It was a Klink. Angus had summoned a Klink. The creature slowly stood up, its faceless head turning to face Sadie. Its lanky body loomed over them, casting a misshapen shadow in the dim electric light as its limp, black arms dragged behind it in the dirt. The creature's body stretched and shrank, twitching into different positions, yet its legs and arms continued to pull forward as if carrying a giant weight. Yet the true menace lay in its heart, which pumped blood across its skin—the blood of a Klink. A single touch of this blood was enough to poison–where you would begin the long, painful process of your body slowly eating itself. No matter how many magicists worked on it, there was no cure. The only way to kill a Klink was by crushing its heart. Yet no matter how one tried to protect themselves–Klink blood wished to find you–and always did.

"Will, Everand, run!" Sadie screamed, panic rising in her chest as she glanced over at Angus. Blood trickled down his body as he hobbled towards her, his eyes filled with a mix of desperation and malice. All the guilt and pity she had felt for him vanished in that moment. He planned to take them all down with him. She scolded herself for not realizing his true intentions sooner, for not doing more to change Will's mind. It was clear they had no chance against him.

Will and Everand bolted towards her, but despite the Klink's dragging arms, it was not a slow creature. Sadie watched in horror as the Klink dropped to its arms and crawled towards them with alarming speed. As it reached the cart filled with treasures from the Cave, it slung its arm around, stretching it out to grip the bottom edge of the cart before swinging it around. Will and Everand glanced up in shock as the wagon soared above them, crashing with a deafening roar in front of the one exit they had been running towards. Potions shattered, releasing colorful vapors into the air, while pieces of armor clattered and echoed off the cavern walls. Gold coins spilled and rolled across the rocky floor, catching the dim light and scattering in all directions. Trinkets of various shapes and sizes bounced and skidded, creating a chaotic mosaic of their hard-earned loot. As the dust settled, the full extent of the blockage became clear—their path was completely obstructed, leaving no way through. The only way left was up—and that was almost impossible.

"SHIT!!!!" Everand screamed, his eyes wide in horror as Angus laughed and collapsed onto the ground, black blood pooling from his mouth and chest with each labored cough. Angus was a dead man—that much was clear—and the Klink paid him no mind, focusing instead on its more critical targets. Sadie's heart pounded as she watched Will and Everand draw nearer, the Klink closing in on them with terrifying speed.

Desperation surged through Sadie. She quickly snatched up the dagger she had dropped and bolted towards the exit, her mind racing to find any small aperture or way to crawl over the overturned wagon. As she approached, she saw Klink blood dripping down the sides, the tiny droplets actively crawling towards her like living entities. The sickening realization hit her: neither Will nor Everand could follow this path. You could. You could get away. This Klink blood will do nothing to you.

Sadie turned to look at Will and Everand. She saw understanding dawn in Will's eyes, quickly replaced by a sneer.

"Don't even fucking think about it, bitch!!" Everand screeched, "Get back here and fight this fucking thing!!!" As he spoke, he pushed Will to the side just as the Klink shot its hand out–claws extended as it tried to grab one of them. Everand rolled to the side, eyes wide in fear and adrenaline–glancing briefly at the dark purple trail as the Klink dragged its arm back. One drop. Just one. Will only stared at Sadie–his dark expression making it clear he dared her to leave. She knew. He knew. She averted her eyes, gripped her dagger harder with trembling arms, and slowly walked towards the Klink.

She would need to fight it long enough for Will and Everand to climb the wall, and then...and then what? Try and escape? There was no way. She would die here. Tears threatening to fall from her face, Sadie took a shaky breath and felt the wind whip past her as Will and Everand shot past her.

"What are you doing!?" Angus shouted, "Are you an idiot!!?" Ignoring the Nova's words, Sadie wiped her tears away, accepted her situation, and ran towards the Klink.

She charged at the creature, her heart pounding in her chest, as it fired another arm in her direction. Sadie, quick on her feet despite the heat from her dress, seized the appendage and plunged her dagger into its wrist, twisting with all her might in an attempt to incapacitate the Klink. The creature let out a deafening roar of agony, and Sadie evaded its wild swing, her body getting sprayed with the sickly purple blood oozing from the wound. The pungent odor made her grimace, but she persisted.

"You just killed yourself!!!" Angus yelled, "You–"

Ignoring Angus's frantic warnings, Sadie focused on closing the distance between herself and the Klink. Each strike and evasion marked her with more of the creature's viscous, purple sap, but she could tell she was inflicting real damage. The Klink, unaccustomed to being hurt, began to act defensively, a glimmer of hope igniting within Sadie. With each precise thrust, she saw the creature's wounds quickly heal, but she persisted, determined to find an opening.

A surge of determination propelled Sadie forward as she managed to stab the Klink higher up its arm, inching closer to its heart. She clung to this glimmer of hope, knowing that if she could reach the creature's heart, she might just survive.

Then suddenly, she couldn't breathe. The Klink, realizing its blood did not affect Sadie, had instead used it to clog her nose and mouth. Sadie, so focused on the Klink, hadn't noticed until it was too late. Panic set in as she desperately grabbed at her face, her fingers clawing at the sticky, suffocating substance. Small, frantic choking sounds escaped her throat as she gasped for air. She tried to remain calm, her mind racing as she attempted one more desperate reach for the creature's heart. But before she could move, the Klink flung its arm with brutal force, sending her hurtling across the ground. She rolled painfully, her body skidding to a stop only when she collided with the wall. The impact knocked the wind out of her, and she struggled to inhale, her chest heaving. But the adhesive mask pressed firmly over her mouth wouldn't let go. Dots danced in her vision, darkness closing in at the edges. She was going to pass out.

Then, a burning pain filled her nose and mouth, and she gasped for air—her eyes widening as Angus stood over her, his hand clutching a black ball of solid purple mush. The substance was already burning into his skin, causing him to grimace in pain. Blood still dripped down his neck and chest, but he seemed less pale than before. For a fleeting moment, Sadie thought he was fully healed. Then she noticed the small healing potion bottle smashed on the ground next to him, its contents spilled and evaporating.

"This time–run–okay?" Angus said, "Get far away." His hands shook as the purple blood oozed into his skin–turning it a dark black color, and Sadie realized that this Nova had come to save her. He could have used this potion to run away while she fought the Klink but instead, he had chosen to stay. By now, he was certain to know she was cursed–or at the very least had some kind of evil magic–and had every right to leave her, but he didn't. He wasn't. He's injured, he's dying, he just feels bad. But Sadie knew. He was a Nova. He could have made it–and yet here he was–telling her to go.

Sadie's eyes brimmed with tears as she gazed at the pitiful figure of the Nova standing in front of her. With a deep breath, she pulled herself up, and then, without looking back, she ran.