Chapter Eighty Four: Drums in the deep
The two Thestrals carefully walked out of the medical bay, Astral struggling to focus.
“Let the suit do the work, Astral,” Sassi said encouragingly.
“Feels weird not walking on my own,” he muttered. “I barely lift a limb and it moves all the way.”
They had spent an hour securing what meager supplies remained, and then Astral had been forced to get acclimated to the RASP-assisted walking software. Thus far, he wasn’t pleased with it.
But at least he could walk on his own. That was a step up. Even if the RASP systems warned against anything doing anything above a slow walk for five minutes ten maximum, it was something. Past that slow pace, Astral’s condition would start to deteriorate until he got some rest.
But he was out of the danger zone, for the most part.
The motion detector pinged.
“Let’s go, Astral,” Sassi muttered, miniguns starting to spin up. “I think our friend might be back.”
“Remind me to go no contact with this jerk.”
She let out a snort, the two trotting down as fast as the RASP could move, their visors flipped up for the ease of communicating. No sense in risking the radio if whatever-it-was could track it.
“The next medical center is a big one. We’ll probably be able to stay there for a bit. It’s secured kind of like my apartment. Near a cafeteria and other supply areas. It’s just off the main silo shaft. We’re still in one of the offshoots,” Sassi said as they trotted down the halls. “Our other potential friend is holed up somewhat near there. So that’s a plus. At least we have a map.”
“You have a map with the fancy helmet,” Astral grumbled, “I get to play follow the leader.”
“Oh, like you’re going to complain about getting a chance to look at my flanks?”
The part of Astral’s face that was visible was a bright red, Sassi smirking as she trotted on ahead.
“I…erm…wha?”
Sassi considered that a success.
“You’re going to have to be able to endure a bit of teasing, Astral.”
He carefully walked after her, the stallion smiling.
“I just didn’t expect it. I know it’s a touchy subject. Not that I’m complaining about, um...”
“Touchy, yes. But it’s one of the few parts of my life I have control over. We’ll probably talk about all that later. But the fact I get to choose who I share it with, even with teasing makes it that much more important…huh,” Sassi mused, “never really put it to words.”
“Makes sense. I’m just happy you trust me that much,” Astral said, then pausing. Sassi could almost feel the smirk forming on his face.
With their weird hive-mind link, that may not be too far off, as intermittent as it was.
“Sooooo the more suggestive your flirting is with me, the more you trust me? I’m not going to disagree with your statement either.”
“Oh dear, what have I started?” Sassi sighed. The mare half hated and half loved the fact he was most likely right.
For better or worse, the helmet pinged out a warning in interruption.
“Flirting can wait, lovercolt. Visors down. There’s something in the air,” Sassi warned, Astral immediately nodding.
Another thing I love about him. Knows when we can relax, but there are times to buckle down and focus.
“Spores? That doesn’t seem good,” Astral muttered, his cracked helmet display flashing with a warning.
“Agreed. But that supports my theory that those freaky pony monsters are fungus-based. Or infected. Or something. They looked like they were growing on the walls,” Sassi explained. “Or maybe they were already dead.”
“I don’t like either option.”
Sassi huffed in agreement, the two carefully trotting as the warnings continued to flash in their helmet. Thankfully the filters held as they traversed the empty halls.
“This place isn’t as ruined as the others,” Astral whispered, “but even though it’s empty, it doesn’t feel empty.”
“I’ve felt like I’ve been watched more often than not. I don’t know how we’re tracked, but assume we’re being hunted. Do you want one of these miniguns?”
Astral shook his head slowly at that.
“I can barely walk. I’d like one of the guns, but I’d be useless with it.”
“I’ll keep us covered then. We’ve got just a few more halls, and then some large rooms.”
The trip was quiet, the soft sounds of their hoof-falls, muted as they were, still sounded like drums. The spores now were visible in the air, yellowish pollen-like particles that parted as they walked.
The dusty halls then opened into a larger, straight corridor. Massive doors branched off to the left and right, but their destination was straight ahead.
“Sassi?” Astral whispered, tossing his head to the right. The spores were far thicker at the nearest door, leaking out from the broken and cracked metal.
“AI? Can you scan in there? To see what it is?”
A brief wire-frame pulsed in Sassi’s vision, the mare’s stomach doing a flip-flop as a crude image projected itself into the room.
“Let’s go, Astral,” she whispered. “Now.”
The constructed picture of multiple pony bodies fused together was enough to set alarm bells off in every aspect of Sassi’s mind. Things like that shouldn’t exist down there. The simple scan from the RASP armor indicated the organic mass was a source of the spores.
At least she didn’t have to see it with her eyes. But the scan alone made the mare on edge.
“What was it?”
She shook her head.
“I don’t know. Some freaky blob of a bunch of…creatures just spewing out spores. This place, it’s infected with something. The spores, number twenty-eight, the fonies, they’re all a part of it, I think.”
A hoof held up into the air made Astral stop immediately. A motion blipped on their trackers, Sassi slowly turning her head. A massive air vent to their left moved. Nothing was visible, and yet something made the grate shift ever so slightly.
And then it was gone, the contact vanishing from their sensors.
“We’re being hunted, Astral. Stay close. We’re halfway there.”
“Was it the same creature?” he asked, voice shaking ever so slightly. Sassi wanted to hug him, but they had to keep moving.
“Maybe. Number Five mentioned something else. I don’t think his number is related to that twenty-eight thing. If he uses a RASP suit…”
“Yeah, you had mentioned that. Maybe he’s the guy they did testing on before me?”
“That’d make sense. These next rooms are clear. Then we’ve got another hall or two, and then a large room. Looks like some sort of refurbished office space. Then a few more halls until we get to our new friend’s home.”
Astral staggered, the reactor on his back letting out a soft hum as additional power flowed into the device, the RASP systems compensating for a sudden loss of input.
“Whoa. Woozy. I think the painkillers are wearing off too,” the stallion muttered.
A soft warning pulsed in the RASP helmet; Astral’s body reached its limits of movement.
“Hang in there, Astral.”
The next two halls began to clear up, the spores dispersing rapidly. Sassi was quickly reminded how much she disliked the Silo color scheme. Every hallway had the same, obnoxious cream tiling. Up a flight of stairs, and even then, the halls were the same as it continued straight ahead.
The hall took a left, and a massive door spanned the width of the passage. The metal was torn apart, with what appeared to be bullet holes and magical scorch marks ripping through the hoof-wide thick metal.
As they pushed into the large room, Sassi’s head was on a swivel. The room was a massive, four-way intersection with massive halls, easily twice the size of the previous ones. To their right, there was utter darkness in the hall. Straight ahead led into some sort of ruined cafeteria. To their left, an intact security door awaited them; their destination.
The motion detector pulsed.
Miniguns already spinning up, Sassi shifted to stand between Astral and the rightmost hallway. Only now in the flickering lights near the entrance could they see the security door. It was blackened and burned; something having forced its way through the center.
The metal was bent towards the two ponies.
“S-sassi?” Astral asked between chattering teeth, but not from fear. The warning about his condition flashed in Sassi’s helmet again. They were running out of time.
A familiar, armored limb reached out from the torn security door, Sassi’s mouth widening into an almost-eager snarl.
“Time for a rematch.”
With a blur of motion, the spider-like mutant jumped from the shadows. Its armored carapace still sported the scuffs and cracks from Sassi’s previous attack.
The roar of the miniguns echoed off the walls, Number 28 meeting a wall of magical bullets as it slammed into the floor halfway between the Thestrals and the door.
It scampered forwards, sharp, pointed limbs hooking onto every crater and bullet hole that decorated the floors and walls. The creature jumped to the side, Sassi shifting her aim. The mare ducked as it threw a piece of rubble at her, but a soft grunt drew her attention.
Scrambling upright, Astral let out a hiss of pain, the rubble having slammed into his side.
The creature laughed, a loud, warbling hiss as it tucked and rolled to try and avoid Sassi’s fire. The minigun bullets simply ricocheted off its armored carapace, but the slower-firing cannons had begun to crack the natural plating in multiple areas. For a brief moment, the hundreds of rounds seemed to be pushing the creature back toward the dark hallway.
It then lunged, the creature ignoring the minigun’s fire completely. A swipe at Sassi was barely dodged. While the bony claw barely missed the mare, it dug into the wall, providing leverage as the mutant gathered itself for another jump.
For a brief moment, the two parties paused. The miniguns and cannons continued to fire, but the magical rounds simply glanced off the creature’s armored limbs and torso, despite cracks beginning to form.
It wasn’t enough.
Even so, Sassi kept firing, the Thestral positioning herself between Astral and the mutant. One of the sections of carapace on the creature’s chest continued to crack and split, but whether it’d fracture enough for a shot to get through was anyone’s guess. She steadied herself to intercept the monster when it jumped.
Maybe if I can tackle it and get a point-blank-shot to-
A voice then reverberated through both Sassi’s ears, radio, and mind.
“Incoming fire. DUCK!”
Jumping backward, Sassi flattened herself to the floor along with Astral, the stallion more flopping to the ground than anything.
The visor abruptly was whited out, a high-pitched whine making Sassi’s mane stand on end. It was like being covered in static electricity, every hair vibrating. The mare ripped off the helmet, but even from behind her closed eyelids, there was nothing but blinding light.
And then it was over, Sassi blinking as she looked around.
There was a heavy *THUD*, and the smell of burned flesh. The miniguns slowly stopped rotating as Sassi took in the scene in front of them.
Number 28 was almost within reach, but the creature now had a smoking hole in its torso. The previously-cracked armor had been shattered, and a wound the size of a pony’s head punched through the creature and the walls beyond it.
Molten ceramic and metal dripped from the gaping entrance. It extended through another few walls before the fading glow from the cooling metal made it impossible to see.
“You alright?” a rough voice asked, a hoof entering her vision. Sassi immediately put the helmet on out of reflex. The miniguns sped up again, but the mare caught herself. The hoof was extended in aid, not threatening.
Despite that, a red warning pulsed in the corner of the helmet for a split second before vanishing.
“Thanks to you,” Sassi remarked, standing up and taking a glance at the newcomer. They were encased in what looked like an older version of RASP armor. Bulkier and with odd metal bulbs welded onto the plating. Her first thought was that it was a Kirin, for a passive flame seemed to be radiating from every portion of the creature’s body. They had a unicorn’s horn, so that could match up, especially if experimented on. The oddest part, however, was that the horn was encased in metal, armored bulbs matching the color in an angry red, the items almost seeming to sag with the heat.
“Erm, the visor is still whited out here. So, thank you, whoever you were,” Astral commented with a hiss of pain as he sat up. “I can’t see a thing.”
“That’s not a RASP helmet. It’s probably fried from the blast,” the newcomer mused. “We should probably…” their voice drifted off.
“Don’t move. Don’t make a sound,” they hissed. “It’s here.”
The no-nonsense tone left no room for argument, and Sassi wasn’t about to disobey, not this time. With Astral destabilizing and blinded, she had to trust this newcomer. Pony or Kirin, without them, Astral and herself would have been far worse off.
The armored Kirin’s head moved ever so slightly, gesturing towards a nearby air vent. The large metal grate moved.
What is THAT?!
A single, clawed appendage reached out from it. The skin was gaunt like the Skitters, and the dead mutant in front of them. But it was far bonier, and the serrated claws on the ends were coated in dried blood and unknown material.
Each digit was as long as Sassi’s forelimb.
It gripped the corpse of the mutant, steadily dragging it back into the air vent.
The fact that said vent was three times too small didn’t seem to faze the clawed creature. The room echoed with loud, obscene crunches as the carapace cracked and shattered, flesh being torn as the body was yanked into the air vent, piece by piece. More sounds then filled the air, far more akin to crunching a mint candy between teeth.
“Backwards. Slowly,” the Kirin hissed.
Sassi helped Astral stand, the two of them following their armored friend back into the intact security door. They didn’t stop even as it closed behind them, the Kirin not seeming to care that their back was fully exposed to both Sassi and Astral.
Either they had zero tactical skills, or there was more to this puzzle.
Down the hallway and through one, then two doors. The outer one was a heavy-duty security door, the inner door considerably thinner but still composed of thick metal, and rather sturdy. The Kirin paused after they locked, the three creatures taking a few deep breaths.
“We’re next to some supply rooms, where I’ve been surviving. To your right is the medical center. Does he need more injections?”
“How did you-” Sassi began, then let out a huff. “Yes. It’d help.”
“There’s a cabinet full of them in the medical center, along with reloads for the RASP armor medical systems. If you want to get yourself situated in the main room, I’ll get some supplies for you.”
“Hold on, what was that?” Sassi asked, Astral leaning against her side. “Thank you for your help, but what in the world caused that energy surge? And that creature?”
The armored Kirin paused, sitting down calmly.
“I suppose it’d be easier if you had some answers,” they mused.
Sassi noted that they didn’t say anything about deserving such.
“That energy surge was from me. I’ll elaborate on that later if you wish. That creature is simply known as ‘The Second.’ The second monster this company ever created, as far as the files can hint at. There’s no other designation I’ve found. It usually lives far below here. But it’s been slowly exploring. Does that satisfy you for now?”
“It does. Thank you. I’ll get Astral to the medical center then.”
The Kirin nodded, promptly trotting off down the hallway.
What kind of Kirin can cast that magic?!
A ‘Medical Center’ sign abruptly flashed with power to their right, likely motion activated.
Walking through the open door, Sassi glanced around, Astral still staying oddly quiet. The medical center had multiple rooms; the primary one having been cleared of everything but a few familiar beds and large supply cabinets. There was access to some patient showers and other basics, but it was clear the other rooms had been used as storage.
There was only one way in and out; the massive, open doors they had just wanted through. Sassi didn’t like having such a bottleneck, but trusting their new friend was the only logical option.
And by trust, Sassi meant keeping a weapon ready to fire at all times. Plenty of creatures could present goodwill to gain tactical or social favor. And she wasn’t about to risk Astral, or herself by letting her guard down.
A quick check to the HUD was at least a bit of comfort.
No air toxins or spores detected. No air purification or filtration required.
“Astral? You ok?” she asked, carefully taking the helmet off.
Black tar oozed from Astral’s mouth, the Thestral’s teeth now chattering.
“T-took everything I h-had to n-not make a n-noise,” he stammered, pain swimming in the stallion’s eyes. “Not f-feeling so good n-now.
She helped him onto one of the beds, quickly locating the RASP system supplies. At least the mare knew where the missing supply boxes had gone; there were easily half a dozen just in the main room alone.
The RASP medical reserves still had some life in them, but Sassi replaced them regardless. Examining the syringe, the Thestral was pleased to see the armor automatically scan and identify the compound. The last thing she’d want to do was inject Astral with who-knows-what.
“I don’t know how or why they have so much RASP gear, but it’s the same injection, if not a bit outdated. It should still speed up the healing,” Sassi explained, pushing the syringe into the armor’s port on Astral’s side.
He let out a wince, curling up on the bed with a cough.
“S-sounds g-good.”
She gently placed a hoof on his cheek.
“Hang in there, Astral. I’ll find out about our new friend, and let you know. Just rest.”
“Sounds good, Sas. At least we’re ok. They obviously don’t want us dead. Didn’t have to help us…”
And just like that, he drifted off. In many ways, Sassi envied him. She was exhausted, but they still needed answers.
The warning that had appeared earlier returned to her helmet’s display, blinking softly. It made Sassi’s stomach clench even now. She had only heard rumors of the experiments, but as far as the mare had known, nothing that ever had succeeded.
‘Warning. Chaos magic detected. No known countermeasures. Proceed with caution.’
Oh, wait. You thought that freaky spider thing was the worst things the silo's had to offer?
*Silo 3* "Allow me to introduce myself...." 
And a new...friend? Enemy? Somebody new for sure. Our two Thestrals on the move again...
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Lord of the Rings reference i see.
11387947
Indeed
Loving it. More modified creatures, and spooky stuff? Just the perfect time of year for it!
11387970
Oh the spooky has returned. Previous arc was definitely longer/slower than I intended...but now, 'tis the season!
First funky xenomorphs now super charged monsters.
I also wanna bet their new "friend" is someone like Onyx.
~Reggie
11388150
There's always a bigger fish.
I found the Vault 22 lore.
"Before the War, the Vault contained scientists working under the auspice of experimentation with staple crops to combat global hunger. The entrance sign describes the projects underway within, from developing advanced fertilizers to improving crop production and increasing these crops' resistance to insects, drought, and disease.
"After the War, the scientists within the Vault continued agricultural-based initiatives, with the goal of sustaining the Vault population with plants grown within its confines. Designed as a green Vault, people selected for populating the Vault were dedicated to such goals and some of their most successful experiments were donated by defense contractors, such as the fungus that would eventually become the Vault's undoing.
"Beauveria mordicana was originally an entomopathogenic fungus designed for pest control. When a pest is exposed to the fungal spores, the fungus infests it and begins to colonize the host body. The host eventually dies due to failure of body functions, as the colony expands through its body. However, the dead body continues to be controlled by the fungal colony, allowing it to move around and infect more pests by spraying spores around the host body. While effective in the long term, it still takes between 10 to 20 days to kill its prey and achieves limited effectiveness when dealing with unsocial pests. The fungus was originally developed at the X-22 Botanical Garden at Big MT, though the technology was eventually shared with Vault-Tec, to enable botanical experiments at Vault 22.
"As with many technologies coming out of Big MT, the fungus was a Pandora's box. Once the Vault scientists began experimentation with the fungus after the Great War, they effectively signed their death warrant. While ostensibly designed to provide effective means of long-term pest control, the fungus was perfectly capable of infecting human bodies.
"Fungal spores gradually spread through the Vault, slowly infecting the population. The first confirmed infection was Dr. Harrison Peters, who also provided insight into the development of the infection. It begins with pneumonia as the fungus invades the lungs, eventually transforming into chills, a fever, and a terrible racking cough. The fungal colony causes the body to actively reject anti-fungal treatments, leading to death due to organ failure. As with smaller pests, the fungal colony continues to grow and develop. Eventually, it spreads far enough to establish control over the deceased person's body, becoming a highly aggressive spore carrier, a mindless beast whose sole purpose is spreading the spores. The untreatable infection baffled the scientists and spread through the Vault like wildfire.
"The widespread infection led to a collapse of social order in the Vault. Infected humans were turned into spore carriers, with the airborne fungal spores threatening the remaining living residents. Scientists attempted to eradicate them by igniting gas deliberately released in the lower levels of the Vault. However, the release triggered an incredibly aggressive reaction from the carriers, which attacked the scientists, tearing them limb from limb.
"By 2096, the Vault was finally abandoned and a party of 118 survivors made way for the Zion Canyon National Park. The dead eventually into spore carriers or became stationary colonies of the fungus."
That is what fonies remind me of. The spores hang around in relatively stable or stationary air, and can become more dense with time, though their density in atmosphere also increases their weight, making them sink into lower possible depths of the atmosphere, making the concentration in places like caves far higher. The only things the spores do not infest is invertebrates and other plants. In fact, the spores and their activity seem to promote the growth of the hardy plants of the vault wherever they prosper (including a species of giant spitter flytraps), and the mantises that roam the vault are passive, asymptomatic carriers as well, infecting whoever or whatever they do not kill.
Except in the fonies's case, it seems they do not promote plant growth, and instead consume flesh once deceased, and use any solid structures (like skeletons) to build their own flesh around for improved locomotion to infect and consume other entities. I am wondering if 28 was something like a mantis, in which it wasn't capable of being infected, and instead spread the spores passively.
11388158
A good observation. I was also aiming for a bit of the dead-space vibe.
I hated that vault. Killing those blasted hidden spore creatures was a PAIN!
11388162
If you ever do it again, I suggest a flamer. It is exceptionally powerful against them. Good aim and a constant stream will char them in a couple of seconds. And if you watch their health, you can time your flame bursts just long enough to cook them with DoT effects, and use your ammo sparingly. And decent aim will at least allow you to hit them even when you think you might not. Blaze every bush you find and there's nowhere they can hide.
Drums. Drums in the deep...
We can not get out.
Oh my. That's a good ending line.
11388307
They are coming...
11388196
Good to know!
11388309
"And a new...friend? Enemy? Somebody new for sure. Our two Thestrals on the move again..."
Friend/enemy/companion. Or friendenemapanion, for short.
11388987
Sassi is doing a lot of ripping her helmet off in these fungus rooms. That doesn't seem like it'd be a great idea whether or not she can see.
11391039
A good point- I should have clarified the spores had dispersed- I'll add a blurb.
Cool new character, and still loving the writing.
If I was reading a book it's at this point I'd get concerned the author might be about to spring some stupid jealousy/love triangle plot, but I'm really hoping that's not about to happen with mr kirin here...
please
Anyway keep up the awesome work!
11392858
Glad you're enjoying it! I'm not going to give any spoilers, but I can safely say you won't have to wait long to figure out where things are going.
11388151
This sounds like a tagline for a movie about Megalodon, lol.
I get the feeling that it could be Five that somehow has the ability to use chaos magic. Whether that's good or bad, assuming I'm right, I don't know at this point. Five seems to be on their side at the moment but something feels off.