I meant to post this yesterday, but life happened :P Many hugs to my betas, MadameWinter and TigreMalabarista!

OoooooOOOOoooooO

Alan awoke groggily, a dull glow filling his view. Fingers dug into the ground beneath him and he groaned as he sat up. As his memory cleared, panic quickly took over, sending him to his feet to view his new surroundings.

He didn't have far to look.

Bars of a cage, grotesque in shape and color, lined the edges of his cell. Bodies in different states of decay lay propped against each other. The stink of rot was atrocious.

What caught his attention though was the slow movement past the bars. Cautiously, Alan stepped up to the prison wall, flinching back as he realized they were made from bones, rotten flesh still clinging to them. It didn't matter that these were game graphics, it was still pretty realistic. He took a shallow breath to steady his already pounding heart and looked through the bars.

The Lich. It swayed, towering above the cages that lined his sanctum. His clothes, if you could call them that, wrapped loosely over his skeletal frame. A blood covered crown adorned his head, holding the few strands of hair in place.

Alan couldn't see the monster's face, but had fought him enough times to picture its shriveled skin, taught over the skull. Teeth, black with rot would occasionally show as he growled.

Kneeling before the sorcerer were three other figures, each bowing down. They were a fraction of the Lich's size, but would still tower over him and his brother.

The thought of Gordon and Moffat having to face this all alone was too much. Stumbling back, he collapsed under the heavy emotions. His head came to rest on his knees, pulling them closer to his chest. He knew he needed to find a way out of the cell, but it was part of the game. It shouldn't have happened like this, but the only way out was for an ally to attack the bars. He was stuck until his brother came to save him.

The tap on his foot made him glance up, staring at the small, skeletal remains of a rabbit. He instantly regretted the small shriek that left his throat as the thing began to move.

"Nice." He could hear the amusement in the rabbit's… Bunny's voice. "Rocket, where are you?"

"Stuck in one of the Lich's cages." He kept his voice low, not wanting to draw the Hood's attention. If Moffat and Gordon were on there way, the villain would be watching them try to cut their way to the boss. "Can you get me out?"

She was silent for a moment, something Alan was beginning to dislike. He knew how good a hacker she was. Hesitation meant he would be stuck for a while longer.

"Not without aggroing the boss." That made sense, even if he didn't like the answer. "The others are doing well at the moment. Your friend's mana-drain finally ended. The paladin seems to have a pretty basic attack strategy, but it's working."

"Thanks, Bunny." He regarded the skeleton rabbit with a small smile. He let his head rest on his knees again, imagining the rage his brother was in right now. The bunny made a few hops to join Alan, sitting on his feet in an effort to comfort him.

OoOoOoO

The ghoul split in two, the top half of the torso sliding off as the figure crumbled to the floor. Gordon panted, taking a step back from the monster already taking the corpse's place. His screen was indicating low stamina as he lifted his shield, allowing the creature to attack. The jolt that ran through his tired arm forced a curse through his teeth as one knee crashed into the dirt.

A white glowing orb shot past his shoulder, striking the monster. The holy energy sent it flying back, its flesh sizzling. The relief was instant as his stamina began to slowly recharge. Gordon watched as Moffat threw another blast into the creature. This had been their strategy for the other mobs they had fought. Moffat would conserve her mana unless Gordon absolutely needed it. Once he was low, she would take over the fight. The difficult part was taking down the monster before it got to her. Stamina at half, he lunged forward, slicing through the monsters remaining hit points.

Silence surrounded them, broken only by Gordon's steady breathing. The professor offered him a hand, helping him to his feet. As his stamina bar refilled he felt the fatigue ease, but his mind was still in anguish. The worry for Alan was wearing on him, pushing him to fight harder, move faster in order to find his little brother. The professor had stayed silent for the majority of their trek, something Gordon was grateful for. He didn't want to talk. He just wanted to keep going until all three of them made it out of this.

"Ready?" The sympathy in her voice tore at the walls he'd put up to keep back the panic, but he simply nodded, taking up the front as they continued down the path.

Gradually, the sound of chanting caught their attention. An eerie glow emanated from the area ahead and they slowed, wanting to assess the situation before beginning the attack. As they crested the hill, their next challenge became blatantly obvious.

A giant, standing as tall as Thunderbird 1, took up the space at the center of a large circular pit. The three figures surrounding the massive form, the sources of the chanting, were twice Gordon's size. Impossible was one word that came to the aquanaut 's overwhelmed mind.

"Oh my - Gordon, look!" Moffat's voice was a sharp whisper, her arm extended to indicate something beyond the giant. He let his gaze find the cages that lined the walls, suddenly anxious to see what she'd found. His heart soared into his throat at the sight of blonde hair as a figure stood, seeming to peer through the bars. Alan's eyes soon found his and there was no stopping the frantic desire to run to him. A hand on his shoulder anchored him, however, and he was thankful for it. Saving his brother would be impossible if he was dead.

"We need a plan." The aquanaut spoke softly, the weight slightly lifting from his shoulders after seeing his brother. "I don't think we can beat that thing without Alan."

"Alright." Moffat adjusted her glasses as she regarded the boss area. "We could try kiting one of the worshipers over, hopefully fight them one at a time?"

"How would we do that?" Gordon was admittedly not familiar with some of her game lingo, but he trusted her to know what to do.

"Use one of your range attacks. It'll cause the monster to focus on you and hopefully not alert the others to our presence." He nodded and they quickly began moving towards the zone entrance. "And if we pull more than one…"

Gordon's frown of determination met her calm resignation. "If it looks like the battle is going south, I want you to run. Get back to a safer area." He continued as she looked ready to argue. "There's no reason for both of us to die. And maybe you can find another way to Alan."

The set of her brow told him she wasn't happy, but she nodded. He pulled up his skills, searching for one that would meet their needs. Finding one, he took aim at the closest figure and let his finger brush over the icon. He drew back the arm holding his shield, grunting as he hurled the metal disc across the vast space. It connected with the monster's back, causing it to let out a guttural cry.

Gordon grinned as the ghoul stood, shambling towards them on rotten legs… followed closely by one of the others. He took a step back, heart hammering as he watched the third. Thankfully, it didn't move. Alright, two is better than three…

Gordon caught his shield as it circled back around, quickly dropping into a defensive stance. The first of the towering figures closed in on him, raising its massive clawed hands. As they came crashing down, he lept back, avoiding the blow. His sword swept up, catching the thing in its abdomen, leaving a massive gash in the rotten flesh. The shield was back up a second later, the other monster taking a swing at the aquanaut. The claws tore into the metal, sending him crashing backwards with a sudden cry. He couldn't allow himself a moment, rolling away to dodge another attack.

Gordon heard the crackling of energy before it burst into the first ghoul, sending blue flames over its torso. He didn't have to look to see where the attack had originated, instead using the distraction to put some space between the monsters and himself.

The second monster was back, but Gordon was ready. He hit the icon on his arm, feeling the holy light charge into the sword and thrust forward. The blade dug deep in the creature's chest, eliciting a gurgled shriek. It staggered back, clutching at the wound now spilling a dark sludge. Gordon glanced at his stamina bar, noting that the ghoul's health was half full. A few more hits and it would go down. Only problem, his stamina was half empty.

Another bolt hit the first, Moffat grinning as one of its arms fell to the floor. Gordon let himself smile, happy that she could handle one of the monsters on her own. That thought fueled an internal fire, giving him the boost he needed to send the sword crashing forward into his target. Another gash, another cry.

Staring down the wounded creature before him, he suddenly felt the hairs on his neck twitch. Amber eyes flicked to the professor. She was sending the final blow that would ensure they were one step closer to saving his brother. She was safe, but the unnerving feeling continued. He ignored it, however, his sword glowing to take out the ghoul. The sword found its target, cutting through the bone and decayed meat. The glow in its eyes finally dimmed and it fell to the ground… and the third monster appeared.

Gordon had no time to dodge or bring his shield up to prevent the crimson projectile from burying into his chest. He was frozen, waiting for the intense pain to burn through the initial numbness. The monster was already approaching, clawed hands poised to strike, when he heard the sudden intake beside him. He realized in an instant Moffat hadn't seen him take the hit while dealing with the other ghoul. Green light surrounded him from her healing spell, but it felt different this time. He felt himself heal slightly, but the wound remained, the dark bolt finally disintegrating. Blood spilled out in its place, tendrils of pain blossoming from the wound and making it difficult to breathe. An icon flashed above the arm that lifted to cover the spot, sending his heart racing. 'Blood Leech'.

Another flash of green, but nothing changed. He was going to have to fight through it and hope the spell wore off soon. The shield came up to block another attack and Gordon pushed himself up on legs that didn't seem to want to hold his weight. Retreat was blaring in his mind, but he was fairly certain he wouldn't make it back up the hill. Their best chance was to take this thing out and run. He let himself look just past the ghoul, readying another spell, at the concern on Alan's face. A different ache pulsed through his chest, spurring him forward, white flames licking the edges of his blade. This monster was standing between him and his little brother. Nothing would stop him from rendering its head from its rotting body.

The cry that ripped from his throat echoed off the pit walls, following the sword as it tore through the fowl air and into the creature's shoulder. It cut deep into the things chest, halting the chanting, turning it into an anguished cry. A blast of blue ignited what remained of the ghoul's torso, sending its health bar plummeting. One more hit. He felt the curse on his body suck away more of his strength, the pain returning with twice the fervor. It took much of his will to bring the broadsword back up, and the rest of it to plunge the whole of it into the monster's gut.

The ground filled his vision, no longer worried about the lifeless heap in front of him. Even the green glow did little to pull him from where he lay. It was the gentle hands and words that told him they still needed to save Alan that pulled him back to the fight. He let Moffat pull him up, eyes searching the space for the brother in question. He found him, cheering from his cell. The moment of celebration ended, with the deep groan from above. The Lich.

One hand found the professor's arm, his eyes still on the younger blonde. "Run back out of range. I'm going after Alan." He was already pushing her towards the exit before she could protest. "We'll meet back up once he's free." She disappeared from his grip, leaving him to stand on his own, and he finally noticed the bleeding had stopped. He was grateful for the burst of healing energy she chanced on him, allowing for a burst of speed. He pushed off the ground, barely avoiding the hand as it slammed down behind him.

Amber eyes focused on his goal, sword up, ready to cut through the wall of his brother's prison. He could see Alan, bouncing from foot to foot, the anticipation building. Gordon felt the rumbles under his feet as the giant moved, forcing him to run that much faster. His focus flew to the blade in his hands, letting the blaze engulf it. A second later and he swung, feeling the solid mass as the edge broke through. Bone and flesh crumbled away, revealing a gaping hole for his brother to run through.

Only… Alan wasn't running. His eyes were wide, arm reaching out towards the aquanaut. And then there was a crushing sensation wrapping its way around his form, the ground flying away. Gordon tried to struggle free, digging armored fingers into the flesh of the Lich's hand. When the rush ended, he was face to face with the monster, staring into its ragged maw. Rotten skin hung from its exposed cheek bones, an open blackness where its nose was supposed to be. Gangly grey hair hung across its brow, hiding… steely blue eyes. The eyes were bright and clear, nothing like the death that surrounded them, and he couldn't stop the earlier image of his father, holding him as he fought with the memories of his accident.

A hiss of putrid breath, wafted into his face, drawing him back as the teeth parted, revealing a mouth filled with dark sludge. As the hand drew him closer, he could see the riggling clumps of maggots, feasting on the decayed flesh of the Lich's victims. His panic flared, shield falling in order for him to take the sword in both hands. He tried positioning it in the joint, wanting to pry the hand open, ignoring the fall he would take if it worked.

The hand twisted, jarring the sword away and out of the aquanaut's grasp. Gordon watched it clatter to the ground below, arms pleading for the weapon to return. And then he was in its mouth, surrounded by the grotesque darkness. The teeth slid down to rest on the plate of his armor, pressure growing in his chest. His hands pushed against the roof, desperate to be free. Slime oozed through his fingers, making it impossible to find purchase. A sharp creak as his armor bent and his breath was gone, stolen by the agony searing through his abdomen. Tears pricked his eyes, falling to be devoured by the slithering bugs below him.

Gordon let his mind flee, envisioning his home filled with his family. Scott by their father's desk; John, a floating hologram; Virgil was at the piano playing a tune he didn't recognize; Alan was safe sitting with Grandma and Kayo in the lounge. Brains and Moffat would be down in his lab doing sciency things.

And there was his father… standing by the pool, arms crossed over his chest.

"Dad…" He couldn't breath, but he needed to speak.

Blue eyes found his, filled with a deep sadness Gordon couldn't understand, tears falling down his cheeks. "Rest now, son." A trembling hand came to rest on his shoulder, the pain intensifying. "It'll be over soon."

And as the words faded, so did the island, replaced by the all-encompassing darkness.