Once he firmly grasped the spade, Kelvin turned back to face the creature.
But as he pivoted, he realized that allowing the 2-meter-tall beast to ram into him would be his demise.
He dove to the left, barely avoiding the beast's massive bulk.
THUMB!
A deep thud accompanied with a vengeful screech of pain and anger reverberated across the perimeter as the beast, in its frenzy, slammed into the wall head-first where Kelvin had been standing just moments before.
The impact sent dust and debris cascading from the cavern ceiling, momentarily clouding his vision.
Seeing the upshoot of that battering slam Kelvin's blue irisis constricted in dread. That thing is way more powerful than I thought!
His initial short calibration of the animal exceeded his prediction, but he had to persist in his predetermined plan.
Based on his previous appraisal of the creature, attacking a limb seemed like the most effective option.
But an oversight was not an option at this critical juncture.
The beast's disorientation presented an ideal moment to counterattack, so Kelvin stilled his heart and suppressed his fear, and heightened all faculties of brain.
He could feel the cold sweat trickling down his spine. The slipping down of countless pearls of sweat droplets from his jaw. A subtle parosysm of pain rippling in his head. But even at that, he payed full attention on his objectives.
Gripping the spade with both hands, his eyes scanned the creature for the best spot to strike.
Disabling a limb might help, but there was no guarantee that a single strike from his spade could incapacitate the enormous beast.
His mental acumen heightened to an extreme level noted every subtle details; the thick, matted fur that covered its limbs, the sheer bulk of rippling muscle beneath the surface and black .
'Scratch that! There's no way a single to take this thing down' Doubt gnawed at the edges of his mind, but he pushed it aside.
Instead, he focused on the most vulnerable and already damaged part of the creature's body he could see—a deep indentation on its skull where the platform had struck earlier.
All this series of thought occurred concurrently to the clearing of the dust caused by the collision. Without wasting more time Kelvin charged toward the connipting beast.
As he got close, he leaped high and brought the spade hammer-down on the caved-in part of the beast's head, using the force of his descent to bolster the attack impact.
A loud crunch echoed through the cavern, followed by another bellow of pain from the beast, indicating to Kelvin that he had made the right decision to target the head.
A small grin of victory in its infancy appeared. But he couldn't savor the moment because of the ringing pain that rattled his brain forcing his expression to contort in pain.
The intensity of the beast's roar reverberated through his skull, a shockwave of sound that left him momentarily blinding his vision.
Previously, he had been far enough away from the beast's cries that he hadn't considered their damaging effect. Now, at the epicenter of its roar, the pain was unbearable, a high-pitched ringing that drowned out all other sounds.
'Focus, focus. Get your head together man!' Kelvin finally succeeded in blinking back his vision. The first thing he saw was the blurry image of furry beast frenzy sweeping it's gaint black claws diagonally towards him.
'F**k' He cursed at his misfortune.
Crossing the deformed spade across his body was all he could do to mitigate the impact.
The force of the blow sent him crashing into the cavern wall with a bone-rattling impact, knocking all breath out from his mouth.
But as soon as he hit the ground, he rolled away, narrowly avoiding another double slam from the creature as he gained distance.
Pain ravaged through his entire being. Strangely, he was still able to stand even after that slam. His muscles screamed in protest. Quavering legs holding up his tired body. But he forced himself to move, to survive...
With a sudden shift he pivoted away from another ramming attack from the Earthern Mole.
THUD!
Another thud echoed beside him, underscoring the danger he was in if he hadn't distance himself from the rampaging beast.
Leaping back to his feet, Kelvin suppressed the pain coursing through his body and slammed the spade once again onto the beast's injured spot, which was now bleeding profusely, dark blood oozing from the wound. This time, however, he was ready for the beast's counterattack.
Bracing himself, he successfully avoided the creature's assault with considerable effort.
He then attempted to create some distance between himself and the beast, but his back slammed into a metal barrier with a sharp clang that reverberated through the cavern.
Kelvin's eyes widened as he realized his predicament—his path was blocked by a crate of ore.
His only option was to move left, but the beast's approaching maw sealed his impending doom.
Time seemed to slow as the beast's jaws, capable of snapping him in an instant, drew closer. He could see the rows of jagged teeth glinting in the dim light, each one capable of tearing him apart in an instant. Instant death…
Yet, rather than feeling fear, Kelvin was consumed by anger and frustration—anger at the pain the creature had caused him, and frustration at the nebulous memories of someone he couldn't comprehend that plagued him.
BADUM!
Kelvin heard the sound of his beating heart before he felt an invigorating energy surging through his body, radiating and spreading from his trembling hands, back, chest that had sustained the full brunt of the vicious beast. It felt like his pain was concurrently transformed into some kind of potency... But Kelvin couldn't at the moment focus on these sensation.
It was as if a switch had been flipped, releasing a reservoir of power around his body he hadn't known he possessed.
BOOM!
Without enough space, footing, or a proper grip on his spade, Kelvin struck at the approaching maw with all his might.
A cloud of blood spritz on his suit and body as the giant beast was hurled seven meters into a pile of rubble and ores. The force of the blow sent a mini shockwave through the cavern, scattering loose stones, dust and debris.
Kelvin's blue irises gleamed with a white luster as he watched the beast for any signs of movement.
He pushed the recent surge of power to the back of his mind, fully focused on the current situation. Whatever that... thing was, it could wait.
Survival was the only thing that mattered now.
Even after a while, the beast remained motionless.
But Kelvin couldn't rule out the possibility that it was still alive, so he cautiously moved toward the heap of ore, using tools as safeguards against a potential ambush.
His movements were slow, deliberate, each step a calculated risk.
As he got closer, he heard faint wheezing sounds, the ragged breaths of a creature on the brink of death.
He could feel it.
Using what remained of his spade, he shifted some of the ores to get a better view:
The creature's entire body was buried under the pile, except for its head, which was crushed from all sides, its skull a shattered mess of bone and blood.
Kelvin was amazed by the creature's resilience, but recalling all he had endured because of it, he raised the scrap of a spade and bludgeoned the beast's head repeatedly until it was nothing but a mess of brain fluids and blood.
He didn't stop until there was no possibility of life left in the creature, his blows fueled by a mix of anger, exhaustion, and the primal need to survive.
Sensing the creature's demise, the adrenaline surguring his mental faculties ebbed as he collapsed onto the ground, indifferent to the gory, ghastly setting.
He was utterly exhausted, his body aching with the aftershocks of adrenaline and a slight euphoric sentiment of victory.
The cavern was silent now, save for his labored breathing.
He had faced more challenging situations during his time in the elite squad, but the difference between those and this one was the unfamiliar entity he had just fought and the jumbled memories in his head.
The memories were still there, a chaotic tangle that defied understanding, but he pushed them aside for now.
Still, he knew he couldn't afford to waste any more time, even though his body screamed for rest.
Summoning the last of his strength, he stood up to leave the cavern, his movements slow and deliberate, each step a test of his willpower.
However, he caught a glimpse of something with a blue glaze emanating from the remains of the beast.
Moving closer, he reached into the mass of flesh and fluids, using his knife to dislodge the source of illumination. The light was faint, but it cut through the darkness like a beacon.
He wiped the pearl-sized crystal on his bloodied suit to get a clearer view and studied it for a moment.
The stone was unlike anything he had ever seen, its surface smooth and flawless, its glow mesmerizing.
But he stifled his curiosity and stashed the stone inside his suit. There would be time to examine it later, once he was safe.
"First things first," Kelvin muttered as he dragged himself toward the exit tunnel, suppressing every unnecessary thought as he trudged along.
His body ached with every step, but he pushed forward, driven by the need to survive.
But his hope of survival was abruptly shattered by the sound of a beeping metal ball that rolled to a stop at his feet.
The sound was unmistakable, a high-pitched whine that set his nerves on edge.
"Goddamn—" Kelvin began, but he didn't need to recognize the object to know its purpose.
The shape, the sound—it was all too familiar.
BANG!
Lights out...