Abyssal Revenant

After traveling for two and a half days, while taking breaks from the luminescent caves they found, the players found themselves in front of a much taller and wider cave.

Unlike the caves they encountered, this one was covered in mushroom-like water-breathing lights stuck to the ceiling.

And, when the players stepped inside the cave, their water-breathing affinity wasn't being replenished.

Jax raised an eyebrow and suspiciously looked around the cave as they traversed through it. Then, he alone stood still and took a deep breath.

"You guys have noticed it too, haven't you?" he asked in a serious voice.

"Yeah," Nico nodded. "It's weird how the water-breathing affinity isn't being replenished. This must be the climax of the level..."

"Sounds... ominous..." Victor said as he cracked his neck and knuckles.

"Why do I get the feeling you've been wanting to say that for a while now?" Nico teased as he gently tapped the back of his hand on Victor's chest.

Victor chuckled. "I'm not big on words, dude. Of course, I've been holding this bombastic word back."

"It really isn't a hard word to say."

"Stop it already," Jax reprimanded. "The fact that our breathing isn't being replenished means that we should've beaten the level, right? And yet, that hasn't happened."

"Did we make a wrong turn?" Sophia inquired.

"Possibly... This is called the Coral Labyrinth, right? So... it wouldn't be far off if that was the case..." Veronica added as she looked around that cave.

"V, can you do it?" Nico asked as he stood in front of Veronica.

Hesitating, Veronica nodded her head.

"You don't have to push yourself," Nico added.

"N-No! I'll do it!" Veronica responded as she looked at Nico's eyes.

Then, she took a deep breath and blue mana enveloped her entire body. Then, like a drop of water falling into a lake, she poured her energy out into her surroundings.

Then, she received the information about the area and immediately shuddered. As she shivered, Nico caught her in his arms and held her tightly.

"V? What's wrong? What can you see?" he asked.

Veronica's skin returned to normal and she took deep and heavy breaths. "Abyssals..." she muttered in a low voice as she fell unconscious.

Nico's eyes widened in shock. "Everyone, father around!" he exclaimed as he placed Veronica in Jax's arms and tried conjuring up his flames underwater.

'Shit! My pyrokinetic abilities won't work in deep waters...! Especially if they're being powered by the ocean god's powers!' he realised as he pulled out his Voided Xiphos and Steel Blade, attaching the chain to the other blade's end.

Without having to ask what was going on, the other players prepared themselves for what was coming. They immediately readied themselves and took fighting stances.

Mana was now rich in the air and weapons were at the ready. The players sharpened their gazes and kept focusing on their surroundings, waiting for what was hiding in the dark to reveal itself.

From the distance, a crackling sound reverberated throughout the cave, forcing everyone's attention towards the source.

Then, another sound came from behind them, causing them to turn their attention towards the noise once again.

Repeatedly, the noises grew closer and therefore louder, covering the players and cornering them. Then, a spear flew in Nico's direction, only for him to swiftly smack it away with his Steel Blade.

He turned towards the direction that the spear came from and took a defensive stance.

Then, a low growl came from the darkness. One by one, flapping sounds emerged and stood in the light.

Thick scales coloured in blue shone beneath the lights of the cave, along with bodies so muscular they'd put Victor's build to shame.

The monsters had webclaws instead of hands and sharp nails that could effortlessly tear through steel if they were motivated enough.

As for their heads, they were similar to the heads of squids, but with much more volume and mass. Then, their lips were substituted with tentacles and gills beneath their chins.

When the players looked into their eyes, a bone-chilling stare of golden eyes pierced their souls.

"What the fuck are those things?!" a player asked worriedly as he took a step back. "That looks nothing like a mermaid!"

"That's because it isn't..." Nico responded.

"Nico, do you know what those things are?" Victor asked as he stood beside Nico.

"They're Abyssal Revenants, deep sea creatures that serve directly under Poseidon," he responded. "They're not hostile and they normally help players with their quests."

"They feed on sirens, sharks and other sea creatures. They have no use for human flesh," he concluded.

"So, we're all chill?" Jax asked as he calmed himself.

"Not quite," Nico added.

"Huh?"

"Look into their eyes. Normally, they reflect the blue ocean's colour. But, they're gold, which means they're in hostile mode."

"Why? It's not like we attacked them... Right?" Sophia asked.

"We didn't. But, we invaded their territory..." Nico answered. "I knew there was something weird about the barrier we went through. This entire labyrinth is their home and now they feel threatened."

"How are they feeling threatened?! They're twice the meat size as Victor! No offence," Jax said.

"None taken," Victor responded with a shrug.

"What do we do?"

Nico held his weapons tightly. "We fight."

Without warning, the abyssal revenants roared and charged for the players, spinning their spears and pointing the blades of their weapons against them.

The sounds they made were hoarse and unholy, while weirdly enchanting. Coordinating their attacks, the abyssal revenants flung themselves into the ocean water and swam at an incredible speed.

The players charged ahead as well and began brawling with the beasts.

They had unimaginable strength and speed that far surpassed any foe the players had faced. But, they weren't going to allow the monsters to win.

Victor curled his hands into fists and punched one of the abyssal revenants in the face, causing black squid ink to spill from what looked like a nostril.

Then, he grabbed the monster's tentacles and pulled it closer to him, punching it one more time, causing a soul shard to fall out of its forehead and for it to meet its end.

While Victor handled the monsters relatively easily, Nico was mostly playing defence with them. When one monster threw a barrage of punches, Nico evaded and looked for an open.

When one presented itself, he immediately tossed his dual blade and launched himself into the air, where he turned his body and kicked the monster on the back of its head.

While it stumbled, Nico grabbed his dual blade and plunged the Voided Xiphos straight into the monster's neck, tearing through the tough skin before jumping off and landing on the sand.

A soul shard fell on Nico's feet and he knew that the battle was over. One by one, he cleaved through the school of abyssal revenants and managed to cut down on their numbers.

Victor smirked as he looked at Nico. "There's no telling whether or not you'll be able to use your fire powers in the future, Nico! Don't you think this is the best way to learn how to defend yourself without magic?!" he asked as he punched an abyssal through the throat, killing it.

"It doesn't matter how you look at it!" Nico responded as he slid beneath a monster and cut its legs with his dual blade. "Adapting is something I've grown used to, so of course my powers aren't always going to work against my enemies!"

"That's why...!" he added as he jumped high and slashed the abyssal revenant on its back before landing on the ground, turning his body and slashing its throat. "I can't let my body weaken!"

Victor nodded in approval and continued battling the monsters before him. "In that case, I can't let you surpass me, can I?!"

Suddenly, Victor's entire body was coated in a brown mana. Then, his fists grew cracks, along with the bottom of his eyes.

Within a second, he appeared in front of the abyssal revenants that had managed to go after Jax, who was defending the unconscious Veronica.

Then, he swung his arm and decapitated all 5 of the monsters, causing the ocean to sway with the movement of his arm.

Without stopping, he dashed in front of the other players and tanked the attacks directed towards them before darting towards the abyssal revenants and killing them with a single blow.

Eventually, every single player stopped moving and simply kept their eyes on Victor, who was now shining brighter than the sun.

The brighter he smiled, the brighter he shone.

He grew so luminescent that the abyssal revenants stopped moving to keep watching him as well.

'When you're too prideful to run but too weak to stay, all you can do is stand still. If prey can't run, they make themselves as less threatening as possible...' Nico concluded.

Just as he had predicted, the abyssal revenants slowly lowered their weapons and watched Victor.

'Unfortunately for them, Victor isn't one to be a king; he doesn't know he's won until his enemy bleeds...'

With a maniacal smile on his face, Victor threw an air punch towards the monsters that swam expeditiously towards them and blew them up.

'Victor is a Spartan... He'll be the key to getting us out of here...'