Jake saw a subtle shimmer like a mirage flickering in and out of existence just a few feet in front of him. Something was happening, but at first, he couldn’t quite comprehend what it was. Still unsure of what to expect, he continued to retreat, watching the strange phenomenon in front of him.
As he focused on the source of the strange disturbance, he saw the air before him ripple and distort, revealing a faint outline of a humanoid figure. Like a phantom materializing out of thin air, the creature slowly solidified in front of him until it became completely visible. Having never encountered this type of mutant, Jake summoned its description with a thought.
Ex-Human Wraith – Level 25 (Elite)
Special ability: Invisibility – The mutant can activate a disguise mode, rendering itself temporarily invisible and becoming almost impossible to detect.
Attributes: Body 10, Mind 5, Magick 15
He dismissed the information, focusing on the ex-human in front of him. Now that he had the threat identified, Feral Instincts fell silent. Having discovered what the skill had been warning him about, Jake ceased retreating. In one quick glance, he studied the mutant before him.
Most of the ex-humans he encountered were dressed in ragged clothing, in which they were respawned during the regular world reset. Sure enough, those that emerged from replication pods wore their birthday suits.
The mutant that had just materialized before him was completely naked. Jake wasn’t sure if the wraith had recently emerged from a pod or if this mutant type was never clothed to begin with. While he couldn’t confirm the latter, he was sure the wraith had recently been released from a pod, because it would’ve attacked him much earlier otherwise.
It had a female body, but it didn’t take Jake by surprise. He’d long since learned that ex-humans could be of either sex, and he never really paid much attention to the gender of a mutant he killed. Ex-humans were simply deformed, evil creatures to be hunted for XP, nothing more.
Like many other ex-humans, the wraith was armed with long, curved claws. Its oversized mouth was open in a cruel grin, revealing rows of serrated fangs that glistened with drool. The mutant’s skin was pallid and smooth, its body completely devoid of hair.
While the wraith was invisible, it must’ve moved slowly to avoid making noise. However, as it became visible, the mutant quickly shifted from a walk to a run toward him. The wraith’s lithe and agile frame allowed it to move quickly and quietly toward him. As soon as the mutant reached him, it unleashed a series of slashes.
As it turned out, the wraith wasn’t faster or more agile than a chaser, which was why he had no trouble dodging or blocking its attacks at all. Apart from the ability to turn invisible, the wraith didn’t differ much from a chaser. It didn’t even have the Flurry of Swings ability that many other elite mutants had, including chasers. Jake wondered whether mutants of the wraith breed could turn invisible at any time or if there was a cooldown period.
When he saw an opening, he immediately attacked the wraith, raking his claws across its pale body. The four long scratches left across its flesh immediately began to bleed. The ex-human emitted a shrill cry, then spun around and darted away, almost instantly turning invisible.
Jake wanted to give chase, but he was suddenly attacked by several walkers. By the time he dealt with them, the wraith was long gone. He looked around but couldn’t spot it. By now, it could be anywhere, and since it was completely invisible, Jake couldn’t detect it even with the help of his Enhanced Senses.
Suddenly, his Feral Instincts kicked in, warning him of impending danger. He had a strong hunch that it was the wraith sneaking up on him. He glanced around but couldn’t spot his opponent. Then, he was suddenly attacked from behind, feeling sharp claws slashing at his back.
He immediately wheeled around, lashing out at the invisible figure with a clawed hand. His talons raked the body of the wraith, causing it to become visible again. As it turned out, when wounded, the wraith lost its disguise. It was good to know. After the wraith realized it was now fully visible, it spun around and attempted to flee once more. Only this time, Jake was determined not to let the creature escape. He struck out with his claws, slicing through the mutant’s back. At the same time, he also sprouted a tentacle from his body and immediately lashed out with it, its bladed tip piercing the wraith’s neck, inflicting a severe wound on the ex-human.
Enemy killed. +400 XP
Immediately after that, another system notification flashed through his mind.
You have gained enough XP to level up. Your level went up from 32 to 33. You have gained 5 SP.
The wraith defeated, Jake quickly scanned the area. A few walkers and leapers remained in the room, but all the stronger mutant types had been eliminated. The replication pods were in the process of generating new mutants, but as far as he could tell, none of them were close to releasing fully developed creatures yet.
Jake dashed toward the nearest of the remaining walkers, slashing at its throat with his claws. The blood poured from the nasty wound, and the walker collapsed to the ground, dead. Jake was already moving toward another creature, not slowing down for a second. One quick slash of his claws, and another ex-human was dead. Even before its body dropped to the ground, Jake was already moving on to the next target.
It took him less than a minute to deal with all the remaining ex-humans in the room. He quickly scanned his surroundings. Not noticing any more creatures to kill, he lowered his claws and moved toward the nearest replication pod. Peering inside, he almost immediately recognized the mutant being created within as a walker. He shredded both the cocoon and the underdeveloped creature inside with his claws and immediately moved to inspect another cocoon.
One by one, he examined all the replication pods, but all the mutants he saw inside belonged to the types he’d already analyzed. Just as he was starting to think he wouldn’t find a new mutant type there and would need to search for another building filled with replication pods, he finally came across a pod containing a creature he hadn’t analyzed before.
For a few seconds, he watched the creature being developed inside the cocoon. At first, he couldn’t tell what type of mutant it would become, but as it neared completion, its feminine, completely hairless body indicated it would likely be another wraith.
Creature analyzed. Status: 5/5. Mutation Research complete. Mind Reader has been added to the Genetic Development Interface.
Finally, the quest was complete. Jake destroyed the pod containing the wraith and proceeded to do the same with the remaining pods. After that, he scanned the area once more. All the mutants had been killed, and all the cocoons had been destroyed. The floor of the room glistened with spilled pod liquid mixing with mutant blood, scattered with the bodies of the dead ex-humans he’d slain.
It was time to allocate his skill points, check out the Mind Reader ability, and perhaps acquire some new skills. If he were human, he would’ve left before assigning his skill points. However, as a mutant, Jake was unfazed by the gruesome scene of carnage or the overpowering stench of death filling the room. Neither bothered him one bit.
So before returning to the rooftop, he chose to stay in the room a little longer to allocate his skill points. Surrounded by the aftermath of the brutal carnage, he closed his eyes and accessed his character sheet.