"Look, the first Crimson finally met the abomination."
"He's so calm after all that?"
"Of course he is. This is a Crimson we're talking about. Didn't you see him among the four who managed to keep their cool?"
"I did... but it looked like a fluke... What?! What savagery..." The voice choked off, caught between shock and awe.
"I knew it was a fluke."
"Your son is amazing, Lord Silas."
The room erupted into a cacophony of chatter; admiration, jealousy, and subtle flattery weaving through the words.
Men and women leaned forward in their seats, eyes glued to the screen as Williams moved with a terrifying grace, his war hammer a blur of stone and blood. Each swing shattered bone, every step brought devastation.
His expression remained disturbingly serene, a predator completely bored of the hunt. The abomination's howls mixed with the wet crunch of pulverized flesh, its four eyes wide with terror as it realized it was not the hunter here.
The onlookers murmured among themselves, vying to outdo each other with praise and backhanded compliments. It was a dangerous game of politics; bootlicking layered under a veneer of genuine admiration, veiled barbs hidden beneath sweet words.
Silas remained stoic, his crimson eyes never leaving the screen. Only the slight curl of his lips hinted at his satisfaction.
"Oh, over here, Patriarch Emberblade, your daughter," someone called out, drawing the room's attention to another part of the screen.
In a landscape filled with broken trees and charred ground, a cyan-haired girl stood still, her midnight black eyes locked onto the abomination before her.
The creature was a grotesque nightmare; no eyes, a thick, ridged carapace where ears might have been. Its skin was a mottled gray, stretched taut over a wiry frame, and long, jagged claws scraped against the earth.
For a moment, neither moved. The air between them was taut, a coiled spring ready to snap.
Then, with a sudden burst of speed, the abomination lunged.
She reacted on instinct, her body jerking to the side in a hurried sidestep. Her foot nearly slipped on the ashen soil, but she caught herself, breath hitching as claws whistled past her ear.
The abomination skidded to a halt, dust and debris spraying around it. The carapace on its head creaked open, rising high like twisted wings.
Beneath it, a fleshy, pulsating mass was revealed. It was a brain-like organ that beat with the rhythm of a heart, each throb sending slimy, droplets of mucus splattering onto the ground.
The organ pulsed once, and the creature's head snapped in her direction. Its disjointed body followed suit, the arm she had just evaded reversing its trajectory with a nauseating crunch.
It's bone shattered, and the limb bent backward, claws arcing toward her.
Her eyes widened. She threw herself backward, the tips of those wicked claws grazing her tunic, slicing through fabric but missing flesh.
A bead of sweat traced down her temple, her breathing shallow and quick. Her eyes narrowed, and cyan flames covered her two hands, exuding a lethal intent.
The ability of the Emberblade bloodline! Perhaps she concluded that her unique ability, was not suitable for this battle, choosing to use her bloodline ability instead.
Although it looked like flames and was flames, it gave of the aura of a blade that swore to slice through everything.
The abomination straightened, its limb hanging uselessly but still twitching, its carapace spreading wider, casting an eerie shadow over her, and the mass under it thumping continuously.
_'I don't have enough dynamis to drag out this fight. I have to end it as fast as possible and be as careful as possible... Argh, I'm already so tired,'_ Claire thought to herself. The cyan flames in her hands dimmed, their size shrinking noticeably.
The abomination lunged forward, its second limb sweeping toward her. She reacted instinctively, raising her left hand to deflect the blow.
A sharp yelp escaped her lips. Though she managed to parry the attack, her arm went completely numb, hanging uselessly at her side.
The sheer force of the strike was far beyond her ability to handle. If not for the burning blade aura surrounding her hand, she might have lost the limb entirely.
The creature didn't relent. Its useless, dangling arm suddenly flailed, the jagged appendage whipping toward her head.
In response she crossed her arms in a defensive X.
The impact sent her flying, her small frame crashing against the charred earth. Pain lanced through her body, and tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to curl up and cry, but her survival instincts screamed louder.
She rolled to the side just as the abomination slammed its head down, cracking the ground where she had lain moments before.
Gasping for breath, Claire forced herself into an aggressive stance, ready to fight or duck in response to any movements by the abomination, only to witness an unexpected sight.
The abomination was stumbling, its movements erratic. Its open carapace rattled, opening and closing at a frantic pace. The grotesque, pulsating mass beneath quivered and distorted, the once rhythmic beats now irregular and wild.
Her instincts screamed caution. Despite its vulnerable appearance, it was even more dangerous now. Its limbs flailed unpredictably, each swing capable of ending her if she misstepped, and got caught in the way of one.
_'It might be a trick,'_ she thought, her expression hardening. _'Who knows if this thing isn't intelligent?'_
Her eyes narrowed as the creature began to regain its balance.
_'There's only one way to know.'_
Claire's small hand wrapped around a jagged rock. Without hesitation, she dashed forward, closing the distance just as the abomination steadied itself.
She leapt, the rock in her hand crashing down on its head. Using its shoulder as a foothold, she kicked off, flipping back to safety.
The creature staggered, its carapace rattling again, though with less intensity.
Her lips curled into a determined grin.
She charged, her hawk-like gaze fixed on the abomination. As the carapace opened, she was already airborne.
The organ pulsed again, and her heart clenched. The abomination's head whipped toward her, the pulsating mass within fully exposed.
Viciousness flashed in her eyes. She struck, her hand a severing blade of cyan flame.
But the creature moved faster than anticipated. Its twitching arm shot out, colliding with her mid-air.
All air rushed from her lungs. Her eyes bulged, turning bloodshot. Her outstretched arm fell just short of the squirming mass inside its skull.
Time seemed to stretch, her vision swimming. Consciousness slipped, her small body already flung backward.
The flaming blade aura erupted with a blinding cyan blaze. Her hand, driven by desperation and a final surge of will, cut cleanly through the gelatinous mass.
There was a wet, squelching sound, and the sound of something wet being dropped into fire to follow.
The abomination froze, its limbs jerking once, twice... then it collapsed, lifeless.
Claire crashed to the ground, her back hitting the dirt with a dull thud. She lay still unconscious, her chest caved in, the smell of ash and rot filling her nostrils.
For a long, agonizing moment, nothing moved.
Blood poured down from her lips slowly.
Slowly her body began to disintegrate... She had finished her own test.