Not one hundred paces on, the field was strewn with long jackets stomped into their own black puddles. They may have once been white, but ichor had seeped in and stained large patches in the stiff fabric. Fallen soldiers interspersed them, all decapitated. In the center of this carnage was a huge hole in the ground, wide enough to swallow her family’s cabin. The bottom was not touched by sun.

Ms. Ravenhair turned to Tertius. “Well, do you want to stay out here,” she reached into her glittering backpack and pulled out a light skein of thin rope. “None of us will think less of you if you stay out here.”

Sevil hissed, “I don’t think I could think less of you.”

Tertius looked downtrodden and flipped the feather off his cheek, and it rebounded with a splat and he grimaced. “I gave my word that I would accompany you!”

Ms. Ravenhair was still pulling rope out of her backpack, it had pulled free from the skein and was piling up next to it in the grass. “You have accompanied us this far, but I cannot guarantee your safety now. Though this does not look like a welcoming place to wait.” The end of the rope finally emerged, attached to a small delicate-looking metal object. She tossed the skein off and put it back in the pack, before throwing the rope down the hole. She held the metal object as it fell, and then placed it in the soft ground.

Julie watched this procedure with a sinking heart. That looked like a very thin line to descend. Toby wrapped his leg around the rope, and braced it with the crook of his arm, feeding line through and falling out of sight. His voice echoed now, “It doesn’t matter whether you stay or not.”

Sevil stepped off the edge after a moment, sinking slowly past the rim. His boots glowed a sullen green, and he seemed to be waiting for Toby to go first.

Ms. Ravenhair turned to Julie and said “You can stay here too, Tert could get himself killed out here. If not, I can show you how to use a rope for a long drop like this.”

Julie definitely did not want to be left behind, staring at corpses. She thought back to meeting these three when she was preparing to face Robert Two-eyes all on her own. Then she thought back to digging the grave in Clara’s yard. She smiled and said “Let’s go!” She felt more at home here than she ever had before. “Are you going to be okay up here, Tertius?”

Tertius responded morosely, “Oh, I’ll be quite at home, young lady. Please, just be back quickly. And safely.” He bowed cordially and his tall hat fell off and landed some few seconds later down the hole.

Julie went before Ms. Ravenhair, who carefully wrapped Julie’s leg around the rope, and her arm to brace. “Now, be patient and don’t get rope burn. Nothing worse than fighting with blisters breaking under your palms.” She patted the green helmet companionably and Julie made her way down.

The side of the shaft was thick matted roots and mud, and made for easy gripping. Julie did not slip, and felt very proud of herself until she hit the floor. Sevil was still hovering, a lofty four feet above the mud, and slipped his noxious pipe away as she looked up and he sneered, “I had time to finish, waiting for you.”

Ms. Ravenhair hit the ground with a cat-like elegance, and stood up with a flourish. “Quiet, you. Any magic?”

Sevil cleared his throat and took a hearty sniff. He let his breath out in a huff and swiveled his head around, floating in a circle, snuffling like a dog. “It’s everywhere.”

Julie piped in brightly, “There are four passageways, should we each take one?”

Ms. Ravenhair started laughing, and then coughing as she tried to quiet herself. Toby just shook his head and Sevil rubbed his scar idly. Once she got a hold of her breath again, she said “We stick together. Always together. Toby goes first, then me, then you. Sevil watches our backs or our fronts, whatever seems to be required, and runs the other way if he sees anything.”

Sevil nodded “Damn right.”

The floor was puddled and moldy, but made of some hard, slippery surface. There was a circular table in the middle of the room, with a plinth which was long deteriorated past the point of recognition. The room is circular, with a door on one side, and hallways down the other three leading to blackness.

Ms. Ravenhair commanded, “Let’s get this started. Sevil, light.”

Sevil cleared his throat and three spheres of luminescence erupted from his fist. Julie gasped and he rolled his eyes, very visibly in the new lights. The orbs floated casually down each hallway, stopping an appropriate distance away.

A loud scratching thud made all of them jump. There was soft scratching and squeaking coming from behind the closed door. Silently, Toby drew his axe and Ms. Ravenhair drew her sword. Feeling it was expected, Julie fumbled her sword out of its sheath. Toby mouthed “One, two…” and kicked the door in, brandishing his axe with both hands.

A nest of rabbits squealed in fright, with the mother wide eyed and trembling in front of the kits. A few thumping shadows fled through a tunnel in the corner of the tiny room.

Julie dropped her sword. “Oh! They are adorable!” She moved forward, as if to touch them and Ms. Ravenhair grabbed her shoulder roughly.

“Pick up your gods damned sword.” Ms. Ravenhair growled at her, and turned to Sevil, “Are they infected?”

Sevil sounded bored and replied, “Yes, so I’ll cook them fast.” He flicked balls of violent green at each kit, and mother, and paused. He then shot a few more, that raced down the hole. “I hate when it gets into the ground like this.”

The closet smoked, and the mouldering equipment was now covered in a layer of burnt slime. All that remained of the rabbits was some white tufts of fur floating in the air. Julie had a much firmer, if slightly shaky, grip on her sword now.

Sevil gave another inquisitive sniff and said, “To the left, down this hallway.” Toby walked slowly and cautiously toward the hanging ball of light, which floated ahead of him. The walls shone white, now, and the floor was slick and shiny. Julie had never seen anything like it, and could not fathom why she was not sliding, and that it did not seem wet. She put her boot down and gave a testing twist, making a terrible squeak. Ms. Ravenhair shushed her angrily.

Julie whispered defensively, “Well, I didn’t know it would do that! I don’t even know what it is.”

Ms. Ravenhair whispered back, “Ancient ruins. Sevil says that the ancients could make things out of oil.”

The whiteness of the wall bled into shadow up ahead, with two small corridors leading off to the left. The light came to a halt at the first, and Toby took a breath and gestured with his head that there was nothing there. The three of them crept down the hall towards two doors. Sevil was reclining in the air. The doors had humanoid symbols on them, one with legs and one with a triangle.

Toby shouldered open the first door a crack, with the light peeking in over his head. He nodded, holding up two fingers without losing grip on the axe. Ms. Ravenhair readied her sword, and Toby opened the door as she leapt in, decapitating the ghoul. As soon as its head left its shoulders, the body liquified into putrescence, leaving behind nothing but a puddle with a sodden white coat. The second ghoul made a shuddering howl and attacked, before it had taken two steps, Toby had swung his axe. It exploded against the wall wetly.

Julie looked through the door, curious. There were cockeyed panels, and odd white seats. Ms. Ravenhair and Toby had already left, so she scurried after them, whispering “Don’t you want to check to see if there is something in there?”

Toby answered, “There’s never anything in these but some poor bastards who got caught.” Julie’s brow wrinkled in confusion, but Toby was busy checking the other door. Nothing this time, they rounded the corner and found themselves back at the hallway, where Sevil was smoking.

Sevil announced, “If you are done checking in the latrine, one of the most powerful enchantments I have ever encountered is up ahead.”

Toby and Ms. Ravenhair looked at each other suspiciously. Toby inquired, “Are you serious right now?”

Sevil prodded at his pipe for long, dramatic, moments “X class or greater.” he claimed, through a cloud of smoke.

Ms. Ravenhair whistled. “Well, to be fair, it’s hard to take you seriously, lounging about in the air.” She pulled off her little pack, and rifled about for a moment.

Sevil shrugged, “Four more minutes, by my estimate. Waste not, want not.”

Ms. Ravenhair seemed to find what she was looking for, pulling out a bright golden cape. She clasped it around her neck, and Julie asked, a little judgmentally, “What’s that?”

She retorted, “Deflection.”

Julie thought about it as they made their way up the hall, and asked “If it’s so good, why don’t you wear it all the time?”

Ms. Ravenhair cast her a hurt glance, “Well, look at it!” She flipped the cape over her shoulder and it shot sparkles of light across the white wall.

Toby glared at them and raised a finger to his lip, crossing the threshold into the room. He stopped short, and dropped his axe. Ms. Ravenhair darted forward fearfully, and Julie followed with growing apprehension. The tiny ball of light illuminated only a portion of what seemed to be a massive wall of still water. It was serene. A peaceful expanse of sand and large stones. Sevil was the last to enter the room, and gasped audibly at the sight, quickly summoning a dozen or more of the balls of light that spread out seeking the edges of the room.

The extra light filtered in a distinct shiver that went through the water. It seemed the water itself was recoiling at the sudden brightness. Julie starred, enraptured, as the sand on the bottom of the tank seemed to pulse and shift; rocked by some errant wave. They stared motionless, waiting. Toby picked his axe up, and then held it up to his chest, like a child with a doll. The grains of sand swirled and heaved yet nothing seemed to be stirring them. The size of the tank was revealed. The far wall was countries away, light bending and shifting in the waves that slowly calmed and sank.

The sand began to settle, revealing what was almost a mirror to the room itself. The sand, marred by the occasional boulder, sloped gently down into a great chasm, nearly as big as the cabin Julie grew up in. Four sharp posts taller than even Toby marked the corners, ivory colored and curved.

Sevil floated closer to the window, and then fell undignified on the floor. He had not even gotten his robe back over his head when the floor of sand behind the window shuddered again, this time violently. One of the massive rock formations in the lake cracked and began to collapse. But no, not collapse; shed seemed the more appropriate thing, as boulders crumbled and fell revealing a gargantuan form. At first Julie could not understand the shape. Rocks fell all around and it began to move with great urgency. Like a roach caught in the light, a tube was unfurling and thrashing furiously to hide itself again, sinking into the sand with throbbing pulses that echoed through the water.

The tube itself was wrong. Not one long piece like the eel that had begun this whole affair, the thing seemed segmented. Ember red pike sized spikes stuck out at the end of each segment, but billowed like the bristles of some perverse broom. The brush a soot covered man in the village had been furiously plunging a chimney with came to Julie’s mind for a brief moment but the space between these bristles swept the thought away. Smooth as the floor of the ruin but curved, like an impossible wheel of cheese Julie decided. The color of the smooth barrel like sections clashed with the red of the bristles. It was a sickly orange and white, like a combination of bad cheese and a lethal mushroom. An eternity seemed to hang, while this monstrous soft spiked tube reburied itself.

Julie gasped and clutched her sword to her breast. She noticed that Ms. Ravenhair didn’t move, she stood there staring. Toby was muttering something under his breath that may have been a prayer, though Julie had never seen him with a god figurine.

It was over in a moment, hidden again but for the tendrils poking out of the sand like trees wafting in a gentle breeze.

Julie finally found words in her throat again after what felt like her whole life had been lived over again watching this horrorshow. “What, what, what?”

Sevil was brushing himself off, and then he started tapping on the window. Nothing happened. Ms. Ravenhair ran over to his side, and pulled on his shoulder, “What are you doing!”

Sevil looked like a boy playing with something he’d found in the lake to Julie, he pouted, “I didn’t get a good look at it! I want to see it do it again! I bet it eats fish!” He began muttering, and a massive shaped swelled behind the window, it looked like a fish, large as the boat they arrived on.

After a few moments of Ms. Ravenhair cursing Sevil and his ancestors with words that Julie had never heard spoken before, the chasm lunged upwards at the shape. Sevil muttered a few words, and time seemed to slow down, and what had once been lightning fast transpired with a painful slowness that terrified Julie. She could count the hundreds and hundreds of segments this time, see the ruddy legs sticking out of its snakelike sides, and watch all four columns came together, failing to clasp on the illusion. It retracted back into the hole, it’s disturbing flesh retreating into the sand from which it came like a demon retreating to a nightmare.

She looked over at Ms. Ravenhair who was still cursing, impossibly slowly now. She watched with a mounting sense of both doom and amusement as her hand raced towards Sevil’s face at the speed of a snail. He smiled and sidestepped, and his movement looked as fast as the creature had originally. Everything jerked back into place at once, and Julie wondered if it was her imagination or if her heart didn’t know how fast it was supposed to be beating.

Ms. Ravenhair was red in the face and breathless now, but she wasn’t letting that stop her from screaming, “That was a Class A spell! You just wasted half of your usefulness, you bloody showboat! After casting levitation, when featherfall would have worked just as well. Or, you know, using the rope!”

Sevil was moving his hand in the air like a mouth talking, and Ms. Ravenhair finally stopped, and turned her back on him. He looked pleased as punch, and Julie kept feeling the edges of her mouth moving, but she really didn’t want to laugh.

Toby was running his hands all over the colossal window, and when Julie looked closely he seemed to be putting his face right up against the glass. Unperturbed by the argument, he looked over at Sevil and said, “So, is the monster magic? Or is it the tank?”

Sevil looked at Toby, and then at Ms. Ravenhair’s back. “All I can feel right here is the enchantment holding the water back. I don’t know what’s going on behind it, but if I had to guess, I’d say they were studying that thing. It very well may not be magic, I’ve heard stories, you know, of ships-”

Ms. Ravenhair turned around sharply and stood with her face almost touching Sevil’s, “You. Are. A. Child!” She stormed off back down the hall that had led them here. Julie followed after her, all thoughts of ghouls completely gone from her mind. She was almost surprised when they passed straight through the room with the sinkhole and right into a group of five ghouls. Julie hadn’t been able to catch up with Ms. Ravenhair, and she was just over the threshold when she saw Ravenhair swinging her skinny sword like a madwoman. Body parts flew. Ravenhair screamed, and Julie was caught up in the war cry. She jumped into the fray, and swung her sword at the neck of a ghoul that was lunging at Ravenhair’s back. She missed the neck, and the creatures soggy arm flew off. Black ichor sprayed her face and blinded her. The creature turned from Ravenhair, and lunged at her. She thrust with her blade, piercing the creature's chest. It slid down the blade, and her arm was under its mouth. With horror she watched it’s teeth sink into her offhand, and she pulled the blade from its chest. She swung again with passion, and the blade severed its neck. It burst into a pool of black slime, and Julie stared stupefied at her wounded hand.

This is it. I’m going to to turn into one of them, and they’ll cut my head off! I never even got to send any money home to ma and pa.

Fire spread from her left hand, and burned up to her shoulder. She fell to her knees, and dropped the sword. I tried my best.

Toby finally burst into the room with Sevil right behind him. Ravenhair was doubled over, panting, staring at her handiwork. Julie’s eyes had a chance to take in the smallest details of the room. The room she would die in. They fell upon what looked like a dais, and a strange statue that sat upon it. It had what might have been legs, eight of them, and four tendrils sprouting from its back. Small tendrils sprouted from an appendage at one end, and Julie worried that this bizarre statue would be the last thing she ever saw.

Ms. Ravenhair seemed to collect herself, and she finally saw that Julie had been bitten. “Oh great! Just great!” She turned to Sevil who had moseyed into the room at a leisurely pace behind Toby. Sevil was also admiring the strange statue on the dais. “You bastard!”

Toby ran over to Julie, and actually picked her up from the ground. He carried her like a doll over to Sevil, who was now running his fingers over the strange statue. “Sevil! You have to save her!”

Sevil gasped, “Did you get bitten?”

Toby roared, “Of course she got bitten! You have to save her!”

Ms. Ravenhair joined the group, and looked down at Julie’s wounded hand, “Oh lord. Hang on, I think I have a potion in my bag.” She unshouldered her small shimmering pack, and began rummaging in it.

Julie was feeling faint and nauseous but she was also embarrassed at being carried like a child. She thought that if Toby would set her down, she could probably stand, but the giant of a man didn’t seem to think so. He bellowed, “Sevil, there’s no time, healing hands! Healing bloody bloom!”

Sevil’s always pale face took on an even whiter shade when he looked at the bite wound on Julie’s hand. “Yes, you’re right. All my fault really,” and he began muttering the words to a spell.

Below them, on her knees Ms. Ravenhair dug around in her bag. She said, “Oh, here it is. Now,” her words were cut off, and Julie saw a brilliant white flair of light that was like a flower blooming in the air above her head. The light streamed and grew, and took on the shape of every flower Julie had ever seen in her life, before spiraling into a beam. The beam shot into her chest, and all of a sudden she felt alive. She felt better than she had ever felt before in her life. Toby still had not set her down. When the light faded, she held up her left hand and looked at it, flexing it experimentally. It was perfect. Everything was perfect.

Ms. Ravenhair screamed “Healing. Bloom!” She screamed to shake down the walls, “Healing bloom would bring someone back from the dead! Did she look dead! Did she look dead to you Sevil!”

Toby started sobbing gently, “I just didn’t want to lose her, Delilah.”

Ms. Ravenhair turned and looked at him. She saw the pain in his face, and she put an arm around his shoulder, “Toby, it’s not your fault. You know. Losing Max, it wasn’t. It wasn’t your fault,” then she turned on Sevil, “And this isn’t your fault either Toby. It’s his.” She said gesturing to Sevil who was doubled over on the ground, gasping for air.

Toby finally reluctantly set Julie down on the ground. She wanted to run, she wanted to skip and jump and play! She stood up awkwardly. “Let’s go!” She piped, “We’ve got work to do! Let’s go!” She’d never felt so alive.

Ms. Ravenhair looked at her, “Yeah, I bet you feel great. But look at him!” She gestured to Sevil who had risen to his feet, and was fumbling for his pipe. He finally got it between his teeth, and lit it with a sulphur match.

Julie looked from face to face. Toby had gained control over himself and seemed to be trying desperately to lapse into his usual stoicism. Ms. Ravenhair was now walking in the front of the group, and as they made their way back to the room with the sinkhole, Sevil seemed to be limping. He was weaving back and forth like he was drunk, and using the wall to steady himself as he went.

When they reached the rope, Ravenhair turned to Sevil and said, “Up you go. If you can climb in that state, and if you don’t mind getting your delicate hands dirty.”

Sevil took a long breath of air, “I’ll be fine,” he scowled venomously, “I’m still useful, unless all of a sudden you’ve learned to detect thaumic fields and discern their nature.”

Ms. Ravenhair sighed wearily. “Stay here and get your dagger ready. I don’t want to have to carry you.”

Sevil reached for his belt and rather than drawing his blade, he produced a hip flask. He opened it with shaky hands, and took a long pull from it. “I’ll be fine,” and then he added monotone, “I know my job.”

Ms. Ravenhair shrugged. Toby seemed to have regained full control of his wits, and Julie still felt spry. She felt wonderful. She wanted a drink of whatever was in that flask.

They turned left, walking in a tight circle. Sevil still weaved slightly, but he was doing his best to hide it, and breathing easier. Surreptitiously, he did draw his dagger, casting a glance in Ravenhair’s direction as he did so. The lights that were following them had faded to a dim ghost of what they once were, and as they reached a four way intersection, they faded entirely.

Pitched into darkness, the sounds of growls seemed to come from everywhere. With a burst of sparks, light shined from Ms. Ravenhair who was up ahead, and Julie saw she had lit a torch. Shapes were moving towards them, and Julie was excited. Shadows flickered upon the walls, and Julie followed Ms. Ravenhair who had taken the right turn. Toby crept in front of her, and the three of them crossed the threshold almost shoulder to shoulder.

They entered the room by torchlight, but as they entered powerful white light shined down from the ceiling. In it, they could see tables mounted to the floor, covered with what looked like broken glass and strange equipment. Everything seemed like it had been smashed in a violent rage, and it quickly became apparent who had smashed it. Three ghouls were standing motionless behind the tables, wearing the same eerie white coats. Julie wondered as she charged ahead of her companions, if all ghouls wore long white coats.

She vaguely heard Ms. Ravenhair say something but it was drowned out by her own scream as she vaulted her slender frame over the table in front of her. She landed gracefully, and sprung up, swinging her sword up as she did so. It sliced through the leg of the ghoul closest to her, and it fell. Not wasting a moment, she took another swing, and lobbed off the head of a second ghoul before it could even turn. The third was quicker though, and it moved to grab her, teeth snapping blindly. Reflexively, she punched it in the face with the heavy handguard on her sword, and when it reeled back, she sliced through its throat with a backhand swing. The ghoul that had lost a leg was trying to crawl towards her. Without hesitation, its head was cut from its throat. Julie reveled in another fresh spray of black ichor. Her eyes darted around madly looking for more prey.

Toby and Ravenhair had crossed the room, and now stood on either side of her, looking somewhat wary. Sevil was leaning on the threshold and said, “I think there’s some low level enchantment in this room, give me a moment.” Moments were not to be just given though, and Julie started scouring the floor and tables, looking for anything alive or magical. Or at the very least not broken. A strange pair of riding goggles caught her eye, and she picked them up. The lenses were unmarred, and clear. The goggles seemed to be the only thing in the room that hadn’t been smashed. Delighted, she carried them over to Sevil.

“What about these?” She asked, pressing them into Sevil’s still shaky hand.

He sniffed them, and then surprisingly he placed them over his eyes. Gasping, he quickly removed them. “These may be of some worth, yes.” He muttered, trying to sound indifferent, but his eyes gave away his excitement.

Julie grabbed them from his hand, and she placed them over her own eyes. At first everything looked the same, then things started to take on a different appearance. There was a faint glow around Sevil, and when she turned to look at the others, they too had a strange glow. She turned back to Sevil, and looked past him into the dark hallway, only now it wasn’t dark. It was green! It was green and in the distance she could see another ghoul moving. The ghoul was almost the same shade of green as the walls, but she could clearly make out its form as a darker blob. She turned again to tell Ms. Ravenhair, and suddenly lights flashed out from her. She could see a glowing blue outline around each of her rings, and a glowing orange outline from her necklace. The lights turned off, and there was just the faintly orangish glow around her whole body once more.

“There’s another ghoul in the hall!” Julie exclaimed, excited, “I can see in the dark, and I think I can see enchantments!”

Ms. Ravenhair quickly crossed around the tables and put her hand on Julie’s shoulder to hold her back, “That’s very nice, but I think you should calm down now. We’ll all head back out there together.”

Sevil was blocking the threshold, he snarled through clenched teeth, “Give me those, you don’t know how to use them!”

Julie felt hurt for a moment, and then she started to take the goggles off. Ravenhair’s hand caught her own and she said, “She’s more right to ‘em. I mean, that’s the rule right. Find something and you get first crack at it.”

Sevil looked from face to face, and through the goggles, Julie could see little waves running through his glow. He snapped, “But she’s not even a member!”

Ms. Ravenhair spoke in a cold voice, “Look at this room! Look at those three puddles over there, and tell them she’s not a member. If she wants them, they’re hers.” Then in a much warmer tone to Julie, “Let’s go get that other one. Together.”

They made their way back to the four way intersection, Sevil was muttering under his breath the whole way. The light that came from the ceiling was apparently only working in the room they’d just left, and so the ghoul at the intersection was killed by torchlight. Toby’s axe lobbed the creature’s head off easily. Julie could see now, almost as clearly as in daylight. She looked down the hall to the right, and could see a room in the distance. The end of the hall straight ahead was too distant however. She thought if she could figure out the way, she could probably see to the end of it though, even in the darkness.

Sevil seemed thoroughly exhausted, he was taking another pull from his flask, and a disappointed look crept over his face when he pulled it from his lips. He held it upside down, and nothing poured out. “So much for that,” he muttered. “There’s a decent level enchantment down in that room to the right. I’ll lead.” He commanded indignantly.

Julie shrugged and followed as he rushed down the hall. She wondered just how upset he was about the goggles, and idly thought about just giving them to him. They’re mine. Ravenhair said so.

Toby was trying to get ahead of him, but rage seemed to give Sevil a new burst of energy. Julie watched through the goggles as he crossed into a seemingly empty room. White light blinded her momentarily, and when she could see again, it was like there was a glowing white wall between Sevil and Toby. Toby was pounding on it, and Ms. Ravenhair was running to catch up. Julie sprinted madly to the end of the hall, and took off the goggles.

A strange feminine voice was booming in her ears when she got there, “Unauthorized thaum field. Auto-defense protocol engaged.”

Ms. Ravenhair uttered a curse. Toby swung his axe at the invisible wall separating him from Sevil, and it rebounded. Sevil was screaming something, but no sound seemed to escape. He quickly produced a piece of paper and some sort of quill, and then pressed it against the translucent barrier.

LOOK FOR THE RELEASE

His face looked angry and shameful, and Julie slipped the goggles back over her eyes. She could see the wall clearly now, and she could see in the light of the torch as if she was in daylight. “What does he mean ‘release’?” She asked,

Ms. Ravenhair murmured, “Some sort of switch, or lever. We haven’t seen one so far, so it must be down that last hall.” Then she added, “They’re always down the last hall. Bloody stupid.”

The energy that had filled her since the healing bloom spell entered her chest was fading, not fast enough to keep her from sprinting though. Both Toby and Ravenhair were sprinting as well, and the strange feminine voice was still echoing all around them, talking about protocols and lockdowns. Julie reached the intersection, and turned right without waiting for the others. With the goggles she could see in the darkness, and if anything tried to get in her way, she’d cut it.

Ravenhair and Toby were closing the gap behind her, Ravenhair in the lead. She called out, “Wait! We don’t want to get separated!” Julie turned her head in time to see Toby run face first into another of the semi-opaque white walls. He crashed into it, bounced off, and then started to pound on it. Julie heard the voice again talking about increasing lockdown levels.

Julie could see another of the walls. It coalesced in front of Ravenhair like smoke becoming solid, and Julie had time to yell stop. Ravenhair came to a skidding halt, and then reached out her hand and touched the barrier. Julie doubled back, and looked at Ravenhair who held up one hand gesturing and mouthing, “Wait!”

Ravenhair set her torch on the floor, and sheathed her sword. She closed her eyes, and brought both of her hands together in front of her. Moments passed, and nothing happened, then a black shadow formed directly next to her. She smiled, and nodded to the shadow, and the shadow took a step back. It looked like her in every way, except that it was completely black, and as such lacked definition. It was like a three dimensional silhouette. Julie lifted up the goggles, but the shadow was still there. The wall was invisible now, but the shadow still bounced off of it. It stood up, looked at Ms. Ravenhair and shrugged apologetically. Ms. Ravenhair looked at the shadow, and then at Julie on the other side of the barrier, and she smiled. It was the warmest, kindest smile Julie had ever seen. It was a smile that said, “Time to shine or time to die.” Julie nodded, and turned around. She slid the goggles down over her eyes, and saw a clean, ornate wooden door at the end of the hall.

There was no enchantment on the door, at least, the goggles refused to make it glow. When she got close enough to the door to touch it, she noticed a polished bronze plaque. Etched in its surface were neat letters, ‘RESEARCH DIRECTOR: JONES, MERYL’ Julie tried the knob, but it did not turn. Through her goggles, she could focus inside of the lock, and after a few moments she figured out how to control them and see lock’s mechanism. She thought that she might be able to get it open with something small, but all she had was a sword.

Shrugging, she rapped loudly on the door, five quick pounds. The way her mother would wake people up in the morning. “Hello?” Julie said dubiously.

To her shock, a deep monotone voice rattled, “Do you have an appointment? Doctor Jones is not taking walk-ins today.” Julie jumped and put her sword up in surprise.

Brightly she replied, “Yes, I do have an appointment! I’ve been kept waiting out here an hour already.”

The buzzing voice was closer now, “My apologies, Miss! I have been having an issue with my scheduling program.” She saw and heard the bolt in the door being thrown back, and the door opened.

The door opened slowly, and the sight that greeted her had a green, glowing nametag. It was apparently named ‘PARS [Personnel-Assisting Robotic Scientist]’ and seemed to be a silver mannequin. The arms and legs were incredibly spindly, with round joints that seemed to be continuously moving. Where its face should have been, there was a flat oval window with lines of text glowing green, like in her goggles.

PARS gestured inside, “Please scan your badge on my convenient apparatus,” which appeared on its face as it was monotoned. Julie quickly looked around the room, expecting ghouls. One wall was made of windows, each one showing a different room. She could see her party members in different screens. In the center, larger than the rest, the water monster waited patiently at the bottom of its tank. A large chair faced the wall, behind a massive desk with many sleek black drawers.

PARS’ message was repeated once more, before saying “Authorization failed.” and Julie looked back at him. His outstretched hand emitted sparks arcing through its metallic fingers, and started shooting out towards nearby objects. Julie whipped her sword up, aiming up into a joint at the leg, prying it out, popping the leg out of its socket.

The machine toppled to the ground as it emitted loud buzzing sounds and sparks in every direction, monotone voice calling loudly now, “ERROR. ERROR. HARDWARE MAINTENANCE REQUIRED. IMMEDIATE MAINTENANCE DRONE REQUESTING.”

Julie heard a slow clapping from behind the chair. She raised her sword as the chair swiveled around, and a small, shrunken possibly-human figure wearing a light gray jacket and trousers and a brightly white shirt. The creature was still clapping its dry, dusty hands together and shaking its disturbingly bandaged head.

Julie raised her sword and said, “Where is the containment release? Stop the alarm.”

The creature raised a silver box to its throat and a horrible vibrating voice intoned, “I hope you are proud of yourself. PARS was the last member of my staff.” It reached one hand behind itself without looking, opened a drawer and pulled out a curved metal pipe with a handle.

Julie faltered, “That’s not the release is it.”

The creature talked again, “Au contraire, mon cherie. This is your release.” A huge cracking sound burst in her ears. She felt like she had been run through with an impossibly sharp skewer.

She doubled over. Knees hit the floor. Hands scrabbled on the slick finished wood. She coughed. She gagged, and heaved up bile.

On her side, she lay. The creature was making its way from behind the desk. For the second time today, Julie thought she was going to die. The creature stepped over her, and instead knelt next to the still-sparking PARS. The vibrating voice said, “I think I might be able to repair you.”

Julie felt blindly with her hand, until she found the grip of her sword. She pushed herself onto her other elbow, pushing one knee under her. Through her goggles, the creature was named ‘MERYL JONES, PhD; DIRECTOR OF MARINE RESEARCH-DEEP SEA DIVISION.’ Julie gritted her teeth, she wondered if she was bleeding. She didn't feel any blood. She felt angry though. She called out, “Meryl!”

The creature turned its head, surprise showing even through the bandages. Julie swished her blade through the air, and cut deep into the upper part of the creature right arm. The metallic box skittered across the floor, and Julie stood up, warily. “Where. Is. The release!” She raised the sword again, and brought it down to the creature's throat. The creature said nothing, and Julie began slicing through the bandages. One by one they fell, and black flesh started to become apparent. “I’m not asking you again, Meryl.”

With its one remaining arm, the horror at her feet gestured towards the silver box that had skidded across the floor. Julie looked at it, and then back at the wretch. She stepped slowly back towards the box, and cast her eyes at the desk. The metallic tube with the handle sat safely there, and Julie kicked the rectangular silver box across the floor.

“Release is, under the panel, below the center screen.” The voice vibrated from inside the silver box at the fiend’s throat.

“You do it,” Julie said. She stepped closer again, to place the blade under Meryl’s chin. With the tip of her sword, she nudged until the research director was standing. Dr. Jone’s looked at the box in her hand, and awkwardly sat it on the table in front of the wall covered in magical windows. She lifted a wooden cover below the frame of the center one, revealing a large red button, which she pressed.

Quickly she reached for the silver box, to speak. “That will shut down all the security measures. I hope you can swim. Faster than the Bobbit!” She began laughing and it was a terrifying sound, like a swarm of bees. In the window in the center of the wall, Julie could see the water sloshing over the top of the barrier, and more and more of it was filling the image. The Bobbit was disturbed by this, and thrashed about wildly. In other screens, she could see each of her friends, no longer trapped, rushing in her direction. I have to save them!

Julie dashed for the door, and behind her she heard Meryl limping across the room. She turned in time to see her pick up the weapon and place it against her head. Julie shuddered and ran out the door, screaming, “The ward is broken! The monster is released!”

Ms. Ravenhair was the first to reach her, and she demanded “What’re you on about?”

Toby was quick to catch up as well, and with a brief explanation from Julie they all darted back towards the four way intersection, turning towards the hole leading outside. Julie could see Sevil up ahead, he was still moving slowly. Toby bellowed out, “Waterbreathing! Now!”

A flash of teal light, and Julie could see a faint blue and green glow undulating around everyone’s face. The four of them rounded the bend turning right, and dashing back towards the room with the sinkhole. Then she saw it, up ahead, a wall of sand and water and mud. It crashed into them, and swept them off their feet, pushing them backwards. Julie had always been a strong swimmer, she’d grown up near a lake, but in her armor and with one or more broken ribs, she felt helpless.

The current carried her back, all the way back to the intersection, and even with the goggles she had trouble seeing anything. Then a massive hand caught her wrist, and she was pulled forwards. Toby pulled her under his arm, and kicked with his powerful legs, propelling them back towards the room with the sinkhole.

The light from above filtering down looked like golden rays of hope, and she could just make out Ms. Ravenhair pushing Sevil up the rope. Toby moved through the water like a fish, and Julie wonder how he could with the weight of his axe and the added weight of her. He burst through the surface, and caught hold of Ravenhair’s hand. He threw Julie through the rushing water, and she used what little reserves of energy she had left to clamber over him, and up onto the rope.

For a brief moment hope swelled in her bosom, and then she saw the worm beast. It was rocketing into the room with unnatural speed, scraping along the walls of the hall it was almost too big to fit through. It ricocheted off every surface, seeking a spot to lay its trap once more, tangling on the walls and thrashing wildly. Julie didn’t have time to wrap the rope around herself, and she was just climbing hand over hand. Ravenhair was right behind her, and Toby at the very bottom, dangling still half in the water like someone’s sick idea of bait.

Once everyone had a firm grasp, Ms. Ravenhair shout something, and the rope became taut in Julie’s hands, and she could feel herself being pulled up. She looked down at the rising water, and the worm had untangled itself, but now the rope was pulling faster and faster, and although Toby was still at the very bottom, they were practically shooting up the sinkhole. The water was still rising, but the rope pulled and pulled, and soon Julie could see the edge of the hole. She clambered over the side and looked for the person pulling the rope up, but all she saw was Tertius, wearing a hat he had apparently woven out of grass. He was gazing at Sevil who looked to be unconscious by the side of the hole.

Ravenhair was next out of the hole, and Toby was quick behind her, bellowing, “Go! Go! Go!”

Julie tried to grab Sevil, but she could barely maintain her own weight. The pain in her chest was radiating through her whole body. It felt like a heat that spread through her and made her sluggish and weak. Toby scooped up the slender, pale man as if he were a fallen doll, and Ravenhair quickly grabbed her rope and the tiny weight that had secured it to the ground. Tertius broke into a run to keep up, and as Julie looked back she saw the gargantuan head of the barn sized bear trap worm shoot out of the hole and snap around wildly, before retreating. The head pulled back, clasped jaws to slowly opening, until it seemed the hell worm would rip itself apart. They locked open with a booming crunch, settled, and began to slither up the bank onto the grass combing everything within reach; three score of headless snakes hunting.