Chapitre 8: Side: B Casualties
Distant gunfire echoed ominously through the cavernous expanse of the dark mall, its hollow corridors amplifying the sounds of chaos. Fafnir's lips curled into a predatory grin as he turned his gaze toward the source of the commotion.
"These humans are always so rowdy" he mused, his voice tinged with amusement and a hint of malice. "Perhaps it's time I dealt with them."
Melusine, her features veiled in boredom, regarded him with a cool detachment. "Why bother with such trivialities? Your dolls are more than capable of handling a few insignificant fodder."
Fafnir's amusement faded, replaced by a simmering intensity that seemed to radiate from the depths of his being. His eyes blazed with a fierce, unearthly light, taking on a reptilian gleam as he regarded Melusine with a mixture of amusement and disdain.
"My dear Melusine, you have grown so dull since you inhabited that vessel " he taunted, his voice dripping with scorn. "Where is the thrill in letting others do our bidding?"
Melusine met his gaze with icy indifference, unimpressed by his insults.
"I prefer efficiency over needless theatrics, unlike some," she retorted, her voice tinged with familiar disdain.
Fafnir's gaze darkened at her words, a flicker of irritation dancing behind his eyes.
"Though you may have a point, that magus poses a threat, there are two of them after all" she continued, her tone growing more serious.
"Magus?" Fafnir echoed, now curious. "I have never heard of such a term"
"It's no surprise, considering your extended absence, my friend" Melusine replied with a knowing smirk "They are the children of that traitorous wretch."
Fafnir's expression hardened as he absorbed this information, a glint of recognition flickering in his eyes. "I see," he murmured, his voice tinged with newfound understanding.
Fafnir sniffs the air, and his eyes widen in excitement. "I smell blood, perhaps I shall feast on the humans myself"
"Do as you please lizard, I have a human language to learn, I'm afraid I am too stiff with my grammar"
As Melusine turned back Fafnir had already disappeared.
"Shit, how did they find us so quickly?" Holtow gasped for breath, his heart racing as they fled from the relentless pursuit of invisible forces.
"All because of that goddamned Zeigen device"
Firing a whole magazine blindly at his rear, the sounds of children's voices echoing in pursuit.
The entities remained close behind, their advance halted momentarily by the magus's relentless barrage of spells.
<<INFERNUM LANCEA>>
Balls of fire, conjured into spears, shot out like missiles toward their invisible adversaries. The distant screams of agony confirmed the effectiveness of the attack, fueling the magus's manic laughter.
"Keep coming, you bastards! I can do this all day!" he shouted into the unwavering darkness.
Holtow glanced at the magus, "Damn it he's going to end up frenzied if this keeps up, we've been fighting for too long"
<<EX-IGNIS>>
A torrent of flames erupted from above falling back down like fireworks, engulfing the surrounding area in a fiery inferno with enough heat to burn the metallic shutters of the closed stores. The childish screams of help of the burning entities filled Gwisin and Holtow with unease though that did not stop them from unloading their rifles.
"This is getting annoying…" The magus commented his eyes growing brighter than ever as he prepared to cast another spell.
<<PIERRA CARTUS>>
A wheel of fire sliced through the air, further ravaging the mall and leaving behind a landscape of destruction. Gwisin and Holtow relentlessly fired ammunition at the general directions of where the voices could be heard.
<<IGNIS!>>
<<IGNIS!!>>
<<IGNIS!!!>>
<<IGNIS!!!!>>
Multiple orbs of crackling flame orbs streaked through the air, propelled by the magus's will, their fiery cores seeking out the elusive entities that lurked unseen.
"What? Are you scared? You better be you monsters! AHAHAHA!! AHAHHAAH!!"
The magus's voice echoed with manic glee, reverberating through the scorched corridors as he unleashed spell after spell, his fingertips started to set ablaze with arcane power. Though the searing pain tingled at his senses, the magus was consumed by his frenzy, relentless in his pursuit of the elusive entities.
Holtow froze as he gazed at the magus and the surrounding hellscape with the smell of burnt flesh in the air, small crimson horns started to grow from within the magus' forehead
Holtow quivered as he recalled a voice from a distant memory.
"Vance... Why?" The voice of a child called out to him.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH YOU'LL KILL US ALL!" Holtow screamed out though the magus ignored his warning.
He reached out for his gun and instinctively aimed at the threat, but hesitated as he knew that the magus was the only hope for them to get out of here.
"Stop!-" Gwisin screamed out as she let out a burst of bullets near the magus, aiming at an invisible entity.
But it was too late an entity ambushed the magus tearing deeply into his back leaving a large gash.
"AHHHHH!" The magus cried out in pain.
<<FLAME WALL>>
A wall of flame erupted from the ground, incinerating the attacker and dividing the hallway behind the magus. He fell to the ground, writhing in agony, but was soon paralyzed on the floor.
"Hey! Get up! "
Holtow ordered, rushing to aid the injured magus. But as he drew near, it was already too late. The magus's eyes, once ablaze with maroon light, now stared lifelessly, their glow extinguished and replaced by an ominous black.
With dread, Holtow realized the severity of the wound, seeing the magus's spine laid bare amidst a pool of his own blood staining the mall's tiles.
Reluctantly, Holtow retreated toward Gwisin,
"Shit" he mutters a curse under his breath.
As if in response to the tragedy, the entities intensified their assault, their voices echoing with a chilling harmony, growing closer and more aggressive with each passing moment.
As the two ran through endless corridors, rattled furniture warned of incoming danger from the right, prompting Holtow and Gwisin to unleash another barrage of gunfire.
A sudden thud from within the store signaled their focus to another target on their left. The two didn't know where to aim nor shoot wasting their ammunition into irrelevant locations.
Inopportunely, another invisible assailant descended from above, leaving deep scratches in the ceiling's cement. Holtow retaliated with another hail of bullets, determined to fend off their relentless attackers.
The cries from his left side grew stronger alerting him to fire, but instead of the expected report of a bullet, a distinct metallic click echoed through the corridor.
"No ammo?"
Holtow realized in horror, his heart sinking as the gravity of the situation dawned on him. In pure panic, he tries to reach for a magazine on his vest.
"FUC-"
Out of nowhere, a sudden surge of intense pressure slammed into Holtow, propelling him violently backward. Instinctively, he activated his Daimon device forming a blue force field around him, causing him to ricochet off the walls like a rubber ball, unable to gain control as he was tossed around by great force.
Gwisin terrified by the sudden attack fired aimlessly into the darkness. Eventually an entity managed to reach her tearing through her force field like paper with its invisible claws.
As the shield broke, without delay another entity coordinated an attack as it rammed Gwisin from behind breaking her Daimon device.
Dazed and confused she recklessly unloaded her gun's magazine with the bullets ricocheting hitting Holtow's foot,
Suddenly, she was grabbed by the head by an invisible force lifting her above the ground. Her distant screams of horror were silenced as the entities twisted her flesh and crushed her skull.
In the darkness, Holtow lay on the ground barely conscious, with blood flowing down his forehead.
An entity, its doll-like mask contorted into an expression of fury, slithered toward Holtow on all fours.
"Plaaaayyyy" It screeched with its child-like voice.
"I guess this is it for me" Holtow thought to himself
Initially, its movements appeared curious, almost playful, but then it abruptly shifted, its intentions turning sinister.
With a ferociousness that belied its innocent appearance, the entity seized Holtow's right arm and began tearing it from his body, rending flesh from bone with a relentless savagery.
Conflicting thoughts ran through Holtow's mind as his body was being flayed.
"If this is how I die, I have no complaints"
"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
"I guess I deserve this"
"PLEASE STOP!!"
"I'm nothing but a murderer"
"DAD I'M SORRY..."
".....In the end I'm nothing but a casualty"
Holtow's thoughts slowly disappeared as his limbs were torn one by one.
"....."
As the entity fed on Holtow's body, the distant sound of footsteps could be heard.
Amidst the darkness, a pair of sinister, red reptilian eyes flickered.
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
Goose_
Goose_ Tis but a scratch
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone