The Rescue- W's Lament Ch5: Chapter 5

continent. And yet, I fear it already has...”
 

Laika had had it with these rhakos. Traipsing through the waterlogged Undersol, her whole body aching and stinging. Bravo would have thrown a fit if she’d suggested he come down there with her where his feathers might get soiled. He was in no state to join her anywhere at the moment though. That lightning had knocked him clean out, and if it weren’t for that sea lycan Samwell, he likely would have drowned. Aster was is poor shape as well. The rhakos at the docks had broken one of his little wings when the microstryx had tried saving her by distracting the beast. Still, Aster had insisted on coming with her.

Such a brave, loyal little thing he is. She thought fondly, looking back at her shoulder where he was perched. Samwell’s rider, an old Tikoa man from the far north, had bound up Aster’s wing in a splint and put a healing salve on it before they’d ventured into the tunnels. The man had said they both aught to join Bravo at the healing tree instead, on account of their many injuries, but Laika was determined to see this through to the end. This was the final rhakos after all, and she was not one to leave a job unfinished, no matter how much she ached.

Ahead of them, Kali and her soldiers, along with their stryx, searched the seemingly endless tunnels for sign of the last corrupted rhakos. The pathways that ran alongside the water canals were damp, and smelled of rot, but there was no indication of the rhakos’ glowing red corruption. The dark water next to them rushed with great force towards the heart of Undersol, threatening to wash away anyone who did not tread carefully on the slick stone path. Samwell did not seemed fazed however. He swam alongside the rest of the group, the cold water lapping at his sides while his rider stood watchful atop his back. Sometimes the stone paths and rickety bridges would lead them above or away from the water, but the sea lycan never seemed to be too far away.

Looking back at the many tunnels which branched off from the one they stood on now, she wondered if the rhakos was the only dangerous thing living down here, or if there were other monsters lurking in the darkness, waiting for unsuspecting passersby which they might attack and devour, or waiting at the center for those who fell into the water and were swept down into the darkness. The thought made her shudder, but she pressed on, though not without eyeing the dark corridors warily as they passed them.
She wasn’t sure how long they had been down there in the darkness when the rhakos finally showed itself, but the attack was sudden, and brutal. They were in an upper section of Undersol, having just crossed one of the bridges between two pillared platforms, when without warning the dark runner had darted from behind a column of pillars and slammed into Banshee, knocking her and Kali both into the turbulent water below. The guards shouted in alarm, trying to go on the defensive, but the rhakos had them pinned between her and the canal, and there was little room for fighting back.

“Hang on Aster, this could be ugly.” She said, and the trochili gripped her feathers tighter.

Within moments all of those holding torches had been knocked in as well, and they were plunged into darkness. The walls echoed with the sounds of humans shouting, stryx screeching, and numerous splashes below. Laika gathered her ice breath and blasted it at the rhakos, however in the absense of light she missed her target, hitting the pillar next to it instead. The rhakos cawed angrily and vanished back into the tunnels, leaving only her and two human soldiers left standing. The rest had been carried away by the inky waters.
Laika cursed, looking blindly around her. From her shoulders she could feel Aster fluttering his non-broken wing nervously, wanting the help somehow but unable to. A few seconds later she could see a light heading quickly towards them from the tunnels below, and then Samwell with his rider had emerged, holding a torch and looking up at her and the remaining soldiers with worry.

“We heard fighting.” The old man said, concern painting across his expression as he saw the few guards and stryx that were left. “Where are the rest?”

“They fell into the water and got washed downstream!” Laika called down to him. “I don’t know where the rhakos went, but we need to get to them before it does! I’m not sure how to get to the center of Undersol from here however. These pathways keep winding around. It’s not a direct path like the water is.”

“Then we shall follow them from the water.” Samwell said. This was the first time she had heard him speak. His voice was deep but soft, and had a calming effect to it. “There is room for you all on my back. Hurry now, we mustn’t let the others drown.”

The old man relayed Samwell’s words to the guards, and they allowed Laika to fly them down to be set on Sam’s back. His fur was thick, soft, and warm, smelling faintly of the ocean.

“Hold tightly.” The sea lycan warned. “I have been fighting the current to keep pace with you on foot, but now we shall ride it and make haste to the heart.”

Doing as she was instructed, Laika crouched low over Samwell and held on to her fur as strongly as she dared without her armored talons piercing him. She was not prepared for how fast they were about to go however. The sea lycan sudden accelerated in the water, being propelled both by the current and the lycan’s flipper-like tail and wings. She marvelled at how agile Sam was at the speed they were going within such a small space, slipping gracefully around each corner without even once hitting the sides. As Laika held onto him for dear life, she wondered if this must be what Aster felt like when he was perched on her while she was in flight.

It was not long before the sounds of fighting could be heard echoing towards them. A few moments later, and they had shot into a massive open area in what must have been the center of Undersol, in which a dozen different tunnels spewed out their cold inky contents into a circular reservoir that churned dangerously as the many currents swirled around and combined with one another. On the side of the water, a broad path wrapped around the walls. There they could see Kali fighting back the last rhakos alone. The rest of the company appeared to be unconscious, either drifting in the water or having been pushed up against the stone platform.

Not wanting to give the rhakos even a second’s more opportunity to corrupt the general, Laika shot out another blast of ice at the feral stryx. This time it hit it’s mark, freezing over the bird’s eyes and beak. Kali then jumped onto the rhakos and was able to tie it down. Now that the general was no longer in immediate danger, Laika helped Samwell to quickly drag the other guards and stryx onto dry land, where Kali, the old man, and the other soldiers could press the water from their lungs. As each one awoke coughing and spluttering, Laika felt a wave of relief that none had drowned.

“They are all safe?” Aster twittered, hopping onto her head. “Ah, good good. Drowning in the dark seems a terrible way to go.”

“Indeed.” Laika agreed. “Thank you for taking as down here Samwell. I don’t think we’d have gotten to them in time otherwise.”

“Of course.” The sea lycan said kindly. “It was my pleasure.”

As they spoke, the old Tikoa man looked over rhakos, which glared at him cruelly.

“There is much sorrow in this bird.” The man said somberly. “An ancient anger and suffering that is not her own. Perhaps she may be cleansed of it. We must be careful though. The mother of this evil draws ever nearer.”

“We’ll be ready for her.” Laika replied, a note of determination in her voice despite her own body’s pained protests.

After all, we’ve captured all of her servants with without any casualties. How bad can she really be...