The render’s attack would have been the end of Nick if it wasn’t for one critical detail. That the bonefiend’s fugue state was merely a ruse. A deception to lure its enemy into range.

At the last possible second, the fiend leapt out of the way, flying straight up rather than out to one side. As it rose, it lashed out with a bladed arm, plunging the black sword jutting from its right wrist into one of the matriarch’s eyes.

Anchored by the blade protruding from the beast’s head, the fiend whipped around in a tight arc, weaving a path between its opponent’s gaping mandibles. It swung up and landed on top of the matriarch’s back, like a cowboy perched atop a raging bull.

The giant bug went nuts, maddened by the pain of the wound and the creature straddling its back. It began bucking and writhing its way toward the sandpit, intending to either crush the fiend or suffocate the creature by dragging it down below the sand.

But it was already too late. A heartbeat later, the bonefiend raised its free arm and sent its blade screaming down… straight into another of the matriarch’s eyes. Then again, and for a third and final time.

The last stab was so powerful that the creature’s arm disappeared all the way up to the elbow, onyx sword cleaving deep into the brain below.

The fiend shuddered as it pulled its arm free, body going limp after that final show of strength. It lost its grip, fell from its perch, and then hit the ground hard with a hearty thwack, although it didn’t seem to be critically injured.

It must be out of stamina too. Unsure as to what the relationship between the creature and Sophia was, Nick ran over to its side, helping the bonefiend back onto its feet.

The summon was surprisingly light for its size. He was able to help support its weight as they ran from the matriarch’s thrashing body, narrowly avoiding being caught in the colossal beast’s death throes. When they were in the clear, Nick hastily backed up, hoping that the fiend was as friendly as it seemed, despite its fearsome appearance.

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“Thanks,” he said, then collapsed to one knee, drained beyond the point of being able to move. He thought he saw the fiend nod in reply. The matriarch twitched a final time and then went still.

The moment that she breathed her last, Nick felt his energetic core contract and then expand. He felt a smidgen less exhausted as a bit of mana and stamina entered his system. I just leveled, he realized, before turning his attention to his unexpected ally, at least for the next handful of heartbeats.

Before Nick could figure out what he was supposed to do next, the creature darted away. He blinked. When his eyes opened, the fiend was gone, leaving him staring out in awe at the carnage it had wrought upon the flesh-render hive.

He had a mountain of questions about what had just happened, but one thing was certain. The beasts had been wiped out and the fight was finally over.

Sophia and Nick had completed the event and would live to see another day. The reason for his newfound confidence was the wall of text that had materialized in front of his eyes. He wasn’t ready to read it yet, so he moved it with a thought to the periphery of his vision.

While he was excited to start looking over his notifications, he hadn’t heard Sophia’s voice since she had unleashed her trump card. He knew that she was still alive, because her summon hadn’t vanished until the battle was over, but Nick was deeply worried about his friend.

He dragged himself back onto his feet and started limping his way toward the sprawling maze of metal. Before he could climb into the machine to look for her, Sophia came staggering out of the refinery, her profile appearing from behind a wall of rusty pipes.

Although he was immensely relieved to see her moving under her own power, Nick became deeply concerned when he saw what condition she was in. She looks even worse than I feel. Sophia’s face was ashen, and her body was covered in a sheen of sweat.

“Are you alright?” Nick ran to her side, offering his shoulder for support. “What the hell just happened?”

“One question at a time.” She groaned as he helped her to the ground, setting her back against an upright cart. “I’ll live if I don’t take any hits until I recover. We got the big bastard, right? I can see a wall of text, but I’m still too muddled to focus on the words.”