An ominous feeling swelled from Denver's heart. She said a few concerning words that he didn't want to hear. Someone sent her for a trial? What kind of trial would it be? He didn't agree to anything at all.
However, in the back of his mind, he had a suspect for everything happening.
"…were you sent by that mimic two nights ago?" Denver stared straight into her eyes. "He warned me about not being liked by his kind. I was supposed to be dead that night."
He pressed a palm to his chest. "What has he done to me?"
Lulu only watched him, but she offered no answer. She turned away and spoke softly after a few seconds, "I don't know what you are talking about, but I'm not at liberty to tell you who sent me. I can only say that offering help to you is my life mission now. Dying on the job is a failure, so I have to always keep you safe… as well as myself."
Denver stared at her longer. However, the spike of rage dissipated. He sighed. "You probably don't know more than I do about this, then. Don't worry. I'm not mad at you…"
Lulu darted at him again, dropping from the railing to stand before him. She looked up, straining her neck at their height difference. With her arms akimbo, she huffed. "Your mood is not my concern, however. Who cares if you're mad?"
"…okay…" Denver stifled his laughter. He could see how Lulu looked upset with his words instead. He reached down and patted the girl's head. "I'm sure you'll do good with your job."
"O-Of course, I will…!" Lulu received the head pats. She lightly caught his wrist to remove his hand on her head. Her head moved to gaze in a direction. "Sadly, we don't have a lot of time. The Engorged is headed here. You mentioned an evaluation. I think this is already their answer."
"Aren't you their answer?" Denver lifted his brows before following her gaze. "What's the Engorged? Is it dangerous?"
[You have unlocked Timed Quests! Accomplish the goals of the timed Quests to obtain skill points and other rewards.]
[A timed quest is commencing! Protect the Engorged's Heart! Time limit: 24:00:00]
"Protect?" Denver softly echoed what the voice said. He just realized that the voice spoke like a video game narrator. A small smile lifted his lips as they watched the horizon where the Engorged should have been. It had been years since he last picked up a game controller to play. However, Jackie often played online video games on nights he didn't have to wake up early to practice.
Swoosh!
The quiet morning horizon suddenly darkened before them. A huge worm-like creature shot up from the ground and covered the sky. Its shadow was so big and long that it touched Denver's and Lulu's faces. A scream came from Denver before he grabbed the railings to stabilize himself. No one had ever seen such a huge monster in two years!
Lulu trembled and rapped a palm against Denver's hip. "It's your fault that they sent the Engorged! Don't act like you have no idea!"
He turned to the girl, who looked a little terrified of it. "I didn't even know any of this existed before now! Quick! What are we supposed to do?"
'I know I'm supposed to protect its heart. Am I supposed to catch bullets for it? And the neighbors… Grandpa should have seen it!'
Denver pushed himself off the railing and ran to the stairs to race to the bottom. He could only imagine everyone's horror with something so big in the sky. Leonard and Mr Jones were outside. They should have seen it. He could already feel them finding their way to find him.
It was just that Denver stopped at a landing. He spotted one of their teenagers collapsed at the foot of the flight Denver was to cross next.
"Anthony?" Denver checked up on the teenage boy, but he was unresponsive. The teen was alive and not injured, but Denver's shaking and calls never woke him up.
"What's happening?" Denver laid Anthony at a safer spot before continuing to the first floor. When he pushed the stair door open, he quickly saw more unconscious people. Even his mother had fallen on the couch in the lounge.
Denver walked out through the metal shutters. It was left open halfway to provide easy entry for the ones working outside. He stood in the outside parking lot, seeing Leonard and Mr Jones on the ground. The gates hung dangerously close to falling over. Denver feared that the gates would crush the two men. However, he couldn't catch a panel even if he tried.
The man ran to pull the two humans away from the gates instead. However, he felt the ground rumble. He looked to the side and saw how the colossal reddish-black worm phased through the streets. Its flesh was squished through the gap as if the buildings were more solid than its body.
"…holy shit…" Denver fell to the ground and crawled back in terror. The red-black worm continued moving toward him. Its face phased through the gates like jello, only to rejoin as if nothing sliced it.
"Ugh, I've always hated this thing. So disgusting." Lulu stepped into Denver's vision and stood around with her arms akimbo. "Get up and greet it properly."
Denver slowly got to his feet and watched the worm's head pull closer toward him. Upon a closer look, the Engorged possessed no visible face or any feature. The shallow ridges on its body moved like an endless wave, rippling like a perpetually disturbed river.
"…hi…" Denver whispered.
Roar!
The red-black worm roared before him, its breath and saliva blasting on Denver's body. Without a warning, the squishy beast opened its humongous mouth. Its skin grew translucent as if preparing a transformation. It shot up and reached the rooftop, only to swallow the whole building.
Denver screamed in horror, but the gusts from its descent silenced him. He used his arms to block. When the winds died, he opened his eyes and saw… nothing. Nothing seemed to have changed.
"Don't worry about the people inside. The Engorged has infused itself with the entire place instead." Lulu huffed and combed her tangled twin tails. "Let's go inside and find the heart. It should have chosen a place where your presence is the greatest. Do you room with someone else in this building?"
"I don't spend most of my time in my apartment." Denver sighed and massaged his chest. He turned to the gates. "Did it break…?"
Between the rising images of Leonard and Mr Jones, Denver saw the perfectly standing gates. Even the two humans noticed the fixed gates next to them.
Lulu followed their gazes and huffed. "The Engorged must have hated the dilapidated building and brought it to its pristine condition. However, fixing all the damages must have cost all its energy. Let's find its heart now."