Somewhere on a towering, square-cut cliffside, starkly white beneath the harsh sunlight, a figure dangled upside-down. His left leg had been pierced and twisted painfully by a knotted tangle of woody growths, their brittle and wilted forms embedded deeply into his flesh. Crimson marred the white cliff face, trailing slowly downward, dripping steadily from a mess of spiky black hair.

  Gira’s breathing was slow and steady, surprisingly calm considering all his blood was rushing down to his brain or down to the rocky white beach below. Squinting through tired eyes, he stared absently into the boundless expanse of sky and sea.

  “S—err, I mean Berserkrios—ugh, hey, can I just call you S?” Gira grumbled.

  “Hell no. I chose this name myself so you better stick with it.” Berserkrios answered defiantly from the back of his mind.

  Gira sighed as his consciousness began to drift, eyes still fixed on the divide of sky and sea.

  “You ever wonder why there’s a line between the ocean and the sky?”

  “Oh man,” Berserkrios groaned. “The blood loss is really getting to us.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You’re asking stupid questions.”

  “Might as well ask stupid questions in stupid situations.” Gira mumbled, glancing upward at the sharp branch holding him in place like a hooked fish.

  Berserkrios sighed. “Whatever. Your question still stupid, though. You know there’s no real line, right? It’s all a matter of perspective—that line is our horizon—the edge of our eye’s limit.”

  “Perspective, huh?” Gira squinted against the glaring sunlight, gazing up at the vast sea. “Wish I could see past it—across the sea. Wouldn’t that be cool?”

  Berserkrios looked through Gira’s gaze, taking in the shimmering blue. “Yeah… It would be.”

  Gira looked up further until his eyes landed on the beach below. There, comfortably sitting under the shade of one of the massive stone arches that decorated the Ordovis coast, was ranger Gael. His annoyingly bright pink hat bobbed up and down as he listened to some unknown tune from his oversized headphones, completely ignoring Gira’s unfortunate circumstance.

  “That dickhead isn’t even pretending to care, huh?” Berserkrios growled within.

  “Aww man, he’s even drinking that weird sweet blue drink I wanted?” Gira muttered, straining his words as the feeling in his leg began to fade. “Oh… that’s not good, right?!”

  “Fuck—okay Gira, let’s use our Kyyr!” Berserkrios urged

  “Right!” Gira replied. But what do we do? He looked around—assessing his precarious situation. Below was nothing but a sheer, stomach-churning drop. His leg was caught by a branch jutting sharply from the tip of a jagged rock, painfully piercing through his flesh. The only spot close enough to grip with his claws was further up, near the tangled roots of the mangled tree.

  What if I swung myself? Gira struggled to see how far back the rock face was behind his back. Shit… Two maybe three meters?! Okay… let’s think: I have three limbs free—my arms and my right leg. But it might as well be only my arms with how my damn leg is hanging… If anything, it’s being more of a nuisance. A frustrated sigh escaped him as numbness crept further along his trapped leg. Maybe swinging could work—assuming I don’t smash my head open.

  “Berserkrios, I need Savagrios right now! Could you get him for me?”

  “Why not use me?”

  “We can’t waste bone mass here—plus, they’ve been feeding us tons of blood so might as well!”

  “Ugh, fine, but even then we can’t fully transform here anyway—we don’t have enough Kyyr.”

  “True,” Gira admitted, a grin forming despite his pain, “but Savagrios and I figured out a pretty neat trick.”

  “Ugh…I guess it’s better than bleeding out…” Berserkrios conceded reluctantly.

  Gira began to swing back and forth, pain once again surging through his trapped leg as he built momentum. A sudden sense of freefall surged through him as the branch began to creak and splinter under his weight. Oh boy…

  “We’ve arrived!” Savagrios announced from the back of his mind.

  “Awesome!” Gira exclaimed as his left eye flickered a deep red, his body stretching and shifting as he grew taller. CRACK! The branch snapped further under the stress of his partial transformation. Gira smirked confidently, allowing gravity to assist as he swung harder, feeling Kyyr surge through him, crimson scales blossoming along his skin.

  “Savagrios, we’re trying out that new trick we’ve been practicing!”

  “What!? Now, but we don’t know if it's physically possible outside our throne!”

  “I think it’ll work—I can feel it in my bones!”

  SNAP!

  The branch gave way just as Gira’s skin flared crimson and he launched forward using the momentum he’d gathered.

  He missed!

  He felt gravity weighing him down as the terror of the fall filled him, the crimson still spreading throughout his body.

  “PLEASE WORK!” Gira shouted desperately, crimson scales engulfing his jaws moments before his body slammed into the jagged rock below.

  CRUNCH!

  The bone-shattering sound of his crimson-scaled frame colliding against the other rock exploded with vibrato as the booming sound of two rocks exploding into one another echoed through the cliffside.

  Gael shot upright from his relaxed posture as he looked around confused.

  The crimson-laden form lay motionless on the sharp rock, gravity tugging Gira downward once more as his feet slipped free. Suddenly, the limp figure twisted, a crimson claw shooting out to dig deeply into the cliff face. A piercing rasp filled the air as claws scraped against stone, bringing the Coarseblood’s descent to an abrupt halt.

  AHAHAHAHA! It worked! Gira cheered internally.

  “By the Fifteen, our ribs hurt sooo much…” Savagrios complained weakly.

  But the full partial transformation did indeed work! Savagrios exclaimed.

  Berserkrios let out a sigh, “Sweet Symbols, we could’ve died!”

  But we didn’t! Gira smugly answered.

  Turning slowly to face Gael was a small Coarseblood? Unlike the imposing frame of his fully transformed form, this little crimson iteration was slim and human-sized, yet the featureless, shattered visage was ever present.

  Gael looked up in confused terror as he staggered back, nearly tripping over himself as Gira pulled his claws out of the rock face as he jumped down. Landing with a resounding thud, his dreadful presence caused Gael to fall on his ass.

  Gira parted his jaws. Let’s see if I figured out this talking thing… “Aegggrrrl glrrooggh” oh welp. Guess I still can’t talk in this form.

  “Let us show you!” Savagrios exclaimed as he shoved Gira out of the mental steering wheel.

  Clearing his throat with a growl, “We require blood!” Savagrios hissed at Gael. “Give us what you brought!”

  Gael looked at Gira with a mix of disgust and fear. “I-it’s over there, you creepy fuck.” he pointed at a cooler.

  Savagrios ignored him as he lumbered over to the cooler. Lining the insides were packets of blood. Salivating, he dug his head into the cooler, ripping the bags as he drank the blood like some dehydrated vampire. “Ahhh, refreshing!” Savagrios exclaimed as he turned to face Gael.

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  Now what? Gira asked from the back of their mind.

  Savagrios shuddered, “It’s been a while since I’ve been in control… But now that I’ve got the chance, I shall right our wrongs!”

  Wha?

  “Have you not grown tired of these shitty tests they keep putting us through! Plus, this cliff-obsessed asshat has made us climb like 16 different cliffsides for no reason!”

  Yeah, but Morray said we had to listen to them…

  “Oh! Mister Morray you say…” Savagrios hesitated.

  “WAIT!” Berserkrios pushed in, “Savagrios is right!”

  “We are?”

  “He is?”

  Berserkrios sighed, “Gira have we no spine, why do we submit ourselves to their nonsense?”

  “Umm, well, we almost ate a guy and—and we’re part of their squad now… So you know.” Gira mumbled.

  Berserkrios was taken aback. “So what if Vaal almost ate a guy? Savagrios and you had to eat yourselves! Not to mention this whole squad thing is annoying as hell! It’s all a bunch of aimless nonsense they’re throwing at us because they’re afraid.”

  “Afraid?”

  “That Mera girl told us, didn’t she?”

  Gira thought to himself, “I mean…”

  “Fuck. Check this out. Savagrios ask that moron over there why we were climbing.”

  “With pleasure!” Savagrios hissed as his bloodied jaws turned to face Gael. Gael shuddered as his gaze met his crimson teeth, fresh blood dripping onto the pale white sand.

  “B-but he told me it was to train my endurance and stamina.” Gira added in a panic as Savagrios loomed for the horrified Gael.

  “Bullshit!” Berserkrios practically growled as his own coarseblood voice echoed within. “There are safer and more efficient ways to do that. Also, they have a bouldering wall back at the manor!”

  “Uhh…” Gira felt something within a mild dread edged with an odd pain.

  Savagrios licked the blood off his fangs as he suddenly erupted with motion in Gael’s direction. His fangs stopped centimeters away from Gael, causing him to yelp as he covered his face.

  “Hah, Listen yo—” Savagrios was interrupted by a sudden surge of mist that erupted from Gael. What the?! Kyyr?

  In a flash, the area was filled with a strange gray mist that engulfed the blue sky and all their surroundings in sinister grayscale.

  HHKKHSSHHH…!!!

  Savagrios instinctively jumped away, sensing danger. The hell? Is this a Kyyr ability...?

  He looked around confused, trying to sense Gael when he felt something. A piercing discomfort as if metal were scraping against metal.

  What in the world? A horde of strange wormlike creatures and crustaceans erupted from the sand in a deranged frenzy as they rushed past him, with some even gripping onto their crimson form as they fought to dig into his body. Eww, the hell? He swiped away at the mess of creatures, instantly crushing some as their insides fell to the sand. Why did they attack?

  —CRRK!

  A shattering pain erupted from his tongue as he watched the mist around his mouth begin to turn red?!

  “AAAGH!” Savagrios extended his tongue and looked at it. What the hell? It's all shriveled up!

  SHHH—CRACK!!!

  Savagrios watched as the tongue wilted and suddenly froze! Before suddenly shattering under its own weight and falling onto the sand. It hurts! What the?! The worms and creatures he killed seconds ago were now no more than husks and shriveled remains fluttering in the milds breeze of the mist. What happened to them?

  The red mist began to fade back to gray as a little red crystal emerged from the smoke.

  From within the fog Gael struggled to his feet, unaffected by the fog. “Hehe… That stupid monster freaked me out for a second there, but thanks to that nasty feint, now I’ve got an excuse to kill that red nuisance… Now it’s only a matter of time.” He scoffed as he brushed the sand of his ass.

  CRACKLE!

  Savagrios looked down at his claws; they were desiccating like his tongue, the crimson form peeling back painfully when suddenly—HHKKHSSHHH—his body began to freeze as the horrid feeling pierced through his scaly body.

  AAAAGH! WHAT THE HELL!! Savagrios roared in pain as his hands convulsed in agony.

  Berserkrios shouted from within, “Get the fuck out of the fog!!”

  Savagrios lunged away, his extremities suddenly shattering as they met the frozen sand. AGH! What is this ability? We must get out!

  Savagrios ran on all fours; his massive strides across the beach were carrying him far but the mist seemed to endlessly permeate into the gray abyss. He looked around, occasionally spotting gloomy gray and red crystals pursuing him as he felt his fingers shatter off.

  Shit, it’s getting thicker!

  Savagrios panicked, zigzagging until he accidentally crashed into one of the floating crystals. IT’S COLD! The biting cold of the crystal tore through his scales, instantly drying and freezing his skin off.

  He jumped back in anguish as he painfully examined where the crystals had struck. His crimson scales had completely frozen over and the surrounding texture was now flaky his armor wilting off at the edges of the impact zone. Those things tore through our armor in a flash! What do we do?

  Gira from within was taking in the situation, “What the hell kind of ability is this? First that fog, then our body dries and now everything’s freezing!”

  Berserkrios stared out at the crimson crystals. They’re not directly attacking… “Perhaps the user doesn’t know where we are!”

  Savagrios perked up. You’re right! If he used those things, he could kill us very easily! But for whatever reason, those things are just floating there… Why?

  Gira focused his attention on the eerie display of red amidst the gray. Woooosh… Splash. “That’s it! I got it!”

  What did you get?

  “Run through them!” Gira exclaimed.

  Huh?! Are you insane? Those things fucking hurt!

  “Then let me take over!”

  Why? Savagrios is not a fan of suicide! Savagrios roared.

  “I see!” Berserkios shouted, “I get it now! Savagrios let Gira handle this.”

  What? You too? But—

  “Trust me!” Gira pleaded.

  Ugh, I hope you’re right! He relented the body over to his other self.

  “Ow! Everything hurts!” Gira groaned in agony as he took over the body again. He looked towards the crystals. “Oh man…” He shielded his head with his arms and took in a deep, dry breath. “Here goes!”

  Gira rushed towards the wall of twinkling red crystal, his skin bursting in pain as he painfully dashed through them, the biting pain ripping through him as large chunks of scarlet flesh was ripped away by the flash freeze. “AGHH!” Gira howled in pain as he faded into the mist.

  After a couple of minutes, the mist began to fade as Gael emerged from the mist, sunshine once again filling the beach.

  “Sweet, sweet Fifteen—I was getting tired of babysitting that monster.” Gael violently scratched his dry scalp irritably beneath his hat as he looked around. “He couldn’t have gotten far—my Kyyr ability Dull Dust is perfect for dealing with disgusting monsters like that thing.”

  He began to follow the tracks, his lips curling into a wry smile as he watched the prints grow smaller and more nub-like as he tracked Gira. Dull Dust’s Bite worked a little slower than normal but these tracks are a good sign. Following the panicked track through the beach, he finally arrived at a heap of crimson scales piled on the beachside.

  “Heh, Guess the brat turned to glitter when he died. Cute way to die for such nasty beast…” He leaned down to inspect the remains when, “WHAT THE—?!?!”

  From the glittery red pile, a crimson tendril suddenly erupted, stabbing Gael in the shoulder. “KRRRGH!” he howled in pain as another crimson blade pierced his opposite arm. “HRRKKAAH!” No fucking way he’s alive?!

  Mist erupted from his body once more but the tendrils didn’t seem to wilt.

  “What the hell!?” Gael exclaimed as another tendril wrapped itself around his throat. “GHkk—guhh…!” Gael fought to reach for his throat but the crimson blades held him in place as the world around grew hazy his own mist dissipating as his eyes began to fail. His eyes barely catching a glimpse of a crimson beast emerging from the ocean. Filthy monster…

  Savagrios stood over the knocked-out Gael. “HAHA! Serves you right, you fog-crawling coward!” Savagrios raised him into the air, letting some of his blood seep into his jaws. “Ahhh, you owe me extra after we get back to the manor!” He licked his crimson jaws.

  Gael fought to stay conscious as he looked down at the tattered form of the Coarseblood. How the hell is this asshole not a frozen mummy? He noticed the water dripping from his body. WHAT? He crossed Dull Dust’s Snowfall?! The resolve to rend your body? This fucker's insane!

  “It might be awkward to explain why your ass is so beat up! But I’m about to unleash a week's worth of pain from all the damn falls you’ve made me suffer through!” Savagrios howled.

  Fuck! At the very least I won’t die, but what does he—!

  “Hhuuggk…!” Gael felt his ribs and body suddenly compress as the crimson tendrils tightened around his body.

  “Sleep tight, bud!” Savagrios roared as he squeezed Gael unconscious.