Another day, another brush with death..

Laying down, I stared at the endless expanse in my ‘Soulspace’.

Soulspace. Damn that’s SO much better than what I came up with.. Garden of growth just didn't sound as ethereal.

Pausing for a moment, I smiled at the benign thought and how far I’d come. How far WE’D come.

We're actually making progress, and it might be slow, it might be really hard, but I'm still alive…and I'm getting stronger. Much stronger.

Just please, stay alive, stay safe. I'll be home soon Marri, Lone.

Everyone.

I hopped up and stretched.

Even after all this time, it was still fascinating how things felt real in this place, even though it was technically all in my head.

From the smallest detail of the slight burning in my skin, to the rush of blood to my head. It all could be felt after I arched my back and it forced out that daft sound you make when you get a really good stretch in.

"Ooooouuafffffffaaghjrrrr..”

“Ahhhh yeah, that's the stuff."

Alright. Another two corrupted D-O-W-N. .

That should be a boatload of EXP..shit for those people though…poor souls.

They had zero regard for their lives, as if they were just empty vessels being controlled by simple instincts to eat and kill, then move on and repeat endlessly. Without resting.

How many people must have met that terrible fate? How many living things have been ripped to shreds and consumed..it must be thousands for them to be so strong.

It was a troubling thought to ponder.

And my trail of bones grows bigger by the day..

I'd managed to put myself in a bit of a downer until I trudged up to the maelstrom and saw another giant leap for me-kind.

GODUYNE

STRY.KYR - MAGN.53.76

HP 864 / 864

MP 938 / 938

EP 25%

DS 100%

SWRD 62

SHLD 63

FTHR 77

GLYP 77

13 Attribute Points Available.

14 Skill Points Available.

A jump from 45>53. Are you fucking serious?!

These corrupted are terrifying, but DAMN are they rocketing me into absurd heights!

If I could find a way to reliably take them down without using my Slipfold.. I could get so much power. I could even just stay here for a bit longer and cleanse them all. Yes, maybe I could..

No, no! Come on now Godu..

THAT was dangerous thinking, fuelled by the toxic, addictive sensation that came with increasing my MAGN value. I gave myself a little slap to show those urges who was in charge.

I will do what I must - not what I will.

And with that, I applied my points, feeling rather impressed with how spontaneously proverbial I was.

Need to copyright that one.

SWRD 66

SHLD 66

FTHR 80

GLYP 80

My self praise distraction would have repercussions, as I cursed a slew of nonsensical smut after absentmindedly hitting accept, forgetting to try and make it to the galaxy bed before the inevitable world of pain came.

It was a sort of challenge that I'd set myself and now I'd missed another chance to achieve victory.

For fun of course. Cos, ya know, gotta enjoy the little things.

Oh well, here it comes; hello agony my old frie-

This time it was more mental anguish than virtual..uhh, physical.

Just my mind filled with bright white hot pain with some minor physical aches and itches. But overall I rated it a five out of ten.

“Which isn’t too-HGGGG-bad! Getting used to-ARGH-this!-ARGH-FUCKER!”

After it was over, I gingerly lifted my head up from my fetal position and glanced over at the bed, squinting in accusation-

One day you comfy bastard..

-And then got up and continued with the skills and I spontaneously decided to make a slight change to make it easier on the eye.

She taught me how to do that..

14 Skill Points Available.

-> V Null Surge [5]

Null Surge can now integrate with other skills granting varying effects.

-> V SMDS - Majiglyph [10]

Shields detach to create a Daemon construct controlled by Seren.

-> IV OMDC [8] (4+4)

Mass Drain now also triggers on high value area (HVA) hits.

-> III ANALYSE [50]

Vastly Expands data retrievable.

-> III NEC [5]

Damage and defense Vs Corrupted targets is increased tenfold.

-> IV Slipfold [4]

Enables Endlessfold. You can place unlimited anchors and use them at any time.

-> III Phase Dash [3]

Phase dash now negates all physical damage during use.

-> II EXP Well [3]

You can now deploy [2] units.

-> II VoMP [2]

Max link increased to 20. Group connection unlocked.

-> II Mind Firewall [2]

Immunity increased to +10 current MAGN. You can share this skill.

-> II Null Claw Arma [2]

Unlocks foot talon module. [Available] Integrates with Black Grieves.

-> II Shade Glide [2]

Dramatically reduces cost and increases duration.

-> II TEFv [2]

Improves vision range and colouring.

-> II Shed Wound [2]

Can heal slightly bigger wounds. Tissue will self isolate in the event of infection or poisoning.

-> II Hand Speak [2]

You can share this skill with others.

Darn it! Every time I have enough for Seren, something like NEC or Slipfold throws a curveball!

And Slipfold sounded godlike.

If I could place anchors everywhere, I'd have an insane advantage in just about any situation.

Slipfold was definitely going on the shopping list, which left me with 10 points.

And as for NEC? That's a tough one. Am I really going to try and fight one again? Not intentionally, but it's inevitable isn't it. They are going to be everywhere and even though I doubt I can do much damage, ten times one is only ten afterall, yet defensively, my shields managed to hold on so..

Add NEC to the shopping list. 5 points left.

Sorry Seren, definitely next time.

It actually took me quite a while to decide what to use my final points on. It came down to what I felt was going to keep my survivability the highest. And currently the sensible choice would be Shed Wound and Phase Dash, yet, Null Surge sounded like the most cost efficient choice if it meant all my skills could be augmented..But survivability! Safety!

I was resolved to playing it safe.. Then at the last second I stopped, threw caution to the wind, and tapped Null Surge.

Should take the chance to go for higher cost upgrades when I can, historically they have offered the biggest increases in power, bar analyse..plus, I would be lying if i wasn't excited to see what the integrations do.

II -> III NEC [5]

III -> IV Slipfold [4]

IV -> V Null Surge [5]

Done.

My skill upgrade process was short, with nothing obvious for NEC and just a short exercise of placing several anchors and understanding that a memory of each location was all I needed to use to make a connection.

For Null Surge, it wasn't anything based on a specific ability, but I received knowledge on how to prime it to integrate it into any skill that came next. I tried running a test with Slipfold and it made Slipfold perform an explosion in a shower of black and azure plasma fire on the exit fold, but it was unclear what effect that would have in the real world. My mind was feel strained however so I didn't pursue any more tests as I'd have plenty of opportunities once I was awake, so I flopped onto the galaxy bed and-

*DING*

ALERT.

AGHH! That scared the shit out of me, what is it now..

SOUL LINK BONUS RECEIVED.

I -> II Null Claw Armaments.

Oh..OH. AWESOME.

Thank you Siya!

A free upgrade just like that!

Amazing.

Like going into the office and finding out there's some free cake for everyone because it’s someone's birthday.

Calling it for the night, I laid down and quickly drifted off into deep sleep, thinking of delicious cakes.

…

..

.

I woke up to a bright and sunny morning and to my surprise I could hear birds tweeting for the first time in months.

What! No way! I haven't seen or heard a normal animal since the start of all this!

My body felt refreshed and well rested, and my mind was in a really good place.

Siya was still asleep, lightly snoring, so I excitedly snuck out and set an anchor near the front door, then rubbing my hands, placed another outside and giggled to myself.

Oo look at me hehe..

I Slipfolded outside to go see if I could spot the birds and felt the very subtle touch of all the anchors I had placed, a similar feeling to swimming and closing your eyes, having the light pressure all around you, but the freedom to move about.

Oh this is fantastic. I'm going to place anchors everyw-

My good mood and train of thought stopped dead in its tracks, as I looked around outside and saw not a bird, not even nature, but an abomination.

A thick tree that had eight insectoid branch legs coming out of a wide torso and on top of that was a very concerning looking cage with bars made of branches that looked like a mixture of bone and wood.

Inside the cage were long stalks with a bulbous tip that were swaying in the wind and appeared to be where the bird sounds were coming from as they swished through the air.

The top of the cage was full of normal looking branches and leaves.

The tree cage was just standing there on the grass verge, slowly swaying in the breeze and I gave it a long hard look before deciding to reserve mt judgements.

Label: Tree Carcass Roamer (Elite)

MAGN: 70.900

HP: 7200/7210

Notes: Engraved on the bough is 'LM <3 AO'.

Carcass. Tree.

A droning buzz registered in my senses, it was coming from the trees direction and I jumped down and took cover behind a large crate and continued to observe the tree.

Holding my finger on the ‘get-me-the-fuck-outta-here’ Slipfold button, a large vesper the size of a canoe, drifted from the woods and made a beeline, no pun intended, for the tree carcass.

The vesper went wild, frantically trying to get inside the branch-cage, and after a few angry claks, it eventually managed to struggle its way in.

As soon as it got in and touched one of the tweeting stalks, the entire cage twisted violently, crushing the vesper to paste, then slowly returning back to its original state.

The stalks slapped around with the bulbs unfurling, showing teeth and a tongue that all worked in tandem to slurp and lap up the mess.

The spectacle left me stunned, my jaw dropped as I couldn't look away from this new display of this new unnatural..Nature? munching away.

#Siya# Godu? Are you safe? There is a suspicious plant outside.

Oh she's awake.

#Godu# Hey Siya all good. I'm just checking around. Yes, the tree. It's a very dangerous spooky tree, be careful of it. It ate a bug.

I decided it would be a good idea to do a quick check of the area for anything else 'suspicous', steering well clear of the 'suspicous' tree of course, so I spent some time folding around the rooftop of the massive warehouse and scouting around, but apart from things that roared in the distance or shook a few far out bushes and tree tops, there wasn't anything skulking around the immediate area.

Slipping back into the office building, I found Siya was awake and was kneeling on the desk, peering out the window.

Right on cue, a short screech was silenced by a loud crunchy splat noise outside.

She turned her head to me and raised her clawed hand in greeting then gestured outside.

#Siya# The Tree is very dangerous.

"Oh-hoh you're not wrong there, you're certainly not wrong there.." I chuckled and briefly lost myself in a thousand yard stare with the memory of the tree effortlessly squishing the giant wasp.

She smiled and shimmied around and slid off the desk and padded over to the kitchen door.

#Siya# Mya is awake. I am able to Soulspeak. She is very trusting of us. She is very grateful.

Oh snap! I did wonder if that would work..

#Godu# Awesome! Let's go chat, and see where we go from here.

We entered the room, causing the little boy to rush over to Mya and bury himself behind her. She comforted him and gave us an apologetic look to which I smiled and waved it off.

No problem. He is small child. My child small. Home. England. We are walking there. Take hand. Connect heads.

I signed as best I could but hopefully the mind communication would translate between us better, so I tapped my head and held out my hand and she nodded and took it.

Connection established with Mya.

#Mya# Hello. Can you hear me?

Majik is so frikkin cool. I grinned.

#Godu# Loud and clear! Great to finally speak, well, mind speak anyways.

#Mya# Yes this is amazing! And I am so happy and relieved we met. I had not seen another person for weeks on our way to-..

She froze up briefly, her yellowy-brown eyes misted up and she looked at the door.

#Mya# Well, we were hoping to find my brother.. We’ve been in his flat for a week now so..yeah..

I gave her a sympathetic smile.

We continued to talk more, covering the usual stuff about our experiences and what we knew. She was deflated to hear that everything had overall gone badly in the UK as well, but was surprised and delighted to hear that our community had been surviving, especially interested that there were children there.

She had not found such a group or community herself.

I told her loosely about the group we came across at the service station, to which she keenly asked if there were other children and deflated when I said I wasn't sure. She was extremely deflated when I told her about the whole chaining up of Siya's kind.

#Mya# I really want Trion to be around other kids. I don't know what's going to happen to this world, but the only way for us to survive is by doing it together. And I want him to have friends that he can grow strong bonds with as they grow up. Perhaps this group you talked about is our only choice right now, even if they have a bad history..

Trion was her son, she did not mention the father and I didn't ask, but he was three, very soon to be four and she just wanted him to be safe and happy.

She's a good mum.

#Godu# Well, I know this is a bit sudden, but you're both welcome to come with us.

She widened her eyes in surprise.

#Mya# You would take us with you? After only meeting us and me putting a blade to your neck? You are either too kind or too naive Godu, no disrespect intended of course. You are a genuine Saint for what you did for us…As for coming with you, I was hoping we could, if you're sure? I do not have confidence in a place that chained up people if I am being truthful, people are different now. But the fact you travel with Siya, and from her story she told me, you are a truly kind man.

I grinned.

#Godu# Ha I prefer to think I'm a good judge of character. And you've got a kid to look after, so I am not surprised if you would 'poke necks first, ask questions later'. It's truly remarkable how well you're doing by yourself but yes definitely, I can't promise safety, but it would also selfishly increase my chances as well, since you're local, so definitely! Please feel free to join us.

I put a fist forward for a bump and smiled as she misted up a bit.

#Godu# And like you said, we will only survive this if we do it together. Naive and kind all the way right?

She shook her head, wiping her eyes and laughed as she bumped my hand.

#Mya# Sure. Naive and kind all the way.

…

..

.

After having breakfast, consisting of more instant noodles and soups, we packed up and I did a bit of Slipfold juggling to get everyone onto the motorway that was up high.

Mainly because of the risk of monsters, but also it was a great way for me to get comfortable with having multiple anchors and I was able to rapidly go back and forth for Siya, then Mya with Trion in under 10 seconds.

I left an anchor point in the office, thinking it would be a good habit to get into.

Keep my options open and also, this is a great place to come back to rest during the nights!

It was an understatement to say that Slipfold had changed things for me tremendously and that the imaginary friend that made it possible was nowhere to be found to give my thanks.

Ha. She said she’d be mad if I called her imaginary again. Whoopsie.

We spent a surprisingly well paced five hours travelling, with me taking any opportunity to hone my skills doing really fast Slipfolds to scout out dangers or move us forward on really long straights.

Trion wasn’t too keen on it at first, but after a few times, he got used to it and even started to enjoy it, according to Mya.

There wasn’t a chance to share any skills with him due to obvious reasons - lacking experience or skills points, but Mya had said she would change that when he was old enough.

I wonder how old is old enough though?.. Need to think about that for Lone, one day. Christ..

But we ate the distance up very fast and based on the map, we had roughly covered 50 km in that time, which was great, but I would be lying if I hadn’t been slightly frustrated that I’d been here for…how long has it been even? My sense of time is so skewed..10 days? 2 weeks?

It hurt deeply to think that Marri or even my friends back home were grieving for me, thinking I’d perished in the fight. But it hurt even more to think that the cager demon thing hadn’t been killed and... argh! Come on! They are tough guys and gals! Just focus now. They are fine. You’ll get home. And, with any luck, you’ll be introducing your new friends to them right?

I glanced at Siya who was slightly ahead, padding along next to Mya. She was letting Trion touch her fluffy antennae ears, trilling when he did so, making him cheekily giggle as she moved them quickly out of his reach.

Both Siya and Mya wore smiles that reached their eyes and it was incredible to think that it hadn’t even been 24 hours and yet such a trust had been formed already, even with what was for all intents and purposes, an alien species

I really couldn’t figure out why that was so.

Surely we should be incredibly wary of each other, or at the very least, quietly paranoid.

Maybe because we all nearly died together?

As I was pondering, Siya chittered and spoke to me in alarm.

#Siya# Godu! A colossal! We must leave now!

They were looking over the railings pointing out to the sea and as I hurried over, my knees nearly gave way at the sight of an ungodly sized monster waist deep, wading out.

W-wha-

It must have been a few kilometres out and it was heading deeper into the ocean, sinking as it went along. But it was mind blowing to think something so big could even exist without causing earthquakes with each step.

“What-what the flying fuck is that!” I squeaked as I looked around to try and find a frame of reference for its height.

How tall is that fucker!? 200 metres? 300?!

When the water reached its gargantuan shoulders, it stopped, and its head slowly turned, showing giant eyes on a slightly humanoid face with a maw filled with huge shard-like teeth.

“I-it’s fucking looking at us!” I hissed in terror.

My mind was completely overwhelmed with raw fear as the colossus’ gaze locked onto us.

And it grinned.

#Godu# Let’s get the hell out of here right now!!

Surprisingly, nobody raised any arguments, so I Slipfolded us forward as far as I could, but we could still see it from the road and it was still staring at us.

I continued to sequentially Slipfold us all, throwing our usual caution to the wind. We HAD to get as far away as possible from this, my hindbrain would accept nothing less.

Slipfold, Slipfold, Slipfold, turnaround, it can still see us.

Slipfold, Slipfold, Slipfold turnaround, IT IS STILL FUCKING STARING AT US!

Slipfold, SHIT MONSTERS! Slipfold, Slipfold, Slipfold, SHIT MORE MONSTERS! FUCK OFF! SLIPFOLD SLIPFOLD..

..

.

We must have travelled 20km in 30 minutes before its line of sight was broken and I felt ‘safe’ enough to stop and take a breather.

My body felt like a furnace and I needed a rest and something to drink and my MP had dipped dangerously towards 10%, and I couldn’t afford to be emptying the tank out here..

#Mya# I hope to never see that again. How did it know where we were!

#Godu# I’m not sure, but I’m never going to the beach ever again.

New phobia unlocked.

#Godu# Siya, have you seen that before? You said colossal right?

#Siya# It is one of many beasts that appear from the depths. Nothing else can be said other than we must stay far away from them.

#Godu# Sorry, did you say ‘many’? There are MORE of those things!?

#Siya# Yes. The depths are endless. And endlessly hold many. I have seen distant battles between them. It was unsettling.

Well fuck me sideways.

There had been many times where I had considered getting a boat as it might be safer than on land, yet this had now been thoroughly debunked.

Never get a boat in an apocalypse. Noted.

We calmed down and after a few drinks and rest filled minutes, we continued our walking and judging by where the sun was, it looked like we’d have maybe 5 more hours of light left and then we could probably afford another 4 more hours after that, in the dark, before needing some sleep.

Myself Mya and Siya all had some form of night vision capability, so this wasn’t a problem, whilst Trion obviously did not, but he didn’t need to worry about it anyways.

After another couple of km we came to a stop and watched in the distance as we spotted a large group of monsters brawling on the very road we were travelling on.

“Well, balls.” I grumbled as I unfolded my map to see if there was a way around.

Mya came over and looked over my shoulder whilst Siya had a snoozing Trion wrapped up by her wing.

Just need to figure out where the piss we are..

#Mya# Hmm. Oh! There’s a road here that swings past the airport. We should be near here.

Noice one Mya.

#Godu# Awesome! How did you know where we are? Do you know the area?

#Mya# Yeah. You could say that. My ex-boyfriend worked at the military base here, the airport shares the strip.

#Godu# Ah I see. Hmm, maybe we should check out the base for anyone or anything useful. What do you reckon?

#Mya# Well..

She looked ahead and stared whist muttering something

“Non.. ey poss-ebilay kay quella puttana bastardo infedele see-ah ancora viva” I didn’t know what, but I was pretty sure she called someone a bastard.

I hope it wasn’t me but maybe her ex..yikes..

#Godu# Mya?

#Mya# Yes sorry, sure. Sounds like a good idea.

I squinted at her, trying to suss out if this was one of those female traps where you’d be told one thing but reality was another.

“Come.” Mya beckoned us and started walking.

The sides of the motorway were filled with very tall grass and other plants, so we backtracked a bit and found a small country road that would lead us to the other road that would finally lead us to the airport and military base.

The road was also surrounded by plenty of tall grass and plants so it was making me extremely nervous in case some-

“Scrrrrrggggggggggrrr”

-thing like that.

A growl sounded out.

And my heart went turbo as I spun around and around but I couldn’t see anything.

Mya immediately pulled out her curved daggers and hopped closer to Siya, who was still carrying Trion.

#Godu# Siya! Tell me you heard that?

#Siya# Yes. Unknown direction it-

“Graaarrwwlllll”

“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggg”

“Agrrrrrreeeeeh”

We were surrounded by dozens of invisible growls and a wave of faint shimmer washed over us, triggering a message and a faint pressure around me evaporated.

WARNING. Disruption zone detected. All abilities range is reduced to 10 metres inside.

Oh shit!

I tried to form a connection to any one of my Slipfold points but it was like they didn’t exist.

#Godu# RUN! I CAN’T SLIPFOLD! IT’S BEING BLOCKED!

In Sync, we shot off down the windy road running at speeds that would have been impossible only a few months ago.

Glancing behind, I saw the grass violently thrashing about on both sides, but the worst part was that whatever they were, they were keeping up.

Please not corrupted! Not now!

We turned round a corner and came up onto the main road that showed the sign for the ‘aeroporto’ and we pressed on harder.

The grass started to thin out on either side and this time when I glanced back, I wanted to weep, partly from panic but also from slight relief. It wasn’t the corrupted but instead, it was a minor swarm of those crawlers; the quadrupedal things that had a human head, thin black hair, empty black eyes and the swollen red flesh sack at the abdomen.

But my relief turned to cold dread as dozens of them kept pouring out, and when I tried to analyse I got a failed message due to the disruption zone 10m range limit; they were 20-30 metres behind but closing fast.

We weren’t going to outrun them.

I tried one last desperate attempt to Slipfold and..Still nothing, just an empty feeling that made me feel isolated and broken.

My ONE comfort and safety net after EVERYTHING that has happened to me! AND THIS WORLD WON’T EVEN LET ME HAVE THAT?

There was something burning in my head and chest.

WHY CAN’T YOU FUCKS LEAVE ME ALONE? WHY WON’T YOU LET ME GET BACK TO MY FAMILY!

Skidding to a stop I turned around and ground my teeth, my breathing became heavy, cavernous and primal as I stared down the incoming horde.

#Siya# GODU?!

#Mya# WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

There were voices but the words didn’t register.

All the fear and terror was gone, replaced with unbridled rage as I deployed my shields into config:mirror and roared.

“I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS FUCKING SHIT! COME THEN!”

Rows and rows hurtling towards me lit up in bright red hues; within seconds the first ones reached me and I unleashed unrestrained violence.

Integrating surge with a spray of shards, it created shards that exploded on impact, spraying deadly needle shards into others.

Then, pouring surge into my shields, they became azure and black wings of death as the edges burned white with sol-like plasma that cut through limbs and flesh like butter; I was minutely aware of my resources plummeting as I duck, spun, jumped and tackled everything that came onto my path, but I disregarded it. Thrusting out my Null Claws and piling on more surge integrations, the claws also took on the azure and black plasma whilst elongating midnight black plates, impossibly made of more plasma, up to my elbows.

In the same split second, my grieves also changed and from my boots sprouted an elongated three-clawed extension, like a dragon's foot, with an elevated heel claw that raised my height a few dozen centimetres.

It didn’t slow me down in the slightest however, and in a burst of speed, I surge-jumped backwards and slammed down onto two crawlers that had lost their red hue and were trying to get past me.

WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING HUH?

Turning around I grabbed a head in each clawed gauntlet and leaned in closer to their screaming angry faces.

“TRYING TO RUN AWAY?” I barked through gritted teeth, spittle flying out; I popped their heads like watermelons.

A sensation came from behind me before five heavily red hued crawlers slammed into my back and knocked me down onto my front. My shields had decapitated or impaled three of them before we hit the ground, but they were replaced instantly and they wasted no time in biting down onto my exposed neck, face and scalp, whilst also slicing cuts all over my body. The pain felt distant and inconsequential as a large piece of my cheek and neck was ripped out, only burning rage was acknowledged as blood gushed out, pooling in my mouth forcing me to hold my breath to avoid drowning since I couldn’t swallow the blood quick enough.

My neck was also too damaged to allow air to pass, but I just grimly smiled knowing how to fix that right up in a jiffy.

YOUR LIMBS WILL BECOME MY SALVE.

My shields juddered then sung through the air as more surge-plasma formed at the edges, the harmonic vibration quickly turned into a perverse squelching, crackling and sizzling, as they spun in a complex pattern, guillotining an unknown count of limbs with every sweep. Screams of pain rang out and I only laughed as air returned and my HP shot back up to full; All the heavy tissue damage was regenerated in a mist of shimmer, washing up all the blood and stitching the muscle and cartilage back together.

Rolling over, my shields pushed me back up away from the floor. I snapped my head round at the sound of screeching, my blood boiling at the noise and I spat out a wad of black crud before baring my teeth and growling.

Phase dashing towards the sound, I pulled my fist back and smashed a claw through the things shit stained, slimy-haired, head, gore exploding out from the force, showering me and the surroundings.

“EEEEEEEEEEEE!”

ANOTHER ONE!

With another quick surge jump, I landed clawed-feet first on another, and then grabbed the head of another next to it and my shields sliced it off at the jaw; the brain matter and blood gushing out as it sailed through the air and slapped down on the tarmac.

A random thought popped up and I realised some of my attacks felt similar to what I’d seen Siya performing during previous fights, but the thought was irrelevant and quickly discarded.

Breathing heavily from the exertion, I stood up and stared wildly at the remaining monsters who grouped up and appeared to be having second thoughts looking at me, slightly haunched on my clawed feet and holding my arms out slightly to the sides.

My posture was probably no different to a beast but it felt comfortable, natural to me and good.

“DIE!” My broken voice rasped and I surge-slipfolded forward right into the center of the remaining survivors and unleashed an explosion of heat, plasma and unhinged violence.

It vapourised flesh and bone, snuffing out the surprised cries of the ones closest and releasing a dangerous pressure wave that burst eyes or smashed damaged limbs off the rest.

#Siya# G###! GO##! S##P!

My resources were near empty as I dragged myself around a gore filled, crying battlefield, driven, no, compelled, to silence their wretched screams.

“YOU SHOULD. HAVE JUST. LEFT!”

With a loud fluttering, a pair of hands grabbed me and I pulled a fist back but something stopped me when I heard a voice.

#Siya# GODU! It’s me! It’s okay! Calm down. You are okay. You are okay.

Ugh…crap..

My mind half unclouded and I grunted in acknowledgement, dropping my hand down to the floor.

She lifted me up as my shields and claws dispersed, and I felt the lurch in my stomach as she leaped away, sailing through the air, princess carrying me..again.

My…head…I feel sick ugh..I think I’m going to be sick.

We landed with a padded thump and she carefully put me down.

And I fell to my hands and knees and vomited bile and black lumps of crap.

#Siya# Wait here with Mya. Please. I will finish the rest.

She burst off with a gust of air and I heard, one by one, the screeches being silenced with crunches and wet thuds, until finally after another minute, it was calm and quiet.

Ah. That’s..better..

I slumped onto my back and laid still on the ground with my eyes closed, appreciating the rest as I felt rivers of EXP tickle my skin requesting acceptance, and with approval, it was absorbed by my body.

#Mya# Godu..are you, okay?

Letting out deep breaths to slow my breathing and keeping my eyes closed, I just nodded in response, my mind felt raw, tired and painful, like the worst dehydrated hangover mixed in with spending 24 hours awake standing under a waterfall, and I was starving.

Not sure what just happened but, I’ll just lie here for a few minutes.

…

..

.