by Harlon Banks
"Regardless of any of that, we came here on a contract. Please keep focus and stop talking; if something else is down here with us it'll hear you." She said in a tone that gave Jonath the impression she might actually be a sociopath. Every time she talked she sounded so empty and hollow, as if emotions were a foreign concept to her and everything was black and white. Jonath however, quite frankly didn't really care about her tone either way; clear by the sarcastic remark and condescending tone of his response.
"Yeah, because we aren't also walking alone in an abandoned city with a giant light source hovering over our shoulders right?" He eye rolled. Liariana side glancing his way again with a slight scowl to her features which then warranted Jonath staring right back at her with a condescending 'what?' look in his pale eyes.
"Anything that has lived down here for so long would be unable to perceive light; evolution would have taken said sense away and enhanced their hearing more than anything if it didn't give them the ability to sense through vibrations across the skin or a very acute sense of smell. So yes, you continually talking puts us at higher risk of attack than us walking around with a light source." She retorted still keeping her generally empty tone, however there was a bit of sass nearing the end of it. Even if it were barely noticeable...
"So why are you responding to me then?" Jonath casually asked looking at her again with a bored expression now. "You're prolonging the conversation by responding thus giving me more incentive to respond again and endanger our lives." He said matter of fact in voice. Liariana closing her eyes and blowing air through her nose, apparently growing irritated now which was the first time he'd seen her show any type of emotion.
"Can you not act like a child? You're risking the safety of the both of us by acting like a little brat." She said calmly despite the small hint of irritation in her words. Jonath looking forward again as the two continued to travel among the streets of the ruins.
"You started it with your whole absolutely no talking stuff earlier. I'd rather not make this entire little dungeon run of ours awkward on myself by walking with someone and both of us being mutes; that's kind of impossible to do anyway." He snorted as hands withdrew from pockets and interlocked behind the nape of his neck for comfort.
"I never said that we could not talk; I said that we should only talk if necessary. I do not want to hear about your actions inside a library nor do I really care to learn more about the ruins we are currently exploring." Liariana responded after a deep inhale that predated her words, vibrant red eyes closing once more. "If you have a problem with my request then feel free to leave me to myself and go get lost in these ruins." She said those words as blunt and straightforward. Jonath chuckling at her completely unbothered by the fact she basically said he could go die.
"Are all Yelkath uptight or is it just you?" He responded with an audible scoff and shake of his head. Liariana suddenly stopped walking and looked at him with an eerily glassy stare in her eyes. Her features hollow and cold, posture relaxed yet ready for any actions she planned to follow-up with as she looked at him with those ominous red eyes and said in a desolate tone.
"Don't make me kill you." those words were ice-cold and drenched with conviction by her words.
Jonath's casual expression suddenly narrowed to one of extreme caution... His eyes narrowing at her as hands lowered back to his sides and his body tensed up; the entire vibe of the conversation taking a drastic turn for the worse as the two were now squared off against each other.
She was serious about what she'd just said...
"Did you just threaten me?" Jonath asked in a low tone. Liariana simply staring at him, no verbal reply whatsoever as the two stared down one another like to wolves mere seconds from fighting. While Jonath honestly doubted at this point in time he'd stand a chance against Liariana given his own ignorance of his powers compared to her experience; he wasn't about to let her get away with such a venomous remark on taking his life because of some simple words. His mind remained calm, body language showing no sliver of fear or anxiety as it shifted into what he could only describe as auto pilot again to his mind... Just waiting for her to try anything...
"I don't like childish games. Your antics are throwing off my focus on the contract and possibly endangering my life." Liariana as she said this halfway unsheathed the blade strapped to her lower back and hidden beneath her black cloak. That sound of cold steel sliding out of metal sheathing all too unnerving to the common person. Her pupils thinning out into slits again as crimson eyes flared with energy that now emitted a soft glow from her Melissaes. "If killing you prematurely means that I have a higher chance of leaving this place safely then I will do just that; are your antics really worth gambling your breath?" She asked still standing in that same spot with her hand gripped on the hilt of her blade.
Jonath merely stared at her... his own eyes much to his ignorance staring to shift again... Liariana hitching a small breath in her throat when she saw his pupils morph into crescent shapes and his limbal rings around the Melissaes began to emit a ghastly glow of their own...
Did they always do that?
Their standoff was interrupted by a loud crumbling noise, as if an entire buildings foundation just gave out; coming from in the distance that immediately made both veer their narrowed gazes in its direction... The tension between them replaced with wariness and slight anxiety as the two tensed up and stayed completely still for several seconds after the noise had ceased.
"Huh..." Jonath thought to himself now tilting his head in silence. "Guess she really did have a point." He mused begrudgingly as any seriousness in his tone vanished back into indifference about Liariana.
Liariana glanced back at Jonath, the man shrugging silently at her in response. Sheathing her half-drawn blade back in the sheath she'd raise both bandaged hands up to run fingers through her shoulder length black hair and exhale. The conversation between the two discarded and replaced with mutual silence for one another.
The two picked up the pace towards the cathedral; now in a light yet hasty jog through the streets with only their boots tapping the ground making the echoing noise throughout the chasm. The entire time both staying attentive to their surroundings, listening for even the slightest sounds.
Was there really something, or someone else down here with them?
Five minutes later...
The two slowed down their running to the edge of the cracked and destroyed stone wall and iron gate that surrounded the cathedral. The courtyard within void of any plants despite there being irrigation systems and plant beds surrounded by rocks within the square yard. A direct path leading from the gate to the imposing ages old building beyond; towering in all its robust might and visage. The domed cap having visible fissures and a large hole in its side barely seen through the mediocre light from the gems that managed to reach that far.
Not saying anything still, the two would glance at each other one last time for assurance; when both nodded they'd each move towards the broken barred gate. Jonath grasping the left side and Liariana grabbing the right; fingers gripping alloy tightly before both heaved in opposite direction separating the gates from one another with a loud scraping sound that made Jonath cringe a bit from how it sounded to his ears. Once they were open enough for them both to fit through, Liariana slipped through the opening first and took off towards the cathedral doors with Jonath following after her.
"Well might as well talk now; if something was down here it clearly heard that." He joked in dry humor accompanied with another snort. Liariana ignoring him as they darted across the courtyard with urgency in their steps. Both stopping once they stood before a tall broken stone door riddled with tears and impact craters across its entirety from top to bottom; as if some giant unsightly beast had beaten profusely on it sometime before their arrival trying to enter...
"How do we get this open?" Jonath asked under his breath without looking at Liariana whom was standing to his right as they both looked up at the much taller door that could eas
ily fit an elephant through it. "Way too heavy for us to just push it open like we did the gates.."
"How long did it take you to figure that problem out?" Liariana responded with an annoyed snort. Jonath canting his head to look at her with another annoyed glare in his eyes. He wasn't even going to give her the joy a retort, no matter how badly his mind screamed for him to when he saw her glance his way again right after her sass and shrug at him as if she had zero idea why he were looking at her like that. Breaking the eye contact between them she'd scour the surface of the large doors and then the area around them; eyes settling on a broken part of the wall some feet aside the door up above and pointing to it promptly with bare fingers.
"We can get in through there, the fissure looks wide enough to squeeze through." She informed having already taken off her cloak now revealing her combat attire underneath in its entirety. Left hand reaching to pull back the one black sleeve of her shirt away from her bandaged forearm before ripping it off completely. Jonath briefly wondering why she'd destroy her shirt like that, pale eyes watching her take off the glove from her palm revealing the interwoven black bandages underneath it as well as she tossed both sleeve and glove to the side; her attire now symmetrical.
"Any particular reason you wore those if you were just going to tear or take them off?" Jonath couldn't help but ask the question. Liariana looking at him momentarily as she tightened the wrappings around both forearms and then upper arms.
"The attire is assassin oriented; the sleeve was made with enchanted fabric that could hide away small blades or dampen the energy sensing of enemies if a spell is being channeled through the wearer's arm. I assumed bandits would be down here and I'd need the secrecy." She explained rather tame about it all as she took a few steps back from the base of the tall wall. Jonath merely watching her feet as he listened. Her red eyes now focusing on the wall again, eyeing every crack, fissure, and hole caused by years of erosion from bottom to top carefully.
"I see no need to keep it, it'll get in my way too if I keep it for this."
As she said that, Liariana dashed towards the wall and with the agility and speed of a feline parkour scaled up the high wall in a matter of ten seconds. Her fingers not missing a single crevice, her feet never faltering and her movements fluid and flawless as she easily grabbed the large fissure at the end of her climb and hoisted herself into it with one arm. Briefly looking down at Jonath who was as expected, both surprised and begrudgingly impressed by her.
"Way to be a show off." He scoffed at her as she simply stared at him with those hollow eyes of hers and then vanishing into the darkness with her own gem of light that had followed her up. A heavy sigh, and Jonath took several steps back of his own bracing himself to try to do the same thing. That eerie silence settling in all directions around him once more... eyes closing as he took a deep inhale and pictured himself scaling the wall as easily as she did.
Three... Two... One...
"Now!" Jonath dashed towards the wall with focused eyes and swift strides. His eyes looking over all the imperfections of the wall and his mind pre-emptively picking a pathway up the wall for him to scale as quickly as possible. Use all of his momentum to get him as high as he could before he actually could begin climbing. That was the plan. Leaping upwards once close enough he'd outstretch his left hand to grip a slab of stone sticking out from the wall to hoist himself up on and start his ascent...
The image of Jonath dying by something piercing through his throat from behind flashed through his mind right as he gripped the stone... his corpse hanging limp off the appendage that resembled a tail before collapsing when the several meters long bladed tip ripped itself out his throat.
"Huh!?" He said aloud anxious aloud as he looked over his shoulder with wide eyes!
Immediately withdrawing his hand before he even grabbed the stone Jonath fell back to the ground as a bladed appendage pierced the several foot thick wall like it were paper... Narrowly missing a fatal blow on Jonath.
Had he only been a second late... He'd be dead now...
The razor-sharp extremity promptly began dragging itself across the stone in a downwards diagonal motion, carving a deep wound across the rocks with a vicious scraping sound. Jonath quickly rolling to his feet and dashing away as the large lethal weapon lashed out at him again; body instinctively taking action and agile dodging and weaving around the rapid slashes of the tail repeatedly assaulting him as it slashed and teared air and rocks with each failed attempt - a total of eight in all. Pale eyes flaring in glow as pupils contracted and focused on the barely illuminated visage of a large glossy black snake-like predator easily the size of a bus. Black scales shimmering from the light of the gem hovering between it and Jonath; long hypodermic fangs bared as a forked tongue flicked outwards and it coiled up hissing now with venom dripping off tooth tips.
Skidding to a stop behind a worn down base of a monolith Jonath took the time to catch his breath and hide. Blood running down over his left eye from a gash caused by that serpents edged tail. The warm red liquid now drenching it and making any attempt at keeping it open self debilitating and uncomfortable... Damn... Now of all times...
"Guess I'm not as good at dodging as I thought... " He chuckled in his mind as silver bangs stained red and he peered from behind the monolith at the poised monster sized snake; noticing the lack of eyes where they should be. A grumble about Liariana being right all along only further annoying him about the fact. Glancing back over at the opening in the wall the Yelkath had went through before looking at the snake again as it tasted the air and turned its head around searching for the amnesic.
Slowly, Jonath crouched to pull the dagger from its sheathe on his left boot, fingers tensing around the hilt. Quieting his breathing when he heard the snake hiss again and then go silent.
"Those scales must be lubricated to not make any noise when being dragged across the ground when it moves... That'd explain the glossy exterior..." He inferred. "A reptile too, so the thought of it surviving off having the slowest metabolism known to existence probably would make sense too... or it eats rocks along with meat." He huffed again while swiveling the dagger into a reversed grip in his gloved hand. Unbeknownst to him of the transformation happening to his eyes again; that crescent moon shape and ominous pale glow returning to his pupils and Melissaes respectively.
"Either way, can't get up that wall with that thing hanging around... I have to kill it first..." He thought to himself as he tensed up ready to pivot around the stone back into view to square off with the beast! "Now or never." He whispered moving to begin his counterattack some way, somehow.
As he took a step to move out into the open, the image of him getting impaled through the left flank, yanked upwards on the blade and then flung lifelessly off towards the wall flashed through his psyche again causing him to veer his head towards the darkness behind him right as he saw another bladed black tail whip towards his body for a killing blow...
There were two of them!?
Predator vs Prey
The Challenger Chapter Sixteen - Predator vs Prey
Eyes imagine his throat getting slashed... His body hits the ground lifeless shortly after in this gruesome vision...
Jonath quickly crouches basically hugging the ground as the murderous snake lashes tail through the air missing his neck by a few lagging seconds...
Eyes visualize events yet to happen; events detailing himself dying via the second tail stabbing him through the chest...
Jonath pushes off the ground in a midair spin across the immediate vicinity; landing with a messy tumble on his side and quickly scrambling to his feet. Left eye still shut to keep the red blood leaking from the wound atop his head out; Jonath took safety behind a fallen pillar of stone lying in the courtyard. Holding his arm with his right hand, dagger clenched tightly as he chuckled to himself; grimly amused at the predicament he were in. The past couple of minutes were taxing; having spent all of his time dodging and wearing himself out. Every successful dodge met
with another immediate attack by the other snake with either tail or fangs. Lunge after lunge and slash after slash,
This was intense...
"Hahaha... Ah man... " He coughed afterwards, glancing around the pillar as the two large serpentine creatures slithered away from the hovering light crystal. His pale eye narrowing a bit into the darkness, that crescent-shaped pupil discharging a bit of ghastly pale aura energy when he blinked. This fight was much harder than he'd imagined it'd be; these... creatures, despite lacking eyes were perfectly capable of defending themselves no matter what he did. The only logical explanation being they could either sense him by smell, thermal signature, sound waves, vibration through the ground or if he were really unlucky, all the above.
"Guess I'm gonna keep dodging them forever..." He mused aloud with a light sarcasm, trying to lessen the severity of the situation he were in as his eye squinted to look through the darkness. "I can't even get near the things with this combat dagger anyway... they're too coordinated; I didn't know snakes were team players..." He quietly joked some more before a grunt of pain followed. Gloved hand reaching up to dab at the bloody gash across his head leaking blood into his eye as he sucked his teeth in the eerie silence. He had to separate them, he couldn't keep up this dance longer. Suddenly, Jonath canted his head in quiet thought; expression furrowing as something peculiar crossed his mind now.
