Novels by Unique smyle

They say blood is thicker than water, but in this godforsaken hole, blood is the only currency that buys a future.Lincoln stood at the precipice of the abyss, his lungs burning with every jagged breath. The swarm was closing in, a chittering, hungry wave of shadow and chitin. He looked at the massive support beam, the one thing holding up the ceiling, and then back at the dark tunnel that led to the safe zone."I am sorry, Santiago," he whispered, his voice trembling. "I am so sorry.""System," he barked, his voice raw with panic. "Is there any other way?"System: Structural integrity critically low. Alternative routes: None. Calculated survival probability: zero point zero one percent."One percent," Lincoln muttered, a hysterical laugh bubbling up in his throat. "Well, that is better than zero."He raised his dagger, the violet steel glowing with an eerie, hungry light. He slammed the blade into the rotten wood of the support beam. It cracked, the sound like a gunshot in the crampe

The deepest places of the world do not just want your blood, they want your sanity.Lincoln crept along the edge of the Crystalline Tunnels, his boots barely making a sound on the jagged floor. The walls around him were beautiful and lethal, covered in sharp, glowing growths that hummed with a low, dangerous frequency."System," Lincoln whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "Scan the area. Tell me there is nothing behind me."The blue interface flared to life in his vision. System: Scanning. Multiple entities detected. Threat level: High."High," Lincoln breathed out, rolling his eyes. "That is not helpful. Give me a distance. How far?"System: Proximity warning. One Rock Carapace Crawler within fifty meters. Trajectory: Intersecting."Fifty meters," Lincoln muttered, ducking behind a massive shard of quartz. "I am going to need to move, and I am going to need to move now."He felt the vibration in the floor before he heard the creature. It was a rhythmic thudding, like a war drum

The hardest part of saving someone is realizing that holding onto them might be the very thing that kills them.Lincoln knelt in the dust, the everflame core in his hands giving off a sickening, sputtering light. Beside him, Santiago was shivering, his skin pulled tight over bones that seemed to be turning to glass. The air in this chamber was cold, but the heat radiating off the old man was feverish and wrong."You have to breathe," Lincoln said, his voice tight. "Santiago, please. Just breathe.""I am trying," Santiago wheezed, his eyes unfocused. "It is just... so heavy. The air is so heavy."Lincoln watched the way Santiago chest rose and fell. It was ragged. Broken. He looked down at his own hand, pressing it against the stone floor to steady himself, and he saw it. A thin, black vein was snaking up his wrist, pulsing under his skin. The toxicity of the mine was getting inside him, too. It was eating them both alive."We need to move," Lincoln said, though he knew it was a lie th

The earth shook like a dying giant, and we were just fleas trying to outrun its final breath.Lincoln grabbed Santiago by the back of his tunic, hauling the old man forward as a massive crash echoed behind them. The mother scavenger was tearing through the stone walls like they were made of paper."Faster, Santiago! Please, just a little faster!" Lincoln yelled, his boots slipping on the slick, uneven ground."I am trying, Lincoln! My legs are burning!" Santiago gasped, stumbling over a jagged outcropping. He fell hard, his breath leaving him in a ragged wheeze.Lincoln spun around, pulling his makeshift dagger. He scanned the darkness behind them, his heart hammering against his ribs. The sound of shifting rock was growing louder, more aggressive."Get up!" Lincoln ordered, reaching out a hand. "She is right behind us. If you stay there, she will take you."Santiago grabbed Lincoln hand, his skin cold and clammy. "Just leave me. You can make it. You have the speed, you have the weapo

Some people call it luck. I call it the price of breathing for one more second.Lincoln scrambled backward, his boots sliding on the slick, stone floor. The Shadow Scavenger, pinned beneath the massive slab of rock, was thrashing in its death throes. Its limbs scraped against the cavern wall with a sound that set Lincoln teeth on edge."Lincoln, get back!" Santiago shouted, his voice cracking. He was huddled near the base of the wall, clutching his side."I am okay," Lincoln panted, his chest heaving. "I am okay.""You are covered in blood," Santiago said, pointing a shaking finger at Lincoln chest. "Is that yours?""It is mine, it is the beast, it is all of it," Lincoln said, wiping his face with the back of his hand. He looked down at the creature. It was still twitching, its dark, obsidian-like eyes slowly losing their luster.Suddenly, a series of sharp, mechanical chimes rang out in Lincoln head. A blue, translucent screen flickered into existence right before his eyes.System Up

Death does not smell like rot, it smells like wet fur and the end of everything you ever loved.The creature slammed into Lincoln, its weight pinning him to the cold, unforgiving stone. He felt the hot, rancid breath on his neck as the beast reared back, ready to strike. He swung his new blade, the serrated metal catching the dim light, but his hands were shaking so hard he barely grazed the beast’s flank. The creature snarled, a sound that vibrated in Lincoln’s very marrow."Lincoln, move!" Santiago screamed from the corner, his voice cracking with pure terror."I cannot!" Lincoln shouted back, his voice straining under the immense pressure of the beast’s claws against his chest."Get off him!" Santiago yelled, grabbing a rock and throwing it with a frail, desperate motion.The rock bounced harmlessly off the monster’s hide. The beast did not even blink. It just shifted its attention, its massive, unblinking eyes locking onto the old man."No, look at me!" Lincoln shrieked, scramblin