V1 Incline 22: Nin

"Vroom vroom." I sarcastically comment as the last strap is hooked to my new harness.

"Try nat ta lase them." the midget tells me as she steps away with her gun.

"How am I even going to lose them?" I scoff as we are going into a straight tunnel more or less. There's no way I am going to lose them unless she or someone else starts throwing them away!

"Nin." Vapooliar says as she steps towards me.

"What?" I snap as shuffle the straps about. Tearing my clothes instead, however, I stop trying to adjust them. Vapooliar, though, steps in for me and sorts out the build-up of my snatching clothes.

I nod quietly in thanks as I look away...

"Are you up for this?" she asks me as her hand stops my gun from shaking.

"I..." I can't even answer as I look further away towards the grass.

"I am at your front, Nin. Heiya and Vadei are behind you. Heiya's Father is also with me up front." she points out to me. Even though it is obvious, I make no remark. I just nod quietly and look at my armoured arm.

"Do you want your armour back?" I ask her with a quick and awkward chuckle. It dies quickly and I return to being silent.

She smiles slightly, "Keep it, think of it as a good luck charm until we escape."

"I do feel quite lucky..." I say to her, even if 'safer' is a more honest answer.

"Does everyone have everything?" Vapooliar asks loudly as she steps towards the front of the group. Although it was a very brief moment, I have seen what she can do. I cannot ask or argue for a better bit to our drill in these circumstances.

"Let's go." Heiya's Father tells us as he urges everyone inside the mountain. Looking back at our camp as the smoke dissipates, I gulp. During all my time there, I was pestered by thoughts of wanting to get out of here. But now that we are going to get out, I want to go back to the camp, back to my tree trunk chair. Even if Heiya ceremoniously knocked over the machine keeping us safe and hidden.

Watching the other two go into the tunnel I once thought was my escape route, I tug at my harness. Following them, the piece of bashed-together airship hull scrapes away at the ground as I play pack mule. The Orbital-Halo's light starts to vanish and the darkness engulfs us. The wisps return and they offer some light as our travelling echoes around us.

I keep looking back at the way we came.

Despite her attitude, I am glad Vadei is at the back of our group. Her ears move a lot, they pick up noise so easily... I don't want to see them move about as we go through these damn tunnels. I can already hear my memories, I don't need to see someone confirming the reality of it.

Shakily reaching out for the damp, soil walls of the tunnel, I pat them carefully. There should've been lots of rock in a mountain, but no. The bugs have changed this mountain to be something far more comfortable for them. Their kind of comfort is not ours, unfortunately.

Or gladly, I don't know...

"Service tunnel. Few if any." Heiya's Father comments as he picks up his pace. Watching him disappear into the pitch black, my stomach starts to act up. His attire and spikes are rustling. I cannot see him.

"What's the plan, exactly?" I whisper to Vapooliar as her blade starts to offer its light as well.

"We'll see if we can find the aelenvari prisoners." she answers, swaying her blade near the dirt walls.

"The what?" I ask with a blink.

"The one that gave you the seed, she's, they are aelenvari." she clarifies as I look back at the named item in Vadei's hands.

"Ah." I let out as I recall the largely featureless creatures. They have a pair of lights dangling from their foreheads at the very least, so I have an idea. But, coming to a stop I turn around and confuse everyone.

"What're you doing!?" Vadei hisses as she bashes her leg accidentally against the crate.

"Trying to remember..." I answer as I pat the walls ponderously.

"Nin, do so on the move." Vapooliar urges me to do as I recall what wall it was I broke through.

"Right-hand side." I tell her as I let my spoken hand go across the damp soil. I hate how slimy and vile it feels, but, it's where the hole should be. Any moment now, I hope.

However, I hate the ambience of the hive more. Suffering is not the kind of music I like to hear when doing something. I can't speak for anyone else, but I have a feeling they agree with me. We all hate how it is getting louder, slightly.

Heiya's Father comes back to us quickly and his daughter faces him. Patting himself, he brings out this little insect he for some reason brought and drops something to it. I am a little confused as to why he suddenly had a pet. But, hopefully, it offers genuine help as a miner's bird does.

"Aelenvari ahead." he tells us with what seems to be a perplexed look.

"How's security?" Vapooliar asks him as she keeps her blade raised against the dark.

"None." he answers and his daughter steps forward.

"Haaas thaaat lubricaaant messed with yaur heaaad?" she asks as she uncomfortably stares at the container with the insect.

"No. No security." he repeats as he gestures for us to follow.

"That doesn't sound good..." I mutter to Vapooliar in response to his words. Then, I blink as I catch strange whispers in the wind.

"We will have to see. I pray it is not how you feel." she tells me as I take my arm off the wall. Looking back at the other two, I watch as Vadei gently jostles the seed as Heiya hops onto my sledge. Frowning at her, she ignores me and digs through our supplies. What is she even looking for?

We aren't planning to linger in the hive, it is just guns back there!

"Heiya." her father barks softly and she runs up to him. She passes a container over to him and the front of his gun snaps off revealing rows of empty, narrow sockets. Flicking open his supplies, he stabs the gun into the buzzing box and pulls it back out. Closing them both up, she sends Heiya back with the box.

"Humaaan." she sneers as she carelessly dumps the box behind me. Flexing my fingers a little, I shiver knowing that the abused box is full of angry ammo. Looking around, I hear the sounds of sniffing. Heiya's Father is up to something odd and his eyes seemingly glow when he turns back towards us.

"Here." he says as he steps back to make room for Vapooliar.

"There's already a hole." she tells him as she places her blade against the earth. Pushing through, she ignores her own complaint and she makes us a path. The earth falls down and somewhat fills the tunnel and everyone but me and her go through it. Stepping aside, she picks up the sledge by the back and I am urged through the hole.

"Is this normal?" I ask as I look around at the dimly lit tunnels and chambers. Glancing into one, I regret my decision and return my focus to the group. Vadei's nose twitches and she steps away from one of the chambers and Vapooliar takes the seed from her.

"Vadei, are any of them still alive?" she asks as Vadei nods with pale skin and watery eyes.

"Seriously, where are the bugs?" I ask as the two spike-back midgets set themselves up behind cover. Standing in the open, I tap my foot gently before following Vapooliar as far as the chamber entrance. It's a mess in here... Filthy, still bodies everywhere.

Staring at one, I look at its still somewhat bright, yellow hair and bulbs it has. For some reason, Vapooliar is holding her hand up at them and the wisps dance on her open palms. Minding the needle-shaped legs in my way, I move closer to her. She frowns and shows off the seed more openly.

These aelenvari all have nothing to say and what we do get is weak and quiet. Vadei comes over and takes back the seed and Vapooliar steps backwards. Planting her sword into the ground, she rubs her face. Turning to Vadei, we stare at each other as Vapooliar starts to groan.

"I can't believe this... We have a seed, an aelenvari seed! One of your young! Why do you all do nothing!?" she demands to know as one of them creaks their head up at us. Their mouth opens slightly and Vadei steps ahead with moving ears.

"She says they're too weak." she passes on.

"I can hear them fine." Vapooliar nearly snaps as Vadei backs off stiffly.

"Vapooliar, let's just go..." I tell her as the wind whispers once again. Oddly, though, Vadei's ears do not twitch at the sound. Does it just not bother her? There's no way she didn't hear it.

Vapooliar walks up to me and snatches up a gun from the crate, "We bring the means to fight!"

"Vapooliar..." I say again as I place my hand on the weapon. Shaking my head, she lets go of the gun and I waddle around to the crate to put it back in.

"You can't be serious... Aelenvari are supposed to be legendary in their desire to protect their young!" Vapooliar lets out as her arms lose their strength.

"We're... Too weak... Wind-Person... Those who can help you are gone..." one of them coughs from the far corner. Lighting them up immediately, Vapooliar blinds the poor woman. What I thought was just dry mud as well reveals itself to be caked blood. It isn't just on that one either...

"Where are they, then!?" Vapooliar demands to know as she kneels in front of her.

"The parasite took them elsewhere... You'll only find discarded food here..." she hacks as her eyes linger on the sword.

"Food." I repeat as a hand covers my mouth. Minding my feet, I step around the bones that just seem to keep appearing.

"Do you know anything!?" Vapooliar demands as her blade returns to her right hand.

"I've heard... Words..." the aelenvari answers before it falls over. Hearing not one more sound, Vapooliar stands up and sighs.

"What does that even mean?" I ask as she walks past me.

"Undwote, find them." she prays, ignoring me.

"Vadei, do you hear anything?" I ask the tailed-woman as she sniffs the air with a revolted expression.

"Swearing." she answers slowly and Vapooliar stops.

"Swearing?" she repeats as Vadei's ears act up.

"Swearing, human. Men... Like a soldier..." she realises and Vapooliar starts to smile ever so slightly. She points in that direction with her ears.

"Very well." Vapooliar remarks as she starts to walk away as the ears suggest.

"Still no bugs?" I ask in a hushed tone.

"No..." Vadei answers as she slinks away from the chamber. Taking one last glance at all the half-eaten bodies and mucky bones, I turn away.

"Wonderful." I let out as I drag the sledge onto the path out of here. Watching the other four from behind, I follow the midgets as they take point. Soon enough, I start to hear something myself and I stop alongside everyone else.

"Maybe trap." Heiya's Father cautions as his daughter surveys the tunnel ahead through her sights.

"I can't hear anything other than them." Vadei tells him.

"There is no strong magic around here either." Vapooliar points out to which the elderly creature just shrugs.

"Get caught." he comments with a shrug as we start to move again.

"DON'T JUST LEAVE US ON OUR OWN AT THE VERY LEAST YOU ACCURSED, SHELLED FREAKS!" echoes a furious shout alongside the sound of shaking bars. Somehow catching whispers again despite the greater noises, I shake my head and pick up the pace. Everyone is hurrying along and I do not want to be left behind. Not here most certainly not!

Watching the chambers and tunnels pass by, I pick up on a pattern. There are no bugs at all anywhere. No dead ones, no somehow sleeping ones... There is nothing at all.

"H-HEY! WE HEAR YOU! SHOW YOURSELVES DAMMIT!" the same man roars as he starts to run at his bars. Arguments erupt from behind the bars between thunderous bangs.

"Calm down before you bring them on top of us!" I screech through clenched teeth as I catch up and return to the group.

"I'll break the cage, everyone make sure to cover a tunnel. We need to move quickly." Vapooliar explains before rushing ahead towards the noise.

"Val... Valkinvar! You made it!"

"Valkinvar!?"

"The Valkinvar is alive!?"

Coming to a stop in front of the prison, I look inside towards the dozen or so soldiers. Each one has ringed coats of some kind and Vapooliar is actively excited to see them. Whoever they are, the feeling is mutual and I am quickly swarmed. The crate is nearly emptied and I am left staring at the last gun in there.

There's some other stuff as well, though, so I hold off on disconnecting myself from the sledge. Overwhelmed by the crowd, I move closer to the rusty, iron bars of the prison and I knock a small fist on them. It is odd seeing a prison with bars. Bars are a physical metaphor for the meritocratic lifestyle back home.

They make it hard to move forward, but with skill and determination, one could move ahead if one tried skillfully or hard enough. It's why prisons back home are always solid walls. You will not go anywhere for however many years you racked up. You will wallow in your right-done misery.

"Is everyone familiar enough with how these weapons work?" Vapooliar asks the soldiers. Her response is a mixture of shrugs, eager remarks about our departure and what I assume to be salutes.

"What's the plan, Valkinvar?" the distinctly filthy-faced man asks as he otherwise stands out from the crowd. Unlike everyone else, his uniform is far puffier and involves fewer rivets. Mostly white and shades of grey, his clothes have one other distinction. A badge or symbol of some kind, one marked with a somewhat detailed cannon and battleaxe.

"We escape. Now, where are the bugs, Battcomm?" Vapooliar asks the man.

"None! They just seemed to disappear from our sight... However long ago that was!" Battcomm answers before he gets frustrated at his gun. It seems a little odd that they are all struggling the way they are with the guns, actually.

"I need you to be more specific, Battcomm." Vapooliar insists as her sword-grip tightens.

"Yes, Valkinvar, sorry, Valkinvar. About one cycle ago." Battcomm clarifies as Vapooliar looks around the inter-section-like space we are in.

"Jaadagoren go away... Dammit... Just go away, no one wants your trickery." I swear quietly as Vapooliar struggles to make a choice.

"Nin, Vadei, do you hear anything?" Vapooliar asks us as she moves the soldiers aside.

"Whispers." I mutter as I scratch my head and look in the direction of the strange noise.

"I can't pick out anything over all this noise..." Vadei explains as the two midgets come forth.

"We push." Heiya's Father tells us as he gestures down one path. Leaving the four to bicker and argue, I start to wander away. The whispers are coming from the tunnel that is on our immediate left back when we were approaching the prison. Staring down the dark hole, I try to actually hear the whispers rather than just let them stay incoherent.

Or, rather, the whistle of the wind it seems...?

"Nin. Don't wander off." Vapooliar warns as she suddenly grabs my arm. Blinking, I look back at her and nudge my head in the direction of the tunnel.

"There's wind coming from this tunnel." I tell her and everyone hears me.

"What happens if it's just another path back to the forest!?" Vadei complains as arguments break out throughout the small chamber.

"Quiet!" Heiya's Father barks with surprising power. Firmly setting his gun into his little, furry hand, his grizzled features survey the tunnels he can see down.

"It's a risk we will need to take... Everyone, form up. I want you all ready to shoot our way out if need be." Vapooliar tells everyone as she brings me along with her initially. Freeing myself from her arm, I fall behind and most of the soldiers overtake me. But Battcomm lingers at my side and he stares at me. Brushing his bushy, ill-kept beard with dirty fingers, he makes some noise.

"What's a kid like you do to get the Valkinvar-Imdvarce's ear like that?" he asks and I blink at the word.

"V-Vapooliar?" I ask just to make sure I am understanding him right.

"Valkinvar-Imdvarce." he growls firmly as his weapon slaps gently against his hand. Whilst I have felt a bullet against my forehead, I am not keen to feel one of these things do the same. Bullets are one thing, steel-melting fire, light, whatever is something else. So, I play along with his warning.

"Right, the... Valkinvar." I stick to saying as I am at least able to pronounce that well enough on the fly.

"Just be glad I ain't got a boom-pike, if I had one of them, I'd ram it up your front and drop the barrel." he tells me and I am left further confused. What's a boom-pike...? I know pikes are long, pointy sticks, but what does the 'boom' entail? Is it a gun with a bayonet, it must've been, right?

"So, to answer your question, anyway... I... I helped her escape. I am helping her escape." I explain, correcting myself halfway.

"She helped you." Battcomm scoffs as he pinches my thin, scrawny arm.

"Can you not, Battcomm?" I ask and he guffaws in my face.

"That's not my name, Kid, it's Rohlant." Rohlant clarifies and I frown.

"And mine is Nin, not Kid..." I tell him as I start to glare back.

"That's enough, both of you." Vapooliar says back to us as I break off the glare. Looking down at my armoured arm, I sigh quietly. I know I don't look like the heroic or powerful type. But, since waking up in this damn mountain, really, I've been quite strong...

Breaking rocks, trees!

I guess it doesn't matter now, anyway, I'm not going to have to prove myself if at all. By sheer luck, we managed to walk in on enough soldiers to nearly empty the crate. We now have a small army to rely on. Each one with a gun to fire at the bugs!

I can just linger at the back and let the professionals do their thing. However, I am not sure about these whispers. Some conversation is keeping everyone sane right now, but I can still hear them. The whispers are surprisingly noisy, always in my head...

"What's up with you?" Rohlant asks as he shows off his scarred, pale eye.

Looking towards our back, into the stalking darkness, "I don't know..."