In the chaos that followed their unexpected descent into the alien base, Hex, and Arnold found themselves in the thick of it. The area they had landed in was quickly swarmed by alien foot soldiers, who seemed to be emerging from every corner.
Hex, being the competitive individual he was, saw an opportunity to challenge Arnold. With a sly grin, he said, "Let's see who can take down the most of these guys." He got into a battle stance, preparing to take on the alien onslaught head-on.
However, as Hex turned to gauge Arnold's readiness, he noticed something unexpected. Arnold was not preparing to fight; instead, he was backing away from the advancing aliens. Hex was taken aback and quickly followed Arnold's footsteps.
"Hold on a second!" Hex exclaimed as he tried to keep up with Arnold. "Why are you running away?"
Arnold, while not slowing down, explained his strategy. "I've never fought these guys directly. Most of the time when I was with Beatrice, we used surprise attacks. We'd throw debris at them or set traps. Even in the simulation, it took me three days to defeat one alien, despite it being easy and weak."
As Hex and Arnold continued their withdrawal from the approaching alien foot soldiers, Arnold elaborated on his approach.
He confessed, "You see, Hex, I've never really made the decisions on where to upgrade my stats myself. Most of the time, I just followed Beatrice's advice. She guided me on which stats to focus on, and it led me to invest mainly in Strength."
Hex saw his own past self in Arnold, the person he used to be, someone who relied heavily on others' guidance.
Arnold continued, "Our survival on Earth depended on strategic sneak attacks and Beatrice's clever tactics. I've never really been in a direct confrontation with the aliens."
Hex could relate to Arnold's earlier reliance on Beatrice's strategies, realizing that he had once been in a similar position, leaning on Az's guidance. It was a reminder of how far he had come since then.
Arnold suggests, "Let's find Beatrice. She'll know what to do." he is determined to locate Beatrice to figure out their next moves.
However, during their chase, Hex came to a sudden halt, making Arnold stop too.
"This time," Hex whispered, with unwavering resolve, Hex turned to face the oncoming aliens and declared, "I'm done running! This time... I'll stand on my own two feet!" Arnold watched Hex rush towards the aliens, ready for the fight.
Arnold watched with a mix of surprise and admiration as Hex charged towards the aliens. At first, Hex managed to take down three of them single-handedly, displaying remarkable combat prowess. But soon, the aliens responded by transforming their weapons into blasters and began firing at him.
As Hex felt the heat of the blaster shots closing in, he thought his time had come. However, just as the blasters were about to hit him, a barrage of debris came flying from behind and struck the aliens, preventing their shots from landing on Hex.
Hex turned to see Arnold, who had joined the fight, standing proud and resolute. The two of them had found their own way of combating the aliens, combining Hex's strength and Arnold's resourcefulness to face the extraterrestrial threat.
Arnold extended a helping hand to Hex and exchanged resolute glances. "I'll stand with you in this fight," Arnold declared.
Hex, grateful for Arnold's support, accepted his hand and got back on his feet. With newfound determination and camaraderie, they devised a fighting strategy.
Hex took the front line, wielding his arm weapon and engaging the alien forces directly. When Hex required a moment to reload his arm weapon, Arnold, utilizing his incredible strength, seized nearby debris and hurled it at the alien invaders.
Hex would switch to hand-to-hand combat when he found himself in close quarters with the aliens, utilizing his little knowledge of martial arts acquired during his college years.
Meanwhile, Lumi, Elodie, and Lee were determined to find a way out of the perilous situation. As they ventured deeper into the unknown, Lumi proposed a plan to her companions, suggesting they should prioritize their escape from the treacherous environment and then regroup or dispatch a search party to locate the others.
Elodie readily concurred with Lumi's proposal, understanding the urgency of the situation. In contrast, Lee remained silent, simply following along without offering much input.
"Can't you use that scanning spell again?" Lee inquired about Elodie's scanning spell, hoping to utilize it once more to help guide them. However, Elodie regretfully responded, "I'm s..sorry, that skill has a cooldown. I can't use it again right now."
"Useless," Lee taunted Elodie with a mocking tone, causing Elodie to feel uncomfortable and sad. Witnessing this, Lumi quickly rushed to Elodie's side, reprimanding Lee for her behavior. "You shouldn't speak to your comrade that way," she scolded, her voice stern.
Lee's response remained dismissive. "I don't care about whatever happens to you guys," she claimed, displaying an enigmatic indifference to the group's well-being.
As Lee attempted to walk away from Lumi and Elodie, Lumi firmly grabbed Lee's hand. "You can't go on your own," she warned.
Lee, infuriated by Lumi's interference, angrily replied, "Get off me!" She shoved Lumi aside in her attempt to break free.
In their dire situation, with the conflict brewing among them, a chilling, disembodied voice echoed in the darkness. "What do we have here," it murmured, its tone laced with an eerie ambiguity, like a ghost cloaked in shadows. Then, it continued, "A group of children, squabbling amongst themselves."
The voice seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere all at once, sending shivers down their spines as they stood in the unknown depths, isolated and vulnerable.
In the midst of the voice's eerie taunting, Lumi, Lee, and Elodie strained their senses to pinpoint its source. Their apprehensive gazes darted through the darkness, searching for any sign of the unseen presence that had been lurking in the shadows.
As they turned to scrutinize their surroundings, a palpable sensation of something lurking behind them sent shivers down their spines. They felt the eerie breath of an entity breathing down their necks, yet when they swiveled around, there was nothing but the impenetrable void that surrounded them.
Lee's nerves reached a breaking point, and she erupted in frustration. "Get out here!" Her voice echoed through the gloom, a plea and a challenge to the enigmatic entity.
In response to her outburst, a sharp, sinister tail sliced through the inky blackness, soaring perilously close to Lee's heart. In the nick of time, Lumi flung herself into harm's way, interposing her own body between the threatening tail and her comrades. The venomous appendage grazed Lumi's hand, leaving it bloodied and throbbing with pain.
Lee was taken aback by Lumi's selfless act and blurted out, "W...why?"
With an awkward smile and her hand trembling, Lumi responded, "Aren't we comrades?"
The voice from the darkness whispered mockingly, "Boring..." and in the next moment, it lunged forward, making a series of slashing strikes toward Lumi and Lee. Lumi continued to shield her comrades, using her body as a barrier against the assailant's assault.
Elodie, tears streaming down her cheeks, watched in anguish as Lumi bore the brunt of the attacks, her heart aching for the selflessness she was witnessing.
Lee couldn't bear to see her comrades hurt any longer and raised her voice, pleading with both the concealed entity and Lumi to cease their hostilities. Amidst the chaos, the voice finally spoke, "Impressive... You intrigue me."
As the frenzied assault from the shadowy presence ceased, Lumi remained in her protective stance. Her outstretched hand continued to shield Lee and Elodie from any potential threats, covering blind spots that might endanger her comrades. In an effort to keep her composure, Lumi managed to muster a reassuring smile despite the agony she was enduring.
But as the intensity of the pain became unbearable, Lumi's strength waned. Her body gradually slumped, and she collapsed into Lee's arms, her hand brushing against Lee's as she did so. It was then that the full extent of the damage became apparent – her back was covered in bleeding wounds, and her shirt was torn apart by the relentless assault.
The gruesome sight struck Lee like a bolt of lightning, jolting even her stone-cold heart into a state of shock. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her stoic exterior crumbled in the face of the harrowing situation, joining Elodie's sobs of despair.
As the chilling laughter of the creature echoed in the darkness, it seemed like their dire situation was spiraling out of control. "Is that all you've got?" taunted the voice. "Come on, we've only just begun!"
In their moment of desperation, with Lumi's life hanging by a thread, she managed to muster the strength to whisper to Lee. She revealed her last resort, explaining how to access the status tab and upgrade her level.
As Lumi lay wounded and helpless, their situation felt like it was teetering on the brink of oblivion. This was their last chance, a desperate gamble on Lee's untapped potential.