Night 71: Secret Stairs

[ninelivesonce]

[from here]

The stairs looked the same as they had before -- the light flickered as Taura peered up them, searing her sensitive eyes and then leaving them light-blinded in turns. "Let's hope they're right about what's up here."

It would be the perfect place for an ambush, after all -- a single chokepoint, and them rushing towards it like fools, but she did it anyways, beginning the climb up the stairs.

Comments

[forsworn]

[from here, timeskipping after Rita and Taura]

The next room was just as he'd seen it the night before: blindingly white walls, mounted speakers, and the escalator in the center. The light was a little disorienting at first, but after a few seconds squinting and shading his eyes with a hand, Kratos had adjusted.

He looked behind him to make sure that Lloyd and Castiel had made it safely through. "Ready?" This was it. If they could just make it to the top of the escalator without Landel interfering, that would be considered progress. He stepped onto the escalator and, without bothering to let the automation do its job, began climbing the steps.

[redcladidealist]

Unlike the other two, this was the first time Lloyd had been in this room - if he could even call it a room. Long and narrow and dominated by a set of stairs that were moving, it seemed more like a stairwell, but so white and bright that it just didn't compare with the dingy stairs he'd gone up and down only a little while ago.

Not entirely new to the kind of technology the escalator used, Lloyd only eyed it warily for a moment before turning back to check on Castiel. He didn't think the other man had been hurt when the monster had practically crawled over his arm, but it had been hard to see in the dark of the library. There was plenty of light now - almost too much, in fact, making it hard to resist the urge to shield his eyes.

"I'm ready if you guys are," he answered Kratos, glancing at the door to make sure the monster hadn't followed. Once Castiel had made it through as well, he took to the stairs on Kratos's heel. "Whoa! It's weird walking on something that moves!"

[freewill]

Trying to pull his blade out of the writhing body of an injured creature hadn't been all that simple. The snake had thrashed enough to slam into his chest, knocking the wind out of him briefly, but he'd retrieved his sword and followed the others into the next room, hand pressed tight against his chest as he caught his breath.

He'd experienced that physical sensation before, but it was still something relatively new. Nonetheless, Castiel nodded when the others asked if he was ready. Ascending the escalator would give him a chance to recover, and so he stepped on after Kratos and Lloyd.

Aesthetically, this place reminded him of Heaven. That brightness, which bordered on blinding, but also the feeling of emptiness. He looked around, glaring at one of the speakers as if daring Landel's voice to come out of it.

[forsworn]

Kratos was also waiting for Landel's voice to suddenly address them, although he wasn't treating the speakers with nearly as much hostility as Castiel. They were getting closer and closer to the top, though, with not even a whisper from the good doctor. It was strange, especially when he compared it to how things had gone last night.

Meanwhile, Lloyd was being his usual self, and Kratos couldn't help but sigh and say irritably, "This isn't a field trip, you know." Granted, part of him couldn't blame Lloyd: the escalator was incredibly advanced by Sylvarant's standards.

[redcladidealist]

"Hey, who said it was?" Lloyd shot Kratos an equally irritable look. "Man, you always say that whenever I think something's kind of cool." And he had to admit, the escalator was cool. If he wanted, he could just stand still and it would still take him all the way up! And walking up it like they are meant they were going even faster. Two hundred percent walking power!

Not knowing to expect anything, Lloyd didn't watch the speakers like the others did. Instead he focused on the top landing, which they were getting closer and closer to by the second. The door behind them had closed, so if anything was going to come at them, it was most likely going to be from up there.

[freewill]

The way Kratos and Lloyd interacted with each other spoke to a certain closeness. After observing Sam and Dean for as long as he had, he knew that scolding people generally meant that you cared for them in some way. It struck him as backwards, but humans were human. Not that Kratos himself seemed to be completely human, but he was possibly more socialized than Castiel himself.

They reached the top, which held a small landing and then a closed door that looked equal parts ominous and inviting. Castiel stared at it for a moment, waiting for something to burst through, but everything remained quiet.

Drawing in a breath, Castiel moved forward and opened the door, stepping through with his blade held close to him, ready to strike.

[To here!]