Heavy Metal [ A Monster Evolution LitRPG ]

Chapter 179 – Darkness Takes Hold.

Rusty’s steps echoed as he followed the thin trail of blood across the cavern floor. It seemed to have begun on the ceiling, droplets falling and then leading behind the last remaining rock formation. His earlier triumph turned into unease, and he began to call out.

“Gleam?”

He tried again as he approached, but no response came. The droplets grew heavier, and when he turned the corner, he froze. Pressed against the stone wall, Gleam writhed weakly. One of her glossy silver legs lay several meters away, snapped off cleanly where an arrow had pierced it. Another was pinned against the wall by a second arrow. She had not managed to dodge the full assault, and Rusty stood helpless, unsure of what to do.

“Gleam!”

“( >﹏< )”

“Wait, I’ll get you out of there!”

Rusty rushed forward, his first instinct to rip out the arrow pinning her in place.

“Stop, Rusty! You’ll only make the bleeding worse!”

Before he could act, Alexander’s voice resounded inside of his helmet.

“But she’s wounded. Shouldn’t we take it out?”

Rusty’s voice was filled with worry. He wasn’t knowledgeable about the physiology of monsters or humanoids. This was the first time he had seen Gleam seriously injured, and he had no idea how to handle it. He was a monster who could mend himself with metal, but his friend was different. She was made of flesh and needed other means to recover.

“First, calm down.”

Alexander shouted in an attempt to snap Rusty out of his worried state.

“Gleam, can you cast a healing spell on yourself? At least enough to stop the bleeding?”

“( •́ ᴖ •̀ )”

At first, Gleam didn’t react, her body trembling in pain. But then her antennae twitched.

“( •̀ – •́ )”

“That’s it.”

Alexander said, encouraging her to continue. Rusty stepped back and let him take the lead. A glow of holy energy spread over Gleam, wrapping her in a soft radiance. Slowly, her wounds began to close, and at last they were able to remove the arrow that held her to the wall.

“( • ᴖ • )”

“I know… your legs…”

Rusty lowered himself beside her, metal hands trembling as he picked up the severed leg from the ground. It still glimmered faintly in the cavern light, but the end was mangled, broken, and useless. He held it close, as though by keeping it near, he could somehow mend her.

“Two gone… c-can they be replaced?”

He asked both of his guides while examining Gleam. Two of her legs were missing, and to make matters worse they were on the same side. Gleam was an ant with six legs, but on the left only the middle one remained. She could stand in place, though moving proved difficult.

“( •́ ᴖ •̀ )”

“How troublesome. Unless we use some high-level magic or a potent elixir, limb regeneration is very difficult to achieve.”

This time it was Aburdon who spoke.

“Potent elixirs?”

Rusty repeated the words and then remembered that he had just defeated four D-rank adventurers who carried many items. It was possible they had some kind of healing potion or elixir. At once, he turned his metal head toward their fallen bodies, and to his surprise, he saw movement.

“He wasn’t dead?”

Rusty muttered under his breath, his grip tightening on the shaft of his mace. From the rubble, the barbarian Grahn rose. His chest was crushed and blood streamed from his lips, yet he clawed his way upward, dragging his mangled body toward the fallen axe. The enchanted halberd strike should have ended him outright, but the sheer vitality of the man kept him clinging to life.

“Careful! He is on the brink, but if he carries a berserker’s trait he could still be dangerous. Finish it, Rusty!”

Alexander’s voice rang out, and Rusty gave a quick nod.

“Stay here, Gleam. This won’t take long.”

He rose slowly, his glowing eyes fixed on the barbarian. Grahn spat more blood as he crawled forward, but his movements were slow and weak.

“You… monster… I’ll… I’ll kill y—”

The words broke off, drowned by the blood filling his mouth. At first Rusty thought he should hurry, but the man seemed utterly drained of strength. A dark-red pool spread beneath him, and his legs no longer obeyed him. Still, he crawled, dragging himself toward his weapon. Rusty did not rush. Step by step he advanced, reaching the axe before the barbarian could, and now loomed above him.

“It’s because of you that Gleam was hurt…”

He raised his mace up high, and soon rage took over. Rusty’s mace crashed down, shattering the barbarian’s shoulder. Bone and flesh burst beneath the blow, and Grahn howled, his voice loud and gurgling from blood pooling in his throat. Yet even on the brink of death, his hand still stretched out toward the axe, fingers twitching in stubborn defiance.

“You should have stayed down!”

The mace fell again, crushing the man’s other arm. Grahn’s body convulsed, but he refused to die quietly.

“Rusty, what are you…”

Alexander tried to call out, shocked by Rusty’s sudden brutality. He had never shown much mercy toward adventurers, but this was different. Rusty could have ended it at any moment. Instead of striking the head, he aimed at everything else. Once both shoulders were destroyed, he moved on to the knees, pummeling with unrelenting hatred.

*Smash. Smash. Smash.*

“What a curious feeling…”

Called out Aburdon as a strange shift began to take hold. Alexander’s light within the right eye socket began to fade, but Aburdon’s glow grew stronger. The once pale armor, caught between light and shadow, started to change. Black spots spread like spilled ink, darkening the metal. Each strike blurred into the next. Rusty was no longer fighting a warrior; he was tearing apart a corpse.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

His armor continued to darken with every blow. Veins of shadow pulsed across the metal, feeding on his fury. But, at last, Alexander’s voice managed to break through.

“Rusty! Enough!”

His voice thundered inside the helmet.

“Control yourself! You are losing more than your temper.”

The connection snapped back into place. The shadows receded, and the white light returned to its glow.

“No, continue, Rusty. Do not let this fool of a hero command you! Lose yourself more!”

Aburdon had lost himself in the moment and only now realized that the transformation was quickly coming to an end. His words went unheard, for Rusty had managed to stop himself. In front of him lay a battered corpse that no longer looked human. Before he could fully grasp what had happened, a system message appeared before his eyes.

You have gained +3816 experience points.

Congratulations, you have gained a level.

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