Mitch reached out instinctively, a surge of energy latching onto her mind. The command was raw, and absolute. Forced through their bond of Abyssal Bind. He connected and influenced her movement with a violent push.

  Move. Now.

  Sable jerked, her body reacting before her mind could catch up. She sprang to the side as the boulder crashed into the ground, sending shards of stone across the pit. Quickly, she sprung back to her feet.

  She shot Mitch a look, confused but aware that something had influenced her mind. It had been him exercising control.

  Abyssal Bind

  Level 2 -> Level 3

  Exert command over lesser Abyssal beings and draw others into a permanent bond.

  Followers: Create lasting connections with chosen beings. Extend your influence and power over them.

  Requirements: True allegiance must be granted willingly.

  Minions: Abyssal Mice: 4, Abyssal Bugs: 1323

  Followers: Sable (The First Follower)

  “Good,” the Behemoth’s deep voice boomed. “You are willing to learn.”

  In the split second of distraction, the Behemoth’s massive foot swung forward. It caught Mitch directly in the side. The impact broke something in Mitch through Rex’s armor, and his Shadowshroud howled in his mind. Mitch flew to the side, crashing into the floor in a whirlwind of dust and shattered bone.

  Pain flared hot and white in his chest. Agony’s Embrace turned the torment into power, but Mitch had no time to acknowledge it or heal.

  The Behemoth’s shadow loomed over him. A foot the size of a small boulder hovered above him, coming down to crush him.

  With a snarl, Mitch forced himself to roll. His body protested in pain as he used his reserves to mend his broken body. He fired Deathhowl casts in animalistic roars towards the monster.

  Settlement Amount: 64 Souls, 22(-3) Beast Souls, 0 Credits, 89(-5) Flesh.

  The pain ebbed and provided just enough strength to let him scramble out of the way. He shot up to his feet through his body's mending.

  “Still weak,” the Behemoth rumbled. “You must learn to truly sacrifice for victory.”

  It advanced as Sable regained her composure, her hands glowing with the purple energy of Fracture. Her expression was fierce as she launched a torrent of attacks at the creature. Each landed with a snap, carving wounds into the Behemoth’s thick skin.

  One Fracture from Sable connected with a finger, and with a snap, the Behemoth’s giant digit tore free. Ichor gushed from the wound. Another Fracture cut into its arm, leaving a deep, jagged gash.

  But the Behemoth only chortled. Its laughter rolled like thunder through the pit. Even as it bled, the Behemoth’s red eyes stayed locked on Mitch.

  “Strength without sacrifice is hollow,” It growled, swinging a chained arm toward Mitch. “You know nothing of power.”

  “Are you nothing but endless platitudes?” Mitch responded to the creature’s taunt. It chuckled at his answer. His jaw clenched in anger, and he rushed forward. Slashing his blade, he connected again with the beast’s thigh. His soul sword bit deep, ripping a would across the beast’s flesh.

  In the corner of his eye, Mitch saw Sable firing skill after skill.

  The Behemoth laughed again, low and menacing. Its eyes gleamed with malice. “Everything worth doing requires a mighty cost.”

  Each strike Mitch threw landed with brutal precision. He ripped deep into the creature’s thick skin. His Deathhowls ripped souls and delivered brutal hits against monstrous flesh. But the Behemoth was unyielding.

  For every hit Mitch and Sable landed, the Behemoth countered, forcing Mitch to tap into his reserves as chains and giant fists clipped him. When he could, Mitch would spit malevolent Deathhowls at the creature. He landed a few, sending the flesh he hit flying and then coating the Pit floor.

  Settlement Amount: 64 Souls, 17(-5) Beast Souls, 0 Credits, 65(-24) Flesh.

  He was forced to continually heal shattered bones and torn muscles just to stay in the fight. Rex pulsed across his torso, shifting his shadows to absorb the heaviest blows. Yet even with his Shadowshroud’s protection, healing, and Agony’s Embrace, Mitch worried about their chances.

  Across the pit, Sable continued her assault. Her face was set in concentration. She used her wires to tie up the Behemoth, and peppered his body with countless wounds from her Fracture shots.

  Yet, the Behemoth’s scattered chains swung dangerously in her direction. Jagged rocks hurtled through the air to clip her. Mitch’s heart twisted as he saw many coming too close, but the Bugs he controlled and healing he sent kept her from falling. When needed, he flashed a tendril of healing towards her.

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  Settlement Amount: 64 Souls, 17 Beast Souls, 0 Credits, 54(-11) Flesh.

  The Bugs surged up from the grounds and walls, forming barriers around Sable. Each time the rock’s from the Behemoth crashed into the wall of insects, it exploded into fragments. But as more stones came, Mitch had trouble keeping up with calling more Abyssal Bugs.

  Distracted.

  A sliver of frustration bit into his focus. His need to keep Sable safe was clouding his judgment.

  He activated Devoid. The Skill steadied him in the head-to-head fight against the Behemoth. Icy detachment washed over him. His mind sharpened, and emotional distractions fell away.

  Everything came clearly. The dust swirling in the Pit. The twitching of the Behemoth’s muscles. Then he saw it again.

  As Mitch landed a brutal hit and a Deathhowl on the Behemoth’s chest. The rune beneath the Behemoth’s chest flickered. The pattern was unmistakable.

  That’s it.

  In his state of heightened clarity, Mitch’s focus snapped back to the Behemoth. He calculated each move as he prepared to strike the heart of its strength.

  Driven by desperation, Mitch summoned a Deathhowl directly at the Behemoth’s chest. Dark energy spiraled from his core and spiraled. It tore through the air as Mitch used two beastial souls at once instead of one.

  Affliction Skill Upgraded

  Deathhowl

  Level 1 -> Level 2

  Relinquish Beastial Souls in a torrent of power.

  The impact rocked the Behemoth, forcing it to stumble back. Massive wounds carved across its chest. The Behemoth met his gaze, only showing disdain. It looked down with a sneer, as if utterly unaffected by the staggering damage.

  “Is that all you have?” the Behemoth sneered. The scorn in its voice cut deep, stirring a raw, primal anger from him.

  A pulse of rage ignited in Mitch. He’d thrown everything he had. This monster was still mocking him.

  He reached deeper, tearing into a part of himself.

  Gritting his teeth, Mitch pulled from his core and wrenched a true soul from within, feeling a part of himself disappear as he did. He shoved the emotion of the soul into his Devoid lock-box, ignoring the life once lived. A flicker of notification flashed before his eyes.

  Settlement Amount: 63(-1) Souls, 15 Beast Souls, 0 Credits, 39 Flesh.

  Affliction Skill Gained

  Soul Sacrifice

  Level 1

  Consume a soul in a torrent of power for you and your Followers.

  A surge of raw, unrestrained power tore through him. It lit up his nerves, fierce and electric. His muscles tightened, thrumming with strength as his senses sharpened to a razor’s edge. Rex’s roar exploded in his mind and thrummed down his chest, visibly vibrating.

  Fire flooded Mitch’s veins. Every fiber of his being burned with an Abyssal force unleashed.

  He felt unstoppable. A man turned beast from a flood of unrelenting fury and will.

  Across the Pit, Sable gasped, doubling over as the energy hit her as well. Her Fracture snapped with visceral intensity on the Behemoth’s body. Her stance shifted as newfound strength flooded her limbs.

  The consumed soul flooded the small bastion of power that Mitch had formed.

  Mitch didn’t waste a second. Fueled by the unrestrained power of his new skill, Soul Sacrifice, he charged forward in a flash. His soul sword thrummed in his hand, and Mitch was keen and hungry as he honed in on the Behemoth’s heart rune.

  The Behemoth readied itself. Chains rattled as it swung, but Mitch’s speed was blinding. Every strike fueled by power he hadn’t realized was possible. He swung, and every hit bit deeper. Mitch carved monstrous flesh and bone with brutal strength.

  This is power.

  Dark ichor poured from the Behemoth’s chest as the wounds widened. Strange, Mitch could see the monster smile as it fought back with intensity.

  “Yes,” It struck Mitch in the chest, but he funneled flesh to quickly recover. “Now you see.”

  With a furious shout, Mitch leaped and drove his empty soul sword directly into the heart rune’s center.

  The blade sank deep with Mitch's monstrous strength, and the rune shattered in a burst of Abyssal energy. The impact reverberated through the entire Pit, billowing outward in a cascade of power.

  The Behemoth let out a guttural roar. Sounds of pain and rock echoing through the hollow chamber as Its strength waned.

  Finally, the Behemoth fell to its knees. It convulsed violently before Mitch. It’s ichor stained the ground before it. Its red glowing eyes finally began to dim, and its breaths grew shallow.

  Mitch stood before it, ready to finish the monster with one more brutal strike. As he raised his sword for the killing blow, the Behemoth’s voice emerged. A rough vulnerable rumble.

  “Wait,” It said. “I have but one request.”

  Mitch hesitated. His sword was poised. Rex tugged on his arm, eager to destroy their enemy. Sable watched, energy coursing through her and leaking through ragged breaths.

  The Behemoth’s voice softened. “Protect…my soul.” it rasped. The plea carried a note of fear Mitch hadn’t expected.

  Mitch stood above the creature.

  To honor a defeated foe’s final plea. Or let this creature’s soul vanish. Back to where it came from. Back down to somewhere in the Abyss.

  “I can no longer bear this torture. To have my soul chained by the Abyss again. And again. Endlessly recycled and spat into...this.” the Behemoth groaned and gestured to itself. It then pointed with a giant hand missing a finger, straight to the empty soul sword Mitch brandished.

  “Let me choose my fate. Anything other than being reborn a monster again.” the Behemoth said as he met Mitch’s eyes. He was unaware, but his own eyes glowed red back at the monster, the energy rolling through him from his Soul Sacrifice.

  Mitch weighed the decision. He heard the raw desperation in the Behemoth’s voice. Here was a creature that clearly had survived countless trials. Likely at the Front, where Abyssal monsters battled against battle hardened mercenaries. Forever battling the Abyss back in exchange for powerful trinkets, blood, and souls.

  He believed the creature, and felt no deceit in the request. Mitch felt a flicker of recognition, even comraderie with the beast. It was mirror of his own fierce will to defy the Abyss’s chains.

  Mitch struck, putting the entirety of his amplified strength behind the blow.

  If yes, who is winning this season? If Rachel doesn't win I have no faith in my calling ability. Is there a Fantasy League like Draft Kings but for Survivor?...

  Also, wow, we're like number 15 or 16 or 17 or like 18, I don't know, on RS! Look our angry boy Mitch fly! Any interaction helps the story climb (as the Abyss always tries to do >:)), so I appreciate all your comments, theories, follows! Can I get a whoop, whoop?

  Whoop, whoop.