The System’s Harvester

Mid Morning - Early Summer : Apple Orchard Mountain | Virginia

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- Corporal, Diana Hale ~

*Beep* *Beep* "Cardinal 8, Hawk 3, and Hawk 4 have entered communications."

Typically, the Cardinal's monotone voice would be nothing but annoying when it interrupted the silence, but right then it was a blessing. "Welcome guys. What's the ETA?"

"40 seconds." The one to respond was Jack, the pilot of Cardinal 8.

"What's the plan? Command just told me to keep an eye on things."

"The running theory is that the mana wave was caused from a deep sub-surface crack, which is why we couldn't see anything, so we are going to do a rescue operation on the person you spotted."

-A rescue operation?- I quickly zoomed in the Cardinal's cameras on the person and immediately had a chill pass down my spine. "I'm not sure that person is someone that needs rescuing..." -Especially if they were the ones to do that to that drake...-

But of course no one besides me, who felt that chilling gaze would believe that. "Command says there are no System Mercenaries in the area, and there was no beacon indicating one appeared. Their guess is that its a civilian."

-There's no way that's a civilian...- I felt a bead of sweat drip off my forehead as I looked back toward the ledge one more time. Every fiber in my body was telling me to stay away from it. "What are the odds that they're an undocumented System Mercenary?"

"Extremely low, especially with how they are just sitting there.. but we will find out soon enough..."

A knot of anxiety turned in my stomach the longer I thought about it, but as a soldier, I didn't have the ability to reject the plan. "Alright... Eli, what's your ETA?"

Eli, Hawk 3s pilot responded instantly. "About 30 seconds. Keep your eye on the target as I start to approach."

*Beep* Almost immediately, a panel appeared on my hud that let me cycle through the dozen outside cameras on Hawk 3.

But there wasn't a single moment of silence before Jack spoke again. "Uh, Diana... Is your proximity sensor going off as well?"

-Huh?- "No?" Quickly looking in his direction, about 40 kilometers southwest, I saw the small white speck of his jet with nothing around it. -Did the mana wave knock out one of his systems?-

"Hawk 3 beginning approach. 15 seconds out."

Quickly turning back to the target, I looked around but didn't see anything that stood out. "You look clear. Let's try and make this quick."

There was total silence over the comms as Eli finally started getting close, letting us all have a better look at who the person was.

She was fairly tall with a more muscular build, and long black hair, but before we could even see what her face looked like, our eyes were dragged to what she was wearing.

It was white and gold armor, with tattered white cloth hanging from the waist, but not only did the armor look incredibly complex, it looked heavy.

We all thought the same thing. -That is NOT a civilian...-

Thankfully though, she didn't look hostile. -So why am I so anxious...-

"Uh guys?" Eli was the first to say anything. "I can't get a system panel on her..."

-What?- "It's probably because the system is glitching. We just need to get her and get out, we can figure out the rest later. I'll notify Command."

Eli had a moment of hesitation before he finally slowed down and turned the back of the Hawk toward the woman. "If she kills me, you guys know what to do."

"She doesn't seem hostile, Eli. If she shows any sign of aggression though, hit the gas." Looking through his camera again, I finally got a good look of the woman's face. She looked 30 years old at most, and was simply stunning, but something about her eyes threw me off.

The only way to describe her gaze was curious, but also inhuman. She looked at Eli's Hawk like it was a toy. -But she doesn't seem hostile...- "I pinged command, they should join any momen-"

*Beep* "Andrews Airforce Base Command, Sergeant Maj-"

The voice was immediately cut short. "Everyone get out of that area now!"

The Sergeants voice made every single one of us tense up before two beeps echoed through the comms.

*Beep-Beep* "Connection to Cardinal 8 and Hawk 4 lost."

The Sergeant was the only one who could even speak. "A CRACK THE SIZE OF NEW YORK CITY OPENED UP OVER YOU GUYS, GET FUCKING MOVING!"

It was a crack countless times larger than the largest crack I had ever seen in person.

However, as a dark shadow was cast over my pale body by the endless, undefined void that consumed the sky, I was forced to accept that what I saw was truly reality. -W..what...-

*Beep* "Connection to Hawk 3 lost."

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- Evren ~ (Less than a minute prior)

*rrrrrumble* The distant rumble of a jet engine could be heard slowly approaching as I finally sat up. -Hoh? Are they coming to give me a ride?-

It had only been a few minutes since I first started watching the white jet circling around in the upper-atmosphere, and while I started to question what they were doing after a while, eventually another jet, along with what looked like a personnel carrier flew overhead as well. At that point it was just a matter of time.

*Rumble* As the rumbling finally started getting close, a large, hovering jet rounded the edge of the trees, finally exposing itself to me.

Had I lost all my memories, or not known what machines were, I likely would have attacked it thinking it was a monster. -But to think there is no cockpit window...- I wanted to see what the pilot looked like, but the area where I assumed the cockpit would be was covered with the same metal the aircraft was made of. -Is it a drone?-

I could feel several gazes at me from the aircraft, but while it made me a bit uncomfortable, I didn't show even the slightest hostility. -I'd rather not have to find where humans have settled on foot...-

However, as the aircraft started to approach, turned its back to me, and started opening the ramp door, a deep black shadow washed over everything. -Huh?-

Looking up to the sky, my eyes were met with a wide expanse of space that could only be described as the void; a void that could only be mimicked by a starless night sky. -What.. is that?-

But before I could even think, the jet that was slowing backing up toward me started blasting its engines and closing the door. *crackle-RUMBLE*

"Oi!" Without thinking, I bolted off the rock outcrop and dug my fingers into the jets closing door. -I don't know what that is either, so don't just leave me with it...-

As we finally started to pick up speed, I looked back toward the mountain, but almost immediately had a few panels appear in front of me.

*BEEP*

*BEEP*

*Ding!*

The panels sent my mind through a loop. -Kill.. The Warden? Is that referring to that weird void, or...-

I looked back toward the mountain, now several kilometers away, with a confused look before a black figure dropped out of the void.

It looked like a skinny dog with a stretched neck and pointy head resembling a lizard.

But it was nearly 500 meters tall.

-Ah...- I felt myself tense up as it landed and locked on me with its massive glowing blue eyes. -This may be a problem...-

Seeing it open its mouth, I let go of the jet and threw myself to the ground. *BRRRRRRMMMMM* An instant later, a blazing beam dozens of times the size of the jet blasted past me, turning the jet into plasma and setting the forest below us ablaze.

*SHATTER* The ground exploded as I landed, launching dozens of burning trees and a plume of ash into the air, but my eyes were locked on the expressionless beast staring at me from over the horizon. -To destroy my ride... How rude...-

Before it could even move though, a thin vapor trail traced itself across the sky before approaching the creature's head.

*FLASH* The entire horizon instantly lit up as if a second sun was created.

-But that monster isn't gonna give a damn about something like that...-

Quickly bracing myself, I looked around everywhere before having it suddenly appear right next to me. *VWOOP* -So, it can use Blink...-

*FWOOOSH* Hastily darting to the side, the monster's nearly 40-meter-wide paw slammed down where I stood, crushing the hill like a wrinkle in a blanket before whipping its paw back out of the ground to try and crush me again.

*CR-CR-CR-CRACK* Its flurry of swats was like a cat trying to squash a bug.

But after dodging several swings, it got cocky and switched to its other paw, leaving the other in the open, right next to me.

Not bothering to hold back, I darted over to it and slammed my fist into the ankle. *CRACKLE-WHAMM* It instantly exploded as if it was made of ice, sending a spray of blue blood with colossal chunks of flesh and bone raining onto the forest below.

But it didn't seem to care. Using its shattered leg like a bat, it swatted me out of the air. *FWIP-CRACK*

*WHAM-CRUNCH-Crackle* Hurling me through countless trees, I quickly tried to slow down but looked up to see dozens of massive icicles floating over me. -Shit...-

*CRACKLE* *WHAM-CRACKLE* Narrowly dodging the first flurry of ice, I managed to regain control and bounce around the rest. *FWOOOSH* But I was in a bad spot. -If only I had a way to reach its vitals...-

But after narrowly ducking under a nearly 20-meter-wide icicle, I had an idea come to mind. -For the ice to not shatter on impact.. it must be pretty strong...- Before the spike could lodge itself deep in the ground, I slammed my fingers into it, stopping it instantly and sending cracks all throughout the spike.

My smile turned slightly crazed as I looked back up at the beast. *Vwoom* "Have you ever been hit by your own magic?"

*CRRRRACK* The sound barrier ripped apart as the spike disappeared from my hands and reappeared on the opposite side of the monster's throat. *SHIK*

I just barely missed its spine, but with a wide hole being blown through its neck, the monster's seemingly calm demeanor finally morphed.

I had finally gotten it mad.

*CRACKLE* The air quickly cooled as countless icicles formed around me, and the ground shattered as if there was an earthquake, making me lose my footing.

*ZIP* *CLACK* Using my armor to parry the first icicle, it ripped past me and embedded itself deep in the ground, giving me a firm place to stand.

But the monster didn't let me get to it.

*FW-FW-FW-FWIP-CRACKLE* Keeping its distance and circling me like a hyena looking for an opening, it threw everything it could at me, from raining down icicles like a storm of arrows to using the water vapor in the air to freeze me in place.

But after several moments, it started to get antsy and pushed in to use its speed to forcefully create an opening.

*FWOOSH-FW-FWOOSH* Its first swings were fast and strong, dragging enough wind through the forest that it eroded the ground and only left crumbling icicles for me to stand on.

But that was when it opened its mouth again. *FLASH* With a blinding flash, my vision turned white, and my surroundings went silent.

That was when an image appeared in my mind, the image of my surroundings, except this time, I found myself in the closing jaws of the monster.

However, it was exactly what I was waiting for.

*SHATTER* Shattering the ice beneath my feet, I launched myself into the monster's throat and pulled back my fist before driving it into the underside of its skull with a wave of mana following it.

*Vwoom-WHAMM* The hit instantaneously liquified the monster's brain and turned its skull into powder before sending a shockwave into the sky large enough to clear away the clouds.

*Ding!*

As my vision quickly readjusted to the brightness of the morning sky, I read the panel with an odd expression. -A 'System Mercenary'? What a weird name...-