MTLNOVEL Chapter 7: Cavern’s Heart
Zane fired, the repulsor blast lighting up the cavern with a brilliant flash that painted the walls in stark relief, illuminating the twisted form of the charging creature. Its claw scraped his armor with a screech of metal, sending sparks dancing across the cold stone floor like tiny fireflies, but he rolled aside, the impact bruising his shoulder with a dull thud that reverberated through his frame. Gideon swung his cracked staff, the green wave shattering the beast into glowing shards that scattered like broken glass, their light fading into the gloom with a soft hiss. Stability at 4%, his HUD warned in bold red, the disc's heat now a dull, persistent ache that gnawed at his chest, seeping through the suit's cracked layers.
"Keep them back!" Gideon shouted, his voice echoing off the glowing blue-veined walls, the sound reverberating with a raw urgency that spurred Zane onward. More creatures emerged from the depths, their forms twisting out of the pulsating veins like shadows given life, eyes burning with a ravenous hunger that sent a shiver down his spine and tightened his grip. His leg throbbed, the suit's repairs faltering with a series of faint clicks that sounded like a dying machine, but he pushed forward, driven by sheer will and the faint hope of survival. The disc pulsed, its light barely holding, a fragile thread in the encroaching darkness. Stability at 3%.
"Shuri, we need an exit—now!" Zane yelled, blasting another creature with a strained shot that lit up its snarling maw, its shriek reverberating through the cavern and shaking loose dust from the ceiling in a fine, choking cloud. His comms crackled, the static thick and oppressive, a barrier between him and safety that made his chest tighten. "Working on it," she said, her voice strained with concentration, her Wakandan accent cutting through like a lifeline. "There's a rift generator deep in the cavern—destroy it, and you might get out. I'm triangulating its position—give me a minute to lock it down!"
"Might?" Zane muttered under his breath, dodging a claw that gouged a chunk from the stone floor with a grating scrape, the near miss making his heart pound against his ribs. The cavern's hum grew louder, the blue veins pulsing faster, their glow casting eerie shadows that danced like specters across the jagged walls, heightening the sense of entrapment. His HUD pinged with a soft chime: Rift generator detected. Proximity: 400 meters. He exchanged a glance with Gideon, who grunted in agreement, his scarred face set with determination despite the blood trickling down his arm in a steady drip.
The woman's voice echoed suddenly, cold and mocking, slicing through the chaos like a knife through silk. "You can't escape, boy," she said, her presence felt though unseen, a phantom threat that seemed to seep from the walls themselves. "This pocket is mine, forged from the multiverse's fragments with Stark's own tech—your struggle is futile." Zane's blood ran cold, his grip tightening on his repulsors until his knuckles whitened, the weight of her words fueling a defiant fire in his chest. The disc flared, a weak spark that barely lit his path, its heat a constant reminder of its fragility. Stability at 2%.
They fought through the horde, Zane's blasts thinning the creatures' ranks with each strained shot, the air filling with the acrid scent of scorched stone and molten glass. Gideon's staff faltered, the crack widening with a sharp snap that echoed, but he pressed on, his movements slowing, his breath ragged as sweat beaded on his brow. The generator loomed ahead—a massive crystal, its red glow clashing with the cavern's blue, a beacon of both hope and danger that pulsed like a living heart. Zane's HUD flashed with urgency: Overload risk. Disable with sustained blast. Estimated time: 30 seconds. The sight of it spurred him forward, adrenaline masking the pain.
He leaped, thrusters sputtering with a strained whine that grated on his ears, and landed near the crystal, the heat from its glow washing over him like a furnace, beads of sweat rolling down his face. The creatures closed in, their claws raking the stone with a grating sound that set his teeth on edge, their numbers overwhelming as they pressed from all sides. He fired, the repulsors straining with a high-pitched hum, the blast cracking the crystal's surface with a sharp crack that reverberated through the cavern. Gideon held them off, his staff glowing faintly with a green hue that flickered like a dying flame, but a creature slashed his arm again, deeper this time, blood spraying across the stone in a vivid arc.
"Gideon!" Zane shouted, his voice breaking with panic as he turned to help, the sight of the old man's pain twisting his gut into knots, his mentor's blood a stark contrast against the blue veins. Gideon waved him off, his face a mask of grit, teeth clenched against the agony. "Finish it!" he growled, his voice hoarse but firm, a command laced with trust. Zane nodded, tears stinging his eyes, blurring his vision as he turned back to the crystal, the weight of Gideon's sacrifice pressing on him. He poured all remaining power into the blast, the repulsors whining as the energy cut through the air, the crystal shuddering under the assault.
The generator shattered with a deafening boom that shook the cavern to its core, a shockwave throwing Zane back against the wall with a bone-rattling thud, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs in a sharp gasp. The cavern shook violently, rifts collapsing with sharp pops that sounded like gunfire, the blue veins fading to a dull gray as the energy drained away. Zane hit the ground, the disc dimming to a faint flicker that barely illuminated his hand. Stability at 1%. His HUD screamed: Critical failure imminent. Eject device recommended, the warning a relentless drumbeat in his ears. Gideon crawled to him, his breath ragged, blood pooling beneath him in a dark stain that spread across the stone.
"We did it," Gideon said, a weak smile breaking through the pain, his voice barely audible over the settling dust that coated his face in a fine layer. Zane reached for him, his hands trembling with exhaustion and fear, the sight of Gideon's fading strength a dagger to his heart. "Hang on," he said, his throat tight with emotion, his voice cracking as he pressed a hand to the old man's wound. The cavern's glow faded completely, the silence heavy, the creatures gone, but the victory felt hollow with Gideon's life slipping away, his breathing shallow and uneven.
But the quiet shattered with a new, ominous hum that vibrated through the stone, a sound that set Zane's nerves on edge. A rift opened, larger and more unstable than before, its edges jagged and spitting sparks that scorched the ground with a sizzle, the air crackling with energy. The woman stepped out, her armor pristine despite the battle, its runes glowing with renewed vigor, her green eyes blazing with a fury that promised retribution. "You've delayed me," she said, her voice a whip crack in the stillness, each word dripping with venom. "But this ends now—your device, your life, both are mine to claim." She raised her hand, and the disc sparked violently, its weak pulse pulling Zane toward her with an irresistible force that dragged him across the stone.
Not like this, he thought, his vision blurring as the rift's pull tightened, Gideon's weak grip slipping from his hand, the old man's eyes fluttering shut. The woman's laughter echoed, a sound that promised doom, reverberating off the cavern walls as the disc's final pulse dragged him into the unknown, leaving Gideon behind in the fading light.