A deep, ancient voice echoed through the cavern, vibrating in their bones. The massive creature before them shifted in the rising water, its enormous silver-scaled body twisting unnaturally, as if the very laws of motion didn't apply to it.
Two massive, blood-red eyes bore into them. T
"I am Deleyna, the Silver Huntress."
Her voice slithered through the air, both chilling and hypnotic. "The guardian of this inheritance, the last echo of its master, Fors."
She tilted her head slightly, amusement flickering in her glowing eyes. "You think yourselves worthy to step into these halls? To steal from the dead? No... you are merely prey."
The water surged around her, but she did not attack. Instead, her smile widened. "But I am patient. I enjoy the thrill of the chase. So I will grant you one chance."
"Answer my question correctly, and I will give you five minutes to run."
Elijah's body tensed. Dune clenched his fists. Neither trusted her, but what other choice did they have? Deleyna's eyes burned brighter as she whispered her riddle.
"The more you have of me, the less you are. If you lose me, you will never know. What am I?"
The cavern fell into silence.
Dune's mind raced. The words tangled together, slipping from his grasp like water through his fingers. Something that takes from you. Something you can lose without realizing… I have no clue what this is.
Elijah scowled. He hated these kinds of tricks. The answer was right there, just beyond reach.
Deleyna tilted her head. Her silver scales rippled like liquid metal.
Then, after a long pause, she exhaled.
"Disappointing."
The cavern exploded into chaos.
Water erupted from beneath them as Deleyna surged forward with terrifying speed, her silver body twisting through the air like a storm given form.
Elijah reacted first. His mind snapped into focus, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10—
"Five."
In an instant, he skipped five steps forward, vanishing from the ground and reappearing mid-air, above Deleyna's head. He twisted, flipping away from her lunging bite, his foot grazing the ceiling before he kicked off, flying backward.
Dune was already moving. He slammed his foot down, Nebastep! A green platform burst beneath him before exploding, launching him sideways just as Deleyna's massive tail smashed into the spot where he'd been standing.
The impact sent shockwaves through the cavern, cracking the stone.
Dune used another Nebastep, angling himself straight at Deleyna's side. The moment his feet touched the next platform, he shot forward like a cannonball, twisting mid air and aiming a Nebastep powered slash, at her exposed ribs.
The explosion detonated on impact, sending ripples across Deleyna's shifting silver skin. But instead of reeling back, the Leviathan turned unnaturally fast, her mouth lunging toward him.
Dune's eyes widened. Shit—!
Elijah counted again. "Seven."
He vanished, skipping seven steps diagonally downwar, reappearing directly between Deleyna and Dune.
"tch, damn it."*
Elijah reached out mid-air and grabbed Dune by the collar, using his momentum to spin, and toss him out of Deleyna's range. But before Elijah could move again, her tail struck.
The force sent Elijah flying, smashing him against the cavern wall. He barely managed to catch himself, pressing his foot against the stone to absorb the impact. Dune tumbled across the ground, coughing as he forced himself back up. His ribs ached, but he couldn't stop.
Deleyna grinned. "Pathetic."
Elijah growled, shaking off the impact. No more playing defense. He counted in reverse.
"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1—"Five."
His body lightened. The moment he whispered the number, he hovered, flying, just above the battlefield. His foot barely tapped the cavern wall before he launched forward at full speed.
Dune saw the opening. His foot hit the ground, Nebastep! He shot forward as well, his movements unpredictable, weaving left and right as exploding platforms propelled him faster and faster.
Elijah appeared above Deleyna, flying in tight spirals to dodge the massive waves she sent at him. He was counting again.
"10, 9, 8."
He teleported downward eight steps, reappearing just above her head. His fist clenched. And he punched downward at full force. At the same time, Dune Nebastepped upward, launching himself straight at Deleyna's exposed side. The double impact landed.
A loud boom echoed through the cavern as their combined force crashed into Deleyna's shifting body. The Leviathan finally reeled back, hissing in annoyance.
Dune landed, panting. "We mus—" Before he could finish, Deleyna spun rapidly and whipped her tail around. Both of them saw it too late. The massive tail slammed into them both with unrelenting force. Dune felt his bones rattle as he was launched like a ragdoll, crashing into the cavern wall. Elijah was smashed against the opposite wall, debris collapsing around him.
The impact sent cracks spiderwebbing across the stone. Blood dripped from their mouths.
Deleyna laughed. "You fight well… for insects."
Dune groaned, trying to push himself up. His vision blurred. Elijah coughed, spitting blood as he gritted his teeth.
Elijah's voice rang out with reckless excitement as he vanished from sight, his words barely escaping his lips.
"Hey Dune, watch closely, I'm about to do something."
"What—" Dune barely had time to react before Elijah counted under his breath, each number quick, sharp.
*"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10—"*
Without warning, Elijah skipped forward, not dodging the Leviathan's massive jaws but instead diving straight into her gaping mouth.
Dune's eyes went wide. "What the hell—?!"
For a brief moment, Deleyna's jaws snapped shut with a force that echoed throughout the cavern, she tried to bite him in half, but Elijah used his ability and avoided death, it was too late, he was already swallowed whole. The cavern fell into an eerie silence. Then, everything exploded into chaos.
Deleyna jerked violently, her body writhing as she howled in rage. A series of monstrous screeches, emanated from deep within her body as she tried desperately to claw at her own stomach, biting herself in an attempt to expel the intruder. Her tail lashed out, shattering pillars and sending a wave of debris across the cavern. Her massive body was in pain, convulsing in unnatural fits.
From inside her belly, Elijah's voice could be heard, grunting and striking, his blade tearing through her insides with relentless fury. Blood poured from the Leviathan's scales, staining the water a deep crimson.
Dune, shaken but not deterred, realized it was his time to act. The Leviathan was distracted.
With a grunt, Dune used Nebastep. The moment he shifted into motion, he vanished from view, the blur of his form slipping through the space between them.
Deleyna let out another shriek as she lunged at him, her jaws snapping, her claws swiping, only to find nothing but air. Dune was already gone, reappearing on the other side of her. His movements were fluid, almost impossible to track.
Each time Deleyna lunged at Dune, her massive form cutting through the air, Dune seemed to slip right past her, dodging, everything with precise, calculated movements. His body moved as though it were a blur, the sheer speed of his Nebastep, throwing Deleyna off balance.
Dune was everywhere and nowhere all at once, his body flickering between locations as he deftly avoided her attacks, each moment a blur of motion.
Deleyna, growing more enraged by the second, screamed at him, furious.
"You slippery little pest!" she shrieked, her voice cracking with frustration. Her body twisted like a serpent, trying to trap him, but Dune was already out of her reach.
For a split second, her focus wavered, her attention consumed by her own fury, and in that fleeting moment, Dune appeared right before her face.
With a swift motion, he stabbed her right in the eye, the blade sinking deep into her soft, vulnerable flesh.
Deleyna's agonized scream echoed across the cavern as blood gushed from the wound, spilling down her scales. Her body trembled, disoriented from the attack. But Dune wasn't done.
He jumped back, and with a shout, he unleashed four Nebasteps one his hand, each one a powerful burst of energy. The force of the combined attacks slammed into her skull with such power that Deleyna's massive head cracked.
Her helmet shattered, the silver fragments flying across the cavern, revealing raw flesh, beneath. Her head jerked back violently from the impact, her massive form shaking with the force of Dune's assault.
For a moment, everything seemed to slow, and Dune staggered back. He felt the burn in his arms, the sharp pain from his shattered hand, but he gritted his teeth and didn't stop. He couldn't stop.
From within the Leviathan's body, Elijah continued to strike, stabbing again and again at whatever he could reach. But Deleyna was still not finished.
She screamed, shaking violently, her tail slamming into walls, the cavern shattering from the force of her agony.
Then, her body split right down the middle.
Dune watched, horrified, as Deleyna's chest tore open, her skin peeling back like unraveling flesh.
From the massive gap in her torso, jagged teeth sprouted, lining the inside of the gaping wound.
And Elijah, soaked in blood, fell from the open wound, landing with a heavy thud. "Huh?"
Dune barely had time to react before Deleyna's body changed again. Her silver flesh morphed, her massive tail splitting apart, transforming.
The flesh of her lower half sprouted thousands of legs, twisting and curling, turning her into a monstrous centipede-like abomination.
Dune cursed under his breath.
"What the hell even is this thing?!"
Deleyna opened her maw, her throat bulging unnaturally. "I will tear you both apart., and feast on your screams"