"Vroom vroom." I sarcastically comment, the last strap hooking to my new harness. The fully added bulk makes me shuffle and my shoulders roll.
"Try nat ta lase them," the midget tells me as she steps away with her gun. I roll my eyes, a mutter already building up in my throat.
"How am I even going to lose them?" I scoff out louder than anticipated. We're going into a straight tunnel, more or less. There's no way I am going to lose them unless she or someone else starts throwing them away!
"Nin," Vapooliar says as she steps towards me.
"What?" I snap as shuffle the straps about. Tearing my clothes instead, however, I stop trying to adjust them. Vapooliar steps in for me and sorts out the build-up of my snatching clothes. I nod quietly in thanks and look away in much the same manner.
"Are you up for this?" she asks me as her hand stops my gun from shaking. I wasn't... I wasn't aware I even was. The shaking in my hands, though, doesn't stop. But the gun at least stops rattling.
"I..." I can't even answer as I look further away towards the closest bit of grass. Might not even see it again at this rate. Let alone the sky.
"I am at your front, Nin. Heiya and Vadei are behind you. Heiya's Father is also with me up front." she points out to me. Even though it is obvious, I make no remark. I just silently nod again and look at my armoured arm. A wavering smile comes to my lips.
"Do you want your armour back?" I ask her with a quick and awkward chuckle. The sound dies quickly alongside my expression and I return to being miserably silent.
She smiles slightly, "Keep it, think of it as a good luck charm until we escape."
"I do feel quite lucky..." I say to her, even if 'safer' is a more honest answer.
"Does everyone have everything?" Vapooliar loudly asks as she steps towards the front of the group. Although it was a very brief moment, I've seen what she can do. I cannot ask or argue for a better bit to our drill in these circumstances.
"Let's go," Heiya's Father tells us as he urges everyone inside the mountain. Looking back at our camp as the smoke dissipates, I gulp. During all my time there, thoughts of wanting to get out of here have pestered me. But now that we are going to get out, I want to go back to the camp. Back to my tree trunk chair. Even if Heiya ceremoniously knocked over the machine keeping us safe and hidden.
Watching the other two go into the tunnel I once thought was my escape route, I tug at my harness. Following them, the piece of bashed-together airship hull scrapes away at the ground as I play pack mule. The Orbital-Halo's light starts to vanish, and the darkness engulfs us. The wisps return and they offer some light as our travelling echoes around us.
I keep looking back at the way we came.
Despite her attitude, I am glad Vadei is at the back of our group. Her ears move a lot, they pick up noise so easily... I don't want to see them move about as we go through these damn tunnels. My memories are already acting up, already getting unbearably noisy. I don't need to see someone confirming the reality of it.
Shakily reaching out for the damp soil walls of the tunnel, I pat them carefully. There should be lots of rock in a mountain, but no. The bugs have changed this mountain to be something far more comfortable for them. Their kind of comfort is not ours, unfortunately.
Or gladly, I don't know...?
"Service tunnel. Few if any," Heiya's Father comments as he picks up his pace. He heads off into the pitch black, disappearing in no time at all. My stomach acts up, practically hiccuping its contents. His attire and spikes are rustling. I cannot see him. He sounds too much like a scurrying bug.
"What's the plan, exactly?" I whisper to Vapooliar as she makes sure her blade offers its light as well. It's not much, but it's something. Anything is a lot right now.
"We'll see if we can find the aelenvari prisoners." she answers, swaying her edge near the dirt walls.
"The what?" I ask with a blink.
"The one that gave you the seed. She's- They are aelenvari." she clarifies as I look back at the named item in Vadei's hands. Her tail wraps around, her frantic grip enjoying it in stimming bursts.
"Ah." I let out as I recall the creatures, though I only ever saw them in shadows. They have a pair of lights dangling from their foreheads at the very least, so I have an idea. But, coming to a stop, I turn around and confuse everyone. A bang rings out and Vadei hops away, a hiss to her lips.
"What're you doing!?" Vadei lets out at me, her body crouched over so she can nurse the scrape.
"Trying to remember..." I answer as I ponderously pat the walls.
"Nin, do so on the move." Vapooliar urges me to do as I recall what wall it was I broke through.
"Right-hand side." I tell her as I let my spoken hand go across the damp soil. I hate how slimy and vile it feels, but it's where the hole should be. Any moment now, I hope. Come on...
However, I hate the ambience of the hive more. Suffering is not the kind of music I like to hear when doing something. I can't speak for anyone else, but I have a feeling they agree with me. We all hate how it keeps getting slightly louder.
Heiya's Father comes back to us quickly, and his daughter faces him. Patting himself, he brings out this little insect that he for some reason brought. He drops something to it. I am a little confused as to why he suddenly has a pet. But, hopefully, it offers genuine help. Like a miner's bird does.
"Aelenvari ahead." he tells us with what seems to be a perplexed look.
"How's security?" Vapooliar asks him as she keeps her blade raised against the dark. Noises chase after the older midget, but only drips.
"None." he answers and his daughter steps forward.
"Haaas thaaat lubricaaant messed with yaur heaaad?" she asks as she uncomfortably stares at the container with the insect. She mutters something about it and I blink at the perplexity.
"No. No security." he repeats as he gestures for us to follow.
"That doesn't sound good..." I mutter to Vapooliar in response to his words. A whisper comes back to me, a whisper in the wind. I twist about, trying to find whoever said it, and yet, I know no one did. That is not any of their voices.
Then I blink as I catch strange whispers in the wind.
"We will have to see. I pray it is not how you feel," she tells me as I take my arm off the wall. Looking back at the other two, I watch as Vadei gently jostles the seed as Heiya hops onto my sledge. Frowning at the short shooter, she ignores me and digs through our supplies. What is she even looking for?
We aren't planning to linger in the hive; it is just guns back there!
"Heiya." her father barks softly and she runs up to him. She passes a container over to him and the front of his gun snaps off, revealing rows of empty, narrow sockets. He flicks open the supplies, stabbing the gun into the buzzing box and pulling it back out. His hands close it all up and he sends Heiya back with the box.
"Humaaan." she sneers as she carelessly dumps the box behind me. Flexing my fingers a little, I shiver, knowing that the abused box is full of angry ammo. Hearing the sounds of sniffing, I look around. Heiya's Father is up to something odd and his eyes seemingly glow when he turns back towards us.
"Here." he says as he steps back to make room for Vapooliar.
"There's already a hole," she tells him as she places her blade against the earth. Pushing through, she ignores her own complaint, and she makes us a path. The earth falls down and somewhat fills the tunnel and everyone but me and her goes through it. Stepping aside, she picks up the sledge by the back and I am urged through the hole.
"Is this normal?" I ask as I look around at the dimly lit tunnels and chambers. Glancing into one, I regret my decision and return my focus to the group. Vadei's nose twitches and she steps away from one of the chambers and Vapooliar takes the seed from her.
"Vadei, are any of them still alive?" she asks as Vadei nods with pale skin and watery eyes. She moans in pain, a rock lodged in her throat. I sniff the air myself and it crinkles as I force myself to focus on the odours.
"Seriously, where are the bugs?" I ask as the two spike-back midgets set themselves up behind cover. Standing in the open, I tap my foot gently before following Vapooliar as far as the chamber entrance. It's a mess in here... Filthy, still bodies everywhere.
Staring at one, I look at its still somewhat bright yellow hair and the bulbs it has. For some reason, Vapooliar is holding her hand up at them and the wisps dance on her open palms. Minding the needle-shaped legs in my way, I move closer to her. She frowns and shows off the seed more openly.
These aelenvari all have nothing to say and what we do get is weak and quiet. Vadei comes over and takes back the seed, and Vapooliar steps backwards. She rubs her face, planting her sword into the ground as a continued expression of her exasperation. I turn to Vadei. We stare at each other as Vapooliar groans.
"I can't believe this... We have a seed, an aelenvari seed! One of your young! Why do you all do nothing!?" she demands to know as one of them creaks their head up at us. Their mouth opens slightly and Vadei steps ahead with moving ears.
"She says they're too weak." she passes on.
"I can hear them fine." Vapooliar nearly snaps as Vadei backs off stiffly.
"Vapooliar, let's just go..." I tell her as the wind whispers once again. Oddly, though, Vadei's ears do not twitch at the sound. Does it just not bother her? There's no way she didn't hear it.
Vapooliar walks up to and goes around me, snatching up a gun from the crate, "We bring the means to fight!"
"Vapooliar..." I say again as I place my hand on the weapon. Shaking my head, she lets go of the gun and I waddle around to the crate to put it back in. Minding my legs, I prevent any embarrassing trip-ups.
"You can't be serious... Aelenvari are supposed to be legendary in their desire to protect their young!" Vapooliar lets out as her arms lose their strength.
"We're... Too weak... Wind-Person... Those who can help you are gone..." a she coughs from the far corner. Vapooliar lights her up immediately, blinding the poor woman. What seemed to be dry mud turns out to be caked blood, making me shiver. It isn't just on that one either... I want to unlearn this. I want to live in denial.
"Where are they, then!?" Vapooliar demands to know as she kneels in front of the aelenvari woman.
"The parasites took them elsewhere... You'll only find discarded food here..." she hacks as her eyes linger on the sword. Her finger twitches only inwards, almost as if to beg for the release it can offer.
"Food." I repeat as a hand covers my mouth. Crunch. Minding my feet, I step around the bones that just seem to keep appearing. Why do they not stop!?
"Do you know anything!?" Vapooliar demands as her blade returns to her right hand.
"I've heard... Words..." the aelenvari answers before she falls over. Hearing not one more sound, Vapooliar stands up and sighs.
"What does that even mean?" I ask as she walks past me.
"Undwote, find them." she prays, ignoring me. Following after her with my head, I stop when I notice Vadei's ears flipping about. I stare at one, watching it twitch and adjust with uncomfortable curiosity. Both turn the same way.
"Vadei, do you hear anything?" I ask the tailed-woman as she sniffs the air with a revolted expression. She coughs violently, holding back what must be a stream of throw-up.
"Swearing." she answers slowly and Vapooliar stops. Her armour swiftly clanks and she's up in the tailed-woman's face. The sword parts wet earth with a squelch, releasing a vile smell that was trapped beneath. I wave a hand in front of my face.
"Swearing?" she repeats as Vadei's ears continue to act up.
"Swearing, human. Men... Like a soldier..." she realises and Vapooliar smiles ever so slightly. Even the wisps spark with greater fire. Vadei points in the direction of the sound with her ear tips. Vapooliar catches onto the angle quick and turns with a heft of her blade.
"Very well." Vapooliar remarks as she walks away. I look back at the ears, watching them continue to suggest a direction. They twitch and I do too.
"Still no bugs?" I ask in a hushed tone, paranoia soaking me as much as the filth of this place.
"No..." Vadei answers as she slinks away from the chamber. Taking one last glance at all the half-eaten bodies and mucky bones, I turn away as well. I can feel myself turning paler. There's an unlovable cold here, a sensation no one but the broken can suffer.
"Wonderful." I let out as I drag the sledge onto the path out of here. It catches on part of the chamber wall, leaving me in the presence of death longer than I want or need to be. I pull it clean and a body smacks against the metal. A gulp of saliva almost chokes me.
Shaking my head, I get my focus back onto the backs of the other four. The two midgets have point. And I have the back. Shivering at the lightning strike of fresh energy, I pick up the pace and catch up, almost flying as I do. Soon enough, even, I start to hear something myself.
I stop alongside everyone else as we reach what is likely to be the first of many crossroads. Our most combat familiar group members peek around the corners. One with a sword at the ready, the other a gun raised high, ready to drop onto a palm. Vadei's ears, thankfully, break the tension.
"It's clear." she answers, heading out as her tail jumps in surprise at nothing.