Chapter 8 008: The Plaza

Cole was many things at the moment, chef amongst them was very pissed and annoyed. If the coliseum itself had been chaos in its inception, then the plaza in front of him was pandemonium. There was another portal floating in the air with a massive tentacle reaching out from its depths, but this tentacle was very different from the one he had left in the coliseum as it had sub tentacles growing out of the main one. It went about smashing people to pulp, or grabbing others and throwing them back into the portal to god knows where.

This time though, its targets were not just players. The smattering of green crystals hanging over the heads of countless screaming individuals exposed them as NPCs. Of course there was no telling how advanced their programing was, as many of them could just be simple NPCs with pre-programmed response, especially since they're only supposed to be floor by floor. It would be hard to make a dedicated AI, as those cost a pretty penny to make. Populating an entire game with them seems a little exhausting, at the very least the first floor doesn't seem to be a viable place to have them generated.

Either way things like this weren't exactly rare in Titan rising online: it was an expansive world and the lore behind the game was off a universe that had achieved the height of technology, magic and energy advancements. However spread across the cosmos were a plethora of incredibly powerful cosmic entities…. These entities were known as titans. And the titans were beginning to awaken, and in their awakening upset the balance of the universe bringing about great changes both terrible and wonderful in their forms.

Some made new worlds, others set out on the conquest of the stars, and some created new races and gave them certain divine mandates. Others just devoured everything in sight, and some became more in touch with civilizations, taking positions of power or becoming simple adventurers, and then others bequeath their powers to a new generation and passed on. But above all the one thing that all titans shared was that they were all just elaborate bosses with advanced AIs. Either way, everything within the game was built and based around the actions of the titans, while the common folks try to find a way to survive in between.

Invasions like this were almost a daily occurrence, especially when you considered the sheer scope of the titan rising online universe. For this event 5 million players were chosen, but that just made up 1% of its average player base. Titan Rising Online was a game that stretched far and wide in-between galaxies, planets and space stations in the real world, and the game reflected that but perhaps on a smaller scale. Either way, figuring out which titan was responsible for this invasion or perhaps just what fucking race the Nijat aliens were won't help matters.

The quest said to find a way off the first floor, but that was vague. Was the first floor the entire space station; if that was the case then just finding a way off or getting on a drop pod would solve that problem? But if the path to the next floor was a fixed point in space, he would need to find a star chat of the current space and see if there was a star gate or some other planet close by that had a literal ladder into the sky. But one thing at a time, he has to survive getting attacked by a tentacle!

Cole rolled forwards out of the shuttle and pulled out his gun. It just so happened to be right in the face of a Nijat Alien, however this one was looking a lot different than the ones he had faced so far. For one it was armored from head to toe in a battle suit, but that did not stop Cole as the four arms and bulbous head gave it away. His first three shots blazed out in flourish of red neon, but they fizzled out as a small coating of tiny hexagonal lights showed up over the suit.

But Cole was nothing if not decisive, besides he had his stats at a higher level now, though not at the level where one would be considered superhuman, but it was enough to bring the alien down. And any other opponent, all that he had to do was understand his stats, his abilities and be able to utilize them in the best way possible. Cole reacted faster than the norm as he quickly came into the guard of the alien, complexly ignoring the four arms coming together for a bear hug that would most definitely crush his spine like a twig.

[Wild Charge]

His form blitzed forward, slamming into the Nijat alien and creating space in between the both of them as another massive tentacle flew in between them, flying into the distance to smash into the gathered forms of a small family. Cole ignored the sight as he fired his gun again, three shots, and two getting blocked while the third made the shield over the suit fizzle out. Cole held his Vibro blade in his left hand and stabbed it into the tentacle in front of him in a reverse grip, his gun still pointed at the Nijat alien that was sent reeling back from the final sot, probably panicked due to the absence of its shield.

The tentacle froze and stiffened as it tried to pull back. Cole was counting on it, and that was the worst possible mistake the alien and his bloody tentacle which belonged to him could make. Cole had buried the blade to the hilt and held his stance while he pelted the armored Nijat alien with three more shots, leaving him with three more before the gun has to recharge. The tentacle pulled back, its own motion letting the blade stuck in it slice through like a knife through butter. And what was worse was the fact that it was actually quite fast too, by the time the entire length of the tentacle had retreated, a garish cut almost 8 meters long had been left on it, and if all the previous injuries it had received was just pin pricks, this got its attention.

*Voom! Voom! Voom!*

"Run!"

*Gruuuuoooooorrrrrrrrrrr!*

The final three shots popped a smoldering hole into the armored suit, and right in the massive head of the Nijat alien. Cole had tuned to the family, or at least those of them that had survive and told them to make a run for it. They didn't hesitate and took his advice as he rolled forward, coming up against an electronic billboard that was promptly smashed through by the tentacle that was coming back for revenge. Glass and sparks showered over his body as Cole quickly crawled away, idly noticing that the plaza he was in was rapidly emptying of people as they all tried to escape to other parts of the Space station. Cole on the other hand had an angry ass tentacle going after him, and now there was two of them coming.

He took off running spying a gravity bike in the distance, but there was no guarantee he would get there. He had to come down a set of stairs and come to the highway, and that was right past the big ass portal the tentacles were coming right out from. He ran forwards, just in time to dodge the next tentacle, it smashed itself into the entrance of a stall besides Cole, showering him with glass as he felt the wind displaced behind him from the speed of the Tentacle. He kept on running as the next tentacle smashed into the wall behind, showering him debris of concrete that quite frankly was painful as hell, and then a third joined the fray, and this time it was coming right in front of him.

The tentacle was learning and adapting, if he was moving too fast then the best thing to do would be to predict and place the next one right in his path or beside him just as he was passing through. But Cole was hyper focused, he was not just focused on running away, his perception and the [Specter Eyes] passive skill has been what has been saving his ass so far. He was actually seeing illusory imaging of every attack that was coming his way, of course it was only at the last second with barely a second or two left for him to react, but right now it was just enough as he ran up the wall besides him at an incline, taking three steps before vaulting over the tentacle that was meant to trap him.

He landed right on the head of a Nijat Alien that had been running forwards to intercept him. But they both crashed to the ground with Cole rolling forwards and picking up speed. A chance look behind him showed the Nijat Alien with a hole on its bulbous helmet, sparks escaping from the hole as Cole still held his dagger tightly. He was going to get away, there was no way these aliens could stop him, and they were just too…..

*BOOOOM!*

[YOU HAVE DIED!]

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