Flow was still shivering when Veil finally lowered her to the ground.
"You should cut the bridge here," Mirror suggested.
Veil looked at the dinosaurs running after them and mumbled,
"I was going to do that... but since you're telling me to, I don't want to anymore."
"WHAT?!" Mirror shouted.
The raptors got closer, and Flow gasped loudly.
"You can't cross this bridge," Veil stated calmly.
Instantly, the raptors stopped.
They roared softly, then huffed and turned back the way they came.
"... What the heck did you just do?" Mirror muttered in disbelief.
Flow's mouth hung ajar, and Veil shrugged.
"One of my skills is persuasion. I can make enemies believe anything I say... but it only lasts for thirty seconds. Until I level up, anyway," he explained. Then he knelt down beside Flow and lifted her up again, cradling her close.
"We should move before the effect wears off. This skill has a twenty-minute cooldown," he added before rushing deeper into the jungle with her in his arms. Flow pushed away her shyness to keep a tight hold on him.
Veil leaped into the air, and Flow gritted her teeth to keep from screaming. Moments later, he extended his wings and carried them to the highest treetop.
After he let her down, Flow hugged the tree trunk and concentrated on relaxing her breathing. Veil observed the ground below, happy to see that so far no one was on their tail.
"Alright... here's a summary. I can't fly without getting a running start. It sucks that my persuasion skill has a long cooldown, but I'll unlock a new skill when I reach level ten."
Flow nodded and squeezed her eyes shut to avoid looking down.
Veil walked over to her, hugged her waist, and pressed against her back.
"... My final skill only works on humans... so I'll need your help getting to Mr. Maniac..."
He kissed her neck.
"Do you think you can do that for me?" he whispered.
Flow squeaked from both the fear of heights and the tension Veil was causing.
Mirror loudly cleared her throat. Veil frowned and reluctantly released her.
"Oh... forgot you were here," he muttered.
"... I can help you... what do you need me to do?" Flow mumbled shakily. A wicked grin spread across Veil's face.
"Good... first, let me use your dagger."
Flow retrieved it from her inventory and carefully held it out to Veil.
"Thanks..." he said while twirling it around in his palm. He stared at the ground below, casually spinning the blade between his fingers. Several minutes later, he suddenly stood and said, "Finally."
Then he jumped.
Flow gasped and instinctively reached out after him. A second later, she heard an inhuman cry of pain.
She cautiously peeked at where Veil landed and saw that he had impaled one of the raptors with her dagger.
Another dinosaur lunged at him, and he ducked just under its maw, plunging the blade into the creature's throat. The bodies began fading away, and the game rewarded both Flow and Veil with experience points.
Flow was too shaken to be excited. It took Veil a moment to fly up and retrieve her.
"Three levels to go," he declared excitedly.
"Y-yay," Flow replied as she wrapped her arms around his neck to keep herself steady.
They floated down to the ground, and Veil kissed her sweetly.
"We have to split up for a little while, okay?" he asked.
She looked at him with a starry-eyed gaze and nodded. It was only after he flew away that she actually processed what he'd said.
There was a faint rustling nearby, so Flow hid in some bushes. She made sure to watch for any approaching enemies and stay ready to shoot.
Veil took to the skies. There, he found the pterodactyl, which was also looking for him.
It seemed caught off guard to see him so high up. For a split second, it froze before squawking loudly to alert its allies.
Veil closed the distance quickly. The creature defended itself with its clawed feet.
The attacks left deep cuts across Veil's chest and arms, but he clenched his jaw and used the dagger to slice through the wings.
The thin membrane tore easily.
The pterodactyl retaliated immediately, snapping its beak toward Veil's shoulder.
He stuck the blade into its open jaw, and as they plummeted, Veil made sure the dinosaur hit the ground first, so he could use it as a crash mat.
"Ow... that hurt," Veil complained, while rolling his shoulders and getting prepared for whatever was now rushing toward him.
"I know you're hiding around here somewhere!" Mr. Maniac called. He had one raptor at his side and a shotgun in his hand. Once he passed her hiding spot, Flow rolled out from beneath the bushes and shot the raptor in the back. It roared, then scooped Mr. Maniac onto its back and ran off.
"Damn it! Are you okay, Marlin?" Mr. Maniac asked, while looking around for who had shot his friend. Flow was already out of sight, hidden with her back against a tree. She thought about chasing them, but heard a loud crash nearby, and her heart shook with worry, so she went toward it instead.
Two velociraptors were taking turns lunging at Veil. It took all he had to avoid their teeth. Whenever he swung his blade to counter, one raptor would retreat while the other attacked from the opposite side.
Veil was panting, and his mind was spinning, looking for solutions, when a bullet shot over his shoulder and landed in the mouth of the dinosaur in front of him. A moment later, the creature fell onto its side, and Veil smiled to himself.
The remaining raptor turned just in time to see Flow emerge from the trees, her pistol already raised. It rushed toward her, and Flow met it with a gunshot to its forehead, then its chest.
As soon as it stopped moving, she put her pistol away and rushed over to Veil with tears in her eyes.
"You're bleeding," she murmured. He exhaled and plopped down on the ground.
"You got here just in time," he replied happily.
Flow removed a healing potion from her inventory. She poured some over his wounds and handed the rest to Veil.
Flow was still sniffling, so Veil stroked her head while sipping from the medicine bottle.
"I'm not really hurt, you know," he reminded her.
"I know... but... I still hate seeing you like this," she admitted quietly. Her tears started flowing again, so Veil kissed her cheeks and shushed her, saying,
"I'm healed now, there's no need to worry."
She sniffled and nodded. He then planted a gentle kiss on her lips, and her body finally relaxed.
"And thanks to you... I'm level ten now," he whispered.
"Time to stop flirting now! There's still a lot of dinosaurs left, and Mr. Maniac is on the move!" Mirror commented.
Flow's heart fluttered, and she put her hands to her lips. Veil rolled his eyes and said,
"It's fine..."
He stood up and held the dagger out to Flow,
"The blade's gotten dull. Can you sharpen it? Unique skills are cool, but I don't have items or an inventory. It's a little annoying."
She nodded, then did as he asked before returning it to him. Veil held out her free hand to her, and they walked into the trees hand-in-hand.
It wasn't long before they heard something chasing them. Veil lifted Flow up into his arms and ran off at full speed. It was exhilarating; every inch of her body buzzed with energy, and she didn't feel scared at all this time.
They stopped in a clearing, and raptors closed in from all sides. Mr. Maniac dismounted Marlin and clapped slowly as he strolled toward Flow and Veil. His eyes were puffy and red as if he had been crying, but he wore a smile nonetheless.
"I finally caught you, bastards," he spat, voice full of hate.
"I'm going to make you pay for all the trouble you caused!" Mr. Maniac screamed.
Veil lowered Flow onto her feet, then he smiled at the villain, saying,
"Weren't you the one pursuing us? Should I apologize for not being easily caught?"
The man blinked in surprise, then he laughed maniacally, hunching over and holding his stomach. Veil watched him cautiously, and Flow got her pistol ready.
Once the man stopped laughing, he coldly said,
"Kill them."
The dinosaurs rushed forward, ready to attack, but Veil shouted,
"Jump off a cliff!" The creatures paused for a second, then they all turned and sprinted toward the ravine beneath the rope bridge.
Veil then stepped toward Mr. Maniac, who stumbled back in fear.
"You really hate me that much, huh?" Veil asked, with an almost playful tone.
There was a faint light emanating from his body, and as Mr. Maniac looked at him, literal hearts floated above his head, and tears poured from his eyes.
"Of course not! I adore you! I was wrong... please forgive me! I'm so sorry for upsetting you... Please, I'm begging you, allow me to make it up to you! I'll do anything you ask!" Mr. Maniac pleaded.
Flow was stunned and silent, lowering her weapon.
Veil knelt and tilted his head.
"Do you promise?" Veil asked, and Mr. Maniac nodded so rapidly that it looked painful.
Veil held out the dagger to him.
"Then... die for me," Veil suggested. Fresh tears welled up in his eyes, and he took the blade with shaky hands. Veil watched him with a smile as the man's shaking hands moved the knife toward his neck.
"Whatever you wish," he mumbled before ending it all. Flow inhaled sharply.
A second later, the words "You Win!" floated in front of their faces.
Then another message appeared:
"Do you want to play again?"
They selected "No." and as soon as their headsets were removed, Mirror grabbed Veil's collar and asked,
"What the heck did you do?!"
He looked off to the side and pulled her hands away.
"... According to the game, my unique form is called Devil of Lust... At first, I could only give small commands to the dinosaurs... but at level ten, I can compel human enemies to do whatever I tell them to."
Mirror took a few steps back and frowned.
"Well... you didn't have to make him off himself," she mumbled.
"... I wanted to understand the limits of my skill. Sorry if that bothered you," he replied calmly.