Chanter 2: The hunt

I slide out of the small grotto, my shell scraping against the rock with a grating metallic sound. My legs, still so unfamiliar, push me forward. My single blue camera takes in the vastness before me. This isn't an open sky. It's a forest. An underground forest. Strange trees stretch upwards. Their trunks look like luminous crystals, their leaves like giant, intensely green mushrooms. The ambient light pulses from them, bathing everything in a soft, bluish glow. The ground is a thick carpet of roots and moss. Sounds reach me. Distant crackles. Soft rustling. The air vibrates with an energy I don't yet understand. The Dungeon's ecosystem.

I attempt a step. My legs slip a little on the damp moss. I feel heavy. Clumsy. My unique camera scans the environment. Blurred shapes in the mushroom shadows. A movement.

A growl. It's close. Something emerges from the gloom. Low. Stocky. A bulbous body. Short legs. A head. Large. With a wide, fanged mouth. Bulging eyes. A goblin. Oh, delightful. As if reanimating as a metal arachnid wasn't enough, now I get to meet the local fauna. And honestly, they're not winning any beauty contests.

An information overlay appears on my shell.

[MONSTER DETECTED.]

[Name: Cave Goblin]

[Level: 2]

[STR: 5] [AGI: 7] [CON: 4] [INT: 2] [MP: 0]

[Weakness: Light (minor), Piercing Impacts.]

[Resistance: ---]

I'm Level 0. Its stats are similar, but its Level is twice mine. It's stronger. My body feels heavy. Unmastered. A cold wave of fear washes over me. This isn't a lab. This is real.

The goblin lets out a high-pitched shriek and lunges at me, a rusty dagger held out. Its short legs are surprisingly quick. I'm not ready. I try to retreat. My legs tangle. My body sways. The goblin slams into me. A brutal impact.

HP: 30/50

A critical internal alarm signal jolts through me. My shell has taken a severe hit. My plating feels vulnerable.

Panic. I need to hit it. I think "Sharp Tail Strike." My tail tenses. It whips out. But my control is terrible. It misses the goblin, whistling uselessly through the air. The goblin hops back, then cackles with a harsh, high-pitched sound.

It attacks again. Three rapid blows. Against my shell. Each impact shakes me violently. My internal systems shudder.

HP: 20/50

HP: 15/50

HP: 10/50

I'm down. My body vibrates with critical alert signals. I struggle to get back up. My internal system screams for energy. MP. "Electric Discharge." I activate it. A shrill whistle emanates from my shell. A wave of static energy ripples out. It hits the goblin. It screams, thrashing. Its bulging eyes go wide with madness. It trembles. Slowed. But it doesn't fall. It stays upright, its fangs bared.

MP: 0/20

I have no more magical energy. I'm empty. I push forward. My legs force themselves to move. One step. Two. I close the distance to the goblin. My tail. I concentrate. I force myself to visualize the strike. The sharp point. Right at it.

My tail tenses. It lunges. A metallic hiss. The point hits. A sharp crack. The goblin screams. It collapses. Trembling. Its eyes glassy. It's down. Immobile.

[MONSTER ELIMINATED: Cave Goblin. +30 XP.]

[XP: 30/100]

My body trembles. I'm Level 0. My HP is 10/50. My MP is 0/20. I won. But the struggle was brutal. I barely survived.

Vibrations. Stronger. More numerous. They're approaching. I'm not alone. My camera sweeps the environment. I see silhouettes. Multiple. Growls draw closer. A horde. Great. Just what I needed.

I can't fight. Not now. My HP is too low. My MP too. I need to run. But where? I lift my camera towards the cave ceiling. Luminous roots. Fissures.

Just below, they arrive. Three