A guttural roar split through the air, shaking dust from the cracked walls of the small cabinet they had found shelter in. Debris rained down, scattering across the floor as the world seemed to darken, shadowed by a presence that didn't belong on earth.
The roof exploded.
A massive, fur-covered arm crashed through the ceiling, it's claws raking through the air like blades of stone. Dream barely had time to grab Nyra and leap back. The structure folded in on itself, stone and wood splintering under the monster's sheer weight.
Dust. Smoke. The sound of splintering bone from somewhere in the ruins.
Dream landed hard, rolling across the ground, coughing as dust filled his lungs.
" Echo- what was that?" He barked.
[ Reveal]
[ Name: Unknown]
[ Warning: this is a corrupted beast]
Nyra stood beside him, her crimson hair flickering in the wind like threads of blood. Her eyes glowed faintly red beneath the dim, fractured light filtering through the smoke.
The creature stepped into view.
It was massice- over four meters tall, a mountain of muscle and sinew covered in cracked, obsidian fur. Its arms hung low, each finger tipped with talons sharp enough to cleave through steel. And its chest..m bore an eerie sigil, pulsing with a faint red glow, like a corrupted heart beating outside its body.
The gorilla -likr beast inhaled sharply, it's breath misting in cool air
Then it pounded its chest once.
The sound thundered across the open plains like a war drum.
Dream's pulse quickened, a forgotten instinct surging.
"Nyra," he muttered. "You sense it too, don't you?"
Nyra's lips curled into a smirk. "Oh, I do. It reeks of corrupted void energy... How fitting that out first welcome to earth is a monster."
Dream's tone sharpened, serious now. " Be careful, Nyra. You're not fully recovered."
" I'll manage," she said, raising her arm. "Let's end this fast."
The beast roared again-- and charged.
The earth beneath its steps cracked. Every stride left a crater in the ground as it lunged forward with impossible speed. Dream barely sidestepped, the creature's massive fist kissing him by an inch before tearing through a tree behind him. The tree shattered like glass.
He countered instantly, summoning his glass wall in front of him.
The transparent barrier shimmered-- a six-foot defense of crystallized void energy.
The gorilla smashed into it headfirst. Shattering it, the shockwave throwing dream back several feet.
" Argh!!!, that skill is so useless" he said frustrated at how easily the wall breaks, he landed hard, boots sliding across the dirt.
" Steady yourself sire" Nyra's voice cut through the chaos. She was already in motion.
She dashed forward, dodging the beast attack until she appeared behind it, her movement swift inspite her unrecovered state. Her hands danced through the air, and her blood flowed- literally flowed- from her palms, swirling into twin crimson blades that shimmered like liquid rubies.
The beast turned- but too slow.
Her blades slashed across its back, cutting through hide and flesh with a hiss.
The creature howled, spinning and swinging it's arm, but Nyra ducked beneath it and drove her heel into its ribs. The ground fractured beneath her kick, sending a ripple of force that made even Dream stumble.
Dream steadied himself, watching as the beast swung again.
This time, it's eyes flared red.
It began to adapt.
" Echo what's happening to it"
[... Beast is adapting to attack patterns]
[ Warning: it's void signature is evolving]
The gorilla slammed both fists into the ground. A ripple of corrupted energy burst outward, creating a shockwave of raw force. Trees, stones, even pieces of the ruined house flew into the air. Dream leaped over it, shards of glass forming beneath his boots mid-air, as he summoned the glass wall, giving him footing where there was none.
He landed above the beats-- his hand glowing faintly violet with void energy as he summoned the inventory to retrieve his blade.
" Let's end this."
He drove it straight into the beast eyes, it screamed even more.
Nyra didn't waste the opening.
She jumped, twisting mid-air as blood spiraled around her like ribbons.
Then her blades merged, forming a long, spear- like weapon.
The blood burned with faint golden sparks - the same energy she'd unleashed against the arch demon which weakened her even more.
" This ends now!" She shouted, and threw it.
The spear pierced through the creature's chest, embedding deep into the glowing sigil. The beast froze, it's roar breaking into a gurgle of pain as the red light began to fade cracks spread across its body, glowing with molten light.
Dream landed beside her, his expression unreadable.
" Move," she said.
They both leapt back as the beast exploded, green blood splattering every where.
Nyra exhaled softly, brushing her hair back. " You did great, as expected of the emperor"
" Stop the flattering, I wasn't very useful" he said the disappointment evident in his tone, he glanced at remains of the beast. " If something like that is roaming here, then maybe earth isn't as peaceful as I remember."
Nyra turned towards the dark horizon, her gaze sharp. " Peace is an illusion, sire. You knew that better than anyone else."
He didn't answer.
[ Host has obtained a corrupted core]
Dream's expression hardened. " A corrupted core?"
They sore a huge core glowing under the earth moon.
Nyra's voice turned low, worried. " That was indeed a corrupted beast, it had corrupted vooid energy, how did void energy get to earth, let alone a corrupted one,Something's..."
Dream froze, every nerve firing at once. Nyra, still partially weakened, pressed one hand to her ribs. Her eyes glowed, focusing deep into the tree line.
" Dream..." She whispered. " Something else is coming."
He knew.
He felt it too.
A low rumble, deeper, heavier, shook the earth.
A second ... third....forth....fifth....sixth, beast, larger, bulkier, and darker burst into the clearing. There bodies even more grotesque than the first, a nightmare fusion of gorilla and something reptilian. Thick scales crawled across its back. Drool poured between jagged fangs. There four red eyes locked onto them immediately.
And they roared.
The roar shook the sky.
They lunged at them, Nyra and Dream didn't have the luxury to process what's happening.
A whistle cut through the air.
Bright. Metallic. Sharp.
Dream blinked.
A glowing spear shot past him, ripping through the air and embedding deep into the beast's arm. The monster roared in pain.
" What was that...,?" Dream whispered.
" Contact! Target confirmed!" A voice shouted from the treeline- followed by the sound of boots stomping against the ground.
Figures emerged.
Humans.