class visible on his knuckles.
"Tory, I put all my points into Constitution," Shelton whispered. "I can take a hit, maybe."
"Good," I said, a battle plan forming in my mind. The 'Skill Book' in my inventory called to me. I had to use it now.
'System, use Skill Book: Pack Mental Map!'
[Skill Book Consumed!]
[New Skill Unlocked: 'Pack Mental Map' (Passive) ... Grants perfect real-time awareness of all Pack Members' locations, vitals, and energy levels.]
It was better than radar. I could see everything: Hi hiding in the reeds to the east, Shelton and his tech behind a deadfall, Ben and me in the center clearing. I could feel their fear, and I pushed my resolve into the link.
We are the Pack. We survive.
The Tracker emerged from the mist. He wasn't human anymore. He stood seven feet tall, his skin a mottled, gray camouflage. His eyes glowed with a feral, red light, and two bone spurs jutted from his forearms. Level 12 of pure nightmare.
"The little wolves have claws," The Tracker rasped, a grin peeling back cracked lips to reveal filed, sharp teeth. "Good. The Master likes his specimens feisty."
He lunged. He didn't run; he blurred.
[Warning: Lethal Attack Incoming!]
I dodged left, my new [Agility: 17] barely saving me as his massive claws tore a chunk of bark from the tree I'd been standing by. The claws missed me, but the impact sent shards of wood flying like shrapnel.
"Ben, now!"
Ben charged, low to the ground. He tackled the Tracker at the knees.
[Skill Activated: Guardian's Block!]
[Damage Taken: 0. Ben HP: 100/100]
The Tracker didn't even budge. He looked down at Ben and backhanded him fifty feet into the marsh. Ben disappeared under the murky water.
[Ben Status: Unconscious. Critical.]
"Ben!" my heart hammered. The mental map showed his vitals dropping fast.
"Shelton, give me everything you got!" I yelled. "Hi, distract him!"
Hi darted out, a orange streak of light that zipped around the Tracker's legs.
[Skill Activated: Sonic Dash!]
The Tracker tried to follow Hi's speed but couldn't. He swiped blindly at the air, frustrated.
"Shelton, the water! The downed drone!" I commanded.
Shelton understood immediately. "System Overclock! Targeting water conductivity!"
[Skill Activated: Marsh Disruptor (Combo with Artificer)!]
A massive electrical pulse erupted through the marsh water. The Tracker screamed as thousands of volts of electricity wracked his body. He convulsed, falling to his knees.
This was my chance.
[Skill Activated: Feral Burst + Adrenaline Overdrive!]
I flew through the air, my claws ready. I aimed not for his armored chest, but his neck. My [Strength: 14] slammed into his throat.
SHUNK.
I ripped his throat out.
[Tracker Neutralized! Exp +1000]
Silence fell again. Ben's vitals stabilized. Hi stopped running. Shelton stared, his eyes wide in the dark.
I looked down at the corpse of the Level 12 Tracker. I was only Level 4. But I was the Alpha.
[Level Up! (Level 4 -> Level 5!)]
[New Skill Tree Unlocked: 'Pack Evolution'....Available Now!]
I had done it. We had won the first real fight. The System pinged with a hundred notifications of rewards and unlocks.
We weren't just test subjects anymore. We were the dominant species on this island.
---
Boss Down! Tory is Level 5 and we have a new Skill Tree! What does 'Pack Evolution' do? Find out in the next chapter!