CHAPTER 22

Katarina signaled her. "Stairs." She whispered, and Sasaki touched the wooden hilt of her sword with a fingertip. Katarina knelt at the foot of the stairs, boots gritting in the soft dirt that covered the catacomb floor. Something was amiss, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. A crawling, sliding, whispering sense of danger she couldn’t pin down.

"What is it?" Sasaki breathed at the taller woman, who shook her head, and gestured meaninglessly. Katarina then moved backwards a few steps, forcing Sasaki back.

"What is it?" Sasaki repeated the question.

"I can’t pin it down." Katarina whispered back. "Something’s up with the stairs." She passed a trembling hand down her face, and Sasaki realized the other woman was scared.

"A trap?" Sasaki asked, and Katarina shook her head and shrugged. "A monster?" Sasaki asked, and Katarina shook her head again.

Sasaki gestured at the stairs, and Katarina nodded.

Sasaki creeped to the foot of the stairs, peering into the gloom. The stairs were covered in fallen cobwebs and dirt and debris. She peered up the stairwell, and then the wall, followed the wall up to the ceiling, which was shrouded in complete darkness.

"We’re going to need light." She advised, and Katarina nodded, and passed her the small pouch of brass marbles that had been imbued with spells that produced a magical light.

Sasaki pulled out a marble and tossed it, watching it flare to a cold, clear brilliance as it arced through the air and hit the wall near the stairs and stuck there. Sasaki had time for a confused thought- did they stick to walls? And then a horror descended from the ceiling.

Katarina shrieked once, shockingly, as the gigantic spider descended from a silk cable as thick as her arm. It was twice as wide as a horse. Rugose eyes like bubbles of black tar glared in indiscriminate hate at everything. Legs twice as long as Katarina was tall pawed the stairwell, spiny bristles scraping and scratching at the flooring as the thing tried to shift its enormous bulk.

Sasaki fell on her ass numbly as the monster landed. She couldn’t say anything. She couldn’t do anything. Her whole body was numb and unresponsive.

Katarina fired, and her shot was true; one of the things’ eyes exploded, spraying ichor and strange insectile fluids everywhere. She fired a second time, but Sasaki couldn’t tell if it hit. Katarina shrieked and fired again, and with a strange, disconnected, dreamlike quality, Sasaki watched as Katarina swung her sword at one of the things’ legs. Watched as a spine was sheared off and the sword bit into the chitinous exoskeleton with little effect.

Katarina yanked her sword free, and turned to Sasaki. "Get up!" She shrieked in pure terror, and swung again at the thing’s leg.

Sasaki dreamily pushed with her hands in the dirt, trying to get to her feet. Everything seemed suffused with fog. Her body had dumped so much adrenaline into her body she couldn’t move. Her arms and legs seemed filled with sand and her head was stuffed in cottony clouds. She recognized the feeling as the same when she had a nightmare as a child and her mind seized on that with panicky need. Yes, this was a nightmare, a bad dream, and soon she’d wake from it, shaky and nervous, but safe in her bed.

Katarina grabbed Sasaki’s ponytail and yanked hard; the pain cleared the fog of fear from her mind momentarily. Sasaki scrambled to her feet and fell down again.

"Back, back!" Katarina yelled, yanking on Sasaki’s arm as the thing tried to squeeze itself into the hall, which was significantly smaller than the massive stairwell where it had grown over the past century.

Sasaki stumbled after Katarina as they retreated down the hallway. Awareness seeped into Sasaki’s consciousness as the fog of terror lifted.

"Katarina, what the fuck was that?!" She shrieked at the taller woman, who wordlessly shook her head, her long white braid swinging wildly.

They retreated all the way back to the witches’ room where they collapsed against each other.

"Sasaki, buy me some time; I have to reload." Katarina begged, and Sasaki took hold of her sword, which had been completely forgotten. Sudden clarity and calm forced itself through everything, stilling her wildly hammering heart with painful force, forcibly pressing down on her lungs as she struggled to breathe. Her body’s natural response to fear was struggling with the hypnotically induced calm triggered by readying her sword. She staggered under the pain, savagely bearing down on her sword hilt and stepping out of the doorway and peering down the hall.

"It-it’s stuck." Sasaki breathed. "It can’t get into the tunnel." Sasaki called out as Katarina reloaded. "We might have a chance!" Sasaki called.

"Maybe." Katarina breathed and patted her chest. "I can’t breathe." She whispered. "I’ve never been so terrified in my life." She admitted, and Sasaki laughed.

"Please, you’ve faced worse odds." She replied flippantly. "That mage at Higgenfal- the one with those disgusting freaks. You were rock-solid without hesitation." She reminded the taller woman. "That was way worse."

Katarina shook her head. "That was-" She started, but shook her head. "That was different. I had the Goddess with me." She replied shakily, and Sasaki gave her a amazed look of stupefaction. "And the Golden Lady isn’t with you now?" She argued. "You shot that thing three times and hit it with your sword twice and got away without a scratch! I can’t believe you!" She shouted angrily at the taller woman. "If I’d said that sort of bullshit to you, you would have slapped the shit out of me!" She shrieked in fury.

Katarina glared at her hotly, but nodded and slumped. "You’re right. I misspoke." She replied. "I need to pray."

Sasaki nodded as a spike of pain lanced through her head. Her body still struggled with the calming effect of her training.

"The eyes are a weak point, I guess." Sasaki mused. "Though it’s got plenty to go around. I doubt it even needs them, not in this lighting." She considered. "What do you think?" Sasaki asked. "The webs?" She asked, and Katarina nodded. "The webs. It probably reacts to the vibrations and attacks." She agreed.

Gripping her bared sword by the handle, Sasaki closed her eyes and ran her fingers lightly down the side of the blade. "I am the blade." She whispered, as if in prayer. "I am the sword. The sword knows no fear. The sword knows no doubt. The sword knows no hesitation." Katarina watched this with unaffected curiosity. "I can do this." Sasaki affirmed, opening her eyes. "I can cut that thing down."

Katarina got up. "Pumping yourself up?" She asked, and Sasaki nodded.

Katarina nodded back. "Myself as well. That thing is horrific."

Sasaki struggled a moment, and then spoke up. "I will strike first. You’ve got range; you hang back and back me up with your gun and then charge in if we haven’t finished it off."

Katarina nodded. "I can agree to that." She said after a moment. Sasaki nodded in agreement, and the two of them set off down the hall, Sasaki trotting lightly. She scooped up a piece of bone that had fallen from one of the crypts set into the wall and tossed it into the stairway. The titanic spider dropped down as if waiting for them, and Sasaki bolted ahead, sprinting as fast as she could. As she hit the stairs she pushed off with her foot, hit the wall and ran up the side of it with eerie grace, as if it was the easiest thing in the world, as if gravity itself ceased to work correctly.

As she ran up the wall, the thing awkwardly tried to turn in the stairwell to face her; Sasaki leapt off the wall, sword already drawn back for a strike.

The momentum built up from her incredible dash up the wall, coupled with her pounce straight down lent extra force to her strike, already boosted with her wiry strength. In the uncertain light, her blade was a glimmering line that seemingly slipped through the spider’s thorax with the ease that Katarina would part a curtain with her fingertips.

Sasaki’s momentum carried her across the stairwell, where she hit the opposite wall, bounced off, and rolled into the hall to fetch up against a crypt. Sasaki cried out with the impact and lay still as the two halves of the spider dropped wetly to the stairwell, horrid innards dumping out with a rank splash.

Katarina eyed the prone Yamato girl with near slack-jawed wonder. Sasaki had told her that her training bordered on the supernatural, and this was shocking evidence. Still, Sasaki hadn’t used any magic at all. Whatever ability she’d used, it had been exclusively her own strength and strength of will that had accomplished that unbelievable feat. Sasaki was unconscious; Katarina would let her rest a moment while she examined the kill.

Katarina examined the spider’s remains after scattering the illuminating marbles. It was shockingly gargantuan, but appeared no different from any normal giant spider that usually grew to the size of a dog. From the underbelly to the back, it was as tall as Sasaki, and the spined abdomen was larger still. It could have casually gulped Sasaki and Katarina down without much effort at all. Katarina breathed a shaky prayer of thanks to the Golden Lady as she passed through the remains.

Her foot hit something that clinked metallically; she stepped back and glanced down; a webbing-covered leather satchel lay snugly against the wall. Katarina freed the leather sack carefully and opened it and let out a startled laugh, rousing Sasaki.

Katarina turned back to Sasaki, who had moved to a sitting position and somehow sheathed her sword.

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"What is it, towhead?" Sasaki asked wearily as Katarina approached.

Wordlessly, Katarina dropped the sack at Sasaki’s feet with a clink of metal inside. Sasaki gave her a dour look and wearily opened the bag, and snorted. "What is this, silver?" She asked, and Katarina nodded. "Near as I can tell. Silver coins. They’re stamped with a hammer. I don’t recognize the sigil. They might be an older Urthan coin, or something else." She added.

Sasaki lifted the sack experimentally and grunted under the weight. "Heavy."

Katarina nodded. "Not as valuable as steel, but still worth something. We’ll take it with us." She advised, and Sasaki shook her head. "You carry it."

Katarina frowned down at the smaller woman. "You’re strong enough to carry something like that." She remarked, and Sasaki nodded. "Normally." She replied, and then admitted with a great deal of reluctance, "I think I broke a rib when I hit the wall." She finally revealed. "I’m not sure I’ll be much use to you."

Katarina smiled, and knelt. "I’m sure that’s not true. I’ve got a healing kit in my pack, what about you?" She asked, and Sasaki shrugged. Sasaki pulled out her own pack awkwardly, and Katarina pawed through it.

There was a simple knife, a leather strap covered in Yamato text that tingled with magic, a small pouch that contained a stoppered jar and a handful of silk cloths; Katarina identified that as Sasaki’s sword-cleaning kit. There was a small sewing kit with silk thread, a spool of silk that Sasaki used as a sarashi, and a spool of bandages that also tingled with magic.

Katarina took a breath and released it, and examined the leather strap with her enhanced senses; the leather strap was meant to enhance carrying strength. With this wrapped about the body, it might be possible to carry heavier things without encumbrance. Curious. Katarina set it down and picked up the bandages and subjected them to the same examination. It seemed as though the bandages were enchanted with a faint spell of magical healing.

"Put this on." Katarina suggested with a sour twist to her mouth. "It’s got a spell of healing on it. It’ll probably help." She suggested.

"Katarina, I’d have to wrap it like a sarashi, I think." She began wearily. "It hurts to breathe, and you want me to wrap a sarashi? You’re going to have to do it."

Katarina sighed. "I suppose I’ll have to. I only hope that the enchantment isn’t broken by me handling it."

"You don’t have to sound that disappointed to handle my breasts." Sasaki replied, and Katarina laughed.

"What, you want me to feel you up in this crypt?" Katarina laughed easily. "It would have been easier when we were in the baths at Higgenfal." she joked. "Hold still while I put the bandages on you."

Sasaki groaned as Katarina wound the bandages around her chest.

"We’ll rest a bit while the spell does its thing." Katarina advised, and wrinkled her nose at the rank, sour smell of the dead spider. "Hopefully it doesn’t take long."

Sasaki gestured at the spider. "Get me one of the spines from its leg, will you?" She asked, and Katarina frowned, but nodded, and snapped one off.

"Get a nice big one." Sasaki encouraged. Katarina looked at the one in her hand; it was nearly as long as her hand itself, from the heel of her thumb to her index finger. She returned to Sasaki and handed it over.

"What’re you going to do with that?" Katarina asked, and Sasaki grinned tiredly. "War trophy." Katarina grinned in return and Sasaki stuffed her things back into her pack.

"Help me up and let’s get on our way." She suggested, and Katarina obliged.

The staircase curved up and to the left; they climbed up to the next level with a little difficulty, the carpeting of webs tangling in their feet made the ascent slow going. By the time they made it to the next floor, Sasaki was feeling better.

"Doesn’t hurt as much, and I can breathe again." She reported. Her head jerked up. "What was that?" She asked, and Katarina cocked her head to the side.

"Not sure. Didn’t catch it." She replied. "What did you hear?"

Sasaki shook her head. "Don’t know; not sure. Sounded like a scrape. Like something dragging on stone." She replied.

Katarina took a moment to check the loads on her gun. "Well, let’s go." She advised and Sasaki grimaced. "It must be dark by now." Sasaki grumbled.

"Where’s my roast pork?" Katarina complained with a smile.

"And beer, can’t forget that." Sasaki suggested with a smile.

"Who could?" Katarina accused.

"Do you have some?" Sasaki asked. "I’m getting hungry."

"Well, there’s some of that jerky." Katarina replied, and Sasaki grimaced. "Bah." She complained.

At the top of the stairs, the corridor opened to two hallways, one to the right, and one that led straight ahead.

"Which direction?" Sasaki asked, and Katarina took a moment to focus her senses.

There was a sense of magic being used to the right, a pulse and ebb that felt like some intricate magical mechanism.

"Straight ahead." She suggested. "We have business on the right, but we’ll get to that."

They took a step forward, and Katarina heard a scrabble of claws on stone back down the stairs.

"‘Ware." Katarina called, drawing her gun. "Something’s coming up the stairs."

Sasaki turned smoothly, lowering herself, hand on the pommel of her sword.

The two firedrakes scrambled up the stairs, occasionally getting tangled in the webbing and screeching at each other.

Sasaki glanced up and back at Katarina.

"Seems like you’ve got some friends." She remarked as the firedrakes made their way up the stairs and stopped, coming chest-level with Katarina.

"Look at you two." She cooed with a gentle smile. They hissed and clicked at each other. "What brings you here?" She asked curiously. "You had your meal, right?" She asked, and they growled and made some sort of chattering noise.

"Ran out of food, is it?" Katarina asked curiously. Sasaki did a double take at the taller woman.

"You understand them?!" she blurted, and they hissed at her. Sasaki immediately released her sword and raised her hands, taking a nervous step backward.

"Not really." Katarina replied. "I think it’s safe to assume, though. That corpse was almost clean. We did them a favor by killing the spider for them."

"And that snake-haired witch." Sasaki reminded her. Katarina nodded. "That too."

"So they’re hungry?" Sasaki asked, eyeing the two firedrakes warily.

"Hopefully not for us." Katarina replied comfortably.

"You going to sing to them again?" Sasaki asked sardonically.

"What do you think? Would you like that?" She asked the two, who eyed each other, and shouldered self-importantly past the two women and moved with a strange rolling gait down the hall Katarina had picked a moment earlier.

"Guess not." Sasaki answered Katarina, patting the taller woman and following after the two drakes.

"Everyone’s a critic." Katarina muttered, and followed after them.

The drakes waddled ahead of the two women, heading down the corridor confidently. They rounded a corner ahead, and screeched an alarm, leaping backwards with an awkward grace. Katarina jerked her gun free of her holster and Sasaki readied her sword; the two drakes began spitting fire at something beyond their sight.

Something roared with a furious shout that pressed Sasaki and Katarina back with tangible force. The two drakes screeched their own challenge in retaliation, but it seemed weak and paltry in comparison. The two drakes spat fire rapid-fire now; Katarina flew around the corner, one hand on her hat to keep it from flying off.

Several gigantic minotaurs thundered down the hall towards the drakes; one had fallen, testament to the drakes’ fire. The biggest was easily nine feet tall. The lead minotaur carried a titanic tree branch like a massive club; he swung it ponderously as he stomped down the hall. As Katarina raised her gun, the drakes set the branch alight with fire.

Sasaki ran around the corner and barked out a shout of surprise; Katarina fired, catching the minotaur in the throat. The minotaur immediately stumbled, grabbing its neck; the two drakes screeched in victory and hit it several more times with flaming spittle.

There were two more; one drake spat a small glob of flaming spittle that splattered impotently across the dirty stone floor, shook its head, and bolted back the way it came, its brother scampering after.

"Guess it’s up to us." Sasaki observed, and Katarina nodded.

Katarina’s first shot caught the minotaur in the belly; Katarina observed with clinical detachment that it was female; her final shot blowing out its knee.

"Reloading!" Katarina called, but Sasaki simply dashed forward, sword already out. She pounced forward, blade flickering, and cursed as a chunk of horn hit the wall and whickered past Katarina. Sasaki swung again, and split open the minotaur’s face down to the bone. Sasaki rolled back as the thing snatched at her, momentarily opening up Katarina’s line of fire.

Katarina fired, and the bullet smashed into the minotaur’s face, dropping it.

"Any more?" Katarina called, and Sasaki rubbed her head.

"What?" She shouted.

"Any more?" Katarina yelled, and Sasaki shook her head. "I can’t hear anything! That gun makes my fucking ears ring!" She shouted.

Katarina let out a breath. There was a pile of three huge minotaur corpses, furred, horned, and cloven-hoofed. She opened her gun and reloaded, and as she did, a fourth, smaller minotaur raised up behind the bodies and charged Sasaki.

"Sasaki, look out!" Katarina screamed, snapping off a shot from her gun wildly. Sasaki pivoted and had a moment to scream as the minotaur slammed into her with apocalyptic force.

The impact sent Sasaki rolling across the floor limply; the minotaur tried to get to his feet, but struggled; Katarina’s round had taken him in the neck. Blood gushed and splashed in the hall. Katarina snapped off a shot and obliterated the thing’s face.

"Sasaki!" Katarina screamed, and turned the smaller girl over. "Oh Goddess, don’t let her be dead, Oh please heal her, Lady, I swear, I’ll do anything, just don’t let her die." She prayed over and over, cradling Sasaki’s limp form.

"By the Goddess, Katarina." Sasaki complained. "I’m not dead yet, but I think I’d pick it over this." She groaned. "I hurt everywhere." She complained.

"You stupid Yamato." Katarina gushed frantically.

"Either kiss me or kill me Witch Hunter, because I ain’t going anywhere." Sasaki groaned. Katarina embraced the smaller woman in a tight hug.

The two drakes waddled back, and eyeing the two women, attacked the corpses with savage delight, tearing skin and hide and gulping down large chunks of flesh.

After a long moment where Sasaki relished the Witch Hunter’s embrace, Sasaki patted Katarina’s back. "I’m all right, Katarina." She whispered. "I just hurt everywhere."

Katarina let the smaller woman up, who eyed the drakes’ savage hunger with distaste.

"They’ll eat anything, won’t they?" Sasaki observed.

"Seems that way. Let’s leave them to their meal and see what’s beyond those bodies."

Katarina and Sasaki got up and moved past the bodies into a rough camp set up by the minotaurs. Further down the hall was a long flight of stairs; a cool breeze wafted down.

"Well, we found the way out." Sasaki reported.

"Still have the other passage to clear out." Katarina reminded Sasaki.

"Oh bog off. We’ve earned this." Sasaki complained.

"The other passage had magic." Katarina replied, and Sasaki frowned.

"You’re shitting me. You’re just saying that to keep me here." She argued, and Katarina shook her head.

"Fuck." Sasaki spat with savage vehemence, and reluctantly turned away. "Fine, fine." She complained.