[Day 51]
The tree canopy rustled as Lilith shifted on her perch, balancing effortlessly on a branch no thicker than my wrist.
[Adam]: Hey, Lilith! Do you see anything from up there? Maybe a road? A house? A police officer?
She slowly turned her head toward me with the exact expression of someone who has been asked the same question fifty times in a day. Her eye twitched.
[Lilith]: Adam… if there was anything to see, don't you think I would have screamed it already?
[Adam]: Maybe you forgot? Maybe you got distracted by a squirrel?
[Lilith]: I do not get distracted by squirrels.
Right on cue, a squirrel chattered below her. She looked. I raised an eyebrow. She glared at me.
[Lilith]: That doesn't count.
Before I could tease her more, she stiffened. Her posture changed instantly—alert, focused, tense.
[Adam]: What? What do you see?
[Lilith]: We need to move a new group of seaborne is coming.
Lilith dropped from the branch, landing beside me without a sound. Her wings flicked tight against her back, all humor gone from her face.
[Adam]: Already?! We JUST outran the last mob!
She grabbed my sleeve and yanked.
[Lilith]: These ones are moving faster. And they're tracking us by scent.
Her eyes narrowed.
[Lilith]: Specifically, your scent.
I blinked.
[Adam]: …What did I do?
She pointed at me—more specifically, at the still-faint blue stains on my coat.
[Lilith]: You're covered in Seaborn gore. That smell is basically ringing a dinner bell for them.
[Adam]: Lilith. You let me walk around for a day smelling like a seafood biohazard—
[Lilith]: Adam… you fell unconscious in a puddle of it. I figured the smell was punishment enough.
[Adam]: That is speciesist, and I'm offended.
Another distant wail rolled across the treetops—closer this time. Wet. Echoing. Too many voices blended into one.
Lilith didn't waste a second.
She grabbed my arm and dragged me forward.
[Lilith]: Move now, complain later. They're following your trail like wolves.
[Adam]: Wolves don't usually have forty limbs and a choir of screaming lungs.
[Lilith]: Focus!
We sprinted through the cost. Lilith moved like a shadow—silent.
I moved like a shopping cart with a jet engine.
Behind us, the foliage shuddered—trees bending, splintering, something large barreling through.
[Adam]: I swear—if that giant one ALSO survived—
[Lilith]: It didn't. Probably. I think.… Look, let's not test that possibility, okay?
Lilith yanked me forward, boots sliding over wet sand as the thunderous footsteps grew closer.
She moved low and fast—like a shadow sprinting on pure instinct. I, meanwhile, moved like someone escaping a grocery store on Black Friday.
Behind us, the forest exploded as the giant Seaborn crashed through it—branches cracking, trees toppling like matchsticks.
[Adam]: I KNEW IT! IT SURVIVED! YOU SAID "PROBABLY"! "PROBABLY" WAS A LIE!
[Lilith]: Yes, well, NOW IT'S "ABSOLUTELY"! SO RUN FASTER!
We dashed across the coast, seawater slapping against my legs. Lilith glanced back just long enough to see the monster's glowing eyes fixate on me again.
Her expression twisted.
[Lilith]: Adam… It's not just following you.
[Adam]: Oh, great. What ELSE does it want? My social security number?!
[Lilith]: It's angry. Very angry. You… might have humiliated it.
[Adam]: I DROPPED A CLIFF ON IT, LILITH. I DON'T THINK IT HAS PRIDE LEFT TO LOSE.
The Seaborn answered with a screech that shook the coastline.
A huge tendril slammed into the sand behind us, sending a wave of dirt and pebbles into the air.
The giant Seaborn screeched again, loud enough to rattle my bones.
And that's when I noticed something worse.
Much worse.
Some of the smaller Seaborn were… blooming.
Blue, fleshy flowers sprouted along their arms and backs—each one shaped disturbingly like a revolver.
And then the petals began to spin like a cylinder.
[Adam]: Lilith… They're evolving.
The nearest "flower-gun" clicked.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
BWOOOMPH
A glowing blue projectile blasted past my cheek, hot enough to leave the air sizzling. It struck a tree behind me and vaporized it, leaving nothing but drifting ash.
I skidded to a stop, horrified.
[Adam]: LILITH. THEY GREW GUNS. THEY ARE BECOMING MORE AMERICAN.
Another flower rotated faster, petals whirring like an angry washing machine from hell.
WHRRRRRRRRR—
[Lilith]: Adam—MOVE!
A second blast surged toward us; Lilith grabbed my collar and yanked me sideways. The shot grazed my coat and melted a chunk of rock where I'd just been standing.
[Adam]: THEY HAVE RANGED ATTACKS NOW! WHO ALLOWED THIS?! WHO PAID FOR THEIR DLC?!
Lilith opened her mouth to answer—
But then the ground vibrated.
Not from footsteps.
From… fusion.
Two Seaborn lurched toward each other, bodies melting at the seams like wax figures shoved into a microwave. Their tendrils braided, bones cracking, skin bubbling as they merged into something bigger. Something bulkier.
Something with purpose.
The newly fused creature stepped forward, its shoulder pulsing—
and then blossoming into a massive, glowing blue flower.
Not graceful.
Not pretty.
A Gatling sunflower.
Thick petals snapped into place like rotating metal plates.
The center split open into a spinning, bio-organic barrel.
Then it began to rotate.
FwhrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRR—
My soul left my body.
[Adam]: LILITH. THAT IS NOT A FLOWER! THAT IS A WAR CRIME!
The Gatling sunflower spun faster, glowing brighter, humming with a sound that promised catastrophic regret.
[Lilith]: Adam… If that thing fires— there won't be a coastline left.
A bead of electric-blue energy pooled at the center of the spinning petals.
WhrrrRRRRRRRRR—CHNK.
A charging sound.
A horrible charging sound.
[Adam]: NOPE! NOPE NOPE NOPE— Lilith, it's do or die now!
I yanked out my Vector, hands already slick with sweat, and aimed at the botanical war crime revving up before us.
Lilith didn't waste time arguing.
[Lilith]: Good. Then start with the part where we don't die.
The Gatling sunflower unfurled fully—petals spreading, barrel-cores glowing, the whole thing vibrating like it was about to recite the Second Amendment.
FWHRRRRR— WHRRR— WHRRRRRRRRRRR
Its stem braced.
Its roots dug into the sand.
And then—
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM
A storm of blue projectiles ripped through the beach, the sand behind us exploding into glass. Shards rained down around us like glitter from Hell.
I dove, rolled, and fired in three short bursts—
tat-tat-tat!
My bullets tore through a few vines, but the thing barely flinched, mostly because it didn't have a nervous system. Or mercy.
[Lilith]: Suppress its rotation! Aim for the joints! The joints!
[Adam]: I DON'T SEE ANY JOINTS! IT'S A PLANT WITH NIGHTMARES FOR ORGANS!
Another blast hit the ground next to me, sending a shockwave through my ribs. Lilith leapt, slid across the sand, and carved through one of the monster's stabilizing roots with a glowing blade of conjured force.
The sunflower staggered—its spinning slowing for just a moment.
That moment was everything.
[Adam]: GOT YOU, YOU PHOTOSYNTHETIC MINIGUN!
I unleashed a full mag into the exposed core. Blue ichor erupted like a busted coolant pipe, and the sunflower jerked violently—
Then the whole front half detonated, sending petals like shrapnel whistling past our faces.
The merged Seaborn shrieked as the plant-construct collapsed, wheezing out a dying-turbine groan as its blue core sputtered.
I staggered back, coughing through the haze.
[Adam]: We need to leave. NOW. Or we're gonna get the same treatment Americans got in Vietnam. Too much forest, too much coastline, too many things trying to shoot us.
I checked the treeline—more flowers spinning up.
[Adam]: Just hope Vlad and the others are having a harder day than us.
[Meanwhile — With Vlad and Mike]
The scene could not have been more different.
[Vlad]: Who wants cookies?
He stood in a sunlit kitchen wearing a pink apron that said "Kiss the Cook or Else", holding a tray of perfectly baked chocolate-chip cookies.
Two little girls—one blonde, the other black-haired with shimmering silver eyes—sat at the table swinging their legs.
[Girls]: Yeah! Thanks, Uncle Vlad!
The girls reached for the cookies with the pure joy of children unaware of any life-ending monstrosities outside their little bubble.
Mike, leaning against the counter with a cup of tea, raised an eyebrow.
[Mike]: You know the others are probably fighting for their lives right now, right?
Vlad paused mid-cookie-distribution
[Vlad]: Yes. Which is why I am not out there. I am providing moral support from here. With snacks.
[Mike]: You mean you're hiding in the kitchen.
[Vlad]: …It is called "tactical culinary retreat." Learn the difference.
The little girls bit into their cookies, tiny crumbs raining down their shirts.
[Blonde girl]: Uncle Vlad, when are you going to beat up the monsters again?
Vlad patted her head proudly and said
[Vlad]: After the cookies. A warrior must maintain blood sugar.
Mike closed his eyes.
[Mike]: You know Adam is going to scream at you when he hears about this.
[Vlad]: Adam screams at me even when I do nothing wrong. This time, I actually deserve it—it will be refreshing.
[Meanwhile — With Silk and Tyrant]
The contrast was… dramatic.
Silk sat cross-legged on the floor of a half-rebuilt orphanage, a huge picture book balanced delicately across her knees. A ring of children sat around her, hanging on every word.
[Silk]: —and that is how the brave hero defeated the evil dragon, rescued the princess, and learned that lava is very hot and should not be touched.
One of the kids raised a hand.
[Little boy]: Did the dragon die?
[Silk]: No! It went to therapy and learned not to eat villagers. Very wholesome ending.
The children nodded, deeply satisfied with this answer.
Behind Silk, Tyrant—towering, armored, and generally terrifying—was crouched down beside a wall, tongue between his fangs in concentration. He carefully scraped away charred wood with a chisel.
He paused, glanced at a demon worker struggling with a cracked support beam.
[Tyrant]: No, no—your angle is wrong. You must embrace structural integrity. Like so.
He effortlessly lifted the entire beam with one hand and slid it into place with the gentleness of a man setting down a sleeping kitten.
The demon worker blinked.
[Demon]: You are… surprisingly good at this.
Tyrant snorted.
[Tyrant]: I have destroyed thousands of buildings. Rebuilding one is simply the reverse process.
Another demon approached, holding a small mirror.
[Demon #2]: Lord Tyrant, does this look correct? I attempted the "happy swirl" pattern you suggested.
Tyrant studied the demon's face—now decorated with bright pastel paint and tiny glittering stars.
[Tyrant]: Excellent. The children will find you non-threatening. Continue making yourself adorable.
The demon nodded proudly.
One of the orphan kids peeked over at Tyrant and whispered loudly:
[Kid]: Miss Silk! Why is the huge, scary demon doing makeup on the other demons?
Silk glanced back at Tyrant, who was currently applying blush to a hulking brute with six horns.
Silk just smiled at Tyrant, then she returned to normal.
[Silk]: If only I could... never mind.
[Back to Adam]
[Adam]: Finally, we lost them. Those guys bite really hard and never let go.
I took a syringe from my inventory and injected it, then, looking at my clear status, I sighed in relief.
[Adam]: Lilith, do you take syringe or milk?
[Lilith]: I will take the syringe since we have a stack of them.
[Adam]: Good, thank god for the military mod {Cure syringe}, it's clear negative status like the {Seaborn infection}.
Lilith pulled her sleeve back and injected her own dose. A faint shimmer ran along her arm as her debuff icon dissolved.
[Lilith]: …That's better.
I leaned my head back against the tree, staring up at the leaves.
[Adam]: So. New rule: if an enemy grows a gun out of its face, we leave immediately. No exceptions.
Lilith gave me a flat look.
[Lilith]: That should've already been the rule.
I opened my mouth to argue—something about how I totally would've followed that rule if it had been laminated first—but then…
My breath caught.
Between the trees, through a break in the dense coastal fog, something shimmered in the distance.
Lights.
Tall structures.
Movement.
A city.
Not ruins.
Not an illusion.
Not some Seaborn hive pulsing like a damp nightmare.
An actual, living city.
I stepped forward, brushing aside a branch for a clearer view.
[Adam]: Lilith… is that a city?
My voice cracked with disbelief.
[Adam]: The one we were looking for?
Lilith's eyes widened—a rare moment where she looked just as stunned as I felt. She climbed a low boulder for a higher vantage point, scanning the horizon with sharp, predator-like focus.
The glow of civilization—lamps, fires, maybe even power—cut through the evening mist like a beacon.
[Chapter end]