novelraw Chapter 87: Contract
Chapter 87: Contract
Every Skavvern’s source of power was its tails. Without them, they were exposed and that exposure made them weaker and pretty much killable.
The Skavvern knew it too.
It stared at the severed tail on the ground like it was looking at its own grave. Its breathing turned uneven, chest rising and falling fast, blue fluid dripping from the torn flesh. For the first time since it appeared, fear showed on its face.
What it didn’t realize was that it had already lost long before that moment.
Ares had been charging himself the entire time.
From the second Kinsey’s ice touched the Skavvern and Nile’s lightning wrapped around its body.
He hadn’t attacked yet because he had been absorbing and storing their powers. The plan was to let the power stack and multiply inside him and now, he was done
"Axel," Ares said calmly, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Move.."
Axel didn’t ask questions. He rolled away immediately.
Ares raised his hand and a massive icicle formed above his palm, far larger than any Kinsey had created. It crackled violently as wild electricity crawled across its surface like living veins.
"Now!" Ares said.
He hurled it.
The icicle moved through the air and slammed straight into the Skavvern’s chest. The impact lifted the creature off its feet and pinned it against the cave wall.
Blue fluid spilled freely now, dripping down its torso as it gargled and choked. Ares had successfully drawn real blood.
"Arrgghhh!" The Skavvern let out a broken roar.
Seeing death that close snapped something inside it causing it to go berserk. Kind of like an Infernal Overload but for Skavverns.
It tore itself free and started swinging wildly, slashing and clawing in every direction. Stone shattered as its arms ripped through the cave walls. No one could get close without risking being torn apart.
"Don’t let it move!" Axel shouted.
"I’ve got it!" Nile yelled back.
Electricity surged violently from her body as she pushed forward. She slammed both hands down and unleashed everything she had. Bolts wrapped around the Skavvern, locking onto its limbs and forcing its body to seize up.
The Skavvern screamed as the current ripped through it, muscles locking, joints twitching uncontrollably.
"Kinsey!" Ares called.
Kinsey was already moving.
Her face was pale. Her breathing was ragged. But she raised her hands one last time. A small block of ice formed around the Skavvern’s legs, spreading upward just enough to freeze it in place.
The moment the ice settled, Kinsey collapsed to her knees.
"I’m... done," she muttered, barely holding herself upright.
"Good work," Axel said quickly.
He didn’t waste time.
Infernal energy flooded Godrend again as Axel charged forward. He drove the blade straight through Kinsey’s ice, down into the Skavvern’s foot, and burying it deep into the stone beneath.
Now the Skavvern was trapped in place.
Almost immediately, another icicle formed in Ares’s palms, even sharper and denser. One second, Ares stood in front of the Skavvern.
The next was a flash of lightning and now, he was behind it.
The Skavvern barely had time to react. Ares grabbed the icicle mid-motion and drove it forward with everything he had.
It pierced straight through the Skavvern’s skull. The sound that followed was wet and final as the creature went limp instantly.
Its body collapsed forward, hitting the cave floor with a heavy, lifeless thud.
< [Mission Complete: Survive an encounter with the One-tailed Skavvern] >
< [Reward: 100 EXP] >
< [+50 Soul Essence] >
< [+30 corruption] >
********
The moment the Skavvern hit the ground, Ares rushed straight to Rick’s side and dropped to his knees. Rick was awake now. He must have woken up due to the blasts.
His eyes were open, but there was no focus in them. His chest rose and fell unevenly and blood soaked through his clothes and pooled beneath him.
"Hey... hey, stay with me!" Ares said, his voice shaking. "Don’t you dare close your eyes."
Rick tried to speak, but all that came out was a wet cough and more blood spilled from his mouth.
"Bloody fuck!" Ares cursed and pressed his hands over the wound. Frost spread from his palms as he pulled what little ice energy he had from Kinsey’s. Ice formed over Rick’s stomach, sealing the wound shut.
It slowed the bleeding.
But not enough.
"This won’t hold," Ares muttered. "It won’t hold for long."
He looked up sharply, his eyes locking onto Nile and pointed at her.
"This is your fault," he snapped. "All of it. If you hadn’t dragged us into this godforsaken cave, none of this would’ve happened. Rick wouldn’t be dying right now!"
Nile stiffened. She didn’t argue back.
Before she could say anything, Kinsey spoke from the other side of the cave.
"Enough," Kinsey said weakly. She was leaning against the wall, barely standing. "Blaming her won’t fix this. And Rick isn’t the only one hurt."
"Jayden and Kora are alive," Kinsey continued. "But they’re not stable. We don’t get them out soon, we lose them too."
"We need help," she said. "Now."
Nile shook her head slowly. "We won’t make it," she said. "Not in time."
She looked away. "This is on me. I pushed us in here."
Axel walked over quietly and crouched beside Rick. He scanned the wound, his jaw tightening. The damage was bad. Too much blood lost. Too much trauma.
Inside his head, Aurora spoke, her tone unusually calm.
"There is nothing you can do like this," she said. "Not with his body in that state."
Axel clenched his fists. Then all of a sudden, he grabbed Axel by the shoulder and squeezed hard.
"Do something," Ares said. His grip tightened. "I know you can."
Axel looked up at him. "There’s nothing—"
"Don’t lie to me," Ares cut in. His eyes burned with anger and fear. "Do what you must."
Axel froze.
"Ares, stop. Axel can’t—" Kinsey tried to speak but Ares cut her short.
"Zip it!" Ares snapped without looking at her.
Nile stepped forward. "What are you even saying?"
Ares ignored them all. He leaned closer to Axel, staring straight into his eyes.
"I know what you are," Ares said quietly. "And I know you can save them."
Axel’s breath caught.
"Offer them a contract, isn’t that what demons do?" Ares continued. "Save them."
Axel didn’t respond. His mind went blank.
Then in response, the system activated.
< [Emergency Condition Detected] >
< [Target: Human – Critical State] >
< [Option Available: Infernal Contract] >
< [Offering a contract to a human ties you to their soul and it’s yours to claim after a limited time>
< [Would you like to offer a contract? Y/N] >
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