Mishmash

Duke took a deep breath, his finger tightening around the trigger. The third man, the last of his foes, stood just a few feet away, his weapon still smoking from the previous shots. The fog had cleared, and the two men faced off in a silent understanding - only one would walk away from this confrontation.

Duke remembered there was still other skills he was yet to utilize. The thought of going back to use Eagle Eye skill, came across his mind but he brushed it off. It was very useful and it made things easy for him. But at the moment, Duke knew it wouldn't be much help.

Duke's eyes scanned his available skills, his mind racing with strategy. EMP Blast and Bullet Time were his remaining options, and either one could be the game-changer he needed. But he had to focus - he needed a clear shot to make it count.

After giving it a brief thought, Duke decided it was best to face his opponent.

With a swift motion, Duke sprang from his cover, gun raised and ready to fire. The third man reacted just as quickly, their weapons locking in a deadly stare-down...

"Who sent you?" Duke decided to ask. If he was going to get killed there and now, he at least deserved to know by whom. And if he was gonna be the one to kill the guy, he should know the people to look out for.

"That's left for me to know…"

Duke's eyes narrowed into a piercing stare. "Who. Sent. You?" He repeated, his voice low and even.

The man chuckled, taking a step closer. "Let's just say an old acquaintance."

Duke's grip on his gun tightened, but the man's next word caught him off guard.

"You know what? Let's finish this man to man. Let's see what a gamer can do without a controller or a weapon. Just flesh and blood."

"Right," Duke mumbled to himself. He was starting to forget the game he was playing, had unexpectedly brought him into the mess he was.

"Let's see what you got, Dukie" The man continues to taunt. "See if you're a real man or not. We both lower our guns slowly… and face off the traditional way. Deal?"

Duke hesitated, this wasn't a game anymore; this was real life. With people after his life and now he suddenly wanted to go the traditional way after shooting at him aimlessly, a while back?

"Deal" Duke consented, with a firm voice. The two men lowered their guns, their eyes locked in a fierce stare. Duke slowly put down both weapons he had acquired from the men he took down, and his opponent did the same.

After disarming, they kicked both weapons to the side, and slowly stood up.

"If I must let you know, I am a militant." Duke's opponent grinned, confident in his combat skills. With the thought that he had a better advantage in the fight, and expecting Duke to back down.

But Duke mirrored his grin instead. "It sucks to be you." Duke lets out his voice dripping with sarcasm.

And in a swift motion, he pulled out his hand sized gun, which he had collected from Ryker, and shot his opponent twice in the chest.

His opponent's eyes widened in shock, his grin faltering. He stumbled back, struggling to breathe, and grasped his chest with one hand while pointing an accusing finger at Duke with the other. "You cheated!" he rasped, his voice weak and fading. But before Duke could respond, the man collapsed to the ground, his body still.

"And coming with companions to kill me was fair, huh?" Duke bit back, but the man was beyond answering, his life slipping away.

Duke tossed Ryker's gun aside, knowing it was empty. He had fired three shots, but only two had hit their mark.

Duke walked over to retrieve the guns he had kicked aside earlier, his eyes scanning the ground for any sign of a remaining bullet. He then approached the military man's gun, hoping to find a spare round. But as he picked it up, he felt a sense of confirmation - the gun was empty, just as he had suspected.

It all made sense now. The militant's sudden desire to "go traditional" was a desperate attempt to even the odds, knowing he was out of ammunition. Duke's instincts had been right; his opponent had been trying to gain an advantage by switching to hand-to-hand combat.

Without wanting to waste any more time, Duke headed for the exit. He stops abruptly, realizing he has no way of knowing if it is safe to go out or not. Duke suddenly remembered there were other points listed from the viewpoint he had yet to try out.

As Duke mused over the options on the screen again, he decided the X-ray vision might come in handy this time around, and so he activated it.

Immediately it got activated, everything turned see through to Duke. He could see through the door that there was no one lurking around, and so he exited the room. Duke tried his best to be as fast as he could, not wanting the timer to go off on him again, especially when it came to a moment he would need it.

Duke smiled to himself as he approached the net, his X-ray vision still active.

Tyler Truly was a genius, Duke mused. He could see the men's frantic movements, their desperation to escape. He knew he had the upper hand and there wouldn't be much hassle in tackling these men.

Without hesitation, Duke pulled out his gun and aimed at the men trapped in the net. He fired precise shots, carefully avoiding the net itself to prevent any ripples or alerts. One by one, the men slumped, dead, their struggles ceasing as they hung lifeless in the net.

Blood dripped down the net as Duke walked past.

[One Minute left] The time reminded him.

As Duke made his way out of the building and into the car park, he noticed two cars parked in a bizarre manner. Just as he wondered if he had more adversaries to tackle, two men emerged from their hiding place. A notification popped up:

[An enemy ability user of the Tierany system has been detected.]

They morphed into inhumane creatures, with claws on one leg and arm and hands with swords on the other.

Duke's eyes widened. "What the fuck?!" he exclaimed, marveling at the two men, or rather, the mutated creatures.

They charged toward Duke with an eerie screech. Duke pulled out his gun and aimed at them immediately. But as he fired, he realized that his bullets were having little effect. The creatures were too fast and too agile, they seemed to be absorbing the impact of the bullet.

"This is how am going to die." Duke gave up as they inched closer, with their claws and swords raised to strike Duke.

But as they were about to strike, the creatures burst apart, their flesh and blood scattering everywhere, including on Duke's face.

"Well," A voice spoke behind Duke, and he turned immediately to face the person. His gaze landed on Dominique, who was puffing out smoke from his blunt. Dominique turned to Duke with a sly smirk.

"Aren't they Dumb?"