Echoes of the Abyssal Blade: Path to Free Will-Chapter 97: Facing Despair

The beast lunged, its massive tentacles lashing out, smashing through, and hitting each one of them, the elders felt their spears crack, their hands were bleeding.

Raerin gritted his teeth, he was also one of those who endured a frontal attack from the beast in front of him. He ignited his spear, akin to a serpent of fire trailing in its wake as he met the blow head-on again.

"BURN!" Raerin roared, the beast’s gaping mouth roared too.

The spear struck the tentacle’s side, searing flesh, and an unholy shriek tore from the beast, purple blood sprayed out, and the beast hissed in anger.

One of the elders, Valen’s stone spear erupted, impaling another tentacle mid-swing, while Mira hurled a spear of flame, a comet of orange light streaking through the gloom. It struck the beast’s torso, detonating in a burst of scorched flesh.

The creature retaliated too, without wasting even a second, its tentacles whipping through the air like blades, one striking Mira’s side, the other elders came too support her, but they were thrown back too violently, and also sending Mira tumbling into a pile of debris.

"MIRA!"

"I’m—fine!" she hissed, staggering to her feet, blood trailing down her temple.

Another tentacle crashed down where Raerin had stood, pulverizing the hard floor. He rolled aside, flames licking around his feet as he leapt onto a jutting platform.

"Brace yourselves!"

Jonan, at the portal’s rim, watched in horror. He saw more colony members vanish through the flickering portal. The line was thinning, but unfortunately, the beast was closing in; it was not even giving a chance for others to catch their breath.

Valen stomped the ground, raising another barricade of stone. It bought them seconds, unfortuantely the abomination slammed through it like paper.

"Damn thing doesn’t stop," Valen grunted.

Mira’s voice cut through the chaos. "Valen, our people need us, we can only do that!" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Raerin felt a shift in emotion, among the elders, their grave faces indicated him of something terrible, yet it was too late to stop what was already destined to happen.

Mira and Valen bowed slightly towards Raerin, and the two of them rushed at the beast, not minding their battered body, they then combined their attack power, both coalescing their spears to form a single point.

The attack was devastating; both Mira and Valen lost their arms, and the attack took its toll, even their spears vanished.

They felt that with this attack, at least they could buy their people some time, and they were not entirely wrong. While the beast was not dead, it turned immobile for some time, it was healing itself by wrapping its tentacles around its wounds.

The very sight was ghastly to look at.

Hamec, a brawny man with skin like burnt clay, lifted his spear and slammed the butt into the ground, and rushed towards Mira and Valen, helping them retreat for now, he did not want them to die, after they sacrificed their arms to stop the beast for some time.

Raerin felt wrathful towards the beast, the beast was horrific in every manner, it was clawing at his colony member’s life, greedy for their flesh.

In anger, Raerin did not stop, he gathered his fire, and his spear was blazing white-hot. He hurled it, a streak of condensed flame that pierced the beast’s head.

The ghostly beast shrieked, its tentacles writhed wildly, but it turned towards them. While it was less mobile than before, it was certainly not stopping now.

The beast shrieked as Raerin’s spear of searing flame buried itself into its malformed skull. Its tentacles flailed, crashing into stone and flesh alike, bringing down debris and bodies with every maddened thrash. The chamber shook with each impact, dust choking the air, the ancient walls of the underground ruin shedding stone like dying skin.

Raerin didn’t stick around to witness the complete aftermath. He landed hard, shoulder scraping against jagged stone in a roll, blood smeared on his face, sweat’s sting in his eyes, and yet - he rose, bared teeth snarling. The others were barely staying afloat.

Valen slumped against Hamec’s side, his left shoulder an open, ragged ruin where his arm used to be. Mira gripped a length of broken spear in her remaining hand, her face was pale, and blood matted in her hair. Hamec bellowed orders over the chaos, his voice hoarse.

"Get them to the portal! Move, damn it, move!"

Jonan stood paralyzed at the edge of the portal watching survivors pour past him and into the shimmering light. His stomach rolled as a child fell then was scooped up by a woman he did not know. Every pulse felt like a hammer on steel, every breath felt like a crime against the dead.

Another tentacle came lashing through the gloom, clipping Hamec’s side. He grunted, the impact shattering bone, and staggered but did not fall.

"RAERIN!" Hamec roared.

"I see it!" Raerin answered, already moving.

He darted past collapsed pillars, flame still trailing in his wake. The beast was hurt, yes—but not enough. Its head lolled, the spear lodged in it sizzled and spat flame as flesh knit around it. The abomination’s wounds, which should have ended it, only seemed to make it angrier.

The thing’s tentacles writhed and caught Elden. The old warrior barely had time to react. One limb slammed into his torso, ribs crunching, a spray of blood leaving his lips. Another looped around his waist, lifting him like a doll.

"No—Elden!"

Mira’s voice cracked.

Raerin watched in horror as the beast’s maw opened, impossibly wide, a foul stench wafting out, and Elden was yanked forward, thrashing feebly.

"Let him go!" Valen roared, stone rising from the ground in jagged spikes that impaled several tentacles, but not enough.

In a sickening instant, Elden was swallowed whole. The crunch was audible. The elder was gone.

Mira’s scream tore through the chamber, her remaining hand clutching the broken spear tighter until blood leaked from her palm.

"No more," Raerin growled. "No more!"

The beast surged forward again. The portal flickered dangerously.

"We have to go now!" Jonan shouted.

"Get them through!" Raerin shouted back.

Another tentacle came, and Hamec intercepted it, his spear driving deep into the sinewy flesh. But a second tentacle snapped around his throat. Hamec’s eyes bulged as he strained against it. He roared, blood spurting from his mouth.

"GO!" he barked.

"Not without you!" Mira shouted.

Hamec’s grip tightened around the tentacle, flame and stone gathering around him in a final act of defiance.

"I said GO!"

And with a bellow, Hamec ignited himself, the heat was so intense it singed even Raerin’s skin from several paces away. The explosion of fire and earth sent chunks of beast and stone alike crashing through the chamber. A tentacle slapped to the ground, severed and smoldering. Hamec was gone, reduced to ash.

Raerin felt his throat tighten, but there was no time.

The beast reeled, its form writhing, half its tentacles gone, its body split by fire and stone. It shrieked again, its maw unhinging impossibly wide.

Raerin turned to Mira and Valen. "Get to the portal. I’ll hold it here."

"No—" Mira began.

"NOW!"

His voice brooked no argument.

Jonan was shouting again. "Hurry! The portal’s breaking!"

Mira gritted her teeth, tears streaking her face through soot and blood. Valen clutched her remaining shoulder.

"Let’s finish this in the next life, old friend," Valen said to Raerin.

"Hmm."

They turned, limping toward the portal.

Raerin faced the creature, gathering every lick of flame he could muster. The heat was so intense it was blistering his skin. The flames licked up his arms and chest, searing his flesh. He could feel his muscles tearing apart with the tension.

"For Hamec... for Elden... for all of us!"

And he flung the fire.

A searing white-hot column of flame shot from his outstretched hand, engulfing the monster’s face. It howled and writhed as its tentacles waved and thrashed. Raerin did not relent. He pushed the fire until his bones felt like they were going to snap.

The beast buckled, slamming the ground, gouging deep furrows in stone. But still it lived.

Jonan’s voice called out again. "Chief!"

He glanced back.

The others were through.

Only Jonan remained, his hand outstretched.

"Come on!"

Raerin took one last look at the beast. Its flesh was sloughing off in great chunks, its tentacles spasming, but it would rise again. It always did.

Raerin wanted to end the beast, but he knew the beast could live, and his people needed him now more than ever, so he could only turn back and ran.

The beast shrieked behind him, the world trembling as stones cascaded from the ceiling.

Jonan grabbed Raerin’s arm as he dove through the portal’s light.

The last thing Raerin saw before the portal snapped shut was the beast lunging one final time, maw open, inches away.

Then darkness.

They landed hard on rough ground, the air colder, cleaner. The stone walls of the ruin gone. The survivors lay scattered in a field under a grey sky.

Raerin groaned, rolling onto his back. His skin felt flayed. His hands trembled.

Mira coughed, clutching her bleeding side.

Jonan sat, staring at the spot where the portal had been.

"It’s... it’s over," he whispered.