Chapter Text
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Gamboge Line.
Welcome, Crawler to the fourth floor. “The Iron Tangle”
Sponsorship bidding initiated on Crawler #72,297. Bidding ends in 45 hours.
The swaying of the train barely changed as we rounded some kind of bend, and I managed to keep to my feet as we moved. The thump thump of the wheels over the trainline and the screeching of metal on metal was the only noise I could hear, which wasn’t surprising considering our surrounds. Lani was hissing, his disconcerting defensive hiss seemingly aimed at Lucifer. The devil and I looked down, only to find that he was standing on one of Lani’s toes. Lucifer jumped up, getting off the appendage, just as Lani surged forward to bite him.
Lucifer’s leap was enough that the tops of his folded wings smacked against the roof, and he cursed, stumbling into a seat. We were thankfully located in the open space at the door of the carriage, but there wasn’t as much room as I would want, considering how close Delbert, Lani and Lucifer had landed to me. There were also a few of my tiny, almost-useless minions with us, each swaying gently with the movement of the train. They’d basically been severed from the order to search the ruins when we went down the stairs, so they would be waiting for new orders.
In short, while this wasn’t the most crowded I’d been in a train carriage, it was definitely getting stuffy in here.
I looked at the list of minions on the left side of my HUD, and took stock. I had almost a dozen little minions crawling through the debris looting things for me when the floor collapsed, but it looked like only three of them had made it into the stairwell before the floor collapsed.
Minions of Wanda S.:
Delbert (Angelus)
Lucifer (Devil)
Unnamed Minion #1 (Stitchwright)
Unnamed Minion #2 (Stitchwright)
Unnamed Minion #3 (Clatterjack)
That was a lot less minions than I’d had before, and I frowned. Before we did anything, once we were off the train, I would have to do something about my lack of help. You never knew what one of those little bastards could do for you until you sacrificed it to a Ravagerat.
I went to take a step closer to the window, looking out, and a new notification flicked up in front of my eyes. I frowned at it.
New achievement! I’m on a train!
Choo Choo, Motherfucker.
Reward: You’ve received a Train Conductor’s Souvenir Hat! Wear it with pride!
I waved away the achievement, pulling up my inventory as the train started to slow, signalling an approach to a station. I looked around, wondering if this was just the entry portal to the floor, or if there was something else going on here.
With a grunt, I pulled out Black Mercy, its purple lightning lighting up the carriage a little, managing to outshine the crappy early-2000s lighting. Delbert and Lucifer backed away from me a little, watching the cleaver, and I ignored them to peer around the train.
The carriage in front of us split in two directions, with one set of stairs leading up, the other down. There were rows upon rows of seats in front of me, and when I crouched, I could see all the way along the bottom level to the doors at the other end of the carriage.
Movement caught my attention, and I looked at the electronic screen scrolling across the display at the other end of the seats. It was too far away for me to read easily, so I turned around to examine the map on the roof above the disabled seating.
The map wasn’t anything I’d ever seen before. Far from being a straight line with each station marked, the only thing there was a very confusing swirl of multiple colours and hues, none of them repeating – I think – and none of them labelled. It was impossible to follow one colour from one end to the other through the tumult, and – actually, maybe this wasn’t a map after all.
I grunted, heading down the stairs to the lower level and turned, checking. Yes, there was an electronic display here, the text rolling across with the next destination displayed.
Next stop: Ngintaka Station (81) in 4 minutes and 8 seconds.
I looked around the train, but there was no real information to be gathered here. I could see signs at the doors declaring that this was car 4 on the Gamboge line, but that was all the information I was being offered.
“You three,” I said to my smaller minions, who sharpened up from their dull stupor and looked at me. “Spread out, two back down the train, one of you ahead. See what you can find. At the least, I want to know how many carriages are on this train.”
The gathered piles of cloth, bone and string sprung to their feet, two skittering off down the train, the other heading straight for the door. I was a bit worried that the little critters wouldn’t be able to open the doors, but they seemed to be automatic, and opened as soon as the creature touched the doorhandles.
Lucifer took a seat on the stairs, looking back at me. He seemed to be calculating, and I tried my best to ignore his look, but I couldn’t. Rather than bite, I headed down the other end of the carriage, checking under each other seats. There didn’t look to be anything lootable on the train – there weren’t any green dots, anyway – but it didn’t hurt to check.
When I came back down the stairs, having gone across the top, Lucifer was waiting for me, standing in the middle of the carriage, his hands folded in front of him. His tail, tipped with that classic devil’s blade, flicked about in agitation, while he was shuffling angrily back and forth from one foot to the other as he waited for me.
“Oh for fuck’s—What, Lucifer?” I demanded, hands on my hips. The train was slowing even more now, and I could barely hear myself think over the rattle of the wheels and the echoing screech of the brakes.
Lucifer didn’t answer immediately. He shifted, standing up again, and I caught a glimpse of something unusual—hesitation. His sharp, angular features were tight, jaw flexing as if he were gnawing on something internally. The constant motion of the train, the low, oppressive tunnel roof, the absence of sky—it all seemed to press down on him, his usual poise fractured.
“I…” he started, then paused, his tail flicking nervously. “This—this confined space… it’s ridiculous.” He gestured vaguely with one clawed hand. “I’m used to being above, seeing everything. Here—” He waved at the metal walls, the dim lights flickering along the carriage, the rows of seats trapping movement—“there’s nothing. I can’t even stretch my wings out properly. I don’t know what you think I’ll be able to help with here.”
Lani hissed softly, his scaled head tilting as if sensing Lucifer’s tension, and Delbert just stood there, glowing faintly, indifferent to the devil’s agitation. Or anything, really.
I leaned back against a pole, trying not to smile at his discomfort. “You’ve got to admit, it’s not exactly a palace, huh?”
Lucifer growled under his breath, pacing in a tight circle. “It’s not a palace. It’s not the sky. It’s… limiting. Claustrophobic. Every second in this metal coffin is grating.” He gestured again at the train walls, almost frantically. “And we don’t even know what’s coming at the next stop! I can’t see, I can’t plan, and I—” His voice dropped to a growl, “I don’t like not being in control.”
I frowned, understanding more now. His entire appearance gave away the way he fights – Lucifer would be a good aerial scout with his wings and open space to intimidate or strike. This tunnel—this train—robbed him of all of that, and it showed. The fact that he winced at every change in the noise of the train also told me the sounds were overwhelming him a little, especially the higher notes. I had no idea if he had better senses than I did, but if he did, then it would be understandable that a floor of trains would cause him anguish.
I exhaled slowly, stepping closer. “Maybe this is a good test. You’ll survive, you’ll adapt… you’re just off your game.”
He shot me a glare, sharp and venomous, but I could see the tension easing just a fraction. “Off my game,” he muttered. “Well. That’s… intolerable.”
The train shuddered again as it slowed, the lights flickering along the walls. Ahead, the next platform loomed, and I knew whatever was there would only make his irritation—and our situation—worse. I heard the clatter of my minions rushing down the train back towards me, as the first of them reappeared from the front of the train – that made sense, as the signage said we were in car 4, and there was a likelihood that there were more than a dozen carriages attached to the train. There was also the chance that the minion would be destroyed, but I would notice if the list of minions grew smaller.
The familiar dun-dun-duh chime of Sydney Rail came over the intercom and I felt a shift of nostalgia that I hadn’t felt in a long time. It was quickly followed with a voice that was – completely untrue to life – easily understandable. “Now approaching Ngintaka Station. Station number 81. Next stop will be Avantha Station number 82. Followed by a transfer station number 83. Thanks for travelling the Iron Tangle.”
“Ah, Delbert? Lucifer? I suggest you get ready,” I said, not liking the sight that was flashing by outside the door. “We’re about to have company.”
Delbert and Lucifer turned as the train reached its stop, a few seconds passing before the door opened. They reacted almost immediately, Delbert pulling out his sword, Lucifer’s claws and tail coming to bear, ready to slice in defence of the party – or maybe just himself.
The doors opened with a banging rattle, allowing the monsters gathered on the station to spill inside. I fought the urge to scream as the mobs filed in, and we all backed up against the end of the carriage, so it was just us against the wall. Lucifer and Delbert ended up the closest to the incoming mobs, just because they were larger and closer when the doors opened. Lani was crowded behind them, in front of me, while I was backed up against the door to the next carriage. I turned, trying to peer through the gap in the carriages, and saw more monsters scrambling to shove themselves onto the next carriage.
It looked like a standoff in the carriage, with the frog-looking mobs watching Delbert and Lucifer with trepidation, wariness and hatred as they tried to avoid entering striking range. Delbert was only level 23, which made him on the same level as most of these monsters, but his +25 to intimidation kept them away. Meanwhile, beside him, Lucifer at level 50 was almost as good at intimidating these creatures as Delbert.
The doors to the carriage closed, locking us in there with the monsters. They watched us, and I watched them, waiting for the info box to pop up.
Pollyslog. Level 23.
Of all the monsters from prehistoric Kua-Tin mythology, the Pollyslogs are some of the most fearsome. They are strong, intelligent, and gigantic. At least compared to the kua-tin. So what I’m really saying is they’re moderately durable, dumb as a sack of pickled turnips, and, well, they are pretty big. They also secrete acid from their fingers, so you might want to watch out for that.
These things were disgusting, big mouths on their faces. They reminded me of anglerfish without their lure, instead carrying a long mohawk of webbed fins that ran down their backs. They had a short, stubby tail that ended in fins like a fish, while their hands and feet were long, thin and wickedly-clawed. I was sure if those things decided to take me apart, even Delbert and Lucifer wouldn’t be able to stop them.
As a collective, the pollyslogs sat down on any patch of ground they could find, watching us with their huge golden eyes. I glanced at Delbert and Lucifer, but the two didn’t seem to be worried about the literal carriage of monsters in front of them.
Would the monsters let us get off at the next station, or would we have to fight our way off?
We stayed there, in some kind of stalemate, watching the pollyslogs as they watched us. No one seemed to want to move first, and I was a little hesitant to try.
Still, I moved slowly, stepping over Lani’s tail and gently moved up behind Delbert. The pollyslogs were watching me now, and their attention felt like a heavy weight on my shoulders.
I tried to step around Delbert, but he wouldn’t let me pass. He held his arm out, keeping me back, as one of the pollyslogs shuffled on its feet. Lucifer and Delbert closed their attention in on that particular frog-fish, and I slipped around the other side of the Angelus, towards the door.
The pollyslogs reacted as one, those closest to me leaping to their feet, their hands out to hit me with their acid touch. I knocked one back, only for another to grab my arm. I yelled as the acid tore into the flesh of my skin, summoning Black Mercy into my hand and slamming it down through the creature’s wrists.
Delbert shoved me back behind him as Lucifer jumped forward to attack, his claws and his tail ripping through the fish-things by the handful. I watched in horror, holding my arm in pain, as the entire mass of pollyslogs pushed towards us.
Lani climbed up onto the seat, out of the way, as the Angelus and the Devil were being shoved back, overcome by the numbers. While the fish-frog things weren’t strong, there were a lot of them seeking to get us. Lani grabbed one of the pollyslogs and dragged it down, ripping it apart with his teeth and claws before lifting his head to hiss at the monsters.
They backed down a little, edging away from the giant lizard. I leaned over Lani, peering out of the window, trying to see if there was another station anywhere near. At least if we managed to get off the train, we could fight them out in the open with room to move, without worrying about hitting each other.
Delbert was at a disadvantage here, unable to really use his sword. He was instead hitting and kicking the creatures, trying to get the things to get away from him. His clothes were littered with holes where their claws and the acid were eating through them. there was no blood – his body was dead, that was the point – but there was the smell of charred flesh.
I couldn’t decide if it was appetising or disgusting, and that upset me.
“Arriving at Now approaching Avantha Station. Station number 81. Next stop will be transfer station number 83, followed by Baranathe Station number 84.”
“When the door opens, rush them and get out,” I told them, trying to inch my way around where Luicfer’s claws and tail where whipping out, eviscerating the pollyslogs and shoving the bodies back at the enemy. “Throw the dead to me, I’ll take them. When we get off the train, regroup and defend against anyone trying to attack us.”
The Angelus nodded, but Lucifer’s only sign he heard me was the pollyslog body that was thrown backwards over his shoulder. The thing wasn’t quite dead, but I slammed Black Mercy into its forehead and quickly took the body into my inventory before the next one came sailing at me, this time from Delbert. He’d managed to slit its rather large throat.
The train slowed, and I looked out the window. There wasn’t anyone on the station, and I yelled in triumph.
“Platform is clear at the moment, get out when the doors open, to the right!”
I grabbed more bodies, adding them to my graveyard as the boys killed, slashing and punching as best they could in the small space. When the door opened, Lucifer shoved the body he held back at the pollyslogs, using it as a barricade to stop the enemy getting to us. Lani skittered straight off the train, me right behind him. Delbert slipped out behind Lucifer, who backed off the train, throwing the body of the pollyslog back on, knocking a half-dozen of the creatures over.
The doors closed, too slowly for me, and I breathed a little as the train took off. I felt absolutely exhausted, but I knew that this wasn’t the end of this shit.