“Who’s first?” Yonnex-Quniwel asked as he stepped closer, his voice sounding gleeful about his chance to attempt murder again.

“Quniwel, listen to me. You’re not in proper control of yourself. There are these creatures who are using your fear to make you do things you don’t want to do, like killing us,” Lusac said, raising his hands in hopes of calming the psychotic Nemarian.

Quniwel’s face softened a little and more the terror showed in his eyes. “L-Lus?”

He smiled. “It’s okay, Quniwel. Don’t be afraid. You’re with me and Wsr now. We’ll keep you safe.”

“We’ve got you buddy.” Wsr offered her own pained grin.

With shaking hands, the Nemarian shut off the all-in cutter.

“That’s right. Just give it to me. We’ll all get out of here, and then they can’t hurt you anymore,” Lus promised as he extended a hand to take the cutter from Quniwel.

Yonnex-Quniwel reached out, his fingers still tight around the tool-turned-weapon, but just before he dropped it to Lusac’s hand, he jumped with a shout.

“What was that?” he exclaimed, spinning around as both hands clutched the all-in cutter close to his body again.

“Nothing. It’s a trick of the mind. Come on, Quniwel. Stay with us.” Lus tried to regain control of the situation, but as Quniwel turned back around, it was clear his mind was lost once again.

Tears flowed from the black eyes as the Nemarian raised the sparking cutter upwards, his mouth in a tight, determined line.

“Yonnex-Quniwel,” Lus yelled, begging his friend to come back, but those black eyes remained distant. He was gone already.

Quniwel dove towards Lusac, and he dodged to the side, though the cutter glanced across his shoulder, creating a small gash along the side. Lus clutched the injury, but it wasn’t bleeding all that much thanks to the cauterization which accompanied the slice. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wsr attempting to stand, before grunting and collapsing back to the floor, her injury too severe for her to be of any help. He was on his own for this one.

The Nemarian jumped at him again, and Lus struck his fist into the Nemarian’s stomach. Quniwel landed on his feet, showing no signs of pain or slowing down. He dashed forwards once more, and Lus decided to take his chances in a full fight and rushed to meet him.

Both fell to the ground and the cutter spun out of Quniwel’s hand. Lus was larger than the Nemarian, making it easier for him to get on top and hold Quniwel to the ground.

“Yonnex-Quniwel, stop! This isn’t you,” he said through gritted teeth as the scaly body below continued to squirm. “It’s the creatures. They can’t control you if you let go of your fear.”

“No. Stop talking,” Quniwel screeched. “You don’t understand. I have to. They’re in my head. They won’t let go until you’re dead.”

“No, Quniwel. If we leave the mine, they’ll have to let you go,” Lus replied, hoping it was true. As far as he knew, no one experienced any symptoms of the Shaquine influence while they were camping the night before.

“You. Don’t. Understand.” The Nemarian found new strength, and it was far greater than even Lus’s 7 [Strength], allowing him to grab hold of Lusac’s arms and roll over so he then sat on top, completely in control. He raised his curled fists and threw them into Lus’s face. Lus turned his head back and forth, trying to avoid the brunt of the blows, but they simply kept coming. Blood started from his nose, and his head began to ache.

With the adrenaline pulsing through his body, Lus was able to wiggle one arm free which he used to hit the side of Quniwel’s neck, right where one of his gills sat–one of the most delicate parts on a Nemarian’s body.

Yonnex-Quniwel howled in pain as one hand flew up to the damaged gill, giving Lus the chance to get his other hand free. He shoved the Nemarian off of his torso and rolled over to where the fallen cutter lay, but Quniwel recovered much faster than he expected and was on top of him in the next second.

They both grabbed the all-in cutter at the same time, and it became a test of [Strength] as to who would take it all the way. The tool turned on during the wrestle, igniting into a sparking flame at the tip which happened to be setting against Lus’s wrist. He released and pulled back his injured hand, giving Quniwel complete control of the tool.

Cackling, the Nemarian faced the fiery tend towards Lusac’s face and pressed down, slowed only by Lus’s own grip at the orange wrists as he used all his [Strength] to prevent it from finding its target. Quniwel, being on top, had a better vantage point, and he pressed down harder. The sparking point drew near to Lus’s eyes, the heat radiating from the point.

“Quni-wel,” Lus stammered through his waning [Strength] and [Stamina]. “Stop this. You don’t want to do this.”

“I have to,” the Nemarian shouted, his tone hysterical.

The cutter came another quarter of an inch closer. One more strong push from Nemarian, and it was all over for Lus. He closed his eyes and turned away as the muscles in his arm threatened defeat. Before the flaming tip could touch his skin, however, something big knocked Quniwel off, freeing Lus from the hold.

He scampered to his feet to see a heaving Wsr on the floor, and Yonnex-Quniwel jumping on top of her, wrapping his arms around her neck and starting to squeeze. He dug one of his feet into the wound on her shoulder which drew out partial gasps of pain from the Kremel. Lus dove for the all-in cutter which now lay abandoned and then joined the fray with Quniwel and Wsr. If he didn’t act fast, Wsr might not make it, not with how dire her injury already was.

Whether it was instinct or simply the memory of the dead Nemarian that drew it out of Lus, he would never be sure, but before he could think about it, he drove the point of the cutter into Yonnex-Quniwel’s right eye.

The Nemarian released Wsr and screamed as he clutched the tool which had half-blinded him. Lus wasted no time grabbing the lantern and yanking Wsr to her feet, wrapping one meaty arm around his shoulders as they rushed to the door.

Quniwel remained in a ball, sobbing and shrieking as blood gushed from his eye, the cutter still embedded. Lus took a breath as he pulled the door close, ignoring the hand the Nemarian raised towards him. Once they got this figured out, they could come back for their friend, but right now he was too dangerous to be around.

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He allowed Wsr to lean against the wall as he dug in his pack for his own all-in cutter. Turning it on its highest setting, he began welding the door to the doorframe, locking Quniwel in.

“He could die,” Wsr pointed out between breaths.

“He tried to kill us. This is better than returning the favor,” Lus pointed out with a grimace. He too hated the idea of leaving the Nemarian behind, but it would be better for everyone if they knew exactly where he was.

Once the task was complete, Lusac pulled Wsr’s good arm back around his shoulders and together they set off through the mine corridors. Now that Quniwel was contained, the problem they faced was navigation since neither remembered the way back to the main tunnel.

Luckily Wsr had been paying more attention when she came this way than Lusac had, so she was able to give a general idea of where to go. By the time they got back to the main corridor, however, she was no longer as responsive to his questions, and when he looked at her face, he noticed just how colorless it had become.

“No. No, hang in there, Wsr,” Lus pleaded, hurrying along as best he could with someone so much larger and heavier hanging on him for support despite the protests from his tired body. He tried to calculate how much time had passed since he first ran into Quniwel.

If Nippy and Zer-Dasht were waiting back in the large corridor where they originally planned to meet, Wsr might stand a chance of making it. Lusac wasn’t sure if could drag the Kremel all the way back to the surface by himself, and with how fast her health was declining, he had to worry about the speed in which he could accomplish the feat as well.

They continued their slow trek through the corridor until they arrived at the largest one where Lus originally split from Dasht and Nippy. It was disappointingly empty.

Shouldering more of Wsr’s weight, Lusac dragged her onward, towards the cracked stone which led into the first half of the mine. When they arrived there, he released Wsr altogether, allowing her to lean up against a wall while he caught his breath. He was definitely going to get [Strength] and probably [Stamina] too from this, and Watcher knew he needed it.

“Sorry, kid,” the Kremel muttered with a barely audible voice.

“You have nothing to apologize for. It’s Quniwel’s fault. He’s the one who stabbed you,” Lus reminded her.

“B-but I… should’ve seen… it coming.” Her voice faded off, and best Lus could tell, she was unconscious.

Lus checked her bandages and cursed. She’d bled through the new one he put on, and he didn’t have any more in his pack. She was going from bad to worse, and he wasn’t sure he’d get her out in time. His thoughts turned to his system. He’d gained [500 XP] from the quest, but that still wasn't enough for a second [Skill], and based on the three he had available, none were going to do anything for him in this situation anyway.

A flash of light crossed across his vision, and his heart skipped a beat. Even knowing that it was the Shaquine, it was difficult not to feel jumpy with all the strange occurrences. Wanting to spend as little time in the caves as possible just in case he somehow snapped like Yonnex-Quniwel, Lus tugged Wsr to her feet and carefully guided her through the broken wall so they could continue their trek upwards.

With Wsr sustaining even less of her weight, the trip back to the lake room was taking more than double the time it should have. Lus was keenly aware of her black blood dripping to the floor, but his exhausted legs could push no harder than they already were.

They were about halfway up when footsteps sounded from behind, the exact gait of Quniwel back when he’d been chasing Lus through the corridors before he stumbled upon the room with Wsr. He risked a glance back, but the light from the lantern was almost completely obscured by Wsr’s large frame, so he saw nothing but jagged shadows. As he faced the front again, he swore he saw the glint of light in the black eyes of the Nemarian.

“Just the Shaquine,” he murmured to himself. “Quniwel is locked up. He can’t be out here.”

The footsteps grew closer, along with the sound of ragged breathing that wasn’t Wsr’s. The hair on Lus’s neck stood straight up, all his instincts warning him that there was something coming. It had to be Quniwel. No one else was in the mine.

“Come on, Wsr. Just a little further,” Lusac told her as his heart pounded in his chest. Any second the cutter could be stabbing into his back, and then they’d both be dead. He cast another quick look behind, but he couldn’t see the Nemarian.

The Kremel groaned as Lus forced her to move faster, but they did start to make better progress which allowed Lusac’s nerves to settle down. No matter how many times he told himself that the things he was hearing and seeing were tricks of the mind, some small part of him remained convinced that Quniwel was just a few feet away, waiting to make his attack.

The light of the lake room leaked in from ahead, giving Lus hope that they might survive this after all when the sound of a sparking all-in cutter reached his ears. Instincts acted before thought, and Lus shoved Wsr away to give himself space to fight as he spun to face Quniwel, shouting in alarm. Wsr released her own strangled yelp as she collapsed to the floor on her wounded shoulder.

Lus stood there, his fists at the ready, but there was nothing to fight. The tunnel was empty except for them. Voices sounded from up ahead at the lake room, and Lus turned, prepared for the next threat, even though in his mind he knew it was the effects of the Shaquine.

This time, however, it was no trick. Nippy and Zer-Dasht raced towards the pair, both wearing breathing apparatuses.

“Lus,” Nippy said with a muffled voice. “What’s going on?”

“The Shaquine made Quniwel attack us,” he hurriedly explained. “Wsr is hurt bad. We need to get her to the surface so we can properly treat it.”

“The Shaquine?” Dasht shared a look with Nippy that sent a very clear signal to Lus. They thought he was insane.

“I’ll explain back at the camp. We have to get out of here before they make another one of us lose it.” He bent down to grab Wsr, but Dasht pulled him back as Nippy instead hauled the injured Kremel to his back.

“Here,” the Nemarian said he removed his mask and pushed it to Lus’s mouth. “Maybe some clean air will help.”

Lus grabbed it and shoved it away. “It’s not carbon monoxide. I was wrong. It’s aliens that can exert an effect on our minds.”

Zer-Dasht nodded in a very patronizing fashion as he once again attempted to place the mask over Lus’s face. “Just try it for a bit, okay? It won’t hurt you.”

Grumbling, Lusac accepted the breathing apparatus as the four of them started back up the tunnel. It went fast with Nippy carrying Wsr, and soon they were all back outside under the late afternoon suns.

Nippy gently lowered Wsr to the ground while ordering Dasht to get the big emergency kit. He then set to work cleaning and patching up Wsr’s wound as Lus nervously paced, finally free of the stupid breathing mask.

“Why don’t you sit down? I can clean up your cut,” Zer-Dasht offered in a very out of character gesture.

“I’m fine. Wsr got it bad. Quniwel stabbed her with his blasted all-in cutter. Later he managed to skim me,” Lus explained. He ran a hand over his face, brushing the dried blood there. “We need to go back for him, if he’s alive that is. The Shaquine drove him completely insane, but if we get him out here, he might go back to normal.”

“Let me take care of that injury while you just relax, and then we can discuss the ‘Shaquine,’ okay?” Dasht placed a hand on his good arm and pointed to a chair.

Sighing, Lus did as he suggested. They weren’t going to listen to him until they were sure he was free from the effects of the gas. He pulled his shirt off, grimacing as he yanked the burned fabric from the gash on his arm, and sat down so Zer-Dasht could work.

As the Nemarian cleaned and bandaged the cut, Lus looked over to where Nippy was busy doing the same for Wsr’s injury. He used an emergency wound closer to staple the skin back together, stemming the flow of black blood, and Wsr seemed to be breathing at least a little easier. Hopefully Quniwel was still alive, then they could take care of his wound, and then they would all be safe again.

Lus frowned. Even if they got Yonnex-Quniwel and kept him from trying to kill again, how were any of them supposed to safely enter the mine long enough to find the artifact? The more he thought about it, the more sure he became that they might never complete this mission.