Cynic's Odyssey

[You have Encountered a voidborn: Feral Beast, Scavenger.]

Before him was a creature he had once seen images and illustrations of on the news after a fissure break occurred.

Voidborn. Creatures corrupted by an unknown force, transforming them into monsters or grotesque amalgamations that are so powerful that even advanced human weaponry could do nothing against them.

Mathew's heart raced as he took sight of the beast.

Among those creatures there are ranks separating them by strength, they are, Feral, Lesser, Awakened, Fallen, Corrupted, Greater, and Mythic. Within ranks are classes that further distinguish them based on the number of essences they possess, of which there are seven. Beast, Monster, Fiend, Terror, Demon, Devil and the strongest of all, Nightmares

The creature in question was what the codex termed a scavenger-a quadrupedal, three-foot-tall reptilian creature, identified mainly by the two tentacle-like appendages on its back, each tipped with poisonous mandibles. The creature had been categorized into the feral rank and in the beast class, making it a feral beast.

Despite its relatively low rank, this creature possessed immense strength and speed along with a hide thick enough to resist heavy gunfire, and if the potent poison it produced was taken into account, it would be a creature that humans could do nothing against.

Mathew stared for a moment, then his lips curled as he forced a crooked, humorless smile and whispered,

"Just what I needed."

The beast was dashing across the old cobblestone floor faster than what should have been physically possible for a creature that size.

The beast in front of him commanded all of Mathew's undivided attention when suddenly. glint of metal caught his attention. Below the monster, stood a man clad in a silver plate armor lined with black accents and opposed the vile beast. Wielding a long sword with a jet-black blade.

Stood a few dozen steps behind him was a striking woman in a torn, stained white dress. Her arms folded and an impatient scowl plastered across her face. From where he, was Mathew could see her lips moving, but was too far to make out what it was she said. Despite that, it was clear from her expression, she wasn't offering the man encouragement.

As he watched the battle between the man unfold, Mathew clenched his jaw and retreated behind the cold cobblestone wall. This was by no means his fight. Yet the longer he watched, the heavier it made his chest feel. As though he were breathing in the tension that filled the air.

Frozen by fear and with no idea what he was meant to do, his thoughts threatened to spiral off.

'Should I help?'

No that would be pointless, he didn't know how to fight.

'Should I run then?'

But where would he go? He hadn't the first clue of where he was, let alone how to leave.

Finally, after a little bit of contemplation, he got took a deep breath, turned away from the battle, and whispered in a flat tone.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you guys. The codex said my first trial was to survive, and I can't exactly do that while being here, now can I?"

He cast a quick glance over his shoulder then put one foot ahead of another. He moved cautiously but quickly down the passageway. The stench of blood filled the air, making him gag as he forced himself to keep going. All he cared about was getting away before something bad happened.

But just as he thought he'd avoided danger, fate intervened. With a deafening crash, the wall ahead of him burst open, sending debris flying. The beast was hurled through the opening, slamming into the opposite wall with a bone-jarring thud. In that same instant, the armored man followed, the dark steel of his blade glinting ominously through the now dust-filled passageway.

Caught between the instinct to flee and the shocking spectacle unfolding before him Mathew froze.

'Shit!'

Sending a cloud of dust and fragments of cobblestone bricks flying past him, the shock rippled through the passageway. For a brief moment, the ground shifted as though threatening to give way.

Unnerved, Mathew's attention was suddenly dragged away. He glanced down and noticed a few loose and wobbling cobblestones that wiggled precariously, with some having slipped through, exposing a hollow gap, from which an ominous growl echoed.

As he peered into the abyss the dust began to settle. When it did, the beauty in tattered clothing stormed through the gaping hole in the wall. Stopping just shy of where the beast had landed, she folded her arms with a sneer that dripped with contempt.

"What are you doing you useless guard!"

In her haste, she didn't notice Mathew standing only a few feet away and just walked by.

'Did she not... see me?'

Looking to seize the opportunity Mathew began edging away, retracing his steps as carefully as he could, desperate not to draw any attention to himself. But unfortunately, things wouldn't be that easy. His foot struck a fallen cobblestone brick, sending it skittering noisily across the floor.

The sound of the skittering debris drew the woman's attention. In that moment, Mathew couldn't have felt more frustrated. Feeling a surge of anxiety, his expression portrayed no sliver of emotion, but beneath that mask of indifference simmered an unexpressed tide of anger.

The beautiful woman raised a curious brow and asked.

"How are you still alive?"

Mathew just stared at the woman, bewildered. What kind of question was that? Did he not have the right to live or something?

'How am I alive she asks. Is this woman crazy?'

Barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes he felt no obligation to muster a proper response in this absurd situation.

"Pure luck I guess. Or maybe I'm just too stubborn to die."

'Aren't those the same thing though?'

The woman's eyes widened as she was left in a state of shock, but before she could process his words the dust fully settled. At first, they could make out the outline of the armored man standing tall and imposing above the still beast. But something felt off.

The way the man held his sword, the tension in his posture—it wasn't right. Hinting at a deeper unease that sent a chill down Mathew's spine.

The last traces of dust drifted away, revealing the grim state of the man. He stood atop the beast, his pristine silver and black-accented armor stained red with blood. But it was not the beast's.

His chest had been pierced clean through by the scavenger's mandibles. The ground rumbled as the beast stirred, its massive frame shifting with a bone-chilling groan. Pushing itself upright, its blood-stained mandibles glinted in the dim light.

With an almost casual motion, the beast lifted the man into the air. Without hesitation, its second mandible shot forward and snapped shut, severing the man's head cleanly from his body. His corpse dropped to the ground with a sickening thud, blood gushing from the stump that was once the man's neck.

Horrified by the sight, the woman staggered back, her breath quickening as she struggled to process the gruesome scene of the beast gnawing on the man's head. Its movements stilled for a brief moment, then its tentacles quivered and It turned sharply toward the woman, A predatory gaze pierced through her, and the cold glint in its eyes signaled that it had taken notice of them.

Luckily for Mathew, the creature hadn't seemed to notice him yet. For some reason, it felt like he was invisible to it, but that advantage would be useless to him unless he figured out what to do in the brief few moments he had.

'Option one. I stay put and hope it doesn't see me.'

Unlikely. After all, the woman who was now sitting on her ass ready to piss herself noticed him eventually, so he wasn't exactly invisible. It was more like he had no presence for them to take note of.

'Option two. I run and let her be the distraction.'

No. It doesn't matter how fast he goes. That thing would just make quick work of her, realize he was there, and run him down.

'Do I intervene then?'

That's the dumbest one so far! What could a useless and weak person like him do in this situation? He might as well just walk up to the beast and say eat me.

He racked his brain, desperate for anything that could give him even the slightest chance of survival. Just as he stepped back, another brick fell through the floor and an idea sparked in his mind. He pondered on the plausibility for a few seconds then finally resolved himself.

'Alright... that just might work.'

While he was lost in thought, the beast circled them with its maw wide open and dripping like a broken tap with saliva. It moved with a slow, methodical pace, as if toting with its prey. Inching closer as it did so. But Matthew felt a flicker of gratitude for the beast's arrogance; because his survival hinged on that pride.

Mathew watched the beast's every movement with unwavering focus. Cataloging every subtle shift in its massive form, every breath it took, as if he were a predator himself, attuned to the slightest nuances of its movements and waiting for it to make a move.

His wait wouldn't take long.

It leaned back ever so slightly and its muscles tensed. Noting this change Mathew readied himself to act.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the woman shifting nervously, realizing something was about to happen. He leaned forward, telling her not with a request or a shout, but a calm, measured command.

"Get up!"

When she didn't respond, he added, with a faint trace of pity beneath his otherwise flat and unbothered tone.

"If you don't move now, you'll regret it."

The woman flinched, but before she could act on his words, the beast lunged forward. With no more time, Mathew grit his teeth and seized the woman's arm. He waited until the last second, timing his move with precision by letting the beast close the distance until it was a mere foot away.

Then in a single swift movement, he yanked the woman away. With its shadow now looming over him, he pivoted and drove his foot down with all his strength on a gap between the loose cobblestone bricks.

The ground gave way almost instantly, creating a gaping hole that swallowed the beast. But Mathew didn't wait to watch it fall, adrenaline surged through him and he reached out grabbing a metal rod that protruded beneath the cobblestone floor, narrowly escaping the beast's thrashing claws as it disappeared into the abyss.