Chapter 7: Plague

<b>1 day ago</b>

Junipor laid naked under a blanket in her corner of the chamber. Her tail offered an extra layer of warmth, and helped to dull the smells against her nose. It was cold inside the chamber they had found themselves in. They had tried to start a fire, but found all the old wood to be moldy…and rotten. It reeked of stale air and something else far more sickly. Whatever it was that disturbed her senses, it was distant yet somehow seemed to surround them.

Since running inside the cryptic temple, the small fellowship found themselves unable to leave. The dust storm outside was ruthless, forcing them all to take shelter until it would eventually wane. A full day had come and gone, and so far Junipor hated every moment being here. The place gave her the creeps, twice she accidentally stumbled into old pots or ceramics, unleashing pockets of insects to scurry along the floor.

She freaking hated Beatles! Even now as she curled under the blanket, she was worried a creepy insect would sneak under the sheet. Francesca on the other hand seemed to love the bugs. She hunted them, and found a bountiful meal in every corner.

Junipor sighed as she felt someone's eyes glued on to her, "Stop looking at me."

"I'm not looking," Dunsk grumbled from across the room. He sat perched against the wall, his tail curled at his side. In his hands he was sharpening a knife. His jaw had swollen underneath the bandages, making his voice awkward and rough. He said little during their travels, and now that they were alone, he couldn't stop looking over at her. The other two in their group refused to sleep, they elected to keep searching the inner confines of the buried temple. There was a plethora of small chambers and dark corridors to search through, but so far they had found nothing but morbid mosaics and grim carvings.

"Yes, you are," Junipor curled up tighter. Part of her hoped he would have the balls to try to take advantage of her. She would gladly smash a couple more of his teeth in. It was clear he wasn't actually interested in her, more likely the male just wanted revenge.

Dunsk grumbled for a bit as he fiddled with his knife. "Can you blame?"

Junipor shot him a sharp stare. She chewed her lip while keeping her hand on the firearm she had forged herself. The prototype she brought with her was the newest version, and hadn't been tested before…but she thought Dunsk would make a worthy first target.

Just as she felt his eyes beginning to linger, a voice broke through the gloom. "Hey guys, I found something over here. Looks like a giant cauldron." The voice belonged to Trixy, it echoed from down the hall.

"I wouldn't touch that," she cried out to the Aiverix down the hall. Junipor got up, and threw the blanket at Dunsk so that she could quickly put on her trousers. She had her back turned toward him once he managed to look at her again. Junipor half expected him to make his move then, but instead he remained seated…watching. It took her only a few minutes to put on her tunic and buckle her leather vestments. Her attention was divided between Dunsk and Trixy from down the hall. Her ears twitched as she looked squarely at the man watching her dress. "Am I…actually attractive to you?"

Dunsk groaned, the tightness of his pants was clearly visible. "Are you seriously asking that? Of course."

Junipor was stunned, she realized he was the first male to actually say that out loud. On one hand it made her feel sick to her stomach, on the other…it offered her a surge of excitement she had been searching for. Her tail shot up, her ears were at full alert, and her cheeks burned. "Forget the groping, are you actually…interested in me?" She asked in disbelief.

Dunsk looked confused, "Why, is that a surprise to you?"

"I just…" Junipor took a step back, this really was the first time a male ever showed any real interest in her, and now she felt embarrassed. Her virgin loins quivered, she was in heat and her body demanded attention. Instinct threatened to scour the animosity she felt toward the crude warrior, making her evaluate the veteran gazing at her. His jealous eyes were captivating. "You played with my breasts, aren't they too small for you?"

Dunsk chuckled to himself, "I happen to like those cute— "

"Hey!" Trixy came out of nowhere to interrupt and grab his ear. "Get your ass over here, we found something that needs your thick skull to crack open."

"Wait!" Dunsk cried out in pain as his chieftain pulled him to his feet, and dragged him down the hall.

"Stop creeping on the fertile female, and get over here!" She continued to yank his ear, ignoring his screams.

Junipor just watched as he begrudgingly let Trixy drag him away. She hated Dunsk, he was disgusting and rude. But the fact that a male actually showed her some measure of fondness made her feel…embarrassed and awkward. She didn't feel like following them, she needed a moment to collect herself.

Once she had brushed her hair back, and slid on her boots, Junipor started walking down the corridor. She wasn't encouraged to walk faster, whatever Trixy had found was likely another container full of spiders. Francesca was nearby, Junipor could smell her and hear her excited chirps as the fennec continued hunting insects.

The temple they were in was old, and most of its rooms hadn't been touched in ages. There were a few however that alarmed her. Several mosaics seemed to have been cleaned, and small footsteps disturbed the layers of dust in odd places. Occasionally, they would hear what sounded like children through the walls. Most disturbing however, Junipor could smell a new scent everywhere they went. But as hard as they searched, there was no one to be found…yet.

Halfway down the hall, Junipor noticed the strangest room they had looked through so far. Unlike the others, this one's torches were lit and didn't smell of rotting mold. Yesterday they spent hours just watching the burning flame, it seemed to be magical. There was no oil or flint, and the steel rods holding the torches wouldn't bulge. Yet they burned, and emitted a cold firelight.

This convinced Trixy that magic was real, and something powerful was hidden in the temple. Junipor wasn't so confident, merely disturbed. The torches helped to reveal a vast portrait on the wall, and similar to the first series of carvings they saw, it depicted a grim scene of war and chaos. Figures clad in bold raiments fought an endless ocean of filth littered with dead bodies. At the very front line of this war, a small collection of figures stood out noticeably different than the others, smaller in stature and below them stood a carpet of gravestones.

She disregarded the awful paintings, instead noticing the small pool of clear water at the back of the room. It was the only clean water source they could find, and they found it suitable to drink. So far none of them bothered to bathe in it, they didn't want to ruin the only drinkable water. But…Junipor couldn't help but smell something faint, there was a new scent in the room.

Junipor walked inside, ignoring the small grotesque portrait on the wall, and noticed someone was in the water. The figure was a woman, small with dark red hair and shapely curves. She had pointed ears and olive skin, and was strikingly lean. The red hair reminded Junipor of the figures in the portraits, the ones standing over graveyards.

"Who are you?" She asked the stranger. It was clear she wasn't a Pharine, she looked almost like a small human.

It was then that the stranger opened her bright red eyes lazily, "I'm up…I'm up, stop yelling." She rolled over onto her side, as if the shallow pool was a padded bed.

Junipor's fingers twitch, her hand reached for the weapon on her hip. "How long have you been here? Did you come from outside?"

The stranger opened her eyes again, wider this time, then gave a loud yawn. Her nakedness was captivating, the tips of her soft breasts matched the color of her eyes. Junipor took a step back, something about this stranger felt odd.

The stranger leaned forward, her wet skin glistened off the firelight. "Wait, your new," The stranger just now seemed to notice Junipor. "Why are you here?"

Before Junipor could answer, a shudder surged through the stonework of the temple. The smell of ripened mold drafted through the hallways, following what sounded like a bone crunching laugh. Junipor pulled out her knife, and turned around. Every one of her senses was on high alert, the floors vibrated underneath her feet. The heart chilling laughter grew in the walls, it was unlike anything she had ever heard before.

Water splashed, the stranger jumped out and rushed toward the door. She had grabbed a dark red robe, and her feet seemed to almost glide over the floors as she ran. The stranger paused as she reached the door, "By the maker, what did you do?"

Today

The world had become astir with noise. Each sickly footstep slapped against puddles of blood, grime, and cracking stone. Junipor ran as fast as her feet could carry her. Francesca held onto her in desperation, hissing and crying out as things seemed to extend from the cracks of the walls.

Hands, dozens of grisly arms reached through the mosaic's on the walls, their bone studded fingers scratched at the air. Junipor's eyes darted back and forth as she rushed down the halls. She couldn't rely on her eyes to find the way back to the main entrance, instead she used her nose. She could only hope the sandstorm had subsided. Fresh sand burnt air was easy to spot in this ghastly temple, she followed that faint smell as the soul sucking creature chased after her.

The red haired stranger tried to catch up, but wasn't nearly as fast. Regardless, Junipor could taste the otherworldly scent following her. The minty smell of the stranger was only a little better than the spicy sickness surging around her.

Junipor's feet ached, and her knees throbbed! She ignored the pain as best she could as she continued running on pure willpower alone. The woman chasing her cried out in protest, demanding she stopped running. She claimed that she couldn't allow the disease to run rampant, that Junipor could not be allowed to leave. Junipor ignored these warnings, she struggled to heighten her pace.

Something dark seemed to ooze from the crevices of the carvings on the walls. Junipor's sharp eyes couldn't help but notice it, the pitch black liquid bubbled as she continued running down the hall. She wanted to throw up from all the smells.

Finally Junipor saw the doorway. Its broken, and chipped wood was covered in sand, but there was enough room to get through. Seeing the escape renewed her strength, Junipor grabbed hold of Francesca and held the fennec to her chest. Her legs spasmed with pain, making her cry out as she rushed the door. Nothing was going to stop her from reaching it, she had come too far to give up now.

Junipor was running so fast she disregarded the leather strappings of her vest falling apart. All her clothes were torn and scrapped from the previous fight. One of the shoulder straps snapped under duress, causing the thin armor to slip off and expose the distressed tunic underneath. Junipor ignored the garb falling from her chest, her only focus was escaping.

The door finally was within reach, with one last heave she plunged through while clutching Francesca to her chest. Her tail scrapped against the broken wood as her body plowed through a thin layer of scorching sands.

The outside welcomed her with open arms. There were clear skies and warming sunlight. Junipor plopped onto the sands and curled up into a ball, hoping that she was safe.

A tall shadow drifted over her wounded body. "What the literal hell?" The voice was sharp and held a foreign accent. Junipor's ears shot up in alarm. Her weary shoulders couldn't lift her from the carpet of desert, but she was able to look upward to see a stunningly tall man looking down at her in shock. Francesca hopped onto Junipor's head to hiss at the being.

Whoever it was, he was armored in dark black plate of a design she had never seen before. His helmet was attached to the hip, revealing a youthful and handsome face. He had a short stubble on his chin, and warm olive skin. His orange eyes were strikingly bright.

The soul sucking woman chasing her finally arrived at the doorway. She looked at Junipor, then at the man in front of her with disappointment. "I guess…I failed…"

"By the emperor, what have I stumbled onto." The warrior sounded exhausted. He noticed Junipor's wounds and that seemed to stir him to act. "Step away from her," The warrior leapt over Junipor to get within striking distance. It was then that she realized…he had wings! Draconian, leather-like wings spread wide upon his back. He landed in front of the woman at the doorway with blade's drawn.

"Relax dragon knight, theres nothing I can do now anyway. I'm afraid…theres nothing more I can do." She looked at Junipor, "I can't believe you were stupid enough to break open the cauldron, what were you thinking?"

"What are you?" The dragon knight asked sternly.

"You don't know?" The woman looked at him, "really? Wow how long has it been?" She looked up into the open sky as if in deep thought. "Well I guess a few centuries must've passed, or millennia. Oh well, I'm an Isarine. We were daughters of the Elae's sent to save the souls of mortals from the Mouldering plague." She said this as if it were common knowledge, "After the war, the few of us left were tasked with quarantining the plague's cursed soil from the world." She looked at Junipor again, "that cauldron you smashed open, so brutishly I might add, contained one of the last spores crafted by the plague god himself. It was safely kept away from the world…until now."

"I'm really confused," The dragon knight dipped his swords to the sands. "Are you saying something was released?"

"It infected the three others she was with, turning them into plague bearers." The Isarine sighed before continuing, "And now I must seal this temple again, and hope the spore hasn't escaped."

Junipor rolled over to face the Isarine while speaking to the Dragon Knight, "She's a monster, don't let her touch you."

"Thats just rude," the Isarine rolled her eyes, "Whatever, I'm tired of dealing with mortals. Pray to the maker that your constitution holds, and be thankful you survived." She turned around and froze, "Oh…I don't have the power to seal the dungeon."

A noise echoed from down the cryptic temple, it sounded like a growl.

"Maker forgive me…this is bad." The Isarine took a step back, "So, any chance either of you will let me have your soul so that I can invoke a holy seal?"

The answer came with a boot to her face. The Isarine was kicked hard by the knight, throwing her back into the corridor.

Without a second thought, he then secured his swords and grabbed hold of Junipor who still laid on the ground. Francesca clearly took issue with his handling, snapping at the metal of his armor to no effect.

"Hey stop that I'm trying to save you," he groaned at the fennec. His armor smelled of sands and oils, Junipor grabbed hold of him for protection.

The knight ran with the Pharine girl in his arms, and the fennec trying to bite through his armor. As soon as he was clear of the sand dune, he stretched out his wings and flew into the distance.