Going Deeper

[Jay Carpenter]

Jay followed Nox to their feet where he stopped the man’s pacing with a grab of the arm.
“You’re telling me that you feel it in your body when they die?” he asked, pointing down the corridor.
“That is fucked up, Nox. What the hell? he said. How was that even possible? Some sort of trick of the magic? Jay knew that he was able to summon the beasts closer. It was how they were able to kill so many of them without chasing each and every critter down. He just assumed it had to do with the power and monster-hunting knowledge from his life before. But why did he feel it?

Then Jay stepped back as a sick realization sank in. His attention narrowed on Nox’s arm. He’d known about the amputation. Obviously, the replacement was a prosthetic. But he knew that something awful had happened that led to all this.

Jay was drunk as hell so he was a little slow on the uptick. He rubbed his forehead like it may help his thoughts piece together faster.
“Are you one of them? Is that what this is leading to? We kill them all together until you’re the last one and then what? You want me to off you last?” he asked. He wasn’t sure if he was more shocked that he hadn’t put it together before or if it was just plain shock.

[Nox]

Nox stopped pacing when Jay's hand touched his arm. He didn't look at the intrusion of his space, or the man himself. The hoard pulled at him to fill their instincts. Do fall down their trap. Nox wasn't sure how to explain it, how to tell his friend that yes and no he was that monster. But it was when the realization finally dawned on Jay that his words stung and Nox turned to look at him with horror stricken face. "I would never ask you to kill me. Killing a friend no matter how honorable and promised it was is horrible thing to ask of a friend. Trust me I've had to follow through with my promise to kill a friend."

Nox sighed. "There are scientists and doctors insuring me that I'm not infected with the parasite. But whatever gives them the ability to do the hive mind, I have. I feel what they feel. If I'm not careful I can be drive by their instincts -- the three 'f's: fight, feed and fuck. Though their not really going for the fuck more the procreate, spread at all costs."

Nox was down here to kill the monsters, not to kill himself. "I'm not down here to die. Just keep the people safe. " Nox looked down at the hand on his arm. He wasn't going to jerk away. He didn't want to give his friend any reason to kill him.

[Jay Carpenter]

Any day someone doesn’t ask you to kill them was a good day. Which meant today should be counted as one of the good ones. Good thing Nox didn’t ask what Jay would have done if that had been the case. Friends dying around him was one thing. It fucking sucked. Worse than when you had to talk to the family since you were a ‘friend.’ Killing your friends took a special dose of fuckery pills to even think about it. The closest Jay ever came to wanting to kill a friend was Axel, who ended up dead anyway. Suffice to say, he was relieved to be off the hook. It didn’t mean Nox wasn’t suffering through. Every one of the dead mutant fucks sent shockwaves through his friend.

“Guess that means only one thing. We need to hurry our asses up and finish this then you can feed and fight and fuck guilt-free when we get topside again. What’s the best way to do it that isn’t too, uh, distracting for you?” Slice off the head? Air bullet to the brain? Probably should stop popping heads and burning them alive. Actually, that last one was probably a good idea to give up anyway. Roasting the bitches fucking stunk like ass.

[Nox]

Nox smiled despite the despair that rolled through his brain. That's what he liked about Jay -- the no non-sense bullshit was no where to be seen. "First, I need real food, more than just the fucking jerky I've been gnawing on since we started this."

Still traveling rations were not exactly better than the jerky or even considered real food. Jay probably had better food with the military and the Legion as they had the money to spend on those fast cook meals for field work. Nox could have pushed for the Ascendancy to buy some, but he did it his way. The way his father had taught him years ago. He'd lived so long like that it didn't really matter anymore to him. He still cooked better and ate better when he could, but simple was the easiest.

Nox folded his legs under himself with the grace of a cat and started pulling a can of beans, some hard cheese and bread and an apple from the bag. "It's not pretty, but it's more than just protein and hard to chew meat." Nox fished two bowls from the pack as well.

Three deep breathes later Nox reached through the putrid covering of the dark light below and used his gift to open the can and then heat the beans before letting the power blink out. It still felt great to hold the power, even after the gross thing the hoard had done to his gift. But that was not something he could explain to anyone else. Nox poured half the can into a bowl and then offered it to Jay with a torn hunk of bread and cheese to go with. "I have more apples if you want one too." He didn't offer one up as fruit seemed a stupid ration to keep on hand. But it was all part of what his Mom added to their meals. Sometimes she would have even gone gathering for mushrooms and berries and other edibles in the wilderness they found themselves in. He missed his mom. It had been five years since she'd left this earth for the beyond. And he missed her more on trips like this.

Nox didn't rush as he ate. The hoard fought for their mere existence, and they feed as if this was their last meal, or their brethren would take it from him. It was just as much a mental challenge as it was a physical one. But Nox ate slow and concise and ignored their instincts the best he could, though they drew near the walled off barrier in their angst to feed. The prey was dwindling -- hopefully that meant an end to the tunnels. A end to the hoard would soon follow. They could only hope.

"Maybe we are nearing the end, maybe not. But dead is dead. Just kill them. It hurts no matter what. Though I do prefer not to choke on invisible smoke and flames. The smell makes it worse." Nox said between bites.

[Jay Carpenter]

They were sitting in an actual horror movie. One that Jay would definitely have gone to see. The walls of power held the monsters at bay, but their noise echoed like a ravenous mob bursting through any moment. And there were two idiots sitting in the tunnel chowing down on a snack just moments from a horrible demise worse than death.

Fuck that sounded like a good movie. Jay smirked as he ate, basically taking everything that Nox offered. Even a bruised apple wasn’t turned away.
“It’s better than MREs that’s for sure. You’re not used to it and you’ll be shitting rocks for a week. Plugs you up till you can’t walk straight,” his smirk said he wasn’t lying. 
“Trust me. I lived on that shit for years, you know,” he nodded between savory bites of cheese. How did Nox keep all that food from spoiling for however long they were down there? Some magic trick probably.

“I’ll try to think of some more creative ways to kill the little fuckers a bit cleaner,” he said, contemplating the flows to pull out something’s spinal cord like ripping off a band aid. That would probably be quick. Stays away from the carotids. So the blood spewing should be more contained. No fire needed.

[Nox]

Nox chuckled at Jay's creative way of talking about their food. He'd never had an MRE. Never lived the military life. This this was his life more so than not. "Not much better here. Grew up on it. And whatever we could forage and hunt in the middle of backass nowhere America." Much of the world was cities now, but there were still places humans had yet to ravage. And Nox had grown up in most of them. There was no hunting down here, you had what you brought with you, and Nox could only hope they had enough to get out of the underground before they starved.

The hoard grew restless. Which meant their pickings were just as slim. Hopefully that meant the end. Whatever hell hole they would find at the end. Something made these tunnels. Something had burrowed deep with in and it wasn't man kind. These were natural walls, like walking through the bowels of some supernatural creature too large to understand the depth and breadth of the thing. It made Nox shudder.

He wanted a nap. But more he wanted to be topside and in the arms of the man he loved. Fucking sleep would be nice, he thought to himself.

Food replenished his energy. And the hoard pulled at that darkness. They wanted out, wanted to hunt. but his control was absolute and they fought amongst themselves. They could end it now. How much deeper did the tunnels go? Would it be worth it? But Nox pressed on again. "I don't know how deep this goes."

And they walked and fought with the hoard until the earth grew warm around them. The air was scorching their skin. They weren't deep enough to reach this type of heat. But there were creatures that burrowed into the depths, few were seen, and fewer had been killed. Most lived in the depths of the ocean far from human eyes, but a few lived near active volcanos, this one was no where near either. Nox had never seen one, but that was clearly a Cherufe.

The cavern was lit by the pool of magma, the small nest of creatures lay on the far side, the hoard hovered near the edge of the pool waiting, wanting to cross but hesitant. They weren't so stupid as to cross the magma, even with food waiting on the other side. There was no other entrance, this was the last place. They had finally reached an end. "I can force them in to the lava. No more fighting. It'll be over." The pain of the remaining hoard might render him unconscious, burning alive was not fun, even if it wasn't his own skin burning and peeling and melting...

[Jay Carpenter]

Energy and the promise that this might be over soon fueled their limbs to action. Both men were soon throwing themselves back to the darkness, illuminated only by the flames of their own fires. The scene was hellish and both were reaching their limits. There was no choice to continue; push on or sit down and die, and at least for Jay, his ass was too stubborn to die today.

Sweat slicked both of their bodies. Jay had to signal more and more often to stop for water. That was when he realized that the fight wasn’t growing more intense, it was the air that grew hotter. The tunnels were long ago tunnel-shaped. They were fighting through caves now. That was the only reason he knew they hadn’t reached the surface on the other side of the planet. But what made the air want to boil?

The horde had retreated through a wedge in the cave. It was large enough that they could stuff themselves through if they turned side-ways and proceeded one at a time. But it was scary as shit. Like a horror movie. The cragged slit may as well been a portal to hell. With the heat and blackness, the howls of the horde retreating through the other side, Jay was more than happy to let Nox go first. Besides, Nox was able to push the horde through so they could safely follow.

When Jay climbed out the other side, the effects of the heat slammed them both. A cavern was lit with a fiery glow from a stream of lava (the fuck?!) and it was so hot Jay had flashbacks of the Sahara. Except he wished for someplace as normal as the Sahara..

That was when he saw it. The last of the horde in all their fucking glory. They hissed and howled, trapped between their hunters and something on the other side. It looked like a giant iguana but its scales were black as obsidian. It swallowed some of the smaller creatures in a single bite, but the larger creatures were too distracted by their imminent demise to fight back.

“Do it,” Jay fought around Nox, protecting him from any charging creatures while he drove the bastards into the lava.

[Nox]

Nox braced himself for the multitude of deaths he was about to feel. He swallowed deep and then sent the command to push further into the lava.

There was a resistance to the command, the hoard's instinct was to survive. It was a fight of wills, but some of the weaker minds dashed into the lava without hesitation. They screamed a horrifying sound that pierced through the air and shook the rocks around them, but it shattered inside of Nox's mind as the whole of the pain flooded his body. He looked down to find that his feet were alive and well and not a melty pile of goo as they felt from the creatures.

Nox sent the command again, and more followed the brethren but more slowly, they still fought and Nox held on as their feet touched the molten lava and the screams began.

Sweat poured off of Nox's forehead, the heat, the pain, the exertion from sending the remaining hoard to it's death straining his resolve.

Nox collapsed to one knee and a hand on the ground and he pushed his will harder into the remaining hoard. They all obeyed save one and the howls and the stench of their burning bodies filled the cavern and the cherufe looked on as the hoard piled into the pool of lava save one...

Nova yipped at Nox's feet. It wasn't that Nova's will was strong, but Nox's was weak. This was the last of his family. The last of what his sister had love. A tear slide down his cheek as he whispered "I'm sorry my friend." He sent the command but Nova did not go. His former companion yipped again and Nox felt the tears flowing as he stood up. One more... one more... He couldn't think about who it was. Or what he was about to do as he picked up his former puppy by the scruff of his neck and with tear filled eyes and as much strength as he could muster he flung the mutated dog into the fires and as the pain scorched his body in phantom pains Nox bent over and hurled.

Nox collapsed to the ground in silent sobs. His body wracked with the pain of the deaths, and the hardest thing he had to do since killing Aria. There was a simple thought he heard echo in his head. His father's voice... You could end it here...

[Jay Carpenter]

As the last of the horde plunged to their deaths, the hungry fire lizard thing was deprived of its dinner. It was as big as a crocodile, and Jay barely noticed its proximity until it was nearly within ankle-biting reach. Or in the case of its huge maw, within leg snatching reach.

The magic stretched his skin from the inside out, and on he hurled everything he could think to craft at the fire croc. Unsurprisingly, balls of fire bounced off its thick hide without damage. Razor sharp blades of magic barely left a dent.

It was charging now, eyes fixed on a crunchy human. Jay threw up a wall of air to at least deflect the beast, but he knew even if he plopped it into the lava, it would crawl right back out again. Behind him, Nox was wrestling in his own head. Torture twisted his face.

Jay wanted to go to his friend and dispatch the final creature for him, but the fire croc was relentless. It already found its way around the edge of Jay’s shield and was on the charge once more, but this time it had eyes for the other human. One now collapsed to the ground. Apparently easy pickings. Jay recognized the lure tempting Nox to end the pain. He had to get to him before he did something about it.

How the fuck do you kill this thing? Jay put himself between Nox and the predator, and hurled a wad of air at its head. The force of the throw knocked it back a few steps, but it shook out its senses and charged again.

Jay threw another wad of balled up air, but the strain made him see stars. He could only make the boulder so big, never being the best at manipulating those types of forces. But it was enough to flip the beast its onto its back. Like an overturned turtle, it struggled to right itself and Jay bought a few seconds.

He rushed to Nox and basically manhandled him by the collar to his feet and all but dragged him to the crevice they’d crawled through to reach the cavern. “Not today, brother,” he said and all but shoved him through.

That left Jay the last thing between the fire croc and their escape. He was done with air, though, and plunged the rest of his strength into the earth. Pulling down the cavern was probably going to crush them both with it, but he could think of no other way to stop the creature except to crush it.

[Nox]

The voice in his head gave Nox a reminder of the things he believed in. He would be nothing like his father. Jay's hand at the back of his neck and tug on his shirt he blinked through the tears and scrambled with Jay barely noticing the jaws of the beast still fighting to chomp its next meal.

It wasn't until the earth above them started to give way that Nox pulled himself back and growled at himself.

While Jay brought the cavern roof from the room they'd fled down, Nox reached into the earth and pushed as much strength and power as he could muster into the earth around them, and the caverns structure shoring up the bits as they broke. He felt farther then he'd ever felt before. The earth pulled at him like it was home. Faint memories trickled through his mind nothing that he caught, but the feelings of old, worship and power washed over Nox. The allure was intoxicating.

The rumbling stopped, the earth no longer shook. All strength, all power fled from Nox as he collapsed to the ground exhausted on his ass then flopped backwards and sprawled out on the cave floor. The air was dramatically cooler with the vent closed off. Unmoving but concerned. "You okay?"