- First Blood -
Meanwhile, after taking the lobby door to the right, the rest of The Hidden Blades converse.
"Man, it's so dingey in here." Said Yuuna. "This hallway is so plain and gross, just a bunch of aura-lit torches and cobwebs!" She inadvertently walks into one. "Blergh! Gahh! It's in my mouff!! *Pthew* *Spew* *Spit* Oh my God!!! I hate this place!!"
"Shhh, be easy Yuuna." Said Max. "You never know what's around the corner in a place like this, and we do not want to alert the enemy should they be nearby."
"It is nasty though." Said Faith, taking her sandal off and pulling cobwebs out from between her toes. "Ugh damn, I'm gonna need a pedicure after all this. Can't let myself get jungle feet like Yuuna's."
"Heyy! It's more natural this way!" Yuuna replied. "Who knows what chemicals they put in nail polish, and you're gonna put that on your body?? Nope, not me!"
"That's fine but at least clean the dirt from underneath your nails, and would it kill you to trim those toe knuckles? People are gonna start mistaking you for the missing link!"
"This is a very awkward conversation to be stuck in between, and to be frank I think I will go on ahead." Said Max. "Wouldn't you agree, Pilet?"
"..."
"Pilet?" He continued. Max turns around, confused at the silence following his question. He notices that Pilet is nowhere in sight. *Gasp* "Oh... Guys? Where's Pilet?"
The girls turn and come to the same realization as Max. Yuuna holds her head in her hands in a panic.
"Holy cow, no way! We lost Pilet?!"
"Are you kidding me?!?." Exclaimed Faith. "Ugh that idiot! He probably went down the wrong corridor at some point, not paying attention as usual. And now we're down a teammate if we get attacked! Dammit!"
Max folds his arms, shaking his head in disdain.
"I thought it was too quiet back there, a very welcome change that was..."
"Well, let me at least try to call him." Said Faith.
She fiddles with her Chatch, a wrist mounted device which has largely replaced the modern cell phone in recent years. Finding Pilet's contact information, she sends him a phone call. The Chatch rings lowly for but a moment, before abruptly hanging up.
"What? Oh, damn it! There's no service inside this dusty old pyramid!"
"Well it can't be helped then." Said Max. "Pilet is on his own for now. Just the same, if there's anyone who can handle themselves alone, it's him."
"Fine." Replied Faith. "I'll leave him a text. Hopefully he'll get it whenever one of us gets service."
Just then, a subtle creaking sound is heard nearby.
"Huh?" Said Max "What was that?"
"I, I heard it too." Said Yuuna. "But I didn't see anything! Is it... Is it a ghost?!?"
"Oh stop, stop that right now." Replied Faith, reaching for her tome. "Oh God I hate ghosts, I absolutely hate ghosts. There's no ghosts here Yuuna, don't even talk about it. Don't even think about it!"
As the three argue about the mysterious sound, the blood curdling scream of a familiar voice is heard in the distance.
"Aaaaaaaagh!!!!" Cries the voice.
Max's right hand clutches his drawing sword.
"Let's move!" He said.
"Right." Replied Faith.
Yuuna trembles, but nods her head in agreement.
"We've gotta help them, no matter how scary. I can do this!"
They rush off down the long corridor. Bumping into the wall at the end and continuing down twists and turns, they follow the sounds of clanging metal and stone. Auric torches continue to light their way as they approach, until they see a broad path that was already lit by the presence of another group.
"There!" Said Yuuna, pointing at the pre-lit corridor in the distance.
They rush to the corner of the corridor, hearing pistol fire and war cries but unable to see the action taking place. Just as they are about to round the corner, they hear the sound of ripping flesh and a gurgling cough. They reach the corridor; but as they do, a fleshy mass the size of a bowling ball flies by Max's head. His reflexes kick in, as he smoothly dips out of the way of the projectile. But a spray of blood follows the mass and splatters all over him and the Sierro sisters as it passes. The mass bounces off of the wall behind them, and continues to roll until it stops at Faith's feet. The severed head of Martin Monroe, of the Cobalt Killers team lies before them; with a look of sheer agony frozen onto his lifeless face.
Faith stands before Martin's remains, stiffened to the bones at the gruesome sight. She feels her stomach bottom out, and her gag reflex nearly upchucks a hearty breakfast of Flarepheasant eggs.
"Oh God... Oh no..." She said.
They turn to see a long legged, spider like creature with sharp stone claws holding up the body of Martin in front of it. A green, glowing auric rune shines beneath its underbelly. The hide appears to be of some form of stone, with articulate joints fashioned between its many legs. Behind it lies the bodies of Samantha Wendigo and Medhi Balma, and further down Kenny Brown can be seen dual wielding two papercut longswords by himself against a second spider-like foe. The creature before them smashes the headless body into the ground beneath it, as pools of blood rush from forth like a geyser from the decapitation site.
"What, is... that?..." Said Max in shock.
"Get ready." Said Faith, reaching slowly for her tome. "That's the one thing I was hoping not to see..."