Boom!
The shack was a scene of utter pandemonium, Grey Biters were swarming in like a biblical plague. Hao, Mentos, Lanor, and Boulder were the only able bodies fighting tooth and nail to keep themselves and the children safe. The Bastians, too, were doing their bit, fending off the vicious critters with a ferocity that was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
“Go down!” Judgment Day was a blur as Hao used it to cut down Grey Biters left and right. Though the blade was still secured in its sheathed, it didn’t do much to dwindle its deadly energies.
“Another, coming up behind you!” Mentos told Hao as he released the tether of his Shark Skimmer to burrow through several Grey Biters at once, their insides were now outside.
“Damn, that’s nasty.” Lanor, with her nimble movements, was a force to be reckoned with, her glowing Rapier was leaving a trail of fallen Grey Biters in her wake. She was determined to prevent either of them from getting any closer to the little ones.
“Grah! Get smashed to bits!” Wielding his colossal great sword like a toothpick, Boulder was like a rampaging beast, his powerful swings were crashing through one Grey Biter after the other.
At the same time, closer to the Grey Orb, the Grey Biters were pouring out at an alarming rate. Among them, a larger entity began to take form from the scattering silvery dust. It was not like the other Grey Biters. It was larger, stronger, and more menacing. Its outer biology was the epitome of evolutionary adaptation. Its skin was a thick, rubbery expanse of grey, covered in a pattern of ridges and grooves that served as natural armour. It was a perfect example of dermal ossification, where the skin itself becomes bone-like in structure, providing a formidable defence against attacks.
"Woah! That one is crazy huge!" Hollered Mentos upon seeing this new creature. "How did it come out of there?" He couldn't fathom how this monstrous entity forced its way through the Grey Orb’s vortex intact.
"It doesn’t matter. We need to get out of here where there is more room to fight," suggested Lanor to the group.
“That’s easier said than done,” said Mentos looking towards the exit that was blocked. “These grey tendrils are everywhere. We have to keep fighting.”
“But for how long, and what about that big one?” Lanor was scared of approaching the new monster that formed.
"I'm not afraid of some fat bug," Boulder bravely declared before he engaged the monster in combat. He charged it headlong while his colossal great sword was cutting through a few smaller ones to get to his target. “I’m going to cleave you in half!” He shouted at the monster.
Boulder bent his knees then made a wild leap ahead that shortened the distance between him and his target to zero. His gigantic sword came swinging down viciously. CLANG! As he made contact with the creature’s exoskeleton, his sword shook violently, moreover, it got repelled by a few pounds of force, subsequently, the Grey Biter retaliated by flexing its huge, ossified muscle.
BOOM!
“Ah!” Boulder got knocked back into the corner of the shack close to where Acadian was chained. “Damn, that’s one tough son of a bitch,” he said as he spat blood onto the floor while glaring at the creature.
"That big guy got knocked down so easily?” Mentos was startled by this. “Now it's up to us to take that monster down." Considering this, he swung his Shark Skimmer to cut down some small Grey Biters who came at him, their green blood splattered from their carcasses.
Thud! Thud!
"Huh!" While in combat, Hao sensed with his ears, the macho Grey Biter rushing towards him of all persons in the shack. Maybe it was the lure of Judgment Day that attracted it or maybe it just thought that he was an easier prey. THUD! THUD! The huge stomping noise was reverberating through the shack.
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"It's coming this way?" Hao was slightly taken aback by this. He tried retreating while the monster was approaching, but he got caught in some tendrils that impeded his retreat. "Huh, these things." With his movement slowed, the macho Grey Biter swiftly caught up and it wasted not even a fraction of a second before it attacked him with its dangerous limbs.
Clang!
Reacting quickly to the threat, Hao blocked with Judgment Day's scabbard, but the impact shook him up greatly and rattled his arm which forced him to yell. “Ah! Blast it!”
"Vee!" Mentos saw that Hao was in trouble. He tried to go to his rescue but was blocked by Grey Biters. "Dammit. Get out of my way!" In anger, he slashed a few apart, causing their bodies to fly all over.
"Hao!" Lanor also saw the macho Grey Biter pressing down firmly on Hao and preparing to release acid from its mouth to melt away his skin. Hao was struggling immensely to keep the creature from crushing him.
‘He's not going to make it at this rate.’ After thinking this, an idea came to Lanor's mind. She remembered something important and shouted across the shack, "Hao! Use Wheelz to counter! It has another function that we didn't get to explore during practice!"
"What do you mean? What function?" Hao's struggling was evident as he asked this question aloud, veins popping all over his face and biological right arm.
Lanor replied quickly, "Remember the canisters I showed you? Release all three of them simultaneously to activate the arm's special function. The trigger is just below the elbow joint! All you have to do is twist it!"
"Ok!" Hao started using his feet to push back against the massive creature while he used his right arm to reach over and twist a knob on Wheelz. The creature was viciously trying to bite his head off. Hao turned to dodge the acid that dripped out of its mouth. The corrosive substance with a high concentration of hydrogen ions, was capable of melting away his skin, so he was extra careful not to let any get on him.
"I've got it." Hao managed to twist the knob successfully. The three Steam Splinter Cells within Wheelz Loader combusted simultaneously. Their combustion caused a sudden transformation. Wheelz enlarged drastically into a stocky arm almost on par with the width of the macho Grey Biter.
“Wow, this feels heavy. No doubt it will shake this monster up.” Locking onto the oppressive creature, Hao used his massive arm to punch it away to the opposite side of the shack. As it soared backwards, it tore through multiple grey tendrils spread about the shack.
"It's payback time." Boulder saw the macho Grey Biter soaring towards him and prepared to act. He also noticed how Acadian was acting thirsty for a fight, so he quickly cut apart the chain and freed the beast.
"Growl!" As Acadian became free, it opened its maw very wide then grabbed and ruthlessly tore apart the Grey Biter. GNASH! GNASH! The smaller ones lost their momentum seeing this.
"That was intense. I felt every bone in my body vibrate just now." Hao moved about his massive Wheelz, getting accustomed to its enlargement.
"Vee, how did you do that mate?" Mentos rushed over to Hao in amazement after breaking free from the horde. But it was short-lived. Before Hao could answer, they all witnessed the Grey Orb begin shaking uncontrollably, pouring out more Grey Biters to join the dwindling army.
"We need to put a stop to that thing!" shouted Lanor from where she was behind. She didn't stray too far from the children because she was protecting them alongside the Sword Fishes.
"Maybe this can do it," said Hao, tweaking his mechanical arm. He used Wheelz, while it was still in its enlarged form, to reach out and grab at the Grey Orb. He shook and yanked it, trying to destabilise and crush it.
"That's it, Vee. I think it's working," said Mentos, seeing the tendrils shrivelling.
"Guys, look out!" Lanor warned them upon seeing the Grey Biters all converging on Hao and Mentos' location. "I think they want to prevent you from destroying it. Whatever you're doing, continue!" she urged Hao.
"I've got your back, Vee!" Mentos defended Hao while cutting down the incoming swarm of Grey Biters. "Die, you ugly sacks of dung pile!"
“I think I almost got it. But this arm is begging to overheat. I don’t know how much more of this it can take.” SPUSH! The steam in Hao's arm was depleting. Wheelz was slowly getting smaller and losing its grip on the Grey Orb.
“Growl!” Reading the situation accurately, Acadian came along to help Hao destroy the Grey Orb. Acadian bit it, shook it and tossed it on the ground. The Grey Orb cracked and shattered into grey-silvery dust. Shortly after, the Grey Biters also turned into dust particles along with the creepy tendrils spread about the shack.
“Is it over?”
Everyone in the shack watched this happened with bewilderment and relief on their faces. The Grey Orb was destroyed, and they had survived. But the question remained, what are they dealing with exactly.