Six turned to leave.
She'd taken three steps when the shimmer caught her eye.
The Queen's mangled corpse was glowing—a faint, pulsing luminescence that rippled across the shattered chitin like moonlight on water.
Six stopped.
Her eyes went wide.
"No way."
She spun back around, a grin spreading across her gore-splattered face.
"I got a Drop!"
She thrust her hand toward the corpse, and the air in front of her crackled. Lines of crimson light etched themselves into existence, forming a rectangular frame that hovered at chest height. Within the frame, dark smoke swirled and coalesced, resolving into glowing text and imagery.
═══════════════════════════════════ [ WICKED PATH SYSTEM ] ═══════════════════════════════════
ENEMY DEFEATED: Mosquito Queen (Swamp Variant)
DROP ACQUIRED!
The screen flickered, and a new image materialized—a rotating three-dimensional rendering of her reward.
[ QUEEN'S KISS ] — Cursed Accessory (Choker) —
Rarity: Rare Type: Passive / Active
DESCRIPTION: A delicate choker of woven silver wire, with a single needle-like pendant carved from the fang of a Mosquito Queen. It hums faintly against the skin, hungry for warmth.
PASSIVE EFFECT — Blood Scent: The wearer can detect wounded creatures within a 200-foot radius. Bleeding targets appear as faint red silhouettes, even through walls, fog, or darkness. The heavier the bleeding, the brighter the glow.
ACTIVE EFFECT — Siphon: Once per day, the wearer may activate the pendant by pressing it to an open wound (their own or another's). Upon activation, the pendant drains blood rapidly, converting it into vitality for the wearer.
— If used on an enemy: Deals moderate damage over 3 seconds. Heals the wearer for 50% of damage dealt. — If used on self: Sacrifices health to gain a temporary boost to speed and reflexes for 60 seconds.
CURSE — Thirst: The choker feeds on the wearer's blood while equipped, draining a small amount of vitality every hour. This effect is negligible during combat but may cause lightheadedness over extended periods. The choker cannot be removed while the wearer is bleeding.
[ ACCEPT DROP? ]
Y
E
S
YES
N
O
NO
Six stared at the screen, lips parted.
"Blood Scent... and a life-drain active..."
Her grin widened.
She thought about Fenric. About the twisted creatures lurking in this nightmare world. About how often she'd been ambushed, blindsided, caught off-guard.
Being able to sense anything that's bleeding? Within two hundred feet?
"Hell yes."
She jabbed
Y
E
S
YES.
The screen shattered into motes of crimson light. From the Queen's corpse, something small and silver rose into the air, drifting toward Six like a leaf on still water.
The choker settled into her open palm.
It was beautiful. Delicate. The silver wire was impossibly fine, almost like spun cobweb, and the pendant—a single fang-like needle no longer than her pinky—gleamed with an inner light.
It was also warm.
Six could feel it pulsing against her skin. A faint rhythm, like a second heartbeat.
Hungry.
She hesitated for just a moment.
Then she lifted the choker and clasped it around her throat.
The effect was immediate.
A chill ran down her spine—not unpleasant, but present. She could feel the pendant nestling against the hollow of her throat, cool silver kissing her pulse point. For a moment, there was a faint tugging sensation, as if something was gently... sipping.
Then her vision flickered.
Six gasped.
The swamp was still there—the fog, the dead trees, the murky water—but now there was something more. She could see... herself. A faint red glow emanating from her wounded bicep, pulsing softly with her heartbeat.
She turned her head.
In the distance, barely visible through the fog, she could see other glows. Faint ones. Small ones. Animals, maybe. Creatures with cuts and scrapes going about their lives.
And far, far behind her—so distant it was barely a flicker—
Something big.
Something bleeding.
Something moving in her direction.
Six's grin faded.
She touched the choker at her throat.
"Okay," she murmured. "Time to move."