The monster’s hand squeezed hard and fast. I gasped as my bones creaked, feeling as if my ribs would be crushed in the next instant and that my chest would burst. My mind went blank in panic, and I did the only thing that came to mind, I used my essence like a hammer, a force of pure brute power, and blasted it outward in a rush like lightning strike!
The hand couldn’t withstand the sudden flex of energy as it tore away, leaving me wheezing on the ground in confusion. I could hear flesh tearing and the monster’s painful scream as the attack hit.
"Really, what is even happening?"
I glared at the monster’s shredded flesh, watching it still twitching as if just a little more power would be enough to reanimate it. I looked around. ’Is that lute-playing bastard gone already?’
A sharp thud, followed by the sound of falling rocks, drew my attention to where Kade and Garran were fighting the remaining monster. They were cornered with their backs against angled stones jutting out from the wall. Kade kept the monster at bay with periodic bolts of lightning, while Garran leaned against the wall, clutching his bleeding hand, his face twisted with pain.
I understood the situation immediately and weighed my options. ’Should I help them or not? Right now, the tunnel is collapsed, and I can’t make a quick getaway and I might need their help digging later, after some rest.’
’And that monster will also come after me when it’s finished with them anyway. Not to mention the lute player. I should finish it with Kade now. Helping him is also helping myself!’
I sighed, checked my core, and began walking toward the monster slowly, my face tightening in a slight frown. ’Now that I’m not under a sudden assault, I know a technique I can attempt. Why didn’t I think of this before? Is this the gap between a veteran and a novice? Not able to properly know how to react in face of a sudden attack?’
I know I am still inexperienced in matters of fighting, especially in sudden ambush and attacks.
I narrowed my eyes in concentration and made the essence in my core circulate faster, flowing through every inch of my body and at the same time, packing into my hands. I raised my right hand and then clenched my fist as if holding a sword.
Meanwhile, Kade thought he was about to die. Each bolt of lightning he threw grew weaker than the last, and the monster seemed to be toying with him.
Garran was breathing heavily beside him, utterly spent, and Kade was down to the last dregs of his essence. He couldn’t accept that he would die in a cave, hunting fledgling monsters. "A gang leader like me, dying here? How pathetic!"
The monster kept closing the gap, its massive arms swiping closer each time.
Kade smiled bitterly as the next lightning bolt he tried to summon fizzled into sparks on his fingertips. "A shame, truly."
Just then, he heard a hum, that’s quickly followed by a blue-white light that bathed the cave. A wave of condensed power erupted behind the monster—which twisted around—but it was too late. A massive sword of light, taller than the monster, cleaved it from shoulder to torso.
The monster twitched and fell, its innards spilling with a wet splatter as the two halves collapsed separately.
Kade stared at the towering sword, his mouth agape. It was shaped like a longsword, but its sheer size left him stunned. How much essence had been used to create it? A wave of dread and urgency suddenly flashed through him. ’Was Vale even trying when we fought earlier?’
I grinned and let the sword dissipate, nodding in satisfaction. ’Indeed. A full core shows my true potential. I could create one more sword like that and hold it for a while, though it would leave me nearly drained.’
Kade whistled, his expression changing. "To kill that monster in one strike! You’re really powerful, Vale!"
I shrugged, my eyes scanning the shadows warily for any sign of the lute player. "It’s nothing. Are you alright, Garran?"
The man huffed and slid down the wall, still gripping his wounded hand. His face was pale, pulled into a grimace, and his eyes were heavy with exhaustion. "I’ll manage... if we get out of here soon."
I nodded and turned toward the collapsed tunnel. Now that the fight was over, fatigue weighed on me, but my eyes gleamed. ’At least I know what I can do with my power.’
’And it’s terrifying’
There wasn’t much to say after that. Kade and I turned our attention to the tunnel, giving ourselves a brief rest before starting to clear the rubble. Our only security against the lute player was the faint hope we would sense any danger coming first. Garran, still trying to hold on, was in no condition to help.
I used concentrated beams of essence to keep blasting the stones into dust, while Kade moved the debris away from the entrance.
After about an hour of backbreaking work, we emerged into the open, relieved to see the sun again. We didn’t linger, heading back directly into the tunnel to retrieve Garran, only to find the man dead.
There were no signs of foul play, he seemed to have succumbed to too much blood loss. We bundled the body with strips of bloody cloth, and dragged it back to camp.
Flying monsters attempted to snatch the body on the way, but quick essence spikes from Kade and me knocked them away. We reached the camp in silence. I left the task of reporting to the Nyxori to Kade and returned to my quarters.
All the while, I felt as though unseen eyes were watching me, waiting to strike.
I had thought I left the shadows of my clan behind, at least for a while but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Now, they wanted me dead, and they weren’t subtle about it.