Invincible, Until Proven Otherwise

Kade had felt invincible. The surge of power that came with his evolution left him exhilarated, his muscles thrumming with raw energy, his grip around the Morningstar light and effortless. He had never been this strong before—never felt the world bend beneath the weight of his movements.

And yet, that feeling was already unraveling.

The first sign was the unnatural stillness. The ruins had been quiet before, but not like this. No stray wretches prowling. No distant howls. Just… absence.

Kade had barely recovered from the rush of his newfound strength before the air around him shifted. It wasn't a sound. It wasn't movement. It was presence—a suffocating weight pressing down on his instincts, setting every nerve on fire.

He barely had time to react before something struck.

A blur of darkness, swift and silent, tore through the space where he had been standing. He twisted on reflex, narrowly avoiding the full brunt of the attack, but a searing pain ripped across his side as he was flung through the air. His body slammed into the remains of a crumbling storefront, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs.

What the hell was that?

He rolled onto his hands and knees, each movement sending a searing pain from his ribs as he fought to pull in air. His mind accelerated, his survival at stake.

Whatever it was, it was too fast to be a rendclaw... yet it was clearly stronger than one

His fingers tightened around the handle of his Morningstar, having not let go of it after being flung away. Wincing in pain, Kade struggled to his feet as scanned his surroundings in a panic!

Then, he saw it...

Low to the ground, muscles coiled like steel cables beneath its thick hide, shining in the moonlight. The bristled hairs on its skin resembled scales given their size. Even at a distance it was clear, it was covered in Riftsteel-infused hide, if you could even call it that. And that monster was... stalking him. A predator in every sense. It was massive, larger than any tiger he had ever seen—because that's what it had been. A beast of nature, twisted by resonance into something worse. He knew it was possible but it was his first time seeing a mutated beast.

It wasn't rushing him. It was waiting. Calculating.

Shit! As if it could get any worse!

This wasn't like the other mutants. It wasn't mindless. It wasn't just charging forward in a frenzy. It was hunting.

He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to push past the pain. He had to focus. Casting aside his pride from moments ago.

The thing prowled toward him, tail twitching, slitted eyes locked onto his every move, glowing In the dim light not simply reflecting from the moon but shining with raw resonance power.

Kade's grip tightened around his weapon. His first instinct was to run, but he knew better. If he turned his back, he wouldn't make it three steps. He had to fight—or at least, make it think he could fight.

The creature moved. Fast.

Kade barely had time to raise his Morningstar before its claws raked through the air, slamming into the weapon with enough force to send a shockwave through his arms. His boots skidded across the cracked pavement as he absorbed the impact, his muscles screaming. He swung in retaliation, aiming for its skull—

Too slow.

The monster twisted, dodging effortlessly, and lashed out.

Kade barely got his arm up in time. Claws scraped against his flesh, tearing deep, and he stumbled back, blood running hot down his sleeve.

He had fought plenty of monsters by now, but this was the first time he felt outmatched.

Think. Think, dammit!

He wasn't just fighting some mutant. He was fighting a predator. That meant it had instincts. It was fast. Unbelievably fast. His usual strategy of brute force wasn't going to work.

He needed an edge.

Kade's eyes flicked toward the ruins around him.

The collapsed buildings. The shattered infrastructure.

The environment itself.

It was risky. He barely had time to plan, but if he could bait the thing… maybe he could escape in the rubble!

The beast tensed. It saw his hesitation.

Kade had one last gamble. His fingers darted into his pocket, brushing past the cloth-wrapped Tier 2 core he had stashed away for emergencies. He had kept it there as a failsafe—something to fall back on if he ever needed a desperate surge of power, just like when he had first fought a Rendclaw.

With no other choice, he gripped the core and let the energy surge into him. It burned, searing through his veins like liquid fire, flooding his battered body with raw, untamed resonance. His muscles tensed, his senses sharpened—and the beast lunged again.

This time, it wasn't prepared.

Kade's speed exploded past its expectations, his movements breaking the rhythm of the battle in an instant. The monster's clawed paw came swiping toward him, but he didn't retreat. Instead, he planted his feet, forcing every ounce of energy into his legs to stabilize himself despite the deep wounds in his side. He roared through the pain and swung—every ounce of his raw power concentrated into the strike.

The Morningstar connected with a deafening crack, colliding directly with the beast's paw mid-swipe. The force behind it sent a tremor through the air, resonance rippling from the impact—

Then, the weapon shattered.

He didn't hesitate for a second, he knew that would only slow it down for a moment. Kade had nearly burnt his life away using the tier 2 core like that

It was suicide. He knew it was suicide.

The thing lunged after him.

But he wasn't just running. He was leading it.

The ruins of a parking structure loomed ahead—some of the rebar was exposed and the rusted metal had weakened its stability. One of its load-bearing pillars was already cracked, fractured from years of decay and whatever chaos had torn through the city.

If he could just—

He ducked low, twisting through the debris. The monster was right behind him, close enough that he could feel the heat of its breath. He had seconds.

He pushed himself. Harder. Faster.

And at the last moment—he pivoted.

The beast lunged.

Kade slid, kicking up dust

The crack of impact echoed like a gunshot when the beast landed its strike across the pillar

The weakened structure groaned.

The beast snarled as it twisted midair, but it was too late. The last remaining supports gave way, and the entire section of the building collapsed.

The crash was deafening. A cloud of dust and debris swallowed everything in a choking haze.

Kade scrambled back, coughing, his lungs burning as he staggered upright. His vision faltered, his body screaming at him, but he forced himself to stay standing. The pain in his ribs, dulled by adrenaline before, now roared to life—a sharp, suffocating pressure in his chest. He could feel the warmth of his own blood rising in his throat, threatening to choke him. His lung was punctured.

For a long moment, there was nothing.

Then—movement.

A growl rumbled from beneath the rubble.

His stomach twisted. You've got to be kidding me.

A clawed hand tore through the debris, shoving aside stone and twisted rebar. The monster was still alive. Wounded—but alive.

Kade cursed under his breath. He couldn't do this. Not like this.

His vision blurred for a second. His body was failing. The deep wounds. The sheer exertion. He wouldn't last another round.

Dammit.

His hand found his belt pouch. His fingers brushed against something smooth. The vial.

The Rift Merchant's so-called resonance restoration elixir.

Kade's lips pressed into a thin line. He didn't trust that bastard. Not one bit.

But he didn't have a choice.

With a shaking hand, he uncorked the vial and downed it.

It burned.

Not like alcohol. Not like anything he had ever drank before. It was alive—a surge of resonance slamming into his cells, repairing them, forcing his body back to full function. His wounds knitted together at an unnatural speed. Leaving them stronger than before.

His breath hitched as he coughed out the blood that had accumulated in his lungs.

This stuff... its actually working.

The monster snarled again, shaking off the last of the debris, its piercing eyes snapping to him once more.

Kade's mind screamed at him to fight, to finish this—but the rational part of him knew better.

He had barely survived. He wasn't ready.

He took a step back.

Then another.

The monster watched him, muscles twitching, waiting for his next move.

Then, slowly—almost fearfully—leaped back, inching slowly into the shadows, its glowing eyes still illuminated as its frame disappeared.

It was backing away, not because it was afraid.

Because it had lost too much of its advantage

Kade stood there for a long moment, heart pounding, his entire body drenched in sweat. He should have felt ashamed. Frustrated.

But all he felt was relief.

He turned and disappeared into the ruins as discretely as he could. Tonight had been a series of highest and lows. He had achieved tier 2, becoming a Riftforged that had fortified his flesh...but he had a net loss. He used up several tier 2 cores, and his Morningstar had been shattered. He was broke once again, only a single tier 2 core remained with a few dozen lowly tier 1 cores.

He tried to think of the positives, at least he had a few pounds of riftsteel, but the loss in profits hurt more than the pain he endured during that fight. Just the thought made him wince.

He had learned something tonight.

He wasn't the strongest—hell, he wasn't even close. He wasn't some hero, and tonight had proved it. But he sure as hell wasn't done. A new goal burned in his mind now: the next time he crossed paths with that overgrown tabby, he'd be the one wearing its hide as a leather jacket. He refused to take this loss lying down. And more than anything, he hated that the bastard had killed his vibe. Still… maybe he should be grateful. Getting drunk on his own power had nearly gotten him killed. His strength was mediocre at best, and the sooner he accepted that, the sooner he could fix it. That sobering realization lingered in his mind, casting a long shadow over him as he made his way back to the clubhouse.