Suffering

Artis's heart pounded in his chest as he descended into the darkness of the crater, his mind filled with worry for his sister. 

The walls of the crater were rough and jagged, the air thick with smoke and the smell of burning metal.

He landed with a thud at the bottom of the crater, pushing the ground ignoring the pain he felt in his arms as he started scanning the area and ran again. 

 "ALICE!!" he shouted, his voice echoing off the walls of the crater. 

Rumble! Rumble! 

Hearing his shouts, the floor he was on started to tremble again as the 2 metallic beasts appeared out of thin here before him and blocked his way of going forward and backward. 

"Shit!" cursed Artis as he took out the metal rod to point at the metallic beasts. 

As if they heard him, the tentacles shot out aiming at Artis from both sides as Artis jumped up taking support of the walls and moving towards one of the metallic beasts clenching the rod tightly in his wrists. 

"Because of you...." mumbled Artis, 

"Because of you..." his voice filled with anger and malice. 

"Everything went to hell!! BECAUSE OF YOU!!!" roared Artis as he swung the rod with a motion aiming a powerful strike at its head. 

The creature recoiled, its metallic form denting under the force of Artis's attack. But it quickly recovered, its tentacles lashing out with renewed aggression.

Artis dodged and weaved, narrowly avoiding the deadly strikes as he continued to press his assault.

"Select skill- Magician!" 

Just as he selected [Magician], the metal rod he was swinging generated a spark of flames as he continued to dodge and weave aiming for its head. 

The metal rod, completely enveloped in flames blinded the metallic beast as a white smoke formed in that hallway blinding the beasts. 

Taking the opportunity, Artis jumped up and stabbed the head of the metallic beast ripping it apart as he jumped backward again clenching the rod tightly, he pierced the other metallic beast's head and breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Phew..." 

Just at that moment, Artis grabbed the beast's head and ripped it apart with all his might, and threw it as hard as he could causing a dent on the burnt wall of the ship. 

Artis's heart raced as he took a deep breath, feeling the rush of power coursing through his veins.

The fiery metal rod in his hands broke down at that moment. That rod could not handle the amount of power Artis generated in it. 

Throwing the rod away, Artis started running again observing the damage and the floor he was in. 

'The engine room is supposed to be at at the rear end of the first deck. Judging from the fall I took, I am pretty sure I am on the third floor. I can't tell where I am currently but I pray that nothing happened to Alice. Please be safe...' 

Artis continued to run downstairs avoiding all the dangers as he reached the second floor that had partially flooded. 

He carefully navigated through the rising water and broken ship sections, keeping his eyes open for any threats. The metallic beasts were dangerous, and there could still be more lurking around, especially with the ship's state of disrepair.

His mind raced as he considered the possibility that Alice may have already escaped, but he couldn't let go of the nagging fear that she might still be in danger.

Artis's instincts were on high alert as he made his way through the corridors. He used his [Magician] skill to create light, illuminating the dark and flooded areas.

Finally, he reached the lower deck where the engine room was located. His heart raced with anticipation and anxiety as he approached the area. The door to the engine room was blocked by debris, but Artis used his strength to clear the path.

"ALICE!" Artis shouted, entering the room. 

The engine room was flooding slightly, with lights flickering in and out, zaps going out everywhere as Artis struggled to figure out where to go next. 

Crash! 

Suddenly, Artis felt an uneasy amount of fear and pressure in his body as he remained frozen where he stood not able to even move his finger. 

'Wh-What? Why am I not able to move? Why am I so scared all of a sudden... Why the hell do I want to run away?' thought Artis as he gritted his teeth in frustration, still not able to move his body. 

[Passive Skill [Calm Mind] is active] 

"Move.....Move....MOVE!!" screamed Artis as he used [Magician] and stabbed his fingers making them bleed a little snapping out of his fear. 

"Huff...Huff..." On his knees and struggling to stand up, he looked ahead with determination. 

Standing up, he took one step forward, pain evident in his eyes. 

[Utility Skill [Flash Step] is active] 

As a white sigil formed under his shoes, he jumped forward and entered the deep part of the engine room. 

The entire room was filled with metallic bodies lying on the ground not moving, brightness illuminating the entire room, no signs of flood in the room as a lady with red hair wearing a red gauntlet surrounded by 2 white wolf-like creatures protecting her in a veil as the lady was busy fixing the wires in one of the machines. 

"Alice?" 

The wolves opened their eyes as they began staring at Artis with their yellow eyes. 

Alice gasped, looking behind with a shocked face as she responded.

"Artis? But how...You're not supposed to be here...You're supposed to be..."

Artis jumped forward as he tightly embraced Alice and cried, 

"You're safe! You know how worried I was when you were not at the hall!"

Alice, overcome by her emotions for a moment, embraced Artis back as the forcefield surrounding them disappeared. 

"C'mon! Let's get out of here! I don't know how but we have to escape no matter what!" said Artis as he grabbed Alice's hand ready to run any moment. 

Alice, noticing that stopped in her tracks as Artis looked back in shock. 

"What in the world are you doing Alice? We've to run dammit!" 

Alice stood still not responding to Artis at all as the wolves roamed around them creating a misty veil again. 

She looked at Artis with a sad grin and said, "I'm sorry Artis, but I really can't." 

"A nice family reunion we got here. Unfortunately, we've to cut it short." 

A voice echoed throughout the room as the wolves stood up growling upwards. The entire room started to shake and Artis felt the unexplainable fear surging inside his body again. 

Inside the room, appeared a machine floating in the air having intricate patterns over it on top of it, stood a woman with short purple hair, wearing a black suit, eyes covered with sunglasses, and hands in her pockets as she continued to speak. 

"Who're you? Are you the one responsible for this mess!?" asked Alice in a threatening tone. 

"Oh? So it seems there is someone who can withstand [Dominating Fear]. Too bad, I can't say the same for your brother over there, Alice Janes!" 

Artis's heart raced as he looked up at the figure before him, her presence was imposing, and the fear she invoked was almost paralyzing. 

Alice's expression was one of surprise as she looked at the woman. Artis squeezed her hand tighter, knowing they needed to be ready for whatever was about to happen.

"You know me? Who are you?" 

"Who I am is of little consequence," the woman replied, a cold smile crossing her face. "All that matters is for us to capture all of you for the grand objective. That's why..." 

As she said that, a gun materialized in her hand and shot Alice's shoulders grazing it a bit. 

"ALICE!" shouted Artis in worry as Alice fell to her knees, her face contorted with pain as she was not able to scream or move. 

"A Paralyzing Bullet. It seems you're still able to resist to some degree. But, Alas. I would've loved to play with you but I need to hurry up and get our preparations ready." 

Just as she said that, the lady pressed a button and multiple metallic creatures appeared instantly surrounding them completely. 

Gritting her teeth, Alice struggled to stand up as Artis supported her, his eyes filled with fear. 

Alice looked at Artis with an unexplainable expression etched on her face as she looked at the lady with determined eyes. 

"Artis, listen to me. I have a plan that will get us out of this situation. Just wait for my signal and start running towards the exit right away, Understand?"