Kurai broke through the final swath of leafy undergrowth, spear in hand, the weight of his latest kill still damp on his shoulder. The camp by the river came into view—only to reveal an unexpected standoff.
A handful of strangers—three men, filthy and streaked with grime—stood a short distance from Elias, Jace, Theo, and Aera. The intruders bore crude wooden spears, their designs so haphazard that it was a wonder they held together. Yet their posture was menacing, more so than any beast Kurai had encountered that day. They were human, after all, and humans had motive beyond raw instinct.
Elias, eyes narrowed and shoulders set, addressed them in a tense, clipped voice. "We don't care who you are," he said, words firm yet edged with caution. "We have nothing left to spare. If you want to stay, you'll have to wait for our leader."
The ringleader of the strangers was a blond man with sallow, sunken cheeks, whose pale eyes shone with an unsettling mix of greed and cunning. His two lackeys stood close behind, each gripping a spear as if prepared to thrust at any second. Blood and mud caked their clothes, indicating a trail of violence in their wake.
"Hey now," the blond man drawled, leaning forward in a mock-friendly gesture. "Like I said, we wouldn't want to do this the hard way. Just give us your points, nice and easy, and we'll leave you be. When we get back home…" He paused, flashing a smug grin. "…I'll make sure you're handsomely rewarded."
They took another step closer, and the tightening of their knuckles on the spear shafts did not go unnoticed. Aera, Jace, and Elias adjusted their own weapons, stone tips reflecting the weak sunlight. Their gear was obviously superior in craftsmanship, but Kurai knew skill, not the blade's edge, decided these encounters.
Behind them, Theo stood with perspiration beading on his forehead. His gaze darted to where his spear lay a few steps away, as if gauging whether he could grab it without provoking an immediate attack.
"Like I said," Elias repeated, voice dipped in unease, "we can't make any decisions yet. You'll have to wait. I'm sure we can… come to an arrangement." Blood dripped from the strangers' spears, and it was clear they had survived at others' expense. Could Elias and the others do the same if forced?
Kurai chose that moment to enter, stepping from the shadows with an implacable calm. He slowly set the slain prowler down, resting his spear beside it. The newcomers' eyes flicked to him, tension sparking anew. He felt a flicker of their wariness at his presence.
"Now," Kurai said in a measured tone, "who might the three of you be?"
Uncertainty flickered across the blond man's face. He gave Kurai a once-over, clearly sizing him up. "We're just a few folks trying to survive," he said in a vaguely conciliatory drawl. Then, more cautiously, "You must be the one they've been waiting for?"
Kurai said nothing, simply returning the man's stare with a level, unreadable gaze. Silence stretched, a chord of tension straining between them. Finally, the blond man made a small, annoyed sound under his breath.
"Tch… no matter. We'll try our luck elsewhere." He made a show of backing away in slow, deliberate steps—his two companions mirroring his movements. They kept their spears up, never letting their gazes leave Kurai and his group. Only when they reached the treeline did they turn and hasten into the foliage, quickly disappearing among the twisted vines.
A collective sigh escaped the camp.
"Gods," Theo muttered, blowing out the breath he'd been holding. "That was crazy. Thank goodness you came when you did, Kurai. I swear they were on the verge of attacking."
Kurai's expression stayed flat. He looked in the direction the trio had departed, brow furrowed in thought. "I'll go scout whether or not they're truly gone," he said sighing after a moment, turning back to retrieve the prowler corpse. Elias, Jace, Aera, and Theo watched as he slung it over his shoulder again with seemingly no effort.
"You sure?" Elias asked, caution bleeding into his voice. "They might not take kindly to you tracking them."
Kurai shrugged. "I'll be fine," he replied, voice clipped with certainty. "Prepare this kill in the meantime."
Elias opened his mouth to protest, but Kurai was already moving, heading toward the trees. With no further words, he slipped from sight, leaving the riverbank camp tense yet relieved. Their eyes lingered on the spot where the strangers had stood, minds still echoing with the threat that stained the air.
***
Not far from the river, the trio of ragged men trudged along a narrow path choked with vines. The one in front—the blond, squinting man the others called Mike—kept glancing around as though expecting an ambush at every turn. Behind him, his two companions muttered in frustration.
"Hey, Mike," the smaller man said, scowling. "Why'd you let them go? We could've taken them. That last guy probably had a mountain of points on him."
Mike didn't slow his pace. "Don't be stupid. That man was trouble. You saw how calm he was, anyone that calm in this nightmare is bad news.." He said with furrowing his brows. "We do need the points though. We'll circle back tonight, when they're sleeping. Fewer risks that way."
"Heh, I like the sound of that," the smaller man answered, cracking a grim smile.
They pushed through a patch of dense shrubs and into a small clearing. Several tall sticks jutted from the ground—markers or crude spikes, it was hard to tell. Mike halted, scanning the surroundings with wary eyes. "We'll wait for the other two here," he said. "Safer if we're all together."
The smaller man let out a huff of impatience. "What's taking them so long? They were supposed to scout that other side hours ago."
Mike frowned. Something in the stillness made his skin crawl. "Argus," he said, not bothering to look back, "go check."
Silence. Mike turned around, finding Argus was no longer at his shoulder. Instead, Argus stood about ten paces away, eyes bulging in shock. A blackish blade—spearlike, with caked blood—jutted through his forehead. Behind him, partially obscured by Argus's body, stood Kurai.
Mike only had time to register the horrific sight before Argus's corpse slumped to the ground, revealing the killer. Kurai's features were impassive, though a faint tension coiled in his posture.
"You—!" the smaller man roared, spear raised high. "Argus!" His eyes blazed with fury as he lunged headlong, ignoring Mike's shouted warning: "No, you idiot, wait!"
Too late. Kurai tore his spear free from Argus's skull in a single fluid motion. As the charging man closed in, Kurai pivoted, stepping aside with lethal grace. Then, in the same breath, he swept the chitin blade in a tight arc, decapitating his assailant in one savage blow. Blood sprayed the clearing, and the man's body collapsed in a boneless heap.
Gasping, Mike stumbled backward, eyes flicking from Argus's corpse to the newly headless man. His shock lasted only an instant before he steadied himself, brandishing his own crude spear. He was no stranger to violence, and though fear tightened his chest, he clutched at the chance to fight for survival.
***
"You have absorbed another creature's Aether. You have grown stronger. 30 points have been allocated."
"You have absorbed another creature's Aether. You have grown stronger. 10 points have been allocated."
Kurai's expression remained impassive, but inside he felt the Aether surging, spurred by the fresh kills. The brand on his hand seemed thrum with the points collected, and the magical energy was coursing through him like a wave. He twirled the spear lightly, adopting a balanced stance.
They clashed. Mike jabbed forward, surprisingly quick and refined, but not good enough for someone who had grown up practicing the art of the Naginata his whole life. Kurai parried, batting the spear aside, then lashed out in a riposte that sliced open Mike's forearm. The blond man hissed, stepping back. Blood ran freely down his arm, yet he refused to yield.
Snarling, Mike changed tactics, swiping horizontally in a bid to catch Kurai's torso. Kurai deftly ducked the blow, driving the butt of his spear into Mike's sternum. The man stumbled, gasping for air. In that moment of weakness, Kurai swung his spear around and stepped in with a single thrust straight to the heart.
Mike froze. Fast, way too fast, he thought. His wounded arm still clutching the spear. A look of realization flickered across his features before he slumped, spear tumbling from limp fingers.
Silence followed, heavy with finality. Kurai withdrew his weapon, letting the body crumple at his feet. Blood soaked the grass, pooling among the three corpses. He took a measured breath, exhaling slowly as the rush of Aether intensified in his veins.
For the last man, the leader, the System's reward felt more substantial, as though the man's Aether was richer:
"You have absorbed another creature's Aether. You have grown stronger. 60 points have been allocated."
A peculiar warmth seeped through Kurai's limbs, an uncanny wave of energy that heightened his senses. They had threatened him, threatened his camp, and now he felt the grim payoff of ending them. One more lesson in this world: the strong survive.
With a final glance at the bodies, Kurai wiped his spear clean on a scrap of cloth from Mike's tattered shirt. Then, slipping back into the jungle shadows, he started his return journey to the camp.
The day's hunts had netted more kills—and more points—than he'd anticipated. If there was any doubt that humans, too, might be part of this violent economy, it was definently gone now. And though he'd never asked for their blood, he felt no regret. They had chosen to ambush him, just as these three had planned to ambush his group moments earlier.
I suppose it's time I teach some basics to the others.. Kurai thought with some reluctance. I might as well have chosen absolute solitude again if I'm not gonna interact with them..