-------
-------
-------
#EPISODE 22 - / The World Keeps Turning /
-------
------
------
[I looked down at my badge](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPeTtg3fTB8&list=PLw_HSPuoFWCfN14ZxPOEHefH2YulGWsRm). It felt like it was the only thing that separated me from the people. I recalled how many times I'd stared at it like this, for this very reason, to remind me of this job. The discipline of content that divides this sub from the decision of many other places in the Meta-Scape.
We sat in this office, a skyscraper that loomed almost as tall as the RHC building itself. Above the underbelly, over The Mids and Highs of Statera. I wish I could help them all- all of them down there. It just couldn't be like that.
"Aulus," I looked at my partner; he'd been looking over some paperwork before we had to leave for the elevator. "I've been thinking about our responsibilities here." I was ready for nearly anything on a daily basis, but something was eating at me. It was a feeling of desired repentance and I knew it.
79 was running over a few old maps of the Underbelly, making what looked like calibrations to the maps of the catacombs we had found in the Great Northern Archive. Anonim didn't know we cleared access, but it was basically a totem of unemployment, that place. It wasn't much of a labor just telling the officials we were ordered to investigate, flash a badge, and leave.
"Yeah?" he said. I could feel his neglect towards my emotion. I decided to drop it. I don't think he was ready to hear it.
"Nah, you know what- my responsibility is here." I quickly changed the direction of the conversation that hadn't even begun.
"Oh, yeah...that's nice." He went on without really thinking much of what I was saying. He was sketching things out as well as he could to make a makeshift map to possibly guide us through The Catacombs.
"You almost done?"
"Close to it," he called back. The low dim of the offices were making my eyes hurt. "Down Episode Avenue...god damn, this goes on for miles, Killer. How did no one know for so long?"
"Graves are meant to be forgotten." I didn't want to sound melancholy, just realistic.
That got his attention. He slowly looked up from the paperwork and slowly looked back down. It was something he needed to hear, then. After moments he responded.
"If graves were meant to be forgotten we wouldn't have gods." We are all entitled to our opinion.
It was about time we be getting some sleep. We were planning on sleeping in the office and getting up for the continuation. No matter, we were paid on salary.
I looked down at my desk. *Dear Be-. It's been some time- I mean- while I'm here it means it's been all- Time works so strangely here compared to- You may not get this letter, this note, this message, but I have a sneaking suspicion that--" That was all I could read from that angle. The second paper atop blocked most of the letter. My handwriting is atrocious.
------
We were on our way. My labor for this map was what we needed. Melon might know the way, but we now knew the catacombs. I've looked over my map many times now, and I thank Daron every day for this gift. The catacombs were my oyster.
I could tell KC was almost out for the count on spirit, but I just knew we needed to close up this case. That'll get 'em back to the way he's been. You know, for not really knowing him all that long, he was kinda a guy that I felt like I could trust. That was a rare moment. If I respected every man half as much as I respected Killer, I'd probably have had the shirt stolen off my back by now.
We walked from one skybridge to the other, from one avenue to the next street. It wasn't much trouble getting around in The Mids. People knew their place and we knew ours.
I felt my hip; there were 6 more rounds in the chamber, and I had 8 more on hand. I didn't want KC to know how low I was. We passed the burn-ward, then the hospital, then the Starco University. It wasn't much longer until we would come to that secluded portion of the wall, the secluded portion of the city. Oh, how little we knew that it would matter.
"How far?" KC shot the statement sharp.
"About four blocks east, and two more north," I answered back. I had already memorized this portion of the city. It was underneath the city that now had my attention. "If we cross through 11-minute Lane and hit the alley through Tomco Street we can be there. Right. On. Time."
"You seem happy." Where was he taking this?
"'Course I am, we might blow open this whole case, today."
"Aulus. Let me tell you. It isn't always about the case." I felt more from that statement than I think was intended.
"Yeah, I know. Come on, Killer, you and me both are sleep-deprived. You got that lack of rest talkin'."
"That isn't what I mean. I don't think we should give up- what I mean is that we're here to serve the people. Not get them temp-banned, permabanned, or code-yellowed." He stopped walking, but we needed to get the elevator. "We are here to make sure these people don't hurt one another. Not the other way around."
"KC, look at all we've done in the last 2 months. We've thrown out spammers, toxic commenters, non-related content abusers. It has been for a greater good. This time here with you, KC, it's been irreplaceable! Indispensable. Now we need to get it done, in a hurry, Killer. You're a talented guy that helps this place out as much as he humanly can. Don't you ever get down to yourself that way again!" I yelled because I liked him and because it was the truth. "Now we need to get the f$&@ out there and do our f!$&ing job!"
He looked at me desperate for a moment, groaned, and realized where his head needed to be. "It's time to retire," he said after a long pause.
------
Just what I needed. A wise guy playing wise guy at me. Isn't that a quote of the century? I'll put it past us, though. No need to cause friction when we're so close to getting this over and done with. I can finally move on. Maybe the boss was right, I might need a little bit of a break.
I looked down at the murky alleyway we were wandering along. Took a look at the ground where a small something caught my eye. I called for Aulus to stop and he came over, hands in his pockets.
I knelt and picked up the piece of whatever it was, half of it was in the puddle and a half was out. The half that was out was still dry. Whoever dropped it dropped it just moments before we got into the alley.
[The color, the material is all strictly Jarco... all strictly Jarco. The moment I looked up was the moment I heard the feet splash. An ambush](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXrdYwG17PE) from a handful of masked Jarco conspirators. They were armed, heavily. Several daggers and a couple shortswords. Eight of them in all, and none of them hesitated to attack immediately. The obvious leader ordered two to attack Aulus; he jumped towards the first and his other buddy got in my line of sight.
I grabbed the water from off the ground and covered the lead's mouth, where he attempted to pull it off. The other six were mine, and I heard the first gunshot accompanied by a few grunts of struggle.
I received a lunge from the first with a dagger and his buddy was right there on me as well. I gave the lad a swift knee to the ribs, pulling his dagger down from his hand whereupon his partner ran immediately into the knife. I grabbed the dagger from the one who was just stabbed and made the same wound upon his partner. Both of these assailants fell to the ground and began to eradicate into dust.
I now saw Aulus grappling with the next assailant. One body lay on the ground, writhing in pain. His feet were being consumed by the ash of banishment. I used more water from off the ground and slid it under the feet of the nearby commander, still preoccupied with the dirty water around his mouth. He fell to the ground hard.
"Come on, Aulus! Let's get outta here!" I ducked under one punch from the next combatant. I tore him off the man he was grappling with. We both ran down the alley, down the street, and on our way to the elevator.
------
God damn bastard got me in the leg. I wasn't about to tell KC. We ran and our feet hit the ground like the ground was made outta burnin' coals. We didn't look back. Not once.
We turned the corner. We turned the next, we knew they didn't follow, but still we weren't gonna take a chance of falling into another trap. We were running like Coraline herself if she were to ever be found out in the open.
We saw our informant and guide waiting outside the block of the planned location.
"Melon, no time! Let's go!" He looked surprised, as he was attempting to look inconspicuous.
That's what happened, we fell right in. The shaft was small and we had to duck to make our way through. The narrow murky passageway led to corridors that within were littered so many different twisting routes. There was some method to the madness, but it was too haphazard to really try and evaluate it mentally. That's why I brought this trusty...
My blood had stained the map. There was no map.
*Well, shit.*
"Guys..." They kept going.
"Okay, left at the largest sarcophagus." We kept going while listening to Melon. They paid no attention to my worry, but no matter. There was no reason to really stress over this, considering there was no fixing the map and that it wasn't really any good down here. "Right... Right... left...." We proceeded in the same manner.
These walls dripped from the moisture and it was a lot more humid than I thought it'd be; a lot more warm, too. I let Melon proceed.
...
We were lost. Hours had gone by and the pathways seemed to just meld into one another. Baffling was one word you could use, to say the least.
"Well, this hasn't really ever happened before," Melon told us. He was apprehensive, but sounded quite innocent. It didn't seem like he had intended this result.
"If you're walking us into another goddamned ambush Melon, so help you." I guess KC didn't really hear the honesty in his voice like I heard.
I tried to recall everything I drew, but it was too large a task, even for my near-eidetic memory. There had to be some markings... some distinguishable sign towards the entrance. I began look at the corners of each hallway we underwent. They were beaten to dust from years forgotten; that was apparent. We needed something, anything, to tell us a course.
S. I saw a small S etched into one of the grave's ledges as we rounded another corner. S. Another as we took another right, but as we passed the next straightaway it carried an 'M'. I went towards this M and investigated further.
We came to a three-way fork. On the overhead there were two S's and one M. Follow the M, of course. We did just that. The 'm', fellers. Follow the 'm's. That was it, then. We kept rounding corners and wandering down alleys of grave and skulls. We began to come across old candles melted down from ages ago and they began to close in as we drew closer.
It wasn't before long that we happened upon a strange-looking contraption. It looked like a gate, but the latch had a number pad. It was controlled by a massive lever that was stuck down by what was obviously the keypad locking it.
"They usually change up the code, but luckily..." he punched in a few numbers as KC and I stood guard, watching the dark.
We heard an *EHR EHR*. Wrong code, buddy. He tried again. *EHR EHR* the damned thing chirped again.
"Well, I just don't know..." he said, flustered and embarrassed.
"Okay, not gonna be doing this today!" KC yelled as he held out his hands to the darkness that surrounded the nearby corridor. His face began to turn red. I could see all the moisture from the surrounding walls peel right off. He gathered them to a source outside my range of sight.
Eventually, I saw a large mass of water nearly the size of the hallway itself. It floated creepily towards us. I knew what he was doing.
"KC, no. We don't know how many are behind the door." He didn't listen to my plea. I gathered Melon, guiding him by his shoulders and moved him outta the way. Just in time, KC swung his hands towards the door and a sharp stream of water pierced the door. The crack in the door became larger.
The water opened more of the door; slowly, but surely, he opened the gap and nearly the entire heavy wooden door fell through with a huge thud. We looked inside.
We saw a lagoon surrounded by many stalagmites and stalactites and rock pillars. The lagoon led to a massive rushing chamber with an opening just large enough to fit a good size vessel through it.
There was wood scattered about, shitposts and theories laid strewn around on the floor. Several chairs and desks silently lurked there and the torches were nearly out. Not a soul lay hidden.
One thing that stood out was a grave with etchings carved into it.
------
["Are the ships ready!?" yelled Mr. Happy, who was far from his namesake. He was not happy after inheriting then entirety of the Kellco entourage. The massive doors opened up and the ships passed through. The water of the Starcocian River that settled in the aqueducts never trembled more.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRHqwk4RPAM)
The ships moved slowly and ran the the way through. Troops and the many alike ready for battle in the open seas; little did they know that it wasn't the Starco Empire that they'd need to worry about.
Like a mudslide, they moved unrelentlessly, unforgiven in the night.
*Here lies Amused_Lad. Neither lover nor man nor woman knew he Lay Choking under the celebratory pile of people that the brothel had gifted. Godspeed.*
----
"Welcome aboard." said the woman, as Amused_Lad opened his eyes. The Boat was mighty popular as he had never seen so many people just lying around on a single kiln.
"Little crowded, eh?" Amused_Lad said to the woman.
"Eh, I've certainly seen worse." She shrugged while she ventured back to her awning. The moment was gone as she gazed back to the horizon that was presumably the land of the Sub to A.L.
------
KC was gone, and the city was sleeping for another night. One more night, but the city never sleeps; we knew that. It was quiet on the streets until I heard the buzzing...
Funny how Aulus had taken iLoppio to this forgot remnant of the city to investigate an illegal fanart smuggle, but alas, they heard the buzz, as well.
------
A lone cloaked man stood atop a cold mountain, seemingly breathing his last bit of air as he took the sights of the winter valley right below him. He was seemingly tired, clearly in tears, battered, and very ready to face his demise. As if the gods were listening to the last bit of his saddened prayers, an armored figure came right behind him, covered in cold steel from head to toe. This figure was more rigid, poised, intimidating, and very detached from the face of his problems. The lone cloaked man could only widen his eyes in shock but knew very well it was futile for him to fight against the hulking mass of metal.
Raising up his trident one last time, the cloaked man won't going down without a fight in the chilling snow; likewise, his opponent was armed with a claymore and a shield and was all too eager to put him down. The fight between them begins with a somber silence; no one was screaming, and the only sound was their footsteps and their blades simply hitting against each other. It wasn't until the first blow was landed by the armored man that the fight becomes more intense. Without warning, the cloaked man let out a furious shriek, before darker clouds overwhelmed the already gray skies. Suddenly, a blizzard ensued, and the cloaked man started bleeding intensely from his cut. Even as the wound seemed fatal, the cloaked man simply refuses to back down.
[However, as the cloaked man was about to reach his most desperate time, the armored figure simply ran forward and gave him a swift running cut right through his neck, instantly ending his life and his loud cries. Once the cloaked man fell, his head and body dissolved into nothing but a puddle of black tar, simply there to freeze and disperse in the snow. The armored man could only look at the red-cloaked man's remains, before looking down at the snowy valley and proceeding forward.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wrsZog8qXg)