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The pale moonlight shone upon the forever moving merry-go-round, lighting up the eyes of its horses, shimmering red in the eerie dark. Eli was hidden behind a few walls nearby, resting his hand against the cold concrete, the sensation even piercing through his glove. His other hand was on the ground, which was covered by squirming roots, licking at the fabric of his robes. It was merely an hallucination created by the manor’s owner, kicking in once a survivor was wounded – Eli knew – but he couldn’t deny the sickening feeling it allowed to settle in his stomach.
He was panting, trying hard to calm his breath – Brooke, a comforting and familiar weight on his shoulder, turned her gaze towards the nearest exit gate, but Eli was unable to tell whether it was open, nor did he know where the hunter – Jack the Ripper – was located. He couldn’t take the risk of going to the gate anyway, unsure if he would even make it. It was not like he was incapacitated, technically he could still move, but he was exhausted. With a shaky breath, he leaned against the wall. The dungeon was nearby – perhaps if the others managed to go through the gate, he would be able to have a dungeon escape before Jack found him.
He felt a small nudge against his cheek, followed by a soft hoot and a smile tugged at Eli’s lips. He lifted his hand from the wall to give Brooke a soft caress over her feathers. I’ll be alright, little one. Before letting Brooke check around his hiding location once more, he used the quick message system to let his teammates know he was near the dungeon, hoping they would make it out. Even if Jack found him before they escaped, that would mean they won. They’d had a good match – Jack had been greatly distracted by Naib, to such a degree that Eli had even been able to spy on him and protect the mercenary not only once or twice, but three times, much to the Ripper’s annoyance. Meanwhile, Norton and Luca had managed to decode at a fast pace, popping the last cipher right after Naib got downed again – it would’ve been his third and final time on the rocket chair would he have been grabbed by the hunter. Eli wondered whether Jack was still chasing him around, and right at that moment, there was a hand on his shoulder, and a familiar voice near his ear. ‘Eli! What are you sitting around here for?’
Eli turned to look into the worried frown of the very man he had been thinking about. Naib looked as beaten up as always after every match, the sleeves of his jacket torn, most likely by Jack’s wind attacks. His face was covered in cuts as well, almost-dried up blood dripping like tears over his cheeks. Unconsciously, Eli reached out, softly touching one that looked particularly nasty. ‘Where are the others? You should hurry to the gate, Naib, you’re hurt.’
‘So are you, stupid,’ the mercenary shot back as he took his wrist, lowering both their hands. He looked upset, and Eli knew why. He wished Naib hadn’t come for him.
‘Jack?’ Eli asked.
‘He got tired of me. Went towards the exit gate on the other side,’ Naib answered. ‘But Luca already opened it. He’s waiting for Norton to get there, ready with his little baby zap to make sure they can get away. As if that’ll do any good.’
Eli smiled. ‘That little baby zap has saved many of us multiple times, you know.’
Naib grimaced but said nothing, instead he moved his arm around Eli’s shoulder to help him up, his touch strong yet gentle, as if the other man was as fragile as glass. Eli hoped his blindfold was large enough to cover the blush that rose to his cheeks, turning his face away slightly, leaning against the mercenary as he commanded his legs to move. ‘You didn’t have to come back for me, Naib…’
‘Idiot,’ Naib only said, pulling him to his feet.
Eli had no choice but to follow him then, for the other man’s grip around his shoulders was as decisive as it was tender – there was no way Eli could convince him to leave him there and hurry back to the opened exit gate, even if the dungeon was nearby. That’s just what Naib was like, always making sure his teammates got out before he did.
‘Eli,’ Naib said suddenly as they quietly walked towards the nearest, still closed gate, ‘stop it with the owl next time.’
‘Hm,’ Eli said, a smile forming around his lips. ‘It’s my ability as a survivor. It is what I do. If I don’t, I’d be useless, right?’
‘Well, there’s a freaking reason you’re only supposed to protect someone once. You’re more useful when you’re not too exhausted to move.’ Naib had his gaze firmly set upon their destination – the exit gate was looming in the distance, the carousel left behind, its unsettling red eyes piercing their backs.
‘It’s alright, Naib. I managed to protect you, right? If I can build up my ability, then certainly I should be taking that opportunity to help us win.’ Eli tried to concentrate on the comforting feeling of Naib’s strong arm around him, holding him up, holding him together, instead of on the darkness that spread around them more and more; the squirming roots tickling his legs with every step they took; the softly echoing laughs of children from decades, perhaps even centuries ago; the moon that seemed to be shining blood-red instead of a blue-ish white the more time passed.
Absently, Eli wondered whether this was still a creation of the manor’s owner, or merely a fragment of his own wavering mind, his exhaustion blurring imagination and reality in an intangible mess. He was falling, falling, but then Naib’s voice brought him back to the surface. ‘Then don’t get upset with me coming back for you,’ he said, pulling Eli’s body even closer against his – it was only then that Eli realized he’d almost tripped.
‘I- I’m not upset,’ Eli said. ‘I just…’
‘Tch, quit your lying. I can tell when you’re upset. But I’m not gonna do anything ‘bout it, hear me? I’ll come back for you every damn time you do this to yourself.’ Though Naib’s words were always rough to the edges, there was no venom in his voice at all, and when Eli looked upon his face, there seemed to be more sadness in his eyes than anger. His heart fluttered ever so slightly, but he pushed the feeling all the way back to his toes.
‘Naib…’
‘Shut up. Look, we’re here.’
Eli followed his gaze to the closed exit gate. The rollercoaster’s carts weren’t there, most likely on the other side of the track instead, where Norton and Luca had been. With a quick glance at his message system, Eli noticed the both of them had already escaped, which meant that Jack could be here any moment.
Naib pulled him towards the display where they were required to enter the password in order to open the exit gate. ‘Think you can enter it? Then I’ll watch your back.’
Eli knew Naib actually meant he was planning to block any attack that would possibly come Eli’s way, and he knew better than to go against his decision, so he nodded and started entering the password, knowing there was no time to waste. Luckily, Luca had already opened it partly from the other side, and Eli was thankful for it.
They were quiet for a while, as Eli struggled with the buttons and Naib shielded him, their arms touching slightly. However, mere seconds before the gate opened, a teleportation circle appeared right next to him and Eli tried to control his trembling fingers, wishing desperately for the gate to open faster, but his heartbeat quickened and he didn’t want Naib to get hurt because of him and he wished he had never pinged his location so Naib wouldn’t have been able to find him and he was so mad at himself for being this exhausted just because of using his ability and-
There he was.
The Ripper.
Eli could feel Naib tense next to him, his body completely protecting his own as he noticed the stare down between the two of them. The exit gate’s buttons danced before his eyes – how many numbers were left what was the last one again a 7 or a 1 and what-
‘Well, well, hello Naib the mercenary,’ Jack’s uncomfortably soothing voice sounded. His unnaturally tall body loomed over Naib’s, leaning close.
‘Ripper,’ Naib spat out. ‘Go on and hit me, you asshole.’
‘Hmmm, you’re so eager to die now, compared to a few minutes ago, you stubborn little thing.’ Jack was stepping away a bit, pacing around slightly. Stalling. Watching his prey, severing the moment and the looks on their faces before they fell. ‘You could have escaped through the other gate, you know. Surely you are fast enough with your little tricks.’
‘Yeah, you know, Jack, survivors are actually a team, we’re not lonely bitches who only think of themselves like you hunters.’
‘Such a rude mouth,’ Jack answered. ‘You know, I am in quite the good mood today, so I think I will be giving you this win… however, in return, I would like to chair the Seer. He has given me quite the challenge this match after all.’
Eli couldn’t resist to look at the Ripper then, his eerie mask concealing whatever emotion the hunter might be displaying, his voice as sweet as ever, but poisonous once you’d listen more closely. A good mood, he’d said, but Eli was quite certain it was the complete opposite. His hand hovered over the exit gate’s buttons, then he let it fall instead of continuing, reaching for Naib’s shoulder, but the mercenary spoke before he could touch him.
‘Over my dead body, Ripper,’ he growled. ‘Eli, open the gate and get the hell out of here.’
‘I’m not-’ Eli started, but Naib interrupted him, spreading out his arm in front of him, staring at the hunter in front of them.
‘Hurry.’
‘Well, well, what will it be?’ Jack mused. ‘Alternatively, I could always catch the both of you. You could watch each other bleed out to the point of vanishing. I must say that sounds quite delightful, as well.’
Eli bit his lip, his thoughts spinning in circles, but the moment Brooke pushed her little beak affectionately against his cheek, a plan took shape in his mind.
For a moment, everything slowed.
There was a press on the last button.
The exit gate slowly pushing open.
A gust of wind. Coming their way.
Naib’s lips moving without sound.
Naib’s hand against his shoulder.
Pushing.
Pushing him away.
A link once again with Brooke, their bodies and minds joined as one, as the world twisted and turned.
The wind. Gone.
Then.
Naib’s hand in his.
Surprise and worry and something else – something warm – written in his teal eyes.
One desperate pull.
Jack’s silhouette.
His claw, ready to lash out.
Falling.
Endlessly falling.
And then.
Darkness.
He awakened to the sound of Naib’s voice, and the feeling of his arms around him. He smelled like sweat and blood. He was saying something like ‘Wake up Eli, damnit, we made it!’ but he didn’t know for sure, for the world was still swaying a little, his vision especially blurry due to Brooke’s exhaustion as well.
‘Naib?’ he managed. He was warm and safe, definitely not on the ground, but not back in the manor either. He then realized he was resting on Naib’s lap, both of them lowered to the ground just on the other side of the exit gate.
‘Damnit, Eli,’ Naib growled. ‘Why did you have to do it again?’
‘Mh, I didn’t want Jack to catch you, and this seemed like the best option to get us both out.’
‘We would’ve won even if you got out by yourself!’
He considered those words for a moment, letting them sink to the back of his mind – he knew Naib was right, but it had simply felt very wrong to escape by himself.
Naib sighed, piercing the silence between the two of them. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t want to yell at you,’ he muttered. ‘I just don’t like seeing you like this.’
‘Well,’ Eli said, slowly reaching out his hand and resting it against his cheek, earning him a surprised look on the mercenary’s face – he was thankful his vision had returned, ‘I don’t like seeing you hurt either, Naib.’ He curled his lips in a smile. ‘So I suppose we are even now, aren’t we? You came back for me, after all.’
Naib mumbled something incomprehensive, which made him smile more. Then, the smaller man rose to his feet, Eli still in his arms, and the world swayed a little, so he had to hold on to his shoulders, his heart soaring in his chest. ‘N-Naib?’ he blurted out.
‘No way in hell you can even walk properly now,’ Naib said. ‘I’ll carry you, stupid.’
Eli was too tired to argue back, and he supposed that even if he tried he wouldn’t be able to change the others mind. So he closed his eyes, breaking his link with Brooke, who was silently flying after them, and leaned against Naib’s chest, letting the world grow quiet around them. It was strange how easily this man could make him let go of all the sensations, all the stimuli that constantly plagued the Seer.
‘Thank you,’ he whispered against Naib’s chest. The heat rose to his cheeks when he felt a pair of rough yet gentle lips brush against his forehead – they were light as a feather, there before he could notice, gone before he could react. ‘Don’t mention it,’ Naib said and a silence settled around them, warm but heavy with questions. For now, Eli let it linger, simply enjoying the feeling of safety as Naib carried him back to the place they called home.