Necromancer For Hire- Arc 3

Arc 3, Chapter 22

The Others

Victor held Matthew's hand tightly, Esper clutching his other. The three walked slowly and observantly, watching their surroundings closely.

Matthew hadn't spoken a word since they departed from Umbra, Aunora, and Time, and that unnerved Victor. He was used to his father's cheerful and constant chattering soothing his anxiety, so Matthew's sudden silence and severity of movement made him think that something was wrong.

Esper, however, seemed much calmer in contrast. His gentle demeanor withstood the dangerous circumstances that they were faced with, and he even had the courtesy to place a small blue flower in Victor's hair.

The hallway they walked through had low ceilings, and the lightning was poor. The paint was a stained yellow, with old crown molding lining the floor. The hardwood floor creaked under Victor's feet, which made him flinch at the sudden noise.

They passed by a room, and Matthew waved for Esper and Victor to stand back. He let go of Victor, sticking his hand into his pocket and pulling at a handgun.

Victor's heart skipped a beat at the sight of the weapon, as he knew that his father was truly fearing for the worst.

He was well aware of the guns that his father owned, but he only saw them out in the open whenever Matthew was prepping to protect himself or Victor. The most recent time that he recalled seeing his father bearing arms was when Matthew suspected someone had broken into the restaurant in the middle of the night.

"Esper," Matthew murmured, the nature spirit jerking to attention. "Watch Victor and guard him with your life. If you hear gunshots, run." Matthew turned to his son. "If it comes to that, dear, lead Esper." The man rubbed the top of Victor's head, flashing him a small smile, the first one he'd seen from Matthew since they parted ways with the rest of the group.

Matthew slipped into the room, closing the plain white door behind him.

The time it took for Matthew to search the room was perhaps the most terrifying forty seconds Victor had ever experienced. Time slowed to a snail's pace, and Victor was sure his heart was pounding faster than the seconds that ticked by.

Matthew soon emerged from the door, his arms at his sides.

"Daddy!" Victor squeaked, throwing himself around Matthew's torso. "Is everything okay?"

Matthew's normally healthy shade of flesh-color had taken on a shocked pallor, and his eyes were distant.

"Ah, nothing important right now..." he swallowed, stashing his gun back into the confines of his coat. "Let's keep moving. There's nothing here."

Victor frowned, able to tell when his father was lying. I guess it's best not to look into it, Victor thought. If he doesn't want to tell me, there must be a reason.

The hallway ended at a set of concrete stairs, leading down into some sort of cellar or basement. The hard material that made up each step was dirty and cracked, making it seemed like they were very old.

Matthew walked to the start of the stairway, peering down them to get a better look of their surroundings.

"Can you see anything?" Victor asked cautiously, clutching Esper's sweater. The nature spirit had his arms around the boy, eager to protect him.

Matthew squinted, standing on the tips of his toes to get the best view. Finally, he frowned.

"It's pitch black down there. I can't even see where the stairs end." Rubbing his chin, Matthew knit his eyebrows together. "Victor, do you think you could give us some light as we climb down there? All I need is a little bit of spirit fire."

Victor's shoulders slumped. "We're going down there?!"

"Of course, dear. If I was going to hide a divine creature anywhere, it would be in the basement. It's the most hidden of all the places in the house, and easily forgotten."

Victor seemed unconvinced, his body taking on a violent tremble. Descending down into a basement violated several of his phobias, and it even brought back some unpleasant memories of their dealings with the bounty hunters.

Matthew knelt down before Victor, cupping his cheeks in his hands.

"Victor, please, I need you to do this for me." Matthew smiled at Victor once more. "How about I let you ride on my back. Is that okay? Would you like that?"

The need for Matthew's physical affection trumped Victor's looming fear, and the boy sighed. He crawled onto Matthew's back, wrapping his arms around his neck. With an over exaggerated grunt, Matthew stood back up, taking Esper by the hand.

"Esper, I'm not sure how you deal with stairs, but well, we're going down." Matthew said awkwardly, starting to descend down the stairway.

The further down they travelled, the thicker the air around them got. A cold chill caressed Victor's face and made him shiver.

As Matthew, Victor, and Esper reached the bottom of the stairs, Victor was confronted with a stomach churning smell. It was nearly overpowering, and he pressed his face into the back of Matthew's neck for relief.

"Dad," Victor whispered, "what is that?"

"Bleach," Matthew replied, his voice strained.

Realizing it was time for him to guide their way, Victor shakily held out his palm, summoning a tongue of blue flames. The heat-sucking fire gave off waves of cold, causing Victor to be even chiller than he was before.

From the blue light his powers provided, Victor could tell the hallway they stumbled down as plain and made of concrete, lacking any of the decorations or fanciness of the upper floors of the house. The passageway was uncomfortablely narrow, and the floor was slightly damp.

"Mr. Matthew," Esper suddenly hissed, stopping dead in his tracks.

Matthew turned around, looking concerned. "What is it?"

Esper pointed forward, a frown set on his face. "There's something down there, sir. I can sense a woman...and some sort of creature. The creature has a massive magic signature, so I am suspecting it may be Clockwork." Esper touched the walls around him, sighing. "I think this hallway ends in a dead end, leading to a room. That's what makes the most sense."

Matthew took in the information, a shallow breath moving down his chest. "Okay. Victor, can you get some light down there? We need to know if there is a door."

Victor nodded, attempting to crawl off of Matthew. Matthew lowered him to the ground, and Victor sat on the hard stone floor.

Focusing all his energy, Victor slapped a hand on the concrete before him, and a thin line of fire raced down the hallway. Blue light ricocheted from wall to wall, giving everything an eerie tint.

At the end of the hall, just as Esper theorized, a small door sat.

Matthew hugged Victor close to his chest, the flickering light casting a sinister shadow across the three people.

"Esper, are you sure Clockwork is in there?" Matthew whispered.

"Clockwork is the only creature I can think of that would be giving off this kind of signature." Esper replied, nervously stroking the flower he had tucked behind his ear.

"And that he has one guard?"

"Yes sir, one guard. Middle aged female, probably a blood mage."

Matthew crossed his arms, light reflecting off his glances. "Victor, Esper and I are going to charge into the room. I need you to hide by the door and attack with your spirit fire, okay?"

Lip trembling, Victor nodded.

Matthew took a step towards the door, Esper clutching his wrist.

"I guess it will come down to us to save Clockwork."

Author's Note- aaand now we have two separate climaxes going on! :) be sure to vote and comment!!! ♡♡♡