The group trudged through the labyrinth in tense silence, the oppressive air weighing heavily on their minds and bodies. The twisting paths, lined with grotesque topiary and glowing flora, seemed to mock them with every step. The faint hum of energy and the distant rustling of unseen creatures added to their unease.
Ryker suddenly stopped, turning to face the group with a frustrated glare. "This wandering isn't helping," he announced sharply. "We're just going in circles. We need a scout. Someone to map out the path ahead and find us a safe zone."
At his words, most of the Crimson Lions turned their eyes to Kalum, who had been lagging slightly behind. The young thief stiffened under their collective gaze, his face pale with dread. "Oh, no. Not," he said, shaking his head vehemently. "If I go out there alone, I'm as good as dead. Do you see what this place does to people?"
Talia smirked, though her exhaustion was evident. "Come on, Kalum. You're the scout. This is literally your job."
"Yeah, and my job doesn't usually involve deadly miasma and moving statues!" Kalum shot back, his voice cracking slightly. "I'm not going out there just to end up as plant food!"
Dabria giggled, the sound light and melodic but carrying an edge of mockery. "Oh, what a useless little cub you are," she teased, leaning forward slightly. "Afraid of a few leaves and thorns? Poor thing."
Kalum glared at her, but he didn't have the energy to argue. "Laugh all you want, but I'm not risking my neck out there."
Visha let out a long, exasperated sigh, her pale green eyes narrowing slightly as she reached into her spatial ring. "Pathetic," she muttered under her breath, her voice filled with quiet disdain. When her hand emerged, she held an ornately crafted dagger, its blade gleaming with faint, ethereal runes that shimmered in the dim light. She turned the weapon over in her hand, her expression one of annoyance.
"I don't enjoy doing it this way," she said, her tone clipped, "but it looks like I have little choice in the matter. Tsk."
The Crimson Lions exchanged confused glances, unsure of what she meant. Dabria, however, looked utterly fascinated, her dark eyes lighting up with eager curiosity. "Oh, Wifey," she cooed, stepping closer. "Are you about to do what I think you're about to do?"
Elias opened his mouth to ask what was happening, but before he could speak, Visha made a swift, deliberate cut across her left palm with the enchanted dagger. Her expression didn't change as the crimson blood welled up, dripping onto the dirt path below. She clenched her fist, allowing the blood to fall in steady drops, each one sinking into the ground like water on dry soil.
"What the hell—" Ryker started, but his words trailed off as the air around them shifted. A faint shimmer rippled across the ground where Visha's blood had fallen, and moments later, the earth began to stir. The dirt shifted and churned as though something was burrowing beneath it.
Then, one by one, they appeared.
From the disturbed soil, large, fluffy spiders began to emerge, each the size of a medium dog. Their bodies were covered in soft, emerald-green fur that shimmered faintly with venomous hues, and their black legs glistened with sharp, thorn-like barbs. Their eight glowing eyes blinked in unison, fixed intently on Visha as they waited for her command.
The Crimson Lions froze, their expressions a mixture of shock and unease. Even Ox, who had been silent for most of the journey, took an involuntary step back. "What… are those?" Talia asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"My familiars," Visha replied simply, her tone as calm as if she were discussing the weather. She flexed her injured hand, the cut already beginning to close thanks to her regenerative abilities. "Venomweaver spiders. They're… efficient scouts."
Kalum looked like he was about to faint. "Those are spiders?" he exclaimed, his voice breaking. "Why do they look so… fluffy?"
Dabria clapped her hands together, her grin widening with delight. "Oh, they're adorable, Wifey! Darling. Can I keep one?"
Visha shot her a cold glance. "No."
Elias, who had been staring at the spiders with a mixture of fascination and horror, managed to find his voice. "You… summoned them with your blood?"
Visha nodded curtly. "My blood is infused with venom and spectral energy. It acts as a catalyst to summon them from their dormant state. They're loyal to me and highly effective in hostile environments like this."
Ryker, still recovering from the shock, took a cautious step forward. "And they'll… scout ahead for us?"
"Yes," Visha replied, turning her attention back to the spiders. She knelt slightly, her pale green eyes locking onto the largest of the group. "Spread out," she commanded, her voice firm but quiet. "Find a safe zone. Report back immediately."
The spiders clicked their mandibles in unison before scuttling off in different directions, their movements unnervingly smooth and precise. Within moments, they had disappeared into the labyrinth, leaving the group in tense silence.
Talia exhaled slowly, shaking her head. "That was… horrifying."
Dabria giggled again, leaning closer to Visha. "You really know how to make an impression, Wifey. I think I'm in love all over again."
Visha ignored her, standing and wiping her bloodied hand on a cloth she pulled from her spatial ring. "They'll find us a safe zone soon enough," she said, her tone matter-of-fact. "Try not to die before they return."
Kalum muttered under his breath, "Too late for that. I think I've already died inside."
The group waited in uneasy silence, their nerves frayed, but their hope was rekindled slightly by the promise of a safe zone. As unsettling as Visha's methods were, there was no denying their effectiveness. The spiders were out there now, navigating the labyrinth with a purpose that no human scout could match.
As they waited for the Venomweavers to return, the group kept preoccupied with their own things. Visha was engrossed in her analysis of an evergreen tree, noting the faint traces of miasma seeping into its bark, when she heard the sharp crack of snapping twigs and the rush of displaced air.
Instinctively, she twisted her body, narrowly avoiding the creature's massive paw as it swiped through the air, obliterating the tree she had been studying. Splinters flew in every direction, the force of the attack sending a Shockwave through the ground.
The lion creature enraged that its prey didn't die by its attack, let out a deafening roar; the sound echoed like thunder through the oppressive miasma. The others, hearing the chaos, began sprinting toward her location, their weapons drawn.
Visha's eyes narrowed as she activated her [Pestilent Insight] skill, her vision flooding with information about the creature.
Name: Fluffy- The Miasmic Apex Predator
Class: S-Rank
Abilities: Corrosive Roar, Venomous Claws, Miasmuc Regeneration
Weakness: Core Embedded in Chest
"Run!" Visha yelled, her voice sharp and commanding. She knew the others wouldn't stand a chance against a creature like this. "It's an S-rank! Get out of here!"
Her warning them distracted her for a split second, and that was all the creature needed. Its glowing, venom-laced claws shot out with blinding speed, raking across her side. She felt the searing pain as the claws pierced through her leather armor, piercing deep into her stomach.
She crumbled to the ground, her blood spilling freely onto the dirt, pooling in dark, glistening puddles. Her vision blurred, the world around her tilting as the pain threatened to overwhelm her. She gritted her teeth, trying to focus, but the edges of her consciousness began to fade.
Time seemed to slow as the scene unfolded. The roar of the miasmic lion became distant, a dull echo in the haze of pain and blood. But for Dabria, everything became unnervingly clear.
Her gaze locked onto Visha, her beloved Wifey, lying pale and broken on the ground. Something inside her snapped, a primal fury surging through her veins. The playful gleam in her eyes, disappeared, replaced by a cold, murderous light. Her void and death aura erupted from her body like a tidal wave, thick and suffocating, spreading rapidly through the clearing. The once-vibrant flora withered and died under its influence, blackened and crumbling to ash.
Dabria's transformation was immediate and terrifying. Her eyes, once a deep, playful violet, now glowed blood-red, her pulls narrowing into sharp, cat-like suits. Her fingernails elongated into deadly claws, glinting like obsidian, and her canines sharpened into predatory fangs. Her hair whipped wildly around her as her aura expanded, distorting the air around her like heat waves. Behind her, the shadowy form of her Phantom hellhound appeared, its massive frame snarling and snapping at the air, its glowing eyes locked on the lion.
The Crimson Lions froze in their tracks, overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of Dabria's power. The oppressive weight of her death aura bore down on them, making it difficult to breathe. Even the miasmic lion hesitated, its glowing eyes narrowing as it regarded the woman who now stood between it and its prey.
Dabria let out a low, guttural growl that built into a roar of unbridled rage. "You..." she hissed, her voice distorted by the power coursing through her. "You. Will. Diiiiee!"
Her Phantom hellhound lunged forward, a blur of shadow and smoke, its jaws snapping at the lion's flank. The creature roared in pain as the hellhound's spectral fangs tore into its miasmic flesh, leaving behind deep, festering wounds. But Dabria didn't wait for the hellhound to finish. She charged forward, her claws glowing faintly with a dark, necrotic energy.
The lion retaliated, swiping at her with its massive paw, but Dabria was too fast. She ducked under the attack, her movements inhumanly fluid, and slashed upward with her claws. Her strike landed on the lion's chest, tearing through its tough hide and exposing the faint glow of its embedded core.
The creature howled, Venomous mist pouring from its wounds, but Dabria didn't relent. Her rage fueled her, driving her forward with relentless precision. "You dared to harm her," she snarled, her dripping with black smoke. "You'll regret the day you were created."
The hello hound circled the lion, snapping at its legs and keeping it off-balance while Dabria rained down a furry of attacks. Each strike was calculated, aimed at weakening the creature and exposing the core further. The lion's roars grew more desperate, its attacks wild and frantic, but Dabria was relentless.
The Crimson Lions, still frozen at the edge of the clearing, watched in stunned silence. Ryker finally found his voice, his tone hushed and filled with disbelief. "What... is she?"
Elias adjusted his glasses, his hand trembling. "Death's Handmaiden," he murmured. "This... this is her true face?"
Talia's eyes widened as she took in the destruction around them: withered plants, the suffocating aura, the sheer brutality of Dabria's assault. "She's a monster," she whispered.
"I...I think," Kalum licked his dry lips nervously, his gaze fixed on Visha's fallen form. "I think she's protecting her."
The fight continued, the lion weakening under Dabria's unrelenting assault. Its movements grew sluggish, its roars fading into pained growls. Dabria lunged one final time, her claws sinking deep into the creature's chest. With a fierce growl, she tore the core from its body, the glowing orb pulsating weakly in her hand.
The lion let out a final, shuddering roar before collapsing to the ground, its body disintegrating into ash and mist. Dabria stood over the remains, her chest heaving, her blood-red eyes still glowing with fury.
She turned slowly, her gaze softening as it landed on Visha's pale form. Her claws retracted, her fangs shrinking back to normal as she dropped to her knees beside her beloved. "Vee," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I've got you. You're safe now."
Dabria gently cradled Visha's face, her death aura receding as she poured her energy into stabilizing her. The Crimson Lions approached cautiously, their expressions a mixture of awe and fear.
"She... she saved us," Kade said quietly.
"No," Kalum corrected, his voice low. "She saved her."