[Part 3/5]
The pustule burst apart, spewing its contents over the entire square. I managed to turn away but felt it spatter against my back where it ate straight through my armor.
{CPU Load: ▲ 100%}
{Core Temp: ▲ 82° C}
[DPM integrity]
▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱ 81% ▼▼
I found a nearby wagon loaded with hay and—disabling Pharus—threw myself into it, using it to wipe away the acid. For a moment I was worried that it wouldn’t work because everything was a metaphor and nothing worked as it should in here. But to my relief, the liquid clung to the straw, allowing me to wipe it away. I was panting hard, but a smile crept onto my face. It worked! My smile froze when I noticed the straw started to blacken and smoke in my hand. I threw it as far away as I could.
I grabbed more bushels, throwing the used ones, smoking and sizzling, as far as I could. I didn’t have much time to imagine what just happened behind the scenes for this to make sense. Was I distracting some micro virus by making it attach itself to blocks of useless data? Belatedly, I realized I didn’t care. All that mattered was that the acid was gone, even though it had certainly fucked me up.
It hurt like a motherfucker, and even though it wasn’t nearly as bad as what the spider had done before, where the acid had gotten through my armor, my flesh had reddened and bubbled like the worst kind of rash. I was also pretty certain that some of my tissue had just… melted.
“Another, Sultana!” Zephyro yelled. “Show me another!” He had stopped swinging, instead holding a tense pose, ready to explode into action.
Panting, I ignited my Torch once more, gripping it tighter. My combat gloves had long since become tattered messes, and my sweaty palms made it harder to keep a grip on the weapon. It kept trying to slip through my fingers. I willed my body to move, but it refused.
{CPU Load: ▼ 61%}
{Core Temp: ▼ 86° C}
Instead of sprinting back into battle as I had intended, I rested my fists on my knees and combated my fatigue. I stared at the rats as they came closer, shooting Zephyro a helpless glance. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.
{CPU Load: ▼ 51%}
{Core Temp: ▼ 84° C}
Holy crap, how long did it take to vent some heat? The rats were completely ignoring Zephyro now, probably having identified me as the major threat. Or easier prey.
I watched my Core Temp dip to 83° and finally managed to lift Pharus, flaring it just in time to weakly bat away a paw trailing acrid smoke from disgustingly long claws. The rat hadn’t escaped the acid blast unscathed either, however. Patches of its steel-wire fur were gone, revealing burned and blistered skin.
[>>PROCESSES BY USER PrZnQUr_22 are now highlighted]
{CPU Load: ▲ 81%}
{Core Temp: ▲ 85° C}
Fuck me, I needed a better CPU, and soon. Luckily Zephyro did not take long to dispatch the rat I had managed to mark, leaving me exchanging glares with the last remaining one as its former brother dissolved into motes of cyan light.
“Come and get me, fucker,” I panted. It sounded way less threatening than I wanted it to. The rat chittered at me, then looked at the cyan cloud right next to it. I cursed and stumbled forward It turned its head back to me, ever so slowly, and I could have sworn it grinned at me as it started to absorb the Logic into itself, rapidly mutating in the process.
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In a manner of seconds, the Feral healed itself, fur growing back over splotchy skin. It was far from done. Cyan light shone from its shifting, spasming body as it grew leaner, more muscular, and taller at the same time. The result looked more like a ferret on steroids than a rat, if that ferret was sporting oily black skin with a disturbing green sheen.
It eyed me hungrily and when it opened its mouth in challenge, its call sounded like a needle rapidly raking over a hard drive. The noise went straight into my head, and my vision swam as a blinding headache erupted.
I could barely make out the Feral as it dashed in my direction. I shook my head to clear my eyes and managed to refocus just in time to see a black paw trailing oily green smoke heading straight for my chest. The claws dug in deep, raking through my flesh where the armor had already failed.
[DPM integrity]
▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱ 62% ▼▼▼
{CPU Load: ▼ 39%}
{Core Temp: ▼ 83° C}
For a brief moment, before the pain started, I wondered why my heat hadn’t gone up. Then I remembered my armor was still offline. Then blood spilled from the gash and I cried out, clutching at my breast. I had sunk enough heat to be able to use Pharus’ marking ability again but between the ringing headache and the pain from the gash on my torso, I started to falter. Maybe I was making the wrong decisions. Maybe I should have— No! My heartbeat throbbed in my temples and my vision narrowed. I needed to stay focused. The damn beast wouldn’t get me. Not like this, not today, not ever.
The exhaustion made the fury as hard to grasp as my Torch, and it kept slipping away, forcing me to pull it back up. I would not allow it to abandon me. I needed it. It would keep me safe. Because nothing else would.
The Feral moved, and to my senses, it was little more than a blur as it approached again. I put all my anger into a mighty scream and let my torch blaze.
And missed.
The Feral flowed around my weapon like water, barreled into me, and sunk its teeth into my neck. My breath stopped in my throat. My entire body seized.
{CONNECTION ATTEMPT BY USER TRZster_24 }
{CONNECTING…}
Pure terror gripped me and caressed my thoughts lovingly as it swallowed them whole. The Torch clattered to the ground. I thrashed, spasmed, shook, and tried to get it off but it just kept hanging on and my neck hurt so bad and I beat it with my fists and kneed it and every time it moved it hurt so, so bad and
{CONNECTING..}
[DPM integrity]
▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱ 38% ▼▼▼
yelling for help and for it to stop I threw my weight around trying to squish it and something bumped and it scratched my thighs and rolled back on top of me
{CONNECTING.}
[>>PROCESSES BY USER TRZster_24 are now highlighted]
{CONNECTED.}
{INITIALIZING DATA TRANSFER}
{DATA TRANSFER ABORTED}
The rat suddenly went limp and I pushed it off of me with a scream that barely sounded human to my ears. It was all primal fear and rage, and very little thought.
[DPM integrity]
▰▰▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱ 12% ⚠ ▼▼▼
The rat landed with a wet “thwop” and melted like butter in a hot pan. Cyan motes rose from its liquefied remains, and I scrambled towards them, pulling them into me with all the desperate intent I could muster.
{INCOMING LOGIC - 155 LB}
{AVAILABLE LOGIC - 247 LB}
I twisted, trying to get my bearings, and only when I saw Zephyro did my frantic breathing start to relax. He stood over me like a guardian of old, a silhouette drawn in red and silver by the light of his moon. He was facing the square where the cyan fog left behind by the acid rat started to vanish. Oh no, no, no… I reached for it and whisps of blue streamed towards me. Most of them vanished before they could flow into my palm, but what remained still left me with a massive bounty.
{INCOMING LOGIC - 123 LB}
{AVAILABLE LOGIC - 370 LB}
“Fuck!” I yelled. It echoed over the square and some of the refugees frantically trying to get into the palace paused to look at me. I grimaced and got to my knees. I couldn’t let them see me like this. Still feeling bone-tired, I willed Logic into my body, healing my wounds. As the light enveloped me, I focused on my other readouts, too.
{CONSUMED LOGIC - 25 LB}
{AVAILABLE LOGIC - 355 LB}
[DPM integrity]
▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ 100%
{CPU Load: ▼ 41%}
{Core Temp: ▼ 84° C}
I forced myself to think about what had just happened, even if I wanted to do literally anything else in the world. I had fucked up. Again. When would I finally learn? Not only had I overexerted myself at the beginning of the fight, but when the chance presented itself to act, I had just stood there like an idiot until it had been too late. I needed to mark enemies for Zephyro, and he would kill them. It was as easy as that.
Super easy…