6 Swamped

What couldn't have been more than an hour felt like days to Tristan. A walk in complete darkness baring their immediate vicinity, calf deep in slimy dark water or he hoped that was what it was, the sense of time was harder to grasp than ever. He tried counting his steps but he had already reached the highest he could count, twice, and walked more after that. The soft golden glow fought off the darkness but it could only do so much. He didn't look down again, the effect was gone but the memory stayed. The kind of nightmare that would make him not want to sleep again.

Ava's movements suddenly came to a halt and Tristan almost bumped onto her. And just as he took a quick couple of steps backwards, she turned, frowning. For a moment he thought she was scowling at him, but her eyes were behind him, gaze searching, and her frown getting harder and harder.

Without looking at him she raised a finger to her mouth, motioning silence. She shouldn't have bothered; Tristan couldn't make a sound even if he wanted, except of course if he fell, which he made sure he didn't. His eyes explored too, remembering for the first time since he entered the chasm the peril that lurked here. He had avoided these thoughts as much as possible, but was subconsciously aware of it all, like an aftermath of pain deep in the mind that one got used to after a while.

The woman looked around her, her eyes still scouring the dark. She was slightly bent over; her right hand on the hilt of the sword attached to her waist band. The other hand signaled Tristan behind her, as she turned, graceful as a cat. Tristan held his breath and readied himself for whatever was to come.

She stilled, slightly bending more forward and the leather gloves creaked as her grip on the sword tightened. Tristan took half step to the side to look but saw nothing but dark and the tiny dots of soft golden glow that never left Ava's aura. The heaviness that ought to follow wasn't there, he looked at her again but she hadn't moved and was still like a statue.

Tristan heard it then, the splashes coming towards them, almost idly. Despite the muted sound he could tell it was far. Tristan felt his blood run cold and his mouth dried. He swallowed and forced himself to stay still despite his instinct to run away. As the sound got closer his heartbeat too got louder, so loud that he could barely hear the splash. Just when it was outside the range of their light it stopped. Silence for a moment and then it started again. Louder and approached them much quicker. He saw a silhouette small and black run toward them and the woman pushed Tristan back with her left hand and he fell on his butt.

--

She was a pathetic sight, and was dipped in that black mud head to toe, whatever clothes she had left were mostly torn- big violent snips but there were no marks underneath them, not any that he could see. Her wet hair matted to her face, slick with black mud with slight green visible here and there. Her big eyes were sunken losing much of the glow from before, tears streaked her cheeks washing away some of the dirt.

The girl plunged out of the dark as she jumped at the woman, only for her to dodge barely out of her way. The momentum took her skidding across the mud which did little to improve her image. Getting up from there covered in that slimy mud all over, she looked like something out of a nightmare.

"Thank you! Thank you!" She squealed rapidly. "I thought I will be stuck here forever. I… looked… in all the caves, they all look the same. There was no way out!"

Olean's voice nearly cracked as she continued her excited rambling. She sniffled and wiped some mud from her cheek with the back of her right hand.

"Thank this young man here, if not for him it would have taken me much longer." The woman sheathed her sword and pointed toward Tristan who after standing was grimacing at the disgusting wetness of mud sipping through his trousers.

The girl hopped in front of him and bowed.

"Thank you for finding me." She then raised her head and smiled. It was an ugly smile, the mud somehow had gotten inside her mouth, and he almost gagged. "I am Olean."

"Yes! -you are welcome." He said, a bit embarrassed at being thanked so purely, he had barely done anything. "I am Tristan." But he gave her his name instead.

Ava cleared her throat that startled the young girl. She turned toward the woman but didn't look up at her, instead decided to stare at her feet and fold her hands behind her. Tristan saw her twiddling her fingers behind her back, a nervous gesture he was used to seeing in his younger sister, whenever she would be caught doing something.

"You… didn't… listen." Ava uttered each word slowly and Olean winced.

"Did you remember what I said?" Olean nodded barely. "And did you do what I said?" She shook her head this time, dipping her head lower with every sway.

"You can't be a solo agent if you keep making moves like this." Ava paused with a sigh. "No one would hire you. You have to be more responsible, Olean."

Olean mumbled a reply but Tristan heard nothing and neither did the woman. "Speak up girl. My ears are not like yours."

"I don't want to be a solo agent." Her voice was barely louder than before but Tristan heard what she had said.

Ava sighed loudly again and stood with her hands on her hips. She looked at Tristan and he looked away as soon as their eyes met.

"We will discuss this later. Okay?" Ava said, still looking at him as Olean gave a shallow nod. She turned to look at the young girl and twisted her mouth in thought and exhaled. "So, could you do it?"

Like suddenly a new life was breathed into her, Olean nodded furiously and for the first time looking directly into the Ava's eyes. From the corner of his eyes, Tristan even saw her grin, proud and wide, completely unlike the girl that was standing there before.

"Difficult?" The woman asked without looking and pulled out the bag from over her left shoulder to her front and probed inside.

"Um!" Olean sounded a bit unsure and looked left and right as if looking for the answer in the darkness. "A little?" her answer in the end was more a question as she gave a quivering half grin.

The woman didn't seem to care about her uncertainty as she continued on her questions without even stop to look. "Was it as I said?"

"Of course." Olean answered, right foot kicking the ground, almost offended that the woman would even ask that.

"Hmm … and you didn't even take any weapon with you." Ava uttered softly and looked back at Olean. In her hand she held a thin bottle that she stretched out to her.

Olean took it without question and a little hesitation. She uncorked it and emptied the contents down her throat and squeezed her face as if in pain. She took another hard sip and stuck her now ink black tongue out as much as she could.

"Don't spit." Ava chided, and she moaned miserably in return.

"So, how did you do it?"

"I broke one of his spines and stabbed HIM with it." Olean answered still working her tongue in between her words. She wrinkled her nose lifting the small, empty container to Ava's raised hand. The bottle slipped from it as she stared at Olean, with her mouth suddenly hanging open. Olean plucked it from the air before it fell on the ground in a swift sweep and offered it back to her.

"Where is it?" Ava asked without even a blink at the extraordinary movement of the girl. The natural flow of it told Tristan that it must have been a natural occurrence for the two of them.

Olean raised her brows in confusion and cocked her head. Ava took a sharp breath and exhaled. "Its body… where did you leave it?"

Olean's eyes widened in realization and she suddenly winced as if struck and looked left and right, "Uh … um …"

"You… don't… know?" Ava slowly voiced each word.

"I tried to. But, everything looks the same here." Though her voice shook a little Olean didn't look down, staring up at the woman's silent and neutral face. Tristan mentally applaud the girl for her achievement as he could feel it was not at all easy for her.

As the silence stretched, the girl's head too slowly dipped down. Ava stared silently, not even a twitch on her face. She glanced at Tristan once and decided there was something more interesting in the gloom on the other side and chose to inspect it with her stern eyes.

"And you also lost your badge, I see." Ava said casually, her tone even and normal. "Did you lose it fighting?"

Tristan didn't hear any answer. Olean hadn't even looked up in response.

Ava stood with her arms crossed. Olean remained in her motionless stance, looking even more defeated than before. She stole a look at Tristan which he returned with a smile that he hoped showed encouragement.

Ignoring him she pressed her lips and peeked at the woman and dropped her head again.

"We are lucky." She said, loud and clear and little cheery, surprising Tristan and Olean both. "That you lost it as you did. I can track it from here." Once again, she reached for her pouch and fetched a box like instrument from inside. "It…doesn't seem very far."

Olean nodded with a smile, eyes shining with eagerness.