“Raise your head, bare your fangs, sharpen your blades. Stand firm and never back down. March forward, crawl if you must, but never stop. Do that, and you just may survive. And if you fail? If you let the Void consume you? Well, in that case, you have no one but yourself to blame.”
–High Master of Tariem, 49th Outbreak
So one after another is definitely not gonna work, Leo grumbled as Kiss of Death once again faded after he tried to put it on another claw.
Forming the skill wasn’t much different with his claws than with a weapon, but it took more focus and control to tame his Essence during the process. Yet, it was still doable at least until he tried to put the ability on another claw.
Each time he moved onto another finger, his Essence took it as a command to dismiss the previous Kiss of Death. No matter how much he tried to separate the process, the mysterious energy always found a way to mess with his plan.
Another twenty minutes wasted. He shook his head, glancing at the Life Support timer. With so many Rock Eaters dead by his hands, he didn’t really have to worry about Ether. Still, it didn’t make his current problem any less frustrating.
Gonna need another twenty if I want to place it on every claw at once. Leo sighed as he sat cross-legged and placed his cursed arm upon the human one.
The process took even longer than he expected. Multiple times, his Essence tried to escape between his fingers. However, he always held it tightly, taking minute after minute to calm down the raging energy.
Come on! He clenched his teeth as the crimson sheen seeped into his claws, gradually transforming into the familiar black aura. Essence fought like it’d never battled before, five claws at once testing his current control.
Just a little more.
He gasped for breath, collapsing against the rocky wall, sweat rolling down his face.
Never again. He mumbled soundlessly, gazing at the faint glow on his claws. At least not until I get more control or experiment with the Kiss. This took way too much out of me, and look… another half an hour. For fuck’s sake…
As he reached deep into his soul, Leo grimaced at the droplets of Essence that remained there. Great… Without moving even a finger, he dropped True Stealth. As long as he literally didn’t do anything other than breathe, he should be fine for some time.
In the meantime, his mind again began to run through different scenarios of the approaching battle. He had to figure out the best way to deal with the Guarding Rock Eater in case his initial plan went to shit or just wasn’t enough to kill the beast.
The hunting rifle was always an option, but he doubted it could do much against the monster for some reason. I’m too limited for now. Whatever happens, I still need to find the Eater’s weak spots. And if that doesn’t work out, then Crystallized Essence is my only hope…
Time flew by as he contemplated his options. It wasn’t long before even his meager regeneration managed to refill his reserves, and True Stealth once again settled over his skin.
All right, let’s do this.
Standing up, Leo stretched, feeling joints popping all over his body. Rolling his shoulders, he checked every weapon and nodded. Knives, the shortsword, and claws all covered in the Kiss. It’s now or never.
As his claws snatched a small pebble off the ground, his human hand was already working on forming a small, sturdy ball of light.
That should do it, he thought and stopped right next to the chamber’s entrance, his eyes taking in the slumbering beast in the middle.
One, two, three.
At once, Leo chucked the two objects in his hands toward the cave’s far end. Like before, they flew true, skidding against the rocky surface and creating a constant echo in the chamber.
The Guarding Rock Eater was on its feet in a blink as it released a blood-freezing shrill. Before he could even react, the beast dashed toward the Void Gate, completely ignoring the distraction he had created.
Fuck! With that single thought in mind, he jumped inside the chamber, Reinforcement seeping into his muscles as he sprinted toward the Voidling.
Now, Leo expected many things to happen, some fitting into his plans while others not so much. However, the monster had decided to completely abandon any expectations as it threw its bladed arms forward, stabbing right into the gate’s violet veins.
As if responding to the beast’s actions, the entire chamber shook, trembling as the veins pulsed briefly, their color bleeding into the all-familiar crimson.
Another notification appeared in the corner of his vision, but he paid it no mind. Only a few meters separated him from the beast, and it was not time for distractions, especially when the Eater still hadn’t pulled out of the gate.
My turn.
Just as he closed the remaining distance with a quick jump, Leo brought down his claws upon the upper part of one of the Eater’s legs. With Kiss of Death, he cut cleanly through most of the skin and bone, leaving the limb barely attached.
Even as the beast screeched, almost bursting his eardrums, he didn’t stop, never one to leave a job half-finished.
The Bowie knife in his hand sang through the air as it cut through the remaining tendon, dropping the useless leg to the ground with a thud.
Uh, oh. Leo cursed as the beast finally swung its arms, slicing where his head used to be a moment ago.
He danced away from the monster, putting enough distance between them to read through the notification. He had to know what the hell happened to the Void Gate.
Warning! Dimensional Gateway has been sealed. Kill the Guardian of the Rift to release the Gate from its influence. Entering the portal in its current state will result in death.
That would have been nice to know before I attacked! Don’t you think it is the kind of information that should be in Bestiary?! Leo shouted internally even as the Eater’s eyeless glare settled on his shoulders. Gah, whatever. No use crying over spilled milk.
It definitely wasn’t the time for that, especially when the Voidling decided that it had waited long enough for him to move.
Dodge and deflect; do not block. This short mantra played over and over in his head as the Eater closed on his position and forced the smaller fighter to jerk away.
Even with one leg missing, the Eater—like any other Voidling—was relentless, not giving him a second to recover before attacking again. Unfortunately, unlike any other Rock Eater, the Guardian had way more in its arsenal than just jaws and a powerful body.
For fuck’s sake! How can something so massive be so fast at the same time? And where in seven hells is the weak spot?! he growled, sparks filling his vision as he deflected yet another strike.
He forced more Essence into Reinforcement and rolled under another blow. He cut the beast’s underbelly with his claws, spilling black blood all over his body.
The monster shrieked and jumped away, swaying when its feet once again met the ground.
Got you, Leo hissed, even as droplets of the monster’s blood slipped into his mouth. The coppery taste was familiar; however, there was something more underneath it, disgusting yet powerful.
Essence.
He spit out the filth and narrowed his eyes when the chamber shook again. Even the Guardian wasn’t spared as it tumbled to the side, the missing leg finally becoming a problem.
He sprinted to the beast, hoping to use the distraction to his advantage. Only he never got far as the reason for the tremors showed itself, splitting the ground in front of him.
Another Rock Eater joined the fray.
Oh no, you don’t, Leo growled as a small pulse of Essence traveled into his left arm.
At once, green symbols spread across the entire limb and gave him the confidence to meet the regular Rock Eater in the middle. He reared his cursed arm and punched the monster with everything he had, sending it flying to the side.
Limit Break to full power!
Energy surged into his body, the golden sheen settling against his skin. Leo ignored the feeling, his gaze locked on the recovered Guardian.
Just one more leg.
As he closed in, he slid onto the ground, dodging yet another swipe of the monster’s bladed arm. Passing by, he grabbed one of the two legs that remained on this side and tugged harshly.
Down you go.
The Eater’s shrill once again filled the chamber as it collapsed. Not wasting a single second, Leo brought down his Bowie knife at the leg’s knee, or rather, what he thought was a knee.
The dismembering required two more strikes, but in the end, the Guardian was left with only four legs. Its entire body trembled as it climbed to its feet, the one limb barely enough to support the monster’s weight on one side.
Now to fini—
He spun on his heel as a shriek sounded from behind him. Instinctively, he jerked to the side and stabbed another Rock Eater that just shot past him, creating a long gash across its body.
The monster collapsed a distance away, the System instantly alerting him of the kill.
Thank God for Limit Break. He sighed as the golden glow faded along with the adrenaline from Reinforcement. Almost no strain this time. Good.
Turning to the Guardian, Leo almost chuckled at the monster’s poor attempts at walking. With each step taken, it fell on its damaged side, shrieking louder with every second.
Let’s put you out of misery. He rolled his shoulders, digging one Crystallized Essence out of his pocket.
He could have slain the Guardian with his weapons alone, but the beast was still dangerous in its current state. Its bladed arms were no laughing matter, and he wasn’t about to face them without Limit Break and Reinforcement.
Then there was the Guardian’s sheer size, which meant chopping the beast for at least another ten minutes until it died.
Thanks, but no thanks. Grenade it is.
The crystal was already brimming with Essence as he approached the beast, its massive jaw constantly opening with another shriek.
Catch! he shouted in his head and threw the crystal right into the monster’s mouth.
Boom!
The middle of the Voidling’s body exploded in a shower of gore, separating the Guardian into two dead halves. Liters of blood flowed out of the corpse as the entire chamber shook again, but the tremors never stopped this time.
What the hell is going on?!
Guarding Rock Eater (LVL: 10) slain | Experience awarded | 8 Ether gained
Level 9 reached. Class attributes added. Please assign your 2 free attributes.
Title Rift Destroyer gained. Title assimilated into Adaptable. Bonus: Might effectiveness +5%
Warning! Guardian of the Rift has been killed. This Rift Passage is collapsing. Find the nearest Void Gate if you want to survive. Time remaining: 2 minutes, 13 seconds
I just can’t catch a break, can I? Leo groaned as he sped to the Guardian and quickly sunk his claws into the corpse. Nice title bonus, though. Also, Soul and Might.
Only a minute remained when the two halves turned into dust, and while the Voidling didn’t leave any loot behind, it gave him over ten hours of satiated status.
Time to go, he thought, sprinting toward the gateway and jumping into the colorful portal. He expected many things to happen next, but getting spit out almost instantly wasn’t among them.
Leo screamed as he collapsed, the force behind the movement sending him tumbling across the hard ground.
I already hate this method of travel. He coughed, climbing to his feet and quickly taking in his new surroundings.
Shit…
As he glanced at the narrow, rocky plateau, he cursed. There was nothing beyond it but enormous nothingness in the colors of black and red. They mingled in a never-ending dance, and as beautiful as the sight was, he couldn’t help but shudder when his gaze fell to another plateau connected to his own.
Five dark pillars rose from the gray, rocky surface, creating a perfect pentagon. All of them were inscribed with symbols so foreign yet so familiar. However, even those inscriptions didn’t hold his focus. No, that honor fell to the fist-sized shard floating right in the middle of the pentagon. Black and red, just like the world around him.
No. Leo froze as an image similar to the one in front of him flashed through his mind. It can’t be.
“Come…”