Her attacks were telegraphed, fueled by fury, not finesse. Ba Gau, with his honed reflexes courtesy of Apex Predator, anticipated each swing, a step ahead in the deadly waltz. He dodged a haymaker that would have shattered ribs, using the momentum to spin past her, his butcher's cleaver a blur of silver in the dim light. Master of Blades guided his strikes, finding the gaps in her monstrous form, leaving shallow cuts that bled not blood, but an ominous purple ichor.
But the wounds merely enraged her further. She roared, lunging forward like a cornered beast. This was where Ba Gau saw his chance. He remembered the tremors caused by her touch on the carvings. Could the structure itself be her weakness? Taking a calculated risk, he feigned a stumble, falling towards a section of intricate designs etched into the floor.
As predicted, she followed the trick target, her massive fist aimed to crush him. Just before impact, Ba Gau rolled, narrowly avoiding the blow. Her fist slammed into the carvings, the stone groaning in protest. Cracks spiderwebbed outwards, and a faint tremor shook the chamber. The woman stumbled, momentarily off-balance.
Using this precious opening, Ba Gau unleashed Carnage Gale. His cleaver transformed into a whirlwind of steel, fueled by the stolen life-force he held within. The attack ripped through the air, carving into her side, leaving a gash that spewed the same purple ichor. She roared in pain, her rage replaced by a flicker of fear.
But the victory was short-lived. The monstrous woman lashed out with her other hand, sending him flying across the chamber. He crashed into a pillar, pain lancing through his ribs. Yet, Ba Gau, fuelled by Unyielding Fury, ignored the agony. He was a predator wounded, but not broken.
He saw the fear flicker again, fueled by the cracks spreading across the structure. The tremors were getting stronger, threatening to bring the whole place down. An idea sparked in his mind, desperate but potentially their only hope.
Focusing his energy, Ba Gau activated Phantom Stalker. His form shimmered, fading into the shadows. He became a wraith, unseen by the enraged woman. He slunk towards the exit, hoping to lure her out, hoping the collapsing structure would trap her within.
But she wasn't fooled. Sensing his disappearance, her rage turned to cold, calculating anger. Her roar echoed through the crumbling chamber, "You think you can escape, dog? This tomb will bury us all!"
She turned her gaze towards the cracks, sensing the imminent collapse. Her monstrous form began to shrink, the pulsating spikes retracting, the dark energy fading. She was reverting, but not out of weakness, but cunning.
As Ba Gau emerged from the shadows, he realized his gamble had failed. The monstrous form was a weapon, unleashed only when needed. Now, she stood there, her original form smaller, yet her eyes glinting with a predator's intelligence.
This was no longer a fight of brute force, but one of wit and survival. Ba Gau, his body screaming in protest, knew he had just entered a whole new phase of this deadly game. The woman smiled, a cruel twist of her lips, "Let the real hunt begin."
The chamber trembled, dust raining down, the air thick with anticipation. The fight was far from over, it had just transformed, becoming a desperate struggle for survival against a cunning foe and the unforgiving walls of a collapsing tomb. The skills Ba Gau possessed would be tested like never before, and the choices he made now could mean the difference between life and a deadly, crushing oblivion.
Outside, the chase continued, the Lau Vang recruits frustrated and outmaneuvered. Khodr, his pride bruised, roared in defiance, charging down another passage only to find it a dead end. Lyra, her agility hindered by the narrow confines, found herself separated from the others. Ba Gau, ribs screaming a silent symphony of pain, stared down the woman. Her original form was smaller, but her eyes burned with the cunning of a predator toying with its prey. He understood now: the monster was a tool, unleashed only when needed. This fight was a different beast entirely, one of wit and survival amidst the crumbling symphony of the tomb.
Stolen story; please report.
He drew a ragged breath, channeling the stolen life-force within. His skill Hunter's Fury wouldn't last long, but desperation clawed at him. It was a gamble, a dance with the edge of madness, but the alternative was far worse.
As the chamber shuddered, sending debris raining down, Ba Gau launched himself forward. He was a storm, a whirlwind of steel fueled by stolen power. His cleaver became a blur, carving crimson crescents in the air.
She parried, her movements surprisingly nimble despite her smaller frame. She danced just out of reach, taunting him with her speed, exploiting the limitations of his berserker frenzy. Each missed blow chipped away at his already dwindling control.
But within the fury, a flicker of reason remained. He remembered the tremors, the woman's fear when the structure faltered. The tomb itself could be his weapon.
He feigned another wild swing, drawing her towards a support beam already groaning under the strain. This time, he didn't follow through. He ducked, rolling just as the woman's fist smashed into the beam.
A sickening crack echoed, and the beam sagged with an ominous groan. Dust billowed down, momentarily blinding them both. In the chaos, Ba Gau activated Phantom Stalker, merging with the shadows.
He didn't attack. He stalked, unseen, listening to the frantic scrabbling above. The beam wouldn't hold much longer. Soon, she would be trapped, buried under tons of stone. But would that be enough?
As the dust settled, he saw her, clinging desperately to the fractured beam. Her eyes met his, and for a fleeting moment, he saw not cunning, but fear, raw and primal. She wasn't a monster, after all, just another desperate soul clinging to survival.
A choice flickered within him, fueled by the stolen life-force and the whispers of the Riptooth Path. Let her fall, claim her life-force, escape as the tomb sealed their gruesome duel. Or…
The woman screamed as the beam groaned its final lament. Ba Gau, the predator, hesitated. The shadows pulsed around him, urging him forward, whispering promises of power. But then, another voice stirred within, faint but insistent. The voice of Ba Gau, the butcher, the man who once fought for justice.
With a roar that defied the whispers, Ba Gau lunged. Not to attack, but to grab. He reached out, the butcher's hands calloused and rough, yet surprisingly steady. He grabbed her wrist, hauling her back as the beam splintered and gave way.
They crashed together, a tangle of limbs and dust. The world became a kaleidoscope of falling stones and choking darkness. He held on, fueled by a desperate strength far removed from the stolen life-force.
And then, silence. Dust settled, revealing a precarious ledge, just large enough for both of them. They lay there, panting, battered, bruised, but alive.
She looked at him, her eyes wide with shock and something else, something unreadable. He didn't know what the future held, what consequences awaited them beyond the crumbling tomb. But for now, the symphony of blood had ended, replaced by a fragile silence, a shared breath in the aftermath of a desperate dance with death.
As the first rays of sunlight filtered through the cracks, Ba Gau knew the true fight had just begun. The fight against the darkness within, the fight to reclaim the man he once was, even if it meant protecting the monster he had just saved. In the echoing silence of the tomb, a new melody arose, faint but hopeful, a song of redemption amidst the symphony of blood.
The structure groaned in protest, its ancient stones buckling under the strain. Cracks widened, revealing glimpses of the scorching sun above. Fear and urgency mingled in the air, fueled by the cacophony of battle and the threat of imminent collapse.