Pursuit and Descent

 

Wanderer had to get out of the unexplored part of the ruin, its winding halls and dark corridors that once had the capability to hide the Vessel now useless under magical gaze.

But then, where would they go?

The surface was hopeless, the the desert above provided nothing but open land for their chasers to catch up and the city provided nothing but familiar terrain for those who wished them harm.

They could, of course, follow after the rebels, hoping that they could help remove their trails but the whole goal of Wanderer’s actions was to protect the rebels, and giving the enemy a way to track the entire group would lead to nothing but hardship.

“Where then can I go?” the Vessel thought, though in truth, they knew the answer before they even asked the question.

When Herukah had first led them to the entrance to the city, the two had passed a path that led deeper into the earth and ruins.

Herukah had said that it had been blocked off, that every person who had entered it had died.

It was undoubtedly a place of danger and hardship, and in all likelihood, swarmlings. 

If the tunnel was filled with an unknown danger, and indeed Wanderer’s fears were irrelevant, then in all likelihood they could bait their pursuers and force them to turn back.

If it was filled with swarmlings, like Wanderer suspected, then it was a choice between death and death.

If the Golem had the time to think it over, then they might have laughed at how gladly they threw themselves into danger and possible death for a group of people they hardly knew.

But they did not have the time to think and the choice was made.

With the hollers of their pursuers behind them, Wanderer and Emio sprinted down the long hallway back to the circular room from which the corridors branched.

If the Vessel wished to escape, then they would have to follow the exact same route they had gotten here from, any other option would lead to inevitable lost meandering in the dark, just as likely to lead them to a dead end as anywhere important.

It was only by their own memory that they could escape, as they knew nothing of the dark labyrinth they had found themselves in.

The issue, of course, was that their pursuers could always follow them, and now that the gap between them had been taken, the warriors had a true chance of catching up to Wanderer.

But they had a plan, after all, if something worked once then it could certainly work again.

Much like they had experienced in the mine, a place as old as this under so much weight could only barely be holding on from collapse, and the Vessel was certain with a little encouragement, a blockage could be formed.

Their Spirit, however, rebelled against the idea, determined to stop Wanderer from doing something so risky.

Images and memories of the danger of the cave-in flooded the Vessel’s mind, and how close to destruction Wanderer came.

With the shot of reality that their Spirit provided, Wanderer’s unfounded confidence crumbled, the gravity of their situation hitting them with the force of a boulder at the most inopportune time, hesitation suffusing them.

“How could I have even thought of that!”, the Golem berated themself, angry at their stupidity and recklessness.

The whole place was under the weight of an entire city, the only thing that prevented the destruction of the ruin being a few load-baring walls made likely hundreds of years ago.

The mine had almost killed Wanderer because a door was shut too hard, the Golem would be surprised if a place this large didn't collapse entirely with a dedicated attack.

And their plan!

How stupid could they be, to willingly want to go down a pit where there were swarmlings.

They loved to hope that it was anything but the nightmare centipedes, but everything lined up far too perfectly for that, Herukah said herself that anyone who went down there never came back and in an area as dark and claustrophobic as that, what else could it possibly be.

Wanderer had only survived their last encounter with the cave dwellers by the sole of their hooves, they most certainly couldn't rely on sheer luck to get them out again.

“I know what I should do”, the Vessel thought “I should give up and hope they spare me”, it may be dangerous, but it was almost certainly safer than any encounter with swarmlings.

They knew, at the back of their mind that they were overreacting, rebounding from their previous optimism with the true realisation of their circumstances.

But by the time their Spirit got through to them, that they saw the death in the eyes of their pursuers, that they realised their own mistake, they had already begun to slow down and it was too late.

Now even if they wanted to collapse the roof, they couldn't without hitting themself as well.

They needed to make more distance, the commander was practically nipping on their heels.

But how?

To their own mixed emotions, Wanderer didn't have to make a decision, Emio made it for them.

In the course of a single moment, Emio backtracked from their place in front of Wanderer, steadied themself and threw a single devastating strike at the commander behind them, their bushy body blurring with speed and power.

In an instant, the warrior’s momentum was redirected, the force of the blow sending them backwards with an audible crunch.

All this time, the Vessel had forgotten what Emio was capable of, their obedience to Wanderer’s pacifism making the Golem forget that the being beside them was a killing machine.

According to the old magi’s visions, other verdestry just like Emio had single-handedly killed half of the human population, and now Wanderer could see how.

Their companion's strike was not meant to kill, the Vessel had no doubt that if death had been the intention then a lot more than one hit would have been issued, but nonetheless, the attack had come faster than Wanderer could prevent it, and with enough power to stop the mountain of a human which had been trying to kill them dead in their tracks.

The Golem spared only a single moment to look back at the devastation that Emio had spread, regretting it instantly.

The commander’s chest had been crushed, pieces of bone sticking out from where their torso had sunk inwards, blood pouring from those same wounds, covering the floor.

The fighter herself was keeled over, gasping in air like they had never breathed before, then doing the same awful coughing that the boy in the mansion had done.

Wanderer didn't know enough about humans to truly tell if their enemy would die, but there was no doubt in their mind that she would never chase the trio again.

The rest of the commander’s compatriots all reacted differently, some hesitated in shock, others rushed to their superior’s aid.

The eyeless tracker stood there still, watching Wanderer as they ran.

They would be seeing them again, the Golem knew.

Nonetheless, one thing was certain, Emio’s intervention had ended the chase.

Violence had been the answer.

Wanderer needed time and space to think, something they simply didn't have with their enemies so close.

They forced their thoughts away and focused on running, trying to ignore the bloodstained tendrils of their friend in front of them.

In a blur, they backtracked through the winding halls and infinite complexity of the ruin, soon making it back to the place they came from.

They slowed to a stop, figuring Emio’s intervention had given them enough lead for a brief break.

Echoing from the passage back to the rebels, Wanderer could hear shouts and the clashing of metal, a sure sign of a battle.

It seems Keshte did not evacuate as fast as the Golem hoped, but the Vessel did the best that they could have and their mind was focused on far greater worries than helping them more, they would have to fare for themselves.

But this created an issue, Wanderer had previously resolved to avoid the shaft into the earth, but now it seemed to be their singular option.

They could not go ahead, the fighting was far too dangerous for them but they could not go back, for fear they would get lost and cornered once again.

The surface too was not an option, the mass of people and hostile warriors would pose a threat even to Emio, and with the walls and gate, there was simply no escape.

For a dreadful instant, Wanderer contemplated setting Emio loose on their enemies, destroying all in their way and walking free, able to explore as they pleased without fear.

Their soul revolted at the very idea only an instant later, overwhelmed with guilt at the mere thought of replicating their previous brutality.

They should have stopped it, now the commander would die.

Forcing away their thoughts once more, Wanderer came to the pitch-black passage into the depths below, which now seemed to the Golem like a yawning mouth, eager to swallow them whole.

Fear, once one of the least of the emotions running through them was amplified to once again take its place at the forefront of the Vessel’s mind.

But this passageway was their only option, and a treacherous fragment of Wanderer’s soul insisted, if the Golem was such a magnet for pain and violence, if more people would die because of them, then perhaps descending into a hive of swarmlings and horrors of unknown proportions was best for everyone.

They didn't need their Spirit to tell them that such a thought was terrible, but their mind refused to listen to reason, and that illogicality was enough to shove aside their fear.

With self-perpetuated insistances that this option was the best for everyone, Wanderer shoved aside the barricade blocking their way into the darkness and began to step down into the deep.