B3 — 65. The Nightmare

AuthorSME

POV:

1: Rachel Park (our Lunar Hare!)

Recap: Rachel discovered some rather ... uncomfortable things about Cahira's 'thirsty' nature involving her time in the Curse ... provocative time spent with the guys.  Ohan was furious with whatever he saw, which changed his personality dramatically; he's out for blood.

She told Scarlet about Twilight and how they got out, bypassing why she saw her to get to the others.  Getting everyone back to the ship.

Scarlet and Alexa went into cute characters ... Rachel lost in the conversation, and Scarlet's clothes aren't holding up too well after their first two challenges, showing how difficult just those battles were.

Cahira ... being Cahira, and they went to the underground opening, getting together who they could for an elite squad!  What awaits our party?!

I want to thank my patrons for continuing to support me:

Omega, Joanathan Howard, Necroma Crowley, Ryan Devine, Braincase, ASmallFish, Loki388, and my other Patrons!

Rachel’s ears twitched; she couldn’t hear anything in the underground space except for the very low frequencies of trembling earth that radiated up from the ground.  It was a bit odd, yet so was an entire tropical island jungle without animals, birds, or even insects.  She had to filter out countless noises in her environment on Earth, but the silence here was eerie.

Scarlet tucked her shirt into her PJs, gave them a nervous laugh and wave while dropping into the hole.  She followed her friend’s descent with her ears, judging the distance.

“10-meters, just as it looks,” Rachel reported.

Ohan was already preparing to make his own drop; Rachel didn’t try to intervene, listening to Scarlet explanations below; they sounded a bit distorted, though, causing her lips to bunch to the side.

“Uh … wow, umm … well, this is cool.  Alien wood, huh?  I liked the alien ship better, though.  Hey, it’s safe to come down, guys … uh, I can’t see through the walls here; they must have a high penetration resistance.  Umm … yeah, I think we’ve gotta activate something here to continue … it’s pretty advanced looking stuff.”

Rachel followed after Ohan.  Her hair flew up, keeping out of her face before she landed, brushing a few out of place locks back.  Her eyes widened with confusion upon rising; her entire environment had changed in an instant, but Scarlet hadn’t reported that fact.  There was no warning or feeling, but something had undoubtedly occurred.

Cautiously walking forward to allow Cahira and Selvaria to join them, Rachel spun in a slow circle, taking in every inch of the octagon-shaped room they’d entered.  Her brain kicked into overdrive with fascination, and a thrilling spur rotated around her stomach at the design, aesthetics, and implications.

The room was at least 20-meters tall, making no sense since the distance they fell was certainly 10-meters; the descent had likely been a trap with a teleportation portal.  Ohan was examining the wooden spiked stairs suspiciously while Scarlet moved around to inspect other strange articles.

Rachel wanted to solve the first mystery before moving onto the others since this was their only escape route.  Each spike floated in midair with similar witchcraft-like symbols as the totems that had burst into flame, written near the sharp tips.  Her mind returned to the concoction Twilight had dumped on the orb.

Everything about this Quest seems to be connected with some dimension or universal place that actually exists, if what Twilight said was true, which means this whole island is probably some form of vault or treasury for some real creatures.

Her lips pulled in as a thought sprung up.

No … Twilight said the last trial was a weak version of Eleuthira’s Curse … we could be raiding a goddess’ vault, or at least, that’s what this is trying to replicate.  Why would random items from the jungle in a mix destroy the cursed orb?  It makes no sense unless there was real energy within the ingredients that could be combined to disrupt something … is it even worth speculating over?

It appeared as if they'd been teleported while reaching the bottom.  It would be worth a shot to see if she could jump or climb out, but that could also trigger some kind of event, which meant her next order of business should be examining the odd room.

The octagon-shaped, futuristic puzzle was mirrored in a broad, six-tier descent, and everything was carved out of an obsidian-black wood; each tier had a gradual ramp, leading to the next.  The entire structure was crafted with large triangular walls and floors with glowing blue lines running between them.

The faint-blue patterns cast the space in dim light and drew everyone’s focus to the unusual room’s shape; above them, the ceiling rose from the center out several meters with the same pattern as the floor, making the center the highest and lowest point of the ground and roof.

Rachel followed Scarlet down the tiers, keeping track of the large alien symbols placed in each of the wooden triangles.  “You can’t see past them, Scarlet?”

“Nope … they’re really cool, though, right?  Do you think we touch the wall and try to match up the symbols?”

A soft chuckle shook Rachel’s frame as she held her hands behind her back, glaring at the odd symbols.  The eight walls were shaped just like the floor and ceiling.  “Would you go into a human vault and try to match up the numbers to open the lock?”

“Uh … no,” Scarlet mumbled, flushing a bit.  “I guess that is kind of silly, hehe.  Hmm … oh, what if … eh, wait, do you think this is a vault?”

Cahira released a low rumble in her throat upon reaching the bottom, apparently jumping the same as all of them.  “Odd … eh, woah, what’s that?”  She asked, directing everyone’s attention to a symbol that changed on one of the walls.

“Hmm … a body-count meter?”  Rachel asked.  “We’ll…”

They all swiftly looked up as a faint scream sounded from above, and Selvaria just appeared beside Cahira out of thin air, lying flat on her back with her arms outstretched.  The first thing to move was her thick tail, twitching left and right as she stared up at the ceiling.

“... I fell,” she stated in a dreary tone.

Cahira raised an eyebrow.  “Aye, we can see that, mi dear … eh, did it hurt?”

“I don’t think so,” she mumbled, head tilting left and right to observe her new surroundings.  “Huh … bigger than I thought.”

Rachel scanned the symbols; not one changed.

Could the number have changed when Selvaria entered the hole?  I guess we can try to test…

Her plans were dashed as the room’s lights and symbols began to glow; the entrance vanished with the wooden stakes, and then the triangle walls started to drop into slots before sliding underneath the one below it, twisting the octagon room around in a strange pattern that had almost everyone on edge.

“Oh, no,” Selvaria murmured in a bleak tone, fingers pressing against the floor while lying flat on her back, observing the same room moving process above them.  “I’ve triggered their trap card.”

Cahira released a nervous giggle, scratching the back of her neck.  “We’ve gone and done it now, eh?  What’s the play?”

Rachel kept an eye on the triangles they each stood on; only they didn’t move, which could imply the room would change depending on the spot they were at.  Leaping to a new space, she watched her previous triangle enter the mix of dropping and rising shapes.

“Stay where you are … unless they start…”

She trailed off as the rotating area stopped.

Scarlet popped her tongue with a grimace as multiple entrances opened up all around them.  “Ugh … the random route play, huh?  I hate when games make you do this … think we’ll get a chance to double back and try another?”

“Shit … here we go again,” Selvaria groaned in a dry tone, still lying flat on her back, tail flicking from side to side.

A frown touched Rachel’s lips, head shifting to gaze between each opening; twenty-two routes were available, and splitting up was always a bad option.  Through one of the walls, they could go down or try and jump to the ceiling paths.  Each one turned in a different direction, blocking sight.

However, Rachel’s ears and tail stiffened with sudden dread as two voices down one path made her stomach twist, and her wide-eyed gaze shot to Scarlet next to her, but the Vespertine Reaper was just looking around in a conflicted manner.

“Ugh … did it have to separate us?”  Another Scarlet moaned from a distance that sounded a mile away from them, likely running her hands through her hair in frustration down dozens of twists and turns.  There were two Scarlets.

In a different direction, Rachel heard Selvaria release a somber sigh.  “No one around, still.  So, Selvaria … how’s it like being alone again … yeah, it sucks, and I’m hungry.”  She released another depressed sigh.  “I should have eaten some more sea creatures.”

A lump dropped down Rachel’s throat as different paths had similar sounds of her teammates wandering around a maze by themselves with weary and frustrated comments.

Rachel eyed the group beside her; there was a very high chance of an imposter being among them, or outside in the labyrinth.  Worse, there was probably even a copy of her that was doing the exact same thing in that very moment.

When?  When we were teleported … if it can replicate Twilight … just how powerful is Scarlet’s replica … Selvaria’s, mine … what if … could I be the replica?

Her paranoid mind shifted into overdrive with the possibilities this Quest could manifest.

“We can split up,” Ohan grunted, but Rachel’s features set as she glared at him.

“Don’t take a step.”

“... What?”  He asked, features creasing in confusion.  “Why?”

Everyone looked at her, waiting for an answer, but she didn’t respond right away, still tracking each footstep, grumble, and action made by the others within the labyrinth.  Finally, she zeroed in on her own cold, calculating voice within the path to her left.

“So … we have doubled; this makes things complicated … wouldn’t you agree?”

More saliva gathered in Rachel’s throat; the implications were actually terrifying once sliding past the obvious fun it would be to face herself.  If any of them were to die, and the trial ended with the living turning to smoke, how could they live with themselves?

No, the most acceptable process would be to gather everyone … we could … I could be fake with how powerful the previous Curse was, and this maze … I bet a curse is working against us right now … something must be.  Dammit!  Twilight couldn’t have given me a hint about this?

“Is something wrong?”  Scarlet asked.

The group straightened, folding their arms with frowns while continuing to wait for her response.

Swallowing her nervous spit again, Rachel said, “I’m going to say some things that probably don’t make sense to you, but … bear with me.”

“Oh?”  Her double across the maze sat on the ground with a sly tone.  “Well, this should be interesting.  You can hear the others, right?  I’ve only heard Scarlet and Cahira within my range.  What about you?”

“Everyone,” Rachel responded, causing her group to give each other baffled expressions.

“Yes?”  Cahira questioned.

“I’m not talking to you guys,” Rachel smoothly replied.  “As I said, give me a minute.”

“I don’t get it,” Ohan growled.  “Why don’t you want me to leave to find whoever’s doing this … if someone is doing this?”

Her double hummed softly.  “You should probably calm everyone down … but this maze is filled with monsters my … our friends could run into.  You can hear them, right?  I wouldn’t put traps off the table, either … it is a bit strange … talking to myself.  Are you me … or the imposter?”

Rachel’s teeth clamped together; she wasn’t sure.  Turning to the other four, she took a deep breath and said, “I can hear each of you throughout the labyrinth.”

“Eh … could ya repeat that?”  Cahira asked, uneasily pulling up on her chest with her folded arms as they tightened around her body.  “Yer sain’ … we got some body-doubles among us?”

“Ehh?!”  Scarlet jumped back with a hard swallow, eyeing each of them as her irises turned vampiric.  “Umm … no, but … everyone looks the same to me.  So … the other ones are imposters?”

Ohan took a step back, grip tightening around his sword.  “That last trial showed how real this … person can make something.  Even if you say that, Scarlet … that doesn’t drop you of suspicion.”

His narrowed gaze shifted to Rachel.  “Nor does pointing it out.”

Rachel pulled around her hair and dropped to her butt across from Selvaria.  “No, it doesn’t.  However, I can talk with my clone … unless I’m the clone.”

“No way!”  Scarlet protested.  Her left hand tightening against her chest, red halo-like irises darting between them.  “You can’t be … we’ve been together the whole … wait…”

“The teleportation thingy,” Cahira groaned, “and we show up in the labyrinth?”

“Right,” Scarlet mumbled.  “Umm … so … what are the chances all of us are the real ones?”  She asked with a nervous chuckle.

“Low,” her double and Ohan stated.

Combining her locks around her front, Rachel’s gaze slid between each member of her team; her hyperactive mind was swiftly dripping poisonous thoughts into her brain as she saw them circling her like vultures.

We could each unknowingly become our own worst enemy … could it have predicted my abilities and came up with this whole game to get me to doubt myself?  Is this all an illusion again?  There’s just so many horrifying possibilities.

Clearing her throat, she said.  “Ahem … so, we should stay still until I can get to the bottom of this with my other self.”

Just as she feared, Ohan shook his head, but it was expected.  “I don’t think so; how can we be certain you are talking with Rachel at all?”

“He’s got a point,” her double replied.  “On second thought, perhaps skimming the truth would have been better.”

“It usually is,” Rachel sighed.  “You’re not wrong, Ohan.  We’re all aware of how persuasive this place can be.  If you do go off on your own, there are monsters that I hear roaming the halls and rooms; they’re probably fairly strong considering we’re entering the latter half of the Quest.”

Cahira nodded.  “Hmm … which is not somethin’ I’d be likin’, ya, know, bein’ away from the crew.  Might I suggest we go collect everyone?”

“You do that,” Ohan replied, giving Selvaria’s concerned look a conflicted frown.  “I’ll go alone and see if I can find … whatever or whoever I need to kill to end this trial.”

“It could be a puzzle among a dozen other things you aren’t equipped to handle,” Rachel responded, near the same time her double did, reaction slower with the vocal delay.

“... True, but I’ll feel safer knowing none of you might stab me in the back.  No offense,” he followed, “but that’s a realistic take.  Mazes are simple to handle on their own … if magic isn’t involved.  In the end, I believe this is a better choice for me, and you can find me if needed, correct?”

Rachel solemnly nodded.  “I understand.”

The others didn’t seem so convinced but didn’t try to stop him as he left down a random hall, not trusting her to guide him in any direction.  She couldn’t blame the man; he’d only just met her and spent merely a week with Selvaria.

“Good luck,” Selvaria whispered, sounding just as down as her counterpart talking to herself.

“... Well, shiet,” Cahira growled, dropping down to her own butt beside them.  “Well, if I be speakin’ the devil’s truth … any o’ ye lot can do me in.”  Stretching her arms high into the air, she released a low moan.  “So … what be the plan?”

Scarlet joined them, her vision turning to the path Ohan had walked down.  “... What’s in that direction?”

“A large monster with wings; it has a low robotic grunt, too … probably three meters tall.  Dozens of others are skulking about, and there are strange humming sounds that seem like devices.”

Selvaria’s lonely gaze centered on the ground with a sigh.

“Damn,” Cahira popped her tongue at the news.

“So,” Scarlet brushed back her bangs, “you’re going to talk to your other … you really could be an imposter?”  She asked with doubt.

“... It’s possible,” Rachel whispered, turning her head and ears to survey the hundreds of bazaar noises throughout the labyrinth.  “I partially believe I might not be since I don’t have any desire to trick you, but … perhaps that will change at a moment’s notice due to some switch that gets flipped, and I attack you.

“I was … we’re taking part in a quest that’s far more difficult than what we’re currently supposed to handle.  I suspect this is only the beginning of this trial.”

Rachel spent the next ten minutes going over her thoughts with her double across the maze; within that time, Ohan had encountered the slow but tanky monster, and surprisingly, he was forced to run away, only slightly wounding the creature.  She hoped his internal reasons were to conserve his real strength for this figure he thought was influencing the trial; the alternative would mean he was out-classed.

In the end, Rachel begrudgingly agreed with her other self that gathering everyone would be the best option.  They would both take opposite directions and meet up once gathered.  Having the imposters among them was risky, but the only way to really figure out who was real.

Based on the current locations, the other Rachel would probably get to Scarlet first, but depending on the trouble it would be to navigate the dungeon, it might be more challenging for the two to meet up with them.

Ohan’s double was the closest to them, which would then possibly take them to Cahira, and Selvaria was actually walking away, nearly outside of her audible radius.

The echoes and walls between were a horrible disrupter, too, causing Rachel to pause every so often and reevaluate their direction was accurate.

Rachel motioned for the others to get up, motioning them to jump down the hole to her right; the moment they did, gravity shifted, and they were walking on solid ground, which surprised everyone.

“T-This place is so weird,” Scarlet mumbled.  “We could be walking upside down.”

“Aye,” Cahira chuckled, “now wouldn’t that be fun?”

Selvaria was the last to enter, glancing back at the room while her feet dangled into the hole; to all of them, it looked like she was holding onto the ledge by her legs, but gravity hadn’t shifted for her since she hadn’t fully entered the passage.  “Umm … should we all be leaving?  What if it closes?”

“I’m expecting it to,” Rachel sighed.  “I don’t know if there might be a penalty for not leaving or if everything will change in an hour.  I still think we should stick together … if one of us has bad intentions… time will tell.  Just keep an eye on everyone.”

The Leviathan sighed and dropped in, blue dress flying up a bit, but it soon fell to the floor as gravity changed; Selvaria’s butt promptly hit the ground with a shockingly soft thud, considering her weight.

Being careful not to lean on her dress, she got up, straightening her clothes.  “So … are there any big monsters around … maybe some splashing water?”

“Oh, water, wouldn’t that be wonderful?”  Cahira longingly sighed, folding her arms.

Selvaria, Cahira, and Scarlet jumped as the wall behind them began closing up, causing the Vespertine Reaper’s blood to pop out of her skin.

“Figured,” Rachel mumbled, turning to walk away.

Scarlet kept her blood close to her body, nervously gazing back at the sealed entrance they’d taken.  “Umm … the hallways get bigger, right?”

“Much bigger,” Rachel said, directing them to the left tunnel, “and I’m going to try to guide us around all the monsters, but … one might be in our way to Ohan.”

The three women glanced at each other with frowns, and they continued down the black wooden passages, lit by the blue light glow between the triangle blocks and symbols.

Scarlet tried to cut into it with her scythe as they traveled, but nothing came of it, and even going into Reaper’s Guise didn’t allow the girl to phase through the objects.

The Vespertine Reaper’s skeletal hands returned to normal as she released the Reaper’s State, a sad groan leaking out of her throat.  “I wasted so much energy trying that … Rachel, I need to find something with blood soon.  I’ve only got four liters left.”

All of the actions were convincing for Rachel, but that’s what set her on edge; she couldn’t detect anything odd in her counterpart’s plan, so why would this be different?  In fact, given her position, trapped alone in the maze, going after Scarlet would be her first order of business with ruefully puzzling out their circumstance with the fake.

“I understand … we’re coming up on a creature.”

“What kind?”  Cahira asked, pistols appearing in her hands out of blue flames.

Rachel eyed her, ears sharp in case she aimed it at one of them.  “The heavy breathing type.”

“Eww…”  Selvaria’s nose twisted.  “It sounds gross.”

Holding out her hand to stop them at the entrance of the hall the beast was in, she motioned for them to be quiet, taking a quick peek.  They swiftly ducked back as it stumbled aimlessly within a large room down the corridor.

“That thing … is creepy,” Scarlet mouthed, shivering a little.

It was three meters tall with reptilian gray skin; the thing was in the shape of a man, but they saw its misshapen muscle mass and popping veins with its back to them.

“Let’s rush it!”  Cahira whispered, pointing at her pistols with a grin.  “I’ve got a wide shot that might just blow it apart.”

“Uh … yeah, we’ll see,” Selvaria mumbled.

Rachel motioned to Scarlet.  “We’ll take him together.  I’ll try to blow him apart from the bottom; you go the top at its back.”

“Oh, I like it!”  Scarlet squealed.  “Tag-team wombo-combo!  Umm … by the way, I can’t look inside it.”

Selvaria nodded.  “I’ll just charge it with Cahira … wait, really?”

“Oof.”  The Pirate Queen gave them a forced smile.  “That’s not a good sign, aye?”

Rachel shook her head.  “No … but it’s the best we’ve got.  Who knows why, but my guess … these things far out-level us.  We need to charge up our attacks and hit him with the best we’ve got off the bat.”

“Got it…”  The others replied, swallowing before readying themselves.

A glowing light began compressing inside her closed palm as she charged Lunar Burst, and Rachel darted into action, faster than the other three could react.  Scarlet followed soon after, forming her scythe out of her blood.

Dashing around the edge, she felt air rush past her as her potential energy tried to force her to the ground.  Her muscles tightened as the creature’s body stopped, stiffened, and turned  its head within a single second far more than a neck should be able to twist.

It was a nightmare made flesh.  Its ugly imprinted eyeless face writhed as if something squirmed underneath, lips peeled up to where its nose should have been, revealing multiple hard pink gums, and wide-open mouths filled with three-inch-long spear-like yellow teeth.

Long forked tongues slid between the wide gaps, extending two feet as its gray skin seemed to compress with its hisses; its throbbing veins began to squirm.  Not an ounce of fat was on the horrifying creature as its thin muscles bulged, and its knife-like fingers spred out as it burst into a sprint to meet her, hot steam exiting holes below its square chin.

Shimmering blue symbols were written across its oblong forehead, muscular pecs, and legs, showing its connection to the maze.  A terrifying screech echoed across the halls like a howl red fox the size of a lion.

Rachel dashed to the walls; it followed, body beginning to vibrate, causing it to teleport from the left and right by two feet at a time.  Its frame changed positions with every jump, and she began to wonder if she really had entered a nightmare; the massive creature’s frame eclipsed her, and its fingers extended like vines to ensnare and slice her into ribbons of meat.

A pulse of dread pulsed through Rachel as it neared, almost causing her to trip with the air locking in her lungs, but she pressed forward, pushing her muscles to go faster.  Throwing out her shining pink fist, clothed in the Flush Moon’s energy, she aimed to smash into the monster’s lower half as Scarlet appeared from shadows behind it, scythe in motion to take its head.

Time slowed for Rachel as it flickered and vanished, her fist and Scarlet’s scythe meeting empty air; the Vespertine Reaper’s widening eyes focused on her back, which told Rachel what her ears were already confirming.  It was behind her.

Her expansive field of vision was already seeing the snaking fingers curving around her body.  No one was faster than her; they couldn’t react to that.  Selvaria and Cahira were just making it around the corner.  This was a fight for her, with Scarlet offering support.  She didn’t expect this kind of phasing speed.

Rapid Mental Acceleration would soon return to its normal state, and to combat the horror effects the creature released, she activated Emotional Detachment.  Wenet’s Light would have been so helpful, but it still had a day’s cooldown, so she turned to Lunar Curse - Misfortune to try and even the playing field.  Scarlet might occasionally be affected by the curse, but so long as she kept its attention, they’d be dancing far beyond two-meters from anyone.

Maximizing her power, Rachel released Lunar Burst and jumped to the opposite wall.  Its knife-like fingers slid across her hair, thankfully protecting her back from injury, but she had no doubt it could cut her locks with enough tension.

Flipping around midair, she shot into the room with the creature in hot pursuit, leaving the other three in a dazed whirlwind.  Running to the edges of their new arena, she transferred to the ceiling, and swapped back to the floor, then the walls as it kept pace, trying to lock her into a corner with its sharp phase-shifts.

She had to be careful with Lunar Burst because it reduced her overall speed; every %  lost in her Lunar Pool would dampen Lunar Surge’s effects.  Overpowered was only in effect because the Flush Moon’s energy still coursed through her veins, granting the advanced versions of her Skills, including Lunar Reserve II.

If she dropped below 100%, she’d lose the 30% increase in her Power and Toughness Stats.  She was currently at 101.55%, which meant if she got hit, Lunar Shield II would protect her, thereby killing her since she’d lose the ability to dodge, and she could only keep Lunar Curse - Misfortune up for three minutes before being forced to deactivate it, leaving her at 100.05%.

Scarlet was her only hope to survive this encounter.

However, the Vespertine Reaper was having difficulty predicting where she’d go next with the nightmarish creature continually teleporting around Rachel to ensnare her.  She made a few attempts, but on the third, the creature’s long left claw absently swatted her away, power slamming her into the ground.

Shit!

Rachel caught sight of Scarlet shaking her head in a dazed manner, stumbling to the side as her blood swirled around her, reverting from its scythe form to protect the girl.  Her shirt had been ripped away, only leaving her bra in-tact; three long gashes were seen across her stomach that were very slowly knitting back together without the sight of blood.

It got past Scarlet’s blood and cut into her skin … that’s the most damage she’s taken since … ever.  If it can do that, then I’d be cut in half; it doesn’t matter about my defensive skills.  This thing is way above our level!

Cahira and Selvaria were rushing to Scarlet’s side in a panic; they couldn’t dream of keeping up with her if they wanted to, and her body was beginning to feel the burn of the rapid movements.

How do we get out of this?

She sprinted to the floor, air gushing past her skin and pressing her sports bra against her chest with every rapid shift.  Her eyes flew open in shock as the creature’s snarling face appeared in front of her with a wicked smile peeling back its full lips.  Its jaws opening four times their size to reveal several tongues and inner teeth surrounding its sticky throat that lurched up, trying to sink its first set of fangs around her entire head.

Forcing herself into a controlled tumble, she flipped around, hair spinning in a circle as her bare feet pressed against its writhing chest.  Kicking off, with all her strength, she rocketed away, finding its frame an immovable force; the nightmare’s yellow teeth barely missed her leg, but a cold sensation gripped her heart; its snaking fingers found their mark.

Damn…

Her momentum was halted in an instant, jarring her frame as she began falling to the ground, and it moved to pounce; the sharp edges of its fingers were about to dig into her back and side with its gaping jaws when it suddenly stopped.  A thunderous roar made Rachel’s head spin, and the nightmare threw her to the side.

A little dazed as she tumbled, Rachel managed to get a glimpse of Selvaria’s entire body clad in thick plated scales; she truly looked like a monster herself in her partially transformed state at two and a half meters tall.

The two rushed to meet each other like some kind of monster movie; the Leviathan might have been moving molasses, but when they clashed, a boom shook the air.  She was pushed back by the enormous creature’s unnatural strength, releasing its shrill, eerie cries as steam exploded from below its neck.

Scarlet’s nearly bare back appeared in Rachel’s vision from shadow, scythe overhead as she cut into the creature’s neck, Selvaria doing her best to hold it in place.  Her blade only passed a few inches into the nightmare’s muscular neck, and its fingers extended to find her, still overpowering Selvaria’s attempts to keep its attention.  The Vespertine Reaper had different plans, though.

Her blood rose to try and hold the tentacle-like claws at bay while she landed on its back, mouth opening to sink her fangs into the slowly closing wound, sucking in the brown liquid.

The wriggling fingers were quickly combating the crystalline blood, but they soon slowed, and Selvaria was now holding her ground.

The nightmare’s forked tongues shot out, writhing in the air before the Leviathan’s face, causing her  monstrous mouth to close in disgust, but Scarlet’s continual venom and absorption were having a noticeable effect.  Its flesh had healed from Scarlet’s initial attack but couldn’t seem to force her fangs out, despite his pumping veins that were becoming noticeably less active.

Rachel struggled to her feet and noticed Cahira in the corner with a rifle, pumping shots into the creature’s face while screaming obscenities, but it didn’t seem to be effective at all.

Her bones and muscles cried out in pain; the rush of her blood at the near-death experience had dulled most of it, but it was clearly evident now.

After several long minutes, the nightmare finally fell to its knees, unable to combat Scarlet sapping its strength any longer, but Selvaria’s entire frame were trembling from stress at that point, and finally the monstrous girl began reverting to her human state once disengaging.

Selvaria breathed heavily, stumbling back to collapse on the floor, and Rachel caught several dozen broken scales dropping off her frame; she seemed to have taken the full brunt of the creature’s charge, but it hadn’t been easy for her.

The whole experience made her question herself.

Are they imposters?  Why would they go through all that and not jump one of us … if Scarlet and Selvaria hadn’t acted, then I’d be dead.  She must have some kind of ability to draw its attention.

Rachel stretched out her back, noticing Scarlet and Selvaria’s torn garments on the ground, ripped and trampled to shreds.  “You okay?”  She asked, taking on a calm tone.

Selvaria gave her a pained smile, rubbing her plated chest; she’d lost a considerable amount of her feminine figure and scales from the damage and depleted Water Pool.  “Yeah, I’ll … I’ll be okay; I’m just … tired.”  She huffed, still breathing a little heavily.  “He was so strong…”

“Ya doin’ alright, loves?”  Cahira asked, jogging over while taking out her pistols again to point at the motionless, dying nightmare with Scarlet still draining it.  “I feel useless with ya three around,” she mumbled, glaring at the thing.

“Fine … I’m fine,” Selvaria sighed, not even moving her tail while on her back, hair resting randomly around her head.  When she removed her hand, Rachel noticed several of the scales around the upper portion of her chest had broken off, showing a tiny bit more cleavage than she knew the girl probably liked.  Scarlet would probably be pissed about the loss of her PJ top.

They’d taken a lot more damage than she expected on this journey and learned that they should really be careful about what they do in the future.  Still, the whole thing excited her; she’d escaped death yet again.

It took five more minutes for Scarlet to finish draining the thing of blood; her eyes shone with an inner red light more fierce than Rachel had seen in the past, clawed fingers now digging into the husk of the nightmare.

Releasing her fangs, she took a long breath.  “That was … more delicious than … than anything I’ve ever tasted,” she mumbled in a daze.  “I…”

Rachel darted over as she seemed to faint, catching her with worry while ignoring her sore muscles.  “Hey, hey, are you okay?”

“Huh,” Scarlet blinked her glowing red eyes, glancing around with confusion.  “Umm … I think?  I just, uh … I saw some strange guy that … was I reading his memories?”

“Uh … are you sure you’re okay?”  Rachel asked.

“I think so,” she mumbled, getting to her feet.  The husk of the creature sat on the ground where it had fallen, mouths still gaping open.  “We won, right?”

“Let’s hope,” Selvaria chuckled.  “I don’t think I’m ready for phase two.”

“Aye, I’ve got the next one!”  Cahira chuckled.  “Yo, uh, Rach, can we rest a … wait, treasure!”  She shouted with glee, running up to the corpse as it began to turn to dust, revealing three fist-sized diamonds.  “Holy shiet!  These be … worth more than mi whole ship’s horde combined!”

“Congratulations,” they all groaned, sitting down.

Scarlet glared down at her bra.  “At least this held up … umm, any treasure for me … maybe a shirt?”  She asked with a hopeful smile.

“Eh, sorry, love,” Cahira replied, motioning at the vanishing nightmare.  “Nothin’ but the expensive jewels.”

“Boo!  Stupid RNG…”  Scarlet huffed, crossing her arms.  “So … what’s next, Rachel?”

“We rest … my body’s on fire,” she groaned, working around her shoulder.

Cahira joined them, putting away her weapons.  “I bet,” she chuckled, “ya were a movin’ blur, racin’ across the ceilin’, floor, and walls!  Ya gave good ol’ Selv enough time to set up, though.”

“Yeah, thanks, by the way,” Rachel smirked, arms dropping like limp noodles to her sides.

“No problem,” Selvaria smiled.  “I’m glad to be of help; oh, and thanks for taking it out, Scarlet.”

“Yup, yup … now to find a shirt…”

They all giggled.

Rachel still kept her ears on alert upon the chance the imposter decided to make their move, but nothing happened.  She deactivated all of her skills except Emotional Detachment; she needed to keep her mind sharp for whatever came next.

After a bit of rest, they continued the journey to Ohan that could turn out to be an imposter.

AuthorSME

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