The Acknowledgment - Volume One

Emergency Quest

                Within his deep slumber, Winter lays in the depths of darkness. Consumed, and buried in it. Not even the dim light of his chest could light up this darkness. Strangely, it wasn't cold or uncomfortable. Instead, there was a familiar warmth to it. Intelligent darkness that seemingly knew Winter's subconscious quite well. As Winter slept, the lady continued to drive, now on another highway stretch that ran as far as the eye could see. The sun was beginning to rise, and her eyelids were becoming heavy. "Fortunately," she thought, "We're getting close to a rest stop... Hopefully, I can get some rest there..."

~>System<{" The [Urgent Quest] Has [Arrived],"}>it rang, popping up in Winter's face<~
~>System<{" An [Emergency Quest] Has Been Issued! [Emergency Quest: Kill The Enemies]. There are Entities Nearby That Intend to Murder the [Player]. Slay Them And Ensure Your Safety! Enemies Required to be Killed: 3. Enemies Killed: 0. If the [Player] Fails to kill the enemies, their heart will stop,"}>it displayed, speaking to Winter despite him being asleep<~

                The older woman parked the car and turned it off, leaning back in her reclined seat as she got comfortable. Unsuspecting of any type of danger. Just as she was about to drift into slumber, the door opened, and quickly close. Just as she looked for Winter, he was outside walking forward with some hardship, stumbling and dragging his feet on the ground. What was left of the darkness of night starts to recede from the plains and return to the shadows as they became darker. Winter's pale, white skin had whitened further as scales seemed to form. A red and black aura flowed from his mouth as he beastly swayed from one side to the other, these scales began a natural armor in the protection of his body. This beast, who walked like he was unfamiliar with such a young body, seemed unnatural. As if its master was not home. Suddenly, a floodlight shined in his eyes, but Winter did not react quickly. Rather, he slowly raised his left hand to block the light from his eyes. "Who dares-" it growled, "To blind me?" Ultima had a far deeper voice than Winter's.

                A loud horn came from Winter's right, and as he turns he sees a dimmer light from a semi-truck behind it, speeding toward him. His raised hand fell to his side and his right hand slowly came up perpendicular to his side as the speeding truck slammed itself into his hand. His aura condensed into his palm just before the truck slammed into his weakly lifted arm. Winter's palm held strong, despite the truck's force. The truck bends and contorts in on itself as his hand was pushed deeper into the truck's frame and engine. Lifting, the back of the truck swings up into the sky. A large explosion of mana and fire erupts from the truck and the steel container that fell onto the chase. The blazing fire consumed not only Winter, but the semi itself.

                The light of such an explosion lit up the entire rest stop, as scraps of the semi-truck flew out from the explosion. Through the fire, Winter stepped out, ripping some of his clothes off as the fire in his face seemed to annoy him. The rest of his clothes were singed, and partially burnt. His skin was scaly and white as snow, his nails black, long, and sharp. His left hand clenched as a rage burnt within. He lifted his open hand, grabbing the burning hat and pulling it off with his bare hand. A skull, a human-looking skull with hair on the top of his head. Two black tattoos went from the top of his forehead down to the chin, on each side of his face. There was no flesh, no blood. Instead, the white scaly skull was on top of Winter's flesh and body. From the side of his head were forming horns, thin and sword-like, sharp as a needle at its point. " How. Annoying," it looked around for whom to kill next.

~>System<{" The [Enemies Required to be Killed: 3]. [Enemies Killed: 1],"}>\it rang, informing the beast within Winter's body<~

                A monstrous figure sped towards Winter. In a heartbeat, a wide blade is summoned from his inventory to his right hand and lifted to block the oncoming attack. Just as it was halfway conjured, it was struck by a boney hammer with a similar force to the semi-truck. Winter is pushed back. His bare, monstrous feet dug into the concrete. He shrugged the hammer away like it was nothing, slashing the boney, large humanoid Wendigo. It screeched with pain, and with a deafening loud roar in retaliation, Winter beheaded the Wendigo. Black and blood, red energy gathered around his head and his mouth, the glow in his chest burning brightly. He lifted his head, letting the roar spread through the rest stop. The bloody, ear-piercing screeching roar brought another humanoid Wendigo down to its knees. The monstrously large, starving, and thin figure swung its hammer back around at Winter, missing once as Winter stepped back. Before it could even swing the other way, it was caught by Winter's left, black-as-pitch, clawed hand. Slashes swiped across the humanoid gathered in the monster's face. Just as soon as they appeared, the monster's lifeless body fell to the ground in a bloody mess at Winter's inhuman feet. Like a well-oiled machine, the system chimed once more:

~>System<{" The [Enemies Required to Be Killed: 1]. [Enemies Killed: 3],"}>it rang and spoke<~

                "One left? Who could that be~?" It asks, sinisterly. Slowly, walking away from the bloody corpse. His back turned towards the coniferous monster that was already drooling as it started. Swiftly, it rushed towards Winter with its mouth open wide, its head slanted to the side. "There you are!" It turned around just in time to catch his jaws before they clamped down. With both hands on each jaw, Winter pulled and pushed ease side in the opposite direction, contorting and breaking the skull of the zombie-looking Zoroan's head and neck. "Hahaha! Thanks for the fun," It mocked the struggling Zoroan. It fell to the ground, and Winter's foot was lifted and brought down on the Zoroan.

~>System<{" [Emergency Quest: Kill The Enemies] Have been Completed. These Are Your Rewards: 1. Status Recovery. 2. +10 Ability points. 3. Skill [Bloodlust],"}>it explained after the ring of leveling up several more times<~

                "Y-your Alive?!" Asked a familiar-sounding woman, the older lady rushed over to Winter with surprising speed and concern. "Who the hell are you?" It asks pointing with his wide blade, with a cut-off and dulled tip. B-but... It's me! W-what are you doing?" She asks, taking a step back. The expression on her face was suddenly filled with fright and confusion, replacing her astonishment. Winter only stared directly at her. The sword he held in his right hand, zapped away by electricity, into the unknown. Slowly, he walked back towards the car. "What was that about?" She asks with understandable concern. "They're dead. Now, why don't you get back into the car, and continue to drive us to where ever the fuck you're going?" It replied, opening the passenger door.