Indus Region. Awwa County Police Department. Inside of the holding suite.
"Waaah!"
"Shhhh... It's okay it's okay, we'll return home soon." while cradling his youngest child. Marl diligently lowers her voice to sooth the baby.
"Marl..." said Martha anxiously. "When can we get back? There's so many detainees here..."
Marl perked up and lifted his head to scan the whole suite.
Each sofas had a family or a group of people occupying them, similar to his situation. Some had already chose to let their family members sleep while they monitor that police's next actions.
Based on the discussion he had with the other gentlemen. He found out their situation.
Some are similar to the reason why he's here, the uncounted financial record of his business while others are because of taxes that they supposedly overlooked. He noted that strangely, the police acute in trivial crimes just for this moment.
"Excuse me, Mr. Heath." a benign voice of a man approached Marl from behind.
When he turned around, he saw a gentleman wearing a fine navy blue tuxedo while presenting a pique mistouched. He looked very presentable.
"Can I offer you again with some bottles of milk? It seems the little one had gone wild again." the gentleman smiled genially.
Marl smiled wearily, unusual for his upbringing nature. "I can't thank you enough Mr. Golbridge. I apologize for the unnecessary ruckus Marl Jr. is making to your family."
Goldbridge softly shrugged and said, "I was in the same pinch as you. My son would put us up for days, relentless when it's night time haha!"
A light chuckle escaped from Marl's grin.
"Such is the duty of a husband... By the way, have the officers finally said anything for when can we leave?" he raised a matter.
As Golbridge handed a bottle of milk to Marl, attached with a blue colored teat, he said, "We're still on hold unfortunately..."
He sighed, "Haah... At times like this where we are accused of a trivial matter, a proper compensation should be in order right? My son was already asleep waiting!"
Marl laughed as he accepted the bottle, "That is true. Compensation for emotional inconveniences should be ordered... Oh and I'm not saying this for my personal benefits, other families might find this very unprecedented.
"But a last, the system very much leans in favor of those in power. Us middle classes have to obey."
"You've already tacitly accepted the clause of our system Mr. Heath. However I do not think the lower classes would have very similar thoughts." Golbridge remarked.
Then he added, "Ah, also, have you heard? A rally was brewing at the docks."
"A rally?" Marl blurted out with a raised brow.
"Yes, I think it will be on the headlines by next week." said Golbridge casually.
"What was it about?" Marl pressed.
"Well." Goldbridge averted his eyes from Marl. "The blue-collared workers was claiming that an Importing Company was housing vagrants, using the rations to feed instead of the working class so they raised a dispute against the company.
"That is ridiculous. The Working Class Union was situated near the docks. They're handing out free rations for the vagrants and helping them get a foothold in the society, why would an importing company help them?" Marl retorted.
"That, my good sir, is something I'm not knowledgeable of. But I can give an opinion" Golbridge smiled. "For me, I think the working class are looking for a pretense to start a rally."
Marl chuckled dryly and said, "I guess so..."
Suddenly, a hand pulled his cufflink, causing Marl to startle and turn his head.
"Dear, I haven't seen Ms. Roy around..." Martha's face looked restless.
This made Marl recall of their situation. If they're here then Selina Roy should be around as well.
However, in the time they spent waiting, they haven't seen a single person entering with a curled, silver hair.
"Where is she?" a worried voice tugged a chord within Marl.
It prompted him to speak in a controlled and calm voice, "Perhaps she's not accused of something?"
Martha's eyes drooped, unconvinced.
She said, "All of the people here lives near us Marl. Except for Morroy whom I haven't around but that doesn't invalidate my point. This meant they cleared out the area for some reason."
Marl felt like he was hit by a bullet. He quickly rattled his mind for an excuse, "D-Didn't she said that she's now an officer. I'm certain that because of this, she'd be on duty until we return."
"..." Martha couldn't brush off her unease. "Let's find her."
"Woah! wait, hun calm down!" Marl coiled his arm around his wife. "We can't distract her on duty. What would she say if we do?"
Martha suddenly glared at him. "When I first saw her, it felt like I'm seeing an orphan who had lost her home. Although she might not acknowledge it, but for me I've already settled on taking her in."
"S-She's an adult!" Marl tried to reason out.
"And yet had lost her family. Do you saw her eyes whenever we invited her for dinner?" Martha said with conviction.
Amid all this, Golbridge quietly left.
Marl's walls began crumbling. After deliberation, he finally said, "Alright, we'll see her, but after we return home. I promise she'll be in her residence, cooking her dinner."
Suddenly, Martha felt gazes around her. This made her unsettled to the point of choosing to resign. She said, "...I'll trust you. May the Goddess protect us and Ms. Roy."
She drew a crimson moon over her chest, to which Marl mimicked the gestured.
...
Under the course of the crimson moonlight. The running waters quietly reflects a red tinged room.
A blend of blood contaminates the flooded floor. The silence was skin-crawling.
Illuminated on each corners of the room, a four organized formation of blood outlines each distinct paintings.
All of them looked surreal that one might even find themselves captivated. Convinced that the images within foretells a true event.
As Selina sat on the waters running out from the basement. She suddenly felt the ground tremble.
The chandelier of candles sways gently above before slowly, it began shaking violently.
The air became pungent and miasmatic. The draft slowly grew denser.
On the ceiling, illusory grayish clouds began to coalesced. Small sounds of crackles and grumble whispered in her ears.
As all of this happens. Leonard had succeeded in entering the basement. Letting his body submerged into the ocean waters.
From he stood, he saw the wooden totem glowing, standing at the center of a blood circle.
Different miscellaneous items such as candles, bottles, pen and corpses of rodents float evenly in the waters.
Then, he finally saw it, a body devoid of any appendages. A crest jewel crawled open from the torso's stomach.
It stared at him.
Leonard felt his hair stand on ends. He quickly lifted his revolver, and despite the currents in the waters aimed and fired.
The undulating waves suddenly bulged. A part of the basement cracked open, revealing a ravine!
...!
The waves suddenly pulled him out. As if winds are being sucked from the basement.
Caught by the intense surge, Leonard was threw out of the waters.
Splash! Bam!
Blood spewed out of mouth, his vision blurred.
Leonard saw the waters from high above, as if he were glued to the ceiling.
Following that, the intense wind hurled him back to the living room. Severely inflicting him.
"Argh!" Leonard grimaced in pain as his felt his back tightened by the impact.
Splash!
He was thrown off to the wall facing the basement.
Suddenly, he caught whiff of a scent, pungent but at the same time fragrant. It was confusing.
When Leonard tried to collect himself. He saw a piano, it had a large organ pipe erupting vertically. It wasn't there before.
...
Grumble!
Klein was thrown onto a wall. His back absorbing the full impact, causing him to spewed blood.
Bam! Splash!
His body collapsed onto the flooded floor. His vision began to fog.
Klein couldn't move his body if he wanted to. But with force, he managed to tilt his head.
He saw Dunn collapsed near a wall as well, his mouth covered in blood. Royale was the next that caught his sight, her disheveled hair a mess and her body unresponsive.
His heart begged to have a solution, prompting him to desperately seek for a useful object only to see a silver white hair at the center of the room.
The lady was struggling to get up, her eyes completely awake but her expression in heightened horror and dread.
Klein's thoughts stirred. Out of frustratuin, he subconsciously inhaled the air.
Suddenly, he saw a totem standing at a corner of the room. It was clear, tall and its visage frozen in its wooden surface.
Underneath his feet, the ground trembled violently, cracks began appearing everywhere.
He wanted to shout, but something in his throat irritates him to not voice his word.
Klein forced himself to exert strength to his joints out of desperation. Instinctively, he wanted to dash and retrieve their silver haired teammate.
But when he achieved a foothold, he was launched to another wall by the heavy wind.
"Ack!" Klein's voice followed up with blood.
Splash!
Damn it!
As a Seer. Klein's capabilities are very limiting. At most, he had to prepare and be cautious of battles where it involves direct confrontation.
However, the events led him to respond reactively.
Right! Selina's self-made Goddess's Gaze! he exclaimed in urgency.
He forcibly moved his hand again, taking out a deep-blue vial from the pocket of his coat.
Thankfully, the bottle didn't break and spill its content.
His hand quietly twisted the cap and lifted the vial over to his face with difficulty against the turmoil.
Gulp!
Klein downed the liquid and felt chill traveled down his throat.
Then, out of urgency and as the images of Selina flickered in his mind. He forcibly raised his head to scan and find her.
In his mind, only one thing remained. Save her and the Nighthawks and escape by breaking down the door.
In a split-second after downing the bottle, he had considered using himself as a vanguard against the illusory and invisible symbols that coats the walls. After all, he can maintain lucidity and simply wake up.
But when Selina came into his view, Klein was greeted by a visceral scene.
"Ah!" a heart piercing scream of a familiar voice echoed.
Dunn, Leonard and Royale have each turned toward the voice.
They saw Selina's body wrapped by a massive red and scaly serpent, extending from a body that had resurfaced from the basement.
The tongue coiled at the silent maiden, frozen and unresponsive.
Rip! Splash!
...
In a state of horror and dread. Selina saw Klein flew off under the heavy tempest, causing him to crash to a wall.
Klein! she wanted to shout. But something in her throat compelled her to shut.
As this were all happening, she suddenly saw Dunn, Leonard and Royale. All had their eyes seemingly blanked and intoxicated.
Then she saw the microscopic dusts being drifted in the air.
Are those... Spores? she reckoned.
At this moment, she realized the effect of the mushroom forest painting: inducing hallucinogens to the inhalers!
Hump! she held her breath, but that only lasted for a few seconds before she releases it.
Upon taking a whiff of the spores, she found herself normal.
I'm... fine?
Realizing this, being an Apothecary, she has a relatively resistance to poisons. For once, she was grateful of her pathway.
When she turned to check on the others. Their eyes dilated.
They're heavily affected by the spores and being dragged about by the wind!
Being inside of the tempest. She was relatively unharmed by the converging winds.
However, she's in a position to be considered safe either.
I have to kill the torso! she exclaimed inwardly and immediately scanned the area for her lost revolver.
When she spotted it, she forcibly exerted strength to her limbs.
Thud!
Her legs felt sluggish, her body in great pain while the ground shook her violently.
Selina stumbled down again and again until finally, she reached and retrieved her revolver, laying on the flooded floor.
By the time she turned around to see the basement. Her blood turned cold.
Inside of the door's basement. The torso floats right above the surfaced of the water.
It appeared by itself... she muttered, her voice fleeting.
After a moment, she exclaimed inwardly. It appeared by itself!
Selina quickly seized this chance and aimed her revolver. She saw the crest at its belly to be its lifeline, a critical spot.
Without wasting any time, she squeezed the trigger and pulled.
Bang!
Blood bloomed from a serpent organ extending out of the torso's mouth.
Selina was shocked and her heart sank.
Her finger didn't stopped pulling the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Multiple bullets pierced the organ, embedding themselves into its flesh.
Selina kept on firing, every last bit a hope that one would slip from the tongue's guard, hitting the torso.
But suddenly...
Click!
The revolver was emptied out!
The tongue, blood prickling from its body rushed toward her. Its slimy surface pinned her down and coiled around her body.
"Ah!" Selina let out an instinctive cry, echoing across the room.
The next second, she saw a single long slit by the torso's crest.
It opened and revealed hundreds of teeth, spiraling to a single light. The tongue began dragging her in.
Selina's face was filled with despair and dread.
I'm dying? No no I can't...!
She squirmed vigorously, grunting and hissing trying to escape.
It was futile, but the instinct to live drives her to do so regardless.
As her fate seals, she felt a vial in her coat.
Alongside the drugs she had prepared but wasn't used. Suddenly, she recalled the seed.
...!
Out of desperation and a kindled faith. Selina wriggled herself until her hand managed to went into her coat and successfully retrieved the vial!
Her feet was nearing the basement, the torso ready to devour her.
In a pinch, her hand that was holding the vial poked out of the tongue's coil.
Then, she positioned the vial to her fingers and flicked it.
Splash!
The vial made it to the waters in the basement!
After that, her vision blurred and Selina passed out
...
Inside of the dreamworld.
Soon after Selina's body manifested from the congregation of the environment.
Amid the terraforming of the meadow. She tuned out the surrounding and focused on sensing the seed's location.
Sure enough, it was there floating in the water. And near it, she sensed a body heat shape in the form of a torso without any appendages.
Without hesitation, she willed the seed to sprout.
...
Inside of Morroy's Residence, by the living room flooded with waters.
Certain by its victim's frailty. The torso merely glances at the vial, containing a useless seed.
After that, it focused on consuming Selina.
In just a matter of time, it would achieve her blood, covering up the needs for a descent!
Spectating from above. Morroy's head, featuring a single eye could not help but smile widely.
The eye it bore screams delightfulness and certainty!
All of the limbs suddenly halted and watched.
Finally the damsel's feet reached its teeth.
Then suddenly, all of his body parts; the head, the limbs and the tongue extending from the torso... froze.
The smile on the head's face faded.
Lowering its gaze down, it saw a thin vine-like stem growing up from the torso's mouth, blood travelled down to its mouth.
The seed sprouted.