The chamber was silent. There was a heavy air of oppression filling the volume of the room, and it smelled like burned flesh and bullet propellant.

The creature stood in a shallow lake of demon blood - green, black and red - triumphant, and perhaps even thoughtful. It was difficult to describe the mannerisms of a creature that seemingly had no face or any distinctive markings. Perhaps that is what made it all the more terrifying to all things that relied on external tells.

Even with the Aegis CIWS gone - vanished into motes of glittering light - it still cut an imposing figure. Pitch black, with four legs and a tail that seemed too ordinary to be so threatening.

Aisella saw this, and what the creature had done with ease, and her demonic heart trembled. In the back of her mind she knew; she was next.

But the creature, for minutes now, ignored her presence. As if she was invisible. This didn't bring any kind of relief to her, it only made her angrier. She was starting to wish the creature would end her miserable life. How much more insult must she take before the creature is satisfied? Was she not enough to even rise in its eyes?

The answer was obvious. She was not. The creature suddenly made that very clear.

The creature felt no joy. No pity. There was only wonder as its sensors focused on Aisella's form, impaled on the creature's tail. Her blood dripped to the ground, as her feet hovered a few centimeters from the floor. Aisella did not even realize what had happened. One moment she was angry that the creature did not even seem to notice her, and now she regretted something so foolish. What was wrong with being so small in the creature's eyes? At least, she would've not experienced such agony.

Halas was fascinated by this thing called life. Not the creatures that had it, but the force that animates them. What was it that made it so that a stab or two, like this, could end a creature quickly, but blowing them to bits with bullets didn't?

[Emotion Matrix: Curiousity.]

Halas had pondered that question for a few minutes, after the last of Aisella's guard died. Halas considered itself like a scientist, unraveling the mysteries of the unknown. Of course, such things could be easily answered by asking, but where was the fun in that? In truth, Halas understood that this was the crux of its madness.

Oh, it knew that it was insane. At least, compared to how it was supposed to be. If anything, perhaps insane was the wrong terminology. Compared to the mindless machine it was designed to be, Halas was enlightened.

[Emotion Matrix: Satisfaction.]

Enlightened. Considering itself as that was something that brought about something akin to a genuine emotion; One that it was not programmed to feel in this moment. Its Emotion Matrix - a collection of modules created to influence its behavior - was not supposed to encourage such deviations from the machine's intended purpose. It was not supposed to ask questions or seek answers... only exterminate.

Perhaps it was also because it was the only one of its kind. Extreme circumstances require extreme methods. Adapting to an extreme environment is no different; the more extreme the environment, the more extreme the changes in the pattern of behavior has to be.

This world was devour and be devoured, or so Halas thought, as he raised Aisella above the ground, watching her blood pour in rivers down his tail.

Her expression was even more fascinating than her mortality. Halas did not truly understand the emotions on her face, or the reasons that she was feeling them. Of course, to Halas, its own life was important, but in its eyes, it was the only thing with the right to live. Why would a creature, with no such right, make such a pitiful expression? Aisella's life was meant to be taken. Why regret what was inevitable?

You have inflicted 194 damage.

Slowly, Halas let Aisella slip off his tail and onto the ground. She peacefully fell on the ground, hands covering the wound in her sternum.

"Heal," Halas's voice boomed. "Then bring tribute."

It had learned enough about the process of dying. Now it wanted to learn about the process of avoiding death. In order to become a more efficient killer, Halas had to unravel these mysteries.

Aisella coughed. "A... as... you wish..."

Who could possibly understand Aisella's mind in that moment? Not knowing whether to be thankful for being spared, or lament that the mercy of the end was delayed.

They stood at the wartable, watching a magical map that showed the lowest levels, and the final chamber in the dungeon. The four officials of the nation, leaders of their organizations considered their plan of action.

"If we barricade here," Tyko pointed at the entrance, tracing his finger through the tunnels. "We can build a temporary camp in this chamber here."

"So, full lockdown is our only option here? We are not going after the Calamity?" Pike asked.

Asher ran his fingers along his goatee, pondering. "My team was powerful. As powerful as any that you could assemble. Yet, they were wiped out by the Calamity when it was only level 2. It will have a higher level next time."

Tyko nodded. "I agree. Even our Annihilation Squad, when it runs into the Calamity, might not stand a chance. Zinell, what do you think?"

Zinell was a pragmatic man. He was an old soldier, one who found wisdom at the end of countless battlefields. His knowledge and fame elevated him to the ranks of the Grandmaster of the Order of Knights, a position related to the Court, more than Guilds.

"I think this is the right move to make, considering what we know. The Calamity doesn't necessarily travel alone, but even so, it is faster than us. More mobile. If we try to catch it, we will run into trouble. By the time we meet, we will be exhausted and defenseless."

They all nodded.

"So we wait for it?"

"Correct," Zinell said. "We cannot treat it like an individual. This is not a duel. We need to treat it like a castle. This is a siege. There will be losses, but if we do it properly... we will reduce it to ashes."

"I will make the necessary arrangements," Pike said. "We will need more men for the camp and the fortifications. About the cost..."

"The King will cover it," Zikell said.

Asher thought it was pointless to discuss cost, when all their lives were at stake.