Squib Ep.14 - Base Instincts
(Start at the beginning here)
Bandana limped more than walked, wheezed more than breathed, one arm clutching at her side as the other waved this way and that, reaching out into the darkness. She sensed water under the souls of her boots and heard a faint dripping echo as if from some distant hall. She found herself in a right mess, the worst pickle she’d been in for a long time. She’d of paid good money for a functioning torch just to get a look at her surroundings. Instead she didn't have anything on hand to catch a flame, and even less of a means to light it if she did.
“Jules? Annie?” He voice reached out into the darkness in little more than a hushed breath, afraid to make noise for fear of what might hear her. The more she thought about it, the more restricted her throat became. If she was going to get out of here, it looked as though she was going to be doing it alone. The trouble was, she had no idea where ‘here’ was and even more troubling was whether the task were even possible. She needed help- if anything had ever been true of Two-Bandana Anna, it was that right now she needed help!
She didn't know how long she’d been out after the fall, only that she’d come to in the cold, quiet, pitch black depths of the sunken rune she’d been in. There was no sign of the little devil creatures that had attacked her and her sisters, and from what she’d gathered from her first horrifying moments crawling around, the monster that’d chased her into this hell had died at the end of their fall. What luck, she’d realised, least she’d been eaten while her consciousness was checked out.
“I swear, if I get out of here, I’ll pay The Lady her due’ the first chance I get.”
Bandana edged her way along the wall of some tunnel, slowly sketching a path with her hands, planting her foot surreptitiously before her for fear of unseen danger. It was easiest to pretend she were playing a game of blind man’s bluff- as she’d done as a child. Her sisters were somewhere out ahead of her, evading detection, and it was her task to track them down. She’d even tied one of her bandanas about her eyes to help with her sanity and to keep from straining pointlessly into the dark.
Her other senses held the forefront of her mind. The ancient ruin was silent with the exception of her meandering and the occasional clatter that echoed from some unknown depth. There was the ever present trickling of water that made her question how she wasn't swimming right now instead of walking. Then there was the smell, two special blends of foul that intertwined to make a unique pungence that she hoped never to encounter again. Nevertheless she pressed on, driven by her makeshift task.
It could have been worse- things could always be worse. Annie could have been right there along with her, bringing up the long laundry list of decisions that had landed her in this mess to begin with. Lecturing on what could have been done different and how life lead along a different path might have procured a more agreeable circumstance.
Jules might have softened that blow, offering a warm smile, propping up her spirits on a readily available shoulder, but otherwise keeping her mouth shut and letting whatever was needing to be said be said. Fat lot of help she’d of been.
How Anna missed them both.
“Please let me see them again,” Bandana whispered, tilting her face toward the heavens and hoping, Who, or whatever was behind the chaos of her predicament was listening. And if not them then somebody else. She’d of happily settled for Fate right now (even if Bandana didn’t favor his take very much), or The Lady if it pleased her to smile instead of frown. Not that calling out to them would ever sway a response.
Bandana stopped as a noise reached her ear. She inhaled and held the breath. The hair on the back of her neck prickled. Everything was silent, dead like a graveyard. The sudden unnerving absence of life came so strong it was as if it had taken on life itself. She reached for her bandana and pulled it from her eyes, instinct demanding sight. Darkness met her- the blackest black she’d ever known. Something was there, she was sure of it, a presence in the unknown, and it was close.
She drew a dagger, wincing at the pain through her ribcage, and held it aloft. She couldn't see, she couldn't even hear, she didn't know what or where to attack. If she were attacked she’d have a poor time defending herself. Should she speak? Could whatever was there sense her? She drew a ragged breath and considered what she might say. The word came out as half the sound of a tiny of whisper. “Hello?”
There came a spark, a fizz, a burst of blue energy that blazed, then cooled to a dull glow. Bandana winced, the shadows danced, and a crooked voice of broken human sounded from beneath veiled lips. “Is this The Mercenary? The youngest of three, the girl with two bandanas?”
Anna took a step back, surprised to see a cloaked goblin with green tones, holding a candle-match and asking questions after her. Then again, stranger things had happened. “Yes. What of it?” Her words came harshly, her mistrust and distaste for the creature plain to see. It suited the grip with which she held her dagger.
“Does she have a map it cannot read?”
The shadows played horrible tricks but the Goblins other hand was mysteriously absent about it’s person. It seemed a classic case of take one to know one when Bandana caught sight of a shifting array of fingers dancing expertly over the hilt of a weapon, somewhere in the depths of its cloak.
“Perhaps I do. Who’s asking?” Bandana said with a frown.
The Goblin peered through slanted eyes seemingly weighing up Bandana to the truth of her answers, or perhaps the sum total worth of all her trouble. The Goblin seemed unsure and the pause in response made Bandana nervous.
“Well!?”
The Goblin made an ambiguous throaty noise. “Squib is my name, your guide I am to be. The Swamp Witch sees a great darkness coming, and you, the little light, have a task to fulfill. Which you’ll do or by the great Gobbers name I swear I’m going to start stabbing people!” And with that Squib drew the handle dancing in his hand.
Bandana reacted on an instinct, sending her blade hurtling with the flick of her wrist. Squib squawked, flicking his own wrist with double the surprise. The blade thudded to a holt as he caught it’s tip, intended for his chest, in the thick of the torch handle now brandished in his hand. He growled and glowered past before lifting his candle to light the tar, setting it to blaze. He wrenched the dagger free.
“Mine now!” He declared. “No more games. You follow.” He turned and started walking away, grumbling something in gobbledygook.
Bandana stared, shocked for a moment. This wasn't exactly what she had in mind when she’d asked for help but then she was in no position to argue. Seeing the pool of light moving away, she pocketed her trepidation for a more convenient time, and followed.
(Continue to Ep.15)
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