Chapter 15: Grower not a Shower

As soon as the shattering, crashing, rending cacophony of sound assaulted Nathan's ears after his tendril penetrated, and presumably shattered the crystal, he knew he had probably made a bad call.

However, not even he could of predicted how bad a call he had made until he managed to gain his senses after a series of events that would unfold all at once. The first, occured seconds after the resonant crack rang out and it caused Nathan to fall to his feet instantly as the ground began to violently tremor.

The violence of the tremor was intense, so much so that it suitably weakened most of the buildings around Nathan especially given no thought was made to quake proofing any buildings in the UK due to it not being on a faultline.

Nathan's free tendril reacted, sensing the incoming danger and so instinctively launched into the ground behind Nathan pulling him free from the incoming rubble and spurring him into action.

The motion also freed Nathan's crystal impaled tendril which, Nathan noted, caused a a geyser of blackish liquid to spurt out with the force of a fire hose.

Deciding to be worried about the more pressing of concerns, rather than the potential of one, Nathan used his tendrils to rotate himself mid-air, so he was facing away from the crystal. Once again, with natural ease his feet and tendrils worked in flawless coalition to power him both away from the Spire and to evade the incoming debris showing down on him.

Despite the violent rocking of the ground, Nathan's supernatural reflexes, senses and strength enabled him to power through the maelstrom.

He flew through the streets like a graceful paper aero plane shot from a supersonic cannon. Leaping onto cars, to get height to leap onto traffic lights to leap into a large chunk of a building that would of crushed him had he attempted to run on ground level.

Running through an office space along its wall, as it seemingly lethargically fell to the ground in relation to his own speed. Leaping free from the building on the torn open side and pouncing between smaller chunks of debris, before landing back down on the road and continue to serpentine along it.

However, as he landed the shaking intensified further and Nathan could feel a distinct closer vibration under his feet as he powered on. Initially he thought nothing of it as he powered away down more and more winding streets, mainly due to his tendrils not reacting to it.

The sensation got closer, and although his tendrils did pick up on something Nathan got the impression they couldn't resolve anything further without focusing on whatever it was, which he didn't want to do given they were currently the only things providing the supernatural senses and speed he needed to not get squished by falling buildings or debris.

With that, he decided to chance a glance behind him and he saw a fissure in the road behind him that ran 1 to 1 with his course. It was like the road was a zipper, and he was the zip as further back the ground separated by a good 30 to 40 feet a burbling, black ooze writhing just below the surface in the crack.

Unfortunately for Nathan, the glance back slowed him just enough for the tear to catch up with him, and he felt himself fail to get purchase with his foot and begin to fall. His tendrils reacted immediately, pulling him clear but not before something erupted from the ground below tossing Nathan aside like a ragdoll and causing him to arc into the air.

Nathan slammed hard into the ground, but was relieved to find it was no longer quaking as it once was. However as he got to his feet in a dazed state, the first thing he was greeted by was a building sized, glossy, black scaled creature with ivory like patches of flesh situated in the joints and flexible areas. The creature was Quadra-pedal, but was arranged like an ant come centaur. The legs where attached to a long body that ran parallel to the ground, with a more humanoid torso extending vertically from one end of it.

Atop its head was a large, oblong head with two groups of three eyes where human eyes normally were, and one larger eye in the center of the forehead. The eyes that formed either triad were completely black and seemingly unblinking, but the larger eye remained closed.

There was a moment where Nathan and the beast stared at each other over the desolated street, separated by no more than a hundred feet give or take. Knowing his own speed, Nathan scrambled to a low squat, the movements driven more by instinct than conscious control.

Reacting to their master's intent, his tendrils focused in on the beast their ivory spines and front spike extending out with a vicious snap as they squared off like a snake either side of Nathan's head, towards the attacker.

The creature moved first, stomping one of its front feet and leaning its upper half down towards Nathan, opening its gaping maw of teeth that was akin to a lamprey's before letting out a cacophony of screeches that seemed to rattle the very world around Nathan.

What little glass had managed to stay partially intact from the pursuit, immediately shattered into dust from the screech, Nathan even had to firm his stance and push against the wall of sound which threatened to bowl him over.

The screech ended, and the beast erupted in motion like a charging, demonic, carapace covered centaur. Nathan was ready for it, and from his crouched position, he sprung up and to the side of the oncoming beast his tendrils lashing at the beasts flank as it careened past.

The strikes were fast, and powerful and lashed out in powerful arcs over Nathan's shoulders but none managed to pierce, only leaving a feint scratch mark on the chitin. Noticing his inability to cause damage this way, Nathan cursed as he landed on the rear flank of the beast, who had already managed to come to a stop and was now turning back onto him.

As it did, it reached its thick muscular arms out either side of it, and with a slight convulsion rippling down them, two blades pivoted out from it's forearm. Once this was done, it once again charged at Nathan, but this time in a far more controlled manner.

Once again Nathan attempted to leap clear, this time being cautious of the creatures new capabilities, a caution that paid off in so far as the fact the beast only managed to slam one of its blades through his right arm and into the ribs behind. The force of which causing a now dismembered Nathan, to be swatted out of the air and slammed through the wall of one of the still partially standing buildings around here.

Nathan passed out upon slamming into the building, crashing through the wall and top floor and then having the building fully collapse on top of him. He remembered everything leading up to that point, how the pain had erupted from his right side as the beast's blade sliced rather uncleanly through his arm, and impacted with one of his ribs which fortunately managed to stop further laceration.

When Nathan woke, a dull ache radiated through the entirety of his body. His mouth felt dry, as though he had been on a pure sand diet for the past week and as he stirred further his stomach made itself known with a distinct, lancing pang of hunger.

With his enhanced senses, Nathan could make out that he had been entombed in the building that he had been sent into. Due to the pain radiating from everywhere on his body, it was hard to pin-point exactly what had happened to him, but after a few moments of awkward shuffling he had a fairly solid idea.

His left leg had been crushed from the knee down, and was also likely impaled somewhere along its length too. His right leg was mostly fine, just covered by a heavy layer of rubble as with most of him. His tendrils were presently wrapped around each other tightly, and forming an arch above his head which is possibly the only reason his head survived fairly unharmed.

Deciding to dispel the thoughts of his inhuman pain tolerance he was now forced to clearly observe, Nathan worked on freeing his still attached, and mostly unharmed left arm and then set to work using it to try and clear as much rubble as he could, so he could try to pull himself out.

It took him a while, but once he removed enough to free his tendrils and give him a view of the outside it was plain sailing. Using his tendrils and arms to claw himself free, while he pushed with his legs as best he could. His left leg protested with bursts of pain, but Nathan pressed on clinging to the idea that the pain would vanish once he got free and his healing started.

Eventually he managed to crawl free and, after checking to see if the beast was still here, rolled onto his back panting. A part of his mind noting this was one of the few times ever since he became whatever this was that he had managed to exert himself to such a level.

He waited there for a while, expecting the pain in his battered and broken body to be replaced by the soothing cool touch of the black inky mist that belched from him anytime he was hurt.

However, the sensation never came and when he glanced at his wounds to investigate he did not see the mist as he had hoped. Before his mind entered a tailspin, he grounded himself by focusing on something positive that he had noticed: the wounds weren't bleeding despite how deep they were.

This brought a degree of comfort, and Nathan felt himself begin to calm slightly. But a nagging part at the back of his mind kept bringing focus to something he already knew, but didn't want to know. He needed meat, and in a condition such as his he couldn't afford to be a picky eater.

What was worst, was his tendrils were sensing someone or maybe a group without protective gear nearby, cowering in one of the many damaged buildings around here.