[REND] 21.1 - Little Golden Hood

(Author's Notes: This chapter starts after Erind left Deen earlier to fight Mr. Ogre.)

Amber Deen Leska

Amber Deen struggled to use her hysterical strength as she punched the pink wall. She cleared her mind, focusing only on using as much force as possible. Don’t be afraid of injuries; they’d regenerate anyway. She shouldn’t think about how weird it felt punching this wall that seemed to slow down time. And she should also ignore the roars, gunfire, and explosions from the opposite end of the warehouse.

Blanchette would keep them safe. Deen couldn’t explain why she trusted Blanchette. But, she did. The aching stabbing in her shoulder blades had disappeared, even though their situation was more precarious than before. They were trapped with some monster, and the enemy surrounded them outside.

Focus on punching! Get into a flow state like Erind did.

Just punch. And punch some more!

“Is this really working?” Reo loudly asked as he switched to kicking the pink wall. “Doesn’t look like—”

“I don’t know!” Deen snapped, irritated that her concentration was broken. Her overthinking mind was unleashed.

Guilt for sending Blanchette to deal with the unknown monstrosity was gnawing at her heart—the battle over there was becoming louder. This was the third time that Blanchette had saved her, and is continuing to save her. It was technically Gabe’s instructions to send Blanchette to face the danger. However, Deen could’ve refused and accompanied Blanchette. Having Deen nearby would incentivize Gabe to help Blanchette, too.  

Despite feeling guilt, Deen stayed because she was… scared. Gabe presented her flashes of a hulking horror that could crush her if she dared come with Blanchette.

Deen was wary of this evolved form of her Guardian Angel. It was gauging her, discerning how best to make her follow its instructions. Before, Gabe told her what to do in short sentences. Phrases, usually. The reason to follow it was simply trusting that Gabe would keep her safe. But Deen could do otherwise for her own goals, like helping other people. Gabe would then adjust.

Now, this new Gabe showed the ‘bad ending’ futures. Were they true?

Maybe. Maybe not.

But the visions sure did their job scaring Deen into following Gabe’s instructions. It reminded Deen of her parents and older sister, telling her that they knew what was best for her. They bombarded her with the supposed consequences of going against their wishes.

This superpower is just mocking me, isn’t it? An amazingly helpful power, but Deen hoped she got something else.

“I’m going to try burning this damn wall!” Everett retreated a few steps and stared at the shimmering pink surface.

“Go for it,” Deen said, thankful that Everett broke her moping mental spiral. “Oberon, try with Blubber too.”

Reo saluted her. “Ma’am, yes, ma’am!” He no longer questioned her if instructions came from Gabe.

But it didn’t mean that he trusted her. More likely, Reo just assumed that Gabe’s silence meant a stamp of approval nonetheless. To him, Deen’s actions and words were, by default, correct.

Reo knelt on the ground. “Blubber, my best boy, is going to bring down the bullshit wall!”

Deen was in her element ordering people.

That sounded too bossy. How about ‘telling people what to do’? It meant the same thing but wasn’t as overbearing.

But it was true that she had it in her to be the leader. She was trained by her parents to manage their affairs, letting her run certain offices as a practice. Deen had lied to Erind about having no work experience—she didn’t want Erind to think of her as a bossy nepo baby. Just a simple nepo baby was enough.

It was only during law school that Deen’s parents let her be, reasoning that she should focus on her studies. She was thankful for that, but also resented the loss of attention. Anyhow, by her second year, her parents and sister expected her to join the student government council.

I’m not even sure if I’ll survive to my second year in law school, Deen thought with a grim smile. She continued punching the pink wall.

Was she imagining it, or was the slow-motion effect less prominent now? Were their attacks working?

Several feet to her right, a portion of the wall aggressively sparkled into almost whiteness. It was the spot where Everett concentrated his power, though Deen couldn’t feel any heat radiating her way. Above them, Blubber, an angry red ball, repeatedly battered the wall, moving so fast it looked like a blurry ribbon. The wall crackled at the points Blubber hit it.  

“We’re getting out of here!” Deen said to encourage the others, wailing on the pink wall.

In truth, she didn’t know that for sure. Gabe had shown her that they should do this, but she didn’t see the future of the wall shattering. Then again, she also didn’t see the future of the two men she had killed earlier. They were two normal humans with electroshock weapons, and Deen reacted with too much force. This evolved Gabe filtered the visions of the future.

There’s no use getting angry at Gabe. Her efforts were best used in finding a way to escape this trap. She could only hope that Blanchette would win her fight. And then, all of them were leaving—that was a promise. If she’d keep this promise, it’d mean that she didn’t use Blanchette as bait.  

About a minute later, something loud and big was coming. Deen didn’t stop punching even if the ground shook with the approach of this large entity.

“What’s that?” Reo asked. “Ambriel?”

“It’s Merge,” Deen said. Gabe didn’t tell her that; she only guessed. Deen had complete faith that Blanchette wouldn’t allow danger to come their way. If not an enemy, something of this size in the vicinity could only be Myra.

And Deen was right. Myra came into view, standing ten feet tall, a walking statue of different kinds of metal and stone.

“This might be the only time I’m glad to see you,” Reo said, laughing out loud. “Man, you’re bigger than a—”

“There’s an Adumbrae who helped me,” Myra quickly said. The metal dome that covered her head opened so they could see her face. “A tall woman with a wolf mouth. You’ve met her, right? Did she come over?”

Deen nodded. “She saved us.”

“The hot monster chick!” Reo punched his palm. Blubber came near and mimicked his actions. “Damn, I never knew I’d activate a new taste while attacking the enemy base.”

“She freed me,” said Everett, “from this Adumbrae bitch that took over my body.”

“I think Blanchette’s her name,” added Deen.

Myra frowned. “Huh? How did she tell you her name with a mouth like—?”

“Gabe told me to call her that. She answered it. I’m not sure if that’s her true name or someone important to her. All I knew was that she became friendlier when I called her ‘Blanchette’. Anyway, what’s going on over there?”

“That metal box the size of a house contained a monster, didn’t it?” Reo asked. Myra nodded. Reo and Blubber pointed at all of them. “Behold my fucking instincts!”

“Is that what you say to your girlfriend?” Myra muttered.

“I don’t need Deen’s power to know dangerous shit nearby,” Reo said, thumping his chest. “You guys should learn to trust me more. So, what’s in the box? Sounds like a lovable and friendly guy.” As he finished his sentence, a loud explosion rocked the warehouse.

But because Deen didn’t react, the rest of the group remained calm. Deen was worried that she was cultivating a false sense of security because of Gabe, especially with herself.

“It’s this turd mountain of a monster,” Myra said. She quickly explained that a giant with skin so thick that she couldn’t hurt it came out of the towering box. It was much stronger than her and had guns attached to its arms that fired odd bullets, exploding away her armor on impact. “I can’t face that dude, so I came over here.”

“You left Blanchette?” Deen held back her tongue from adding words that’d sound accusatory. But her tone did.

“She can handle that turd mountain for some time,” Myra said, waving her arm. “This… Blanchette was transforming into a werewolf creature of some kind. Must be her ability. Just getting bigger, faster, and meaner. I’m not of much help here.”

“Help us bring down this hardened cotton candy!” Reo pointed at the wall.

“No,” Myra firmly said. “I came to fetch you guys so we can help Blanchette. I can’t jump in melee, and I won’t risk chucking stuff into their murderous tussle. But Everett can target his heat vision thing—it could even be the solution to the turd mountain’s bullshit skin. Reo can come along to cheer or use Blubber.”

Reo grinned. “I’ll use Blubber and cheer you on.”

“Let’s go! We’re not abandoning Blanchette.” As Myra finished her sentence, she glared at Deen.

Deen balked. She shouldn’t have doubted Myra. In some way, Deen might be projecting. After all, she was the one who used Blanchette as bait, not Myra.

Under Gabe’s guidance, Deen led the way to Blanchette and the giant of an Adumbrae she fought. Gabe presented several bad endings where the enemy monster ignored Blanchette to attack them, or they’d inadvertently get hit by the hundreds of bullets zipping through the air. Eventually, their group neared the two colossal monsters fighting as the shooting and explosions stopped.

What they saw next would be burned in Deen’s memory. She knew this would give her nightmares for many nights to come.

Blanchette, or the giant werewolf with reddish fur that Deen assumed to be Blanchette, was eating a troll-like behemoth. Blanchette held down her struggling, much-bigger opponent as she tore mouthfuls of its flesh. Deen had seen a lion eat a gazelle on a science show—it was disgusting, but it didn’t affect her.

In comparison, the visceral way Blanchette munched on the enemy monster and pulled back her head to tear its flesh away made her want to run, even though Gabe didn’t warn her of danger. The disgustingness before her—green blood arching like a fountain, purplish innards spilling as Blanchette switched to eating her opponent’s stomach, exposed muscles regenerating only to be torn out again, the chunks of flesh flying in the feeding frenzy—was but a footnote to the fear that squeezed Deen’s heart.

Blanchette was Deen’s savior, but this was a… true monster. Deen clenched her teeth and fists to stop herself from shaking.

“The way she bites… you’d think she’s chomping on a tank with that much force,” Reo said. “Reminds me of a Belgian Malinois. Those energetic buggers clamp their jaws too loudly. Ms. Blanchette is officially no longer my type.”

“I don’t think she needs our help,” Everett said.

“It’s that other guy that needs help,” replied Reo. “Damn, it’s regenerating so frigging fast just to get eaten. Top ten worst deaths.”

Deen had to agree with Reo. The troll creature was powerful, causing small quakes as it thrashed about. The floor was shattered as it flailed its legs, trying to kick away Blanchette.

But nothing worked. Blanchette kept her powerful grip on her prey and continued to eat, completely snubbing the blows. And Blanchette was growing to a size larger than the troll creature.

The troll creature tried to crawl away, the ends of its arm stumps digging ditches in the ground. But it couldn’t get away. It resigned itself to loudly groaning—this might be its cries for help. Its eyes were full of fear.

For a moment, it glanced up at Deen.

She couldn’t help but pity it.

Then Blanchette’s jaws clamped around the troll creature’s head. Deen couldn’t bear to look anymore. She turned to her teammates and instructed them on what to do next. Visions of the future told Deen that Blanchette was no longer herself. Trying to talk to her normally ended up with no effect… or badly. Deen glimpsed a future where she got too near Blanchette and was squished in an instant.

Instead, they lured Blanchette to the pink forcefield of sorts.

“Just follow me!” Myra shouted at Blanchette, waving her pillar of an arm. Myra gradually grew as she walked backward, showing her concern about being in Blanchette’s line of sight.

I’m using Blanchette again, Deen thought. She reasoned that Blanchette would do this anyway, if she had full control of her mental faculties. It didn’t make Deen feel less guilty. She also didn’t like the feeling of always being the one protected. She wanted to protect others, but was too weak to do so.  

Next time, things would be different, she had thought. She hadn't expected that next time would come right after.

Blanchette suddenly surged forward.

“Watch out!” Everett shouted.

Myra was ready for it. She jumped off an opening she made on the left side of her armor. Blanchette crashed into Myra’s left-behind husk, smashing it to smithereens, hitting the pink wall on the other side. Blanchette started to attack the wall. Myra jumped up the shipping container where Deen and the others waited.   

“Here’s a praise for you—good thinking,” said Reo.

“This is called having a brain,” said Myra. “You won’t understand.”

“I’ll let you have that one because you survived luring that werewolf the size of the Statue of Liberty.”

“The Statue of Liberty is way bigger than—”

“Merge, I’m sorry for not telling you that would happen,” Deen said. “Gabe doesn’t show me, um…”

“Don’t sweat it,” said Myra. “I know your power only wants to protect you. That pink barrier is going down soon.” They could hear sharp, shattering sounds, like breaking ice on a loudspeaker. “Okay, how are we going to help Blanchette?”

“What in the Mother Core’s ass are you talking about?” Reo exclaimed. “I’m not going near—”

“Blanchette knows how to find Kelsey!”

“Then go die on your own!”

“Merge is right,” Deen said. “We have to help Blanchette. Let’s get down and nearer to her.” She was lying. In actuality, Gabe was giving her instructions to go somewhere else. But Deen wasn’t going to abandon Blanchette this time. Gabe just had to adjust to her goals; it had done its job well so far.

A deafening crash. The pink wall shattered, and Blanchette, standing around fifteen feet now, stomped out of the warehouse. She was enveloped by a blast of bright blue light. Whips of lightning coiled around Blanchette as she convulsed.

“Electro-pulse cannons!” Reo shouted. “They have ComExos out there!”

(Author's Notes: Here, we had a look at what Deen and the others were up to during Erind's fight. Side POVs of something that had already happened will be rare in the story. And we've seen what Erind is up against next, though she's already too strong to stop. Erind's bigger problem is stopping herself. We'll find out next chapter. By next week, we'll be done with Book 1. Tomorrow, I'll be able to write a Smite chapter. Thank you all for your support!)