Beyond the chaos at the ranger station—a few seconds after the Coarsebloods’ Kyyr had receded back to its crimson taut master—south of Krreat, deep beneath stone and metal, an alabaster-veiled figure shifted in the dark. Gently pulling a massive steel-clawed hand from a dubious clump of pulsating flesh that lashed at the retreating metal with spiraling tendrils.
The figure raised its ivory-framed head, slowly turning to face the direction of the Kyyr disturbance. On its shadowed skull, faintly glowing chevron-like carvings flared to life as a red glow pulsed from its ghostly metal jaw.
“It’s alive…?” its hoarse mechanical voice rasped, echoing through the darkness, rousing a chorus of unseen screeches around it.
The red glow of the light within its throat deepened as a sudden blue inferno erupted around it. Consuming the writhing creatures in a searing blue blaze of agony. The dim blue glow glimpsing their horrid burnt forms as they refused to die. Above the shrieking chaos, the mechanoid’s rage exploded in a deafening roar.
“WHY CONSENT SUCH BEAST TO LIVE?!?!”
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Tebo’s Aqua Adventure was roughly 170,000 square meters, with most of the facility dedicated to the Danger Castle. The rangers that grouped around the pool room’s entrance had heard of people going missing within the winding tunnels of the resort in the past. Its interweaving meander of chambers and pools—a dangerous project spurred by the endless boredom of those born in the remains of the ENN.KORR.
The Danger Castle composed roughly 70% of the facility, including, of course, the surrounding pool area. Lining the edges of the side of the Danger Castle was a large white tiled lounging area that wrapped around in a square semi-circle formation, with most of the pool area hidden beyond the pipes, tunnels, and chambers of the Danger Castle.
The rangers scattered around the perimeter of the Danger Castle, activating all the Life-Guard units while simultaneously trying to locate the source of the horrid roars. But the immensity of the structure, with its convoluted pathways and towering features, proved to make the search a miserable challenge.
On the far end of the pool rooms, Ranger Sey alone had reached the far end of the square semicircle area that composed the lounging area. She looked around, studying the crappy fake tree decorations and the blue tiles that lined the walls, until her eyes rested on a white ladder standing between the lounging area and the pool. It was the access to the maintenance catwalk that stretched over the edge of the Danger Castle.
Aha! She thought to herself as she keyed her comms system, “Sir! I’ve found the maintenance catwalk at the far end of the lounging area. I’ll survey the area and report back!”
She nodded to a voice over her comms system as she began to climb the damp metal ladder leading up to the catwalk. Nodding to the words beyond her radio, she absentmindedly reached up and grabbed onto something slimy.
“Eeeeeek!” she squealed, recoiling and nearly losing her grip. Her foot slipped, and she barely caught herself, her face grazing the ladder’s rough edge. Heart pounding, she blinked hard, staring at her trembling hand. It was slick with blood.
“Sir!” she yelped into her comms, her voice shaky. “I—I found blood.”
She paused, studying the blood as orders came over her comms. Hesitating, she nodded reluctantly, her eyes studying the grated catwalk overhead. A deep red drop fell from above, disappearing in the pool’s water below.
With a hesitant sigh, Sey resumed her climb up, her eyes rising with her until she could peer over the edge of the catwalk.
“S-sir, th-there’s blood and—flesh?” she said, studying the random strings of skin and flesh that were sporadically scattered about. A scent of rot hit her as she reeled back. “Ugh…”
Pulling herself onto the catwalk, she looked up and down the path; to her left was a black ladder that reached up to a rooftop access point. At the base of the ladder, she saw the origin point of the blood. Her gaze followed the crimson streak, swinging to her right, where the catwalk’s railing bowed outward, its jagged, warped metal glistening with dark blood.
With a deep sigh, she reluctantly started down the bloodstained path. The uneven, bent catwalk creaked under her steps, guiding her toward a maintenance access point leading into the Danger Castle.
The entry was oddly in theme—a cream-colored tunnel tall enough for a person to stand in. Inside, old cleaning equipment sat abandoned, yet oddly pristine.
The blood trail continued, leading Sey to a stark white tunnel. She groaned as she knelt on all fours to peer inside. "Ugh, why design it like this?” she muttered, brushing her bangs out of her eyes as she squinted at the blood smears fading around a bend. “Sheesh…”
A sudden roar tore through the pool room, causing her to recoil, her hand slipping as she barreled down. “Eeeeeek!” she screamed as she unwillingly slid down the blood-soaked tunnel. Getting drenched in old blood, she flew down the slide, her body slamming onto the cold metal grating at the bottom with a resounding thud.
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“Ouch…” she groaned, her voice weak as she looked around. She had landed in a square room. To her left, a yellow tunnel trickled faintly with water, the sound barely cutting through her pounding heartbeat. To her right, another yellow tunnel loomed, elevated slightly off the ground.
The tunnel to her right caught her attention. It was blood-smeared; its cracked and splintered rim was etched with jagged claw marks that led into the yellow void of the plastic tunnel.
Sey staggered against the wall under the slide she’d fallen from. Hugging herself tightly, she shrank into her own trembling frame. She froze for a minute, waiting for something to occur but she was only met with the distant wail of the creature deep in the pool room. She carefully pushed herself upright, scanning the room nervously before gathering the courage to approach the bloodied tunnel. Now standing before the yellow tunnel, she leaned forward and poked her head inside.
Her heart sank.
A cocktail of emotions filled her as she saw something on the walls within the yellow tunnel.
Written crudely in his own blood were shaky, uneven letters that spelled out: It hurts
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Back within the labyrinth of the Danger Castle, Bobby deliriously dragged himself along the glistening wet tunnels; his breath was ragged and strained. His eyes darting back into the void of the tunnels behind him, where the echoing chitter of the Coarseblood permeated through the maze, growing louder with each passing second.
Fear held him dearly, the urge to live pushing him to his limit as blood dripped from his hand, fading into the blue. He stumbled through a chaotic maze of chambers, hurling himself down cascading pools, thrashing through wake pools, and stumbling across open areas constantly drenched by torrents of water crashing down from above. Each fleeting moment of open space ended with him being forced back into the suffocating confines of the slick plastic tunnels.
His vision blurred, the world around him a watery haze. His bloodied hand slipped and skidded against every surface, yet he pressed on, every fiber of his being refusing to yield to the terror closing in behind him.
Until he reached a familiar stretch—the obstacle course that dangled high above the dark blue pool below. He grimaced as he caught a glimpse of the dark blue below. Shaking his head, he turned to the side tunnels to skip the course when suddenly a crimson claw burst from behind, causing him to stumble forward.
The Coarseblood emerged from behind, a single stretched-out arm slamming its clawed hand against the soft, matted floor. With a guttural hiss, it hauled its massive body forward, its golden eye locking onto Bobby, who lay huddled on the ground, trembling.
Bobby didn’t dare look back. Ignoring the monstrous presence, he grasped the ground, pulling himself toward the side tunnel. But—before he could reach safety, the Coarseblood struck. Its claws raked across his side, the force of the blow sending him hurtling through the air. He crashed into one of the massive rolling logs, pain tearing through his body as he crumpled against its slick surface.
He tried to gasp for air but the blow had knocked it from his lungs, leaving him choking on sharp pain. Blood spilled from the jagged gashes on his back, dripping down to the glistening surface of the foam log. The log began to shift under his weight, his body slid backward, and his arms trembled as he clung desperately.
“No, no—” he wheezed, his voice barely audible over his labored breathing. The log kept rotating, tilting him closer to a fall. Bobby clawed at the spongy surface, his nails digging futilely into the glossy coating of the foam as he fought to pull himself forward. “Ugh—” he groaned, his arms burning with effort as he barely managed to drag himself away from the abyss below.
A roar besieged him as the Coarseblood leaped over the obstacles, its jaw outstretched as it slammed against the log. The collision sent Bobby reeling, the log rolling violently beneath them. He screamed, his voice raw and piercing, as the monstrous weight of the Coarseblood tilted the log further. Gravity took over, and Bobby screamed as the creatures weight dragged the two and—they fell.
There was suffocating darkness and the blessing of a fleeting lull in the muted scape of the abyss. Bobby's eyes were shut tight as commotion enveloped everything around him.
Pain.
He felt a violent, bone-crushing pain as he felt his body get smacked to the side by an unseen force. The water dragged at him, holding him close, just long enough for another blow to connect.
He recoiled, trying to swim away from the pain, but his crumpled body failed to respond. His movements were sluggish, each paddle weak and desperate. Smack another blind strike slammed into him, hurling him against a familiar mesh. He felt the remaining warmth in his body leak as he weakly pulled against the netting. Warmth seeped from him, draining away as he gripped the netting with trembling fingers.
He kept his eyes shut as he pushed his limits, pulsing Kyyr throughout his body. His Kyyr ability weakly surged. Like a sputtering bulb, the flow of Kyyr came and went as his skin exuded a soapy substance.
Blood-red bubbles filled the air and water. Bobby forced his eyes open, the sting of chemicals burning his retinas. Pain shot throughout every corner of his body, but he used the remaining life he had to pull away from the thrashing Coarseblood. The dark, stained pool disoriented the creature, its single golden eye reddening with irritation. As the soapy substance permeated through the pool, clouding the water and the fell beast's malice.
Grimacing against the stinging pain, Bobby clawed his way upward, his vision blurred and his breaths ragged.
The Coarseblood flailed around, finding a hold on the mesh opposite to Bobby. It shook its head violently, flinging messy, stringy hair aside as its golden eye searched frantically looking for Bobby. But the substance—Bobby’s Kyyr-infused blood—still stung its eye, irritating it beyond control. The creature scratched at its own face, hissing in frustration as it struggled to clear the burning liquid. Its growls deepened into guttural, enraged cries, each swipe shattering its crimson-scaled visage as it fought the torment that now consumed it. The pool beneath churned with darkened water, thick and clouded by the vile residue.
And even though the creature howled and screamed, Bobby pressed on—no reprieve—only the endless mesh stretching up along the walls of the obstacle course, meeting with a square wireframe roof. The bright, almost heavenly fluorescences beyond the wireframe lulled the young man’s hope.
The Coarseblood thrashed violently beneath him, tearing at its own face as it fought the irritation consuming it. But the chaos didn’t bother Bobby; he didn’t care anymore. He pushed every ounce of his body to the absolute limit. Every movement a blazing storm of rippling pain, but he forced himself upward, hold by grueling hold.
When he finally reached the top, he came to realize the square holes were just too small—just enough to where he couldn’t fit. Tears that came from the stinging chemicals worsened as his brain processed what was to come. He weakly clung to the mesh, his worn body shivering as blood trickled down the lattice mesh.
He pushed his bloody arm through the mesh—staring into the fluorescent lights above—tears overflowed as in a childish panic he waved his arm in desperation, wailing incoherently—his Kyyr fading as his blood regained the sweet scent that had ensnared the Coarseblood into the hunt.
With massive jagged cuts along his ribs and blood dripping from his trembling finger, he let out a lonely cry.