Chapter 39

From Hell

Trying to find a mine to keep their stuff turned out to be fairly easy. The map they, to put it nicely, obtained from Vhynias' bag led them to a set of cliffs on the east half of the island. When Miena Dawnraft and Ulfrad Shorepass arrived, they couldn't help but gaze in awe at the sight of it. Entrances to the mine dotted the cliff face, so much so that it seemed unsafe. Wooden platforms and staircases, seemingly built with care but decaying with age, led up to the openings. Planks and railings dangled and a decent amount of the bridge seemed unusable. Of course, age wasn't the only danger. Miena likened the damage to that of a raid. Some of it seemed way too severe and purposeful not to be deliberate.

In any case, it seemed like a fair place to put their stuff. They also decided to hide here for a day while waiting for the guards at the dock to leave. It wasn't as if they could return before midnight anyway. Ulfrad tossed the shovel and one of the bags on the floor and stretched his paws above his head. "Finally. Now, what do we do in the meantime?"

Miena looked at the platforms high above them. "We should climb up there until the supports give out and we inevitably fall to our deaths. Just kidding. Seriously though, I kinda want t'get higher up. Just a bit so we can see if anybeast's coming."

"Eh, I'm not sure 'bout that. Is that even safe?" Ulfrad scanned the bridges and they definitely haven't been maintained to any acceptable degree.

Miena waved it off. "'Tis probably fine. Look, there's a lift over there. I'll just pop in fer a moment and take a quick gander, aye?"

Ulfrad growled. "Miena, that sounds dangerous."

"I'll be fine! I'm not gonna kill myself or nothin'. I'll be careful." Miena set down her tarp and bag, ignoring the stairs and striding confidently to the lift. Her eyes followed the track. It led up to the different levels of the mine while a crank sat on the platform. She grasped the handle and turned. It moved easily, using a complicated system of wheels and pulleys that she couldn't make sense of. Although Miena wanted to head straight to the top, she knew Ulfrad would disapprove. She stopped the lift on the lowest platform, placing a paw experimentally on the surface. Surprisingly, it was sturdy enough to walk on even if she did feel wobbling. She ran over to the centre and waved at Ulfrad. The older otter scowled disapprovingly.

"Stop runnin'! Yer gonna hurt yerself."

"Aye aye." Miena grinned and returned to the lift, much to Ulfrad's ire. Miena tried a few more levels, all of which were just barely sturdy enough to stand on. She directed the lift back to the ground and walked over to Ulfrad. "Now that's a workout. My arms are tired."

Ulfrad squinted up at the bridges. "Seems… alright. Aye, help me bring out stuff up there."

Miena saluted dramatically. "Aye aye, captain."

Ulfrad paused. "Captain? When'd I become captain?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly. It was a small question and Ulfrad probably asked it as a joke since he was already heading towards the lift, but now that she thought about it, she had been listening to Ulfrad a lot more as of late. Eh. Probably nothing to take notice of.

Miena followed Ulfrad to the lift and pulled themselves up to the second level, bringing their supplies and stashing them by the entrance of a mine. Now, all they had to do was wait. With nothing else to do, they went a bit inside the cave and sat. Ulfrad tossed a rock against the wall and mumbled, "I wonder how everybeast back home is doin'? We've been gone fer a bit, haven't we?"

Miena clicked her tongue. "Aye. I wouldn't be too worried, they're probably doing swimmingly." The joke elicited a scowl from Ulfrad and she continued. "In all seriousness, they know how to handle themselves. 'Sides, things weren't ever too dangerous fer a group of otters to handle. Can I be honest wit' ye? At times, me bein' Skipper felt more like a tradition than fer any real administrative reason."

Ulfrad sighed. "Y'know, Miena, yer father said somethin' similar to me when we were younger. O' course, he still had to do his duties, though I will say it was more dangerous back then."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not against having one fer those 'just in case' moments. I was mainly referrin' to the fact that 'tis me specifically."

"This again? Lord."

"What?" Miena frowned.

"Why do ye keep questionin' it? Yer Skipper because yer father was. 'Tis always been like that and that's all there is to it."

Miena resisted the urge to point out that was the exact problem she had with it and instead changed the topic to, admittedly, something really stupid. "Hey, Ulfrad, where do otters sleep at night?"

"Not again, ye've told this one a million times," Ulfrad groaned.

"The riverbed."

Ulfrad snorted. "I feel like yer doin' this on purpose."

"No, am I?" She grinned.

With little else to do while waiting for midnight, the two otters talked about various things to pass the time. Unsurprisingly, Miena tried to keep the mood rather light while Ulfrad wanted to discuss more serious topics. Of course, they both were still on high alert, but nothing caught their attention. Despite their differences, there was one topic that both were willing to talk about.

"So, what was my father like when he was younger? I'd imagine he was more of a pain in the tail than me right now," Miena laughed.

Ulfrad shook his head as he stared idly at the ground. "Nah. I'd say less."

"Ouch."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, he very much was," Ulfrad commented with the slightest smirk. "Fun otter to be around. Ye remind me a lot of him, honestly. I think I can count on one paw the number of times I've seen him wit' a frown."

"Aye, that sounds like him," Miena agreed. "Did he get in trouble a lot?"

"He did, aye. So did I, by proxy," Ulfrad rubbed the back of his neck. "Lookin' back at it, I feel bloody stupid and guilty fer some of the things we did, but still, I cherish every moment."

Miena snorted. "Ha. Is that why ye-" Something struck her as odd before she could finish. It wasn't much, just a tiny bit of self-doubt, but that combined with the previous days' events made her wonder, why was Ulfrad so loyal to her? Was it because he believed in her and her abilities, or was it just because she was his best friend's daughter? Her smile faded slightly. Did he truly believe in her intelligence, or was he following her out of a promise made to an otter who was now dead? Her smile faded more. Just like her title as Skipper, was any of it deserved, or was it just because she happened to be related to an otter much better than she would ever be? Miena's smile faded completely.

Ulfrad noticed and raised a brow. "Miena? Ye alright?"

She waved it off and padded over to the railing outside the cave. "Eh, was just gonna make a joke and realised it wasn't that funny," she lied. "Y'know, come up wit' a setup and not a punchline type o' thing."

The older otter folded his arms. "Huh. Is that so?"

The conversation stopped there. Despite the smile idly plastered on her face, Miena was thinking a lot about her title. It wasn't something she thought about often before she came here, and it made her vehemently uncomfortable. She almost wished Crookedfang, Noruth, or somebeast else was here to get her mind off the topic.

Her wish came true when a few minutes later, she saw a figure through the trees heading up the path to the mines. "Heads up, there's somebeast down there," she deadpanned.

Ulfrad squinted and leaned forward. "Who is it?"

Miena shrugged. "Dunno. I don't think 'tis the guards. They're travelling alone." She squinted, trying to decipher their identity, but the leaves made it impossible to tell beyond their approximate height. They looked tall, which was surprising given the roster of prisoners. Well, the alive ones, at least. It wasn't until they left the trees that Miena realised who they were dealing with. Her voice shook as she groaned, "…Oh… Ulfrad?" The older otter turned. Miena's face bore a scowl. She recognised who it was immediately.

After all, there were only four otters on the island.

"Ulfrad, hide. Now." Miena grabbed Ulfrad's wrist and jerked him towards the cave entrance.

Ulfrad's face twisted with concentration. "Is it…?"

"I think it is," she whispered. The two crouched inside the cave. Miena shut her eyes and took a deep breath to steady herself. She hastily grabbed one of their bags and slung it around her shoulder. Ulfrad did the same and grabbed his flail and shovel. Miena glanced at the weapons, pulled out the throwing knives she found in the bag, and slung the bow and quiver around her shoulder. "If he starts walkin' up the stairs… we should hide further back in the cave," Miena declared.

"What? No, if he spots us, we'd be cornered!"

"Don't ye bloody-! Look, if he doesn't, we're good, and if he does, we're armed and there's prolly a lotta paths in these mines."

Ulfrad took a deep breath and glanced out the entrance. "Ye'd be fine, but I can't… Fine."

Miena poked her head out of the cave, keeping low to the platform to make it difficult for the beast below to see her. It trudged along the earth with heavy pawsteps, rudder-like tail swaying slowly behind as it searched for prey. No matter how much Miena wanted to run, she knew to stay calm. If the monster down there didn't see her, then there would be no need to.

The monster gazed around the numerous pathways of bridges and stairs seemingly in awe, stopping oddly when it noticed the lift suspended on the second floor. It glanced back and forth between the ground and the lift. Miena held her breath. The monster turned towards the stairs and walked towards them. Her stomach dropped and she hastily retreated into the cave. "He's coming up," she whispered, "We should hide."

"Are ye nuts?" Ulfrad hissed. "If he's comin', we need to leave, now!"

"No, ye listen here, he's a young otter in great shape, ye cannot outrun him. We should just hi-" Miena flinched when she heard a creak in the distance. The monster had climbed the steps to the bridge.

Ulfrad motioned to the lift. "Help me wit' the crank! If he finds us here we're cornered!" Before Miena could argue, Ulfrad readied his flail and ran into the open. Almost immediately, a roar shook the air. Borsen Stonetail had found them.

Miena pulled out her throwing knives and ran after Ulfrad. Her footpaws pounded against rugged stone and then dusty planks as she ran onto the lift. "Miena, hurry, hurry!" Ulfrad yelled. The two otters grabbed the crank and pulled just as Borsen reached the edge of the platform. Miena stared up with wide eyes as they drew further and further away from Borsen.

When Borsen backed away, Miena looked over her shoulder. Could Borsen descend the stairs and reach the ground before they did? About a quarter of the way down, Ulfrad warned, "Miena, Miena, hit the deck!" She whipped her head up to see Borsen leaping off the platform. Ulfrad pulled Miena out of the way as Borsen landed on the lift.

Although the ancient and decaying lift was lowering due to the weight of all three otters, it still wasn't safe enough to jump. Acting quickly, Miena threw one of her knives, striking Borsen as he raised an arm to defend himself. Ulfrad followed up with a swing to the head with his flail. However, the proximity meant he was struck with the handle instead of the head.

Borsen lowered his arm and lunged, grabbing onto Miena with heavy paws. Up close, she noticed the bandages wrapped over the left side of his face along with the numerous wounds covering his body. Who was this otter? How the hell was he still standing? He was even smiling!

Miena screamed as Borsen's claws dug into her back. The pain didn't last long however as Ulfrad pulled a dagger out of his bag and jammed it in Borsen's side. The larger otter snarled and twisted, swinging Miena into Ulfrad.

Ulfrad coughed as the two tumbled to the floor, arms dangling over the edge of the lift and throwing their bags to the ground below. Miena looked up in time to see Borsen lunging at them like a snake. She scrambled up, just barely avoiding Borsen's claws. However, instead of her, Borsen landed on Ulfrad, jamming his fist into the otter's stomach.

Without her bag, Miena couldn't reach for another throwing knife. Instead, she grabbed the shovel and swung as hard as she could at Borsen's skull, colliding with a heavy thud. Borsen fell to the side as Ulfrad sat up, gasping. She raised the shovel again but was thrown to the floor as Borsen kicked her legs. By this point, Ulfrad had stood up. Without a weapon, he leapt on Borsen's back, wrapping his limbs around the otter and biting the crook of Borsen's neck as hard as he could.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. Borsen snarled and slammed Ulfrad against the crank, forcing the breath out of his lungs. With a few powerful movements, Borsen rammed Ulfrad into a railing, releasing his grip. He picked up the older otter, jammed a claw into his stomach as hard as he could, tore down, and tossed him over the edge of the lift.

"ULFRAD!" Miena shrieked as he fell to the ground below. A growl brought her attention back to Borsen and she turned. The monster stared back at her. Strangely enough, he looked tired, but not enough to stop. In the split second between that and what happened next, she thought back to the previous day. She'd seen both of the shrews die, Tornear get ambushed by Tiviko, Rianne and Gurnilal get attacked at the beach, Vhynias' death, and now…

No, I refuse to die like that!

She turned and jumped off the lift.

She screamed as she plummeted. Miena landed on the ground with a thud, stumbling and falling forward on her face. Everything burned as she forced her head up. She was still alive, thank the lord, but by the way things were looking, she wouldn't be for long. The fight was over. They had lost. Illuminated by the rising sun, Borsen stood on the lift above her, watching her intently. To her right, she saw Ulfrad curled up on the ground, clutching his stomach as he struggled to stand up. Beside him were the two bags that had fallen off the lift.

At that moment, she made her decision. At the time, she had no idea what exactly had caused it. All she knew was that she did not want it to end like this; curled up on the ground while Borsen gutted her like a fish. There was no way in hell a Skipper- no, the daughter of a Skipper would die to this.

She got up before Ulfrad and ran over to him, but instead of helping him up, she grabbed the bags they had dropped and slung them over her shoulder. The older otter looked up, confusion morphing into fear when he realised what was happening. "Miena?"

Wordlessly, she wiped her face and ran as far away as possible.

"Miena!" Ulfrad screamed just as the lift was low enough for Borsen to jump down without stumbling. He struggled to crawl away, but it was futile. Borsen staggered over and kicked him in the head, grinning madly.

"How does it feel?" Borsen asked almost huskily. "She just left ye fer dead."

"No, she didn't- I'm not-"

Borsen stomped on his stomach, eliciting a groan of pain. "Deny it as much as ye like," he growled and knelt closer to Ulfrad. "Hurts, don't it? Somebeast ye love just left ye. Who knows why? Maybe she thought ye were dead weight… Or maybe she thought ye were too awful to keep around… It bloody hurts, huh?" He punched Ulfrad in the snout and shuddered, reaching for the knife tucked into his belt. "If ye think that hurts, just wait 'til ye see what I have in store fer ye," he mumbled, lightly dragging a y-shape across Ulfrad's front.

Ulfrad shifted and squirmed, trying anything to get away, but he knew that it was over the moment Miena left him for dead.

It was over when Borsen dug the dull blade right below his shoulder.

It was over when he carved a Y into his chest and ripped his body open.

It was over when Borsen's eyes shone with euphoric glee, abandoning all precision to tear into him with a sadistic howl, ruthlessly slaughtering whatever hope Ulfrad had remaining for survival.

Art Swiftpaw's plan was simple, so much so that Rianne Wurtil wondered how he didn't think of it earlier. But that was the terrifying part. It was so simple that there was no way for Rianne to stop him.

When they heard screaming, Art wasted no time running towards the source. She pleaded for him to stop, that if they went they'd most certainly die, but Art didn't listen.

They found the scene not too long after.

Hidden in the treeline, Rianne and Art watched as Borsen pinned Ulfrad to the ground, shredding his skin and flesh open while he screamed. Instinctively, Rianne wanted to cry out for help, but Art clamped a paw over her mouth. She struggled, but Art was no doubt stronger than her. She looked up, silently pleading for any kind of mercy, for Art to do something even if she knew by this point, Ulfrad's wounds were too severe. Even if they got Borsen to stop, they'd have no way to stop the sheer amount of bleeding.

Meanwhile, Art's eyes were cold, studying the scene with a surprising lack of anger. They were tired, scanning Borsen's body for an opening as if it were just another thing to do. Rianne prodded Art with her elbow, begging him to help, but the squirrel raised his sickle and curved the blade around her throat. Her eyes widened. "Not a sound," he mumbled.

The next minute or so was torture as Rianne was forced to watch Ulfrad die in front of her. His screams of pain were reduced to weak gurgling as Borsen emptied out his chest. Borsen was very clearly enamoured by all of it, so much so that he didn't notice when Art let go of Rianne and stalked towards him. Rianne grimaced. She needed to do something or else Art would die. She picked up her hatchet and scanned the area. There needed to be an escape somewhere. Her first thoughts were the numerous cave entrances. Those must lead somewhere, right? Just anywhere but here.

As Rianne gazed around the mines and platforms, Art raised his sickle over his head. He stepped closer to Borsen, whose back was turned. Rianne watched as Art paused, scanning the otter before swinging the blade into Borsen's back.

Borsen yelped and slammed his tail into Art's side, knocking him to the ground. The otter turned slowly, eyes narrowing when he saw who had attacked him. Rianne knew she needed to hurry. Clutching her hatchet tight, she ran to the side towards the many platforms and bridges. Art scrambled up and raised his sickle defensively, stanced in a way that Rianne presumed was for parrying. To both their surprise, however, Borsen didn't immediately attack, instead, he wiped the blood off his face and spoke. "Figures ye'd be here. Y'know, normally this'd be a lot more fun, but I'm really miffed after what ye did to Durk."

"Oh, are you now?" Art growled.

Borsen sighed. "Why are ye here, Arthur? We both know very well ye can't beat me."

"Just watch!" Rage overtook Art and he ran forward, swinging madly at Borsen. The otter leapt to the side just as Art expected, allowing him to slice into his hip. Borsen snarled and kneed Art as he tried to retreat. A glancing blow due to Borsen's longer reach caught Art's wrist and he let go of the sickle. Borsen caught the blade with a grin and tossed it aside.

"Ye know, fer somebeast who acts like ye, yer real damn stubborn when it comes to stayin' alive."

Rianne looked away from the platform. She expected Art to charge at Borsen, but even in his rage the squirrel had the sense not to fight Borsen bare-pawed. Art dove for the sickle much faster than Borsen could account for, however, he still managed to get a claw swipe in. Art ignored his bleeding side and snarled, "Like hell I'll die before I kill you with my own two paws!"

Borsen chuckled. "Tough luck, Arthur, but at least yer gonna get to see Ravi-"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! I'm going to kill you!" Art ran forward, as did Borsen. Halfway through, Art stopped in place and feigned right. As Borsen tried to stop himself, Art jumped onto the otter's shoulders and swung at his head. Borsen intercepted the blade with a paw and used the other to punch Art in the stomach. He grabbed Art and threw him to the ground before he could recover.

Rianne's arms were tired as she lowered the hatchet. Glancing back at the fight, she saw Art roll away as Borsen swung at him. He hooked his sickle around Borsen's arm and pulled. Borsen groaned as a red line formed around his forearm and he pounced. No matter how fast Art was, there was no way he could out-wrestle Borsen if he got his paws on him.

Rianne grimaced as Borsen's arms wrapped around Art, pinning him to the ground. She focused her attention back to the bridges and stairs all over the mines, and more importantly, the supports keeping them up. Meanwhile, Art was flipped on his back with Borsen glaring down at him. The squirrel tried to move his arms, but Borsen was too strong. "How does it feel, Arthur? Didja enjoy doin' this to Durk, huh?"

Rianne flexed her numbing paws and looked to the side. Onto the next support.

Art cried out as Borsen dug a claw into his chest, carving lines in the exact manner Art did to Durkfor. Borsen giggled as Art squirmed in his grip. "What's wrong? Can't take what ye dish out? Well," Borsen jammed his claws in deeper, causing Art to scream, "Durkfor didn't get a choice, did he? Ye chose to come here knowin' ye could get hurt. Durkfor trusted ye, and ye still carved him up. Do ye feel guilty? He's nothin' but an angel, ye monster."

Borsen stopped to let Art respond. The squirrel looked up and gasped. "You're… the one talking."

"I know. Difference is, I can handle it," Borsen chuckled. "I know ye can't. Yer a good beast deep down, no matter how relentlessly ye claim ye aren't." The otter dragged his claws to Art's arms to continue recreating Durkfor's wounds when a crack shattered the air. He turned. Art did as well.

Rianne's head jerked up as the bridge above her started to shift. Given its condition, it took less effort than Rianne expected to chop enough of the supports but it still shocked her when the platform actually began to move.

As part of the bridge slid away from the cliffs, she turned and screamed, "Art, hurry!"

Borsen and Art's eyes widened as a section broke off and tilted toward them. Borsen let go of Art and took off while the squirrel stumbled towards Rianne. Even with his injuries, he was still fast enough to reach her before part of the bridge crashed into the ground, scattering rocks and dust all over the front of the mines. More importantly, it separated Borsen from Rianne and Art. Rianne blinked and coughed as everything settled. She opened her eyes and turned towards the entrance to the mines. "Over there, come on."

Art coughed and staggered over, grimacing as blood pooled in the front of his habit.

"Art, hey, listen to me, are you okay?"

"No. Borsen's still alive. How the hell do you think I'm feeling?" he answered, voice dripping with bitterness. "Damn it, this isn't over."

Rianne's expression was a mix of fear and annoyance as she helped Art into the mines, but a part of her couldn't help but be proud too. She actually did something to help and she was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked. However, when she remembered how they even got into this mess in the first place, she couldn't help but get angry. "Art, what the hell were you thinking bringing us here? Are you stupid?"

The squirrel didn't answer and Rianne couldn't tell if he was angry, depressed, or disappointed at the outcome. Probably all three.

Regardless of the answer, it pissed her off to no end.

Miena didn't look back when she heard a distant crash. She didn't know who caused it or how, all she knew was that she needed to get away.

The adrenaline had worn off a bit ago. She paused by a tree and looked down at the bags hanging off her shoulders. Guilty tears formed in her eyes and she wept.