Pearl and Ruby didn't have to go far into the dark to find the source. They were unsure as to how large the Cavern actually was, its dimensions were obscured by the darkness and felt as though they were constantly changing. But they hadn't needed to go far to find what they were looking for.
In fact, they themselves nearly stumbled into it by accident. The ground dipped sharply and descended into a conical pit. Pearl lost her balance and fell forwards. Sliding down the Gravel a short distance. Before them the pit descended a good distance, ending in a pool of liquid. It appeared a pale, sallow yellow, emitting an unhealthy and eerie glow. The stench of resin wafted through the air.
"What do you think that is?" Ruby asked
"I'm not sure." Pearl said "But after taking a bath in that horrid black mess before, I'm not inclined to find out."
A low whining howl echoed from across the pit. It was followed by the scraping of gravel. Pearl took that as her cue to hide. She quickly turned tail and scrambled back up the pit with Ruby. She crested the edge and dove behind a nearby boulder. She peered cautiously over the boulder and across the pit.
"I don't see anything." Ruby said
"I'm having trouble myself." Pearl agreed "But we don't want to get too close…there!"
Pearl pointed towards the opposite edge of the Pit. It was hard for either her or Ruby to make out what was occurring, but it was impossible to not notice the amber colored orbs that danced in the Darkness, descending into the pit.
"What is that?" Pearl asked
"I think it's one of the other creature-things I told you about."
Another whining howl echoed from the darkness. Pearl had some difficulty pinning it down, but it sounded like it was coming from near the creature. The light the Orbs were giving off wasn't quite strong enough to see what was going on. Pearl was hesitant to shine her light down at the pit, getting noticed now would only make things more complicated.
The howling continued and the sounds of a struggle could be heard. The Orbs shifted strangely and the struggling was silenced.
The Orbs approached the glowing pool. The light of the pool began to illuminate the creature. A reptilian head connected to the two orbs. They seemed fixated on the pool. Pearl shuddered in repulsion to the creature. Behind it though, just barely out of range for the glow to reach, was another of the wolves. It lay on the ground, paws dug into the gravel as it desperately anchored itself against the creature that held them against its will.
"That thing is hideous." Pearl cringed
"Yea, but at least you haven't had to fight one."
The creature turned its head back to the wolf. A pained yelp could be heard as the creature bit into the wolf. With little effort, the creature whipped its head around and hurled the wolf into the air and into the pool. It collided with the surface and sank slowly into it. The liquid was thick, shifting and moving more like tar or tree sap than water.
The Wolf struggled against the liquid as it sank, Howling and whining as it whipped frantically about. Pearl watched as the wolf's movements began to slow as it sank deeper. Something about the wolf was changing, it appeared to be shrinking. The pool appeared too shallow for a creature the size of the wolf to sink into it. Pearl looked closer and realized why. The wolf wasn't sinking. It was dissolving.
Small ripples of light arced across what was still visible of the wolf. As it sank, the arcs traveled faster, removing and dismissing the light from the corruption's body. Soon the howling ceased. All that remained of the wolf was its gem, just barely staying afloat on the pool before sinking silently into it.
"What… was that!?" Ruby whispered in confusion
"I don't know!" Pearl whispered back, just as confused.
The pool began to bubble and steam violently. A sickly yellow paw thrust itself from the pool and onto the surrounding Gravel. From the pool rose a new being. It thrust a second paw from the pool and began to drag itself further. A pair of hind legs followed, pushing the new creature from the pool. Its body was amorphous, an incoherent mixture of bulbous shapes and limbs coated in the glowing liquid. A mouth materialized on one end and began to force itself forward, drawing from the incoherent mass and giving it form. The creature stretched and shaped itself. A crude tail pulled itself from the slowly refining mass. The liquid began to spread throughout the form, oozing and dripping forth into the gravel. The shapes began to congeal themselves. The creature was not as bulky as the wolf it had once been, yet it held its size. Fine, thread thin strands began to descend from the creature, covering much of it. The glow began to vanish from its newly formed skin, remaining only faintly beneath its fur. Above its maw two beacons of light shone intensely. The creature shook itself and loosed a bloodcurdling roar.
Pearl and Ruby watched on in stunned, slightly horrified, silence. Their presence thus far unnoticed. The wolf lunged at the reptilian corruption. The reptile snapped its jaws at the wolf. The wolf dipped past them and bit into the reptile's neck, ripping and tearing into it. The reptile swatted at the wolf with its massive arms, knocking the canid corruption away. The wolf frothed at the mouth, growling and snapping its jaws at the reptile. The reptile gave a hissing growl and glared back.
Across the pit and in the Darkness, the screech of metal and stone colliding resounded. A shaft of light laid itself out on the dark cavern. A doorway into the cavern had opened itself. Dullard strode through it, carried by their dozens of arms. The many amber eyes that littered its arms glowed in the darkness. A high pitched ringing began to pierce the air.
The first to take action was the wolf. They bounded up the side of the pit, frothing and panting. They skittered to a stop on the gravel a short distance away from dullard. They snapped their jaws and made a barking noise at Dullard. Dullard paid them no true attention.
They reached out and grabbed the wolf. Slamming it into a wall behind them. Hard.
The wolf whined pitifully as the ringing continued. Slowly the Reptilian corruption rose from the pit and joined Dullard. They made no hostile actions or motions towards the white and green being. It was joined by others of its kind, cautiously bringing themselves from the darkness. There were but four of them in total. The ringing ceased and Dullard turned back towards the door.
"Fol…low" They growled weakly.
The reptilian creatures followed Dullard into the light, disappearing through the doorway as it ground shut. Darkness blanketed the cavern once more.
"… Ruby?" Pearl asked
"Yea pearl?"
"… I don't think Sapphire is here."
"I feel like agreeing with you."
"I don't think Amethyst is either."
"Yep."
"You want to just try and get out of here?"
"Totally."
*Back in the Present*
"It shouldn't be too much further." Zeke said as he pushed aside some dead undergrowth, holding it for the rest of the group. "It should be just up ahead."
"Why are we doing this?" Amethyst asked grumpily, Tromping through the snow past Zeke. Since reforming she'd once again changed her clothing, now sporting a hoodie, yoga pants, and a stripped button up. It was an odd combination. "I get that you got us going to Wilmingmore now, But I don't get how that helps us."
"Like I said before, heading there is safer and easier than Charm City. Plus, I might be able to lend you guys a hand, trust me."
"It better be." Amethyst said "I'm not feeling in a trusty mood."
Steven, Connie, and Peridot followed close after her. Steven and Connie had been feeling better after their short rest, they no longer felt like keeling over or taking overly long snow naps. Amethyst and Peridot shone lights from their gems to guide their way through the darkness. Dawn was still a few hours off.
"Easy, Purple Nurple" Zeke said, letting the brush return to normal "I already told you I'm trying to fix that."
Amethyst glared at Zeke. "My name is Amethyst."
"I know, but don't you have a nickname or something?"
"It's just Amethyst."
"Seriously? Did Bismuth not give you a nickname when you met her?"
Steven interrupted, confused "I don't think so. She called her 'Deep Cut' a few times, but that's about it. Why?"
"No reason really, we had a contest going to see who could make better nicknames for everyone."
"That sounds like fun, who won?"
"…Bismuth."
"No kidding." Amethyst said sarcastically
"By a landslide and a half. But I still try anyway, it gets awkward saying full names after a while."
"Can we please just keep moving?" Peridot groaned
"As you wish Little Green. Just a little further."
The troupe trudged through the snow at Zeke's direction. They weren't sure where he was leading them, but also had little option but to follow him. The group came to an odd clearing. It was unnatural compared to those they'd passed through before. Particularly so since it was a distance of perhaps thirty feet across and stretched for miles in every other direction. A large set of steel tracks swept through the middle. Zeke stumbled through the snow to them, knelt and placed a hand on one. Satisfied, he rose and turned to the group.
"We got one coming, perfect timing." Zeke said
"Are those train tracks?" Steven asked
"Yep."
"Are we going to take that the rest of the way?"
"Perceptive." Zeke smirked "It won't take us the entire way, but I know there's a railyard just outside of Wilmingmore. Assuming the train is heading…"
Zeke looked up at the sky. The clouds of the snowstorm still blanketed it, but some of the starry sky was beginning to poke through.
"… Let's say north east? We should get close enough to have a cab take us for the last stretch."
"You never did clarify where it is we're going." Connie interjected
"A place I have set up in WIlmingmore for situations like this."
"You mean you make a habit out of helping runaways?" Amethyst asked
"What? No, I mean when I'm in the area and I need a place to stay."
"Oh so you have another Shack full of boxed gems in Wilmingmore."
"Uh… kinda, sorta?"
"Ok, so you really are a hobo then, got it."
Zeke looked at Amethyst confused and Slightly annoyed. "What? I'm not a hobo."
"Are we about to hitch a ride on a train?"
"Well, yes-"
"Do you live out of shacks and cardboard boxes?"
"Technically-"
"Then you're a hobo!"
"I'm not a hobo!" Zeke shouted indignantly
"Well by definition-" Connie added innocently "- you actually are a hobo."
"OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!" Amethyst hooted "Get schooled!"
Zeke sighed heavily and looked at Connie. "I'm not mad. You at least know your definitions, so I can't be mad."
"What's a hobo?" Peridot asked
"Basically a migrant worker who doesn't have a set home." Connie explained "They go from place to place seeking work."
"Sounds tiring."
"Like you wouldn't believe." Zeke agreed "Now focus and listen. I don't think any of you have experience getting on a moving train, So you're going to have to pay attention, be careful and follow the instructions I give you."
"It's not that serious." Amethyst shrugged "We just find an open car and hop in. Easy and done."
Zeke stared at Amethyst. "What kind of wacky cartoon do you live in?"
"One where I'm arguing with a hobo about how to get on a train."
Zeke was slowly getting more annoyed with Amethyst.
"To be fair Mr. Zeke-" Steven spoke "Me and Amethyst have ridden on a train before- and it was that easy."
Zeke stayed silent for a moment. "… Well I'm not sure where or when you did that. But most trains, especially ones running at 3 AM in the middle of a snowstorm, will keep their cars locked up tighter than a drum."
"So? We just open one up."
"How do you plan on doing that when the train is moving at 30 to 40 miles an hour?"
"I dunno." Amethyst said with a shrug "I'm just winging it."
"… have you ever been hit by a train?"
"No, why?"
"Have you ever been run over by a train?"
"Again, why?"
"Because I don't think you'd survive it without going poof. That's two hundred plus tons of steel coming down the tracks, very few things can take a hit like that."
"So? I go poof, get back up, and keep walking; No big deal."
"Yea, but I'm not worried about you." Zeke motioned over to Steven and Connie. "I'm worried about them."
"…Us?" Steven asked
"Yes, you two." Zeke motioned over to Amethyst and Peridot "These two will just get poofed if they get hit or fall off. You two though? You two won't poof, Humans don't poof. They go squish."
A few dark images floated through Steven and Connie's heads of what that meant. They were messy and red.
"- Or splat, crunch, or squick. Honestly there's a whole list of onomatopoeias for that."
"Well how do you expect us to handle it then Mr. Hobo?"
Zeke glared at Amethyst for a moment, then looked away contemplating. Apparently not actually having thought of a way to actually get aboard.
"If you don't have a plan I'mma just wing it." Amethyst reiterated
"Maybe the clod can't think of one without sacrificing somebody." Peridot grumbled under her breath
"I heard that, Little Green!" Zeke shouted
"Stop calling me 'Little Green', Clod!"
"Fine! I'll think of something else later!"
"Do you have plan yet?" Amethyst asked
"No!"
"Guys! Guys!" Steven shouted "This isn't helping!"
Zeke glared at Steven, startling him. Zeke took notice of that and quickly took a deep breath, trying to regain their composure.
"Sorry. Sorry." Zeke sighed "But I got nothing and I know if we don't catch this train we'll be walking the rest of the way."
"I think I have something." Connie interjected
Everyone turned their attention towards Connie.
"You do?" Zeke asked
"Well, kind of a plan anyway. I'm kind of adapting something I read in a book, so it's not a whole plan. Just an idea or two"
"Hey, it's better than anything we got right now." Amethyst assured
"Alright." Zeke agreed "What you got in mind? We're all ears."
*10 argument and preparation filled minutes later*
"This is a terrible idea." Zeke said, sitting cross-legged on a massively oversized shield Steven had created. "This is a terrible idea and I'm already regretting going along with it."
"Please have some faith." Connie asked "It's going to work just fine."
The massive shield laid face first in the snow, Steven sitting in the center. He hugged Amethyst tight as she sat in front of him, whip ready. Peridot held him from behind with Zeke sandwiching them together, Connie gripped the back of Zeke's coat with a death grip.
"Connie on a scale of one to kindling, what book inspired this plan?" Zeke asked
"Overneath the Underworld." Connie said confidently
"You got the idea from a children's book?" Zeke asked, a pang of unease in their voice.
"It's not a children's book." Connie huffed "It's a young adult novel."
"I don't remember Lisa doing something like this." Steven said
"It was at that boring part in the middle of the book. She and Archimicarus couldn't fly fast enough to cross the ocean of wailing sorrows without getting tired. So they tied onto a giant fire bat and flew the rest of the distance."
"I'm having second thoughts about this plan." Zeke added again "You think we could come up with something else?"
"Nope, no time, look."
No one had to. They could all hear the train coming from miles away, as it drew closer the sound only grew more thunderous. The steel behemoth rolled past them on its iron rails, kicking up snow and ice in all directions with its tail wind.
"Ready!?" Amethyst shouted over the noise
"Just get it over with!" Zeke shouted
The train thundered past them, the last car just passing by when amethyst lashed her whip. The limber weapon unfurled itself before recoiling around the lone coupling that hung at the end of the car. With a violent jolt the group and their shield-sled were dragged from the side and toward the rails. Following another violent jolt and bucking, the sled became bound and guided by the rails. Sparks flew and the angry hiss of scraping metal filled the already deafening air. The sled bucked and shook violently, Steven felt as though his teeth were about to rattle out of his head.
"This is fun!" Amethyst shouted sarcastically
"Pull us closer!" Connie shouted
"Already on it!"
Amethyst gripped her whip tight and pulled it towards herself, wrapping the slack around her elbow and forearm. The sled began inching closer to the box car.
"Any chance you can speed this up?" Peridot asked "I find this position exceedingly uncomfortable."
"I'm… working… on it." Amethyst grunted.
"Well can you work a little faster?" Peridot continued, raising her arms "I really don't like the smell of- Whoa!"
The Sled suddenly raced towards the car. Eclipsing Amethyst's whip and almost driving them face first into the coupling.
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Peridot continued to shout, moving her hands to cover her face
The sled suddenly began to slow, backing away from the rear car. Amethyst quickly grabbed the coupling and gripped it tight. The sled maintained its distance to the car.
"How did we… what?" Zeke asked
"Long story" Steven said "Short version: Peridot has magnetic powers."
"…cool. Wish I'd known that sooner."
"Well now you do." Amethyst said "What's next Connie?"
"We should try getting on the roof." Connie said "Maybe we can find a hatch into one of the cars. Let me just-"
Connie shakily rose to her feet on the sled, trying to keep her balance as it continued to grind behind the train. She carefully began to shimmy along the edge of the shield and around the others, using them as handholds as she went. She looked at the rear of the box car. A short distance to the left of the coupling was a metal ladder, welded to the walls of the car.
"Careful." Zeke said as Connie passed to the front. "If you get up there, watch the wind and ice. Last thing you want is to fall."
"Hadn't even crossed my mind." Connie said with a smile
Connie balanced herself at the front of the shield and stared at the back of the box car. She sized the distance between herself and the ladder. She could tell it was too far for her to jump safely. If she had more room then maybe, but the shield was too small. Connie reached out to the coupling instead. She gripped it with both of her hands and foisted herself onto it. It shook and rattled as the train continued on, balancing was nearly impossible. But Connie found it and waited. She waited until the train smoothed enough for her take make a jump. When it came, she sprang. For a moment she was weightless in the air. Then gravity took her and she collided with the ladder. Her hands and right foot found an immediate hold and she gripped it for dear life. The train rattled and bounced but she stayed on the ladder until it was safe to move once more. She then positioned herself on the front of the ladder and climbed, disappearing onto the roof.
Zeke whistled. "Got to admit, however Pearl's been training you two is certainly paying off. Not too many people would like to try a stunt like this."
"Can we move this along?" Amethyst asked "Trying to hold on to this isn't my definition of fun."
"Right right, You're up next Period."
"Who?" Peridot asked
Zeke gripped Peridot by her hair and yanked her from her seat between Zeke and Steven. She dangled and shook in the wind.
"Agh! What are you doing you Clod!?"
"Just giving you a hand! Make sure you stick the landing!"
Zeke chucked Peridot up into the air. She eclipsed the edge of the roof and a metallic thud echoed from the boxcar.
"Hope she used her magnetism to hold on."
"Can we move this along?" Amethyst asked
"Alright, we all jump on three then. Ready Steven?"
"Huh?" Steven asked
"Three!" Amethyst shouted
Amethyst released her grip on the coupling and the sled immediately began trailing behind. Zeke grabbed Steven by the back of his shirt as the distance stretched past five feet, taking to the air moments after the distance passed ten feet. The shield disappearing beneath them.
Steven and Zeke landed on the roof of the car with a thud. The wind blasted against them as the train rolled through the night. Steven teetered uneasily on the roof, trying to find his balance against the wind and the shaking, shifting train. Just ahead of him, Amethyst and Connie had found their balance. Peridot laid face first of the roof, refusing to move as she gripped the metal for dear life. Steven looked back and saw Zeke shifting uneasily on the roof as well.
"You good?" Steven asked
"What!?" Zeke shouted over the wind
"Are you good!?"
"Oh! Yea, Just-" The train began to turn, Weight shifted slightly and Zeke flopped on to the roof, sliding towards the edge. Right at the edge, he summoned and jammed a knife into the roof. He slipped half way off of the roof before stopping. "-Trying to keep my balance!"
With a grunt, Zeke pushed himself back onto the roof. It was hard to hear over the wind, but Steven swore he could hear Peridot laughing.
"Ok, little lady!" Zeke shouted over the wind to Connie "You find a hatch?"
"No, I don't see any, sorry!" Connie shouted
"Terrific."
"Maybe on the next car?"
"I admire the enthusiasm, but free running on a moving train covered in ice is a terrible idea."
"Then can we open this one?" Steven said, shivering. The cold wind was beginning to shear through his coat.
"Yes." Zeke agreed "Amsterdam can you give me a hand?"
Amethyst rolled her eyes and helped Peridot to her feet before maneuvering across the roof to Zeke. Despite nearly falling not moments earlier, Zeke approached the edge of the roof and looked down.
"What are you doing?" Amethyst asked, carefully approaching the edge.
"Looking for the door. Most of these have a door that's got a sort of screw lock on it. If you can hit it with your whip we may be able to open it."
"It sounds like you're winging it-"
Peridot lost her balance and fell again, the train car jolted suddenly. A large slab of steel burst from the side of the car and disappeared into the night. Steven and Connie lost their balance and flopped onto the roof. Zeke nearly lost his balance again, almost joining the two children. Amethyst did, and she found herself dangling from the roof as a result.
"The heck was that!?" Steven asked
"I… I think that was me." Peridot said uncertainly
"Could you not!?" Zeke shouted "Things are bad enough without… Oh hey you opened the door. Sweet."
Where the door had once been now resided a large hole, surrounded by bent and twisted bit of metal. It looked like an explosion had blown the door off its hinges. Amethyst shimmied along the edge of the roof to the door. She reached it and swung herself inward.
"Looks clear to me!" She shouted "There're just a bunch of boxes in here!"
"Alright." Steven chattered from his spot on the roof "T-then let's get inside."
One by one the group swung its way into the car through the hole. The inside was just as cold as the outside, but without the wind it felt a bit more bearable. Amethyst shone her light around the car.
"So we wait now, right?" She asked
"That'd probably be correct." Zeke said, pulling his scarf from his coat and tightening it around his face. "We should be there before too long."
"What are we supposed to do then?"
Zeke shrugged, as if to say "How should I know? You guys figure it out." He then plopped down in front of the door and stared out at the dark forest as it passed.
Steven and Connie examined the boxes a bit more closely. Steven wasn't quite sure but he could swear there was a pear symbol stamped onto most of them. Maybe they were riding on a train car full of computers? They would have investigated further, but Amethyst tapped their shoulders captivating their attention. She looked back at Zeke before making a silent motion, pointing at the two of them before pointing at Peridot, who was now seated in a corner of the car.
Steven and Connie walked over to the Corner with Peridot. She was trying to pluck bits of scrap metal off of herself to no avail, they just became further stuck to her. Her frustration was apparent.
"What's up dot?" Steven asked
"We need to talk about this." Amethyst whispered
"Why are you-" Steven started before Amethyst interrupted, motioning for him to keep quiet as well. "-sorry, why are we whispering?"
"Because we need to talk about this situation." Peridot whispered back
"What situation?" Steven asked
"The one where we are now sharing a train car with him." Amethyst whispered, motioning to Zeke
"Zeke? What's wrong with him?"
"Steven three days ago he was inches from having you and Connie take a dirt nap. Now we're following him to some mystery place he has to help us find Garnet and Pearl."
"So? He helped us a few hours ago and gave us a way to find Garnet and Pearl in the first place."
"That doesn't mean we should trust him. We still don't know who he is."
"When has that stopped us?" Steven motioned to Peridot "We didn't know Peridot until we took a chance and trusted her."
"Yes-" Peridot interrupted "- But the earth was also on the short track to being destroyed. Our trust was based on a mutual need to survive. We don't have a reason to trust… 'Zeke'."
"I have to side with Amethyst and Peridot on this one." Connie spoke up "He saved us yeah, but that doesn't make up for the stuff that happened in between… yet."
"Come on guys-" Steven whined "He's trying to help us, I know he is."
"We don't know that for certain." Peridot said matter of factly "In fact, we don't know anything for certain about him."
"We know he found us a way to find Garnet and Pearl."
"Yes, and he did so by feeding Lapis to some corrupted behemoth."
"He willingly tracked us through a snow storm, for three days, just to make sure we were safe."
"After we expressly left him behind because we didn't know if we could trust him. And we still don't know if we can."
Steven groaned.
"We know he's a gem, and we know he fought with mom in the rebellion. Isn't that enough?"
"That second part we don't know for sure."
"He was literally crying when he saw a picture of her with my dad."
"I wasn't there, so I wouldn't know. But that isn't what has me withholding my trust at this point."
"Then what is?" Steven asked
"There are many thing that can put fear into a being." Peridot started "Shattering, failure, episode 109 of Camp Pining Hearts: these are all good reasons"
"What does this have to do with Zeke?"
"Of all these things Steven, there is only one thing greater them. That is, I fear the unknown."
"Ok…"
"You remember when I first experienced Earth's weather? When that storm had me believing the Cluster was rising?"
"Yea, you were so freaked out you stopped worrying we were going to poof you and ran for cover instead."
"At that time I knew nothing of the earth except what I'd gleaned from reports made hundreds of years prior."
"And you got over your fear by spending time on earth, you learned about everything and stopped being afraid. That's why we have to trust Zeke though, so the unknown won't be so scary anymore. I haven't met any other Zircons either so-"
"But that's the trouble Steven. Zircons aren't unknown to me, Zeke is."
Steven fell silent, staring at Peridot. Connie and Amethyst shared his stare, look of slight concern held within it.
"What?" Amethyst asked
"I've… had the displeasure of working with Zircons in the past." Peridot explained "As full of themselves as they were, they neither acted like nor resembled 'Zeke' in anyway."
"So… He's not a Zircon?" Steven asked cautiously
"Steven, I don't know what he is." Peridot whispered, exacerbated "He doesn't look like a gem, he wears human clothing, His gem keeps changing color- even the fact that they refer to themselves as a he shows something is off."
"Why is that so strange?"
"… Steven I know it can be hard to forget sometimes, but despite the forms our bodies take we do not have genders. We are rock aliens."
For a brief instant Steven imagined Peridot and Lapis wailing on electric guitars in front a massive crowd as fireworks burst overhead.
"So what you're saying-" Connie said "You don't trust Zeke, not because you don't know who Zeke is-"
"- But because I don't know what he is." Peridot said finally. "Steven, I don't think 'Zeke' is a gem. I don't know what he is. But I know one thing for sure. He's hiding something."
*five minutes away*
The trunk of the tree creaked as Dullard pushed it aside. It soon snapped like kindling and fell onto the trees that stood next to it. The dendritic agates slithered their way past Dullard, around the tree, and into the clearing before them. Set just on top of the snow crusted ground a set of twin iron rails, both freshly cleaned of snow and mottled with red rust.
The agate's tongues flickered through the air, tracking the prey they'd been following for days now. It did not take long for them to find the scent once more, as they took off down the tracks.
Dullard expanded its limbs and shot after them, groaning painfully. Their target was within reach.