[Asher's Perspective]
"YEEAGH!" The Cursed Spirit's guttural cry echoed as it exerted strength into its arms, propelling me upward. Swiftly, I descended with shadow wings, slashing its cheek with the razor edge of my sword. In retaliation, it seized my leg, delivering a forceful elbow to my gut before flinging me through the sky like a baseball pitcher hurling a fastball. Caught off guard and in excruciating pain, I gritted my teeth, hurtling through the air.
Every fiber of my being ached. My vision turned red and hazy, and the cacophony of muffled screams and monstrous snarls filled my ears. The realization hit me – I couldn't overcome this Cursed Spirit alone. It was too strong. From the looks of it, it was only a Rank 1 Cursed Spirit, with 5 being highest ranking in power — yet still, even a Rank 1 was too strong for me.
The Cursed Spirit materialized above my mid-air form, seizing me by the collar of my shirt, administering two brutal punches before tossing me into the air and concluding with a powerful roundhouse kick. I soared through the air, my body making a harsh impact against a lifeless Black Reaper.
As I lay battered and bruised, my vision still tainted with red, the Cursed Spirit grinned sadistically.
"Oh, and here I thought you might give me more of a challenge," the Cursed Spirit cooed, its deep, sultry voice coming close to my ear.
"Any last words, Vamp?"
A sudden breath of anticipation and fear came in my lungs, and my eyes widened.
I wondered, Is this it? I get brought back to life by some sick Vampire society, just to get thrown away as fodder for the horrors of Achiron?
Amidst the chaos, gunfire erupted, causing the Cursed Spirit to vanish in a blur of speed. Through the haze, I discerned the blurry figure of Paige approaching, her eyes filled with worry. She rummaged through her backpack for the medical kit, wrapping my shoulder in a bandage and wiping my face with an alcohol-dampened cloth.
"Asher… none of us have managed to get close to The Scorpion," she confided, referring to her empty Vessel. "But you've filled yours up halfway. You've fought well, but you need to focus on that."
"I'm not done, I can fight—" I protested.
"Please, Asher, just… stay down for a little while," Paige pleaded, grabbing my hand. "Fierce… he…"
"Is he dead?" I croaked out, my voice hoarse.
"No, but he said… he'll fight off the Cursed Spirit while you finish filling up your Vessel." Paige looked like she was holding back tears.
A small gasp escaped me. Fierce was putting himself in harm's way for me? Despite the pain, I sighed, attempting to regain composure amidst the surrounding chaos.
"RAGGGH!" Fierce's scream cut through the chaos, and I strained to see. Sure enough, in the darkness, Fierce's eccentric blue hair and bulky form clashed with the white-haired Cursed Spirit, shadows and sparks flying.
"All right… I can do this." I breathed deeply, staggering to my feet, strengthening my grip on my Extractor. "Paige…"
Paige looked at me with tearful eyes. I wanted to reassure her, but the truth felt elusive.
"Stay alive. Me, you, and Fierce… we're stronger than the rest."
FWOO!
With that, I launched into the air with my shadow wings, making my third attempt. I reached The Scorpion's hand, stabbing the Extractor into her skin and activating the mechanism. The black blood flowed into the Vessel on my hip, the digital indicator finally glowing 'Full.'
"Yeah! Yes! Yes!" I exclaimed, grinning despite the pain.
Observing the chaos below, I noticed Fierce still fighting, Paige slashing through hordes, and Ascended Vampires battling to reach The Scorpion. Vazeel, the Captain, fought among them.
Looking down at my full Vessel, a sense of accomplishment surged. Yet, the battle below raged on. The thought of bringing the blood back through the portal crossed my mind.
"Well, the next thing to do now is take this back through the portal… when will they open it again though?" I muttered, looking off into the distance. "In training, they said it'd be a 45 minute Run, shouldn't they have opened the portal by now?"
Suddenly, it happened. The enormous, black portal opened in the distance. I shot forward towards it, propelling my shadow wings in one powerful motion, and reached the other side of the portal before anyone else. I landed, running into the Portal Room, breathing heavily.
"Wait… where's Paige? Where's Fierce?" I murmured, my heart skipping a beat.
As if on cue, they ran through the portal, appearing on the dock. Paige rushed towards me, crying, and I fell with her, silently comforting her. I glanced at Fierce, bloodied and battered, nodding.
"All in a day's work, Ash. We survived. That means something."
Vazeel approached, exchanging a vigorous grip with Fierce. Covered in blood and grime, he grinned. They clutched their filled Vessels.
"Congratulations, you three. You survived your first Run."
He turned to me.
"I saw you out there, Asher. First Ascended Vampire to fly, I reckon. That's some talent. I commend your efforts on the field. See you all in the showers."
Gritting my teeth, I recalled the gore I just witnessed, and how I would have to go through it again.
"I'm gonna kill that Cursed Spirit, if I see it again…" I muttered, my voice low. "Next time… I'll be stronger."
[Later that evening…]
In the lively cafeteria at The Red Desert Runner base, we, the surviving team, gathered to refuel. Celeste, now part of the crew, joined me, Paige, and Fierce at our table. Exhaustion and relief lingered as we dove into our meals.
Amidst the tray clatter and Runner chatter, a quiet moment unfolded. Nursing my wounds, I looked at each of them, our camaraderie deepened by the day's challenges.
Paige, absorbed in her meal, glanced at me with a mix of gratitude and concern. Fierce, with a broken nose, nodded at Celeste, acknowledging her presence with a subtle smile.
"I say we strike," Paige said, her tone grave. "I can't do another Run, guys."
I sighed, chewing a piece of bread. "Neither can I."
Fierce crossed his arms, shaking his head. "What the hell does the Queen want with this Best Blood anyway? It all sounds fishy to me, and we risk our lives to get the stuff."
"Yeahh, I've thought about that too," I responded, nodding. "I guess Queen Hundred went soft and decided feeding on Humans isn't so nice after all?"
Fierce scoffed. "I don't know what happened. All I know is that I was a Human before this, then I was a… thing, whatever you call it—"
"A Common Vampire," I said.
"Yeah. And now… I have to deal with this shit." Fierce took a fierce bite from a steak.
"We're all in the same boat, then," Paige said, glancing at me. "We're all Ascended. None of us belong in this world… none of us should even have to fight, but… we can't overpower them."
"The Vampires always have their way," I said resolutely, scowling. "Yeah, and what's that mean for us? Are we not Vampires too?"
"Not in their eyes," Fierce said. "We're defects to them. Failed lab experiments. They think we're weak, and expendable. That's why they put us in this stupid program."
"It still amazes me that you guys were able to survive," Celeste said, her fairy wings fluttering as she hovered over the table. "I've never been to Achiron myself, only heard stories — but, my tribe were once allies with the native people there — the Achironians, or some people call them Underworlders. When all species lived above ground, they were also there in Nocturnastra. They were driven to the Underworld by the Elder Vampires. The Underworld is a dangerous place, death waits at every corner."
"The Achironians, yeah," I said, nodding. "The green-skinned people with the pointy ears? Baffles me that there are things besides horrific monsters in Achiron. Do you know what they're like? How do they survive?"
"They were once called Orocs. They are a strong people, once known far and wide for their might," Celeste said, her tone taking on that of an educated historian. "If anyone were to be able to survive Achiron's dangerous environment, it'd be the Orocs. I'm glad you all made it back alive."
"Thank you, Celeste," Paige replied, sighing and swirling a straw around a glass of water, her cybernetic eyes glowing. "Let's hope we survive the next one."
"Eh, you know what Vazeel says about the first Run," Fierce smirked. "Runner's luck. Next time, let's go in with a plan."
We all smirked, nodding. I chewed steak, nodding. "And let's train our asses off in the meantime."
"Hell yeah!"