Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Spirit of the Wolf ❯ Chapter 28: The Beginning of the End ( Chapter 28 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: WolfGoddess_77 
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Fantasy / Romance / Supernatural | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 11.10.2016 | Pages: 7 | Words: 4.9K | Visits: 113 | Status: Work In Progress
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Fantasy / Romance / Supernatural | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 11.10.2016 | Pages: 7 | Words: 4.9K | Visits: 113 | Status: Work In Progress
As the roar died away, Cael turned to look at Seth, his eyes
blazing. “There are more hoyu seishin
here?” he asked, his voice accusing. “Just how many
more, exactly?” By the intensity of the sound, it was more
than just two or three. Thankfully, however, they sounded quite far
away.
“I’m not entirely sure,” Seth admitted, his voice shaking slightly. “Less than a dozen, but I’m afraid I can’t be more specific than that. I try to keep as far away from them as possible. They make me feel…uneasy.”
“I can understand why,” Reyith said quietly. “Being near them must remind you of an existence that you narrowly escaped.”
“Be that as it may, he still could have warned us that so many of those things were close by. Keeping it secret put us all at risk. If we had known, we could have-”
“…could have what?” Seth interrupted. “Killed them before they could do any harm? They’re constantly kept under lock and key; we didn’t think they would present a danger to you. And up until now, they have been quiet.” He paused. “What set them off?”
“We did,” Reyith answered. “Or rather, Cael did. They have always been drawn to us, and the explosion of energy from Cael’s transformation must have roused them.” She turned towards the now-closed door. “They want to find us, though I do not know how hard they will fight to achieve that goal. It is possible that they might calm down, given time. Or, they might…” She trailed off, her brow furrowing in worry.
“They might decide that it’s worth their while to track us down,” Cael finished the grim sentence, crossing his arms in an attempt to calm the instinct to call in Kago. The creatures were still fairly far away, and he didn’t know if they could get through a locked door, but his instincts were still screaming at him to defend himself and his mate.
Locked door… No, it wasn’t locked, unless Seth had done it when he had come to find them. He eyed the door, frowning. It was thick, several inches at least. But it wasn’t made of the reinforced steel that he had seen in the lower levels of Kellan’s mansion. And why would they be? This room was obviously meant for human occupants; they wouldn’t be able to break through a door that thick, even a wooden one.
He straightened, moving over to the door and pressing on it to make sure it was firmly closed. He reached for the lock, but then paused. There wasn’t one. There was a keyhole, signifying a locking mechanism within, but no external deadbolt, or anything else. Then again, that made sense, too. There was no reason to put a lock on the inside, when the occupants could easily open it and escape, if they got out of the cells. But it made things very inconvenient for them. This almost made him laugh. Inconvenient. It was much, much more than that. It put them in danger beyond measure.
But it might not be as bad as all that. “I don’t know if they can open the door, but if they put their mind to it, they could probably break it down, especially if more than one of them attempts it at the same time.” He ran his hand over the wood, then looked back at Seth. “Is there anywhere else we can go; anywhere safer?”
Seth shook his head. “There are rooms with reinforced doors downstairs, but to get there, we would have to go through…” He trailed off, waving his hand in the direction of the hallway. It was clear what he meant. They would have to fight their way through the hoyu seishin if they wanted to reach a safer place. How ironic.
Reyith stood up, leaning back against the wall to conserve her strength. “Seth, you should go, before they reach this room. It is us they are after, not you. If you go now, you should be able to reach a safe place.”
Seth looked over at her in surprise. She wanted him to be safe? After all that he and Dryn had done to her, he was shocked that she was concerned about his well-being. However, he couldn’t take her up on her offer. He shook his head. “No. I won’t leave you and Cael here alone, especially with you wounded. Even at full strength, the two of you might not be able to take on all of them by yourselves. You’ll need my help.”
“But how? I do not want to be rude, but you have no weapon. They will tear you apart if they get hold of you. I…I do not want that to happen to you.” She wasn’t sure why she was saying this; it was true that she should hate him after what had happened while they had been here. It was partially his fault, after all. But he had shown them far more kindness than she had expected, and she had a feeling that the splint on her arm was his doing.
Seth gave her a warm smile. “I appreciate that, but I can’t leave. I know some hand to hand combat, so I might be able to hold my own for a while.” He was kidding himself, he knew. He wouldn’t last two minutes against those fangs and claws. But he was also fast. He could at least provide a decent distraction, to allow the two of them to escape, if that was what it came down to. Maybe his sacrifice would make up for all the horrible things that had happened to the two of them, both while they had been here, and even before. Although – or perhaps because - he was technically one of the creatures they fought, he felt partially responsible. If he had tried harder to convince Dryn…
Reyith narrowed her eyes, easily reading his expression. It wasn’t hard to figure out what was going through his mind. “Seth, no,” she said firmly. “I will not allow you to be killed just because you feel like you owe us something. Honestly, without your help, I do not know what might have happened to us.” She had a feeling that Seth wasn’t quite as loyal to Dryn as the man might believe. It might very well be possible that he had stood between them and Dryn more than once, preventing anything bad from happening to them. Well, anything worse.
Cael watched this exchange silently. He had no love for Seth, but the truth was, he had helped them, and he had taken care of Reyith when she had still been unconscious. Maybe they owned him more than he was willing to admit. “Are you sure about this?” Cael asked him after several long seconds. “There’s still time for you to get away. You don’t have to do this.”
Seth looked towards the door, then back at the two of them. “I’m not running and leaving you here alone. The two of you are the only ones I’ve ever met who are like me. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. If I can help prevent that, then I’ll do whatever I can.”
“And you think our lives are worth more than yours? Why should we survive while you die? You survived the injection, and did not transform into one of those things. It seems to me that you deserve to live just as much as we do.”
Finally, Cael spoke up. “Reyith is right, you know. Getting that injection and still remaining yourself… From what we’ve seen, the odds are astronomical. You shouldn’t throw that away on some noble gesture that might not even help us at all. It’s possible that the best way you can actually help us is by staying alive. We might need your help before we get out of here, and you won’t be able to do much for us if you’re dead.”
The problem was, he needed a weapon, and neither of them had one he could use. They could have offered him either Metsu or Kago, but assuming that the weapons would even agree to serve him, they would both need them for themselves in the upcoming fight.
Seth looked at the both of them, clearly torn. He knew how Cael felt towards him, and if even he was arguing against his actions… “All right,” he said at last. “I’ll go.” But only long enough for him to get a weapon. Then he would return to help them fight. He would still be doing what they asked of him, after all. He wouldn’t be throwing his life away. With a weapon, he stood just as much of a chance as they did.
Casting them one final glance, he opened the door, looking down both corridors before slipping outside and vanishing down the hallway.
“We should probably go too,” Cael said, moving over to Reyith and placing a hand on her shoulder. He looked over at the man in the cell, who had gone quiet. He was shivering faintly, making a soft whimpering noise every now and then. Cael couldn’t tell if the transformation had stopped, or if it was still slowly advancing. Either way, he didn’t want to be in here when they were caught. He couldn’t tell how far away the hoyu seishin were, or even if they had managed to break out of the confinement Seth had said they were under. “If we go now, maybe we can…”
Reyith shook her head, cutting him off. “No. They will find us, one way or another. I do not want them to follow us any closer to the surface. They might not have the intelligence to escape from this place, but I would rather not take the chance. There are too many of them out there as it is. If we can stop them here, then that is what we should do.”
“But Reyith, there are too many of them for us to handle by ourselves.” He touched her broken arm lightly. “You are still severely wounded.” He knew that she wouldn’t want to be reminded of her weakness, but she had to face the realities of what they were facing. This encounter could easily kill them, even if they were at full strength. Like this, they stood next to no chance.
“Then we will kill as many as we can. Cael, this has to be stopped, here and now. My being injured is…a setback, but I will not put myself in more danger than I absolutely must. If these creatures are anything like the ones I have fought before, they will be big; no more than one at a time will be able to fit through that door. It should act as a funnel, letting them in slowly enough that we can handle them. Cael, we can do this. Trust me.” She reached up, placing a gentle hand on the side of his face. “Please. We can do this. They are suffering. If we can put them out of their misery, then…”
He sighed, knowing that he would never be able to win this argument. Reyith could be extremely stubborn when she wanted to be, and it was clear that this was one of those times. Finally, he nodded, brushing a lock of her bi-colored hair back out of her face and kissing her forehead softly. “All right. If you think this is something we can do, then I won’t try and stop you.”
She knew her own limits better than he did, after all. If she insisted that she could fight, who was he to disagree? Still, he wanted to be absolutely certain. Kago, what do you think? Can we do this, with her injured like she is?
The spirit was silent for so long, he didn’t know if he was going to receive an answer. But just when he was about to ask again, the cultured voice resonated through his mind. It’s hard to say. Neither of us have ever seen her try to fight like this. It’s possible that she’ll be just fine. Despite his words, however, Cael could hear the worry in his voice.
Metsu would know. Can you ask him? He was still wary of Metsu, and didn’t want to bother him if it could be avoided, but in this case, he felt that it was necessary. Reyith might be in danger, and if that was the case, he would gladly risk speaking to the cold spirit himself, if that was what it took.
I can try. If anyone knows her limits, it would be him. I don’t think he would let her take a risk like this if he thought it would harm her further. He loves her just as much as we do. Indeed, the spirit might even have a better reason than did either Cael or Kago. She was Cael’s mate, true, but Metsu depended on her for life. The only way that a spirit could die was if his wielder was killed. They could be wounded, and their physical forms could be broken, but apart from that, they were immortal.
Kago extended his presence through the link that Cael and Reyith shared, searching for Metsu’s presence. It wasn’t hard to find. Within only a couple of minutes, he had located the icy spirit. Despite his worry, Kago was careful to be polite, waiting until the spirit acknowledged him before speaking. Only seconds after his arrival, he had Metsu’s full attention. That was unusual. Metsu usually resided deeper within Reyith’s consciousness. It was almost as if…
I have been expecting you, Metsu said, turning to fix his blood-red eyes on the other spirit. Ah, as he had thought. Metsu must have known that no amount of reassurance on Reyith’s part would do to satisfy Cael and Kago that she was fit to fight. Someone else, someone who knew her best, would have to speak with them, and allay their fears.
Then you must also know what we fear. She’s badly hurt… Will she be able to stand up to a threat like this? She says that she can, but neither of us have ever seen her fight when she’s wounded. If she tries this, and it’s too much for her, she’ll be killed.
Metsu sighed. Her stubbornness and pride can be troublesome, I admit. But I have seen her fight with wounds before. If we are careful, and with your help, it’s possible that we may be able to overcome these creatures. But we must be very, very careful. If they overcome us, then we stand no chance. Reyith’s plan to funnel them into the room one by one is a sound one, if executed correctly. It will give us the advantage, and will not strain her unduly. I think we can do it.
Kago nodded, trusting that Metsu knew more about this than he did. She was his wielder, after all. If he couldn’t be trusted with Reyith’s life, no one could. He was the true judge of her strength, and if he said that it could be done, who was Kago to question him? He gave a short bow, fading out of the spirit’s world, and reappearing within Cael’s mind.
He says that it can be done, if we don’t let them overwhelm us. If we can fight them one by one, using Reyith’s plan, then we – she – will be fine.
Cael felt a trickle of relief go through him. Maybe they might be all right, then. He pulled Reyith close, running his fingers through her hair. “All right, we’ll do it your way.” He glanced towards the door, listening hard. After the initial roar, he hadn’t heard anything; perhaps they had settled down, after all. Somehow though, he didn’t think so. These things were nothing if not persistent. They would come for him and Reyith, sooner or later. In the meantime, though…
“Come on, let’s get some rest. We’re going to need our strength.” Moving away from the man in the cell, he sat down against one wall, where he could easily see the door. He pulled Reyith into his lap, providing her with a soft place to sit. Wrapping his arms protectively around her, he pulled her close, and sat back to wait.
---
Meanwhile, Seth was making his way down the corridors, returning to where he had last seen Dryn. He didn’t know if Dryn would still be there, but even if he wasn’t, that wasn’t the reason he was going back. The plan that Reyith had come up with was simple enough, and with a little luck, it should work. He had made up his mind that, one way or another, he was going to help them. The only problem was, he didn’t know where to get a weapon. This was a hospital; weapons weren’t easy to come by. He wasn’t about to give up, though. There had to be something he could use.
A thought came to him, then. It was a crude solution, but… Turning, he altered his course, heading instead for one of the storage rooms. When he reached it, he searched through the cabinets and drawers until he found the items he was searching for. He found a long metal pipe tucked away in one corner, and sat down to begin creating the makeshift weapon. He had collected several scalpels, and a roll of strong tape. Arranging the scalpels around one end of the pipe, he wrapped the tape around the handles, until they were firmly secured.
He smiled grimly. It was a poor excuse of a weapon when compared to the elegant scythe and longsword that Reyith and Cael wielded, but this would do in a pinch. There wasn’t much else that he could use, in any case. Given what he had to work with, he thought it was decent enough. With more time, he might have come up with something more effective, but this would keep the creatures at a distance, at least. It wouldn’t be able to wound them very much; to them, these scalpels would be little more than annoying pinpricks, but it was better than nothing.
How he wished that he could manifest his own weapon! So much would be solved if he could. Shaking his head, he stood back up, twirling the makeshift spear experimentally. There was no point in wishing. It wouldn’t change anything. He would just have to make do with what he had, and let Reyith and Cael take care of the rest. He just had to hope that they really were as strong as they claimed. So many hoyu seishin could be deadly to them. But they still had to try.
He left the room, heading back towards the place where he knew Reyith and Cael were waiting for him. As he made his way back towards them, he frowned. He could sense something strange, but he couldn’t tell what it was. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before, but it was still so faint that he couldn’t tell much about it, where it was coming from, or whether it was malevolent or benign. If it was another threat, he didn’t know what he would do. They were in enough danger as it was without anything else being heaped on top of it.
He was relieved to see that the hallways were still clear as he walked down them, slowly winding his way back. They were clear now, but he didn’t know how much longer that would last. The cells holding the hoyu seishin were strong enough to keep them contained for a while…so long as they remained calm. But if they really tried to escape, he knew that nothing would stand in their way. The cells hadn’t been designed to stand up against their full strength. During the entire time he had been here, nothing had ever set them off the way the explosion of energy from Cael’s transformation had.
They should have reinforced the cells, somehow, or the doors leading to the corridors. But since nothing like this had ever happened, Dryn hadn’t seen the need to take such drastic measures. It would have been too expensive, he said. But if they ever found him, Seth was willing to bet Dryn would listen to him if he brought up the idea of better security. …assuming that they didn’t both die, at least, which was a distinct possibility.
At last, he reached the room where he had left Reyith and Cael. He knocked on the door before entering so as not to alarm either of them; he knew that they would both be on edge, waiting for an attack, and that they would probably attack first and ask questions later, without waiting to see who was on the other side of the door. They probably didn’t expect him to come back, anyway, and his sudden appearance would startle them if he just came bursting into the room.
On the other side of the door, Cael looked up, puzzled. Someone was knocking at the door. Obviously, it wasn’t the hoyu seishin. But then who…? He tilted his head back slightly, sniffing the air. He could detect Seth’s scent, but that might have simply been because he had been in here not too long ago. Still, who else would be courteous enough to knock before entering? “What?” he called, unsure of how he should answer. ‘Come in’ just didn’t seem appropriate, given the circumstances, and with Reyith still in his lap, he couldn’t just get up and open the door.
The doorknob slowly turned, and the door opened just enough to admit Seth. Cael relaxed, settling back against the wall. Reyith remained in his lap, her eyes closed. He couldn’t tell if she was awake or not; she hadn’t stirred at the knock at the door, but that could have simply been because she knew who was on the other side of it. Either way, he didn’t want to bother her, so he kept his voice quiet as he spoke.
“I thought you had decided to find a place to hide.” His eyes went to the rod Seth held, and it took him a moment to realize that it had been made into some kind of spear. “What…is that?”
Seth gave him a somewhat sheepish smile. “I said that I would go, but I never said that I wouldn’t be back. When the two of you first came here, I made a promise to myself that I would try to protect you. I won’t be able to do very much with this, but… It’s better than nothing. I can help to hold back the rest of the hoyu seishin, while the two of you fight them one at a time.”
Cael arched one eyebrow. “That’s identical to your plan from before,” he pointed out.
“Not identical. This time, I’ll have this.” He gestured to the spear. “It’s not as good as what you two have, but I think it’ll do. At the least, it’ll keep me from being live bait.”
Cael shook his head, though there was a faint smile on his face. Maybe he hadn’t been giving Seth enough credit. Facing the hoyu seishin with an actual effective weapon took courage, and for Seth to do it with something that he had crafted on his own… He was either braver than anyone Cael had ever met before, or he was absolutely insane. Cael figured that either one was very possible.
“Reyith won’t be happy about this, but if that’s what you’ve decided to do, it looks like neither of us will be able to talk you out of it. You seem to be determined to go through with this.”
“Well, the original purpose of the hoyu seishin was to protect, remember? Just like you. Maybe I have the same instincts that you do.” He closed the door behind him, leaning back against it. It wouldn’t provide much more resistance, and it certainly wasn’t as good as an actual lock, but doing this would at least allow him to hear what was going on outside in the corridor.
Cael thought about this. What Seth said was the truth. Reyith had never told him whether any of the hoyu seishin had any kind of instincts, other than to kill, of course. Besides, Seth wasn’t like the others; it was possible that what he could feel was different than those that had transformed. He might even be more like Cael and Reyith than those creatures. “What does Dryn think about this? He might not like his…assistant killing off his experiments.”
Seth shook his head. “I don’t think he knows that we plan on fighting them. And even if he does, I don’t care. As far as I’m concerned, this is self-defense. If we don’t kill them, they’ll kill us. We have no other choice.”
Cael was silent, watching him. As he had thought. Seth seemed to be shifting his loyalty from Dryn to them. He still didn’t know how far that loyalty went, and now probably wasn’t the best time to bring it up, as it might cause him to change his mind right when they needed him the most, but it was something to think about.
“All right, then.” He pulled Reyith a bit closer. From what he could tell, it looked like her wounds were still slowly healing. It was a good thing that they hadn’t been attacked yet; it gave her more time to regain her strength. It was why she was sleeping now, Cael knew. Her regenerative abilities worked best when she could completely focus on them, such as when she was asleep. “All we can do now is wait for them. I have a feeling that it won’t be long now.”
Seth nodded, though he was still somewhat troubled. Maybe Cael could explain what it was that he was feeling. “Hey… A few minutes ago, I noticed something odd. I can…sense something, but I don’t know what it is. It’s not something that I’ve felt before.”
Cael looked up at him, blinking. “I haven’t noticed anything…” He closed his eyes, concentrating. On the edge of his consciousness, he could feel a tingling that signified the presence of something, but he had been feeling that ever since he had come here; it was the hoyu seishin. Before, he had thought it was just Seth’s presence, but when he learned that there were others here, he realized that it was them, as well. If there was anything else out there, either the presence of the creatures was obscuring it, or it was simply too far away for him to sense. Reyith might have been able to do it, but he couldn’t.
Seth shook his head. “It’s probably nothing. I just thought I would bring it up, just in case.” Now that Cael had been forewarned, he knew that he would be on the lookout for anything strange, and would let him know if he sensed something. Warning Cael was all that he could do, anyway. Without knowing exactly what it was he was sensing, there was nothing that could be done about the presence, short of going out to look for it, which he didn’t want to do.
Shrugging to himself, he closed his eyes, leaning back against the door. Holding tightly to his spear, he closed his eyes, willing himself to relax. The fight would soon be on them. Right now, they needed to rest, and collect their strength for the fight ahead, a fight that might very well prove deadly.
“I’m not entirely sure,” Seth admitted, his voice shaking slightly. “Less than a dozen, but I’m afraid I can’t be more specific than that. I try to keep as far away from them as possible. They make me feel…uneasy.”
“I can understand why,” Reyith said quietly. “Being near them must remind you of an existence that you narrowly escaped.”
“Be that as it may, he still could have warned us that so many of those things were close by. Keeping it secret put us all at risk. If we had known, we could have-”
“…could have what?” Seth interrupted. “Killed them before they could do any harm? They’re constantly kept under lock and key; we didn’t think they would present a danger to you. And up until now, they have been quiet.” He paused. “What set them off?”
“We did,” Reyith answered. “Or rather, Cael did. They have always been drawn to us, and the explosion of energy from Cael’s transformation must have roused them.” She turned towards the now-closed door. “They want to find us, though I do not know how hard they will fight to achieve that goal. It is possible that they might calm down, given time. Or, they might…” She trailed off, her brow furrowing in worry.
“They might decide that it’s worth their while to track us down,” Cael finished the grim sentence, crossing his arms in an attempt to calm the instinct to call in Kago. The creatures were still fairly far away, and he didn’t know if they could get through a locked door, but his instincts were still screaming at him to defend himself and his mate.
Locked door… No, it wasn’t locked, unless Seth had done it when he had come to find them. He eyed the door, frowning. It was thick, several inches at least. But it wasn’t made of the reinforced steel that he had seen in the lower levels of Kellan’s mansion. And why would they be? This room was obviously meant for human occupants; they wouldn’t be able to break through a door that thick, even a wooden one.
He straightened, moving over to the door and pressing on it to make sure it was firmly closed. He reached for the lock, but then paused. There wasn’t one. There was a keyhole, signifying a locking mechanism within, but no external deadbolt, or anything else. Then again, that made sense, too. There was no reason to put a lock on the inside, when the occupants could easily open it and escape, if they got out of the cells. But it made things very inconvenient for them. This almost made him laugh. Inconvenient. It was much, much more than that. It put them in danger beyond measure.
But it might not be as bad as all that. “I don’t know if they can open the door, but if they put their mind to it, they could probably break it down, especially if more than one of them attempts it at the same time.” He ran his hand over the wood, then looked back at Seth. “Is there anywhere else we can go; anywhere safer?”
Seth shook his head. “There are rooms with reinforced doors downstairs, but to get there, we would have to go through…” He trailed off, waving his hand in the direction of the hallway. It was clear what he meant. They would have to fight their way through the hoyu seishin if they wanted to reach a safer place. How ironic.
Reyith stood up, leaning back against the wall to conserve her strength. “Seth, you should go, before they reach this room. It is us they are after, not you. If you go now, you should be able to reach a safe place.”
Seth looked over at her in surprise. She wanted him to be safe? After all that he and Dryn had done to her, he was shocked that she was concerned about his well-being. However, he couldn’t take her up on her offer. He shook his head. “No. I won’t leave you and Cael here alone, especially with you wounded. Even at full strength, the two of you might not be able to take on all of them by yourselves. You’ll need my help.”
“But how? I do not want to be rude, but you have no weapon. They will tear you apart if they get hold of you. I…I do not want that to happen to you.” She wasn’t sure why she was saying this; it was true that she should hate him after what had happened while they had been here. It was partially his fault, after all. But he had shown them far more kindness than she had expected, and she had a feeling that the splint on her arm was his doing.
Seth gave her a warm smile. “I appreciate that, but I can’t leave. I know some hand to hand combat, so I might be able to hold my own for a while.” He was kidding himself, he knew. He wouldn’t last two minutes against those fangs and claws. But he was also fast. He could at least provide a decent distraction, to allow the two of them to escape, if that was what it came down to. Maybe his sacrifice would make up for all the horrible things that had happened to the two of them, both while they had been here, and even before. Although – or perhaps because - he was technically one of the creatures they fought, he felt partially responsible. If he had tried harder to convince Dryn…
Reyith narrowed her eyes, easily reading his expression. It wasn’t hard to figure out what was going through his mind. “Seth, no,” she said firmly. “I will not allow you to be killed just because you feel like you owe us something. Honestly, without your help, I do not know what might have happened to us.” She had a feeling that Seth wasn’t quite as loyal to Dryn as the man might believe. It might very well be possible that he had stood between them and Dryn more than once, preventing anything bad from happening to them. Well, anything worse.
Cael watched this exchange silently. He had no love for Seth, but the truth was, he had helped them, and he had taken care of Reyith when she had still been unconscious. Maybe they owned him more than he was willing to admit. “Are you sure about this?” Cael asked him after several long seconds. “There’s still time for you to get away. You don’t have to do this.”
Seth looked towards the door, then back at the two of them. “I’m not running and leaving you here alone. The two of you are the only ones I’ve ever met who are like me. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. If I can help prevent that, then I’ll do whatever I can.”
“And you think our lives are worth more than yours? Why should we survive while you die? You survived the injection, and did not transform into one of those things. It seems to me that you deserve to live just as much as we do.”
Finally, Cael spoke up. “Reyith is right, you know. Getting that injection and still remaining yourself… From what we’ve seen, the odds are astronomical. You shouldn’t throw that away on some noble gesture that might not even help us at all. It’s possible that the best way you can actually help us is by staying alive. We might need your help before we get out of here, and you won’t be able to do much for us if you’re dead.”
The problem was, he needed a weapon, and neither of them had one he could use. They could have offered him either Metsu or Kago, but assuming that the weapons would even agree to serve him, they would both need them for themselves in the upcoming fight.
Seth looked at the both of them, clearly torn. He knew how Cael felt towards him, and if even he was arguing against his actions… “All right,” he said at last. “I’ll go.” But only long enough for him to get a weapon. Then he would return to help them fight. He would still be doing what they asked of him, after all. He wouldn’t be throwing his life away. With a weapon, he stood just as much of a chance as they did.
Casting them one final glance, he opened the door, looking down both corridors before slipping outside and vanishing down the hallway.
“We should probably go too,” Cael said, moving over to Reyith and placing a hand on her shoulder. He looked over at the man in the cell, who had gone quiet. He was shivering faintly, making a soft whimpering noise every now and then. Cael couldn’t tell if the transformation had stopped, or if it was still slowly advancing. Either way, he didn’t want to be in here when they were caught. He couldn’t tell how far away the hoyu seishin were, or even if they had managed to break out of the confinement Seth had said they were under. “If we go now, maybe we can…”
Reyith shook her head, cutting him off. “No. They will find us, one way or another. I do not want them to follow us any closer to the surface. They might not have the intelligence to escape from this place, but I would rather not take the chance. There are too many of them out there as it is. If we can stop them here, then that is what we should do.”
“But Reyith, there are too many of them for us to handle by ourselves.” He touched her broken arm lightly. “You are still severely wounded.” He knew that she wouldn’t want to be reminded of her weakness, but she had to face the realities of what they were facing. This encounter could easily kill them, even if they were at full strength. Like this, they stood next to no chance.
“Then we will kill as many as we can. Cael, this has to be stopped, here and now. My being injured is…a setback, but I will not put myself in more danger than I absolutely must. If these creatures are anything like the ones I have fought before, they will be big; no more than one at a time will be able to fit through that door. It should act as a funnel, letting them in slowly enough that we can handle them. Cael, we can do this. Trust me.” She reached up, placing a gentle hand on the side of his face. “Please. We can do this. They are suffering. If we can put them out of their misery, then…”
He sighed, knowing that he would never be able to win this argument. Reyith could be extremely stubborn when she wanted to be, and it was clear that this was one of those times. Finally, he nodded, brushing a lock of her bi-colored hair back out of her face and kissing her forehead softly. “All right. If you think this is something we can do, then I won’t try and stop you.”
She knew her own limits better than he did, after all. If she insisted that she could fight, who was he to disagree? Still, he wanted to be absolutely certain. Kago, what do you think? Can we do this, with her injured like she is?
The spirit was silent for so long, he didn’t know if he was going to receive an answer. But just when he was about to ask again, the cultured voice resonated through his mind. It’s hard to say. Neither of us have ever seen her try to fight like this. It’s possible that she’ll be just fine. Despite his words, however, Cael could hear the worry in his voice.
Metsu would know. Can you ask him? He was still wary of Metsu, and didn’t want to bother him if it could be avoided, but in this case, he felt that it was necessary. Reyith might be in danger, and if that was the case, he would gladly risk speaking to the cold spirit himself, if that was what it took.
I can try. If anyone knows her limits, it would be him. I don’t think he would let her take a risk like this if he thought it would harm her further. He loves her just as much as we do. Indeed, the spirit might even have a better reason than did either Cael or Kago. She was Cael’s mate, true, but Metsu depended on her for life. The only way that a spirit could die was if his wielder was killed. They could be wounded, and their physical forms could be broken, but apart from that, they were immortal.
Kago extended his presence through the link that Cael and Reyith shared, searching for Metsu’s presence. It wasn’t hard to find. Within only a couple of minutes, he had located the icy spirit. Despite his worry, Kago was careful to be polite, waiting until the spirit acknowledged him before speaking. Only seconds after his arrival, he had Metsu’s full attention. That was unusual. Metsu usually resided deeper within Reyith’s consciousness. It was almost as if…
I have been expecting you, Metsu said, turning to fix his blood-red eyes on the other spirit. Ah, as he had thought. Metsu must have known that no amount of reassurance on Reyith’s part would do to satisfy Cael and Kago that she was fit to fight. Someone else, someone who knew her best, would have to speak with them, and allay their fears.
Then you must also know what we fear. She’s badly hurt… Will she be able to stand up to a threat like this? She says that she can, but neither of us have ever seen her fight when she’s wounded. If she tries this, and it’s too much for her, she’ll be killed.
Metsu sighed. Her stubbornness and pride can be troublesome, I admit. But I have seen her fight with wounds before. If we are careful, and with your help, it’s possible that we may be able to overcome these creatures. But we must be very, very careful. If they overcome us, then we stand no chance. Reyith’s plan to funnel them into the room one by one is a sound one, if executed correctly. It will give us the advantage, and will not strain her unduly. I think we can do it.
Kago nodded, trusting that Metsu knew more about this than he did. She was his wielder, after all. If he couldn’t be trusted with Reyith’s life, no one could. He was the true judge of her strength, and if he said that it could be done, who was Kago to question him? He gave a short bow, fading out of the spirit’s world, and reappearing within Cael’s mind.
He says that it can be done, if we don’t let them overwhelm us. If we can fight them one by one, using Reyith’s plan, then we – she – will be fine.
Cael felt a trickle of relief go through him. Maybe they might be all right, then. He pulled Reyith close, running his fingers through her hair. “All right, we’ll do it your way.” He glanced towards the door, listening hard. After the initial roar, he hadn’t heard anything; perhaps they had settled down, after all. Somehow though, he didn’t think so. These things were nothing if not persistent. They would come for him and Reyith, sooner or later. In the meantime, though…
“Come on, let’s get some rest. We’re going to need our strength.” Moving away from the man in the cell, he sat down against one wall, where he could easily see the door. He pulled Reyith into his lap, providing her with a soft place to sit. Wrapping his arms protectively around her, he pulled her close, and sat back to wait.
---
Meanwhile, Seth was making his way down the corridors, returning to where he had last seen Dryn. He didn’t know if Dryn would still be there, but even if he wasn’t, that wasn’t the reason he was going back. The plan that Reyith had come up with was simple enough, and with a little luck, it should work. He had made up his mind that, one way or another, he was going to help them. The only problem was, he didn’t know where to get a weapon. This was a hospital; weapons weren’t easy to come by. He wasn’t about to give up, though. There had to be something he could use.
A thought came to him, then. It was a crude solution, but… Turning, he altered his course, heading instead for one of the storage rooms. When he reached it, he searched through the cabinets and drawers until he found the items he was searching for. He found a long metal pipe tucked away in one corner, and sat down to begin creating the makeshift weapon. He had collected several scalpels, and a roll of strong tape. Arranging the scalpels around one end of the pipe, he wrapped the tape around the handles, until they were firmly secured.
He smiled grimly. It was a poor excuse of a weapon when compared to the elegant scythe and longsword that Reyith and Cael wielded, but this would do in a pinch. There wasn’t much else that he could use, in any case. Given what he had to work with, he thought it was decent enough. With more time, he might have come up with something more effective, but this would keep the creatures at a distance, at least. It wouldn’t be able to wound them very much; to them, these scalpels would be little more than annoying pinpricks, but it was better than nothing.
How he wished that he could manifest his own weapon! So much would be solved if he could. Shaking his head, he stood back up, twirling the makeshift spear experimentally. There was no point in wishing. It wouldn’t change anything. He would just have to make do with what he had, and let Reyith and Cael take care of the rest. He just had to hope that they really were as strong as they claimed. So many hoyu seishin could be deadly to them. But they still had to try.
He left the room, heading back towards the place where he knew Reyith and Cael were waiting for him. As he made his way back towards them, he frowned. He could sense something strange, but he couldn’t tell what it was. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before, but it was still so faint that he couldn’t tell much about it, where it was coming from, or whether it was malevolent or benign. If it was another threat, he didn’t know what he would do. They were in enough danger as it was without anything else being heaped on top of it.
He was relieved to see that the hallways were still clear as he walked down them, slowly winding his way back. They were clear now, but he didn’t know how much longer that would last. The cells holding the hoyu seishin were strong enough to keep them contained for a while…so long as they remained calm. But if they really tried to escape, he knew that nothing would stand in their way. The cells hadn’t been designed to stand up against their full strength. During the entire time he had been here, nothing had ever set them off the way the explosion of energy from Cael’s transformation had.
They should have reinforced the cells, somehow, or the doors leading to the corridors. But since nothing like this had ever happened, Dryn hadn’t seen the need to take such drastic measures. It would have been too expensive, he said. But if they ever found him, Seth was willing to bet Dryn would listen to him if he brought up the idea of better security. …assuming that they didn’t both die, at least, which was a distinct possibility.
At last, he reached the room where he had left Reyith and Cael. He knocked on the door before entering so as not to alarm either of them; he knew that they would both be on edge, waiting for an attack, and that they would probably attack first and ask questions later, without waiting to see who was on the other side of the door. They probably didn’t expect him to come back, anyway, and his sudden appearance would startle them if he just came bursting into the room.
On the other side of the door, Cael looked up, puzzled. Someone was knocking at the door. Obviously, it wasn’t the hoyu seishin. But then who…? He tilted his head back slightly, sniffing the air. He could detect Seth’s scent, but that might have simply been because he had been in here not too long ago. Still, who else would be courteous enough to knock before entering? “What?” he called, unsure of how he should answer. ‘Come in’ just didn’t seem appropriate, given the circumstances, and with Reyith still in his lap, he couldn’t just get up and open the door.
The doorknob slowly turned, and the door opened just enough to admit Seth. Cael relaxed, settling back against the wall. Reyith remained in his lap, her eyes closed. He couldn’t tell if she was awake or not; she hadn’t stirred at the knock at the door, but that could have simply been because she knew who was on the other side of it. Either way, he didn’t want to bother her, so he kept his voice quiet as he spoke.
“I thought you had decided to find a place to hide.” His eyes went to the rod Seth held, and it took him a moment to realize that it had been made into some kind of spear. “What…is that?”
Seth gave him a somewhat sheepish smile. “I said that I would go, but I never said that I wouldn’t be back. When the two of you first came here, I made a promise to myself that I would try to protect you. I won’t be able to do very much with this, but… It’s better than nothing. I can help to hold back the rest of the hoyu seishin, while the two of you fight them one at a time.”
Cael arched one eyebrow. “That’s identical to your plan from before,” he pointed out.
“Not identical. This time, I’ll have this.” He gestured to the spear. “It’s not as good as what you two have, but I think it’ll do. At the least, it’ll keep me from being live bait.”
Cael shook his head, though there was a faint smile on his face. Maybe he hadn’t been giving Seth enough credit. Facing the hoyu seishin with an actual effective weapon took courage, and for Seth to do it with something that he had crafted on his own… He was either braver than anyone Cael had ever met before, or he was absolutely insane. Cael figured that either one was very possible.
“Reyith won’t be happy about this, but if that’s what you’ve decided to do, it looks like neither of us will be able to talk you out of it. You seem to be determined to go through with this.”
“Well, the original purpose of the hoyu seishin was to protect, remember? Just like you. Maybe I have the same instincts that you do.” He closed the door behind him, leaning back against it. It wouldn’t provide much more resistance, and it certainly wasn’t as good as an actual lock, but doing this would at least allow him to hear what was going on outside in the corridor.
Cael thought about this. What Seth said was the truth. Reyith had never told him whether any of the hoyu seishin had any kind of instincts, other than to kill, of course. Besides, Seth wasn’t like the others; it was possible that what he could feel was different than those that had transformed. He might even be more like Cael and Reyith than those creatures. “What does Dryn think about this? He might not like his…assistant killing off his experiments.”
Seth shook his head. “I don’t think he knows that we plan on fighting them. And even if he does, I don’t care. As far as I’m concerned, this is self-defense. If we don’t kill them, they’ll kill us. We have no other choice.”
Cael was silent, watching him. As he had thought. Seth seemed to be shifting his loyalty from Dryn to them. He still didn’t know how far that loyalty went, and now probably wasn’t the best time to bring it up, as it might cause him to change his mind right when they needed him the most, but it was something to think about.
“All right, then.” He pulled Reyith a bit closer. From what he could tell, it looked like her wounds were still slowly healing. It was a good thing that they hadn’t been attacked yet; it gave her more time to regain her strength. It was why she was sleeping now, Cael knew. Her regenerative abilities worked best when she could completely focus on them, such as when she was asleep. “All we can do now is wait for them. I have a feeling that it won’t be long now.”
Seth nodded, though he was still somewhat troubled. Maybe Cael could explain what it was that he was feeling. “Hey… A few minutes ago, I noticed something odd. I can…sense something, but I don’t know what it is. It’s not something that I’ve felt before.”
Cael looked up at him, blinking. “I haven’t noticed anything…” He closed his eyes, concentrating. On the edge of his consciousness, he could feel a tingling that signified the presence of something, but he had been feeling that ever since he had come here; it was the hoyu seishin. Before, he had thought it was just Seth’s presence, but when he learned that there were others here, he realized that it was them, as well. If there was anything else out there, either the presence of the creatures was obscuring it, or it was simply too far away for him to sense. Reyith might have been able to do it, but he couldn’t.
Seth shook his head. “It’s probably nothing. I just thought I would bring it up, just in case.” Now that Cael had been forewarned, he knew that he would be on the lookout for anything strange, and would let him know if he sensed something. Warning Cael was all that he could do, anyway. Without knowing exactly what it was he was sensing, there was nothing that could be done about the presence, short of going out to look for it, which he didn’t want to do.
Shrugging to himself, he closed his eyes, leaning back against the door. Holding tightly to his spear, he closed his eyes, willing himself to relax. The fight would soon be on them. Right now, they needed to rest, and collect their strength for the fight ahead, a fight that might very well prove deadly.