The sea of fire raged around Florence, soaking her in sweat. Columns of smoke rose to the clouds above, engulfing the sky. The fumes irritated and burned her throat.

The containers collapsed, crashing onto the ground.

Sam growled under Stella’s skirt.

On the concrete, metal ooze bubbled and glowed orange next to Yuze, snoring out loud.

Florence bit her lips, digging her nails into Aisling’s shoulder.

Why? Why could Florence not return home to her sister just because the evidence for the occult detective case got burned?

Stella cupped her mouth, pulling back her torso, rustling her blouse and skirt.

But it didn’t draw Florence’s attention as she glared at Aisling.

“Look, I know how you’re feeling right now.” Aisling smiled. “You gotta believe me here.”

Half of Florence’s muscles were paralyzed and burned, stinging her nerves. “I didn’t come here just to give up.”

“Calm down.”

“Pardon me, I am already calm. It is just that someone back home needs me, and I can not leave her alone for my life.”

The crackle of a fire filled the eerie silence between them.

Aisling closed her eyes, losing the spark in it. She tilted her face down to the ground, burying her blistered knees in her palms.

“Sorry,” Florence said. Her grip loosened. She slid her palm down from Aisling’s shoulders. “I know you probably do not understand a single word I am saying now. But if I have to go through an inferno just to get to her, I am willing to do it. So, please tell me if there is another way to solve this occult detective case.”

Aisling giggled. “You sound ridiculous. Just kinda give it a break or something.”

Florence lowered her brow. She slanted her head upwards, taking in deep breaths that burned her throat.

Above her, something whizzed through the air, swinging. It zoomed closer in a blur. From it, the ends of the wires snapped onto the ground with a crack. It tumbled down, crashing on the concrete and rolling towards Aisling.

Aisling’s jaws dropped open. “Basilisk, where did you even come from?”

Basilisk, with a metal rod still stabbed through his stomach, stumbled onto his feet. However, the skin and flesh on one of his arms burned away, leaving the bones behind. The wire strands detached from his scalp, floating down to the ground.

Florence stood up as her ankle swelled and ached. “What happened?”

“It… it’s here,” Basilisk said. “That… monster.”

Aisling smiled. Her face paled. She clenched on her thighs, turning her fingers white.

“What monster?” Florence asked. “Wait… since when are the monsters here?”

“I mean… I didn’t hear what you just said clearly… since… you know,” Stella said.

“I didn’t mean it literally.” Basilisk retracted the wires back to his scalp. “I meant it metaphorically… or something.”

A clang rang.

“Come on, we’ve got to go now,” Basilisk said. He limped towards one of the burning ships.

“Where are you going exactly?” Florence asked. “I do not want to state the obvious here, but I think that ship certainly could not sail since… you know, it is literally on fire.”

Aisling picked herself up, wrapping her arms around Florence’s arm, limping behind Basilisk.

“What is the matter?” Florence asked.

“Stop trying to talk for once,” Aisling said. “We kinda can’t hear you anyway.”

“I know… that is why I keep talking.”

“Here we go… again.”

Florence glanced over her shoulder. Behind her, Stella carried Yuze across the yard, heading towards the burning ship with Sam following her.

Another clang rang.

From the inferno, a silhouette of a humanoid wearing armor emerged within the blazes. It stretched its hands out in the direction of Florence and Aisling.

“What is it doing?” Florence pointed at the silhouette of a humanoid wearing armor. “Why are we running from it?”

Aisling pouted, her feet stomping across the ground. “If you… don’t… stop talking… I’ll… zip… your mouth… shut… for once.”

Jets of fire shot out from the flames, melting the containers. They cracked through the air towards Florence, Yuze, Stella, Sam, and Basilisk.

The wires tangled and weaved together, forming a shield. It extended from Basilisk’s scalp, blocking the waves of fire. The plastics on the cable melted, slushing onto the ground.

Florence, Aisling, Yuze, Stella, and Sam limped quickly past Basilisk. They turned the corner, and the blaze blew past them, blackening the concrete.

The heat tingled Florence’s skin.

Aisling inhaled and exhaled, raising her chest up and down. Then, she wrapped her fingers around Florence’s forearm, which was covered in scabs.

The jet of flames died down.

Florence peeked over a ledge.

This silhouette of a human clad in armor came from the burning containers. It marched with clanging steps.

Florence hid back to cover as her heart raced.

In front of her, an inferno engulfed the ship towering over her.

“I mean… what now?” Stella cuddled herself, sliding onto the ground.

Yuze snored.

“I… don’t… know,” Aisling said. Her lips shivered as she smiled.

Basilisk held three of his fingers out.

Florence shook her head. She overlapped her arms into a cross on her chest.

Basilisk curled his fingers inwards, one by one, forming a fist. His feet slammed against the concrete, propelling him.

Florence flew her hands up into the air. She rustled her blond, unkempt hair, shrinking into herself.

Sam sniffed. “Catnip,” he said. One of his ears swirled. He jerked his head back, dashing after Basilisk.

“I mean… catnip?” Stella got back to her feet. She dragged Yuze across the ground, following Sam.

“Wait,” Florence said.

But Stella moved farther away.

Florence stretched her hand out. With limping steps, she inched forward. Her arms pulled back, stopping her.

She spun around.

Behind her, Aisling grabbed onto Florence’s forearms caked with scabs.

Aisling trembled. Her eyes closed shut. She did not move from where she stood as the blaze and a silhouette of a humanoid clad in armor approached closer.

“Aisling?” Florence asked. “We have to go now.”

Aisling shook her head, swinging her ponytail back and forth.

Florence took in a deep breath. In and out. Then she embraced Aisling, lifting her up.

The flames and a humanoid silhouette clad in armor were now just inches away from Florence and Aisling.

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Florence slapped her feet across the concrete. Her ankle burned. Her nerves howled with every step of the way.

The clang and clank rang.

She dared not look back as she focused on Basilisk, Sam, Stella, and Yuze entering the burning ship.

The heat danced on Florence’s back.

Her muscles strained, pushing herself to the limits.

She took a breath or two and threw Aisling into the burning ship. Then Florence leaped inside.

Jets of flames soared, scorching her back. She flinched. With a creak, her face dropped onto the floorboard. She dug her nails into the plank.

She pressed her forehead, stumbling to her feet.

The blaze raged around her and Aisling. The smoky stench from the fumes filled their lungs.

Aisling stiffened her limbs, lying flat on the floor.

Florence, with her shoulder, picked Aisling up. She wiped her face covered in sweat. Her ankle shrieked louder as the gravity and Aisling’s weight pulled Florence, creaking the floor below her.

Sam pursued Basilisk, who limped down a hallway with opened doors spewing smoke. However, a glimmer shone from the staircase at the end of the corridor.

Stella tugged Yuze alone, following Sam.

The ceiling above Florence squeaked. Then, it collapsed within itself.

She leaped forward.

The rubble behind her smashed through the floor.

The splinters scattered.

The inferno rampaged, invading the unburnt spaces and narrowing the gap. The woods burned into charcoal, and the metal melted into liquid form.

The planks creaked beneath Florence. Farther through the hallway, Basilisk went up the stairs as Sam trailed. Stella hauled Yuze up as her feet smacked against the steps.

A whizz echoed through the crackles in growing intensity.

Florence’s knees sizzled. She gritted her teeth, holding the scream in her throat. Her nose cracked against the floorboard.

The blood flowed out of her nostrils towards her chin.

She glanced behind her.

The flames engulfed her knees, searing her skin.

She pulled her leg. But she still remained in the grasp of those flames.

With only Yuze’s feet gliding and smacking on the steps near the end, Florence screamed.

Yuze stopped colliding against the stairs. However, she moved upwards at the end, disappearing from Florence’s view.

Florence slammed the floor.

A creak reverberated in front of her.

She lifted her head.

Through the smoke, Stella descended down the stairs. She slapped her feet across the plank surface, then glided onto her knees with a squeak towards Aisling.

“Go without me,” Florence said.

Stella grabbed Florence and Aisling on the wrist, pulling them. But the grip on Florence’s knees tightened, searing her skin.

Florence bit her tongue. Her face crumpled.

A clang rang behind her, inching nearer. Her heart sank.

She pointed at the opened door with smoke pouring out along the corridor wall. “Just leave me. I’ll be fine.”

Stella stumbled back, dragging Aisling through the doorway into a room.

A pinch scorched Florence’s nape, lifting her up. Her skin sizzled. Her nerves shrieked.

Everything around her blurred into a blob of orange and red. She hyperventilated, choking on the rancid stench of the fumes.

Her feet swished and kicked through the air. A pinch on her nape spun her around.

The humanoid silhouette clad in armor faced her with only an inch of space between them.

“Tell me,” the humanoid silhouette clad in armor said. It slammed Florence onto the wall, cracking it. “Why’re you with her?”

“Pardon me… who are you talking about?” Florence asked. “Can you be more specific?”

The humanoid silhouette clenched Florence’s neck. The air passage in her throat closed, restricting the smoke going through the air passage. But also stopping the last few oxygen left from entering her lungs.

She slapped the humanoid silhouette clad in armor on the forearm. Her palm sizzled. Immediately, she threw up her hands, waving them around.

“Why’re you with her?” The humanoid silhouette clad in armor snared. It glared at the same door that Stella dragged Aisling through. “I’ll not ask again if you don’t answer me right now. Do you understand?”

Florence drooled from the corner of her mouth. “I… need… to breathe.”

The humanoid silhouette clad in armor raised its arm. The inferno swirled.

Creak. Creak. Creak.

From the smoke emerged Basilisk with the wires flying towards the humanoid silhouette clad in armor. His skin burned even though none of the blazes contacted him. The cables curled around the humanoid silhouette clad in armor fingers, tugging it.

The grip on Florence’s neck softened, plummeting her into the floorboard.

The humanoid silhouette clad in armor swung Basilisk like a whip, smashing him into the walls.

Splinters and shards of metal flew.

Florence scrambled to her feet. Her head spun. She massaged her skull, zigzagging in limping steps towards the door that Stella and Aisling entered.

Florence’s muscles strained. She collapsed through the opened door, crashing beside Stella and Aisling.

Stella yelped, cupping her mouth.

Aisling froze with her eyes widened, lying on Stella’s lap.

“Do not worry,” Florence said. “It is just me.”

Stella rubbed her puffy eyes, standing up to her feet with a creak. Then she grabbed Aisling on the wrist.

Florence picked herself up onto the creaking floor. She placed her palm on Aisling’s armpit, supporting Stella in carrying Aisling out.

The inferno closed in on them inch by inch.

Basilisk whizzed through the corridor towards Florence, Stella, and Aisling.

Florence and Stella ducked. Basilisk flew over them, crushing the staircase.

Florence and Stella stumbled towards Basilisk, dragging Aisling with her feet screeching along.

Every strand of wire left on Basilisk separated from his scalp. His forehead glimmered under the blaze.

“I mean… this is nice,” Stella said. “Well… I mean, sort of.”

Florence coughed as the smoke choked her. “I do not really think so.”

“Leave me here.” Basilisk groaned. He gripped onto the metal rod that stabbed through his stomach, turning his fingers. “I can handle that monster. Go now.”

A clang and clank rang. The flames whirled like a storm, inching closer with every second.

Florence pressed on the tip of the metal rod. It pushed and scratched against her palm. She shook her head, smiling with half of her facial muscles paralyzed.

Basilisk rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’ll not do it.”

Together, Florence, Stella, and Basilisk ascended the cracked stairs. Each step creaked beneath them.

A jet of firestorm swept towards them, smashing through the planks and metal, narrowly missing them.

They emerged out of it, entering into the deck set ablaze. They limped at a quickened pace toward the bow.

The NPCs, with their skin to the bone, blew the flames from spreading further. However, this only enraged them. Two of those NPCs opened the crates, checking the content inside. Then they thumped the boxes shut, fastening them with chains.

The salty but smoky air sucked into Florence’s lungs. The blur that obscured her dissipated.

Sam hissed, standing on top of Yuze. His claws extended. He swiped at the scrawny gal NPC with horns and hooves.

The NPC with horns and hooves aimed her pistol at Yuze.

A click on the hammer echoed amidst the crackle.

Sam hissed. “Put that gun away,” he said. “She is my pleb. Only I can decide when she dies or not.”

“Seriously?” The gal NPC placed her finger on the trigger. She bleated. “You know what they did to us.”

“So, what about it? We already got what we wanted here.”

“We? You bunch of wild fellas never did anything useful.”

“Did you forget what I did? The amount of stuff I must go through in that District just to get something important for all of us.”

“Sure, that important thing you’re looking for is catnip. Isn’t it?”

“Yes… I mean, no.”

The gal NPC with horns and hooves turned her head. She clenched her jaw, protruding it, and her face flustered.

“I’m back,” Basilisk said.

“Wonderful, you just brought more Players.” The gal NPCs with horns and hooves waved her pistol. “What’re you trying to do with them?”

“They more or less tried to save me, Holland. But also… something else.”

“What’s it?”

A clang and clank rang.

The humanoid silhouette clad in armor emerged from the staircase. A firestorm spiraling around silhouettes, obscuring its face or specific details.

“The monster is here,” one of the NPCs said.

Holland stomped her hooves, shattering the floor beneath. “I need some of you to push our supplies off the bow. And the rest of you hold your ground against that monster as long as possible.”

All the NPCs screeched to a halt, dropping whatever they were doing. The bow creaked. Some rushed around, pushing the crates into the sea, creating a splash with each drop. The rest of them readied their rifles.

They steadied their position, holding the handgrip with their non-firing arm. The butt sat on their shoulder, placing their fingers on the trigger. They aimed at the humanoid silhouettes clad in armor through the iron sight.

A click echoed as they pulled the safety.

Bang.

The bullets whizzed through the air.

Sparks erupted on the humanoid silhouette. But it still marched on, swirling the inferno.

Basilisk pulled the collar of his torn jacket, revealing a red eye tattooed on his shoulder blade. “You know who.”

Holland bleated. “Seriously… can’t she just tell us sooner,” she said. She pulled out a flare gun, firing a caliber upwards.

The clouds engulfed in columns of smoke illuminated red.

The humanoid silhouette clad in armor emerged from the inferno. The iron glittered from head to toe without the flames and fumes obscuring its appearance. But the burned scarred face remained uncovered.

“Tell me,” it said. “Why’re all of you with her?”

The bullets clattered on the armor of the humanoid silhouette.

The flames rose behind, jetting towards the left side of the bow, engulfing the NPCs.

The rifle clattered on the floor.

The NPCs screamed, flapping their arms. They stumbled, the plank beneath them creaking. The screech turned to silence. They halted. All of them collapsed, their flesh combusting into ashes.

One bullet shot through the skull of the humanoid silhouette clad in armor. Blood poured out from its wound, dripping onto its iron.

“Mai,” Stella said. She stretched her hand to the inferno where no soul stood and stepped towards it.

Florence hugged Stella, tugging her back.

“Let me go,” Stella said. “I can see her. She is right there.”

Boom.

An explosion erupted from the humanoid clad in armor, burning the remaining NPCs inches away to dust.

A shockwave and fire knocked Florence and Stella off the railing.

Florence plummeted into the bubbling waves.

Her ears rang.

Her sight blurred as dozens of red glow came nearer to her.

Fingers wrapped around her, pulling her deeper.

She dozed off into the abyss slowly, sinking into the corals below.