Day 5 Part 6

Continuing my journey through this hell of mutated flora and fauna, I finally arrive at a vast cavernous entrance. It's so wide that even the mutant vines around here can't cover it. Great, just the kind of dramatic setting for a showdown, right out of my novel.

I stand there for a second, looking at the daunting cavern and thinking about how to best tackle this. Can't just go in guns blazing. I only have 14 bullets. Can't waste them on some mutant rats or giant fish or whatever stupid mobs lurk here.

With a sigh, I reach up to my head, gently pulling Ilka out of my hair. "Ugh, how annoying," I say as I flick her above. She pouts at me, crossing her arms over her chest and I can't help but chuckle.

"Look at you," she grumbles, floating around me. "So smug."

Now it's time for Umbra. I've had it camouflaged within my uniform for too long. This is a good opportunity to experiment some theories I have. I can't help but feel a bit excited about using it, despite Ilka's clear displeasure.

With a thought, Umbra transforms, becoming a sleek, dark glove that fits my hand perfectly. It feels natural, comfortable even. It's a part of me, a part that Ilka seems to dislike. Oh well, we all have our issues. I don't expect Ilka to like the blade that killed her.

I start to whistle a tune, the familiar notes echoing around the entrance of the cavern. I know I'm not as strong as Isadora, and I'm nowhere near as cunning as Zeke. I'm well aware of my weaknesses, my shortcomings.

But you know what? So what?

I let out a chuckle, shaking my head at my own thoughts. Sure, I might not be the strongest or the smartest, but I've got something they don't. I've got Umbra and my 'bang! bang! thing'. I've got my plans, and I've got my resourcefulness. In short, I'm over-geared.

Ilka floats around, her arms crossed as she watches me, a disapproving look on her face. "You're laughing? Now? You're even more of an idiot than I thought," she says, her voice echoing around us.

"Shut up, Ilka," I reply, a smirk playing on my lips as I venture into the cavern, my gloved hand extended.

Just as I step in, I'm immediately swarmed by a group of repulsive, oversized killer bats. My grin widens at the sight of them. 'Well, isn't this just perfect,' I think, pointing my gloved fingers at the vile creatures.

Without missing a beat, Umbra extends at my fingertips, piercing through every bat in a split second. It's almost too easy. Ilka clicks her tongue, clearly annoyed at my nonchalance. Alright, So extending Umbra past a certain point will cost some of its mana reserves. I guess it would be too OP if I could make a house out of it.

"Bats? Really? This is what we came here for?" she says, floating closer to get a better look. "They're more pitiful than I thought."

I let out a laugh, shaking my head at her comment. "You're enjoying this way too much, Ilka," I tell her, kicking a bat corpse away.

"Oh, please. I'm just stating facts," she says, rolling her eyes at me. "If you're done playing, can we get moving? I need you to head back to the beach."

"Ah, the fucking beach," I mutter under my breath, clicking my tongue in irritation. "Wants me to get stung again, that's it."

Ilka, hearing me, huffs. "Stop complaining. And It's for your own good." She floats there, looking smug, tsk, how annoying. If only she could feel the pain herself.

"Those were just some mobs," I reassure her, beginning to walk deeper into the cavern. "Don't worry, you'll see some interesting beasts soon."

She just crosses her arms again and floats along, muttering something about how she's 'already seen all the interesting beasts, thank you very much.'

After a bit of a hike, we arrive at one of the traps I'd set up in the novel. A formation of lightless. It's designed to suck up all the light in the vicinity, turning everything pitch black. I can see just fine thanks to Umbra's night vision skill, but Ilka starts to complain almost immediately.

"I can't see shit, V!" she yells, her voice echoing through the cavern.

I sigh, moving carefully around the trap's perimeter. "Your problem, not mine," I retort, causing her to huff in annoyance.

A trap suddenly falls right through Ilka. She shrieks, before realizing it did absolutely nothing to her. "What the hell! Who is attacking me?!" she yells at me, completely ignoring the fact that she can't be hurt by physical objects.

I start to laugh, about to tell her the truth, when I feel the ground beneath me shift. The walls around us shudder and start to close in. "Shit," I mutter, my heart pounding as I break into a sprint.

"What the fuck did you do!?" Ilka shouts, clearly scared, even though she can't be crushed by the walls or anything. Just why is she acting like this? Is she scared of the dark? Na, no way.

"Shitty traps," I grunt, trying to get to the other hallway before the cavern completely closes up. I can hear Ilka's voice behind me, yelling about how I'm a 'stupid idiot' and 'use your brain moron.'

With a final burst of energy, I jump into the other hallway just as the previous one seals up with a loud thud. I pant heavily, glancing back at the now closed-up path.

Ilka floats over, looking at me with a mix of relief and annoyance. "Why are you so stupid? Use your damn brain," she says, shaking her head. "Just who in the right mind steps on a strap that easily?"

"Stop nagging me," I tell Ilka, clicking my tongue as I grab her and give her a spin, making her dizzy. "If it wasn't for your incessant yelling, I wouldn't have fallen for it."

My words echo in the cavern, and I sigh, looking at what awaits us now. A group of chimeras. Of course, it had to be chimeras. I knew they would be here; I just didn't expect them this soon. Ugh, why can't they just wait where they're supposed to?

"Look, now I have to deal with this," I grumble, pointing at the nasty beasties.

"Why are chimeras here?" Ilka asks, still a bit dizzy from the spin. She's floating at an odd angle, which is somewhat amusing.

"Why wouldn't they be?" I retort, sighing at her cluelessness. Hahaha, of course, she doesn't know, she probably only remembers the ones she's fought.

Ilka doesn't know about the different types of chimeras. She's been dead for a while, after all. How would she know about the latest in dangerous mutant creatures?

Chimeras have been around for thousands of years, of course. They're artificially created creatures, but some of those that were abandoned ended up reproducing. Now, there are still some people who make chimeras, but they can also be found in the wild. There are, generally speaking, nine evolutionary forms of them.

The ones standing before me, fortunately, are the weakest form. I can handle them. They were left here with the intention of simultaneously mutating and evolving them, even someone like Duke Alister wouldn't be able to deal with such a monster.

"See, Ilka, there's a science to this," I start explaining, feeling a bit like a professor. "These chimeras here are actually-"

"Kael, I really don't care," Ilka cuts me off, rolling her eyes. "Just deal with them. they're obviously failed experiments"

"Alright, fine," I say, readying myself. "No appreciation for the arts."

One of the chimeras growls, its eyes glowing menacingly in the dark. I roll my eyes, flexing the fingers of my gloved hand.

"This is what you get for interrupting my lecture, you oversized chicken lizard," I murmur under my breath as I walk forward, Umbra at the ready.

I have to chuckle at the sight. Five chimeras, coming at me all at once. Well, if they think I'm going down without a fight, they're sorely mistaken.

Just as the first chimera lunges at me, I turn Umbra into a shield. It forms just in time, blocking the claws of the chimera as it hisses in frustration. I use the force of the impact to push it back while simultaneously taking a step back myself.

I hear the second chimera behind me and without even looking, I morph Umbra into a blade and swipe it around, catching the beast off guard and slicing it. A faint smirk forms on my lips as I quickly change Umbra into a shoulder plate, blocking the sting of another chimera.

A quick glance tells me that the remaining ones are trying to surround me. Clever.

"Alright, let's try this," I mutter to myself, turning Umbra into a scythe.

I swing it around, creating a safe distance between me and the chimeras. Each swipe of my weapon is met with hisses and growls, but the beasts can't get close. As I move and parry, I can't help but feel the strain. Using Umbra this way takes a toll on me, both mentally and physically. Hahaha, I love this feeling, I'm sure the others would laugh at me fighting so sloppy despite having a weapon like Umbra.

A particularly vicious chimera leaps towards me, teeth bared. I change Umbra into a spear, throwing it and impaling the creature mid-air. Immediately, I feel a pull of mana from my core as the weapon reappears in my hand. I stagger slightly, shaking my head as I try to steady my breathing. Shit, I had no idea it could do that, directly from my core? Just how did it do that without me noticing?

"Okay... definitely shouldn't do that too often," I grumble to myself, running a hand through my sweat-soaked hair.

Suddenly, I hear a mocking laugh from above. "What happened to you?" Ilka teases, hovering safely away from the battle. "You're sweating like a pig."

I shoot her a glare, shaking my head as I catch my breath. "No one asked for your input," I retort, turning Umbra back into a blade as I ready myself for the next attack.

"Looks to me like you could use all the help you can get," she quips back, her tone filled with glee at my struggle.

I roll my eyes, internally admitting that she has a point. The chimeras aren't going to just stand there while I recover. Still, I can't help but give Ilka a piece of my mind. "Well, next time, you can handle the bloody chimeras, ghost lady."

My words echo in the cavern, followed by a short silence. And then, Ilka bursts into laughter. "As if," she says, wiping away a nonexistent tear. "They wouldn't stand a chance against me."

"And yet here you are, hiding in my hair," I retort, grinning despite myself. Tsk, why does she brag so much? Obviously, only 9th-rank demons can compete with her, she doesn't need to brag so much though.

Ilka simply sticks her tongue out at me in response, typical Ilka.