"What did you see?" I asked.
My face was full of concern, I knew that any new piece of information was vital as we moved forward.
"I... I ..." he began to stutter as he shook in place.
"Out with it Sim... what did you see?" I asked.
"I... It..." He tried to articulate himself as if he was reliving the experience once more, he couldn't.
Seeing that we weren't going anywhere soon and desperate for new information, I give him a good old slap to get him back.
"Focus Sim," I said urgently.
Clearly, he had seen something that scared him. Whatever it was, I was glad that he was able to recollect himself for a brief moment to save me but I still needed to know what it was.
Seconds later, the slap seemed to kick into effect as the pain knocked him back into reality.
"What..."
"Tell me Sim. What did you see." I stated calmly to try to get him to get back on track.
Pausing for a few seconds, he was finally able to collect his thoughts and he began to describe what he saw.
"You were looking forward... I instead looked back..." He said as he slid toward the hole in the ceiling. "I was wondering if I could use my ability again and I did... I felt it. An upward pull. But just as I looked up..." He took a deep breath as he paused. "It... It came from above." He said as he pointed upwards at the ceiling.
I looked upwards at the gaping hole in the ceiling where the fibres had appeared from. I looked upward. Streams of cold air settled down as a drop of cold water dripped and dropped off my body. More white filament line the hole as the structure above us. 'Seems like the hole was built into the structure and not broken through.' I thought as I looked at it. 'Interesting. That's probably the way forward.'
Sim waited for me to shift my attention back to him and he continued.
"I saw it drop, two long stick-like feet dropped before me. Two feet became four and the four feet became eight as it's entire silver and white body came into view."
He paused and seemed to gulp a breath of cold air.
"Take your time Sim," I said in an effort to get him to calm down.
He nodded. Taking deep breaths, calmed himself down before he continued once more.
"Eight brown eyes glowed as it saw me and... and I saw it. It had menacing jaws. Open. Close. Open. Close. They opened and closed and I saw glimpses of its fangs... Two sharp black fangs. It rubbed them together, it seemed like it was preparing... preparing to attack me." He said though shakes and shivers.
I looked at him with a concerned face. "Did it attack?" I asked.
"No... well, yes..." Sim answered he tilted his shell sideways.
"I wanted to warn you... but I was terrified. Paralyzed with fear. I saw its fangs jut out from its mouth as they begun to drip in a clear liquid... Then it clung to the side of the wall. Like it didn't care about the sticking or the fibres latching on, it clung to it... bending down it jumped... it launched itself at me... I didn't know what to do. Breaking out of my paralysis, I quickly ducked into my shell as I felt its fangs scratch against my shell."
Sim started to shake even more as he recounted the experience.
I looked closer at Sim's body. Sure enough, like it was slashed, his shell was marked with two scratch-lines.
Breaking out from his fear, he continued. "I tried to warn you... I pounded and pounded on your shell."
"Yes. I felt it, but it was too late."
"... I'm sorry brother..." Sim said while he looked down. "If only I warned you earlier..."
Looking at Sim, it seemed he was really shaken by the event. Quickly, I tried to salvage the situation.
"Sim. You saved me. It was your quick thinking that saved me from the white strands." I consoled.
"But it wouldn't have covered you in fibres if I had warned you earlier," he replied.
"Let's not think of the "ifs". Let's just think about now." I said. "Right now, we need to either move forward or leave."
I paused and thought about my own sentence. I didn't think about it at the time, but I was right.
'Should we turn back?' I thought as I looked back at the way we travelled. 'No. There's no food. I need food.' I thought as I felt my stomach growl in response.
Sliding back towards the hole that had appeared in the ceiling, I looked upwards. Streams of white condensation flowed downwards from above as it blocked off my vision.
I shivered. The source of the cold air was upward and so was the way forward. The air chilled me to the core, but it seemed bearable for some reason.
I turned back to Sim who was looking down at the bark below him. Tapping on his shell... I had already decided.
"Sim, head back without me." I gestured as I shook off the small layer of ice that had built up against my shell.
Looking up at me, his face said it all. His reluctance, his fear and most of all his disappointment in himself.
My statement didn't make it any better.
"Sim, I can't risk you getting hurt. Especially... with your mental state like this, I... I just can't risk it." I explained.
Sim instead turned around.
Be seemed to brace himself as he slapped himself with his eyestalks.
Hit after hit he continued like he was trying to punish himself.
Quickly, I slid in front of him. Before he hit himself again, I reached forward and stopped him.
"Sim, don't beat yourself over it." I gestured.
"No.," he said as he stared up at me. Not a hint of fear or despair was left in his eyes. Replaced with determination, he continued. "Take me with you brother. You'll need me. I'm sure of it."
Looking at his newfound confidence and his explanation, I couldn't say no. So I said yes.
"Okay. Only on two conditions. One: you must stay on my shell, if anything latches on, you have to free me. I can get the sticky white filaments off my foot, but not off my shell. That job will be left to you."
"Yes, sir," Sim replied.
"Second, if any danger rises, I want you to run. Do you understand?"
He nodded.
*Ding*
+ 2 leadership
+ 2 charisma
The voice in my head started to chime, but I ignored it.
"Good, now get back onto my shell. We are going up." I said to Sim.
Moments later, I felt the weight of his body on top of my shell once more.
Sliding below the hole once more, I looked upward as cool air flowed atop my body once more.
I took in a deep breath and stretched upward. Touching the edge of the wall, the plan was to be purposely be pulled upwards by the strands.
I swatted my foot forward. The edges of the hole widened as strands latched onto all sides as I was pulled upwards.
A sudden blast of cold air brushed against me as I was pulled upwards into the white expanse above.
...