One Character (17)

Chapter 17 - Vault of Horrors

CLICK. HISS. WHIRRR.

“Got it! Vault access unlocked!” Kazuma exclaimed triumphantly as he stepped back from the massive vault door and wiped sweat from his brow.

The others immediately crowded around.

“Yeah! About damn time!” Bernam cheered.

Wes felt a surge of avarice. He was already picturing stacks of credit chips, a new life, respect…

“Alright gang, bags ready! Prepare to load up!” Chaz commanded, even before the heavy door began to move.

Everyone, except Kazuma who was still catching his breath, reached for their empty duffel bags. Bernam produced three enormous canvas sacks, clearly expecting a huge haul. Even the slender Olive unslung a surprisingly large bag, though empty; she unzipped it eagerly. The sound of zippers resounded expectantly in the cavern.

“Open sesame.”

Kazuma hit the final command on his datapad.

With a deep groan of ancient mechanisms, the massive circular door began to retract slowly into the wall. A waft of cool, sterile air, carrying the faint, crisp scent of processed currency, drifted out. It smelled like money.

But as the opening widened, the pleasant scent was quickly overwhelmed by something else – the same acrid, foul stench that permeated the rest of the cavern, only much stronger, much closer.

Chaz’s eyes narrowed instantly. “Something’s wrong– Kazuma, back!”

His warning came too late.

A thick, glistening, dark green tendril lashed out from the shadowy vault interior with blinding speed. It pierced straight through Kazuma’s abdomen before he could even react. A choked cry escaped his lips as the tendril lifted him effortlessly off the ground, flinging him around like a broken rag doll.

“CONTACT!” Chaz yelled.

Everyone scattered instinctively and sought cover behind debris piles. Wes materialized Aroth into its sniper rifle form in a fraction of a second; his hand was steady despite the sudden shock.

“KYAAAAH! BOSSS!”

Kazuma’s agonized screams echoed horribly through the cavern for a few moments before the tendril contemptuously tossed his broken body aside like trash. He landed in a crumpled heap near Chaz.

Chaz scrambled over to the dying youth immediately. Kazuma was coughing up blood, his eyes wide with agony and terror.

As the vault door slid fully open, the source of the attack slithered into view. It was horrific. Roughly three meters long initially, its slimy, segmented body resembled some grotesque cross between a slug and a centipede. Dozens of writhing tentacles sprouted from its flanks, and multiple unblinking, glassy eyes dotted its featureless head. It throbbed obscenely as it fully emerged from the vault, then seemed to stretch upwards, increasing its height significantly.

“What in the hells is that thing?” Bernam’s earlier bravado got replaced by wary tension.

“Some kind of… Vault Parasite?” Chaz guessed grimly from Kazuma’s side.

“Look!” Olive pointed with a shaking finger.

Dangling from several of the creature’s tentacles, like grotesque trophies, were dozens of credit chips. Some were cracked, others seemed partially melted or corroded by the creature’s slime. Peering past the Unus into the vault itself, they could see overturned storage racks and only a few scattered stacks of intact credit chips remaining amidst the slime and devastation.

“That… that bastard! How did it even get inside the vault!?”

Bernam’s fury contorted his scarred face. All thoughts of caution vanished, there was only pure rage at the sight of their stolen fortune.

“It destroyed the credits! I’LL KILL IT!”

He charged forward recklessly, bypassing any tactical thought. His Resonance exploded outwards as raw power flowed through him. He leaped towards the Unus and began raining down a furious barrage of blows, each punch was landing with the heavy, echoing impact of war drums.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Olive didn’t hesitate either. With predatory grace, she drew the thick butcher knife from her thigh sheath and zipped into motion. She darted around the creature’s flailing tentacles while slashing and hacking with brutal efficiency. She was severing appendages only for them to begin regenerating almost instantly.

Nearby a pile of debris, Chaz knelt beside Kazuma, trying futilely to staunch the bleeding from the horrific abdominal wound.

“Hang on, kid, hang on…”

Wes stood nearby with Aroth aimed steadily at the distant fight, but his attention was momentarily fixed on the dying youth.

Kazuma coughed, blood flecked his lips. “Boss… hurts…” he gasped. “Please… end it…”

Chaz clutched Kazuma’s shoulder. “No, kid, we’ll get you medical–”

Suddenly, the sleek barrel of Wes’s rifle shifted directly at Kazuma’s ruined abdomen.

Chaz looked up, shocked by the cold, ruthless pragmatism he saw in Wes’s eyes. “Specter! What are you–?!” He never knew Wes was this dismissive of human life.

“I’m being compassionate, Chaz,” Wes stated flatly. “Ending his suffering.”

Before Chaz could react further, Wes fired.

P-thwip.

The specialized bullet struck Kazuma precisely in the already grievous wound. Kazuma arched his back, gasped, then spat a final gout of blood onto Wes’s boots before his eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness.

Chaz clenched his fists, wanting to curse Wes, to rage at his cold-blooded action. But he knew, deep down, that Wes was right. Kazuma was beyond saving. Letting him suffer was crueler. He swallowed hard.

“…Thanks, Specter. For… doing what I couldn’t.” He looked towards the ongoing fight. “We need to help them finish that thing before more Unus show up.”

“Not yet,” Wes replied quietly.

Chaz looked back, confused. “What do you mean?”

Wes nodded towards Kazuma’s still form. Something strange was happening. Where the bullet had entered, a faint, milky-white, viscous substance – identical to Aroth’s own composition – was slowly seeping into the wound, knitting torn flesh and organs together with unnatural speed.

Chaz stared, baffled. “What… what is that?”

“Healing bullet.” Wes explained. Sweat beaded on his forehead; activating that specific function clearly cost him significantly.

“Expensive shot. Consumed most of my readily available Resonance. He might make it, but he’s out cold for now.” He gestured towards the fight with his rifle. “I’ll watch him. Provide cover fire when I can. Go help them.”

Chaz hesitated only a moment longer, then nodded gratefully. “Right. Keep him safe.” He drew his own sidearm and charged into the fray to support Bernam and Olive.

Wes slumped down beside Kazuma’s unconscious body. He rested Aroth’s barrel on his knee and aimed towards the thrashing tentacle monster. His energy reserves felt dangerously low. For now, he would conserve his bullets.

“SCREEEECH!”

The Unus was furious with these interlopers..

“Damn bastard!”

Bernam, despite his immense power, was getting overwhelmed. Several tentacles snaked around his limbs and lifted him off the ground. He roared and ripped two apart, but three more immediately took their place, constricting tightly.

Just as he was about to be completely immobilized, Olive darted in.

“Need a hand?”

A single, precise slash severed the main tentacle holding him. Bernam dropped heavily beside Chaz.

“Thing’s tough as kark!” Bernam gasped while rubbing his bruised arms. “Regenerates too damn fast!”

“It’s a rare variant,” Chaz observed while dodging a lashing appendage. “High regeneration types always have a hidden core or weak point. Olive! Can you pinpoint it?”

“On it, boss!” Olive replied. She skidded to a halt a safe distance away, closed her eyes briefly, and muttered a short incantation. “Luminx Vision!”

Swoosh!

Her eyes snapped open, now glowing with an intense, analytical yellow light. She stared intently at the writhing tentacle Unus.

Wes saw faint grid lines and energy signatures momentarily overlay the creature from his perspective as Olive scanned its structure.

“Scanning… dense biomass… multiple energy signatures… Ah! Got it! Small, hardened bulb structure located deep within the central torso mass, slightly to the left! That’s the core!” she relayed the precise location.

“Bernam! Now!” Chaz commanded. “Hit that spot! Full power!”

Bernam grinned savagely. “With pleasure!” He roared as power surged through him again.

“Partial Characterization!”

His arms bulged unnaturally into thick, meaty masses covered in pulsing yellow veins. Strange, circular vents opened in the center of his palms; they dripped with a volatile, glowing liquid. He brought his massive hands together, aiming both palms towards the Unus, forming a triangle with his fingers and thumbs.

“DESMATE-ZADOLA!”

He unleashed the attack. Not a beam, not an explosion, but a focused pulse of pure, destructive vibrational energy shot forward. It struck the Unus precisely where Olive had indicated.

At first, nothing seemed to happen. The creature recoiled slightly but began regenerating the minor impact point, preparing to lash out again. Then, a strange distortion appeared around the impact zone.

The creature’s slimy flesh began to compress inwards, drawn towards the focal point. The compression rapidly intensified; tentacles, eyes, its entire body distorted and collapsed in on itself, crushed by an invisible force until it imploded into a shower of rapidly disintegrating organic mush.

Silence fell. Only heavy breathing was heard. Bernam stood panting, his Character arms slowly receding. Olive landed gracefully beside him and gave him an approving thumbs-up.

“Well done, bigs.”

“Incredible…”

Watching from the sidelines, Wes felt a chill run down his spine despite the lingering adrenaline. That power… Bernam’s final attack… it wasn’t just brute force; it was utter annihilation. He finally understood the source of Bernam’s arrogance. That ability could erase Wes from existence in an instant. A dangerous ally, and potentially, a terrifying enemy.