Saren released a breath she must have held for a while. "Rem says you all are the best. In other words, if there's someone who can walk into this mess of an island and back out with four limbs and a head all attached to a torso, it's all of you."
She continued to polish her sword. Just like most Breaker classes, Saren gravitated towards big, heavy weapons that looked unwieldly. "In basic training, we're told that part of being a soldier is never questioning orders unless they are stupid or clearly wrong. Personally, I'd never thought I'd hear orders of either type, but here I am after having made a choice between an order of each type. Her Highness Viris's order is evil, Rem's order is insane, and each of us in the military has to make a choice."
She decided to take off her choker and then the white bandage underneath, revealing the two tooth marks where she had let Nyam drink her. "But it's easy when there's a third factor, and for me that's Nyam. She and I were inseparable ever since we've been paired up in basic. Granted, we were never in a war, but we've had some pretty exciting missions that put our lives on the line and even more securely joined us at the hip. And since she'd gladly follow you into the mouth of hell that is Red Island, I guess you can count on me as well."
"I'm also very stupid," Saren admitted, holding her blade towards the moon in order to check her work. "Yep, very stupid to want to walk right into the most one-sided battles one could possibly imagine just because I'm addicted to the thrill of battle and slaughter. Bertz told me it was a battle fetish, like apparently I need pitched combat with lots of blood to get off. Maybe I should've become a mercenary or an adventurer. They see so much more combat than I do."
-----
Chapter 3: First Brush With the By-Products
The rest of the night was almost intolerably uneventful, and the dawn that came the next day didn't speak of fair weather. A storm was brewing in the sky.
Rem and Raine hugged each other.
"Take care on your way out of this hell," Rem said.
Raine nodded. "Take care on your way into this hell," she said. "Oh, one more thing. A statue hints that it is going to hatch into an Implanted when the statue's eyes glow red. Be mindful of that."
"Thanks, Raine."
The dirt trail gave way to healthy green grass and some strange scenery.
"The effects of the Grimstorm Spell," Rem observed to anyone who was listening.
Numerous swords dotted the landscape, plunged into the ground or into any of the many human statues that littered the place. It looked pretty bad for anyone who would pass all of these potential enemies without so much as setting a trap, but none of their eyes were glowing. Rem silently prayed that they never awaken.
Farther down the way, the party began to enter the outskirts of a forest. The trees weren't totally dense, and that fortunately allowed the party to see that just ahead of them, trouble reared it's ugly head. Nyam sprinted towards the party. "I'm sorry, Master Rudy! Everyone!"
It was one of the Implanted, a flying creature that resembled some kind of very pale bat. Bertz's Scytherang went out and the creature went down. Nyam quickly turned around and slaughtered it with her claws using brutal efficiency.
"Nyam, are you alright?" Bertz asked.
"They don't rely upon their eyes to detect foes," Nyam said. "In fact, none of the three types I've seen ahead of us even had eyes. Here, take a look at this."
Luco frowned. "This Miu girl...how close are we to finding her, Lady Rem?"
Rem looked around.
"I could try getting her attention here, but she doesn't like many of the animals here, and I'll bet the clothes on my back that she definitely wouldn't appear with the Implanted in the area. I'll need the battle zone cleared of all enemies in order to talk to Miu."
Rem turned to everyone.
"Is everyone ready? All we know is that those magic swords stuck in their bodies may be a weakness of theirs, like a heart or other vital organ. Leraje and Belidere should make quick work of their Chasers, while I'll need Rudy, Akane and Radian to make certain the Weeping Willies and Spitters don't hurt them. Setting the forest on fire may disrupt their attacks. We'll play it that way until we discover anything new about these enemies. Move out!"
Enemy Data
Human Statue - An immobile, nearly indestructible statue of a once-living human recently impaled by a sword summoned from the Grimstorm spell. The eyes of the statue glow red when the statue is about to hatch and birth a new Implanted into the world. It is impossible to determine just what Implanted will emerge from which statue, but one can determine how powerful the Implanted will be by the number of swords in the statue. Simply put, more swords mean more dangerous.
Weeping Willie - Barely humanoid and definitely no longer human, Weeping Willies are slow but extremely durable. They resemble huge, disgusting brown flesh bulbs with two stocky legs to support them and two broad arms that end in terrible claws. They possess no orifice of any kind and the only sound they make is one of muffled wailing. Somehow, it has a special sense that allows it to detect new victims without the need of any other senses.
Spitter - Spitters have a three-part maw that accurately ejects a highly corrosive fluid that eats through clothing and armor and softens meat for consumption. They are somewhat similar to Willies, except with more elongated bodies and thinner legs. They possess no arms and instead have a kind of stabilizer fin on each side that makes them kind of resemble a cobra.
Chaser - Flying monsters that resemble pale skinned bats, Chasers have few features other than their long, stretchy wings that are formed between their long arms and small legs. Each arm and leg ends in hook claws for grabbing hold of a victim and shredding their flesh. They do not have heads, but a suction-like hole in the upper torso must be the mouth, and judging from the small, razor sharp teeth, the Chaser is a vampiric creature.