Kim couldn't understand what he just saw, a four arm man went on a mini rampage, when he saw the man in the corner of his vision and chalked it up to a buyer of slaves but that was not the case, although his animalistic roars of rage unsettled him a bit.
Valeo stood of the bloody flesh puddles that use to be living people.
"Yes..."
Valeo spun around, it was that same voice again, the same chilling voice that was too similar to his own.
When he didn't find anyone he turned his attention to the people, they coward in the corner of their cages trying to make space between, Valeo couldn't lie this stung a bit.
Moving to the door of the nearest cage Valeo saw there was a device on it with a keyhole and numberpad, looking over Valeo saw the key gleaming in the torch light.
Valeo walked over and reached for the key.
"NO GET BACK!"
Valeo looked over to see Kim reaching his arm out, then I geyser of blood exited from the zombie boss, but the blood didn't splash on walls or floor.
It moved.
Like a curious snake, the tendrils of blood that formed slithered to the corpses and entered in their mouths or any opening in their body, slowly it dragged the bodies together.
Like a puppet, the fused bodies turn their head to Valeo while the people in the cage scream in fear, one word echoing in the cages.
"Dead livita."
Valeo spun his gunbai behind him ready until Kim ran past him.
"GET IT AWAY FROM THE PEOPLE!"
Valeo nodded and followed Kim, the corpse abomination crawled after them on crab-like blood legs , roaring with multiple voices.
"Is that how we sound to people?"
Valeo thought running down the tunnel, now realizing why some people flinch when he spoke.
The duo entered the room full of empty cages, the roars of the corpse abomination slowly getting closer.
"Alright, I'm gonna need you the distract the Dead livita, my omni-arm in most likely in Hunuk's office."
Kim said briskly wobbling his way to a room with a sheet of cloth for privacy.
"Can't we just kill it?"
Valeo asked Kim, seeing the shadow of the Dead livita getting closer.
"No, we need to jumpstart the heart, it's practically dead but yet still alive."
"Yeah sure, that makes sense."
Valeo thought while Kim disappeared into the room, the foul odor hit him first before the sound of something wet hitting against the floor followed soon after.
The Dead livita squeezed through the frame, once it saw Valeo it roared and charged at him, all the dead people reaching their arms out to rip him apart, swinging his gunbai to cleave the retched creature in two only for a blob of flesh to block the blow.
"What the-WOAH!"
Using his gunbai the Dead livita flung Valeo into a wall, the cave shook from the impact causing some stalactites to fall, one of them pinning the creature, the screech of the abomination nearly ruptured his four ear drums.
"CLEAR!"
Kim ran towards the pinned creature his stub of an arm replaced by a mechanical arm charging with electricity, he grabbed the behind the neck of the zombie boss sending volts of electricity through the entire body.
Once the Dead livita stopped screeching and convulsing Valeo made his way to Kim who was panting.
"Is it dead?"
Valeo said rubbing his back, Kim upon catching his breath sat down.
"Eh, it's not moving anytime soon but I wouldn't call it dead."
Before Valeo could question a wet cough echoed throughout the room.
"Heheh, th-the q-queen wi-will get you for th-this."
Kim grimaced at the words of the zombie boss.
"Who's the queen?"
Both zombie and Kim looked at Valeo with bewilderment.
"What?"
Valeo said while having the same expression.
The zombie drew his last rancid breath before he could answer the question, the room silent. After a couple of seconds passed Kim fell to his knees panting heavily before collapsing.
"HEY!"
Valeo was at his side in a instant holding Kim's head.
"F-food."
Kim's voice was more frail than usual worrying Valeo, he was about to rush out of the cave with Kim in his lower arms bridal style but stopped, he turned his head to the tunnel leading down where the cages full of people.
He hesitated, his eyes darting from the tunnel he entered from to the one with the people, will they call him a monster too? An abomination?
"There's no monster, just you."
Himrick.
He had completely forgotten the old man who helped him and fed him, Valeo began to feel worse and worse, unknowingly he began to walk into the tunnel leading back to the caged people, his mind somewhere else.
He was snapped out and the hush whispers of the people greeted him, all of them staring at him, for some reason this unsettled him, sweat began to build on his forehead, his breathing becoming more rapid.
"M-mister?"
A small voice pierced his spiraling mind making him turn to the voice, the instant turn of his head spooked the little skeleton but she continued.
"Is he gone?"
Valeo wondered how the skeleton could spike without moving it's mouth but the question she asked put that thought on the back burner.
He nodded his head not trusting his voice, all of a sudden the people cheered and cried, this wasn't the cheering he was use to, it was something he couldn't describe, the joy and hope was palpable, near overwhelming.
"Please let's us out."
A wolf man, skin and bones pleaded to Valeo with a slight whimper at the end, multiple pleads followed in suit.
Setting down Kim who was barley conscious Valeo stepped to the door of a nearby cage, it's padlock gleaming in the torch light.
It's bronze color was more deep than the bronze he saw before, grabbing the lock Valeo felt how heavy the lock was.
"By the code."
"Hey that's true bron-"
A loud snap and something heavy hitting the rocky floor stopped the grey skin man from speaking any further, no one spoke, even Kim looked at the broken lock and then at Valeo.
"Did he just-"
Kim with his barley open eyes stared at the four arm man as Valeo began to move.
Valeo continued to the other cages, everyone looking at him dumbfounded. After he broke the last lock Valeo finally acknowledged the stares he was looking at again, and once again that same feeling returned, the rapid breathing and the feeling of dread building in his core.
He quickly ran out the room and back into the room with the deceased dead livita, holding himself against a wall Valeo clasped his chest feeling his....was that two hearts?
The second bump kept happening milliseconds after the first, after a couple of seconds Valeo felt the pressure of his shoulders fade.
The footsteps echoed in the tunnel he exited out of, the many shadows tell him all he needed to know.
As the fifteen person group walked into the open cave Valeo noticed Kim was hoisted on a bulls shoulder.
Rushing over Valeo gently grabbed the passed out Kim, his body light and limp.
Valeo began to walk out the cave, crowd followed him, after a minute Valeo saw the two guards from before, silently he clashed their heads together knocking them out.
Many of the people shielded their eyes, Valeo remembered that same sensation when he escaped the Apex.
* * *
A old gentleman walked down a lavishly decorated hall, a silver platter covered by a lid in his right hand, he approached a wooden door with gold edges and knocked.
"Enter."
A feminine voice command, opening the door the gentleman had to squint his eyes as the room was nearly pitch black expect for a window, the rain gently tapping against its surface.
"M'lady it's unhealthy too sit in the dark, perhaps some lighting will do yo-"
"Are you telling me what to do Henry?"
The old man paled, no realizing he should've kept quiet.
"No no M'lady it was just a sug-MRGH!"
A snap of the woman's fingers made a sword pierce the old man. A masculine figure cloaked in dark clothes held the man's mouth, silencing the screams.
"Dispose of the body and the carpet, I'll get a new one."
The woman said sipping on a fancy glass of wine, instantly both the body and carpet vanished in a puff of black of smoke.
"I do hate it when you silence them, it makes me all tingly when they scream."
"Forgive me Lady monarch, force of habit."
The woman giggled in her hand, when the shadow spoke.
"Have you found him?"
The woman's voice turned deathly serious.
"He was spotted in Bale lake before it was destroyed, some say he destroyed it."
The ruby red eyes of the woman pierced the darkness of the room boring holes into the shadow.
"Find him, and eliminate him."
The shadow nodded and disappeared.
The woman turn back to the window, the rain coming down more intensely.
"Fillian you damn fool."