I didnt listen to any more discussions, just ran out of the mausoleum. The deadn parted for , or got pushed aside. When I was out of the room, it seed as if dawn had co. There was a faint glow as if the sun was just starting to rise. It threw off my sense of ti for a mont, but I realized it couldnt be dawn. Not enough ti had passed, and aside from that the dawns light was warm, reds, oranges, yellows, what was lighting the sky now was a pale green coming in the direction of the Cut.
I started running through the city, drawing my sword, and inhaling deeply. I could sll a large number of deadn gathering, the sll of burning air from the firing of Cerberus las-guns, the gunpowder of traditional guns, and sothing else. The scent was incredibly powerful, pure radiation, blood, flesh, decay, but also fresh at. It had a touch of the man-wyrms to it, as well as the earthy scent of the Edenites forest. Below that was the scent of death clinging to it, and below that was sothing familiar. A scent I hadnt encountered since Id left Eden. The scent of the First.
Before I reached the outskirts of Potts I started to hear the sounds of weapons fire and screaming. There were several other running in the sa direction as , carrying weapons of their own with looks of determination on their faces. I quickly outpaced them, reaching the edge of the city, where I was finally able to see what was coming.
The monster was the size of a building. In the past the largest rad-mutated beast had been the Ursans. Beasts large enough to rip n in two, crush walls, and topple houses. This monster looked as if it would be able to eat through an Ursan in three bites. It looked vaguely like a man-wyrmm, with a massively distended face and mouth, but it was covered in bumps and tubes, that as it walked closer, I realized were arms, large eyes, and even bone ridges extending from its flesh in horrific ways. It was glowing with such intense brightness that it took my eyes several monts to adjust to what I was seeing, and my mind several more to fully digest the horror in front of .
I saw its mouth open, and heard a familiar roar. The creature didnt just sll like the first. It was the First. I wasnt sure what had happened to him. Mary had said that the beast had begun attacking and destroying Eden shortly after I left. Had the damage Id done to him resulted in him mutating into this creature? If so then why had he destroyed Eden? Had our battle cost him his mind, or was he still sapient, trapped in the horrifying form that was now lumbering toward Potts?
I watched as concentrated las-fire slamd into him, lting his flesh, tearing chunks of bone from him, and leaving scorch marks. None of the damage lasted long though, even as I watched, what wounds were dealt to it were stitching closed, the flesh near the wounds flowing over and sealing them like water over sand. It wasnt going to be enough, I wasnt sure anything would be.
I unslung my pack, and strapped what few explosives I still had together to my belt. It was possible I might be able to do enough damage to the creature to overload its ability to regenerate, and even if I couldnt, I could at least buy so ti for the rest of Potts. I grabbed my shotgun, and started running, straight for the monster.
I heard cries of concern and people telling to turn around, but I ignored them, pushing forward. As I got closer I started to feel waves of intense heat emanating from the monster. They crashed against , again, and again, and suddenly I found the rads Id gathered to be out of sync. I ignored it, letting my own rad level run wild and my skin start to glow green, matching the monster I pushed myself toward.
Its imnsity beca more harrowing the nearer I got to it. Its legs were as thick as three n, and when it opened its maw to scream, its teeth were jagged pieces of bone like broken glass, the size of my head. I wondered if it could even see as it continued to move toward Potts, its attention seemingly focused on its defenders on the dos.
My wondering was answered, when the mont I found myself nearly beneath it, a dozen eyes the size of dinner plates that covered its body, whipped toward to affix with a horrifying stare. I t the glowing eyed stare with one of my own and the monster suddenly stopped moving. There was a horrible mont when we just stood there in silence. I showed all my teeth and let out a defiant roar, and the beast responded in kind, at a volu that left my ears ringing as if a gun had been shot directly next to my head.
I slid beneath the creature, slicing its stomach deeply with my sword, and firing my shotgun at the sa ti.
The monster attempted to fall onto , using its weight to crush , but I was out from beneath it too quickly.
I raked its side with my sword, driving it as deeply as I could, and was rewarded with a spray of hot, green, ichor. Where it landed, a kind of steam rose from the ground, the blood burning as if it was acid.
For a mont, I felt as if I had a chance at winning. The creatures size made it slow, and I may be able to damage it enough, and keep it away from the walls long enough, that we may be able to slay it.
Just as I was moving for the creatures back leg, a tendril sprouted from its back and shot toward . It was almost too fast for to see, and while I was able to keep it from stabbing into my heart, it was driven deep into my shoulder, and slamd into the ground.
Several more tendrils appeared and shot toward , even as the monster started to shift around, bringing its maw toward . I swept my sword in front . Severing the tendril that had pinned and slicing across the incoming tendrils at the sa ti. I pulled myself to my feet, ripping out the bone barb that was still embedded in my shoulder then firing off two more shotgun shells at yet more tendrils that were flying toward .
I started to circle the beast that had been the First, avoiding yet more tendrils that sprouted from his tumor like body. I tried freezing him, but activated the ability as a tendril entered my vision and found that only that individual tendril was stopped. I tried using mass freeze then to halt more of them, but it didnt matter, the First just produced more and kept turning toward . The small arms that jutted randomly from his body reaching toward like beggars asking for fresh water.
I had managed to turn him away from Potts, and his back was being peppered by las-fire every second. I wasnt certain, because the difference was almost imperceptible, but it seed as if his healing was starting to slow down, whether from whatever process was creating the tendrils, or simply being overwheld by mine and Potts attack.
When the monster was finally facing , it lifted its entire body and slamd it down, missing with its strike, but shaking the ground with its enormous weight.
I jumped up as it ca down, and avoided losing my footing by leaping onto the creatures back. I pulled the pins on all of my grenades as I ran across it, and drove my sword deeply into its spine, resulting in its entire body undulating as it scread out in pain. I threw the belt of explosives into the cut I made, even as it was starting to heal, and leapt from the monster's back.
It spun, hitting in the chest with its tail.
I heard my ribs crack and felt the air leave my lungs as I was flung at least a hundred feet from the creature. I started to stand, feeling myself healing, and fired my shotgun.
The beast completed its spin facing , and as our eyes t, there was a rumble, and the creature's flesh expanded for a sickening mont, several chunks of its flesh violently exploding outward, the air clouding with smoke so thick I was temporarily blinded.
I reloaded my shotgun, feeling my ribs put themselves back into place, and ignoring the discomfort to watch the smoke clear.
Before it could, I felt sothing wrap around my leg, and then my neck, and stabbing sensations riddled my body. The smoke cleared, and I found myself lifted into the air, the creatures maw in front of , and getting closer as the tendrils that had impaled moved toward it. I struggled, scread, bit, and tried to tear free, red overtaking my vision. Then, the creature's jaws closed around .
Reviews
All reviews (0)