Chapter Text
The illusion was the first casualty.
The serene, blue projection that had served as their sky was gone. Little Mermaid's concentration, now fractured into a thousand different tasks, could no longer spare the energy to maintain it.
The "sky" now was nothing but the faintly glowing, translucent skin of the inner bubble.
Beyond it was the horrifying, immediate truth: the fleshy-red interior of Gluttony itself, and alongside it, swarming in the dark, like hateful stars, were the many dots of glowing red Rapture eyes.
*KREEEEE!*
This sanctuary, was never a single bubble. It was a two-walled fortress. The outer dome, vast and distant, had held the illusion of the sky. The inner dome, the one they were in, wrapped tightly around the island, its strength drawn from the great, purplish tree that connected the two domes.
The space between them was Little Mermaid's genius: a massive, pressurized aquarium filled with water, fish, and debris; The very organic matter she had gathered for decades to build the island.
The "feeling" Little Mermaid had by the lake, the nosebleed... that was the start of the attack. The Raptures had breached the outer dome. She had been fighting them off, trying to rest, trying to hide the struggle. But she had been overwhelmed. The "crack in the sky" they had all seen... that was the inner dome failing.
Now, she had made a desperate tactical choice: sacrifice the outer wall.
*KRRR—*
*RUMBLE*
A deep, vibrating groan shook the island. The outer dome was dissolving. Its liquid-metal mass was being siphoned, pulled through the tree's core to flood the inner dome with reinforcements.
And the water... with its prison gone, the massive volume from the "in-between" space was now free.
*SSSSSSHHHHHHHHH...*
A colossal, cascading waterfall, carrying fish and debris, now thundered down and around the inner dome. It was a chaotic curtain of water. It wouldn't stop the stronger Raptures, but the smaller, husk and servant class, were swept in one go by the massive cascade of water and debris.
Not only that, even against the stronger Raptures that served as a distraction. And even a few seconds of distraction were priceless. Little Mermaid was juggling an impossible load: re-weaving the entire structure of the outer dome to the inner one while simultaneously commanding the slimes to fight the Raptures.
Hordes and more hordes of Raptures continued to come. They swarmed through the new waterfall, undeterred. Hundreds, no, thousands at the same time tried to destroy and invade the bubble, Little Mermaid’s Sanctuary.
*CLANG!* *CLANG!* *CLANG!*
A pack of flying Raptures scrambled across the dome's wet surface, their metal claws and tentacles screeching the bubbles surface as if searching for a weak point.
*TSSSSK*
*VOOOM!*
A Shooter's plasma beam sizzled, vaporizing the water on impact before striking the bubble, causing it to boil and momentarily evaporate, creating a pockmark that glowed cherry-red.
*KRA-KOOM!* *KRA-KOOM!* *KRA-KOOM!*
A volley of missiles detonated in the cascade, the explosions muffled by the deluge but the shockwaves shuddered the bubble’s surface.
The terrestrial Raptures that weren’t swept by the cascade were now all standing at the top of the bubble.
Hundreds, no, thousands at the same time tried to destroy and invade the orb.
Blades, particle beams, and sheer, brutal kinetic force; They all clashed into the barrier, surrounding it completely and overwhelming it at a constant rate.
The bubble dented. It warped. It tore.
However, for each hole, each breach that appeared, a slime would appear and counterattack. The bubble would immediately mend itself.
*Plop!*
A slime doll would launch from the island's surface to plug a hole.
*WHUMP!*
Another would throw itself in front of a charging Rapture, absorbing the impact and encasing the it in a sticky prison.
*SPLOOSH!*
Just as there were many Raptures, there was an equal, seemingly endless number of slimes. For each missile, body slam, tentacle, or blade, a slime would launch itself against the Rapture or its attack in hopes of halting it. Sometimes it worked, especially against the smaller Servant and Husk class units.
No matter how many times a new breach was opened, the bubble would turn back to its original form every time.
*Huff*... *huff*...
It was an endless and meticulous endeavor, something only possible due to the time and effort Little Mermaid had put into making the dome and all the bubble slime-dolls.
Inside the tree's sanctuary, Mori could only watch the symptoms of the battle: the violent flickering of the pearlescent walls, the muffled BOOM that shook the ground, the way Little Mermaid's body jolted with every major impact.
But Little Mermaid felt everything.
She was kneeling, eyes squeezed shut, her body rigid.
Wall, 2-o'clock high! Huge breach! Diverting mass immediately!
A jolt of pain, as if she had been punched. She winced.
Little Mermaid: Ughh…
Section 7 is compromised! More slimes... need more slimes...
A fresh trickle of blood ran from her nose. It dripped onto her feet.
What Mori was seeing was not a simple defense; it was a desperate, two-front war. Little Mermaid was simultaneously commanding an army of thousands... while performing the colossal, complex plumbing job of redirecting the mass of an entire lake-sized dome into this final, flickering shield.
But even so… the strain was unsurmountable. Not only she had to support and constantly reallocate the bubbles reshaping them, she also had to stay aware of her surroundings, after all, if she took any damage, her concentration could falter, and that would make the real end of the sanctuary.
*Gasp*!
Another breach! Sector 4! The plasma hits... they’re... melting the wall too fast! I Need more... more mass from the outer layer...
She let out a pained gasp, her body tensing as the walls flickered dangerously.
it’s too many...
She let out a small exhale.
*Huff…*
The sight of Little Mermaid, trembling and bleeding from pure exertion, only served to confirm to Mori: She definitely had to do something.
I can't just... watch her over-exerting herself like this!
She had both the tracker and phone already in hands.
*Click*
The small activation switch on the tracker gave a tiny, unsatisfying beep. It was not broken at least.
Mori stared at it, her heart pounding.
Nothing.
No blinking light. No connecting beep. Just the repeated sound pattern of the device trying to reach for a signal.
She went to her cellphone, jamming the power button. The screen flickered to life, it was too still working, however—
No bars. No signal. A red 'X' flashed where the network icon should be.
Of course… Of course, it’s not working!
We’re inside... a monster. Who knows how deep? Miles underground... or inside...
The hope that had flared just moments ago was instantly suffocated, crushed by the reality of their tomb inside Gluttony’s stomach.
Useless. Even my one good idea is useless. Pathetic...
No!
I just slapped herself! I can’t fall again this easily…
Think. Don't feel. Think. The device still works. The signal is the only problem. It can't get out.
I need... an antenna. I need something… I need—
She looked at Little Mermaid.
Mori: Siren...
The girl’s name was quiet, hesitant. A distant, metallic *CRASH* from outside made her flinch, and the translucent walls of the tree flickered.
Little Mermaid: *Huff*... Yes... Mori?
Mori: This device. It’s an emergency beacon. A tracker. But... it has no signal. It can't... it can't reach anyone from in here.
Mori held it up, showcasing the sign of a device that is not connected with anything.
Mori: Can you... is there any way... you can get it outside?
Little Mermaid’s head tilted, a slow, pained movement.
Little Mermaid: Outside... of…Gluttony?
Mori: Yes. I know that if it was easy to do that, you’d have left already, but it should be easier with a small device like this, right?
A long silence followed, broken only by Little Mermaid’s strained breathing and the muffled sounds of Leviathan’s battle.
Little Mermaid: I... I can... try.
Mori: Oh, you can?
Despite being the one who asked, Mori was sure her plan would be shot down.
Little Mermaid: My... bubble dolls. I can... *Ugh*...
She winced, her hand gripping her chest.
Little Mermaid: I can form one... around the device… and send it... out.
Mori’s hope flared once again.
Mori: That’s great! Then—
Little Mermaid: But... it is very... *huff*... dangerous…
Little Mermaid: My concentration... it is already split. Maintaining this orb... fighting... it... it takes a lot of me.
As if to prove her point, another jolt shook her, and the flow of blood from her nose thickened.
Little Mermaid: To create a... a new doll... and guide it... through Gluttony's... defenses...
Mori: ...It will weaken this place.
Little Mermaid gave a weak, slow nod.
Little Mermaid: The bubble surrounding this island... it might shrink. Or... worst case...
Little Mermaid: It... it could burst.
Burst. We’d be completely exposed.
Leviathan... she’d be swarmed. It would all be for nothing.
Mori: ...So we can't do it.
Little Mermaid: ...But.
Little Mermaid: If this... beacon... can truly bring help...
Little Mermaid: This would be a wager... *huff*... it might be worth the risk. It depends... on what we have to gain.
Mori looked down at the tracker.
What do we gain?
Jien gets a ping. "Expendable asset 999 is alive." So what? She sent me here to die anyways.
A signal isn't enough.
It has to be... a bait. Bait so valuable she has to come. Something... something she can't possibly ignore.
Mori: Siren... I need to send more than a signal. I have to... I have to attach a message.
Mori: But to do so I need information. Something... valuable. Something to make them come.
Mori: You've... you've been here... for how long? Please tell me as much as you can!
Little Mermaid: *Huff*... About Seventy... years... I think…
The number was way bigger than Mori would’ve initially thought.
Mori: Seventy... years!? A-and how? How did you...survive? What do you know about Gluttony?
Little Mermaid took a slow, pained breath, gathering what little energy she had to speak.
Little Mermaid: W-well... for starters. Gluttony isn’t a common Tyrant-class Rapture. It’s a Special Class of Rapture from the Frist Reclamation War.
Little Mermaid: And… After it... it swallowed me. The moment I was inside... I tried to escape. But... something... its defenses... they blocked my path.
Little Mermaid: At the same time... *Ughh*... its stomach... its acid... the silver substance, it tried to... dissolve my bubble.
Little Mermaid: It... it became a deadlock. I was trapped. B-but It... it could not dissolve me.
Little Mermaid: So... I put myself... to sleep. T-to... conserve energy.
Little Mermaid: While I slept... I... little by little... expanded my bubbles. Over all those... years.
Little Mermaid: Eventually... my bigger bubble... it... it reached Gluttony's core.
Little Mermaid: It... resisted. It used its... its digestive organs... to attack me. I... I sent my bubble dolls... to fight back.
Little Mermaid: We... we reached another deadlock. I could not... ugh... reach the core. And it... it could not... dissolve my bubble.
Mori: Bubble dolls… You mean the slimes, right...!?
Little Mermaid: Yes... The slimes... are dolls I made them to... to... protect me. From Raptures... Gluttony... swallows. That enter... my bubble… and also…
Little Mermaid: The dolls... I made some like me and my friends... I sent them outside. They are... *Huff*... made of the same... liquid metal. They can... survive the acid. For a time.
Mori: W-wait… if you said the acid is that potent, how come me and Leviathan weren’t dissolved before we reach this place?
Little Mermaid: T-that because… this island, it is inside Gluttony’s stomach, the area you and Levi passed by that were where the outer layer previously was… is its throat… It doesn’t have any digestive organs.
Little Mermaid: The moment you and Levi, and the orb touched the outside barrier… I subconsciously knew you were nikke and… enveloped all of you with my bubbles so that you could reach this… inner sanctuary intact.
Mori: I see… t-thanks for that. It seems you were saving my life since the beginning.
Mori had gratitude in her voice, but also a hint of melancholy as she clutched her hand while hearing the Pilgrim’s explanation.
Little Mermaid: Awaa…
Mori: But... that doesn’t explain what's happening now. Why so many Raptures all of the sudden? What happened to the deadlock?
Little Mermaid’s expression became darkened.
Little Mermaid: Hmm… I don’t know…
Little Mermaid: Normally I’d say that it’s because I broke my... concentration… but that only explain half of it—
Mori: Since me and Leviathan were swallowed before you were awakened, right?
Little Mermaid: E-exactly…
Mori: In this case, could there be anything that could awaken Gluttony before you breaking your concentration?
Little Mermaid: I’m not sure… but from what I know… from Gluttony’s behavior… the only thing that could’ve awaken it, would be a high energy signature…
Oh… that’s it… the E-Cannon blast… was what probably awake it.
Little Mermaid: Whatever the reason was... now that it is awaken, it’s swallowing the Raptures... on purpose. To... to deal with us. The... intruders.
Mori’s mind raced, absorbing the information.
A detailed report. The internal structure of a special Rapture. That... that has to be valuable.
But... is it valuable enough for Jien to risk a rescue? Or will she just log the data for future use and... and leave us here to die, now that I've provided her with it?
No... Jien... she calculates value. I need... I need more. I need... a prize.
Mori looked at Little Mermaid. At the blood on her face. The exhaustion. The impossible, reality-defying power that was holding this entire island together.
A... a Pilgrim. A living, breathing, Second-Generation Fairy Tale model... I didn’t even know there was supposed to be a Second-Generation…
A legendary warrior... found alive inside a Rapture after seventy years.
That. That's the perfect bait…
Jien would... she would move heaven and earth for that. A living Pilgrim is... priceless. A weapon. A research subject...
The thought made Mori feel physically sick.
N-no this is wrong! Why am I even considering this…!?
If I report that... Jien will come. But... she won’t come to help us. She’ll come for her. She'll... she'll take her. Put her in a lab. Experiment on her…
Mori looked at the girl who had just declared she would protect her, that she wasn't expendable.
Am I... am I about to sell her out... just to save my own skin?
No. This is a wager to save us. To save Leviathan. To save... Siren herself…
But... what kind of "saving" is that? Out of the frying pan straight into the fire?
Mori’s hands were shaking again, but this time, it wasn't from fear.
Mori: Siren...
Little Mermaid: *Huff*... Y-yes M-Mori…?
Mori: The... the person I'm contacting. My... superior. Her name is Jien.
Mori: She's... she's not a good person. She runs... Missiles. The... the place that made me.
Mori: If I... If I just send my signal, she'll ignore me. But... if I tell her what I found... someone valuable she will certainly come.
Little Mermaid: ...What... you mean by that Mori…?
Mori took a deep, shuddering breath.
Mori: I found you. A Pilgrim. A Fairy Tale model, alive.
The atmosphere between then became palpable. From Little Mermaid’s side she was just waiting for what Mori had to say, but her nervousness was very loud nonetheless, but from Mori’s pov, what she was suggestion was almost treason.
Mori: I... I think she'll... want you. She'll see you as... a prize.
Mori: B-but… I'm... I'm afraid…
Mori: Afraid of what she'll do to you if she gets you.
Mori: But... this might be the only way to get us... any... help.
Mori: Siren… please tell me. What... what should I do?
Little Mermaid was silent for a long moment. Another CRASH outside made the bubble walls of the tree ripple violently. She gasped, and another wave of blood ran from her nostrils.
She wiped it away with the back of her hand, her movements slow, exhausted.
She finally turned her head fully toward Mori, her eyes, though unfocused and pained, finding hers.
Little Mermaid: I... I do not know... of this 'Jien'.
Little Mermaid: I... I don't know of this ‘Missilis’…
Little Mermaid: You... huff... you are the one who knows her. You know... the current world outside.
Little Mermaid: This... this decision... it must be yours.
Mori’s breath caught.
Me? I’m supposed to make such a decision by myself!?
Dammit…
Her face contorted with the sudden weight that had been put into her shoulders.
If I do nothing, we die here. Leviathan dies. Siren... she'll bleed out just keeping this bubble alive. If I do this... maybe we live. But... she...
Mori looked at Little Mermaid again, despite her discomforted grunts and the blood loss, her expression was still full of conviction.
She bet on me. I’ll have to bet on this.
Mori nodded, her jaw set.
Mori: Okay. I'll do it. I'll send the message.
Mori: I... I'll try to make it sound... I'll... I'll do my best.
Little Mermaid nodded weakly.
Little Mermaid: Mmhh…
Mori: I need... I need a few minutes to type. Can you... hold on?
Little Mermaid: I-I will… Don’t worry about me… I can probably hold on a few more hours…
Mori turned to her phone, her fingers flying across the screen. They were shaking, but she typed with a desperate precision.
Standard report format. She has to know it's me. She has to know I'm not compromised.
To: Director Jien, Missilis Industry From: Nikke Mori, Incubator Squad Subject: URGENT: Mission Update & Asset Discovery.
Director Jien,
This is a priority-one report. The E-Cannon prototype was deployed.
Performance Data: Core energy diversion was unstable at 109%, recommend recalibration of the energy-to-core ratio. The resulting blast successfully struck the Heretic target (Leviathan), destroying her left arm and abdomen. The backlash on my body was significant, damaging my core, left leg and right eye.
Mission Status: FAILURE. The shot did not terminate the target.
Situational Report: Immediately post-discharge, an unknown factor appeared, drawn by the E-Cannon's energy signature.
Designate: 'Gluttony'. It appears to be a special type of Tyrant-class Rapture from the First Reclamation War Era. It has high-speed consumption abilities. It consumed the wounded Heretic target and subsequently consumed me.
I am currently alive inside the entity.
Asset Discovery: Director, I have located an invaluable asset within the entity. A surviving Pilgrim.
Designation: 'Little Mermaid'. Specifications: Confirmed Second-Generation Fairy Tale Model.
Creator: Abe. Known Squad-Mate: Cinderella.
Current Status: Alive and conscious, but trapped. She has survived for an estimated 70 years inside Gluttony by creating a stable, self-sustaining bio-dome. Her power is... Director, it's beyond assessment. She is the only reason I am alive. She is holding the entity's internal systems at bay.
Request: This asset cannot be recovered by conventional means. Gluttony's internal defenses are active. However, the asset (Little Mermaid) is weakening. Immediate, high-level extraction is required to secure her.
I am attaching my beacon to this message. It is the only way.
—Mori
Mori's thumb hovered over the 'Send' button. It was linked to the beacon's activation. One press did both.
She hit the button. An icon spun. 'Sending...'
Mori: It's... It's ready…
Little Mermaid opened her eyes.
Little Mermaid: Okay... Hnnngh...
She lifted one trembling hand. A small, round slime detaches itself from the tree wall and wobbled over to Mori.
Mori: Uh...
The slime stopped at her feet. It began to... change. It stretched, contorted, and rose.
It formed two legs. A torso. Two arms. A head.
In seconds, a translucent, shimmering copy of Mori was standing in front of her, right down to the shape of her hair and her Incubator uniform. It was... wobbly. Like a jello-mold of herself.
Mori: ...
Mori: ...Wha...
Mori: ...I... look like that?
The bubble-Mori tilted its head, perfectly mimicking her confusion.
Mori: ...I look... kinda... lumpy.
The bubble-Mori poked its own stomach, and the bubble jiggled.
Mori: Hey!
Little Mermaid: Huuu... Sorry... It's... hard to... focus... on details...
Mori flushed.
Mori: N-No! It's fine! It's great! It's... uh... but why me…?
Little Mermaid: It’ll send a signal… to your allies… isn’t it? So, it’s better if they see something with your appearance after reaching the signal…
Mori: Oh… right… it makes sense…
Bubble-Mori extended her hand as if asking for the devices in Mori’s hand. Still a bit creeped out by the visage, Mori gave a side-glance to Little Mermaid in order to confirm the action.
Little Mermaid: Mhmm!
She quickly shoved the phone and the tracker into the bubble-Mori's hands.
Bubble-Mori, immediately put them inside her own torso. The items sank into it like objects into thick gelatin, then stopped, suspended in its center.
Mori: Okay. It's... it's in.
The bubble-Mori turned. It walked toward the wall, the 'trunk' of the giant tree.
An opening appeared, a fluid parting of the pearlescent wall, just as it had for Leviathan. The bubble-Mori stepped inside.
The opening sealed, leaving no trace.
Mori stared at the wall, her breath held tight in her chest.
She looked up. Following with her eyes the upward movement of her copy through the great, translucent trunk, she could see it... a tiny dot.
It was rising, ascending through the massive, semi-solid branches that supported the dome.
It got higher... and higher... The doll reached the very top, the 'canopy' of the bubble tree. It met the iridescent ceiling, merged with it for a single, silent moment... and then passed through it.
Mori's gaze remained fixed on the spot long after the doll had vanished.
Clutching her chest Mori’s wished for the doll to reach the surface and complete its objective.
But beyond that, her true fear was that her message could not only not bring the hope they expect, but add another layer of despair.
The die is cast. I just hope... I hope I didn't just condemn us all.
***