Chapter Twenty-Two:


    “Blood and Barter”


    Sterling’s eyes snapped open to the roar of wind and the dizzying sight of Oblivion Arc below—a wasteland of jagged ruins and glowing fissures that stretched endlessly in every direction.


    “Shit,” he muttered, his voice drowned by the howling wind. He twisted in freefall, spotting Kendrik flailing about twenty meters to his left.


    “Sterling!” Kendrik’s panicked voice crackled in his ear. “What the hell is this?!”


    “It’s a drop,” Sterling shouted back, his tone calm despite the chaos. “Relax. Let me handle it.”


    Sterling focused, his mind pulling up the translucent UI that flickered faintly at the edge of his vision. With a thought, he summoned the compass—a small circular map that appeared in the upper-right corner of his HUD. Two icons pulsed on the far side of the map: red and yellow, marking their other teammates. They were together, but too far away to regroup anytime soon.


    “They’re alive,” Sterling muttered to himself, then turned his attention to the terrain below. His eyes locked onto a cluster of crumbling buildings near the edge of a glowing fissure. With a mental command, he placed a marker over the site. A bright blue beacon flared to life, visible even through the chaos of the fall.


    “There!” Sterling shouted. “I’m landing there. Follow me!”


    Kendrik steadied himself, his flailing slowing as he spotted the marker. “Got it. Don’t lose me!”


    Sterling adjusted his trajectory, angling his body toward the beacon. The wind screamed around him as the ground rushed closer, the ruins below growing larger with every passing second.


    “Chute!” Sterling barked, yanking the cord on his harness. His parachute deployed with a violent snap, jerking him hard enough to make his teeth clack. He gritted his teeth, steering toward the beacon as Kendrik’s chute deployed nearby.


    They hit the ground almost simultaneously, rolling to absorb the impact. Sterling came up in a crouch, his Draco rifle already in his hands. His HUD flickered, displaying his health bar—a solid green line—and his lack of shields.


    “We’re exposed,” Sterling muttered, scanning the area. “No shields, no cover. We need to move.” This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Kendrik landed beside him, breathing heavily. His own health bar glowed faintly above his head, identical to Sterling’s. “You think anyone saw us?”


    “Doesn’t matter,” Sterling replied, his tone cold. “If they did, they’ll regret it.”


    The sound of footsteps echoed from the ruins ahead. Sterling’s HUD tagged three figures—NPCs—moving toward them. Their health bars appeared above their heads, along with faint silver shield bars and a small shield icon marked “Lvl. 1.”


    “We’ve got company,” Sterling said, his lips curling into a grin.


    One of the NPCs stepped into view, a shotgun in his hands. He froze when he saw Sterling, his eyes widening. “Wait! Don’t—”


    Sterling didn’t wait. He raised his Draco rifle and fired, the weapon barking as a burst of bullets tore through the NPC’s shield. The silver bar shattered, and the green health bar beneath it drained rapidly. The NPC crumpled to the ground, his shotgun clattering beside him.


    “One down,” Sterling said, already moving.


    The other two NPCs opened fire, their bullets kicking up dirt around him. Sterling ducked behind a crumbling wall, his mind racing. His Draco’s ammo count blinked in the corner of his HUD: **12/30**.


    “Kendrik!” Sterling shouted. “Cover me!”


    Kendrik stepped forward, his pistol barking as he laid down suppressing fire. The NPCs ducked for cover, giving Sterling the opening he needed. He vaulted over the wall, closing the distance in a blur of motion.


    His machete was in his hand before he even realized he’d drawn it. The first NPC barely had time to scream before Sterling’s blade cleaved through his neck, blood spraying in an arc. The second NPC turned to run, but Sterling’s throwing axe caught him in the back, dropping him like a sack of bricks.


    “Jesus,” Kendrik muttered, stepping over the bodies. “You don’t mess around, do you?”


    “No time for mercy,” Sterling replied, pulling the axe from the NPC’s corpse. His HUD flashed a warning: **Ammo Low – 5/30**.


    “Out of ammo,” he growled, pulling up the thought-based UI. He selected a stack of money from his inventory—a neat bundle of bills that materialized in his hand. Without hesitation, he tossed it to Kendrik.


    “Buy me ammo,” Sterling ordered.


    Kendrik caught the money, his own UI flickering to life. He scrolled through the options, selecting a crate of rifle ammo and a Level 2 vest. Both items materialized in his hands, and he tossed them back to Sterling.


    “Here. Don’t waste it,” Kendrik said.


    Sterling caught the ammo and vest, equipping both in seconds. His HUD updated, the silver shield bar appearing above his health bar with a small “Lvl. 2” icon beside it.


    “Better,” Sterling muttered, reloading his Draco.


    More footsteps echoed from the ruins. This time, it wasn’t NPCs—it was players. Two of them, their health and shield bars glowing faintly above their heads.


    Sterling smirked and pulled up his UI again. Another stack of money materialized in his hand, and he tossed it to Kendrik without looking.


    “Get yourself a vest,” Sterling said, his tone sharp.


    Kendrik caught the money, his HUD flickering as he navigated the options. A Level 2 vest materialized in his hands, and he quickly equipped it. His shield bar appeared above his health, the silver line glowing faintly with the same “Lvl. 2” icon.


    “Appreciate it,” Kendrik said, rolling his shoulders as the vest settled into place.


    “Don’t mention it,” Sterling replied, his eyes locked on the approaching players.


    One of the players raised his hands, dropping his weapon. “Please! We don’t want any trouble!”


    Sterling stepped forward, his machete still dripping with blood. “Then you shouldn’t have landed here.”


    The player raised his hands, dropping his weapon. “Wait! We’ll leave! Just let us—”


    Sterling’s Draco barked, the bullets tearing through the player’s shield and health in seconds. He crumpled to the ground, his teammate screaming in terror.


    “Run,” Sterling said, his voice cold.


    The second player turned to flee, but Kendrik’s pistol dropped him with a single shot.


    “No loose ends,” Kendrik said, reloading.


    Sterling grinned, his bloodlust barely sated. “Good. Let’s keep moving. We’ve got a lot more ground to cover.”


    The duo disappeared into the ruins, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.