The Devourer charges, and all I can think is: I don't even know the rules here.
Its tendrils scrape the ground as it moves, kicking up sparks against the fleshy floor of the pit. The crowd above roars — hundreds, maybe thousands of voices chanting for blood. My blood.
Clipboard hovers lazily above me, completely unfazed. "Tip: don't let it eat you."
"Very helpful!" I shout, darting to the side.
The creature slams into the spot where I was standing, the impact rippling through the arena floor. I feel it in my teeth.
"Are there weapons? Do I get a weapon?!"
"Sometimes," Clipboard replies. "Not today."
Great.
The Devourer's head swivels, tendrils whipping toward me like spears. I dive and roll — badly. My hoodie snags on something warm and wet (I don't want to know what), and I scramble up just in time to avoid another strike.
Think, Kael. Think.
I glance around. The arena floor is… alive. Pulsating. Uneven. Maybe I can use that.
"Any weaknesses?!" I yell.
"Only the obvious one," Clipboard says.
"Which is?!"
"Don't die."
I swear if I live through this, I'm drop-kicking that thing.
---
The Devourer lashes out again, tendrils slamming into the ground. One of them pierces the floor — and sticks.
Opportunity.
I grab a chunk of bone-like debris nearby (was that here before? Or did the arena grow it?) and charge. I swing like my life depends on it — because it does. The makeshift club connects with a tendril, and the thing screeches. The sound is like metal scraping bone.
Okay. It can feel pain.
But then the tendrils snap back, and one wraps around my leg.
"Oh, no."
It yanks me into the air like I weigh nothing. I thrash, hit, kick — useless. The crowd cheers louder. Clipboard scribbles on its page.
"Anytime you want to be useful!" I scream.
Clipboard floats closer. "You're doing fine. Just… unlock."
"Unlock what?!"
"Your Glitch."
"WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!"
The Devourer opens its mouth — jagged, gaping, big enough to swallow me whole.
Panic floods me. And then…
Something clicks.
---
It's like my brain short-circuits. One second I'm flailing in midair, the next — everything slows down.
The tendril around my leg feels weaker. Lighter. My body feels… lighter too.
Move.
I twist, harder than I should be able to, slipping free from its grip. I hit the ground on my feet instead of my head, the world around me moving like molasses.
The crowd gasps.
"What—" I start.
"Ah," Clipboard says, almost impressed. "There it is. Speed distortion. Classic Glitch."
I don't have time to process. The Devourer lunges.
But I'm already moving.
---
I sprint faster than I've ever moved in my life. My feet blur against the pulsating floor. In this slowed-down world, the Devourer seems clumsy, sluggish. I grab another piece of jagged bone and leap — higher than I should be able to.
I drive the shard into its head.
It roars, a horrible, echoing scream, thrashing violently. I rip the shard out and stab again, and again, until black ichor gushes over my hands.
The crowd goes wild.
The Devourer collapses, twitching. Still.
And then — silence.
---
The Heart's voice booms in my head.
"Glitch confirmed. Worthiness proven. Purpose assigned."
I'm panting, shaking, drenched in its blood.
Clipboard floats beside me. "Not bad for a first day."
I laugh — short, sharp, manic. "I hate this place."
The floor begins to shift, rising beneath me, carrying me back toward the surface.
"Welcome to the City of Veins, Kael Idiran," the Heart says. "Your game begins now."