Mythos: Last Stand

  Chapter 5 — Furious Spider, Sleeping Widow

  by Caide Fullerton

  Strade’s boots skidded across the wooden floor with a screech as he slid to another intersection in the seemingly endless maze of hallways, lurching sideways into another hall just as the Kumori rocketed past behind him. He found himself sprinting down a tight corridor lined with many doors on either side, the hall so thin that opening any of the doors would block the entire hall.

  Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the Kumori tumble back into the intersection from the opposite direction as before, twisting its neck to lock its teary eyes back onto him. The skeletal arms protruding from the child’s back surged forward, digging their fingers into the walls, floor, and ceiling to claw their way forward, dragging their core body along after Strade.

  The demented gaze of the sobbing child made his skin crawl. As he ran, he whirled his body around in a full circle, seizing the handle of a nearby door and swinging it open to obstruct the Kumori’s path. The monster was upon the door just a moment later, slamming a bony fist into it with such force that it bounced right off the doorframe and back into the Kumori’s body.

  Enraged by this, the child began to sob out a stream of “Why, why, why” as its arms gripped the edges of the door and tore it off its hinges before promptly snapping it in half, dropping the pieces at its feet.

  Strade swung several more doors open, hoping to gain some more distance, but the Kumori crashed through each one with more destructive efficiency than the last; it didn’t slow at all as it drove two of its arms straight down the center of the final door, bisecting it with a double-chop. Its hands slammed down onto the floor below, forming a dent in the wooden paneling with a loud crack.

  As the Kumori scrambled forward, the wood beneath it groaned under its weight, and just a moment later a crack surged forward, rapidly carving its way down the rest of the hall. The Kumori continued unperturbed; the arms that had been clawing at the floor simply moved to wall duty instead. Strade, on the other hand, began unleashing a string of curses as the floor beneath his feet split in two.

  Though he ran as fast as he could, the planks just behind him were beginning to fall. As he felt the ground shift, the cracks overtaking him, he made a desperate leap forward. A thin layer of stone separated the wood paneling in this hall from the next, and the destruction ended there, the entirety of this hall’s floor crashing to the level below.

  Strade flew through the air, but he could already tell he was going to fall short of the end of the hall. As he fell, he caught the handle of one of the doors beside him. His weight and momentum caused it to swing open, and he threw his body forwards, swinging off the handle and just barely clearing the gap to the hall ahead.

  He stumbled into the new hall, swinging his arms in circles to steady himself; if he fell now, he’d be Krimling bait. As he launched off to the side, that thought was punctuated by a swift punch from the Kumori, surging into the intersection and planting its fist into the wall where Strade’s head had just been.

  The Kumori hardly paused at all after its lunge, the rest of its arms carrying it after Strade; the beast was gaining on him rapidly. Man and monster charged down the hall, at the end of which was a small chamber containing a spiral staircase leading downward. Strade vaulted onto the banister, sliding down its length.

  As he descended in a downward spiral, the Kumori clattered into the chamber. It placed one hand on the top of the banister and attempted to lift its entire body on that one arm; it surely possessed the physical strength for this maneuver, but the banister did not. It snapped underneath the Kumori’s weight, leaving the beast to crash down onto the stairs, skeletal limbs flailing as it tumbled down and down.

  It began to catch up with Strade about halfway down the stairs, but rather than go in for the kill, it abruptly changed course. It crashed through the banister again, its arms curling around its core body to form a ball. It rolled off the edge and into the cramped space between the spiraling flights of stairs, bones rattling as it bounced back and forth until finally landing at the bottom of the chamber.

  Unfolding itself in a movement Strade found particularly spider-like, the Kumori lurched onto the stairs, rapidly ascending the steps. Unable to stop his own downward momentum, Strade was effectively pinned—or so the creature surely thought.

  Strade: “Don’t think you can outsmart me, you dumbass kid!”

  His boots screeched against the wooden banister as he rose to his feet. Leaping sideways into the center of the chamber, he drew a knife from his belt and sank it into the side of the stairs on the opposite side. He swung off that knife—muttering an apology for abandoning it—and to the wall beneath the stairs, jabbing two knives against the worn stone wall to slow his fall.

  As he neared the bottom of the chamber, he leapt off and rolled across the floor and out the doorway. The Kumori, having reversed course the moment he leapt away from it, reached the bottom just after him and swung two overhead fists down at him, its attack just barely missing.

  The spider clattered its way through the doorway, skeletal fingers nearly prying the stonework apart, and charged down the hall in pursuit of him. Its voice grew angrier, and it began to distort, splitting into a choir of many off-tune voices, all crying out the same words but speaking in pitches a Human could not achieve,

  Kumori: “Stop running! Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it stop it stop it stop it STOP IT!!! Just stay, just come back, just die! Die, die, die, so I can eat! Let me eat! Let me, let me, let me, LET ME!!!”

  Strade: “Fuck no!”

  With that exchange, Strade surged forward into a large room, wide with a high ceiling and filled with overturned chairs and benches—what had once been a sort of dining hall. As he neared the center of the room, he whirled around, feet sliding across the paved floor. The Kumori followed swiftly after, and just as it crossed the boundary of the doorway—

  Strade: “NOW!!!”

  He shouted at the top of his lungs, and a loud thud sounded from above the Kumori. The wall above it shattered, raining chunks of stone debris down onto the Kumori; standing behind the newly-opened doorway were a muscular woman and a short, plum-haired figure.

  The Kumori’s head snapped upward at the sound, and it planted three of its arms down around it. The rest of its arms shot upward in a panic, fumbling to catch the largest chunks of debris. Despite its efforts, its core was pelted with smaller stones. The child wailed as its blood was drawn, raising its human arms in a futile attempt to shield its face.

  It was then, amid the chaos of the falling rocks, that a quiet thwip was sounded. The child froze, its head snapping to the side to lock its eyes on the source—standing in the corner of the room, bow raised, was Sam.

  Between him and the Kumori was a freshly-fired arrow. At once, all eight of the Kumori’s skeletal arms twitched, but they were all occupied. It hesitated, allowing that split-second window to pass, and the arrow struck true.

  A spray of blood erupted out from the child’s face as the arrow pierced one of its eyes, and it screamed out in a chorus of distorted voices. Stumbling away from Sam, its human arms clutched at its face; the skeletal ones flailed in a frenzy, dropping chunks of debris around it. It tripped on one of them, crashing down to the ground, and its arms blindly struck at the ground around it, obliterating a few unfortunate chairs.

  Jackie: “Keep your distance! It might not be dead just yet!” They called out from their perch above the room, placing a wary hand over the hilt of their sword; beside them, Helena did the same, stealing a glance at Sam.

  The Kumori rolled across the room, crashing through several benches, until finally its thrashing and wailing began to subside. Its skeletal arms shook, and it carefully planted them each into the ground around it, one at a time. Finally, it began to rise, one half of its face soaked in its own blood.

  Thwip. Taking the initiative, Sam fired a second arrow, but this time the Kumori caught it in one of its skeletal appendages, snapping it in half. Its eyes widened, and it opened its mouth as if to speak; only a muffled gurgle came out.

  Rather than attack, the Kumori began to slowly back away. One of its human hands clawed at the wounded side of its head. It scratched and scratched and scratched and scratched and scratched scratched scratched scratched scratched scratched scratched scratched until its fingers were caked in blood. Its red-tinted skin began to pulsate.

  Its movements came to a sudden stop and the child doubled over, belching out a mix of blood and vomit. Its voices groaned as its head throbbed, and its skin began to expand. Bulbous, pulsating mounds expanded out from its wounds, its skin swelling as the reddish tint spread like dye on a cloth. The bulbous growths multiplied, growing down and around the Kumori’s neck and to its right shoulder, each bulb beating to a different rhythm.

  Watching this transformation unfold, the Humans were stunned to inaction—all of them but one. Strade launched forward in a low crouch, a knife in each hand. He shot straight for the Kumori, lunging between its arms with a swing of his blade.

  The Kumori’s remaining eye locked on to Strade, and it leapt backward and into the air, clinging to the wall. The beating of its bulbous flesh seemed to hasten as it glanced between each of the Humans. It made a decision quickly, leaping over Strade’s head. As it crashed down to the center of the room, skidding sideways, it dug several hands into the stone floor and slingshotted itself towards the door, breaking into an eight-armed gallop.

  As it shot out of the room, Sam ran after it, nocking an arrow. He stopped just before the doorway, aiming down the hall for a few moments before he finally lowered his bow with a click of his tongue.

  Sam: “It’s gone.”

  Vaulting down from the floor above, Jackie landed beside Sam and held a hand flat above their eyes, catching a glimpse of the Kumori’s retreat just as it rounded a corner. “Well, that’s not good.”

  Strade: “Why not? Thing’s gone, ain’t it?” Stretching his neck, Strade approached the two from behind. “I’d call that a win in my book.”

  Glancing back at him, Jackie scratched their head as they searched for the right words.

  Jackie: “I wouldn’t say we lost, rather… we won the battle, but not the war.” Returning their gaze forward, they continued, “Whatever happened to its body there, it doesn’t seem like it’s gonna die. That thing’s intelligent, and it seems emotionally-driven. I’m pretty sure it’ll try and hunt us down for revenge.”

  Beside them, Helena vaulted down as well, and Jackie leaned her way with a question.

  Jackie: “Think we have enough food to hole up in here for a few days?”

  Helena: “For four people? Doubt it. We’d need to go out and hunt at some point.”

  Jackie nodded grimly, tapping their foot. “If it caught us outside, we’d have no chance of pulling off a trick like we did here.”

  Strade: “So, what? We just gonna sit around in here ‘til we starve?” He fell dramatically back onto one of the benches that littered the room, flipping a knife between his fingers.

  Sam: “Obviously not!” Finally interjecting, Sam glared at Strade. “We came here to save you! Can’t you be appreciative for once!?”

  Strade: “Well, it sounds like I’m still gonna die, anyway. Pretty sloppy rescue mission, if you ask me.”

  Sam: “Ugh, you aren’t gonna die!”

  Strade: “Shit, really?” Perking up with faux interest, he leaned forward, casting his knife aside to clasp his hands together. “Sweet. What’s your genius plan, lover-boy?”

  Grinding his teeth in frustration, Sam covered his eyes with a hand, then took a deep breath as he lowered it,

  Sam: “For your information, I do have a plan. Even though it somehow survived, the Kumori is clearly pretty badly wounded. Why don’t we go after it now?”

  At this, Jackie nodded, raising a finger. “Exactly what I was thinking. It chose to run away instead of fight—clearly, it thought it had a chance of losing.”

  Crossing her arms, Helena cast a sidelong glance at Jackie. “You really don’t know anything about what happened to its body?”

  Jackie: “Sadly, I do not. It looked like it was pretty taxing on it, though. If we attack it before it gets used to that transformation—or heals back to normal—we might stand a chance.”

  With that, Jackie turned fully to Helena with a curious gaze. She took a moment before meeting their gaze and narrowing her eyes.

  Helena: “What?”

  Jackie: “Well, I’m just wondering what you think.”

  She hesitated a moment, then sighed. “I agree. It probably will come after us again, so finishing it off now while it’s weak is the best option.”

  Jackie: “Great!” They gave her a bright smile, then turned to the doorway, placing their hands on their hips. “If we’re all on the same page, there’s only one thing left to do. Strade, did you loot this place yet?”

  Strade: “Only a small section. For such a big landmark, it’s oddly untouched.” He rose from his seat and stretched as he replied.

  Jackie: “We should grab as many supplies as we can, then.” They glanced to Helena, and she nodded.

  Helena: “There might still be other creatures living in here. We’ll stick together just in case.”

  * ? *

  It was the fate of large ruins to collapse. The wasteland was not a kind environment to its inhabitants, and that cruelty extended to the buildings just as much as the creatures. If erosion alone didn’t do a ruin in, the monsters surely would. A large building made for an excellent lair, but it was inevitable that a lair would be invaded, and the ensuing combat would naturally result in the ruin’s destruction; the events that played out just minutes ago were a testament to that.

  With this in mind, it was almost unnerving how well the fort was holding up. Beyond the damage that had been caused today, the entire thing seemed almost completely untouched. In what appeared to have once been a kitchen, the Humans even found a variety of long-spoiled food, seemingly abandoned just as long ago as the building itself. It was as though not a single monster had ever stepped foot within the building before now.

  Of course, the Humans weren’t expecting to find food. Unless a ruin’s inhabitants had recently finished a hunt, it was incredibly rare to find anything edible. Instead, the focus of their search was all manner of other supplies—weapons or armor, bandages or other medical items, cloth or other materials they could salvage for their own uses, the likes.

  This search brought them to a large, dark room near the back of the building’s first floor. Lined with rows of metal shelves, each stacked with a variety of loose objects and wooden crates, the room had no windows. Sam produced a metal striker from his bag and lit a wall-mounted candle beside the doorway, then slowly made his way around the room’s perimeter to light several other candles around the area.

  The others followed Sam closely, inspecting the room as they walked. Along the back wall were many haphazard piles of crates and barrels. The shelves themselves were lined with linens, torches, bottles of ancient, clouded wine, bandages, and partial sets of mismatched clothes. Oddly, there seemed to be no weapons at all; the shelves on one side of the room were almost completely empty.

  Strade: “Tch, wanna bet that’s where all the weapons were?”

  Sam: “Maybe the people who lived here made some sort of last stand against the monsters outside?”

  Strade: “In that case, I’d’ve preferred they gave up and died so there’d be some left over for us.”

  Helena: “Argue about it another time. Let’s get looking—a place this big has to have at least one sword somewhere.” She placed her hands on her hips as she scanned the room. Her eyes drifted to Jackie at her side, who knelt down to inspect the floor.

  Helena: “…What is it?” Raising an eyebrow, she leaned in to follow their gaze.

  Jackie: “There’s some sort of symbol engraved in the ground. Covers most of the room.” They gestured outward, tracing a circle in the air with their finger. “It’s… a pentagram?”

  Helena: “Which means?”

  Jackie: “No clue. I think the same symbol was over the front door. Seen it in a few other ruins with similar architecture, too. Maybe it’s a cultural thing?”

  Rising back up, Helena sighed. “As interesting as that is, I don’t think it’s very useful to us. At all.”

  Jackie: “Right, right.” They stood, brushing the dust off their pants. “I’ll do some more archaeology another time.”

  Helena: “If you notice anything else weird, let me know.” She stepped toward the center of the room as she spoke, pulling a box off a shelf. Much as she still couldn’t bring herself to fully trust Jackie, they’d shown to be quite perceptive; she could rely on their senses, at least. “But only if it’s actually important.”

  Jackie: “Well, there was actually one other thing.” Their comment drew a glance from Helena, and they waved for her to follow, stepping a few paces along the back wall.

  With another sigh, Helena slid her box back onto the shelf and followed Jackie, arriving before a wooden chest. With metal ridges and a rather ornate-looking lock, the chest sat at the end of one of the many rows between the shelves, empty space on either side of it.

  Jackie: “This looks a bit out of place, doesn’t it? The rest of the wall is packed, but this is sitting all by itself. Either it’s really important, or it doesn’t belong.”

  Glancing to either side, Helena concurred. The chest was placed in the exact center of the wall, and it appeared to be one of a kind. “Is it locked?”

  Jackie knelt down and tested the lid, but it didn’t budge. “Seems like it.”

  Helena scratched the back of her neck, cocking her head at the chest as she ran through her thoughts. “It wouldn’t make sense to trap a chest in your own storeroom, would it?”

  Jackie shrugged and looked to the side. “Oi, Strade! You know how to pick locks?”

  As they called out, Strade replied with an irritated grunt from several rows over,

  Strade: “What makes you think I’d know how to do somethin’ like that?”

  Jackie: “Do you?”

  There was a pause, and Strade gave an exasperated sigh before walking over. “It depends on the kind o’ lock. I’ve seen a bunch in different ruins. I can only pick some of ‘em.”

  Helena caught a brief glimpse of a satisfied grin on Jackie’s face before they backed away from the chest, making room for Strade.

  Helena: “Well, is this a type you can open?”

  Strade: “Fuck if I know.” Stopping in front of the chest, he only regarded it with the briefest of inspections before answering with a shrug. He then raised a leg, firmly planting it on the lid of the chest as he drew a dagger from his belt, spinning it between his fingers. “Lockpickin’s a pain, anyhoo. If we don’t need it to close again, it’s way easier to just smash the lock.”

  ???: “Eep!”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  …

  The three Humans blinked.

  Helena: “Did the chest…”

  Jackie: “…just talk?”

  A silent moment passed, then Jackie and Helena both leapt back, each placing their hands on the hilts of their respective swords. Strade, on the other hand, remained exactly where he was.

  Strade: “Well, well, wouldja look at that. Guess the answer was ‘doesn’t belong’, eh, Jacque?”

  Jackie: “Jackie.”

  Strade: “Whatever.” With that dismissive remark, he returned his full attention to the chest beneath his foot. “So, wanna try that again, little chest? I’m not sure if I was hallucinatin’, so I’d like to know for sure.”

  …

  Strade: “Then I’m just crazy, huh? Well, that’s too bad. Guess I’ll go ahead and smash the lock, then—”

  ???: “W-w-wait! D-don’t do that..!”

  And so, the muffled voice of a girl escaped the chest once again.

  Strade: “Oh? And why not, Little Miss Chest?”

  ???: “Um, I-I, uh—this chest is super valuable! It’s an antique! It’s, um, worth a l-lot of money! But only if you don’t break it!” The voice responded with a panicked stutter.

  Nodding, Strade replied with an “Mhm, mhm.” He tapped his chin as if giving it thought, and then,

  Strade: “Don’t care. I just want what’s inside.”

  ???: “U-um, you can’t!”

  Strade: “I can’t?”

  ???: “I-it’s dangerous!”

  Strade: “Oh, dear! Dangerous!?” A wicked grin plastered on his face, Strade replied with a dramatic flair, twisting his body like a damsel on a stage.

  ???: “Y-yes! It’s, um, cursed! Yes, it’s c-cursed! You’ll be cursed for a hundred years and die if you open me!”

  Strade: “Well, that’s a shame. Guess I’m gettin’ cursed.”

  ???: “Um, th-that was a lie!”

  Strade gasped. “A lie!?”

  ???: “Y-yes! I’m actually, um, actually… a bomb! I’m rigged to explode! If you open me, y-you’ll explode! And k-k-kill everyone in this room!”

  Strade sighed. “Well, it was nice knowing you, Jean.”

  Jackie: “That wasn’t even close.”

  The voice almost seemed to sob. Finally giving up on his search, Sam stepped over to take a look at the commotion, standing on the opposite side as Jackie and Helena. He eyed Strade with a displeasured expression.

  Sam: “Strade, stop playing around. You’re actually making me feel bad for the monster…”

  ???: “I-I’m not a monster!” The voice insisted.

  The room was silent for a moment as the Humans exchanged glances.

  Jackie: “I mean, you’re pretty obviously a Mimic.”

  ???: “Th-th-that’s not..!” The voice trailed off.

  Strade: “Well, Little Miss Chest?”

  ???: “B-but I’m not dangerous! I-I swear!”

  Strade: “I thought you were a bomb, though?”

  The voice let out a defeated wail. “I-I was lying, okay!? I just wanted you to g-go away! I-I don’t wanna hurt anyone, so, s-so just, just…” Stuttering, the voice broke down into sobs. “P-please don’t hurt me..!”

  Listening to the Mimic’s crying, Jackie stood up straight, removing their hand from their sword. They walked up to the chest and gestured for Strade to back away.

  Strade: “Eh? What’re you—”

  Jackie: “We won’t hurt you, but on a few conditions. Got it?”

  The voice’s crying paused, and Jackie continued, waving at Strade again; he begrudgingly obeyed, taking a step back with a click of his tongue.

  Jackie: “I want you to open the chest and reveal yourself to us. If you do anything funny, we’ll kill you. But if you really are friendly, we’ll leave you be.”

  Helena: “Absolutely not!” Helena was the next to close in on the chest, and her voice caused the Mimic to yelp. “It’s a monster. Why are we entertaining this!?”

  Jackie: “Sure, but she’s talking to us.”

  Helena: “And? Plenty of monsters speak. Hell, the Kumori spoke!”

  At that, Jackie shook their head. “There’s a big difference between talking and speaking. A typical Mimic wouldn’t bother trying to reason with us. Either we’d be dead, or she’d be a mile away already.”

  ???: “Th-that’s right! I’m reasonable!”

  Helena: “Stay out of this!” She snapped at the chest.

  ???: “I-I think I’m pretty involved, though!?”

  Jackie: “I want to hear her out.” Speaking with conviction, they reached down to their belt and unclipped their scabbard, holding it up to Helena. “Take my sword. If I’m wrong, you can cut her down while she eats me.”

  Helena stared at Jackie for a few moments, then pushed their sword aside. “This is incredibly stupid. Trusting you is one thing, but a monster?”

  Sam: “I-I agree with Jackie..!” From the other side of the chest, Sam spoke, stepping forward. “She sounds… scared. I don’t think she wants to hurt us.”

  Helena: “Sam! This one isn’t debatable! She’s dangerous!”

  Sam: “So what!?” Shouting in return, his voice trembled alongside his hands. “So what if she’s dangerous!? So are we—so are Humans! What makes her any different? All I hear is a girl that’s terrified for her life.”

  Helena: “And what if this is all a trap?”

  Sam: “Then we’ll deal with it, and I’ll admit you were right.” He wavered at Helena’s concerned expression, but continued, clenching a fist. “I can make my own choices. And I choose to give her a chance.”

  Gritting her teeth, Helena glanced between Sam and the chest a few times, then finally reached out and took Jackie’s sword. “Fine.” Her voice was uncharacteristically quiet. “But if she tries anything…”

  Jackie nodded, then turned to the Mimic. “Alright then, as I was saying. I want you to reveal yourself and prove you aren’t a threat. Got it?”

  The chest was silent for a moment until a weak voice escaped it. “Y-you promise? You won’t just attack me as soon as I come out..?”

  Jackie: “I swear. We won’t hurt you unless you make any sudden moves.”

  A moment passed, and then there was a click. A wooden creak echoed throughout the room as the lid of the chest slowly rose, and the contours of a face barely peeked out from within.

  Jackie: “All the way. Let us see you.”

  She nodded, trembling, and the chest opened further, revealing the form of a young woman. Her shoulder-length hair was off-white in color, a sort of pale beige, and a long sheet of it masked one of her tired grey eyes. Her ears were slightly pointed, and she wore just a simple grey t-shirt that hung loosely off one shoulder—it was obviously a size or two too large for her thin frame.

  The Mimic’s body seemed to come to an abrupt end at the hips, where her skin was conjoined with the wooden base of the chest she inhabited. Her lip quivering and tears in her eyes, she tapped her fingers together nervously. To Jackie, she resembled a frightened animal more than any sort of monster.

  Jackie: “There, now we’re face to face. Do you have a name?”

  The Mimic nodded, her gaze shifting between the four Humans. “I-it’s Lii.”

  Jackie: “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Lii. So, why aren’t you trying to eat us?”

  Lii: “E-eh!? Um, th-that’s a bit direct, isn’t it..?”

  Helena: “Answer the question.”

  Lii: “I-I’m not like other Mimics! I don’t eat people..!” She flinched at Helena’s words, shutting her eyes as she gave a hasty reply.

  Jackie raised an eyebrow. “What do you eat, then?”

  Lii: “I-I’m a vegetarian..!”

  At that, Strade broke out into laughter. “A vegetarian monster? Seriously!?”

  Lii: “I t-told you, I’m not a monster!” She insisted again, raising her voice slightly as she clasped her hands together.

  Helena narrowed her eyes, considering the answer, then drew Jackie’s sword, pointing it at Lii; the Mimic yelped and recoiled, whatever confidence she’d mustered evaporating in an instant.

  Helena: “I don’t buy it. There aren’t many edible plants. Even Jiyagi eat meat.”

  Lii: “H-huh..!? But I…” Her trembling voice trailed off as she had a sudden realization. She then clasped her head in both hands, doubling over in shock. “Ah, I-I forgot..! I’m in the Heap..!”

  Clearly unimpressed, Helena repeated her question. “There aren’t many edible plants. How did you survive until now?”

  Returning her attention to Helena, Lii stuttered, her eyes slowly sliding to the side. “I-I was, um, h-hibernating. I, uh…” She cast her gaze downward with a hint of sorrow, “Wasn’t planning on… w-waking up…”

  Those words caused Sam to frown, and he took a step forward. At that Helena gasped, stepping towards him and Lii; their dual approach caused Lii to recoil with a yelp, lowering the lid of the chest.

  Sam: “I’m Sam.” He said simply, giving Lii a soft smile as he held a hand out to her.

  The Mimic’s gaze flicked between his face and his outstretched hand a few times, and then she slowly, hesitantly reached her own trembling arm out of the chest. Her soft skin touched his, and Sam gently shook her hand.

  Watching this, Helena reluctantly stood up straight, lowering Jackie’s sword as she let out a deep exhale.

  Helena: “Fine. I believe that she isn’t dangerous. But we’re leaving.”

  Sam: “Eh?”

  Lii: “Eh?”

  Their heads snapping to face Helena, the two spoke in unison. Helena regarded them both with lidded eyes, failing to mask her irritation.

  Helena: “I’ll keep a close eye on her while you finish looting. Then, we’re leaving. Even if she’s friendly, being near a monster is a liability. We’ll leave as soon as we can—and you’ll stay right where you are.” She directed that last comment at Lii with a stern glare.

  Lii: “Y-you’re just gonna leave me here..!? I-I’ll starve!”

  Helena: “I don’t see how that’s our problem.”

  Lii: “Y-you’re the ones that woke me from my hibernation..! My b-blood will be on your hands!”

  Hearing that, Sam, clasped Lii’s hand in both of his as he turned to Helena. She braced for another argument, but before Sam could speak—

  Jackie: “Lii, mind if I ask you another question?”

  Lii blinked, and she turned to Jackie. “Um. I-I guess that’s fine..?”

  They nodded and grinned, leaning against a shelf as they spoke. “Earlier, you called this place ‘the Heap’. Is that what the wasteland is called?”

  Lii cocked her head, then replied slowly. “Um, y-yeah. The Forgotten Heap.”

  Strade: “That’s a dumb name.”

  Lii: “I-I didn’t come up with it..!

  Sam: “I think it sounds kinda cool…”

  Jackie ignored those interjections, nodding again at Lii’s answer,

  Jackie: “Thought so. Then, based on the way you spoke earlier…” They paused, allowing the others to quiet down and turn their attention to them before finishing, “Am I right to say you implied there was such a place as outside the Forgotten Heap?”

  Lii blinked again, completely baffled. “Um, y-yeah? Of course there is?”

  To her, this fact was a simple, fundamental truth of existence. It was something as obvious and natural as breathing or eating. To the Humans, however, this was an earth-shattering revelation.

  To one who had lived their entire life ensnared within the wasteland—to one who was only the latest in a generational line of Humans trapped in the wasteland—the very concept of an “outside” was foreign. They had never been presented with a single reason to believe that the world consisted of anything other than their cruel, vicious home, that out there somewhere was something other than rolling hills of trash and ancient ruins.

  As the others were aghast, Jackie stepped forward and leaned in close to Lii’s face, which caused her to flush from their closeness.

  Jackie: “So, Lii, what’s it like outside? Is it as dangerous as it is here?”

  Lii: “Um, d-definitely not..!” She leaned back, shooting her gaze away from Jackie before her face could redden any further. “M-most of the monsters here don’t live anywhere else. And, um, there’s a-actual civilization, so…”

  Jackie: “Civilization?” They leaned in closer, placing their hands on the rim of Lii’s chest—the box, get your mind out of the gutter—to support their weight, and Lii was forced to meet their glistening, curious eyes again.

  Lii: “Um, y-you know, cities and countries and… y-you’re way too close..!”

  Jackie blinked, then leaned back a bit with an “Oh, sorry”, but their eyes continued to shine. “Could you take us there?”

  Lii: “T-take you..? Um…” She looked off to the side, placing a hand over her face. Though she tried to look like she was deep in thought, it was really just a fruitless attempt to hide her blush. Finally, her eyes slid back over to Jackie with an answer, “I-I guess so… Um, yeah..! I could take you South to Elysium, and, um, l-lead you to the city of Ellon.”

  Satisfied with that, Jackie turned to the others and took a step back to be beside the chest, reaching an arm behind Lii to wrap it around her shoulder and pull the yelping girl against them.

  Jackie: “Well, Helena? Sounds like it’s worth the risk to me.~”

  As Jackie led the conversation along, Helena’s thoughts had been racing. An outside world. One safer than this place—the Heap, as Lii called it. Could such a thing truly exist? She spoke of it so naturally, but could it all be a lie?

  It didn’t matter how cute or friendly the girl in front of her was. She was a Mimic—a monster. A creature that preyed on Humans in order to survive. Lying would be in her nature just the same as killing.

  And yet, Jackie was right. She hadn’t made any aggressive moves this whole time. Jackie was literally touching her now—if she had any intention of killing them, there’d never be a better opportunity than now. Instead, she seemed hesitant to even put her hands on Jackie as she protested their closeness.

  With a sigh, Helena sheathed Jackie’s sword. Much as she told herself she needed to be wary, it was difficult to imagine the pathetic creature in front of her bringing harm to anyone.

  Helena: “Fine. We’ll take her with us.” She tossed Jackie’s scabbard back to them; they caught it in one hand. “If there really is an outside, we should go there as fast as possible. But I’ll be watching you closely.”

  Lii: “Um, o-okay! I swear, I won’t do a-anything suspicious..!” She gave Helena a serious nod, seemingly having resigned herself to Jackie’s side-hug. Then she looked down, blushing slightly, and tapped her fingers together, “So, um… d-do you have anything I could eat..?”

  Mythos! There's a few, so let's not waste any time.

  you can expect new injections of Mythos content weekly on Wednesdays. As of coming back to edit this, we now update twice a week! Yippee! To top it off, my chapters are about twice as long as most serials here on RR, so you're basically getting two four chapters a week, aren't you?

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  too overbearing, so we'll leave it at that for now. See you in tomorrow's chapter!

  Chapter Glossary:

  Lii - (Pronounced lee) A shy, friendly Mimic girl. Most Mimics eat people, but she's a vegetarian.

  Mimic - Intelligent monsters with the power to transform into objects. Some use this power to ambush unfortunate prey; most don't bother.

  The Forgotten Heap - A tropical wasteland of toxic plants, mounds of trash, and ancient, mismatched ruins. It's overrun with incredibly dangerous monsters; how this ecosystem possibly sustains itself is a mystery. Does anyone on the outside know that people are living here?