From Real to Realm

After passing through the carnage of their fight with the Corpse Beetles, things calmed down again. Nothing made so much as a noise as they moved forward.

“I really don’t like how quiet it is…” Mina said, glancing around.

Val nodded. “Ditto.”

Amarisse turned her head. “Ditto? What does that mean?”

Val chuckled softly. “It’s a saying, just means ‘same’. Like I feel the same way Mina does right now.”

Lucia shook her head. “You’ve got some weird sayings, Val.”

That sentiment was echoed by the rest of the party as they continued moving forward.

The dim light of the magical prism torch Lucia carried was enough to light a dozen or so feet ahead. Beyond that one might be able to make out the barest of outlines of something in the dark. More than once Val thought she saw something, only for it to be her eyes playing tricks on her.

“Alright, this is nothing like our first delve,” Amarisse finally said. “I almost miss the constant fighting compared to this eerie silence.”

“Yeah… it’s like something is waiting to catch us off guard…” Lucia whispered.

Elza finally spoke up. “I’ve heard the dungeon acts like this sometimes. You rarely run into anything for hours and either turn back empty handed or waste even more time.”

“I can’t say I hate having an easy delve,” Mina said, swallowing. “But I also would like to make some coin.”

Val felt the same way, especially since she left home so suddenly. Coin would be needed for a multitude of things. Living quarters, gear, potions, and who knew what else.

“Just don’t let your guard down,” Elza warned. “Down here, things can go from bad to worse in an instant.”

Squeak. Squeak. Squeak squeak.

Everyone froze once more.

“Those sound like Bramble Rats again,” Lucia whispered.

“I—I don’t see them, do you?” Amarisse asked, shield and sword at the ready.

Lucia had the magical prism torch hidden beneath a piece of cloth now.

“Let’s inch forward—don’t expose yourself too much,” Elza said, opening her tome.

Slowly as a group they moved forward coming to a sharp bend in the tunnel. Scattered across the ground were numerous vines. Some failed to pierce the tough stone floor while others found cracks to worm into.

As they reached the corner they peeked around.

There was a Bramble Rat alright, but it looked nothing like the others they’d fought. Almost twice the size and bloated with vine growths weaving in and out of its skin.

“What the fuck?” Val whispered.

Elza leaned in, close. “It’s a Bramble Mother. Highly territorial and nasty if it gets a hold of you with those vines.”

“Should we fight it?” Amarisse asked, eyes scanning the room.

“We can give it a try, but we need to attack fast and hard,” Elza said, glancing behind them. “If we don’t take it down quickly, other Bramble Rats will start showing up.”

The vines all led back to a mass of vines protruding from a hole in the wall. It looked like a burrow of sorts, barely large enough for the Bramble Mother to climb into. What awaited within was unknown. From the dim light of prism torches entangled within the mass of vines it was hard to tell just how deep it went.

“Well, then maybe we should back off?” Lucia asked.

Everyone slowly backed away from the corner.

Amarisse shook her head. “I disagree. We handled three Emberfang Wolves with just the four of us. We have Elza now, I don’t see us losing this.”

“You guys took on three Emberfangs?” Elza asked, eyes wide.

Val nodded. “Yeah, we did. It’s where I got this gash in my armor.”

Elza grinned. “Then yeah, I think Amarisse is right. We should easily have this.”

Lucia sighed softly. “Fine, but let’s be smart about this. Mina, you should try and get around it. If you can take out its back legs that could give us the upper hand.”

Mina twirled her kukri and grinned. “Got it.”

Lucia nodded. “Good. Amarisse, your shield is going to be key to protecting us.”

Elza cut in. “But if it wraps around your shield you either need to free yourself or let go. If that thing wraps you up, it can be lethal.”

Amarisse gulped, but nodded. “I’ll be on guard.”

“I’ll focus on getting in solid hits. If any other rats show up, I’ll try and handle them quickly. Shouldn’t be too hard,” Val said.

Amarisse snickered. “Just no chucking your halberd this time, alright?”

Val rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah, I won’t.”

Lucia sighed once more. “Alright, I guess it’s time we do this. Everyone ready?”

Everyone nodded, then got back into formation. Val’s heart was racing in anticipation.

A scratching sound from around the corner caught everyone’s attention. Slowly they peeked around the corner again. The Bramble Mother was digging at the rock around the burrow.

“Now—while she’s distracted,” Elza whispered.

They didn’t argue, so as a group they rushed around the corner. It was a few dozen feet from the corner of the tunnel to the burrow. They weren’t fast enough to get there before it realized it wasn’t alone anymore.

SQUEAK!

Val led with a piercing lunge she’d used before. However, instead of striking true a shield made of vines stopped the thrust short.

“What the fuck?”

Suddenly, the breath was knocked from her as a thick vine slammed into her chest, knocking her back onto her ass.

“Val! You good?!” Elza yelled, launching an Ice Spike at the same time.

Val coughed and wheezed for a few seconds before nodding. “Y—yeah, I’m okay.”

Small gouges were on her armor, but there wasn’t any injuries aside from a bruised ego.

“Fucking bitch must have a defensive ability,” she spat. “Be careful getting close!”

SQUEEEAK!

A pained cry erupted from the Bramble Mother. Val saw Mina, both kukri buried to the hilt in one of the hind legs. Then Val’s heart sank.

A similar thick vine slammed into Mina, launching her backwards as well. Mina wore less armor compared to Val or Amarisse, so who knew what damage it could do. She rolled a few times before finally catching herself. Slowly she pushed herself to one knee, blood trailing down her features.

Val stood and rushed in from the side. Just before she reached the Bramble Mother, an orb of ice exploded. Frost and ice clung to the entirety of its body, slowing its reaction time.

With a yell of fury, Val swung her halberd in an overhead arc—hard. A handful of vines weren’t enough to stop her momentum. A sickening squelch signaled a successful attack as Val’s weapon dug deep into the body of the Bramble Mother.

Then a trio of Ice Spikes pelted its other side. Amarisse was busy hacking at retaliatory vines as Elza did her best to land attacks.

Val couldn’t see Mina from her side anymore, but deep down she didn’t think the girl was out of the fight.

Val yanked her halberd free just in time to hear distant squeaks. With a cursory glance, she noticed some of the vines leading into the burrow moving.

Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

One after the other, a trio of smaller Bramble Rats climbed free from the burrow.

“Fuck! We’ve got more rats! Cover me!” Val yelled, quickly disengaging from the mother.

The new rats hesitated for a moment, their eyes landing on different targets. However, Val didn’t hesitate to bisect one of them vertically.

SQUEAK!

“Val! Behind you! MOVE!”

Elza’s warning was just in time as the Bramble Mother charged at Val. Barely rolling out of the way just in time for the mother to slam into the wall, shaking the ground.

“Alright, let’s go you big bitch,” Val spat.

The Bramble Mother turned to her, eyes glowing red as the vines writhed around its body.

Val took a step back, knuckles white from her grip as the mother inched forward. The distant squeaks of the other rats were a footnote as they stared each other down

Whoosh!

Without warning, that same large vine swung at Val’s head.

Val ducked, rolled, and brought her halberd down at an angle. With one more sickening squelch her halberd hacked clean through the front-right leg.

SQUEEEEEAK!

Disgusting brackish-red liquid gushed from the amputated limb as Val rolled away once more from another vine lashing. Such an injury would surely tilt the fight in their favor, right?

Squeak! Squeak! Squ—

Suddenly the squeaking from the other rats was silenced as Val continued to dodge. After taking such an attack, the mother was in a rage. Vine after vine whipped out at Val, not giving her a chance to breathe—much less attack.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

Once more, a trio of Ice Spikes pelted the side of the mother, but it didn’t care. It wanted Val, badly.

“You really pissed her off!” Amarisse yelled.

Val just chuckled as she continued dodging.

Yeah, I really did.

Slowly as the Bramble Mother pushed forward, vines snaked down her leg. Val had a front row seat to watch as it used its vines as essentially a prosthetic limb.

Suddenly a vine erupted from the ground and wrapped around Val’s leg. It dug in, deep as the thorns tore at her leather pants. Sharp pain surged through her as it dug into her skin.

Then another Ice Orb burst above the mother, slowing it in time for the group to move in.

Amarisse slid in between Val and the mother, hacking the vine cleanly, freeing Val. Mina on the other hand was finally back in the fight. Val could just barely make out the flurry of blows Mina delivered to the same hind leg.

SQUEAK!

Val pulled the severed vine from her ankle and tried standing, only for pain to shoot up her leg. “Fuck, my ankle…”

Amarisse swiped at more vines, cutting quite a few as Mina dodged back. The Bramble Mother was finally beginning to back off. However, it was backing toward the burrow.

“It’s trying to get to its burrow! Keep it up!” Elza yelled, weaving her hands in the air.

A sudden layer of frost covered the ground beneath the Bramble Mother. Ice and frost slowly crawled up its legs, freezing it in place.

“Now! While it’s stuck!” Elza yelled, summoning a trio of Ice Spikes again.

Mina moved in first, rapidly hacking away at whatever she could get to. Amarisse used her shield to swat away vines as she hacked away. Val brought her halberd in a full overhead arc again. She planted her front foot and brought it down with as much strength she could muster.

Pinned and frozen, they carved away at it. With a final muffled squeak, it slumped to the ground vines stilling as blood pooled around its body.

Val fell to her knees, panting heavily. “Christ… that was rough…”

Amarisse was bent over, hands on her knees. “Maybe I was a little overconfident…”

Val laughed. “I don’t blame you.”

Mina was kneeling, hand held to her side. Lucia rushed over, quickly kneeling next to her.

Elza wiped her forehead, then took a step. “You guys did really w—“

Squelch.

Everyone turned toward the sound, eyes wide.

“W—what the f—fuck…” Elza coughed, blood leaking from her mouth.

An ethereal bluish-green blade was protruding from her chest by a good foot.

She looked up, eyes watering. “R—run… now…”

The blade yanked free, blood splattering against the stone. Elza fell to her knees, hand covering the gaping wound in her chest. Slowly she raised her head, locking eyes with Val.

A bluish-green figure stood there before kicking Elza’s body over. It was almost translucent, but had enough detail to barely make out its features. A sinister grin was plastered across its face.

It looks like…

The armor, its design, the features—the corpse they found earlier. A Soul Mimic.

“A Soul Mimic!” she yelled, jumping to her feet. “We need to run! NOW!”

Then a small wisp descended from the ceiling, lingering around the Soul Mimic standing there. It flitted from side to side for a few seconds before glowing brighter.

Mina, Amarisse, and Lucia were all already on their feet. Lucia hadn’t had time to heal Mina yet.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light forced them all to look away. When they looked back, Val’s heart sank.

Standing there was another Soul Mimic.

And it looked just. Like. Elza.

“You guys are stuck,” it said. “No need to run.”

The voice was hauntingly identical to Elza’s and had this disembodied echo to it. It smiled as it raised its hands, slowly weaving them in a familiar action as ice hardened in the air.

Val and Amarisse rushed in front of Lucia and Mina just in time for Amarisse to block an Ice Spike. The spike slammed hard enough to send small shards of ice spraying across the group.

The burrow and dead Bramble Mother were at their backs. With the Soul Mimics between them and where they entered.

“W—where do we go?!” Mina asked, tears rolling down her face. “They’re blocking the way out!”

Lucia was quiet, her eyes still wide as she shook in place.

“Lucia! Snap out of it, we need you to find a way out!” Val yelled.

Lucia didn’t move. Her eyes continued to flit from the Soul Mimics to Elza’s lifeless body.

“Lucia!” Mina yelled.

When that didn’t work, the cat-girl slapped her. “We need to leave now! Where do we go?!”

Lucia held her hand to her cheek, the burning sensation left behind barely an afterthought. Only after sucking in a breath did she speak. “I—I don’t know where to go… w—we need to back-track…”

Getting past not one, but two Soul Mimics was a tall order. Val didn’t think they could do it, but they had no choice. This wasn’t a fight for loot anymore. It was a fight for survival.

The mimic of Elza raised its hand and blew frost from its fingers. “Run,” it echoed—“please.”

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