The Stories He Has to Tell | SabreTober Prompts | Hosted by IcyWillowSong

~| Day 20: Bones |~

Series: Rainbow Quest

AU: Abyssal (You're gonna read to find out in this one :>)

Context: Sabre had gone on a scouting mission with the Colorless Guard and Light, having been bored and not having anything else to do since everything's been peaceful since the loop reset and he came back. A few miners had opened up a cave that had a very peculiar opening, and they weren't sure how dangerous it was. So, the Guard was asked to investigate.

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[Sabre's POV]

"Everyone stay alert, we have no idea what could be in this cave system." Light orders as we walk along the strange stone bridge.

We're inside a cave, walking along a rock formation that looks like a really long bridge. It dips and rises, as if there were hills messing with the structure of it. We're almost to the end.

The cave bridge overhangs a vast, glowing lake of strange liquid, resembling water, but it's almost iridescent at the same time looking as if it was nothing made into its own form. The glow illuminates the cave, and I look out to the cave's horizon as the liquid stretches all across the bottom of the cavern. I can't even see the end of the stuff.

I walk behind Light at the back of the group, both of us making sure that nothing will attack us from behind since in front of us is a dead end. The stone bridge merges into the cave opening on the carved platform of rock, the meeting point at one of the places closest to the glowing liquid, but that's it. The only other thing interesting is the glittering formations climbing along the walls.

Just before Light and I step onto the solid ground, everything starts to shake. Bits of rock fall from the high ceiling, and small stones clatter around on the floor. We all look around, surprised, confused, and a bit worried.

Then, a resounding 'crack' echoes throughout the cave.

I see Light running towards me before I know what's going on, but just before he can reach me I start plummeting down, the piece of rock beneath me breaking off of the bridge.

Screams filling the air, calling for me, is all I hear before I plunge into the liquid. I barely have a second to start holding my breath before I submerge. It's almost as if it's pulling me down, dragging me to the lake's deepest corner. I fight against it, staying afloat a few feet below the surface.

I keep fighting. At first, nothing was happening... it was just like water, almost. But then, I felt an insufferable burning all over myself. I nearly screamed before reminding myself that I need to hold my breath, not wanting to find out what would happen if I breathe this in. I keep fighting against the liquid, slowly making my way to the smooth shore of stone that dips into the lake from the cavern opening.

However, it keeps getting worse. It's as if whatever this stuff is is piercing me, going bone-deep. I've almost reached the shore when I couldn't take it anymore. The pain was too much and I was running out of oxygen fast.

Against better judgement, but with no strength left to keep it, I release the breath of air I was keeping in. I attempt to scream, but the liquid fills my airways before I could, my voice just making slow-moving bubbles below the surface of the lake. I'm crawling along the shallow incline to the surface, desperately trying to reach the shore and get out of this strange lake before I black out.

Suddenly, I feel something pull the back of my shirt, and it starts lifting me out towards the shore. In a second, I've been pulled halfway out of the 'water' and I see Light using the end of his spear to fish me out of the lake. A few Guards rush over and grab me, dragging me onto the stone floor and out of the burning liquid.

Light quickly drops his spear and helps the Guards set me down away from the lake. He keeps me sitting upright as I start coughing, attempting to get the strange liquid out of my lungs.

"Sabre! Sabre, are you alright?" Light asks me.

"I-I think so..." I manage to answer after a few seconds. "There's- There's no way in heck that's water."

"What happened?" Light says as the other Guards get to us.

"It's like it was trying to drag me down or something..." I reply.

I see a Guard kneel down at the shore and almost reach out to the strange liquid, but I warn him before he does.

"Don't touch it by the way..." I say. "That stuff burns."

"We should go back." Light says, helping me stand up. "If the structure in here isn't stable, who knows what else could fall. And we don't know what caused that earthquake."

"Yeah, good idea. I've had enough of this place a-anyway." I say, shaking.

We all gather in a group, lightning soon teleporting us out of there.