The blade sailed through the bushes, crossing the twenty feet in seconds. It twirled in the air like a tomahawk until it sank into the whimpering piglet’s gut with a thud. Its panicked screams turned into weak mewls as it struggled to take a breath.

“Bingo. Now since you’re so smart, go help your kid. Trip that wire for me.” Devin crossed his fingers while the rest watched silently, but again, the moment never came.

The giant boar stood still as its baby bled out in front of it. Not once did Big Bertha attempt to step forward, instead she turned towards the direction the knife came from. Her gaze landed right on their bushes.

“Run.” Gerald whispered as he scrambled to his feet.

“What do we do?” Ken said, shaking with fear as Big Bertha rotated her massive body toward them. Ben was downright terrified, becoming more blanched with each second.

“Just run dammit!” Gerald screamed, pushing the boys out of the bush while he ran in a different direction.

Devin’s heart pounded so loud that he could hear it thump in his ears. Maybe it doesn’t know I’m here. He hoped, staying as still as possible.

A rumbling sound echoed through the forest before Big Bertha released a thunderous roar. The bushes hiding Devin were torn away as a wave of force washed over him. When it was over, he risked a glance up to see the elite mutated beast dig her hooves into the ground, directing her long tusks at him.

“Crap.” Devin cursed before jolting away. A bellow ripped through the air before thunderous cracks from broken trees began to follow.

The overgrown woods flew by as Devin gasped for air. His lungs burned while his legs ached, but despite his near-collapse, he refused to slow down. He weaved through trees, vaulted over hedges, and plowed through foliage like his life depended on it.

Because it did. The quaking ground shook harder and harder. A roar pushed Devin to run even faster.

Branches smacked and sliced into Devin’s flesh while roots snagged on his boots. They tried to trip him up like a dead man who wanted company, yet that wasn’t enough to stop him.

He moved like the wind. Like nothing could touch him, or stand in his way. In a way, He felt more alive now than he ever had before—-

—-that was until he felt death brush against his skin.

Instinct made him jump. He dove five feet to the right just as the mutant’s horrible breath began to creep onto his neck. Not a second later, a ten-ton train of pork flew by, plowing through bushes and trees as if they were nothing. It skidded to a halt, a deep ditch littered with broken trees left in its wake.

Instant death. He gulped. A cold sweat settled over his trembling shoulders as the mutant casually shook off the trauma of several car crashes. The mutant’s charge would have squashed Devin without slowing down, and all that recoil amounted to was a little dizziness.

The elite mutant turned back around, its bloodshot eyes once again locked onto Devin.

All this thing needs to do to kill me is to land a single hit. He thought as he got back to running—this time according to the plan. I have to follow the original plan and lead it to the second spot before I end up as a bloody splatter. Devin gulped, before breaking out into another run

Big Bertha released a deep bellow, quickly chasing after him.

Soon, the pursuit devolved into a game of cat and mouse. Big Bertha barreled towards Devin repeatedly, but he narrowly dived to the side each time. The beast seemed to have an endless supply of energy, smashing through trees like they were nothing while ceaselessly chasing Devin. By the time he led the mutated beast to the secondary location, he was utterly exhausted, but when he saw the painted circle hidden between the rolling hills, he gained a second wind.

All he needed to do was lure the elite into the trap, then get the hell out of there. Unfortunately, they picked a clearing with hardly any trees, so there was nothing to stop the giant boar from bolting straight for Devin.

Roaring, Big Bertha ate up the distance in seconds. The shaky ground only worsened as Big Bertha stomped towards him emanating wrathful bellows, yet Devin didn’t let that stop him from planting his feet on the ground. With no choice but to move forward, Devin ducked his head and poured every bit of strength he had left into his legs.

He kept running even when he made it past the painted line—even when a literal wall of fire leaped up around him, trapping him inside a jail of flames with Big Bertha. A hearty, cruel laughter filled the meadow, reverberating over the roaring flame and shrieking hog.

“You mother—” Devin cursed, but still he didn't stop running. Unless he wanted to be gored from behind, that was not an option. So, he took off his trusty jacket and wrapped it around his head right before he jumped through the deflagration.

Searing heat blazed over him as he sailed through the fire, but it only lasted an instant. The moment Devin made it to the other side, most of the heat vanished. Meanwhile, Big Bertha attempted the same, but was instead put to a crashing halt as the flames seemingly solidified.

“Woah,” Devin remarked, as he witnessed the card at work. That’s gotta be a spell, or maybe even a trap card. He thought until an unbearable heat made itself known on his back.

“Wha—OH MY GOD! Help! I’m on fire!” Screaming at the burning pain, Devin rolled all over the muddy ground, but nothing put out the sparks that ate at his clothes and flesh. It was like they had a mind of their own, and refused to be put out.

Footsteps unhurriedly came forward, along with a casual whistle. “What took you so long? Almost died from boredom.” He said, taking a second to notice the fire burning over Devin. “Oops. Collateral damage.” He snapped his fingers, and the flames were extinguished.

First, Devin took a breath, happy to be alive. Then, after the relief faded, fury took its place. Devin didn’t care about his melted clothes or his singed skin, yet the stupid bastard almost takes my life, and all I get is an oops?

He wanted to explode, but he reigned it in as he patted out the few of the remaining sparks. Supers have been wildcards since the start of the apocalypse, and this particular one was known for setting people on fire.

“… My bad.” Devin huffed out between breaths. “Usually, the offspring aren't far from their parents. It seemed like the elite had control over the whole forest since it didn’t seem concerned about predators.”

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“Whatever, normie.” His employer, Bateman, spat out like a slur. “Just make sure to stay out of my way, or else I can’t guarantee anything.” He turned, holding out a hand to grasp a suddenly materialized golden spear.

Devin grimaced, but complied with not a second to spare. A burst of heat seared the grass and vaporized the humidity around his employer before he threw the spear straight into the flaming pit.

A flagging roar filled with primal rage answered.

“See normie, that's how you put down a mutant.” A manic grin slipped on his employer’s face. It told Devin to never get involved with this crazy bastard ever again.

Devin huffed. Next time I take a job, I’ll case it out first. He started to walk back to the campsite when a thump shook through the entire field, followed by another that sent Devin reeling to the ground.

He looked back in horror as the flame jail sputtered before a huge shape tore through the wall. The fire scattered into millions of sparks, convalescing into a violet-tinted trap card, which shot toward its caster. Bateman grabbed his chest as if he was having a heart attack as he fell to his knees from the supposed backlash.

Bellowing every step of the way, the severely burned mutant smashed its tusk into the Super, sending him flying across the field, crashing through several trees in the process.

“Holy crap,” Devin muttered. A mistake; the mutant directed its bloodshot eyes toward him. “I should’ve never taken this freaking job.”

Once again, he didn’t hesitate to run, and like every other time, Big Bertha followed close on his heels.

Thoroughly bruised and running on fumes, Devin knew he couldn't depend on anyone to help. His teammates ran off to save their own skin while his employer was an inept piece of shit. With all that in mind, he went to the only place where he stood a chance.

To the original trap.

So, Devin did whatever he could to put some distance between them, but Big Bertha was relentless. Every zig-zag around a tree was met with a brutal, efficient smash. It steadily gained ground, coming closer with every stomp.

“There,” Devin said between breaths. He noticed his trap’s trigger no less than thirty feet away as well as his knife on the ground next to it. Devin focused on the raging core in his chest and poured liquid power into one of the abilities he’d been hiding.

With a firm mental hand, Devin activated one of his skills and launched the energy towards his knife. Except, there wasn’t enough time. Big Bertha beat him to the punch.

Pain slammed into his back; the world spun as his feet left the ground, wheeling overhead. He crumpled against the root-filled ground, the wind knocked out of him. A roar washed over him, along with the boar’s warm, ragged breath—

—Devin smiled through his bloody teeth as the knife jumped through the air, and landed straight into the palms of his hand. Released of their burden, the ropes slithered through the branches while their payloads swung through the air.

Two sharpened logs whooshed through the air and slammed into the boar’s body with two meaty thuds. The pig screamed until even that faded into pitiful groans.

Still, it inched closer—alive, but barely. Enough to put him out of his misery before it went along with him.

Devin held up a shaky hand in the face of death—

—And that is when he felt a familiar pressure in his chest. It was his other skill, crying out to be used. Although Devin wasn’t proficient in it, trying was better than lying down for death.

“[Subjugate]!” He instinctually called out the name of his skill, pouring every bit of power he had into it.

The pressure in his chest built to a crescendo, then the world abruptly faded to black. Devin couldn't hear the boar’s ragged breathing anymore, nor smell its horrible breath. Even the pain was gone, like it never existed. Devin looked around, noticing his wispy form, but there was nothing in every direction.

So like a log adrift in the ocean, he floated in darkness until he was caught in a greater current. Devin looked up as his direction suddenly changed, and saw something shine in the distance.

One moment, a red glimmer glinted on the horizon like a star in the night sky, and the next, the distance between it and Devin vanished. His curious attention was the bridge that brought him closer to the glimmer until it became a crimson sun.

Compared to the celestial body, Devin was less than an ant.

This is Big Bertha’s core. Devin knew the moment he laid eyes on it. He wanted nothing more than to take his time to explore the capabilities of his skill and the space he found himself in, but that idea was shot down when the core flared, and a deluge of molten shards was blasted into his wispy form.

Burning pain assaulted his mind, but Devin refused to give in for a single moment, for he knew it would end in his death. He poured the rest of his faint power into his other skill, [seize], summoning strings of energy that not only protected him from the boar’s defenses, but also wormed its way into the red star.

He roared as [seize] and [subjugate] worked in concert to take down the elite before him. One drained the beast while the other weakened her with waves of paralyzing force. Just as he had unknowingly done on that first day, Devin took everything the boar had. The only difference was this time, he knew exactly what he was doing.

Big Bertha’s resistance fell to almost nothing, and from there, a flood of shards flowed through the strings of [seize], directly into Devin’s core, but that wasn’t all. Cards, the core, and every other facet of the boar’s innerspace were ripped away and settled in Devin’s body.

The ember of life that seemed to keep the space lit disappeared. With the connection weakening, Devin’s awareness fell back onto his own body. He opened his eyes—

—and flinched when he saw the giant boar’s body loom over him. His awareness of the situation came flooding back in.

In a panic, Devin tried to lift his body to run, but multiple bones cracked in his attempt. A strangled cry escaped his throat as he fell back into a painful heap of broken bones and bruises.

I’m not going anywhere. Devin heaved a tired sigh. For some reason, he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulder. No more running from my fate. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. He closed his eyes, waiting for the mutant to finally crush him to death.

The finishing blow never came. Devin risked a peek before he noticed that the boar was unnaturally still. Deadly still, actually. He corrected, seeing the mutant wasn’t breathing.

For some odd reason, the scene left a disgusting taste in his mouth. Why does this make me feel like the bad guy? He thought, unable to stop looking at the boar’s corpse. No it's okay. It was either it, or me. Devin tried to rationalize.

A golden spear burst through the boar’s skull, splattering blood, bone, and brain all over Devin. On top of the mutant’s dead body stood a steaming Bateman, his eyes blazing with fury. He dropped down before he kicked it with the force of a bomb. The ground rocked, but the bloody corpse hardly moved.

“This stupid bastard almost killed me!” Batman spat blood on the corpse, becoming more enraged by the second. “Give! Me! My! Achievement!.” He yelled, with each one punctuated with a vicious stomp.

Every squelching pound drove a spike of fear into Devin’s heart that screamed at him to run, yet an otherworldly pressure prevented him from moving. It squeezed at his already painful sides, making it hard to even take a breath.

Suddenly, a golden spear sparked into existence, its sharp tip poised in front of Devin’s eye.

"You bastard,” Bateman said. He loomed over Devin, his face emotionless. “You stole my kill, didn’t you?”

He's really going to kill me. Sweat dripped down Devin’s nose. His already short breaths became desperate, panicked gasps. I’m going to die.

It was at that moment the rest of his team came running onto the scene. They stumbled over several trees to get into the newly made clearing, but everyone paused at the sight of a spear in Devin’s face.

“... Bateman. Let's talk about this. " Gerald spoke slowly.

“This fucking normie stole my kill! He even planned it. See!” Bateman yelled, pointing at the sharpened logs.

Fighting his every instinct, Devin didn’t move a muscle. He knew it would only take this pyromaniac Super a flick of his wrist to separate his head.

“That was the first part of the plan,” Gerald explained calmly. “He was just trying to survive. I'm sure he wasn't trying to take your Achievement.”

Bateman adjusted the fingers on his spear. It was clear he was itching to let loose. “Maybe I should kill him, just to keep your normies from getting too uppity.”

“That goes against the contract,” Gerald argued. The panic in his voice made Devin nervous. “The town will throw you out for breaking martial law.“

“What's stopping me from killing you all?” He sneered, “A dead man can't snitch."

“I have a friend who knows exactly where we are and who I'm with. They’re pretty high up in the military too.” Gerald left the rest of his insinuation unspoken.

Bateman almost relented, seeming to think for a moment. “What do I have to be afraid of a bunch of rat normies? I could just find a better gig somewhere else. There are plenty of places to take advantage of in this wasteland.”

“Be that as it may." Gerald looked the bloodthirsty superhuman in his eye. “Killing all of us will not give you the Achievement you want, or anything. We got nothing.”

Silence blared through the area as Bateman seemed to actually consider what was said. The spear looming above Devin’s eyes receded a fraction before disappearing in a shower of sparks.

“You’re right.” Bateman chuckled, which grew into full-blown laughter. “You rat-faced normies were the ones that came to me begging for a job. Well, you can forget about the payment.” He remanifested his spear and took aim.

Gerald pushed the twins to the ground as a supersonic boom shook the clearing. Gore rained in all directions as Bateman shot his spear into the boar's rib cage. The spear dissipated into motes of light, and the Super plunged his hand straight into the mutant’s open ribcage.

“Tch. No core either? Just my luck.” Bateman ripped his hand out and shook the blood off, all of which splattered over Devin’s face.

He barely registered it. Nothing seemed to stick, except his heart beating in his throat.

“You have to pay us!” Gerald yelled, getting to his feet. “We fulfilled our end of the deal. We lured it, and you killed it.”

“I don’t have to do anything for you.” Bateman stepped closer until he hovered over Gerald. “I should be focused on forging my next magic circle, but here I am diddling around in the mud. Next time you see my name on the job board, don’t even think about touching it.” He said before his red-hot magic circle burned in the air behind him.

An explosion shot dust into the air while shoving Devin to the ground. He shut his eyes tight, sure he was going to die, but when the dust settled, Bateman was gone. The receding, glowing dot in the sky was the only evidence of his departure.

Devin gulped, unable to take the image of the spear piercing the boar's face out of his mind.

Gerald patted him on the shoulder. “It's okay. You’re good." The old man tried to comfort Devin, but his mind was firmly locked on that small dot.

I’m so sick of being weak, Devin clenched his fist so hard that his nails drew blood. Just wait. I’ll get you back for this, I won't stay weak forever, you bastard. I swear.

It was then that a screen popped into his vision, the same way it did when shards fell from the sky.

Shard Limit Reached

Soul Card Unlocked