Chapter 12: The Sacrifice

- ASH -

The tunnels were narrowing and the darkness felt like it was closing in. The glow stick was dimming, the rhythmic heart beats seemed to grow louder. A howling screech echoed down the hall, Gwyn raised Silver Faust. Ash glanced down at his hands, he could barely close a fist. Natasha began to mutter.

"You know what would be handy right about now?" She asked.

"A convenient way out?" Ash asked. She shook her head.

"Dust would come in real handy." She said, Ash though about the crystals. They were unrefined, grinding them up would be time consuming. Using them unrefined might prove a little dangerous.

They say a thin glow coming from around a corner. They peered around it to find a massive crystal. The room was completely covered in cobwebs and giant glowing sacks hung from the ceiling. There was an uncomfortably fast movement above. All three of them backed up and swallowed hard.

"Do either of you happen to like spiders?" Ash asked.

"Hell no!" They both shouted.

"Good, neither do I. I say we start running." Ash said. A white glob flew over their heads and splattered against the wall behind them. A web unfolded, blocking their way back. Ash felt itchy all over.

"Do we have a plan b?" Gwyn asked. The spider was crawling down the giant dust crystal. It was absolutely massive, red pulsating veins ran down it's abdomen. It's face was adorned with glowing red eyes. Ash felt a little lighter than usual, he took a few steps back, he felt his shoulder collide with something sticky. He turned, he was caught on the web. He immediately began to struggle, his hand was caught too. The spider clicked it's teeth, it's many eyes winked.

"What if we blow up that crystal." Natasha asked. "I mean, dust can be volatile."

"Problem with that." Ash said. "That thing is massive, we're looking at over two hundred tonnes of highly volatile dust. Have you ever seen a mining accident? A dust crystal detonating?"

"No but is it any different from the refined form?" Natasha asked. The spider moved a single leg closer.

"Well, let's put it like this. A dust crystal detonated one time, it forced us to close our mine. It was about a third the size of this one. Problem is the chance of chain reactions." Ash said. He felt droplets of sweat running down his forehead.

Gwyn swung Silver Faust at the web. She began to struggle to pull it free. Natasha attempted to help her pull free, it tore loose and they toppled over. Clearly cutting through the webs isn't a solution. Ash glanced over his shoulder. They walked for at least an hour, maybe two. Surely they were far enough from Vigil's cave. Last thing he'd want is to piss off something that big. He noticed a gap in the web, small but there. He wouldn't be able to fit. He began to size up the girls. They were both smaller than him, narrower. They could probably fit but the webs would need to be pulled up. Whoever held the webs open would be stuck here. He was already stuck here. He slid his boot under the web and pulled up.

"Ash what are you doing?" Gwyn asked.

"Pass me my weapon, you crawl while we still have the chance!" Ash said. Gwyn shook her head. "Now!"

"This is suicide!" Gwyn shouted. He could see the spider watching them. It seemed to enjoy watching them squirm.

"We blow up that crystal, we're likely to be killed. You guys start running maybe you'll have a chance." Ash said. "I'm stuck, but you guys can go."

"This is crazy, there's got to be another way!" Gwyn shouted. The spider took a couple steps forward. It was unnerving how statuesque it could stand.

"My leg is going to tire soon, this window is closing. Get out of here!" Ash said. He grabbed Silver Faust out of her hands. He leaned against it and raised his leg a little higher. He felt it start to buckle. "Go!"

Natasha crawled through the hole. Gwyn stood defiantly. Ash flicked Silver Faust into it's gun form, he aimed it at the spider. It took a couple steps forward. He noticed it lowering. It was ready to pounce. He glanced at Gwyn, she looked like she was going to cry. Ash grabbed her by the arm and pulled her in close. He felt her felt her tears dripping down his shoulder, he noticed the spider heading their way. He tossed her towards the hole. He fired.

"Run!" Ash shouted. She crawled into the hole, Natasha pulled her out the other side.

His first shot hit the spider, right in the eye, another in the mouth. He aimed at the crystal, he fired everything he's got. There was a bright flash, the spider screeched. He watched a stream of blinding light heading his way. A cloud of dirt blasted into him, he found himself flying backwards, rocks and debris were flying in every direction. The entire cavern buckled and quaked. He crashed straight through the webs. A ball of fire burst through the light, he watched it heading his way. Silver Faust fell from his hands. He did what just about any person could do in this situation. He held his hands in front of his face and closed his eyes.

- GWYN -

The cavern was collapsing beneath their feet. They were running at a full sprint and they were barely keeping pace. They were hopping from falling rock to falling rock at this point. Gwyn made the mistake of looking down, a swirling mass of molten metal, colorful explosions of fire and ice and what looked like bubbles of air coming up from under the swirling vortex of molten slag. She felt a hand grab hers, she swung through the air. She collided with a solid rock wall. There was a deafening crunch and she dropped to the ground. Her vision was in stop motion, her head felt like it was on fire. She felt a horrible pain in her ribs. She turned around, She could make out Natasha's hands but nothing more. She crawled closer, where once was a cavern there was a dark pit. Natasha was clinging to the edge but her hands were slipping. Gwyn grabbed them. She felt her chest slam against the rock.

She couldn't hold Natasha's weight. Her chest felt like it was on fire and her breath was getting shallow. Her vision was blurring, everything was starting to slip. There was a sudden pain stabbing through her skull. Like someone was carving into her forehead. She heard a rumbling noise, like an echoing roar.

"Focus." A word roared loudly within the confines of her skull. Her vision was starting to clear. She felt her hands slipping.

"Natasha, what do you see?" Gwyn asked.

"Fire, horrible death. Wait." Natasha shouted. "There's a ledge, too far for me to reach."

"I'm going to toss you." Gwyn said. Her arms were going numb but the carving in her head seemed to keep her composed.

"Toss me?" Natasha asked. "You're serious? What if you miss?"

"I'd rather not lose anyone else today." Gwyn said. She started swinging. She slid further over the edge. "Do me a favor, please don't die."

"You're crazy!" Natasha shouted. Gwyn began to swing broadly. She took a deep breath, more of a gasp at this point. She focused her aura, she swung upwards and pulled down as quickly as she could. She let go. She heard a loud scream.

She started to slide. She grabbed the ledge, she was now precariously balancing. She was never much for sports, gymnastics, ballet. So this wasn't exactly a natural position for her. She carefully pulled herself back. The heat was starting to get to her. She felt something grab her leg and pull. She slid across the hard rock and spun over. Nothing but black. She coughed hoarsely, she felt something wet splatter across her face. She ran her finger along it. It came back red.

"Natasha?" Gwyn asked. She heard her own voice buckling as she spoke. Her eyes were starting to water. "Are you okay?"

The silence was deafening. She felt her heart sinking into her stomach. No response came back. She felt tears welling in her eyes. She curled into a ball, she coughed up more blood. She stopped holding back, she sobbed quietly.

- LYRA -

There was a loud rumble and the ground quaked. Rasmatas quickly started coiling their makeshift rope. The ground beneath her feat started to buckle. Billy started running her way, she heard Rasmatas shout something. The ground collapsed. A lasso of grass wrapped around her chest and pulled. She flew off her feet and was soaring backwards. She slammed into something soft. She turned around, Billy had caught her. Rasmatas was pulling Morgana by the wrist and was running their way, the ground was forming a large sinkhole. He swung her their way. He glowed a vibrant pink and slammed his fist into the ground. Everything was shaking, the trees were buckling and it felt like the world was starting to tear apart. The ground seemed to break apart and flow like water, an avalanche of dirt, trees and grass suddenly flowed into the hole. In a matter of seconds the sinkhole was mostly filled in. The ground stopped quaking.

"Ash!" Morgana shouted. Billy propped Lyra onto her feet, she hurried after Morgana to the edge. Rasmatas held his arms out. They could barely see, though small gaps in the dirt betrayed the depth. A winding cavern split apart by uprooted trees and small sinkholes. The ground itself looked more like someone covered a pit trap rather than solid ground.

"I'm afraid this path is no longer safe." Rasmatas said. "Ash has been gone for hours, we can hold on to hope that he had moved from this area and is safe."

Lyra dropped to her knees, she glanced off into the forest, the ground looked like it was sinking in. This must not have been the only sinkhole in the area. She had no idea what could cause destruction on this level. She felt a cool burning sensation in her chest. She felt a hand touch her shoulder, gripping a little too hard. She glanced over at Morgana, she was paler than usual, Billy looked devastated.

"Come, there was another reported cavern in the area. I expect we simply need to follow the destruction." Rasmatas said. He brushed her hair out of her face. "Come girl, there are time for tears later. If your friend is alive, we need to act fast. If he's a true huntsman, it'll take more than that to stop him."

"You didn't think much of him before." Lyra muttered. She glanced up to see a warm smile.

"An hour underground and he found a way to blow up the planet. Regardless of how this goes, he's proven himself a true huntsman." Rasmatas said. He held his hand out. She reached out and took it.

- GABRIEL -

Gabriel slammed against the wall. He raised Galantine and fired. The hooded figure flew off his feet and into the wall behind him. The roof collapsed, he felt something collide hard with his legs. He screamed. He glowed green, the glow was flickering.

"Well." He coughed. He couldn't feel his legs. "This wasn't the way I expected to go out."

He pulled his scroll out of his coat, it was flaky at best in this cave but he had to try to get a signal out. His vision was blurring, he pressed a random button. He heard a ringing sound. He heard distant crashes, signifying that this wasn't the only cave in.

"Gabriel talk to me!" A voice called out. Lancel, of course it would be Lancel.

"Cave in, can't fell my legs. Been better." Gabriel said. He felt the pressure on his legs increasing. "I don't know how much time I've got before I lose them."

"I'll head your way, keep the channel open. I'll try to figure out where you are!" Lancel shouted. "Anything from the others?"

"No, this cave is massive and these nut-jobs aren't exactly making it easy to get around." Gabriel said. He leaned his head back, he felt something crawling on his face. He swung his head forward and a tiny spider flew into the rocks. The rocks began to shift, pain coursed through his body. "Oh boy! Might wan't to hurry!"

Something big slammed into the rocks. His legs were free and he spun over. Several shapes were running at him, knives over their heads. He rolled onto his back and fired another bolt. A rock slammed into the side of the cultists head. He stumbled into a wall holding his head. An armored shape slammed into it, a metal fist collided with the cultists head. He stumbled back, the armored figure dropped to the ground and swept his legs out from under him. Gabriel broke into laughter.

"Rudd! You're a sight for sore eyes!" Gabriel said. Rudd grabbed Gabriel by the shoulder and swung him across his own. "Hey, what the hell!"

Rudd drew his blade, it set aflame revealing the room. From the darkness at least twenty more shapes were entering the room. Rudd backed up, Gabriel squirmed to get a better look. He quickly started loading Galantine. Rudd took another step back, the shapes advanced.

"Rudd, you still a pacifist?" Gabriel asked. Rudd shrugged. Gabriel shook his head. "So what's the plan?"

The cultists lunged, Rudd spun around and suddenly Gabriel was soaring. He slapped into several of the cultists and hit the ground hard. Galantine went off, he heard a surprised yelp. He was lying on top of a cultist, who was squirming against his weight. He grabbed the cultists head and cracked it against the floor. He felt a horrible sensation in his legs and suddenly was sliding across the ground. Flames shot over his head and his legs dropped back to the floor. There was a loud crack. He looked up to see Lancel joining the party.

Arondight let out a thunderous roar, a fireball shot from it and judging from the scream somebody wasn't standing anymore. Rudd stepped between Gabriel and the remaining cultists, he swung his flaming sword between them, they started to flee. Lancel crouched next to him and started looking at his legs.

"How's it looking doc?" Gabriel asked. Lancel squeezed his ankles. Gabriel winced.

"Feels broken, but you haven't lost all your feeling yet. Get you to an actual doctor and you might dance again." Lancel said. He motioned for Rudd to pick him up.

"No way man, you threw me!" Gabriel shouted. Rudd shrugged.

"Stop being a baby, we have to get out of here. I don't want to find out how many of these wack-jobs are down here." Lancel said. Rudd picked him up unceremoniously and through him over his shoulder.

"Why are we here again?" Gabriel asked.

"Rescue the girls, save the day, be heroes?" Lancel asked.

"Right, rescue the girls." Gabriel said. He took deeper breaths, his legs felt like they were on fire. "I guess it's worth it. Damn I hope we aren't too late."

"You and me both." Lancel replied.

They found a small room that still had lighting. Several shapes walked into view. A bright glowing light followed the shapes, illuminating them. Arthur and the rest of Gwyn's team waved them over. Rudd dropped Gabriel onto a table. They gathered around it.

"Nice of you guys to join the party." Gabriel said. "Any news?"

"No sign of them." Arthur said. "The cave ins blocked our search. How are you holding up?"

"Oh, fantastic. I think I can hear birds. Is that normal?" Gabriel said. Arthur patted his head.

"You'll live." A voice called out. He glanced down to see a beautiful woman feeling his legs.

"Why hello there gorgeous, what's your name?" Gabriel asked.

"You know my name Gabriel, we met a few hours ago." Naia replied. "Should I check you for a concussion?"

"I'm great!" Gabriel replied.

"You probably should." Arthur said. "We need to continue the search."

"We need to split up." Naia said. She pulled out a first aid kit from her bag. "Any of you got first aid training?"

"I do." Lancel said. Arthur cut him off.

"Not so fast Lancel, we're going to need you." Arthur said.

"I've got first aid training." Orin said. "You guys find my sister and I'll keep Gabriel here from dying on us."

"Deal." Arthur said. "Alright, Lancel and I will head south from here. Naia, Rudd and Kol will head west. Watch yourselves guys. These nut-jobs are still roaming and who knows what that cave in woke up."

- GWYN -

The hallway never seemed to end. She staggered through the darkness for what felt like hours. She fell onto her knees. She coughed up another splatter of blood. She wasn't sure she wanted to try using her semblance, not after the last couple times. She wiped her eyes, her hand felt soaked. She heard footsteps coming her way. She grabbed a small rock, best weapon she could find. She lifted herself onto her feet. She leaned against the wall for support. A shape emerged from the darkness. She could make out the skull of a stag complete with antlers moving closer.

"My dear, you are a remarkable specimen." The voice called out. That booming voice echoed through the cavern. "I am thoroughly impressed. I expected a simple sacrifice and now I receive this reward. You sundered the earth, the beast must have awoken to such a grandiose cacophony."

"Why are you doing this?" Gwyn asked. He started to laugh.

"The beast must wake, he hungers always, he must wake and return to his rightful place." The man said. "You were more than I could wish for, the ultimate sacrifice. It's actually a shame that I'd have to end your life. You really deserve better."

He stepped closer, he drew a long knife of solid obsidian. He advanced, she backed up. He grabbed her by the throat and lift her into the air. She gasped for breath, kicking her legs desperately. She cried out and begged, her voice was choked and struggled to make sound. She felt a blade sliding into her chest, blood dripped down her legs, she screamed.

- GABRIEL -

"I really hate this cave." Gabriel said. The table had gotten uncomfortable and the waiting was beginning to bore him. Orin was calmly meditating.

"You and me both." Orin muttered.

"I should be out there. I can still be useful." Gabriel said. He tried to move his legs, no such luck.

"The only use you have is being a very soft and very noisy shield." Orin said.

"That hurts." Gabriel said. Orin nodded.

"I meant no disrespect." Orin said. Gabriel laughed.

"That's what I like about you. You are so polite." Gabriel said. "You actually apologize for things you say."

"It's the proper thing to do." Orin said. "Do you not agree?"

"Are you implying I'm not proper?" Gabriel asked.

"Are you?" Orin asked. Gabriel started snickering.

"No, I'm really not." Gabriel said. "But I'm good at what I do. I'm a really good huntsman, even if I'm not a legit huntsmen."

"Now you are a cripple, at least if we can't get you help." Orin said. Gabriel glanced down at his legs.

"But Gwyn can fix this, can't she?" Gabriel asked. Orin had an unbeatable poker face. Gabriel hadn't thought about that possibility. "She can right?"

"I've never seen her fix something like this. I believe in her but I have my reservations." Orin said. Gabriel felt his heart sink. "The only question we should be asking, what if we can't find her."

"I believe Arthur will find her." Gabriel said. He felt that sinking sensation continue it's voyage down. "I do have my reservations too."

"You are a decent man and a decent huntsman." Orin said. "I'm not a violent man, but I believe in a fight we show our true colors. You've shown me yours."

"You really know how to make me blush." Gabriel said, Orin laughed, it was a little odd to hear.

"I don't know Arthur, but I know you. If you trust him, then I trust him." Orin said. "Now let's just hope our trust isn't misplaced."

"You won't be disappointed. If anyone can get us through this it's him." Gabriel said.