Uneasy Alliances II

Raziel and Luco, after encountering a large, and exceptionally deadly foe, must work together or perish - but can such an uneasy alliance possibly stand, when salvation is just one stab in the back away...?

Continues directly from 'Uneasy Alliances'.

Luco has had better days. Not only was he stabbed, thrown into an underground river, had to compromise and work with his hated enemy...there was something else that made this day especially horrible, what was it again? "I will crush you into passsste!" oh right...Ageless. The giant snake was a like a bad penny that just would not go away. The mouse has no wish to end up on the menu though and dashes through the maze like tunnels of the snakes lair. There is no light, only darkness, and the smell of death and decay fills the air.

Raziel's day isn't going much better - minus the stabbing, plus waking up in jail and cutting his own leg. Which...is making things rather painful as he sprints away from the snake, trusting that Luco has at least /some/ idea where he's going. It's likely a false hope, but it's better than nothing. As the light from the hole above fades, Raziel finds himself with nothing /to/ follow...and with little sense of direction in the darkness.

All the while the sound of scales across the earth interior of the gave continue to haunt the two beasts. The sound seems to come from everywhere at once. Is ageless behind them? Is he taking a short cut to get ahead of them. The mouse comes to a another fork in the road. Both paths lead forward, one seems to lead up the other continues strait ahead. "You know...I am really starting to wish you were the Mossflower butcher cat..." The mouse hisses to the sound of paw steps behind him, "How are you holding up?"

Raziel grumbles, "I've been better..." He follows Luco's voice, not wanting to get split up under circumstances /quite/ like this. "We have very little chance of losing him - we're already wounded, and he knows what /you/ smell like already... Our best bet is to find the surface, but that's easier said than done." The cat keeps his voice low, trying not to let it echo through the rough-hewn tunnels. "Mice live in burrows and you have an /underground lair/; you're more experienced in being belowground than I. Suggestions?"

The mouse hisses to the wildcat, "And you call me speciest? This is a /snake/ burrow son. I'm about as useful here as you are!" Luco looks at the vaguely defined tunnels. "Going up seems logical, right? We can't be THAT far from the surface." Clutching at his side the mouse begins the ascent up the tunnel to the left. The grade is less than comfortable but it shouldn't pose too much of a problem. All the while the sounds of the snake draw closer.

Raziel climbs up the tunnel as fast as he's able with his wounded leg, but he still finds himself wishing the mouse would move faster. "I am not trying to be speciesist, Luco, I am /trying/ to be productive... Does this snake have any weaknesses? Anything you noticed when you encountered him before?" The cat looks back nervously, though there is nothing but darkness behind, as well as ahead.

"Yes...he doesn't DIE." The mouse nearly snarls. "The Founders encountered him first. They tried to stab him, shoot him with arrows, burn him, they even tried to poison the blasted thing. In the end the only way they could get rid of it was to trap it in a hole and toss it a few vermin every now and again to keep it sated." The mouse comes to the top of the slop. He is greeted by more darkness, and the snakes voice somewhere in their vicinity. "You will pay Luco...you will all PAY for what you did to me..." Luco gulps, "I may have...also led a few beasts into his home to kill him. It didn't work too well."

Raziel rubs the bridge of his muzzle in the darkness. "You mean to tell me that you managed to make yourself the target of a vendetta, of a snake who is /unkillable/. Oh, glorious." Even though there's a reasonable chance he's going to die, the curious cat still wants to know more about this whole mess. "Who are the Founders? The founders of your genocidal Militia...?"

"Your desssscription is accurate wildcat..." The snake replies before Luco can somewhere from the darkness beyond...or behind. "They were the onessss who did ...thissss to me. They killed my mate...came into our nesssst and ssssmashed our eggssss in the night. Not many left I...imaginessssss...Only luco and...issss that Herssssel I ssssmell on you?" A deep, foreboding, croaking sound fills the hall ways. After a while it becomes appearent that it is the sound of the snakes laughter, "I am mossst pleasssed he isss sssitll alive...I will have to finish dining on the RESSSST of him someday..."

Raziel clutches the haft of his spear tightly, his ears flicking around to find the source of the echoes and chilling laughter. "Oh, you Militiabeasts are just /wonderful/ at making friends, aren't you?" The tiger-striped cat growls, and nudges Luco onward, trying to get him to move faster. "We need to find an exit /before/ he eats us alive, yes?!"

"Oh won't you ssstay for dinner?" The snake's voice is closer now. There is another fork in the road, this time branching off in three directions. Ageless echoes down each path, Apparently he is ahead of them. "Pity you want to leave...earliesss...Oh well, wildcatssss are hard to sssswollow anywaysss. Ssso how about thisss...I will make you a ...deal feline...." The snake chides happily, "Cripple the moussse for me...then I will tell you how to reach the exit." Luco pauses at the entrance of the tunnels. He raises an eyebrow and turns his attention to the vague silhouette of Raz.

Raziel frowns. Oh, great. Now the snake is playing on his desires to kill the beast. It sounds like a good offer, in theory - wound somebeast he already hates, don't get eaten by a snake in return - but he's hesitant to trust the serpent. The wildcat responds in a loud, firm voice, "Oh, really? And how do I know you won't just lead me to a dead end, and kill me anyway?" The cat taps Luco on the shoulder, and gestures that they should keep moving - hopefully, the echoes will work to their advantage, too, keeping the snake from pinpointing them.

Somewhere in these caves the snake is smirking as Luco gestures for the center tunnel and begins walking. "How do you know Luco will not jussst kill you when you essscape?" Luco narrows his eyes as he presses forward. Ageless continues, "I kill for food cat...what doesss Luco and hisss preciousss militia kill for? That alone sssshould telll you who is more trusst worthy..." THe darkness is starting to lift as the two round the next bend , the smell of fresh air how ever faint wavers in the tunnel.

Raziel sees no point in lying. "I wouldn't trust either of you as far as I could throw you. But that's a heck of a lot further with Luco than it is with /you/... And I /trust/ the mouse not to kill me as soon as we exit, since I did not leave him to die in a cave." The wildcat gives a meaningful glance to the rodent, speaking to him as much as the snake. "What assurance can you give me?" As they get closer to the end of the tunnel, though, the echo begins to fade...meaning they'll be easier to detect.

The light grows brighter and fresh air pushes the stink of the cave behind them. Overjoyed with the prospect of escape Luco moves even faster now and rounds the next bend...then pauses dead in his tracks. THe cave widens out into a large chamber with a large almost maw shaped opening on the far end filled with stalagmites and stalactites. In the center of the room the giant snake sits have coiled. A grin is on his face and he regards the pair with his single blind eye, "I can asssure you that you would have reached the exit...not that you would have lived."

Raziel ... can't say he didn't expect the snake to double-cross him. But, the wildcat is kind of relieved that he didn't cut Luco's hamstrings like he had momentarily considered. "Oh, well that makes me feel /much/ better," he growls sarcastically. The cat hefts his spear, pointing it up at the creature. "Luco, I suggest you ready yourself..."

"Yessssss Luco....ready yoursself...." The snake grins, showing off his fangs, "FOR DEATH!" The snake lashes out with a quick bite. Luco barely manages to throw him self to the side. When Ageless doesn't taste the mouse in his fangs he rears back quickly and lunges again, this time at Raz.

Raziel tries to dash to the side - forgetting that his leg is wounded. Instead of the leap he had planned, or even a semi-graceful roll, the cat simply falls, staring up in desperation as the snake lunges for him. All the cat has time to do is lift his spear, the long bladed pole pointed at the serpent's snout...

SPLORT! The spear pierces the snakes upper jaw. It slowly leans back to its full height. It brings up its tail and wraps it around the spear shaft before giving it a great tug and pulling it free. "That might have hurt...if I could sssstil feel pain. You grow usssed to the feeling though...when you carry ssso much weaponry on your back..." The snake says, referring to the countless broken shafts and weapons on its back, making the snake look like a legless porcupine. "Foul beast! Don't you ever shut up!" Luco yells as he hammers away at the snake with the spiked end of his mace. It makes the snake bleed...and nothing else.

Raziel cringes as the vast snake stops just a few feet from grabbing him, his spear wrenched from his hands as the creature recoils. The wildcat scrambles to his foot-paws, pulling his sword free of its sheath as he staggers off to the other side. "Ah, but if you can bleed, you can still die, serpent!"

"And if you can ssstill talk I can know where you are..." Ageless sends his tail crashing down towards the wild cat while trying to coil around the mouse. Luco jumps once onto his back and manages to squeeze through the coiling serpent before it crushes him. "Vial worm! Why won't you die!" He strikes at Ageless' underbelly with his war hammer.

Raziel is mildly more prepared this time, and hops backward just as the tail lands, causing the ground to shudder. Before the snake can pull it back, however, the wildcat chops at it with his heavy sword, aiming for a spot of scale where his blade /won't/ get caught on discarded weaponry.

A large gash appears in snakes tail and despite Ageless' claim to feel no pain he releases his grip on the spear, then swings his tail like a base ball bat at Raz. Meanwhile Luco is trying to dodge the snakes head as it repeatedly bites at him.

Raziel dives for his spear, narrowly avoiding the tail as it sails over his ears, and smacks against one of the cave's walls, jarring the cavern again. Small bits of rock fall from the ceiling this time, and the ends of the stalactites rattle ever so slightly... The wildcat continues to lay prone and silent, however, wondering if it will throw Ageless off...

Swinging his tail back and forth wildly the snake hopes to catch the wild cat...somewhere...while biting and try to coil around Luco. Ageless moves like fluid water and with his gash to the side Luco can hardly keep up. He knocks the snakes head to the side as it bites at him, "Are you still alive Raz? Don't leave me alone with this thing." The snake hisses at being struck then lunches again. The cavern is beginning to crumble but for the moment the snake leaves the entrance unguarded.

Raziel quietly gets to his feet, and tightens the bandage around his leg hastily. This is the only plan he has right now. Gritting his feline teeth, the mercenary wildcat charges at the exposed back of the snake, shouting in pain as he forces himself to jump - and stick the pointy end of both his sword and spear into the snake's hide.

The snake's one good eye widens and tosses its head back in an enraged his as the blade and spear pierce deeply into its flesh. Ageless then begins to chuckle, "Good ssshot...but I am afraid you are not the first beassst to try that. The snake twists and begins to coil around the wildcat, ignoring the mouse for the moment and oblivious to the crack forming up the side of the cave walls, "I'll be with you Luco in a ssssecond..."

Raziel growls, though a smirk slowly spreads across his muzzle. He has no intention of getting caught in the snake's coils, if he can help it. "Have any ever been crazy enough to try /this/?!" The feline has already pulled his sword out of the serpent's hide, before driving it back in, while he pulls himself upward with the embedded spear. ...Which he proceeds to pull out, and repeat the process with. The wildcat is trying to scale the scales of the creature using his weapons! The snake is going to have a hard time wrapping around him if he keeps heading up his 'neck'.

The snake cringes and shudders with each forceful acupuncture. "Actually...yesssss." The snake hisses death and murder. Still doesn't make it any less painful. Ageless tries to coil around the cat with his body, when that fails he sends up his tail to grab the cat by the waist.

Raziel is surprised to hear that. NO MATTER! The wildcat isn't out of ideas or desperation yet, and he still has another eight lives at his disposal! "Well, in /that/ case-!" Raziel, hanging by his sword, spear in paw, lets the snake's tailtip draw closer. Just as it begins to curl around his waist...he thrusts the tip of the spear through the narrow end of the massive serpent's tail, pinning it to it's own back! Probably not for long, but it does make for an excellent distraction!

The curses that stream out of the snakes mouth are thankfully said in a tongue that can not be understood by the wildcat. "I will rip you in half cat and wear you like a hat!" The snake shouts finely as it falls over onto his belly trying to unpin itself. The snakes body has a great deal of flesh to it and the spear head is caught in really good. It rolls from side to side. It hisses and shouts and screams in anger, hatred and obscenities known only to snake kind. FInely Ageless calms, if but for a moment. It...cries? "Why...why is Aglessss life so bad....why mussst he have sssso much pain..."

Raziel clings desperately to the snake as he thrashes, narrowly avoiding being crushed, or cut by the other weapons that jut from its hide. When Ageless finally relents, the cat gets - shakily - to his feet. "If I were to hazard a guess," he says, breathing heavily as he gently wraps his paw around his spear, "It's because you try to devour /everyone you meet/." Without giving the serpent a whole lot of time to mull this over, the wildcat tears his spear out of the snake's tail, and sprints with all his might along the back of the creature, towards its head...and the cave's exit. "LUCO, RUN! RUN YOU FOOL!"

The wildcat doesn't have to tell the mouse twice. He is already heading for the exit the moment the snake lets out a loud bone chilling scream of pain. By the time Ageless rights himself the two are already out of the exit. He gives chase, until he comes to the edge of the cave. He stops at the chilled air and mulls over his decision to chase them, wounded, and in the cold. Ageless pauses to scowl at them one last time then slowly turns back for the warmth of his cave. That doesn't stop Luco from running until his legs feel like they are going to drop out from under him. The cave opened up into the side of a small valley. It actually looks very much like beggars pass although snowed over with a frozen creek running down the middle of the valley.

Raziel runs until his lungs burn with the frigid air, and the adrenaline finally wears off, leaving the cat feeling exhausted and numb as he slows to a halt not far behind Luco. The cat pants, his shoulders sagging and tail limp, leaning against his blood coated spear as the tip rests in the snow; slowly changing the pristine white to red as it drips off. "Luco, I--" The cat isn't sure what he was going to say, but it doesn't feel right saying nothing to the beast either. After a few moments of continued silence, the wildcat states, "You fought well."

The mouse stops a few feet down the hill side to pause and catch his breath, "Do shut up." Luco snarls after bending forward to cough up blood, "J-just...just shut up. I don't want to hear about your warrior camaraderie. At the end of the day I'm still the head of a vermin hating militia and you are vermin...so don't even start." Luco collapses to one knee, clutching at his side, "But yeah...you fought well too.."

Raziel remains silent. The mouse is absolutely right, and the cat still hates him and his whole psychotic, prejudiced organization...but he can't just leave Luco here to die, any more than he could have left him in the cave, or at the mercy of Ageless. With a sad smile, the wildcat remarks, "Perhaps you'll be less of a stubborn, misguided mouse in another life, eh?" Raziel limps a step forward, and offers a paw to help the mouse up. It's not out of respect, or camaraderie, and it's certainly not out of fondness that the feline offers - but because no beast deserves to die alone. "Come on. Let's get you to one of your patrols so they can patch you up. I can't kill you myself if you die in the snow." Raziel gives a small, wry smirk.

The mouses looks to the wildcat and then to the offered paw. There are tears starting at the base of his eyes as he looks away, realizing that he has been bested and not just in combat. He takes the offered paw and helps himself to his feet. "There is a patrol route up to the north. It's best if I go alone. If you take this pass through Beggars Pass until the end, then follow the old dirt road you will eventually come to civilization." The mouse begins to limp away from the feline. He pauses. With out turning around he states, "If you see Dad. Tell him I can't protect him anymore." Then continues walking.

Raziel nods silently at the departing mouse, standing in the cold, still valley as Luco heads off. The wildcat ponders the rodent's meaning - did he mean from the Militia? From the snake? From himself? But in the end, Raziel is left with no answers - only his thoughts, his spear, and a growing sense of lightheadedness as the blood from the wound in his leg joins Ageless' in the fallen snow. With a sigh, Raziel turns, and begins limping in the opposite direction.

There is more to victory than survival.