Chapter Text
The downpour worsened into a solid curtain of water over the clearing, turning everything into mud and making it almost impossible to hear anything other than the heavy rain crashing down.
Even so, Desmond and Hairo listened carefully to Mizuchi’s story, who never once stopped narrating cheerfully, as if he had been waiting for the entire mission just to play the role of storyteller.
-He’s not lying… I remember being in that room, and that strange interview.-Desmond said.
-I thought it was just a normal recruitment interview.
-Who would’ve thought we were there because we were special… though I don’t remember who else was in the room.
-Does it even matter? I only told you this story to give myself an excuse to kill you. I can’t let you live now that you know about the experiment the director is running behind the government’s back.
-I knew there was something strange about you. I could smell it, even from our first encounter. But now… my doubts are confirmed.
Hairo pushed her soaked mane back, rainwater dripping from her hair.
Desmond did the opposite, letting his hair fall wildly in every direction—after all, with all that rain, visibility was already terrible.
Once again, the three of them prepared to clash.
There was no signal. No countdown. Just a shift in the air.
Mizuchi vanished.
Not literally, but beneath the curtain of rain it was as if the space he occupied had been ripped away. The mud exploded where he had stood an instant before, and in the next moment Hairo felt a crushing impact against her side, like being rammed by a tree trunk.
She rolled several meters through roots and puddles before regaining her footing, growling, claws digging into the soaked earth. She barely lifted her head when a shadow descended from above.
Desmond saw it before she did.
-Hairo!
He didn’t finish the sentence.
Mizuchi dropped from a low branch, twisting his body midair, his leg snapping down like a whip. Hairo crossed her arms on pure instinct, the blow drove her to her knees in the mud, her bones vibrating all the way to her teeth.
Mizuchi landed softly, as if the ground weren’t a mire but a dry track. He smiled.
-Come on, puppy…-He said, raising his hands-I thought you’d be hungrier than that.
Hairo answered with a roar.
Her body warped as she charged, muscles swelling beneath her skin, fangs slipping free as she lunged without measuring distance or angle. Claws, teeth, shoulders, everything at once. A frontal, brutal assault.
Mizuchi didn’t retreat.
He pivoted on one foot, let Hairo brush past him, and slammed his elbow into her back with just enough force to divert her.
Desmond seized the opening.
From the left, he spread his bat wings, water sliding off the membranes, and leapt back to gain distance. He snapped his teeth, echolocation sketching a blurred map through the roar of the rain.
Mizuchi was a strange void in that map.
He was never still. He moved at impossible angles, changing elevation, stepping on trunks, roots, even on the bodies of the dead monsters.
Desmond launched a downward kick from the air.
Mizuchi raised an arm… and it elongated.
Skin stretched, bones cracked, and the forearm became a white serpent that coiled around Desmond’s leg, yanking him down like dead weight.
Desmond slammed onto his back in the mud, the air bursting from his lungs.
Before Mizuchi could finish him, Hairo lunged again.
This time, she connected.
Her shoulder smashed into Mizuchi’s torso, driving him several meters back and slamming him into a tree. The bark split, leaves raining down in a cascade.
Hairo gave him no breathing room.
Punch. Claw. Bite.
Wild, furious attacks, each one loaded with resentment. Her jaws grazed Mizuchi’s neck, too close.
Too slow.
Mizuchi grabbed her snout with one hand, fingers sinking into soaked fur, and with the other drove his knee into her abdomen. Once. Twice. Three times.
Hairo staggered back, spitting mud and saliva, though not before carving four deep gashes into the leg that struck her. Her eyes burned with fury.
-Rabid dog… Think before you throw yourself in.-Mizuchi mocked, completely ignoring the leg now soaked in red.
Desmond was already back on his feet.
He kept his distance, circling the clearing, forcing Mizuchi to turn, to split his attention.
Mizuchi noticed.
He lunged at Desmond with brutal speed.
Hairo intercepted him from the side, claws digging into his shoulder. This time, Mizuchi hissed, a low, dangerous sound.
His body changed again.
A silver tail burst from his back, long and muscular, slamming into the ground and throwing up mud like an explosion. The tail swept Hairo’s legs out from under her, smashing her into the ground.
Mizuchi didn’t even look at her as she fell.
All his focus was on Desmond.
At the same time the tail emerged, his head reshaped into that of a serpent again, aiming straight for the bat.
Desmond spread his wings and leapt back, but the serpent was already right in front of him.
Desmond blocked as best he could, using his wings as improvised shields to make himself larger and avoid being swallowed…
Chack!
But the jaw dislocated.
On the verge of being impaled by fangs, Desmond snapped his wings shut and thrust his massive thumb toward the serpent’s eyes, burying his claw into one until it bled.
-HIIIIIIIIIIIISS!!!
The strike made the serpent writhe in pain and revert to human form, but Mizuchi barely had time to clutch his bleeding right eye when Hairo reentered the fray, this time from behind, lunging to bite his other leg.
Grab!
Kick!
Mizuchi spun on himself, his tail coiling around Desmond’s neck while he smashed an elbow into Hairo’s temple. All in a single fluid, half-blind motion.
Desmond felt the pressure tighten.
The tail constricted like a living noose, slowly pinning him to the ground. His feet thrashed in the mud, struggling to break free.
Mizuchi leaned in close.
His eyes glowed red beneath the rain.
-This time I’ll inject venom…-He whispered, fangs lowering slowly-I’ve played enough.
Minazuki watched from the ground, her muscles so strained she couldn’t even move.
Desmond felt panic rise.
And then,
-Cough!
Mizuchi coughed.
It was a dry, unexpected sound.
He clutched his chest. Coughed again, harder. Something dark sprayed from his mouth, vanishing into the rain.
-What…?-He murmured, confused for the first time.
His body stiffened. A spasm rippled through his muscles. Beneath his skin, something moved… wrong.
His veins darkened. Tiny points of blood began to bloom under the skin, as if something were tearing him apart from the inside.
Mizuchi released Desmond with a strangled growl.
He dropped to his knees, convulsing, his tail thrashing uncontrollably against the ground.
Desmond rolled away, gasping, coughing, wasting no time.
Hairo stared, stunned, for a second.
-What… did you do to him?-She whispered.
Mizuchi lifted his head, his smile trembling, forced.
-G.A.M.B.L.E.-He spat.
Dark vomit splattered into the mud. His hands shook.
Hairo didn’t wait for explanations.
-Now!-She shouted.
Both of them lunged at the dying Mizuchi, whose mutations had vanished.
-Stop!-A voice cried out through the downpour.
Hairo already had Mizuchi by the hair, ready to slit his throat, but she froze.
From between the trees emerged Kako, carrying an unconscious Quispe in her arms, a knife pressed against his forehead.
-Touch Mizuchi and I swear I’ll scalp him on god!
-Quispe’s Ecuadorian, not a native Indian…-Desmond corrected, still catching his breath.
-I don’t care!
The bat and the wolf looked at each other, assessing the situation.
-What did you do to Mizuchi? If he’ll die anyway, it might be better to hand him over.-Hairo said, barely audible through the rain.
-Before you showed up, I injected him with some of my blood as a delayed attack. A raw blood transfusion. I was hoping, with some luck, we’d have different blood types. J.A.C.K.P.O.T.
Decision made, Hairo kicked the serpent toward Kako.
But the girl didn’t return Quispe, she only tightened her grip on the knife.
-Hey, that wasn’t the deal!
“Did she realize I poisoned Dokueki?”
-Fuck off, idc! That’s what you get for hurting my precious Mizuchi.
-Damn it… He’s completely brainwashed her with his words.-Hairo muttered.
The distance between them was too great to stop her.
“I could stun her, but it’d probably attract more monsters.” Desmond considered.
There was no time to decide, first drops were already sliding down Quispe’s forehead.
Step. Step…
But through the rain and wind, footsteps rang out.
Dash!
A shadow with a long tail lunged at Kako from behind, aiming straight for her neck.
STAB!
-¡¡¡KYAAAAAAAAA!!!
Kako let out a piercing scream, dropping Quispe to the ground.
Seizing the moment, Amsel and Minazuki rushed toward her.
Kako lay on the ground, tears in her eyes, clutching her neck as if it might fall off. Beside her lay the weapon, a small syringe, now empty.
And behind her, the attacker emerged through the rain: a short-haired girl, but with a braid so long it looked like a tail.
-Kanon!-Desmond exclaimed in relief.
-I’m sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! You told me to run, but they took Quispe and stole my gun!-She apologized frantically.
-I’m gonna air this bitch when I get the chance on god. What the hell did you inject me with?!
-Irukandji jellyfish venom.
-!
-Huh? Wh-what? Venom?-Kako’s tone flipped completely, terror now palpable in her voice.
But the surprises didn’t end there, as a weak voice joined the conversation.
-The toxin that makes you paranoid… A key ingredient for inducing R.U.S.T.
Out of nowhere, Mizuchi regained consciousness, swaying slightly as he rose to his feet.
-U.N.R.E.A.L. The blood I gave you should be destroying your body from the inside!
Mizuchi turned to Desmond, smiling.
-I know. A very good plan, I’ll admit it. I didn’t realize until it was too late. So once I was on the ground, I did the same as you, I gambled. AND I HIT THE JACKPOT!-He exclaimed as the downpour slowly faded, as if parting just for him-Desmond… AB positive?
-?!
-That’s right. Lucky me. We share the same blood type. So your plan to poison me with foreign blood didn’t work. A shame. Don’t get discouraged, though, I’m still in terrible shape. It’s raw, untreated blood after all. Almost poison.
Amsel stood speechless. For the first time, they’d had the upper hand, only to lose it to sheer bad luck.
Meanwhile, Hairo bared her claws and fangs once more.
-So many coincidences. So many plans. So many lies and performances. I’ve had it up to here with you!-She finally exploded-I’ll slam you into the ground until you’re nothing but a red mist, no matter the cost!-She threatened, launching herself forward.
-Mizuchi, Mizuchi!-Kako cried at his feet-Please help me! I don’t know what’ll happen to me with this venom! Please, I’m your most loyal ally, help me!-She begged.
Tension spiraled. Everyone shouting. Desmond cursing. Hairo unleashed. Kako sobbing.
All the sounds merged inside the adipocere ghost’s ears, reverberating in his head.
-ENOUGH!
He finally snapped.
Kick!
The first thing he did was kick Hairo away, knocking her aside in one blow.
-Kako, be a good girl and GET OUT of here.-He told her. She obeyed, crawling away in panic.
And finally, with his last strength, he deftly caught Kanon, like a snake snaring a mouse.
Chomp!
He sank his fangs into her neck.
-…Agh…-The girl let out a choked cry.
-KANON!
-Can you believe it…?-Mizuchi murmured-That this is actually my first kill on this island?