Séraphine's Visual ability was activated, causing a slight glow to emit from her eyes, indicating its use. As she did so, she noticed special changes in the mansion in front of her.
Ignoring the strange atmosphere, she noticed large amounts of spiritual energy rotating on the roof, but she did not understand what it meant at the time.
Additionally, she could see red smoke, the manifestation of spiritual energy, staining the entire cottage and giving it a gloomy appearance. The place was extremely corrupted by this energy, as if something else wanted to gain a foothold.
"We seem to have gotten ourselves into a more complicated mess," Séraphine said to Élodie, who stood silently, staring ahead with a tense body.
She may not have had the ability to see things that others didn't, but her years of service in the military had developed her instincts. Standing in front of this house felt dangerous, causing her body to react automatically.
She held her hammer tightly, crouching slightly, ready to act if anything happened. However, except for the distant rustling of trees in the wind, all was quiet.
"This place gives me a very bad feeling," replied Élodie, causing Séraphine to nod as she deactivated her ability.
"It's corrupted by spiritual energy. It's probably full of danger," commented the witch, standing shoulder to shoulder with the blonde.
The difference in their heights was hardly noticeable; both were six feet tall. The two, weapons in hand, took a step forward, intent on entering the cottage.
"I hate those kinds of places," growled the policewoman, briefly recalling things from her past as a soldier.
"There are two of us. Even the purification rituals I know wouldn't work here. They're only good for relatively mild situations, not something as monstrous as what I just saw," said Séraphine. She was somewhat worried about what she might find inside, but she still advanced.
She opened the door, which was not locked. The creaking slowly warped into an annoying squeak. Élodie stepped forward, the first to fully enter the building, her hammer ready to smash any enemy.
She needed it for what she found inside. Attracted by the sound, creatures emerged from the corridors and doorways near them. They were child-like in size with green skin barely covered by rags and eyes filled with indescribable excitement when they saw that the visitors were women.
Goblins. They were barely sentient creatures, not considered 'people' by the Tower. Unlike gnomes, lycanthropes, or vampires, goblins were considered pests to be exterminated.
They were too savage to coexist with other beings. They would attack anyone who crossed their territory. To a goblin, everything in sight belonged to them.
They were incapable of clear communication or proper reasoning, acting chaotically. Although their group could produce certain special goblins who were more intelligent and measured, it was not worth including their species among the sentient entities.
Séraphine scrunched up her face as she watched them approach with assorted weapons and trinkets in their hands. Their drooling mouths and constant shouting, as well as the stories she knew about goblin brutality, made her act long before Élodie.
The witch didn't know why they were there; she didn't want to find out. She simply unsheathed her weapon and expertly waved it over those creatures. With simple slashes and stabs, one, two, three goblins fell dead in front of her before Élodie acted on her own.
The warrior raised her heavy hammer above the fragile heads of these beings and shattered them with ease. They were not human; how could she doubt? She laughed as she heard the skulls crack under her powerful blows.
Séraphine frowned slightly when she felt how easily her sword slid into the enemies' bodies. However, she didn't give it much thought at the time because she rarely engaged in complex reasoning when attacking her enemies.
Soon, under the quick and methodical actions of the two women, the group of goblins lay dead beneath their feet, staining the ground with blood. Puddles of red liquid formed on the ground, and the smell of fish enveloped the area.
Neither Élodie nor Séraphine was tired; killing them had been an easy task. However, they remained alert because something strange about this situation had caught their attention. The two women had already noticed certain incongruities during the killing.
The goblins were very easy to finish off. Even Élodie, immersed in the euphoria of combat, had noticed this extremely peculiar point. These creatures were not considered nuisances because they were so easy to eliminate, so something was amiss.
It didn't take long for this to become apparent. Soon, a goblin corpse began to writhe. Its skin cracked, and something escaped its body. Séraphine recoiled, feeling deep fear for the creature that had just emerged from her fallen enemy's body.
It was a gigantic Killer Wasp, a creature whose cruel and twisted nature is used to frighten small children in children's stories. It was smaller than a goblin because it had just emerged from one.
Its body was covered with yellow and green lines. It stood erect, supported by two stout black legs, and had two arms of the same color that ended in spikes oozing a transparent green liquid.
Its wings flapped gently on its back, lifting its body as it emitted a distinctive buzzing sound. The huge wasp looked at Élodie, then at Séraphine. Then it spoke.
"EAT," a thick voice emerged from the little monster before it flew swiftly toward Élodie, wanting to drive its barbs into her body.
But the blonde was quite a skilled fighter. Her aether-enhanced body allowed her to evade the wasp's attack and then hit it with her hammer, sending it into the wall. As she was about to crush it, Séraphine tapped her shoulder.
"Didn't you learn anything in the army? If you kill her, the others will come out!" Séraphine shouted in annoyance before pointing at the fallen goblins.
Though blood stained the entire place, the corpses of the goblins were still visible, trembling slightly even though they were dead.
A shiver ran through Élodie's body, and she breathed softly to calm herself. She had noticed that she had become more reckless and careless, and she didn't like it. After a brief meditation, she looked at the battered wasp that was insistently trying to crawl toward her. Its intentions never changed.
"I wasn't trying to kill it. I was trying to incapacitate it. I know these things. I've dealt with a Queen before," said Élodie, explaining her actions to the witch. The witch simply hummed with a bit of disdain, though there was some interest in her green eyes.
"A Wasp Queen? Those are intelligent beings with annoying capabilities," Séraphine thought, remembering a few things about them that caused her to shiver slightly.
"EAT!" shouted the monster that insisted on devouring them despite its poor physical state. The witch cleverly kicked the beast, sending it against a glass window. The window broke, and the beast fell outside the cottage.
"Look, I understand your motives. Still, I don't care if your actions are the product of overconfidence, ignorance, or insanity. Calm down and stop being so reckless." Séraphine stared at Élodie before walking past her and ignoring her.
The blonde wanted to say something, but remained silent. She decided to simply follow the brunette, avoiding the corpses of the fallen goblins. She didn't want to wake the infamous killer wasps.
Her earlier desire to attack and crush did not make her forget about these sentient beings. Like the goblins, however, they were dismissed from the category of people because it was impossible to engage in concrete dialogue with them.
They were generally genderless but liked to deposit what could be considered their eggs in living organisms, allowing them to parasitize and devour their hosts. The only good thing was that, although they hung around in groups, the lack of a queen generally limited them.
Élodie remembered her encounter with that particular queen, which made her more attentive to her surroundings. However, she also wanted to resolve the tension between her and her companion.
The blonde tried to think of something to say, but refrained from speaking because she didn't want to make things worse.
Understanding that simplicity was preferable to a lengthy monologue, she made a decision. She simply walked behind Séraphine, who was still upset with her.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I'll be more cautious from now on," said the policewoman. She wanted to do this; she didn't want to get hurt or worse because she lost control of her emotions.
"Hmmm! Well, at least you have some self-awareness," the witch replied haughtily before stopping in what appeared to be the living room.
"This place..." Séraphine's eyes emitted a subtle gleam before dulling.
"Holy shit, how many mimics!" the blonde exclaimed in amazement. Her experience had taught her that this huge room was filled with glitches that could only be associated with this type of creature.
There were red carpets that fluttered as if breathing, sofas whose cushions resembled squinting eyelids, five-legged chairs, and abnormally white porcelain devoid of intricate designs or shapes that suggested decent craftsmanship.
The large chandelier above them barely concealed its oddity; the 'candles' were covered with small eyes that peered curiously at the women. The dripping wax was saliva.
Séraphine raised an eyebrow at Élodie's words and reluctantly acknowledged that the police were much more than the image of reckless, muscular warriors. This caused the witch to feel an even greater interest in her current companion.
"Have you faced them? It would be helpful to know if someone has experience," the witch said, somewhat curious but also concerned.
She had fought Mimics very few times in her life, so few that she could count them on one hand. They were unusual creatures that liked to turn into other entities or objects to catch prey.
Upon hearing Séraphine's question, a smile spread across the policewoman's face as she puffed out her chest with pride. It felt good to be recognized, so she lowered her voice so that only the witch could hear her.
"Yeah, you don't know how much they resemble the battlefield. That's why, in the army, we're advised not to pick up any weapon lying on the ground because it might be one of those creatures in disguise.
They are a bit troublesome to kill, but the real threat is that there are so many of them here. The best thing would be to not provoke them and retreat because we cannot quickly determine their number." Élodie indicated this by pointing the way they had come. But life had surprises in store for them.
Suddenly, the door behind them closed with a loud bang, as if pressing a pause button on the place. The witch and the police officer tensed and stood immobile, waiting for a miracle.
Mother Light works in mysterious ways. The noise altered the mimics, causing them to lose their distinctive form. If any creature closely resembled the madness Séraphine glimpsed in the mezzanine of the world, it would be these beings.
Their false bodies liquefied, revealing their true limbs. They had dense eyes that gaped greedily, long strands of flesh that flailed wildly, and screeching mouths that were filled with fangs covered in disgusting saliva that yearned for flesh.
"Shit, the spiritual energy here is too high..." Séraphine briefly activated her Vision and watched as red smoke covered the entire place, though there was no sign of corruption.
At least, there wasn't until the door closed and the mimics went on a rampage. When that happened, the room they were in underwent drastic changes.
The paint on the walls peeled off; the texture was similar to skin. With the black blood oozing from the walls, it was as if they had been skinned.
Cracks covered the floor from which unintelligible voices seemed to cry. The light coming through the window dimmed visibly, limiting visibility. Above all, it filled the atmosphere with a piercing coldness, contrary to the warmth the aether provided.
Perhaps the most profound difference between the two most common energies Séraphine had interacted with so far was this aspect. While the aether arising from her soul's resonance when casting spells was warm and embracing, spiritual energy was extremely cold and painful.
When the witch sighed, white mist came out of her mouth, indicating the low temperature. Despite being relatively exposed due to her partially buttoned shirt, her body did not shiver.
How could she shiver when she was accustomed to baring skin while wearing expensive clothing, even in winter? She was a witch, after all! However, the visual manifestation of spiritual corruption seemed to empower the mimics.
"Great, now they're corrupted." Élodie frowned, tightening her grip on the handle of her warhammer. Instead of wanting to strike first like before, she took a slight step backward.
Ignoring the scream of the corrupted rift she had just stepped into, the blonde watched the mimics. They were now tangles of flesh with appendages, obsessive eyes, and large mouths in the center of their bodies. A strange red smoke enveloped them.
Their constant grunting worsened, as if they were debating their options among themselves, yet they always kept one eye on the pair of women, as if fearing they would disappear if they stopped watching them.
"Should we take the initiative?" asked Élodie of the witch, causing the latter to touch her chin as she thought.
Séraphine's mind constantly processed everything happening in front of her until a half-smile appeared on her face. Drawing her rapier gracefully, the brunette assumed a combat stance, her free hand poised to gesture as soon as she decided.
"This time, I think we can be a little wilder. From what I saw, there were no more annoying bugs, just those chattering meatballs," Séraphine declared. As if her words were an offense, the mimics paused, then glared at her.
"You shouldn't have said that," the blonde muttered before enhancing her body. A blue glow covered her and her hammer, accompanied by a hum and the slight distortion of the air due to the temperature rise.
"Oops!" the witch exclaimed before forcefully stabbing forward, driving the tip of her rapier into the gaping mouth of a mimic that had leapt at her at high speed.
Her weapon easily pierced the creature, but that wasn't the end. Instead, the mimic twisted its flesh appendages and extended them toward the brunette. They transformed in the air into metal needles, all aimed maliciously at her vital parts.
Séraphine certainly didn't want her body turned into a pincushion or feel the paralyzing venom of these beings coursing through her system. Her available hand became coated in aether as she 'shooed away' the flies around her.
A wave of blue energy was unleashed, hooking the mimic on her weapon and pushing back the other creatures that had gotten too close.
Taking advantage of this, Séraphine did something she had not done in her previous fights. She activated the enchantment on her weapon. The gnome did not recognize her rapier as a 'magic weapon' for no reason. Under Séraphine's will, a green glow coated her rapier.
When she waved it over the wounded mimic, the blade easily cut the creature in two, causing it to perish. Although she felt slightly uncomfortable using a spell, her training with this weapon allowed her to wield it effectively.
With each slash, a thin line of emerald light was drawn in the air, similar to the light in her eyes. The glow lingered in the environment for a few seconds before fading, indicating the rapier's exceptional nature.
'A rich woman, then,' thought Élodie as she watched Séraphine dance around the room with her magical weapon.
Watching the witch perform delicate fencing moves and twirl her body while moving carefully and waving not only her arms and legs but also her hair and cleavage distracted her a bit.