43 The Bonds That Break Us (1/2)

Chapter 43: The Bonds That Break Us

Removing her eyes from the Dwarven Templar carcass on the wall, Nye turns to face a corridor. ”We should get moving. It's not safe to remain stationary for long here.”

”I think so too, better to bunk out of here, before we end up in a Kerfuffle like this sorry bloke here.”Solitaire agreed, keeping close behind Nye.

”We better stay ready for anything then.” Minerva said, drawing a bow from her quiver, and holding her bow to her side as she kept her eyes around the room, before taking up the rear to follow.

The trio made their way though a passage way ahead of them, trailing off into the darkness. Someone however had been clinging to the shadows and watched them disappeared deeper into the underground.

”Well, just as he said. Here they are, right on time.” The spider-like fiend of the cultists spoke with erratic optimism, as he was observing in silence from webbing above. ”Let the games begin then.” He said, slinking back into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Jackyn's group had reached their destination, standing at the edge of the chasm made by Pythagoras.

”This must be the chasm that fucker made when escaping.” Zyron glanced to it.

”Appears so.” Jackyn replied, still irritated from before.

”Lam dicemus?” Nikolai inquired.

”Would be hella easier if we understood what that fiend was saying.” Zyron grumbled, clearly uneasy about the monster.

”No shit.” Jackyn retorted, before jumping into the massive crevice in the ground.

”Hey!” Zyron gasped as he saw Jackyn take the plunge. ”Goddammit, what the fuck is he thinking!?”

”Ne sis metuis.” Nikolai snickered, before floating in after Jackyn.

”Not you too... Oh, fuck it!” Zyron begrudgingly leapt in behind them.

As Zyron reached the cavern below, he rose to his feet, looking to Jackyn and Nikolai ahead of him, and quickly followed after them. He took notice that Jackyn was fidgeting with a knife in his hand, which got him to thinking. Zyron placed his hand to the skull pauldron on his chest, allowing it to form into his staff. This caused Jackyn briefly glance at him.

”What? Safer to be armed in a place like this.” Zyron snapped.

”I didn't say anything.” Jackyn rolled his eyes, before proceeding further into the forced passage way.

Suddenly there was a blood curdling scream, echoing through the cavern. The voice was unrecognizable, but continued for several moments, before the voice seemed to recede volume.

”What the fuck was that?!” Zyron yelped.

Jackyn gave him an annoyed look. ”Would you stop yelling. Do you want to give our location away?” He growled.

”Well excuuuuuse me. Aren't you the least bit concerned that wasn't one ours?” Zyron retorted, through hushed tones.

”Not really.” Jackyn scoffed.

”How can you be so certain?” Zyron seemed surprised by the Dream Weaver's response.

”My kind can sense energy signatures. That wasn't anyone we have connection to. No point worrying, they're probably already dead anyway.” Jackyn stated, before leaping down to a lower level of the tunnel's path.

”Not even a vision of rain? That had to have been a quick kill then... Unless they escaped?” Zyron inquired, as he followed after him.

Nikolai wasn't close behind, but the reaper remained silent.

”Enough idle chatter, it doesn't matter one way or another.” Jackyn muttered, before picking up the pace to rush a swarm of fiends lingering ahead of them. Slaughtering any that got in his way. He was letting a trail of blood follow him as he executed the monsterswithout hesitation.

Elsewhere, Pneuma and Runfaust had already made their way into the entrance of the underground from the location Nye had sent them to. As they came through the passage into a chamber, where there appeared to be signs of a skirmish. Pneuma proceeded to look at the blood lightly coated on the cavern wall, where there also seemed to be rocks and dirt trailing to the cavern's ground.

”That scream definitely came from this direction.” Runfaust mentioned, as he followed Pneuma.

Pneuma crouched down, to examine droplets of blood among the debris. ”Indeed. There was definitely a struggle here recently. The blood is still fresh.” She mentioned, rubbing the red liquid together between her index finger and thumb.

”It's doubtful to be one of the others, so chances are we aren't the only ones down here. The question is who are they?” Runfaust crossed his arms, as he glanced to a trail of blood and more debris from broken out parts of the deep road's walls.

Pneuma nodded, placing her feet over the foot prints of the trail as she followed it. ”There was a fight, but judging by the markings it was on the defensive. Here they were knocked back into the wall, but the ground-” Motioning to the bottom of the wall was dirt forced away from it. ”-They struggled here, before-” She continued trailing after the tracks leading further in. ”-being knocked back once again. Then the droplets of the trail seems to be farther apart this way.” She said following it, and Runfaust kept a look out. ”They were running away? No...Chasing something, while avoid danger from behind?” She said, noticing a few other sets of tracks.

”What do you think?” Runfaust asked.

”Whoever it was, I doubt they're here willingly. Someone was fighting, but the trail goes deeper in.” Pneuma explained, as the two of them continue further into the underground.

There was a sudden pound ahead of them, causing Pneuma and Runfaust to quickly get closer. In the upcoming area, they saw Hige pinned up against the damaged rock wall, with blood trailing from his forehead down over his left eye. He was panting as he was leaned back against the wall, with a massive club nearly having crushed his body. It was stuck beside him in the wall next to his already bleeding side from the templar arrows not many days prior. The green oni fiend named Dharma was the one that had engaged him, smirking playfully as she looked to the wounded hare.

”Tee-hee. Gonna cry for me some more bunny-boy?” Dharma giggled.

”Screw you.” Hige wheezed, his one open eye peering over weakly to see the half-succubus, Leviathan, holding onto Hitomi by her massive claw hair. ”...Let her go...” He struggled to say.

Levi grinned, looking over to Hige, from her claw that coiled around the hypnotized Hitomi. ”I haven't finished playing with her yet though, she's so darling.” She said, licking Hitomi's cheek. Hitomi allowing it made Hige seem to gasp slightly as he continued to stare in disbelief. ”Awe poor boy, the look on your face, you realized she doesn't reciprocate your feelings, didn't you? You must feel so betrayed, and yet, how could you ever think this sweet little thing would fall in love with a eunuch? If you were an Amygdala, you'd probably die.” Leviathan chuckled, menacingly.

Hige's face suddenly shrouded in darkness as he formed a grin with fanged teeth as he started to snicker behind closed teeth. ”Kuhuhuhu.... I'm gonna kill you if you don't get your hands off Hitomi.” He stated eerily with that twisted grin on his face.

”Hige? Why is he down here?” Runfaust muttered under his breath in surprise, as he took notice of Shane's former associate.

Hige began to pull himself away from the wall, his eyes intensely focused on Leviathan. However, the spiked club was pried out by Dharma and immediately held in his path. ”Na-uh-uh~. Where do you think you're going?” Dharma giggled, licking her lips.

Pneuma watched as Runfaust withdrew multiple axes, before deciding to follow suit and unsheathed her bastard sword. Then without hesitation, the tall fiend rushed in, spinning his hand axes like a whirlwind. Dharma scrambled backwards, barely deflecting the blows with her over-sized club. Hige appeared stunned upon seeing Runfaust appear from nowhere, he was so shocked he couldn't even manage to force out a syllable. As he finally realized what was happening his single opened eye darted for his broken fishing rod laying on the ground not far from his feet. He was trembling as his facade crumbled, nervously turning his attention to Hitomi, still in leviathan's grasp.

Clashing of the bladed weapons striking the massive club continued to rumbled through his ears, finally turning to see the battle commencing between Dharma and Runfaust along with Pneuma.

”Hige, are you alright?” Runfaust inquired sternly, while keeping Dharma away from the hare with his duel weapons.

”Runfaust.” Hige muttered, his open eye beaming back to his beloved. ”Forget about me, the only one who matters is Hitomi. I have to save her!!”

”Don't be stupid, kid!” Runfaust shouted, as he watched the hare scoop up his broken rod, and thrusted the lure in the direction of Leviathan.

The string flew, ensnaring the succubus fiend's claw to force her grasp off the pink cabbit. Leviathan seemed caught off guard, as the girl was forced from her as the hare came running at her with a mad dash. Dharma's attention was suddenly pulled from them, as she focused her eyes on Leviathan. She was struggling to keep them off her at this moment, before eventually knocking away one of Runfaust's axes as she snapped back into focus. Two on one was clearly in their favor, however the oni wasn't giving up by a long shot. She leapt into the air, running along it as she briefly levitated above them, before slamming the club down to separate the duo with a mighty strike to the ground below.

The shaking of the ground complicated Hige's landing, allowing Leviathan to get him in her grasp. ”Kyu...” Hitomi muttered, as if in a trance, as her empty eyes met Hige's.

”Hitomi?” Hige shakily asked, just as the sound of crunching emerged. The claw held tightly around Hige's torso like an iron maiden, squeezing his ribs in tightly. ”GrahHHHHH!!!” He screamed out.

In another part of the tunnels, Nye's group had been proceeding further in when the cry of the hare echoed through the tunnels loudly. The Amygdala shifted her attention towards the loud release of agony. ”There's that scream again.” Nye noted seriously.

”What the bloody hell is going on?” Solitaire peered over, uneasily.

”Sounds like torture, perhaps we should investigate to make sure it's not one of our allies?” Minerva glanced to Nye.

”I can't be for certain, there is no visions of rain however. Not yet anyways.” Nye hesitated, gazing down the opposite tunnel where the pathway forked.

Solitaire furrowed her brows, ”Hey Nye, should we do as Minerva said then?”

”No. You two continue the path to Wynorex. I'll take a detour and figure out what that was. We'll regroup shortly.” Nye said, breaking from the group to follow the sound in the opposite direction.

”If you say so mate.” Solitaire grimaced, watching Nye part from then before looking to Minerva, who looked to her as well.

”I'm sure she knows what she's doing. She is the boss, right?” Minerva said to the pink haired Morphious.

”Hope you're right about that. Come on, we should be getting closer now.” Solitaire said, leading the way down the opposite path Nye took, as the party split in half.

The club came bashing into the wall, knocking a massive hole through in, as Runfaust weaved away from the strike. Pneuma came from the opposite side, slashing her sword at Dharma who quickly deflected it with her club.

The hare's feet were elevated above the ground as the massive green claw clutched to his ribs harder than before. He choked up a bit of blood, barely able to keep his one good eye open as he was stared down by the succubus fiend that held him. His eyes were growing wary as she clenched tighter, the faded vision of Hitomi sitting on the ground staring blankly through him.

”Hi...to...mi....” He tried to call to her, but he had groan too weak.

”Ahahaha, giving up already?” Leviathan chuckled, as her lips curled.