The creature approached the unconscious body lying on the tunnel’s floor, hundreds of shards of glass scattered around it, some caked with her blood. Before the creature cared for the elf coated in blue slime, only checking to see if she was breathing, they went to discern what had caused the pod’s failure.
Its silhouette kept shifting, its legs, or whatever made its lower body, not even lifting as it glided across the ground, leaving a streak of slime behind it.
First, it touched the crystals on the base, the gems lighting up in response, some glowing much brighter than others, at least according to what Elyza could see through the corner of her eye. Second, it checked the steel holdings, feeling around for something within, and when it did, she could hear the remaining fluid being sucked away. Third, it moved on to inspect the glass, grabbing the dagger-like edges of what remained of the door without even a reaction.
Finally, whether the creature had learned what had conspired mere moments before or not, it turned its attention to her, still acting unconscious, unsure of when to strike. It knelt beside her, hands gently probing her armour, almost as if checking Elyza for injuries. The touch was unexpectedly soft, and as it reached under her, flipping her onto her back, she had to close her eyes.
The creature immediately went for the gash in the side of her stomach, where blood had soaked into her purple shirt. Its appendages pressed around the wound, probing to check its depth, causing some blue fluid to seep out. It took her entire will not to let out a single grunt, to resist her body’s need for release, when suddenly, the pain just stopped. She couldn’t feel the wound any more, moreover, that portion of her body felt unnaturally free of the slime.
Instantly, her arm shot towards the creature's neck, and it went straight through. Her hand cleaved through its body, which suspiciously felt like slime, but before Elyza could react, the creature leapt backwards. She flipped to her feet, expecting retaliation, only to have the slime monster melt into a puddle. Through its translucent purple body, she could see a wooden core that consisted of interlocking loops that formed a rounded triangle pyramid, or a curved tetrahedron as Alex would say.
Her halberd sprung to her hands, and she swung it towards the ooze. The blade sliced straight through one side of the slime, the hook grabbed onto the core and went straight through. As Elyza flicked the core towards herself, the viscous fluid that made the creatures flew towards her as well, a wave of purple coming upon her, attracted to what she could deduce as the being’s brain.
She expected an attack, her halberd returned around her finger as her hand caught the core, squeezing it, threatening to crush it under her strength. The fluid flew around the core, coalescing as it reinforced the structure, but it felt inert, no sting of poison, no burn of acid. Her gut told her to stop, as the wave wrapped around the core, which drooped to form a vaguely humanoid body, but it did nothing to her, nothing to escape. It didn’t try to blind her or slip out of her grasp, it simply stood, frozen, as she held in her hand its brain.
The core began to spin its inner mechanisms, the language inscribed on the wood glimmering white, the runes causing the wood to vibrate as it spoke, mimicking a voice that could belong to any guild hand she had talked to.
“I know this seems bad, b-but unnecessary violence will not help,” the slime creature pleaded. The slime around its core solidified into a face that mimicked hers, causing Elyza to squeeze harder on its core, eliciting a quiet groan and creak from the wooden outer loop.
“O-Okay,” The being said, its face melting back into its body, “That was a bad choice on my part.”
“Where am I?” Elyza stated calmly, her free hand inspecting her wound, only to find it completely healed, her fingers touching her bare exposed skin.
“A series of underground tunnels near Rameys, some of which are newer than others.”
It had no eyes to stare into, no muscles to tighten, no face to study, yet Elyza could tell it was telling her the truth. So, her question changed. “Why did you bring me here?” She demanded, squeezing on the core harder.
“Be-because we need to feed,” The creature revealed, raising its hand, gripping her arm, in a soft attempt to dissuade her. “And it’s not like we’re doing anything e-evil, these people get to live out their happiest me-memories in the pods,” it rambled, and she could hear desperation creeping in.
“What do you feed off? Their mana, blood? What do you gain from them?” She pushed further, her grip on the verge of splintering the wood
“Their ha-happiness,” The creature quickly replied, some of its mass turning ghostly white as it dripped onto the floor.
Elyza’s mind ran across the encyclopaedia she had ingrained into her mind, her grip relaxing as she tried to search for any creature that matched what was before her. The sheer fact it possessed a sense of rationality and morality basically eliminated any of the slimes she had read about, and a majority of monsters along with them. She scoured her mind only to return with nothing, so there was only one thing left to do.
“Has someone else escaped from these pods?”
“No, the fluid keeps them in a state of pure bliss, aiding in the recreation of their memories, along with activating their senses when appropriate. There must’ve been something wrong with your pod, or you’ve just had a really bad life.” The creature attempted what she could only comprehend as an awkward laugh, but a calm glare silenced it.
“Where is the man that I arrived with?” Elyza asked, her eyes easily carrying out the importance of knowing the answer.
“Uh, well…” The creature started, a slight squeeze on the core improving its memory, “Y-your name is Penelope, right? I remember when you two came last night, your f-friend had an extraordinary deposit of mana within him. Nemo, I think? He should be nearby, on my side of the tunnel.”
She was about to release her grip, but before she did, her hand reached into her pouch and pulled out a walnut. Pushing the seed into the confines of the slime’s core, embedding it into the mechanisms, she wiped off her hand, letting go of the creature, before asking, “What can I call you?”
“Uh,” the slime stammered, clearly surprised she had left it alive. It took a moment longer than it should have to remember its name, “Otis.”
“Well, Otis,” She began, walking over the puddle of goop beneath him, her voice calm as she walked past the smiling people trapped in the pods, waiting for Alex’s grin to pop out suddenly.
“You will tell me how to break my friend out of whatever your group has done to him, and if you try to betray me, or try to run away, that seed within you will bloom and shatter your core into pieces in a snap.” She snapped to demonstrate, stopping in front of whom she was looking for, Otis hurriedly gliding up behind her.
Alex was floating weightlessly in a similar mechanism to the one she had been in mere minutes ago, except the base of his pod held around fifteen mana crystals. Five had been shoved haphazardly into holes that seemed to have been recently bored into the metal, and all the gems were larger than hers. Predictably, he still had a grin spread across his face, his teeth appearing cyan through the fluid, yet his hair drifted around his head as if on a mind of their own, still blacker than the darkest nights. His cloak waved like petals in the wind, the void cloth glimmering purple under the slime.
“Open it,” Elyza gestured towards the pod. The creature hesitated for a moment before an arm emerged from within its body, reaching for the pod, and sliding beneath the glass door without opening it.
The purple slime melded with the blue fluid, causing it to shrink towards the back of the pod, becoming much more opaque as it started to solidify, the liquid retreating back to Alex’s ears as the doors swung open.
“How do I wake him up?” She demanded. Otis hesitated once again, to which she snapped her fingers, giving them ample motivation to answer quickly.
“Y-you can’t…” Otis whimpered out, quickly adding, “I mean, you could, but not from here. The machine’s quite complicated, you’d have to do it from the central mechanism, and even if you did, it would still take an hour for him to return to normal consciousness and wake up.” Suddenly, their cowardly voice found a hint of defiance, “And if you choose that path, I can not aid you any further, I can’t risk it.”
Elyza stared at her partner, as she silently considered the option, and a random thought in her mind that he would just awaken on his own and immediately make a horrible joke. “Then why was I able to wake up on my own?” she questioned, deciding it would be disadvantageous to wait that long in unknown territory.
“Like I said, either there was something wrong with your pod, or the fluid within, or your happy memories were tied with so much turmoil that it was impossible to fully separate them, and hence you weren’t able to achieve a higher state of consciousn-,” Otis was rambling, when they suddenly stopped.
“Spit it out, or I will tear through this place till I find someone useful.”
“If I were to seal you both into the pod, there is a chance it would allow your minds to communicate, and you may be able to enter his memories and do… whatever you did when you broke yourselves out of the trance.”
It could have been a trap, to knock her out and capture her again, but the creature hadn’t tried to escape, and she had given them various opportunities to attack. He seemed too much of a pacifist, and frankly too naive to think of such a way of escape. “Do it.”
“I must clarify, for this to succeed and not just have you two floating in there, or even melt your mind, there must be an immense connection between you two, to be able to lay bare his memories and experience it as he would. Or, you need to be able to connect your minds psychically.”
Her mind contemplated whether to take the risk or not, what path to take, whether Alex trusted her as much as she did him, when she remembered. Her hand dived into her pouch full of knives, and pulled out a vial the size of her pinky, which held shimmering pink liquid within it. She reached into the pod, her hand tearing through the solidified slime as it made it towards the farther pouch of the two that hung around Alex’s belt. It felt as if her hand was wriggling through solidified beef fat, or even a mix of fat and marrow, but she persevered.
Opening up his pouch, she felt around within it for a vial that felt similar to hers, pulling out a perfect replica of the potion she held in her other hand. She pried open the tiny cork that trapped the potion within her vial, downing the contents in one chug, as her hand retreated from the slime. It tasted like extremely strong alcohol that someone had left rotten lemons to stew in it for decades, and a hint of mint as well.
She was grateful that the consistency wasn’t as revolting as it tasted, uncorking the slime covered vial next, pulling herself up into the pod. Grabbing Alex’s cheek, she opened his mouth, pouring the potion into his mouth, making sure none of it dribbled out through his lips. Tilting his head back, she gestured back towards Otis to seal the door.
The creature slowly pushed the glass back into its place, an appendage forming from its body, sliding in between the door as it reached for the solidified fluid within. It fused with the blue slime, causing the slime to relax, the fluid cold as ice as it started to expand. Elyza waited for the potion to take effect, as the fluid rose up from her ankle to her stomach, waiting for an indication that Alex had let her in. His head slumped onto her shoulder as the slime rose to her chin, showing no signs of stopping, starting to lift the two.
As the tide grew higher, she took in a deep breath, her mind still plagued with doubt if the potion would even work. Her head was overtaken by the fluid, her heart pounding in her chest, trying to focus on her thoughts. It started as an echo, a faint whisper in the back of her mind, before a flood of thoughts that were too unlike hers invaded her head. They were a chaotic mix of random thoughts and musings, ranging from what the best wine to pair with dragon meat to how one might raise an undead army.
The randomness and the depths Elyza was able to gain from just noticing the thoughts could only mean it was from the abyss that was her partner’s mind. They were thoughts that even he rejected himself from expressing, be it from lack of understanding, being too personal, or being too morbid. Although, as she closed her eyes, relaxing herself, trying to create an equilibrium between her mind and Alex’s, she could feel something alien in the mix. Someone was observing her, judging her, notions that could not belong to her partner, or at least she hoped they did. Letting go of her breath, unlike when she awoke, the slime didn’t feel as confining, and, somehow, she was able to breathe fresh air through it. Her eyes closed as darkness enveloped her, and for a second she heard someone proclaim.
Oh, I was hoping for a plaything, well, at least I may be able to use you, Elf.
She could not place where she had heard that voice before, but the words echoed against her mind’s walls as she fell into her own mind. Appearing once again in a void, endless cold shadows wherever she looked, sans the fishing wire wrapped around her neck, fortunately.
It was different from last time, Elyza was floating without direction, nothing trying to drag her through the suffocating sea of darkness. Looking around, there were points, directions where the memories in her head grew louder, whoever they belonged to. She reached for a point right below her, and her body obeyed, as she glided downwards, nothing seemingly propelling her towards it.
As she travelled farther, some thoughts lost their ferocity, newer ones taking their place, but they started to become much more feral, lacking rationale behind what they wanted to do, only seeming to be directed towards causing chaos. Elyza believed them to be her partner’s base thoughts, those which were basically just instinct, continuing onwards, her mind deciding that it was the best direction to pursue.
The thoughts became more violent, more vicious, flashes of the domain that Alex controlled infiltrating her mind. Yet, it seemed much more archaic and unshackled than when she had previously travelled through it. Great monsters of umbra waited patiently on the horizon, waiting to be called upon. The domain felt like it was reigned by a primordial force, raw and untamed, an unnerving sense that only grew as she continued onwards.
Elyza could feel herself approaching something, the shadows growing more resistant to push her. Out of the void facing her came a tiny little ball of bright radiance, yet it gave out no glow, the shadows stifling any stray rays, trapping it with no escape. A voice in the back of her head told her that Alex was trapped within, a ray of hope within his tortured mind.
She reached for the orb, free of the shadows pushing her, slowly floating through the darkness, as a hand formed from the light, pushing through its restraints, awaiting her help. Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted, the shadows around the orb thickening, wrapping themselves around the hand, suffocating the light. Lunging for the hand, Elyza was engulfed by shadows, yanking her backwards, away from the safety of the light, tentacles suffocating her.
Unfortunate, not subtle enough.
And then she was sitting on a bench, under the cover of a tree, rain pouring all around her, creating a pattering orchestra that soothed her mind. Scanning her surroundings, at least through the torrent coming down upon her, she tried to. The area looked like a quaint little village, most of the buildings only a storey tall, made of stone and wood, chimneys emitting clouds of thick smoke as the residents demanded warmth. The street she was sitting beside was entirely empty, except two people standing in the middle of it, in front of a surgeon’s workplace.
She recognised the man who’s back faced her, his cloak ingrained into her mind, but the girl he was talking to was an enigma. Alex had never talked about anyone like her in his past, and he loved to talk about his past, but for the time being, Elyza sat patiently, deciding it would be better to explain the situation when he was on his own.
Sitting on the bench, she tried to ignore the conversation, not sure if Alex would appreciate her dropping into his mind as well as eavesdropping on him. Yet, her curiosity seemed to expand her hearing. Her ears perked up as she tried to listen through the deafening sound of the downpour, watching them talk through the corner of her eye.
Alex was talking softly, calmly, his shoulders relaxed as he stared into the woman’s amber eyes, who seemed to gleam as she looked at him. She had blonde curls that fell to her shoulders, framing her tan reddish-brown face, silver piercings adorning both of her nostrils and her septum. The piercings were modelled after the markings of Trivia, a polecat between two twin torches. The girl was beautiful, at least in the rain, drops streaming down strands of her hair as she laughed in response to something Alex had said.
Suddenly, the girl leant in for a kiss, to which Alex simply covered her mouth, saying something Elyza could swear was a bad joke. A pout appeared on the woman’s face, her cheeks puffing up with fake annoyance. He whispered something into her ear, and the pout immediately turned into a smile, even though she seemed to be trying to restrain herself, turning on her heels to retreat back into the hospital.
It was time to talk. Elyza stood up from the bench, still deciding on how to approach the conversation. Surprisingly, having to convince someone that their reality wasn’t actually real is something she had done before—twice, as she recalled. But the fact that it was Alex complicated things quite a bit. She needed to convince him without initiating a fight, even though that would be easier to punch him out of his mind.
“Alex,” She spoke over the roar of the rain, her partner still staring at the door of the building, his muscles tensing in response to her voice. “I know they may seem hard to believe, but I need you to listen to my words,” She commanded, standing with her arms outstretched, showing that her hands were empty.
Turning his head, he stared at her out of the corner of his eye, giving her the opportunity to continue. “I am someone you will come to meet in the future, someone you can trust, someone who is here to help you. This world is a figment, a mirage, created by a pod that you are currently floating within on the outside. Be it from magic or machine trickery, it's using your memories to create and replicate scenarios that make you happy, to feed creatures that gain sustenance through happiness…”
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Her words faltered as she realised how utterly insane the things she had been through sounded, yet she kept a straight face as she continued, “I need you to think about whatever you have seen till now, Alex. Does everything not feel off, too perfect? Just follow my lead, and I promise everything will make sense in a moment. Or, if this was not enough to pique your interest, then I have other ways to drag you out of your mind.”
Alex remained silent. He was thinking. His hand started to creep towards his waist, Elyza materialised her halberd in response, her senses primed for a fight. He swung around, his hand gripping something hidden by his cloak, she readied herself by wrenching control of the wind.
“The fuck were you about to do to me, Ears?” Alex remarked, grinning, pulling out a cup from his cloak, a snap from his free hand immediately stopping the rain’s assault.
Elyza froze, her mind trying to decide whether to believe her eyes, a single phrase encapsulating her thoughts, “Why are you like this?”
“My parents loved me a lot which gave me an immense amount of self-confidence,” Alex replied, taking a sip from the cup, adding, “Would you like some tea?”
Realising the bigger question was clearly in front of her, she waved aside the offer, asking, “When did you realise you were trapped in your mind, and more importantly, how did you make the rain stop?”
“Pretty quick, around a minute after I wake up? As soon as I realised whatever I ate didn’t have the same punch as it did in real life, and then I wondered why I actually tasted them, thought I was just dreaming till then,” He replied, flicking the cup out of reality, replacing it with a glass of water.
“And the reason why I can do all of this, it is… complicated, and that word is nowhere near capturing the actual situation.” There was visible deliberation on his face as he decided how to explain himself, walking towards her as he began to answer, “Long story short, shocking coming from me, I need to have an immense amount, nearly perfect, awareness of what happens in my mind, so I don’t… do anything that I didn’t think up. Training myself to gain that much control of my thoughts, had the neat side effect of me being able to control what happens in my dreams. Since everything around me are just creations from my memories, and they all are aimed to make me happy, they're just enhanced dreams, aren’t they? So I can create some fake memories to get whatever I want.”
“What do you mean by ‘do anything you did not think up’?” she asked, returning her halberd around her finger, taking the glass of water from him.
He was about to say something when he froze, thought for a moment, and then simply stated, “I've been cursed since birth.”
“What?!”
“Let’s continue this after we’re out of my mind.” Alex quickly mumbled out, immediately switching the topic, “How much time did you spend in your memories, anyway?”
Elyza sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, deciding to ignore his sudden revelation for the time being, “Around an hour, I broke out as soon as I realised what was going on, came right for you.”
His brows rose as he remarked, “Oh, I think around fifteen days have passed in my mind though, I may have just ‘woken up’ earlier. What’s the situation out there? Some monsters that feed off of our thoughts?”
“We have wasted around a half to a full day since we got knocked out in the restaurant. And for who we were captured by? I believe they are slime creatures who feed from people’s happiness, although I am doubtful about how honest the one I met is, since they seem to be collecting mana from the people they’ve captured as well. A cu…”
Alex waved his hands in front of his face, trying to get her to slow down, repeating, “Slimes that feed off happiness… Did the slime you meet have a core that floated around where the head should’ve been?”
“Have you encountered them before?”
“That’s a yes…” He sighed, mumbling under his breath, holding his face in his hands, “They shouldn’t be on this continent, really need to check up on my contacts after this.”
He shook his hair, flipping it backwards as he began, “They were called Freudeschmarotzers when I came across them in the past, though I think they prefer the term Eudaimorphs these days. They’re not monsters, they are shapeshifting slimes, even though the core is their actual… holder of their soul? Anyways, delightful beings, many of them are actually pacifists, which make the fact that they are kidnapping people much more troublesome. So, we need to leave. Preferably, immediately.”
“Last question…” Elyza began, before immediately being cut off by Alex
“She was an old flame, long gone by now, by that I mean she’s dead, quite heartbroken about it, but it has been four years now, and I’ve made my peace with it.” He answered what he presumed she was about to ask, hitting it right on the head, but still he continued, wanting to cover whatever questions she had. His smile turned fake, as his eyes stared through her, continuing, “I spent most of my time here pursuing the good old days, when I could act as a dumbass with no repercussions, and I thought no one would be able to follow my trail.”
There was a trace of sombreness in his voice, she could tell that there was more behind what he had revealed, but there was no need for her to pry further, he would tell her eventually. So, she simply stated, “Time to leave then.”
“Lead the way, you’re clearly the expert in escaping a reality created within your own mind,” Alex remarked, grinning, his demeanour flipping immediately.
“We have to slap each other.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“We need to do it in a way so we hit each other simultaneously. I believe that the shock our body feels startles our mind enough for it to freeze this reality and give us a chance to escape.” Elyza explained.
A blank stare morphed into acceptance after a moment of thought, Alex shifting his feet so that he was the right distance for their arms to reach one another, muttering, “Alright, whatever you say boss.”
“Ready?” She asked, bringing back her left hand to the side of her head, opting to use the back of her palm, lying to herself that she wouldn’t enjoy it. He, in turn, brought back his right hand, shaking his arm to loosen up his muscles.
“You want to do some practice swings first?” he joked, his arm going stiff, prepared to strike.
“Three…” Elyza began the count, continuing it in her mind, knowing that her partner was following along as she stared into his onyx eyes. She focused on her reflection within his pupils, aiming to plough her palm straight through whoever stood in front of her.
The count hit one, and both of their palms flung forwards. Her cheek burned for a second, the echo of his hand slamming into her head reverberating within her skull, when, once again, the pain ceased immediately.
Her eyes shot open to allow her to look down upon herself and Alex, checking quickly to see if her palm had connected as well. She glanced around, trying to spot him floating alongside her, but he was nowhere to be found, the bright blue sky hurting her eyes.
She felt the familiar pressure of a wire around her neck, and as she tugged on it, it went slack before it all happened once again. The wire dragged her through the sky, towards the endless darkness that was held at bay by the blue sky, whipping as it yanked her through the barrier. The void appeared darker than before, and it still felt like she was being pulled through the depths of an ocean, a chill running down through her body, which was much more prepared to deal with the pressure of the surrounding shadows.
Wanting to stay conscious, wanting to know how she escaped, forcing her head to stay upright as the darkness pummelled against her skin, shooting towards something, the string of nothingness seemingly speeding up in response to her resolve. She grabbed the string to stabilise herself, the wire cutting into her skin, wriggling dangerously before it completely snapped. Yet, she continued flying through the darkness, spinning around uncontrollably, swinging her arms wildly in an attempt to stabilise herself.
And then suddenly her feet hit what felt like solid ground. Instead of feeling relieved, dread filled her mind, as she stood on a plane made of pure light, glowing dust rising from beneath her feet, the sky, or whatever she was looking at, barely dimmer than the radiant ground she stood on, neither Alex nor the pod in sight. But something in front of her was breaking the endless white of the horizon.
Chains made of pure brightness seemed to emerge from the plane of light, creating a vortex around a woman. But the chains disintegrated before they could touch the figure, an orb of shattered pieces of light forming as a result, calmly revolving around her. Yet, she sat expectantly, her white flowing dress covering her legs.
A crown of gold with blue gems nestled upon her pitch black hair, which cascaded downwards like a waterfall. They fell till the start of her corset, which was dyed a pastel cream, breaking up the monotony of the brilliant white silk that made the majority of her dress. Down the centre, frills ran down from the collar of the garment to the end of the frock, only parting at the breast. Purple rims flanked the strips of cloth, with tiny little onyx roses sewed to hide the connections between the different pieces of the outfit. Black roses were embroidered into the frock, but the petals held thorns, while its stem was perfectly smooth. Her entire demeanour, as she sat with her hands upon one another, resting them on her lap, screamed royalty.
Elyza blinked to check if she was hallucinating, when she was suddenly within striking distance of the How figure. Her halberd jumped to her hand as the woman turned her attention towards Elyza, her crimson red eyes piercing straight through the chunks of light orbiting her, peering at her guest.
“Hello, child,” the pale woman began, her rose-red lips parted to give way to a voice sweeter than honey, slightly smiling as she spoke. She looked similar to Alex, her nose and the bottom part of her pointed ears especially, but her eyes were a perfect match for him, except for the colour.
“Be not afraid,” the pale woman continued, motioning her to take a seat. “I wondered how my progeny is doing, we don’t get a chance to talk these days, and I can’t even remember the last time I had a guest to entertain.”
Elyza paid no heed to her words, gripping her halberd as she asked, “Who are you, and where have you brought me?”
“I’ve not brought you anywhere you haven’t been Elyza,” She spoke her name as if they were old friends, covering her mouth to hide a yawn before she continued, “And call me Elina, I find that title preferable to you referring to me as the ‘pale woman’.”
Her voice crept into her mind, lingering in her own thoughts, yet she strangely didn’t feel unnerved. She knew she should have, the woman knew her name, and even what went on in her head, but instead she asked, “You have still not answered my questions, Lady Elina; Who are you to Alex, and why have you brought me here?”
“I’m his friend since birth, the one who has been with him through his triumphs, and especially his pains.” Elina seemed to take pride in that fact, a blood-red smile slithering across her powdered face, before it fell, her tone growing serious as she added, “And for why I’ve decided to meet you, is because Alex is in grave, grave, danger.”
Upon hearing the words, Elyza’s mind allowed her to lend the pale woman her entire attention. She swung her halberd at Elina’s neck, stopping close enough for its edge to rest upon her skin. “Tell me what you know.”
“There, there…” the pale woman remarked, not even flinching, calmly continuing, “We both want the best for our mutual friend, so how about you sit down, and I can tell you what I know.”
Her terms seemed agreeable, the words echoing in Elyza’s head, the blade of her halberd wavering as she shifted it. The words wormed their way into her brain, working to drop her guard, but they weren’t able to stop her from noticing that the chain fragments were now behind her.
A quick glance gave away her realisation, the pale woman lunging at her, trying to use the halberd’s shaft to yank her closer. She was fast, but Elyza recalled her weapon back around her finger, dashing backwards just in time to avoid the orbiting pieces of light that hurtled towards her attacker.
From beneath the veneer she seemed to be presenting, shadows overtook her silken gown, shooting up her hand to create claws that dug into Elyza’s stomach, only for her to be halted mid-air as the chains around the two awakened. They wrapped themselves around Elina, shackling her in place, the shadows that had overtaken her fighting ferociously against their hold, infecting them with inky darkness. Those chains melted into a radiant skin over the shadows, only for more brilliant bonds to replace them.
Slowly, the floor turned darker, the ivory sky turning with it, as a cell formed around Elina, who simply smiled as she was imprisoned once again, her radiant skin melting down her body, melding into her prison to fortify it further.
Elyza gazed at the true nature of the pale woman. Her flowery dress was replaced with a unitard made of pure umbra, her bare legs hidden only by her thigh high boots, tendrils of shadows coming off of the cloth, falling into a cloak that fluttered in the absent wind. Tattoos of red adorned her pale purple skin, constantly shifting just like her stark white ethereal hair. Her curls floated around her crown of horns, which were coloured onyx. The white smile on her face was ignored by Elyza, who stared into the woman’s deep dark red eyes. Her face now looked nothing like it did before, yet her sharp edges made her look even more stunning, almost like it was crafted by the gods.
Her claw shrunk back into her skin, absorbed into the tattoo of a gem in the jaws of a cracked skull, etched into her palm. “Ah,” her honeyed voice was gone, replaced with a silky growl as she continued, “That’s a shame. Almost had you in the palm of my hands. Annoyingly, you’re exactly how he thinks you are.”
“Last chance, tell me who you are.” Elyza spoke, checking the place where the claws had stabbed her, only to find no damage to her armour, but she knew they had pierced her skin.
“Aw, has he not told you yet, love?” Elina’s words annoyed her to no end, yet she continued to listen, “It’s a pretty big deal to have the Empress of Shadows, a demon feared by the gods, at least those who know better, be in a lifelong battle against him in order to take over his pathetic mortal body. I wonder what else he has… forgotten to tell his dear, dear, friend.”
She wanted to believe the pale woman was lying, a last ditch futile attempt to escape from wherever she was trapped, but nothing about her said that her words were spoken to deceive, and there was nothing about them that could benefit her further.
But before Elyza could press further, Elina let out a moan of disappointment, “Seems that our time is up, Eroméni, that little spat was the most I could muster in this condition, and I’m afraid I have no interest in you. Ta-ta.” She gave an indifferent wave, as the floor beneath Elyza shattered, and she plummeted once again into the cold, suffocating darkness.
She hoped a moment of silence would allow her to ponder, only to wake up in the pod immediately, squashing her panic before it had a chance to rise. Tapping on the glass caught Otis’ attention, which seemed to be solely focused on Alex, who gave a kind wave as he held his breath. The slime created an arm that slid beneath the door of the pod, wisely avoiding touching either as the purple matter melded with the blue slime.
As the fluid started to solidify, shrinking away from the glass, Alex was the first to react, his hand reaching forward to open the door of the pod. As it did, his other grasped the clasp attached above them, causing the glass to pop forwards. Jumping outwards, he held out his hand for Elyza who hesitantly took it, stepping down from her mould, and, fortunately, on ground that she knew was real.
Alex began to say something, before he stopped, swallowed whatever was in his mouth, and gagged as it made its way down his body. He stopped, blinking for a moment, shuddering as he straightened himself. Shaking his head to forget the taste, he began, “What did yo-” before he swallowed his saliva, grinning as he continued, “The fuck did you put in my mouth Ears?”
She tried to ignore the doubts and questions that she wanted to be answered, wanting to confront him, needing to know whether the pale woman had spoken the truth, hoping her friend was waiting for the right time to tell her himself.
“The potion that the dwarf gav-” her answer was cut off by the voice of the Empress ringing in her head.
Shame, I love it when you barf your guts out.
As soon as the words came, Elyza froze, if only for a second, but even that was too long. Alex stared at her, his gaze cutting into her, completely emotionless, judging what to do with her now. She had seen it so many times, but she never thought it would be directed towards her.
“You heard her,” He remarked, his voice completely devoid of feeling, and she could only nod.
Oh, this is better than I could have ever hoped. Hello, Eroméni, we meet sooner than I expected.
The voice echoed in her head, and she could see it echoing in his, but they both ignored her as Alex asked another question, disappointment dripping in his voice as it said, “Was the reason you woke up later than me, because she was talking with you?”
You know me sooo well, yet still you fall for my tricks.
Elyza tried to squash the betrayal, the thoughts of dismay she could feel in him, hoping her voice could drown the demon’s, “Ale-”
Shut it, you decrepit old whore, I’ll deal with you later.
Her partner’s thoughts invaded her mind, and all of her understanding ceased to exist as she remarked, “Excuse me?”
“WAIT,” Alex spoke as he matched her gaze, holding his hands up as he quickly added, a look of terror washing over his face, “That wasn’t directed at you.”
The fear shifted into amusement, as he continued, grinning, “I apologise, never expected you to be able to hear the conversations I have with the freeloader living in my head. To be fair, I never expected her to have enough brain cells that she could think of a way to loosen her prison instead of annoying me incessantly.”
Elyza calmed down, even cracked a smile as she geared up to ask the most important question in her mind, “Were you planning to tell me about the demon living in your head?”
“Please,” He countered, grinning, “Obviously, who do you take me for, a priest? Was hoping to have the conversation on my own terms before Ms. Succubus decided to ruin my plans.”
I WILL NOT BE DEGRADED TO THE RANK-
Shut up.
The duo’s thoughts resonated together, Alex adding quickly, “But, in my experience, that conversation tends to be better when we aren’t trapped in an unknown dungeon by creatures who, again according to my experiences, are more peaceful than Lady Hestia herself.”
Elyza agreed, and he took it as an opportunity to finally address the Eudaimorph in the room, “So…” He began, spinning on his heels as he spoke to Otis, using her thoughts to learn the slime’s name, “Otis, was it? Paint me a picture of why y’all decided kidnapping was the best way forward for this tribe.”