The doors to the elevator banged open as giant razor forelegs forced their way through the gap.

Bio-Reaper Level 9

Floated in red text just over the doors. Damn, this wasn’t good.

The two Rogues lurched away from the elevator, eyes wide. I saw the man turn and dart toward the elevator door but I grabbed his arm.

“Wait,” I said. “Running isn’t going to do anything. On our own, scared and hiding – that’s where they want us. If we stay together and get the drop on that thing, we have a chance to take it down.”

The rogue wrenched his arm from my gripe, his eyes wide with panic. I’d seen that look before, in men who believed they were about to die.

“I’m sorry,” he said, but he wasn’t speaking to me. I glanced around to see the woman standing there with her hands at her sides. There was pain in her expression and all at once I put two and two together.

The Bio-Reaper let out a high-pitched shriek and tried to claw at the elevator door, managing to get one of its forelegs through the gap. Then another.

The man shook his head and turned for the elevator. As the door slammed behind him, the woman let out a shaky breath.

“Fiancé?” I asked, nodding to the ring on her finger. She glanced down.

“Ex.” Then she met my gaze and pulled a dagger from her inventory. “Let’s kill this thing.”

We had only seconds to prepare, Pam taking up a spot behind a door that had been left ajar, and Jack and Rob nearby. Garret's forehead beaded with sweat as he took up his own more precarious position six feet away from the elevator, with his back against the wall.

It was a gamble that the creature wouldn’t turn its head and see him, but I didn’t plan to give it the chance. The doors of the elevator shuddered open with a crash and what stepped out would have been enough to make a grown man scream.

Instead, the bug abomination got a well-aimed crossbow bolt to the face. Pam made a noise of triumph that died the minute the bolt bounced harmlessly off Chitin. It seemed the bug wasn’t going down easy. Before any of us could react the Reaper planted its hind claws and shoved off from the ground.

It was a leap that I hadn’t seen coming. Throwing myself to the side was all I managed before the creature slammed down on the ground with a thud that made the floor rattle. Then it struck out. Rob was able to deflect one of the razor-sharp forelegs with his shield but Jack wasn’t so lucky.

He cried out as the serrated edge slammed into the meat of his calf, knocking him to his knees. Oh hell, this wasn’t going according to plan. I opened my inventory, reaching into one of the boxes to grab a cocktail with one hand.

With the other, I took a few running steps forward and jabbed the spear into the meat between two of the bug's armor plates. The Bio-Reaper hissed, opening its pincers and letting out a series of high-pitched clicks that made my ears ache.

Jack was still on the floor, scrambling forward on hands and knees. I needed him clear, otherwise he was barbeque. I withdrew the spear and was about to stab forward again when the Reaper surprised me. Faster than I could follow it twisted sideways, lashing out with a serrated foreleg. There was an impact and a crunch, followed by a spray of splintered wood.

I stared in disbelief at the two halves of the now shattered weapon. Well, hell. I was still holding the pointy end and in a fit of rage, I slashed for the bug's unprotected face. It hissed, leaning back, and managed to knock me sprawling with a kick of its rear legs. I tumbled over the carpet and just managed to keep my grip on the cocktail in my hand.

Close call. The rogue used her speed to get to me, helping me up and pulling me out of range as the Bio-Reaper hunched. It was going to jump again, and this time there was no avoiding the danger.

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“Now!” shouted Jack. “Do it now!”

I sucked in a breath and steeled myself. Nat flicked on a lighter and within seconds, the linen was ablaze. I planted one foot and sighted the giant beast. The Bio-Reaper hunched as it prepared to spring and I anticipated its movements. As its body left the ground I turned and pivoted as I threw the cocktail as hard as I could.

It arced through the air, turning over once, twice before it struck. Glass shattered and fire bloomed outwards in an explosion of heat. I blinked in surprise. The cocktail was powerful, but I hadn’t imagined it would be that strong. I made a mental note to research mana-imbued items.

The Reaper was knocked off course by the mini-explosion and collapsed back down, engulfed in fire. It shrieked, jerking back and forth and slamming into the side of the hallway. A door splintered under its thrashing forelegs, spraying wood that quickly began to ignite.

The smell of cooking bugs made me want to gag.

“Garret it’s on you,” shouted Jack. He was leaning against the wall, tended to by Pam as he bled on the carpet. I couldn’t see Garret from behind the beast but a moment later a jet of water launched through the air, spraying over the flaming Reaper. It wasn’t nearly enough.

The carpet began to smoke and after a moment, it caught.

I glanced up at the ceiling willing the sprinklers to come on. But for whatever reason, nothing happened. This was bad, and if we didn’t do something soon the fire could spread. I cast around desperately and my eyes landed on Rob.

“Hey,” I called gesturing to be heard over the screaming beast.

“You still have that fire extinguisher in your inventory?”

Rob nodded hastily and fumbled in his inventory with his free hand. I watched his arm disappear up to the elbow and shook my head. There was no getting used to that. Then he pulled out a red fire extinguisher and tossed it to me. I caught it.

“That’s not going to work,” the rogue stood beside me, sleeve across her nose as the smoke grew thicker. I ignored her as I tested the weight of the extinguisher and tapped it with a finger. It gave a hollow pinging sound and I smiled.

“Watch and learn.”

The Bio-Reaper was backing up towards the open elevator, still shrieking and flailing as it went. The smoke emanating from its body was black and acrid. For the third time that day, I reached for the magic and felt when it responded to me.

I stepped forward. The rogue made a sound of exasperation as I underhand tossed the extinguisher towards the Reaper.

“Seriously? You’re going to throw the thing? What the hell is that going to-“

A spike of hardened sand shot from my upraised palm at the speed of an arrow. It struck the extinguisher and exploded in a burst of white. The cloud that engulfed us made me cough. It was hard to see in the sudden white mist, but as it began to clear I saw that the fire had mostly died. I waved a hand in front of my face, eyes straining to see any threat.

There was a hulking dark figure somewhere up ahead. It wasn’t moving. The Bio-Reaper lay on its side, leaking vicious blue fluid from the carpet like an unreliable car. I came to a stop several feet away, eying the smoking corpse wearily.

Ding!

You have slain Bio-Reaper level 9.

You have progressed to Level 3. One skill point is now available.

I blinked away the notifications and stepped past the dead carcass, searching for… Garret lay on the ground, his drooping to one side. His front was covered in blood and his eyes were glassy. I knelt beside the body and reached out to lower his eyelids.

“Shit,” I said, softly. I could feel the anger in me rising but it had nowhere to go now that the enemy before me was dead.

“He died a hero,” said Nat from beside me.

“He shouldn’t have died at all.” I stood and examined the shattered spear shaft in my hand. It was all but useless now, the pointy end was bowed and ready to splinter at the center. One strike, and it would shatter in my hand. I tossed it away.

Ding!

You have gained a new skill.

Blade Summoning: This spell allows you to summon blades made of the element of your magical affinity at a low mana cost. These blades can be upgraded over time, but require the user to sustain mana flow for the duration of their use.

I stared at the text, rubbing a hand over my face. A man had just died, and here I was looking over stats. Still, I couldn’t help but want to know.

“There was nothing that could be done,” said Pam from beside me. I blinked and shook my head, trying to dispel the weird feeling of eagerness.

“Yeah,” I grunted, turning away. “I know it’s just..”

I was spared having to say more by the sudden sound that echoed through the hall. For the second time today, we heard that unnatural siren – something between a panic alarm, and a horn. I glanced up at the timer in the corner of my vision and my heart leaped into my throat.

The timer was at 0.

A notification blinked near the edge of my stats. Reluctantly focused on it, opening a window. It was the bestiary. A new entry had been unlocked and a small red icon was flashing in the corner.

Urgent: Calamity Event: Imminent

I frowned and tuned out the murmur of voices around me as I read.

The Kraken of the Depths rises from its slumber.

That’s it. That was the entry. I stared at the words in white text, at the urgent blinking icon.

“Oh god,” I hissed into the air. “It’s a fucking Kraken.”