2nd Phase
The vampire monster takes its first step toward us. It startles me—the way the ground shakes. Nisha is depending on me to find out how to beat it but for now, I have no idea.
From its right hand, it summons a giant bone sword. It lifts it to the sky and swings it down on us. We run away to avoid getting crushed. Argh! The blast, instead, hurts us and we tumble away. It's not over as it jumps and uses its wings to fly then descends to stomp us flat.
I grab Nisha and using my Angelus Frame, I dash us out to safety. And again, it's not over! The giant bone sword is flying toward us. We avoid it to the right and it sticks to the ground.
"That was close," she says, panting.
"Yeah, that—"
The sword becomes dull black and explodes into a fire—black fire! It spreads on the ground, erasing everything it touches!
"Run!" I shout, pulling her away.
"Argh!!!" It got my left foot! It's painful but I have to keep running!
"Cancer!" Nisha yells out in worry.
"Just keep running!"
The fire stops spreading and from here, we see the monster steadily walking to retrieve the sword. The castle is in shambles. So much for her care for it.
I'm here on the ground as my left foot is completely burned. Even if I change into my other frames, the injury will still be there. My regular Daemon Frame has the best healing so I replace Algron with it and barely heal myself with the last stamina I have.
"Can you still move?" Nisha asks.
"Of course," I answer as I stand, trying not to frown in pain.
The vampire monster has already retrieved its sword. It turns its massive body to face us from afar. Then lowers its stance, preparing for an attack.
"Here it comes," I warn her.
"How are we going to kill her?" Nisha asks, wrinkling her nose in annoyance.
I'm pretty frustrated too but it doesn't help. This situation is pretty much like the recent major encounters I experienced. There was always a way to beat them. However, this is Carmilla—an NPC that, as far as I know, thinks and doesn't have an attack pattern. That's why she's so hard to defeat.
We need a plan but there is one risky thing I want to confirm. "Let me solo her," I say.
"What?" Nisha reacts confusingly. "Wait, are you serious? Even both of us are not enough to beat her!"
"Just wait for my signal and attack her as soon as you can."
"Cancer!" she pleads for me to be serious but I already am.
"Trust me, Nisha." My chest suddenly feels a huge pulse and adrenaline takes over me. I'm scared, I know, because I could be wrong.
"Okay, then." She calms down with a deep breath. "Be careful."
"You too. Go." I nod up, facing somewhere far. She tightens her lips before turning away.
Meanwhile, I face the large foe approaching me steadily. Starting from my nape, a shivering sensation spreads throughout my body. Why am I so scared?
What is this?
Well, that's bad news. No wonder I feel stiffer. The attacks were easy to anticipate but became harder to get away from. Let's see if what I thought about is true.
The monster raises its sword in the air. The black flame can be seen in the violet background the barrier over the island made. It points the flaming sword at me. I bet it's gonna shoot. Like a flamethrower, the black fire is unleashed onto me. I'm already on the run but the area it will cover is so vast! And I'm slow! I barely escaped the fire behind a small hill.
It's over and I take a peek. Ohhhh no. . . The ground rumbles as it charges toward me. Too late to run away, I watch carefully the attack it's going to unleash. It swings its heavy sword sideways.
I jump high using the wings of my Angelus Frame then scream, "GO, NISHA!!!"
A flash of light breaks out at the left ankle of the monster. It screams in pain and Nisha is still attacking it relentlessly. Has she run out of control? She has to get away now!
"Run!" I shout and she listens. Good girl, good girl. . .
As soon as I land on the ground, the monster is already preparing for its next attack. Thank goodness its target isn't Nisha. But ugh, I'm tired. . . Then something strikes my mind. Algron's skill earlier, when he replenished my stamina, I know it. So, I put my hand on my chest and activate the skill named,
It spreads its wings so wide and levitates. A giant flying thing?!! This doesn't make any sense! But I guess this is Shannia. I slowly step back and I mustn't turn my back or I won't see the incoming attack. It's right above me now and attacks me with the fire from its sword. I hurry and get out of that place. The ground it burned becomes lava. After that, it flies to where I am now. It does that same attack. My stamina is getting drained again. The area of its attack is so vast that I have to fly and run large distances. The third time is the last and I'm drained but I have to shout the cue as it steadily descends.
"NISHAAA!!!"
*Cough*
Ugh, my throat!
Nisha's grunt can be heard from this distance as she deals another hit. I can't see where she hit it but still, it counts. I don't have to tell her to retreat. But she's in trouble! She's got its attention!
"Run, Nisha!" I yell but I think she didn't hear me.
The monster summons hundreds of bats as big as gargoyles. That looks bad. They are gonna be tough to handle. As its bats keep Nisha busy, it's attacking her with its giant sword. This is bad! I won't survive if I were to take her place. Somehow, she prevails.
"CANCER!!!" she yells this time.
That's what I'm doing now. In Algron's Frame, I charge the gun as I aim. The recoil of the shot is so strong that the gun slips from my grip and hit my forehead. Argh!! That hurt!
"What are you doing?!" she complained from afar after the shot missed by a mile away. "You clumsy little—"
"Shut up!"
The monster acquires me as its target again. Damn, I wish it was Nisha again. It plunges its sword into the ground. I'm pretty far. What is it gonna do from there?
The ground beneath me trembles. Then cracks start to appear everywhere. From inside the cracks and starting from the monster, a black fire breaks out. All I could do is avoid standing directly above the cracks. However, the heat and light are hurting me. My face feel burnt after it and I couldn't stand up nor open my eyes. But I feel the ground shaking. I just know it's coming towards me.
Forcing myself to open my eyes, I ready my legs to burst in the direction where I'll be safe. When I opened them, the giant sword is already above me. I cannot get away to a safe distance so although I managed to avoid the edge, the blast as the sword hits the ground launches me away violently.
The hard obsidian ground is not a comfortable surface to crash on. My skin gets cut everywhere. Argh! My wounds are stinging! Well, at least Nisha dealt a huge blow again. An eye for an eye.
I gather myself up and wish that all of this will be over sooner. It's up to us to make that happen. My lungs are barely giving me air. I'm dizzy and breathing heavily. I have a feeling that I will die from this instead because of that monster.
Then, seeing its next move gives my blood more life. My theory was right! Carmilla lost the freedom to vary her attacks under her will. This is called, "Ascension" in which a person may convert their consciousness into raw power.
She is nothing but a mindless boss with memorizable attack patterns. If I was her, I would never sacrifice my control.
"I was right. . .," I mutter in satisfaction. *Sigh* "Nisha!" I shout.
"What?!" she shouts back.
"I was right!"