Vibe Edge was ecstatic to taste this tangible beat that manifested in the Conclave just after the Centzor’s death. It wasn’t much but combined with the Tune Points Hao had acquired from the Bastian Bandits he defeated at Katana Creek, I reckon he had ample Tunes in store to purchase a skill upgrade.
“Whew, that creature just came up out of nowhere.” Panting and sweating like crazy, Hao surveyed the aftermath of their brutal battle. The Centzor's remains lay strewn about the cavern floor, a gruesome example of their hard-fought victory. He turned his gaze towards the Sword Fishes, noting their relieved expressions with a faint smile. Maelstrom, however, was visibly upset, its eyes were burning with anger. ‘Keep on glaring at me like that you brute. As soon as I figure out how to get Bio Esp working again, your ass is toast.’ He whispered to himself.
“Damn, I think my ankle is twisted.” Mentos slowly got to his feet, his body was trembling from exhaustion and adrenaline. He glanced over at Hao with an expression of gratitude but he still had some lingering resentment. "Don't think because you saved my life I've forgotten what you did," he said through gritted teeth, the memory of Hao's attempt to absorb his essence into Judgment Day was still fresh in his mind.
Hao's smile faded, replaced by a solemn understanding. “I know, Mentos. I know. But right now, we need to focus on what's in front of us.” He looked around at the chaos that surrounded them – the defeated Centzor, the Sword Fishes, and the still-furious Maelstrom. "I think we should free those two."
Mentos exhaled sharply followed by a silent acknowledgement of Hao's words. Together, they approached the Sword Fishes, offering gentle reassurances while calming the creatures. Maelstrom continued to thrash against its weakened chain.
The stench of acid was a potent reminder of the earlier battle. The chain that had held Maelstrom captive was starting to give way under the corrosive effects of the Centzor's toxic substance. With an ear-splitting snap, the chain shattered, moments later, Maelstrom burst free from its shackles.
Roar!
“Huh!” Hao and Mentos shared a reaction of trepidation as they watched the enormous beast pounce towards them. They braced themselves for an attack, fearing that the creature was about to feast on their flesh. Instead, Maelstrom lunged for the remains of the Centzor and began tearing into the carcass with ravenous hunger.
“Hmm, it avoided us?”
Relief washed over Hao and Mentos’s countenance, later, their attention quickly turned to the Sword Fishes. The smaller creatures were eyeing the Centzor's remains with eagerness while flicking their tails excitedly.
“It appears they want some as well.” Hao approached the Sword Fishes where he worked to release them from their entanglement by the large rock. The knots were stubborn, so he called out to Mentos for help. "Come help me with this will you."
“Hmm?” Mentos hesitated, still brooding. He mulled over the request before finally joining Hao to free the Sword Fishes. Once released, they rushed to join Maelstrom in feasting on the scattered remains of the Centzor.
“Those things are unbelievable.” Standing side by side, Hao and Mentos observed the creatures chowing down.
“Disgusting…”Mentos felt his stomach churn at the sight, barely holding back a wave of nausea.
Hao wasn’t so easily disgusted. He zoomed his Vibe Sense on Maelstrom and thought, ‘He's focused on eating right now, but at any moment, he could stab me in the back like last time. I better keep watch of him.’ His mistrust of the beast was palpable. A part of him was thinking that it was still attached to its former owner-Kiera, which maybe it did.
"OK, I'm heading back now. You do your thing," Mentos told Hao, still upset about their earlier disagreement.
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“You’re leaving already?” While watching his friend moving towards the exit, Hao noticed something unusual with his Vibe Sense, very similar to what happened prior. There were strange movements underground and within the walls of the Conclave. "Huh, this is...?"
BOOM! Suddenly, several Centzors burst forth from the ground near the exit, blocking Mentos' escape. More of the creatures emerged from the walls, showering the area with dust and debris.
Maelstrom and the Sword Fishes were hella startled by the appearance of the Centzors, thus they stopped eating the carcass of their brethren to maintain their absolution pertaining to its death. But it was too late – the horde of Centzors was already eyeing them fiercely, ready to chow down back on their carcasses.
"What is this?" Mentos hollered in horror while quickly retreating to Hao's side. "Since when has the Conclave become infested with these bloody Centzors!?"
"They're quickly surrounding us!" Hao warned. His Vibe Sense eventually zoomed in on a hole in the back of the Conclave, where the majority of the Centzors were pouring out. "Most of them are coming out of that hole over there!" He shared.
Mentos glanced in the direction Hao indicated and saw the creatures streaming out. "They're pouring out in droves! Oh goddammit, that's a lot!"
Just after Mentos realized the severity of their situation, Hao took one step closer towards him and slashed his sword upward which almost grazed his nostrils.
“What the hell are you trying to do Vee, cut my bloody nose off?”
“Not quite. Look above you.” Upon saying this, he released Quick Draw-Drive above his head. The sapphire slash streaked above until it struck a sneaking Centzor that had lunged at them. The creature experienced a barrage of phantasmal fists before getting obliterated, but its tainted acidic substance splashed down towards Hao and Mentos.
“Watch out!” They narrowly avoided the corrosive element, which melted the rocks it touched upon contact.
"How the heck did those beasts enjoy eating that thing?" Mentos grimaced while he watched the rocks dissolve and thought about Maelstrom and the Sword Fishes' earlier feast.
“I don’t know how they do it, but we shouldn’t be concerned about that right now. We should focus on staying alive.” Hao didn't have an answer. They both knew that they needed to focus on the immediate threat, which was the horde of Centzors surrounding them.
Clang! Growl! Boom!
Over by the Centzor’s carcass, Maelstrom and the Sword Fishes were busy fighting off the large group of Centzors that were attacking them with great effort. The creatures swung and lunged at each other, with Maelstrom's powerful jaws and the Sword Fishes' razor-sharp fins proving to be formidable weapons. There was even an instance where one of the two Sword Fishes did something unthinkable; it released a unique bubble breath that froze a couple of the Centzors when it popped. Maelstrom took advantage of their frozen state to easily shatter them into many solid pieces.
“We should stick close to each other!” Hao and Mentos joined the fray, defending themselves and their newfound beastly allies against the relentless onslaught of the Centzor horde.
Boom! Boom!
Both sides were clashing viciously, stirring up a raucous within the conclave. Hao's Spin-Off ability came in handy. He was consistently using it to cut through the Centzors like a cyclone of destruction, while Mentos used his Shark Skimmer to cleave through the creatures with deadly precision. However, the Centzors were unrelenting in their vicious pursuit, seemingly unfazed by the number of their brethren that had fallen.
“SCREEE!” The screeching sound they were giving off became so unbearable for the two humans in the cave, especially when more and more Centzors began to pile up.
"They are too many of them!" Mentos yelled, forcing his back against Hao's. Their mutual need to survive this predicament had caused Mentos' earlier resentment towards Hao to fade. They fought as one, their blades working in tandem to fend off the unyielding horde.
Suddenly, a loud rumbling echoed through the Conclave. Mentos saw the entrance collapse. "Vee! They've also blocked the exit! What should we do? There’s no end to these bloody creatures!" He asked Hao, desperate for a plan.
“Hold on.” While skilfully applying Vibe Edge to keep his crawling enemies at bay, Hao scanned the area with his Vibe Sense, searching for an escape route. Only one presented itself. He zoomed in on the dark hole at the back of the Conclave, from which the majority of the Centzors were pouring out. Tapping Mentos' shoulder, he told him, "Now we dive!" Without any delay, he began dashing towards the hole while using Spin-Off to clear a path. "Follow me!"
“I’m right behind you, Vee!” Mentos stuck close to Hao while the Sword Fishes and Maelstrom trailing not far behind. Their journey to the hole was a rough one. They had to be very careful to avoid close contact with spewing acidic substances that could easily melt away their flesh.
“Holy shit! Some got on me.” A fraction of acid dropped onto Hao’s back, although he panicked, his quick thinking enforced him to undo his jacket and toss it away. “It’s a good thing I put that on before coming here.” He got lucky, but Maelstrom and the Sword Fishes didn’t have the same struggle, mainly because of their unique constitution.