Kael's heart pounded as the Glitch Golem's stone fist loomed, runes pulsing with mana. Lila's daggers flashed—toward his back or the Golem? Varkas charged, axe gleaming, Iron Fang raiders swarming the Crypt. Lila's pendant blazed like a traitor's beacon, and Kael's panel screamed: Sync Pulse: 1% Unlocked. Sunrise reset in 1 hour, but this fight's forcing bonus chaos. "Great," Kael muttered, dodging a raider's swing, blood speckling the floor from a grazed arm—shallow, PG-13 red. "Betrayed, crushed, or chopped. Pick your poison, Kael." Byte, the mana ferret, snarled, tail sparking neon-green. Status: Kael, Peasant #47 (NPC)
Level: 3
HP: 10/15
Chaos Points: 25
Glitch Affinity: 6%
Codebreaker: 5%
Sync Pulse: 2% (unlocked in Crypt chaos)
Skill of the Day: Exploding Rubber Duck (Cooldown: 27 minutes)
Gear: Chaos Bracer (+2% Glitch Affinity), Glitch Dagger (+5% crit), Chaos Boots (+10% speed)
Pet: Byte (Mana Ferret, Level 3, +5% crit, +10% Skill Range)
"Lila, pick a side!" Kael yelled, triggering Exploding Rubber Duck. Quacking ducks erupted, flames bursting against the Golem's chest. Sparks flew, but the beast barely flinched, its fist grazing Kael's shoulder—HP to 8/15, a red bruise blooming. Byte amped the ducks (+10% range), singeing a raider's cloak, blood oozing from burns. Lila slashed the Golem's joints, pendant still glowing. "I'm helping, idiot!" she snapped, but her eyes darted to Varkas. "Helping? You sold me to these axe freaks!" Kael's snark flared, Chaos Boots speeding him past a mana laser. The panel pinged: New Skill: Summon Glitter Bomb. "Glitter? I'm a walking meme." He activated it—a sparkling orb exploded, coating the Golem and raiders in sticky, blinding glitter. Varkas coughed, axe flailing, slicing a raider's arm—blood misted, light and quick. The Golem slowed, glitter gumming its runes. Byte zipped in, stealing a Mana Shard (+5 Chaos Points), boosting Kael to 30. Codebreaker: 6% revealed a rune on the Golem's core: Weak Point: +20% damage. Kael's Glitch Dagger glowed, syncing with Sync Pulse. He lunged, stabbing the core—cracks spread, mana leaking like blue blood. The Golem collapsed, dropping Golem Core and Coder's Fragment (+10% Codebreaker). Kael panted, snarking, "Take that, rock-head. Reddit would love this." Varkas bellowed, "You're mine!" His axe swung, but Lila tackled Kael behind a pillar. Her pendant dimmed, voice low: "I didn't sell you, nerd. I'm playing Iron Fang for Crypt loot." Kael squinted, panel flashing: Trust Level: 10%. "Your pendant's a GPS!" Lila smirked, tossing a Mana Vial (+5 HP). "Drink. Trust me, or we're toast." HP at 13/15, Kael crafted a Chaos Ring (+5% Glitch Affinity) with the Golem Core. The Crypt shook—more Iron Fang swarmed, and a deeper rumble hinted at worse. Lila pointed to a rune-carved stairwell. "Coder's truth is down there." Byte, now Level 4 (+5% speed), nuzzled the Coder's Fragment, eyes glowing. The Glitch Log pinged: Sync Pulse: 2%. Seek the Core Chamber. Varkas's raiders closed in, axes gleaming. Kael's Glitter Bomb cooldown was 20 minutes—useless. Lila's daggers cut a path, blood speckling her armor from a raider's slash. "Move, glitch-boy!" Kael sprinted, Chaos Boots blazing, snarking, "Trapped with a double-crossing disco ball. My life's a Reddit thread." Zeta's voice echoed: Glitch termination imminent.
The stairwell's runes flared, a shadow moving below—another Golem or worse? Lila's hand grazed Kael's, dagger drawn. The panel screamed: Core Chamber: Access Denied.