Chapter 3 - Chapitre 3: The Hunt Begins – First Blood

Twenty-four hours of unnatural quiet had passed. No food. No water. No voices. Just the low, constant vibration of the ship cutting through black water, and the red emergency lights pulsing like a dying heartbeat along the corridors. Kael woke curled in a narrow metal alcove that hadn't existed when he closed his eyes. The capsule-like space sealed itself behind him with a soft hiss as he stepped out. His body felt alien—muscles denser, senses razor-sharp. He could hear distant footsteps three decks away, smell the faint ozone of recycled air mixed with old blood. But the hum in his blood was louder now, insistent, like a second heartbeat trying to sync with his own. [System Update: Phase 2 – The Hunt – Commenced.] [Objective: Eliminate or Subdue 3 Marked Targets within 72 hours.] [Reward: 1 Skill Shard (Random) + 10 Free Attribute Points.] [Penalty for Failure: Permanent Elimination.] [Marked Targets List – Open? Y/N] Kael muttered, "Open." A semi-transparent interface bloomed in his vision: 1. Target Alpha – Player 4471 (Designation: "Observer") – Location: Deck 7, Observation Dome. Status: Enhanced Analytical Traits. Threat Level: High. 2. Target Beta – Player Thorne – Location: Deck 4, Improvised Armory. Status: Hyper-Physical Adaptation. Threat Level: Extreme. 3. Target Gamma – Anomalous Entity (Unidentified) – Location: Variable. Status: ??? Threat Level: Unknown. He dismissed the panel with a thought. The corridors ahead twisted unnaturally, walls curving in ways geometry shouldn't allow. Faint runes glowed along the seams—symbols that tugged at buried memories, like echoes from the visions during the Feast. He moved silently, boots making no sound on the black floor. The first voice he heard was Mara's—low, controlled, coming from a shadowed intersection. "You're still breathing. Impressive." She leaned against a bulkhead, silver veins faintly luminous under her skin. Nails elongated into subtle claws. She looked rested, alert, predatory. "Didn't expect to see you so soon," Kael said, stopping out of arm's reach. "Same. System gave me a list too." She tilted her head. "You're on it. And I'm on yours, aren't I?" Kael didn't deny it. Mara smirked. "Smart. No lies between predators. Alliance?" "What for?" "Thorne first. He's rampaging on Deck 4—smashing anything that moves. If we don't take him down, he'll rack up kills and get stronger. Then the quiet one—4471. He's hiding, watching, planning. The system marked him Alpha for a reason." Kael studied her. "And after?" "After?" Her smile thinned. "We see who's left standing." Before he answered, a booming laugh echoed from deeper in the corridor. Thorne appeared at the far end—shirt shredded, muscles swollen to grotesque proportions, a jagged metal beam torn from the wall in his grip. "Fresh meat!" he roared, eyes wild with glee. "The system promised me a good fight. You two look fun." He charged. Kael's enhanced Perception kicked in: [Weak point – overextended right shoulder from rapid growth.] Thorne swung the beam like a club. Air whistled. Kael ducked, rolled, came up inside guard. Fist slammed into the shoulder joint. Crunch. Thorne grunted but didn't fall. Mara struck from the side—claws raking across Thorne's ribs. Blood sprayed, but the wound closed almost instantly. "Regeneration," she hissed. "Annoying." Thorne laughed, spun, caught Mara with a backhand. She flew into the wall, cracked metal behind her. Kael moved. Grabbed Thorne's arm mid-swing, used his own momentum to twist and slam him face-first into the floor. Thorne pushed up, grinning through blood. "Good hit. My turn." He lunged again—faster now. Kael blocked, pain exploding in his forearm. Bones held, but barely. Mara recovered, leaped onto Thorne's back, claws sinking into neck. Thorne roared, reached back, yanked her off like a rag doll. Threw her down. Kael seized the opening—knee to Thorne's kidney, then elbow to temple. Thorne staggered. Eyes glazed for a second. [System: Target Beta subdued. +1 toward objective. 60-second interrogation window open.] Kael knelt, voice low. "The Architect.Who is he?" Thorne coughed, laughed wetly. "You really don't know? The first one. The one who broke the game and remade it. Judge answers to him. We're all just… seasoning." "Where?" "Core deck. Deck Zero. But you'll never—" Mara's claws flashed. Thorne's throat opened. He gurgled, slumped. [System: Target Beta eliminated. +1/3. Bonus Attribute Point +2 to Strength.] Mara wiped her hands. "Talkative ones are dangerous." Kael stood slowly. "We could've gotten more." "Or he could've healed and killed us both." She met his eyes. "Next is 4471. He's smarter than both of us combined. If he wants you dead, you won't see it coming." She turned to leave. Kael called after her. "Why help me?" Mara paused. "Because your 'Unyielding Will' might be the only thing that can reach the core. And I want out of this hell more than I want to win it." She disappeared into the shadows. Kael continued alone. Corridors narrowed, air grew colder. Walls showed more runes—now forming words in fractured English: "The First Watches. The Last Hunts." He reached Deck 7. The observation dome: vast curved glass overlooking an ocean that wasn't water anymore—black void dotted with impossible stars. Player 4471 sat in the center, legs crossed, back to the entrance. Cracked glasses still perched on his nose. "You're predictable," he said without turning. "Always the last to arrive." Kael stepped inside. "You're Alpha on my list." "And you're Gamma on mine." 4471 turned. Calm eyes behind lenses. "The system doesn't choose randomly. It marks threats to stability. You threaten the Architect." Kael's hand tightened. "Tell me who he is." The man stood slowly. "Player Zero. The one who completed the first cycle centuries ago. He didn't escape. He became the ship. Or the ship became him. The Judge is his echo. We're the new ingredients." Kael advanced. "Deck Zero. How do I get there?" 4471 smiled faintly. "You don't 'get' there. You earn it. But first…" He tossed something small and glowing. Kael caught it instinctively. [Skill Shard Acquired: Analyze Weakness – Level 1. Passive: Reveals structural vulnerabilities in targets.] "Use it," 4471 said. "Because the third target isn't human anymore." Alarms shrieked. [Anomaly Alert: Target Gamma inbound.] The dome glass vibrated. Something massive moved outside—silhouette too large, too wrong. Limbs that weren't limbs. Eyes like dying stars. 4471 whispered, "Run. It's already locked on you." Kael bolted. Behind him, glass shattered. A roar—not animal, not machine—filled the corridor. [System Urgent: Target Gamma engaged. Survival probability: 41%.] Kael ran, new skill humming in his mind, heart pounding with something sharper than fear. Purpose had become a blade. And the blade was hungry.