*(ns#/be opened the umbrella and held it over her head as she stepped cautiously through the narrow alleyways. Paths of ink in the same faded blue of her tentacles dotted the landscape. The eerie quiet was all-encompassing, but she didn't dare make a noise.

Who knows what could hear…

The growing sound of machinery ahead made her hesitate, holding the umbrella in front of her defensively. It was difficult to see in the all-encompassing darkness, which melted into the scenery like a black fog. Folding against a garbage can, she peered out into the alley ahead.

A strange green… tentacle, mounted on a machine, sat in the center of the alleyway, spewing green ink - thankfully not the disturbing goop - through a nozzle on the front. It had strange, buggy eyes, and a wide, unmoving mouth. Gulping, she shuffled back behind the garbage can and took a deep breath.

There was something wrong with that creature. But she had to get past it to continue.

As she rose, the creature - thing - turned to look at her. With a burst of smoke and a chugging noise, it began shooting at her.

Diving back behind the garbage can, she covered her ears as ink slammed into the can with a paced clang. Splatters of green ink whizzed past, drops hissing as they hit her leg.

Growling in pain, *9sndf4$ reopened her umbrella and held it in front of her. Peering over the top at her opponent, she let out an angry call and ran headlong towards her enemy. Shutting her eyes tightly, she stabbed forward, pushing through the resistance the tip of her umbrella met.

Green ink splashed everywhere. Reverting to Octopus form on instinct, she leaped back and retreated into a small puddle of ink near her hiding place. Inhaling deeply and surrounding herself in the ink, she forced herself to calm down.

When she rose again, she immediately threw the umbrella out in front of her as a shield. Breathing raggedly, she slowly moved forward, one eye constantly on the puddles of green ink left behind. The brightly glowing ink was hard to miss in the darkness of the alleyway, but nerves couldn't help but murmur just how easy it would be for something to sneak up on her.

Up ahead, rising from a steep incline in the pavement, sat a pedestal. A strange, translucent cube stood on top of it, and cautiously, *SD9fn/ began her approach.

A sudden screech interrupted her. She flared her umbrella in front of her and peeked over the edge.

It warbled, wavered, and died out, leaving behind a glob of ink which coalesced in midair into something much larger than the creature before. It stood on two unnaturally thin, malformed legs. Long, misshapen tentacles curled out from its' body, upon which was an unnaturally large mouth. Green globs of goo dripped from its' body and a deeply malevolent breathing began to echo through the alley.

Sd8f9n:,,'s eyes widened as it began to regurgitate something.

A green bar of- something, twice her weight and height, was projected out of the monstrosity's gaping mouth. Whipping her umbrella forward and crouching, she screwed her eyes shut as the large bar slammed into her flimsy shield, bouncing off halfheartedly and toppling off to the side. Almost immediately, the choking noise of the creature starting up the attack again, forcing her to act.

Bounding off to the side, she held out her umbrella once again and waited for it to go by. Briefly glancing between the ugly entity and the steep decline behind her, she gritted her teeth and rammed forward, umbrella held out in front of her defensively. Green bars slammed off her shield as she approached the immobile monster, buckling her arms, but she held firm.

"G$$A&A/*H!" She screamed, pulling the umbrella shut and thrusting forward. The sharp tip stabbed clean through the creature, and with an agonized scream, it bubbled and exploded.

&S(dfgg collapsed, panting hard, body shaking from the wave of pain the wash of ink had brought. Laying on the ground in front of her, a golden key glinted, and she snatched it up aggressively.

Using the key and Umbrella to prop herself up, she stumbled over to the pedestal, peering through the ink dripping down her face at the object within. Sat next to a small, rubbery, familiar thing was a medium-sized object around the size of a backpack. It had a long black strap of soft leather, and the object itself was a metal contraption with a myriad of buttons and a pair of discs, all in the faded blue-red of her standard ink.

She jammed the key into the slot, and the vault shimmered before winking out of existence. Reaching forward, she slung the contraption over her shoulder and grabbed the strange object, shaped like a beach ball.

Breathing out, sdf79n%& stepped back to returN7*DFsn;/{23*jel