Chapter 9: The Mawler’s Return

They followed the Rightster through the winding tunnels of the Beetle Burrow. The Hiloqot’s antennae always moved first, leading him down one tunnel or another without hesitation. Right behind him Razzda kept Bullminth’s Blade clutched in her arms, occasionally sticking out her tongue to taste the tunnel walls as they passed.

Elma made sure she didn’t slow down too much by pressing against her back until she matched pace with the Rightster again. In between this, Elma kept looking back towards Yorm every time he sniffed the stale air.

She was waiting for his eye to sharpen or a hand to go for one of his hatchets. It could quite literally be the only warning of their pursuer drawing near.

“Lady Lass?” Elma looked up ahead to see Razzda’s yellow eyes looking back to her “Much worry, yes? What chases?”

Elma winced at that.

“Just focus on keeping track of him.” Elma nodded ahead towards the Rightster “If we’re lucky and that filthy cave-dweller hasn’t sent us on the wrong path, then we won’t even see it.”

“Not like Junk Man?” Razzda asked, prompting Elma to take a moment and steady her breath.

“I’m sorry,” she said “he just makes it fairly hard to-”

She looked forward only for her vision to suddenly go black. The glow of the Smearmoss patches vanished immediately as the smell of something burning filled her nostrils. Elma’s eyes snapped open as her hand darted towards the hilt of her sword, only to pause as a familiar ceramic mask appeared before her.

“Almost forgot!” Fulgan chuckled as the black ash fell away from him “Would probably help if ya had these, yes?”

Elma gritted her teeth, chomping down on the shout she’d nearly released as her eyes darted down to see his good arm offering his flint and steel.

“I almost cut you down, Fulgan.” She spat, lowering her hands before gesturing around them “I thought your people considered the scenario before shadow-walking wherever you wished?”

“Ah, you couldn’t cut me if you wanted to, sweetheart.” He practically shoved the flint and steel into her hands before reaching up and shaking some ash out of his pipe “And here I thought you’d show some gratitude for my gift instead of yelling like a sniveling, piss-soaked infant again.”

“So, I’m just to expect you to pop in whenever?” she asked

“Would go a long way in training your perception.” He took a long drag on his pipe “No worries, friend, I’ll consider these lessons free of charge.”

“That doesn’t-!” she couldn’t even finish before he blew his smoke directly into her face.

She didn’t hesitate, swinging her free hand through the air before her to clear her vision. Grabbing and cursing at Fulgan the entire time as she squeezed her eyes shut to keep the smoke from getting in. By the time the smell of burning Smearmoss dissipated, she cracked an eye open to find Fulgan gone again.

It was only the Rightster and Razzda looking back at her, with the latter sniffing the air and apparently finding the scent of burning Smearmoss as repugnant as she did.

“Why Junk Man give fire-starters?” Razzda asked as she rubbed at her nose.

“Fire’s something Mawlers can’t easily recover from.” Yorm stepped past Elma and gave the flint and steel in her hands a once over before turning to the Rightster “We need to hurry up, I can smell blood.”

Elma once more spun to look behind them as the burrow shook again, but she could still see nothing down the path behind them. Though she knew it was futile, she once more sniffed the air only to smell the stale scent of aged beetle droppings with the minty smell of Smearmoss mixed in.

“Chaser smell of blood?” Razzda pulled her hand from her nose and also tried sniffing the air.

“Well, it has all the smells of a fresh corpse.” Yorm walked past her and approached the Rightster “The blood’s just the most potent.”

“No need for concern.” The Rightster continued forward “One last tunnel… until the surface is reached.”

At that Elma spun around with confusion. How could that be? They’d been walking for what felt like half an hour and she didn’t feel any closer to the surface than when they’d started from the Nexus Chamber. Had the Burrow really left her that disoriented?

But her confusion only got worst as the Rightster stopped ahead of them in the darkness, rubbing one of his hands against something, and then immediately began ascending.

Elma darted past Razzda and Yorm, only to slam against a rough, slanted wall.

The tunnel sharply angled upwards, and above she could see the Rightster casually pulling himself up. It had a bit more Smearmoss than most parts of the Burrow, allowing her to see that it stretched upwards quite a while. Near what she hoped was the top, she could see a figure moving about before vanishing into the darkness.

“So, we’re climbing then.” Yorm noted before looking to Razzda “can you climb while holding that?”

“Yes!” she nodded before giving Bullminth’s Blade a once-over “Razzda… just not fast climb like normal.”

Just as she said that, another rumble shook the Burrow. Elma was certain that it was getting closer.

“Not riskin’ it,” Yorm shook his head before turning around and jerking a thumb towards his back “get on.”

“Oooh,” Razzda cackled as she drew closer “Fuzzy friend thoughtful, lady lass!”

Razzda hopped onto his back, clinging to him with her legs and one hand whilst raising Bullminth’s Blade above her head. She flinched as the tip of the Blade’s scabbard dug into the Tunnel’s ceiling and caused some dirt to fall on them, lowering the sword as Elma walked past them.

“Then I’ll cover your rear.” She offered whilst waving towards them “Go.”

Razzda looked back at her, only to gasp as Yorm stood and approached the angled tunnel. Elma waited until he’d climbed a bit before approaching the wall and following behind.

The tunnel was just slanted enough to make ascension difficult. Elma frequently had to feel around in the dark whenever the Smearmoss grew sparse. She kept looking up, keeping track of the others ahead of her.

What she assumed was Fulgan’s figure ahead popped in several times, moving around briefly before vanishing again. But beyond that, she couldn’t see the light of the sun.

“I thought you said this was the last tunnel to the surface?” she called out, prompting the Rightster to click his mandibles together “I’m certain we should be seeing sunlight if that’s the case.”

“Is so…the Rightster must move boulder.” He responded.

“Boulder?” Yorm asked

“Keep boss’s goods safe…” he said “the Rightster sealed exit with boulder”

“Such strong Buggy!” Razzda cheered, only to go quiet as Yorm went still.

He quickly turned around, looking past Elma and Razzda whilst niffing the air.

“What’s wrong?” Elma asked

“Faster.” Was all he said before quickly picking up the pace and climbing.

Elma looked back in confusion…

Until she realized that it was too dark behind them.

That most of the Smearmoss they’d passed on the way up had disappeared.

And that there was something reaching out from that darkness, tearing at the patches behind them as it drew closer. But just before the light dimmed and died, Elma could see it.

Skinless fingers digging into the moss.

It was right behind them, yet Elma hadn’t even heard its approach.

“Its here!” she shouted out before scrambling to pull out the flint and steel. They had no torches, no firewood, the only thing in the Burrow that was suitable for burning was the Smearmoss.

Elma scooted along the tunnel towards one of the clumps and quickly began to strike the flint with the steel. The first spark was pitiful, but the second managed to ignite the dry moss which quickly began to shrivel and dim as the fire spread. Elma reached back, pulling herself up before kicking at the clump of burning Smearmoss.

It tore from the wall, coming apart in burning pieces that lit up the tunnel as it fell.

It lit up the other skinless arms tearing at the Smearmoss below.

And the massive maw that they stretched from.

A chorus of laughter erupted from the Mawler as the flames fell upon its, as if a crowd were vigorously cheering at a public event. Its arms clung to the walls and dragged it up towards them, its sheer size the only thing holding it at bay.

But it didn’t care, Elma could see the wall grinding away at the Mawler’s flesh. Its body ripping and tearing at the sides as its skinless arms forced it up towards them. New flesh grew over the wounds, sealing them just to ripped open again as it continued towards them.

Elma gripped the flint and steel tightly whilst crawling up towards the next patch of Smearmoss.

“Be wary of the smoke!” she called up towards the others as she began striking the flint again.

“Big Mouth!” Razzda called out as her eyes went wide at the sight of what pursued them “Big Mouth!”

“Stay focused!” Yorm spat “You’ve a free arm, pass her more moss!”

“Yes?” Razzda nodded fervently before raising Bullminth’s Blade “Yes!”

His timing couldn’t have been better. Elma had just kicked another burning patch of Smearmoss down, but one of the Mawler’s skinless arms slammed itself into oncoming Smearmoss and caught fire.

The chorus of voices cheered in manic glee as the burning arm whipped backwards and vanished into that maw, only for a fresh one to emerge moments later to take its place.

It wasn’t enough.

They needed to overwhelm it.

Elma pulled herself up to the next patch of Smearmoss as the Mawler gave chase. Its arms pulling and closing distance far too quickly for Elma’s tastes. The closer it got the more she could smell it, the scents of viscera and blood mixing with the burning Smearmoss. But just as she began pulling at the newest patch, she felt the dirt from above.

Looking up, she saw Razzda practically digging the tip of the Blade’s scabbard into a patch above and using it to pry it free.

Along with a chunk of the ceiling.

Elma covered her head with one arm as dirt showered down upon her. But the moment she felt Smearmoss she peeked past her arm and started grabbing as many falling clumps as possible Before setting the patch below her and striking the flint.

“Poor Girl.”

Elma’s eyes snapped towards the Mawler as several of its individual voices became more and more legible the closer it got. But she did manage to set the pile of Smearmoss alight before scrambling back and kicking it down.

“Why fight bliss?” another of the Mawler’s voices asked as several arms slammed into the burning clumps.

But some got through, burning into its distorted skin and causing its jagged, rib-like teeth to stretch wide.

It kept coming, even as its body burned it pulled its damaged arms back into its depths before spitting out new ones to take their place.

“Not enough!” Elma called up to Razzda “More!”

“Right right, Lady Lass!” Razzda shouted before swinging Bullminth’s Blade into as many clumps as she could.

Elma turned her head back towards the Mawler mostly to keep from being blinded by the falling dirt. But it only made it easier to tell that the monstrosity was catching up. Its fingers dug into the walls faster, pulled its bloated body through the tunnel with more ferocity. And more of its chorus of voices grew legible with every second.

“Help the poor Girl.”

“We’ll help, we’ll swallow quickly.”

“Enjoy Dream, Thin One! Enjoy!”

Elma wasn’t taking any chances, grabbing as much falling Smearmoss as she could until it was practically touching both sides of the tunnel. Only when she felt it start to truly weigh her down did she start striking the flint. Setting multiple portions of the gathered Smearmoss alight, Elma had to brush the mixture of sweat and dirt from her eyes before pressing herself against the tunnel walls and kicking the large bushel down.

The Mawler’s voices continued their uproarious laughter even as the entire body of the monstrosity was set ablaze. It swallowed some of the flame, causing its arms to go wild and slam against the tunnel as Elma desperately climbed.

Smoke rapidly filled the cave as the Mawler’s ascent halted. But even then, Elma could hear some cheerful voices over the laughter.

“So feisty, this one.”

“Another time, then?”

“Next time! Next time!”

Thankfully those cheerful voices quickly grew distant as they continued climbing, but Elma wasn’t able to breathe easily.

Mostly due to the smoke, but Razzda didn’t seem to share in that concern.

“Did it?” she asked whilst looking past Elma “Did it, yes! Beat Big Mouth!”

But her cheers were interrupted by a torrent of coughing, with Razzda listing forward a bit before clinging to Yorm’s back.

“Watch for the smoke!” Elma said before coughing “Yorm… are we nearly there?”

Yorm didn’t answer at first, only lifting his head up for a moment before answering with a simple.

“Yes.”

Elma pocketed the Flint and Steel before clutching at her mouth and nose with one hand and climbing with the other.

Regular smoke was one thing, but Smearmoss still had certain numbing effects in a burnt state. Small pieces inhaled directly through a pipe were one thing, but they had burnt practically two bushes worth of the stuff.

And already Elma could feel it.

A relaxing sensation that was absolutely terrible for climbing, making her grip lax where it had no right to be. Luckily enough it was the painful inhalations of smoke which managed to keep her focused on Razzda and Yorm.

But her lungs were beginning to feel the pressure, calling out for air as the tunnel grew dimmer and dimmer. Not even the remaining clumps of Smearmoss were able to light up the smoke.

Razzda was taking it far worse, as Elma could see her listing from Yorm’s back with greater frequency. Her grip grew lax, and Elma’s heart skipped a beat when she saw how Bullminth’s Blade dangled in her grasp.

“Yorm!” she called out, watching him pause before reaching back with one arm to pull Razzda close.

“Move.” Was all he said before continuing upwards, Razzda’s cheers beginning to slur as the smoke filled more and more of the tunnel.

Looking back for only a second, Elma saw that the Mawler still wasn’t pursuing. She couldn’t even see the monster or its arms through the blaze anymore. The fire itself was only barely glowing through the smoke.

Looking back up, she saw that the tunnel opened up a bit. Straightforward cylindrical walls were now spotted with large holes. Broken pieces of wood and empty jars were scattered about those holes.

Fulgan’s little hideaway.

A small portion had been dug out, which was where Elma found Yorm sitting with Razzda in his arms. The were both looking towards the Rightster, who was feeling through the darkness, pressing one arm against the ceiling repeatedly.

Eventually, he lifted his halberd head and grabbed hold of it with his mandibles before placing both hands upon one part of the ceiling and pushing.

Light poured in to reveal he was moving a large boulder, squatting firmly as he lifted it high enough for Yorm to toss Razzda out. Elma followed behind him, scrambling out into the sweet embrace of grass. The field she scurried out into was practically heaven, the clean air ambrosia to her battered senses as she tried not to collapse with relief.

She dry-heaved on her hands and knees whilst breathing in as much as possible. Only just barely managing to hear the sound of something heavy slamming into the ground before looking back.

The Rightster had dropped the boulder once he was out, stomping it into place with one chitin-covered foot before reaching up to grab hold of his Halberd head.

Beside him, Yorm was kneeling over Razzda, who was desperately asking for a nap he seemed unwilling to provide.

But they were okay.

There was no telling how long the Mawler would take to find a new route, or even if Fulgan’s exit was truly secure.

But Elma just needed that one moment of safety, just enough to recover.

Letting her head fall, she wiped several smears of sweat and dirt away before lowering her head to the grass and sucking in more sweet clear air. Lifting her head up, Elma froze upon seeing the long pair of legs standing in front of her.

And the crutch right next to the limp one.

Before she could even look up to get a look at Fulgan, some black cloth was thrown at her face. She stumbled back to her feet before tearing the cloth off, finding it to be a dark cloak with a rather foul smell emanating from it.

Blinking, she turned to Fulgan before flinching at the sight.

“Glad to see everyone’s made it.” He adjusted his brace to give a sloppy applause “One step closer, people! We’re almost there!”

“Why…?” Elma couldn’t even finish, her eye wandering his form in open dismay.

He’d given her his cloak, with a traveler’s coat folded over his good arm.

Leaving him in just trousers and that ridiculous mask.

More importantly, Elma was able to see the horrifying patchwork of scarring, stitching and old bandages that covered the rest of his pale flesh.

“Next you take part in my generous offers!” he threw the coat towards Yorm, only managing to completely cover Razzda with it “I need the both of ya wrapped up tightly if we’re getting in.”

He nodded to the side, and Elma glanced in the direction indicated to find him referring to the Trade Fair west of them. The fires from the Beetle Stable had been put out, but trails of smoke still arose from it. The fields just beyond the Stable were now littered with the herd. The beetled having calmed down greatly since the last time Elma had seen them, with most either grazing or huddling together to sleep.

But moving among them, Elma could see Beetle-Drivers with their long metal staves keeping tabs on the herd.

Elma was quick to throw herself down behind the boulder with the others. It was pretty much the only thing out in the grassy plains they could hide behind.

“Ugh, Razzda work hard getting out!” Razzda’s muffled voice called out from beneath the travel coat “Junk Man make her go back?!?”

“It’s where his wagon is.” Yorm noted, briefly raising a fist to his mouth to cough into it “If we wanna’ reach Alliance support with any quickness, we’re going to need it.”

He reached down and pulled the coat off of Razzda, who grumbled at the sudden sunlight and rolled over.

“Speaking of which,” Elma looked the cloak in her hands over “I hope you’ve sent word to our allies instead of only focusing on relocating your petty goods.”

“Who do you think I am?” Fulgan held out a hand towards Razzda “The moment I finished setting up the deal with our hero here I had a message sent south. That’s called bein’ thorough.”

Groaning, Elma turned back towards the Trade Fair, noting the darker clouds that were moving in.

“They’ll be on their guard,” she noted, only for Fulgan to throw a bony arm around her back.

“Just follow my lead if anyone gets curious.” He snickered “Trust me, compared to the Burrow, this should be easy for ya.”