The rain was no longer whipping into Threy’s face as he hopped back to his feet. Thunder still roared and the wind howled, but not a single drop of water landed in any part of the harbour. All of the storm had pulled back into a hazy curtain that separated the harbour from the rest of the world. Oceanside, the waves were drawn into massive water spouts, tubes of cold, grey water that loomed over the pillars as if to spectate what would happen next.

“Definitely a fitting atmosphere for this finale.” Threy mused, feeling calm and energised.

Dried mud broke under his steps as if the rain laid days back and not just only a few minutes at most. It was calm and strangely warm. Not a single sound echoed through the air outside the soft splashing of waves below and his own footsteps. Not even the continuous lightning bolts still striking the mill’s peak gave any sound.

Threy swallowed lightly and a shudder travelled down his spine. Yeah, this was far creepier than the storm had been. Because now the harbour was simply dead. His walk across the bridges, through soundless, dead forests and mud baked fields was kept to a brisk pace. He really wanted to get out of here as quick as possible.

“Hey, Key. How are you feeling? The Bone Curse is inside the mill now and I don’t think it’ll come out any time soon…”

Dreading the silence, Threy poked under his hat and just started to talk out loud. He just needed someone to talk to until he met back up with Mako. Even if the dragon bean didn’t answer, he knew she was at least listening. And that was more than enough for him.

Key did listen, more than that, she actually wiggled herself out of the depths of his Darkness and poked out from under his hat.

“Woah, creepy.” Key blinked at the dead silence and unmoving world around them.

“Heh, you can say that again.” Threy smirked amused as he stepped onto the last bridge leading to the Bone Mill’s pillar. “Feels like the last defiance of that Bone Curse. Do you have anything we should know before we go in to confront that thing?”

Key froze at this last task, gazing terrified towards the mill, but shook herself out of it and answered.

With no Spire to embed the curse within the land it was now bound to its heart, so to say. Whatever the mill used to feed the Bone Curse, It was now the focal point of all its baleful nature and should have developed a similar weak point to the Spires’ crystalline bulbs. They just had to find it inside the mill. Where the Bone Curse now roamed.

A groan of wood and bones echoed through the air just as Threy stepped onto the plateau.

“Brr, like it was listening.” He shivered, rotating his shoulders and cracked his neck to loosen himself up.

“And that’s where I set the line!” Key squeaked terrified and she scrambled back into the safety of his pockets. Yeah, he really couldn’t blame her.

Walking around the towering Bone Mill, Threy half expected the Bone Curse to just jump out and at him. Or for something to break away and try to crush him. Maybe one of those spikes would turn into a spidery leg? But none of that happened and he reached the entrance gate to the mill without meeting any complications. A wide row of steps lead up to it, framed by a slightly more narrow arch that stood slightly in front of the actually gate, giving the entrance an unsettling feeling of depth.

The wood was of surprisingly bright colouration, but it was marred by the pale white and ash grey bones that wove themselves through these planks like necrotic seams.

“Hey there, sonny. What are you looking so grim and dour for?”

Threy nearly faceplanted himself on the steps mid step at the sudden voice from behind him, mostly because he was convinced for a second that a tottery old grandma had somehow snuck up on him. Catching himself, he whirled around with questions already on his lips that died out the moment he came face to face with the shrivelled up and dried out raisin that was Mako.

“…Wat.” He blinked blankly down at her, managing to bring out this single word after uselessly opening and closing his mouth for a while minute it felt. He could smell the fire and smoke on her body.

“Do you have any water, sonny?” Mako asked and smacked her lips, looking up at him while barely keeping herself from just breaking down into helpless giggles.

Threy continued to stare at her and then slowly reached into his coat and pulled out a bottle of water. He opened it and poured it right over her head. And continued to do so with three more bottles while Mako eagerly leant her head back to drink just as much as it was soaking her body. One could see how her skin grew smooth again with every drop of water that washed over her.

“Ah, much better~!” Mako beamed as her wrinkled, dried out skin once more glowed with renewed, revitalised energy.

“Did you try to turn yourself into a smoked shark or what were you doing?” Threy poked her.

“Nope, I just decided to blow up a stupid stealth section.” Mako bopped her head up and down with pride.

Threy nodded slowly in understanding, a sage look of approval on his face. That made perfect sense.

“Do you think we can do the same here?” Mako tilted her head to the side, looking up at the mill with eyes that smouldered with pyromanic intent.

Threy plopped down besides the stairs and rummaged through his pockets, laying out five more grenades and over a dozen smoke balloons before him. Thoughtfully he stroke his chin, nodding to himself.

“Yeah, those aren’t even close to enough if we want to shatter this place. So, how many do you’ve got left?” He looked back to her, sweatdropping at the destruction that he could see shimmer within her eyes. It’s been a while since he had last seen her this cataclysmic.

“Only three, I had to use a few to keep the Bone Curse away… and I saw the mill regenerate.” Mako replied, blowing her cheek up in a pout.

“Now that’s just unfair.” Threy grumbled and hopped back to his feet. His blazing eyes was grinning still. “But blowing a hole into that thing’s still a great idea.”

Mako tilted her head to the side, looking at him curiously, and he relayed everything that Key had told him on the way here. She didn’t waste any time to turn back towards the mill, the Nightmare Lens unveiling all its secrets.

The cursed energies weaved through the entire building like veins, pulsing to the soundless heartbeat centred around the core of the mill. It was in the upper area, directly connected to the lightning rod. A large, bulbous growth shaped faintly reminiscent of an actual heart.

And then there was the Bone Curse still. It was more difficult to see through the weave of curse veins but there it was, skittering disturbingly around the maze-like insides of the mill.

“Okay, lets hop and blow this place to pieces!” Mako declared, getting a double thumbs-up from Threy.

Stepping backwards for a running start, the duo shot back forwards and simply ignored the main gate to double jump boost themselves up the side of the mill. A ominous groan echoed through the air. The sound cut through the eery silence and Threy’s eye blazed wide as the bone-wood walls rippled near them.

“Look out!”

His warning came just in time and Mako saw the wall break open, wood and bone splintered like savage razor fangs. Squeaking startled, Mako kicked backwards and double jumped away from the maw. Her shark tail managed to just so escape as it slammed shut behind her.

“Damnit, I knew the mill would come to life!” Threy cursed exasperate. Their way up had turned into a frantic dance to dodge the splintery death maws that now opened up everywhere.

They were halfway up the mill and still a quarter away from their goal. Mako had it the easiest as she used her trident for a pole jump, stabbing into the walls to dodge out of the way whenever she could. Though her tail still had still been a few short calls away from being chewed on.

It itched Threy to just blow the walls to kingdom come with his Explosion Hail Special but they both barely had any Energy Drops left and he really didn’t want to waste any. Not when there was a likely boss fight against the Bone Curse still ahead of them.

And then they had reached their goal. Grenades in hand, the first two soared through the air and impacted against the wood and bone. A light bounce. The mill’s side was engulfed in a blaze of two glorious explosions. Wood and bone creaked and groaned, it sounded like the howl of wounded animal. A hole of splintered wood and flames now gaped within the wall. It was trying to regenerate but the fire was slowing it to a crawl for now.

“And we’ve got our entrance.” Threy smirked, leaping ahead.

“Let’s go!” Mako cheered, revelling within the destruction as she followed right after him.

They landed inside and the wooden floor didn’t immediately open up beneath them to chew them up. Behind them the flames died quickly out and the wall closed, leaving them in a dimly lit hallway that could’ve been anywhere inside the mill, really. The only source of light were the torches lining the walls, burning with dark blue flames. A skittering sound, of something sharp scratching across wood, could be heard. Coming closer. Quickly closer.

“Straight ahead, right?” Threy turned desperately to Mako as she hurried to glance through the Nightmare Lens.

“Y-yep! Just two walls between us.” She rapidly bopped her head.

BOOOM!! BOOOOM!!!

The deafening explosions echoed in quick succession through the cursed structure. As soon as a hole had been blown into the wall - and a good part of the floor - they had thrown the second pair of grenades at the following wall. It was nearly enough to drown out the Bone Curse furious screech as it closed in on them.

And there it was was. The last anchor that kept the Bone Curse within this world. A mass of deep purple to nearly black crystalline flesh that pulsed ominously. Energy crackled around it. It hung from the ceiling like a disgusting chandelier, skewered by the spiking metal of the lightning rod that bore down through the top. Beneath gaped open a deep drop that lead back down to the very bottom of the mill. Had they entered through the main gate, they would’ve been able to see it from below.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

There was no hesitation. Threy flared his coat, shadows writhing, and a hail explosions rained down upon the heart. Mako followed up with piercing strike. Unlike the Spire bulbs, the heart didn’t shatter. Instead each strike, blow and explosion tore out chunks of crystalline flesh. Black and purple, roiling smoke streamed out of its wounds like rotten blood.

SCREEEEEE!!!

The Bone Curse howled in pain and loathing, the sound piercing through Threy and Mako’s bones. And the battered metal skewering the heart. Already damaged by Threy’s hail of explosions, it shattered between heart and ceiling. Putrid blood smoke billowed from the heart as it dropped into the depths, mauled but still pulsing angrily with life.

““After it!”” Threy and Mako exclaimed in synch, eyes wide. They weren’t going to let this go on for…!

The sound of shattering wood and bones echoed muffled through the mill and as the heart fell past the walls, the Bone Curse barrelled wildly flailing through the side into the chute. It clung to the heart, blade legs wrapping around it as they fell together. With a loud crash they broke through the floor and came to rest within its shattered crater, twitching.

“Oh, come on! We wanted to dodge that boss battle!” Threy groaned as they rushed down the chute, lopping his last two grenades after it.

The explosion consumed the Bone Curse and heart, obscuring it behind flames and smoke. With a thud Threy and Mako landed at the edge of the now burning crater. Mako already glanced through the Nightmare Lens to check up on it.

“Damnit, it’s still there. But the connection’s cut off and it barely has any juice left! Heh, I don’t think it can drain us life or energy anymore.” She grinned towards Threy.

“Good.” His cautious but annoyed look turned into a smirk.

A gust of wind blew through the mill, the main gate pulled open, and all smoke and flames were drawn away. The heart had liquefied, turned into a bubbling mass of goo that cocooned around the spider-like bone curse. Bubbles grew large and popped, the liquid falling back into the cocoon. Like a tiny spider trapped within a water droplet, its claws poked through the opaque surface. The goo stretched around them but didn’t break, pulling them back inside. It was uneven and parts of the cocoon were badly dented, giving it an even more unnatural appearance.

“And there go my hopes.” Threy groaned.

“Ugh, I could’ve done without this.” Mako felt sick, face blanching at the horrifying and disgusting sight.

Without hesitation Threy drew his revolvers and started shooting, ripples travelled across the wobbling surface of this cursed corruption but didn’t really seem to do any damage. Mako didn’t even try. Mostly because she really didn’t want to risk getting any of that stuff on herself.

And so they waited.

“… This is missing the orchestral music and dramatic camera shots.” Mako stated after a short while.

“Yeah, this doesn’t feel tense at all. Just awkward.” Threy sweatdropped in agreement.

“At least we actually tried attacking unlike most main characters.” She bopped her in solemn wisdom.

“True dat.”

Silence fell over them again.

“How long do you think we’ve to wait for this finish?”

The words had barely come over Threy’s lips that a disgusting tearing sound echoed through the air. A massive blade leg, gleaming black instead of the pale bone white of before, sheared through the cocoon. A second and third joined until it all was ripped apart like thin cloth and the newly metamorphosed Bone Curse broke free. It towered over them, twice the height it had been before, standing nearly two Mako’s stacked atop of each other above them.

Where before it had been but a massive eyes attached to a small body erupting with chaotic bone legs that only held a vague resemblance of a spider, it now looked like an actual Black Widow. However, its ribcage thorax was badly dented and disfigured. Some of its eight legs were too short or twisted in the wrong direction. Its baleful gaze glared at them malevolently out of no longer a single but multitude of acidic yellow, bloodshot eyes of deep purple sclera. Like a bruise.

SCREEEEEE!!!

“Should’ve known.” Threy sighed, just so keeping himself from facepalming.

“Yeah, but now focus on putting an end to this curse!” Mako exclaimed, moving forwards to strike.

He nodded and followed suit. Revolvers twirling in his hands, he aimed towards its eyes only for a tremor to make him miss his shot. The whole mill was rumbling. It was crumbling…! No, Threy realised wide eyed. It was turning back to its original form. Bone shattered and exploded out of the wood, leaving pristine walls behind as the additional floors began to fold back into the mill.

Distracted by these events, the Bone Curse nearly managed to skewer him with one of its legs.

“L-look out!” Only Key’s cry managed to warn him in time. He had no idea why the dragon bean had suddenly found the courage to help out but he wasn’t going to question it.

The curse screeched furiously and darted after him while Mako hurried after it, trident striking black bones. The mill was shrinking quickly around them, giving them less and less space to dodge the Bone Curse if they stayed inside. There was no other option and Threy rushed out of the main gate.

Cold wind and rain whipped into his face, the storm had returned to the harbour. A swirling, roiling mass of pitch black clouds that centred directly above them.

The Bone Curse followed after him, breaking open the much smaller gate as it leapt into the rain. It was moving and shaking its body erratically, clawed legs striking at everything close in an attempt to shake off Mako who was clinging desperately to its disfigured ribcage thorax. Ugh, the disgusting ooze of the Bone Curse was making her want to barf…

“Why does it have to be like this…?!” Mako cried out, eyes swirling as she fluttered after it like a flag in the wind.

Threy ran across the once more muddy ground, thought spots were still dried out and hard. The cursed magic was no longer seeping into the harbour. Now it was but normal rain and normal wind.

“Any tips for dealing with that thing quickly, Key?! I kinda want to bring this all to close already!” He exclaimed, dodging the Bone Curse’s legs and ducked wide eyed under a glob of black oozing slime that it spat after him. At least it hadn’t been webbing!

“Wha? Ah, r-right! Just hit it and tire it out! Without the Spires or something to feed it power it will just waste away. Even without you doing anything, there would be nothing left of it by evening. B-but with the Pickle doing his thing we probably shouldn’t risk it.” Key called out, poking her head out of the back of his hat.

Threy felt completely lost for a second. Pickle? What did a pickle have to do with any of this? Then it made click.

“W-wait, you’re still using that idiotic nickname?!” He exclaimed in disbelief.

“Of course! The Pickle doesn’t deserve to get called by his title!” Key declared with utmost conviction.

“R-right…” Threy sweatdropped and whirled around, deciding to ignore this little detour in favour of smirking at the Bone Curse’s last gasp of strength. “Well, if it’s pretty much done. Let’s just throw everything and the kitchen sink at it!”

“A sink would be great right now…” Mako heaved from where she was still clinging to the cursed spider’s back. Limply her shark tail fluttered in the wind behind her.

“Just jump off it already if you can’t handle it!” Threy exclaimed with twitching eye. “You’re not even doing anything to it!”

She froze for a moment as if that idea had been an utterly alien concept to her until now but even as her face was nearly as green as her scales, she still furrowed her brows in hard deliberation. All while the Bone Curse was continuing to strike rapidly after Threy with its blade-like legs, disgusting black ooze spreading all over the muddy ground.

Why did Mako always have to be so stubborn with annoying bosses?!

Threy exhaled in heavy relief and exasperation when the shark girl finally decided to give up on her futile attempt at wrestling that thing. With a push, she jumped backwards and landed gracefully behind the monster. Only to near immediately stumble as her face was becoming even more green with nausea.

“L-lets combo urgh up!” She called out, somehow managing to keep it together as she used up the last of her Energy Drops.

The abyssal water rose from her hand and splashed against the Bone Curse from behind, the moonlit lake spreading out beneath it. Deep blue bubbles rose from the water, becoming as silvery moons, and surrounded the screeching monster. Wildly it flailed against the lake’s restraints, stabbing at the bubbles heedless of the following explosions that burned into its form. Already deformed legs seemed to melt while chunks of its creepy carapace burned away, revealing the mass of roiling, purple goo that was left within it.

As the moonlit lake took shape it chased away the rain and storm, breaking a hole into the pitch black clouds to cast it beneath a starlit sky.

Threy moved. Shadows roiled within his coat. Like a phantom he hung above the moonlit lake beneath the stars, his coat flaring to the side like wings. A singular eye of blazing flame looking down on the monstrous and soulless glare of the Curse. Darkness burst forth, a wave of writhing tendrils that washed over the monster and weaved into the moonlit magic, turning crimson.

And within this Blood Moon Lake, the Bone Curse found its end.

Crimson shadows swallowed it whole, burning through its already weakened body. One last time it tried to resist but not a sound escaped and all movement ceased. Paralysed it was slowly pulled beneath the lake, sinking beneath the surface until all was still and the lake began to dissipate.

The calm within the storm followed suit as the clouds pulled back together and wind and rain returned. But there was no longer the cursed cold coursing through it. A pleasant warmth had washed over the harbour now that its gloom was finally gone and it felt more like a refreshing summer rain that washed away the grime.

Threy landed with a wet splat face first in the mud and Mako didn’t waste a second more to rush to the pillar’s edge where she emptied her stomach contents into the ocean below.

But their discomfort didn’t last for long. The mud was washed away by the rain and Mako already felt much better as she rose back to her feet.

“I don’t want to deal with something like that ever again.” Tania said as she got back to Daniel, who brushed away the last bit of mud from his hat before nodding satisfied.

“Anything you want to tell me about?” He looked at her with a warm and amused smile. She had snuck under his coat without another word and was now snuggling against him, practically melting in the warmth.

“Talking later. Snuggling now.” Tania asserted with a firm bop of her head, the only part of her poking out of his coat. A moment later Key joined, coming to a rest atop Tania’s head. Two small gremlins smiling smug and lazy, feeling cozy.

“Fair enough.” Daniel chuckled.

The storm didn’t last for much longer with the curse gone. A crack spread through the clouds as they lightened rapidly from pitch black to grey before finally breaking open to reveal the bright blue sky and the warm afternoon sun chased away the last dark, shining onto the now curse free mill.

A lighthearted atmosphere had replaced the heavy and oppressive weight of before, windows lined the sides and there were many more doors leading inside. With the curse gone life was quickly returning to the harbour and lush green bushes and vibrant flowers had already started to grow around the mill.

And their victory over the Bone Curse and all its spires had finally been rewarded by two massive treasure chests waiting inside.

Daniel waited for a second and then sweatdropped as nothing happened.

“You’re not gonna to leave my coat before we get back to the inn, huh?” Daniel noted as Tania didn’t immediately rush ahead for the treasure chests.

“Yeh~ Now, go forth my steed~!” Tania chirped with a grin, his coat flaring lightly up as she threw her arm to the side in a flourish before she vanished deeper within it. He could still hear her muffled voice, though. “I can see why you like staying inside his pockets so much, it’s really comfortable around here!”

“Hehe, it’s great!” Key smugly replied.

“Don’t even think that I’ll carry you around everywhere from now on.” Daniel grumbled good-naturedly under his breath, a small grin twitching on his lips.

Part of him wanted to just search for the marker stones so they could get back to the inn as fast possible, the treasure chests could wait, but after all the exhausting effort of this level some shiny rewards were more than necessary. And getting to open them without Tania hogging them for herself was also rather rare.

The treasure chests were as tall as he was and beautifully ornate, there was a weight of luxury and value surrounding them that was more than appropriate after all the horror they had to go through. Both were designed with both him and Tania’s current bodies in mind, one featuring more amethyst and blues while the other was adorned by emeralds and gold.

“Looks like we get another upgrade.” Daniel mused and didn’t waste any more time to open them both at the same time. A golden light erupted as they opened and a wave of golden coins washed over him.

————

The marker stones stood behind the mill. A grass covered slope lead down from the back of the pillar to the small dock that gazed out onto the ocean. And it was here that the markers had waited for them.

With the storm gone it was finally possible to see what laid towards the horizon. Skelton rafts were fleeing from the harbour. And returned to the fleet of ships that waited out in the open waters, cast against the backdrop of a tropical island.

Holding onto the bundle of new clothes with their new weapons already stored away, Daniel looked into the distance.

And he really hoped they didn’t have to use that dinky old boat drunkenly swaying on the waves to reach that fleet.