Belly of the Beast, Part 2

Cain awoke in a haze to the sound of bone scraping across metal and Valerie’s strained cries as she tried to hold back the Starved by herself. He blinked, trying to clear the fog from his eyes. His ears rang from the impact that was still fresh in his body’s memory. A ground-shaking thud next to him finally pulled him to his senses, as he saw Gunnar pulling himself off of the piece of metal he was impaled on. He quickly ripped his shirt, tying it around his torso to try and stop the bleeding from the large gash in his side. Gunnar looked down at Cain, who was still trying to blink himself awake, and smiled at him. It was the first time Cain had seen such a bright smile on Gunnar’s face. It was a pleasant thing that filled him with warmth, like a look of approval from a father.

“You just stay put, kid.” Gunnar said, pulling Cain out from under the rubble, “I’ll have this mess cleaned up before you can blink.”

Before Cain could make an attempt to protest, Gunnar stumbled off towards the Starved. He gradually picked up speed, eventually breaking into a charge that resembled that of a bull running down a predator to protect its herd. As he charged, Gunnar’s muscles bulged and his veins glowed a deep red, pulsing with power. His body grew in size with each step, until he became more fortress than man, towering over everything even more than he already did. He let out a mighty, roaring bellow that shook the entire city as he charged into the Starved, shoulder-checking it as he slammed into it with the force of a landslide.

When Gunnar made contact, much of the Starved’s upper body exploded, splattering against the nearby walls and ground, and knocking it away from Valerie. Despite this, he didn’t stop. Gunnar continued pummeling the creature, each blow like thunder echoing off the city’s walls. The Starved tried reforming to no avail, its body being deconstructed with each blow from Gunnar’s relentless assault. Slime covered the ground around them, pooling around their feet as both fighters stood strong, Gunnar’s unstoppable force versus the Starved’s immovable object.

As he watched the fight and the haze faded from his mind, Cain tried to force his body to move. His muscles ached and his bones screamed, but Cain attempted over and over to pull himself to his feet without success. This was his first big mission. He couldn’t let it end like this, he had to show them he was good enough to stand beside them. As Cain grew more agitated, his body began to flicker, blue static jumping across him intermittently. His heart was pounding and his teeth felt like they could explode from how much he was gritting them, but he just couldn’t force himself to get up any further than on his knees.

Meanwhile, Gunnar’s stalemate against the Starved stretched on. Valerie stood nearby, clutching her spear to her chest. She seemed to be frozen in fear, afraid of intervening in the brutal brawl that was taking place in front of her. Though, whether she was afraid of Gunnar or the Starved, Cain couldn’t quite tell.

Cain’s solitary struggle to get to his feet continued. Static now flashed across his whole body as he tried to force himself to get up. He had successfully gotten onto one knee, but his body still fought against him. With a primal cry, Cain managed to push himself up and stand on both feet, though his vision darkened and he was unsteady. Breathing heavily, he stumbled out of the rubble to see how the fight was progressing.

Gunnar seemed to be running out of steam, but at the same time, the Starved also seemed to be regenerating more slowly. The ooze produced during the beatdown was now pooled up around Gunnar’s ankles, a statement to just how long he had been going for. At last, Gunnar broke through the Starved’s defenses, its pulsing red core finally sticking out of what was left of its torso. As Gunnar took one final swing to knock it loose, it seemed like victory was at hand. Then, Cain noticed a jagged, gnarled hand clawing its way out of the slime behind Gunnar.

“Gunnar, behind you!” Cain cried out with an urgency beyond compare.

But it was too late. The hand jutted out of the ooze, its talons piercing straight through Gunnar’s back and out through his abdomen. As the hand retreated into the murky green puddle, Gunnar fell to his knees, and then onto his side. The ooze around him turned brown as his blood began to mix with it.

“Gunnar!” Valerie screamed as she rushed to his side.

Cain stumbled towards them, hand outstretched as if it would help him reach them faster. As he staggered closer, he watched in horror as the Starved slowly reformed around its core, still pulsating with energy. Valerie stared it down, anguish more evident than any fear she may have had. She pointed her spear towards it and charged, fighting like a cornered wolf. One hand turning her flagpole-spear into a flagpole-scythe and the other drawing out blackened, shadow-wreathed glyphs, she attacked the Starved with a fury Cain had never seen out of her. If he wasn’t so desperately trying to get to her and Gunnar, he probably would have taken a moment to stand in awe of her skills. However, it was clear that the prolonged battle had taken a toll on her as well. Her attacks didn’t have nearly the punch they did at the beginning of the fight, and most of her spells were simply brushed off. Soon, the Starved swatted her scythe away and grabbed her by the throat.

“No…” Cain choked out as he continued towards them. “It can’t end here, not like this!”

Static flowed across his body like water as he stumbled forward. He was determined to do something—anything—to try to save Gunnar and Valerie. Even if his body fell apart, he would save them. And that’s exactly what it did.

As Cain’s desperation came to a crescendo, time slowed to a crawl. He saw the world around him in shades of gray as glitchy static danced in his vision. Gunnar lay on the ground, bleeding out and fading fast. Valerie was being strangled by the Starved, its corrupted touch draining her energy as well. In that moment, Cain wanted nothing more than to reach them. So his body obeyed. He felt himself blur, then unravel and come apart at the seams. Cain’s body broke into jagged frames of blurry static, drifting on a wave of nothingness. For a moment, Cain was gone from the world.

Then, he reappeared behind the Starved, his fist already carrying a forward momentum that he didn’t remember putting into it. The shadowy steel of his gauntlet gleamed as he punched through bony plating and tainted ooze alike. His hand wrapped around something warm and pulsing with stolen life. With one final cry, Cain ripped the Starved’s core from its chest. The beast’s jaw unhinged, and let out a raspy “Well done.”, then it collapsed into a pile of sludge. Valerie fell to the ground, gasping for air as she looked up at Cain, holding the Starved’s core in his palm.

As much as he wanted to collapse right there, Cain knew he wasn’t done yet. He turned and staggered over to Gunnar like a newborn fawn. He knelt down next to him and reached over to his gauntlet to activate his other cast of Rejuvenation. Gunnar’s hand grabbed his wrist before he could, however.

“Don’t bother, kid.” He coughed, his face growing more pale by the second. “I’m too far gone.”

“Don’t…talk like…that.” Cain stammered out, fighting the urge to close his eyes. “I…saved this spell…just for you.”

Gunnar removed his hand from Cain’s wrist and a moment of silence passed between them.

“Why didn’t you…get your side healed…?” Cain asked.

Gunnar managed a weak laugh. “Because…I’m a stubborn old fool.”

Static rippled across Cain’s body once more. He tried to activate the Rejuvenate spell, only for the mana to fizzle out due to his flickering. His arm went limp in defeat.

Gunnar’s arms slowly moved to his neck, where he undid a necklace that Cain had never noticed him wearing. It was a small, diamond-shaped key on a silver chain. He took it off and gently put it around Cain’s neck.

“Wanted to give you this, it’s important.” Gunnar muttered, “You’ll know when to use it.”

“You…keep it, you might…need it.” Cain said back, his voice a murmur.

Gunnar let out another weak chuckle. “Nah, kid. I don’t think I’ll need it where I’m goin’.”

Cain’s vision started to blur again. He was passing out again, he could feel it. Everything began to blend together. Who was he talking to again? The feeling this voice evoked felt really familiar somehow.

“I’m proud of you. Take care of everyone for me, Cain.” the voice rumbled.

“Sure thing, Dad. See you in the morning.” Cain muttered as he collapsed onto the ground of this city ruin turned battlefield, clutching the Starved’s core to his chest.