Overdrive.

Heat rolled off her skin. Her pulse climbed.

Ayu's breath tasted like metal and fire.

Muscles snapped tight. Her stance lowered.

The air warped around her as focus drilled into instinct.

Something cracked under her heel. Stone. She didn't notice.

The elder shifted—

She was already moving.

Ayu twisted.

The dagger slashed where her ribs had been.

Her spine bent backward.

A flash of blade arced toward her temple—

The dagger sang past her nose, slicing air.

No thoughts. Just fire in her veins and momentum in her bones.

Her foot launched upward—

Roundhouse, tight and savage. It smashed into his side.

CRACK.

He tanked it. Grunted. Didn't fall.

Didn't matter. Ayu didn't wait.

She was already closing the gap—again.

Already inside his stance before the thought even formed.

Her chin dipped

His second dagger came for her throat.

It missed.

The blade dragged through her hair, grazing nothing but empty space.

Her shoulder rammed into his gut.

She spun—

Elbow into jaw.

Knee into thigh.

Sword kissed his ribs.

He parried. Sloppy. Rushed.

She laughed. Didn't mean to. The thrill poured out of her mouth.

He staggered back.

She followed.

Slash. Step. Slash.

Feint. Lunge. Low kick.

He jumped—flipped clean over her—

Her body twisted mid-spin—

Sword already sweeping the space he landed in.

He ducked, barely. Rolled aside.

Ayu didn't chase.

She let her breath surge, then released it slow.

Let Overdrive sink deeper.

The world thickened. The ground pulsed with every heartbeat.

He rushed in—both daggers wide.

She moved before he reached her.

Her feet sidestepped the sweep.

Back curved as the second dagger scraped past her chest.

Her fist answered—elbow crashing down on his clavicle.

He blocked. Arms shook.

He growled and lunged again. Wild. Furious.

She fell backward, almost limbo-like—

Let the blade swing over her.

The moment her back foot touched earth—

She launched forward.

All her weight. All her rhythm.

Her sword shot like lightning—

Thrust straight for the gap in his guard.

Metal shrieked. He blocked with both hands—

But she was already turning—

Already grabbing his wrist—

Already smashing her forehead into his face.

Crack.

His nose burst.

She barely blinked.

He stumbled.

She didn't.

A low kick bashed his shin.

Her sword screamed sideways—another slash, this one aimed for blood.

He leapt over her again—

But her momentum hadn't stopped.

She twisted, blade carving the air behind her.

So close.

They circled.

The stone floor cracked.

She didn't breathe heavy. She didn't smile.

Her eyes were half-lidded. Calm. Focused.

Overdrive kept burning.

And Ayu kept rising.

Her legs blurred—barely touched the ground.

She vanished, reappeared, vanished again.

Stone dust kicked up in clouds behind her.

The cracked floor gave way to short grass, flattened under each burst of movement.

Every motion ripped the air.

The scent of heat—of her own sweat, and the dirt in the air—flooded her nose.

The grass was dry. Brittle. Crushed beneath her pace.

Rocks jutted from the ground like broken teeth.

The elder blocked.

Or tried.

Her foot caught his wrist—sent his blade off-course.

She didn't follow that opening.

She was already on his left.

He turned—

Not fast enough.

Her heel smashed into his ribs.

BOOM.

Bone cracked.

Air blasted from his lungs.

His body launched backward like a cannonball.

He spun—once—twice—

Then slammed into the jagged rock wall.

CRASH.

The outcrop shattered—

Stone exploded.

Dust shot up like smoke from a blast zone.

A crater bloomed where his body struck.

Silence followed.

The crowd gasped.

Ayu didn't hear them.

She was already in motion.

Already cutting through the smoke.

The dust hadn't settled.

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He hadn't moved.

But she was already there.

The tip of her blade pressed to his throat.

Her eyes locked onto his.

The fight was over.

The elder was strong—very strong. Stronger than she had been before reaching the Second State. But now, with such a high Overdrive layered over her Awakening—he wasn't at her level.

The dust settled fast.

The crowd stared. Eyes wide. Silent.

The elder didn't move right away. His chest rose unevenly. One arm trembled slightly.

He looked up at her, eyes steady—but there was blood trailing from the corner of his mouth.

His ribs were likely cracked. Maybe worse.

And still—he smiled.

Slow. Firm. Almost proud.

Ayu didn't lower the blade yet.

She held it there for one more second. Then two.

Then the elder raised both hands slowly. Palms open. Fingers relaxed. There was a slight shake in one of them.

He stepped up with effort—barely masking the wince—and brought one hand across his chest.

Then he bowed his head.

A clear gesture.

No tricks. No threat.

Ayu blinked.

What…?

The tension in the air broke like dry wood.

She turned her head slightly.

The villagers—dozens of them—watched in total silence.

And then, one by one, they bowed too.

Hands across their chests. Heads lowered.

Kids. Adults. Hunters. Even the quiet ones near the fire ring.

All of them.

Ayu's grip loosened on the sword.

She stared at them. Then back at the elder. Then at the others again.

"…What the hell," she muttered under her breath.

This wasn't fear.

This was… respect?

Her stance didn't drop, but the heat in her chest cooled slightly. No danger. No edge. Her instincts weren't screaming anymore.

Whatever this was—it wasn't a trap.

Still, Ayu didn't move.

Didn't bow back.

She just stood there.

Sword down now, eyes scanning, mind trying to catch up.

She hadn't expected this. Not at all.

Wasn't sure what to do—so she didn't move. Just waited.

Seconds passed.

Then more.

The silence didn't feel awkward. It felt ceremonial. The air was still, but heavy.

More villagers joined. Their beast-traits stood out even more now. Horns, claws, tails, fangs. Some walked on the balls of their feet like wolves. Others barely made a sound at all.

It should've felt uncanny.

But somehow… it didn't.

Ayu could feel it in the way they looked at her—measured, steady. Not just respect. Recognition. Something deeper. Primal.

Eventually, the elder raised his head.

The others followed.

He took one step forward, then another. His breath hitched slightly—pain in his side, where her heel had slammed into him—but he didn't waver.

He stopped in front of her.

Then reached into a pouch at his belt and pulled out a length of dark, woven cord. Bone beads were strung through it—flat, smooth, each carved with tiny grooves.

He held it out to her with both hands. No words. Just a short nod.

Ayu stared at it.

Some kind of gift?

A mark?

She wasn't sure what it meant—but it didn't feel bad.

Her gut didn't tense.

So she took it.

The moment her fingers wrapped around the cord, several of the villagers raised their hands—palms flat, fingers open—and tapped them lightly to their foreheads.

Ayu's eyes narrowed.

The hell was that?

A signal? A salute? Something religious?

She didn't know. Didn't try to figure it out.

But it didn't feel hostile.

Felt more like… good will.

So she gave a small nod back. Tucked the cord into her belt.

The moment passed.

No one moved.

The elder just stood there, breathing slow. His face was unreadable now. Not smiling, not frowning. Just watching her.

Ayu scratched her cheek, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

Alright then.

She glanced around. The villagers were still staring, but not as intensely now. A few had turned back to their work. Some of the kids peeked from behind fur-wrapped legs, whispering to each other. One of them made a quiet yip when she looked his way.

Weird bunch.

But no one was throwing rocks. So that was a win.

Ayu turned back to the elder.

She held up the cord, then pointed to herself. "Me?"

The elder blinked. Didn't say anything. Just gave a small nod.

Okay. So far so good.

She tried again—this time pointing down to the ground, then made a little walking motion with her fingers. Then pointed to him.

"Where?" she asked. "You go?"

He watched her hand gestures. His expression didn't change.

Ayu sighed through her nose. "Great."

This was harder than it looked.

"Uh… friends?" she tried, tapping two fingers together, then spreading her hands out in a searching motion. "People like me? Seen them?"

Blank stare.

Fantastic. She was crushing it.

Still, he didn't seem annoyed. Just... curious.

So she nodded once—tight, decisive—and pointed at herself, then at him again.

"I'll go with you," she said. "Tag along. That cool?"

The elder gave another nod. Slower this time.

Then he turned, wincing slightly as he stepped back toward the fire pit. His hand lingered near his ribs—where she'd nailed him earlier.

Ayu noticed.

Didn't say anything.

She followed at a distance.

No idea where they were going.

No idea what they actually thought of her.

But they hadn't tried to kill her… well, not anymore, at least.

And maybe—if she stuck around long enough—she could figure out how to ask about the others. Maybe even get help finding them.

It wasn't much of a plan.

But it was better than running aimlessly out there by herself.

I stare at the dark tunnels ahead.

The mine yawns open like a cracked wound in the cliffside—black, silent, waiting.

The stone around the entrance hums. Faint magnetic signature. The kind the Ajnal extract for their conductive alloys. Veins of compressed iron, basalt layers threaded with magnetite and dense mineral composites. It all buzzes if you know how to feel it.

But that's not what I'm worried about.

It's what lives in there.

They told us about it. A specific type of creature nests deep in these shafts. They call it something that could roughly translate to "vein-crawlers".

Didn't sound friendly.

They just gave us a direction and a warning.

Eliminate it.

If it's there.

Arjun stands beside me. Calm. Focused.

Only the two of us were allowed on this job. Not because we volunteered—because we're the only ones they trust as warriors. Red Warriors. The lowest caste in their warrior system, but still warriors.

First Pillar State. First Body State.

That's the baseline.

Imani's close, but he hasn't reached the Pillar yet. The others are farther behind. They've been assigned menial tasks—hauling, clearing brush, building signal markers outside the outpost.

Still, it all adds up.

Everything we do here earns Tohk'uh. Karma. Contribution. Value.

And value buys access.

The deeper we go, the more we earn. And once I hit the next threshold… they'll show me how to form internal nodes. How to store energy in the muscles and nerves. How to release it like a secondary pulse coil.

And obviously, I want that.

I also know that the more power I gain—and the higher my standing in their society—the easier it'll be to get the tools and manpower I need to search for the others.

So I don't have much of a choice.

I need to do some side quests.

I send a sweeping pulse forward.

The scan returns almost nothing.

But I know better than to trust that. They said the creatures in here can cloak themselves from EM waves—almost perfectly. So I keep Overdrive active at a steady level, just enough for my other senses to pick up any noise or trace in the air.

We step in slowly.

The air thickens immediately—dust, rust, metal. I slow my breathing.

I unsheathe my swords and keep them ready.

We keep moving.

Quiet. Controlled.

One step at a time.

The tunnel narrows, widens, then slopes. Time slips. Minutes pass. Ten. Twenty. Maybe more.

Still nothing.

We don't relax.

Forty minutes.

An hour passes.

No movement. No sounds. Just the creak of our boots over stone.

Then—

I feel it.

A twitch in the air.

A ripple.

I don't hesitate.

Overdrive spikes.

The world sharpens—edges, shadows, particles. Everything slows down and tightens around me. My pulse hits harder. My grip adjusts.

I twist my swords just as the air shifts—three projectiles slice toward me from the dark.

Metallic. Spined. Twisting like bone screws.

I deflect the first two—CLANG–TING—both blades moving in opposite arcs.

The third I slice mid-spin—shards spark and scatter across the wall behind me.

Arjun's already shifted position.

He fires.

Two shots.

The tunnel flashes as the projectiles spark off the creature's hide.

I lunge forward, vaulting over jagged rock, my boots skimming the edges of wall outcroppings.

The enemy comes into focus.

Vein-crawler.

Segmented limbs. Slick, black surface. Not fur. Not shell. Something else—semi-organic lattice that bends light and heat. Its back pulses with faint, rhythmic contractions—vibrational camouflage.

Six limbs, four moving. The front two curl inward—bladed.

Small head. No eyes.

It doesn't need them.

It senses through pressure.

Too slow.

I twist midair—twin blades flashing down like falling guillotines.

First blade slices the front limb—severs it at the joint.

Second pierces the upper thorax.

The creature spasms, lets out a low static screech.

Two more slink behind it, emerging from fractures in the tunnel wall.

Arjun fires again.

Two more shots.

Both hit.

I land and push forward—slide between the second crawler's legs, slash upward across the abdomen, flip the blade in my grip, and plant the point through the spine as I rise.

Third one rushes.

Too late.

I fire once—straight through its cranial ridge.

It drops mid-charge.

Everything stills.

Dust settles.

I exhale, blades dripping with black-green ooze.

Arjun steps beside me, nods once.

That was easy.

I nod back.

We absorb the orbs and keep moving.

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