Chapter 8: First Kill: The King Beneath the Mud
Audrey didn't wait for an answer. She spun on her heels and advanced toward the nest, with Sira gliding beside her like an enormous shadow.
Soren watched her vanish into the brush, the green axe still heavy in his hands. Then he glanced up at the great twisted ash tree and began to climb. The branches were thick and rough. The trunk split in several directions, as if it had grown fighting to reach the light of the two suns. When he reached a sufficient height, he settled between two branches and peered ahead.
The battlefield opened before his eyes.
The enormous mud nest dominated the center of the clearing. From above it looked even larger — an irregular hill of clay-like earth riddled with pores, tunnels, and craters. Dozens of black openings breathed like open mouths. Spine Blade Rats moved in and out without stopping. Some dragged scraps of food. Others patrolled around the nest, shifting nervously between roots, stones, and mounds of earth. The clearing was surrounded by tall trees and dense vegetation. Thick brush covered much of the ground, and heavy roots snaked through the damp soil. It was a perfect place for an ambush… or for getting trapped.
Soren trembled slightly. Something strange settled inside him — an intrigue that prickled his skin. He was on edge. Audrey's words were still lodged in his chest, stirring a genuine curiosity.
So this is what it means to be a Seeker?
Right now, Audrey didn't need singularities. Her pouches were full. An enormous haul. And from everything he had seen of her, it was clear that money wasn't what drove her. There was something else. And that was what unsettled him at his core.
From his vantage point, Soren watched Audrey advance toward the nest with Sira at her side. But in an instant, she vanished. Sira kept moving forward alone. Her movements began to shift in a strange way. Soren blinked, confused.
Where is she?
A chill crept down his spine. He felt a wild pressure at the back of his neck, as if something enormous was watching him. The hundreds of rats reacted all at once, leaping toward the spot where Audrey had been. Then they turned toward Sira. The tiger radiated a bloodlust so intense it made the swarm hesitate.
Soren didn't look away. Only a few moments passed before he noticed it. One rat was dragged underground and vanished. Then another. And another, at different points across the clearing. Sira had stopped in front of them, holding them in place. After a few seconds, Sira's eyes snapped shut. The rats erupted into chaos. Another was swallowed by the earth. A brief shriek… then silence.
The swarm went berserk. They hurled themselves at Sira and began firing projectiles in all directions — sharp metallic plates that cut through the air like darts. Sira dodged right, leaping over a crater. A rain of fragments passed underneath. She evaded another volley and began to zigzag between them, leaving behind a trail of blades embedded in the ground. Passing alongside one rat, she opened her jaws and snatched it up in a single motion. Her fangs closed. The creature exploded between them. A dry chime announced the singularity dropping… but in the next fraction of a second, the sphere was absorbed into the earth.
Sira kept moving through the barrage. One of the blades grazed her shoulder, splitting the flesh open. She growled but didn't stop. She was faster than the rats… but there were too many of them. When she had one close enough, she opened her eyes and froze it for just an instant. Enough time to tear it apart.
"That's the same intimidation from before…" Soren murmured.
Another rat vanished underground. An instant later, a burst of fragments shot out from that point, as if something had detonated beneath the surface. Then Audrey emerged. She came up covered in mud, blood, and debris. One of the metallic plates was embedded in her leg. She ripped it out with a sharp jerk. She struck the nearby rats to clear space around her. Sira, seeing her, changed direction and ran toward her. She leapt between the projectiles and passed close beside her. Audrey grabbed onto the fur and hauled herself onto her back.
They didn't lose speed. Sira pushed through the rain of projectiles, dodging most of them. Some grazed her skin; others left open cuts. There were too many. Some always found their mark.
When it seemed like they might actually make it…
A monstrous roar erupted from deep within the nest. The earth trembled. Soren nearly lost his footing. The swarm went completely wild. Every second the pressure mounted. Every second it became harder to push forward.
Then the mud exploded.
From the mass emerged an enormous creature. A spider on eight legs, nearly four meters tall. Its body was translucent, a deep purple. Through it, organs and internal structures were visible, threaded through by a spectral light. On its head, small spikes formed something resembling a crown.
Soren tightened his grip on the axe with both hands.
He didn't think.
He acted.
He began driving the axe into the trunk of the ash tree in a V-cut. The blade bit through the wood with an unnatural ease. Blow after blow, he opened a deep notch.
Below, the spider launched itself toward Audrey and Sira, trampling rats in its path. Its strength was staggering. Every step left a purple trail clinging to the ground. Its speed was absurd. Audrey understood they wouldn't escape. She turned around. She drew her white sword — the same one that had split the vulture into three. She braced for the impact. Her eyes were sharp. There was something more in them. An intense, almost dangerous spark. The exhaustion was still there… but it wasn't slowing her down.
The spider lunged.
Then the air exploded.
Crack.
A massive trunk fell from above. It landed directly on the spider, throwing up a cloud of dust that forced Audrey and Sira back. Both shielded their faces. The ash tree had split. And on top of the trunk… was Soren.
Swinging.
Driving the axe down onto the only exposed part — the head.
There was no precision. No technique. Only force.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
The skull began to give way. But the creature wasn't dead. Beneath the trunk, its body twisted violently. Its legs pushed upward, lifting it inch by inch. Soren felt it. He felt the movement beneath his feet. Felt the weight starting to shift. One more second… and the spider would break free.
He didn't stop. He gritted his teeth and kept swinging.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
The axe rose and fell without rhythm. Without control. A greenish liquid burst from the skull, spattering his face and clothes. He kept going. Another blow. And another.
Until a tearing shriek cut across the clearing. The spider's body went rigid… and fell still.
Silence.
Then something shifted. As if an invisible will had snapped, the swarm scattered in every direction.
Soren stood on top of the trunk, gasping. The axe dripped with that thick liquid.
And in that moment, he understood something.
Being a Seeker… meant surviving even when the entire world was trying to kill you.
A distant howl — low and unfamiliar — vibrated from deep within the undergrowth. It wasn't a wolf. It was heavier. Denser. Soren tensed.
"What… what was that?"
Audrey, wounded and covered in mud, glanced up toward the tree line. A faint smile appeared on her lips. Sira let out a low growl.
"Something that's been following me for a while," said Audrey, relaxing her shoulders. "It's been a bit of a nuisance…" A pause. "And it's going to be our next hunt."