The Librarian's massive hand closed around Kapri, squeezing her against her sword as she pinned her arms by her side. Kapri felt her ribs creak under the pressure as the air was squeezed from her lungs. Her breath came in desperate gasps as she strained against the inside of the creature's palm.
"Don't piss me off," she muttered, her voice strained.
With a grunt of effort, she twisted her body enough to angle her sword upward. The Librarian's massive claws flexed around her, and the creature's skin glowed eerily under the sun of this dimension.
Kapri gritted her teeth as she forced her sword higher. The metal scraped against the creature's flesh, but it wasn't enough to free her. Not yet.
Then, she heard a small whistle from her right. When she looked, a bullet tore off a chunk of flesh from the Librarian's arm. Across the riverbank, she saw Jiron, rifle in hand, aiming at the Librarian. A grin tugged at her lips as she felt the Librarian's fingers loosen slightly.
"That's enough," she snarled, angling her body beneath the sword's hilt and slamming it into the creature's flesh.
The Librarian groaned, a guttural sound that sent a shiver down Kapri's spine. With a forceful yank, Kapri drove the sword upward through the Librarian's grotesque hand. The cut wasn't clean—there was a sickening crunch as the blade carved through the meat and bisected the fingers.
Kapri jumped, fear setting in as she soared through the air with her sword in hand. A spray of blood shot into the air like a geyser, drenching her nightgown in red spots as it sizzled on the ground below.
The Librarian howled in pain, jerking back in a fit of rage. When the momentum finally sent Kapri falling, she gripped her sword tightly and swung it downward, dragging the blade through the Librarian's arm.
She crashed into the mud, her nightgown clinging to her legs as she struggled to regain her footing. Her knuckles were white from the effort of holding her sword.
She yanked the sword free from the Librarian's arm, but it stuck fast in the earth. "Seriously?" she muttered, trying to plant her feet and pull harder. "Come on, you bougie lump of metal..."
She twisted and growled, giving it another pull. Her muscles burned as she struggled to free the blade. The Librarian's severed hand twitched, beginning to heal itself. Skin knitted together unnaturally fast, the flesh regrowing at a sickening speed.
"You're kidding me," Kapri muttered, wrenching the sword once more, but to no avail. The Librarian's body was already shifting and reforming, the grotesque figure gradually taking shape again. "You're telling me she's not worthy enough to fight?"
"She heals too fast," Kapri cursed under her breath.
The Librarian's mutilated arm stretched, growing back with unnatural speed. The sinewy flesh twisted and lengthened, reshaping into a form taller than Kapri by a few inches. With a low hiss, the creature locked eyes with her.
Kapri cursed again. "Don't get up. You were fine being down before. Why are you all spry now?"
She grinned at her own joke, but the Librarian's eyes glowed like pale lanterns in the dark, and Kapri immediately dropped her stance, preparing for the next move.
The Librarian sprinted, moving too fast for Kapri to react as it dragged its clawed hand toward her. Kapri sidestepped, but the slippery mud beneath her caused her to fall onto her side. She rolled, splattering mud across her face as the Librarian stomped above her.
Then the claws sliced at her again. Kapri grabbed the Librarian's wrist just as it grazed her face and pushed it downward, though it still managed to slice across her ribs, drawing a thin line of blood.
Kapri gritted her teeth, her nightgown torn further. "Fuck, this ain't going to work."
The Librarian's expression remained blank. "BARONESS KAPRICE SANAA VOSS IS NOT ALLOWED HERE!"
The voice was chilling as it echoed through the forest surrounding the riverbank. Kapri quickly assessed her next move, watching as the Librarian crouched, preparing for another assault. She had no intention of letting it catch her off guard again.
Of course, Kapri didn't wait. She charged forward, hoping to surprise the Librarian. She threw a right jab, but the Librarian's unnatural speed let it dodge just in time. Its limbs twisted and bent in impossible ways, and its claws swiped at Kapri's face from below. Kapri barely avoided it.
But she wasn't fast enough for the next strike. The Librarian's foot shot out, cracking into her side and sending her staggering to the side. Her feet slid in the mud, pain shooting up her body as blood rose to her lips. She barely absorbed the impact before spinning back into a defensive stance.
"Aww, goddamn," she muttered, looking at her throbbing side. "You might actually whoop me more than I thought."
Kapri feigned a right jab before throwing a left to the Librarian's body. She smiled when she heard bones crack before the Librarian flew across the landscape, crashing against the rocks at the river's bottom.
"The shit hurts, doesn't it?" Kapri said, suddenly appearing above the Librarian as she crushed her elbow into the creature's spine.
Water splashed around them, driving the Librarian further into the ground as the river flowed over her. Kapri stood tall, her chest heaving harder than her barely recovered body would allow. She stomped on the Librarian's head as it tried to rise again.
"What's wrong? You were dodging just fine a second ago," Kapri taunted, slamming her bare feet down on the back of the Librarian's head. The Librarian growled, its voice shaking the dimension. "What? Did I finally hit a nerve?"
The Librarian grabbed Kapri's ankle tightly. "Well, shit," Kapri muttered, unable to pull away as the Librarian yanked her down to the ground. Kapri twisted her leg away, but the Librarian sent her flying through the air. Her hair flew backward, and she could barely see Jiron, Kavi, Nyxith, and Bilbo standing by the watchtower.
Then, she fell toward the earth, but before she could hit the ground, gravity shifted. She kept falling, past clouds, until they dispersed, revealing a misty field of silvergrass.
Her sword fell beside her. She grabbed it, wrapping her legs around it, but the blade didn't cut her. She buried her face against it. "Save me, you damn sword."
Before she crashed to the ground, she felt the warmth of a Donn wrap around her midair. The spectral form of Ose materialized, his arms wrapped around her as they descended fast. The landing was still rough—her body slammed into his form first before hitting the ground with the sword trapped beneath her. Pain shot through her ribs and back from the jarring collision.
"Ah, gods," Kapri groaned, her fingers twitching as she tried to push herself up. Ose's Donn dissipated along with his form, but she could still feel his presence nearby.
"You're welcome," Ose's deep voice echoed in her mind.
Kapri glared weakly in the direction of the demon's invisible form as she rolled onto her side, clutching her ribs. "Yeah, thanks for the cushion, oh Great Lord. Still feels like I fell off a freaking mountain."
"You expect a bullet hitting a bulletproof vest to feel like pillows?" Ose shot back with an amused grin. "Perhaps less attitude and more gratitude that I wasn't too busy to aid you?"
Kapri waved him off, staggering to her knees and using the sword for support. "I have all the time in the world to argue with you. Where am I?"
The mist swirled lazily around them, silvergrass rippling like water beneath her bare feet. The Librarian's haunting groans echoed from the distance, but it wasn't close yet. Ose's hand hovered across her face, turning her toward where the Librarian might be. "We're still within the Librarian's master's domain. You've fallen into another one of these weak dimensions. Lucky for you, I anchored you and your little friend here."
"Anchor me?" Kapri scoffed, dragging herself upright, tightening her grip on the sword. "You call that anchoring? I feel like my spine's been realigned with a hammer. I'm sure they got the worst of it."
"Focus," Ose snapped, his voice cutting through her rambling as he gripped her chin and turned her face toward him. "She's coming. And unless you plan to let her kill you first, I suggest you figure out how to make better use of that stubborn blade."
"You can't do it for me?" Kapri asked softly, feeling the warmth of his body against her back.
"Of course not, it's your job to make your sword submit. You did well in the last battle. Why is it different now?" Ose's grin pressed against her ear. "That's right, it's because you were actually going to die."
"Hmm, you're right," Kapri murmured. "The Librarian's pretty weak in comparison."
The Librarian appeared again, charging, and Kapri was ready. This time, she would finish it.
The Librarian sprinted toward them, her limbs twisting unnaturally as she moved faster than Kapri initially thought possible. Kapri cursed under her breath and yanked on her sword's hilt, swinging it in a defensive arc. The blade glowed faintly, though the earlier surge of power had dimmed.
"You changed your mind?" she asked the sword enthusiastically as it let her pick her up.
Ose chuckled in her ear. "So cute."
Kapri ignored his words, though her heart raced. "Any tips, Demon Lord?" she muttered, her eyes locked on the charging Librarian.
"Survive," Ose growled as he began to dissipate. "And maybe don't let her touch you again. That's not allowed."
Kapri rolled her eyes. "Oh, great advice. Really helpful."
The Librarian lunged, claws aiming for Kapri's throat. Kapri ducked low, slashing upward with all her strength. Her blade sliced through the creature's front, forcing the Librarian to recoil, snarling as her form twitched violently, as if about to explode into motion again. Kapri knew she couldn't afford to let up.
The Librarian struck again, and Kapri retaliated, slashing down and severing an arm. The dismembered limb tumbled to the ground, its fingers twitching violently. Kapri's sword hissed as it drank the black blood spilling from the wound.
Before she could follow up, both their attention was drawn by a sudden bleating sound cutting through the fog. Kapri turned sharply, recognizing Kavi standing out in the open, holding Bilbo in her arms and looking lost.
The Librarian's lips twisted into a menacing smile as she sprinted toward them. Kapri charged after her, her blade clashing against the creature's claws. She extended her sword defensively in front of Kavi.
Kavi looked confused at first but quickly grabbed her saber and swung wide. Her strike caught the Librarian's cap, grazing Kapri's cheek in the process.
I forgot she doesn't care about her surroundings, Kapri thought grimly.
Kavi adjusted her blade and slashed again. Kapri jerked her head to the side to avoid the strike as her own sword sliced the Librarian's jaw off its hinges. Blood poured from the creature's mouth like a waterfall. Kapri pushed the Librarian back, then swung her sword forward with all her might.
As the dimension trembled from the Librarian's agonized scream, Kapri grabbed Kavi and threw her over her shoulder. "Jeez, were you trying to take us both out?" she said as she sprinted away, Kavi clutching Bilbo tightly.
"You're going to want to turn around, Lady Kapri!" Kavi warned.
Kapri spun just in time to drop onto her back and kick the Librarian's barely healed jaw clean off her face. The creature's tongue lolled grotesquely as it crashed into the silvergrass field, quickly recovering and lunging for them again.
Nyxith emerged from the fog, her saber gleaming as she moved with calculated precision. In one fluid motion, she slashed through the Librarian's extended claws, partially severing the limbs. Nyxith circled the creature, her strikes quick but unable to fully cut through bone.
Spinning on her heel, Nyxith planted herself firmly between Kapri and the Librarian, her blade steady.
The Librarian's convulsing body was already stitching itself back together, but Kapri knew they couldn't wait for it to heal. She lunged forward, grabbing the Librarian by the chest and hauling her upright. The creature's wiry limbs twisted and buckled as it fought against her hold, but Kapri held firm.
"Jiron! Line her up!" Kapri barked into the mist, her voice sharp with urgency.
The whir of a bullet cut through the air.
"Duck!" Kapri shouted. The others dropped to the ground as Kapri twisted the Librarian into the bullet's path. The shot struck the creature's leg, but Kapri gritted her teeth as she absorbed some of the impact through their shared contact.
The Librarian thrashed, trying to throw Kapri off. Another shot rang out, this time piercing the creature's chest.
Kapri tightened her grip around the Librarian, locking her in a chokehold. Jiron appeared, taking the butt of his rifle and smashing it repeatedly against the creature's face. Each strike echoed, his fury unrelenting as Kapri held the Librarian down.
The Librarian's battered face began to crack under the force of Jiron's blows. Yet even as her head drooped, she started to stir again.
"Shit, still not done?" Kapri muttered, a smirk tugging at her lips as she stepped back, her sword at the ready.
Jiron's strikes continued, but Kapri knew they needed to finish this. She turned to Nyxith. "Get Kavi and Bilbo out of here. We need to end this."
Without hesitation, Nyxith guided Kavi and Bilbo deeper into the mist.
Kapri stepped forward, her muscles coiled. The Librarian's limbs twisted back into shape at a slower pace, her regeneration faltering. Kapri raised her sword and plunged it into the Librarian's chest. The creature convulsed, her heart impaled, but still moved faintly.
Jiron pressed his rifle's barrel against the Librarian's head and fired. The explosion sent shards of flesh and bone scattering into the blood-soaked grass.
Kapri and Jiron looked down at the Librarian's remains, their expressions blank.
"Have I mentioned I'm allergic to silvergrass?" Jiron croaked, his swollen eyes betraying his discomfort.
"Yeah, you have," Kapri replied with a chuckle. "Let's get you out of here."