Osram Time: 09:25, February 24, 2295

  The Broodmother’s Descent, the Sepulcher of Ysolde, Zeeman Crater, Far Side, Osram

  Jabari's breath hitched, his eyes locked on the primal tableau unfolding in the cavernous depths. Concealed within a crevice's shadow, he huddled close to Ume. Their vantage point afforded an unobstructed view of two large Radi-Mons entwined in a fervent, carnal intercourse.

  Below them, in the distance, the air was thick with the scent of sweat, the dim light casting a surreal glow on the ghostly white skin of a naked humanoid creature. Her eyes were a demonic green, glowing with an unsettling, hypnotic intensity. Her hair, a silken waterfall of white, cascaded down her back as she arched and contorted on all fours, her horned head and thorned nipples creating a grotesque beauty against her taut flesh.

  Behind the mutated woman loomed an enormous creature in a brown exoskeleton, its head a mass of muscular flesh and armor, topped with rows of sharp teeth glistening with a sickly wetness. Its glowing red eyes burned menacingly as it towered over the mutated woman. Its lower half was a combination of writhing tentacles and powerful limbs supporting its massive five-meter frame. Cybernetics and wires decorated its upper torso.

  "That must be Skarn." Jabari whispered to Ume as they knelt side by side. "I've read information about him and his Fenris Horde at the Preparatory School. The first Nordling to be infected with the Nucleus Virus. The Father of Draugs."

  "Your school teaches weird things," Ume tilted her head. "Institutions usually study science or technologies that are productive for a society."

  "Yeah…I dropped out of school. Wasn’t really my thing," Jabari shrugged before tension took over once more. With a free hand, he pressed into his earpiece, speaking in a low voice. "Prince Laurent. We’ve located Skarn."

  "I see your location. Stay put. Do NOT engage," Laurent’s reply came.

  "Yes, sir. Holding position," Jabari nodded as his hand lowered.

  "This Skarn looks barely human. Actually, nothing about him seems human," Ume replied calmly, surprising Jabari.

  "Are you afraid?" Jabari glanced at Ume.

  "Not particularly. After seeing so many Radi-Mons, my emotion modules have adjusted," she met his gaze for a moment.

  "That's good," Jabari nodded, looking away. "But who is the woman?"

  "Jabari," Ume's voice held a note of caution. "If that's Skarn, then the woman can only be Ysolde. Those eggs we saw..."

  "Ysolde has been revived." Jabari's heart raced as he narrowed his eyes.

  As Jabari watched, his keen eyes captured the disturbing details. Skarn's central phallus — a monstrous appendage of pulsating flesh — emerged from between his insectoid legs. It found its mark in Ysolde's transformed womanhood: a hairless, bioluminescent bloom, pulsing with an alien rhythm, a beacon to the virus’s influence. Its glistening, sculpted folds glowed with a sickly light, hinting at an uncanny flexibility.

  As Skarn plunged into her, the Hundkynda’s body resonated with a keening wail, a chilling symphony to their monstrous act of procreation. With each forceful thrust, she pushed back against him, eager and willing.

  His sinewy arms wrapped around her, his clawed hands gripping her alabaster hips with an iron hold as his engorged member drove into her with ruthless thrusts. The echo of their union filled the chamber, a guttural symphony of lust and domination.

  From Skarn’s lower waist, four lesser phalluses unfurled like grotesque flowers blooming in the heat of their intercourse. They writhed and explored, slick with sticky white fluids as they teased and stroked Ysolde's body, caressing her as if to worship the vessel that bore Skarn's future spawn.

  Her arched back was a canvas of alabaster, marred only by the shifting shadows cast by Skarn's undulating appendages. The air was thick with the musk of their coupling, punctuated by the lewd squelch of flesh against flesh.

  "Primarch," Ysolde gasped, her contralto voice a haunting melody amidst the cacophony of grunts and slapping flesh. "Your strength... it fills me completely!"

  "Ysolde," Skarn growled, his tone commanding even in the throes of passion. "Our reunion is the harbinger of conquest! The hour is upon us!"

  Their bodies shimmered with a sheen of perspiration, reflecting what little light seeped into the sepulcher. The sight ensnared Jabari’s senses in a visceral grip he neither understood nor could escape.

  In the shadows, Ume’s hand found Jabari’s, their fingers intertwining, oddly comforting as they witnessed the dark rapture.

  "Curious, isn't it?" Ume murmured beside him, her voice a detached whisper against the clamor of copulation. "To witness such raw biological imperative."

  Jabari's throat tightened as he felt an involuntary response stir within him. "You’re not disgusted, though?"

  "I have thousands of such simulations, in all their sensory details, generated and stored into my databanks," she continued, her head tilting in that familiar analytical gesture. "It helps me understand the human need for recreational intercourse."

  Jabar took a deep breath, aghast. "Okay." He managed to say.

  Below them, Skarn's growls crescendoed, a bestial symphony. Ysolde responded with moans of pleasure and pain, her alabaster-hued body a vessel for his dark rapture.

  The cavern pulsed with a grotesque post-coital silence as Skarn's hulking form unfurled in satisfaction, his various genitals withdrawing into his lower torso.

  Suddenly, Jabari felt the Moondust Crystal shard pulse against his chest, growing warmer. Whether it was responding to the presence of the Primarch or something else entirely, he couldn't tell.

  And Skarn turned, his red eyes piercing the shadows where Jabari and Ume crouched.

  "I smell…" Ysolde's head snapped toward them, her eyes—unnervingly human despite her transformed state—fixing directly on their position. "Human. And something else. Circuitry?"

  "Oops," Jabari could feel his heart skipping a beat. "Can they see –"

  "Have you pests been watching our copulation?" Skarn’s jaw mimicked a human grin. "How fortunate. Ysolde's worked up quite an appetite."

  "Ume, we’ve gotta move — !" Jabari rose to his feet.

  But it was too late. A guttural incantation rumbled from Skarn's throat, vibrating through the air like a tangible force. The ground beneath Jabari and Ume quaked, and with a shattering cacophony, the stone hideaway crumbled, casting them down into the open.

  Jabari's body, shielded by the steel combat armor that protected his torso and limbs, hit the dirt floor with a jarring thud, the breath knocked clean out of him. Scrambling to his feet, he could see the malevolent glint in Skarn's eyes — predatory, fixated. Ume rose beside him, her delicate features hardened.

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  "Jabari," she called, her voice becoming shaky in the peril. "My calculation shows we have a…0.001 percent chance of prevailing against this Radi-Mon!"

  "Yes. That number makes sense." Jabari’s voice was surprisingly calm as he pondered on this possibly being their last moments.

  "Ysolde. Carry your eggs to our hidden hive in the Realm of Eternal Bliss. Hatch them before the march on Shashan. Use the Ormheimr below," Skarn advanced, claws unfurling as he closed the gap between them.

  "Yes, great Primarch," Ysolde responded, the white remnants of their coupling still trickling down from between her thighs. Rising to her feet, her muscular figure was illuminated in the dim light. Her proportions, a tantalizing blend of femininity and raw power, were on full display. Her large breasts and wide hips sported rippling muscles beneath her alabaster skin. Her fingers, tipped by sharp, almost beast-like claws, dug into the crevices of the wall with ease. With the agility and grace of a seasoned predator, she scaled the wall, her well-toned muscles flexing.

  The Hundkynda crawled on all fours along the wall, leaving a trail that glistened sickly against the fleshy walls. Her eyes, with blue irises amidst black pits, betrayed no intention of intervening.

  "Move!" Jabari shouted, pulling Ume aside just as Skarn's claw swiped at the space they had occupied. They rolled across the visceral floor, narrowly avoiding the lethal arcs of his fury.

  It was then that a surge of energy tore through the cavern. A flash of purple and green heralded the arrival of Laurent and his Ologuns. The prince stood resplendent in his ornate robe, his Psytum Sword ablaze with purple radiance.

  "Yo, Skarn! Am I glad to see you," Laurent quipped, his voice cutting through the din with royal authority. "Did the Imperials give you those cybernetics? What do they do? Mood lifting? Obesity prevention? On-demand holo-porns?"

  "Laurent N'Guessan," Skarn addressed him, turning to face the prince. "You may have escaped my wrath in Lund. But you won’t find such luck again with my enhanced form."

  The Ologuns leapt into action, their fusion-powered armors propelling them with agility. They attacked in a blur, opening fire. Plasma bolts flew and converged on the towering monster.

  As the fight ensued, several hulking figures emerged from the shadows of the cave, their massive forms barely illuminated by the dim glow of the surrounding bioluminescent rocks. The ground trembled beneath their lumbering steps, each one echoing like a hammer against the hollow stone. Jabari’s eyes widened in recognition as the creatures moved into the light, their grotesque forms all too familiar.

  "Draugs!" he shouted, his voice sharp with urgency. The beasts, resembling Skarn himself but much smaller, had rough, bark-like flesh, marred by scars and jagged protrusions of bone. Their gnarled limbs swayed as they moved, their twisted mouths filled with rows of jagged teeth that clicked together with an eerie, rhythmic sound. Glowing eyes of violet blazed beneath their heavy brows, filled with mindless rage and hunger.

  The cold, dark air clung to their damp, sinewy forms as they stalked forward, their footfalls leaving small craters in the stone beneath them. Dust and gravel shifted as they closed in, their breaths hissing like steam escaping from deep within their misshapen bodies.

  "Jabari! You and Ume clear out the Draugs!" Laurent commanded as he and the Ologuns faced off against Skarn.

  "At once!" Jabari seized the momentary distraction, pulling Ume to her feet. "Come on," he urged, his voice firm with resolve as they locked eyes. Ume nodded, already steadying herself as she fell into rhythm beside him.

  They stood side by side, their weapons coming to life with a furious crackle. Jabari’s rifle hissed and spat energy, bolts of charged plasma ripping through the air and slamming into the oncoming Draugs. The impact of each shot sent the creatures reeling back, but they recovered quickly, their hulking bodies absorbing punishment like beasts born of a nightmare. Black blood sprayed across the cavern floor, but the Draugs pushed forward, unrelenting.

  Ume, always precise, matched Jabari’s rhythm. Her plasma handgun discharged in perfect harmony with his rifle, targeting the gaps in the Draugs' thick hide, exploiting every vulnerability. Each squeeze of her trigger was deliberate, calculated, her training evident in the clean efficiency of her movements. A blast to the kneecap of one Draug sent it crashing to the ground, and a follow-up shot to its skull ended its snarling existence.

  For a moment, the tide seemed to stall. Ume's eyes flicked toward Jabari, and he gave a quick nod. But the moment was brief. More Draugs surged forward, clawing and snarling, their eyes gleaming with violent intent. The battle was far from over.

  Jabari adjusted his stance, his weapon glowing with each deadly shot. His focus narrowed, the heat of combat bringing a steady calm. He aimed for the chest of the nearest Draug, landing shot after shot, driving it back with the sheer force of his assault. The creature's violet blood splattered against the cavern walls, but it kept moving, its resilience unnerving.

  Ume’s gun buzzed loudly, signaling the battery's depletion just as another wave of Draugs closed in. "Out of battery. Cover me!" she shouted over the cacophony, swiftly darting behind a jagged pillar to reload.

  "Got you!" Jabari grunted, stepping forward to shield her. His rifle sang a deadly tune, its shots timed perfectly, like the rhythmic beat of his djembe back home. Each pull of the trigger was a heartbeat, each burst of plasma a note in the grim symphony of warfare. The Draugs came at him in a torrent, but Jabari held his ground.

  Laurent, meanwhile, moved like lightning through the fray, his Psytum Sword carving arcs of purple energy into the air. Each strike against Skarn’s exoskeleton was a work of art, surreal streaks of light meeting the monstrous titan with perfect precision. The humming blade harmonized with the screams of the fallen Draugs, a song of chaos and destruction, as the battle reached its fever pitch.

  Skarn, towering over the battlefield, was a whirlwind of destruction. His massive claws gleamed under the bioluminescent cavern lights, each swipe sending shockwaves through the air. He moved with terrifying speed, despite his enormous size, his exoskeletal frame cracking and shifting with each fluid motion.

  With a guttural roar, he lashed out at Laurent, his claws sparking against the prince's Psytum Sword. Each strike of claw against blade created a shower of purple sparks, illuminating the cavern in bursts of violent light. Skarn’s attacks were brutal, each one designed to crush, tear, and break. His hulking arms swung wide, trying to catch Laurent off-guard with deceptive speed, the impact sending tremors through the ground as his claws scraped across the stone.

  When the group of Ologuns tried to flank him, Skarn’s tail whipped through the air with a deafening crack, its spiked end smashing into the soldiers with the force of a battering ram. Their armor crumpled under the blow, shattered plates, bones and flesh flying across the cavern, accompanied by agonized screams. Skarn's laughter, deep and mocking, reverberated off the walls as he turned his attention back to Laurent, his glowing eyes locked in on his prey.

  "I see! You’ve become faster," Laurent bellowed, each word punctuated by the cleaving of Radi-Mon flesh. "Jabari, prepare to —"

  As the last of the Ologuns fell, Skarn stood tall, his form a monstrous sculpture of power and malice. His red eyes locked onto Jabari, a silent challenge that screamed louder than any war cry.

  "Maridians are barely worth conversion. You shall all be food," Skarn advanced, his muscles rippling beneath grotesque skin, a predator among the prey.

  "Prince Laurent! We need a way out!" Jabari called, desperation edging his voice, heart pounding in his chest like tribal drums at sunset.

  "Perfugium et Dissimulatio!" Laurent's incantation sliced through the air, the syllables resonating with ancient power. A ripple spread from his outstretched hand, reality bending to his will.

  In an instant, the stone chamber melted away, replaced by a hidden alcove within the Sepulcher's bowels. The abrupt transition left Jabari disoriented, his senses aflame with the tang of ozone and the lingering acridity of spilled blood.

  "Steady," Laurent murmured, gripping Jabari's shoulder. "Looks like Skarn has gotten some upgrades, since the last time we Kimaris faced him. At least you can tell your grandchildren you fought against the Father of Draugs and lived."

  "Right. Thank you, sir," Panting, his gaze sweeping over the jagged contours of the hidden stone chamber.

  A deep rumble echoed through the stone chamber, and fine dust cascaded from above. Jabari's grip tightened on his rifle as the vibrations intensified. The very air seemed to thicken with menace.

  "They're coming through the walls!" Ume's voice was steady, but her fingers tensed on her Plasma Handgun. "I detect multiple thermal signatures closing in."

  Laurent's lips curled into a mirthless smile. "The walls of this sepulcher... they're alive. Connected. Like a nervous system."

  As if in response to his words, the stone beneath their feet began to writhe. Across the chamber, the organic matter infesting the walls pulsed with sickly luminescence. The sound of cracking rock filled the air as fissures spider-webbed across the ceiling.

  "Form up!" Laurent commanded, his Psytum Sword humming with purple energy. "Back to back. Whatever comes through those walls—"

  A claw punched through the stone beside them, followed by another, and another. The chamber's walls peeled away like rotting flesh, revealing a mass of writhing shapes in the darkness beyond. Bone Fiends crawled through the gaps, their elongated jaws snapping with anticipation. Behind them loomed larger silhouettes – the hulking forms of Draugs, their ember-like eyes burning with hunger.

  “Ume. Can you count how many…?”Jabari felt Ume's back press against his as they formed a triangle with Laurent.

  The circle of monsters tightened around them, an inexorable noose of teeth and claws.

  "Thirty-nine,” Ume responded in the next instant. “Not counting the ones obscured by pillars or other visual obstacles.”

  "Well," Laurent's voice carried a hint of amusement even now, "I don't suppose any of you know another exit?"

  The monsters lunged as one, and the chamber erupted with the sounds of battle.

  ? Book 1 complete and ready to binge! ?

  Magus ex Machina [Cyberpunk-Fantasy LitRPG]

  What does a wild robot do when given the gift of magic? Go on an adventure!

  What to expect:

  Nucleus: The Dust of Moon will arrive on April 15 (Tuesday). Be seeing you.