We chose the rightmost tunnel of the three, and slipped into the dank, pitch black gloom that metaphorically vacuumed out all light as we dove further in. My vision buffered against what little ambient light was left, and started to flicker with static dots of light and multicoloured scan lines that contoured over my surroundings, until eventually adjusting to the gloomy darkness. It showed a set of eerie train tracks with a small slightly elevated platform off to one side with pipes and wires travelling along the walls, held in place with brackets and trunking.

#Siya# I smell death. Everywhere. We must take great care.

#Godu# Yeah..I smell it too. It smells like absolute arse..

The tunnel really did stink in the most violent rainbow of stenches. Mould, dirt, stale air, rotting flesh, mouldy cheese, beer farts, gone off eggs..Each step we took seemed to displace a new pocket of hell-borne flatulence. But it must have been ghosts dropping stinky hot pockets, because there were not a single sign of rotten remains or piles of garbage fermenting. In fact, the tunnel was relatively spotless - free of any debris nor were there any signs of struggle or fights.

#Godu# Blergh. Even my eyes can smell that shit..Ooop - Watch your step Siya, there's quite a few potholes here filled with water..hope it doesn’t mean it’s flooded..

The narrow concrete pathway was littered with puddles and water damage, making me woefully conclude that at the very least, some kind of system that prevented flooding had failed or lost power.

Balls. I really so hope the tunnel is traversable still.. I'm going to be well and truly pissed if we get half way only to find the tunnel has been flooded..We should pick up the pace.

We started jogging.

Which, with our physical capabilities meant that we were moving at an extremely comfortable and steady 20-30kmph whilst simultaneously hopping over the puddles, slowing down a couple of times to climb over some fallen cable trunking.

The tunnel walls were now completely soaking wet with small trickles of water that slid down to the lowest part of the tracks and had begun to form small rivulets of water. I didn't know much about the channel tunnel, but I knew that the lowest part of it would be the middle, in a sort of 'v' shape, so that would be where the water would collect the most. And as more and more water appeared, it seemed that the real question was going to be whether the water would have accumulated enough to fill it to the brim, or if we were going to get 'lucky' and only have to do some light swimming or wading.

Yay.

After an hour of jogging, we got our conclusion..

"Oh for Shitting sake.."

It was definitely flooded. Partially.

‘LuCkY' for us, it hadn't filled up all the way to the top; it was about three quarters full and appeared passable. So it looked like we would be swimming for a bit, but, just in case, I'd already run through a quick Slipfold test to confirm that there was no interference bullshit and I was free to exit and return.

Can't complain I guess..

#Godu# Are you sure you want to swim as well Siya? I could just come back and get you?

#Siya# I'm sure. Both because I do not wish to be alone in this horrible place and because we will be safer looking over each other. I've felt malicious eyes on me since we entered and need I remind you of what happened the last time I let you flutter off by yourself?

She was glaring at me with a raised single, seemingly practised scolding eyebrow. It was off-character for her and didn’t match the sweet smile she had on display, so I suspected that Mya had been teaching her some social tactics or she had been closely observing other peoples interactions and was trying to copy-cat them.

She really tries her best to fit in bless her.

#Godu# Wow low blow. But Fair point. Yeah this place gives me the creeps. Let's get this over with and watch each others backs..and..thanks again, Siya. For everything. You’re the best friend anyone could ask for.

She smiled deeply and patted my arm as she passed and continued onwards.

It was bone shaking to think that we would be passing through the very bottom of this decaying suffocatingly pitch black tunnel, but once again I gave thanks to my TEFv skill that painted surfaces with multicoloured dots, lines and grains, that still appearing incredibly clear considering the lighting conditions. It reminded me a bit of where I'd used to stare into the dark at night in bed and see all those artificial rainbow static dots dance around in my vision, except now I could actually see things with them.

So it was utterly terrifying when I caught a glimpse of a silent and slow movement from the tunnel wall and felt a wave of paralysing fear grip me.

I can’t move! I can’t even mindspeak!!

I stared in muted horror at an impossibly thin..Thing, that crept out from a large crack in the wall, nightmarishly peeling out from such a thin exit and quietly started to walk up towards us in the silent, water-drip ambience of the pitch black tunnels; only Siya’s steps gently tip-tapping could be heard, as she started to gently hum whilst she prodded the water with the tip of her clawed foot.

#Siya# Cold. Hmm. Not as cold as I expected..

My eyes darted frantically about as I struggled, and failed, to regain control. My body felt lile I'd been sitting on the toilet for too long and was completely numb. The creature twitched as it stalked towards me, it's legs were like bamboo poles, long and terribly thin. Its skin appeared like black scribbles that had been poorly animated, yet had a slick sheen to it, making me question whether there was something wrong with my vision ability, or my mind.

Its visage was deeply unsettling, a flat cartoonish scribble-head, with massive white eyes and large, black, dilated pupils. There was black scribble skin bordering a wide grinning mouth that was filled with dark jagged teeth, like a jack 'o' lanterns. It was like a drawing had peeled itself off a piece of paper and was now casually walking up towards me and my mind reeled as it couldn't fully process what I was seeing; instincts that I thought had been hardened, flared up in repeated paralysing waves of terror. Siya still hadn’t noticed yet and I hadn’t been able to utter a word or send her a warning. I felt overwhelmed and breathless.

Label: Crevice Horror

MAGN: 99.99

HP: 2900/2900

Notes: Extremely thin and extremely dangerous, they slip into the thinnest of cracks and crevices and lie in wait to ambush their prey. Favouring tunnels and caves, they have an intentionally confusing and disorientating appearance as to maximise the impact of the natural paralysing aura it emits.

I managed to regain a sliver of control, taking a single fatal step back and yelping as I stepped into a pothole filled with not the tunnel water I was expecting, but a disgusting coagulated jelly. My stomach lurched as my entire leg sunk through the greasy mush, all the way up to my thigh.

Wha-

Before I could even finish my thoughts, a deep, searing pain engulfed my submerged leg and I screamed in absolute agony, breaking the blanket of hush silence and also shaking whatever control the paralysis aura had over me.

“AGHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Siya was on the creature in an instant, tearing it to pieces as it trumpeted out a horrible noise like an elephant being mutilated. My mind flared with renewed activity, notifying me that my HP had dropped by a third.

I Slipfolded a few metres away, bringing a chunk of tarmac, dirt, and blobs of the jelly stuff with me, but I collapsed onto the floor gritting my teeth when I tried to put weigh onto my leg that was still covered in a big bundle of unknown crap.

#Siya# GODU!

My ascending panic and movement had pushed most of the crap off me, and it revealed my leg to be in a horrendously bloated and pulsing state and…no! no!That’s not my FUCKING LEG!

Label: Pothole Maggot

MAGN: 99.99

HP: 928/2900

Notes: An incredibly effective trap predator that digs a vertical tunnel and regurgitates a jelly-like substance to lure other creatures. The jelly releases fumes that entice and confuse prey, and also gives the illusion of being a harmless puddle of water. Once a victim comes into contact with the digestive jelly, the maggot will drag them down and consume them alive. The jelly doubles up as a powerful defensive mesh that is near impenetrable. Disgusting and extremely deadly - AVOID POTHOLES AT ALL TIMES.

There was a metre long giant maggot engulfing my leg, pulsing as it chewed, ground and ate my flesh. I screamed and activated my claws and tried to rip it off but its surface flashed with a silvery mesh and it was like hitting concrete with my fingernails.

“GET THE FUCK OFF ME!” I bellowed as I Surge punched it, but the silvery mesh flashed up and absorbed the impact again. I moaned and grunted at the white hot and sickening feeling of the maggot chewing through my thigh, its teeth reaching my thick thigh bone.

#Siya# There are more of the dark ones! They are everywhere! They are coming out of the walls!

From the corner of my eye I saw movement and heard more disturbing trumpets as Siya carved into a writhing mass of ‌Crack dwelling Horrors, but I was too preoccupied with my own problems to pay closer attention.

It hurt so much, even as the nerves were severed and cut off by the razor teeth of the maggot and it pulsed with swallowing movements as it ate my flesh and drained me of my vital fluids; my blood was being leeched out at a tremendous rate and this new phantom pain was somehow more terrible than the real pain.

Focus.

My mind went cold and I was given a brief moment of clarity. I used every ounce of mental power I could muster and ‘inhaled’ my fold area as close to my body as possible and then yanked on an anchor close by, breathing a cry of relief as I heard a screeching and felt the weight being released off my abused leg; what was left of it anyway.

My..Leg.

Almost passing out at the sight of my thigh bone - my muscle, skin and tissue was heavily eaten away, blood pouring out of ripped flesh and arteries. But instead of succumbing to the visceral scene, I went into autopilot mode and fumbled for my pack, grabbed a healing tonic and gulped some of the tingly liquid down; pouring the rest onto my exposed skeleton.

Regeneration at this scale was absurd and shocking to watch, threads shot out at each from each damaged side, with muscle and tendons growing and knitting together right before my eyes and it could have been my imagination, but I swore there were mesh patterns and flecks of something metallic embedded in my bone and flesh - it was hard to truly tell given teh chaos. After a few seconds the process slowed and yet the renewed tissue was lean and weak; barely enough muscle mass for me to bend my leg, let alone put weight on it.

#Siya# Godu! There’s too many and they do not die! Please hurry! I cannot hold them back for long!

Siya was furiously fighting, purple and pink lights flaring up and hot searing plasma blades cutting through the air, impacting the horrors; severing some and splashing into others. Much to my utter dismay, they didn’t stay dissected or even knocked down for long - their absurd, black, scribble-skin knitted back together just as quickly as it was sliced open.

My condition improved and stabilised further, and I-was-pissed off. The healing tonic had done an amazing job and had saved my life, but I would need more regeneration to bring my HP back up..

And I knew exactly where to get it from..

The maggot was writhing on the floor, haemorrhaging fluids from its lower half and coughing up streams of red and brown chunks mixed in with fluids where I must have fucked up its mouth and throat, so, growling as I hopped up onto my one good leg, I surge pogo-jumped next to the maggot and then Slipfolded near it to just take it out of the picture, but even THAT didn’t pierce through the silvery mesh! Instead it held open a thin three dimensional halo of watery space that warped and bent the light glows that came off it, defying all logic and physics in the most mind boggling way, crumpling reality in and around it dangerously as the maggot squealed in defiance.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME-

“Just fucking die!!” I Slipfolded multiple times and after the eighth time of leaving behind a cosmic scar-ring and deploying my shield in config:ribbon to pincer hold the twat maggot back, the entire silvery mesh collapsed under the immense pressures and the maggot was minced up into messy cubes.

From the mess there was an explosion of shimmer that surged into my leg and finished the regeneration, bringing it back to its pre-chewed state except for the clothes, although thankfully my boot had survived the ordeal.

It was a strange moment as I stood there panting with my trousers showing one bare leg like I was at some fashion show, Siya going absolutely balls to the wall as dozens of the Crack Horrors took shambling casual steps towards us. Realisation smacked me in the face after a split second glance around, I felt sick at the sheer number of potholes in the floor and how each one potentially held a fucking maggot in it, just waiting for us or something to slip a limb inside.

I knew that we wouldn’t last long if we weren’t extremely careful. The maggots would fuck us up without hesitation.

#Godu# Siya! Stay WELL away from the holes in the floor! A fucking maggot nearly ate my leg! I’m coming in on your right!

I deployed my shields into config:prime and surge jumped next to Siya, who launched herself hurtling up and then kicked back off the roof and slammed down with her cloak wings outstretched, edges glowing neon pink as she completed a powerful guillotine attack. I unleashed a spray of shards that had little effect, mostly passing through the gaps in their scribble flesh, so I threw a heavy punch, putting my full weight behind it and truly surprising myself with the impact of the blow; it sent the Crevice Horror sailing over the crowd and it slammed into the tunnel wall with a crack.

“Oh shit.” I whispered. The things regenerated absurdly fast, but they had the mass and weight of a ping pong ball.

Yet, after a solid minute of punching, kicking and shield bashing, it was clear we were most definitely going to lose this fight even if it took until we ran out of energy. They were being ragdolled around like pillows, but not a single one had truly died, even after I used Slipfold and took half of one with me, both halves just slowly moved towards each other.

We're getting absolutely nowhere.

#Godu# Fuck this shit, we need to go through the water and get the hell out of here. Siya, are you ready?

She replied immediately.

#Siya# Yes! The sooner we leave this anus-shit fucking tunnel, the better!

I couldn’t help but smirk at Siya's unusual cursing. Definitely hasn’t picked up those words from me.

#Godu# Okay! On three, we rush for the water. One..Two..THREE!

Siya burst away and pounced off the wall towards the water and gracefully spiral dived into it barely causing a ripple. Meanwhile, I surge jumped away and hit the ice cold water like a sack of bricks, face flopping a bit at first, but, being inspired by Siya, who was underwater using her cloak wings to powerfully propel her to torpedo forwards and back up to the surface, I quickly put my shields to work, and, after a few seconds of trial and error, I too was streaming through the water like a missle, leaving the chorus of angry trumpets and hungry screeches in the metaphorical dust.

…

..

.