While the others searched for a way into the wreckage, I moved a bit away to observe the surroundings.
As thoughts swirled in my head amidst the eerie stillness of the forest, a sudden voice broke through the comms channel—Zarvok's voice, sharp and alarmed:
"Shit! There's something here—Ahh!"
Then, the sound of something—or someone—hitting the ground.
I immediately turned toward the noise.
What I saw froze me in place.
Zarvok had fallen from the top of the wreckage—alongside a creature I had never seen before.
They were both sprawled on the ground, trying to regain their footing.
The alien was around 1.80 meters tall, humanoid in form.
Pale skin.
A lean, average build.
No tail.
A round-ish head covered with hair, and what appeared to be clothing.
It was clearly intelligent—but compared to us, it looked... weak.
For a moment, I didn't know what to do.
Time seemed to slow.
Even the forest held its breath.
Then the alien suddenly sprang to its feet and bolted toward the trees.
Zarvok, reacting on instinct, activated the laser weapon embedded in his armor and stood up, taking aim.
He was just about to fire when Captain Kireal moved in a flash.
He grabbed Zarvok's weapon and forced the barrel downward.
The shot went off—
The laser beam barely missed the alien's head and scorched a deep hole into a nearby tree.
Kireal spun on Zarvok, furious.
"Are you insane?! That thing might be the cargo!"
Zarvok stumbled back, stunned.
The Captain turned sharply to me, his voice clipped and commanding:
"Lynx! Go after it. Bring it back alive, but be careful. We don't know what it is—it could be dangerous. If you can't handle it, fall back. Kill only if absolutely necessary."
I nodded sharply and took off.
The shock faded.
My mind snapped back into focus.
I raced into the forest, moving fast but quietly, tracking the creature.
Every tree, every bush could be a hiding place.
And this thing—whatever it was—was unlike anything I'd ever encountered.
The deeper I went, the more adrenaline surged through me.
My heartbeat quickened, muscles tensed.
I could feel the hunter within me awakening—
And to my surprise... I enjoyed it.
The creature's movement noises grew louder.
I was closing the gap.
It couldn't get away.
When I finally found it, it had collapsed against a tree, breathing heavily.
Its chest rose and fell rapidly—exhausted, overwhelmed.
Its eyes were glassy, on the verge of tears.
It was weak...
Or maybe, as Captain Kireal said, just dangerous in a different way.
I watched silently from the shadows.
It looked calmer now.
Maybe it thought it had escaped.
It had let its guard down—
A perfect opening.
I began approaching, slowly, silently.
But just as I neared, it stood up again—calm and unaware of me.
It hadn't noticed.
I had to act fast.
Knock it out before it tried to run again.
As I stepped forward, a rustling sound betrayed me.
The creature spun around—
But I was faster.
I launched forward and slammed my fist into its face with full force.
It reeled back several steps, stunned—
But not down.
It recovered quickly, eyes locking onto mine with a surge of defiance.
I could see the anger in its gaze.
It wasn't going to run.
It chose to fight.
Its fists clenched.
It stood its ground.
There was a fire in it—
A desire to fight.
And I felt something stir inside me, too.
A real fight.
A chance to test my training against a completely unknown species.
I took a deep breath and issued a mental command:
"System, deactivate armor. Enter passive mode."
My armor quickly retracted, compressing into the bracelet on my wrist.
I smiled and gestured for it to come at me.
Then I took a fighting stance.
After a moment's hesitation, it lunged.
But its movements were sloppy—untrained.
I blocked its punch with my left arm and countered with a strong jab to the face.
It staggered, but I didn't stop.
I delivered a swift kick to the gut, sending it sprawling to the ground.
It lay there, gasping.
Watching it struggle for breath, a strange sense of guilt flickered in me.
Had I pushed it too hard?
Its breathing was erratic.
Yet it still tried to rise.
That stubborn fury in its eyes surprised me.
It wasn't giving up.
I didn't want to drag this out.
As it started to rise, I struck it with another kick to the stomach.
Its breathing stopped for a moment.
Its skin flushed a deep red—
Yet it refused to pass out.
It pushed itself up again, trembling.
This kind of resistance—
this will to fight despite the obvious loss—
It disturbed me.
I'd never faced such determination before.
I took a step back.
I was starting to feel... unsettled.
He was willing to die for a fight he couldn't win.
I needed to end it.
As he tried to stand once more, I delivered a precise blow to the back of his neck.
He finally collapsed.
I stood over his unconscious body, watching him for a moment.
His skin, which had flushed earlier, quickly returned to normal.
I realized I had been holding my breath.
I let out a long exhale.
His breathing was steady.
I reactivated my armor and hoisted him over my shoulder.
The weight wasn't much—my armor's support system made it easy.
I moved swiftly through the forest.
"Cargo secured. Returning to base," I reported through my comm.
Captain Kireal's voice answered at once:
"Well done, Lynx. We've found a Serynox—science officer—inside the ship. Someone administered basic first aid and kept the body warm. Still alive, but in critical condition. The rest of the team is sweeping the vessel, but a few are escorting the wounded back to camp. Rendezvous there. A Rynor-class ship is waiting for us."
The orders were clear.
"Understood," I replied, picking up speed as I headed for the camp.
YOU ARE READING
GATE: First Encounter
FantasiaA stranger in his own body... An intruder in his own mind... Okan had no idea he was living the last ordinary day of his life. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in his own bed but a captive on Aetherion-a distant world beyond the stars. How...
