Chapter 32: The Cave
1. WHICH ONE
2. KILL THEM ALL
1. NO WE NEED TO KNOW
2. WE NEED ONE KILL THE OTHERS
4. how do we test them all
3. Ithinkweshouldletthemlivefornowifoneisrightthenwecannotriskemnity
1. WHAT IF NONE ARE RIGHT
2. KILL THEM
4. kill them
3. Killthem
1. WE MUST FIND ONE WE MUST WATCH WE MUST TEST THEM ALL
2. THE WARDEN/PREDATOR/WEAPON WILL SUFFICE IT IS A POOR TEST BUT WE MUST BE RID OF IT
1. IT HUNGERS IT CRAWLS IT SCREAMS IT IS BLUE IT WILL EAT
TYPE: LIVE SURVEILLANCE FEED [CONTINGENCY RECORD]
PARTIES: Five [5]. One [1] Risen, Class Warlock, designate Ikharos Torstil [it[deceased]; One [1] Eliksni, Rank Marauder, designate Kalaker the Courier [kc]; One [1] Eliksni, Rank Marauder, designate Riilix Vehlk the Rainmaker [rvr]; One [1] Eliksni, Rank Marauder, designate Revlis the (Untitled) [ru[deceased]; One[1] Ghost, designate Xiān [x]
ASSOCIATIONS: Light; House of Scars; Whirlwind; Ahamkara
/AUDIO PRESERVED/
/TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS…/
[kc:01] (indecipherable growl)... psesiskars! Is anyone alive?
[rvr:01] Kalaker? Thank the Great Machine, I thought I was alone!
[kc:02] What of the others?
[rvr:02] Revlis and Ikha Riis are dead. The human's Servitor is with us.
[x:01] Just give me a second... there!
[BURST OF NOISE]
[it:01] Bloody hell. We fell.
[x:02] Yeah. We might need some light.
[it.02] On it. There we go.
[rvr:03] You live. You truly are deathless.
[it:03] That's me. What's our situation?
[kc:03] Revlis is gone. Eldrin, Kiphoris, and Formora must be above. I think they escaped. My leg is broken, and there is no path up. If we seek to rejoin them, we will have to climb.
[rvr:04] You won't make it!
[kc:04] I know. Leave me with weapons. I will fight whatever comes.
[it:04] Not a chance. We're not climbing out. We continue onwards.
[kc:05] (Laughter) Eia, that is better. Even if it kills me, I will see this done. I am with you, Kirzen. Or I would be but for my leg.
[it:05] Psekisk. Let me see that... How about now?
[kc:06] I am... well. Thank you.
[rvr:05] I see something ahead! A light!
[it:06] Stay on your guard.
000
Pain and darkness permeated everything. The only thing to light their way was the orb of Solar he cupped in one hand. The distant glow further down the cave threw no rays their way, illuminating nothing of what lay ahead. They were grasping in the dark, and he didn't like it one bit.
"Watch your backs," Ikharos murmured. The only sound his companions made was that of soft footfalls accentuated by the gentle clacks of claw on stone. What was worse than being plunged into such gloom was that he knew they were being watched. Not only had the storm drawn them into the trap, but they'd entered willingly, spurred on by fury borne of a near-death experience. And now here they were, moving down a wide tunnel that hadn't been touched for thousands of years, where his fire threw too-large shadows and failed to properly reveal whatever waited for them ahead.
It wasn't Dark in the tunnel, but that didn't matter. Caves were a Guardian's worst nightmare, and not just for the association with Hive. It wouldn't take much to cause a cave-in, and the thought of being crushed to death over and over again for all eternity plagued him at every step. Ikharos shuddered.
"The light is gone," Kalaker said suddenly. And so it was. The glow had disappeared.
Ikharos's fingers tightened around his cannon. "Psekisk."
"It's warm," Riilix commented. Ikharos only just noticed it. It was warm. Warmer than it should have been, and the heat wasn't coming from his Solar Light. It came from the ground below their feet.
"We need to move."
"Then we move," Kalaker agreed.
IKharos led the way, fiery hand held up and cannon pointed forward. His nerves tingled, all too aware of how exposed he was - and how poor his senses were when faced with the thick, suffocating gloom all around.
Riilix stopped. "I smell something."
"Ozone," Ikharos nodded. The scent wafted through his helmet's filters. It was like a Stormcaller had already stormed through the place.
"No. Brimstone." Riilix perked up and swung around her shock rifle. The light from her eyes intensified as she widened them. "I cannot see anything."
Ikharos pointed with his palm full of flames and let loose a short burst, lighting up the tunnel behind them for a brief moment. It stretched onwards for miles and miles - further than he thought possible.
"Xiān?" He began suspiciously. "How long has it been? Since we started walking?"
Her reply was slow and filled with sudden, and out-of-place, fatigue. "I dunno... Chronometer says... ten minutes..."
"Oh, psekisk," Ikharos cursed.
Riilix turned around quickly. "What is it?" She questioned, voice tinged with an edge of panic.
"We might have taken a wrong... hold on." Ikharos lifted his cannon. His heart jumped as his mind just processed what he was seeing before him. Twelve bright blue eyes stared back. Ikharos pushed more Light into his hand, but instead of growing, it shrank and died away until they were doused in darkness. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reignite his Light. He could feel it within him, he could feel it being pushed out into Solar, but no flames appeared. It was as if the fire was being stolen the moment he produced it.
"What's wrong?" Riilix asked.
"There's four of us."
One set of eyes bobbed as the owner backed away. "Revlis?"
000
Her arm complained with a pulse of aching pain. She bit her tongue. Formora tasted blood. Nonetheless, she continued. Her fingers scrabbled for a hold in the rough stone. She'd taken to following the route Kiphoris had used, making use of the deep marks left in the wall by his claws, but the place was damp with old moisture and she almost fell more than once.
The mineshaft was eerily silent. Only the breathing and scratch of claws alerted her to the presence of her companions, though that was scarcely a comfort. The place was lifeless and silent. Not even insects or worms squirmed in the rich soil and rock all around. There was nothing. It was a place of death, and she, a living being, had no right to enter. It was just like the Grey City, only that Nezarec's realm had an otherworldly beauty to it. Not this place, the depths of Du Fells Nángoröth. It was bare and hideous, exposed bone in the flesh of the world.
Her life had never been dull, but this was ridiculous. Formora had found herself in too many life-and-death scenarios to count since meeting Ikharos, and each of them was more dangerous than the last. She had learned things about Alagaësia and the world at large that she had no right to. Things she would have been better off forgetting, but that wasn't an option - for those very things now threatened to put an end to all her plans and hopes and dreams. The world had grown so much bigger, and she wasn't sure she appreciated it.
That said, Formora continued to climb down the mine at a steady rate willingly, completely of her volition. Escape was nigh on impossible, but there was the chance she could have slipped free and make it to the Inapashunna village, and thus save herself. But that wasn't in her nature. She didn't flee and leave others to fall. She was a Rider, even if her dragon was gone, and she wouldn't prove herself a cretin. If nothing else, she would show the world that.
One of her wards activated and she gasped. Kiphoris and Eldrin stopped immediately. The Captain looked up, his outer eyes narrowed (so a positive emotion), and asked, "What is wrong?"
"There's a poison in the air," she blurted. Kiphoris didn't react. Formora wracked her brain for the word Ikharos had used. "Radiation!"
"Psekisk!" The Captain's eyes widened, and he locked eyes with his subordinate. "Eldrin, tas bar ka! We are not protected!"
Formora hesitated for a split second. "I am! I can raise wards to guard against it!"
"Magic-wards?"
"Yes."
"Do they work?" Kiphoris pressed, his voice edged with a smidge of panic.
"They did in Vroengard. That's how I know there's poison here: my ward activated."
"Can it widen to encompass us all?"
"I can cast another ward over you both. I think."
Kiphoris snarled and looked aside. "Magic... What will it cost?"
"Nothing. These spells are cheap."
"Then cast them," the Eliksni ordered. "And be quick. We cannot tarry for long. I will not leave mine-crew to fend for themselves."
Formora took a breath. She didn't have a grasp on what the Eliksni were like. For all she knew they could have been immune to magic like the Ra'zac. Casting a ward on such creatures might have killed her. Formora hesitated, then went ahead with it regardless; her grip on the stone was precarious, and all she wanted was to reach solid ground. "Vardi theirr frá du eitrum unin du aera," she said quietly. The drain on her strength was miniscule. Hardly noticeable. Not immune, then.
"Is it done?" Kiphoris called up.
"It's done," she replied.
She heard a grunt. "Then we move on. And trust in your magic."
000
Ikharos backed away, Riilix in tow. One of the remaining sets of eyes watched him as he went, and the other - whom he assumed to be Kalaker - stared at the new Eliksni.
"Revlis?" Kalaker asked. "Is that you?"
The eyes began to turn inch by inch away from Ikharos, marked by a cracking noise that sent shivers down his spine, and settled on Kalaker. Just below the eyes of the stranger a glowing maw opened up. Blue fire flickered from within.
Ikharos fired. The thunderous roar of the Lumina bounced off the walls and echoed away in every direction. He hit the creature directly between its four dead eyes. All he did was give it a fifth. It didn't fall, didn't cry out, didn't die. It stood there, studying Kalaker with a hungry gaze.
"Revlis..." Riilix whispered.
"Not him," Ikharos muttered.
The thing that had once been Revlis didn't move, but the lights of its eyes - which Ikharos noted weren't the same shade of blue as normal Eliksni - began to grow wider and wider, the surface of its body coming apart at the seams.
Gunfire filled the air. Riilix let loose a series of Arc rounds and kept moving away. The moment the rounds hit a lengthy hiss emanated from within what had once been Revlis. Ikharos could account that whatever it was, it did not sound like an Eliksni. Because he knew Eliksni and this wasn't one.
The eyes of the creature lowered; it had doubled over. A bluish glow pierced out from where the outer shell fell apart, pushing with its luminescent mass as if from an egg. It was shapeless, formless, a wriggling thing with coiling, whipping limbs that had far too many joints.
Kalaker gave a roar and there was a flash as he activated his sword. He lifted it up and struck down on what might have been the creature's head. It screamed so loud that Ikharos cried out in pain, desperately trying to switch off his helmet's audials. When it ended, and he could finally look up, the creature had already pounced on Kalaker. It pulsed wildly, and the Marauder disappeared beneath the growing spidery-thing, a crackling noise like static overcoming any scream Kalaker could have made.
Ikharos emptied all eleven of the Lumina's remaining bullets into the thing, but they had little to no effect. Riilix's shock rifle had marginally better results, but it only served to attract the creature's attention. It stepped forwards on far too many legs and shrieked. Kalaker was gone by then. Ikharos couldn't see his eyes anymore - not beneath the glow of the beast.
Ikharos grasped at his Light, going straight for Arc, and held out his other arm, channeling it all out into a Chaos Reach. His arm flowed with energy, and he forced it out of his hand.
No beam. Not even a spark.
"Run!" Xiān hoarsely shouted. She sounded so tired, so far away, but he didn't have time to dwell on any of it. Ikharos took one last look at the creature and bolted down the tunnel. He couldn't see a thing in the subterranean darkness, but that didn't stop him. He made it all of twenty paces before he glanced off a stone wall, but he rebounded and used it to figure out which direction to go.
The creature didn't chase after him. It just kept screeching.
He ran and ran and ran, hand trailing against the damp stone wall. Xiān's exhausted encouragements grew fainter and fainter until he could hardly hear her. Adrenaline tore through him, and his heart beat so fast he feared it might burst altogether. The half-forgotten terror of mortality that he'd carried with him during the Red War returned tenfold. This was worse. So much worse.
"I'm not Lightless," he rambled to Xiān, hoping she could still hear him. "But my Light is being eaten."
"... creature... Arc..." Was all he could pick up. Her voice was little more than a hushed whisper. He didn't know what was happening, and it frightened him. Blue flashed before him and claws wrapped around his arm. In an instant he had his knife out, pressed against the Eliksni's throat, but he only just managed to refrain from driving it in.
"Riilix?"
"Eia," she replied quietly. Her eyes looked past him and widened. "Quick!"
She dragged him away, and he stumbled to keep up. They reached a wall and she crawled into a gap in it. Ikharos hurriedly followed. To his disappointment it didn't lead anywhere and stopped a few feet in, but at the very least the hole widened up enough to house them both
"How did-?" He began, but she cut him off with a tiny hiss. He went dead silent and listened.
Clicking. He could hear clicking. Then a banshee's wail so intense that even his pounding heart was no louder than a whisper in comparison. Ikharos grimaced and tried his very best to endure as the din assailed his beaten eardrums.
A glow lit up the space he'd crawled through. The wail ended, and it was back to clicking. The glow's intensity began to weaken, and Ikharos thought he heard a sound like cracking bone, and after that a gentle hum. The sounds receded as whatever it was began to move on. Before long it had left entirely, abandoning then to gloom and silence.
"It killed Kalaker," Riilix said.
"Yeah. It did."
"I saw... I saw it..."
Ikharos closed his eyes. "I saw it too." But he didn't want to think about it. Some things were better left unsaid. Forgotten, if possible - but he wasn't going to get that luxury. The universe wouldn't allow it.
"We need to turn back," Riilix decided. "We can't fight that."
Ikharos agreed. He held up his hand before his eyes despite not being able to see a thing and tried to summon an orb of Void. Not even that did anything. He felt the orb being formed, but it wasn't physically there. Something was taking it as soon as it left him, feeding from the Light-made-tangible. A Lighteater, like the Hive but lacking their telltale Dark and all the more terrifying for it.
"We should find the others and get back to the Skiff," he whispered. "Let's go."
Riilix's eyes dipped as she nodded, and they crawled back out of the hiding place as quietly as they could. Once free, Ikharos unsheathed Orúm and looked about. He still couldn't see a damn thing. He hoped Riilix could. A deep, quivering exhale made his blood run cold. He twirled about, just in time to see a part of the darkness light up blue.
000
Finally, finally, they reached the bottom. Formora leaned against the wall and gasped for breath. Even as tall as Du Fells Nángoröth was, the tunnel was surely far below even ground level. It had certainly felt like it. She was left exhausted from the ordeal; her arms shook with fatigue and her lungs heaved in stale air.
Formora opened her eyes and looked around. There was little light, and most of it was provided by the bright orange stick held by Kiphoris. It lit up the crumpled metal platform they'd used to enter the tunnels, which looked like a giant had stepped on it. There were no bodies, not that she could see. The air was filled with a hideous burnt stench emanating from something at Kiphoris's feet. Eldrin crouched next to it and pulled out a device.
"Eia," the Marauder said. He shook his head and closed his inner eyes. "Er Revlis."
"Psekisk!" Kiphoris emphasized the swear with a throaty growl.
Formora walked towards them, casting a nervous eye at their surroundings. There was no sign of the others. She didn't know if that was cause for relief or caution. "What is it?"
Kiphoris stepped back, allowing her a better view. Formora stopped in her tracks. It was a pile of still steaming... something. She glanced at Kiphoris. "Organs?"
He nodded grimly. "Eia. Blood matches Revlis."
Formora inhaled sharply. "Oh."
The Captain looked away, rapidly clicking in a fashion that Formora could only describe as angry. "I will kill the murderer of mine-kin. I will make them suffer. They will know the-"
A solid beam of blue-white lightning split the air and shot towards them. Formora ducked and leapt aside as the beam streamed past and tore through the broken platform, effortlessly melting through solid steel and even into the rock behind it. It roared and surged with all the concentrated fury of a tropical storm. It lasted all of a few seconds, but it was long enough that Formora could see that it came out from an eternally long tunnel cast in lightless shadow. When the beam ended, a small bluish pinprick of light emanated from the other end, so distant she could hardly see it at all.
The silence afterwards was almost as deafeningly loud as the beam. Kiphoris picked himself up and glared hatefully down the tunnel. "Eldrin," he began, not taking his eyes off what lay before them
"Eia?"
"Da lun-sloat ta."
Eldrin dipped his head and grasped at the pack strapped to his side. Formora took the opportunity to ask, "What was that? The energy?"
Kiphoris didn't turn around. "It may be our foe. Or it may be the Light-Thief. I cannot tell. Eldrin will find out."
The smaller Eliksni had produced an odd cuboid device made of red metal which, when he pressed a claw against it, unfolding small metal wings on its rear. Three glassy yellow eyes lit up on its front, and it rose in the air with a hum. Another segment unfolded below the metal creature, shaped much like the rifles of the Eliksni.
"What is that?" She heard herself asking.
"Shank," Kiphoris grunted. He unstrapped his long-barreled weapon from over his back and knelt down, peering through the scope. "Eldrin. Da."
The other Eliksni chirped an affirmative and focused on a second device, much smaller but with a mirror-like screen. After a moment Formora realized the screen was showing exactly what the metal drone saw. Very clever.
The Shank shot forward down the tunnel until the sounds of its flight receded back into silence and it was lost from view. Formora drew her sidearm and squinted at the screen. The Shank was moving too fast, but it wasn't like they were missing much. The eyes of the machine lit up everything before it, illuminating the bare rock floor and walls in all their basic glory.
Until, of course, it reached a certain point. The glow ahead disappeared from the Shank's view. Formora looked up. The glow was still there, but... diminished. Dulled.
"It curled up like a wintering flower," Kiphoris muttered. "Eldrin?"
Eldrin shook his head and focused all his attention on the screen, which had slowly begun to crackle with interference. The connection between screen and Shank was growing taut.
000
The creature had changed. The outside of it had keratinized into a hard exoskeleton, and the bioluminescence only showed where the shell was thinnest - such as around its neck, underbelly, and joints. It had a solid form, a mix between a powerful wildcat and a carnivorous insect. It stood as tall as a horse, but broader, and its head was a heavy compact skull with two bright eyes that betrayed not a shred of emotion. Its maw was wide and filled with crystallic fangs. The glow from its throat shone right through them. Its bone-thin tail snapped through the air like a living whip. Two large spines protruded from its shoulders like two towers, lit up with vibrant blue fire. There were sacs of bioluminescent liquid located just below the shell lining its neck. The creature had four limbs, the rear pair ending in hoof-like growths and the forelegs balancing on the knuckles of its long clawed fingers.
It studied them almost thoughtfully, but there was no mistaking its violent intent. It drooled a burning liquid that ate into the stone below, and it inched forward eagerly, hunger obvious.
"Oh shi-" Ikharos raised Orúm, hoping the blade would make the beast keep its distance, but it didn't care in the slightest. It slapped aside the weapon with its unnervingly prehensile tail and struck forward. Ikharos raised an arm just in time to save himself, and the monster's jaws clamped around his feathered bracer which, thankfully, held. The creature had broken through his personal shield like it wasn't even there.
The weight and power of the creature forced him from his feet and onto the stone. The back of Ikharos' helmet cracked against the floor, and he felt warm air flush down his neck. The creature lifted him up and shook him about, then settled with slamming him against the stone wall. Ikharos cried out as he crashed against rock, nothing more than a toy in the thing's grip. It lifted a forearm and raked its claws across him, drawing another scream. It could have killed them and there, Ikharos knew, but it had decided to play around.
The pain, though, was impossible. More than it should have been. It felt like each claw left a trail of burning napalm in his flesh as they ripped through his armour with the utmost ease. He was burning, but not the normal way. Not Solar, not even fire. Venom. Lennox had always called it the bad burn. The only burn that would keep a Guardian down for long. Ghosts had a hard time reconstructing people when there was over-potent venom in their system. It was easier to bring people back from ashes than that.
The beast recoiled and he fell from its grip. Riilix was there, having bloodied her electrified sword. She held a dagger in a spare hand and, when the beast dipped back towards her, she sent it back with a thrust that just missed its eye. The monster, growling angrily, swung out with its tail. Ikharos gritted his teeth and tried to get into a standing position. He felt around for his own sword, which he hoped was on the ground nearby.
The monster must have had enough, because it threw itself at Riilix, ignoring the blades she bore against it and smashing into her, biting down onto the Eliksni warrior with an ugly crunch. Ikharos swore when piercing pain coursed through his arm from his hand, and he gingerly lifted Orúm in his bloody palm. The blade was damn sharp and now his grip was slick and unsteady. That was the price for dropping it.
He stumbled to his feet and brought the sword the bear, bringing it down on the creature's flank. It let go of Riilix and jumped back, though Ikharos doubted he did any real damage. It glared at him with its featureless eyes and stalked forward.
"Jierda!" He shouted. The monster was hit with the full force of the spell and tossed down the tunnel, disappearing into the darkness. Ikharos inhaled huge gulps of air as the pain across his chest brought him to his knees. He looked down at the wound and wished he didn't; the venom glowed with the same bioluminescence as the creature's internals. He gritted his teeth and found the strength to stand again, taking one tortured step at a time. He found Riilix by the dimming shine of her eyes and felt for the wound. His hand came away wet. The monster's teeth had torn straight through her armour and biosuit both. A clawed hand weakly grasped at his shoulder, and she pressed a shock pistol into his hands.
"... Ahlok..." The dying Marauder gurgled. She passed only moments later, eyes dimming away until he couldn't see a thing. All aside from the venom coating his front, that was. It was in his veins now, and he keenly felt it burning all throughout.
"Xiān," he begged. "Please..."
She didn't answer.
000
The screen was abuzz with interference, but the Shank still managed to send back some of what it saw. The three of them huddled around it. Most of what they saw did little to comfort them. The Shank flew for miles on end, longer than the tunnel should have been, which triggered alarms in Kiphoris's head. He had been in the Reef long enough to learn of the unsettling magics that took root in the universe. He'd seen some of it when the Wolves had eked out a living among the planets and moons of Outer Sol before the fated Scatter. The magics had been most prevalent in the Jovian peoples and their gods the Nine. His father had warned him to stay away from it whenever he could.
But this...
The Shank stopped moving. Kiphoris leaned forward, curious, and he the reason why quickly became apparent. There was a mass of torn flesh and chitin on the ground, with scraps of metal tossed about. The corpse had once been an Eliksni, but something had decided it didn't like that and rearranged what it could.
"Who is it?" Kiphoris asked tiredly. This was what he hated most: losing his crew mates.
Eldrin's answer was shaky with sorrow. "I... think it is Kalaker."
Kiphoris stepped away and closed his eyes. "Psekisk." His claws dug into his palms and drew blood. "How did he..."
"Burned, mine-Captain. And torn apart. It would have been quick." The Marauder clicked his mandibles anxiously. "I do not see the others."
"The tunnel goes on?"
"It does."
"Find them." Kiphoris glared at the glow at the end of the tunnel. Either it was a façade, or something strange was afoot, but he silently vowed that, no matter what it turned out to be, he would tear it all down in the name of justice and vengeance. He would level the entire mountain range if need be.
000
Ikharos panted. Just one more step.
He limped forward. Just one more.
He dragged his other leg forward. Just one.
He repeated the cycle again and again. The second voice in his head was silent, so he tried to substitute it with his own. It wasn't nearly as comforting or encouraging as Xiān's was. He had no idea where he was headed. All Ikharos knew was that the creature was somewhere behind him and if he stopped he was dead. But if I keep going, I'm still dead. Just... just one more step, then I can rest.
One step turned to two, two to three, three to four, and so on. At some point he figured his drive would run out and he'd just collapse. But that point hadn't yet arrived, so onwards he stumbled and tripped as venom too strong for his hyperactive immune system ripped through his body. It hurt most when it reached into his heart, and stumbles turned into half-falls, but each time he picked himself up and carried on.
"I honestly think we're just dumb."
Ikharos rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure."
"What, you don't think so? Ike, we've crashed in the damn Outback!
"Did we? I hardly noticed."
"We didn't tell anyone where we're going! "
"That's on you."
"What? Why me?"
"Because you know I never do."
Lennox huffed. "That's going to kill you one of these days. You'll be stuck in a Hive nest or a Devils camp and no one will know where to look for you."
He shrugged, unbothered. "So?"
"Doesn't that, I don't know, scare you?"
Ikharos sighed. "I've lived over a century without relying on anyone else. It's just the norm. I'm fine with it."
"Even the best of us are no more invincible than the worst," Gecko said softly. When the rest turned to look at him, he shyly drifted down to Lennox's shoulder.
"Where'd that come from?" She asked, a smile dancing in her optics.
Gecko suddenly discovered a newfound interest in looking at dead bushes. "Nowhere."
Lennox scoffed. "We've got to keep you from those nasty Warlocks. They're poisoning your mind."
"Wow, thanks," Ikharos drawled.
She laughed. "Not you! You hardly count as a Warlock."
"Then what am I?"
"A grumpy old man."
"... I thought that was Osiris."
They were blessed with glorious, beautiful silence. For all of five seconds.
"Ten green bottles hanging on the wall,
Ten green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should fall,
There'll be nine green bottles hanging on the wall!"
"Please, for the love of all that's good in the world, stop."
"It's a long way to Adelaide, my man. I need to sing something."
More wall to follow. More walking. More talking to himself. Minutes stretched out so they felt like hours, and hours into days. Only his helmet's chronometer kept him halfway sane, and then only just. His mind, once full of noise and warmth, was lonely.
The beast was tracking him. It stayed out of sight, but it was always there. Ikharos could barely form any coherent thoughts through the haze of exhaustion and pain, and that was always in the centre of his mind. He had no idea what it was, no idea how it managed to disable his Light, and no idea how to kill it. He first thought it to be an Ahamkara, but even they weren't capable of crippling a Guardian's ability to call on paracausal energies. It didn't want his desires. It wanted his fear and inevitable death, nothing more and nothing less.
The cave wall suddenly stopped. Ikharos almost fell down the new passage. He froze, unsure, and felt around. The stone felt smooth-cut, and it appeared to be a staircase going... somewhere.
With a final glance thrown over his shoulder to ensure the creature wasn't behind him, Ikharos took to the stairs.
000
Kiphoris paced about, swords drawn, both unwilling to offer himself up to the magics ahead and yet determined to see his crew safe. The light ahead brightened. In a flash he brought out his wire rifle and studied the glow. It opened back up again, hungry for more visitors. It had been a few hours since it closed and no longer than that. He thought he was beginning to piece together what its purpose was.
"Kiphoris-Veskirisk!" Eldrin shouted, voice thick with emotion. Kiphoris rushed over, his every stride leaden with jumpy anxiety.
"What is it?" He asked, but as soon as he saw what was on the screen he knew. "... Oh Riilix..."
It looked like she had been savaged by a wild beast. Her neck and shoulder were mangled, and blood pooled below her. Her eyes were dark with death.
Kiphoris roared. It was a wordless cry of rage. He hoped the perpetrator of the killings heard it. Let it tremble with fear, knowing it has earned the ire of the House of Scar.
"Where's Ikharos?" Formora asked. Kiphoris admired her ability to remain calm in that moment. He couldn't manage it. Not with dead kin and their killer still breathing.
The Shank twisted around. There was too much blood for Riilix alone, and some of it was of a different hue. The crimson of humans, though there was no body to be seen. Mixed with the rest of the gore was a strange blue substance that floated on top of the red like a kind of oil. It was wispy, more a mist than liquid, and where it touched the stone floor it fizzled violently.
"Shall we obtain a sample?" Eldrin inquired, voice shrill and professional. He shook dangerously.
"Do it," Kiphoris replied. His fangs clacked together.
The Shank lowered itself and, with an unfolded limb, snagged a few drops. It flew off once it had finished and they awaited the results.
What they received was at first a confusing mess, but the Shank was able to gradually separate the human blood from the other substance and analyze the latter. That, on the other hand, might as well have been as clear as day. It was nigh on unrecognizable, but the closest analogy in their genetic databanks provided the worst news Kiphoris had seen yet.
"Psekisk," he swore.
Eldrin sat back, a look of utter defeat on his face. "No."
"What is it?" Formora questioned.
Kiphoris closed his eyes and answered her in her human tongue. "Star-Eaters."
000
It was coming for him. Ikharos limped as fast as he could. He could hear it brushing past stone statues a few hundred feet behind.
The newest chamber he'd found himself in was massive, and it wasn't a cave. It was a temple of some sort, and the floor was lined with rows of statues depicting giant, though squat, warriors bearing axes, swords, and shields. The light within wasn't much better than what he'd left behind, but there was another chamber a mile ahead and a few weak strands of soft yellow shone through.
It was too far, though. Even if he did make it, what good would it do to be able to see? His Lumina was useless, Orúm couldn't pierce the creature's exoskeleton, and he had no access to his Light. A new string of pain forced him to his knees. The venom would kill him regardless of whether he escaped or not. Ikharos couldn't get enough stale air into his lungs. He groaned and rolled over, but even then the universe refused the allow him any measure of comfort. The quiver on his back was a hard piece of metal, especially with the-
His eyes shot open. Ikharos pulled himself up so he sat against a statue and pulled the quiver over his back. He detached and unfolded the bow, then ejected and pulled out a pair of bodkin arrows. He angled himself so he faced the path leading back to the tunnels and, with a brief hesitation, tossed one of the arrows.
It didn't go far; he simply didn't have the strength. The Arc-empowered arrow clattered and slid along the ground until it bounced against something. The pale glow of the arrow illuminated the knuckles and limb of the monster and a part of its fearsome head. The creature stared at him. It looked like it was grinning.
The beast crushed the arrow underfoot and, now that its cover was gone, lit up with a bright shimmer of blue. It arrayed its bioluminescent self proudly. It wasn't just playing around with him; it was showing off.
Ikharos fitted the second arrow to his bow and tried to pull back the string, but it resisted him. He didn't have the strength for that either. He tugged and tugged, but it wouldn't give.
"That's that," he muttered. He glared at the monster. It looked bigger again. It had grown exponentially in a matter of hours. Whatever it was, it was too dangerous. More than he was, that was for sure.
The beast stalked forward at a leisurely pace. A thick tri-pronged tongue slithered over its fangs and tasted the air. Its bright burning eyes never left him.
A crackle of Arcfire abruptly slammed into the creature's side. Both Ikharos and the beast gave a start as a Fallen Shank suddenly flew out of nowhere and raced at the monster with a single-minded determination. It continued to pepper the beast with Arc bolts until the monster unceremoniously lashed the Shank out of the air with its tail, as if the drone were nothing more than an irritating pest. The Shank hit the stone floor and erupted. The monster was engulfed in flames. It turned about, quite unbothered by its immolated state, and sent Ikharos a less-than-pleased look that clearly said: this has gone on long enough.
"Too right," he murmured. He dropped the bow and brought Orúm to bear. Ikharos used the sword as leverage to get into a standing position. He grasped it in both hands and lifted it before him, blade aimed at the beast. "Come on then. Let's not drag this out."
The monster bounded towards him, still aflame, and Ikharos thrust forward with Orúm as if it were a spear rather than a longsword. He struck true, but then so did the beast. Orúm sunk halfway into the creature's left eye, and one of the monster's paws caught his helm. The claws ripped through the metal like a hot knife through butter and raked down Ikharos's skull.
Ikharos howled with pain and tried to disengage, but the monster thrashed about and he wasn't willing to let go of his sword. In the end they reached a compromise - of sorts - and the creature swiped at the Rider's blade with long, bony fingers again and again until they both heard a crack. The metal shattered into two. Ikharos fell back with half a sword in hand.
"Shit."
The beast swatted him aside and duly resumed its thrashing. He smacked bodily into a stone statue and fell hard. Ikharos groaned as total pain enveloped him. The taste of blood filled his mouth. He coughed and spluttered, trying to catch a breath, but it felt like one of his lungs had been punctured. "Xiān, now would a great time to make yourself useful!"
She didn't say a word.
He turned his head. Orúm's hilt was too far. His bow was closer, and he might last long enough to reach it, but he couldn't-
Socrates braced the rifle against his shoulder and took aim. "Recite the elements to me."
"Arc, Solar, and Void."
"What is Arc?"
"Potential. Intensity. A river that cannot be stopped."
The older Risen gave a shrug. "It differs from person to person. Solar?"
"Controlled power. Measured strength. Seething rage. The steady caress of the sun."
"Yours, perhaps. Mine is cooler, tempered into a healing touch. Now tell me of Void."
"It is nothingness. Death. The absence of being."
"That's where you're wrong." Socrates took the shot. The Devil Captain's head erupted in a flurry of ether and bloody chunks. Both Risen summoned their Sparrows and sped away.
"Then what is it?!" Ikharos shouted over the wind howling past.
"Infinities! Endless power! It's a font of strength nothing can hope to contain, and it's everywhere! It's as common as Light! More!" Socrates glanced behind. "Now show me how well you can wield it!"
Ikharos turned his Sparrow about. The Captain's Pike gang were in hot pursuit. "Alone?!"
Socrates didn't answer. He just rode off, leaving Ikharos to clean up his mess.
Ikharos crawled over to the weapon, leaving a trail of blood for the monster to follow. His fingers brushed against the cool metal of the compound bow and his fingertips caught a grip. He dragged it towards him and turned himself over. His strength was fading. He didn't have time to make a mistake.
He blocked off everything, even the pain, and struggled to find his usual haunt in the nullscape. The quiet pools of Void awaited him, but he feared he would drown in the pain dragging him beneath the surface. With one last surge of willpower he broke free and took a breath in the clean nothingness of the beyond.
His muscles shook as he brought the titanium-weave string back. His aim was unsteady, so he needed to wait until it was close. Ikharos eyed the monster with all the hate he could ever muster for a singular entity. It screamed at him loud enough to finally put an end to his overtaxed eardrums, but that little agony went unnoticed. Ikharos didn't let go.
When it glowed bright enough to light up the entire chamber, he didn't let go.
When it charged him, he didn't let go.
Only when it's jaws were dropping down to rip off his head did he release. The Arc arrow sailed through the air and straight into the monster's shimmering maw.
It hit him with all the force of a speeding Goliath hovertank and Ikharos's world went dark.
000
"Is... is he dead?"
Kiphoris didn't know. He assumed so. Even a Light-Thief couldn't hope to match a Star-Eater. Nothing could.
Eldrin deactivated the screen and packed it away. "The Shank is dead, mine-Captain," he quietly reported.
"What do we do?" Formora asked. She edged closer and closer to the tunnel. She didn't understand the threat.
They waited for his orders. Kiphoris didn't know what to do. If a Star-Eater was present, it was best to leave it to whatever planet it had chosen and warp elsewhere, but they didn't have that option. He wanted to warn Tarrhis, but he didn't have that option either.
The light in the tunnel flashed and grasped their attention, but it only lasted for a brief moment. After that it disappeared entirely. The air flow changed - he could feel it.
Without waiting for another word Formora surged forwards. "Garjzla," she said quickly, and an orb of bright white filled her palm. The shadows of the tunnel no longer seemed so oppressive; they fled from the light cast by the magic orb. Whatever curse had once held the place was gone.
"Did he... did he kill it?" Eldrin wondered aloud.
Kiphoris snarled and ran after Formora. She was being too reckless, but he wouldn't let her throw her life away. He had lost too many of his crew already. He didn't need her death on his conscience. She ran faster than he anticipated, however, and she refused to heed his frantic shouts to stop. Kiphoris was helpless to do anything but follow.
When they arrived by the place Kiphoris knew Riilix had died - beside the small hole in the cavern wall - he found no remains. Not even blood. It was as if she had never been there. Even Ikharos's blood had been scoured from the place. It infuriated him. It made his blood boil and ether burn. The monster wouldn't even leave him their remains!
Formora didn't wait up. The elf was set on her course. And Kiphoris was being dragged along behind. Eldrin, ever the loyal soldier, had in turn followed him.
"Gah, you foolish human," Kiphoris muttered. He gave the scene of Riilix's murder one last cursory look and followed in Formora's footsteps. Her orb was bright and easy to follow in the otherwise lightless tunnel.
They found the staircase easily. It was framed by careful stonework. Dwarven runes had been etched around the entrance. Formora didn't give them any attention and raced down the stairs, forcing Kiphoris and Eldrin to follow. The Captain couldn't help but feel they were falling into yet another trap. His mistake with the elevator already cost him three good soldiers, and he didn't want to lose any more.
The staircase led directly into the cavern of statues, and Kiphoris expected to see the same: no corpses, no evidence Ikharos had ever been there.
He was proven wrong.
They found the bodies in the centre of the colossal room: the huge, terrible beast that had slaughtered Kiphoris's Marauders and then the Light-Thief only a few paces away. Both were clearly dead. Xiān flew above her human, barely capable of keeping herself aloft.
"I couldn't help him," she said numbly as they approached. "I... I couldn't help him."
"Is he...?" Formora knelt beside Ikharos.
"I-I don't know. I've never seen anything like this!"
Eldrin stepped close to the dead Star-Eater. "He killed it... Kiphoris-Veskirisk, look. He killed it!"
"He did," Kiphoris replied bitterly.
"I'll need time." Xiān landed on Formora's shoulder, her shell shaking with terror. The elf appeared briefly surprised by the gesture, which she quickly masked, but she didn't shake the Ghost loose. "It was suppressing my Light. I couldn't help him, couldn't even talk to him! It... It was going to kill me..."
"How did he kill it?" Formora asked in a calm voice.
"Stabbed the eye," Kiphoris grunted. He could see the shattered blade still lodged in the beast's eye socket. "Softer than the body."
Xiān blinked. "No. That didn't kill it. He had to shoot it in the throat."
Kiphoris didn't dare open up the Star-Eater's maw. That was asking for a painful death. "Will he live?"
"I think so. I... I just need time to get rid of... whatever this is." She stared pointedly at the glowing venom still visible on Ikharos's wounds. "It's not normal. There's Arc in it too, and-"
"We leave. Now," Kiphoris ordered. He cast a wary eye around the chamber. "Bring him back."
"I can't! The venom's still strong!"
Kiphoris growled. The idea of lugging a corpse behind him was not one he was comfortable with. "How long?"
"I… don't know!"
The Captain gave up and roughly grabbed the dead human by his arm. "Eldrin. Assist me."
The Marauder dutifully picked up Ikharos's other limb. "Are we to leave?" He asked.
"Eia."
Formora moved in front of them. "We're going back?"
"Yes," Kiphoris motioned for her to get out of the way. "I will not deal in matters concerning Star-Eaters."
"But it's dead!"
"That," he pointed at the giant beast, "was only a youngling. Little more than a hatchling. It may not be alone. I will not stay to find out. We are leaving. We will climb out."
"What if there's something there? Something cut the chain!"
"A better risk than staying. I am sick of following unthought plans. This is mine-plan, and I have thought through it. It will be followed. Am I understood?"
AN: As ever, thanks to Nomad Blue!