The Mutant Tide

Elliot stared at the maps spread before him, the weight of his so-called authority pressing uncomfortably on his shoulders. The battlefield outside the Wall was a mess of torn land, scattered corpses, and lingering corruption. From what he gathered, the last battle had been a near disaster. If not for his mysterious past self giving the retreat order, they would have been wiped out.

Not exactly reassuring.

Aurelian leaned over the table, arms crossed, golden eyes scanning the reports with a focused intensity. "The mutants are changing. Faster than before."

Kieran, standing off to the side, nodded. "We encountered an evolved type during the last skirmish. More durable. Smarter."

Elliot exhaled. "And let me guess—no one knows how to stop them?"

Silence.

[Congratulations! You have deduced the obvious. Would you like an award, Host?]

Elliot scowled. 'Not now, you useless system.'

Aurelian slammed a dagger into the map, the blade piercing through an area marked in red. "We need to take action. If we stay on the defensive, we'll be overrun."

Elliot, still not fully sure how commanding an army worked, decided to wing it. He straightened and nodded, exuding fake confidence. "Alright. What's our best move?"

Kieran's sharp gaze met his. "A preemptive strike. If we eliminate the source of their mutations, we might slow their growth."

Elliot blinked. "And that source would be...?"

Aurelian hesitated before answering. "There's a crystal hive forming beyond the Wall. It's... unnatural. Twisted. Corrupted. The mutants are drawn to it. We suspect it's accelerating their evolution."

[System Alert: High-level danger detected. Chance of survival? Low. But don't worry, Host! You're already in deep anyway.]

Elliot groaned. "So what you're telling me is, we need to go right into mutant central and poke the problem with a stick?"

Aurelian frowned. "It's a little more complicated than that."

"Oh? Enlighten me."

Kieran sighed. "The hive is guarded. Heavily. We don't know what's inside, but every scout we've sent hasn't returned."

Elliot threw up his hands. 'Oh, wonderful. Let's just add 'suicidal scouting mission' to my rapidly growing list of problems.'

[New Quest Assigned: 'Into the Maw']

**Objective: Investigate the corrupted crystal hive.

**Reward: Unknown

**Penalty for Failure: Increased mutant activity, potential base collapse, probable death. No big deal.

Elliot's eye twitched. 'This system really has a talent for motivation.'

Aurelian straightened. "We don't have a choice. If we wait, the next attack could be our last."

Kieran studied Elliot carefully. "This decision rests on you, Commander."

Elliot hesitated. He wasn't a commander. He was a model, a pretty face with no real experience leading armies or making life-death decisions. But everyone here expected him to be someone else. Someone capable.

'Alright, fake it till you make it, Elliot.'

[ I'm starting to like you host!]

He squared his shoulders. "Fine. We'll do it. But if I die, I'm coming back to haunt all of you."

Aurelian smirked. "You won't die. I won't allow it."

[System Notification: Aurelian's Motherly Instinct +5]

**Aurelian: 85

**Kieran: 24

**Unknown: 90 (-58)

**Unknown: 00

Elliot barely glanced at Aurelian's score—predictable. Kieran's was low but whatever. What did catch his eye was the Unknown: 90 (-58).

His fingers twitched. 'What the hell does that mean?'

[System Notification: Host has unlocked curiosity. Congratulations.]

Elliot ignored the sarcastic pop-up and focused on the numbers. '90 was high—really high—but why was there a (-58)? Did that mean it used to be 148? More importantly, who was it?'

He straightened. "System, explain 'Unknown: 90 (-58)' to me."

[Access denied. Insufficient authority.]

Elliot's brow twitched. "Excuse me? You're my system. What do you mean, 'insufficient authority'?"

[Host is still a weak little porcelain vase. Try again later.]

Aurelian frowned. "What are you mumbling about?"

Elliot waved him off. "Nothing. Just thinking about something.."

Elliot blinked at the list, his gaze zeroing in on the mysterious Unknown: 90 (-58). That was new. Who—or what—did it refer to? More importantly, why did the number seem… unstable? Like it was fluctuating between states.

'Great. Another ominous mystery to add to my growing list of problems.'

Before he could dig deeper, the tent flaps parted again, and a soldier entered, saluting stiffly. "Commander. The preparations are almost complete. You're needed outside."

Elliot sighed, pushing away his curiosity—at least for now. "Right. Let's get this over with."