「Broken Compass」The Soterice Trials 「Trial I」

"The Blade Of Thieves" -Part IV-

Chapter 31

In the dim light, the weapon's obsidian frame gleamed with a mirror-like polish, intricate gold filigree etching along the barrel and grip in delicate floral patterns. 

The gilded designs shimmered faintly, mirroring the constellations overhead. Its flared muzzle curved elegantly, exuding an air of regal artistry.

 Yet, beneath its ornate beauty, the weapon felt heavy and cold in Hoku's grip.

 His fingers curled instinctively around the engraved handle, sensing the constellation's hum resonating through the metal.

Despite the initial shock, Hoku's instincts took over. 

He squeezed the trigger, releasing multiple rounds. The recoil jolted his arm, yet each bullet tore through the vortex, dispersing the petals into embers.

Juno's eyes widened as she spun, branches coiling defensively around her. 

Hoku fired again; the bullet ricocheted off the bark. 

'Strange, this pistol doesn't adhere to the limits of a regular one. I don't need to reload.' 

Hoku nearly fumbled, realizing, 'I've never handled a gun—'

Regaining his composure, Hoku refocused.

His momentum propelled him above Juno. Her fan snapped upward, branches spiraling toward him with unmatched speed. 

A pattern had emerged in her attacks, though varied in form, they followed a repetitive nature. 

'They're starting to seem somewhat predictable,' Hoku mused, slightly surprised.

He adjusted his aim, though instead of firing at the branches but he shot the at the base where they coiled.

The bullet struck and splintered the nexus.

Hoku twisted, angling himself at an opening from the side. He fired a low bullet, aiming to unbalance her stance.

'If I disrupt her footing she will be focused on defending instead of attacking!'

Fear broke through Juno's facade as her fan rose defensively, and vines piled to shield her.

 Hoku's gaze locked onto her, pupils narrowing, breath steady. 

He extended his arm, with precise aim, and curled his finger around the trigger. 

In a cold, ragged voice, he commanded, "Break."

The shots rang out, brass bullets tearing through the vines, reducing them to petals and obliterating her defense. 

Several subsequent shots missed their mark. 

Hoku stepped off the foundation to improve his aim. 

The moment his foot left, Juno slashed her fan downward; vines burst from below. 

Hoku leaped, his foot grazing a falling droplet.

The constellation hummed, and another shield flickered, then vanished.

More vines lashed out, their thorns glinting menacingly. 

Hoku pivoted mid-dodge, and his pistol erupted in a blaze. 

Bullets tore through the vines, yet they persisted, relentless.

A branch whipped from the side, slamming into him. Agony flared.

Hoku collapsed to his knees. Juno loomed above, fan raised for the final blow.

 Her expression shifted with triumph, her eyes alight with malice.

"Your defiance is futile," she intoned, her voice still layered. "You are merely a fragment."

Hoku's grip tightened around the pistol, his knuckles whitening.

"Fragment…? Of what?" His vision blurred momentarily, the platform's illumination wavering.

He cast his eyes skyward; the stars above changed erratically, mirroring his inner turmoil.

A sudden insight struck him: 'They react most when I've countered or been injured.'

His free hand plunged into the water, sensing a faint hum beneath the surface. 

The stars and the trial were each interconnected.

Juno's fan descended, petals swirling menacingly.

Hoku wiped the sweat from his forehead and gritted his teeth. "If the web is connected to me, then what I gain becomes a temporary part of me…"

He turned, and aimed the muzzle above the water's surface, then pulled the trigger.

The bullet drilled into the stone, its impact resonating across the platform. 

Above, the stars quivered, their light converging again.

Blood from Hoku's side reversed its flow, threading back into his veins before the vine withdrew on its own.

His body felt buoyant, and his vision had cleared over.

Juno staggered, as her form flickered. "How are… you learning so quickly," Her voice trembled.

Hoku rose as warmth flooded into his limbs. 

"You've never countered this early—"

The wound sealed itself shut. 

He leveled the pistol, and the light reflected in his eyes, casting an unusual darkness over his expression.

"Good to know."

Juno's face contorted. She lunged, her fan crackling with energy.

Hoku fired; this time, the bullets struck true, piercing her chest.

A monstrous voice bellowed in pain as Juno's body snapped backward, limbs flailing as she staggered, the impact twisting her form grotesquely.

Bones cracked as her shoulder collapsed inward, flesh splitting open.

Black ichor erupted from the wound, evaporating into black fumes upon contact with the ground.

The stench of decay grew overwhelming.

Her face contorted, as her mouth gaped into a silent scream.

At last, her figure crumpled.

Even as she fell, her form twitched and convulsed, her body unraveling.

Flesh melted away, revealing hollow sockets; limbs elongated into grotesque, flailing vines.

Her face split apart, petals spilling from her mouth before her eyes hollowed out.

As Juno's body writhed, collapsing into a mass of branches and petals, Ollie's fog emerged, swirling around the remains.

The mist recoiled, twisting violently before reshaping.

A different figure stepped forth, draped in flowing robes, her long hair floated weightlessly around her.

Hoku's frown deepened into a scowl. "Fleur!"

Her eyes opened, cool and sharp, locking onto Hoku.

She laid her hand flat in the air, and from her palm materialized a small blade.

As Hoku watched steadily, he thought silently, 'This monster seems only to take the forms of others. Yet, maybe it can't replicate certain weapons. I'm pretty sure Fleur wielded a bow, yet now, she's holding a—'

Fleur lifted the knife without altering her expression and extended her other arm. 

She plunged the blade into her forearm, slicing upward to tear the flesh. 

Hoku watched in horror, his pistol still raised. Instead of blood, a black sludge oozed out, writhing as if alive. 

Fleur inserted her fingers into the gaping wound and extracted a long, slim object, dripping with the same thick sludge. 

Hoku raised his pistol higher, stumbling back. 

"Is that a bone?" he thought, feeling his stomach lurch.

The black sludge surrounding the bone began to extend outward, forming liquid tendrils that coiled. 

Gradually, they converged at both ends of the bone, shaping into intricate arcs before thinning and connecting into a delicate thread.

Hoku fired his pistol, but the bullet ricocheted off the wall. 

Fleur remained unfazed, her gaze fixed on him. 

'Damn! Now we both have long-range capabilities,' he thought, adjusting his aim.

As his finger touched the trigger, it disintegrated into droplets. 

He recoiled, staring at his empty palm in shock.

Hoku cautiously stepped backward onto the foundation, his heels teetering on the edge above the water.

In Fleur's other hand, the dagger had transformed into a slender arrow, its tip adorned with a blooming spider lily. 

The stars behind him seemed to warp, their reflections swirling in the water below. 

He glanced back just in time to see a faint outline among the stars intensify. 

In its wake, a fragment of a sword materialized in his grasp. 

The blade shimmered, chains trailing from the hilt, faintly tethered to the celestial bodies.

 Hoku's breath caught; his pulse quickened as he turned his gaze back to Fleur. 

She regarded him briefly before stating, "Congratulations. The first fragment of your elixir."

Hoku examined the fragmentary blade, noting that less than half remained attached to the hilt.

"What the— It's broken," he muttered. 

Lamb overheard and responded, "That's why he called it the first fragment. You'll acquire more as you clear the remaining stages." 

'So, this was my reward after all,' A few sweat tears rolled from his forehead. 

Suddenly, a sharp whistle pierced the air, and an arrow embedded itself inches from his neck. 

"Augh!" 

He swiftly yanked it out, the wound sealing before any blood could flow. 

"You're fortunate I hit you while you stood there," the monster remarked dryly.

 "Otherwise, the effects wouldn't have been nullified."

Before he could utter another word, Hoku pivoted sharply. 

She loosed another arrow, this time targeting his leg. 

He narrowly evaded, twisting his body to the side.

Amid the chaos, a sliver of clarity emerged.

The creature's assaults weren't random; each transformation was a calculated counter to his moves. 

His gaze returned to the web, its subtle shifts now seemed to mirror Fleur's actions as well.

'They adapt to the opponent as well?' Despite his amnesia, a sense of strategic familiarity stirred within him.

Another arrow whistled through the air. 

This time, Hoku managed to deflect it with the flat of his sword, even as uncertainty clouded his mind.

"Fleur's" eyes flickered with recognition, acknowledging Hoku's swift adaptation.

Drawing a deep breath, Hoku leaped off the foundation's edge, evading another arrow that splashed into the water.

Fleur conjured another arrow from her palm. As she released it, Hoku's body moved on practiced responses, his sword flashing to slice the arrow in half.

He swallowed hard, trying to compile his thoughts. 'Something changed when I touched that platform beneath the water. It's as if my movements have taken on a will of their own... or are being directed by another.'

His body operated autonomously, recognizing the necessity of aligning with the flow and keeping his mind clear.

An arrow pierced just above his knee, sending him crashing into the water with a heavy splash.

As he struggled to rise, something slipped from his robe, sinking into the depths.

Another arrow whizzed toward him; he ducked, plunging his hand into the water to retrieve the fallen object.

He glanced down. "Ah..."

He suddenly recalled using the compass during his descent into the mural; then realization struck him.

Survival necessitated not only instinctual reactions but also the prescient grasp of the trial's mechanisms.

Hoku's grip tightened on the compass.

Regardless of his destination or the chance of returning to a collapsing world, the path forward lay in deciphering the mysteries before him.

Casting the sword aside, he placed his fingers around the dial on top.

With a deep frown and a hint of irritation, he muttered, "I'll have to do more than anticipate your tactics."

To be continued…