The air in the lab crackled with tension. A powerful **Lurker**, its form unusually resilient, was between them and the server, while a monstrous **Brute** filled the shattered doorway, cutting off their escape. The metallic hum of the server was now a nervous throb in Ethan's ears.
**\[Threat Detected: Brute (High), Lurker (High-Durability). Combat Imminent! Objective: Survive and Secure Data.]**
"Jax, cover Anya!" Ethan roared, drawing his hatchet. His **Anomaly Sense** screamed at the sheer density of hostile presence. He knew they couldn't fight both head-on in this confined space.
Anya, rifle spitting fire, aimed for the Brute, trying to slow its lumbering advance. Jax, despite his injured arm, managed to fire a crossbow bolt that lodged deep in the Lurker's shoulder, making it hiss.
Ethan charged the Lurker. It was faster and tougher than any he'd faced, its movements a blur even to his enhanced **Agility**. He ducked under a swipe that would have disemboweled him, then brought his hatchet up in a savage arc. The blow connected, striking its arm, but the Lurker barely flinched, its hardened skin deflecting most of the impact. This wasn't a standard Lurker.
**\[High-Durability Lurker engaged! High damage resistance detected!]**
"It's armored!" Ethan yelled, pivoting. He aimed for a joint, a softer spot he remembered from his training with Anya. He plunged the hatchet into its knee joint. The Lurker shrieked, finally showing pain, stumbling back.
This gave Anya a precious second. She emptied a clip into the Brute, aiming for its head, but the monster merely roared, seemingly impervious. It took another ponderous step into the lab, crushing a workstation underfoot.
"The server!" Anya shouted, her eyes fixed on the blinking lights. "If we can wipe the data... or get a copy!"
Ethan understood. This wasn't about fighting to the death; it was about the mission. "Go for the server, Anya! Jax, keep the Brute busy!"
He threw himself back at the Lurker, trying to keep it away from Anya. He feinted left, forcing it to commit, then spun and drove his hatchet repeatedly into the same wounded knee, seeking to cripple it. Each strike met with fierce resistance, but his **Strength** (now 9) was making a difference.
Meanwhile, Jax, gritting his teeth in pain, kept firing crossbow bolts at the Brute's head and chest, trying to distract it. The Brute, however, seemed to have tunnel vision, slowly but relentlessly advancing towards Anya, who was frantically working at the server.
Anya ripped a portable hard drive from her tactical vest and jammed it into a port on the server rack. Lights flickered, data transfer icons flashed. "It's downloading!" she yelled over the chaos. "But it'll take a minute!"
The Brute was almost on her. Jax tried to intercept it, but the monster swatted him aside like a ragdoll. He crashed against a reinforced wall, groaning, his crossbow skittering across the floor.
"Anya! Move!" Ethan screamed.
He knew what he had to do. With a burst of desperate energy, he disengaged from the crippled Lurker, which was still trying to recover, and launched himself towards the Brute. He was tiny compared to it, but he had to buy Anya more time.
He plunged his hatchet into the Brute's leg, a futile strike against its thick hide. The Brute didn't even notice, its massive hand reaching for Anya.
Ethan moved with a speed born of pure desperation, grabbing a heavy, discarded metal pipe from the floor. With a two-handed swing, he brought it crashing down onto the Brute's knee, aiming for the same joint he'd hit on the Lurker. *CLANG!* The pipe bent, but the Brute roared, momentarily unbalanced.
This was his chance. He pulled out his pistol, aiming for the Brute's exposed, milky eye. His **Ranged Accuracy** skill, boosted by adrenaline, narrowed his focus. He fired.
*BANG!* The bullet struck true, burying itself deep into the Brute's eye. The monster let out a deafening, agonizing bellow, its massive body beginning to sway.
**\[High-Threat Mutation (Brute) critically damaged! Weak point exploited!]**
But the Brute wasn't down yet. Blinded in one eye, it swung its massive arm wildly, a clumsy but devastating blow that caught Ethan in the ribs, sending him flying across the lab. He slammed into the opposite wall, the air knocked from his lungs, a searing pain blooming in his chest. His vision blurred, a faint red mist clouding his sight.
"Downloaded!" Anya's voice cut through the haze. She ripped the hard drive free. "Jax, Ethan, to the exit!"
She grabbed Jax, half-dragging him. The Lurker, though injured, was now shambling towards the fallen Brute, as if sensing its demise. It was a race against time, with Ethan severely wounded. He pushed himself up, gritting his teeth, his entire body screaming in protest. The data was secure, but their escape was far from it.