[07: 06: 48: 21]
...
Cassian froze as the Kalrachs closed in, three pairs of feral eyes locked onto him, unblinking and hungry. For a heartbeat, nothing moved except the thumping of his pulse.
They are adapting… I have 5/6 of the essence well at the moment; I need to be careful with the spending. Shit. No matter how much I try to avoid close combat, fate keeps shoving me into it.
Then, with a silent murmur, he cast "[Expedite]"; a rush of energy surged through him as his senses sharpened and energy hummed in his body.
The nearest beast lunged. In one swift motion, Cassian cast his sorcery.
"[Lightning Bolt]"
Red lightning crackled from his fingertips and struck the Kalrach in a blinding flash. The monster shrieked as the impact sent it reeling backward. Its enraged screech sent the other two into motion—one flanking left, the other lunging from the right.
Huh? No kill notification… fuck!
Cassian dropped into a fighting stance, instincts taking over.
His eyes flickered between the two monsters. One Kalrach prowled to his left, eyes burning with hunger, while the other charged from the right with a guttural snarl. He pivoted just in time, narrowly dodging a sweeping claw. His machete flashed, intercepting another vicious strike from the left.
Sparks flew as the blade clashed with the monster's claw, sending a shock up his arm and twisting his body just enough to evade the Kalrach's vicious strike from the right. Ignoring the danger on his left, he seized the opening and drove his knife deep into the monster's chest. With a brutal yank, he tore through flesh, spilling its insides as the beast let out a final, gurgling snarl.
But in the next moment, agony ripped through him as claws sank into his back. Cassian's breath hitched—then a scream tore from his throat as pain flared from his stomach. His eyes widened as he saw the jagged claws protruding from his gut, blood dripping from their tips. A rancid, rotting breath washed over his neck.
The second Kalrach was already in motion; he barely had time to react before the beast swung its other claws straight for his face.
Desperation ignited fury. With a primal cry, Cassian shot his left hand up, seizing the monster's face in a crushing grip. Red sparks crackled along his fingers, power surging through his veins.
"[Lightning Bolt]"
A blinding flash erupted, searing the air with raw energy. The monster convulsed, its shriek cut short as the spell detonated point-blank. Its head and upper body disintegrated, leaving only charred remnants collapsing to the ground.
[DING! YOU KILLED A KALRACH (DRONE)]
[DING! YOU KILLED A KALRACH (DRONE)]
Cassian gritted his teeth as he forced himself upright, the burning pain in his body barely registering against the surge of adrenaline.
Fuck! that hurts… I gotta learn how to fight in close combat; the destruction, although powerful, is just not viable with my limited reserves.
Cursing under his breath, he knew that if not for the [Expedite] boost, he wouldn't have been able to react fast enough. His essence well is only half-full—any reckless move would spell his end if he emptied all his essence. Fortunately, the lightning blast had numbed his body, dulling the agony long enough for him to gather his bearings. Scanning the area with weary eyes, he spotted the monster he'd first struck with his lightning bolt. It lay still on the ground, its life flickering but not yet extinguished.
Fucker survived somehow… I have a feeling that long-range [lightning bolt] won't be very effective; all of these kalarch are adapting to my style. Anyway, let's finish him off quickly, then I can find a place to hide.
Just then, a series of faint thumps began to reverberate down the dark, narrow hallway. At first, they were almost imperceptible vibrations, but they soon grew in intensity. The sound of a thunderous roar echoed through the corridors, and his head whipped around in dread.
Fuck! Don't tell me the behemoth variant is here… shit, it is here…
The behemoth surged into view. Its steps thundered through the hallway as it charged, roaring. Instinct overrode terror as Cassian rolled to the side, a desperate motion, narrowly evading the behemoth's crushing bulk as it barreled past him. Momentum carried the creature crashing into the wall. Stone exploded. Shrapnel sliced the air.
ROAAARRRR!
Then the behemoth roared—a sound that rattled Cassian's bones. He watched as the monstrosity emerged from the cracked and dented wall unscathed. It wasn't done. He feinted left, baiting the swipe. The behemoth's claw tore through his sleeve, grazing flesh. Cassian pivoted on his heel, his machete swinging upward into the creature's stomach. The blade bit deep with a wet thunk as blood sprayed—acidic and reeking of spoiled meat.
Grawwwrerr
The monster howled, a sound that shook dust from the ceiling. Cassian wrenched his machete free and ducked under a wild swing, plunging his knife behind its hip. The sudden movements of the beast ignited a burst of pain as he lost his grip. He hit the floor hard, breath knocked out in a ragged gasp. The behemoth loomed, and its claws tore into the ground where Cassian had been half a breath earlier. The stone shattered like glass. He lunged sideways, [Expedite] boost still humming in his veins as he swung his machete at the monster's knee joint. Steel met chitin with a teeth-rattling screech. A fingernail-sized chip of its flesh flew off—no blood.
Shit! What in the hell is this guy made of… Aim lower—tendons, gaps—gods, move before he turns you into meat paste.
Before he could react further, the behemoth swung its massive fist. Cassian ducked, feeling the rush of wind ruffle his sweat- and blood-soaked hair. He stabbed with his knife, aiming for the soft meat just behind the monster's ankle. The blade pierced deep, and as he withdrew it, he rolled back when the behemoth roared. Its jaws opened, revealing a spiraling pit of serrated teeth that snapped blindly where his head had been moments before.
Holy hell, that was close… way too close… Wait, can I?
He felt [Expedite] boost flood his muscles, the essence in his veins screaming as he channeled it into one reckless burst. Darting forward, he slammed his palm against the monster's chest.
"[Lightning Bolt]"
Lightning erupted—a single, searing bolt that turned the corridor red. The stench of burnt chitin seared his nostrils. The behemoth staggered back, dripping blood all over, but instead of collapsing, it began swinging its arms wildly as it roared in fury.
Nice one!…shit, it's mad now!
The creature lunged in its maddened fury toward Cassian. A massive blow crashed into his side, sending him tumbling across the blood-slick floor. Pain lanced through him as he skidded over shards of debris. Groaning, he clutched his side and rolled away from the crushing force.
Even if I just fuck it all and run, I'm pretty sure this monster would just turn me to mush… it has way too high a speed and strength.
Gritting his teeth, Cassian pushed himself up and darted aside, narrowly evading another savage swing.
Fuuu… The pain is getting too much to ignore… Ahh I'm barely able to move, but at least its dash is easier to evade with the boost… yeah let's do that, bait its dash.
He froze, his eyes darting between the behemoth and the dark corridor. Summoning his last reserves, he adjusted his stance. Every muscle screamed with fatigue, but he could not collapse. He slowly backed down the corridor, and as he did, the monster barreled after him in a frenzied dash. Ahead, a rusted beam hung low—jagged and twisted. Without hesitation, Cassian dove beneath it, the rough rocks beneath tearing at his shoulder as he slid.
The behemoth didn't stop. It slammed straight into the beam. Metal groaned, the ceiling shuddered—and then cracked, snapping like a bone. Cassian rolled as debris exploded outward. Chunks of ceiling rained down, and dust choked the air. The monster roared beneath the rubble, its claws thrashing, carving deep gashes into the floor as it struggled to free itself.
Fuuu… I should try to finish this thing off.
Cassian's heart pounded as exhaustion and pain pressed down with every labored breath. As he inched forward toward the trapped behemoth, he gritted his teeth, determined to finish the creature off once and for all. But then—a chorus of high-pitched screeches erupted from the darkened corridor, halting him in his tracks.
FUCK! What now… shit, shit.
Before his mind could catch up, a lone Kalrach burst onto the scene and lunged at him, forcing Cassian to stumble backward into a collapsed pillar. He cursed under his breath as the monster attacked. Breathing heavily, Cassian dodged and parried the monster's attack.
"[Expedite]"
Cassian pivoted, [Expedite] flaring as he sidestepped the monster's wild swings. His machete arced downward, shearing through its neck. Blood sprayed.
[DING! YOU KILLED A KALRACH (DRONE)]
Another Kalrach clambered over a fallen beam.
Ahhh! For fuck's sake… there are too many of them…
Cassian awkwardly darted to the side, narrowly evading the monster's claws coming for his head. He parried the next attack with his knife, hands trembling from the impact. Dodging the attack, Cassian swung his machete in a wide arc, using a chunk of debris as both a shield and a weapon. The blade caught the Kalrach mid-strike, slashing its chest open as it collapsed in a spasm of twitching limbs and sputtering blood, its dying wail drowned out by the increasing din of the approaching swarm.
[DING! YOU KILLED A KALRACH (DRONE)]
He backpedaled, boots crunching debris, coughing up blood. His body was reaching its limits even with all the strength enhancement; his muscles burned from all the overexertion, not to mention the blood he was losing from his wounds. A kalrach leaped from the wall. Cassian ducked, letting it sail overhead into the rubble pile. It shrieked as jagged metal impaled its abdomen. He didn't watch it die.
Stupid things… why are they all of a sudden throwing themselves at me like that… they are not usually like that… wait, are the behemoth's roars of rage somehow causing this…
Wait, no-kill notification… do only direct kills count?… stop! Focus, no time for this.
Cursing his luck and the state of his dwindling power—he glanced at his essence well and saw it was barely at 2/6.
But his moment of reflection was cut short as a particularly aggressive Kalrach surged forward, slashing viciously at his leg. Cassian stumbled and fell. The monster did not let the chance go by as it, with a loud hiss, slashed its claws at Cassian.
" [Lightning bolt] "
Red flashed in the dimly lit hallways as the monster was flung back, its body charred and burning, no life within its eyes. The acrid tang of blood filled the air, mixing with the smell of burnt flesh.
[DING! YOU KILLED A KALRACH (DRONE)]
Shit, I was saving, SAVING my essence, Fuck! I have only one and if I use that I'm getting Essence deprivation debuff again. AND I CAN'T HAVE THAT!
Then, amidst the chaos, a deep, resonant groan began to vibrate through the corridor—a sound that had been absent since the debris had fallen. The rubble trembled.
Cassian's eyes widened as he realized what was happening: the behemoth was breaking free.
ROOOOARRRRR
With a thunderous crash, large chunks of the ceiling and debris exploded outward. The behemoth's massive form burst upward, its body lacerated by jagged wounds that oozed dark, viscous blood. It roared in unbridled fury, its claws still entangled in the remains of the shattered beam.
Fuck!
…