Chapter 23 - Pitiless Reality
"Well now," Chiara spoke to break the silence.
Seeing Speed turn around and walked back to his chair, he sat down. Ignoring her staring at him with a frown on her face, she crossed her arms over her chest. Still not seeing him look at her, she clicked her teeth then looked at the younger hedgehog. Seeing him able to relax a little, he gave a silent sigh of relief. Putting a back hand on his forehead, he wiped off the perspiration that had developed.
"Oi, ya okay sport?" she asked a little concerned.
"...I...I think I'm fine," Sonic replied. In a loud growl, he looked at his stomach and held it.
"Sorry."
"When was the last time ya ate somethin'?"
"...mmm..." the boy answered.
Looking at the table, he stared at it and pondered. Hearing movement to his right, he glanced over. Seeing the amputee reach for the glass bottle, it had a very dark brown color liquid in it. Watching him take a sip of it, he placed it back on the table. After a couple of seconds of silence, nothing seemed to be happening to the one arm man from drinking the beverage.
"...yesterday..." Speed answered.
"Y-yeah...now that I think about it," the child replied. Grabbing the beverage and bring the opening to his nose, it smelled like sweet roots for some reason. Blinking and hearing something coming from the inside, it sounded like bubbles or fizzing. Curious, he took a sip of it. Immediately feeling his eyes go wide, he swallowed it.
"Wow! This is tasty!" he said and took another. The sensation of it being semi-cold and bubbly in his mouth added to the new sensation of what he was drinking.
"Ya never had pop before?" Chiara asked surprised.
"No...I never knew about it. My village never told me or any of the orphans about it either. What is it exactly?" he asked looking enthusiastic at her.
"It's just syrup with tonic water. Maybe some fix-ins for different taste," she explained before taking a drink of hers. Swallowing it and looking at Speed, the cloaked figure looked like a statue. However, his cybernetic implant was slowly moving left. Watching it slowly move to the right, it gave the impression of him doing sweep scans.
"Is root beer what's on tap for pop?" the woman asked taking another hit.
"...usually...RB is...easier to obtain...than others...based on what...bartender states..." he spoke. Staring at one area at the opposite wall, the other two didn't see him frown.
"So tell me," the stoat began. Crossing her arms over her chest again, she looked at the adult hedgehog in suspicion.
"Do the molls and beau-hos come with the meals?"
"...?" the child blinked after taking a third drink. Repeating the new words she stated, it made him confused.
"...the courtesans..." Speed began then turned his head toward her. "...are not part...of non-company order."
"Hmmmmmm," she spoke not believing him. Narrowing her eye, she frowned at him.
"So you HAVE used 'em?"
"...my chastity...is not soiled...here..." he answered indifferently.
"Not here huh. Bet you get backed up from that goth with watermelons," Chiara remarked. Moving her arms toward her chest area, she moved them up and down as if she were holding spheres.
"Wonder who racked that hoe up around here. I bet ya know a quack or two here."
"...rather kill...than swive..." Speed countered then supped his soda.
"Hard to believe that from man choosing to go to a sex worker joint," she clarified and gave a tight smile. "Especially bringing forbidden members."
"..." the amputee reacted. Eye rolling his normal eye, he kept the cybernetic one focused on her.
"...sex...?" Sonic spoke getting more confused. Seeing both adults turn to him, only the woman seemed to tone down her irritation and body language.
"...it is...another adult concept...aging...helps to understand."
"Oh...o-okay...is that how you learned Miss Chiara?"
"...uh...um...yyyyeah," she spoke getting suddenly uncomfortable. "I didn't learn about...it until I was a teenager. How old are ya?"
"Seven."
'WHO THE HELL BRINGS A FREAKING SEVEN YEAR OLD...' she mentally shouted then looked at the one arm man quickly.
"...13 of age...adult concepts...comprehend..." the gray ash fur hedgehog said sitting back in his chair.
"Six more years?" the orphan asked with surprised. He immediately gave a relieved sigh and took another sip out of the pop.
"I don't think I like...these adult things much."
"Ya not supposed to," Chiara spoke first. Trying to relax, she leaned back in her chair. Turning a tad to have her left elbow handing over the back of the furniture, she stretched her other arm. Placing her right hand on the table, she continued.
"When ya get older and start seein' changes for boys and girls, that's when ya start learnin' stuff."
"..." Sonic responded with a contemplative look.
About to look up and state that he does notice a difference, he saw a slow-moving red object to his right. Blinking and glancing at it, it was just Speed's robotic eye. Thinking it would continue its slow scanning of the room, it stopped and stared directly at him. The red glow from it seemed to illuminate his face a little. Instead of seeing him clearly under his hoodie, there were casts of shadows of red that made him look scary.
"...she means...of ones...similar of your...age..." he stated.
"...oh...okay," the boy stated and nervously scratched the back of his head.
"What? Ya know the differences already?" she asked.
"...I think so..." the boy said with a small nod. He put his hands to his chest and held imaginary balls.
"I know the adult girls, their chest grows. Not everyone has the same size."
"..." the stoat responded with just a blink. "That's one change. What else?"
"Uh...their butt gets...bigger?"
"...really..." she spoke with a tight grin on her face.
"W-w-well...not everyone does," Sonic spoke quickly and stiffened.
"...what...else...Sonic...?" Speed spoke as neutrally as possible.
"Uuummm...they wear...different clothes...than guys."
"What about the cat officer?" Chiara questioned slowly strumming her fingers on the table. "Her getup was the same as her gents."
"...it's a uniform...so don't all have to wear it being a part of their force?" he countered.
"Oooo...aren't ja smart?" the female stoat mentioned and reduce her grin to a tight smile. "How did you figure that?"
"The ones in my village that make it to being a warrior or patroller have to wear the same outfit."
"Oh? That sounds the same when I was...still at..." she began then quieted down.
Both hedgehogs saw her demeanor change to looking contemplative and bitter. Not saying anything, an unpleasant silence began to grow. Sonic glanced at Speed and saw that his red eye was staring at something across the room. Glancing over to see if it was something to distract himself with, there was nothing but an empty section of a wall. About to look back at the table, the boy perked his ears up and slowly moved them.
'...I hear footsteps...but there is something else following it,' he pondered and remained still.
"...who or what's doing that?" Chiara whispered in her position.
"..." the child reacted with not moving. Glancing over with his eyes, the female stoat was looking at the right corner of her eyes. Her expression was tense and looked ready to fight as her hand on the table already produced claws.
"...the kitchen...is behind there...possibly the cook..."
"Why do ya say possibly?" she asked still not moving from her position.
"...the cook...is not bipedal..."
"Not bipedal?" Chiara repeated to herself then glanced at the one arm man. "What is the cook?"
"...has...tentacles..."
"Tentacles?" Sonic repeated never hearing that word before.
Seeing her move, her expression became aghast staring at Speed. Feeling anxious from her reaction, the child saw the amputee slowly got up. Walking around the table, his footsteps were much quieter than before. The loud music playing in the other lobby area was louder than his cloak material folding while moving. Strangely, the sounds coming from the other side of the opposite wall were distinctive enough to hear.
"Where are ya goin'?" the woman asked sounding a little unnerved.
"...follow...don't ask...questions," he stated and walked along the booths slowly.
Getting off their chairs, Sonic took a big gulp from the pop before following. Eventually getting to the opposite side of the room, there were two other openings at either end of the wall. Besides the one that lead back to the main lobby of the pub, both lead to hallways. Adjacent and sandwiched between those passageways was the kitchen area. The footsteps and noises from before were louder followed by other sounds. As much as Chiara wanted to question Speed, she kept her mouth closed.
Seeing the one arm man turn to the right entrance, it led to an area that was for employees only. Not deterred by the sign, she followed him with the orphan behind her. Seeing a left turn nearby, he got next to the corner. Peering around it, he gave a hand motion that it was clear. Seeing him go first around the wall, the other two moved close behind him.
Entering a hallway, it did not look inviting. Viewing down the length of the passageway, the conditions were either the same or worse. Wallpaper that had been torn and stained. The broken tile floor was replaced with discolored carpet. Barebone lightbulbs hanged from the ceiling and swayed easily whoever passed them. Seeing that there were a number of doors ahead, none of them had lights on. The only one with illumination showing was the swinging large door down the left wall. It gave the impression that it was the kitchen area.
"..." Speed commented and moved.
Creeping toward it, he got next to the door frame. Glancing in quickly with only half his face, he pulled back out. Moving his head, he looked directly at the female stoat. Seeing her blink and stare back, his red eye slowly moved down. Stopping, it bored at the boy who was looking up at him.
"...hey..." she whispered. Trying to contemplate of why he was acting quiet and with the sounds in the kitchen, she suddenly felt the creeps.
"..." the amputee responded with looking up at her and staring at her.
"...is that slut in there?" she asked quietly and looked at him sternly.
"...she has...company...in the kitchen..." he answered not looking bothered or concerned.
"...you fu-!?" she began with eyes widening from being startled. Her mouth was snatched by him before she could finish.
"...do not...express yourself...especially here..." Speed warned with a grim tone and demeanor. Seeing her focus on him, the aspect of how far of a rabbit hole this establishment was gave her goosebumps.
"...Sonic..."
"Y-Yeah?" the boy whispered. Seeing the male's eyes move down to focus on him, he stood a little straighter.
"...adult things...are happening in...this room..."
"...is that...?" he spoke suddenly feeling nervous. Despite being curious, the adult themes of this place made him feel a little sick.
"...bad for me to see?"
"..." Chiara reacted with a blink and looked down at him. Getting a hand on Speed holding her mouth, the amputee let go of her face.
"Ya too young for that," she stated in a controlled voice.
"...curiosity...is normal...however...your perspective...will be...rawwed," he informed while staring down at him.
Feeling her hand let go of his, he brought it into his cloak. Glancing at her face, it was of disgust while staring at him. All three heard the sound of a female voice let out something of a gasp. Reacting quicker than the others, the stoat covered the boy's ears. Look down at the child to see that he flinched from surprise, he didn't yelp. Seeing that he was fine, she moved her head up quickly and glared at him.
Instantly, his image glitched hard within a second before vanishing. A sensation washed over her that made her cease her glaring. Everything around her felt like it was slowing down and her vision seemed to magnify everything. Not even counting a full second or two passing by, the touch of holding onto the child's ears suddenly became a phantom feeling.
"...wha..." Chiara began to breathe.
As if her eyes were doing a slow blink, Speed's image glitched into existence in front of her. It was as if he was disappearing and materializing instead of moving away and back towards her. Only registering that his hand had grasp her right wrist, she only widened her eyes in that split second. Immediately, their figures vibrated erratically.
"...the..." she continued as fear and wonder began to overtake her.
The still image of the dingy hallway vanished into a blur. Only streaks of light and color rushed passed her vision as if she was going through a tunnel. After that, the quiet erotic sounds from the kitchen suddenly vanished. It was as if all sound in the world was muted. Immediately, a high pitched static blared in her ears for only a fraction of a second.
"...hell!?" she breathed and flinched hard. Not moving back and blinking a couple of times, Speed was still holding onto her wrist firmly. Staring at her with his crimson ring eye glowing, everything around him was dimmer than the hallway. Looking around without moving, she felt her eyes widen again.
Standing in a different place, they were in a storage room of some sorts. Slowing moving her head to look around, her sight was adapting to the lower illumination. The size of the space was as big as the bar lobby area. Aligning along all the walls was cabinets, shelving, and hardware. In the middle were stand along storage units, long desks, stored tables, and chairs. Noticing that the floor seemed different, she saw that it was a dark colored stone.
Looking back up and searching for the child, he was standing nearby and looking at a shelf. Examining the contents on it in silence, Chiara slowly focused back on Speed. Seeing that he had not moved and was still staring at her, his constant presence seemed to give her stability that the environment was real. As if detecting her silent acknowledgment of where she was, he let go of her wrist. Turning his head to the right, he looked at the doorway that was several feet away from their position.
"..." the stoat spoke. About to think about what just happened, something began to fester inside of herself. Staring at him with a wild gaze with her unpatched eye, an avalanche of sensations slammed into her. It did not make her fall over; however, she was shaking from it.
"W-W-What...the freaking..." she stated in a low tone and bored at him. Seeing his head turn back to her, his crimson ring eye stared back at her. Seeing movement below, the boy had turned around and moved closer.
"You feel that too after going superspeed!? Feels awesome doesn't it!?" Sonic spoke in an excited whisper next to them.
"...!?" the stoat reacted with astonishment. Looking down at the child, there was an enthused smile on his face. He was not shaking or looking ill at all.
"Was that...your..." she began and swallowed. Glancing back at the one arm hedgehog, he still had not move from where he was including his head.
"...superspeed?"
"...yes..." he answered softly.
"...was that...full strength?"
"...no...half strength..."
'H-H-HALF!?' Chiara questioned in her mind with a flabbergasted face.
Shaking her head hard and staring at both, they were not reacting the same way as her. Feeling her mind begin to hurt, she tried to figure out what was going on with her body quickly. Noticing the child look at her confused, she broke from her train of thought. About to speak to see if that will distract herself, a squirming movement was felt in the pits of her stomach. By the time she put a hand on her belly, something rose up her esophagus quickly.
"...!?" the stoat reacted startled. Covering her mouth with her other hand, her insides suddenly got aftershocks from moving so fast. Trying to keep it down, her expression showed she was about to upheave. Frantically looking around in the room, the woman found a bucket. Going to it and grabbing it, she put her face in it and hurled.
"..." both hedgehogs reacted from watching her expel her stomach. Sonic glanced at Speed and quietly walked to be next to him. Grabbing his cloak and tugging it lightly, the amputee turned his head towards him. Leaning forward, the boy whispered.
"Why is she reacting that way?"
"...possibly...motion sickness..." he said in a lower than normal tone.
"Motion sickness?"
"...that...or mild form...fear of speed..."
"Woah. That for real?" the boy asked surprised.
"...ah shit..." Chiara muttered loud enough for the two to hear. Not moving from her spot, she spat the remaining bile into the bucket. Holding onto the container and moving it away from her face, she focused on breathing.
"I ain't...scared of going fast...just...wasn't ready for that," she clarified and turned around. Both males saw that she still looked nauseous despite trying to keep a firm expression.
"...you can walk...?" Speed asked.
"...yeah...just...no more...warp speed."
"...fine...Sonic."
"Yeah?"
"...that room..." he asked then pointed. There was a door on the other side of the room they were in. It was closed but had a spin keycode dial above the handle.
"...see if...anyone is in it...code is 725..."
"...isn't this...the bar guy's place?" the child asked feeling a little nervous.
"...it is...we are...trespassing..." he answered and stared at him.
"...this is like...being at the...metal head base?" the orphan continued. Seeing the amputee's head move up and down, he nodded his head.
"O-Okay. Give me a minute," Sonic stated. Turning around, he put on his hoodie and walked quietly to the door. Not able to reach the dial, he grabbed a small crate box to use as a stool.
"...so...what's the scoop in this brothel?" Chiara asked. Putting the bucket on a table nearby, she tenderly walked to be beside the one arm man.
"...this is considered..." Speed began watching the orphan. Seeing him beginning to put in the code, he calmly looked back at the doorway on the opposite side. No one was there. Moving his ears left and right, no one else seemed to be in the room with them.
"...a safe haven...so different...business interests...reside throughout this...building and underground..." he informed then looked at her. Seeing the expression she was giving him, he just stared back with an indifferent one.
"You shittin' me? A sanctuary for those worms? and more screwed up shit?" she asked with a deplored face.
"...it is...a business...for bartender...middleman..."
"There's got to be hella rings going on here then!" the stoat stated with a loud hushing voice.
"...there are..."
"...!?" Chiara reacted with a blend of astonishment and apprehension. "You brought us to a lion's den!? Are you freaking insane!?"
"Hey! I got it!" Sonic whispered loudly. Hearing the mechanical lock disengage, he got off the crate and put it back. Trying the door handle and seeing it turn, he began to push it open slowly.
"..." the amputee answered.
Walking towards where the boy was going, he felt two hands grab his shoulders. Feeling that she was trying to turn him around, he resisted and continued forward slowly. Ignoring her attempts to get him to stop, it forced her to follow him. Once near the security lock door, he stopped in front of it. Watching the child stick his head in and glance around, he turned around.
"All clear from what I can see...though it seems pretty dark in there."
"...this is...the food pantry..." Speed spoke and motioned the child to go inside. "...the light switch...is left of door..."
Seeing the orphan nod and creep in, the hands on his shoulders tightened as Chiara followed behind him nervously. Entering, the three could see it was another stock room of sorts. Closing the door and turning on the light, they could see in more detail of the food pantry. Many shelves were seen on all sides of the walls. On the opposite side of the room, there was an opening to a hallway.
Upon staring down the passageway, it banked to the left after a yard or two. About to speak, she felt him turn to the left and head for the nearest corner on the left wall. While walking in tow, she heard soft feet follow them. Glancing down in paranoia, the stoat calmed a little to see the boy was walking beside her. Stopping at one section, it appeared to be a variety of staple foods.
"...here..." Speed spoke to grab their attention. The two saw him reach for jarred items on a top shelf and grabbed one. Turning around and extending his hand to them, they looked at it tentatively.
"...eat..."
"What is it?" she asked. Grasping the jar that fit in her hand and looking closer at it, she could see layers of food inside it. Able to identify a couple of things, the rest looked foreign to her. Looking up, she saw Sonic reach for and grabbed his jar. Looking at it curiously, he grabbed the top.
"...Turn to open...do not pull open..."
"I ain't eating until you spill what this is," she clarified firmly.
Seeing him grab a third one from the shelf, he turned around. Watching him place his on the ground, he held the sides with his feet. Turning the lid to the left, it spun without making too much noise. Blinking and looking at theirs, they began to open the canisters slowly. Once it was open, their noses were hit with a strong odor.
"This smells familiar," the boy commented trying to figure out what the contents were. At the same time, his mouth began to water.
"Is this...chili?" Chiara asked. Looking up and veering her head a little, the amputee shotgun the food. It had enough liquid to solid ratio to be thick, but still pour out of the container. Gulping and taking a breath or two, he kneeled down to get the lid back on.
"...CDM...Chili-Dog Meal...edible..."
"..." both she and the child said blinking at him. Looking down at the food in a can, both began to consume it. Able to finish it, only the orphan seemed to like the taste more than she did.
"Guess it is better than nothing," the woman remarked. Handing back the jars and seeing him put them back on the shelf he retrieved from, he gave both of them a riped piece of dark bread.
'This taste better than that...meal in a jar,' Chiara thought feeling better. The bread was getting rid of the acidic and spiced flavor in her mouth. Looking down at the child, he appeared calm while chewing.
'Now this makes me wonder where this guy really is from,' she continued and looked at the cloaked man. Seeing him put the last piece of bread in his mouth, his red eye was not sweeping. Instead, it was just staring at the floor. Able to see his other eye, its hazel color was not pronounced as it was looking at something other than the floor.
'He says he doesn't remember where he is from or who he is...but there have been many people here who recognize him.'
'Either he is not telling the truth...or he has amnesia or something,' the stoat pondered. Noticing him turn around, he was facing the cabinet.
About half of the shelves were of loaves of bread. Though the aroma of them was fair, there was something else that seemed off at the same time. Watching Speed move a couple of them around, there were wrapped rectangular objects at the back of one shelf. Getting them and pulling them out, he put them to his nose and smelled it. Turning around in place, he held them out to both of them. The stoat and hedgehog reached for them and grabbed it.
"...do not...eat it..." he stated quietly. Turning to the left, he walked further down the wall. Confused from what he stated, the two followed him closely.
"...what the freaking hell is this?" Chiara asked softly. Cringing a little from getting a whiff of what she was holding, it smelled old with a small scent of it being rotten.
"...is this...meat or something?" Sonic whispered sounding a little grossed out.
"...expired cattle meat...not for us..."
"What do you mean not for us?" she asked feeling anxiety beginning to grow.
"...it is...for the individuals...downstairs..." he replied with a stoic tone.
"Who's downstairs?" the boy asked sounding nervous.
"...cannibals..." the amputee answered. Stopping at another shelf section, he reached for something on the second bottom shelf. Grabbing hold of it and looking at it, he turned around. Seeing their spooked faces, he stared at them blankly.
"...here...put packages in..." he mentioned and held a small bag.
"...are...are we going...downstairs?" Sonic asked scared. Seeing the adult male nod, sweat started to develop on his head.
"Like hell we are going down there!" the stoat stated and got into his face. "What the hell for!?"
"...they will serve...as temp allies..." he stated not phased.
"Allies!? Are you fucking delusional!?" she questioned getting more disturbed.
"...do they..." the boy began trembling. "K-k-know you Speed?"
"...know me...yes...friends of mine...they are not..." he spoke with stillness in his voice.
Seeing both get their buttons pressed harder, the fur on both of them were standing on end. Staring at him like he was a madman, he narrowed his normal eye at them. Letting out an irritated sigh, he grabbed the packages from them. Putting them in the bag, he slung the shoulder strap carry bag on. With the bag easy to access on his left side, he turned toward the opposite wall. Walking away from them, neither of them followed him.
"Ya brought us here for them to eat us. Didn't you jackass?" Chiara spoke in a louder tone.
As if tripping something, a piercing siren blared in the room. It was so loud that it caused both her and the child to cringe hard and cover their ears. Despite muffling the noise, it still penetrated through their ears. Hearing something activate, a heavy iron grate drop door came down in front of the closed door to the previous stock room. Impacting the floor, the mechanical locks engaging fell on deaf ears from the alarm continuing.
"Shit!?" she stated.
Unable to hear her voice, she opened up her one eye. Seeing something small with a cloak moving from where she was, it was the orphan. Heading to where the amputee was, the man was grabbing stuff quickly from the shelves. As if he was in fast forward, he zipped from different sections and was filling up the bag he had. When the child was in the middle of the room, he stopped and looked around.
'Damnit! This was probably a setup,' she thought. Rushing to where the younger hedgehog was and stopping, a dark figure instantly appeared in front of them. Seeing that it was Speed, his face was unable to be seen. However, his cybernetic eye glowed and gave a menacing gaze.
"...TO FOLLOW...TO STAY..." Speed roared at them.
"...!?" both Chiara and Sonic flinched hard with surprise. Desptie the piercing siren and other mechanical sounds, his voice was perplexingly louder.
"...CHOOSE A PATH..."
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YA TALKING ABOUT!?" she shouted at him. Able to hear her voice, it was nowhere near his volume.
"..." Speed responded with staring. Turning around, he began walking toward the hallway.
"YOU FUCKING FOR REAL!?" she reacted in both fear and anger. Seeing the orphan immediately rush to follow him, a constant hissing sounded emitted in the room. Looking around, there was no colored cloud that was entering the room.
"GOD DAMN IT!" the woman yelled and ran.
Upon reaching the end of the hallway, they caught up with him. He did not turn to look at them as he went into the left pathway. Getting behind him, the passageway was short and banked left again. Getting to it and stopping, stairs were seen descending down. The illumination was severely curtailed the further one went down.
Seeing Speed descend the stairs at a calm pace, both the boy and woman reached out their hands. Gritting their teeth from the wailing siren and grabbing a piece of his cloak, they continued being in tow. His figure began to change to a black silhouette with a minimal outline. After going through a set of stairs and left turns, the alarm from above was still heard but not piercingly painful anymore. Unable to see things clearly, the atmosphere was getting colder and had a staler and more pungent odor.
Feeling the steps turn again, a flickering light was going off and on overhead. Growing more and more alert, the woman and child were holding onto his cloak murderously. About halfway down the dark staircase, the light blinked off for a couple of seconds. When it came back on, both froze with fear. Standing a couple of feet away from Speed, a lanky goat breed appeared. Its dull orangish eyes seemed to illuminate a little in the darkness along with its disheveled appearance.
"wwwhhkaaaasshhh...nnnnaaaahhh. VVVOOOUU!?" it shouted after saying gibberish.
'Shit-shit-shit-shit-shit-shit!' Chiara thought seeing dried blood stains all over the stranger's mouth and body. Glancing down at Sonic, he stared with apprehension.
"...sssshhhhh..." Speed said calmly. Reaching into the carry on, he retrieved a couple of objects that were rectangular in shape. It was the meat packages.
"...gifts...for passing..."
"...gggoonnnmmmeee...GGGOONNNMMMEEEE!" the goat screamed and frantically reached his hands out to the amputee. Taking the flimsy boxes out of his hand, it bit into one even with the wrapping still on. Hearing it scoffing it down with the light going off and on randomly, it sounded like a monster feasting grotesquely.
"...move...or I ssssssummonnnn...ssssiiissssttteeerrrsss," the one arm hedgehog threatened. Remaining still and locked with fright, both the stoat and boy saw the hostile man stiffen up rapidly.
"noah-noah...nonononononono," it spoke hastily and shook his head side to side fanatically. Turning to the wall on his left, he climbed into the dark hole that was barely seen. Hearing hoofs clicking loudly at first, it got further and further away from their position.
"..." Speed responded. Continuing down the stairs, he couldn't move forward from feeling pulled back. Stopping and waiting, tentative steps followed him down. Once close, he descended with the two in tow.
"...w-w-w-what...t-t-the hell...w-w-was-" Chiara stammered still feeling her skin crawl from the interaction.
"...ahead...you both...do not speak...do not fight...bedlams..." he whispered continuing to walk forward.
"...will...those t-things...attack us...i-i-if we do?" the boy breathed in a tone of fright.
"...they have become...like primals...treat them...as such."
"But primals attack prey."
"...they won't...unless provoked...or ordered to."
"Ordered to...you don't mean..." she began and shook up with disgust. "Why do you know so much about this place?"
"...got trapped here...years ago..." he said. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, the illumination around was dull. A gritty view was in front of them as they stood in front of large doorway.
