Destiny Among the Stars - Scifi - LitRPG - Adventure

Zoe emerged from the roots of the tree, her steps cautious as she moved into the darkness. Every sound was louder without her helmet. Branches creaked, wind hissed through the canopy. The forest felt impossibly vast now, every shadow stretching like a waiting predator.

Her fingers brushed the hilt of her plasma dagger, the grip slick with sweat. She felt small in a way she hadn't in years, stripped of the tech, the suit, the support that made her feel invincible in combat. Now? Just skin and bones and nerves.

But she didn't stop. She set her jaw, clenched her fist, and swallowed the panic crawling up her throat. Each step was measured. Silent. Controlled. She moved like a ghost through the trees, heart pounding.

Emily had been separated from the crew early on, veering left when the raptors first lunged. She relied on her agility, dodging razor-sharp claws that snapped just inches behind her. Her plasma blasters lit up the underbrush in short, controlled bursts. One raptor down, but they just kept coming.

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And now? She was alone.

Deep in the pitch-black maze of the rainforest, surrounded by sounds that didn't belong to anything human.

The distant echoes of battle had faded, swallowed by the rainforest. The flashlight of her helmet flicked side to side, the narrow beam cutting through twisted vines and thick foliage. She slowed, pressing her back against the gnarled trunk of a tree, trying to still her breathing.

In. Out. Listen.

Nothing. No voices. No familiar hum of the Peregrine's shield. Just the low, hungry rustle of something slinking through the dark.

"Luca?" she whispered into her comms. Her voice was calm, controlled, but tight. She tried each name in turn.

Static. Static. Static.

Shit.

She pushed off the tree, her flashlight sweeping slowly, revealing only more of the same. Roots, vines, shadows thick enough to choke on. She knew she couldn't stay put. That wasn't how she survived. Movement was life. She stepped forward, her boots sliding slightly on the damp earth.

Her fingers brushed her plasma blade, the last-resort kind of weapon. Up close. Personal. She kept it close.

Step by step, she moved, scanning the forest, calculating angles, thinking five moves ahead like always. Somewhere out there, the rest of them were doing the same, pushing forward, clawing their way through the dark.

They just had to find each other again.

The ravine stretched on, a narrow passage choked with slick roots and twisted vines that made each step treacherous. Luca's flashlight beam cut through only a few feet ahead, illuminating damp stone and foliage, while occasional rustling sounds from above reminded them of the raptors lurking nearby. Ryan moved beside him, his light sweeping over the ravine walls as they searched for any possible exit.

Luca's foot slid out from under him on a slick, black root. He grunted, windmilling his arms for a moment before Ryan's hand shot out and gripped his shoulder, steadying him.

"Easy there," Ryan said.

"Thanks," Luca breathed, getting his footing. "This place is a nightmare."

"Must be nice," Ryan said, his voice quiet but with a teasing edge. "Having someone to stress about like that."

"Emily can handle herself," Luca replied, his jaw tightening with worry.

"I know," Ryan said quickly. "Wasn't saying she couldn't." He paused, then bumped Luca's shoulder. "Still pretty disgusting, watching you two. In a good way."

"Thanks?" Luca asked, scanning the raving in front of them.

"I'm just saying, when I find my girl, we're gonna be even more disgusting. Fair warning."

A loud noise echoed from the ravine rim directly above them, followed by the clatter of dislodged pebbles. Both of them froze, flashlights snapping upward to reveal nothing but shifting leaves. They stood motionless, listening.

When the silence returned, Luca lowered his light, his voice a whisper. "You? Please. Half the girls back home were drooling over you. You just never noticed."

Ryan was quiet for a step, then gave a small, genuine smile that was mostly lost in the darkness. "Yeah, well. Guess I was looking in the wrong direction." He clapped Luca on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's go find her before she realizes she can do better than you."

Luca grinned, the tension in his shoulders easing just a fraction.

Just hold on, Em. We're coming.

Danny and Joey stumbled back into the clearing where the Peregrine sat like a beacon, its shield casting a faint blue glow over the dark ground. They were battered, mud-streaked, and out of breath, but relief flooded through them as they saw the vehicle still intact.

Joey squinted, looking around for any sign of the others. "You see them?" he asked.

Danny frowned as he surveyed the surrounding forest. "Alright, let's think this through. We know Luca and Ryan are out there somewhere together. So that leaves..." His voice trailed off as he weighed their options, concern flickering in his eyes.

"Zoe, Emily, and Chris," Joey finished, his own brow furrowing. "We need to go after them, but we don't know which direction they took, or if they're even together."

Danny nodded, biting his lip. "True, but if I know Emily, she's sticking close to Zoe. She's not the type to leave her alone out here, not without armor. So, that could mean the two of them went in one direction."

Joey considered this, running a hand through his hair. "Alright, and Chris? He's a solid shot and level-headed. He'd either be sticking to a defensible spot or trying to regroup with Luca and Ryan."

"So, split it up?" Danny suggested. "We could cover more ground that way, find each group faster."

Joey shook his head. "We're better off sticking together, Danny. You saw those raptors. They're pack hunters. If one of us gets cornered alone..." He shook his head. "I'd rather not split us up. Better chance if we tackle each area together."

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Danny sighed, nodding reluctantly. "Alright. Let's go after the girls first. Chris, wherever he is, can probably hold his own until we can circle back."

"Agreed," Joey said, relief evident in his expression. "We'll sweep east first. Keep your comms on. Even if there's interference, maybe we'll hit the spot where the signal comes through."

Danny patted his plasma chainsaw, grinning. "Let's move, then. Zoe will kill me if I don't find her before those raptors do."

They shared a nod and turned toward the dark, looming forest, hearts pounding as they plunged back into the rainforest, the glow of the Peregrine's shield fading behind them.

Zoe crouched low, listening for any sign of the raptors. She'd lost her bearings in the dark after the attack, and the rain made it impossible to hear which direction the others had gone.

No helmet, no comms, no HUD. Each second out here felt like an eternity.

She needed to find somewhere to hide.

She stumbled forward, half-blind, and tripped on a twisted root. She bit her tongue to keep from crying out.

Rain poured down from the canopy above. She couldn't draw attention, not with those raptors nearby. She had to stay quiet and keep moving, but she didn't know where to go.

She was alone.

The roots of a massive tree loomed ahead, and she crawled toward them. She pressed herself back and gripped the dagger tighter.

Every snap of a branch made her freeze. She was tough, but this was too much.

Her scout suit was more than armor. It made her feel powerful and invisible. She could outrun anything, escape anything.

But now, stripped of it, she felt exposed and small.

Emily stumbled over a thick root, catching herself before hitting the muddy ground. She wiped hair from her face when she spotted a figure sprawled on the forest floor.

"Chris!"

She dropped down beside him. A jagged gash traced along his forehead, bleeding freely. She checked his pulse. Steady, but he was out cold.

His helmet lay a few feet away. She pulled a bandage from her pack, pressing it against the wound.

"Come on, Chris," she whispered, anchoring the bandage with shaking hands. "You've gotta stay with me, okay?"

He didn't respond. She pulled him up against a nearby tree, propping him upright. Rain kept falling, soaking them both.

Her comm crackled. She tried Luca. Ryan. Danny. Zoe. Static. Every time.

No one.

Forest sounds swelled around her. Her fingers clenched around her blaster, eyes darting into the dark.

She wasn't a medic. She knew pressure dressings and stimpacks. That was it. If he crashed, if he stopped breathing... what then?

She couldn't let herself think that far ahead.

Two raptors darted past, barely ten yards away, heads low and eyes gleaming. She held her breath, frozen, until they'd passed. Too close.

She sank back against the tree, checking Chris's pulse again.

"Where are you guys?" she whispered.

She was freezing.

Scared.

Tired.

She felt powerless as she waited, trying to keep him stable.

Out of nowhere, the darkness exploded with bursts of light and sound. Blasts of plasma fire illuminated the forest, the scent of singed vegetation filling the air.

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Emily's head snapped up, her heart pounding as she saw two familiar figures moving through the undergrowth, their weapons at the ready.

"Danny! Joey!" she called, her voice wavering. Relief. Pure relief.

The two of them appeared, stepping over the two fallen raptors quickly. They looked shaken but unharmed, their faces lighting up with relief as they spotted her. And Chris.

Joey's expression turned serious as he took in the sight of Chris's injury. "Emily, thank God," he breathed, activating his portable shield and crouching down next to Chris.

He unlatched his med kit, assessing the wound as he pressed a gauze pad against it. "He's got a nasty gash, but his pulse is strong," he murmured, flashing Emily a reassuring look. "It's a mild concussion. He'll pull through. He just needs rest."

Emily exhaled, the tension melting from her shoulders as Joey worked, his hands steady as he tended to Chris. She hadn't even realized she'd been crying until she felt a hand on her arm, and she turned to see Danny standing before her. Before she could even react, he pulled her into a tight hug.

Emily collapsed against him, her body shaking. She buried her face in his shoulder, arms wrapping around him.

"You did good, Emily," he murmured. "He's here, and he's breathing. You kept him safe."

She gave a small, choked sob. Joey continued his treatment, patching up the wound and securing Chris in a comfortable position.

Chris's breathing was steady, and for the first time since she'd found him, Emily felt a flicker of hope.

"We'll stay here a minute, give him some time to come around," Joey said. "You did the right thing, Emily. You kept him safe."

Danny finally released her, stepping back. He swept his helmet light over the forest.

"Where's Zoe?" he asked, his voice tight.

Emily looked toward the trees. "I don't know... she wasn't with Chris, and I didn't see her when we split up," she whispered.

Joey leaned closer, steadying Chris's head as he wrapped the last of the bandage securely around his bleeding forehead.

"We can't leave her out there alone, but let's get Chris back to the Peregrine. Then we'll all head out together. No one's splitting up again."

Their lights bobbed as they hoisted Chris between them, moving cautiously, every footfall a soft thud on the damp ground. The forest pressed in closer with each step, and the limited reach of their helmet lights left vast patches of darkness on either side.

Each rustle in the undergrowth, each distant snap of a twig, made them pause, darting in different directions, trying to locate any potential threats hidden in the black. And every second they were out here, Zoe was alone in this godforsaken jungle.

As they moved, the faint beacon light of the Peregrine appeared through the trees. They eased Chris up the ramp, his form slumped but breathing steadily, the tight bandage around his head holding it in place. Joey double-checked his pulse, and though Chris's eyes remained closed, his face remained pale under the harsh beam of their helmet lights.

Danny glanced back into the night, his helmet light cutting across the thick canopy. "Alright," he said, voice low but firm. "Zoe's out there, and she's got nothing, no comms, no light. We're going to find her."

"She's got her dagger," Emily mumbled, more to herself than to anyone else.

"That's not going to help much, Em," said Joey, "but don't worry, we'll find her. Luca and Ryan should be here already, but they probably got held up or something."

"They might need our help too," said Danny, looking worriedly towards the forest's edge.

Emily took a deep breath, steadying herself. "They're a good team," she said, her voice stronger now. "They'll be fine. Let's focus on finding Zoe."

Ryan and Luca made their way back to the Peregrine, their helmet lights sweeping over the undergrowth. No signs of the raptors that had harried them earlier.

When the blue glow of the Peregrine's shield came into view, relief washed over them both. Danny's helmet light caught their movements from across the clearing, and he jogged up to meet them, with Emily and Joey close behind.

"Who's missing?" Luca asked, his voice tight, eyes scanning the others.

Emily stepped forward, eyes shadowed. "Zoe. We were just about to head back out to look."

Luca nodded, but he couldn't move. His eyes were locked on her. Emily.

Mud smeared across her cheek. Her hair was soaked and plastered to her face. Her white armor was scuffed in one spot at the thigh, and her blasters were still in hand, twitching slightly with the aftershock of adrenaline.

She was here. She was alive.

Something in his chest cracked open. He didn't even realize he'd moved until he was crossing the space between them in a few fast strides. He reached for her, hand brushing gently along her cheek, wiping away mud and whatever else the rainforest had thrown at her.

Her eyes met his... and that was it. Relief surged through him so hard it nearly dropped him to his knees.

He didn't say a word as he reached forward and kissed her.

Soft, at first. Tender. Like he was still afraid she might break. Her breath hitched, and then her hands found his chest, his shoulders, pulling him closer.

Then it turned frantic.

Four years of missions, training, chaos, monsters, portals, and nothing ever felt as overwhelming as this kiss. Like they were sealing a crack in the universe with their mouths. His hands curled into her soaked armor, and she didn't let go.

For just a second, he forgot Zoe was missing. Forgot the danger. Forgot everything.

She was real. Warm and solid and right here in front of him. And he wanted to stay wrapped in that moment forever.

"Okay, okay, Jesus, cool it," Joey called out. "Zoe's still out there."

Emily pulled back just a little, her forehead pressed to his, both of them panting, her fingers still gripping his suit.

"I know," he whispered. "I just... needed to make sure."

She nodded, blinking hard. "You did."

They were back in motion, guns up, lights on, hearts pounding.

"Where's the Specter?" Luca asked. It was no longer tethered to the Peregrine.

"It must have stayed on the other side of the portal," replied Danny.

"Fuck."

Ryan's face hardened, and he adjusted his grip on his plasma rifle. "Alright, let's pair up. Luca and I will go one way, and you three head toward the east. Keep an eye out for any raptors. If you see anything, signal fast."

They moved out, splitting into two groups, each light carving fragile paths through the relentless dark. Ryan and Luca moved swiftly, their helmet lights scanning over every patch of twisted roots and tangled vines.

Where is she?