Chương 114: Chapter 113- The Tunnels

Astra's POV A quiet groan filled the air, as a cleverly hidden section of wall levered upward, the groaning of the hidden hinges the only sign of its passage. Whoever had designed the false wall in the depths of the cellars had been a master craftsman, as when the piece was shut it was essentially indistinguishable from the reset of the wall. Without Tia's keen nose, they likely would have spent the rest of the evening scouring the room for the hidden entrance." Feck me running. That is a very bad sign my Lady."

Astra could only agree with Mr. Cooper. With the hidden stairway revealed, a waft of sodden, foul air rolled up from the darkness below. The smell hit hard enough that she found herself wondering whether the false wall had been enchanted to keep it contained. The smell that had been undetectable when closed, and was still somewhat faint when open, but carried the unmistakable scent of blood when it stirred.

The faint air current from below wafted up like the fetid breath of some great carrion beast exhaling the spoiled remnants of its last meal. Astra steeled herself for what would come next. She clenched her jaw, trying to resist the urge to clamp a hand over her nose and mouth. The scent of death rarely proceeds the discovery of a tranquil meadow. I can only hope we are not too late for the missing townsfolk. Astra swept forward, her guard squad taking the lead in the cramped interior of the earthen tunnel.

The ceiling was plenty high enough to walk without stooping and wide enough that three men could walk abreast, four men if they were willing to pack in close. Mr Smith and Mr Taylor took the lead, he and Ms Farrier had returned when a member from 3rd squad had taken the staff who had been recovered so far to Captain Winterbrook.

The battle outside had slowed enough for the Captain to send back word that he would begin sweeping the manor for the rest of the victims, but also that it would still be some time before he could send men inside to help her detachment. As their deadline grew closer, Astra simply did not have time to wait for reinforcements, the men she had brought would just have to be enough.

Ms Farrier conjured a few small orbs of light that followed in the air above their formation as they trooped through the tunnel, their soft yellow glow the only source of light in the gloom. The low ceiling caused the shieldbearers to leave bouncing shadows across the passage in front of them, but the orbs could not be moved closer without the risk of blocking sight of the soldiers as they marched slowly but steadily along the tunnel, muffling their steps as best they could.

Even at their slow pace it was readily apparent the tunnels were extensive, after a quarter of an hour they had passed quite a few twists and turns with no end in sight. Astra was considering ordering an increase to their pace when a low whistle from Ms Fletcher caused everyone to freeze in place. She whispered in a low voice, " Hold for a moment, I think I heard something."

The front rank locked shields and braced as Ms Farrier sent her orbs above their heads, illuminating the hall beyond, and after a moment Astra could also hear low shuffling sounds around the bend no more than twenty feet in front of them. There was another sound she could not quite place until a shambling form stepped around the corner. The men immediately tensed, only to relax slightly when it failed to charge and instead continued forward at a slow, shambling pace.

She was unable to tell if it had once been a man or woman, the figure was wearing a nondescript set of tunic and slacks, but their identity was the farthest thing from her mind once Astra caught sight of the face, or at least where one should be. The person's head was completely smooth. No Mouth. No Nose. No Hair. No eyes, just thin slits in the skin of its face continuously weeping fluid, and an endless stream of tears pouring tracts down its face, dripping off the chin to the floor below.

One hand was listlessly tracing along the wall as it shuffled in the direction of the kitchens, a quiet whimpering the only sound coming from the being. At a motion from Astra, the detachment parted, silently watching at the form slowly shuffled past, and as they resumed their trek down the long corridor it was not the only unsettling sight to greet them.

They passed an alcove cut into one wall containing a solitary figure an elderly butler, low gray hair tied behind his head wearing clean black and white attire marred by several suspicious lumps, one of which shifted under the clothing slowly. One arm was long enough that it dragged on the ground, while the other held an empty silver tray in a three fingered hand.

He was missing one eye and yet, when the other caught sight of Astra he attempted to bow, the single good eye wincing in pain as a series of popping and cracking sounds came from his back. The butler remained motionless in his alcove as they passed, the group eventually reaching a fork in the tunnel.

The left hand fork was occupied by a trio of forms, mostly intact except for missing ears and eyes that had been partially grown over, that were leaning over with their heads pressed together, slowly whispering unintelligible nonsense to each other. When Tia spoke up to chitter at Eli, letting him know that the right hand fork containing the scent of blood they were following, the trio shifted in unison to look at the source of the sound.

The whispers halted as they stood unmoving, only continuing when their party moved on. So far the denizens of the tunnel had all been docile, but as they swept past each new figure, horror and anguish gripped her heart as Astra gritted her teeth. She desired nothing more than to weep for the plight of her people, but there can be no room for such tender mercies in a commander's heart, especially when there is still work to be done. This story originates from a different website.

Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there." Hold." Ms Fletcher, paused the formation once again as she cocked one ear outwards, " Sounds different this time. There's more than one, and they're moving faster than usual." The men braced as figures emerged from the distant gloom of the tunnel, stepping from the shadows into the light. A small group, only seven total, but they were more whole than the ones they had seen so far.

The figures still presented any number of suspicious lumps and twisted flesh, but their limbs were even enough to move at more of a limping walk than a shambling shuffle. Their forms filled the tunnel three ranks deep, and moved with far more purpose than the meanderings of their predecessors.

Many of the victims pressing towards them were sobbing and whimpering, and at least one was clutching their twisted left arm with their hale right, straining to pull back the reaching claw tipped fingers as they pleaded in a low voice." Please no, please no, please don't hurt me, don't hurt me, I don't want to hurt anyone, please no, please, please please please…" Astra's heart shuddered at the desperation in the voice, as the last few words dissolved into a terrified whimper.

Eli dropped a hand to her shoulder, a wave of sympathy and outrage rippling down the tether as he turned to give her a worried look. She patted his hand, sending a feeling of warm appreciation in return as she spoke, " Restrain them if you can. Whatever else may have happened to them, they are still our people." The shambling gait turned into a rush, and the bodies slammed into the front line, the clutching claws and slithering tentacles that made up their twisted limbs scrabbled at the obstruction.

The faces of the victims were weeping, terror in their voices as they pleaded for their lives as their bodies betrayed them. Only the twisted portions of their forms acted of their own volition, but for many that was still enough to present a serious threat. At a command from Astra the front ranks would part, and the victims would be allowed to pass one by one.

Cooper, Mason, Eli, and Astra took turns seizing them bodily and passing them through the formation into the waiting arms of the 3rd squad, who would wrap them heavily in bindings as the tears shifted from ones of terror to wracking sobs of relief.

They were careful, but injuries were unavoidable, Mr Smith took a glancing blow to the face that nearly removed one eye, Mr Taylor had a large weeping gash down one arm, and even Mr Cooper's forearms were starting to look like he had decided to wrangle a wild cat bare handed. Astra had long ago thanked her father for his insistence on full plate armor, but his prescience grew more apparent by the day.

After the first few ranks were cleared, Astra could feel a spike of anger through the tether and turned as Eli flung a hand outwards a lance of blue spearing down the tunnel. As a distant form slumped to the ground, a faint curl of smoke lifted from the collapsed figure, whatever compulsion that held the twisted limbs of the survivors in thrall vanished. The men and women dropped to the ground, sobs of relief mixing with desperate pleas for help.

Once the last of the victims were secure, Ms Farrier began walking up and down their ranks checking them for wounds, but just as with the maid there was little she could do to help. Ms Farrier grimaced, " The healing just doesn't take, their bodies aren't registering as injured, so the intent guiding the spellform has nothing to latch on to." She sighed, " It will take someone far more skilled than I to reverse the damage, if it even is reversible. Maybe if I had more time…"

Astra gave her a pat on her shoulder, " Very well, take heart in the fact that we will do all we can for them in the meantime." Astra turned and, seeing Eli standing over the slumped form in the tunnel ahead, she walked over to join him as he crouched down, fumbling with the clothes. Her brow wrinkled in confusion as she realized there were no mutations on this body, other than the smoking hole punched through the chest.

Eli pulled back one side of the robe to inspect the wound only to reveal a tattoo of a familiar mark on the chest of the corpse, slightly marred by the injury. He grunted and stood as he stared down at the form while speaking, warring emotions roiling at the other end of the tether, " I thought I made a mistake, small victories I suppose." She gave him a confused look, " How so?"

Eli gave her a faint smile that quickly faded before looking back down, " It's hard to see down here so I've been keeping my [Mana Sense] running. It doesn't do much in a fight, but sometimes there is a faint stream of color in the air before one of them appears. One of the last members of that group lashed out as we passed them through, and I saw him."

He gestured at the corpse, " I saw a flicker of color in the dark, a kind of red almost burgundy, and then that tentacle wrapped around Franklin's neck, and I just shot blind into the dark." Eli grimaced, " I only saw him after the fact. I thought I might have hit one of those poor people, but I've only seen that color once before." He glanced at her out of the corner of one eye, " In the chamber under the yard at Whittenburg."

He glared at the body, as if he wished he could punch a hole through it with just the weight of his stare, and the tether roiled with barely restrained fury before tamping back down. Eli took a deep breath and let out a shaky sigh." I didn't know what to think of all this, maybe this was just side effects of what they were doing down here, but now I'm starting to wonder if they are making weapons, trying to twist them into something that can kill on command."

Astra shook her head, " No, that would make little sense. If they can cause a fracture to erupt, what use could they have for these people?" She shrugged, " My soldiers make it look easy, and a civilian might struggle to contain them sure, but no. These are a poor replacement for the monsters the Abyss can birth." Eli gave her a hard look before sighing and looking back at her, a wave of sorrow and sympathy tinged with embarrassment washing down the tether, " Don't mind me Astra.

These are your people, and I'm sure it's much harder for you. I'm here for you, whatever you need." She gave him a sad smile, " Aye, thank you for that."

The detachment encountered three more such groups as they travelled down the tunnel. Forewarned that there was a cultist compelling the victims, Ms Fletcher was tasked with finding the controller. As the rest of the people were contained, she would quickly spot the task master in the distance, an arrow flashing into the dark silencing the magic that held sway over their bodies.

Once each group was recovered, they were sent back to the estate with one of the men from 3rd squad as an escort, Astra's forces were quickly diminishing until a chirp from ahead brought her the news she was both anticipating and dreading at the same time. The small wyvern stood before a set of doors looming in the dark." She says the source of the blood smell is right on the other side of those doors."