Alex's words struck true in more than just his own ears. The woman's advance slowed to a halt as she stared at him, horror gripping her features.
"No," she whispered. The swords in her hands trembled as she stared at Alex, denial in her voice. "That's not possible. I can't have failed. I'm still alive. There were so many people relying on to be alive. Can't you see? I'm alive!"
She does look alive. That's not wrong. But…
Alex swallowed. His eyes drifted from the woman to Keeper, who watched on. The desolate expression on the monster's features was strikingly human — and there was no doubting the recognition within that flat, silver eye.
For the first ti since the Apocalypse had struck, Alex was struck with an intense sense of disgust. He welcod every scrap of challenge that the System threw at him. The end of the world had been chaotic, it had been brutal, but it had been fun.
But this — this was sothing else. It was just cruel.
"What's your na?" Alex asked.
"Au…" The woman's words died on her lips. She squinted and her lips parted as she made to answer his question a second ti. Then she froze in place. Her mouth closed, then opened again. Her brow furrowed; hands clenched at her sides. A vein in her neck bulged.
But, no matter how hard she tried, not so much as a single word slipped from her lips.
Just like Keeper. They can't say their own nas because the System took it from them. This is vile. Is this what happens when you die within its grip? Your mind and body get turned into a puppet to be used?
I suppose nobody can call the System inefficient.
"I can't say it," the woman whispered. A droplet of blood rolled down from her nose and traced across her lips. She barely even seed to notice it. "My na. I — it hurts. It hurts so bad."
"I'm sorry," Alex said, and he ant it.
"If you continue to resist, the System will take what remains," Keeper said. "You are not your own anymore. The only way to preserve yourself is to obey."
"Fuck what remains!" the woman scread, driving a sword into the ground. "People are counting on ! The System can rot."
"Then you will lose even the mory of what was," Keeper said.
The woman didn't get a chance to respond. Her words were interrupted by an agonized scream as her right arm bubbled and bulged. What seed to be cancerous bone growths ripped through her skin like spines. The arm bulged and enlarged grotesquely until it was nearly twice as large as it had been. She staggered, catching herself on the ground with a sword before she could fall.
Alex couldn't even bring himself to put words to his thoughts. He stared along with the woman as blood dripped from her warped arm. It barely even looked human anymore.
"It's turning into a monster," she whispered in horror.
"More will be lost the more you resist," Keeper said. "Trust . I would know. If you obey, more remains. mories. A chance at escape, but nothing more."
The woman's eyes affixed on Alex. She drew in a deep, ragged breath. "A chance… that's too late. You know of planet naming. Can… you travel between them?"
"In a way."
A second passed as the woman fought internally to push words forth. "My people. If you defeat … if you get to 211-10… if they still live… will you help them?"
That's a lot of ifs. I'm not exactly so hero. I'm only even helping the people from the campground because I need backup to help fight the Region Boss. Sure, it gives them a better chance at survival, but I know I'm not a saint. rcy is for people strong enough to afford it, and I'm not.
Also, I don't have the faintest clue how I'd even find her people. She can't say her na. She can't say anything but a planet. That's pretty shit guidance.
"I won't lie to you. I don't know how I'd even do that," Alex said. "If I happen to make my way to your planet, I'll see if I can find anyone that recognizes a description of you. That's the best I can promise."
"A na," the woman said, her jaw clenching. "I'll give you a na. Not mine."
Her skin twitched and bubbled like a sea of ants were running beneath it, trying to push their way free.
I'm not so sure the System's going to let you do that. If I kill her now, I'm pretty sure that the System would count it. A fight is a fight… but I won't. Not only because that would basically just be murdering soone who literally just got murdered, but because killing an opponent that isn't fighting back would reduce the challenge. I need as much as possible if I want over 100% completion.
"I won't lie to you by promising sothing I can't promise, but if the situation arises, then I'll do what I can," Alex said.
Really not much of a commitnt. The System isn't going to let her give anything to work with.
The woman swallowed. Then she nodded. Sadness and determination set themselves in her features as she took a ragged breath to steady herself.
For several long monts, she was silent. Her skin twitched and bubbled as an internal war waged within her, literally and taphorically. Tremors passed through her entire body as she suddenly doubled over, hacking blood up onto the dark ground.
Keeper shook his head sadly. "Your resolve is admirable, but it will not change anything. I would suggest—"
"Stargrove Sect," the woman spat, practically choked, out.
Then she doubled over with an agonized scream. A deluge of blackish-red fluid poured from between her lips, splattering against the ground. A foul sll perated through the darkness, the unmistakable rot of decay and death.
The naless woman hacked and wretched, desperately gasping for air through the unending flow of what Alex suspected to be her pulped, rotted inner organs.
Holy shit. She actually did it. That must be the na her town was going to be called.
Keeper's eye was wide in disbelief. He was even more shocked than Alex was.
They didn't get to relish the feeling for long. A final heave shook the woman's body. The flow of rotted liquid from between her lips finally drew to a halt. It dripped from her lips as she raised bloodshot eyes to Alex, her hand still clenched around the hilt of the sword embedded in the ground.
"Forgive for the burden I place upon you," she whispered.
Then she exploded.
Jagged bone ripped through any semblance of her humanity as her body ballooned in size, growing to more than three tis her forr height. Solid sheets of bone ground and screeched against each other as the ligants and flesh that connected them was ripped to shreds.
Her face was warped beyond recognition as it was torn to shreds from within along with the rest of her body. Any amount of blood that remained within her proved to be insignificant in comparison with the new size of the lumbering, humanoid monstrosity that rose in her place.
Two dull motes of grey ignited in the empty eye sockets of the creature. They held no intelligence or care. Only death remained. Nothing about it was human. Every trace of who the woman had been was gone.
No. Not gone. Spent.
Spent for the sake of two words.
Alex's lips pulled back into a snarl. He knew what he was and was comfortable with it. Nobody got far by sticking their neck out for no reason. It was just such a hassle. He'd promised himself that he'd have fun in the apocalypse — but there were so lines that couldn't be crossed.
She was a warrior. Making her do all that, just to give her the slightest chance to help her people just a little more…
I guess I've got no choice.
The monster let out a low moan. It took a step toward him and lifted its jagged, spiked hands in preparation to crush him.
Alex craned his neck back to et the huge bone golem's empty gaze. It continued to advance, step by step, shifting from a shuffle to a thunderous jog. Every step made the ground beneath it shake.
And, for so reason, even though Alex's body knew that an enemy like this would be one that would provide quite the challenge, he couldn't quite bring himself to be excited for the fight.
There was a different emotion that gripped his heart. One that left no room for any others.
"I'm sorry I never got to find out your na. Sothing tells it would have been a worthy one," Alex said. He shifted his stance, sending a ntal command to his monsters. Only determination remained in his features. Alex looked up at the charging monster, unflinching. "I don't know if any part of you is left in there. But, at the bare minimum, I'll make sure you can rest."
He brought his hand down, and his monsters charged to et their foe.
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