At first, Verd didn't comprehend what was happening, and neither did the others. But in that same instant, the air was split by a sharp clack, and the warrior, swift as lightning, seized his wrist, tearing him from the jaws of a suddenly manifested monster.
A puny spawn, just over a meter tall. In appearance, it only vaguely resembled a mantis. Its forelimbs, honed into scythes of death, were adorned with a grotesque decoration: from them hung vile, squirming worms and chitinous growths, like living tassels.
'What kind of abomination is this?!'
Understanding nothing, Verd scrambled backward until his back hit the wall. The sounds of clicking echoed throughout the cave as the creature snapped its pincers shut once more. Its entire body was covered in a green chitinous layer, and there wasn't even a scratch from its recent contact with the sword's blade. Moreover, certain body parts like the chest, back, arms, and head were particularly pronounced. One glance was enough for Verd to understand: this wasn't just a shell, but an impenetrable defense.
The warrior froze in a battle stance, drawing one arm back like the string of a drawn bow, and thrusting his sword forward. The blade, aimed directly at the monster's heart, was enveloped the next moment in a ghostly, blue light. Like a released arrow, he surged toward the enemy in a furious attack. The mantis responded with equally relentless speed. Its round eyes ignited with a sinister ruby fire, and a trembling, yet crimson-enshrouded forelimb met the sword.
While the man was left vulnerable, his weapon caught in the creature's tenacious grip, the monster seized the fleeting advantage, driving its mandibles into his shoulder.
In response, the warrior's palm shot toward the mantis's face, releasing a barely perceptible stream of air. The blade of wind carved a shallow but painful gash into the chitinous armor. Jolting from the unexpected pain, the mantis, still gripping the sword, flung the warrior away.
Thanks to his sturdy armor, the blow was merely glancing, leaving only a dent on his shoulder plate. But even through the protection, the warrior felt a sharp, unpleasant wave shoot down his arm. Blue blood, like congealed azure, trickled slowly down the monster's face, dripping onto the grey granite
"Why are you still here?!"
He turned his head toward Verd.
Verd was paralyzed with terror. Facing such a nightmare for the first time, he had lost the power of speech.
'What… what is even happening here…'
He tried to breathe but couldn't even draw a breath. Even if this mantis was on par with an awakened ravager, one mustn't forget that Verd was an ordinary person, not a battle-hardened warrior fighting for his life.
At that same moment, the mantis gave the horror-stricken crowd no chance to recover. A swipe, and the people nearest to it fell apart, their flesh sundered the moment the blade of its claw touched them. The vile worms, like living suckers, extended from its arms and burrowed into bodies, greedily draining blood.
Amid this bacchanal of terror, the warrior, taking advantage of the creature's diverted attention, crept up from behind and split the monster in two with a single strike.
Then, closing his eyes, he focused, and the tension on his face revealed how he was straining all his senses. Sensing the faint, fading aura of the people from the higher levels, he abruptly opened his eyes and hurriedly sheathed his sword.
"On your feet, you idiots!"
The warrior's voice, saturated with fury, was like the crack of a whip. He even slapped one of the men to knock the rising panic out of him.
"Get your asses up and move! Now!"
Every movement he made exuded a panic, carefully concealed beneath a mask of roughness.
While the fear-crazed people began to flee, Verd, as if mesmerized, froze beside the splayed body of the mantis. His gaze was fixed on the glowing core pulsating within the monster's torn chest. He reached out a hand, attracting the warrior's attention.
"Are you deaf?!"
The warrior was about to grab the boy and drag him away from the dangerous find, but Verd managed to jump to his feet, displaying a shard of glowing ore in his hand.
"I thought it lights the path better than a torch."
The corner of his lips twitched in a faint, barely noticeable smirk, and in his eyes, despite the calm expression, the glimmers of recent turmoil still danced.
The warrior sighed wearily, holding back his anger:
"Get lost, don't waste time."
His voice carried fatigue and barely restrained aggression. Having gotten what he wanted, Verd promptly hurried after the others without delay. The warrior suspected something but decided not to waste time investigating, figuring he could return later to examine the monster's remains. Thanks to this wariness, the boy managed to secretly slip the monster's core into his tattered pocket.
The way back turned out to be twice as short. This time, the tunnel was almost empty, save for those paralyzed by fear. Crazed with terror, they sat by the walls, convulsively sobbing. The warrior stopped to help those unable to get up. Realizing there were far more such people than he had assumed, he wanted to ask Verd for help, but the boy, paying no attention to the suffering of others, was purposefully moving forward.
He didn't care about any of them. Following the ghostly light of the ore, Verd quickly climbed upward and, from memory, found his way to the surface via an unfamiliar route. When he finally reached the food distribution area, he froze in horror. A dozen new monsters, similar to the one slain earlier, were fiercely battling the guards and devouring the bodies of the slain.
'Shit! Is there really no place these creatures haven't reached?'
Pressing himself against the wall, he hid and began observing the battle. The guards here were weaker than the man who had accompanied them and were consequently losing. Watching the brutal fight where monsters tore people apart, three plans formed in Verd's mind.
The first, the most cowardly, was to remain in hiding until the battle ended and then escape. And this was the plan he liked the least, for two reasons. First, he knew neither the exact number of monsters nor the reason for their appearance. Second, he wasn't confident they wouldn't catch his scent.
The stench emanating from him was so foul that it was impossible to get closer than a meter. Even regular dousing with bucket water couldn't completely rid people of this stench.
The second scheme was far more promising: pick up a dead warrior's sword from the ground and try to help deal with the monsters. The key problem was his complete lack of weapon-handling skills. Moreover, considering the state of his emaciated body, there was a high likelihood he wouldn't even be able to swing a sword properly.
Peeking out from his hiding spot, he studied the chitinous carapaces of the mantises. Memories of the recent, accidentally witnessed fight whispered to him that matching these monsters in speed was madness.
'Definitely not that one...'
Taking the best aspects from the first and second plans, he combined them and devised a third. In the heat of battle, when the monsters' attention would dull, he would steal a sword and hide in a room, lying in wait for a lone victim.
'Probably the best I could come up with.'
Taking a deep breath, he looked around. The nearest sword rested at the feet of one of the monsters like a sinister trophy. The distance seemed insurmountable—a good fifty meters
The realization of the situation pressed down on him like a stone slab. Even this cunning plan seemed utopian, requiring not just luck, but the favor of the gods themselves.
And suddenly, his gaze caught a figure from the chaos: a tall, athletically built man. Gritting his teeth, he was parrying the mantis's swipes with his blade, and his gaze, filled with plea and fury, was fixed on a second sword at his belt.
Moments of doubt flashed like lightning. Verd swallowed, gathered all his resolve, and tore off from his spot, rushing toward the desperate warrior.
'I've definitely lost my mind!'
Seeing the boy charging at him, the man froze in bewilderment, tried to shout something, but at that moment, Verd snatched the blade, and on the move, with difficulty, made a turn and struck the monster's left forelimb.
From the hellish vibration that shot through his body and the treacherous inertia, he spun and crashed to the ground, managing to tuck into a roll at the last moment.
The blow didn't sever the limb, but it forced the monster to recoil for a fraction of a second—a fatal second that the man used to run the creature through the chest with his blade.
Verd and the man locked eyes. Without words, just a brief nod of gratitude. Verd responded in kind and bolted.
Why did he do it? It was simple. He decided it would be more useful to help this warrior finish off the monster so he could keep fighting. Shifting some of the responsibility onto others' shoulders was always more advantageous than carrying it all yourself.
'This is better.'
There wasn't a drop of altruism in his actions, only cold calculation and the skillful use of another's strength for his own survival.
Reaching his room, he hastily locked the door and, panting, began looking for a way to barricade it. Alas, his belongings were pitiful and useless for the task.
Two sacks of stale hardtack, old torn clothes, a spare pickaxe. All of this would hardly stop a child, let alone an enraged insectoid monster.
'I hope I just get lucky and no one checks here before Kael arrives. Where the hell is he at a time like this?!'
Pressing his back against the door, he used this moment of relative safety. Still clutching the sword in his trembling hand, he took out the monster's core and began examining it.
It glowed faintly with a ghostly white light, barely tinting his palm the same color. Inside it, dim little stars could also be seen, flying from side to side. The mystery and eerie beauty of this object captivated Verd, making him momentarily forget the looming danger.
'What are you?'
Suddenly, something pushed against the door, and Verd jumped up, pointing the blade toward the dark gap...