Kael Arden gripped the rusted pipe so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His breath came in shallow gasps as he stared into the swirling darkness of the Necrostorm, his eyes locked on the massive figure emerging from the horizon.
It stood at least twice the height of the settlement walls, its grotesque frame silhouetted against the storm's violent flashes of green lightning. Steam hissed from vents along its body, and faint blue lights glowed from within its chest, casting eerie shadows on the ash-covered ground.
Kael's HUD pinged repeatedly, each notification more unnerving than the last:
[Wave 3 Hostile Identified: Colossus (Tier 4).
Threat Level: Extreme. Recommended Action: Evade or Defend at Maximum Capacity.]
"Evade?" Kael muttered, his voice dry and hoarse. "Where exactly do you think I'm going to run?"
The ground trembled with each step the Colossus took, its heavy limbs crunching through the debris-strewn wasteland. Behind it, smaller figures moved like shadows—lesser beasts drawn to the storm's chaos, eager to scavenge whatever scraps the Colossus left behind.
Kael tore his gaze away from the monstrosity and sprinted down the spiral staircase, his mind racing. His base might have survived the first two waves, but this thing was in a different league. The walls wouldn't hold.
Not without drastic action.
Kael hit the ground floor running, his boots echoing against the steel floors as he made his way to the workshop. He skidded to a stop in front of the workbench, his hands flying to the system interface hovering in front of him.
"System," he panted, "give me options. Anything that'll keep that thing from flattening this place."
The HUD flickered, processing his request before presenting a list of available actions:
[Available Options:
Deploy Reinforced Wall Upgrade – Strengthen existing perimeter walls.
Cost: 8 Steel, 5 Wood.
Effect: Boosts durability by 50%.
Construct Ballista Turret – Long-range defense weapon.
Cost: 10 Steel, 3 Wood, 1 Wire Coil.
Effect: High-impact projectiles; effective against large targets.
Trigger Perimeter Self-Destruct – Sacrifice walls to deal massive area damage.
Cost: All remaining resources.
Effect: Wipes out current wave but leaves the base defenseless.]
Kael's stomach churned as he read the last option. Destroying the walls might buy him time, but it would leave him with nothing but rubble.
"That's not happening," he muttered, selecting the second option instead.
[Ballista Turret Construction Initiated. Time to Completion: 2 Minutes.]
Kael moved to the nearest supply shelf, grabbing steel beams and wire coils. His fingers trembled as he worked alongside the system, following its precise assembly instructions. The ballista began to take shape—a massive, mechanical weapon mounted on a rotating base.
Before the turret was fully operational, the first of the lesser beasts reached the settlement.
Kael heard the guttural snarls and the scrape of claws against steel as he bolted to the nearest window. A pack of mutated hounds—twice the size of normal wolves—circled the base, their glowing eyes scanning for weak points.
The automated turrets opened fire, their bullets tearing through flesh and bone, but the beasts were fast. One of them lunged at the north gate, its claws raking deep gouges into the steel.
Kael cursed under his breath, sprinting toward the gate controls. He slammed his hand against the emergency lockdown button, and heavy reinforcements slid into place, sealing the entrance.
[North Gate Integrity: 72%.]
"That's not going to hold for long," Kael muttered.
The ground shook violently as the Colossus drew closer. Kael risked a glance toward the horizon and felt his blood turn to ice. The creature had breached the perimeter of his territory, its massive frame now fully illuminated by the floodlights.
Its body was a grotesque fusion of flesh and machinery, with jagged metal plates fused to its arms and legs. Blue energy crackled along its spine, and its head was an amalgamation of bone and steel, its glowing eyes fixed on the settlement.
[Deploying the Ballista]
A chime from the system drew Kael's attention.
[Ballista Turret Complete. Assign Target.]
Kael didn't hesitate. He climbed to the second floor of the main building, positioning himself behind the newly constructed turret. The weapon was massive, its steel frame reinforced with thick brackets and gears. A single, oversized bolt was loaded into its chamber, the tip glowing faintly with energy.
"Let's see how tough you really are," Kael said, locking the turret onto the Colossus.
The ballista fired with a deafening thunk, the bolt cutting through the air like a streak of light. It struck the Colossus in the chest, embedding itself deep within the creature's glowing core.
The Colossus roared, its massive frame convulsing as arcs of blue energy crackled across its body. Kael's HUD flashed with an update:
[Critical Hit. Target Core Stability: 65%.]
Kael grinned despite himself. "So you can bleed."
The Colossus wasn't finished.
With a guttural roar, it raised one massive arm and brought it down against the south wall. The impact sent shockwaves through the base, knocking Kael off his feet and triggering another system alert:
[South Wall Integrity: 38%. Immediate Action Required.]
Kael scrambled to his feet, his mind racing. He activated the Emergency Barricade ability, and a shimmering wall of reinforced steel materialized in front of the damaged section. The Colossus struck again, but the barricade held—for now.
Meanwhile, the mutated hounds continued their assault, clawing at the east and west walls. Kael's automated turrets worked overtime, cutting them down one by one, but the relentless waves were taking their toll.
Kael sprinted back to the workshop, grabbing a fuel canister and loading it into the generator. The system chimed with another alert:
[Power Levels Stabilized. All Systems Operational.]
Kael returned to the ballista, loading another bolt into the chamber. The Colossus was weakening, its movements slower and more erratic as blue energy leaked from its chest.
He fired again, the second bolt piercing the creature's left leg. The Colossus stumbled, its massive frame collapsing onto one knee.
"Come on," Kael muttered, sweat dripping down his face. "Just a little more."
The Colossus roared one last time, raising both arms for a final, desperate strike. Kael activated the ballista, firing a third bolt directly into its core.
The impact was devastating. The Colossus's chest exploded in a blinding flash of blue light, sending shards of metal and bone flying in all directions. The ground shook violently as the creature collapsed, its massive frame crumpling into the ash-covered earth.
The system chimed:
[Threat Neutralized: Colossus (Tier 4). Reward: 50 Resource Units.]
Kael collapsed against the ballista, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. His arms ached, his legs felt like jelly, and his vision swam from exhaustion.
The base was in shambles. The south wall was barely standing, and several sections of the perimeter were marked in red on his HUD, indicating critical damage.
But he'd survived.
The Necrostorm began to dissipate, the green-black clouds thinning as the storm's unnatural energy faded. The wasteland fell silent once more, save for the faint hum of the generator and the crackle of distant fires.
Kael stared at the wreckage of the Colossus, his mind racing with questions. How had he ended up here? What was the system, really? And most importantly, what else was out there?
As the first light of dawn broke over the horizon, Kael rose to his feet, his resolve hardening.
If this world wanted to break him, it would have to try a hell of a lot harder.