Chapter 22 – Don’t Do That, Please…

Our hearts pounded as we charged, weapons raised, adrenaline surging through our veins. This was our chance. The Nightcrawler, wounded and disoriented, was struggling to regain its footing.

“The wound!” I shouted, pointing to the gaping hole in its leg joint. “Aim for the wound!”

“Focus your attacks!” Arka’s voice, though still calm, held a note of urgency. Sparks flew from her damaged limbs, her movements becoming jerky, erratic.
Will she be alright? I’ll have to fix her later. But first…

“Got it!” Yuri shouted, notching an arrow, imbuing it with the light from the central device, the arrowhead glowing brightly.

“Luna, you with me?”

“Luna fast!” she chirped, her small hand gripping her spear tightly.

“Good. Yuri, you take the eyes. I’ll hit the wound. Luna, you keep it distracted.”

Yuri drew her bow, her breath held steady, then released.

Thwack!

The arrow found its mark, piercing one of the Nightcrawler’s many eyes.

“Raaaaaargh!” It roared in pain, its massive body convulsing, its movements momentarily slowed.

I seized the opportunity, lunging forward, my spear aimed at the gaping wound in its leg.

“Now! Drive it in!”

My spear sank deep into the wound, the creature roaring again, a spray of black, viscous fluid erupting from the wound, sizzling and smoking as it hit the ground.

Luna darted forward, her small form a blur of motion, drawing the Nightcrawler’s attention.

“Over here, you ugly brute!” she taunted, waving her spear, her small voice surprisingly loud. “Luna’s here!”

The Nightcrawler’s many eyes swiveled towards her, momentarily distracted.

“Now, Noah!” Yuri shouted, loosing another arrow, a pinpoint strike that took out another eye.

I didn’t hesitate, driving my spear deeper into the wound, twisting it, widening the gash.

“Come on, you overgrown lizard,” I muttered through gritted teeth. “Go down!”

The device pulsed, the Resonance intensifying, the spiral pattern swirling faster, brighter, the air thrumming with energy.

“It’s activating!”

A crack appeared in the center of the device, widening, revealing a swirling vortex of blue light, the path to the eighth floor.

“We have to finish this!” I shouted. “Now!”

“Do it, Luna!” I cried, my voice hoarse. “Now!”

Luna, seizing the moment, thrust her spear deep into the wound, twisting it with all her might.

“Raaaaaargh!” The Nightcrawler roared, its massive body shuddering, then one of its legs buckled, collapsing beneath its weight.

“Noah! Luna! Get back!” Yuri shouted, her voice strained.

She loosed her final arrow, a perfect shot, imbued with the device’s light, straight into the center of the Nightcrawler’s grotesque head.

Thwack!

“Kiiiiiiiaaaaaaaa!” The creature’s roar was cut short, a final, gurgling sound, and its massive body slowly collapsed, shaking the ground, toppling trees, its movements ceasing as the light from the central device washed over it.

Thud.

The central device pulsed one last time, the crack widening, revealing a swirling vortex of blue light, the path to the eighth floor, beckoning us forward.

I looked at Yuri, at Luna, my heart pounding, my breath coming in ragged gasps. “We… we did it,” I whispered, my voice filled with disbelief.

The light from the device intensified, illuminating the clearing, pushing back the shadows. But the light also revealed… something else.

Thud… thud… thud…

That sound. The sound of massive footsteps. A sound we’d hoped never to hear again.

“Oh, no…” Yuri breathed, her voice filled with dread. “Not again…”

I turned, my heart sinking, and saw them. Two more Nightcrawlers, emerging from the trees, their massive forms silhouetted against the dim light of the forest, their many eyes glinting, their movements slow, deliberate, inexorable.

“Two… two more?” Yuri whispered, her hand trembling as she lowered her bow. “We can’t… we just…”

Luna opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, her gaze fixed on me as I instinctively reached for my spear, a futile gesture of defiance.

“Arka,” I said, turning to her, my voice desperate, “what do we do?”

But Arka didn’t answer. Sparks flew from her damaged limbs, her movements slow, labored. She was failing.

“Arka!”

“I… cannot…” she said, her voice weak, strained. “The device… it’s drawing them… all of them… not just… Nightcrawlers…”

And then, we saw them. More shapes emerging from the shadows, drawn by the Resonance, by the light of the device. Grotesque creatures, their forms twisted and distorted, their limbs long and spindly, their eyes glowing with a malevolent intelligence. Giant insects, their bodies dripping with venom, their mandibles clicking hungrily. Shadowy figures, flickering in and out of existence, their forms indistinct, their motives unknown. They were coming, all of them, drawn to the light, to the source of the Resonance, to… us.

“No…” Yuri whispered, her voice filled with despair. “This is… impossible…”

We were surrounded, outnumbered, outmatched. Our weapons, our traps, our skills… they were useless against this onslaught. We were exhausted, our resources depleted. We’d barely survived the first Nightcrawler. We couldn’t possibly…

But the central device was fully activated now, the vortex of blue light swirling, the path to the eighth floor open, beckoning us forward. Our only chance.

“We have to go!” Yuri shouted, grabbing Arka’s hand, pulling her towards the portal. “Now! Before they get us!”

I grabbed Luna’s hand, turning back to look at the approaching horde, my heart sinking. Two Nightcrawlers, and behind them, a sea of grotesque creatures, their eyes glowing, their movements hungry, their intent clear.

Run!

I pulled Luna towards the portal, my legs pumping, my heart pounding, the ground shaking beneath our feet.

“Luna, come on!”

“Okay!”

We reached the portal, Yuri pulling us through, the swirling blue light enveloping us, disorienting us. Arka stumbled, but Yuri caught her, supporting her weight, pulling her through. We were inside, the portal closing behind us.

“Close it!” I shouted. “Find the switch! Close it!”

“Got it!” Yuri fumbled with the controls, her fingers finding the switch, pressing it firmly.

The massive stone door began to slide closed, the gears grinding, the sound echoing through the chamber.

Clang!

The door slammed shut, the light from the seventh floor vanishing, plunging us into darkness.

“We made it,” Yuri gasped, her voice shaky. “We’re safe… right?”

But even as she spoke, a loud
BANG
echoed from the other side of the door, the entire structure shaking.

“What was that?”

I turned to see massive claws and limbs forcing their way through the closing door, the metal groaning, twisting, buckling under the immense pressure.

“No…” Luna whispered, her eyes wide with horror. “They can’t…”

The Nightcrawlers, their strength amplified by the Resonance, were tearing at the door, their claws ripping through the metal, their bodies forcing their way through the narrowing gap.

“They’re going to get through!” Yuri cried, her voice filled with panic.

My heart pounded in my chest, my hands sweating, my breath catching in my throat. We’d come so far… we couldn’t…

The door buckled again, the metal screaming in protest, cracks spreading across its surface. The growls, the snarls, the clicking mandibles of the creatures on the other side grew louder, closer.

I didn’t know what to do. My mind was blank, my body paralyzed with fear.
This isn’t a game. This is… the end.

And then, through the widening gap in the door, I saw the Nightcrawler’s eyes, dozens of them, staring at us, their gaze cold, merciless, filled with the promise of oblivion.

And beyond them… the eyes of the other creatures, hungry, eager, their intent clear.

Arka stepped forward, her movements slow, labored, but her voice… her voice was calm, resolute.

“Noah,” she said, her blue eyes meeting mine, “take care… of Luna.”