The pinprick of light from the cave above faded in and out. The spiders wriggled around in my flesh. I could see the bone in one of my arms. It seemed that they had already gotten through to my bones. My mouth was permanently open in a silent scream. A spider had taken shelter there. I wasn’t sure I had a tongue anymore. I just want the pain to go away. If only I died then the pain would go away, then I would be free. I’d suffered enough, this world was so cruel, I couldn’t handle it. I closed my eyes. A feeling tugged at my heart. I couldn’t believe a part of me wanted to still live. The desire panged in my heart. The feeling grew. I couldn’t die now.

 

A voice as clear as day rang in my ears.

 

System reboot, autonomic protocols engaged.

 

Ecstasy flowed through my body. A single tear fell from my cheek.

 

Activating mana synthesis

 

System failed

 

Activating External Mana extrapolation

 

System failed

 

Activating External Mana extrapolation

 

System Completed

 

A thread of mana - the smallest my soul could muster separated from my body. It nearly wilted from the dark mana oozing from the monster above. It speared the spider in my mouth. The spider froze and withered. The thread grew thicker and brighter. It traveled through several more spiders using their innate mana to extend its range. It buried itself deep within the ground extending as far as it could into the earth branching out in a circular radius. The thread grew steadily thicker and brighter, absorbing the latent mana within the ground. I heaved out the spider in my mouth. Mana drawn from my surroundings collected in my body.

 

Activating cellular genesis

 

I felt my muscle stitch itself back together. My bones and ligaments jolted back into place. My skin regrew and wrapped itself around the exposed flesh. My body steamed violently. The diluted ooze ran out of my pores.

 

My heart rate increased and pumped the newly regenerated blood powerfully around my body.

 

The mana in the environment kept pooling into my body. I didn’t feel like I was in my body anymore. I was floating, floating peacefully in a river of calmness. No word could describe it except for one. It was beautiful.

 

Activating Locomotion Protocols.

 

I felt my real body stand up. It was like I was a puppet maneuvered by some higher force. Strong threads extended from my body and stuck into the wall. They lifted my body up. The pinprick of light above my head grew bigger. So did the ominous mana. I’m not going to idly stand back and let this happen. I focused my consciousness back into my body. I could feel the memories returning to my mind. Even though I had only known them for a short period they all felt familiar, as if my brain had just been waiting for the signal to let me know about them. How had I forgotten all this? I went through the pinprick of light and into the dreaded cavern landing gently on the floor.

 

I stared at the beast atop the throne. Ogre cannibalis, A fearsome monster. Absorbs environmental mana to power itself. It turned around at the sound of me. What might have been surprise was registered on its hideous face. It stretched its arm forward and roared. A horde of monsters streamed forward from the shadows behind it. I took a deep breath fire licking at my lips. I breathed out, blue fire sprouted from my mouth and enveloped them. It withered around in a mass. The monsters screamed; bones and skin crackling from the temperature. I condensed some of the mana threads coming off of me into a rotating screw tip. I fired it upwards. The ground shook when the giant spider hit the ground lifeless in front of me. I walked forward through the burning mass of monster flesh. The mana threads thrashed around furiously moving the corpses from my path. A mantis creature stood before me. Its claws were the size of scythes. I stopped the mana threads. I lowered down into a stance placing my thumb against my fore and middle finger, bending them into a point.

The mantis attacked first, its scythed arm whizzed through the air. I sidestepped easily. It rained down attacks. Each attack missed me, instead slicing into the hard rock below me. They all seemed so slow. I dashed forward and uppercutted its head off. I walked over its body towards the ogre. I flicked my wrist sending mana bombs into the remains of the monster horde. They weren’t quite dead enough. There was now nothing between the ogre and me. The ogre seemed distressed calling out in high-pitched whines. He still had something left so his reaction seemed slightly bizarre. The writhing mass behind the ogre in the background was unmistakably a monster. The ogre’s cries went from whiny to strong. The writhing mass that could have been mistaken for one of the cavern walls shot forward.

Tentacles shot forward at me. I sliced them off before they reached me. I pulled one of the tentacles gritting my teeth I heaved it out of the shadows. Its humongous body was pulled out. It was a mass seemingly composed of writhing tentacles. A kraken. They were all but extinct. I wasn’t going to be helping their cause. Mana threads extended from my fingers and wrapped around the giant mass. I pulled my hands to their opposite sides tightening the makeshift net I had made. It cinched tight against the Kraken. Parts of its flesh bulged out from between the gaps in the net. I pulled on the threads even further. The threads dug deeper into it, and with a desperate cry the Kraken exploded, chunks of Kraken and purple blood flew in all directions.

 

I stared at the ogre. “No more avoiding me now,”

 

It backed away while looking at me. When its back reached the wall it changed from scared to furious. When a creature has a back against the wall and can no longer run it has no choice but to fight. It stood up to its full height and bared its teeth.

 

It bounded forward. I grabbed its tusks when it hit me. It pushed me back, my feet dug into the ground. We came to a stop. It swiped at me with claws the size of my forearm. They were too slow to reach me. A burst of dark mana emanated from it. I felt my mana dissipate. The next swipe raked my chest, blood welled from three long slashes on my skin. The attack had drained some of my mana slowing down my reaction time. Pain convulsed through my body. I was nearing my limit. There was still only so much abuse my body could take. The next swipe nearly took off my head. There wasn’t time to think anymore. I coated my fists with mana and rained forth blows. They thudded against its thick hide. Blood came from its mouth. I took several blows as well, each more painful than the last as my mana shield weakened. The force of our blows echoed throughout the entire cave system, our punches shaking the ground with each strike. I gasped for breath coughing out blood. The ogre was breathing heavily, one of its tusks was broken off and its coat of hair was singed off. One final attack. I had enough energy for one final attack, after that, I don’t think I’d be able to even more a finger. I straightened my right arm. A golden blade blossomed down my arm. The ogre charged me, I leapt over him slicing at his shoulder. I landed harshly on my feet. The slash caused a small gash on the shoulder.

 

“It’s not deep enough,” I muttered. I settled into a stance, drawing one leg forwards. The ogre’s eyes turned a deep violet, mana crackled across its skin. Oceans of mana seeped out of its body. I took a deep breath feeling the humming mana in my blade. It reverberated throughout my body. My body is one with the blade. I breathed out. I dashed forward, the walls and dead monsters lengthened stretching and warping at my takeoff. I paused for a second when I reached the ogre to pull my arm back and convert my momentum into my swing. I focused on my blade, it grew even larger and brighter. I need more blades. Blades sprouted from the sword's edge and spun increasingly fast around the edge.

 

“Aaagh!” I shouted swinging across its torso. It cut through violently ripping its spine and thick, muscled midsection in half. It roared hauntingly, its echoes reaching the very ends of the tunnels.

“I’m not done with you yet!” I roared back. The whirring blade crackled with energy. I stabbed it into its upper chest. Crackling energy exploded around my arm.

 

“Aaaaah!” I roared firing every last drop of mana I had into the blast. A vibrant multicolored blast welled from my bloody arms. The upper body was propelled upwards through the bedrock and higher still. The blast died down. My arms fell to my side, I struggled to breath.

 

I reached into my pocket grasping the golden dust of the shell.

 

“Reassemble,” I commanded. It formed itself back into a shell within my hand.

 

I blew into it long and deep. A shrill whistle rang out.

 

I collapsed onto my back. While drifting off into unconsciousness grateful that the fight was over, I couldn’t help but wonder what that voice had been. I hope Olivere heard the whistle.…