Into Motion

 “Do not regret your decision later.”

     With those words, Demon God Curson began shifting. What looked like strands of its body descended from the domed ceiling and filled in around the contained black sphere. Once an outer shell had been made, another sphere of glowing symbols surrounded that shell, and the entire sphere began to shrink.

     Once the ball of magic had condensed from a sphere larger than most cars to one smaller than a marble, the orb shot into my body, hiding itself somewhere within my gut. It was an uncomfortable feeling at first, something I was constantly aware of, but one that I eventually got used to.

“Right, now we just need to figure out a way back to the upper strata and let them capture me. I don’t suppose you could just use some magic and teleport us all up there, could you, Demon God Curson?”

“You have permission to exclude my title and use only my name. No, casting such a spell would raise suspicions of my assistance. I can give you information on how to ascend, but I cannot lend direct aid.”

“Ah, we don’t need that anyway. You remember the portal Arx and Sero had? Once I confirmed you were down here, I dropped Arx’s side of the portal down here. Right now, it’s at the bottom of the ocean shooting tons of yucky sludge out into Sero’s settlement! I can lead the way!”

   I could feel Sero stirring and roiling in agitation within me.

“Alright, then it’s just a matter of getting there. I bet you’ve already got that solved too?”

“You know me! I’ve got our ride waiting outside!”

“Then let’s get moving. I’d like to get out of this place as soon as possible.”

     Siti, Andre, and I made our way out of the tower and there, waiting in the streets, was yet another strange creature. It had a head like a bird, but its body was long like a weasel, and it had four feathered wings rather than the usual two. The three of us climbed up its tail, which acted like a ramp, and mounted its back. Once we were all settled on, it took flight so quickly that Andre and I were almost thrown off.

     I recalled how long I’d been traveling down in the middle strata in complete darkness, yet this creature seemed to navigate the pitch darkness with ease and know exactly where to go. I didn’t know how far where I fell was compared to where Siti had dropped the portal, but, as we distracted each other with conversation, this journey felt like mere moments.

    I could hear the sound of rushing fluids again, similar to the ravine around Curson’s city.

“Okay! So, there’s a lot of nasty stuff and the portal is completely submerged. Keep your body low, your mouth shut, and try not to breathe!”

     I swallowed nervously. We were going to dive right into that stuff? And I’d tried so hard to not touch it directly. I looked back to Andre, who was trembling and chattering his mandibles together.

“A-a-as you command my q-queen!”

     We ducked in and held tight to the flying creature as I felt the air rushing over my head and my sense of balance shift. The creature tucked its wings in and curved down into a nosedive, accelerating more and more quickly as it shot down through the air.

     We pierced into that filthy ocean and the crash and rush of viscous fluids nearly tore me from the mouth, yet I held tight. The fluids around us surged and pulled us towards the hole at the very bottom, yet the ocean was deep. I could feel the rushing, tearing, and the crushing pressure as it pushed down upon us as we moved deeper and deeper.

     Then the roar of fluids again. We were shot out the other side of the portal which had been long-since cleared by the powerful rush of dense fluids that’d turned everything in the way to rubble and sludge.

     The winged creature moved to the side, climbing up some knocked-over buildings to get out of the way of the endless torrent, and to try to shake off some of that disgusting fluid. I could tell we were no longer moving, but I dared not open my mouth to speak.

“Okay both of you, slide off to your side and prepare for decontamination! Don’t open your eyes or mouths yet.”

     I let my body slide down and off, hearing two wet splatters as Andre and I hit the ground. Then I felt dozens, hundreds, thousands of wiggling, squirming things swarm over me. It tickled in some places and itched in others, but I could tell that the disgusting sticky and slimy feelings that had covered my body were quickly being removed. It took only a few seconds before those wiggling things went away.

“All done! You can breathe now!”

     I gasped and breathed slowly but heavily. I hoped to never go through something like that ever again. Yet even I had it easy, as I looked over to Andre who was trembling and convulsing on the ground, unwilling to get up.

     Then it struck me: ants sense the world through their antennae, and their eyes lack eyelids. There was no plugging his nose or closing his eyes, he simply had to endure all that happened. As he twitched, I could hear him muttering,

“I must be strong for my queen I must be strong for my queen ImustbestrongformyqueenImustbestrongformyqueenImust-”

   I knelt down beside him and patted him on the shoulder, “Don’t worry, Andre. You’re already the strongest.”

   With those words, Andre’s body went limp as he fainted.