Thalos clawed his way into the ventilation shaft just as the world below him exploded.
CRASH.
Specimen 09—the massive, bone-plated horror—slammed into the wall where the vent opening was. The metal ducts groaned and buckled around Thalos. The impact shook his teeth in his skull.
He didn't look back. He scrambled on his hands and knees, dragging his heavy, metallic body through the tight darkness.
Screee-THUD.
Behind him, he heard the screech of metal tearing. The creature wasn't giving up. It was tearing the ventilation shaft off the wall.
[Agility Check: Failed.]
Thalos slipped on a patch of oily slime. His heavy [Dermal Plating] made him clumsy in the tight space. His chin slammed against the steel floor of the duct.
"Move," he hissed to himself.
He activated [Gecko Grip].
Tiny, microscopic hooks on his fingertips latched onto the smooth metal. He stopped crawling and started pulling. He hauled himself forward with unnatural speed, his body scraping against the sides of the tunnel.
BOOM.
A massive claw punched through the floor of the vent just inches behind his foot. The creature was tracking him by sound. It was punching holes in the ceiling of the lab, trying to skewer him like a rat in a pipe.
Thalos saw a faint light ahead. The exit.
It was the intake fan that led back to the main corridor—the "safe" side of the blast door.
He reached the grate and kicked it open. He tumbled out of the vent, landing hard on the concrete floor of the corridor. He rolled to his feet, Bone Blade instantly in his hand.
He expected silence.
Instead, he found Vex.
The thug was still there. He was standing in front of the sealed blast door with a blowtorch, trying to cut through the lock. He spun around, eyes wide, as Thalos dropped from the ceiling covered in dust and black slime.
"You!" Vex shouted, raising his nail gun. "I knew you'd come back! Hand over the—"
ROAR!
The blast door behind Vex didn't just open. It bulged.
A massive fist dented the steel from the inside. The heavy locking mechanism screamed as the bolts began to shear.
Vex froze. He looked at the door. Then he looked at Thalos.
"What... what did you do?" Vex stammered, the color draining from his face.
Thalos didn't answer. He didn't monologue.
He looked at Vex.
[Target: Vex (Human/Cyborg)]
[Status: Fear (Stunned)]
[Opportunity: High.]
Thalos sheathed his blade and ran.
"Wait!" Vex screamed. "Hey! What is in there?!"
SCREEEUNCH.
The blast door was ripped off its hinges.
Thalos sprinted around the corner just as Specimen 09 squeezed its massive bulk into the corridor. It was a nightmare of grey muscle and exposed bone. It saw Vex standing there with a tiny nail gun.
Vex fired. Ping. Ping. The nails bounced harmlessly off the monster's chest.
Thalos didn't look back. He heard Vex scream, followed by the wet, crunching sound of cybernetics being crushed.
[Combat Log: Enemy Defeated (Assist).]
[XP Gained: 50.]
Thalos didn't stop running until he reached the heavy elevator doors at the end of the sector. He jammed the "Up" button.
"Come on," he panted. "Come on."
The elevator groaned and arrived. He threw himself inside and hit the button for Level 1: The Ribs.
As the doors slid shut, he saw the shadow of the monster turn the corner, sniffing the air for him.
The doors sealed. The elevator began to ascend.
Thalos slid down the wall, clutching the pouch at his waist. He was alive. He had the Pure Ichor. And he had just fed his enemy to a boss monster.
He looked at his shaking hands. The grey scales on his skin seemed to pulse in the dim light.
"I'm done running," Thalos whispered. "Time to ascend."