Resistance burned in the eyes of Merlin’s prey, a sign not to his liking since an easy hunt was preferable. The Man Hunter packed away the Gatetech device he used to find the runaway slave and leaned leisurely against his staff, observing Lucian and the others.

“You said they were injured,” Merlin remarked with reproach to Xavier.

Xaver winced before answering, “Fuck. Uh, sorry, Merlin.” The plan couldn’t have gone more perfect—betraying them at their most venerable when the Goblin Wizard exploded and selling Dougy off to Merlin without a hitch. His eyes fell on the strung-out Two Tap. “That blonde bitch,” he pointed at her, “She’s a healer. That’s how they bounced back so quickly.”

“Oh, then sure as hell she’s gonna be the appetizer. Gonna gobble her up real good.” A thought struck Merlin and he pulled out his Gatetech device. His eyes went back and forth between it and Two Tap. “Oh, shit. A two-for-one special.”

Two Tap shuffled uncomfortably under his gaze, her hand scratching at the tulip tattoo on her neck.

Beside her, despite his confident words, Dougy could only feel wary. Merlin wasn’t just a Man Hunter. He was the best one, and not because of traits associated with Man Hunting like tracking or catching. Man Hunting was merely his profession. What the Wasteland knew Merlin for was being the best Base Anointed in the Wasteland. After just a few months of being Anointed, his name was on everyone’s lips, most saying it was the making of a new Warlord.

“Hey,” Dougy warned the others, nervous sweat building up on his brow, “This guy’s no joke. His class is [Mage Teacher] and he knows a shit ton of spells.” He frowned seeing Merlin grin arrogantly at him. “No other Base Anointed in the Wasteland is like him. They say he’s on the brink of becoming a Mid-Tier Anointed.”

Lucian’s brow furrowed, chagrin painted on his face. That was far from good news.

William’s eyes scanned the enemies, and with confusion, he remarked, “How is it that this ‘Merlin’ has two guys with him? There should be only seven Base Anointed allowed in a Moderate Threat Level Gate.” The mercenary knew that every Monster Gate had limits on how many Anointed could enter. This was why powerful Anointed couldn’t just close every gate on their own, given that each gate had a limit to the Anointed power they could hold. The blue gate they currently occupied held their group of five with Xavier, making it six Base Anointed, and now, strangely, three more. It didn’t make sense to the chubby mercenary.

“Who are those two?” Lucian muttered to Dougy, staring at the two men nearly matching his [Angry Gremlin] size.

“I don’t know,” Dougy admitted, “They don’t even look human.”

Flanking both sides of Merlin stood menacing men of unusual size and build. One of the large men seemed to be composed of squares with sharp angles, as if cut from stone. The other had an unusually long neck; his eyes, completely green, were too large and slanted at too sharp of an angle to be proportionate to his face. Both appeared to be some kind of mutated human.

“You Wall Huggers mind your business,” Merlin warned, pointing at Lucian and those who clearly weren’t Wastelanders. “I’m just here for a runaway.” One of his tattooed fingers pointed at Dougy, addressing him. “Slave, save everyone the trouble and come along easy-like. You killed your master, and he’s got a lot of friends who want to wear you out, slow-like.”

Dougy lifted his sleeve, staring at the branded numbers on his arm. The sight of the puckered flesh sickened him; after all, branding was for cattle, not people. He had tattooed his flesh with words as a challenge to the numbers burned into him. Thumbing the words written below his eye, he spoke aloud what the tattoo there said, “No going back.”

Merlin lazily gestured for the fight to start. “Show them some love, Xavier,” Merlin commanded.

[Singshot Menace]

Metallic spheres blasted from Xavier’s slingshot toward Lucian and the others.

[Blackhand Ghost]

William disappeared from sight. A rogue’s job was to seek opportunities to strike when it was least expected.

[Metal Man]

Clinking sounded as Dougy easily received the Xavier’s Skill with the metal shots bouncing off of him.

“Bitch,” Dougy spat, glaring at Xavier, “I should’ve let those monsters in Old DC eat you back then instead of saving your sorry ass.”

“I’m sick of just surviving, Dougy,” Xavier retorted, no remorse in his eyes. “I want to thrive! I want to get fucking paid and fuck bitches until my dick falls off! Fuck you!”

Disappointment entered Dougy’s eyes. He’d met Xavier after reuniting with Two Tap. Xavier always had a tougher time getting by on scraps, unlike Dougy and his sister. This time around, he finally broke and betrayed Dougy for money.

[Fiero the Hatchling]

Merlin had cast a Spell. Space warped near Two Tap as a baby dragon suddenly emerged.

“Baby lizard!” Two Tap cried out in joy, staring at a cute plump dragon face with blue eyes and a tongue sticking out loosely from its scaly lips. The baby dragon opened its mouth and let out a fan of fire that nearly engulfed the Wastelander girl if not for Penelope kicking her legs out from under her. The ground beyond Two Tap became charred black from dragon fire.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

The baby dragon’s pudgy brows wrinkled in irritation seeing its attack had missed. It opened its mouth again to breathe more fire when a wide hand closed around it. Lucian had caught it like a butterfly. Blood spurted out from between his fingers as his grip squeezed, killing it.

Lucian then charged toward the enemy with thunderous steps.

“That was my favorite summon…” Merlin grumbled. His gaze flicked to the side, catching William appearing with his dagger slicing in a swift arc. The chubby rogue collided with the bulky Wastelander, seemingly made of stone, and tumbled across the forest floor upon impact.

“Good job, Georgie,” Merlin praised, patting the stone-like man’s bulky shoulder. The Man Hunter then sneered at William, “A low-grade fat rogue like you can’t get me.” As an attack-type magic user, he’d been targeted by rogues before, which was why he kept Georgie around.

William cursed and retreated back into stealth.

Merlin’s focus shifted to the muscular, red-eyed Lucian, who had attacked in tandem with William from the opposite side. Lucian had collided head-on with the long-necked Wastelander.

[Goblin Bash]

Lucian’s meaty fist aglow with Aura, struck the man’s abdomen and sent him sliding back, leaving a trail in the dirt. A resounding hiss like a serpent erupted from the man’s lips in response.

“What the hell…?” Lucian muttered, not sure why the man sounded like a monster.

“Hmm,” Merlin hummed thoughtfully, gauging Lucian’s power. “The muscles and red eyes—obviously a Skill, a strengthening one it looks like. That Aura based punch would’ve hit like a kitten paw without it.” He shrugged. “You’re just another low-grade bitch with one good strengthening Skill. Scissors should be enough to take you on.”

“You’re name’s ‘Scissors’?” Lucian asked his opponent. A menacing hiss came from the long-neck Wastelander. “What the hell is wrong with this guy…?”

The thin blonde Two Tap could be seen sprinting toward a denser part of the forest to hide. Healer type Anointed had a priority to remain safe.

Merlin frowned. It was of the utmost priority to eliminate, or in his case, subdue and capture, the healer of the enemy group. If not, the group could always recover and reenter the fight. But when he was about to conjure a spell to zap her, he jolted in surprise seeing his own reflection in metal. Before him appeared Dougy shrouded in his [Metal Man] Skill.

Dougy’s metallic hands came forward in attempts to get a hold of the Man Hunter but Georgie got in his way and they soon grappled, neither giving ground, two defense-types nullifying the other.

“If the slave is here, then where’s…” Merlin wondered aloud and looked for Xavier to find him falling backwards unconscious. Above the defeated Wastelander stood the young woman dressed in a martial arts gi, with blue doe eyes and black pigtails, her unassuming appearance rather deceiving.

“Useless piece of shit!” Merlin hissed at Xavier’s fallen body. He had been defeated so easily.

“I’m gonna break your face,” Penelope threatened with a glare, clenching her fists at him.

[Power Up]

Penelope’s golden Ki erupted into flames. The image of her blurred as her speed increased, hurtling toward Merlin, dirt flying in her wake. Merlin scoffed thinking her foolish to choose him as a target and conjured a spell to block her.

[Formless Clay]

The soil beneath his feet swelled up like an ocean wave to create an egg-like shell around him.

[Denting Strike]

The [Formless Clay] shattered on impact as if made from porcelain. Merlin stood horrified seeing Penny’s narrowed doe eyes appear before him, her fist glowing gold, in trajectory for his face.

[Dark Curtain]

Merlin used a spell to create a portal from his own shadow, diving in and reappeared by hopping out of another shadow belonging to his ally. “Georgie!” Merlin grunted urgently, appearing behind him after having jumped through the stone-like man’s shadow. “Time to go all out.”

[Transfiguration]

Georgie suddenly shed his human-like appearance and transformed into his real form, that of a golem made up of stone blocks. With the golem’s true form revealed, its abilities heightened. It overpowered and threw Dougy to the side as it turned to receive an attack from Penelope who was not letting up in her onslaught.

“Dumb cunt,” Merlin cussed at Penelope in triumph. “Georgie’s my tamed golem! His defenses are impenetrable by normal Base Anointed!” What most didn't know about him was that he hailed from a corner of the Wasteland that tamed monsters. With his [Transfiguration] Spell, he could alter and conceal his tamed monsters' true appearance, albeit with some reduction in their power. In battle, when the time was right, the monsters would unleash their true power and catch his enemies by surprise.

[Denting Strike]

A pained “oof” emitted from Georgie, Penelope’s Skill penetrating past its hard exterior, injecting a shockwave of pain. Merlin froze, his expression becoming blank as Georgie was pushed back.

Penelope began to shuffle her feet quickly and then thumbed her nose.

“Yea, I’m feeling it,” she smirked.

Merlin grimaced. To cause Georgie pain meant Penelope was no normal Anointed. Penelope struck again with her Skill and again, Georgie grunting and struggling under her power, unable to advance because Penelope’s defense penetrating attack and unable to retreat since it was protecting Merlin.

“She’s must have a high potential grade class like me,” Merlin grumbled warily. Wall Huggers with high potential grade classes usually never risked Wild Gates. Most times they were immediately recruited and pampered by influential guilds or corporations. To run into one here was pure bad luck on his part.

Pained hissing caught his ear and saw Lucian pounding away on the long necked Wastelander, and finally realized his side was losing. He had underestimated Lucian’s [Angry Gremlin] form.

Fists glowing white, Lucian was relentless in his onslaught. Bruises colored his opponent’s body and strange colored blood leaked from slits that were his nose.

“Purple blood…?” Lucian mumbled but continued regardless. The long-necked Wastelander needed to fall so that he could join the others in eliminating Merlin.

[Blackhand Ghost]

William exited stealth with his dagger poised for stabbing, alarming Merlin. Dougy had recovered as well and was bound try and get a hold of the Man Hunter.

[Hell’s Gate]

Merlin waved his staff and a gate grew from the ground, covered in clattering chains and adorned with skulls. It opened and unleashed roaring flames toward his attackers.

William flipped out of the way while Dougy covered his face and used [Basic Guard] to block the magic. However, they were far from done. As soon as the magic finished, they would attack again. A trembling ran through the ground. Merlin saw Georgie was shaking under Penelope’s relentless blows, pebbles and debris flying off its body with every hit.

“Scissors, get the fuck over here!” Merlin screeched, eyes wide, waving his staff in the direction of the long-necked Wastelander.

[Transfiguration]

The man fighting Lucian underwent a metamorphosis – sinuous white scales erupted across his skin, his neck elongating into a serpentine form, and razor-sharp fangs unfurled from his mouth. Simultaneously, his hands contorted into lethal scythes with wickedly sharp edges. Its predatory, slanted green eyes narrowed at Lucian.

“Oh, shit…” Lucian cursed, shocked at the sudden and grotesque transformation.

With its true form revealed, its abilities had been unlocked. A purple liquid discharged from the white serpent’s mouth, spraying Lucian directly in the face. He crumpled immediately, grasping his head in pain, smoke rising from his melting flesh. Agonizing screams rang through the air.