Abyssal Awakening - Chapter 865

Chapter 865: Monika

*BANG!!!

Alice fired the gun and watched as the bullet rip through the air.

*CLANG!!!

“F*CK!”

She was too hasty. By wanting to catch the beast off guard, she hoped the bullet would be able to pierce the head.

Instead, it hit the shoulder spike and ricocheted elsewhere.

The beast turned its head and lunged towards Alice who fired the gun.

Standing her ground, Alice took aim once more.

Its speed was much faster than what she could muster right now. Even if she wanted to run, she couldn’t.

But what’s faster than the beast was a bullet.

Alice narrowed her eyes and pulled the trigger without hesitation!

*BANG!!!

The second bullet ripped through the air, landing dead centre of the beast’s head.

But even if the beast is dead, it doesn’t mean the momentum has stopped.

Alice quickly dove to the right but her movements weren’t fast enough. One of the spikes scraped against her leg, digging out a chunk of her thigh.

*CRASH

Alice didn’t care about the beast that rammed into the wall behind her.

What she needed to care about was stopping her bleeding.

With no energy and no Sigil power, she has to stop her bleeding using another method.

Grabbing a broken plank nearby, Alice tore off pieces of her dress and wrapped it above her wound.

Creating a makeshift tourniquet with the plank, Alice began to twist until the bleeding stopped to some degree. She couldn’t move her leg well but it’s more preferable than dying from blood loss.

With the emergency first aid now complete, Alice let out a sigh of relief and glanced over to the crumbled wall.

The beast had already transformed into a pile of ash with the same crystal buried in the middle.

Limping over, she picked up the crystal and glanced at the corpse now buried in ash and debris.

Compared to the shadow monsters, this one looked fully human and equipped at that.

“Sorry but you’re dead already. Don’t hate me for taking things I need for survival.” Alice apologised, kneeling down and rummaging through the corpse’s pockets.

A smile appeared on her face before disappointment took over.

She thought she had found bullets, but it turned out to be just scrap metal too big to be used as bullets.

Rummaging through the other pockets, Alice grunted in disappointment.

In the end, the only useful things she could get from him were the jacket and some scrap metal. Nothing more.

At least with the jacket, she could cover herself up since she tore her dress apart to stop her bleeding.

While she didn’t care about shame when life or death was at stake, she’d still prefer not to run around with a torn dress that’s transformed into half a shirt.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Alice’s smile twitched.

The jacket was much bigger than her. What should’ve stopped around the waist reached all the way down to her knees.

And the design… it wasn’t cute at all.

Sure there were long sleeves, but it wasn’t the cute kind of long sleeve. No, it was rigid and hard to move in. The annoying type rather than a fashion.

Swallowing her grievances, Alice focused on the crystals instead.

Despite having two, the path of butterflies didn’t become any clearer. In fact, it stayed the same.

‘Seems like quantity doesn’t affect the path. They all still lead to the same place.’ Alice thought to herself while limping along the main road.

While following the butterflies, she was careful not to be taken by surprise this time.

After using two bullets on the last beast, she couldn’t afford another mistake of that level.

With only one bullet left, she had to make sure this bullet was used when nothing else can be done.

And as for keeping an eye out for ambushes, she was extra careful now. Above, below, behind cover. She made sure to check everything.

Naturally, her efforts paid off and some of the ambush spots left Alice rather… speechless.

Beasts hanging on the side of bridges overhead, waiting for someone to walk under them.

Beasts hiding under sewage covers, their fingers poking out slightly as they’re primed to jump out the moment any sign of life passes them.

Even beasts hiding in trash bins. Had it not been for the sound of breathing, Alice might not have even noticed it!

All of these spots… Alice only had only one word for it.

Perverted!

All of these hiding spots were perverted to ridiculous degrees. If someone were to walk past, even when on guard, they’ll still be ambushed if they weren’t careful!

Only when she was moving at a snail’s pace, making sure to check every nook and cranny, did she avoid some of these ambushes.

The more Alice saw, the more annoyed she got and the more careful she was forced to be. Each step was only taken once she was sure the coast was clear.

While walking down the main path, she noticed a few corpses like the one she saw earlier and the one she retrieved her gun from. But they were trapped as the torso would twitch every no and then.

Clearly a beast waiting for someone to salvage useful items from the corpse.

Thus Alice ignored it.

After a while, the butterfly trail started to grow in number. More and more butterflies were appearing and it was clear Alice was getting closer to where these butterflies were going.

Though despite this, she still kept her guard up.

Haste makes waste.

If she were to let herself be blinded by the sight of the goal, she might not see the ambush waiting for her to drop her guard.

And as expected, not far from her, there was another beast crouching in wait.

Making a wide arc around the beast, just outside its detection range, Alice finally entered what seemed to be an abandoned pharmacy with the walls busted open.

All of the butterflies were leading inwards and Alice followed.

Carefully, she descended what appeared to be a staircase.

‘Light?’ Alice frowned.

Below the staircase, there seemed to be a flickering light. One from a fire of sorts. And next to the light was a silhouette of a person wearing a large pointed hat.

Judging from the movements, Alice figured the woman was playing around with the butterflies.

Whether or not they were friendly, she didn’t know.

Aiming the gun in front of her, Alice slowly descended the staircase with a limp in her steps. Still on the watch for any potential ambushes waiting for her through the cracks of the walls.

Thankfully, there was none and Alice saw the one waiting her arrival. A blonde woman that was only a little taller than her.

She wore what seemed to be a witch’s attire with dark purple, almost black gothic dress lined with golden patterns and frills. The underside of the dress was a deep crimson, and her wide witch’s hat matched the colour.

In her hand, she held a long wooden staff with a purple crystal on the end.

Within that crystal, a similar Embryo could be seen.

She had a pair of violet eyes and a soothing smile. Turning her gaze, she was surprised to see Alice.

“A traveller? No… Hunter? Or art thou a civilian?” She asked calmly. There was an accent to her voice that Alice wasn’t familiar with.

“Let’s just say civilian for now.” Alice replied, keeping her distance.

“A civilian you say? I must say I rarely see such a calm and composed Civilian wandering the lands of nightmare. Come, take a seat. You’ll find that this refuge holds many secrets.” She gestured over with a laugh.

Alice creased her brow, on guard against the witch.

In response, she placed her weapon behind her.

“You proclaim yourself to be a civilian yet the wariness of a wounded Hunter. Had I wanted a fight with you, I would’ve done so the moment you entered this building.” The witch reassured.

Hearing this, Alice let out a sigh and sat down opposite her.

Between them was a strange branch burning at the roots. On the branches the butterflies perched while their wings flapped every now and then.

The moment Alice sat down, she felt as though a wave of fog suddenly enveloped her body. Invisible hands were touching her from all sides and she quickly stood up and aimed her gun.

“It was not my doing don’t worry. Why don’t you have a look at your leg?” The witch crossed her legs with a grin on her face.

Alice was cautious.

She could still feel the pressure and numbness from her leg. What could’ve changed?

Looking down for a split moment, she froze.

“See? Like I said. This refuge holds many secrets. Follow the butterflies and you’ll find camps like this. A place of safety and shelter from the fog. All injuries and fatigue are alleviated by the presence of this gentle flame.” The witch explained, her finger softly brushing against the branch as the butterflies landed on her hand.

“Do you know where we are?” Alice asked.

She was still on guard but it seems like this witch wasn’t going to attack her. At least not yet.

“A land of nightmares. Are you perhaps a traveller? You seem awfully unfamiliar.” The witch asked, tilting her head in confusion.

“You’re right about being unfamiliar. I just want to get my bearings and get out of this place.” Alice smiled bitterly.

Hearing this, the woman started to laugh.

“Pft!!! Get out of this place? You? PFT!!!”

Alice furrowed her brows.

“Is it really that strange?”

“Aye, it is. You know not of the rules of this land of nightmare, yet you dream of leaving? You really are a traveller after all. Why don’t we do some self-introductions?

“I am a witch of these lands. You may call me Monika.”