Chapter 6
The news concerning the sudden appearance of Damon Azai Lazarus biological but estranged son, Dane, was received with mixed emotion considering only 4 Lazarus Elders were there to personally see and meet the young man; even with the test, it was a positive match. The remaining eight Elders were hesitant to fully embrace Dane, unsure of his intentions and whether he would truly honor the Lazarus legacy. Despite their reservations, they knew they had to give him a chance to prove himself and earn his place within the family.
And the first thing they did was to test his legacy when it comes to surviving the harsh world they are now living in. he knew this would happen; that is the way he made sure he was prepared. The Lazarus initiation was simple. Dane just needs to pass three tests.
The first was to hunt; the second was to fight. The third was to gain true freedom.
Many Lazarus members passed the first and second tests, but as for the third, it was hard to obtain true freedom, as the word still moves within the law of interpersonal connections and societal expectations. Despite the challenges, the Lazarus patriarch and matriarch both believed that true freedom was achievable for those who were willing to break free from conventional norms and forge their own path, relaying on what social standards were deemed acceptable. They encouraged their members to think outside the box and challenge the status quo in order to truly experience freedom.
Emmit facilitated these tests and even gave Dane a leeway to explore unconventional paths in order to find his own path. The first test was monitored by his relatives, who were registered players. Many came to watch how a city person can hunt in the wild. Ten Lazarus players came to watch Dane. Mary Kay was the first to support him, eager to see what he could do. They distanced themselves about a hundred meters enough to watch and cheer him on without interfering.
As Dane navigated through the wilderness, he surprised everyone with his resourcefulness and skill, proving that city folk can indeed thrive in the wild. He was able to trace a wild boar; many of his relatives were also stunned to see him move; some think he just got lucky seeing the boars tracks in the ground, but they were unaware that Dane was more skilled than them as he hunted with their parents when he was younger than them.
Everyone observing him was still his niece and his nephews. The idea that Dane created was taxing at the most, knowing he had vastly more experience than them, but the fact remains that he just has to see them as his cousins now. Many notice that Dane was light-footed; he hard-created any noise; his movements were so stealthy that even the most experienced hunters couldn't detect him. His ability to move silently through the forest was a skill that had been honed over years of practice and observation.
The lazarus land was dense, and the terrain was geographically challenging; hills and mounds were scattered throughout, making it difficult to navigate for those unfamiliar with the area. He was nearing his target. It was a young wild boar Dane crawling under a tree and used the strong wind to move as the leaves and shrubs sway in the wind's direction, making it easier for him to approach without being noticed. As he inched closer, his heart raced with anticipation of a successful hunt.
He was about to get near the resting boar; Dane was nearly at a string distance, but recklessly stabbing the target could still alert the prey, a wild animal born with high survival instinct, and even the fastest strike can still miss its mark. Dane wanted to get his hunting knife near its body and stab it once and for all, ensuring a clean and quick kill. With one swift motion, he lunged forward, aiming for the boar's vital part. When a huge gaping mouth lunges toward the boar and bites its body in half. The 80 cm tall at the shoulder was instantly killed; the scrub was protecting Dane's presence, and he knew how to remove his smell as the wind was blowing at his back, allowing him to approach the boar undetected.
As he wated and cautiously moved his arm away from whatever killed the boar, Dane noticed a faint rustling in the bushes nearby. He quickly scanned his surroundings, ready to defend himself against any potential threats that may have been drawn by the commotion of the kill. After a few tense moments, he realized it was just a curious squirrel investigating the scene before scurrying away. But Dane was not putting his guard down. Whatever it might be, he assumed it was fast and agile. Dane recalled the moment the board died.
Dane rewinded every moment and recall its yellowist eyes and long tongues; he was not taking any chances with whatever was lurking in the bushes. He remained alert, gripping his weapon tightly as he continued to scan the area for any signs of movement. The adrenaline from the hunt still coursing through his veins, Dane knew he couldn't afford to let his guard down just yet.
Anocaondas are the usual enemies of young boars in the wild, known for their stealth and ability to strike quickly. But the foul odor Dane was smelling was unknown to him; it was acidic and made his eyes water. No earth snake could produce such a pungent smell. Dane now assumes it might be a chaos animal. His mana was above normal players, but he hasn't acquired any Grimoire spell books. This was one of the laws in the virtual game of Arcane Crusade: a player might have a vast mana pool, but without these requirements, he can't even create a spark.
And buying Grimoire spell books costs a lot of experience points, and the only place to buy or find lost books is inside the tower, where only the most skilled and daring players dare to venture. Dane is now forced to use his primary weapon, but he was still in the process of the Lazarus test; they might see this as cheating, and Dane knows not all of his relatives had fully accepted him as one of their own.
But his thought process was in overdrive; he either used his ability to escape or tried killing whatever took his prey; chances are it might be a reticulated python that was big enough to swallow him whole. The wild forest scrub he was in was vast and concentrated in biodiversity, making it difficult to predict what dangers lurked around every corner. Dane knew this was an unforgiving environment.
The feeling wasn't the same. The chaos tower residual energy made all of the non-edable vegetation on earth more vibrant and alive but also added an eerie sense of foreboding to the already dense atmosphere. It was rather an unexpected turn, as mankind had never experienced such a strange phenomenon before. The combination of increased vitality and ominous energy created a lot of questions about whether it would change the planet's ecosystem for better or for worse.
Finally, there was movement, but it was not as expected; he assumed the creature would slither on the ground, but a tall shadow emerged from the dense foliage. A huge head of a goat poked its huge head. Its mouth was roughly around a foot wide as it took a bite at the scbub in front of it with ease. But there was a sound that was different from what hwas expectingng to hear from a goat.
It was a deep, guttural growl. Danes heart raced as he realized this was no ordinary goat but a mythical creature he had only heard of in stories. Its eyes glowed with an otherworldly intensity, and he knew he was face-to-face with a creature that defied all logic and reason. It was a creature he and other game designers created in the game; it was a level 35 Chimera.
This monster was the first creature he and his former programmers and developers had brought to life in their virtual world. Of Arcane Crusade, it was the first time Dane watched his creation walk and move in his world. It was a breath-taking experience; if his fellow designers were still alive today to see their creation, they would scream for joy seeing their imagination really come to life.
But unfortunately, they had all unnecessarily passed away for different reasons and circumstances, and in an accident before the game, the pinnacle of their success stood. Despite the tragedy, Dane was determined to honor their memory by continuing to expand and improve upon the virtual world until his own death; they had all worked so hard to create it. . Dane felt a mix of pride and sadness as he faced the Chimera, knowing that his team's legacy lived on in their creation.
But soon the realization sent a shiver down his spine as he tried to comprehend the implications of its existence on the planet's delicate balance. Dane could not believe that the creature he helped program and develop could have killed another living being, as he saw it was filled with wounds and was leamping as if it just escaped from getting killed. Dane knew this very well, as players were tasked to kill these creatures and harvest their material for upgrading their weapons, armor, experience points, and leveling up their power.
Now Dane questioned why and how this creature escaped the tower, where it was meant to be contained and controlled. He wondered if there were others out there, posing a threat to not only the game world but potentially the real world as well. The implications of this breach were terrifying, and Dane knew he had to find proper answers, and the first person that came to mind was Mary Kay.
If there was a person who could give him advice, it was her, but one problem at a time: hiding under a scrub won't last long, and the huge monster was standing in front of him; if it decides to step forward and stop its huge feet on the scrub, he will get a crush. Dane took a deep breath, knowing he had to act quickly. He had to confront the monster before it was too late.
Dane quickly stood and rolled backward, muscles coiling like springs, before he landed deftly on his feet. His heart raced; adrenaline coursed through his veins as he crouched low, eyes locked onto the grotesque figure looming ahead. The five-foot-tall chimera was an abomination crafted from nightmares; its body was a patchwork of feral beasts, crowned with a lion's head that roared ominously while its goat visage sneered malevolently. A serpentine tail writhed behind it, flicking menacingly as it readied itself to unleash its venomous attack.
Summoning his weapons with practiced precision, Dane gripped his gun tightly in one hand while drawing his mother's sword with the other. It was more than just steel; it was a legacy imbued with memories of her laughter during quieter times—the warmth of family long lost amidst war-torn landscapes. He activated his firearm's armor feature, piecing together bullets that hummed softly against each other before integrating seamlessly into their chambers. A suppressor slid into place; silence would be vital if he hoped to outmaneuver this creature.
The chimera sensed him now, its eyes gleaming with predatory malice as it lunged forward. Without hesitation, Dane dashed to the side, instincts honed by years of combat training guiding him through perilous encounters like shadows dancing between light and dark.
"Time to even the odds," he muttered under his breath.
He opened fire at the goat head first bullets whizzing through the air like shooting stars streaking towards their inevitable end. Each shot struck true against hardened flesh until cracks spiderwebbed across its surface; flammable liquid began oozing from ruptured glands beneath its fur, a treacherous resource that could ignite catastrophe if ignited properly.
Dane's mind raced back to whispered tales shared around flickering campfires about how chimerae had once been feared guardians turned into harbingers of destruction due to mankind's own recklessness, a cycle repeating itself throughout history.
The lion head bellowed angrily now, unleashing a torrent of flames toward him—a desperate attempt for vengeance fueled by pain and rage—but Dane twisted away just in time; heat seared past him like an angry windstorm. He felt it singe strands from his hair but pressed onward undeterred.
Using momentum gained from evasion combined with fierce resolve borne from loss and desperation for survival, he lunged forward again! With all might behind him, the blade glinted ominously as he swung at the goat head once more.
But wait! A sharp hiss cut through adrenaline-fueled focus, the snaketail lashed out viciously! Poison dripped dangerously close as he ducked instinctively; instincts honed over years forced reflexes alive within him, alluding to danger even when logic screamed otherwise!
With sheer grit driving him forward despite exhaustion threatening fatigue deep inside bones aching beneath skin tautened by strain, Dane executed intricate footwork while simultaneously attacking and defending himself against dual threats bearing down upon him relentlessly!
"Focus!" he shouted internally to quell rising panic clawing at edges where fear lurked hungrily, waiting for weakness to exploit...
A counterattack came swiftly: dodging another spray of poison aimed directly at his torso! He pivoted gracefully on one foot before slashing upward fiercely toward the exposed throat underneath leathery scales, where flesh met sinew—a vulnerability too tempting not to exploit!
The sword sang through the air, meeting flesh; it pierced deeply enough, sending shockwaves rippling throughout its being, causing both heads to be momentarily disoriented, allowing precious seconds for more accurate hits.
Danes gun was modified to supernaturally reload rapidly, aiming again carefully distancing himself as the creature felt the pain of his initial attack, yet again with renewed purpose, surged forth pulling trigger fast, releasing round after round targeting goat face mercilessly untifinally... Dane moved all over the dense forest, using the terrain to his advantage. With each strike of the woundedChimera,a the trees stood in itsway,y and this gave Dane enough cover to continue his strategic movements and plan his next attack. With each calculated shot, Dane was able to chip away at the creature's strength, slowly but surely gaining the upper hand in the intense battle.
Dane's cousin saw his performance, and Mary Kay was filled with joy seeing Dane was actually very skilled in figthing. Dane's four strongest elatives could not believe their eyes as Dane's tactics proved to be effective against the formidable Chimera. As the battle raged on, Dane's cousin and Mary Kay cheered him on, providing moral support as he bravely faced the dangerous creature.
It exploded spectacularly; the lionhead was still alive as it became more ferocious than ever. The chimera was having difficulty moving as the dead goat head was making it hard to move as it continued to bleed out. But there was no time for celebration yet, for now the weakened state unveiled a snake tail poised ready to spring forth, delivering the final blow, unless Dane quick decisions followed suit accordingly!
He waited for that moment as the chimera launched its desperate attack, but Dane was prepared. With a swift movement, he dodged the snake tail, and swiftly he dashed in a crouching position and ran under the snake's attack. With a circular nation, he swung his katana and used his momentum to deliver a powerful Crescent strike coming from the bottom, going up in rapid force, and used his entire body to follow through with the strike, slicing through the chimera's snake tail with precision. The creature let out a deafening roar as the snake tail fell to the ground.
And with his response being agile and precise, the chimera's movements slowed as it struggled to regain its balance. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he swiftly maneuvered along side the creature and delivered a stabbing slice and instantaneously forced the nozzle of his late father's armor piecing gun into the wound and released continues gunshots to its vulnerable spot, ending the battle with a victorious and brutal strike.
Those who saw his action were left breathless. Dane was beyond skilled. His expertise in combat seemed to be unmatched even for those who were players in his family, leaving his cousin in awe of his abilities. The chimera lay defeated at his feet, a testament to Dane's mastery of the battlefield.
When Uncle Emmit and Aunt Addison came into the scene and spoke.
"like father and son!"
"Y'all saw that right, that's the son of the most skilled hunter in our generation; his late father was unmatched when it comes to hunting and combat."
"Dane got his father's skill; he might even be better than Damon."
"His clam demeanor is much scarier now, seeing what he is capable of doing."
Uncle Emmit and Aunt Addison beamed with pride as they watched Dane's impressive display. They knew that the legacy of hunting and combat prowess in their family was safe in his hands.