“Dall, duck!” Avice yelled.
A glowing, crimson spindle of spiderweb shot past them, singing Dall’s hairs. “T-Thanks!” he said in response, patting the small fires out. The bundle of web slammed against the wall in front of them, melting the impacted point into a puddle of blackened ooze. “Right. Let’s take a right,” Dall called out to her. Once the words left his mouth, the grating noise of destruction and mayhem erupted behind them. Avice glanced backward, grimacing at the figure of the rampaging spider woman ripping apart the hallway.
“Get back here!” Achaea roared. She thrust her claws forward, and dozens of more balls of spindled web sped towards them, red streaks trailing behind.
Avice and Dall jumped to the walls closest to them, dodging Achaea’s poisonous attacks.
“Y-You’re sure we’re going the right way, Dall?” Avice asked, panting.
“I’m going off instinct,” he responded. Sensing her pointed glare, he stammered, “I vaguely remember the way, don’t worry.”
“Your Skill thing still doesn’t work?”
Dall nodded grimly, and said, “It doesn’t. I’m sure Achaea’s influencing the area somehow. Quick, turn left here!”
They dug their heels into the marbled floor, avoiding another attack. Foraging onward, they sprinted down a narrower hallway.
“What about your plan? You haven’t told me yet,” Avice said.
“We’re looking for Crisia - an artifact that could help us greatly,” he responded. “She knows a lot about this Tower and Achaea. She also supposedly wields tremendous power, so our chances of escape will elevate if we add her to our ranks… I think.”
“You ‘think’?!”
“Yes! Even a human like me can understand how magically powerful Crisia is. Trust me, Avice.”
“I-I do,” she said, gritting her teeth. She ran closer to him, dodging an Earthen spear speeding towards her. “But someone besides us and Achaea is in here? How the hell is that possible? Who do they-”
“It’s a piece of cloth.”
Avice nearly tripped over herself.
She gave Dall a solid look-over and muttered, “You haven’t been hit with some mental-affecting crap, right?”
However, before Avice could say anything more, Dall grabbed her arm and pushed her to the other end of the hall. She at first instinctively yanked at her arm to get him off of her, but she followed his lead.
The spot they had run away from melted into a bubbling, green puddle.
Avice glared back at the blackened mess dripping down Achaea’s fangs. That was when she finally noticed it.
Seemingly thousands of dimmed Spirits followed behind Achaea, clumping together so tightly that they seemed to mesh into a giant, translucent ball, destroying whatever they touched like a force of nature. No voices leaked from their ghostly bodies - not a single one. Recalling Achaea’s method of controlling them, Avice clenched her fists.
Dall and Avice pushed themselves harder, pouring every ounce of energy stirring in their soul into their legs to put as much distance as they possibly could between them and Achaea. Despite their efforts, she continued gaining ground, the tremors she created growing fiercer and more powerful. Avice winced at every step, sweat dripping down her cheeks.
“She’s getting too close for comfort,” Dall muttered.
“I agree…” Avice said. She bit her lip. Something needed to be done. Their lives may as well be forfeit if nothing was done to impede Achaea’s advances. The hairs on her back raised. It felt like Achaea was mere inches away from clawing their bodies apart. Then, something new appeared on the walls they ran past. Avice’s eyes widened, and she yelled, “Dall! Those!”
He glanced at what she pointed at and nodded. “Got it!” He ripped off the closest sconce hanging on the wall and smashed it on the ground behind him. Avice followed suit. Small crackles of fire sparked into life, creating a small line of flames in front of Achaea.
The Spider-Woman hissed and dug her pointed legs in the walls and avoided them.
Fire? Avice thought. Wait a second. The sight of the black spider she had fought before being sliced with a flaming sword surfaced in her mind. She didn’t know if it was going to be as effective with Achaea, but she needed to try something. Hopefully, it hits this monster hard.
“Dall!” she called out. “Let me borrow your sword,” she said. He glanced at her for a second, his grasp tightening on his hilt. “Trust me. I can push her back a little bit.”
He nodded. “Okay, here,” he said. “Do your worst.”
“Nothing less,” Avice responded. He unsheathed and tossed it to her.
Catching it, a rush of energy coursed through her veins.
Her heart sped up, her vision grew clearer, and the pain in her legs lightened up.
Whoa! A smile spread across her face. The hell’s going on?
She shook the question away, however, as there was something much more important occupying her time. Avice tightens her grasp around it. “You got this Avice,” she muttered. “Just remember.” A small red light flickered at her fingertips. Taking one huge breath, she flexed her muscles. “Great Spirits of Ifrit,” her voice echoed throughout the hall.
A bundle of the Spirits behind Achaea stirred violently.
Her memory sharpened, thinking back to the words she used to activate the sword before. “Become my Sword,” she said. It felt like her muscles flamed up - like she could roar and belt fire. “Scorch the enemy before me, and entrap them in a blazing hell of glory!”
Accompanied by a powerful gust of wind, the blade of the sword erupted into a brilliant orange flame.
Dall gaped at the sight.
Avice yelped, reeling from the sudden heat. Then, she steeled herself. “Okay. That’s step one,” she said with a grin. However, something unexpected appeared with the flames - glowing, excited red balls. “Spirits?” she asked.
“Oh, hey lady!” One of the Spirits called out, its voice sounding higher-pitched than the ones she heard before.
“Born from a sword? That’s cool!” Another spoke.
Once they spoke to her, strings had appeared, sticking tightly to their round bodies. Avice’s eyes widened, and she smiled. “Spirits! Children of Ifrit!” she yelled. The Spirits then stopped chatting with each other and turned their attention to Avice.
A deep violet hue crept along the clear strings, changing its color. She entwined her fingers around them and tugged on them lightly. Before she could finish her command-
“Destroy this room. Stop them from getting away!” Achaea roared.
The walls, ceiling, and floor surrounding them shifted and morphed - the tiles above them turned into spikes, slowly descending upon them, the floor liquefied, slowing their advances like mud, and the walls encroached closer to them, becoming obstacles to jump over and duck under.
“Dammit,” Dall cursed, gritting his teeth. He slammed his palm against a piece of the wall extending out closer to him and leaped over it.
Avice, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky. She tried to duck under another wall piece, but she failed to drag her feet through the sinking floor.
“There you are,” Achaea muttered. Achaea sped faster towards them, lifting her front legs, ready to impale Avice.
“Avice!” Dall called. “Throw it!”
Flustered, Avice tripped again. “W-What?”
“The sword,” he repeated. “Come on!”
Achaea was right on their heels now.
Avice groaned as she wound her arm up. “Here!” The flaming sword danced in the air. “Catch it!”
“I got it,” Dall said.
Achaea leaped into the air, destroying the ceiling above her. “You cannot escape,” she growled. Ready to stab Avice straight through her skull, she let gravity drag her body back down, propelling her heavy body like a cannonball. “No one can escape. This is the reality of the world!”
“No, you don’t!” Dall yelled as he swung his burning blade.
The sword made contact with Achaea’s speeding talons, red sparks dancing around them.
Every muscle in his body screamed in pain.
His face writhed, his teeth gritted, and his haggard breath stuttered. Forcing Achaea’s attack back felt like an eternity.
“W-What is… this?” Achaea muttered.
She ground her teeth and tried to dig her spikes into the floor to put more pressure on him. Because she attempted to slow them down, however, she couldn’t get herself in a good stance in the sinking ground.
Achaea screamed, then fell backward, her heart pounding in her ears.
“You miserable rat,” she said.
“Avice, let’s go,” he said, limping towards her.
She dragged herself out of the muddy floor and nodded. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m fine!” he yelled. “We just need to go. She’ll kill us at this rate.”
“Alright,” she said, nodding. “Hand me the sword. I’ll try to stall her more.” Dall passed it off to her, and the flames grew brighter. And then, the Spirits reappeared. “Spirits,” Avice called for them. “Children of Ifrit,” she repeated. “Heed my call. Incinerate the enemy before me!”
“You got it, lady!”
“Woohoo!”
Small balls of fire swirled from the blade and shot backward towards the recovering Achaea. “Go for it!” Avice cheered.
However, as soon as the balls got closer to the monster, the balls stopped in their tracks.
Achaea chuckled and got her grotesque body up. She reached her hands out and closed her eyes. A foreign, mysterious language poured from her mouth.
The fireballs flickered red and black and trembled violently.
“W-Wait,” Avice gulped. “What’s-”
The now blackened fireballs shot back towards Dall and Avice.
“Whoa!” They both ducked, the fires hitting the tops of their heads. “What the hell?!”
“You, a mere child, think you can use Ifrit's Spirits against me?” She stomped her legs against the ground, and they erupted in flames. “I was the Fifth General of the Aldrian Army, ‘Ardenius Achaea’. Do not even dare to use fire against me!”
Dall and Avice stiffened up. Their fingers went cold. Their feet rooted to the spot.
Achaea smiled. “Like I said. There is no escape.” She crawled towards them. “Let me make this painless for you.” Her voice softened, sounding just like the first time Avice spoke to her. “For the both of you. A quick stab in the heart, nothing more, nothing less.”
“A-Avice,” Dall whispered, coming to his senses first.
He had felt this heart-rending horror once in his life before. The figure of that tall, faceless monster appeared in his head. Remembering the pain he suffered from fighting it rekindled his desire to run.
He glanced to his side to find Avice still frozen on the spot.
He looked from Achaea to Avice over and over again before deciding that if this monster got any closer, they’d be doomed.
“Let’s go!” He grabbed her hand and forcefully pulled her along.
“W-Whoa,” Avice blinked, shaking her head. Seeing their hands together, cold sweat drenched her back. "That was... terrifying," she muttered.
Achaea laughed heartily and sprinted after them again.
Seeing that terrifying image, Avice gulped, her throat nearly dry. “T-Thanks, Dall,” she said. “Sorry.”
He let go of her hand. “Nothing to be sorry for,” he said with a grim expression. “I get it. Take the right!”
“Got it!”
The two of them sprinted around the now sharpened corner, their breaths quickly growing harsher. The pain in Avice’s legs that had once subsided flared up once again.
“H-How close are we?” she gasped.
“I’m… I’m not sure,” he said. “But I’m remembering some more. After this, we turn-”
A deep tremor shook both of their hearts. They turned back to see Achaea busting through the melting walls, a wide, cheerful smile on her face. “Where are you going?” she asked. The viscous liquid dripping down her fangs plopped against the floor with a hiss.
“Come on,” Avice said, her heart growing heavier. “We have to be close. Otherwise-”
“Hey, what on Eden is going on out there!?” a young girl’s voice rang. She narrowed her eyes and slammed her palms against her ears. “Stop making such a ruckus already!”
“I-I hear someone,” Avice said, gasping for air. “Is this Crisia?”
“You can hear her from here?” Dall asked. “Then we’re here. Crisia!” he yelled, dodging poisonous balls flying at him. However, nothing responded to him. “Avice, you call for her.”
“Crisia,” she called. “Hello?”
No response.
“You childish rats think you can utilize an Instrument?” Achaea said. “Fools. I thought you were much smarter than that, Dall.”
He clicked his tongue and led Avice down another messed up hallway. “This is getting repetitive,” Avice grumbled. “How many hallways do you need?!”
“Mistress Achaea, I swear, you better not be sending us back down! I’ll riot, I say!”
The voice pierced Avice’s ears, sounding much closer than before.
The hallway they ran through suddenly narrowed. Side by side, they panicked as their ways to dodge Achaea's attacks had been reduced drastically. The hall squeezed tightly, creating a tunnel just big enough for them to fit through.
Avice strained her eyes, as a dim, violet glow appeared at the end of the hall. She wondered what it could be at the end when they finally came upon a door.
“Right here!” Avice yelled. With one final ounce of energy, she sped up and slammed her body against the steel frame. She bounced backward, a stinging pain bumping on her arm. “W-What the hell?”
Dall pushed on the door, and nothing seemed to budge. “Crap, she’s gonna catch us at this rate.”
“That’s right,” Achaea said.
They turned around. Achaea now stood high and mighty above them, her legs piercing the molded walls.
“Your last resort was to acquire an Instrument?” Despite her attempts to stifle it, her laughter exploded out of her mouth. “Insects and failures like you have no chance of wielding such power. Even my peers failed to harness the Shroud’s true abilities. Even I struggled to keep her in check. What do you think you can do, you incompetent-”
The door behind them creaked open.
Dall and Avice yelped as the two of them flew backward into the room. "W-Whoa!"
Achaea’s eyes widened and clawed at the door to keep it open. Her attempts proved futile, as the heavy door slammed shut, locking her out.
Dall and Avice stood confused for a moment, bearing witness to the terrible screeching of Achaea’s talons scratching against the metal, and her inhuman scream. “Open this door, Instrument! Release them!”
“Goodness, the once-mighty Mistress Achaea has fallen from grace, hasn’t she,” Crisia’s voice echoed. They turned around and set their gaze on the brown cloth sitting on the white pedestal. The second she laid her eyes on it, a strange feeling stirred in her stomach. “Anyways, welcome back, Sir Dall. It appears your request for aid has come sooner rather than later.”
“Thank you, Crisia,” Dall said with a bow. “We would have died if you weren’t here.” He approached her, carefully stepping over the black coils.
“Oh, it wasn’t purposeful, mind you. When I first heard the commotion, everything felt so far away. But all of a sudden, everything sounded so much closer. I dared to even raise my voice against the Fifth General,” Crisia said.
Every word that left her mouth stung Avice’s heart. Her head ached. “What the-”
“Regardless, do you know how terrifying it is to help you?! An enraged General, beating on my door.”
“Why are you helping us, Crisia?” Dall asked.
She remained quiet at his question. Brushing it off as if she'd never heard him, she continued. “As you are now, I can only help you with directions,” she said. “Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Right. Because of what Achaea just said, right? Too much power?”
“Of course. No measly Aldrian or Ruby-Eye can hold me without burning on the spot. My amazing power is far too much for their souls to handle, after all.”
Realizing she had just been standing there without moving, Avice decided to take her first step forward. However, once her foot touched the floor, something played in her head.
A man dressed in a fiery red lab-coat stood in front of her, a bright cheerful smile on his face. A woman in a calm, sea blue coat stood next to him, a similar expression directed towards Avice.
“Come on, Kiddo,” the man in red said. “Time to show you what we’re made of,”.
Avice shook the memory away. “What was that…?” She’d recalled this image before. She’d seen it before they’d met up with Achaea when the lights had finally lit up the room, exposing its scientific nature. “That was…”
The names of the people she saw were on the tip of her tongue, but for whatever reason, she couldn’t come up with them.
Deciding that now wasn’t the time to focus on that, she got closer to Crisia and stood in front of her. “So this is the ally that could help us, huh?” She reaches her hand out to touch it when Dall said,
“Wait, Avice, I don’t think she’d like that.”
“No,” Crisia said. “Your name is Avice, hm? You don’t look like one, but I can feel it.” Her voice grew giddier. “An overwhelming presence. Power. Might. Strength. Qualities necessary for a warrior of Alder. Lady Avice!” she yelled. Avice nearly jumped at the excitement in this cloth’s voice. “Lay your hands upon me! I wish to see if you are truly worthy or not!”
Avice nodded meekly and reached her hand out. She pressed her hand against the cloth, and it glowed bright purple.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Crisia rejoiced. “Such magnificence! Such energy! The Spirits must be proud to follow your orders.”
“W-Whoa, what the hell are you talking about?”
“Avice… Avice is qualified?” Dall asked. He stared at her in awe.
Noticing his gaze, she blushed and waved her hands, “N-No, that can’t be. I mean, there’s no way I can do that when Achaea said she could barely do it.”
“Mistress Achaea is a mere child compared to your Soul,” Crisia said excitedly. "It even seems like you're close to your Expansion! Oh, how exciting!" Her voice echoed throughout the chamber. “Even still, Mistress Achaea was able to use me for quite a while. Oh my, I remember the days and nights we spent digging tunnels to expand our access to food. Terrible, terrible days indeed,” Crisia groaned. “But!” she shouted. “Those days are behind us. Lady Avice, powerful Aldrian warrior, please utilize me to your heart’s content!”
“I-I appreciate the offer,” Avice said. “So what is that you can do? What makes you so special to help us get out of here.”
Crisia scoffed. “I am not known as one of the most powerful Support Series for nothing, Lady Avice. Come now, why don’t you pick me up and throw me over your shoulders.”
Avice tilted her head in confusion but followed her request anyway. She wrapped her hands around the small cloth and lifted it. “Um,” Avice mumbled. “This seems impossible.”
“My, what might you mean?”
“Look at you,” Avice said. She unfolded the cloth in her hands. The tips of the sheet reached from thumb to thumb. In other words - tiny.
Crisia remained quiet for a minute. “My apologies. I forgot to tell you how to make my abilities work,” Crisia said shyly. “Hold me tightly in your hand and say the word ‘equip’.”
Following her instructions, Avice closed her eyes and said, “Equip”. The cloth glowed brilliantly and floated in the air. It extended outward, becoming a larger piece of clothing.
It twirled around, moving behind Avice. Two portions of it stretched outward and wrapped around her arms, eventually stitching themselves up to become sleeves. Then, the thin fabric poking her back flapped, and it suddenly grew longer, reaching the floor. Finally, the cloth sewed upwards over her head, eventually becoming a hood.
Avice pursed her lips and looked down at herself. That single piece of cloth had suddenly become a lightweight, light brown duster with a hood. Avice played with the long fabric behind her pants.
“Whoa, this is kind of cool,” she said as she pulled back her hood. She spun around on the tip of her foot and giggled. “I’ve never worn something like this before. What do you think, Dall?”
He blinked a couple of times then coughed. “Yeah, it looks good. But what’s special about it?”
“Crisia?” Avice added.
“Hmph, you were impressed by this one thing. This is where I truly shine. Lady Avice, please say what I tell you."
Avice nodded for a couple of minutes with a pensive look, then tightened her fists. “Exanten!” she said.
She disappeared. Dall’s heart jumped to his throat and he stepped back in a stance, his hand on his sword. “Avice,” he said. “Are you okay?” He looked all around the room for her, but he saw no signs of her. “Oh crap, oh crap!”
“Exanti!” she yelled.
Then, Avice appeared a short distance away, her breath ragged and sweat pouring down her cheeks. Dall ran up to her and patted her down. “You good?”
“I-I’m fine,” she said, holding up her hand. “Gosh, Crisia. This power is amazing.” She smiled from ear to ear.
“So your power is invisibility?” Dall asked.
“Quite so, Sir Dall. As long as you feed me your magical energy, I can hide you from all danger! Even someone as powerful as Mistress Achaea will fail to detect your presence.”
“Speaking of,” Dall said, putting a finger over his mouth. “Where did she go…?” Now that he’d mentioned it, Avice noted the lack of insufferable noises outside of the impenetrable door. “She couldn’t have decided we’re not worth the trouble, right?”
“Out of the question,” Crisia said. “Mistress Achaea is not one to let her prey loose. I’d wager she’s plotting a trap to ensnare you and torment you in. I haven’t seen such fury in a very long time.”
“So what’s our plan? You know the layout of this place, right Crisia?” Avice asked.
“I have the bare minimum built into me. Of course, with Mistress Achaea’s abilities, she may have changed the layout completely to what I know.”
“Then that’s an issue,” Dall muttered.
“Oh, not at all,” Crisia added. “There is one place that she absolutely cannot meddle with. It is the location of the machine that drove the remnants of Alder under the ground, after all. Her pride wouldn’t allow herself to touch it.”
“And this is?”
Crisia laughed. “Our ticket to the way out, of course! It will be an incredibly dangerous risk to overcome, but should we succeed, we both beat Mistress Achaea and escape with our lives intact!”
Avice crossed her arms. “So we don’t have to fight her,” she said. “That’s more reassuring.”
“So what is this place you’re talking about, Crisia? What’s our plan?” Dall asked.
“In the simplest terms, Sir Dall,” Crisia said. “We are once again activating the Emergency Protocol.”
