WorldCrafter - Building My Underground Kingdom

The artifact on Malvek chest, the obsidian Heart pulsed.

Malvek's body jolted. His veins lit up again. Arcs of chaotic energy crackled across his limbs, lashing out in every direction.

A tendril of black lightning shot from his chest and ripped through the ground, carving a molten scar across the street. Another blast tore upward into the sky, slamming into the cavern ceiling and bringing down a rain of stone.

"Scatter!" Tharn barked.

The nephirid dove for cover as a dome of fractured light exploded outward. Everything within five meters was flung back, Kaela barely ducked behind a ruined column as the blast tore the top off a nearby wall.

Malvek screamed, "Die ALL of you!!!"

He stomped forward, and the very air shimmered around him. Shards of the Obsidian Heart were peeling off like embers, floating midair, each one radiating unstable magic. They shot off at random, some like fireballs, others like thunderbolts.

One Nephirid raised a shield just in time, only for the shard to phase through and slice into his leg.

Another blast hit a veteran in the chest, throwing him across the battlefield.

Kaela gritted her teeth. "Damn it, he's losing control."

"Focus!" Tharn shouted, ducking behind rubble as another wave of wild force flattened a line of stone spikes meant to trap Malvek.

Malvek was now surrounded by a haze of flickering magic cricle. They came and went with no logic, randomly blasting chaotic energy.

One nephirid tried to sneak from the flank, only to be torn in half by a whip of glowing force that coiled out from Malvek's back.

"We need to finis this quick!" Kaela roared, leaping over debris, vaulting between bursts of corrupted magic.

Her energy flared covering her blade, its edge glowing a pale violet, and hurled it like a spear.

Malvek turned too late. The blade didn't hit him directly. It pierced the largest shard orbiting the Obsidian Heart.

"ARGH!!!!" Malvek screamed in pain, despite the attack doesn't hit his body.

The energy field around him rippled, then collapsed inward, sucking wind, dust, and heat into a momentary void before exploding outward.

Malvek dropped to one knee, coughing blood. Cracks split down his arms, glowing from within.

His mind were in chaos, Rage, fear, and confusion all mixed in. He doesn't understand what's happening.

The artifact were going haywire, each time it attack Malvek could feel it absorb his life essence. It's like losing a few years of life ever time a spell is cast.

'Is this their backup plan?'

He though this is a way to make sure, he keep his lips sealed. As he will fight till his final breath, making sure no one can subdue him.

Kaela and the others didn't hesitate. Tharn came from above, slamming both boots into Malvek's chest, knocking him flat.

Kaela landed beside him, stabbing her blade through his gauntlet and locking the wrist.

"Break!" Tharn roared as he took out a dagger, plunging it toward the artifact.

The dagger struck. The instant its tip touched the artifact…

BOOM!

A shockwave erupted with pure kinetic force. Every Nephirid nearby was thrown like ragdolls, Kaela smashed into a stone outcrop, Tharn tumbled across the broken road, armor scraping against stone.

Dust and rubble spiraled into the air.

At the center, Malvek screamed. His limbs twisted unnaturally, like something out of a horror film.

The Obsidian Heart flared. Cracks spiderwebbed faster than flesh could heal. And then, it melted.

The artifact collapsed into itself, warping into a thick, metallic liquid. The silvery mass, laced with dark veins, writhed as it crawled across Malvek's chest like living tar.

"No…" he gasped, eyes wide with horror, clawing at it.

But it was too late. The liquid surged upward, over his neck, down his arms, across his back.

Kaela staggered to her feet, blood on her brow. "What the hell is that?!"

"Never seen one… but it looks like we've already failed our mission," Tharn muttered, dragging himself upright.

Malvek's shriveled skin turned gray. His lips cracked. His eyes turned completely black. The scream he let out this time was inhuman.

The coating thickened. Horn-like growths rose from his shoulders. Claws pushed from his fingertips. Spikes erupted along his spine.

Kaela stepped back, weapon raised, breath shallow.

Malvek's face twisted in fear, just for a moment, before the black shell sealed over it like a mask.

Where Malvek once stood was now a towering figure, wrapped in obsidian plating that pulsed with red lines of energy.

The armor looked like a corrupted power suit, fused to flesh. No mouth. No nose. Just a smooth,expressionless faceplate with two burning red slits for eyes.

The thing let out a distorted, metallic growl. Then it moved Fast.

SLASH!!!

One clawed arm ripping through a veteran's shield like paper and smashing the warrior into the wall with bone-crushing force. The stone cracked on impact.

BAM!!!

Another Nephirid barely had time to raise his weapon before he was sent flying, his armor folded inward like tin.

Kaela dashed in from the side, slicing at the exposed joints. Sparks flew. The blade cut trough, but only barely.

The monster spun, swatting her aside like a doll. She hit the ground hard, gasping.

Tharn roared and leapt from above, swinging down with all his weight.

CLANG!

The strike landed, but it didn't even stagger the beast. Instead, the red eyes flared, and with a jerk of its shoulder, it dislodged Tharn midair, grabbing him mid-fall and slamming him down hard enough to crater the earth.

Two more Nephirid charged in unison, spear aimed for its chest. The creature crouched, then leapt into them.

A shockwave followed the landing. Both soldiers were knocked senseless, their weapons shattered, their bodies limp.

The creature stood amidst the wreckage, breathing heavy. It moved like a beast, driven by pure instinct.

Kaela coughed, trying to rise. Her eyes locked onto the monster.

"That… that's not Malvek anymore. It fight like a beast."

Behind her, Tharn groaned, blood dripping down his face. "Doesn't matter."

He pushed himself up, dragging his weapons with him.

"Since we cannot capture it, that mean we will finish it."

Tharn's hand closed around a spear stabbed on the ground, its haft splintered near the base, blood still fresh along the tip. He spun it once, testing the balance, then grabbed another from the ground. Now wielding both, he let out a sharp breath, his eyes narrowing.

The air around him shifted. His muscles tensed. He roared, dashing forward like a thunderbolt, leaving cracks in the stone behind him.

The creature, Malvek, or what was left of him, twitched at the noise and turned.

Tharn's first spear jabbed straight for the neck joint. The monster raised an arm to block, but it was a feint. At the last second, Tharn twisted, spinning to the left, dragging the second spear into a horizontal arc. The tip clanged against the armor's side, then skipped upward, shaving sparks off the plating as it scraped toward the ribs.

BAM!!!

The creature retaliated with a heavy punch, but Tharn dipped low, rolling under the blow. Dust kicked up as the force crushed a crater behind him.

Another Nephirid came from the right, a younger one with twin axes. His goal is not to deal damage. He just want to pull the beast attention.

The axes struck the beast's leg with a clatter, barely scratching it, but it turned to face him. That's when Tharn struck again. Both spears flashed in a blur, one stabbing at the shoulder joint, the other angling for the back of the knee.

CLANG-CLANG!

The impacts rang like gongs, but this time, they bit deeper. Not because of strength, but the timing and accuracy, as he hit at the right spot.

Behind the monster, another veteran leapt from above, his hooked glaive spinning downward. It latched around the beast's neck.

The monster roared, whipping around. But every move it made, there was another strike waiting. One Nephirid picked Tharn hooked chain and blade than rammed it between its shoulder blades, anchoring it in place.

Another circled behind, dragging twin daggers down the back of its leg.

Tharn moved like lightning, one spear high, one low, forcing the beast to guard its upper flank, only to have the second spear dart upward like a striking serpent, aiming for the exposed abdomen.

BAM!!!

It hit, but unfortunetly not deep enough. The armor cracked just slightly.

Seeing the situation this confirm their suspicion. Whatever the reason it was, Malvek isn't capable of using any magic in this form.

The beast retaliated with a vicious swipe, slamming its claw into Tharn's ribs.

BAM!!!

The hit cracked his ribs, but but he held on, driving his spear upward and locking the monster's arm in place.

"Now!" he bellowed.

Kaela, blood dripping from her chin, shot forward with a warcry, her blade aiming for the exposed knee joint.

The beast stumbled. More Nephirid closed in, they try their best targeting the same spot, or the joint, trying to pierce it's armor.