Chapter 16- The Hunter is the Hunted

"The Test Of the Hunt shall begin soon." 

The world trembled, and spun, his body warping into space as the white walls turned black, and a cold energy wrapped around him. 

He groaned in surprise, his body suddenly descending onto a cushioned surface with a solid bang, his head striking a rock. 

'Hah….shit.' 

He thought, his body remaining motionless on the ground for a moment, his gaze flicking about as he groaned. He pushed himself upwards and held his head, his gaze drifting to the angelic figure above. 

'This bitch….hah….just wait.' 

He thought as he slowly stood, a piercing cold assaulting him. His gaze widened as he looked around. 

'Where am I?' He wondered. 

Surrounding him were trees, tall and ancient, and a dark sky with a crimson moon anchored served as the only source of light. 

The trees planted strongly on the ground, which was a continuous snow field, wide and increasing. 

'There's not a single presence other than me in this place….'

He noted down as he shivered from the piercing cold. He looked up at the angelic figure, a frown forming on his lips. 

'What's this now?' A sigh escaped his lips, as he attempted to ignore the cold. Though, that was proving difficult. 

"The Test Of the Hunt will last for three hours." 

'Three hours? In this place? I'm gonna freeze to death first, Godammit!' He thought as he glanced back at her. 'It's a Hunt….so, I'm killing creatures? Animals perhaps.' 

Paxton had witnessed many creatures in Gametopia, though, most if not all were from picture books. 

'Animals in a place like this?' his frown deepened. 'She wouldn't make me face Glitches, right?' 

"Within this given time, you will be tasked with Hunting the Glitches within this cave. It should be noted that you will only pass when you are the hunter and not the hunted." 

'Wait, what?' He clicked his tongue. 'The very creatures nicknamed the plagues of human lives because of our near-extinction.' 

The image of the creatures he faced in the first test played out in his head, a settling sensation taking over him. 

The angelic figure smirked, as if reading his thoughts, she said. 

"These are different from the First test. As you're one of the few Challengers from 165, you must understand that the rules will be changed." 

'165? That many people died then…'

There were a total of 403 who went for the test, and somehow, more than half had lost their lives in the second test. 

'What's worse…..it's one where your fellow humans are responsible.' 

He sighed, taking in the news while he prepared himself for the next test. 

Just then, a clatter pierced the air, the sound of metal and wood clattering around on the snow. He turned towards the direction, and there he spotted weapons, wooden and iron, of all types. 

"You have been granted weapons to choose from. Once you have selected one, the others will be gone and you will face the creatures in that manner."

Paxton raised a brow. He found this odd, strange perhaps. 

He had heard news of the Server Test, as different people forget or recall different aspects of the test but never the core. 

Never had he heard of a situation like this.

He stood still for a moment, then glanced at the angelic figure. 

Something about her peaceful smile, and watchful gaze sent a shiver down his spine. 

He couldn't pinpoint it, but he got the feeling that she could kill him in this situation unlike the waiting room. 

'Well, that sucks but she can't do shit if we don't stir up trouble first.' 

Messengers were limited creatures and the angelic figure knew that, but she had not expected a human to try and figure out their habits from merely watching. 

"Any questions?" She asked. 'Come on humans, I left you here with glitch monsters that you are so scared of, and even without any team mates. Aren't you curious at all?' 

Her anticipation for a slip up, even if it was a little one, was at its peak, but Paxton didn't seem to give her the benefit of it. 

She sighed, as the passing of time came with no response. 

'I did in fact put him without a teammate. All those that have chosen this test were given at least a partner or two….but why bother with him when he's so smug?' 

One of the few things she hated were humans who tried to grasp something much larger than them, or attempt to cross the line of a human.

'But this boy makes me so unsettled, his skills and actions were proven throughout the test….so let's see what you do when you're cast aside.' 

"In that case" Her body shimmered with light as it disappeared, the echo of her voice piercing the cave. 

"The Test Begins now." 

Paxton sighed as he looked away, his expression growing cold while he walked to the pile of weapons. 

'I will definitely do something about that floating wench….there has to be a way to kill messengers.' 

He thought, while his focus drifted to the piles of weapons. 

He already had one in mind, though using one as efficiently as possible within the time limit may prove difficult. 

As he came from a Megacity of futuristic gaming and players, courses such as Weapon mastery was the norm in the Academy. 

Though it was made non-compulsory, thus not everyone wished to attend it. 

He picked up the dagger, pulled it out from the scabbard, a satisfied smile spreading on his face as the other weapons dispersed. 

'at least, she didn't try to sabotage my weapons.' 

As he turned around, pushing the scabbard into the back of his trousers, a low, guttural growl pierced the air. 

His body froze, his gaze flicking as the sound projected louder, footsteps echoing in the process. 

'Already?' He wondered as he looked up, his breath ceasing at the sight before him. 

The snow below its feet left giant paw prints, its crimson gaze fixed on Paxton, and a wild grin of glistening canines revealed itself as the sound of bones rattled. 

It was as large as a minicab, rows of exoskeleton spikes streaked down its back, rattling with intensity as it growled. 

Each step was as dreary and the last, and it had its gaze, unfortunately, fixated on Paxton. 

Paxton gulped, lowering his figure as he traced his steps around it. His thoughts reeled in, and a sigh exuding his lips. 

'The Hunter has become the hunted.' 

****

The world blurred as a soft groan pierced the air, followed by a clatter and a revolting smell that assaulted her senses in the process. 

She hurled, her raggard breath piercing the quiet atmosphere as the world became clear to her, the sight before her laid bare. 

Her eyes regained focus and her thoughts reeled in. 'Oh, am I back?' 

She panted lightly, a rush of information spreading in her head, a panging headache as a result. 

She groaned, her brain processing the information as she sat up, resting her back against the iron wall. 

'Hah yes, the Server Test….I passed.' 

Her mind was muddled, images mixed and intertwined, some left out and some forgotten. 

The screams of people, and the emotions seemed to remain, but it was slowly fading away, her memories of the Test with it. 

'I can't recall much….just like they said.' 

She ignored her lost thoughts, and looked around, her gaze turning somber. 

Around her, where dead bodies atop dead bodies. Men in all black suits, laying about in a metal room without an ounce of life to call their own. 

Their bodies had somehow begun to melt, some bloated and many others already decayed to their bones. 

It produced a putrid smell as a result, and it constantly lingered in the air, reminding her of her predicament. 

She had recalled her circumstance before the Test began, the torture she had endured while she lived with him, the man, that man. 

Thrown into the bunker whenever she acted up, ignored for years within her own family, abandoned by her mother for money, threatened on many occasions. The list went on. 

With a groan, she stood up, her gaze shifting about, until it locked on a camera fixed firmly on the iron ceiling. 

"I'm awake." She said, and the response, though slow, was evident. 

A metal ring echoed and the iron door slid open, its electronic contraption echoing as it did so. 

She glanced at it, her feet heading towards it while she maneuvered her way around the bodies. 

'The smell has become second nature at this point..' She thought, nearly slipping on a decayed arm. 

Her brows furrowed, her lips curling downwards as she continued, ignoring the sticky flesh and grotesque bones. 

'Will Father finally accept me, now?' 

She wondered, her thoughts reeling in as she stepped into the light of the door. 

Unlike what had been revealed to the public, Dollina Olton, a bastard daughter from a wayward mother. 

She was born in a family of males, being the first and only daughter for decades, and until now, had been treated as a queen. 

'But people….people you trust, people you thought you could trust, betray you at uneven moments.' 

As she walked out, a calming breeze struck her, her hair floating in it as she sighed, taking in slow, even breaths and closing her eyes. 

"Lady Dollina." 

The monotonous sound of the man sent a shiver down her spine. A controlled rage brewed within her chest, her eyes snapping open as her gaze snapped towards the source of the voice. 

The man responsible for her trauma, the experience that had stacked up for many years stood in her presence, and her controlled rage filled her with power. 

"Uncle Fin." She called out, her fists clenched into a tight ball, a wry smile on her face. 

'I want to burst his brain open with my fist.'