"Shimi! Shimi, what happened... hey, hey!"
Raika's panicked voice cracked as he rushed to her side.
Shimi hadn't fainted completely. Her eyelids fluttered, and with effort, she whispered, "I… I feel so dizzy." She forced herself upright, legs unsteady.
"Run! It's coming, fall back!" Veythor barked.
At his command, they bolted. Their footsteps pounded the dark stone floor, but before they could gain distance, the monster lunged. With terrifying force, it slammed into the massive boulder they had used for cover.
CRASHHHH!
The rock shattered into jagged pieces. Dust exploded into the air. Shimi and Raika gasped, eyes wide with shock.
"Calm down," Veythor snapped coldly. "We can't afford to panic. One mistake, and we die."
Through the haze, the monster straightened. It tilted its grotesque head and—
"Hehehe…"
It started laughing. The sound slithered into their bones, mocking, inhuman. Then, with deliberate malice, it began tapping its spear against the ground. Thud.. Thud... Thud. The echo rang like a death march.
Veythor narrowed his eyes.
"So… there's no running back," he muttered to himself.
He turned, voice sharp with command.
"Shimi. At my signal, you release an Air Bomb."
"O-okay," she replied, her eyes trembling yet still obedient.
"Both of you, get behind it now."
They hesitated, but the edge in his tone left no room for argument. As Raika and Shimi slipped into position, Veythor hefted a large stone, his little muscles straining, and hurled it straight at the creature's face.
The monster's tail lashed with whip-like speed, smashing the rock to fragments before it could touch its eye. But Veythor's lips curled faintly. He never expected the stone to matter. It was only the first move of his plan. It was just to distract the monster.
Behind the beast, Raika and Shimi crouched low, waiting, breathless, for Veythor's command. Veythor dashed straight at the monster then abruptly veered, scooping up a heavy rock. But before he could act, the creature's spear lashed out.
The strike should have ended him. Yet, strangely, it didn't. The blow was precise, controlled… the beast wasn't trying to kill.
It wanted him alive with a flick of its spear, Veythor was lifted into the air. The monster's enormous fingers snatched him effortlessly, pinning him like a toy.
"Veythor, no!"
Shimi's scream cracked, her eyes brimming with despair.
Fuck, fuck, fuck! Veythor cursed inwardly, his stomach roiling at the rancid stench spilling from its maw.
"Hehehe…"
The monster laughed, breath thick with decay. Its jaws opened wide, saliva dripping as it moved to devour him.
But Veythor's hand clenched tighter around the rock. With a desperate swing, he hurled it straight into one of its eyes.
CRACK!
The stone sank in blood falling down from it's eye.
"EEEEEAAAAAAHHHH!"
The monster shrieked in agony, staggering back. Its grip faltered, and Veythor plummeted to the ground, landing hard.
"Ouch…" he hissed, clutching his side, but forcing himself upright.
"Shimi! Now give me the Air Bomb! Activate it first!" he barked.
But before she could move, the monster lunged again, its spear stabbing forward with lethal speed.
Veythor leapt back but he wasn't fast enough. The strike slammed into his chest.
Thud!
Blood sprayed from his lips. His nose ran red, vision swimming.
"Vey!"
Shimi's scream tore from her throat.
"Veythor, fall back!" Raika shouted desperately.
"Stay in formation! Don't break it... activate the Air Bomb!" Veythor roared, teeth gritted, voice sharp with command even as his body trembled under the wound. This body… it can't endure much more… but I can't die here.
He staggered sideways, forcing his body to move, blood dripping with every step. Shimi and Raika watched, helpless and horrified, as he stumbled toward them.
Shimi's hands shook as she pulled out an Air Bomb, pouring mana into it. The monster was still thrashing, clutching at its ruined eye.
"After I take this," Veythor panted, "pull out another charge it and be ready. Give it to me when I command."
"O-okay!" Shimi stammered, determination flickering in her fear.
At last, Veythor reached them. Shimi thrust the glowing Air Bomb into his hands, already pulling out a second to prepare. Veythor darted behind the beast, his hand snapping around its tail in a tight grip.
But the monster wasn't about to let him control it so easily. With surprising cunning, it whipped its tail into the air, thrashing violently, cutting off any chance for Veythor to steady himself.
Smart bastard, Veythor thought coldly. But still… you're already playing my game.
The monster swung him wildly, yet Veythor clung on, body whipping through the air as though he were riding a rope in a storm. With grim precision, he used the momentum, climbing higher until at last—
His boots slammed against the beast's back, and in one ruthless motion, he swung himself up to its neck. The monster's eyes widened in shock.
Snarling, Veythor wound its own tail around its throat, twisting hard. With the pressure crushing against its windpipe, the creature gagged, oxygen strangled away. Its maw gaped open, gasping. And that was the opening he needed.
Veythor tied the glowing Air Bomb against its neck.
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion ripped through flesh and sinew. It all happenedso fast the monstercouldn'tdo anything. The monster staggered, a howl tearing from its throat as blood gushed from the wound in torrents.
"EEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
The sound shook the cavern. Veythor, too, felt warmth spilling down his chest not just the monster's blood, but his own. Pain flared sharp, his vision swimming. He too was wounded.
The creature thrashed wildly, leaping in agony. Its tail, half-shredded from the blast, cracked against stone. Its spear slipped from its grip, clattering uselessly to the ground. Shimi and Raika stood frozen, their eyes wide, stunned at the savage battle unfolding before them.
"Shimi... now! The Air Bomb!" Veythor roared, voice raw, lungs burning.
Damn it… my body's failing. Blood loss… dizziness… focus!
Inside his skull, his thoughts spun at blinding speed, scenarios calculated and discarded like a mad machine. A thousand outcomes, and only one path to survival.