The wind was too quiet. A bad sign.
The midday forest shimmered beneath her wings, verdant and alive. Aya glided above the canopy, the thrill of her new evolution coursing through her like electricity. The air rushed past her, brushing against her antennae and tugging gently at her delicate wings. Each flap required not just strength, but stamina—a vital resource she had to conserve. But the freedom of flight, the sheer exhilaration of soaring through the trees, was intoxicating.
"I could get used to this," she murmured, her voice nearly lost in the gentle whisper of the forest.
Suddenly, a sharp warning blared in her mind. Her Predator's Eye flared to life, a crimson outline pulsing in the corner of her vision. Hidden danger, something fast and enormous, was hurtling toward her.
She twisted midair, instinctively rolling to her side just as a thunderous crash echoed through the trees behind her—KRASH! The bark splintered under the sheer force of the impact. Her body collided with the sturdy trunk of an oak, jarring her sense of direction. Pain flared in her wings, which buzzed in a frantic response as she rebounded and dove.
Aya's compound eyes darted, scanning the treetops for her pursuer. Then, a flash of obsidian carapace burst from the shadowed treeline, and her heart sank. Omega Red.
His wings were larger than hers, thick and powerful like dragonfly blades, glinting in the dappled sunlight. She could see it in his eyes—hunger, gluttony, a predatory delight that sent chills racing up her spine. On the thorax of the monstrous creature, she beheld a pulsating, dark-red crest resembling a gaping maw.
Her instincts screamed at her, urging her to flee. Just Desserts. That sin-tier ability wasn't just a rumor—it was a ravenous hunger. If he consumed her, he wouldn't merely gain her strength; he'd absorb her skills and instincts.
"Aya, think!" she whispered to herself as dread pooled in her stomach.
With her heart racing, she banked sharply left, narrowly avoiding a searing blast of Fire Breath that scorched the treetops. The leaves ignited around her, and the acrid scent of burning chlorophyll filled the air, a pungent reminder of the danger at her tail.
"Why the hell can he breathe fire?!" she gasped, forcing her wings to work harder, driving her speed as she dodged low between the branches, desperate to put space between her and the monstrous predator.
The sound of Omega Red crashing through the forest echoed behind her, branches cracking like dry bones, his sheer size making sunlight flicker and vanish. With adrenaline coursing through her veins, she focused, contemplating her escape route. Tactical scan: trees on either side, branches arching overhead, looming like jagged teeth. A narrow rocky crevice lay to the east.
She dove lower into the treetops, weaving urgently between ancient trunks and gnarled branches, hoping the dense canopy would slow his momentum.
"He's not even trying to be stealthy!" she muttered to herself. "Just like a damn juggernaut."
A surge of miscalculation made her glance over her shoulder. Mistake.
His Sonar Tracking locked on, a disturbing hum reverberating through the air. A sonic pulse radiated outward, illuminating her silhouette to him like a glowing target. Her wings faltered for half a second, and then she felt the impact.
His clawed leg raked across her side, slicing off part of her back leg, a world of pain exploding in her.
"Ghh—!" she gasped, spiraling out of control, black ichor trailing behind her. She fought instinctively, twisting her body downward, tucking her delicate wings as she skimmed between two narrow branches—the sharp edges nicking her exoskeleton but ultimately saving her life.
She vanished.
Predator's Eye: Engaged.
She took stock: hiding, slow your breath, control the panic threatening to consume her. Her eyes flickered toward the outer edge of her cover, her antennae twitching, searching for any sign of where he'd land. A flicker in the foliage told her.
With a sudden cry, she lunged from her cover, her Hivebreaker Mandibles ready. Time slowed as she bit down into his left wing joint—CRUNCH!—the sound was visceral. She tore through membrane and sinew, adrenaline flooding her senses.
Omega Red screamed, his shriek vibrating through the trees, sending a cascade of startled birds rocketing into the sky. But he didn't crash to the ground. Instead, he twisted, eyes locked onto her with a seething rage, and slammed her into the earth, the impact winded her.
Aya coughed, vision swimming. She lay momentarily stunned, a second too long, and then she felt the weight of Omega Red's mandibles descending.
With a frantic pulse of desperation, she activated Acid Spit. A searing stream of green sprayed across his face, splattering and coating his features in a corrosive haze.
He hissed in pain, jerking back, clutching his melted eye as a high pitched wail tore from his throat. Footsteps shook the ground as she scrambled to her feet, wings tattered and vision blurred. But there was no time to dwell on the wounds she felt.
"I have to think— I can't outpower him," she gasped, her mind racing. "Outmaneuver."
Aya ducked under twisting roots and squeezed into a hollow log, darkness enveloping her like a protective shroud. It was quiet, apart from her heavy breathing echoing in her ears.
Deep within her mind, she activated Book Worm, bringing a blaze of memories to life. She recalled every skill, every stat, every movement she'd ever executed. A flash of the Bird's swiftness, the Hornet's precise darting; she began weaving a strategy, slowly reconstructing each memory to formulate a plan.
"Just Desserts requires digestion… if he can't catch me, he can't activate it," she whispered to herself, each word igniting the determination in her heart.
From her satchel, she pulled out a sticky, unripe fruit—the potent remnants of a poisonous plant her scans had detected in the forest earlier. With a sharp bite, she drew a pained scream from her own body; the fruit's bitter sap surged through her, a torrent of warnings flooding her nervous system.
But her Poison Resistances activated: Neurotoxin, Cytotoxin, Hemotoxin—all held at bay. She slathered the sickening juice across her mandibles and claws, her mind racing further.
"I'm the meal, huh?" she whispered to the shadows. "Come take a bite, glutton."
The clearing was still; a heavy tension hung in the air, thick with the scent of charred wood and uncertainty.
Omega Red circled high above the canopy, a sinister specter watching as the forest he embodied crackled with an ominous energy. His one functional eye glowed molten orange, scanning the earth below, tracking every rustle and breath of movement.
He unleashed another sonar pulse, a crude weapon carved from his desperation. The sound enveloped her, echoing off trees and calling forth a thrumming pulse that vibrated through Aya's very core. Exposed, she fought the instinct to flee.
He dove.
CRACK! The tree trunk exploded as he landed like a meteor, mandibles gnashing through splinters.
But Aya was no longer there. Only a decoy remained. She'd woven her shed husk—the brittle exoskeleton she'd molted after her evolution. Stuffed it with acidic fruit pulp and steeped it in her pheromones, it glistened innocently in the dappled sunlight.
Omega Red bit into it, and in that split second, the Just Desserts skill activated.
His body froze.
[Error: Invalid Consumption]
[Toxin Overload Detected]
[Skill: Acid Resistance - Interference Detected]
[Toxic Feedback Imminent]
Aya, feeling the moment change, dropped from the canopy above, silent as a spider on the hunt. She landed squarely on his thorax, senses poised.
"Surprise," she hissed, a wild glee surging through her veins.
Hivebreaker Mandibles: Piercing Mode.
With a vicious roar, she plunged her mandibles into his undercarriage—the soft joint between his armor plates. A geyser of black ichor burst out, splattering against her exoskeleton, hot and thick, a taste of victory on her tongue.
Omega Red screeched, bucking and flailing, flames erupting from his jaws as he attempted to shake her off. But she was already gone, flipping backward into the shadiness of another set of branches, skimming through the trees with the grace of desperation.
"C'mon, c'mon," she muttered, her heart pounding.
The forest felt alive, a backdrop of shifting shadows and flickering light. She envisioned her next attack, positioning herself as he thrashed, still struggling to regain himself.
With a deep breath, she focused, unleashing another wave of Acid Spit aimed directly at his gaping maw. The corrosive stream hit, splattering against his mandibles and sending him recoiling.
"Not so hungry anymore, are we?" Aya taunted, feeling the pull of adrenaline surging through her limbs, driving her instincts.
But Omega Red was more than just hunger; he was a beast fueled by primal rage. Swiping blindly, his claws raked through the air, seeking her out as he remained off-balance from the toxins coursing through him.
Determined to push the advantage, Aya zigzagged back to the left, the maze of trees her ally. She could hear his frantic howls, then felt the heat of something scorching the trees behind her.
"Damn! He's not letting up," she grunted, darting beneath branches like a shadow in the twilight. Each move was life or death, survival dictated by instinct and strategy.
She spotted her escape route in the flickering sunlight—a break in the treetops leading to the wide expanse of an opening still shrouded by shadows. With a powerful thrust of her wings, she bolted toward it, barely avoiding the laser focus of Omega Red's next assault.
"Think, Aya!" she urged herself. "What's next?"
Her mind raced as she gained speed, the burst of energy pushing her forward as she scanned the area. An idea formed, sharp and vivid, igniting her spirit.
Her eyes darted over the jagged boulders, the fallen logs, the wildflowers growing in the underbrush. She needed to create a trap—a diversion.
She veered sharply into a thicket, scattering vegetation behind her. As Omega Red's massive form clumsily barreled after her, she prepared. Wasting no time, she recalled a memory of the wasps—small but fierce, drawing upon their nature.
With urgency, she began pulling petals from the vibrant flowers, weaving them tightly into a bouquet—colorful and fragrant.
"Time to break some hearts," she whispered, her mandibles working deftly.
Once done, she scattered the blooms across the forest floor as she darted into a small clearing, half-hidden among the low brush. With a quick breath, Aya prepared her final deception.
Omega Red thundered forward, crashing into the thicket with panting ferocity. His growls reverberated through the air, demanding to be satisfied.
"You're not the only one with tricks," she murmured, watching as he neared the clearing.
She activated her Pheromone Cloud, cascading a mixture of scents into the air—sweet, enticing, a veritable feast for a carnivore.
The aroma wrapped around Omega Red like a fog, tugging his senses from their rage and drawing him toward her. His good eye locked onto the colorful flowers strewn across the ground, the scent overwhelming his heightened instincts.
He charged.
Aya seized the moment, hurtling her own body from cover as he dove toward the decoy. "Eat this!"
As he propelled toward the colorful assortment, she unleashed a final Acid Spit, coated in the same poisonous sap. The blistering stream arced beautifully, splattering across the vibrant flowers and melding with the pollen, turning it into a compound of colorful chaos.
The moment his mandibles intersected with the flowers, the reaction triggered—dense, toxic vapor erupted, bursting like a bursting bubble of rotting fruit, consuming him in a wave of sharp stench and deadly poison.
Omega Red wheezed, collapsing with a screech that echoed through the treetops, his body thrashing involuntarily.
"Goodnight, glutton," she whispered, watching as he writhed.
The sounds subsided, the forest returning to its hushed breath. Aya stood panting, heart racing as she surveyed her surroundings.
With a flutter of exhausted wings, she landed atop a branch, her body trembling from the effort, but her spirit soaring.
Victory was bittersweet, but in that moment, she felt alive. She'd fought, and she'd won, but the shadows of the forest held more than challenges.
As she turned to leave, she considered the knowledge she'd gained, the skills she'd tested, promising herself she would train harder, evolve further.
Aya took one last glance into the depths of the forest, and a satisfied smile crept across her lips.
"I'll be ready for you next time," she vowed silently, the forest whirling with life around her as she prepared to fly onward, into the unseen battles that awaited.