A/N: Hello, dearest readers! I hope you are all having an awesome year so far, because you deserve it!
Thank you for being so patient with this story! I'm super happy to announce that we are- finally- getting closer to the end. I anticipate maybe 3 more chapters, plus an epilogue. We are almost there! :')
That being said, I have to warn you- this chapter has some major character death in it (if you are worried about Brittana, please see my profile for details) and lots of violence and creepiness.
Thanks to everyone still reading, and to those saying hey in the reviews. Your comments are always appreciated! :)
Okay, here we go! Enjoy-
The pirates stand in overwhelmed silence as they take in the sight before them- the towering structure is even more imposing up close, made of dark stone, its walls cracked and crumbling. The huge steps leading up to the entrance seem to stretch on forever, adding to the sense of intimidating dread that settles over them. At the top of the steps, they can see a decrepit, but spacious, covered landing, its support columns barely doing their jobs- the opposite of inviting.
As David drops his pack and begins to prepare lanterns, Santana scans the surrounding area. Overgrown paths wind their way from the bottom of the steps, connecting to other, smaller structures scattered around the courtyard, and giving the impression that the temple was once a part of an entire compound. The sight fills her with a sense of hopelessness- does this place even contain what they're looking for? And if it does, how long will it take to find it?
"This is it," Puck says with a serious tone that contradicts the smile that splits his face. "Let's get in there." Without hesitation, he leads the way up the steep, fragmented steps, and Jake scrambles after him with the first lantern, followed by Kitty, Marley and Sugar. Mike pauses to receive the second lantern before joining them in ascending the stairs, with Brittany, Santana and David once again bringing up the rear.
"Gettin' a real workout lately," David huffs once they reach the top, where they pause to catch their breath and study the entrance to the temple, which is partially obscured by vines and overgrown plants. There's no door- just a black, beckoning, rectangular hole, adding to the widespread sense of unease among them, fear of the unknown. Flanking the entrance are two massive guardian statues- periscoping snakes, their bodies wrapped in thick, powerful coils beneath their raised heads, with wings spread wide and majestic behind them. The surrounding columns supporting the half-collapsed stone ceiling depict etchings eerily familiar to the ones on the columns surrounding the entrance to the Etherplane. It all confirms that they are, in fact, in the right place- not that it brings any of them relief.
At Puck's impatient prompt, Jake sucks in a shaky breath and enters first, his hand trembling as he holds the lantern up, using his other hand to push aside the mass of tangled plants. The rest of the pirates follow cautiously with weapons at the ready; Brittany clutches her sword so tightly she's sure she's lost feeling in her hand, certain that at any moment something will be jumping out at them…
But as they continue into the suffocating gloom, nothing happens. The air inside the temple is musty and stale, and the darkness is almost palpable, pressing in on them from all sides. The only sound is the shuffle of their footsteps, bouncing off the walls of what seems to be a huge, domed antechamber. As they warily begin to spread out and explore the room, David grabs a brittle, aged torch from the rusted iron holder on the wall and lights it with Mike's lantern. Once it roars to life, he sets about using it to light the rest of them- spaced out every dozen feet or so- and soon the room is awash in warm, flickering light.
Marley's voice is what finally breaks the deafening silence, echoing through the vast, empty chamber and drawing the pirates' attention to the giant symbol engraved into the center of the stone floor.
"What is it?" Mike asks, eagerly stepping forward with the lantern to illuminate the symbol. The colors are smeared and mostly faded, but there's no mistaking the figure it depicts.
"It looks like a snake," Marley replies, her voice uncertain. "With wings?"
Santana and David exchange a knowing look. "We get it," David mutters under his breath, and Santana rolls her eyes. "The Fig Sack was here."
Brittany laughs nervously, her eyes drawn to the far left side of the chamber, where she can see an opening- perhaps to a path. With all the torches lit, it's easier to get a feel for the space; splitting off from the main chamber are four separate hallways, each marked by a different image etched into a square plate embedded into the floor. Jake, Sugar and Kitty confirm that three of the paths depict a sun, a skull, and a moon, but as Brittany draws nearer to the final path, she discovers that the entrance is blocked by a pile of rubble, as if the passage had collapsed. The remnants of a skeletal arm protrude from beneath a giant chunk of stone, its hand reaching eerily towards her, sending a trickle of fear down her spine. She drops her gaze to the plate at her feet, but isn't able to discern any sort of image- it's scorched black, with a deep crack through the center, and the etching is smeared beyond recognition.
"Well, that narrows our choices," Mike says lightly, once Brittany relays the information.
Santana sizes up each of the three remaining passageways before turning her sharp gaze to Puck. "Well, Guppy?"
Puck shrugs, as if the answer is obvious. "We split up." He pauses, but the pirates make no motion to follow his orders. He turns his glare to Santana in response. "Something wrong?"
"I don't like that idea," she admits, and the rest of the pirates fidget in agreement. "We don't really know what we're dealing with, here…"
"And I don't wanna stay here any longer than we need to," Puck snaps. "We need to get what we came for and get out. So- pick two people to accompany you, and let's get a fucking move on, now."
David speaks before Santana can answer. "We'll draw lots," he decides matter-of-factly, methodically breaking a length of dried vine he'd scooped from the floor- while his superiors were arguing- into several, various-sized pieces. Puck huffs reluctant approval as David places the "straws" in his fist, the tops sticking out at an even length, before holding it out to Brittany beside him. "Draw," he offers with a mischievous smile.
With a small gulp, Brittany selects a straw and examines it- it's short. She watches as one by one, each of her crew- with the exception of Puck- shuffle over to select their fate, with David holding the final straw in his fist. He opens it with a dramatic flourish, presenting his straw on a flat palm.
"Okay, short straws with me," he chuckles. "And we'll take… the moon."
"I've got the medium straws," Santana says, absently twirling hers between her fingers. "I guess we'll take sun." She looks at Puck and adds, "The rest with Noah."
"The skull," Jake whispers, staring at the long straw in his hand with an expression of dread. Puck claps him happily on the back, and Mike shrugs, tossing his long straw to the stone floor and moving to stand beside his team.
"It'll be fine," he reassures. He hands his lantern to Kitty, who is staring at her short straw in disbelief, until David sidles up to her and wraps his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer with an obnoxious grin on his face.
"You and me, Pussy Cat!"
Kitty squirms, shoving him away with obvious annoyance. "My fucking name is Katherine, you whale's ass-"
David cuts her off with a laugh before turning to Santana. "I only got two lanterns, so…"
"I'll take the torch," Santana grumbles.
"To hell you will," he says with a sweet, sarcastic smile. He lifts one of the crude torches from its holder on the wall and hands Kitty's lantern to Marley, who accepts it happily, pleasantly surprised to be holding a medium straw with an excited smile on her face.
Santana rolls her eyes at David. "Suit yourself." She glances at her team- Marley and Sugar stand behind her, ready to follow her down the sun path. Her eyebrows furrow as she realizes…
"Be careful," Brittany says softly, leaning in to give Santana a soft, lingering kiss on her cheek.
Santana's heart aches as she looks into Brittany's soft blue eyes, fear clenching in her chest at the thought of being parted from her here, of all places. She wants to grab Brittany and leave, to forget the mission entirely- but she knows that she can't. They didn't come all this way to turn back now. She trusts Brittany- trusts in her skill and ability and cunning, and they both have a job to do, regardless of how much she hates it. So instead, she swallows hard, ignoring the feeling of her throat tightening with too much emotion, and nods. "You, too," she whispers.
She turns towards the sun plate- the far left path, since the fourth one is eliminated- and begins her approach without any further discussion. Marley keeps pace, lighting the way, with Sugar flanking her other side. The silver glow from the jar at Sugar's hip has become a comforting familiarity in such a forbidden place, and she's grateful for its warm presence as they cross the threshold and make their way down the narrow passage, pushing aside her worries about Brittany, unsure if her absence is a comfort or a hindrance to her concentration.
As they continue deeper, the narrow hallway begins to curve sharply, the walls seeming to close in on them as they move. The musty scent of decay hangs thick in the air, the glinting light of Marley's lantern casting strange shadows on the walls, illuminating the remnants of ancient writing, long since faded into indecipherability.
Santana can't shake the feeling that they are being watched- as if some ominous presence is lurking just beyond their reach- and it only adds to her feeling of deep unease. Stepping cautiously forward into darkness, she steadies herself on the wall with her right hand, her sword drawn in her left; she doesn't know what awaits them at the end of this passage, but she's fairly certain that it's definitely not good.
As if hearing her thoughts, the floor suddenly drops into a steep incline- her next step nearly sends her tumbling down into the dark abyss. She catches herself on the wall, her feet sliding on the smooth stone, and Sugar grabs her arm to stop her descent. Heart racing, she scrabbles for purchase, and once she regains her footing, Marley guides the light of her lantern to reveal that the sloped passage ends in what appears to be a pit.
"Thanks," Santana pants as Sugar releases her arm and she feels her heart settle back down from where it had taken flight. Slowly and carefully, she slides along the floor, bracing herself against the wall and catching her footing on a narrow ledge surrounding the pit. Once Santana is stable, Marley cautiously follows, extending the lantern as far as she can over the edge of the pit, and she gasps as she realizes what she's looking at.
"It's a trap," she whispers, barely audible above the sound of their pounding hearts. "The floor must have given way."
Santana frowns as she peers down into the pit; the skeletons of several unfortunate souls rest inside, impaled on the sharp metal spikes that jut out from the pit's walls and floor. She feels a knot form in her stomach at the thought of her crew meeting a similar fate, and concern for Brittany once again rises in her chest.
"Awesome," she mutters, trying to counteract her very real fear for Brittany with sarcasm. "I'm grateful someone triggered it before us, but now what?" She glances around, searching for answers. The ledges along the sides of the pit are too narrow to stand on. There's nothing on the flat, mold-covered ceiling to anchor to for a swing across, so their only choice is-
"Climb down?" Sugar suggests doubtfully. "Into the pit?"
"That could work. I have some rope," Marley offers, handing the lantern to Sugar before shrugging her pack off of one shoulder. She begins digging her length of line out as Santana crouches down to investigate the edge of the pit.
"Nothing to anchor to," she says to herself. She gazes across to the other side, wondering where the pit ends- she cannot see the bottom. Staring into the endless darkness gives her a bad feeling- more than the bad feeling that's become normal for her on this doomed journey- and since she has been forced to go against her instincts for most of the trip, she decides to rely on them now.
"I think we should find another way," she says gently, standing up. She glances at the wall, running her hands along the worn stone, searching for a weakness. Her fingers brush over several deep cracks, which gives her an idea. She pulls her marlinspike from the tiny loop on the back of her belt. "The ledge around the pit isn't wide enough to cross on- not without a guide line."
"We make one?" Sugar guesses, pulling her own marlinspike from its holder as she realizes where Santana's thoughts are heading. When Santana nods, Marley offers her line up and adds softly,
"Someone has to go across first, though…"
Taking a deep breath, Santana nods and reaches for the bundle of line, looping an end through the eye of her marlinspike and tying an effortless knot. "That'll be me."
Marley shakes her head. "Quartermaster, you're too important to lose- what if the ledge doesn't hold? I'll go."
"Marley-"
"She has a point," Sugar agrees firmly.
Santana bites her lip. She doesn't like the idea of someone putting themselves in danger- she's always the one leading the charge. But she can't argue with two of her crew, especially when she has no valid points. So she sighs in defeat, handing the marlinspike over to Marley, who drives it into a crack in the wall using a loose chunk of stone from the edge of the pit.
"Don't worry," Marley reassures with a soft smile, dropping her pack at Santana's feet, "I have great balance." She steps onto the very narrow ledge, practically on tiptoe, holding the free end of the line in one hand and Sugar's marlinspike in her other. Acutely aware that even the smallest mistake will result in her sudden, untimely death, she shimmies carefully across the pit, hugging the wall. She uses the marlinspike as a makeshift handhold, gently stabbing it into stone cracks near her head. The marlinspike will not support her full weight, but works to steady her as she moves, and Sugar's sure she's never felt so tense in her entire life as she watches her, managing the slack in the line in case she falls.
Santana raises the lantern higher once she loses sight of Marley in the darkness, trying to give her as much illumination as possible as she, too, feels unbearably tense with concern. The only meager reassurances that Marley hasn't fallen to her death yet are the sounds of the steady sliding of her feet along the tiny ledge and the small taps of the steel marlinspike against stone.
When the sound stops, Santana holds her breath, her stomach clenching in dread as she waits for the inevitable horrifying sound of Marley's body hitting the spikes below, but instead, she's greeted with the soft thud of Marley landing gracefully on the other side of the pit. She releases her breath in a relieved rush, not at all surprised to hear the sentiment echoed from Sugar beside her.
"Made it!" Marley calls. The line goes taut as she pulls it and ties it securely to the second marlinspike, which she'd secured in the stone the same way as the first, completing the guide line.
Sugar crosses the perilous chasm next, her way much faster and easier with the use of the guide line to balance with and the jar to cast a silver glow that allows her to see where her feet land. Santana and Marley hold the line tight on either side, providing support, and she tries not to look down at the countless lost souls below her feet. Shivering, she thinks about how terrifying it would feel without the ability to see where she is stepping, without something to steady her- and is overtaken with admiration and pride for Marley, who completed such a feat- safely- in near total darkness.
Last and slowest to cross is Santana, and it is far more difficult for her, weighted down with Marley's pack as well as her own, plus their lantern, which she slides along the guide line. Marley and Sugar keep the line steady for her as she shimmies along the scant ledge, extremely mindful of her steps and the distribution of her weight, and grateful for her many years in the rigging, balancing on ropes.
Once she reaches the end, Marley grabs her arm and tugs her off of the ledge, and she takes deep breaths as her feet touch solid floor. Her heart pounds, her system flooded with adrenaline and relief that the entire ordeal went far smoother than she could've hoped- but there's no telling how many opportunities they still have for things to go wrong.
"Good thinking," she murmurs, giving Marley her bag and the lantern back. At Sugar's questioning look towards the marlinspike still buried in the wall, Santana shrugs. "Let's leave it- just in case we have to come back this way. I don't want to risk Marley falling to her death again." She punctuates by reaching to muss Marley's brown hair affectionately, and Marley laughs in response, her proud grin nearly lighting up the room.
Elated at having overcome their first obstacle without much struggle, they continue along the passageway, which straightens out as they move deeper. Knowing there could be more traps, their pace is slow and overly cautious, but nothing else greets them until they reach the end, where the constricted stone passage opens up into a small vestibule, with a tall arch framing another dark entrance. Dented, rusted iron braziers jut from the wall on either side, and Marley moves to light them with the lantern, transferring the flame with a thin, rolled scrap of cloth before stamping it out. The braziers spark to life with an eerie, blood-red flame, bathing the room in an intense crimson glow and creating an ominous atmosphere.
The red hue that permeates the room is mesmerizing, but unsettling, and Santana rakes her eyes along the entrance to discern if anything was triggered by the sudden light. Inscribed in the doorway's arch are carved letters; the words are meaningless to her, but she recognizes the marks, shivering as she does.
"Dlobrohin?" Sugar whispers beside her, and she nods.
"Let's continue."
She leads the way through the vast, doorless entry and into the adjoining chamber, where the light from the braziers seems to follow. Illuminated in the center of the room is a giant, floating, upturned stone hand, its fingers curled up as if catching something. Santana's eyes trace the trajectory; hanging from the ceiling on a thin, nearly invisible strand is a glowing, green ring.
"Well, at least we found one of the treasures," Marley offers with a lopsided smile, holding the lantern steady to reveal more of the room.
Sugar pats her shoulder in encouragement as Santana's eyes search the remaining area. The large, intimidating hand seems to be protruding from the back wall; the floor beneath it is scattered with small drifts of black sand, concealing any possible clues to hidden traps, which sets her on edge.
"This seems pointlessly elaborate," Santana mutters.
"No telling how deep the sand is," Sugar adds. "Will this place ever stop making zero sense?"
Marley points to the hand. "Maybe one of us could climb up there to get the ring? It doesn't seem that tall… I could do it- if I got a boost…"
"It's worth a shot. The worst that can happen is we lose the ring forever in the sand, but I honestly don't even care," Santana grumbles, slipping the straps of her bag from her shoulders. "Sugar, stay here with the supplies- I'll give Marley a boost."
Sugar nods in obedience, but the second the pair step further into the room, the floor shifts beneath their feet, sinking several inches and revealing a hidden pressure plate below the sand. They both freeze, but before they can react, they are alerted to a faint scraping sound above their heads. Santana curses as several slots in the ceiling appear, and from the slots, numerous thick ropes unroll, their ends dropping quickly, grazing the floor. Just as she is about to release a relieved breath- since she can easily avoid the sudden mess of vertical ropes- blazing red fire shoots down the fibers, engulfing them in smokeless flames.
"Seems like this is definitely the worst that can happen," Sugar calls helpfully from behind them, and Santana pauses to shoot her a glare before turning to Marley.
"Let's hurry."
They make it two more steps before another pressure plate triggers, and more flaming ropes erupt from the ceiling, narrowing their choice of paths.
"I was wrong," Sugar mutters.
Marley freezes in place, standing awkwardly, caught inches between two gently swaying ropes. The heat is uncomfortable, searing, even through her long sleeves. "Maybe we can wait for them to burn out?"
Santana laughs humorlessly. "Somehow, I don't think that will work." She takes a deep breath, eyes darting frantically around the room, searching for a safe path, a strategy, but her stomach sinks as she realizes that a safe path no longer exists. "Okay- I don't think we are going to make it out of this unscathed," she starts, her eyebrows furrowing. The room is growing hotter by the second. "We have to make this quick or we're literal toast. Let's get around to the left, I'll get you up, and then we haul ass back to the entrance. Ready?"
When Marley gives a slight nod, they make their move, trying to circle around the flaming ropes, but the deliberate way they are placed forces them onto more pressure plates in trying to avoid them, which triggers even more ropes. Marley cries out in pain as one strikes across her forearm, searing through her sleeve and burning her skin. A scream of pain from the entrance confirms that the ropes had finally reached Sugar, and she drags the two bags- and herself, with a singe across her left thigh- out of the room.
A rope smacks Santana in the shoulder and she sucks in a painful breath through her gritted teeth, ignoring the scalding sensation and blazing heat all around her as she finally reaches the side of the colossal hand. She drops one knee to the ground heavily, bracing herself and offering her thigh as a step for Marley, who doesn't hesitate to hoist herself up, reaching for the rough black stone of the thumb to steady herself despite her still-sizzling forearm.
Marley draws a knife from her boot and lunges, her fingertips barely grazing the ring; her touch sets off another wave of ropes, and Santana squeezes her eyes shut, feeling sweat dripping down her face and the curve of her spine, certain there will be no way to avoid the ropes on the way out.
Precious seconds go by, where the roar of flames around them becomes deafening and the heat becomes unbearable, and finally Marley yells in triumph as her blade severs the thread securing the ring. She slips from the hand, landing roughly on the sand beside Santana, the ring clenched tightly in her left fist.
Instantly, an immense flood of water falls from directly above the hand, spraying between the curved fingers and soaking the room. The ropes sizzle and hiss as the powerful wave extinguishes them and drenches the three occupants; Santana gasps as it slams into her, forcing her to the ground, and for a long moment she's at the mercy of the turbulent water, but just as quickly as it arrives, the powerful wave disappears, draining through inconspicuous grates in the corners.
They lie there, battered and stunned, breathing hard, completely soaked, for several minutes, wondering what in the Great Ocean just happened- what are they even dealing with?- and finally, Santana climbs weakly to her feet, wiping water from her still dripping face. She offers Marley a hand up, helping her stagger to her feet, and Marley offers her the ring, which she refuses. "You did the work- so you hold onto it for now."
They stumble, their boots squishing in the sand, over to Sugar, who is leaning against the wall looking like a strand of straggly kelp. After wringing out her hair, Santana meets her eyes, then Marley's. "Nice job," she says, and they laugh briefly in relief for a moment. "Let's get the fuck out of here."
"I'll just do it," Kitty grumps with a roll of her eyes, dropping her bag onto the stone floor and bending to unlace her boots. The noise reverberates in the emptiness of the chamber. "I just want to get out of here. Besides- nothing can ever be worse than the cesspool I had to swim in to escape Sylvester's dungeon."
Brittany frowns, recalling Sugar's description of that particular nightmare, before turning her attention to the large pit of water in the center of the room they'd found themselves in. The water seems harmless, and under the red glow of the braziers David had lit with his torch, she can just barely make out objects resting on the bottom. Is there a key down there? She glances at the door on the back wall- the metal lock keeping it secured seems impossibly small, so the probability that Kitty will be able to find a key to fit it at the bottom of the pit is likely close to zero.
"Good luck," David says with a smirk, and Kitty rolls her eyes before gracefully diving into the pit. Brittany can't help but shake her head- David had done a stellar job of keeping Kitty annoyed the whole way in, passing the time joking about all the ways they could possibly meet their demise. Brittany had been grateful for his humorous tone, which lightened their situation- though his choice of content was, as usual, disturbing.
David holds his torch high over his head, but it does little to reveal anything in the water, so Kitty's movements below are unknown to them. Even still, Brittany feels relatively safe, confident in her own abilities and that of her two companions, despite the dreary, unfavorable environment. Mostly, she is worried for Santana- she hopes that she is on a safe path and that nothing too treacherous has befallen her or her team.
When Kitty surfaces with a large gasp, Brittany returns her attention to the water pit, offering her a hand out of the water. Once on her bare feet, Kitty holds out her hand, revealing a rusted, tiny key, and David grins.
"Let's give it a try," he says, and Kitty offers Brittany the key, attempting to wick water from her hair and clothes.
Brittany approaches the decaying lock. The keyhole is nearly rusted shut, but once she tries to insert the key, it crumbles in her hand from the slight pressure, and David laughs uproariously.
"Stand back," he says, still laughing as he draws his axe from his belt. With one swift blow, he smashes the lock from the door; it clatters to the ground and Kitty releases a noise of frustration.
"Are you kidding me?" she demands, outraged. "Why did I even bother, if you could have done that the whole time!"
"It's more fun that way, Pussy Cat," David says, kicking the door open, and Kitty seethes from her spot on the floor, where she is tying up her boots and shaking her head, muttering angrily to herself.
Brittany follows David through the door, revealing another chamber, but in far worse shape. "Looks like the ceiling collapsed," David says quietly, stepping over a large chunk of stone. At his words, Brittany raises her gaze skyward, where only black emptiness remains, confirming that the ceiling did, in fact, collapse at some point in time. Scattered around the room are piles of rubble, huge, cracked stone slabs, and other pieces of mysterious debris. She watches as David heaves a slab of stone up and flips it, revealing a pile of partially-crushed bones.
"Someone clearly triggered this before us," Kitty observes from the doorway, and David nods as he stares down at the bones.
"Poor bastard."
Brittany glances at the far side of the room, where a broken stone column sticks horizontally from the wall. "But what was here?"
"Dunno," David admits, glancing at the column. He moves closer to it, discovering a small hole that had been deliberately dug out in the rubble, as if someone had searched through it for something. "Whatever it is, it's long gone."
"So this was all a waste?" Kitty demands.
David shrugs. "Just the way the dice landed, I guess."
"What now?" Brittany asks as Kitty crosses her arms and fumes.
"Well, whoever was here before us took whatever was held in this room- and probably covered their tracks by lockin' the door after they left." David scratches his head. "Seems like our only choice now is to head back to the entrance and meet up with the others."
Brittany's heart leaps at the thought of seeing Santana again, and it makes her realize that she's never really gone on a mission without her before- at least, not on purpose. The desire to confirm that she is unharmed rises in her chest, and she nods eagerly.
David smirks at her, causing her to blush slightly, and Kitty rolls her eyes.
"Let's just go," Kitty mutters, tone crabby. David only laughs as he waves his torch towards the door.
When they reach the main entrance, they decide to wait for Santana and her crew before they continue on down the middle path. They don't have to wait long, as the three pirates emerge from the sun path looking far worse than they do- Brittany is on her feet and pulling Santana into a tight hug before Santana can register that she's real, and when she squeezes her back fiercely, Brittany struggles to push down the tears that are surfacing. Why is she so emotional? Did she really believe Santana- the strongest person she knows- wouldn't come out of that passageway?
And, more importantly- why is she wet?
"I missed you," Santana whispers against her neck, practically shaking, and Brittany releases a watery laugh.
"You, too," she murmurs, and David clears his throat.
Santana takes a step back, sizing them up. "Are you all right? What happened?"
"A whole lot of nothing," Kitty grumps.
David smiles at Santana's expression, which is baffled over Kitty's sour mood. "She ain't wrong," he says. "We reached the end of the path and whatever was there was gone. You?"
"We found the ring in the middle of an inferno after almost falling into a spike pit," Marley offers, holding the ring out in her palm as proof, and Kitty and Brittany admire it for a moment before Brittany processes Marley's words and turns a worried gaze toward Santana, squeezing her forearm in question. Santana, who is struggling not to process the horror they are currently in by ignoring it, forces a smile. She can fall apart later- for now, she needs to survive.
"One down," David nods, ignoring Kitty as she mutters, why is it glowing? He glances at the skull plate marking the final path. "Hope Puck had better luck than the rest of us."
Santana rolls her eyes. "He always does."
When they reach the end of the long, straight, uneventful path- a detail that they are all extremely bitter about- they are greeted with the roar of rushing water, and find the largest chamber yet. The sight before them is breathtaking, and Brittany feels overwhelmed as she gazes around the room. Unlike the previous chambers, this one is well lit due to the large skylight overhead, which allows the starlight to pour in, illuminating the space with the same otherworldly glow they'd grown familiar with on their journey. The braziers are also different, providing a normal, warm light instead of the boiling crimson from before. In the center of the room, a massive pool of water dominates the space, fed by a majestic waterfall that cascades down from the back wall, and kneeling beside it is Mike, filling up several small, glass vials with the water. Beside him, Puck stands with his hands on his hips, looking smugly up at the skylight, while Jake kneels on his other side, digging for something in his bag.
"Is this it?" Santana snaps as she enters, glaring at Puck.
"Glad you had a nice, leisurely stroll to get here," David mutters bitterly.
"Right?" Sugar mumbles. "My thigh still hurts."
Approaching the pool, Santana's annoyance fades as she takes in the surreal sight before her. Puck is a tremendous idiot, but it doesn't erase the fact that they have- miraculously- reached this legendary spring. The water is a pristine shade of blue, almost too perfect to be natural. Ancient, but still legible, writing is etched into the low rim of the pool- all Dlobrohin- and she shivers, wishing she knows what it says. Is it a warning? Is it instructions?
The rapidly moving water is soothing, almost hypnotic, but Santana still can't shake the overwhelming feeling of dread that seizes her as she reaches Puck, who smiles, ignoring his crew's irritation. He will not let them ruin this moment for him.
"I'm glad you're here," he says warmly.
"And why is that?" Sugar asks.
Puck seems to stand taller, prouder, as he reveals, "Because I want you to witness me becoming the first immortal pirate captain in history."
Reeling back with this new piece of information, the pirates balk at what to say. Even Mike stops gathering water to stare hard up at his captain in disbelief.
Finally, Santana shakes off the shock. "Are you insane?" she hisses. "We have no idea what drinking the water will do- if it's even-"
"Exactly why I should test it out," Puck counters, his smile turning feral. He holds his hand out demandingly to Jake, who hesitates, but eventually hands him the tin cup he'd removed from his bag. "Can't rightly sell something if we ain't got proof."
The group of pirates exchange worried, helpless looks, unsure of what to do. Puck's argument makes sense, and none of them can feasibly argue against being immortal…. if they're completely certain that the legends are true.
"I don't know if that's a good idea," Mike starts softly, rising to his feet. "Maybe we should just bring some back to Holly- or Unique- run some tests, or…"
Ignoring Mike's pleading attempt at compromise, Puck bends to scoop his tin cup in the water, then raises it up high- a toast. "I'm done waiting," he sneers. "Why should Lycas be the only ones? I've earned this."
Santana takes a slow step forward, trying not to spark Puck into doing something crazy, but feeling like the situation is quickly spiraling out of control. "Are you an idiot?" she asks, her voice raised in real fear. "You don't know what you're dealing with-"
"This was always the goal," Puck admits, his eyes wild, alight with the idea of power. "Think of it, Dia! I'll be the most famous pirate in history- a legend. Lycas won't even matter anymore!"
"No!" Brittany begs, reaching for him. "Captain, please don't!"
"This ain't the answer," David agrees roughly.
Realizing that they have all surrounded him, Puck takes a step back, lowering his cup and bringing it to his chest protectively. "I've made up my mind," he snarls. "You won't stop me." He pauses, meeting each of their eyes in a challenging stare. His crew stand, defensively, returning it, but he is still their captain, and it's that respected authority that stays their steps. Finally, Puck shakes his head bitterly. "All of you- you're all against me. You'll never understand- this is my destiny!"
Then, before anyone can react, he raises the cup to his lips, downing the liquid in one huge, long gulp.
"Noah!" Santana cries out, her eyes widening in horror.
The now-empty cup drops from his hand, clattering to the floor, the metallic ping! against the stone reverberating unnaturally against the backdrop of the roaring water. The silver Brand painted onto his skin begins to shine, picking up in intensity until it blinds the surrounding pirates, even from beneath his shirt, forcing them to look away. When they return their gazes, Puck is clutching, silently, at his throat- his eyes flash silver, feral, for an instant, and then, without another breath, he falls, lifeless, to the ground.
"You fucking idiot!" Santana barely hears herself yelling, trembling with fury- with fear- as she gazes down at Puck's crumpled form. It hasn't sunk in yet, even with the evidence at her feet. "What have you done?!"
From his spot crouched beside his captain's body, Mike shakes his head, confirming the unthinkable. "He's..."
"No," Jake whimpers, leaning over Puck in disbelief. "No!"
"Why didn't we stop him?" Brittany whispers sadly to herself, her eyes filling with tears.
David stares down at the morbid sight, a mix of emotions on his face. "We didn't force 'im to do it," he answers her quietly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He made his own decision."
"The only thing that lasts forever is death," Marley murmurs, her voice heavy with sadness.
Brittany tries to wipe away her building tears with the back of her hand, her mind racing with conflicted feelings. On one hand, she's angry at Puck for selfishly dragging them all through this, and then refusing to listen to the people who care about him most. He'd nearly killed Santana- multiple times- and consistently showed he cared not for the lives of his crew if it interfered with his own egocentric agenda. On the other hand, she can't help but feel a sense of sadness and regret that he's gone. Despite his flaws, Puck had been her kind, steady captain- had even lobbied for her to become part of the ship at one time- and she can't easily forget that.
Jake breaks the somber silence that had overcome them, his own eyes glassy with unshed tears. "What should we do with him?" he asks hoarsely.
"Aye- do we carry his body back?" David wonders.
Mike nods, picking up on their hopeful energy. "Is there a chance Unique can reverse this damage?"
It takes Santana a moment to realize that they're all asking her- that she's the one in charge now. The weight of responsibility settles over her shoulders, sudden and heavy, nearly taking her breath away. How is she going to get them all out of this place alive? She glances at Puck's body- the thought of carrying it all the way back to the ship is an overwhelmingly daunting task. Still, how can she live with herself if she doesn't at least try to give Noah- her friend for so many years- the pirate's burial he deserves, if Unique cannot repair the damage?
She takes a deep breath to steady herself before speaking, glancing into the resolute eyes of her crew. It's their steadfast gazes that make her decision for her.
"I think we should try," she says finally. "We can make a litter for him once we get back to the jungle."
With a nod, David steps forward. "Let's get 'im up," he mutters to Jake, crouching to grab Puck's arms, and Jake scrubs his eyes with his fist, nodding. Before he can scoop up Puck's legs, however, high-pitched, barking laughter echoes from behind them, bouncing eerily off the walls and causing everyone to freeze.
Kitty's glare lands on Marley, closest to the doorway. "Something funny?"
Marley shakes her head earnestly. "It wasn't me," she whispers, her eyes widening as she realizes the truth in her words and what that means.
The laughter repeats, faster, closer- it sends a chill down Brittany's spine, and her pulse quickens as adrenaline- fear- floods her system. The haunting, high-pitched whoops transform into a long, drawn-out wail that sounds almost human-like, and the sounds multiply in number, causing Santana to reach slowly for her sword.
Movement from the doorway prompts the rest of the pirates to quickly draw their weapons. David rises suddenly, releasing Puck, his axe clutched in his hand as the braziers around the room suddenly extinguish, leaving them only in the large, rectangular beam from the skylight, surrounded by darkness. He snatches his torch up from where he'd left it, quickly relighting it with one of the nearby, still burning lanterns, and raising it up high.
The sinister giggles and chirping sounds grow louder, even more numerous, and Santana's grip on her sword tightens as the obvious movement in the darkness gets closer and closer. The pirates back up, putting the water behind them with weapons drawn, hearts pounding with fear as they stare hard into the darkness, trying to identify the source of the laughter.
Finally, the light from David's torch reflects off of several pairs of eyes, glowing in the dark and raised about three feet off of the ground, confirming that they are trapped by some sort of creature. Without warning, a gray and black blur leaps from the darkness, and seconds later Jake is crying out in pain as the creature rips into his forearm, dragging him to the ground. Mike's spear is in its chest a moment later, struggling to force the monster to release Jake, but instead it worries his arm, immune to the spear buried in its flesh as Jake screams in agony.
David quickly brings his torch down on its back, setting the creature's erect, striped mane on fire, which seems to finally shake it; it releases Jake with a loud, terrifying howl of pain, and retreats into the shadows- breaking the shaft of Mike's spear to do so- but it's brightly burning fur reveals the many, many other creatures that have slinked into the room.
"Wolves?" Marley asks, her voice hollow with fear.
"Hyenas," Sugar corrects with a growl, and Brittany swallows nervously. She'd seen pictures of hyenas before, but the creatures in front of her barely resemble the ones from her studies. The size and shape are the same, but that's where the similarities end.
Mike helps Jake to his feet, snatching him back into the beam of light; he quickly inspects Jake's mangled arm- it's shredded, dripping blood, but there's nothing he can do for him right now, in peril as they all are. "Put pressure on it," he mutters, and Sugar unsheathes the scimitar dagger at her side in order to cut a scrap from Puck's shirt that he can use to do so.
"We need to leave," Kitty mutters urgently, voicing the sentiment they are all feeling, but the only exit is blocked by the creatures, which are closing in.
"No shit," Santana hisses, clenching her sword so tightly her fist has gone white. "I'm open to ideas."
"Start backin' towards the door," David says lowly, picking up the broken end of Mike's spear and lighting it on fire to make another makeshift torch, which he hands to Marley. "The fire should keep 'em back, but we have to move together."
"What about-" Jake gasps, clutching his arm close to his chest, trying to stop the bleeding.
"We have to leave him," Marley says sadly, placing a comforting hand on Jake's shoulder. "We have no choice."
Pressing in close together, the terrified pirates circle up and slowly inch towards the door, waving the fire to get the hyenas to yield, which they- very reluctantly- do, but not without a lot of snapping and growling. As they move, Brittany gasps as she makes accidental eye contact with one of them- it has bright, glowing eyes, colored an unnatural green, with a thin, vertical slit pupil- resembling a snake's eye, not unintelligent. The unblinking intensity captivates and terrifies her, but she breaks the almost hypnotic gaze to trace her eyes along the creature's body, where blue-black scales shimmer beneath black-striped, gray fur. When it opens its black muzzle to release a menacing bark, it reveals long, curved, cobra-like fangs, and Brittany shudders to think of Jake's arm on the receiving end of them.
Another sudden movement, and a hyena pounces, fang-first, from the shadows. Santana reacts without thinking, her sword whirling as she slices at its neck, and Marley lunges forward beside her, stabbing the burning end of her makeshift torch into its shoulder. It releases a high-pitched yelp, and the angered growling of the surrounding animals fills the space.
"Run!" David yells, clubbing the muzzle of an advancing hyena with his torch and slashing a second one across the neck with his axe, and the pirates obey without question.
Hearts racing, breaths coming in panicked gasps, they flee from the chamber, the sound of guttural growling and a long, furious wail seeming to follow them. They fly down the narrow hall, terrified of being pursued, but half-expecting to see glowing eyes obstructing their path. Kitty stumbles, but David catches her, urging her to keep moving; any sadness the group had felt is long forgotten, replaced by the all-consuming terror that grips them as they literally run for their lives.
When they finally reach the outside of the temple, David throws his and Marley's torches back inside, the flames stalling the pursuing beasts long enough for him, Santana and Mike to push one of the giant snake statues over, blocking the entrance with its wide, spread wings. Marley and Sugar are already halfway down the stairs with Jake by the time they finish, praying to Poseidon that the statue holds.
Once on the ground, breathing hard, they make their way to the center of the courtyard, pausing for a moment next to a crumbled, dried up fountain to consider their next move. Santana takes in the state of her crew- they are all exhausted beyond measure, burned, dirty, and on edge. She knows, with all of them being forced to function in a heightened state, that it's only a matter of time before they break under the pressure.
In front of the fountain, Mike is hastily applying a makeshift tourniquet to Jake's arm, which looks far worse than it did only minutes ago. She's never seen Jake look so pale, and for the first time, she's worried about his chances for survival- they still have a long, arduous way back to the ship.
"We done here?" David asks, breaking Santana out of her thoughts, and she considers his question, her head starting to pound from prolonged, extreme stress.
Are they done? Did they get everything that they came for?
"No," she says, her temples throbbing. "We need the amulet- was there no trace of it in the temple?"
"It could've been in the room we explored," Brittany admits gently. "But if it was, someone obviously reached it before we did and removed it."
"Or it could've been in the collapsed passage," Kitty shoots back. "We have no way of knowing for sure."
"We promised Unique," Sugar reminds them quietly. "We have to try."
"With those murderous hellhounds after us?" David demands, his voice lowering as he glances quickly over his shoulder, expecting to see a hyena staring back at him. "I think we've tried enough!"
Santana studies their surroundings once more, hoping it will help her decide on a course of action. If the spring is fruitless, then they need something other than a glowing ring to show for their struggle- their sacrifice- here. Then again, does procuring the amulet even matter if they can't escape with their lives? And if someone did reach the amulet before them, where would they have gone?
The scattered buildings surrounding the large temple courtyard don't seem as big or as intimidating as the temple they just barely escaped from- would it take so much time to do a quick search?
"We're already here," she decides, pressing her fingers to her temple and rubbing, trying to soothe the ache that's started. "Let's quickly scour these buildings- see if we find anything."
With unenthusiastic sounds of confirmation, the exhausted pirates, with the exception of Jake, Sugar and Mike, load up with all of the spare weapons and torches they have- just in case- before leaving their bags in a pile next to the fountain. Then they split into teams and spread out to search the small buildings. Mike continues to tend to Jake's arm the best he can with limited supplies, while Sugar stands protectively near them, weapon drawn and torch held high.
Brittany and Marley head to the nearest half-collapsed building, but after circling the perimeter and failing to find an entry point, they determine that it's a dead end, and move on to the next one. Santana inspects a shallow well, but like most of the other buildings, it has collapsed, revealing nothing. David and Kitty search a small pavilion on the other side of the courtyard, also turning up empty-handed, before moving to an unassuming, short tower, set back between two tall trees.
"This looks promisin' ," David mutters, and Kitty grumbles,
"Let's just get this over with."
David chuckles as he hands Kitty his torch, then muscles the wooden door open with his shoulder. "I think I'm becomin' a bad influence on you, Pussy Cat."
Once inside, they are greeted with a disturbing scene- piles of bones, scattered across the floor. In the back of the room, what looks like an altar rests, and the scent of decay is so strong that David begins coughing. He pulls his bandana up to cover his face in an effort to help dampen the smell before doing a quick search around the room.
"Nothin'," he confirms.
Kitty gives a frustrated sigh. "I don't even know what it is we're searching for."
David shrugs. "I'm hopin' we will know it when-"
The sound of Brittany's voice, calling everyone, interrupts his words, and after sharing a look with Kitty, he urges her to follow him out of the cursed room and over to where Brittany, Marley and Santana are gathered in front of a modest shrine. A trail of bone chips and dried blood leads to the dark, cave-like building, its front open in a wide, foreboding mouth.
"This looks like somewhere I don't wanna visit," David says to himself, though Kitty hears him and snorts in agreement. Once they reach their friends, David looks inside the small building, discovering a medium-sized, red dirt pit in the floor. "These people sure loved pits," he mumbles as Kitty holds the torch out so he can inspect the pit- it's not terribly deep, and half of it is obscured by the wooden floor above, blocking out the light and making it impossible to determine how far back it goes. The mucky dirt floor is littered with small mountains of debris; piles of dismembered skeletons, twisted pieces of rusted metal, and several writhing masses of brightly-colored snakes cover the ground, and under what looks like a thin stone slab, something shiny catches their eyes, glinting in the torchlight.
"Don't tell me," Kitty groans, covering her face with her hands.
David grins. "Aw- sit this one out- you got the last one."
"Wait," Brittany says, grabbing David's shoulder as he easily swings his legs over the side, preparing to drop down into the pit. "What about those snakes?"
David pauses to give her a meaningful look. "You still know how to use that bow, yeah?" At her hesitant nod, he unsheathes his axe and slips down into the pit, and Brittany scrambles to ready her bow as Santana unleashes an arrow from her own bow beside her, the tip finding home in the head of a large rattlesnake. Pinned, it thrashes uselessly for several moments before growing still.
"What have they even been living on for all this time?" Kitty complains, outraged. "They've just been hanging out at the bottom of this pit for centuries?"
"They're probably cursed," Marley explains with a weak shrug as she ties a rope around a nearby support beam, then tosses the free end down into the pit, supplying David with a way out.
"Thanks," Kitty sighs, her voice flat. She intently watches David carefully avoid the writhing tangles of hissing snakes and grab the edges of the stone slab, lifting it up to uncover whatever trinket lies underneath.
Suddenly, a louder hissing emanates from the pit, and Brittany's stomach drops with dread as she pulls back an arrow, her arm trembling. From the far shadows, a much larger snake- as thick as David and at least five times as long- emerges, and David sputters a curse as it rears up, revealing gleaming fangs as long as his hand. The massive serpent hisses again and without hesitation, Brittany releases her arrow, letting it fly right into its giant, golden eye.
The snake shrieks angrily, and with a warning shout, Kitty leaps down into the pit without a second thought. Santana shoots arrow after arrow at the creature's head, making it look like a giant pincushion, as Kitty snatches up a broken, rusted spear from a nearby skeletal hand. She takes half a second to find her target- closing in on David, whose foot is snarled in a jumble of bones and red sludge- and hurls it with all her might. It skewers the snake directly through its middle, and with another mighty shriek, it falls to the ground, squirming, subdued.
"Get the amulet!" Marley calls helpfully.
"Never crossed my mind," David says through gritted teeth, finally prying his foot loose with the curved end of his axe, and Kitty helps him to his feet, reaching down next to snatch up the small, gold-colored trinket beside him.
"We're even," she smirks in triumph, and he releases a heavy breath. Another arrow from Santana pins a snake seconds away from biting her ankle, and she gasps. "Time to go."
"Right behind you."
David helps Kitty up the rope before pulling himself up, and Brittany offers a hand out of the pit once they reach the top. Gasping on the ground for a moment and covered in red mud, David catches Kitty's eyes, offering her an insufferable smirk.
"Thanks," he says, his serious eyes betraying the casual smile on his face.
Kitty smirks back, understanding. "Don't mention it." She turns to Santana, holding up the golden trinket in triumph.
"That's…. an earring," Santana says slowly, struggling not to show her frustration as David tells her to keep it anyway, because they can probably get a good price for it. They can't keep wasting time- or energy- like this. They've already had far too many close calls, and for what? Exasperated, Santana surveys the remaining unsearched areas- all of them look weathered and unable to contain what they are looking for, and she feels tension drain from her body as she finally allows herself to give up. Perhaps they might not leave with anything they expected, but she'd rather they leave with their lives still intact. "Let's get back to Mike and the others. We need to plan our escape."
Slightly disappointed- because they'd put in so much effort, so much sacrifice, and she really thought it would amount to something- Brittany casts one last, despondent look at the shrine. Her eyes fall to the red trail that leads into the small, cramped building. It's not blood.. It's the same sort of red dye from the stones leading them here. But if it's not blood, then what is it? And why is it only at this particular building? She crouches to examine it closer, and up close, she discovers that small droplets of red split off from the main trail and around to the left. The droplets are hard to spot, hidden beneath the vegetation, but she follows them around to the back of the building, ignoring Marley's soft question of her name.
Behind the shrine, she finds a row of man-sized, rusty cages, all of them completely drenched in the red dye, and one of them containing a skeleton inside. At first glance, it looks like a normal skeleton in a red cage- as normal as that can be, really- but when she looks harder at its positioning, she finds that its left hand is pressed to the floor of the cage, covering- something.
Without thinking, she reaches her hand through the rough, crimson bars, tugging on the small cloth bundle- also dyed red- beneath the skeleton's hand, and revealing-
"The amulet!" Marley gasps from behind her, and Brittany tugs the item free, holding it up to examine it. The chain is silver, and the amulet itself is actually an elongated shard of some sort of blood red crystal or stone. When she touches it to feel the texture, it flashes brightly for a moment, and she glances at Marley's face, which mirrors her own.
They rush back to the others, who are just reaching the fountain and relaying to Mike that it's time to go, and Brittany excitedly shows them the amulet. Santana affectionately squeezes her shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief, and Brittany meets her eyes, sharing a soft, loving smile.
"How did you find this?" Kitty asks as she takes it into her hand, inspecting it.
Brittany opens her mouth to answer, but the sound of an unfamiliar, female voice cuts her off before she can.
"Yes- how did you find this?"
Startled, they all turn towards the voice and find a woman, dressed in a hooded leather cloak over a plain, dark purple dress. She pushes the hood down, offering a dangerous smile, and Santana sizes her up, stepping forward.
"Who are you?"
The woman before them is tall and imposing, with long, dark hair and piercing eyes, and when she speaks, it's with a commanding tone, leaving no room for argument. "You're trespassing." She turns her unnerving glare towards Kitty. "Thanks for finding my amulet- now hand it over, and I'll reward you by making your death as quick as possible."
Kitty clutches the amulet closer, glaring back. "Not a chance."
The woman lifts her hand, and an invisible force slams Kitty off her feet, sending her sliding across the courtyard.
"I think you misunderstand your choices here," the woman snarls. She pauses, thoughtful for a moment. "Let's try again. I'm Shelby, Grand Archon of the F'ui'hg Saa'hk. You're the first ones to make it here in a very long time… Most of our shepherds are enjoying the afterlife."
"What is this place?" Mike asks. "Did you create it?"
Shelby shakes her head. "No, we only created the Gates- long ago, when we were greater in number and magical strength."
"So you desecrated it," Sugar accuses.
Shelby raises a perfect, dark eyebrow. "You call it desecrate. I call it utilizing it to its full potential," she counters, and then her tone turns dark, angry as she continues, "The surface world hunted us to extinction. This was a safe place for us to carry on our rituals."
"What about the spring?" David demands.
"Oh, come on," Shelby laughs, giving an icy smile. "You've made it this far. Surely you don't still believe that the spring exists…?" At the stunned expressions of the pirates before her, Shelby looks mildly surprised, herself.
"So you haven't figured it out, after all." She offers them a pitying frown. "The spring was a ruse. We needed a way to lure people here for our rituals- it was too tiring to try to capture and transport them ourselves. But once we invented that ridiculous legend, people flocked to the Gates." She gestures to the shrine, then the tower, indicating the many piles of bones within. The sound of low, rattling growls alert the pirates to the presence of the hyenas before they see them, and they tense as several of the creatures appear as if from nowhere, creeping obediently to Shelby's side. "Our master was pleased."
Shelby reaches out to pet the hyena, who whoops in response, sending a jolt of fear down the pirates' spines. "Still," Shelby continues, pleased with their terrified reactions, "with such an overwhelming amount of potential sacrifices, some were bound to slip through the cracks and actually reach our sacred water. The human spirit is… rather resilient." She turns her gaze to the temple. "We needed a way to dispose of the remains, and a punishment for those unworthy that dared to defile our spring… And this is the result." She pets the hyena by her side once more, and suddenly, Shelby's words all fall into place. Santana narrows her eyes, her chest feeling tight at the thought that they'd all been tricked- sold a lie, betrayed. She wonders if Unique had known the truth, had sent them there to die- but then, why the Brand? Why didn't Puck change when he drank the water? Why does everything still not make any sense?
The cursed beasts snarl, baring their teeth and bunching their muscles as if ready to pounce, and Shelby raises her arms in challenge. "Now that we've met- I'll take my amulet," she demands.
"I'm afraid we can't do that," Mike says in a resigned town, drawing the short dao sword at his side in finality, a well-known signal to his companions. "We need it to repay a debt."
Shelby laughs at the display, her smile turning sinister. "Your end will be met here- the only debt you need repay is the one where you have slighted me. Now…" She holds her palm out, impatient, insistent, and when Santana tilts her head up, Mike and David charge forward, weapons raised; they are instantly stopped by Shelby's hands, creating an invisible wall which hurls them back, sending them both to the ground, though it looks like it takes her great effort.
"Insolent fools," Shelby snarls. "Have it your way! The Cleanse will take you!"
To punctuate her sentence, the hyenas pounce, one of them lunging for Mike's throat, but an arrow from Brittany lands directly in its mouth, and it falls sideways, rolling for a moment before stumbling to its feet, retching. Mike scrambles to his feet, with no time for gratitude as more of the beasts corner them. A second hyena leaps for Santana, and she stabs her sword through its neck, flinging it away. Dark blue blood sprays from the wound, and the hyena snarls, staggering a few steps before dropping. Beside her, David is hacking and slashing at the beasts, but she knows, judging by the numerous creatures leaping down the steps from the temple to answer Shelby's call, that they are about to be quickly overwhelmed.
Out of the corner of her eye, Santana notices Shelby raising her arms in the air, obviously powering up some sort of attack as her blade stabs through the mouth of another charging creature, covering her arm in slick. She kicks the twitching mass off of her sword, turning towards Brittany, who is doing her best to fight off the creatures- David didn't train her to fight hellish hyenas, after all- and struggles to come up with an escape plan. Her thoughts of a plan fly away as she spies Sugar moving forward, centering herself before Shelby, with the enchanted jar in her hands, released from its sling for the first time since she'd received it.
"Sugar, no! What are you-"
Blinding silver light erupts as Sugar opens the jar, consuming the woman before her, who screams as she dissipates into air. The light spreads, engulfing the deadly creatures nearby and shattering them into silver fragments. Sugar struggles to keep her hold on the jar as the light grows, gaining in power and intensity until finally exploding, leaving behind only a thin wisp of silver smoke, steadily rising from the opening.
Sugar's silver eyes blaze brightly for a moment before returning to their normal brown color- a color Brittany has not seen in weeks.
"We must hurry away from here," Sugar pants, clutching the jar. "I have only bought us time, but not much. I fear she will return once she has gathered her strength."
"There's a path," Kitty coughs, having recovered from the hard blow she'd taken earlier. She rubs her shoulder for a moment before pointing behind her, near where she'd landed, and Santana snaps into action, turning to Mike.
"Go," she says, and Mike doesn't hesitate to help Jake climb weakly to his feet and immediately guide him towards the path. She looks at Kitty. "You, too."
Kitty doesn't argue, hurriedly limping after them. A low growling rolls across the courtyard, reminding them that their time is growing short. Brittany struggles to pick up her pack, her hands shaking from the sound of the approaching hyenas, and Santana whirls on her next.
"Leave it."
Reluctant, as they will have no supplies for their whole journey back, Brittany hesitates. "But-"
"I said, leave it!" she repeats, fiercer, grabbing Brittany's arm and shoving her towards the path. "Just run- run! David-"
"On it," he snaps, taking Brittany's elbow and guiding her firmly- and quickly- away. Marley's wild battle cry and the sound of rabid snarling erupts behind her, and everything in her tells her to turn back for Santana, to protect her, but she cannot escape David's tight grip, forcing her along.
"We gotta get outta here," he explains to her once they're on the stone path, moving steadily from the maniacal howling and sounds of battle.
"What about-"
"To secure safe passage for the others," Mike reassures from a few paces ahead, moving as speedily as he can with Jake's arm around his shoulder.
"She'll be along," David agrees tightly. He shifts his axe to his left hand for a moment and wipes his dominant hand on his pants, leaving a black blood smear. "Now, let's put down some distance."
Lifting Jake, who is starting to deteriorate, into his arms, Mike lopes off ahead, moving at a swift but cautious pace. Kitty keeps step beside him, and Brittany matches David's stride as he begins to jog. She ducks and weaves to avoid low-hanging branches and ferns as she moves, her breath coming in short, heavy gasps. She is by no means tired out, but she also knows they cannot run all the way back to the ship- it would be impossible just to reach the cave, let alone climb the stairs, and the mud-
After several minutes of a relentless speed, David pauses to take a deep breath, then puts his fingers in his mouth and emits a shrill, resounding whistle. Brittany struggles to catch her breath for a moment, but she isn't given enough time as David takes off again, and she's forced to push herself to keep up, armed and terrified as she follows behind at a rapid pace.
It seems like forever when they finally slow, and Mike warily wanders from the path, snapping the stem of a pink-hinged plant surreptitiously before leading them to a modest, grassy clearing. David immediately moves to secure the perimeter, telling them to rest for a moment. Brittany doesn't know how she could rest- her body is shivering with tension and fear, her stomach is churning with hunger and nausea, and her senses are heightened into survival mode- but she reluctantly takes deep, slow breaths, hyper aware of her surroundings and expecting a pack of the demon creatures to come charging through the trees for her throat at any moment.
She's finally gotten her heartbeat to slow to a normal pace when the sound of footsteps nearing sends it racing again, and she turns towards the sound, raising the sword that had not left her hand since she'd drawn it what feels like ages ago in defense.
When Marley, Sugar and Santana appear, Brittany nearly falls over from relief. They look fatigued and scared, but all of them seem in relatively good shape- the dark blue of the hyenas' blood makes it easy to tell apart from Santana's own, and Brittany reaches to touch her wrist, a subtle move to communicate her joy that she's all right.
"Where are we?" Marley wonders, looking around the unfamiliar clearing. Her right arm is completely covered in dark blue, with only a little red at her forearm.
"I don't know," Santana mutters, looking unnaturally calm compared to how Brittany feels. "But I don't want to stay here for long." She turns to Kitty. "Tell me you've got some sort of idea on how to get us out of here."
"I know I'm not the only one who heard that witch say gates," David points out.
Kitty furrows her brow, trying to remember the time she spent with Arty, poring over the map. She pulls her tiny notebook out, flipping through the pages, but all her notes are about how to reach the spring- not how to leave. They'd assumed that it would be easy to go back the way they'd come- they'd had no way of knowing how impossible that would be, or that they'd be hunted by packs of demonic beasts. They can't go back the way they came, but perhaps there's another way out. "It has to end somewhere, right?" she asks hopefully. "Jake... the map?"
Jake smiles weakly, pointing to one of the pouches on his belt. "It's in my…"
Sugar gently reaches into the small leather bag and pulls out the map, carefully unfolding it as Santana frowns. "I know the way," Sugar admits calmly, pointing to a spot on the canvas. Her finger lands on an insignificant tree, embellished with slightly more detail than the surrounding ones- detail that looks as if it had been recently added to the map instead of created with it. "Unique has instructed me on how she escaped, so long ago. She left a hidden back door- a shortcut."
"I say we go for it," Mike votes from his spot guarding the path. "We are out of other options."
"And time," David agrees over his shoulder, his grip on his axe tightening as the sound of hauntingly familiar laughter rises faintly from the darkness. "We need to move."
For the first time since reaching the spring, hope sparks in Santana's chest, and she feels as if they have a real chance of surviving this mess. She takes a deep, steady breath, staring hard at the map, then at Sugar. Finally, she turns to Kitty, whose hazel eyes are wide and hopeful. She studies her for a moment, reflecting on all the girl has accomplished up until now- the driving force behind their navigation. She had contributed more than her fair share, never led them astray, and she realizes that, in this hour of need, she completely trusts in her abilities to guide them out safely.
"It has to end somewhere," she repeats, nodding in approval. "Lead the way. We've got your back."
With a smile that she hopes is more confident than she feels, Kitty swallows her fear and accepts the map from Sugar, once again taking the lead while the rest of the pirates fall into line behind her, following her from the clearing and out onto the open path- trusting her to lead them home.
It takes several more hours for them to reach their destination; they move as quickly as they are able with Jake's weakened state and the fact that they are wary of possible ambushes by Shelby, or hyenas, or some other unknown entity. Their torches and lanterns had long since burned out, and they traverse solely by the light of the stars and the slowly waning silver of Sugar's jar.
Brittany keeps eying her friend, concern for her rising now that the jar has been opened and she has a quiet moment to process. She is on edge, expecting something terrible to happen, but unsure of when it will. She wants to ask Sugar about it- because surely, she must know, since she has secreted information this whole time- but recognizes that it is not the right time to demand answers, which upsets her- what if it's never the right time?
If she's not consumed with worry for Sugar, then she is consumed with worry for Santana. With Puck gone, the burden of leadership has fallen heavily on her, and Brittany knows how seriously she carries it, and how much she must be stressing over her crew making it out through the gate alive. She was already taking personal responsibility for it before, but now with the sole duty given to her, it's become even more personal, and Brittany wishes she could help ease her, somehow.
When they finally reach an open area, set with silver stone pavers and many life-sized stone statues arranged in neat rows, Brittany's stomach growls again and she wishes she hadn't left her pack behind. True, all she had left was fish jerky- but even that is better than the upset emptiness that her stomach is currently enduring. The tree that is their destination rests at the head of the statue garden, and Santana signals to take a moment's rest when Sugar confirms it. Jake immediately sits down to catch his breath, clutching his arm in pain, and Mike digs into the first-aid bag on his belt, searching for some sort of painkiller he can provide, but regrettably coming up empty-handed.
Taking time to observe her surroundings, Sugar walks between two rows of statues towards the tree, searching for something, and Brittany follows, studying the statues as she passes. The tree's huge presence blocks out the starlight, but the glow from the jar, though dimmer than usual, is enough to illuminate the details in the stone.
They are normal depictions of people, dressed in normal, plain clothes, with Dlobrohin script etched into columnar bases. She aimlessly wanders among the statues as Sugar probes along the thick base of the tree, but pauses when she recognizes one of them, and it stops her breath in her chest.
Joseph.
She covers her mouth in horror, and at her choked gasp, Santana and David are immediately at her side, following her gaze to the statue.
"Is that-?" David starts, and at Brittany's tearful nod, Santana pulls her into her arms, stroking her hair.
"It's okay," she murmurs softly, and Brittany struggles to gain control over the bile rising in her throat, but she can't. She staggers behind another nearby statue before emptying the contents of her stomach, and Santana follows, holding back her hair and rubbing her back soothingly as she finishes, wiping her mouth. Shivering, she tries to push down the flood of guilt and distress that seeing Joseph's face had triggered- she can't fall apart here.
"Thanks," she says weakly, looking up at Santana, who has grown wide-eyed with terror as she gazes at the newly polished statue before her. It's Brittany's turn to follow her gaze, though she is afraid of what she might find.
"What the fuck is he doin' here?" David chokes hoarsely. "How did he-?"
The statue is faceless, but there's no mistaking the distinct hairstyle, the shape of his face, or the cocky stance. Santana trembles against her, struck as she gapes at Puck's featureless statue, and Brittany can't help but think that perhaps Puck's wish has come true, though not how he imagined it. He is forever immortalized here, but with no face, he is dishonored, a legend lost. She presses her lips together- is this how he's destined to be remembered?
"Found it," Sugar calls, mercifully summoning them away from the statue, which they silently resolve to never share the existence of with the others. They find Sugar kneeling next to the tree, brushing aside some leaves to reveal a clear, circular plate of some sort of mineral. She sets the jar gently onto the plate, and it vanishes, causing the plate to glow an ethereal silver.
"All we have to do is step on it," Sugar instructs, and at their wide-eyed expressions of disbelief, she insists, "trust me."
Kitty stares, wide-eyed and appalled. "This is some blasphemous shit."
"Better'n becomin' dog food," David reassures her.
Brittany takes a deep breath, catches Santana's eyes briefly, then places her foot onto the silver glowing plate, squeezing her eyes closed. It's a strange, foreign sensation- her foot feels as if it sinks through the plate, and then instantaneously sinking into black gravel, and when she opens her eyes, she's standing on the beach, staring at the swirling black fog and the eerily still form of their jolly boat.
She takes several more disbelieving steps towards the boat, and one by one, her crew suddenly just appear behind her, stepping into existence on the beach.
"What the-" David asks, brushing himself off madly, as if covered in flies.
Sugar is the last one through. "The incense," she explains without explaining, picking up the jar as if from thin air, and David shakes his head, eyes wide with shock as Santana snaps orders to Mike and Marley to prepare the jolly boat for departure.
Kitty is already onboard, using an oar to steady the boat as Sugar helps Jake in, and Brittany climbs in after them. The fog, usually uncannily stil in comparison to water, had become tumultuous, and the wind picks up suddenly, blasting them with heavy gusts as they struggle to launch from the shore. The distant sound of rattling laughter haunts them, and with a surge of desperate strength, David and Santana push the boat free of the gravel beach, then quickly leap in. Mike, Marley, Brittany and Sugar do not wait for them to settle- they immediately begin to row, anxious to put space between them and the shore as quickly as possible.
A loud, terrifying creak cuts through the silence; the wall of stacked ships sways precariously, threatening to collapse. They re-double their efforts, rowing fiercely towards the ship, the wind blowing against them with every stroke and the fog battering the sides of the boat.
Sitting in the captain's spot at the rear of the boat, Santana reaches down by her ankle and pulls out a small, curved horn, which she immediately brings to her lips and blows in rapidly, six times in pairs of two- the distress call. She hopes Matt or Arty can hear it on the other side of the wall as she pauses for a moment and then repeats it. Despite all of the crew on board rowing at full speed and full strength, the journey across the fog to the ship seems like it takes forever, even though they make it back to the narrow opening in half the original time. The wall sways as they approach, and the shift in the crushed ships causes the hole they'd originally squeezed through to narrow, trapping the jolly boat. Despite their best efforts, it doesn't budge, and the reality that they will have to enter the fog sinks in.
"Can we even swim in this shit?" David wonders as he prepares himself, unlacing his boots and peeling off his heavier outer layers at a rapid pace.
Marley tugs off her left boot, dropping it loudly into the boat. "We're about to find out."
"It's either that or stay here and get crushed," Sugar agrees, as the creaking grows louder and the walls press in closer. The sides of the boat begin to crack and a renewed sense of urgency hits them as they scramble.
Santana chews her lip as she tosses her boots, concerned about the fog's effects on her the last time she'd touched it. She could barely walk after, and the sinking feeling in her legs took hours to shake off. She can't imagine that feeling in her whole body- she shudders at the thought.
The wall sways again and the side of the jolly boat splits open, the sound of splintering wood overtaking her senses, and she decides that feeling is better than being crushed to death.
"Now! Let's go!"
They jump in, surprised when the nearly-extinguished light of Sugar's jar creates a faint, silver barrier around them. The fog that penetrates the barrier becomes a normal, harmless fog, and, not for the first time, Santana wonders how they would have gotten this far without the aid of the mysterious, invaluable jar. She could have never foreseen how much of Unique's help they would need, and she's relieved that they were able to acquire the amulet in return.
"That thing has come in far more handy than I expected," David admits as they cut through the fog, giving voice to her own thoughts, and after a few more minutes, they spy the outline of their ship, shrouded in blackness a few lengths away. The ship is drifting further from them as the fog pushes against the side, the anchor nearly completely raised; Santana releases a relieved sigh at the sight, which proves that Matt and Arty must have gotten her message.
Arty shouts when he spots them, and he hobbles to the side of the ship to drop the rope ladder down to them. David is the first to reach it, struggling to grip the wildly swaying bottom rung as the ship rocks violently from the wind and the fog. When his hands finally close around rope, he hoists himself up, then reaches a hand down to help the others.
They each manage to grab the ladder and drag themselves heavily over the side, collapsing, boneless, onto the deck, their breaths coming in rapid, heavy pants from so much continued exertion. They barely have time to catch their breath before the deafening sound of splintering, cracking wood thunders into the emptiness, indicating that the nearby wall is close to collapsing, and they are far too close to it to escape unscathed.
After a quick head count, Matt meets Santana's eyes. "The Captain?"
Santana swallows the lump in her throat, her gaze unwavering as she answers tightly, "Lost."
Matt pauses for a moment, absorbing her words and what it means for him, for the ship; he takes in the crestfallen expressions of his shipmates surrounding him, knowing they reflect the truth in Santana's words. His friends are in terrible shape- dirty, covered in some sort of blackish fluid, sporting a myriad of fresh wounds, their clothes ripped and stained- but they are alive, which is almost more than he expected. He turns to Santana, respectfully meeting her eyes again.
"Captain," he says solemnly. "Your orders?"
"Get the fuck out of here," she answers, her words clipped and urgent, "and worry about the rest later." Without another second's hesitation, Matt rushes forward to continue his work with the sails, and Santana mirrors him, all the while snapping orders effortlessly.
"Arty, set a course for the gate. Kitty, get on that map. Marley, Mike- I need you on the aft sails-"
BOOM!
The thunderous blast of a cannon shatters the relative quiet of the moment, causing everyone to jump. Brittany pauses briefly as she handles a line, turning towards the source of the sound with a fearful, dazed expression. She searches the dark surroundings of the ship for a moment, and her eyes widen when she catches movement in the distance. Barely visible in the swirling, whipping fog is a ship, heading straight towards them.
Santana clenches her jaw- as if they needed more shit to deal with. "Trim the sails! David, get on those guns!"
The already exhausted and fatigued pirates scramble to follow her orders, to get the ship moving; Santana is hyper aware of the mysterious ship, closing the distance between them at an alarming speed. As it draws closer, she can begin to make out disturbing details- the ship is riddled with giant holes, as if from cannonballs, but somehow isn't sinking (then again, there's no water- she still doesn't know how anything works.) From what she can see of the wooden planks, they are rotten, decayed- once again defying sinking.
But perhaps the most disturbing detail that makes itself known is that the ship is entirely unmanned.
Santana had heard legends of ghost ships before, but never in her life did she ever think she'd encounter one. Tugging a line with all her might, she nearly laughs at the thought that she never thought she'd encounter any of the things she had for the entirety of this chaotic adventure.
The sound of more cannonfire overtakes every other sound, and she curses, wondering when David is going to return fire. Beside them, the wall of stacked ships finally collapses, sending fog and wind blasting into them, the top ship barely clipping the back of the Tide Ripper as it falls. Multiple cannons whiz by them, and when Santana next spares a look, the ghost ships have multiplied into an entire fleet, and her heart drops into her stomach- there's no way they can fight them all. They have to flee.
"Full speed!" she commands, and Matt pauses for a moment before diving in to execute her orders, barking line instructions to the four pirates manning the sails.
When a cannon finally fires from their ship, she breathes a sigh of relief, confident in David's skills to at least hold the ghost ships back- and she is not disappointed. A perfect shot hits the bow of the lead ghost ship, the cannonball smashing right through the weakened wood, but to her chagrin, it doesn't slow it down in the slightest. She can barely hear David cursing from the gunwales over the sound of the ghost ships' returning bombardment.
"What in fuckin' Hades-!"
With a sudden lurch, the Tide Ripper tilts hard to the left, jostling over an obstacle in the fog, and Santana shoots Arty a pointed glare; she knows he is doing his best, but she also knows she cannot be soft anymore- she's completely responsible for their safety now, and she has to demand more from her crew. They cannot afford otherwise.
Kitty jerks the Ship's Wheel wildly, struggling to keep up with Arty's directions- which are in reverse- and it's all the rest of the crew can do to stay on their feet as they sway with the ship, rocking hard, colliding with sudden obstacles- all at full speed. A cannon blows a fatal hole in their foresail, but they are already going to fast to stop- they are at the mercy of the torrential wind, clinging to the ship for their lives.
Santana knows they are taking on heavy damage, but she also doesn't care if they sink at this point, so long as they make it out of-
"The gate!" Marley exclaims as a silver, shining line framing a hole as dark as the rest of their surroundings comes into view, inspiring a sudden surge of hope. "We're almost there!"
The ship jerks, slamming into and then almost bouncing over something, an awful screech filling their ears as it scrapes along the bottom, and Santana nearly flies forward, but steadies herself on the rigging, holding on- she's not sure they've ever sailed at such a reckless, breakneck pace before, but even with the ship giving everything they have, she can nearly touch the tarnished bronze figurehead of the lead ghost ship hot on their heels. She narrows her eyes, willing them to reach the gate before- before what? What will happen to them?
She doesn't want to find out.
With all the lines tied off and the sails trimmed, Brittany can do nothing but hold onto the belaying pins securing the main sails as the ship careens out of control. To say she is terrified would be an understatement, but she hasn't allowed it to consume her yet, too focused on the possibility of escape to admit defeat. The wind is fierce, furiously howling, and the sound of wood splintering and breaking around her fills her with dread. Sudden rain pounds angrily, black droplets splattering hard and fast along the deck, and she nearly loses her footing, but she can see the gate. They just have to hold on a little longer-
When Sugar grabs her wrist and yanks her into a fierce, tight hug, Brittany stiffens. "Britt," she says, desperate, barely audible over the stinging rain and wind. She grabs Brittany's elbows and stares directly into her eyes, willing her to understand. "When it happens, take me to Holly!"
Brittany hesitates, trying to continue the conversation but wildly distracted by the gate looming ever closer and the ghost ships literally right behind them. Her mind races, trying to process Sugar's words as the ship speeds closer and closer to the gate. She meets Sugar's brown eyes. "When what happens?"
"You have to do it before the Mark disappears!"
They're nearly there- Brittany's heart slams in her chest. "What do you-"
A flash of silver blinds her, and she's thrown from her feet as the bow of the ship hits the seal of the gate and shudders, but doesn't stop. She slides across deck, hyper aware that the ship is still moving at a wild, nearly uncontrollable pace; when the violent shaking stops, she climbs to her feet, eagerly searching her surroundings. Water gently splashes beneath the ship as they calmly sail away from the Three Points, away from the Gate- as if the vicious wind had suddenly just- disappeared. No frightening ghost ships pursue them through the Gate. A quick glance skyward reveals no moon overhead- the same as when they entered- but the stars and constellations are familiar- normal. Trembling with fatigue, she releases a sigh of relief, until she looks at the center of the deck-
Where Sugar's crumpled body lies, dead.
AHHHH!
All right y'all, don't be mad. :3
Please review if you'd like to scream about how this chapter was a LOT, but if not, it's okay!
I'm super excited for the next few chapters, because shit is going to really start coming together! Hold on to your pirate hats, and expect another update hopefully this summer! :D
See you soon, pals!
P.S. I used chatGPT to assist in writing this chapter, because details are hard… what do y'all think? :D