Slash!
Whish!
Screams and roars filled the tunnels of the labyrinth. Blue and golden light mixed in a shower of blood and dust as Nathan's axe swung around in a wide arc, catching multiple giants and Dracaenae who promptly dissolved into dust. The shield at his wrist swung open, blocking a punch from a Laestrygonian before he pushed him away and punched him with the pointed head of the shield, killing him instantly!
He felt his skin prickle as the claws of a dracaenae passed over his head. He swung his axe backwards, the pointed back of the weapon piercing through the monster's temple.
Nathan looked like a grim reaper in constant motion, jumping off the wall to catch a spider in the face with his axe. Each of his axe swings took another life, whisking the monsters away into Tartarus.
Notifications flashed over his eyes and mind in a cascade of noises, mingling with the roars and screams of the monsters. Some dust got into his eyes as he punched his shield through another spider's eyes. He jumped back, the air rushing into his lungs and rejuvenating him once again. The dust in his eyes clearer up in another split second, and he again dashed right into the fray!
Minor cuts and scratches appeared all over him. Every now and then, a monster would get a swing at his body that he couldn't block; but they would soon heal as he continued to breathe.
Eventually, as he ripped his way through the upteenth monster, the others began to back off. There was a palpable fear in their eyes at that moment. The man they had thought of nothing but a mere human lost in the Labyrinth was ripping through them like they were paper.
"Run away!"
"Get out of here! He's crazy!"
The stampede of monsters who had been cut in half were now running away. Nathan, drenched in monster blood and dust followed behind them with an eerie calmness. All things considered, although he wanted to run behind them and rack up his points further, he refrained from doing that.
He looked at the multiple trophies scattered all over the ground. At a glance, he counted multiple dozen of them; dark green scales and chitin exoskeletons left from the Dracanae and Giant Spiders.
He also saw some crooked human teeth scattered about here and there.
"I did not know I could do all that." Nathan chuckled.
As the monsters disappeared into the darkness, he picked up each trophy in seconds and looked at the notifications.
[You have gained 109.5 Customization Points!]
[You have killed 10 unique monsters!]
[The Bestiary has been unlocked! Complete milestones to get rewards in the form of Customization Points and Perk Points!]
[Customization Points: 112.5]
Nathan stopped, narrowing his eyes. Then, shaking his head, he decided to check out the Bestiary after he had met up with Reuben and Freddy.
He began to move again. Following along the compass brought him to a room. It looked like a prison bathroom with multiple showers on both sides. As he passed by and was about to step into the next tunnel, the compass shifted, pointing back.
Nathan smiled and looked down. He could feel something moving down there.
Now how do I break through this rock? He thought, scratching his chin. Then, an idea flashed by his mind.
With a tense expression, he hurriedly inscribed a single enchant on his axe.
[Frozen Explosion I: A chance to cause an explosion of frost when the axe hits a target. The more concentrated the user, the higher the probability.]
He took in a deep breath and raised his axe over his head, holding it with the backwards, pointed side to the ground. Then, he swung it down with all his strength.
...
...
Freddy stared in horror at the wall before them. The tunnel they had taken had been a dead end.
Evidently, his natural sense of direction had been wrong.
'Well... we're officially screwed.' He squeaked. His big round eyes looked at the kid behind him.
Reuben was hyperventilating at this point and tears had begun to stream down his face.
"W-what do we d-do?"
Freddy went quiet for a long while before shaking his small head.
'I have no idea.'
His eyes travelled to back to the tunnel, from where he could hear the Hydra slowly inching closer. Reuben started to freak out and Freddy himself was not sure what to do.
If he was alone, he would have sped past the beast before it had the chance to react, but that was not an option with the demigod in tow. The faint figure of the nine-headed serpent came into view.
Its body was littered with bits and pieces of mushrooms and faint wisps of smoke wafted off of its scaly body.
Freddy got between Reuben and the Hydra. It wouldn't do much, but it was the least he could do at this point.
Why did I get attached to the kid!? He cursed himself in his heart, and prepared for a showdown. He wasn't good at fighting, but that didn't exactly mean he was defenceless.
The Hydra inched closer, the hisses from its nine heads echoing in the tunnel. Reuben whined behind him, but he paid him no heed. He was too busy trembling by himself.
At that moment, Freddy wholeheartedly believed this was it. He would die and then be reformed somewhere down the line. But this was it for the young demigod.
Just then, the ceiling above them trembled.
Thump!
Thump!
Crackle!
Freddy looked up, confused. The ceiling had begun... to freeze.
And just as the Hydra lunged with two of its heads, fangs as large as daggers -
Thump!
Shatter!
Boom!
- The ceiling collapsed, and with a yell, a humanoid figure swooped down, a baleful blue glow shining in his hands.
Nathan grinned, the axe still over his head as he fell down towards the heads of the Hydra!
The debris slammed one of the heads, and with a single swing of his axe, the other head was split down the middle!
Slash!
Spurt!
Nathan jumped back before the mix of saliva and blood could get on him. Pulling out his shield and standing protectively in front of Freddy and Reuben!
"Big bro!"
'Nathan!'
Both the squirrel and the demigod exclaimed in surprise. Nathan looked back over his shoulder and flashed a grin.
"Miss me?"
'You survived the Cyclops?' Freddy asked, big beady eyes still wide as saucers. Nathan only chuckled, not saying anything.
He focused on the Hydra. Its serpentine form writhed. It swatted away the debris and the head that had been split down the middle began to swell at the neck like a balloon. The scales along that part began to fall off, and as the head burst open like a watermelon, the neck split, forming two heads where there had only been one.
Nathan sweat-dropped at the sight. He had not expected for there to be a Hydra when he jumped down and only at the final moments, when he realized it was a Hydra did he adjust his attack to split the head instead of cutting it down. But now...
"This is a problem..." He muttered. The serpent stabilized itself, all its heads turning to Nathan. In that moment of thought, Nathan looked back again and said in an urgent voice.
"Reuben! Jump onto my shield! Now!"
Reuben didn't know what had happened at that point, but he found himself following the order. He dashed toward Nathan's back and jumped. Nathan turned around, his shield catching Reuben as he jumped and with a single tremendous effort, he pushed him into the air!
Whoosh! A comet like tail followed him as Reuben was pushed upwards into the prison bathrooms!
The Hydra hissed and snapped at him, 4 of its heads spitting venom and the rest coming to bite and chunk off of him.
Nathan jumped back, feeling a splash of venom land right by his feet. His jaw tightened and the axe in his hand held unusually heavy.
He took in a deep breath again and a chill started to travel up his arm. Without thinking, he sliced right at the head when it came biting at him!
Slash! Crackle!
Ice crackled as the axe bit into monster flesh. The wound froze over with frost and snow, but as the blood began to pour out it melted away. The neck swelled and split into two more heads!
"Fuck.." Nathan cursed. The Hydra had 11 heads now. He could try jumping back up but the Hydra would get him before he could pull himself up.
He blocked another hit with his shield, his legs buckling under the assault.
He cursed under his breath again. The Hydra was strong, not stronger than the Cyclops, but strong enough to throw him around like a toy. If the shield didn't have the enchants, he was sure he would have been flung back by the attack.
His hands blurred, axe flashing with cold light. His body moved instinctively against threat, deflecting attacks and straining to avoid the poisonous breath. It was difficult enough as is to fight against a monster with 11 heads, but he could not do any real damage and each attack would result in the heads multiplying. Every hit could be fatal. It wasn't like the large monster horde, where could let his instincts carry him all the way and shrug away minor hits.
The poisonous breath was the real sucker.
He could get rid of any poison with time, but the prerequisite was being able to breathe.
Another attack slammed against his shield, pushing him fully against the wall. He didn't have a way out anymore.
Just a second will do... but this is so bullshit!! He yelled in his mind. He needed only a split second to edit his axe with enchantments, but the snake was too fast and its heads too numerous. He had no chance of doing anything.
Time seemed to slow down, his limbs started to feel heavy with the weight of impending death. His eyes watched silently as the Hydra pushed further, swerving around his shield. Its terrible yellow eyes, large fangs and the forthcoming end pulsed across his features.
Just then, something fell through the large hole in the ceiling.
Boom!
Crash!
Hisssssssss!
The Hydra hissed, flinching back. Nathan's eyes momentarily caught some debris that had fallen onto the Hydra's back. Up on the floor above stood Reuben.
Nathan grinned. The single second seemed to stretch on forever. The axe disappeared from his hand, instantly appearing in the Custom Order tab.
Without hesitation, he upgraded the Frost enchantment on his axe, upgrading it to [Frozen Embers: Embers of the Frozen Flame, extinguished but still raging strong].
The Hydra recovered, snapping its jaws at him. Nathan deflected the blow with his shield, the axe appearing in his hand in one motion. A cold light flashed in the tunnel, and a scaly head fell to the ground.
...
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A/N: Comment your thoughts. The Bonus Chapter should be uploaded in about 6 or 7 hours.