The giant metal doors loomed before us, their surface etched with intricate designs that seemed to twist and writhe in the dim light. As we approached, they began to slide open with a low, rumbling groan that I could feel in my bones.
"Not a creak but at least it's a sound I muttered, earning a confused look from Alexandra.
"What's with you and doors' sound?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
I shrugged, not really sure how to explain my newfound door obsession. "Just appreciating the finer things in life. You know, creaky hinges, ominous rumbling. The classics."
We stepped into a cavernous tunnel, the air thick with the scent of metal and something else—something wild. My enhanced senses picked up every detail: the faint echoes of distant machinery, the steady drip of water from unseen pipes, the subtle vibrations beneath our feet. It was overwhelming, a sensory overload that made my head spin.
"Welcome to the leaving tunnel," Alexandra announced with a flourish. "Pretty impressive, right?"
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. The scale of it all was overwhelming, especially compared to the cramped, crumbling tunnels of Section 3. This place was a testament to the power and resources of Section 2, a stark reminder of the vast gulf between our two worlds.
As we walked deeper into the tunnel, a massive train came into view. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen—sleek, metallic, and humming with barely contained energy. But what caught my attention were the cages built into each car, housing beasts of various sizes and shapes.
My eyes widened as I took in the sight. There were creatures that looked like they'd stepped right out of a nightmare—a wolf with six legs and glowing red eyes, a bird with metallic feathers and a beak that sparked with electricity...
"How... how does this even work?" I asked, my voice filled with a mixture of awe and confusion. "These beasts, they're powering the train?"
Kyle's eyes lit up at my question, a grin spreading across his face. "Exactly! It's a marvel of bioengineering and energy conversion. Each beast acts as a living battery, powering its own car. The energy siphoning system is incredibly efficient, much more so than the basic cages and syphons at our house."
He launched into a detailed explanation, using words I'd never heard before. Terms like "bioelectric conversion" and "synaptic energy transfer" flew over my head, but his enthusiasm was infectious.
"But how do they control it?" I pressed, genuinely curious. "I mean, these are wild beasts, right? How do you make them... cooperate?"
Kyle's expression turned serious. "That's the tricky part. It's a combination of behavioral conditioning and energy regulation. The beasts are trained to associate the energy drain with reward, and the system is designed to never take more than the beast can safely give."
As we boarded the train, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease. The beasts in their cages watched us with intelligent eyes, and I wondered if they truly understood what was happening to them.
The journey was smooth, almost unnaturally so. Kyle continued his impromptu lecture, pointing out various features of the train's design. "See those gauges there? They monitor the energy output of each beast. If one starts to flag, they can reroute power from the others to compensate. It's a beautifully balanced system."
I nodded, trying to take it all in. It was fascinating, but also a bit terrifying. The power we held over these creatures, the way we bent them to our will... it reminded me uncomfortably of the divide between Section 2 and Section 3.
"And what happens when they... run out of energy?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.
Kyle's enthusiasm dimmed slightly. "Well, that's the downside of the system. Eventually, all beasts burn out. When that happens, they're replaced."
The casual way he said it sent a chill down my spine, remembering my own year as a snake. I looked at the caged beasts with new eyes, wondering how long they had before they too were "replaced".
As we traveled, I noticed the subtle changes in the air—it was becoming fresher, carrying hints of vegetation and open spaces. My body tensed in anticipation, instincts I didn't know I had coming to the forefront.
Finally, the train began to slow. Alexandra stood, stretching like a cat waking from a nap. "Show time, kids. Remember, stick together and don't do anything stupid."
We disembarked and climbed a set of stairs that seemed to go on forever. At the top, another massive door blocked our path. This one opened from the ground up, revealing a sight that took my breath away.
We were in the middle of a dense forest, denser than the one right outside Section 3, I wondered how deep in the woods we where. Towering trees stretched as far as the eye could see, their canopy blocking out most of the perpetually gloomy sky. The air was thick with the scent of earth and growing things, so different from the artificial cleanliness of Section 2 or the grimy staleness of Section 3.
Other Devourers were emerging from similar exits scattered throughout the clearing, their weapons glinting in the dim light. The atmosphere was charged with a mix of excitement and tension.
"Welcome to the hunting grounds," Alexandra said, her voice low and thrumming with anticipation. "This is where we separate the real Devourers from the wannabes."
I gripped my new swords tighter. The hunger that had been a constant presence since my transformation surged to life, as if recognizing the proximity of potential prey.
As we stepped further into the forest, the door behind us began to close. The slow grinding of metal against earth felt terrifyingly final, like the sound of a cage being locked.
"Remember," Kyle said, his earlier excitement replaced by a serious demeanor, "out here, we're not at the top of the food chain. Stay alert, stay together, and for the love of all that's holy, don't try to take on anything bigger than you can handle."
We began our trek through the forest, moving cautiously between towering trees and dense underbrush. My enhanced senses were on high alert, picking up every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig. The forest was alive around us, teeming with unseen creatures.
As we walked, Alexandra pointed out various plants and their properties. "See that purple flower? Its pollen can cause hallucinations if inhaled."
I absorbed the information, marveling at how much there was to learn about this new world. In Section 3, our knowledge of plants was limited to "edible" and "not edible." This level of detail was mind-boggling.
We had been walking for about an hour when Kyle held up a hand, signaling us to stop. He crouched down, examining something on the forest floor.
"Beast tracks," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Fresh ones. Something big passed through here not too long ago."
My pulse quickened, a mix of fear and excitement coursing through me. This was it—my first real hunt (well beast hunt but you get it).
We continued on, moving more slowly now, our senses straining for any sign of our prey. The forest seemed to close in around us, the shadows deepening, the air growing thicker.
That's when I felt it. A vibration in the ground, so faint that I might have missed it if not for my enhanced senses, I squinted at the spot where I had felt it my eyes zooming in onto the spot and then I saw them.
"Guys," I said, my voice low and tense, "I think there's something out there. Big. Maybe... five meters long? Golden, like ants, but huge. A whole cluster of them."
Kyle's eyes widened, a mix of excitement and caution in his expression. "Myrmekes," he breathed. "Giant ants. If they're only five meters long, they're probably all feral rank. Very manageable if we're careful."
Alexandra grinned, her hand already on her weapon. "Well, well. Looks like we've found your first hunt. Ready to put those new swords to use, Aell?"
I nodded, tightening my grip on my blades. The hunger inside me roared to life, urging me forward.
"Remember," Kyle said, his voice serious, "these things might be feral rank, but they're still deadly. They hunt in packs and they're strong as hell, and their cooperation is of the charts, some can also shoot venom from their mandibles so watch out for that."
We moved forward cautiously, following the vibrations I was sensing. As we crept through the underbrush, I caught my first glimpse of our prey.
They were magnificent and terrifying in equal measure. Golden exoskeletons gleamed in the dim light, each segment perfectly formed and larger than a car. Massive mandibles clicked together, capable of crushing bone with ease. And their eyes—compound orbs that seemed to reflect the world in a thousand fractured pieces.
"Holy shit," I whispered, unable to tear my gaze away from the creatures.
Alexandra nodded, her eyes gleaming with a predatory light. "Beautiful, aren't they? Now, let's see if you can take one down, Aell."