"The second fated container vanquished its envy, united with its partner, they cared for no other"
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!ERROR! REPAIR NEEDED. LV2 DEVICE REQUIRED.
Skill List:
Kanji (lv0): Aspect of Energy: Electricity, Thermal.
{Skill points: !ERROR!}
[Full destructive power limit: Village]
Skills: [1. Infuse/Absorb] [2. Energy travel] [3. Energy trail] [4. Energy bolt] [5. Energy wave] [6. Energy blade] [7. Energy shield] [8. Energy dual conduit] [9. Energy healing]
Inventory: Geographic sphere, mechanical soap, spyware device, tungsten-infused nanotech silver chain, tech tablet (Portal) (Hide, Input, Output, Convert, Compress), night vision goggles.
Claire (lv0): Aspect of Creation
Skills: [1. Create (Slots: 5)]
Inventory: Black cloak, crossbow, crossbow bolt (modified with rotatenium), ammo pouch, Fanfics, mechanical soap, a spyglass.
David (lv0): Aspect of Form
{Skill points: !ERROR!}
[Range limit: Self]
Skills: [1. Expand (x2)] [2. Spikefacation] [3. Delay (1-10s)] [4. Shieldfacation] [5. Trigger] [6. Transform pattern Wave] [7. Net Transform] [8. Whip transform] [9. Blend around]
Inventory: Iron bat, AK-47, mechanical soap.
Amelia (lv0): Aspect of Reality
{Skill points: !ERROR!}
[Attack type: illusion] [Attack range: x3 field of view]
Skills: [1. Third-person vision] [2. Blurring Mirage] [3. Double] [4. Connect] [5. Vision Swap] [6. Disguise] [7. Flash Mirage] [8. False movement] [9. False Touch]
Inventory: Frying Pan, knife, mechanical soap.
Sarah (lv0): Aspect of Fiction
[Skill access: 1 skill for each item] [Conjured item 1]
Inventory: Mechanical soap, Nezha’s leopard bag (Nezha’s ring), a shovel.
Noah (lv0): Aspect of Emotion
Skills: [Emotion infusion] (Emotional requirement: High)
Inventory: Gilded axe, mechanical soap, a sharpening stone.
Diana (lv0): Aspect of Law
{Laws unlocked: Law of Friction} {Limit: Only manipulate small values}
Inventory: Mechanical soap, a pickaxe.
Adrian (lv0): Aspect of Knowledge.
{Connected Minds} {Info Extraction} [Limit: half of basic info}]
Inventory: Mechanical soap. rope.
Azan (lv0): Aspect of Change.
{Limitation: 1. Follow under the concept “change” only. 2. Changes under other aspects require hand-holding.}
Change slot: 1
Inventory: Metal suitcase.
Mina (lv0): Aspect of Time
{Limitations: 4 skills (Currently).}
Skills (!ERROR!) (Auto Input Activated)
Inventory: A machete.
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?? "...wha? What happened?!... Ugh! My head hurts!"
.... Struggling to rise, the Castrastrian fights against excruciating pain. Glancing down, they witness blood-soaked knees and legs resembling a result similar to a car collision.
?? "It hurts."
Summoning their last reserves of strength and endurance, they mustered the willpower to ascend onto a pedestal.
Beep. Beep.
?? "Huh, what's that? A call?"
The reverberating sound echoes in their mind. Without hesitation, they seize their antennae firmly and answer the call.
?? "FOR GOODNESS SAKE! AN! Are you alright?!"
AN "Ye-Yes, First Commander? Is that you?... Aah! Just how long have I been out?"
?? "You have been out for 10 hours! I was worried sick! How are your surroundings?"
AN's gaze sweeps across the room, discovering that the walls and ceilings have transformed from an abyss of darkness. Wait, could that be... the outside?
AN "Ooooh shit! I think they blew up the morality grotto! I have to escape!"
In a panic, AN snatches the relic resting on the pedestal and hastily dashes towards the presumed exit. With each step, they draw nearer and NEARER until...
Thud! AN tumbles to the floor, while the relic levitates back to its place on the pedestal.
AN "OW! What the hell?!"
?? "AN? Are you okay? Wait, did you seriously just run into a wall?"
AN rises once again, extending their hands cautiously. To their astonishment, the room's wall remains in place.
AN "Ok. This is weird. Like very weird. I can see the outside. But I guess the room's wall is still there? It's like a one-way window. At least, I hope it's. I don't want anyone spying on me in here."
?? "You are right, AN. It is exactly like a one-way mirror. Seeing your location from this drone, I can confirm that."
AN "Really? Can you tell me any other details?"
?? "Of course, I can. To be blunt, I have to say the grotto you're in isn't really a "grotto". It is more like a...
?? "... a giant metal egg, my liege. Its appearance is like a giant egg, those similarly laid by the Earth feathery creature called a "chicken."
"... that's quite interesting. But what I'm surprised about is that it somehow SURVIVED THE BLAST! HOW?! I WANT ANSWERS!"
The Empress slams her throne, furious.
The first general tidies his hands with a lovely napkin adorned with blue rose spirals—a calming ritual for chaotic times, especially when The Empress is angry.
Returning it to his pocket near his left knee, he kneels, ready for punishment.
General1 "I'm sorry my liege! Due to some strange. Umm... Reasons. The grotto now has a shield covering its circumference. Its appearance is like a soap bubble, but attacking it causes flashes of a single color followed by a large symbol that disappears after a short time. I don't what happened, but this shield completely negated the blast. Leaving us....with..."
The general gulps, but presses on.
General1 "... with 25 broken high-powered nanotech force fields, 2456 total casualties in soldiers and civilians, and a massive crater reaching just far enough that we can see it from the window. Also, there are riots, lots and lots of riots. The blast was more powerful than we thought, thinking that we could contain it was foolish on my part. It's my fault! Please punish me!"
"No. Honestly, I should take the blame for allowing this decision to take flight... Damn it all though. 100 suns downed the drain! 50 for the actual blast and 50 for containing it! I truly thought they could cancel each other out."
General1 "My liege! Don't down yourself! We were in unknown territory, that is all!"
"Heh. You sure know how to make someone feel better..."
Black teardrops stream from her left eye.
In an instant, her upper arms snatch feathers from her seat, deftly swiping away the tear, like tissue paper.
General1 "Wow! Was my Empress this fast?! Atlas, I still yet to know her past. Maybe one day. Maybe one day."
She gazes at the first general, sensing he has more to say, piquing her curiosity.
"What so anxious, general? Is there something else you want to share?"
General1 "Yes. As always, my liege knows no bounds. We did a couple of... experiments on both the grotto's shield and the orange crystal that General Karlac brought in that was used to concentrate the blast."
"Wait! Before you go on, how is he holding up?"
General1 "General Karlac ooor..... oh. He is... He is in a bit of a comatose state. I believe the shock from releasing all that energy completely knocked him out."
The Empress clenches the arms of her marble throne, a flicker of panic and urgency on her face. Worried. But just as quickly, she regains her composure.
"They must not know"
General1 "My liege? Is everything alright?"
"No, it is fine. Please move on to what you found during testing. We can start with the shield."
General1 "As you wish. The grotto's shield seems to be some kind of adaptive mechanism and any impact that goes toward it, causes different effects to take place to counter the impact. One major example is when we sent out that guy."
"Wait, you don't mean the second general! You know it is fucking dangerous sending that battle-hungry lunatic. The guy could be hurt..... HAHAHA! LOL, just kidding. Go on."
General1 "Hahaha, that was a marvelous joke, your highness. But I actually did try to stop him. Atlas, he was too stubborn, so I let him have a go."
"...and the result? Did he lose a leg or what?"
General1 "Well, nothing much happened. When he struck the shield with his powerful scythe, the blow never came like it was stopped in its track or it never happened."
"When he struck it, what was the symbol on the shield?"
General1 "It was some sort of yellow scale. I don't know what it means."
"It means Law. The third general's attack was vaporized using the power of law, most likely the shield removed the force of the scythe, and it made the impact never happened. With this, I can say that the shield blocks attacks by using the 12 aspects as its coating."
General1 "I see. So those symbols were the aspect symbols. I find it very interesting knowing about this for the first time, my liege."
"Of course, 'cause the appearance of the relic was meant to be a secret... until some rat found out where I stored the damn thing. A problem caused by my past recklessness. But I shouldn't let past mistakes get to me... especially not now. We should... move on to the crystal."
General1 "Right! Umm, what we knew before was that the crystal can help control, pause, and concentrate heat to near-perfect capacity, allowing us to form the blast from compressing 50 suns. What we didn't know was that it has a radius of influence. When the suns were being compressed, their heat started building up and reaching unimaginable degrees. A temperature that was stable when near the crystal. However, as the blast left the vicinity of the crystal, it started to shake uncontrollably like the 50 suns are fighting to get out. This led to the blast splitting off into bits of destructive drops, making it more like a shatter shot than a blast."
"And some of those shots were aimed at different places near the force field generators instead of a centralized area. Which leads to our losses... It's almost like fate is toying with us."
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
She chuckles softly and guzzles a liter of crimson liquid in one gulp.
General1 "My liege, please forgive my curiosity... but what are you drinking?"
"Cherry juice. What? You thought it was blood because I was drinking from a skull cup! I might be ruthless but I'm not a cannibal."
General1 "No, of course not my liege! Please ignore my foolish question!"
Her pincers form the OK sign, urging him to delve further into the crystal.
General1 "Oh yes, the crystal. We have learned that it's good at sustaining energy generation. The maximum and most efficient way of using this is putting it near to the heat conversion generators we have on the hottest star in the universe known as Omnistar or Wolf-Rayet star WR 102 as the humans call it. We then took those generators along with the crystal back to Caverrin, removing the travel time needed to collect our energy source. I say this is far better and safer than any of those rotatenium generators. The only problem is where do we get more of these crystals?"
"You have a point. If we get our hands on more of these. Creating 100 suns' worth of energy back would be a breeze. No. We could do more, the possibilities are endless! We can finally conquer the entire Universe as a whole! General, call in The DOC! We need him to learn more about the crystal. However, make sure he doesn't break it! His habit of dissecting and breaking parts may cost us our door to ultimate conquest."
General1 "Yes! It will be done at once!"
The general starts moving towards the door, but the Empress halts his advance with a pheromone wave.
General1 "Umm, my liege... Have I done something wrong?"
"I didn't tell you to leave. Did I?"
General1 "No. I just assume that... never mind. Is there something else my liege wants to know?"
"I'm still not satisfied with the result of our attack! There must be something that happens to the sniveling little rat and her friends."
General1 "You'll be glad to know that the rat has sustained some injury from the blast. At least that is what our health sensors picked up."
"Excellent. Good. Good. About those humans, have you contacted General Karlac?"
General1 "I have my liege. But he is unresponsive, the rude bastard."
"Now there general, it was my suggestion that he takes a rest. Although, I'm surprised that he actually did it which is quite odd considering his personality and hot-headedness."
General1 "I say he is taking it TOO well, as it has been two days."
The Empress ~ sighs ~, she isn't angry or disappointed, but rather impatient to uncover what transpired.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Little did she know, the truth was downright horrifying.
The warriors were forced to venture to where no human should ever tread.
The air reeks of decay, an odor so repugnant even vermin would retch.
Unaware, a slumbering blonde girl suddenly senses... something... wriggling up her left leg.
Her eyes snap open in alarm.
?? "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Ewww! GOT OFF ME!"
She forcefully kicks it aside and frantically presses against the wall, struggling to rise. The sliminess and slipperiness impede her efforts. Cornered, fear and confusion engulf her.
Her gaze falls upon the creature she had kicked.
Its rubbery skin and mass resemble a larger silkworm, roughly the size of a football. The creature stirs, gliding along the floor towards her.
She desperately searches for an escape route, but none exists. Her only option is to move forward, her hands gripping... the wall? They... They are fleshy!
?? "What the fuck?! No, this is not the time!"
Embracing the morbid facts, the blonde girl thrusts her hands into the walls.
SUDDENLY, THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE SHUDDERS, THEN FALLS SILENT.
Swiftly, she pushes herself into a standing position, bracing against the wall. With resolve, she raises her arms, ready for the impending fight.
?? "Bring it on! I have dealt with more silkworms than you think!"
Interpreting her shouts as aggression, the creature lets out a piercing screech. Sharp, pointed legs protrude from its body in succession. With astonishing speed, it hurtles toward the girl, leaping and directing its mouth toward her face.
?? "ARGH!"
She swiftly seizes the creature's neck area and forcefully stomps on its lower body, halting its advancement. However, the creature's legs clamp down on her leg, causing her to bleed. She witnesses the repulsive visage of its drooling mouth, oozing globs of mucus, and displaying rows of rotating fangs.
Persistently, it strives to draw nearer to her face, relentlessly spewing more mucus.
?? "Please, give me something! Anything to kill this thing! Please!"
Her hands emit a radiant white glow, while peculiar clock-shaped symbols manifest all over the creature's rubbery exterior.
These marks commence rotating in a clockwise manner, gaining speed with each passing moment.
Gradually, the worm-like entity develops wrinkles, its skin growing pallid and lax under her touch. Weakened to the point of vulnerability, she crushes the creature into two pieces, causing its decapitated segments to convulse and fade away. Emitting a final shriek, the beast disintegrates into a cloud of dust, dissipating from her grasp.
A blue window materializes, capturing the girl's attention.
|Emergency detected. Generating a random skill best suited.|
Mina: |1. Aging| learned!
?? "Ah, I see. I remember now, I'm The Aspect of Time! I'm Mina!"
Mina scans her surroundings and notices her hat firmly adhered to the wall on her right. Strangely, it appears as though the wall is engulfing and consuming it.
Mina "Hey! That's mine!"
With cautious movements, Mina inches closer and attempts to forcefully pull her hat free. However, the obstinate wall resists, deploying multiple fleshy tendrils that ensnare the hat. Observing this, Mina places her left hand atop the tendrils and activates |1.Aging|. As a result, the tendrils wither away.
OOOARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
The building trembles and quakes.
Mina loses her footing and tumbles towards an opening on the opposite side of the room.
Miraculously, she manages to land gracefully on the lower floor, where a peculiar sight awaits her. Instead of sliminess, the floor is covered in a dense layer of fur.
She rummages through her pockets, retrieving a few bandages to tend to her injuries. Mina savors a brief moment of peace when suddenly—
?? "Take this!"
From the adjacent room ahead, Mina discerns a familiar voice, a shout that she recognizes all too well.
Mina "Azzy, is that you?! Hold on, I'm coming!"
Mina dashes forward, encountering a barrier in the form of a fleshy door. She attempts to nudge it open, but it remains firmly sealed. Determined, she peers through the door's membrane-like window to assess the situation.
Inside, she witnesses two colossal rats, their veiny green eyes gleaming, claws capable of slicing through steel, and a segmented bony tail with a venomous stinger at its tip.
Her heart sinks as she spots her injured friend, his flesh and clothes marred by three diagonal scratch wounds across his chest, back, and right leg. She observes additional puncture wounds on his arms, though they appear shallow and devoid of bleeding.
Fearing her friend's diminishing strength, the girl musters all her might, pushing forcefully against the door while activating |1. Aging|.
The door gradually disintegrates into dust, enabling her to burst through and execute a jump-kick, targeting one of the rats.
Mina "Back off my friend!"
Mina redirects her attention to Azan, who gasps for breath, utterly exhausted and incapable of uttering a single word. Despite his fatigue, a sense of relief washes over him upon seeing her presence, prompting him to collapse on the floor, unconscious.
Mina "Sleep well, Azzy. You deserve it. I'll deal with these guys. Don't you worry!"
Mina examines the rats once more, noticing their intense agitation as they assume a defensive stance. With their forearms positioned forward and hind legs moving backward, tails curling up, their behavior strikes a familiar chord within her. It resembles the kind of creature she has encountered and dealt with in the past.
Mina "That's it! These guys are like scorpions! I just need a way to get behind them."
"Perhaps a distraction," Mina ponders, scanning the room in search of potential bait. Regrettably, there is none to be found.
She ~sighs~ and backs against the wall.
Mina "Wait! The walls! Of course!"
Mina plunges her hands deep into the fleshy interior of the wall once again, initiating |1. Aging|.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
The building convulses with even greater intensity.
A powerful shockwave jolts the two rats, sending them careening into each other. Fortunately, Mina remains unscathed as she clings tightly to the wall. Howe, Azan is now positioned on the opposite side, behind the dizzy rats.
Mina "Shit! I have to hurry!"
With swift agility, Mina dashes forward and effortlessly slides beneath the rat on the left. She seizes the back of its tail firmly, activating |1. Aging|.
Gradually, she senses the bone beginning to weaken, becoming fragile enough for her to snap it off entirely. Yet, instead of breaking it, she maintains her grip as the rat desperately attempts to dislodge her.
The creature's strength slowly diminishes, succumbing to the sweet release of death.
RARGGG!
Enraged by the demise of its fallen companion, the remaining rat charges directly at Mina.
Mina "It's too fast! I can't dodge it!"
Bracing for impact, Mina shuts her eyes tightly and raises her arms to shield herself from the imminent bite.
Crunch.
Huh. No pain. Instead, she hears the unsettling sound of bones being crushed.
Mina cautiously opens one of her eyes.
Mina "Oh my god!"
Azan stands tall, enduring the rat's attack with his right arm, while drawing back his left arm. His body bulges with an increased mass, nearly tripling in size, as he prepares to unleash a lethal punch. With a devastating blow, his fist connects with the rat's skull, instantly ending the creature's life.
Azan "Don't....mess... with....my... gi-
His body gives way, collapsing to the ground, as a torrent of blood gushes from each wound, resembling a burst water balloon. Overwhelmed with grief, Mina's tears flow uncontrollably as she desperately tries to cover his wounds
Mina "No! No no no! You can't die like this! I won't let you!"
Placing her hands on Azan's chest, Mina channels all her hopes and willpower into her desperate plea. Tear after tear falls from her eyes.
She prays fervently for anything. Anything to save her friend.
Mina regrets having depleted her bandages, her heart heavy with remorse. She continues to weep, feeling helpless, until suddenly... the skill window repeatedly appears before her.
The skill window displays a frustrating |!ERROR!| message. Fueled by anger, she swings a punch at the holographic panel, only for her hand to pass through it,
Mina "Shut up! I just want to go back!"
|Maximum will detect. Auto skill granted.|
Mina: |2. Time exchange|
Mina "What the fuck does that even mean?!"
|Time Exchange: Restore anything to its original state by touching it with the user's right hand. However, something else must age forward to a future state to meet the skill's requirement. It can be done with the user's left hand. The target can't be inanimate or an object. The returned state Must be on the same day.|
Brushing away her tears, Mina finds a glimmer of hope beginning to rekindle within her.
Mina "So It's like healing with a cost. It's worth a shot! But what to exchange."
Frantically scanning the room, Mina's eyes land on the walls, the only relatively fresh objects in sight.
she rises to her feet and gazes at the nearest wall to her left, her nerves tingling. Swallowing her fears, she taps Azan lightly with her right hand and the wall cautiously with her left.
Activating |2. Time Exchange|
With awe and joy filling her eyes, Mina watches in astonishment as her friend's wounds rapidly close before her. Azan stirs awake, and Mina welcomes him tightly in a heartfelt hug.
Azan "A-ah! Mina. What? Where? What happened?"
Mina "You were injured, silly! Like bleeding everywhere!"
Azan "Oh. Sorry, I made you worry."
Mina "It's okay. We were just in a bad place at a bad time. That's all! Let's get out of this place and find the others."
Nodding in unison, Azan and Mina support one another as they ascend. Unaware of the deteriorating state of the walls and ceiling, they remain oblivious to the small chunks of flesh that rain down upon them.
One of the fleshy lumps lands on Azan's shoulder.
Azan "What the hell? The walls are melting!"
Mina "What do we do, Azzy?!"
Eyeing the nearby wall, Azan musters his strength and throws a punch. To his surprise, the wall shatters, unveiling a glimpse of the outside world.
Mina "What?! You can break the walls! Why didn't you try to escape earlier?!"
Azan "I don't know, the wall this time is a bit weaker. I don't suppose... you know anything about that? Do you?"
Mina pouts and remains silent. The two warriors cautiously approach the opening, peering out.
Their faces contort with disbelief as they witness an alarming sight.
A vast expanse of hundreds, no, thousands of similar buildings stretching as far as the eye can see. Some structures are even mobile, moving with six colossal sinewy legs. The roads are obscured by a ghastly layer of flesh and jagged bone protruding from the ground.
Above them, the sky hangs ominously, a deep crimson red devoid of clouds, and teeming with monstrous creatures. Among them, the most prominent and nightmarish is a brain-like entity, its countless tendrils propelling it through the air, seemingly attempting to escape the clutches of the walking buildings.
Azan "Mina... Are we in hell?"
Mina gazes at Azan, witnessing the despair etched across his face, his hope fading, and his faith in escape waning.
She swiftly slaps him.
Mina "Get a hold of yourself! It's not over yet! If we can find Kanji, we can get out of this! You hear me! We will live!"
Mina's words pierce through the layers of despair, reaching deep within Azan's core. At that moment, his wavering resolve resurfaces.
Azan "Yes... you're right. Kanji can fix this! First, we need to find him... Umm... Mina?"
Mina "... I think I found everyone. Buuut it looks pretty bad."
Azan turns to the direction Mina is looking, his eyes falling upon a rooftop adorned with an unusual web-like substance, reminiscent of gossamer. In one corner, eight cocoons are tightly bound, each displaying a human face protruding from within. It becomes painfully evident that those cocooned figures are their friends.
Azan "Oh god! Those are the others! If only I have my suitcase!"
Mina "What for? I thought it was only for storage or document stuff."
Azan "No, it is a kind of shifting multi-tool that can serve five functions or five forms to be more accurate. Attack. Defense. Flight. Stealth. And healing."
Mina "Wow! That would have been super convenient earlier! So does it like fold itself like The Transformers?"
Azan "Yes, it does. But I think we should really find it before this whole building collapses!"
Their gaze returns to a previous room. Azan and Mina notice a suitcase attached to the dissolving walls across from the door. However, their path is gradually being obstructed by mounds of fallen flesh from the upper floors.
Undeterred, they boldly press forward, maneuvering their way through the repugnant and slimy piles. They extend their hands to grasp the suitcase, only to be met with a sudden onslaught of powerful tentacles striving to reclaim it.
This time, the resistance is far stronger.
Summoning every ounce of their strength, they engage in a fierce struggle against the relentless tentacles, eventually overpowering them and causing them to recoil, flinging Azan and Mina backward onto their bottoms.
The walls rumble ominously, they coil around a central axis. Suddenly, an eyeball emerges from the fleshy depths of the wall, fixing a piercing glare upon them.
Azan "Mina..."
Mina "RUN!"
They make a hasty retreat towards the opening, but the nearby walls and fleshy mounds extend and contort, relentlessly attempting to ensnare the two warriors. With remarkable skill, they dodge and evade these grotesque appendages seamlessly, narrowly escaping capture at every turn. Then—
Mina "Help! It got my feet!"
Azan "Stay right there!"
His suitcase transforms into a formidable mechanical saber, boasting a multi-segmented titanium blade capable of extending into a whip-like form. Its silver handle features a crescent-shaped crossguard adorned with a central ruby.
Azan swiftly extends the weapon's length and slashes through the mass that had ensnared Mina's feet, setting her free.
He lifts her up like a princess and leaps out of the crumbling building.
Mina "Aaaaaah! What were you thinking Azzy?!"
Azan "Don't worry! I got this!'
Azan releases the suitcase and it transforms once again, folding into a substantial metal disk equipped with jets on the sides. Just in the nick of time, the flying contraption catches them, averting a collision with a hazardous cluster of sharp bones on the ground below.
Mina "Woah, this is awesome! But... Can you let me down?"
Azan "Oh... uh... of course, sorry."
Azan gently places Mina back on the ground and they share a fleeting moment of blushing cheeks, aware that they need to hurry.
He reaches out to touch the metal disk, activating its power and causing it to ascend higher into the air. Together, they traverse the distance to the rooftop of the other building.
Mina "So is this thing like automatic?"
Azan "Only automatic in transforming. It has a smart AI installed that assesses any situation and adapts to solve it. Actually, using the damn thing is my responsibility."
Mina "That's... neat. Oh! We are here!"
Azan and Mina disembark from the now-transformed suitcase, reverting it back to its original form. They tread silently through the mysterious material surrounding them, its texture akin to slimy cobwebs.
Reaching their friends, they waste no time in attempting to free them from their cocoons. Suddenly—
Azan's suitcase transforms into a saber
A sense of unease settles upon them as they survey their surroundings in panic, realizing that an unsettling silence permeates the entire facility.
Azan "IT'S UP! DODGE!"
Descending from above, an enormous spider looms before them. Mina's gaze locks onto the creature, recognizing its resemblance to a funnel-web spider. However.... numerous holes cover its back.
A chilling realization strikes her—those holes, are they filled with eggs? Mina's stomach churns, and she recoils, unable to contain her disgust as she vomits at the sight of the creature.
Azan "Mina! What's wrong?! Why did you throw up?!"
Mina "I have trypophobia. I can't do this. I can't!"
Azan grasps Mina's shoulders firmly, giving her a vigorous shake, and locks eyes with her.
Azan "Listen! Our friends are in mortal danger! And We are the only ones that can save them. So pull yourself together!"
Mina "Yeah but the-
Azan "Don't worry about the damn holes! Just focus on its legs! Got it!"
Mina regains her composure, mustering her determination to fight for the sake of their friends. Her gaze fixates on the creature's legs as she swiftly charges toward them. Azan follows closely, leaping towards the spider's head, his saber extending to its maximum length, ready to strike.
Azan "Take this! You insect!"
The spider instinctively shields its face, expecting an attack from Azan. However, to its surprise, he leaps off its face and swiftly slashes his weapon diagonally across its back, obliterating the premature eggs nestled within.
The creature shrieks in motherly fury.
In its rage, the spider lunges at Azan, seizing him with its front two legs, and pinning him down. Unbeknownst to the spider, Mina clings tightly to one of its back legs.
Azan "Shit. This is quite a predicament."
As the creature screeches in defiance, it repeatedly jabs its legs into Azan, inflicting wounds upon his shoulders and elbows.
His saber undergoes yet another transformation, becoming a watch-like device that emanates a protective force, shielding him from the ongoing onslaught.
Simultaneously, Mina persists in her efforts, gradually aging the mother spider. With each passing moment, the creature's attacks become sluggish and less accurate. Eventually, the giant spider succumbs to exhaustion and breathes its last.
Mina swiftly streams down to Azan's side, lifting him to his feet.
Whorp!
The warriors stand in awe as an immense portal materializes before them, its sheer magnitude leaving them stunned.
Emerging precisely from where the spider once stood, the portal gradually engulfs the entire area, drawing in everything within its reach, including the eight cocoons containing their friends. Mina and Azan valiantly attempt to resist its pull, but the portal's force intensifies relentlessly, overpowering their efforts.
They succumb to its irresistible tug and a peculiar voice emanates from the other side.
?? "You two did exemplary well. Your performance shall be recorded for research purposes if that's ok."
(To be continued)