The Passing Of Time: Chapter 20...
Are y'all ready for some inter-dimensional shenanigans?! I know I am! That's right guys, two chapters in one day. Aren't you lucky? ;)
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Their team consisted of Skulduggery and Valkyrie as the front with Meritorious and Serpine as their guides. Eyren, Aster, Saracen Rue, Dexter Vex, Tanith Low and Artemis Grimm were following them. Fletcher Renn was to be their Teleporter Nobody had seen Anton Shudder since the Reckoning, and Ghastly and Erskine had to stay behind to run the country. Alice pouted and complained that she wasn't going, but eventually she gave up and agreed to stay behind and keep an eye on Eva. Emma and China were going to help at the mansion and they'd enlisted Solomon, after much grumbling and complaining, to help continue their investigation into the American Sanctuary while the Prime Detectives were gone.
Their Shunter was a woman named Calamity Echoes. She was rude and grumpy and she didn't talk much unless she was arguing with someone.
"Be careful," Eva said, reaching up to hug her brother and Eyren. "I'll be right here waiting for you when you get back."
"We'll be alright," Aster said. He, Eyren and Art were dressed in what could only be described as black leather armour. They each had a chest plate under a thick jacket and hard wearing trousers with knee and elbow pads fastened over them. The jacket was long and tough enough to stop a blade. A knife belt sat at their hips and Eyren had another two belts around his upper thigh and his calf above a pair of sturdy combat boots. The jackets had heavy hoods with a detachable piece of cloth inside to hide the lower halves of their faces.
The remaining members of the Dead Men all wore similar variations, though their outfits seemed to have seen battle before. It was strange seeing Skulduggery in a worn leather coat and a hood instead of his immaculate suits.
Tanith and Valkyrie stuck to their usual outfits and Fletcher opted for something more stylish. Valkyrie rolled her eyes as he strutted around in a new combat jacket and thick black jeans, his boots unlaced just enough to be fashionable. Under his jacket he wore a zip up hoodie to hide a chest plate of his own.
Meritorious and Serpine wore what they had when they first arrived, though their clothes were clean and the ex-Elder had trimmed his beard and cut his white hair short. Everyone took it in turns to say their goodbyes to the few staying behind and then Calamity grumbled and they broke apart.
"Are we going or what?" she muttered. Erskine shot her an annoyed look as he stepped back from saying goodbye to Valkyrie. China ignored her and continued squeezing Eyren's shoulders.
"Be careful," she said.
"I will." She touched his cheek before finally letting him go.
"There's one more thing we need to sort out before you leave," Ghastly said. He walked to the back of the room where a large black box sat on a table. "Since you're going to kill Mevolent you'll need a weapon up to the job. We couldn't get all of them, but we do have two God Killers here."
"God Killers?" Aster asked.
"Weapons created to destroy the Faceless Ones. Very powerful," Erskine said.
"We have the dagger and the sword here. Eyren, since it's likely you'll be in the thick of the fighting you get to pick which one you want. Skulduggery will take the other," Ghastly continued.
"I don't want to sway your decision," Skulduggery said. "But I much prefer a sword." Eyren chuckled and accepted the dagger, slipping it into the belt on his thigh. His body already felt heavy with the knives at his belt and the multiple pairs of binding shackles in his pockets. Skulduggery strapped the sword across his back and turned to everyone else. "Alright then. This is probably going to be awful and it's very likely that some of us are going to die horribly." They waited for him to say something else. When he didn't Serpine frowned.
"That's it?"
"Should I have said something else?" Skulduggery asked, his head tilting.
"Were you going for inspirational? Because that was the opposite," the Necromancer muttered.
"I don't have time for motivational speeches anymore. I used to be so good at them." The skeleton hung his head for a moment before brightening up. "What are we standing around for? Let's get on with it."
"Finally," Calamity grumbled. Everyone linked up and then Eyren felt a strange shift, like the fabric of the universe was tearing and pushing them through. He watched as the Sanctuary faded and suddenly he found himself standing in a copse of trees under midday sun.
"Our scout should be meeting us here any minute," Meritorious said. As soon as he finished his sentence he turned and looked to his right. "There he is." They turned as a figure dropped from the trees nearby. His arms were bare and strong, with faint markings winding around his skin. His white hair was cropped close to his head and violet eyes watched all of them as he approached. Eyren stuck a hand out to catch Aster just as his knees threatened to buckle. The newcomer stopped dead, staring at them.
"Landon?" Aster choked out.
"Jesus Christ. Is that you Yli?"
"Do you two know one another?" Serpine asked.
"Are you stupid?" Skulduggery questioned. "It's very obvious that they're twins. They're brothers."
"I don't like you."
"I don't like you either," the skeleton replied. Aster and Landon were still staring at one another.
"Landon, what's your report?" Meritorious asked.
"No Necromancers in the area. We should be able to make it to the camp within the next six hours providing we don't have trouble at Valbriggan." Landon didn't take his eyes off his brother as he spoke.
"What are the chances of meeting your dead brother in another dimension?" Tanith asked. Saracen shrugged.
"Apparently quite high," he answered.
"Did he say we have to walk for six hours?" Fletcher whined.
"What, you thought the busses would be running a war zone?" Dexter nudged him as he spoke.
"I don't see why I can't just teleport us to the nearest point and we can walk from there."
"You don't know what you'd be teleporting into," Valkyrie explained. "You could end up slap bang in the middle of Mevolent's soldiers. It's better to walk it first and teleport places once we know where's safe."
"I guess that makes sense," Fletcher shrugged. "It doesn't mean I have to like it."
"You okay?" Eyren asked Aster as he watched the rest of them descend into idle bickering.
"I think I'm in shock," the Daevas mumbled back. His eyes were on Landon as he left the group through the trees. "I know he's not the same Landon but still. I wonder if Eva is here."
"Who knows? Maybe we'll meet more alternates, maybe we won't. All we have to focus on now is walking."
"Walking. Right." Aster seemed to shake himself before straightening his back. "I can do that."
"Cover your faces from here if you can. Soldiers and Necromancers make regular patrols out here. There aren't any nearby right now but that's not to say they won't shadow walk in." Landon's warning cut through the chatter, quieting the bickering as everyone with a hood pulled theirs up. Eyren fastened the cloth in his hood to cover his mouth and nose, watching as his mother wrapped a dark scarf over her jaw and tied her long hair up out of the way. Landon pulled a deep green coat out of the rucksack at his back and slipped it on, putting up his own hood before leading them out of the safety of the trees and into a vast stretch of exposed hills.
They walked for hours without encountering anything other than sparse grass. No roads, no people, not even a dilapidated house. Eyren was beginning to think there was a such thing as becoming grass-blind when Landon, Meritorious and Serpine stopped and held a hand out to the rest of them.
"Our camp is at the other side of the settlement up ahead. Valbriggan is dangerous and exposed," Meritorious said as Skulduggery moved closer to them. "We avoided the road because the village has been taken over by the soldiers.
"Can we go around it?" Valkyrie asked.
"No. Look up." Serpine pointed at several dark shapes moving around above the ruined village. "Vile taught his Necromancers a neat little trick," he said. "Unfortunately for us, it's made moving around virtually impossible."
"So we can't go around," Skulduggery said. "We obviously can't go through it. And none of you can fly so we can't go over it."
"I can fly," Eyren answered.
"So can I when I'm angry enough," Valkyrie agreed.
"Aside from you two and me nobody else can." He turned to Saracen. "Unless your super secret adept discipline is flight," he said.
"Unfortunately not," Saracen answered.
"You and your stupid secret," Vex teased. "One day you'll tell me."
"Over my dead body."
"Don't start this again," Skulduggery warned. "You've only just stopped fighting over it."
"I think I can help this situation," Art said. He'd not spoken once since leaving their dimension so his voice grabbed the attention of the rest of the group immediately. His lamp-like green eyes glowed as he surveyed their surroundings and Eyren watched as he crouched and touched the ground. "There's a cave network under here. It stretches for several miles past the village. I can guide us through the tunnels if we can get to the entrance."
"Where is it?" Landon asked.
"There." Art pointed to a spot about three hundred yards away where there was a depression in the earth between two hills.
"We shouldn't use that tunnel," Serpine said.
"Why not?"
"We just shouldn't use it. The entrance is obviously collapsed and it could be dangerous."
"I'd rather get crushed by rocks than have a Necromancer slit my throat," Vex answered. "I vote for the tunnel."
"So do I," Tanith answered. "Specifically because it's the opposite of what Serpine wants to do." A chorus of murmured agreement filtered through the group and Serpine scowled. Eyren moved through the crowd to stand beside him.
"Why don't you want to use that tunnel?" he asked quietly.
"I'm claustrophobic."
"You're lying."
"I get nervous in the dark."
"You're still lying."
"I'm allergic to cave moss."
"Are you trying to make me hit you?"
"I rather like my face as it is. I'd prefer it if you didn't punch it."
"Then tell me the truth." The group was already moving towards the depression, sticking close to the tall grass in case the Necromancers glanced their way. Landon was practically invisible in his green coat.
"I just have a bad feeling about it," Serpine answered. "But if your band of merry idiots wants to run on in then fine. I'll be bringing up the rear and using the rest of you as my early warning system." He followed after them and Eyren sighed, unease prickling over his skin.
"Wait," he said as he grabbed Aster's hand. "Serpine isn't telling us something. Don't go in with the front of the group." He carried on past Aster before he could protest and drew level with his parents and Meritorious where they half-crawled through the grass at the front of the group.
"Are you sure you want to be up here with us?" Valkyrie asked.
"There's a reason Serpine doesn't want to use this tunnel and he won't tell me why," Eyren warned.
"Right now it's the best option we have," Landon answered. "We always struggle to get through the settlement in much smaller groups. It isn't possible to get all of you through."
"All the same, I'm not sure we should be rushing into this. Why didn't Serpine tell you about the tunnel before when he obviously knows it's down there?" Eyren asked.
"That's a good point," Skulduggery said. "But unfortunately we don't have the time to argue. We're very close to an enemy camp and there are flying Necromancers everywhere."
"I don't understand why we can't go round," Saracen said.
"The land around the settlement flattens out for miles," Art replied as he surveyed the surroundings. "They obviously built it here to take advantage of that. The land is perfect for farming, shows anybody approaching before they get too close and the roads leading to and from the village are smooth and straight. Unfortunately that flat land means we have no cover for a really long way in the middle of enemy territory."
"Have you been here before?" Meritorious asked.
"No. My father was Notorious Grimm. He raised me to plan for war." Art frowned. "I can't get a good sense of the full cave network above ground but once we're in there I should have no problems getting us through."
"That's a useful talent you've got there," Dexter grinned, slapping him on the back. "Any other tricks up your sleeve?"
"A few," Art replied.
"This is it," Landon said, cutting off the quiet chatter as he dropped down into the pit in the earth. It was shallow and grown over with grass and moss. Landon frowned and started scraping it back with his hands, searching for the entrance. Eyren climbed down and started to help and eventually they revealed a partially collapsed hole. It was a thin slit leading to pitch black. Landon unsheathed his knife and started chopping at whatever loose bits of dirt he could remove to widen the opening and Eyren gagged as a drift of stale, rotting air reached them.
"It smells like something died in there," he said when he was able to breathe again.
"Something probably did," Landon said. "Several somethings judging by the stench. Hopefully all of whatever was in there."
"I don't want to go in there," Fletcher said as he caught a glimpse of the opening. His nose wrinkled against the smell as the rest of the group caught up with them and crowded round. "I definitely think it'd be much safer if we teleported somewhere."
"Do you even know where we are?" Valkyrie asked. Fletcher scowled and fell silent.
"All this hesitating is very boring," Skulduggery said. He moved to the front of the group and snapped his fingers to produce a flame. They watched as he listened intently at the tunnel entrance for a moment. When he heard nothing he stuck an arm in. Nothing happened, so he slid the rest of himself through the hole. They waited for several long seconds before he put his head back out. "It smells terrible but it just looks like a very dark, very damp cave. I think we'll be-" Skulduggery was yanked back suddenly, disappearing into the darkness with frightening abruptness.
"That," Serpine said, "is why I didn't want to use this tunnel."
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