The Shadow's Acid

VIII.

Bury the secrets deep, and the bodies deeper still

TW: blood, screaming, fire, injuries

⚔

Doc held the lantern higher, illuminating a fork in the Labyrinth. Zedaph bounced behind him, the equipment in his bag jangling as hyperactivity won over his movements. Grian trailed behind the duo, mildly regretting his decision to venture into the caverns with a singular light source. After a slight hesitation, the German shrugged and picked the left fork, striding along the deepslate.

"Does he actually know where he's going?" Grian questioned, ducking as a bat narrowly missed his head.

Zedaph shrugged, the motion nearly identical to his mentor's. "I never remember which way we go when we come down here." He broke into a run, catching up to Doc's purposeful march. "We don't use the same entrance every time, either."

"There are other entrances?" Grian exclaimed. Doc immediately whipped around to face the younger men, fixing them with a glare. "Sorry," he added in a whisper.

"Yeah, some of the hermits have trapdoors in their basements that lead straight down here," Zed elaborated. "We've used the one in our place, Mumbo's, and Keralis'. Doc also plans on going down the one Beef said he had in his cellar. We're not sure if we can do that yet, though. With the whole 'he's kinda dead' thing."

He trailed off as Doc glared at him again, belatedly realizing he had said too much. The creeper hybrid sighed, turning back to the tunnel ahead of them and continuing his seemingly random path.

"So, uhm, Doc," Grian began. "What exactly do you do down here?"

"We conducted experiments on the rock Etho brought in a few days ago. I've created a device that leads me to large deposits of it. I've collected numerous samples, all with identical properties. It breaks down into two distinct parts. One inhibits redstone and is stronger than anything I've ever found. The other is able to pick up the faintest signal, even the tiny wavelength of redstone Ilmango discovered a while back."

Doc rambled on, reveling in the newest discoveries from the SciCraft Laboratories. Something about sound transmitting a micro wavelength that was detectable by meticulously prepared redstone. He went into the fine details of how the redstone susceptible substance reacted to different sounds with varying signal strengths, failing to notice Grian zoning out and admiring the stalactites hanging from the ceilings.

"Here we are, Zedaph. Put the bag down here." The assistant shrugged the pack off his shoulders, leaning it against a tiny stalagmite. He skipped over to Grian, grabbing his wrist and pulling him over to his mentor as Doc took out various pieces of equipment.

The scientist placed down a unique contraption and straightened the leaf-like antennae on the top. He took a step back, triggering the machine. It lit up and buzzed, leaves waving. A pulse jumped out of it, blue electricity crackling in the air. The spurt of energy struck another block, and an ear-splitting shriek filled the cavern.

Zedaph jumped a foot in the air, clutching Grian's arm. Electricity crackled off the block like dangerously powered redstone, highlighting the sound waves. Both hermits shook as the scream faded. Doc frowned and made a note on his clipboard, folding the sensor and placing it back in the bag. He zipped it up, gesturing for Zed to pick it back up.

"We're going already?" the blond complained, hair flopping over one eye.

"Yes. I need to confirm this evidence with the legend Xisuma conveniently left with me. This Labyrinth could house creatures far more dangerous than we can conceive."

"I wish Tango were here," grumbled Zedaph under his breath. "He could tame anything. Impulse and I used to throw him into pits of hostile mobs and he'd come out with them fully under his control."

"That's... disturbing," Grian mumbled, questioning Tango's sanity. He was certain now that Zedaph wasn't behind Tango's death. The knowledge of new creatures buried in the depths of the Labyrinth was evidence against any of Zed's plots. At least, that was the hope.

Another scream ripped through the caverns, reverberating off the walls. Doc turned aggressively, robotic eye flashing. He gestured quickly, and Zedaph fell into step behind him. Grian paused nervously before sprinting to catch up. The builder caught on Zed's sleeve, and the two smaller hermits clung to each other as Doc led them deeper into the maze.

Light bled from the crevices in the rock wall before them, wavering and dancing like the shadows of flames. Doc scowled, picking his way around the boulders. He wedged one away from the fissure, spilling more firelight into their tunnel. The scientist hissed, beckoning to Zedaph and Grian to clamber up the pile to reach him.

Grian's breath caught in his throat. The rockslide had closed off an alcove which branched off the main tunnels of the Labyrinth. Fire blazed atop shiny liquid trails on the floor, no doubt the result of acid.

"Of course it's flammable," Grian spat, scrambling through the hole. Doc dropped down behind him, spilling sand across the blaze and smothering it. Smoke was thick in the air, forcing the trio to pull their shirts across their mouths to filter the air. "Is anyone here?" the detective shouted over the inferno. Smoke rose in droves as Doc spread the sand.

The fire opened into a ring at the center of the cavern. Two bodies lay sprawled in the center, one of them barely escaping the flames. The other weakly lifted his head, a glimmer of life sparking out of his eyes.

Grian's breath caught in his throat. "E- Etho?" he stammered, ducking through the smoke of the extinguished fire. Zedaph came through with an extra lantern, lighting it off the original one Doc held up. The silver-haired ninja looked up weakly, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. He pushed himself up, clutching the deep gash in his side. He coughed, lungs torn by the smoke.

Blood spattered the rocky floor in concentrated droplets, some patches dried by the heat, others flowing thickly from the two heavily injured people. Grian rushed over to Etho, turning him onto his back and noting the extensive acid burns covering his torso. The ninja muttered incoherent words into the air and expired.

Zedaph squealed from across the cave, having gone to see who the other corpse was. His discovery revealed Iskall, his body marred by weeping burns and lacerations. Doc put a comforting arm around his apprentice, the sight of the body overwhelming the younger man.

Grian stood from his kneeling position next to Etho. "This is almost too much information," he whispered, putting a grimy hand to his forehead. The scientists watched in silence as he paced, the puddles of blood staining his sneakers.

"Etho was trying to say something along the lines of 'stop,' hidden pathways,' and 'no escape.' This makes me wonder: what if it were Etho all along?" Grian mused. "There's evidence here, such as the second body, burning acid, and the obvious fight."

"What about Iskall?" questioned Zedaph, poking his head out from within his teacher's embrace. "Etho could have been defending himself. Plus, the murderer's signature is acid, and Etho has more burns on him than Iskall does."

Grian's forehead wrinkled in concentration. "Iskall, one of the best warriors in Hemritia." He hesitated. "Etho, possibly the most secretive hermits. I can't think of any reason either of them would murder anyone. However... the evidence suggests they fought each other."

He looked directly at Doc, his troubled gaze speaking volumes. "Something still doesn't quite fit, though. It's right at the front of my mind, yet I can't pinpoint it. Doc, where are we?" he added, gesturing to the device the redstoner held in his hand.

Doc pressed several buttons on the machine. "We're almost directly beneath Keralis' bakery and Cub's laboratory. If I recall correctly, the entrance to Cub's base is about fifty blocks in that direction." He pointed north, releasing Zedaph to scope it out.

"Yep, this is the way," he called back, voice wavering as his mind threatened to break down. He sniffed, determined to stay strong.

"Great," Grian remarked. He sighed, shoulders slumping. "I need to think about this more before reporting to Xisuma. Help me bring these two to the graveyard. Another funeral is in order."