Ymir's awestruck state didn't last long. Something caught his attention beside the imp-like creature—another of its kind, but this one was clearly dead.
Chunks were missing from its bulging stomach, and green sap-like blood colored the ground, mixing with patches of snow that had somehow found their way into this cursed place. The putrid stench of decay suddenly made perfect sense.
He wondered who had killed it, and why the living creature seemed to ignore its fallen companion so casually. His answer came swiftly and horrifically.
The surviving imp stood on all fours and crawled toward the corpse, stopping beside it. Its gaze lingered as if scanning the body before doing something that shook Ymir to his very core.
Stretching out a small hand, it produced a sickening crunch that echoed like an omen through the corridor. The creature tore an entire arm from the corpse, opened a gaping maw, and swallowed the limb whole without chewing. That once-cute face was now smeared with gore, and it made churring noises of pleasure, that escapeed it's throat, as it savored the taste of its own kin.
Those big golden eyes closed in bliss while a wide smile spread across its features, as if it had just tasted the finest delicacy imaginable.
Ymir gasped, his face twisting in disgust and shock. "By the heavens... that's cannibalism in it's purest form on display." He pulled back his knife and sat heavily on the cold ground, unable to witness the grotesque feast continuing before him.
The truth was crystal clear now—this adorable creature had murdered and devoured its companion. The image of two such innocent-looking beings locked in mortal combat made his stomach churn violently.
More crunching sounds echoed through the passage, snapping Ymir back to the gravity of his situation. Panic and fear crashed over him like icy water, forcing him to his feet. A decision was made in that split second: 'I need to kill that thing. What was I thinking?. Focus, Ymir—this is no time for hesitation.'
He stared at the knife in his trembling grip, unable to control the violent shaking as anxiety coursed through his veins like liquid fire. His entire body quaked with the effort of staying upright.
Turning toward the source of the feeding sounds, he gulped and carefully angled his blade around the corner once more. The imp remained absorbed in its meal, eyes closed in grotesque pleasure. Which meant...
Ymir crouched low and prepared himself. He had one chance to strike while the creature was distracted.
He pressed a small button on the knife's side, and circuit patterns blazed to life along the handle, racing up the blade like captured lightning. The edge became coated with a yellow-orange sheen as heat radiated from the augmented weapon.
Time was critical—the tungsten core would overheat quickly and fail to support the energy circuit. He needed to act now.
Steeling himself, he emptied his mind of everything except the task ahead and burst forward, sprinting as fast as his legs could carry him. Rounding the corner, he came face to face with the greenish imp and charged forward, using surprise as his only advantage.
Few meters separated them when the creature noticed his approach. Too late to evade completely, but not too late to fight back. Those golden, innocent eyes transformed into predatory slits, like a beast ready to pounce, as survival instincts kicked in.
The distance shrank rapidly, giving Ymir just enough time to swing his superheated blade horizontally at the surprised creature's face, aiming to rob it of sight. The imp was slow to register the attack, and the enhanced edge cut through both its eye sockets with disturbing resistance, showcasing both the creature's supernatural durability and the limited power of his force crystal augmentated knife.
He felt the blade's vibration as it made contact and was momentarily elated that his plan had worked—until crushing strength slammed into his right ribcage, launching him toward the thorny vines like a discarded puppet.
Ymir was hurled through the air, slamming into the maze wall with bone-jarring force. Dozens of thorns penetrated his space tracksuit suit, biting deep into his left side as his vision blurred and breath caught short.
He crashed onto the cold stone floor, several barbs still embedded in his shoulder and torso. His body trembled a little, before going still.
Warm blood leaked from both sides of his battered body. The imp had managed to claw his ribs even as it sent him flying with it's left hand, while the thorns had savaged his opposite flank.
Wheezing and groaning, Ymir struggled to rise as the blinded imp screamed and thrashed about like an infant deprived of its favorite toy. The creature's anguished cries echoed through the corridor, a sound that was both pitiful and terrifying.
Familiar pain assaulted him with unfamiliar intensity as he fought to stand upright. Blood dripped steadily onto the stone as his figure swayed precariously.
His mind reeled, trying to process what had happened. One moment he'd been facing the imp, the next he was bleeding and broken against the wall.
"Ah... this hurts like hell. I think a rib or two broke" he said through gritted teeth. He'd never imagined sustaining such injuries so soon after entering the labyrinth.
Turning toward the screaming imp while suppressing quiet moans of agony, his expression darkened. "For such an adorable small creature, you're remarkably feisty and abnormally strong," he grumbled, spotting his fallen knife.
Staggering badly, he bent down and retrieved his weapon, then advanced slowly toward his wounded enemy. Clutching his injured side, knife raised, he carefully avoided the creature's wild thrashing, drew close, dropped to both knees, and unceremoniously drove the fiery tip deep into the imp's throat, ending its torment.
The moment its breath ceased, green fragmented light—invisible to ordinary sight—flowed into Ymir's body, healing his wounds partially and energizing his exhausted frame. The constant bleeding slowed, puncture wounds began to close, and the crushing pain lessened to a manageable ache.
A tingling sensation in his right hand drew his attention to a new symbol that had appeared:
**You have slain a dormant fiend: Forest Gremlin.**
Standing amid the carnage, bloodied but victorious, Ymir realized this was only the beginning. If adorable creatures like this could be so savage and deadly, what horrors awaited him deeper in the labyrinth? The crimson eye above seemed to pulse with approval, as if pleased by the violence it had witnessed.
He wiped the gore from his blade and pressed forward into the maze's hungry darkness.