--Point of View: Crim--
It was so nice to be free again. The runed chains the Old Ones had used to restrain me were now torn to pieces. Nevertheless, my body was still sore from being restrained, beaten, and overall, just abused for the entire time I had been locked up. Now that I could move again though, I took a big stretch and just smiled. Freedom felt wonderful.
“How do you feel?” asked Katie from the far corner of the room where the door stood.
“I feel a little sore but I’m just happy to be rid of those chains.” I replied, stretching once more. “A few bruises still from Commander Ozark but they are healing fast.”
“Glad to hear it. Now, if you could do the honors.” she added, gesturing to the door.
I smiled, still missing a tooth, and made my way over to assist Katie. Ever since our previous adventure into the abandoned facility, I had gotten very good at opening doors. Actually, I was good at opening most things if I simply pushed hard enough. Brute strength was useful for a lot of things and this body had an ample supply of it.
“It would be my pleasure.” I smiled, my tongue flicking across my broken tooth. It was growing back fast but still felt really odd. I was not a fan.
I planted my feet at the base of the door and plunged my claws into one of the corners. Once I had a firm grip on it, I pealed it upwards and clamped down tightly with my maw. From there, I just continued to roll and pull the door out of the frame. It did not matter if the door regenerated and repaired itself if it was no longer in its frame. With only a minute’s work, the door was tossed to the side with little effort.
“I have seen you do this a dozen times over and it still baffles me.” Katie commented as she eyed the now useless door, flinching as it banged onto the floor.
“Practice makes perfect.” I replied before returning to a more serious demeanor. “We need to hurry. I don’t know how much time we have. Hopefully that lady was right, and everyone is still okay.” I said with some urgency as I poked my head out the door to stare down the hall.
“Agreed. I know I came from the left hall, but I lost track about halfway here. Every damn hallway looks the same here. We may have to rely on your nose again for this one. Worked pretty well last time.” she added, glancing down the hall with me.
I took a deep breath and let the air penetrate my nostrils, holding it for a moment before exhaling slowly. I grimaced as the smell of the Old One guards filled my senses. It was not pleasant. There was something else though. Not a smell, but another feeling. There was a noticeable trace of mana in the air. It was not enough to cause any harm but was still fairly noticeable. This body was very sensitive to these things.
“I can detect a lot of mana in the air. Could that mean we are close to a reactor or maybe even the gate? They both had a similar smell back at the laboratory.” I asked Katie, turning back to look at her.
“I mean, that is probably a good guess. This ship needs power like anything else so there is bound to be a reactor here somewhere. As for the gate, well. I hope that is the case. We need to find it.” She replied as she closed her eyes. “I passed it earlier when Ozark dragged me away from the others, but I wasn’t in any condition to make note of it.
“He did what!” I snapped, instantly furious as the thought of Commander Ozark harming Katie.
“Woah, slow down. Now is not the time. I’m fine.” she quickly added. “We need to focus.”
“You’re right.” I sighed, taking a deep breath to calm myself, “It’s coming from down this hallway. We are probably going to have to take this slow. You could probably manage to sneak around just fine but I am a bit more noticeable.” I commented, looking down at my large, crimson fur covered self. I really was out of place anywhere I went.
“True, but at least you are fast. If we take it slow at the crossings it will be fine, I think.” She said, patting me on the side. “Plus, you can just maul anybody who sees us.”
She had a point. The regular guards were no match for me but eventually I would become outnumbered if the alarm was set off again. I wanted to avoid that at all costs. Not to mention it would be mission over if Ozark got involved again. I did not stand a chance against him right now. He was just too strong. The only other major problem was protecting Katie. Taking care of myself was one thing but she was far more fragile than I. What could I do? Would that work? I thought about it for a moment and decided it was our best shot.
“Katie, climb onto my back.” I said quickly, kneeling so I was closer to the ground. The look she gave me was one of surprise.
“What? Are you sure? I know you gave me a ride once before but…” she rambled, looking up at me.
“I am very sure. Having you close is going to be my best shot at protecting you. My body is the best shield we have at the moment. Just hang out tight and keep low. If things turn for the worse, leap off and flee.” I explained to her, wanting her to understand.
“I mean, you are right about that. Just wish I could help a bit more.” She replied, throwing one leg over my back, and gripping onto my fur.
“Well, I would still be stuck in that room without you. That was a lot of help.” I added, waiting for her to situate herself before rising back up. “You ready?”
“Ready as I am going to be.” She whispered, hunkering down flat against my back.
I bounded down the hall as fast as I felt I could safely go and still be able to stop with short notice. The hallways were long with doors spaced evenly apart and luckily for us. Thankfully for us, they all remained closed as we passed. For a moment, I feared they would slide open as we approached like they did on Draya’s ship. That would have been another whole issue to contend with.
The further along we got, the stronger the scent of mana became. The reactor had to be close by. It was a bit concerning though the more I thought about it and Katie seemed to be picking up on it too.
“Crim, I know you said you can sense the mana in the air, but I want to know why.” She whispered in my ear as we traveled. “You never mentioned it before, and I find it odd that this place reeks of something that is potentially dangerous if left unchecked.”
“I was wondering the same thing. Last time I could only detect mana from the reactors when I was in the same room as them. The amount I’m sensing right now is like being back in my old body traveling inside the mana forest. It almost feels humid.” I added, trying to expunge some of the smell from my nose which had begun to tingle.
“Agreed. I have this weird feeling I cannot explain.” Katie described, confirming my suspicion.
To those not trained in manipulating the flow of mana, its presence could cause an almost paranoia like effect in people. The most common thing I heard when I guided people through the woods was the constant feeling of being watched. Once proper training was performed, the feeling quickly diminished and became as natural as anything else. Everyone in my time went through this process at an early age and those that were found to be adept at it were given the chance to continue their training.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“The feeling is normal. You just are not used to this amount of mana in the air. Just do your best to stay calm.” I instructed as we bounded past another corridor.
We traveled for another five minutes without much trouble before we came to our first real hurdle. The long corridor came to an end with a very large steel door blocking our path. It stretched the width of the corridor and looked very secure.
“Well, do we go in?” I asked, craning my neck around to look at Katie who had sat upright when we came to a stop.
“If you’re sure that’s the right way we don’t really have a choice, do we?” she asked, eyeing the door up and down. “I’m just worried about what may be on the other side.”
“This is definitely it. I can feel it.” I said with a shiver. The mana was growing strong. “Think you can get it open? I don’t think I’m forcing my way through this door in a timely manner.” I asked.
“Hmm, only one way to find out I suppose. Get me closer to the door panel” she said, pointing to the controls just right of the door.
I nodded and brought her as close as I could. She managed to reach out and just barely touch the panel with her fingers before speaking the needed words.
“Unlock and Open” she said quietly, watching the door eagerly.
I was surprised, not only by the fact the door happily slid open but by the use of mana from Katie. When did she learn that? My curiosity would have to wait though because as soon as the door opened, I had to immediately slink down onto my belly. The room did in fact house the reactors, but also half a dozen Old Ones. They all appeared to be working so thankfully they didn’t notice the door opening.
The room was one big circle with the reactors situated in the center, all separated by a large glass dome. A glass door leading into this center chamber was carelessly left open while everyone worked. That would explain the excess mana in the air. It was then that I felt Katie fidget and pull on my fur. She must have noticed something or wanted to leave. I went with the latter.
I scooted closer to the door controls, still crouched low, so Katie could quickly close the door. The Old Ones seemed too busy to take notice. I imagined they were probably rushing along with the threat of Ozark on their mind. As soon as the door was closed, both me and Katie glanced around nervously. Everything seemed to be clear. That was close.
“Crim, did you notice those reactors?” she asked quickly, the excitement in her voice returning for the first time in a while. She loved learning new things, especially if it was related to the Old Ones.
“They are kind of hard to miss and I have seen a couple at this point.” I replied, not nearly as enthusiastic as she was. If anything, the fact they could blow up made me not want to be around them.
“No, I meant did you see how different and beat up they were? They looked like they had been repaired hundreds of times and badly at that. I expected everything to be in tip top shape like the rest of this ship. It seems odd.” She explained further.
“I guess I did not notice but is it really that surprising? Even in my time, upkeep was dependent on whoever was hired or on-hand to perform repairs. I personally was horrible about keeping my sword sharpened while my boots were always polished.” I said with a grin. My wife had bought me those boots. The sword I found stuck in a tree one day.
“I suppose but it is just so weird when you compare it to how pristine the laboratory was back down on the planet.” Katie commented.
“Ozark did mention they fled their home in a hurry. Perhaps they left a lot behind.” I remarked quietly, thinking back to the conversation we had had previously.
“Wait, what?” Katie asked, scooting up on my back to lean in closer.
“I will explain later. Now is not the time. We still have no idea where we are, and we cannot afford to be standing still for long. It is too risky.” I countered, not wanting to waste any more time.
“You are right. We need to focus on finding the others again but like I mentioned earlier, we also need to find the gate. It must be nearby. The last one was within walking distance of the reactors. Let’s at least check the surrounding rooms.” She commented.
I nodded.
“We cannot get out of here without the gate so it should come first.” I replied, moving back down the hallway to the nearest door.
As we approached the doorway, Katie reached out and whispered the needed words to activate it. It slid open with no complaints, much like before. I was almost a little disappointed.
“I guess that works too.” I said with a feint of annoyance. It was probably better this way.
“Well at this point I am pretty sure a mangled door is a good sign you have been around. Best to stay discrete, remember?” she explained, patting me on the back.
“Good point, let us go.” I agreed.
The first couple of rooms we checked were uneventful. They were mostly used for storage, and a few were just completely empty. It was not until we made our way further around that we found what we were searching for. A door opened to a long corridor with what looked like the gate sitting at the far end. I took a step forward but quickly backed out, sliding out of site of the doorway. I could hear people at the end.
“Crim, what is wrong? Did you hear something?” Katie asked, her voice low.
“Yes. There are at least two guards at the gate. Maybe three. I can’t be sure.” I responded, my ears dancing about as they struggled to listen in.
“That makes sense. Of course they would have some guards stationed here.” She replied.
“I could probably take them out quickly and clear the way.” I added, tilting my head.
“No, we do not want to risk it quite yet. If they were discovered before we made it back here, they may catch on to our plan and disable it. It would probably be best to deal with the guards when we arrive back here with the others.” Katie explained carefully, whispering in my ears.
“That settles it then.” I said, taking in a deep, long breath. “Now we just need to find the others again.
The search started again as we both came to agreement. We would find the others, return here, and hopefully seize control of the gate for just long enough to return home. It was our best shot at escaping.
Returning to the others had proven to be difficult at first, but by sheer luck I managed to pick up their scent wafting down a corridor we passed. I slid to a stop and whipped my head around.
“Found them!” I said, turning back to Katie who was beginning to look disgruntled.
“Good, because I was trying to keep track of where we had been and was failing miserably. Let’s get going!” she replied.
We zoomed down the hallways, making a few turns here and there until we came to a stop in front of the prison cell. Everyone was still alive and in one piece. Katie looked so relieved when we returned. It was good to see they were all okay. Some of them were weary of my presence, nobody really believing the story Katie had told them about me previously. A giant red wolf? I do not blame them at all. They did eventually come around with some coaxing.
“Okay everyone, listen up.” Yelled Robert to silence the chatter that had abrupted with our return. “Katie and Crim here have a plan to get us off this ship so give them your full attention.”
The room went quiet, and all eyes were on us. Katie began to explain the plan.
“Okay everyone. As you all probably know by now, we are on an Old One ship. I know it is crazy, but if we stick together there is a chance we get out of this alive. We have located a gate which can hopefully take us back home.” She started to explain.
"What is a-" one of the crew members started to ask before Katie, expecting this question, cut them off.
“A gate. It is essentially a teleporter. I know, sounds made up. We are dealing with technology we have not even started to comprehend. We are outgunned and outmatched in almost all areas, but we do have a few things going for us. They greatly underestimate us, and we have Crim. I know he is kind of scary looking, but he is on our side and could probably fight a small army if he had to.” Katie continued, resting a hand on my shoulder.
I simply nodded in agreement. I felt it was a better idea to leave the explaining to her.
“We are going to wait for the next patrol to arrive and serve everyone before making our escape. That should give us enough time between guards to put some distance between us and here. We will then head for the gate and Crim will deal with anybody there. We then input our coordinates home and take our leave.” She finished, taking a deep breath. Like I thought, a much better job than I would have done.
The room was silent for a moment before a few people started to speak up with questions and concerns.
“That sounds like a good way to lead us all to our death.” Replied one private towards the back.
“Do we even know if this gate thing will take us home?” said another.
The room started to erupt in chaos as the seed of doubt was being spread. I could tell Katie was starting to stress as she frantically attempted to answer and extinguish everyone’s concerns. It was getting far too out of hand though, so I stepped up.
“Enough!” I barked, the sound reverberating in my chest. The room went dead quiet as everyone’s head spun around to face me.
They all looked terrified. All besides Katie, Tom, and Robert that is.
“You all are behaving like foolish children. Katie is here doing her best to rescue all of you. If anybody else has an idea perhaps you should speak up. Otherwise, you will all do what she says. The alternative is to sit here and wait for the Old One’s to tire of you. You are nothing in their eyes. A bug. An annoyance. They will not hesitate to kill you.” I instructed, wanting to be firm but not scare them any more than I already had.
“I agree with you both, though I do have one big concern.” Called Tom who emerged from the back of the room.
“Go ahead Tom.” Answered Katie.
“Your plan is probably our best shot. I agree with you there but what is stopping them from following us through the gate?” he asked with a very worried face.