Woven

Dom: Chapter 11

Luckily, Dom was closer to Ryan when he called for a narration change, so he had gotten a hold of it before Olivia. After meeting with Animus, who was just as irritating as Dom thought he would be, Siko had herded them into another vehicle and shipped them out of the city. They retraced their route, even flying over the refugees just outside the boundaries. Outside, the sky was growing dark, and a few evening stars were coming out.

Dom looked back into the passenger section of the vehicle, which was more akin to a stealth plane than the circular one they had ridden in first. Along the aisle, the others were sleeping, trying to get rested up before infiltrating the Kiyengs' cave. Dom himself had tried to sleep, but had ultimately given up and joined Siko once more in the pilot's cabin.

She expertly guided the plane through the narrow chasm, which was wide enough to admit the plane, but only just. The silent thrusters carried them on a silent course until they reached a point about halfway through the valley that Dom recognized. An opening in the rock, much larger than the others, yawned widely, seeming all the more ominous with the growing night.

The plane stopped and hovered just outside. Siko, pushing a few buttons, remained in a reverent silence towards Dom. He didn't want to break it, so he went to get up the others. Starting with Kyo, he reached out to shake him, but Kyo pushed his hand away, opening his eyes, I couldn't sleep.

That's understandable.

He shook his head, his black hair swaying, It's not the stress; I couldn't stop thinking about the story of those two and the Reaper. It just sounds so familiar.

It sounds familiar to me, too. It didn't exactly help us, but I guess it is useful information, Dom offered.

I guess. You'd better wake up the others.

Nodding, Dom moved from person to person, gently shaking them awake and helping them out of their seats. When they were all up, Siko pressed a button, opening a door in the side of the plane, "Go now. I'll be here when you return, but I'll be in stealth mode, so you'll have to signal. Just wave or something in my direction."

Dom nodded and led them out the door, stepping directly onto the ridge that would lead them to the cave. He sniffed the air, which was crisp and fresh, giving no hint to the rotting cages inside the tunnels. "Let's go."

Forging ahead, Dom called Therin up and told her to summon a flame for light. She did so and it produced a lot of light, but not much heat. How wonderful. When they entered the cave, the plan was to climb up the first tunnel they came across. If they were spotted, they would kill everything, but until that actually happened, they would do their best to remain under the radar.

Reaching the dark opening, Dom hesitated; would the crystal that Animus wanted truly be useful to them? Or was it just a ploy for the deity to gain more power? From what Dom had read about him, that seemed likely, but you could never tell. Perhaps he was trying to help them after all.

"Dom?" He looked back and saw Sira staring at him, worried, "Having second thoughts, are we?"

He shook his head, "No, let's get this over with."

Turning back to the gaping maw, Dom strode forward and into the domain of their enemies. Looking up, the cave looked a lot different than when he had been dragged through it, considering that Therin's flame lit it up to an extent. The ceiling looked a lot rougher than the walls, as if there had been less attention paid to it. Upon closer inspection, it was because there were carvings, worn away with age, but artistic in a sense.

The paintings depicted travelers all going the same direction, following a course along the ceiling. He looked ahead and above them, spotting the first hole. The paintings around there were larger, but they had the same proportions. It became clear to Dom that the travelers were becoming more lizard-like. Perhaps it wasn't a tale of a journey, but one of an evolution.