Carter was fully expecting to die- for real this time, no waking up- but as this shadow version of the woman he loved dove, wild, for his face, another light pierced the darkness. With a hiss so bitter that the magician couldn't help but wince in fear, Charlie drew away back to the edge of the shadows. The shine of this newcomer flame followed, causing the her to take a step back. Then another.
She gave Carter one last long stare then faded back into the darkness.
"Charlie…"
She had tried to kill him. To…tear him apart. Did They…? Or was it—no—still her?
The magician shook his head-what was going on? Then almost jumped as he heard a strange sort of clicking from his left side. The bringer of the light. He should thank them, really, even if it meant Charlie had disappeared again. Even if he hadn't the faintest clue what kind of person- beast-whatever-they were.
Carter glanced downward, not really sure what to expect.
A bug-eyed glare is what he got in return. Then a short hiss as the creature scuttled on four arachnoid legs backward toward the edge of the wall.
"Wait," he called. "Don't leave!"
If a bug could roll its eyes-particularly a bug whose face was pressed into a hard, masklike oval- this one did. They clicked a couple of more times- grumbling if Carter had ever heard it- then stuck a long, spidery arm into the shell on their back. The other arm was holding a torch- the magician noticed- ablaze with the light that had driven Charlie away. He edged forward, trying to get a closer look without startling its owner. Beneath the layers of rust and grime, handle was smooth and gently curved as though molded in a forge.
So there was that sort of thing here.
With the sheer size of the fortress, Carter had suspected it- but he hadn't known for sure.
Meanwhile, the creature gave a loud sniff and pulled what appeared to be a few fragments of papyrus from within their shell. They glanced at them, clicked a few times, then turned their head expectantly toward the magician.
He paused a moment. Looked behind him, just in case. Then asked. "Uh. Pardon, could you be a little clearer with what you want?"
"Ah. Thank the moon. I was afraid I'd die of old age before you finally got it through your thick skull to say anything."
Carter stumbled backward in surprise. What had before been clicks- and likely still was- now sounded to him like the intonation of human speech. Rude human speech. But speech, nonetheless.
"You did that?" he asked, "With magic, right?"
"Who else? We're the only two beings here on this damned rock." The bug tossed their head, moodily. "Unless the Grue somehow managed to learn incantations- in which case we're all doomed to unlit hell."
"The...Grue?" The magician shook his head. It couldn't be...
The creature spoke slowly as though it was talking to a child. "You know, the thing that was trying to kill you two moments ago."
"I know that!" Carter snapped. "What do you take me for, a fool? Besides- that's not a thing! That's...Charlie. My assistant."
And, well, girlfriend, he added silently. The creature didn't need to know that.
"Hmmph. It looked like it was assisting you real well there. But I will admit...well, the Grue's been around here for ages and I'm fairly sure this form is new. Not to mention you, yourself, Two-leg. You're new." The bug gazed at him intently, two rounded orbs of obsidian shining in the torchlight.
Then they sighed. "We'd better get to safety. The night's damned dangerous enough even if you can keep the Grue at bay. The shadows prey easily on a weak and tired mind."
With a half-hearted wave, the bug began to pace the side of the fortress wall. Carter hurried after them.
It took him a few feet before he realized that the creature's final words were probably meant as an insult. Bugger. Unfortunately, after two days of walking with no water and barely any food, the magician was too exhausted to attempt a witty comeback.
"Listen. I get the feeling you're not real thrilled at having saved my life," he began, "but-"
"Hush," the bug replied, then, as Carter was working up the energy to feel slightly ruffled, dug out the few shreds of papyrus they had used earlier.
They leafed between them a few times, then assumedly coming to the correct page faced the stone wall and muttered. "Aperi."
To the magician's awe, the side of the fortress melted away, forming a large hole that the creature immediately crawled through. "Come along," they told him, "The incantation will only last a few moments."
Carter paused a moment, still wonderstruck by the magic, then managed to stumble through just as the wall solidified again. "That's amazing." he whispered, and the bug's eyes crinkled in what could have been a proud smile. "Just common spellwork. Not to say that it can't be a bit tricky though. Add a touch of 't' at the end and we both would have been stripped naked."
The magician shook his head, the threat of nudity not even enough to damp his mood, "Simply incredible."
Suddenly, his vision swam, and he staggered forward. The creature, to his surprise, reached out a hand to steady him. "Come on, Two-legs. My camp's just a few more meters. If you let weakness overcome you now, you deserve to be dead."
Carter was fairly sure that the statement was supposed to be encouraging.
So, he reached out his arm to the bug, allowing himself to be led by a grip tight enough to rival Charlie's steel vise. The journey, though likely minutes, seemed to take hours in his exhaustion-addled mind. Ledges were mountains. Stones were great boulders. At least once, he hit his head on something hollow, some terrifying face that reminded him of his rescuer. And all the while, They kept whispering to the magician gentle, terrifying things that made him want to lie down, to give himself up to the night.
"I'm not." Carter muttered. "Stop."
The hold on his wrist released and he collapsed to the ground, eyes barely open. The bug looked down on him, and even within those unblinking ebony orbs, he could tell they were wondering if he was dead.
The magician groaned faintly.
Then, for a brief moment, the torchlight faded, and the creature's face faded away. Dimly, he wondered if he had been too weak, and now had being left there to die. They would probably do that.
But the gleam flickered back into view and with it came the smell of…
Cripes. Was that meat?
With shaking arms, Carter pulled himself to a sitting position. He could see the whole camp now- he was in front of a crackling fire and the bug was curled beside him, holding what appeared to be a large pointed stick stabbed through a slab of roasted meat.
His mouth watered, a pleasant surprise as the magician had resolved ages ago that he barely had enough fluid left for sweat.
"May I…?" he rasped.
The creature sighed, hesitated a few moments as though mulling it over, then finally tore a piece about the size of Carter's hand from the bottom of the roast.
"Take it." They muttered. "But don't eat too moon-damned fast. I don't want Two-leg wretch all over the campsite."
"Thank you," he replied quickly, taking a bite from the proffered food before the sentence was even out of his mouth. The taste was metallic, almost sterile and the meat was piping hot-but that didn't stop him from finishing the meal in about ten minutes flat.
"Thank you," The magician repeated when he finally licked the last of the juices from his lips. He was well aware that this was charity, only because the bug had thought him pathetic enough a sight to let him live, but between that and death…
Honestly, that was enough for Carter to swallow his pride and just take the food.
The creature watched his gratitude carefully, at last closing its eyes in another sigh. "Don't thank me. After all that work saving your life, Two-leg, it would be a foolish move to let you die."
"Ah." The magician supposed he could appreciate the logic behind that. "I suppose I'm in your debt there too. It was extremely lucky that you found me when you did or else, well..."
Carter paused. He didn't want to think about that.
"How did you find me anyway? These ruins are huge."
The bug shrugged, eyes still closed. "If you really must know, it's because of all of the ridiculous caterwauling."
"The...what? You mean my shouting?"
"Whatever it was. I thought I'd found tomorrow's dinner. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered it was your Two-leg ass calling for help."
The magician gave a loud sniff, pride pricked. "My name isn't 'Two-leg.' It's Carter- Maxwell Carter."
"Good to know." The bug said with the mien of someone who didn't particularly care either way.
Sighing, the human tried again. "What's yours?"
"My name?"
"Yes," It was all Carter could do to keep the words from drenching themselves in sarcasm. And they'd talked down to him just for not knowing what the Grue was.
"Heh," The creature's eyes opened slightly in what might have been the equivalent of a wistful smile. "No one's asked me that in ages. But... I remember when it was renowned, not voiced without the veil of dignity. Balanced on the cusp of everyone's lips."
Their face darkened. "And then I remember when it was a curse."
The fire flickered, air growing slightly colder.
Warily, Carter watched the bug's eyes, as though he could find within them the memories that they spoke of. But the ebony globes were unreadable, the only movement within the reflection of firelight.
"It's Metheus." the creature finally said. "That's my name."
The word was melodious. Smooth but not jarring. In fact, it reminded the magician of an incantation, similar to the ones he had spoken onstage days ago. He gave the pronunciation a shot. "Me-the-us?"
"Close." The bug clicked loudly in what Carter supposed might be a bitter laugh.
Mumbling, he finished the phrase.
"But no cigar."
He dearly wished he had a smoke. The things had always done wonders to ease his nerves. And right now- between Charlie's mad transformation, meeting a creature from the Codex's world, and barely surviving the day- he had worries to spare.
Seeming to sense his mood, Metheus sighed. They had finished their portion of the meat and, in the moments the magician had been thinking, curled up against a gold-streaked pile of rubble. "Listen. I'm going to get some rest. You should too if you don't want to go mad by dawn."
The bug closed their eyes. "And don't think about trying anything either. Eating you wouldn't be a waste of resources as far as I'm concerned."
Carter gazed at them a moment, unsure if they were being serious. Then decided to move to the other side of the fire. He tried to find a comfortable position on the rock, but finding it was hopeless simply tried to move as little as possible.
"Sweet dreams," he whispered, whether to himself, the creature beside him or perhaps Charlie, still somewhere out there in the night.
But, even with his gentle words, the magician knew he couldn't fool anyone. There were no dreams in this world.
Only nightmares.
"So you found him then?"
In the smoky light of a fading fire, the old sovereign opened an eye. "Don't act so surprised. I've tracked things for ages even before…"
The creature cleared their throat. "Besides, he was wailing like a newborn larvae. That helped a great deal."
"Good. I trust you-"
"You trust me? How touching." They snorted.
"You know what I meant. I trust you know what is next."
The sovereign sighed, sparing a brief, almost pitying glance at their companion by the fireside. "Don't worry. I know. And he won't stand a chance."
