The air in the mine was stale. The scent of corroded metal was more abundant the further Enidri travelled. She kept her Ion Blade active as she traversed down the spiraling trail of orange stone that had been carved decades ago. Each footstep she took made a loud echo that traveled down the incessantly deep pit that was in the center of the mine. The only thing that separated Enidri and a steep fall were long metal chains that were secured to metal posts throughout the narrow walkway.
It wasn't long before she had descended beneath the doors that she had sealed. Enidri took a quick glance behind her, sighing as she looked at her handiwork one last time. Looks I've only got one option from here.
She continued her lonely march. A chunk of the of the walkway crumbled beside her, sending the rocks tumbling downwards into the abyss. Enidri quieted herself, waiting to listen to the sound they would make once they hit the ground. A few seconds passed. Then a few more. A shiver went through her body when the faint 'clack' came out of the chasm.
Despite the constant threat of an impending fall, Enidri marched onward. The light from her weapon allowed her to see the other side of the spiraling pathway and the black sludge that coated it. In her head she cursed, staring at the dark substance before begrudgingly moving forward. A faint cackling came from an enclave on the opposite side of the path.
The swordswoman heard the all-too familiar sound of Spittler revving up for a projectile attack. She raised her blade and protected herself by angling her blade in front of her body. Her assumption was correct. A barrage of steaming projectiles came her way. With some quick maneuvering she managed block most of the attacks, with the remaining blobs becoming stuck against the wall. However, the movement of her blade made her almost lose her footing. She stretched both of her hands out to regain her balance and positioned herself closer to the wall.
There's no way I'm going to be able to defend against another bombardment like that, she thought. Donva probably summoned these to capture me. If he wanted me dead, he'd just have another Ogre come out and drag me down the depths of the mine. Enidri stared into the small open section of the mine opposite her once more.
As she squinted her one eye, Enidri could see an outline take shape withing the shadows. Donva slowly stepped out of the darkness before fully revealing himself in the faint glow from the Ion Blade. His arms were crossed and on his face was a crooked smile. Standing beside him were the Spittlers that had unleashed the flurry of projectiles.
"Enidri!" he shouted. The echo from the long abyss between them played her name on repeat. "There's no point in trying to flee!"
"Likewise, Donva," she yelled back. "I sealed the entrance to the mine! Either one of us gets out of here or neither of us will!"
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"Now why would you do something like that?" he asked, tilting his head as he looked up with an endearing grin. "Trying to make up for all those years we missed out on?"
"What happened to you, Donva?" Enidri had a look of sorrow as she continued to wield her Ion Blade by both hands. "What happened to that big-eyed kid that wouldn't hurt anything even if his life depended on it?"
"I've grown, Enidri." He then pointed at his head with his finger. "Gotten smarter. There's a lot more at stake here than just us, Eni! The Essencima are going to take back what is rightfully theirs. I'm just here to facilitate that. To be on the right side of history."
"You've gone insane! Don't make me kill you, Donva! If it means keeping Ogres from roaming the streets and making sure Labrissoners don't have to worry about getting abducted and used as... living fuel... I'll do it!"
"But I don't want to do the same to you, big sis!" Donva stepped forward, putting one foot onto a large mass of sludge. “I’ve got bigger plans for you!”
“You never could fight, Donva! You think you’re newfound Affinity is going to be enough to stop me?” Enidri shouted back. She kept her weapon in both hands and pointed it at Donva. “While you were living it up in Scholburn, I was out here slaying Essencima just to get by! I know how to defend myself. Just because you’ve got these creatures working for you, I bet you still don’t know how to throw a proper punch!”
“Still jealous about that, Eni?” Donva shouted back, maintaining his smug presence. “I became a respected researcher while you spent your life slaving away in the dregs of Tersaia. It’s been years, Eni. I’m a different person now!” With a wave of his hand, the Essencima he summoned stepped forward and readied themselves to attack. “Leaders don’t need to fight when their soldiers are willing to do it for them.”
Enidri steeled herself by raising her Ion Blade for the impending torrent of Spittler puke. “Come on over so we can just... get this over with!” she barked back with her hand shakily clutching her weapon.
“If you insist!” His entire body then sank inside the mass of sludge like a rock through water. Enidri's guard lowered out of shock as she stared at the Gunk in awe. She blinked a few times, carefully leaning forward to get a better view of the enclave but only saw the Spittlers that he had left behind.
"I'm right here," said a deep whisper right next her ear. Enidri’s entire body froze. The quiet voice was followed by a cold and slimy hand taking hold of her wrist. She slowly turned her head sideways and saw Donva’s upper half jutting out of the wall. His torso protruded from where the Spittlers' vomit had landed. Ripples emerged from where his body stuck out. He maintained that same wicked smile as before. "Let's get rid of this, shall we?" The veiny parts of his pitch-black arms grew into thin tendrils that wrapped around the hilt of the Ion Blade.
"W-what?" Enidri muttered, unable to overcome the strength of the tendrils due to her precarious position not providing her body enough leverage to adjust her posture. Her weapon was ripped from her grip as the tentacle-like limbs returned to Donva, placing the deactivated Ion Blade into his hand.
"And you thought we weren't leaving here!" He took hold of Enidri underneath her arms with both hands and began hoisting her into the wall. Enidri flailed back and forth, trying to escape from Donva's grasp until a set of tendrils emerged from the black goop, wrapping around her waist and pulling her inside the wall.
“Don—!” Enidri’s cry was silenced as she disappeared in the sludge.