An hour later they hovered outside a cavern, voices and laughter echoing from within. Ein’s muscles screamed in protest as he edged forward alone. What he was about to do went against every instinct he had, but their need for food had grown desperate.
He peered into the cavern, drawn to a steady light on the right. An electric lantern illuminated a wide circle where six men sat, their shadows dancing against the rough walls. Ein exhaled slowly, steeling himself for what might come next.
“Hello! We’re passing through, looking to trade for food if you have any!” Ein called out, raising an empty hand as he stepped into view.
A squat man with dangerous eyes shot to his feet, brandishing a steel pipe. “Careful now, friend.” He squinted at Ein through the dim light. “Are you truly just here to trade?”
“Yes, friend. I have no wish for violence between us today,” Ein replied, keeping his crystal sword lowered but ready.
“Do I have your word?”
“Of course.” Ein turned and beckoned to his group.
The four of them approached cautiously. Ein produced a small crystal and held it out to the group’s apparent leader—a pale man with a nasty scar across his cheek and long blonde hair that contrasted with his patchy beard.
“We have medical supplies, crystals, and cryo,” Ein said, watching as the man’s face split into an unsettling grin.
“We could use some of that. Here, have some jerky while we deal.” The scarred man’s cheerfulness felt forced. “We have more, plus some canned foods.”
Ein accepted and distributed strips of dried meat to his group. His stomach growled as he took his first bite. By the second bite, something felt wrong. The other leader’s expression had shifted to something predatory.
“So we’ll trade two pieces of jerky and one can of food for every two crystals and two bottles of cryo.” The man casually tossed Ein’s crystal to one of his companions.
“Did you make this jerky yourselves? The flavor is…distinctive,” Ein said, forcing lightness into his tone while his grip tightened on his sword.
“We did! It’s how we’ve survived so long. Of course, not everyone can stomach eating human but—”
Ein’s crystal sword swept forward without conscious thought, cleaving through the man’s skull. The top half of his head flew off, spraying blood as the twitching corpse collapsed onto one of his companions.
Behind him, Zia’s scream dissolved into retching. Jav dropped to his knees, violently throwing up. Tin blanched before hurling her piece of meat aside, rage twisting her features as she raised her club and stepped up beside Ein.
The five surviving men scrambled for weapons—pipes and jagged metal shards—but Ein wouldn’t let them escape. His fury carried him forward as he speared a thin man through the back, then sent another sprawling with a savage punch.
Tin’s club connected with a sickening crunch, breaking one man’s arm. She cursed as another tackled her. The last man ignored the still-heaving Jav and charged toward Zia.
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No! Ein’s mind screamed. He slashed his current opponent across the chest and kicked him down, but he was too far away.
The burly, grime-streaked man had already pinned Zia, pressing a pipe against her throat. Ein sprinted forward, sword forgotten, left hand reaching out. He almost missed Zia’s desperate scrabbling at the man’s belt.
As Ein grabbed the attacker’s greasy black hair, the man jolted and coughed. Ein yanked him off Zia, eyes widening at the jagged metal knife protruding from the man’s chest. He turned back to Zia, heart heavy.
She trembled violently, crimson staining her tattered tunic. Tears cut clean tracks through the blood spattered on her face. Ein verified the other attackers were down before crouching beside her.
“You did excellent,” he said softly, helping her to her feet.
“I…killed a man.” Her voice quavered.
“And I’m sorry you had to. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you from that.” Ein’s voice was gentle but firm. “But it had to be done.”
She looked up at him, eyes wide and wet. “Why?”
“Why did you retch when you realized what you’d eaten?” Ein held her gaze, his expression hardening.
“Because it was horrific and vile and wrong?”
“What do you think would have happened if we’d let them live? Or if we’d made it clear we only wanted the canned food?”
“They…they would’ve killed and eaten more humans?”
He squeezed her shoulder, nodding grimly. “Hel holds enough atrocities without humans adding to it. Maybe we’ve saved future groups from a nasty end.”
She fell silent but continued trembling. Ein turned to the others. “Jav, Tin, help gather anything useful and the canned food. We need to move—all that noise will draw attention.”
Twenty minutes later, they chose a random corridor and set off. Their spoils included fresh clothing, twelve cans of food, and two canteens of water. Jav had found some small mechanical devices that seemed to distract him from their grim encounter. Tin’s mood lifted as she distributed four cans among them.
They ate in silence as they walked, a heavy cloud of disgust and regret hanging over them. They’d avoided killing humans for so long—and even though these ones had been monsters, it still felt wrong.
Ein finished his can of vegetables, ignoring the metallic taste of the black liquid they floated in. Still better than rat. His satisfied stomach let him focus on what lay ahead. He watched Zia practically inhale her portion before falling into step between himself and Jav, while Tin took point.
The Change struck just as their nerves began settling. The corridor’s ceiling started collapsing mere feet behind Ein.
“Run!” He lunged forward to deflect a falling pipe aimed at Zia.
She cringed but sprinted past Jav. Ein let the pipe clatter down and ran—though his exhausted muscles made it more of a controlled stumble.
“One thing after another, right guys!” Tin’s breathless laugh held an edge of hysteria.
Behind them, metal screamed and roared. The corridor shook violently, nearly sending Ein sprawling. The cascade of destruction seemed to chase them, growing louder with each step.
Ein roared and forced himself faster, sliding his sword into his belt. He scooped up Jav under his left arm, then Zia with his right. His muscles shrieked in protest, sweat pouring down his face, but somehow he pushed on, right behind Tin.
They dodged falling debris for a full minute before bursting into an immense, narrow room. The shaking stopped with a final rumble that sounded disturbingly like laughter. Where they’d entered, there was now only solid wall.
Jav dropped to the ground, cursing between pants as he slumped against the wall. Ein set Zia down and drew his crystal sword for light.
Something about the cavernous hallway nagged at Ein’s mind. The floor tiles were unusually small, and the wall panels twisted with strange decorations. The ceiling vanished into darkness above, defying even Tin’s torch beam.
Ein raised his hand, halting the group. He knelt to study the tiles to their right, then pulled out a piece of metal scavenged from the cannibals. He tossed it onto the fourth of seven small tiles directly ahead.
A hiss split the air.
A metal rod longer than Jav’s spear shot from the left wall, embedding itself in the right with a shriek of steel. If someone had been standing there, it would have impaled them through the chest.
“I’ll say it for those thinking it—screw the gods, screw Hel, and screw this room,” Jav said with a hysterical, breathless laugh.
“Traps. It just had to be traps. This should be fun.” Tin’s tired grin didn’t reach her eyes as she moved up beside Ein.
“Fun…right,” Ein muttered, but he nodded to his group, bracing himself for whatever deadly challenges lay ahead.