The walls fractured with thunderous cracks that shook his grip, but Grey's claws pierced firmly enough to keep him stable. The rough texture of the wall offered resistance, yet his instincts guided him to the precise spots where his claws could sink in more easily, allowing him to ascend swiftly.
Several meters below him, dozens of creatures emerged from the walls, tearing themselves free from the rock like parasites from an open wound. Their misshapen bodies and madness-filled eyes glowed with an unnatural intensity, their sharp claws anchoring into the wall as they pursued him.
"They can do that too? This just got harder..."
Without wasting a moment, he unsummoned Odyssey with a thought. The beasts moved with terrifying speed, and every second was crucial. Grey's claws tore through the stone as he propelled himself upward, leaving behind loose rubble that fell like a cascade into the abyss. The sound of the creatures closing in echoed in his mind like a war drum.
"Faster."
One of the creatures emerged three meters above him. With a savage roar, it lunged at Grey with uncontrollable fury, its claws gleaming like blades reflecting the faint light of the walls.
Grey reacted instantly. Without stopping, he reached forward, his fingers spread like sharp daggers. With a precise movement, he tore through the creature's head mid-flight. The mutilated body plummeted into the depths, but the impact cost him some momentum.
"A second lost... too many seconds lost."
More beasts approached, their chaotic, swift movements filling the air with a cacophony of growls and shrieks. Grey ignored the burning in his muscles and the persistent whisper of the spell in his mind. With every passing second, he climbed faster, his claws ripping through rock and metal with each movement.
Still, a subtle unease began to creep into his thoughts as he climbed. Something felt off about the tunnel.
Why did this path to the surface feel so... strange?
The fallen worm that created it had emerged from the crimson labyrinth, swallowing him and dragging him into these depths. He still remembered the moment vividly: the beast burrowed into the ground, leaving behind a massive rift in the labyrinth.
So why wasn't the tunnel flooded?
"This can't be good," he thought, anxiety weighing on his mind like a stone. But he had no other choice. He had to trust, blindly if necessary, that the rift remained open by some miracle. What kept the water out? He didn't know and didn't have time to figure it out.
Even with his night vision, he couldn't discern any light at the top of the tunnel. The absolute darkness only deepened his unease. Something was wrong at the end of this path—he could feel it in every fiber of his being.
What would he do if the tunnel was sealed? Or if it had closed after the fallen beast entered? The mere thought froze him. He couldn't afford to dwell on that possibility now.
Suddenly, two creatures burst from the walls just meters away. Tearing through the stone like parasites ripping through flesh, they lunged at him with instinctive fury.
Too close. This time, he couldn't dodge them like the others.
"Perfect timing."
With a single thought, Odyssey appeared in his free hand. He didn't waste a second. With a swift motion, he drove the spear into the gaping maw of the nearest creature, splitting its skull in two. The lifeless body tumbled into the void, its echo fading into the abyss.
The other creature, nearly on top of him from the left, took a direct kick to the head. The blow knocked it off balance, sending it plummeting to its death.
But those two seconds cost him dearly. The distance he had gained from the other creatures vanished, and they were now dangerously close.
"Damn it."
A crazy idea crossed his mind—a way to gain speed. It wasn't safe, but he had no other choice.
With all his strength, he drove Odyssey into the wall, embedding its tip with pinpoint accuracy. He released his left hand's grip, balancing on the spear with swift, precise movements.
His legs, coiled like springs, launched him upward in a leap that propelled him several meters higher. Mid-air, he extended his claws, embedding them into the wall before gravity could drag him down.
He immediately resumed climbing, dismissing Odyssey and preparing to summon it again. He knew it would only take seconds, but every moment counted as the creatures closed in, ever closer.
The grotesque sounds they made pursued him like a shadow, their claws raking the rock, their teeth resonating like crystal being shattered.
Some of the beasts, those with multiple arms armed with dagger-like claws, were the most unsettling. Their movements were swift and precise, perfect for a vertical chase.
Others were too large and heavy, slower but no less deadly if they caught up. Then there were the fastest ones, vanishing into the walls only to reappear meters above, closing the gap with every leap.
"How much farther?" he thought, his muscles burning from the relentless effort. "I don't think I can keep climbing much longer."
It was a terrifying thought but realistic. His beast form consumed energy like fire devouring dry wood, and though he still had less than half of his reserves left, he knew they wouldn't last much longer. If he didn't have three cores, he'd already be dead.
Suddenly, something caught his attention.
"That's...!"
Up above, near the tunnel's ceiling, the darkness revealed a problem he hadn't anticipated: the ceiling itself.
"How the hell am I supposed to get out if there's a damn roof here?!"
Desperation, that old foe, began to rise again. There shouldn't be a ceiling. There should've been a massive rift, the hole the fallen worm created when it attacked and retreated into the depths. But now, there was no sign of it.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it all!"
The wall trembled harder as the creatures clawed at the rock with a ferocity that shook everything around him. Grey felt his grip slipping—both on the wall and his control.
For a moment, an absurd idea crossed his mind: to let go. To collapse into the abyss and face them in one final battle, hoping to carve his way through the horde. But he dismissed the thought instantly. It wasn't a real option; it was suicide.
Then he saw it.
There, near the ceiling, a wide, dark gap in the wall, like an open mouth waiting for him.
"Of course... How did I not think of that before?"
Hope, faint but real, ignited in his thoughts. That could be his way out.
With one final push, his muscles tensed like never before. He accelerated his climb, ignoring the fatigue, the pain, and the beasts roaring behind him. The only thing in his mind was reaching that gap before it was too late.
At last, with one final effort, he reached his goal.
____
Note: Hello! I'm back, as you might have noticed 😁. I've been away for quite some time because I had to prepare and present a final project for one of my school subjects.
I still have some final assignments pending, but I think the worst is over. So, there might be a chapter or two during the week. If you notice anything odd in them, I apologize!
Since I left this fic on hold for several days, I might've lost my writing touch. So, if you feel the quality isn't as good as before, I'm sorry for that.