As they traveled further into the depths of the cavernous system, the terrain began to change, and the beasts even moreso.
Using the flat of his blade to block the icy crushers of a crustacean-type mutant creature, his face turned ugly as the residual frost began creeping up his arm.
Another one ca up from behind, trying to crush his ankles, but Ignis was there just in ti. Flas erupted from her fists as she slamd them down onto the creature's head.
A clear, almost blue liquid spirited out of its broken skull, and it died imdiately on impact.
Ignoring the frost on his arm, Cain spun around, twisting his blade around the creature's bigger pincer, taking it clean off.
Dropping to the ground, the avoided the other pincer. Swinging his sword again, the long blade cut the its walking appendages off. The blue blood coat d the blade.
The beast writhed in pain as it fell, to the ground.
With another well aid strike, he struck down, ending its life.
However, the battle was far from over.
"Damn it! Get off , you bastard!" Li growled as he repeatedly smashed his fists I to a strange tentacles creature that clung to him despite the odds not at all affected by the blows.
Stan was in an even worse state, his body completely covered by the tentacle. The tentacles had suckers that left impressive marks on their bodies.
However, those suckers were also laced with with rather vicious magic that slowly led to the paralysis and eventual loss of bodily functions of its victim. He was being kept alive solely by Susan's magic.
The rest were also dealing with their fair share of problems. But so far, none of them had managed to die or get seriously injured.
A vicious expression on his face, Cain heaved his sword and cut, slicing off a tentacle reaching out tor him. Then he summoned the left hand of his gauntlet and pushed at the nearby wall.
A sickening squelch later, and bits of organ and viscera were sared on the cavernous wall.
Twisting his face in disgust, Cain avoided another tentacle.
Stan was out for the count, and Li had his hands full. Floki was desperately doing his best to keep the fiendish creatures away from Sue, Vincent and Susan as they pelted them with spells.
The battle was intense and the cavern shook and rumbled it its wake.
The dark waters of the late rippled and stirred with every clash.
Their main attacker was currently a tentacled monster in the depths of the flowing stream of water.
It had attacked them together with a flock of {Blood Skyrays} and other underground mutant creatures.
They had managed to cull most of the beasts. However, that had turned out to be their worst mistake yet. As they slew the beastsz the tentacled abomination consud their corpses, by the ti they noticed, it was already too late.
Before they could retaliate, they had their backs pressed to the wall.
Fighting the thing had turned out to be quite the dilemma as the creature's magic was rather insidious; a different kind from the {Darkhum Blossom}, but equally as harrowing.
The system called it the {Goremaw Sea Basilisk} and its abilities were equally as terrifying as its na.
He had yet to see the rest of its body, but what he could see scared him to his core.
The beast had two sets of tentacles. The 'paralyzers' and the 'crushers'.
The paralysis tentacles were quick, and just a brief contact would cause one's entire body to go numb for a few seconds. The crushers were the really trouble.
While they were slower than the paralyzers, they were far more dangerous. They carried a terrible force behind them, capable of crushing rocks into dust with just a slight brush.
Cain didn't even want to strike at them with his sword as the recoil could very well shatter all the bones in his hands.
'I'd rather not take the chance.'
However, the situation was not completely hopeless.
In fact, there was a rather obvious silver lining.
The rest of the creature's body was hidden in the water, aning that was ehere its weakness was.
Normally, that would be a rather forward conclusion to co to. However, his doubts were assuaged by the fact that anyti any of them ca closer to the stream of water, the creature beca more restless and aggressive.
If it didn't want them near it, then it had revealed its hand.
With a clear goal in mind, all that was left was completing the objective.
Slicing off a tentacle aid at him and punching another to bloody bits, Cain sprinted forward. Lukas joined him as they both raced towards the stream of water.
Their thoughts were already in sync, so there was no need for words.
Lukas turned into a beam of flashing lights, cutting the tentacle. More shot out from the inky depths of the stream headed at them.
With a heavy grunt, Cain planted his feet into the ground and violently swung. The resulting airwave blew them all to smithereens.
Lukas used that opportunity to close the distance. However, before he could get any closer, a crusher tentacle smashed down.
He dodged at the last second, but the ground beneath him shattered like glass. The shockwave blasted him back, and a few rocky shrapnel tore through his body.
However he had already completed his objective. He has bought enough of the creature's attention for Cain to slip in just close enough.
The dark diver sent a stream of information into his brain.
Cain grinned viciously, 'So that's what you are...'
Without hesitation, the jumped into the water.
And the tentacles rushed in after him.
Ignoring them as they grabbed at his limbs and struck his body, Cain let the water envelop him.
'Burat Step.'
{Burst Step} was a rather unique skill he aahd developed. At its initial stages, it would require him making use of his own mana. But after undergoing a few changes, it has beco one of the only skills in his repertoire that didn't require him to make use of his own mana.
Instead, he could make use of the mana from the world around him to create propulsion.
The greater the drag and resistance, the greater the resulting propulsion. Because of this, the full potential of {Burst Step} was realized in water.
He left behind a trail of foam and air bubbles as he shot towards the creature's body.
There was a single eye connected to a mound of flesh and a gaping maw. Attached to this mound of flesh wer ethe tentacles that protruded above the water's surface.
Its eye was fixed on him and its maw let out a horror inducing shriek.
Ignoring it, Cain closes the distance and struck down without hesitation.
This ti, it shrieked in pain. The tentacles shot at him, but Cain didn't even bother to defend.
Instead, he was forced to rely on his armor again.
He allowed them to strike at him while he swung his blade in half circles.
The already inky black stream of water was dyed and even darker shade of black.
Slowly, the tentacles lost their power and fell back into the water.
Ignis shuddered as she threw away a piece of tentacle in her hand.
Susan rushed to her side and placed a hand on a huge bruise forming on her arm.
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Ignis grimaced, "Glad that's over..."
Susan frowned, "Stay still..."
Wincing, Ignis furrowed her brows as she looked around.
With a sigh, Lukas collapsed to his knees. However, his gaze was still fixed at the stream.
He gritted his teeth, "Crap."
Noticing sothing off, her expression slowly morphed into panic,
"Where is Cain?!"
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