Wyvern and Violet stood at the edge of the hole in the floor. The dark abyss below showed nothing but shadows. Silvester was gone, pulled down by that arm. Wyvern peered down for a few seconds, blades still in his hands. Violet stood beside him, mist curling lightly at her feet.
"We need another way down," Wyvern said. "No telling how far he fell."
Violet nodded. "Agreed. He might need us."
They turned away from the hole and ran back out into the halls. The corridors stretched long and dim, with emergency lights flickering overhead. Wyvern led, blades ready. Violet stayed close behind. They took the first left, boots echoing on the concrete. The rot smell followed them, mixed with dust from the broken wall.
At the next junction Wyvern checked around the corner, then waved her forward. They went right, passing old doors with faded labels. Some hung open, showing empty rooms with overturned chairs and scattered papers. The air felt heavier down here, damp and cold. They kept moving fast, scanning every side passage.
"Keep watch on the walls," Wyvern said quietly. "More hatches or doors might show up."
Violet scanned ahead. "Nothing yet."
They turned left again into a wider hall. Pipes ran along the ceiling, dripping water in spots. Wyvern stepped over a puddle and checked the next corner. Clear. They advanced, footsteps quick but careful. Another right took them past a row of storage lockers, some dented and open. The smell of decay grew in places, but no creatures appeared.
Round and round they went. Left at a T-junction, right down a sloping passage. The layout twisted like a maze. Violet misted short distances to scout side rooms, reappearing each time with a shake of her head.
"Still no stairs," she said after one check.
"Keep going," Wyvern replied.
They pushed on. Another left led to a dead end with collapsed rubble. They backtracked, taking the right instead. Hall after hall passed. The lights buzzed louder in some sections. Water dripped steady in others. Wyvern's blades caught the faint light as he moved. Violet's mist stayed low, ready for a quick escape if needed.
Minutes stretched. Their breathing stayed even but the run built fatigue in their legs. They turned left into a narrower corridor. This one had railings along one side. Violet moved ahead a bit and spotted a heavy door at the end.
"Here," she called back. "Stairs."
Wyvern joined her. The door looked old but solid. He flicked his wrist and the lock melted, allowing them to push it open. Inside, a concrete staircase spiraled down. No lights at first, just faint glow from strips along the edges.
They started down, skipping steps where they could. Floor after floor passed. The stairs echoed with their footsteps. Wyvern counted the levels in his head. Ten floors down. Now Fifteen. They assumed Silvester had dropped straight to the bottom. The air grew colder. The rot smell stronger.
More floors. Twenty. The stairs felt endless. Their legs burned but they did not slow. Another landing, another flight. Wyvern led, blades out. Violet followed, ready to teleport if something blocked the way.
They stopped on a wide landing between floors. In front of them on the stairs below stood twelve smaller creatures. Each one looked like a weaker version of the tall lanky woman. Shorter, around six feet, with pale skin, long arms, and hollow eyes. Their jaws hung open, teeth sharp but smaller. They hissed and started climbing toward them.
"Twelve of them," Violet said.
"We'll take them down fast," Wyvern replied.
The fight started. The first creature lunged up the stairs. Wyvern swung his blade and cut through its arm. It screamed but kept coming. Violet misted behind it and stabbed a loose piece of railing into its back. The creature staggered. Wyvern finished it with a thrust to the head.
Two more charged. Wyvern spun his arm round and the metal on the railings bent to wrap around the creatures legs. One had its head smashed in bg violents knee. He sliced the other across the chest. Blood sprayed but these ones didn't regenerate like the big one. Violet teleported again, grabbing one by the neck with mist and slamming it into the wall.
The group of twelve spread out on the stairs. Some climbed from below, others leaped over the railing sections. Wyvern stood firm in front, blades flashing. He sent metal from the steps up into spikes that impaled two creatures at once. They thrashed and pulled free.
Violet dashed between them. She misted short distances, appearing behind one to kick it down the stairs. Another she hit with a thrown body part from the first kill. "These are weaker," she called. "But they're still stronger than normal anomalies."
"Focus on groups," Wyvern said. He wiped his hand and forced chains madr from railings to grab three creatures at once. Their limbs pulled tight. He walked forward and cut their heads clean off. The bodies slumped.
More came. Four now rushed together. Wyvern dodged left, blade cutting one leg. He spun and blocked claws with his other blade. Violet misted in, purple smoke wrapping two of them and yanking them off balance. She slammed them together hard. Wyvern stabbed through both.
The stairs became a mess of blood and broken concrete. The creatures screeched, the sound echoing up and down the shaft. Wyvern and Violet moved as a pair. He held the line while she hit from the sides and rear.
Another wave. Three leaped from above. Wyvern raised his arm and metal from the ceiling pipes flowed down, forming a barrier. The creatures hit it and bounced back. Violet teleported above them and dropped down with force, crushing one under her boots. She misted away as the others swung.
Violet grabbed a loose stair section with mist and swung it like a bat, knocking two creatures down multiple steps. Wyvern followed, blades slicing as they fell.
The fight dragged. Creature five charged alone. Wyvern met it head on, trading blows. Its claws scratched his suit but he cut deep into its side. Violet finished it from behind.
Six and seven came together. One went for Violet. She misted out of reach and reappeared to throw it down the stairs. The other attacked Wyvern. He used his power to pull the railing into a whip that pierced its face. Then he drove both blades in.
Eight tried to flank. Wyvern sensed the movement and sent floor metal up to trap its feet. Violet misted close and stabbed through its skull with a broken railing piece.
The remaining four grew more aggressive. They spread out on different stair levels. Wyvern and Violet had to chase while fighting. They ran down one flight, creatures pursuing from behind and ahead. Wyvern turned and metal sent chains to snag two from the rear. He pulled them close and cut them apart.
Violet handled the front ones. She teleported rapidly, hitting one with body parts, then the next. A claw caught her arm but she pulled free and misted to safety. "Think he'll be alive still?" she said between breaths. "These are delaying us."
"Just keep going," Wyvern said. He advanced down the stairs, metal flowing from the structure to form temporary barriers and weapons. One creature broke through. He met it with a blade to the jaw.
The long fight continued across multiple landings. Creature nine fell to a combined attack. Wyvern pinned it with metal spikes while Violet slammed it with debris. Ten required a chase down half a flight. It leaped gaps but Violet misted ahead and blocked it. Wyvern caught up and ended it.
Eleven and twelve came as the last pair. They attacked together, claws slashing. Wyvern dodged and countered, breaking one's arm with a metal clamp. Violet misted between them, confusing their attacks. The fight moved up and down several steps. Claws scraped walls. Blood slicked the stairs.
Wyvern finally cut through eleven's neck. Violet handled twelve by teleporting it over the edge and up a few levels then letting it fall far down. The last screeches faded.
They stood for a moment, breathing hard. Blood and bodies littered the stairs. Wyvern wiped his blades on a rag from his suit. Violet checked her arm scratch.
"Done," Wyvern said. "Now for the bottom."
They ran down the last flights. The stairs went on for several more levels. Their legs ached from the fight and the long descent. Lights flickered as they passed. The rot smell peaked near the end.
At the bottom they saw a large metal door blocking the way. Wyvern flicked his wrist. The door folded in on itself under his power, metal crumpling and falling aside with a loud crash. They burst through together.
The room opened up. There sat Silvester on the corpse of the big lanky woman. He used it like a throne. Blood covered him. His arms and legs looked broken. He smiled even while passed out, head tilted back slightly, eyes rolled back. Gun rested against his side in one palm.
Wyvern lowered his blades. Violet stepped forward, mist fading.