I Think I Fell for You at the Bottom of the Abyss (Probably) - Episode 4

The sound echoing from the east continued. A low, heavy rumble—like the earth itself groaning. The water surface rippled, and the crystal pillars swayed faintly. Riko descended the pillar while looking east. Beyond the pillar, something moved. Something large. "Let's hurry" "Yeah" The two moved from pillar to pillar as fast as they could. Once they descended near the water's surface, they'd traverse the rocky shelf heading east. They wouldn't approach the Oogasumi. No light. As quiet as possible. The pale blue glow of the Sea of Corpses wavered. Landing on the rocky shelf, cold seeped through the soles of their feet. The water temperature was low. Two or three degrees Celsius. Riko and Nanachi moved at a quick jog through the area where crystal pillars stood densely—the place called Towa no Hashira. The sound grew louder. Thud, thud—the sound of something striking the water's surface, colliding with rock. Running, Riko thought: (Is Reg okay?) Reg was durable. A body like steel, both arms equipped with the Incinerator. She should be able to deflect ordinary monsters. But the creatures in the Sea of Corpses on the fifth layer weren't ordinary. A single Tamaugachi could kill three cave raiders without breaking a sweat. When Riko rounded the corner of a pillar, Nanachi grabbed her arm. "Stop" Riko stopped. She looked ahead. —There it was. A Tamaugachi. A massive body roughly eight meters long stood at the edge of the rocky shelf. Needle-like body hair glittered under the light of the force field. Those needles would kill you with nerve paralysis. Within thirty minutes. At the creature's feet, a small shadow. White. Glowing— Reg. "Reg!" The cry escaped her lips. Damn, Riko thought—but it was already too late. The Tamaugachi turned toward them. Red eyes gleamed. "Riko!!" But Reg lifted her head too. "Riko? Nanachi?" Her voice came through. Reg's usual voice. The Tamaugachi began to move. It crept toward them, slowly, deliberately. Its body hair bristled outward. The motion right before firing needles. Riko stood on the rocky shelf and opened her pack. Four small glass bottles for material collection. Rope. Nothing that could serve as a weapon. (This is bad.) Reg tried to stand. But her legs wavered. She was injured somewhere. The Tamaugachi raised its right arm— "Get down!!" Nanachi shoved Riko down. At the same moment, needles came flying. A sharp whistle. The needles passed over her head. They struck the rocky shelf wall with rapid pinging sounds. "Nanachi!!" "I'm fine" Nanachi got up. Her white ears were flattened against her head. Fear showed in her ears. But her voice stayed calm. The Tamaugachi shook its body hair. Preparing for the next strike. Riko stood and looked toward Reg. Reg was standing too. Her right arm raised. The Incinerator in firing position. But if she used it, she'd be unconscious for ten minutes. Completely defenseless the whole time. "Reg, don't use it!" "But—" "Don't use it!!" At that moment, Riko was watching the Tamaugachi's movements. (That belly... the color's different.) The creature's abdomen was slightly paler than the rest of its body. Not scales—soft tissue. A weak point. But unreachable. She'd have to crawl under eight meters of body to get to its belly. (But...) Something shifted in Riko's mind. Four bottles. Glass bottles for material collection. Tamaugachi had a habit of gathering toward light—no, wait, that was the Oogasumi. She was confused. (So... if light hit the crystal pillars?) Riko looked to the side of the rocky shelf. Near the water's edge, a small crystal fragment lay scattered. It glowed blue under the force field's light. (If light came to its feet, the Tamaugachi would look down. And then—) "Nanachi, kick that fragment! As hard as you can toward the water!" "Huh?" "Just do it!" The Tamaugachi bristled its body hair again. Needles were coming. Riko ran. Straight toward the Tamaugachi. "Riko!?" Nanachi kicked the crystal fragment with all her strength. It fell onto the water's surface. Light scattered. The glow on the water illuminated the creature's feet for just a moment. The Tamaugachi's gaze turned downward. Barely. Just barely. It was enough. Riko slid under the creature's body. The rocky shelf's surface tore at her back. It hurt. But she didn't stop. Under the belly. White tissue came into view. She gripped the bottle. The hard corner of the glass collection bottle—she drove it in with all her strength. The Tamaugachi convulsed violently. GYAAAAAAAA!! The death cry echoed through the fifth layer. Needles flew everywhere. Up, sideways, in all directions. Riko curled up and didn't move. Needles struck the rocky shelf. One hit her back. But it caught on the scaled part of her body—it didn't reach her skin. DOOOOOM!! The massive body fell. Crystal pillars shook. The water surface rippled violently. For a while, no one moved. Riko lay on her back on the rocky shelf, staring at the ceiling. The force field's light swayed slowly. Pale blue. The light of the Sea of Corpses. (I did it.) She wanted to laugh. But her body wouldn't move. Her arms were shaking. Her back hurt. She might be bleeding. "Riko!!" Footsteps approached. Reg ran toward her. Running unsteadily. "Are you hurt?" "...I'm alive" "What were you thinking!! Don't charge in like that!!" Reg's voice was shaking. Angry or scared—it was hard to tell. Riko slowly got up. She tried to look at her back and strained her neck. "Ahaha, can't see it" "Let me see. ...Yeah, no needles stuck in. Just cuts" "Thank goodness..." Reg sat down beside her. The three of them sat in a row on the rocky shelf. The fallen Tamaugachi's massive body lay right there. Silence stretched between them. "Hey. I just thought of something" "What" "A single Tamaugachi is worth about five hundred thousand gald in materials, right?" Nanachi froze. Reg froze. "If we deliver it to the Tokoshie Organ, that'd be amazing, right!? We could buy equipment, repair the Hoozuki shelf—" "Are you seriously talking about that right now!!" "No, it's important!?" "...Well. If we could carry it" The three of them looked at the Tamaugachi's massive body. Eight meters. There was no way they could carry it. "Ugh..." "Give up" "What a waste" "Worry about it after we reach Nanakamado's Spring. That comes first" Right. They had to reach the spring. They had to break the curse. Riko looked at her own hands. A boy's hands. Large, scarred, still trembling slightly. But today, with these hands, she'd defeated a Tamaugachi. (Not bad, maybe.) That's what she thought. Reg stood up and glanced at Riko. "...You really made it out alive" Her voice was low. Not angry—relieved. Riko felt a little embarrassed. "Thanks. I'm surprised myself" "Don't be surprised at yourself" The three of them laughed. All their voices were low. Riko and Nanachi still had their male voices, Reg had her usual voice, but they all mixed together into laughter that echoed across the Sea of Corpses. After the laughter faded, Nanachi stood and faced west. "The Hoozuki shelf is unusable. The Daiou Kabura destroyed it. Where do we sleep tonight" "High up on a crystal pillar?" "If it's high enough that Tamaugachi won't reach, we can make it" "Then we rest there tonight and head to Nanakamado's Spring tomorrow" Nanachi and Reg nodded. Riko stood and surveyed the Sea of Corpses anew. Pale blue light. Crystal pillars. Quiet water surface. (Nanakamado's Spring. Beyond the Kurogane Corridor, where the force field swirls. About fifteen kilometers.) Far. Dangerous. But Mom's map never lied. Riko took a step forward. At that moment, from deep within the Sea of Corpses—from the west—she thought she heard a faint sound. A sound like wind. But there was no wind on the fifth layer. Riko stopped and looked west. Nothing. Just crystal pillars, light, and the quiet water's surface. (Must be my imagination.) She started walking again.

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Episode 4

Name: I Think I Fell for You at the Bottom of the Abyss (Probably)
Author: Novelia

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