Hoard of Eyes

All alone in the wilderness Felix swung through the dripping halls of the Statue Chambers. He carried his lantern with his tail. His bag was on his back, and his revolver was snug in its holster on his left side.

The lantern's light reached out through the halls uncovering them. In familiar corners he swore he could see a retreating snout or the red color of an eye. Whenever he got closer to these phantoms they popped out of existence almost like they knew he was looking. The worst part about all this was that there wasn't a way to disprove what he thought he saw. All terrible things had infected this place. All terrible things were to be expected.

A grinding sound far down a hall to his left. It was like stone being dragged, and then stopped, dragged and then stopped. Felix swung faster to get out of the way. Soon the sound was behind him, and hopefully not following his own sounds.

The hall opened up again to a large chamber. It was the room with the moss on the ground. Felix held up his lantern to see the far corner. Devil wolves and remcamen. They were all sleeping in a pile, breathing big breaths.

Felix turned his lantern low. Now the monsters appeared like a shadowy mass stretching and sinking, which didn't help his anxiety. The low light would help keep them from noticing him and waking. If they woke up anyway the light would become a beacon straight to him. He assumed the monsters could see perfectly fine in the dark, but light didn't go away just because you had night vision. He was the brightest thing in the room, but he needed to see.

Felix swung and stared until he was out of the room. Few rooms were ahead, but they were empty all the same. At last he made it to the room with the staircase down to the abandoned town, and most recently, a field of grass. He approached it, and then realized there was a remcamen standing upright in front of it. He looked behind himself and then back to the alligator-esque creature. It could see him, but didn't really seem to care.

"Howdy," She said with her glowing eyes. She raised a claw in a mild wave.

"Hi…" Felix said. He waved back.

"Would you be interested in Terrible's new Cannibal Buffet? It's really cheap, and we're doing reservations now for our opening night. If you're starving to death you should come down," She said.

"Oh, no thanks.. I'm not starving," Felix said.

"That's ok. We'll see you there soon I'm sure," She said.

"Alright…?" Felix said, "Are these stairs blocked?" He pointed to them.

"No they're fine. Pretty long though. I can teleport you to the bottom if you like," She said. She looked down the stairs briefly.

"You don't have to do that.. and.. and use up all that energy just for me," Felix said.

"I insist. Terrible's Cannibal Buffet has excellent customer service, and I'd like to be an example. Please, let me do this for you," She put a claw to her chest.

"Uhh.." Felix froze.

"Just take the offer!!.. Please," She briefly snapped.

"Ok!" Felix gave a weak thumbs up.

The remcamen swept her claw upward in a slash. In the rip of the slash a gateway appeared, the other side visible like a window. Felix looked into it but couldn't see much. He swung over to the gateway and held his lantern up to it. There were buildings and coyne on the other side, but no grass. Holding his breath, he stretched out his good leg into the portal. The rest of his body followed until he was fully on the other side.

Relaxing his body, he looked around the space to make sure he hadn't been tricked. The portal vanished behind him. Felix shrugged and turned up his lantern. The grass that had consumed the platform only yesterday had disappeared just as fast. It smelled of smoke and wet stone.

With the grass out of the way there wasn't much stopping Felix from seeing where he needed to go. He followed the road in between the buildings. In front of him a strange laying figure in the middle of the path became illuminated. As he approached he thought he knew what it was, but by the time he had arrived to its feet he became puzzled.

Laying on the ground, dead in front of him was what looked like an artifex, but wasn't. It had the same face of an artifex but it was slightly taller than himself as opposed to shorter. Its clothes were also bigger to match. Shoes were on its feet, which Felix had never worn.

It had been burned beyond belief. It was covered in black boils and bleeding oozing gashes. Its hair was solid in some places as if it had been melted.

Felix kneeled down to it and hovered his lantern over it to take a better look. On the ground feathers were scattered, long ones, tiny soft ones, and a shiny one.

Shiny?

Felix picked the shiny feather up and held his lantern to it. It wasn't a feather at all. It was rectangular, flat, firm, made of metal and mostly glass. The glass was shattered in multiple places. It felt good to hold, so he put it in his pocket.

Felix got up and continued on his way.

The mushrooms in the Locker Chambers were just as they were, and the maze of the chambers above were too quiet still. He turned to his right into the sunlight of Error's chamber. The frogen himself was sitting on the edge of the hole, looking into the sky. The wind was still ripping around the opening.

"Error?" Felix chirped.

Error swung his head over to him.

"Hello again.." He sighed.

Felix swung over halfway, and then stopped. Did he really want to be closer to the edge? The winds were so powerful, if they suddenly shifted and pulled the air out of the chamber he could be taken too. Error was there, and could fly, but even he didn't dare jump out and fly in that.

"What's wrong? Hopefully you are out here because something's wrong and not just to visit me right?" Error grumbled.

"...Oh. Yes.. There are monsters, well, a monster in the ADC," Felix said.

"Then it has begun.." Error looked back to the sky.

"I have photos of the victims. Would you know how to figure out what monster it is based off them?" Felix took the photos out of his pocket. Along with them the glass rectangle fell out and clanged on the ground. He leaned down and picked it up, "Almost forgot about this.." He mumbled, but there were more pressing matters.

Error stood up from the edge and approached Felix to see the photos. Felix looked to Error for a reaction but he was numb.

"They were eaten raw by a carnivorous monster," He grumbled.

"But do you know how to figure out anything about them?" Felix asked.

"What time did it happen?" Error asked.

"Night.. Night time," Felix said.

"Then they will probably attack again at night," Error said.

"Do you think it's a gwenen monster?" Felix asked.

"I don't know Felix. Probably. Does it really matter? People are being eaten. If it's one of your own or not, you'll do the same thing. You'll find out who it is, whether they slip up or when it's too late," Error said.

"..." Felix opened his mouth to say something but ended up staying quiet. Error looked back to him. His face softened at Felix's despair.

"I'm sorry Felix.." Error's cooed. He wrapped his heavy wing over Felix. It was like a multi layer heated blanket.

"...If I find them before it's too late what should I do? Should I take them to you, or?-" Felix asked.

Error chuckled.

"Felix, if a monster is eating your people then it must be slain! No exceptions," He said. Felix's eyes darted to the ground and then back to Error.

"What if I know them? Or what if I can help them?" Felix asked.

"Mmn. You didn't understand what I said," Error pointed to him briefly with a talon, "A monster eating your kind every night must be slain because they have a bloodlust, a terrible desire to do what takes lives. They'll always come back if you let them go. They'll always be hungry too. There's nothing you can do for them."

"Oh…" Felix's ears flopped.

"Yes. It's very bleak," Error said. The tiny rectangle reflected light from the sun. Error noticed, "What's that?"

"This?" Felix held it up, "I saw a dead artifex on my way back. It dropped this, is that bad? I picked it up, I mean. I was just curious about it."

"Hmm.." Error held out his paw asking to hold it. Felix gave it over. Error rotated it around looking for something. Finding a button on the thin side of it, he pressed it and the glass lit up showing an image of a smiling not-artifex with a shorter one smiling next to it. They were well lit in front of some green things that Felix didn't understand to be bushes. Text displaying the date and time hovered a layer above the image.

Without much time passing the screen faded back to black.

"It's a picture displaying device??" Felix looked at it closer even though there wasn't any picture left.

"Maybe, but those aren't artifexes. That's the race of man," Error said.

"Why would the race of man be here if they're extinct? You said so in your story, at least I think you did," Felix asked.

"Artifexes and man are related. In some ways they're the same, and some ways different. Maybe you saw a dead human because an artifex was killed or someone took their wings off. It's sad to hear, but maybe that's what happens when they die," Error said.

"I don't like all this doom and gloom. It's exhausting," Felix grunted. Error snickered.

"Uh huh. Welcome to my world. Dog knows where I am and I am going to die!" He smiled.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Felix held the top of Error's wing.

"I will fight like trapped animals do.. I was just looking for a way further down the tower, but a lot of the halls have collapsed and are too small for me to fit through. I came back to consider trying the winds, but these are wing snapper speeds," Error said.

"It's a good thing you were here when I happened to visit then," Felix said.

"Ehh,�� Error shifted his shoulders with uncertainty, "I'm not much help."

"That's ok. You're my friend. You don't need to be helpful all the time," Felix said. Error's face lit up for a moment, even his ears rose a little.

"I'm happy we're friends Felix, but it stresses me about what will become of you when this is all over. Maybe.." He trailed off, and so did his smile. He looked away.

"You're the most amazing creature I've ever seen. You know that?" Felix said. Error looked at him straight on.

"Out of all these dragons, beasts and strange creatures?" Error asked.

"Yeah. I thought I would say so since we might not see one another again. Dog's after you.. Somebody's out to eat me," Felix looked to the left and the right about their problems.

"Mnn. What if I stayed with you?" Error asked.

"There's still a monster in the ADC. It's not safe," Felix said.

"There's a monster everywhere Felix. The ADC might only have one, and is better protected than out here. Small or weak monsters are also repelled by me out of fear. Maybe I can scare it away from you," Error said.

"Hmmn ok.. but it's going to be hard to get in. There's only one way to the inside that you can fit through, and I'm not sure how to get there," Felix said. He thought about the hole in Law Lake.

"Do you know where it is in relation to your room?" Error asked. Felix thought for a moment.

"Yeah."

"I'll try to find it then," Error took his wing back and strolled over to his capsule. Felix followed.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I have to prepare to leave," Error said. He stepped into the kitchen and walked through to the library, and then up the stairs to his bedroom. Felix took his crutches off and hopped up the stairs while holding the wall.

In Error's room things were scattered around on the floor and his bed. It was bags and papers, his tablet and his ammunition. Error sat down and began putting the bags on. He only looked at the bags and the floor.

"It's sad you have to leave your apartment.." Felix said. He looked at the devices and doodles of mysterious creatures.

"Yes.. It's sad.." Error mumbled without any eye contact.

"And it has so much interesting stuff here. Will you ever see it again?" Felix asked. He walked up to a computer monitor and moved the mouse so the screen would light up.

Error stopped and whimpered. It sounded painful.

Felix's ears perked up in surprise. He walked over to the frogen.

"What's wrong?" He put his hand on Error's shoulder and patted him.

"You know.. the stuff. I'm going to miss it!" He cried, "It's a lot of years of momentous and things and.. stuff."

Error put a talon into the carpet and tugged at it in frustration.

"You can stay if you want Error! You were the one who suggested you'd stay with me. You don't have to come if you'd rather not," Felix said.

"No.. I have to leave," Error sniffed, "I'd be stupid to die over my stupid stuff… It's just.. hard to leave my only safe space to chance and mold and rust and those monsters… It's stupid."

"It's not stupid. You want to feel like you're safe. It's a people thing," Felix said.

"Yeah.. yeah.." Error sighed. He picked his head up and continued putting his bags on.

Felix took a step away.

"You feel better?" He asked.

"A little, It's just, my head's more clear is all," Error said.

"You need any help?" Felix sat on Error's bed. His nose was runny, so he went to wipe it off with a hand.

"No…" Error grunted.

Felix looked to his hand. It wasn't snot, it was red, it was blood. He put his bloody hand up to his nose and pinched it shut.

Error noticed and lifted his head in surprise.

"You gotta put your head back," He said.

"No no. It's forward. Keep level," Felix said.

"Ehh I forget. You'll be fine. They're more common than you think. Were you picking it or do you think it was the air?" Error asked.

"Maybe it was the air. I wasn't picking it, at least I don't think I was," Felix looked down at himself. His shirt was all messy, "Great.." He pulled his shirt off from the bottom and took it off with an arm. The other arm still held his nose shut, "Is there a lot on my face?"

"Yeah.." Error nodded with a grimace. He continued to tighten a belt around his waist.

"Guh," Felix sighed.

"Is your face going to be pink all day?" Error asked.

"Nah. I have this stuff at home for fur stains. It works really well.. at least I hope it does. I don't want everyone thinking I'm the monster just because my face is pink," Felix remembered, "Oh I forgot to tell you. Una and I are doing this experiment where I stop taking my medication in order to figure out what happens to me without it."

"Is that safe? You could die," Error asked.

"It's not safe, but I'd rather know, ya'know?" Felix gestured with a hand full of bloody shirt.

"If I were you I'd focus on the murders and not this experiment," Error said, "...Actually if I were you I'd forget about the murders and hide in a smaller box. Snitches die a lot, especially detectives."

"This experiment IS about the murders. We're trying to figure out if I'm a monster," Felix said.

"I doubt it Felix. It should be pretty obvious to you if there was something up, even if you don't remember. If there isn't a part of your history missing or something that doesn't seem right then you probably aren't a monster," Error said.

"But there is something missing about me! My collar's a mystery. I can't keep everyone in danger If I don't know for sure," Felix said.

"You'll never know anything for sure, and we're already in danger. Don't give yourself all the credit," Error said. He stood up with all his bags properly strapped to him.

Felix rolled his eyes.

"Well what am I supposed to do? Give up?" He asked.

"...Let's get you home," Error said. He walked up to Felix and picked him and his crutches up. He placed him on his shoulders along with some bags.

"Is there anywhere for me to put my shirt?" Felix asked.

"You can just leave it here if you don't care about it," Error said. He began to turn around and walk down the stairs. Felix dropped his shirt on the stairs, leaving it.

They went through the library and the kitchen. When Error got to the door he sprung up in a leap so high Felix had to duck in order to keep from hitting the ceiling.

"What? What?" Felix looked around to see what had spooked the frogen. Standing out in front of the doorway a long tailed bipedal lizard wearing a chef's coat and white pants. It was green and smooth, and it's arms weren't very long, almost like a tyrannosaur. Its pupils were white, and surrounded by a black ring with spiky shapes growing out into the whites. It reminded Felix of something perfectly round and bright, like the sun, with something terrible and dark growing behind it.

"Hello Error," Like a chameleon, the lizard's long tail perfectly curled up her back, "I am here to humbly request your attendance to Terrible's Cannibal Buffet. Mummies are the special offer for opening. Cannibalism is the new in, isn't it? You simply must try it."

Other than her tail she didn't even blink.

"No thanks miss.." Error waved a claw.

The lizard looked to Felix, moving her eyes only a little.

"You should be in the ADC," She said.

Felix froze.

"We should go," Error said. He walked past the lizard, and then began to run. She watched, unmoving but her head. When they were out of her sight and into the unfinished maze Felix lit up his lantern.

"Was that dog!?" Felix asked. He looked behind them to make sure she wasn't following them. After a while it was too dark to really tell. Error's trot was making him nervous. They had never gone this fast in the wilderness before.

"No. That was one of his goons. He knows I'm in a hard spot. Sending them over here was a power move. He wants me to give myself up," Error explained, "He'll come get me if his goons don't work. For now he might have something else going on. He's not good at dividing his attention, and I'm always hard to get."

"That was really scary.." Felix said. Only now did he realize he was shaking. He took his hand away from his nose and wiped it to see if it was still bleeding. The blood had dried but it seemed to have blocked itself up. He rubbed his nose with his upper lip. Was he really shivering because he was afraid? Or was it because he was falling apart? He held his head. He couldn't tell.

"Error… I'm shivering.." Felix said.

"I know. You're on my back I can feel it. I'm taking you home don't worry. I'm going as fast as I can," Error said. His talons clicked on the floor.

Everything was piling up. It was so heavy. Una, the kids, Error, Dog, the rest of the monsters.

"I don't think I can take it all. It's so much.." He said. The pressure within his head was starting to turn into a migraine.

"What do you mean?" Error asked.

Barking coming right at them. The shadows came alive with the eyes white and corrupt just like the lizard. A devil wolf. Its white teeth were flashing. Error slid to the side and the wolf almost missed him but swiveled enough to stop and bite down on one of his bags. Error slapped him with his talons. Fur flew. He roared a primal scream and the devil wolf barked back. Error snapped after him. The wolf scurried away. Once far enough down the hall Error stopped. He held his head out straight and low and opened his mouth. From within Error shot a single bullet and the wolf collapsed.

Error stepped up on his hind legs and screamed one last time before settling down on all fours again. He turned away and continued dashing into the locker chambers. More barking faded away in the dark as they moved on. It was quiet again.

They had arrived in the abandoned town by the time Felix spoke up again.

"What was up with his eyes?" He asked, "...Error?"

"It's just bad news ok," Error huffed. He leapt up onto a building, and then even further into the air. He spread his wings and flapped twice forward, "You ok back there!?"

"Yeah.. It's just.. I'm not feeling so great!" Felix shouted over the passing air. His body was getting hot.

They got to the stairwell tower in no time, but instead of climbing the stairs Error flapped harder and flew in a spiral around them. It was making Felix dizzy so he shut his eyes. At a window near the top Error swooped in and slammed into the stairwell wall. He galloped the rest of the way up the stairs and leaped into the Statue Chambers. His run was too quick for these narrow passageways to allow, but he bent his body to move through them as fast as possible.

As he was passing it by, a remcamen with the same white eyes fumbled over, its mouth agape. Error ran past without stopping. Another one ahead, and a devil wolf too. Both of them had the strange white eyes. Error got on his hind legs again and hissed. The intimidation failed and they leapt after him. Error snapped his wing out and slapped the remcamen off their feet. He met the devil wolf head on and locked claws with it. He pushed the monster in a struggle. Hissing, he suddenly got the upperhand and pushed the devil wolf into the wall. Error opened up his mouth and struck the monster with a heavy bite. It screamed and clawed at the wall it had been pushed into, but quickly faded away. The fallen remcamen got up and hobbled over. Error turned around, backed up, and held his head low. A single bullet did the job and the creature fell into a spasm. Out of the monster's mouth a thousand stringy black tongues with orbs at the end of them flailed with the rest of its body.

More barks. Error didn't wait around and leapt into the next room. He bent his body around the halls until he was at the City Chambers. He was met with a hoard of devil wolves right out the door. He leapt up and into the air and pumped his wings hard until he was barreling through the air like a cannonball.

Felix felt himself lose consciousness just short enough for him to catch himself. There wasn't much time to think about what could've happened. He just had to hold on until they landed. It hurt so bad.

Error made a violent dive down to the wall that lead to the Forgotten Chamber, and then Felix's library. Error opened his wings up to soften the landing.

"There isn't enough room for you to ride me so get off! Quickly!" Error pleaded. He looked back to the rushing hoard. A bright light was emulating behind them like an eclipse. He gasped out in pure terror. Felix had just slipped off him when he crammed his whole body into the hole. He scrambled through. Felix tried to follow but had to avoid his tail and kicking feet.

Someone pulled him out of the hole. He fell below the developing hoard's terrible talons and snapping teeth, but they didn't go after him. Devil wolves bit into Error's tail, giant caecusraptors stuck their tongues onto his wings, and remcamen wrapped their thousand black tongues around his ankles. Once they began to pull, Error stuck his head out of the hole and hissed. They dropped him on his back into right next to Felix. The frogen flailed about, smacking monsters with his wings, kicking them, and slashing at them with his talons. He tried to roll over and get up but it was a struggle. He pulled a remcamen off his arm and finally got up. He jumped once, and then again, releasing their grip on him. He pumped his wings straight up, but was suddenly struck in the neck by a giant metal set of jaws thrown at him from a chain. He went limp and fell.

Felix scrambled back into the hole out of the way. The giant metal frogen collapsed on top of the hoard, and then was violently pulled back through it like a corpse. Felix couldn't see where Error was being dragged to, but a light behind the hoard was the closest thing he could guess.

The monster's eyes faded back to their original forms. A devil wolf snapped at Felix. Felix dove further into the hole and hopped as fast as he could through it. The entire hoard clogged behind him. Once inside the lost chamber Felix fell over on his chest. He popped back up and hopped to his library. A single remcamen tripped through the hole from the hoard. It scuttled over. Felix took his revolver out of his holster. It jumped at him. He pulled back the hammer and pulled the trigger, exploding a part of its mouth. It fell over him a foot away, but got up, black ooze coming from the wound on its head. Felix pulled back the hammer and shot it again. It fell and went limp.

Felix popped up in a leap of energy and screamed at it. He screamed again, and that scream turned into a cry. It only lasted a moment. He still wasn't safe.

He hopped back to his library and took off the carpet slab door. Monster groans and insults were still being thrown by the ones stuck in the wall, but Felix moved on. He hopped to his ladder and pulled himself up it, his body exhausted. He put his lantern down in the vent and clawed his way out into his room. Once under his bed he kept sinking his claws into the carpet. His headache was unbearable now, and it had spread to his entire body. He rolled his head around. He moved his hands to his head and held it. He rubbed his temples but it didn't help. He couldn't take the pressure.

He grimaced and sobbed.

His gummies were just above at his desk. A brief idea of relief. It would end if he just took them right? But the experiment. He needed to know. He needed to know. Felix looked away from the medicine and wept more. He wasn't going to. He knew he wouldn't. Felix crawled through the vent completely and laid on the floor. He was so hot, but he was exhausted. In his pain he was ripping at the carpet and rubbing his head against the ground, but he needed to know.

He went limp.