It was Gwin's turn to watch over the group. He sat in his spot contemplating their next move. They had recently moved their base camp up after deciding it would be best to put some distance between them and the Black Sea. They still didn't have a goal or know if there were any other sleepers alive out there. Surely they would have quickly died without the safety of a shelter like the obelisk. Surviving in that crimson labyrinth seemed impossible for anyone but maybe they'd have a chance. Gwin could scout out the hidden dangers without getting too close and Elena had a well of combat knowledge and a more saturated core than his. Their small numbers were both a pro and a con.
As Gwin sat in the darkness something alerted his senses. He couldn't smell or hear it however, it was just like he knew it was there. Somewhere not far below them something had emerged from the surface of the water. Gwin broke out into a cold sweat. Whatever it was, it seemed to be looking for something. He could only imagine what unholy creatures and abominations resided in the Black Sea and if he had it his way he would never know.
The water boiled around it as it circled the entirety of the obelisk. Its body occasionally brushed against the stone making the obelisk shudder. Gwin hadn't been breathing for a while now, scared to alert whatever it was down there of his presence. Elena lay there still asleep and Gwin could only pray to the dead gods she would not stir in her sleep and alert it in the process. Even his thoughts felt deafeningly loud in the presence of something so horrifying
Suddenly the water stopped boiling and the sound of crashing waves was all that could be heard once again.
"Haa….Ha.....G...win.....Gwinnn…"
Ancient and rancid hot air assaulted his face as his mothers voice spoke to him. Each breath reached his nose from far below, its speech awkward and inhuman.
It knew he was there yet thankfully it seemed couldn't or wouldn't make its way up for now at least.
His ears were ringing and he was wishing he could stop his pulse. The primal terror he felt in this very moment held him in place with icy grips saving him from whatever fate awaited him should he open his eyes and acknowledge its existence. He did not know what was stopping it from coming up here itself.
"Gwin..I'm here Gwin."
'Don't open your eyes, don't open your eyes, don't open your eyes.'
He repeated the mantra in his head like a saving grace. His nose burned with the smell of rot with each breath from the ancient horror.
"Kill that girl…..she's dangerous!"
If not for the odd croaking and the rancid stench he might have started listening to it by now. Its voice had some kind of bewitching effect on it that made Gwin want to obey. He bit the inside of his lip hard to resist its effect. He bit through his lip as the murderous desire to send a bladed tentacle through Elena's neck flashed through his mind and at that moment something gave way inside him.
It was becoming too much…it all just made so much sense. Of course she'd want to kill him. She was….she was jealous of him! She was jealous of his divine aspect! He should have known better than to trust a cold-blooded legacy, especially a daughter of Ki Song! How could he have been so naive?!
He knew what he had to do.
He unclenched his jaw and stood.
"Yes! Just like that…don't you want to make it back to us?"
His mom was right. He couldn't hesitate if he wanted to get back to his family. His fingers and forearm turned red and leathery before growing longer. His fingers grew into a sharp jagged point. He planted his feet in the ground before swinging his tentacle in a wide arc right at the sleeping Elena's head.
"HRAHHHG!"
He growled as he swung full of bitter hatred from deep within. Just before it reached her head she snapped into action dodging the blade and severing his tentacle with a small red dagger she had hidden.
"Snap out of it! You fool!"
She hissed.
'Me snap out of it?! You're the one trying to kill me!'
"Look! Look! Look! LOOK! LOOK!! LOOK!!! I TOLD YOU!"
His mother called out from far below. Gwin snarled and retracted his tentacle with drool dripping from his mouth. He had to think. How could he kill her when he's never even beaten her before? He had to use his secret weapon. The tentacles! If he could take her off guard by using the remnant feeders tentacles then he could kill her! It was a foolproof plan.
His hand returned to normal except for the deep cuts on his fingers that reached the bone and spilled blood. He willed a tentacle to form from his right hand and left elbow.
"Damnit!" His attacker cursed ahead of him as two whirlwinds of sparks formed in her hands.
He had to attack before she could summon those accursed swords!
He used one tentacle like a spear and sent it flying straight at her while the other came in from the side like a whip.
She dodged the first one with the help of her aspect and parried the second with a loud clang before closing the distance and delivering a crushing blow to his temple with the pommel of the black saber.
Gwin screeched and nearly fainted from the horrible pain that washed over his mind. It was like the edges of his mind had been shredded away by some form of insidious force and molten metal had been poured on his face. His mother's manic chanting pulled him back to his senses from the blinding pain and filled him with strength. With a growl he twisted both tentacles in an attempt to wrap them around her and crush her before she could kill him.
She was just too fast though and with a flurry of movement she severed both of them by cutting near their bases. Both fell limp on the ground as she spun on her heels and sent a devastating kick to his stomach.
He immediately retched, throwing up anything and everything still inside his stomach. She didn't stop there and delivered a strong punch to the center of his chest with the guard of her silver saber leaving him reeling. She was just too fast, too skilled, too ruthless.
'How am I supposed to beat a monster like that?!'
He growled in frustration as he grabbed her arm and used his aspect to throw her into the wall in front of him. She flew through the air but not before delivering a few sneaky strikes to Gwin in the process. Just before connecting with the wall her speed slowed considerably, as if stopped by some invisible force, letting her recover.
"Snap out of it you pathetic whelp!"
His killer shouted as Gwin closed the distance.
He sent an enhanced punch flying towards her which connected with the stone behind her with a sickening crunch after she dodged. The pain and exhaustion were just numb sensations that weren't important. It didn't matter if he could hardly stand.
His mind raced with a solution but he couldn't come up with one..his death was inevitable. He cried bitter tears as his body began failing to meet his demands. His arms fell limply beside him and his knees gave out. The last thing he saw before he died was the awful silhouette of a murderous wraith sent to kill him.
'Mom...I'm so sorry….'