“Ew!”
“Telepathic voices, please.”
Retvik grunted, then did as he was asked, switching to pure telepathy to communicate with his two squad mates. Litvir seemed even more shocked and disgusted than Retvik was at the state of what they had just stepped into. Arkadin didn’t seem that bothered, but he was floating about a meter off the ground so hadn’t experienced the… squishiness of the floor around them.
Everything about the room they had just entered was horrible. While there were hints of steel and concrete scattered around, the majority of the room was covered in mucus and cysts. Or was it flesh and muscle? No one was sure. Worryingly, the entrance through which they had come through had sealed up behind them, leaving nothing but horrible, fleshy tendrils.
“Sorry…” Retvik mumbled. “But by the Light, this place is cursed.”
“Absolutely Light-forsaken…” Litvir grunted, very cautiously stepping forward as he created a small, floating sprite. The sprite illuminated their surroundings, but just barely. Despite making the sprite brighter, Litvir noticed that everything was still incredibly dark. Almost as if the darkness was eating the light.
The three Decaylings all took a deep breath, then stepped deeper into the soggy, slimy darkness. Luckily, they had a map, they knew where to go. But each step seemed to cause… shudders… rumbles… As if the living rooms around them were responding to their presence.
“I think this is obvious, but don’t touch anything…” Arkadin hesitated as he spotted the first target in the gloom. It stuck out rather clearly from the mass of flesh. A computer terminal had been hastily installed next to a small antenna. Burn marks had revealed a steel floor, chasing off the mucus briefly.
Litvir and Retvik both grunted. Neither of them wanted to be here, let alone touch anything. Litvir helpfully shined his light on the terminal, while Retvik kept lookout. Arkadin pulled out a small device and extended a transmitter on the side. He then inspected the terminal until he found what he was looking for – a small slot with which he could connect the device to the terminal. With as little physical contact as possible, Arkadin finally managed to attach the device, and a small light on its side began blinking green.
So far, so good.
“You got it?”
“I got it.”
“Alright…” Retvik grumbled. “Onto the next terminal, I assume.”
Arkadin nodded, glancing around the room. “Uh, is it just me, or does this room feel… smaller?”
“It… it does feel smaller!” Livtir exclaimed, trying not to do so out loud. “And… it is all pulsating…”
“It is also whispering to us…” Retvik grunted. “Unless I am the only one who can hear it asking me to join it.”
Arkadin immediately turned to Retvik, a wave of concern washing over him. “It’s talking to you?”
“Yes. I am ignoring it though and am quite content to continue doing so.”
“Now that Retvik has mentioned it, I am beginning to hear… something too…” Litvir abruptly admitted. “However, I cannot hear actual words. Just a faint whispering sound.”
“That is how it starts…” Retvik shrugged. “But it is easy to ignore. Why would anyone want to join this horrible thing?”
Arkadin rolled his eyes, grabbing Litvir and Retvik by the hands and pulling onwards.
“Come on, let’s pick up the pace and get out of here as soon as possible…”