Freezing Betrayal (Chapter 3)
Freezing Betrayal
Chapter 3
Exploring is always enthralling and even mroe so to the curious, by all means. But the known expression "curiousity killed the cat" still apply, nonetheless.....
"Oh crap! Why do you guys never quit?!" With a yell towards the dark abyss that awaited him, Kaitio turned in mid-air ending up in a sideways position, managing to grab a stalactite he redirected his fall down onto the *ground*. As he landed and took off towards another tunnel, he realized that the floor was covered in nothing but bone and rotten flesh. Whatever that thing was, it had being partying along quite well. Running through the tight tunnels, the feline cyborg threw a glance over his shoulder only to see the very same twin lines of teeth coming after him, but how? Not paying it too much attention he flinged up over a ledge and awaited it's arrival before he charged at a boulder, causing it to roll down and seal the entrance to the tunnel shut tight. With some time gained, Kaitio took off to search out his Cryocian companion who he had left to rest after the incident with the circling storm above groundlevel. Not liking the immense silence at all, Kaitio ran out into a larger chamber of the caves, and there he was greeted by the same creature he had met before...or was it the same? As now it seemed to come from three different directions...No it was the same, since now he realized that the three were all put together on one body.
The massive creature was none other than a hydra of the deeps, a fearsome being that had been known throughout the millenia to never leave it's prey alive to walk away. Kaitio had heard Therdac mentioning these dreadful reptilian monsters before, but he never expected to encounter a real live one. Not taking time to hesitate, Kaitio attempted to distract it's heads in order to escape, but to no avial as the hydras gaze remained fixed onto him. Just as the three heads were to strike, the nimble feline took a leap up onto one of them and ran down it's neck, keeping the other two in close attention. As expected, one of the other heads came chasing after him. With only seconds to spare, the feline took a few rapid leaps up along the wall, before he flipped over and fell down towards the hydra's waiting maw. "Hungry, are you? Then help yourself, you damn overgrown worm!" With those words spoken, Kaitio allowed his entire body to fall numb and relaxed, causing the metal within to take it's right out on gravity. As he entered the hydra's maw, the feline raised his paws before striking at the back of it's throat at the very moment he his body slammed into the fleshy wall, causing it to burst, opening a massive hole in the back of it's head. Letting out a thunderous roar in pain, the head thrashed about before falling still while the other two retracted slowly.....almost as if they feared to face the same fate as their sibling. "Not so cocky now, are ya? Get back here and fight!" Kaitio yelled after the retreating reptilian with a laugh escaping his smiling face, despite him being covered in vast ammounts of blood.
"Impressive, Kaitio. Few are able to scare a deep hydra into submission like you." A familiar deep soft voice said as it came reaching Kaitio's ears. Looking over his shoulder, the feline cyborg notcied his fellow Cryocian who had finally recovered from his exhaustion.
"Uhm, he he. I guess it was something you said the other week that gave me the idea." Kaitio replied with a slight blush finding it's way to his cheeks. Even though he enjoyed his victory he knew that they couldn't stay in one place too long. "Any idea of where to go from here?" He asked while tilting his head curiously.
"From here we can only hope that we've not been detected so far. As we're close to the domains of the feiry lord, we must maintain caution at all times." Therdac replied his companion before they resumed their advance, but this time below ground to remain out of the storm's reach. What felt like countless days passed the two companions as they traversed tight tunnels, vast underground caves and decptive labyrinths. One morning, they both came through a thick layer of ice that covered a cave entrance, to be greeted by the sight of what seemed to be a thousand stars in the ceiling above. The stone was covered in thousands and again thousands of small shimmering crystals that reflected any incoming light, converting it into all the colours of the rainbow, leaving the entire cave shifting in colour.
As his gaze passed around the vast cave, Kaitio's eyes shifted along with the everchanging colours of the crystals. "What are these, Therdac?" He asked the Cryocian who seemed to be lost in deep thought for the moment as his own gaze had turned pale while he spoke in the ancient tounge of his kin. Once his words ceased, Therdac sank down alongside the wall, taking his seat upon the cave floor. "We better try and get some rest before continuing on, Kaitio." He said in a soft tone with his eyes half closed, even though it seemed strange for someone who was a ghost to get tired or sleepy. Taking his time to wander the cave, Kaitio began to wonder what was happening to Therdac, as he had never even cared about resting or alike before, but as he remained on his guard due to the syntethic part of his body, Kaitio layed down next to Therdac to keep him company during his rest. What Kaitio thought strange, was the he could actually feel something else than the ordinary cold from the Cryocian that resided next to him. But what was that?
Leaned against the wall of the cave, Therdac had begun to feel the effects of his absence from the frozen spire, as his power was being drained over time. The Cryocian circle had sealed his power in the spire in purpose of keeping him put in place, to ensure that he could never escape, even if it costed him the very little life he still held within. And as if that was not enough, a pair of sinister golden eyes watched them both from the shadows.....an alpha Cr'aan.