Silence echoed the sphere—the crater. Pods pulsed and twitched, as if something within was twirling and kicking. Vines and veins networked and split, branching and subdividing it was as if. The whole sphere looked almost akin to a moist luminescent swamp.

A short tremor abruptly shook the ceiling as the pulsating central mass above throbbed more rapidly, as if a heart beating faster—laboring harder.

"That didn't sound…good…" Novea felt yet another pit open in her stomach. "Grandberry… So many people… Is it really going to…" She hated feeling useless; there had to be something she could do here…

"[Atrocity begets atrocity; cruelty begets cruelty; victims beget victims…]" the Protector lowly remarked, almost reciting; "[I see now…this phrase of words from the story told.]" Her ever lavender-shifting outlined eyes looked up once more at that abominable mass above. "[I suppose I never understood…the warning.]"

Although pain abated, ever more—slowly but surely—it was as if she herself were becoming attuned to the humming resonance: to the sphere and the thing above. And everything about it conveyed misery and rage; an atrocity born from atrocity.

Yet suddenly, the elf gasped; her attention swung, her eyes widening slightly, a shift in her posture…

"What?" This immediately worried Novea. "[Does he return?]"

"[No…]" the elf clarified; "[The rot scent was strong, but now…a growing nothing envelops.]"

"[A growing…nothing?]" Novea tilted her head, both disconcerted and confused… For the Protector's eyes certainly did not indicate that there was nothing.

Yet out from apparent nothingness…

"Salutations, ladies!"

Came such a greeting voice.

And the two swiftly jerked with startled surprise, flinging their eyes to behold…

A gal. A casual woman with ears slightly pointed; dressed in an ordinary dress, simple shoes, and a typical commoner hood which covered her longish black hair; clothing that was gently dirty and worn. Her skin seemed a slight tannish, and her hazel-brown eyes looked them down as if without a single care in the world…

Indeed, to their bemused gaze, this woman—this mysterious stranger—so happily slid herself down into their crater with such a jestery glee.

"What?! Who??!" Novea, naturally, was extremely confused. "W-who are you? What are you doing here?! Huh??" She was still recuperating from the startle, let alone the arrival of what seemed to be a random lady.

But the Protector, meanwhile, had gone completely silent—rigid. A tension tightened her posture, breaths uneased… Strangely enough, she felt a familiarity—one so vague and immemorial yet nevertheless still there. And the eminence that followed this one… "[An abyss…]"

"Congratulations!" the mysterious stranger, having landed, so spoke; she began to approach them with a situationally inappropriate smile. "I am here to rescue you two!"

Novea too was getting a weird sense from this one… However, the overbearingness of this horrid sphere suffocated and drowned the senses with its rot; she could not tell potential threat or danger. But the elf only seemed to become more nervous the closer she approached—an observation Novea was not naive to.

Yet upon arrival, this woman merely stood before them. "Hm…" She eyed as if inspecting, before promptly going closer to Novea, hunching down.

Novea felt strange as those hazel-brown eyes stared into her hazel-amber own. "Yellow…?" Indeed, she noticed the outlined shine. "What… What is this? Who even are you?? How did you even…get in here??" She was only becoming more unsettled.

"Remain calm, please. We do not have any time." Neither flowery nor rhythmic, the stranger's voice was calm and casual—a soothing and almost…songful tone to it.

"Alrightly… I'll…be calm…" Novea was starting to calm… For some reason, it was hard to distrust this one even though she had every rational reason to distrust.

"Hm…" As if making conclusions, the stranger stepped back. From a strange brown storage satchel, she took out an instrument of sorts that looked almost akin to a small pistol—a dark industrialish brown color, synthetic and artificial, and a shape that was angular and geometric yet slightly more rounded.

Despite visible contrasts, by now Novea was nevertheless familiarized enough with another pattern of alien-looking angular and geometric, silver-white, gizmos to be immediately concerned. "Is…that…a weapon? A shooter?"

"Not really…" Her voice was obviously focused.

The mysterious stranger began to tap at a small pad at the very top of the thing in her hand, the display of which was unseen by them for it was angled her way. Abruptly, the instrument's 'barrel' or tip expanded. Novea flinched as threads of gold light reached out to tickle and touch as if probing her being—or rather, that which was imbued far deeper.

"Wow. You are awfully resilient." that woman softly remarked, evaluating the display; "Despite the sheer exposure, you are…not too bad—below even the typical expectation. Though, there is still evident… Hm." She tapped the pad. "I can see why there is an interest in you, little birdy." She winked.

"Uhuh…" Novea was confused yet also…a little blushy. "Wait, did you just call me…" By the time that offhanded remark had finally hit her, the stranger was already approaching the Protector—who promptly tensed upon her arrival.

Indeed, the elf kept her eyes down and evasive. She tightened as the same scan was conducted on her.

"You, on the flip end…" the woman began to remark; "[Yikes.]"

"[You speak my tongue?]" The Protector finally looked up, surprised to hear her tongue spoken. "[What do you mean 'yikes'? Such a crude word…]"

"[Although unshifted and not yet beastly, certainly—terribly—tainted. Exceptionally fast too.]" she thus explained; "[You must have been left vulnerable from previous exposure, or…]" She looked into her… "[An interlock scar, maybe?]"

"[Silence!]" The elf jolted up slightly, having understood. "[There was nothing of that sort!]" Her breaths were charged and defensive.

"[Hm. If you insist.]" the stranger simply replied; "[Although, not that I was implying. It could be a born sensitivity or inherited vulnerability. Every soul is different.]"

Remaining focused, she stepped back and took out a strange…thin and smooth cylinder or canister of sorts. Material transparent, it was visibly filled with a bizarre glowing fluid of sorts; gold in radiance, creamish-like, and almost 'ethereal'—as if between gaseous and liquid.

"Alrightly," she began to say, "I need you two to trust me."

Pressing a button on her instrument, a slot of sorts popped out and snapped upwards, opening; she inserted the cylindrical canister, which locked in place.

"Things are going to get really nasty in the city up there, and I need to get you two out of here. But before I can do that, you need to let me do this to you." Suddenly, a very menacing-looking needle popped out from her instrument's tip. "It is going to hurt—a lot—but it is for your own good."

"Uhm…" Novea immediately tensed, not liking the look of that menacing tip in that stranger's hand. "…it depends on…what…you are…intending to…do…with that thing…"

The woman sighed, not wanting to waste time. "You know what medicine is, surely? It is kind of like that—a 'serum'. It'll help purify you of the 'bad stuff' and also provide a…protective coating, we'll call it, that taint like this would have to chew through first."

"I… I see…" Novea…hesitant…nodded her head; "…and if we don't…take this 'medicine'?"

"This stuff doesn't just eat mana—it tries to…change it; nudge it towards its direction. Natural resilience or not, it always leaves behind scars—even if you feel fine. You put yourself at a greater vulnerability to its effects and risk future complications biting you… One of you"—she eyed the elf—"most especially… "

"Uhuh…" Novea was…not sure if she understood. However, "f… Fine." she nevertheless budged.

"[Huh?]" And the Protector glared at her… "[What? You should not—]"

"[What worse a fate could befall us than being held as breeding cattle?]" Novea interjected, bluntly… "Do whatever you need to do… Just… Please, get us out of here."

The mysterious woman thus approached Novea first. "Rightly, so… Turn around, please. I need your neck."

"Alrightly…" Novea hesitantly complied, turning herself around… Unable to see what was happening, she tensed—nervous… She felt her hood be lowered, fingers brushing the back of her neck as if trying to find a very specific spot.

"You need to relax—otherwise, it'll hurt more."

Novea tried her best to relax… Breathing in and out…

Before, abruptly, such a sharp jab pricked a particular spot between her neck and head, between cord and stem; the sensation pierced the very fibers of her being, radiating throughout all her nerves as if jabbing needles. "Mgh…" Her teeth gritted her lip, discomforted and in pain.

As the radiant fluid was emptied from its canister, almost immediately effects were both seen and felt. Novea's eyes flashed in partial ignition, an outline emerging on her irises which flickered cyan then gold, her nerves so faintly pulsing; a shivering 'sting' reverberated as if sharply 'scratching' a strange 'itch' within her very essence—a sensation of discomfort so bizarre for it was hardly felt even if experienced.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Then, suddenly…

Relief.

The pain was gone. Her eyes stabilized, the outline returning to a basal cyan although still slightly gold-pinched, dimming before vanishing.

"And we're done. Good job." The woman smiled, taking the jabber out. "That wasn't so bad, hm?" She quickly detached the sharp jabber from her injector's tip and popped out the now empty cylinder, discarding both into a separate satchel.

"Huh…" Novea breathed, feeling so…different… Indeed, only now, in the absence, had it become apparent that this sphere had been subtly affecting her, despite the lack of any overt feelings—for the irritation had been deeper within. "I feel…normaler again—great, even… Yeah…" It was a sensation hard to describe.

"Just be prepared for your girly friend to sniff you out, teh." In her usual fashion, she of course had to say that.

"Huh?" Novea jolted as if having been jabbed again. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Yet the stranger did not answer. She simply loaded a new—clean—jabber into her injector, popping another serum-filled cylinder into its slot, and approached the Protector. "[Turn yourself, please.]"

The distrusting elf merely eyed, before ultimately complying with a sigh; she turned herself and exposed her neck. "[You are not affected by this mist…]" She had noticed.

"[Not as strongly, no; it is that very property we are using.]" The stranger inserted the sharp tip and injected the gold glowing serum, which promptly dissolved and absorbed itself into both nerves and essence.

The elf too was struck by a deeply scratching sting and igniting flicker, yet one far more intense than Novea. Her outlined eyes flickered a flare as lavender so reactively shifted more pale magenta, throbbing as nerves pulsed a piercing quiver. The sensation, the pain and discomfort, was rather immense. She tried not to groan nor grunt, though she did wince. But by its end, soothing relief washed throughout her being… Her outlined eyes stabilized…yet still remained more lavender hue than their former blue.

"[You should not expect a full return to your former normalcy.]" Such words said, the stranger discarded both the emptied cylinder and the used jabber; she then stored her injector and backed away. "Alrightly!" She spun herself with a single clap. "Let's get you two pretty ladies out of here!"

"How?" Novea plainly asked.

"Same way I got in here—the not-so-secret…tunnel…that…" Her voice began to drift, alongside her outlined eyes, glancing a specific direction… «Mother fucker—right on the dot, huh?»

Indeed, the elf tensed as her breaths condensed, her pointy ears hearing…

Those grotesque stomps amidst which were emerging chuckles.

With a deep breath, the woman—that stranger—turned herself to face. "Honey…" Her eye glanced at Novea. "You're a dagger girl, rightly?"

"Uhm…" Novea looked at her… "I…guess? Y-yeah? Why?"

"Give me one, please." Her hand demanded.

"…uh." Novea ultimately provided one of her remaining throwing daggers.

"Thanks." She kept the dagger under her sleeve. "Stay behind me." She stepped herself forward, the two remaining behind her.

The stomps drew closer before, as if on cue, the beast so emerged atop the crater's edge; his grin was so wide, indeed. "Ahaha!" His clawed hands clapped and clapped as he chuckled, sliding himself down into the crater. "Well, well… If it isn't the maker of deals herself! I knew I was sniffing something… Such a distinct presence, empty but filled."

"…maker of deals?" Novea, of course, quickly noted.

The Protector's breaths meanwhile heavied, as if yet another flash of familiarity struck her being; though, she kept silent…

The woman, however, kept her focus…as the beast began to casually approach.

"I was wondering when you would appear again…" he spoke with open arms; "Well, as you see, I have kept them both alive and held, as requested. I hope we see eye to eye as for why."

"What…is he…talking about?" Novea was still paying attention. "He knows you? Wait… Are you…the 'they' he was talking about?"

The woman tsked; thus evaporated any trust, she thought. Paying no mind to the interrogating Raven behind, "Sorry, love." she simply replied, eyes on the beast; "You must have me confused with someone else. I have many sisters."

"Voice so sweet yet flavored with poison… No… I believe I am mistaken not…"

"Believe whatever you may. You will be reduced to naught." she so replied, her gold-outlined eyes shining.

"Hm?" He halted at a distance he felt safe. "Aren't you pleased? I did exactly as you asked—even more than that! Can't you see…" His eyes gazed up to his queen… "The city falls tonight—exactly as desired, no? Even your masters praised me so."

"You moved too fast, gone too far, and ignored direct instructions." she stated, blunt.

"Ahah…" His eyes dropped back to her… "No flowers in your voice? No song or dance… What happened? Ah…" He licked his fangs as if smelling… "You…are scared—terrified; you are terrified. Oh, how the spear's edge has flipped… Now who fears whom." His voice was not particularly rhythmic either.

She just turned her lips aside, blandly staring without reply.

The beast's ignited eyes shifted to those two now standing behind; his nose sniffed a rumble… "One was slowly shifting, I last smelled… Yet now her scent has changed, curious." He looked at the woman. "You arrive unannounced; I was told to hold them as for reward I thought." Baring teeth, his face wrinkled. "Yet… Ah… I see it now… I was deceived, was I not?! Betrayal, thus… It seems forfeit is our deal."

"You forfeited first, let's be real." she replied, ground held.

"From me, my own consorts you sought to steal." He scowled a snarl. "Ah, to the contrary, to them I shall add…you! Yes…" He grinned. "An exchange, if you will… You and I…shall have that 'date'—the start of a new life."

"Yet you will find me a sterile wife." she merely replied. «Hive…»

{We do not have time for this. Their extraction remains priority. I will guide them out.}

There was a short pause.

{Ad aeterniam.}

«…» There was a delay, a subtle jitter in her breaths. «Ah-hah, fuck… Knew it…»

{This outcome was always a probability…}

Closing her eyes for a second, she inhaled. «One more time,» she exhaled; «Can I hear it?»

A name was said one more time.

{Distraction is the objective… Go crazy.}

She smiled, taking in another breath. «Acknowledged.»

"Whispering, were we?" Although the words had remained obscure, the beast saw her lips moving.

Yet, abruptly, it was as if there was a…'change in the winds', so to speak; as if opening within this nebulous chamber…a vacuous abyss.

"Ah…" And he could tell. "A duel, then? I can smell it from you…" He snorted his lips. "I might be weakened, but I remain empowered and embraced by the queen… You will find no salvation or—"

"Sal. Salvation?" In an almost twitching snap, her head so tilted. "Meheh. A duel? Is this a duel? Heh… Hehehe, a duel?" She began to giggle such an ugly giggle, looking into him with such a horribly wide grin. "I have survived calamity and war, and I am going to die to a fucking testicular tumor and a murderous corpse-raping rapist!" Her open smile only became more terrifying, her tilting head tilting more. "You have no idea, my little darling… Mehehe… How fun I am going to make this."

Her gold-outlined eyes brightened. Sliding Novea's dagger out from her sleeve, she tossed it into the air. Immediately latching onto it were strings—roots—of essence invisible to the eye, making it appear as if levitating. Her hand, raised, clenched as such smooth floury radiance proceeded to engulf the dagger, molding its shape as from one split two then four then eight then sixteen then thirty-two… Glimmery and exotic in hardened composition, each that same radiant gold; each held stationary by command of her raised hand.

"Uh…" The beast was perhaps beginning to realize…

Yet with his ignited eyes distracted by her daggers' display, in a swift move, the smiling Jester swung her leg upwards and flicked up her skirt, her other hand taking out from a hidden holster…

"WHAT?!"

Spur-ratatat.

So immediately did such a barrage of thin yet potent gold-streaming bolts come blasting his way. So instantly, with less than a microsecond, had his essence unleashed itself to envelop him in such choppy and grainy radiance as if a purplish shroud of visual static.

The beast had reflexively recoiled back, arms instinctually shielding his face, his mind only now processing what was happening; that he was still standing. The exotic bolts of blasting gold pummeled away at his essence's protective covering, which absorbed the bursting impacts yet…at a shredding cost.

And the bolts did not stop.

"Hehe-hahaha!" the Jester so laughed, her bizarre sidearm retaining its suppressive fire; "You have no idea how long I have been yearning to stretch my wings! It's been so long!!! Gehehahaha!" Giggling away with such an awful thrill, her raised hand finally opened, swiping forth in a waving motion; all her conjured daggers swiftly went lancing.

"AGGH! You fiend!"

In radiant trail, the daggers struck his protective shroud, shatter-bursting with sparkly glimmer, chewing away even if not penetrating.

The beast was pinned in place from this two-modal barrage, being pelted by gold bolts and reforging daggers unrelenting.

"…" "[…]"

Neither Novea nor the Protector had any words whatsoever.

Yet with an ahem, "Alrightly, you two!" The woman's brightened eyes glanced their way, her demeanor almost uncannily flipping from maddened jester to calm heroine. "Do you see a golden butterfly?"

"Huh? What??" Novea, utterly confused, began to eye up and around… "No? What… Wait…" Indeed. "Yeah…? Yeah, I see it! I see it!"

"Follow it!" the woman so shouted; "It will lead you out of here!"

"QUEEN! PROTECT ME!"

«Fuck…» She realized…the sudden shift. "GET GOING, NOW! YOU DON'T HAVE TIME!"

"R-rightly!" Promptly, Novea refocused and began to climb up the crater.

The Protector, however, did not immediately follow; as if enthralled, she just kept staring…

"What are you doing?! Climb!" Novea, seeing, pleaded.

The elf shook her head, snapping out of it. "[Right…]" She too began to climb.

Once they reached the crater's top, pulling themselves out and up, they saw the sea of luminescence both blue and purple…brightening; they saw vines, once stationary, now twitching and bending; they saw glowing flowers turn their floral heads, tendril tails curling upright, as if…eyes were opening…everywhere.

The whole sphere was responding to the grim walker's pleas.

With no time to contemplate, consider trust, or even think…the two began to run. They followed that soft and plasmic smooth butterfly which so led them away to their escape…

Meanwhile, in the city above, soldiers and guards frantically blocked whatever manholes existed; they motioned to seal and lock the sewers' primary entrances, to the banging screams of those who were too late, left trapped to their fate. Yet beneath them, roots threaded themselves ever deeper; vines tunneled and wormed themselves ever higher; as cracks began to form in the pavement, deepening, subtly sprouting through which were those luminescent veins, extending.

Thus began, indeed… Grandberry's Fall.

Quiet silence…

Nilia remained frozen and static, sitting there as if her nerves had become far too heavy to move. Truth be told, it was almost as if she had sunken even deeper into…this absurd pit.

{D-M-NE!}

Suddenly, such a buzz rang her ear, causing a slight jerk of motion. Her hand covering as to obscure, she tried to so discreetly respond, yet only to pause… Her mask-obscured eyes widened as such a strange feeling washed her insides…

Fly.

Bee was reporting… Contact had been reestablished with Fly—her little automaton having just narrowly managed to squeeze itself out. It was back on the surface… Alive and functional…

Yet no prolonged relief was allowed… For alongside Fly came also all of its collected data

And, indeed, her sentinel was rapid in its bweeping beep-boops, attempting to convey the stream of information flooding it. And Bee only seemed to become more rapid—almost frantic.

« Slow. Némî çelidre vas… »

She actually had to whisper directly. Her sentinel was sputtering so fast, it was hard to understand—and Bee was rarely this incomprehensible.

Yet unable to convey or describe or even get the point across, her sentinel ultimately condensed everything she could have possibly needed to know…into one single concise sequence.

« …thirteen, single-six…double-seven…triple-five… »

Nilia decoded, and as she did, something subtly shifted in her breaths… The weight of those numbers alone was enough to snap her out of any pit, resetting her as if by a switch's flip.

Thirteen, single-six, double-seven, triple-five.

Emergency Protocol 130677555.

Imminent cataclysm within less than six standard hours. Immediate and total evacuation of surrounding denizen localities required; local authorities dissolved. Command overridden: all available units respond.

« Return Fly to me, ģe núc. »

Indeed… Whatever had kept her body frozen, her mind stuck, so instantly thawed. She lanced herself up and stood upright, trying to remain focused—inhibited. Yet her silent breaths remained tense with a genuinely perturbed weight…

Her sentinel would not have invoked that protocol unless matters were not merely bad, but a potentially catastrophic containment scenario.

She needed to return to her equipment as fast as possible and develop an immediate plan of action…

Although, first thing was first…

She needed to break out of here.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.