Mythos Prelude

  Episode Jackie

  Chapter 3.3 — Check, Part 3

  by Caide Fullerton

  Leading Jackie along with one hand, Alistair stepped through the rotting halls of the ruin. It was built in a style unlike the majority of others, with wooden walls and a sloped roof; most of its doorways stood empty, but a few bore the torn remnants of sliding paper doors. The entire building smelt of decay, and it creaked as the breeze flew through the pores of its wooden skeleton.

  Alistair carefully peeked out one of the doorways leading out onto the left half of the road, the direction from which the Krimling seemed to be originating. Seeing no sign of them, he quickly cleared the opening. Loid followed close behind him.

  Only a few moments had passed since they departed from Jacqueline. Alistair knew sorting through his thoughts would do him no good now; he needed to distract himself by moving forward.

  He’d wanted so badly to muster a retort against her. To scold her for putting her life at risk. To call on his authority as her father and demand that she abandon her foolish thinking.

  But, even if he refused to admit it, she was right. If all of them ran away together, their chances of escaping were slim. It would be all too easy for the Krimling to track the group down again. In under an hour, they could produce enough scouts to scour the wasteland a mile around twice-over.

  Trying to escape together—boldly declaring that he wouldn’t let a single person die—was naive. The correct course of action was to leave someone as bait, and Jacqueline was also correct to volunteer herself for the job.

  It was all logical. It was the correct course of action. In a way, this outcome was inevitable.

  The thought made him furious.

  Jackie: “...Al, are you okay?”

  Just as he was about to step out of the ruin, Jackie called out to him, their red eyes open wide in a blank stare.

  Alistair: “...Yeah, kid, I’m fine.”

  Jackie: “But you’re squeezing my hand really tight.”

  He blinked, loosening his grip, and then quickly pulled his hand away. “Guess I was. Sorry, kid.”

  It was then that Loid placed a hand on his shoulder. “You aren’t a good liar, Al. I’ll do it.”

  Alistair spun around to face him. “Do what?”

  Loid: “Bring her back, obviously.” He took a deep breath and adjusted his glasses. “It’s not like I’m happy with this, either. And I can tell you want to go after her.”

  His eyes widening, Alistair stared back at Loid for a moment. Then he clenched his fist, letting out a frustrated sigh. “You can’t… I should be the one to… We need to—“

  Loid: “If you’re followed, you’re the only one who could protect Jackie from these things. I can handle myself.” He spoke firmly, meeting Alistair’s eyes. “We just need to hold out until the swarm starts. The two of us can manage that much, and then we’ll slip away and meet back up with you.”

  Alistair paused, giving the suggestion serious consideration. He sucked in a sharp breath and then cast his head down, closing his eyes. “Fine.” Looking back up, he seized Loid by the shoulders. “We’ll gain some distance and leave markers for you. Don’t take any unnecessary risks. And please…”

  Loid: ““Bring her back alive?” You don’t need to tell me that, old man.”

  Alistair: “The hell’re ya callin’ old?” He cracked a grim smile and released Loid, then took a deep breath. “Get moving. Meet back up as soon as you can.”

  Loid nodded and turned, but just as he was about to leave, a crash shook the building to its foundation, dust pouring from the dilapidated ceiling. Alistair dove away from the door, pulling Jackie with him against a wall and hissing out a hushed “Down!” to Loid, who quickly joined them.

  The walls groaned under the weight of an interloper, and the scratchy tone of many bony fingers scraping against the tile roof was mixed with the sharp taps of those same fingers as they rapped against the surface.

  ???: “Where..? Where are you..?” The voice of a young girl called out from the rooftop, shaky and sobbing. “Where are you!? I’m looking, looking, looking looking looking, but I can’t find you!”

  As the child wailed, Alistair placed a careful hand on the hilt of his sword.

  ???: “Where are you!? Just come out..! Where are you, where are you, where are you where are you where are you whereareyouwhereareyouwhereareyouwhereareyou WHERE ARE YOU!?”

  Its voice rose, its words coming faster and faster until it let out a bloodcurdling roar, rocking the building again as it struck the ceiling, shattering the ancient tiles. It cried for a moment, and then its voice rose again in a desperate murmur,

  ???: “Please… I’m hungry… Where did you go!? Where are you!? I’m just hungry! I just want to eat!”

  As it shouted again, it dug its fingers into the roof, and, shaking the building a final time, leapt off. It hit the muddy road with a loud thud, stumbling a moment before beginning to gallop away.

  The creature had landed on the same road they were about to escape on, but on the opposite side of the building, rushing in the direction of the Krimling. Through the cracks between the rotting walls, Alistair could see brief glimpses of its body—long, disproportionately large skeletal arms protruded from the back of a child’s body, on which it scuttled down the road like a great insect.

  The three waited with bated breath until the creature rounded the hill. Finally Alistair stood with a relieved sigh, offering a hand to Jackie to pull them up. Beside him, Loid rose, looking to the door.

  Loid: “It’s already starting… worse things than a Kumori will arrive before long.”

  Alistair: “Aye…” He sighed. “Shit. Stay safe, Loid.”

  Loid: “I will. We’ll be back soon—both of us.”

  Both men nodded to each other and turned in opposite directions. Loid ran back to the doorway through which they’d come, leaping over the brush and back onto the path; Alistair peered outside carefully before leading Jackie out onto the path, hurrying down the road at a hasty jog.

  He grit his teeth, praying that Loid would make good on his promise.

  ? ? ?

  Jacqueline ducked, sliding across the mud as a Krimling shot just inches above her in a headlong lunge. Having missed her, it slammed head-first into a stone wall instead. She quickly clambered up to her feet, more Krimling at her heels as she broke into a sprint.

  As she entered a small alleyway between two ruined walls, the wave of Krimling bunched together, violently clawing at each other and climbing over each other’s bodies as they rushed after her. One particular Krimling, larger than the others, managed to clamber atop the others, crushing them underfoot and tearing its claws into their heads to fling itself forward.

  Jacqueline slid to slow herself as she whirled around, raising one leg in a roundhouse kick. She caught the lurching monster with her downward heel, sending it crashing back into the mob of its brethren, which promptly trampled it. With the beasts encroaching ever-closer, she resumed her sprint.

  She quickly came to a four-way intersection between several ruined buildings. The path straight ahead was clear, but a Krimling approached from either side. She grit her teeth and shot forward at top speed, both monsters leaping at her in unison. One fell short, tumbling into the mud, but the other managed to rake its claws across her shin, drawing blood.

  It wasn’t the first wound she’d accrued in these ruins. She ignored it like the rest.

  The location she’d found herself in was a grand crossroads. A large complex of interconnected ruins—small, rectangular buildings and rows of short pillars, most of which had partly crumbled, some of which still held up flat pavilion roofs—formed a large flat area betwixt the rolling hills of trash. At least six different roads intersected the complex.

  If Jacqueline was lucky, it would turn out to be a high-traffic area.

  She emerged from the tight alleyways and made a sharp left turn, leaving a thin trail of scarlet in her wake. A small band of Krimling awaited ahead, perking up with exaggerated shrieks as they saw her. They made to charge at her, forming a pincer attack with the mob behind her; for the second time, their attempt would fail.

  In a motion she’d already repeated once before, Jacqueline leapt up onto one of many shattered stone pillars that jutted out of the ground. In this particular row, three of the crumbling pillars stood at progressively higher heights, allowing her to climb them with a series of quick jumps and land atop one of the remaining pavilions at the end of the row.

  Two Krimling awaited her—they must’ve been waiting since after she’d climbed here the first time. They only noticed her at the sound of her boots striking the stone, so she was able to catch the first by surprise, punting it over the edge with a sweeping kick.

  The second was able to get its bearings more quickly, and it lunged at her. She raised an arm to block it, but it latched on with a hungry desperation in its eyes, opening its gross maw and sinking its gnarly fangs into her skin. Biting her lip to suppress a pained grunt, Jacqueline raised her other arm and slammed a dagger into the top of the beast’s head, its skull deforming like putty under the weight of the attack.

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  The beast died instantly, but even in death its fangs held tight to her. Jacqueline swung her arm in a panic, but as it held tight still, she was forced to slip her fingers between its jagged teeth and pry it off of her.

  The Krimling fell limp to the platform, and she kicked its corpse off the edge in frustration. She quickly took a dagger to the bottom of her shirt, cutting a large hole in it and tearing a strip free. She wrapped the cloth tight around her newest wound, taking the moment to catch her breath. It would take a minute or so before the Krimling managed to follow her up; once they did, she’d jump down and repeat the cycle, let them chase her around the ruins before climbing back up here again. She could only hope they weren’t smart enough to leave a large force waiting for her atop the platform.

  The moment she volunteered herself as bait, she’d resolved to die at the hands of the Krimling. Even so, she had no intention of going down without a fight, and for that matter, she still wanted to live if it were at all possible. She knew she had no chance of ever winning the battle—the Krimling would multiply much faster than she could ever kill them, and before long their numbers would swell high enough to completely overwhelm her. The most she could hope to achieve was to keep their focus here while the others escaped as far away as possible.

  Yes, defeating a group of Krimling was impossible; Jacqueline did not delude herself into thinking she could do so.

  But escaping from them? That was possible, if barely.

  All she had to do was last until the swarm began.

  It was a concept synonymous with the threat of Krimling themselves. She’d only heard tales of it, but Roche had bore witness to one once. He liked to share the story again and again over the campfire—whether as a warning or to boast that he’d survived one, she could never tell.

  Krimling were a foe that was nearly impossible to beat, because they possessed a strange magic that allowed them to reproduce infinitely. While this made them a terrifying threat to weak creatures—Humans included—it was a completely different case for the more powerful foes that inhabited the wasteland.

  If you were powerful enough that the Krimling didn’t pose a threat to you, they became nothing more than an infinite feast.

  This conceit formed the basis of the phenomenon known as a swarm. When the Krimling found prey to hunt, they would multiply endlessly in order to kill it. This would cause a large commotion, attracting a powerful monster intent on feasting upon the Krimling. This, in turn, would lead the Krimling to bolster their numbers even more, creating an even larger commotion that attracted even more monsters.

  Roche had claimed that a swarm could escalate to the point of tens of thousands of Krimling being slaughtered by dozens or even hundreds of other monsters; Jacqueline found it hard to believe there could ever be that many living things in one place.

  In any case, if Jacqueline wanted to survive, her only option was to hold out until the swarm began. Then, so long as she could avoid the ire of the larger monsters, she could escape while they held the Krimling’s attention.

  She looked to the side, to the pillars she’d ascended to reach this platform. A couple Krimling were trying—and failing—to copy her movements and leap between the pillars, inevitably failing on account of their short limbs. They became more bruised with each attempt, yet they continued to persevere with no regard for their bodies.

  It struck her then that something was wrong. How many were trying to climb after her? From the looks of it, just the same two or three, failing over and over. A wave of nearly two dozen Krimling had just been chasing her—where did the others go?

  She scanned her surroundings, and while she caught glimpses of a few scattered Krimling searching buildings and blocking roads, the brunt of their force was nowhere to be seen. It wasn’t like them to give up on prey.

  Then, she noticed the sound.

  It was a loud, grating sound. Even over the painful pounding in her ears, she couldn’t imagine how she hadn’t noticed it until now. The scraping, the cracks, the pained grunts and howls, the scratching and squelching, the dripping of blood and the tearing of flesh.

  Hesitantly, she peeked over the edge of the platform.

  There they were—over a dozen Krimling, a few of them lying in bloody heaps as others climbed over their twitching bodies. Working in unison, the pack desperately clawed and gnawed at one of the pillars holding up her platform. The stone stood firm, despite its age, but the Krimling were not discouraged. Even as it broke their nails and tore out their teeth, they continued to claw and scratch and bite and gnaw until their fingers broke and their jaws snapped open.

  And then, the platform shook.

  The platform was long and flat, rectangular in shape. It was held up by only two pillars; as the Krimling finally tore through the stability of one, the platform began to wobble, threatening to take both of its supports down with it. The Krimling seemed to cry out with a chorus of celebratory yelps and screams, and yet they continued to claw at the pillar.

  The platform shook again, and this time one of its ends dipped down at a sharp angle. Jacqueline could hear a pillar begin to crumble beneath her, and her feet began to slide towards the platform’s edge.

  She grit her teeth, whispering a curse for the Krimling. And she jumped.

  The force of her leap seemed to act as the tipping point, sending the entire structure tumbling down behind her as she soared through the air. Krimling cried out, and those that could still walk shot away in all directions, scattering in the wake of the falling stones; those that couldn’t shrieked as they were crushed. Jacqueline rolled through the mud as she hit the ground, springing up to her feet to immediately break into a run. She couldn’t help but cry out herself as she forced her body forward; she’d twisted her shoulder in the fall. She’d ignore it like the rest of her wounds.

  It didn’t take long at all for the scattered Krimling to take chase. Their numbers had been reduced somewhat, and many were missing the claws and teeth with which to attack her, but she was sure they’d find another way if she gave them the chance. The mob grew quickly as it was joined by other Krimling from the center of the compound; Jacqueline led them in a lap around the edge of the ruins.

  As she rounded a corner, she was met with a grim sight—a band of four Krimling had cut through the ruins to block the path in front of her. To her right was one of the many roads leading away from the ruin, two Krimling standing guard; behind her, at least a dozen were in rabid pursuit.

  She was cornered.

  There were no Krimling to her immediate left. Should she cut through the center? No, that would likely only bring her from “cornered” to “surrounded”. She would have to engage one of the groups ahead of her. Simply based on numbers, the choice was obvious.

  Her feet slid through the mud as she suddenly pivoted to the right, leaping towards the two guards. She flung one of her daggers forward, catching its target in the head and swiftly felling it. The other leapt at her as she swung her remaining dagger forward, thrusting it between the beast’s teeth and piercing the back of its throat.

  She turned briefly to toss the corpse backwards, hoping it might slow down her pursuers, if just a little. As her eyes returned forward, however, they opened wide—

  A third Krimling was already mid-leap.

  It rammed into her with a thud, causing her to stumble. Its wiry arms wrapped around her, its claws cutting into her sides as it clung to her desperately. Its twisted lips opened wide into an eager grin before it sank its fangs into her chest.

  Jacqueline screamed out in pain, and she slammed her dagger into the side of the Krimling’s head. Even as it died, it held tight onto her body. She clutched desperately at its jaw, painfully prying it free from her, her body twisting in circles. She fell to the mud as the beast was finally pulled free, blood leaking from multiple punctures along her skin.

  The Krimling were upon her in seconds, screeching in delight and licking their demented lips as they tried to surround her. She kicked out at one, breaking its nose; she swung her dagger blindly at another, forcing it to hop backwards. Her vision was blurring, her heart pounding in her chest.

  She struggled to stand, but the Krimling would not let her. One leapt onto her right arm, and she swung it wildly to try and shake it off, smashing its little body against the ground again and again. Another had seized one of her legs, its nails pricking her skin.

  She was going to die.

  The idea upset her more than she expected it to. Until now, she felt as though the stakes of the situation had blinded her to the depraved nature of her foes. She was so focused on surviving, on protecting her family, that she’d blocked out the primal feelings the Krimling evoked.

  They were disgusting.

  Each and every one of them smelt of sex and blood. Their grimy skin was glazed with mud and urine and whatever else. They seemed to take pleasure in whittling her down. They would cackle and cheer at every wound another inflicted onto her. They took joy in watching her suffer slowly, as they knew she could not escape from them.

  They really pissed her off.

  She swung her arm down with all the strength she could muster. She could feel her muscles strain as she crushed the Krimling latched onto her against the ground, her arm becoming caked in blood and viscera as it tore open the creature’s skin. She lurched forward, plunging her dagger into one of their heads. Her other hand seized the creature on her leg by the neck, and she mercilessly crushed it in her grasp.

  The Krimling came at her from all sides, and she swung her limbs with every ounce of strength she had, batting them back, slamming them to the ground. One slipped between her arms as she was busy with two of its friends, aiming for her neck. Her red eyes honed in on the creature, and she suddenly twisted her body downwards to bite its oversized head, tearing away a chunk of its soft skull and spitting it in the face of another, Krimling blood now dripping from her lips.

  She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of tearing her down, of breaking her spirit. If they wanted to kill her, she’d make it as long and painful as she could. She would—

  A Krimling cried out, but its voice was snuffed before it could finish shrieking. A javelin shot through its head, boring a hole right through it. The same javelin continued forward, shooting clean through the first Krimling and drilling into a second, managing to drive its end into the skull of a third before it finally stopped, the metal rod connecting the latter two corpses as they fell to the ground.

  ???: “GET YOUR DIRTY HANDS OFF MY WIFE!!!”

  A voice, one usually meek and softspoken, roared out with primordial rage. It echoed against the ruin walls and between the canyons that surrounded them, and its fury caused all of the Krimling to pause, turning their attention to the source. He stood, half of his body already caked in Krimling blood, a second javelin in hand.

  Not one to waste the opportunity, Jacqueline surged to her feet, throwing several Krimling off of herself. Her dagger cut through a distracted head as she rose, and she wildly kicked another, sending it crashing into one of its comrades.

  At the same time, Loid charged forward. Several of the Krimling changed target to him, shrieking as they scampered through the mud. As the first leapt up at his head, he swung his javelin like a bat, catching the beast in the side and snapping its spine. The second managed to leap onto his arm, but a dagger flew into the back of its head, causing it to fall lifelessly; Loid raised the javelin over his head and swung it down at the third, mercilessly crushing it.

  Two Krimling jumped at Jacqueline in unison, coming form either side. She swung one leg around in a roundhouse kick, catching the first with the upward motion and sending it flying into the toxic brush, caving in the second’s skull with her falling heel. A third made to lunge at her feet, but Loid ran in to intercept it, javelin hefted over his shoulder. He swung it in a similar motion to a golf club, breaking the beast’s teeth and sending it soaring into a rock.

  The remaining Krimling shrieked meekly or barked orders at each other, backing away from the united couple. Loid felled a lone attacker with a thrust as Jacqueline retrieved one of her daggers; he handed the other back to her as they stood back-to-back.

  Jacqueline: “What’s this about your wife?” Smiling grimly, she spoke between pained breaths. “I don’t remember getting married. You cheating on me?”

  Loid: “If I was, I wouldn’t be here risking my life.” He reached for his first javelin, kicking the dead Krimling off either side of it. “Also, you’re the only woman I’ve ever met.”

  Jacqueline chuckled, looking out at the remaining Krimling. “I’m not against it, though. Would be nice to be official before we die.”

  As she spoke, the remaining Krimling cried out with a few sharp chirps and shrieks. Then, as if on cue, the next wave arrived—at least twenty, thirty, fourty Krimling surged through the ruined complex, climbing over each other and clawing at walls to try and get ahead.

  Loid adjusted his glasses. “Sorry to say, but we aren’t gonna die just yet.”

  Jacqueline gave him a curious glance—and then, a great thud shook the ruins.

  A building shattered into flying debris as a great object crashed down form the sky. A wave of Krimling were sent flying from the shockwave, and in the next moment, several massive skeletal fists slammed down around the crash site, reducing several more Krimling to red paste.

  ???: “There you are..! I found you, found you, found you, found you found you found you foundyoufoundyoufoundyoufoundyoufoundyou I FOUND YOUUU!”

  Rising amid the dust cloud, with tears running down its face, a child roared out in glee and licked its lips.