Chapter 20: Viscera and Crystal
The impact came like a collision between two broken wills. Yukeli's bolt pierced through the creature's shoulder, exploding crystalline fragments in a shower of light and shards. At the same time—
SHRRAAAK!
Three projectiles fired from its horns tore through the air. One passed so close to his face that Yukeli felt the heat of the energy slice his skin. Another struck his arm—CHHK!—the pain came instantly, deep and hot. The third hit him in the side of the abdomen. SLASHK! Flesh tore; blood flowed.
Yukeli fell hard against the crystalline ground. The pain was violent and suffocating, his blood spreading in thin lines over the cold crystal beneath him. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand. To stop meant to die. With trembling hands, he raised the crossbow and fired.
[ Primordial Essence: 35 → 31 ]
The bolt struck the creature's flank. KRRSH! Crystal tried to grow around the wound but partially failed. Too slow. Too weak. It was reaching its limit, just as he was.
The creature advanced, slower but still lethal. Yukeli activated Subtle Manipulation. His mind pulled at the world, and the ground trembled beneath the beast's paws. CRRK. It stumbled. Just enough. He fired again.
[ Primordial Essence: 31 → 27 ]
Another impact. Another wound. But each shot cost everything. His vision was turning blurry; his breath failing. His body was breaking, yet he pressed on.
[ Primordial Essence: 27 → 24 ]
[ Primordial Essence: 24 → 21 ]
Each bolt was weaker, each movement slower. The creature was also at its end. Its body was covered in imperfectly crystallized wounds, its glow nearly extinguished. But its eyes still burned with the will to live.
Then—it retreated and fled. For a moment, Yukeli didn't understand. Then he realized: the fruits.
— "No...!"
He ran, ignoring the pain, the blood, and the fear. He fired.
[ Primordial Essence: 21 → 19 ]
The bolt hit the creature's leg. KRRSH! It stumbled but continued, dragging itself desperately. Yukeli forced his body beyond the limit. The creature reached the bush. Its claws extended—but Yukeli got there first. He brandished the sword he already held with a silent scream and struck, cutting deeply into the beast's side.
GRUAAAAAA!
The response was instantaneous. The creature's claw pierced through Yukeli's abdomen. A visceral strike, too deep. The world went silent for a second. The pain exploded a moment later, consuming everything.
— "—AAAAAGHHHH!!"
Blood coughed from his mouth. His sword fell—CLANG...—and the creature collapsed as well. Both on the ground, both dying. But it moved first, dragging itself toward the fruits. SCRR... SCRR...
Yukeli tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond. His gaze fell upon the crossbow: his only option. His last resort. He looked at his status.
[ Primordial Essence: 19 ]
It wasn't enough, but there was no alternative.
— "...All... or nothing..."
He released everything.
[ Primordial Essence: 19 → 15 → 10 → 5 → 0 ]
The crossbow trembled violently. VRRRRMMMM— A bolt began to form, larger and denser than any other. The air around it distorted; the crystal groaned under the pressure. His vision was darkening, his heart failing. The creature turned its head, and its eyes met his. It understood. It tried to move. Too late.
Yukeli pulled the trigger.
THOOM!
The bolt disappeared and reappeared instantly, tearing through the creature's chest. KRRRRSHHH! It continued through the tree behind it until it vanished into the distance.
Silence. The creature remained standing for a brief moment before a line of light emerged from its chest. The glow in its horns vanished. Its body trembled and gave way. THUD. It collapsed against the ground. Dead.
Yukeli kept watching, his consciousness flickering. Then—
Ding!
[ Congratulations, human. You have killed a First Order Awakened Beast: Ravenous Crystalline Stag-Rat ]
FWOOOM! A wave of energy flooded his body. Warm, alive, powerful.
[ Primordial Essence successfully absorbed ]
[ Your existence becomes more solid ]
Yukeli breathed with difficulty. His body was still shattered, but he knew—he had survived.