My Werepanther System: Starting with Nine Lives

[Six Lives Remaining….]

[Five Lives Remaining….]

[Four…—]

DING!

[Mana Reserves below 20%….. if they reach 10% Revives will be unavailable.]

"Shit…" Rex huffed as he came to life once more. His last death was the worst. He'd repeatedly failed to penetrate the Alpha Drake's scales and the beast was smart enough not to use its venom-blasts.

That or he was too weak for the creature to feel the need to use it.

Either way.

"I can't keep going like this." His Mana and Stamina faltered. His transformation faded, taking with it the boost in his physical attributes.

With his senses still on alert thanks to his (Night Hunter) skill, he could hear the recruits surrounding.

The event was coming to an end.

A number of teams had their captives and were transferring into maintenance mode. Meaning they weren't moving in search of others.

His mind spun as the Drake shook the dirt off its scales and prepared to kill him again.

"You're a big target. Hard to miss even in a jungle. If only I had a gun—"

Something let off a mechanical roar in the distance, sending birds and solar-bats flying from palm trees as they were crushed and sent falling to the earth.

The Drake roared defensively at the behemoth miles behind him.

A lightbulb shattered in his mind.

"Of course! The Box! It's covered in turrets and the jungle monkey's will be running perimeter guard shifts. Either one of them would have the stopping power to penetrate the scales."

The Alpha Drake lunged, clearing one hundred feet in a blindingly fast leap.

Rex jumped backward, barely dodging the snap of iron jaws.

"Unfortunately, I won't be able to eat this one. At least not completely…." Rex landed, feeling his own sweat on his skin as the sheen of spotted fur covering him faded.

He took off. The Drake hissed and gave chase.

As he ran, he strained his ears and nose to avoid the students. Especially Imani with all her questions and suspicions. It was all going well when a familiar scent neared at inhuman speeds.

Above him, a black crow flew.

"Hunter— he got my location from Natasha. That's probably why he was so eager to steal her. She's like jungle surveillance with her Inheritence Ability according to Imani." Rex stayed low, letting the canopy and shadows keep him from being fully seen by Hunter's avian artistry as he still sported claws, fangs and wild eyes. Slowly though, they continued to fade. He was losing speed.

The Drake was gaining on him, evolving to run even faster and cut through the jungle density even faster.

The crow lowered. He could practically feel it's wingbeats against his head.

Behind, recruits fell in to chase the sound o commotion. Though it was only the failures eager to capture anyone.

"I GOT SOMETHIN BIG!" Tyson yelled as he chased the Drake from behind, unknowing of how big or how screwed he was if the beast turned around.

Not that it mattered.

A cliff approached.

Rex pushed himself and jumped. As his feet left the ground, the Drake swiped at him.

It's curled claws ripped through the Martial-Skin and cut deep into his back, nearly knicking his spine.

He roared as he sailed across the two hundred foot drop between the cliffs.

He hit the ground on the other side and rolled. Immediately, he was back on his feet and running, stumbling as the Drake jumped and landed on the grounds behind him.

Tyson skidded to a stop at the edge of the cliff, "….REX?!"

Up ahead, crow divebombed back beneath the foliage, cackling above Rex as he ran.

"You're no Drift Soldier." Hunter's voice echoed through the ink construct of a bird. "There's a reason I said you're no good for Ms. Price. It ruptures the heirarchy and systems that support a functioning unit. You're not militant. You're disrespectful and cowardly. Look at you! Keep running— even when you know you aren't fast enough. You abandoned your team. After the little lizard eats you, I'll send my markings to finish the job, deserter."

Suddenly the turrets and guns weren't needed.

[Mana Reserves 12%—]

"Shut up." Rex spat as he ran, "So I have one more revive left. Fine."

Out of nowhere, he curved left and ran through the foliage.

The Drake tried to mock the maneuver and slipped, giving him much needed distance as he scaled a twenty foot tall tree.

From there he ripped off a branch and jumped to the next just as the alpha Drake blasted through the tree and knocked it over.

The crow followed. "Sticks won't break that hide—"

"Shut up and watch me, pussy. There's a reason you're not here. You can talk about systems and being militant all you want but by your own defintion you're taking enjoyment in watching a fellow soldier in training die. And I'm not a deserter, I'm a distraction. After I eat this one, I'm coming for you." Rex said in bursts as he leapt from tree to tree.

The crow was gone then.

In the distance, the the jungle-monkeys closed in. He could hear their bionic tails spinning to keep their balance as they too traveled through the trees and canopy.

He still had a chance.

He sharpened his branche with his claws until he had one in each hand and another between his teeth.

He jumped from the tree, letting himself fall lower.

The drake jumped to swallow him whole.

As he fell, he pushed off the side of the tree, barely missing the Drake's jaws. From there he spun, using his feline understanding of up and down to land on its back and jam his wooden spears through its eyes.

The scream was bloodcurdling.

Even still— like a cat in its own right, the Drake landed on its feet and went wild, now with Rex crouched on its head.

"Report! Alpha Drake— D Rank, within a mile of The Box. Permission to eng—"

"I got it! This is mine!" Rex yelled over the jungle monkey making the call after he took the spear from his mouth and jammed it up its nose.

"Sir?"

"Stay back!" Rex prayed his (Warrior's Authority) Skill would still work in his current state.

Silence followed but he heard the loading of a gun.

"Dammit!" Rex gripped the spears in its eyes and began to steer. Partial skill function wasn't good enough.

The beast bucked and roared but began making a b line straight for the base.

Until a grenade rolled onto the path.

"WAIT—"

It went off and flipped them both— doing next to nothing to the dense Drake and everything to Rex's plan.

He hit the ground on foot, sliding backwards as he watched the alpha gain its footing and catch his scent.

In those tense moments, he was acccutely aware of everything.

The Box loomed over them in the distance. Nearing.

The Jungle-Monkeys aimed their guns, ready to steal what was his. His meal. His experience. His future.

Golden dust flowed in the air, warm and sweet as it spiked his mana and healed his wounds. Victor was nearby— with Imani and the rest of his team. And with his Mana returning, he was transforming. Under the rising sun— under the glow of the jungle and spec-ops thermal scopes of the snipers.

Hunter would get his wish.

He'd lose his.

[12% Mana Remaining]

Unless.

Rex went up in flames as he transformed. The drake lunged with open jaws for the millionth time.

Instead of dodging and giving into the movements of prey, he too engaged, using the only lesson he learned from Tezcatlipoca to the fullest.

Like a shooting star, he jumped into the Drake's jaws.

The alpha swallowed him whole. He went down slashing and ripping, triggering it's vomiting urge and opening up gaping wounds within. It's blood spiked his mana, allowing him to burn brighter.

As the electrical acid bile rose, he hit its stomach where he focused his flame. He pushed its limits as best he could, letting his anger rise— letting his predatory instincts lead him to the kill.

The Drake skidded to a halt less than a mile from the box. It's stomach bubbled and purple steam spun out from between the spaces in the scales.

Victor, Imani, Tyson, Natasha and Hunter surrounded the scene at varying distances— perfectly able to watch as the Alpha Drake exploded.

Purple and green light spun in brilliant warp spasms of bubbling liquid and frothy flames, leveling the jungle for half a mile in all directions and blinding them temporarily.

Within the wreckage, a fire burned.

Rex stood, completely naked once again and holding its spine in his claws.

A horn blew in the distance, announcing the end of the training event.

Imani and Victor moved to engage Rex.

Natasha and Hunter fell back as everyone else collected themselves in the distance.

Up in the trees, Gordon remained crouched, watching Rex as he was reunited with his team— now exalted as a legend of sorts. "AG Brennus, we risked the lives of many with that decision. Why did you tell me not to save the recruit? Drift-Spawn extermination wasn't part of the training event. Isn't that why we were deployed?"

"It is. But things change. They're changing again I fear….."

"Do you…. Want us to keep our eye on him? There are aspects of his Inheritence Ability that aren't logged on his data sheet. Thats ability fraud s—"

"No. That won't be neccesary." AG Brennus said over the intercom. "Go back to your guard shift. The threat was eliminated and your help wasn't needed. Thank you."

The call ended.

Gordon turned off his mic, "Who are you, Rex?"