"Cool ability i guess, but tone down on the sounds" Allen forced a smile as he pointed the revolver at the abomination, he then pulled the trigger making the sound echo, the echo gear finally showed itself as a transparent blue bullet made its way towards the creature of nightmares.
It did the same thing as before but the thing that changed was the echo bullet actually damaged it a bit. The abomination reeled slightly as the echo bullet struck it, the impact rippling through its grotesque form like a stone dropped into water. Its twelve crimson eyes blinked out of sync, a hiss escaping from the maw beneath its writhing tentacles. Though the damage was minor, Allen noticed the way the creature faltered—this thing could be hurt, even if just a little.
"Okay, so sound bullets actually work. That's something." Allen muttered, his confidence growing despite the abomination's towering presence.
The creature screeched in response, its appendages flaring outward as if to intimidate him. The blue orbs on its back pulsed rapidly, an unsettling rhythm that seemed to vibrate through the air and into Allen's bones. Xixe, standing a few steps behind, held her staff tightly, her pink eyes darting between Allen and the creature.
"I don't think it likes that," she said, her voice shaky. She raised her staff, muttering incantations under her breath as a faint blue glow engulfed the weapon.
"Yeah and i think i figured out it's weakness" Allen thought outloud, the aberration seems to have reacted when the bullet hit its eye—well it's now eleven eyes.The orbs on its back glowed as if it was absorbing the damage, Allen was sure that was its weak spot but the thing is, if he attacked them…would they explode?.
Allen hesitated, his eyes darting between the creature's glowing orbs and its remaining crimson eyes. He could feel the tension crackling in the air like static. "Alright, new theory: the glowing orbs are the weak spot, but they might blow us sky-high if I'm not careful."
Xixe, still channeling energy into her staff, glanced at him with a mix of urgency and concern. "If that's the case, we need to distract it long enough for a precise hit. I can conjure a shield, but it won't hold for long if those orbs react violently."
"Sounds like a plan," Allen replied, though his voice betrayed his unease. He spun the revolver in his hand before aiming at the creature's eyes again. "I'll keep it busy. You figure out how not to get us killed."
Without waiting for a response, Allen fired another echo bullet, this time aiming for one of the creature's intact eyes. The blue projectile streaked through the air, leaving a faint trail of sound waves in its wake. The bullet hit its mark, and the abomination screeched, its appendages flailing wildly.
The creature reared back, exposing its glowing orbs for a brief moment. Allen's grip on his harpoon tightened as he considered his next move. "Okay, let's see how tough those things really are."
Xixe, meanwhile, slammed her staff into the ground, creating a shimmering barrier of energy between them and the creature. "Be careful, Allen!" she shouted, her voice trembling slightly. "The energy from those orbs feels… unstable. Too much force might—"
"Yeah, yeah, unstable. Got it," Allen interrupted, his tone more confident than he felt. He charged forward, his harpoon glowing faintly with an upgraded edge. The creature reacted instantly, lashing out with its tentacles. Allen dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a swipe that left deep gouges in the stone floor.
He used the momentum of his dodge to hurl the harpoon at one of the glowing blue orbs. The weapon struck true, embedding itself into the orb with a sickening squelch. The orb's glow flickered erratically before—
BOOM
The orb detonated in a burst of blue energy, sending a shockwave rippling through the chamber. Allen was thrown backward, hitting the ground hard. The air was filled with the creature's anguished screeches, its remaining orbs glowing even brighter in what seemed like a frenzied response.
Xixe's barrier absorbed most of the blast, but cracks spiderwebbed across its surface. She gritted her teeth, pouring more energy into her staff to keep the shield intact. "Allen! Are you okay?"
"Define 'okay,'" Allen groaned, pushing himself up. His ears rang, and his entire body ached, but he was still in one piece. "Alright, note to self: those orbs are definitely explosive."
The creature writhed in agony, its movements more erratic and desperate. Two of its appendages lashed out blindly, one smashing into a nearby wall and the other narrowly missing Allen. The exposed wound where the orb had been was leaking a strange, glowing substance that hissed as it touched the ground.
"We need to take out the rest," Xixe called, her voice steadying as she adjusted her grip on her staff. "But we can't risk another blast like that without a plan!"
Allen reloaded his revolver, his mind racing. "Alright, new plan i distract it while you find a way to get the Void lense"
"You don't seem scared of it though, why is that?" Xixe asked curiously as she readied to take action.
"eh, I was born like that it's honestly a mental disorder but hey no one's born perfect" Xixe shot him a quick, incredulous look, but Allen's grin only widened as he leveled his revolver at the abomination. "Yeah, that's probably not the answer you were looking for, but it's the truth. I've dealt with worse things in my head, so this—" He motioned toward the thrashing, grotesque creature in front of them, "—is just another Tuesday for me."
Xixe stared at him for a moment, a mixture of concern and disbelief flashing across her face before she sighed, clearly not knowing how to respond. "Well, I suppose I'll have to work with your 'psychological quirk' then." She muttered, before raising her staff higher. "Just don't get yourself killed in the process. We still need that Void Lens if we want any chance of stopping this thing for good."
Allen's smirk never faltered as he fired another bullet at the creatures other undamaged eyes, of course they did no damage but Allen now had nine more bullets left and one echo bullet after the last normal bullet.
Those were some very small chances of survival, but if he did lose ammo he would have to grab his seemingly indestructible spear that was embedded in a nearby wall and would have to commence in melee combat, which he is not good at.
While Allen was facing the small lone soldier of the hive mind, Xixe sneaked away and slowly made an energy bridge towards the top of the pedestal. She heard another bang, now Allen had eight bullets, she didn't know how much he had left but she knew she had to hurry before he sends out another echo bullet.
Allen fired off another shot, the sound reverberating through the cavern like a hammer on steel. Eight bullets left. His jaw tightened as he watched the creature jerk and hiss in response, its remaining eyes darting erratically. The glowing orbs on its back pulsed faster, their unstable energy sending tremors through the air.
"Come on, big guy," Allen muttered under his breath, taking a cautious step to the side, keeping the abomination's attention locked on him. "You don't want her noticing you're falling for the oldest trick in the book, do you?"
The creature lunged at him with a sudden burst of speed, its elongated limbs slamming into the ground where Allen had stood a fraction of a second earlier. He rolled to the side, wincing as his shoulder scraped against jagged stone. Seven bullets.
"You're slow for something so ugly," Allen taunted, firing again, this time deliberately aiming at a less vulnerable spot to ensure it wouldn't break free from the distraction.
Up on the energy bridge, Xixe moved cautiously but urgently. The platform she conjured shimmered faintly beneath her feet, the effort to sustain it drawing heavily from her mana reserves. Her breaths were shallow and fast, her heart pounding as she neared the pedestal where the Void Lens hovered. The lens was a swirling, dark mass of light and shadow, radiating an ominous, otherworldly energy that made her skin crawl.
Xixe spared a glance back at Allen. The abomination was thrashing wildly now, its attacks growing more desperate, yet Allen danced around them with an almost reckless finesse. She couldn't tell if he was fighting for survival or simply enjoying the chaos.
"Idiot," she whispered, half-smiling despite herself.
The energy bridge flickered. Xixe stumbled, catching herself just before she fell. Her staff glowed brighter, and she whispered a sharp incantation, stabilizing the bridge. Just a little farther.
Allen's revolver barked again. Six bullets. The abomination's screeches turned to a guttural roar, and it slammed its tendrils against the ground, creating a shockwave that sent Allen skidding backward.
"Xixe, whatever you're doing, make it faster!" Allen shouted, his voice strained as he steadied himself and raised the revolver again.
"I'm almost there!" she yelled back, her voice tight.
As Xixe reached the pedestal, she hesitated. The Void Lens pulsed with an intensity that made her entire body feel heavy, as if she were being pressed down by a giant, unseen force. She reached out slowly, her fingers trembling as they brushed against the swirling artifact.
The moment her hand touched it, the lens pulsed violently, sending a wave of energy surging through her. Xixe screamed, her vision blurring as the dark energy began to seep into her skin, threading through her veins like liquid shadow.
"Xixe!" Allen called, panic flashing across his face for the first time.
The abomination froze mid-attack, its many eyes snapping toward the pedestal. It let out a shriek so loud and piercing that Allen clamped his hands over his ears, the revolver falling to his side.
The Void Lens's energy swirled violently, and the abomination lunged toward Xixe, its limbs moving faster than Allen had ever seen.
The void lense devoured her staff and then immediately floated near her forehead and embedded itself there, now the diamon shaped purple crystal lay there and Xixe's eyes now clowed with a purple light.
Before the abomination could reach her, a harpoon hit one of its orbs and then—
—There was an explosion.
[You have been brought back to the present]
"Well, that worked splendidly" Allen said walking towards the pillar and taking his harpoon on the way, where the monster layed there were three items.
A [Void Cache] and a.
[Kinetic component: A tool that is used to fuse with melee weapons, if this component is attached to a weapon it has the chance to absorb kinetic energy and redirect it with increased force. The component pulses faintly, radiating a deep, almost vibrating hum, as if waiting to be integrated into a weapon for maximum efficiency.(Value:1.5 points]
And a third item, which caught Allen's attention the most:
[Tentacle whip 0/3: A weapon that can be used for fighting and also grappling. The tentacle whip is crafted from the remains of the abomination's appendages, its flesh still pulsating with residual energy. When activated, the whip can extend up to ten feet and is imbued with the creature's strange essence, giving it the ability to shock enemies with a painful, electric-like jolt. Each strike can disorient or stun foes, making it a useful tool for crowd control or pulling enemies in for a more devastating attack.]
"Huh, nice i guess"he placed them into his inventory and then turned his attention to Xixe who was currently coming towards him with a blue-violet glow surrounding her and a gem on her forehead.
"Thanks Allen, but we should get out of this place, it's about to become lost, hold my hand" Allen raised an eyebrow, he didn't know what she was going on in her head at the moment but he also didn't want to collapse, he grabbed her hand.
and then, he was now on top of his rowboat, Xixe was also here.
With no hesitation at all he pulled in the anchor and immediately placed it on the ship.
"So mind telling me about your teleportation magic" He asked looking at the Baecho girl.
Xixe smiled warmly. "Well it seems that this thing here has now become a part of my body"
"…uh-hu tell me something i didn't guess"
"Ok, so this artefact has changed its primary function, after merging with me i gained a [Void Body] which allows me to travel in the void freely, like you also it consumed my echo staff…so i can cast my spells with my body now" She finished speaking and Allen looked at her blankly.
He sighed and then took his fishing rod.
"My mind is being eroded, are you leaving now or are you going to stay here for a while" He asked ash he stared at the planet thet were slowly drifting away from.
Xixe was about to answer.
But before she could.
The two suddenly stared as a terrifying silence was pressed against them.
It was a terrific sight indeed.
Twelve glowing blue eyes larger than the planet itself opened up.
one…by…one and the palnet was engulfed with a single large tentacle.
[A juvenile hive queen with the title of "Ide of Consumption" has arrived, Stay still or die]
The two were scared shitless, they were paralyzed by fear.