From Moving Crates to Killing Gods-Chapter 75: Dead Center

My eyes snapped open, the mental spheres broke instantly. I stood and moved to the edge of the lake where Finn pointed as fast as I could, his face pale with alarm.

"There." he whispered. "Under the surface. It’s silver, but... wrong somehow."

I saw nothing at first, just the impenetrable blackness of the water. Then, a flicker of movement, a ripple that didn’t match the natural flow of water, a disturbance that seemed purposeful rather than random.

"Everyone back." I said, my hand already finding the yo-yo in my pocket. "Coco, finish with the canteens, get ready to move."

Coco nodded, his hands working fast as he closed the canteens. Kira and Phinyx retreated several steps, positioning themselves behind me. Finn was already running away from the lake.

"It’s coming closer!" he yelled. "It’s... huge."

The surface of the lake broke, and a silver sheen made itself present. The first thing we saw looked like an insect’s head, chitin mandibles and segmented eyes that gleamed.

As it surfaced, the confusion shifted to panic. The head was connected to a long, serpent like body, but with silver legs along each side.

"What the hell is that?" Coco gasped, retreating hastily and almost dropping a canteen.

The creature fully emerged from the lake, black water fell from its body. It towered over us, moving its legs on a calculated rhythm. Its mouth closed, producing a sound like knives being sharpened.

There was nowhere to hide. The wasteland offered no cover, just open terrain in all directions. Running would only invite pursuit, and I doubted that everyone could outpace the monster.

"Stay behind me." I said, stepping forward. Confidence filled my voice, I’d killed Corruptors with ease, and this creature, however bizarre, was just another threat to eliminate.

The silver snake reared back, its front segments rising higher as it assessed me. I took a measured breath, focusing my mind. I’d done this before. Quickstep to close the distance, Switch to remove its head. Simple, practiced, lethal.

"Quickstep." I whispered.

The world blurred. One moment I stood before my friends, the next I was directly beneath the creature’s raised body. It reacted instantly, far faster than any Corruptor I’d encountered, its body twisting to track my movement. But I was already focusing on my next move.

The yo-yo felt warm in my palm as I established the connection between it and the creature’s head. The mental thread formed, linking the two points in space.

Switch.

The transition occurred exactly as it had countless times before. One moment, the silver creature’s head loomed above me, the next, my yo-yo tumbled through the air where it had been, and in my hand rested the heavy, metallic head of the monster.

But something was wrong. No system notification appeared to announce my kill. And the creature’s body didn’t collapse.

Instead, the front segment where the head had been contracted, started shrinking slightly. Then, impossibly, it began to reform. Silver material flowed like liquid, reshaping itself into a new head. The mandibles clicked together as if testing their movement, and those segmented eyes fixed on me with what I could only interpret as fury.

"Allaran!" Kira shouted. "It’s regenerating!"

I stumbled backward, still clutching the severed head. This wasn’t right. Nothing had survived having its head switched. Nothing.

"Run!" I yelled, running toward my friends. "This isn’t working!"

The silver creature lunged forward with terrifying speed, its new head leading the charge. I barely had time to dodge, rolling to the side as its body slammed into the ground where I’d stood moments before. The impact shook the earth, sending vibrations through my body.

"What do we do now?" Finn shouted, his voice cracking with panic. "I’m too handsome to die!"

The creature recovered instantly from its missed attack, its body coiling as it prepared to strike again. I frantically tried to think of another approach. If Switch didn’t kill it permanently, what would?

"Spread out!" I commanded. "Don’t bunch up!"

My friends scattered, each taking a different direction. The creature hesitated, its eyes started tracking multiple targets at once, apparently unsure which to pursue.

I used that moment to start planning. This wasn’t a Corruptor, it wouldn’t die by removing its head. This was something else entirely, something made of silver.

Silver, like the material Finn manipulated. Silver, like the Citadel itself.

"Finn!" I called. "Would you be able to control its silver?"

Finn, who had retreated toward a cluster of rocks, closed his eyes briefly in concentration. "I might be able..." he shouted back. "But I haven’t tried to manipulate silver that fights back!"

The creature decided I was the primary threat, probably because his old head was in my hands. It lunged again, but this time I was ready.

"Quickstep!"

I blurred to the side, reappearing several meters away. The creature’s momentum carried it past my original position, its numerous legs scrabbling as it tried to change direction.

"Finn, try controlling it!" I yelled. "Distract it! I need a moment to think!"

Finn’s face filled with concentration, his hands extending toward the creature. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, incredibly, the silver serpent’s movement stuttered. Its front segment froze mid lunge, the multiple legs locked in place as if paralyzed.

"I can’t control it!" Finn shouted, but his voice was strained. "I can barely hold, it keeps... resisting..."

The creature thrashed, clearly fighting his control. Finn stumbled backward, sweat beading on his forehead. "It’s definitely not like controlling normal silver!"

"Just hold it!" I yelled, my mind racing. There had to be something. Some weaknesses.

Finn’s eyes widened suddenly, a new understanding flashing across his features. "Wait! I sense something! In the middle of its body, there’s something that isn’t silver!"

My heart leaped. "Where? Exactly where?"

"About halfway down! Where a normal snake’s heart would be!" Finn’s concentration wavered, and the creature lurched forward a step. "I can’t hold it much longer, Allaran!"

The severed head was still heavy in my left hand. I looked at it, then at the creature, then at the position Finn had indicated. A desperate plan formed.

"Keep holding!" I shouted. "Make it keep still a moment longer!"