While the shack was filled with the children's pleas and Lanor's attempts to pacify them, something strange was happening on the counter. The grey dust, which had been still a moment ago, began to move. It was like the dust was alive, slowly acquiring density and morphing into a circular body that stood erect on the counter. The transformation was subtle, almost imperceptible, but it was happening.
"Huh, what's that?" Mentos exclaimed while pointing at the counter, drawing everyone's attention to the strange anomaly. Even the Bastians, who had been quietly observing from the side, turned their heads to look.
Whoosh!
The grey dust persisted in its transformation, gaining density and a defined shape. The unseen sculptor was moulding the dust into a form both recognizable and alien. I’ll dub this spherical structure The Grey Orb. It was standing tall on the counter, a sight they had never beheld before, a product of some unexplainable phenomenon.
As they watched, they saw the Grey Orb open up multiple apertures at its laterals, and from them, grey tendril-like tissues began to emerge. They stretched out, reaching for the sides, the ceiling, and the floor of the shack. The tendrils moved with a purpose, attaching themselves to the surfaces they touched. The shack was slowly being consumed by the Grey Orb’s tendrils that were spreading like a creeping vine.
The sight was terrifying, not because it was grotesque or monstrous, but because it was a manifestation of the unknown and a physical representation of the fear that comes with facing something beyond comprehension. The shack was now a stage for this bizarre phenomenon.
Clang!
Acadian rose to its feet while the chains rattled against the floor. It jerked against them as it stared fixedly at the Grey Orb. The Bastian was ruffled, its instincts were telling it that something was wrong. The Sword Fishes were also aware of this.
"Hey, settle down," Boulder tried to calm the Bastian. But his words were empty, his own fear was being reflected in the way he acted. He was just as scared as the Bastian, if not more.
The shack was populated with a continuous rhythm of heartbeats, overshadowed only by the rattling of Acadian's chains and the soft rustling of the Grey Orb's tendrils.
“Are you seeing this?” Lanor and Mentos exchanged wary glances.
As for Hao, he could hardly discern the spreading threat around him. WHOOSH! Just then, a tendril shot towards his head. He sensed it coming but he was slow to react. Symphy who identified the threat much sooner, swooped in and nudged Hao out of the tendril’s path. The kids and the others saw it smack directly into a hanger that was closer to the wall behind them.
“Thanks for the save, Symphy,” Hao told the Sword Fish as he picked himself up from the ground with more cautionary action.
"What the hell is happening, mate?" Mentos asked this question while moving closer to Hao. His hand was on the hilt of his Shark Skimmer, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. He stared at the Grey Orb, watching as it continued to spread its tendrils across the shack.
"What have you done, Hao? What is that thing that you’ve awakened?" Lanor’s anger was cutting through the silence while her eyes were flashing with accusation.
“Big sis! Big sis! These things are everywhere like worms. I’m scared.” Nancy coupled with the rest of the children, who had been watching the unknown unfold before them, began to whimper. They wanted to leave, but the tendrils had already reached the door, effectively trapping them inside the shack.
Lanor glanced down at the kids and shared a reassuring remark, “It’s ok. I won’t let anything bad happen to any of you.” Albeit she sounded confident, she hadn’t a clue what they were up against, none of them did.
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Flare!
Just when they thought things couldn't get any worse, the centre of the Grey Orb began to glow. A swirling mass of silvery-grey dust emerged from the aperture, moving so fast that it created a vortex. The vortex was mesmerising. It was like watching a star being born; an anomaly of nature that was terrifyingly beautiful.
“Mentos, what do you see?” Due to the sheer amount of chaos latching and sticking around them, Hao had a difficult time operating his keen hearing to paint a vivid picture; there was too much of a hubbub that he couldn’t accurately sieve through.
Responding to his question, Mentos’s mouth opened followed by these words, “Vee! The situation is hectic. These bizarre things have spread around us like goddamn spiderwebs!” His head coupled with his eyes was shifting about rapidly until they eventually became fixed at a certain location. “What the hell…?”
Hearing the level of distress in his friend’s voice, Hao asked “What is it?”
“There’s a… something is coming out of there!” Mentos’s scared voice reverberated throughout the entirety of the shack. Now everyone’s focus was directed at the centre of the Grey Orb.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
From the vortex, miniature creatures began to pour out. They were no more than 2 feet tall, with dark, solid exoskeletons that resembled that of ants. Their big round eyes glowed in the shack, and their large mouths opened wide, revealing rows of sharp teeth. They had eight tiny legs that moved with surprising speed, and a short swaying tail that added to their grotesque appearance. These creatures, which I'll call Grey Biters, had a vicious demeanour that rattled the spinal columns of everyone there.
"What on Crossblades are those creatures?" Mentos’s curiosity along with his fear were shooting through the roof. He turned to Hao, hoping for some answers.
"Got no clue, but they sound like hostile entities," Hao responded with uncertainty. He was as perplexed and fearful as the rest of them. Judgment Day was no longer sitting on his back, rather it was held firmly in both hands in preparation for an imminent attack.
“Those critters are unlike any I’ve ever seen.” Lanor shared her thoughts as she withdrew her Rapier from its scabbard. “Kids, stay behind me.” She removed Nancy’s grip on her thighs to afford herself more flexibility to manoeuvre the incoming assault.
“Huh?” Hao sensed the sudden spike in animosity and hollered, “Here they come!”
Before they could ponder any further, the Grey Biters launched their attack. They moved with surprising speed with those tiny legs that were carrying them towards their targets. A moment later, the shack became drenched with their deafening screeches.
“Ah! My ears are hurting!” Cried one of the children who had both hands covering his ears. If this kid reacted this way then what about Hao, whose auditory ability was vastly surpassing?
"We have to defend ourselves!" Hao’s rallying cry spurred everyone into action. Although his ears were trickling with blood due to the Grey Biters’ high pitch noise, he toughed through the pain and began widely swinging Judgment Day around.
Boom! Boom!
The fight was chaotic, a malevolent whirlwind of movement and noise. Wheelz came in handy to prevent a sneaky critter from snacking at Hao’s carotid artery. The metallic braces caused a few of their teeth to shatter followed by a loud bashing against the hard floor.
“Eek, they're coming over here!” Screamed one of the frightened children upon seeing the open maw of a Grey Biter approaching swiftly.
“Euphy! Symphy! Go now!” The Sword Fishes, under Hao's instruction, protected the children. After encircling them, they utilized the bubbles flowing from their mouths to turn some of the Grey Biters into frozen statues.
“Get away from me, you scary brutes!” Mentos cleaved through the creatures with his Shark Skimmer. With every creature killed, green slime came splattering from their carcasses.
"I won’t let you anywhere near these children!” Lanor shouted at the critters then said, “Rapier Glow!" Her Blade Edge produced a bright resonance that extended outwards with a cutting intensity, slicing through a few Grey Biters who entered its rays. The creatures fell to the ground and dissolved into green slime.
"Yah! Back off!" Hao yelled, using Wheelz to punch away another creature then relied on Judgment Day to swat away a few more. They were flying all across the shack.
"Damn, these tiny monsters are pouring out nonstop," Grumbled Mentos while occasionally staring at the centre of the Grey Orb whenever he could. He continued to defend himself, trying to figure a way out of their current predicament.
"Die you little demons!" At the other side of the shack, Boulder roared while using his colossal great sword to smash into the Grey Biters who swarmed him, sweeping them away like piles of garbage. His attacks were heavy and brutal, moreover, his strength was unmatched.
“Growl!” Acadian, albeit chained, managed to bite a few of the creatures that got too close. It viciously tore through them like a predator catching its prey.
Many fell in their pursuit of hostility, yet the Grey Biters kept coming, pouring out of the Grey Orb like water from a broken dam.
“We can’t keep this up.” Hao realised that they had to find a way to disable the Grey Orb, otherwise, the Grey Biters’ campaign would be endless. But how were they supposed to do that? The answer was unclear, lost in the chaos of the fight.