GRAAAH!
"Lily, please evacuate with the rest of us–it's not worth risking your life!"
In the distance, I can hear Drip cry out to me, but Lily can't really understand him.
"Lily's too focused on the monster–Lily must win!"
Lily knows that this is dangerous.
Lily knows that everyone else has been evacuated.
Lily knows that Drip is waiting for her.
Lily knows that she is inexperienced and not as strong as mother.
But Lily does not care!
If Lily cannot defeat this monster, then there's no point in trying to rescue mom!
"Hey monster, you're nothing more than an oversized bug. Lily is a cat, and cats are way stronger than bugs! Bleh!"
Lily sticks out her tongue at the monster. I think that the monster is scared of Lily now!
GRAAAR!
"Lily, watch out!"
THUMP
SIZZ
"Ooof!"
The monster quickly smacks the dock Lily is standing on with its body, but Lily barely dodged it. The monster is covered in stomach acid; some of it got on me when it attacked!
"That burns…but Lily is still stronger!"
GRAAWR!
Lily has yet to hit the monster; it's swimming in the acid, and this dock is the closest Lily can get to it. Lily can dodge, but attacking the monster is very hard…
"Lily's body is aching…Lily's skin is burning…but Lily will find a way to kill you, because after all…"
GRAA! GRAAWR!
"...Lily is much stronger!"
_______________________________________________________________
"All right you foreigners, don't forget the plan; you will head towards the parasite and won't turn back until it's dead or you're dead. If you dare to run away after we uncuff you, or during the battle, we will not hesitate to shock you and toss you into the stomach acid! Got it? Good, now get out there and go!"
Upon arriving at the stomach, Cilia, along with her crew, immediately kicked us out of their vehicles and pressured us to get involved in the chaos before us.
The other guys are still brain-dead stem cells, so the only ones left conscious of the current situation are Yami and I. Well, Yami is technically "conscious", but her face is full of dread, and her mouth is agape. Even though I am a bit desensitized, I completely understand such a reaction to the abomination we are witnessing.
The "monster" appears to be some worm-like parasite. If I were to guess, this thing has been stealing some of Endori's nutrients, thus giving her the digestion problems that Cilia blamed on us. How did this creature enter Endori's body in the first place? No matter, right now there are more important things to ask.
"Where is she?...Where is she?..."
I squint my eyes a bit, and sure enough, there's a green cat girl who is standing on a dock. She appears to be narrowly avoiding direct hits, but she can't get any herself. What is she trying to accomplish?
"Hey, are you slowpokes gonna stand there and watch? Go help the girl fight! Officers, keep your neuron tasers on standby!"
CLICK! ZZZZT
"Ma'am yes ma'am!"
"Mr. Vex, I-I don't want to get anywhere near that beast. I don't want to die here, inside my friend of all places!"
"Yami, your whining is useless! We have to find a way to kill that parasite or die trying. Either way, if we do nothing then we'll be executed anyway. Aren't you Endori's maid? Aren't you supposed to serve and protect Lady Endori with your life? Well right now, a giant parasite is threatening her health–how about we actually do something about it!"
"..."
Perhaps I was too harsh, but I don't care right now; if I am forced to work with someone, then she must pull her weight!
"...Sorry about that, Mr. Vex. You're right, my constant whining has been no help to any of us. It'd be utterly shameful to let a little girl fight harder to protect Lady Endori than her own maid…and friend. Let's put a stop to this for Lady Endori's…no, all of our sakes!"
"Okay, I'll grab Lord Olan and Reoni. You get the four women. We can't risk them walking aimlessly; we need to head directly to that dock!"
"I'll try my best, but carrying four women is too much for me to handle…"
ZAP! ZAP!
"?!"
Two of the four women Yami was attempting to grab by the hands were suddenly shocked, causing them to faint and collapse onto the ground. Behind us, Cilia shouts.
"Looks like you had too many of them slowing you down, so we did you a little favor! Use their bodies as shields for all I care, just keep it moving!"
"No time to react to that, Yami. Let's just leave them here and run for it!"
"We're right behind you, Mr. Vex!"
_____________________________________________________________
Due to the deadweight, it took us longer than usual to finally arrive at the battle scene. I long for the days when I can move around without carrying someone.
Soon, Vex, soon.
"Lily, please listen to me! You need to retreat; you've done enough already!"
Standing a few feet away from the dock, a cell-person is yelling at Lily, begging her to stop fighting. Though of course, to no avail. Why is he still out here, where it's dangerous? I can tell that he's not a white cell, so he can't even fight.
"Hey kid, what are you doing out here? Are you trying to die with the rest of us?!"
"I'm Drip, Lily's friend! I don't want to see her get hurt. You…you all are foreigners too, right?"
"Yeah, but we can save the introductions for later! Right now, we need to put all of our efforts into killing that parasite."
"No worries, I understand. Now that backup is here, I'll entrust Lily and Endori's safety to you guys. I'll retreat to the safe zone with my big sis–I wish you the best!"
Drip prepares to dash away, but looking as if he remembered something, he turns around and… shakes my hand?
"???"
"Before I go, I just wanted to say that you look really cool, sir. Huge fan of your style, bro!"
"...Bro?"
Before I could fully process that interaction, he turned around again and ran towards the white cell police force, and by extension, the train station.
"Mr. Vex, it seems as though Lily has made new friends during your time apart."
"..."
It's nice to see that she wasn't completely on her own in this weird place–she was being cared for by Endori's cells. Literally the complete opposite to my experience.
Given the nature of my curse, it's to be expected.
"Anyway, concerning the fight at hand…"
"Right. What's the plan, Mr.Vex?"
After watching the parasite's movement and attacks from afar, I've noticed that although it has powerful strikes, it can only swing once before recovering from the recoil. Its attacks are simple enough to understand and avoid for anyone with basic survival skills or combat knowledge.
The fact Lily can even manage to not only dodge once, but several times is…much more than I ever thought she could possibly do. The kid's got potential, but her stamina isn't infinite, and her body isn't trained for sustained damage. We must intervene strategically, but quickly!
"We can't get a clean hit on the parasite as long as it remains in the stomach acid. However, it uses its body to attack, so we can bait its attacks and counter strike."
"Its attack covers a wide area, so there's no way we will all be able to dodge and counter. Besides, I'm no good at offense, so my attacks would be useless."
"There's no denying that, but your curse isn't. If you can touch its body, then you can slow it down, giving us a chance to pound on it. As for Lord Olan, Reoni, and the others…"
I wanted to avoid this outcome, since it can get a bit messy, but we have no other choice. We must maximize our odds of winning at any cost.
"...we'll use them as bait. We will get the parasite to target them, then immediately go on the offensive."
"Mr. Vex, we couldn't possibly risk their lives in such a manner!"
"We're all at risk, including Endori, remember? I'll use Lord Olan as the first bait. This is his daughter, after all. Ideally, he is at least aware enough to dodge the attack and he'd be the only bait we'd have to use, but–"
GRAAWR!
THUD
SIZZLE
"Ack! You…still missed…L-Lily!"
Lily once again avoids the parasite's onslaught, but her movements are gradually–no, rapidly slowing down at this point. The residue of acid dripping onto the shore isn't helping either.
"Planning time is over. Yami, let's do it, now!"
________________________________________________________________________
Lily's…body…hurts…but Lily…is…stronger…must not…stop–
"!!!"
SPLISH
Lily is suddenly falling towards the ground…Lily must have slipped in a puddle. How could Lily be so…careless…
GRAAAH!
Lily can feel time slowing down…the monster's body slam attack…getting closer and closer…I close my eyes…
Mom, if you…can hear me…
"...Lily's sorry."
"LILY!"
"?!"
That voice, yelling…Lily's name…my name! Is it really–
THUD!
I open my eyes…the monster's body…to my left. Lily's…still…alive!
"Lily, speak to me! Are you hurt?"
I turn my head…and look straight above me. Lily's saviour…Vex…he looks so…cool…
"You really…were here…all along. Thank you…for saving me…again…"
"Lily, take a moment to catch your breath and listen carefully. The only way to kill this thing is by counterattacking. Yami will use her curse to slow down the parasite, then you and I will relentlessly attack its exposed limb. You think you can do that?"
"Yes…"
"Are you strong enough to do it?"
"Y-yes."
"Then show me. Stand up with me!"
Lily c-can do i-it! Lily still has more strength!
"Yes! Lily is still strong enough!"
"Great, we need all hands on deck! This fight should be much easier compared to doing it alone, but it's not over yet, so don't get complacent!"
"Okay, Lily will give it her all until we win!"
"Lily, think of your strongest attack and be prepared to use it. Can you use your transformation? It seemed very powerful back at the arena."
"Transformation? Lily doesn't get what you mean."
What is Vex talking about? Lily doesn't remember doing anything like that…
"Ah, forget it, we don't have time! You're a feline demi-human, so you have retractable claws, correct?"
SHEEN
"Lily has these claws, but Lily never used them in a fight before. They aren't as sharp as grown-ups' though."
"That's fine enough; just let your natural instincts guide you."
GRAAWR!
"Vex, look! The monster is about to attack those people over there!"
"Yami, heads-up! The parasite is targeting you all over there!"
"Everyone, you heard Mr.Vex! Please move out of the way!"
The maid lady ran towards us, and three other cell-looking people followed her movements. Lily sees one man staying behind, not moving.
"Oh no, Lord Olan, please follow us!"
"Don't forget the plan, Yami! Whatever happens to him, happens. Just be ready to activate your curse!"
"R-right! The plan…"
The lady made it over to us, but that man is still standing as the monster's attack covers his face. Lily can't help but watch!
"Yami! Lily! Get ready to strike!"
THUD!
SPLAT!
"Yami!"
"I'm on it!"
The maid lady, I mean Yami, rushed over to the monster's body and touched it.
"The monster…stopped? Yami is amazing!"
"No, Lily, her curse is making the parasite move so slowly that it almost looks frozen. Ready?"
"Lily's ready!"
"Mr. Vex! Lily! I'll leave it to you now!"
"Lily, let's do it!"
"NYAAH!"
SWISH SWISH SWISH
I slash the monster's body with my claws. Lily's claws may not be very strong yet, but Lily can break through its skin with more scratches. It feels so good to hit this stupid monster!
"Take this! And this and this and this and this!"
Lily can't think of anything else–I just want to scratch more and more!
SPLAT
Lily can see it! Lily can see its blood dripping out drop by drop!
GRAAAAAAH!
"NYAAAAAH!"
SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH
More! Lily wants to see more of your blood!
"Lily, keep up your assault. I'll land a direct attack on its upper body!"
"Mr. Vex, be careful not to slip!"
"I got it!"
Vex jumps onto the monster's bloody body and zooms towards its face. How will Vex reach it? Lily wants to see! Lily wants to see that more than this blood!
"HEH-AH!
Vex bends his legs and leaps into the air with so much power! He charges his fist into the monster's ugly face and…one punch?...two punches?…no, three punches?!
THOOSH THOOSH THOOSH
THAP!
GRAAHR!
"?!"
Amazing! Before Vex fell down, he kicked the monster with enough force to launch himself back where he started. He did it all so quickly without hurting himself!
"Vex, you are like a superhero! Lily wants to do that, Lily wants to do that too!"
"I'm no hero, let alone a super one. Lily, don't forget to stay focused until we win!"
"Sorry, Lily will go back to scratching!"
Lily will scratch so hard; the monster will finally die!
"Mr. Vex, my body is suddenly feeling strange! I think it might be–"
"Yami? Yami!"
"?!"
What's wrong with Miss Yami? Why does she look like Drip and the others?!
"Vex, Lily doesn't understand what's happening!"
"Drat, I forgot all about that stupid curse! Yami's one of those cell-people now, so we can't depend on her anymore."
"Are we next? Will Vex and Lilly become cell-people too?!"
"We will eventually if we don't–"
GRAAAAAAAAAAH!
"!!!"
"Oh no. Vex, the monster! It's moving faster again!"
"Tch, why now of all times?! Yami's curse is wearing off; we have no choice but to change our strategy!"
"O-okay!..."
Vex looks super frustrated–he's even gritting his teeth. It's kinda intimidating, but Lily trusts Vex!
Think, Vex, think! The parasite is still alive, Yami's curse is rapidly wearing off, our stamina is running low, and we are running out of time before that curse affects us. How can we get rid of it in one fell swoop?
"This dang stomach acid is preventing us from attacking it with full-force…"
Wait, that's it. We are inside Endori's stomach; surely all of the commotion from the parasite is making her feel uneasy. If we can make her stomach upset enough, then she will be forced to vomit up the parasite, getting rid of it for good!
"Lily, we need to attack the stomach itself!"
"Hmm??"
Understandably, Lily responds with an expression of confusion, furrowing her brows.
"If we make the stomach upset, then Endori will vomit up the parasite. We can't beat this thing head-on, so this is the only way."
"Okay then, how should Lily attack?"
"You and I will hit the stomach wall together with rapid weak attacks. We don't want to actually harm Endori, so light attacks are the key. When she's close to vomiting, we will stop and make a run for it. See the wall near the docks? Let's hit it now before the parasite can attack us again!"
"Lily's on it!"
Lily sprints ahead of me, as if she was anticipating me to give her the green light to attack. She's got spirit, but lacks tactical sense.
"Hey hey hey, retract your claws!"
"Oops, Lily almost forgot…"
Lily continues to dash onwards, and I follow behind her. Yami and the other three people with her are wandering around in one spot–for their sakes, I hope that the parasite continues to focus on us. Despite how crappy he was, it's bad enough that Olan got completely squashed to death; don't want to add several more of the Achan household unnecessarily.
SPLAT
"Eww! What's this sticky stuff?"
Lily striked the wall first, and to her dismay, a thick liquid smothers her hands. I'll admit, it is very disgusting, but it's now or never.
"It's probably some mucus or something. Ignore it and keep hitting it!"
SPLIT SPLAT SPLIT SPLAT SPLIT SPLAT
GRUMBLE GURGLE
As we continue to hit the wall, the stomach gradually rumbles more and more. I can even see the stomach acid forming tidal waves.
"Vex, is it working? Is it working?"
"Yes, don't stop yet!"
GRAAAAAWR! GRAAAAAH!
"?!!"
Behind us, the sound of an enraged beast echoes through the air. The parasite…is swimming towards us at full speed!
Is it trying to ram into us?!
"Lily, we have to stop. Prepare to dodge the incoming attack!"
"But Vex, what about making the stomach hurt?"
"We'll get hurt if we don't get out of the way! If you want to get crushed, you're on your own."
Actually, there's no way I would let her make such a stupid decision; if she gets hurt too badly or dies, then I'll be in debt to Crawley for the rest of my life.
"HEY, YOU FOREIGNERS! WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING?! ATTACKING ENDORI'S BODY IS ILLEGAL!"
Cilia yells at us in the distance, her voice resounding in fury. She sounds even more annoying with a megaphone!
"Who is that lady, Vex? Is she your friend?"
"Nevermind her, she's irrelevant! Get ready to move–"
GRAAAWR!
"NOW!"
THOOOSH!!!!!!
GRUMBLE GURGLE RMMMMMMMM
SWISH SWISH SWISH
The force of the parasite's impact onto the stomach wall did more damage than we ever could–the stomach is rumbling like an earthquake, and the acid is moving like a tsunami.
If we didn't avoid that attack, we would have been dead for sure…but if we stay out here, we'll die by digestion.
"CODE YELLOW, I REPEAT, CODE YELLOW! EVERYONE MUST EVACUATE TO THE STATION FOR SHELTER! FAILURE TO EVACUATE IN A TIMELY MANNER WILL RESULT IN YOUR DEATH!"
"Vex, the monster! It's–"
"The stomach will take care of it. Right now, we need to run to the station up there! I'll grab Yami and Reoni, you grab the other two cell-people by the hand. If they slow you down too much, drop them!"
"Lily can see two other people further ahead! They are lying on the ground…"
They must be those people Cilia's officers zapped earlier. They aren't even bothering to evacuate their bodies, but that's no surprise.
"It can't be helped; everyone can't be saved."
GRAAWR…?
GRUMBLE GRUMBLE GRUMBLE
Without saying anything else, Lily and I nod at each other and run with all our might. Pulling the cell versions of Yami and Reoni is easier than expected; their transformed cellular bodies are much lighter. Lily should be able to handle it herself, but…
"Ack!"
Thud
"Lily!"
Lily tripped and fell onto the ground, alongside the other two people she was running with. The rumbling and shaking in addition to the weight of two adults must have been too much on her.
"Get up and leave them be. We're almost at the station!"
"Sorry misses…Lily's sorry."
"THE STOMACH WILL ERUPT IN 10…9…8…"
Almost there!
"7…6…5…4…"
"Vex, Lily can take Miss Yami for you!"
"Don't worry about it, just run ahead of me as fast as you can!"
"Okay, but please make it!"
"3…"
Lily is ahead of me where I can see her. Fortunately, she just made it to the station. As for me…
"2…"
The shaking has reached its maximum intensity–I can hardly keep my balance. The doors are shutting, but I'm almost there!
"1…"
Just one more push!
"0!"
"Ehyahh!"
With the rest of my strength, I make a final sprint, then dive towards the doors.