The outskirts of the Industrial Sector weren't part of Ironhold anymore—they were what the city had discarded. Crumbling concrete, twisted rebar, and the skeletal remains of factories and warehouses littered the terrain. Abandoned supply rails cut through the ruins, tangled with scrap metal and half-melted beast carcasses.
This was where real culling happened. Not in the safety of the inner districts—but here, where the Altered nested in the bones of civilization.
Smoke padded ahead, low to the ground, tail flicking dust. Specter floated behind me like a phantom, gliding between fractured shadows. I tightened my grip on my makeshift gauntlet, eyes scanning the cracked road.
The mission was clear: clear the zone. Ironhold didn't care what lurked out here—only that it died before reaching the wall.
But before we reached the tagged area, I heard it. A cry. A thud. Laughter.
I rounded a pile of rusted piping and saw them: three tamers in secondhand armor, circling someone curled on the ground. A kid—maybe seventeen—dirt-streaked, lip bleeding. His beast—a lean lizard with glowing under-scales—snarled, protective but outclassed.
"C'mon, baby tamer," one jeered. "You bring a gecko to the cull zone, you're volunteering to die."
The kid pushed himself up. "My name's Kade. And his name is Vetch. I didn't come here to fight people."
Another kicked dirt in his face. "Didn't come to fight at all."
I didn't pause.
Specter surged forward and vanished.
The leader flinched—then screamed—as a curved claw of darkness appeared beside his cheek.
Smoke landed with a thump between Kade and the bullies, fangs bared.
"Step off," I said flatly. "Before this turns into more than a bad day."
They hesitated. One opened his mouth—then shut it as Specter fully materialized behind him, mandibles clacking softly.
They backed off, muttering curses. One spat before disappearing into the ruins.
Kade stared. "You okay?" I asked.
He nodded, wiping his mouth. "Yeah. Thought I was done."
"Why're you out here alone?"
"First culling contract. Said it was a 'starter zone.' Didn't realize that meant walking into a death trap."
I smirked. "That's Ironhold."
He extended a hand. "Like I said—Kade. This is Vetch."
The lizard chirped and bowed its head, scales glimmering faintly. Not bad for a rookie.
"Name's…" I paused. Then: "Call me Ash."
We stood quietly for a moment before I said, "My squad and I are heading deeper. You're welcome to tag along. Beats getting jumped again."
His eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Yeah. Better to be a pack of strays than roadkill."
Specter chittered—almost amused.
As we moved out, the air changed. Not calmer—tenser. Like a wire pulled taut. Something was coming.
And this cull? It wasn't going to go by the numbers.
Just past Ironhold's southern wall, faded warning signs and half-collapsed fences marked the wild zone. Smoke trotted ahead, mist curling from his paws. Specter drifted alongside me, his segmented body sliding effortlessly through the blackened ruins.
Kade followed, quieter now, still shaken.
"I'm not great at this yet," he admitted, glancing at the small beetle-like beast beside him. It had an iridescent shell and twitchy antennae. "His name's Flick. He's fast. Spot traps. Not much else."
Flick clicked softly, like he was embarrassed.
[Skill: Trap Sense – Detects nearby hidden traps, ambushes, or unstable terrain. Passive radius expands slightly with bond level.]
"You're not here to brute force," I said. "You're here to learn. And survive."
Kade blinked, then nodded. "Yeah. I can do that."
Smoke glanced at Flick. No growl—just a look. A rare approval. Specter didn't react, but the glow of his shadow mist flickered as we moved deeper into scorched terrain.
[Mission Update: Culling Zone Reached.]
[Target Beasts Remaining: 8]
The system prompt chimed in my head.
We didn't wait long.
A gurgling screech ripped through the air as something barreled from a shattered subway. A giant, hairless mole—barbed claws, glowing orange eyes, and a back pulsing with wet, parasitic growths.
[Altered Beast: Burrowhowler – Rank: F+]
"Specter—flank it."
The Nightmare Cradle blurred, shadow-stepping through debris, and slashed at the beast's eye.
[Skill: Umbra Sever – A cutting strike delivered from shadow-phase; bypasses basic armor and weakens the target's limb coordination temporarily.]
Smoke followed, releasing a curling mist from his paws that blanketed the battlefield.
[Skill: Veilstep Fog – Smoke releases a localized mist that disrupts enemy targeting and conceals movement for a short duration.]
"Flick, eyes!" I snapped.
"Got it!" Kade pointed. Flick darted across rubble, his shell flashing, revealing a shimmer in the air.
Another beast. Camouflaged. Waiting to ambush.
"Specter—two o'clock!"
Tendrils lashed out from beneath Specter's abdomen, pinning the second Burrowhowler in place.
[Skill: Shadow Binding – Temporarily anchors and immobilizes targets by summoning limb-like shadows to entangle prey. Duration scales with bond strength.]
Smoke pounced, claws now flaring with ember-light. His strike tore through exposed muscle.
The first beast fell to Specter's blades. The second didn't last much longer.
[Targets Remaining: 6]
Kade panted. "You're insane."
"I'm alive. That's what counts."
We pushed deeper. Skeletal mutts with iron spines. A bloated vulture that screamed like a siren. A lizard spitting bone shards like bullets. Each fight dragged Kade closer to the edge—but he held.
Specter and Smoke moved like one mind. Covering, flanking, protecting. Flick had his moment, too, luring out a beast too fast for Smoke to corner.
By the seventh kill, Kade was limping. I had a shallow cut across my ribs. And the last target hadn't shown itself.
Then the ground rumbled.
Specter hissed. Not at what he saw, but what he sensed.
The sky darkened unnaturally. Something stepped from beneath the shattered concrete like gravity didn't apply.
A chimera. Wolf-shaped. Bones, black fur, red-veined muscle. A single eye burned in its chest.
[Target Beast: Dreadbound Warg – Rank: D]
[WARNING: Target Exceeds Mission Parameters.]
I gritted my teeth. "That's not an F-Rank."
"Should we run?" Kade asked.
We could. But if that thing hit the wall...
"No. It'll rip through anyone still out here."
Smoke growled. Specter floated low, his barbs clicking like teeth.
I activated the link.
[Skill: Beast Tamer – Synchronize – You and your bonded beasts temporarily share awareness, reflexes, and instinct. Increases coordination and reaction speed. Duration scales with synchronization affinity.]
My vision split—just for a moment—as I felt everything from Smoke's crouch, Specter's hiss, the air's weight, the scent of rot.
"All in," I muttered. "Specter—pin its legs. Smoke, go for the eye."
Kade surprised me. "Flick and I will distract it!"
He yanked a noise grenade from his belt. "You've got seven seconds."
The grenade shrieked. The Warg flinched. Flick flashed, drawing its gaze. Specter surged, shadows erupting—binding its limbs.
Smoke vanished into fog, then struck.
[Veilstep Fog > Pounce Chain Bonus Activated]
A blur. Claws. Blood. Screams.
Smoke struck fast and deep, ripping into the burning eye.
The beast didn't die clean.
It fought.
But it bled. It faltered. And now, we had the upper hand.
[Targets Remaining: 0]
[Mission Complete: Culling Zone Cleared.]
I wiped my blade and turned to Kade. "You did well. You'll get the hang of it."
But I kept glancing toward the horizon.
Ironhold's walls shimmered through the haze.
And the earth rumbled again, stronger.
The air grew charged. Heavy.
Then—I heard it.
Thousands of hooves. Growls. Howls.
A roar that shook the ground itself.
The Altered Beast Stampede had begun.
And it was coming straight for Ironhold.