At the depths of a certain ravine in the Ruget wasteland...
"So... are you curious about how I ended up dangling like a piece of meat in the middle of this godforsaken chasm?"
My voice probably echoed throughout this death trap of a gorge. Lucky me... or maybe not so lucky? One of my legs managed to catch onto a rotting tree branch, while my other arm desperately clung to another branch on pure instinct. They're the only things keeping my sorry ass from plummeting into the pitch-black abyss below where I can't see jack shit.
"Alright... if you want to know how this unlucky bastard ended up in this mess, I guess we'll have to rewind a bit. The whole thing started about two hours ago, I think."
Two hours earlier – Downtown Mind, Hunter headquarters
The bustling chatter of people echoed throughout the wide plaza of the Hunter Association. Downtown Mind was always lively, especially around the mission board where new jobs got updated constantly. I stood squeezed between other Hunters, scanning for missions I could handle solo with my current gear.
[Rank F Mission: Investigate Soul Either in Ruget Zone | Reward: 50 Credits | Details: Survey and photograph Soul Either spotted around Ruget Forest perimeter. Combat not required.]
"Perfect! I'll take this one," I muttered to myself without hesitation. Reconnaissance missions were ridiculously easy. No need for heavy combat or anything complicated. Just sneak around, take a few snapshots, then collect the paycheck. Simple, right?
"Heh... someone like you would only qualify for Rank F reconnaissance missions anyway, Ethan." A familiar deep voice came from behind me, followed by a heavy hand slapping down on my shoulder.
I turned around. "Rev..." This guy was my best friend... or maybe 'frenemy' would be more accurate. Rev was one of the "chosen ones" who successfully managed to close his own Soul Rift. Oh... you guys are probably wondering what a Soul Rift is, right?
Let me explain it simply. A Soul Rift is like this weird symbol that every human is born with. Nobody knows what it's for or what it really is. But if anyone manages to successfully "close" this crazy crack... BOOM! They get special powers called Soul Types. Each person gets different abilities – some become physical powerhouses, others can shapeshift, and some can shoot energy blasts and stuff.
Of course, I have one of these damn things too. Mine? It's on the back of my neck – a faint mark that looks like a small shooting star scar. Nothing too eye-catching.
Rev raised an eyebrow, looking at me with that annoying expression. "So when are you going to try closing your own Soul Rift? Maybe you could finally move up to higher-rank missions instead of taking these bottom-feeder jobs."
I shrugged. "Well... actually, I could probably handle Rank C Soul Either extermination missions if I had decent gear." I grumbled under my breath. The problem was I didn't have the equipment I needed. How the hell was I supposed to fight supernatural monsters with just a regular handgun?
"Nah, friend. It's too risky. You know how dangerous closing a Soul Rift is. The success rate is only 30%. The other 70%... they become Soul Eithers on the spot." I answered Rev honestly. I'd seen with my own eyes just how horrifying failure could be.
Rev nodded in understanding. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Just messing with you. But tonight..."
"Same place, see you there," I cut him off. We both knew "same place" meant our usual dive bar in the city.
I waved goodbye to Rev and walked out of the Association. This would be the second time I'd have to leave the safe walls of Mind City and head to the adjacent Ruget Forest to investigate this Rank F Soul Either. Hopefully, this time would be as easy as the last.
One hour earlier – Ruget Forest outskirts
Damn it... I'd been wandering around this dense forest for almost a full hour and hadn't seen hide nor hair of the Soul Either mentioned in the report. Could the intel be wrong?
Suddenly, my ears caught the sound of faint sobbing drifting from a thick bush ahead. I froze, stepping carefully forward and slowly parting the branches to look...
The sight I saw nearly made me stop breathing.
It wasn't a Soul Either... but a young girl, maybe twelve years old. She sat hugging her knees, trembling under a large tree. Her body was grimy and disheveled, her eyes red-rimmed like she'd been crying hard.
"Big brother... help me...sob... I messed up... I shouldn't have done that..." Her voice shook with fear.
Ah... hearing those words, I immediately knew what this girl was doing – or trying to do – something incredibly dangerous. I could see the Soul Rift on her left wrist. It was pulsing with light in rapid intervals. Not a good sign at all.
Before I could say anything, the crack on the girl's wrist began expanding rapidly! Blinding light burst forth, and my primal instincts screamed 'RUN!'
"Oh shit! This is so fucked!" I cursed internally.
The girl's body was enveloped in sinister black energy. It twisted and expanded grotesquely. Her skin turned a sickly pale blue, her eyes widened lifelessly, and her body gradually grew to about two meters tall. Her limbs became unnaturally long and thin, with sharp claws sprouting in place of fingernails.
"Why the hell am I just standing here watching it transform?!" My sanity snapped back into place. This time I didn't hesitate – I spun around and bolted immediately! Running like my life depended on it, never looking back.
Haunting roars followed close behind me, indicating that this newly-born monster was hunting its first prey... which happened to be me!
The Ruget zone was full of ravines and dangerous slopes. I ran straight ahead, trying to get back to the starting point I'd marked on my electronic map. The sounds of breaking branches and heavy footsteps kept pursuing me relentlessly.
And then... my infamous bad luck struck again. The ground beneath my feet gave way! I screamed as my body tumbled through the air, weightless.
Ah... there you have it, dear audience. That's how I fell into this ravine. From there, the situation became exactly what I described at the beginning – one leg caught on a branch, and my arm barely managed to grab onto another one.
That Soul Either was still prowling around the edge of the ravine. I could hear its roars getting closer periodically, but it seemed like it hadn't spotted me dangling down here yet. I held my breath, trying to stay as quiet as possible.
"Sigh... Is this good luck or bad luck? I honestly can't tell anymore!!" I whispered to myself in frustration.
Its roars echoed about five more times, each round growing more distant, until finally, the last one faded to barely audible.
But still, how the hell am I supposed to get out of this clusterfuck of a situation?!