Grotesque Creature

The moment Roger's foot left the platform he felt the mists attack his mind.

This time, instead of fighting against it, he let it fuel him and dashed down the staircase as fast as possible.

Vague glimpses of previous battles appeared in his vision, but he ignored them. He had struggled against them enough for today, and he wasn't about to let them cause him to trip.

Roger had hoped that the Crown of Mists would have made the mental attacks weaker, but it didn't seem to offer any protection.

Nonetheless, it was far easier to deal with them when they both wanted the same thing; to leave the ruin. 

'Just ignore the thoughts. Find Lila, leave the ruin, and never look back. It can't be that hard, right?'

It took him only a minute to break through the bottom layer of mist, suddenly removing the weight on his psyche, and causing Roger to almost stumble into a fall. 

Catching himself just before he tipped over, he righted himself and continued until he reached the floor.

Turning back, he looked up the way he came, unable to see past a few steps up.

'This thing is all kinds of wrong. It felt like it took hours to go up, but minutes to go down? Whoever built it was messed up.'

The strangeness of the staircase brought a new worry with it; where had Lila gone?

If it took Roger hours to climb up, but only minutes to climb down, Lila must have been wandering alone in the dark for far longer than he had anticipated.

She could have even found the exit and began the long trek to the glade.

'No, she wouldn't do that. It would be a nightmare to navigate the ruin in the dark. The moment she reached the water she would stop, otherwise she would be risking hypothermia.'

Roger tried to convince himself she was smarter than that, but they had already learned the magic of this place affected them differently.

Who was to say Lila didn't feel them even after exiting the mists?

If the fear effect was strong enough, she could have run in a straight line through all the hallways, water, and right to the ladder. 

It was just as likely she accidentally turned and had been wandering the various corridors for hours.

Sighing, Roger glanced at the torch and then the shadows surrounding him.

He set off for the hallway they entered from while muttering under his breath.

"This is exactly what I wanted to spend my night doing. Hunting for a teenager in an ancient underground ruin that also contains the tomb of some ancient wizard connected to a bunch of mists that make you envision your worst fears."

One last sentence followed before he vanished into the dark tunnel.

"Still beats eating prison food."

***

It took Roger longer to make it to the tomb room and the hallway beyond than it did his first time through.

The added time was spent exclusively searching every dark space he could find, hoping to spot a familiar fifteen-year-old girl hiding.

As the time ticked away, Roger was forced to take a few minutes to pause and relax, as he had found himself white-knuckling the torch. It was close to snapping by the time he noticed.

Once he continued his search, he moved faster, his worries growing with each passing second. 

Finding his way to the water, he paused as the torch caught a glint of something red floating just ahead. Kneeling to inspect it, his heart skipped a beat when he recognized what it was.

Blood.

Two possibilities ran through his mind in close order. Lila had hurt herself in her scramble to get away from the mist, or something else had found her first, exploiting her weakness while blinded.

Roger wasn't okay with either.

Gritting his teeth, he charged furiously down the hallway, splashing water everywhere with each step.

Realizing he was already making a large amount of noise, he abandoned the rest of his caution and bellowed down the narrow passageway.

"Lila!"

Roger's emotional distress came not just from his concern for his only companion on Avar, but also for what her loss could mean for his future.

Loath as he was to admit it, she knew a lot more than he did, and that meant he had to rely on her.

At least for now.

Maybe one day he could outgrow his need for her basic knowledge on the magical side of things, but that day hadn't come quite yet, meaning her value was still quite high.

Reaching the room with multiple doorways, he searched it as fast as he could manage but stopped when he noticed the trail of red leading down a specific hallway.

It wasn't the way back to the ladder.

Accepting the risk of brazenly dashing into unknown territory, Roger ran even faster while roaring Lila's name into the darkness, praying she was still alive and able to hear him.

Halfway down the corridor, he noticed something new floating on the water. It was brown and tinged with red, folding over itself from the waves.

Roger didn't need to stop to recognize it as part of Lila's clothes she had made, her furs.

'Gods damn it she must be in trouble!'

A blue flash from the direction he was heading in caused him to momentarily slow down, but it didn't last long as he moved forward with renewed vigor and a smile on his face.

'Praise the gods, she is alive! I'd recognize that color of blue anywhere!'

The floor inclined up, causing Roger to leave the water, and allowing him to throw the fluffy pillow in his hands to the dry ground. He then grabbed his sword and drew it in the same motion, an echoing ring accompanying the gesture.

Crossing the boundary of the next open room, the torchlight quickly fanned out to let him see the situation.

Lila was standing with Vronti in hand, blue lightning coating the blade. Her clothes were ripped, and blood leaked from multiple wounds. Blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders, matted flat from sweat and clinging to her skin.

Standing opposed was a creature Roger could only describe as vaguely human.

It was tall, easily two meters in height, but skinny to the point of emaciation. Its limbs to disproportionally long, with both its hands and feet ending in three sharp talons each. 

The most grotesque part was the mouth that took up a majority of its ghostly pale face. It was circular and wide open, showcasing rows of sharp fangs. At the back of its throat rested a swirling ball of mist.

Roger's eyes widened as he noticed the beast, and he struggled to properly understand what he was seeing.

It was unlike anything he had experienced before. The other monsters he had fought might have had magical abilities, but they were merely larger versions of Earth creatures.

This was the first time he faced something entirely unique.

Lila noticed the torchlight almost immediately, turning to look at him. Her eyes were full of fear and desperation, with a bloody gash on her right cheek.

Launching himself into the fray without any further consideration, Roger swung his sword at the creature's leg, hoping to cleave it off and cripple its ability to retaliate. 

The blow struck true, hitting just above the knee, but bounced off without leaving a scratch.

Roger's eyes widened as the beast's attention turned towards him.

It opened its mouth in a roar, facing down at the teenage boy.

The mist in its throat burst out in a torrent, covering Roger and quickly attacking his mind. This time, however, he was able to activate [Echo of Abilities].

The attack was quickly converted to mana, re-energizing him as he stepped back and prepared to strike again, this time hoping to pierce its skin.

To his shock, the beast moved faster, bringing its claws up to slash him into ribbons.

Just as it was about to end his life, the grotesque creature paused.

It stood there for a few seconds before whirling around and leaping away. It then turned around one last time, its face staring right at Roger, before lowering itself onto all fours and bounding off into the darkness, leaving its prey behind.

Roger lowered his sword as his eyebrows rose to his forehead.

'What? Two monsters in a row have run from me? And why did this one? It was about to kill me!'

Turning to Lila, confusion clear on his face, he was surprised to find her mouth wide open and one of her fingers shakily pointing to the circlet he was wearing around his head.

"What?"

His adrenaline was surging, causing his words to come out more authoritative than he had intended.

"The crown!"

Lila's words were cracked and full of emotion, causing Roger to reel back in regret at speaking to her so aggressively when she was in shock. 

Confusion filled his face as he cautiously placed the torch on the stone floor and reached up to his forehead.

Pulling the Crown of Mists up, he held it in his hand as he inspected the stone, gasping when he realized what Lila had been referring to.

The gemstone inlaid into the band was shining as bright as the torch, causing the shadows to be banished even further.

Then, in front of their eyes, the glow slowly dimmed, eventually reverting to a plain, if not beautiful, milky white gem.