One lunged at me, grabbing me with both of its talons.
"Arghh!" I screamed, pain running through my body.
Its beak tore into my neck.
"Ezekiel!" Thea shouted, vines lashing out and wrapping around me, yanking me away from the harpy.
"Chrono Shards!"
I thrust my hands forward, summoning two shards of temporal energy. They pierced the harpy's body.
"Shrreeekk!"
It screamed in pain before collapsing. I stumbled, but Thea's vines caught me, lifting me back to my feet.
Blood ran down my neck, searing my skin.
Then, a faint clock appeared before my eyes, ticking softly. In an instant, my wound sealed, the bleeding stopped, and the pain vanished.
[Chrono Heal has been Triggered!]
Thea stepped close, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked, concern in her eyes.
"I'm fine," I said, offering a small smile.
Thea frowned, staring at my neck. "Your wound… it's gone."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah, it's kind of one of my abilities."
"Your leader is dead!" A loud voice echoed through the club.
We turned toward the sound and saw Captain Edmund floating in the air, holding a severed head in one hand.
A few harpies hissed and darted toward him, wings flapping wildly.
They slid along the ceiling, then scattered and flew away upward.
Before the harpies could escape to the ceiling, Theai snapped her vine whip forward. The vine stretched and twisted like it was alive, curling and coiling until a huge pink flower bloomed at its tip, glowing with magical energy.
"Verdant Snare!"
The flower shoots tiny seeds into the ceiling, all of them sticking deep into the surface.
Instantly, dark green vines sprouted from the ceiling above, growing and launching toward the flying harpies. The vines twisted and coiled, slamming into their limbs and wrapping around their claws.
The harpies screamed and thrashed, struggling to break free, but the vines quickly coiled around them, dragging them upward and pulling them toward the ceiling.
Theai spun her whip in a wide arc, unleashing more flowers and shooting seeds into the ceiling.
Within moments, they were entangled and yanked upward, the crushing vines pinning them against the ceiling and crashing their bodies violently, bones rattling with every impact.
Theai retracted her vine whip, the pink flowers closing and shrinking back into the vine.
The thick vines released the harpies' bodies, and the crushed creatures fell from the ceiling, striking the floor.
Damian's phoenix darted along the ceiling, its fiery wings striking multiple harpies at once, filling the room with light.
Captain Edmund descended from the air, hovering before landing in front of us. He scanned the scene, then nodded slightly, a small smirk tugging at his lips.
"I think that's everyone," he said, his gaze lingering on the fallen harpies.
"Who's gonna clean this mess?" I asked.
"Oh, we have Agents who clean up after a battle. They take care of the mess and dispose of the bodies," Captain Edmund said with a light shrug.
"Let's save the victims and go home. I'm exhausted," Damian mumbled, stretching and rubbing his eyes.
He was about to snap his fingers to unsummon his phoenix when a dark energy suddenly surged through the room.
The fallen harpies emitted groans and eerie screeches.
"Captain!" Margaret called out, pointing directly at him.
"What's going on? I thought we eliminated them," Theai said, stepping back and scanning the area.
My eyes widened in shock. The harpies rose again. Some had broken arms and legs, some were missing heads, their wings were tattered, and blood dripped from their bodies. Their eyes twitched as they staggered forward.
"What in the world… they're rising like zombies?" I muttered, glancing around at my companions in disbelief.
"Is it necromancy, Captain?" Damian asked, one eyebrow raised.
"No… this isn't necromancy. This is witchcraft," Captain Edmund replied, his eyes narrowing with certainty.
The fallen bodies floated into the air. We braced ourselves, and my companions summoned their weapons back, but the harpies passed right through us.
We glanced at each other, confused, before looking ahead. There, in front of us, the harpies converged, their severed bodies fusing together, forming a terrifying, grotesque monster.
"Someone used forbidden magic on them!" Theai shouted, gripping her vine whip tightly.
A loud door slam echoed from a dark corner of the club.
"Guys!" Damian called, pointing toward the noise.
From the corner, we saw a hooded lady running toward the second floor. Without hesitation, she leapt through a window, disappearing into darkness.
The grotesque mass of harpies let out ear-piercing screeches, some of their heads twisting unnaturally as they shrieked together.
We covered our ears as the noise echoed violently around the room.
Captain Edmund vanished into shadows and reappeared in the middle of the grotesque monster. He twirled his scythe and flipped it from one hand to the other.
The grotesque mass twisted unnaturally, forming a massive hand made entirely of severed bodies. It slammed toward Captain Edmund, but he remained unbothered as it passed right through him.
He slipped into the formation, swinging and spinning his scythe. With each strike, the fused bodies exploded, sending grotesque pieces raining across the floor.
He vanished in a swirl of shadows again and reappeared instantly beside me, making me jump at his sudden presence.
"Come with me. Let me show you something," he said, a sly smirk tugging at his lips as his eyes gleamed.
He slid his arm around my shoulders, shadows swirling around us. In an instant, we reappeared on the second floor, right where the hooded lady had slammed a door.
"Open it," Captain Edmund commanded, pointing firmly toward the door.
It was a storage room. I hesitated for a moment, but eventually, I stepped forward and pushed the door open.
Inside, a dark circle pulsed with black magic, the air around it thick and heavy.
"That witch carved her forbidden magic in this room," he said, his eyes scanning the dark circle cautiously.
I stepped forward, but he held up a hand to stop me, his expression warning me to stay back.
"Careful, there might be a trap," Captain said, his voice serious.
He looks so cool when he's serious, but I still can't forget his stupid side. He stepped forward first, his scythe resting on his shoulder.
The room remained still as he stepped inside. He looked back and gestured for me to follow.
I stepped in and moved to stand beside him.
Suddenly, I felt something wriggling around my feet. I looked down and froze. Dozens of necrotic worms were crawling everywhere. A shiver ran through me, and I gagged, throwing my hand to my mouth. A worm squirmed in my palm.
"Captain!" I yelled, throwing the worm away and desperately calling for help.
He didn't flinch. From his feet, more necrotic worms rose and slithered outward, coiling and writhing.
"Shadow Expanse!"
Shadows and dark energy erupted from his feet, spreading across the room. The light bulb shattered instantly, sending the room into darkness. The shadows crept along the walls, swirling like mist, and then vanished as quickly as they came.
The worms crawling on the floor began to fade, dissolving into nothing and leaving the room silent.
He turned to me, his eyes glowing deep red, radiating a presence that sent a chill down my spine.