High above, the skyroof shattered, raining glass upon a frightened crowd. Dark clouds streamed in to fill the space, squirming and writhing like piles of maggots upon wrought flesh. A black rain fell. It was thick as tar, rancid as expired oil and it formed pools on the floor. A humanoid entity, two metres tall and made out of the same matter as the cloud and rain, climbed out of one and rammed a fist straight into a shopper’s heart. He died on the spot.

That was when the screaming began. It was not the panic from surprise. It was that of a population who thought themselves safe and whose innocence were shattering against the reality of the world. It reverberated around the atrium, mixed in with cries of pain and gurgles of death, as everyone began running in all directions for the exit.

An alarm began to blare over the loudspeakers. “AN IMPURITY ATTACK HAS BEEN SIGHTED. ALL CIVILIANS ARE TO REMAIN CALM AND HEAD TO THE DESIGNATED SHELTERS IMMEDIATELY. IEHAR HAS BEEN NOTIFIED AND WILL SEND AN IST TO SUPPRESS THE IMPURITIES. I REPEAT, ALL CIVILIANS ARE TO REMAIN CALM AND…”

Fat chance. My sister Emily was frozen in her seat. Her ice-cream had fallen, landing on her skirt with a splat. She stared at the monsters in the distance, legs shaking.

“Move!” I yelled.

“Whuh?” She said, turning slowly towards me.

“Run, Emily, or you’ll die!”

I grabbed her arm and pulled with all her might. She yelped as we pushed past the chairs and towards the outer ring of the atrium. She got the hint anyway and began to pick up speed. A notification then pinged from INTERFACE-OS.

Current Mission:

The Spawn of a powerful Impurity has attacked you and your sister. The reason behind their arrival is unknown, but it doesn’t matter; you need to run!

Rewards: 250 Alexandrite, 200 EXP, 300 $NF

ALICE! I snarled to the little girl inside my head. Did you cause this?

Don’t lump me in with Impurities! Their actions are solely their own. ALICE snapped back. The mission was changed due to your current predicament. Higher risk means higher rewards.

That didn’t answer my question. Had INTERFACE-OS manipulated events to pit me against the Spawn? I gnashed my teeth. There wasn’t time to argue now, but I wasn’t going to forget this. If Emily dies because of this, I am going to kill you!

We ran through the mall. I didn’t bother checking the signs—I already knew where the nearest entrance to the underground Impurity shelter was. No good merc enters a building without knowing the exits.

ALICE, boost my ENDURANCE and AGILITY with all my Upgrade Points!

Done! Your ENDURANCE has increased to 8! Your AGILITY has increased to 9!

Here’s a few tips for surviving panicked crowds: go for the flow, avoid barriers and, for god’s sake, remain upright. My training had never dealt with literal monsters. I struggled to keep my sister tight as we pushed our way through a double door bottlenecking the atrium. Tears fell from her eyes and an incomprehensible blubber emitted from her mouth. Good, that meant she was alive. She could get as much snot, tears or even piss all over my clothes if it meant she could see the next dawn!

“Out of the damn way!” I shouted. We pushed past a man and a woman and emerged into one of the mall’s shopping corridors. It wasn’t any better in here. Shopkeepers and pedestrians were streaming out of the stores, knocking over signs, helper drones and their own stock. A red glare tinted the lights, as holographic arrows flashed up on the ground and walls pointing towards the emergency exits. A shelf from a [ha crashed to the ground, spilling bottles of medicine and tablets, as one of the Spawn charged toward and slammed a man into a wall.

Shit! They’re in here, too?

Glass shattered. The momentum driving the crowd skidded to a halt. Then, it reversed as more of the Spawn leaped in front of the crowd. Their eyes on their pitch-black faces were blank and soulless. Each swipe, swing and claw flicked traces of the black goop. Bodies were pushed aside and over as the crowd tried to flee back to where they came—where the rest of the Spawn were in the first place.

Me? I did the only thing necessary in the circumstances. I shoved Emily behind me, then drew my handgun out of the Inventory and fired it straight into the chest out of the nearest Spawn. The harsh gunshot cracked like a whip, flinching the crowd. The Spawn’s body burst apart like a balloon, splattering the black ichor in all directions. It wasn’t dead, though. The head and half its torso flopped on the tiled floor like a dying fish. I silenced it with a bullet straight to the dead. My shorts and legs were coated in the filth now. The second Spawn got the same deal.

One to the chest, one to the head.

Impurity Spawn destroyed. +12 EXP!

Impurity Spawn destroyed. +12 EXP!

I reloaded. Two magazines left. Not good. What the hell? Why did these ones die so fast?

They’re not full-fledged Impurities. ALICE chimed in. They are only minions. Humanity can kill as many of them, but they will not cease until the controlling Impurity is suppressed.

“Kyle, you have a gun?” Emily mumbled. She pointed a trembling finger at the dead Spawn. “You…when? When did you learn any of this?”

“Who cares?” I barked. I grabbed her arm again. “We’re not sticking around.”

“But where did you even—”

“I said, who cares?”

The mall had turned into a madhouse. Spawn were streaming in from hallways, corridors and vents in the roof. This wasn’t just a freak coincidence. This was a coordinated attack. The air stank with the scent of rotten flesh, slick oil and fresh blood. There was no time to care for others, think about the cries of help. I kicked aside a man begging for help at a bloody mess of a body. Everyone speaks about morals and goodwill until the cards fall short, then it’s every man for themselves. My priority was myself and sister.

Sixteen bullets left in the handgun, along with a knife and an EMP Grenade. Three corridors left to my destination, surrounded by rapidly increasing Spawn. Don’t think about what’s behind you. Ignore the burning pain of your weak-ass body as you pull your sister alone. The irony was that Emily was fitter than me. But fear kills the mind and she wouldn’t have moved if I didn’t her a push.

The bullets disappeared one by one. A Spawn was blasted into a food stall, dousing it in cola and leftover meat. Another bullet missed and crashed into an alarm, breaking it. The Spawn I was fighting grabbed me by my arm and pulled back its other hand. I retrieved my combat knife and slashed straight through its appendage, then sliced open its throat with a clean motion. These things weren’t physically durable, but they were fast enough to be dangerous.

Impurity Spawn destroyed. +12 EXP!

Emily, at least, had the decency to hide behind a sturdy object while I fought. I had no doubts the security cameras were recording the events transpiring. I’d be lucky not be put on a list when we escaped. Whatever. That wasn’t important now. Those kids filming the disaster with their phones needed to learn time and place, however!

Impurity Spawn destroyed. +12 EXP!

Impurity Spawn destroyed. +12 EXP!

Impurity Spawn destroyed. +12 EXP!

“Kyle, my legs hurt so much…”

“Almost there, Emily! Hold on!”

The minute it took to reach the emergency exit felt like an eternity. A steel doorway opened into a chute, which we slid down into an underground corridor. Holographic arrows lit the way, accompanying signs urging us not to stop. We ran down the corridor, up a staircase and emerged into the outer boundary of the wall. Trees, a parking lot, tarmac and…

“They’re still here!” Emily cried. The Spawn were swarming the carpark. Cars were trying to pull out, only to ram into the Spawn and crash into each other. Security were busy trying to fight off the Spawn with their own firearms, but were outnumbered.

“Fuck!” I snarled. There were dozens of the bastards. I was low on ammunition too. Thankfully, they hadn’t noticed us yet. “This way! We’re head around!”

The path forward led through a small garden around to the side of the mall. It wasn’t directly connected, but it made for an appealing place for shoppers to sit down and have their lunch. It was relatively deserted too, everyone having fled at the sound of the alarm.

Until it wasn’t.

A figure emerged from behind the bushes. They wore a black hoodie and had their face covered with a mark. A symbol of a bleeding star was imprinted on it. Without saying a word, they drew a knife and slashed the duffel bag in their bag. There was a wet, sickening squelch and wisps of black smoke leaked from a hole in the plastic.

A gunshot rang out. The figure slumped over, blood and brains leaking out the back of his head.

Enemy human killed. +5 EXP.

ALICE, what’s going on? That was a human?

Not every human stands against the Impurities. Pay no heed for the lives of traitors, Boss! ALICE said. You have another problem.

The smoke had condensed into a cloud that rained down and formed more the Spawn. I stood at their soulless eyes, their slack-jawed mouths and their slithering, melting skin. This, kids, is what we call fucking bullshit.

“Emily.” I said.

“Kyle? What are you doing?” She sounded scared. So did the rest of the hangers-on who followed us.

“Take everyone and run to the right. Run for your goddamn life and don’t stop until you spot the ISTs. Only think about yourself.”

“You’re not about to fight them!” My sister cried. “Kyle, don’t!”

I spun around and roared at her. “Go, you moron! I promised Mom and Dad I would protect you! RUN!”

She took an uneasy step back, then spun around and ran. The rest of the pedestrians followed. I stood alone against the Spawn, a piece of bait on the proverbial stick. I inhaled, then contorted my face into look of ferocity. Eyes up, glare ready, mouth ready to rip out the neck of anyone who grabbed me. I wasn’t going to die here. Might end up with a few bones broken, but the blood pumping in my veins would live to the future!

The Spawn charged forward at once. I fired the last two shots in my handgun, blasting one of the Spawn to hell. The butt of the firearm smashed clean through a second. The follow-up knife to the neck took care of it. A third and a fourth grabbed me.

Corrosive effect of Spawn! -10 HP!

I twisted in around in the hold, thrashing and clinging onto my knife for dear life. The blade slit through their skin, spilling more out, but it wasn’t enough to kill me. A blow knocked me on the head. I felt the flesh slice open.

Damage to side of head! -13 HP!

New Status Effect: Bleeding! HP will gradually decrease over time until the wound clots!

I howled and headbutted it, knocking the assault back. Claws outstretched and directed themselves straight to my head.

Then the world turned grey. Time crawled to a standstill.

ALICE? What’s going on?

Boss! You’ve gotten all pumped up fighting the Spawn. I’m so proud of you! It’s time for you to learn about the third new system!

Part of my vision became highlighted blue. Beneath by HP bar was a smaller one. It read

BATTLE FERVOR (LV 0/1): 100%

Welcome to Battle Fervor! This is a system that measures the intensity of your emotions within your current conflict. The more you engage, the more sparks fly as you combat Impurities and other enemies, the Battle Fervor gauge will rise. Once the Battle Fervor meter reaches its maximum, its level will increase. Once that happens…

A new window popped up in front of me. My eyes widened. The picture in the center was IO-HMN-016 once more, standing amongst a field of flames, proudly displaying that damned flag. Her ghostly, awful smile was wider than ever.

IMPURITY RESONANCE

Select a Resonance Skill. You have one (1) selection available.

[Fiery Heart]: All OFFENSIVE actions this conflict deal Fire damage and inflict the Burn status. Fire damage is reduced by 20%.

“The girl’s surroundings distorted and caught aflame. Unheeding of those around her, she triumphantly wove her flag and began to march.”

You encountered an Impurity—IO-HMN-016—and suppressed her. Fragments of her existence resonated with the core of INTERFACE-OS, allowing you to augment yourself with some of her anomalous abilities. That part was sleeping inside you all this time and has been roused by your heightened emotions. Welcome to Impurity Resonance, Boss! Let us turn the Impurities’ own powers against them!

Power. This was power, plain and simple. What’s going to happen to me once I choose this? I’m not going to turn into an Impurity, am I?

Of course not! Resonance Skills last for the duration of the conflict. They will wear off once your emotions have cooled down. Right now, you don’t have much choice, do you?

Story of my life. I taped on the picture in front of me and prepared for the worst.

IMPURITY RESONANCE ACTIVATING! BATTLE FERVOR HAS INCREASED TO LEVEL 1!

And then, I was bathed in flame. My heart, my legs, my fingertips, the knife in my hand were scorching, blistering and melting away. Red, orange and yellow overtook my vision and acrid smoke flew up my nostril. My tongue flapped in the inferno and caught ash and grit and charcoal from burning wood and scorched bones. A floorboard broke and send an entire floor of a house tumbling down. A flag was raised upon a pole, fluttering in the hot air, as a trumpet note resounded amongst the crackle of a forest fire.

Within it all, I heard the girl laugh out loud, clear and free.

“Come on, everyone! Don’t be afraid. My friends and I are here to help!”

Time snapped back to the present. There was no searing pain. In fact, the Spawn grabbing me were retreating, their claws on fire. I looked down and saw that my hands were coated in fire. It flickered and sizzled, emitting its own smoke, and was not damaging me at all. The skin beneath it wasn’t even burned.

I swung my knife down at the nearest Spawn. The blade punctured a hole in its flesh. It then set it alight, causing the Spawn to reel back as its entire body was caught on fire. Another few slashes and stabs made the flame engulf it entirely. It crumbled into ash, just as the victims of IO-HMN-016 had.

Impurity Spawn destroyed. +12 EXP!

[Energy: 48/50]

Boss! Using Resonance Skills will slowly drain your Energy. To gain more Energy, upgrade your INSIGHT stat.

ALICE’s words faded into the background as I threw myself into the fray with renewed vigor. The Spawn were weak to fire. The black ichor holding them up was as flammable as regular oil. A few hacks and slashes here and there and they burned away. It was almost insultingly easy considering the beating I had received from them earlier. The fire damaged me back, but it was nothing compared to the hellish treatment IO-HMN-016 had put me through in the warehouse.

Impurity Spawn destroyed. +12 EXP!

Impurity Spawn destroyed. +12 EXP!

Impurity Spawn destroyed. +12 EXP!

[Energy: 40/50]

The bag was next. I picked it up and punched straight down into the middle. The substance inside wrapped around my hands, then caught alight. A few more punches and it was consumed by fire from inside to the plastic wrapping outside. I tossed the smouldering remains aside.

Emily. Where is Emily?

Desperation pumping through my veins, I charged down the path where she had set off. Around a bend, down a path and towards a clearing. My route was free of Spawn. There she was! Standing with a team of medical staff, shivering and frightened but clearly alive. She looked up as I burst into view.

“Emily!” I shouted. “You’re alive!”

I stopped in my tracks as several rifles were leveraged at me.

“Don’t move!” One of the soldiers shouted. “Put your hands up and cease your anomalous ability, kinetic!”

Kinetic? They talking about physics now?

It’s the term used to describe any human with anomalous abilities. ALICE said. They are sometimes created in the wake of Impurity disasters.

“Wait!” Emily cried. She ran up to the soldier, pulling on their arm. I resisted the urge to groan. That’s not what you do to professional soldiers. “That’s my brother! He helped us escape! He saved me, please don’t hurt him!”

“It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt anyone.” I dropped my knife on the ground. The fire around my hands and feet vanished as the Battle Fervor reset back to zero. In the distance, armored vehicles had pulled up to the mall and IEHAR operators in combat armor were rushing in. Gunfire resounded in the distance. The first wave of the disaster was over.

CONCLUSION OF TRIAL #1-01

“The clouds have returned to whence they came. The perpetrator awaits another chance to reach in and tear apart humanity’s cracks.”

Complete!

Acquired 250 Alexandrite and 300 $NF! Gained 200 EXP!

Level up! Congratulations, you are now Level 5! HP and Energy restored by 25! Acquired 2 Upgrade Points!