Gray's breath caught in his throat. The air felt denser, colder.
'Shit! Why, why is it always me!' He complained inwardly. He truly felt as if he was cursed.
The stone-winged monster straightened from the corpse it had been hunched over, blood still dripping in slow, heavy strands from its jagged mouth. The wings on its back, crusted in cracked frost, unfurled with a brittle scraping sound that echoed through the cave. It wasn't large, not compared to the beasts Gray had fought before. It was shorter than his sword, but it still radiated an unnatural wrongness that rooted itself deep in his gut. Its body was etched in rough scratches.
It looked like a bat, a bat with legs and larger wings. A bat that resembled humans.
Gray took a single step back, heart pounding.
Then the creature lunged.
He barely avoided the charge, throwing himself to the side just as its claws smashed into the ground where he had stood. Shards of rock exploded upward. Dust and gravel rained across the cavern floor. Gray hit the ground hard, pain flaring through his ribs and shoulders as he scrambled to his feet, slipping once on the frost-covered stone.
He couldn't run.
Not in this state.
His body was already near its limit, and his core, the source of his power, remained silent.
He reached for Vyre instinctively, for the familiar flow of energy that had saved him before.
Yet nothing came.
His core pulsed weakly. A hollow, smouldering ache throbbed in his chest like a coal refusing to die.
'Crap!'
The creature charged again. This time it moved with deliberate cruelty, swiping low to force Gray back. He lifted his arms in a last-second attempt to guard, but the creatures claws ripped through his suit. Leaving his arm a bloody mess.
He fell back into a broken pillar hard, the jarring impact sending a shock through his entire frame.
Before he could react the creature came again, this time faster.
It opened it's palm and it directly flew right into Gray's chest.
SLASH!
He quickly grabbed the sheath of his katana and swatted the monster away.
It fell hard onto the rough floor, but it's solid skin protected it from any harm.
It merely stared at Gray's useless efforts with a small, yet noticeable smile.
Gray coughed, pain stabbing through his chest. Blood sprayed from his mouth and chest, paining the cold stone red.
The monster approached slowly now. No longer in a rush. It knew he was weakening.
It was as if it was enjoying the hunt.
Gray pushed against the stone and tried to stand. His legs trembled beneath him. His blood slowly draining.
'Get up.'
The thought repeated like a drumbeat in his skull.
'Get up.'
The creature appeared above him. Despite being much smaller than him, he couldn't help but feel it's presence was larger, more domineering.
It raised a claw and brought it down swiftly.
Just then a sharp, high-pitched chime echoed in his head.
[Status: Recovery Complete. Vyre Absorption And Flow Restored.]
Gray's eyes widened.
Without a second thought, he forced Vyre through his limbs.
Although he had been hurt and unable tl channel Vyre, he could still absorb and filter it.
He felt energy surging through his veins, powerful and sudden. His muscles tensed, his senses sharpened. The ache in his chest dulled, replaced by the electric thrum of restored strength.
He moved.
Gray exploded forward, a blur of motion in the dark. The monsters smile disappeared, only leaving behind an expression of shock and disbelief.
It quickly raised its claw but Gray ducked beneath it, sliding across the ground and launching upward. His foot connected with the underside of its jaw, snapping its head back. The beast staggered back. Struggling to stay flying.
He didn't stop.
Drawing his katana in a smooth motion, he slashed across one wing, severing thin strands of tendon. The creature shrieked, backing away. It now wore an expression of fear.
Gray twisted his body and drove the blade along its side, opening a shallow gash. It retaliated with a wide swing, but he leapt back, crouched, then surged forward with renewed fury.
His blade danced, a flurry of precise movements. He targeted the joints, the seams between the stone plates that served as its armor. The edge of his katana bit deep into the monster's thigh, slicing through muscle and bone alike.
It screamed.
The creature stumbled. Cracks formed across its hide, glowing faintly where Vyre energy lingered.
Gray saw his chance.
He dashed past it, his feet barely touching the ground, and rounded the broken pillar at the chamber's center. The creature turned, slower now. Wounded.
Gray kicked off the wall, spinning mid-air. As he passed the creature, he planted both hands on his blade's hilt and drove it downward, piercing the beast's spine and slamming the weapon into the side of the stone pillar.
There was a sharp, ringing sound.
The pillar split with a groan. Fragments tumbled to the floor.
The creature shrieked once more, its body locking up. The symbols along its body flickered erratically. Then it went still.
Gray dropped to his knees, chest heaving. Blood trickled from his arm, his mouth, his chest. His blade remained buried in the pillar, still lodged in the monster's back.
But it was over.
'I guess I was just lucky then.' He sighed jn relief. He really wanted to leave.
He looked at the monster pinned tl the wall and retrieved his sword.
The monster fell to the floor. Its eyes showed no signs of life.
He glanced over to where he had first spotted the monster.
There, laying still was a skeleton. With bits of flesh still hanging on.
'Someone else came here, they were just more unlucky.'
This confirmed that there were probably more people than Calem and Lira's group that arrived here. A past group perhaps.
He let out a shaky breath and stumbled toward the far end of the chamber. Toward the moss.
Frostpine Moss.
It still pulsed with that pale blue light. Unaffected. Undisturbed.
Gray reached out and began gathering it carefully, pulling clumps loose and wrapping them in cloth. His fingers trembled, not just from cold but from exhaustion. He took as much as he could carry.
He looked down at his body curiously. He noticed the pain. Had subsided mostly and his wounds had mostly healed.
"I guess being Marked by the corruption has it's perks, just doesn't feel like it." He mumbled quietly. He already had his guesses that his body was reinforced, stronger. He didn't expect it to also heal faster.
But it made sense since he technically wasn't a human anymore.
He was a Strained.
Before leaving, he glanced around the chamber. Behind the pillar, partly hidden in shadow, he noticed a room, a collapsed antechamber of some kind. There were shelves, or what remained of them. Scattered pages. Ancient debris from a time before the town above had even existed.
But he couldn't stay. Not now. He had to return.
He limped to the stairs, casting one last look at the impaled creature.
It was still watching him.
Even in death.
Snow drifted lazily as Gray emerged from the edge of the ruins. The sky above was black, the stars veiled by thin clouds. His legs barely held him as he made his way back through the empty streets.
The house came into view. Dim light flickered through the boarded windows.
The group was outside, standing in the cold. Their faces turned toward him.
Lira was the first to speak.
"Gray? Where were you? We searched for hours."
He forced a tired smile, eyes half-lidded. "I found a cave... slipped in by accident. Lost track of time. But I found something."
He dropped to his knees and opened his pack.
Mira stepped forward, urgency overtaking caution. When she saw the moss, her expression shifted. "Frostpine? You actually found it."
"Yeah, I fell into a cave by accident. Got injured pretty bad as your can tell."
Lira gave him a look of disbelief.
She clearly didn't believe him.
Mira took it without hesitation, already preparing to mix it with the remaining herbs. Her movements were sharp and practiced.
Gray slumped against the wall of the house, eyes closing.
"We searched for hours and didn't find anything, how the hell did you?" Korr gave him a curious look.
Gray smiled painfully.
"Luck, I guess."
He moved over to a bed and laid down.
"Is she going to be okay?" he asked.
Mira didn't look up. "We'll know soon. This should buy us time. It's all we can ask for."
Calem stepped forward, arms crossed. His face was tight. "We have another issue. Two, actually."
Renn chimed in, voice quiet. "The truck's out of fuel. Completely dry. We didn't realize until after we checked the cache. It won't move."
Calem nodded. "And our food stores are gone. We've eaten the last of it. Not a scrap left."
Korr's scowl deepened. "So what? We scavenge again? Search the ice for crumbs?"
Lira spoke calmly. "That region to the west... the one you warned us about, Calem. We might have no choice. If we do not move by tomorrow, Adel won't be the only one dying."
Calem shook his head, tone harsh. "That place is cursed. You think what we've seen is bad? That place has ruins older than memory. And something still lives there. You're playing with fire."
The group stood in silence, the only sound the whisper of wind curling through broken alleys.
Finally, Calem turned and walked back inside. "Do whatever you want. Just don't expect me to follow."
Gray sat against the wall, silent.
He turned toward the window.
Something moved just beyond it.
A flicker.
A figure. Tall. Still.
Watching.
By the time Gray blinked, it was gone.
'The hell?'
Something had seen him.
And it remembered.