Our hubris became our downfall.

- Founder line scratched onto the back of every throne.

“Quit grinning like an idiot, or do you want me to kick you?” Pickle said before wiping the sweat off his brow. He was busy holding up the ceiling, arms softly trembling, as I commanded another support beam to rise from beneath my feet. “You think it’s funny, eh? Watching poor, old Pickle suffer. Just you wait… I’ll have my revenge soon enough.”

I tried my best to wipe the smirk off my face, but my taut lips wouldn’t listen. “Hold on for a little longer,” I said. “Almost done with the alignment.” I could feel the rock shift as I willed it upwards with all my might. Slowly a stone beam rose from the ground with every second I spent pushing against the empty air. Gods, this is exhausting. My body ached all over, and my thoughts were growing foggy. A little more and I can take a break. With a last push of effort, the smooth-cut rock slid against the load-bearing beam held up by Pickle. The last piece of a three part construction, one repeated every few feet inside the tunnel. We held our breaths, listening for the sound of an imminent collapse. But the ceiling remained quiet, and the supports resolute in their purpose.

“Fuck me,” Pickle said, collapsing against the wall. “I need a drink.” The man had become a sweaty mess over the course of an hour. My original plan was to have the other Sloths help in the construction, but they proved to lack the fine control needed to properly shape with Earth Magic. That just left me and Pickle to reinforce the tunnel against imminent collapse. At least they had the stamina to keep it up until now.

“Get up you bastard,” I said while offering Pickle a hand. “We both need a drink. Or do you detest me that much?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” the man said as he clasped my forearm. With a grunt, he pulled himself up. “You may be piss-poor company, but that’s still better than no company at all. But first…” A glint appeared in his eyes as he kept a tight grip on my forearm. “…it’s payback time.” Shit. White-hot pain flared up from between my legs, knees buckling as I gasped for breath. “Should’ve stopped grinning, captain. I did warn you after all.”

My balls… I gasped for air as a pair of hands pulled me upright. Body slumped over his shoulder as he began dragging me towards the underground lake. Once we exited the tunnel, we were greeted by several small piles of torn arm sleeves. A single Awakened with his imp was stationed near the entrance; both of them gave us a weird look when they saw my condition. “Nothing to worry about,” Pickle said. “Stupid here, didn’t listen to my warning.”

The man shrugged before leaning against the stone wall, imp quickly following suit. He was one of the very few not ignorant on the basics of demonology, and thus was put on guard duty as Sly went about educating the rest of the mob. I think I saw him in Sly’s earlier lineup. Some former noble, or whatnot.

“Useless pricks,” Pickle mumbled when we finally passed the large, seated crowd on the left side of the alcove. “Can’t fight, can’t build, can’t think. They just piss, shit, cry, and moan. Darkness claim them.” Most of the Awakened were listening quietly to Sly’s instruction, though quite a few were busy raising a ruckus. They seemed to disagree with Sly’s notion that they amounted to “less than shit” as she had so aptly put it. Those few that didn’t back down were quickly put into place when they tried to demonstrate their oh so superior combat skills.

“Stop grinning. Or do you want to me to kick you again?” Pickle asked. The mere words made my balls shrivel as I dislodged myself form his grasp, stumbling backwards. “I’ll admit that seeing them beaten up makes for a damn fine show, but I don’t think its that hilarious.” The man locked eyes with me. “Or do you know something that I don’t?” I frantically began shaking my head, trying to keep my eyes focused on Pickle, and not Sly. Sly with her warm breath, her soft lips, and her- “There it is again! That stupid grin!”

Pickle followed my gaze, scanning the crowd until his sights settled on the source of my thoughts. He froze for a second before turning to me with a predatory smile. Shit. I quickly looked away, hoping he didn’t notice. “Hohoho, it seems like we’ve got ourselves a juicy story here.” Fuck. “Tell me, captain. What has my chain of command been up to lately?” Pickle stepped closer. “Any secretive exchanges of vital intel?” I could feel his stare burning into the side of my face. “Or did you settle for a thorough physical inspection of our second-in-command?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Those flushed cheeks tell a different story.” Gods be damned. “You better spill the beans, captain. Or I’ll have to involve the twins…” Anything but them.

“We just kissed, okay?” I could barely take a few steps back before Pickle burst out in laughter. The man doubled over as he wiped away the occasional tear streaming from his eyes. A few wretches of air later, he finally answered, “Just a… just a kiss?! Fuck me! And here I was thinking you’d gone down and dirty!” He cupped his hands before shouting, “Marcus and Sly, sitting in a-”

I mentally congratulated myself on the near perfect choke hold, squeezing so hard that Pickle soon began turning a crystal shade of blue. His frantic tap outs briefly ignored, for there were numerous faces looking my way and all of them were snickering in some way, including Sly.

I broke the hold, grabbing a wheezing Pickle by the neck as I dragged him towards the lake and away from the source of my burning embarrassment. “I swear,” I said, glaring at the smirking Pickle. “If the monsters don’t kill you, I’ll finish the job myself.”

Pickle inhaled sharply a few times before answering, “That’s what you get for keeping secrets, captain.” He began clearing his throat. “Though a kiss is hardly something worth concealing.”

“You didn’t have to shout it out loud, for Gods sake. What if your fuckery attracted unwanted attention?”

“No worries, captain,” Pickle said as he broke free from my neck-grip. “These so called Awakened have been plenty of loud since the moment we came here. And yet here we are.” He gestured around him. “Not a single attack. Not one. Not even from the fucking scavengers crawling all over the bridge.” He spread his arms. “I don’t know what’s keeping them away, maybe they’re afraid of the lake, maybe the crystals smell like shit to them, or maybe… just maybe… they figured out not to mess with the biggest, baddest, ratfucker ever to walk out of the Burrows.” Pickle finished his statement with some good, old-fashioned, muscle flexing.

Although it was funny to see his poor attempt at looking bigger than he was, Pickle’s words set me to thinking. It was true, this situation was wholly unnatural for the Long Dark, especially on the deeper levels. By all accounts we should have lost at least half the group with the way people were screwing about. And this was not only related to the noise they were making. No. It went a lot further than that.

It were the little things, like the piss-poor awareness of their surroundings. The abysmal night watch schedules, if they even bothered making one in the first place. Or the way they drew water from the lake before me. They were stupid enough to drink from it directly, instead of asking a nearby Water mage to draw some water from a safe distance. That alone should have resulted in some of them being chomped by whatever creatures that lurked in the dimly light lake.

Though this whole situation was absurd, there was something even more absurd hiding somewhere out there; watching, waiting, and probably laughing his ass off all the while. Gob. That little runt defied common sense. And it wouldn’t surprise me if I found out that he was keeping tabs on us, scaring away the local monster in order to make things more interesting.

“What you thinking about, captain?” Pickle asked. “You look more miserable than usual.”

“I was just thinking about possible future headaches.”

A cry of alarm came from the direction of the tunnel, “They’re coming through the wall!”

“Does that count as one?”

“Shit.” I broke into a sprint, giving Pickle commands along the way, “Rally the others! I’ll hold them off in the meantime!” I watched him break off towards the panicking group of Awakened, their numbers practically stumbling over each other in their desperation to get further away from the source their distress. Those fucking idiots. I could only watch in despair as they destroyed any hope for a speedy response. Got to fix it myself. I willed my legs to run even faster than before.

I did not take long to reach the panicked guard I met earlier, his brown hair plastered all over his skin from intense sweating. “Thank the Gods, you’re here! These… these… things were digging through the wall!”

“What things? What did they look like?”

“They were… they looked… oh Gods.” The man emptied the contents of his stomach all over my feet, soaking the ground in rancid lake water.

I grabbed his shoulders before lifting him up. “Look at me!” I turned his head towards me. “I said, look at me!” The man was shivering, and breathing sharply. Not good. He can’t concentrate like this. “Everything is going to be fine, you hear me?” The man didn’t respond. “Just answer my questions, and you’ll be okay. You got that?” The man opened his mouth but no words came out. “Just nod if you understand me, alright?” The man weakly did as he was told. “What is your name?” No answer. Snap out of it already, for Gods sake. “Could you please tell me your name?”

“B-b-b-ob,” the man finally divulged. “My name is Bob.”

The tunnel was dark and devoid of any light, but that didn’t mean the sound coming from it was any less scary; it intensified with each passing second, rocks clattering against stone, causing me to tighten the grip on the man’s head—all to prevent him from looking backwards. “Don’t panic, Bob.” Or you’ll die. “Follow my orders and we’ll get out of this.” We’ll both die.

I pointed towards the bundles of torn cloth on the ground. “You’re a Fire mage, aren’t you, Bob?” The man followed my gaze, freezing when he saw what I was pointing at. “And you wouldn’t want to face those things without any fire. Now would you, Bob?” The man began nodding frantically, almost like he was struggling to break from my grasp. Good. “I’ll block the tunnel’s entrance. You just make sure that we have something to roast them with while they’re inside.” The man nodded one last time, and not a moment too soon.

“Now go!” I shouted as rock audibly crumbled in the tunnel, followed by inhuman shrieks and the patter of flesh slapping against stone. I slammed my feet into the ground, stabilizing my core to the best of my abilities as I hunkered down. I closed my eyes, breathing deeply whilst ignoring the incoming threat. Rise. My leg muscles strained, fingers pushing against some invisible force in the air. I need you to rise. The ground began to rumble as I slowly pushed against the invisible weight bearing down upon me. I command you to rise. Breath steady. Heart pumping. I obey you to rise. With one final push, the burden was lifted from my shoulders. Stone shot forth from the ground, colliding against the top of the tunnel. And so you have risen.

Once the dust settled, all that could be seen of the tunnel’s entrance was a big fat wall. One which almost completely blocked the former opening, only leaving gaps barely big enough to fit a limb through. That should do it. The inhuman screeches intensified as they impacted against the stone, causing the rock to visibly shake and shed gravel which each audible pummel against it. Or maybe not.

I stretched my arms forward in the air, pushing against an invisible force that shook with each assault the wall had to wither. We need fire. And we need it now. I strained my neck, looking over my shoulder to see a frozen Bob wielding a pitifully small flame near one of the cloth bundles. “Don’t just stare, you idiot! They’ll break through at this rate!”

“Out of the way, useless,” Sly said as she shoved aside the frozen man. Behind her were Pickle, Hammer, and a couple of other Awakened—Isabelle and Maximilian included. Thank the Gods. Most of them turned out to be Fire mages, evident by the small flames that sprung up from their hands as they lit the textile fuel. Flames that quickly grew in size as warmth began to radiate through the area. Pickle joined in my stabilization of the wall as Hammer and Maximilian levitated a huge ball of floating water between them. All of their demons had their claws at the ready, though none of them looked eager by the looks of it. Especially not with what poked from between the cracks.

If I didn’t know any better, I would have said they were human hands. With thick fingers, hairy skin, and an assortment of bloody, peeled-off nails. “I think I’m going to be sick,” Bob said before dry heaving.

Infestors. No that couldn’t be it. I checked barely an hour ago. Whatever was on the other side of the wall, it was supposed to have eight legs. Since when did infestors mutate? Then there was their mysteriously large numbers of human hosts. I would’ve heard it if such a large group went missing on the lower levels. Whatever the reason, it didn’t chance the plan. We would’ve needed to burn them to a crisp anyway.

Cracks started to form along the wall as I could feel their pounding reverberate through every inch of my being. Since when did infestors get this strong?! I could feel myself slowly getting pushed back alongside Pickle. Hurry up already!

“We’re ready, captain!” Sly shouted. Several small fires were lit behind me, vaguely resembling a semicircle, each with a Fire mage standing ready behind them.

“Shoot! Shoot it now!” I answered back.

“But what about-”

“Don’t worry about me, and-” Something slammed into the wall, pushing me and Pickle back by several centimeters, as cracks began to crisscross all over the natural barricade. “I move, and we’ll all die! So roast these bastards already!”

Sly nodded before giving the order. “Water!” Hammer and Maximilian began channeling liquid towards us from the levitating mass of water, thoroughly drenching both me and Pickle. “Fire at the ready!” Every Fire mage, including Sly, took a grounded stance; forearms raised at hip level with fists clenched. Its just fire, Marcus. Nothing to worry about. Just fire, that’s all. “Burn them alive!”

Their fists shot forward, each Fire mage managing to spew a jet of flame from thin air. Flames that streamed into the cracks along the wall. Flames that forced me to close my eyes as their inferno began to heat up my skin. You’re safe. They’re just flames. Don’t worry. Stay in control. I could feel the familiar terror work its way throughout my body, locking my muscles and tightening my chest. Its spread halted when another torrent of water drenched me from top to bottom. See. The flames can’t hurt you. You’ve got people protecting you. You’ve got people to protect. Now focus. And then the screams came. Real screams. Human screams. Oh, Gods, the screams. The way they wailed in agony as the fire tried to muffle their cries of suffering. Not again. Please, not again.

Someone banged on a wooden wall. “Marcus! Help me!” a girl shouted. My eyes shot open, only to close back immediately as I inhaled the thick smoke covering the room. I fell to my knees, coughing and gasping for fresh, cold air. For anything that didn’t scorch my lungs with every breath I took.

The thumps began to become more frantic as loud coughing could be heard coming from the other wall. “Marcus! Save me!”

“Sara! Is that you?!” I asked, looking around my old bedroom. The fire hadn’t reached it yet, but smoke drifted through the floorboards, creating a suffocating black cloud that covered the dial face of a nearby ticking clock.

Screams could be heard from the other side of the wall. “It hurts, Marcus! The fire hurts!”

“Hold on! I’m coming to get you!” I began crawling along the floorboards, willing my stiff limbs towards the door as terror threatened to overtake my every move.

“NOOOO! Don’t leave me, Marcus!” the girly voice screamed.

“I’ll come back for you! I promise!” I shouted, almost reaching the door.

“GET AWAY FROM ME! GET AWAYYYY!” The screams turned into unholy screeches as smoke began to creep through the wooden wall; the occasional orange flicker growing to a intense yellow flame as they shone through cracks between the wooden planks.

Gods, please make it stop. I pulled the door open, stumbling backwards as I saw what was standing in the opening. A withered black husk of a girl. Devoid of human features, safe for the blackened skin stretched over an even blacker frame. “You didn’t come back, Marcus,” Sara said. She stepped forward as I froze in terror, tears streaming down my face. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. “You left me, Marcus. You left me here to die.” Her small, left hand began to wrap itself around my neck. Please forgive me. “This time, I won’t let you go so easily.” Her right hand moved towards my face. “This time, we’ll die together.” It rested itself on the Mark.

White-hot pain seared through the left side of my face, agony so severe I could only collapse into a puddle of misery. Kill me! “Shit!” I heard a man say. “Shit, shit, fuck, shit!” The voice shouted again. Somebody please… kill me! Something wet gripped my leg before pulling me across the stone ground. It hurts! Faces and voices blurred together as I tried to retain myself among the agony assaulting me. It hurts so much! “I can’t hold it much longer!” The earlier voice shouted. “It’s gonna break any second now!”

Please, I beg of you! “Prepare for combat!” a female voice commanded. “Demons in front! Concentrate your fire! And whatever you do, don’t let them touch you!” Kill me already! Flames roared, and people screamed. It didn’t matter as the sound was soon muffled by the water that enveloped my head, causing steam to rise from my face. Thank the Gods. Salvation. Everything grew muted, safe for the loud thunder of rock toppling in the distance. The roars of the flames intensified, only to stop a few seconds after; and with them, the debilitating pain.

Two vague shapes came into vision as the water dispersed, and the pain faded; they were Maximilian and Hammer. Both of them had their backs turned towards me, and were sending water whips at some unseen enemy. I groaned, barely able to crane my neck upwards to get a better look at the horrors they were fighting.

Whatever they were, they had ceased being human a long time ago. Each sported four legs, and four arms, on a frame that was twice the size of any normal man. Each pair of limbs long, strong, and thick enough to be walked on by its own. Their rib cages broken open to reveal the pulsating, maggot-infested organs inside. Most of them were once men, evident by the thick, slimy beards each of them sported. And some of them were probably women, forced to endure pus-leaking tits. But most discerning of all were the faces, the completely normal faces. Faces that were twisted into a grimace of pain, fear, and apparently relief.

For all of them simply swarmed past the defenders, not bothering to attack them as they dived into the lake, or chose to scamper up the walls. Not bothered to save those that were immobilized, or taken down, by a combination of Warlocks, demons, and the scant few of other Awakened that decided to stand and fight. They just continued to pour from the tunnel, like a never ending wave of warped flesh. A mass of limbs which thundered past for minutes on end; till only their dead brethren remained.

And a tunnel.

A tunnel to Gods knows where.