Reincarnated as the Villainess’s Unlucky Bodyguard

The Wailing Caverns welcomed them with an unsettling silence, broken only by the faint, mournful echo of wind brushing against the stone walls. The air was heavy, damp, and cold, wrapping around them like a shroud. Liria led the group, her sword drawn and her eyes darting cautiously. Behind her, Enara followed closely, her own weapon ready, while Daena's sharp gaze swept their surroundings, her every step measured. Ananara hovered slightly above the ground, glowing faintly in the dim light, his expression unreadable but his usual snark notably absent.

"Tell me again why we're doing this?" Ananara finally broke the silence. "Because from where I'm floating, this place reeks of bad decisions."

Liria ignored him, focusing instead on the uneven ground ahead. The system's voice chimed in her mind, its usual sarcastic edge present.

[He's not wrong. But hey, what's life without a little recklessness? Oh, right. Safer.]

Not helping, Liria thought, gritting her teeth.

The group moved deeper into the cavern, their footsteps echoing faintly. Strange glowing moss clung to the walls, casting an eerie greenish hue over their surroundings. Every so often, the cavern would widen into a larger chamber, only to narrow again into twisting, oppressive tunnels.

"This place feels alive," Enara muttered, shivering.

"That's because it probably is," Daena replied grimly. "Keep your guard up."

As if on cue, a strange sound filled the air a low, wet squelching noise that seemed to come from all directions at once. Everyone froze.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"What the hell was that?" Enara whispered, her voice barely audible.

The squelching grew louder, accompanied by an unsettling clicking sound. From the shadows ahead, something moved.

The creature that emerged was… strange, to say the least. It was vaguely humanoid in shape but covered in translucent, jelly-like skin that shimmered faintly in the dim light. Its limbs were elongated and spindly, ending in claw-like appendages that seemed to drip with some kind of viscous fluid. Where its face should have been was instead a cluster of glowing blue orbs that shifted and pulsed like living stars.

"What in the name of all that's unholy is that?" Ananara exclaimed, his usual sarcasm replaced by genuine disgust.

"Stay back," Liria said sharply, raising her sword. The creature didn't move to attack immediately but instead tilted its head, studying them with its unsettling cluster of eyes.

"It's not attacking," Enara said cautiously.

"Yet," Daena corrected, stepping in front of the group.

The creature let out a low, warbling sound that made the hair on the back of Liria's neck stand on end. Then, without warning, it lunged.

"Here we go!" Liria shouted, meeting the creature's charge head-on.

The creature was fast—unnaturally so. Its limbs moved in ways that defied logic, bending and twisting as it lashed out at Liria with its claws. She barely dodged the first swipe, countering with a quick slash of her sword. The blade struck true, slicing into the creature's jelly-like flesh, but instead of bleeding, it seemed to regenerate almost instantly.

Discover hidden content at empire

"Of course, it regenerates," Liria muttered under her breath.

Daena joined the fray, her own blade flashing as she aimed for the creature's legs. "Aim for the glowing orbs—it might be a weak spot!" she barked.

Enara circled around, her magic crackling to life. "I'll distract it!" she called, sending a burst of violet energy toward the creature. The spell struck its torso, causing it to let out a high-pitched screech, but it only seemed to anger the creature further.

Meanwhile, Ananara floated above the chaos, offering unhelpful commentary. "You know, you'd think after all the ridiculous things we've fought, you'd have learned to stop charging in blind. But no, here we are."

Shut up, Ananara, Liria thought furiously as she dodged another swipe from the creature.

[He's got a point, you know,] the system chimed in smugly.

Liria ignored them both, focusing instead on the fight. She summoned her magic, the familiar warmth of flames igniting in her free hand. With a flick of her wrist, she launched a fireball directly at the creature's face. The explosion sent it reeling, its warbling cry echoing through the cavern.

"Now!" Daena shouted, charging forward. She slashed at the creature's legs, severing one of its spindly limbs. This time, the regeneration was slower, the glowing blue orbs dimming slightly.

"It's working!" Enara said, hurling another burst of magic.

The battle raged on, each member of the group working together to keep the creature on the defensive. Liria's sword flashed as she struck again and again, her flames burning brighter with each swing. Enara's spells kept it disoriented, while Daena's relentless assault prevented it from regaining its footing.

Finally, with one last, coordinated strike, the creature let out a shrill cry and collapsed, its jelly-like body dissolving into a puddle of faintly glowing liquid.

"Well, that was disgusting," Enara said, panting.

Daena wiped her blade clean, her expression grim. "If that's what's guarding the entrance, I don't even want to think about what's inside."

Liria glanced at the puddle of liquid, her brow furrowing. "It didn't feel… natural," she said quietly.

[That's because it wasn't,] the system replied. [You're dealing with something that doesn't belong in this world.]

"Great," Liria muttered. "That's comforting."

The group moved cautiously toward the cavern entrance, the faint glow of the moss casting strange shadows on the walls. The air seemed to grow heavier the closer they got, the eerie moaning of the wind growing louder.

"Last chance to turn back," Ananara said, though his tone lacked its usual bite.

"No one's turning back," Daena said firmly.

Liria glanced over her shoulder at the group, her mismatched eyes narrowing in determination. She didn't speak, but her silent acknowledgment was enough to rally them. Together, they stepped into the cavern's dark maw, the oppressive air inside immediately swallowing them whole.

The walls of the Wailing Caverns were rough and jagged, the strange glowing moss their only source of light. The faint green luminescence made the shadows dance in unsettling ways, creating phantom shapes at the edges of their vision. The sound of their footsteps echoed endlessly, overlapping with the occasional low groan of the cavern itself, like a living entity breathing in the dark.

"I don't like this place," Enara muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Good," Daena replied. "It means you're paying attention."

Ananara, floating just behind them, gave an exaggerated sigh. "This is exactly the kind of situation that screams, 'Turn back and go home.' But no, you lot just had to follow the creepy stranger's advice."

Liria rolled her eyes but didn't respond, instead focusing on the path ahead. She could feel the system lurking in her mind, its presence oddly quiet for once.

[You know,] it finally said, breaking the silence in her thoughts, [Ananara's not entirely wrong. This place feels… wrong. Like something here is watching you.]

Thanks for the motivational speech, Liria shot back sarcastically.

[Hey, I'm just saying. It's not like I'm the one who decided to walk into the ominous death cavern.]

The group continued deeper into the twisting tunnels, the oppressive atmosphere growing heavier with each step. The air was thick, damp, and carried an odd metallic tang that made Liria's skin crawl.

"I hate this silence," Enara said, her voice tight. "It feels like we're walking into a trap."

"We are," Daena replied bluntly.

"That's comforting," Enara muttered under her breath.

As they turned a corner, the tunnel opened into a vast chamber. The ceiling stretched high above them, disappearing into darkness, while strange crystalline formations jutted out from the walls and floor, glowing faintly in various hues of blue and purple. The effect was beautiful, but the unease in Liria's gut only deepened.

"Careful," Daena warned, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword tightly. "This place is too open."

Ananara floated forward, his glowing form casting faint shadows across the crystalline floor. "Well, if there's a trap waiting, it's doing a great job of being subtle."

Suddenly, the crystals began to hum, a low, resonant sound that vibrated through the air. Liria froze, her grip tightening on her sword as the humming grew louder.

"Something's happening," Enara said, taking a step back.

The crystals began to pulse with light, their glow intensifying until the chamber was bathed in a dazzling array of colors. Then, without warning, the light converged in the center of the room, forming a swirling mass of energy. From the energy emerged a creature unlike anything they'd seen before.

It was massive, its body composed of jagged crystalline shards that seemed to float and shift around a central core of pulsing light. Its "head" was featureless save for two glowing orbs that burned with an intense, otherworldly brilliance. The creature let out a low, resonant roar that shook the cavern, its crystalline body refracting the light in mesmerizing but unsettling ways.

"Of course," Ananara said dryly. "Another weird monster. Why not?"

Liria stepped forward, raising her sword. The system chimed in her mind.

[Stats incoming: Crystal Warden. Level 25. Health: 10,000. Attributes unknown. Weakness: None detected.]

Great, Liria thought bitterly. No weaknesses. That's just what we need.

The Crystal Warden moved slowly at first, its massive limbs scraping against the ground as it turned its glowing gaze toward them. Then, with surprising speed, it lunged.

"Scatter!" Daena shouted, pushing Enara out of the way as the creature's massive arm crashed down where they'd been standing. The impact sent shockwaves through the chamber, cracks spiderwebbing across the floor.

Liria rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding another swipe. She swung her sword, aiming for the creature's core, but her blade glanced off its crystalline surface, leaving only a shallow scratch.

"It's too tough!" Enara shouted, firing a blast of violet energy at the creature. The spell struck its core, but the energy seemed to dissipate harmlessly.

"Keep moving!" Daena barked, slashing at one of the creature's limbs. Her attack left a deeper gouge, but the limb quickly reformed, the crystalline shards shifting back into place.

"This thing's impossible!" Enara yelled, frustration clear in her voice.

Liria gritted her teeth, her mind racing. The creature's movements were slow but powerful, each attack capable of causing massive damage. They couldn't take it head-on, but there had to be a way to outmaneuver it.

[You're not going to win this fight with brute force,] the system said. [Think, Liria. What's its weakness?]

You just said it doesn't have one!

[True. But maybe you're looking at this the wrong way.]

Liria's eyes narrowed as she watched the creature. The core was its center of power, but the floating crystalline shards around it seemed to be acting as both armor and a weapon. If they could disrupt its form, they might stand a chance.

"Focus on the shards!" she shouted to the others. "Break them apart and keep them from reforming!"

Daena and Enara exchanged glances before nodding. They shifted their attacks, aiming for the floating shards instead of the core. Daena's strikes shattered one of the creature's arms, while Enara's magic blasted another shard into pieces.

The creature let out a deafening roar, its movements growing more erratic as it tried to reform its body. But for every shard it reclaimed, another was destroyed, the group working together to keep it off balance.

"Keep it up!" Liria called, summoning her flames. She launched a fireball at the creature's core, the explosion causing it to stagger.

Finally, the creature let out a distorted, mournful cry before retreating, its form dissolving back into the glowing energy from which it had emerged.

As the light faded, the chamber grew quiet once more, the eerie hum of the crystals subsiding.

"Well," Ananara said after a moment, his tone dry. "That was terrible."

Daena sheathed her sword, her expression grim. "Let's keep moving. The longer we stay here, the worse it's going to get."