Silco x Reader

Twenty-Three

Pressing a hand to your mouth, you climbed into the abyss, so deep that the bad air of Zaun didn't even seem so bad anymore.

It stank beastly, of rotting meat and all the waste that even the lower town didn't want to have anymore.

If Zaun was the end, then the underground channels were the end of the end. Dirty water splashed up and covered your clothes as you slowly walked down the dark corridor, while the flickering light of a lighted candle made long shadows dance across the sticky walls.

"Urgh!", you had to stifle a gag as you stepped into a carcass.

First it felt slippery, then it stuck to your sole like chewing gum that stretched. A tremor chased through your body.

"Great... that's just... disgusting...", you growled and let your eyes wander into the distance to see how long it went on.

It seemed like an endless tunnel, so wide and deep that you had the feeling you would never get ahead.

No matter how far you walked, no firelights came. Sometimes you thought you could find the plant on the walls that you so desperately needed.

But again and again it turned out to be just useless slime that stank worse than anything you could ever imagine.
Pulling a face, you jumped back into the shadows as voices suddenly ripped the silence apart.

"We're not allowed to do that.", a deep voice said.

The words clearly were meant to chase people away, but the undertone made clear that everything was changeable with a certain amount of coins.

"How much?", another voice asked, followed by the clinging sound of money.

"Not these.", a third voice growled. "We don't take coins from the uppercity."

"I don't have anything else!"

"Then we won't have a deal. Get lost now. We don't have a lot of time left anyways."

Without another word of displeasure, the person who had demanded entry left.

Holding your breath, you pressed your back against the slimy wall as the hooded figure walked past you, not paying attention to the surroundings a single but.

Your eyes followed the man, at least you thought it was one, until he turned around a corner and disappeared.

"Huh.", you mumbled and pulled the hood deeper into your face. "Guess it's my turn to try my luck..."

With your gaze lowered and your shoulders tense, you walked out of the tunnel, into an open space where all of the tunnels met.

The two guards raised their eyes as your slow footsteps reached their ears.

"Who's there?", the bigger one asked, not very muscular but with a certain intelligence shimmering inside his dark eyes.

Without a word, you pulled out a bag of coins and threw it onto the small table on which the two were playing cards.

"I heard you guys let people take a stroll inside in exchange for a small donation.", you glanced tip, barely enough for them to catch a glimpse of their reactions.

Sceptical, the smaller one let his hand slide through the coins to check it they were legit. As the metallic sound filled his ears, a grin appeared on his face.

He exchanged a gaze with the other one, pocketed the entire bag and did a welcoming gesture.

"Come on in.", he purred with a smile. "You've got thirty minutes. Not a second longer."

You fished a pocket watch out of your pants.

"I'll be back in time.", you ensured and showed him the time. "Might even take less than that."

You flashed him a smile before stepping through the gate into the tunnel. One of the men followed you, waving keys in his hand. A few steps and a huge, heavy metal door blocked the way.

He squeezed past you, flashed a dirty grin and turned the key inside the lock.

"Thirty minutes.", he repeated, as serious as one could be.

You threw a quick glance at the pocket watch.

"Twenty-eight.", you corrected and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "I assume I can trust you keeping your mouth and eyes shut when I come back?"

He frowned, irritated by the statement.

"Don't be greedy though. A few things disappear over time. But we can't explain a bunch of missing materials."

Nodding, you slipped through the door.

"Don't worry. I'm frugal."

With a nod, he closed the door again. The sound of keys turning inside the lock sounded. Then everything was silent again.

Immediately, your posture eased. A breath of relief escaped you. But before daring to pull the hood off your face, your eyes jumped over your shoulder to check if the coast was clear.

The small of chemicals was in the air, making the air feel thick in your lungs and spread the taste of plastic on your tongue.

Pulling a face, you pulled out your bag from under the coat and opened it to get some containers and gloves. The last thing you needed was a fungus infection or any unpleasant surprises.

It did not take long to look around the cave-like room until your eyes spottet some bright green light in the shadows.

"Bingo!", you smiled and approached a firelight nest.

The little bugs were crawling around the strange green plants that covered the walls. Their slim legs dig holes into it, forming round, hollow balls to put their eggs in. A buzzing sound filled the air.

You were little interested in the firelights itself and more into the spots that they precisely picked to build their homes into.

Those little insects were not only nice to look at but also great when it came to figuring out what plants and minerals were useful for regeneration.

They sensed the magic inside of them and picked the most vibrant spots to live in. It wasn't  necessary to take a nest, the plants around it would be enough.

Carefully, you began to scrap some of the walls and placed the samples in the glass containers. The firelights watched patently, crawled all over your body and made you feel like a blooming flower surrounded by bees.

As the containers were filled with a decent amount you put everything back and said sorry that you had interrupted the insects.

But before you could take more than three steps towards the exit, the sound of the lock snapping open filled the silence.