The feast fires burned low, casting long shadows across the village. Mike sat apart from the celebrating tribesmen, his ribs aching from Marpe's blows. The boar meat was tough, the ale bitter, but his » HP: 42/100 ticked upward steadily.
Abby appeared like a specter, dropping beside him without invitation. She held out a wooden cup filled with dark liquid that smelled of fermented fruit and something sharper.
"Drink," she commanded. "Moko's blessing for survivors."
» WARNING: UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE DETECTED
» POTENTIAL EFFECTS: HALLUCINOGENIC | TRUTH-SERUM | POISON?
Mike hesitated. The last time he'd blindly trusted a drink; he'd woken up with a dart in his neck.
Flashback:
"You always overthink, Carter." His CFO's mocking toast. "That's why the board voted you out."
He downed the brew in one gulp.
The world dissolved into fractals of color.
One moment - the jungle's humid embrace. The next -
White sheets. Beeping machines. The metallic tang of antiseptic.
Lina's tear-streaked face hovered above him, her fingers clutching his limp hand. "Mike, please... the doctors say there's no brain activity, but I know you're in there!"
A child's voice cut through: "Daddy, wake up!"
» WARNING: REALITY SYNCHRONIZATION AT 15%
Then -
Pain.
Mike gasped back to awareness, his nose bleeding onto the feast mat. Abby's grip on his shoulder was the only thing keeping him upright.
"What did you see, starwalker?" Her breath was hot against his ear.
"Nothing important," he lied through gritted teeth.
Her nails dug into his flesh. "The river will wash that lie away."
The jungle at night was a living entity - all rustling leaves and unseen eyes. Abby led him to a moonlit bend in the river where the water swirled in lazy eddies.
Without ceremony, she stripped off her leather wraps and waded in, the silver light painting her scars in liquid mercury.
» ABBY - STATUS: UNARMED | DISPOSITION: UNREADABLE
Mike hesitated at the bank.
"Afraid of water?" she taunted, sinking until only her golden eyes gleamed above the surface.
"Afraid of drowning," he corrected, but shed his borrowed tribal garb anyway.
The water was shockingly cold, stealing his breath as he waded deeper. Abby moved like a predator, circling just outside the arm's reach.
"The others who fell from the sky," she murmured, "they died begging for home. You're different."
» HIDDEN QUEST TRIGGERED: ABBY'S TEST
Her hand shot out, fingers tangling in his hair as she drove him under.
Darkness.
Pressure.
The world reduced to burning lungs and the iron grip in his hair.
» HP: 36/100 (DROWNING)
Flashbacks erupted:
~ Marpe's sneer: "You don't belong here."
~ Lina's tears hitting his hospital gown.
~ The boardroom's cold dismissal.
His thrashing grew weaker.
Then -
Air. Light. Abby's face inches from his as he coughed river water.
"Why?" he rasped.
She studied him like a fascinating insect. "To see if you'd fight for life... or beg for death."
» HIDDEN QUEST COMPLETE: ABBY'S TEST
» REWARD: "WARRIOR'S RESPECT" (KINSHIP +15)
"Some trials aren't announced. Some rewards aren't promised."
Mike surged forward, catching her wrist. "Next time, ask."
Her laughter echoed across the water. "Where's the lesson in that?"
They dressed in silence, the jungle's usual chorus of insects and birds eerily absent. Only the river's murmur filled the void—until a twig snapped.
» INSTINCT CHECK: PASSED
» WARNING: MULTIPLE HOSTILES DETECTED (3 SIGNATURES)
Mike's hand shot to his knife just as the first dart hissed through the air.
Thwip!
» DEBUFF APPLIED: CURARE (PARALYSIS 30s | HP -2/s)
» HP: 38/100 → 36/100
The poison burned like ice in his veins. His left arm became numb.
Abby's daggers cleared their sheaths in a flash of steel. "Ambush!"
Three warriors materialized from the foliage; their faces streaked with black warpaint.
» MARPE'S HUNTERS – LV.23-26
» EQUIPMENT:
Poisoned Blowdarts (Curare | Paralytic)Bone Knives (Bleed Effect: +3 DMG/s for 5s)
The tallest one bared his filed teeth. "Marpe sends his regards."
Abby spat at their feet. "He sends cowards to do his work."
Mike's fingers tightened around his » PILOT'S KNIFE (DMG: 10-15 | DUR: 18/20). "How about we send you back in pieces?"
Round 1:
Hunter #1 (LV.23) fired another dart. Mike dodged, rolling behind a fern.
Hunter #2 (LV.25) lunged at Abby. She parried with crossed daggers, her counterstroke opening his forearm.
» CRIT! 12 DMG
Hunter #3 (LV.26) flanked Mike; bone knife aimed at his kidney.
» IMPROVISED COMBAT ACTIVATED!
Mike scooped a handful of river sand and hurled it into Hunter #3's eyes.
» BLINDED! (3s duration)
» FOLLOW-UP: KNIFE SLASH (8 DMG)
The warrior howled, clutching his face.
Round 2:
Abby feinted left, then gutted Hunter #2. » 15 DMG | BLEEDING
Hunter #1 tried to reload his blowgun-too slowly. Mike tackled him, driving his knife into the man's thigh.
» 11 DMG | LAME
Hunter #3 (still half-blind) swung wildly, nicking Mike's ribs.
» 5 DMG | HP: 31/100
» SYSTEM NOTICE: "Curare weakening motor control. Penalty: -2 AGI."
Mike's limbs grew heavier.
Round 3 (Desperation):
Abby flipped over Hunter #1, her dagger finding his jugular.
» FATAL HIT
Hunter #3 kicked Mike's legs out, pinning him. The bone knife hovered over his eye-
Crack!
Abby's thrown dagger embedded in Hunter #3's skull.
» CRITICAL KILL
The last warrior (Hunter #2) clutched his bleeding gut and fled into the jungle.
» COMBAT RESOLVED:
2 KILLS (XP +120)1 FLED (WARNING: WILL RETURN)DEBUFF: CURARE (10s remaining)
Mike collapsed against a tree, his breath ragged.
» HP: 18/100
Abby wrenched her dagger free from the corpse. "Marpe won't stop at three next time."
» QUEST COMPLETE: "SURVIVE THE AMBUSH"
» REWARDS:
+150 XP (Total: 270)
"TRIBAL INSTINCTS" BUFF (DETECT AMBUSHES +25%)
KINSHIP WITH ABBY +10 (NOW: 55/100)
She hauled Mike up, her grip surprisingly gentle. "You fight like a rabid monkey. I approve."