The Cave

Kratzer ran forward, sprinting across the sand with some difficulty but sufficient speed. She looks shocked when she sees him and just stands there in surprise as he sweeps her off her feet in an embrace. The newcomer doesn't resist - she just seems to be baffled and taken off guard.

"...Silberfuchs...?" she murmurs, voice barely audible.

"I thought you were dead, love," he replies, holding her close. "Viper..."

"But...Boomslang...how...?" she looks up at him, tears standing in her eyes as she traces a finger down his cheek. "I...I watched you..."

"Hush, darling," Kratzer shakes his head and caresses her cheek. "I'm here now, aren't I?"

"I need..." she snapped her fingers together, trying to put it into words, "minerals. Crystals are optimal, but I could make do with lots of things."

Adeline glanced down at her first finger and thumb and frowned at a small hairline fracture.

"Yer tellin' me," said Kendrik, walking through the banner. He turned his head, closed his eyes, and focused on his hearing. Other than the dripping of water, and what might have been some faint rustling up ahead, he couldn't hear a thing. "Guess it's empty?" Kendrik said, opening his eyes and shrugging. He gestured to the bioluminescent moss scattered around the cave walls, which gave everything a faint green and blue glow. "That's nice. At least we ain't blind."

Jaron, meanwhile, crouched next to one of the posts holding up the banner. He'd spotted something metallic in the earth. Brushing aside the dust with his hand, he pulled up what he was reasonably sure was a gun. It looked a lot smaller and simpler than the ones he was used to, but he knew a gun when he saw one. He'd nearly been shot with one, after all.

"What happened here?" he mumbled.

Spoiler

Yeah, it's a handgun, Jaron's more familiar with muskets and rifles.

Lucifer awkwardly stood off to the side, unsure of how to join in with the conversation going on. It was more private than any of the others he had heard during his time in this strange place, and he felt guilty just for being present.


Kartiel nodded, already scanning the walls of the cave for the items in question. "Is there a specific type, or do any of them work?" He had never heard of something like that before, but he was talking to a woman made out of glass. There were some things he just had to accept.


Reyes held his chain-sickle ready as they approached the town. Once Jaron discovered the handgun, Reyes decided that it was best to actually investigate what the town was like. Kendrik could say that it was empty, but he needed to see some sort of proof. There had to be an explanation for this place. Maybe it was never inhabited. Unlikely. Maybe it was. More likely. And maybe, just maybe, there was a ghost or two kicking around that he could talk to.

"If you guys notice anything bizarre, could you let me know?" he questioned, peering in through the open door of the closest building. No ghost there, at least not at first glance. "Like things moving on their own, mysterious creaking noises in buildings - that sort of thing?"

"And what's this last charge? What is it you want to do?"

He kept the grim and bitter smile on his face. "I need to kill a Goa'uld named Kek. The charge was given to me when I was helping the people fighting against his oppressive rule. Now all of them have been wiped out, and it's just me left."

James let his gaze slowly drift away from looking at Maahes's bitter smile.

"Wow. I'm sorry," he said solemnly.

"Thank you," he said, and he truly meant it. Then his smile faded a bit; it wasn't exactly something he could smile over, though it did make him feel slightly better about the situation. "I'm just...I'm just happy to know that I'm going to be the one to finally kill him. I was always going to help, but I think it'll feel like the ending I need from this."

"It would be resolution. For you. You would get to return home, right?"

"I do," he said, smiling. "I haven't been there in years. Seven, I think? It was thousands the last time, but I really miss it. Living here...living here isn't exactly the most comfortable way for me to live."

"If you don't mind me asking, how so? What makes your home different?"

"Kratzer...what...?" she asked, searching his face.

The German shook his head. "Don't worry about it, love. I'm alright. Are you?"

"Same as always, Silberfuchs."

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I was on a job, just...found this place I guess. Came here because of the storm. Where is 'here?'"

"No idea," he answered, shaking his head. "None of us know, really."

Her gaze wandered down the beach, landing on Lucifer and studying him for a few moments. "Another demon...?"

"What ain't weird 'bout this place?" Kendrik said. He understood the request - and he could hear something like rustling in one of the more distant buildings - but everything about this town set him on edge. The ruined homes, the strange equipment scattered around, the banner. His hackles rose, his ears twitched, and he kept close to Jaron, who had let go of Kendrik's hand and was now approaching a tall metal pole with a cone stuck on top.

"There's somethin' over there," Kendrik called to Reyes, pointing to the building in the distance. "It's -" he was immediately drowned out by the cone over his head, which screeched distorted music when Jaron tapped the pole. The fox fell on the ground, covering his ears to block the din of the trumpets and drums. Kendrik, startled, kicked at the pole. At least the music stopped, though he spent the next minute clutching his foot, hopping around, and swearing.

Spoiler

Yeah, it's a speaker, or whatever those things are called. There's a couple scattered around town. I wonder why?

Adeline scoured the cave walls.

"Any clear substances like quartz should do."

She dropped to her knees to search a creavice and heard a muffled shatter. Wincing, she kept searching and ignored it, not taking time to assess the damage.

"A human probably wouldn't get it," Maahes said. Then, when he realized how mean that could sound, hurriedly added, "Not that that's a bad thing! It's just, uh, hard to understand if you haven't been there. There's not exactly a specific point where my home begin or ends. And there's not exactly a point where I begin or end there, either. It all just flows together, if that makes any sense?"

No, that would only confuse James. He needed a better explanation. Something that, once he said it, would make everything else become perfectly clear. "I'm made up of a thing call essence. It's this weird gelatinous thing, and that's what everyone like me is made of. We live in this place where everything is like that. And because we only have to take on a form here, we all kind of mush together? It's really chaotic, but also really beautiful."


"Hi," he nervously said, giving a shy little wave. "I'm Lucifer."


Reyes tried his best not to laugh, but he couldn't help it when a snicker or two escaped his lips. In the hope that Kendrik hadn't noticed, he approached one of the poles and stared up at it. "Haven't seen one of those in a place like this before," he commented, hesitantly touching it.


He paused upon hearing the noise.

"Please don't tell me that was you breaking," Kartiel said.