"...I hate all of you," Kate declared, then promptly scooped up a double handful of water and splashed it straight at Phoenix.
Phoenix yelped as cold water hit her face. "Hey!" She sputtered, eyes widening in disbelief for half a second, then her lips curved upward. "You asked for it."
She retaliated immediately, sending a shimmering arc of water straight at Kate. Ellora, who had been lounging smugly against the edge, wasn’t spared either. The splash hit her square in the chest.
Ellora slowly wiped water from her face, crimson eyes narrowing with dangerous amusement. "Oh? So this is how it is?" she said sweetly.
The next moment, water exploded everywhere.
Ellora rose slightly from the pool and unleashed a devastating splash that drenched half the grotto. Mallana squeaked and dove underwater to escape the chaos.
Arya let out a startled yelp as water hit her hair, then froze before awkwardly splashing back with all the force she could muster.
Sylvara sighed softly as droplets landed on her shoulder. "...Immature," she muttered.
A second later, she flicked her wrist, and a precise, high-pressure stream smacked Ellora right between the eyes.
Aurora, never one to stay on the sidelines of mischief, dove underwater and emerged like a predatory siren right between them, sending a massive geyser upward that drenched everyone. "No one is safe!" She giggled, attacking randomly left and right, even Erin, who was sitting like a statue on the other side, in deep thought.
The dignity of the high-ranking ladies and fierce warriors evaporated in an instant. The grotto filled with splashing, laughter, half-serious shrieks, and playful threats as water sloshed over stone.
The entire grotto became rowdy in just a few seconds with the group of naked women splashing around. Right at this moment, Erin suddenly stood up, her form transforming into her huge serpentine figure. "We are not alone. We are surrounded. Prepare to fight."
Just as all the women hurriedly summoned their weapons, several pairs of crimson eyes appeared all around them. The crimson eyes multiplied, blinking into existence along the jagged walls and ceiling of the grotto.
A second later, the darkness stirred, and the soft, leathery flutter of wings filled the cavern as dozens, no, hundreds, of bats detached themselves from the shadows. Even though they seemed like ordinary bats at first glance, thin streams of dark mist leaked from their bodies, giving them a strange, mysterious feeling.
The way they clung upside down, watching everything in eerie silence, was also extremely unsettling.
"They might be pests, but it’s best to get rid of them." Erin let out a low hiss, her massive coils tightening as her scales hardened and began to glow faintly with ancient runes. The others also agreed with her.
But Erin alone was enough to deal with something like this, so none of them bothered to continue attacking. Erin unleashed a wave of miasmic abyssal energy that burst from her coils, a suffocating tide of black-violet mist that rolled outward like a living thing.


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