30 Plush (1/2)
Alice was able to instantly force open the thick metal lid, her expression not wavering in the slightest from the exertion.
”Are you a train?” Garett asked dumbfoundedly, while he knew that Alice was strong and was wearing her mystic gauntlets, he expected at least a frown! These things not only weighed a lot but were also pressurized to boot!
”Have you tried lifting my gauntlets? They are at least twice as heavy.” She smirked at him with a taunting smile, a tinge of satisfaction evident in her voice.
'You are an aberration! How can you look so delicate and have such monstrous strength? Is this the result of your ritual?' Garett felt the world crumbling, he couldn't trust his very eyes anymore!
”Don't look at me like that, I didn't choose my abilities.” She said while slightly elevating her eyebrows. ”Father Charles said the Goddess tailor every one of the powers she bestows to adequately fit the person; I don't think that's the case, though. Even the Goddess shouldn't have that much free time, besides… Why would she tailor something like that for a beautiful lady like me?”
'I think this power suits you well enough…' He couldn't help but think inwardly, even if he didn't dare to voice his thoughts!
The slippery stairs eventually led into nothingness, only the low sound of water and the foul smell of the sewers welcomed them in their foray; different from the outside where both of them had already come to terms with the scant illumination, the sewers were the domain of the strange creatures that had assaulted them before, and there would be no fire to protect them this time.
”So… If we are both going… Ladies first?” His untimely proposal elicited a spiteful glare from Alice, not an ounce of humor present on her face. ”Alright… I was just being polite...”
”Aah…” She sighed in defeat, a sudden urge to facepalm surging up inside of her. ”Alright, I'll go first.”
Taking a moment to steel herself, Alice stepped forward and crouched to grab the stairs. The cold metal transmitted into her fingers a deep sensation of detachment, the scenes from before came in flashes to remember her of the powerlessness she had felt! The only thing propelling her forward was Garett's gaze, that did not waver in the slightest.
Nodding to herself, Alice steeled her resolve and continued the descent for a few moments before finally arriving at the bottom.
From what Garett could see, her figure was eventually engulfed into shadows, only the sound of careful steps convened the information of her wellbeing. The worry in Garett's heart gradually rising with every step!
And then, the humid ground emitted slight noises that echoed and multiplied throughout the dark tunnels, announcing to every being of her arrival.
”All clear,” She announced in a low volume, Garett could barely hear the words from his position, but he could clearly understand the message.
'Well, thankfully nothing happened.' The unwavering gaze that Alice had noticed before was nowhere to be seen! Garett could only emit a sigh of relief! He quickly followed her in, as he was the one with the artifact.
As soon as he started to descend, the horrible smell coming from a combination of unknown fumes and human waste intruded his nostrils aggressively, a strong urge to puke emerged on his insides! The kingdom had no policies prohibiting the large factories of disposing wastage on the sewers; in fact, there wasn't even a movement from the large institutions to prevent that! The College, which specially concerned itself with the environment in most cases, never bothered with this specific part of the system.
'I wonder why… Do they also make use of this loophole for some reason? I can't remember the College producing anything that needs this kind of treatment…' Garett resisted the effects brought by the nauseating smell and focused on other subjects in order to resist his natural instincts. Eventually, the cold steel left his hands as he finally arrived beside Alice, who stared alertly into the darkness.
”What are you looking at?”
He wasn't even able to see his own hands! The thick darkness encroached the duo from all the sides; only the scant illumination from the street above barely assisted him in seeing Alice's figure.
”I'm hearing.” She shushed him with a few waves of her hands. ”I couldn't detect anything other than rats. Let's find the source of energy and get the hell out of here, this is no place for a lady.”
'You seem pretty comfortable to me, are you sure you don't like the ambient?...' He forcefully held back his retort, as the situation wasn't appropriate; in fact, even if it was appropriate, he probably wouldn't have done it.