Lord Of Beasts

The moment Ethan had stepped through the gate, the world disappeared.

There was no transition or warning.

Then his vision snapped back into focus, and what he saw made his breath hitch.

”What the hell...”

It wasn’t an underground cove, a dungeon, or a wasteland.

It was endless.

A vast, infinite expanse of darkness stretched in every direction, like the void itself had been carved open. And within that void, there were floating islands, hundreds of them, thousands even.

Chunks of land suspended in space, each one different in size and shape. Some were small, barely larger than a house, while others stretched out like miniature continents.

They drifted slowly and silently, but below them was nothing.

Just an endless drop into blackness.

It was beautiful and terrifying.

”Yeah... this is messed up.”

Ethan adjusted his footing slightly, boots pressing into uneven, rocky ground. The air felt strange - thin, yet heavy at the same time.

Then, he frowned.

”Where is everyone?”

Silence answered him.

He assumed that Kaela had run off and began exploring, but it seemed as though no one else had followed after him.

-

Moments prior, Kaela appeared on one of the larger floating islands, cracking the ground slightly beneath her boots. She straightened immediately, rolling her shoulders as her eyes scanned her surroundings.

”Oi,” she muttered, annoyed. ”What’s taking them so long?”

The Riot Valkyrie expected people to dive in after her one after the other, but nothing came. She was just as baffled as Ethan and the other Titled who had entered the gate, and all found themselves alone in this dream-like space.

Then came a deep and powerful voice, one that resounded throughout the entire gate.

{Gate Takeover Initiated}

Kaela’s grin froze.

{Gate difficulty increased from B+ to A- Rank}

Her eyes lit up.

”...Oh?”

{You have been transported separately}

{The gate entrance has been sealed}

{It will remain locked until the Boss Beasts are defeated}

The words echoed endlessly across every floating island.

”A Rank?” someone muttered in disbelief.

”Boss Beasts?!” another shouted.

There was immediate confusion, but beneath it was the creeping realisation that they were alone.

Kaela tilted her head slightly, grin slowly returning.

”Now, this is interesting.”

Her thoughts shifted quickly to the three survivors from the last gate: Ethan, Elara, and Darius.

’One of them had to be the reason this had happened.’

Her grin widened.

’Whoever it is...’

Her aura flared slightly.

’I’m dragging them into gates with me every time.’

Because this kind of chaos was exactly what she loved more than anything.

-

Ethan was the least surprised by the words that echoed in the gate.

’I was confident to jump into the gate because I thought I’d be with Kaela and the others, but of course the system takes that away and separates us.’

Despite that, he was calm, and his first instinct wasn’t to worry about himself.

’Will Elara be okay?’

After everything they had been through, it was hard not to care for her, and by extension, be concerned.

’Her control has improved, but she doesn’t have any actual combat experience. And if that demon takes over, she’ll be drained and vulnerable.’

It was hard not to fret, but a sharp sound snapped him out of it.

Boom!

Ethan’s head snapped up.

A creature had launched into the air and landed with explosive force just a few meters away. The ground cracked beneath it as dust and debris scattered outward.

”You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

It looked like a cricket.

If that cricket had been dragged out of someone’s worst nightmare.

The thing was massive, easily the size of a car.

Its body was armoured in jagged, dark plating, its limbs long and coiled with terrifying power. Its hind legs were bulging with muscle, built for one thing: explosive movement.

They locked eyes, and it was surprisingly predatory and hostile, but that was to be expected from the opportunistic creature that targeted smaller prey.

But Ethan’s eyes then flicked up to the blue screen floating above its head.

{Orthoptera Beast}

{Race: Rupture Hopper

Growth Stage: Juvenile

Beast Rank: C

Strength: 45

Speed: 57

Stamina: 43

MP: 25/25}

Ethan exhaled slowly.

’What the fuck is in Orthoptera? And that thing is just a juvenile?’

If this wasn’t fully grown, he could only imagine how terrifying the other beasts in this gate were.

’Yeah... I’m in for it.’

But before he worried about what else was on this floor, he had to deal with the creature in front of him; that definitely wasn’t something he could underestimate.

The creature shifted, its legs compressing.

And then, it vanished.

Boom!

Ethan barely reacted in time, throwing himself to the side as the beast slammed into the ground where he had been standing, the impact sending cracks spiderwebbing across the surface.

Its speed stat didn’t do its explosiveness justice.

Ethan didn’t hesitate any longer, not sure if he could evade the next one of those attacks. But rather than selecting his fastest option, he decided to fuse with his most well-rounded beast.

’Partial Assimilation: Wolfy.’

In an instant, his body transformed.

Muscle surged, and his frame adjusted into something more feral. A werewolf-like figure stood in his place, claws flexing as yellow eyes locked onto the creature.

”Alright then...”

The Rupture Hopper launched again, but this time Ethan met it head-on.

Boom!

Their collision sent a shockwave outward, Ethan’s feet digging into the ground as he caught the creature mid-lunge, claws biting into its armoured exterior.

”Not bad!”

The creature screeched, then twisted unnaturally.

Its body pulsed, and suddenly an explosive burst of energy detonated from its legs.

Ethan was blasted backwards hard.

He skidded across the ground, claws carving deep trenches as he forced himself to stop.

’So that’s MP-based skill...’

It was just like in the Tower, which was to be expected since the system had its hands in this gate as well.

The beast didn’t wait and launched again, even faster this time.

This time, it struck.

Crack!

Its leg slammed into Ethan’s side, sending him flying across the island.

Pain exploded through his ribs.

”-Tch!”

He rolled, barely catching himself before going over the edge of the floating landmass.

’That would’ve been bad. Very fucking bad.’

The creature landed again, watching and waiting.

Ethan wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, his breathing slightly strained now.

’It hits like a truck...’

And that speed was going to be a problem.

But he grinned, channelling his inner-Kaela.

”Perfect.”

This was exactly what he needed to warm-up for this crazy gate...