"Emma, are you sure you're okay?" Dahlia asked, hovering over the red-headed girl's shoulder.
"Nothing that some good magic can't cure." Emma smacked her fist onto her shoulder, flinching slightly. "O-Ow..."
"Emma, we should head back to the Academy."
"No..." Emma sighed. 'Meliana went no contact with the Av Club, we should at the very least check in on them. If we can't do anything though..."
Viana chimed in. "We run if things get bad. I know I will start running the first thing I do if someone dies."
"Wow, very confident in us, aren't you?"
Qicy held her glaive aloft. "We can do this! We've gotten through every other fight we've had so far, no matter how deadly! We can do the same here!"
"No, you should definitely run if things look like they're gonna go bad, Qicy."
"Oh... then I will be sure to help get us all out of a bad spot if things get... uh... terrible!"
"I believe in you, Qicy~!" Emma held a thumb in the air, speaking weakly.
The party arrived at the forest a few moments after, standing right at the entrance, the entire area caked in fog. Emma looked down at her phone.
"It's getting dark..."
Qicy sighed, looking longingly at the sky. I... I wish I could see that again."
"It's only been a day, we'll get there eventually. Especially after we kill these undead fucks!" First... uh... rescuing Meli, I think?"
Dahlia stood before the group, Rider at her side. "Okay, let's get into formation," Dahlia commented, turning to look at everyone who soon followed her lead. "Alright, let's go inside."
"Uh... yeah. I'll follow your lead this time. I don't think I can take another fight face-to-face with a monster."
Viana scanned the group for a moment. "We should be careful. It's said that it's a mimic. We should keep that in mind, not to trust our senses whenever we meet anyone inside."
Dahlia scanned the party for a moment, nodding to them. "Are we fine to enter?"
Emma nodded back, "Yeah, let's go in."
Qicy nodded as well, keeping close to the back of the group, hugging her glaive tight. "Yep! I'm ready!"
Viana shared the sentiment, "Let's jump in."
And with that, the party set off within the fog-covered forest. Consumed by the surrounding mists, navigating the harsh landscape of the forest, hopping from rock to rock, root to root.
"Make sure we stick close together. We don't want to be in a situation where we're forced to assume the worst." Viana continued a bit of a way into the forest itself.
Emma sighed, scanning their environment, watching as they passed by the vague silhouettes of trees that stretched deeper into the thick fog above. "Second time we're here, huh? And instead of trying to save someone else's friend, we're out here saving the very person themselves that got us in this situation to begin with."
"I-I wouldn't exactly say that she got us here." Dahlia chuckled, stomping through the forest with every step she took. "She was there, though... from the beginning. It wouldn't be right to abandon her here... A-At least, in my opinion."
"I just don't like the bad taste it gives me."
"Bad taste..." Dahlia paused for a moment, considering her following sentence before shaking her head, ears flapping against the sides of her face. "I can concur with that... I certainly would prefer her to be alive." She chuckled.
Emma's eyes searched for something, thinking about Dahlia's words. "Yeah..."
"Get out here! Fight me like a man!" The voice of Tymera cut through the trees, causing the party to freeze in place.
Dahlia's ears fluttered, turning towards Tymera's voice. "Over there!"
The party quickly began its pursuit, rushing through the trees as the cool air beat against their skin. Finally, they pushed through, seeing her silhouette in the distance as she mindlessly swung at bushes and branches. "Where the hell are you, you stupid priest!?"
"Tymera!" Dahlia shouted first, waving to the fiendish elf from afar.
Emma joined Dahlia, hopping onto her shoulders, waving with an outstretched hand in sympathy. "Ty! Come here!"
The silhouette stopped for a moment. "Emma!? Dahlia!?" A beat, "What? What are you? N-No! I won't be--" She stopped mid-sentence, sighing. "Are you guys real? No... yeah... they are, it can't..." Tymera then finally approached the group, clothes torn apart, sword at her side.
"Ty, where is Mel?"
"I... I don't know, I..."
Viana stepped in between Dahlia and Tymera, rifle at the ready. "How do we know you aren't the Mimic?"
Emma rubbed her chin, "Oh shit, yeah. How do we know...?"
Tymera, exhausted, puts both hands up. "No, fair." She took some steps back. "Fair..."
"Woah... I've never seen you like this, Ty. Wait..." Tymera doesn't have both arms. The party, attentive to the details, all noticed at the same time, and in that moment, the energy in the air shifted. Before they could act, a long, tendriled beast with a red smiling mask covered in fur tore through the illusion of Tymera. A claw dug into the ground in front of it, pulling it forward through the fog.
Words from an unintelligible language exit its mouth, leading to Emma spinning the barrel of her rifle to Viana while atop Dahlia's shoulders. All of Emma's muscles flexed, diverting her aim to the ground below as she pulled the trigger, firing into the mud, causing Viana to jump out of the way.
Combat Begins!
Viana is stricken suddenly, thrown to the ground as a tendril from the beast slammed against her body, electricity shooting through her body.
Qicy reeled back, "Oh no!" She took a deep breath, firing off the first spell she could think of in this situation: "Lumen Lunae!" A flash of light burst from above the fog, slamming straight down onto the Mimic's body, which partially blocked it with a single hand.
"More prey for me, the mother to consume..." It spoke, its large body rising into the air, almost lifting it above the trees.
"Fuck off, abomination!" Emma snapped the end of her barrel back at the Mimic, firing at one of the tendrils holding them into the air, causing their balance to shift as its limb is blown off. Rider attempted to grab at the Higher Mimic during the exchange, failing to do so as it shot through the forest, right beside the party, getting ready for another attack, and was intercepted by Dahlia, clashing against one of its claws, Viana assisting her momentarily, staggering away from the monster as a bullet dug straight into the monster's shoulder.
"Be enchanted." The Mimic's distorted voice called out to everyone there as its tendrils struck each person, the electricity from their limbs shooting through the party's bodies.
"S-Shit!" Emma struggled through it, feeling as if the electricity had begun to influence her body directly, slowing her movements and causing her muscles to spasm all at once, before Rider pulled her off Dahlia's shoulder, taking the electricity into himself and becoming empowered by its effect. The others were not so lucky, and in taking this opportunity, another claw shot out from the Mimic, slamming against Viana's body, sending her flying farther out into the forest.
Viana screamed out against the monster's impact, now on the ground, writhing in pain. At first, she didn't feel anything different, but as she pushed herself out from the mud below, pain shot through her entire body, and she vomited blood into the dirt below. "W-What happened?" Viana wheezed.
"I got you!" Qicy yelled out, magic firing out to Viana's wounded, shaking body. The magic pulsed throughout the young Drow, her wounds slowly sealing themselves, burn marks, and the newly created wound on her stomach.
All at once, Emma, Dahlia, and Viana fired, Emma unleashing an onslaught of bullets onto the Mimic, the bullets embedding themselves in the monster's flesh, crimson leaking onto the mud below, a tendril here and there being caught up within the gunfire. Still, through all of this, the Mimic seemed unfazed, almost as if it was playing rather than attempting to put up an actual fight... for now.
Dahlia moved to protect Viana, struggling with each step as electricity jolted through her muscles. However, she managed to keep moving, though each step was a struggle. Still, she worked, putting herself between Viana and the Mimic itself.
The fight paused for a moment before the Higher Mimic lurched forward, rocketing over toward Emma and biting down onto her neck, taking her to the ground. Emma cried out in pain, blood filling the monster's mouth, which was situated under the mask, running along its lanky neck covered in fur, which was matted with red.
"Hey, the fuck off me!"
Emma attempted to retaliate, slamming her fists against the monster's body as it tore at their neck. A psionic shock proceeded to rattle through Emma's skull, blood leaking from her nose in response as her entire body locks into place, eyes going red. The beast tore at the neck, Emma's body still pinned to the floor as one of its tentacles flexed, forming into a massive spike and jabbing it into the girl's side.
Emma's eyes bled, and her body stiffened in pain, screaming in agony as her body, beneath the skin-tight power armor, tightened and shrank, almost as if being atrophied in real time. Crimson tears ran down Emma's face, reduced to a hyperventilating and panicked mess on the ground, spit frothing at the sides of her mouth.
Suddenly, Emma's vitality began returning to her from Qicy's magic, "Sana!" She chanted before rushing off to hide behind a nearby tree, hoping that the fog could obscure her enough not to catch the attention of the Higher Mimic.
Rider rushed forward first, his fist falling below the wrist, and where the hand was, a spike formed, stabbing the monster in its side, but barely being able to pierce its thick hide.
Luckily enough for Emma, the impact was heavy enough to lift the Mimic off the ground enough to slip her long rifle beneath the monster's belly, firing once, a river of blood staining Emma crimson before a hand swiped at the barrel, the second shot missing its mark.
"FUCKOFF!" Dahlia shoved the beast off from over Emma with one mighty shove, a cackle eliciting from the beast's maw. Dahlia panted like a wild animal, body hunched over as hair grew in places where it hadn't before, a faint growl rumbling from her chest. Dahlia proceeded to reel a fist back, completely missing on her final strike as the beast slid across the ground, lifting itself to the trees once more.
Pop! Pop! Two shots cut through the air, both missing the beast as well, which cackled wildly as it propelled itself through the treeline. Viana groaned, clutching her atrophied muscles in pain, blood sputtering from between her lips.
"I'm not done with you!" The sounds of bones cracking and shifting could be heard as Dahlia's open hand elongated and gnarled, her nails growing into claws as she swiped at one of the passing tentacles, cleaving it from their body with a single powerful cut through the air.
The monster dipped in between the trees, running away from the party. "Fuck!" Emma screamed, voice cracking, struggling to get back up from her weakened state. "F-Fuck..."
"Sana!" Qicy revealed herself, her healing magic pulsing through the air, revitalizing the entire party. "Are you all okay!?"
Dahlia was white-knuckling her palm, blood forming against her sharp nails.
"Y-Yo! Dahlia!" Emma blinked, "You're all... like... different, what's goin' on?"
Dahlia looked down at Emma, ignoring her question as she crouched down to meet her at eye level, "Are you okay!?" She clutched the sides of Emma's face, looking for any extraneous injuries. "Does anything hurt!? Are you in pain!?"
"N-Well, yes, I am in pain, but I'm feelin' better. C-Calm down."
"I'm gonna kill that thing! I'm going to rend it in two and make sure there is nothing left of its gore!" Dahlia growled.
Emma recoiled, a wide-eyed expression on her face and a faint hint of a flush on her cheeks. "W-We sh--" Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of trees straining against an unknown weight. "It's coming back!" She got up from her previous position, now crouched, rifle leveled at the treeline.
The party's attention snapped to the sound, Aoderiin revealing themselves, injured and gasping for air, looking to be at death's door. He swallowed hard, bleary-eyed, looking at the others in the party with a brief glimpse of recollection before falling onto a nearby tree, coughing. There was a cut along the upper half of his abdomen and electrical scars that lined his entire body. If the cut on his stomach had been a little lower, he would've been gutted.
Emma leveled her rifle at Aoderiin. "Say your name! Are you real!?"
No response. The others in the party are now inching closer to attend to him, while Emma stays behind with Rider in her injured state.
"Don't worry, I got you," Qicy said to Ao as healing magic encompassed his body, leading to Emma relaxing her guard. Ao's body relaxed against Qicy's clerical magic, followed by a sigh of relief.
"I'm glad for you. That you've given me this opportunity." Ao snapped awake, screaming as the Higher Mimic got the jump on the party, tentacles whipping wildly about the forest. Ao was immediately knocked back into unconsciousness by a massive surge of electricity shooting through his body. Rider was rendered immobile, sent flying into a nearby tree, and Viana was knocked to her knees as everyone else perfectly managed to defend against the onslaught of attacks coming from this abomination.
Afterward, it lifted itself into the trees once more, revealing fully why it had truly come back here in this state, a couple of its tentacles wrapped around their companions' bodies. Tymera and Meliana, both unconscious in the Mimic's grasp.
"Mel!" Emma cried out, firing into the monster's body, most of her shots missing as it zipped from branch to branch.
"Sana!" Once again, revitalizing the party, healing magic spread out to the party, bringing Ao back from unconsciousness. The instant he woke up, almost instinctively, he grabbed at a gun in his waistband, firing into the treeline, hitting the Higher Mimic twice, its blood now beginning to stain the alcove they've found themselves in.
"Get down here!" Dahlia screamed, climbing up one of the nearby trees and jumping onto the monster's body itself, flailing helplessly, gripping its thick hide as it rocketed through the air.
"Stay on it!" Pop! One shot cut through the air, blowing open the Mimic's shoulder, blood spraying against the forestry below, another shot missing before, finally, a shot blew through the monster's neck, causing it to cascade from the air above and into another alcove not too far away, body smacking against the nearby rocky surface of a cave within this very same alcove.
"Holy shit!" Emma screamed out, "Oh, wait! Shit!" She screamed again, sprinting over to the monster's body to retrieve Meliana and Tymera.
Dahlia remained on top of the Mimic's body, lifting herself off the cadaver with a huff.
"We did it!" Qicy shouted triumphantly, rushing to the body as well to attend to her unconscious friends.
Dahlia's body instantly relaxed, her bestial form receding. She blinked, whipping her head over to Emma, who limped towards the scene. "Did we do it!?"
"Viana fuckin' killed the bastard!"
Dahlia nodded to herself. "Let's get everyone home then..."