Kyle held his dagger out before him as he moved through the forest, his eyes constantly sweeping the surroundings while his body heightened to every single sound that reached his ears.
Every rustling leaf.
Every snapping twig.
Every distant screech hidden within the sea of towering trees.
He was careful.
Cautious.
Determined not to be caught off guard by whatever lurked within the endless woodland.
’Since I have no idea how well I can fare against other beings, I’ll need to rely heavily on the element of surprise,’ Kyle swallowed hard.
Hopefully.
He continued through the dense forest for several more meters until he reached some sort of clearing.
That was when he saw it.
Nestled at the center of the clearing lay a massive bird-like nest, woven together from thick tree branches, roots, and hardened vines. It was several times larger than the one belonging to the acid Deviants.
And resting within it...
Was a monstrosity.
A creature standing on four powerful legs, its rough crimson hide bulging rhythmically as though every breath forced its muscles to swell beneath layers of leathery flesh.
Its head alone was nearly twice the size of Kyle’s entire torso.
Four enormous tusks curved from its face like ivory spears, surrounding a long vertical slit where its mouth should have been.
No nose.
No eyes.
Nothing else.
Just that horrifying slit stretching from the top of its head down toward its throat.
It was blind...
But whatever had replaced its sight would undoubtedly be far deadlier.
Kyle froze.
His breathing slowed to almost nothing as he stared at the sleeping beast.
’If only I had a long-range ability like Rita... I’d burn this abomination alive before ever stepping into this clearing.’
Unfortunately...
To kill it, he had to get close enough to bury his crude dagger into the base of its neck.
Kyle wasted no more time.
Stepping out from the cover of the trees, he calmed his breathing as much as he could, forcing every inhale and exhale to become almost silent.
His footsteps became feather-light.
Then...
He began walking toward the sleeping abomination.
’Don’t wake up... Please don’t fucking wake up...’
Kyle didn’t blink.
His gaze remained locked onto the monstrous creature.
Watching.
Waiting.
The beast twitched every now and then, reacting ever so slightly to his presence.
Each tiny movement caused Kyle to freeze completely.
He became no different from one of the surrounding trees.
Only after the creature settled once again would he dare take another careful step.
One...
Then another...
Then another.
Until finally...
He stood beside the nest.
At this point...
There was no going back.
Back?
Kyle instinctively glanced toward the distant treeline behind him.
If the monster woke now...
There would be no escaping.
No running.
No desperate retreat.
He would either stand and fight...
Or die in a far less honorable—and infinitely more horrifying—manner.
Kyle swallowed hard before turning back toward the abomination.
The beast was nearly twice the size of a grown man, its grotesquely bloated body making it appear even larger than it truly was.
He slowly stepped into the nest.
One foot.
Then another.
Closing the final distance between himself and the sleeping horror.
’Just a little more...’
His grip tightened around the dagger.
’One more step... and I can end this battle before it even begins.’
However...
What happened next made Kyle’s entire world flash before his eyes.
The beast suddenly trembled.
A deafening huff exploded from its body like a violent torrent of wind escaping a cavern.
Then, with terrifying speed, the monstrous creature sprang to its feet.
Its faceless head snapped directly toward Kyle.
An overwhelming wave of bloodlust crashed over him.
The slit running down its face slowly peeled open.
Rows upon rows of jagged teeth emerged from the darkness.
Hundreds...
Perhaps even thousands.
Then...
It roared.
The sound shook the clearing.
Birds burst from distant trees while loose leaves danced wildly through the air.
"Shit!"
Kyle threw himself sideways just as the monstrous abomination swung one of its gigantic tusks toward him.
The ivory spear sliced through empty air.
Missing him by barely an inch.
Kyle crashed against the hardened branches of the nest before rolling across his shoulder and scrambling back onto his feet, adrenaline surging violently through every vein in his body.
The tusked abomination was already upon him again.
With another monstrous shriek, it swung its tusks with devastating force.
Kyle sidestepped at the last possible second.
The massive tusks carved through the air where his chest had been moments earlier.
Now!
He lunged forward.
His dagger plunged deep into the creature’s throat.
The crude blade tore through flesh surprisingly easily.
A torrent of dark crimson blood erupted into the air.
The monstrous abomination reacted almost instantly.
A pained shriek escaped its grotesque mouth as it violently twisted its enormous body before lunging straight toward Kyle.
This time...
The lone Awakener couldn’t evade.
The attack had come far too quickly.
One massive tusk buried itself into his ribs.
Agony exploded through his body.
The tremendous force lifted him completely off the ground before hurling him through the air.
Kyle crashed onto his back several meters outside the nest.
He grunted violently as a mouthful of blood spilled from his lips.
Still...
The battle wasn’t over.
Ignoring the screaming pain throughout his body, Kyle forced himself back onto his feet.
Just in time.
The monstrous creature charged once again.
Kyle immediately dove to his left, narrowly avoiding the stampeding beast as it thundered past him.
He rolled across the forest floor before springing upright once more.
The abomination had already turned around.
It was charging again.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
Kyle cursed, instinctively raising both arms before himself to brace for the inevitable impact.
And then...
WHAM!
Once again...
He was sent flying into the air.
However...
Something was different.
This time...
It wasn’t the horrid abomination that had launched him.
It was...
Himself.
Or rather...
Something had thrown him aside.
Kyle blinked in confusion before lifting his gaze.
Standing between him and the charging beast was a towering humanoid figure.
The mysterious being had absorbed the full force of the tusked monster’s charge without moving even a single step.
Not only that...
The tusked abomination itself staggered backward several meters, its massive body swaying unsteadily as cracks echoed through the clearing.
Then...
Without warning...
It collapsed onto its side.
Its skull had completely caved inward.
Both enormous tusks had shattered into dozens of fragments.
Blood slowly pooled beneath the lifeless corpse.
[You have killed a Tusked Defender.]
[You have gained three Soul Fragments.]
Kyle blinked several times at the notification before slowly raising his eyes toward the mysterious figure once again.
The being stood roughly six feet tall.
Broad shoulders rested beneath a body encased in dark chitinous armor that looked as though it had been forged from the shell of some ancient insect.
A pair of folded wings concealed most of its back.
Its arms were unnaturally long, ending in massive clawed fingers built more for digging than fighting.
Despite its grotesque appearance...
There was something strangely regal about it.
Ancient.
Silent.
Almost...
Human.
The mysterious being slowly turned around.
For the first time, Kyle saw its face.
Its long insect-like mandibles remained perfectly still.
Without uttering a single sound...
The towering creature lowered itself onto one knee.
It bowed its head before Kyle.
Kyle stared blankly at the creature’s face before the answer escaped his lips almost unconsciously.
"Cockroach..."
[You have awakened your first Companion.]
[Name: Lord Roach]
[Legion: None]