The aura of death that hung in the air was so strong, almost like an invisible grip slowly tightening around my body, seeping into every vein.
Ever since we first entered this underground corridor, my bad feeling had grown, as if it was leading toward something inevitable.
Each step I took only worsened the unease that had already settled within me.
Every sound of our footsteps seemed to echo in the silence, as though each of our noises was a call to something that might be hiding there, waiting for the right moment to strike.
I could feel Diego behind me, his steps slowing, his breath growing heavier.
I knew he felt the same way I did, trapped in a crushing fear.
"Why does this place feel so wrong?" Diego muttered, his voice barely audible.
I nodded slightly without turning, too focused on scanning every dark corner around us,
Places that seemed full of shifting shadows even though there was no wind.
I could sense that something was watching us, something we weren't meant to see or understand.
Suddenly, my eyes caught a movement at the end of the corridor, a large shadow moving slowly but surely.
My body immediately tensed, like an instinctive reaction to survive.
Without thinking, I grabbed Diego's arm and pulled him behind the nearest pillar.
"Quiet," I whispered, pressing my finger to my lips, signaling for Diego to remain completely silent.
Diego peered out slowly from behind the pillar.
I saw his eyes widen, his breath catch, and his body freeze.
His lips moved, but no sound came out. In the oppressive silence, all we could hear was the pounding of our own hearts.
A few seconds passed, but it felt like a lifetime.
Then, almost inaudibly, Diego whispered,
"Kai... What is that...?"
.
.
.
.
I didn't answer immediately.
My eyes were fixed on the large figure now more clearly visible.
The creature stood at the end of the hallway, its strange body resembling a mix between a giant insect and something almost humanoid.
Its body was covered in sharp spines that glinted with dangerous light.
From its jaws dripped shimmering liquid, leaving a terrifying trail.
Its eyes glowed red, like burning embers, like the insects outside...
But more humanoid.
"Why? Why did the whisper lead us here?" I thought, trying to make sense of what was happening.
Why were we being directed toward this creature, whether by fate or coincidence?
All these questions raged in my mind.
Then, suddenly, the small screen on my wrist lit up.
The blue light that suddenly pierced the darkness displayed a message that made my heart race.
I read the message quickly, and when I saw it, my heart seemed to stop for a moment.
.
.
.
.
----------------------------------
Hidden Quest -
----------------------------------
Description:
The Voraxes insect race is a still-strong race, a bitter enemy of the elves. No one knows for sure why the elves, known for their love of peace, despise them so much. Rumors say that the Voraxes thirst for evolution, willing to destroy ecosystems to survive.
Difficulty:
Impossible → Hard (since this race has just moved dimensions, their strength is weakened. This is a golden opportunity!)
Mission:
Because the Voraxes colony depends heavily on their Queen, killing the Queen will cause the entire colony's destruction. Your task is to find and destroy the Voraxes Queen before they regain their strength.
----------------------------------
Reward
----------------------------------
Unlock Advanced Class Path (Based on User's Preference)
----------------------------------
.
.
.
.
I stood frozen, letting the message sink into my mind.
The Voraxes race.
It felt like something was pressing against my chest, something that made me shiver, both because of the extreme difficulty level and the sense of unease that enveloped every word of this mission.
"Impossible" turning into "Hard" seemed to challenge us, making it seem like something we could still overcome, but honestly, we knew we weren't ready for something this big.
I turned quickly to Diego, who stood beside me, looking just as shocked as I felt.
"Did you get that message too?" I asked, almost whispering.
"Yeah," he answered briefly, his face beginning to pale, the usual faint smile he wore now gone.
He looked more serious than before.
Diego stared at the small screen on his wrist with growing doubt.
"This is insane. We don't even know anything about that creature, let alone how to fight it."
"Does this whisper... want us to die?" I muttered, feeling anxious.
Diego took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
"We can't gamble our lives on something this unclear. We need to leave, now."
I nodded faintly, trying to hold back the panic that was slowly taking over me.
The fear gnawed at me, but I knew we had to stay calm.
"Don't be reckless. Stay quiet, and don't draw attention," I said hoarsely, though deep down, I knew our fear couldn't be hidden any longer.
But even though I had warned him, there was something in me, some instinct, telling me to act faster.
.
.
.
.
I felt something moving closer.
"DUCK DOWN!" I shouted, almost not believing myself.
I yanked Diego away, pressing my body against the cold floor.
The creature emerged from the darkness with unimaginable speed.
Its massive dark body rushed forward with terrifying velocity.
In an instant, a fierce wind passed above us, smashing into the pillar beside us with incredible force.
I could feel the strong wind from its attack rush over our heads.
The pillar beside us was the victim.
.
.
BOOMMMM!!!!
.
.
The loud crash reverberated throughout the corridor, followed by chunks of stone flying everywhere.
The pillar collapsed, shattered into pieces, and the dust blown up filled the air.
Diego and I fell back from the shockwave, our bodies shaken by the explosive force of the pillar's collapse.
"RUN!" I shouted, trying to pull Diego, who seemed frozen in fear.
But the creature didn't give us a chance to escape.
With movements faster than we could imagine, it leaped again, its sharp claws ready to strike us.
"LOOK OUT!" I shouted, but it was too late.
In an instant, one of the creature's claws shot straight toward Diego.
He rolled to the side at the last second, but the claw still managed to graze his left arm, leaving a long wound that bled fresh blood.
"Shit!" Diego cursed, his face filled with anger and pain that couldn't be hidden.
"Can we still run? We have no choice but to fight!" I said, with a mix of fear, anger, and desperation swirling in me.
Diego nodded, though his body clearly trembled.
We only had our bare hands, while the creature seemed impervious to any attack we made.
It felt like our chances of winning were growing slimmer, but I knew surrender wasn't an option.
The creature attacked again, this time with shocking speed for its large size.
I jumped to the side, feeling the air left behind by its body nearly colliding with me, while Diego quickly rolled in the opposite direction.
The creature landed hard, slamming into the ground with such force that it left a massive crack in the stone floor.
For a moment, I saw the ground shake, sending vibrations that almost cracked the entire corridor.
Without hesitation, Diego struck first.
He leaped and aimed a punch at the creature's neck, hoping to stop its movement.
But Diego's punch only grazed the creature's hard skin, which seemed made of steel.
No damage, just growing anger evident in its glowing red eyes.
The creature growled loudly, ready to launch a more vicious counterattack.
.
.
.
.
"THE ANTENNA! TRY ATTACKING THE ANTENNA!" I shouted, my voice tight, almost like a whisper but full of command.
Diego understood my meaning.
Without hesitation, he jumped and, with unexpected courage, tried to grab the creature's neck, aiming to get a hold of its large antenna.
I ran toward the creature.
My hand reached for one of its antennas, gripping it with all my strength and successfully pulling it off with the full force of my body.
"KYEEIIIIAAAA!" The creature's scream echoed, so loud and terrifying, that I almost lost my balance.
Diego fell because the monster thrashed violently.
The horrifying scream came from the creature's mouth, so deafening that I almost lost my balance.
It felt as if my ears and head were filled with a high-pitched ringing.
Diego, who had fallen, quickly got up and prepared for a follow-up attack.
But the creature, despite being staggered, did not give up. Instead, it became even more wild.
In an instant, a massive sharp claw pierced through my shoulder.
"SHIT!!!!! FUCK THIS CREATURE!!!!!!" I yelled in frustration as I pulled the sharp claw off.
Diego, seeing me pierced, panicked and reflexively used his body to shove the creature away.
"DAMN, GET OFF!!!" he shouted.
The creature was immediately thrown back against the wall, making its claws release from me.
.
.
.
.
"ARGHH! FUCKK!!!" I screamed loudly, my body groaning in pain.
The wounds on my body were becoming unbearable, but I knew I had to hold on.
Diego, despite being exhausted and injured, got back up.
"Are you okay?" Diego's voice sounded worried, cutting through the darkness, filled with concern even though his own body looked so tired.
"I can still handle it..." I gritted my teeth, trying to suppress the pain that was overtaking my body.
Every heartbeat felt like a hammer pounding against me, and the blood that kept flowing made me weaker by the second.
The creature, despite being wounded, didn't attack us again.
"Diego! The creature!" I tried to stay rational, and sure enough, something was wrong with the creature.
Its massive, furry body started moving wildly, darting deeper into the corridor, as if trying to escape from us.
Diego then turned to look at the creature, and it seemed like it was fleeing.
I could hear Diego's relieved breath, but something felt off about it.
I held my breath.
Something inside me started warning me, and that feeling grew stronger.
"IT'S TRYING TO GAVE SIGNAL TO OTHERS!" I shouted.
"Diego, stop it! Don't let it reach there!" My voice was hoarse, full of tension.
Diego, who had been relieved and was about to check my wounds, now looked slightly panicked.
Despite being confused, Diego didn't hesitate at all, immediately running to chase the creature.
He moved at full speed, as if exhaustion meant nothing to him when he saw the threat drawing closer.
He poured all the strength he had, leaping through the deepening darkness, and finally attacked the creature once more.
I tried to follow, even though my body was too weak.
Every movement felt like my flesh was being sliced, but I knew I couldn't let Diego fight alone.
In this situation, I had to fight, no matter the cost.
Diego was almost there, reaching the creature and trying to rip off its antenna with a quick, powerful motion.
.
.
.
.
But his attempt failed...
.
.
.
.
I tried to help by grabbing the creature's leg, attempting to slow its movements.
But the creature kicked me brutally.
My body was flung into the wall, and it felt like every bone in me cracked and shattered from the impact.
Not just me.
Diego was also thrown aside, his body tumbling and scraping across the ground.
But despite the pain, he didn't give up.
His face was full of anger and determination, his eyes burning with an unstoppable will.
With all his strength, he got back up and attacked the creature again.
This time, with even more ferocity.
The creature slammed Diego's body to the ground with incredible force, leaving him sprawled, nearly motionless.
The creature stomped on Diego's body with such force, pushing him further into the earth.
"Diego!" I screamed, my chest tightening with worry.
I tried to gather the last bit of strength I had, but my body felt heavier, harder to control.
Diego grimaced, his face full of pain, but he still clung to the creature's leg tightly.
"You're not getting away, you bastard!" he yelled hoarsely, even though his breath was ragged and his eyes filled with pain.
I could feel the strength radiating from every word he said, and despite his exhaustion, he kept fighting.
.
.
.
.
I tried to gather whatever energy was left in me.
My body felt shattered, almost immovable.
But I had to move, I had to help Diego.
I knew that only by working together could we stop this creature.
The creature, maybe because of its damaged antenna, didn't notice me behind it.
This was our chance.
With the last of my strength, I leaped toward the creature and grabbed the remaining antenna still attached to its head.
My hand gripped it as hard as I could, despite the pain gnawing at my body.
I yanked the antenna with all the strength I had left, ignoring the growing agony in my muscles.
I no longer cared about the pain consuming me.
There was only one thing in my mind: stop this creature, no matter what it took.
With one last pull, the antenna ripped free from its head.
"KAAARRRGH!" The creature screamed loudly, its cry echoing through the corridor, filling the air with a tortured roar.
Black-green liquid poured from the wound where its antenna had been, spraying out with immense force.
The creature trembled violently, its body shaking like a wave, and finally collapsed to the ground with a crash that shook the entire corridor.
Slammed hard, it lay motionless.
Thick green fluid continued to pour out, and slowly, the creature ceased to move.
Diego, also lying on the ground, his eyes full of wounds, looked at me with a gaze that was exhausted yet full of meaning.
.
.
.
.
"Did we... did we make it?" His voice was raspy, full of exhaustion, but there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"I think so..." I answered, my body, almost immovable, now felt utterly limp.
I collapsed beside Diego, and we both remained silent in the heavy stillness, yet somehow, it brought a sense of relief.