That morning Leucite had roused early, and had finally extracted from his pack, the one thing he had been saving for this morning.
Kicking both of the Lieutenants in the side until they crawled awake, he moved to sit on a rock formation that functioned as a defacto chair.
Wardite for his part, did not scramble out of bed. This trip had started to drain on his reserves - and he knew they had no breakfast - Leucite had been watching them eat, and had made sure they went through their rations and weren’t stashing them - he’d learned that the hard way the third night when he’d woken to find his stashed food missing and Leucite giving him a very cold look. He’d been able to ration an extra day of water by taking small sips of it - but not much more. So unless Leucite was going to foist more supplies upon them for the way back - which he doubted - they were in for some trouble.
“Good morning,” Leucite said to the two of them - in a tone that was the exact opposite of his words. “Your trial is about to begin, so I would suggest you pay attention.”
---
There had been a larger part of this that Piypite had not yet made sense of. They had been instructed to ration their water but when both had tried to ration food, they had been nearly turned into youma chow. Sure she knew that a body could survive longer without food than water but things were not adding up.
“I’m still not convinced what time it is, your Majesty.” Piypite mocked as she lifted her head off the ground and brushed the rift dust off her face. Of course he found a pile of rocks to allow him to sit like the high and mighty king he wanted to be. What a joke.
“And if you mean that these past seven days haven’t been the trail then you are a ******** liar and once again proving that your so called ‘righteousness’ is all a big farce.”
---
“I spent seven days in the Rift - alone… well, save for Iudicael,” The general motioned his head over to the obediently sitting youma near his feet. “And seeing as the two of you don’t have personal youma to rely on to guard you while you sleep - I felt it was only fair to allow the two of you to work together to survive your way back. I never said that I was going to walk you back myself, after all.”
He reached into the pack, and pulled out a single large container of water. “This should last the both of you seven days - if you share.” He said with a grin, sliding it toward them along the dusty ground. “Try not to waste it.”
The next reveal though, definitely had wards attention as Leucite pulled out a small black leather pouch, which he placed next to the water bin, and pushing it open, revealed the soft, glittery glow of starseed.
“I will also leave you with these words: From what I have seen in the time that I have had to watch over you, the two of you are barely even human. You lie, you steal, you cheat, and you hurt others without a scrap of empathy or remorse. The two of you are monsters. I don’t think if I have a hundred years I could teach either of you what it means to be a human being. If you wish to live, then struggle, and learn what it is to be powerless in the face of adversity. I wash my hands of you. If you manage to survive, to return to Negaspace - then I will considered you absolved of your crimes - of the murder and horror you have commited. I will also see it as proof you are able to wield more power. If you die, then it’s exactly what you little monsters deserve. And now, I leave you with a parting gift, a few of those Starseeds you seem to love so much. Oh, but if you want to keep them, you’re going to have to fight off the other monsters as well, so good luck with that.”
Rising to his full height, he moved to his bag, shouldering it he let out a soft whistle, and the youma came to his heels.
“You can try to follow me, but I know for a fact you won’t keep up - so I would suggest you divy those up as you see fit - and follow after a few hours… If you’re not assaulted first.”
And then like a ghost on the wind, he and the youma were gone, leaping and running over rough terrain that the two Lieutenants could only have dreamed of managing on their own.
Wardite turned to Piypite, then to the starseeds, and then back at her. He couldn’t count them from where he sat - but it was more than a handful. Easily three or more per day - for the both of them. But would it be enough? Standing up, he moved quickly to grab the water and the pouch, bringing it back to where they sat - their bags empty - and he kept an eye out for youma as well.
“Well, this wasn’t at all what I was expecting - how about you?”
---
Piypite hardly registered what the hell had just happened. Leucite had gone into some huge monolog that could have rivaled any villians on the big screen then up and left them. This was either a saving grace or a curse.
Based on the shiny things in the bag…
A smile spread over her face as she leaned over Wardite’s shoulder and gazed down. “Ooo. How I have missed you shiny. Withdraws off of these sucked worse than when I had to stop doing coke.” Piy grinned but she didn’t grab.
Seven days. Seven days and they had an energy supply and water. Something else bothered her though.
“What the heck do you think he meant about the youma?”
---
“I know right? Thank god we have something that’ll at least keep us going - and a lot of them to boot. Shouldn’t be a big deal getting back I don’t think - we’ve got water at least.”
He had to ponder her second question though for a long minute. “You know, I’m not really sure? I mean, I get that Stibnite and Sir Talksalot have them, but I’m not entirely sure why he said we’d have to fight other monsters. I haven’t seen another soul besides us this entire…”
He looked up just in time to see a three pairs of yellow, glowing eyes pop up over a nearby ridge. They were easily the size of his fist. The owners of said eyes were three strange looking creatures, bearing long alligator like snouts and large bat like ears. Ears that swiveled toward the pair as the heads turned toward the two.
“...time…” He breathed out, motioning his head toward the creatures as he worked to try and close the starseed back and place it in his jacket - only to freeze as the heads swiveled toward the pouch.
“Uhm…. What the ever loving ******** agreement about not seeing anything was cut off by the stall in his voice. Her own brows furrowed as she watched his hands quickly close and put the pouch away before she dared to follow his gaze upward.
Immediately she wished she hadn’t.
“What the hell are those?” Piy questioned just as she watched their yellow eyes beam straight at them. Those ears that didn’t belong twitched and turned before settling on facing them. That made her skin crawl as they all seemed fulling focused down on the pair of them…
“Maybe if we stay still?”
---
“Like a T-rex right? Can’t see movement?” Wardite said as quietly as possible, watching as the ears flicked back and forth between the speakers as the creatures - whatever they were - started to crest the rise.
He recalled Stibnite lecturing them about the Rift - briefly - but he’d been exhausted and strung out at the time and he hadn’t retained any of it beyond that it was a place that wasn’t a place. Which hadn’t made any sense at the time - still didn’t really - but now he was beginning to wonder if it wasn’t some Land of the Lost bullshit.
The things - whatever they were - did not possess bodies he would have expected for anything having a alligator mouth, giant yellow eyes, and bat ears. He had expected wings - or scales - but was greeted instead by a squat leathery frame, like a bulldog - and a long, snake like tail behind. The tail ended in three sharp spines - that Wardite did not like the look of. What was worse - they were moving fast - far faster than their body type should allow.
“I’m not liking the stand still option,” Wardite admitted once the three creatures sat at the top of the rise, staring down at them hungrily. The biggest of the three opened its mouth, and Wardite could see the rows upon rows of teeth within and he shuddered.
“Run?” he asked Piy. “Or…”
All of the eyes seemed to be on him though, at least the biggest one, and the second largest. The runt of the tree was eying Piy though - as if sizing up a snack.
---
“RUN!”
Piypite didn’t even fight the idea as she scrambled to back petal up onto her feet. Stumbling twice on the loose gravel, she turned to hightail it out of there. Three things that looked as if they had crawled out of nightmares? ******** that!
“Ward! Get moving!” She called out, glancing back once to realize one of them had eyed her. Three on one was one thing when they had the advantage. Right now...she doubted they did. <******** Devil Spawn”
---
He didn’t have to be told twice - he was backpedalling quickly, skidding a bit in the loose gravel as he tried his best to maintain his footing as he turned on his heel and darted forward. He heard the hissing bark of whatever it was that was tailing them as he pushed into a sprint, one had grabbing the water bin - not wanting to leave it behind - and swinging it up into his chest.
He cussed a bit when he felt the the first spike shoot over his shoulder and smack into the wall of the gravel pit. He didn’t like the thought of getting nicked by one of those - seeing as it had impaled a good distance into the wall.
He started to juke and weave. “Watch the spines!” He shouted to Piy as he skidded around an outcrop that might provide some needed cover.
With any luck they could outpace whatever these things were - or at least tuck into a hole and hide.
---
His words did not fall on deaf ears but came two seconds too late. One of the spikes that went flying cut through fabric and flesh as it flew past her arm.
Pain sliced through her bicep as she felt warm blood begin to roll down into the rest of her sleeve. “Not good…” She mumbled. “Not good…”
They had to keep moving. They didn’t have time to think...hell, she had all but forgotten their water source when those things descended upon them. They had to get away. They needed a plan…
“Ward,” Piy called out, glancing back at the man. For the first time in ages, fear crossed her face through the deep breaths she took while trying to pace herself. Several things crossed her mind as she caught sight of the trio gaining on them. The first was that four legs were faster than two. The second was that she didn’t have a clue what they were. The third was that she refused to be dinner when they hadn’t even had breakfast.
A half stumble made her look back in front just in time to notice something off to their side. A small opening in the rocks that looked like a cave of some sort. The opening wasn’t very large, she would have to squish the girls to slip in but that also meant something else was too big…
“Ward, up ahead!”
---
Wardite heard the shouts, and his gaze adjusted from where he was currently heading to the source, looking up to see Piypite looking toward what looked like a small cave. It was something - and more than large enough for them to slip in (it’d be a tight fit but it was better than nothing, provided the beasts didn’t just pepper the thing with spines - but even then if they hugged the walls enough that might be a non issue.
He almost stumbled as the next spray of spines came his way, watching as they slammed into the walls around him with dull cracks. He kept the water close to his chest, knowing it was slowing him down but also knowing that they were as good as dead without it - without at least some of it.
Still, as he neared it, he skidded it across the rough ground to Piypite “Take it!” He called, before turning and dropping low to scoop up a handful of the gravel dust, flinging it back toward their pursuers, the fine particles turning into an almost opaque screen in the air as it left his hands. He covered his face with one arm as he crawled back, doing his best to cut their line of sight off with the gravel and dust. But he doubted they had much longer before…
The spine caught him high across the shoulder, cutting deep through the epulete and nicking his flesh deep. He hissed and spun, putting pressure on the wound as he moved to join Piypite in the cave - if nothing else they’d at least have some cover…
---
At the words, Piy bent down and scooped up the water canister just as she came up on the literal hole in the wall. Pushing the canister in ahead of her with one hand, Piy didn’t spare a moment to turn her body sideways and force herself into the darkness.
With what felt like a literal pop, Piy came out the otherside, grabbing the water and shoving herself into the shadows behind part of the entrance cover. The squeeze covered her front and back in layers of grim and Rift junk but she didn’t care. The cold darkness was all that mattered at that moment as she tried to think...to pray that their cover held.
---
Ward followed once he saw Piypite’s feet vanish into the dark. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself through the hole, doing his best to ignore the throb of his shoulder as he made his way - with less of of a pop than Piy, but it was still quite the close fit, and out the other side. Hissing a bit as he landed he felt around, felt Piy’s ankle, and then moved towards her, tucking his body up against the wall and watching the entrance with a vain hope that nothing would attempt to follow through.
His soul sank as he heard the beasts outside snuffling around, trying to fit their alligator like snouts into the hole - only to fail. Thankfully their squat arms were not effective to getting in the hole either, but he doubted they would stop trying, even if it was fruitless.
But still he kept his feet as far away from the entrance as possible - hoping that they didn’t get yanked.
---
Her body tensed when Ward grabbed her ankle but quickly released realizing it was him standing up by her. A quick glance to her side said he was alive. A quick glance to the opening said ‘but for how long’.
“What the hell are those?” Piy forced out as she heard what sounded like a gator head hit the rock. Thank heavens nothing gave under the force.
She didn’t really expect an answer but the question was the same. It also went with a silent ‘what do we do now’ look.
Panting in the dark, Piy felt her shoulders drop as the commotion outside seemed to begin to slow but she couldn't bring herself to look. “If this is that a*****e’s idea of redemption, he can shove it up his a**!”
---
“Honestly, I don’t know, I always glazed over anytime the wardens talked about the Rift,” Wardite admitted, watching what seemed to be the only exit to their little cave in the dark hold out at least for the moment against whatever these creatures were. But he didn’t expect them to give up - at least not immediately. Whatever the abatement of this initial attempt was, it was surely just that - and abatement.
They would likely try again - and with more vigor - once they worked up the gumption, and Wardite had zero desire to still be where they were when that happened. But all the same. Closing his eyes against the dark, he waited a few moments before opening them, and squinted into the dark.
“No I agree, this is bullshit. We didn’t see hide nor hair of anything like this on the way here - but the old man made it sound like this place was a hotbed of some sort of activity. He mentioned that ******** monster of a dog of his - something about it being by his side…” Generally Wardite adored dogs - especially big ones like that, but at this moment he’d of happily kicked it over a fence.
“He said we had to watch each other’s backs while we slept - I think whatever it was, he put some sort of ******** dinner bell on our necks - and I don’t like it.”
The mention about having to fight for the starseeds gave him a moment of pause - but it couldn’t have possibly been that. That made NO sense.
“We might not be completely ******** though…” He said gently tapping her shoulder with the back of his hand and pointing at a slightly larger hole on the other side of the cave. “It goes deeper - it might even spill out somewhere else… I’d kill for a torch right now…”
---
At his touch, Piypite turned her gaze towards the back of the cave. The small lightened area in the back was either a gift or one hell of a curse. Either way it was better than what was next to them.
“So option one: we stay here and wish those things would leave. Option two: we pretend to be in a video game who forgot to pick up the torch item and stumble our way to the treasure room. I’ll take option two thank you very much. At least then we keep moving.” But moving where…
That thought made Piy stop completely as realized one very important very STUPID thing. “s**t.” The word spat out of her mouth as her fist hit the wall behind her. “Ward, we just ******** ourselves….BIG time. If we crawl that way, we end up putting ourselves at the mercy of guessing which way is back to civilization.” And if they stayed there, they were dead already.
“Damn that man. Damn him and his ******** wife.” Piy was shaking as both anger and fear spread over her. At least back where they were, they had a general idea of how to get back. Now? Now how ******** where they really. “He really does mean for us to die out here…”
---
Wardite was about ready to move on, when he felt the shift in tenor from Piypite. He’d been halfway into a crouch, grabbing for the water when Piy’s outburst pulled him from the plan ahead. This was probably the first time he’d seen her actually start to crack under pressure - and in all honesty, it was the last thing he needed right then. He was on edge too, but he knew they had to keep moving forward, or they would die.
Turning around, he grabbed the lapel of her jacket and with his other hand, gave her a firm slap across the cheek. Not nearly as strong as he’d hit her before in their playing around - but hard enough to draw her attention to the fact that he was almost nose to nose with her right then.
“Now you listen to me, and you listen to me good Jay-Bird,” he hissed in a voice that was both low and on the cusp of anger. “We don’t have time for this bullshit. We don't’ have time to sit here and panic about which way is back to civilization. Right now we need to keep moving, or eventually whatever is out there is going to try and find it’s way in here - and maybe - just maybe - it succeeds and we get ate the ******** up. I don’t want to die like that.”
He tugged at her then, pushing her toward the deeper darkness of the cave ahead. “We’re going to keep moving - one step at a time if that’s what it takes. We’re going to make it back, and we’re going to put our boots so far up the Warden’s asses they’ll be tasting leather for weeks.”
“Let’s go.”
---
The slap came suddenly and snapped Piypite off the ledge she was mentally standing on. Panic still covered her mind even as she stared wide-eyed into the shadowed outline of the male before her. He was right. He was right and thank her stars he was holding it together.
“I’ve already died once Ward. I’d rather not see that tunnel again for a long...LONG time.” Piy mumbled, doing her best to keep up with him. The ground was far from flat and she felt herself stumble several times, each making her reach out to grab Ward’s jacket as he continued forward. She wasn’t stable but in the meantime she was at least moving.
“You can have the Wardens…” Piy finally forced out. “I’m going to go hunting...he says we are monsters...I’ll show him what a monster can be.”
---
Good, she was moving - that’s all he needed right then. They’d been through enough that he wouldn’t drop her for dead weight - at least, not yet - and he could easily recall the time she’d been laying there, bleeding out and it was only the fact that the wardens had been there that had kept her alive - even if it had been a deal with the devil in the end. The power was nice though.
He didn’t move fast, taking his time to feel his way around the area and hope that they didn’t slip on the uneven ground. He kept the water jug in one hand, and at her comment about the wardens he snorted.
“Well, leave some for me too,” He said wrly. “Once we’re out of here I’m going to need to blow off all the steam.”
At least this hole was bigger than the last one - if only just. He managed to crawl through it, pushing the water ahead of him until the small tunnel spilled out into a larger chamber, lit by a soft purple glow from the various crystals on the walls and ceiling, catching whatever passed for light in this strange reality from a small hole in the roof. It would have been beautiful, were it not for the fact that the only way out looked to be across a thin natural bridge of purple crystal - it was almost as if they were in a large geode.
Ward moved to the bridge and looked it over. It was barely two feet across - and maybe ten long. He took a careful glance over the edge and winced.
It was a long… long way down.
---
Piy’s chest was grateful for the larger hole as she slipped through, trailing on Ward’s coattails. Stumbling into the larger chamber, those red eyes flashed to life as she gazed around. “Holy s**t.” Piy mouthed as she turned in a full circle, looking over the softly glowing stones. “You could make a killing selling this place…”
Mind to Money...go figure. But money made the world go round...though it seemed to lack the ability to stop her from slipping on a loss crystal and hitting Ward’s back when he stopped. Sliding down him, Piy turned her head, about to question things when she saw the blackness just in front of him.
Oh...right… Her mind flashed to an image of herself falling into that void and being lost to the world forever. The very idea of watching darkness overtake her vision was enough to cause her to shake. Inhaling, Piy grabbed a piece of the crystal for later, pocketed and rose.
“If you say ladies first, I’m pushing you off that tight rope myself…” Piy hissed, nerves shaking in the tone. Still she walked up next to him, her mind trying to shove out the images of dying, to gaze downward.
“After you, fearless leader.”
---
The words had been in his head, but taking a look at her, seeing how rattled her nerves were at how close to death they had come on several occasions, Wardite didn’t even bother to voice them even in jest. Piy was a complete wreck. He hadn’t seen anyone this shaken since that one a*****e’d gotten stabbed but...
“We’re not going anywhere until you calm your ********’ tits, Jay-Bird.” Wardite breathed in the purple light, before reaching into his jacket and pulling out a Starseed, holding it up so that it caught the light of the crystals around them. “Take it - get your head back on straight, and then we’ll go.”
The rest he stashed back in his jacket. Not wanting to risk losing them to the abyss below. The entire place almost seemed to breath. And when he noticed Piy pick up a loose crystal, he scooped up a few smaller ones of his own - money never hurt.
“If it helps, think of all the dosh we’ll be swimming in when we get out here,” He added. “More quid than you can count.”
He stood up slowly, keeping the water close, but not moving to cross until she took the seed and got her head on right.
---
Fingering the seed in her hand, Piy took a long deep breath, threw her head back and downed the crystal.
It felt calming to have the glass like object slide down her throat and the energy began to pulse through her body. Energy and strength flared to life and that twisted smile that made so many deem her crazy spread across her face.
“Thanks. I needed that.” Piy’s voice was light, playful as she licked her lips and walked up to Ward. Placing a kiss on his lips, she then took a deep breath and looked towards the crystal ‘bridge’. Glancing back at the male, she shrugged and put her foot up to test it. Finding the crystal ‘stable’, she put her full weight on it and began to walk.
---
With his cohort now relaxed, Ward was able to let out the breath he’d been holding. The kiss was a nice distraction - and had they not been currently running for their lives from monsters he would have probably pulled her back for more - but, priorities. He let her slip by him, watching as she began walking across the crystal that spanned the width of the gaping, glowing abyss below. Picking up the water he followed after slowly, knowing full well that he’d probably need to do the same as she had when they got to the other edge, if only to steady his nerves and keep him going.
They were burning a lot of energy - and it seemed like the air sucked it out of you like heat. The crystals continued to pulses and glow, casting an almost slow strobe effect against the entire scene. It would have been ******** trippy if they’d both been high as kites - but as they were both sober, well, one sober and one running on pure bliss energy - these things were less of an ordeal.
Thankfully, no horrible beast came tearing up from the seemingly endless expanse below, and once they were on the other side - Wardite stopped long enough to swallow a starseed of his own, shivering as he felt his body brim with energy. What injuries he had seemed almost… nothing to him now, and he rolled his injured shoulder testingly before lifting the water again.
“Next ******** monster we see I’m going to bash it’s god-damn skull in with a rock and ask questions later,” Wardite declared to Piypite as he looked around for a way out of the cavern. Thankfully, there was an opening in the rock face that seemed to lead up at a climbable angle, and was wide enough for them to crawl through without too much concern.
“Up is better than down, right?” Wardite said with a huff as he looked up the dark path, unsure if there was a light at the end of the tunnel - at least - he didn’t see one. But that didn’t stop him from pushing the water in front of him and slowly pushing his way up the slight incline toward the top of whatever this thing was. “This way to freedom - I think.”
---
“At least to open sky.” Piypite offered with a grin, looking around them. “No matter how much a girl wants to be showered in gems and riches, doing so while she can’t spend them is just rude. Half the run is knowing that you get a shopping spree later after counting!”
That starseed was just what she needed to take the edge off. Oh there was fear sneaking back in at the edge of her mind but it was easy to ignore as she eyed the top of the rock face. She had never been much of a climber as it meant she had to keep her nails short. But, when faced with light at the end or forever in darkness, Piypite picked up.
The climb was a pain in her side. Literally as much as figuratively. She had to dig her nails into so many rocks that most of them were broken if not snapped by the time she found her head popping out of the opening at the end.
Sticking a head out, Piy visually glanced around before she climbed out into the so called ‘light of the rift’. The coast appeared clear for now. They were on another side of the cliff face making her wonder if they had literally just gone ‘through’ the entire cliff.
“So now what…”
---
That was a very good question, one that he wasn’t entirely sure the answer of as he let the water come to rest against the ground as he looked out back toward what he was pretty sure the way they had come a few days before. It looked different from up high on the cliff face - but he was pretty sure he recognized a few landmarks from where they stood. Direction was hard to track in the Rift, and he realized that it was very easy to get lost if you weren’t sure of the way.
Getting lost would probably mean they died - regardless of if they had the water to make it back or not. The starseeds would give out eventually - and he hadn’t seen anything that even resembled food. The monsters did not seem like things that would be good for eating either - nor was he nearly desperate enough to try.
“We head that way,” He pointed at the way he thought was the right way. “We keep going until we get back to that crazy a** doorway and then we report to the nearest ******** human that our Warden’s tried to murder us.”
He wanted to spit - but realized that keeping the water was more important. Shouldering the container he started along the top of the canyon, trying to follow the path they’d walked from above as opposed to below.
“With any luck - we’ll avoid any more monsters up here…”
---
Torvil