Like I said: it doesn't matter where we've been, only where we are now. Living in the moment, right? Eh, anyway, sorry for the change in demeanor. I think I warned you all about that before, though I've honestly forgotten how I worded it.
(Rewrites, amirite? Ha-cha-cha! Okay, enough fourth-wall breaking. Let's get back to the present…)
After all of the portal jumping, Zuri and I ended up inside that cavernous corridor again, but this time we were obviously on the other side of it and near an exit. I'm not sure if it and everything else that we went through were actual parts of my mind, but I'm ready to get back to the real world. D'Voorz really knows how to mind-fuck you. (Speaking of which…)
"Dexter... what—*GULP*—is THAT thing?!" Zuri stammers as she points upward. The fear in her voice is contagious and palpable.
"If I had to hazard a guess, Zee, I'd say that's D'Voorz," I reply, my own body trembling with a mix of fear and excitement. "She really stepped her game up this time."
Zuri—who had been transformed into her Tinkerbell form again—shuddered as she peered at the hulking figure hanging from the roof of this psychological hellscape. She circled my head in a dizzying flight while screaming "I HATE IT HERE!" repeatedly.
D'Voorz (who was short and only slightly muscular the last time I saw her) had shapeshifted into a grotesque creature resembling a giant uvula, though she maintained her pink skin color and her four arms. Her mouth was lined with even sharper teeth that shined like platinum and which I could see in their entirety as she grinned ever so menacingly, while her body was covered in slimy, veiny skin. Misshapen (and seemingly breathing) stalactites glowed ominously around her, unleashing a black substance that sizzled upon contact with the ground, creating steaming craters.
"This is the last stop for you, Dexter Seagrave!" D'Voorz roared. Her gruff, chilling voice reverberated through the chamber as she fixed her many eyes upon us. Drool as dark as ink cascaded from her lips, hitting the ground with enough force to create small, meteor-like explosions. It appeared to be the same acidic substance dripping from the stalactites, though obviously more potent. "I will devour you and that annoying girl you're trying to protect. Then, I'll slowly consume your father. I'll destroy everything you love and care for!"
"Not if I can help it!" I screamed, activating my Fuego-Fists and Absolute Strength. The flames seemed more intense this time when they erupted from my hands, and I could feel my muscles surge with a truckload of the power I had before. "I don't know what twisted vendetta you hold against me, but I'm going to beat it out of you if it's the last thing I do!"
I rushed her, wasting no time unleashing a barrage of fiery punches. The atmosphere crackled with energy as we clashed, exchanging blows that echoed like thunder, with each strike carrying the weight of our determination to overcome the other.
*🌙*
As our combat raged on, the bizarre landscape surrounding us began to warp. A range of colors washed over the area, shifting the environment and forcing it to repeatedly separate then meld back together. The ground beneath my feet wavered like a mirage as I dodged D'Voorz's attacks. It would seem that striking back with everything I have was the key. Each blow was meant to weaken her, putting an end to this fucked-up, psychological trap.
However, D'Voorz was no ordinary adversary. She knew that her psychic hold was beginning to weaken, so she began to cut loose. In a fury, but somehow simultaneously graceful, she contorted her elongated form through the air at full-speed. It was like seeing a dragon perform ballet in the sky. She gnashed and chomped at the air, unleashing the aforementioned acidic drool from her jaws, spraying it in every direction. Thankfully, it never hit Zuri and I—surprisingly—was able to take the brunt of the caustic attack, with only minor burns to show for it. It was a battle of wills, as well as a fight for survival in this nightmarish realm.
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***
As the clash continued, I could feel something inside me growing. I had finally become comfortable with the position in which I was placed. I no longer harbored fear of today's outcome. Actually, I have no trepidation about the future at all………at least not in this moment.
The unknown is just that— the unknown. These mysterious variables once kept me aggravated to no foreseeable end. Certainly, I could die if D'Voorz gets the upper hand, but I'd rather keep myself focused on a more positive result. I'm not entirely sure how fighting tooth-and-nail inside of your own mind works, but I'm betting death is the outcome as far as defeat is concerned. With that being said, this battle is not only for my safety, but for the safety of those I love and care for. I flatly refuse to let her destroy everything I cherish without a fight.
"Tell me, D'Voorz, why do you loathe me so much? What did I ever do to you?!"
I had to ask, as it had been nagging at me since we were introduced to each other. It just didn't make sense considering we'd never met, though I could pin the blame on Doctor Mordecai. He seems to be able to spin gold out of a mound of hairballs. Pun intended.
"It's not just you, little man! It's all of humanity! You all are a waste of space and a blight on the universe," she says while zipping around me. She moved so quick that I couldn't brace myself for the stiff elbow to my back, which was followed by her clutching me by the nape and flipping me onto the ground. "You terra-dwellers have been given powers that you don't deserve!"
As I lay prone, she casts a shadow over me as she morphs back into her regular form, raring to stomp on my head. Since I know what's up this time, I roll over and catch her foot, heating it with the hottest flames I can muster. Although that takedown of hers took a lot out of me, I'm glad I managed to pull that off. This has bought me a little time since she'll now have to go on the defensive.
"You little twit," she says through gritted teeth, alternating between the sounds of anguish and labored breathing. She shakes her foot about in the air, hoping for some kind of comfort. She's wincing, but shows no sign that she will readily relent. I can tell that she's in a great deal of pain, though she's more composed than distressed, even while balancing on one foot. She continues to shake the other feverishly in a vain attempt to soothe it, bringing to my attention the wisps of smoke steadily streaming from it. Can't believe that burn was so critical.
My back is pretty sore, but I've recovered enough and risen to my feet quicker than I anticipated. Good to know that I'm not worn out yet.
"What?! And who the fuck are you to judge? What authority do you have to make these claims?!" I spat, throwing a right hook. I was intending to bring the fight back to her, but put so much force into that punch that it felt like the air around my fist was tearing apart, so all the effort made me sluggish. D'Voorz was able to dodge the punch easily.
"I'm someone who's been around longer than you have! I know that your kind have done nothing short of being profligate with your gifts!" D'Voorz said. Quickly detaching two of the arms connected to her midsection, she launches them like missiles. "You terra-dwellers are nothing but selfish and disgustingly wastrel simians!"
"Hey! I resent that!" I sputtered while clumsily sidestepping. Since the attack was close-range, I just barely got out of the way. The close call made my arm hair stand on edge and twisted my stomach into knots. Her arms ended up soaring into the cavern's wall, destroying it.
Suddenly, thunder began to sound and the shifting roof changed into a stormy sky. Reddish-orange lightning flashed uninterruptedly, like an alarm had been set off, spreading out like a series of roots. Like with most storms, a downpour was in tow, and it drenched D'Voorz and I with cold rain. Zuri had flown into view, apparently immune to the torrential shower as she dizzily fluttered around, pointing upwards.
What, I mouthed to her, confused by whatever she's trying to show me. At present, all I can see are dark clouds and lightning, but Zuri had become hysterical. Something was brewing, making her dithery, so I desperately needed to know.
"No! I'm not through!" D'Voorz blurted, shouting at the sky. Her pink flesh quickly became flushed from anger. "Dammit! I need more time!"
No sooner had she said that did the clouds disperse, allowing me to see what Zuri was panicking about: another portal. Except this one was a fiery, purplish-blue and it rotated counterclockwise, moving rapidly like a vortex. Before I could even react, we were pulled into the path of its vacuum as it opened wider, sucking us inside.
>>> TO BE CONTINUED <<<
🌙🌙🌙