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Description

[Killer With a Cause]

                Lydia floated down on pillar of crackling energy, carrying everyone to the bottom of the tower at Del’Moth’s request without having to bother walking down the spiral staircase. After touching the stone floor, the group walked through a passage before emerging into a massive underground courtyard. White stone, crawling with ivy and vines, illuminated by glowing stones that shone down upon them from the ceiling, and spotted by giant pillars that reached far upwards into the darkness, they trudged through to the other side, finding a small circular enclosure and a rather familiar looking sandstone table. The moment they approached, the surface of the table started to glow.

                The orange light had started rising from its surface when Del’Moth swept its hand in a scything motion and snickered as the table exploded into dust.

“He always did talk too much,” it smirked.

“You do realize that, by destroying the nodes, you may actually be hindering our progress and perhaps even setting off internalized defensive measures,” Lydia suggested.

“That sounds like a ‘you’ problem,” Del’Moth commented, “Unless, you’re suggesting that the entire building might vanish around me?”

“It might happen,” Lydia shrugged, “We don’t know how the Great Sage secured this place, and this was meant to be his final bastion of…”

“So let the bastard talk, I get it,” Del’Moth then turned around and pointed to the man with the golden revolvers, “You, stay there and wait for those assholes to show up.”

                The man gave no word, but glared at her intensely.

“Do we have a problem?” it demanded.

    The man said nothing and wandered away to look for a good vantage point.

    Del’Moth let out an irritated sigh and started walking towards the next chamber when Noob approached her.

“Not to question your divine plan or anything, but…” he whispered in the ear of a devil.

“Divine plan,” it snickered, “I like that.”

“It would have saved us a lot of time if we just killed those fools back in the light house.”

“You’re right,” it glared back at him, “Don’t question me, and pick up your damn feet already, we’ve got work to do.”

                Lydia rolled her eyes as Noob fell in line and they continued on into the library.

                Off in the distance, Belix and the others slowly walked down the long and winding spiral staircase down to the ground floor. None of them spared a single unnecessary word, simply using the time to mentally prepare for the coming battle. They emerged into the courtyard and barely had a second to take in this sights before a gunshot rang out and they all scattered to find cover.

“This again,” Sylvester grumbled.

“Count the shots and look for muzzle flashes,” Belix shouted from behind her hiding place behind one of the support pillar, “Figure out where he’s hiding and…”

                There was a quiet metallic rattle and an even quieter hiss, Belix looked down to the area around her feet. She winced, seeing the grenade quickly burning through its fuse.

“Well…fuck!” she ducked around the pillar, but got hit by something unexpected seconds before the bomb went off.

    As the pillar was shattered to dust, her body hit the ground and avoided the worst of the blast wave but her savior was sent rolling across the floor, his clothes burning. As he lay prone, Belix leapt to her feet, dodging the bullets that flew over her head and grabbing Clyde’s unmoving body, dragging him to the nearest hiding spot. She removed his cracked yellow goggles and he managed to cough, weakly.

“Sorry,” he apologized, quickly regaining consciousness, “Think a rock hit me in the side of the head…”

“You’re okay now though, right?”

                They paused for a moment, staring into each others eyes, then, he caught a glint of gold out the corner of his eye and the two were forced to separate once again to avoid the incoming fire.

“Fucking cockblock!” Belix snarled through gritted teeth.

                As she was running to her next hiding spot, Sylvester sprang from his, scraping his hand across the floor and raising a wall of ice between them and their assailant.

“That’s not gonna do much,” Clyde shouted, ducking his head down as he dove behind a decorative dividing wall, “He’s jumping between the pillars.”

“How?!” Sylvester demanded, only for another bullet to come flying at him from a completely different direction and blast into his dividing wall as he flung himself onto the ground, “Okay, so maybe how’s not the best question.”

                Grumbling under her breath, Belix pulled out one of her rifles and checked the sights before pressing her body against the wall she was hiding behind.

“Sylvester!” she yelled, “Make a Wall!”

“I think we’ve established already…”

“DO IT!” she shouted at him harshly.

                Sylvester complied and made another wall for cover while Belix kept her eyes on the shadows, scanning them for any kind of movement. She saw the glimmer, jumped from her cover and fired. Her bullet struck home and they heard the soft, disturbing noise of a body striking the stone floor below. They were almost ready to celebrate the victory when another grenade was lobed from the darkness and they were scattered again to avoid damage.

“Did you just use me as bait?” Sylvester yelled at her.

“It worked,” Belix snapped, then let out an irritated sigh, “Just Go!”

“What, so he can take another shot at me?!”

“He’s just here to slow us down,” Belix jumped from cover, rifle at the ready, “Don’t play that game, make a break for the exit, Now!”

                Sylvester winced, knowing that she was staying behind and not liking it, but Zeesa was already on her feet, slipping across the ground like a shadow until she finally reached the exit door. Sylvester fell into step behind her, while Clyde hesitated.

“I can help you,” he mentioned.

“Buy me a drink when you get back,” she smirked playfully.

                He made an angry noise deep in his throat and, half crouched, half crawled to the exit, Belix slowly following in his wake, her eyes scanning the darkness until she heard his and everyone else’s footsteps disappear into the darkness below. Alone, she lowered her weapon, closed her eyes and strained her ears for any sort of sound. Hearing nothing, she opened her eyes once more to see a man with a curly goatee standing in front of her, a ragged red hole in his right arm, two golden revolvers hanging from his hands.

“Should I say thank you?” she asked, her grip tightening around the rifle’s trigger.

“No…” he responded softly, “The one with the ice sealed up the doorway, and you would have heard me chambering the next round.”

                They stood, staring at each other for a long time, sizing each other up. He was taller, Belix noticed, but didn’t seem to be powerfully built, at least, not enough to matter, there were a few oddities though.

“How come your arm’s not bleeding?” she asked.

“Special breathing technique,” he shrugged, “Lowers blood flow, stops you from bleeding out.”

“…what the Hells are you doing here?” she demanded, not able to keep herself from asking.

“The same as you,” the man shrugged, “Trying to save the world.”

“Really?” Belix quirked an eyebrow curiously.

“I don’t expect you to believe me.”

“Good,” she snapped, drawing a pistol from behind her back and leveling it at him.

                The minute her barrel came up, the man with the Golden Revolvers slid to her side and smacked her with the butt of his gun. Belix took the hit but instantly retaliated, aiming a kick for his gut only to have it deflected. They went back and forth, trading blows, deflecting and dodging in equal measure. Belix did her best to keep him on his toes, quickly swapping between using her rifle as a cudgel and swiftly lashing out with a combat knife. Yet, everything she tried was denied, her opponent seeming to move in perfect tandem with her every step, after a bit, she began to get the feeling that he was just toying with her.

“Are you done flirting yet?” she demanded, stepping away to catch her breath.

“…you want me to take this fight seriously?”

“Yeah,” she grunted, cracking her back and stretching her arms, “Yeah I do, frankly, I’d much rather be dead than embarrassed.”

“…we don’t have to fight,” he responded softly.

“Uh…” Belix paused in mid-stretch, confusion evident on her face, “How’s that?”

“It left me here, to be overwhelmed, to die, so that it wouldn’t have to keep its promise.”

“So, you made a deal with that thing.”

“We all did,” the man explained, “All of us, something to gain, nothing to lose.”

“Okay…” Belix stepped away and relaxed, leaning against a nearby wall, “Alright, let’s calm down for a second, start over, what’s your name buddy?”

“…don’t know,” he responded simply, “Called me…called me Fool, Fools Gold.”

“Well, Fool,” she said with a shrug, “My name’s Belix.”

“Know who you are…” he nodded, “Very…pretty…was…Am glad, don’t have to kill you.”

“Well, let’s not jump the fence here,” she muttered, scratching her head, “Let me see if I’m getting this right, you won’t attack me, if I won’t attack you?”

“Correct,” he nodded.

“And…what if I try to go down that tunnel after my friends?”

                Fool blanched, and shook his head.

“Not want to kill,” he murmured, “But, have my duty, WILL, will murder you, if…must…”

“Because of your deal with the devil,” she surmised, “What did that ‘Thing’ promise you anyway?”

“Love, love of beautiful woman,” he responded, haltingly, “Chance to…rest, to sleep…sleep with…”

“Fuck man, I mean, if that’s all your after…”

“Belix…” he whispered, blushing slightly as he did, “Very pretty, but not…Clementine, not love…”

“I wasn’t exactly saying ‘me’ anyway,” she muttered, “Just thought of some places you could go is all.”

“Know those places, know them well,” Fool nodded, “Not the same, not for me…”

“And I thought you were trying to save the world?”

“Woman…Clementine, is my world, not though, not whole story,” Fool stated sitting across from Belix, and looking hopefully into her eyes, “Del’Moth…will save the world.”

“No it won’t,” Belix shook her head, “Enslave it, more than likely.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Fool asked sincerely, “You honestly think that this world doesn’t need…direction?”

“…yeah…” Belix stood up, dusting off her pants as she began to pace back and forth, “I can’t deny that…but that direction, it’s jut leading us straight down into the pit.”

“Some…yes, but, not everyone,” he insisted, “Sacrifices, to save the rest…”

“And you expect me to be okay with that, Hells, what if it’s me they take down there, what if it’s you?”

“…you think I’m stupid don’t you…” he muttered, adjusting his grip on his pistols, “Everybody…everybody does,” admitting that, he stood from the ground and squared his feet, “It’s how I talk…but, it’s not…I’m not an idiot.”

“I believe you,” she nodded, walking around him, “Trust me, there’s only one idiot in this room right now.”

                He leered at her curiously and Belix let out a frustrated sigh.

“You’re wrong about me,” she told him, an edge of sadness in her voice, “I’m not here to save the world, I’m here for revenge, and that’s a whole lot more demanding.”

“…you could make a deal, like me, save yourself…”

“Sorry, that’s not how this works,” she shook her head and glanced toward the exit, “So…the only way I get past there, is through you?”

“Yes,” he nodded solemnly.

                Without hesitating, she raised her gun and aimed it at his chest, firing. Fool, easily dodged around the bullet and planted his boot into her ribs.

                A few levels below, passing by piles of gold and a near endless bounty of treasure, Clyde paused, looking up at the distant ceiling.

“Haven’t heard any gunshots in a while,” he mused.

“Walls are too thick,” Zeesa admonished him, pushing Clyde forward, “The sound probably won’t carry this far.”

“And you know that with your degree in engineering?”

“No,” she responded flatly, “I’m guessing.”

“Do either of you even care?” he demanded, “I mean, your friend is up there, fighting for her life and…”

“I do,” Sylvester interrupted him, then shrugged, never breaking stride, “Does it matter? Will it help her?”

                Clyde said nothing, but glared at the both of them, then he slid to a halt.

“Wait,” he called out to the pair, and they both rolled their eyes.

“What now?” Zeesa demanded, but Clyde only looked away, searching for something.

“You don’t hear that?” he whispered.

                The rattling of countless golden coins echoed off of the walls of the cavern, and the group spun in time to see a mountain of them flying into the air. They scattered, but still managed to get pelted by the shower of metal before they could fully get out of its range. When the dust finally cleared, and they were catching their breath, their opponent made himself known. Noob appeared standing above them on a pile of gilded treasure.

“Well, didn’t think that would kill ya,” he told them, holding out both arms as one slowly shrank back to normal size, “But, I had to try right?”

“So fucking sick of this,” Clyde grumbled, pulling a knife from his belt.

“Hold up a minute there Gimpy,” Noob warned him, dropping into a sitting position, “Now, I’m not gonna lie, yall could get me in a rush, if you really tried, but, there’s something you should know first.”

                Clyde raised his weapon, but Sylvester held him back.

“What is it?” Sylvester demand.

“The reason we’re here,” Noob went on to explain, a smile visible under the brim of his fedora, “It aint just to get directions.”

                Clyde had to stifle an irritated groan and turned away, shaking his head.

“See now, you might be under the mistaken impression that what our boss is looking for is elsewhere, but it’s not, it’s right here, the portal to the demon world.”

“That portal is in the heart of the planet it’s…”

“Where do you think this library goes?” Noob asked, a smirk on his lips, “Why so many floors, why so big, why so well hidden?”

“You’re bluffing,” Zeesa suggested.

“And maybe I am,” he snarked back, “Can you take the risk? Weight of the world kiddies, it’s a bitch aint it?”

                Sylvester grumbled low in his throat, thinking over their options.

“I suppose you’re going to kill us if we try to leave?”

“Unless one of you stays behind, to keep me busy, that way I can claim I did my job, get it?” he smiled down at the group.”

“…Great…” Clyde complained, “I’m guessing that’s what we’re going to find on the next floor.”

“Probably,” Noob admitted, “It’s not like they gave me an itinerary or anything, but that seems to be the way it’s going.”

“So what now, do we draw straws?”

“I’ll stay,” Zeesa insisted, stepping away from the group.

                Sylvester looked over at her and sighed.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked.

“You’re the one who has to face Del’Moth,” she responded simply, “You’re the only one who has a chance, besides, this fucker kicked me in the face, I want payback.”

                He grimaced, but said no more and turned to leave. Clyde paused, glancing between her and Noob, but even he relented, eventually, and went to join him.

                Noob watched them go and then giddily hopped off the mountain of gold, sliding down it like a kid on a sled, to reach the floor. He strutted around a bit, hands in his pockets, before finally turning to face Zeesa.

“You know,” he told her smugly, “A part of me was hoping it’d be you.”

“Why?” she demanded.

“Oh, no specific reason or overarching purpose,” he shrugged, “I just know I can kick your ass.”

“You think so huh?”

                Glaring at him, Zeesa willed her body to shift, becoming a shapeless fluid, then, changing in mid-air to that of a mako shark. Its many rows of teeth and massive bulk bore down on Noob, who only raised his hands and halted her progress. Tendrils wrapped around her snapping jaws, forcing them open as he effortlessly lifted and body slammed the unsuspecting mermaid onto the hard ground below. Both his hands and Zeesa were reforming to their natural state while she backed away, snarling under her breath as she continued to leer at him.

“What the Hell are you?” she finally asked, her voice hushed, but threatening.

“Well…” he shrugged dispassionately, “You can call me ‘daddy’ if you want.”

Description

[Killer With a Cause]

                Lydia floated down on pillar of crackling energy, carrying everyone to the bottom of the tower at Del’Moth’s request without having to bother walking down the spiral staircase. After touching the stone floor, the group walked through a passage before emerging into a massive underground courtyard. White stone, crawling with ivy and vines, illuminated by glowing stones that shone down upon them from the ceiling, and spotted by giant pillars that reached far upwards into the darkness, they trudged through to the other side, finding a small circular enclosure and a rather familiar looking sandstone table. The moment they approached, the surface of the table started to glow.

                The orange light had started rising from its surface when Del’Moth swept its hand in a scything motion and snickered as the table exploded into dust.

“He always did talk too much,” it smirked.

“You do realize that, by destroying the nodes, you may actually be hindering our progress and perhaps even setting off internalized defensive measures,” Lydia suggested.

“That sounds like a ‘you’ problem,” Del’Moth commented, “Unless, you’re suggesting that the entire building might vanish around me?”

“It might happen,” Lydia shrugged, “We don’t know how the Great Sage secured this place, and this was meant to be his final bastion of…”

“So let the bastard talk, I get it,” Del’Moth then turned around and pointed to the man with the golden revolvers, “You, stay there and wait for those assholes to show up.”

                The man gave no word, but glared at her intensely.

“Do we have a problem?” it demanded.

    The man said nothing and wandered away to look for a good vantage point.

    Del’Moth let out an irritated sigh and started walking towards the next chamber when Noob approached her.

“Not to question your divine plan or anything, but…” he whispered in the ear of a devil.

“Divine plan,” it snickered, “I like that.”

“It would have saved us a lot of time if we just killed those fools back in the light house.”

“You’re right,” it glared back at him, “Don’t question me, and pick up your damn feet already, we’ve got work to do.”

                Lydia rolled her eyes as Noob fell in line and they continued on into the library.

                Off in the distance, Belix and the others slowly walked down the long and winding spiral staircase down to the ground floor. None of them spared a single unnecessary word, simply using the time to mentally prepare for the coming battle. They emerged into the courtyard and barely had a second to take in this sights before a gunshot rang out and they all scattered to find cover.

“This again,” Sylvester grumbled.

“Count the shots and look for muzzle flashes,” Belix shouted from behind her hiding place behind one of the support pillar, “Figure out where he’s hiding and…”

                There was a quiet metallic rattle and an even quieter hiss, Belix looked down to the area around her feet. She winced, seeing the grenade quickly burning through its fuse.

“Well…fuck!” she ducked around the pillar, but got hit by something unexpected seconds before the bomb went off.

    As the pillar was shattered to dust, her body hit the ground and avoided the worst of the blast wave but her savior was sent rolling across the floor, his clothes burning. As he lay prone, Belix leapt to her feet, dodging the bullets that flew over her head and grabbing Clyde’s unmoving body, dragging him to the nearest hiding spot. She removed his cracked yellow goggles and he managed to cough, weakly.

“Sorry,” he apologized, quickly regaining consciousness, “Think a rock hit me in the side of the head…”

“You’re okay now though, right?”

                They paused for a moment, staring into each others eyes, then, he caught a glint of gold out the corner of his eye and the two were forced to separate once again to avoid the incoming fire.

“Fucking cockblock!” Belix snarled through gritted teeth.

                As she was running to her next hiding spot, Sylvester sprang from his, scraping his hand across the floor and raising a wall of ice between them and their assailant.

“That’s not gonna do much,” Clyde shouted, ducking his head down as he dove behind a decorative dividing wall, “He’s jumping between the pillars.”

“How?!” Sylvester demanded, only for another bullet to come flying at him from a completely different direction and blast into his dividing wall as he flung himself onto the ground, “Okay, so maybe how’s not the best question.”

                Grumbling under her breath, Belix pulled out one of her rifles and checked the sights before pressing her body against the wall she was hiding behind.

“Sylvester!” she yelled, “Make a Wall!”

“I think we’ve established already…”

“DO IT!” she shouted at him harshly.

                Sylvester complied and made another wall for cover while Belix kept her eyes on the shadows, scanning them for any kind of movement. She saw the glimmer, jumped from her cover and fired. Her bullet struck home and they heard the soft, disturbing noise of a body striking the stone floor below. They were almost ready to celebrate the victory when another grenade was lobed from the darkness and they were scattered again to avoid damage.

“Did you just use me as bait?” Sylvester yelled at her.

“It worked,” Belix snapped, then let out an irritated sigh, “Just Go!”

“What, so he can take another shot at me?!”

“He’s just here to slow us down,” Belix jumped from cover, rifle at the ready, “Don’t play that game, make a break for the exit, Now!”

                Sylvester winced, knowing that she was staying behind and not liking it, but Zeesa was already on her feet, slipping across the ground like a shadow until she finally reached the exit door. Sylvester fell into step behind her, while Clyde hesitated.

“I can help you,” he mentioned.

“Buy me a drink when you get back,” she smirked playfully.

                He made an angry noise deep in his throat and, half crouched, half crawled to the exit, Belix slowly following in his wake, her eyes scanning the darkness until she heard his and everyone else’s footsteps disappear into the darkness below. Alone, she lowered her weapon, closed her eyes and strained her ears for any sort of sound. Hearing nothing, she opened her eyes once more to see a man with a curly goatee standing in front of her, a ragged red hole in his right arm, two golden revolvers hanging from his hands.

“Should I say thank you?” she asked, her grip tightening around the rifle’s trigger.

“No…” he responded softly, “The one with the ice sealed up the doorway, and you would have heard me chambering the next round.”

                They stood, staring at each other for a long time, sizing each other up. He was taller, Belix noticed, but didn’t seem to be powerfully built, at least, not enough to matter, there were a few oddities though.

“How come your arm’s not bleeding?” she asked.

“Special breathing technique,” he shrugged, “Lowers blood flow, stops you from bleeding out.”

“…what the Hells are you doing here?” she demanded, not able to keep herself from asking.

“The same as you,” the man shrugged, “Trying to save the world.”

“Really?” Belix quirked an eyebrow curiously.

“I don’t expect you to believe me.”

“Good,” she snapped, drawing a pistol from behind her back and leveling it at him.

                The minute her barrel came up, the man with the Golden Revolvers slid to her side and smacked her with the butt of his gun. Belix took the hit but instantly retaliated, aiming a kick for his gut only to have it deflected. They went back and forth, trading blows, deflecting and dodging in equal measure. Belix did her best to keep him on his toes, quickly swapping between using her rifle as a cudgel and swiftly lashing out with a combat knife. Yet, everything she tried was denied, her opponent seeming to move in perfect tandem with her every step, after a bit, she began to get the feeling that he was just toying with her.

“Are you done flirting yet?” she demanded, stepping away to catch her breath.

“…you want me to take this fight seriously?”

“Yeah,” she grunted, cracking her back and stretching her arms, “Yeah I do, frankly, I’d much rather be dead than embarrassed.”

“…we don’t have to fight,” he responded softly.

“Uh…” Belix paused in mid-stretch, confusion evident on her face, “How’s that?”

“It left me here, to be overwhelmed, to die, so that it wouldn’t have to keep its promise.”

“So, you made a deal with that thing.”

“We all did,” the man explained, “All of us, something to gain, nothing to lose.”

“Okay…” Belix stepped away and relaxed, leaning against a nearby wall, “Alright, let’s calm down for a second, start over, what’s your name buddy?”

“…don’t know,” he responded simply, “Called me…called me Fool, Fools Gold.”

“Well, Fool,” she said with a shrug, “My name’s Belix.”

“Know who you are…” he nodded, “Very…pretty…was…Am glad, don’t have to kill you.”

“Well, let’s not jump the fence here,” she muttered, scratching her head, “Let me see if I’m getting this right, you won’t attack me, if I won’t attack you?”

“Correct,” he nodded.

“And…what if I try to go down that tunnel after my friends?”

                Fool blanched, and shook his head.

“Not want to kill,” he murmured, “But, have my duty, WILL, will murder you, if…must…”

“Because of your deal with the devil,” she surmised, “What did that ‘Thing’ promise you anyway?”

“Love, love of beautiful woman,” he responded, haltingly, “Chance to…rest, to sleep…sleep with…”

“Fuck man, I mean, if that’s all your after…”

“Belix…” he whispered, blushing slightly as he did, “Very pretty, but not…Clementine, not love…”

“I wasn’t exactly saying ‘me’ anyway,” she muttered, “Just thought of some places you could go is all.”

“Know those places, know them well,” Fool nodded, “Not the same, not for me…”

“And I thought you were trying to save the world?”

“Woman…Clementine, is my world, not though, not whole story,” Fool stated sitting across from Belix, and looking hopefully into her eyes, “Del’Moth…will save the world.”

“No it won’t,” Belix shook her head, “Enslave it, more than likely.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Fool asked sincerely, “You honestly think that this world doesn’t need…direction?”

“…yeah…” Belix stood up, dusting off her pants as she began to pace back and forth, “I can’t deny that…but that direction, it’s jut leading us straight down into the pit.”

“Some…yes, but, not everyone,” he insisted, “Sacrifices, to save the rest…”

“And you expect me to be okay with that, Hells, what if it’s me they take down there, what if it’s you?”

“…you think I’m stupid don’t you…” he muttered, adjusting his grip on his pistols, “Everybody…everybody does,” admitting that, he stood from the ground and squared his feet, “It’s how I talk…but, it’s not…I’m not an idiot.”

“I believe you,” she nodded, walking around him, “Trust me, there’s only one idiot in this room right now.”

                He leered at her curiously and Belix let out a frustrated sigh.

“You’re wrong about me,” she told him, an edge of sadness in her voice, “I’m not here to save the world, I’m here for revenge, and that’s a whole lot more demanding.”

“…you could make a deal, like me, save yourself…”

“Sorry, that’s not how this works,” she shook her head and glanced toward the exit, “So…the only way I get past there, is through you?”

“Yes,” he nodded solemnly.

                Without hesitating, she raised her gun and aimed it at his chest, firing. Fool, easily dodged around the bullet and planted his boot into her ribs.

                A few levels below, passing by piles of gold and a near endless bounty of treasure, Clyde paused, looking up at the distant ceiling.

“Haven’t heard any gunshots in a while,” he mused.

“Walls are too thick,” Zeesa admonished him, pushing Clyde forward, “The sound probably won’t carry this far.”

“And you know that with your degree in engineering?”

“No,” she responded flatly, “I’m guessing.”

“Do either of you even care?” he demanded, “I mean, your friend is up there, fighting for her life and…”

“I do,” Sylvester interrupted him, then shrugged, never breaking stride, “Does it matter? Will it help her?”

                Clyde said nothing, but glared at the both of them, then he slid to a halt.

“Wait,” he called out to the pair, and they both rolled their eyes.

“What now?” Zeesa demanded, but Clyde only looked away, searching for something.

“You don’t hear that?” he whispered.

                The rattling of countless golden coins echoed off of the walls of the cavern, and the group spun in time to see a mountain of them flying into the air. They scattered, but still managed to get pelted by the shower of metal before they could fully get out of its range. When the dust finally cleared, and they were catching their breath, their opponent made himself known. Noob appeared standing above them on a pile of gilded treasure.

“Well, didn’t think that would kill ya,” he told them, holding out both arms as one slowly shrank back to normal size, “But, I had to try right?”

“So fucking sick of this,” Clyde grumbled, pulling a knife from his belt.

“Hold up a minute there Gimpy,” Noob warned him, dropping into a sitting position, “Now, I’m not gonna lie, yall could get me in a rush, if you really tried, but, there’s something you should know first.”

                Clyde raised his weapon, but Sylvester held him back.

“What is it?” Sylvester demand.

“The reason we’re here,” Noob went on to explain, a smile visible under the brim of his fedora, “It aint just to get directions.”

                Clyde had to stifle an irritated groan and turned away, shaking his head.

“See now, you might be under the mistaken impression that what our boss is looking for is elsewhere, but it’s not, it’s right here, the portal to the demon world.”

“That portal is in the heart of the planet it’s…”

“Where do you think this library goes?” Noob asked, a smirk on his lips, “Why so many floors, why so big, why so well hidden?”

“You’re bluffing,” Zeesa suggested.

“And maybe I am,” he snarked back, “Can you take the risk? Weight of the world kiddies, it’s a bitch aint it?”

                Sylvester grumbled low in his throat, thinking over their options.

“I suppose you’re going to kill us if we try to leave?”

“Unless one of you stays behind, to keep me busy, that way I can claim I did my job, get it?” he smiled down at the group.”

“…Great…” Clyde complained, “I’m guessing that’s what we’re going to find on the next floor.”

“Probably,” Noob admitted, “It’s not like they gave me an itinerary or anything, but that seems to be the way it’s going.”

“So what now, do we draw straws?”

“I’ll stay,” Zeesa insisted, stepping away from the group.

                Sylvester looked over at her and sighed.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked.

“You’re the one who has to face Del’Moth,” she responded simply, “You’re the only one who has a chance, besides, this fucker kicked me in the face, I want payback.”

                He grimaced, but said no more and turned to leave. Clyde paused, glancing between her and Noob, but even he relented, eventually, and went to join him.

                Noob watched them go and then giddily hopped off the mountain of gold, sliding down it like a kid on a sled, to reach the floor. He strutted around a bit, hands in his pockets, before finally turning to face Zeesa.

“You know,” he told her smugly, “A part of me was hoping it’d be you.”

“Why?” she demanded.

“Oh, no specific reason or overarching purpose,” he shrugged, “I just know I can kick your ass.”

“You think so huh?”

                Glaring at him, Zeesa willed her body to shift, becoming a shapeless fluid, then, changing in mid-air to that of a mako shark. Its many rows of teeth and massive bulk bore down on Noob, who only raised his hands and halted her progress. Tendrils wrapped around her snapping jaws, forcing them open as he effortlessly lifted and body slammed the unsuspecting mermaid onto the hard ground below. Both his hands and Zeesa were reforming to their natural state while she backed away, snarling under her breath as she continued to leer at him.

“What the Hell are you?” she finally asked, her voice hushed, but threatening.

“Well…” he shrugged dispassionately, “You can call me ‘daddy’ if you want.”