C7 The Amazonian

"What the hell is that?!" Henry half roared as he ran through the forest, dodging as many branches as possible, as he tried to keep up with Jasmine and Kamilah He was not a runner by any means but right now, all his muscles screamed in pain from trying to keep up with two other runners at top speed, who were much faster than him even though they had been running for hours. All he wanted was to lie down on the ground somewhere and maybe take a nap, but that would end in his quick and very painful death.

The roar from behind made him run faster, barely keeping up with the two in front of him. "It's not slowing down!" Kamilah yelled. She had been firing her bolts of ice at the creature chasing them, but it had little to no effect and only served to infuriate the creature, as it growled more aggressively and began to charge straight toward them.

Henry skidded to a halt at one of the large trees before him when he felt a hand grab the sleeve of his shirt. It was Jasmine, her grip almost bruising as she pulled him over to where she stood.

"We need a plan," she said, panting heavily as she looked over her shoulder. The creature was busy chasing illusions she had created, but she knew it wouldn't last for long. They needed to get out of this first and hope that the creature would stop following once they were out of its territory. That seemed like the best idea she could come up with so far.

"Okay, but I don't know how we're going to do that," Kamilah replied, looking back towards the creature which just got closer, "This thing is fast and there's no way I could fight it alone, even with my powers."

The creature stopped, raising its bloody snout into the air. It was a horrible-looking creature, resembling a large wolf with its sharp teeth and blood-covered claws as it stalked forward. A red mist seemed to seep from where it was standing as their attacker approached them slowly.

"Maybe we need a distraction…" Henry mumbled. His voice came out weak and barely above a whisper. He wanted nothing more than to run, but he was dead tired. "I don't think it'll fall for the same trick twice," Jasmine said through gritted teeth. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the beast closing in on them, the thick fog seeming like it was getting thicker with every step it took.

"Jasmine, we have to think of something now," Kamilah said, getting to his feet, his crystal form shimmering as sparks of electricity started jumping from his body. "I can distract the thing for a few seconds, but you need to find a way to kill it. She barely had time to say anything before he leaped forward in a blue flash.

The large wolf bared its teeth at the approaching figure and howled, lunging forward. Kamilah threw a punch, a heavy one, sending the wolf to the ground, and stopping it in its tracks. She jumped back, looking down at her hand. The face of the wolf was riddled with cracks, and black fluid was oozing from it. Whatever that wolf was, it was very sturdy and Henry doubted Kamilah’s attack did much.

It didn't.

There was a low guttural growl as the Wolf stood back up, its eyes burning. Kamilah was ready for another attack when suddenly, the forest around them exploded into a massive fire. The flames were so intense that they blinded everyone for a second, allowing the wolf to move again.

it charged straight for Kamilah, who tried blocking as it launched itself at her, knocking her onto the floor. It snapped angrily, as it tried to take a bite out of her, and her attacks weren't doing much. She felt the creature sink its teeth into her hand, and she grunted in pain. She could feel searing heat inside the wolf's mouth, and she could tell it meant to scorch her to oblivion.

There was a loud whining sound from behind the wolf, and a thump, as the wolf turned around. its blazing eyes caught sight of a girl holding a bow, firing an arrow at it. it turned, planning to use its flames to destroy the arrow, and it did, letting go of Kamilah The flames billowed out, eradicating the arrow before it reached, along with the girl, but something was wrong.

Just as the flames cleared, another arrow appeared, catching the wolf off guard. the arrow entered its mouth and lodged in its throat.

Jasmine landed, glad she had sent a decoy ahead to fool the wolf before firing the original arrow. "Now! Henry!" The wolf turned to her, eyes blazing with anger. The arrow lodged in its throat could be removed, but the wolf wouldn’t back down. To satiate the rage. it lumbered after her, crossing the distance very easily. Jasmine just stood there, watching the wolf reach her with ease. She was even smiling and this made the wolf uncomfortable. There was something wrong. The arrow. There was something off about it.

The wolf's head burst open as an explosion ripped through its skull, killing it on impact. She knew if she had enough time to rig the arrow, and if she could get one inside the wolf, there was a chance they could kill it. Her gamble had worked.

The body fell, twitching, and pouring blood from its severed head. Jasmine panted heavily, adrenaline rushing through her veins. She thought she would be dead by now, but Henry had heard her on time.

“Nice!” Henry yelled, falling to his knees. It had been a hectic few days. Even since he met Jasmine, more and more madness seemed to find its way into his life. He knew it was just a few days ago, but it seemed like a lifetime away now. He sighed. “I need to rest. I can't keep up with these monsters.” He sighed and sat down, watching the dead wolf twitch. His mind started to drift back to the last few days and all the madness that had landed him here.

***

Henry's eyes shot open to complete darkness, and she sighed. It was nightfall again. It seemed like he had slept for a considerable amount of time. Getting up hurt like hell, but he had lain down enough. He walked around the room, feeling his way around until he got to his bag. He had seen it briefly when he woke up from that strange dream he had. What exactly was that? He wondered as he rummaged through the bag, trying to find his torch. The person in that dream seemed to know who he was, and Patel seemed like the only reasonable lead he had at the moment. He still had no memories, save for the faint longing and sadness he had whenever he saw that person. He needed to find out who they were.

The torch illuminated the room, but only slightly, as the darkness seemed to eat up the light itself. Henry moved around the darkness, trying to find a door, but his search was cut short when he heard a crash coming from behind. He turned to find a section of the wall collapsed, providing light from inside. Moonlight. He squinted, looking at the collapsed wall, and could make the outline of a person. He rushed over, and in the dim moonlight, she could see that it was a woman. She looked relatively unharmed, save for the bruising on her face.

“Uh. Hello?” Henry said, kneeling beside the woman. She looked weathered, with a haircut that looked like she'd spent some time in the military. Her attire was nothing like any army he'd seen, granted he hadn't seen much, but this was too out of place.

The base layer consisted of leggings, a deep olive green that blended seamlessly with the surrounding grass. They hugged her calves tightly, then flared out above the knee into a looser drape that seemed to accommodate for ease of movement.

Over this, she wore a chest piece crafted from a material that shimmered with an almost reptilian sheen. Its muted bronze color hinted at its defensive capabilities, while strategically placed bands of a supple, deep red leather provided flexibility and definition around her shoulders and torso.

The warrior woman's arms were left bare, revealing the toned muscles beneath her sun-kissed skin. Her wrists, however, were adorned with wide bands of the same red leather, intricately laced and studded with what looked like polished obsidian pebbles. She looked like a warrior from some bygone era, and he almost felt like she wasn't real. Then she stood, clutching her shoulder.

“Are you okay?” Henry asked, trying to assist her, but she shrugged him off. “You should probably leave here, or you'll die. Henry wanted to ask what she was talking about but heard a guttural screech from behind. He wasn't going to try and find out what was going on. He followed after her, just as the doors swung open. Kamilah stood there, looking defensive. Her single eye was already glowing, and she looked ready to fight. The other woman stopped and eyed Kamilah “A Sister,” she said, letting go of her shoulder. “It seems you have good protection.” She said turning to Henry.

“What…” Henry started but was cut off by Kamilah's voice. “What are you doing here Amazonian?” She said, conjuring a flame from her hands.

“Came to hunt.’ she said, taking a defensive stance. The Amazonian said nothing, and popped her shoulder back into place, earning her a grimace of pain that she quickly shook off, before turning to Kamilah “I don't have time to waste on you. I'm hunting…I was hunting something worse.”

She turned back to the hole in the wall. “Now it's hunting me.” The screech sounded again, and The Amazonian turned around. “Leave. This is my fight.”

Kamilah crouched back down, her gaze fixed on the pulsating tear in the wall. "We need to go, Henry. Now."

"Wait," Henry protested, his voice barely a whisper. "We can't just leave her here."

Kamilah scoffed. "She's an Amazonian, it's her job to train to fight those things."

"Trained or not," Henry countered, "that thing coming through is unlike anything I've ever seen. We don't know what we're dealing with."

A tense silence fell between them, punctuated only by the distant screech that echoed through the emptiness. Kamilah's jaw clenched, betraying the turmoil within her.

"You think she needs our help?" she finally conceded, her voice laced with doubt.

"We don't know," Henry admitted, "but two, even complete strangers, are better than one."

Kamilah hesitated for another long moment, her eyes flitting between the hole and the woman in strange garb. With a resigned sigh, she rose to her feet.

"Alright," she muttered, extending a hand to Henry. "But we don't get involved unless absolutely necessary.” saying that, she grasped Henry's hand, her grip surprisingly strong despite her slender build.

Together, they retreated deeper into the shadows, crouching behind a particularly large outcrop of rock. Their vantage point offered a sliver of a view of the woman and the anomaly.

The screech tore through the air once more, a sound that sent shivers down Henry's spine.

The tear in the wall pulsed erratically, tendrils of inky darkness writhing around its edges. Then, with a final, earsplitting shriek, the creature emerged.

It was humanoid in form, vaguely resembling a human male contorted into an impossible parody. Its skin was a sickly grey, devoid of any natural sheen, and its body was impossibly gaunt, its ribs starkly outlined beneath the taut flesh.

Darkness clung to it like a shroud, swirling around its limbs and obscuring its features. In its hand, it clutched a wickedly curved blade that pulsed with an ominous red glow.

The woman, her face grim, raised her hand in a gesture that seemed almost ritualistic.

The red leather bands around her wrists glowed faintly in response, the obsidian pebbles embedded within them pulsing with a soft inner light.

Henry felt a surge of adrenaline course through him. This was unlike anything he'd ever encountered, something far more dangerous than the monstrous creatures he'd faced back at home. What happened to this world? He thought as the creature came into view. His heart rate thrummed wildly as he watched and his body remained rooted to the ground.

What the heck is that?