Who's Killing Us?

Chapter 17

Once you got back to Gamzee's hive you had some questions.

"Gamzee who did that to you?" You asked him, wiping the tears from your face.

"It WaS-" He paused, as if thinking. "It WaS aN iMp." He told you. "FoRgOt WhAt ThEyRe CaLlEd. HoNk"

"Why is your codpiece so large?" You sighed.

"No IdEa." He laughed.

You laughed. "That's cool."

"So YoU aLsO aScEnDeD?" He asked- though it was rhetorical, and not really a question. It was just stating the obvious.

"Yup. Seer of Breath." You sighed. "I just mastered my powers because of the adrenaline."

"ThAtS cOoL." He laughed, mocking you.

"Yeah." You laughed.

You paused. "Now what?"

"We Do OuR qUeStS aNd FiNiSh ThE gAmE." Gamzee shrugged.

"I still find it hard to believe that you have all played this game before." You smiled.

"We HaVe SiS." He smiled at you.

"I should probably be getting back to my planet thing." You sighed.

"YeAh SiS. CoMe ViSiT aNy TiMe." He hugged you.

You held him in your arms. "Take care of yourself Gamzee. Don't let any more imps kill you."

"AlRiGhT sIs." He laughed and let you go. "HoNk"

"It was nice seeing you Gamzee." You smiled and flew back to the portal. "Wait since when can I fly?" You asked yourself. You went through the portal and found yourself back on your own planet.

With your feet on ground that wasn't canvas, you relaxed. You looked around. All around you was grassy knolls and a small abandoned town. You walked through the town, finding cobwebs and a single path of smoke leading almost everywhere. You noticed that there was one home that had no smoke leading into it. In fact, it seemed to avoid it. Your natural curiosity got the better of you and you went up to the hut. It was in better shape than the others. There was actually a garden that had beautiful blue flowers in it. They made you feel calm, yet the fact that they were there alarmed you. It seemed that this hut was still inhabited.

You took a deep breath and knocked on the door, which opened before you made contact. You heard a soft whisper. "Come in." It hissed. You crept into the hut. The inside was void of cobwebs or dust. The only things in the one room hut were a few torches and a staircase leading down. "Come child. Down the steps." It hissed once again.

You went down the stairs, watching your steps. Even with the torches, the staircase was still dim. You followed them down, and you soon got tired of walking, so you picked up your feet and took the floating approach. Once at the bottom of the staircase, you were in a poorly lit room. Even so, it was made of stone. Stone walls, ceiling, and floor. On the floor was a red carpet, leading from the stairs to an extravagant oak door with iron decorations and rings for handles. There were three white marble pillars on each side of the carpet. "Open the door, _______. Do not be afraid." The voice was now loud and confident. You landed softly on the carpet and walked up ti the door. You took a deep breath before opening it.

What you saw was amazing. The room on the other side of the great oak door was a room, even larger than the one you were in before. The red carpet was much wider, and the white marble pillars were huge. On the back wall of the room was a bright fire, burning in a shade of blue. But, what shocked you most was the giant snake-like creature in front of you, looking down on you.

"Hello player. My name is Typheus. I am the denizen of breath." It spoke loudly and clearly, yet still in a hiss. "I am glad that you have come to see me."

You blinked and then hurriedly sank to be on one knee. "Hello, I am _______."

"Get up child. You need not bow to me." Typheus said, and you got up. "I understand that you need guidence."

"Yes, actually." You looked up to Typheus. "I have no idea what I am supposed to be doing. Yet, apparently all of my friends do. But they are terrible at telling me things."

"I think that you do know. First, you must bring up the salamander people from the depths of the caves, and once you do, your home will rise from the surface." He said. "After that, it is up to your friends of space and blood to develop the frog of this game. Until they hatch the correct frog, you must wait and get stronger. Strong enough to beat the black king on The Battlefield before they release the meteors. Your friends of blood will take care of some of the fine print."

You nodded as you took in the information. "I also heard that we are supposed to meet some aliens called 'humans' as well before we beat the game." You told him.

"That is true. They will appear to you. But, before I can help you any more than I have, you must agree to some terms."

"Yes, of course, what are they?" You asked.

"When you beat this game, you must take this planet with you. You must figure out how to do this on your own." He said.

You sighed. "There is a way to do everything. Anything is possible, especially here."

"The will appear on this planet in exactly three days. By then, you must have all on the salamanders on the surface. At this time, to show your friendship, you must offer them the salamander named Casey." The fact that your new roommate was to be a sacrifice to aliens alarmed you, but you nodded. "They will help you complete several journeys. Do not underestimate them. There will be eight. Offer them your home, and let them stay with you. Some will agree, and some will ask you to lead them to others. Remember to respect them. That is all I can tell you at this moment. However, I invite you to come to me at any time you may need guidance." He bowed his head in a goodbye.

"Thank you, Typheus. I appreciate your help." You bowed and left to find the cave. It was time to guide the salamanders.