I'm not proud of the scream that tore out of me then, a thin, sharp and humiliating whimper.
My sword jerked up at the last second, just barely catching the monster's fangs before they sank into my throat. Its weight crashed into me, knocking me flat.
The stench hit me first, of rot, wet fur, and something sour and hot in my face as the creature growled through a dry throat. Its yellowed fangs were the size of my little fingers, and for a moment, staring at them inches from my skin, I was sure that was the end for me.
Then something blurred above me.
A gust of air, followed by an heavy impact and the monster vanished.
I scrambled up, legs shaking, brushing dirt from my clothes. My stomach rolled, and I bent over, dry heaving.
"You bastard!" I snapped, fear turning sharp inside my veins. I shoved myself up and got in Mike's face. "Why did you let the monster get to me?!"
Mike only grinned.
Then the backhand came.
The slap cracked through the tunnel like a whip and sent me stumbling into the dust. My mouth filled with the taste of blood, and my cheek burned hot almost enough to glow.
"You little shit," Mike growled.
Fear curled in my gut. Stories always spread about Awakeners killing each other on dungeon runs. I wasn't even fully Awakened yet. Through the blur stinging my eyes, I saw Mike step closer until he was towering over me.
He grabbed my hair and yanked. Pain shot down my spine.
"Listen, low-life," he hissed. "You think four thousand is enough to bring you here for essence? Essence we could take for our own Codex?"
His grip tightened, pulling me eye-to-eye with him.
"And since I saved you just now," he sneered, "you'll pay a protection fee. Four thousand. Each time I save you." He shoved me back like garbage. "Do it now, or we're not moving."
My eyes stung, more from anger than anything else.
So that's why he let the monster get so close.
They were planning to bleed me dry from the start.
I dipped my hand into my pocket, fingers brushing my phone.
If only I wasn't this weak…
But the weakness was my fault, I accepted that. I worked until my bones screamed, just to buy the essence I needed but even then.....
Essence are one of the two treasures monsters offered besides raw materials. The residue of an initiate's power. When a monster died, its essence settled into the killer's body or their Codex. It was the key to Awakening.
Different monsters. Different essences. Different features.
To finish my Awakening, I need something that comes directly from a monster. If I was rich, or had family that was then it would have been as easy as.....
I forced a shaky smile. "S-sorry. I'll pay now. Look."
I held up the phone.
Mike grunted, waved his party forward. "It gets tougher from here. Brace yourself."
And then their Codexes materialized above them in dim, floating orbs.
They appear to be common rank. The lowest. But even that was far above me.
I followed close, sword trembling in my grip.
More undead came monsters came, shrieking, staggering, clawing but the party handled them easily again.
Mike crashed through them with inhuman strength. The swordsman cleaned up whatever slipped past him, and the healer patched them up with soft yellow light.
I stayed behind, teeth clenched so hard my jaw hurt. Any one of them could kill me without effort.
We pushed deeper, bones crunching underfoot as the tunnel walls changed. We were nearing the middle.
Then we stopped before a stone door marked with runes.
Mike glanced back with a smirk. "Your chance at essence, boy. This is the boss room."
My throat tightened.
This is it. Everything I've worked for.
The door groaned open.
The room stank of rotting flesh left in the sun. Bones, human and monster, carpeted the floor. And at the center, towering over a stone altar, was the abomination.
Mike's grin widened. "Undead venomous serpent."
The swordsman whistled. "Its core'll sell high."
Mike waved him aside. "Stay back. I'll handle it."
He stepped forward. Bones shifted beneath his boots, giving away any stealth but he didn't seem to care.
The serpent rose, scales glowing with sickly purple light, eyes burning green and black. Its head was large enough to swallow me whole.
And Its gaze landed on me.
And something strange twisted in my chest as I saw it.
A familiarity I couldn't explain.
But before I could place it, the serpent struck.
Mike met it head-on, his Codex flaring. He blurred forward, smashing his axe into its jaws. The beast's tail whipped like a steel cable, slamming him into the wall.
"He's using a strength skill." the healer whispered when I gasped.
The serpent lunged again....
And Mike shocked me.
He ran straight into the monster's open mouth.
His axe hooked its fangs, forcing its jaws apart. Venom sprayed from between its teeth but the healer's spell wrapped him in a soft glow just in time.
With a roar, Mike tore half the serpent's jaw clean off.
"This is why I like undead!" he laughed. "No blood!"
The others laughed with him.
But I wasn't laughing.
My heart was racing.
This is it, my turn. Finally my chance of changing my life after trying time and time again to touch hope that's nothing but flitting.
Mike called me over, pointing to a spot beneath the monster's skull. "Put your sword here. You'll get the killing blow."
The others pinned the beast.
The serpent writhed, its body shuddering against the stone.
I stepped up.
My hands trembled.
My future, my entire life, hung on the edge of my blade.
I drew a deep breath.
Then I drove the sword down.