APEX CONDUIT

A New World

The thing that called itself Kael didn't attack.

It just stood there, watching me with those glowing eyes. Waiting. Like it had all the time in the world.

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.

"To warn you," it said. "The System made a mistake with you. But mistakes get corrected. The Apex Guild already knows about you. They'll come for you. And when they do, you need to be ready."

"Ready for what?"

"For war." The thing tilted its head. "You're not the first Conduit. But you might be the last. Grow strong, Leo Vance. Or die."

It stepped back into the shadows and vanished.

I stood there for a long time, Scritch pressed against my chest, my heart pounding.

What the hell just happened?

The next morning, I woke up with a plan.

If the Apex Guild was coming for me—and I had no reason to doubt the creature's warning—then I needed to get stronger. Fast. And that meant Essence. Lots of it.

I left Mira a note saying I'd picked up extra shifts. She was still asleep, her breathing shallow, her face pale. I kissed her forehead and slipped out the door.

The Minor Rift on the edge of the Logistics District was a wound in reality. A tear in the fabric of the world, shimmering with sickly light. Monsters spawned from it like maggots from a corpse. Most were weak—G-rank, F-rank. Barely threats to anyone with a combat Talent.

But to me? They were everything.

I found a secluded spot near the Rift's edge and sat down. Scritch perched on my knee, his dark fur gleaming in the dim light.

"Alright," I said. "Let's see what you can do."

I closed my eyes and reached for the bond.

It was easier now than it had been in the warehouse. The connection was a thread of warmth between us, pulsing with shared life. I tugged on it gently, and suddenly—

I was seeing through Scritch's eyes.

The world was different. Sharper. Colors were muted, but movement stood out like fire in the dark. I could see the heat signatures of small creatures hiding in the rocks. I could hear heartbeats.

This is incredible.

I pulled back, gasping. Scritch chittered at me, looking smug.

"Okay," I breathed. "Okay. Let's hunt."

The first monster we found was an [Aether Gnat]. F-rank. A flying insect the size of my fist, with wings that hummed with unstable energy.

It was alone. Stupid. Easy prey.

Scritch. Attack.

The command was thought, not word. But Scritch understood perfectly.

He vanished into the shadows—a skill I recognized from his evolution. [Shadow Step]. He reappeared behind the Gnat and bit down.

The Gnat died instantly.

[Essence Absorbed: +5]

Tiny. Barely a snack. But it was something.

We hunted for hours. Aether Gnats. Rift Slimes. A [Cave Crawler] that was too slow to catch us. Each kill gave me a little more Essence. Each channel made Scritch a little stronger.

By midday, the progress bar had moved.

[Shadow Rat → ??? (Evolution Progress: 15%)]

Fifteen percent. I need more. Much more.

I was about to call it a day when I heard the whimpering.

The sound came from behind a cluster of rocks near the Rift's edge. High-pitched. Painful. The sound of something small and helpless being hurt.

I crept closer, Scritch at my side.

What I found made my blood boil.

A [Mangy Runt]—a stray dog, barely more than a puppy—was cornered against the rocks. Its fur was matted with blood. One of its legs was bent at a wrong angle. It was snarling, trying to look fierce, but its eyes were wide with terror.

Standing over it was a [Venom Spitter]. E-rank. A lizard-like creature with bulging sacs of poison on its back. It was three times the dog's size, and it was playing with its prey. Toying with it.

The Spitter lunged. The dog dodged—barely—and snapped at its tail. The Spitter hissed and swiped with its claws, catching the dog across the flank.

The dog yelped.

Scritch. Distract it.

Scritch shot forward like an arrow. He appeared behind the Spitter and bit its tail. The Spitter whirled, spraying venom. Scritch dodged, but I felt the burn through our bond—a near miss.

I grabbed a rock and threw it at the Spitter's head. It connected with a satisfying crack. The creature turned toward me, hissing.

Now, Scritch!

Scritch leaped onto the Spitter's back and sank his teeth into one of the venom sacs. The sac ruptured, spraying poison everywhere. The Spitter screamed—a horrible, wet sound—and collapsed.

I ran to the dog.

It was still alive, but barely. Its breathing was shallow. Blood seeped from the claw marks on its flank. Its leg was definitely broken.

"Hey," I said softly. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

The dog growled weakly. It didn't trust me. Why would it? The world had done nothing but hurt it.

I reached out slowly. The dog snapped at my hand—a warning, not a bite. I pulled back.

"I know," I said. "I know you're scared. I know you're hurting. But I can help you. If you let me."

The dog stared at me. Its eyes were old. Tired. The eyes of something that had been fighting to survive its whole life.

I understood that look.

I reached for the bond. Not Scritch's—something new. Something tentative. A thread of connection stretching between me and the dog.

[Beast Conduit: Latent Bond Detected. Initiate Bond? Y/N]

I didn't force it. I just... offered.

The dog hesitated. Then, slowly, it reached back.

[Conduit Beast: Bruiser (Mangy Runt) - Bonded!]

The pain hit me like a truck.

I gasped, doubling over. Bruiser's wounds became my wounds. His fear became my fear. His broken leg throbbed with agony.

But through the pain, I felt something else. Gratitude. Relief. The first taste of safety the dog had ever known.

I used my remaining Essence to heal him. It wasn't enough to fix everything—his leg would need time—but it closed the claw wounds and dulled the pain.

Bruiser licked my hand.

Scritch climbed onto Bruiser's back and curled up, as if claiming the bigger beast as his own.

I laughed. "You two are going to be trouble, aren't you?"

I brought Bruiser home.

Mira was awake when I got there, sitting on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She looked worse than she had this morning. Paler. Thinner. But her eyes lit up when she saw the dog.

"Leo... what is that?"

"A friend," I said. "He needed help."

Mira reached out a trembling hand. Bruiser sniffed it, then licked her fingers.

"He's sweet," she said, smiling. "What's his name?"

"Bruiser."

She giggled. Actually giggled. It was the most beautiful sound I'd heard in weeks.

"Bruiser," she repeated. "I like it."

I sat beside her. Bruiser curled up at our feet. Scritch perched on the armrest, watching everything with his clever, dark eyes.

For a moment, everything felt... okay.

Then Mira coughed.

It was worse than before. Longer. Harsher. When she pulled her hand away from her mouth, there was blood.

"Leo," she whispered. "I'm scared."

I took her hand. "I know. But I'm going to fix this. I promise."

"How?"

I didn't have an answer.

That night, I went to see Old Man Haru.

He was sitting on the stoop of his apartment, smoking a pipe and staring at the smog-choked sky. He didn't look surprised to see me.

"You look like hell, kid."

"Feel worse."

He grunted. "Heard you got a dog."

"Word travels fast."

"Word always travels fast in the slums. It's the only thing that moves faster than the smog." He took a long drag from his pipe. "What do you want, Leo?"

"I need money. Mira's medicine is running out. The Logistics Corps pays nothing. I need something else."

Haru was quiet for a long moment.

"There's a place," he said finally. "Underground. The Pit. They fight beasts there. Monsters. Sometimes people. The pay is good—if you win."

"And if I lose?"

Haru looked at me. His eyes were old and tired and knowing.

"Then you don't come back."

I thought about Mira. About the blood on her lips. About the way she'd said I'm scared.

"I'll take my chances."

Haru nodded slowly. "Figured you would." He stood, his joints creaking. "Come back tomorrow. I'll show you the way in."

I turned to leave.

"Leo."

I stopped.

"Those beasts of yours. They're not normal. I've seen a lot of Talents in my time. A lot of powers. But I've never seen anything like what you've got."

He pointed at Scritch, who was perched on my shoulder, and Bruiser, who was standing at my heel.

"Those creatures will follow you into hell if you ask them to. Don't waste that."

"I won't."

"Good." He turned away. "Now get some sleep. You're going to need it."

---

I walked home under the smog-choked sky.

Scritch on my shoulder. Bruiser at my side.

Two beasts now. An assassin and a tank. My team was growing.

But it wasn't enough.

I needed more Essence. More beasts. More power.

I needed to be ready for whatever was coming.

The Apex Guild. The creature in the warehouse. The war it had warned me about.

I looked up at the Spire District, gleaming in the distance like a mockery of everything I'd ever wanted.

Soon, I thought. Soon, I'll climb so high they won't be able to ignore me.

Soon, I'll make them all pay.

Scritch chittered softly.

Bruiser growled in agreement.

I smiled.

"Let's get to work."