The Corpse-Eater Beetle moved with terrifying speed for something so heavy. Its legs, thick as tree trunks and covered in spiked chitin, hammered the metal deck, shaking the entire ship.
"Fire!" Boz roared.
Jinx pulled the trigger of his heavy crossbow. The bolt flew true, striking the beetle right between its glowing green eyes.
Ping.
The steel bolt bounced off the iridescent shell harmlessly, spinning away into the dark.
"It's armored!" Jinx screamed, fumbling to reload.
"Forget the bolts!" Boz yelled, charging forward. "I'll crack it open!"
The giant man swung his battle-axe in a wide, deadly arc. It was a blow that could fell a mast. The heavy blade slammed into the beetle's flank.
CRACK.
But it wasn't the beetle that cracked. A shockwave traveled up the axe handle. Boz grunted, stumbling back as his weapon rebounded, vibrating violently. He had barely scratched the paint.
The beetle ignored him. It swiveled its head, mandibles clicking wetly. It opened its maw, and a sac in its throat glowed bright neon green.
"Acid!" Vera shouted. "Zain, move!"
Zain stood frozen in the center of the room. He saw the glow. He smelled the acrid scent of melting metal.
"Do not move," Nox commanded, his voice drooling with anticipation. "It is offering us a drink."
Are you insane? Zain thought. That will melt my face off!
"Trust the hunger."
The beetle spat. A stream of viscous, glowing slime shot through the air, aimed directly at Zain's chest.
Zain didn't dodge. He couldn't—his legs wouldn't obey. Instead, his right arm jerked up, palm open, intercepting the stream.
"He's dead!" Jinx covered his eyes.
The acid hit Zain's palm.
HISS.
Steam exploded outward, blinding them all for a second.
But there was no scream.
Zain gritted his teeth. It felt like catching a cannonball. The force pushed him back, his boots sliding on the metal floor, carving grooves into the rust. The heat was intense, but it didn't burn.
The black seal on his palm was spinning like a turbine. It sucked the acid in, breaking down the corrosive mana structures instantly.
Consume.
The neon green liquid vanished into his skin.
Zain gasped as a jolt of raw, chaotic energy flooded his veins. It was like injecting lightning. His vision sharpened. The world seemed to slow down.
The steam cleared. Zain was standing there, smoke rising from his hand, but his skin was untouched.
The beetle paused. For the first time, the mindless predator seemed confused.
"He... he ate it," Jinx whispered, his crossbow hanging limp in his hands.
"More," Nox roared. "Crack the shell. Take the meat."
Zain felt drunk on power. He didn't wait for the beetle to recover. He sprinted.
Before, he was a malnourished boy. Now, fueled by the acid, he moved faster than Vera. He closed the gap in a heartbeat.
The beetle snapped its mandibles, trying to bite him in half. Zain slid under the snapping jaws, sliding across the slick floor like a skater. He popped up right beside the creature's front leg—the thickest part of its armor.
"Break," Zain whispered.
He slammed his Void-marked hand against the shiny black chitin.
He didn't punch it. He just held it there.
"Accelerate."
The black ink flared, crawling off Zain's hand and spreading onto the beetle's leg like a spiderweb of shadows.
The beetle screeched—a high-pitched sound of absolute agony.
Where the shadows touched, the iridescent shell lost its shine. It turned grey. Then white. Then, it began to flake. The "indestructible" armor aged a thousand years in two seconds. It became as brittle as dry chalk.
"Boz!" Zain yelled, jumping back. "Now! Hit the grey spot!"
Boz didn't ask questions. He saw the opening. He roared, swinging his axe again with all his might.
This time, when the steel hit the shell, there was no bounce.
CRUNCH.
The axe smashed through the withered armor like it was glass. It buried itself deep into the beetle's flesh, severing the leg completely.
Green blood sprayed everywhere. The beetle collapsed on one side, thrashing wildly.
"Keep hitting it!" Vera shouted, jumping into the fray with her daggers. She aimed for the crack Boz had made, stabbing into the soft meat underneath.
The beetle wailed one last time, twitching violently, before curling its legs inward and going still.
Silence returned to the cargo hold, broken only by the heavy breathing of the crew and the sizzle of stray acid drops on the floor.
Zain leaned against a crate, trying to hide the fact that he wasn't out of breath. He quickly pulled his sleeve down, hiding the seal.
Boz yanked his axe out of the carcass with a wet squelch. He wiped the green ichor off his face and turned slowly to look at Zain.
The giant walked over, looming over him.
Zain tensed. Did I show too much?
Boz stared at him for a long, uncomfortable second. Then, a massive grin split his beard.
"You crazy little bastard!" Boz laughed, clapping a hand on Zain's shoulder hard enough to bruise. "You blocked acid with your bare hand! I've never seen a Garbage Eater do that!"
"It... it hurt," Zain lied, clutching his wrist. "It absorbs magic, but the impact nearly broke my arm."
"But you softened the shell," Vera said. She was standing by the carcass, examining the grey, crumbling armor where Zain had touched it. She looked at him with calculating eyes. "You rotted it. That's not just eating poison. That's... offensive."
"It's a side effect," Zain said quickly, his heart racing. "If I touch something while I'm overloaded with energy, I have to discharge it. It... ruins whatever I touch."
"Useful," Vera murmured, sheathing her knives. She didn't look entirely convinced, but she didn't look hostile either. "Very useful."
"Stop yapping and start looting!" Jinx yelled, finally recovering his courage now that the monster was dead. He was prying open the crates the beetle had been guarding.
"Jackpot!"
Inside the reinforced crates sat rows of glowing blue cylinders. Refined Mana Cores. Even in the dim light, they pulsed with pure power.
"There must be fifty of them," Boz whistled. "That's enough to buy a new engine. Or a new ship."
"Grab them," Vera ordered. "The gas is clearing, but the noise might have attracted more friends. Let's move."
They loaded the heavy cores into their packs. Zain took his share, the weight heavy on his back.
As they walked back toward the exit, leaving the rotting carcass behind, Nox spoke again.
"A waste," the entity grumbled. "We left so much meat on the bone. But... the cores on your back. They smell delicious."
Don't even think about it, Zain thought. If I eat the loot, the Captain will throw me into the Abyss himself.
"We shall see," Nox chuckled. "Hunger makes one do desperate things."
Zain followed the team back out into the mist. He had survived the first hunt. He had earned his place.
But as he looked at the grey, withered leg of the beetle, a chill went down his spine. He had turned a living tank into dust with a touch.
What happens when I touch a human like that?
He shoved his hands deep into his pockets and walked on.