Holstering her pistol fast, Akari felt the wind around her rush against her, pushing her backwards.
A sharp ringing pounded through her ears, the stinging of salt clinging to her tongue making her gag as she fell.
Her body twisted and spun as she hurled towards the sea, her eyes tracing and tracking the movements of the terrors even as her stomach did flips.
The Kraken was still reeling in agony; however, the gargoylites lunged at her from all angles, their sharp teeth glistening in the dark, cloudy sky that echoed with deafening roars.
As the first one reached within only a few meters of the girl, she kicked her foot outward, slamming the ball of her boot into its maw.
CRUNCHHH!
Bone met rock, breaking into pieces yet launching the creature away in a brilliant display of erosion.
Feeling gravity bend around her as she adjusted her momentum, she dodged another blow from the second closest beast.
A lock of her cherry-blossom hair was ripped away, the beasts lunging on it like wild animals hungry for the spoils of their hunt.
Ignoring them, she curled herself into a protective ball, bracing for impact with her head tucked inward.
THUD!
Her body collided into the fallen carcass of the low-level terror she had slain, tearing the rubbery flesh below her.
Gaseous air flooded her throat, her eyes dripping with tears and blood as she inhaled the creature's deathly fumes.
Akari's vision waned, and a burning sensation consumed her windpipe as she gasped for clean air, not able to find any.
Ripping off her sleeve in a hurried movement, she tied it around her mouth and nose, averting a majority of the toxic vapor.
With trembling hands, she coughed violently, tiny droplets of blood coating the inside of the temporary cloth bandana she had made.
Glancing down at her mechanized rifle, the cooldown was still ongoing; at least another minute remained before she could fire.
Dammit. It won't even scratch the small guys, and the Kraken isn't a threat at the moment—
Interrupting her without warning, a hideous shriek rolled through the space, assaulting her eardrums.
HRKKKRKRKKRKRKRK!
A slimy tentacle exploded into sight, its hard surface slamming into the girl's side at insane speed, nearly knocking her into the harsh waves below.
Akari's eyes danced wildly as she clung to the deceased carcass with all her might, the berserk strikes of the Kraken forcing her to take matters into her own hands.
Acting fast, she rolled, grabbing a dagger from within her boot and stabbing upward at the fleshy limb.
Muscle pushed back against her strike; however, under her undeniable strength, it buckled, the weapon digging all the way into the bone.
Thick oozing brine-blood pooled out in droves, the screams of agony from the octopi echoing through the world.
Not giving her any time to collect herself, one of the stone monsters bared its fangs, its jaw practically already swallowing Akari from above.
Pulling out her pistol in a flash, she fired three shots in less than a second into the terror's mouth, its body falling backward as it roared in fury.
Her hands burned with the recoil, her ears ringing loudly as the accumulated damage finally struck the girl.
Inside its mouth… It's weak…
Thinking back to her intensive training on anatomy, she remembered a weak point that all creatures had.
The damn palate…
Noting the information in her head, she darted across the floating remains of the already dead creature, scanning the scene.
The Kraken is reeling, and one of the gargoylites is heavily wounded… Two remain in play.
Removing the large rifle from her side, she watched as the remaining terrors charged at her, each reinforcing their exteriors with stone shells.
Their hardness could prevent any bullet from penetrating, except maybe one fired by Lepaie Quinn personally, a perfect defense with no counter.
Her pulse spiked, a moment of doubt crossing her mind as she prepared to fire her most important shot.
Gripping the gun carefully, she stared at the creatures who tore through the sea to reach her.
Unlike those who attempted to hunt these terrors for sport, failing and falling into an early death, when faced with a sniper trained for assassination, there was only so much a mindless beast could do.
Scoping in on the closest of the two, she waited for their mouths to open simultaneously, a smile coming across her face as their bodies aligned.
"Perfect."
The world froze, Akari's heartbeat stopping still as she took a deep breath and fired without hesitation.
BZZZZ!
The automatic weapon fired faster than anyone present could react, the bullets penetrating the first beast's throat in a ghastly scene of blood and bone.
Shrapnel from the first ricocheted from its now bleeding corpse, digging into the pitch-black eyes of the other.
The sea itself exploded into tiny volcanoes of water, the bits and pieces of stony flesh acting like meteorites hitting the ocean.
Screeches of absolute fury and agony resounded through the sea, the blinded creature flying into a frenzied assault.
Its body lashed against the carcass Akari stood on, making her lose balance.
SH–!
Her foot slipped out from under her, the world turning sideways as she collapsed into the orange-speckled ocean.
Akari's slim figure was engulfed by a chill so frigid that she could barely breathe, an instant crushing pressure enveloping her like a deathly hug.
Pushing her arms against the current, she felt her body being pulled down by an invisible force, a low laughter calling out to her.
It was something she had never felt before, never in the Sea of Dreams, nor even when she had tested the waters on her arrival at the Sea of Mystery.
Fear flared in her chest, causing her to gasp for the air she didn't have, the thick sea water filling her lungs in moments.
A flash of the cave she had ventured into the day of Aaron's disappearance flashed through her mind, her chest burning with agony.
Her vision began to sway as she struggled to the surface, a voice whispering into her thoughts, accepting her into the depths.
"..."
Words beyond comprehension bounced throughout Akari's mind, blurring her instinct to move and break the surface.
Memories of her youth flashed through her mind: Aaron's smile, her own father's death, and the mentor who trained her to where she is now.
Slowly letting go, she felt the water caress her skin, a slow acceptance coursing through her body.
However, as she drifted, her cheek twitched slightly, a pulsation that connected two pieces inside her head.
I don't want to die. Not today. Not when I still have to tell him.
Gritting her teeth in resolve, she reached into her holster in almost a daze, pulling out the large automatic weapon again.
If used before the cooldown finished, it would backfire, creating a blast worthy of a medium-scale explosive.
One last chance.
Her mind wandered to the last time she had seen Aaron before he had vanished.
Make it count.
Pulling the trigger and bracing hard, she felt an eruption of force from below her burst into reality, slamming against her petite form.
Burns coated her skin in seconds, bones creaking under the force, and a shockwave of pressure shooting outward.
The water whined, and the sea churned as bubbles rippled out in every direction, rocketing the girl skyward.
Her vision darkened as the surface came into view, oxygen deprivation finally robbing her of the last strands of reason.
Behind her closed eyelids, she could see a blurry splotch hiding just beyond her view, something lurking, something waiting.
But as she opened her eyes, she could only see her ruined body about to break the surface like a whale coming up for air.
Burn marks covered her hands, the seawater against them feeling like agonizing fire that peeled away her sanity.
Yet the young girl simply ground her teeth together, grimacing through the pain and breaking the surface.
Spitting up water, then gasping for air, she barely had time to think before a tentacle wrapped around her, dragging her into the sky.
Pressure dug into her ribs, a crushing force widening the wounds endured from the explosion only moments before.
The Kraken flung her upward, its mouth waiting far below her, a look of confusion and pain written across her face.
Akari's hands were a mangled mess of blood and burnt flesh, barely able to hold her pistol with exposed bone tightly wrapped around the trigger.
Eat mana-stone, you slimy bastard.
Feeling her index finger shatter into bits of broken bone, she fired the last round in the chamber, an ear-piercing sound reverberating against the harsh wind.
Her last shot channeled any remaining mana within her gun, the bullet itself breaking the sound barrier instantly.
Its metallic surface broke through the skull of the beast, piercing its brain and obliterating the tissue.
With a violent twitch and sputter, its arms retracted, its body became limp as it seized and rocked back and forth.
It wasn't dead, nor close to it, as this particular species sported nine brains and three hearts, an anomaly in biology that disgusted the girl to no end.
Falling into the sea once again, Akari kept her head above the cursed waves, the whispers of whatever lurked below leaving a scar on her subconscious.
Floating, she turned her gaze towards the gargoylites who were either dead or dying from the wounds she had inflicted on them.
One flung its body around randomly, its eyesight gone along with a majority of its coordination.
Another lay flat on its back, choking on its own blood that dripped from the bullet holes embedded within its throat.
Finally, the one blitzed with the advanced rifle had begun to sink under the waves, its corpse lost to the world.
N-Need to get to solid ground…
Looking at the corpse of the sea terror which died first, she slowly moved towards it, her arms working overtime as she pulled herself aboard the mass.
Gathering her breath, the cherry-haired girl relaxed and took a moment to ponder what had just occurred.
Her eyes were frenzied, and her body twitched with the remnants of adrenaline still coursing through her veins.
Three low-levels and one mid-level… H-How the hell did I survive that…
Pausing, she felt a warm pulse within her back pocket spring to life, a soothing, rejuvenating mist filling her body.
With her eyes hazy, she reached behind her back, digging her hand into the pocket and grabbing a small cylindrical object.
Moving it in front of her face, she watched its luminescent glow fade into a deep turquoise, then vanish.
Its appearance was that of a normal golden Draught; however, engraved onto the surface, an odd marking took the spotlight.
"An old man?"