CHAPTER 12

Only a few minutes since the encounter.

They have no words to speak of the insanity that befell them.

Riley is still cramped into a ball, still crying his eyes out, still unable to accept what happened. The sound of him agonizing, echoed by the Bottomless Pit's vast emptiness, is the only thing they can hear.

Alister is fatigued. He has no energy, unable to think about bringing the scientist back to the surface. He's tired from all the events he had to deal with within the last 48 hours. He would be grateful if he could take a small break, maybe sleep again. Zephyr is feeling the same. If he could spend one moment away from this newfound chaos, he would be very glad. 

Eylventh is fast asleep. Urth tries.

The way things are going, peace isn't on the horizon.

Time moves slowly, for what seems like an eternity.

#

More time passes.

The doctor is laying down on the ground, finally out of energy to the point he no longer has enough to cry. He's motionless, staring into pitch black, eyes wide open, on the verge of turning braindead. 

Alister's got pep in his step. He is still processing what is happening, expressing it by walking around back and forth, a million different thoughts emerging in his mind. Not in a hundred years did he believe he would fall on such an inexplicable set of events.

The hunter is not the only one processing everything. Zephyr is in a corner, nearby the sign that says, "last checkpoint", mumbling things to himself, analyzing in his desperate curiosity what is going on. His skin keeps on glowing slowly, cracking and reconstructing itself, and so on and so forth. As he goes through this emotional breakdown, Alister watches the cycle on occasion without saying a thing.

He would ask Zephyr about what the hell is going on, but he would rather stay away from any conversations with him. The human bomb is trying so hard to control itself, it's the worst time to get in another confrontation.

He's stuck with the elder now. His target.

Riley is about as ready for talking as Alister is ready to walk out of the Bottomless Pit empty handed. The doctor's ability to revive creatures is something that picks Alister's interest. In fact, this whole ordeal is piquing his interest. 

An underworld full of death, myths, legends, and superpowers? It's mind-boggling. Alister has never experienced this level of eagerness before. The gears are running. If he seriously can't come back, Alister might as well make an explorer out of himself. They say that curiosity can kill the cat. If he really is going to die here, he might as well make the best of it. Regardless of the current tension, the assassin ignores it and approaches the doctor for a conversation, spotting him with his mounted flashlight.

"So, doc, I got a few thoughts I need you to clarify."

It takes up to 15 seconds for the doctor to move his gaze at Alister. When their eyes meet, a certain uneasiness penetrates the hunter, as if he had committed a felony.

"Do I look like I'm in a position to talk to you?"

"It's either you or bomber man behind me. I'd rather get called names then be blown to death."

Riley has no words or emotions to that response. This makes tenses up Alister some more.

"Look, all I'm saying is, whatever happened in the last 48 hours, we're gonna have to put it behind us for a bit and, I don't know, let's just see what the fuss is about with this whole Bottomless Pit thing."

This was loud enough that Zephyr could hear. Both the boy and the scientist look at Alister, perplexed. To his perplexity, the blacksmith adds a touch of loathing and a flashlight to look at Alister and the doctor.

"Woah, put that thing down. I'm asking for cooperation! You two better stop looking at me like I'm fucking begging for the moon here!"

Riley, especially, is taken aback.

"You are begging for the moon. We should head down the depths. Me? With that monster?" Asks the young blacksmith, baffled.

"Yeah, no shit Sherlock. As far as I'm concerned, that purple cloud is still on top and there's nowhere else to go, but down."

Riley bursts out laughing.

"Pathétique! You have been trying your earnest to murder me, and now that you understand there's no going back, you seek cooperation!?"

The doctor, suddenly feeling this urge to get up and express his rage, bounces off the ground and gets in position to snap. Alister feels the doctor's sudden animosity and gets on the defensive.

"Hey hey hey, watch how you move. As far as I'm concerned, I'm the man with the sword here. Shut the hell up, stay calm and I won't hurt you."

"For once you won't hurt me! How sweet of you! I'm not staying calm! Because of your recklessness, I have lost my only friend, my only real companion!"

Eylventh feels attacked by this statement, getting out of its corners with a roar against its ungrateful creator. Urth wears the indifference with style.

"Okay, and!? Don't blame me for your lack of leadership! You're the one who should have programmed the cat to better watch its back!" Retaliates the assassin. "Oh, suddenly now I'm asking too much cause daddy lost his kitten!? Get a hold of yourself, dipshit! You killed kids to get those animals, and you pretend that you care because it suits you!"

Immediately, Riley places his two hands on Alister's throat, viciously chocking the hunter while slamming him violently on the ground. Zephyr, in the height of his desperation, goes to get a hold of them before they kill each other.

"Enough! That's enough! Let him go!"

"NEVER! Not even this disgraceful pit can stop me from breaking this bastard's ne-!"

The platform they are on suddenly starts to crack. 

The sound is so loud it alarms everyone, as the ground shakes beneath their feet. 

Was it the aftermath of the fight with the giant? Its weight should have destroyed the platform on the spot, so the possibility is unclear. Supernatural powers again? Possibly. That or the Bottomless Pit has a mind of its own and it just decides to throw chaos during moments of weakness. Whatever explanation they could think off doesn't exempt the fact that the timing makes no sense.

Speaking of time, they don't have much of it before the platform's collapse. 

Zephyr, not too kind with the prospect of another free-falling session, dashes off to his supplies and his torch blade, holding his flashlight in the process. He gives one to Riley while Eylventh jump on the doctor's shoulders, with Urth closely following them. Alister proceeds to lead the team with his mounted flashlight to where the other platform is located.

The alarming situation throws the personal agenda they have against one and other aside, as survival instincts kicks in. What the Bottomless Pit has in store for them in terms of death sentence is far sourer than anything they can inflict to one another.

"The next platform is down there!" Screams Alister.

As he points to the platform below, it's altitude is surprisingly lower compared to the gigantic rock formation they are currently stepping on. They can see a sign there as well. They don't have time to wonder about how to get there.

In a moment of panic, Alister jumps first, followed by Zephyr and Riley with the pets.

The five of them somehow land safely, with Riley especially having the help of Urth's prowess with the wind and Eylventh's flying capabilities to alleviate the fall. Falling such a long distance doesn't hurt the young blacksmith in the process. Alister on the other hand plants his katana on the wall to slow himself down during his fall. He gets a bit rowdy on the young man for his recklessness.

"Zeph, you moron! Don't fall from such heights like that! You're going to destroy the platform before we can reach it!"

"R-Right! I got carried away, I-I'm sorry..." Apologizes the blacksmith

They all watch as the rock formation they stood on crashes to its demise, down in the depths of the Bottomless Pit.

After a short while, the crew can no longer see the pieces, even when their flashlights point downwards in their direction. They all take this opportunity to breath in and out, already feeling fatigue from this quick life or death situation. 

They then look at each other...

Silence.

Nothing to say.

Zephyr has another mental breakdown.

He wasn't as prepared as he believed he was before entering this place and it shows now. He cannot physically hide the pain he's going through as his entire body refuses to move. He's staying still, on this tinier platform, looking down as if he had just seen a phantom. The others have no way of helping the young man out of his troubles, as his skin cracks and tears apart again.

Alister was already prepared to jump to the platform afterwards to avoid a catastrophe. The scientist, in a slight moment where it seems he has had enough of looking dead inside, simply sits down.

"Let's rest a bit and we'll get back shortly. Boy, you better have more food for us left. There's got to be something else then canned beans."

Zephyr looks at Riley, puzzled. 

He knows what to do, but it feels repulsive to hear the scientist addressing him nonchalantly. Is this discipline? Is this emotional intelligence, maturity, too many experiences like this to count? How did he get such experience? Is this what happens when you torture your own kind and turn them into monsters? Zephyr is in this bubble of emotions. He lets go of his bags, trying to stop pondering about such questions. He needs to rest.

Alister simply looks at the interaction with apathy. Deep within however he too is shaken. A demon born out of Riley's tears, a platform that crumbles for no rhyme or reason. Alister is obsessed over this prison of rock they stumbled into.

From the animals to the humans, they just sit down and take it all in.

The Bottomless Pit.