AmethYst

Chapter Twenty 

Miles stirred as he felt someone tapping his cheeks, urging him to wake up. He opened his eyes slightly and saw Grey's face inches away. Pretending to sleep, he was met with Grey's exclamation, "Hey, I just saw you open your eyes, you know?" Reluctantly, Miles finally woke up and sat up in bed, confused. "Where are we?" he asked.

"We're in a cabin at our base," Grey replied excitedly.

"Base?!" Miles shouted, leaping out of bed.

"Relax, Miles! I know you're excited to meet a member of the Xeno Corpse, but we're not at the main base—just a few meters away from Elven Von," Grey said, gesturing for Miles to calm down.

"By the way, where's Crimson?" Miles asked, urgency creeping into his voice.

"I don't know," Grey admitted. "But why did you faint anyway? The medics said you passed out from shock."

Miles's expression changed to one of tension as he prepared to flee if Grey discovered his secret. "Errr…" he stammered, but Grey cut him off. "I didn't know, but it looks like I have the biggest fan of Xeno Corpse yet!" Grey exclaimed with enthusiasm.

Miles's tense expression relaxed a little. *If I say I'm a fan, this guy will probably ask me a ton of stupid questions,* he thought. But he figured he had to take the risk and pretend. "Ye—"

Before he could finish, Crimson walked in. "Oh, it looks like you finally woke up!" he said, spotting Miles.

Miles rushed to Crimson, silently thanking him for finally doing something worthwhile.

"Oh, you're here!" Grey exclaimed to Crimson. "Yes, one of your comrades said they saw something unusual just north of Elven Von, so I came to get you," Crimson replied.

"Well, let's get going!" Grey said, picking up Miles's sword and handing it to him. "You shouldn't pass out again from feasting your eyes upon the talents of the Xeno Corpse." With that, Grey exited the cabin.

Miles turned to Crimson and blinked rapidly. "What did you do while I was out?"

"Errr, I kind of told Grey we would help him out," Crimson admitted.

"You did what? You know that if they—" Miles started, but before he could finish, Crimson quickly moved behind him, covering his mouth and whispering in his ear, "Just keep quiet. That guy Grey may seem kind of dumb, but I think he's something else."

Suddenly, Grey reentered the cabin and saw Crimson behind Miles. "Sorry for interrupting," Grey exclaimed as he ran out of the cabin, covering his eyes.

Miles, startled, bit Crimson and pushed him away. "Hey! What was that for?" Crimson said.

"Sorry about that—it was my reflex," Miles replied. "So what are we going to do now?"

"We'll be with the Xeno Corpse until we deal with the Blood Screecher," Crimson responded. Just then, a guard entered the cabin and informed them that they were moving to the north.

Crimson turned to Miles, saying, "You should be ready to face your worst threat yet."

They exited the cabin, and Miles sighed. "If this thing is as dangerous as you say, do you think I need to go along?"

Crimson shot him an angry look. "Yes! You do want to see Laurel again, don't you?"

Determination ignited in Miles. "Yes, I want to find her more than anything!"

Crimson chuckled. "That's what I thought."

Grey approached them and declared, "You are with me." The three headed into the forest with other soldiers and mages of Xeno Corpse right behind them, preparing for the impending danger.

"Grey, what do you think this Blood Screecher is like?" Miles asked.

"I don't know, but all I know is I just want to be the one holding its head," Grey replied.

Miles instinctively backed away, thinking about what Grey would do if he found out his secret.

Grey raised his hands, signalling the group to stop. He looked up at the sky. "It's getting dark, and I warn you not to light a torch," he said.

The group walked deeper into the forest as the trees began to obscure the light.

The dense forest floor was cloaked in shadows, the towering trees casting long, ominous shapes over the group. Grey's sharp eyes caught sight of the carcass first—a mangled, unrecognizable heap of flesh and bone nestled among the moss and fallen leaves. He sprinted ahead, his boots crunching against the undergrowth, and dropped to his knees beside it.

His fingers hovered over the remains, studying them with a predatory gleam in his eyes. Then he turned toward the group, his face twisting into a smirk that sent shivers down their spines.

"Looks like we've found ourselves the last Blood Screecher," Grey declared, his voice dripping with dark amusement.

Rising to his feet, he raised his right hand, his fingers curling into a claw-like gesture. "Boom," he said with quiet finality.

The ground beneath them quaked violently. With a deafening crack, the forest floor split open, revealing a yawning abyss. A gust of wind whooshed upward, but there was nothing there—only an invisible force that rippled through the air like heat waves.

Crimson's eyes widened, his breath hitching in awe. "Invisible manipulation," he muttered, turning to Miles. "That's what it is—"

Before he could finish, the sky above erupted with a sickening splat. From the heavens plummeted a grotesque creature, an abomination of fused human organs and blood-soaked tentacles. It crashed into the ground with a wet, squelching thud. The thing was alive, writhing as countless mouths gnashed and drooled, and innumerable eyes darted erratically across its bloated form.

Miles staggered backwards, his stomach churning as the stench of decay hit him like a punch. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" he screamed, clutching his gut as bile rose in his throat.

The monstrosity reacted immediately. One of its fleshy, blood-slick tentacles shot out, wrapping around Grey's waist in the blink of an eye. The group barely had time to react before the creature hoisted him high into the air.

Grey!" Crimson shouted, conjuring a blade, but the beast was faster. It twisted its hideous body with a grotesque gurgle and darted toward the dense forest.