"All we can do is take countermeasures."
Carl explained, his tone more chipper than usual despite the desperate situation. Everyone had calmed down, their eyes now possessing a small hint of envy. Even Lumina seemed envious. He had just gotten a Remembrance after all.
From what I pieced together from the group's hysterical ramblings earlier, Remembrances were similar to monster drops from video games on Earth. Except they were much, much rarer. Not everybody gets to see one in their lifetime.
They could more or less be anything, and regardless of what it was, it would be useful. Basic Remembrances were items like swords, armours, potions or something called a Companion Egg. Better ones included Abilities, mods for your body, some rarer potions and, what Carl received, an Evolution Upgrade. There were other types, but those were the most notable ones.
Everything more or less became gibberish after that, since everybody completely lost it at the mention of an Evolution Upgrade. All I understood was that he got something called a Core Module and that it couldn't be used immediately.
'Remembrances really are something, huh. It even got this sociable lot talking with one another somewhat.'
After several minutes of mass hysteria, the group regained their senses. It had been a long day for everyone, filled with insane revelations. After the Guard died, the giant pool of blood in the room began decreasing, and a small area was left untouched by the crimson. They decided to set up camp there, so their exhausted minds and bodies could recuperate.
Currently, they were discussing the Fleshseeker, since the youths wanted to head to sleep.
"Sure, but what kind? I like to brag that I'm quite strong, but dealing with something of the Shattered rank is a bit above my pay grade," Justin sneered. He seemed to have fully recovered from his earlier slip-up.
Vazor also quipped, "You guys may think I have some strange kinks because I'm on the frontline getting beaten all the time, but you'd be wrong. Getting beaten to a pulp all the time isn't fun, so why in the hell would I go against a Shattered Rank!"
Tessa's lips immediately pulled into a grin. A hint of mockery purposefully slipped into her tone.
"Well, I have a simple solution. As Lumina oh so kindly mentioned, apparently, the Fleshseeker needs to take out a group of people one by one. Is that correct?" Tessa inquired from the graceful figure sitting across from her.
Lumina silently nodded before adding, "They can't get caught, however. Otherwise, their Evolution is halted, and they'll be weakened."
Tessa seemed satisfied with the explanation.
"Then it's simple. We'll keep watch in pairs of two while the others have their rest. Somebody will always be watching camp if the need to check something arises. Should the Fleshseeker be on watch duty, they can't get rid of anyone, since they'd get caught. Simple." She paused before continuing, her voice laced with sarcasm and playfulness. "Justin seems quite well rested, so I propose he be one of the watchers."
Justin clicked his tongue and averted his gaze from the group. As much as I dislike Tessa, she's good at keeping Justin's ego in check at least.
Carl agreed, "Good plan. You'll be the other one on watch."
Tessa put on a business-like smile and began rambling out an excuse with practised finesse.
"Me? No, I believe there's no such need. I used so much Essence today, I'm going to-"
"You scream the loudest. We'll definitely wake up if anything happens," Carl said, bluntly cutting her off. Surprisingly, everybody in the group was holding back a smirk.
Tessa hung her head in shame and seemed to accept her fate.
'What?'
I definitely missed something
'This light atmosphere doesn't suit you guys. Go back to being antisocial!'
It seemed the threat of a common enemy made the group confide in one another more.
After a bit more back and forth, the flaps of the futuristic tents began flying open, leaving the campsite in silence. Only Justin and Tessa remained around the artificial campfire. As per usual, Justin pulled out his handheld while Tessa began reading a book. I now had to wait for everyone to fall asleep.
Lumina's plan had some weaknesses, which was why I was going to lend her a hand. Maybe she would've been fine on her own, but I started this scheme! I wouldn't let her steal all the fun from me, although she would be playing the main part.
'Let's see how good my grasp is on this cold woman.'
I was about to do something really stupid for this plan of hers.
***
Within the encirclement of modern camping tech, Justin's erratic tapping erased the silence of the formerly blood-soaked space as fast-paced, energetic music emanated from the small gaming device he was holding. Tessa seemed completely unbothered as she quietly read her book.
However, she was actually immersed in her own thoughts.
Outside threats weren't an issue in this room. They were still in the Layer Guard's room, meaning the likelihood of being attacked by anything from the surrounding darkness was low. The real potential threat was from within. Lumina's claims were quite believable, considering how comprehensive the mural was. Not just any ordinary Fracturebeast could pull off stalking them unnoticed and paint a mural of them with such dexterity.
'She's always been clever. It's not impossible she knows we're going to sacrifice her, but what can she do? There are four of us and one of her. Origin Clan or not, she's one of the final remnants...Look at how messy you made this, Lu.'
Tessa shook off the impending onslaught of bitter memories and refocused on her book. She was still a bundle of conflicting emotions, but her resolve couldn't falter after coming this far. She had lost too much already.
Tessa continued reading her book in silence. 45 minutes later, her ears perked up. She heard a loud bang coming from the entrance to the wide hall, followed by the sound of...clapping?
Tessa could feel her whole body tense. Was Lumina wrong? Was something still stalking them? Did the horror come back to play another trick!?
"What's that? You hear it too, right?" Tessa questioned, keeping her voice from quivering.
Justin didn't even spare her a glance, engrossed in his game and responded while tapping away.
"Dunno, can't hear it. Seems like a you problem. Are you schizophrenic by any chance?"
Tessa's brow twitched as her sable robe fluttered. A moment later, she was behind Justin and smacked him on the back of his head. Justin rubbed the targeted spot and lowered his handheld.
"Hey, wha-"
He was cut off by the slow rhythmic clapping reverberating off the walls of the lightless hall.
"Oh, you were right. Mind checking?" Justin muttered, a sly smile on his lips.
Narrowing her eyes towards the darkness of the hall, Tessa quipped, "It's difficult to trust you to do nothing for a couple of hours, so I'm scared to find out what'll happen if I actually send you out to do something."
Tessa picked up her nearby Orb of light and let it hover above her hand. She cheered herself up by remembering that she at least had a chance of survival compared to Justin.
"I'll go and check. Say hi to the Fleshseeker for me if you see it."
With that final remark, Tessa stepped off their little island of light, leaving Justin momentarily stunned. He may have been screwed.
Tessa headed into the dark, crimson-covered hall with her Orb of Light illuminating the way. The brightly lit encirclement grew farther away, and soon, only the sound of splashing footsteps and rhythmic clapping could be heard.
Tessa's heart thumped in her chest as she approached the source of the sporadic melody. Every muscle in her body tensed as her breathing became slightly erratic. Beads of sweat formed on her palms as she threw together hand signs for her Spell. The threat of death was real for the first time since entering this Sanctuary. Now that she didn't have anyone to put up a front for, she bore the full burden of her anxiety.
One step.
Two steps.
As she closed in on the source of the clapping, her mind steadied, and she could feel the years of training kicking in. She was ready for this.
Tessa stood only a step away from illuminating the rhythmic clapping. No attacks were raining down on her, but she knew that could change in an instant. She took a deep breath and took the final step forward.
What she saw horrified her.
Razor-sharp scarlet claws.
Long flexible legs.
A sanguine helmet covering its facial features.
...And the stature of a toddler, covered in red paint.
And it was...dancing?
Its small body rhythmically crossed its arms and raised its feet before clapping on the side of its head.
Tessa's eyes widened, and she felt her legs begin to tremble. Was this the mythical creature she had heard about in fairy tales? The one her Father had told her about to scare her off to sleep?
Notorious for committing heinous acts against women, it was a-a-a...
"EEEK, A GOBLIN!"
Tessa let out an ear-piercing scream, which bounced off the walls of the room and reached Justin's ears back at camp. Slipping on her sable robe, she fell into a pool of crimson beneath her as a streak of lightning shot towards the ceiling from her hands.
"Get it away! Get it away! Get it away!" She cried out, flinging her arms and legs around.
A moment later, a rapid pair of splashing footsteps approached. Justin appeared from the darkness into the Orb of Light's domain of brightness. Jian in hand, he was prepared for an arduous battle...only to see Tessa wildly lashing about in a pool of blood. It was quite a familiar scene to him. A similar incident had occurred in the Outer Layer after all. He refrained from mocking her about it, fearing she would deduct his pay.
In her panic, Tessa hadn't noticed the clapping cease nor Justin's approach. When she looked up, all she saw was Justin clutching his stomach, wheezing from laughter. He didn't see anything nearby and just assumed it was the same type of Fracturebeast from the Outer Layer, which had scared her earlier. However, it seemed her scream wasn't loud enough this time, as nobody had awoken while he was at camp.
Tessa looked around in confusion before noticing that the Goblin was missing. A pink hue slowly crept up her face as she stood up, doing her best to show composure.
It wasn't very effective.
"Th-there really was a strange Fracturebeast! A mythical one at that! It was a giant Goblin! It was almost the size of a house, I swear!"
Justin only kept slapping his knees as he and Tessa walked back towards the campsite.
A couple of hours later, Justin still wore a wide smirk on his face as he tapped away on his small device. Tessa stared at her book while trying to figure out the most skilled assassin she knew to silence the group after the expedition.
Tessa didn't bother explaining to Justin yet. The creature didn't seem dangerous, so there was no rush. She wasn't looking forward to giving her report to Carl, however. Despite her paying him, consulting and listening to your leader were pure basics for surviving on any expedition. She couldn't skip this, no matter how much she wanted to bury her shameful incident.
Soon, the sound of a tent cover opening resounded from nearby. Carl stepped out and turned towards the pair, demanding without hesitation.
"Anything happen?"
Tessa lowered her head in shame as Justin reported what happened from the start. Carl's facial expressions went from concerned to confused to deadpan serious. He couldn't afford to laugh unless he wanted his pay reduced. Tessa's ears turned a shade of red as she averted her gaze.
Carl let out a string of coughs, suppressing his laughter.
"I-I see. Tessa, what did you actually see?"
"..."
She remained silent.
"Tessa?"
Carl inquired, not making any rash moves.
"...lin," Tessa mumbled under her breath.
"W-what?" Carl carefully questioned.
"A Goblin, damn it! I said it was a god fucking damn Goblin! Tiny like a damn mouse! No way in hell that thing could've stalked us!"
Tessa's voice echoed across the entire length of the hall before she averted her peach pink gaze back into her book. Carl decided against provoking her about the details for now. Goblins weren't real after all, so she was clearly still hysterical. The campsite fell into silence as they waited for the other two to get up.
A couple of minutes later, Lumina's graceful figure stepped out of her tent. Having heard the whole interaction, even she was struggling to keep a straight face.
They were now only missing one person.
The group sat in silence with a lighter atmosphere than usual for a couple of minutes before Carl got up and knocked on Vazor's tent.
A moment passed...
Then another...
There was no response.
The slightly pleasant atmosphere crumbled in an instant.
The whole group stared at the tent. Everybody grew tense, sensing something ominous. It couldn't be, right?
Carl took a deep breath and placed his hand on the handle of the sleek metal door of the tent.
After a moment of hesitation, the door flapped open.
Carl's nose scrunched as a foul odour invaded his nostrils. Streaks of crimson laced the walls, dripping onto the floor of the tent. Entrails lined the ground, oozing different bodily fluids. Fingers, toes and limbs scattered everywhere, cruelly torn off.
Carl's expression fell. He wasn't shocked. This was one of the outcomes he'd expected. It still pained him to see such a sight, though.
In the middle of the tent, in a sleeping bag, a pile of flesh lay, minced beyond recognition.
That night, when Justin and Tessa had briefly left the campsite, the Fleshseeker struck.
Vazor was dead.