A loud, deafening wail rang across the room.
Selina staggered back, her hands quickly shot for her ears in a desperate desire for cover.
Perhaps due to the voices that always accompanies her in the dreamworld. The scream produced by Morroy became slightly tolerable.
Royale however, failed to resist as she began coiling her head from the agony. Klein and Leonard managed to retain their foothold, but their stance are being challenged.
By the time the shriek suddenly subsided. The blood arts all across the room briefly came to life.
Drip. Drip.
Droplets formed from the borders of the arts, then gradually, a stream formed.
Klein, somewhat experienced in matters concerning incomprehensible voices, was the first to recover from the intense rave.
Upon seeing the waters gushing out from the surreal paintings. He quickly held Selina's hand and brought her close.
"The pictures are coming to life. We need to get out of the basement." his voice was hasty yet controlled.
Selina nodded, she was the next to regained clarity after him.
Additionally, Leonard also recovered much earlier. Noticing the rise of waters on his shoes, he took Royale's hand with him and ran toward the stairwell.
The arts from the walls transitioned to waves surging the room.
In less than a minute, the whole basement is drowned under the surging waves of deep-blue water. The liquid continued to pour out of the door.
How is this possible? Paintings coming to life? Selina watched as the waters gushes out of the basement, infiltrating the room.
After collecting herself from Klein's hand, she tightened her hold of the suitcase and reached into her holsters for her revolver with the other.
Pale crimson light courses through the curtains, painting the room in a rosy, pallid glow. Selina, in her coat, quickly adjusted the gun's barrel to lift the self-imposed safety to prepare herself.
Amid the suspenseful atmosphere. Selina, Klein, Leonard and Royale have each saw an unusually dark object from the water's surface.
The object slowly rise up, revealing itself to be a leg.
The leg had a hairy skin, veins protruding from it appearing like glowing red sacks. Each of its nails have grown excessively long, forming thin white claws.
Blood contaminated a part of the waters, the leg's following flesh and veins bobbled in the waters. Selina couldn't help but feel nauseated and unsettled.
A leg? Did the surged of waters tore Morroy's limbs off of him? she drew a silent gasp.
If it weren't for the experience of seeing a large mound of corpses still vivid in her mind from the past Selina. She would have vomited right then.
It kept her in a stance while pressing her hand to her mouth. Her hand angled to where it allows the filtering moonlight to be reflected from the gun's silver barrel.
This seemingly harmless occurrence failed to faze the Nighthawks off of their alertness.
In such cases, even the most innocent act, as long as it came from the foes should be proceeded with caution.
And as they anticipated. The leg shot fort from the waters.
From the reflection of the floor's waters. The leg's toes coiled to form a javelin, heading toward Selina!
Seeing the object flew into her direction. Selina instinctively threw herself into the side, completely disregarding the waters beneath.
Splash!
Her clothes was immediately soaked in water. Her hand cushioned her head.
Leonard, Klein and Royale were alerted. The latter two aimed their revolvers while the former dashed toward the leg suspended in the air.
Selina straightened herself and coiled her hair, damped with water.
Thanks to the thickness of her coat, the wetness won't be an issue while the sleeve protected her arm from a bruise.
Pertaining to this, she raised up her revolver and entered a stance, allowing the moonlight reflects from her gun's silver barrel.
During this, Leonard's state became calm and serene.
He opened his mouth and recited a full peaceful poem, one that seemed to place a person into the night.
"Into the night, a shivering hollow;
"Cruise the waters with moon to follow;
"Evening brings a tempting tow;
"Dime paved songs from the children's choir;
...
The recital reverberated around them.
Due to her inexperience, and the fact that she failed to hear Leonard's poems before. Selina nearly lost her tension and almost relaxed if she did not noticed it sooner.
To combat this, she swiftly enter a state of half-cogitation, adjusting her mental state to the battle.
However, the moment she aimed at the suspended enemy, a reminisce of her past enemy during the chase. The leg was no where in sight.
This... she quickly tensed up and looked around.
Upon seeing the corner walls, a shadow passed her sight within just a moment. Selina quickly realized that the leg was circling above the and the room in a fast motion.
Klein and Royale's bullets had no match against the speed being displayed by the leg as each hit missed. Additionally, Leonard's attempt at lulling it failed to affect its vitality.
"It became a homing weapon..." Leonard muttered as he narrowed his eyes and held his brass revolver.
While considering the situation. The leg, who had been storming around the room suddenly changed its trajectory.
Like a bullet that restored its momentum, the leg, with its claw-like nails bundled together to form one point pivoted from the walls and now toward Leonard.
Leonard saw this and immediately lunged, then rolled to the side, disregarding the presence of flood in the room.
Splash!
The flooded floor scattered water throughout Leonard's body. His hair now damped, but he kept his revolver at an angle.
After the assault, having failed to pierce Leonard, the leg returned above the room, darting around until it circles the area.
Leonard collected himself from the waters of the ground, fixed his hair briefly before turning to watch the leg fly.
Is it going to act like this throughout its time?
The leg remained suspended, flying like its life depends on it. Darting around as it circles the room.
Shooting it while in this state is futile. The speed being displayed by it and its unpredictability would easily avoid any bullets.
There's only one solution and Leonard seemed to figure out as he smiled faintly:
Let it attack them and deplete its own reserve of spirituality!
With this in mind, he turned to inform the other members. However, in doing so he saw them already lowering their revolvers, indication that they've figured it as well.
From the reflection of the waters below, gushing out of the dark basement. A shadow glint pass room's image.
Woosh!
At the next second, the leg with its flesh hanging, dragged its elongated nails across the rugged surface of the wall.
There, blood was further smeared onto its white porcelain nails. It used it as its ink to leave a trail.
It was a line, the leg darted to the next wall, then another it dashed to a different one, which is the wall separating the living room and the hall.
It had completely abandoned assaulting them.
Selina remained in her place, hand clutching the suitcase and the other her custom revolver. Fear and tense gripped her heart as she watched the leg darted.
She was perplexed by this sudden action before suddenly, she recalled the paintings at the basement made by Morroy.
It was clear, the leg is attempting to recreate this ability, now in the living room!
We have to stop it! Klein exclaimed internally before gazing around.
The room was properly furnished despite the owner's negligence. They're at a spacious area of the room, a bit farther from the sofas and tables.
Near the table was a chair, the bookshelves are empty while next to it is a vase devoid of flowers.
Klein rotated his revolver to an empty chamber before quickly putting it back to its holster and dash toward the vase.
He took it, and used its hollowed interior to scoop the flooding water.
The area to which the leg had left a trail bore a crimson line, beneath it were additional strokes, akin to an unfinished canvas.
Klein didn't hesitate upon confirming where the trails were, he promptly lifted the vase, half-filled with water and threw its content at the blood line.
Splash!
The water disperse after meeting the cold, solid wall. However, as it diminished, the red crimson line remained glued to the surface, unfazed.
Upon seeing this, Klein almost cussed internally. This meant that if the blood left by the leg was unaffected by waters, the battle turned to a race.
Selina saw this and prepared to stop the leg from ever slowing down. If they can't hinder its painting, then they have to resort into halting its ability to paint altogether.
Bang!
A bullet left her revolver. It went straight to the leg's thigh causing it to spurt blood.
Did I do that? Selina felt lucky for hitting the leg for once.
Since the distance was quite far and her daily marksmanship practice at the underground shooting range are still intermediate. To hit a fast foe, albeit slowing at an exact time, proves to be difficult.
However, despite it receiving a clear shot, the leg remained in full vigor as it easily brushed off the injury.
It's still moving? confusion clouded Selina's thoughts that she hesitated to fire another shot.
Leonard, just next to Royale, narrowed his eyes and casted his gaze toward a painting at the left corner, facing the door.
After consideration, he abandoned shooting and dashed toward it, used the table as a stepping point and leaped on top of the bookshelf.
And sure enough, the leg began to slow down near the bookshelf.
Noticing its trajectory. Leonard squatted and readied a leap again.
By the time the leg reached the painting, he jumped and while in midair caught the leg attempting to leave a trail.
Huff! Leonard let out a grunt, the leg strangled in between his arms before both of them fell.
Thud!
Luckily, he managed to land and roll at the same time. Water further coated his bearings, mixed with blood cascading out of the leg.
Blergh! Leonard spewed a foul saliva, thinking that a drop of blood entered his mouth.
He quickly repositioned himself from the squirm leg. His feet and hand binding it with weight on the flooded floor.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Except for Selina. Klein and Royale let out a barrage of bullets at the retrained leg, at distance near Leonard.
Splashes of water jumped from the impact of the bullets, causing Leonard to look away.
As expected, the leg did not seem to lose energy after all that... Selina observed and quietly confirmed.
Is it perhaps an undead?
Klein quickly stopped firing, noticing that the leg wasn't affected by the bullets embedded into it. He pressed his finger to his glabella and converged his spirituality to one point.
Upon activation, the surrounding grayish white. The aura of his members, Selina, Leonard and Royale have each presented different colors.
His gaze went onto the writhing leg and saw no distinguishable light that could hint as its weakness.
This meant that it wasn't undead or perhaps a being its own. The latter suggests higher likeliness over the former.
It's not a whole. Does this mean it's still part of Morroy's body? Klein speculated as he brought down the vase, drew out his revolver and rotated the chamber.
While his Spirit Vision was still active, he took the chance to examine the room. Sure enough, by the time he looked at the basement, a light began to glow within its depths.
Klein scrutinized this and confirmed. Morroy is controlling his leg remotely...
However, at the same time, he saw another aura speeding into the hallway, approaching the living room.
The door slammed open, and Dunn in his dark windbreaker had a solemn expression
"Are you all alright?" his voice was deep and ladened with concern.
On the floor, wrestling with an isolated leg, Leonard with his damped and disheveled hair smiled, "Captain, nice to see you here."
Dunn didn't seem to mind Leonard's unprecedented humor as he walked up to them.
His steps were accompanied by a squelching sound, after reaching an arm's length, he asked, "What is happening?"
Klein briefly detailed Dunn of the situation, causing him to went silent.
Nearly ten seconds later, he shared his thoughts, "It can't only be one leg... I assume that perhaps Morroy could utilize all of his limbs.
"And since the other limbs haven't emerged yet, this allows us to have one member to contact the church while another group would monitor Morroy."
Dunn turned to Selina, his deep-tranquil eyes reflects a beautiful and elegant silver-haired woman. He said, "Ms. Roy, you can go back to the company with Royale and return the Sealed Artifact, it seems we won't be using it. And while you're there, tell Kenley to send a telegram to the church about our situation. We'll take it from here."
Selina had a mixed feeling after hearing Dunn's words. But regardless, she complied.
Before following Royale, she readjusted her revolver to an empty chamber, tucking it back into her holster.
However, just as they approach. Royale, whose inches away from Selina, felt her movements suddenly became dull and rigid.
Her joints slowed down, her eyelids beginning to grow heavy. She step forward, in doing so risked her body from swaying.
Selina was filled with confusion as she watched. But the moment Royale's body teetering to a collapse, she instantly reacted.
"H-Hey!" she called, raising her voice. "M-Ms. Reideen! Are you alright?"
A physical contact from the shoulder broke Royale out of her trance. In her stupor, she looked back to see Selina and the rest with a either worried of solemn expression.
Klein, with his Spirit Vision still activate, suddenly froze.
He saw an illusory, thin veil of white and dark colors, coating the walls starting from the basement.
Thud!
A loud noise resounded from the stairwell, revealed by the door flooded with waters. At the depths of the waters where light failed to permit.
The sound grew relentless.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The banging echoed and settled into everyone, tightening their nerves. And before they figure out what's happening, skin-crawling silence followed.
Seeing this, Selina felt her chill treaded through her spine as she began to realized: 'Monster Morroy used his leg as a distraction.'
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Inside the basement. Deep into the waters. An arranged blood trail formed a surreal painting.