Chapter 10: Building Trust with a Fractured Mind
Random Guy-Thank you
AnxiousNecros- Ships? Yes….eventually, don't worry. And I did eventually plan to do some side stories or what if chapters in the later chapters as the story progresses. I'll PM you with a description of what Seven looks like tomorrow after I rest some. It's essentially 2am in the morning for me at the time of posting this.
Or-lan-dp636- I understand where you're coming from, but don't worry it gets better, or worse depending on how you look at it.
Another thank you to Yukalight for helping me piece together this chapter.
With all that said and done Mono and Seven began making their way back out of the market and hopefully back to the surface. Seven gave Mono a questioning look, a clear show of confusion as Mono began hefting up the two bags with one in each hand, perhaps not believing that Mono was going to carry the bags around everywhere. It was slightly urking to say the least as what else were they expecting buying this much stuff?
Perhaps sensing his annoyance, or simply out of pity Seven turned around in resignation and began leading the way toward the exit. It was not a long way passing through the crowded walkways until Eventually they came to the end of the huge underground sewer space. Once more stepping out of the perceived safety, and back into the dangerous unknown.
It was fine for Mono at first, as he followed after Seven through the twists and turns of the rather confusingly built sewer systems, much like anywhere you go, size was bizarre, and even with his greater height it still made little practical use. However, as they ventured further Mono found his arms beginning to become sore and muscles burning in strain, something that grew more and more problematic as they continued. When they came to a small room that seemed to be a converging point for a bunch of pipes Seven swiftly turned around causing Mono to almost bump into them. Looking somewhat annoyed they pointed down to the side against a wall, most likely indicating to Mono that they wanted him to rest.
Mono was confused but decided not to argue and just go with it. "I will only need a few minutes rest, then we can be on our way again alright?" Mono said as he set the two bags off to the side with a sigh of relief, easing his sore shoulders with a rub.
Soon sitting down a few feet from him, Seven kept an eye out as Mono took his breather, only to be surprised by how quickly Mono had fallen asleep, almost bewildered by the idea. Though looking back, they understood that he likely was tired from carrying all his stuff.
Their gaze slowly shifted over to the two bags that Mono carried around, and for a moment they bobbed their head from side to side in thought before finally making a decision. Scooching closer to Mono, they reached inside their coat.
When Mono came too, it was to the sound of the groaning earth around them. The ground was shaking, not enough to be dangerous in the tunnels, but the vibration was certainly noticeable. He quickly stood up noticing that Seven was already up as well, and immediately began walking down the sewers again, even as the earth still shook, Mono momentarily panicked as he couldn't find his bags, though as Seven continued without him, he sighed and carried on after them as to not be left behind.
The lights in the sewers were flickering on and off as Mono felt like the trail was slowly ascending, likely making its way closer to the surface, as they eventually made their way to a huge drop off with many waterways in the middle of the sewers cascading down. The crashing of water could be heard as it flowed down into a swirling hole below, one with oddly shaped things slightly clogging its sides, a metal walkway was directly across the open chasm, one that led to the only way forward.
Slowly and tentatively they crossed the chasm without issue and walked only a bit further before coming out into a much larger area in the sewer, one that showed tell-tale signs of flooding with dark water pooled dotting the ground thanks to the uneven shapes, dips and inclines of the strange place. There was only a small trickle managing to leave the growing pools which only grew with the many drips coming from the ceiling, one that was unbelievably high for some reason, with prison bars lining the walls and Tall mounds and spires of trash, gunk, and some poorly drawn eyes caking the walls and floors.
taking their first few steps into the slowly flooding room, from where they entered the water had only pooled enough to make a small puddle that their shoes would splash in, but as they walked further the ground was dipping down at an incline, their shoes becoming partially submerged.
"Uhhmm…. Are you sure that this is the right way?" Mono asked
As Mono had already expected, there was still no response as they continued walking, tentatively taking a leap onto a plank of wood floating in the deeper section of the water. Taking a leap after them the plank of wood wobbled at the sudden weight applied to it but still managed to not sink beneath the surface. As he took a moment to read his surroundings he noticed there was a trail of things floating in the water that led to a huge wall of garbage where it looked to have clogged an entryway with only one opening that one could barely walk through.
Mono followed behind Seven while keeping an eye on the junk and garbage floating in the deeper waters, not trusting it one bit even if Seven didn't seem all that worried. Junk like furniture, trash and half eaten food floated around and one can never be sure what could be lurking behind such things… Right?
Squeezing through the hole in the wall of garbage, the two are greeted by more giant spires and mounds of garbage that poked out of the dark water like little islands connected together only by the bits and pieces of trash that managed to float between them. With every step they both take, a small ripple would spread out.
Mono kept his eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary as they walked and jumped across different platforms made of garbage. He was looking about so intently that he found himself spooked when the sound of a pile of garbage began creaking because of a flimsy metal can that held it up.
"So where exactly are we trying to go?" Mono asked, trying to ease his nerves a little and hopeful that they were getting close to the exit by now.
Seven looked back at Mono before then swiftly turning back around and pointing forward. On the far opposite walls on the left and right of them, there were various pipes that were either flowing with more black water or were clogged entirely by muck and trash. It looked like anything could have been down there with all the junk piled around, from waterlogged furniture, to submerged car parts and bicycles that were rusting. walking off a floating plank of wood and onto a mound of clothes their first steps on the mound were followed by the squelching sounds of the soggy garments, each step as they walked across the mound their feet would sink a bit.
Suddenly from up above they heard a loud bang and rumble. If Mono listened closely enough, he thought he could hear the faint patter of rain from up above. Very quickly more water started to pour in from the pipes that were open and even some of the clogged ones burst open as the gunk clogging it gave way. It seemed fine at first, that they could still get out just fine, but as they were making their way across the mounds and spire Seven suddenly stiffened before bounding off to the next platform quickly. Mono was speechless for a second as he wondered why they took off so quickly.
A plop was suddenly heard behind him, followed by another, then another, until it fired off like with the frequency of rain water hitting the ground. Multiple things were coming through the pipes and landing in the water. Mono could see the small movements of black shapes swimming in the water. Immediately he turned around and began running after Seven. As they both ran across the planks and mounds disregarding safety. More and more small creatures seemed to be pouring out of the pipes with the rainwater from up above.
However, apart from the countless little plops that he could hear of small creatures landing in the water, they were followed by a very loud and big splash from a different pipe ahead of him. He was too busy to notice what exactly came out, only managing to catch the final glimpse of something big crawling out of the pipe somewhere off to his right.
Seven was already ahead making their way over a mound of junk that blocked the way to continue forward. As Mono caught up he too began to make his way over the mound, but his eyes were drawn to a sizable ripple in the water of something making its way toward the two. As they hastily made their way up the mound, every now and again pieces of junk that they either grabbed or stepped on would give way to the added weight and pressure they applied to it, causing them to slip only a few inches back down. Both children could hear the sound behind them of whatever laid in the dark waters getting closer and closer. Seven had managed to make it to the top of the mound first, immediately turning around to get an actual look at what was approaching. Whatever swam beneath these waters, disappeared from sight and yet Seven still kept their eyes fixed on a certain spot. Just as Mono made his way on to the mound next to Seven something big lunged out beneath the surface of the water. Mono's hair stood on end as he couldn't turn around to look at the creature, but he knew for certain that danger was quickly approaching him.
Seven grabbed Mono by the back of his coat collar and literally hefted Mono away from the edge right as something took a bite where he once was, instead biting a wooden chair that he had used to climb, snapping it into splinters.
"Thanks…you're a lot stronger than I thought you were." Mono said as he was catching his breath.
It seemed to him that they hadn't heard them or simply ignored him and instead were still peering down over the edge of the mound looking at the black water. Mono followed suit, but as far as he could see, nothing was there. Though a little bit farther away from them Mono could see the smaller creatures in the water still swimming towards them.
"We should probably try to leave before those other things catch up to us, I don't see that other big creature anywhere but maybe we can run for it before it-" Before Mono was finished, Seven made a shushing motion to Mono.
Mono closed his mouth and watched as Seven crouched down on the mound, to which Mono copied. Seven then snapped their fingers and out from behind Mono a carbon copy of Seven came from behind him startling him. The copy of them climbed down from the mound in a different direction then they were headed, going platform to platform, but the copy only made it so far before they watched as a giant scaly creature lunged out of the water, snapping up the copy of Seven. But soon the creature whaled as the copy turned to dust in its mouth.
The creature thrashed around wildly, before suddenly stilling beneath the grime, turning to look at the mound where Mono and Seven lay and slowly start to sink back into the water, never taking its gray, dead looking eyes off the two.
Seven began looking around calmly at their surroundings before they spotted a much taller trash spire that somehow had a large car teetering at the top. Mono looked off to the side as more and more water poured from the surrounding pipes and some water could even be seen falling straight from up above. The water was rising very quickly, so even if that creature couldn't reach them yet, it would be able to sooner or later.
The smaller creatures in the water stopped approaching, opting to stay a bit away as the other bigger creature watched the two. Seven motion Mono towards the other side of the mound they were on, pointing towards the spire that strangely had a rocking car close to falling, they then pointed at another mound that was shaped like a horseshoe. The spire and the creature were both on opposite sides, so if they ran for it they should have enough time to get to the other spire before the creature could catch up to them.
"So one of us should run to that huge trash pile and someone else should lead it over there to that other mound, am I understanding that right." Mono said.
Seven nodded, confirming his thought process.
"...Well, I guess I'll go lead it toward the other mound." Mono said reluctantly.
"Don't tell me you're actually doing this! We should be the ones dropping the car on that thing, not them." Sloth reasoned.
"Shut up Sloth! I hate this too, but there isn't time to argue." Mono said as he walked to the opposite side of the mound, toward the horseshoe shaped mound.
He took deep breaths and prepared himself mentally to do what he had too. Thankfully the dirty black water was being washed away in the strong current created by the rain water falling down, but the water would soon be trapped in this room and because as the current was strong, more fragile piles of garbage were starting to fall over and being washed away. Said garbage would likely clog up the pipes entirely soon, however even with the pipes open the water was still rising simply because the amount pouring in was much more than what was being poured out.
Bits and pieces of debris were rushing by, so Mono timed himself before jumping onto a broken table that was swept away in the tide. Being on dangerous rushing water, he didn't want to turn around to see if Seven had gone to do what they were supposed to. He also couldn't see or hear anything around him that lay within the water. If anything was coming towards him, he had no way of knowing in the rolling tides. He waited for his platform to float near one of other trash mounds and jumped onto it, scrambling on as some of the garbage gave way under his weight. Taking the chance to get a good look at his surroundings. Turning back, Seven was no longer on the mound he had originally jumped from, looking around, he didn't see them anywhere.
Suddenly the entire mound that he stood on lurched as more and more pieces of garbage that held it together was washed away. Very quickly it was falling apart right from under him.
"Ok maybe I can teleport to another platform instead of jumping?" Mono said more asking himself, though Sloth was quick to answer.
"I don't recommend it, teleporting on moving objects that aren't exactly stable is more than likely just going to land you in the water faster, as opposed to just jumping… You'll probably still fall in the water regardless." Sloth said not helping Mono in the least.
Mono then jumped onto a floating tire with both feet planted on the opposite sides trying desperately to balance himself above the rushing water. All this happened in seconds as he then jumped from debris to debris, always managing to land on target, arms waving frantically as constantly struggled to keep himself from falling into the water. When he jumped onto a floating plank of wood there was an eruption of water behind him, as if something had just jumped out of the water bearing down on where he once stood. The rumbling of a growling creature submerging beneath the water once again.
A very heavy feeling of dread was slowly washing over Mono as he could only imagine the creature was much closer than he could see. With every leap, he got closer and closer to the mound he had to lead the creature to. However right as he was about to reach the mound, his footing slipped, falling into the rushing water.
He was immediately pulled under by the great force, quickly shutting his mouth as he fell under the water, floating for what felt like too long. He fought to rise to the surface as his arms and legs strained, and though it was dark and he wasn't sure which way to go, luck was on his side as he eventually managed to surface, gasping for breath he saw that the trash mound was extremely close to him. Managing to swim his way into the area of the horseshoe shaped mound, protecting him from the rushing waters he quickly gets some footing as he swims closer, trying to push his water weighted body up the mound.
Feeling the ripples as something was coming at him, Mono rolled his body to the side as a large creature maw bit into the mound, getting a mouthful of junk right where he once was. Its skin looked pale, rough and scaly with its long snout and maw full of jagged teeth still biting down on a chair. Its eye on the sides of its face looked straight at him before the creature then thrashed its head at him, in a manic display of teeth and claws, it tried to throw him back down into the water, but just as another bite came for him Mono managed to teleport up to the top of the mound. Even with not much distance between him and the creature, the creature found itself unable to climb up to him with its small legs unable to catch a strong enough foothold to hoist itself up.
Seven's Pov
Seven made her way down the mound she was standing on, sliding down the mound before jumping onto a board that led toward the large trash spire, where the large broken down car teetered vicariously. As she ran along the water jumping from debris to debris, she could see the group of small black creatures swimming towards her. Making her way to the first trash mound on her way toward the large spire she immediately made several copies around herself before having them all go in different directions confusing the small black creatures. She doubted they were smart enough to tell which one was real and which weren't.
Continuing her run toward her destination amongst the cover over her copies, she jumped dexterously and gracefully on every piece of debris, hardly needing to catch herself or double take at all. Her attention was pulled to her left however as a small group of the black and vile creatures broke off from the larger group in order to attack her in their search for the real copy. They jumped out of the water at her but she managed to duck and dodge everyone. As she soon made her way over to the foot of the tall trash spire. The spire itself was way too steep to climb normally and as the small black creatures noticed her after all the other copies either crumbled or fell in the water. There were ledges that one could stand on, up the spire but no way to climb to them and the ledges themselves were just out of reach. Not deterred however she ran up to the first ledge that consisted of a cabinet stack sideways on top of a fridge. Running up to the stack, she kicked off the front of the fridge while also making another copy of herself right on the ledge with its hand held out, grabbing her own outstretched hand pulling her up.
Looking back down over the edge she saw the swarm of small black creatures bunched up against the edge of the spire, some even jumping out to try and get her but only managing to slam against the side of the broken fridge. Looking up towards the top of the spire she could vaguely make out a broken stairway made out of various things jutting out over the edge. She climbed from ledge to ledge, using her copies to hoist her up or jump off them to get to the other ledges.
As she glanced over the side she could catch a small glimpse of Mono hopping across the rushing water toward the fall point, a huge reptilian creature covered in pale scaly hide and rotting flesh following him just below the surface. Turning back to look at the rest of her climb up, there were only just a few more ledges till she reached the top, but the closer she came to reaching it, the more unstable it became, sometimes the added weight being too much causing the spire to wobble dangerously. It slowed down her climb but it wasn't something that worried her.
Finally reaching a point where she could cause the car to topple over, she stared down just in time to see Mono tumble into the water. She watched for a few seconds waiting to see if he would come back to the surface and to her surprise and slight relief he did. That relief in itself was something she found surprising, but thinking back on their small journey so far, Mono had proven to be quite useful, she certainly saw the perks of keeping someone like him around, his powers were very useful, coupled with his personality, the boy was just too nice to expect anything too sinister from. Time and time again he had proven resilient and beneficial to be with, so for now, she would try to keep him around, just until he shows otherwise.
She watched as he managed to finally swim up to the position, just as the creature lunged out from beneath the water, intent on biting the boy. Fortunately he managed to roll out of the way in time. She immediately looked up toward the car and spotted a piece of trash that would cause the thing to topple forward if it was pulled. Grabbing it with both hands she gave a strong tug and the car suddenly leaned heavily onto one side before slowly sliding forward and then flipping over off the spire and careening towards the beast which narrowly managed to get out of the way in time. The car slammed into the water, completely blocking off the creature's way back and effectively trapping it within the horseshoe shaped trash mound, becoming a sort of trash pit instead.
It was a tad upsetting that the car missed, but it worked out in the end, and now she began scaling her way down the spire, easily heading towards Mono location, but stops when she notices that she sees no sign of the smaller black creatures.
Mono's Pov
Wiping his face and shaking his hat around, Mono tried to wipe off some of the grime to at least somewhat dry off. His clothes were absolutely soaked and caked in filth but he would have to deal with that later, for now he took a glance at the now exposed creature, seeing it try and fail to climb out the pit it was trapped in. Shortly Seven climbed onto the mound to join him, both taking a moment to stare at their handiwork, before Seven seemed to look off somewhere only then to start tugging on his coat insisting that they move on. Seven then pointed toward the largest spire that was still a ways away. The two quickly made their way down the mound looking out for the smaller creatures before walking towards the large spire on any floating trash that could hold their weight.
Not seeing any dark shadows in the water he found it odd, but then heard the intense thrashing behind him. Taking a moment to look, he saw the leeches wriggle out of every nook and cranny of the pit around the pale creature. The giant reptilian-like thrashing and rolling violently from the small space, before it stopped moving all together.
Seven once more grabbed Mono and jerked him in a hurried motion as they made another leap across the debris almost in a panic. Mono understood why when he heard a loud crash of something heavy behind him, leaping across himself as he tried to follow as best he could. Though after that initial crash Mono didn't hear anything else besides the sound of water and Seven and his splashing as they rushed through. Though when Seven had stopped and ducked behind a nearby mound, he knew something was wrong and ducked and hid behind one of his own. Taking a peak, he spotted atop one of the trash mounds and peering around was a strange wiggling mass of ooze, claw-like protrusions and distinctly manic look in its eyes, being the only things that seemed to remain of the creature before, with its massive mouth now that of a giant leech. Fortunately Mono and Seven both managed to hide themselves well enough behind debris, but by this point the water had risen up to where if they got caught or fell in then the likely-hood of climbing out was almost non-existent.
The creature slowly climbed back down into the water while keeping its eyes peeled. It swam through the water slowly, quietly with and instead of swimming on the surface it disappeared underneath the water.
The tall trash spire that they needed to climb was just a few feet ahead of them, but they were being blocked by the stalking creature. And with the water rising the trash mounds that they could stand on were becoming less and less, soon they'd have nowhere else to stand and swimming the rest of the way was not an option. Mono looked across toward Seven who had made a copy next to them sent it to the opposite end of the mound they were hiding behind, they then tried to run for his own location to get closer to the spire but the large creature was quick and as soon as the copy as in view it jumped at the copy, and while not managing to get a bite on it, the copy fell into the water causing it to dissipate. which after the copy had been destroyed the monster looked in their direction and started swimming quickly towards them.
The two teens looked around frantically for a hiding spot, Seven quickly crammed themselves into an old dryer and Mono managed to find a half submerged fridge. Opening the fridge, he frantically crawled inside and closed it.
Left waiting in silence with half of his body submerged in filthy water that reeked in the enclosed space, he could hear outside the fridge the sounds of the monster swimming around. with the occasional sound of trash being thrown around in its search for the two. The sound got closer and closer to him, before going silent. Such silence went on for a few seconds, before lasting for a few minutes, for the whole duration nothing could be heard from the confines of the fridge. Soon it felt like an hour had gone by, even if he knew it probably hadn't.
Giving a sigh from all the built up suspense Mono found he couldn't stand staying in the enclosed space. "Ok Mono, just take a peek outside, maybe the monster is gone." He said to himself trying and failing to ease his nerves.
Though right as he was about to open the fridge door, it suddenly swung open. Mono's face switches to one of silent horror, being caught completely off guard, assuming the creature had found him, only for Seven to throw themselves into the fridge next to him, and slamming the door shut. Not long after the door was shut the sound of debris getting thrown around got closer and closer before stopping near them, the two teens glanced at one and other before bracing against the walls and each other, now packed together in the fridge they waited silently in baited breath. After no sound for another few minutes Seven eyes suddenly flashed before deciding to open the door to the fridge, both peeked out, looking for any sign of the creature, but Seven seemed to know that the creature was at least not close by as they pulled Mono along, slowly and quietly, careful to not make a sound as they walked.
Every now and again the two would hear the creature digging and smashing into the trash mounds, sometimes far and sometimes close, when that happened they would pause quickly until it sounded like it was going away. While Mono could not tell how close the creature was he could tell it was by the sound of it. As it came closer and closer Seven grabbed a ball that was laying in one of the trash piles and threw it as hard as they could, disappearing over the mound and knocking into something metal and a crashing sound was heard. The noise from the creature stopped for a moment before it let loose another screech and started to dart towards the noise.
After that the two crouched low and as quickly and quietly as possible began to make their way towards the ceiling high trash spire. If Mono looked toward the top of the spire he could see the small opening of a manhole with a ladder that extended partially down near its top, it would seem that would be their exit from these grimy depths.
When they finally reached the foot of the trash spire they knew that the climb would be harder than it was climbing the other spires. There were objects they could grab onto to climb of course, but there weren't any huge objects that they'd be able to rest on. They began their ascent to the top, still trying to make the least amount of noise. Seven scaled the spire with a quick and methodical pace, eyes always towards the top. Mono however couldn't help himself looking back every now and again as he climbed at a much slower pace.
The creature did come towards their location after it was done searching the area that the ball had been thrown to distract it, thankfully the creature never bothered to look up as it circled and searched for the two. It went about attacking any place it thought where they might be hiding. As they climbed they grew closer and closer to their exit, however to their detriment the closer to the top they got the more dangerous it was as the spire was, in the end, a rickety pile of garbage that could give way any moment sending them plunging to their deaths at any moment. If the creature looked up it would more than likely bring down the spire to get them, if he was lucky the fall would kill him, he didn't want to think about being bit by that creature in its huge mouth. Looking up he could see that Seven had already reached the top, crouched down to stay stable on the unstable spire that swayed from side to side.
As Mono continued his climb, he put his foot on an object sticking out slightly, however the object in question immediately gave way, falling out from beneath him and causing him to almost fall. Luckily he managed to catch himself quickly, his hands desperately clutching onto the lower shelf of a bookcase. But as for the object he had stepped on? It fell down, down into the water with a loud splunk. A noise that the creature heard as its head snapped towards the noise, looking up to notice Mono catching himself from slipping. The creature let out another screech and charged at the spire. As soon as it crashed head first into the spire, the entire structure shook violently and yet still somehow did not fall. The creature began trying to try and climb up the steep spire, however it only succeeded in slowly tearing the foundation of the spire apart little by little. Now on top of trying to get to the top he had to do so quickly before that creature actually managed to knock down the spire, and watch out for the things falling down upon him as he climbed up.
His arms were starting to grow tired and burn as he wasn't used to climbing this much for a prolonged period of time. Every few seconds the spire would shake again and again as the creature was trying to get him. More black mass started to pour out of the hole in the creature's body, slowly building up and amassing together like it had a mind of its own. It then formed into a tentacle, with more soon forming along its back. Catching and wrapping around different objects, before tossing them back into the air intent on trying to strike Mono as he climbed, with one tentacle slowly elongating up the spire catching up to the climbing Mono.
The creature had very good aim; it seemed as most objects it threw came close to striking him, always just a bit off or Mono managed to move his body only slightly to avoid the incoming object. He was just a few more feet from the top of the spire, but it seemed that the creature had made a lucky shot as a small, but very heavy object struck him in the very back of his head.
He was stunned for a moment, with his eyes wide as the pain caused him to let go, slipping and beginning to fall. But gritting his teeth through the throbbing pain he felt, he reached out and regained his grip before he could plunge to his demise. His vision was blurry and he felt as if he was slowly losing consciousness. Fighting through the hazy feeling he kept climbing, finally managing to reach the top with Seven.
The opening back to the surface was open just a bit away from them. A ladder extended down from the hole only extending out slightly. For a moment it confused him as to why a entrance to the surface had a ladder that only led to a long drop to the bottom, although if he looked to the far left it looked like a metal walkway used to be connected to the ladder, but eventually broke leaving the walkway hanging off to the side, impossible to reach and looking like it'd give way with only the smallest of weight added. The only option they had was to jump for the ladder and climb their way out.
Suddenly the entire spire leaned over dangerously to one side. Peering down the creature was tearing deep into the foundation of the spire, causing it to slowly lean over more and more like a tree being chopped down as it dug in further and further. The tendrils on its back were still throwing stuff at the two, with many objects sailing through the air past them. Thankfully the spire was leaning more towards the ladder now.
Seven and Mono looked at each other wondering who would jump first. Though not wasting too much time, Seven took the bullet and got a running start before jumping for the ladder and reaching for its bars making it just barely as another shake rippled through, their feet hitting the bottom bars with a dull thud. Thankfully the ladder seemed very strong showing no signs of falling whatsoever.
The tower was starting to lean back and away from the exit. Seeing this Mono was getting ready to jump but for some reason he just couldn't bring himself to do it. When Seven held out their hand, within the next second he felt a familiar pain as his heart spiked in his chest, clutching the spot over his heart Mono looked at it but there was no injury present, yet the pain was still there, his body felt numb and his breathing became labored as once more time seemed to slow around him.
Then out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw something moving in his vision. Throwing himself to the floor he narrowly dodged a black tendril that tried to grab him. In that moment as he was staring at the tendril his vision changed, the black tendril became one that looked to be made of meat instead. Picking himself up, Mono looked around to find that he wasn't even on the trash spire anymore. No, instead he was standing on the edge of a stone bridge, the same stone bridge he had jumped from all those years ago. Turning around to see if there was another way out, he looked towards the only doorway present. Many eyes in a slowly expanding sea of flesh slowly made its way toward him.
He held out his hands trying to tune the transmission within him but to no avail. The flesh was advancing slowly, all eyes staring at Mono.
"Welcome home, child." A voice echoed in his head.
The flesh stopped its approach just a few feet from Mono. Mono was silent looking at the eyes and flesh for any sudden movements and questioning if it was talking to him.
"Have you enjoyed yourself…..child?" the voice echoed once more.
"You're not real. None of this around me is real. This isn't where I just was." Mono said.
"Tell me of your dream child, what have you dreamed of this time? Are you perhaps dreaming of the one that sleeps within you." the flesh asked amusingly.
"Sloth! Are you there, listen I don't care if you're asleep! I need you to wake up right now!" Mono yelled internally as a sinking feeling entered his gut and as the seconds ticked by with no answer.
"Don't you understand, child? You were dreaming! The one you know as Sloth is not real, simply a voice inside your head to keep you company. It seems you've also been dreaming of Six again. And this Seven? Trying to make another friend?" it asked getting even closer until it was mere centimeters from Mono, almost making him slip off over the edge.
"Shut up! You're just some kind of trick, there's know way you're real!" Mono yelled, pointing at the eye. Though his eyes were frantic as he tried to understand what was going on, his chest continued to hurt and his thoughts muddled. Why was this happening?
"I assure you child, WE are very much real." the Eyes said just as a tendril of meat reached out wrapping around Mono's outstretched arm, constricting painfully tight around it. The pain felt so real.
"Feel free to enjoy yourself, we shall watch your attempts eagerly, and when you are ready to wake up once more, we will welcome you back with open arms…as your one true friend." The Eyes said as the flesh receded still yanking Mono along, away from the edge of the bridge before letting him go.
"You are free to go now child. Your friend is waiting." the Eyes said condescendingly.
The scenery around him began to fall apart, the inside of the tower falling apart. The flesh receded into the darkness. Once more across the broken and crumbling bridge stood a figure. Looking intently Mono could see the flash of yellow admits the fuzzy outline of static behind her and could tell it was Six, standing there, menacingly. With a hand once more outstretched, he knew what to expect. Something that kept him still for if the outcome was the same why bother jumping at all.
Although as he stared longer the figure of Six soon changed admits the static into what he recognized as Seven. They flickered back and forth between the two nearly as fast as Mono was, caught deciding if he should try or not. The anxiety of the decision brought him down even more, both literally and metaphorically as the place he stood upon was slowly sinking from under his feet. He expected the worst, he knew what was coming and yet he couldn't help but hope. Hope that for once he could put all his trust in someone and they wouldn't just immediately throw him away!
Gathering what wits and courage he had left he started getting a running start. Time seemed to slow down, the sinking feeling in his chest getting heavier and heavier with every step before he finally took a leap once more flung above a violet deep, an abyss. The forms of Six and Seven flickering so fast between the two he could only stare and until the flashing became too much, so closed his eyes and waited as he moved through the air with an outstretched hand. And when their hands finally met, Mono slowly opened his eyes. He felt a hand tightly gripping his own, with an extremely strong grip.
In awe of the sensation he looked up and saw Six, who steadily faded into Seven who was staring back at Mono confused and slightly strained. When he looked around himself he found himself once again in the sewer. Now dangling from Sevens hand on the ladder as the creature let out one final roar as Mono only turned around fast enough to catch a small glimpse of the creature getting buried under the falling spire.
Looking back at Seven, they were still holding his hand, although from what Mono could tell from their head movements, they wanted him to quickly grab onto the ladder, Mono realized they were waiting for him to grab onto the ladder before they let go.
Swallowing his intense feelings of all that happened, his chest ached, and his mouth was dry, but he calmed himself as his breathing became less tense, Grabbing onto the ladder as the two quickly and quietly started making their way up to the surface.
The climb was a long one, as the two climbed up the ladder silently, only a small ray of light piercing down the manhole and small dribbles of water as rain fell down. When they finally reached the surface the two teens came out into an alleyway void of life but for a single lamp post that shone down upon them. When they could both hear the loud steps of many adults walking down the street just a few hundred feet away, they opted to sit in a cardboard box to wait out the crowd and rain.
As they both sat next to each other Mono kept rubbing his hands together, simply trying to calm his nerves as he racked his mind over the experience he just had.
"Hey Sloth you there?" Mono asked.
There was no response. Even as he kept asking there was still nothing, which only served to make Mono even more on edge. A sense of foreboding and despair overtook him as the words of the Flesh repeated themselves in his head. Was all this even real? He found himself questioning everything as he stared intently and scrutinized every little thing. In the next second a new coat was thrown over his head. Caught off guard in his own thoughts he quickly pulled the coat off from over his head and looked at Seven who was staring back at him. They might have thought that he was cold in all his wet clothes, but that didn't bother him all that much. Instead his body was shivering due to how on edge he had been feeling.
"Thank you, for the coat. Thanks for not dropping me too. I just…..thank you." Mono said.
At his words they tilted their head looking confused like before, perhaps muddling over his words and their meaning, in the end though they simply gave him a nonchalant thumbs up in response.
The pair stayed there till the rain finally cleared somewhat. By then what was left of the day was already changing to night with the streets lighting up with all the lights of stores run by adults and the many casinos, when the two of them finally walked out of the alley it was dark out. No adults walked the street, and the only noise to be heard was the faint buzzing of one of the overly colorful neon signs. They walked past a Casino door that still had the lights on, yet the doors were closed, but being made of glass they could see Adults still within the building, still gambling away hidden deep in the confides that no one could leave or enter once the night came, not that the mindless expressions hinted a will or shred of want to escape.
The eerie sight left Mono unsettled, and wondering what his next move should be. He knew that the mission was simply to look for survivors, look for other towns, find out what's out there, and don't die. At least that's the mission for now; he only had added his own personal side mission when he learned about Sloth and what he calls Sins, how there are more out there all facing fates akin to himself.
He wanted to learn more, more about what's really going on, but now, he isn't so sure about that, or if any of it matters anymore.
Though as Seven pulled him into a corner just as a pale light of a vehicle turned at the end of the street toward them filled with those strange goons he knew the time to look for answers had come to an end.
With a heavy sigh Mono turned to Seven. "I guess now would be as good a time as any to get out of the city. I don't suppose you'd mind showing me the exit?" He asked, glad when Seven nodded once more, pointed down the street they were already going down.
Looking over at Seven, he remembers when he was told that they were a Sin as well, how he wasn't sure what to make of them as the glow of their eyes stared at him. Were they like Six? Were they like him? Something in between? He really wasn't sure even now what to make of them, though they have proven more than helpful.
He wanted to repay them for their kindness, but wasn't really sure how, perhaps he could convince them to come with him back to Haven?
Seven began leading Mono to what he believed was the closest way towards an exit of the city, the one where he had originally entered from. There were far fewer adults then when he was first here, but as they grew closer and closer they could see a group of figures guarding the exit of the city. It was a whole gang of the goons who stood by, with every now and again an adult would either try to leave or enter the city and the goons would check them before letting them pass.
They tried to sneakily get even closer to see if there was a way to sneak past the guards but before they could get any closer a huge searchlight swept over the area, nearly exposing them to its harsh light. He wasn't even sure where it was coming from as the sky around it was pretty much pitch black at this point.
Seven seemed more hasty after this, decided to try a different exit to the city that they knew of, but every time the two reached one, that exit had goons guarding it as well. Even exits that looked like only kids would use them were guarded or straight up sealed up.
At this point Mono was starting to feel like he had really kicked the hornet's nest. "I don't suppose you know of any other exits that they wouldn't know about?" Mono asked, daring to hope.
Seven seemed to think on it, that is until the heavy sounds of footsteps alerted the two, though before either of them could react a yellow blur rushed out of the darkness and tackled Seven. The two of them tumbled to the ground in a mangle mess of limbs. Both rolling around, both trying to land hits on the other. Mono remained still completely caught off guard and left to watch them for a bit, only getting involved when Six got Seven pinned and looked to be going for the neck with a vicious bite. Running up he quickly tried to pry Six off Seven, grabbing her by the back of her raincoat.
"Six get off!-" Unfortunately he didn't anticipate how Six would react to him grabbing her and she lashed out, swinging her elbow back striking Mono in the nose, an audible crunching sound was heard as he fell back in a slump onto the ground. It took a moment for Six to notice what she had done before she let go of Seven immediately and went over to Mono's side worriedly. Six propped Mono who was now out cold onto her lap as she was checking him over. His nose looked broken and he was bleeding profusely as well.
She didn't really know what to do at the moment as she just watched him bleed, but shortly after that Seven walked over looking at Six pissed off with bruises and scratches already turning red. Six stared at the other girl, already angry enough that Mono had been alone with her for who knows how long. Six clutched Mono's body, growling as the glowing eyed girl approached the two slowly. Six particularly was staring at the hand that Seven had within her coat, only easing a little when she pulled out a small cloth and knelt down on the other side of Mono still staring warily at Six. The two stared at each other hatefully. She quickly yanked Mono's body to her lap instead, trying to clean the blood.
A few moments later though, Mono sputtered and finally woke up. "Ahhh…why does my nose hurt so much." Mono said, getting up and trying to touch his nose before yanking his hand away as it was tender.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you." Six apologized looking down.
He squinted up at her, but sighed knowing it would be better to let it slide. "Well, it's fine, just… As long as you promise to stop attacking Seven here. Without their help I'd be dead in a gutter somewhere." Mono said as he touched his nose again finding it slightly bent and snapping his hand away from his nose again
Seven seemed to notice this and grabbed Mono by the nose and twisted it back into place before Mono even had a chance to realize what was happening. Though his nose was bent back to where it should be, Mono nearly fainted back into Sevens lap from the pain as he clutched his face and rolled around on the ground.
"Seven!" He spoke, his voice muffled under his hands. "Please, please tell me next time you're going to do that! Please!" Mono begged angrily.
Seven busy tending to one of their own wounds merely shrugged in response.
With another sigh Mono sits back up and tries to ignore the pain. "I guess we can continue looking for a way out of this city now, right? If anyone has an idea I'm willing to hear it." Mono asked the two.
While the group were thinking Seven would reach over every now and again to clean up Mono's nose who would somewhat swat it away before giving in. both to help him with his recovering nose, and to get a little revenge as Six would look on rather angry each time they got close to Mono, much to Seven's smug amusement.
With a poorly hidden glare Six spoke. "I know of a way to get out of the city!"
Now this made Mono and Seven both look at her, as she had spoken louder than necessary. Six just stared at Mono for a moment not making any movements, just looking at him showing little expression before he gestured for her to speak.
"There is an adult that I know. He works in one of the casino's here in the city. He used to work for the Maw before but a couple of years ago he moved here because of… A 'minor' injury." Six said.
Seven showed visible signs of doubt when Six expressed finding help in an adult, while Mono was mostly just a little skeptical. Most adults didn't express any higher thought other than fulfilling their wants or capturing children and those that did were considerably more difficult to predict.
"Ehhhh….Are you sure you should be trusting an adult Six?" Mono asked, much to Sevens bewilderment that he was even considering it.
Six smiled, "He's harmless. And if he doesn't listen I can take care of it!" She said confidently, enough for Mono to weigh the options in his head. Going into the Casino that was filled to the brim with adults was less than ideal, but with all the exits being guarded he didn't really have any other options he could think of.
Also, ever since his episode down in the sewers he hadn't heard anything from Sloth at all. The voice that was constantly talking to him was now silent leaving him alone to decide. For minutes he contemplated if they should go through with Six's idea. Six looked at him hoping he'd choose to go through with her idea, while Seven looked uncertain or even against it.
Mono sighed. "You really think you can get us out of the city Six?"
She gave a fervent nod and grunt in affirmation quickly.
"Ok, we'll give it a go, but at the first sign of danger we will be out of there, got it? Also try not to fight with Seven." Mono said.
At his words Six gave Seven a quick side glance as if sizing them up before looking back to Mono with a smirk and a nod of agreement. She then grabbed Mono by the hand and dragged him ahead forcing him to stumble under her great speeds to wherever she was planning on leading them. Seven was quick to catch up to Mono's side much to Six's disappointment. They made their way through the back alleys of the city avoiding the light as best they could with all the streets having at least one patrol blocking one way or another, until they eventually made it to the section of the city that mostly housed Casinos and other business establishments, walking past them as they made their way deeper into the heart of the city where the casinos only grew more vapid and grand. Before long, a huge casino in the shape of a pyramid came into view, lights moving around it and flashing all around it, dwarfing every other building around and being easily spotted even at a distance.
Though halfway to the casino Mono noticed Seven had stopped, instead staring at the building, their expression disturbed and nervous as they seemed more and more on edge, clenching their fists and and seeming unable to move, it also seemed as if getting closer to the building was causing them this form of discomfort.
Confused Mono tugged at Six to stop her for a moment before pointing back to Seven with concern. When Six simply gave him a blank look and started to try and pull ahead once more, Mono wrenched himself free from Six's grip, much to her surprise.
Moving back to the hesitant Seven Mono inquired. "Are you ok?"
Seven gave him a glance, and his presence seemed to strike a cord in them as they quickly shook off whatever foreboding feeling that had taken them, lapsing back to something more standoffish as they looked to the giant pyramid shaped casino that they were headed to. It was widely known that many children that got too close would never be seen again. There was also one monster that every kid in the city knew to watch out for that happened to frequent said establishment from time to time. Added to the fact that they really didn't trust anything Six had suggested, who could really blame them for their hesitancy. Though when Seven looked at Mono's concerned expression it occurred to them what they were doing, which was showing weakness, and she doesn't show weakness.
"If you want to rest or stay out here while me and Six head inside right quick that's fine. I can come back for you-" Mono said but before finishing Seven immediately shook their head with a look of annoyance, refusing to stay behind and grabbing Mono by his arm, thrusting him forward to keep walking. Mono was surprised and confused by such a sudden switch of actions, but looking into Sevens disinterested eyes and how they refused to meet his own he couldn't help but smile at once again getting a glimpse through the thief's facade.
Growing ever nearer Mono could get a better view of the finer details of the strange building. The pyramid casino looked to be made of gold, silver, with gems and any other item of significant value out on clear display. But it wasn't built in a manner strange, with the entire outside of the building looking as if it was made by melding each and every object together somehow. It looked like you could take an object right off the building. But Mono thought better then to try that, for as valuable as the objects may be, there was also a noticeably thick layer of grime and muck that dulled the shine of the building. He also made sure to keep an eye on Seven as they eyed the valuables like a hungry beast might a bountiful meal.
stopping in an alleyway with a clear view of the front gate to the grand casino, Six paused, looking to the front entrance a small crowd sat around idly in a line. Guards were stationed here and there keeping order among the brain dead adults that waited entry. Atop the entrance was the depiction of a massive stone eye, closed for the moment but no doubt capable of turning things to stone.
"So what's the plan?" Mono speaks up seeing as Six seemed hesitant.
"It's too well guarded." She quietly explained, she expected Mono to be upset by this, though instead he kept his cool. "Alright well, do you know of any other entrances to the place?"
A moment of silence passed as she gave no response, that's when Mono grew frustrated. "How did you get past this the last time you were here then?" He questions, to which Six does not answer. "Did you even get past this before?" Once more Silence. Mono spoke flatly "Have you ever even been here befo-""I haven't been here ok!" Six spat out in a mix of desperation and frustration.
"Then what are we even doing here!?" Mono demanded feeling his anger begin to bubble to the surface. To which Six quickly responded. "Because I do know someone who can get us out who works here!"
"How?!" Mono shouted.
The two pretty quickly devolved into a fierce argument, one that had been building up for some time since they had reunited, one that was steadily getting louder as the two began to berate each other, that is until both suddenly were covered under what appeared to be a large wooly blanket.
Scrambling to crawl out the two look up to see standing on some nearby boxes was Seven, giving them an incredulous smirk at their actions. Mono looked away feeling slightly embarrassed at the display, while Six simply glared back at them. That is until Mono gave her a glare of his own, seeing such a look from him smothered any other feeling as guilt washed over her, as this wasn't what she intended to happen.
Though before they could lose them Seven gave a few quick snaps of their fingers to get the two's attention, once they did they looked over to the casino once more, where their eyes flashed before pointing down a road going along the glistening trash walls. With a wave, Seven began to make their way down said path with Mono and Six giving each other one last glance before following after.
As the group circled around the building Mono couldn't help but look away from Six and notice at the very top of the building, the black smog that shrouded the entire city was pouring out in abundance, akin to that of an active volcano right from this very building.
When they had reached where Seven was leading them they finally came up to a backdoor that was miraculously open, with what appeared to be a tall lanky adult in a fancy tuxedo taking a smoke break. Though Six wanted to take him down the group opted to sneak by him, easily getting by without notice. Passing through the door had brought them to a long walkway of pip work and fancy wallpaper, extra seats and broken machines that every now and there sparked and briefly lit the dim walkway. The place was clearly only meant for employees, and as soon as they entered the structure Mono could already catch the faint smell of smoke, not of a fire but rather as if the place was chock full of smokers and the smell had already set itself into every nook and cranny. Seven led the way through the corridor with Six peeking around every corner, until they eventually heard a faint noise of dishes crashing to the floor and a light piercing into the corridor. As the trio inched forward they slowly and silently peered in to see into what appeared to be a kitchen full of adults. Some dressed as chefs and others dressed in worn out waiter attire with their aged and deformed bodies lugging around the lavish and ornate kitchen covered head to toe with cooking food, fancy silver tableware and grime which none of the cleaning staff seem to notice. Every so often an adult dressed as a waiter walked out of the room via a door on the opposite end with a plate of food. When the door had opened briefly, they could hear the vague noise of bells, alarms and the clinking of coins as well as music, along with the sight of a sea of adults gathered around multiple tables or slot machines within what looked to be a massive poorly lit ballroom. The smell of smoke, pile and other foul scents wafted through much stronger as well.
"Six, There's literally an entire horde of adults in there, where exactly is your adult friend!" Mono whispered.
"He's around here, somewhere. We just have to get into the game room past here." Six said as if it was a walk in the park.
Letting out an exasperated sigh Mono made a suggestion. "Ok, I can't teleport any great distance, but if we time it right I can teleport us to the door in about two jumps. Now we just need to be sure that none of the adults are looking when I do this or else, well, that will be it. Once we make it through the kitchen we'll find Six's friend hopefully quickly, and I mean very quickly, where Six will get them to take us to an exit in the city, we'll take only 5 minutes, as we can't afford to be around this many adults for long, it's just not safe." Mono said. When none voiced any disagreement Mono took it as a cue to get ready.
Patiently the trio waited until all the adults were looking away. Mono held onto both of their arms, waiting for just the right moment to slip past the adults, all the while trying to figure out which spot to move to in order to keep out of sight. For a split second all adults had their backs turned, with their attention elsewhere he took a chance and teleported along with Six and Seven, popping over to a space between the wall of the kitchen and behind a rolling shelf stocked with food. Peeking through the shelf of food Mono could see adults preparing and carrying out food more closely. As he was peering around the decrepit kitchen he didn't catch the sight of an adult walking up to the rolling shelf and pulling off a tray of meats. Ducking down out of the line of sight, he tried to avoid being seen, but the adult paused in confusion, sure that it had seen something, before slowly beginning to peer closer.
As Mono ducked down he tried to think of a way to distract the adult before they were discovered. He caught sight of a pot boiling over a stove on the opposite side of the room. Acting quickly a hand sprouted from his back, winding around to the stove and turning the heat up to the highest it could go. Very quickly whatever was in the pot began boiling over and the sound of sizzling water alarmed the adult near them causing it to swiftly turn around and rush to salvage the dish. This in turn caused the many other adults to turn towards the boiling pot grunting and growling at the one trying to selvage it. With enough of them distracted the trio quickly rushed out past the main doors without notice.
As soon as they came out their noses were assaulted with the strong smell of smoke and the sound of bells and ringing slot machines. Mono couldn't help but hack and cough from the putrid air, covering his mouth and trying to stifle the amount he was inhaling, all while looking around the sea of adults crowded around tables or sitting on chairs facing machines. They seemed distracted paying the trio no mind, giving Mono a moment of relief, that is until Mono had to squint as the smoke began to sting his eyes as if someone was blowing dust into them. Seeing around the place was already hard enough as a faint cloud of smoke billowed about so He looked around trying to get a better view of the large room they were in while sticking close to Six who seemed to have an idea of where to go.
Red carpet was laid all over the walkways of the gold and black patterned floor, with both the carpets and the flooring having a noticeable layer of grime that kept the high class place oddly shining, the adults that sat or stood around tables looked to be glued to their seats, unmoving from their positions, they all looked different, or to be more accurate they seemed to be in different stages. Some adults looked fairly fine, while others, he could tell, had been there for quite a while. Those that were new, you could tell by the way they held themselves and the clothes they wore or how they looked physically, fat rotund bodies that seemed to strain the chair that they sat on as they played the same machine over and over again. A waiter sometimes came by, wherein the adults would hand the waiter a bit of cash before being given food, before promptly returning to their game. On the hand, others looked starved and emaciated, looking as if they would fall over any second, yet they still persisted in playing, when a waiter came by for them, they'd pause, waiting for money presumably, and some did begrudgingly pay, others had nothing left to give, and so they received nothing.
Without even noticing, as Mono was peering around looking at the adults, one right next to him suddenly fell to the floor. Looking like all the meat on the adult's body was gone, a lifeless husk falling to the floor without anyone blinking an eye. A black wisp of something came out of the husk's mouth, moving in the air like it had a life of its own. The black wisp flew through the air, winding up, up and up, toward the inky black void above. There Mono squinted as he followed the wisp trail, until it reached something, a looming figure that Mono for the life of him couldn't see pass the smoke and shadows.
Not wanting to look too long, Mono crouched back down against the machine, with Six peering around the corner on the other side and Seven leaning against it glancing down another aisle of adults. After looking around for any waiters, they began walking through the aisle. No matter where they walked, there were adults present, playing a variety of different games. After a while it honestly felt like they were lost looking for Six's friend. Though as the group wondered, Mono couldn't help but notice that Seven and Six didn't seem to be visibly bothered by the conditions inside the building, as if the smoke and grime wasn't even there, infact it wasn't to notable at first but none of the adults seemed bothered by it either. It was only him.
Though as they wandered around, from time to time more husks would fall to the floor being the only indicator of time, event Six seemed to find what she was looking for.
"There he is!" Six said triumphantly, giving the others a smirk as finally, after what seemed like hours of searching Six spotted the adult they had been looking for, as sitting in the center of a table that had an open center was a lanky adult with many impossibly long arms, wearing a dealer's uniform. They were currently shuffling a deck of cards with a sly if somewhat disturbing face a drooping mess of flesh with two distinct holes with wet black dots where his eyes should be, though Mono couldn't tell if it was a mask or not as parts of flesh revealed something smooth and stone like underneath. The adults surrounding the table were madly grabbing the cards that they dealt out. A pile of chips lay in the center front of the dealer.
Walking up to the table, the trio came right up to the edge with the adults still not even acknowledging their existence with even a glance. The dealer was looking around at the Adult players until they faced Seven and then Mono, with their face starting to turn more menacing, but when his eyes landed on Six it quickly switched to a look of fear, something that Mono wasn't sure if it was a good or bad reaction. Even so, Six tried to appear docile in front of the adult, for Mono's sake.
"Hey Roger, it's been a while." Six said, her tone a mocking attempt at being friendly Something that left the multi armed dealer looking unnerved as they almost smacked all the cards he was handing out, out of the other adults hands getting a glare as a result. They brought their arms together almost protectively as they stared down at the group mainly Six.
"Oh no, not you…" The dealer now known as Roger grunted, his voice full of dread.
"Come on, get off the chair, you and I need to talk about something important." Six said, with an underlying threatening tone to the adult.
Roger was left at an impasse, deciding what was more deadly for his health, making Six angry or these adults angry. In the end he placed the hardly ever used break sign up before lifting himself off the chair he as standing on, showing off just how long and disjointed his many arms were, the many adults seemed annoyed or angry but took it as it was, not leaving the table as they watch the dealer impatiently.
Seven's Pov
As this was going on, Seven was simply glancing around the room keeping an eye out, the place had proven less troublesome than she expected, leaving her slightly bored by this point, that is until she noticed something that caught her eye.
Along one of the walls was a hallway prompted open for staff to pass through with ease, though that wasn't what was important what was however was what was in the hall. Sure there was scatter junk piled here and there, covered in the strange shimmering grime, with a single door with a light pouring into its cramp looking space as well as a stairway across from it, giving plenty of places to go if cornered, though what caught the thief's eye was shimmered in the light of the door. A single gold coin rested in clear view, likely discarded by some wealthy fool or forgotten by the many waiters. From where she was she could see it was minted with rare old world text that she had never seen before, untouched and unnoticed by all others in the room.
It had to be a trap. There was little doubt on this as there was no reason for it not to be, nothing in this place wasn't a double edge sword, so even if it was literally a golden opportunity, she returned her attention to the task at hand, now with Six and Mono conversing with the strange spider doll dealer they had been looking for, it was only a matter of waiting for things to finish up.
Crossing her arms and partly listening to the conversation she waited, and as she did her hands started to ache with a strange but familiar itch, her teeth clenched as she tried and failed to not spare glances at the golden coin once more, to not use her sight to scout out the area for its many easy escape routes, and how there was literally no one to stop her from waltzing in and taking it before returning without anyone noticing she was gone.
It was a trap, plain and simple, made strictly for those like herself, and yet she couldn't help but smile in defeat as she once more turned and ready to bolt. She had gotten out of worse.
With unnatural speed and agility she left the group as silent as a mouse, quickly passing through the halls doors and dashing straight for the coin, and within moments the coin was in her grasp. Though as soon as she touched it, the trap was sprung, as she spotted a cage above had begun to fall. Seeing this coming she used the last of her momentum to flung herself out of the cage's reach just in time for it to hit the ground with a loud crash.
Righting herself she dusted herself off she looked around for anything else to happen, only for no follow up. She couldn't help but look around incredulously at how easy that was, sure the noise was loud and no doubt someone would have heard it, but she had seen that coming a mile away, now all she needed to do was hastily sneak back into the main room before Mono or Six noticed that this was her doing.
Though as she was delighting at the prospect of getting away with her escapade with none the wiser, she noticed something that stopped her dead in her tracks.
The door was gone.
Mono's Pov
Mono was standing near Six, he was listening in on their conversation, or rather Six was threatening the adult with bodily harm if he didn't get them out of the city. As they went on talking, Roger seemed to be insisting that he couldn't get them out, which in turn made Six angrier.
"You want me to do what?" The dealer questioned trepidatiously. "I can't get you out of this city! For one if I got caught, I could lose my job, or worse..." He said nervously rubbing his hands together.
"Roger, if you don't get us out of this city I'll drag you back to the Maw and rip your arms off again so that the twins can cook them and feed them to you." Six threatened while Mono looked on aghast and somewhat sick at what Six was saying.
"Six I think we should just leave, maybe we can just wait it out?" He tried to suggest it.
"Y-yes! Yes, the boy is right! You can wait until the exits are free again. They wouldn't dare block the exits forever." Roger agreed.
Unfortunately for Roger, Six seemed dead set on forcing him to help them. "No! You're going to help us. You're going to do as I say or else!" She growled, finally losing her patiences.
Unknown to the group, a dense smog of smoke traveled into the room slowly like fog. It wasn't much at first but as they finished up their conversation more and more smoke rolled in. Mono and Roger noticed the smoke. Roger seemed to pale and shake even more than when Six was threatening him just now and Mono was confused but a feeling of dread was beginning to make him nervous.
Six grabbed one of Roger's arms to force him to look back at her. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" She angrily demanded.
"Six, we need to go now. Like right now!" Mono said in urgency.
Mono spun around to turn towards Seven only to not see them anywhere. Quickly turning around the corner, he peek around but he found no sign of Seven anywhere. Roger shuffled nervously behind Six, a worried expression showing as Mono continued to look around for Seven, he thought that he had caught sight of them running through one of the door ways.
"Seven! Where are you going! We need to leave now." Mono tried to call out as quietly as possible.
With every step he took more and more smoke rolled in, the smoke around him rolling and moving with every movement he took. He followed through the door that he had seen them go through. Six followed a bit behind, making sure to keep Roger with her since he had to get them out of the city. She turned behind her to check on him for only one second and when she turned back around Mono was gone. She looked around frantically and sniffed around, but all she got was the smell of smoke. She turned back around looking at Roger.
"You stay here, if you leave I will find you." Six said before running off in the direction that Mono had left.
Now alone Roger looked around nervously in the silence of the smog filled room that floated at the ground level. The echoing sound of footsteps spooked him, it sounded as if it were coming through a doorway on his right, but as soon as he turned to face it the sound started to come from a room on the opposite side instead. For every time that he turned toward the footsteps, the sound would end up coming from a different direction instead. As the sound grew closer and closer, Roger grew more fearful, but right as it sounded like whatever was walking would walk right through the door, there was silence. He looked around frantically.
"I think you should be getting back to our dear players now Roger, my boy." A voice said behind him as a white glove covered hand grabbed him by his shoulder.
As Mono wandered the smoke filled halls he kept catching glimpse in the corner of his eyes of what he assumed to be Seven. He kept chasing after them, but as time trickled on, he began to cough more and his eyes started to water. Eventually his vision began to spin and he had to cover his mouth. He heard footsteps behind him and turned around but with his vision beginning to fade all he saw was the shape of someone coming towards him as his vision began to go dark, everything around him seemed to be spinning.
He fell to the floor only to see a pair of pristine white boots in front of his face. The figure crouched down towards Mono, breathing out more smoke as they inspected him before he reached out and grabbed Mono by his chin, really looking at him.
"So, this is what's been causing so much trouble for my city?" A figure hidden in the gray misama spoke, his voice clear and powerful, a force to it that demanded attention as he continued. "I could probably make something off of selling him, but he has his part to play just like the others. Throw him in the garbage heap, if he's smart he'll take a hike and go back to his little island, as for the others, the one in yellow can join him. Have the other one taken to the top." the figure said with a snap as goons came marching in carrying off their bodies away somewhere.
With the growing smog, eventually the shadows around the edges of his eyes consumed him, fading his mind as it slipped into darkness.
