//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: Death Traps // Story: Daring Do and the Curse of the Lost Tomb // by Fedora //------------------------------// Daring did not need to carry a torch. Burly carried one, as did Scootaround. He had been disarmed and robbed of his weapon, which was now being pointed at his back along with the weapons of the other agents. In all there were seven ponies going deeper into the tomb: Daring Do, Scootaround, Burly Withers, Broken Bank, Elise and two other agents. Daring had not asked how they managed to escape the raptor attack, but she had a hunch. Broken Bank’s white dinner jacket and hat had specks of red blood on them, and Elise showed a few blackened streaks of soot on her jacket. There had been some fighting, and the raptors had been killed or driven off. Finding them wouldn’t have been too difficult what with tire tracks in the sand. Daring hadn’t counted on them being in any state to pursue them after the carnage the camp had undergone; apparently she had been wrong about that. “We’ve got something coming up,” Daring stated. They had come to a chasm of some sorts, over which there was a bridge made up of great stone squares with shapes carved into them. There were different symbols on various squares. Daring knew exactly what this meant: it was a classic puzzle trap. “What’s this?” Broken Bank demanded, itching at his graying beard. “It’s a puzzle trap,” Daring explained, “There’s supposed to be a riddle of some kind, or a problem Only the correct sequence of squares will allow you to pass. If you choose a wrong square...” She stepped out and placed a hoof on a random square before stepping back onto solid ground. The square she had stepped on began to crumble and fall down below, crashing in the darkness and leaving a blank spot where it had been on the bridge. “Ouch,” one of the agents remarked. Daring scanned around and noticed that there was a sentence engraved into the wall, written in the ancient language. “Burly, do you have that book?” “Yeah,” he growled. Burly was not happy about being held captive at the point of his own gun. Not one bit. “Let’s see it.... ok.....” Daring translated mentally, while using the book’s list of characters as a reference. The others watched on with varying expressions of confusion or astonishment or (in the case of Burly) distracted anger. “I bring about the brunt of the curse. Beware my presence and make me not company,” translated Daring. “Is there more?” Elise asked, turning to glance at Daring. The adventuress didn’t even make eye contact with her. “Ok everypony, any ideas? If we can come up with an answer, I can translate that and see if that holds.” “A curse? I haven’t heard anything about a curse,” Broken Bank muttered. “Yeah, you’ve been too busy stealing our progress to get this far,” snapped Burly, furrowing his eyebrows. “Shut up,” the older stallion in charge of CAP shot back, “I mean it. I don’t want to hear another word out of you or it’s lights out. I mean it.” “The engravings so far have warned of a curse. Apparently Discord roamed through here many centuries before he came to Equestria, and was jealous of the ruler and turned his life to shambles. He also perpetuated the stories of old about the king being full of greed, which are false according to everything we’ve seen from this culture,” “Is the answer greed?” piped up Scootaround from the back. She had been keeping a rather low profile. “What?” “Greed. Isn’t that what makes the curse happen? I thought I heard you say that.” “Avarice....” “What’re you all on about?” Broken Bank demanded, shifting himself to peer at Daring and the filly. “The word ‘avarice’ is the answer, I believe.” “Try it out, you.” Daring gulped, and tried her best to translate the word “avarice” by breaking parts of the word down into separate symbols. She was pleased to see the symbols represented on the stone bridge, but was cautious. She stepped out onto the first symbol. The stone held. The second. That held as well. She had translated correctly, and the way was clear for the rest to pass to the other side. “That was pretty easy,” she admitted, “almost too easy.” **** Beyond the chasm was a narrow corridor that winded downwards beyond view. One of the torch-holders was promptly lit by one of their burning torches, which set off a chain reaction as a fuse burned behind the torch, igniting the next down the corridor, and the next after that and so on. “That was neat,” Broken Bank commented. He prodded Daring onwards. Daring felt concerned. The corridor was giving one of those bad vibes that yelled “death trap” to her. As she stepped into the corridor she was followed rather closely behind by her two companions, then the CAP leaders Broken Bank and Elise, and at the back were the two unnamed agents. As the last of the agents entered the corridor, a stone door sprang shut behind her with sudden force, causing several ponies to jump in alarm. Daring pressed onwards in spite of this, even going so far as to pick up the pace. WHAM! The last agent screamed in alarm as a section of the ceiling dropped down only centimeters from her hindquarters. Daring peered back quizzically. The one directly above them now was shaking, and a bit of dust fell loose from the ceiling. “Run.... RUN! GO!” The group took off, and no sooner had they gotten out from beneath the section had it collapsed as well. Then the next section fell faster than the first two. Daring sped up, hearing a thunderous clapping of hooves behind her as six additional ponies tried to outrun the falling ceiling slabs. One of the agents struck a fissure in the tiled floor and tripped, falling down flat on her chest. She cried out and tried to get back up, but her struggling was in vain. The ceiling block dropped down forcefully, just as flat as the others but with a gargling screech and a muffled crunch beneath it’s weight. The last few sections of corridor was a tangled mass of spiderweb and vines. Daring leaped through them, gettign herself covered in old webbing and plant material but creating a hole through which the others could also dash. She landed with a crash onto the tiled floor beyond, and felt the wind get taken out of her as five other ponies landed on top of her in a pile. They separated, the three remaining CAP ponies being quick to cock their weapons and draw them to prevent Burly from striking. He looked as if he had been ready to. Daring brushed herself off and leaned over to check that Scootaround was currently ok. The filly nodded with widened eyes and a trickle of sweat ran down her face from the vigorous running. Behind them, the ceiling prices rose back up and clicked into place in the ceiling. In the distant parts of the corridor was a flattened corpse, bent at an odd angle and with splatter lining the walls of the immediate area. Not a pleasant sight to see at all, and Daring encouraged Scootaround to turn away. “From now on,” Broken Bank stammered amid deep breathing, “You are to tell me as soon as you think something might be a trap. Understood?” “Understood, but I had no way of knowing when it-” “No buts. You’re in no position to be making buts, Ms. Do.” “Dr. Do,” corrected the filly. “Shut your face.” **** They appeared to be in the main part of the temple by now. The surroundings were somewhat normal by comparison to the previous, which had been mostly cramped and narrow corridors. This chamber had a grander appearance. Old tapestries lined the walls, though the contents had rotted away or were no longer visible. There was a fountain on the far side that had long since dried up, yet the statuettes remained unscathed from the passage of time. Pedestals were scattered about, mostly at supports. Some contained urns or had at one time held a vase full of potted plants. By now all that was left was piles of hardened dirt inside dusty pottery. The walls had several murals, which seemed to be somewhat more recent than the rest of the architecture, though still many centuries old. It was Daring’s opinion that the old temple had been converted into a tomb once the end of the culture was imminent. There was evidence that the survivors scattered across the globe and blended in, but here at the epicenter there had been an attempt to collect and catalogue the history of what had happened to the empire. The temple was not only a final tomb, but also a hasty museum of sorts. “We don’t have time to admire everything,” Broken Bank said with a scowl, “If you aren’t going to help us find the way through we have no use of you.” “Lighten up, will you?” Daring shot back coldly, “Suppose there’s a clue to what lies ahead? Would spending an extra minute to check this out and possibly save our necks be worth the inconvenience?” “You may proceed.” Daring shrugged down the collar of her shirt with a glare, and began examining the murals. The first showed a creature that appeared to be a mashup of several- a draconequus. This creature (presumably Discord) had one arm aloft, and another down over a grove of trees. Daring bent in closer. He appeared to be placing little creatures down into the grove of trees, creatures that then began attacking ponies that happened to be passing by. So that was where the raptors had come from. Just another leftover creation of chaos. Another mural showed the temple as a cut-away view. She could see the very top of the temple and the circular room she had entered through. That was right above their heads apparently, for the chamber directly below it bore a resemblance to the one they now sat in. The chasm and the collapsing ceiling that descended to this level must have been dug out into the ground on the side. The level they were on seemed not to have anything of particular interest to either side down the corridors. Below was a squarish chamber with little to no features other than a cluster of statues around another hole. What was below that wasn’t certain, for the mural appeared unfinished or deteriorated beyond that point. “I think we’re supposed to go down from here another two levels to something,” Daring said, “But I’m not sure what’s after that. You can look if you want.” Burly looked uncomfortable. Daring glanced over and made eye contact with him briefly, and he looked at her disapprovingly. She was being too helpful to CAP. I don’t have a choice, she mouthed. Subvert, was Burly’s only word, as he glanced to make sure that the CAP agents weren’t paying attention. Broken Bank and Elise were examining the mural themselves. Subvert.... Daring felt she understood the meaning of what Burly was implying. Broken Bank turned from the mural and held the torch up, lighting Daring’s face with an orange glow. “Where next, Dr. Daring?” “Well...we need to go underneath where we currently are,” she stated truthfully, “I’d suggest we start looking. Perhaps there’s a trapdoor, or a hidden passage.” “You, Jenkins, take the brute and look over in the east corner, around those set of pedestals,” Elise ordered the remaining agent, “I’ll look with the filly over on the opposite side.” “I’ll look with Dr. Do,” Broken Bank said with a nod. As the group split up, Daring considered the practicality of where a trapdoor could logically be hidden. There had been an elaborate carpet lining the hallway at one point, but like most things it had begun to decay. It was blackened and infested with bugs. Parts had already started coming apart, and it had become almost fastened to the stone of the main floor. She dug her hooves at it, pulling sections up and looking for the telltale seam in the stone that indicated a passageway that could be opened. Broken Bank was little help, being content to stand back and watch Daring do the work as he held the torch. She found it a little irritating to say the least. As more of the decayed carpet came up, it became obvious that there was no trapdoor beneath it. “It’s not here...” Daring stammered. She craned her neck, and her gaze fell upon the fountain that had long since dried up. Why not? She inspected the statue a little closer, checking it out from all angles. It was missing the head, but had the entire body of a pegasus. There wasn’t a slot for the pendant, as she had supposed. “Dr. Do, why do you have a stick attached to your bag strap?” Daring glanced behind her to see Broken Bank looking at the staff curiously. “It was something we found in one of the markers. I figure it’s gotta be important, since it was in the center and on display.” “Daring,” Burly called from over on his side, “we found something.” She and Broken Bank trotted over to peer at what Burly had found. He pointed with a hoof towards a pedestal containing several odd pieces, including a golden device that matched the sheen of the pendant but had some odd shapes on it, and a broken off unicorn head. Daring revealed the pendant curiously, taking first the golden piece up and comparing the odd shapes. On the top were several odd indentations, and on the bottom was a cylindrical protrusion that was hollowed out, similar to the female end of a connection. She held the pendant in one hoof and this odd item in the other, bringing them close together for comparison. To her surprise the new item sprung out of her grasp and attached itself to the bottom of the pendant firmly, the grooves matching up with the edges of the pendant’s bottom. Daring tugged at it to attempt to remove the item, but it held firm. “That’s interesting,” Burly commented. He made a motion with his eyes, darting from Daring’s shirt collar to the pendant. Put it away. Daring slipped the pendant back into her shirt. Somehow the subliminal tug it was having on her had increased due to the extra part, becoming more forceful and all the more closer to being overpowering. She felt something slipping in her mind, an intrusion. It didn’t seem sinister, but actually had a relieving, somewhat benevolent presence. The whispering voices she seemed to be hearing from the pendant whenever she thought about it were subdued now, but were replaced with something... else. She couldn’t hear anything differently as she had before, but she felt it. It weighed heavily on her gut, seemingly guiding her instincts. The head of the unicorn goes on the statue. It was Daring’s own voice, the voice of her consciousness. It spoke neither through her lips or out loud, but in her mind. It was as if her own thoughts were guiding her through these next steps. She picked up the statue’s head, and walked it over to the headless statue with a blank look on her place. Just like the attachment to the pendant, this thing slipped from her hooves and sprang into place on the head of the statue, now revealed to be an alicorn. A rumbling filled the hall, and the floor beneath everypony began to tremble. The floor of the fountain cracked, and where it cracked appeared shafts of orange, flickering light. The pieces began to drop below, along with the statue itself, leaving behind a glowing circular opening on the floor. Daring was the first to peer over the edge into the chamber below. The glow was from more torches, now alight and burning far below. How they had become lit was a mystery, but Daring knew that supernatural forces were now at work. She had to be wary of everything, for anything inconspicuous could become a trap under the forces of sinister black magic. “The floor’s moving, I’m not so sure about this.” “Oh come on now, I thought you were Daring Do, spirit of adventure!” Broken Bank goaded. He prodded Daring with a heavy push, and she felt herself pitching over the edge of the hole. She cried out, but it was too late. She tumbled in midair, coming to a stop on the sandy ground below with a loud THUNK. She felt a soreness in her chest and struggled to breath for a few moments, but was otherwise alright. Then she heard it. All around her were small bodies creeping across stone, across sand and across each other. They hissed and swiped with venomous fangs. Daring’s pulse quickened and she began to feel herself sweating profusely. She was surrounded by at least fifty live adders of various sizes and lengths. The snakes crept towards her curiously, but to her it seemed like an unrelenting attack approach, though slow and menacing. “Back! Get back I say!” “What’s going on down there Daring? Snakes again?” Burly called down. “YES THERE ARE SNAKES DOWN HERE! COME DOWN AND SEE FOR YOURSELF!” “Dr. Daring, are you sure there’s a passage to the treasury from down there?” Daring kept her mouth shut, for she was too busy backing away from the approaching adders to listen to Broken Bank’s inquiry. “Yes, look over there. That passageways wide open. There are steps,” Elise suggested. She tossed down a length of rope and began sliding down. One at a time, each of the other ponies followed suit until all were down in the snake pit together. “Daring, come along. The door’s wide open.” “Get the snakes out of the way first!” “Daring, don’t be ridiculous, you’re a pegasus. Just fly over them.” “Mr. Bank,” Scootaround said quietly, “When pegasi get really scared, I mean really scared, their wings lock up. Look at Dr. Do over there, she’s petrified.” “Alright,” Burly sighed, taking his own torch and walking over to where Daring was cornered. He waved it at the snakes, who hissed back in protest but fled from the searing hot fire. He did this on multiple sides and opened a pathway for Daring to be able to escape. “Thanks,” Daring nodded in gratitude, stepping out from the corner and regaining the head position ahead of everypony else. “Wow, she’s a whole different pony when there are snakes around, huh?” commented Broken Bank. “Don’t talk to me,” Burly shot back, pulling his tattered hat brim down and continuing. **** “This is a stairway, a spiral staircase. Don’t get too close to the edge,” Daring called out. They had arrived at a cylindrical chamber that was comprised of spiraling white steps that seemed to descend forever. The air had a pungent smell, like that of liquid fuel. Daring peered over the side, and saw that there was some kind of liquid at the bottom far below them. “Petroleum,” she stated, “It’s pooled down there at the bottom. I’m not sure if that’s on purpose or not. The area’s rich in it geographically, so it could be a spring of-” “Keep moving.” The group of six ponies continued down the steps purposefully, but it was soon apparent that things were amiss. Daring could see that a few steps here and there were slightly off in color. It probably didn’t make much of a difference when they had been constructed, but over time the different materials to make the trick steps had turned slightly green while the original had a brownish tinge. Don’t step on those steps, Daring caught herself thinking. She made a note to heed the warning, but needed to find a way to communicate it to just Burly and Scootaround. They were still around another bend, but creeping up steadily. It was time to make her move. “Scootaround,” she exclaimed, wheeling around, “You should watch where you step. You don’t want to trip and fall now, do you?” “I think I’ll be alright, Dr. Do.” “Alright? You sure? You look a little green to me, do you feel a little sick?” “Dr. Daring, stop stalling,” Broken Bank commanded, and jabbed the barrel of a gun into her back, “keep going.” Daring glanced to Burly, who gave her a quick wink. They had gotten the message. She continued walking down the steps, stepping over the green steps but doing so in a way that didn’t draw attention to the fact. Unfortunately for her the steps were shallow anyways, so just about everypony was skipping every other step anyways. None of the CAP agents ended up stepping on the first of the trick steps, nor the second. The trick steps were becoming more frequent. First they appeared every other step, and then in clusters of two occasionally. Daring focused on not stepping on them in as inconspicuous a manner as possible. It was then that she came to a set of four consecutive green steps, and she stopped. “Daring, why did you stop?!” asked Elise incredulously. Broken Bank took a step back and bit into a cigar, but as soon as he took his step he placed his weight on a trick step that had been behind him. At that instant, everypony felt the ground disappear from beneath them as a whole set of ten steps on either side of the triggered one were violently thrust out from the walls and disconnected. They all screamed out in surprise as they began falling towards the liquid below. In mid air Daring swooped down and caught Scootaround on her back, using her wings to turn the falling into a glide of sorts. Burly was already far below and as she swooped down to slow him down he broke the surface with a great splash, simultaneously with the other three. Three white splashes were sent up from the liquid, though one quickly turned into a plume of dark red. There was a dock of sorts at the bottom, off to the side and near the entrance to what lay beyond. Elise had landed there already, and was helping to drag Broken Bank out of the petroleum. Burly had to drag himself out, and the last nameless CAP agent was nowhere to be seen. “Don’t strike up another cigar, or you might blow yourself up,” Elise warned her boss, wiping him off. Broken Bank’s grayish face was maroon with anger as he glared at Daring. “WHY DIDN’T YOU WARN US THAT WAS GOING TO SUDDENLY HAPPEN?!” “I had no way of knowing! It took all of us by surprise!” Daring lied. Broken Bank dumped the petroleum out from inside his hat and scowled. “What happened to Jenkins?” he demanded. Daring peered over into the pool of Petroleum and saw the corpse of the CAP agent stuck on something sharp jutting out of the water. He had been impaled through the chest, and the other end had stuck out through his back. “Eesh, not a pretty sight.” “Well?!” “I don’t know, Mr. Bank!” Daring shouted back. She simmered down a bit, taking a deep breath. “That was probably a really deep spike pit at one point, and wasn’t full of liquid. The petroleum deposits are a bit deeper underground usually, but this one must have sprung up sometime in the past few decades. You’re lucky you and Burly missed the spikes.” “I couldn’t care less if Withers missed the spikes or not, but one of my agents is dead now, thanks to you!” “Excuse me, I wasn’t the one who stepped into a trap!” “You set us up, didn’t you?” “I never said-” “Alright, will you all shut up?!” Burly shouted, projecting to be heard over the squabbling. “Burn in Tartaurus,” Broken Bank shot back angrily. He produced a gun and jabbed it into Daring’s side. “Get moving. I want my treasure already.” **** Passing through the doorway, the remaining five were surprised to see that the tomb room was visible from their current position. They were in a blank chamber shaped like a cube, except for one missing wall through which they could see tables loaded with dusty golden trinkets and urns. Broken Bank looked like he could start foaming at the mouth, and quickened his pace, shoving Daring out of the way. As soon as he got close to where the last wall would be it suddenly appeared, falling from above suddenly and locking into place, causing Broken Bank to walk straight into it. “Son of a damn.... WHYYYYYYYYY?!” “Great,” Elise said, “Just freaking great.” They seemed to be trapped in a cube-like stone chamber with a tiled ceiling, with only one direction to leave, which was the way they had come. “Is this really it? We came all this way to be shut out?” “That’s too bad,” Burly stated with a grin, “I guess we’ll have to leave now.” “No!” Broken Bank snarled, “You’re not going anywhere! None of you are, until we get into that treasure room!” “You’ll have to wait a long time then, because the door’s not budging,” Daring stated simply. Broken Bank and Elise both scowled. Daring had been more observant, and she had this odd sense of intuition guiding her that she had felt earlier. She knew how to get in, it was rather simple. She didn’t want to reveal how immediately, in case she could use this as a way to bargain for a better chance of getting out alive, before Broken Bank got the inevitable idea that the three of them were no longer useful. “I think I have an idea,” she stated. “Tell us,” he demanded. “Put the gun down, on the ground where I can see it.” “No,” he said. He jabbed the pistol into her face, pressing the tip up against the bottom of her jaw. “You’ll tell us how or I’m going to squeeze the trigger right here.” “Alright alright, here.” Daring’s plan hadn’t worked out as she had hoped. She had counted on Broken Bank being too distraught to see the logical way to still get what he wanted and remain in power. She had counted on him being desperate enough to negotiate if it meant finding a way. She had been wrong, and now she still had to deliver. “Scootaround, come with me.” “Where are you two going?” “We’re gonna get us all in, relax.” **** Daring and Scootaround returned to the platform by the petroleum spring, and it didn’t take long for the filly to notice the feature that only Daring had seen previously. There was a small tunnel above the entryway, only large enough for the filly to fit through. “I’m not sure of the layout on the inside,” Daring told her, “but I do know that there’s a release mechanism of some sort, like a switch or a lever or maybe even a pulley. Think you can figure out how to get the door open?” “Sure thing, Dr. Do,” “Listen.... don’t touch any of the treasure. Got it?” “Uhuh.” “Go get ‘em tiger.” **** Scootaround struggled and squirmed to get out from the hole she found herself wedged in. Getting in and through the tight passageway through to the tomb was one thing, but at the very end the opening was somewhat smaller, forcing her to squeeze to get out. She could hear the adults arguing through the stone. Typical. She popped free and collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily but mostly unhurt. The filly peered about, looking for something to release the adults when she noticed the treasure. Sure it was covered in several layers of dust, but she saw heaping mounds of stacked gold coinage, precious gemstones and jewelry fit for a queen, gold-plated chairs, ancient urns and river arks, crowns and tiaras. There was a bronze gong and statues galore, and all sorts of little trinkets scattered about that she knew nothing about. It was magnificent to take in. As someone who had spent a significant amount of time as a street-wandering pickpocket, she felt inclined to take some of it. She wanted to fill up her cap and take some of the coins with her. “Daring told me not to touch anything,” she repeated to herself, taking on a serious expression and returning to the task at hand. Whatever reason Daring had for instructing her specifically had to be important, as much as she wanted to take some of the gold. She found a round stone depression near the wall that had sprung down. It was as simple as pressing down on it, which she did. The wall rolled and settled into an “up” position, allowing the rest of the ponies to enter. Broken Bank and Elise’s jaws dropped simultaneously. One could almost see their mouths water in excitement. Broken Bank nearly forgot about guarding Burly and Daring, and rushed to examine his prize. Elise did the same, tackling another section and taking everything in piece by piece. Daring and Burly were in awe as well, but for different reasons. Daring made a point to seek out the sarcophagus of the king, which was cast in his shape in solid gold with eyes embossed on the surface. The archaeologist bent over and peered into the eyes of the sarcophagus purposefully and respectfully. “Inside this coffin lies the remains of the last ruler of this empire,” she said to the filly as she listened, “He died trying to protect his people, unlike what the legend that’s been handed down says.” “What’s this?” Burly inquired, hearing what Daring said, “explain.” “The legend is of a greedy sultan who was cursed and his empire overrun because of his greed. Based on what traces of the civilization have been left by travellers who left as things collapsed, I’d say the opposite was true.” “Discord the lord of chaos was here, centuries before Equestria even existed. He was viler than when our civilization knew him. Nastier. In Equestrian history Discord created chaos for chao’s sake. But centuries earlier his purpose was much darker. He created chaos for evil’s sake, wanting to destroy completely rather than set askew.” “How do you know this?” Burly asked. “I’ve been reading the inscriptions along the way, and if you look at the murals and etching we’ve seen, they tell a story. The raptors? They were brought back to wreak havoc on livestock. Them existing is a creation of the chaotic entity himself, not some freak accident of nature. His goal was to overthrow and ruin the empire because it had achieved a state he could not bear to see- harmony. That’s why he ended up doing the same to Equestria, only he was more content to play around and corrupt things while allowing it to exist.” “Would you shut it over there?!” Broken Bank called over, “You sound like a teacher!” “I am a teacher. I teach Equine history.” **** “This will bail us out big time. Dead employees, ruined aircraft, crashed trucks and the fiasco at the camp tonight- none of it will matter,” Broken Bank ranted excitedly, “This will be more than enough to cover all that, plus extra profit to go around. We’ll be back in business like never before!” “Here’s what I envision,” Elise started, “Ready for this? This section over here, with the king? Leave that for when we excavate, that’s what will go to the universities and institutions. The gold and the gemstones, those can be sold by our vendors.” “All of it?” “All of it. It won’t matter because the Equestrian government will receive reports and photographs of the area without that even being figured in. It’ll be like we found it without any gold. Nopony will be any the wiser.” “Except us,” Daring shot from across the room. “No, not you,” Broken Bank murmured. In the same breath he drew his gun, clicked the firing pin back, leveled it at Daring Do and pulled the trigger with the edge of his hoof. The bullet sped towards the mare. The motion that came next seemed to slow down before her eyes, though in reality it was only a fraction of a second. She heard the loud sound of the gunshot, and reared back as she attempted to dodge out of the way, but in the same instant Burly’s strong hooves threw her to the ground below him, and the bullet sank deep into his chest. Burly’s eyes widened as a bullet penetrated suddenly and violently. Warmth began spreading through his shirt and his leather vest, and blood began spattering out onto the stone floor.