"Damn meddlesome mushroom!" shouted Howard Stone, clutching the head of his cane in anger. His fat face contorted into an ugly grimace, and his glasses fogged up from his breath.
"I shouldn't have let it interact with that bunch of bitches. I shouldn't have left it alone, thinking it would be a good guardian because it's so naive..." Despite his turmoil, the man tried to relax. After all, he had to maintain his composure in front of his men and partner.
"Hey, shouldn't you give me a hand?" Howard asked. When he didn't hear an immediate response, not even a taunt or that exasperating laugh, he looked back and realized that the hooded woman was nowhere to be found.
Just in case she was hiding, he struck his staff against the ground several times, generating waves of aether that spread throughout the area and returned to him. The result only made his cheeks red with rage.
"You escaped? Damn you! Bitch! Am I a joke to you? Fine! I can do it alone! After all, my plan is almost complete..." The old man gazed at the mass of spiritual energy contained within the blood-made ritual circle with a strange mixture of longing and despair.
"Just a few more minutes..." Howard Stone murmured, then looked at his six men standing protectively around him.
"A bunch of trash is coming up those stairs. Don't let them interrupt me. Kill them," he ordered before stepping away and walking toward the ritual circle. His transparent glasses were illuminated by the red light of spiritual energy as he ignored the uncomfortable expressions on his henchmen's faces.
"Boss... are you okay?" one of the men asked, concerned about Howard. But his voice fell on deaf ears. His leader kept walking, ignoring him.
"Shh! Can't you see? He's crazy!" whispered one of the henchmen, looking cautiously at the man who was supposed to be their boss. To him, that monster was not Howard Stone.
"Haven't you noticed? The boss has changed! He doesn't look human; he looks monstrous, like an animal," the man said again, gripping his rifle tightly and trying to appear confident despite his fear.
"Did you notice it, too?" asked a third henchman. To his surprise, his five companions nodded.
"Besides, I feel weird, too..." said another henchman, scratching his face. But neither he nor the others noticed that his hand had turned into an ugly claw that tore his skin when it came into contact with it, leaving ugly, bleeding marks.
No one seemed to notice these details or smell the scent of blood. They didn't notice the obvious differences in them either, even though their personalities seemed normal.
However, when they heard the footsteps of several people climbing the stairs, growing louder, each of their eyes subtly glowed red, and grotesque smiles appeared on their faces.
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"Where do you think Nisca went?" asked Élodie, chewing on the blue mushroom the mycelium had given her earlier as she climbed the long stairs.
The area was now clear, with no trace of the whiteness that had covered it a short time ago. SĂ©raphine heard the blonde's question and shrugged before taking a bite of her mushroom.
"I don't know, but I hope to see it again," the witch finally replied, her voice hinting at longing. It was a feeling that seemed to be shared by her current companions.
"It's an... interesting creature," said Madeleine, who, like the other two girls, was eating the mushroom that Nisca had given her.
"By the way, was it a boy or a girl?" Sasha's question made the three girls turn to look at the fairy, who was flying freely while stuffing her cheeks with her mushroom and feeling no embarrassment at their strange looks.
"I never thought I'd be discussing the gender of a mushroom..." murmured SĂ©raphine as she patted the sheath of her rapier, which she had positioned for quick access to her sword.
For the same reason, she also had the holster for her revolver on the other side of her waist, ready to fight without having to take her weapons out of her hat. The witch realized that this place was much more dangerous than she had thought, so she decided to get into the habit of keeping her weapons on the outside.
"Let's not talk anymore. I can smell seven people up there," Madeleine said, pointing to the end of the stairs. Her forked tongue constantly flicked out of her mouth.
Although her face wrinkled from the foul smell, she decided to concentrate, ignoring the stench and focusing on the presence she had detected. Her words made the brief, cheerful atmosphere much tenser.
When they reached the top of the stairs, Élodie stepped forward with her hammer raised. However, Séraphine wouldn't let her go just like that. She channeled the aether produced by the resonance of her soul. Extending her hand forward in a stopping gesture, she created a floating wall of aether in front of the blonde.
This proved to be an excellent measure to protect the police from gunfire, as one of Howard Stone's men, upon seeing Élodie appear, pulled the trigger of his shotgun without hesitation.
The pellets fell on the blue energy wall like raindrops. This did not deter the other henchmen, however. They aimed at the police but did not fire. Instead, one of them spoke up.
"Hey, beautiful, why don't you take that thing away? We promise we won't shoot," he said with a mocking smile. He knew his words were nonsense, but in the current situation, it was clear that neither they nor she could harm each other.
"What cliché expressions," said Séraphine, finishing climbing the stairs and standing next to Élodie, preparing for their arrival. The witch had expanded the aether wall, investing more energy in the process.
Although she was more aware than anyone else of the cost of using magic, as long as she didn't overdo it, she would be fine. So, the witch, who had barely used magic during their entire journey through the fragment of the spiritual world, allowed herself to expend such energy.
However, SĂ©raphine's attention was on the bodies of the six henchmen. Noticing her scrutinizing gaze, they began to laugh and make lewd expressions at each other.
"Ooh, big tits! Like what you see? Why don't you come closer? Maybe the six of us can fill that big ass of yours," said the man with the scratched face. He held a sawed-off shotgun in one hand and was the one who fired it.
But SĂ©raphine narrowed her eyes when this man brought his claw-like hand toward his crotch and made an obscene gesture. This, added to his words, greatly upset the witch.
"Don't you realize you're being consumed by spiritual energy?" SĂ©raphine asked, but it was as if none of the men heard her. Instead, they continued to mock her companions.
"Guys! The blonde is a cop! I bet even the boss hasn't tasted a cop's pussy. I want to be the first!" Just looking at her legs makes me feel like I'm about to explode." One of the men began to mock Élodie. When he laughed, a long, toothy tongue came out of his mouth. This abnormality did not seem to surprise him at all.
"And isn't that the actress? The boss has good taste. How would you like to get a blowjob from her with her forked tongue? It must be heaven!" The words of the henchman, whose skin was covered in rotten scales, made Madeleine shake her serpentine body.
"There's also a fairy! Hehehe... What if we put her in a jar? Let's see how long she can last!" Directing this comment at Sasha, who was still perched on the lamia's shoulder, the girls realized that they simply couldn't reason with these people.
"Hey, Élodie, can those guys be killed?" asked the lamia, causing the blonde to smile broadly as she twirled the hammer in her hand.
"Of course! Humans and creatures corrupted by advanced spiritual corruption have no rights. Look at them; they don't even notice their changes," replied Élodie before looking at Séraphine.
"However, I need confirmation from our consultant," said the police officer with a small smile, and the witch nodded.
"Just by looking at how their bodies have transformed... I don't need to make an effort to confirm it," SĂ©raphine pointed out. She took her revolver in hand as the aether wall flickered, about to disappear in a minute.
This was a signal to both sides, prompting men and women alike to prepare. However, the witch couldn't help but glance in the distance, where she could make out Howard Stone's figure.
He was standing in front of what she could barely make out as a ritual-formed barrier. Again, SĂ©raphine didn't need to use her ability; her sensitivity to energy made the hairs on her arm stand on end.
Élodie sensed the danger as well, so she occasionally glanced cautiously in that direction, becoming somewhat distracted from the impending conflict.
Madeleine's scales trembled because her senses were keener than those of humans; her yellow eyes saw exactly what was contained within the barrier. However, she quickly had to look away because the mere sight of it gave her a headache.
"SĂ©raphine, can you feel it? There's a mass of spiritual energy that looks like a miniature sun! I don't know what Howard wants to do, but we have to stop him," the lamia said to the witch, causing the latter to take a deep breath.
"Things are getting worse and worse," the witch muttered, her body tense and ready to act the moment the wall of energy she had created disappeared.
Which happened at that very moment. With the way clear, the three women jumped in different directions. Élodie took advantage of her improved body, powered by the aether, and swung her hammer at the man with the shotgun. She struck the weapon with such force that it shattered completely.
Her speed was enough to get her out of her enemies' line of sight, and they fired at the spot where she had been standing. SĂ©raphine rolled on the ground, avoiding a rifle shot that, fortunately, was not automatic.
Then, the witch fired twice. First, she hit the hand of the man who had tried to hurt her. Then, she hit his chest. However, she knew this wouldn't be enough; these men were no longer human, but beasts in human clothing.
Madeleine used her armored scales to deflect the shots fired at her. Then, she swung her tail like a whip and struck four of the men. Sasha flew toward one of the men boldly, her hand glowing with aether.
The fairy used one of her special abilities, an advantage she had over the rest of her species. The henchman's weapon was covered in energy before floating uncontrollably out of his hands.
"Why the hell do you want to lock me in a jar!?" Sasha growled, controlling the weapon she had levitated. She turned the barrel toward the fallen man, and then a shot rang out.
Although the fight was brief, the six gangsters were injured to varying degrees. They began to laugh as they patted their bodies, realizing they were still alive. They had not been incapacitated!
Worse yet, even though they were unarmed, they seemed to pose an increased danger. The damage they had suffered exacerbated the changes that had already begun in their bodies.
The girls had to step aside and watch as the men began to mutate in various ways. They didn't want to, but when they were about to attack, the whole place shook, causing them to lose their balance.
In the distance, Howard Stone and his followers laughed because his great desire had finally been fulfilled. Without hesitation, he swung his staff at the ritual circle, destroying a key point and ruining the containment of spiritual energy inside the barrier.
This is why the place shook; the previously contained energy was unleashed in a wave that swept through the entire area. This accelerated and worsened the transformation of the minions, making them more grotesque.
However, when the wave hit the girls, they did not feel uncomfortable. Instead, something inside them emerged, weak but enough to compensate for the corrupting power trying to cling to their bodies.
"Why isn't anything happening to us?" Élodie asked Séraphine. Neither of them understood why she seemed fine. However, it wasn't the time to focus on such questions. There were terrifying monsters in front of them that they had to deal with first.
"We'll figure that out later. We have to get rid of these guys first. I don't like what Howard is doing over there," said SĂ©raphine. She drew her rapier, armed herself with her two weapons, and focused on the enemy closest to her.
Her body had grown taller, and her skin had become dry, seemingly losing its elasticity as it clung to her bones. Huge claws ended her deformed limbs, adding to her quadrupedal posture and making her look like a hairless dog.
Although the creature's eyes seemed lucid, SĂ©raphine felt that it would not be long before he went mad. His eyes glowed red, indicating the saturation of spiritual energy in his body.
The same phenomenon appeared in the eyes of the other deformed creatures, whose forms varied and acquired strange animal features, but which were still obviously physically deformed. By this point, they were just as monstrous as the animals they had encountered along the way.
SĂ©raphine stepped forward, seeking to maintain the initiative against her enemy. Her rapier emitted a dense green glow, indicating the activation of its enchantments.
Due to its lack of coordination, the creature reacted too late to her thrust. Without mercy, the witch struck to kill, trying to pierce the monster's neck. However, she only managed to insert the tip of her weapon slightly.
Despite having no obvious scales, the creature's skin was incredibly tough. She saw a brief red flash, probably from it using the spiritual energy in its body as a buffer.
Despite everything, the blow hurt it, drawing black blood from it. It screeched and emitted smoke as it fell to the ground, as if it were acid. Luckily, SĂ©raphine avoided being splattered by the liquid; otherwise, she would have been injured for no reason.
The wound caused the beast to let out a terrible scream, making the witch feel slightly dizzy. The monster wasn't badly injured, but SĂ©raphine's attack provoked it. It swung one of its sharp claws at her.
The witch avoided the attack with a simple slide backward, but the monster lunged at her. It opened its large mouth, revealing sharp teeth and saliva. It wanted to bite her.
SĂ©raphine raised her revolver and fired the entire magazine at the beast's body. She didn't aim for the head, knowing it would be counterproductive. The bullets were powerful enough to push the beast backward as they dug deep into its flesh.
The witch seized the opportunity and wielded her sword against the creature with obvious murderous intent. She may not have had Élodie's physical prowess or Madeleine's power, but she was a skilled swordswoman and ruthless enough.
She didn't care that they had once been human. These men had degenerated on their own. Even if they had been forced, her duty as a witch was to eliminate such corrupt beings and allow them to rest after death.
Thus, she aimed the tip of her sword at the vital points of her most dangerous enemies, such as the monster's right eye. This time, her sword met little resistance, completely piercing the beast's skull.
SĂ©raphine looked with disdain at the monster, which had hardly posed a threat to her. Corruption only made it uglier, not stronger. Had it remained human, SĂ©raphine would have been more cautious, the fight would have lasted longer, and she might have been injured.
'Power without control is just an aberration,' thought Séraphine as she kicked the creature's body, dislodging it from her weapon. She had to support her companions because she was the only one fighting a single enemy. Madeleine was fighting three, and Élodie was fighting two.
The witch joined Élodie, who was fighting two mutated beings. One had limbs that had turned into repulsive, spiked tentacles and a fish-like head.
The other had wings in place of arms, allowing him to rise several meters into the air. With legs like a bird of prey's, he resembled the harpies, one of the intelligent races that lived in this world. However, there were none in Shattercrown; they preferred to live on the Iron Continent.
Séraphine sensed something strange about the tentacled man, so she chose to attack him first when she approached Élodie. This beast reminded her of the beings she usually sees when she activates her special vision or suffers an attack from the curse that accompanies this ability.
"That guy has a strange constitution. My hammer blows don't seem to hurt him that much. With this disgusting bird harassing me, I can't concentrate on eliminating them," warned Élodie. She was happy with the support she received from Séraphine. Now, she could fully concentrate on the enemy in front of her, which was constantly flapping its ugly wings.
"Thanks for the warning. I know how to deal with things like that." SĂ©raphine put away her weapons because she knew they wouldn't be much help at this point. She was going to resort to her most important resource: magic.
"Hehehe.... Do you want to know what else turned into tentacles?" In a raspy, sinister voice, the creature facing the witch asked, causing SĂ©raphine to narrow her eyes.
"Thank you for making my future actions easier," she said, vibrating her soul to produce the aether necessary for her spell.
She was determined to destroy this monstrosity as quickly as possible!
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