Chereads / The story of the outlands / Chapter 5 - Outlands: Crimson Sky (1)

Chapter 5 - Outlands: Crimson Sky (1)

The students were all gathered at the Rift Teleportation Center, where they will face one of their greatest trials yet. They were also briefed about the situation by the teachers.

"The outlands are a very dangerous place, much more dangerous than the first awakening trials. As you all know, portals can teleport you anywhere as long as it doesn't have a controllable system. The first goal for you young walkers is to find a sanctuary.Sanctuary areas are safe because higher ranking walkers reside in them.That is all, and make your teachers proud. Goodluck.

Soon they were all sent by grouped at the portal. As the blinding light appeared, Ajax once again felt very nauseous. Ajax opened his eyes slowly to adjust to the light. He was standing in the middle of a blood red plain. The fog was also red and the smell of blood was thick. The sky was crimson and there was no visible sun.

'Where am I? This place wasn't mentioned in the rifts classes.. I've never heard of a blood-red place like this.. perhaps I should find a better view.'

Ajax observed his location and noticed that he was in the middle of what appeared to be the ruins of a destroyed town. Ajax stood up above a broken pillar and saw the place from above. The place was red and bloody, although there were no signs of blood stains, the fog itself tasted metallic.

'What could have happened in this place for it to be like this?'

Ajax decided it was time to move, as he didn't know what ancient horror lay in the ruins.

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After some exploring, Ajax found out that the whole place had the same atmosphere. The place was eerie and it sent chills down Ajax's spine. What's strange is that Ajax still hasn't encountered a monster yet.

"Something is wrong here. Where are all the monsters?"

Ajax's thoughts were quickly interrupted when he felt the ground tremble. Soon he heard heavy footsteps near him. Ajax shivered and looked at the distance. There he saw the silhouette of a massive giant.

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In the past few days, Ajax understood some things. The reason he wasn't finding any monsters back then was because of the titan he saw. He followed it secretly, observing how it moved and acted. The titan was made of steel that seemed to be stained in blood, and it looked like it didn't have any weaknesses. Unfortunately, Ajax can't discern the abilities of the steel titan due to the fact that monsters avoid it.

Ajax wondered if there were other walkers sent here along with him or if there was any sanctuary in this dimension. Ajax soon left the place with one goal in mind: survival.

After a few days of travelling, only resting at night, he finally reached a crimson forest. The forest was still and quiet. It released an eerie feeling. Ajax travelled the woods for a while; his rations were almost used up and his water was low.

'These damned trees don't even have fruits on them! I also see no rivers or lakes in this forest!'

Ajax was frustrated,hungry, thirsty, and tired. Since nightfall was near, Ajax decided to rest in a small cave he found under the bushes.

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Ajax was woken up by his instincts. He jumped up, summoned the Abyssal axe, and looked at his surroundings. Ajax noticed that he could see well in the dark, like it was morning. He saw a movement near the entrance and slowly approached it. There he saw a creature. The creature was about 3 meters tall and looked like a praying mantis but with a mix of scorpion and scythe hands. Ajax gulped and knew that the creature would've been at least a predator rank abomination. The abominations had 7 ranks: Fallen, Awakened, Predator,Terror,Nightmare, Demon, and Catastrophe.

'What is a terror rank creature doing here?!'

Ajax tried to calm himself and thought of his next move. Ajax measured the strength difference between the beast and him. After contemplating for a while, Ajax stood up and hid in the shadows. Ajax knew that he wouldn't have a chance to face the creature in a direct fight, so he used his advantage, the dark.

Ajax moved silently in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike the abomination. When Ajax was training back on earth, he found out that he could freely move the ability [Void armament] to different parts of his body. This simple function offered different effects on different parts of his body.

Ajax coated his feet with his ability, enabling him to gain twice the speed. Ajax also noticed that coating his feet nullified the sounds it made, making it optimal for stealth. Ajax observed the creature carefully and noticed a few things. The creature was armored and it was difficult to crack due to his lack of strength, but upon careful observation, the body of the beast wasn't fully protected. The joints of the beast were exposed, allowing the abomination to reach incredible speeds.

'I only have 1 chance to ambush this abomination. It has to work, otherwise it's over for me.'

Ajax carefully constructed a plan. The plan was to lure the beast by throwing his axe at it. Luckily, his axe had an enchantment that allowed it to come back to its owner. Ajax will make the beast follow the axe to where he tied jungle vines to the tree. This will cause the monster to trip and fall, giving Ajax the chance to strike its legs, immobilizing the beast.

Ajax steeled himself and threw the axe in the direction of the beast. The creature didn't notice it as the axe was black in color, bending with the dark night. What followed next was the sound of two metals striking each other. The beast was surprised for a few seconds before it released an ear-piercing screech. The beast followed the axe with great speed, ignoring all the trees and boulders it hit.

'It took the bait!' Ajax rejoiced and ran towards the next location. The beast soon appeared and Ajax prayed that the plan would work. The creature was focused on the axe, and because of this, it forgot to see the tripwire hiding in the shadows. The beast hit the tripwire and with the speed it amassed, it couldn't stop itself from falling to the ground with a massive thud.

'NOW!' Ajax revealed himself and switched the coat to his arms. Ajax knew if he missed, he would never get another chance. With sweat running down his forehead, he aimed and threw the axe with all his might, covering his weapon with [Void armament]. The blade moved in a circular way before landing on the knees of the creature. With Ajax's strength and the help of his skill, it cleanly cut the legs of the creature, immobilising it.

Ajax didn't waste a second and ran towards the beast. He also recalled the Abyssal axe and transferred the coat to his legs. Ajax jumped, and with the momentum from his run, he managed to jump high and transfer the coating to his axe and hands. Using the jump as a way to build force, Ajax struck down with all his strength, aiming at the neck of the creature.

[Congratulations you have successfully slained 'Predator' ranked abomination, 'Reaper Mantis']