The ashlands breathed heat in slow, steady waves, each gust of air carrying the scent of soot and ember. The horizon shimmered as though the world itself was melting. Fissures yawned open in jagged lines, their insides glowing faintly, a reminder that the land was alive with fire far below. But tonight, the usual rhythm was broken. The ash was too still. The rodents that usually skittered at the edges of his senses were absent. Even the faint hiss of burrowing insects had gone quiet. It was silence, deep and watchful.
Zeke lingered at the lip of his nest, dimmed to near-black, a pool of muted slime against stone. His threads stretched outward, dozens of thin filaments woven from control and tension. They vibrated faintly with every tremor of ash. Normally the earth sang with the tiny heartbeats of prey. Tonight, it sang of nothing. That absence gnawed at him. Something else was here. Something heavy enough, stealthy enough, to erase all lesser noise.
He stilled completely, every particle of his body held tight, like a hunter holding his breath. A ripple disturbed the haze of heated air. At first it was subtle, like the shimmer above firestone, but then it bent in deliberate arcs. Not heat, but body. He pulsed faintly. Predators. He remembered the serpent, but this was different. The tremor of weight on ash was lighter, quicker, more precise.
Then he saw it. A feline shape, long and lean, sliding out of heat-haze like a phantom stepping through water. Its coat was dark gray, streaked with glowing ember lines that pulsed as though fire flowed beneath its skin. Its claws glowed a dull red, tips smoking faintly, and its eyes were sharp coals burning with hunger. When it moved, the air warped to hide it, as though the world itself wished to conceal its form.
An Ash Stalker.
The beast crouched, tail flicking, each motion as fluid as smoke. It made no sound. It simply was, like shadow given ember-light. And its eyes locked directly on him.
Zeke pulsed faintly. "Stealth. Precision. This one hunts as I do."
The stalker slid lower, muscles rippling under its skin. The ember lines brightened, and then it leapt.
Zeke Split instantly, four fragments scattering in different arcs. Darkness cloaked two, smothering them in silence. One flared with sudden Light, blinding. The predator twisted midair, avoiding the flare. Its claws raked stone, sparks shrieking from the gouges. It landed smoothly, body low, tail cutting balance through the ash. It hadn't attacked blindly. It was testing him.
Pseudopods lashed, cloaked in Darkness, Fire licking their tips. They snapped toward the stalker's flank, but the beast slipped sideways, claws flashing. One pseudopod sheared apart, cut clean. Pain rippled through Zeke's body, sparks bursting from the severed limb as if nerves had been split. He retracted, threads trembling.
The predator hissed, ember eyes narrowing. It had tasted weakness.
It circled slowly, tail swishing arcs into the soot. Every step blended back into the haze, its body a mirage. Zeke spread his awareness further, stretching CTL threads thin across the ground. A tremor pulsed faintly on his left. He lashed out, a Fire-cloaked pseudopod cracking air. It struck fur, searing faintly. The beast yowled, body flickering back into sight for a moment. Blood hissed into the ash before it vanished again.
Zeke pulsed harder, body quivering. "It hunts unseen. I must force it visible."
He Split wider, five fragments this time. Threads screamed under the stretch, but he forced them taut. One fragment pulsed Light, blindingly bright. Another sank into total Darkness, still as stone. The predator hesitated, eyes flicking toward the flare. Then it lunged.
It landed with claws flashing, but Zeke's shadowed limbs struck from the side. Three pseudopods lashed at once—two shrouded, one aflame. They struck ribs, sizzling meat. The stalker screamed, twisting violently. Its claws shredded one limb to ribbons. Sparks bled from Zeke's form. But blood hissed freely from its side, glowing faintly like molten ore spilling.
The predator dropped back, circling faster now. The ash swirled as it moved, the shimmer of its heat-haze body more violent. It no longer tested—it stalked in earnest.
Zeke rejoined, his glow dim, his body leaking. Fragments pressed together with effort, each thread quivering. He had hurt it, yes, but the stalker was still stronger, faster, more stable. He pulsed faintly, forcing resolve. It lunged again.
Claws blazed as they descended. Zeke pulsed Darkness and Light together, resonance straining through his threads. For one heartbeat, he was gone. The claws slashed air. He reappeared behind it, pseudopods whipping. Fire blazed along the strikes, cracking flesh. The predator howled, tail lashing. It slammed into him, scattering fragments across stone. Sparks burst violently as mana bled uncontrolled. His body nearly collapsed.
Threads screamed. He forced them tight, dragged fragments together, trembling. Barely held.
He struck again, pseudopods whipping like knives. Two coiled its hind leg, twisting. Bone cracked audibly. The stalker screeched, claws tearing gouges into stone. It staggered, ember eyes wild.
It limped, circling still, its fury greater than its pain. Zeke pulsed faintly, core shaking. "If it escapes, it returns. I cannot allow it."
He Split again—six fragments this time. It was reckless. His threads shrieked. Each fragment bore a pseudopod, two burning with Fire, three cloaked in shadow, one blazing with Light. They lashed in unison, a storm of whips.
The stalker lunged to meet it, claws flaring. One fragment tore apart entirely. Another was flung aside, nearly lost. But the others landed. Fire scorched. Darkness bound. Light blinded. The beast convulsed, thrashing.
A pseudopod coiled its throat, searing Fire into flesh. Darkness wrapped unseen shackles. The predator screamed, body flailing violently, dragging Zeke across the ground. Sparks burst from his threads. One fragment split, unstable, nearly gone. He forced it back, trembling.
The stalker clawed itself, tearing at bindings. One limb shredded free, cutting deep into Zeke. Pain exploded. He dimmed, threads unraveling. But the other limbs held. He tightened, burning hotter. Shadows deepened, choking. The predator's struggles slowed. Its ember eyes flickered. Limbs lashed one last time, weaker, then faltered. It collapsed, ash spraying.
For a long moment it writhed weakly, ember blood hissing into the ash. Then it stilled. The glow of its body dimmed, ember lines fading dark.
Silence returned.
Zeke sagged, fragments slumping into the reservoir. His glow flickered faintly, nearly extinguished. Sparks leaked from him in threads. His body trembled, his core quaking. He had survived, but barely.
Assimilate stirred. He dragged the predator's carcass into himself. Heat, essence, molten life dissolved. It flooded his core, trembling him with strength. His threads nearly tore under the surge, but he forced them closed, weaving tighter.
The System stirred.
[Level Up: 11 → 12]
[Assimilate Lv.5 → Lv.6]
[CTL +1]
[WIL +1]
Energy rippled through him. Threads stitched steadier, though instability lingered. Assimilation felt smoother, cleaner, as if waste no longer leaked away. He could feel the heat itself pulled into his essence, not just flesh. He trembled, leaking still, but stronger.
He rested long in the reservoir, fragments rejoining sluggishly. His scholar's voice whispered.
"The predator hid in heat. It struck unseen, precise. As I do. It was my reflection."
He pulsed faintly. "But mirrors break. And if I rely only on resonance, I will break too. Power grows, but instability festers. Compress… Compress must come. Or I will collapse."
His glow dimmed further, but his will hardened. He had survived. He had learned. The ashlands had tested him, and though it had nearly torn him apart, he remained. For now.
System Update
Status
Name: Ezekiel Ashbourne
Race: Prime Slime (Unevolved)
Level: 12
Affinity: Fire (Basic), Light (Basic), Darkness (Basic)
Stats
STR: 7
AGI: 7
VIT: 10
WIL: 9 → 10
RES: 11
MNA: 35 → 38
CTL: 12 → 13
Skills
Active Skills:
Split (Lv.3): Divide body into fragments. Fragments sustain longer, coordinate better, but drain mana heavily.
Assimilate (Lv.6): Absorb matter or energy to recover essence; smoother, more efficient absorption. Can now pull minor elemental traces.
Pseudopod (Lv.6): Tentacle-like appendages with whip precision and crushing power. Limited to two, but refined.
Passive Skills:
Amorphous Body (Lv.6): Immune to blunt trauma, flexible morphology. Reshapes seamlessly under combat pressure.