Chương 72: 072

Shaking off the exhaustion, I waved a hand.

"I talked to my patron. Thomas and the others are already making a rope to send down to us. Should be done soon." I eyed the setting sun warily.

"We'll need to move fast. The monster's slower now, weaker from sitting in the sun, but once night falls, it'll recover." Dura bared her teeth, tusks flashing.

"And we don't wanna be anywhere near here when that happens."

"Exactly." I rose, stretching slowly.

"You'll probably have to knock it back again, and then we take the time it's climbing to get topside." Her eyes hardened.

"Got it. Though how will we know when-." Something thumped against the cave wall outside, cutting her off. I edged closer to the barrier, careful of the thorns and the beast beyond. A thick rope of vines swayed through the air. Dura snorted.

"That answers that question. You ready to drop the barrier?" I nodded, watching her brandish her axe. Red mist flowed over her, filling the cave, and she grunted.

"Drop it." I did, and the monster staggered in, claws frozen mid-swipe, eyes snapping between us. Its mouth opened for another shriek. Dura didn't give it a chance to regroup. She charged, axe swinging, slamming the blade into its chest and sending it sailing backward, off the ledge again. I watched as it slammed into the golden bubble, smoke rising from its glitching form. Vicious satisfaction tore through me before I turned to the rope, gesturing.

"You go first, you'll climb faster." She shot me a flat look.

"And leave you at the bottom as bait? I think the fuck not." Before I could argue with her, she fisted a hand in my tunic. As easily as one would lift a bag of potatoes, she hefted me over her shoulder, passed me her axe and grabbed the rope. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Enjoy the view back there and let me know if ugly gets too close." And with that, she began climbing. I was left staring into the abyss below and, admittedly, at her ass. Well… that explained the view comment. Shaking off the distraction, I forced myself to focus. The monster was already recovering from its fall. Its eye slits locked onto me, the cracked mouth opening in another unholy shriek. It lunged onto the wall, climbing like a four-legged spider, claws scraping for purchase.

Its glitching limbs blurred as it closed the distance. I clutched her shoulder, axe and staff held tight to my chest.

"It's catching up." She ground out a curse.

"How long before it's on us?" I judged the remaining distance, stomach dropping.

"A few minutes, if we're lucky." Another curse.

"Hold on tighter—I'm speeding up." I obeyed, feeling the pace surge. Light from the top began filtering in as the shadowy pit receded. Without the staff illuminating the cavern, the inky tendrils writhed again, reaching hungrily. The sun overhead dimmed fast, casting a purplish-red glow across the rock. The monster's glitching form was mere feet behind us, fragments of light flickering over it. But it didn't retreat. Its eyes were only for me as its knife tipped fingers reached.

"Get back!" Dura shouted.

"It's right behind us!" The top was close. I caught the faint shuffle of the others, Henry's voice clear and commanding: "We're ready! Bring it up!" Dura heaved us over the edge just as the monster swiped, claws inches from my nose. Wind brushed my cheek as its muscles coiled, preparing to lunge. From the corner of my eye, the others surged forward—Henry and Dominicus leading—but they wouldn't make it in time. If it got its claws into us, dragged us back over, we were done.

Our best bet–our only bet–was forcing it to fight on solid ground, with all of us. It lunged, leaping off the stone in a desperate grab. Instinct surged. I ripped the staff free, swinging with all my strength. The angle was bad, my shoulder screamed, moss from the healing staff crumbling away, but my aim held true. The staff slammed into its shrieking head, momentum sending it toppling back into the pit. I didn't have a chance to celebrate though. My shoulder spasmed, pain tearing through me like acid.

Dura hauled us over the edge, but the jolt yanked the staff from my grip. I watched, dread bubbling, as it fell into the darkness, swallowed by the onyx abyss below.