GCLopes

  - Oliver -

  Some of the Rangers were still trying to prehend what was happening when the ensified within the forest. A deafening creaking sound echoed around them as if trees and roots were being torn from the earth.

  Oliver didn't wait to find out what it was. Gripping his rifle tightly, he began firing bursts into the dire where he felt the energy shifting. He heard the impact of the projectiles, followed by a guttural roar.

  Finally, the other Rangers uood the dire of the threat. At that very moment, the trees ahead of them were violently uprooted and hurled aside, crashing into the underbrush with thunderous force.

  From behind the shattered trunks emerged creatures unlike anything Oliver had ever seen. These monstrous forms were posed of dry branches, deposing leaves, and iwined roots. Their eyes glowed with eerie yellow lights, casting a spectral luminesce amidst the shadows. Where their arms should have been, twisted appendages of branches and wood formed cws of vines and bark.

  The monsters emanated an acrid stench, a mixture of decay and damp earth. Each of their massive steps tore roots from the ground, which they absorbed into their deformed bodies. The very forest seemed to recoil from their presence.

  "Blights! Be careful," Alex's voice crackled over the s. "We've got just over a dozen of them. Aim for the head and pletely explode it or sever them from the ground."

  Before Oliver could fully process what was happening, Alex was already in motion. He moved with astonishing speed, a blur of red amidst the greens and browns of the forest. In each of his hands, he donned a Ranger on Gau.

  The Red Ranger leaped toward two of the Blights, delivering puhat, to any observer, appeared more like on bsts. The impact echoed like thundercps, and the torsos of the two Blights exploded into splinters and shards. It was hard to believe such destructive force came from his fists alone.

  Out of the er of his eye, Oliver spotted one of the Blights veering away from the Red Rangers' frontline, making a beeliraight for the Blue Rangers at the rear.

  [Observation] Oliver mentally anded, attempting to analyze the hreat. But nothing happened—his ability failed to activate.

  ‘Dammit! Well, it was about time,’ Oliver thought, a mix of frustration and resignatioling in. It was iable that he'd enter oppos who had surpassed the Pawn level on this mission.

  Without wasting a sed, he accessed his interface, gng at the experience he had accumuted. Swiftly, he navigated to his Boon and clicked into upgrade Observation.

  | Status Page| User: Oliver [Nameless]| Level: 4 [Knight]| Experience: [286/800]| Credits: 11.260|| Boons| Observation [Pawn][Growth]| [Use 200 Experience Points to Upgrade]

  Oliver firmed the upgrade, feeling slightly drained as the experience points were deducted. The information before him updated rapidly.

  | Boons| Observation [Knight][Growth]| [Use 800 Experience Points to Upgrade]

  ‘Let's go, one more time,’ he urged himself.

  [Observation]

  Finally, he felt the familiar surge as the ability activated. The approag Blight was now highlighted in his vision, which shifted to a monoatic hue. A work of lines aors overid his sight, projeg the creature's probable paths of attad defense.

  Analyzing the pattern, Oliver anticipated how the monster would move. He adjusted his stance, bending one knee slightly for stability. Bringing the rifle's scope to his eye, he alighe crosshairs with the Blight's erratients.

  Though Oliver was still getting aced to the kiic rifle, fidence flowed through him. After all, he'd handled far more challenging targets with his Energy Pistol in the past.

  He began to fire, each trigger pull sending a projectile hurtling toward the creature. The on's muted recoil was manageable, allowing for quick, successive shots. Each round struck true, hitting what could be sidered the Blight's face—or the twisted mass that served as one.

  ks of wood awined roots exploded from the impact points, fragments scattering in all dires. The Blight recoiled uhe assault, its advance faltering as Oliver's relentless barrage tihe eerie yellow lights that served as its eyes flickered erratically.

  Around him, the battle raged on. The other Rangers were fully engaged, but Oliver remained focused. With the enhanced perception from Observation, he could predict the Blight's movements, adjusting his aim milliseds ahead of each shift.

  "Keep at it!" Elliot's voice crackled over the s. "Don't let it close the gap!"

  "Roger that," Oliver replied tersely.

  The Blight let out a guttural roar, a sound like creaking timber and rustling leaves amplified. It lunged forward, but Oliver was ready. He aimed for the base of its tangled limbs, firing a series of shots that severed the roots, anch it to the ground.

  "Fuck you!" Oliver shouted as the Blight dissolved into dead wood and vines.

  Oliver finally exhaled as the Blight in front of him withered into nothingness, giving him a moment to extend a hand and fumble for anazine in his backpack. He sed out the almost empty one in his rifle with a swift, practiced motion. Ahead, Emma and Elliot had their hands full, taking on another Blight that attempted to fnk them.

  Meanwhile, a squad of Red Rangers had obliterated several more creatures charging from the front, leaving only one remaining. Oliver didn’t need his [Observation] ability that his Boon wouldn’t work on this particur Blight. This one was bigger, seemingly stronger, and sprouting more writhing roots thahers.

  ‘It’s no [Knight]-css,’ Oliver muttered under his breath, keeping his eye pressed to the scope. 'Most likely a [Bishop].’

  He held his position, prepared to assist wherever the fight demanded—front lines or fnks. The Yellers seemed to be handling the smaller Blights best, yanking them from the ground like weeds before tearing them apart in a flurry of sparks and shredded greenery.

  “Get clear!” Alex bellowed. The Rangers leaped aside, giving him space as he thrust both hands forward.

  [Dragon’s Breath]

  A river of searing fmes erupted from Alex’s palms. Yet the inferno was far from chaotic. It swirled and danced around each Blight, burning away their twisting roots. Even the rgest among them failed to withstand the scorg assault, crumbling into dust in seds.

  When Alex finished using his Boon, the fmes disappeared in a heartbeat, leaving behind nothing but the charred scars marking the ground. The Red Raepped over to a nearby tree, brag himself against its trunk.

  “I used too muergy,” Alex muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “Let’s move carefully until we reach the clearing ahead. I’ll need a bit of time before ress on.”

  Everyone uood the detour posed a problem for the mission. Still, aside from Oliver—who had mao dispatch a Blight using only his rifle shots—most of the group had drained some of their Energy, wiping out the horde.

  The team moved out without further dey, leaving the sm battlefield behind. Before long, they reached a small clearing, safer than being hemmed in by thick forest. The Rangers sat down to catch their breath.

  “Were those things part of a trap?” a Yeller asked.

  “Unlikely,” Alex replied. “Seemed like a random group of monsters. Blights have been on this p long before the Orks arrived.”

  Oliver listened ily, notig how the others deactivated parts of their armor for some relief. Oher hand, Oliver kept every piece of his suit active—helmet included.

  ‘Damn it,’ Oliver thought. ‘I mao shut it off earlier. Why ’t I do it now?’

  Nearby, Elliot and Emma sat with him under one of the trees. Meanwhile, Alex and Chloe stood at the ter of the clearing. Alex had fully deactivated his armor, wiping sweat from his forehead as he tried to cool down. Other Rangers paced around the perimeter, seg the area.

  After a few minutes, Oliver watched Alex struggle to his feet. Although still not wearing his armor, the Red Ranger clutched a small towel in an effort to dry the perspiration beading on his face. Reizing the group was about to move on, Oliver rose, intending to follow.

  Out of nowhere, the world went red. A thunderous bst ripped through the air. Oliver’s ears rang; he couldn’t hear anything clearly. All he knew was that blood spttered across his visor.

  Just a few steps away, the mission leader—Alex—stood with his head severed from his body.