Author's notes:
2021-06-29: Hey, I would like to show you a preview of the next chapter I'm currently working on. I have started thinking about how to start the next chapters of quite a few stories; however, in the end, I didn't feel like writing them. So, I have decided to proceed with something that I have not been updating for quite some time. I hope you will like the chapter; if not, please tell me what I have done wrong. It's the only way for me to improve :)
2021-07-05: Hey, the chapter is finally finished. I'm really sorry for the delay; however, I have recently changed the working place, and things got a bit hectic. Still, I believe that I should have more time in the future. Of course, once I get used to the new work. Please tell me what you think or what you would like me to add to the story. The comments section is for you.
As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)
Changelog:
[2021-06-29]: A preview was released.
[2021-07-05]: A full chapter has been released.
Schedule for the nearest future:
1. The family tree (next chapter).
2. Last Christmas (finishing up the story).
3 ? (not really sure as of now)
4. Prisoner of Your Eyes (next chapter).
5. Black Diamond (2 next chapters)/(possibly finishing the story).
6. The rise of the Blood Moons' servants (2 next chapters).
7. Alone (2 next chapters)/(possibly rewrite).
8. My home is where my heart lies (a long, possibly 10k + words chapter).
Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
A story regarding KaiKali (aka Akali x Kai'sa) (Will you look past my mistakes?).
Sometimes it's just better not to know (possibly rewrite).
Kiss the rain (more than likely rewrite).
Whispers in the Dark (extending beyond 2 chapters story).
Story of one lost soul (translation of 2 of my old texts - previously written in polish).
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D
** It is possible for me to change the schedule a little. So stay tuned for the upcoming information.
Vote poll:
Strawpoll, hash: a46eksrpp
End of author's notes.
Irelia's POV (a couple of moments later):
The atmosphere seemed to thicken with every passing moment. The hollow sounds of the steel construction were causing goosebumps time after time. It was evident that something, not even someone, was below them. That 'thing' had been awoken by their arrival; now it was coming for them, the hunt had begun.
The pink-haired officer did not really know what to do with herself. She felt like a sixth wheel, useless, just a burden. Her head was moving back and forth; she was nervous, unaware of what was going around her. Just a couple steps away from her, her partner, her nemesis, was kneeling, trying to fix the broken conduit. Based on the hissing and growling, the process was not going according to the plan. Thankfully, the tiny amount of energy Akali had pumped into the circuit was enough to restore the light.
A heavy, prolonged sighed was allowed to escape the soldier's throat. She was feeling uneasy; the pressure was slowly trashing her, making her even more irrelevant. The woman was wondering how the assassin could be so unmoved even in a situation such as this.
Unfortunately, the yellowish light emanating from the bulbs hidden behind a thick glass only partially diluted the ever-present shadows. Frankly saying, only the server room was soaked with the questionable light.
"Any progress?" the pink-haired officer asked. The hint of terrified could be easily noticed in her voice.
"This piece of crap is slowly rebooting; however, a decent chunk of data was corrupted," the huntress informed with a nasty grimace all over her beautiful face. "I have an assumption that I will be able to access only a marginal part of that cluster. I believe this 'place' – let's call it; cause of a lack of a better word, was abandoned. These consoles were intentionally damaged; someone was trying so desperately to hide something. And… sadly, I have a feeling that the reason behind the abandonment of this complex is slowly getting closer and closer," the white-haired woman allowed herself to provide an extended explanation. "I do not really like how the situation is shaping."
"Tell me something that isn't already bothering my mind," Irelia scoffed.
"Be quiet!" Akali ordered harshly. "I have found something that may be of use," she informed the officer. "Come here; we will watch the file as soon as the decryption process finishes."
"Finally, something positive," the soldier exclaimed.
"I would not be so quick to celebrate if I were you," the assassin uttered coldly. "I have a feeling that we will not like what we found."
"Why?"
"As you might already anticipate, it is not the sewer control station," Akali uttered slowly. "It seems that your precious government did a lot of shady interests behind your back."
"Can you finally spill the bean?" the pink-haired woman asked, slightly annoyed.
"You are very impatient," the huntress quickly commented. "This 'place' was a laboratory; it was meant to be hidden secretly. Frankly, I can see the point behind its location; however, my approval ends there. The main purpose of the said facility was to test various pathogens, venoms on living subjects," the white-haired assassin added, pausing for a few moments. "As you might already thinking, the tests subjects were humans, the inhabitants of the slums."
"Sadly, it's all starting to make awfully a lot of sense," the soldier sighed. "I assume there was some sort of an accident that led to shutting down the facility?"
"I would bet my life on that guess; however, no data is proving that idea," Akali responded. "The newest entry I can access was logged 2 years ago. It is the shutting down note signed by General Ameth Siith."
"No reason behind the decision?" Irelia asked; however, she did not really hope to receive a positive answer.
"No," a short and straightforward response was provided by the white-haired woman. "Most of the preceding entries are too damaged or corrupted to read. Amongst the few which were readable, there are pieces of information about the team's happiness regarding the 'subject 9845721342' progress. However, who was that subject is not mentioned," the huntress added with a heavy sigh.
"I'm expecting something nasty," the officer replied; she was really pale.
"If we want to restore the power of this complex, we need to get to the generators," the huntress exclaimed. "On each level was being powered by one of these. But, unfortunately, according to the log entries, some of them were damaged. So, a couple of months before the shutting down of the facility, the electrical installation was altered. Due to the fewer power sources, the whole circuit became unstable," the white-haired woman informed her partner.
"Where's the nearest one?" Irelia asked, trying to control herself.
"One level below us," the assassin responded coldly. "I will power that tier for a couple of minutes; however, it will undoubtedly have consequences. Unfortunately, I can not say what can be lured by that action. So, I would suggest preparing for anything," she added, heading toward the door. "Hurry up!" the short order was uttered.
Without a signal of any sort, the lights were restored, filling the massive silo. Then, possibly for the very first time, Irelia realised how enormously large the construction was. Out of various places – whether walls or celling – the massive chains made of steel hanged. But, truth be told, the pink-haired officer did not want the reason standing behind their installation.
As Akali uttered previously, the light was restored only up to the level designated with number 2. Below it, the darkness thick as smoke was still ruling. Just a single thought regarding what could be lurking down there made the woman shudder.
"Could you finally wake up?!" a question uttered roughly reached her. "Time is running out, no matter whether you want it or not."
"Sorry," Irelia provided a short response.
"I do not care! Move!" Akali demanded in a stone-cold voice.
She did not spare a glance toward the human officer; instead, she began running toward the stairs leading downwards. Even though the assassin seemed able to move soundlessly in most cases, the metal construction disregarded that fact. The wave of cacophonic sounds filled the air nearly instantly. But, what was worse, was only about to come. The response came back from the still covered in darkness levels. Something was desperately tried to get higher; something desperately wanted to find them.
Even though the construction seemed to be solid, it was trembling currently. The 'things' that had been awakened must have been many.
Once again, Irelia stopped, trying to look around. The woman was more than terrified; she could barely force herself to run forward. Just like a lab mouse thrown into a card maze, she tried to wriggle herself out of the current situation. But, unfortunately, she could no longer control her body, behaviour. A small fraction of hers wanted that 'unknown' to be revealed already. She wanted the situation to be over already.
Irelia felt a strong pull that nearly made her fall. The pink-haired woman was forced to return to reality; she had been forced to look around. As it was to be expected, the huntress came back for her. The beautiful face of the white-haired woman was marked with a grimace of anger and determination. The 'predator' did not have to even utter a single word to scold the officer. The assassin's muscles were tensed, flexed, yet still, she did not allow her unnatural strength to be felt through her grip.
A short growl was allowed to escape the huntress's mouth.
Akali's POV (at the same time):
The huntress knew all too well that their time was running out much faster than it should have. If it had been anyone else than Irelia, she would have left them. However, the stupid fraction of her consciousness did not allow her to do so. The pink-haired woman was a liability, yet she had made a deal with her. And… she would have been damned if she had allowed her promise to be broken. She could be a stone-cold-blood killer, a bitch. But… she was not an example of human Judas.
It was so evident for the huntress that the soldier had already lost control over herself. So, to counteract, she decided to carry her. Even though it would undoubtedly slow her, it was the only way to prevent the human from getting herself killed. So, Akali opted to carry the terrified officer with a piggyback run. Thankfully, Irelia's weight could be entirely omitted in the huntress case. She was strong enough to hold a person 5 fold heavier than the human woman was.
The chaotic run was starting to inflict its toll on the assassin. She did not know how long she was running; however, the lactic acid had already begun to be produced inside her body. As a result, her internal timer started to tick much faster than anticipated.
Akali's only constant companion was the cacophonic sounds coming from below. With every passing moment, it was getting louder and louder. Partially, it was caused due to the distance between them slowly closing in. However, part of her thought that more and more of the experiments' subjects joined the climbing host. Even if it was just speculation, it was making more and more sense with time.
Soon enough, the lights faded away. The huntress breathing pattern became rapid, shallow. More and more oxygen was being wasted whilst her muscles were getting more and more tired. Undoubtedly, something was off. Since she had been transformed, she had rarely reached her limits. Her humanity was taken away from her via vast augmentation. Thanks to them, she had the endurance vastly outperforming most of the known predators. Still, something regarding that forgotten place was affecting her performance. To complete this mission, she needed to find the reason. She needed to find it fast before the hard limit would have been reached.
Within the next couple of moments, the entrance to the external tunnel was finally reached. The solid steel gate was marked with claws, blood, and something that Akali could not name correctly. To some extent, it looked like bile; however, she was not entirely sure whether it was it or not. Yet, the point still stood; the gate had been breached by force.
The assassin allowed herself to stop. It would be highly unwise to proceed into the unknown straight ahead. Whatever was weakening the huntress must have affected the pink-haired woman as well. Her breathing was steady, yet was must have fainted at some point of the run.
"What am I supposed to do with you, hmmm?" the white-haired woman whispered. "I can not fight at 100% of my capability whilst carrying you. However, if I leave you here, you will die. That is evident," she continued her monologue. "You will be a death of me one day," she uttered in a quiet tone.
Still conflicted, the white-haired 'predator' slowly proceeded forward, delving deeper into the darkness. The first noticeable change was the temperature; it started to steadily decrease, changing her breaths into cloudly fumes after some time.
Then, the throaty growls started to reach her sensitive ears. The remnants of the experiments' subjects were close by.
The scratching sounds were coming from the very walls of the tunnel. As if there were alternative tunnels divided only by a thin layer of solid rocks. She needed to move faster.
Just a couple of dozens of meters later, the temperature dropped below 0. A thick layer of ice could be spotted covering the floor and walls. The change was so sudden, so unexpected that the huntress allowed herself a few moments to investigate. Even though it did not appear as the wisest decision given her current situation, something caught her attention.
She could have sworn that she had noticed the same liquid substance that she initially had seen on the gate, caught under the ice. However, once she got closer, she could not locate it. Or… at least at first glance. A couple of moments were needed for that to happen.
Finally, she saw it. The substance in a colour of the mix of yellow and brown trapped under the ice. It would sound crazy, yet the huntress could swear that it was a living thing. Moreover, the substance was not distributed horizontally as one would expect. Instead, it appeared to be growing in every dimension, branching like veins or airways in the lungs. The tree-like structure seemed to be growing even though it should have been frozen, trapped under the thick layer of ice. When her right hand made contact with the cold surface of the ice just above the liquid mix, she jumped off. She could have sworn that something was pumping under her palm. Anything that she had previously encountered could not have explained what was currently happening. It was surrealistic, difficult or even impossible to explain, yet it was happening before her own eyes.
The white-haired huntress was brought to reality by yet another throaty growl. Again, the danger was imminent and close by.
Mustering the remnants of her strengths, she ran forward, not caring how loud would it be. Thankfully, Irelia was still blackout; at least she did not need to worry about the damned human who apparently meant too much to her.
More than a couple of minutes had passed, and yet the assassin was still running forward, seeking the forgotten generator. There was no denying that her energy was running low; her limits were so close to being met.
The darkness was slowly being driven out by a distant light source. Even though its light was hallowed, cold, it was, to some extent, a goal worth reaching.
Soon enough, the boundaries of the darkness's kingdom were reached. In front of her, the cold blueish light was filling the space. The other immediate change was noticed only a moment later whilst taking the very first step into the light. The sounds of water splashing could be heard as soon as Akali took the next step. The ice was gone, replaced with cool water.
"What is going on here?" the huntress allowed herself to utter a question in a whisper-like manner.
Without any chance of receiving the answer, she proceeded, delving deep into the water. In the distance, the end of the tunnel was spotted. On a small shelf, the generator could be found. However, the more terrifying thing was just next to it. An enormously large cocoon glued to the wall. Each of the massive arm-like branches was pulsing, emanating the light. Through the thick outer layer of the cocoon, a figure could be seen, trapped inside.
The sounds of the claws scratching the ice came a moment later. There was no way out. The huntress could only go forward toward the cocoon.