I nod to Johnny as he takes the lead through the tunnels. He asks for my input every few points, and I do my best to guide him truly. Then, right behind him, I move, with the rest of the group on my heels and Dakota by my side. It is hard to remember where all the Bado were, but not so much the path the sound took to me when I listened to Abraham. The real difficulty is in recalling and being quiet. Two things at once that require huge feats of mind.
Slowly. Carefully. Quietly. Those traits are the embodiment of us as we progress. Bado are everywhere, and every step we take is a chance for us to be found. Even without Echo, I can hear the creaking and clanking of corrupted birdmen and the occasional scratch upon stone.
Everyone is tense as we advance, Sneak keeping most of us quiet and Stealth keeping Johnny and me silent. Only some people know the more powerful version of the skill, but we need more time for that. The best we could do was teach Lennox Sneak, the essential skill easy for beginners in Ether.
Corner after corner, we move. Stair after stair, we tip-toe. Breaths are held, and I keep the guidance going. But it gets harder and harder to remember where everything was as we move. I'm no Earl, so I can't just recall everything similar to that eidetic.
Instead, I crane my head and think as we come to a crossroad, a trio of paths ahead. As usual, Johnny is twisting his head to gaze at me while I do so. He's so trusting, a far cry from when I first met him. But I don't want to disappoint him, so I close my eyes and ponder deeply.
Which side had the Bado? Left? Right? Or was it the middle? Hmm.
Hmm.
I think the right had water dripping. And the left... was it a scratching? I don't believe a Bado was scratching, though—it sounded more animalistic and benign. The middle must have been what lead to a nest. Nodding to Johnny, I point at the left path, and we promptly move down it. Despite our relatively large group, we are almost entirely silent. Barring breathing and the feeble stone against the stone of Lennox's feet, we are inaudible.
Once on the path, I start hesitating. Was this the right way? Should I use another Echo?
No. I need to save my Ether, plus something tells me I shouldn't use the skill too much with the ringing still in my ears. This is the right way. It is.
I focus my mind and resolve, moving right behind Johnny, dagger in my hand, just in case I was wrong. The stone around gradually grows darker as we move slightly down, this tunnel having an arc in its path. And just as the tunnel grows darker, we all hear that scratching I remembered.
We've had to go around or pass by Bado several times, for we are all unwilling to fight for such an extended period again. There just are way too many Bado. We'll die long before we kill all the ones corrupted by the Mother Below.
Johnny glances at me again for confirmation, and I give it, a tiny whisper leaving my lips.
"Shouldn't be a Bado."
He doesn't react visibly other than merely continuing onward. His boots tap the spire's stone floor without any auditory signal, even to my careful ears. I think he's better at Stealth than I am. I should find some time to improve that skill too. I only wish I had more calm to do so.
Forward, once more, he moves, and I follow behind as usual. But, then, he moves up to another twist in the tunnel, one that spirals left, and peeks his head over the side, using a single eye to peer at what's on the other end. His idea was to do so, and a genius one at that. Even if we're found, he can try to reverse time with his Golden Eye to fix it, preventing the foe from even knowing they saw him.
So, as I see him burst forward out of nowhere, a noticeable blip of noise coming from a rock breaking underneath his dash, I hurriedly follow behind. And when I turn the corner, I figure out the issue.
A fragile creature with tiny little wings sits in a corner, wisps of silvery darkness wafting off its skin, feathers, and closed eyelids. The creature is scratching at a part of the wall, almost as if trying to dig through it. But its claws are weak and pitiful, entirely unlike Skychaser's or his father's that could rip flesh and bone. It's a Bado, a very, very young one. One so young that it barely even reaches my hip at its full height. A pang runs through my heart as I see that the Mother Below has already claimed it.
Then, I watch, confused and worried, as Johnny sinks the ghostly blade from Blake into the child's head, promptly snuffing out its light.
I step forward to Johnny, not understanding what he's doing. Stabbing a child, even a Plagued, is entirely unlike him. The man has always done his best to protect children and young ones. Elizabeth and Esther are two good examples.
Before I can open my mouth to question him, Johnny rips the blade out, spoiling the dark stone with the even darker tone of the child's blood. His movement lets me see his face, contorted in anguish and self-hate. Almost the same look he had upon that rock when we spoke.
I pause my question due to his emotion cratering my stomach in guilt just from seeing his face. The veteran Hunter, however, recovers far better than I. He moves onward, a whisper just loud enough for me and Bonfire, who is behind me, to hear.
"Burn the body. No child deserves such a thing."
His voice is guttural and on the verge of tears. But I'm pretty sure only I catch his visceral reaction as the man keeps going forward, forcing me to keep up as Bonfire ignites the Bado child for burial. Bonfire is also surprised by Johnny's actions, uttering a curse as he leans a sparking finger toward the child.
"Damn."
I'm half surprised that Skychaser didn't say anything about the Bado's death since he was a child; I suppose his strict crusade includes even his own. I wish to stay for the pyre, but Johnny just keeps moving. So, I follow. Right on Johnny's heels, I move, trying to slow him down with a harsh whisper, and only when my voice graces his ears does he slow back down to a more normal pace.
"Calm down, Johnny!"
He wavers for a moment and peeks at me before sighing. Then, he returns to normal with a shake of his head and a trembling fist. The man steps close to me and whispers back.
"Sorry. I... I let my feelings overtake me. Let's move on. Where to next?"
Seeing his recovering composure brings a short smile to my lips as I point forwards. I whisper back as a crackling flame comes from behind, the Bado already turned to ashes by Bonfire.
"Forward, we shouldn't be that far from them."
He nods at me, and we move onward. The ashes of the child are picked up by Skychaser and put in a jar that he has with him. The adult Bado is silent the whole while, merely gazing at the fallen child of his race as he moves along with us.
I want to say something—anything to help him. But there is nothing that comes to my tongue. What do you say to a man whose whole race is dying before his very eyes? When there is so little he can do other than run for support from tenuous allies?
I don't know. I'm awful at this, horrible at helping others with their emotions. Should I even talk? I don't know. As we stroll further down the winding rocky tunnel, I murmur "Sorry" to Skychaser.
The Bado jumps at my intrusion into his silence. A parched voice comes from his beak, the accent from not having proper lips showing through.
"It is fine."
I slow a bit as I remember that this path is particularly long without any other risk points until we reach the lip in a few minutes. I speak to Skychaser more seriously with this extra time, keeping my voice low. I can't believe how he is 'fine'.
"What do you mean, fine? Is this not all driving you crazy?"
The birdman of steel feathers doesn't physically react and instead tells a short story.
"We Bado have a saying, 'Life is but a storm to weather. What flies battered is all that will stand.'. We have always been under attack. Starkbluffs is an essential position for many races. The natural barriers and defenses are a golden ticket to most. But we still stand. Through this, too, we will live. I am sure. Blightraven, if freed from his cage, will save us all."
I can only nod along with him, for I wish I had that much confidence in something. Anything. I did once, but not anymore. After Skychaser finishes his words, the Bado puts a claw on my shoulder, speaking again from his beak.
"I appreciate your care. But I do not need it. Save it for the other Bado who yet live."
I want to say something else, but the darker color of the once sandy stone around us now looms on midnight pulls my attention. We're getting close. Close to Virgil, close to Sacate, close to Esther. A bit further. I believe we are even past most of the threats. Past this point, as far as I can remember, there were no more dangerous noises or suspicious sounds.
Nodding to Skychaser, I move back up to Johnny through the group, pushing past Bonfire with Dakota beside me. Once I stroll beside him, I whisper to him.
"Only a bit further. I don't think there is any other danger until we reach them, as well."
Johnny grunts out an affirmative as we move ever forward, continuing down this tunnel of rock, only growing darker and darker. The pitch of the stone now resembles the night sky, tiny fragments of flint or gem or something I don't quite recognize, performing like diminutive stars around us.
The sight is captivating, even with all the danger it took to get down here. But I only spend a few seconds adoring the vista around as echoes resound in our ears, faint yet present.
I Temper my hearing as we move a bit further, and with the focused sense, I can make out the speaker. It's Abraham. He's coming toward us.
"Shhh, Frank. We need to be quiet."
"Hmm."
Frank? It's nice to hear that he's alive; he sounds odd, though. I was a little worried for the big man. I didn't expect him to be talented at hiding with his loud personality. He probably isn't, but he seems to have managed.
We move a bit further as I take the lead, knowing what's ahead, and call out to Abraham as we get close enough to hear each other's footsteps.
"Abraham?"
A single second of quiet passes before a reply arrives back.
"Who is that?"
Footsteps speed up to reach us, one light and one heavy pair, before two people come around a corner, the light of the lantern on my hip and the stars on the walls lighting up the two.
I come face to face with Abraham, his pale skin reflecting the light around us just as his light hair does. A smile stretches uncomfortably on the man's face, going almost ear to ear. It doesn't feel quite right for some reason, but I can't pinpoint why. Abraham, however, doesn't sense my discomfort and almost yells with glee, the noise far too loud.
"Oh, finally! We've been waiting for ages!"
Immediately, I shush him, eyes turning to look at Frank, who has a hood over his face and baggy clothes covering him. Why would Abraham yell? He's not a dunce like Bonfire, and even he wouldn't do that. Something isn't right. But what?
Johnny also steps up and pats Abraham on the shoulder, not catching my distress.
"Good to see you, buddy. Are you hurt or anything? Can you take us to Sacate?"
Abraham shakes and then nods before replying to Johnny.
"It's been... rough. And yeah, we can---"
"Eh! What are you doing out here? You said you'd be the last to leave! You gotta guard the entrance!"
Bonfire interjects, his voice only marginally quieter than Abrahams's shout. As I raise an eyebrow at Bonfire, his question makes Abraham and Frank flinch slightly. My attention shifts just in time to notice Frank's frame cringing enough to catch a glimpse of light against dark along his shoulder from his cloak moving.
I don't wait a moment to act on that glimpse of possible danger, even if these two are friends. Instead, that smidge of unease rears its head as I instantly use Insight on Abraham, gaining clarity through his eyes. And in a moment, I see that Abraham's eyes are scouring our bodies for weapons, injuries, and weaknesses. The gaze is like that of a predator, one hunting for prey in a perpetual night. I attempt to gauge his thinking with Insight, but it doesn't succeed. His thoughts are tough to discern, almost impossible, in fact, but that could just be attributed to his prowess in the mind.
Despite his way of looking at us, he replies eloquently and shoves away the accusation from Bonfire.
"Well, you see, someone had to get help. No one else was willing, so we came."
As he speaks, a single surface thought of his slaps me in the face as I try to dig deep for them. Yet, his eyes are locked onto Bonfire's neck the whole while.
"Who is that?"
The thought from him is all I need. This is not Abraham, and that is most certainly not Frank. Abraham would never forget Bonfire, and now that I think of it, this person in front of me has never said any of our names or shown any information that only he would know.
But only I seem to realize this as I pull back Insight and force my body to roar with Ether as I prepare to strike. Then, inconspicuously, I draw back my arm and build an Ironbound. Now that I know what's wrong, it seems much more apparent.
Abrham's smile is far too wide, almost bordering on inhuman. Frank's whole body is covered, with an unsightly bulge along his arm. Frank is likely to be some kind of Dreadmarked, merely posing as the man, but what's up with Abraham?
I know that Manipulators can transform into any they infest with Darklight, but does that mean Abraham was done in? Surely not. If that's the case, then everyone down here is likely dead. Bonfire spoke of how the illusionist covered the entrance where they stayed, keeping any from getting too close or inside.
Hmm. Doesn't matter. Well, it does, but I need to do the same thing regardless. Because no matter what, this is not Abraham. Even if he's a friend. Even if he's kind. Even if we have many similarities, there is only one answer.
Kill.
But I wait. As Abraham speaks to Johnny, talking almost nonsense, I wait silently. I wait until the moment when the Motherbound expects me to strike least. I will wait for when it does.
Words go back and forth as I pay little attention, my eyes darting back and forth between the two figures in front of me. And just as I start hesitating in my thoughts, the conversation ends. With that ending, Johnny turns around to face the others, just waiting to move on, and as he does, I notice a minute straining of Abraham's body.
His foot slides to accommodate a strike or slice better as I recognize a slight glimmer of light on his palm. Yeah, definitely not Abraham. He moves to attack Johnny, his body twisting in power and Darklight to get the man from behind. He doesn't even bother looking at me, the figure right beside Johnny.
Finally, unwilling to wait any longer, I burst with strength, twisting my whole body and forcing the palm of my hand laced with Ironbound straight for Abraham's head.
I move faster than the lanky man, my hand slamming into his skull as Johnny turns on a dime just fast enough to see Abraham's head split open against the stone wall beside us.
And the second I do so, the figure impersonating Frank roars so voluminously that the rocks above start shaking and crashing down as he charges right for me. I jump back to dodge, Abraham's body sickeningly sliding to the ground.
But I barely evade the charge as the figure slams into the rock, making everything dangerously shake again. The spires are rigid and durable, but parts can and do collapse. Shouts come from behind, the loudest from Johnny.
"What the hell did you just do!? Are you insane!?"
Realizing what I did looks like upfront murder, I quickly point to the figure impersonating Frank as everyone draws their weapons at me.
"That's not Abraham or Frank! They are Motherbound! Look! The one that looks like Abraham had Darklight on his hand, and this one has it on his shoulder!"
Johnny reacts first, his eyes scouring the prominent figure in the tunnel before moving past me with a font of speed. Then, with that speed, he cuts the cloth on Frank's body before the man can recover from the charge. And as dark fabric falls away, dark, silvery tendrils of light emerge, like plants reaching up for sunlight.
The Gunfighter doesn't hesitate or stay in confusion for a second longer, his blade detaching Frank's head before the creature can yell again. He truly is exemplary with a sword. So why doesn't he use one more? I don't know, and we don't have time for me to ponder that issue. I'll ask him about it later.
I move up to Johnny as Skychaser pushes past me to look at the bodies himself. Then, without any of us even asking, the Bado gasps aloud, his voice shaky and in awe.
"Groundswalkers? I thought these were a myth?!"
Skychaser turns to look at us as he gazes at the dead thing that looks precisely like Abraham.
"Groundswalkers are said to be capable of transforming into any they've ever seen, just as Skinwalkers can. These Motherbound are evolving and getting more variety. More dangerous. Never before has an outbreak lasted this long. As far as I know, the longest recorded outbreak of Motherbound was four months, yet we've been fighting for almost six. Had Wyatt not noticed, Johnny, you would be dead."
Curses come all around as the news rears its ugly head. But, then, reverberate a hundred times more emotionally as screeches and roars echo from the way we came.
They heard the fight. Fuck.