[07:04:12: 45]
…
Cassian’s eyes shot open, his body jerking violently as awareness slammed into him. The first thing he registered was the thick, suffocating liquid surrounding him, pressing against his skin like a living thing. Blurred shades of red swirled around him, his vision distorted and hazy. His body felt numb and unresponsive.
He couldn’t speak—there was something crudely inserted in his mouth; his teeth clenched around it instinctively, but it didn’t budge.
The hell is this?
He tried to spit it out, but his jaw was locked. Panic surged through him as he struggled, but the harder he fought, the heavier the weight of exhaustion became. His mind screamed for him to stay awake, but his strength was slipping.
No! NO!… I can’t pass out; I have to get out fast… how…
Stay awake. Stay… the golem….
With the last shred of his will, he reached out.
[Stone Golem]
He felt the presence of his golem stir.
Get me out.
Thud!
A deep, shuddering thud echoed through the thick liquid surrounding him. Then another. The vibrations traveled through his bound limbs, shaking the pulsing red substance that held him captive.
Then—CRACK.
With a violent whoosh, the fleshy walls of his prison ripped apart, and Cassian was suddenly weightless, thrown out into the open air. He landed with a wet splat, his body sinking into a disgusting layer of thick, mucus-like slime.
Fuuuu~ I can’t breathe… it burns… Damnit!
His entire body convulsed as he realized he couldn’t breathe. His throat was still full—something long and writhing was fucking deep-throated inside him. Panic shot through.
Get it out, Don’t think… Get it out fast…
Cassian’s trembling hands clawed at his mouth, fingers slick with slime as they latched onto the squirming, fleshy tentacle lodged in his throat. He gagged violently, his body convulsing as he ripped the thing out in one miserable heave. The wet, sickening suction released with a pop, and a 2-foot-long, slick, flesh-colored tentacle slithered out of him like a living parasite.
The moment it was out, he doubled over, gasping, retching onto the floor as his body tried to purge whatever the hell had been inside him. His stomach twisted painfully; his breath came in hoarse, ragged gulps. The tentacle twitched on the ground beside him, wriggling like a dying worm. Cassian recoiled in sheer disgust, his lips curled in revulsion. His stomach still churned, his throat raw and burning.
What the actual hell did I just wake up from? And who in the fuck pushed that down my throat… Swear if I get my hands on you!… before that.
Without a second thought, he grabbed the vile thing and flung it toward his golem. “Destroy it.” His voice was hoarse, shaking with both rage and nausea. The golem obeyed immediately. A heavy stone stomp came down with a gruesome thud, turning the tentacle into nothing more than a smear of pulp.
Cassian groaned, forcing himself to his hands and knees, but the second he tried to move, his arms buckled, and he collapsed back into the slimy mess beneath him.
Ugh. Fuck me!
Every inch of him was coated in the same disgusting mucus, thick and clinging to his skin like glue.
“…Pick me up,” he muttered, defeated, to his golem, who carefully scooped him up with its massive hands and carried him a few steps away before gently setting him down on what seemed to be dry ground.
Cassian sat there for a moment, breathing and processing.
That was crazy… I’m glad I survived, but still… I don’t want a situation like this to ever happen; I need defenses against mental attacks.
He wiped a hand down his cheek and grimaced at the sticky residue. Then, finally, he looked around. He was in a laboratory. Or at least… what used to be one. The room was infested; the white walls were overtaken by a fungus-like substance, with fleshy red veins pulsating across the surfaces like tumors.
And then—his gaze fell on the thing he had been inside of. A pod, egg-shaped sac of squirming, living flesh, pulsating and dripping with mucus, made Cassian swallow hard, feeling nausea rise in his throat all over again. And there were more. Lining the room, dozens of those same red, pulsating pods stood ominously, wet and glistening.
Just what I need… I swear if I don’t find any shinies here…
A shaky breath left him as he quickly checked his gear. His weapons, his supplies—everything was still on him, but completely covered in slime.
Fantastic… my gear and clothes are ruined!
Cassian ran a hand down his face, shaking his head.
I’ll deal with that later. For now, I need to check the status.
“Status”
Cassian’s gaze narrowed as he spotted the ?INFESTED? debuff lingering in the corner of his vision. A chill crept down his spine as his eyes flicked to the countdown beside it—6 minutes remaining.
What in the fuck is ?INFESTED? supposed to mean?…
His stomach twisted at the implications. The name alone was bad enough.
Infested. Infested with what? Nope, I don’t trust this; Heal may fix this…
His breath came sharp and uneven as he closed his eyes, forcing himself to focus. He reached inward, feeling the flow of his essence energy, and cast [HEAL].
“[Heal]”
A familiar warmth surged through him. Pure energy flooded his limbs, renewing his strength, and washing away exhaustion and wounds. Relief rushed in—until suddenly, a deep, violent spasm wracked his body. His throat clenched. A sickening lurch twisted his gut. Cassian doubled over, choking, his stomach convulsing as a grotesque, wet gag ripped from him. His entire body rejected something inside him. And then—they came crawling out. A mouthful of blood-red, squirming flesh worms poured from his lips, writhing as they splattered onto the ground.
Parasites. Living. Moving. Inside me?… OH! HELL NO.
Cassian stumbled back, his entire body seizing in sheer horror.
"Fucking crush them." His voice was hoarse, but the order was firm. Without hesitation, his golem obeyed. A massive stone foot came down with a brutal, wet squelch, turning the parasites into an unrecognizable pulp.
His fingers ran over his arms, his chest, and anywhere he might feel something moving under his skin. But it was gone. They were gone, and only when his status didn’t show the debuff did he breathe a sigh of relief.
That was dangerous.
His eyes drifted to the pulverized parasites still twitching under his golem’s foot. "Infested, huh… is how these Kalrachs are born and possibly why they killed any other living thing but brought me a human here to be turned?…”
A deep, shuddering disgust rolled through him as the realization fully set in.
You might be thinking too much… after all, I’m the only one here; wait, in those pods, would I find humans?
Man, this is getting damn scary… I don’t want to be in this room anymore…
A strange, wet squelching noise caught Cassian’s attention, sending a chill up his spine. His senses flared, instincts kicking in as he snapped his head to the right. The pods, their fleshy surfaces bulging and stretching as something moved inside, had bony, flesh-covered hands that tore through the sacs, breaking free in jerking, unnatural motions. Cassian’s stomach twisted in revulsion as the creatures stepped out—or stumbled, rather. Their bodies were half-human, half-Kalrach, grotesque hybrids with twisted limbs and partially fused exoskeletons.
You have got to be kidding me!
Then the other pods also started squirming. One after another, the wet, meaty shells began to tremble and crack until five—no, seven—more of those abominations started forcing their way out. Cassian cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders as he exhaled slowly.
fuuuu~
“Golem Bro, crush anyone that moves too close… don’t stray too far away from me," he commanded, drawing his handgun with trembling fingers.
The golem lunged. The massive construct moved with decent speed for something so large, slamming into the nearest hybrid with a brutal swing. The creature crashed into the fall wall with a sickening thud as its body burst open.
Partially transformed, huh? I guess that answers the question.
Cassian didn’t even blink. There were still seven more.
“Stay close, bro! Come back and crush anything that gets near.”
The golem shifted beside him, massive fists ready. Cassian, meanwhile, took a deep breath, steadying himself. His mind flashed back to Carl, to his first time at the shooting range. He could still hear his voice, calm and certain:
"Slow and steady, Cass. Control your breathing. Line up your shot."
Cassian exhaled, steadied his grip, and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The first bullet slammed into the nearest monster’s chest. The thing let out a distorted shriek and collapsed, twitching violently. No system notification.
He adjusted his aim and fired again.
BANG!
The bullet burst through its skull, splattering the wall behind it with a grotesque spray of dark blood.
Hell yeah!… Slow and steady. Two down, six left.
He quickly took aim at another creature. This time, he went straight for the head.
BANG!
The bullet hit dead center. The monster’s skull exploded in a mess of blood and bone, its body collapsing like a puppet with cut strings.
OHH! Yeah, I’m getting the hang of it… though I wasn’t expecting a headshot, let’s keep it up!
Cassian blinked, glancing at his golem. The massive construct was wiping the floor with them.
Holy… the Golem is absolutely shitting on them, but then again, it did tank the Behemoth attacks to some degree, and these things aren’t even proper Kalrachs.
Shaking his head, he lined up another shot, targeting one of the remaining creatures.
BANG!
The bullet went wide, missing by an inch. Cassian cursed under his breath, quickly adjusting his aim. Don’t let frustration sink in. Breathe. Focus.
BANG!
This time, the shot hit true. The creature’s head burst apart, dropping it instantly.
Before he could take another shot, his golem reached the last monster first and smashed it into the ground, ending it with a single blow.
Cassian clicked his tongue.
“BRO! I was training!" he exhaled sharply, shaking his head as the golem just looked at him.
Shaking his head and chuckling to himself as he turned his gaze to the remaining pods… the ones that hadn’t hatched yet.
…Is there a chance I’ll find someone sane in one of these? Someone who can be saved?
His fingers twitched at his side. Fingers crossed.
Cassian stepped toward the four remaining pods, his expression hard as he glanced at his rock golem. “Do what you did with me. Get them out and wait for my signal and crush the… thing inside."
The golem moved immediately, stepping in front of the first pod. It raised a massive fist and punched through the fleshy outer layer, the pod’s surface splitting open with a grotesque rip. Then, it reached in, stone fingers sinking into the wet tissue, and pried it apart. Cassian stopped his golem there, raising a hand. He flicked on the flashlight attached to his chest armor, the bright beam cutting through the dark mucus and slime inside the pod.
Lying within was a humanoid figure.
Okay now… How should I figure out if they are gone… I think I would have to guess seeing how much they have progressed through their infested state… Ugh, I hate this… hate not having a way of knowing… what if I kill someone who could be saved…
Cassian clenched his jaw. “No time to doubt yourself… go with your instincts."
As he looked inside the pod using the flashlight, he felt as if whatever was inside it was long gone. The skin had completely melted away, leaving behind only raw, red muscle, shifting and squirming; the flesh barely held itself together. Bone protrusions jutted from its arms, jagged and unnatural.
Nothing is left of the person they once were.
“End it.”
The golem raised its fist.
Cassian stepped back just as the massive stone hand came crashing down. The sickening crunch of pulverized flesh and bone filled the air.
Cassian exhaled sharply.
Onto the next…
The second pod was the same. So was the third. Each time, the golem ripped the pods open, revealing twisted, half-formed creatures; their mangled bodies were barely human. And each time, Cassian gave the order.
Then, he reached the last pod. A heavy, gloomy silence hung in the air as the golem repeated the process. A deep crack. Fingers prying apart flesh. Mucus spilling out.
Cassian sighed, already knowing what he would see.
Inside—the same horrifying sight. Peeling flesh, exposed muscle, patches of bone, though in a much more human state than others.
He was about to give the order when its eyes opened.
Cassian froze.
A hand shot out, gripping his arm. His instincts screamed at him to pull back, to shoot, to crush, but he noticed something. The creature... no, the person, wasn’t attacking him. The grip on his arm wasn’t hostile—it was weak. Desperate. And its eyes—his eyes, though haunted and sorrowful, shone with a glimmer of hope.
“…Get him out. Carefully.”
The golem adjusted, pulling the figure from the organic prison, mucus dripping from its malnourished frame. Cassian quickly reached forward and ripped a fleshy tentacle from the man’s throat, tossing it aside. The moment it was out, the man gagged violently.
“You’re fine. Stay still," Cassian muttered as he cast [HEAL].
“[Heal]”
A soft glow enveloped the man’s body, the magic mending torn flesh, knitting skin back together. Cassian felt the energy flow—one charge wouldn’t be enough. Then, like Cassian, the man doubled over, retching. A pile of red worms spilled from his mouth, twisting and writhing before shriveling up and dying.
Cassian watched carefully, gun still in his free hand. The infestation was purged, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
The man gasped, struggling to stay upright. Cassian cast another charge of [HEAL], watching as the last remnants of the transformation vanished.
“Crush them." The golem crushed the worms as he focused on the survivor.
The man had short gray hair, and an old scar running from his left cheek down to his throat. He was thin—malnourished—but his brown eyes burned with emotion. Hope.
Cassian let out a slow breath.
Alright. He’s stable… for now.
Reaching into his bag, he pulled out an extra jumpsuit and extended it toward him.
The man stared.
Not at the clothes, but at Cassian.
Cassian met his gaze, which was unreadable.
The man finally took the jumpsuit and pulled it on.
Cassian, without thinking, grabbed his water bottle and held it out. He was almost out of water, but—fuck it. The man hesitated for only a second before accepting. He drank a few gulps, then handed it back, his hands shaking. Cassian took it, capping it without a word.
Then, silence.
The man just stared at him.
Cassian braced himself. Any second now, the guy was going to start harassing him with a million questions.
But… nothing.
Instead, the man’s gaze drifted. Cassian followed it—to the golem, then to the ruined lab, then to the mangled bodies. Slowly, the man limped forward. He stopped beside the corpses.
Cassian’s grip tightened on his gun. He didn’t move, but he watched. Carefully.
Is he one of them? Did the status effect not clear?…
His heartbeat picked up.
Is he already infested?… Is he turning… Should I off him?
The man lowered his head as his shoulders shook.
…He’s crying.
A knot twisted in his stomach.
Shit… He knew them, didn’t he?
The bodies weren’t just random monsters to him. They were people. People he had known before they turned. Cassian exhaled sharply.
They were already gone… but would he accept that answer?
Cassian watched the man closely, his gaze sharp as he gave a silent, mental command to his golem.
If he tries to attack me or if he tries to run… stop him. Try not to harm him if possible.
The golem remained still, but Cassian knew the moment the man made a wrong move, it would act. With that in place, Cassian turned his attention to the rest of the lab, scanning for anything that could be useful. Supplies. Weapons. Anything.
Nothing.
Meanwhile, the man hadn’t moved. He was still sitting there, staring at the corpses, his shoulders hunched, his body trembling ever so slightly.
Cassian clicked his tongue.
Damn it! I really don’t wanna do this, but he feels like a special forces guy, and I could definitely use some help… Haaaa
Taking a deep breath, Cassian cracked his neck and finally stepped forward. The man didn’t react. Didn’t even look up. Cassian stood over him, waiting, watching. Nothing. The man was completely lost in his grief.
Cassian gritted his teeth. Enough.
In one swift motion, he grabbed the man by the collar and yanked him up. The man’s breath hitched, his eyes finally focusing—finally registering his presence.
Cassian’s grip tightened, his voice cold and low. “You’re a soldier, aren’t you?”
The man’s gaze hardened. But he didn’t resist.
Cassian didn’t let go.
“I don’t know about you, but in less than 40 hours, this place… no, the monsters here will fully evolve. Their Broodmother will awaken, and these fucking things will swarm everywhere.”
The man’s gaze flickered with conflicting emotions.
“I’m sure you’ve lost a lot, but now is not the time. Somewhere out there, there are people still alive. Little children, surviving in this nightmare.”
He let the words sink in before continuing.
“If these monsters break out, the only thing left in the world will be them.” His eyes bore into the man’s. “Is that what you want?”
The man’s expression twisted. Pain. Anger. Doubt. His fists clenched at his sides.
Cassian’s voice dropped to a bitter edge. “I didn’t ask to be here; I’m no fucking hero! Hell, I’m not even 18 yet… but HERE I AM!”
The man’s breathing was unsteady, but he listened.
“I have these powers that I didn’t ask for, but it is now my responsibility to stop this from happening," Cassian continued, pointing at the golem. “Make up your mind, Soldier; you are welcome to run away or stay here wailing in grief, but until my heart beats, I’ll not stop."
His cold eyes met the man’s. “I won’t stop.”
The man’s body stirred, something in his gaze awakening. Then, for the first time, he spoke.
“You’re right.” His voice was rough. Tired. “I am a soldier. And I feel ashamed… letting a kid show me my path… see me like this.”
Before Cassian could respond, something cold pressed against his throat.
Wha…
“You raided the armory.” The man’s tone was serious. “The handgun is good—but you're not trained.”
Then he dropped the weapon.
Cassian blinked, releasing his grip on the man’s collar as the man took a small step back, straightening his posture. He ran a hand down his face, exhaling before finally introducing himself.
“Dorian O’Connor. Fifth Legion Captain.” A pause. “Well… I was.”
Cassian studied him.
Dorian looked tired, weak—but his eyes were sharp again. Focused.
“You might not know much about combat, kid,” Dorian muttered, “but coming this far takes guts. And I can see it in your eyes—you’ve endured hell.”
Cassian said nothing. Dorian gave a short, bitter laugh. “Hah… makes me feel even more ashamed of myself.” He shook his head. “We both lost something dear to us. But I let my grief take over…”
Then, his expression hardened.
“I’ll follow you to the depths of hell.” His voice was steady. “That, I promise.”
Dorian extended his hand. Cassian’s lips curled slightly, a ghost of a smile appearing.
He shook it firmly.
“Cassian Caine, your help is very much appreciated.”
Cassian blinked at the sudden system notification.
Huh? A companion feature…?
He sighed internally.
Man, that took too damn long to convince him. Rightful duties my ass. I’m not gonna go out of my way to hurt myself just to save some random person.
Cassian’s gaze flickered back to Dorian.
…But if our goals align, I won’t mind.
He exhaled.
I have to survive.
“Ahem.”
Cassian blinked out of his thoughts. Dorian rubbed the back of his neck. “Cassian, right? Can I call you that?”
Cassian nodded.
Dorian nodded back. “Can I get a knife for a moment?”
Cassian frowned but didn’t think much of it. He was already planning on handing over a shotgun anyway. Better to have someone who actually knows how to shoot.
“Sure. Here.” He passed over the knife. “I was about to give you the shotgun and a handgun, anyway.”
Dorian smirked slightly. “That’d be helpful. But hold on a second.”
Cassian watched as Dorian walked toward the corpses, knelt beside them, and started slicing them up.
Cassian’s stomach turned. “Umm… what are you doing?”
Dorian barely glanced up. “Oh, you don’t know? Didn’t they teach this in classes these days? Sure, this is a bit rough, but—” He paused. Then, casually, “Wait, you haven’t graduated yet, right? How old are you? 17?”
Cassian hesitated. “Yeah. 17.”
Dorian hummed, still focused on his work. “Figured.”
“Well… how should I say this?” Cassian exhaled, running a hand through his hair.
“I don’t know anything about this world.”
Dorian froze. Slowly, he turned his head, his brows raising slightly.
“…What?”
...
A/N : Companion gained, hopefully with Dorian I would be able to portray Cassian character and his mental state much better.
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