Blood of the Core

The darkness of the cavern closed over them like the jaws of a beast ready to swallow them whole. Gerda stood, fists clenched, the air trembling with her power, while before her the Dwellers-in-the-Depths—these vile, skeletal things with white eyes—moved with a sadistic slowness, as if savoring the fear seeping from her pores. Their claws, long and crooked, glinted in the crimson light of the crystal jutting from the heart of what they called the Core—a massive, pulsating machine of flesh and metal that breathed like a living thing. Gerda felt her heart hammering in her chest, but it wasn't just fear—it was rage, wild, untamed, ready to rip everything apart.

"You… are chosen," the lead Dweller repeated, its voice hissing like steam from a ruptured pipe. It stepped forward, clutching a crystal shard in its claws, sharp as a razor. Its gray face—if you could call it a face—twisted into something like a smile, revealing a slit of a mouth that oozed black sludge, thick and foul, like rotting blood.

Gerda didn't have time to respond. It lunged at her, fast as a shadow, and she barely dodged as its claws slashed the air where her throat had been. A cry—short, raw with pain—came from behind her. She spun around: one of the Dwellers had sunk its claws into Shi's shoulder, digging deep into flesh, blood gushing out in a torrent, soaking the cavern floor. Shi roared, his hands flaring with fire, and he struck the creature square in the chest. Flames licked its gray skin, and it shrieked—a high, piercing sound that made Gerda's ears ring. The thing staggered back, its chest smoking, but another leapt at Shi, claws tearing into his side. Blood sprayed like a fountain, and he crumpled to his knees, gasping.

"Shi!" Gerda screamed, but her voice drowned in the hum from the lead Dweller. It charged her again, and this time she didn't dodge. Her power erupted—the air clenched like a fist and smashed into its face. Its skull cracked with a wet crunch, black sludge splattering everywhere, coating her hands and face. The taste was vile—bitter, metallic, laced with death. She spat, but didn't stop. The Dwellers closed in, their movements faster now, sharper, and in their eyes burned not just menace—there was hunger, sadistic, animalistic.

Agatha screamed somewhere to her left. Gerda turned and saw shadows whip around her, coiling into tendrils that lashed at the Dwellers, tearing through their gray flesh. One tendril punched through a creature's chest, yanking out a pulsing black lump—heart or something worse. The thing collapsed, twitching in agony, but another seized Agatha, claws sinking into her thigh. Blood poured, mixing with the black ooze on the floor, and she fell, her face contorted in pain and terror.

"No!" Gerda lunged for her, but two more Dwellers blocked her path. One grabbed her arm, its claws slicing into her skin, shredding muscle down to bone. Pain seared through her like a red-hot knife, and she screamed, but she slammed it with gravity. The creature flew back, crashing into the wall with such force its body burst like an overripe fruit, guts—black and slimy—spilling onto the rocks, the stench hitting her so hard she doubled over, gagging.

The cavern turned into a slaughterhouse. Blood, black and red, flowed across the floor, pooling into sticky muck. The Dwellers didn't stop—they tore, slashed, reveling in every scream, every snap of bone. One grabbed Shi by the throat, claws clamping down, and Gerda heard cartilage crack with a wet pop. Shi gurgled, blood pouring from his mouth, soaking his chest, but he still fought, his fire flaring in weak bursts, scorching his attacker's skin. The Dweller howled but didn't let go—it squeezed harder, and Shi's eyes rolled back, his body going limp.

"Shi!" Gerda bolted toward him, but the Core in the center roared louder, and the ground beneath her shook. The crystal at its heart blazed brighter, and a beam of light—crimson, blinding—shot out. It struck a Dweller, and the thing screamed as its body melted, skin sliding off bones like wax, exposing muscle and sinew that burst apart, spraying everywhere. The smell of charred flesh filled the cavern, and Gerda clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from vomiting.

"It… awakens," rasped the lead Dweller, the one still alive. Its face was mangled from her blow, half its skull dangling by a flap of skin, but it still moved, hobbling toward the Core. "It… wants blood. Your… blood."

Gerda didn't have time to react. The floor split beneath her feet, and thin jets of black ooze erupted from the cracks, scalding hot like boiling water. One hit her leg, and she screamed—her skin blistered instantly, peeling off in strips, exposing raw red meat. The pain was unbearable, but she forced herself up, leaning on Agatha, who limped beside her, her thigh torn to the bone.

"We… have to get out," Agatha croaked, her face pale as chalk, her shadows trembling, fading. But there was nowhere to go. The Dwellers advanced, claws gleaming with blood, and the Core hummed louder, its crystal pulsing like a heart about to burst.

And then the heavens fell.

Far above, Jizi, the mechanical goddess, watched with cold indifference. Her colossal form, floating in the stratosphere, tensed, and from her paw dropped another artifact—a metal orb the size of a fist, studded with spikes that crackled with blue light. It plummeted like a meteor, piercing the clouds, and slammed into the earth just above the cavern. The explosion was deafening—the ground quaked, the cavern walls groaned, and the ceiling began to collapse. Massive chunks of stone crashed down, crushing Dwellers like insects. One was pinned under a boulder—its body burst, guts spilling out, long and slick, its head splitting like a nut, splattering black sludge everywhere.

Gerda dropped to her knees, shielding her head as rocks rained around her. One slammed into her shoulder, and she heard bone snap. Pain shot through her, but she gritted her teeth, watching as the Core in the center cracked. The crystal shattered with a deafening ring, and a wave of energy poured out—crimson, scorching, sweeping everything in its path. The nearest Dwellers were torn apart—bodies shredded into pieces, arms and legs flying like broken toys, blood spraying in geysers, painting the walls.

"Agatha!" Gerda shouted, but her voice was lost in the roar. She crawled toward her, clawing through the blood-slick floor. Agatha lay nearby, pinned under a rock, her chest crushed, blood trickling from her mouth, mingling with the black ooze. She was still breathing, faintly, her golden eyes dimming.

"Hold on…" Gerda grabbed her hand, but then the Core erupted fully. The energy wave hit them, hurling them back. Gerda slammed into the wall, her back cracking, and she felt something warm running down her legs—blood, her own. She looked down and saw a crystal shard lodged in her gut, buried deep in her flesh. Blood poured out, soaking her clothes, and she coughed, tasting metal in her throat.

The cavern was collapsing. Rocks fell, the ground split, and from the rubble, more Dwellers crawled—bodies mangled, half their flesh flayed, but still moving, claws reaching for her with sadistic greed. One slithered toward Agatha, its long fingers digging into her face, tearing skin, and she screamed—a weak, agonized sound that cut off as it ripped out her throat. Blood gushed, pooling around her, and Agatha went still, her body limp in a lake of her own death.

"No!" Gerda lunged forward, but her legs gave out. She fell, face-first into the muck of blood and guts, and felt a Dweller grab her ankle. Its claws sank in, snapping bone, and she screamed, thrashing to break free. Her power flared again, and the air crushed the thing—its body exploded, innards splattering across her face, and she turned away, choking on the stench.

But it wasn't over. The Core, even broken, lived on. From its wreckage, black ooze flowed, shaping something new—a towering figure, taller than any Dweller, with arms studded with spikes and a face that was one gaping maw of teeth. It stepped toward her, the ground shaking under its weight.

"You… its meal," it growled, its voice low as thunder, laced with mocking, sadistic glee. "You… die… slow."

Gerda lay there, bleeding out, surrounded by rubble and corpses. Shi was dead—his body torn in half, guts trailing across the floor like snakes. Agatha was dead, her face a bloody mask. And she… she was still breathing, but she felt life draining with every drop of blood. Yet inside, rage still burned. She wouldn't give up. Not now.

Jizi and Her Sadistic Game

High in the sky, Jizi watched this nightmare with a cold smirk—if a mechanical cat could smirk. Her immense, metallic body radiated light, but it held no warmth, only detached cruelty. She dropped another artifact—a long rod lined with blades—that plunged into the earth near the cavern. It vibrated, unleashing waves of energy that split the ground, triggering more collapses. Rocks fell like hail, smashing what remained of this world—trees, bones, bodies. Jizi wasn't just reshaping the planet. She was toying with it, like a sadist with a victim, tossing her artifacts—tools of death and chaos. One, the spiked orb, lay near Gerda, sparking, and she knew—it wasn't salvation. It was another trap, another taunt from the goddess watching from above, waiting for her to break.

The Core's creature stepped closer, its teeth snapping in the air, and Gerda felt her body tremble—not from fear, but from pain and fury. She clenched her fist, blood oozing from the wound in her gut, and stared into that maw of death.

"Come here," she rasped, her voice weak but ringing with hate. "I'm… still alive."

The thing leaned down, its breath reeking of rot and metal, and Gerda knew—this was the end. But she wouldn't close her eyes. She'd face it head-on, like she always wanted. And somewhere deep inside, she hoped this wasn't the last thing she'd see.

The cavern kept crumbling, and the darkness swallowed everything.