Coughing violently, Theo fell to his knees, blood dripping from his mouth as his vision blurred. Slowly, he lifted his head, eyes struggling to focus.
There, standing before him, was a figure holding what appeared to be an animal in her left hand, the shape barely discernible through his fading sight.
"You've definitely seen better days. Come on, let me help you up." said the figure, a voice Theo thought to be recognizable.
The figure helped him up to his feet, and just as he steadied himself, the animal in her left arm gave a loud quack revealing itself to be a duck.
Taking out a flask filled with a blue liquid, small bits of flesh floating inside, the figure gave it to Theo. Weakly, he took it and drank it all, the warmth of the potion's effect spreading through his body as he finally managed to focus on tje figure before him.
It clicked—Yuni.
She glanced at him with a smirk, the blue duck nestled in her let arm quacking loudly.
"Why do you have a duck with you?" Theo asked, his voice strained.
"It's cute, so yes." she answered nonchalantly, her gaze drifting over him. Her eyes widened as she took in his battered state—dried blood, fresh wounds, and torn clothing.
"What in the seven Hells happened to you?" she asked, her tone shifting to sarcastic concern.
Theo winced, wiping the blood from his mouth, and gave a half hearted shrug.
"Fighting... long story."
Whoosh!
A sharp strike tore through Yuni's left shoulder, blood splattering as her eyes instinctively darted toward the source. From the hallway to her left emerged a figure—half-man, half-snake. His scaled lower half slithered swiftly, while his upper body held the two harpoons, one of which dripped with fresh blood.
"I won't let you reach the throne!" the serpent-man bellowed, his voice filled with venomous rage, as he lunged at them with terrifying speed.
Yuni grimaced, clutching her shoulder while stepping back, "You're one angry fish!" she shouted, her eyes narrowing as she prepared for an imminent fight.
Quack, quack!
Frost began to form around the duck's beak as it raised both wings high. In an instant, a concentrated beam of ice shot forward, piercing through the serpent-man's head. His body froze mid-lunge before collapsing lifelessly to the floor, blood spraying across the walls and pooling beneath him.
Theo blinked in stunned silence, his eyes shifting between the duck and the now-dead assailant, "What the hell...?" he muttered, his voice trailing off in disbelief.
Yuni smirked, despite the pain in her shoulder, "I told you it's cute," she said, motioning toward the duck. "And apparently deadly."
Theo shook his head in pure confusion, still processing what had just happened. He couldn't quite grasp how a duck—of all things—had just been taken down an enemy like that.
Yuni, wincing from pain in her shoulder, led the way as they walked down the winding hallway. The palace around them was a labyrinth, its design deliberately constructed to be inescapable.
Only those who lived inside its walls for years truly understood the intricate paths, the hidden corners, and the deadly traps that were woven into its very structure.
"How much longer do you think we'll be able to navigate this place?" Theo asked, his eyes scanning the endless corridors, all of them looking eerily similar.
Yuni didn't answer right away as she took a deep breath before replying, "Depends on how many more of those weirdos are lurking around." she muttered, her focus sharp as she kept moving forward.
As they stepped into a massive chamber, an overwhelming sense of unease washed over them. The room was dimly lit, the eerie glow from the palace walls casting long shadows that danced across the floor. It didn't take them a long time to realize—they weren't alone.
The duck quacked sharply, tugging at Yuni's legs as if trying to warn her. Without hesitation, she scooped it into her arms, its small body trembling slightly. Theo, on the other hand, tightened his grip on his blunderbuss, his expression grim and ready for a fight.
Then came the sound—thud... thud... thud... Heavy footsteps echoed from all directions, growing louder with each passing moment.
From the surrounding darkness, they emerged. Hundreds of grotesque figures slithered into view, their lower halves that of serpents and their upper bodies humanoid. Each one clutched a trident or spear, their eyes gleaming with malice.
The air was filled with their guttural screams, a chorus of rage and bloodlust that reverberated throughout the chamber, making the walls tremble. Yuni's grip on the duck tightened as her gaze darted across the sea of enemies.
Theo stepped forward, raising the blunderbuss with a determined glare, "This just keeps getting better." he muttered underneath his breath, bracing himself for the battle to come.
Yuni's face twisted into a fierce scowl, her eyes blazing with determination. She spun around in a graceful yet deadly motion, clutching the duck tightly in her arms. The duck opened its beak wide, releasing beams of icy energy in every direction.
As she turned, she became a whirling storm of frost, freezing serpent-humanoids in their tracks and leaving a trail of shimmering ice sculptures in her wake.
Meanwhile, Theo slid through the chaos with practiced precision, weaving between the slithering enemies. As he moved, he pulled a crystal grenade from his belt and hurled it into a dense cluster of serpent-men.
Boom!
The grenade erupted in a dazzling display of crackling electricity, bolts of lightning arching wildly and frying anything within its radius. The air was filled with the sharp smell of ozone and the agonized screams of their enemies as their bodies convulsed before collapsing lifelessly on the ground.
Theo drew his saber, its edge gleaming with an eerie blue light as he carved his way through the endless horde of serpent-men. Blood sprayed in every direction, staining the icy ground beneath his feet. Amid the chaos, a chilling, almost unhinged laughter echoed through the massive chamber.
Glancing back, Theo's eyes went still into a deadpan look at the sight of Yuni. Her face was twisted into a massive grin, her expression equal parts exhilarated and terrifying. She had the duck tucked under her arm like a makeshift weapon, gripping it tightly as if it were a crossbow.
Each time she pulled on it, the duck unleashed another beam of freezing energy, piercing through the serpent-men with deadly precision and reckless movement. The air grew colder with every shot, frost clinging to the walls and floors as frozen bodies piled up around them.
Theo shook his head in disbelief, muttering underneath his breath, "That duck's more dangerous than us combined."
Crack!
In an instant, reality itself shattered, fragments of the air breaking like glass and spiraling into nothingness. The shards frantically mended themselves, twisting and merging back into place, as if terrified of the power that had undone them.
Theo and Yuni whipped around, their breathes caught in their breaths. Behind them stood none other than Leviathas. His expression remained indifferent and cold, yet his eyes burned with malice that sent shivers down their spines.
In his left hand, the dark blue trident gleamed ominously, its edge dripping with fresh blood that hissed as it touched the ground.
"Found you." Leviathas hissed, his voice colder than ice and laced with venom. But he wasn't looking at Theo or Yuni.
No... His piercing gaze was locked on none other than the duck, which stood utterly frozen in fear.