"Yes! That’s the look I wanted to see! That’s how I felt all my life!" she shrieked and spun on one of her centipede legs and bowed with exaggerated theatrical flair, nearly slipping in a pool of congealed blood, only to catch herself with a grotesque flourish.
"Farewell, darlings~" she sang, dragging each syllable with sadistic glee. "I do hope you’ll enjoy getting acquainted... with true hunger."
At her command, a high-pitched whistle echoed through the chamber.
The monstrous spiders froze, stopping their rampage.
Then, with perfect obedience, they turned, skittering back to her as if they were trained hunting hounds. Their bodies began shrinking as they ran, grotesque cracking noises accompanying their regression. Towering war beasts became the size of large dogs, then small hounds.
One by one, they leapt, bounding up her back, climbing into the pulsating sacks hanging from her spine. The sacs quivered and stretched, devouring the creatures whole. In a sense, they were swollen wombs that welcomed their children back home.
Once the last spider-creature vanished within her, the sacs convulsed, sealing shut with a wet, meaty squelch.
Countess Veylin didn’t stay to savor the aftermath.
She reared back, opened her jaw far too wide, and fired a coil of black tendrils from deep within her throat. The cords latched onto one of the gothic columns towering overhead. She then launched herself upward, dragging her body as if it were being reeled in.
Her form disappeared into the gloom above.
Only silence remained after her departure.
A silence that wasn’t peace, but crippling pressure.
A silence that pressed down on Kaiden’s shoulders like a vice, heavier than any monster he’d fought so far.
He staggered forward as he pushed himself upright. His stomach felt hollow. In that single moment, it was completely emptied of sustenance. His body would soon begin running on fumes.
As if to validate that train of thought, his muscles trembled. His grip was weak. Vision slightly blurred. The Hungering Curse was no longer just a slow burn; they couldn’t counter it by merely stopping to eat more often than they would normally. It was a ticking bomb placed right onto their very souls.
This wasn’t just a boss battle anymore.
This was survival.
They had no food. No supplies. No way to replenish stamina the normal way. Even mana regeneration was slowing unnaturally, as if the curse had reached deeper than flesh and blood, into the soul.
The only thing keeping them standing was sheer force of will... and the knowledge that if they stopped moving now, they’d rot in this dungeon as shriveled corpses gnawed hollow by their own need.
Kaiden turned to the others.
Nyx was clutching her side where she’d been clipped during the charge, panting through gritted teeth.
Aria leaned against Luna, who had a hand on her shoulder.
Bastet stood tall, but the flickering gold in her eyes hinted at strain—a lioness pushed into a corner.
Jack was still kneeling, sweat drenching his hair, but he gave Kaiden a nod through clenched teeth.
Leon...
VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Demonic Pornstar System