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In a last breath, Lomar managed a weak smile. "You... you can do better, Kai. Don’t... let Darius... or anyone... break your spirit." Then his eyes closed, and his entire form went limp. That final exhale lingered like a haunting note in the hush. The glow faded from his exoskeleton. He was gone.
A trembling hush engulfed Kai’s mind. He bowed his head, tears slipping from his eyes. The star crystal mine, once a place of shining promise, now lay stained in blood and heavy sorrow.
Wiping his face with a shaky hand, he realized that Vexor, and Renna needed immediate help. Lomar’s final words echoed in his mind. A vow formed in his heart, "I will not let your and Thran sacrifice be in vain, my friends." And the knowledge of Darius’s betrayal festered, igniting a fierce resolution to one day confront him.
All the while, the mine rumbled softly as though a final aftershock from the savage fight still resonated. Blood and crystals littered the cavern. The great glow of the star crystals provided a bittersweet radiance. They were beautiful yet overshadowed by tragic loss. The system mission of collecting the star crystal liquid had succeeded, but the cost of this day was enormous.
Renna moaned from across the floor, stirring faintly. The battered survivors needed care. Kai forced himself upright, ignoring the throbbing in his wounds. He whispered a sorrowful goodbye to Lomar’s body, then turned to see if any life could be saved. The emptiness of Lomar’s demise hung over him, fueling both heartbreak and a vow of vengeance. He trudged forward, newly leveled to 24, star crystal liquid stowed in his expanded storage, but now weighed by grief he had no words for.
Yet there was no final comfort in that cavern. Only the hush of dust settling, the glimmer of star crystals in the gloom, and the echo of the old ant’s dying words.
There in the quiet, a heavy hush settled, broken only by the faint drips of water and the ragged breathing of survivors. The cavern was partially caved in; dusty boulders littered the floor. It smelled of crumbled rock and blood in the air.
Kai limped through the dimly lit cave, each step unsteady on the rough ground. His eyes stung from dust, and bruises ached along his exoskeleton. He spotted Vexor, half-buried under fallen stones near a split in the cavern wall.
Without hesitation, Kai hurried over, pushing aside small boulders and using his arms as leverage to shift the larger rocks. Bit by bit, Vexor’s form became visible. The ant’s exoskeleton was cracked in several places, but at least he was breathing.
Setting aside the last hunk of rubble, Kai gently checked Vexor’s pulse. It was weak, yet present. "You’re alive," Kai whispered, relief flooding his voice. No immediate response came from Vexor. He remained unconscious, but he seemed stable enough to survive if cared for properly. Kai stood, scanning the cave for the others.
In another corner, he found Renna collapsed, limbs askew. A glance confirmed the worst: two of Renna’s legs were missing, ripped off in the desperate fight earlier. Now, Renna’s chest rose and fell faintly, eyes closed. Blood had dried around the jagged wounds, and a shaky quiet had settled over him. Kai’s heart clenched at the tragic sight. "What a mess... we lost two comrades, the rest are almost dying... Renna might die if I don’t do something."
For a few long minutes, Kai’s mind reeled. He felt an urge to find help, to scramble from this tomb-like cavern and save everyone. "Could I even rescue Renna and Vexor by myself? They are half-dead and can’t walk... If I left them behind to find help... They might die before I find any help
The path forward was uncertain, but a nagging sense of loyalty told him leaving them to die would be unthinkable. Lomar had died fighting by Kai’s side. Thran died by blowing himself up. It was no better to abandon the living.
"No," he murmured, shaking his head. "I won’t abandon them. I can’t leave." Despite the fear chewing at his stomach, he made the decision to remain here until at least one of them was strong enough to move. Then he would carry the other. "Even if it takes days," he resolved, "we will escape together, or not at all."
Already, he started rummaging among the scattered belongings to find something useful. After some time he found some bandages, a few salves, a bit of water. Carefully, he applied the meager first aid to Vexor’s cuts, wrapping cloth around the deeper wounds. Then he pressed a damp cloth to Renna’s face, hoping to bring him some relief. The male ant remained fully unconscious, only stirring with faint moans.
Finally, with trembling limbs, Kai trudged back to Lomar’s body. It felt wrong to leave him lying there in the cold, dusty rocks. Kai pushed away debris, clearing a space so he could at least place Lomar’s lifeless body on a level patch of ground. Despite the gloom, Kai gently brushed dust from Lomar’s battered exoskeleton. "He was wise and strong... he saved me more than once," Kai thought, a hollowness settling in his chest.
An idea began to form inside his mind, "Lomar will live on in me," in a strange sense. The Essence Eater skill that had helped Kai devour the beast essence liquid... Could he use it on Lomar’s remains? It sounded macabre, but the glimmer of possibility tugged at him.
"You will live within me, old friend." The thought brought tears to Kai’s eyes. Lomar’s strength could help him one step closer to achieve the revenge they both wanted. Especially if Darius had truly rank up to four star rank and he caused this chaos.
With shaking antennae, Kai whispered: "Forgive me, Lomar. Your sacrifice... I won’t let it go to waste. I’ll carry your essence within me, and with your strength, I’ll avenge this betrayal. Old friend Lomar, I will take your star core as a personal memento." Softly, he activated his ultimate skill Essence Eater, pressing his mandibles against Lomar’s still-warm chest.
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