Crescent Betrayal, The Ring That Remade Him

The Awakening Eye

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, scrambling to his feet.

He was fast, but he was clumsy. He slipped on the loose gravel, his face smashing into the stone floor. He felt a sharp, burning pain, and a single tear of grief, mixed with the blood from his split lip, dripped down his cheek and landed directly on his mother’s ring.

The metal hissed.

"What is that?" Santiago gasped, staring at Lincoln’s hand. "Lincoln, your hand is burning!"

Lincoln could not answer. A shockwave of pure, crystalline blue light exploded outward from the ring, flooding the hollow. He did not feel pain anymore. He felt… connected.

A translucent, glowing window hung in the air in front of his eyes.

System Booting: Forge Master Interface Online.

"What is happening to you?" Santiago cried, scrambling backward as the blue light pulsed like a beating heart.

"I do not know," Lincoln breathed, his eyes wide as he stared at the floating text.

He could see the creature clearly now. Not just the physical form, but the layers underneath. A box of glowing text hovered over the beast.

Lesser Shadow Scavenger. Level 4. Status: Hungry.

"Lincoln, watch out!" Santiago yelled.

The creature lunged again, its jaws wide, aiming for Lincoln’s head. Lincoln moved, but he did not feel like he was moving on his own. The System highlighted the beast’s path in a bright, pulsating red line.

"I see you," Lincoln whispered, his fear turning into a cold, sharp focus.

He ducked, the claws missing his hair by a fraction of an inch. He slammed his back against the wall, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"How are you doing that?" Santiago asked, his eyes darting between the monster and Lincoln. "You moved before it even jumped!"

"I don’t know, I just see it!" Lincoln yelled, his eyes darting to the ceiling.

Another box appeared. Structural Weak Point: Stalactite, 85 percent instability.

"Santiago, get away from the center!" Lincoln commanded, his voice commanding and harsh.

"What? Why?"

"Just move!"

Santiago did not argue. He crawled as fast as his old legs would carry him toward the wall.

The scavenger turned, snarling, sensing that its prey was slipping away. It crouched, its muscles coiling for a final, lethal strike.

"It is going to kill us, Lincoln!" Santiago sobbed. "Do something!"

Lincoln looked at the ceiling again. The weak point was glowing with a harsh, urgent light. He looked at the floor, then back at the creature.

"I am not going to let it," Lincoln gritted out, his fingers digging into the stone wall.

"Lincoln, you are just a boy!" Santiago shouted. "Run, I will distract it!"

"No!" Lincoln roared, his knuckles turning white as he pulled at a jagged, heavy fragment of rock from the cave wall. "I am the one who is going to end this!"

The rock tore loose with a sickening grind of stone against stone. Lincoln felt the weight of it, the energy of the System flowing into his veins, making him feel stronger than he had ever been.

"You want us?" Lincoln screamed at the beast, his voice echoing through the chamber. "Come and get me!"

The scavenger shrieked, a sound that could have shattered glass, and leaped directly toward Lincoln.

"Lincoln, no!" Santiago screamed.

Time seemed to slow down. Lincoln watched the red line on his vision, the projected path of the beast’s trajectory. He gripped the rock, his arm coiled back like a spring, waiting for the perfect moment.

"I am not dying in the dark," Lincoln whispered, his heart pounding a rhythm of war.

He saw the beast open its maw. He saw the muscles in its legs tense.

Now.

Lincoln swung his arm with everything he had. He did not aim for the beast. He aimed for the ceiling.

"End of the line!" Lincoln yelled, letting the heavy, energy-infused rock fly.

It soared through the air, glowing with the same blue light as the ring. It smashed into the glowing weak point on the stalactite.

The ceiling groaned. Dust rained down. The stalactite shuddered, the massive, jagged spike of stone wobbling for a terrifying second before it began to fall.

The scavenger was still in the air, its eyes fixed on Lincoln, unaware that its doom was plummeting down from above.

"Get down!" Lincoln shouted, diving toward Santiago.

He slammed his body over the old man, shielding him with his own. The world went white as the stalactite struck the floor with the force of a falling star. The sound was deafening, a roar that shook the very foundation of the mine.

Dirt and rock sprayed everywhere. A cloud of thick, suffocating dust filled the hollow, obscuring everything.

Lincoln lay there, his ears ringing, his body aching from the impact.

"Santiago?" he whispered, his voice hoarse. "Santiago, are you okay?"

There was no answer. Only the sound of settling dust and a low, rattling wheeze that seemed to come from beneath the rubble.

Lincoln pushed himself up, wiping the grit from his eyes. His vision was blurry, but he could see the silhouette of the massive stone slab where the monster had been just seconds before.

"Santiago, answer me," Lincoln pleaded, scrambling over the debris.

He reached the edge of the rubble and stopped. His heart stopped with him.

Underneath the edge of the fallen stalactite, something moved. A massive, blood-slicked claw twitched. The scavenger was pinned, its body crushed under the weight of the stone, but it was not dead. Its eyes, dimming but still burning with malice, shifted until they locked onto Lincoln.

"It is still alive," Lincoln whispered, the realization hitting him like a physical blow.

The creature let out a bubbling hiss, its tail whipping out and catching Lincoln’s ankle.

"Get off!" Lincoln shouted, kicking at the limb.

The beast pulled, dragging Lincoln closer to the gap beneath the stone, its jaws snapping at his boots.

"Lincoln!" Santiago’s voice came from the darkness, weak and broken. "Look out!"

Lincoln scrambled for his blade, but it had skittered away in the chaos. He was within reach of those jaws. He was trapped.

The creature hissed again, its remaining strength surging as it tried to pull itself free from the rubble. Its teeth were inches from his skin.

Lincoln looked at the ring on his finger. The blue light flickered, the System interface flashing an ominous red warning.

Battery Critical: Energy Depleted.

"No, not now," Lincoln screamed, grabbing a sharp shard of rock from the floor.

The beast lunged again, its mouth wide enough to tear him in half. Lincoln raised the rock, his breath catching in his throat, and stared into the abyss of its gullet, knowing this was it.

The end.