55 Abomination

While the quarterfinals of the Deathly Challenger's Cup continued to wow its audience with one fierce match after the next, a second deadly battle was about to begin deep within the mines of Fel Rock Cavern.

"Wh…what is that?" Jaybird couldn't help himself. He had to ask. Because the thing snacking on the corpse of the dead salamander was sending spine-tingling chills up and down his back. "My spidey-sense is telling me that thing's bad news, sir…"

Beside him, Black Howler could only nod in silent agreement.

The salamander they'd planned to hunt was lying dead in the center of the wide circular cavern they'd just arrived in. Straddling its corpse with its face buried in the salamander's flesh was a creature neither of the players had ever seen before.

It had the shape of a man although it was certainly anything but. It was larger than a man though, like a hulking figure with disproportioned limbs. Its skin was raw, pink flesh with dark veins popping out of its misshapen muscles. The patches of hair that remained on its head were few and grey.

"It looks like a zombie that overdosed on steroids," Black Howler commented.

"Wow… that's a pretty accurate description, sir," Jaybird agreed.

The sound of their voices carried in the wind, causing the creature's long elf-like ears to prick up. The head faced forward, and what they saw nearly made Jaybird gag out of reflex.

It had a gaunt face with two bulbous cat-slit eyes and a nose that was just two slits on a flat surface. The mouth, if one could call it a mouth, was wide and gaping, like a shark's maw filled with sharp, serrated teeth.

"It's looking our way, sir," Jaybird whispered.

"I can see that," Black Howler answered.

"What do we do?" Jaybird asked.

"Remember everything I taught you…" Black Howler replied.

The older player glanced down at his companion.

"You go for the Salamander's Heart… I'll keep the thing distracted," he said. "We'll make our escape once we get what we need."

Jaybird looked back at Black Howler with surprise for he'd never heard his self-proclaimed master mention escape before. They'd bulldozed through all obstacles so far.

"We're not going to slay it?" he asked.

Black Howler shook his head. "Look at its tag, kid… what color are you seeing?"

Jaybird glanced toward the creature who was now looking at them with mild curiosity showing on its grotesque face.

"It's purple… I've seen red, yellow, and green in Shadow Beasts, but I've only ever seen purple on NPC tags in town… that Masamune guy and Maestro," Jaybird realized. "Its name though… it says…"

"Abomination," Black Howler finished.

Then, as if hearing its name awakened something inside the creature, it let out a high-pitched cry — and it was a sound that evoked bad memories out of the two players who'd heard it.

Jaybird covered his ears and shut his eyes. The cry caused him to double over in fright.

"Keep your eyes open, kid," Black Howler yelled.

Jaybird blinked his eyes open just in time to see the notification appear in front of him.

[WARNING! THE CRY OF THE ABOMINATION HAS AWAKENED YOUR DEEP-SEATED FEAR OF DYING… PLAYER IS NOW [PANICKED] DEFENSES ARE DOWN AND ALL DAMAGE IS DOUBLED FOR ONE MINUTE.]

Confusion flitted across Jaybird's mind as he tried to process what had just happened.

"Move, kid!" Black Howler roared.

He shoved Jaybird aside just as the Abomination launched itself toward them.

Like a whip, its arms stretched forward and smacked sharp-nailed fingers against the ground jaybird was standing on just a moment ago.

"Sir!" Jaybird yelled.

But there was no need to worry yet for Black Howler managed to block the attack with his Masamune Dark Blade.

"Sir!" Jaybird yelled again. "Watch out!"

Like Dhalsim from Street Fighter, the Abomination's foot stretched forward and slammed into the flat of Black Howler's claymore.

The player growled, "I've got plus four to strength, you bastard!"

He shoved his claymore forward and repelled the attack. Then he raised his sword and swung down with all his might.

"Air Cutter!" Black Howler yelled.

Black Howler's slash created a blade formed of air pressure that zoomed toward the Abomination. Blood sprayed out as a wide gash appeared across its chest.

"Holy crap, it's healing itself, sir!" Jaybird reported.

The wound Black Howler made on its body was quickly stitching itself back together while the Abomination continued onward as if it hadn't been hurt at all.

"Are you just going to watch or do you plan on helping out, kid?" Black Howler asked while he repelled the attack of the abomination's claws.

The creature was inches from him now.

"Come on, Jaybird!" Black Howler yelled again.

Jaybird's brow furrowed. His master never used his gamer-tag unless the situation was dire.

"Get yourself in gear, man," he whispered to himself. "The adventure's right here!"

Jaybird unsheathed the falchion his master had given him after his rod had broken down and brandished it forward while remembering the spell he'd learned from the scroll he and Black Howler discovered in one of the mine's secret treasure rooms.

"No distance can separate me from my prey for all things come within my range," Jaybird chanted. "Warp Strike!"

He threw his falchion forward, and as he did this, his body disappeared from view only to reappear moments later with his hand holding onto the falchion that had just embedded itself into the Abomination's left shoulder.

"It worked!" Jaybird yelled excitedly for it had only been the second time he'd used the learned ability and the first time was a miss. "It really worked."

"Kid, get the hell out of there!" Black Howler warned.

Jaybird felt the force of the blow before the pain hit him.

Inconceivably, the Abomination's limb whipped back to smack him in the shoulder. It latched onto his arm with sharp-nailed claws that bit into his flesh, causing the newbie player to scream in pain. Then, with inhuman strength, the Abomination flung Jaybird across the air and back to the wall by the cavern's entrance.

His body smacked against the wall, causing pain to flare up his side.

"Kid!" Black Howler yelled, but that was all he could do for the Abomination's continued assault demanded his full attention. "Kid, are you okay?"

Jaybird was slow to rise, but he did manage a feeble, "Yes," right before he slid back on one knee.

His head hurt. His whole body was in pain.

"Damn," he wondered aloud. "What kind of game makes me feel this much pain…?"

Jaybird faced forward then, and he was just in time to see the Abomination's arm — fingers outstretched in clawed fashion — reach for his neck. He ducked. Then he rolled forward and escaped its clutches.

He readied himself to move forward again, but then he heard his master call his name again.

"Jaybird, get out of here," Black Howler roared.

Jaybird stopped abruptly. "Wh…what? But I can Fight!"

"No, you're no match for this guy… No sense dying here," Black Howler determined. "I'll handle this."

"But…" Jaybird couldn't find a counter to his master's argument. Jaybird was just in the way. "I… I…"

"Go, Jaybird," Black Howler growled.

To Jaybird's ears, the growl sounded a little less human.

"I…"

Then he turned around, and after one last look at his master's back, Jaybird ran back toward the entrance and made his escape. The last sound he heard was the mad howling of a wolf.

---

Jaybird stopped running eventually, although he wasn't sure how long he'd been running. But he was surprised to discover that he was still in that long corridor that separated the upper levels of the mine from the Salamander's lair.

It was then he realized that he had been slowing down gradually�� something had kept him from running away too quickly. Perhaps it was guilt. Perhaps it was regret. He wasn't sure.

Still, the tears continued to pour down his face. He was a coward, he thought, and he'd left Black Howler behind to die for him.

Sure, it was just a game. Black Howler wouldn't die-die but would he ever trust Jaybird to fight alongside him ever again? Jaybird knew the answer to that.

"Damn," the side of his fist smacked against the stone wall on his right. "Why am I so pathetic? He sent me away so I just follow his orders… just like that?"

He glanced over his shoulder but all he saw was pitch black beyond the light of his torch. The sounds of battle had long since stilled for he was too far away to hear them now.

"No… this is wrong," he berated himself. "If I run away now… then it'll be just like in high school… nothing will change… I'll be a loser in the Abyss too…"

Jaybird wiped his tears away with the back of his hand.

"Courage isn't the absence of fear… it is taking action despite your fears," he repeated the quote he'd read a long time ago. "I need to prove Howler that I can fight too…"

And in that moment, resolve flitted across the surface of the teenager's face. Then he took a deep breath, turned around, and under his breath, he rapped the lyrics to Eminem's Lose Yourself, "His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy… there's vomit on his sweater already…"

And with that bit of encouragement, Jaybird ran back toward his master and into the arms of danger.