Glowing arrows tore through the dark, whistling through the wind as they pierced the palm of the beast, pinning its claws to its own twisted face. One of the jagged claws drove straight through its left eye, bursting the socket in a spray of thick violet blood.
"SHHRRRIIIIEEEEELLLT!!!"
It let out a spine-curdling cry, the sound cutting through the night like a rusty blade dragged across metal.
Suddenly, it lurched back in pain, trying to flee as it shook its large deformed limbs violently.
"Quick—it's trying to shake them off!" Joel shouted from where she stood beside Scott.
"Woahh!!" Kaido exclaimed, trying to maintain balance as the beast bucked under him. He gripped the hilt of his embedded blades, both buried deep in its rugged back.
"Damn it!!" Nick cursed, struggling to stay on as the creature's tail whipped chaotically in every direction.
"I… I can't hold on to it!" he muttered desperately—only for the beast to hurl him through the air with a violent twist.
"WHHRRKK—!!"
Nick's body slammed into the side of a shattered building a few blocks away.
Then came another shriek—"SHHHRRRIIIILT!!!"—as the beast ripped its trapped hand free from its face. The arrows came out with a horrible wet crunch, dragging chunks of flesh and broken claw with them.
Violet blood sprayed into the air like a geyser, splashing across the cracked tiles of the street.
One of its massive feet descended toward Raymond—
"TCH—HAAAARGHH!!"
Raymond launched upward in a clean arc, slicing through the creature's right leg with a heavy, glowing blade.
"SSSLLHRRKK!!"
A satisfying slicing sound echoed as the dismembered limb dropped to the earth with a wet, crushing thud, kicking up dust and stone.
"Damn it, stay put!!" Kaido roared, plunging one of his short blades into the beast's back over and over. Blood gushed from each strike, spilling across his face and soaking his torso in purple muck.
The beast staggered but didn't stop. Even handicapped, it crawled forward in a desperate attempt to escape.
Until—
"KRRRSHHHRRR!!"
The earth beneath it split open, and large glowing chains—laced in hues of blue and green—shot upward, wrapping around its limbs and slamming it face-first into the ground with a titanic crash.
"SSHHLLLK-KCHTT!!"
With one swift motion, Tayla's blade swept across the last remaining leg, slicing it clean.
She landed softly beside the chained beast, panting slightly as she wiped sweat from her brow.
"Before it tries anything else," she muttered.
"Damn... So I didn't get to do anything?" Kaido sighed, climbing off its wide back.
"You're drenched in blood, Kaido—that counts," Raymond grinned, retrieving his axe and shield from nearby rubble.
"Seems like it's down," Joel called out from across the street, standing with Scott and Piko near a busted archway.
"Hah... good teamwork, though," Scott added, raising his javelin overhead.
"Let me finish it."
"Wait—" Piko interjected. "I think Raymond's got it."
"Alright." Raymond nodded. Kaido tossed him one of his short swords.
"SKRRKK—KCHHLRT!!"
The blade slid through the side of the beast's grotesque skull with a squelching sound that grated through bone and thick tissue.
Raymond pulled it out slowly.
"Harder than it looks, actually," he murmured, handing Kaido's blade back.
"So… alert the Council?" Raymond asked.
"Obviously!!" Kaido replied, already walking toward the others, the chains behind him still glowing faintly under the weight of the unconscious creature.
A few minutes passed. They regrouped.
"Didn't even get to do anything," Scott muttered, retracting his javelin.
"You're all covered in mutant blood," Piko pointed out, eyeing Kaido as he walked up, purple and soaked.
"Yeah, yeah… I've received my fair share of observation," Kaido muttered, brushing past her.
"Come on. Let's go." Scott said as he took the lead.
"We gotta prepare for tomorrow, at least."
---
Later That Night
Tayla sat quietly on the stone pavement outside the inn, arms on her knees, her eyes tilted toward the star-speckled sky.
The **sector around them—Sector 3 of La Jar—**hummed softly even at night. Lamp posts of arcane-glass pulsed faintly with blue and orange hues, while hover-wagons glided silently through overhead tracks. Distant voices echoed through the upper balconies of mushroom-shaped buildings layered with rooftop gardens. Stalls along the alley glimmered with crystals and runes, their light reflecting on smooth pavement that still smelled faintly of the earlier storm.
Joel stepped out of the inn and caught sight of her.
"Tayla?" she called.
"Oh—yeah?" Tayla turned with a small smile. "Just taking in the scope of the beautiful night sky."
Joel stepped closer, then stood beside her, looking out over the peaceful cityscape.
"Wherever he is… he's alright." Joel said softly.
Tayla glanced at her, brows raising. "Tch… you never fail to look past the face."
Joel chuckled lightly.
"What they said about Frank though… do you believe it?" Tayla asked, eyes narrowing.
Joel leaned back against the rail. "When I heard it from you and Raymond, I actually contacted the guild. They confirmed he was… deceased. Four years ago."
"But do you believe it?" Tayla pressed.
Joel looked down for a moment, thoughtful.
"Life at times gives you things you have to, want to, or need to believe in. But…" she trailed off, then gave a tired smile. "I don't really know what to believe in these days, Tayla."
Her voice grew quieter. "My father gave me the name Joel because he wanted me to be a boy, not a girl. I didn't grow up with my mother… and I thought I was an only child."
Tayla turned toward her fully now.
"I was thirteen, tending our small family farm, when my mother burst into the compound with authorities. They pinned my father to the ground and took me away."
Joel stared at the glowing city streets beyond, her voice detached but steady.
"Turns out… he abducted me as a baby. He killed my real brother—he was only twelve—because he couldn't meet his twisted expectations. Then he took me, gave me the same name… Joel. Wanted me to become the version of my brother that he never could be."
Tayla remained silent, listening.
"My mother… she was wealthy. She raised me afterward, put me in a boarding school for girls. When my skill awakened, she trained me in elemental magic. I became an adventurer." Joel gave a small laugh. "I guess that's how I got here."
A beat passed.
"So yeah… after all that happened, I stopped choosing what to believe in."
Tayla looked back at the stars.
"I believe… he's alright. I guess." she said quietly.