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Wiping the blood off my sword, I took a steadying breath, letting the last traces of adrenaline ebb from my veins. I slipped the blade back into its sheath, the faint metallic hiss echoing softly in the silence of the cave.
Reaching into my ring, I pulled out the torch and struck it to life, a weak, white glow spilling out to illuminate the scene.
The bodies of the two monsters lay twisted and still on the stone floor, their massive forms casting long shadows against the walls. I crouched down beside them, letting my gaze roam over their corpses, every detail coming into focus. Something about their injuries seemed… wrong.
“Wait…” I muttered, leaning in closer.
The injuries weren’t all mine. Some were shallow, slicing across sinew and muscle, clearly intended to wound, not kill. Others ran jagged and deep, almost surgical in their precision. These weren’t the chaotic marks of a creature in a frenzy—they were deliberate.
“What the hell…?” All the injuries were deep but not deep enough for them to die or become unable to move.
Something was playing with them…
As I recalled my recent encounter with the acid spewing lizard elite…he was too playing and ordering the normal lizard monsters…
Frowning, I adjusted the torch, angling it to get a better look. The first monster had a particularly nasty slice along its shoulder, deep enough to expose the bone.
The second monster had claw marks running down its side, as though something had raked it with claws twice as large as its own. These weren’t defensive wounds. They weren’t the marks of a creature fighting for its life.
Yeah, something probably an Elite class was playing with them or maybe punishing them.
They were running, did the Elite let them run or did they escape…
NO…did the elite let them go purposely…
A chill settled over me, prickling the skin along my arms as I processed the implications.
Facing another elite. Or maybe something even worse.
I swallowed, feeling my heart quicken, my pulse hammering against my ribs as the thought of another encounter sank in.
Great, I thought, feeling the familiar weight of dread settle over me. As if this place wasn’t bad enough.
fuuu
Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I forced the rising anxiety back down. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on hypothetical threats; I needed to stay sharp and focused on the here and now.
“Let’s finish the task at hand first,”
I glanced back down at the corpses, the raw, brutalized flesh stark against the cold stone floor.
Waste nothing, I reminded myself.
Okay, the bones are super helpful taking all of those…get to work Lexi…
Crouching beside the first monster, I pulled out my small but sharp knife and set to work, slicing through tough sinew and thick muscle, pulling free the largest, sturdiest bones.
The claws came next, thick and curved, each one nearly as long as my hand. I separated them carefully, my blade slipping between cartilage and bone with practiced ease, each claw clicking softly as I stored it in the ring.
The process was quick but methodical, each piece was carefully examined before I stowed it away. As I worked, I kept my senses stretched, Exira pulsing faintly in the back of my mind, a silent alarm ready to jolt me into action at the slightest hint of movement. The silence in the cave felt unnatural, almost oppressive as if the darkness itself was watching, waiting.
My eyes darted to the passage, the faint glow of the torch casting wavering shadows that twisted and danced along the walls.
Stay focused, I reminded myself, forcing my attention back to the task. Anything that can keep you alive is worth the effort.
Once I’d gathered everything useful from the corpses, I wiped the blade clean on the edge of my sleeve and sheathed it, straightening up and scanning the scene one last time. The bodies lay gutted and hollowed, stripped of anything that could serve a purpose.
The smell of blood and decay hung thick in the air, mingling with the earthy dampness of the cave, creating a scent that clawed at the back of my throat. I forced myself to ignore it, pushing the torch forward to light my path as I moved cautiously toward the darkened passage ahead.
Thanks, El for the ring…no carrying luggage around is a lifesaver.
With every step, I stretched Exira out, letting it expand like a net around me, attuning to every faint vibration, every subtle shift in the air. My heart hammered in my chest, the weight of my discovery pressing heavily on my mind.
The memory of those wounds—intentional, a mark of something that hunted not for sustenance but for control—lingered like a dark shadow in my thoughts.
fuu
A faint shiver ran down my spine, and I tightened my grip on the torch, casting a wary glance back over my shoulder. The corpses were now mere shadows in the distance, twisted and indistinct, half-obscured by the darkness. I forced myself to keep moving forward, ignoring the prickling sensation at the base of my neck.
One step at a time, I reminded myself, my voice a faint whisper in the dark.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
I kept my breathing low, controlled, each breath slow and steady as I moved forward in the dark, Exira flowing outward like a net around me. The torch remained tucked away, its light too much of a risk, too obvious a beacon in this murky abyss. Only Exira guided me now, tendrils of awareness extending into the shadows, feeling every inch of the space ahead, catching the faintest shifts in the air.
A sound reached me—quiet at first, but unmistakable. A wet, sickening crunch, followed by the slurp of flesh and bone being ripped apart. I froze, every nerve on edge, and turned Exira up to level one, amplifying my senses further, sharpening them to deadly precision.
As I crept closer, the sounds grew louder, more visceral, echoing off the stone walls until each bite, each squelch of torn flesh, seemed to vibrate through my bones.
I moved with deliberate caution until I reached the edge of a wide opening in the cave. Staying low, I pressed myself against the rock wall and peered around the corner. The scene before me made my stomach twist.
Corpses littered the ground—broken, twisted bodies, their limbs bent at unnatural angles, their flesh torn and mangled. And in the center of it all stood a towering creature, its frame lean and muscular, like some twisted mockery of a human. Its long, bony arms ended in serrated bone blades jutting from its elbows, their edges glistening with fresh blood. It stood upright, unnervingly humanoid, but its head was elongated, a grotesque snout filled with mismatched, jagged teeth, each one glinting with bits of flesh as it chewed.
Yellow eyes, cold and predatory, swept over the corpses before settling on me with a terrible, focused intensity.
My heart plummeted. An elite. Damn it, an elite. I felt a chill crawl up my spine, a primal part of me screaming to turn and run. But there was no time.
The creature let out a guttural hiss, its tongue lashing out wildly as it tossed aside the corpse it had been feeding on, the body skidding across the stone floor like a discarded rag.
It lowered its head, glaring at me with a feral intensity, those yellow eyes burning with savage intelligence.
“Shit!” was all I managed to get out before it lunged.
The ground shattered and exploded where I’d been standing, chunks of rock exploding outward as I rolled to the side, barely dodging the strike. I sprang to my feet, bringing my shield up just in time to deflect another swing. The force of the impact surged through my arm, a raw shock of pain that numbed my fingers as I staggered back, trying to put distance between us.
“Damn it,” I muttered, tasting blood as I felt the sting of a fresh wound. A quick glance down revealed a thin slash across my stomach, blood seeping through the torn fabric. I tightened my grip on my sword, forcing myself to ignore the throbbing ache.
The creature’s bone blades extended from its elbows like twin scythes, gleaming in the dim light, and I cursed my luck.
Of course, I had to run into an elite monster with the skill to wield those blades like a natural weapon. Its movements were fast, precise, every swing measured, every lunge calculated.
I circled it, keeping low, trying to read its movements. My mind raced, calculating the best approach, my senses heightened by Exira’s influence. I felt the familiar strain start to press against my mind, but I pushed it down, forcing myself to focus.
No time for hesitation. If I don’t get this right, I’m dead.
fuuu
The creature lunged again, and I parried with my shield, absorbing the impact. Sparks flew as its blade clashed with metal, a high-pitched shriek that set my teeth on edge. I struck back, swinging my sword toward its midsection, but it dodged, slipping just out of range with an agility that seemed impossible for something so massive.
I cursed under my breath, barely managing to sidestep as it retaliated, its blade narrowly missing my face.
Blood pounded in my ears, my pulse racing as I blocked another attack.
“Fine. You want to dance? Let’s dance,” I growled, pouring more Exira into my body, and pushing it to level two. The power coursed through me, dulling the pain, sharpening my reflexes, and turning each movement into a fluid, lethal strike.
Fuuu
With Exira coursing through me I felt time slowing down, I could perceive all but it is difficult to maintain since using Exira at level two actively felt like someone hammering on my head.
fuuu
The creature lunged again, its blades coming at me from both sides in a pincer-like maneuver. I threw my shield up, catching one blade while sidestepping to avoid the other. I had been honing my sword with Exira ever since the fight began and sensing an opportunity, I swung my sword in a downward arc, aiming for its torso. The blade hissed with purple energy, crackling as it sliced through the air, and for a split second, I saw an opening.
Haaaa…got you fucker…
I struck, and my sword connected, cutting a deep gash along its side. The creature let out a guttural scream, staggering back, but before I could press the advantage, it twisted, swinging its remaining blade toward me. I barely had time to block, the impact sending me reeling back, the breath knocked from my lungs.
“Not…good enough,” I spat, wiping blood from the corner of my mouth as I adjusted my stance.
The creature snarled, yellow eyes blazing with rage as it lunged at me again, closing the distance in a single bound. I brought up my shield to block, but this time I was ready.
As its blade clanged against my shield, I pushed Exira to level three ignoring the increased pain in my head, as I felt the raw, intense power surge through me, every nerve humming with energy.
Channeling more into my sword, the blade igniting with a fierce, violet glow, crackling with energy as I twisted, slashing with everything I had.
The blade connected, biting deep into the creature’s flesh, slicing clean through its left arm. The severed limb fell to the ground with a sickening thud, blood spraying across the stone floor in thick, dark arcs. The creature howled in agony, its eyes wide with rage and pain, but it didn’t back down. Instead, it lashed out, a wild, frenzied swing that I barely blocked in time, the force reverberating through my entire body.
Gritting my teeth, I pushed back, holding steady against its onslaught. The creature’s strength was monstrous, every strike heavy, each one a battering force that strained my shield and my endurance.
But I didn’t let up. I couldn’t afford to. One mistake, and I’d be dead.
With a surge of Exira, I steadied myself, pouring every ounce of focus into my next move. I waited for the right moment, feeling the creature’s rhythm, its patterns, reading the tension in its muscles as it prepared to strike again.
The instant it moved, I channeled Exira into a final, devastating blow, the power surging down my arm, through my sword, amplifying the force until it was nearly unbearable.
My blade arced through the air, connecting with the creature’s torso with a fierce, brutal impact. The violet energy of Exira exploded on contact, a crackling burst that sent shockwaves through the creature’s body. It went rigid, its eyes widening in shock as the light in them began to fade.
Like a puppet with its strings cut, it slumped to the ground, its body convulsing once before going still, the last remnants of life slipping away.
I stood over the corpse, breathing heavily, my chest rising and falling in sharp, ragged breaths.
The cave was silent once more, the only sounds were my own heartbeat and the faint crackle of Exira fading from my blade. I let out a long, shaky breath, the tension slowly easing from my muscles as the reality of my survival sank in.
“Finally,” I muttered, wiping sweat from my brow as I took one last look at the fallen creature, its twisted form slumped on the stone floor, lifeless.
Falling down on the floor as I breathed heavily, The fight though barely lasted a few minutes had burned through my endurance. Every muscle felt like they were burning, Forcing myself to sit I took out my water bottle and took slow small gulps of water. As I felt my body calming down I downed the water.
Haaa….haaaaa
Still breathing heavily as I had a thought why the fuck did I not placed the elite under Exira lock and then finished it.
Dumb Lexi indeed…
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