Nyanteolpe Mountain : Democratic Republic of the Congo : Central Africa
Mori Calliope & Takanashi Kiara
After finished calling Subaru and ignoring their boss protested. Calli and Kiara already walking inside the tunnel,
destroying the darkness inside by controlling Kiara's fireball to floating above their heads like a strange disco ball as they are moving deeper into the mine.
Everything looks exactly like what they would expected. A rocky wall that being dig into something which looks like underground metro passage.
Covered in sheet of plastic to avoiding dust and filled with many lamps that supposed to giving the workers a light.
But since the electricity has gone for some reason, there are nothing but Kiara's fire to telling them what is what.
After walking around ten minutes or so. They finally find another light in the darkness. A crystals, and not just a dozen or twos of them either.
The whole cave system seems to being filled with shining crystal in all shape and form.
Some looks like a pillar that growing from the ceiling to the floor in 45 degrees angles. While the rest are looks like pile of spiky shrubs or simply pointy
things that spreading in every direction.
All of them release strange multicolor lights from their bodies, filling the tunnel with sickly light show that make just barely looking at them is troublesome,
let alone walking on it.
" The temperatures is quite hotter than the tunnel we passed. Maybe these crystals are releasing some kind of energy from themselves too,
not just a mere light." Kiara explained after cancelling her fireball, since its light reflect with the crystal and make looking around in this place become almost
impossible.
" Yeah, but we still not sure about what it is capable of. How about breaking one and put them inside your pocket?" Calliope suggested,
kicking one crystal shrub that standing next to her feet, but there are no reaction or anything from the thing.
" Can't you see that poor Emanuel? We don't know what causing him to become pebbles, maybe touching one of them is the cause." Kiara warned,
making Calliope quickly retreat her hand before she could touch some Lion shaped crystal that growing from the wall.
" You probably right, but these crystal seem to not affect us in any way though, they are not doing that sparky thing to us, unlike those robots."
Calli pointed at the group of explorer robots that laying at the entrance to the crystal forests. All of them were being zapped beyond repair by the crystals.
" Maybe they are react only with the electronic things. Leaving our communication device above is not a bad idea after all." Kiara sighed,
walking on one of the massive pentagon-shaped crystals that pointing itself toward the below, surprised that it can actually tolerate her weight.
…
When they finally going deep enough to see the place that being blown up by the miners. The stone gate is already gone, but the crystals also growing and
changing the way beyond recognition. Some are from the ceiling, left and right walls. But most are simply growing from the floor like some mineral saplings.
Around the empty room near the entrance of the natural cave. A pile of colorful pebbles laying on the ground here and there indicate that fate of those
workers are probably not good. But both woman decided to carry on observing in case that some unlikely survivors are still alive in here.
At the middle of the natural tunnel. A pillars of crystals growing from the floor toward the ceiling.
All of them are separated from each other around two or three meters. As if someone was trying to build the wall to separated the one tunnel into twos
but decided to stop it midway while the whole tunnel itself has become wider. Even more than ten meters between the left and right walls.
" What the hell are all this is about?" Calliope asked, making Kiara shrugged as they are walking down to the cave.
The temperature around here is probably more than 60 Celsius, too much for human to stay alive for long.
" I don't know. Can you observes the right wall? I will check on the left. Maybe there are something different between them.
Or whatever that creates this is just being lazy."
Both her and Calli moving toward the wall that is closer to them. Touching it but feeling nothing but normal stone in front of them.
" Nothing unusual here- Kiara!" Calliope turned back to tell her friend, but she then seeing that the blue crystal suddenly growing out of every pillars with
the incredible speed, attaching each pillar to one another and separate reaper and Phoenix between them.
Calliope moving as quick as she could, but the blue light that shining from the crystal make it is impossible for Calliope to touching any shadow
and teleported through it.
When she finally reaching the wall. It was already completed solid, trapping both Calliope and Kiara on their side.
Mori quickly looking back at the tunnel and of course. The entrance of the cave is being covered by blue crystal too.
It was the stupidest trap Calli ever faced, but she and Kiara has fall for it, somehow.
" Wait a little, Kiara. I will gets you out!" Calliope shouts, swinging her scythe at the wall of blue crystal in front of her,
while the orange light that shining from the other side of the wall telling her that Kiara is blasting at the crystal with everything she has too.
The scythe's Stygian blade hitting the wall and creating a terrible sounds as the fire flakes start dancing when the black blade being dragged on it,
but for some reason. Both Phoenix fire and reaper's scythe couldn't pierced through the wall that is not thicker than 15 centimeters.
Mori moving as far from the wall as she can before she will swing her shiny scythe, creating a slashing wave that running toward the wall… and being
dissolved by it almost immediately after touching the blue crystal.
" What the f**k!" Calliope yelled, while the light from the other side of the wall suddenly brighter and swell down,
look like Kiara has stopped throwing her attack too.
Calliope looks around. If this is not crystal automatically growths. Then she bet that whoever that set this trap must wanting them to separate from each
other. And then they will have too…
Walking deeper into the cave. That's the only place that is not being covered by these damn crystals.
And whoever that waiting will have every chance of preparation while Calliope have zero idea about them. Only a stupid would walk right into those trap.
Maybe she should just wait here until the rest of the Myths can join her. Safety in numbers, wasn't they say?
But then how can she know Kiara will reach the same conclusion as her. That dumb bird may already walking deep inside,
hoping to find some hole between the wall. Straight into trap of whoever making these.
If someone is going to being struck by the trap. Calliope preferred that person to be her. She is much stronger and taller ( That's Calli opinion.) than Kiara
after all. These stupid rocks probably could not kill her easily.
" Kiara! If you could here me, waiting right there and shoot everything that moves! I will go explore the cave a little bit more, that's it!" Calliope yelled as
loud as she could, banging the wall for a while to prove the point before she will walking deeper into the tunnel,
scanning the area with her reaper eyes as she is moving faster. The light that shine around limit her shadow travel movements.
But Calliope is an experienced reaper enough to finding the gap between the light, a place where shadow could form even with shiny rock around them.
Not long after she start running, Calliope already teleporting. Closing a long distance within a few seconds and moving deeper beneath the earth as she
continues to run.
…
Mori Calliope
At the end of her journey. Calliope see something that looked like a big board or screen that covered the entire wall, at the middle of it.
There is some kind of square shaped podium standing like a rod, on top of the thing that is tall as half as Calliope height has a shallow triangular hole,
and carving of what reaper remembered as an elf languages.
While Calliope couldn't exactly remember how to read or speak in this language.
Reaper thinks she still not forget some simple characters Kiara used to point at during their discussion of the picture inside the mine.
" That's 'No' and 'here'… I can't understand the middle one. But the combination of words are probably. 'Don't put it here' or something."
Calliope muttered with herself after spending some time looking at the character, but what they shouldn't put here?
The triangle shaped is kinda familiar…
Calliope checking her 'cover' crystal necklace. The blue crystal that shine in her hand seems somewhat brighter than usual, trying to tell her something.
" Look like it is the same shapes and size. So, whoever making these don't want me to put the crystal here?" Calliope speaking with herself as she is
comparing the hole with crystal in her hand. It is probably fit in. Should I try just a bit?
Calliope quickly shook her head. This is what whoever that leading her here want! If they really not want her to put it in.
They probably never separated her with Kiara and leading her here in the first place.
So, Calliope should just using her brain and nope out of this place before anything bad happened. What does they said on the movie again?
Rule are mean to be broken. Writing something like 'don't touch!' in front of one object will only make sure that someone will touch the said item eventually.
" Haha, luckily that I am a genius reaper, let's get out of here and searching for nearest liquor store instead-!" Calliope self mutters start increasingly lunatic,
but something really fast suddenly passes by before she could wearing the 'cover' crystal again,
snatching the necklace from her hand and putting it down in the hole before reaper would realize what is happening.
" What the heck!" Calliope swirled, turning back to faced a strange girl with long silver purple hair who dressed in black and white decorated corset and
having something that looked like bronze angelic wings attached with her shoulders. A rhombus shaped colorful crystals floating around her body in different
sizes and states. Some even attached with each other and being place on her head like a bizarre crown or headdress.
Behind the girl, the big screen start shining and moving like a liquid, while the blue light that being transfer from the 'cover' crystal that being place in the
podium's hole start flowing toward it. As if the screen is absorbing the energy from Calli's necklace for the purpose that yet to be known.
" Who the hell are you? And why are you doing this!" Calliope yelled, raising her scythe in combat position, she never fight a child before.
But experienced with Gura told reaper that size is not everything in the world full of magic and special power.
" Just wanting to release my friends too. Awaking alone is quite lonely, you knows?" The girl smiles, causing Calliope to look at the swirling screen and the
shining podium again. So she wanting to lure Calli here and 'awake' her friends with the 'cover' crystal?
" Sorry, but I would rather have that one back!" Calliope quickly running at the girl and swinging her scythe to push her aside.
But her weapons suddenly running through the girl's body as she is moving passed her. As if the little girl in front of her is just a 3-D hologram or something.
" The f**k!?" Calliope gawk at the girl who turning to faced her and smiles.
" The greedy spirit of living organisms is uncountable, you knows? They saw brilliant light from my body and thinking 'she must be valuable.
I will take her.' Not even once that any of them will realized that value is just hallucinations. A thing they create by their own desires.
Just think about diamond? What's so good about it? Yeah, perhaps a good scalpel. But obsidian can do the same with much less price.
Just because it doesn't shine in the same ways.
Understand now, people weren't look at the expensive mineral at its usefulness. But rather, they being blinded by their own greed from the brilliant light that
comes out of them. So pathetic!" The girl throwing an essay at Mori's face, making her winced.
" The f**k are you talking about. Anyway I will take my necklace back!" If she is just a hologram, then there is nothing to worry about,
Calliope can just ignored the girl and take her thing back.
Wait, wasn't she snatched cover crystal from my hand? Which is mean…
Calliope already grabbing the crystal when she realized something, but the girl is already standing next to her and twisting reaper's arm,
forcing her to let the necklace to fall back inside the hole again.
The girl twisting Calliope to faced her with only strong left arm, while the right hand is holding something that looks like a crystalize scalpel,
which she repeatedly stabbing at reaper stomach with incredible speed, creating more than 30 wounds in less than 5 seconds.
" Get off me!" Calliope snarled, ignoring the wounds as she is swinging her scythe, but the black blade simply cutting through the air that supposed to be the
girl again as if she was trying to attack the hallucinations.
Calliope kicks the ground and retreating to gain some more space, swinging her scythe left and right eight times before she will finally admitted that the
crystal girl is simply walking through her attacks like it was nothing.
Reaper changes her tactic and kicking the opponent's face as fast as she could. But the girl using one hand to stopped Calliope's feet before she will sinking
her scalpel blade deep behind reaper's knee, cutting all tendons and make Calli falling down by the pain from her leg.
Eternal fire start erupting from the wounds on her belly and knee, but Calliope couldn't heal fast enough.
She being yanked up by her neck to stares in the eyes of crystal girl. Who giving her a creepy :D smiles.
" The greedy of people make me sick. And when I killed too many of them. God fears me and putting me in the eternal prison with the rest of the convicts
from 'crime' in his eyes. We were being separated in different 'cells' but giving time, even prisoner like us can communicate with each other,
forming alliances and waiting for a chance to strike!"
The girl wrapping her arm around Calliope's neck and shoulder as she speaks, ignoring reaper struggles.
" And in case that this is the last thing you heard!" The girl suddenly lifted Calliope's body up with her super strength,
before she will slamming reaper on the stone floor in WWE rock bottom style, shattering the crystal ground underneath them before she will get up and
walking backward from the fallen opponent.
" My name is Koseki Bijou. The radiance stone." She introduced herself while watching Calliope interestingly, wondered if she is still alive or not.
The eternal fire finally died down from Calli's body at last, telling reaper that her body is fully healed right now.
" Don't think I will gave up that easily!" Calliope shouts, using her shadow travel ability to moving faster than Bijou's expectation.
Both women suddenly dissolved into the crystal walls of the cave and leaving everything in complete silence- only for a few seconds before all hell will break
loose once again inside this room in front of the shining podium and screen.
Every single crystals inside the room shine and trying to eliminate every shadow inside of the area, at the middle of the empty space.
Light and darkness facing each other and bouncing randomly around the room as Calliope and Bijou is fighting with their inhuman speed.
The reflection from one crystal creating a shadow big enough for Calli to teleported in while Bijou seems to turning into the light as she is bouncing
from one crystal to another, preventing Calliope from reaching the podium and buying time for whatever it is doing to finish the progress.
Like oil and water, reaper and the jewel god crashing into each other but unable to fused together even when they are using their light and shadow forms.
Some big stalactite crystals on the ceiling exploded when the skeleton in black robe roaring in frustration and crawling out of it,
blasting black smoke out of her mouth. Before the Boulder of purple stones will growing out of the right corner of the room,
shooting multicolor beam toward the reaper which break into molecules levels and moving toward the remaining darkness inside this cave again.
Some crystals inside the cave start shooting beams or simply flying toward Calliope who is still moving between one shadow to another,
forcing her to stopped midways and turning to blocking the attack with her scythe blade.
But she didn't have time to see Bijou who is kicking reaper's chin and stabbing through her shoulder.
Before the jewel girl will start spearing her knee at Calliope's abdomen.
Stunning reaper long enough to being throw down by Bijou again.
Calliope quickly gets up and swinging her scythe, creating a big slashing waves that cutting through the air and destroying some of the crystal and solid wall
of rock behind them.
Sending the black smoke to filled the room for a moment.
But Bijou who is the target of the attack simply letting the waves running through her body, didn't being affect by it for a bit.
When Calliope is still slowing down after using her special skills. Bijou suddenly jumping through the dusty air and kicking Calliope's chest,
sends the reaper to crashing into the crystalize wall and raised her crystal blade, ready to cut Calliope's head off.
While the dust is still falling around them like a snow, Calliope desperately grabbed Bijou's arm by instinct,
fully knowing that she probably going to touch the thin air again since her enemy can turning into light or some kind of radiation at will.
To both of them surprised. Calliope's hand actually grabbed Bijou's wrist, stopping jewel girl from swinging her blade any further.
Both then staring at each other for a moment before it will finally click in.
While Bijou's crystals can creates light that eliminates darkness and help her teleporting around freely. The normal earth rock behind them are not.
And when Calliope big attack hitting through all the crystal and destroying some normal parts of this mine.
The dust that floating around actually creating a shadow after being shine by light, creating area of darkness that trapping Bijou inside instead of Calliope.
" Look like the table has turned, girls!" Calliope smirked, punching Bijou as hard as she can and knocking the girl back for several meters.
Calliope then grabbed the scythe when Bijou is teleporting toward her again. Didn't bother to aim at the enemy, but pointing toward the ceiling instead.
Calliope swings her scythe and creating a slashing waves again.
Bijou could stabbing through Calliope's back with her scalpel, but the rain of dust that falling from above make jewel girl unable to teleport back.
She can only stand there while Calliope is swinging her scythe with one hand, ready to cut the enemy in half.
" Gyatt!" The light shine from Bijou's headdress before it will shooting some purple light at Calliope's right arm, turning it into a crystal that spreading very
quickly, almost reaching the shoulder if Calliope has not decide to cut her own arm off.
Sends the detached limbs to breaking into colorful pebbles after it has falling to the ground.
" Oh! Come on!" Calliope groaned after Bijou has running backward, shooting some more laser at Calliope who was forced to using only one arm to block the
beam with her scythe while waiting for her another arm to grow back, unable to attacking since Bijou is preferred to running around and keep spamming
like a real gamer during online tournaments instead of properly brawling like the last time.
The floating dust is now turning into Calliope's weakness since she cannot see where and when the beam will come nexts.
Reaper spinning around, blocking each beam that coming from one direction to another, above, below, left or right with her scythe blade.
She is too focused on finding the beam that she didn't notice Bijou who darts at her from behinds,
sinking the new scalpel blade deep inside Calliope's thigh before she will running back into the dust again, making reaper crying from the pain and frustration.
Calli looks around and ready for the next knife attacks. But Bijou simply shooting her beam again, making Calliope winced and jumping aside to avoid being
hit by it, leaving an opening for Bijou to shooting multiple crystals blades at her, sinking them deep into the reaper's waist and make her stumbles around.
At the edge of losing, Calliope decided to risk a little. She dropped her scythe and turning her face into a skull,
waiting for inevitable end while Bijou is still looking at her from behind, not sure if it is a trap or not.
After a second of thinking, Bijou finally decided to play it safe. She controlling the crystals blades that grows in front of Calliope to flying at her,
while Bijou is running and shooting beam from her headdress at the reaper, determined to killing her with the attack from both side.
Calliope that using her reaper's eyes to seeing through the dust, turning back from the flying crystal and stretching her invisible chain in her newly growing
hands. Slamming the solid chain into Bijou's neck after tilted her head to avoiding the beam and let it crashed into the flying crystals,
turning them into a piles of pebbles instead of hitting Calliope's body while she is still wrapping the chain around Bijou's waist.
It seems that, for once, the invisible chain actually invisible to someone and make Bijou running straight into the attack like a moth hitting wall of spiderwebs
at night.
" You fool! I can just teleport again…! …!" Bijou stop after she trying to turning into light and getting away from Calliope's chain.
But her body unable to pulled out of the object around her for some reason.
" No use, girl! This is invisible chain making from cat's footfall, bird's spittle and you know what? F**k that, googled it yourself!"
Calliope laughed, stomping Bijou down before she could trying to gets up.
" You cannot kill me with that stupid chain anyway, dimwit!" Jewel girl yelling a sneer at Calliope who returned it with a big grin.
" Nobody said that I am going to kill you, in fact. I am thinking that it is about the time right now." Calliope looking at her wrist watch indifferently.
" What time is it?" Bijou frowned, while Calliope quickly pulling the girl up by her legs. " It's time to YEET! Of course!"
Calliope then spinning herself like a tornado while still holding Bijou's leg and wrapping invisible chain her hands, before she will letting the girl go,
sends her flying across the room and hitting the wall, the upper half of her body can sinking into it properly.
But the girl waist that being wrapped with chain is stuck with the solid rock, make her unable to moving deeper into it.
" Help! I am stuck!" Bijou pulling her head out of the wall to cries at Calliope who is laughing her ass off right now.
" Just wait there, little girl! I will released you after making sure that the 'cover' crystal is back in my hand safe and sound." Calliope yelled, but her words
making Bijou grinned for some reason.
" But wasn't it a bit too late for that?" Jewel girl asked, making reaper flinched and turning back, finally realized that all their fights may be just Bijou's plan to
distract her from the working podium, crystal and screen.
The screen look normal enough, making Calliope sighed in relief for a second- before the whole screen and podium will exploded,
sending a shockwave that knocking Calliope down and breaking every single crystals in the cave.
Calliope jerks back and looking at her hand, sighed in relief when seeing that it is still binding with chain that attached with Bijou.
Before the whole world will shaking as the cave start moving from above and below, shifting and bending into new shape and form with Reaper still trapping
inside it.
" This is just the start!" Bijou laughing cheerfully while Calliope is crawling on all four, unable to stand with this much of shaking and falling stone that
happened around her.
" What the fu-!" Calliope trying to swears, but the whole ceiling of the cave then collapsed, burying her and Bijou underneath before she could finished her sentences.
…