We rushed out of the tunnel and swivelled right, just in time to see a guy in authentic military gear fly down the slope and crack a thin tree in half with his limp body.

“Woaaa, shit!”

We stood there with our mouths gaping open, unsure what to do. But then to our complete surprise, a green swarming mist shot over the topside and dove into his body. I watched his body convulse as it rapidly snapped broken bones and dislocated joints back into place and with a pained gurgle, he stood, cracked his spine and blurred back up the slope.

"H-Hey! wai-" but he was already gone before Triya could grab his attention and a bright flash of purple lit up the leaves as several explosions blasted tarmac and debris up and showered back down, pitter pattering through the tree leaves.

"Comon, let's get up there!" I hurtled up the slope, and crested over the embankment.

Once I was over, I was momentarily stunned by what I saw.

The monster really did remind me of something that could come crawling out of hell.

It was bulky and huge, at least 10 metres tall and half that wide and most of its surface looked the same texture as a black insect carapace. There were four powerful legs that looked like two people were standing back to back, stomping about, and a torso that was wrapped with layers of thick muscle. Its arms were fully strapped with ropes of muscle up at the biceps and then lean hardened forearms that ended with skeletal claw-like fingers that were the length of my arms alone.

The head was a big skull with spurs on the top and a layer of leathery skin stretched taut; it had no eyes or ears, but sported a large wide maw filled with a single row of massive shark-like teeth.

Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite)

Magn.85.609

HP 12,465/16,000

Note: 11 Metres tall… Oh for heav-FOUR legs?! Where are the eyes!! The weak spots are ALWAYS THE EYES!!

Around the creature was a hurricane of people. At least 50 swarmed around, dashing and blurring at speeds which could only be achieved with Majik.

The majority wore military gear but a few wore more random and scavenger-like getups.

At the very base of the demon's legs there was a group of around 5 people that were wearing heavy armour of sorts, and they all had a shield of some kind. These were being used to deflect immense, bone-crushing blows that the monster was dishing out.

Everyone had some kind of weapon but only 2 had what appeared to be guns. But they were not any type of firearm I'd ever seen before. They were dark grey, long rectangles with a slit in the middle and they were firing projectiles that looked like tracer rounds.

Swords, shields, daggers, chain weapons, bows, crossbows, even staves were all being actively used against the giant monstrosity.

The whole scene was so overwhelming it left me standing there looking like i’d been slapped in the face… but then I spotted the massive spherical cage full of bodies.

There were kids screaming and crying, adults trying to force open the lid with broken and bloodied fingers, corpses, rag-dolling under their feet, generating red fluids that leaked out of the cage like some kind of fucked up flesh wine maceration.

A couple of what looked like civilian fighters were desperately fumbling around the cage, trying to find a way to pry the absurdly thick beams apart, but didn’t appear to be having any luck as they cursed and wept in frustration.

Gritting my teeth, I mentally shoved all the mental trauma into a box and instead of over thinking, I focused on what actions to take.

“Argh!! We need to move and try and help them get out of that thing, Steve can you mani-”

“ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORGH”

The demon bellowed another bone shaking roar, before turning on the spot and limping back towards the cage 20 metres away. The response from the groups was visible and frenzied, the same kind of reaction you’d see from pissing on a hornet's nest.

“NO! THE FUCKERS GOING TO REGENERATE!”

“SHIT! SLOW HIM DOWN!

“CROWD CONTROLLERS! THROW EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!”

“PLEASE! GODS DAMMIT! NOTHINGS WORKING!”

“GET THE CAGE OPEN! NOW!

“NO WE NEED MORE TIME! NO! NO! NO!”

Various individuals broke their voices, screaming desperation laced orders, but the creature's powerful legs propelled it as it leaped, ignoring the storm of attacks completely and landed with a boom in front of the spherical cage, with the two people near it diving frantically out of the way.

“HOLD RANGED FIRE! STOP ATTACKING! HOLD YOUR FUCKING RANGED ATTACKS! MELEE, GAP CLOSERS! ENGAGE!! CHAAAAARGE!!!!”

Everyone surged forward as it grabbed hold of two bars; metal screeched and groaned as it pried it open like it was opening a cardboard box and lunged a hand inside.

We watched in horror as the people inside wailed and cried out for help, with the creature finally grasping onto a small girl. A man from inside the cage jumped up and grabbed onto the creature's massive fingers, trying to pry them open to release her and… without warning he appeared to have succeeded as the girl was dropped. But instead the creature let out a series of rapid, raspy, chest-infection like breaths and gripped the man instead.

A few people reached the creature's feet and proceeded to hack away at it with bursts of energy, heat and sound… only for a blue honeycomb structured haze to appear over the surface of its skin, negating all the attacks.

It was shielded.

The man was screaming hysterically as it opened its jaws wide, which was completely unnecessary as its maw was more than enough to swallow the man whole, before snapping its jaws, biting down onto his skull and popping it like a cherry.

Blood gushed down on the cage as people cried out and continued to scream out ear piercing curses.

This is…literal hell on earth…

The group around his feet dispersed, falling back, as it threw the remainder of the mans corpse into its mouth and chewed noisily.

All the wounds swarmed with sickly red Majik and regenerated in front of our eyes.

But I won’t give up. I can’t.

It effortlessly folded the thick metal back into a ball, sealing the cage and I scanned the beast again.

Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite)

Magn.85.

HP 16,000/16,000

Notes: Eats flesh to regenerate health. Name checks out. But notice how there was no shield on its face when it ate?

I won’t let this shitty universe beat me into submission.

The creature retched and ejected a bundle of gore-fluid soaked clothing onto the cage, splattering everyone contained within.

I FUCKING REFUSE.

“Triya! Find out who's in charge and let them know we’re here and blast the shit out of that thing, let me know if Xno figures anything out! Steve! See what you can do about the cage! Catara, let’s chop this cunts' toes.”

To their credit, their pale faces, bar Catara’s visored visage, quickly filled with focus and determination.

“Ok!” “I’ll try!” “Fuckin’ Ay.”

Triya darted off and started yelling at people that looked to be directing others.

Steve set off towards the people that were previously at the cage.

Leaving me and Catara to dash towards a large gap in the crowd as I deployed my shields into Config:Ribbon.

“Catara, using a new skill, hold on!” I braced down onto the floor like I was at the start of a 100 metre sprint and focused my gaze at the monster's gaping maw. The ribbon split into two and crackled with energy, which worryingly caught its attention and I felt the tug on my insides, funnelling to my back as my javelin shard charged up with a low hum.

The beast shuffled on its feet and growled directly at me, backhand swiping a shield wielder that had let their guard down; a swarm of green mist was following the rag-dolling body before it had even impacted the concrete. A stream of messages showed the shield wielder had just been hit for massive damage, but had also quickly been healed for the same amount.

The giant had started to stalk towards me, its non-eyed gaze was extremely uncomfortable and I felt a heavy dread settle on my shoulders.

You have aggravated Flesh Cage-Eater.

Ugh fuck my life.

The hum escalated in pitch as the monster started to increase its steps, projectiles peppering it from all sides and a wave of chilling fear froze my blood as I fully understood that this thing was gunning for me.

In reality, it had only been 8 seconds, but it felt excruciating until finally the hum crescendoed into a synth off key chime, reminding me of Xno’s sound effects; the shard javelin was ready and it was going to be my first use of it in the real world.

Finally yes! hurry! GO!

There was a crackle of energy and for a split second, I swore the area darkened, like the light had been consumed. The ribbon adjusted itself and all the links between the vertebrae like segments clinked and locked into place; then it fired.

Particles and dust blew away from around me as the shard blurred through the air and impacted it in the cheek. The shard shattered after penetrating the flesh, the energy from which caused a small plasma blast that vaporized surrounding tissue, leaving a small crater-like wound.

The monster growled in minor annoyance, straightening up as it continued to be peppered by others projectiles, and I stared in disbelief as the crater repaired and it simply trundled back around towards the cage, seemingly deciding I was not really a threat.

You hit Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite) with [IV SMDS:Config:Ribbon:Shard] for 26 damage.

Oof.

Only around 600 more hits to go.

Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite)

Magn.85.

HP 15,306/16,000

“Holy shit!”

“Who’s the civ?

“What the fuck? He hit 26!”

“26?! I’m barely hitting 1?”

“FOCUS! DAMAGE RATE AT 12-15 PER SECOND! WE NEED TO STOP IT FROM REGENERATING THIS TIME OR WE’RE DEAD! 15 SECOND BURST, GO!”

Confusion distracted me as a wave of comments and strange looks came my way. They didn’t last long however, as a veil of red mist washed over the area, causing people to abruptly shift into gear and a crowd broke off and surged forward.

Sharing a look with Catara, or rather her visor, I felt the same fearless aggression warm my cockles and I just shrugged, grinning wildly and charged in with the horde. I heard her growl a laugh as she kept pace.

“CC NOW!!!”

My shields shifted to Config:Mirror, with the top two darting into the mantis formation and the lower two shifting to either side of my waist, whilst I witnessed the monster being pelted with a literal hailstorm of sludge-like tennis balls that started to rapidly spread frost and freeze the limb joints and shoulders of the huge monster, paralysing it.

It roared in frustration as it could not swipe at the ‘puny insects’ attacking it, nor could it move.

Attackers would find a space at the legs and feet and use one big attack and then jump back and make space for others. Bright flashes, pulses of heat and waves of burning flesh smells assaulted my senses as I approached but then I received divine inspiration as I spotted someone else with a long length of a bladed chain that pulled them up towards the creature's head, where they proceeded to perform an impressive flurry of attacks.

This is a gReAt idea! Let's do this!

“Catara, going up!” I jumped to give myself a bit of a boost and used Phase dash to just about make the rest of the gap to its wide shoulder.

It stank like shit, decaying flesh and most disturbingly, seminal fluids, making me cough to avoid retching but I pushed all that down and awkwardly punched into the side of its neck.

You hit Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite) with [II OMDC] for 0 damage.

HP 13,900/16,000

Punching a brick wall would have been softer.

Cursing, I tried attacking with my shields, which produced significantly better results.

You hit Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite) with [IV SMDS:Config:Mirror] for 4 damage.

You hit Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite) with [IV SMDS:Config:Mirror] for 4 damage.

You hit Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite) with [IV SMDS:Config:Mirror] for 4 damage.

You hit Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite) with [IV SMDS:Config:Mirror] for 5 damage.

I faintly heard Xno’s synth noises as a new steady flow of projectiles started pelting the thing in the things mouth and cheek where my projectile hit.

“HELL YES! DPS is spiking between 25-35!!! KEEP IT UP!” A voice from down below bellowed out, followed by a round of cheers and war cries.

The top two stabbed into the absurdly thick skin and the lower two slashed layers of fat, with the final hit drawing blood as a tiny gash formed. The wound had already started to close so I shoved my fingers into it and roared as I used all my strength to hold it apart and instinctively changed my shields to Config:Ribbon. The pincer clinked and snapped and slammed into the wound over and over, ripping out small chunks of bark like flesh and fat; the thing was a true monstrosity on every level.

HP 12,220/16,000

Suddenly there was an almighty cracking sound as the ice started to fracture and boiling steam burst from the gaps.

“ROOOOOOOORGH!”

I held on as the Cager-Eater burst free and bellowed out as it scattered tyre sized chunks of ice into the surrounding crowds. Most dodged in time, but a few screamed in agony as limbs and fingers were snapped, broken and twisted in disturbing directions; one unlucky military guy clutching a staff was laying on the ground, blood gushing out where his arm had been blown clean off.

“FALL BACK AND HEAL! TANKS UP FRONT! EVERYONE ELSE - BURN IT!”

It was at this moment the feeling of fearlessness evaporated and I looked down at the stomach churning height I was at and gulped, my body reacting on its own by mass producing sweat in my palms and back. Thanks body, really helpful right now.

The monstrosity didn’t seem to even register I was still on its shoulder as it started to hiccup, like it was bringing up a furball. The movements were so violent, they jolted me around as I clutched onto the wound with the Shield Ribbon firmly embedded inside.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck.” Mumbling my repeated mantra I held on for dear life.

“OH SHIT! IT’S GOING TO USE A BREATH ATTACK! INTERRUPT IT! NOW!”

Curses and a stream of cackling projectiles and abilities flooded in, but nothing stopped the convulsions.

“Fuck, failed!”

“Bad hit!”

“No no no!”

“Not like this!”

“What a shit day to die!”

Dammit what the hell do I do!

The monster opened its huge maw as wide as it could and I had to cover my face from the searing heat that was building up. There was a deafening hiss like a giant water pipe bad burst and plasmatic flames arced out and snapped at the air.

What the hell can I do! THINK!

Time seemed to slow down as I looked down and saw people scrambling to take cover behind shields, debris or other people. My mind stalled, leaving me clutching on like an idiot, not knowing what to do.

But Catara strode forward through the scrambling crowds and tossed her helmet off to the side and looked at me with a smirk.

I just stared at her wide eyed as slowly she lifted up her shield and then slammed it into the ground, cracking the concrete, just as a deafening bellow blew the dust away and a stream of plasma flameout burst from the monster's maw.

Catara’s smirk turned into a focused glare on the beast as from either side and above, a blue honeycomb lattice spread out and formed a slanted huge protective wall.

Time crawled to an absolute stop as I took in the image of Catara’s barely visible screaming face that had blood and Majik pooling out from her eyes and ears and mouth into the lattice dome.

In a strange moment, I suddenly remembered a single memory where I had overheard Catara speaking to Lone as she held him. She had been quietly talking to him, soothing him and then out of blue, during which she thought nobody was eavesdropping, she said she was going to make sure he wasn’t a womaniser like his father and Lone, by pure coincidence, responded with a fart that made her groan.

At the time I couldn’t stop laughing for a good 5 minutes, but the best bit about the memory was when she had been softly telling him that she was going to do everything she could to look out for him and that he was her ‘Lone Little Light, shining in this big dark world’.

My mind went haywire as I became enraged at another horror trying to destroy everything mindlessly.

I barely noticed my shields reconfiguring back to Config:Prime.

Fine. You want mindless?

You hit Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite) with [III Shoulder Rush] for 0 damage. Stun effect failed.

Time rushed back to normal in a cacophony of noise as the infernal roar of the monster's attack drowned everything out.

You want mindless?!!!

You hit Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite) with [III Shoulder Rush] for 0 damage. Stun effect failed.

You hit Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite) with [III Shoulder Rush] for 0 damage. Stun effect failed.

HERE'S MINDLESS!!

You hit Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite) with [III Shoulder Rush] for 0 damage. Stun effect failed.You hit Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite) with [III Shoulder Rush] for 0 damage. Stun effect failed.You hit Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite) with [III Shoulder Rush] for 0 damage. Stun effect failed.You hit Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite) with [III Shoulder Rush] for 0 damage. Stun effect failed.You hit Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite) with [III Shoulder Rush] for 0 damage. Stun effect failed.

0 damage. 0 damage.

0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.

1.

The beam stuttered.

1.Stunned for 0.5 seconds.

1.Stunned for 0.5 seconds.

1.Stunned for 0.5 seconds.

The beam abruptly stopped.

But I didn't.

The area I had was repeatedly shoulder rushing had cracks and scorched tissues, but more importantly with each hit a surge of azure Majik would overwhelm the monster and it would seize up like it was being electroshocked.

People were shouting and making noise but I was too focused and shortly after, the hail of attacks continued.

My Energy and Majik points were draining fast, even with the energy refund perk giving back 99% of the cost. I had about 60-80 more hits I could do before I would black out and I didn't know if stopping meant it would break the chain of stuns.

The monster kept trying to roar but it would be cut short each stun, giving me great satisfaction. Which was promptly ruined when I noticed its left hand was slowly making progress up towards my location.

24 seconds later and I was starting to panic.

HP 10,518/16,000

How. The hell. Are we. Supposed. To kill. This thing!

Hopelessness was winning. I wanted to cry with frustration and guilt as the realization set in that we were in too deep and it was time to start thinking about survival.

Then as if a prayer had been answered, I heard a chorus of happy cries and Steve screamed at the top of his lungs.

"I'VE MADE A HOLE IN THE CAGE! GIVE US 60 SECONDS!"

Dammit Steve! I can't-

Stun effect failed.

NO-

A yelp barely escaped my mouth as my shields juddered and snapped together to intercept the giant hand that came to swat me away.

Everything went weird. Sound briefly stopped and my vision just spun and spun.

The sounds felt delayed to what I was seeing, noticeable when I smashed into a thin tree trunk and snapped it clean in half but only heard the cracking of both the tree and my bones after the images rendered in my mind as I came to a crumpled stop.

The pain was heavily delayed but it spread out slowly as I struggled to even take a single breath.

All I managed was a cough that spluttered blood up and then back down onto my eyes and face.

Well shit.

..I’m sorry Marri..I’m sorry Lone..

It was strange, my mind was eerily clear and calm as I saw my own HP in the single digits trickling down. A dozen notes saying I had heavy internal bleeding and other injuries but I didn’t feel the slightest fear, I didn’t have the strength to.

I didn't even have the strength to reach for my healing to-.. Ah fuck it, my HP pots!! There, I thought of the words! Are you happy universe?? I would say it out loud except there’s the tiny fucking problem with my ribs being caved in and I'm about to die so you’ll have to cut me some slack.

Several green and gold mists slammed into my body and with them came a divine feeling of rapid itchy tissue regeneration and bone popping healing. My body went numb and jolted as it righted itself, scabs and dried blood flaked away, revealing fresh skin.

Haha, of course, the universe wouldn’t accept that. No dying until I go full RP eh?

With a gasp and a wave of goosebumps, my chest crunched back into place and I felt fucking amazing, practically floating to my feet.

Checking ahead, I had been launched down one of the slopes and my path was visible due to the line of cracked trees and as I assessed my limbs and torso, there was not a single scratch and all my resources were full to the brim.

Wasting no time I lurched up the slope and used a phase dash to close the distance towards where shouts, screams and the din of fighting continued.

The monster was battling with over a dozen shield wielders forming a fairly decent shield wall, including Catara, with Steve a bit further back coordinating and defending the stream of people escaping the cage out of a small hole.

It slammed down on the shields and it would buckle, and I could see steady streams of green and gold Majik flowing around their legs. Most of which were visibly snapping after each heavy blow and yet the shield bearers just roared in response, refusing to move as healing Majik mended them just as quickly.

Triya came out of nowhere, skidded into me and gave me a tight hug.

“Godu you’re fucking insane! I’m glad you’re okay!” she pulled back with a wide grin and slapped my arm. “But listen, I’ve spoken to the leader of this group, we need to interrupt this shithead before he eats someone, otherwise he’s guna’ heal up to full and we’ll be fucked. Each time it eats someone it heals and then has a charge of that breath attack. Do you think you can stun him again? She said she will make sure you don’t die if you can!"

“Oof-uhh wait wha-argh yeah okay! I’ll try!” There wasn't time to ask questions. It was another one of those times where I simply needed to act-

“NO! STEVE WATCH OUT!!” An unfamiliar voice screamed and I was already sprinting towards the cage as I saw Steve become wrapped in a cocoon of golemic material connected to the floor as the monster reached towards him. It failed to pull him up before countless attacks and a coordinated shield bash pushed the hand back up.

But with Steve unable to coordinate the remaining people in the cage, a small boy decided now was the best time to escape, darted out and was swiftly plucked up by the nightmare.

My shields deployed in Config:Prime as I sprinted forward and jumped, using a shoulder rush mid air and cancelled it to rocket forward, rapidly closing the distance to its back where I used a phase dash to hurtle up towards the back of its head and then used another shoulder rush into the back of its skull.

Just as the honeycomb shield materialised on it.

You hit Flesh Cage-Eater (Heavy, Elite) with [III Shoulder Rush] for 0 damage. Stun effect failed.

Target is immune to all stuns for the next 30 seconds.

Are. You. FUCKING KIDDING ME!

My mind raced hopelessly as the creature brought the screaming child up to its wide open maw. Ice had started to form around the arm however, slowing it down considerably, but it wouldn’t hold on for long. I needed to do something fast otherwise it was all going to go to shit.

Then, I had a wild idea. A really, really, really shitty idea.

Fuck fuck fuck. This is going to suck.

Sighing away the sickening fear of what I was about to do, I glanced down to where Steve was out of his cocoon and staring up at the beast, holding the sides of his head in his hands tearing up, looking angry and guilty at the same time.

I just hope this pissing thing has a heart.

Placing an anchor marker next to him, I scrambled up on top of the slimy skull and slid down the front of the creature's face, shifting my shields into Config:Exo as I tumbled into the creature’s vile putrid mouth and jumped straight down its throat.

Please fucking work, please fucking work, please fucking work.

Everything went pitch black, extremely stinky and muffled, as I held my breath and felt immense pressure from all sides pushing me down. I waited for several seconds as I slid down, focusing on a distant rhythmic thumping which was increasing in volume.

My stupid ‘plan’ hinged on this being close enough to the creatures heart as I wedged my arms and shins to the sides to slow me down and used every ounce of effort I could muster to Slipfold the fuck out of there.

Error. Caution. Heavy interference detected. Consequences of using [I Slipfold] unknown. Error. Caution.

I WILL TAKE MY CHANCES THANK YOU! PLEASE! PLEASE! FUCKING PLEEEASE!

Focusing on pulling the anchor towards me, I desperately sought out the feeling of connecting with the point.

Nothing happened after a horrible couple of seconds and I started cursing myself for being an absolute twat who constantly kept trying to get himself killed when I had Marri and Lone to protect… but this is what I need to do in order to really protect them.. Right? It’s not enough to just fight a few of their battles, if the rest of the world is rapidly dying around them-

Suddenly, I felt the weight in my imaginary hands and the orchestral hum started to ramp up.

Yes! YES!

I felt an extreme tug on my insides as azure streams wove forward and a crack of light started to appear. I pulled as hard as my mind possibly could.

HAHA! YOU CAN DO IT! GET ME OUT OF HERE! COME ON!

The lights became distorted and were flickering between dimming and brightening, I could hear a muffled pained roar and the heartbeat had ramped up in pace. My lungs were starting to burn and my heart was going at a thousand miles an hour and the pressure threatened to crush me completely. I don’t think I would have survived even for a few seconds without the exo shields.

The lights started to dim heavily and I felt like I was drowning.

Error. Caution. Heavy interference detected. [I Slipfold] Failed. Error. Caution.

No! Please! I was so close, don't do this to me!

I tried once more to pull the anchor point towards me but it felt like trying to pull a freight train. The lights started to stall and sputter out.

Error. Caution. Heavy interference detected. [I Slipfold] Failed. Anchor connection not found.

It was no good.

I couldn’t do it. I opened my mouth to scream but there was no air. My body convulsed, struggling with a lack of oxygen and my mind went haywire. Strange unfamiliar memories started flashing and mixing together, creating a symphony of lights and sounds.

NO!

An esoteric, distorted, yet paradoxically harmonic voice blared; my consciousness whimpered and my soul curled up into the fetal position.

[Err:Unauthorised Authority Elevation. Resolving...]

[Err: Interrupt.]

Reality shattered and I was desperate to rest in peace.

MO####! STOP!

### ME #### ###!

A looming eternal hole in the empty expanse. It was blue. It was black. It was endless.

PLEASE!

[Ack:Req]

[...]

[Prtcl:EXtnt:Prgtv:Xct.]

[...]

[Caution. Warning.]

[...]

[...]

[...]

[There will be no rest for an extant.]

Strange memories of unknown voices and words turned to melted wax, lost to my mind.

I felt like I was on the edge of a colossal vortex that was trying to suck me down, barely holding on with the edge of my fingertips, but I held on.

My head was wracked with an oppressive sharp stabbing pain and at this point I was actually hoping I’d just die to end the suffering... but I reminded myself that I couldn't let the universe win. I was too stubborn.

DON’T. GO. QUIETLY.

FIGHT. THROUGH IT.

Mentally bellowing, a tiny sliver of strength surged through me, giving me just enough to keep going for a tiny bit longer, the agony became my friend and a sign that I was still alive, and I clung onto that, creating an exponential loop.

I slammed back into a world of pain and fear.

Embracing the pain, I internally roared and pulled endlessly in the dark until I felt something and put my virtual back into it and I heaved with all my might, tearing a liquid fissure right in front of me instead of pulling at my anchor. I peeled back two layers of impossibly heavy, watery folds with my bruised and exhausted mind and was overwhelmed with joy as I saw freedom.

The light of a thousand suns burst through and, making sure that I was physically grabbing onto the massive bitches throat tissue as I passed through the exit, I felt something huge give and flopped ceremoniously through the fold.

…

..

.

The pressure had disappeared and I dragged myself forward as a huge slab of flesh slid off me and slapped the floor.

Getting to my hands and knees, I gasped as fresh warm air hit my face and I gulped lungfuls in, making a mental note to verbally thank all plant life for providing oxygen.

“YEAAA!! RARGHHH!” I bellowed out a triumphant warcry as a few tears formed and I hugged myself on my knees, my mind on a come down from the traumatic and haunting brush with death.

I really thought that was it, but I actually pulled it off! That thing better be dea-

…

Wait. Why is it so quiet?

Shielding my eyes as it was incredibly bright, I became aware of how there was a lack of any real noise except for a faint swishing and frothing noise with a few distant roars and screeches.

Why is it so bloody humid and warm and… is that… What is that noise?

Calming my breath, my eyes finally adjusted so I stood up and looked down at the mess.

I had taken a much larger portion of the monster than I was expecting, including what looked like lung and heart tissue and what looked like even a section of a spinal column.

EXP was streaming into me in the form of a very dense mist, swirling and flying through the air.

Woah shit, that’s a lot. Also, I have not seen that before. Kinda’ gross it is coming from severed flesh but I’ll take it you son of a bitch.

I kicked the massive slab of meat.

Raising my eyebrows impressed by the damage I had caused, I scouted around in growing confusion as I was on a grassy rocky hill surrounded by rocky hills, near a..coast?

The distant architecture looked like villas..And the vegetation was sparse and looked... different.

Oh no. Oh fucking hell. Shit. SHIT.

Everything clicked into place as I realised.

I'm in another country!