“You are very attractive and the primal part of my brain wants to have intercourse with you… I cannot believe i just said that out loud…”
Arkay stared at the delirious Rethavok as he helped him off the ground, then sighed.
“I appreciate the kind words, Retvik, but that’s not you talking, that’s the gas. Sini is trying to lock the place down, but the good news is that your body is adapting to everything she is throwing at us. Luckily, I managed to find you before the lab fully processed you.”
Retvik tried to regain his balance, then glanced around the room, which was filled with various small containers. There were needle marks in his skin, mostly in his arms and neck, but he was pretty sure blood wasn’t the only fluid the Allbirther had taken from him.
“Why do I want to have sex with you?” Retvik asked. “Do you normally look like a buff, yellow Rethavok or is that just for me? Why am I STILL saying these things out loud?”
“It’s the gas…” the Thantophor repeated as they patted Retvik down, checking him for anything anomalous. He then turned his attention to the equipment in the room, which abruptly caught fire. This seemed to trigger a very loud screech coming from somewhere outside the room.
“That sounds bad.”
“That’s probably Sini. She’s not happy I’m here. But she’s also not supposed to have torture labs any more, so she can’t call Epani and Kairos in for reinforcements. Which means I can help get the few remaining living souls out of here.”
Retvik looked at Arkay blankly. “Why do you care about the living?”
“Is that you or the gas talking?”
“Both. I think.”
Arkay shrugged, then proceeded to rip the door to this cell off its hinges. “Someone has to care about the living. Anyway, we need to get out of here, and fast. There’s a ship on the roof with enough space for everyone alive in this stupid lab and-”
The Thantophor paused, glancing up at the ceiling, which had begun to shake worryingly. Everything quickly came collapsing down as the Allbirther appeared, larger than ever.
“MY LAB!”
“You’re not supposed to have labs like this!” Arkay hissed as Sini lunged for him. He moved out of the way, grabbed Retvik and threw him out of the open door. “Find the nearest stairwell and get to the roof!”
“WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?” Sini snarled, spitting hallucinogenic saliva.
Arkay nimbly dodged this new attack, then summoned a very large sword. “You know why!”
Retvik hesitated, watching as the Thantophor and the Allbirther collided. It seemed that the Death God was holding back, being very careful not to badly wound his fellow deity. The same couldn’t be said for the Allbirther, who was snarling and clawing, but failing to connect with the Thantophor.
Snapping out of his confusion, Retvik clambered to his feet, chose a direction at random, then ran. As he did so, the walls seemed to… almost melt around him, revealing other trapped prisoners. He stopped briefly, spotting a couple of Temthans. Retvik felt bad simply running, and stopped to help them out, as they had been tied together in a rather revealing way.
“Who are you?” one of them asked.
“A prisoner, same as you…” Retvik grunted. “We need to get to the roof, there is a ship there waiting for us.”
The Temthans nodded a thank you, then immediately limped off. Retvik turned around, back to the other cells, then sighed to himself. He went back, one cell at a time, freeing each individual and telling them the same thing the Thantophor had told him, to get to the roof. Worryingly, the majority of these beings were Temthans or Vrekans, and all of them were in pretty bad shape. Most of them could hardly walk, let alone run. What bothered Retvik more though was that he hadn’t found Nyssi among them.
With this hallway cleared, Retvik decided to move on. Everyone he had freed had fled in the same direction, even if they didn’t seem to know where to go. They just seemed to be running away from the godly conflict a few doors down.
Before Retvik could do anything else though, the corridor began to flood with a pink, viscous liquid, which was spilling from a hole in the ceiling further down the hallway. Retvik began to run as fast as he could, hoping to find a stairwell or something, anywhere where he could climb upwards. As the liquid reached his waist, Retvik worried that he would have to start swimming, the one thing Retvik wasn’t very good at. He was a heavily armoured Rethavok, he didn’t float very well.
Thankfully, he did find a stairwell, just as the liquid reached his chest. He lifted himself upwards and started climbing, trying not to let exhaustion overcome him. The air was still tainted, he was still having weird thoughts, which he shook to one side. He was then shaken even more as an explosion ripped through the stairwell below him. To Retvik’s side, a familiar face appeared.
“How is the fight going, Thantophor? And why do I still want to make love to you?” Retvik asked.
“I’m unfortunately not allowed to kill Sini…” Arkay frowned, brushing pink goo off his shoulder plates, before glancing upwards. “There’s more Temthans on the floor above you. Nyssi should be with them.”
“And what about you?”
The Thantophor sighed. “I really want to kill her but I’m worried I’m getting too hungry. There is way too much to feast on here, what with this whole facility being alive…” Arkay gently patted Retvik on the back. “Anyway, get going. Before she starts summoning bubbles to recapture you all. My destruction of her labs is the only thing keeping her distracted.”
With another sigh, the Thantophor disappeared, heading back into the steadily rising pink fluid. Retvik hesitated again, trying to get the awkward thoughts out of his head, before continuing his climb. He noticed that the Temthans he had freed had all continued upwards, but this new floor still had life on it. Instead of it being separate cells though, it contained a single plastic cage and was filled with Temthans, just as the Thantophor said.
Retvik glanced at the cages and wished he hadn’t. The Temthans all seemed rather drugged and were completely naked. However, one of them had spotted Retvik and immediately made her way over.
“Retty! I am so glad to see you! I’ve done nothing but fuck the most gorgeous Temthans I’ve ever seen but they won’t let me use protection but it’s still amazing but I think they want me to have kiddles but I’m not sure if I mind or not but this place is so weird but I’m also getting weird thoughts but also Retvik what do you think about interspecies sex also why am I saying all of this out loud?”
“Are you well, Nyssi?” Retvik blankly asked.
“I… I don’t know…” Nyssi shook her head, trying to think straight. “Why is everything shaking?”
Another explosion rocked the lab. Without answering Nyssi, Retvik located the door to the cell and swiftly opened it, glad that it only seemed to be locked from the inside.
“We need to get everyone to the roof. There is a ship waiting for us.”
“Yeah obviously but like what about these guys and what about Kayel and Tenuk and where are we all going?”
“I do not know where they are.”
“We need to find them then!” Nyssi beamed, before abruptly pausing and covering herself up. “Is there something in the air?”
“Yes.”
“It’s making me think weird. Like a pervert.”
“I know.”
Nyssi sighed. “I want to leave. I think She made me want all of this but I’m not normally like this.”
Retvik nodded in understanding, then removed his stomach wrap and handed it to Nyssi, who quickly used it to cover up.
“Shall we get going?”
“Yeah. Let’s find Kayel and Tenuk. I hope they’re okay…”