The metallic thump-clank of Venus Harlow's prosthetic leg punctuated the suffocating silence. Her knuckles whitened around the hilts of Leviathan's Claws, the serrated edges catching the hellish glow of the geyser. Her scar pulsed against her cheek like a second heartbeat.
"What," she bit out, the word sharp as shrapnel, "are you proposing, Dark King?" Her gaze flicked to Marya, golden eyes meeting venomous blue. "What can a pirate crew offer the Marines in this… cesspool?"
Rayleigh stepped forward, the simple gleam of his sword a stark contrast to the corrupted landscape. "We could debate it," he said, his voice a calm counterpoint to the geyser's roar, "or we could simply show you. Standing here burns daylight we don't have."
Sentomaru surged forward, his axe trembling. "Vice Admiral, this is—!"
"Stand down, Commander!" Harlow snapped, smoke curling from her lips as she exhaled. "I'll bear the responsibility." She turned back to Rayleigh, her prosthetic grinding into the fractured cobblestones. "You answer to me. You follow my orders while on this operation. That's the only way this happens."
Orders? Marya's fingers tightened on the obsidian hilt of Eternal Eclipse. A faint ripple of darkness pulsed around the blade, devouring the sickly light.
Rayleigh's weathered face creased into a knowing smirk before Marya could retort. "I'm confident we can find agreeable terms," he interjected smoothly.
Galit's long neck coiled into a tense spiral, his emerald eyes darting between Marines and corrupted roots. "How do we know this isn't a collar disguised as cooperation?" he hissed, barely audible over the groaning earth.
Marya kept her gaze locked on Harlow's rigid back. "We don't," she murmured, a ghost of a smirk touching her lips. "But I doubt they've the spare hands or steel to cage us right now." She tilted her head slightly toward Rayleigh. "He's got a point about burning daylight."
Rayleigh chuckled, low and warm. "Confident, girl?"
"Yeah, Gramps. I am."
Sentomaru's jaw clenched, but he relented with a grunt. "Fine. What's your play, pirates?"
Marya gestured toward the churning pit where the geyser vomited molten earth. "This is a Celestial Vanguard operation. Their lab's buried under this rot, yes?"
Sentomaru's scowl deepened, confirming without words.
"Then we go down," Marya stated. "See if their toys came with an 'off' switch before they drowned the world in sludge."
Harlow exchanged a terse look with Sentomaru. Reluctance warred with the relentless advance of the purple-black tide swallowing a field medic's stretcher nearby. A choked scream cut through the din.
"This way," Harlow ground out, pivoting sharply. Her prosthetic struck a pool of ooze, the greasy substance clinging like tar. "Try anything, Zaleska, and I'll carve my debt from your hide."
### The Descent into Nightmare
They moved as a fractured unit through the apocalypse. Marines scrambled over collapsed archways slick with ooze. The air reeked of scorched copper and spoiled figs. Nuri Evander circled above, his pterosaur form casting jagged shadows as Kai Sullivan scanned the chaos from his back, sniper rifle glinting.
Galit's neck whipped side-to-side, analyzing structural fractures. "Northwest flank's buckling," he muttered, sketching rapid symbols on his volcanic-glass slate. "Stress points near the aquifer channel…"
Atlas Acuta stalked beside him, rust-red fur sparking blue. "Quit muttering, Noodle-Neck. Eyes sharp." His twin chui, Stormclaw and Thunderfang, hummed with contained lightning.
Jelly wobbled nervously at Marya's heels. "B-bloop? Scary drippy stuff…" A tendril of ooze snaked toward his gelatinous foot. Marya nudged him aside with her boot without breaking stride.
Harlow led them toward a half-collapsed mangrove root, wider than a warship's hull. Its surface was etched with World Government sigils, now half-eaten by the creeping corruption. Sentomaru heaved aside a slab of resin-caked stone, revealing a stairwell plunging into darkness. The air wafting up smelled like rusted nails and decaying meat.
"Sealed lab entrance," Sentomaru growled. "Breached when the geyser blew."
Rayleigh peered down, his expression unreadable. "Seems they dug too deep. Stirred something best left buried."
Marya drew Eternal Eclipse. The blade didn't reflect light; it consumed it, casting the stairs into deeper shadow. "Only one way to find out what." She descended first, the Heart Pirates' jolly roger on her leather jacket vanishing into the gloom.
Harlow's thumping leg hesitated at the threshold. Below, in the swallowing dark, something metallic clanged—a sound like chains dragging across bone. Sentomaru gripped his axe, knuckles pale.
"Move, Vice Admiral," Marya's voice floated back up, cool and detached. "Or are you waiting for an invitation?"
Harlow's prosthetic slammed down onto the first step. "Just remember who gives the orders here, pirate."
Galit's whisper cut through the dripping silence behind them: "Structural integrity: 42%. Probability of collapse: high."
Atlas snorted, blue sparks dancing in his fur. "Then let's make it quick. I hate cramped fights."
Jelly let out a watery whimper. "BlooOOop?"
The stairwell swallowed them whole—Marines and pirates, united by desperation, descending into the belly of a world unraveling at the seams. Far above, the geyser roared like a wounded god, its poison spreading under a sky stained violet and bleeding shadow.
*****
The dripping rhythm faded as Koala led Aurélie upwards through a narrow, roughly hewn chimney passage. The air grew colder, drier, thick with the pervasive smell of stone dust and ancient mortar. The muffled thud-thud-thud of hammers striking rock grew louder, a relentless heartbeat vibrating through the stone itself, punctuated by the distant, sharp crack of overseers' whips and guttural shouts. Aurélie moved ahead, silent as a shadow, her senses straining.
Elsewhere, Bianca scrambled after Kuro through a fissure where icy drafts moaned like lost souls. "Like, why would she go up? The noise is giving me a headache!" Bianca whispered, wiping futilely at her perpetually fogged goggles. Kuro didn't answer, his expression grim behind his smudged spectacles, listening intently beyond the wind.
Souta flowed through eastern tunnels like ink spilled in water, his heightened senses detecting faint scuff marks on the gritty floor – small, erratic footprints leading upwards. Koala, in the western network, paused, head cocked. Was that... humming? A high, disjointed tune barely audible over the hammering?
Then it came. Not a sound, but a tremor. A deep THOOM that shook dust from the tunnel ceiling, followed seconds later by another. Then, the unmistakable, sharp crack-crack-crack of musket fire, echoing down from above.
"Ember!" Koala breathed, horror dawning.
The Bridge Surface:
Ember had found a forgotten service shaft, drawn by the rhythmic pounding and a shaft of grey, storm-laden light filtering down. She emerged onto a desolate stretch of Tequila Wolf's colossal back. Rain lashed the ancient stones. To her left and right, the bridge vanished into thick fog. Ahead, a line of emaciated figures, chained at the ankles, swung heavy picks against unyielding rock under the watchful eyes of bored, rain-slickered Marine guards. The air reeked of wet wool, unwashed bodies, and despair.
Ember skipped forward, oblivious, humming a nursery rhyme and twirling Mr. Cinders by his remaining ear. "La-la-la... crunch the rocks, Josiah? No, fun rocks!"
A slave nearby, a gaunt man with haunted eyes, spotted her. His breath hitched. "Child! Stop! Hide!" he rasped, his voice raw.
Ember cocked her head, pink buns bouncing. "Me? You want to play?" Her mismatched eyes lit up. "Yes, yes! Let's play a game!" She jumped, clapping, her steel-toed boots splashing in a puddle. "Hide? Like hide and seek? That's so fun! Let's play!"
"Stow it, worm!" a guard snarled at the slave before turning to Ember. "You! Brat! Halt! Identify yourself!" He stepped forward, musket lowering slightly but threateningly.
Another slave, a woman with streaks of grey in her matted hair, pleaded, "Just do as they say, girl! Please!"
Ember pouted. "But... hide and seek is fun!" The first guard, frustrated by her nonsense and the rain, raised his musket and fired a warning shot. The ball slammed into the wet stone inches from Ember's left foot, spraying chips.
Ember froze. The playful light vanished from her eyes, replaced by a chilling blankness. She slowly looked down at the scorch mark, then up at the guard. Her voice dropped, flat and dangerous. "That... wasn't very nice."
"I said HALT! NAME AND AFFILIATION!" the guard barked, leveling his weapon properly now. Other guards turned, alerted.
Ember's lips twisted into a rictus grin. "You should have asked nicely," she whispered, then her voice rose, shrill and manic. "Josiah says... BOOM GOES THE BORING STUFF!" She cackled, a sound like shattering glass.
Her hand flashed to her Helltide slingshot rifle. A sparkler round clicked into place. Before the guards could fully react, she whipped it up and fired. KA-FLASH! The round detonated at the feet of the first guard, not with fire, but a blinding, deafening burst of light and concussive force. He screamed, dropping his musket and clawing at his eyes.
"OPEN FIRE!" another guard yelled. Muskets cracked. Balls whizzed past Ember as she danced sideways with unnatural agility, loading another round. KA-WHUMP! This one hit a pile of rubble near a second guard, showering him and nearby slaves with stinging debris. Panic erupted. Guards scrambled for cover, shouting conflicting orders. Slaves ducked, chains rattling. Ember cackled again, eyes wild, loading a third round. "Missed me! Missed me! BOOM TIME!"
The Rescue:
Aurélie exploded onto the scene first, bursting from a hidden crevice near the slave line. She moved like liquid steel. A guard turning towards the commotion found Anathema's sheathed blade slamming into his temple before he could register her presence. He crumpled. Another guard sighting Ember felt a boot connect with his knee; the sickening crack echoed before he hit the ground. Aurélie flowed through the chaos, a silver blur neutralizing threats with brutal economy.
She planted herself squarely between Ember and the remaining guards who were trying to regroup amidst the smoke and confusion. "Ember!" Aurélie called, her voice cutting through the gunfire and Ember's manic laughter.
Ember spun, eyes wide and unfocused. "Oh! Look! You came to the party!" she chirped, gesturing wildly with her slingshot rifle aimed at the scrambling Marines. "We're having SO MUCH FUN!"
"Identify yourself! Surrender!" a sergeant bellowed, leveling his pistol at Aurélie.
Aurélie ignored him, her gaze locked on Ember. "We must go. Now."
"Go?" Ember's face crumpled in exaggerated confusion. "Go where? This is fun! Stay! Play with me! Josiah says STAY!" Her fingers tightened on the Helltide's grip.
Bianca scrambled up beside Aurélie, gasping. "Like, what the hell, Ember?!"
"She is having an episode," Aurélie stated flatly, not taking her eyes off the girl. "Bianca. Talk to her. Now."
Bianca swallowed hard, stepping forward slightly, hands raised placatingly. "Hey, Ember! Yeah, this is... like, super fun! But you know what sounds even more fun? Playing hide and seek... downstairs! With Kuro! And Souta! And... and Charlie! Yeah! Charlie's terrible at hiding! We could find him super easy! Bet Mr. Cinders could find him faster!" She forced a grin, her voice pitched high and encouraging despite the musket balls now pinging off nearby rocks as the guards recovered.
Ember tilted her head, the manic energy flickering. "Charlie... hides bad?" A spark of interest. "Mr. Cinders finds him... fast?"
"Like, totally!" Bianca pressed, inching closer. "Super fast! Come on! Let's go find them! Before Josiah finds all the good spots!" She held out a hand, ignoring the sergeant roaring orders to surround them.
Four guards closed in, muskets aimed. "SURRENDER OR DIE!"
Just as the sergeant drew breath to give the final order, shadows detached from the gloom near the crevice Aurélie had emerged from. Souta blurred, a dark streak that swept the legs out from under the closest guard. Koala lunged, a short, weighted cosh appearing in her hand as she struck a guard's wrist with a sharp crack, sending his musket flying. Kuro, moving with surprising speed, delivered a sharp, gloved chop to the neck of the third. More Revolutionary Army fighters poured out, overwhelming the remaining guards in a flurry of precise, silent blows before they could fire.
Under the cover of lingering smoke from Ember's explosions and the driving rain, Koala waved frantically towards the crevice. "GO! NOW! BEFORE REINFORCEMENTS COME!"
Aurélie didn't hesitate. She grabbed Ember's arm firmly, pulling her towards the opening. Bianca scooped up the dropped Mr. Cinders. "Come on, Ember! Charlie game! Now!"
Ember, distracted by the promise of finding Charlie and the sudden flurry of familiar faces, allowed herself to be pulled. "Okay, okay! Find Charlie! Play hide and seek! Fun!" She giggled, the dangerous light fading back into childish excitement as they vanished into the dark hole.
Koala was the last in. She grabbed a heavy, rusted lever disguised as rock near the entrance and heaved. With a grinding shriek of protesting stone, a massive slab slid across the opening, sealing it shut just as the sound of running boots and alarmed shouts reached the spot. The only evidence left was the unconscious guards, the terrified slaves, the rain, and the oppressive silence of the monstrous bridge, swallowing the chaos whole once more. Down below, in the dripping dark, seventy-two hours suddenly felt like borrowed time running out too fast.
*****
The oppressive gloom of the stairwell swallowed them, each step echoing against moss-slick stones that wept with viscous purple-black fluid. The air hung thick with the reek of spoiled citrus and corroded metal, clinging to the back of their throats. Above, the geyser's roar was muffled but insistent – a dying beast thrashing in its death throes.
High above the canopy, Captain Nuri Evander banked sharply in his Arambourgiania form, leathery wings beating against sulfur-choked winds. Kai Sullivan balanced on his back, violin case strapped securely, as his sniper rifle swept the chaos below. Through his scope, a new horror unfolded: clusters of shambling figures moved with jerky, unnatural gaits, their skin mottled gray and streaked with that same vile ooze. They pursued screaming civilians with single-minded hunger, stumbling over roots slick with corruption.
"Vice Admiral," Kai's voice crackled through the transponder snail clutched in Harlow's hand, tight with controlled urgency. "Multiple hostiles engaging civilians near the eastern market ruins. They move like... puppets with cut strings. Permission to engage?"
Harlow didn't pause her descent, her prosthetic leg striking the wet stone with a sharp clank-thump. "Non-lethal force only, Sullivan. We don't know what they are. Disable, don't destroy." Her voice was gritted teeth and cigar smoke, even through the snail's distortion.
"Understood. Adjusting trajectory." Above, Kai exhaled, the faintest hum of a Chopin nocturne escaping his lips as he adjusted his scope. Silent Requiem barked twice – sharp, percussive cracks that echoed strangely in the tainted air. Two charging figures crumpled, tranquilizer darts blooming in their thighs. Nuri screeched, banking away from a geyser blast that showered them in steaming, foul-smelling spray.
Below, the stairwell plunged deeper. Jelly wobbled nervously, letting out a soft, watery "Bloop?" that seemed absurdly loud in the confined space. Suddenly, a guttural, wet shriek ripped through the darkness from below – a sound like tearing meat and breaking bone.
Something lunged upward from the shadows.
It was vaguely humanoid, but stretched and warped. One arm ended in a cluster of bony, twitching spikes, the other swollen and dripping with the purple-black sludge. Its jaw hung slack, revealing needle-sharp teeth, and its eyes were milky white pits devoid of reason. It moved with terrifying speed, scrambling up the steps on all fours like a deranged insect.
Galit reacted first. His long neck snapped forward like a released spring, Vipera Whips hissing from their forearm sheaths. They weren't aimed to kill. One whip coiled around the creature's spiked arm, yanking it off-balance with a sickening pop. The other lashed out, striking pressure points on its neck and shoulder with sharp cracks.
Atlas was a blur of rust-red fur and crackling blue energy beside him. He didn't roar; he smirked. Stormclaw and Thunderfang swung not to shatter, but to stun. The seastone-core maces slammed into the creature's torso and legs with dull, resonant thuds. The air hummed with the localized EMP bursts, making the creature's limbs spasm violently. It collapsed, twitching, at their feet, unconscious but alive.
The group surged forward, forming a tense semi-circle around the fallen horror. The stench rolling off it was overwhelming – decayed fish left in the sun, mixed with the acrid tang of chemical burns.
Marya stepped closer, Eternal Eclipse held loosely but ready. Her golden eyes, reflecting the dim light filtering from above, swept over the twisted form. Not disgust, but sharp, analytical curiosity sharpened her features. "What is this?" Her voice was flat, cutting through the heavy breathing of the others.
Sentomaru grimaced, his giant axe held defensively. "Lab rat. Failed experiment. Something the Vanguard cooked up down here... before it cooked them." He spat, the glob sizzling briefly on the ooze-slick step.
Harlow adjusted her collar, her knuckles white on Leviathan's Claws. Her prosthetic leg shifted restlessly. "Intel was fragmented. Bio-weapons... adaptive tissue regeneration... all black file nonsense." She couldn't hide the flicker of revulsion in her eyes as she stared at the thing.
Marya tilted her head, observing the unnatural angles of its limbs, the way the sludge seemed to pulse beneath its mottled skin. "I see," she murmured, no judgment, just cold assessment.
Rayleigh placed a weathered hand on her shoulder, his presence suddenly immense in the cramped space. "Speculate later. If there are more of these things breeding in this pit, our priority is keeping them in. Every second we waste, that poison spreads topside." His voice, low and gravelly, carried the weight of countless battles. "Keep moving. Downward. Now."
He didn't wait for agreement. The Dark King turned and continued the descent, his simple sword a line of steely resolve in the consuming dark. The screams from above, the unsettling stillness of the creature at their feet, and the relentless drip-drip-drip of corruption from the ceiling were stark reminders: they were walking into the heart of a nightmare, and the surface's fate hung by a thread. Jelly let out another anxious "Bloop!" and wobbled after Rayleigh, sticking close to Marya's boots. The stairwell swallowed them again, deeper into the unknown.