Chapter 5

Shiori: We must proceed. However, we must move swiftly and depart at once before the Strappers return home.

Shiori: They must be out hunting down some other chumps, perhaps the losers from the Silvercreek Outriders.

Shiori: I heard they decided to loot the peaks.

Shiori: Their funeral, really. But it's our slim chance to make a break for it without turning into Strapper clothes.

Hayato: Understood. Lead the way, Shiori. I'm on your six.

Aware that a mistake could be fatal, the two of us resume advancing with utmost care, careful to not make a noise.

Quickly, we forge into an ample passageway, darkness making it impossible to see past our noses.

Shiori: Don't slow down. These are their hunting grounds! We won't be safe until we slip out of the halls.

Abiding by what my partner said, I keep on rushing forward, coming to a halt when SARA sends an audible warning that only I can hear.

SARA: The sensors of the armor are detecting a large mass bolting in this direction.

SARA: It's approaching from the front.

SARA: Estimated time of arrival under a minute.

Shiori: Shit... They're returning home already! If we don't do something now, we're toast.

Distraught by SARA's heads-up, Shiori begins to breathe unevenly, a distant noise growing louder.

Shiori: Look, we can't fight in these conditions. Those monsters are tough, and they know the caves like the back of their ugly hands.

Shiori: We can only hide and pray to the gods we go unnoticed.

Shiori: Call upon any divinity you worship for help because we're going to need it in spades!

I nod as Shiori and I hurry to find a decent hiding spot among the rocks, taking advantage of the fact that the Bone Strappers are as blind as a bat.

Thankfully, there's a crack sizable enough to hold us both, and we enter it before the beasts pick up on our presence.

Keeping the noise we produce to a minimum, we stare at the now-empty tunnel, a trio of Strappers swiftly creeping down the rocky underpass.

I stare at them in shock, watching how they drag their harrowingly thin limbs to traverse the dark depths.

My goodness... Those creatures are ghoulish at best! Spawned from a horror movie with an unlimited budget.

Shiori: Here they are... Stay completely still, and we might just make it...

Shiori whispers her message without moving her lips, her eyes also glued to the nightmarish foes that lie outside our spot.

As their name suggests, their horrifying, pale bodies are covered in bones that once belonged to a human.

They're strapped to their skin and knit together with a material I'd rather not discover.

Shiori: Come on... Leave already, you creepy chumps...

Wishing for this ordeal to be over, Shiori gazes at the monsters, two of them resuming their journey.

However, one stays, inching its faceless head toward the crack we're using as a cover.

The Strapper has no eyes and displays nothing more than a maw filled with crooked, sharp teeth.

And if its visage wasn't terrifying enough, it's wearing someone's skull as a helmet, covering its flimsy strands of hair that hang in the stale air of the cave.

This is becoming revolting...

Shiori: What are you doing? Get away... Get away at once!

As the beast draws closer, Shiori begins to hyperventilate, clutching her chest in an attempt to stop her frantic huffing.

Beads of sweat begin to roll down her forehead, proof that she won't be able to keep her cool and betray our position.

I must do something before that happens!

Painstakingly slowly, I fetch a pebble from the ground, throwing it away from our hole.

The stone makes contact with some distant wall, immediately prompting the Strapper to raise its head to locate the source of the noise.

Infuriated that someone could have breached its home, the creature howls and charges at the pebble, crushing the area with a makeshift mace it was carrying.

But not satisfied with its display of anger, the Strapper stays put, lashing out at its surroundings with its crude weapon.

Hayato: We're trapped, Shiori... We won't be able to escape without getting rid of it.

Shiori: I know, alright! Shit, we're in a predicament because those things are hard to bring down.

Shiori: We'll invite the rest to turn us into a thin mist.

Shiori: We're between a rock and certain death...

Hayato: Not necessarily. Let me handle it.

Given its size, a non-lethal shot will send the monster into a frenzy.

I must use a lethal blast to neutralize it.

I'd feel bad if it weren't for the fact that thing literally predated other people.

Some were innocent, and some others were not.

Bearing that in mind, I set my weapon to rifle mode, resting the muzzle on my knee as I place the Strapper under my sights.

Switching the fire mode makes a subtle noise that doesn't go unnoticed, prompting the creature to turn around and direct its unsteady steps toward us.

Shiori: Crap, it heard that... We're done for!

Hayato: Don't move a muscle, Shiori... Everything will be fine.

Not too relieved by my message, Shiori watches how the Strapper moves closer, to the point of sticking its head in the crack.

Snarling, the beast begins to understand it's not alone, its black saliva dripping on Shiori's legs.

Hayato: Hungry? Eat this!

I pull the trigger at point-blank distance, triggering a beam to pierce its entire body.

One last death gasp escapes from its ajar mouth before it collapses, becoming completely still on the ground.

Shiori cannot believe what occurred, amazed to have seen a monster like that drop like a fly.

Shiori: Whoa, what the hell was that, Hayato?

Shiori: That weapon of yours is crazy powerful!

Shiori: Surely, it was crafted by an almighty archmage beyond Twilight Frontier.

Shiori: You could totally empty these tunnels with it!

Hayato: Indeed, it's powerful. However, its charge is insufficient. I don't have many more shots like that one.

Hayato: We'll have to play it safe from now o-

SARA: Warning, the two previous enemies are returning to the scene.

SARA: Your position has been revealed.

Hayato: Or not. We must fight to survive!

Alerted by SARA, Shiori and I exit our roomy crevice, preparing ourselves to clash with the friends of the Strapper I pacified.