"Ready…"
Arthur, Lucas and Dean stood at the front of the basement door, they had their weapons in hand and their faces set with resolve.
Behind them, Lia, Sasha and Ryker followed in formation, their eyes scanning every corner.
.
.
.
.
.
Scratch!!!
Scratch!!!
The door to the surgical basement creaked open as it opened the sounds of a distant and broken world creeping through. The hallway ahead flickered with glitching texture. It was a sign that the simulation was being pushed to its limits. Every step down the spiraling stairs made the air heavier as though something monstrous lurked just beyond their reach.
The group slowly descended deeper and the temperature seemed to drop. The walls were warped and it was displaying erratic textures and ghostly shadows.
At the heart of the surgical theater. They found it, the abomination.
The Chimera
A towering mass of fused human torsos and arms grafted together. It had multiple faces crying out in silent screams. Its body swelled with Monstrosity. Its twitching limbs and jagged claws that scraped the floor with a terrible hollow sound.
The Chimera's hundreds eyes fixed on the group. It was alive, but not in any normal sense.
RAAAUUGH!!!!
The Chimera let out a horrific roar, its voice reverberating through the cavernous space.
"Earth Wall"
Dean shouted, raising his hand to the floor. From his palm, massive slabs of stone shot up, forming a thick barrier just as the Chimera's massive claws shot out toward them. The limbs slammed into the rock, cracking the earth beneath.
"Luminous Barrier"
Ryker cast quickly, raising his hand and enveloping the team in a dome of shimmering light. The barrier pulsed and expanded, adding another layer of defense to Dean's stone wall.
Move!!!
Ryker screamed.
Arthur stepped forward without hesitation.
"Void Cleave"
His sword crackled with violet black flames and he lunged at the Chimera.
Swoosh!!!
Arthur's blade cleaved through the air with speed but the Chimera's limbs whipped toward him in retaliation. Arthur ducked low, just avoiding a swipe to the face.
.
.
.
Lucas followed closely behind, his spear crackling with electricity.
Stab!!!!
Crack!!!
Lucas thrust his spear toward the Chimera's core as lightning trailing along its shaft. The spear struck the core but the Chimera's skin was too tough and the damage seemed negligible.
GRAAAAR!!!!!
The Chimera roared again and this time unleashing a flurry of limbs in all directions.
Arg!!!
One of the claws whipped out, slamming into Lucas's side and sending him flying into the wall.
Ughhh!!
Grrr!!
His body crumpled on impact but he gritted his teeth and pushed himself back onto his feet.
"Lucas!!!"
Shit!!!
Ryker shouted. He was now started to panic, this fight out of their league. But before he could react, a second limb rocketed toward him.
Swish!!!
"Wind Shroud"
Sasha's voice came through the air just as she appeared from the shadows, her twin daggers flashing. She cut the incoming limb clean off before vanishing into a gust of wind.
Ryker turned his attention back to the Chimera, knowing that their time was limited.
"Blazing Vortex"
Lia's fiery spell ripped through the air, launching a spiral of fire toward the Chimera's right side. The flames danced around the Chimera's body as it was igniting one of its twisted limbs.
GRAAAAR!!!
The Chimera screamed in agony but its body began to regenerate almost immediately.
"Focus!!!"
"It won't die that easily!"
Arthur barked, his voice steely with determination.
"Fire Lance"
Lia shouted, thrusting her hand forward. A massive spear of flame erupted from it, rocketing toward the Chimera.
Boom!!!
The flame lance slammed into the creature's torso and for a moment, the air seemed to grow thick with heat. But still, the beast didn't go down. Instead, its wounds began to heal at an alarming rate.
"Seismic Slam"
Dean roared. The ground beneath them shook violently as he punched the floor with all his strength. Massive stone tendrils erupted from the earth, writhing toward the Chimera and wrapping around its limbs. The Chimera stumbled as it tried to free itself.
"Push it back" Arthur ordered.
Lia who was now standing behind Arthur, gritted her teeth.
"Inferno Surge"
With a cry, she summoned a wave of flames that swept across the battlefield. The fire engulfed the Chimera's body, forcing it back into the far corner of the room. Its screeches filled the air as the flames blistered its hide.
"Now, focus on its core" Lucas shouted, summoning the last of his mana.
Lucas charged his body crackling with the raw power of lightning.
Crack!!!!!
Lucas's spear shot forward, trailing a bolt of destructive lightning as it aimed straight for the Chimera's exposed core.
AAARGH!!!!
The beast howled in fury as the spear embedded itself deep inside.
But then,
The unexpected happened.
Split!!!!
Crackle!!!
The Chimera's form seemed to shift. Its body expanded outward. Its skin splitting open like a rotten fruit, revealing a second larger entity beneath the first.
This new form was even more monstrous claws like daggers, a crown of bone, and a hide that pulsed with a sickening energy.
"What the hell…?" Dean whispered, eyes wide with disbelief.
Ryker's heart was racing.
"This isn't part of the base simulation script," Ryker muttered, his mind reeling from the unexpected transformation.
"Whatever it is," Sasha said, her voice hard as steel. "We need to finish it."
The evolved Chimera lunged forward in a blur of motion, moving faster than the group could react.
Clang!!!
Arthur raised his sword just in time to block the incoming attack.
Bam!!!
But the force was so immense that he was sent crashing into a nearby cabinet. His body crumpled to the ground, blood staining the floor.
"Arthur!!" Lia screamed, her voice cracking in panic.
The creature turned its gaze on her, sensing weakness.
"Scorching Embers"
Lia shouted, summoning dozens of fire balls that flew toward the creature.
Boom!!
The fire balls exploded upon contact but the beast merely staggered, unfazed.
Ryker sprinted toward Arthur, a grim expression on his face.
"Sacrificial Restoration"
Ryker used his powerful healing spell, due to Ryker being inside a simulation he didn't need to sacrifice part of his own life force to heal Arthur's injuries.
Cough!!!
Cough!!!
A golden light enveloped Arthur healing his injuries as he was healing, he coughed violently but he slowly rose to his feet, his injuries now healed.
"Thanks," Arthur grunted, then he glared at the creature.
"Let's finish this"
GRAAAAR!!!
But before they could regroup, the Chimera struck again. With an inhuman screech.
Swish!!!
Ugh!!!!!!!
it grabbed Sasha by the leg, twisting violently. There was a sickening crac and Sasha screamed in agony as she was thrown across the room.
"Gale Fang"
Sasha screamed as her daggers flashing as she reappeared from the shadows, stabbing deep into the Chimera's spine.
Bam!!
The Chimera whirled around, fury radiating from it. It caught Sasha by the leg, hurling her across the room once more.
"Luminous Barrier"
Ryker cast quickly, positioning himself between the creature and Lucas. A shimmering barrier of light appeared just in time to absorb a massive claw strike aimed at Lucas.
Dean didn't wait. He rushed forward, his body covered in stone armor.
"Ground Bind"
He slammed his fist into the ground, causing massive stone roots to rise and entangle the Chimera's legs making it's movements slowed.
"Bolt Drive"
Lucas shouted as he charged with his spear. With a surge of energy, he thrust the spear into the Chimera's knee cracking its bone. The creature howled, staggering back.
Seeing it, Lia prepared her spell. Her eyes narrowed as she raised her hand high.
"Infernal Rain"
A crimson storm formed above the Chimera. Flaming spears fell from the sky like divine judgment.
AAARRGH!!!
The Chimera's body was torn apart by the relentless assault. Each spear striking its torso, limbs and head. The Chimera screamed, its body consumed by the flames.
When the storm finally cleared the Chimera was no more. Only smoldering remains and the scent of burnt flesh filled the air.
Silence fell over the group.
But just as they started to breathe a sigh of relief, a soft chime echoed through the room.
[OBJECTIVE COMPLETE: Surgical Basement Secured. Processing Performance…]
The group collapsed, bruised and battered, but alive. Ryker leaned against a wall, panting, sweat dripping from his brow.
"Status Report" Arthur said with his tired voice,
"Alive" Lia says laying down.
"Alive here also" Lucas and Dean said together.
"Same here" Sasha says,
"Stil breathing" Ryker said to Arthur.
That's when Ryker saw it.
'What's that?'
Off to the side, half hidden in the shadows. A surgical tray, gleaming clean despite the carnage around it. And there, on the tray, a blood red card.
With his trembling hands, Ryker picked it up. The card was smooth, its surface unmarked by the simulation's glitches. No notification from the system.
He flipped it over and a single line of jagged, dark ink stared back at him.
"Still think you're the only one watching, Ryker?"
A chill ran down Ryker's spine.
He glanced around at the others. No one seemed to notice, but Ryker's gut feeling was true, someone or something messed with the simulation. From the very beginning something was not right, from Ryker to end up with everyone to seeing no other students.
Ryker should have catch this early,
'So, the extra I suppose to eliminate started to move'
Until now, Ryker didn't know what he was going against. Now he has an idea.
'Fine I will play with you bitch!!'
The game between two forces had only just begun.