Act IX

by Alexander Gordon

  “That’s why we’re out here,” Kroanette spoke walking around to the ant girl’s side. “There is much we wish to change in this world and bring to light with all the races of Eden. We’re not your enemies. In fact we wish to help you.”

  The ant girl showed a puzzled expression and squeaked something at her before seeing Daniel watching her with Squeak held close to him.

  “Please, can we at least talk?” he gently requested. “Let me explain who I am and why we’re out here. If you really think of me as a fool after that then so be it, but let me at least try to show you what could be a better future for both of us.”

  The ant girl glanced around at the group then looked at him carefully and squeaked something.

  “Does that mean you’ll listen to what I have to say?”

  She slowly nodded while wiping the blood from her nose. Moving closer to sit before him she raised an eyebrow in question, seeming to wait for whatever explanation he had for her. Holding Squeak in his arms, and with her resting her head on his shoulder while appreciating how he cared for her, he began speaking to the newcomer in hopes of convincing her humans could be more than just ‘seed sacks’ to her people.

  While he spoke to her, with Squeak squeaking now and again as if adding in her own support for his words, the other girls all looked around at their current situation of being deep underground in a softly lit cavern.

  “Well,” Clover reluctantly spoke up. “Even if he does convince them to join our cause, we still have the little issue of being stuck down here now.”

  “How did we get down here in the first place?” Alyssa asked.

  “Through there,” Clover answered pointing to a pile of rubble and debris next to the wall.

  “I don’t think we’re going back that way,” Specca reasoned shaking her head.

  “We’ll have to go through there somehow,” Triska said pointing deeper into the cave. “Looks like the carriage should be able to fit between those rocks.”

  “No telling where it leads,” Specca worried. “And if the ant girls really are leveling the surrounding land with their bombs we could be crushed from above at any moment too. This is a rather bad place to be on all accounts.”

  “I don’t want to be down here anymore,” Luna whined backing up towards some boulders in the dark. “It’s scary down here.”

  “Luna, stop,” Clover ordered. The girls looked to her in question as she was holding a hand out towards the butterfly. “Don’t take another step back.”

  “Why?” Luna slowly asked.

  “Because you scare easily and I don’t want you freaking out if you go any further.”

  “Why would I freak out? What’s behind me?” Luna whimpered while shaking.

  Triska peered around at the dark behind Luna, seeing only a few large rocks resting against the wall. She then slowly glanced around the area as something started to feel off to her. The way the rocks were clumped together seemed strange, almost like there were some patterns to them that stones wouldn’t naturally make. Although her vision wasn’t great in the cave even with the phosphorus walls providing some illumination she could tell something was wrong with what she was seeing.

  “Clover, what do you see around us?” she carefully asked. “What’s behind Luna?”

  “Okay,” Clover cautioned them. “Now, before you freak out-”

  “Why do you keep starting your explanations like that?” Specca worried. “That’s not making us feel any better.”

  “The last time you said that we ended up being lost deep underground,” Alyssa mentioned carefully. “What else could possibly be wrong with this?”

  “WOW!” Cindy exclaimed from the carriage doorway. The group saw the wraith skipping merrily out into the cavern while spinning about, eyes of wonder gazing at the surrounding dark hollow and softly glowing walls.

  “Where are we? This place looks so amazing!”

  “Cindy?” Triska asked. “What are you doing out here? You’re supposed to be in the library right now.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Doku fretted as she scurried out from the ride with Pip circling her. “I tried to keep her in the library to listen to- oh my word!”

  The harpy stopped suddenly and looked around in surprise while Pip halted in the air beside her and did the same.

  “What in Eden? Where are we?”

  “Wow, this place is so big!” Pip exclaimed before flying off in a large loop around everyone. As she did the fairy streaked around pillars and rocks while laughing playfully, trailing her blue light everywhere she went.

  “Wait!” Clover shouted at the fairy. “Before you-”

  “This place is amazing!” Cindy cheered as she began chasing after Pip. “Why are the walls glowing like that? They look so pretty!”

  “Cindy, stop!”

  “I’m a bit confused here,” Doku said shaking her head. “Where are we? How did we get here?”

  Pip and Cindy raced around the area laughing playfully, the fairy leading the way with her sparkly trail and blue blur while the wraith stumbled about and chased after her. As they rounded a large rock Cindy tripped and landed face first down on the floor with a thump. Pip halted and looked back to see the wraith lifting her head up which was smeared while still laughing happily.

  “Oops, I fell,” she giggled, with Pip then laughing as well from seeing the wraith’s face returning to normal again. Cindy started to get up then stopped suddenly with a curious expression. Everyone watched as the wraith tugged her foot a few times then looked back to see it was stuck on something in the shadows.

  “Cindy? What’s wrong?” Daniel called over.

  “I’m caught on something,” Cindy said pulling on her foot. “The rocks are grabbing my leg.”

  “Rocks don’t grab legs,” Pip replied scratching her head. “Do they? I didn’t know they could do that. They don’t have hands. How do they do that? You can’t grab something without hands, can you?”

  “This one has hands,” Cindy answered. “It’s holding onto my foot.”

  “What’s holding onto your foot?” Specca slowly asked before turning to Clover. “Clover, what were you going to tell us just now? What’s in here with us?”

  “Again, before you freak out-”

  “Stop starting your explanations with those words,” Specca demanded. “What were you trying to tell us?”

  “What is this? It won’t let go,” Cindy pouted as she tried shaking her foot free from something.

  Pip flew closer and peered into the dark, her blue glow slowly lighting up the area before her as she got near. Coming to a stop next to the wraith her eyes widened in surprise as the light revealed a swarm sticking to the rock and its hand being hooked around Cindy’s leg. Everyone stared in shock at seeing the ravenous monster illuminated by Pip’s light, everyone except for Clover, Kroanette, the new ant girl, and Cindy who was showing a puzzled look at the monster that was holding her.

  “What is that?” she curiously asked.

  “Swarm!” Pip screamed before zipping away and diving into Kroanette’s bosom.

  “Swarm?” Daniel shouted out.

  “There’s swarm in here?” Falla cried out as Luna quickly ran over behind her.

  Triska quickly looked around in a panic then drew out her sword, the screeching metal and bright flash of flames coming from the dark blade as she held it up to cast its fiery light onto their surroundings. As she did all but four in the group showed absolute horror from seeing swarm sticking to every surface around them, all on the walls, overhanging stalactites, and gathered on the rocks and boulders nearby.

  “Oh my lord…” Specca breathed out while turning pale.

  “They’re everywhere,” Falla whimpered.

  “Oh no,” Luna quietly whined as she clung to her sister. “Oh no. No no no no.”

  “We’re surrounded,” Alyssa managed to get out through her teeth while shakily looking around.

  Squeak stared with wide eyes at the sight while pressing closer to Daniel
, seeming to hold onto him out of sheer fright from seeing what was around them.

  “Hey, let go,” Cindy pouted while shaking her foot about, the swarm’s hand seeming to caught on it while the monster itself didn’t make a sound.

  “Everyone get inside,” Triska shushed waving them towards the carriage. “Right now, get inside and-”

  “Relax,” Clover said calmly, with the group looking to her in disbelief. “We’re safe.”

  “Safe?” Triska repeated with a look that suggested she thought the elf was completely out of her mind.

  “Notice how Lucky isn’t panicking?” Clover called out, almost as if to tempt the swarm into waking up. The group took notice that the horse was calmly standing still while in his normal form, something that struck them as odd seeing as how he was usually the first to show signs of fear near danger.

  “Lucky?” Alyssa softly wondered.

  “Why is he so calm when there are swarm right next to us?” Specca frantically hushed out. “Why are you so calm, Clover?”

  Clover casually walked past Falla and Luna, winking at them with a smirk, then to everyone’s surprise reached out and grabbed a swarm by the shoulders before throwing the monster off the wall onto the ground with a thump.

  “Clover!” Triska cried out. “Are you insane? That’s a swarm!”

  “Yeah, a dead one,” Clover pointed out.

  The group blinked then looked to the swarm she had tossed onto its back before them. It was completely rigid like stone, its stance remaining the same as when it had died holding onto the wall while the eyes were only opened slightly with a lifeless gaze in them.

  “They’re all dead,” Kroanette assured everyone. “When we first saw them we were scared beyond belief, we feared they were going to devour us without any hope of escape. However as you can see they’re not quite capable of hurting us anymore.”

  “Let go!” Cindy whined waving her foot around with the swarm’s hand still caught on it. “Why won’t you let go? Meanie!”

  Kroanette trotted over and then unhooked the swarm’s grip from the wraith. Everyone watched curiously as the centaur then kicked the swarm off the boulder with her hind legs, sending the stiff monster flying into a tumble before it came to a stop on its back.

  “They’re all dead,” Kroanette reassured as she took Cindy’s hand and helped her up. “That’s why Lucky calmed down and didn’t freak out about them; he senses no danger from them now that they’re no longer among the living.”

  “They’re all dead?” Triska wondered looking around at the large amount of swarm that had yet to make a sound or move an inch despite all the loud noises near them.

  “How did they all die like this?” Daniel asked.

  “And down here too,” Specca added. “What are swarm even doing down here to begin with? They don’t live in caves or underground, they shouldn’t even be in a place like this.”

  Triska slowly waved her sword around in the air, casting its fiery light onto surrounding swarm that were as lifeless as the rocks they were clinging to. Carefully approaching the one Clover had tossed off its perch she examined the monster’s corpse, seeing no wounds or markings on the body at all.

  “I’m grateful they’re all dead,” she mentioned before cautiously looking around again. “But how did they all die? What killed them?”

  “They shouldn’t be down here,” Specca said shaking her head. “Something isn’t right.”

  “This is freaking me out,” Falla whimpered as she and Luna quickly got behind Triska’s back.

  “Are you sure they’re all dead?” Luna nervously asked. “Are you sure?”

  “Okay, let’s calm down here,” Kroanette suggested raising her hands. “The cave-ins and tremors are slowly subsiding and these swarm are not going to be killing us anytime soon. For the moment there’s no reason to panic.”

  “She’s right,” Clover added. “For once we’re actually safe down here.”

  Upon uttering those words Lucky began neighing and bucking about, the group watching as the horse starting panicking again before they all quickly looked around the darkened cave with heightened alarm.

  “Lucky doesn’t seem to think so,” Triska argued as she and the butterfly sisters quickly backed up towards the group.

  “We’re not alone down here,” Specca feared while running over behind Daniel along with Kroanette.

  “What’s happening?” Doku whimpered, quickly scurrying over behind them as well. “I don’t understand any of what’s going on here.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Clover grunted as she primed an arrow in her bow. “What is it now?”

  “Are we sure all the swarm are dead?” Alyssa asked, eyes frantically searching their surroundings for any movement.

  “What is it?” Pip squeaked, popping her head up between Kroanette’s breasts. “What’s coming? Protect me, my boobies.”

  “I don’t see anything out there,” Daniel said as he helped Squeak onto her feet. She and the other ant girl were also quickly looking around the area with twitching antennae, both seeming to sense something was near as well.

  “What are you all doing?” Cindy asked scratching her head.

  “Cindy, get over here,” Triska ordered waving her closer.

  “Don’t tell me what to do, meanie!”

  “I’m not joking around here, get over here where it’s safe.”

  “No! I don’t wanna!”

  “Cindy!” Daniel exclaimed pointing behind her.

  The sand wraith blinked with a curious expression then turned around, coming face to face with a very large lopsided iris. The floating eyeball twitched slightly as it stared at the girl, the surrounding black flesh that floated around it having several long tendrils waving gently in the air. Everyone stared in shock at seeing the apparition hovering before Cindy while the wraith just had a puzzled expression on her face.

  “What’s this?” she asked before poking the eye. The lidless iris howled with a haunting wail as it staggered back in the air, its coils whipping about wildly in obvious discomfort from the wraith poking it like that. The strange monster screamed loudly before its eye ripped open in the front, stretching wide to reveal a horrific mouth with serrated teeth and a pulsating throat that had a chilling blue glow coming from it. Cindy stared at the creature with curious eyes before looking back to Daniel with an innocent expression.

  “What is this thing?”

  From either side of the pissed off monster two very long ghostly appendages stretched out, being nearly translucent and having pointed blades attached to the ends.

  “Cindy, watch out!” Luna called over.

  Cindy looked back in time to see the limbs slashing towards her right before Star quickly appeared behind the wraith, grabbed hold of her around the waist, and teleported them away. The blades phased through each other like specters as the jinx reappeared before the group, the cat setting Cindy down and turning to face the apparition with a loud yowl of anger.

  “Wow, how did you do that?” Cindy marveled with bright eyes at Star.

  “Cindy, are you alright?” Daniel asked quickly stepping closer.

  “Uh huh!” Cindy assured with a big smile at him. “I’m okay! But what is that thing? It’s really weird.”

  “I have no idea. Specca?” Triska spoke up while keeping on guard.

  “Something about it seems familiar,” Specca nervously replied. “But I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

  The screaming mouth howled loudly, its haunting shriek echoing throughout the cavern, then raced towards the group in a blurry haze while three more ghostly limbs extended out from its sides. Star yowled then warped closer to the monster before striking at it with its claws, to which the floating creature blocked the strike with one of its blades. The clash sparked with bright green and purple sparks as the spectral cutter didn’t actually touch Star’s claws but rather was repelled from it. The monster repeatedly swiped at Star with all its limbs, the jinx nimbly darting about and parr
ying all the attacks with her hands and the same flashes of magical embers. With a frustrated wail the monster raced around Star in a hazy blur, almost instantly closing the distance between it and Clover before it lunged at her with all its ghostly limbs.

  “Get away!” Clover screamed as she jumped back and fired her arrow, the bolt flying through the monster like it was a ghost. The mouth closed in on the elf while its blades raced towards her from all sides, the girl staring with fright while stumbling back before Star appeared in front of her and frantically swatted away the limbs and also slashed the monster’s lip. Everyone watched in surprise as Star fended the monster off before it quickly raced away and came up in front of Triska and the others.

  “Back off!” Triska yelled as she lunged forward and slashed down at the monster. To her dismay the creature literally split apart to allow the blade to fly down between it, both halves of its wavering body then reforming and screeching at the surprised cambion. It tried to reach out towards Triska to stab her before Star appeared on her shoulders, the cat yowling with fierce swipes that knocked the incoming limbs away while she kept her balance on the teen. The monster howled as it was fended off yet again while Star leapt off Triska with a nimble cartwheel before striking relentlessly at the creature that was forced back once more.

  “What the hell is happening here?” Clover shouted out.

  “Star?” Daniel wondered.

  Everyone watched as Star was able to block each of the monster’s continuous swipes with ease, her movements both graceful and precise as she spun about to block and parry while also pushing her own assault on the monster that appeared to be unable to touch her. The jinx warped to the left then the right to flank the apparition, always attacking and keeping the monster pushed back as it screamed in frustration. After a few more blocked hits and with Star again striking her claws through the flesh of the monster it retreated high up into the air and screeched down at the jinx, the cat merely yowling loudly back up at it while keeping on guard.

  “She’s able to fight it off,” Specca marveled.

  “But what is that thing?” Alyssa asked pointing her staff up towards the creature. “I’ve never heard of a monster looking like that before.”