Apocalypse Reset: My Crab Can Heal the World!

Barns and Maria are still climbing the stairs up the tower when the battle begins. A silent arrow flies through the air with incredible speed, and before either can react, the arrow finds its mark on Maria's chest.

She's blown backward and launched down the stairs. She goes tumbling from the force of the arrow, but it doesn't penetrate her skin. She's too tough for that.

Barns looks up and in the nick of time, narrowly dodges a second arrow. He tries to make out the shooter, but all he can see of the tower's upper levels is darkness. They were sitting ducks here.

"I'm going ahead!" Barns shouts, leaving Maria. He knew she'd be fine - he's seen her take much more than that.

Barns sprints up the stairs, using his sword to shoot water blades into the darkness above. He didn't know if they were effective, but he figures some cover fire could distract their opponent. As he runs, he hears the rushing wind of an arrow poised to strike him. He activates his Harden Body ability and the arrow bounces off of him harmlessly.

Maria is now recovered, and she joins Barns in his ascent, taking the stairs two at a time.

"We've got some durable meatbags today!" calls a deep voice, almost like a sports commentator. "Adea's going to love you two, if you last long enough to meet her!"

Another arrow. Barns slices the wooden projectile out of the air. He's almost at the top, and he can make out a darkened figure waiting above.

"That you, Eldrie!?" Barns taunts. "We've been sent to deliver a message! Your services here are no longer required!"

The vampire laughs. With Barns rapidly approaching, he puts away his bow and drags out two sinister, jagged daggers.

"I thought my fighting days were over, folks! Thanks for the fun!" Eldrie screams as he engages Barns. He blocks the hero's blade effortlessly with one of his daggers and attempts to plunge the other into Barns' stomach. Another expertly timed 'Harden Body' prevents the attack from doing any real damage, and in that moment, Maria catches up.

She jumps through the air, throwing a high kick at Eldrie. He catches her leg in midair and directs her momentum against her, throwing her down the middle of the long spiral stairs. She goes plummeting toward the bottom, screaming as she falls. There's a heavy thud when she lands at the bottom, but with her impervious body, she takes no damage. Still, it's a long climb back up. Barns was on his own for this one.

The hero grits his teeth and swings his sword at the vampire again. Eldrie parries the attack and skirts backward, toying with Barns. This vampire was good - too good.

"Your girl took a fall from up here and she's still going," Eldrie smirks, dodging another of Barns' attacks and appearing behind him in an instant. "Don't tell me that's Oz's girl!?"

Eldrie and Barns continue to exchange blows. "I've heard about her," Eldrie says with a wicked smile. "A human who can withstand any amount of torture. She'd be a fun one for my collection, for sure! I might just have to hide you two from Adea."

Barns curses himself as he fails to land yet another attack on Eldrie.

'Is this really the extent of my strength?' The nagging doubt sticks in Barns' mind and he can think of nothing else. He's a talented swordsman, yes - but is that enough for enemies like Eldrie? If he couldn't even defeat this vampire, did he stand a chance against Master Vampires like Francois or the twins?

Barns makes contact with Eldrie with his blade, but the metal slides off the vampire. He feels a knot form in his stomach. It was just like when he fought Maria - this vampire is indestructible.

He lets the intrusive thoughts win, and his concentration is broken for long enough that Eldrie lands a hit. Barns stumbles back as Eldrie's blade sinks into his stomach, slicing the hero open.

Barns tumbles down the stairs, landing in a crumpled ball on the landing. His vision goes hazy, and the last thing he sees is Eldrie, walking toward him, followed by a flash of golden light. As soon as he sees the light, he blacks out.

In an instant, Maria is at Barns' side, enveloped in a golden glow. She takes just one moment to verify her ally is still alive. Relieved, she dashes up the stairs so quickly even Eldrie cannot react, and she rockets them both through the door at the top of the stairs. They collapse on the floor in the top room of the tower, not unlike the rooms where Wilfort and Incantra were fighting simultaneously. Eldrie's daggers skid away, sliding toward the back of the clammy room.

She punches Eldrie with all her might, but to no avail. The vampire looks back at her with a wicked grin.

"Seems you're not the only invulnerable one," Eldrie sneers before baring his fangs and attempting to bite Maria. She kicks him off her and stumbles away, grabbing one of the daggers off the floor. Eldrie scurries for the other one.

They both attempt to stab each other, but neither can make headway. She throws the knife away - it's useless to her. If she couldn't stab him, she'd have to find another way.

Her eyes scan the room as she diverts one of his attacks. She thought carefully about anything she could use, but there was just a table and a trapdoor in the room.

A table.

She has an idea, and she scurries over to the table.

"Trying to hide?" Eldrie laughs. "What a pathetic attempt. My knives may not be able to harm you, but my teeth will. Why don't you come give me a kiss, Princess?"

She cowers behind the table, but in truth she's as calculating and controlled as she could ever be. Eldrie draws near the table, just as she intends.

Once he's lured close enough, she grabs the wooden table - no issue for her and her superhuman strength. She smashes him with the table, breaking it in half. The legs splinter off and give way. Eldrie takes no damage, but he's knocked flat, the wind forced out of his lungs.

Eldrie cackles. "That your big plan?" he asks, not even bothering to rise from the ground. He was confident that he'd win. A critical error.

"No," she replies. "This is."

She grabs one of the shattered wooden legs of the table and thrusts it into Eldrie's heart. His eyes open wide in surprise as he realizes what she's done. The wood pierces his flesh, and he reaches for his torso, clawing at her hands and the wooden stake inside of him.

He screams in bitter agony as blood pours out of him, spurting from the stake's entry wound. But Maria doesn't stop there. She rips the wooden leg out of him and plunges it into his torso once more.

She stabs him over and over again until he stops fighting. She climbs off his body, her face and body drenched in crimson.

"Wasn't sure if it would actually work," she says, spitting on Eldrie's corpse. "Vampires and stakes. Honestly, if it's that easy, we may as well use wooden swords." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

She wipes the blood off her face as best as she can. Anything else would have to wait - she needs to check on Barns, and quickly.