Countless slaps of flesh against stone commence as these Plagued crawl up the rock, flesh burying into gravel to make their way up at the burgeoning of light. My eyes rapidly scan their features, searching for the Taintwrought or any other Motherbound, as they are the most significant worry. Those afflicted and moved by the plague of Darklight alone are a fraction as dangerous as those enhanced by it.

But I don't see any. Instead, I see a horde of Bado with crazed eyes, mouths dripping with foam, and apparent wounds with hints of Darklight. None of them have their Sigils tainted as the Motherbound do; these are just the dead being moved only by the Mother's curse.

Before I react, bullets start flying down the hole, Johnny not wasting a moment. He hits many of them repeatedly, killing several, but each requires multiple shots to die from his gunshots, and there are enough that I can't count. We really need to get him a better gun. Whatever the best thing is in that Vault is his; no complaints.

More and more gunshots join him after a few seconds as we all unload the remnants of our ammunition. Bonfire and Skychaser use their Sigils to their limits as they are the only ones who can damage from afar with just their Ether. Fire and lightning join in fumes and lashes that slow and kill many of the Plagued.

But even with all of us working together, even Lennox, who is chucking rocks with his inhuman strength, the mindless horde slowly approaches us. There are just too many. This is Sky Spire, after all, the home of one of the tribes of Bado. And most of them have already been turned. Only a few dozen are not.

The birdmen might not number in the millions like humans, but even a hundred thousand split amongst seven is a lot to fight. I'm not sure if there are that many Bado, but it doesn't seem all that unlikely.

Inch by inch, these Bado crawl up the chasm wall and make their way toward us, jaws clinking teeth together and claws stabbing into stone. Before they even reach the top, we all, except for Johnny, run out of ammo as the Gunfighter was given the majority of the ammo for unmistakable reasons. However, I keep a cylinder full on my revolver, just in case. The only people still attacking them at this point are Johnny, shooting his remaining rounds from his cylinder; Silas, flicking coins; Bonfire, waving plumes of fire; and Skychaser, spiraling lightning amongst the Plagued.

We start to back up as I yell toward Bonfire. My voice is urgent and frustrated at the man for not warning us.

"How the hell did you guys get past all this!?"

He returns the yell without even turning back.

"There were way less! Way fucking less! I think they are slowly making their way up to the surface! The Manipulator wants to spread further! We can't let him!"

Fuck. This is bad. I didn't think about just how many were turned. This hasn't ever happened before to such a magnitude. Most races are beyond strict on the rules of Sigils. Few, very few, are willing to break them, for they know the consequences. But when you have no other choice and think your whole race, your complete history, your entire existence is threatened? I guess I'd choose madness over helplessness too.

I look around for anything to help as the Plagued reach the edge. Everyone backs up as I get my Ether flowing back through me, advancing toward that same state as before, this time focusing entirely on my upper body for pure strength.

Pulling out the old brass knuckle I had from Virgil, the other one lost in combat, I twist and look at the chasm's walls. Yells are all that I hear as everyone tries to keep the Plagued back. At least they have to die to become Plagued; only Manipulators can turn the living, and there don't seem to be any nearby.

Is there anything I can do? Just killing one by one won't work. We need something ampler. Something to keep them from going up. They are predominantly mindless, and if we kill the Manipulator, they would be completely irrational, only seeking their next kill, something far more manageable than a horde led by a genius. I look out to the chasm, searching for other tunnels, and I don't see any. The only way out is through this tunnel. We can always find another way out, even if we have to dig, but these things can't.

As long as we kill the Manipulator.

But what is at the bottom of the tunnel? I remember hearing dripping water. So amidst the chaos, I take a risk and delve into Echo, searching for the bottom of the chasm. And after a second of focus and hearing slight waves of water that, alongside the sound of war, make my ears bleed and ring, I pull out of the skill and shift toward strength instead of listening for my Ether.

An imaginary mountain of Ether gathers in my fist for not a Blast but an Explosion as my whole body shakes with the power. I haven't used an Explosion since my advancement and improvement to Strugglers Gasp, which happens every time. The force will be monumental; I must try to contain it without hurting my arm. But I'm reaching my limit. The increase to my body's limit with advancing to Captive was huge, but my consumption has only grown just as much.

I yell to my companions, fighting for their lives, trying to reach them over the sound of warfare. Immediately after I do, however, a burst of wind comes out of Ether, and I'm forced to suck it right back in. Once more, using Strugglers Gasp, even if it is not a full one, does severe damage, my lungs expanding to their limits.

"I'm going to collapse the tunnel!"

Johnny twists his head, firing without even looking and killing a Bado that gets too close.

"Are you insane!? You'll kill us all!"

I scream back at him, internally repeating the prior experience with Ether once more to bring my body to a level where it can withstand the shock as my brain pounds in agony, each beat reminding me that we can't waste much more time. Every second, we are pushed back another foot. Should we get pushed out of the hallway and into the cavern where we can be swarmed on all sides, we are dead.

"There is water at the bottom! And we will be overrun! If these things get out–!"

I'm cut off by a surge of strength as the people in front of me step back, a Dreadmarked coming up from the ledge—a rarity amongst the horde. A massive arm just like the previous one, but this one is a tad bit different as they all are based on the person they are corrupted from. Its grotesque wings create a kind of armor over its large arm as it swings out comprehensively.

It slams Silas as the undead tries to jump backward, throwing him and Bonfire and Lennox, who are behind him for safety. A tangle of bodies is created, the one in front having an arm obviously misshapen and badly injured. I think I even spot a rib or two sticking out. Good thing he has the Gift Of Undeath, for undead are far more challenging to kill physically than the living, as the only vital organ is the brain. Oh, and the eyes since you can't let the fire go out.

Johnny unloads a blast of Fanfire at the Dreadmarked, a noticeable amount of Ether put into the bullets to make them sheen as they make the creature stumble back toward the edge.

The Gunfighter looks back just as another Motherbound, a Tonguer, reaches the top and lashes out toward Blake with a tongue made of steely feathers, intricately scaled together just like taste buds. The woman is lifted up into the air and slammed against the wall as she struggles against it, her bandages ripping as they fight for her. Her spirit coats her throat, trying to help her breathe.

I run toward her to help, but before I can get close, Skychaser is thrown back, almost making me fall as he takes out my legs, smoke smoldering from his chest as a thunderstrike reaches my ears. A Stigmatic, the least common form of the fighting-focused Motherbound, flies in the air just a few feet away with enlarged wings of black and silver taint that are positively brimming with sparks.

Stolen novel; please report.

Now the only two at the front line are Dakota and Johnny, utterly incapable of stopping the horde.

Seeing this, Johnny finally gives me a nod. He's realized just how fucked we are with this unending onslaught. Of course, we could retreat, but that'd only make it worse.

"Do it! Everyone, grab onto someone!"

I think Johnny knows what I'm about to do as I see him run from the edge and jump, grabbing Blake's foot hanging from the ceiling. He then twists his whole body with his powerful wrist, the Gunfighter's other hand effortlessly bringing his Colt to the Tonguer's face. I grab Skychaser as the bundle of three hold onto each other. The Motherbound and Plagued sprint at us in deliberate cataclysm as I prepare to slam my fist into the ground, using all my Ether and skills I've built up to this point.

But I wait. Dakota is alone. We can't split up. At all. I wait as the fox sprints at me, somehow knowing what must be done. Right on his heels is the Dreadmarked, whose every footprint put cracks in the stone. My heart spikes as he gets closer. I see other people being overrun in the corner of my eye, but I wait. I can't leave him alone. Not this time.

I wait. Arm twisted. Back primed. My whole body is brimming with Ether as I prepare the most powerful thing I've ever done before. But it's not the riskiest. At least this time, I thought of an exit plan.

And I let loose just as Dakota jumps into my chest, the Dreadmarked only a single foot from me.

Screams surround me as my fist slams into the stone beneath me. I can feel all the Ether from Strugglers Gasp leave my arm at once, shattering the brass knuckles into a million pieces. But everything changes when the Ether and my arm make complete contact with the stone floor leading into the chasm. For a split second, everything goes white and silent, the feeling of rumbling beneath me. Then, it all restarts a second later with blurry vision as I fly through the air, arm flapping limply as Dakota claws at me to stick close and Skychaser holds me tightly.

Did I just faint?! What?

Frantically, I look around, and I spot countless figures in the air falling with me as air lashes at me like a sharp blade. Skychaser is desperately beating his wings to keep us from falling, but it is useless. I can see a portion of his wing ripped off. The damage is evident and likely catastrophic for a Bado. As I peer at him, I catch a glimpse of a moving shadow. Is that...?

Wait! Oh shit!

"Boulder!"

The Bado sparks his wings with electricity as he flaps them with unnatural speed, further wounding his wings due to their condition as we all dodge right past a falling boulder. Not useless. His wings just saved our fucking lives. Should we all be unconscious when we hit the water, we are dead.

I would like to do something to help, but I can't. I'm at my limit. It'll take at least a minute for me to do even the smallest act with Ether, and my body is now suffused with weakness from the afterglow of Strugglers Grasp. And that's not to even mention the barely held-together Bloody Palm. But at least the damn thing heals fast. So, I just spend the time falling trying to get confirmation on how my friends are doing and looking out for more boulders for him.

Spiraling in the air and looking for them, I quickly spot Bonfire, a trail of unmistakable blaze behind him as he gets the half dozen Plagued off his trio. They seem to be okay, although they are struggling. I spend a few more moments searching the dark chasm while we are falling before I spot another boulder, pointing it out to Skychaser.

I feel partly wrong as he does the act again, lightning coursing through his metallic wounds that only manage to open them further to doge the giant boulder I unlodged, but it's better than dying.

Spending a few more moments looking as we rapidly approach the bottom, the sound of coursing water getting louder and louder, I hear a gunshot and follow the noise to see a muzzle blast. A duo spiraling through the air, Johnny and Blake do the incredible as they are locked back to back, killing anything that comes close.

The Gunfighter shoots them with a dozen shots as the Hearse uses her bonded spirit that looks awfully like that Tonguer I killed to push or maim anything that comes close.

I'm pulled from looking at them with the sound of roaring waves. Looking at Skychaser, I yell a question.

"What the hell is down here! Is there a fucking ocean!"

The Bado holds onto me tightly, claws digging into flesh and fragile bone as he croaks at me over the sound of rushing air and water.

"The Connector! It's the river that connects the other spires! The closest to all others is Blight Spire! So if we stay, that's right where we are headed!"

I groan. That wasn't the only way for them to get up, just one of them. But I'm unable to express my frustration and lack of information as the water gets closer and closer. Instead, I have to focus on surviving. Landing into water isn't as bad as simply falling, but it'll still hurt. I must to get thin. I recall Ma–Aniwye telling me, "Break the wave with your legs. Keep them close like a stick. Or else, it'll be like landing into stone.".

Following her advice, I try to rearrange myself in the air with Skychaser's help before we slam into the water. He joins me in my attempt, the birdman knowing how to dive.

And despite the dangerous threat of falling into a raging river, I laugh, for I hear a scream and a literal explosion of flame not that far away.

"I hate water!"

Then, I slam feet first into the waves, Dakota close to my chest and wrapped around me. I feel pain in my feet as I break through the surface and fall into the waves, but it's not that bad. At most, a sprain. That… doesn't usually happen.

Breaking out of these thoughts because of the raging water around me, I start trying to swim to the top, but it's hard with a weak body and a broken arm that is healing itself, eliciting cracks even under the water. The Bloody Palm won't heal me, as in the whole body, but it will recover its own damn territory. Fucking asshole.

The roar of the water fills my ears, drowning out all other sounds, including my thoughts, as I struggle. The current pulls at me relentlessly, threatening to drag me under. I kick and thrash, fighting to keep my head above water just as Dakota and Skychaser do the same, albeit easier for both. But every time I gain a little ground, the river pulls me back with renewed force.

The water is icy cold, and the rocks are slick underfoot. My arm aches like it's about to get ripped off from the effort of staying afloat, and my lungs burn from lack of air. I try to find some solid ground, some way to pull myself out of the raging torrent, but all I can see is darkness and churning water. The chains of my alter sight do nothing to help me here, as water covers the eye.

I gasp for breath as I go under again, my arm flailing as I struggle to regain the surface. I'm starting to feel like this is a losing battle. The current is just too strong, and I'm starting to lose strength. But, no, that's wrong. I lost power the second I let go of my Ether.

But I'm not alone. In front of me, I can briefly see a claw reaching out toward me. Without wasting a moment, I summon all my strength and push against the current, my arm and legs working together to propel me forward.

And finally, after what seems like an eternity, a sharp claw sinks into my flesh and rips me from the water. The pain makes me sharply inhale even more water, but simultaneously, I break free of the river's grasp, and Skychaser helps me onto the rocky bank. Coughing with deadly seriousness from the lack of air, I lay gasping for air and pumping out water for several moments as a wet fox slumps beside me. The clank of steely feathers against stone also joins the raging river's sound.

For a minute, we are all silent, breathing heavily to recover from the event and trying to process what just happened. But after a while, I gather my bearings and ask the Badoe a crucial question.

"Are these rivers how the Motherbound spread?"

He coughs for a second before answering me with a gruff voice. As he does so, he twists and pulls his torn wings to him, using his lightning to sear his flesh shut. Impressed that someone else will do that to their flesh, I nod at him.

"Chogh–gh–Yeah. The Connector goes in a circular rhythm, connecting with a branch at each of the six great spires around the center, Blight Spire, the closest one to every other tribe and the largest spire."

I ask another as I twist around to get a look at this underground river.

The Connector is a massive force of nature, with waves taller than a man and currents strong enough to pull me off my feet and keep me there. The water rushes by at a breakneck pace, crashing against the rocky walls and sending spray flying in all directions.

The sides of the tunnel are wide enough to walk on, but the jagged rocks make it treacherous. That is where we lie, a lucky spot devoid of sharp stones. The sound of rushing water is deafening, and the darkness is punctuated by the occasional glint of light reflecting off the wet rock.

My awe translates into my words to the Bado.

"Are these only ways out from the seven spires? Or do we ought to worry about these Motherbound getting out to the greater world from using this river? Because if they do, we'll have a problem."

Skychaser sits up and looks around with me.

"Yes. Each spire has a single entry to the Connector. And you closed it for the Sky Spire. And for them escaping, I don't think we have to worry about that. Motherbound tend to only care for the uncorrupted near them, so those we saw earlier will certainly be coming for us if they don't drown. My father included. The only exception is the Manipulators, masters of controlling others to do their bidding."

Great. Great. Great. We now have our own personal horde of monstrosities that want to kill us and corrupt us.

Wonderful.

Gritting my teeth, I stand up, checking my body. My arm is fucked, but that will be better soon. Only a few hours or so for the Bloody Palm to assemble itself. Ankle? Not actually that bad. Only bruised and a bit purple. Checking my pack, I pull out some thin rope to tie it so it hurts less and won't bend. Other than that, I just need some rest for my Ether.

"Let's get moving then. Strength in numbers, y'know?"

Skychaser agrees, his eyes doing that thing again as he stands.

"I agree. I would not like to see the pyromaniac die."

Seeing that bit of care that Bonfire had for Skychaser reciprocated only once he's gone, I jump on it.

"I thought you didn't care for him? Hmm?"

The birdman twists his head and points at the river, changing the subject.

"I don't. He is merely the only one I've met with an element that can keep up with my lightning. Oh—. Would you look at that?"

I turn over, and my eyes follow his pointing claw in the dark, leading to a loud splashing in the water. And some loud cursing now that I focus.

"Fucking hell! Why are you so heavy!?"

"I'm stone! Why are you so angry!"

"Would you two shut up! You're fucking—ahh!"

I see Silas get ripped under the water as he tries to bring the manchild without his gang and actual child made of stone to focus. Stepping toward the edge, I leave it up to Skychaser.

"I'm out of Ether, man. That's all you."

A deeply relatable groan leaves the birdman's beak.

"I… know."