Second Test [The Maze (3)]

The Maze Crawler let out a raw screech that reverberated through the maze, its tentacles striking out in a frenzy, lashing toward Tess and the green-eyed girl.

They moved in tandem without a word exchanged, darting to the walls as if gravity itself was a mere suggestion. Their steps were light but fast, their movements perfectly timed as they evaded the Maze Crawler's relentless assault. Tentacles slammed into the walls behind them, leaving cracks and gouges where moments ago they had stood.

The first problem with Maze Crawlers, Tess thought, sidestepping another strike, Is that once you miss your first chance to kill them, things get ugly.

She sighed inwardly, her eyes flicking to the beast as its attacks grew faster, more precise. They adapt. It was the one thing that made them a nightmare to deal with in the game. Her cyber blade glinted in the dim, pulsating light of the maze, but she already knew the truth.

"You're useless against it now," Tess muttered, her voice barely audible over the screeches and the crashing of tentacles. She looked at the weapon in her hand, shaking her head. "Completely useless."

A quick glance at the green-eyed girl showed her moving with the same detached efficiency as always, evading every attack with fluid speed. Her dull, lifeless eyes met Tess's for a brief moment, and Tess called out, her voice cutting through the chaos.

"Don't use your rifle now!" Tess warned. "Wait for the right moment, or it'll adapt to that too."

The girl landed lightly on the ground, her sniper slung across her back. Her expression remained as neutral as ever, though her calm, detached voice carried across the din. "I suppose you have a plan?... Since you missed the kill deliberately,"

Tess smirked, vaulting back onto the wall as another tentacle slammed where she had been standing. "If we're in sync, you'll figure it out."

The green-eyed girl exhaled faintly, but her face betrayed no reaction.

The Maze Crawler's screech rose in intensity as it locked its gaze on them, its tentacles a blur of movement.

Then Tess stopped running.

Her feet hit the ground, and she turned to face the creature head-on. The moment stretched, the tension in the air coiling like a spring. The Maze Crawler roared, lunging forward, its claws swiping with deadly intent.

Tess surged forward, her cyber blade flashing as she slashed at its grotesque form. Slash! Slash! The strikes landed true, but they did nothing. The beast had already adapted, its flesh hardened against the weapon.

It retaliated, one massive claw arcing toward her with feral rage.

But before it could reach her...

BOOM!

A shot rang out, deafening in the enclosed space. The oppressive energy of a sniper's round tore through the Maze Crawler's torso, the blast obliterating its twisted form in an explosion of blue light and gore. The beast's remains dissolved into pixelated fragments, scattering into the air like the remnants of a glitch.

[Third Kill]

[Eliminate The 4 Maze Crawlers]

[Remaining (1/4)]

Tess stood still, her cyber blade lowered, her gaze fixed on the space where the creature had been moments ago. Her lips quirked in faint amusement. "Didn't expect someone else to get another kill already," she murmured.

From the shadows, the green-eyed girl emerged, her sniper rifle slung back over her shoulder. Her movements were as calm and slow as ever, her face unreadable.

Tess turned to her, her stance relaxing slightly. "I'm Tess," she said with a smile, gesturing broadly with her hands. "May I have the perfect honor of knowing your name?" She blinked at the girl, her expression a mix of curiosity and charm.

The green-eyed girl walked past her without stopping, her voice cold and even as she replied, "Berk." She paused briefly before adding, "Cooperating now doesn't mean we'll be allies in the future." Her tone was emotionless, final.

Berk disappeared into the maze, her figure swallowed by the shadows.

Tess watched her go, her smile lingering. She twirled the cyber blade in her hand, her orange eyes glinting like someone that heard something amusing...

"Oh.... we'll see about that," she said softly, her voice carrying just a hint of mischief.