"That is ambitious talk for someone fresh off their mother's tit. I may be limited to early E-Rank strength, but I can put you in the ground any day, worm."
The man's mocking smirk vanished, replaced by an ugly snarl. He lunged at Big A, his swords pulled free from his back as he tried beheading the Titano. Tried being the operative word.
The shortswords clanged against Big A's spear as he blocked them. He gave the Tainted a cold smile as the Titano shoved the chiton-covered man back with the spear. He gave the Tainted a long look before he said, "It seems you have some potential after all, though you slash far too wide. It leaves you open to counters from those more experienced. I would like to know whose potential I am about to extinguish."
The Tainted man and Atlas both looked at Big A in shock as he complimented and gave advice to the Tainted. When he proceeded to calmly threaten the Tainted while still smiling, the invader clicked his tongue. "Tsk. You're an arrogant old bastard, aren't you? Very well. You should know the names of the ones who kill you." Scared as he was, Atlas couldn't resist rolling his eyes at the arrogant tone of the Tainted idiot. "These are my subordinates, Second Lieutenants Amyryllis and Verian." He gestured to the woman with the scorpion tale and axe-holding woman respectively. "And I am First Lieutenant Celeron of the Tainted Hordes."
Atlas watched as Big A's shoulders tensed at the mention of Celeron's rank, and he assumed that things had gone from bad to worse. Big A's next words confirmed it. "I didn't realize that the System had cleared this invasion for Low D-Ranks." It only took Atlas a moment to realize how bad things had gotten if Big A, who only had access to a Low E-Rank's stats, went up against two higher E-Ranks and a Low D-Rank. Atlas didn't fully understand the difference between ranks, but if Big A was taking it seriously, it had to be bad.
Celeron pretty much guaranteed that when he said, "It hasn't, but when I was selected for the invasion, I hadn't yet evolved, so in exchange for sending any more of the Grunts or Warriors, the System made an exception."
"How kind of it," Big A said through gritted teeth, dropping into an even more defensive stance.
Desperate to give Big A whatever boost he could, Atlas tried connecting to the Beyond through the crystal in his hand. He concentrated and sent out his will just like he had up to that point, and he felt the crystal begin to respond. The pain that followed matched what he'd experienced so far, like lightning running through his veins, but after doing it so much, he managed to brace himself. He only needed to get a hundredth of a percent to complete the quest, and if Big A were right, nothing more would be needed to fight back the invasion.
Unfortunately, right as he made to absorb the building power and complete the quest, he hit a wall, and all the energy rebounded, attacking his body from within, causing him to scream out in agony. The pain was so great that he almost lost control of all the power he had managed to take from Big A up to that point and passed out, but he managed to force himself to stay awake. Atlas's breath heaved as all of the power that attacked him dispersed back to Big A.
As his senses returned, he grew aware that he had flopped over the boulder he'd been hiding behind while flopping around in pain. His hopes that he'd gone unnoticed by the Tainted somehow were dashed when he looked up and saw Big A looking at him in horror. Celeron had an expression of unrestrained glee which was bad enough, but the way Amyrillis and Verian looked at him, like predators who'd spotted easy prey, made him want to curl into a ball and cry.
As Atlas struggled to keep from whimpering, Celeron began laughing with unrestrained glee. "Hahahaha! Are you under Scenario restrictions, and that's what you have to work with, a child? I'm surprised you made it past the Grunts. It's a testament to your skill, but it seems you've fallen out of favor with the System, old man."
"You think so? I would have to disagree, but I guess the lack of experience makes you blind, Lieutenant," Big A responded calmly.
"I guess you'll see when I'm standing over your corpse, General," Celeron said before turning to the women behind him. "Corrupt the boy. I'm sure the freaks back in the Void would love to tear apart a Grunt made from a partial incarnation of the Beyond." Atlas's eyes widened in fear as the pair nodded and took off running.
"NO!" Big A shouted as he tried to get in their way, only to be blocked by Celeron, who moved far faster than before. Atlas barely had time to realize that his first attack must have been a test of Big A's capabilities before he dove to the side as Amyrillis's stinger struck the boulder he'd been using as support, pulverizing it and sending bits flying across the ground.
Atlas hissed in pain as he scraped his already-battered body, only to roll to the side to avoid the war axe that Verian had thrown barely avoiding having his head split open. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted to a sword one of the Warriors had dropped that Big A hadn't used and destroyed. He spun around and barely managed to block Amyrillis's tail with the sword, though it slammed the weapon against his chest and knocked the wind out of him.
As he gasped for breath, he followed the tail with his eyes as it coiled back behind Amyrillis's body as she and Verian stalked toward him. While the former only had a slightly hungry look on her face, Verian adopted a cruel smile as she lifted her axe with ease from where it stuck up from the ground.
"Awe! He looks so deliciously scared, don't he, Amy?" Verian licked her lips hungrily as Amyrillis nodded blankly. "I could just eat him right up." Done speaking, she took a single step and appeared right in front of Atlas before swinging her axe. Atlas barely managed to swing his sword and deflect the blow, but the axe moved so fast and heavily that it sent shockwaves up his arms, and they went numb. Atlas tried to back up and make some distance between him and the terrifying Tainted, but she kept just close enough to continue beating against him as she laughed. "Hehehe! C'mon boy! Show me something fun. Make it interesting for me! If you're a good boy, maybe I'll show you a good time once you're a grunt! Hehehe!"
That last sentence simultaneously terrified Atlas and grossed him out, and he began to frantically swing his sword, just to make Verian back off. Sadly, the gap of strength and skill between the two was too wide, and Verian merely moved her body from side to side to avoid his attacks. Finally, the Tainted lieutenant seemed to grow bored, and with a single strike of her axe, she broke Atlas's sword in half before following up with a sidekick to his chest.
With a massive CRACK! Atlas felt his ribs break as he went flying across the plateau before he landed roughly in front of the Tainted's portal. He gasped for air, pain lacing each breath, and his thoughts felt foggy and dulled. He struggled to look to the side to where Big A struggled against Celeron.
The Titano shouted out, "Atlas! Hold on! I'm coming!"
Celeron cackled. "I don't think so, Unbreakable. You just stay over here and watch as the boy becomes one of us."
Atlas slowly turned his head back to look up at Celeron's subordinates who now stood over him. Verian had the same cruel smile on her face, and Amyrillis's remained consistently blank, though he would have sworn that he saw pity in her eyes had he been able to think straight.
Verian turned to Amyrillis. "Do it," she ordered.
The other woman nodded, and Atlas could only watch as her tail snapped down and stabbed him in the chest. Broken from his stupor, Atlas screamed as the corruption began to take hold, though he quickly lost even that capability. The pain rushed through his body, yet he couldn't move.
Soon, his thoughts became dulled and blurred, and the world faded away. As things went dark, he noticed the timer in the corner of his vision, still counting down.
TIME REMAINING: 5:05/1:30:00
As he looked at the time ticking away, he realized he would die before the System even had a chance to kill him. For some reason, he internally chuckled, his poisoned muscles unable to move with the laughter. That amusement quickly died as he realized he would never see his mom or any of his family again, which forced him to face another fact.
I don't wanna die. He thought into the void.
Surprisingly, the void answered.
What if you didn't have to?
Atlas didn't even have the wherewithal to question the voice
How?
Stop holding back.
But I'm not, Atlas protested.
Yes, you are, the voice said with a nudge from a very recently awakened part inside Atlas.
How is that supposed to help? Atlas asked, even as his last vestiges of consciousness noticed the time ticking away.
TIME REMAINING: 5:01/1:30:00
Let go!
So he did.