Round 1: The Harrowing Closure

Round 1: The Harrowing Closure
Arc: The Unsung Heroine
Mission: Labyrinth of The Mind
Location: Mt. Taisenga
NPC: Yulbe Allwright 
Bestiary: Yan'Shou
Labyrinth Floors: 3

Mt. Taisenga, Uncharted trail
01:25PM

The beauty of Mt. Taisenga was quite a sight to behold. The once deadly and unstable environment was now the prime example of a breathtaking wilderness with lush green grass, cute critters frolicking about, and glistening water channels running freely. An environment that seem completely untouched by man and absolved of any pollution. Tourists often pondered on the validity of Taisenga's past climates due to finding the tranquil space hard to picture as anything but hospitable. Yulbe was no exception as he couldn't help but smile while curious humming birds briefly inspected him before moving on in search of nourishment. Although the author was here under the intentions of formulating the premise for a great horror story, still, even he could appreciate just how far this mountain has come. 

"What are you? Twelve years old? Move. Your. Ass." Hornet interjected from higher up on the trail, glaring behind her mask. 

"Ah, apologies." Yulbe cleared his throat, embarrassed. "We've been hiking for quite awhile now. I don't suppose we're getting closer to the rift, erm..." The thought of inquiring as to what her name was finally crossed him. 

"Hornet." The former wrestler answered following a noticeable pause. "We should be coming up on it soon too, so, you better stick close. I don't want acci-... Mistakes." 

"For someone who possesses a rather... assertive charm, I believe deep down you can be quite considerate when you chose to be, Miss Hornet." He complimented and yielding only dead silence. "Might I ask why do you wear that ma-"

Suddenly, Hornet planted a fist deep into the core of a mature tree and ceased moving forward along the trail, sparking a great deal of fear into the inquisitive author. The action gave birth to a moment of silence that was finally broken by Hornet simply extracting her hand from the tree. Instead of acknowledging her charge or providing a reason for the outburst, the former wrestler merely continued along the trail. The course of action spoke a thousand words and effectively left him with one clear warning. Do not ask about her mask. Yulbe was under the impression most young women found a sense of pride and worth in their beauty. Apparently, in Hornet's case, that was by no means applicable. 

"Disfigurement? No... Shame, perhaps?" Yulbe continued along the path behind his protector in deep thought. 

The pair continued along the mountain trail within a few paces between one another in absolute silence.After roughly fifteen more minutes into the trek, Hornet came to an abrupt stop, thus causing the author to crash into her and fall back onto his rear end. Confused and apologetic, Yulbe was quick to give an apology but readjusted his glasses to discover off in the distance a massive distortion. He was left in awe as the very space around the rift reflected absolutely nothing like the immediate vicinity. Hornet grew a large smirk upon locating the rift and soon proceeded to rip off her clothes. The action yielded a flustered response from Yulbe, finding her unpredictable personality to much to handle.

He slowly turned with a cracked eye and noticed the wildcard that was his protector stripped into an attire fit nimble movements. Or rather, she revealed the wrestling attire being concealed underneath her casual clothes. Absolutely nothing about Hornet seemed to make sense at this point. Nevertheless, the young woman clearly looked as if this wasn't her first time walking into a labyrinth rift and was ready to do what needed to be done, and this brought about a great sense of resolve within the author. 

"Lead on, Miss Hornet! Let us embark into the unknown for the sake of Helios' greatest horror story, together!" Yulbe exclaimed with the utmost zeal. 

"...Gonna give you five seconds to leave that shit out here." Hornet chastised.

"Apologies." He barely could contain a gleeful smirk and cleared his throat.

With that, Hornet dashed forward and jumped into the rift where she would disappear from reality in mere moments, traversing into the other dimension with Yulbe following suit.

????, Mt. Taisenga
Labyrinth Floor 1

The egregious sensation of every limb being ripped from her torso was a feeling that always followed each dimensional crossing. Hornet gnashed her teeth together as the immense pain, piercing astral sounds, and psychosis effects took it's toll. Whether or not those brave enough to make a traverse experienced the same stress was something worth inquiring about. And thus, the former wrestler made a mental note to press the next 'Liberator' she seen for answers, or at the very least, relieve them of some device that mitigates these effects by force. The process persisted for roughly five minutes before abruptly concluding to leave her at the mercy of gravity in a involuntary free-fall. A final parting gift from the murderous rift that seemed intent on killing her before even commencing it's closure. 

Hornet sucked her teeth at the current predicament. As far as hospitality was concerned, she was not impressed with this dimension's take on the term, and endeavored to formulate a plan lest risking the fate of becoming a bloody stain. The sight of a tree twisted and contorted completely out of shape captured her eye, serving as the starting point to a acrobatic and safe descent. Hornet released a simple burst of ethos energy to propel and re-position herself into a more favorable falling trajectory that allowed the impromptu utilization of a tree branches as beams, swinging over and under from one to the next before finally reaching the ground level to absolve what remained of her momentum with an emergency roll. 

High flying acrobatics was a specialty in the ring and an area in which she excelled at like none other to ever step into the ring. Unfortunately, the setting which she currently surveyed is no stadium. There was no lights to shine down and illuminate her glorious moves; there was no adoring fans to provide her due applause for impressive feats. This was the nightmarish rendition of Mt. Taisenga. Here, the bell only tolls for death and not a three-count...

Unlike the verdant reaches of Mt. Taisenga in the normal world, bustling wildlife and wondrous vegetation alike was replaced with a barren landscape seemingly devoid of life. Trees appeared to be deprived of nutrients thus bringing about the disfigured and feeble features shared by all. The loamy soil rich in sedimentary minerals morphed into a strange maroon texture bearing a pungent stench that screamed prolonged inhalation would prove lethal. An ominous breeze dancing in the wind was complimented by an orange sun which emitted no sense of heat or light. Instead, the sphere situated above was more akin to a moon. 

Suddenly, Hornet let out a gasp while quickly surveying the area for any traces of Yulbe Allwright and narrowed her eyes in frustration upon completing her assessment. Not expecting the labyrinth rift to be capable of separating them. The situation was not ideal at all. Separated, lost, and no telling what manner of creatures lurking nearby. Worse. If the author's entrance was anything like her own, there was a strong possibility he was already dead, and that would not bode well with authorities even in the event of successfully making it out. Needless to say, the task at hand just got a bit more complicated. 

Just as she took a step forward towards what appeared to be a nearby cavern off in the distance, the resounding shriek of a man exploded from behind and prompted her to quickly turn around in attention. Not much was capable of giving the former wrestler pause. This, however, served as a strong exception due to not being able to discern whether it was Yulbe or something else...

"Hey! Hey! Yul..." Hornet's shouts were silenced in an instant once spotting the shadow of two-legged figures stumbling around in an erratic manner. 

The anomalies in question didn't seem to possess a sense of direction judging by movements alone. However, what made the wrestling fanatic uneasy was the inability to get a clear look of them, and was ultimately left with two decisions. Approach the mysterious signatures in kind, or, air on the side of caution and make dash for the cavern. Hornet would eventually decide on the latter with yet another shriek greatly influencing her decision and took off in the cave's direction at full speed. She leaped over dead logs, zipped through the treeline, and endeavored to not look back in order to focus on nothing other than reaching the entrance. 

The shadows let out yet another piercing shriek as they closed in at an alarming speed. A fact that was apparent due to the sustained shrills growing closer with each passing second. Hornet couldn't believe some form of a two-legged creature being able to match her running speed existed. No, she humbly thought twice and wagered it was even faster, and thus, prompting her to put maximum effort into the final stretch as she began accumulating ethotic energy in her right arm. Willing to wager everything on a risky contingency plan. Upon reaching the entrance, in seemingly slow motion, Hornet sprung forward and turned around in mid-air with the arm now pulsating a bright golden hue, and launched the explosive charge into the ceiling. Intent on sealing herself in the cave and hoping for another way out rather than combat a massive horde of unknown creatures. 

In this suspended moment, the former wrestler's eyes flung open wide behind her mask once catching a faint glimpse of one creature's appearance through the entombing process. A sight that she couldn't believe before soon discovering a steep slope littered with bones awaited at the end of her jumping arch. And thus, Hornet sent herself tumbling further into the cavern system and watched as the entrance sealed shut from above. Narrowly escaping the horde of labyrinth monsters... For now...

Unknown Cavern, Mt. Taisenga

Labyrinth Floor 2

Aged and desiccated bones were crushed into dust as the wrestling fanatic finally rolled to a clumsy stop. Now finding herself downed within the dark expanse with nowhere to go but even further into the unknown abyss. Trouble with the enormous amount of creatures giving chase was a price steeper than what she could afford. Thankfully, quick thinking landed her in a position that bought some time, more importantly, instincts dictated she was heading in the right direction. Hornet gnashed her teeth together as she gradually recovered onto both feet. Following a brief damage assessment for wounds or fractures, she cast a meticulous eye around the immediate vicinity for anything dangerous, and proceeded to brave the cavern system while erring on the side of caution. Thirty minutes has passed since entering into the labyrinth and Yulbe was still nowhere to be found. At this point, Hornet felt it would bring some relief to at least come across his corpse, and trade the sense of anxiety for a sense of failure. 

The unknown cavern was cold, murky, and ominous. Similar traits shared among most caves in the real helios. However, this particular expanse was incredibly massive and it's passages seemed to have been created by an underground burrower as opposed to mother nature. Stalagmites above appeared noticeably sharper along with those decorating the corners and crevices on either side of pathways. Nocturnal creatures, similar to the wildlife outside, was completely non-existent and nowhere to be seen which strongly suggested only those strange creatures are this particular dimension's inhabitants. 

Upon arriving to a fork in the path with only two possible directions, Hornet sucked her teeth in annoyance due to never expecting to find herself in such a scenario, and reluctantly commenced her attempts at distinguishing which path was the correct one. Instincts has proven trustworthy thus far into the harrowing journey. And so, the blonde decided to take a moment for the sake of clarity before bursting into a sprint down the left pathway, committing to her decision with fire. Whether she happened to be barreling towards an inevitable doom or make significant progress towards a way out remains to be seen. The cavern's ominous air felt bracing to the touch as it crashed against her body; tinnitus in full auditory bloom with each advancing step done without reserve. 

"Heavens, no! No! No! H-Hornet! Anyone!" A barely audible shout emerged from further down the path. 

Hornet's ears twitched and her mouth was momentarily left agape in disbelief. Wasting no time, the former wrestler tripled her pace while letting out a growl that elevated with each ensuing second, and upon her lungs reaching it's apex, she exploded onto a scene which consisted of a certain author with his back against the wall. Desperately in need of assistance as he appeared to have just been discovered by one of this labyrinth's residents. A nightmarish monstrosity birthed by the imagination of one disturbed optic-surgeon. Yulbe was absolutely petrified at the creature's visage. Eyes. A great multitude of eyes weaved together into a bi-pedal lump of flesh with teeth stumble about, shrieking as if enduring an endless cycle of pain. 

"Spotlight!" Just as the creature primed itself to leap and rip Yulbe into shreds, A golden sphere illuminated the area from high above and revealed they were within a murky clearing filled animal remains long since decomposed, and abstract scratches running along the cavern walls. 

The unknown creature let out a piercing shriek and threw itself onto the ground while writhing in immense pain. Capitalizing on the opportunity, Hornet swiftly maneuvered around the creature to recover Yulbe in a fireman's carry hold, and proceeded to exit the large clearing but only to be pelted by a blast of darkness energy. Hornet managed to successfully react in time to shoulder most of the damage but was ultimately sent tumbling across the area. The grotesque creature recovered far quicker than she anticipated, in addition, one of it's eyes proved to be the source of ethos projection. A rather strange variation of Darkness Ethos to boot. 

"My word! Are you alright, Hornet?" Yulbe inquired, concerned to no end of his savior's condition after tanking the attack. "I intended to stay put and wait for you to find me but then I heard a person screaming and thought it was you so-" He went on a moronic tangent about attempting to provide aid or backup.

Hornet glared at Yulbe for a moment and simply chuckled before setting her sights back on the encroaching monster. Guilt had consumed her in mere moments following the considerate babbling. She was prepared to leave him for dead, no, intended on doing exactly that in order to survive but the same thought didn't seem to be even entertained by the author. One thing was clear to her now. Yulbe didn't deserve the constant disrespect, however, he sure as hell wasn't getting an apology but will have to settle with living through this nightmare instead. A great smirk formed across the former wrestler's face as she stood tall. 

"Yulbe." She spoke up, refusing to take her eyes off the creature as it stopped to let out a hostile shriek. "I need an announcer, so make yourself useful and give a lady one proper introduction, alright?"

Yulbe was puzzled and confused by all means of both definitions. Instead of a heroic line that would entail holding the creature off so that he may escape or simple reassurance, the young woman requested an impromptu announcer and seemed serious. He wasn't an expert on combat but knew at the very least wrestling wasn't a proper form of it. On the other hand, Hornet seemed to be absolutely teeming with confidence in her ability and was intent on challenging the creature barehanded, forcing the implication she was either crazy powerful or just plain insane. Either of which being exactly what they needed in this situation against such an unpredictable foe.

"F-... F-from the um... North Corner, she is a raging insect with the sting of your mother's terrible cooking! Ho~rne~t!" Yulbe announced with shaky conviction behind his words.

Hornet whistled. "Not bad. Not half bad at all. In fact..." Hornet narrowed her eyes as the creature didn't intend to wait for the conclusion of her theatrics. The largest eye present on the creatures torso ceased it's erratic scanning and unleashed a volley of Darkness projectiles from it's socket while resuming it's advance. "It's just what I needed to get serious!" With a single burst, Hornet flared her ethos reserves with both hands firmly on her hips to create an expansive radial barrier that warded the oncoming attack (Pose A) and violently knocked the creature away. Effectively stunning it for a second time. 

Not satisfied with mere immobilization, Hornet finally commenced her assault in style by opening with a flying leg lariat, utilizing one lower limb imbued in Light ethos energy to send the gawking wonder crashing into the cavern wall. A mere 'Warm up' attack that was flashily recovered from with a kip up and transitioned into a stance priming yet another technique. Upon reaching the necessary level of ethos accumulation, Hornet roared as she reeled away to wind up an arm in preparation before shortly snapping forward to send forth a javelin of Light energy. Having yet to recover, the creature could only twitch violently in response as the radiant spear found it's home in the largest socket (Spirit Javelin). Permanently putting an end to any and all magic attacks. Unfortunately, it was not enough to bring this encounter to a decisive end as the monstrosity still struggled to press forward. Relentless in it's endeavor to kill. An ambition that was destined to be deterred with four more energy javelins piercing through it's torso and remaining sockets.

Heavy panting escaped the former wrestler who currently suffered at the mercy of ethos exertion. One Spirit Javelin was child's play to perform in any combat scenario. Executing four one after the other was another matter entirely and required constant flipping in order to preserve momentum as well as force. She slowly looked up to notice every eye on the creature appeared to be glazed over and lifeless. A tall tale sign that it certainly wasn't going to get up again and it's tortured shrieks fell silent. Strange. For a moment, Hornet felt as if she had given the monster some sense of peace, and stood up to turn away. Moments before each Javelin's stability lost it's stability thus exploding along with the creature to become ethotic dust breezing in wind.

"W... W-winner! Ho~ne-" Yulbe attempted to make good on his appointed role but was silenced with an endearing flick on his round helmet.

"On second thought, let's not attract anymore of these things." Hornet proposed, smirking. "Well? Scary enough for you, Allwright?" 

"By the stars! Yes! Yes! There is something about being mere seconds away from evisceration that sparks the flame of writing!" He struggled to keep his voice within whisper ranges. "By the way, thank you for the timely intervention, Hornet... Wrestling? You say wrestling taught you such techniques?" He found his curiosity piqued in the midst of observing her catching a due second wind. 

"...Well The foundation of it all is..." 

"And the rest? Such as the ethos mastery?" 

Hornet raised a palm and gazed into it with a troubled expression behind her mask. "Not important. It'll be even more inconsequential if we're both dead and never make it out of here." She avoided the question and was thankful he wasn't the type to dwell on one subject for too long, finding his newly adopted expression a safe bet his mind was already somewhere else entirely.  

"Light." He broke his intense train of thought. 

"Excuse me?" 

"Those creatures are mesmerized by light to a rather unbelievable extent. For example, I managed to come across some wood and put some tricks to use father taught me and build a torch, as a result, the creature found me in no time at all. Further proof to validate this theory would be it's habit during the battle to veer into your attacks against it's natural self-preservation's reluctance." He informed, stroking his chin. 

"That's why there was so much of them outside. We can use that to our advantage! Good call." Hornet couldn't help but compliment the author on his epiphany. "Hey, how did you survive this long without me? Didn't the rift spit you out of the sky?" She inquired.


"Sky? Not at all. The rift transported me to an entrance for this twisted cavern and assumed you were already further in for some reason. It would appear access points is complete obscure and fails to make sense, much like everything else in this plain of existence..." 

"No use standing around anymore, let's go."   

"Of course, Hornet."