The cavern fell into a tense silence as Gray and the massive spider monster locked eyes. The beast's many legs curled and shifted, its glossy black eyes reflecting the faint light from the cocoon-filled chamber. Lira's voice suddenly cut through the stillness, sharp and urgent.
"Gray! Grab Adel! Run now!" she shouted, her panic clear in every word.
But before Gray could react, a thick web shot out from the creature's mouth, slamming into Lira's face. The sticky strands wrapped tightly around her eyes and mouth, silencing her screams and blurring her vision. Muffled sounds escaped, but she was trapped in a silent struggle, her frantic movements only disturbing the webbing further.
Gray felt sweat bead along his forehead and trickle down his neck. Doubt gnawed at his mind. Had he made a mistake? Was he risking too much? His gaze flicked to Adel, who lay behind the massive behemoth, bleeding and unconscious, utterly helpless. Gray's heart pounded painfully in his chest.
'No. I have to try.'
He looked down at waist. There, there was a small bottle. Filled with a turquoise liquid.
It was the rite that they had been "gifted" by the Kaan.
He hesitated to drink it, but at this point. He had no choice.
Hesitation leads to defeat.
He quickly brought he small glass bottle to his mouth and drank it.
A burning sensation spread through his throat.
After drinking it all he threw the glass aside and started to cough uncontrollably. His chest tightened as he coughed. His hairs stood up. His arms shivered uncontrollably.
He fell onto one knee and had to use his katana as support. He nearly fainted from the pain. As if his muscles were Ripping, growing, Adapting.
But above the pain was a distinct feeling.
The feeling that something inside him had changed.
He clenched his fists, feeling an unfamiliar warmth of Vyre begin to pulse through his arms and legs. His vision became sharper. His breathing became steady. His chest moving in calm, rhythmic waves.
'I...feel amazing.' He looked around. Getting used to the changes.
He then gazed at the spider.
No longer did fear grip his heart. But a newly discovered hatred.
His heart burning from it.
His eyes showed nothing but a seething hatred. One that almost stemmed from his soul.
"I'll kill you bastard, mark my words...' he hissed as he raised his sword again. This time his body appearing bigger. Tougher.
The spider tilted tilted it's head slightly. As if mocking him.
And then the fight began.
The spider's mouth opened wide, sending a volley of webs shooting in rapid succession. Gray's body tensed, reflexes sharper than ever. He twisted and ducked, barely avoiding the sticky projectiles. Each web narrowly missed, but the air was thick with their presence, limiting his movements.
Gray's mind raced as he pushed forward. As another web shot out, he sprinted toward the creature, weaving through the barrage. Channeling Vyre into his arms, he swung his katana in a clean arc. The blade pierced deep into one of the spider's legs. The beast shrieked, a sound that echoed through the cavern like metal scraping stone.
The spider's reaction was brutal. With a violent swing, it hurled Gray against the wall. Pain exploded across his back as he slammed into the cold rock. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself up even as the webs continued to fly. He used the giant central cocoon as a shield, weaving behind it to avoid the sticky strands.
His breath was ragged. Vyre pulsed through his veins, a hot current of energy. He felt the strain building. Absorbing and purifying the liquid that seeped from the damaged sac had helped sustain him, but at this rate, his reserves would run dry soon. Every moment brought the risk of collapse.
Gray darted behind the spider, searching for an opening. The beast spun around, its mouth now spraying a thick acidic saliva. Gray reacted too slowly. The corrosive liquid struck his left arm, sizzling through the armor and scorching his flesh. Pain flared bright and sharp, searing into his nerves.
Before he could recover, one of the spider's massive arms crashed toward him. Gray raised his katana just in time, blocking the blow, but the impact drove a wave of agony through his arm. He was thrown sideways, crashing hard into another wall. His vision blurred, but Lira's muffled cries cut through the haze, growing louder, more desperate.
Looking down, Gray saw the burn marks the acid had left on his armor. His left arm was stained with blackened wounds, his flesh raw beneath. The spider resumed firing webs, and Gray narrowly dodged each one, stumbling back as he tried to retreat. Eventually climbing atop a small protuding rock.
His desperation had sparked an idea.
Waiting for the spider's next web shot, Gray timed his jump perfectly, vaulting over the sticky thread and grabbing hold of a large cocoon hanging above. The silk was coarse but firm. Swinging like a pendulum, he launched himself toward the creature's head.
The spider reared back a leg to strike, but Gray twisted, using the attack to vault onto the sharp chitin of its limb. His feet found purchase on the jagged surface, and he sprinted along the leg toward its head, his heart hammering in his chest.
Reaching the top, he leapt over the spider's head and landed hard on its back. Channeling Vyre from his leg, he transferred it into his arms, feeling the surge of power coursing through him. With every ounce of strength, he drove his katana down into the remaining sac.
A vile, thick yellow liquid oozed out, spilling onto the spider's back and dripping onto the cavern floor. The beast roared in fury, thrashing wildly. Gray tried to stay on. Continuously stabbing the sac until he was flung off, tumbling across the rocky ground.
His weapon was thrown away
Pain and dizziness swirled, but the feeling quickly disappeared. He looked around for his weapon. It was lying not far from him, as he picked it up he noticed Adel lying nearby. She was pale, bleeding from several wounds, and unconscious. Without hesitation, Gray scrambled to her side and hoisted her to her feet.
'How—how did i forget about her? What did that drink do to me?' He shook his head as he dodged the large monsters tantrum.
Together, they moved under the spider's legs and body, slipping away from the frenzied monster.
Gray's hope surged as he climbed up the rocky ledge and crawled toward one of the tunnels that branched out of the chamber. Then he stopped cold.
More monsters, smaller but just as deadly, were crawling toward the exits.
'Those shit heads followed us here?' He gritted his teeth and looked around
But looking around only made him realizes how bad his situation really was.
Every tunnel was blocked.
His heart sank.
'I should've left earlier... Lira was right. Fuck! Why can't I do anything right! What's wrong with me!' His hatred only grew. This time it was projected to himself.
He carefully lowered Adel to the floor, her breathing shallow but steady. His gaze flicked back to the spider, now huddled in a corner. It turned slowly, its many eyes blazing with fury. The smaller spiders scuttled forward, weaving thick webs over the injured sac, sealing the wound as if it were a precious treasure.
Gray's breath caught. The beast was now coiled in a frenzy, its eyes blazing with pure rage. Its many legs scraped against the cavern floor, sending vibrations that echoed like distant thunder. It lunged forward suddenly, jaws snapping, webs shooting thick and fast in every direction.
Gray's instincts kicked in. He dropped into a low crouch and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a volley of sticky threads that exploded where he had been moments before. He pushed Vyre into his arms, feeling the familiar heat surge through his muscles as he sprinted across the uneven ground.
Each step was a battle against exhaustion and pain, but Gray refused to falter. The spider swung a massive leg, a blur of chitin and raw power, slamming down where he had been only seconds ago. He dove forward, rolling under the crushing blow and kicking off a jagged rock to propel himself to his feet.
Webs shot out from the creature's mouth again, thick ropes flying like whips. Gray twisted sharply, ducking the sticky strands, some grazing his skin but failing to slow his pace. His breath came hard and fast, but his focus sharpened. Every second wasted could be his last.
He circled around the cavern's massive cocoon, using it as a shield against the spider's relentless assault. The beast shrieked, frustrated, and sprayed a corrosive saliva that hissed as it splattered near his feet. Gray leapt back just in time, feeling the hot mist singe the air where he had stood.
Pain throbbed in his left arm from the earlier acid burn, but he clenched his jaw and pushed on. Dodging a sweeping leg, he twisted midair and landed on the slick stone, sweat blurring his vision. His Vyre burned hotter, his arms aching under the strain.
Gray's mind raced. He needed a plan, something to turn the tide. But the spider was fast, too fast. Another swing forced him to dive again, his body scraping painfully across the rough cavern floor. The taste of blood filled his mouth.
He skidded behind the cocoon, breath uneven, muscles screaming for relief. His eyes darted around, searching for a weak point, a chance to strike again before the monster closed in.
But just as he tried to move he felt it.
His right leg, it wouldn't budge.
No matter what he tried it didn't move.
He looked down in shock and saw it.
An arm, was holding onto it. And it was holding tight.
The arm was long and lanky, not resembling a monsters. But a humans. It's colour was purple. As if drained of all life.
He looked towards the cocoon where it stemmed from and realized.
It was the human he had seen earlier. The human in the cocoon. He had thought it was a figment of his imagination, but it wasn't. It was the truth.
"Le—let go..." he tried to pull but it didn't move an inch.
"Please...let me go!" His voice became demanding quickly. Withouth a second thought he raised his sword and swung it down.
It sliced cleanly through the arm.
Or he thought.
The arm wasn't even scratched.
His body started to tremble as he became more desperate.
"Let me go! Please! Wh—" but he never finished his sentence.
The monster slammed him eith an arm, throwing him aside.
As he tried to stand up a web flew by, webbing his arm.
He tried to struggle but he knew deep down. Hidden away in his heart. Beyond the hatred and doubt.
The truth...
He had lost. But he hated the truth.
"No... no not yet, I— I can—" just then one of the sharp legs stabbed right through his left leg. The pain exploded, hot and biting, radiating from the wound.
He screamed in agony, he thrashed about but it was to no use.
He stopped moving and looked up trembling, tears springing to his eyes. The creature pressed its weight down, pinning him in place.
With a cruel precision, another leg stabbed through his chest where his heart beat fiercely. A scream tore from Gray's throat, but it was choked in his own agony.
His body convulsed. He felt the creature pulling Vyre from his essence, draining the life force he barely had left. His heart faltered. The world grew dim.
The creature ripped out it's arm and backed away, taking a good look at Gray.
He lay there,in a pool of blood and sweat, his breath shallow and ragged. A massive gaping hole where his heart would be.
[WARNING: IN CRITICAL CONDITION! SEEK SAFTEY IMMEDIATELY!] The notification almost sceamed into his mind.
His vision blurred, sounds fading into distant echoes.
Lira's muffled voice came closer. She had broken free of the webbing on her mouth but not her eyes. Her trembling words reached him faintly.
"Gray? Are you alright? Did you escape?"
Gray could not answer. His body was failing. Fear and helplessness crushed him as darkness edged his mind.
The giant spider then turned around and moved toward Lira, each step burying Gray's hope further.
'Ple—please...' he weakly raised his hand but it quickly fell down.
His mind clicked to one last idea.
His blurred vision focused on the viscous liquid spilling from the broken sac beside him. Instinct and desperation stirred inside him.
Slowly, he reached out with his trembling hand, the last strength he could muster.
He touched the strange fluid and began to pull it in, channeling Wither Vyre for the second time. The power was wild and dangerous, but Gray had no choice.
His fingers closed around the liquid, absorbing the corrupt energy.
Yet it was too late. His body was too weak. His mind too slow.
The darkness started to claim him.
But even as he slipped into nothingness, his hand remained stretched out, clutching the glowing Vyre that might one day pull him back from the edge.
He had refused to accept his fate, even on his dying breath.
But the very fate he hated. Had claimed him.
He was dead.