Chereads / Biological Progression / Chapter 7 - Sea Behemoth

Chapter 7 - Sea Behemoth

The salty spray of the ocean stung my eyes as I perched precariously on the edge of the abandoned lighthouse, surveying the churning black canvas of the sea. The reports of "unidentified aquatic anomaly" had led me here, a gnawing worry twisting in my gut.My bio-sculpted senses, honed by countless encounters with Rotters and fueled by the ever-hungry Lazarus strain, picked up something unsettling beneath the surface. An unnatural tremor ran through the water, a deep, rhythmic vibration that resonated in the very bones of the lighthouse.Suddenly, a colossal tentacle, thicker than any I had ever witnessed, erupted from the waves, slamming into a nearby freighter with a sickening crunch. The ship, a behemoth of steel and cargo, buckled and twisted like a child's toy, before splitting in two with a thunderous groan.Adrenaline surged through me, the exhilaration of the unknown clashing with a cold dread. This wasn't a creature I had encountered before, not in the concrete jungles or the fetid alleys teeming with Rotters. This was a leviathan of the deep, a predator born of the ocean's wrath.The creature rose further, its monstrous form finally breaking the surface. It was a cephalopod of nightmares, its central body easily dwarfing the ruined freighter. Glowing eyes, multifaceted and alien, scanned the wreckage as a series of smaller tentacles, tipped with barbed hooks, lashed out at the water, scooping up debris and unfortunate sailors with terrifying efficiency.The sight was horrifying, a primal predator feeding upon the wreckage of human arrogance. My initial excitement at encountering such a colossal beast morphed into a chilling understanding – this creature, if left unchecked, would lay waste to the city's entire coastline.But the Lazarus strain, that ever-hungry entity within me, pulsed with a different kind of excitement. Here was a challenge unlike any other, a potential source of immense energy if I could find a way to subdue the beast.Gathering myself, I focused my will, calling upon the power of bio-sculpting. My arms shimmered and transformed, razor-sharp claws erupting from my fingertips. My wings, intricate structures of bone and membrane, stretched and tensed, catching the wind as I launched myself into the air.The leviathan, sensing my presence, shrieked, a sound so deep and primal it rattled the windows of the lighthouse. It aimed a massive tentacle at me, its tip dripping with a bioluminescent slime. I banked sharply, dodging the attack with a hair's breadth, the wind whistling through my makeshift wings.This would be no ordinary fight. This was a dance of predator and predator, a clash of wills played out against the backdrop of a churning sea and a devastated coastline. The fate of the city, and perhaps my own evolution, hung in the balance. With a roar that mirrored the creature's own, I launched myself back into the fray, claws bared and wings beating. The battle had begun.The rhythmic clang of metal against concrete echoed across the deserted docks, a counterpoint to the howling wind whipping off the churning black sea. My bio-sculpted claws, metallic and razor-sharp, clashed with the razor-edged tentacles of a monstrous leviathan that had breached the surface moments ago.The news reports had been vague, describing "an unidentified aquatic anomaly" causing havoc in the shipping lanes. But no report could have prepared me for the sheer monstrosity that now loomed over the dockyard. It was a creature of nightmares, a colossal cephalopod with a central body the size of a skyscraper and tentacles thicker than shipping containers.My initial exhilaration at encountering such a colossal beast had been quickly replaced by a chilling dread. This wasn't a Rotter pack I could dispatch with a few well-placed claws. This was a force of nature, a predator honed by millennia of evolution in the ocean's depths.As the beast lashed out with a flurry of tentacles, I launched myself into the air, dodging the thrashing limbs with a desperate maneuver. My makeshift wings, a marvel of bio-sculpting and a testament to the Lazarus strain's adaptability, flapped furiously keeping me aloft.But dodging wasn't enough. This creature needed to be subdued, driven back into the depths before it caused widespread devastation. Focusing my will, I morphed my right arm, reshaping flesh and bone into a grotesque mockery of a harpoon launcher.With a surge of adrenaline, I aimed and fired. The bio-sculpted harpoon, a spear of bone and chitin tipped with a shard of rot crystal snatched from a vanquished Rotter, slammed into the creature's leathery side with a sickening thud.The beast shrieked, a sound that resonated through my very bones, and lashed out with a vengeance. One massive tentacle slammed into the dockyard, sending a shower of sparks and debris flying. Another tentacle, tipped with a series of razor-sharp barbs, snaked through the air, narrowly missing me as I banked sharply.The battle raged on, a symphony of clashing metal and organic matter. My agility, enhanced by my wings and the strain's potent energy boost, allowed me to evade most of the creature's attacks. But my harpoon attacks, though effective, seemed little more than pinpricks on its gargantuan hide.Frustration clawed at me. I needed a new strategy, a way to exploit the creature's weaknesses. As if sensing my desperation, the system interface flickered to life in my peripheral vision, highlighting a blinking icon labelled "Advanced Telekinesis - Partially Unlocked."Hope surged through me. Maybe, just maybe, with a partial unlock, I could disrupt the creature's equilibrium, throw it off balance long enough to deliver a final blow.Focusing all my energy, I pushed against the system's lock, willing it to yield. A wave of dizziness washed over me, the world blurring at the edges. But within the chaos, a spark of telekinetic power ignited.With a supreme effort, I reached out with my mind, grappling with the creature's immense consciousness. It was like wrestling a hurricane – chaotic, unpredictable, and possessing a raw power that threatened to overwhelm me.But I held on, channeling the limited telekinetic power the system offered. The leviathan shuddered, its tentacles flailing wildly. For a fleeting moment, I saw confusion in its enormous, multifaceted eyes.That was all the opening I needed. Morping my arm back into its natural form, I channeled the Lazarus strain's energy into my claw, charging it with a sickly green glow. Then, with a roar that mirrored the creature's own, I launched myself in a suicidal dive.The creature raised a massive tentacle to intercept me, but it was too slow. My claws, imbued with both rot-manipulation and the last vestiges of my telekinetic hold, sliced through flesh and bone like butter.A bloodcurdling shriek ripped through the air as I plunged deep into the beast's pulsating flesh. A struggle ensued within its very body, a chaotic ballet of thrashing tentacles and the sickly green glow of rot-infused claws.Time seemed to lose all meaning until finally, with a shudder that shook the entire dockyard, the leviathan went limp. The stench of rotting flesh filled the air, a grim testament to the weapon I had wielded.Exhausted and battered, I emerged from the creature's lifeless body, collapsing onto the dockyard floor. The system interface flashed a warning – "Advanced Telekinesis: Overexertion – Temporary Deactivation." The victory had come at a cost, but the city was safe, at least for now.As dawn painted the horizon with hues of orange and pink, the stench of the leviathan's decaying corpse hung