Gabby awoke to a foul smell of soil and wood. She opened her eyes and saw three bodies on the floor. One was wearing white sleeves, bloodied with yellow liquid. He have pale brown hair and a fair complexion. He looked rather tensed, despite the fact that his eyes were closed shut. He died fighting, perhaps. As claws were still there, bloodied with what seems like black blood.
A yellow reaper!
Gabby looked at the other remains and saw a blonde woman, laying on her back. Despite not seeing her face she immediately knew it was Qida.
The one beside her wore gray outfit similar to Tara. A gray reaper. But since he was laying flat on his face she couldn't tell who the hooded reaper was.
She felt like puking after seeing them.
All three have severed parts. They don't look that much alive. But if they were dead, they should have evaporated into thin air, right?
WINTER: They're still alive...barely, painfully enduring the pain if you're wondering.
Winter spoke nonchalantly.
That was when Gabby realized it was no dream. That what happened before were all real.
GABBY: Winter! But...something bit you, right?! How are you feeling?
Winter stared at her with his fierce yellow eyes and reached for his back. When he withdraw his hand, yellow liquid was dripping out of it.
WINTER: I'll lose my life force in no time...but I hope I have you out of here before it.
GABBY: Winter!
Gabby immediately rips off half of her shirt and wraps it around the reaper's bite wound. Winter laughed a bit seeing how much she tries to help.
WINTER: Hey, Gabby.
Gabby looked at him, eyes in the verge of tears.
WINTER: You love him so much, huh?
GABBY: I...yes.
WINTER: Please...if ever I disappear, tell Vixen to forget all the stuff I said before.
Gabby felt her heart ache hearing Winter's words. It felt like farewell.
GABBY: No! You are not dying, you barely interacted! Vixen will not be happy...Winter Fox ship for life, remember? Please...don't say such things. We'll make it out alive.
Tears began to fall from her cheeks and the sight looked so wrenching. Winter felt his heart tighten up in guilt and tried to wipe them away.
WINTER: Crybaby.
GABBY: Stop teasing me and confirm we'll both live.
WINTER: You cry but you still look as gorgeous. Thank you for being sweet. I kinda understand now..
GABBY: Understand what?
WINTER: Why the odd-eyed reaper fell for you. I really didn't understand at first since I despise weak women.
GABBY: But Winter! Promise me you'd survive this!
WINTER: Well, I'm still unsure of how the bite works.
Gabby began to cry again, knowing that she was the root of his misery once again. If only she could protect those same people who protects her.
WINTER: H-hey! Argh for God's sake, don't cry every two minutes!
The yellow reaper began wiping her tears despite feeling feeble, but Gabby refused.
GABBY: Worry about yourself for now, I'll find our way out.
Winter's eyes quickly widened by her bold statement, but somehow smiled, feeling quite impressed. Yet knowing that it's an unexplored and alien place, half of him doubted her capabilities, especially with little to no combat skills.
...
Gabby heard a few movements from behind, she reluctantly tried to look, but even with her best to see through, she can't make out the figure hiding in the darkness. All she could see were small goblins peeping. But she knew somewhere, there was another creature watching them.
Shrugging off the feeling, Gabby scanned the room to see any passage out, but Winter quickly put a hand on her shoulder to catch her attention.
WINTER: Don't.
GABBY: Why?
Winter leaned to her ear and whispered softly.
WINTER: Something is watching. Even outside. Simply finding a way out won't benefit us. We need someone to navigate the way OUT for us. We don't know this place.
GABBY: But how can we? Do goblins know out language? Can they understand English? Japanese?
WINTER: Not, really. They mostly rely on the tone of your voice. The more dominant your voice sounds, the more they'd tend to follow.
GABBY: Well, you have a dominant voice! I can t-
WINTER: Heh. Yeah, let me give it a try then.
Winter stood up, although the snake venom had took a toll on him already. The reaper winced in pain almost immediately, and was about to fall down much painfully if not for Gabby quickly supporting him till he slowly falls down.
GABBY: No, I mean...let me try it too. I wanna try sounding like you and stuff.
WINTER: Sure you won't scream? Goblins look a bit...eh.
GABBY: I...I think I've seen much scarier things than these. They can't be scarier than fictional goblins, right?
She slowly looked at the far corner, and began to look serious. She walked there with no hurry, looking back at Winter from time to time.
Then the small creatures looked up at her, revealing themselves from the dark.
They have a very rough looking texture, and smells bad. They also have sharp claws, and bumps were all over their bodies. Pointed teeth and brownish blood on their teeth, it was enough for Gabby to rethink her life choices.
WINTER: You good, there?
GABBY: I, yeah! Totally! They look cute! (Even demons look much appealing than this, damn!)
The small creatures suddenly felt her distaste and in turn, tried to walk towards her. Panicking, she quickly backed up and fell in the process.
Winter felt awfully worried, but no matter how hard he tries to stand, his legs would fail him time and time again.
WINTER: Gabby!
Now in no way to have enough time to stand and run, Gabby quickly tried to throw the closest goblin away from her.
But upon contact, the goblin's head quickly wilted and died. The other goblins were in complete disbelief, but tried to attack her anyways.
Gabby, wanting to help Winter, tried to hold the creatures. But not all of them were that stupid. Some managed to claw and bite her arm. And while already enduring the pain, she swallowed it all up and continued to block every other goblin from reaching Winter.
Comfreyy quickly revealed herself from the darkness the time Gabby could barely stand. Her shirt and pants had been torn apart and if not for her interverance, she knew Gabby would be killed.
The fairy quickly swooped her up.
COMFREYY: Now goblins can't reach you up here. Everytime I scoop you down, touch them by then, okay?
GABBY: Alright!
Gabby touched them everytime Comfreyy lowers her. And it seemed very effective. In no time, there was no goblin moving left. Winter was at extreme shock and his jaw was left open. Gabby, the one he's with was that deadly. Since when did she...?
COMFREYY: I don't know who you are but...I believe you're a friend.
GABBY: But how about you? Were you imprisoned like us? Did you know about the reapers slowly dying of flare, over there?
COMFREYY: No. I'm taken here like you. But with the goblins gone, I could help you escape. Fairies have very vivid memory. So listen to me.
GABBY: Wait...I...I can't take you with us? Why?
COMFREYY: Just listen. I can't leave. If I did, things will not be good.
GABBY: How can we escape on our own then? Without you, we'd be done for.
Comfreyy then held her arms and closed her eyes. In a span of a minute, a bright blue glow shimmered in the room. And those same wounds disappeared.
COMFREYY: Leave this place. Take your friend.
GABBY: You...you healed me! Can you do the same to my friend over there?
COMFREYY: Reapers require a lot of...I mean yes.
She reluctantly moved towards the reaper. Who gave her a slightly suspicious look.
WINTER: I smell something...something different from you. Like you're hiding-
COMFREYY: The time I replenish your wounds, and extract the poison from you, I'd be too weak to follow. Take the girl with you and follow the floating orb behind my back. That will be your guide. No matter what, make it out alive. And send help. Silas...Silas is his name.
Winter had far too many questions, but he decided not to ask. He then looked at the reapers placed on the tables.
WINTER: How about them?
COMFREYY: Far from saving. Sorry.
WINTER: Wait...really?
COMFREYY: I'm sorry. Please leave.
Winter felt his wounds close and his energy come back.
GABBY: Ah! You're okay!
WINTER: Ah, yeah, but your tattered clothes. You'll feel cold.
COMFREYY: There's clothes inside that box on the far corner.
Gabby quickly went to open it and saw that the white kimono were the same as the ones the twin sisters were wearing.
GABBY: Wait-
COMFREYY: Just take it. Then leave quickly. If they find out that you're both still alive, you'd end up like the owner of those kimonos. Silas will have no mercy.