A hacking sound. Then another. It repeated, rougher each time.
Dave's frame shuddered with each harsh, waterlogged cough - a fresh torment to his fractured ribs. Blood coated his tongue; he was flat on cool tiles. Then came the measured tap, tap, tapping of Rex approaching, drawing nearer.
Rex was near - Dave had to face him. Pain blazed, yet he forced himself upright, every muscle rebelling. He gained his footing, hands rising ready to fight. He'd faced deeper hurts, he reminded himself. A clenching of hands - bones showing through pale skin.
A chuckle rumbled from Rex as he watched the fight unfold. "Just as I suspected - you're far from dull," he breathed, a strange joy coloring his tone. He savored the moment, murmuring, "Wonderful… wonderful…" A wild light shone in his gaze. "Don't stop now; reveal everything!"
Simultaneously, they moved forward to strike.
Swoosh!
Rex launched a boosted punch, quick as lightning. Instead of meeting it head on, Dave fell, letting the strike pass over him. The descent became a spring, flinging him up while his heel snapped outward.
Bam!
Rex's head met a solid kick. Instead of sticking around to watch what happened, Dave leveraged the moment - a quick roll across the tiled floor created space. It all unfolded in under two seconds.
A grin - not friendly - stretched across Rex's face as he wheeled around, unsteady on his feet. It wasn't pain that fueled him; rather, a strange kind of energy. He moved so fast, distance vanished. Then a fist hurtled toward Dave's head.
Swoosh!
A near hit sent Dave reeling; the air thrummed. Now he operated by feel alone, thoughts racing. He was definitely outmatched. He ducked again, yet knew escape wouldn't last - the upgrade changed everything. A curse formed on his lips; eliminating threats earlier would have been smarter. That realization hit as a fist whizzed past, scraping his face. He hadn't stabilized when Rex's foot arced toward his side, aiming for where he was most vulnerable, mirroring the strike that fractured bone.
Dave wasn't caught off guard this time around.
He spun, almost playfully, leveraging Rex's forward momentum - a hand pressed to the guy's thigh became a springboard for a backflip. Simultaneously, his free leg shot up, its heel landing hard against Rex's eye with a disturbing smack.
A noise escaped Rex - a quick jerk of his head. Dave kept coming, launching himself ahead the instant he landed. Rex hadn't finished shaking off the starlight when Dave hammered at his eye once more. It sounded sickening - like something splitting.
Rex faltered, giving Dave an opening. However, a startling cackle erupted from Rex instead.
"Got you."
Dave felt a chill - a sinking feeling. Everything had been planned.
Rex moved quicker than thought, his grip fastening on my throat before I reacted. Everything blurred as he hoisted me up, subsequently driving me into the cold tile floor.
Crack!
Dave hit something - it felt like every single bone broke. Everything just…gave way. First came nothingness, then pain exploded. Blood fountained with each cough; sight narrowed to black around the sides.
Rex cackled - a truly unsettling sound. He loomed above Dave, anticipating some impossible comeback after two brutal rounds.
Immobile, Dave remained on the frigid floor as vitality drained away.
Rex let out a sigh - a flat, defeated noise. Not exciting at all. He needed someone else, clearly. His gaze swept across the mess, noticing others who'd leveled up after taking down opponents. A grin stretched across his features - he looked eager. Then, without a pause, he launched himself forward, disappearing into the chaos of the fight. Dave was left behind, doomed to fail as time ticked down.
Dave's eyes swam, energy gone. A humorless chuckle rose within him as he followed the seconds slip away on the display before everything went dark.
00:16
What a mess I made. It hit me then - a last, stinging remorse. Her face, Tanya's, floated before him - a ghost image. A regret surfaced: he hadn't been able to locate her.
00:11
00:10
00:09
00:07
00:06
The light vanished as someone stood before him – the girl, dark hair framing a tear-stained face. Though her eyes held sadness, she looked determined. Six seconds had ticked by on the clock. Beside him, she dropped to her knees, all jerky motions. A little thing - a bug, alive - found during her flight, now nestled within his open hand. Her grip tightened on Dave's fingers closing over it.
He blinked, then a screen shimmered into view.
Dave just got his first one! A little notification popped up – ding! – to say he did
With a final click, the timer reached zero.
00:01….
00:00
A ghost of a grin stretched across Dave's face, stained crimson. Subsequently, sight dissolved - a gentle dimming toward an inviting blackness.
The Next Game Awaited…
[End Of Arc 0: The First Rule]