My muscles fire before my brain even finishes processing the command.
I don't wait to hear the hiss of steam or the pneumatic crack of the dart launcher. I bet every single ounce of my survival on one explosive dive, throwing my body directly into the line of fire to knock Rhayne out of the way.
It happens entirely too fast.
I never hear the gunshot. I don't even see Rhayne hit the floor. The only thing my brain registers is a sudden, massive kinetic shockwave launching me backward at a completely disproportionate angle.
My back slams against the wall with a bone-rattling crunch.
But I don't fall.
I am pinned suspended in the air.
I look down at my left shoulder. A solid iron spike has driven straight through my flesh and anchored itself deep into the stone behind me.
The pain doesn't register immediately. When it finally hits a second later, I grit my teeth so hard my jaw pops. A harsh, involuntary grunt rips from my throat as I blindly grip the iron shaft, trying to pry myself off the wall.
The spike went clean through. I can feel the cold stone behind my shoulder blade pressing against the back of the iron.
[OXI: 740/1,200]
[Bleeding Status. OXI draining]
Thanks for the update… Really helpful while I'm nailed to a wall…
Rhayne yanks her gloves back on and grabs my good arm. Between her pulling and my teeth grinding, I finally tear myself loose. The metal slides out of my shoulder with a sickening, wet tear.
I hit the floor hard.
The mechanic doesn't care that I'm bleeding. The gas lanterns don't wait. The blue flame instantly begins a new cycle, racing clockwise around the room.
I rip a low-grade healing potion from my inventory, my right hand trembling. I uncap it with my teeth and pour the translucent liquid directly into the gaping hole in my shoulder.
It immediately hisses and violently pops against the torn muscle, sounding exactly like cold water hitting a pan of boiling grease.
"Shit..." I hiss through clenched teeth.
A couple of days ago, that spike would have killed me on impact. The Vitality upgrades to D earned their keep today.
I flex my fingers. I can still move.
Across the room, the lantern sequence had been broken again while I was pinned. A shadow beast spawned, but Oliver was already there. He crushed its skull with his warhammer the second it materialized.
"Oh my... he's leaking again," a soft, disconnected voice floats over the chaos.
I glance over. Lola is standing safely by her lantern, letting out another theatrical sigh as she watches me bleed.
"Are you okay?" Rhayne asks, her voice panicked, her hands hovering near my torn shoulder.
I force myself to stand, heavily favoring my right side. I mask the agony, pretending I'm entirely fine, even though the mobility in my left arm is completely compromised.
"Does Uncle need a band-aid?" Lola calls out, tilting her head innocently.
"I'm fine," I snap, my voice cold and pragmatic. "Focus on the mechanic!"
I turn my attention across the massive hall.
"Oliver!" I roar. "Hit lantern 12 the absolute second it flashes! Do not miss the timing this time!"
The blue flame races around the perimeter.
It hits 12.
Oliver doesn't hesitate. He slaps the glass right on the money. The dark energy begins to bubble up from the tiles, but Oliver is already swinging.
Following Lola's brutal example, he obliterates the Shadow Shellcat with his hammer before it even finishes rendering.
BEEP. A loud train whistle blows. The second red beacon above the massive exit door clicks to green. Below the throne, another toy train breaks its loop and docks into the boss's pedestal.
I take advantage of the reset window.
"Everyone, get back to your original positions! Now!" I order, taking absolute control of the grid. "I will call out the targets! Wait for the light and do not miss the timing!"
Up on the throne, the Gatekeeper's massive analog face spins. The iron hand locks into place.
Position 7.
I break into a limping run back to my own lantern. I barely slide into position before the lights start their deadly sprint again.
"You!" I shout, pointing at Oliver's surviving thug. "Focus! It's your lantern!"
I track the light, reading the speed.
"Wait…"
"Hold…"
"Steady…"
"Now!"
The thug hits the timing perfectly.
He touches the glass, and the Shadow Shellcat surges from the floor. But unlike Oliver, the thug lacks the raw strength to crush it instantly. He hesitates, and the beast fully materializes, screeching as it tackles him.
The two of them become locked in a desperate, messy struggle on the floor.
I wait for the train whistle. I wait for the green light.
Nothing happens.
Instead, a slow, incredibly loud, and heavy tick echoes from the boss's clock face.
The mechanic clicks into place in my head. Hitting the lantern on time isn't enough. We have to kill the spawned mob before the light completes a full thirty-second rotation.
"Go, go, go!" I yell. "Kill it now!"
But the thug is just trying to survive; he isn't going to kill it in time.
I quickly check the board. The closest person to him is Lola.
I grimace.
Asking Lola to break formation and help him is a massive risk. She's far too volatile and reckless.
The thirty-second window is rapidly closing. The heavy ticking of the boss's clock accelerates, growing frantic and urgent.
We are about to fail the cycle.
Suddenly, a blinding flash of pure light erupts across the entire hall, completely searing my vision for a split second.
What the fuck is that? I think, shielding my eyes.