Bayacrux Chapter 10

As the group descended into the dank cave, the odor of blood hung in the air around them. Ilex took a flashlight out of his pocket, and pointing it at the walls, confirmed what they already knew. The walls dripped with blood, reminding Shed of his encounter in the desert cave. The humid air of the swamp above mixed with the dank cave stench, and the acrid tang of acidic water hung in the air. Sure enough, liquid dripped from the few stalactites they passed.
The group remined silent, afraid of what might lie ahead for them. Even Tereya and Fre had come to the uhnderstanding that if they were to have anyone's support, it would be each other's, and their hands clasped in a sweaty embrace. MM glowered at them in jealousy, but shifted her gaze to Ilex, who had gived his flashlight to Shed. Their eyes met, but MM looked away at the ground. Blood had been tracked in on the floor, and there were traces of prints from the sole of someone's shoe. She stared at her sandals, which had been coated in grime from their trek in the swamp. The white of the straps had faded to a dull gray, and part of the soles were peeling off.
The group reached the end of the tunnel, where a wooden door stood. It had no lock. Touching his fingers to the doorknob, Shed felt the cold tinge of fear. This is too easy, but I have to do it. If I don't... who will?
He turned the golden metal knob as light assaulted the travelers.
In the room, several complex machines, with microphones and dials, stood anchored to the cavern walls. Three men walked around the room, fiddling with the dials on the machines. Candles burned in every part of the room, giving off a distinct smell, but nothing compared to the powerful stench of manly cologne that seemed to fill the whole room.
One of the men in the room walked up to the group, the smell of the cologne - presumably his - getting worse with each step. He had spiky crimson hair, and a goatee of the same color. His burly, hairy arms and chest poked through his sleeveless black shirt that looked similar to Fre's. He held a wicked-looking battleaxe in his meaty right hand, black with gold designs and blades the size of the wheels of the submarine-craf the team had left behind in the swamp. His brown eyes stared defiantly at Ilex.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?". It took Shed a minute to answer. The cologne was overpowering his senses.
"We know who you are and what you're doing. We want to talk". It wasn't the most intelligent approach, but it would buy some time - Shed didn't want to fight at all if possible.
The man bowed, and extended his left hand for a handshake. "I am Charleh. That over there is Orpheus", he said, pointing to a man leaning over one of the machines, wearing baggy pants and a large t-shirt with a print of a black and white bear-creature on the back.
Shed's train of thought was broken by that name. Where have I heard that before?
"And that's Seth, my boss", Charleh continued, pointing to another man, with an equally baggy shirt and jeans and wearing a blue hat.
"We want to speak with Seth", Shed said.
Charleh walked over to the man, and they talked for a minute. Then Seth came over with him, and the group of Mayao got their first good look at him.
His baggy dark blue shirt matched his plain blue baseball cap, and his jeans had several rips in them. He was smiling, and his canine teeth were similar to MM's in the fact that they stood out. His sandy blonde hair was almost shoulder-length. He looked somewhat like a masculine version of Julie.
"Welcome. Come in. Have a seat. Wait, I don't have any". He laughed at his own joke.
"In any case, what are you here for? Interested in becoming mercenaries?"
"Huh?", Ladi asked.
"We're looking for Mayao to go out and slay the rest of the Guardians", Seth said. "We can't tell you what for, but we pay well. better than any normal mission, anyways"
"No, we're not here for that. We're here to ask you to stop on behalf of the gods". Shed looked straight into Seth's red eyes.
"I'm afraid that won't do", Seth said. He grinned again and snapped his fingers. "Orpheus? Take care of these pests, will you? They're eyesores"
Orpheus walked over, and he and Seth looked similar together, except Orpheus had curly brown hair. Suddenly, his body began to grow and change, reaching the top of the cave, and taking on the same appearence as the Prysm Wyrm, Drake. The candlelight made him appear godly, the rainbow reflections from his scales shining on the walls of the caverns.
"Orpheus. Come back and return to your righful place", Shed said, remembering Drake's last words.
"No", the monster said simply.
Without time for Shed to utter a response, Orpheus blasted a burst of rainbow energy form his mouth, directed to the right of the group, where MM, Ilex, and Julie were.
"Stand back", MM said, filled with a new need to protect her friends. She stood at the front of the group, holding her swords in front of her in an x-shaped barrier. The large blades deflected most of the blast, and MM's feet held fast to the floor.
"MM, don't try to be a hero", Ilex whispered.
"Don't be a fool with your life", Fre said in a sing-songy voice.
At those words, MM was blasted back against the wall, pushing Ilex and Julie off to the side. The blast stopped after she hit the wall, one of her large swords cutting into her shoulder and tearing her jacket. Blood dripped from the wound, staining her white blazer and shirt, the crimson of the liquid matching perfectly with the color of the plus sign.
"Want more?", Orpheus asked. Although simple, his words got their point across. Fre grabbed Tereya's hand and fled.
Shed put MM's limp body on to his back and folowed after Fre, climbing out of the cave and into the swamp. The rest of the group followed, tredging back through the swamp to their vehicle.

*****

"She's going to be okay", MM's mom said. The group was back at her house in Meta Park. "She'll be better by tommorow morning"
MM lay on an L-shaped couch in the corner of the room, covered in a pink comforter and propped up with several large pillows. There was a bandage wrapped around her arm, already stained red with blood, and her mom had changed her into white flannel pajamas.
The group had a meeting to discuss what they were going to do.
"Could we just... give up?", Fre suggested.
"No!", Shed exclaimed. "We made a promise and we're going to keep it"
"But, we can't defeat the Prysm Wyrm", Ladi said. "Last time we killed one, it was a fluke"
Shed sighed. "We're going to do this. I don't know how, but we're going to do this"
"Let's wait for MM to wake up", Ilex said, staring at her makeshift bed. "Before we make any big decisions, at least"

The next morning, MM awoke at 7:00 am sharp, as promised by her mother. By 8 she had changed into a new outfit: A brown, short-sleeved, button-up, collared shirt, and a pair of jeans that looked almost exactly like her old ones. By this time, the rest of the group had woken up, and MM was baking pancakes with the bandage still around her arm.
"How'd you make such a quick recovery?", Shed asked.
"She was probably faking it. She just likes being pampered", Julie whispered.
"I need to do some shopping before I start my noon shift at the factory", MM's mom said. "Anyone want to come with me?"
Ladi, Tereya, Fre, Phizz, and Julie volunteered, and MM's mom sighed.
"Umm, yeah, what can we call you besides 'MM's Mom'?", Fre asked.
"Heather. Or Ms. Yasude if you want to be formal"

As the group left, MM brought in pancakes for Ilex and Shed. There were strawberries and blueberries on the side of the plate, and a can of whipped cream. For the first time, Ilex noticed that MM was ultra-thin. Unhealthy, in fact. The whole city seemed that way, but MM's only weight seemed to come from her large arm muscles, which were now clearly visible. Her hourglass figure would have probably caused her pants to slip off if the belt hadn't rested prefectly on her hips.
"You guys weren't talking about what to do without me, were you?", she asked. Shed nodded yes reluctantly, and Ilex and Phizz shook their heads simeltaneously.
"So, what's the plan?"
"We're not sure", Shed said sadly. "I think that no normal monster can defeat a Guardian"
"How about another guardian?". MM had a spontanous idea, so radical that it just might work.
"I think so", Shed said. "Do you think we could get a Guardian to help us?"
"Maybe", MM said. "I did a fair amount of research on the town while I was gone"

******

Ladi, Tereya, Fre, Julie, and Heather marched through the aisles of the crowded, dirty store, grabbing inexpensive canned food off the shelves. The store carried the smoky smell of the entire town, even though the fans on the ceiling tried to blow it away. Ladi was apparent of the noise growing louder as they reached a large crowd of people, crowded around a large man on top of a platform. The people were shouting. Some threw things.
"Now, I am extremely sorry for the worsening conditions in the factories", the man said, scratching his rough black beard. "It is not something that is under my control. Meta Park provides all of the power for every single city and town in The Octogon, and we have high demands to meet right now"
"Mayor Neil", a woman in the crowd who appeared to be a reportersaid, "What are you going to try to do about the problems?"
"Like I said, it is not under my control. I can't help the conditions in the factories"
The crowd booed. More objects flying at the large man.
"It is time for me to go now". Mayor Neil hung his head in shame and walked through a door marked PRIVATE.
While the rest of the group walked away, Phizz snuck into the door, his curiosity getting the better of him. Kneeling on the floor under a typical office table, he saw the mayor talking to two shady figures.
"This cheap labor is important to us. The less it takes to keep up the factory, the more money for us", the first shady man said.
"Remember, if you tell anyone about this your daughter dies", the second man said.
Neil nodded sadly.

******

When the group had returned to the house, MM told them about her plan.
"We'll sneak into the factories when my mom goes in to work. She probably wouldn't like me doing this"
The rest of the group nodded.
"You sure this'll work?"
"Not sure", MM said. "If the rumors I heard were true, it's still not that probable"
"It's our only hope, however", Shed said.
When Ms. Yasude left the house to go to the factory, the group folowed stealthily behind her. A few minutes after she opened the factory door, MM heaved the heavy steel doors open, straining her right arm. The party peeked inside.
Even if you had just gone to the library and researched American factories from hundreds of years ago, you would have been disgusted.