It was kind of strange, Skell realized. Here he was, scrambling through the darkness that could not stay his eyes, struggling to keep up with Dakota, constantly glancing over his shoulder to see if the punishing, frantic footsteps trailing them were substantiated by anything, namely the creature Dakota had mentioned, 'minotaur'. Every time he turned his head to look behind him, he could feel the panic rising inside of him, but he wasn't scared for some reason, wasn't afraid of whatever was coming for them, even the outside possibility of these minotaurs being of the Vex variety unable to faze Skell.
There was something else in fear's place, a feeling he couldn't quite distinguish, even though he recognized how it felt, the oddly pleasant sensation calming him, putting his chaotic mind at ease, the maelstrom of emotions inside of him, raging against each other and against his best efforts to suppress them, melting away as his entire being felt only this one thing. It felt like Skell's body and soul, knew nothing but this singular emotion at that moment, even his internal voice having been silenced by the sensation. So overriding was this feeling, that he wasn't even frightened or confused as to why it was overtaking him, as there was no space within him not occupied by this emotion.
An invigorating burst of energy, of vitality and strength surged through Skell, allowing him to push past the weakness in his limbs to maintain the quickening pace Dakota was setting. They slinked through an increasingly erratic tunnel pattern, the narrow passage veering off to the right in some cases, and then immediately zigzagging back to the left, all while the slope of the floor decreased little by little, sending them deeper and deeper into the ground. He could hear the echoes of the frantic steps of the other dogs further along the passage than him, pushing him to go faster, the seemingly random tunnel pattern making it hard to maintain anything more than a jog. The floor itself had become uneven as well, forcing Skell to watch where he was stepping, further slowing him down.
Dakota had no such trouble maintaining her hasty pace, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds to check up on Skell, to make sure he was keeping up. He had noticed that the gemstone in her collar had begun to emit a soft red glow.
As he went, the rumbling overhead shifted, now seeming to be echoing down the tunnel from behind them. Whatever was chasing them, was getting closer. Skell pumped his legs harder, trailing behind Dakota who was setting a blistering pace, her claws scraping against the floor as she dropped to all fours and burst into a sprint that Skell could scarcely keep up with, especially considering the rough, uneven surface of the floor that had become the norm as they'd descended deeper. Skell's mind did not wander though, not even able to focus on the pain surging through him, telling him to stop. Whatever had taken control of him, whatever he was feeling, disallowed him from focusing on anything else besides staying hot on Dakota's heels, and he did his best to do so. Time seemed to blur, seconds blending into minutes as they continued to flee, the near featureless tunnel melting away around Skell as he focused intently on Dakota, doing everything in his power to stay right behind her.
It was only when Dakota slid to a stop some time later, as she burst into another open cavern, that Skell's mind snapped back to reality, as he ground to a halt behind her a moment later. He doubled over, hands on his knees, breathing hard, his muscles telling him to collapse.
Another wave of whatever had allowed him to fight through the pain as he had ran swept over him, reassuring him that the only way to make it through this, was to continue fighting the weakness coursing through him. He nodded to himself weakly as he got his breathing under control, even managing to look up at Dakota as she rose to her full height once more, glancing over her shoulder at him. He knew she couldn't see his mouth beneath his ether mask, but he smiled weakly anyways, raising one hand to give her a thumbs up that Skell knew was a blatant lie.
He was actually kind of angry at himself for feeling so weak, for feeling like he was slowing her down. He redoubled his efforts, forcing any notion of pain or suffering in his mind out, gritting his teeth as he stood up straight, silencing his aching body, detaching himself from what was happening. Skell refused to be beaten by his own body.
Dakota grinned ever so slightly at the display, able to tell that he was really struggling to keep on going. She raised a paw to her collar, tapping her glowing gemstone slightly, as it pulsed with bright red light for a moment, before fading back into a dim glow. Something strange happened as it pulsated though, an invisible shockwave rippling outwards, slamming into Skell forcefully.
His eyes shot open as he felt another surge of strength course through him. His eyes flared up for a moment, glowing brighter as he was filled with an overwhelming sense of determination. He had absolutely no idea what she had done to him, or even how, but he wasn't going to argue with the results as the pain he was battling faded away, leaving only raw, potential power left in his extremities. It was an amazing feeling to have, made all the sweeter by the fact that only moments ago, his whole world had been only terrible agony.
"Come on, let's go! We have to seal the den!"
Skell was roused from the incredible sensation he was experiencing by Winston's frantic shouting, the dog located at the far end of the cavern they were in. Skell turned to look at him, noticing that he appeared to be standing in an entrance of some sort, half of the sizeable circular opening behind him blocked by a massive metal plate that seemed to roll into place from the side. He was motioning to them frantically, his eyes conveying the sense of urgency to them.
Dakota burst into a sprint while remaining upright, the metal plates of her armor clanking against one another as Skell followed suit, his newfound vitality allowing him to stay right beside her as they made a mad dash for Winston. Skell didn't know what was going to happen once he was locked in this den of theirs with them, his mind finally managing to find a moment to wander, presenting him with worst case scenarios, his instincts telling him that this was a terrible, stupid idea.
Still, he pressed on, step after step, forcing himself to remember the trust and kindness Dakota had shown him as he got closer and closer to Winston, the worried dog stepping through the entrance, shouting at them to hurry it up. His eyes darting around the massive cavern frantically, scanning it. Skell hadn't noticed it at first, but just like the last cavern, this one was fraught with tunnel entrances, the underground room acting as an intersection of sorts.
It was at that moment, as Skell glanced back over to Winston, that he noticed something was very wrong. Winston's erratic eyes had ceased to dart around the room, and were now locked onto something just outside of Skell's field of vision, off to his right. His mouth was moving, trying to tell them something, but it came out muffled and distorted, at least to Skell, as the world around him became less real for a moment.
The split second that followed was total chaos.
The world around Skell suddenly popped with unnatural vibrancy, becoming incredibly real as Dakota went down in a blur of metal and fur, tackled to the ground by a massive figure that had appeared out of nowhere to Skell's right. Skell, having been running right alongside her on her left was knocked aside as well, tumbling to the ground, unable to keep his footing after such a forceful shove,
"Dakota!" Winston's voice rang out, the sudden ringing in Skell's ears subsiding quickly enough for him to make what he had said out.
Skell lifted his face from the floor, his blurred vision coming back into focus. He pushed himself up off the ground a bit, glancing over at Dakota, his eyes wandering to the tunnel entrance off to her right as more and more creatures flooded into the room, each of them easily eight feet tall, their slightly hunched, hulking forms dwarfing Skell, and even Dakota.
He turned his attention to Dakota, now a few paces away from him, as she wrestled with the massive horned creature attempting to hold her down. She managed to slip one of her arms free of the beast's grasp, winding up and delivering a jaw shattering punch to the creature's face, dazing it for a second as Dakota readjusted her legs, placing the bottom of her feet on its stomach, and kicking it off forcefully. It flew backwards a few paces, hitting the ground with a metallic clank, as the truly huge battle axe it had been holding in one gauntleted hand skittered away.
It snorted angrily, hot air escaping from its short muzzle, as it slammed a fist into the ground, forcing itself up, and looking straight at Skell, a visible dent in its helmet where Dakota had walloped it. Peering out from beneath the rectangular eye slots in its full helmet, were two beady eyes that Skell could clearly see through his own blue tinted vision. They burned with a tempered rage so great that even Skell was taken aback.
It abruptly clicked in Skell's mind, staring into the beast eyes as it got to its hooves, Skell noted. This was a minotaur, wasn't it? This was what Dakota had been referring to all along. Somehow, even though Skell would take just about anything over fighting a Vex, he felt like this creature, this mass of muscle and metal, fueled by disciplined anger, would be far worse to square off against.
He could feel the sensation that had carried him through the tunnel system without fear or anxiety beginning to crack, allowing doubt and a myriad of other emotions to come rushing back to him all at once. His heart sank, able to feel himself beginning to sweat, his heart rate picking up as well.
"Seal the darned entrance!" Dakota barked back at Winston as she forced herself to stand, her paws splayed out by her sides, her retractable claws extended. She didn't even turn to look over at Winston as she shifted her stance, baring her teeth, and growling at the minotaur before her.
Despite the fear beginning to take hold of him, Skell roused himself to action following Dakota's example and managed to get to his feet once more, almost wishing he hadn't for what he saw as he stood up reasserted the feeling of hopelessness dwelling inside of him. There were four others standing behind the minotaur that had tackled Dakota, each of them brandishing a double sided battle axe, their sweeping, sharpened blades truly massive. But what really caught Skell's attention was how they moved.
Each of them was encased within a suit of overlapping plates, the only spots not covered by armor being their eye, nose, and mouth slots, along with an opening on each side near the top of their helmet for a pair of intimidating horns to poke through. They were so heavily armored that it must have impaired their movement, and yet, they shifted and shuffled as if the undoubtedly heavy metal plates weighing them down weren't even there, each of their motions fluid and natural as they stomped closer to Dakota. It was almost like they were one with their armor; a frightening prospect.
"B-but you'll-" Winston started, before falling silent as Dakota glanced in his direction.
She shot Winston a grim look, her eyes filled with a deep sadness, clashing against defiant determination. She spoke no words, but what she said was final. There was no other way.
He looked down for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut, and nodding shakily as he took hold of the circular, rolling door. Skell was sure he saw a tear slip from his eye as he sealed himself off, the plate clicking into place as the rough gemstone embedded into the center of the door burst to life, exploding in a flash of brilliant light that left behind a barely visible barrier of pulsating blue energy. One of the minotaurs had moved to stop Winston, but arrived a moment too late, instead careening into the barrier. It smashed its fist against the field of energy, the force field rippling outwards from every impact point like water, but all to no avail.
A shielding device, Skell figured, having seen higher ranking eliksni carry them as a form of self defense. He was unable to decide whether or not he should be furious at Winston for leaving him to get ripped apart by these minotaurs, even though Dakota was the one who had forced his hand.
As the terrible din of metal clattering against metal flooded into the room from behind Skell, catching his attention, he decided to put off judgement for now, resolving not to think about nonessential things for the time being. He figured he'd have plenty of time to dwell on whatever he liked if he managed to actually make it through the situation that was rapidly deteriorating around him. Indeed, when he glanced over his shoulder, he was clearly able to see five more minotaurs bursting forth from the same passage he and Dakota had come from.
Ten of them, versus him and Dakota. He had a pretty good idea of how that would end, especially considering the fact that the fear gripping him was slowly paralyzing him.
Forgetting someone now, aren't we Skell?
His eyes widened, his inner voice slinking back into his mind, talking to him as the world around him slowed.
Look at yourself, letting your emotions control you like some worthless human.
Skell watched intently, slowly backing away from Dakota as she dashed to her right as one of the minotaurs set before her lunged forward with an overhead axe swing, the steely blade kicking up a few sparks, finding nothing but rock to bite into. Dakota pressed her positional advantage, smashing her armored right elbow into the minotaur's side, the blunt force of the blow carrying through the minotaur's armor and dazing it long enough for Dakota to grab hold of one of its horns. She forcefully yanked its head down as she slammed her other fist into the top of the beast's helmet.
Metal and bone yielded to her assault, a sickly crack resounding through the air, before she released her grip on the beast's horn, letting the limp form fall to the ground in a pile, its axe sliding from its hands. Skell, even from where he was standing, was able to see rivulets of blood pouring through the minotaur's eye slots, forming a dark pool around its crushed head.
You care about this one, don't you? It's why you're unable to quiet your emotions, I can sense it. You're afraid of losing the only one who ever showed you any kindness, afraid that you'll never feel her warmth on you again. You truly are a pathetic specimen Skell, even now motivated only by selfish interests.
Two more minotaurs rushed forward, one on each side of Dakota, each of them with their heads angled down, horns pointed at her like lances as they crushed the stone to dust beneath their armored hooves. Dakota, instead of trying to avoid them, surged ahead to meet them head on. The two beasts were charging at her in such a way that there was a small gap between them, and Dakota exploited it by dropping into a slide just as they were about to gore her, reappearing behind them and wasting no time in leaping on top of one of the minotaurs. She took hold of both its horns and yanked its head back, even as the massive creature struggled to shake her off.
Skell looked on at the admittedly impressive display of agility and strength, nearly frozen in mesmerized fear, even as the punishing footsteps coming from behind him approached. He was too involved with trying to beat back his inner self, telling him to just let go, to give in to his murderous ways. Skell knew, deep in his soul that he wanted to help Dakota, and he knew if he would only pick up his gun and start killing, that he could.
But something else, something recent and new that he couldn't quite understand, was fighting his inner voice with everything it had, trying to get Skell to see that if he gave in, he would essentially be admitting that Kalnir had been right, that he was a pirate, and that no matter what he did to try and change that, he would always be the very thing he was now fighting so hard to distance himself from.
I don't know when you decided that you could just run from your past Skell, but it doesn't work like that. You can't leave a lifetime behind, just because you want to. We are, who we are; who we were made to be.
Skell took another big step backwards, his eyes still locked onto Dakota as wrestled with the minotaur she was on. She released her grip on one of the creature's horns, the claws on her free hand igniting in a burst of red light as they were encased within a sheath of crackling red energy.
She gave the rampaging minotaur one more good pull backwards, yanking its head up, exposing its neck. She raked her energized claws across its neck, slicing through its thick gorget and tearing apart the vulnerable flesh beneath.
Skell looked on as the huge beast choked and gurgled on its own blood, falling to its knees as Dakota dismounted, turning her attention to the other minotaur that had charged her, snarling at it as her other set of claws burst to life with the same crackling red aura.
But Skell couldn't tear himself away from the injured beast, watching as it let its axe fall to the ground with a heavy clatter, reaching up with both of its gauntleted hands, desperately trying to cover the rent in its neck, as blood continued to pour from between its reddened fingers, streaking down its silvery chest plate. Skell's eyes wandered to its face, and he looked into its eyes, just barely visible beneath its helmet, watching the life drain out of them as it collapsed onto its side, accompanied by the clanking of metal as it hit the ground.
That look in its eyes, that look of futility, of fear, anger and sadness ; that unspoken feeling of 'I don't want to go', that he had seen in that minotaur's eyes ... he knew it well. He had seen it hundreds of times before, and every time, he wished he could just take everything back, and even now, just witnessing it one more time, he could feel his sins crawling on his back. He continued to rage against his creeping instincts, as the heavy steps behind him neared.
Why are you trying to shut me out, and at a time like this? I am the piece of you that got us this far, and now you're going to throw it all away and get us both killed because of some deluded sense of morality. You're fighting the wrong battle Skell.
Skell continued to observe Dakota as she ducked underneath a sweeping, horizontal strike from the minotaur before her, immediately bringing a clawed hand upwards as the attack whiffed. Her crackling claws sliced the long metal haft of the axe in two, the end of it containing the axe head skittering away as the beast was left with a useless length of steel.
But you're too stubborn to see that. I will not let you drag us both down. You will submit!
He had been resisting his instincts the entire time, but his resolve could only get him so far. He felt a deep, encompassing stillness taking hold of him, a familiar shockwave of suppression pushing back the slew of raw emotions plaguing him. Even so, a tiny piece of himself refused to be purged by his instinctual failsafe, continuing to bash its head against the expanding wall of discipline and cold aloofness. His eyes were still locked onto Dakota, even though he now felt a strange detachment from the situation, watching her fight on.
She rushed forward, her claws poised to tear into the minotaur, but as her feet left the ground, leaping into the air, Skell noticed that that the same minotaur that had attempted to stop Winston from sealing the entrance had rushed over to aid the rest of its kind.
It's actually really quite amusing that you think you ever had a say in the matter at all. But I'll humor you Skell, because I know you're still fighting me, even now. We're not going to survive this unless we're both on board, so I'll give you a reason to do as I say ...
Skell watched as he minotaur's hand wrapped around Dakota's ankle, closing around it like a vice as the huge beast stopped her midair, pulling her down with a forceful yank and slamming her into the ground, the aura around her claws flickering out.
Dakota gasped painfully as the air was knocked out of her, connecting with the ground in an explosive manner, her impact shattering the stone beneath her. The armored giant released its grip on her, taking its gargantuan axe in both hands, as Dakota struggled to move out of the way.
Skell was forced to watch as she looked up at him weakly, her emerald eyes pleading with him from a distance.
... see that? Look into her fading eyes and behold your only chance of ever experiencing that deplorable warmth you so desire, slipping away.
Skell couldn't stand to watch any longer, seeing the pain and desperation in her eyes. Yet even so, he kept trying to find another way, any way he could help them both, struggling against the urge to pick up his gun and admit defeat. The tiny sensation within his otherwise blank soul tried, and failed to stop his arm from moving towards his shock pistol, desperately shouting at him with a voice too small to hear.
Skell finally realized that there was no other way.
His fingers wrapped around the cool grip of the gun, watching as the minotaur beside Dakota reared back with its axe, preparing an overhead swing.
You know what has to happen, if you ever want to feel it again. If you want to sate your repulsive, selfish craving for kindness, to "show her how grateful you are", then you'll listen to me and hear me well. I have a very simple task for you, one that you'll find intuitive, Skell.
Skell's pupils, hidden behind the glow of his eyes, contracted into predatory slits as the insignificant feeling raging against the darkness inside him was finally snuffed out, leaving his mind, body and soul filled with nothing but a lifetime of brutal cunning, and an overwhelming desire to protect Dakota.
Kill them all.
Move, dammit move!
Dakota knew what she wanted to do, but her body wasn't cooperating, the pain shooting through her left leg causing her to grimace as she attempted to roll out of the way, only rolling far enough so that she could look up at the minotaur about to slice her in two, her eyes gravitating towards the gleaming axe it held aloft.
She closed her eyes, desperately trying to inch away from her death. That was when a sound, unlike anything she had ever heard assaulted her ear drums, the whining, hissing noise erupting into existence and echoing off the high ceiling of the cavern. Her eyes instantly shot back open, darting around frantically for a moment before stopping abruptly, centering on her would be executioner. Dakota watched, mouth agape as the huge, imposing minotaur before her spasmed uncontrollably for a moment, the axe raised over his head slipping from his grasp and clattering to the ground behind him.
He took an unsteady step back, regaining control and looking down at the smoke drifting off the hole in his chest, Dakota following his hands as he brought them to cover the bloodless wound, the section of his chest plate reduced to molten slag.
The warrior looked back up at something out of Dakota's field of vision, and she watched intently as a searing bolt of blue energy arced through the air, nailing the minotaur right between his eyes, another violent bout of twitching gripping him for a moment, before collapsing unceremoniously in a smoking heap. The foul smell of burning flesh and fur, mixed with molten metal filled the air.
"What the ..." Dakota muttered to herself, unsure of what the heck was going, but not arguing with the momentary reprieve, finally mustering the will to fight through the crippling pain in her side as she struggled to her feet. That same sharp hissing sound reached her again, as she watched another bolt of crackling blue energy whizz past her, her eyes unable to keep up with the lightning fast projectile as it slammed into another minotaur a few feet to her right.
She watched briefly, stunned as the behemoth lost control of his own body, spasming violently as he fell to his knees, another brilliant bolt of energy streaking past Dakota and catching the warrior in the head. He continued to twitch, even after having toppled backwards with a metallic clank as he hit the ground, smoke rising off of the mass of burnt flesh and metal.
Dakota swiveled her head the other way, finally locating the source of the hissing sound as yet another crackling mass of blue energy zoomed past her.
It was Skell.
He was slowly walking towards her, taking his time with every step, one arm outstretched, holding a strange, tan colored device with ridged spikes protruding along the length of the top of it. She watched, mesmerized as a swirling mass of crackling electricity coalesced inside the barrel of the device, before shooting outward in burst of light and sound. Dakota just barely managed to wrench her eyes away from staring at it dumbfounded, her gaze locking on to the warriors stampeding towards Skell from behind, the very same minotaurs that had been chasing them directly.
"Skell! Beh-" Dakota began, attempting to warn him of the group of five more minotaurs rapidly approaching him from behind, the heavy thud of their loud steps easily audible, yet Skell seemed like he was in no hurry, paying them no mind. Dakota's voice faltered at what she saw next.
She watched in shocked awe as he whirled around, one hand moving down to his belt and detaching a small, stick shaped device from it, the length of metal pulsating with white hot energy as he flung it at the minotaurs in one swift motion as he was spinning around.
The small device skittered to the ground a few paces in front of the group of warriors, resting there for a moment, before detonating in a burst of blinding light that illuminated the cavern. Dakota didn't even know what to think, a million thoughts racing through her head as she watched every last minotaur stop dead in their tracks, uncontrollable muscle spasms wracking them, as clearly visible surges of crackling electricity arced back and forth across their conductive metal armor. The tendrils of energy slinked up and down their extremities, rocking them violently, smoke beginning to rise off of them as their muffled groans and gasps of pain filled the air.
One fell to the ground not a moment later, hitting the floor with a heavy thud as smoke drifted up off of him, and then another, and another. Dakota could only watch in disbelief, looking on at the three dead warriors of Minos, her eyes darting back over to Skell, who was leveling the device in his hand at one of the two warriors that simply refused to die.
Both of them managed to struggle desperately, breaking free of whatever had felled their brethren, and rampaged forwards with a newfound rage, crushing the stone beneath their hooves into submission.
Dakota started toward Skell, intending to assist him, but stopped cold.
The first minotaur rushed straight past Skell as he rolled to his left, two more brilliant arcing bolts of energy bursting forth from his weapon, each of them finding their mark as they slammed into the side of the minotaur's head. The armored warrior's furious charge turned into an awkward stumble , the violent spasms overtaking him as he tripped over himself and crumbled to the floor, a foul smell wafting off of him.
Dakota took a step back, genuinely taken aback by what she saw staring down at the dead minotaur, her eyes unable to look away from its helmet.
It had been melted onto the minotaur's head.
Metal slag had been fused with the bone of its protruding horns, bits of burnt flesh and singed fur poking through the melted holes in the side of its head, the cauterized, blackened flesh conjoined with the metal of its helmet. The two impact points where the projectiles had landed were still giving off a visible trail of wispy, acrid smoke. She had seen a lot of disgusting wounds in her time, but this ... this was something else entirely.
She snapped her attention back over to Skell just in time to watch him get lifted off the ground by the final minotaur warrior that closed in on him while she was distracted. The massive bovine had grabbed Skell by the neck so suddenly and with such force that Skell's mysterious weapon was forced from his grasp, crashing to the ground below as he was held aloft, the huge warrior crushing him in a death grip as he readjusted his grip on his axe, holding it close enough to the head that he would be able to swing it accurately with one arm.
Dakota, suddenly aware of Skell's impending death, shook herself out of her daze, rushing forward as fast as her legs could carry her, dropping to all fours to pick up speed as her front set of claws ignited with ruby red energy. Her gemstone glowed brightly as she surged towards Skell.
But she was too late. She ground to a stop just a few feet away from the gargantuan beast, looking on in disbelief at the scene before her.
The minotaur released its grasp on Skell, and stumbled backwards as Skell hit the ground with a dull thud, landing on his knees and coughing violently, gasping for air. Dakota watched, as the warrior began to twitch and spaz out, bringing its now free hand up to where a sizeable blade had been jammed into its neck. It had punctured its heavy armor like it was nothing, the metal around the blade seeming to almost have peeled itself back to allow the sword entrance.
Dakota glanced back over to Skell who was now standing at his full height, watching as he sauntered over to the minotaur, unflinching in his stride. A combination of disbelief, concern, and genuine fear danced across her face as she found herself slowly rising to stand on two legs, the aura surrounding her claws flickering out while the bright light emanating from within her gemstone ceased. They were left in darkness once more, Dakota only able to see what was unfolding before her by virtue of her kind's low light vision.
She almost wished she couldn't.
Skell stopped just in front of the minotaur, and even though he was dwarfed by the beast, Dakota knew which of them was experiencing true terror at that moment, able to feel a chill creeping down her spine as she watched Skell unsheathe a dagger from a makeshift scabbard at his side. He held the knife, turning it over, observing it a few times, as the minotaur continued to spasm violently, unable to keep itself from falling to its knees , bringing it face to face with Skell.
He looked up from the dagger, a soft blue glow suddenly encasing the entire blade, as he stared into the minotaur's eyes, the beast's pained groans making the fur on the back of Dakota's neck stand up on end. She didn't know what he saw in the minotaur's eyes, but apparently Skell really hated whatever it was.
He took a step forward, getting in nice and close to the warrior, before jerking his arm forward, and jamming the glowing dagger into the beast's left eye, through its open eye slot. It must have died instantly, the minotaur's cries of agony falling silent as Skell yanked the blade out of its eye, while he pulled the other, much longer sword from its neck. He put a foot on the beast's chest, and kicked it over.
The room fell silent in the moments after the metallic clatter of the brutalized minotaur hitting the floor faded into obscurity.
Dakota forced herself to keep her eyes locked onto Skell, not wanting to look at the undoubtedly grizzly sight next to him. He just stood there, looking down at the broken form before him, as he sheathed both of his blades, the shorter one disappearing into a holster at his side, the longer one fitting snugly into a scabbard suspended across his chest by a strap. He remained deathly still after he had finished putting away his weapons. She could scarcely believe he hadn't already killed her. Dakota had known he was carrying weapons with him, at least in regards to his blades, but she had never truly realized until now how deadly they were, and by that same token, how close she might have been to death.
She was more than a little hesitant to begin moving towards him, her wandering eyes darting all around her, taking in the destruction and death surrounding her, smelling the awful, acrid scent of burnt flesh, able to hear whenever a muscle spasm jolted through a corpse, the unsettling clatter of metal causing her to shake. She took a tentative step toward Skell.
Hoooo ... Just ... breathe ... let your ruby do it for you ...
The red gemstone embedded into her collar began to pulsate rhythmically as she slowed her breathing down, quieting the fear that was beginning to take hold of her, and replacing it with an unnatural courage that spurred her onwards, despite her trepidation. She took another cautious step towards Skell, stopping midstride as she noticed him move ever so slightly.
He turned his head ever so slowly, taking his time as his gaze drifted over to her, staring down at the floor just in front of her, hiding his eyes from view. Both of them remained where they were, unflinching, even though Dakota's façade of bravery started to crack, Skell's oddly intimidating, unnaturally still silhouette unnerved her.
If that simply rattled her nerves, what she saw next terrified her.
She could feel her blood frosting over in her veins as Skell looked up at her. Those eyes weren't his. She had only been around him for a sparse few moments, but whatever was in those detached, dead eyes of his, the very same ones that had produced genuine tears of happiness, whatever it was, it wasn't Skell. It was like staring into the eyes of a feral animal, but far worse; gazing into pure darkness, so black that even through her night vision, the pits of his eyes remained a colorless void, even though they still burned with that same strange blue-white glow that concealed what was behind them.
She winced, rousing her from her terror stricken stupor as Skell suddenly collapsed onto his knees, wobbling uneasily as he fell, before finally toppling backwards in a heap. He hit the floor with a sharp metallic thud.
Dakota finally regained her senses as Skell hit the ground sharply, noticing that she was still shaking, even through the courage her gemstone was imbuing her with, its soft glow visible beneath her face.
Dakota swallowed hard, taking a cautious step forward, trying to focus on the courage in her heart as she neared Skell's motionless form. A terrible thought crept to the forefront of her mind as she approached.
She didn't want to admit it, but he had saved her life, and it made the thought of having to kill Skell all the harder to bear. Here was someone who she and her pack had not only wronged once, but who had then proceeded to stand beside her in battle, and she might have to kill him. The thought made her sick to her stomach.
But she couldn't trust him, no matter how much faith she wanted to put in Skell. She admitted to the fact that Skell could have killed her earlier, hell, he could've killed her now, yet chose not to, which reassured her that she made the right decision in trusting him, but even so, things were different now. After having witnessed such a merciless display, there was no way she could take any chances with such a dangerous character. The moment he tried anything, reached for any of his weapons, she would have to tear his throat out, if not to protect herself, then to protect the other four members of her pack.
She had told Winston to seal the entrance to keep them all safe, and when she had made the decision to stand and fight, to not risk the rest of her pack's safety, she had committed to eliminating any potential threat to them, and she was going to make good on that promise, no matter how hard it was, no matter how low it would bring her.
The maelstrom of conflicting emotions raging inside of her brought her to the brink of tears, a knot forming in her stomach as she came to a stop in front of Skell's nearly motionless form. He was still breathing, his chest rising and falling weakly. As terrible a thought it was, somewhere deep inside of her, she had hoped he would have been dead so she wouldn't have had to deal with the situation, to recognize the fact that she might be deciding Skell's fate in the next few moments.
She crouched down hesitantly, her frantic eyes darting around Skell's entire body, scanning for any sudden movements as she began removing the belt fastened to his waist, fiddling with the strange clasp for a moment before sliding it off of him gently, trying to be both quick and gentle with her movements. She pushed the heavy belt behind her, the two metallic cylinders attached to it rolling a few inches, dragging the belt with them slightly, before coming to a stop.
Dakota suddenly frozen, noticing the device Skell had been using throughout most of the fight, the one he had dropped when he had been caught off guard by the final minotaur. Dakota shuddered staring down at the mysterious, deadly thing, her mind racing back to the fact that Buster still had the other one, having picked it up and kept it after knocking Skell out. She hesitantly reached over to it, sliding it behind her and making a mental note to take the one Buster had when she got back.
She turned her attention to the strap across Skell's chest, her eyes focusing on the blade draped across his chest as she reached over to the strap with intention.
Dakota was so focused on separating Skell from his weapons that she didn't even notice one of his eyes cracked open for a split second.
An acceptable performance. See? That wasn't so hard.
The unbearable ache in Skell's muscles had returned, and begged to differ.
Quit your whining, and reap what you've sown.
Skell cracked one of his eyes open just barely wide enough to make out Dakota's blurry form right next to him.
I always keep my promises. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours, that's how its always been between us, you've just forgotten that as of late.
Despite the pain coursing through his body and the fact that he had just massacred over half a dozen souls in a bloodthirsty frenzy, a weak smile crept across Skell's face, hidden by his ether mask as he let his eye close, not wanting to think too hard about his actions.
He could feel the blackness calling to him once more, telling him to drift away. He allowed himself to heed its call, comforted by the feeling of Dakota's soft paws on his chest.
I'll never understand what you get out of moments like these, but go ahead. Savor it Skell.
His last thought before slipping away, suddenly wiped the smile from his face, as he no longer found himself drifting peacefully into darkness comforted by the fact that Dakota was still alive, but falling into an endless void as he fully realized why she was still alive. It reverberated within him, souring his mood as he slipped into unconsciousness for the second time that day.
You earned it.