Deep Within Cave…
Steel flashed. Shadows twisted. The corrupted spider shrieked — a bone-rattling screech that echoed endlessly across the cavern walls.
The Awakened team continued their coordinated assault, blades and skill whittling away at the monstrosity. To their surprise, the creature began to stagger, its armored limbs retreating, mandibles clicking furiously in defense. Every slash, every precise hit, seemed to wear it down.
"It's backing off!" one of them shouted, disbelief and rising triumph coloring his voice.
It was true. For the first time, the spider wasn't advancing — it was retreating. Their morale soared. Confidence began to swell in their hearts like a rising tide, and with it came a fatal flaw: carelessness. Their footwork grew sloppier, their strikes wilder. Discipline gave way to overconfidence.
They had begun to think they were winning.
And that's when the Veil-creature struck.
In an instant — faster than any of them could react — it shifted from retreat to a devastating counter. Its body coiled like a drawn bow, then released with savage force. One of the Awakened, the youngest of the swordsmen, barely turned before the spider slammed into him.
"AARGHH!"
His scream pierced the cavern like a dagger. Blood splattered against the cave wall as the beast's claw raked across his arm, nearly severing it at the shoulder. Only the thick metal plating of his armor kept the limb from being torn off completely — even then, it hung useless, shattered and bleeding.
That cry shattered the fragile focus of the group.
The others hesitated. Just for a second — but that was all the corrupted devil needed.
With a sound like breaking bones and clicking metal, the spider lunged again — this time landing in their midst. Its legs slashed and stabbed in a wild frenzy, cutting through gaps in armor, drawing screams from every direction. The battle formation crumbled. One of the dagger-wielders went down immediately, legs torn open. Another was thrown hard against a stalagmite, his breath knocked out with a sickening grunt.
The leader's eyes widened in horror. His instincts flared.
"MOVE!" he roared, charging forward. His broad sword swung wide, a blur of steel and rage.
The blade connected with the beast's side, and though the blow was shallow, it was enough to make the creature disengage. It hissed and leapt back, chittering in frustration. The man it had pinned beneath its weight gasped desperately for breath, alive — but barely.
"Crap…" the leader growled, panting hard. His broad chest rose and fell in short bursts, sweat trickling down his temples. "Are you guys okay?!"
The others writhed on the ground, groaning in pain. None of them could answer properly — blood pooled under them, staining the floor black in the flickering torchlight.
But one moved — fast and focused. The timid boy.
He had dropped to his knees beside one of the wounded, hands already tearing open a supply pouch. With trembling fingers, he retrieved a vial of coagulant powder and pressed it into a gushing wound. The injured man cried out, but the boy didn't flinch. Bandages followed, tightly wound. A healing salve was smeared across deep cuts, slowing the bleeding. He worked in silence, fear pushing his hands to move faster than ever before.
He wouldn't let them die.
Meanwhile, the leader stood again, gripping his sword tight. Blood trickled from his shoulder, his leg buckled slightly, but rage held him upright.
"I don't care, you stupid spider," he snarled through clenched teeth. "We're going to kill you!"
The creature, as if insulted, leapt.
Its legs stretched wide, claws aiming for the man's chest. The leader raised his sword in a desperate block.
CLANG!
The impact shook the air. He was driven backward, skidding across the rocky floor. His boots dug grooves into the dirt, but he managed to stay upright — barely. Before he could take a full breath, the spider lunged again.
High above, clinging to the cave's upper lattice of stone, a figure watched in silence.
A black cloak shifted faintly in the windless air. A hood obscured the figure's face, though a thin, emotionless mask sat underneath — its eerie design resembling a twisted, smiling face etched into porcelain. On his shoulder sat a bird — small, with bright feathers and intelligent eyes. It cocked its head, whispering faint words into the masked figure's ear.
Hope stood perfectly still.
The Sanity Mask glowed faintly as it fed him details — mental data of every movement, every feint, every angle of the corrupted spider's strikes the sanity mask also suppressed his flaw. His own eyes, sharp and calculating, absorbed the entire scene. The flow of battle. The tempo of strikes. The way the spider moved. The gaps in its defenses.
His expression beneath the mask was unreadable.
"They have… maybe a fifty percent chance," he murmured, almost bored.
The parrot clicked its beak in quiet agreement.
Below, chaos continued.
CLANG! BANG!
The leader fought on, despite the blood trailing from his wounds. His legs were weak, his sword heavy — but still, he pressed forward. Adrenaline fueled him. Rage kept him from falling.
And then — finally — he struck true.
The broadsword slammed into the spider's side with brutal force. The creature screeched, staggering from the blow. Its legs wobbled. Its eyes blinked erratically. It had been dazed.
The leader's heart pounded.
Now.
He raised his sword high, positioning it for the final strike. His shoulders burned. His body screamed in protest. But he ignored it. This was it. One decisive hit.
He brought the blade down.
But—
CLANK!
The wide swing brushed the rocky ceiling of the cave.
The sword tilted just slightly. The edge missed the spider's exposed head and slammed into the ground beside it.
The leader's eyes went wide.
"No—"
Too late.
The corrupted devil sprang forward, its mandibles opened wide in a flash of death.
SHLK.
With a sickening noise, the spider's leg swept sideways.
The leader's head detached cleanly from his shoulders.
It landed with a dull thud, eyes still open in shock.
His body slumped a second later, sword falling from lifeless hands.
Silence fell.
And high above, Hope got ready to move... The darkness shifting with him.