North of the Sorroz Unit, under the rumbling churn of the celestial sea, a lone man sat drenched atop an old, cleanly sliced stump. He had long, dark hair that was pressed against his refined features. There was sadness in his eyes as he stared into the rumbling sea above. Tightly strapped to his wrist was a black chain. The chain shuddered in the rain as he brushed the abyssal condensation off his forehead.
“Please kill me!” an inhuman and bitter voice called out from behind the man.
He glanced back; there the chain trailed back and disappeared into an old gothic casket— silver and black with a regal design branded upon the ancient, worn slabs of the coffin.
There was a disgusted shimmer in his eyes as he stared down at the casket. His pupils thinned like an old dragon’s glare.
“Please kill me!” the casket pleaded.
He sighed, disregarding the casket’s plight, “I told you to shut up.” his tone was depressed and tinged with annoyance. “I’m not in a good mood.”
“Please—”
CLINK!
He fiercely yanked on the chain. “Tssst!” he scolded the casket like a misbehaving cat. “Hey!” he glared at the casket, holding the chain with enough force to pull the casket towards him.
The casket shuddered.
He let go of the chain, his hand digging into his drenched coat pockets, from which he produced a crystalcomm. No signal. But the motion parallax highway was still active. He looked over the map with expecting eyes—
Ping!
The localized map blinked—something was moving south of him.
He stood on the stump, stretching his arms towards the Inverted Sea above.
“PLEASE LET ME FIGHT THE NEW THINGS!” he roared to the heavens, chain rattling behind him as wind and rain clawed at his coat.
“Kill me…” the casket moaned.
The man gave the casket a bored look. “As if, you silly little thing,” he cackled maniacally “Ask and ye shall receive!”
The casket groaned again—“Please…”
He fell into an exaggeratedly pensive pose. “You’re right. I haven’t been very specific…”
He glanced at a dark lump that writhed under the cold twilight.
“Kill me…”
He shrugged, “Whatever, I’ll just kill all the monsters the stupid soup in the sky serves!”
He stood up, pulling a small circular orb from his belt. He walked over to the dark lump, dragging the silvery casket across the torn terrain like a reluctant corpse. He pressed the device, the amber glow igniting fiercely in his hands as it illuminated a mangle of dozens of Caused Unknowns, torn to ribbons, tangled together in a quivering nest of ruined flesh and jutting bone.
“Rest easy, friends!” He shouted, with an oddly chipper tone, “Have fun in heaven~!”
He chucked the glowing orb into the mangle of squirming bodies. In a sudden flash, fire erupted—a hungry, horrid inferno that consumed creatures screeching in agony.
The man bowed with a casual grace, flicking open his crystalcomm for one last glance. No signal, but the movement marker pulsed steadily.
“14th time’s the charm!” He declared the chain rattling around his wrist as he walked in the direction of the detected motion.
Behind him, the casket groaned—“Please… kill me…”—as it scraped across the watery grounds of Post 26.
Back on Cetarro, Gira and Vidrago had been messing around with all sorts of games: archaic arcade cabinets, Simulacrum experiences, Vr, Ar—even carnival-style games. To summarize Gira’s experience, it could only be described as a sweet escapade from the pain of today.
Gira was all smiles, their conversations floating around the simple topics of games and food. It was enjoyable and comforting in a way Gira had never experienced.
“Gira, check this out!” Vidrago said, playfully dragging him towards a strange boxed-in game area. In the middle of the surprisingly spacious room, there was a single odd-looking device that resembled the good jewels of any young man. It was essentially a punching bag, connected to an elaborate machine. Above it flickered a bright screen displaying the top fifteen scores of all time:
Abokk. K
Cr?
Viktor
0x0x
Morray
Bladey444
BeastRenn
0kari!!!
HAUND
Serfet
RoMeow
Hammel
Lisk’Ha8
Vidragoo
Arias_ZaBEST
“Whoa, you’re on the board for…whatever this is!” Gira exclaimed, pointing up at the flashy screen.
Vidrago puffed up proudly, striking a confident pose. “Naturally. My rank as—” he glanced up, then paused abruptly, narrowing his eyes. “…As… Huh? Lisk’Ha passed me? When the hell did she have the time?”
“Hmm?” Gira tilted his head, confused. Lisk’Ha? Isn’t that the sleepy lady from the manor? Gira dug into his faint memories of the last couple of days, where at some point he’d been introduced to a woman who was passed out on the floor of one of the ranger lounge areas. Though they hadn’t spoken, he did remember her looking like the female version of Lisk’Pier.
Vidrago sighed dramatically, placing a hand on his hip. “Shame she didn’t drop me message to hang out…”
Lucky for Vidrago, not too far in one of the many lounging areas of the entertainment floor sat Vice-Captain Lisk’Ha, calmly sipping on a fizzy blue drink with a relaxed smile on her face.
She was a slender woman who was currently melting into the soft, plush sofa of the lounge. Her messy black hair was tied into a chaotic knot that weirdly matched the dark circles under her eyes. She was wearing loose, oversized pants and a baggy black sweater emblazoned with a strange character design in a weird pose.
She sipped her drink, taking in the sight of esoteric thunder and the alien supercell that was clashing with the Inverted Sea.
“Vice-Captain Lisk’Ha?” came an annoyingly familiar male voice from behind her.
Lisk’Ha froze in her seat, ignoring the call as she tried to sink into the cushions.
Serfet of all people leaned over the sofa, staring down at the frazzled woman. “ “What are you doing up here?”
She was pale as a ghost, a crooked smile sprawled across her shocked expression.
“Lisk’Ha?” Mera asked timidly from behind Serfet.
Lisk’Ha groaned softly, sinking deeper into the sofa.
“Vice-Captain, why are you up here?”
She closed her eyes, pushing herself lightly off the couch and turned to face them with a sheepish yet mildly irritated smile. “It—It’s my day off…” she mumbled, just as an arc of brilliant pink lightning flashed ominously behind her.
Serfet shot her a rather cruel stare. “How peaceful…” he said sarcastically.
“Um, well—” Mera struggled to speak up, her voice faint. “She did earn it… you know… by—”
But Serfet pressed on, “ How can you sit here drinking some fruity drink while an abyssal event of this magnitude unfolds?!”
Lisk’Ha shot an icy glare back. “Because I earned it. And besides,” she pointed accusingly at their civilian attire, “what about you two?”
Serfet faltered slightly. “Ah!—Well,” he cleared his throat. “as a matter of fact, we’re currently on an important mission.”
Lisk’Ha looked at him with clearly zero trust in his words. “Is your ‘mission’ going on a date?”
“Ha?” Serfet sputtered, cheeks slightly red. “N-no! I mean, not that I’d mind—” He quickly shook his head. “Forget that! We’re looking for the Coarseblood.”
“Ohhh, you’re babysitting that freaky little red guy, huh?” She said, blankly reminiscing over her own life. “Weirdly relatable…”
Serfet scowled. “That’s beside the point! Aren’t you going to help?”
“Nah,” she replied, waving dismissively. “It’s my day off. Plus, Draell’s down there; knowing that creepy chained pervert, he’ll get the situation under control.”
Aren’t you two married? Serfet swiftly pushed the thought aside. “But what if he needs backup?”
Lisk’Ha rested her head against the top of the couch, rolling her head back, her eyes meeting Serfet’s. “He’ll be okie-doke,” she reassured, flashing a relaxed thumbs-up. “He shines brightest in situations like this after all.”
Serfet gave her a dead stare. “Are you two really married?”
“Sure am,” she shot back flatly, nestling comfortably into the cushions once more. “I trust him for a reason. Now stop hitting on me during my day off.”
Before Serfet could retort, Aria bounded energetically towards them. “I found my mom and sisters!”
Serfet looked taken aback. “They’re here—?”
“Lisky’Ha!” Aria chirped brightly, ignoring Serfet’s confusion as she darted past him. “It’s been ages since I last saw you!”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Lisk’Ha’s expression instantly brightened, exhaustion momentarily forgotten as she turned excitedly to face her friend. “Aria!” she smiled warmly. “When’d you arrive?”
“Oh, I just—” Aria began, her cheerful voice already launching into rapid conversation.
The hells wrong with these two? Serfet wondered to himself as the two chatted away despite the rumbling thunder beyond the glass walls of Cetarro.
“Serfet!” Xizu called out to the other group, joining them by the lounge area.
“Big sis! I thought you and the girls had already left?!”
Xizu let out a weary sigh. “We were going to, but Alice needed cheering up, and—”
“I’m just glad you're safe,” Serfet interjected gently, understanding in his tone.
Thunder rumbled beyond in the gray of the storm, followed by a subtle sound that only Mera seemed to notice. Quietly, she stepped away from the reunion, drifting toward the towering glass walls.
Tap—Tap——Tap—
A very light, irregular tapping sound could be barely heard. Mera leaned in closer, trying to hear the sound amidst the sound of passing servinae and the rumbling of the nearby arcade that was blasting all sorts of sound effects
Mera leaned in, pressing an ear to the cool surface, squinting as she blocked the distracting sounds with one hand. She concentrated on the faint tapping. Isolating the noise amidst the sound of crashing waves and rumbling thunder was hard, but it was undeniably there.
Tap—Tap——Tap—grrrrk…
Scraping?
She stiffened. Amidst the messy soundscape, the distinct sound of something scraping against glass echoed from somewhere below. She pressed her forehead to the window, trying to peer into the darkness below—but between the swirling storm clouds and churning waves, it was nigh impossible to really see anything.
Still, she waited.
Eyes wide, breathing shallow, she waited for the inevitable flash of abyssal lightning to illuminate the dark. Patiently, her crimson-pink eyes focused on the darkness below.
Then it came—a sickly pink arc slicing through the darkest of waters and thickest of clouds.
Figures.
“Hh—!” Mera gasped sharply, stumbling backward and collapsing onto the sofa beside Lisk’Ha.
“And you know how—Mera?” Lisk’Ha turned to Mera, who was staring dead ahead into the storm. “What’s the matter?”
Mera was taking short, panicked breaths, her mouth ajar as she struggled for coherence, “Ah—uhh—ugh, they-they’re coming!” she squeaked out in panic.
“What?” Aria tilted her head, confused.
Lisk’Ha followed Mera’s horrified gaze to the window. “No way… up here?”
Mera nodded rapidly, panic-stricken.
Lisk’Ha immediately understood. standing up she raised her voice, “Get away from the windows—It’s not safe!”
Serfet, Xizu, Holly, and Alice turned, momentarily bewildered.
Mera scrambled upright beside Lisk’Ha, quickly manifesting her crystalline Kyyr into her Retina mask. She rushed back to the window, scanning downward intently. “There’s dozens of them—three floors down and rising!”
“Rising?” Lisk’Ha repeated under her breath. Why? There should be plenty of Servinae below?
Serfet hurried to Mera’s side. “Mera, give me a retina.”
Mera manifested another sharp-edged heart-shaped mask, passing it to Serfet. He pressed the mask against his face, peering down into the darkness below. The flourishing mess of abyssal Kyyr made it hard to discern what lay below, but even with the tumultuous waves of crashing Kyyr, he could see them. Souls— dozens upon dozens, clawing desperately upward along the side of the tower.
“How the hell did they get up here? We’re over three thousand meters off the ground! ” Serfet shouted out in shock.
Xizu grabbed the mask off her younger brother's face. Her expression instantly darkened. “Shit! They used the rain!”
“What?” Serfet sputtered as she thrust the Kyyr mask back into his hands.
“Alice, Holly, we’re going to the top—now!” Xizu commanded firmly, quickly checking Cetarro’s tower map on her crystalcomm.
Serfet watched them slowly scaling the tower. “Why haven’t they breached the lower floors?”
“I’m not sure…” Xizu said urgently, glancing towards the storm. “But no matter what they’re after, we’re not safe.”
Mera racked her brain. But why here? Unless— Her stomach twisted. It’s like that day in the forest… They have to be after Mr. Savagrios; why else would they be sneaking around? There’s nothing else the abyss would yearn for on here besides the Coarseblood.
Xizu frowned decisively. “Listen up, you guys, we’ll be heading to the ranger’s security post on floor 98.” She looked around annoyed. “I doubt a tenth of these Servinae will listen, but we should still try to reduce the number of infected. I’ll send down the security team to help figure this out you guys have to—”
Xizu was suddenly cut off by an overwhelming surge of powerful Kyyr from within the arcade. Serfet and Mera immediately recognized the dread in the air as they turned to face the source.
“He was there?” Serfet mumbled annoyed.
Tap——Tap—Tap! TAP! TAP! CLINK! CLINK! CLANK!
Suddenly, the subdued tapping exploded into a chaotic cacophony, as whatever waited within the storm was drawn into a frenzy by the sudden pulse of Kyyr.
“They’re after Mr. Gira!” Mera cried out desperately.
Before anyone could respond, a pale, malformed hand suddenly pressed itself against the glass next to them. Long, translucent claws erupted irregularly from its twisted fingers, with writhing black tendrils visibly pulsing inside.
All eyes fixated in horror as the pale, misshapen creature dragged itself upward. A burst of lightning caught the creature’s form in a fleeting moment of terror. Its silhouette was hulking and muscular, its broad shoulder casting a long, dark shadow over the terrified people inside.
It clung to the glass like some fucked-up gecko. Its head was bulbous, oddly smooth, a grotesque seam slicing across its face like a badly drawn smile. Its translucent eyes were protruding from its head like pale half-moons. And in the brief light, spiraling tendrils could be seen writhing within.
In the paralyzing moment between the Servinae stumbling back and the rangers bracing for combat. Its face exploded as it split open from the seams, revealing a spidery maw lined with rows of blackened bony teeth that violently crashed into the glass.
As the lightning’s flash faded away, a sharp web of cracks splintered outward from where the Caused had struck.
But what had led to Gira’s sudden use of Kyyr? That takes us back to Vidrago and Gira standing under the display of a rather innocuous game.
Vidrago pouted, still staring at the scoreboard. “Ah, whatever. Lisk’Ha’s probably still around—we could grab a drink or something. Wait,” he paused suddenly, eyeing Gira with a suspicious grin, “how old are you anyway?”
Gira thought carefully for a second, brows furrowed. “It was some big three-digit number—but I forgot,” he said with a goofy little shrug. “But I am biologically 17.”
“You’re also in the hundreds?” Vidrago said incredulously. “No way… Really?”
“That’s what I was told… But I don’t remember anything! For whatever reason, I don’t remember anything very clearly.”
“Hmm… you’re a real mystery, Mr. Gira.”
Gira straightened proudly, puffing his chest. “You bet! Anyway,” he pointed eagerly at the strange punching bag floating under the blacklight, “what is this game exactly? How do I get my name up there?”
Vidrago gave him a smug look. “Judging you from the little Kyyr you give off, there’s like zero chance you’ll even be close to reaching the leaderboard.”
“Huh? Is this some Kyyr game?”
“Sure is! You just have to punch that thing with everything you’ve got.” Vidrago pointed at the punching bag floating in the darkness, its form highlighted by paint that glowed under the blacklight.
“Hmmm… Seems easy enough!”
“You sure? You mentioned you came to watch the stupid fight, right?”
“Well, I came for the fight but—”
“Well,” Vidrago cut in playfully, “Not trying to crush your enthusiasm, but that name.” He pointed up at the board. “BeastRenn—that’s Borren, the guy who fought the Coarseblood today. I mean, you watched their match, right? Pretty strong dude, taking on a Coarseblood, don’t you think?”
“I guess he was pretty strong… but Beardy lost.”
“He sure did,” Vidrago nodded, eyes glittering. “Even I knew Borren didn’t stand a chance after that euphoric Kyyr flooded the tower.” Vidrago said with a mischievous smile spreading across his face.
“Euphoric?”
Vidrago looked at him in disbelief. “you didn’t get all tingly after that rush of dread? It honestly made me regret skipping the match.”
“Hmmm, I don’t remember that?” Was it when Vaal took over?
Vidrago snapped back to reality after salivating at the memory of the Coarseblood’s Kyyr. “Anyhow, give that old punching bag everything you’ve got!” He urged cheerfully, shadowboxing enthusiastically. “Just don’t get all depressed when you fail to grace the top 100. Teehee~”
Berserkrios had been listening from within his competitive edge awoken by the sudden challenge.
“GIRA!” He roared from within their throne. “Let me show this lady what we’re made of!”
Gira’s eyes flared with excitement. Berserkrios, you’re awake! A smile spread across Gira’s face.
“Hell yeah, I am!” Berserkrios laughed, stretching casually within their throne. “Savagrios and K are still knocked out, though.”
They’re probably still tired after our fight with Borren.
Berserkrios nodded. “That aside, I think we’ve got a decent shot at that leaderboard thingie! After handing Vaal the win, I at least want to surpass Borren in our own way!”
Gira clenched his fist in front of his face, burning with resolve. “Alright—let’s do this!”
Vidrago startled slightly at the sudden burst of enthusiasm. “Whoa, someone’s fired up,” he laughed, stepping back as Gira approached the game. Maybe he’ll use that weird white Kyyr from earlier… Vidrago watched in eager anticipation.
Standing squarely before the swaying punching bag, Gira closed his eyes, melding his consciousness with Berserkrios. His body surged, muscles subtly shifting beneath his clothes. His eyes flickered into a blazing light-blue hue, Kyyr gathering intensely around his clenched fist.
Gira’s now larger frame turned back toward Vidrago, his voice low and amused, resonating with Berserkrios’s prideful tone. “It seems there was a misunderstanding earlier—”
“Ehh?” Vidrago blinked, eyes widening as Gira’s frame grew larger.
“We didn’t simply come to watch the Parabellum Onryō—” Pale, bony Kyyr blossomed under the blacklight, glowing as it encased his arm in skeletal armor. Sharp alabaster growths ascended his neck, jagged jaws masking his mouth with the terrifying visage of a Coarseblood.
Vidrago stared, utterly transfixed, heart pounding as his mind was filled with a flurry of excitement and realization. His eyes mesmerized by the ghostly white glow of the alabaster frame.
“WE CAME TO SHOW WHAT WE’RE WORTH!” Berserkrios roared as he dragged his fist through the air, energy hissing like a match set ablaze. His clawed hand ripped into the punching bag, which exploded with a sudden burst of Kyyr and motion. A sweltering mass of energy erupted from Gira, flushing throughout the tower as the punching bag was reduced to scraps.
A deafening boom resounded as the entire mechanism shattered, metal fragments scattering wildly. Numbers raced upward on the glowing screen, rapidly recalculating the new score.
Kyyr rippled through the tower, electrifying Vidrago’s Kyyr receptors as he watched in awe as the Coarseblood gave him a smug smirk.
A small tablet descended smoothly from above, requesting the new challenger’s name. Berserkrios confidently tapped in:
Berserkrios smiled, his bony jaws cracking as he typed in:
Gira/S/
Proudly submitting his name, he turned up and watched as the name scaled the board.
Now the board displayed:
Abokk. K
Gira/S/
Cr?
Viktory
0x0x
Morray
Bladey444
BeastRenn
0kari!!!
HAUND
Serfet
Romeo
Hammel
Lisk’Ha8
Vidragoo
“HAHA! We’re second on the board!” Gira proclaimed triumphantly, shedding the bony Kyyr armor as he spun around, eyes still glowing vibrantly as he faced the astonished Vidrago.
Vidrago remained utterly silent, transfixed by the intensity in Gira’s eyes.
“Hello?” Gira gently waved his hands in front of Vidrago, who was staring deep into Gira. “Vidrago?”
But Vidrago couldn’t respond—something indescribable had bloomed within him, leaving him enthralled in the afterglow of the Coarseblood’s exhilarating power.
Also, sorry for typos in the last couple of chapters. I'm kinda rushing to finish the writeathon; I promise when it's all over I'll go back and fix my mistakes!
-L. Osric
