Author's Note: Final's week, that's good news. Means I'll have more time to update/finish this story.
The Story So Far: Hiruma, the rest of the Devil Bats, Sakuraba, Takami, and Shin of Oujou, along with a band of not-so-human people from the Underground have arrived at the foot of Mount Fuji to kill an evil Necromancer named Blake.
Hidden
By: Bar-Ohki
Chapter 40: Lotem, Succubus of the Underground
It hadn't been Blake himself that attacked her, it had been some minion. And that minion had overhelmed her with his speed, something she was sure Blake had given him to assure her capture. Not just her capture, but the capture of O'Neil, Yuuya, and all of the parents that had been present. Not to mention they had somehow managed to kill Malhavoc, that news perturbed her most.
After all Malhavoc was powerful enough to slaughter half of the population of Sun Mountain, seeing him on the ground like that, dead from severe wounds, it concerned her. She'd been taken across the land up the Upground and into some cave in the side of one of the large mountains. A little ways into the cave, when it started to get hard to move properly, there was a little room that had been cut from the rock.
The lot of them had been left in there. The room smelled of blood and there were already a few corpses on the floor, but no blood anywhere to be seen on the brown walls and floor. Then, with a frown, Lotem realized that there was blood all over the walls and floors because that was what was making it brown.
Most of the mothers sheirked at the sight of the corpses. Everyone was a little naucious at the sight of them because the smelled up something truly fowl.
"Are we going to die?" One of the mothers whispered loudly.
"It doesn't really matter," Yuuya muttered darkly, "we'll wind up his slaves either way."
"Aren't those Elders of the Eastern Ocean Isles?" O'Neil asked, mortified at the discovery.
Yuuya only nodded in their low light situation. No more words passed between anyone, they just sat and awaited whatever fate had decided to play for them.
-back with Hiruma and his lot-
"That poison is really, really slow acitng." Takami remarked as he continued to watch Elec's men hold the other memebers of his team in place.
"…Hmm…." Kali was examining the bottle of the poison, a perplexed look on her face. "Normally it's not this slow…."
"Actually your poison is moving fairly fast," Shin explained, having been observing the progress for the last two hours, "there's just a lot for it to remove."
"Has been weakening?" Kali asked.
"Hmm… yes a little." Shin nodded after a few minutes of hard staring to confirm.
"I suppose another dose of it is in order then." Kali stood up and dabbed a little on the rather small, open wounds they had gotten earlier.
Zeke stood up suddenly, jerking into a coughing fit almost immediately upon standing.
"Zeke-mancer!" Zork gasped and rushed to Zeke's side. Malhavoc calmly walked up to his brother and smacked him on the back, hard. Zeke coughed twice more and glared at his brother.
"Don't complain if it works." Malhavoc rolled his eyes at Zeke.
"So you're done?" Hiruma asked.
"No." Zeke shook his head. "I need Zork for the last part."
"Makes sense." Dalboz nodded. "It won't take another boring Hand's While will it?"
"Moments." Zeke assured the little devil bat then beckoned Zork over. He grabbed Zork's hands and looked into the boys eyes carefully.
"This may sting." Zeke warned Zork and began. Zork winced, it didn't sting, it hurt. Then just when the pain reached almost intolerable levels, it was gone, leaving Zork feeling light and almost hyper.
Zeke on the other hand fell to one knee and shuddered under the new burden he had just placed upon himself. Dalboz had borne a rather large chunk of the barrier, Zeke realized now. Without any need for words, the magic users in Elec's Unit came up and channeled their power into Zeke.
"You're free to pass through now." Zeke announced, looking tired. "You've got probably two Hand's Whiles, so don't tally."
"Let's go." Hiruma waved his arm and started heading into the cave. The others screambled and followed him into the black, horrible cave in the side of Mount Fuji.
"So we're on a time limit…." Takami muttered as they continued their way in.
"No different than a fucking game." Hiruma reminded everyone.
"Why isn't Elec-san here?" Sena asked Malhavoc.
"Someone needs to stand guard over everyone that's outside," Malhavoc pointed out, "Elec might not be quiet the mass murderer I am, but he is highly capable of watching over his own men."
"I-I see…." Sena was left a bit wide-eyed by Malhavoc's words.
"I wonder…." Kali muttered when she saw the little opening to the side room in the path they were on. She casually poked her head and lamp inside, making the inhabitants of the room squeak in protest. This made Hiruma stop, along with everyone else, and turn around to see what Kali had discovered.
"Dowse that light you bloody, fucking ignorant child of Rune!" Lotem hissed loudly at Kali.
"Is that any way to treat your would-be rescuer, Lady Lotem?" Malhavoc asked with a small, bemused grin on his face.
"Oh be haunted by your own victims you fucking elf!" Lotem snapped at Malhavoc, still clearly annoyed about the light and his mocking tones.
"…So that's where he gets it." Togano muttered.
"…Funny how much they are alike." Kuroki agreed.
"…Makes you wonder about the father." Juumonji finished. The three brothers nodded.
"Please don't agrivate them!" The paniced voice of Kobayakawa Mihae came out of the room.
"Mom!" Sena gasped and used his golden legs to step right into the room (Kali and Malhavoc were kind of blocking the small enterance).
"Oh Sena!" Mihae sobbed, because of the magic of the Seal, she couldn't move over to where Sena was now standing.
"The barrier's holding them in place." Shin observed as he glanced over Malhavoc and Kali's heads into the room.
"I suppose we should haul them out before Lady Lotem rubs off on the lot them." Malhavoc remarked then stepped out of the way of the opening.
"You're making us do the work?" Musashi asked, frowning in disapproval.
"I'm the shortest person here, surely you're not thinking I should drag someone's beloved parent all the way to the exit? I can't carry those giants!"
"He'll be put to better use watching our backs." Kali called from inside the little room. Moments later she emgerged with Sena, both of them were carrying Mihae. Malhavoc stood guard before the rest of the tunnel, his eyes peering deeply into the near darkness. Monta and Komusubi went in next and fetched out Mamori's father. Shin and the there brothers went in next, carrying out Yukimitsu's mother, Shin's father, and Mamori's mother. Musashi went in next and managed to drag out Kurita's father close enough to the door so that Kurita could carry his own father home. Yukimitsu went in next and found himself carrying out an unfamiliar brown haired man.
"Ah, you are alive then." Doburoku remarked, sounding slightly releaved.
"Er…I don't think I can carry him the rest of the way out." Yukimitsu remarked as he was having some difficulty with the weight.
"Malhavoc, why don't you drag that bastard out?" Hiruma asked the elf as he pointed at the man.
"…I might not have always agreed with my sire, but I wouldn't have dragged him out of this hell hole." Malhavoc remarked. "So I wouldn't do the same to yours no matter how much you intend to tempt me, youngling."
"An Escarmelin with a sense of honor," Yuuya observed, "is the world coming to an end?"
"All people have a sense of honor," Malhavoc curtly reminded Yuuya, "that does not mean they follow them."
"Tch. Fine, lay him down." Hiruma ordered Yukimitsu. Yukimitsu obeyed, knowing better than to tempt Hiruma's patience. With a small grunt, Hiruma picked Yuuya up and hoisted him onto his shoulder then marched out of the cave behind the others. Takami and Sakuraba found themselves hauling a very vocal Lotem out.
"…You didn't leave me for dead." Yuuya commented as Hiruma continued with the bothersome task of hauling him out.
"Unlike you, I'm not a low enough bastard to do that." Hiruma answered with a half growl. "You're fucking fat by the way."
Elec came jogging down the tunnel with Sena and Kali at his heels.
"Aren't you supposed to be fucking watching your men?" Hiruma demanded.
"Some has to manhandle your mother." Elec replied as he ran by.
"Second trip for us." Kali told Hiruma as she and Sena ran on by.
"…4.2 seconds." Hiruma muttered, all three had the same speed.
"You'd think that elf would be running faster…." Yuuya commented only to get a glare from his son. A short while later they arrived at the opening of the cave where Hiruma shoved his father forward ungentily. Yuuya found himself stumbling and landing on the ground in a graceless sprawl. Not too long after that Elec, Sakuraba, and Takamai returned carrying the wiggling and angry-looking Lotem. They set her down and backed away promptly. All Lotem did was sit there for a few moments and take calming breaths.
"I'm going back in there to deal with the bastard," Hiruma told his mother calmly, "so don't kill that fucker until I get back."
"Youichi-!" Lotem began but a small bark from Cerberus silenced her.
"Just help watch over these people." Hiruma advised his mother.
"…Take care of yourself then." Lotem advised Hiruma back. Hiruma and the others went back into the cave, making sure that there was no one else in there but themselves and Blake.
"…Zeke-Mancer, do you think they will be okay?" Lotem asked Zeke.
"They'll figure something out." Zeke assured her gently.
"What's going on!?" Mihae demanded, having held in a complete panic fairly well until now. Elec sighed and explained to everyone what was happening.
"Aren't you worried?" Mihae asked Lotem after the explaination.
"Of course I am," Lotem admitted, "but it can't be helped either. I'm not useful against Necromancers, so it's just best that those who are going are going."
"At the point the best thing to do is to believe in them," Elec added, "besides, isn't that was parents are supposed to do?"
"I suppose it is all we can do." Mihae nodded.
_=_=_=_=_
Wheee! Done!