Sil stood staring into the inky black stillness of the seemingly infinite tunnel. Like a portal to some dark realm or otherworldly dimension, where the air is thicker than water as it's impregnated by the sinister darkness, filling its billows and breezes with heavy, unrelenting, lightlessness.
A faint vibration rippled through the stone beneath his feet. Sil halted immediately, his breath hitching. He raised his head, narrowing his eyes as he continued scanning the darkness, the hair on his neck prickling in primal response. The vibration grew steadily stronger, culminating in a rhythmic pounding. Footsteps—heavy, and deliberate.
Sil's gaze sharpened as he waited silently, pressing himself against the uneven cavern wall, body taut, eyes glittering fiercely. He stood stone still, like a Rock formation more than like a man. Aged muscles, seasoned by unyielding battles, then tempered by beyond human feats of strength and trials of stamina. Humbled by agonizing missions, requiring not only patience, but stalwart endurance.
A millennium of toning, shaping, and training finally proving their necessity once again. Centuries of self inflicted damage, resulting in sore and achy outcomes, only to find the determination to maintain consistency, pushing through the pain the next day.
In short— Sil was not just a super human by virtue of his ability alone. Sil was a super human, in every physical sense of the phrase. His mundane body was anything but. Capable of standing still, for days if the situation should require it. He had far surpassed the upper limits of a mortal man, many years ago.
So that is what he did. He froze, statuesque, muscles taught. Breathing, slow and deep. His pupils were so widely dilated, like black holes attempting to lure in any light by the sheer will of their master, and the gravitational pull of the expansive void of hungry darkness. Swallowing any shred of visual input to assess the creature approaching.
From the shadows, a figure lunged forward—a blur of movement too swift, almost impossibly fast. Instinctively, Sil sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the strike aimed squarely at his chest, as it kept moving until the thing was once again just out of sight. Immediately he was back flat against the wall, attempting to make himself as invisible as possible.
As his eyes eventually adjusted to the monochromatic scenery in which he found himself, completely enveloped, subtle nuances began to emerge from within the sameness. From the pitch existence various shades of grey suddenly popped out at Sil. The longer he stood there with eyes wide, the more clearly he could differentiate the unfamiliar shadows and shapes before him.
The process of adjusting one's sight to better see in the dark is simply a waiting game. It all becomes more clear in the end. Of course, there are monsters that reside there in the dark. Low visibility is not a scenario the human mind is programmed to account for. The brain doesn't like the images with missing input. A faceless person, an animal without legs, or even a tree without branches— in the dark, everything becomes a nightmare.
The worst part is that your imagination is limited only by your ability to imagine. So of course, naturally those who have faced very little of violence, or horror, true terror or bloodshed, the nightmare you think up may be your worst fear, but your worst fear may not be truly devastating.
Unfortunately that did not describe Sil. As like most of his generation, having been born between two nearly apocalyptic wars between the human race and the much stronger, far more vicious, Dalki— terror was once a daily part of life. They had been cast in danger. Many were forged by cruelty. Whipped into shape and trained to be ruthless militarized weapons themselves.
And that was just the normal people. The Blade family had been a whole different monster. Especially those who were part of Hilston's own nuclear 'family' like Sil. Truly terrifying trials were reserved for the upper echelon of the world's strongest humans, during the world's most violent period in time. The things that Sil would see in the dark, were frightening enough to compel someone to attempt preventing the sun from ever setting again. That did not prevent Sil from remaining still. He was, as always, ever vigilant, and unshakable, too driven by his cause.
From the deep shadowed maw of the subterranean chasm emerged a beast, seemingly birthed from a nightmare itself. Massive and hulking, the creature crawled forward on six thick, muscular limbs, each tipped with claws as large as broadswords, occasionally scraping the stone floor with bone-rattling echoes. Its movement was eerily graceful despite its bulk, a silent predator molded perfectly by endless eons beneath the surface. It definitely appeared to just be some type of beast. Relatively high tiered too, Sil was pretty sure. At least of the king tier, by his estimation, possibly emperor. This type of creature would be like child's play for Sil typically. However subduing the thickly plated pest would certainly create quite a clatter.
Blind, bearing no visible eyes, besides maybe the small growths on either side of its head, looking to be more vestigial than functional, sat deeply recessed in a skull shielded by overlapping plates of dense, bone growth like armor. These armored plates were scarred and etched by countless battles, glowing faintly with luminescent moss caught in jagged crevices. It's snout tapered to nearly a point, ringed by fleshy, whisker-like appendages constantly twitching, sensing every vibration, every heartbeat of the prey unfortunate enough to wander into its dark domain.
The creature paused, sniffing audibly. Sil felt his heartbeat quicken, blood rushing hotly through his veins. He observed the monster sniffing at the air and allowing its head to follow. The creature was blind. How else could it not see him there when his eyes had adjusted more than enough to detect it—and Sil wasn't a being specifically adapted to subterranean life, unlike the beast.
His breathing stilled, his body vibrating faintly with controlled adrenaline. He could see the structure of its face more clearly now. The beings mouth moved barred fangs, a low growl rumbling from deep within its chest. The figure, swathed in shadows, immediately pivoted into a precise swipe, arcing cleanly toward Sil's temple.
Reflex took hold, muscle memory carved from countless battles seizing control. Sil dropped low, feeling the rush of air over his scalp, and surged upward, driving his elbow into the attacker's solar plexus. A soft grunt of pain echoed as the creature staggered briefly, before regaining balance with graceful agility.
A spacious mouth, grotesquely broad, opened in a silent snarl revealing rows upon rows of razor-edged teeth, each curved inward like deadly sickles. They also gleamed dimly in the pale bioluminescence filtering down from the cavern ceiling, perpetually slick with saliva that dripped continuously, sizzling faintly where it touched the rock below. Its breath, hot and foul, exhaled in rhythmic gusts, carrying the scent of ancient decay and freshly rented flesh.
It paused, hunched on its powerful hind legs, and enormous shoulders rolled forward beneath the thick protective carapace. With a low, thrumming growl that reverberated through the stone like something reminiscent of echo location, the massive beast tilted its broad, armored head. Its face, including its frighteningly fearsome fangs, snapped in Sil's direction. The creature was looking directly at him.
"Oh shit—" Sil mouthed silently as he jolted into action before the sound waves pummeling and bouncing off of his rigid body could return to the being which, for the time, they served.
It sensed prey ahead—
Every sinewy muscle tightened beneath its heavy armor, a perfect blend of raw power and predatory patience. It was a king-tier terror, the apex predator of the subterranean realm, and in that eternal darkness, nothing stood above it. The ground trembled slightly, as if anticipating the violence about to erupt, heralding the beast's savage intent.
And then, with explosive fury, it lunged.