Anthriel

by C. R Corbin

  "We need to hurry. I have the sneaking suspicion that whoever is down here with us is causing these....monstrosities." I muttered. I gripped my axe and slipped back on my armor and she did the same with her jumpsuit. We venture back over the stone bridge and traverse down that blackened hall once more, gazing around and furrowing our brows as I venture deeper and deeper inside.

  My hands curl around my axe as I hear them coming once again. I looked everywhere to see if they were approaching, the cave walls rung with sounds of their hand slapping against the stone. In the darkness I can see their fangs shining, they snarl and run closer and closer but they never get close enough to attack no matter how ready she or I got.

  "Why aren't they attacking? What's happening?" she asked me and I furrowed my brow.

  "Are they luring us somewhere? What are they doing?" I asked myself as we continued along. Eventually we venture past a point and I suddenly felt the ground beneath me quiver. I glanced at her and she shouted as I fell into the abyss below. I land quite a ways away from her, perhaps a hole as tall as 10 of me.

  "Let me get the rope!" she shouted and I grimace.

  "Damnit, oh I think I broke something." I muttered and glanced at my left arm, it was snapped, I could tell that much. The fall was steep and it didn't help that I had landed on stone. I stared at my disjointed limb and rested it against the rock as the rope was tossed down but at that moment something else became apparent to me.

  The creatures.

  "Shit, shit!" I shouted.

  "What?" she asked me.

  I couldn't respond or grab the rope in time as one of the monsters suddenly leapt at me and pinned me down on the ground. I force it off and grip my axe but I realize that I have also snapped one of my ribs in the fall. I grimace and grip my axe, swinging it wildly and brandishing the claws on my good arm to grip and tear whatever beast made its way to me. She calls after me and I tell her to pull the rope back up so they do not claim her as well and tensed as I chucked the axe against one of the beasts before a miasma of them lunges onto me and holds me down. I growl and batter them away but it is of no use. They do not tear at me, they do not even harm, they merely grab my flesh and take me somewhere through the cavern, they simply whisk me away past white glowing stones and into the darkness. I wondered what I had left with her, all of our supplies were with me but she had the majority of the devices as well as a pistol. I would hope that I may find a way out of this and she may live through it but with the frequency of the beasts...I wasn't so sure.

  We walk past halls littered with those same white crystals before they began to change shade. They flickered red after a certain amount of time and we venture forward, I can deduce that something must be controlling them. Whether that be a hive mind of whoever was down I did not know, but I soon had my answer as we arrived in this massive chamber, it had rounded walls and the ceiling seemed to be as far away as any hope of escape at this point. There were a variety of colored crystals dotting the path up but that same shade of red crowned the floor that I as on. The beasts toss me inside and I turn to fight them but I was much too injured to pose any threat. They run back out through the tunnels that led here and a gate shuts behind them as they leave.

  Great, now I was stuck here.

  "How fortunate you arrived. Kanosian." said a voice and I looked around, growling and shaking as my fangs barred and I dragged myself to my feet. Instinctively I reached for my axe but I must have left it near the spot where I was attacked.

  "Where the hell am I? Where's Cassandra?" I snarled out.

  "Oh she will be joining you shortly. Do not fret warrior, you shall be reunited in a creation of beauty unparalleled in both Kanosian and human culture." said the voice. It was male, a snarling bassy tone that sounded as if the speaker had swallowed oil, a slick and heavy voice that slapped against the ears.

  "You let me out of here! Whoever you are!" I snarled out and the voice only laughed.

  "Oh I do not think so. We're going to have a lot of fun, you, me, and the girl. You two will be my newest creation, my newest creation that will bring joy to us both!" He shouted and I could quickly tell that whoever was uttering these words was not entirely sane.

  I struggle to my feet and hold my arm at my side, I gaze around to watch for any sign of who this was but I couldn't capture even a glimpse. Whoever this was, was hiding them quite well and I was growing more and more irritated by the moment. I stumble over to the bars and gripped them before pulling. I tried my best to tear through the metal but it was of no use, it was too strong, too thick.

  "Can't you see? Simply resign yourself, let me join us." he said and I shake my head.

  "I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill you." I snarled.

  I wait for the next few hours to see if they would be tossing her inside of this cell with me but that wasn't the case. I laid down and gazed at my broken arm, if I wasn't careful then the wound would likely be infected soon enough. I tried to set the bone back into place but couldn't stand the pain so I simply waited. I would have to function without it, at least until I got back with her and we could create some kind of makeshift medgel. I glanced at my hands, bloodied and bruised, I worried for her immensely, she was likely in worse condition than I should these wounds indicate anything. I grimace and drag myself around the room, forcing myself to look for clues while wincing from the pain in my ribs and my arm.

  "Here....no. Here....no." I muttered as I felt for any hidden switches, cameras, anything that would grant me some sort of hint as to what was occurring.

  And then it happened.

  I watched as these massive rains began to wash down from the ceiling. I looked up and gasped as the fluid struck my skin and I felt....good. The pain in my arm was beginning to alleviate itself, the pain in my ribs was fading and I wondered to myself what was the motivation behind this sudden healing fluid. I hold my arm in the streams for a moment and wait before the pain completely ceases and I lifted it without any issue. Completely healed. What was this man getting at? Was this Cassandra's doing?

  I think back to what he had said....fusing us? Becoming one? What could that possibly mean? I think back to the beasts shivered with the realization of what he was doing down here. He was creating these monsters from the explorers that had gotten lost and trapped down herein these caverns. For what reason? I did not know. I could gather that he was the reason behind the beasts however, that much I knew.

  They had six arms that were the same as a humans with five fingers in total, their immensely strong physique must have been from a Kanosian. Their heads were an amalgamation of both, perhaps there had been more organisms that had been spliced into those monstrosities. It all begins to fall into place in my mind except for the reason. The reason why this man was doing this. Why he was causing any of this. It was why he had captured her and I, he was trying to create something new, similar to those beast's but perhaps better, stronger, more intelligent. It was why he was healing me so he could have a complete specimen to work with.

  I could not let that happen.

  I struggle to my feet once more and gripped the bars that enclosed my cage. I tear at the steel and roared as loudly as I could but there was nothing, nothing that I could do or hope to do even with both of my arms working. I shake my head and growled, turning back to the center of the cell and stumbling around in search of a clue once again.

  After some time in hear I feel something in the distance, a feeling that I can't quite explain. It was....warm, when I homed in on it I could feel a strong pull, a strong feeling of affection that overcomes me as I tried to identify what it exactly was. I could muster my answer after a single instance, when I thought of it that time I suddenly....pictured her.

  "Cassandra? Is that her?" I asked myself, the mating signal had given me a way to sense her. It had granted me a way to seek her out amongst all of this darkness all of this fading hope. I prayed that she was not captured and being dragged here, I hoped that she was making her
escape. My hope began to fade when I felt the signal approaching.

  "Damn it all to hell!" I shouted and struck the wall, the stone shook and chipped off while I knelt there, shaking my head. They had likely taken her and were dragging her here. There was no way I could fight them off, no way I could free us. We were going to belong to this madman and that was going to be the end.

  There would be no love, no matrimony and union. The hope that I had for the two of us to establish a home on each of our colonies, to have children that we would both adore, it was fading into the darkness of the cavern. I hear her calling and screaming and prepared for the worse, frowning as I glanced at the darkened halls before she suddenly appeared, but not carried by those monsters, no she was alone smiling. She attempts to speak but struggles to get the words out and I raise an eyebrow.

  What had she done?

  #

  Cassandra

  That was it. He was gone.

  I had slung the rope back up after they had appeared. I thought that he would be fighting them off but apparently he was too injured and by the time I got the rope ready to toss back down he was gone. I couldn't see him anywhere and frowned as I quickly came to the realization that I was alone yet again.

  "Anthriel." I muttered and began to weep.

  The tears fall onto the cold stone and I gripped the small bag of supplies that I was carrying with me. He was the only thing keeping me sane, keeping me company, he was my love and now he was likely dead, dragged off and eaten somewhere distant from here. I frowned with the tears running down my cheeks and my hands clawing at the bag that I was carrying. I drag my fingers through it and gaze into the bundle of supplies. There was a laser pistol, some communicators, and little else. Now I was alone and not only that but I was in immediate danger as well. There was no one here to guard me and I certainly wasn't a warrior. For minutes I languished in my own feelings of despair until I began to think about it a bit more clearly.

  Why would they drag him away? Why?

  It didn't make sense for them to drag him away if they wanted to eat him or kill him. Shouldn't' they have done that here? Shouldn't' they have killed him if they were going to take him back so they all could feast? It didn't add up. I thought that they would have killed him or eaten him on the spot but it was quickly becoming apparent that things weren't what they seemed to be. I frowned as I glanced at the rope and gazed back down.

  There was a chance that he was still alive.

  "Anthriel." I muttered and steeled myself.

  They were coming, I heard their roars in the distance and bundled myself near the hole with all of the crystals surrounding me, bathing me in that white light as I looked at either side of the corridor. The sounds were getting louder and louder, I gathered the laser pistol and quickly formulated a plan. I would have to follow him, I would tie the rope to a nearby spot and rappel down the hole, and from there I would follow that trail of blood that had been dripping from the wounds he received. I could find him and free him, it was my best shot as I knew that I couldn't go after whomever this was without him. I would not leave without him, I would not even ponder the thought.

  "Alright! Come on! I'm ready!" I snarled out and tensed up while gripping then pistol. I can see them lunging at me and I screamed as the beasts got closer and closer. I screamed with all of my might and it paused before stumbling away. I paused at the fact that I had stunned it somehow and fired off a shot which struck it square on the face.

  "What was that?" I asked myself, rubbing my throat and quickly coming up with a hypothesis.

  Another arrives in its place and I scream again but this time nothing happens. I screamed once more at an even higher pitch and the beast stumbled back, I fire off another shot and hit it in the chest, causing it to stumble back before firing off several more and killing it completely.

  They were sensitive to high pitched noises, high frequency sound waves could disturb them if loud enough. The roars that they had let out were guttural and deep, nothing like the scream that I had just bellowed out. It also was why Anthriel never scared them off, his voice was too deep, this was the key. They had likely been unexposed to such noises for a long while and now....now they were vulnerable.

  "Alright then, well I better get ready for a sore throat I supposed as I looked around to see them approaching ponce more. I open my mouth and yelp before firing off a couple of shots at their prone bodies. I missed a great deal but managed to strike all of them before they approached me. By the end of it I was left with quite the hoarse throat and a half empty cartridge of fuel cells.

  "Alright then...." I muttered to myself and gripped the rope, hoisting it around a nearby rock and tossing it down the hole. I gripped onto the rope and began to slowly make my way down onto the next level. I could already see the trails of blood, the tracks that rushed off into the darkness that I soon found myself stepping into.

  "No turning back now." I muttered as I landed on the floor, I looked back up at the rope and bite my lip. This was my only shot to save him.

  I gaze at the bloodied path and began to fear the worst once more. I thought of his mutilated body and bite my lip but kill those thoughts quickly and continue along the darkness, continuing along the path and making my way further along the cavern walls. I can hear the creatures rushing towards me from behind, they were gathering in the distance. I bite my lip and make a mad dash for the end of this corridor, running frantically as I tried to escape whatever was coming for me.

  "Shit, shit!" I screamed.

  I follow the blood until it began to fade. The streaks became thinner and thinner and I cursed as the reality that I would not be able to find him hit me once more. Then I felt it, a faint heartbeat, thoughts of him washed over my mind and a deep wave of comfort housed itself in my heart. The feeling lingered somewhere in front of me, it drew me in, it called me to whatever this spot was and I quickly realized what hit was.

  It was him.

  "Anthriel?" I asked myself and dashed faster and faster. Feet dash against cold stone and my calls rung through the halls. I could see more of the creatures rushing to me from the front as well as the back so I let out my screams. I hollered and yelled as I watched each of them disappear, running into the shadows as I screamed as high as I could. The crystals were turning red now, they were fading into a shade of crimson that made me quiver with fear. The atmosphere seemed so ominous, so threatening.

  And then I seem him standing there, my tall blue skinned mate standing amongst all of this red.

  And I smile.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Cass

  "Hey! Hey!" I yelled at him and gathered near the bars, I didn't know how to free him, I didn't know how to get him out of this and quickly frowned once more. So close to him and yet I could not break through to reach him.

  "Cassandra...You made It." he muttered to himself with a dumb grin on his face before I shake my head.

  "How do we get you out of this? Shit just stand back!" I hollered at him and began to fire the remaining rounds of the pistol at the bars in front of me. I fired off as many shots as I could and it seemed that a portion of steel was melting on the gate but eventually I ran out of shots. I gazed at him and frowned, shaking my head and holding back the tears.

  "They're coming." he said.

  "Shit I don't know what to do! I can't free you!" I cried as they approached from behind. I turned and screamed as loudly as I could but that only caused them to pause and wince. There was no way I could kill them now without the pistol.

  "Cassandra!" He called after me.

  "I'm sorry. I failed!" I said as I began to scream once more until my voice gave out. I mustered what I could but it was of no use and my voice finally gave out after a few moments. I hold my hands up and shake my head before they leap onto me and began to drag me away. I claw at the stone floor as I watched him grab the bars and struggle with all of his might. He snarled and this animalistic look fosters in his eyes as he tears the
bars away near where I had weakened them.

  With one bar in his hand he seeps through the steel and tosses it at one of the creatures and strikes it square in the face. I stumbled back and he shoves the rest of the monsters off of me, clawing their faces away and snarling as they stumbled back, white blood dripped onto me and I shivered as I crawled my way behind Anthriel.

  He was animalistic, wild, and uncontrolled like a tempest as his hands paw at the creatures. He grabbed their necks and tossed them aside while tearing their throats apart. He grabs one of them and uses the creature as a battering ram to eliminate the rest of them. I watched every movement, he seemed so strong, so powerful, as if a force that had never driven him before was lurking in his veins at this very moment. By the end of it all most of the creatures had left, they had departed and he was left standing in front of me with his fangs barred and his body quivering.

  "Are you alright?" he called out to me after some time. I only nod at first before finding my voice once again, it was rough and harsh but I managed to croak out a "Yes."

  He turns to face me and kneels, he dragged me into his grasp and pressed his lips into me as I moaned softly. I feel him gripping my curvy body as his strong blue muscles tensed up and he slides his fingers along my cheek. I sighed and relaxed before we both got to our feet and he nodded.

  "I won't let any harm befall you ever again." he said.

  "Don't worry about me. You seemed to be pretty injured. What happened?" I asked and he informed me that whomever had captured him had healed him as well.

  "So is this person out to help us?" I asked and he shakes his head.

  "Their aim is to turn us into one of these hideous creations. He stated and kicked the nearby corpse of one of the monsters. I shuddered at the thought and looked back at him, raising an eyebrow.