"What the hell is that?" Ethan whispered.
"Doesn't look friendly, whatever it is," Victor replied, his hand tightening around his knife.
The creature's eye flickered, and it let out a strange squeaky sound, its equivalent of a growl. It took a step forward, its movements unnervingly smooth. The group tensed, their weapons at the ready.
The creature's claws slashed through the air with terrifying precision, as the group scattered. Ethan raised his shield just in time, deflecting a blow that would have cleaved him in two. The impact sent a shockwave through his arms, and he gritted his teeth, feeling the strain in his muscles.
Damn, this thing hits hard, Ethan thought, his arms trembling as he held up the shield. If it weren't for this shield, I'd be toast right now... Alright, big guy, let's see how you like this.
He shifted his weight, planting his feet firmly on the ground. He focused his mana, feeling it surge through his limbs, and pushed forward with a roar.
His shield slammed into the creature's midsection, the force of the impact causing it to stagger back. But the creature recovered quickly, its claws slashing at him again.
I can't keep this up forever, he thought, his breath coming in short gasps. What are the others doing?
---
Lily gripped her spear tightly, her heart pounded in her chest as she circled the creature. She was searching for weakspots, gap its chitinous exoskeleton. It's built like a tank, she thought, her frustration growing. How are we supposed to hurt this thing?
She then noticed a gap in the creature's armour near its joints. There! She lunged forward, her spear aimed at the creature's knee, but it was faster than she anticipated. Its claw swiped at her, forcing her to dodge. The tip of her spear grazed the creature's exoskeleton as she leapt to the side.
I need to be faster. If I can just get a clean shot... She glanced at Ethan, who was struggling to hold the creature's attention. Come on, Ethan, you can do this.
---
Victor's knife glinted in the dim light of the chamber. He circled behind the creature, his cold eyes analysing its movements. Its attacks are fast, but predictable, his mind raced. If I can time this right...
He waited for the creature to lunge at Ethan, its claws slashing at the shield. As it did, Victor darted forward, his knife aimed at the creature's back. The blade struck the exoskeleton, but it barely made a scratch.
Victor's eyes narrowed. Tough, but not invincible. He adjusted his grip on the knife, trying to focus his mana into his arms. Let's see how you handle this.
He struck again, aiming for the same spot. The blade sunk a bit deeper, and the creature let out a shrill cry. Victor smirked, but his victory was short-lived. The creature spun around, its claws slashing at him.
He avoided serious injury but the claws had grazed his arm. He hissed in pain, his hand instinctively going to the wound. Too close, he thought, his expression darkening. I need to be more careful.
---
Walter moved with surprising agility for his age, his cane striking at the creature's legs with precision.
This thing's armour is thicker than I thought, he mused, his strikes doing little more than annoy the creature. But every little bit helps.
He noticed that AJ had positioned himself near the creature's feet, his slimy body spreading across the floor. Good thinking, AJ, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Limit its mobility. He adjusted his stance, his cane striking at the creature's knee. The impact caused the creature to stumble slightly, giving Ethan a brief moment of reprieve.
We're wearing it down, Walter thought, his eyes narrowing as he studied the creature's movements. But we need to find a way to finish this before we run out of energy.
---
AJ spread himself across the stone floor around the creature's feet, making the surface slippery and unstable. Its working, he thought, his words flowing together in his exhaustion as he felt the creature's movements slow. But I can't keep this up forever. Putting, lot of strain, on body.
He glanced up, looking at the creature's only eye. If I can get to its head... But before he could act, the creature kicked out, sending him sliding across the chamber.
AJ's form scattered momentarily before he pulled himself back together. Ugh... that hurt, need to... get back... in there.
---
Sam stood at the edge of the chamber, his sharp eyes analysing the creature's movements. Its attacks are fast, but it moves slowly overall. The armour makes it hard to hurt, though it's far from invincible, he thought, his mind racing as he tried to identify a weakness. Its eye... that's the key.
"Aim for its eye!" Sam shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.
Ethan raised his shield, drawing the creature's attention once more. Lily adjusted her grip on her spear, her eyes locked onto the eye. Victor tightened his grip on his knife, Walter stepped back, his cane ready to strike and AJ, still recovering from the creature's kick, slid back into position.
The creature let out another cry, its claws slashing at Ethan's shield to no effect. The group moved with renewed purpose, their attacks coordinated as they aimed for the creature's glowing eye. But it was fast, managing to fend them off.
They continued their attempts at targeting its eye with little success. Victor's knife strikes were close but not quite hitting the mark, Lily's spear thrusts were deflected by its flailing arms, and Ethan's shield bashes, while effective at keeping the creature's attention, couldn't deal any real damage.
Finally, after several near-misses and desperate attacks, Victor's knife struck true. The blade sank deep into the creature's eye, and it let out a deafening squeal, its body thrashing violently.
Victor held on, his grip tightening as he twisted the knife. Its eye flickered and dimmed, its once-malevolent light now extinguished.
"It's blind!" Victor shouted. "Now's our chance!"
The group didn't need to be told twice. With the creature's vision gone, its movements became erratic and uncoordinated. They seized the opportunity, their attacks landing reliably now.
They struck simultaneously, their attacks less coordinated but driven by desperation as they aimed for its various weak points. Ethan's shield slammed into its side, causing it to stagger.
Lily's spear struck at its joints, her attacks finding their mark. Walter's cane struck at its legs, his movements still precise despite his fatigue. AJ clung to its feet, disrupting its movements and throwing off its balance. Victor's knife was still embedded in the creature's eye, so he resorted to punching at its exposed back.
The creature groaned as its body collapsed to the stone floor. They staggered back, their breathing heavy. The creature's body twitched once as the last of its strength faded away.
"We did it," Ethan raised his hands in celebration. "We actually did it."
The others let out groans of acknowledgement. Their expressions showed a mix of fatigue and triumph. They had faced a formidable opponent and emerged victorious.
---
The group lay sprawled on the cold stone floor, their breaths heavy. The chamber was eerily quiet now, save for the hum of the crystals lining the walls. The creature's body had dissolved into dust, leaving no trace of the battle that had just taken place.
Victor was patching up his injured arm. Blood seeped out, the wound deeper than he had initially thought. He grimaced as he pulled out a small container with healing salve.
"This is going to sting," he muttered to himself. He applied the salve to the wound, his jaw tightening as the sharp, medicinal smell filled the air.
Thankfully the salve worked quickly, numbing the pain and slowing the bleeding. Victor wrapped a makeshift bandage tightly around his arm and continued applying pressure.
Ethan was sprawled on his back, his shield resting beside him. His arms ached from the repeated impacts, but he didn't complain, it was that feeling that told him how important his role was.
Lily sat cross-legged, her spear across her lap, her eyes closed as she tried to steady her breathing. Walter leaned against the wall, and AJ quivered slightly as he slowly absorbed the ambient mana in the chamber, trying to replenish his energy.
Sam sat with his back against the wall, his mind was racing, analysing the fight they had just endured. If there were multiple of those things we would've been wiped out, he thought, his expression grim.
After about thirty minutes, Victor broke the silence. "I wonder what's up with those crystals. They seem to be humming and radiating mana," he said, his voice tinged with curiosity. "Anyone else feel it?"
They all looked at Victor before turning towards the crystals. They too had felt it. The crystals were emitting faint waves of mana—they were probably the reason for the density of the mana in the room. There weren't many crystals, but if they could take them... it would be quite the prize for their efforts.
Sadly, despite everyone getting up and attempting to help take one of the crystals, they weren't able to. They weren't too disappointed though, it was to be expected. The tower would be so generous after all.
Another few minutes went by as everyone rested. It was Sam who broke the silence this time. "We should get moving. The next challenge awaits."
The others groaned in response, but they knew he was right. They couldn't afford to linger forever. The tower wasn't going to clear itself and it wasn't by resting here that they were going to get out.
Ethan was the first to stand. "Alright, let's get this over with." He picked up his shield, his arms still a little sore. The others followed suit, their movements sluggish.
They approached the next passageway, a narrow tunnel that seemed even more cramped than the previous ones. The group moved cautiously, their footsteps echoing softly against the stone.
The passage opened up into their next chamber. This one was slightly larger than the last, its walls lined with the same glowing crystals and intricate carvings. But what caught their attention was the sight of two creatures standing in the centre of the room.
The group froze, their eyes widening in disbelief. The creatures were identical to the one they had just defeated—tall, humanoid ant-like beings with chitinous exoskeletons and glowing, malevolent eyes. The only difference was that there were two of them.
"You've got to be kidding me."