The lake exploded.
Tongues—several dozens of them—lashed upward, spraying mud and water.
The statue shook under me, chunks flying off like shrapnel. I flattened myself against the stone, claws digging in, barely holding on.
One wrong move and I'd be lake food.
The Vespa, of course, was perfectly fine—just cruising through the chaos like it was born for it.
Every dodge was too clean, too smooth, too smug.
[Slipstream Dodge] really lived up to its name.
Yeah, yeah, show off.
The statue groaned beneath me, cracks spidering through the stone.
No time. Jump or die.
Alright, legs—don't fail me now.
[Greater Hop]!
I launched as a dozen tongues lashed at me. One grazed my tail, sending a bolt of panic straight up my spine.
I hit the ground hard, rolling, clutching the Aqua Bloom against my chest like a fluffy airbag.
[Greater Hop Lv.2 → Lv.3]
Still alive. Orb intact.
Phew—close call.
bzzzzzzzz.
My ears twitched.
The Vespa was already swooping down, eyes locked on the Bloom. The orb pulsed softly, translucent skin glowing from within. Sweet light. Sweet scent.
Of course.
Oh no you don't.
I stepped in front of the Bloom, horn down, claws digging into the mud.
The Vespa hovered a few meters off, wings a blur of gold. Its eyes weren't on me—they were on the orb.
Alright, bug. You want it? Come and get it.
bzzzzzzzz!
It darted in—a blur of gold and noise.
Ghh—!
[Hop Step]!
I ducked sideways as the stinger slammed into dirt where I'd been a breath ago.
Okay. It was fast. Really fast.
The Vespa twisted mid-air, wings slicing arcs of light as it looped for another pass. I barely caught the movement—then it was already on me again.
[Parry]!
Horn met stinger with a sharp clang. The hit shoved me back, claws skidding. My shoulder burned from the glancing strike.
[HP: 50 → 43]
Right. Flying cheater.
It circled overhead, sun glaring behind it. My heart thudded loud enough to count as background music.
This isn't fair—you've got Z-axis privileges!
It was my first real aerial opponent, and it showed.
Everything I'd learned so far—angles, footing, timing—meant nothing when the enemy could just ignore gravity.
The buzzing rose higher—then silence.
I froze.
Then—above!
[Hop Step]!
I threw myself backward as the stinger stabbed into the ground where my chest had been.
Got you.
[Thrust]!
My horn caught a leg. Golden ichor splattered.
The Vespa shrieked, jerking back, wings flaring. Furious now.
It came again—harder, faster. Each dive tighter than the last. I ducked, rolled, countered. My lungs burned. My legs screamed. Every dodge left me slower, sloppier.
Think! Come on—think!
Height. I needed height.
There—half-buried pillar by the water.
I sprinted. The Vespa came right after, shadow crawling over me.
At the last second I jumped.
[Wall Hop]!
Kicked off the pillar and twisted mid-air. The world flipped.
The Vespa tried to pull up—too late.
[Thrust]!
Horn met abdomen with a crack.
It shrieked, spiraling down into the mud.
I hit the ground hard, rolled, forced myself up.
[HP: 43 → 40]
The Vespa wasn't dead. Not yet.
It dragged itself up, one wing torn, buzzing low and ragged.
Stay down. Don't make me—
It launched again. Straight line. Desperate.
[Parry]!
Horn met stinger dead-on. The impact kicked through my skull like thunder.
The blow flung me backward, skidding through mud and dirt.
The Vespa shot the other way—straight over the lake.
It buzzed wildly, trying to recover mid-air, but its wing was shredded. It couldn't pull up.
The moment it crossed the lake's center, the surface rippled.
Then it exploded.
Dozens of tongues burst out in every direction, snapping toward the sound. They wrapped around the Vespa mid-scream and yanked—hard.
The air filled with a wet tearing noise and a flash of gold. Then silence.
Blue ripples spread across the water, calm again, like nothing had happened.
I lay there for a second, panting.
I'm billing Dumbledore for my therapy sessions when I get back.
[Hop Step Lv.6 → Lv.7]
[Wall Hop Lv.2 → Lv.3]
[Thrust Lv.4 → Lv.5]
No EXP notification. Figures.
I wiped ichor off my face, dragging myself upright. My body trembled, half from exhaustion, half from sheer nerves.
The Bloom sat in the mud nearby, still glowing softly. Untouched.
Fine. You can have the bug. I'll take the loot.
I scooped it up, clutching it to my chest. The water inside shimmered faintly, calm and blue, like it hadn't just watched a horror show.
[Item Obtained: Aqua Bloom (Awakened)
Contains purified essence of Lake Wyrdwell.]
Silence stretched.
Too long.
Too still.
My ears twitched. A faint hum—low, distant. Then another. And another.
...Huh?
[Listen]
Multiple signatures. High frequency. Fast. All moving the same way—toward me.
No. No, no, no.
The Bloom in my paws pulsed harder, the blue inside swirling like a heartbeat. A sweet, sharp scent brushed my nose—stronger now.
Oh come on.
Realization hit like a rock to the skull.
The scent. It's calling more of them.
The hum grew louder—turning into a deep, angry drone that made the air vibrate.
Then the first shadow passed overhead. Then two more. Gold flickers in the canopy.
Vespa.
Dozens—maybe more.
Their buzzes overlapped into one massive, grinding roar.
I staggered back, fur standing on end. The Bloom's glow pulsed against my chest like it knew it was to blame.
My mind snapped to the girl—pale, sweating, alone in the burrow. If they followed the trail back to her—
No. Not happening.
I pressed the Bloom tight against my chest and turned away from the burrow.
Figures.
Always the hard way.
The buzzing thickened behind me, crawling up my spine.
After me, then.
As I vanished deeper into the Green, one thought pounded through my skull:
Time was running out.