Chapter 10: Maximilian Vs. Blood Mongoose
Maximilian touched the trial button and felt his vision shift. The real world dissolved into darkness before he suddenly found himself dropped into a desert.
The scorching sand burned beneath his bare feet as hot wind whipped across his face. The relentless sun beat down from above as he scanned his surroundings, finding nothing but endless yellow desert stretching to every horizon.
Looking down at himself, he noticed that besides his clothes, he still had the chair with him. Maximilian deduced that whatever he was touching in the real world must have transported here with him.
Suddenly, a wave of dread washed over him, and he immediately dropped prone into the sand.
Whizzzzz!
Something fast whizzed past him. Though he couldn't see it, he guessed it was a bullet - meaning his opponent, the Trial Master, Blood Mongoose, had already found him.
Bang!!
The supersonic crack followed moments later, confirming the bullet had traveled faster than sound. The instincts from his acquired skills - whether survival training or black ops experience - had saved him from that first shot.
He'd planned to research this villain before challenging the trial again, but unfortunately the hostile group's arrival had forced his hand. Now here he was, with no time for preparation.
No use crying over spilled milk. He was committed now and needed to find a way to eliminate his opponent quickly.
Scanning the flat desert landscape, Maximilian noted there were no elevated positions - meaning Blood Mongoose somewhere out there had no height advantage either. He wondered if his opponent still retained harsh environment survival skills, or if as Trial Master he could bring supplies like rations and water to outlast him.