Looking around through the darkness, Zion knew it was of little use.
'I need to figure out how to light this place up,' he thought, his eyes wandering over to the pod beside him.
"Uriel?" he called out quietly. "Is it possible to make those blue lights shine brighter?"
[Yes,] Uriel answered. [Host needs to direct energy from a spare battery into the lights.]
Zion's expression darkened slightly.
'And how exactly am I supposed to do that?' he thought, not daring to leave his back exposed for even a second.
Uriel answered without hesitation.
[There should be a transfer cable inside one of the bottom compartments of the pod.]
Zion grit his teeth, eyes scanning the darkness one last time. Even if he couldn't see or hear the shadeleecher, he knew it was still there, watching him like prey.
Then, he spun around—jumping and quickly opening a bottom compartment with one hand while keeping his blade raised behind him.
Just as his fingers closed around the cable—the rattling noise returned.
Closer this time.
Zion didn't even hesitate, immediately diving to the side.
Two metal needles flew past him, embedding themselves into the pod's wall.
Just as Zion thought it was over, a third needle hit his back.
"Fuck!" he cursed, feeling a slow cold spread from the needle.
[Warning! Paralytic agent detected in host's bloodstream,] Uriel said. [You have 97 seconds of peak combat performance before motor impairments begin.]
Clenching his teeth, he yanked the transfer cable free and grabbed a yellow-colored battery from within the pod.
Lifting his head at the darkness above, he connected the two.
The blue lights behind him flared up, instantly lighting the entire cave in a glowing blue color.
And there it was.
The Shadeleecher, with its claws embedded deep within a nearby stalactite on the ceiling.
It let out a loud screech as the light blinded it. Its curved limbs trembled as it uncoiled a long tail ending in a sharp knife-like blade.
'What is up with all these creatures and their damn knives,' Zion thought, raising his left arm.
Without hesitating, he tensed the muscles in his left forearm, letting energy course through it.
This time, he didn't wait long before firing his railgun shot.
As he let go, the shadeleecher felt something coming and immediately used all its strength to move.
A blue orb shot through the air, crashing into the place the shadeleecher had just been.
Dust filled the air as the large stalactite collapsed to the ground, shaking the entire cave.
'Not good,' Zion thought, sprinting after the shadeleecher through the cloud of dust.
The shadeleecher had let go of the ceiling, running out of the cloud of smoke before turning to look at Zion.
Letting out a screech, it swung its tail knife towards him while simultaneously shooting several more paralytic needles in all directions.
Zion jumped to the side, his feet sliding over the floor as he immediately dashed forward.
But the shadeleecher didn't plan to let Zion close, crawling on the ceiling again.
[Only 40 seconds left, Host!] Uriel's voice echoed through his head.
'Time is running out!' he thought. If he fell unconscious here, he'd no doubt be killed.
As he desperately charged his railgun, the Shadeleecher kept hurling more paralytic needles at him from above.
'Go!' Zion thought, shooting his railgun at the creature.
As if sensing the danger, the shadeleecher immediately dove behind one of the nearby stalactites.
It shielded itself completely from the blast, then immediately reappeared from behind the stalactite, spinning its tail at Zion again.
[30 seconds, Host!]
Time seemed to slow as Zion watched the tail coming towards him.
Without hesitation, he raised both his hands as it flew towards him.
As the knife neared within a few feet from him, he twisted his body and gripped the tail tightly.
The shadeleecher let out a loud screech, immediately launching dozens of needles towards him.
Zion looked at the approaching needles, turning around before yanking on the shadeleecher's tail with all his might.
Hearing the sound of rocks crumbling, he knew he'd pulled it off.
'I have to finish it here,' he thought, spinning around.
One hand held onto the creature's tail tightly while he poured energy into the railgun on the other.
The shadeleecher didn't wait around, immediately pouncing towards him with its razor-sharp claws.
Stepping aside, Zion's desperation grew worse.
"Stay fucking still!" he shouted, as he was forced to jump away once again.
He fired a shot from his railgun, his arm in immense pain from the repeated use.
The shadeleecher managed to move its body to the side, only letting the bullet scrape a layer off its shoulder before crashing into the cave's ceiling behind it.
"Fuck," Zion said, gritting his teeth as he forced himself through the pain and started loading up another railgun shot.
[20 seconds, Host!]
The shadeleecher saw Zion's momentary distraction and immediately took advantage, swiping one of its claws at Zion's side.
Noticing just a second too late, Zion didn't manage to move out of the way completely.
He could only watch as its knife-like claws shaved through his side, leaving several long, bleeding gashes behind.
Zion staggered back, his hand clutching his bleeding side. The world around him started spinning—not from the blood loss alone, but also from the paralysis spreading through his body.
'I don't want to die yet,' Zion thought, his eyes still on the shadeleecher.
[…Host,] Uriel said regretfully. [Muscle control weakening. There's at most 10 seconds left before you lose all control.]
One of Zion's legs gave out, forcing him on one knee. His arm still burned from the energy pouring into the railgun shot.
As he fell, the shadeleecher released two more paralytic needles which pierced into his body.
Seeing its victim on the ground, the shadeleecher let out a screech before jumping forward with its claws pointed straight at him.
[Emergency protocol,] Uriel's voice echoed through his head. [Dormant unique weapon: Gravity Wings—]