Chaos In Vyolmir (4)

"Control yourself," Theo said, his voice strained as he pushed himself up, swaying slightly from the effort.

Jae didn't answer. Her eyes were sharp, burning with fury. In one fluid motion, her arms morphed—muscle rippling, fur sprouting—until they resembled the powerful limbs of a tiger. At the same time, her legs shifted, becoming sleek and narrow like a cheetah's, built for speed. And beneath the surface, her limbs carried the crushing weight of an elephant, a hidden force that amplified her attacks to devastating levels.

Her form blurred.

In an instant, she was gone from Theo's side, darting forward like a living missile. The skeletal priest barely had time to register the threat before her feet slammed into its chest with the weight of an enraged elephant moving at a cheetah's speed.

The result was catastrophic.

Bones cracked like brittle glass, the skeleton exploding into pieces that scattered across the stone floor. It clattered lifelessly, fragments bouncing off the walls and floor in every direction.

Theo narrowed his eyes, watching the aftermath with quiet focus. But before he could exhale, something flickered in the corner of his vision.

Boom!

The sound was sickening—bone meeting flesh, followed by the sharp crash of a body slamming into solid stone.

Whipping around, Theo's heart dropped.

Jae was embedded in the wall, blood splattered from her mouth as she crumpled to the floor, groaning weakly. His eyes immediately darted to the source—and there it stood.

The abnormally tall black skeleton. A towering monstrosity, its limbs unnaturally long, its aura a thick miasma that distorted the air around it like rising heat. Its body gleamed with a void-like sheen, and its hands had morphed into glistening, razor-sharp blades.

The dark skeleton lunged, twin blades slicing through the air toward Theo and the wounded Jae.

Only to strike empty space.

Theo and Jae vanished just before the strike landed, leaving behind only a flickering afterimage.

"Next time, use your eyes," Theo's voice rang out from behind the skeleton, sharp with mocking edge. "Oh right... you don't have any."

He was standing directly behind it, blunderbuss already raised and aimed at the creature's back.

Bang!

The shot roared like thunder in the corridor, the explosive round slamming point-blank into the undead monstrosity's spine.

The impact shredded the creature into a burst of bones and black smoke—but only for a moment.

Before Theo could move, the bones spun mid-air, reassembling faster than he could blink. The skeleton's foot lashed out with bone-snapping force, striking Theo in the chest and launching him backward like a ragdoll.

He crashed into the wall with a pained grunt, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth as he slid to the floor.

The monster stood tall once more, unmoving, watching with its empty sockets.

This wasn't just a skeleton.

This was something far worse.

Although injured, Theo gritted his teeth and forced himself upright, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. With shaking hands, he reloaded the blunderbuss, the heavy weapon clicking into place just as Jae darted in from the side.

She launched herself with explosive speed, her right foot slamming into the skeleton's skull with a thunderous crack.

"What the—?" Jae gasped.

The blow should've sent the monster flying—but it didn't budge. The tall black skeleton barely flinched. Instead, it used its considerable weight and anchored stance to rotate its torso, brushing Jae aside with brute force.

Before she could regain balance, its left arm—now a gleaming blade—swept inward like a guillotine.

Shunk!

The blade pierced straight through her chest.

But in a blink, the wound began to knit itself together—flesh stitching, bones mending—as her body rapidly morphed. Her form shrank, reshaping into a tiny mosquito, allowing the blade to slip through vapor as she darted away.

Buzzing low, she zipped behind the skeleton, just as—

Bang!

The shot rang out from Theo's position. The bullet soared true, striking the creature's head and blowing a fist-sized chunk from its skull. Bone fragments exploded outward, clattering across the floor.

Before it could begin reforming, Jae shifted again—this time into a massive tiger, larger than a bear, her fur bristling with fury. She pounced, claws first, colliding into the skeleton with enough force to rattle the walls.

She snarled and mauled, claws raking across the torso, fangs tearing at its shoulder. Her weight kept it pinned as she battered its frame with overwhelming ferocity, each strike echoing like war drums.

But the skeleton wasn't defenseless.

Its jaw clattered once—then it struck.

The bone maw clamped onto the side of Jae's shoulder with terrifying strength, the crunch of flesh and sinew splitting the air. It bit down harder, tearing into her hide and ripping a chunk free.

Jae roared in pain, staggering back, blood splattering across the stone floor. Yet the fire in her eyes only burned brighter.

Theo, now kneeling with the blunderbuss resting on his shoulder, narrowed his eyes.

This thing wouldn't die easily.

And it wasn't done yet.

Bang!

Theo pulled the trigger again, the thunderous shot echoing through the stone corridor. The bullet tore through the skeleton's lower half, blasting its legs into a cloud of shattered bone.

Taking the opportunity, Jae surged forward with a feral roar, slamming her head into the creature's skull with a sickening crack. Before the upper body could collapse, she caught the ruined legs midair and slammed them back into its torso with brutal force.

Bones splintered on impact.

Theo sprinted in, his coat whipping behind him, and slid across the floor. He raised the blunderbuss once more, aimed straight at the creature's twisted face, and pulled the trigger.

Boom!

The blast vaporized the head into a fine paste of bone and dark miasma, just as Jae launched the remaining upper body into the air with a thunderous kick.

Rip!

Theo pulled a small charm from his pocket—an enchanted scroll no larger than his palm, etched with a glowing red fire rune. With a sharp tug, he tore it in half and tossed the halves toward the remnants.

The scroll ignited midair, erupting into a surge of flames that engulfed the lower half of the skeleton. It sizzled and cracked, blackening into ash. But the upper half and shattered skull were already reforming—crawling unnaturally across the ground, fingers dragging forward like a dying insect.

"Persistent bastard," Theo muttered under his breath.

He dashed in and delivered a sharp kick, punting the upper body skyward. The skeleton flailed in the air, bones twisting to piece themselves back together.

Crack!

Jae spun mid-step, her foot slamming down like a hammer. Bone fragments exploded outward in a shower of white dust.

Still, the skeletal remains twitched—trying to mend.

Theo didn't hesitate. He drew another scroll from inside his coat, fire rune already glowing, and ripped it clean through. He tossed the burning charm into the remains.

Fwoosh!

Fire burst forth, devouring the fragments in a cyclone of heat and ash. This time, the creature didn't move. It burned until nothing was left but charred remains and silence.

The two stood in the aftermath, panting heavily. Theo leaned on his blunderbuss, his body trembling from exertion. Jae, though her wounds were visibly mending, looked pale and utterly drained.

She wiped the blood from her lip, let out a long exhale, and muttered, "After this… I deserve a long trip to the beach."

Theo let out a tired laugh, his voice low but warm. He reached over and gently patted her head.

"Right… I almost forgot that was your dream," he said, eyes soft despite the pain.

Jae gave him a faint smile. "Don't forget next time. You still owe me a beach day, old man."

He scoffed lightly but didn't argue.

For now, they'd survived. But the real storm hadn't passed yet.

Crack!

Boom!

The ground trembled as something massive slammed into the area. From the shadows of the far wall, a clawed, obsidian-black hand gripped the stone, its fingers like hooked scythes. 

Slowly, it pulled itself forward, revealing its full, grotesque form—a towering, skeletal figure nearly ten feet tall, unnaturally lanky with limbs that stretched far too long for its frame. Black flames seeped from its jaw, flickering like hellfire, casting an eerie glow across the room.

Its presence was suffocating.

They were in a wide, circular chamber now—dimly lit by ghostly white lanterns that floated along the walls. The polished stone floor was etched with faded runes and deep scars—evidence that this place had once served as a combat testing chamber, or worse. One way in, one way out. The only other opening was a single arched window high up on the right wall.

Theo's eyes snapped toward it—and froze.

A skeletal figure, dressed in tattered mage robes, stood behind the glass, watching. Its hollow sockets met Theo's gaze for only a moment before it vanished into thin air.

"What the hell—?" Theo muttered under his breath. "Wasn't that… Volhcard's master? That lich bastard?" He barely had time to process before—

Boom!

The massive skeleton crashed its fists into the ground, sending a shockwave through the room. Theo grabbed Jae and rolled to the side, just barely dodging the crushing blow. The stone cracked beneath the creature's fists like shattered ice.

"Am I hallucinating…?" Theo growled, sliding back and quickly loading a fresh cartridge into his blunderbuss. "No time for that now. Gotta deal with this thing first!"

Jae staggered to her feet, sweat dripping from her chin. Her breathing was ragged, and blood still stained her clothes, but her eyes were sharp with defiance.

The black skeleton straightened its back and let out a screeching roar that rattled the walls. With a sickening crunch, both of its forearms shifted—bones cracking, reshaping—until twin blade-like appendages extended from its wrists, glinting with malevolent dark energy.

"To think…" Theo muttered, chuckling bitterly as he narrowed his eyes. "This ugly bastard was the source of that suffocating mana. No wonder it felt like a mountain sitting on my chest."

Jae wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, blood smearing across her cheek. Despite her condition, she managed a smirk. "Well… guess we found the boss."

Theo took a step forward, leveling his weapon. His voice was low and cold.

"Then let's make sure it doesn't leave this room in one piece."

The black skeleton's flames grew brighter, its blade-arms humming with dark power.

Back to the present.

Theo darted toward the towering black skeleton, boots pounding against the stone floor. The air around the creature pulsed with suffocating mana, growing thicker with each step. It let out a chilling shriek—its voice like shattered glass scraping across bone—and lunged forward, its blade-like arms aiming straight for Theo's torso.

But just as the strike was about to land—

Jae appeared at its side, seizing its left arm with a snarl. She twisted it just as Theo slid beneath the monster, causing the blade to veer off-course and wedge itself into its own ribcage.

Bang!

Theo didn't waste the opening. He rammed the barrel of the blunderbuss into the creature's gaping maw and pulled the trigger.

The explosion shattered its skull into a flurry of jagged shards—but within seconds, the fragments swirled and pulled themselves back together, bone reforming unnaturally fast.

It hissed.

Without warning, the skeleton raised its right blade and swung at Jae, aiming to carve her in half.

She darted away in a blur and skidded into a crouch. Her arms transformed—morphing into massive, fur-covered gorilla limbs—and she caught the blade mid-swing, halting the strike with raw strength. Sparks flew as bone met transformed muscle.

Jae's eyes blazed. She inhaled sharply, chest swelling, then exhaled—

Fwoosh!

A torrent of flame erupted from her mouth, engulfing the creature's face in a searing blaze. The heat warped the air, casting flickering shadows across the chamber.

Theo dove to the side just in time to avoid being scorched. He jammed another cartridge into the blunderbuss and circled around to flank the monster—but the skeleton reacted instantly.

Crash!

Its left leg swung out in a brutal arc, catching Theo in the ribs. The blow launched him like a ragdoll into the far wall.

Crack!

Stone splintered. Blood erupted from Theo's mouth as he collapsed face-first onto the floor, coughing and groaning.

"What the hell is this thing…?" he choked, pain surging through every limb. His vision swam as he barely managed to lift his head.

Across the chamber, Jae was locked in a brutal melee. The skeleton unleashed a flurry of strikes with both blades—slashes that danced through the air like death itself. She blocked what she could, but razor-sharp cuts bloomed across her arms, thighs, cheek, and chest.

Blood stained her skin, and yet—she refused to fall.

Dodging a strike by inches, she countered with a flaming breath and a devastating kick from her cheetah-powered elephant feet. The skeleton staggered, its ribs crunching under the force.

"Just die already, you damn fleshless beast!" she roared.

Her back rippled—then tore open.

From it, two tails erupted: one thick and segmented like a scorpion's, ending in a venomous barb, the other striped and muscular like a tiger's—except the end had mutated into the blazing maw of a flame wyvern.

Jae leapt back, panting hard. Blood and sweat dripped from her brow as she dropped to all fours, her breath ragged but her spirit unbroken.

The two combatants stood facing each other—one beastly and burning, the other a monstrous reaper clothed in death and flame.

Jae's eyes narrowed. Her aura was wild and untamed, like a predator deep in the jungle.

And the black skeleton?

It stood like the end itself—an avatar of undeath, of pain, of inevitability.