Everyone take a step back The squad leader said producing a plasma grenade But as he reached for the pin there was a hissing and the thorny vines drew themselves into the ground leaving only the mist once more
This was even more ominous but at least it meant a problem was out of the way The squad leader pocketed the grenade and walked several steps forward but he was stopped by a question
Ares Leader what are you doing The soldier with the hidden Skill asked his voice puzzled
The squad leaderÆs mouth formed into a tight thin line He glanced contemptuously back over his shoulder and then turned back forward What does it look like IÆm
Then he froze There it was the 10 meters tall wall of thorny vegetation right in front of him as if it had never moved Which it probably hadnÆt In front of him several exceedingly sharp thorns gleamed maliciously almost amused by the squad leaderÆs attempts to circumvent the obstruction
An illusion then
Disturbing
Private get that fucking Skill of yours operating at full efficiency The squad leader said darkly Come stand with me Point out everything you see
Behind him from one of the other soldiers the squad leader heard someone mutter this operation is so fucked Inwardly the squad leader agreed But he couldnÆt let that show So the team continued on burning through the wall of vines and tromping forward If he was being honest with himself he squad leader enjoyed it more than a little This strange wall of plant life that had appeared suddenly was likely just a Skill but it had still caught him by surprise Venting that frustration is cathartic
Although their source of true vision was unreliable it was at least something to go on It would give them valuable points of data so they could determine their next step But the squad leader didnÆt like how it had come It was all luck That was the thing about this System it all seemed to end up being about damnable luck If your luck was good you could get a Skill or a Path that could earn you a fancy Class
If you werenÆt you just became stuck playing long odds in the most dangerous borderlands humanity had ever face
It took a half hour but soon they found themselves at the small prairie where the cabin was located The cooking fire was there still burning the pot swinging slowly back and forth There was no one in the surrounding area The squad leader paused Had the target fled
Negative came the response from the watch Proceed Squad Leader
Sighing they continued The prairie around them was still Too still It was completely silent There wasnÆt a single gust of wind or buzzing insect to interrupt the heavy sound of silence It blanketed them all and everyone seemed to shrink a little in its presence They took smaller more gentle steps so the deafening sound of their feet crushing grass was just a bit more palatable
Ares Leader shouldnÆt we The lucky Skill soldier began but the squad leaderÆs eyes flashed and he grabbed the privateÆs arm He couldnÆt remember the manÆs name but he should at least have the good sense to adhere to military discipline when speaking especially in such a hostile zone
Radio silence during the approach he hissed feeling like his words blew through the prairie like a freight train full of jostled porcelain Eyes as wide as dinner plates looked back at him green and clear The man nodded solemnly regret clear in his expression
Above a low rumble of thunder set them all to jumping They looked up A soft rain had begun to fall on them It felt cool and blessedly real on their skin tiny pinpricks of ice cold liquid on skin feverish on tight nerves Sure they were all veterans of the borderlands but the mental games that some of these monsters played were something else entirely This was not supposed to go like this
And it also made the squad leader extremely dubious of the prospect of ever achieving any kind of peace with these people the people from the other Zone How could they be trusted when any of them could manipulate illusions at will
Sarge The private began The rain
I know it is not fucking real you little shit The squad leader began but then he paused Slowly his face turned solemn and he took a few steps to the right slowly drawing his laser pistol
This was a veteran squad of the borderlands who had traveled together multiple times into the dangerous areas in order to scout and secure valuable raw materials
How the fuck could there be someone in the squad who he didnÆt know by name
A pair of green eyes regarded him in confusion but then it seemed like the man in front of him realized something His mouth split into a toothy grin Really You donÆt bat an eyelash at me calling you Ares Leader but Sarge sets you off You military types are truly hard to predict Well it was fun
The plasma bolt took the stranger in the chin staggering him Within a second the superheated material melted the manÆs flesh away and revealed wine body Blood sizzled and the rotten stench of carbonized flesh filled the air But the man straightened as if he was none the worse for wear with half of his jaw melted away
The mild green eyes were growing brighter and brighter now becoming emerald lamps that spilled out liquid light that the squad leader seemed to be suspended in He couldnÆt tear his gaze away
You should not have come here The man whispered his voice strange If you shoot first we will fire back
Aw fuck this Another man broke in shooting three more bolts of plasma into the strange creatureÆs torso It stumbled but didnÆt fall simply straightening as the boiling skin on his body evaporated leaving charred muscle It shambled forward as a fleck of plasma ate into its foot a thin line of smoke spiraling upwards It was grinning or trying to and looked like the cheeriest zombie that the squad leader could imagine
The squad leader raised his watch to his mouth We are in position Just bring the rain
Although it was considered a failure it was within his authority to call in the air strike There were problems with the drones being shot down en route so they had left the machine with its payload only a half mile away Besides theirs was a private outfit Officially there wouldnÆt be any political fallout from him burning this piece of hell to the ground
The squad leader knew that it was possible that they were completely off the mark and might be standing in the middle of nowhere In addition he might have just ordered the deaths of all of his men But there was something about watching a manÆs flesh melt that just
Raising his pistol the squad leader fired again and the zombie staggered and fell its entire chest cavity finally collapsing as its bones became brittle from being baked Overhead there was the soft hum of the drones engines as it arrived and shot the missile in a straight arc towards the cabin
The squad leader looked at the prairie and its strangely assembled house of vines and roots with a bit of nostalgia in his heart It reminded him of his childhood and of innocence To lose the elixirs was a great thing and he would be blamed for it But coming here the squad leader abruptly understood something that the political elite probably hadnÆt realized yet
Zone 1 would be destroyed by these people There was nothing they could do
The missile hit the hut They were close enough that prior to the System the squad leader would have probably died But now he just felt his ribs and left arm break as he was sent flying It took several seconds for him to recover from a stunned state and climb to his feet
Just as the squad leader felt a flush for relief and thought it was over they had won something moved
The hut was still there completely unaffected by the grassland filled with fire around it Whoever had made this had
The house moved
Slowly at first but then with increasing surety it opened itself up the roof lifting to form long tentacles The walls separated the floors spread out and rose With surprising delicacy the squad leader watched the vines place furniture and people to the side behind its protection Then it reared higher swelling to an almost 30 meter high mass above them