"I'll stay here to keep watch on the vehicle." Leah scrambled back into the vehicle as the others talked about jumping down the large hole they had dug right into the ground.
"You expect us to just jump down there?" Nira looked down the hole into darkness. There was a strange humming sound coming from below. The air felt… heavy as it rose up, yet there was no breeze.
"Do not worry. We knew this was going to happen. We have these." Jon's static filled voice spoke up as he started handing out little disks. "They are safe fall disks. Sadly, they are one time use, so please be careful not to activate them prematurely. He paused as he half turned away from Jake then turned back and fiddled with the little disk. He smacked it against his palm a few times until a light lit up on it. "I made them myself." Jon sad proudly as he handed it back to Jake.
"Do not worry. I can cushion our decent if needed." Breeze spoke up as everyone looked less than enthused.
There was a bit more debate before they all got ready. Each of them wearing one of Jon's safe fall disks. Together the group jumped down into the hole. Darkness swallowed them up until Nira released a number of small globes of flame. They picked up speed until Jake was getting ready to tear into the wall of the shaft to slow himself. When a beeping came from the disk and they suddenly slowed down.
"I told you everything would be fine!" Jon said. Right before his disk crackled and sparked. Then he started free falling again.
Jake rift jumped even as Aoe started swearing. He appeared next to the free falling Jon and transferred his still working disk to him. They were too heavy combined so he let go of the space suit wearing crafter. They bobbed in air as they slowed and Jake hit the side of the shaft. His clawed feet dug into the stone while his clawed hands shredded it. He pushed off several times as the friction got to be too much, leaping to another section of the shaft before finally dropping free. He fell the last fifty feet to crash into the floor below. His shield flashed as it absorbed most of the impact. Stone fragments erupted around him as the floor shattered but he was fine. Overhead he could hear Aoe swearing still and the crackle of Jon's replies.
Looking around Jake appraised the huge empty room. Nearby there was a massive metal cylinder rising up from a huge hole in the ground that left an open gap of several feet. It rose until it brushed the ceiling fifty feet up and disappeared deep into the earth below. There was a console near that hole before it dropped off into nothing. Other than that the area was empty. The air stunk of ozone though letting Jake know something was going on.
A few moments later the others emerged from the shaft up above to land softly. "Not bad." Aoe said to Jake when she landed. Giving him a goofy grin. "Fucking cool as hell if ya ask me."
Jake shook his head unsure what to say when Jon's voice crackled. "Hmm, That should not be there." He was walking right towards the console. Before he could cover half the distance there was a roaring sound and Grims rushed in from the area behind the machine. They circled around the hole in the ground it emerged from and charged. Jon let out a shrill scream and ran back towards the others.
"What…" Jake started then shook his head. His mask closed around his face.
"Don't damage the anchor!" Jon screamed. Jake wasn't worried about himself but the others. It turned out for good reason.
Fire swept across the path charring the first wave of Grims as Nira unleashed. Jake turned to see Aoe in her odd squatting pose. Then the top of the box on her back opened up and missiles hissed as they shot forth. They changed direction mid air and raced towards the rushing enemies.
"Careful!" Jake shouted suddenly as worried as Jon.
"I have it under control." Breeze said. A wall of whirling wind rose up to encase the anchor from the floor of the cave to the ceiling. "But do make this quick. I am quite tired."
Jake turned back and looked to see where he would best be of use. But there was just a swarm of two eyed Grims being obliterated by Aoe and Nira. He didn't even see any three eyes let alone any four eyed ones to deal with. He was starting to relax when streaks of orange light shot towards Nira and Aoe. Jake rift jumped to intercept the ones directed at Aoe. He appeared just in time to be hit by the attack instead of her. Both his elemental and physical shielding decreased. The impact knocked him into the smaller woman bowling her over.
Beside them, Nira was sent flying backwards as her robes burst into flame. The attack had hit her square in the chest and as Jake hoped her superior armor stopped most of the damage. She quickly patted out the burning robes as a mass of cooling slag fell free of her chest armor.
Jake's head whipped over in the direction the attack had come from. He knew that attack. Sure enough, the four eyed shaman was glaring at him. Beneath his mask, Jake's face twisted in anger. That was the monster that got away. The cursing Aoe suddenly found the weight of Jake gone as he rift jumped away again. Appearing out of nowhere next to the shaman he swung. Only for his fist to be stopped. A huge hand gripping his wrist with enough strength the metal of his gauntlets groaned.
Jake glared up at the one that interrupted him and his jaw dropped in shock. Five ugly eyes glared down at him. It was a five eyed Grim. There was a strange look of recognition in those eyes and to Jake's horror, it spoke… English. "Unique."
Jake's gauntlet glowed like an ember before fire erupted from it. The five eyed Grim let go out of shock and Jake jumped back. "It spoke." He called out over the group chat. Using it for the first time since his friends died, it felt strange. Nira had refused to join in but the others were there.
"They grunt sometimes yes." Breeze spoke, sounding out of breath.
"No. It was English." Jake didn't know if he should say the word it spoke brought up bad memories for him.
Suddenly the thing was charging toward Jake. Stone crunched under its feet as the floor shattered with each step. They both lunged at one another, fist colliding. Jake's metal fist crumpled their bone and flesh limb. It smashed in on itself all the way to the elbow as the monster was knocked back. It snarled and flung its arm to the side. The ruined limb flapping like an empty sleeve. Then it straightened as the bones realigned and healed leaving a perfectly repaired limb. "Fuck me." Jake swore.
***********
Once Jake engaged the five eyed Grim the shaman quickly moved away. It stepped around to the side the others were mopping up most of the lesser Grims. It looked at the wall of wind protecting the anchor before thrusting its staff in there. Glowing crystals like bits of molten metal tore free and were carried along with the wind. The barrier destabilized and blew apart leaving the anchor exposed.
"Stop it!" Jon shrieked pointing at the shaman. Aoe launched two smart missiles right at it. It was so close to the now defenseless anchor that she couldn't risk anything bigger. It turned suddenly and the two missiles curved around it… to smash into the anchor.
"No, be careful!" Jon howled.
Aoe cursed.
The shaman smiled.
Its staff started to grow new metallic crystals that then glowed orange before streaking towards the others. It stood, with its back close to the Anchor. Aoe's attacks had scorched the metal but done little else. But it was obvious what it was doing. They couldn't easily attack it, without risking damaging the Anchor. It in turn didn't have to worry about that. Molten crystals shot free of the staff in a steady stream. Each hitting like a small bomb going off the group suddenly found themselves on the back foot.
**********
Jake had the five eyed Grim beat. Or he should have. He was stronger and faster than the monster. With his Rift Jumper ability, he could avoid attacks and attack at the same time. Each blow shattered bone or charred flesh. But the monster would just heal so quickly it was as if the damage never happened. Jake vanished and reappeared one hand caving in the monster's face while the other snapped up to hit it in the kidney. Flames exploded from his gauntlet causing him to take damage as well. He was healing rapidly too, but not as fast as the Grim. If this kept up Jake knew he would lose. So he was forced to only use his normal punches, holding back the flames in reserve.
"A little help over here?" Jake cried out.
"We have our own fucking hands fucking full right fucking here." Aoe's accent grew thicker as she got more frustrated.
"Perhaps we should switch." Breeze's calm voice was a stark contrast to Aoe's.
Jake glanced to the side and saw what was going on. That moment of hesitation though gave the Grim an opening. Its large fist smashed into Jake's face. His shield absorbed most of the damage but still sent him flying backwards. Jake just rolled with it before leaping up to charge at the Shaman. It launched a few glowing crystals at him which he vanished to avoid. Appearing right next to it he smashed his fist into the Shaman's face. Or tried too. He hit an unseen barrier and his fist slid away. The shaman… laughed at him. A harsh barking sound.
A heavy glowing crystal shot free of the shaman's staff and hit Jake right in the chest. It shattered his physical shield and weakened his elemental. Already off balance from the failed attack he stumbled. Teetering on the edge of falling into the deep hole around the Anchor. Then arms caught him. Strong, heavily muscled arms. One around his neck the other his chest as he was pulled back against the five eyed brute.
Jake let out a choked sound as the thing started strangling him. Tried to Rift Jump but just like when he tried to take someone with him, the skill failed.
"Cara! Do something. I can't risk attacking while they are together." Aoe shouted, not even using the group chat. She was annoyed by the situation. Her wide area bombardments were useless. Not only was the cavern too small, but all the targets were also near the Anchor.
Breeze pointed their gossamer staff towards the two and let out a narrow bolt of lightning. Only for an orange stream of molten metal to streak out to meet it. The two powers seemed to twine together and neither faded. The shaman's lips were pulled back showing all its jagged teeth in a smile.
Nira glared at Jake and the Grim as the three hovering balls of flame over her shrank down becoming narrow arrows. She eyed Jake as he struggled. His gauntlet flared trying to burn the monster that was choking him. But the towering Grim seemed to ignore it as it strangled him. She eyed Jake and narrowed her vision to just his mask. Her arrows of flame condensed even further becoming little more than needles of intense compressed flame. She could do it. She could pierce right through his skull from here. All just an accident. No one would know.
Her breath came faster, her heart raced, and her eyes went wide as she launched her attack. All three needles of super condensed flame shrieked across the cavern. They found their mark, right between the eyes of her target.