Battle II

Seeing the three guardians in front of me annihilate the Hive swarm really crushed my confidence in this fight. However, seeing the reward, I have to win this. I was almost evenly matched with a single guardian before, that has to mean something. 

Can their companions heal them indefinitely? What happens if I get rid of them first? These guys can't be unstoppable since I got tasked to kill them, there must be some way to do this.

Fuck... I don't know anything about these guys, how am I supposed to kill them? Do I just have to wing it and hope I don't die? No. I don't have to worry about dying if I just stay alive.

With that thought, I compress the black bones on the side of my leg, squeezing them to their breaking point, and in an instant, decompress them and spring forward. In a flash, I speed past the rest of the Hive. Leaping into the air, I pass right through the purple dome and ram my foot into the chest of the bulky guardian. 

We both hurdle toward the back wall, the impact leaving behind a large crater in the wall. Just as I think I have done some sort of damage, I watch the guardian stand like nothing happened.

These guys fucking suck. 

I close the gap once again, right as the guardian lets out a big swing toward me, its fist covered in the same purple energy as before. Instantly, I spring upward, rotating in the air and fall down on top of the guardian as I compress the bones on my legs, waiting for the perfect moment. Just as my feet touch the guardian, I release the pressure of the bones, generating an explosive force as the guardian gets knocked to the ground, creating a spiderweb of cracks along the cement beneath. 

I land on top of the guardian, and begin to claw at its front. Gouging its face, chest, leaving behind cuts, scratches, deep wounds, everything you can think of. However the damage all seems to get healed faster than I can inflict it. 

Good, heal you fuck. Let your companion heal you! Make him come out to heal you!

I slash at the guardian with all my might, attempting to maybe out damage the nigh-infinite healing this thing has. To my horror, I watch the guardians hands begin to ripple with electricity as I feel it grasp my neck faster than I can react, as we both rocket toward the ceiling, colliding with the rusted metal pipes that line the top of the room. 

The impact creates shockwaves that reverberate along the ceiling. Pipes creaking and collapsing. I let out an involuntary groan, as the arc energy crackles along my body. 

The guardian seems impossible to defeat, its stamina is limitless. 

I don't have room for thoughts like this, I have to just keep fighting. Placing my hands on the ceiling, I push ourselves downward, straight to the floor. Landing on the ground forced the black bones to compress, as I dash in almost instantaneously, extending my claws and gouging them deep into their shoulder. 

Their armor is thick, causing my attack to fall short, but not without effect. There is a slight falter in the guardians movements when they get hurt, they must not be very accustomed to pain. Even though they heal instantly, it still gets hurt. 

Using this, I activate the corrosive ability of my claws, stabbing forward quickly and piercing them in the stomach. I flare the darkness in my claws.

Come on, feel the agony of pain! Make your ghost come out to heal you!

With all of my strength, I force the corrosive aspect of my claws to intensify, as an energy-enhanced strike pushes me backwards. Skidding to a halt, I take a look at the guardian. They're clutching their wound, it seems to heal slower than the rest, but still heals.

For a moment, however, the ghost materializes in front of the guardian, it expands into a blue sphere of light to heal the guardian, before disappearing once more.

I understand now. 

Readying the darkness on my claws once more, I prepare myself for the clash. I take a look at the other two guardians and see them in a heated battle with the robed Hive, it seems to be sending blue bolts of energy toward them, keeping them pressured. However, I have no time to think about the other battles, all that matters is that they won't interfere. 

I stare back at the guardian in front of me. As I watch it conjure another purple glowing shield, I charge. Springing forward with every inch of strength my upgrades can muster up, I close the distance, just in time to feel the shield pass through my left shoulder, severing my arm completely. 

Even with Pain Suppression at level 5, it hurts like hell. My claws puncture the guardian in the chest, at an angle where I just slide under the plate of armor protecting it. Then it happens. The guardian begins to groan in pain, and the ghost rematerializes. Taking this chance, I jump at the ghost, clenching it in my maw as I feel it shake in resistance. Futile resistance. 

"Guardian!! Help m-" 

A bright ring of light explodes from the core of the ghost. The guardian in front of me collapses in grief, watching their source of power fade. 

Slowly approaching them, they try and scramble away. It's now pitiful life trying to grasp on to whatever time they have left. No, I won't let them. Darkness spreads from my claws, slowly starting from the tips and making its way down to the base, as it appears fiercer than ever. The guardian's back is to the wall, as it desperately finds a way to escape its predicament. 

I stand over it, the difficulty of this fight becoming evident to me. But it doesn't matter anymore. 

*Shunkk*

The sound of my claws stabbing through the neck of the guardian rings out louder than any battle going on around me, as I feel my ears thump with the sound of my heartbeat.

The body falls limp on the ground, as the ruined remains of the ghost lie behind me. 

Slowly turning around, I stare at the two remaining guardians as two messages ring out in my head.

.

[1/1 Titan]

.

[Weak Corrosive Ability 2 has upgraded into Weak Corrosive Ability 3]

.

Let's end this.