Mass Release For Thursday!
***
"Tasha?" Dave asked to be sure.
Tasha offered a small, almost sad smile. "Yes, it’s good to see you again, Dave." Her voice was calm, but there was an unsettling coldness to it. "Do you have anything to say before these gentlen take you for... experintation?"
Dave’s eyes narrowed as a wave of realization hit him. His suspicions were confird, and the anger he felt was evident. "So, this was your plan all along?" he said, his voice steady but filled with frustration. "You were going to have taken by these strange n for money?"
Tasha’s smile remained unchanged, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of sothing, guilt? Regret? It was hard to tell. "You’ve got so of it right, Dave. But the rest... Well, you’ll have plenty of ti to figure out what’s true and what’s not once you’re where you’re going."
Before Dave could respond, the man in the white lab coat, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward with an unsettling grin. "Ah, I guess I should introduce myself," he said, his voice smooth and patronizing. "My na is White, but most people call ’The Doctor.’ Tasha has already told quite a bit about you." His grin widened as he took a step closer. "And now, I’ll be taking you to my lab for so... interesting experints."
The way he said "experints" sent a shiver down Dave’s spine. The man’s deanor was bizarre, too calm, too unsettling, and it made the air around them feel thick with tension.
Ella, standing beside Dave, glanced at him, her eyes wide with both fear and disbelief. This was a side of Dave she hadn’t seen before, cool, collected, and in control despite the situation. His composure was almost... mature, like he wasn’t the sa person she had known back at the base.
The Doctor’s voice broke through her thoughts. "Alright, boys. Take him!"
The n surrounding them began to move, stepping closer with a sense of purpose. Dave could feel the tightening grip of the situation, but just as his pulse quickened, he noticed sothing that gave him a fleeting mont of hope: the clock was still ticking, and he knew the next beast attack would happen soon. There were still about five minutes left before the creatures would make their move.
That small window of ti was all he needed. For now, he was still in control.
As Dave saw the five n charge toward him, his instincts kicked in. With a swift twist of his body, he swung his arm in a wide arc, delivering a powerful sweep that should have sent them all sprawling into the air. But to his surprise, they didn’t fly back as he expected. Instead, they staggered only slightly, managing to keep their balance and regain composure far quicker than he anticipated.
’That’s strange,’ Dave thought, confusion flashing through his mind. ’My attack should have sent them flying. How are they defending themselves so well?’ His eyes flickered to their expressions, there was sothing unnerving about the way they moved, almost like they weren’t just ordinary n. ’And what’s this strange confidence they have?’
Before he could gather his thoughts, a sudden notification flashed in front of his eyes, interrupting his focus.
[Warning: You are being attacked by a hybrid; a half beast, half human with a power twice as strong as a normal beast]
The words felt like a punch in the gut. ’Hybrid?’ Dave’s mind raced as the ssage continued.
[Their strength is determined by the tier of the beast they’ve rged with]
[A Basic Hybrid has their human body rged with a Basic-tier beast, while an Interdiate Hybrid has their body rged with an Interdiate-tier beast]
The reality of the situation hit him like a cold wave, but the system wasn’t done yet. Another ssage popped up almost imdiately:
[New Quest: Defeat 20 Basic Hybrids and 5 Interdiate Hybrids]
[The ten n in front of you are all Basic Hybrids]
Dave’s eyes widened in realization. ’So that’s it,’ he thought, feeling the weight of the situation.
These weren’t ordinary n, they were sothing else entirely. Half-human, half-beast, and stronger than anything he’d faced before. He steeled himself, knowing this was only the beginning.
Dave quickly dropped into a fighting stance as one of the hybrids charged toward him. The man swung his fist at his face, but Dave was ready. He sidestepped and with a swift move, landed a powerful punch that sent the man’s head whipping to the side, knocking him off balance. The hybrid stumbled but remained standing.
Dave wasn’t going to let up. This ti, he focused all his strength into his next strike, his fist slamd into the man’s chest, sending him flying backward. The man hit the ground with a sickening thud and didn’t get up again.
Another hybrid lunged at him, but Dave was faster. With a sharp sweep of his leg, he knocked the man off his feet, sending him crashing to the ground with a thud.
But just as he was about to assess the situation, he noticed the doctor, standing a few feet away, fiddling with sothing in his hand. Dave’s eyes narrowed just as the hybrids’ eyes began to glow an eerie blue. The sound of low, guttural snarls filled the air.
Dave’s breath caught in his throat as the hybrids in front of him started to change. Their faces distorted, muscles rippling as they morphed into savage beasts. Not just one, but all five of them. Their transformation was horrifyingly fast.
The doctor’s voice broke through the chaos. "Surrender, Dave. There’s nothing else you can do. I already have them captured. You wouldn’t want to see them die, would you?"
Dave’s gaze flicked to Ella and Eric. His heart sank. Both of them were surrounded by the remaining hybrids, helpless in the face of the overwhelming odds. And with the passing of an hour, the countdown in his mind told him everything he feared, the five minutes was up, he had no more ti. He had no way of winning this fight. No way of getting them out of here alive.
The decision hit him like a wave crashing down. He had no choice. With a resigned sigh, he stopped resisting. The n grabbed him from behind, pulling his arms behind his back. He glanced back at Ella and Eric, both had their heads hung low, powerless in the face of their captors.
The hybrids ushered them toward the waiting vehicle, forcefully pushing them inside. The door slamd shut with a finality that sent a chill down Dave’s spine.
The cars had driven off to a different location, while the doctor’s, as he reached TT Junction, had let Tasha out of the car. The man in the white lab coat gave her a lingering look before leaning down to kiss her. It was for a fleeting mont, but the smile on Tasha’s face was unmistakable as she pulled away.
"Okay, first stage done. Now it’s Anthony’s turn," Tasha murmured to herself, her smile widening as she watched the doctor’s car drive off, while she herself started heading to the direction where the mbers of her group had went.
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