"Alone, yes." He nodded slightly, lowering his hand after a moment. "I think. I hide from the others. They...they took me away, made me work. Then they were gone and they didn't come back. Left a few here to guard and watch."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Nikolai had thought he was done for when the beast chose to target him. Maybe it was because Raptor was wearing metal armor and didn’t look like a great meal, or because the old man was already just skin and bones. Either way, he was in trouble.
But it was his instincts that saved him.
It took a moment to react because of the shock, but within moments he was leaping away, diving to one side. Nikolai had escaped the monster’s jaws, and he was a little wobbly on his feet when he landed, but he’d gotten away. In fact, the move had felt somewhat familiar to him, like he’d learned how to dodge attackers. He was pretty sure he couldn’t fight back too well, but maybe he wasn’t nearly as clumsy as he’d thought he was. That was something.
It wasn’t time to celebrate yet, though. This had just barely started.
Nikolai started backing up, trying to keep distance between himself and the beast. But the direction he was heading meant that very soon, he was going to end up trapping himself against the wall or in a corner. And then it’d be over for him.
And that’s when he looked at Raptor, alarm and terror in his wide green eyes. He knew it was a great risk to take his gaze off the creature, even for a heartbeat— but he couldn’t help that Raptor was the one he’d turn to. It was like a silent cry for help.
Democracy dies in darkness. Also at 4:30PM in Pacific Standard Time, apparently.
Nikolai was getting attacked. The old man, still a little distance away, would probably be the monster's next target if it got tired of Nikolai, or if it killed-
Raptor pushed the thought away. No. He wasn't going to let himself finish that sentence. He only knew how to fight when he was clicking his mouse, but instinct took over. He rushed over to Nikolai as fast as someone wearing armor could.
"Hey!" Raptor shouted as loud as he could with a courage he didn't even know he had. "Over here, you-you-"
He didn't know how to finish his sentence, but a memory - an older one from when May still lived at the camp - popped into his head. He remembered her mentioning a hellhound attack near the camp. And while he didn't remember the entire story, he did remember that May had insulted it by calling it a-
"-big ugly dog!"
He was the one with the armor and the potion. He could handle the monster swiping at him; Nikolai couldn't. He held up his axe and looked right at the monster, taunting it to attack him instead.
Aumrauth watched as Ainsley ran off to go be emotional with an annoyed slow-blink, and continued to watch Mel follow after him (though, delayed) with the same expression.
When both of them disappeared into one of the tunnels, Aumrauth rolled his eyes and looked over to Elias.
"He's probably just sad because I hurt his feelings," Aumrauth said in a mocking tone.
"You do have a rather sharp tongue," Elias observed. "But we are stuck down here together. The least we could do is get along." They'd get along fine without this buffoon getting himself into messes every five minutes.
***
The dog-thing whirled, facing Raptor. Its bony tail lashed, and it leaped at him next, going for his legs.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Raptor had hoped the monster would lunge at him, but his confidence vanished the moment it turned away from Nikolai.
Oh my God, Raptor thought. I'm going to die.
He stumbled back. His footing lost, Raptor went crashing down to the ground. But he hadn't gotten far enough back before falling; the monster's claws cut through his armor's chest plate like it was butter. The sharp tips started to penetrate what was underneath the armor, too, but there wasn't any flesh for them to get caught on.
But it hurt so bad.
Raptor gave a cry of pain, scrambling back and trying to get a better grip on his axe so he could protect himself. He wasn't dead yet. He could survive. He had to survive. Nikolai needed him. May was waiting for him.
He couldn't let himself die.
He swung the axe at the leg closest to him, hoping it would hit.
It connected. There was hardly a sound as the creature's leg was severed, and then it was howling in agony. It stumbled back, baring its teeth as it whined and whimpered. Blood gushed from the wound onto Raptor, steaming.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
As everything plunged into chaos, Nikolai felt dissociated and disconnected from reality. It seemed to him like he was watching events from outside his body. Raptor was standing by his side, taunting the monster. Maybe that armor of his would keep him safe—
The beast pounced, claws tearing right through the metal.
He heard Raptor cry out in pain, and although his heart had been racing, it skipped a beat at the sound. Nikolai let out a sound somewhere between a gasp and a shout. He couldn’t see how badly Raptor was hurt yet, because of the creature blocking his view, but he knew it had to hurt badly. He had to buy some time before it attacked again.
Turning away, Nikolai scrambled to open his bag, fingers clumsily searching inside for what he needed. He was probably about to make the most stupid decision in his life right here, and it was almost certainly doing to get him killed, but maybe it would give Raptor a fighting chance. He heard the dog-like monster howling in pain, and he hoped that meant it was hurt.
He pulled out one of the marble-like blue orbs.
“Hey!” he shouted, not having time to think of an insult like Raptor had. “Look this way!” He threw the glass ball at the wounded creature, hoping it would turn around and be distracted from Raptor. It would also probably kill Nikolai, but at least he wouldn’t have to worry about that for very long.
However, it didn’t go the way he expected it to.
There was a cracking sound as the glass shattered on impact, and then a dazzling, brillant blue light engulfed the beast. The glow didn’t reach him or Raptor, but it was bright enough that it hurt his eyes. Nikolai covered his face with his forearm and turned away from the blast of light.
Democracy dies in darkness. Also at 4:30PM in Pacific Standard Time, apparently.
The beast dropped like a rock, eyes rolling shut even as its severed stump poured blood in a pool around its body. It was breathing shallowly, but it no longer appeared to be conscious and certainly wouldn't be getting up any time soon. The old man, breathing hard, stared at Nikolai in awe.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Ainsley paused a moment to take in what the man had revealed. There were others here before his group, and the man had said they had left a few behind to keep what. But of what?
"To keep watch for what? Why would they keep you here?"
The man went silent, shaking his head. He shut his eyes tightly and retreated a few steps, but he did lower the pickaxe this time.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Raptor stared at the fallen monster, steaming blood seeping through the gash mark in his armor and dyeing the bones underneath red in uneven splotches.
The light that had enveloped the monster when Nikolai threw one of the orbs had been so bright that Raptor hadn't been able see anything for a moment. When his vision finally had cleared, he was faced with the sight before him now.
He unsteadily got to his feet. He was vaguely aware that the monster's claws had cut through some of his bag's strap earlier.
"Is it..." Raptor started. He hesitated when he saw the monster's chest rising and falling. The orb must have knocked the monster out. Raptor faltered, glancing between Nikolai and the monster. He was so caught up in the moment that he completely forgot about the gaping hole in his armor.
After a pause, Raptor walked over to the monster. He stopped beside its head, axe tightly gripped in his hands.
"Should I..." He glanced back at the monster's neck before turning to Nikolai again. "...kill it?"
It was clear the man didn’t want to speak any more on the subject, and Ainsley wasn’t going to push it. Trying to get the man to deliberate any further wasn’t a good idea; the trust between the two was already veil-thin. Ainsley didn’t want to jeopardize that.
He fiddled with the ring he wore on a chain around his neck, a bit unsure.
“Are you hurt, or sick? If you’d like, I can take you back to my friends. One of them is a doctor, he may be able to help you.” Ainsley knew inviting the man to join his team was a risk. He didn’t check with anyone else if it were okay, nor was he completely sure what would happen if the man agreed. But he couldn’t leave the man behind without doing anything.
“You don’t have to search for the heart with us,” he clarified.
"I'm hungry," he mumbled. "Do you have food?" He didn't seem particularly inclined to interact with anyone other than Ainsley, but he had relaxed now that the subject of the heart had been dropped.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
