I could feel my muscles tearing, the speed and strength I was demanding was way beyond even my mutating body. The ape portion was still howling, trying to get a grip on the pipe wrench that pierced through its chest. It baffled the mind that even after being stabbed through the chest and in the abdomen, releasing veritable amounts of blood, the thing was still fighting. I pushed past what I thought was possible. I was part mutant and a hacked together horror was trying to kill me and my friends, it was time to really embrace it.

I felt my face and skin crawling, the size of my left hand grew until it was the size of my head. I flexed my hand, the armored plating now much more spread out as it clung to the suit fabric. I would have preferred not to rip my suit and ruin it's heating abilities, but beggars aren't choosers. I had no real control over the mutations other than to pump emotions and commitment into my actions. I came up under the ape as it tried to grab me and toss me again; I was having none of that.

I punched straight into its open palm.

I felt one of my knuckles pop out of place, but I pressed forward exchanging quick fist blows. I felt my mind call to the deformity in front of me, an inaudible roar of defiance that caused the creature to hesitate slightly. Capitalizing on this, I knocked its arms aside with my right hand and punched my wrench with my mutated left.

The pipe wrench dented slightly at the teeth, but it punched through the experiment. The ape clawed at its chest as blood dribbled down its jaw. When the ape body slumped forward, the horse-spider portion began to writhe frantically. Presumably, the brain of the ape was keeping the patchwork creature just below insanity.

I felt ragged. After the punch to my wrench my left hand slowly started to shrink, the energy fading. I collapsed onto the floor, looking at the thrashing monster in fear. I could only imagine it charging forward, plowing right through me like a bad joust match. The five operational spider legs and horse legs stampeded in my direction. I weakly tried to put my arms up to block the blow, but Marvin whirled and repulsor jumped straight into the front part of the horse body.

I saw the ATC’s needles lash out and stab the bleeding monster. While Marvin had bought me time, there was nothing more I could do to defend myself. I, however, did not have to defend myself. Just when the ATC crashed into the body of the mutant, Delta led a charge forward. Zeta and Epsilon were thrown back by the semi-sentient spider legs, but the others made it to the creature.

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They knocked away spider leg after spider leg until Delta was able to get a hit in. He stabbed the horse body with one of the metal lengths we had been able to collect. The metal was hollow and the moment it puncture the creature’s side, a black fountain showered the Digits. I watched as the spider legs swatted them away and tried to grab hold of the weapon.

It took only about a minute for the enormous black puddle to stop growing and the spider-centaur-ape to settle onto to the ground. When the thrashing stopped, I saw Beta grabbing Delta’s club and pounding the ape head. I realized Beta really needed to talk about that behavior, but since it guaranteed the creature was dead I figured it was not a priority.

The Digits were starting to cheer, but the mental pressure I felt drew my attention.

Could use a hand. Would save me having to regrow a limb.

I shifted as much as my ragdoll body allowed and saw the humanoid sprinting from building to building. Everytime the limb blob had to switch direction to continue pursuing the mutant, it crashed into a building. The mutant was using this to his advantage since it would relieve the experiment of a few limbs with each pass.

Sadly, it looked like the mass was only getting smaller in size, not any less deadly in terms of limbs. Turning to the others I spoke into my comms.

“One more. Focus,” I croaked.

The others snapped to the blob, each holding either rocks or spikes, preparing to attack it. There was no hesitation as the others launched all manner of weapons at the creature. From my half-prone position I saw the creature switch directions toward our group. At the sight of the giant thing everyone huddled to try to hold it off, Delta at the front of the group.

Just as the creature was about to trample Delta into paste, the humanoid mutant managed to attack. The blob mutant shuddered as the humanoid tore a wide gash on its side. The mutant crashed on the ground and went still for a second. The humanoid, as well as the other Digits, seized the opportunity and hammered the large experiment. It quickly decreased in size, as if the others and the mutant were emptying a balloon.

Once the blob was down, everyone was left panting. The minutes the combat took had drained me severely. When I tried to stand I coughed up black blood onto the ground, adding to the two massive pools that were near B1. I felt light headed as I crawled to where the others had collapsed. The muscles in my left arm were useless, but I could still grip the stone street with my right.