The Caged Wolf
The military vehicle rumbled forward, kicking up a trail of dust as it tore through the barren outskirts of Hollowshard Pass. Aircrafts loomed over head matching the speed of their speed, but to Kael they looked motionless, like glitches in the sky. The reinforced plating of the transport made the inside feel like a prison on wheels, a metal coffin shuttling him toward his execution.
Kael sat in the dim compartment, locked in cold steel restraints. His wrists were cuffed by thick metal links pulling tight against his skin. From there, chains snaked down to his ankles, preventing any meaningful movement.
'The weight of this chain is unbearable,' he thought.
The air was shifting, thick with the scent of old leather, oil, and sweat. To his left, one of the MPs shuffled, bumping his armored shoulder into Kael's. To his right, the second soldier yawned, stretching his arms before lazily letting them rest over his rifle.
Neither of them spoke. Not to Kael. Not to each other. They didn't have to because the little C-Class runt's fate had already been decided.
Kael lowered his gaze and stared at his reflection in the polished metal floor. His face was hollow, but not like the infected. Further examination revealed pale skin. The direct result of his exhaustion. He frowned at the reflection as if it weren't his own, or perhaps it was the pain in his wrist. They had been throbbing the entire time from the tightness of the shackles. But, still, his mind kept spinning.
'Is this it?,' he thought. 'Am I really going down for my own murder?'
Would they drag him back to Ash Canyon, para him through the streets as a murderer? Would the people who spent their lives ridiculing him watch and laugh as he was executed like a common criminal?
Would he die like his parents had?
A sharp ping rang in his head. His vision blurred, then refocused, and the screen appeared.
[New Quest:]
[Kill the soldiers and escape before the vehicle reaches Ash Canyon.]
[Reward: Survival.]
Kael's body felt heavy, almost suffocated beneath the weight of the words.
'Kill them?'
This was wrong. It had to be.
'Even if they were enemies, which they're not, they are still human. Could I really kill them, especially when they're the good guys?'
He clenched his jaw, shutting his eyes tightly.
'No! I'm not like that. I'm not a monster."
The screen flickered, but did not disappear. Instead, it simply... waited. As if it already knew.
"Y'know," the soldier on Kael's left finally spoke. His voice was gruff, casual, yet edged with something darker.
Kael didn't look up.
"Crazy how easy this all was," the MP continued. "The freak's always been hated right? No one's gonna question this. Best damn cover up plan I've ever seen."
The second soldier snorted.
"Yeah, Poor little Kael Solis. Bet he thought we were gonna give him a trial."
They laughed. And Kael's fingers curled into fists, though they were weak from shock.
"Honestly, I almost feel bad," the first said, grinning. "But the thing is—freaks like him? They don't belong in Ash Canyon. They never have."
Kael's fingers sharpened. A slow, creeping rage clawed at his ribs. Then the second MP nudged the first with his boot.
"Shit, remember his parents?"
The first soldier barked out a laugh.
"Oh, yeah. The great Commander Elias and the scientist whore."
Kael's vision blurred all over again.
"They were supposed to die in the war," the first continued. "Shoulda gone out with some dignity, at least. Instead, they got dragged out like animals and shot in the fucking mud."
Kael's world turned red. Then his pulse hammered. The air around him warped, twisting like heat off a scorched road.
"Ahhh, man," the second sighed, rubbing his chin. "I still remember that sound she made, though. That little gasp, right before—"
The system's message reappeared. But this time there was a overpowering voice in his head that silenced the soldier's words.
[QUEST:]
[KILL THE SOLDIERS AND ESCAPE BEFORE THE VEHICLE REACHES ASH CANYON]
[REWARD: SURVIVAL]
[PUNISHMENT: 100% CORRUPTION]
HIs vision tunneled. The chains binding him now somehow felt—insignificant. And his body wasn't cold anymore. It was burning. The air felt thinner, the vehicles smaller, and then, he felt it... something twisting in his gut, in his bones, in the marrow of his being.
A hunger.
A need.
A command!
Then, his eyes glowed crimson. The soldier had noticed too late. The moment the pulse of raw, unnatural power erupted from Kael's skin, the metal cuffs snapped like brittle glass, and the links around his ankles shattered. The next second, he moved.
The first soldier barely had time to react. Kael grabbed him by the throat, crushing his windpipe with a single movement. The MP's eyes bulged as his hands were clawing at Kael's grip, but the C-Class didn't let go. Didn't even think about letting go.
Instead, he squeezed. Until something popped.
The second soldier reached for his weapon, but the movement was too slow, again. Kael slammed his knee into the man's stomach, forcing him to lurch forward. Before he could recover, Kael sank his fingers into the soldier's ribs and twisted.
The MP chocked on his own breath.
Kael let him go, after a moment, watching him collapse onto the floor, struggling to crawl. His fingers twitched, wanting to finish it.
The system urged him to finish it.
[Quest Update:]
[Kill the soldiers]
[Progress: 1/2]
The second soldier looked up. And for the first time in Kael's life—someone looked at him with genuine fear.
Not pity.
Not disgust.
But fear.
Kael drove his foot into the man's skull. Then, the vehicle jerked violently, and Kael blinked, realizing...
They had crashed.
The metal doors at the back of the transport hung loose. The impact had warped the locks entirely. His eyes narrowed, then he exhaled, looking down at his hands. They were covered in blood. And his fingers ached, but not from the fight. From how good it had felt.
The system chimed again.
[QUEST COMPLETE!]
[REWARD: +5 Strength, +3 Agility, +1 Spirit]
Kael barely noticed it. Because for the time in his life—
He understood.
He wasn't helpless anymore. He wasn't weak. And maybe—just maybe—he never had been.