CHAPTER 13

Time goes by, so slowly.

The pitch-black void of darkness; the unsettling rock formations that serves as platforms; mysterious and uncalled-for events that shakes the earth down to its core. The Bottomless Pit is as merciless as they predicted. They should have known better.

Of all those events, Alister's thoughts are focused on the noise that eradicated Nil. Out of the blue, a screech of such a high pitch could decimate anything on its path and lay waste to any prey. What a violent tactic. As far as the assassin is concerned, this scream was metallic. No human, no creature, could produce a sound like this without any kind of device or machinery.

Zephyr is taking a power nap, trying to rest as much as he can while Riley is forcing himself to watch over the youngster. It's no success. Urth itself is fast asleep near the young man, which annoys the scientist. Riley is fatigued, but he doesn't feel like laying down. He'd rather stare at the abyss. He wonders if Nil survived its brutal landing downstairs, at the end point of this forsaken underground world. The voices, they are coming back. The fallen, the innocents, they are coming back. His victims, they are coming back.

The assassin catches the doctor staring at the void empty-eyed thanks to his flashlight.

"Doc, keep yourself away from the edge. It's already cramped enough as is, you wouldn't want to fall because you weren't careful." 

Alister's voice reaches the depths of Riley's mind, catching him by surprise. The assassin sounds like a parent that lost focus on his work, because his child was fooling around.

Riley makes a heavy sigh of frustration, looking at the assassin with clear disdain, and backs off into his corner. He's on the fence, but it's not like Alister can do anything to calm that down, nor does he want to. He has some anger towards himself he must wrestle with. He promised that he would get that bastard for everything he's done. Instead, he teams up with his infamous target, as there's only a way down for them. That's what he's telling his psyche at least.

This security is no rejoicing matter. The setbacks of this chaos are overwhelming, impromptu and a cause for concern. They made the jump without realizing the consequences of journeying firsthand into the Bottomless Pit. They are paying the price.

Unlike the last platform, this tiny formation is too cluttered and contains barely enough space for five living beings. Plus, Zephyr's bag is massive thanks to all the gadgets and food supplies stuffed in there. It doesn't help that this "checkpoint 13278" sign is parading here like nobody's business, taking unnecessary space on the platform. 

The only one who isn't lamenting in some form or fashion is Eylventh, flying in the Bottomless Pit near the crew to check for other formations to transition to. So far, they seem to be well separated for a descent. Getting back to the surface is a different story. Unless climbing equipment is thrown in the mix, there is no way normal people sees the sky ever again.

BAM!

Riley J. Smith smashes the ground with his fists while screaming in rage.

This wakes up Zephyr and the frog in a hurry.

"Whoa! The fuck!? Are you good!?" Asks Alister, taken aback.

"Do I look good to you, assassin!? I have to sit on this rock, thinking about how this placed robbed me of a precious companion, while being near people that want me to DIE!"

"Not this shit again." Pouts Alister. "Riley, what do I have to say before you can shut your mouth and sit still!?"

"Absolutely NOTHING! You are the last person I want to hear from! Yes, I have used people for proper experiments, creating creatures out of innocent bystanders! You are right about that! I am not doing this for my amusement! Not everything I've done is for some deranged purpose! Don't dilute my cause because its suites YOUR narrative!" 

Alister starts laughing.

"Oh wow, that noble cause of yours again. Good for you I guess."

"Silence! It WAS noble: To prepare to seize this opportunity, for humanity! To explore and finally put an end to the mystery that is this place! This is not something a low life like you, who's bread and butter is senseless murder, can understand!"

"Senseless!? My job is to put the lives of scumbags like you in a dumpster fire, where you belong! You talk about such a great cause, but I'm sure your genius brain could have come up with a solution that didn't result in the death of so many people! Killing for me is a part of my destiny, my job, my career, my purpose! Killing is where I come from. Killing for you should have stayed an option you wouldn't dare approach!"

"Yes, like the option of letting me live as I stand now. Like the option of putting that sword away and letting your target live to see another day, thus failing at your destiny, your job, your career…your purpose?"

"…Yeah...Precisely!"

Alister and Riley stare down at each other for a few seconds. Zephyr and Urth watch the scene, woken up by another argument between adults, seeking direly for things to calm down.

Riley smiles at Alister, this cranked up look in his eyes.

"You... You need me, Alister. Without me, your life isn't complete. You have made it your mission, no, your DESTINY, to hunt me down and now…! Look at you. You're out there promoting your line of work, like there is no issue. Just like I'm trying to run away from my past mistakes, you are too."

"I know where you're going with this. I wouldn't continue if I was you." Growls the assassin. Riley gets closer to his verbal opponent. They are only a few centimeters apart from one another now.

"You... You are no better than me!" Loudly states the scientist with an aggressive tone of voice.

Before Alister can jump on the scientist. Zephyr separates the two.

"Enough! Enough is enough!" Screams the young man. 

Zephyr is breathing heavily, as if standing up and doing something took that much energy. He's looking back and forth at the two, trying to decipher signs of who will strike first. Alister is shocked. He's the one who's about to explode. This piece of filth dared to compare the both of them as equal trash and smile about it. The hunter is livid, and Riley is thriving off of it.

"What's the matter, hunter? Did I hit a nerve?" Says the scientist while smirking from ear to ear.

"Mark my words, whatever the Bottomless Pit got for you in terms of punishment, is a saving grace compared to what I'd do to you now!!"

"So you do need-!"

"Riley, for the love of god, can you stop!?" Reiterates the blacksmith. "Listen, you two can claw at each other's throats all you want, but nothing productive is gonna come out of that. That's a fact! You can hate it! I sure want to vanish out of this earth and never come back! But it's-a-fact. So no more mind games, no more threats! Tolerate one another. Do that, and…And I don't have to blow myself up again, got it!?"

They look at the young blacksmith, confused. Zephyr is trembling. A lost boy, afraid for his life and the future he gambled away, speaking of an alliance they would shatter in any other circumstances. Why do they need each other here? Is it because they are the only humans alive? Is it because no way home means that their purpose is lost? When Zephyr looks at both the assassin and the scientist, behind the lunacy, the threats, the violence, they are just as lost as he is. They don't know what to do.

It's at this moment that Zephyr is reminded of a sentiment shared by someone near and dear to his heart:

"Forging a blade is like forging a path ahead. It takes time. There's a reason the old expression 'Rome wasn't built in a day' exists. Take your time. No rush. It's all good if you don't feel confident now. Keep pushing. The fact that you moved forward despite the cowardice is what will drive you. Forge forward, as your granddad would say!"

That's the cheesiest thing Zephyr's father said to him.

It's rings true to this day.

Zephyr then backs down with his hands still up, looking left and right to seek a form of reaction to his statement. Alister, despite his anger, stays still and starts breathing in and out slowly.

Riley acts like a cunning mastermind, stroking his beard and simply looking at his teammates with dividends. The boy's intervention brought the eccentric side of the scientist back temporarily.

"Yes. Fine, I'll let you off the hook, assassin. But best beware of your movements. I can do this all day."

"Try me." Retaliates Alister.

They then hear a roar from Eylventh.

The flying crocodile seems very excited, as he then glides back to the platform, holding another sign in its paws.

On that sign was written "halfway checkpoint".

"Wait a minute, where did you get that sign? Riley, can Eylventh travel that far away from you?" Asks Zephyr.

"No. He usually stays a kilometer nearby my general location, even if it would love to stay away from me as much as possible..."

"Wait. That means we're already near halfway there. I don't fucking believe that! We haven't found anything remotely useful yet!" States Alister, stumped.

"Foolish hunter. We can't talk about discoveries whiles being at only the midway point. Plus, I have personally discovered a lot already." Finishes the doctor while staring down at Alister once more. With Zephyr still having his sight on both, Riley moves on with a grin.

They decide to pack their stuff and get back to platform hunting. Quite the announcement they have on their hands. This reinvigorates some of the lost spirit from the last few hours. Despite all the horrors they have to deal with, they have been gifted with the luck of falling so far down and surviving, skipping half of the trajectory downward, apparently.

As bizarre of a coincidence this is, our crew takes that opportunity to jump from checkpoint 13278 to the next, restarting the journey, hoping that this momentum gets them somewhere.

Once more, they are diving headfirst into the unknown.