Kailor: Cliffy. :D Sorry everyone. You all know how much I love cliffhangers.
Naruto: WHAT HAPPENS?
Nuriko: RUN BITCH, RUN!
Kailor: Calm guys. I'm working on it!
With a surge of adrenaline, she flung Konoka ahead of her towards the bend in the tunnel. They skidded around it and she slammed hard against the outer wall, her shoulder banging against the rock. Using the force of her recoil, she shot out of the tunnel into the antechamber where the group stood, all having suddenly become aware something was wrong.
"Everyone out!" She screamed, racing towards the exit. Claws raked her back. She screamed again but it was Killik, lifting her from the ground. He placed her on his back and she clung to one of his spines, forcing herself to look back for the first time.
A dark shadow detached itself from the dark of the tunnel and was heading for them. Her eyes, unaccustomed to the light still, could only see the hulking bulk of a creature nearly Killik's height-when he stood on his hindlegs.
The group jostled each other, companionship momentarily forgotten in the hustle as they shoved and heaved their way towards the exit. Killik hung back just long enough for the last person to race out into the snow then he slithered out and spun about to face the creature coming for them. Setsuna slid from his back, shivering more from fear than the cold. Snow slapped her face hard, stinging her skin and throwing her hair about wildly. The blizzard had begun.
Eva was at her side in an instant. "What's happening?"
Setsuna had no time to explain.
A blood-curdling scream rent the air like a sword, shattering the quiet of the mountain. Setsuna clapped her hands to her ears as it echoed back a million times over, growing louder and louder somehow.
"They even say it gave birth to a beast that would continue the mage's torture on anyone who entered the cave. It's a creature that was dragged up from the deepest level of Hell. A creature that can break bone with its littlest finger. It is a thing of evil, born to kill, born to hate. The bards write songs of its infamy but none can truly describe it, for they have never braved the caves themselves and those who have did not see it. Or if they have…they never returned."
Asuna's words swirled about her like the snow and for a moment she forgot how to breathe.
The darkness in the caves moved, slowly stepping out into the gray light of day.
It was shaped almost like a bear, with a great hunched back. It's body was covered with mottled brown patches of coarse hairs. It stood on it's hindlegs but the arms draped down to end in stubs where it looked like whatever had once passed for it's hands had been ripped off. In their place, protruding from the stubby ends of it's forearms, were seven long claws black as night. They dragged the ground as it lumbered forward, lurching towards them. The creature's toenails were long and hooked like talons and they scratched against the rock with a sickening screech. Most unsettling of all, though, was the horrifyingly human face, stretched in a permanent scream. Sharp, jagged, and yellowed fangs filled the mouth in four rows. The thing's tongue swiped across them, dripping putrid green pus that crawled down the creature's chin and to the white snow-defiling it. Where there should have been eyes were two tiny flaps of skin that were folded back to reveal fleshy pink holes that wept blood. Throwing back it's head and massive shoulders, the creature shrieked again, shaking with the force of it's call.
Setsuna froze in place, unable to fully comprehend what she was seeing. Killik, though supposedly blind, shied away from the creature. His tail curled under him and the dragon's ears sat down on his head.
First the dead, now the dragon. She shook all the more, reaching for her sword out of instinct.
"Get out of here!" Rakan's voice bellowed. The creature's head swung towards him and Setsuna reacted instantly even though her entire being said to run.
She attacked.
Barreling into the thing's hip, she shoved it back, hoping to throw off it's balance. Instead it just angered the beast and she was barely able to dodge the claws that swung at her head. Rakan was still yelling for the others to run and she pulled her knife too. With both weapons in hand, she launched herself at the thing, sliding between it's legs. Swinging her arm backwards, she drove her sword through the back of one thick ankle, right where the muscle met the bone. The thing roared and it's leg jerked backwards, smashing into her side. She flew into the darkness of the caves, landing just before their extinguished campfire. Something gave a sickening crunch and she gasped as pain exploded in the side. Someone yelled her name. Spots floated in her vision.
Shaking her head, she pushed to her feet. When she tried to straighten completely her side flared with agony and she flinched back into her bent position. Her dagger had fallen from her hand.
And the beast had turned around to face her. It's hulking bulk filled the cave entrance, silhouetted by the daylight. Even in the darkness she could still picture those blood-seeping eyes and that tongue that lapped at rows of teeth that clashed together as it growled.
"Rakan, get them out of here!" Someone leapt onto the thing's back, grabbing it's mangy fur. Someone else slammed a shoulder into the back of the creature's knee. The beast dropped to a kneeling position and she limped towards the exit. Eva pulled harder on the fur she clutched, her arm writhing with lightning. With a squelching sound, she thrust her fist into the creature's neck, blood spraying across her face. Kaede, who had felled the beast, leapt to Setsuna's side.
"Are you all right?"
"I-"
They were interrupted as the beast lifted a clawed stub and batted at the little vampire on his back. She ducked and wrenched her fist free of the thing's flesh, only to plunge it in again higher up. On the second swing the creature clipped her with it's claw and Eva's blonde hair was suddenly streaked with red. She tipped backwards, landing between the creature's knees in a heap of yellow and red. Setsuna and Kaede moved in to help. From outside Rakan roared and tackled the beast. Despite the man's giant size, the creature barely jolted at the impact and Kaede drew knives from her belt, slinging them hard as she could. They stuck in various places, turning the creature into a giant pincushion.
It only shrieked again and swung a mighty blow towards the ninja woman. Setsuna winced as she moved. Forcing her chi into her feet hard, she flew directly at the creature's face. Dimly she was aware of Kotaro joining the fray and Rakan being knocked onto his back. She heard arrows whistle through the air and thunk into the thing's thick hide. A whip cracked. A girl yelled.
But she could only see the thing's face now. She landed with her knees on it's collarbones and her left fist gripped the creature's hair, bending it's head back so she was looking down into the gaping holes that bubbled with blood and the mouth filled with mashing teeth searching for her throat.
With a ululating cry, she lifted her arm and drove it into one of the empty eye sockets. Her blow sank her arm into the creature's skull up to the upper arm and a great shuddering, gurguling sound erupted from near her chest where the creature's mouth gaped open. Around her arm the creature's flesh had ripped, soaking her tunic with blood and pus. The beast lurched, tipping to the side. She yanked on her arm but the creature's skin seemed to tighten around her appendage. Closing her eyes, she braced herself for the landing. With a earth shaking smack, the beast fell. She wrapped herself around it's head and managed to land virtually painlessly.
For a moment she stayed as she was, clasping the disgusting creature's head and breathing heavily. Her side ached with each breath but she dared not move yet.
"Setsuna. Setsuna, let go. We've got you." Vaiden's voice shook slightly as he wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Ah, watch my side!" She winced. Vaiden shifted so one arm was around her chest and the other was at her hips. "My arm's stuck."
"Here, boy. Let me try." Rakan's shovel-sized hand appeared in her vision and gripped her arm, pulling it free of the creature's face. It hurt but she was glad to be free. She flexed her hand, nearly retching at the feeling of the thing's brains between her fingers. It felt like she'd shoved her hand into the soft but sticky mud at the bottom of a river and she held her arm away from herself, trying to ignore the way it made her skin crawl. Vaiden lifted her carefully.
"Eva," Setsuna moaned as her side protested painfully. "Is she ok?"
Vaiden stopped beside the tiny vampire and lowered Setsuna to the ground. Evangeline's face had been torn open on the right side but she was sitting up against the beast's leg, right where she'd fallen. "Hey, idiot," she greeted, keeping her right eye closed and the whole side of her face staying still. The left side of her face was smiling though. "Just your luck to actually find the Echo Creature."
"Just my luck," Setsuna sighed, forcing herself not to stare at the torn flesh dangling from the vampire's exposed cheek bone. Instead she glanced up at the rock entrance overhead. "Did you know you came inside the caves when you attacked that thing?"
"I did," Eva admitted. Setsuna looked back into her good eye. "But hell, now you owe me one." She reached up and felt her face, wincing. "A BIG one."
"Anything you need," Setsuna whispered, shaken by the look in Evangeline's eye. She was happy Setsuna had survived. The swordsman couldn't repress a grin. "Within reason."
"Oh, no indeed. This wasn't within reason! There's no conditions to this! Hey, bring her the hell back, boya! I'm gonna kick your ass, Setsuna!" The vampire yelled after them as Vaiden carried his chuckling sister from the caves and Kiona and Negi moved in to help heal her face.
"She likes you," Kaede said, falling into step beside Vaiden. Her neck had a shallow cut across the front and her tunic was ripped open, exposing a fair amount of cleavage, and her chin was starting to bruise, but she was otherwise unharmed. Setsuna looked at her questioningly. Kaede tossed her head back towards the still grumbling blonde. "Eva."
"Oh," Setsuna laughed, wincing as her side twinged. "That's good. I like her too. She's like a grandma to me. A great-great-great-great-great-great-"
"I CAN STILL HEAR YOU, YA MISERABLE EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN! I'LL RIP YOUR GUTS OUT AND MAKE MYSELF A NECKLACE IF YOU SAY ONE MORE WORD!"
"-great-great-"
"THAT'S IT! LET ME GO! LET ME AT 'ER!"
Setsuna just laughed harder, tears in her eyes both from mirth and from pain.
"Setsuna!" She looked up. The group members that Rakan had rushed away were returning through the roaring snow, huddled together, except for a lone figure that was out front, running. Konoka panted to a stop as Vaiden lowered Setsuna to sit carefully in the snow. She quickly rubbed her hand through the snow, trying to remove some of the thick gray goo that clung to her gauntlet. "You look horrible!"
"Well, thank you. I do try to make myself presentable for you." Setsuna quipped with plenty of sarcasm. Konoka rolled her eyes.
"How do you feel?"
"I think something broke in my side."
"I'll get Negi."
"Let him finish with Eva first." Setsuna insisted. "I'll be all right for a little bit."
"So will we go back into the caves?" Chao asked from a few feet away. Asakura appeared at Setsuna's head, her face white. She reached out and brushed a hand down Setsuna's cheek, as if reassuring herself that her friend was really there. Setsuna offered her a shaky smile.
"Once they get the beast moved, I'm sure." Konoka said, not noticing the exchange between her bodyguard the Ahrimani. "The blizzard is getting worse." Suddenly she spun and winked at Setsuna. "We can all pick up right where we left off." Though the others all took this statement at face value, Setsuna felt her cheeks flush and she pointedly stared at the princess. Konoka's grin showed just how guilty she felt.
Meaning-not at all.
