Humans are biologically predisposed to running. Whether that be back in the early days of humanity when people chased gazelles on the long field, in the cradle of civilization where speed triumphed in war, or modern day where dodging was often the only respite against demons. Running, and movement in general, is one of the most important skills a true Initiate to have. Liv could run, and so could Donovan– for quite a while, too. In a perfect world, they could probably sprint miles and miles without breaking a sweat.

  That was in a perfect world, though. They were far from a perfect world.

  Liv heaves as she takes another heavy step, her legs screaming at her to stop. Her mind echoes the sentiment, her groggy brain only kept alight by the knowledge that someone was in danger. Donovan looked as worse as her, only a step ahead of her at all times. Bags loom under his eyes, his sclera red and irritated with the weight of consciousness. They’d been “running” for nearly an hour, devolving into a quick jog halfway through. Charlotte and Anthony’s footsteps just keep going farther in, occasionally twisting as they seemingly scour the forest for any signs of Liv.

  “Seriously.” Donovan huffs, his voice addled with sleep deprived exhaustion. “How far.. Can they… Huff… Go!?”

  “Charlotte’s… Awful fast…” Liv responds, barely suppressing the urge to vomit as her mouth opens. She could feel her insides coiling sickeningly tight, adrenaline keeping her upright. “I reckon… Huff.. They’re pretty far in.”

  “Ugh.” Donovan renews his efforts, weaving between the trees like a salmon through a river bed's stones.

  After another handful of minutes, they finally come to the end of the foot trail… At least, the supposed end of it. It's another body of water, though this one seems to be bordered on all sides by land within eye shot. Large deposits of clay lay just on the edge of the bank, an almost musty scent assaulting Liv's nose. Thick fog roils over it, far thicker than any Liv had seen anywhere else in the entire Strata. Its vile, a complete black with nary a sign of life swimming in its depths.

  So why did she hear such a strong ringing?

  Liv focuses her senses, shutting her eyes tight while covering her ears. The signature was coming from the water. No doubt, it was Anthony’s. But it wasn’t the only one.

  Liv’s eyes bolt open, her panicked gaze turning to Donovan. She could clearly hear the flickering of Synth, the slow depletion of their reserves. She remembered a familiar sound. They were fading.

  “They’re in the water!” She shouts, gesturing to the lake before them. The demons probably dragged them in. Donovan looks on, his exhaustion forgotten in the haze of shock and grim realization.

  “Damn it.” He growls, tearing his jacket off in one fell swoop. Liv shrugs her bag off as well, preparing herself for the cold plunge to come. As she does, however… Her hand accidentally cracks against her bag, just hard enough to create a flare of orange light from deep within their depths. It was minuscule, barely enough to illuminate their surroundings. It was enough.

  The ground begins to shake beneath them, hard enough to take Liv’s feet from beneath her. She stumbles, falling on her rear with a soft thud. Deep in the water, Liv can see the surface ripple, pluming in the middle. That’s when the water began to rise. Tendrils shoot from the banks like serpents, writhing as they snake toward Liv and Donovan's legs. Donovan backpedals, pulling Liv back by the back of her shirt as well.

  Water continues to bubble up, the foul liquid seeming to coagulate into a far denser liquid. Those same tendrils dig into the floor, hoisting the entire mass out of the basin that once contained it.

  Liv looks on in horror as the realization dawns on her. There were no demons plural, there was one. A single demon. It easily towers above them, a behemoth large enough to dwarf some buildings she’s seen. Now that it seemed to be conscious, she could feel the Synth wafting off it in droves, enough to dwarf her own boosted one five times over.

  It seems to register the two of them almost immediately. The liquid in its body shifts slightly, a club the size of their Buggy forming at the end of one of its many tendrils. It finally swings down once more with enough power to squash her and Donovan into a fine paste. Thinking quickly, Liv grabs Donovan by the side, slamming her free hand into her chest twice more. An explosion rips from her gauntlets as she claps, sending the two careening away in a heap of limbs and regret. The club slams into the floor where they once were, sending mud and trees flying away like ill-used toys before a child throwing a temper tantrum.

  Donovan drags himself to his feet, his Tonfa gripped tight in his hands. Liv follows suit, shrugging her bag from her shoulder. Deep in its horrid body, she could just make out a pulsing light of pink. The two were alive in there at least, but that made their previous strategies mute. The risk to their lives would be immense if she tried to blow the damn thing up. That was if she could generate enough force to blow up something that big in one go, especially with the state she was in.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Are you a good swimmer?” Donovan suddenly questions, his eyes locked on the form of the demon. It was slow, only able to move with the help of the tendrils dragging it around.

  “Ain’t ever swam ‘fore.” Liv responds. “Why?”

  “Nevermind.” He mutters, his teeth chewing at the inside of his cheeks. “I thought you might be able to swim into its heart to snatch them out.”

  "Reckon yer not a swimmer either if ya asked."

  “Hell no.”

  “Damn.” Liv growls. She doesn't have too much time to come up with another plan as a beam of water as wide as she was tall blasts toward the two of them. The two dodge, the pure force sending the two tumbling to either side.

  Liv curses as she stumbles down the crater that was the demon's home, bruises and cuts materializing across her body. She slowly sits back up, her sleep deprived state mixing with her pain addled mind to create a potent, limb numbing sensation that danced across her nerves. Her body was stone, her muscles crying with the effort of standing. Still, she made them stand, her eyes locking on the demon once more.

  Donovan was putting up something akin to a fight. Every now and then, he’d cut in close, his Tonfa blasting it with a torrent of fire. Steam sizzles after every assault, but not for long as he’s forced to jump back from its large body. If given infinite time and infinite stamina, he might eventually come out victorious; unfortunately, he didn’t have either. Liv needed to come up with something soon or both Anthony and Charlotte would die, that or Donovan would pass out, killing him in the process.

  Liv wracks her mind, slamming her gauntlet into her cheek with enough force to mar skin. A flare escapes her gauntlet, orange energy pulsating from its depths. A trickle of blood seeps from her now bleeding cheek, mud and grime turning the typical crimson liquid a foul, muddy maroon. It doesn't stop, dripping down the expanse of her cheek to join the mud below.

  A sudden bolt of genius crashes into Liv’s mind as she looks down at her glowing gauntlets, a half mad smile creeping across her face. She might not be a swimmer, but who said she needed to swim? She just needed enough speed to get them out.

  She cups her hands to her mouth, shouting for all she’s worth.

  “OI, DONOVAN!”

  Donovan spares her a glance, his attention split between her and the demon lashing at him with hundreds of tendrils.

  “BOOST YER SYNTH FOR A BIT! I NEED YA TO DISTRACT!”

  Donovan blinks, looking at his Tonfa for a moment. That was something he could do? She seemed confident in it, but he couldn't tell if that was from a place of actual reasoning or a half mad crack pot idea she just spat out. Still, it was better than his plan, and there was nothing wrong with asking.

  After a second or two, Liv could audibly hear the shift in his aura, the amount placed behind it boosting to heights that made her ears burn. Liv slams her hands against her chest once more, ignoring the molten pain that erupted from her chest.

  She lines herself up, her eyes locking on the pulsing pink within the demon's depths. It still didn’t look at her, too distracted with Donovan’s newly found Synth Output. Good. She’d only get one chance at this. With a breath, she steels her resolve, her hands clapping together with a deafening boom.

  She sails through the air, her perception slowing as she crashes into the demon's depths. The surface tension resisted her, though it proved to be a test in utter futility. Everything could be passed through with enough power, Liv just happened to be going fast enough to blast through its body entirely.

  As she traveled through, she could see just how Charlotte and Donovan were able to survive. Charlotte had her eyes closed in pure concentration, sweat pouring down her brow like rain. A pink glow cascaded from her body, crackling and arcing across her blade. Anthony wasn’t too far away, his caduceus a beacon of pure Synth. She had known he had the ability to heal as well as the ability to create destructive bolts. This was different from that, a sort of proto-Synth charge that boosted Charlotte past what was normally possible.

  Not too far from them was the core of the demon, completely and utterly unperturbed by the waves of Synth pouring off the two humans. The water shifts around her, the beast finally taking notice of her sudden intrusion. Knowing wasn’t enough. Liv grabs both her teammates, her foot slamming against the orb at the same time. A sickening crunch sounds out. She didn’t know if that was her foot or the orb, and she didn’t really care. It bolts out with her, piercing the other side of the demon like a rocket. She follows shortly after, Anthony and Charlotte grasped tightly in her muscle clad arms.

  The water slowly loses shape as the orb tumbles to the floor. It was the same size as the other ones. The color was distinctly different, noticeably darker than its brethren. Examining it was the least of her concerns. Instead, she looks to her friends, examining them thoroughly. They were in rough shapes, completely depleted of all Synth. They were alive, though. That’s all that mattered. Donovan hobbles over, fresh blood oozing from his newly ruined left arm. It was healing nicely at least, the bones snapping back into place. The demon had managed to get a good hit, his deprivation leaving him jumpy to the loud sounds. Liv’s explosions fit that nicely.

  “We good?” Donovan questions softly, his eyelids already fluttering closed.

  “Mhm.” Liv mutters, a soft smile creeping across her face. Donovan nods, his eyes shutting completely. With that warning, he falls forward, his body limp with sleep. Liv catches him, lowering him to the floor. He deserved his rest, especially after everything he did for her. They all did. She yawns herself, falling back to her knees. She looks down at herself. The demon's body washed away most of the loose mud, though much of it was still hardened around her body.

  “Blegh.” She grunts, taking the chance to wipe away any amount she could. Luckily, the demon was dead. She turns her head to the orb, expecting to see a developing portal.

  Only to find the orb gone.