The heavy obsidian door slid shut behind Kaelen, plunging him into absolute darkness. For a second, panic clawed at his throat. But then his [Avian Vision] adjusted, painting the new tunnel in shades of grey. It wasn't like the rough passage he'd crawled through earlier. This place felt… built. The walls were smooth, made of that same dark, glassy material as the chamber, though covered in a thick layer of ancient dust. The air was incredibly still and stale.
He listened. Nothing. His [Vibration Sense (Basic)] felt only the solid floor beneath his feet and the faint echo of his own unsteady breathing. No rhythmic pulse like the pillar, no metallic clicks like the Hound. His [Chemoreception], even weakened, focused on the one hopeful sign – that faint, promising scent of organic decay, stronger now, pulling him forward.
Food. Biomass. Energy. His System screamed for it. Energy Reserves: 13/150. Status: Critical. He felt weak, shaky, like an old battery about to die completely. Every step felt heavy, an effort. Fear was still there, a cold knot in his stomach, but hunger was sharper now, more urgent. He had to find the source of that smell.
He started walking, moving as quietly as he could down the ancient passage. It wasn't perfectly straight; it curved gently, sometimes sloping slightly up or down. Dust puffed up around his worn boots with each step. How long had this place been sealed? Who built it? And what was that smell?
The organic scent grew stronger, richer, mixed with a damp, earthy smell. Hope beat stronger in his chest. He rounded a slow bend and stopped.
Ahead, the tunnel widened slightly. Growing in patches along the base of the walls and in cracks in the floor was a strange, greyish-white mold he hadn't seen before. And crawling slowly over the mold patches were… creatures.
They looked like big beetles, maybe two feet long, with thick, segmented bodies and short, stubby legs. Their shells weren't shiny like normal insects; they looked dull, almost like rock, maybe grey or brownish, hard to tell in the dim light. They moved very slowly, rasping at the mold with hidden mouthparts. A faint, very faint, bluish light seemed to glow inside their bodies, visible through seams in their rocky shells.
Kaelen ducked behind a slight curve in the wall, heart pounding now for a different reason – excitement. Food! He quickly scanned one with the System.
[Target Identified: Geode Crawler (Subterranean Arthropod)] [Threat Level: Low (Very Slow, Poor Vision/Senses)] [Potential Biomass Yield: 2.0 Units per Unit] [Potential Genetic Data: Exoskeleton (Mineral-Infused?), Bioluminescence (Internal Trace), Chemo-digestion (Mold Specific)]
Low threat! Slow! Poor senses! And two whole units of biomass each! It was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Exactly what he needed right now. Relief washed over him, so strong his knees almost buckled.
Okay, stay calm. Don't mess this up. Even low-threat creatures could be dangerous if you were careless, especially in his weakened state.
He watched them for a moment. They seemed completely focused on eating the mold, barely noticing anything else. He picked up a loose piece of the glassy wall material that had broken off nearby – it was heavy and had a sharp edge. Good enough.
He crept forward silently, targeting the nearest Crawler. It didn't even seem to notice him until he was right on top of it. He brought the sharp rock down hard on its back shell. CRUNCH!
The shell cracked, and the creature inside gave a wet hiss, its legs twitching. He struck again, harder, shattering the shell completely. The faint blue light inside faded.
[Target Neutralized. Proceed with Consumption?]
"Yes! Consume!" he whispered urgently, touching the broken creature.
The familiar feeling of energy and matter flowing into him was pure bliss. It wasn't a huge rush, but compared to the trickle from the obsidian shard, it felt like a feast. Warmth spread through his body, easing the deep ache of exhaustion.
[Biomass Consumed: +2.1 Units]
[Energy Reserves: 35/150. Status: Low.]
[Biomass Reserves: 10.3/15]
[Biomass Input Detected... System Stability Improving...]
[Attempting Skill Recalibration...]
More messages flashed as the fresh organic energy helped his damaged System.
[System Diagnostics Update: Core functions stabilizing.]
[Skill Reactivated: Glow (Active)]
[Skill Improved: Chemoreception (Basic+) -> Range/Sensitivity Increased.]
[Skill Improved: Vibration Sense (Basic) -> Sensitivity Increased.]
Yes! Some skills back online, others slightly better! He felt a surge of confidence. He wasn't helpless anymore. He could feel the difference the energy made, could sense the tunnel around him a little more clearly now with his improved vibration sense.
He needed more. Much more. He looked at the other Geode Crawlers still slowly munching on the mold, unaware of their companion's fate. This was his chance to recover, to repair his System, to get strong again.
He moved to the next Crawler, then the next, hunting them down methodically. They were easy prey, almost pathetically so. Consume. Feel the energy flow. Consume again. His energy reserves climbed slowly but steadily: 40, 55, 70…
He was just reaching for his fourth Crawler kill when his newly improved [Vibration Sense] picked up something new. Another vibration, different from the small scuttling sounds of the Crawlers. This was… heavier. Much heavier. And slow, rhythmic, coming from deeper down the tunnel, beyond the mold patch where the Crawlers were feeding.
Kaelen froze, hand hovering over the Crawler. He focused, filtering out the small vibrations, listening to the new one. Thump… drag… thump… drag…
Something big was down there. Something slow, but heavy. Was it a giant Geode Crawler? An adult version of these things? Or was it something else entirely, maybe something that hunted the Crawlers?
His easy meal ticket might have just rung the dinner bell for a much bigger, nastier problem heading his way.