Chapter 6 – Fear and Fury

「Fear.」

The fear hit me the moment I stepped into the room, like a wall of suffocating dread. I'd faced monsters before—saber-toothed beasts, the shelf spiders—but this was different. This felt wrong, like the very air was tainted, like the world itself was screaming at me to turn back. My head spun, and my vision darkened at the edges, as though something unseen was draining the life from the room.

Yet, despite the primal terror clawing at me, I kept moving. My body acted on instinct, muscles tight, heart hammering. The urge to hunt had taken over, overpowering the fear. My ghoul side stirred beneath the surface, hunger gnawing at the pit of my stomach. My grip on the makeshift spear tightened until the wood creaked under the pressure. Saliva pooled in my mouth, my fangs sharpening as I bared them at the creature before me.

"I won't stop until you're dead," I growled, my eyes locked on the monstrous King Spider. "And when you fall, the iguana's next. So come at me… if you dare."

I crouched low, my glowing red eyes narrowing in focus. My fangs extended, claws sliding from my fingertips. An unfamiliar energy pulsed through my veins—orange and pink, in rhythm with my pounding heartbeat. My entire body trembled, but not with fear. No, this was pure anticipation.

The old white rat, my ever-loyal companion, seemed to sense what was coming. It leaped from my shoulder and scurried behind a pillar, its beady red eyes watching from the shadows. The King Spider screeched, its massive legs digging into the stone floor. The room trembled beneath its weight as it tensed, readying for an attack.

Without warning, it lunged—its massive form a blur of black and green, barreling toward me like a freight train of death.

I reacted on instinct. Pushing off the ground with all my strength, I barely dodged the spider's attack. My spear met its front legs with a metallic clang, the impact sending a shockwave through the room. Cobweb-covered skeletons were ripped from their corners, crashing into the stone walls, their bones clattering to the floor.

"My body feels... numb," I muttered, staggering back. "But I feel… so strong!"

Ignoring the pain, I lunged forward, aiming for the spider's head. But the King Spider was quicker. Its mandibles snapped around the spear, ripping it from my hands and tossing it aside like a toy.

Before I could react, one of its legs shot forward, slamming into my chest with bone-crushing force. I was hurled across the room, my back colliding with the stone wall in a sickening crack. Blood filled my mouth, the metallic taste overwhelming as I slumped to the ground.

"I… I was wrong…" I thought, gasping for air, staring at the looming figure. "How can anything be this strong?"

Pain shot through my chest, every breath a searing agony. Through blurred vision, I spotted the old white rat, peeking out from behind a skull. Its expression—oddly—was one of annoyance.

"God," I rasped, blood dripping down my chin. "Even now, you're sassy till the end, huh?"

I tried to stand, but my body refused. My ribs screamed in pain, and I could feel the King Spider closing in, its eyes gleaming with a cruel, malicious intent. It was going to finish me off, and I couldn't move. Couldn't fight. Time slowed, the inevitable drawing closer.

"Why… why did I ever think I could beat the iguana?" I whispered, tears welling up. "Hell, why did I think I could even take on that talking skull? I'm so… weak."

The tears spilled over, running down my cheeks. And just as all hope seemed lost, something happened that I never could've predicted.

The old white rat—despite every survival instinct it should've had—charged toward the King Spider. Its tiny feet pattered against the stone floor, and with a determined squeak, it leaped at the spider's neck. Its small horns pierced through the exoskeleton, and the spider hissed, momentarily stunned.

The King Spider's jaws snapped shut as it tried to spit acid, but the rat's attack threw off its timing, and the venom dripped uselessly onto the floor, sizzling against the stone.

The spider's many eyes glared down at the rat, burning with hatred. With a sharp flick of its head, it flung the rat across the room. I heard the heartbreaking squeak as it crashed into the wall and slid to the ground.

"No!" I screamed, adrenaline exploding through me. "How dare you!"

Something inside me broke. The fear, the pain—all of it was swallowed by an overwhelming wave of rage. My injuries didn't matter anymore. I pushed myself up, blood dripping through the tattered remains of my cloak. A stone gauntlet formed around my hand as I sprinted toward the spider, my steps cracking the stone beneath me.

"Why do I care so much?" I thought as I ran, my mind racing. "Why am I risking everything for a rat I barely even cared about months ago?"

And then it hit me, the answer clear as day.

"Because it saved me. And now, it's my turn to save it."

With a roar, I slammed my gauntlet into the King Spider's head, sending it skidding across the floor. Its legs flailed as it hissed in pain, struggling to recover.

I rushed to the rat's side, scooping its limp body into my hands. Its breathing was shallow, each tiny squeak weaker than the last. Tears blurred my vision as I held it against my chest, my heart breaking under the weight of its fragility.

"I-I won't let you die!" I choked out, my voice trembling. "I promise! Just... hold on a little longer!"

The rat's body was growing colder, its once lively tail now limp in my hand. My tears fell onto its tiny form as desperation took hold of me.

Then, without thinking—without even wanting to—I brought the rat closer to my mouth. My fangs extended further, the red glow returning to my eyes as the ghoul instincts surged uncontrollably. The hunger... it was overpowering.

"No… what are you doing?" I screamed at myself, horrified. "Stop it, you monster!"

But my body wouldn't listen. I felt my fangs pierce the rat's neck, a slight tremble running through me as I tasted its blood—warm, metallic, laced with something… strange.

For a moment, I felt sick, disgusted with myself. I tried to pull away, but the hunger was too strong, its grip tightening with every heartbeat. Then, just as I was about to lose control, I felt it—faint but steady.

The rat's pulse.

It was there, still there, beating softly against my lips. It wasn't dead.

I jerked back, staring down at the tiny creature, my heart pounding in disbelief. Slowly, its eyes fluttered open, glowing with a strange, otherworldly light. It scurried out of my hands and perched itself on my shoulder, its tail coiling gently around my neck.

"By blood, I am now bound to you as your familiar," a voice echoed in my mind, calm and serene. It was soft but carried a quiet strength. "Give me your command, and together, we will defeat this foe."

My breath caught in my throat. The voice was feminine, soothing in a way I hadn't expected. All this time, I had thought the rat was male. But in that moment, none of that mattered.

I stood, the pain in my body fading as a new strength coursed through me. The weight of the battle no longer seemed so crushing. I glanced at the King Spider, then at the rat, and clenched my fists.

"Let's finish this," I murmured, my voice steady as I faced the creature again. The rat remained perched on my shoulder, ready for the next move.

Together, we spoke as one, our voices interwoven.

"Inferior LIFEFORM!"