Floor 13 - Chapter 3 - The Village that Time Forgot

The surreal atmosphere hadn't faded much by the time the group headed through the nearest ''settlement''.. if it could even be called that anymore. The phrase settlement implied there was life there, that people or creatures lived there, or that those same beings went about their lives there. There probably had been signs of life once upon a time, but those signs were long since burned into the nearest walls or the sea of cooled magma they walked on. All that remained of the village were the buildings, and what few signs of life were still there - the entombed remains of the unfortunate souls that hadn't made it out before the pyroclastic flows inevitably hit.

Along almost every ruined street, what had once been people stood, almost as if they were left here to guard the village from unwanted travellers, their entombed corpses keeping a watchful eye wherever the group headed. The buildings in the town hadn't fared much better either, many now buried under the combined weight of the cooled magma and ash, or dilapidated and collapsing into the sea of rock below, only a single large building having survived in any useable state, on the edge of the village.

Even the usual expectation of monsters hadn't been founded, with the ''statues'', as Rain had taken to calling them, of a number of monsters found throughout the village as the group investigated. It really was a village forgotten to the eons, continually smothered by the same cloud of ash and magma that had wiped out the life there, generations ago...

With the complete lack of any signs of life or sustenance, the group had decided to split into two again, to explore the ruined village. A silence hung over the pair, neither wishing to speak and disturb the fragile peace of the village. The eerie quiet that told them just how little life really remained here, as Jet narrowly avoided treading on the tomb of a very unfortunate rodent...

Through the silence, Rain spoke, asking a question she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to. ''Reckon they'd have felt it? You know, becoming...''

''Nah, they'd have been dead before they knew what hit them. At least once the magma hit the village, anyway.'' Jet answered, looking through the remains of a building for any signs of... well, anything. ''Doesn't make it any less creepy though.'' He admitted, turning away from what he believed to be the resident of the house. The remains of what he believed to be a mother, desperately shielding her child in a futile attempt to save their life, at the cost of her own, lay in the corner of the ruins, eliciting a shudder from Jet, before he muttered something to himself.

The one thing that stood out, amongst the rubble and ash though... the graffiti on the wall. The words ''The fire is alive.''

''What the...'' muttered Jet, as he put a pair of glasses on, and rubbed a finger over it. Pulling his finger back, a black substance came with it and Jet held the finger under his nose. ''Eurgh, that is vile...'' he turned, and wiped his finger on the charred remains of his coat, before turning back to Rain, who'd found the debris that had once been the child's toys, the largest one being some form of stuffed animal.

Rain stood there, just looking over the area around them, before sitting down in the ash and magma, an expression of someone seeing just how cruel nature could truly be on her face. Jet didn't blame her really. As it stood, today had been an awful day for them, and Rain had finally discovered where her breaking point was. It was wandering around a town lost to time, and discovering the remains of a family, after being nearly scorched by a field boss.

Jet took a seat next to her, and looked over the town properly himself. The only reason he was holding it together at this point was that he'd read up on Pompeii as a kid, and had all of these realisations back then. That being said, it was a very different feeling between reading it in a history book, and seeing the rather clinical descriptions, than it was to see it in person, alongside the horror it truly was.

Rain spoke up, her voice very quiet as she pulled her legs back into her chest, arms wrapped around them. ''I know they were NPCs, and well...'' Jet understood exactly what Rain meant, even if it wasn't said. ''But, I can't help but think, what if it had been Kizmel or someone we met up here... I know I'm being silly, but...''

In a brief moment, Jet thought back to his and Koharu's conversation about the NPCs about a month earlier, and the debate with Mito about just how sentient the Dark Elves were on the Ninth Floor, and decided on something - maybe these hadn't ever been real, and they'd never have suffered, if that truly was the case, but so far, the NPCs in the game had also proven to be as emotionally mature as some people, and in the case of Kizmel, become their friends. The people here, at least to them, were as real as the players.

nyeheheheh...

Before the pair could really discuss what had just been said, Jet almost jumped onto his feet, reaching for Hope. ''Whoever's there, reveal yourself!'' He yelled, into the darkness...

A small silhouette came out of the darkness and the ash, her cloak masking the familiar face of a certain rat... ''Woah, easy there, knight-boy! Just lil' ol' Argo!'' Jet felt his temper flare up slightly, as he thought about giving Argo a piece of his mind for sneaking up on them like that. Was she trying to give them a heart attack? Or did she just have a really lousy sense of humour... ''It's Argo, she just does it to get a rise out of us...'' He thought to himself, as he sheathed Hope, and Rain stood up, spurred into action.

Argo looked the pair over, and drew air in through her teeth before she spoke. ''You pair look... well, ya've definitely sin better days. Whadidya even do down there, go surfin' in the lava?!''

''We'll tell you later, Argo.'' Jet shrugged, as he looked around. ''I'm assuming Koharu and Ginge aren't too far away?''

''They're out there, lookin' fer ya. Also, nice specs, knight-boy!'' Argo teased, as Jet wondered if she'd finally lost the plot, before realising he'd still got his brainy specs on, as he called them.

''Well then, you can come help us find them, we can find Nautilus and Yuna whilst we're at it... and we can work out what we're gonna do for sleeping arrangements. I've only got two tents with me, and I think getting four of us in a tent may be a little bit of an ask...'' Jet spoke idly, before spotting Rain going bright red. He wondered why briefly, before remembering the events of the Third Floor, and more particularly in the tent... before going bright red himself.

''Oh ho, looks like knight-boy has a few secrets about sharin' his bed...'' Argo grinned, as Jet gave her a look that told her that he was not sharing a tent with her. Not in a million years.

''Argo, you can sleep with Nautlius and Yuna.'' Rain stated bluntly, deciding that she didn't want to suffer a night in a tent with Argo either.

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Yuna had found a place to sit amongst the rubble, as she and Nautilus looked around. She was doing her best to keep a smile on her face as they wandered around, but it had certainly been a challenge. Not just for her, but even Naut, stoic as he usually was, had looked rather upset by some of the statues. Many of the statues were in the exact positions they would've been when the lava had torn through the town a very long time ago, and to say that many of the people knew little of their imminent demise was an understatement. They'd come across a number who had simply been sitting down, as if they had been reading something before they met their fate, and one had even been doing... something of a recreational nature, immortalised in stone. Naut had been very insistent she didn't see that particular one, she remembered, and the look of dawning realisation and horror on her friend's face had been something to behold, as he quickly ushered her away...

''It's like how I imagined Pompeii...'' She commented, as Nautilus looked down any alleyway.

''What did you say, Yuna?'' He asked, only barely hearing what she'd said.

''Hm? Oh, it's like those books on Pompeii, remember the one we read as kids?'' She explained, as he returned.

''Oh, yeah. It's... different, seeing it though. I mean, really seeing it, even.''

''It's kind of... surreal, I think.'' She admitted, before a couple of noises became audible in the distance. Some of it sounded like talking, whilst the rest sounded like someone kicking something...

''PHILLIA!'' One distinctly girlish, and unhappy sounding, voice echoed through the village, shattering the eerie quiet that smothered the village.

''I think they're coming our way...'' Nautilus stated, as he quickly took up a hiding place behind a pillar.

''Couldn't we just talk to them?'' She asked, taking the more outgoing approach. They were players too, and the odds of running into orange players out here was slim...

''You can hear them, Yuna, do you think they sound like they're in a talking mood?'' Nautilus hissed, as he readied his sword, expecting the worst.

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Koharu was not having a particularly good day. Admittedly, she hadn't had many good days since... actually, she hadn't had all that many good days in her opinion, but today had not only taken the biscuit, but the whole tin too. First, they'd discovered that the Thirteenth Floor was set around a giant volcano, which had been a bit of an unpleasant surprise to them all. Second was losing her boyfriend and Rain in amongst the smog, inside the volcano. Next, was discovering that they'd fell into the depths of the volcano, before receiving a cryptic message from her boyfriend, telling her that he was sorry, and that he loved her, before going radio silent, and not answering his messages for nearly an hour.

Lastly, was discovering this godforsaken village, and the many haunting statues that lined the ash swept streets, before being held at blade point by two people she'd never met before.

''Woah, woah, calm down! We're not hostile!'' Phillia tried to explain, being glared down by the boy whose sword was at Koharu's throat.

''Then why were you sneaking about?'' He asked, his hand being noticeably shaky as he did. Given the blade was barely an inch from her throat, Koharu tried to step back a little bit, just in case.

''W-we weren't!''

''Naut, let her go, please!'' The girl begged her friend, who lowered his sword. Koharu felt able to breathe easily for what felt like the first moment in ages, without a blade at her throat.

''Who are you, anyway?'' The boy asked.

''I'm Koharu, and this is Phillia. We're just looking for our friends.'' The girl's eyes went as wide as dinner plates as she said that. She turned to Phillia, who just shrugged in confusion. Their names had become fairly well known, apparently, but to elicit that sort of reaction? They had to have known something else...

''Your friends, is one of them a really tall ginger guy, and the other a bright red haired twin sword user?'' The girl asked.

''Yes! You know them!?'' She burst out, unable to contain her happiness at knowing they were safe.

''Yeah, we've been with them all day. They... well, they saved our lives.'' The boy admitted, although the look on his face seemed to be a fairly begrudging acknowledgment of that fact.

''That does sound like them...'' Phillia nodded. ''Where are they?''

''They went to explore a different part of the village.'' The girl answered, looking Koharu over, before smiling at them both. ''I'm Yuna, and that's Nautilus. Sorry for the misunderstanding earlier, but we heard shouting, and well, it's been tense all day, so...''

''It's nice to meet you both.'' The words ''without a sword at my throat.'' went unspoken in that sentence. ''Also, I should apologise for startling you too. It was just a... disagreement between us two.''

''I thought I saw a rat, so I kicked it! How was I to know it was a statue!'' Phillia defended herself, as she looked towards her, a less than impressed look on her face.

''The fact that there appears to be no life here at all?'' She asked.

''Well, we don't know that... it could've been a rat!'' Phillia continued to defend herself, albeit ineffectually. Yuna had started giggling off to one side, getting both Koharu and Phillia's attentions.

''Sorry, it's been a while since I've seen people argue without being really angry at each other.''

''It's... not usually like this, I promise.'' She stated apologetically, as she grimaced. There were some days when she really wished she could just disappear from everyone's view. Phillia was a good friend, but sometimes, she didn't exactly put their best foot forward in giving off an image of them. Yuna simply smiled at her, a sense of understanding evident in her look.

''Message from Argo, says they're in the town looking for us.'' Phillia interjected her mild case of moping, and pointed back towards what had once been a fountain. ''Says to meet them over there.''

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About half an hour had passed, although it would be an achievement in itself to know that... or even what time of day it was, come to think of it. The darkened skies ensured that much, in her opinion, and cemented her resolve to be out of this horrible place. She'd read stories of volcanic eruptions, and just how devastating they were, but this?

This wasn't a natural disaster, this was an apocalypse. Life had seemingly ceased to exist, replaced by the unnerving statues that had once been the residents of the village, and contributing heavily to the air of death around the place.

Fortunately for her outlook on life, the other group had just found the fountain and were now approaching. Whilst Argo looked as spry as ever, a grin evident, even under her cloak, the same could not be said for the other pair... both of whom looked as if they'd had a run in with a flamethrower.

She looked the pair over, and felt tears welling in her eyes. After the day they'd had, and the horrible feeling she'd had in her stomach over Jet's messages, she sprinted over to her boyfriend at full speed, and quite literally threw herself towards him, embracing him in the tightest hug she'd ever given. She knew that Jet was warm most of the time, having slept in the same bed as him, she had to admit that he made a useful bed warmer too on cold nights, but the current heat coming off him was ridiculous...

''Y-you ass!'' She pulled even tighter on him. ''I th-thought you were...'' The dam holding back her tears finally broke, and she felt herself sobbing into his shoulder, as he returned the embrace.

''I'm sorry...''

''I know... I just... I don't want to lose you.'' She admitted, wiping her tears on a somewhat clear section of his coat.

''I, uhh...'' Jet looked up for the first time since the groups had met up, and immediately went red. Koharu turned around, the tears mostly gone, to see a variety of responses to their reunion - Rain and Yuna both stood there, smiling at the pair, whilst Argo and Phillia were both grinning, with Nautilus standing there, trying to look in every direction but the couple's direction.

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Before daybreak, it had been decided to find somewhere to set up camp. The village itself wasn't a safe zone, but it was quiet enough that they'd be able to get some rest for what was left of the night, before moving to the main town in the morning.

Luckily for some members of the group, they'd found an extra tent, and had set up camp in a corner of the town, where, if they squinted really hard, they might've made out some greenery... maybe. Despite everything though, Jet had volunteered to keep first watch until about 5am, and was engrossed in his own thoughts, about how the day had gone, and just whatever else ran across the tracks in his mind.

That was interrupted as Koharu came out of the tent, and decided to make use of her boyfriend/bodyguard as a pillow, her head resting in his lap. ''You know the tent's probably more comfortable, right?'' He asked.

''It isn't. Besides, I'm just resting against you, what's wrong with that?'' She answered, sticking her tongue out at him to lighten the mood.

Rolling his eyes, he answered the unspoken question. ''Earlier, when we were fighting that Pyrovile, I was more scared of failing than I ever have been of dying. What does that say about me, that somewhere in my head, values success over my own life?''

''Failing at what?'' Koharu asked, an eyebrow raised as she spoke.

''I guess, failing everyone?'' Jet shrugged. It wasn't like it made much more rational sense in his head either, he'd admit that... ''It's stupid, I know.''

For the briefest of moments, his self loathing was interrupted, as he could've sworn he'd seen that statue's arm move. Not by much, admittedly, but enough to be noticeable. Deciding he was imagining things, he turned back to the smiling visage of his girlfriend, who was now looking up towards him quizzically. ''Are you okay, you've gone a bit pale?''

''Yeah, I'm fine, just-'' Suddenly, multiple trains of thought passed through the junction in his mind, leaving just one express one. The statues, the ash... that wasn't how preservation like that worked. The morbidly iconic pictures of the residents of Pompeii, still in the poses of their demise... they were plaster. They'd been made using moulds, formed by the ash and rock entombing the poor sods.

Jet's blood ran cold as he turned his attention to one of the statues - this time, it had definitely moved. Not by much, possibly only a few inches, but it had moved. ''Koharu, don't turn around.'' He stated, his voice almost hushed to a whisper.

''Hm? Why not?'' She asked, still relatively upbeat, albeit a little confused.

''Did you ever make plaster casts at school?'' He asked, still hushed.

''Yeah, why?''

''When you made them, what did you use? Sand, right?''

''Plastic, why?''

''Remember how you made them... then apply the same logic to the statues...'' He reminded her.

Koharu looked deep in thought as she remembered the process, before she came to the same horrifying realisation her boyfriend had, her face dropping as she did. ''Then they're...''

''They're casts made from the residents.'' Jet whispered, noticing the look of terror on his girlfriend's face, and feeling himself almost frozen in place. ''Those statues... whatever they are, they're moving and they're moving towards us...''

''AHHHHHHHHHHHH!'' A scream echoed through the town, as the statues began advancing on the pair...

{Author's Comments}

I may have been a little inspired by my TV viewing habits over the past few chapters, and the next few.

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Signing off,

Midland 2541