Wrinkles???

William repeatedly deleted the notices over and over and over until he had enough space to see, now he was certain the rats were dead.

That's why he felt their grip on him lessened and their weight had reduced. The acid had dissolved them and what was still clinging to them were their rapidly decaying bones.

More damage notices popped up and began to obscure his view but before they could he spotted an entrance to a different path up ahead and just in time.

The force of the stream was still pushing them along with the whole tunnel completely covered in acid.

William still held his breath, as a con man he had a more than an ordinary share of practice in holding his breath, why? To get away, to escape.

He had even tricked a man once into thinking he had caused him to drown but this was just the set up to a scam where his partner offered to cover up the murder, and disposing the body if he would only pay enough to get the right people to do so, it was a nice score and out of that he bought her first medications.

William was far more worried about Nod, how long could hold his breath. It was clear to him the shield didn't provide them with oxygen.

so they were stranded with very little help for the guide, he just hoped Nod wasn't dead yet.

He waddled his feet and propelled himself towards the exit. He knew that current couldn't have pushed Nod away from him as he remembered Nod had tried to get away when the rats pounced on them.

So at least he was a couple feet from him.

William swam as best as he could and as the stream pushed him past the entrance he grabbed onto the rim of it, unto the edges but the force of the stream was testing his grip as it tried to push in away.

William held on but he had stopped deleting the notices and they were now blinding him again.

He tried to pull himself into the entrance but his own weight and the current were up against him. He kept on trying, then suddenly he felt a tight grip around his ankles.

'What the!!'

******

Ben had tripped and fell on Ingrid. She felt his head hit her back side.

"Hey, you!" She cried as the hit had caused her to fall forwards which was only enhanced by the slippery floors.

Ben fell on her with his head and shoulder on her lower body and normally anyone being this close to her would annoy her, causing a mad outbursts and most likely a punch to the face but they both heard the roaring behind them and the fear overcame them.

They knew they were practically sitting ducks waiting to be dissolved in a sea of acid.

They quickly turned to face the stream as it engulfed them and dissolved them like sugar cubes. They saw a white flash of acid splashing and instinctively squinted thier eyes.

But nothing happened, they didn't feel a thing, not even a drop on them. They meekly opened their eyes and saw the acid rushing past the entrance of the new tunnel without a single drop making its way inside.

It was unlike anything they'd ever seen, it was like the stream had decided on its own to make such an odd behavior.

The overtly curious Ben placed his right hand over his eye and activated Horus then suddenly he could see it. There was a force field at the entrance of the tunnel, it was stopping the acid from coming their way.

"Hey!"

Ben could feel the anger in her voice as he took his hand of his eye and slowly turned his head towards her.

"Mind how you walk! If you do that again, I'm going to kill you!"

"Sorry," Ben said, completely blown away by her outburst.

"A force field is what saved us," Ben said as they got on their feet.

"We should go before it gives," Ingrid said.

"You think it will?"

"You think it won't?"

"Ahh," Ben wondered about it then she asked him.

"Have you been here before? Its better to be cautious, we still don't know how things work around here."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Yeah I guess you're one of those optimistic types, try to keep your distance next time."

"Yeah," Ben said, then he paused for a moment and his face turned noticeably paler.

"Do you think they're still alive," Ben said.

"We should keep moving."

Ben let out a sigh and the next moment they heard footsteps echoing down the tunnel.

They looked down the tunnel but couldn't see a thing despite the part they stood on being dimly lit but the rest of it was a lot darker.

Ingrid placed her hand over her left eye and activated the eye, suddenly she could clearly see down the tunnel, it was the red haired girl again.

"Hurry up," she screamed. "You're runing out of time. When those lights die out, the shield gies with it!

Ingrid and Ben gasped, they couldn't help but glance back at the stream of acid raging being them, then the lights flickered.

****

William was still trying to pulling himself into the diverging tunnel, to get away from the harsh currents of the stream but with the sudden grip on his ankle his focus waned and his grip on the entrance slipped by an inch.

'It must be Nod,' he thought. 'I've got to pull us in.'

William wanted to tell him to hold on tightly but he feared the acid would get in his mouth again, with him already losing so much time, it would be a waste to add an internal damage bill to the mix.

William tried pulling them into the new tunnel but up against the unrelenting push of the stream, he was reminded why the guide judged his strengths to be more in the mental realm.

He couldn't do it, with the added weight Hume didn't stand a chance, it was hopeless and barely hanging on he called unto his guide and the notice that filled his vision and blinded him were all wiped away in an instant and replaced with a single notice, with two options.

[BOOSTER (LEVEL 1)]

[ TOLL: 30MINS ]

[YES] [NO]

William quickly chooses YES, it was a no brainer decision. On one hand he wasn't exactly sure what it was boosting but on both hands, he was losing his grip and didn't have the time to deliberate.

Instantly William felt a strange sensation, an energy surge coursed through his body, through his bones and muscles.

[ BOOST ADMINISTERED]

The notice faded away and in its place the damage notice came back.

'Damn it, not this again.'

William tried to pull himself in but this time he was light, so light even with the added weight of someone hanging onto him for dear life, it felt like he was just carrying two mildly inconvenient luggages.

He pulled them both into the tunnel and they landed on the floor. The pain of the fall made him glad he had escaped the acid and he wasn't the least bit bothered the acid was unnaturally avoiding this new path.

William finally had his chance to breathe, he had been holding his breath the whole time and as he laid there on the floor catching his breath the notices slowly faded away and acid evaporated of his body in a yellow mist.

He could hear Nod breathing heavily beside him, his breath sound strained and old but William thought nothing of it.

Wiillaim opened his eyes, now free of the notices he could see the dim lights floating overhead and they flickered several times and he thought nothing of it.

He could still hear the stream so he got up to look, he saw the acid rushing by and without a single drop coming his way.

"Woah, it's magic," William said the he laughed triumphantly until he heard Nod cough bitterly. He grew worried and he turned to him ,

"Are you alright?" he said.

William saw a thick head of gray hair on Nod and it made no sense to him. He looked down and a saw a wrinkled hand and in one swift move he grabbed the man by the collars, pulling him up on his ass then he saw his wrinkled face and he was certain,

"Who the hell are you?" he scremed.