Where? (Sinbad)

18. Lost in the Ice

The iced floors did little to muffle any sounds that came from Sinbad's boots hitting the ground. Every step he took echoed further and further down the hall. As much as he tried to make as little noise as possible, his efforts were in vain. The long, frozen tunnels carried every slight noise throughout, making it nearly impossible to try and keep his location hidden. Sinbad simply abandoned the idea of slipping through the tunnels unnoticed and instead focused on hurrying to find Hina. While he certainly wasn't trying to get himself caught, he wasn't exactly concealing himself either.

Sinbad was grateful he'd gotten the new boots when he did; he most certainly would've fallen several times due to the floors that just so happened to be frozen solid if not for the traction the shoes provided him. They were oddly comfortable to top it off and they still fulfilled their purpose. 

Sinbad, as he ran through the endless twisting tunnels, seeing his breath cloud up around him only to be left behind as he continued running, squinted his eyes as he took in the sight of what seemed to be a light ahead. He quickly slowed and attempted to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible as he cautiously crept to the edge. 

A tall, blue haired figure stood in a small tunnel that connected to the one Sinbad resided in. Sinbad was about to jump down to go meet up with Hina when he noticed a peculiar group of butterflies. Their colors were oddly bright and they seemed to be quite interested in Hina, fluttering around him and even landing on his arms and head. At first glance, the tiny insects seemed harmless and even friendly, but Sinbad knew better than anyone how deceptive appearances could be, especially in dungeons.

Within only seconds of several butterflies landing on Hina, he flinched away as if their presence itself was painful. Soon, alarmed cries rang out in the tunnel from Hina as he swatted at the pesky insects. Blood began dripping down onto the floor in small splats.

Sinbad's eyes widened at the sight before he quickly stood up and grabbed the hilt of his blade, a clean sound resonating through the tunnel as he pulled his sword from its sheath. The cool and lustrous silver of the blade was quickly replaced by a blinding blue light that lit up the tunnel as Sinbad raised the brand high above his head.

With a barely audible incantation, a harsh bolt of lightning struck down from above onto Hina and all of the monstrous butterflies on him. A harsh crinkling sound could be heard as the charred remains of those damned insects crumbled to the icy floor. Hina fell to the ground, quite literally shocked from the incident, and his eyes shut as smoke released itself from Sinbad's blade.

........................

"...na... ina... Hina!" A loud voice roughly pulled Hina away form the land of dreams and back to reality. Alarmed, the Imuchuk man quickly sat up only to be met with the face of a certain purple haired sailor. "Rise and shine!"

"Sinbad? Where are we?" Hina shook his head before looking around at the area they occupied. They seemed to be on a small ledge that led further into the dungeon with steep icy stairs leading down and sharp frozen crystals on the sides of the tunnel ahead along with he edge of the small sill they sat on. 

"You got attacked by some weird creatures. It's a good thing you're alright," Sinbad replied.

"Oh yeah! I got surrounded by man-eating butterflies!" Hina spoke loudly as he recalled the events from earlier.

"You mean those man-eating butterflies?" Sinbad asked as his gaze shifted towards a pile of burnt ashes that lay on the ground. 

Hina briefly examined the sad pile of ash before he spoke. "I see, you got rid of them... thank you." Hina's tone seemed slightly off, almost as if he was embarrassed or ashamed of something, though Sinbad decided not to dwell on it too much. "But... my joints feel numb somehow?"