Chapter 8: Dog, Madman and evil witch at The Deep.

A few minutes before Carla fought Mirus.

A small house stood quietly in front of the wall, some distance away from the destroyed chapel.

A man with black hair and tired brown eyes came to a stop just outside its steel door.

His breath was ragged.

HUFF! HUFF!

"I'm sure Rollo can calm him down... I'll take my time," Cynthia mumbled as he walked slowly toward the house.

Its windows were sealed with concrete, and a thick, rusting steel door stood at its center like a vault.

"Now... where's the key?" Cynthia rummaged through his pockets, pulling out a bundle of bronze keys and trying them one by one.

CLICK!

"Got it!" he grinned, opening the door slowly.

It was dark inside. Furniture lay broken and scattered in the corners.

CREAK.

The wooden floor moaned beneath his steps.

"Mr. Fa Lupus? Are you still sleeping?" he asked, stepping deeper into the gloom.

From his coat, he produced two long needles—both dripping with fluid.

He brought their tips together.

FSSHH!

They lit with a pale blue flame.

Cynthia held the burning tips out like a torch to see.

Hmm...

Then he noticed.

"...Where is he?" Cynthia asked, confused.

"Mr. Fa Lupus? Where are you?" he called again, his voice soft but uneasy.

'Did he escape? How?' Panic tightened his chest.

Then he stopped.

'Better to try it...'

"Chu-chu-chu, doggy~! Here, boy!" he sang in an obnoxiously sweet tone.

No reply.

CHIRRR. CHIRR.

A noise.

He turned toward the sound, blue flame stretching forward in the dark.

'What was that?'

Step. Step. Step.

He crept closer.

"Eeek—!"

Rats.

"RATS!"

He nearly fainted, heart racing—until he saw something worse.

They were crawling out of a large hole.

A tunnel.

Dug straight through the floor—leading toward the wall.

Cynthia's eyes widened.

"...That damn dog escaped," he muttered.

Panic returned full force.

"What do I do, what do I do..." he paced in circles before locking his eyes on the hole.

"…Damn it." He muttered.

After a long moment of hesitation, he dropped into the tunnel and began crawling.

"This dog better be worth it," he grumbled.

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Elsewhere…

'Mirus… I have to save him. Or at least honor his death.'

Rocky's claws raked the damp mud as he dug deeper beneath the outer wall.

His nose twitched, struggling to pick up a scent.

'I'm sure that little evil witch left him in the sands... among the mad mutts,' he growled internally.

'Claws of Steel.'

His paws glimmered, transforming into metallic claws, and he dug faster.

'Good thing I reached Tier 1 before I got here... wherever here is.' He thought.

SHIIK. SHIIK.

A sudden noise behind him made him freeze.

What's that?

The sound grew closer.

SHIIK. SHIIK.

It stopped.

Even Rocky's keen eyes saw nothing.

'From the start... something's been blocking my senses.' He became cautious.

FSSHH!

A pale blue flame suddenly lit the space in front of him.

Cynthia's face glowed in the light, eyes triumphant.

"Got you, dog."

For a moment, neither moved. Rocky's face was blank.

Then—

WOOF!

He blew the flame out.

SPLAT!

A clump of mud landed square on Cynthia's face.

"Shit—shit—SHIT! An evil man is chasing me!" Rocky panicked as his legs launched him upward like a missile, mud flying.

"Come back here, you damn dog!" Cynthia shouted as he scrambled behind.

"Stop chasing me, human!" Rocky snarled, rushing out of the tunnel into the open sands beyond the wall.

Cynthia crawled out after him, wiping sludge from his face.

Rocky ran as he sniffed the air, following his instinct—until he froze.

'What...?'

There was no sign of Mirus.

Only bloodstains remained in the sand.

Then—

BOOOOOOM!!!

An explosion shook the sky behind him.

Rocky's ears perked.

His eyes sharpened.

'...Mirus?'

He didn't know for sure—but he felt it.

So he ran—toward the figure flying across the sky, crashing into the sand beyond the wall.

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At present.

"What the hell is this place?!" Rocky snarled at the night sky.

"…The Deep," Carla muttered, lying beside him.

"...Young Master… are you alright?" Mirus's weak voice broke his focus.

"Mirus!" Rocky ran to his side. "You're alive! Wait—you've turned young again!"

He sniffed.

"You even smell different."

Then his ears twitched. He turned to the others.

"Hey—Mirus. They're both evil. They kidnapped me."

"Yes, Young Master! Especially the old hag!" Mirus agreed.

Carla's eye twitched.

"I guess that beating wasn't enough," she muttered, trying to stand—only to collapse with a groan.

'Seems i overused it...good news is - he overused it too.'

"Wait—by 'old hag,' do you mean this little girl?" Rocky tilted his head. "She looks like she's seven."

_'At least the dog has manners...' Carla thought.

"We should call her 'Little Evil Witch' instead," Rocky declared proudly.

"Brilliant as always, Young Master," Mirus beamed.

Carla flushed red.

She snarled at the man lying beside her.

"Cynthia! Stop pretending to be dead and get your ass up!"

Cynthia shot up, grinning awkwardly.

"Sorry, Ms. Carla."

Then he glanced ahead.

"…Did we cross the Edge?"

"Yeah," Carla muttered. "I tried to divert the blast—but it blew us past it."

"Why were you even there?!" she snapped.

"Rollo sent me to fetch the dog—to calm the servant. What happened to you two?"

Both pointed at each other.

"It's all because of the little evil witch!"

"It's all because of that madman!"

Cynthia and Rocky exchanged looks.

"Don't they seem like… a married couple?" Cynthia whispered.

Rocky shuddered. "Don't say cursed things."

Carla turned away. "That guy destroyed the chapel."

"WHAT?! HE DESTROYED OUR HOUSE?!" Cynthia cried.

"That girl called you an dog!" Mirus turned too.

Rocky's ears twitched. 

"WHAT?! SHE DARED TO CALL ME A DOG?!" he snarled.

Then he turned on Cynthia. "YOU CALLED ME A DOG TOO!"

"What!...That's it. You're dead too," Mirus growled, rising slowly.

But Cynthia had gone pale—not from fear of Mirus.

He pointed.

"Ms. Carla… I think we need to get away from that."

They all turned.

The fissure—The Deep—was shifting.

Colors warped. Objects around it distorted.

And now, the effect was spreading.

Carla's eyes narrowed.

"...Cynthia. Carry me. Now."

Rocky ran too and pulled the rag around Mirus dragging him.

"Don't use your precious pearls on this lowly servant, Young Master," Mirus said with grave formality.

If anyone from the chapel saw him now, they'd never believe it was the same man.

"Shut up, Mirus," Rocky grumbled.

The group staggered back from the growing distortion.

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Back at the prison.

Desmond and Yellow wake up to another day In the prison.

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