Tread Lightly

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Virgil 'Flickering Wraith' Boone

My roughed-up boots hardly affect the ground beneath me due to my light steps, but every other person with me leaves an infuriating amount of tracks. Not that I can stop them. Wyatt has at least learned enough from me to be careful about it. Marion's not awful, but he's too busy keeping Otto quiet and Bonfire in line.

Shaking my head, I urge them all onward to move faster, and they do so. In the distance is Heights, which is not our final destination but not far from it.

I already ran ahead and came back after informing Isaac to evacuate using the lantern five at a time, with one to ferry it back and forth. Sometimes, I forget precisely how fast I am, especially without the sun to slow me.

But as I see that the city has entered the range of my Flicker, I give Marion the go-ahead. The living don't need the lantern to leave the Underworld, after all.

"Go. I'll speak with Isaac before following up. Something is keeping the man here."

The Watchful Savant bobs his head before pulling Bonfire with a literal rope from Ether. The pyro shouts in frustration, but he lets himself get dragged. Good. He's learned. There are enemies to fight, but he's actually leaving while others are not. Progress is progress. I still feel awful about what happened before, yet what is done is done. I already apologized. Not much more I can do.

Taking a step with Ether flowing through me, I emerge inside Isaac's office after withstanding an instant within the Otherworld. As I grow in power, fewer creatures in that realm are even willing to look at me. But as I meet the final Supreme, I know that I am not yet at a level where I can travel as I see fit.

"I've sent those with me toward the exit. How are the evacuations going? When will you leave?"

Isaac Erno's hand rests on a tiny little book atop his desk as he is slightly bent over. It is shorter than his hand and slimmer than a finger, but he treats it with the severeness of his life. Rising to his full height, the Undead hands me the journal.

"Take this. It is the appendix of all current... living Undead. It should help on the surface. I've already had Birdie and Patrick move the libraries out. Beyond that... it will take a while. At least a few more days. Five at a time is not quick. There are hundreds of thousands of us. Most are weak or recently emerged, but about ten thousand can fight. A hundred or so can do something in this war with their strength. But be careful. There will be no more Undead born."

I raise an eyebrow, following his words but not wholly understanding. Stepping forward, I take the book and slide it into my shirt, but I don't let him continue.

"What do you mean? Are you keeping them here to fight?"

Isaac shakes his head, turning around to face the circular, sun-shaped window on the opposite side of his office. His arms are clad behind his back as he announces his own death.

"No. I am letting you know the forces that will be joining you. The Underworld is only an advantageous place to fight if Death aids us. I can see you are a man of war, perhaps not the same as I, but enough so nonetheless. I shall stay. Buy as much time as I can for the little ones."

Scoffing, I immediately speak my mind, not holding back against this Demigod. He must be stupid if he thinks staying here is better!

"What? How can you? You need to make it to the surface, too, Isaac. Your strength... I have not seen you at your best, but I know you are near the top among Dominions. Otherwise... you wouldn't have lived this long."

The One Eyed exhales lungs that have no need to breathe with collapsing shoulders. Then, he turns around, walking right past me and out the door while motioning me to follow.

"Come. There are some things more important than my life. If it were just this place... my home... I could give it up for the people. But there is something more. Our future."

Bewildered by his phrasing, I heed the man's desire and stay behind him as we traverse his fortress. We walk through the long, empty halls as everyone else has left for the Gate of Death. Here, in this city, there is only me and him.

Soon, there will only be him.

However, I am swiftly proven wrong as Isaac opens a steel door, swinging it open to reveal a cradle inside. My mind immediately swerves with a thousand thoughts, but they meander across without a destination.

A child? In the Underworld? How? What the fuck?

The Supreme runs his fingers along the cradle protectively as he stares down at the... little girl inside. Her appearance shocks me to my core, both for how she is here at all and secondly because of how she looks.

Her eyes are twin flames, the pupils themselves constantly moving with their color and shape, yet the right one seems to stay on the pale side, like those of the Undead. Furthermore... her veins are boiling magma and her skin is as pale as all other Undead. A child... with such abilities? How...?

"Marigold. That is her name. She was... born from the corpse of your companion, Kwakiteh, if I recall correctly."

The facts start to settle into place as things start to make some sense. I only recently learned about how those of Wyatt's family are... born, but this sounds exactly like it. Only... she is different. Though, it is expected, after all... this is a unique situation.

Born from the corpse of a Wendigo, bathed in the flames of a Haashch'eezhini, and cradled within the depths of the Underworld. If that isn't cause for a child to be born special, then I don't know what is. An Undead Graves. More than that, too. The last Undead.

Nodding to Isaac, I now understand completely. My mission has changed now. I will not simply escape with the others.

"Yes. This is... This is Marigold Graves. I see why you don't want to leave her, but can't we just bring her to the surface?"

The Supreme looks at me oddly before tapping the cradle with frustration.

"Is that so... Interesting. Another mystery solved. But no, unfortunately, we cannot. She is too young. The pressure of moving underneath the Gate of Death would kill her. Furthermore, she's hypersensitive to Ether, constantly pulling the ambient Ether into her body. Any additional..."

He doesn't need to finish, as I can follow through with my own thoughts. Absorbing Ether as such a little thing... she would become a terrifying human when she grows up, but that's if she even lives that long. The slightest bit of unwanted Ether could kill her, as the baby would be unable to regulate what she's absorbing.

What Marigold is doing is similar to Wyatt's Gasps, but only passively and slowly. Instead of a short-term increase in strength, hers will likely be eternal. How horrifying. Every second... of every hour, of every day of every year, she will be growing stronger without doing anything.

These Graves... This little one is probably missing more than one thing compared to the others. It's just a guess, but I can't imagine any singular Tomb that would cause this.

Glancing up from the baby, who is only a month or so old—maybe less, maybe more—time is weird down here without a sun and the constant battles, I place my attention onto Isaac.

"This child's potential is boundless. But... what next? How do we save her? We can't protect this place forever. It's not a bastion, especially after you sent everyone to the surface. Do you have an idea of getting her up there without any Ether? Or through the usual exit?"

The Supreme raps his knuckles on the wood of the cradle, the material somehow gathered down here without any trees. Then he reaches down, patting the young child ever so slightly.

"No. Nothing I can think of will work. The only... our only option is for someone to break the Gate of Death entirely, which is impossible. Well... perhaps a God could do it. Takes one to unravel another's work, right? Only... without the border... I worry what will happen to the surface. Is her life worth taking the risk? Perhaps. But perhaps not. Can we live with what happens? I am unsure."

The man who has lived centuries doesn't have an idea, so neither do I. If he can't come up with anything... who am I to think I can? No Ether? It's impossible to escape this place without any Ether. Maybe... Maybe Wyatt can help?

Wait... he can increase people's resilience! Yes! He should be able to strengthen Marigold enough to get her through the tunnel! But... We have to wait for him. No. We can't just wait.

Hurriedly, I inform Isaac of my plan before taking a step, Flicker already flowing through my body. The next second, I am a mile away from Heights. I flick my eyes back for only a second to find the Demigod atop the highest peak of the city, watching me leave.

Then, the Undead yanks off his eyepatch to reveal the eye of a demon, something impossible to miss, even from here. With that eye, it feels like he can see all, witness all, and control all.

His words reach me without sound, only through sight.

"Be careful, Boone. Motherbound are creeping in. Some must have gotten through your companions. Hurry before a Dominion finds you. Run. Run fast. I will not die until this little one is safe under the sun. That is my promise to you."

Gritting my teeth, I cover my body with my obscuration skills and sprint across the landscape, utterly silent yet as quickly as I can. I've traveled a whole lot today, and I can see it will only get worse.

While I dash at my highest pace, a voice enters my mind as Lily finally forms beside me. At least she heeded my warning and didn't appear within Heights. I don't want to reveal that I have her to anyone, not even Isaac. Who knows if he might get turned.

"Hey! Was that really needed! I wanted to see Marigold in person!"

I glance at the floating little girl who somehow keeps pace with me before shaking my head in annoyance. She's just a little kid. Lily has no place in this war. Neither does Marigold. But here they are. Blodwyn's not all too different, either.

"Yes. We must be cautious."

Lily nods up and down again and again. Then, a sour look dawns on her reddened teeth.

"What?"

My voice only reaches her, swept back into my body by a whirl of swarthy Ether that prevents the noise from expanding outward. The little Arca's eyes widen terribly as she points in toward Wyatt's direction.

"I sense... souls. A whole lot of 'em. At least three Dominions and a whole bunch of other ones, too. I-sack... do you think he can handle it?"

Scoffing, I already know the answer. He's good, but he's not that good. Creeping low to the ground, I slow down, letting my skills show themselves to their fullest potential.

"His name is Isaac. And... no. Probably not while guarding Marigold. We'll have to help him. So... get ready. I'll need a hand here."

Excited by the notion of murder, Lily saunters back into her metallic form, giggling the whole way. Fuck that's creepy. Is Aniwye the most normal person in that entire family? Likely.

Time passes as I crawl over the hills and mountains, discreetly avoiding revealing myself or any signs of my Ether. After just an hour or so of this, I find a large group heading right toward Heights, their trajectory aimed to meet.

Shit. It is their target. But why? Do they know about Marigold? No. They... probably don't know we are evacuating. And if they see such an empty city, they'll probably think it's a trap.

That might buy Isaac a little time, but still, it won't be much. Unless... I put some fear into them. Sliding my eyes over the rock, I am hidden behind, I find three Dominions, or at least who I reckon are the three.

One demon with scars over his bluish body rides an enormous jaw of some unknown creature as they soar through the air without any sign of Ether. Another one with three eyes slides across the Underworld's soil, drying out everything they come into contact with and traversing the earth swiftly. The final one that holds my attention is a lanky fellow with yellowish skin who simply bounces over the terrain, heading to their common destination.

All the other demons alongside them spew Ether non-stop with the Darklight in their bodies. So these must be the three Lily is talking about. Unholstering the Colt, I shiver slightly from the sudden chill that emanates from the Blooming Spider Lily's metal.

I don't let it distract me for long, however. My eyes quickly chose a target. It won't be the bouncing one. He's too likely to have a skill that redirects or reflects impacts based on his movement. Hell, that might even just be his whole Dominion.

Without one of my own, I can't fight them toe-to-toe, but that's fine. I never want to, anyway. Instead... I find my chance and kill while they least expect it. There is an issue with that, though. Most demons are old. Very old, making assassination near-impossible in most cases. These Demigods are likely millennia old.

Still... if anyone can do it...

My grip tightens on Lily's handle as I decide between the other two Dominions, taking into account everything. I note their speeds, the surrounding terrain, the nearby allies, and what possible skills they may have. Every tiny thing nests within my mind before I settle on a target.

The one with that jaw. It won't be easy to reach him with how high he is in the air, but something tells me the sliding demon with the extra eye has some way of detecting motion on the ground.

So, I creep between the rocks, keeping up with the demons as I wait for my target to lower himself slightly. Or... for the terrain to rise. Rushing ahead, I place myself at the top of a mountain with a Flicker, knowing they must head here.

Then, I wait, listening to Lily's incessant childish rambling. She constantly asks me questions about what we're doing, but I stay focused. I think she's only so talkative because I'm ignoring her, yet I don't budge with her antics.

I need to focus on this.

"Quiet. This is important."

It's not easy to reply using her connection. Nonetheless, as the demons approach, I get her to fall silent. Then, I close my eyes, letting the darkness overtake me. The target is coming.

I listen to the world around me, taking in every little morsel, from the shifting of the winds to the distant war that leaves the earth rumbling just a bit all the way here. A deep breath fills my lungs with power as I exhale.

In and out. Then, I stop breathing, turning utterly still.

My heartbeat stops. My mind stops. My everything comes to a pause as I lie, prepared to kill. There are those who have killed, those who have not, and those who are killers.

Many have killed, but that does not make them a killer. A true killer... is a predator, one who knows the art just as a wolf or a bear does. It is instinctual, something that flows through them without thought, without action.

It... simply is there.

My muscles tighten on their own, the target within range without my eyes seeing them. I simply know. The winds have told me, the minor transitions and motions doing so.

And so, I move. A boot kicks the earth behind me as I enter the Otherworld. Seemingly infinite creatures exist within the void, the space between spaces, but none come for me. None even notice me, for I am... featureless. I possess no smell, no sound, no taste, and none can even see me. My emotions are so honed that not even a Mentalist could spot me ahead of my strike.

My feet find purchase on an elevated platform of darkness as I exit Flicker beside my target. They twist in panic, moving their Dominion to bite me while their own Ether swoons lethally. Leaning forward, I dart straight for the man, threading the needle between the monstrous maw and the demon's attack.

Like a spear, I enter the opening and stab into his flesh with the dagger in my left hand, Clarence's stiletto. But it is not enough. The Demigod roars with anger as a beastly jaw conjures within his chest, heading right for my throat.

I don't retreat. Either he dies, or I die. It has always been that way. It always will be.

Like a contortionist, I pivot my body to the side, losing some flesh and blood but nothing significant from the clasping teeth using the dagger in his shoulder as leverage. As I flip to the demon's side, I redraw the Blooming Spider Lily, placing my faith in the legendary Colt. With one arm crossed over the other while I'm upside down from my flip, I find the demon's eyes filled with fear.

The barrel lines right up with this thing's temple, inches above his trepidation, as I squeeze the trigger.

And within a tenth of a second of me leaving that rock, Lily moves to claim another soul, but I am not far behind her. While that river of darkness sublimates, I place a hundred knives into the Demigod's flesh, making sure it will die. The blue-tinged demon resists, managing to bite off the pinky on my right hand and nearly getting my left foot, but I keep all the important bits for later. I'd rather not lose my limbs as easily as Wyatt.

Shortly after, a body falls from the sky, littered with tiny blades and without any hint of life, before crashing into the earth below. Already, the other scores of demons are rushing to get their vengeance, screaming bloody murder.

But my job is done. Once more, my foot finds purchase in the air as I enter the void between worlds.