Mission: End Apricity part 2

[Castor Lee: Died]

Feeling the coldness beneath her feet and her weight on the snow, her heart could not feel anything but anger as she aimed for the approaching monsters.

[Monsters: 0/150]

The sound of her weapon rang in her ears as she shots the beasts killing one and then another until the number of her kills rises from zero to fifty. Tirelessly shooting while arching her body to avoid any attempts of the monsters to bite her, doing so, she managed to gain minor bruises and bleeds from surface scratches from their sharp nails. It is not a perfect fight. She was an imperfect fighter who tried her best to aim perfectly. Sometimes she missed, sometimes she avoids but the least she thought at the moment is to run away.

She vowed to herself as she killed another of them that she would never run away.

Reading the system's notification once more made her furious.

[Castor Lee: Died]

Gritting her teeth in anger she killed another and then more of them.

[Monster: 99/150]

"You are not a jerk! You are not a bad person! You are a good father for me!" she chanted arguing Castor's description on himself in a shaky voice.

Cleo was taking large movements to fight against her decreasing enemies—vigorously and desperately.

"Do you even understand how I hated myself right now?!" she yelled in frustration.

"You could have let him go! You are hunting me but you killed the wrong person!" Cleo exclaimed in regret, "…And I could have saved him," she mumbled in agony.

She couldn't hear anything but the whimpers of the monsters and the loud bang of her weapon. The snow is getting worse, the colder the temperature, the more her body shivered and yet, despite the disadvantages, her velocity did not waver, as if she did not undergo harsh training an hours ago, and the fact that she did not intake food the whole day, her anger at its peak is only her fuel against her tired body and her hunger.

[Monsters: 150/150]

[>>Clear<<]

Her breaths are ragged, her tired gaze shifted above to stop the tears from falling. Cleo then glanced at the reaper in the sky as her emerald iris trembled while she saw the two-hundred-meters-winged-being stretch its right arm and point at the vast sea.

Soon, an earthquake occurred bringing her down to her feet, the coldness of the red-tainted snow was prickling against her skin against her clothes and the scent of blood flooded her nostrils making her hold her weapon tighter while she stared at the vast sea.

It was night, and the evening sky is nothing but heavy clouds of pouring snow but somehow, no one could determine how she survive the lurking monsters who wanted her life.

Her mask then activated.

[Boss Level: The devil of the snow—Ayaz]

The vast sea shakes like boiling water, meanwhile the icebergs shattered into pieces. Cleo narrowed her eyes to see clearly despite the falling snow and saw that something is rising from below the water—a castle is elevating from the trembling sea.

The ruins of the castle underneath ascended, the exterior appearance is very ancient, the sea drips like waterfalls from the roof down to the walls, and the exquisite architecture reminds her of a Roman castle. The haven's infrastructure and design shouts beauty in a sinister situation.

As soon as the base of the castle showed up, the sea freezes and became ground for its pillars to stand, meanwhile, the frost scattered and connects the land to the castle.

After a minute the earthquake stops.

"Listen, Cleo," Ron muttered as he appeared beside her, "You're here to end Apricity and not Ayaz."

"I'm here to end Castor Lee's daughter," she responded with a darkened gaze.

"It is her—Apricity. It's his daughter's name," Ron interrupted.

The entrance of the castle opened and a one-eyed beast with red fur and eight tails with sharp blades in the end crawled out. The moment its gaze landed on her, it stands on its two feet like a warrior preparing for a duel.

Cleo's mask started to analyze the beast.

[Quil – The entrance's warden

– Special Skill: Regeneration

– Weakness: Fire]

Quil stretched his right arm and out of the blue, a bow and arrow appeared in the thin air waiting for his hold. The moment he grabs his weapon is the same instance Cleo stands from the snow and ready her weapon for the beast.

"Listen Cleo Sky, you need to outsmart him, he may look like an idiot but he is more intelligent than those level three monsters you encountered. He won't be Ayaz's guard for no reason," Ron warned.

"I won't let him kill me," Cleo responded.

"Cleo Sky!" Ron reprimanded raising his voice in frustration.

Her emerald eyes widen and gaze at him.

"Don't let your emotion get into your brain! Above everything else, to be focused is what you need to become right at this moment!" he muttered in irritation.

"—I am focused," Cleo replied.

"Do not lie! I can sense your anger! You're not in your right mind!" Ron commented.

Ron did not get any response but he can still sense her intense emotion.

"He will not come back, no matter how much you grieve, everything in this world will not wait for you to be okay so get to your senses, Cleo!" he yelled at her hoping he could snap her away from her deep anger.

Quil leaps from the castle's entrance to where they currently stand, fortunately, they managed to run before the monster stomped them to their death.

"Hide!" Cleo uttered and glanced at Ron.

She immediately aimed her gun at the beast but it already withdraws its arrow against her. Ron immediately drags her down avoiding Quil's attack.

"Focus, Cleo!" Ron reminded her eagerly as he eyed the beast.

Cleo sighed to make herself calm, "I will!" she answered as she shots the monsters who successfully depleted her bullets using the sharp ends of his tails.

"F-ck!" She cursed in anger while she increased her speed to adapt herself to the battle.

'I need fire, it will kill him,' her inner self murmured while catching her breath.

Grinding her teeth, she aimed again at the beast and even if she managed to shot him, the wound would only regenerate. Her heartbeat almost stopped when Quil's speed increased and almost crash her, luckily she managed to escape.

Nothing could take away how tense Cleo was. The only thing she could do at the moment is to escape and protect herself from his attacks, with the monster's speed it's hard to have access and maneuver her weapon.

'Fire, I need fire,' she chanted in her thoughts.

Once again she tried to shot Quil but still, it was a futile attack.

"Cleo!" Ron called.

Her eyes immediately search for the red midget and saw that he was holding a torch.

"Create an opening for me!" he shouted.

Nodding her head, Cleo hurriedly runs towards the beast. The echo of her attack is the only thing she could hear, her gaze landed on Quil's arm as it tries to withdraw another attack, aiming for Quil's hand, she successfully wounded his right hand holding the bow, another shot from her and the monster lost his hold to his weapon.

Cleo's speed increased as she eyed Ron from the distance, "Now!"

Ron hearing her cue ran at his full potential, making sure the fire wouldn't run out from the blizzard. Meanwhile, Cleo didn't stop attacking the beast, narrowing the space between them, she noticed his attempt to hold her down. Using her rifle to shield herself from the monster's punch, she pushed his arm with all her might and shots his left arm while avoiding the other.

"Ron!!!" Cleo shouted focusing her gaze on Quil who's trying to shut her off by crashing her on the snow.

When Quil managed to drag her and slammed her on the cold ground, a loud groan escaped her mouth.

Her heartbeat was erratic.

'Don't let go of your weapon…DON'T' her inner self panick as she felt Quil's foot pinning her on her back.

Moving her body, the monster pinned her even more that she could feel like her spine would crack if she failed to escape in a minute. Grinding and pulling herself together, she arched her body and managed to bend slightly and shots the leg he used to pin her down. The monster whimpered in pain and tried to summon his weapon again.

On the other hand, Ron throws the torch at him but it bounced back the moment it landed on Quil's back. Cleo immediately crawled and catch the torch on time before it sinks into the cold snow and burned the monster's fur as it catches fire, burning him down. Quil wiggles his body to prevent the fire from spreading but before he could totally kill the flame, Cleo shots his head putting him to death.

Ron approached her and helps her to stand.

"Sorry I almost failed to—

"You help me—and we survive so we did not fail—at least not yet," Cleo interrupts him and pats his head.

"Ha!" he sighed. "You're right. Now all we need to do is to end Apricity, can you walk?" Ron responded.

"I think I can," she answered trying to stand on her two quivering feet.

'It's getting colder.' She thought.

***

Cleo managed to infiltrate the castle, and although she expects an attack, she was surprised to see that there was none. The castle is more grandeur inside, with chandeliers made of fragile ice, there are exquisite things and meticulous designs, however, despite the expensive interior of the castle, the castle still projects emptiness with its lifeless silence—as if the castle itself despite being silent has not peace at all.

Despite being inside the castle, the coldness from outside remained with her.

"Can you locate Apricity despite the thick walls?" she asked Ron.

"She is on the third floor…farthest room to your left… black door."

"…And Ayaz?"

A sound of footsteps echoed the place she was currently in.

"I know you," a deep voice muttered.

Cleo gazed at the man in front of her in a few distance. A strange being in a vessel of a man with silky and silver hair tossed backward from his forehead, the iris of his eyes are as white as his hair, his abnormal white skin tone is noticeable, and his lips are as pale as a corpse.

'He must be Ayaz?' she murmured inside her thoughts as she heard him inhale some air before his posture straightened bringing forth his dominance.

"You are here for my puppet," he muttered, "… although it's not you whom I am expecting to be here early, I am sure he will come regardless," Ayaz uttered.

Cleo keeps her silence. Alerting herself for a sudden attack.

"…Perhaps you heard of him? Someone by the name of Klyde Rivers?" he added as he slightly tilted his head while staring at her.

Cleo flinches upon hearing the protagonist's name.

"You're lucky… Cleo Sky. The system specifically ordered me to let you pass and let you kill her. And on the other hand, he'll be coming soon—for me—I won't have time for you so be on your way," Ayaz announced said as he stepped away into the darkness of the elongated hallway of the castle.

"Cleo!" Ron called snapping her back to her senses, "Let's go! We have no time!"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she sighed.

"Right," she mumbled as she accelerates.

It takes forever for her to run in a long hallway, she was out of breath but the low temperature stopped her sweats from forming. The foul stench of blood on her clothes corrupted her sense of smell as she forced herself not to rub her nose—which made her feel irritated.

On the third floor, they went left—passing white doors until they reached the farthest room—a room with a black door.

"Here?" Cleo muttered as she eyed Ron who nods at her in response.

Gripping tightly at the door knob, a lot of thoughts came inside her messy head. But still, she turned the doorknob and stepped inside. Cleo's emerald eyes gazed upon the webs of wire across the dark room connecting to a frail body—both arms and legs amputated—only her head down to her torso remains and covered with red-stained bandages.

The monitor beside the body is the only thing that produces light for the entire room.

She almost puked from the smell of decay but she stops herself from doing so. Swallowing her saliva back to her throat, Cleo moves forward.

The monitor beeps followed by letters. Cleo stops to read them.

['…Who are you?']

She breathes from her mouth to stop smelling the awful odor of the room.

"…Cleo Sky."

['Cleo Sky… what a beautiful name.']

"Are you Apricity—Apricty Lee?"

['…You know my name?']

['.... Then…do you know my papa?']

"Yes…he begs me to be here and to see you."

['Tell me the truth...']

['…Is my Papa…']

['…dead']

Pain penetrates her heart as Cleo remembered Castor Lee from the back of her head. She slowly nods. There was no response but Cleo noticed Apricity's tears despite the darkness.

['…Did you kill him?']

"…Your father saved me," Cleo answered in a soft voice, "and now…he is waiting for you."

There's no response again…She's waiting and she hopes—she prayed that Apricity can be selfish because heaven knows—heaven knows she doesn't want to end another life with her hands.

And yet, Cleo Sky always has no choice—Always.

['It must be hard for you…to be like this, to do the things that horrified you.']

['I did not mean to do these… those monsters… those people—I love who turned evil…He used me—my intellect to change them—and I did in exchange for my papa's safety.']

"I'm sorry," Cleo mumbled the only comfort she could offer.

['…It's okay now…It's fine…Thank you that you're here. I'm ready…take me to him.']

Cleo's reaction remained hidden behind the mask.

"Very well…" She muttered before cutting her life support with shaking hands.

The monitor beeped loudly, red lights swirled inside the room like a disco ball, and then, everything went silent.

[Mission: End Apricity]

[>>Clear<<]