Me and the Devil, Verse I

[Euripides]

12 FROST 120

The woman would never get used to the Warrens.

Her sentence had already run through the better part of a year, with another awaiting her. And yet — the Warrens remained a place of mystery and terror. The same terror that sat over her shoulders, holding her in place as her back pressed up against her comrade’s own. How had they come to this? She could easily, readily explain it, but the details were fuzzy even to her.

The cavernous expanse of the First Deep was supposed to be “familiar” territory. It would never be truly familiar; not with the way the landscape changed like it did. You might walk in one day and find yourself in a straight path that never turned or twisted, and then the next you were wandering through a labyrinth. The only thing you could hope for in the Warrens was being able to find your way back out. These thoughts never seemed to stop the arrogant Sky Guards and volunteers she might sometimes be paired with. It was true, they had some respect for the work they did, but it was more so a disregard for the legionnaires like her.

For the criminals.

She supposed the word fit her. She’d been tried and convicted, found a criminal by judge and jury. She could count herself lucky to not have been executed and that her sentence was as short as it was, but that changed nothing. That didn’t stop the ache in her chest, in her bones, in her head. Didn’t stop that tinny voice, high and excitable as it reminded her that this could be the day she died. She would soon forget how many days had passed at a time if she didn’t keep a tally. That was something she could hold onto, to keep her sane. Somewhat sane.

But, back to how she’d found herself in more danger than she was regularly in.

[Euripides]

The woman’s limp black hair fell over her shoulder as she turned her head. The hair tie she’d had previously had snapped; an ill omen. But she couldn’t voice any sort of superstition. Not with so many jittery conscripted legionnaires around her. They likely wouldn’t have hesitated to put her down if they thought she was somehow some kind of threat. Something skittered past the group of six and their sky guard; they jumped. Shoulders bumped together and curses were spat out from clenched jaws.

A sigh of relief left one young man, shoulder slumping as his gaze lingered on the backside of the rat that had stopped to look at them. Four beady eyes stared back at him, and the woman turned her head. There were more. Many more rats, all bearing a deformity or mutation of some sort, running as a torrent. They were like a river running its course. She shuddered at the thought, her skin crawling like maggots had finally broken the skin and gotten beneath it.

Under her breath, a prayer. To no one in particular; any that would take it and let her get through this day. Just one more, and she could figure out handling the next day. Her breath was a hollow sound in her ears she walked forward. Close to the others, but not close enough that they could touch her. Two punch-bruised eyes peered into the expanding cave that seemed to never end. She’d never been beyond the First Deep, and part of her wonders why. She’d made it all this time. Wouldn’t they think she could at least handle that?

Maybe then, she would die.

She didn’t like the swell of relief that hit her with that thought. But it came and it festered within her because it would be a relief. It would be an end. Beside her, Jieun pouted. She tried not to look. The girl remained in the corner of her vision, though. Kept time with her weak steps at the back of the pack. Her skirts billowed around her as she kicked at a rock, folded her arms over her chest. The woman shot another glance at the silky black hair, the lips pushed out. It was the same petulant look she used when the woman would be gone to perform somewhere else. Somewhere far to put as much distance between she and her heart’s yearning because nothing good could ever come of it.

Nothing good had come of it.

We’re always walking. Don’t we ever rest?

”No, we don’t.” One of her comrades looked back to her, brows furrowed. No one else had spoken, and she’d thought her voice had been low enough. The woman, scarred around the mouth and eyes, stared her down before turning back to the front. Behind her, the sky guard prodded her forward.

Jieun wouldn’t let up. Can’t we ask them to stop?

She pressed her lips together, forced herself to keep from answering.

They thought her crazy. She wouldn’t say that she blamed them. She knew it, as well as the others, that she was. She carried around memories of the dead like they were still living and yet — she couldn’t find it in her to let go. Jieun stared at her, brows furrowed and still pouting. She would stay that way until an answer was given. Or, until more rats would pass them by. Then, though, she would jump and release a cry before she latched onto the woman and buried her face in a cold neck.

Jieun was surprisingly warm for a dead woman.

The woman turned her gaze to the rear. Behind them, the terrain was much the same as ahead. Stalagmites rose toward the cave ceiling, like a lover reaching for its other half. She shut her eyes, focused. Took in a breath that whistled through her lungs. A cough pulled itself from her as she opened her eyes again, face scrunching up with the effort. The breath that left her carried a wheeze on it. Another comrade looked back. But she couldn’t tell if it was a concern for her or them on their face.

The sky guard halted them. Made them stop in the middle of an odd formation with a sparse amount of reaching rock formations. It reminded her of a grove of trees. She missed trees. She missed the sun and the moons. She missed not wanting to lay down and die as a hand wrapped around her lungs and took her breath. But she wondered why they stopped. Rest breaks came few and far between. Jieun flicked a pebble from a rock that looked like she could sit on it. The echo carried, and then struck something. Something fleshy and wet.

The woman’s gaze darted over to Jieun, who seemed to realize the same thing she did. The same thing everyone else did as the first of them was pulled away. A slithering tendril of flesh wrapped around the man’s leg. Latched onto him like it was the last thing it would do, and pulled. He was gone a second later. His screams echoed and the clank of his weapon being lost could be heard.

[Euripides]

It was hard to find your way back when everything looked the same.

The woman had learned that much when she’d first stepped into the Warrens. Look for landmarks, they’d instructed. Hold them in mind or there’d be no hope for you. It had pretty much been the first lesson she was taught, outside of how to hold her axe properly. Her small frame hadn’t been able to handle it, and at first that had been a source of a good laugh. But the laughter faded when they realized how utterly useless she was with the weapon. It was already too late for her to switch to another; she’d been pushed off into an expedition group into the Warrens soon after her hand had touched the battered handle. It’d been covered in dried blood.

The same axe sat heavy in her hand, made running harder than it had been initially. The bracers on her wrists knocked against bone. Her wrists were considerably thinner than they had been before. It was a wonder they still managed to stay on. She inhaled, choked on another wheezing gasp. Her steps faltered as her brows furrowed. The tip of her boot hit rock and she found the ground. The impact forced more air from her lungs. No one bothered to turn back for her. She figured as much. She pushed herself up after a moment, wondering if the tendrils of the Hungered would find her.

The few times she’d ever encountered the creature, only a few of the unit made it back. The sky guard included, survival was obtained through a careful readiness and a shrewd sense of knowing when to cut your losses. And when to retreat. This particular guard didn’t seem like he had either. He reached down for her, yanking her forward hard enough that she felt her shoulder would pop from its place.

“Hurry it up!” He seemed to be regretting helping her. As he should.

The only person you helped in the Warrens was yourself. She told herself that much as she got to her feet with his aid and ran to catch up with the others. Jieun was beside her again, skirts lifted to reveal pale white legs pumping to keep time. Her hair blew behind her, and the woman almost tripped again. There was a smile on her face. It dropped when their gaze met.

Something warm hit her leg. Trailed down her pants as it soaked into the fabric. She glanced down, then back. Her breath was a hollow sound as she looked at the Hungered, who looked back at her. Writhing masses of flesh and blood and muscles circled what might have been its mouth as the creature slurped up the entrails of the sky guard. It had been no more than a second, but it was really all that it had needed.

Of what hadn’t been devoured so soon was a broken array of limbs. Twisted arms and legs wrenched the wrong way. How had she not heard his cry? A tentacle curled around the guard’s head, squeezing down on it. The wet squelch of his skull cracking further filled the cavern. In the distance, faintly, were the screams of her comrades. Calling for her or the guard — she could not make it out. Her eyes were trained on the starved way the hungered devoured the sky guard. Teeth she couldn’t see tore into flesh through armor. The head finally popped, startingly her from her trance enough to make her remember she was running.

Metal clanked.

She was next on the menu.

And likely getting deeper into the territory of the creature.

She saw the heads of her comrades, who took off running once more at the sight of her. Stupid, every last one of the them. They ran as if they were headed to an exit but there was nothing ahead of them but rocks and the possibility of Second Deep. That would do them no better, and it was only likely that the creature they sought to escape would wander ing after them. Or await their return. But that was not what they were met with.

Its high walls, etched in an array of patterns, was only ever talked about. Read aloud from pages to units, and instructed to avoid with extreme caution. Because something worse than the Hungered lived within its majestic walls.

She started to pray again. It felt right, what with them being in front of the Temple of the High Ones.

[Mae Eloeth]

Lore:

Navigation: Look for landmarks
Survival: Work in groups
Survival: Look after yourself
Axes: The proper hold
Running: Look where you're going so you don't fall
Psychology: Hallucinations, both visual and auditory

Points: 5

Injuries/Ailments: Scrapes, bruises. Also adding muscle strain due to the situation. Likely won't be felt until much later due to adrenaline.

Loot: N/A

Notes: *aggressive bouncing* You know I'm in love with this storyline already. I'm curious to see if Jieun becomes a much larger story arch for her, her presence is certainly curious