All was quiet, and all eyes were to the skies as all gawked and stood in perfect silence. A silence that should have been more disconcerting and eerie under normal circumstances, but the lack of immediate obvious danger and the presence of immediate obvious awe inspiring sights overrode such weak notions such as caution. Eyes eventually wandered from the skies to the horizons, and to the desert just below in chilled night air. Thoughts raced, and words failed to form as everything here looked to be close enough to something they all recognized and yet not quite close enough.

“I was...unprepared for such an unearthly beauty…” Ixia finally broke the silence as she stared out at the vast scene only barely lit by the sky full of moons and stars.

“And now you know how I felt in the forest seeing you.” Cormac didn’t take his eyes off the sky, though a smile had already curled the corners of his mouth.

A delayed realization later and a chorus of groans and audible eye rolls and at least one “aww” drowned out the silence of the alien desert night and almost drowned out one giggle that accompanied the tightening of a hand around the Guardian’s despite the Dryad not even remembering taking his hand.

The silent reverie had been broken up enough for troubling thoughts to take their place of prominence once again. Dryad and Guardian shared a sweet smile between one another as the group of five strangers took a ready stance as they assessed the situation and the area at large. Which was quite the task given that this appeared to be an entire valley at the very least.

Independently of one another in their confused gawking and stares they would look back at a large slab of rock jutting out from the desert floor with a rectangular opening cut into it that led into the hallway they had just exited.

Of all the plants out in the Mojave that they may very well have just left, everything in here looked almost like them. Plants that looked close enough to cacti, though not like anything they had seen in any of the Great American Deserts. There were needles alright, so many needles, all arranged along the surface of these plants catching the lights of the night sky. The large spiraling mass of needles and dark green plant flesh reaching to the sky was proof enough for all of their situation.

Though there was a very notable perimeter of where all the plants stopped and grew no further.

“Well then…” Gene’s eyes were still scanning the horizon in the low light. “This would explain where all manner of Starminders have been getting their starlight...at least most of them…”

Ed let out a mirthless laugh. “Something like this? We might just be looking at the source for all of them.”

“Because they need starlight at night to keep living and not fade out!” Cormac said with triumph despite everyone not named Ixia casting a raised brow at him, to which he folded his arms across his chest. “Shut up, I’m new to this.”

“Well then, new guy-” The woman of fire squinted hard at the horizon with a serious face to betray her easier going tone of voice. “For that class of nasty and not so nasty things that need to bask in starlight? Cities drowning out the starlight kept them away for a long time, or at least kept them making only short trips. Recently though? They found a way to set up shop, and I think we just found out how.”

Ixia wandered closer to the spiraling towering colossus of plant needles, dragging Cormac with her and a concerned look crossing her brow. “Truly a strange place indeed...all the plants here feel...different. Like speaking in a strange dialect...and they...don’t often sense beings such as we?”

The group turned towards her with obvious apprehensive interest. “Where...have they seen such beings before?”

The dryad focused for a moment more before recoiling and gripping Cormac’s hand tighter, she turned with a look of shock to point back towards the rock they had just emerged from. “At the base...on the other side...where their roots can go no further...pain is felt, and the rare screams and aimless fleeing into the desert before they are dragged kicking and screaming back.”

The group of five drew weapons, fists, or readied fire in hand. Cormac held up his shovel as he led the slow advance, hand in hand with Ixia just before Gene insisted on taking the lead. Ashamed as they may be, the otherworldly sights had knocked the thought of what other things they had been searching for out of their minds. And with one short “talk” with the local plantlife, it had been handed to them once more on a blood soaked platter.

Slow steps took them closer until they spied a large stone cellar door just on the other side of the large rock outcropping. Another step and they heard a loud click ahead of them at the same time as the loud grinding of stone behind them. Several of them leapt back and the sounds rang out again. Cormac’s eyes shot open as he raced over to the entrance with Dryad in tow as they feared the way home had vanished.

Only to find it still open and looking exactly the same.

Abha and Akna joined them a second later as they all heaved a sigh of relief.

“It was a smart thing to worry about. All clear!” The first of the twins said before hollering out to her companions, with her sister continuing the thought. “Though that sound was troubling…”

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep an eye on it with my plants without taking myself out of...whatever encounter awaits us down in that cursed tomb of nightmares…” Ixia lamented with a sad glance over to where the rest of the group was standing. “We should hurry.”

Though they had no idea what the noises had been, the need to not leave any loose ends with the Gloomfang pushed them onwards and back towards the stone cellar as they were all on high alert again.

Which made all of them leap back as that same set of sounds rang out twice to have them all racing back towards the only way out of here that they know. Once again, the way home looked untouched with no signs of whatever noise it was that was being made over here. Confused glances were exchanged before Abha agreed to stay behind while all others were to make another slow advance towards the stone cellar.

Stolen novel; please report.

A slow advance that had everyone who was capable of doing so having beads of sweat form upon their brow in fear of whatever was going on here, and the possibility of being trapped here. The sounds rang out again as all froze and Abha cried out that the way home had slammed shut with not a single trace left. More horrified glances exchanged as they turned to go assess the situation, only for the sounds to return and the twin to shout that the threshold had opened once more.

Cormac scratched his head for a moment before his eyes widened. He unslung the duffel bag from around his back, holding it out in front of him as he walked it closer to the stone cellar. The loud noises returned, and Abha’s confusion started to drown out the fear in her voice of announcing the way back was once again gone. The Guardian pulled the duffel bag close to his chest as the rest of the group caught on with raised brows, hearing the sounds and Abha’s announcements on queue. He repeated the action twice more before Abha shouted out for some clarification on just what was going on.

“I have the grimmest key fob on Earth-...uh, wherever we are.” The redhead said as he slung the bag full of monster head onto his back once more. “And I’m guessing that cellar door is open, now that we are approaching. Gene, you still taking the lead into what’s probably a death trap?”

The silver skinned man’s eyes lit up as he took his place at the front of their formation again, with all members following now that the whole way home situation was better understood. Though as they all drew closer, the large man did hold out an arm to stop them all as he spoke.

“Guardian Cormac, I won’t ask that you part with your trophy.” He said with a worried smile. “But I will ask that if things go poorly, and you must run to protect your charge, that you take as many of my friends as you can with you.”

Cormac’s hand had found Ixia’s again as his mouth hung open for a moment before giving a curt nod and a semi-salute with his shovel. The group of five looked worried and distraught at this insistence and what it implied would be the likely course of events leading up to it as well as the conclusion.

Except for one.

“Gene if you try to pull some bullshit heroic sacrifice, I'm melting your knees and dragging you back myself.” Itra said through a death glare. “And that goes double for if there’s a movie quote involved! That goes for any of you!”

“Our flesh is not metal based and would burn rather than melt.” The twins said together with an understanding smile that said this was something fairly common and in no way as horrifying as Cormac and Ixia were assuming it to be with those terrified looks. “But thank you.”

The woman of fire held up a wagging finger. “Nuh-uh! I know my burns! There’s a point where your flesh just kinda turns to a molten goo right before it really starts to incinerate!”

Ed’s hands on his bow were the only thing stopping him from burying his face in them to suppress a scream. “Yeah yeah, love all of you, family I never had. Now let’s focus on ending this night, yeah?”

“Please do not melt any part of me or my girlfriend.” Cormac said with a tired sigh before muttering under his breath. “Fuck’s sake just be friends without weird ‘endearing’ threats of violence how hard is that…”

Ixia offered a small smile. “I have little doubt we shall all make it through this night now that we are working together. Let us all be cautious.”

Gene gave a final nod to Ixia, and a still scowling Itra that made him wince. The silver skinned man approached the stone cellar, flexing his hand a few times before reaching out for the stone handle, nodding to the readied group before yanking it open.

A cacophony of countless otherworldly moans and wails filled the night in the few seconds before he slammed it shut once more.

None spoke as they all stared at the stone door, Gene’s hand still gripping it tight.

“So I’m new to this, but uh…” Cormac hesitated, chewing on his lip. “That sounded like a lot, right? More than what I was expecting at least, which was still a large amount.”

“It did.” Gene stated, eyes fixed on where the cellar door met the stone frame.

“Um…” The redhead cleared his throat after looking to a very worried Ixia. “How many were you guys expecting?”

“Not that many.” Ed creaked out, eyes forward and throat drier than this desert they found themselves in.

“Okay then.” Cormac’s eyes focused on a small line of crushed obsidian set in the sand just in front of the stone protruding from the desert floor. Ixia met his eyes as they understood that they were in fact drawing closer to whatever answers they had a feeling were close. “And just to clarify, they’re all beyond saving at this point right?”

“Death would be their greatest mercy…” The woman of fire said with clenched fists just before two balls of flame burst to life in her palms. “Open the door, I’m torching everything down there until I pass out.”

Gene released the handle, turning to her with a sigh. “No. We still need answers to a few things before that’s all burned away. You’ve seen the obsidian, haven’t you?”

He pointed a silver finger to the line of it in the desert sands in front of the doorway. Everyone had seen it, only two had been paying much attention to it.

“If she was that desperate, she was no doubt trying to hide something. And we do need to make sure we’re leaving no loose ends.” He held up a hand to motion for her to simmer down, which she did after a moment and dulled her flames. “We shall need a lighter approach. At least until we check the place.”

“We could pacify some of them…”The twins started their offer with weak voices. “But the anguish is...too great for a large number. They have been twisted into something no longer human…”

Cormac had been chewing on his tongue as he weighed such award winning options such as ‘trying to lead a massive crowd of what could best be described as anguish zombies on a chase out of the depths and into non-desecrated desert where Ixia could wield the might of an alien death cactus’ or ‘try and hold that cellar door choke point for dear life as they hoped to deal with them in more controlled numbers’.

Though hearing about the lack of humanity gave him another terrible idea.

“Now when you say ‘no longer human’...would you say that makes them dumber?” The redhead asked, wincing at his own plan already.

The twins looked to each other and then to him. “Yes, quite instinctual.”

“So they would still fear the sight of their tormentor, right?” He continued, trying to think of a better plan.

Akna raised a brow. “More than anything their minds could process...yes?”

“Great...great. Got a bad plan...Gene, you’re about the right height.” Cormac said as he hefted the bag full of monster head off his back. “Also we need to go back into the house for some supplies.”

The silver skinned man tilted his head as his mouth hung open in visible concern. “What...am I the right height for?”