The Battle of Euangelion: Reborn

Chapter 16: Mount Timor

"Er, ladies first," Phoebus gestured for Aurelia to go ahead of him.

Aurelia gave a bit of a smirk, "there's no shame in acknowledging your fears. You are facing them after all."

"It's just more practical for the navigator to go first."

"I'm going I'm going," Aurelia tapped her crystal the prescribed number of times and edged her way through the entrance before disappearing around the first visible corner.

"Well come on then," her voice echoed its way back to the others.

"Alex, would you -," Phoebus made space for her to enter next.

"Oh get in already," she gave him a shove.

Phoebus tapped his crystal and scurried forward through the passage until Aurelia grabbed him by the collar.

"We have a very long way to go and it's not going to get better for quite some time. You just need to breathe and keep going, okay?"

Phoebus gave a few nods accompanied by short, rapid breaths like that of a woman going into labor.

"Not like that, you'll pass out!" Aurelia scolded.

"Aye! What's the holdup?" Rufus was yelling from behind.

"Phoebus has claustrophobia," Alex communicated over her shoulder.

"It's hardly a phobia! I just don't like small spaces," Phoebus corrected them both without bothering to look back.

"I can do it -, I can do it," he regulated his breathing and reassured himself more than anyone else before soldiering on.

This was the pattern that would follow for the next few hours as they slowly ascended up the summit of Mount Timor. Occasionally Phoebus would stop in his tracks and require either a pull from Aurelia, a push from Alexis, or a snarky remark from Rufus to get him going again. They didn't find many spaces to offer some freedom of movement or relief, and the mountain's increasing heat didn't help the situation at all. At least the overalls they were wearing shielded their arms and legs to some extent from the hot rock.

Aurelia's navigational skills were exemplary, but some passages were more snug than others and there were many twists and turns.

"It shouldn't be too far now," she reassured the party as they took a moment to stop in one of the wider passages.

"It's like a freaking oven in here," Rufus wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

"And here I thought it's just your hair," Alexis said.

"Funny. Lacks originality though."

"Who needs originality when you're friends with a ginger?"

"You really should stop provoking people who are bigger than you," he rested his head on one of his arms which he had anchored against the wall.

"So they keep telling me," Alexis moved slightly forward to try and get a glimpse of Phoebus. "Hey, are you all right over there?" she patted his back.

"Peachy," he muttered.

"Okay let's go, we're almost there," Aurelia instructed.

She was right, the passage ahead continued to widen little by little and finally opened up completely as their crystals lit up a large chamber that could easily fit twenty Riders. Finally, they had space to move, to sit, to jump, and even to lie down - which is exactly what Phoebus did; flat on his back, completely unfazed by the heat that was being emitted by the rock.

Aurelia removed the water container and four cups that were in her satchel. Again the cups were only filled halfway, but it was enough to refresh their spirits and prevent the dehydration that they were all at risk of since every one of them was dripping with sweat.

A moment of silence hovered as everyone recuperated. They also took the opportunity to look around and properly examine the charcoal-colored mountain.

And then an intrusive smell filled Alexis' nostrils. Her nose cringed as she sniffed the air,

"Do you smell that?"

"Sorry," Phoebus sat up red-cheeked.

"Not that, but eww. I meant -,"

"The smoke," Aurelia smelled it too.

"The generators," Rufus chimed in.

Suddenly, they could all feel trembling from beneath their feet. The mountain was vibrating with small rhythmic tremors and a disquieting noise likened to mass chanting started sounding from a passage located between the one they had come from and the tube-shaped passage that led to Sage's Chamber. Dim reflections of red and orange rays also began to flicker against this passage's wall.

The group all looked at each other before getting up and carefully moving closer to the passage. The closer they got the clearer the chanting became. They could also better see the warm-colored rays thickening and brightening deeper down the passage but several turns and corners prevented them from seeing the origin. Definitely nothing good.

"We don't have time to waste, we need to work fast so we can get out of here," Aurelia objected to the notion of heading down the passage.

"I'll go check it out, you guys go on to Sage's chamber," Rufus said.

"Rufus -," Aurelia started petitioning.

"I'll be fine," he reassured her whilst gripping her hand affectionately. She gripped back but her eyes were full of concern.

Rufus took his satchel off his shoulder and removed a dagger from it,

"Just a precaution," he winked at Aurelia before tucking the blade behind the material belt attached to his overalls. Thereafter he slowly slipped into the passage and started moving toward the lights and sounds.

Aurelia and Alexis headed in the tube's direction when suddenly Phoebus, seeing the size of it, remembered Mateo's warning about getting stuck.

"Isn't it necessary for someone to stay in here with all the stuff?" he was referring to the water container, cups, Rufus' satchel, and the other seven daggers that had been unloaded from their satchels in order to slim them down.

"Why?" Alexis half-chuckled.

"I don't know, to protect it or something," he scratched the back of his head.

"From who? Who's going to fit into any of the passages leading here?"

Phoebus shrugged.

"You're literally the bravest person I know. Don't let this stupid mountain get the better of you."

"Come on Phoeb, it's a quick one. We'll be out before you know it," Aurelia also encouraged from the side. She removed Phoebus' satchel from his shoulders and placed it in his hands.

"There, smaller already," she teased. He responded with a sarcastic snicker.

The trio got down on their knees with crystals in hand. Much to Phoebus' horror, they were going to have to leopardcrawl through this one. Aurelia supported herself on her hands for as long as the tube allowed and then finally dropped her weight to her elbows, Phoebus and Alexis followed suit.

Phoebus pushed his satchel ahead of him as he tailed Aurelia. Every now and then his groans would echo through the passage which elicited a, "as long as those sounds keep coming from your front," from an alert Alexis crawling behind him.

***

"I'm in guys, I'm in!" Aurelia's pitched voice rang in their ears.

"Yay! Can you see the chamber, Phoeb?" Alexis asked excitedly while hitting his boot.

"I don't see anything."

"What do you mean you don't see anything? Your crystal is in your hand."

"Yeah, but my eyes are shut."

"For goodness' sake Phoebus, open your eyes!" Alexis cried out.

Phoebus slowly relaxed his right eyelid before opening it.

He didn't see the chamber. Instead, he saw the terribly abrupt turn that looked even more impractical to maneuver in real life than it did on the map.