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The cold turbulent water pierced his sandy beige skin like a hundred knives. He could neither breathe nor move his limbs. With the torrent wrapped around his body like invisible chains, he was slowly but surely pulled into the deep abyss. Then, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. He saw the water around him turn red, and a faint taste of iron soon filled his mouth.
'Too tired...to swim...'
With his strength waning, he allowed himself to be swallowed by the maelstroms.
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"Sam."
He opened his eyes and saw a pair of azure blue eyes staring at him with concern. "Are you alright? You looked like you were in pain," asked the fair-skinned woman. Instead of answering, Sam took a deep breath and exhaled. Much to his dismay, he could feel his black cloak drenched in cold sweat, no thanks to the nightmare he just had.
"Yeah, it's nothing, " he replied before getting to his feet. Sam lifted his head heavenward and saw the moon glowing brightly in the starless sky. Under its pale light, the maple beech forest became a place not even the locals dared to venture. Fortunately, it was the best-case scenario for them to conduct their investigation. "Lucy, where's your brother?" Sam inquired.
After fixing her caramel brown hair into a ponytail, the young woman answered, "Rupert went on ahead to scout the nest half an hour ago. He should be back at any moment. I think." Despite trying her best to hide her anxiousness, Sam could already see the frown forming on her face. So, he decided to change the subject, "While we wait for him, perhaps we should go over the report again?"
Lucy fidgeted before nodding her head in agreement. She swiftly pulled out a small rectangular device from the back pocket and spoke her full name, "Lucia Nightingale. Open Report #34." The gadget then let out a beeping sound before displaying a holographic projection of the document. Narrowing her eyes, Lucy began to read through the text audibly, "Let's see. There had been 12 cases of violent murder in the past two weeks. Autopsies on all of the deceased suggest a possible attack by the Distorted designated Lacerator."
CRACK!
Their heads swiftly turned toward the sound, only to see a youthful man dressed in a similar black robe smiling gleefully at them. "Jeez, I've told you many times to not sneak up on us like that," scolded Lucy.
The man named Rupert proceeded to laugh, clearly amused by her little sister's reaction. "You two seemed preoccupied, so I thought it would be rude to interrupt. With that said, I found the nest not far from where we are right now."
"Good. Then, we should head over there immediately," said Sam before the elder Nightingale stopped him.
"Well, about that. I found something else lurking in the nest -- aside from a small group of Lacerators. Something that is 7 feet tall with no mouth and has people's faces all over its body."
Lucy's eyes soon lit up after listening to the description given by her brother. "Are you sure about that? You didn't make it all up?" asked Lucy, to which her brother responded with a confident nod.
Sam noticed the woman munching on her lips, a habit she often does when there is trouble. Big trouble.
"Problem, I assume?"
"A big one," Lucy puts away the device in her hand before continuing, "Based on all those characteristics, we're probably dealing with the Mangler. Strange though, a Giant Class Distorted usually dwells in ruins and canyons, never in woodlands. Perhaps we should inform Markus first before going in," she suggested.
"I'm afraid I must disagree with you on that one, Lil sis," said Rupert. "Dawn is approaching, and with it, the First Raid. We can't afford to waste more time waiting for Markus' permission. "
Lucy scowled at her brother, pointing out the potential danger of his recklessness. "Don't be too hasty! You only saw a single Mangler. But there could be more roaming around the area. Even with our combined strengths, it's still quite risky."
Out of frustration, Rupert expressed his feeling, "So what? Are we just going to wait while they kill the towners? Come on! You know that's not how we roll!"
"Alright, that's enough!" exclaimed Sam as he stepped in between the siblings. "I admit, both of you made some fair arguments. However, we need to reach a consensus." Sam placed his hand below his chin with his eyes shut. A few seconds later, he proposed a solution to the Nightingales. "Lucy, send a message to Markus, along with the coordinates of the nest. Make sure to tell him about the Mangler as well. We'll be going into the nest without waiting for him. If that is okay with the two of you?"
Lucy was, of course, reluctant at first but eventually conceded to the motion. "Fine. But if we got out of this alive," she shifts her attention to Rupert, "I'm giving you a solid punch in the gut."
"Fair enough," her brother casually answered.
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Sam and Lucy followed Rupert closely as the latter led the group to the Distorted's nest. The siblings still refused to talk to each other even though it had been nearly ten minutes since they fought. Sam felt the atmosphere grow heavier with each passing moment, prompting him to think of a way to defuse the situation.
"We're here," stated Rupert. The trio quietly took their place behind an old maple tree -- their eyes focused on a large gaping hole sitting ten yards away from where they were currently hiding. The trio could see piles of bones and brown slime surrounding the opening from afar, discharging a pungent smell of rotten meat into the air.
"Ugh," muttered Lucy as her throat tingled from the obnoxious odor. "That's a nest, alright," she added, with her hand covering both her nose and mouth.
Sam pulled out an object from his tattered robe -- a faceless white mask specifically designed to protect him from potential hazards such as corrosive acids and poisonous fumes.
"I guess it's time to have some fun, eh?" said Rupert, smiling from ear to ear.
"You can kill as many Distorted as you want but do not forget about our main objective," Sam reminded the elder Nightingale sternly. However, his advice fell on deaf ears as Rupert already went ahead, leaving him and Lucy behind.
"As always, like a moth to a flame," the youngest Nightingale breathed, "It will be a maze down there. The Crystal of Birth could be anywhere. I bet it will be guarded heavily by those monsters," said Lucy.
"Then we just have to keep our eyes open and hope for the best," Sam replied.
Lucy could only sigh aloud after hearing his response, "And here I thought my brother was the laid-back one," she remarked before putting on her mask.
**ɹɹ******************************************
SQUELCH!
"Ah, still can't get used to that sound," remarked Lucy after stepping on the waxy substance scattered on the ground. What irked her the most was the fact that the same slime was also on the wall and ceiling of the tunnel, occasionally dripping down like moldy syrup. As they went further inside, their mask's night vision automatically switched on, greatly aiding their navigation into the darkness. Suddenly, Sam raised his left hand, and they stopped dead in their tracks. He gestured at his ear with his finger, quietly telling her to listen closely.
Seconds later, they could hear it -- heavy breathing and groaning of a person, a sound they didn't expect to hear in a Distorted's nest.
"Oh, God. Sam," uttered Lucy while pointing at the wall. A boy's head, barely a teenager, stuck out of the slime. He was staring blankly at the ground, the skin on his face fractured like a broken mirror. Lucy initially tried to break him free from the viscid prison, but eventually, she realized that the boy was too far gone.
"He's nearing the final stages of Fragmentation," Sam commented, "I'm sorry, Lucy, but there's nothing more we could do."
"I know. Let's...let's just...keep moving," Lucy replied.
The two continued their descent, encountering more stolid faces along the way. "I thought Fragmentation only occurred outside the nest. What the heck is going on?" said Lucy.
"Unfortunately, that question will have to wait," Sam answered, noticing the shadows in front of them began to shift around. A pair of spindly fingers appeared from the darkness, followed by a naked lanky figure with pale chalky skin. Its eyeless orbits settled on the two uninvited guests, the creature's mouth contorted into a hideous smile, revealing rows of black, jagged teeth. "So much for avoiding confrontation," said Sam, swiping his robe aside to reveal a katana with a dark crimson handle. As a response, the creature's fingers started elongating into thin, needle-like claws. Infused with a paralyzing agent, a tiny scratch by those claws could immobilize any living thing for up to 24 hours -- enough time for the Distorted to devour its prey.
"Are you sure about this? The others will surely notice the commotion," said Lucy anxiously.
"We have to," he pulled the blade out of its sheath, holding it steadily with both hands. The Lacerator dashed forward with its jaws wide open. However, before the creature could reach the man, Sam deflected the blood-caked claws with a single stroke of his blade and sliced into the creature's bony chest. The monster staggered backward as a dark viscous fluid flowed out of its wound, but instead of panicking, a mocking grin appeared on the Distorted's face.
"Impressive," Sam muttered as he watched the gash on the entity's body close up -- barely leaving a scar. Instead of making another move, Sam swiftly slid the katana back into its sheath and said nothing.
The Lacerator grunted proudly at its regenerative ability -- until the monster burst into flame. The creature flailed its arms around, screaming as the crimson fire agonizingly blackened its flesh and skin.
"Fiery Edge? You sure you want to be using it right now?" said Lucy as the Lacerator collapsed to the ground, charred and motionless.
A brief moment later, they heard multiple roars coming from the deeper part of the tunnel.
"I'm guessing that will be the cavalry."
"Of course, it is," Lucy scoffed at Sam's obvious remark.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, she walked past her friend and pulled out a blue-handled dirk from her robe.
"You're not going to flood the whole place, are you?" asked Sam as the woman calmly headed toward the voices.
"That does sound tempting," Lucy replied, just before five Lacerators came into her line of sight.
"But, where's the fun in that?"
Seeing the glistening claws in front of her, she easily dodged all of them with her dance-like movement. Noticing an opening, the azure-eyed woman thrust the dirk into a Lacerator's thigh and immediately yanked the blade out. The creature instantly shriveled up like a dried leaf in autumn.
Lucy cracked a smile as her remaining enemies were bewildered by their friend's desiccated corpse.
"That's right. Get scared," Lucy spouted confidently. After the four monsters regained their composure, they charged toward her simultaneously. Lucy repeatedly avoided the razor-sharp nails and cut through the monsters' limbs. The Distorted fell to the ground one by one - their bodies dried up beyond recognition. "Wow, that was a bit...disappointing," she grouches.
"Perhaps, but thanks to you, we are probably in the clear," before Sam could finish his sentence, they heard a familiar voice shouting at a distance. "For a short while."
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The two ran as fast as they could until they saw a faint light at the end of the tunnel, eventually reaching a large chamber with meat-like walls and skull-shaped torches dangling from the ceiling.
"You're late," said Rupert, standing in the middle of the room with a pool of black goo underneath his feet.
Lucy stomped toward her brother; her fists clenched in anger. Even with the mask, Sam could picture her face slowly turning red. "You're a dumbass, you know? I thought you were hurt. Or worse," Lucy scolded her older brother.
"Woah, calm down, baby sis. You know it'll take more than a few Lacerators to finish me off," he retorts. "But, it's quite a relief to know you're still worried about your dumbass brother."
Lucy clicked her tongue out of annoyance, but before she could smack her sibling in the face, Sam quickly diverted her attention by changing the topic, "Right, how about we take a deep breath and calm ourselves down? If we're going to find the Crystal of Birth, each and every one of us needs to play our part. In other words, we need to work as a team, which means no more running heedlessly into danger and losing control over our emotions. Got it?"
The Nightingales glanced at each other before nodding their head in unison.
"Good," Sam exhaled to calm himself down. He then looked over at the other side of the chamber, directly at a doorway -- presumably leading to the nest inner sanctum. "Any signs of the Mangler?" Sam asked Rupert. "Didn't see nor hear them."
"I bet it's guarding the crystal with the rest of the Lacerators. Our previous escapades must have already alerted them," said Lucy.
Sam crosses his arms together and begins to think of a plan. He paces back and forth, grumbling to himself -- till an idea popped into his mind. "You know what? A little chaos might do the trick. Hey Rupe," he called out.
"What's up?" asked Rupert.
"Want to stir up some trouble?" said Sam with a smile spreading across his face.
After hearing that, Lucy could already imagine the grin on her brother's face. "Oh boy, this is not gonna be good," she sighed heavily.