Wraiths Lament CH 5: Chapter 1

The sewers? Really? Of all the places the fifth Rhakos could be hiding, it was in the sewers of Sol? Sastrugi hissed to himself as he followed his temporary companion. Scian hummed apprehensively as she eyed the maze of massive tunnels. Distantly, large splashing sounds could be heard, but Sastrugi and Scian were hardly the only Stryx actively searching for this Rhakos in the panic and hubbub. Other Stryx could be heard complaining about the circumstances distantly, with some yelling as they slipped into the water. Sastrugi lowered his head in annoyance. Sensing this, Scian turned around as well. "Hey, Sastrugi, least it's not as disgusting as it could be," she attempted. Sastrugi glowered at her, indicating a trail of slimy gunk floating down the waterway. He ruffled his feathers in disgust. Kenite, perched on Sastrugi's back so he wouldn't get lost in the maze of the tunnels, glared before tapping Feli's shoulder and signing something to her. The cat shrugged and translated. "He says the gunk is uhh, colder? Yeah, colder than the other stuff in the water. But also warmer. He said it's really hard to decipher it. He said I don't need to keep translating," she announced. Kenite shook his head, slapping his face with one of his smaller hands. Feli grinned at him, unashamed. Kenite wrapped his long tail around himself. Rather than letting it drag, he set the end on his lap. Sastrugi shuffled his wings and continued moving. Scian leapt across the water to stroll at a slightly faster pace. The Corva smirked when he shot her a dirty look."Slow poke!" She cawed in amusement. Sastrugi snorted. Kenite tipped his face towards the water as more of the sludge dribbled down past them, unnoticed to Feli or the two Stryx. --After several hours, the pair of Stryx stopped walking. Sastrugi was heavily panting as he collapsed to the ground, warbling pathetically. "We're lost," Feli whined. "We'll never get out of here!" Kenite clacked his jaws a couple of times. He debated telling the others the easiest way out, but decided it would be funnier to watch them suffer for a while. Distantly, another stryx, perhaps a gryph, shouted in disgust as it slipped into the waterway. This was followed by anyone in audio range laughing at the unfortunate giant. Kenite snickered before sliding off of Sastrugi's back. The Casua groaned in relief as some of the weight he had been dealing with all day was alleviated. The saddle bags, once packed with food, water, and a sleeping bag, were all but emptied by the four earlier as a snack. "How did we lose the map again?" Scian grumbled, staring directly at Feli. "I told you," the orange humanoid retorted, "A big Sewfish showed up and grabbed it right out of my paws!" Scian snorted. The so called 'Sewfish' had been nothing more than a branch floating in the water, covered by more of that weird sludgy stuff Kenite had been pointing out all day. Kenite gurgled as he sniffed the water. All clean for now. Better to not go for a swim, though. It wasn't acidic enough, as best as he could tell. He sort of missed the Edge of the World. Between the lava pools and the highly acidic lakes, there were several opportunities for his kind to swim whenever they wanted. Here, it was rare to encounter any water that wouldn't leave him in agony. He started to turn away before pausing and staring at a larger clump of toxic smelling slime that was worming its way through the canals. Sastrugi, who had recovered, turned to stare at the gunk. His feathers rose defensively as he realized just how much was in the river. He and Kenite seemed to have the same idea. Both turned to face up the canal, prompting Scian to stare in confusion. "What are we looking at?" She asked. Kenite clambered back onto Sastrugi and patted the Casua's sides. Sastrugi turned to walk forward at a trot. Scian hopped forward at Feli's prompting. The two females blinked in confusion. Kenite pointed at seemingly random intersections, turning them through a maze only he could seem to understand. After almost half an hour, the tunnels opened up even further into a giant, cavernous room. Magic lamps gave eerie ambiance to the environment, highlighting a massive blue and red pile of feathers in the middle. Scian took to the air instinctively while Sastrugi approached the mass. A head raised from the middle, eyes focusing on the small Casua before lighting up. Vaguely, Sastrugi realized they had found the Rhakos. It rose to its full height, revealing the source of the sludge. From its mouth drooled corrupted spit that congealed once it hit the water. It shook itself out, sending more into the water as it prepared to attack.