Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet & Clank just the words below.
A new catagory for my 80th fic! Hope you like!
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Rusty Pete's warning about the structural integrity of the cavern came as quickly as a certain lombax took to admit he was wrong about his latest engineering feat. When the dust finally settled the three explorers immediately took notice of the once open gate which had now divided them.
"You okay, Tal?" Ratchet asked peering through the bars to see if she was alright.
"I'm fine" The markazian replied despite feeling a little shaken from the prospect of nearly being buried alive.
Relieved that his friend was uninjured, Ratchet focused his intellect on the broken gate between them. Had he not lost his weapons, specifically his fusion grenade glove or alpha disruptor cannon, he could have removed the gate no problem. Seeing as how they were now probably floating somewhere in the Azorean Sea, he had no choice but to rely on Rusty Pete and the decapitated head of one of his recent enemies stuck on a pike.
"Ratchet, I'll try to find a way out of here" Talwyn suggested noticing the furrowed look Ratchet was sporting. "Just promise we'll leave this place together, okay?"
"I promise" Ratchet instantly replied he had already lost one friend which he was trying to find and he was not wanting to lose another one.
Despite the seriousness of the situation she was in, Talwyn could not help but smile at his words.
"Thanks, Ratchet" She said softly suddenly feeling more assured before turning round and heading down the dark cavern towards who knows where.
"Lombax and markazian, sittin in a tree, k-i-s-s...s-i-n-hic!" Came Rusty Pete's fading voice as she rounded a corner and headed deeper into the caverns thankful that it was dark and not a soul about to see her blush.
She had no idea when she started harbouring feelings for the lombax but Talwyn was certain that said feelings had cemented themselves when he freed her from Zordoom prison albeit with the help of Clank and his supposedly imaginary friends the Zoni. She did not know however if Ratchet harboured any feelings for her in return.
She also did not know how long she had spent wandering the caverns until she noticed some sort of green smoke or fog suddenly starting to spread throughout the cavern floor like water that seemed to be glowing covering the walls in a creepy green light.
"Ratchet, what's happening?" Talwyn said into her communicator whilst simultaneously drawing her combuster, unlike Ratchet she had made sure to secure her arsenal before they were shot out of the canon. "There's green smoke everywhere and…"
Talwyn stopped short when she noticed a particularly large clump of green smoke suddenly floated down from out of a crevice high above her then suddenly exploded to reveal what she could only describe as the ghosts of space pirates.
'Tal! Head back to entrance!' She heard Ratchet yell over the communicator as he fought what she presumed was several of the ghostly beings himself. 'I'll see you there!'
As much as Talwyn wanted to ask him what was going on, she knew him well enough to know that if something strange or bad happened within the Lombax's vicinity he was usually at its epicentre. The markazian activated her jetpack and shot back the way she came staying high enough so to avoid the ectoplasmic beings.
She had almost reached the blocked off gate when the ground ahead of her exploded as a pythor erupted from underground forcing her to swerve to avoid the pyracidic saliva spewing from the creature's open maw. Firing at the creature whilst darting about to avoid the molten blobs of burning acidic mucus the creature was throwing up at her, Talwyn attempted to manoeuvre round the pythor towards the exit only to have the creature cut her off or snap dangerously close at her tail forcing her to veer away.
"Hey, big guy!" A familiar voice yelled from behind the pythor.
Talwyn gained altitude in order to see her savior despite already knowing that it was Ratchet coming to her rescue. She quickly moved further away from the pythor as Ratchet lobbed a well-timed fusion grenade at the creature going straight into its mouth before it could spit at him. The resulting explosion made the pythor's thick skin swell like a balloon before deflating and collapsing back into the hole it had come out of.
With the threat eliminated, Talwyn flew down to where Ratchet was waiting for her and immediately engulfed him in a hug. The startled lombax was grateful his fur concealed his blush as he briefly hugged her back before pulling out of it.
"I take it you're okay?" He asked tentatively.
Talwyn nodded unable to hold back the smile blemishing her face. "I knew you'd keep your promise!"
Ratchet gave the markazian a lopsided smile before grabbing her hand and running towards the cavern exit where their transport ship should hopefully still be parked mentioning something about Slag and Pete heading towards Hoolefar Island. He could not help but notice how natural her hand fitted in his own as well as hope that, once they found Clank, he might be able to start something with her.
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Hope that was okay. I'll try & post more when I get the chance.
Review if possible & 'til next time
Watch this omnispace & peace out!
