Leaping through the air, I narrowly avoid the slathering orifice. As it charges beneath me, carried by its seething hunger, I rake my claws along its pristine white shell. Sparks fly as my claws meet its armored carapace, vibrating through the bones of my fingers into my arms. Too tough. My attacks can’t break through.
I tumble over its ramp-like shell, crashing into the snow. A revolting sucking noise fills the air as the creature withdraws its limbs. The world slows as the Rush roars through my veins, crimson streaks leaking from my eyes, swept away by the violent gales. I whirl around just in time to see the creature pivoting, only to feel something smash into my ankles.
Suddenly, I’m flipped backward, the beautiful spiraling aurora overhead spinning in mockery. Its spiky, armored tail lashes out, almost invisible against the snowy backdrop. I grunt, fending it off from my back, the heavy, plated limb crashing against my raised arms. Sparks flash as arcweave meets the toughest chitin, jolting my muscles and bones.
I brace for another oncoming tail swipe. This time, I drive my claws deep into its exposed underbelly. The creature screeches, a mixture of deafening clicks and grotesque sucking sounds as thick, white blood splashes across my dented arm plates. I grin—its pain only stokes the inferno of myRush.
Leaping to my feet as the monster turns in its rage, it directs its tube-like head, filled with rows of needle-pointed teeth, toward me. I spread my arms wide, prepared to rend it to bloody pieces—but before I can strike, it rears back on two legs, towering over me, seeking to trample the life from me.
Foolish.
I dash forward with blinding speed, my body a flaming meteorite of fury. My claws bite deep into the soft underbelly of its torso. As soon as my fingertips reach flesh, I rend and tear, slashing its insides to bloody ribbons. The force of my charge flips the creature onto its shelled back. Its thrashes grow weaker with each fleshy organ I rip from its streaming body.
Its life slips away until it ceases to move, but I hardly notice. My claws continue their mindless frenzy, blood spraying as laughter bursts from my joyous lips.Rushfills me with exultation, my hands drenched in inky, warm blood, which doesn’t burn as fiercely as the rivers of magma coursing through me.
As my fury subsides, I stand over the motionless carcass, its pink-white entrails spilling across the snow in a grotesque tapestry of gore. I lament my lack of control; many of the nutritious organs are now ruined, their smell wrinkling my nose with disgust.
No matter. The creature is large—it will suffice.
I wipe the gore from my snow-covered face, the effort only smearing more blood. Grunting, I grip the monster’s spiked tail and begin the long trek back to the cave, dragging the lifeless body behind me.
Despite the darkness, I easily retrace my steps in the snow. I’ve never come across such an animal before, but I feel a flicker of pride at having defeated it in battle, relishing the thought of Princesa and me honoring its life and vitality as we devour its flesh.
“Dracoth, is that yourBobo the Clownfeet I hear?” Princesa’s mocking tone echoes through the dark cave, though the words hold little meaning as I enter, my gaze fixed on her.
She stands, illuminated by the glowing blue of my wrist console. Her eyes widen, disgust twisting her delicate features.
“What... THE FUCK... is that?” she exclaims, gesturing wildly at the mangled corpse behind me.
“My prey. Our food,” I reply evenly. Already, her reaction disappoints me. I should have known better—the female who shuns everything. I drag the carcass toward the firepit, its inky white blood leaving a splotchy trail in my wake.
“Prepare this,” I command, releasing the spiked tail with a final thud.
“You can’t be serious?” Princesa’s wide silver eyes dart between me and the grotesque remains. “God, it stinks too.” Her face wrinkles in revulsion, her hand waving dramatically in front of her nose. My jaw tightens as I watch her hesitation.
She leans in reluctantly, pinching her nose as she inspects the creature’s mangled shell. “It’s like a giant mutant turtle,” she mutters, eyeing its slathering maw. “Eww, eww, eww.” Her fingers poke at the thick, rubbery skin, recoiling as a gust of foul-smelling gas escapes from its mouth, revealing rows of spiky teeth.
“Ahh!” she shrieks, stumbling back. “No. Nofuckingway, Dracoth. I’d rather starve.”
Too weak to live.
Even afterImade the kill, enduring the beast’s wrath, she lacks the strength to do even this! TheRushflares again, my fangs bared in rage.
“You are useless, female.Utterlyworthless.”
Princesa doesn’t even have the grace to feign shame, raising her eyebrows with indignation. “Excuse me?” Her voice sharpens with anger. “I didn’t ask you to dump this... this—whatever the hell it is here!” She waves dismissively toward the carcass.
“Yet you spoke of hunger, did you not?” I step forward, my crimson eyes burning into hers.
Princesa snorts. “Yeah, hungry for a snack. Maybe even a jelly stick—not fucking Godzilla!” she exclaims, her eyes gleaming with intensity.
I shake my head with disgust, her pathetic excuses already grating. “Only a fool would expect such luxuries here.” I sweep my arm to encompass the freezing, barren cave around us. “Is that who the Gods bond me to? A fool?”
Princesa’s lips curl into a sneer, her pale skin turning almost as red as mine. “Listen, you giant red prick,” she hisses, her voice rising, “I was perfectly happy living a fabulous life before you stole me! And if you think I’m going to be your little slave, you’re delusional.”
There’s a flicker beneath her fury—through our bond. Her emotions swirl in chaotic intensity, something more than rage—a deeper wound.
“You lie,” I snap, instinctually sensing her hidden truth.
