cascade | kotlc

10. The Armorgate

tw: injury

"This is so, so, so fucking dangerous," Biana muttered, staring at the giant vault door. Scribbles inscribed in rock above the gleaming metal spelled out something in ogrish, and delicate golden runes under spelled out ARMORGATE.

"Pfft, dangerous? What are you, a child? Puh-lease."

Faye put her hand to the metal door as she closed her eyes, feeling for something. Biana could hear the electricity conducting through the steel as mechanisms broke down and activated. Gears clicked rapidly as they cycled through each other, and with a final CLICK the doors snapped open. Metal clanged as the slabs creaked outwards, forming a hallway that led down into nothing.

She smirked, rolling her eyes. "After you, princess."

"Why am I doing this?" she wondered as she took a cautious step into the cavern. The atmosphere was cold in the solid rock, and the walls were built from mixtures and alloys of different metals and stones, molding together into a singular greyish color. It was probably a good thing June wasn't here. Her claustrophobia would destroy her.

"We~ell! Then it's a good thing June isn't here, huh?"

They took one step and an alarm started to blare. Faye took off in the hallway, dragging Biana behind her with one hand and running her other against the sleek wall. Static bursts blasted like radio scratches as something shot past Biana's head, whipping out hair. She ducked, sliding into another hallway, something else blasting against the corner. Faye jumped up, slapping a construction overhead. A vault door closed them in, and only faint thuds ran out.

"Pfft, ogres still have machine guns? Get with the times, man." Faye looked completely undisturbed, simply running her fingers through her hair and giggling.

Thunder boomed, shaking the very earth itself as the walls trembled, echoing like gongs. Lightning danced along the steel, passing through and occasionally popping out, forming delicate arcs of blue and yellow. Biana heard the whirring of engines shutting down and groaning, wheezing as they collapsed.

"We~ell, thanks to me, the engine's shut down, but it's only temporary! So don't rest too long, we'd better hurry."

They shot down another corner, turning at the intersection afterwards and facing a spiral staircase. The air whistled as Faye morphed into pure electricity, whizzing in the air and shooting to the opposite overhang. She locked her arms with the piping above, hauling herself over a chasm.

Faye smirked from across the chasm. "Hm? Aren't you going to come? Remember, the engine'll reactivate soon..."

Biana gulped, levitating herself up and following Faye's footsteps. She wrapped her hand around a pipe, hanging under them like hanging from monkey bars. Her legs swayed precariously. Faye rolled her eyes, transforming into electricity and dancing over to a railed-off section. A machine gun hung useless in the corner. She bowed dramatically after Biana made her way over.

"After you, princess."

The door clicked and swung open, leading into what looked like a labyrinth. Metal catwalks looped around, turning and zigzagging and leading down different corridors. A central spiral staircase looped around, splitting off into branches and moving away.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Biana asked Faye, trying to catch her breath as the girl frowned.

"We~ell, I don't know at this exact moment, but I'm sure I'll figure it out."

She searched around before she noticed something, launching up and clinging to what looked like a fire alarm. She tore at the bits, pulling out an iron valve and twisting it, shooting electricity up in veins. Beeping passed throughout the room and cinders rained down, one getting in Biana's eye and making her scream in pain, temporarily blinding her.