We waited for hours until it was past midnight.
"Let's go!" Captain Edmund said, hopping out of the car he had been driving. He slammed the door and walked toward the nightclub.
Following his lead, we made our way to the entrance while a few people were still leaving.
"No entry! The club is closed!" A huge man stood in the doorway, arms crossed, glaring down at us.
Captain wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Oh, my friend here forgot something inside," he said with a crooked smile. "Can we just grab it quickly?" He leaned closer to the guard, lowering his voice.
"I said the club is closed, buddy!" the man shouted as he stepped forward.
Captain hid behind me, nervously peeking at the guard.
Is he really a captain? I thought, glancing at him.
Suddenly, Margaret stepped forward. She touched her pendant, and a faint hypnotic pulse flowed from her voice toward the guard.
"Let us in," she commanded, staring straight at him.
The guard's gaze went blank, and he stepped aside, motionless.
Margaret waved us forward. "Come on," she said, nodding toward the entrance.
We stepped inside. The club was huge, with two floors surrounding the main dance area. Most of the crowd had already left. A few chairs lay scattered around, and the lights were dim.
Damian tilted his head, his gaze following the ceiling above. "Why is the ceiling so high?" he asked.
I moved farther in, scanning my eyes across the dark corners. I knocked lightly on one of the tall pillars and looked up at the wide open space. "Hmm… plenty of room to fly," I said. "Big enough for a harpy nest too."
We roamed cautiously when a voice cut through the air.
"My dear friends, the club is closed. We are finishing up for the night."
A man stepped forward, with four bodyguards behind him. He stood still, hands in his pockets and eyes fixed on us.
"Oh, we just forgot something," Captain Edmund said, stepping forward.
"Oh really? You just forgot something?" the man's voice was full of amusement as he chuckled and glanced at his bodyguards.
I noticed one of them staring at me, fingers twitching near something at his side, eyes sharp and alert.
"That's what everyone says when they want something, huh?" the man continued. "So… what exactly do you want?"
Suddenly, a scream cut through the club.
It was a desperate scream, a cry for help.
"You said the club is closed! Why is someone screaming inside?" I demanded.
"I'm the owner of this club! Get out!" the man yelled, drawing a gun from his side. His bodyguards followed him, hands gripping their weapons as they took defensive positions.
Captain Edmund raised a hand slowly, but I noticed a smirk tugging at his lips.
"Okay… we'll leave," he said. "But first, we've been told that there are harpies in here." Captain Edmund added.
"There are no harpies in this club! We're all men here," the man said defensively.
"Well, let's find that out," Captain said, gesturing toward Margaret.
Margaret stepped forward. She tilted her head slightly and began to hum, her voice resonating with a low, melodic vibration. A visible sound wave radiated outward from her mouth.
"Sonic Pulse!"
The people in front of us clutched their ears, flinching in pain.
The pulse rippled through the air, distorting their balance and leaving a ringing, disorienting effect. Dust and debris scattered as the vibration sent them stumbling backward, leaving the group completely off guard.
"Shoot!" the man shouted.
Guns fired, bullets rushing toward us with deadly speed.
"Temporal Shift!"
I shot my hand forward, and temporal energy erupted into the air, spiraling around the bullets. Time seemed to bend the bullets, slowing them down before they reversed, hurtling back toward the guns they had come from.
Margaret continued to hum, her sonic pulse waving through the room, making the shooters stagger and clutch their heads.
Something unnatural was lurking among them.
Then, suddenly, bones creaked and their bodies expanded as they began to growl. Their clothes tore under the strain.
They transformed into female bird-like creatures, their bodies reshaping with sharp beaks, sharp talons, and feathered wings, claws and feathers sprouting across their twisted forms.
"My goodness! How can they shapeshift like that… even into men?" I whispered, eyes wide with disbelief.
We had planned for this. Captain Edmund had studied the case earlier, and Margaret was ready. With her Sonic Pulse skill, she would force the hidden harpies to reveal themselves, exposing their true forms.
"Shrreeekk!"
Their combined screeches cut through the air, sharp and piercing, almost equal to the force of Margaret's Sonic Pulse.
Another screech came from behind us. It was the guard, who had now also revealed her true form.
"Theai, can you take care of the one behind us?" Captain Edmund shouted as there gears materialized in their body out of nowhere.
Theai extended her hand, and vines slithered across her arm, twisting together as flowers rapidly bloomed along their length. In moments, they formed a whip lined with sharp, thorned spikes. Tiny green spores drifted from the weapon as she swung it through the air.
Margaret and the five harpies continued fighting for dominance, her Sonic Pulse clashing with their shrieks in a chaotic battle of sound.
"I didn't know they were holding a concert match-up in here," Damian teased, smirking.
The harpies faltered. They weren't strong enough to overpower Margaret.
But more emerged from the shadows of the club, dozens of wings and talons appearing seemingly out of nowhere.
At the center stood the owner, her commanding presence unmistakable. She raised her hand, signaling her followers to attack us in unison.
Margaret stopped her ability and waved her hand gently. Water droplets rose and swirled around her, forming a glowing sphere. It then materialized, settling into a solid trident made of water, its surface etched with strange symbols.
Captain Edmund extended his left hand. Several spectral hands formed from dark energy, coiling around his arm all the way to his hand. With a sharp twist of his fingers, a scythe materialized. He spun it around him, readying himself for battle.
"Solar Phoenix!"
Damian slammed his hand onto the floor. A magic circle ignited beneath him, glowing hot and cracking the surface. From its center, a medium-sized fiery phoenix about half of Damian's height soared upward, its wings spreading wide as it let out a piercing cry.
The harpies hovered toward us, talons glinting, but my companions swung their weapons in swift arcs.
Three harpies lunged at me, moving with terrifying speed. I braced myself.
"Phase Rift!"
I sprinted and leaped onto their backs. They flinched as I moved above them, afterimages trailing in my wake.
I've played many fantasy adventure games before, spending long nights grinding dungeons, slaying monsters, and memorizing skill descriptions.
"Chrono Shards!"
I pinned my feet against the wall of the club and surged forward, extending my hand. Three pulsing temporal shards shot out, striking their heads with precise force. Their heads exploded on impact.
Their bodies crashed into the tables of the club, each landing separately with a heavy thud.
I snapped back to one of my afterimages, landing behind my companions.
Captain Edmund leapt forward, aiming for the leader of the harpies, but he was immediately swarmed by several of them. I was stunned. He moved like a shadow, and their claws passed straight through his body without touching him.
He slashed through all who came at him, then surged toward the leader, who let out a sharp, piercing screech. Suddenly, Captain Edmund vanished into the shadows, reappearing behind her.
I couldn't see what happened next, as something lunged at me from the side.