Inhuman – Part 04
“…cily! Cecily, snap out of it!” Aria, now back in her human form, shook her shoulders. “I’m sorry! I couldn’t stop our fall completely. I’m useless! But you’re the real idiot, Cecily. Why are you always doing reckless things like this?! Seriously, you’re such an idiot! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, idiot, idiot, idiot!”
Aria was near hysterical, half-crying, alternating between apologies and scolding. But that wasn’t true, Cecily thought. She had survived because of Aria. Her lungs seized up, making it impossible to speak. She was frustrated with her own recklessness. Never again, she vowed.
A groan caught her attention. Cecily turned her head to see Lisa staggering to her feet. She must have fainted mid-fall. Though Cecily had shielded her from the impact, Lisa had taken a hit from the Inhuman before that. Clutching her chest in pain, she looked around the ravine.
“I… fell? But I’m not dead.” She finally spotted Cecily. “Huh? Cecily? Aria? What?”
“Are you… hurt?” Cecily’s voice was barely a whisper.
Lisa’s breath caught. When she realized what had happened, her eyes welled up, and she threw herself into Cecily’s arms. It hurt like hell.
With Aria’s help, Cecily managed to stand. “Where are we?”
They were at the bottom of the ravine. A narrow, straight space, flanked by sheer cliffs. Though wide enough for three carriages to pass through, the place felt oppressive. The cliff walls were unnaturally smooth, showing the layers of rock. The ground, blanketed with a thin layer of ash, was flat, making it easy to walk.
Everything was veiled in a dull, grayish-white mist. The bottom of the ravine and even the sky above were obscured by a thick ash fog. Cecily couldn’t gauge how far they had fallen, but the fact that she couldn’t see the top meant the ravine was very deep. A shiver ran down her spine.
She couldn’t believe she didn’t die. While Cecily had no regrets about throwing herself into danger, she now realized how foolish it had been. If Aria’s wind had been just a second too late… The tension drained from her body, and her legs gave out. Aria and Lisa scrambled to catch her. Cecily stared blankly at her trembling body. Cold sweat poured from all over her. Ash choked her lungs and stung her eyes.
Aria studied her with concern.
“I’m fine. We’re alive, and that’s what matters,” Cecily said, though her voice was hollow. “Lisa, I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”
“Don’t say that. You saved my life.”
Lisa explained that she had only been gathering wild herbs in the Ashen Woods. Cecily noticed a basket with a broken strap lying on the ground nearby, its contents scattered around.
“But what was that Inhuman?”
“I don’t know. It just appeared out of nowhere in the city.”
The sudden appearance of that monstrous creature had taken everyone by surprise. And both Luke and Lisa were caught up in its escape. What horrible luck. Cecily thought about it but couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling. Was it really just a coincidence?
A deep growl rumbled through the bottom of the ravine. All three turned at once. Beyond the shifting gray mist, a black, twitching mass appeared, flickering like a shadowy silhouette. Its throat rumbled. The countless swords protruding from its back were broken, twisted, or bent. From the splattering of some liquid and its pained groans with every shudder, it was clear that it was severely wounded.
But it was still alive. The beast was still breathing.
“That’s impossible,” Cecily murmured in disbelief. “How is it still alive after falling from that height?”
The creature’s blood-curdling roar tore through the ravine. Their skin crawled. They covered their ears as the high-pitched screech rang out, painfully loud.
“Let’s make a run for it, Cecily! You can’t fight it.”
Aria was right. Cecily couldn’t even make a fist, let alone stand against it. Though the creature was injured, she was in no condition to fight. Thankfully, the Inhuman seemed too overwhelmed by pain to attack.
They fled to the opposite direction. Aria lent Cecily her shoulder, while Lisa supported her from the waist. Sandwiched between them, Cecily forced her shaky legs to move.
“Gah!”
The ash mercilessly tormented Cecily. Each cough scorched her throat, and her vision blurred. Dizzy and nauseous, she vomited bile. She couldn’t walk on her own anymore. Aria and Lisa practically dragged her along.
“Cecily? Cecily! Please, stay with us!” Lisa cried. “Oh no, it’s Aetherial sickness. What do we do? If only Luke were here with his jewel steel!”
“I’ll turn into a sword and blow away the ashes,” Aria suggested.
“I can’t carry Cecily on my own.”
“But if we don’t act fast, she’s going to die!”
The voices of the two women drifted past Cecily like echoes of a distant conversation.
Panic surged through the mind of the Inhuman. The impact was so severe that it felt as if it had shattered into a million pieces.
Its body screamed in agony. Some bones creaked, others cracked, and some broke, injuring its organs. The spears of its front legs had twisted, digging into the flesh at their joints. One of its hind legs was bent at an unnatural angle, rendering it useless. Lacerations on its joints poured forth an endless stream of bodily fluid. Immense pain drove the Inhuman to the brink of delirium.
The sheer presence of death shattered its mind, and its animal instincts crumbled. And yet—despite it all—it had not forgotten.
To the summit. It could still smell that which should rule over it.
The scent grew stronger here, saturating the air around it. Ancient, yet fragrant. The rich essence of Aetheria seeped into its wounds, sustaining its fragile life. They had to be up ahead.
If it could have one wish, it would be to die at the feet of that being. Just one glimpse of that form before it perished.
With that single wish in mind, the Inhuman lumbered toward the source of the faint aroma.
The way the Inhuman moved was nothing short of erratic. It awkwardly thrust its twisted front spears into the ground to lift its upper body, while its one functioning hind leg kicked it forward. Each leap sent it sliding belly-down across the ground, further tearing its wounds and spewing more bodily fluid. Despite its agonizing movements, every step it took was long and large, allowing it to close in fast.
The sound of its approach grew louder. Panic made their feet stumble.
What do we do? What can we do?
Lisa, holding Cecily’s waist, racked her brain desperately. At this rate, the Inhuman would catch up to them. Was there anything they could do besides run?
Fight, maybe? Fight using Aria in her Infernal Blade form?
The thought seemed utterly unrealistic. She had no swordsmanship skills, no combat experience. There was no way she could stand against that creature. Not a shred of confidence. But then, what else could they do?
The beast’s growls echoed closer. As a demon, Lisa understood its words.
“I smell it… I smell it.”
There was no time to ponder what that meant.
“Lisa! Look, over there!”
Aria pointed at a vertical crack in the cliff face, just wide enough for a person to squeeze through. The opening was narrow but appeared to lead deep inside. A perfect hiding spot.
Before they had time to think, both women moved. After laying Cecily down, Aria transformed into an Infernal Blade. Awkwardly wielding the rapier, Lisa summoned wind to clear away the ashes that filled the crevice. Then, using her feeble strength, she pulled Cecily into the deepest part of the hole.
“For the final touch!”
Lisa stabbed the blade into the ground, creating a wall of wind to keep the ash at bay. In no time, their makeshift fortress was complete. The crevice extended deeper than expected. The Inhuman’s bent limbs wouldn’t be able to reach them here. Leaning on the sword, Lisa let out a sigh of relief, only to nearly jump out of her skin when the beast’s snout appeared at the entrance.
The battered creature forced its head into the crack. From its crushed right eye socket oozed a thick, oily, black fluid. Through the barrier of wind, it spotted them, its remaining golden eye widening. Lisa shuddered.
I-It’ll be okay! There’s nothing to fear.
Cecily was slumped against the wall behind her. Aria had to remain in sword form, leaving only Lisa to act. She couldn’t afford to lose her composure. Steeling herself, she bit her lip.
The beast kept sniffing the air, trying to wedge its body further into the crevice, but its massive form was stuck, just as they’d hoped. Aria’s wind barrier blocked its fierce breathing.
“A-All right. This should work!”
Lisa’s relief was short-lived. The Inhuman pulled back, then suddenly reared up, raising its upper body. It swayed for a moment before slamming its two front limbs down. Thud. The surrounding soil was more fragile than expected, crumbling easily under the impact. Dust and ash swirled, whipped up by the wind from the Infernal Blade.
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