Expect short chapters for some time, as during this nonsense I am working far too many hours.
The mines were in clear disrepair. Noctis wondered what caused them to close the place. Ignis had tried to talk to him about some history of the place, but much of the lecture didn't stick. He caught pieces of the mining for precious metals, the king who opened the mines brought Lucis into a new era of prosperity, and found the source of his country's income to be a worthy resting place. He still found it odd.
The building that led into the mine's entrance was covered in vines. The black threads they'd been seeing throughout the land was coating the ground outside as well. There was no grass, and a few skeletal shrubs shivered in the wind. Noctis thought it odd that the building that represented an ancient era of riches was so plain.
The vines that coated the outside of the building seemed to have encroached in as well. The main door's hinges were rusted and partially disconnected by the swirling plantlife that took over this place. How long has it been abandoned? They walked through the small lobby, old signs likely labeling the hallways to the locker rooms, administration, and the path to the mine itself had fallen off the doorways and were coated in a thick moss that covered the entirety of the floor.
"You remember that scary kids show about campfire stories and one of them was about moss that ate people?" Prompto asked.
"Oh, that show was great!" Crowe replied. A few of them forced chuckles, following Ignis across the room. The first door they checked led to the offices but the second one led to a hallway that was also coated in moss and vines. Ignis mumbled about never seeing plants thrive so well without sunlight, and no one had a sufficient reply for him. Old helmets were hung on hooks, but despite Prompto's previous excitement at wearing a flashlight helmet the group decided to leave the old relics undisturbed. At the end of the hallway was another doorway, and through the thick vines they could see there were signs posted on the wall on either side but they weren't able to make out anything on them other than spots of black and red, likely some warning sign.
Ignis hesitated in front of the wall, and Gladiolus stepped up beside him, clapping a hard hand on his shoulder and reached out to brush away some of the moss. The signs were written in Lucian, though an odd variation of it, with the warnings one would expect to see in a dangerous workplace. He cleared some more away from a pair of red buttons next to the door.
"Here goes." He shrugged, not wanting any fanfare. He reached to push the button but jerked his hand back hard.
"What?!" A few of them asked at once.
"Shock." Gladiolus mumbled and stuck his fingers into his mouth. There was a slight rumble and a very distant hum that started up as he stepped back.
"Actually… speaking of that. How the hell does this place have any electricity? Who is paying for it?" Aranea asked.
"Ancient Lucians were weird, if you haven't noticed on our little adventure. Maybe they figured out a way to get some of that thunder magic to run this place?" Crowe offered.
"It is not unrealistic that they would pour great effort into providing necessities to a mine that kept Lucis running." Ignis answered. "Anyone else hearing that?" he asked, as the rumble grew louder.
"I didn't even push the button." Gladiolus answered defensively. Ignis hmmed and stepped further back from the elevator door. Crow mumbled again about weird Lucians and everyone followed Ignis and Gladiolus's leads and started backing away. It took nearly three full minutes of the rumbling and shaking growing more intense before the bump above the elevator began to glow through the growth and a loud horn sounded.
"Shit!" Gladiolus cursed, several companions barking their own startles as they covered their ears, wincing at the sudden sound. The rumbling stopped and the humming ended in a deep click, the light staying on and the horn stopped beeping, though the light remained illuminated. The doors opened in jerking motions, leaving everyone standing in the hallway staring at it skeptically.
The cabin inside was coated as everything else was, a new musty smell filling the hallway. Noctis wondered why they hadn't smelled it before, taking another glance all around them. The elevator seemed to be shaking slightly, or perhaps it was just a trick of the light. Either way, no one felt safe approaching it until Gladiolus rolled his shoulders,
"Well guess the one with the biggest dick should go in first. Only fair." He got into the cabin and it dropped a few millimeters and bounced back up into place.
"How shitty are the cables holding that thing?" Crowe asked. "Also my dick is bigger than yours so get over yourself." She crossed the distance and joined him inside, causing another bounce. "What'cha think the weight limit is in this?"
"Likely, upon original construction, was intended to support quite a load. This was meant to bring strong able-bodied men down into the mine with necessary equipment." Ignis answered.
"Well guess it's as good a time as any to gamble." Aranea added, and was the next to step in. Ignis, Noctis, and Luna joined, leaving an agitated Prompto bouncing in place before squinting his eyes tight and jumping into the elevator, causing a greater shake than before.
"God I hate these things. Can't I take the stairs?" he whined.
"Good cardio." Crowe agreed.
"Just push the button already!" Prompto asked, causing slight vibrations in the cabin as he continued to bounce until Noctis behind him pressed both hands against his shoulders to try and hold him still.
"You're shaking the whole thing."
"Sorry!" Prompto squeaked. Gladiolus reached between everyone to brush away more moss, able to make out buttons that were outlined oddly well by black vines.
"Uh Luna… how's that magic of yours feeling?" He asked, curling his fingers back into a fist as he looked at the outlined pair of buttons.
"I shall not let any endure the blight, should that be your worry." She answered in a low whisper. Gladiolus grunted and gave the lower button a quick jab. The doors slammed shut, causing Prompto to shout and jump back, knocking into Noctis who fell back against the back of the cabin and cause the whole thing to shake as it started to rattle, click, and begin its descent.
"Sorry sorry sorry!" Prompto apologized, trying to get himself straight.
"Whoa boy, settle." Crowe suggested and blew a raspberry, resting a hand on his shoulder, gripping him with her fingers as he started bouncing. Luna was helping Noctis right himself, and brushing at the back of his shirt to get some of the moss off.
"It's… sticky." She remarked, looking at her palm and rubbing her thumb over her fingers. The small buzzing light over their heads went silent, and cast the entire cabin into pure blackness. Prompto whined, the women gasping and Gladiolus cursing. The rattling grew more intense, and a deep moaning replaced the buzzing.
"I really don't want to know what that is." Crowe said in a sing-songy voice.
"Pretty sure we're all better off pretending it's just Gladiolus's stomach rumbling. Been what, two hours since a cup noodle?" Prompto tried to laugh, the sound fast and high pitched. The cabin shook, more intensely, slamming against the wall of the shaft with the grating sound of metal on metal. Prompto whined and slapped his hands over his ears, repeating to himself it's just old it's just old it's just old.
"Whoa man, breathe." Noctis offered, slipping an arm around Prompto's shoulders, though he partially hit his cheek in his blind reach. Prompto nodded, feeling his throat burn as he started to breathe too quickly. Everyone else was standing rigidly still inside the cabin, and Noctis could hear Gladiolus grumbling to himself.
"Something's up there." Gladiolus remarked.
"Care to clarify that a little?" Aranea asked.
"There's something on top of the elevator." Gladiolus replied. "Someone get on my shoulders, see if there's a latch-" his voice was cut off into a grunt, colliding with someone in front of him who also grunted as they hit the door of the elevator. The entire cabin tilted and screeched as it rocked and started falling significantly faster than before. The entire cabin filled with a clamor of voices, each high and followed by the rasp of hyperventilation. Noise filled the entire cabin; voices, breathing, screeching, skittering, grinding. But then the entire cabin jolted.
Lunafreya was on her hands and knees, Noctis able to feel her pressed against him. Her palms were forced against the floor of the cabin, trying to contain her revulsion at the warm sticky mass beneath her hands. Her arms were trembling, hands aglow.
"Way to go sparkles!" Crowe cheered as she pieced things together.
"Can't hold it." Lunafreya grunted, and the cabin slipped, and she slammed her hands against the floor as the elevator impacted a new shield. It jolted repeatedly, and Lunafreya grunted as she shielded against each drop.
"Get on my shoulders!" Gladiolus commanded, reaching out and patting heads until he found Noctis's and picked him up under his arms, nearly tossing him into the air. Noctis cursed, but still clawed at the moss above him, grimacing that Lunafreya was right in calling this stuff sticky. It was difficult to keep his balance even with a swaying Gladiolus holding his hips due to the ceaseless movement of the cabin, but he found a small latch and started tugging on it.
"It won't budge!" Noctis complained. Gladiolus cursed, and commanded him to pull hard. He tried. "Let go, my whole body can pull it!" his Shield grunted agreement and let him go. Noctis falling hard and lost his grip on the latch as it finally gave way. He landed on his friend below, and based on subsequent cursing also kicked Crowe in the head.
"I think you did it!" Ignis cheered as faint light filled the cabin.
"Get on my shoulders again." Gladiolus commanded.
"Ignis, with me." Noctis added, having no interest in facing whatever the hell was going on without someone. Everyone was trying to get to their feet. Lunafreya was still on her hands and knees, grunting and gasping in pattern with the jolts of the cabin. Aranea was kneeling on the floor beside her, Crowe was pressed against the wall trying to talk to Prompto who was curled in a corner. Noctis forced his attention back to Gladiolus who threw him up with surprising strength. He caught the lip of the hatch and started to pull himself up when something wrapped around his hair, over his ears and started to tangle around his neck.
He kicked, clawing at his neck and drooled, trying to gasp for air but couldn't get anything to move in or out of his lungs. The sound of his own heart pounding in his ears drowned out everything else. Numbness spread across his arms and legs, intense pressure built across his nose and behind his eyes. He tried to call his magic, ice coated his fingertips and he tried to shoot it into the air but couldn't seem to find his center. He curled his hand, instead calling for Engine Blade.
"Noct!" Ignis's familiar voice sounded like it was coming from under water and he wondered if he accidentally struck his friend. Air suddenly rushed into his lungs and he crumbled down on the roof of the cabin. His head struck the vine and moss coated metal with each jolt and rolled onto his back, trying to gather any sense to give him information. He could make out Ignis's blurry form standing over him, slashing with his daggers at something in the air. He could see grey squiggles, but little more. He coughed and wheezed, choking on his own saliva with his desperate gasps. He rolled, face-down and struck his forehead with another jolt but was preoccupied trying to breathe.
"Got your back sexy glasses!" Aranea's voice also sounded as though under water. Had he struck all his friends rather than whatever was attacking them? His vision started to recover from a pinpoint, the rushing in his ears subsiding enough to make more sense of everything around him. He rolled once more, but immediately regretted it striking his armon the wall and feeling the skin on his elbow tear away with another half-meter drop of the cabin. Noctis staggered to his feet, and felt someone grip the back of his neck and push him forward.
"Can't have you fall through that hole there Princy, this one would kick my ass." Aranea joked, only letting go of him once he could hold his own.
"You all right Noct?" Ignis asked.
"Yeah." Noctis answered, the sound too gravely. He flexed his hands and made another attempt to call his weapon, this time feeling the familiar hilt in his hand. As his senses returned he could see what was going on. Long vines were whipping down from above, coiled around the cables that held the cabin. Other vines wrapped around the outside below it. The severed bits of vine were writhing on the roof, and Noctis saw one of them heading for Aranea's leg.
"Aranea!" Noctis wheezed. Ignis whipped around, but Aranea heeded the warning and leapt into the air without further instruction. Noctis pulled up his fire magic, and barked another warning to his friends. The spell he cast was weak, and he realized he'd been neglecting to stop at nodes. He cursed, shaking his hand and failing to find any more fire. The cabin jolted again, nearly knocking them off balance.
"Just sever the ones around the cables!" Ignis instructed, pointing above them with his daggers. "And watch your feet. If we can get the ones on the cables severed, we can regain control of the elevator!" Noctis and Aranea nodded at him, and turned their attentions. Noctis was surprised how difficult it was to sever them. When his blade impacted what he expected to be plant matter, it felt as though he was trying to cut through the thick metal cables themselves. Each blow left a chip in the vine, and it would curl back to avoid being struck again. But together with Ignis's instruction. they were able to sever the vines around the cables and the jarring shudders finally stopped.
Noctis fell to his knees, his throat and chest burning. He heaved trying to catch his breath, holding himself like a tripod. Ignis pressed his hand against his back, asking if he was all right. Noctis nodded. He wanted to curl up on his side and sleep.
"We'll lower you down okay?" Aranea offered. They each held an arm and lowered him so Gladiolus could ease him to the floor, Ignis and Aranea jumping down just behind him. Once down, Noctis groaned and shifted so he was sitting up against the wall.
"Noct?" Lunafreya asked.
"I'm okay," he responded, coughing to clarify his voice. "Do you need an ether?" he asked. She was still bent over on her hands and knees, though her broken arm was hugged tight to her chest. She shook her head, though it was difficult to see in the darkness. He tried to take quick stock of his friends. Ignis joined Crowe in the corner trying to help Prompto collect himself, Aranea sat down next to Lunafreya in the center of the room and Gladiolus sat down beside him.
"I think an ether is a good idea." Aranea said.
"I'm all right"
"You're not. Gods you're a stubborn woman. Hey, scruffy, if you can breathe fix this girl up an ether. And a potion for yourself. And don't you argue with me you're drinking an ether before you pass out." Noctis nodded and reached into his pocket to pull out an energy drink. Prior to leaving Hammerhead they purchased some basics from the small shop. They bought the last of the energy drinks, and a few more cup noodles. Much to Ignis's chagrin they were out of any fresh produce, and he had reluctantly agreed to buying their stash of bread and their final jar of peanut butter.
The cabin shuddered and began to descend. Lunafreya slapped her hand down against the floor, but her fingers didn't light up. Prompto's squeak caught Noctis's attention and he turned to his friend. Even in the minimal light from the shaft above the opened ceiling he could see that he was crouched with his face buried in his hands, Crowe and Ignis on either side of him.
"Hey whoa breathe dude. It's moving normal now."
"There was a blighted vine messing with the cables and the brakes. It's fine now." Ignis tried to assure him.
"Hey, ether. Before this one passes out."
"Sorry." Noctis mumbled and turned his attention back to the drink and rolled the can across the gap to Lunafreya. Aranea reached down and picked it up, pulling the tab and holding it out to her,
"Here. Now you can't say no."
"And you call me stubborn?" She sat back onto her bottom and grabbed the can, drinking its contents and already feeling a warmth spread throughout her body and some of the intense fatigue fade away. The pain in her arm and her ribs returned now that her mind was less preoccupied with panic.
The remainder of the descent felt agonizingly long. Noctis was trying to catch his breath, Lunafreya keeping her post in the middle of the floor. He wanted to crawl over to her, wrap his arms around her and bury his face in her neck. He looked up and saw that she was just below the opened panel and grunted, the movement burned in his numb limbs.
"Get out from under that." He ordered. He remembered that vine wrapping around his neck and panic seized him at the thought of it reaching out again. She looked at him, but didn't move, and he managed to get onto his knees to reach for her, pulling her roughly back towards the wall. "I don't want you… I don't want it to grab you." He told her, pressing himself sideways against the wall and keeping her held close to him.
"Oh shit oh shit something can come from the top?" Prompto asked, a trembling hand reached for one of his guns and both Crowe and Ignis grabbed his wrists, pulling them away.
"Whoa now, no firing these in this tin can!" Crowe barked.
"We can't just let it come in here!" Prompto insisted.
"We killed it." Ignis tried to assure him, but he struggled against the grip for a few seconds more and dropped back in the corner. The cabin shuddered, clicked, then bounced roughly when it finally hit the lower level. A horn similar to the one from the top level sounded, and the doors mercifully opened.
Prompto knocked Ignis off balance in his mad scramble to get out of the cabin, rushing to the wall and immediately began to vomit. Noctis watched Ignis and Crowe rush after him and Aranea followed briskly. Gladiolus helped Noctis to his feet, Lunafreya standing with Gladiolus also gripping the back of her top to lift her up. She rolled her shoulders when he let go, biting the corner of her lip before thanking him and the trio rushed out of the cabin as well.
The hallway stank of emesis, the acrid bile smell causing everyone to cover their noses and Crowe to start gagging. They were each eager to follow Glaiolus's suggestion to get further down the hall and to try and get a bearing on their surroundings. The smell followed, but dimmed to a tolerable level a few meters away.
"Hey Prom… you okay man?" Noctis asked when his friend bent over, hands overs his knees as he panted for breath. He whimpered and nodded, forcing himself upright and started brushing his shirt.
"I'm fine I'm fine. I'm out of the murder-box." Prompto nodded, burping and pressing his fist to his mouth to keep from retching as the taste of vomit followed it.
"Uh guys. Place isn't done trying to murder us yet." Crowe shouted.
Now that I tapped into one of the most common phobias there is am I officially a sell-out or was this enjoyably tense?
