Deep Underground Cave.
"It's mine, I'm the oldest!" (Eye)
"I got here first, give it to me!" (Tongue)
Tongue and Eye began to fight over the golden fruit as soon as they laid their little claws on it. Tongue growled with her big teeth and Eye, feeling she didn't have time for this, closed her fist and suddenly threw Tongue to the ground.
*Griiiukkk*
Before Tongue could get up, Eye placed one of her paws on her head and viciously tore off one of her wings. Without all six, she would not be able to lift her weight.
"I've waited so many years to get it, I won't let you take it away from me!" (Eye)
"Wait, sister, don't leave me!" (Tongue)
"Leave me alone!" (Eye)
Tongue did her best to hold Eye's leg. Without a wing, staying in this place meant certain death. The White Widow would swallow her in one bite.
*Griiiukkk*
Eye was also in a hurry. He didn't know how long the human could hold out. He picked up a stone from the ground and crushed his sister's head, as he had done thousands of times to squirrels and rats, to get at and taste their brains.
"Tongue!!!!" (Ear)
Ear let out a sad cry when she saw her older sister with her head crushed.
"She asked for it!" (Eye)
"Don't make me do the same to you, Ear. Now come with me and let's get out of here." (Eye)
"What about the human?" (Ear)
"That's not our problem." (Eye)
Eye threw the bloodstained stone aside and flapped her insect wings with the fruit in her hands. She would return to her youth, her strongest and most beautiful form. Bringing Ear with her was just a whim.
(I could use a maid or a disposable labourer.)
Ear hesitated about what to do. She could be the next to end up like Tongue. In the end, she decided to follow Eye, and they both flew hastily through the vertical tunnel.
*Boom*
William's body was thrown against the wall of roots, white smoke coming out of his mouth, while the horrible burns on his jaw from the White Widow's poisonous blood healed quickly. His hard fur and thick muscles in his Grimm form prevented too much damage.
"She's poisonous. I should have known."
William returned to his human form and sat down on a thick root. His wounds had already healed completely, and the enormous centipede writhed in pain, its long body curling into circles on the ground.
"And a pair of modified legs that simulate antennae right on the tail..."
William made a mistake; the part he bit was not the centipede's head but its tail. The compound eyes and long antennae were fake, designed to make predators believe that was its weak spot while protecting the real one and ambushing the predator with its mouthparts, which were what held William before throwing him away.
"It's the first time he's fought an insect, so these kinds of mistakes were to be expected, but it's still irritating to make them."
"Be careful with the venom and the pincers of the real head, noted."
William stood up, stretched his arms, and changed shape again. William in his Grimm form ran towards the White Widow. He was fast and powerful, and with his ability to disappear into the shadows, he ran up the walls and just when he was above the centipede's real head, he descended.
*Griiiukkk* *Griiiukkk* *Griiiukkk* *Griiiukkk*
The White Widow screeched in irritation, William's weight preventing her from moving. His dozens of sharp claws dug holes in the solid stone, and his vocal pincers broke the thick roots within his reach as if they were small twigs.
*CRACK!!!*
The powerful plate of his exoarmour made of chitin cracked before shattering into pieces under the pressure. It was the segment closest to the White Widow's head. William would separate the head from the body.
*Sssssttt*
The poisonous blood splattered across the area, burning even the centipede itself. Its outer armour was not designed to resist poison like its inner armour was.
(Now that I know you have poisonous blood, you won't be a problem.)
The blood was not a problem for William, the second active ability of his Grimm form was called "Ethereal Grimm".
(10 minutes will be enough to deal with you.)
The corrosive and poisonous acid fell on William's fur and passed through him as if he were a ghost or an illusory projection, although of course he was not. His sharp, long fangs crushed the white widow's armour, and her small compound eyes, hidden from view, had already burst from the pressure, and soon her brain would be next. William had changed his target to the White Widow's head.
"CRACK!!!"
With a bang that sounded like thunder, the hard chitin armour burst inward. The sharp edges would have cut William's mouth if it weren't for his Ethereal Grimm ability.
*Snort*
William snorted and deactivated his ability when he felt the centipede finally stop moving. He could save and reuse the remaining time; in the next twenty-four hours, his counter would reset to its original number, ten minutes.
(I have 8 left, that's enough to deal with any unforeseen events.) (William)
*Flash* *Flash* *Flash* *Flash*
The flash of William's mobile phone camera continued to fire from various angles, capturing the legs, what was left of the head, its vocal pincers and sharp claws.
(Enough, now where are those fairies? There's still an agreement to fulfil.)
The long, large wings of a grey Harpy Eagle spread to their maximum span, dust shook and rose as it took flight through the vertical tunnel.
Upper Underground Cave - Old Oak.
"You'll give me a few drops, right?" (Ear)
"I'll give you the shell if you behave yourself from now on." (Eye)
"Will that work to restore me to my former beauty?!!!" (Ear)
Oreja's hands trembled, she felt so anxious that she started chewing her nails and blood spilled from her mouth.
Ojo had her back turned to her, she didn't notice her abnormality, she was still delighted to have obtained the golden fruit for herself.
(Maybe I should give half to Oreja, she's my only sister now...) (Ojo)
"That should be mine, I gave the information to the Imp...!!!" (Oreja)
"Shut up or do you want to end up like Lengua?!!!" (Eye)
*Spitting blood*
Before Eye could utter any more threats, a thin golden blade pierced her chest, blood bathing the blade and Ear's hands.
"Congratulations, now you're just like us... I don't have to worry about you anymore, being alone!!!"
Eye's last words made Ear feel miserable. She was the youngest of the three, the one who was treated the worst, beaten, humiliated and threatened, but she never felt hunger or cold or true loneliness.
"Thank you..."
Ear whispered before eagerly devouring the golden fruit.
"What a spectacle, the three killed each other. I'm beginning to feel that fratricide is common among the Unusual beasts." (William)
"Human... you defeated the White Widow!" (Eye)
Ear opened her eyes in surprise, and the last piece of fruit fell to the ground.
(Pincers capable of breaking the hardest steel, almost impenetrable armour, blood as poisonous as acid, and being such an unusual species, it is almost impossible to know its weaknesses in advance!!!) (Ear)
"It wasn't that difficult, now I want my agreed payment." (William)
William's black claws rubbed against a root on the ceiling, leaving deep marks in the wood.
"Of course!!!" "Of course!!!" "Of course!!!"
"I would never do that to you!!" (Ear)
"Something like not giving you your payment!!" (Ear)
Ear could feel himself getting younger, his skin softer, whiter with a golden touch, his wings expanding and his colours vibrating.
"Now I will give you the rings my sisters promised you." (Ear)
Ear reached into his chest, blood covering the golden ring he extracted from his own flesh.
"The rings kept us alive during the many centuries we could not taste the sap of the golden-leaved oak." (Ear)
*crack*
It was Eye's turn. Ear's hand entered his wound and pulled out the second ring, gleaming gold made of a material similar to gold, as strong as iron and as light as a feather.
"It was our life's work, the Triplet Rings, capable of keeping these three fairies alive in these withered bodies." (Ear)
"We were waiting..." (Ear)
*Clink*
The three rings with delicate runes that William had never seen in his life fell into his palm, expanding in size as soon as they touched his skin, or rather returning to their original size, perfect for a human.
"To a warrior capable of dealing with the threat that usurped our dominion, the tree we raised from a seed."
"The last tree with golden leaves in these lands..."
"Many tried, many died... their bodies only made the beasts stronger, and the knowledge made them more lethal and longer-lived than they should be."
Oreja's transformation was almost complete. Her eyes turned blue and crystalline, feathers grew on her body, golden and silver, emanating elegance and nobility with their light. Now she truly looked like a fairy from stories and legends.
"My name is Lihor, the third youngest sister of the Fairy Artisans of the Fairy King, and this will be the last time..." (Lihor)
"How dare you address me, look at me, or speak to me... DIRTY HUMAN!!!" (Lihor)
Lihor's sharp fangs peeked out from her now pink and delicate lips as the words of contempt and disgust were spoken.
"You know, for a moment I thought about saving you, but I think I've changed my mind..." (William)
"Saving me...!!!!" (Lihor)
William's words gave Lihor a bad feeling, but before his wings could lift his body and turn into a trail of light to disappear from this filthy place, long serrated mouthparts split his body in two.
*Splattering everywhere*
The blood, now silver and shiny like liquid precious metal, covered his attacker's thick armour. The contrast between the black ink and the silver was beautiful to William's eyes.