This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange-Chapter 533: Reunited At Last

The cavern was deathly silent, save for the approaching sound of numerous footsteps of all types—some resembling clawed feet in sound; others sounded like hooves; the fastest approaching set making more of a skittering sound.

Kain's grip on his sword tightened as he scanned the darkness. His senses stretched outward, trying to discern what lurked beyond the light of the fire's reach.

Kain welcomed the approach of abominations, despite their attempts to kill him, due to the Source energy they provided. However, this number sounded like too much for them to handle.

Serena's posture was taut, dagger angled low, her eyes narrowed toward the passage leading into their chamber. Malzahir shifted beside her, knife ready, his breathing slow and steady.

Then, a flicker of movement.

Shadows wavered beyond the fire's edge, a collection of shifting figures just out of sight. The sound of many non-human feet on stone grew louder, more distinct.

A rhythmic clatter, an almost familiar beat—until, finally, from the darkness, something stepped forward.

At the forefront was a massive creature that would give anyone with a fear of insects a heart attack. A millipede-like creature was making its way toward Kain and the others, its numerous feet working together with an almost eerie harmony.

Its dark chitinous body reflected the light off of the cave giving Kain and Serena a better look at it from its head, which bore a terrifying set of mandibles that looked ready to crush the head of anyone that approached, to the tip of its tail which was ten meters away.

The bug barrelled toward them, not dissimilar in size and speed from a car. But despite its terrifying appearance, Kain and Serena actually put their weapons down and signalled the spiritual creatures they had released to not attack.

Serena even had a light smile at the corner of her mouth for the first time in a while.

Behind it, a lean, four-legged beast emerged second, its dark fur rippling as it prowled cautiously into the light. Pale silver eyes gleamed in the fire's glow, its ears flicking forward.

More movement.

Then, another form appeared—this time, unmistakably human.

A man stepped forward, his armour caked in dust, his face sharp with exhaustion, but his posture steady. Behind him, more figures emerged, one by one, their steps careful, their gazes scanning the cavern hopefully but still prepared for a fight. Their ragged forms and weary eyes told of struggles of their own.

Kain's tight chest instantly lightened.

"About damn time, Zareth," he said with a smile on his face. Finally, they had found some of their teammates! Alive, at least—all of the past teammates they'd found had already died.

With Idrias dead—the leader of both the Pathfinders and the mission—Zareth, as the next most experienced and leader of the Starchasers, was now the de facto leader.

The man's head snapped toward him, and for a moment, his shoulders relaxed slightly. "Kain?"

Recognition flickered in his gaze—along with something else. Relief. Disbelief. Happiness.

Serena lowered her dagger a fraction, her sharp gaze running over the newcomers. "Who else is with you?"

More figures filtered in, their movements careful yet filled with the weight of familiarity. Some of their missing companions, the ones they had long feared lost to the relic's endless depths. Their clothes were torn, their faces gaunt, but they were alive.

Kain counted them quickly. Not everyone was here.

"How many of you made it?" Kain asked, his voice rough.

Zareth hesitated. "Not enough."

A heavy silence settled over the cavern. The fire crackled between them, casting elongated shadows against the walls.

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Kain exhaled through his nose, tension still coiled in his gut. He didn't need to ask for details. The answer was already written on their faces.

Serena took a slow step forward, her expression unreadable. "Tell us everything."

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Sitting around the fire the two groups shared their respective stories while eating and after a brief introduction of Malzahir—who was still a stranger to the others and looked quite a bit different from the injured, dishevelled man they'd met in the desert.

Zareth sat cross-legged, stretching out his tired limbs as the fire cast flickering light over his worn features. His gaze was distant for a moment, as if recalling memories he'd rather forget. Finally, he exhaled and began.

"We started strong," he said, voice rough. "We were all separated when we entered the relic, but 6 of us were lucky to be dropped quite close together. I'd say that we all managed to find each other within a week of entering. But soon we ran into these weird creatures."

"The abominations?" Serena asked.

Zareth nodded grimly. "That's what you call them? I guess it fits better than what we've been calling them—the Strange. But yeah. At first, we fought them off without too much trouble. We even started recognizing patterns in their behaviour. But then… we encountered something different. It looked like the rest—a hybrid of metal and flesh—but it was stronger, faster, and had something else—"

"A contamination ability," Kain finished for him.

Zareth's gaze snapped toward him, a flicker of surprise in his exhausted eyes. "You ran into one, too?"

His surprise was mostly from the fact that the two most inexperienced and weakest members of this expedition team had run into one of those things while in a much smaller group but appeared to be relatively unscathed.

"We didn't get a good look at it. We just saw the results."

Serena eventually made up an explanation to explain away his doubts. After all, even though she and Kain have their differences, she had no intention of revealing his ability to charge the ancient healing devices that would help combat the contamination.

Zareth let out a slow breath. "Then you know. It wasn't just its strength—it infected anything it touched. We didn't even realize it at first…"

"Sonny was the first hit," Zareth continued quietly. "The wound wouldn't close. Wouldn't heal. It just... festered. Black veins spread from it like rot. By the time we realized what was happening..."

He didn't finish. He didn't need to.

A bitter taste settled in Kain's mouth. They'd already come across Sonny and Elfie's remains.

"The Pathfinder—Elfie—tried to cut off and cauterize it," a bandaged Starchaser murmured. "Didn't work. The corruption was already in his body. He was dead within hours."

Zareth exhaled sharply. "Elfie got sloppy after that. Distracted. One of the creatures got her from behind. Same thing. No healing. Just... slow decay."

The fire crackled, the sound unnaturally loud in the heavy silence.

Kain glanced at Serena. Her expression was stone, but her knuckles were white where they gripped her dagger.

Zareth rubbed a hand over his face. "After that, we just ran. Hid. Tried to find a way out. Then we started seeing your markings—figured if anyone was still alive, it'd be you two." He managed a tired smirk. "Finding you is a good omen. If we've made it this far, maybe the others have too. Idrias could still—"

Kain's sharp inhale cut him off.