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The sounds of something shifting, a shifting far heavier than any amount of Leviathans could ever be, far off, yet so close. Dampened by the walls of stone, yet remaining. Remaining just as constant as the shimmering golden waves in the air, moving and changing. Remaining just as plentiful in occurrence as the passing ghostly worms that looked as if they swam through the air and phased through surfaces, swimming to reach a destination unknown within the thick liquid of golden hues that seemed to disorient the world itself that lay just beyond the pipe.
On soft plant life stretched and grown above rough and bumpy ground as the air still shifted and shimmered, Survivor laid, their view of the world slowed from proximity to something greater than them in every way possible on a fundamental scale. Yellow worms emerged from walls and floated past them as they stared above, a light from their own body accompanying the shimmering air that no longer grated against their pure black eyes like before, instead inducing a sort of calming in the white slugcat, despite the situation they found themselves in.
They were stuck. No way out. Searching for food, looking for another way out? All of their time gathering spears? That time went to nothing but a bleak hope that despite falling and sliding down the big pipe, they would still be fine, that they could still make it home.
Each spear with as much space between them to get the most out of them, and they still fell short of the top.
Each time they died before that, dying again and again, following a strange creature that popped in and out of walls and earth, with that same hope that everything would be alright, that it was leading them home, despite knowing that it was the wrong direction entirely.
Each time they were consumed by blue and black festering bulbs of tendrils made of flesh, pulling itself through pipes as it shouldn’t fit in, pulling and climbing with its body through corridors and on platforms far above, fleshy tendrils reaching and pulling and grasping at the slightest sound to consume any and everything.
That even after the pain in their mind after being bestowed a gift by a god of metal and lightning and the knowledge that it gave, and bringing the glowing flies to the fallen god of metal, more knowledge bestowed on them from pearls that had no meaning before from the much kinder god, that they would still get to find a way home. A way to get to see their tree again, their family.
But they ruined their chance. They ruined it all, all because they couldn’t use common sense. Why would down lead them to a home that was far above? The simple thought “ down will lead to a dead end eventually ” would have been enough.
Yet here they were. The turning point had already passed by the time they thought of dying to go back up, and now any attempt would just bring them nothing but pain, still leaving them down there. And as their hunger grew, they had few options.
…
They wondered if this was what the metal god was talking about. To travel to where the land had fissured, to go as deep as they could, where the ancients built their structure for dancing and rituals, so they could solve the frustration of their cycle. It had made no sense and still didn’t, yet it was something.
Something more than just waiting to starve again and again until they didn’t come back at all. That… That was something they truly feared. To be gone entirely. To never be able to… exist the same way again, to never remember.
Closing their eyes briefly, they inhaled, a slight burning sensation coming to them. Bringing a paw up, they touched their eyelids, a small wetness spreading as it smeared on their paw and eyelid. They didn’t notice their tears forming until touching them. Opening their eyes and staring at their paw, their chest quivers and their breath shakes slightly.
Putting their paw down, they take another breath. It would be alright. It’s the best option. Nothing else to choose but the golden fluid to release them now, if the god was correct, and this wasn’t some cruel joke.
Rolling and flipping over to all fours, they twist their body towards the pipe, 3 ghostly worms floating in short succession through the walls beside the pipe. Moving forward, they enter, the familiar feeling of the pipe function pulling them through.
Bright and shimmering, they closed their eyes. It was the harshest room here, even worse than the darkness in the temple rooms. It was hard to see past the light that acted like a fluid cast over every object, yet was in the air, simultaneously creating an effect of floating objects and things brought close despite the distance there was. And worse than that, the golden light still penetrated their closed eyes.
Dropping down from the pipe, they landed on the small ledge. Opening their eyes a crack, they cringed at the lights before dropping down the ledge, stopping and wincing at the small shock that went through their body as they landed.
Crawling forward, the white Slugcat looked through blurry eyes as they went, the outline of the golden liquid lapping against the edge.
It was very similar to the area where they see the vast sea after leaving the Garbage Wastes if they were honest. If they ignored the rumbling, the color, and the pressing weight that had been getting stronger the closer they got, they could almost believe they had just gone to get more Neurons for the kind blue god, and that they had recently consumed a mushroom.
Bringing their front paw forward, they stop at the sensation of it. Besides the similar warm feeling of lizard saliva mixed with the thick feeling of an unripe Bluefruit turned to mush and heated, and both with an oily feeling similar to scavenger fur but stronger in some way, It was… like a warm embrace. But at the same time, cold and unforgiving, though they were unsure why. Maybe That wasn’t a bad thing. It was better than the panic they felt when frothing waves surrounded them that a Leviathan caused when upheaving its body to snatch at them, but that wasn’t a good comparison. There weren’t exactly any… good comparisons, were there? To the feeling, other than that it brought a deep knowing that almost any creature would experience here.
Slipping the rest of their body in, they move forward, pushing against the surface, kicking their paws underneath themselves as they swam, uncertainty still inside them.
They didn’t know if this was the best choice, but they had already made up their mind. To embrace what would happen… and it’s not as if the mean sick God had made it sound bad… just… he didn’t make it sound all that good either.
Stopping shortly before what they thought was the center of the small pool of liquid, they turned, looking back at the pipe, waiting as if something would change. As if the yellow creature would pop from the ground and lead them back to the kind God Moon in some miracle. That didn’t happen. Turning back, they looked down, their own body distorted below the liquid, waving and growing and shrinking.
They felt, deep inside themself, that the way they were supposed to go was down, and that if they did, they would no longer need to breathe. It was an unnatural feeling, but calming. Making all of their worries fade to a dull echo in the back of their mind, overpowered by their feelings.
And so, still taking a breath despite the feeling, they opened their eyes-
And dived.