Miles froze, his back pressed against the wall as the scream echoed through the night, sharp and raw with desperation. His breath hitched, his heart pounding like a war drum in his chest.
He knew that voice.
"Is that…?" His whisper was barely audible, the words catching in his throat.
The faint light of the Safe Zone hologram bathed his surroundings in a ghostly green glow, but the comfort it offered moments ago was gone, replaced by an icy claw of worry that crept up Miles' spine.
The scream came again, and this time, a more solid flicker of recognition sparked in his mind. It was distant, muffled, but unmistakable.
"It can't be you…" he whispered, the thought tugging at him like a thread unraveling in his mind.
He moved before his mind could coalesce any idea or plan.
He slipped out of the building's shadow, keeping low as he almost crawled toward the source of the sound, moving as fast as he could. The sharp crunch of rubble underfoot made him wince, his ears straining for any sign of movement.
The faint glow of the Safe Zone began to fade as he moved farther from the entrance, swallowed by the moonlit night. His surroundings blurred together as another scream pierced the night. Broken walls, collapsed structures, and jagged shadows cast by distant monsters illuminated by flickering fires.
'Okay, I guess I'll have to check it out before going home, then…' Miles thought, opening the system windows again.
As they popped up, he dismissed the unnecessary ones, and left only those that interested him in the moment.
[Inventory: Scorching Rune; Harbinger's Scythe; Ether Teapot; Cheshire's Gleam; Desert Rain; Mad Hatter's Hat; Mad Hatter's Mantle; Ender's Mask; Wonderland's Key; Clockwork Rabbit's Piece – Gear; Clockwork Rabbit's Piece – Core; Clockwork Rabbit's Essence]
[Synergy: Wonderland Madness; God Hunter]
Miles scanned each and every item in his inventory, recalling the descriptions of those he already analyzed before, like the [Scorching Rune] and the [Cheshire's Gleam].
The [Ether Teapot] drew his attention, but he thought better of it.
'Yeah, the description says that its effects might be bad, and I can't afford to be incapacitated before finding out what's going on.' He kept scanning the other items, but none seemed useful, so he decided to check their descriptions later.
The synergies, though… Just by reading their names, Miles felt a light of promise in his heart.
'Okay, let's do this!'
[Wonderland Madness]
[Synergy Description: While wearing – Mad Hatter's Hat – and – Mad Hatter's Mantle – along with – Ender's Mask – both of player's stats and level will be doubled]
Miles gasped as quietly as he could, swallowing a yelp as the perspective of going all the way to level 40 just by wearing a few pieces of equipment – even though he did not know their grade yet.
He might just be able to fight a few Beasts if push came to shove. But there was one more synergy to look into, and Miles had no time to dwell in fantasies.
[God Hunter]
[Synergy Description: The player is capable of dealing damage to entities of the rank – Deity – and – God]
'What in the major fuck?' Miles' eyes widened as he bit his fingers, swallowing a curse.
One more scream, and Miles was on his feet before he could even think, the sudden wave of panic overriding the curiosity and the shiver that terms like [Deity] and [God] sent down his spine. He scanned the darkness, his heightened perception stat catching faint movement through the cracks of a nearby building.
'Well, it's time to one-up the game, then.' Ignoring the ominous fear of attracting the monsters that crawled up his skin, he summoned Mad Hatter's paraments, along with [Ender's Mask], being swallowed by a storm of black sparks.
Soon after, he was covered by [Mad Hatter's Mantle], already intact, as though it had not been shredded by the White Rabbit's claws. Atop his head, [Mad Hatter's Hat] appeared elegantly, and not long after that, his face was covered by the ominous mask.
The effect was instantaneous, and Miles' knees buckled as soon as the torrent of sensory information that flooded his mind.
'Okay… Focus… One thing at a time…' Miles huffed, trying to get accustomed to his unnaturally heightened perception.
One by one, Miles dismissed all the unnecessary information, though it felt like it took way longer than he wanted. The sounds of monsters' hordes in the distance, the crackling of nearby fires, the dripping of water somewhere in his surroundings. Little by little, everything faded away, leaving only ragged, shallow gasps, and the growls of…
'Oh shit…' Miles sprinted towards where the sound seemed to come from, ignoring the cars and piles of rubble that impeded his way. And as soon as he arrived before a dark alley, he saw it.
A figure was there. Small, trembling, barely illuminated by the faint moonlight.
Miles' pulse quickened. He recognized the silhouette instantly.
"No…" The word slipped from his lips underneath his mask, panic lacing his voice. He surged forward, the [Harbinger's Scythe] materializing in his hands with a low hum as if sensing his intent.
From the shadows beyond the figure, glowing green eyes emerged, one by one, piercing through the dark like radioactive gems. The monstrosities he'd seen earlier were here.
The monstrosities' elongated limbs jerked forward unnaturally, with deliberate, predatory grace, almost like they were puppets whose strings had been cut off by their puppeteer. Their claws dragging against the concrete with an ear-splitting screech. Their glowing green eyes didn't blink, as though locked onto their prey with an almost mechanical focus.
The figure screamed again, a sound of pure terror as one of the monstrosities stepped on their leg. The sound jolted Miles into action.
Dashing forward, Miles drew a wide horizontal arc toward the monstrosities, hoping to, if not hit them directly, at least put some distance between them and the figure on the floor.
"Diego, are you okay?" Miles shouted as soon as the creatures stepped backwards, looking like they were about to stumble backwards.
The teenager did not respond, crying and hugging his broken leg. He had bruises and deep cuts all over his body, his tattered clothes soaked with his blood.
The monstrous enemies, however, did not fall backward like Miles thought. Instead, with a movement that resembled that of marionettes to a frightening degree, they stopped moving, balancing on the tip of one of their wooden legs, and turning their torsos in an unnatural angle, their eyes now locking onto Miles.
He looked from the teenager, Diego, to the creatures and the faint orange names atop their disfigures, skull-like heads.
[Fallen Puppet – Level 38]
"Oh, boy… You've done it, now…" Miles snarled, taking a step forward.
With a muffled roar, he rushed forward as the creatures moved again, closed in.