02-04-2017, 12:47 AM
Grandpa had always said it’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.
Still, it made Jade a little nervous to see the enormous subterranean creature bearing down on their company from above, the mass of tangles seeming to simply ooze over the steep rock precipice. It writhed outward like a dollop of sentient jelly and formed a peculiar contrast to the frozen, gleaming stones of the cavern walls around it, the bulging and palpitating stretches of ashen skin seeming like a human vivisection gone horribly wrong, limbs twitching and distended to unnatural lengths.
A sprinkling of shattered greenstone rained down from the cavern roof when the ghastly horrorterror screeched again. Jade staggered, eyes burning and an excruciating pain coursing through her skull like an axe blade was being violently jammed into it. She ticked her head to the side to meet Amber’s eyes, her pricked ears flicking in the direction of the wailing creature meaningfully; the slide of wet, dripping flesh against stone startled the baby hairs on the back of her neck into spiking up, a disgusted shudder convulsing down her spine.
A silent dialogue passed between the primes, the feline girl’s eyes catching alight with a feverish spark at whatever was communicated. Jade nodded, shoulders hunched and ears standing straight up— a hunting posture that Amber flawlessly echoed. The two fanned out on either side of the octopus-human hybrid, treading lightly as they set about assessing their target.
Tell jerked out of his surprised stupor, the grip on his sword tightening until his knuckles were a stark, bloodless white. “Roland, Burgess— with me,” the captain barked in a clipped, authoritative tone, already jogging briskly toward the creature, “Let’s try and stick it somewhere important! Smith, Selena— watch out for Brandon and see if your crossbows can give it something to chew on!”
Burgess being the younger of the two, Roland moved in first, the military precision of his strides giving him ample time to draw his weapon and search for the best angle to attack from. The boy soon sped up and settled alongside him, seeming worried.
Roland turned to meet his eyes and softened his gaze upon seeing the fear in them, raw and laid bare for all too see. Burgess suddenly remembered that the man had a family back at home, a wife, a daughter, and two sons, not one of the children more than six years old.
“For the Kingdom,” Roland said, patting him on the arm, “And all those who call it home.”
“For the Kingdom,” the boy echoed, recalling the sorry sight of Piers’ unconscious body, the crown of his head streaked with blood. And all those who call it home, and may never again.
It was even eerier up close. It seemed almost like a human body draped in a sheet, the eyes, mouth and nose straining fiercely against the thick, ash-white membrane, with the vertebral column arching outwards and holding small quantities of clear, trickling fluid. The limbs of this human-shaped form were stretched out like that of a sugar glider, rubbery strands linking them to its torso, but they were angled downward in such a way that it made it seem like the person was trying to get about on all fours, forming a bell tower-shaped mantle for the creature. A hulking mass of white muscle burst outward from its chest and ribcage, the bulk of the creature’s weight stemming from there and amalgamating into dozens of eager, wriggling octopod arms, suckers and all.
The three men took to hacking and slashing at its flailing appendages with great vigor; the stench of blood and salt soured the air, sweetening by degrees whenever a limb was sliced off from its bulk and the resulting spray of alien-colored gore splattered onto the ground. These limbs seemed to gain a life of their own, thrashing spiritedly about and resembling serpents with their heads freshly amputated, the suckers and piercing thorn-like barbs attached proving to be tremendously dangerous, indeed. The men took great pains to keep a safe distance, Tell’s sword waggling in the air like a lion tamer’s whip while the thrashing tentacles attempted to wrap wetly around the weapon and wrest it from his grip.
Gun heavy and burning with frigid cold in her hands, the Witch of Space pushed up her glasses, the lenses briefly flashing white with a slight change in the light, and in the blink of an eye she had zapped herself high into the air overhead, settling into a pattern of cranking out volley after volley of chilly magicks from above. Selena glanced at their makeshift eye in the sky, then over to where Amber was slowly stalking towards the creature. Their prime friends might just be of some use, she imagined, and then quickly abandoned that line of thought when she noticed Smith was still finding difficulty in even leveling a single shot at the thing with his crossbow, his sabre hand shaking violently.
As much as it pained her to acknowledge as much, her long-time friend couldn’t be of much help due to the severity of his injury. She would have to find a substitute and, luckily, she knew just the man for the job.
“Here,” she said to Brandon, snatching up Piers’ crossbow from the boy’s unconscious body and shoving it into the astronomer’s arms. When the dark-skinned man only stared uncomprehendingly at the weapon in his hands, she snorted. “Come on, Brandon, I’ve seen you drop a squirrel a field away. Let’s give this thing a few more holes to breathe through, eh?”
Mouth set into a determined line, Brandon bobbed his head in agreement, lining up a shot at the phlegmy stretch of skin and muscle where the creature’s limbs seemed to originate. Its shrieks were short, hissed out in tiny blasts of air like the piping of a flute, and while its body seemed soft as a sea slug, it was carved up into many segments, the sticky, gleaming limbs fanning out like the leaves of a fern to show off its flower-esque mandibles, dozens of pincer-like teeth clenching and spasming and—
Shink! Selena grunted in frustration as a bolt shot uselessly into the tangled morass of pale meat, the rust-brown stains on her clothing— Piers’ blood— flaking off as she reached back for another bolt. Brandon’s arrows had the same lack of desired effect. The thick barb of wood sank into the creature’s skin down to the stubby end, gelatinous liquid slurping out worse than infection, but it didn’t seem to bother it any more than a splinter might hurt his own hand.
Meanwhile, Amber stalked forward leisurely, Razorback completely forgotten for the time being. Her shoulders and spine loosened into something fluid and graceful, a silky layering of warm onyx fur sprouting from her skin with a sigh. Feather light footsteps marked her advance, smooth as if she were slinking through shallow water, and they continued to be just as silent after she broke into a full-tilt run.
Her hands flexed, the muscles contracting and loosening as newly-flourished claws glinted even in the darkness, wicked sharp. She then dropped down on all fours, whip-like tail swaying as her clawed toes sank into the frigid cavern floor and, with a dangerous elegance those gathered had never had the privilege of seeing before, threw herself into the heat of battle with a deafening yowl.
Her claws dug into the tentacles like meat hooks, sinewy flesh stringing out and flapping in useless strands of calamari. Flesh, not bone, never even a scrap of bone, was torn asunder by her rage, gelatinous fluids and bizarre organs the color of blackberry jam spilling out. She had taken on the form of a large black wildcat, the faint thumbprint-sized dapples of her fur coat shimmering like the scaled mail of a fish whenever she pitched to the side, cleverly angling her body to avoid one of her adversary’s thrashing arms.
Marlin silver tissues and chitin-like material scraped against her nails, trickles of lifeblood pooling into little metallic dewdrops that dribbled and pooled on the floor not unlike liquid mercury. The creature’s caustic blood splashed in her face, too hot and too cold at the same time, reeking worse than dead fish and pond scum combined. Amber spat in disgust and swiped it off with a large paw, bright catlike eyes glittering with her fury.
Jade observed as another of Selena and Brandon’s rounds met its mark, her eyes narrowing unfocusedly as her spacial sense attempted to lock onto the weakest, softest organs hidden inside, everything seeming like carved up meat by sight alone. It was like looking at the back of a human hand, knuckle-like protrusions and green veins twining into thick, sinewy appendages, but there was nothing contained within, just ugly pitch black slime and everything was wrong wrong wrong! The mantle cavity had something nestled deep inside, though. Its surface was hard and distinctly shaped, cushioned by the visceral mass around it. Like this creature had consumed something its digestive juices couldn’t quite destroy...
Her skin crawled as one wayward tentacle flagellated upwards, feeling blindly for her ankle. She impulsively snatched up a piece of sharp stone with a telekinetic jab and flung it into the thing’s gaping mouth. While she had fully expected the creature to immediately eject it with a wriggle of its strangely-curled tongue, she was completely floored when it did the polar opposite! The beak-shaped opening hiccupped and crunched on the rock, swallowing a moment later with some difficulty.
And just like that, Jade had an idea. A crazy, stupid idea (the very best of ideas, in her humble opinion), but an idea nonetheless.
Mind whirling, the dark-haired girl spun around, picking up another piece of debris. There were many other mouths peppering the creature’s body, splitting through in a clash of serrated edges in the oddest of places. With a carefully aimed toss, it, too, had joined the other rock in occupying the squid-thing’s stomach, though something about that one hard place in its mantle cavity still set her instincts on edge.
She grinned. If this plan worked, and there was very little doubt in her mind that it wouldn’t, this overgrown, demented squiddle wouldn’t be a nuisance to them for much longer.
Quick as a flash, she whipped up another rock and chucked it at the creature, the flying stone just barely missing Roland. Jade clapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. Oops! That was a seriously close call. If it meant not accidentally injuring her friends, Jade felt perfectly alright with zapping herself in a little nearer to the flagellating tentacles and mouths. So, she did— and what a grand time she had of it, too! She found that she could kick and punch the tentacles around with little repercussions, delighting in the apparently frustrated grabs the creature tried to make for her.
Fast fast fast— dodging was easy, nothing could catch her! The slurring, twisty shadow of a tendril passed over her limbs more times than she could count, but she always managed to bounce out of the way right before they could cinch tight and drag her down. She was even able to catch Burgess and place him on the ground again when the force from a particularly harsh blow sent him flying! All in all, things were going pretty smoothly, the rocks she’d loaded into the tentabeast’s belly really seeming to make it grow sluggish and tired. She smiled in triumph, spinning in a celebratory circle as she drifted in midair. Ten points to Gryffindor!
A sudden, violent swarm of tentacles rippled upward, seizing her firmly in their grasp. Jade gasped, heartbeat abruptly thundering in her ears; she only briefly struggled. With a hissing screech, the creature swung her around with all the strength of five professional wrestlers and let go, sending the girl flying through the air and into the cavern wall.
The solid rock there was pretty much mulched by the hit. Dust and shale floated downward, gusting furiously and getting jammed in Jade’s lungs as she coughed. It wracked through her body, harsh and painful. Rubble stirred beneath her as she tried to hoist herself into a sitting position, giving up a moment later when some stupid, throbbing drumbeat in her head refused to stop pounding.
Something like a touch fluttered over the inside of her wrist. Jade’s eyes flashed open. She hadn’t even realized they had fallen closed. She glanced blearily up from where she lay on the floor, vision spinning. Selena’s face swirled into view, tight with concern as she checked for a pulse, Brandon right behind. He seemed to be mouthing something to her, but Jade couldn’t quite make out what it was. Her ears were still ringing from that nasty crash!
“What?” she asked, and then jerked in surprise when she realized she couldn’t even hear her own voice. Uh oh.
Well, she supposed it only made sense that she might go a little deaf, what with all the eldritch abominations screeching in her ears all the goddamn time! But just because it made sense didn’t mean she had to like it, and she….. well, she totally didn’t. Not one stinking bit.
Clapping both hands over her ears, Jade smiled apologetically up at Selena and Brandon, both of whom seemed super worried. “Sorry. I can’t really, um, hear anything.”
There was a jerky rush of movement at her side as Selena laid down her bow, using a small knife to cut a strip of fabric lining Jade’s torso from her dress. The young girl’s eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, her hand coming up to fumble at her stomach; she could see rather than hear Brandon’s sharp intake of breath through his teeth. It was only then that she noticed her side felt… damp, like she’d fallen asleep in a rain shower, something that happened often enough on her old island home. Looking down, Jade could see what Selena was doing only halfway clearly, though her head spun a lot and she felt like she might puke any second.
Her entire side was soaked in blood, a shard of stone having impacted her side, near to her ribcage. The precise cut there glistened faintly with dark, bubbling red that seeped out at a snail’s pace, widening and growing more jagged the closer it drew to her spine. Jade was glad; it would have stunk to have to worry about it puncturing a vital organ, and if she could still feel all of her limbs she most likely wasn’t paralyzed. It was a tiny miracle, but a miracle nonetheless.
She thought Gamzee would be pleased about that, and tried not to wince too much when Selena set about closing up the wound with all the meticulousness of a seamstress. Miracles, indeed.
At length Jade could hear a teensy bit better, her senses having returned in trickles. Rebecca was sitting a few feet away, something she noticed after a while as Selena worked, Piers’ head in her lap with her dark dress puddling around his slack face like a halo. Shy relief unfolded in Jade’s chest like the petals of a flower. The Little Sister seemed to be…. singing, judging by the cheerfulness lighting up her eyes and the careful, patterned way her mouth formed around the words.
“Who watches over sleeping angels? I do, I do…”
Yes, that’s what it is, Jade thought. Singing.
Her eyes narrowed suddenly, attempting to focus on the blur of writhing shapes behind the little girl, but her eyesight kept getting all swirly. Where was Bec? She attempted to widen her senses to find him, but found that she was blocked. Even her sense of Space felt all whacky, like a pocket of void had opened inside her head and sucked everything that was good and right in her understanding of the world out. Had she blacked out or something…? Ugh, even trying to remember stuff from a few seconds ago hurt.
Selena helped her stagger to her feet after firmly gripping onto her shoulders, the woman’s voice still oscillating in and out of Jade’s range of hearing. The young witch blinked wearily, scrubbing a few chunks of rock out of her energetic curls. White stars flashed in her eyes as she tried to stay on her feet, the queasiness just about knocking her on her butt, “Sorry, what was that?”
“I said,” Selena repeated, though she seemed more concerned than annoyed by having to do so, “Are you alright? You took quite a hit there. Don’t worry, Amber’s been keeping that thing occupied pretty well in your stead, though your hellbeast leapt in as soon as you were knocked out….” She still kept a careful hold on Jade’s arm, peering warily into her face. “Will you be able to continue on in this state?”
“Uh?” Jade asked, seeming to snap out of a daze. She recognized that she hadn’t fully comprehended any of what Selena had just said. Her tongue darted out to moisten her dry lips, voice cracking when she spoke again. “Uh-huh. Yeah, I’m good!”
Brandon, who was also in on the interrogation, seemed doubtful. “You are sure?”
“Sure I’m sure!” Jade twittered, though the bell-like sibilance of her words fell short when she winced.
Ouch. Being her usual sunny self hurt, too.
Sucking in a deep breath, she whistled twice in quick succession. Becquerel appeared at her side in a crackle of static, oily blood slicking down the front of his pelt from where it had dribbled out from the corners of his mouth. He cocked his head at her, muzzle clamped shut and his eyeless face staring up into hers.
She shut her eyes. She could remember, now. The tentacled creature tossing her, the force of the throw seeming to take control of her own body from her. An electric-green pulse, the usually steady thrum of rapid fire static that defined the First Guardian’s presence slamming into a full-on nuclear snarl as Becquerel went on the assault. Her head smacking against cruel, hard stone.
“Good dog,” she muttered woozily, smoothing down his ears with the palm of her hand. She always felt stronger with Bec at her side. “Best friend.”
Bec nosed wetly at her hand, licking his chops in agreement. Yes. He was a good dog, AND Jade’s best friend. How could anyone who knew them think otherwise?
Reopening her eyes, Jade smiled at the white-furred hound, and then turned to survey the fray taking place a short distance away from them. She watched as Brandon and Selena shot twin spikes of wood into the horrorterror’s bulk, Smith following up a moment later with a sloppier, but accurate enough hit. He seemed about dead on his feet, the concussive hit to his head probably giving him hell even as he refused to give up. Jade understood completely.
Sharp sounds and hideous gurgling noises echoed around the ruin’s depths, Tell directing Roland and Burgess around and trusting his other soldiers not to accidentally shoot him in the back. They formed a cohesive front against the heaping tentacle-mound, haring off to help one another out whenever the flagellating onslaught became a bit much for one man. The creature wiggled like a massive caramel flan as they struck with their blades, aiming to kill but never really succeeding. It was a little disheartening, a little embarrassing, sort of maddening…. but mostly embarrassing.
Spitting and hissing in a flurry of claws and black fur, Amber pivoted expertly around the cavern, sinking her teeth and claws into any tentacle brave enough to wriggle close to her whenever she had a chance to. Her clever eyes flashed like fiery rubies and raked over the convolutedly structured body of her enemy, her toes pouncing, seizing and tackling with a predator’s voracity as the paste-colored limbs tried to strangle her.
Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time until the many-angled creature determined how to get the drop on her. And it did, quite literally, get the drop on her when it plopped much of its tangled weight over her body with a soupy glorp!, effectively concealing the— now frenziedly struggling— panther from view.
The thing wasn’t brainless. Jade would ordinarily have felt a modicum of remorse at this fact, but something about the way Amber was so suddenly tucked away and out of sight made her see red. Because Amber was one of her own. A friend. And Jade wasn’t about to let one of her friends, even the giant panther ones, get eaten.
Jade raised her hand, focusing on the dozen or so hard shapes nestled within that writhing, squishy mass, greenish energy crackling along her joints and her face the picture of serenity. Then, her hand clenched into a fist.
Abruptly, the creature jerked to a halt, a sound similar to the bowel movements of a giant grumbling out and reverberating through the cavern. All of its appendages crumpled defensively inward, like how a spider set on fire with a matchstick curls in on its blackened, charred body. Dozens of little holes rippled along its sides, the high-pitched whistle of trapped air being released streaking out. It gave a short, garbled shriek of wordless agony—a sound that was swiftly broken off as it exploded.
Chunks of meat splorched onto the ground, hailing in a brief shower of acidic juices. Rocks clunked onto the ground, as well, the ones Jade had so viciously ripped out from its stomach moments ago, reeking of putrification and slicked over with sickly yellow-green secretions.
Jade smiled, arm falling back against her injured side. Bec nosed at it, whining so quietly that it was almost inaudible, but after she had brushed him away a few times he was perfectly content to trot over and sit by Rebecca, snuffling noisily into the little girl’s hair.
Captain Tell looked around at the stinking pile that was all that remained of their adversary. He and the other soldiers were fairly battered, their weapons lowered only slightly as they watched for any stray movements that would indicate the creature was anything other than dead as a doornail. When it didn’t budge an inch for several long moments, Tell snorted. He’d figured it wouldn’t be moving again, judging by the amount of bloody gore splattered in his hair.
Something glinted in the midst of the decimated corpse. Nudging aside a tightly coiled tendril with his foot, the captain carefully trudged through what could have very well been a minefield of hidden glands and organs not utterly pulverized by Jade punching at least twenty rocks through its ugly hide. A veiny skein of intestinal lining clung to the small, octagonal object as he wrested it free, the flexible membrane snapping back and plopping in the soup-like carnage. It felt strangely warm to the touch, likely fixed at body temperature from being inside the abomination’s stomach for so long. Frowning, Tell gripped the octagon tightly between his fingers and marched out, stopping a moment to help Amber climb to her feet.
With the great amount of questionable fluids soaking into her clothes and hair, the faunus seemed almost as if she had been half-drowned before he fished her out. There was still a primal fierceness in her eyes when outside of her panther form, though it seemed a touch dulled, like the last embers of a campfire when dawn finally arrives, soaking the sky and earth in a purplish-gold haze. She hacked and coughed up bits of tissue that were too greenish to be her own, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the rancid mess littered around them.
“That was fun. Let’s never do that again,” Amber croaked out, wiping the vinegary taste of blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. She squinted at the captain, feline ears twitching. “What the hell even happened? It felt like someone set off a bomb in there.”
Tell jerked his head over his shoulder at where Jade stood with Brandon and the rest. Selena was glancing over at them, paying only half a mind to Smith while he appeared to be reenacting whatever Jade had done for the others’ benefit. A shout of “Boom!” could be heard, stirring a wave of applause from Roland and Burgess. Jade reddened, smiling that easy buck-toothed grin of hers.
The old captain gave a small smile, but it was short-lived. He seemed so very old and grey in that moment, rubbing a coarse hand over the wrinkles etched into his forehead with a sigh. “I wouldn’t doubt it if someone did, but I’m not entirely sure myself, kid. Ask Harley when you have the time. Right now, what we’ve got to worry about is this,” he held up the octagonal lump. “It could be a clue as of to where what we’re looking for is.”
Amber peered at the shiny metal object in his hand with a critical eye. She even inched forward a bit, nostrils flaring as she sniffed. Finally, having finished her inspection, she fixed him with a sideways stare. “In an old ruin like this? It’s a puzzle piece... or a key of some kind. Hell, it might just be a cool doohickey that squid-thing saw fit to swallow! It would be a good idea to hold onto it, though, it might come in handy.”
“Right, that’s what I thought.” Tell nodded, tucking the piece into his coat for safe-keeping. After he had ascertained that the cat girl was mostly able to move about without trouble, the two of them moved to rejoin the others. They had scarcely come within three paces of the group when Piers abruptly jerked awake, clutching feebly at his head with a miserable whimper after moving too fast too soon.
“Piers!” Burgess exclaimed, dropping to his knees beside his fallen comrade. The previously unconscious boy’s forehead was streaked with feverish sweat, his cheeks stricken pale with only the faintest tinge of healthy ruddiness to them.
Evidencing his sorry condition, Piers didn’t even have the energy to flinch at his shouted name. He only let out a shaky groan in response, eyelids fluttering closed as he attempted to drift off into the realm of sleep once more. Burgess patted at his friend’s washed-out cheeks, eyes burning bright with worry. He hadn’t been there to see whatever caused Piers’ injury, but whatever it was, he looked utterly shattered.
A weight rested on Burgess’ right shoulder, and he turned and saw that it was Roland, the man’s steady hand on his shoulder and lightly-colored eyes boring into his own. He pulled Burgess aside with a small blink-and-you-miss-it shake of his head, giving Selena room to slip in and tend to their wounded. Turning, he found that the others had convened a small distance away, though they quieted at his approach.
Clearing his throat and leaning heavily to one side, Smith spoke first, “I think the lad will be sufficiently recovered by the end of our trip, with the right healing and so forth. But, seeing as we do not have much by way of medicines that isn’t with the sleds… he could develop some irreversible condition, Captain. We need to go back.”
Tell nodded, mulling over this piece of wisdom. Brandon stared at him, completely agog.
“But we’re so close!” he spluttered, alarmed by the very idea. “We can’t turn back now. I like Piers, but surely… surely there is some way to avoid having to abandon our current progress. The passage caved in, you saw it. It would set us back by hours, possibly a full day. We can’t…”
“I’d regret backtracking as much as you, sir astronomer, but I think I’d regret sitting back and letting my friend die a bit more,” said Burgess, gazing worriedly at the sleeping Piers. Selena was busy applying a damp cloth to his forehead, her own crinkled in concern. Even in sleep, the muscles of his face were wracked with tension, as if he was in great pain. This pointed glance did not go unnoticed by Brandon, of course, and he wilted in shame at even suggesting such a thing.
“Well, here’s an idea!” Jade said, pushing her way into the discussion with some well-placed elbows and an upbeat smile. “What if a few of us head back with Piers and get him the attention he needs, while the rest of us continue on ahead to find whatever it is you guys are looking for? Then we won’t have to make any sacrifices!”
Tell considered this for a moment, then nodded. He assumed a clipped, authoritative tone; a soldier through and through. “All-right. Smith, Burgess, Roland; take Piers back to where we left the sleds and look after him, for heaven’s sakes. We’ll damn well try to rejoin you within the next few hours, but if we don’t return after a full day, I expect you to make the return trip to Camelot without us.”
The captain moved to get down on his knees beside Piers, something which his creaky joints certainly wouldn’t thank him for later. He sighed quietly, and, so quietly that Selena was the only one able to pick out the individual words, began muttering something about ‘your ma is going to have my hide’ and ‘just hold on a little while longer, kid, we’ll get you out of this mess. I promise.’
Standing again, he turned to face the three men and clasped each of their hands in turn, his severely wrinkled face made softer by the raw emotion stirring in his eyes. “Stay safe, brothers.”
After they had separated, Brandon led what remained of their group down a decrepit staircase, and with a turn to the northeast they were descending even deeper within the ruin. They came across several sets of shelves lined with miscellaneous glass bottles and apparatuses, the murals scrawled over the walls realizing a heinous, disturbing quality the further they shuffled down the inclined passage. Barred windows and doors occasionally cropped up along the way, the metal bars covered in thick brownish orange rust, but nothing could be seen in the rooms beyond but impenetrable shadow. The ancient grates stalwartly refused to budge no matter how hard they were pushed against, though they creaked and groaned fiercely. Fly amanita with bright red caps and snowy spots squished under their boots, the mushrooms finding themselves unhappily disturbed after years of budding in the soundless gloom.
Once they had descended several small flights of stairs, they found that the way forward was blocked by a caved-in section of rock. The corner of a mostly rotted wooden door was barely visible over the edge of piles upon piles of toppled stone; Brandon huffed and sighed and grumbled, discouraged significantly by this unexpected problem.
But, it appeared that destiny hadn’t abandoned them just yet! While skipping about the narrow passage and tugging Becquerel along for the ride, Rebecca noticed a pretty string of ribbon hanging from the ceiling, braided through with daisies and the most beautiful-est strips of colored fabric that she had ever seen. Practically bursting with delight, she teetered forward and grabbed ahold of it, not even noticing that it felt cold and grainy to the touch, like rusted metal or a dead rat’s tail.
A harsh, drawn-out grating sound quaked through the passageway, scattered flurries of dust sprinkling from the ceiling as the formerly hidden stone door slid to the side. Jade turned and looked at Rebecca with wide eyes, noting the rusted chain still clutched in her grip and the powdery dust-flakes scattered in her hair.
“Yay, confetti! It’s a parade!” the Little Sister cheered, her tiny hands clapping together in delight. She spun to face the new doorway, nothing visible through it but gaping, void-like blackness, and was just barely stalled from entering by Bec latching onto the edge of her sleeve with his teeth. The wolf-dog gently tugged her away, giving the armed persons among their company time to investigate.
Captain Tell stepped into the threshold, hand coming up to rest on a long-unused iron brazier as he peered inside. There was a small, barren hallway there, the corner bent at a ninety degree angle and a gap leading to the east. With measured steps the company moved forward, footsteps and clothing rustling alongside the clinks of weapons in the dark. Silver ore and traces of quartz glistened all around the room and in the walls, several sarcophagi and long stone tables arranged in almost perfect symmetry so that the grotto formed a kind of grisly lecture theater. Dissection implements lay scattered across the tables, although whether or not they were freshly bloodied was difficult to say.
At the very center of the room was a wide, rounded pool. Its surface glistened as if it were lit by the light of the moon, though it remained deathly still with scarcely a ripple disturbing its sacred waters.
As they progressed further into the room with their weapons held at the ready, Jade found that her eyes simply couldn’t linger on anything else but that stupid pool. She simply couldn’t keep her eyes off it. It was this strange compulsion that drew her nearer to it, though she tried to skirt around the glowing water at a safe enough distance, even hip-checking one of the sarcophagi, she was so engrossed in her examination.
A hand with webbed fingers slapped against the sarcophagus’s edge, a flourish of tentacles the color of egg whites spilling over.
Jade screamed.
Still, it made Jade a little nervous to see the enormous subterranean creature bearing down on their company from above, the mass of tangles seeming to simply ooze over the steep rock precipice. It writhed outward like a dollop of sentient jelly and formed a peculiar contrast to the frozen, gleaming stones of the cavern walls around it, the bulging and palpitating stretches of ashen skin seeming like a human vivisection gone horribly wrong, limbs twitching and distended to unnatural lengths.
A sprinkling of shattered greenstone rained down from the cavern roof when the ghastly horrorterror screeched again. Jade staggered, eyes burning and an excruciating pain coursing through her skull like an axe blade was being violently jammed into it. She ticked her head to the side to meet Amber’s eyes, her pricked ears flicking in the direction of the wailing creature meaningfully; the slide of wet, dripping flesh against stone startled the baby hairs on the back of her neck into spiking up, a disgusted shudder convulsing down her spine.
A silent dialogue passed between the primes, the feline girl’s eyes catching alight with a feverish spark at whatever was communicated. Jade nodded, shoulders hunched and ears standing straight up— a hunting posture that Amber flawlessly echoed. The two fanned out on either side of the octopus-human hybrid, treading lightly as they set about assessing their target.
Tell jerked out of his surprised stupor, the grip on his sword tightening until his knuckles were a stark, bloodless white. “Roland, Burgess— with me,” the captain barked in a clipped, authoritative tone, already jogging briskly toward the creature, “Let’s try and stick it somewhere important! Smith, Selena— watch out for Brandon and see if your crossbows can give it something to chew on!”
Burgess being the younger of the two, Roland moved in first, the military precision of his strides giving him ample time to draw his weapon and search for the best angle to attack from. The boy soon sped up and settled alongside him, seeming worried.
Roland turned to meet his eyes and softened his gaze upon seeing the fear in them, raw and laid bare for all too see. Burgess suddenly remembered that the man had a family back at home, a wife, a daughter, and two sons, not one of the children more than six years old.
“For the Kingdom,” Roland said, patting him on the arm, “And all those who call it home.”
“For the Kingdom,” the boy echoed, recalling the sorry sight of Piers’ unconscious body, the crown of his head streaked with blood. And all those who call it home, and may never again.
It was even eerier up close. It seemed almost like a human body draped in a sheet, the eyes, mouth and nose straining fiercely against the thick, ash-white membrane, with the vertebral column arching outwards and holding small quantities of clear, trickling fluid. The limbs of this human-shaped form were stretched out like that of a sugar glider, rubbery strands linking them to its torso, but they were angled downward in such a way that it made it seem like the person was trying to get about on all fours, forming a bell tower-shaped mantle for the creature. A hulking mass of white muscle burst outward from its chest and ribcage, the bulk of the creature’s weight stemming from there and amalgamating into dozens of eager, wriggling octopod arms, suckers and all.
The three men took to hacking and slashing at its flailing appendages with great vigor; the stench of blood and salt soured the air, sweetening by degrees whenever a limb was sliced off from its bulk and the resulting spray of alien-colored gore splattered onto the ground. These limbs seemed to gain a life of their own, thrashing spiritedly about and resembling serpents with their heads freshly amputated, the suckers and piercing thorn-like barbs attached proving to be tremendously dangerous, indeed. The men took great pains to keep a safe distance, Tell’s sword waggling in the air like a lion tamer’s whip while the thrashing tentacles attempted to wrap wetly around the weapon and wrest it from his grip.
Gun heavy and burning with frigid cold in her hands, the Witch of Space pushed up her glasses, the lenses briefly flashing white with a slight change in the light, and in the blink of an eye she had zapped herself high into the air overhead, settling into a pattern of cranking out volley after volley of chilly magicks from above. Selena glanced at their makeshift eye in the sky, then over to where Amber was slowly stalking towards the creature. Their prime friends might just be of some use, she imagined, and then quickly abandoned that line of thought when she noticed Smith was still finding difficulty in even leveling a single shot at the thing with his crossbow, his sabre hand shaking violently.
As much as it pained her to acknowledge as much, her long-time friend couldn’t be of much help due to the severity of his injury. She would have to find a substitute and, luckily, she knew just the man for the job.
“Here,” she said to Brandon, snatching up Piers’ crossbow from the boy’s unconscious body and shoving it into the astronomer’s arms. When the dark-skinned man only stared uncomprehendingly at the weapon in his hands, she snorted. “Come on, Brandon, I’ve seen you drop a squirrel a field away. Let’s give this thing a few more holes to breathe through, eh?”
Mouth set into a determined line, Brandon bobbed his head in agreement, lining up a shot at the phlegmy stretch of skin and muscle where the creature’s limbs seemed to originate. Its shrieks were short, hissed out in tiny blasts of air like the piping of a flute, and while its body seemed soft as a sea slug, it was carved up into many segments, the sticky, gleaming limbs fanning out like the leaves of a fern to show off its flower-esque mandibles, dozens of pincer-like teeth clenching and spasming and—
Shink! Selena grunted in frustration as a bolt shot uselessly into the tangled morass of pale meat, the rust-brown stains on her clothing— Piers’ blood— flaking off as she reached back for another bolt. Brandon’s arrows had the same lack of desired effect. The thick barb of wood sank into the creature’s skin down to the stubby end, gelatinous liquid slurping out worse than infection, but it didn’t seem to bother it any more than a splinter might hurt his own hand.
Meanwhile, Amber stalked forward leisurely, Razorback completely forgotten for the time being. Her shoulders and spine loosened into something fluid and graceful, a silky layering of warm onyx fur sprouting from her skin with a sigh. Feather light footsteps marked her advance, smooth as if she were slinking through shallow water, and they continued to be just as silent after she broke into a full-tilt run.
Her hands flexed, the muscles contracting and loosening as newly-flourished claws glinted even in the darkness, wicked sharp. She then dropped down on all fours, whip-like tail swaying as her clawed toes sank into the frigid cavern floor and, with a dangerous elegance those gathered had never had the privilege of seeing before, threw herself into the heat of battle with a deafening yowl.
Her claws dug into the tentacles like meat hooks, sinewy flesh stringing out and flapping in useless strands of calamari. Flesh, not bone, never even a scrap of bone, was torn asunder by her rage, gelatinous fluids and bizarre organs the color of blackberry jam spilling out. She had taken on the form of a large black wildcat, the faint thumbprint-sized dapples of her fur coat shimmering like the scaled mail of a fish whenever she pitched to the side, cleverly angling her body to avoid one of her adversary’s thrashing arms.
Marlin silver tissues and chitin-like material scraped against her nails, trickles of lifeblood pooling into little metallic dewdrops that dribbled and pooled on the floor not unlike liquid mercury. The creature’s caustic blood splashed in her face, too hot and too cold at the same time, reeking worse than dead fish and pond scum combined. Amber spat in disgust and swiped it off with a large paw, bright catlike eyes glittering with her fury.
Jade observed as another of Selena and Brandon’s rounds met its mark, her eyes narrowing unfocusedly as her spacial sense attempted to lock onto the weakest, softest organs hidden inside, everything seeming like carved up meat by sight alone. It was like looking at the back of a human hand, knuckle-like protrusions and green veins twining into thick, sinewy appendages, but there was nothing contained within, just ugly pitch black slime and everything was wrong wrong wrong! The mantle cavity had something nestled deep inside, though. Its surface was hard and distinctly shaped, cushioned by the visceral mass around it. Like this creature had consumed something its digestive juices couldn’t quite destroy...
Her skin crawled as one wayward tentacle flagellated upwards, feeling blindly for her ankle. She impulsively snatched up a piece of sharp stone with a telekinetic jab and flung it into the thing’s gaping mouth. While she had fully expected the creature to immediately eject it with a wriggle of its strangely-curled tongue, she was completely floored when it did the polar opposite! The beak-shaped opening hiccupped and crunched on the rock, swallowing a moment later with some difficulty.
And just like that, Jade had an idea. A crazy, stupid idea (the very best of ideas, in her humble opinion), but an idea nonetheless.
Mind whirling, the dark-haired girl spun around, picking up another piece of debris. There were many other mouths peppering the creature’s body, splitting through in a clash of serrated edges in the oddest of places. With a carefully aimed toss, it, too, had joined the other rock in occupying the squid-thing’s stomach, though something about that one hard place in its mantle cavity still set her instincts on edge.
She grinned. If this plan worked, and there was very little doubt in her mind that it wouldn’t, this overgrown, demented squiddle wouldn’t be a nuisance to them for much longer.
Quick as a flash, she whipped up another rock and chucked it at the creature, the flying stone just barely missing Roland. Jade clapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. Oops! That was a seriously close call. If it meant not accidentally injuring her friends, Jade felt perfectly alright with zapping herself in a little nearer to the flagellating tentacles and mouths. So, she did— and what a grand time she had of it, too! She found that she could kick and punch the tentacles around with little repercussions, delighting in the apparently frustrated grabs the creature tried to make for her.
Fast fast fast— dodging was easy, nothing could catch her! The slurring, twisty shadow of a tendril passed over her limbs more times than she could count, but she always managed to bounce out of the way right before they could cinch tight and drag her down. She was even able to catch Burgess and place him on the ground again when the force from a particularly harsh blow sent him flying! All in all, things were going pretty smoothly, the rocks she’d loaded into the tentabeast’s belly really seeming to make it grow sluggish and tired. She smiled in triumph, spinning in a celebratory circle as she drifted in midair. Ten points to Gryffindor!
A sudden, violent swarm of tentacles rippled upward, seizing her firmly in their grasp. Jade gasped, heartbeat abruptly thundering in her ears; she only briefly struggled. With a hissing screech, the creature swung her around with all the strength of five professional wrestlers and let go, sending the girl flying through the air and into the cavern wall.
The solid rock there was pretty much mulched by the hit. Dust and shale floated downward, gusting furiously and getting jammed in Jade’s lungs as she coughed. It wracked through her body, harsh and painful. Rubble stirred beneath her as she tried to hoist herself into a sitting position, giving up a moment later when some stupid, throbbing drumbeat in her head refused to stop pounding.
Something like a touch fluttered over the inside of her wrist. Jade’s eyes flashed open. She hadn’t even realized they had fallen closed. She glanced blearily up from where she lay on the floor, vision spinning. Selena’s face swirled into view, tight with concern as she checked for a pulse, Brandon right behind. He seemed to be mouthing something to her, but Jade couldn’t quite make out what it was. Her ears were still ringing from that nasty crash!
“What?” she asked, and then jerked in surprise when she realized she couldn’t even hear her own voice. Uh oh.
Well, she supposed it only made sense that she might go a little deaf, what with all the eldritch abominations screeching in her ears all the goddamn time! But just because it made sense didn’t mean she had to like it, and she….. well, she totally didn’t. Not one stinking bit.
Clapping both hands over her ears, Jade smiled apologetically up at Selena and Brandon, both of whom seemed super worried. “Sorry. I can’t really, um, hear anything.”
There was a jerky rush of movement at her side as Selena laid down her bow, using a small knife to cut a strip of fabric lining Jade’s torso from her dress. The young girl’s eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, her hand coming up to fumble at her stomach; she could see rather than hear Brandon’s sharp intake of breath through his teeth. It was only then that she noticed her side felt… damp, like she’d fallen asleep in a rain shower, something that happened often enough on her old island home. Looking down, Jade could see what Selena was doing only halfway clearly, though her head spun a lot and she felt like she might puke any second.
Her entire side was soaked in blood, a shard of stone having impacted her side, near to her ribcage. The precise cut there glistened faintly with dark, bubbling red that seeped out at a snail’s pace, widening and growing more jagged the closer it drew to her spine. Jade was glad; it would have stunk to have to worry about it puncturing a vital organ, and if she could still feel all of her limbs she most likely wasn’t paralyzed. It was a tiny miracle, but a miracle nonetheless.
She thought Gamzee would be pleased about that, and tried not to wince too much when Selena set about closing up the wound with all the meticulousness of a seamstress. Miracles, indeed.
At length Jade could hear a teensy bit better, her senses having returned in trickles. Rebecca was sitting a few feet away, something she noticed after a while as Selena worked, Piers’ head in her lap with her dark dress puddling around his slack face like a halo. Shy relief unfolded in Jade’s chest like the petals of a flower. The Little Sister seemed to be…. singing, judging by the cheerfulness lighting up her eyes and the careful, patterned way her mouth formed around the words.
“Who watches over sleeping angels? I do, I do…”
Yes, that’s what it is, Jade thought. Singing.
Her eyes narrowed suddenly, attempting to focus on the blur of writhing shapes behind the little girl, but her eyesight kept getting all swirly. Where was Bec? She attempted to widen her senses to find him, but found that she was blocked. Even her sense of Space felt all whacky, like a pocket of void had opened inside her head and sucked everything that was good and right in her understanding of the world out. Had she blacked out or something…? Ugh, even trying to remember stuff from a few seconds ago hurt.
Selena helped her stagger to her feet after firmly gripping onto her shoulders, the woman’s voice still oscillating in and out of Jade’s range of hearing. The young witch blinked wearily, scrubbing a few chunks of rock out of her energetic curls. White stars flashed in her eyes as she tried to stay on her feet, the queasiness just about knocking her on her butt, “Sorry, what was that?”
“I said,” Selena repeated, though she seemed more concerned than annoyed by having to do so, “Are you alright? You took quite a hit there. Don’t worry, Amber’s been keeping that thing occupied pretty well in your stead, though your hellbeast leapt in as soon as you were knocked out….” She still kept a careful hold on Jade’s arm, peering warily into her face. “Will you be able to continue on in this state?”
“Uh?” Jade asked, seeming to snap out of a daze. She recognized that she hadn’t fully comprehended any of what Selena had just said. Her tongue darted out to moisten her dry lips, voice cracking when she spoke again. “Uh-huh. Yeah, I’m good!”
Brandon, who was also in on the interrogation, seemed doubtful. “You are sure?”
“Sure I’m sure!” Jade twittered, though the bell-like sibilance of her words fell short when she winced.
Ouch. Being her usual sunny self hurt, too.
Sucking in a deep breath, she whistled twice in quick succession. Becquerel appeared at her side in a crackle of static, oily blood slicking down the front of his pelt from where it had dribbled out from the corners of his mouth. He cocked his head at her, muzzle clamped shut and his eyeless face staring up into hers.
She shut her eyes. She could remember, now. The tentacled creature tossing her, the force of the throw seeming to take control of her own body from her. An electric-green pulse, the usually steady thrum of rapid fire static that defined the First Guardian’s presence slamming into a full-on nuclear snarl as Becquerel went on the assault. Her head smacking against cruel, hard stone.
“Good dog,” she muttered woozily, smoothing down his ears with the palm of her hand. She always felt stronger with Bec at her side. “Best friend.”
Bec nosed wetly at her hand, licking his chops in agreement. Yes. He was a good dog, AND Jade’s best friend. How could anyone who knew them think otherwise?
Reopening her eyes, Jade smiled at the white-furred hound, and then turned to survey the fray taking place a short distance away from them. She watched as Brandon and Selena shot twin spikes of wood into the horrorterror’s bulk, Smith following up a moment later with a sloppier, but accurate enough hit. He seemed about dead on his feet, the concussive hit to his head probably giving him hell even as he refused to give up. Jade understood completely.
Sharp sounds and hideous gurgling noises echoed around the ruin’s depths, Tell directing Roland and Burgess around and trusting his other soldiers not to accidentally shoot him in the back. They formed a cohesive front against the heaping tentacle-mound, haring off to help one another out whenever the flagellating onslaught became a bit much for one man. The creature wiggled like a massive caramel flan as they struck with their blades, aiming to kill but never really succeeding. It was a little disheartening, a little embarrassing, sort of maddening…. but mostly embarrassing.
Spitting and hissing in a flurry of claws and black fur, Amber pivoted expertly around the cavern, sinking her teeth and claws into any tentacle brave enough to wriggle close to her whenever she had a chance to. Her clever eyes flashed like fiery rubies and raked over the convolutedly structured body of her enemy, her toes pouncing, seizing and tackling with a predator’s voracity as the paste-colored limbs tried to strangle her.
Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time until the many-angled creature determined how to get the drop on her. And it did, quite literally, get the drop on her when it plopped much of its tangled weight over her body with a soupy glorp!, effectively concealing the— now frenziedly struggling— panther from view.
The thing wasn’t brainless. Jade would ordinarily have felt a modicum of remorse at this fact, but something about the way Amber was so suddenly tucked away and out of sight made her see red. Because Amber was one of her own. A friend. And Jade wasn’t about to let one of her friends, even the giant panther ones, get eaten.
Jade raised her hand, focusing on the dozen or so hard shapes nestled within that writhing, squishy mass, greenish energy crackling along her joints and her face the picture of serenity. Then, her hand clenched into a fist.
Abruptly, the creature jerked to a halt, a sound similar to the bowel movements of a giant grumbling out and reverberating through the cavern. All of its appendages crumpled defensively inward, like how a spider set on fire with a matchstick curls in on its blackened, charred body. Dozens of little holes rippled along its sides, the high-pitched whistle of trapped air being released streaking out. It gave a short, garbled shriek of wordless agony—a sound that was swiftly broken off as it exploded.
Chunks of meat splorched onto the ground, hailing in a brief shower of acidic juices. Rocks clunked onto the ground, as well, the ones Jade had so viciously ripped out from its stomach moments ago, reeking of putrification and slicked over with sickly yellow-green secretions.
Jade smiled, arm falling back against her injured side. Bec nosed at it, whining so quietly that it was almost inaudible, but after she had brushed him away a few times he was perfectly content to trot over and sit by Rebecca, snuffling noisily into the little girl’s hair.
Captain Tell looked around at the stinking pile that was all that remained of their adversary. He and the other soldiers were fairly battered, their weapons lowered only slightly as they watched for any stray movements that would indicate the creature was anything other than dead as a doornail. When it didn’t budge an inch for several long moments, Tell snorted. He’d figured it wouldn’t be moving again, judging by the amount of bloody gore splattered in his hair.
Something glinted in the midst of the decimated corpse. Nudging aside a tightly coiled tendril with his foot, the captain carefully trudged through what could have very well been a minefield of hidden glands and organs not utterly pulverized by Jade punching at least twenty rocks through its ugly hide. A veiny skein of intestinal lining clung to the small, octagonal object as he wrested it free, the flexible membrane snapping back and plopping in the soup-like carnage. It felt strangely warm to the touch, likely fixed at body temperature from being inside the abomination’s stomach for so long. Frowning, Tell gripped the octagon tightly between his fingers and marched out, stopping a moment to help Amber climb to her feet.
With the great amount of questionable fluids soaking into her clothes and hair, the faunus seemed almost as if she had been half-drowned before he fished her out. There was still a primal fierceness in her eyes when outside of her panther form, though it seemed a touch dulled, like the last embers of a campfire when dawn finally arrives, soaking the sky and earth in a purplish-gold haze. She hacked and coughed up bits of tissue that were too greenish to be her own, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the rancid mess littered around them.
“That was fun. Let’s never do that again,” Amber croaked out, wiping the vinegary taste of blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. She squinted at the captain, feline ears twitching. “What the hell even happened? It felt like someone set off a bomb in there.”
Tell jerked his head over his shoulder at where Jade stood with Brandon and the rest. Selena was glancing over at them, paying only half a mind to Smith while he appeared to be reenacting whatever Jade had done for the others’ benefit. A shout of “Boom!” could be heard, stirring a wave of applause from Roland and Burgess. Jade reddened, smiling that easy buck-toothed grin of hers.
The old captain gave a small smile, but it was short-lived. He seemed so very old and grey in that moment, rubbing a coarse hand over the wrinkles etched into his forehead with a sigh. “I wouldn’t doubt it if someone did, but I’m not entirely sure myself, kid. Ask Harley when you have the time. Right now, what we’ve got to worry about is this,” he held up the octagonal lump. “It could be a clue as of to where what we’re looking for is.”
Amber peered at the shiny metal object in his hand with a critical eye. She even inched forward a bit, nostrils flaring as she sniffed. Finally, having finished her inspection, she fixed him with a sideways stare. “In an old ruin like this? It’s a puzzle piece... or a key of some kind. Hell, it might just be a cool doohickey that squid-thing saw fit to swallow! It would be a good idea to hold onto it, though, it might come in handy.”
“Right, that’s what I thought.” Tell nodded, tucking the piece into his coat for safe-keeping. After he had ascertained that the cat girl was mostly able to move about without trouble, the two of them moved to rejoin the others. They had scarcely come within three paces of the group when Piers abruptly jerked awake, clutching feebly at his head with a miserable whimper after moving too fast too soon.
“Piers!” Burgess exclaimed, dropping to his knees beside his fallen comrade. The previously unconscious boy’s forehead was streaked with feverish sweat, his cheeks stricken pale with only the faintest tinge of healthy ruddiness to them.
Evidencing his sorry condition, Piers didn’t even have the energy to flinch at his shouted name. He only let out a shaky groan in response, eyelids fluttering closed as he attempted to drift off into the realm of sleep once more. Burgess patted at his friend’s washed-out cheeks, eyes burning bright with worry. He hadn’t been there to see whatever caused Piers’ injury, but whatever it was, he looked utterly shattered.
A weight rested on Burgess’ right shoulder, and he turned and saw that it was Roland, the man’s steady hand on his shoulder and lightly-colored eyes boring into his own. He pulled Burgess aside with a small blink-and-you-miss-it shake of his head, giving Selena room to slip in and tend to their wounded. Turning, he found that the others had convened a small distance away, though they quieted at his approach.
Clearing his throat and leaning heavily to one side, Smith spoke first, “I think the lad will be sufficiently recovered by the end of our trip, with the right healing and so forth. But, seeing as we do not have much by way of medicines that isn’t with the sleds… he could develop some irreversible condition, Captain. We need to go back.”
Tell nodded, mulling over this piece of wisdom. Brandon stared at him, completely agog.
“But we’re so close!” he spluttered, alarmed by the very idea. “We can’t turn back now. I like Piers, but surely… surely there is some way to avoid having to abandon our current progress. The passage caved in, you saw it. It would set us back by hours, possibly a full day. We can’t…”
“I’d regret backtracking as much as you, sir astronomer, but I think I’d regret sitting back and letting my friend die a bit more,” said Burgess, gazing worriedly at the sleeping Piers. Selena was busy applying a damp cloth to his forehead, her own crinkled in concern. Even in sleep, the muscles of his face were wracked with tension, as if he was in great pain. This pointed glance did not go unnoticed by Brandon, of course, and he wilted in shame at even suggesting such a thing.
“Well, here’s an idea!” Jade said, pushing her way into the discussion with some well-placed elbows and an upbeat smile. “What if a few of us head back with Piers and get him the attention he needs, while the rest of us continue on ahead to find whatever it is you guys are looking for? Then we won’t have to make any sacrifices!”
Tell considered this for a moment, then nodded. He assumed a clipped, authoritative tone; a soldier through and through. “All-right. Smith, Burgess, Roland; take Piers back to where we left the sleds and look after him, for heaven’s sakes. We’ll damn well try to rejoin you within the next few hours, but if we don’t return after a full day, I expect you to make the return trip to Camelot without us.”
The captain moved to get down on his knees beside Piers, something which his creaky joints certainly wouldn’t thank him for later. He sighed quietly, and, so quietly that Selena was the only one able to pick out the individual words, began muttering something about ‘your ma is going to have my hide’ and ‘just hold on a little while longer, kid, we’ll get you out of this mess. I promise.’
Standing again, he turned to face the three men and clasped each of their hands in turn, his severely wrinkled face made softer by the raw emotion stirring in his eyes. “Stay safe, brothers.”
After they had separated, Brandon led what remained of their group down a decrepit staircase, and with a turn to the northeast they were descending even deeper within the ruin. They came across several sets of shelves lined with miscellaneous glass bottles and apparatuses, the murals scrawled over the walls realizing a heinous, disturbing quality the further they shuffled down the inclined passage. Barred windows and doors occasionally cropped up along the way, the metal bars covered in thick brownish orange rust, but nothing could be seen in the rooms beyond but impenetrable shadow. The ancient grates stalwartly refused to budge no matter how hard they were pushed against, though they creaked and groaned fiercely. Fly amanita with bright red caps and snowy spots squished under their boots, the mushrooms finding themselves unhappily disturbed after years of budding in the soundless gloom.
Once they had descended several small flights of stairs, they found that the way forward was blocked by a caved-in section of rock. The corner of a mostly rotted wooden door was barely visible over the edge of piles upon piles of toppled stone; Brandon huffed and sighed and grumbled, discouraged significantly by this unexpected problem.
But, it appeared that destiny hadn’t abandoned them just yet! While skipping about the narrow passage and tugging Becquerel along for the ride, Rebecca noticed a pretty string of ribbon hanging from the ceiling, braided through with daisies and the most beautiful-est strips of colored fabric that she had ever seen. Practically bursting with delight, she teetered forward and grabbed ahold of it, not even noticing that it felt cold and grainy to the touch, like rusted metal or a dead rat’s tail.
A harsh, drawn-out grating sound quaked through the passageway, scattered flurries of dust sprinkling from the ceiling as the formerly hidden stone door slid to the side. Jade turned and looked at Rebecca with wide eyes, noting the rusted chain still clutched in her grip and the powdery dust-flakes scattered in her hair.
“Yay, confetti! It’s a parade!” the Little Sister cheered, her tiny hands clapping together in delight. She spun to face the new doorway, nothing visible through it but gaping, void-like blackness, and was just barely stalled from entering by Bec latching onto the edge of her sleeve with his teeth. The wolf-dog gently tugged her away, giving the armed persons among their company time to investigate.
Captain Tell stepped into the threshold, hand coming up to rest on a long-unused iron brazier as he peered inside. There was a small, barren hallway there, the corner bent at a ninety degree angle and a gap leading to the east. With measured steps the company moved forward, footsteps and clothing rustling alongside the clinks of weapons in the dark. Silver ore and traces of quartz glistened all around the room and in the walls, several sarcophagi and long stone tables arranged in almost perfect symmetry so that the grotto formed a kind of grisly lecture theater. Dissection implements lay scattered across the tables, although whether or not they were freshly bloodied was difficult to say.
At the very center of the room was a wide, rounded pool. Its surface glistened as if it were lit by the light of the moon, though it remained deathly still with scarcely a ripple disturbing its sacred waters.
As they progressed further into the room with their weapons held at the ready, Jade found that her eyes simply couldn’t linger on anything else but that stupid pool. She simply couldn’t keep her eyes off it. It was this strange compulsion that drew her nearer to it, though she tried to skirt around the glowing water at a safe enough distance, even hip-checking one of the sarcophagi, she was so engrossed in her examination.
A hand with webbed fingers slapped against the sarcophagus’s edge, a flourish of tentacles the color of egg whites spilling over.
Jade screamed.
Quote:27,615/27,000
Jade used Becquerel (Tier 2 Assist – 10 stats – 2 SP per post).
Amber used Panther (Alt-form) - 2000, but changed back later on. The company is now Brandon, Selena, Jade, Amber, Tell, Rebecca and Bec. Roland, Burgess, Smith and Piers have returned to the first antechamber!
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Gamzee Makara Wrote:S’aight. After all, dogs have a tendency to motherfuckin’ bite.