Luten Caers

  Selena and I were paired for the first monster battle. As if they're planning there will be second and third battles too. How many more times will we have to descend into these concrete burrows?

  We were in a small room. The walls and floor were made of concrete slabs, while the ceiling consisted of unprocessed stone. There were many doors here, through which people occasionally passed. Apparently, these were observation and research rooms.

  We were interested in one large door at the end of the room, made like an airlock angled downward, as if we'd be descending into a basement.

  "Behind this door awaits a simple trial. We'd like to test all systems' functionality in real combat, so please don't kill the monster immediately unless there's a threat of serious injury."

  Selena, who had been examining every detail in the room, spoke up:

  "What class of demon awaits us?"

  "Only first class for now, a Kaylin. According to recent observations, it hasn't reproduced."

  They informed us of the details, and we put on the sensors they provided—Otherworlder developments. As they explained, these read our indicators to better understand our abilities. I didn't like this very much. The sensors pressed against my skin. "Reading indicators," they said. But what if these things don't just read, but also record? Or worse—transmit to someone else?

  Every time I heard about Otherworlder generosity and how they help us, I involuntarily felt their own benefit hidden behind it all. Already standing at the entrance downward, I noticed from the corner of my eye how the door smoothly opened. People stood behind it. From their uniforms, I immediately understood—these were Otherworlders.

  Contrary to my expectations, the guards weren't clad in the power armor everyone talked so much about. Their clothing looked more utilitarian: dark jumpsuits of dense but flexible material. The belts at their waists looked minimalistic, but many devices I didn't recognize hung from them.

  A massive revolver was attached to each of their hips, but its unusual design attracted attention—smooth black metal with lines that seemed to move with the guard's body. These revolvers seemed part of them, as if merging with their movements.

  But the room's real weight wasn't felt from them. Among the people in lab coats stood a woman who instantly attracted attention with her cold confidence. Her appearance was simultaneously simple and flawless. Long light hair, carefully styled, fell to her shoulders. Despite the formality of her outfit—snow-white shirt with narrow tie and pencil skirt—hidden sharpness could be felt in her appearance.

  She sat straight, restrainedly crossing her legs, as if every detail of her pose was thought out to the last detail. Her face maintained calm, but her gaze, predatory and penetrating, seemed to say: she sees more than you can understand. Her eyes glowed in the darkness from green device lights, but this didn't prevent noticing their burning attentiveness.

  The woman made no unnecessary movements: each gesture looked controlled and precise, as if she was accustomed to leading in any situation. Even surrounded by armed guards, it seemed she was the one keeping the situation under control.

  "Luten... Lu-u-uten, are you alright?"

  "Huh? Yes, yes, everything's fine. As we agreed, you stay behind me. I cover, you attack."

  "Yes, we'll do that."

  The staircase was metal, which made an unpleasant rumble with each of our steps. From the strong echo, I assumed we were in some kind of cave. The bunker walls we were exiting were concrete, while everything else was stone. But the ceiling wasn't visible at all due to darkness. The cave was spherical in shape.

  We walked lower, and suddenly the flashlight beams began dimming, as if darkness itself absorbed them. The staircase, creaking under our feet, stretched into infinity, but then metal under our feet changed to hard earth.

  I felt wet soil sticking to my soles, yielding under our weight with each step. The cave walls seemed gloomy and uneven, as if someone had carved them by hand.

  Selena's voice sounded quiet but echoed throughout the cave. I felt her hand momentarily squeeze my shirt cuff.

  "Luten, does it also seem to you that something here is... wrong?"

  I didn't answer immediately, trying to catch the source of strange whispers that seemed to come from very close but were incomprehensible. The air here was dense, heavy, as if each of our breaths resonated in this dead place.

  We entered a huge hall. The ceiling gleamed like the night sky, while the air filled with magical aura. Something living pulsated in the center: a huge creature with a single eye surrounded by crimson veins. Spider threads trembled as if sensing us. The eye slowly rotated as if studying us, and ominous light emanated from it, creating strange reflections on cave walls.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  The veins didn't just hang—they moved, writhed, as if sensing us. When one of them stirred, I saw a blue electrical discharge run along it, illuminating the space around the creature.

  We took a step closer, and the web reacted. First barely noticeable, then more tangible: veins began stirring like living ropes, trying to touch us. The creature slowly came alive, and each of its "threads" began moving, stirring, as if scanning space. One of them jerked sharply in our direction.

  I lunged sideways, pulling Selena with me, and at that moment a massive tentacle struck the ground, raising a cloud of dust and small fragments into the air.

  "Let's begin."

  Magical energy began flowing through my veins, forming a barely visible but tangible protective shell on my skin.

  Selena raised her hand, and wind around her began smoothly accelerating. Air currents swirled, lifting her hair and making her clothes flutter. At this moment, one of the veins lunged straight at us, but Selena waved her hand, and air currents forcefully struck toward the tentacle, making it retreat.

  "Everything's under control so far."

  I saw her magic required effort—wind was already beginning to lose strength. We weren't experienced enough, and it showed on her.

  "We should better distribute our strength. Attack smartly."

  Another vein rushed toward me. I darted sideways, but this time was too slow. The red vein lashed my arm with full force, and I felt burning pain. Raising my arm, I concentrated on soul magic—my body responded, and I felt energy flowing through the wound, healing damaged skin. It hurt, but was bearable. However, such wounds could quickly exhaust me.

  "Selena! Can you distract it? I need time!"

  She turned, and I saw her face tense. Wind around her intensified, and she directed her spells at the creature. Air currents struck the monster's eye, and it jerked, emitting a shriek like iron scraping stone. The web trembled, and attacks intensified, as if responding to Selena's challenge.

  I closed my eyes, concentrating on my energy. Soul magic always required preparation from me. Familiar warmth began accumulating in my chest, as if my body was becoming a vessel holding power. I felt energy slowly gathering, filling me. A little more.

  "Luten! I'm at my limit!"

  I sharply opened my eyes. Another tentacle was just steps away. At this moment, I felt my energy was ready. I concentrated it in my palm, and a burst of force began pulsating in my hand. Without hesitation, I threw it straight at the monster's eye. The burst crossed space, crashing into the huge eye. The creature shrieked again, and its web trembled. The eye twitched in agony, and I felt pressure on us slightly ease.

  But the creature didn't retreat. Tentacles began wrapping around us, reducing distance. One of them lunged at Selena, but she jumped back, waving her hand. A wind current deflected the attack, but I saw how she weakened.

  "Luten, we need something else!"

  I rushed to her, concentrating magic in my hands. The moment I touched her shoulder, I directed an energy flow into her body. She shuddered, feeling the magic, but her breathing became steadier and her gaze more focused.

  Our eyes met for a second.

  She spoke quietly.

  "Thank you."

  There was something new in her gaze. Not just gratitude. Understanding? Trust?

  "Hold on."

  The cave shook again. The giant eye opened wider, and slime began flowing from its dark pupil. Looking closer, I understood what was happening. The eye was beginning to reproduce, and now its small offspring poured in our direction.

  "L... Luten?"

  Selena's voice trembled. She was definitely scared, and what's there to hide—so was I. I accidentally noticed how her hands slightly trembled. Reflexively my head dropped down, and I noticed I couldn't calm my hands either.

  This was no longer a first-rank demon. It had clearly evolved to the second stage. Had such a thing ever happened before? Small creatures slid through the cave with incredible speed, clinging to walls, jumping from stone to stone, approaching us.

  While Selena led crowds away, I could concentrate on attack. From excessive magic use appeared a feeling as if veins in my arms began burning. I gathered everything I could and made a final burst of energy.

  Killed it.

  The eye had apparently lost much energy even before my attack—that's why there had been no attacks from it for so long. With a crash, like a ball, it first collapsed to the surface, then began spreading in all directions. Its offspring stopped—I thought victory was achieved, but they reactivated after a couple seconds.

  I saw Selena couldn't cope. A mass of these small creatures flew at us. Upon contact they exploded, and their blood, hitting skin, burned to bone-deep pain.

  At this moment, deafening rumble sounded in the cave. I turned and saw a group of Otherworlders pour from the cave entrance. Their weapons shook the air, shots tore silence, and projectiles flew into the crowd of small creatures. Several creatures immediately exploded, their small bodies scattered into clouds of black slime.

  Everything ended, and we were already being led back out. I breathed heavily, feeling how the magic I'd used left unpleasant fatigue in my body. Selena walked nearby, silently restoring strength. I turned around. Where the monster had been just a second ago, only disgusting mess of black slime and tissue scraps remained. The smell was sharp, almost unbearable. Looking carefully at this bloody mess, I suddenly noticed something strange.

  In the distance, when a soldier killed the last creature, blood flooded everything around, but part of it stuck to some invisible silhouette. As if a hiding ghost had been caught in the trajectory.

  I froze, not believing my eyes. Was this just a shadow or something more? For a moment it seemed to me this was a vision, like what had tormented me before. But then blood couldn't stick to an illusion...

  My back broke out in cold sweat. I shifted my gaze to the guards. Their eyes met mine. Something in their look alerted me. Not a drop of surprise. There wasn't a shadow of confusion that the fight had gotten out of control. As if they had expected exactly this in advance. Planned it.

  One of the guards—a tall man with a thin scar along his cheek—slowly nodded to me, slightly raising the corners of his lips. This wasn't a smile—rather a light expression of superiority, like someone looking at a fool and thinking: "You still don't understand that you're just part of an experiment?"

  My heart clenched. I looked away, feeling unpleasant burning in my chest. They knew. They knew everything in advance! While I was remembering what happened, thinking about invisible observers and their games, Rainer got to his feet.

  "Guys, I don't know about you, but I think it's time to make like a tree and leave."

  Before we could look around, he'd vanished without a trace. Understanding what was happening, I got everyone to their feet. Teachers' voices became audible through the trees.

  "Split up!"