The Cinders of Dezu

13th: Upping the Bounty (1)

The ground continuously shifted like it was made of water. In the unrelenting claws of the Skygazer it might as well have been. It's ability to churn massive amounts of hard earth was nearly unmatched. Having been satisfied by its hunt earlier in the day, it was burrowing deeper and deeper toward its layer to rest. Not necessarily a thoughtful creature, the indigestion it was feeling had been growing but it wasn't until now that it made him come to a full stop.

With a solid blockade of unchurned earth in front of him, he slowly started to writhe, rubbing his face against the walls of its self made tunnel. The writhing grew more and more violent. Skygazers were usually quiet unless actively hunting. But the cries of the massive thick skinned and blubbery beast began echoing through underground chambers. It's writhing stopped as it laid on its back with his body contorted in an ugly arch. From the crease in its body burst forth a blade that began swiftly sawing his belly down the middle.

The beast screamed and strained. It's giant bright yellow eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as the knife finished its work. From its open midsection, blood, innards and a man poured out. The Skygazer heaved it's final haggard breath and relinquished it's dark and dirt filled existence.

Firas stood up but lost his slippery footing on the haggard flesh of the creature in the pitch black of the tunnel. He was covered in slimy substances he couldn't see. The smell overwhelmed him. What was it? Its odor was like digested mud and fertilizer. His nose crinkled. Fertilizer that used to be old bovine meat. This was going to be deeply irritating.

How far down was he? He slid down the side of the body and became cramped for room between claw and cave walls. He slinked slowly between the surfaces until he reached the tail end of the monster.

There wasn't a light in sight. He was going to have to smell his way out. He took a deep whiff. Immediately, he coughed and nearly gagged. Maybe smell was a bad idea while covered in pungent worm viscera. Sound might make more sense.

He started forward at a hobbling pace. A click rang out from his tongue. The sound was absorbed by much of the freshly moved dirt in the walls but it was just enough to get the information he needed. He quickly sped up. He kept his stride, clicking as he went, until he found that he was going up.

It was promising, and yet he was still running for some time with little to no change in the path aside from twists and turns. Finally, his clicks caught another path, a fork. The clicks told him this one was large enough that it had to be from another Skygazer. He stopped. The path was older. It was hard to tell which way lead above ground. He breathed in deeply. He decided he'd keep heading up the path he was on.

He ran for quite a while. It was like navigating an old subway tunnel. He ran faster as he grew more confident about the length of the paths. Eventually he caught a break. A click came back telling him he'd hit a network. This was a bunch of smaller crisscrossing pathways, vertically and horizontally intersecting with his own. They also sounded older on another investigative click. The Skygazer had cut a path right through them. They were clearly organized. He approached them and touched their walls. They were rough and jagged. Not like the road he'd been taking. He pulled his hand back quickly as a chill ran up his spine. His thought came out as a whisper under his breath.

"The Under Horde."