G.O.D Complex// Earth Prime

"I was wondering... how did you two get captured? And what happened to the others who came with you?" Velvet asked.

Fischer and Kelly exchanged glances before turning to her.

"There's not much to say... We were deployed after the strange trail testing," Fischer began. "Our descent was rough, but everything went relatively well. We landed in an area with sparse vegetation."

Velvet caught on to something. "We? You mean it wasn't individual deployment?"

Fischer and Kelly nodded.

"Why are you surprised? Didn't you arrive in a group?" Kelly asked.

Velvet shook her head. "No... We were dispatched individually, into a dense, strange jungle."

"How unlucky," Fischer muttered, though there was no sympathy in his tone. "As expected, I guess the people over there wanted to reduce your numbers. You guys are basically considered criminals."

"Haha, even in the future, we're still being judged," Velvet chuckled softly. "I guess that's true. I have so much blood on my hands." Her smile faded into a faint, sorrowful expression—but it soon turned cold and stoic.

Seeing this, Fischer realized this girl had steeled herself. No—she had stabbed her own heart so she could never feel remorse for the dead.

"And what about the others who came with you?" Velvet asked.

"Dead," Kelly answered, curling beside Fischer and burying her face between her knees.

"I guess you must have landed in a beast's domain," Velvet surmised.

"It was a territory," Fischer clarified.

Velvet looked at him. "One thing I've learned since I came down here is that every species, including humans, fiercely protects its territory. If what you described about that forest zone is accurate, then it must have been an unconquered region. Wild beasts and horrors likely dwell there. We landed in a creature's territory."

---

Their ship descended with minimal turbulence, touching down softly on the planet's surface. From their vantage point, Fischer and his team could see other dropships crashing like meteors—likely the criminals'.

Upon exiting, they marveled at the alien world around them. But the awe quickly turned to dread.

A sound echoed from the trees. Not rustling... but sharp, rhythmic clanking, like high heels on concrete.

A figure emerged from the foliage. It resembled a lizard-man with armored scales, a long tail, and two horns. Its entire form was pitch black, dressed like a knight. It had no eyes, and the only splash of color was its red tongue, dripping with corrosive saliva that hissed as it melted the stones beneath it.

Fischer's blood ran cold. He knew what it was.

A Dark Devil.

A predator to all—neither Biped nor Beastman, but a monster that slaughtered both.

"Just my luck," Fischer muttered bitterly. He activated the dropship's defense system.

The weapons locked on and fired white lasers. But the devil moved with terrifying speed, dodging effortlessly. It pounced on the nearest woman and tore open her chest, chewing casually on her breast like it enjoyed the texture. Then it moved on.

Kelly froze in place, collapsing in terror and wetting herself as the beast devoured another of her companions. When it reached her, it sniffed, grimaced, and walked away, repulsed by her scent.

The devil continued its rampage, biting into bodies—heads, necks, abdomens, legs—and tossing the remains aside. Of the twenty Green-flagged newcomers, fifteen were butchered.

The cargo ship's cannons roared again. "Mr. Fischer! Look after everyone!" a man shouted, running forward.

"Mr. Anderson!" Fischer cried, but it was too late. The devil's mouth split open from chin to abdomen, revealing a glowing eye inside.

Bam!

Anderson froze. Blood gushed from his mouth. He looked down and saw a massive hole in his chest. Then his upper body was cleanly severed.

"Everyone, into the ship!" someone yelled. The survivors rushed in. Fischer ran—but slipped in blood and fell.

"Damn it! Why am I always unlucky?!" he cursed.

The beast approached. But then... walked past him.

Confused, Fischer's mind raced. He opened his interface. Among his five downloaded skills, Monster Kingdom was relevant. It resembled Linus's Animal Kingdom.

He scanned the documents—no AI to read it for him.

"This beast is prideful and hunts only those who flee or resist. It despises strong odors and ignores what doesn't appeal to it."

Fischer looked down at himself... and realized he had also urinated in fear.

A scream echoed. The devil tore the dropship door open. More cries, more shredding. Then—

Boom!

The ship exploded. Fischer threw himself over Kelly to shield her. Fire engulfed the area. From the wreckage, the devil emerged, drenched in blood. It let out a chilling laugh like a hyena.

---

"How did you survive?" Velvet asked softly.

Fischer pointed to a figure.

"Their leader showed up. Herta. I think you've heard the name. She just... appeared out of nowhere. And she was carrying you."

"What? I thought I came with the other Red people," Velvet said, confused.

"You did. But that was after the incident. I suspect she was monitoring all dropships, but didn't intervene... until ours."

"Did she kill the devil?"

Fischer laughed. "The creatures here are scarier than we imagined. But she handled it like it was a toy."

---

Space cracked open as Herta emerged, carrying a body. She glanced around and muttered in a strange tongue. "Seems I didn't make it in time... Mrs. Hemlock won't be pleased."

She approached Fischer and Kelly and tossed Velvet toward him. "Look after her for me. I'll be back."

Fischer was stunned by her fluency in human language.

Her small horns grew six inches. The devil flinched.

"Oh no," she said sweetly. "You're not getting away. You'll pay for touching the goods."

She vanished and reappeared in front of the beast, gently grabbing its head.

The devil couldn't move. Her knee slowly rose—

Pow!

Fischer watched in disbelief as the creature was pounded repeatedly in slow motion. It couldn't even react.

Finally, she stopped. Her horns retracted as she walked back.

"Are you the only Green Flags alive?" she asked.

Fischer nodded. She didn't look pleased.

Behind her, the devil flailed, still being thrashed by an invisible force. It roared, creating a shockwave. Then it charged at Herta—

Swoosh! Kraaak!

Its body split into pieces and disintegrated before reaching her.

A giant golden owl descended with other beasts.

"My Queen, you shouldn't be outside!" the owl scolded, clearly worried. The other beasts shared her concern.

"Sorry, I was bored. And something caught my attention," Herta replied, picking up Velvet and walking away.

Fischer watched her go.

"Beautiful," he whispered.

---

"That's basically what happened," Fischer concluded.

"You mean they were out hunting people, and I got mixed up with the others before being sent here?" Velvet asked.

Fischer nodded.

Velvet looked away, deep in thought. "Was she... the thing I saw?"

To be continued...