Calamity Hoppers ~Reprise~

by Christopher R. Martin

Chapter 8 – Voices from Inside the Pit

I feel a twinge coming from every part of my body, which is covered in scars from head to toe. Faint traces of blood seep from them, forcing me to breathe faster than I normally would. The more I move, the more my already-diminished strength fails me. Blurs begin to surround my vision, and breathing becomes a trial in and of itself.

But I can't stop. I mustn't stop. I have to keep going. Never have I been in such dire straits. Never have I been this desperate. I only hope I can reach civilization again and rest up, regain the strength that I've lost, but it seems that I might be asking too much.

"Damn it," I say, struggling for air as a rough sting flows from a wound in my calf.

My head feels so heavy, like it's not even a part of me. Visions start to play out in my mind, and I see them… A pair of rabbits—pink and blue—dressed in the same martial arts uniform. They are holding their ground defiantly against their opposition: me. We assume our respective stances, they race straight for me, and I brace for their attack.

Voices scream in sequence, slicing the air like butter.

"Yin-cinerate!"

"Paws of Pain!"

"Yuck-icane!"

It was a fierce battle, one that saw plenty of physical and verbal exchanges. Punches, kicks, spells and quips were thrown around like no one's business. This was the sort of battle that might have come out of a fairy tale or a war documentary or an action movie.

Our confrontation raged on. As always, Yin and Yang were on the side of good, and I the opposite. The side of the wicked, the side of evil. To which side would the scales of justice tip?

The three of us gave everything we had for this fight. If I could put that effort into actual statistics, I'd say we'd put in one hundred and fifty percent that time. Attack after vigorous attack clashed with all the ferocity we could assert. It almost seemed to us that everything was on the line, and it might as well have been. Granted, this was how our encounters looked to me, but since we were so determined to settle the score for good, the stakes have really been raised.

One of my attacks—a green energy-infused spear lunge—missed its mark, giving the twins ample time to retaliate.

Then suddenly, there was a violent explosion. It blanketed everything in a blend of smoke and dust. My body was hurting. It then grew numb. Before I knew it, I was on the ground, flat on my back. I couldn't tell what caused the blast until after the clouds dissipated. As my muscles and bones gave out from the pain that coursed across them, I saw Yin and Yang standing triumphantly side by side, in the very center of their joined Woo Foo Aura. It was a different color than when I last saw it – a shining turquoise with a glossy finish compared to the usual mere combination of pink and blue energy.

They were smiling. They were stronger. Far stronger than before. It was then that reality struck me hard. Like the total bitch it was.

I lost. For the who's-been-keeping-track-of-by-this-point time. To think that I was better. That I was invulnerable. To think that I surpassed those two morons. Hmph! I was dead wrong. And God, did it suck…

The cuts, bruises and lacerations from the battle throbbed, blood spilling slowly out of almost all of them. My vision grew dark, and soon the twin Woo Foo rabbits were nowhere in sight. I fell unconscious. To make matters worse, this fight took place on the outskirts of the town. No one would be there to notice me.

I was by myself.

Two weeks have passed since that day. It's amazing that I haven't died yet. Even more amazing, still, is the realization that dawned on me in that battle. Yin and Yang have come so far, and I'm still stuck in this stupid, same old stage. I swore to myself to defeat them. No, to kill them. Obliterate. Extinguish. Annihilate. Decimate.

But with the way I am now, how can I hope to accomplish that? How can I even hope to last another day more?

I shake the daze from my head and return my focus on the path before me. I've got to be wandering around for hours now. This is such crap. I'm like a fish. I'm flopping about. I'm floundering. Sooner or later, I'll be breathing my last. An unceremonious way to kick the bucket.

My struggles lead me to a part of this place that's emptier than the last. This is where the Night Master's lair once stood. That much I know. It looks the same. Almost.

Except for one thing. In front of me is something completely out of the ordinary. Taking the place of the once great and mighty fortress is a massive and seemingly bottomless hole. What appear to be shards of glass lie right next to it. I don't remember seeing this before. Is this new?

A jolt surges in my mind as I come to realize what this hole is. I knew I heard it from somewhere. Looks like I'm in luck.

"So this is…hm, I see," I remark, amused in spite of my worsening injuries.

According to Woo Foo tales of old, there was a place—a vast, empty void, if you will—that was reserved for the foulest of the foul. It was in that place where Woo Foo Knights banished their most dreaded of enemies upon defeating them. Urban myths have a different interpretation: instead of a multitude of creatures, there is only one most powerful and dangerous inside of it.

That place is called the Pit, and I am looking at it. Only a handful of people know of its true nature and unfortunately, I am not one of them. I wonder if the Night Master set up his base of operations at this specific spot for that very reason. It most likely might have been just a coincidence, though, because I don't think he's ever spoken of it in the times that he and I worked together.

If the stories about the Pit are anything to go by, then it must be brimming with powerful Woo Foo energy, too. Which means I found what I'm looking for. I think.

How deep is this thing, anyway?

This hole must go on forever. As far as I can tell, anyway. Only an utter idiot, one whose better judgment has been smashed to pieces, would even think about going down there. Just to be certain, I reach my hand down the depths to get some sort of idea for myself. To gauge how far it could possibly go. When I pull my hand back, it's cold and clammy. I look over the rim of the hole. A faint light is glowing down below, wanting to shine brighter but cannot. There's breathing and hissing in these depths, echoing. It's enough to make anyone turn tail and run away screaming. It's a fool's errand to go down there, indeed.

And it turns out that I'm quite the fool.

I bring one foot down into the darkness, careful not to agitate my injuries. The other foot follows, and then the rest of my body. The noises continue, and I can feel that chilling air running up my tiny frame, from my legs up to my head. As if I'm going to let some ugly freak of nature scare the hell out of me. If someone dares to give it a try, then I'll gladly show them the most terrifying monster they've ever seen.

Before I actually start climbing down, I spare one more look at the surface above. I might not make it back, but really, what else have I got to lose? Is there anything that those asshole rabbits haven't taken from me already?

"Ah, what the hell?" I remark, feeling reckless as always, amidst the encroaching pitch black.

The lower I go, the thicker the darkness becomes. And strangely enough, the chill I felt a while ago has vanished and is replaced by an enticing warmth. I guess it isn't that strange considering that the light is growing bigger as I grow closer to it. At the same time, the noises get louder. The next thing I know, I hear an echoing voice beginning to speak.

"Trespasser!" It's a woman. The way she spoke just now is akin to a ghost, or a phantom, or even a goddess. It brims with power. It makes me tremble.

My grip slips from the wall I'm climbing on, and I plummet fast. I seal my eyes shut and clench my fists, anticipating the impact of splatting on a flat of ground. Expecting the swiftness of my demise. I feel so light. Currents of wind blow in my long rabbit ears. The fur on my person stands from the rushing, sweeping motion of falling down. It's almost like I'm flying, yet I'm not. It's like having the breeze of a sunny afternoon blowing at my face, even though the sun is nowhere in sight.

It's peaceful, in an odd way. It's calming. If only my impending death were as graceful, as dignified, as this.

Gradually, the whistling gusts quiet. I'm getting heavier by the second. I open my eyes once more and find that I haven't hit any sort of surface. Instead, I am afloat. The light that I saw from above is now at its strongest. I can't keep my eyes fully open without shielding them with my hand.

And then, a new voice enters. "You infringe upon these sanctified grounds. How dare you?" This one is a male voice. Like its female counterpart, there's something otherworldly about the way it speaks. Lt's like a god. Except while she comes off as benign, he comes off as just plain angry. "Do you not value your life, little one?"

"Wha…?" I'm too stunned to even complete the word. I try to convince myself that I'm only hearing things. That these voices aren't real.

The voices continue; I'm not hallucinating. They're as real as the word allows.

"Your very presence has profaned this sacred resting place of ours, child."

"Resting place?" I parrot dumbly.

"There is but one punishment appropriate for violating our sleep."

"Punish?" Again, I mirror.

"But we will not," says the female voice. "Though we may not be visible to you nor can we see you, your intentions are visible to us. That which your heart wishes for is not as easily veiled as you might had hoped, Yuck."

The mention of my name makes me gasp. How in the hell do they know that? How do they know me?

"You wish to be restored to health. You seek retribution. You seek a power higher than yours. And in your search for these things, you have arrived here," the male voice adds, like he's reading off a checklist. I still don't know how they could possibly know all this.

"This is not a place for mortals such as yourself. It is simply too dangerous. Yes, power abounds here, but in acquiring it, you will forfeit your sanity."

"Did you really think that entering the Pit is that simple an affair? Did you honestly believe that there is no price to be paid for your ill-received gains? Foolish child."

Their warning enters my ear and exits through the other just as quickly. It has no bearing on me. I mean, what's a little sanity for a lot of power? It's a fair deal, if you ask me.

With this in mind, I hold my ground and give these voices my response. "Whether or not I'm crazy for going down here isn't up to you. I'm going to get me a piece of this power, and nothing is going to keep me from getting what I want, especially not you two losers."

A large sigh echoes in this blank space. Make that two sighs, actually, which ring at the same time. "Very well. It would appear that you cannot be persuaded. You are beyond being convinced. Since you so wish it, you will be given a fragment of the strength that can be found only in the Pit…" says the male voice.

"And with it, you will come to know what it means to lose yourself completely in favor of power alone. You will understand the gravity behind your deed." For several seconds, there is a small break of silence. The male and female presences are nowhere to be heard…

…until they make one loud final statement. "This shall be your punishment, Yuck!"

The resplendent wave in this place magnifies as the two voices speak, catching me off-guard. It grows and grows until it has replaced everything. It engulfs me. A new, foreign sensation flows in my body. It's scary.

It's getting harder to think. Harder to move. Harder to see. Harder to breathe.

I can't move.

I can't see.

I can't breathe…

There's nothing I can do except scream. Scream to take the impending pain away, to lessen it. In some aimless attempt to get someone to notice me.

What's happening to me…?

Ungh…

I feel weird. I don't think I've ever felt anything like this before. So fluid, so loose. Like everything passes through me.

I force my head off of the ground, groaning in effort. My eyes open to meet with a sunny, blue afternoon sky. The rest of my body lays flat and uneven on the ground. I try to move my arms a little, except for one thing: I don't have any arms. Not anymore. Taking their place are two streams of goo that drip to the ground. I give my legs, or at least what I think are my legs, a try to see how they fare. Same thing. One continuous flow of green ooze has replaced them, residue seeping from it ceaselessly.

Is this ectoplasm? Am I dead? No, it can't be. If I were dead, I wouldn't be here.

My entire self, transformed. Nothing more but a mass of fluids. I bring what's left of my arms up to my face and inspect it as best as my gooey stature can allow me. It's the only part of me that hasn't been affected.

So this is my punishment. This is the cost for my stubbornness. Damn it all to hell… This can't be happening. This isn't happening! Why did this have to happen? Did it have to be like this? Is this really what I was bound to end up as? Am I just so worthless that I don't deserve to have an actual body?

Maybe I should be thankful. It could be worse. My form may be much worse now, but all my bodily functions remain intact. I can still perform the things that I normally could in my other body. I can breathe. I can think. I can see. Smell. Hear. Taste. I can feel. But still, if I had to choose between this and death, then I'd pick death in a heartbeat.

I guess it's a little too late for that. I made this decision, and I have no choice but to bear it. Make something out of it.

So what do I do? How do I even pick things up with this new body of mine?

And then it happens. The gooey protrusions that are supposed to be my arms start to take shape and harden. They form into two sword-shaped figures that are as sharp as a regular sword. Seeing as they're attached to me, I swing them around, the air around me slicing with every stroke and slash.

Following that little demonstration, the pair of swords shift into two cannons. Through the force of my will, they simultaneously shoot their rounds, warhead-shaped shells flying at high speeds. Large explosions are set off at the point of impact, and I fire three more rounds, then five more, potentially setting off a fire somewhere. As I marvel at the destruction, any trace of misgivings that I had not a moment ago up and disappear. Amazement takes their place. The elation turns into determination.

Determination becomes bloodlust.

And my fanged grin mirrors that bloodlust perfectly.

So this is the power of the Pit. This might not be that bad. In fact…

"This is supposed to be my punishment?" I ask myself, finding the very idea funny.

If it is my punishment, then what was all that bitching and moaning for just now? If this is but a taste of what the Pit has to offer, then I'm looking forward to finding out more. Test the waters, if you know what I mean.

This is what I was missing since the beginning. What I need, what I'd been looking for. And it's mine now. With this, I can finally settle the score with that goody two-shoes bitch and her numbskull of a twin brother. I can put them out of their misery. Retribution will be mine. The town won't be the same again.

Just you wait, Yin and Yang. You haven't seen anything yet. I hurry to the direction of the town with renewed strength. A renewed perspective. Chuckling to myself along the way.