Aventus shakily pushed himself up, his limbs unsteady but functional as he staggered to the nearest chair. He dropped into it heavily, his long legs splayed out as he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. His hands ran through his dark hair, trembling slightly before he let them fall to his sides. He took a deep, ragged breath, trying to push away the lingering echoes of the nightmare he'd just endured.
"I was wrong," he said, his voice low but clear. "Thank God, I was wrong." He looked up at K'Raal and the medic, his indigo eyes still shadowed by the experience. "We still have an issue, but it's… much, much less than I thought."
He paused, taking another breath as he straightened in the chair, his hands gripping the armrests as if grounding himself. "Believe me or don't," he continued, his tone steady but weary. "Honestly, I don't know if I'd believe me in your shoes. But it's a trauma crawler."
K'Raal's crest twitched, his amber eyes narrowing. "A trauma crawler?" he asked, his tone flat but edged with curiosity.
Aventus nodded. "Also known as a dread millipede," he explained, his voice gaining strength as he spoke. "It's a parasitic predator that feeds on the adrenaline rush of its victims. It doesn't kill directly—it doesn't need to. Instead, it shows you your worst traumas, your deepest fears. It digs them up, amplifies them, makes you live them, until your body is pumping so much adrenaline it could kill you. That's its food."
The medic frowned, her sharp eyes flicking between Aventus and K'Raal. "And the illusions? What you just experienced?" she asked, her voice cautious.
Aventus's jaw tightened, his expression darkening. "It got into my head," he said simply. "It showed me… things. Things I wanted to believe. Things I wanted so badly to be real. But that's its game. It doesn't just hunt—it breaks you. Makes you lose track of what's real and what isn't."
K'Raal's gaze remained locked on Aventus, his claws lightly tapping against the hilt of his weapon. "And how do we stop it?" he asked, his tone calm but demanding.
Aventus leaned back in the chair, his gaze steady now, though the shadow of what he'd endured still lingered in his expression. "Trauma crawlers," he said, his voice firm, "are weak physically. That's why they rely on fear—they don't stand a chance in direct combat."
K'Raal's crest twitched, his claws tapping against the hilt of his weapon. "So, if we corner it—?"
"We kill it," Aventus interrupted, his tone sharp. "It's fragile. A solid hit will tear through it. The hard part is getting to it. It'll keep running, keep hiding, and keep playing with your head until you don't know what's real anymore."
The medic crossed her arms, her brow furrowed. "So, we outthink it. Draw it out of the shadows before it can work its tricks."
Aventus nodded, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly as his plan formed. "If you lock off sections of the air vents," he began, his voice calm but determined, "we can force it into a specific area. Narrow its options. Once it's contained, I can crawl in and either kill it myself… or drive it out into an open space where you'll be waiting."
K'Raal's amber eyes narrowed, his crest rising slightly as he considered the suggestion. "You'd be putting yourself in its territory," he said, his tone measured but tinged with caution. "It'll have the advantage in the vents."
Aventus shrugged, his long fingers tapping lightly on the armrest of the chair. "It's going to have an advantage no matter where we fight it. At least in the vents, it's trapped with me. And if it gets close enough for its tricks to work… it won't be able to stop me from getting close enough to kill it."
The medic frowned, crossing her arms as she glanced between Aventus and K'Raal. "It's a solid plan," she admitted reluctantly, "but it's risky. If you get caught up in its illusions again—"
"I won't," Aventus said firmly, cutting her off. His indigo eyes burned with conviction as he looked up at the two of them. "It already showed me my worst. It's not going to catch me twice."
K'Raal's gaze lingered on Aventus for a moment longer before he gave a curt nod. "Fine. We'll lock down the vents and funnel it to a specific area. But you stay on comms the entire time. The moment anything goes wrong, you get out. Understood?"
"Understood," Aventus replied, his tone resolute. He stood slowly, his lanky frame still steady despite the weight of what he was about to face. "Let's end this."
Aventus stood by the table, methodically rearming himself. He slid his twin daggers into their sheaths with a practiced motion, the faint iridescent glow of the blades briefly catching the light. His fingers brushed over his phaser before securing it to his side, ensuring everything was exactly where it needed to be. Each movement was deliberate, steady, and precise—a ritual to focus his mind and sharpen his resolve.
As he tightened the straps of his armor, he let his anger rise, channeling it with purpose. The fear, the doubt, the lingering shadows of the illusions—it all melted away under the heat of his growing fury. This thing had tried to break him, to make him question everything he knew. It had failed. Now, it was time to make good on his promise.
"I told you," he muttered under his breath, his indigo eyes burning with determination. "I'm coming."
Meanwhile, K'Raal stood in the control center, his tall, sinewy frame illuminated by the pale glow of the station's detection grid. His claws tapped on the console as he reviewed the environmental scans. The Trauma Crawler had been elusive, darting through the vent system, its movement sporadic but intentional. Its path had taken it to one of the older sections of the station—a storage yard long abandoned and rarely accessed.
"It's in Section D-13," K'Raal announced, his amber eyes narrowing as he locked onto the creature's heat signature. The storage yard's atmosphere was stale and filled with clutter, its vents winding and complex. Perfect for something that thrived in shadow and fear.
He tapped another sequence on the console, rerouting the station's airflow to seal off surrounding sections. The vents clicked and hissed as they shut down one by one, isolating the Trauma Crawler in a confined section of the storage yard. "It's trapped," K'Raal said, his voice calm but laced with tension. "No way out except through the ducts."
The combat medic nodded, glancing at Aventus as he finished preparing. "You've got your window," she said, her tone firm but edged with concern. "Don't let it pull you under again."
Aventus met her gaze, his expression hard and unyielding. "It won't," he said simply, turning to face K'Raal. "Keep the exits sealed. I'll drive it out—or end it in there."
K'Raal stepped aside, motioning toward the access hatch leading to the vent system. "You wanted to go in," he said, his voice low. "Now's your chance."
Aventus nodded, gripping the edge of the hatch as he prepared to crawl in. The tight, dimly lit space ahead was filled with the faint hum of the station's systems, the perfect hunting ground for the creature. But Aventus wasn't prey.
He was the one coming for it.
Aventus moved through the narrow vent with precision, his daggers held at the ready, their faint glow casting eerie patterns along the walls. The air was thick, oppressive, and silent save for the faint scuttling of the Trauma Crawler ahead. It was waiting, lurking in the shadows, its presence almost tangible as it tried to project fear into his mind. But Aventus pushed forward, his anger shielding him like armor.
The first attack came suddenly—a flash of movement as the Trauma Crawler lunged, its mandibles snapping inches from Aventus's face. He twisted sharply, the creature's bite clamping onto empty air with a sickening click. Its segmented body writhed, a grotesque mass of legs and claws, its eyes gleaming with unnatural hunger.
Aventus struck back, his main hand missing its mark as the creature skittered back, but his off-hand dagger found flesh. The blade sank into one of its legs, dark ichor spilling onto the vent floor as it shrieked, the sound reverberating in the confined space.
The Trauma Crawler retaliated, lunging again, its mandibles scraping harmlessly against Aventus's armor. He gritted his teeth, his movements sharp and deliberate as he countered. His main hand dagger struck true, cutting deep into its segmented torso, but his off-hand swung wide as the creature twisted unnaturally.
Then it struck.
The Trauma Crawler lashed out, its mandibles closing on Aventus's side with a crunch. Pain flared through his body as the sharp appendages pierced his armor, drawing blood. He staggered, a sharp hiss escaping his lips as he planted his foot against the vent wall to steady himself. The creature reared back, mandibles dripping, its clicking laughter echoing in his ears.
But Aventus didn't falter. Fueled by pain and fury, he surged forward, driving his main hand dagger deep into the Trauma Crawler's head. It screeched, its body writhing violently as his blade pierced through its carapace. He swung with his off-hand, slicing through its neck-like joint, and the creature collapsed into a twitching heap.
It was dead.
But Aventus didn't stop.
With a growl, he drove his daggers into the creature's body again and again, each strike punctuated by his labored breaths. The ichor splattered across his armor, the vents, his face, but he didn't care. He stabbed it over and over, as though trying to purge the nightmare it had forced him to relive.
When the rage finally ebbed, Aventus was left panting, his bloodied daggers still clenched tightly in his hands. He stared at the lifeless heap of the Trauma Crawler, its twisted form now still, its power over him shattered.
With a grim determination, Aventus sheathed his daggers and grabbed the creature by one of its mangled legs. He dragged its heavy, oozing body through the vents, ignoring the sharp pain in his side and the sticky ichor coating his hands. The trail it left behind in the narrow passage didn't matter.
When he emerged from the vent, pulling the grotesque corpse behind him, K'Raal and the medic were waiting. Aventus dropped the creature's body unceremoniously at their feet, his indigo eyes burning with quiet fury.
"It's done," he said simply, his voice low and resolute. "Let's clean this up."