The tunnel widened into a chamber where the air felt heavier, buzzing faintly as though the walls themselves hummed with a low chant. Strange glyphs glowed faintly in the damp rock, their edges eroded but still pulsing with a sickly rhythm.
Logan slowed his steps, lantern held close, eyes narrowing. His pale-red gaze swept over the chamber, every muscle taut despite his body's fragility. The dripping water here didn't echo like before—it fell flat, swallowed by the oppressive hum.
"…This place feels wrong," Logan muttered under his breath. His voice came out low, serious, carrying none of the sarcastic bite he usually fell back on.
Nyx Nexus responded with that mechanical calm:
[Essence distortion detected. Caution advised. Signature ahead matches 'Stone Gnasher'—classified: Low-tier predator, humanoid variant.]
"Stone… Gnasher?" Logan echoed, his brows furrowing. "…That doesn't sound like a friendly rat cousin."
He caught movement—two figures peeled away from the wall. At first, Logan thought they were part of the rock itself. Thick-skinned, hunched creatures, their arms long and clawed, with jagged teeth lining oversized jaws. Their eyes gleamed faintly red, unblinking.
The gnashers dropped from the wall with dull thuds, dust shaking loose from the stone. They crouched, muscles tense, their thick gray hides making them look more like statues brought to life than living things.
Logan inhaled sharply, the lantern flame jittering in the stale air. His hand tightened on the iron short-sword he'd scavenged earlier.
'…Not rats. Not bats. Humanoid. Smarter. And probably tougher than me.'
One of the gnashers hissed, claws scraping against stone as it stalked closer. The other circled wide, flanking him with calculated steps.
Logan's lips pressed into a firm line. His heart thudded, but his stance steadied. "Alright… so this is the part where I learn how much punishment I can take before breaking."
Nyx Nexus: [Recommendation: Strike joints and exposed tendons. Surface hide resistant to slashing. Avoid direct clashes. Target mobility first.]
"…You're telling me to maim them?"
[Correction: I am advising survival.]
Logan almost smiled at that, though his pale-red eyes never left the monsters. "…Right. Survival. Fine. Let's see how ugly this gets."
The first gnasher lunged, claws slicing the air.
Logan moved.
---
The tunnel widened into a chamber where the air felt heavier, buzzing faintly as though the walls themselves hummed with a low chant. Strange glyphs glowed faintly in the damp rock, their edges eroded but still pulsing with a sickly rhythm.
Logan slowed his steps, lantern held close, eyes narrowing. His pale-red gaze swept over the chamber, every muscle taut despite his body's fragility. The dripping water here didn't echo like before—it fell flat, swallowed by the oppressive hum.
"…This place feels wrong," Logan muttered under his breath. His voice came out low, serious, carrying none of the sarcastic bite he usually fell back on.
Nyx Nexus responded with that mechanical calm:
[Essence distortion detected. Caution advised. Signature ahead matches 'Stone Gnasher'—classified: Low-tier predator, humanoid variant.]
"Stone… Gnasher?" Logan echoed, his brows furrowing. "…That doesn't sound like a friendly rat cousin."
He caught movement—two figures peeled away from the wall. At first, Logan thought they were part of the rock itself. Thick-skinned, hunched creatures, their arms long and clawed, with jagged teeth lining oversized jaws. Their eyes gleamed faintly red, unblinking.
The gnashers dropped from the wall with dull thuds, dust shaking loose from the stone. They crouched, muscles tense, their thick gray hides making them look more like statues brought to life than living things.
Logan inhaled sharply, the lantern flame jittering in the stale air. His hand tightened on the iron short-sword he'd scavenged earlier.
'…Not rats. Not bats. Humanoid. Smarter. And probably tougher than me.'
One of the gnashers hissed, claws scraping against stone as it stalked closer. The other circled wide, flanking him with calculated steps.
Logan's lips pressed into a firm line. His heart thudded, but his stance steadied. "Alright… so this is the part where I learn how much punishment I can take before breaking."
Nyx Nexus: [Recommendation: Strike joints and exposed tendons. Surface hide resistant to slashing. Avoid direct clashes. Target mobility first.]
"…You're telling me to maim them?"
[Correction: I am advising survival.]
Logan almost smiled at that, though his pale-red eyes never left the monsters. "…Right. Survival. Fine. Let's see how ugly this gets."
The first gnasher lunged, claws slicing the air.
Logan moved.