The Sea split open, it was a scene straight out of the Gaeian book of creation. The water parted, and from deep beneath the surface, something broke out. Its jaws, giant enough to swallow a small ship. The jagged edges of its crooked grin mocked them, its eyes darker than an abyss, two on the top of its head, and two on the bottom, the first two had orange pupils shaped in an x, while the bottom ones were vertical like a snake's, with red pupils.
Don't look, don't look, don't look, don't look. Her insides screamed, and her brain did not want to comprehend what she saw. The blur of darkness with orange and red shining eyes, was imprinted in her mind, like a burning brand. She turned quicker than she had ever moved before.
Her breath hitched, and deep inside her, she knew they would never be able to beat that thing, not as they were now. Diana's vision tunneled,
Leah's fingers dug into her arm, her figure trembling.
The thing radiated an indescribable malevolent energy that made her feel as if a weight was placed on her, if she was still on that beach... Her saliva became bitter, her stomach twisted, and the urge to vomit almost overpowered her senses. She dreaded the thought. Her head turned, and instinctively, Diana edged closer to the jungle.
Leah loosened her grip, letting go, her fingers leaving imprints on her arm.
"An abomination," She muttered.
"Diana." Leah touched her shoulder, her warm hand causing her skin to tingle. Diana turned to face the Blindfolded Saint. "Your eyes." Her words were as soft as her hand. The corners of Leah's lips creased downward.
What about them? She wanted to say, but her vision became red. It wasn't some metaphor for anger, it really became red.
Drip! Drip! Red, she touched her nose. She was bleeding from her eyes and nose. Her lips opened and closed. The metallic taste stirred something strange inside her. Her vision began to blur, and the already cloudy red world became distant, as if she were about to faint.
"You saw it... didn't you? l?" She tilted her head, a worried frown on her face. The frown did not diminish her saintly beauty. Even the weird filter on her eyes did little to make her look anything but pleasant.
Her hand glowed white, and her holy energy enveloped her. The sensation felt as if she was being hugged by her mother and drinking a cup of hot chocolate in the cold. Yet as nice as it felt, her trembling hands wouldn't stop. She touched her own shoulder, trying to stop herself from trembling. The blood that continued to drip endlessly from her nose stopped, and the red that clouded her vision faded.
"Thanks." Her words were curt, and her expression grim. Her lips that were pressed into a thin line, curved into a smile as she gratefully nodded at Leah.
Diana sighed.
Leah hummed and let go, her footsteps light as she inched closer to the former beach. "It's gone." She wasn't just referring to that thing, she was also talking about their safe spot, the beach.
Not just the sand, the ground was completely removed, the water rushed in to fill it, the aura of the creature lingered, and fish that swam to the edge died.
She turned back to the group, the paladin joining her side.
How do you swallow a beach? She laughed incredulously in shock. This test was proving more difficult by the second. How were they supposed to overcome that thing...
Some small hope built inside of her, if that thing was here, didn't it mean they could defeat it? She smothered the budding hope faster than one would squash an unsightly bug.
What a crazy midterm, she couldn't even imagine the finals.
Her head instinctively snapped upwards as thunder boomed in the distance, a pale reminder of the Hollows arriving. This time, however, the thunder rang true; it wasn't just the sound of a large group moving. The sky became violent, at least the bits she could see. The wind in tandem made the tropical trees shake, the leaves flying all over in place. The birds that rested on the top were fleeing frantically.
Ria's wyrm that hid in the clouds, roared, and her phoenix, which was previously hovering in the air, dived towards her, hovering above her.
"Tialoc grows weary," Koth sighed, his heel digging into the jungle dirt.
No, that wasn't it, the storm felt familiar, she placed a finger on her lip. What could it be? She gave up on the thought that led nowhere.
"What was that thing?" Diana asked the looming threat of the hollows arriving, made her ask in urgency.
Kath looked at her and then at Ria, who was absentmindedly staring at the former beach. She turned, "A demigod," She answered.
Ouch, the damned bastard ignored her. Sure, she had a summon that looked like it was one of their gods, but wasn't this too much?
She almost pouted, but couldn't quite work up the energy to care further.
"Correct." Kath's lips quivered into a smile, his amber eyes glinting in the dimly lit jungle. He continued to speak with a pleased expression. "A champion of Lothar." The Jaguar head that rested like a helmet looked particularly strange, the yellow feathers on the top creating an intimidating attire.
Look at this bastard, his favoritism is palpable. The corners of her lips inched closer to form a frown.
"We must go deeper and reach the first city." He nodded to himself. His arm stretched towards his spear. "But first." His wary eyes scanned Diana, narrowing like predators. "Tlamacazui, who is this stranger?" He pointed his tiny spear at Diana. The edge was dark, but it looked like glass.
A Tepoztopilli? What was that doing here? Her eyes widened.
Diana couldn't help but frown, it was a short spear made with obsidian at its tip. There was only one civilization that used it. That wasn't an issue, games usually took inspiration from the real world. Why would an NPC know about them? Especially in content that the players would never see.
Ria grabbed her arm, wrapping her hand around it coquettishly. The action snapped her out of her thoughts.
"She's with me." Her eyes shone with unwavering confidence, which seemed to infect his stance. His gaze lingered for a bit, his face stoic, before nodding and turning.
The rumbling from earlier was getting closer. The sound of armor, moving mechanically, was now loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Let's move." He spoke to his squad. The others nodded.
Her quest which began when the first squad attack was not over. Her fist clenched tightly, her nails digging into the grip of the axe.
She shook her head, dispelling the idle thoughts.
As they began to move,
"Kath." Kath turned and faced the one who particularly hated foreigners. "Migile, he's wounded." The ponytailed warrior, with a red ornament holding his hair together, spoke. The tip of his spear, which absorbed the light around him, touched the ground.
Kath grimaced. "How bad?" His forehead wrinkled, while his amber eyes narrowed. His footsteps were unsteady as he moved closer to the man on the ground. "The damned Hollow severed his hand, if we don't reach the city soon..." His eyes trembled, and a frown made its way onto his lips.
Honestly, they had no time for this, the Hollows would almost make their way here at any moment. Her eyes hovered over the injured man. His arm was held together by a tourniquet to prevent further bleeding, but his green blood already dyed the ground in his color. His tanned skin was pale, while sweat dripped on his forehead, his lips quivering as he gritted his teeth. His other hand was grasping his severed hand, while he squirmed in discomfort.
A female of the group was holding his head on her lap, as she soothed him, she whispered words of comfort, and she ran her hand over his hair. Her eyes, however, were the opposite of comforting; even Diana, who was not social, could tell she was on the verge of tears. Her breath was shaky, and her hand that combed his head was trembling.
Was it inhumane to think they had no time for this? In her defense, they weren't real, just entities created to act per the dungeon master's orders. Yet even if they weren't real, she couldn't just not help. The frustration at her weakness was building. Her fingers were digging into the wooden handle of her axe.
If they were facing such a trial, it probably meant they could overcome it.
Right?
Diana didn't really know anymore. With a sigh, she opened her mouth to speak, but the Saintess interjected before words could leave.
"Allow me." A gentle smile graced her lips as she kneeled on the floor, her elegant white cloth stained with the dirt of the jungle. She touched his head and muttered a prayer. Her halo glowing in a white, brilliant aura, the warmth she felt earlier projected in an area around her. The light enveloped his arm, and a new hand came out. His sweating face stopped, and his quivering lips morphed into a smile.
Diana marveled at how different he looked.
Life returned to his face, his eyes glowing with appreciation.
He let out a relaxed smile, clenching his fist and opening it, a bright smile on his face. Like a child getting a new toy on Christmas day. The first to thank her was the woman supporting the man. Her guard, the paladin, stepped forward, but Leah simply raised her hand to stop her.
She grabbed her shirt, tears streaming down her face, as she thanked her.
The saintly smile on her face persisted, "It is alright, my child. There is no need to thank me for saving a child of the light." She cooed as she held her head lovingly. Her smile came so gently on her face that even Diana's breath stopped.
It was odd hearing someone call somebody a child when they were about Diana's age, and the person they spoke to looked older.
"Thank you, thank you." She continued to sob and thank her.
The man stood up and kneeled, his eyes reverent with worship. He thanked her by bowing his head to the ground over and over again while muttering the name of the god of life.
"I will repay this kindness with my life and devote my being to worship." He nodded with Zeal.
Diana almost wanted to smack her own forehead. She had completely forgotten they had the best healer on the continent with them. With the damned, monster from the beach, and the incoming horde of enemies, she had momentarily forgotten.
She clicked her tongue.
"Thank you, apostle." Kath bowed his head in reverence. Even the one who was skeptical about Quetzalcoatl thanked her, "We must move now." Kath turned towards the jungle, the sound of the marching Hollows edging closer.