From Real to Realm

Ice crawled along the ground towards the group. It looked just like the spell Elza used to freeze the Bramble Mother in place.

“Move! Watch your feet!” Val yelled, grabbing Lucia’s arm.

Mina and Amarisse were able to dodge the spell on their own. Lucia barely avoided it thanks to Val pulling on her.

“Lucia, snap the fuck out of it! Hesitating will get us killed!” Val yelled, pulling Lucia behind her.

Amarisse, Mina, and Val were standing at the ready. It was three against two, but this wasn’t just any monster.

“We have to fight through,” Val said, gulping. “It’s the only way we can escape.”

Amarisse and Mina already had their weapons at the ready. Mina’s side had dried blood. Val’s ankle was throbbing, her shredded pants damp with fresh blood.

Mina was sniffling, face wet from the tears she shed. Amarisse had tears at the corner of her eyes, but looked pissed. Lucia still had that thousand yard stare. Val, on the other hand, felt numb, like all feeling and light had been drained from the world.

“I’m a religious woman, Val,” mimic Elza purred, voice echoing with a grin. “I get to watch your back.”

Val shivered at how accurate the Soul Mimic was acting. It didn’t have the same flirt compared to Elza. This time it was a threat, a promise.

They knew what Elza could do. However, having a Soul Mimic version of her standing before them came with unknowns.

“Listen,” Val said, inhaling. “Get ready for a fight. We have to push through.”

The other mimic was a complete unknown. The same ethereal bluish-green longsword he held was enough to give an idea of what attacks to expect. However, their class was up in the air.

Lucia gripped the back of Val’s armor. “V—Val… I—I’m scared…”

Val exhaled. “I know. Just… stay close. Be ready to run.”

With a glance to her left she saw Amarisse and Mina. Neither looked remotely ready for this kind of fight, but they weren’t giving in either.

“Let’s do this,” Amarisse finally said.

Mimic Elza grinned again as she weaved her hands in the air. The other mimic stepped over Elza’s lifeless body readying its weapon.

They can understand us...?

Silence engulfed the area. The only sound was ice crackling in the air as it hardened into a spike. When it was finished, mimic Elza released it. They rushed together.

Amarisse immediately raised her shield, taking the brunt of the Ice Spike. It hit harder, wood cracking and splintering across her shield.

“I’m not as sloppy without my tome. Not anymore,” mimic Elza said, grinning. Her hands continued weaving through the air.

Mina was the fastest of them all, but she stuck with everyone. Lucia was the slowest, so she set the pace for the group right now.

“You took my badge!” the other mimic said, glaring at Val.

Val barely had time to react as the other mimic swung at her. On instinct, Val used the flat of her halberd blade to parry the attack. At the same time, Amarisse slammed her shield into the mimic, forcing him back.

The shove was enough to give them a small opening. Mina grabbed Lucia’s hand and pulled her along. Elza had no close-quarters attacks, so all they needed to do was get past her.

Val used her haft to block another swing from the other mimic. With a wince she kicked it in the chest and turned to run. However, she turned just in time to see a familiar orb of ice explode on Mina.

The ice slow ability!

Ice clung to Mina’s body as her movements stiffened up. It more than halved her speed as she kept trying to pull Lucia along. Everything mimic Elza was using was a powered-up version of the original.

“You liked the ice slow, didn’t you?” mimic Elza crooned.

Val ignored the other mimic as she rushed toward Mina and Lucia. They were the least protected.

“Val! Behind you!” mimic Elza yelled, grinning.

Val ignored her, not willing to fall for it. But she shouldn’t have.

Searing pain erupted from her back as wet warmth bloomed.

“VAL!” Amarisse yelled, pushing her out of the way.

The sound of steel slamming against a wooden shield rang out, echoing through the corridors.

Val stumbled a few steps. Her back ached. That wet warmth was slowly spreading. She reached behind her and touched her back, confused.

Blood.

Not just anyone’s—hers. Mimic Elza was fucking with her. Now she’d taken a hit.

This was enough to snap Lucia out of her stupor. While Amarisse was keeping the other mimic busy, she swooped in placing a hand on Val’s back.

“You idiot, you need to be more careful!” she yelled.

Val leaned into her, eyes wide as her heart raced. That pain was only getting stronger as her mind hyper-focused on what it was.

Lucia raised her hand, blanching at the sight of Val’s blood soaking into her skin. Without another thought she channeled her healing into Val. If she didn’t hurry, then the wound could only worsen and Val could end up passing out.

“Stay with me, dummy,” she said, trying to stay strong now.

Val was barely holding onto her halberd as a comforting warmth suffused her body.

Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

“Gods, no!” Amarisse yelled. “More Bramble Rats! We need to leave, NOW!”

Val pushed off Lucia. “Get behind me, I’ll be okay.”

Lucia tried holding Val still but she didn’t have the strength. “Val, you’re still bleeding! I wasn’t able to finish!”

Val swatted Lucia’s hands away. “If I don’t help, then we’re going to die down here! Just stay behind me!”

Two Soul Mimics and four Bramble Rats. Nothing was in their favor anymore and it was only going to get worse the longer they lingered.

Mimic Elza was still standing in their way. The male mimic was on mimic Elza’s right still engaging Amarisse. The ice slow spell was just now starting to lessen on Mina. And Val was facing the four Bramble Rats with Lucia hiding behind her.

One of the rats didn’t hesitate as it rushed Val and Lucia. Val swung hard horizontally as pain bloomed in her back. Sloppy, but it did the job. It didn’t cut clean through, but embedded deep within the rat. At the end of the swing it slung the body of the rat into the wall splattering fresh blood across the stone.

This only pissed the other rats off as they rushed Val together. She could only do so much on her own right now, but she stood firm. The second rat launched itself at her just as she raised her halberd up. The rat bit down on the haft, trying to get through it as it clawed at Val’s chest and face.

The leather she wore was being shredded as sharp claws dug deep. Val yelled in pain as she flipped her halberd and slammed it to the ground. With the haft still between its teeth a sickening crunch echoed when it hit the floor. Val’s weight combined with the force of the slam was enough to cave in and rupture the rat’s head.

Squeak!!

Val looked up in time for a duo of rats to start lashing at her with their tails. Each one dug into either leather armor or skin. Val tried to cover her face with one arm while the other held onto her halberd.

At the same time Mina was dodging mimic Elza’s attacks. As the fastest one in the group, she was the only one that could keep mimic Elza on her toes. The mimic couldn’t afford to attack anyone else while Mina was within striking range. If it turned away, Mina would surely be able to land a few devastating attacks.

Amarisse was handling the male mimic as best she could. Her shield was beaten and battered. The wood was splintered and the iron bands were dented heavily. The mimic was aggressive but lacked any finesse and thankfully didn’t use any magic. Amarisse was in the same boat as mimic Elza. If she turned her back to help, the male mimic would land a devastating attack.

Lucia was hiding behind Val. Giving her enough room to swing wide if she needed. Without being able to touch Val she was forced to watch her bleed through her armor. The gash across her back was only partially healed, not enough to stop the bleeding. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping her from feeling the real effects of the wound.

“Stay fucking still!” Val screamed, her halberd glancing off stone. Sparks illuminated the area as shards of rock sprayed the ground.

The last two rats were keeping their distance, content to lash at her with their tails. It was pissing Val off because if she tried going for one, the other would attack her back. If one got a hold of her or jumped on her back it could be lethal.

Val dodged another lashing, her ankle protesting as she struggled to stay standing. She stood there, stuck in a stand-off with two rats while her team tried to stay alive. Val waited for another lashing, another attack, anything she could counter.

Finally, one of the rats lashed at her with its tail. Val dropped her halberd and snatched the tail with her strong hand. Thorns dug into her skin as she wrapped the tail around her hand and yanked. The rat was forced to come closer as Val used her other hand to ready her small knife.

“You’re mine, you little shit!” she yelled, blood dripping from her chin.

As soon as she yanked the rat close enough she jumped on top of it. With it pinned to the ground she slammed the knife into its head over and over. Blood arced through the air each time she yanked the blade free. Even when the body stopped moving she stabbed a few more times before standing.

The other rat was backing away now. It appeared they had a modicum of intelligence as it witnessed its brood being taken down one by one by a single person.

Val was covered in blood—hers and the rats. She sheathed her small blade, stepping over the dead rat before grabbing her halberd. Her grip was slick and painful thanks to the cuts and blood across her hands.

Lucia rushed up behind her. “Val, you’re running on fumes! We need to run before you run out of strength…”

Lucia was right. With the rat slowly backing into the burrow and out of sight, they needed to take this opening.

“Mina, Amarisse, we’re leaving! On me!” Val yelled, rushing forward with Lucia.

Mina feigned an attack before backing off into formation.

Amarisse clocked the male mimic across the jaw with her shield before backing off as well.

Heavy breathing filled the air as the two groups faced off.

Both Soul Mimics looked pristine, like they hadn’t been fighting to the death a moment ago.

Out of her group, Val was the most injured. Amarisse’s shield was barely held together at this point, while Mina was still shrugging off the lingering effects of the slow attack earlier. Lucia still had plenty of healing left, but hadn’t found the chance to make use of it yet.

They shared glances of determination. Everyone was ready to fight their way out, one way or another. Mimic Elza looked to be the more powerful of the two, but couldn’t handle all four of them. The male mimic was strong, but lacked any ranged attacks. If they kept their distance, he couldn’t do anything. Hell, even if Lucia had no combat class, the girl would likely take a weapon just to go down fighting.

Two Soul Mimics ahead, a Bramble Rat burrow behind them.

This was it, they either pushed through or died here.

Mimic Elza must’ve realized what was about to happen. Her hands started weaving quickly as the air around her cooled rapidly.

“Watch out for frozen feet!” Amarisse yelled as she split off, initiating their push.

Val and Amarisse split off to the right, threading the needle between mimic Elza and the male mimic. It was their best attempt to draw the attention of both mimics. Amarisse made sure to raise her shield in time to block one last blow from the male mimic. Lucia and Mina hugged the wall on the left as they pushed forward. Luckily they were able to push past without getting stuck in place by mimic Elza’s attack.

Just as Val and Amarisse turned around to defend the girls they saw Mina. She was leaning against Lucia as they shuffled over. Three smaller spikes of ice were protruding from the cat-girl’s side.

“Val! Amarisse! Help me carry her!” Lucia yelled, pleading.

There was no time to think. Val and Amarisse closed the distance just in time for Amarisse to block another Ice Spike. The shield creaked from the impact and splintered more as a spray of ice shards filled the air.

Val immediately handed Lucia her halberd before scooping Mina up. When she had her, they all ran as fast as they could. However, with Val carrying Mina they were slowed down quite a bit.

As they continued running, Lucia finally glanced back. “T—they aren’t… following us?”

Val didn’t care if they were or weren’t following them. Right now she needed to get Mina to the surface. She needed medical attention right now.

“What happened to Mina?” Amarisse asked between heavy breaths.

Lucia swallowed, trying to find her voice. “Elza’s mimic panicked when we got past. It quick-cast and launched some spikes at me… Mina jumped in the way…”

Val looked down at Mina. The poor girl had lost consciousness, likely from the pain. Val saw the pink froth around the spikes. Mina was still breathing, but Val could hear a wet rattle in every breath.

“Val, give her to me.” Amarisse said. “You’re hurt too.”

Val shook her head, fighting back tears. “Absolutely not. You’re our shield, you need your hands free to defend us if we run into anything.”

Lucia turned to them. “We need to keep running… I can’t heal her with the spikes still in—if I pull them here, she bleeds out.”

Amarisse’s jaw clenched. She saw the truth in what Val was saying. That didn’t mean she liked the reasoning, though.

Lucia did her best to guide from the rear as they continued running. As minutes slipped by, Val’s run was at best a jog. With the adrenaline fading, she was beginning to feel the seriousness of her injuries. One eye was crusted closed with dried blood and sweat. Her back was completely soaked in blood. Then her ankle was protesting every step.

Mina had finally come to while in Val’s arms. “P—put me down…”

Val looked down and shook her head. “We can’t stop, we need to get you to a healer.”

Mina winced, reaching for her injured side. “It hurts…”

Val didn’t know what to say or do right now. “I know. Just… try to reserve your strength.”

Amarisse and Lucia were able to hear Val talking, but couldn’t make out what Mina was saying.

“What’s she saying?” Amarisse asked, panting.

“S—she’s struggling. We need to hurry.” Val said, sniffling.

Mina coughed, blood beginning to leak from the corners of her mouth. “Val… am I going to die?”

Val was crying now. Tears streamed down her face as she jogged through the silent corridors. “N—no… you’re making it out of here… we still need to talk…”

Mina smiled softly before coughing. “That’s right… we have unfinished business, right?”

Val chuckled, nodding. “Right, so much to discuss.”

Mina reached up and wiped a few of Val’s tears away. “Don’t worry… I know you all will protect me…”

Amarisse moved closer to Val as they continued to move. “I—Is she okay?”

Val shook her head. “No, she’s not. I doubt we have much more time.”

Lucia got closer as well. “She’s lost a lot of blood, we need to hurry.”

Val grit her teeth and picked up the speed, even as her entire body protested every movement. She refused to let the dungeon claim anyone else she cared for.

Now you’ve pissed me off.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!