Chapter 108: Inside the Tower Part 4

Chapter 108: Inside the Tower Part 4The corridor ahead narrowed into a throat-like tunnel, slick with the same pulsing organic tissue that lined the walls. Every step was squelch and suction, as if the tower itself resisted their passage. The air grew hotter, more humid, and every breath tasted like old blood and rot. "Feels like we’re walking into something’s stomach," Korrik muttered, sword at the ready, his armor still smeared with black ichor from the last fight. Inigo walked at point, M4 Carbine raised, scanning ahead. The corridor twisted left, then right, then dropped slightly into a widening chamber. His boots stuck slightly with each step, as if the floor wanted to drag him down and keep him there. Lyra and Arienne followed silently, the latter casting faint barrier pulses as they moved. As they entered the new chamber, it became clear this wasn’t just another passage—it was a lair. The room opened up into a hollow dome with rib-like structures arching overhead, meeting at a central fleshy knot that dripped viscous fluid. Platforms made of bone and metal jutted from the walls, while dozens of hanging cocoons swung slowly from the ceiling, each faintly glowing from within. The air buzzed with power—dark, throbbing magic that coiled around them like invisible smoke. "We’re not alone," Lyra whispered, eyes on the ceiling. She was right. One of the cocoons ruptured with a sickening wet tear, and something dropped to the ground with a thud. It stood on four reverse-jointed legs, its elongated arms tipped with scythe-like blades that clacked against the floor. Its head was like a horned skull, with rows of tiny violet eyes along the jawline. Muscles pulsed visibly under exposed skin. Another dropped. Then another. Soon, half a dozen of them surrounded the adventurers, circling slowly. "They’re not like the others," Arienne said, stepping back. "No rot. No decay. These things are... fresh." "They were bred for this," Inigo said grimly. He flicked his rifle to full auto. "Weapons free." The moment the first shot cracked from his M4, the demons lunged. Fast. Too fast. Korrik took the charge head-on, swinging upward and cleaving one clean through the midsection, but another pounced from the side and slashed across his pauldrons, knocking him down. Lyra’s arrow embedded into a demon’s chest—but the creature didn’t flinch. It kept moving. Arienne raised both hands and unleashed a shockwave that bought them space. Inigo dropped to one knee and opened fire, bursts of enchanted 5.56 tearing into the nearest creature. This time, the rounds worked—at least partially. Chunks of flesh tore off, but the beast didn’t stop until three more rounds took out both legs. It collapsed, twitching. "Center mass doesn’t drop ’em!" he shouted. "Go for joints or the spine!" Lyra nodded, adjusting her aim, loosing two arrows in rapid succession. The first took a beast in the kneecap, shattering it. The second pierced an eye socket, dropping another. Still, they kept coming. Two leapt for Arienne, but she threw a barrier up just in time. They hit it like glass, shattering with a hiss of magic, but Arienne stumbled back, drained. "Six more—dropping from above!" she cried. The cocoon clusters were opening one after another, raining down fresh horrors. Inigo gritted his teeth, dropping his now-empty mag and slamming in another. "Too many! We need to bottleneck them!" He sprinted toward a narrow corridor on the far side of the chamber, motioning for the others. "Fall back, now!" Korrik, bleeding but mobile, covered the rear as they moved. Arienne hurled arcane spikes to slow the creatures, while Lyra covered the side angles with quick precision shots. Inigo paused at the mouth of the corridor, turned, and emptied another half-mag into the mass of chittering demons sprinting toward them. They poured into the corridor. Exactly what he wanted. He raised his left hand again. [Freedom Shop – Accessed] His interface blinked into view, flickering briefly with the strain of battle around him. He searched quickly. He needed area denial. Something nasty. There. [M202 FLASH Rocket Launcher – 6,000 Tokens] [Ammo Pack – Napalm Rockets x4 – 1,500 Tokens] Perfect. "Confirm." [Purchase Confirmed. Balance: 244,842 Tokens] A shimmer of light, and the M202 materialized in his hands with a satisfying weight. The quad-tube launcher glinted in the dim chamber light, loaded and primed. He stepped forward and aimed at the corridor. "Inigo, what the hell is that?" Arienne yelled, eyes widening. He smirked. "Clear path." He pulled the trigger. Four fiery rockets screamed down the corridor in quick succession. They hit the ground mid-charge—and detonated. The explosion was instantaneous. Napalm flooded the tunnel with roaring flame, sticking to everything it touched. The charging demons were engulfed, their shrieks deafening as the flames consumed them. The corridor became a furnace. The shockwave sent the team stumbling, but it was worth it. When the smoke cleared, nothing moved. The smell of cooked flesh filled the air, thick and choking. "Holy shit," Korrik said, coughing. "That’ll do." Inigo dropped the spent launcher and slung his rifle. "They’ll think twice before flanking us now." "No, they won’t," Arienne said quietly. "Look." Inigo turned. From the center of the chamber—beneath the dangling cocoon clusters—a shape emerged. Unlike the others, this one was massive. Twelve feet tall, hunched, plated in natural armor, its arms longer than its legs, and its eyes glowing bright blue. A crown of bone curved backward from its skull like a stag’s antlers. It stepped forward with deliberate purpose, claws dragging across the floor. Every step echoed like a drumbeat. "A royal?" Lyra whispered. "Or worse," Arienne breathed. "An alpha." The monster roared. And the walls answered. From every surface—ceiling, floor, even behind bone plates—more figures began emerging. Smaller than the alpha, but more agile, their movements spiderlike. Inigo could see it in their eyes—hive behavior. They weren’t just attacking randomly. They were being directed. "Fall back to the ridge," he barked. "There’s a kill zone there." They moved fast, crossing the ruined chamber and climbing a slight incline of stone and bone that gave them elevation. Inigo dropped to prone and deployed his last sentry—an auto-mortar drone he had been saving. [XM174 Auto-Mortar – 9,000 Tokens – Confirm Purchase?] "Yes." The machine materialized, spinning up with a clunk as it locked into position. He fed in a belt of high-explosive shells and set the targeting range. The HUD blinked green. "Fire pattern: converging." The drone whined, then thumped loudly—shells launched overhead in precise arcs. They detonated mid-path, sending shockwaves and shrapnel into the advancing swarm. Lyra knelt beside him, firing arrows into the chaos. Korrik and Arienne flanked the slope, pushing down any creature that managed to get close. The alpha roared again—and leapt. Straight toward them. Inigo barely rolled aside in time as the monster slammed down where he’d been, its claws gouging the rock. Korrik tackled it from the side, swinging wildly. It threw him off like paper. Inigo aimed for the eyes—one clean burst. Three rounds hit home. The creature shrieked, staggered. Arienne unleashed a shock lance that fried half its chestplate. Lyra’s arrows came in pairs—one to distract, one to maim. Then Inigo charged forward, leapt onto its back, and shoved a plasma grenade under the plates of its neck. "Choke on this," he growled—and jumped off. The grenade detonated. The alpha dropped to one knee, howling in pain. Korrik rushed again, blade high, and drove it deep into the exposed spine. The alpha fell. And the swarm... stopped. Frozen. Then, like insects without a queen—they scattered. Fled. Crawled into the shadows. Silence. Heavy, dreadful silence. Inigo panted, dropping to one knee. "That was too close." "We keep pushing," Arienne said hoarsely. "This was their inner nest." Inigo looked ahead. There was a door. Massive, sealed with violet chains that pulsed in rhythm with something—no, someone—on the other side. "We’re almost there," he muttered. Lyra looked at him. "You sure you’re ready for what’s beyond that?" Inigo nodded slowly. "Doesn’t matter if I am." "We finish this." And together, they approached the final gate.