We managed to make it to a hallway that opened directly to the floor’s central area relatively quickly. There was a big planter holding a tree right near the opening, and I shuffled up to it in a crouch, looking around the area through the tree’s leaves. Lily was right behind me, her eyes darting around to keep watch.
What would have been a fairly open space with a high ceiling was littered with food carts, booths, and kiosks selling various types of merchandise. Banners and signs advertising a myriad of items crowded the place, making the winding paths all the more complicated. It reminded me more of a chaotic marketplace than anything else. Various pillars and planters only made the entire thing even more haphazard, and it was hard to see most anything from where I was crouched.
That didn’t stop me from spotting a few forms slinking around, and my stomach clenched tightly. I saw one or two of the hounds I’d already faced on the prowl, but my eyes quickly went past them to a figure twitching in the darker shadows. It was vaguely humanoid but crouched over on all fours with a bent back. Covered in slick black skin that blended them with the darkness, it was hard to make anything else about them out, but I did see it had large hands with thick claws made of bone. The creature stood oddly still compared to the hounds, only giving an occasional shudder at seemingly random intervals.
Lily seemed to have caught onto my fixation and whispered, "What is that?"
"One of the Anathema," I murmured quietly, not taking my eyes off it. "Something new. Different from the hounds. Stealthy or quick, I bet."
Helios answered. [Some type of ghoul most likely. A striker type, making it slower than the hounds, but their claws are not to be underestimated. Higher level ghouls can tear and chew through metal like paper.]
“Any other types besides the hounds and ghouls? And where is the shelter’s entrance?”
[The shelter has a large stairway leading down to it in the direct middle of the room but isn’t visible from here. There are two other types of Anathema here. The first you can see if you look up.]
My eyes snapped to the ceiling, searching for new enemies. It took me a moment to make out a lump lying in a particularly deep spot of darkness. It was fairly far away from me, and I had to squint to even get an idea of what I was looking at. As I began to pick out a vaguely insectoid shape, I felt myself tensing up even more.
“A giant wasp?” Lily hissed in disbelief, her face paling. The insectoid was at least the size of a large dog, if not larger. Its wings looked like they were made of thin, fragile paper, but the jagged stinger on its back end looked anything but fragile.
“Okay… what about the last one?” I whispered.
[Unseeable from here, but there was only one that I saw. Imagine a giant gorilla with chitinous armor. I would estimate it to be a bruiser. It should be slow and inflexible, but it will take quite a bit of damage to put it down and is quite strong.]
I nodded. So with the hounds, ghouls, wasps, and gorilla, there were skirmishers, strikers, fliers, and a bruiser. Helios putting classifications on all of them actually did help, especially if I considered them like video game enemies. The hounds and wasps would be my biggest concern with their speed. Everything else, Lily and I would theoretically be able to keep at a distance and shoot from relative safety, or Lily could lure them into traps.
But that still left me without any real plan to take them all down at once.
“Helios, can you get a count of how many of each type there are? And also what stores make up the perimeter? Maybe there is something we can use.”
[Of course. Give me a moment.]
He took off, and I made sure to keep careful watch while I waited. While I did, I tried to piece together a plan in my head. Ideally, I needed something to take out as many of the fast movers as possible. If there was some way to trap them or funnel them to take away their number advantage…
I mulled it over until Helios reappeared, skidding to a stop next to me.
[Three gorillas, three wasps, five ghouls, six hounds. As for the stores, there are clothing, electronic, fast-food, liquor, book, antique, gardening, and appliance shops.]
I frowned as I let my gaze sweep over the area one more time. It was a good collection, but without a plan…
My eyes stopped on a fire extinguisher attached to one of the pillars. Next to it was a small photo booth with a step ladder leaning against it, and I felt my eyes widen as I looked between the two objects.
“Helios? How… How much can I really use from the stores? Will I get in trouble for taking things from them or anything like that?”
[Not as long as it is used to combat the Anathema. Even damaging a building is nothing to worry about and is hand-waved so long as it isn’t excessive. Governments have long since set up funds to take care of such things. Legally speaking, you have nothing to worry about. In fact, you actually have more legal protections now that you are a Guardian, but that can wait for another time. Do you have a plan of some sort?]
I nodded, my mind racing with possibilities. I thought through the plan a few more times before I nodded. It was definitely gamey, but if Helios was right about what low level Anathema were capable of…
Lily seemed to notice my sudden change of demeanor. "You have a plan, don't you?"
I glanced at her, and despite the dangerous situation, I managed a small smile. "Sort of. It's a bit rough around the edges, and I'm not sure if it'll work."
Her blue eyes flashed with a mix of concern and determination. "Tell me."
It took a lot longer than I would have liked to get everything set up. A lot of it was sneaking around and waiting for Anathema to pass by, which, while nerve wracking, was apparently not all that dangerous.
Helios had informed me that low level Anathema weren’t very good at actually searching for people and were more of just a scouting force. As the Usurpation went on though, higher level ones with better senses would start coming out. As it was, low levels tended to rely mostly on sound and sight to find things.
Which turned out to be a huge blessing, especially considering how badly the store had smelled when we were done preparing it.
I peeked from behind the counter of the enclosed snack kiosk I was hiding in, glancing at the entrance to the store in question. Thankfully the wasps had stayed near the stairs leading down to the shelter, letting us skulk around the outer perimeter relatively easily to set everything up. Now, all that was left was putting everything into motion.
My hands were sweaty enough that I took a moment to wipe them on my trousers. I took a few deep breaths, though the tightness in my chest was making it almost impossible. My throat felt dry, tempting me to grab a water bottle from the kiosk.
I reached into my pocket, taking a quick look at the phone as the seconds ticked down.
I had my fully loaded Umbra with an extra round loaded in the chamber. While we were preparing, I had also spent three points on more ammunition, bringing me up to a total of 142 rounds split between nine magazines and two Umbras. With one loaded in each gun, two in each side pocket of my pants pockets, and the two in the side pockets of my backpack, and two in reserve zipped inside, everything was prepared, and I was as ready as I could be.
I turned to Helios, staring into his sun-shaped pupils as I gave him a nod.
“Let’s begin.”
Helios moved in a hopping blur, and I watched as he entered the store. I made sure to stay as hidden as possible while peeking over the kiosk’s counter. For a few moments, nothing happened, and I was left staring at the red light reflecting off the mall’s tile flooring.
Then a loud, ringing alarm went off from within the store I was watching as Helios activated one of the wind-up alarm clocks we’d placed throughout it.
And then another went off.
And another.
My shoulders tightened as I heard claws scrabbling against tile along with the flap of wings. The golden blur that was Helios moving appeared a moment later, leaping from the store just before black shapes dashed from the shadows and came rushing to the disturbance. I recognized most of them as more of the hounds, and they rushed towards the door without hesitation.
A moment later, two ghouls joined the mix. Now that they were closer, I could make out their emaciated forms. They had off-black skin stretched over pointed bones, and their otherwise featureless head was dominated by a wide mouth with pointed, pale white teeth as long as a finger. They moved on all fours in an odd, jittery gait towards the store, but the hounds made it first.
The hounds' paws made little splashing sounds against the floor as they barreled through the store’s propped open front door, and soon after the first had entered, the sound of breaking glass began. Four or five of the creatures rushed in before the ghouls arrived. Instead of going through the door, the ghouls crouched down low to the ground, sinewy muscles rippling with tension before they leapt at the large display window. With a swing of their claws mid-leap, they shattered through the glass and disappeared inside.
I made a mental note of the jumping movement even as I heard wings flapping. A second later, one of the wasps made an appearance, hovering in front of the now broken window. It was about as big as a cat, and instead of insectoid wings it had six that were more bat-like. The creature was mostly covered in thin, pale white chitin with black flesh poking between the plates. The wasp was curled up on itself as it hovered, making a comma shape that pointed its stinger at the window. After a moment of looking into the store, it flew in.
The sound of glass breaking was at an all time high now, and at least one of the loud, beeping alarm clocks had been silenced. After waiting another moment and seeing no more incoming Anathema, I knew it was time, and so I made my way to the door of the kiosk and opened it. Helios snuck out first, making sure the coast was clear.
[Clear.]
Of the three gorillas, three wasps, five ghouls, six hounds - two ghouls, four hounds, and one wasp were accounted for.
So far, the plan was going perfectly.
Phase one had been simple enough, sneaking around and collecting various analog alarm clocks from the antique and appliance stores. Then we’d taken them and hidden them throughout the target store before we prepared the trap itself.
Next Helios had gone in and used his plumes to set off all the alarms before joining me. Helios had told me not all the Anathema would come, unfortunately, as they would instinctively delegate the task, but by my count, we’d gotten around half of them, maybe more. After we were sure we’d gotten as many as possible, I would climb on top of the kiosk to lure the more mobile Anathema over as Lily kept hidden in a store nearby, and then the final act would begin.
Climbing up the step ladder, I quickly made my way to the top of the kiosk. Below me, the store was a mess of broken glass, spilt liquor, and a cacophony of alarms. The Anathema inside were disoriented by the noise, trying to break the clocks even as more kept going off.
[Maito,] Helios’ voice sounded in my head, pulling my focus back. [You’re up.]
Taking a deep breath, I pulled out the lighter I had pocketed earlier.
Fanfare. I thought mentally, activating my Sable Eye.
Almost instantly, the world around me shifted. Everything went dim, except for a single iridescent line that stretched out before me, showing the trajectory the lighter would take if thrown. The Sable Eye overlay worked like a video game HUD, and the line predicted the path my object would take based on my current intention and posture.
Taking a moment to focus and steady my nerves, I reared my arm back and then hurled the lighter, following the line my Eye showed me. The world seemed to slow for a split second, my heart pounding loudly in my ears as the lighter soared through the air, before crashing into a puddle of alcohol near the center of the store. Exactly where my eye had projected.
As the store burned, I gripped the railing of the kiosk, the heat radiating up towards me. Helios landed on my shoulder, both of us watching the inferno.
Warmth blasted into me in a wave, and I shivered as I watched the fire grow into a frenzy. Shadows played out in a frenzy of moving shapes across the mall as the Anathema in the store went berserk.
After a few moments of the fire crackling, there was a shriek as the burning form of a ghoul jumped out of the store and onto the ground, writhing in the flames completely engulfing its body. I aimed, but stopped myself from firing when I noticed it fall to the ground a moment later, twitching for a few seconds before going still. A chime resounded in my head, making me flinch.
[Defeated (Forsaken Ghoul - Level 5)
[Reward: 10 Points]
Flames snapped and consumed the inside of the store for another few seconds, but no more of the creatures managed to find their way out of the inferno. The dark shadows spasming from within the store began to slow and then go still, and more chimes began to go off, making my eyes widen.
[Defeated (Fomorian Hound - Level 2)]
[Defeated (Fomorian Hound - Level 1)]
[Defeated (Fomorian Hound - Level 3)]
[Defeated (Fomorian Hound - Level 3)]
[Defeated (Forsaken Ghoul - Level 6)]
[Defeated (Giant Cavern Wasp - Level 3)]
[Total Reward: 55 Points]
[New Point Total: 66 Points]
[Congratulations! You’ve leveled up multiple times! You are now level 3!]
[Stat Points Available: 20]
I watched the conflagration with awe, my throat suddenly dry. Helios had told me he thought these particular Anathema might be especially susceptible to fire, and I had expected it to be effective, but this…
A shrill alarm suddenly went off from within the liquor store, and through the broken window, I saw white foam begin to spray within. The fire immediately began to dim, and I let out a sigh of relief. Helios had assured me the fire suppression system would be part of the backup power supply and would activate, albeit only after the fire had been going for a while, but that hadn’t stopped me from worrying about burning the whole mall down.
[Incoming!] Helios informed me, and I twirled around in time to see shapes moving towards me.
From where I was on top of the kiosk, I had a fairly clear view of the central mall’s chaotic marketplace. The two fluttering shapes of wasps were hovering above the subway-entrance looking stairs leading down to the shelter.
Around the rest of the area, I saw two more hounds darting towards the squealing fire alarm along with the last three ghouls. I couldn’t tell if they had noticed my position or not, so I quickly aimed first at one of the two wasps. The power provided by my eyes traced a line from the Umbra pistol to the wasp, which was helpful but still difficult to work with. After taking a second to steady the laser sight on the gently bobbing form, I fired.
They were relatively far away from me, farther than I’d ever shot anyway, and so I wasn’t holding out much hope of hitting them on my first try. However, because they were able to fly and attack from a range, they were number one on my list of things to kill. Once the hounds and wasps were taken care of, Lily and I would be able to take care of the rest with far less risk.
So instead of waiting to see if the first shot hit, I fired again and again, taking a moment between each shot to adjust my aim based on the line my Eye drew for me. The wasp began to zip around after the first shot, avoiding my bullets with a jerky pattern. My aim was not perfect, and the wasp's erratic movements didn't help. I missed several shots, making me grit my teeth in frustration. I quickly realigned the trajectory line drawn by my eye and let loose more shots, creating a deliberate rhythm: fire, pause, fire.
By the time I emptied my magazine, the wasp had fallen to the ground, twitching in a pool of its own ichor. The other wasp darted behind a pillar, catching on to the danger. It remained there while the hounds and ghouls clacked against the base of the kiosk, unable to climb it to reach me. I kept my gun aimed at the pillar, waiting for it to come back out, but it seemed content staying hidden behind cover. Meanwhile, I heard the distinct sound of claws clacking against the floor beneath me, signaling that the hounds arrived. I kept a careful watch on where the wasp had disappeared but changed to aiming at the edge of the kiosk’s roof, waiting with a held breath.
There was more clacking and even the sound of some objects being knocked over, but nothing appeared. I quickly pocketed my first Umbra, switching out a second one before I carefully made my way over the roof’s lip, and peeked over.
One of the hounds was on its hind legs, stretched towards the roof but unable to reach it. The other was pacing behind it, looking up at me with its lidless eyes and smushed face.
It had been a gamble, going on top of the roof, but sure enough it worked. Ever since Helios had told me that lower level Anathema were dumber and acted a lot like simplistic video game enemies, I had wondered just how much I could abuse that fact. After I had told him my plan and asked him if it would work, he had agreed, saying the only immediate real threat would be the wasps.
With such a high number advantage on their side, the fight itself was rigged from the start to be unfair. So, instead of facing them head on, I had decided to go with the age-old video game tactic of cheesing it.
I wasn’t exactly sure how the term had gotten its name, but even with my limited experience in gaming I knew it referred to using a strategy that circumvented a challenge by abusing game mechanics or the simplicity of the AI controlling the enemy.
I figured the fire trap in the liquor store was just a good strategy, but standing slightly higher than them and using them as a shooting gallery while they stared dumbly at me?
Definitely less fair.
Unfortunately for them, I absolutely did not care.
I lined up my sights on the face of the hound trying to claw its way up and pulled the trigger.
Black ichor exploded out from the hole that appeared in its head, and the thing fell onto the ground with a dull thud.
[Defeated (Fomorian Hound - Level 2)]
[Reward: 10 Points]
The other hound began scrabbling, moving in an erratic back and forth but too stupid to find cover. I quickly snapped my gun to its center mass and let loose. The first bullet missed, causing it to falter, but the second and third hit home. It collapsed, letting out an ungodly shriek as it twitched.
With the immediate threat taken care of, I extended my gaze to the rest of the floor. The remaining ghouls were slowly making their way towards me, navigating through the mess of the mall’s central area. The wasp, however, was a different story. It was still hidden behind the pillar, but I knew it wouldn't stay there for long.
I noticed one crouch down slightly, its emaciated muscles rippling. My eyes widened, alarm flashing through me as I recognized the move.
The ghoul launched itself in a flying leap at the roof of the kiosk, and I let out a yelp as the claws sunk into the flimsy material of the wall near the top. I whipped out my Umbra, aiming it at the ghoul's head as it struggled to climb up. I lined the red line up and fired, watching as the bullet hit its mark, and the ghoul fell limply onto the ground.
There was a moment of disorientation as I gasped, trying to regain my breath. Through the pulsing pain along my entire left side, I managed to process that I was now on the ground.
Right where the rest of the Anathema would be able to get me.
Panic shot through me as I scrambled to my feet, and I felt a few of my magazines slip from my pockets and clatter onto the floor. I looked up in time to see the wasp reorienting on me. I started moving just as it undulated again, shooting another stinger. It flew past me and sunk half of its six inch length into the floor with ease. Fear sent adrenaline rushing through me, and I sprinted as fast as I could, raising my gun and firing a few unaimed shots in its general direction.
The wasp jittered in the air in a weird pattern, and then with a shudder, regrew the stinger it had shot before flying after me. I ducked behind a pillar as it fired again, and when I heard it crack against the concrete, I spun out of cover, aimed, and unleashed a barrage as I ran for an open-air boutique fashion display for additional cover as the wasp oriented itself around the ceiling.
The bullets sprayed wildly, ricocheting off the central area's walls and ceiling. The wasp dodged and weaved in the air like a fighter jet, but I kept firing, hoping to hit something vital.
The wasp dipped down before moving in the same pattern it used before. I tried to follow its movements as I shot, but ended up trailing after it. I clenched my teeth together as everything missed and rolled back behind a wall pillar as its stinger regrew.
I saw movement and looked up in time to see the first of the two ghouls I had lost track of come tumbling through a clothing rack a few feet from me. I turned to aim at it as I moved away, firing off two sloppy shots in its chest only to feel a deafening click as I realized my second Umbra had gone empty as well.
'Shit!'
I had a second to scramble to the side before a clawed hand ripped through the pillar where my torso had been moments ago. Its claws dug a half-inch deep furrow into the concrete, and I felt my heart leap into my throat.
I broke into a sprint, running back for the kiosk as a second ghoul stumbled over a stack of boxes. The wasp still buzzed in the air, firing stingers at me every chance it got. I needed a second.
Briefly rushing through the central area, I dove into a sloppy roll, turning around to drop my backpack and keep my eyes on the ghouls as I slid behind a pillar past the kiosk.
"Lily! Now!" My voice came out strained and half-panicked, but I had no other option at this point.
I held my breath, watching as the second ghoul stumbled out of the mess I'd lured it into towards the kiosk, building momentum. It was close enough to it now that I could see its sinewy, awful muscles rippling in the emergency lighting.
I heard the sound of a loud click, and then a long, drawn-out hiss as the bomb I had planted in the kiosk rapidly started counting down as the first ghoul freed itself and began to approach as well. I frantically took cover behind the pillar, and the ghouls didn't even have time to react before the whole area erupted into bright light and a deafening explosion that shook the ground beneath us.
I scrambled, dropping my backpack out of the ground as I drew the two magazines I had in the side through deafened ears. I dimly perceived the satisfying ding confirming a kill.
One ding.
I looked up in horror, and realized with a sinking feeling that the second ghoul was still alive, which was confirmed in a second when its legless top half came snarling, rushing past the pillar to turn at me like a monster out of a horror movie. I sprinted away, emptying the magazine from my Umbra onto the ground as I fumbled.
I could hear the wasp buzzing overhead and I could just imagine the ghoul's claws digging into the ground as it chased after me. My heart raced as I struggled to reload the Umbra, my hands shaking with fear and adrenaline.
Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my leg and stumbled to the ground. I groaned in agony as I turned my head to see a stinger lodged an inch away, blood pouring out of my calf. Desperately, I fumbled over the Umbra and raised it up just in time as the ghoul came diving at me with its claws aiming clamoring for me. Tears pricked my eyes and blood pounded in my ringing ears as I scrambled for anything that could buy me some time, but there was nothing.
This was the moment of truth.
I could feel my heart pounding out of control as I took aim at its unearthly face just a yard away from me. I dimly registered it jerking around for a second, spazzing out like it was having a seizure.
Flinching against the terror, I took the chance and fired one final shot directly between its eyes - just before it would have pounced on me and ripped through my neck - and felt a sickening squelch of flesh and bone as it fell back on itself lifelessly.
[Defeated (Forsaken Ghoul - Level 6)]
[Reward: 10 Points]
Just then, the ringing in my ears cleared up slightly, and I heard another loud crack off to the side.
My eyes opened wide in shock as I saw Lily standing with a Ripple - another fully automatic pistol I’d purchased pointed at the wasp that had been chasing me, and my mind quickly registered that she'd slowed down the ghoul just long enough for me to take my shot.
Lily managed to make the wasp duck behind a pillar, before quickly rushing over to me to help me. I tried to get up but my left leg buckled beneath me. Lily caught me just in time, and helped me hobble over behind a pillar. She knelt by my side and inspected the wound on my calf, wincing at the sight.
"That looks bad," she muttered.
My left leg was throbbing painfully and I could already feel the bruises forming along my left side. I shook my head, holding up my hand to signal to her that it could wait. I quickly reached into my coat pocket and handed her the other Umbra and a magazine out of my backpack, which she promptly began to reload.
Quickly, I reloaded my now empty gun, eyes searching around me, only to widen in surprise as a sudden, chittering roar echoed through the mall as one of the three gorilla Anathema finally made their entrance.
The first was seven feet tall on all fours with big, tree-trunk arms thicker than my entire body. Its entire body was covered in dark scales, and had a vaguely reptilian face with three bulging eyes independently looking around. Covering the monster’s back were dozens of forearm-length tentacles. Its arms ended in stumps, making them more like giant clubs than anything else. Two more smaller gorillas flanked its sides - they were only half a foot shorter, but with sleek, clawed arms and razor-sharp blades covering the tentacles.
I started to panic, but Lily was quick to act. She grabbed my hand and motioned for me to stay still as she quickly packed another magazine into the Ripple and rose to her feet.
"I'll draw away the big lug so you can figure out what to do with the bug!" she said.
With that, she sprinted off in the direction of the gorilla, gun raised and pointed at it in an attempt to draw its attention away from me.
Then, to my utter surprise, she sprinted out in front of me with the gun pointed directly at the Anathema. I couldn't believe it. She was so damned brave.
I winced, fighting through the pain as I pulled myself to my feet as two more of the gorilla monsters barreled into the mall, their gazes fixated on me. My heart pounded in my chest as I realized how delicate the situation was.
We had one more improvised explosive set up on an exit corridor, and I had two more proper remote-detonated bombs and three sticky grenades in my Vault. I quickly scanned the area, trying to come up with a plan of attack. I knew I had to act fast before the gorillas could swarm and box in Lily. They were all focused on her, and didn't seem to have noticed me. I could probably toss one of the bombs out and take one out, making it easier for her to evade them.
Still...
I shuffled around the pillar, focusing my eyes on the wasp as it emerged from its cover once again, taking aim at Lily. If I didn't take the slippery creature out, Lily was as good as dead if she got hit by a stinger as well. I had to act quickly.
Lily took a shot at the wasp she ran, far faster and more gracefully than I could ever sprint myself. I observed the wasp carefully as it moved in the exact same pattern it had the previous times we'd fired at it, making an upside-down “4” with its path. I aimed my pistol up carefully, lining up the iridescent line it traced with the end of its path, and pulled the trigger. I held my breath as the bullet zipped through the air and struck the wasp squarely in its center of mass.
The wasp let out a high-pitched screech as it fell to the ground, its wings buzzing feebly before it fell to the ground, twitching. I quickly followed its path and put two more bullets into it, eliciting a kill notification from the system. I breathed a sigh of relief and turned my attention back to the gorillas. One of them was charging towards Lily, who was now backed up against a wall, while the other was circling around to flank her.
Without hesitation, I scrambled to open my backpack for one of my sticky grenades.
"Lily!" I shouted as I limped towards her, holding the grenade in my hand. "Get ready to move!"
She looked at me with a mix of surprise and concern in her eyes, but nodded quickly and took a few steps back from the wall.
Costing four points each, the Mk II. Vendetta grenades were some of the more specialized explosives available to the Arcane Gate. They would stick to Anathema, and detonate after about three seconds, dealing heavy damage and disrupting their movement with shrapnel that would largely implode in the direction of the blast. The problem is, they were difficult to land on a moving target. There was also the issue that not all of the shrapnel they’d release would be directed toward the point they stuck onto the target. Just most.
For someone like me, however, my augmentation allowed me to practically cheat. I quickly grabbed a grenade, armed it, and lobbed it towards the nearest gorilla moving to flank. The Sable Eye drew an iridescent line as I pulled back the pin and threw the grenade, and I watched as it flew straight towards the creature's back. My eyes widened as shadowy iridescent echoes emerged from the predicted path like a trail of dozens of fireworks.
The grenade stuck onto the center gorilla's scales and after a brief moment, it detonated with a deafening boom. The creature roared in pain, flailing its arms and tentacles wildly as I took my chance to run in. I numbly registered Lily yelping in pain, but she also took aim at the injured gorilla with her Ripple as it stumbled around blindly.
We fired a barrage at the same time, and it fell over with a resounding ding. Lily was already on the move, reloading her gun as one of the two remaining gorillas chased her down.
My eyes widened in surprise as the other gorilla charged towards me, its massive arms thrashing towards me like giant clubs. I tried to move as fast as I could, but my injured leg slowed me down considerably. I gritted my teeth, feeling the searing pain course through my body as the gorilla closed in and I reached down, grabbing both remaining Vendettas.
I quickly armed both grenades, their iridescent lines tracing through the air as I threw them at the charging gorilla. One grenade stuck to its chest, while the other stuck to its left arm. My eyes widened as my augment traced a flurry of rainbow fragments that would come directly at me, and I ducked around the pillar. The explosions detonated in a fiery burst, sending chunks of scaled flesh and broken bone flying everywhere.
The concussion of the blast threw me back, even behind the pillar, causing me to tumble onto the ground with my head ringing. The gorilla stumbled, its charge halted as it collapsed in a heap.
Suddenly, I heard a loud thud and whipped my head up as I saw Lily stumbling backward. My blood ran cold as I realized, The gorilla's claws sliced across her chest. She screamed in pain before she stumbled back desperately, crashing through a row of clothing racks even as she emptied her Ripple into the creature.
My head pounded from the blast, and the ringing in my ears made it difficult to focus, but I knew I had to act. I saw the blood oozing from the wound on her chest and I knew it was bad even through my desperate haze.
I gritted my teeth, feeling anger and fear wash over me as I felt a surge of adrenaline and managed to get up. I couldn't let Lily die, not after all we had been through. I had to protect her, no matter what.
I charged towards the gorilla, ignoring the burning pain in my legs as my eyes locked onto the creature. Everything seemed to slow down as it loomed over her, and I could feel the weight of my gun in my hand. The metal was strangely, reassuringly cool against my palm.
I knew I only had time for one shot, and I had to make it count.
I felt a surge of adrenaline as I planted my stance. The creature's attention was solely on Lily as I ran up behind it, my gun raised and aimed squarely at the back of its skull.
I took a deep breath, steadying my aim as I lined up the Sable Eye's line, and I squeezed the trigger.
The gunshot echoed through the mall as the bullet slammed into the gorilla's head, sending it crashing to the ground with a final chittering roar.
Lily lay motionless on the ground, blood pooling beneath her. I rushed over to her side, almost hyperventilating as I assessed her injuries. The wound was deep, but she was still breathing.
I carefully checked her to make sure there weren't any other wounds, grateful that the gorilla had only managed to land a glancing blow. My heart sank when I noticed a piece of shrapnel embedded in her hip. The grenade's explosion must have ricocheted off the wall and injured her during the explosion.
There was a deep gash along the left of her torso, with jagged furrows from where the claws had ripped through the fabric and into her skin. The wound was deep and bloody, exposing raw meat and muscles beneath it. I winced at the sight of it, my stomach turning as I tried not to think about what could have happened if the attack had been more direct.
I tried to apply pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding, but it was quickly becoming clear that she needed medical attention if she was going to survive. Medical attention sorely lacking in the middle of a Usurpation.
"No, no, no," I muttered to myself, head pounding in shock as I tried to tie a makeshift tourniquet around her leg, wishing I had some sort of medical kit on me. "Don't you dare die on me, Lily."
I felt a pang of guilt wash over me as I realized that my Vendetta grenade had caused her injury. I should have been more careful, should have waited for a better opportunity to use it. Why couldn't I ever do anything right?
"H-hey," Lily said weakly, her hand reaching out to grip mine tightly. "It's not your fault...I'm just glad you're here with me..."
[Maito...] Helios said softly, but his mental probe was barely audible against the sound of my blood pounding.
I looked up at Lily, tears streaming down my face as I nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I’m here. We've got to get you some help. Hang on, just a little longer."
Lily sighed, her eyelids fluttering as she tried to stay conscious. "I'll try...but you have to promise me something."
"Anything," I replied, eager to help and ease her pain in any way I could.
Lily's grip on my hand tightened. "If the worst happens, promise me that you won't blame yourself for this. We did what we had to do."
I hesitated, the guilt still eating away at me, but I nodded. "I promise."
With that, Lily's grip on my hand went limp and her eyes closed as she winced in pain and breathed deeply. I screamed in frustration.
What should I do? What could I do?
My heart pounded as I looked around frantically for any sign of help, but the mall was still deserted, save for the eerie hum of the emergency lights.
[Maito!] Helios insisted again.
Lily was going to die, and it was all my fault. My hands trembled as I sank to my knees, feeling the weight of my burden crushing me into the ground. I wasn't cut out for this kind of work.
[Maito!!!] Helios shouted, bounding over to glare at me in my face. [Will you PLEASE stop ignoring me and snap out of it?! We have to act quickly!]
