The cloaked figure stood motionless before the crimson Gate, its scythe gleaming like a shard of frozen blood. The Azraka's claw hovered inches from Aydar's chest, its blue eye-flame flickering as if caught in a trance. The air thickened, heavy with a chill that bit into Aydar's bones despite the sweat soaking his torn jacket. Kamila crouched nearby, arrow notched, her breath shallow and uneven. The Bichura swarm had vanished, swallowed by the Gate, leaving only silence—and that low, unnatural growl rumbling from the portal.
Aydar's hand tightened around the Batyr's Blade, his pulse hammering. HP: 8/60. One wrong move, and he was done. The System hummed in his vision:
[Unknown Entity Detected: ???-rank]
Threat Level: Unassessable
"Who are you?" he croaked, voice barely audible. The figure didn't respond. Its hood shifted slightly, revealing nothing but shadow where a face should be. The scythe twitched, and the Azraka stepped back, its antlers clattering as if in submission.
Kamila's eyes darted between the figure and Aydar. "Don't move," she hissed, her arrow trained on the newcomer. "It's not attacking. Yet."
The figure raised its free hand, skeletal beneath the cloak, and pointed at the Azraka. A pulse of red light shot from its fingers, striking the beast's chest. The Azraka convulsed, its stone-and-bone body cracking like dry earth. Blue flames flared brighter, then dimmed. Its HP surged—425/500 to 600/600—and its limbs thickened, sprouting new claws. The System updated:
[Azraka, Enhanced Guardian: C+ rank]
Aydar cursed under his breath. Enhanced? They couldn't even scratch the original. The figure lowered its hand, turning its hooded gaze toward him. A voice slithered into his mind—not through his ears, but inside his skull—cold and sharp like a blade on stone.
"Prove your worth, batyr."
The Azraka roared, shaking off its stupor, and charged. Not at Aydar—at Kamila. She fired, the arrow striking its reinforced chest and shattering on impact. HP: 598/600. She dove aside as a claw smashed the ground, sending dirt flying. Aydar staggered up, adrenaline drowning the pain in his side. He couldn't let her fight alone.
He sprinted forward, shouting, "Roar of the Batyr!" The sonic wave slammed into the Azraka, rattling its antlers. HP: 590/600. It barely flinched, but its swing faltered, giving Kamila time to roll clear. She fired again, aiming for the eye-flame. The arrow grazed it—585/600. Better, but not enough.
The cloaked figure watched, scythe resting against the ground. Aydar glared at it. "Worth? What's that supposed to mean?" No answer. The Azraka turned on him, claws slashing in a blur. He ducked, the wind of it stinging his face, and swung the Batyr's Blade at its leg. The metal bit into stone, chipping off a fragment. HP: 580/600. His arms shook from the impact.
"We need a plan!" Kamila yelled, circling to its flank. Another arrow flew, hitting the same eye—575/600. The Azraka snarled, stomping a claw that cracked the earth. Aydar leaped back, narrowly avoiding the shockwave. His HP ticked down: 6/60. Blood dripped from his side, pooling in the dirt.
The figure's voice echoed again: "Weakness is death." The scythe gleamed, and the Gate pulsed, spitting out a new wave of mist. It coalesced into a single Bichura—bigger, its eyes blazing white. The System labeled it:
[Bichura Alpha: D+ rank]
HP: 150/150
The Alpha skittered toward Kamila, claws flashing. She fired, the arrow piercing its side—140/150—but it didn't slow. Aydar lunged, slashing its leg with the Batyr's Blade. Mist sprayed, HP dropping to 130/150. The Alpha shrieked, swiping at him. He blocked with the sword, the force knocking him back. Pain flared; HP: 4/60.
Kamila darted in, firing point-blank at the Alpha's head. The arrow sank deep—100/150—and it staggered. Aydar seized the moment, roaring again. The wave hit both the Alpha and the Azraka, shaving off 10 HP each. The Alpha hissed, retreating, but the Azraka pressed forward, its claws aimed at his chest.
He dove, rolling under the strike, and stabbed upward into its underbelly. The blade sank deeper this time, cracking bone. HP: 565/600. Sap-like blood oozed, burning his hands. The Azraka reared, and a claw caught his shoulder, hurling him into the tractor wreckage. Metal groaned as he hit, HP: 2/60. The world spun.
Kamila shouted his name, her voice distant. She fired again, arrow striking the Azraka's eye—550/600. It roared, turning on her. The Bichura Alpha lunged too, forcing her to dodge. She was fast, but they were cornering her.
Aydar's vision blurred, the System flashing:
[Critical Condition: HP 2/60]
Emergency Quest: Slay or Survive
Reward: Full HP Restore, +5 All Stats
He forced himself up, gripping the blade. The cloaked figure watched, unyielding. "Worth," it had said. Fine. He'd show it. The Azraka loomed over Kamila, its claw raised. Aydar staggered forward, blood dripping, and roared with everything he had left. The Roar of the Batyr erupted, louder, stronger—amplified by desperation. The wave crashed into the Azraka, staggering it. HP: 540/600. The Alpha flinched too—90/150.
Kamila fired mid-dodge, arrow sinking into the Azraka's eye-flame. HP: 525/600. "Keep it up!" she yelled. Aydar charged, blade slashing its leg again—515/600. The Bichura Alpha leaped at him, but he sidestepped, slicing its flank—70/150. Mist burst, and it screeched.
The Azraka recovered, swinging both claws. Aydar ducked one, but the second grazed his arm. HP: 1/60. He stumbled, vision darkening. Kamila's arrow hit the eye again—500/600—but the beast didn't slow. It stomped, the shockwave knocking her off her feet. Her bow skittered away.
The figure's voice cut through: "Last chance."
Aydar spat blood, glaring at it. "Screw you." He gripped the blade two-handed, channeling every ounce of strength. The Azraka loomed over Kamila, claws poised. He roared again, the wave hitting its back—490/600—and sprinted, leaping onto its shoulder. The blade plunged into its eye-flame, sinking deep. The Azraka shrieked, thrashing. HP: 450/600.
He held on, twisting the sword. Sap burned his hands, but the flame dimmed. HP: 425/600. The Bichura Alpha lunged at him mid-air, claws raking his back. He fell, hitting the ground hard. HP: 0.5/60. The System blared:
[Near-Death State]
Kamila scrambled up, grabbing her bow and firing. The arrow struck the Alpha's head—40/150. It collapsed into mist. She turned to the Azraka, but it was already on her, claw slashing. She blocked with her bow, the wood splintering.
Aydar's hand twitched, still clutching the blade. The figure stepped forward, scythe raised. The Gate flared brighter, and a new shadow stirred within—bigger, darker. The Azraka froze, its eye locked on the portal. A voice—not the figure's—rumbled from the Gate, deep and guttural:
"Enough. He's mine."
The ground split beneath Aydar, and darkness swallowed him.