Chapter 103: Hairy Situation
The Edinburgh alley reeked of rot and ash, its cracked pavement slick under Langston's boots as he dove behind a pile of rubble. His chest tightened, heart thumping against his ribs. The Cu Sith's snarls echoed close, mixed with the kelpie's wounded screech. Hooves scraped stone beyond the debris. Langston pressed his back to the rubble, his gauntlet warm against his palm. It calculated odds, numbers flickering on its scratched display: a 65 percent chance the beasts would pass if they stayed quiet. Keep it together, Perry, he thought, jaw clenched. He couldn't let those monsters sniff them out.
A few feet away, Scotty slid in, breath ragged from the sprint through the alleys. He crouched low, hands sparked with blue flames. The alley was a narrow trap of crumbled brick and twisted metal, shadows clinging to the walls. The Nuckelavee's portal glowed sickly in the distance, its light steady like a festering sore. Dagda's badges on their chests flickered, warding off the portal's death breath, but the air stung Scotty's throat. He tightened his fists, flames flaring brighter.
Behind Scotty, Euphrates knelt, her water spear gripped tight. Her eyes darted to the alley's mouth, tracking each sound. The air pressed heavy on her shoulders, sharp with ash. She stiffened, eyes narrowing at the scraping noises. She stayed silent, her focus sharp.
On the rubble's far edge, Sasha huddled, hands glowing faint with a healing wave ready to cast. Her face was pale but steady, her shoulders braced as her glow brightened. She glanced at Langston's tense back.
"Feck, they're close," Scotty whispered, his voice tight.
Langston shook his head, voice low. "Bolt, and we're dead. Odds say hide." He checked his gauntlet's display and nodded firmly.
Sasha nodded. "I can shield us if they get closer," she murmured.
Euphrates gripped her spear tighter and stayed silent. Her focus stayed locked on the sounds of claws scraping stone.
The kelpie's neigh cut the air. Langston's stomach twisted, his fingers curling tighter inside the gauntlet. The Cu Sith growled louder, paws padding closer, sniffing beyond the rubble. His gauntlet vibrated, odds sliding to fifty percent. He tensed, wires snapping taut in his glove, ready to strike. A reedy shout broke through, high and wild, like a drunk yelling in the street. "Oi, humans! Head to the south checkpoint! Safety's there, ye daft lot!"
Across the alley's mouth, a tiny figure waddled into view. Robert's enchanted lawn gnome, no taller than a knee, waved its stubby arms, painted face grinning under a chipped red hat. Scotty leaned forward, eyes tracking the gnome as it toddled on, shouting, "South checkpoint, ye numpties! Run, don't dawdle!" Robert had crafted it three days ago during his first Edinburgh trip, enchanting it to guide survivors to safety. A miracle it hadn't been smashed, it moved fast, hollering like it hadn't seen humans in hours.
Langston glanced over the rubble, saw the Cu Sith's growls shift, paws scrabbling toward the gnome's noise. The kelpie's hooves clopped after, its screech fading. His gauntlet's display steadied, odds climbing to 80 percent they'd slip away. Thanks, creepy little bastard, he thought, letting out a slow breath. A few feet away, Euphrates eased her spear, her shoulders loosening. She kept her eyes on the alley's mouth, grip softening.
Scotty peeked over the rubble. "That wee gnome's savin' our arses," he muttered, a grin tugging at his lips.
Euphrates whispered, "It's luring them away... We moving soon?"
Langston nodded and scanned the alley. A ruined shop stood across the way, its door half-caved, wood splintered. "Over there," he said, pointing. "Basement, maybe. We hide deeper till they're gone." Might find somethin' useful, he thought, his gauntlet's signal faint but steady.
They darted across and slipped through the shop's splintered door. Their boots scuffed the floor as they pried open a trapdoor to a dusty basement. The air was thick with mold and rust, catching in their throats. Langston knelt in a corner, brushed aside debris, and uncovered a lead box, heavy and cold. Its surface was scratched but sealed, rough under his fingers. Lead blocks magic, he thought, popping it open. A rune lay inside, etched on a stone slab, its weight solid in his hand. It glowed soft blue, warm to the touch, and gave off a low hum that prickled his skin. His gauntlet's display flickered, syncing with the rune's energy, its symbols matching Robert's artifacts. "For Robert," he said, tucking it in his pack. This better crack the portal's code.
Sasha leaned closer, hands glowing steady. "It's old, like the city's magic," she said, voice soft. Her brow creased, fingers brushing the air near the rune.
Scotty stood by the trapdoor, keeping watch. "Dunno, but it's a bloody miracle, like that gnome up there," he said, shaking his head.
Euphrates stood by the stairs, spear ready. "Monsters are moving off," she said, ear tilted to the fading snarls.
Langston checked his gauntlet's map, its screen casting a faint glow on his face. A blip marked the portal's direction. "We wait five, then head north," he said. Portal's close, but we're not ready, he thought, fingers aching from his grip on the pack.
The gnome's shouts faded, the monsters' sounds gone. The basement grew silent, save for the rune's hum and the portal's distant glow. Langston's gauntlet beeped, a new signal flickering toward the portal's heart. The team stayed low, breaths steady in the dark. This rune's our shot, Robert, Langston thought, his fingers locked tight.
The team crept out of the basement after five minutes, boots scuffing the splintered shop floor. Langston led the way, gauntlet raised, its display scanning for threats. The alley outside was still, the air heavy with ash. They moved north toward the portal, the path clear of monsters, the Cu Sith and kelpie drawn off by the gnome's distraction.
A few steps into the open, Sasha froze, her breath catching. A mangled lawn gnome lay in the dirt, its chipped red hat cracked, one arm chewed off, legs twitching uselessly. Teeth marks gouged its painted face, the Cu Sith's work. It saved us, she thought, eyes stinging. She knelt beside it, hands trembling as she gathered its broken parts. A hat, arm, shattered torso... tucking them all into her pack. Her throat tightened, grateful for its sacrifice, even if it was just wood and magic.
Langston paused, his brow furrowing. That's ridiculous, carryin' junk, he thought, lips parting to speak. Before the words came, Scotty stepped in front of him, his eyes hard with serious intent. He shook his head slowly, mouthing, "Let her have this. It doesn't hurt anything." Langston's jaw twitched, his gaze flicking from Scotty to Sasha, her back turned as she cradled the gnome's pieces. He huffed silently at the young captain. "Fine!" he mouthed silently but dramatically, but turned to stride toward the portal. Waste of space, he thought, but kept it to himself. Scotty nodded faintly, falling in step behind.
The team pressed on, sprinting quietly through the alleys, muscles warming from the effort. The streets were eerily empty, littered with bodies—mothers, fathers, children—flies buzzing over wilted flesh, victims of teeth or the Nuckelavee's death breath. Plants drooped, drained of life, as the portal's glow loomed closer. Langston kept his eyes forward, Focus on the mission, he thought, ignoring the stench. The portal stood unguarded, an egg-shaped rift taller than a house, its surface shimmering with heat. Every few minutes, two Cu Sith leapt from its opening, red eyes glinting, and bolted north toward the Nuckelavee's roars, where it raged frustratedly behind Robert's water canal.
Scotty glanced at the portal, his flames dimmed. "In our mythology, the Nuck hates fresh water," he said, voice low. "Can't cross it. Robert and Snow summoned a canal round a city block to trap it. Filled it up with a flood, before the beast caught on." His mouth quirked in a faint grin.
Langston nodded, eyes on the portal's top, where flames curled in an unnatural arc to the north, smoke trailing in a straight line toward the Nuckelavee's quarantine. It's drawin' power from this rift? he thought. To verify he scanned the magical trail from the portal. The gauntlet fed his eyesight information and readouts. His eyes flickered back and forth over his head's up display, and then he found what he was looking for. He pressed his lips. "I think the Nuck's gettin' extra juice from inside that portal..." he said, gesturing at the energy flow. "If we get in and shut it down, he's vulnerable." The others squinted, spotting the smoke's unnatural pull. Euphrates gripped her spear, her knuckles whitening. Sasha clutched her pack, nodding.
They knelt to wait, recovering their breath. Langston's gauntlet ticked, tracking the portal's rhythm. After ten minutes had passed, the next pair of Cu Sith leapt out. But instead of sprinting north to the Nuckelavee, they froze, nostrils flaring, red eyes narrowing on the team. A low growl rumbled from their throats, hatred burning in their gaze. Langston's gauntlet buzzed, odds plummeting. They've caught our scent, he thought, wires snapping taut.
The first Cu Sith lunged, claws tearing through the air, its spectral form swift and menacing. Scotty thrust his hands forward, and a sudden surge of power coursed through him. Followed by a tingling rush that lit up his nerves. A notification flashed in his mind:
Level Up! Flame Saber Unlocked.
A blazing saber ignited in his grip, its blade a shimmering torrent of fire, heat rippling off it in waves. "Well, this is new," he muttered, grinning wide. Side stepping the spiteful beast, he swung his bright saber in a swift arc, slashing through the Cu Sith's flank. Flames erupted along the cut, searing through the beast and causing it to crumble into ash as the unholy flames devoured the ghostly wolf.
The second Cu Sith darted past, eyes glowing red with fury, aiming for Sasha. She stumbled back, hands glowing, and unleashed a burst of life energy. Life doesnt usually have the best offensive uses, but panic inspired something new. The spell twisted midair, hitting the Cu Sith with a blinding flash. Its fur exploded outward, sprouting wildly—long, thick strands tangling around its legs and torso.
The beast tripped, snarling in confusion, its movements slowed as it floundered under the absurd weight of its own hair.
Scotty twirled his saber, laughing. "Quite the hairy situation, eh?" he said, winking at Sasha.
Langston groaned, wires snapping forward to bind the tangled beast. "Yeah, it's just horrible," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
Sasha snickered, hands still glowing. "Ugh, these puns are gonna make me pull my hair out," she said, shaking her head. "But it worked, didn't it?"
Euphrates crossed her arms, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "What -was- that Sasha? You survived that attack by a hair." The girls giggled together.
The Cu Sith snapped its jaws, glaring with hatred, but the hair didn't stop growing. It tried to reach one of them, any of them, in its fury but Sasha's life magic had other plans... It kept growing. Not just from its body now, but inside it. Even the tiny hairs in its lungs that help filter contaminates had been growing. It started hacking, and coughing, but all that flew out of its mouth was long thin hairs attached to him from the inside. The unfortunate monster began to choke on its own hair, struggling futilely. As it suffered and gagged in desperation, Scotty stepped in, flame saber flashing. He drove it through the beast's neck, causing fire to consume it in a final, merciful, burst. The team exhaled, tension easing as the second threat turned to ash.
Langston glanced at the portal, its heat still intense. "Let's not wait for more," he said, nodding toward the rift. "We've got a job to do."
The team sprinted forward, Langston leading, his agility honed by M power surging through his legs. Scotty followed, flames streaking behind him from his fists. Euphrates and Sasha trailed, the latter's pack rattling with gnome pieces. The portal's heat grew scorching, but Euphrates raised her spear, tracing a quick glyph. A thick mist swirled around them, cooling their skin and cloaking their approach in fog. She wiped damp hair from her eyes.
Langston's heart raced, excitement swelling. His trial in the Sanctum of Dave had inspired something new in him—a thrill for conquering impossible challenges with wits and grit. This is it! he thought, grinning as he leapt through the portal's puddle-like surface.