Chapter 5 - Death
The Fenrir shook its massive head, a low rumble vibrating deep in its chest.
Its wounds began to close as something unnatural squirmed beneath its thick fur, pulling torn flesh together like invisible threads.
Nex watched in growing dread. This wasn't normal.
This wasn't even advanced biology. Whatever was inside the creature wasn't healing it, it was rebuilding it.
His pulse quickened, his heartbeat hammering in his ears. Panic clawed his mind. The only thought cutting through the haze of terror was a single word.
Escape.
The beast's growl deepened, its massive frame crouching low. Then, in a blur of motion, it charged.
Nex threw himself to the side, his battered body barely dodging the razor-sharp claws that tore gouges into the cavern floor where he'd been lying. Pain flared through him as he landed hard on his side.
Ignoring the agony, he scrambled to his feet, his legs heavy and unsteady.
The cave's exit was just ahead.
He stumbled toward it, ready to escape this monster.
Behind him came a sound that froze him in place.
A howl. No, not just a howl, a keening, soul-piercing wail that reverberated through the cavern like a death knell.
The hairs on the back of Nex's neck stood on end.
Before he could react, a force slammed into him like a loaded train.
He was hurled through the air, crashing into the jagged cave wall with a sickening thud.
His body crumpled to the ground, limp and broken. White-hot pain tore through him, threatening to drag him into unconsciousness.
[Warning: Body Condition Critical!]
[Solution: Seek Immediate Treatment!]
The soft glow of the wrist device flickered faintly, its alerts mocking him in his helpless state.
Blood pooled beneath him, dark and viscous, seeping from shredded flesh. His ether suit hung in tatters, its once-reliable protection reduced to useless scraps.
"I'm not… ready to die," he rasped, his voice barely audible over the throbbing roar in his skull.
He pressed his back against the cold stone wall, using it as support to prop himself up.
The Fenrir's glowing eyes locked onto him, like embers in the dim light. It advanced with slow steps, its hulking frame casting a shadow over Nex.
With trembling fingers, Nex reached for the ether gun to his right. His blood-slicked hand closed around the weapon, the metal cold and unfamiliar in his failing grip.
He raised it, his aim shaky, and squeezed the trigger.
ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!
The shots rang out, the sound deafening in the enclosed space. The Fenrir dodged each one with extreme speed, the shots sparking harmlessly off the cavern walls.
Click. Click. Click.
[Low on Ether energy! Recharge!]
[Low on Ether energy! Recharge!]
[Low on Ether energy! Recharge!]
He barely had time to register the deep snarl from the beast before it pounced.
A massive claw swiped through the air, and a sharp, blinding pain tore through him as the Fenrir's blow connected.
His arm, gun and all, was gone. Severed cleanly.
Blood sprayed in an arc, splattering across the stone floor. His detached limb landed several feet away, the fingers still twitching uselessly.
Nex's vision blurred, his strength fading as shock took over.
The Fenrir stood above him, its maw opening wide to reveal rows of jagged teeth.
In the next moment, it clamped down on his shoulder, its jaws sinking deep into muscle and bone.
The pain should be unbearable, Yet, he felt nothing at this moment.
Even as his life faded away, his fading gaze locked onto the beast.
Beneath the Fenrir's fur and muscle, something vile twisted and churned, a writhing mass, like countless worms tunneling through its flesh.
[Unidentified Parasite Detected.]
[Rank: ???]
[Description: ???]
The glowing notification on his wrist blinked to life, dragging him back from the brink of unconsciousness.
He was going to die here, just another forgotten soul in a merciless land, his story erased and his body consumed.
"No!"
The word erupted from his throat, raw and defiant, cutting through the haze of despair.
His trembling fingers fumbled for the knife strapped to his side, gripping its hilt as if it were his last tether to life.
The blade wavered in his weakening hand, but the fire in his eyes refused to dim.
"You're… coming with me," he growled through gritted teeth, his voice a mix of fury and desperation.
Summoning every ounce of strength left in his broken body, Nex drove the knife upward.
The blade plunged into the Fenrir's open maw, piercing deep into its throat.
The beast reared back, a deafening roar of pain shaking the cavern.
Blood sprayed from its jaws, hot and thick, splattering across Nex's battered form. The pressure of the Fenrir's teeth around him released, and he crumpled to the ground like a doll with its strings cut.
His body lay still, the last remnants of his strength drained.
The world blurred, and darkness closed in.
[Name: Nex]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 21 Years Old]
[Current Wilderness: Mutated Forest]
[Awakened Talent: Fenrir]
[Current Points: 1550]
[Ether Energy Reserve: 0 PT]
[Current Body Condition: Recovering]