As she fell, she once again felt the nauseating sensation of her stomach tying itself into a knot. Falling for what seemed to be an eternity, her senses became overwhelmed by the rushing wind, and her screams were lost amidst the darkness that enveloped her.
Tang-Ji's body tumbled uncontrollably, bouncing against the rough, rocky walls of the pit as she continued to plummet further into the abyss.
Blood spilt each time she made contact with the walls, filling the air with tiny shards as the blood evaporated into crystals of code. Each cut and scrape shot searing pain across her entire body.
Panic set in, and her mind was consumed by a primal fear of the unknown. With a jolt, her descent stopped abruptly, and she landed roughly on the rocky, hard floor of the cavern.
She felt the impact in her bones and let out a cry as the shock knocked the breath from her lungs, leaving her struggling for air in the darkness.
Disoriented and dishevelled, she struggled to compose herself and push her body upright, her trembling hands searching fruitlessly for any semblance of familiarity.
In time, Tang-Ji rolled onto her back and attempted to steady her breathing, but the adrenaline pumping in her veins made it difficult to concentrate on anything other than the aching pain throughout her body from where she had been knocked, scraped and cut.
Looking from side to side, she stared into the blackness that surrounded her and took a sharp, ragged breath as she realised that she'd been completely separated from the others.
Dragging her eyes upwards towards the left side of her vision, she noticed that her health bar was dangerously far into the red zone.
'I'm alive, somehow,' she sighed.
Tipping her head back onto the cold floor, she was relieved that she hadn't been reduced to a bloody mess of flattened flesh and bone.
Now looking directly upwards into where she had fallen from, she could see dim light filtering down from above, contrary to how the hole had sealed up when she had first fallen in.
It was clear to her now that the tunnel she had fallen into was adorned with small, colourful crystals, each shining beautifully, albeit faintly.
Droplets of blood hung suspended in the air, casting crimson shadows against the walls of the shaft as the faint light of the crystals shone through them. It was a morbidly beautiful sight, that something so pretty could be created by the suffering of another.
Now having the strength and composure to sit up, Tang-Ji gently pushed herself from the ground, the cuts on her hands sending jolts of pain throughout her body as she pushed on a dull, raised groove.
Properly upright, she opened up her inventory with a subtle, yet painful, wave of her hand and reached for a healing potion. As she drank the sweet, deep-red liquid, she heard the whispering of a small voice, no louder than the rustling of a tree's leaves.
"Hm?" she scanned the room.
Besides herself, there was nothing but the multitude of illuminated crystals keeping her company. "Maybe I'm still shaken up by the fall…" she mused, brushing the sound off.
"...t's… ou…" a wispy voice called. She shuddered, her eyes darting around the room once more. As she looked behind herself, her eyes met a pair of bright yellow ones.
"Eek!" She cried, jumping backwards, away from the glowing eyes.
"It's you," the voice called calmly. Tang-Ji slowly opened her eyes. The voice seemed to come from a shadowy figure sitting on a rock ahead of her.
The shadow's form wavered but seemed to resemble the silhouette of a cat. Its unnerving, bright yellow eyes pierced the darkness and seemed to look right through her.
Behind its shadowy body appeared to be two dimly coloured lights, one a deep purple, and the other a faint yellow. The lights moved hypnotically, almost like they were swaying gently in the breeze, despite there not being any breeze so far underground.
'What's a cat doing down here? Is it an enemy?' She pondered. "Umm… Hello, kitty. Do you know the exit to this place?" She smiled awkwardly.
The shadow did not respond; instead, it tilted its head slightly. Tang-Ji put a hand over her face. "Of course that wouldn't work... It's a cat." She shook her head. "I need to find a way out of here, so I can get back to-"
"Kazami," the shadow whispered.
Her stomach dropped as her eyes widened.
'Did that cat just talk to me?'
"Indeed," the 'cat' replied bluntly; it knew her very thoughts. Again, she froze, shocked that she had not only discovered a talking cat but also one that could read her mind.
"Tang-Ji… I bring a message of utmost importance." The shadow cat's eyes did not blink. "A calamity approaches. Be wary."
"How do you know my name? And what do you mean, a calamity?"
"You will see for yourself when the time comes. I look forward to what you wish for this time, Tang-Ji," the shadow whispered.
"Until then, I will watch over you." The cat's shadowy form began to waver more than it had before, eventually beginning to dissipate and blend into the rest of the darkness.
"Wait! Who are you?! I don't even know your name!" She asked the dissolving shadow.
"Divi," the voice called. Its body had almost evaporated, leaving nothing of what it had once been.
Before she could even begin to process what had just happened, a larger shadow began to take shape where the previous one had been.
However, this shadow did not waver and had loud, heavy footsteps accompanying its arrival.
She looked up, awe-struck.
The thing that stood before her was a man, and a very tall, burly man at that. The man was dressed in very futuristic gear, well past the time in which she herself lived.
It seemed that he had cybernetic implants, as his left arm and right leg appeared to have a silvery, metallic glint barely visible underneath the fabric of his clothing. The man stopped marching and stood directly in front of her, his gaze aimed downward towards her.
She broke into a cold sweat and stared up at him awkwardly, wondering if he was a player or an in-game mob.
"Have you seen a girl with blue hair and a white dress?" the man asked robotically.
"Blue hair, white dress? I'm not sure who you're talking about…" She answered honestly.
"No." His voice was adamant. "I am sure you know something! You were brought here for that very reason!"
Tang-Ji shook her head profusely. "I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Don't lie to me!" the man charged towards her.
It seemed that conflict was unavoidable now, and she had only herself to rely on.
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"Come forth!" She cried, summoning her Leere. A bright flash of light enveloped them both, blinding the armoured adversary as she brandished her Leere. Now with her shears drawn, sparks flew as their blades collided with the man's hulking frame.
She took a step forward, preparing to attack again. "Level 6 deployment, rush tech—" Tang-Ji began, however, her command was interrupted by a heavy hand on her shoulder, locking her in a vice grip.
Before she was given the chance to activate her skill, she was forcefully thrown across the room, her back landing squarely against the wall of the cave.
The force of the impact created a loud bang, causing several crystals and pebbles to fall to the floor. She winced as she felt a burning pain in her back.
"Agh!" She groaned in pain. The strength in her body began to leave her.
She began to slide down the wall, but before she could collapse, a single mechanical hand clamped down around her neck, hoisting her back up to eye level as if she weighed less than nothing.
"Where. Is. The girl?" The gruff voice demanded again as he choked her.
A mechanical sound hissed into her ears, and her gaze locked onto the spiralling neon light that emanated from his mechanical arm. Fear washed over her face as she realised that she was losing her grip on her Leere.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about." She managed to croak out the words, her voice trembling.
The hands that had been tightly gripping her neck released their hold slightly, offering a brief respite. Tang-Ji heard a loud, resounding bang before everything became black. It was as though a massive town bell had fit in her head and then begun ringing.
When she finally regained consciousness, she found herself sprawled on the ground, her head throbbing with pain. Virtual blood oozed from a gash on her forehead, forming a dark trail down to the ground. The mechanical titan grabbed her by the neck once again and hoisted her up, his grip unrelenting.
"I won't ask again; where is she? The girl with blue hair in a white dress."
'White dress? Blue hair?' Despite the excruciating pain in her head, she knew. 'Those descriptions only match one person… Ukiyo? But why? What does this man want with her?'
Tang-Ji remained resolute, refusing to utter another word. It was painfully clear that he was after Ukiyo. No other girl met his description but her.
The man smiled vilely and continued his work. Loud, thundering bangs echoed from the cave for roughly ten minutes, until they weakened and ultimately stopped.
The iron titan couldn't help but chuckle, seemingly impressed by her unwavering resolve. With a swift motion, he lifted his right leg and forcefully stomped it down upon her hand, which clung tightly to his leg.
This time, the cracking sound was even more pronounced than before, resonating through the walls of the dark cave like the sharp popping of corn kernels.
Tang-Ji, who had endured the torture thus far, was at her limit as her health crept slowly back into the red zone. Her five fingers were mangled beyond recognition, and her wrist had been twisted at an unnatural angle. She lay in a small pool of her own blood and tears, a result of the cyborg's unrelenting dedication to his work.
A powerful kick to the head sent her limp body hurtling towards the wall like a discarded rag doll. Her ears were ringing, and her body was numb, unable to do anything.
"You must be really dedicated to her, huh, girlie?" The man crouched over her.
She could only watch as his cybernetic implant transformed itself into a cannon. Neon light spiralled throughout its barrel as he stood up and pointed it down at her.
"It's been fun, but you're of no use to me if you keep your mouth shut." The cannon began charging with a violent electric hum.
"Sayonara kiddo."