As the last of the group stepped into the room, it was uncomfortably warm but bearable. The floor, walls and ceiling were covered in a thick coating of ash. The ash from the ceiling slowly fell like snow as it cooled. The group made their way through the room as quickly and as carefully as possible not wanting to disturb the ash. The door on the far side had partly collapsed from the heat. With a little work Artemis and Lyna were able to open it enough for everyone to get though. Everyone brushed the ash from their clothes and fur. They were inside a building like the one on the island. It was different though despite being here for as many years as it had it was oddly clean and devoid of the zombies.
“I don’t even want to think about what was in that ash,” one of the groups said, the sentiment echoed by others.
Everyone stopped dead, realizing what they had just said. They turned to look at Ashera, she had her back to the group, wiping her hair and misting herself with some magic. As she turned her face was somber and lost in thought. It took her a moment to realize everyone was staring at her.
“What? Oh...” she said looking at the ash floating around. “It’s not a big deal this time around, they were dead long before they became like that. The ooze would have been a far worse way to go. This was a mercy. Thank you all for helping.”
With that she pushed forward into the tunnel leaving everyone behind. Ashera was far more upset than she let on. Those people had suffered at the hands of the elves then had been denied a peaceful death by her spell. She would not forgive the elves, nor herself. Tears of rage and sorrow fell staining her shirt.
The others hurried to catch up, still leaving some room as none of them knew what to say. They wandered through the dimly lit halls of the building. As they moved through the building dropping more ash as they went, noises started to follow them. Whooshing and buzzing sounds. Sometimes quick, sometimes it was there for longer. The group decided that it would be better to be closer to Ashera at this point despite her mood.
Seslyn was already huddled up close to Ashera jumping every time there was a noise. This was part of her home but the new noises where unsettling to her. Ashera looked down as she felt these little paw-like hands grab at her pants as a whooshing sound happened mere centimetres from them.
“You’ve lived here your whole life, and you haven’t heard these noises before,” Ashera asked, a tone of amusement in her voice.
“Yes, yes, they are not down as deep as where we live. I always hurried through here when I heard the noises I would hide until it went away, yes,” Seslyn said, eyes darting all around the room.
“They are harmless, unless you happen to be dirt or ash,” Ashera said dropping a pile of ash at her feet. “Watch.”
A whoosh was heard and then a tiny flashing light was seen moving towards them. It was so dim unless they had been looking it would have gone unseen. A small round device, a robotic vacuum was headed for them. As it made its way towards them, they could hear the buzzing sound it made. Ashera moved her feet to give it room to work it moved over the pile of ash a few times, the pile getting smaller with each pass. It did this until it was satisfied with its work and then it when back to the wall where it had come from and a whoosh sound once again was heard as the door closed behind it.
“See?” Suntiana said, as she gestured after it.
A rumble came from the same corner of the room, followed by a whoosh and an almost scream like buzzing. The tiny robot vacuum came running up to Ashera. It was shaking back and forth, the rumble grew louder, followed by banging on the wall.
“We need to move now, YES,” Seslyn shouted.
She grabbed Ashera and started pulling her towards the door at the other end of the room. Hissing and squeaking words incoherently. Everyone filed through the door being led by Seslyn further into the buildings core.
“We need to go down, yes. Fast, faster would be best,” Seslyn squeaked.
“This way the core room has a staircase beside an elevator,” Ashera said, taking the map from around her neck and displaying it in midair.
“I know less talk, more run. The brain jar is coming,” Seslyn hissed, ignoring the map and moving in the right direction.
They moved quickly as a group staying just steps ahead of the thumping. The little robot moving room to room with them trying to find a new door to get into. Ashera wondered why none of the other door were opening it for it, but she didn’t have time to question it. A voice was faintly ringing out as the thuds got closer.
“Come out, little robot, don’t hide away, come join your new friends come out to play. I promise, I won’t bring you harm or fear, just step into the light, and I’ll be right here,” it said half laughing. “I can’t say the same for you friends, it’s true. I’m so very hungry, they might be my stew!”
Seslyn let out a quiet yet massive hiss and started moving faster. Ashera watched as they moved through rooms marked for medicine, medical research, augmentation and mutation, and other lifesaving facilities. Ashera wondered what had these two so scared. As they ran around the corner to where the elevator and first set of stares were supposed to be, Ashera found out the robot's fears. They had been collapsed from underneath it looked like. The robot whizzed past the rubble continuing to the other side of the room. It vibrated beeped and kind of jumped trying to grab everyone’s attention. Seslyn began to panic, hissing and muttering incoherently as the thumping grew closer, quicker and louder.
“Little mouse, little mouse, this is the last time you scurry through my house, sneaky and sly as you climb. You’ve nibbled and darted, avoiding my sight. But tonight is the night that we settle this fight. Your tricks have grown old, so be warned, little mouse, my patience is cold,” the voice bellowed and laughed.
The robot finally getting sick of waiting for people to notice came crashing into Seslyn’s leg. She swatted at it and followed it to where it had previously been. That’s where she noticed it. The exit they could use, well most of them.
“Over here, yes. Follow me now, yes,” She squeaked at everyone.
The group wasted no time getting over there, only to find a hole much too small for Artemis and Lyna to get through. Artemis quickly pushed the others through one at a time, Suntiana and Ashera standing back not wanting to go through without everyone else.
“Go, please,” Artemis said to them. “Lyna and I will have to find another way down. There is one, right?”
“Yes, old elevator shaft at back of this floor. Hard to get to, the brain collapsed many passages to it, yes,” Seslyn said, as she looked between them and the passage. “Come, quick I will show you. The rest of you go, down to the next floor.”
Seslyn bent down to the robot, “you come with us we will get you to safety too, yes.”
“Care to explain what the brain is?” Ashera asked.
“Not here, not now. Go, get to safety, yes. Brain particularly likes women,” Seslyn shuttered, “Many of my family has fallen to the brain.”
“No, I’m going with you,” Suntiana said, “and the first person to object gets a talon to the face.”
Artemis quickly put down his hand and remained silent.
“Fine we leave now yes,” Seslyn said, running off towards the doors on the left side of the room. Followed by the robot.
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Everyone realizing the discussion was over followed suit. Ashera was the last through the door, she turned once more to face the room. Likely to make sure no one had come back through the rubble, that was when she saw it. The brain as Seslyn called it. It was a hulking monstrosity. A failed experiment from her time, a biomechanical beast. The brain was encased in mirrored glass. It was crudely attached to a beast she had not expected to see here, a mimic. Though this one seems to have been able to, over the years take on human shape. This had been the plan to combat the elven virus, merge their DNA and brains with different native magical animals with high immunities to viruses. Mimics had been second favorite only to thulian beasts. They were much harder to come by, and much harder to control. Being from dimensions outside our realm. Their chaotic brainwaves often drove the human brain mad, making something far worse. Had this happened here in this instance as well, she wondered. Mimics were smart but so long as the human brain kept them fed most were okay with a little bit of a symbiotic relationship. This however was something worse that she had ever read about. That’s when she noticed it, the arm hanging from its mouth, it was infected with the black ooze. This poor beast must have had only its comrades to eat, Ashera thought. It explained why there were so few in this building and why they were all gathered in the chamber outside.
She looked her way down its arms covered in the tiny robotic vacuums. Was it trying to make armour, Ashera wondered. A vile of black ooze went splat against the wall snapping her back to reality. She closed the door and ran for it. Catching up with the group. She let them know it had canisters of the ooze it could throw and that she would fill them in on what it really was after. The group kept running.
Seslyn and the robot leading them through collapsed walls, rooms full of rubble and some where it appeared the brain had tried to break its way through the floor. The thumping turned into crashing as the brain stopped following their path and started busting through walls. They were in the recovery room off the operation rooms in the augmentation and mutation suite.
“Shit,” Seslyn said kicking the ground where the robot had just been, “yes you, we took a wrong turn. Now it is too late yes.”
“can’t we just go,” Suntiana was cut off by a violent crash as the wall came tumbling down.
“Found you, little mouse, and what a surprise, you’ve brought me food, a treat for my eyes,” the brain said, with drool dripping from his mouth.
Ashera wasted no time, casting a quick but powerful spell. She held her hand out and the tattoo raised off her arm. It sent scorching blue flames toward the brain’s brain case. The brain stood there and took it barely lifting his armoured arm to deflect them. He just stood there laughing. He truly was no longer among the sane Ashera thought. To her surprise, the brain started walking towards them. He pushed the flames closer to the ceiling, deflecting them from his arm. Ashera caught on too late, the long dormant fire suppressant system activated. Magic circles appearing all over the ceiling and in the air around Ashera’s arm. Water gently fell from the circles dampening everyone and everything. Before Ashera could stop the flames from her arm a torrent of water was released to suppress them, tearing up her arm. Leaving it badly hurt and unable to move. Her wrist was exposed down to the bone from the pressure and in some places all the flesh had been removed only leaving tendons holding it in place. Ashera fell backswords screaming in pain as she held her arm, which was bleeding profusely. Suntiana rushed up to her and began to cast a spell of healing on her, working alongside Ashera’s tattoo which was doing the same.
The brain continued to walk slowly towards them, enjoying the hunt. It seemed to be relishing in Ashera's struggle. Artemis not knowing what else to do, looked to Seslyn for ideas. Seslyn, however, was frozen, panicking and of no support whatsoever. Artemis noticed how the brain was slow in its movements, not like he had noticed before. It wasn’t deliberate but a necessity he thought. He mused it was probably because of the weight of the armour he now sported. He smiled; a plan had formed in his mind.
“Seslyn,” He snapped, over and over.
This seemed to get through to her she snapped back to senses. She looked at Artemis still with fear on her face, but she was listening now.
“Cast a spell, any spell to distract this thing I have an idea,” Artemis said with a predatory smile on his face.
Seslyn, thought for only a second or two, then with some mild hesitation she started to cast. It was a ritual spell, a quick one though, the ritual only being used to increase its potency. The circle finished caving out in the air, golden light marking its location. A crack and a bang echoed in the chamber as lightening shot across the room to the brain. His metal body being coated with the water from the fire suppression system jolted and shook as it was struck.
The brain unable to defend against the attack was left paralyzed, barely a scream of pain escaped from his mouth. Artemis not waiting for the spell to fade leapt onto brains brain case and started to pull. Enhancing his body with quickly cast spells, his strength increasing with every spell. Soon he could hear creaking coming from the base of the container, as liquid started to spill out around his feet. This amplified the electric current, but Artemis shook it off. The tensing of his muscles only adding to his upward pull.
With a loud crack the case came off in Artemis’s hands. The brain loosely flopping against the brain monster's body. Artemis crashed the case down, severing the brain from its brain. It fell to its knees toppling forward. Artemis sanding on a sick metal surface fell to the floor still holding the brain case.
Panting Artemis looked back at everyone and said, “there that wasn’t so bad.”
He rolled the brain case from on top of himself and stood. He made his way back over to the others slowly, wincing in pain as the backlash from using so many enhancement spells kicked in. Ashera still bleeding from where her hand had once been. Was slowly being healed as her magic tattoo and Suntiana’s magic. Artemis looked at Suntiana for an update on Ashera. Suntiana didn’t notice, she was too busy keeping her mind on what she could remember from the anatomy text she had read. To regrow the muscles, arteries, veins and skin she needed the precise information. Ashera started to get colour back in her face as her bleeding slowed and then stopped and her tissues regrew.
Through gritted teeth and panting with exhaustion Ashera asked, “now how do we get out of here?”
Seslyn relaxed with this, figuring Ashera was through the worst of it. She began to think, as she stood there, she felt a little bump on her leg. Looking down she saw the little robot, barely touched and mostly dry. Where had it been hiding Seslyn wondered. She bent down and touched it, almost petting the little robot. The robot rotated appreciatively.
After a few moments more Ashera’s hand was as good as new, though she looked exhausted. She went to stand stumbling a few times before falling on her back.
“Rest,” Suntiana said in a calming tone, “we have time now. Seriously though Seslyn, what were you and the robot thinking? Leading us to a place like this. It’s a dead end.”
Seslyn looked sheepishly at them, “I took a wrong turn, I should have gone straight past here I think, down to the end of the hall. I was scared and I panicked, yes.”
No one said anything, no one wanting to fault her for being afraid of that thing. They all nodded in silent agreement. As Ashera took stock of her surroundings, she noticed a magic tattoo kit on one of the selves. Pushing herself to stand, she got up. A little unsteady at first, and Suntiana moved in to catch her. Ashera waved her away and made her way to the shelves. The kit looked to be in pristine condition, it had no ink.
She moved to the harvesting kit next to the tattoo machine. She grabbed it and moved towards the brain, being cautious in her approach. The mimic flailed, one last attempt to get a meal before it died. Ashera enhanced her body and kicked it hard. A squelch echoed as she put her foot through it, black ooze soaking the ground in front of it.
“What are you doing!?” Suntiana exclaimed. “That ooze will kill you.”
“It would have, had the creature been spitting it at us, but without the chemical reaction within its glands to produce the venom it is harmless.” She explained, “now it’s a component I can use to make magical tattoos. Well once I harvest the gland from it.”
Suntiana moved her way closer to Ashera, wanting to see the anatomy of the creature for herself. She stood there unable to look away in a morbid curiosity as Ashera worked. Ashera was cutting through the back of the creature. She explained that the ooze in the creature's mouth was still portent, and this was the easiest way to harvest the gland. She explained that in the past they would exchange meals to the creature in exchange for some of the non-tainted material. After watching for several minutes Suntiana spoke.
“How does the tattoo process work? Why do you need this creatures' materials for it?”
“I’ll show you how it works when I tattoo you and your friends,” Ashera began, “as for why we need these specific materials, it’s because mimic venom, when used in the right quantities with pure mana, allow for the tattoos to work. You’ve seen mine come off my body and form circles or change my appearance, this is because of the mimic venom.”
Suntiana stood there contemplating what this meant, were the tattoos in some ways a living creature, or perhaps an echo of one would be more accurate. She pondered this a moment before speaking again.
“And why is it so easy to kill your kind with?”
“That is a much longer story,” Ashera said looking up from her work, “the elves found out how fragile our bodies are by studying our books from cities they took over. Through experimentation, they found the same properties in the mimic venom we did. They weaponized it by infusing the magic and material with an accelerated versions of viruses we couldn’t counteract.”
Suntiana nodded thoughtfully, seeing how elves could do this easily. Ashera finished gathering the glands and moved oved onto preserving the materials. Suntiana wondered away lost in thought. Ashera stood up, placing both the glands into her storage along with the tattoo kit and headed for the door.
“So, let's get out of here,” she said. “Seslyn lead the way please.”