Flynn's voice echoed through the cavern as he shouted, "GHOST STRIKE! UNLOCK!" The translucent screen flashed, and a surge of energy coursed through his body.
[EMPOWERED GHOST STRIKE ACTIVATED - 3 minutes remaining.]
Flynn felt an unusual power build within him. His eyes locked onto the bug creature, now mere feet away. With a deep breath, he focused on the energy. A blue ghostly aura enveloped his fist as he charged forward, aiming for the creature's elongated head.
The bug creature, sensing danger, raised its wings. To Flynn's surprise, its multi-eyes released transparent blades, which rushed toward him. Although Flynn dodged the blades with ease—thanks to the Ghost Strike-enhanced reflexes—they acted like boomerangs, following him until they hit a spot.
Another problem arose: the bug creature. As Flynn tried escaping the blades, the creature chased him, releasing more. The monotone voice echoed in his mind:
[GHOST EYES ABILITY — (15mins) remaining.]
"I have only a few minutes before this ability runs out!" Flynn thought to himself. "I wonder if it will recharge... or is there a cool down? Damnit, this isn't a game! It's reality—"
A blade passed right in front of his neck as he quickly dodged while swiftly climbing the blue crystals on the wall. He performed a backflip—all to his surprise—and his eyes flashed to the creature beneath him. "Got you!" Flynn exclaimed, his voice curt.
His body twisted as he clutched his fist, adding immense speed. He landed a precise blow on the creature's head, and a blinding flash illuminated the cavern.
The creature's screech ceased, replaced by an eerie silence.
"Sh*t!" Flynn stumbled back, his vision blurry from the flash.
Soon, after a few seconds, his sight cleared, revealing the creature motionless, its body encased in a dark, crystalline structure.
"What the heck now?" Flynn's worried expression deepened. Moving closer, his eyes caught a crack on the crystal. Then another. The cracks spread, and Flynn knew better than to stand in front. He backed away as the sound of cracking echoed through the cavern.
Suddenly, the monotone voice in his head triggered panic:
'[HOST SURVIVAL CRITICAL! ENGAGE ALL ABILITY!]'
'[HOST SURVIVAL CRITICAL! UNLOCK ALL ABILITIES!]'.
'Creak..'
Flynn took another step back, clearly saying. "Unlock all Ghost Eyes abilities!"
[DARK SHIELD (UNLOCKED) - 10 minutes remaining.]
[EMPOWERED GHOST STRIKE (UNLOCKED - IN USAGE) - 2 minutes remaining.]
'Crack...' The sound echoed, signaling an impending doom. Flynn's hands searched for any cocoon behind to prevent his fall while walking backwards, eyes fixed on the crystal.
The sound paused.
'CRACK...'
Flynn's eyes widened as the crystal shattered, releasing the creature's new transformed, and it's razor-sharp limbs.
"Ziiiii..." One snapped towards his neck, grazing his flesh. He dodged barely in time, avoiding beheading by mere inches.
"...No, no, no! This can't be happening!" Flynn's panicked thoughts replayed, with the attack leaving him gasping for air, his breaths reduced to ragged gasps. Sweat dripped into his eyes, which widened in horror as he beheld the creature's transformation.
Before him stood a monstrous, skeleton-beetle creature, its exoskeleton forged from bones. Though it retained remnants of its previous form, the changes were stark.
It's once hairy legs now sleek and menacing, with those elongated eyes replaced by a hollow skulled head, ablaze with blue flames.
He dubbed the creature 'Blue Skeleton-Beetle.'
"I need to kill this thing, and I need to do this now." Flynn thought, but his voice remained silenced by the beetle's stare. Despite the fear gripping his heart, he straightened up, anger blazing within. He tightened his fist and snarled, "Come here, you abomination!"
'Slash...' The creature did as told, its legs striking towards Flynn's eyes.
But the Dark Shield, unlocked in desperation, saved him.
The black rigid, yet a bit transparent, shield enveloped Flynn's hand, trapping the creature's leg.
The beetle let out a deafening screech, threatening to burst Flynn's eardrums.
It tried pulling its leg out, but not before Flynn activated the Empowered Ghost Strike. He utilized this to strike through the creature's leg, and then—it broke.
The bug-creature immediately withdrew as it witnessed this, realizing too late that it had grossly underestimated Flynn's strength. This display of power was far worse than anything it could have imagined.
As the creature rushed backwards, moving with a crab-like gait, Flynn swiftly regrouped and pressed his attack.
"[GHOST EYES ABILITY — (10mins) remaining.]" The voice in his head served as a reminder: time was running out.
Flynn charged forward once more, but the creature countered with its shielded bones, protecting its vulnerable head. Anticipating this tactic, Flynn adapted. He sprinted straight ahead, then abruptly veered into a horizontal dash towards the wall. With surprising agility, he ran up on the wall at incredible speed.
From his newfound height, Flynn launched himself at the creature, unleashing a daring aerial assault.
"Die!!" He roared, unleashing his full strength as his fist struck the creature.
[EMPOWERED GHOST STRIKE — (1min) remaining.]
The attack shattered the beetle's shield, almost crushing its head beneath. Realizing if it ran away, it's speed would only hasten its death, the creature resigned itself to fate. But in a final, desperate bid, it layered its shield into multiple, crumbling barriers.
Flynn's fist bled from the impact, yet he pushed on, through each disintegrating layer. His determination still, until he broke through the creature's head.
'Slam!...'
The fatal blow beheaded the bug-creature, as Flynn fell to his feets, exhausted, with the bug's lifeless body moving around wildly, before smashing into the walls dissolving into swirling blue smoke.
[EMPOWERED GHOST STRIKE — (LOCKED)]
The voice echoed loud and clearly in his head as Flynn struggled to comprehend that he had defeated the bug creature in less than three minutes. He rummaged through his thoughts, pondering what to do next.
Occupying Bimpky's body, he could sense the fear that would have gripped the digger boy if he had faced such a foe; Bimpky would have surely perished, just like the others.
Flynn however straightened up to contemplate his next move and plan his escape from the cavern, when his gaze fell upon a small, circular, smooth stone near where the bug creature lay lifeless. He approached it, picked it up, and examined it closely. The stone was no larger than a pebble.