Chapter Text
There's a pounding in his head.
It feels like his skull got smashed in with how bad it's throbbing and it makes him groan, painful and guttural, as he opens his eyes.
It takes him a few times to blink and clamps his eyes shut when the pain in his head hits him again, before he realizes he's looking up at the sky, the stars twinkling merrily down at him, and he takes a deep breath in as he stares at it.
A lantern hangs by a rope attached to a tree branch, it's pale golden light making Evbo wince and snap his eyes shut when he sees it.
His mouth feels…parched, like he hasn't drank anything for a long time and he feels more and more with each ragged breath he takes.
A shudder races through him from the tip of his toes to the base of his spine as he tries to remember what happened before he woke up and his mind is a blank slate, only vague flashes of him and…Ferre doing something—training? He thinks it was training at least—but then his mind comes up on a blank on the after portion.
Just a complete, white blank of what happened.
His green eyes narrow as he tries his hardest—his damn hardest at that—to recall anything but all it earns him is a headache and him coughing after sucking in a breath wrong, a sharp stinging pain that tears inside his throat with each painful cough and tears bubbling up in the corners of his eyes.
It feels like something is caught in his throat, a lump trying to crawl its way out from it as he flips over from his back to the dirt floor and braces himself on it.
It genuinely feel's like he's dying—if he can just be a little melodramatic here—as he coughs and coughs until he feels something move from inside it and and fall out of his mouth, blinking back tears as he sees a…
Coin? He thinks it's a coin at least, its circular and a shiny dark material that has a metallic sheen to it.
The blond is certain, oddly enough, that he's seen this thing before the more he looks at it.
Sucking in a breath, as well as wiping the spittle from his mouth, he picks up the coin and turns it—watching how it catches the lantern's light—before he hears another groan from a little away from him.
"What the fuck happened?" a voice that he knows oh to well says and he turns to where it's come from to see Ferre sitting with his back against a tree, nursing his head with a strained look. "Evbo? Do you-"
Evbo winces in sympathy as he watches Ferre start to hack up as well and spit something into his hand, grimacing a little at how wet it sounds as he spits up the same coin—he assumes so at least—onto the floor.
Ferre looks worse for wear after that, from what Evbo can see, and seems oddly paler then usual as he struggles to get up before tumbling forward onto the ground with a thud.
It makes him rub the back of his neck as he attempts to get up, using a tree beside him to help him up as his legs shake.
"Dude," he croaks as he looks around the area slowly. "Do you remember what happened?"
He watches as Ferre pushes himself into a more comfortable position—definitely not risking to get up after what happened—and tilts his head up to the sky, making Evbo follow his gaze as well, as he sucks in breath after breath.
The silence is deafening and Evbo realizes for the very first time how oddly…quiet it is.
Even the wind is just a hush, softened whisper between them.
It makes him lick the inside of his mouth.
He taps his foot on the ground a few times as he lets Ferre just have a moment to orientate himself and to give himself something to do as his mind goes to fast for him to keep up, every single one of his thoughts jumping from one worse possible conclusion to another terrible one as he flicks his eyes around the area.
The blond recognizes some of the area he's in and it makes him shuffle in place, a quiet shiver racing down his spine as he stares at the sky above and watches how the stars shine in the sky back at him.
One of them blinks back as he stares at it fiercely and his eyes start to water the more he looks at it, recalling that it's called Algol.
A memory floods back to him of Minute describing the meaning of the star and how it's found in the Perseus constellation to represent the severed head of Medusa, a monster—from what the voidling told him in those late night's they spent together, when Evbo struggled too much to sleep and Minute just cycling around the area's he was in—that the great hero slayed and Evbo found himself entranced by the story the other spun for him.
But right now, right here, it feels more like a eye boring down on him, scrutinizing his every move and thought as it looks at him.
It makes him feel small.
With a cough he turns his gaze to stares back to Ferre as the other is quietly sitting on the ground and breathing.
His breathing short and strained, pained, but Evbo just bites his lip and looks away from him again.
He knows how Ferre gets over any type of worry given to him—he doesn't feel like having a argument with him on the fact he's definitely hurt with the way he's acting since he knows the other will just, out of sheer spite, stand up to prove he's fine and then tumble down again.
He rubs at his eyes and shakes his head.
"I don't," those words make Evbo flinch, forgetting the fact he did ask him a question beforehand, as they're said. "I've been trying to think about beforehand but I…just can't recall it, at all."
It makes the blond bite the inside of his cheek.
"Same here," He watches as Ferre slowly lifts his head towards him. "Dead set only remember last night and then nothing else—which is weird, because I swear I did some stuff today? Yesterday?"
"Maybe we shouldn't question those logistics yet—We'll talk about this after we just…we'll figure it out—I'll figure something out," Ferre sighs as he shifts in place, placing a hand flat against the ground as the blond watches him.. "I'm…going to need some help getting up."
Evbo blinks that.
He doesn't ever remember Ferre asking for help beforehand.
"Yeah," He rubs the back of his neck as he goes to him, less shaky and more capable of walking, and kneels in front of him. "Tell me when your ready man."
"You're kinda heavy man," Evbo whines—yeah he'll admit that he's whining this time—as they walk. "Dude, whats under that hoodie of yours?"
His legs are still a bit shaky but he feels a bit better then before…even if he has to lug around Ferre since the man keeps falling every five seconds he lets him go.
It's kinda sad really.
"More muscular then you'll ever be," the other grunts to him and that makes Evbo huff. "I can walk now anyway—"
"-Nah, the second I let you go we both know you'll be falling onto the floor like a pancake," he ignores the glare the diamond sword gives him as follows the lanterns that lead to the walls of the little…grove? "and I don't feel like picking you up for like the, what, fourth time?"
He thinks he can call this place a grove with how it…looks? He's not sure—this place throws him off so heavily and he can't put his finger onto why.
Just knows that its weirdly, strangely familiar to him.
"You fine?" Evbo blinks at those words, seeing the other man's looking at him with a unreadable expression on his face. "You seem a bit…off kilter."
He opens his to say he isn't but he just snaps it shut, looking away from Ferre as they stop in their walk.
His eyes glide over the lantern's gently swaying in the wind, seeing their golden light paint the tree branches in warm light.
The blond also sees the stone wall behind them, sees how it stands tall and proud as the shadows of the branches dance against it.
He…doesn't want to admit that he recognizes this place.
Even if he hasn't been here in so long he'd know this place anywhere—it's something that has settled deeply into his bones then any other floor he's been on.
"It's strange that there's lanterns strung up around here," he appreciates the topic being dropped as Ferre pushes at him to go forward and he does so, huffing a little bit as he does so.
"Can't really comment on that when we've both just suddenly woke up here," Evbo drawls out and his lips quirk slightly at hearing the man huff beside him, getting a pointed look. "But yeah, weird as hell to have this so well lit…though I ain't gonna complain or you—"
"-us-"
"—nope! Just you man! You would be stumbling around and smacking into every single tree if the lanterns weren't here," he lets out a small snickers as the man grumbles at him. "What? With how your leaning against me I don't think you'd be in good shape to even take me on and I suck compared to you."
It's silent for a few more minutes as they keep walking.
The air is filled with a strange, odd tension after those words and Evbo doesn't know what else to say to fill it.
…He wishes Minute or Wemmbu was here, they'd know the right way to talk to—to this guy then he does.
He doesn't even fight Ferre when he pushes himself away this time, just mutters that he's here if he needs it, before the other is moving on ahead of him. The blond can see how his leg's shake but the man is stubborn as a mule as he forces himself to walk properly and Evbo just…wishes.
For something.
Maybe the right words to make Ferre happy.
He sighs and rubs the back of his neck as he follows the man.
His gaze drags over the area they're in and he finds his lips twisting at what he sees, his eyes landing on a something in the distance that it makes him pause as he squints at it. It's far enough away that it doesn't perfectly catch the light of the lantern's around the area but the appearance of it catches his attention, his eyes slightly widening at it.
It's a small rope swing.
Hanging from a tree branch and swaying in the cool wind.
He takes a few steps closer to it before his feet are stopped by knocking something over, something that makes a small thud, and he turns his gaze downwards. The blond blinks a few times as he stares at a small, wooden soldier doll on the ground with tiny, dark eyes staring back at him.
His head pounds as he goes to pick it up and wipes away the dirt from it, gently turning it over in his hands as he thinks that it shouldn't be here.
The swing, the doll and the lanterns—they shouldn't be here at all if this is the place he thinks—knows its is.
He should…he should tell Ferre—maybe he'll make more sense of this place? Yeah, he'll tell him and then maybe they can find the door to the upper levels of here—
"Fuck," that snaps him back into awareness as he hears the diamond sword curse up a storm ahead of him, seeing the man has fallen to the ground after tripping over.
"You good?" he drops the doll, hearing it smash into the ground, as he rushes to where Ferre is and kneels on the ground to help him up. "Dude, let me help you—"
"I'm fine," Evbo flinches at the pure venom in the man's tone. "Just let me—"
He watches as Ferre pushes himself up from the ground before smacking into the dirt once again with his entire body shaking, biting his lip as the man wheezes out before trying again and failing once again. It's a painful thing to watch but he just let's the diamond sword continue until he's huffing and puffing from the strain, his body finally giving in to lay on the floor.
It's an awkward few minutes if them sitting like that, Evbo just staring at his hands while he listens to Ferre mutter and curse to himself.
"Can you…" He turns to look at the man. "Help me?"
Evbo can't help but think how Ferre wants to pull his teeth out for saying those words but he just smiles at him, hesitant, as he helps to pull the other into a sitting position.
"'Course dude," it takes him a few moment to help Ferre wring his arm around his shoulders. "Count of three?"
"Yeah," the man mutters. "Ready whenever."
He's tempted to say something here—a joke on Ferre falling for him perhaps, saying he's got two left feet with how he fell earlier—but he holds his tongue and just offers him a smile.
Ferre doesn't even look at him.
Expected but that…does hurt.
He just sighs softly and shakes his head.
It takes them a few tries—mostly for the fact that Ferre seems weaker then beforehand—before they manage to stand up together and Evbo readjusts himself to hold onto Ferre better, making sure to wrap a hand around his hip to secure him, before they walk to where the end of the lanterns have to be.
"There's a lot of toys around the area," the words are so soft that Evbo barely hears them.
He makes a soft noise of agreement.
"We're on the lower level of the civilization," that makes him actually flinch, surprise clear on his face as he turns to stare at Ferre since he didn't…think the man realized it yet.
He should've known better.
"Yeah," he just nods. "We are."
What else can he say here?
"Must've been a lot of little ones around the area," he just hums along at that as Ferre goes on, his voice getting steadier the more he speaks. "Think I've only seen one or two around a few times they've been let out on the Diamond level, too dangerous y'know?"
The man chuckles a little at his own words.
"Must be a hell of lot at this level though since it isn't as bad here unlike the rest of the area."
Isn't as bad here, the words ring through Evbo's mind the minute Ferre says them. A bitter taste fills his mouth as he opens it up, wanting to say something to the other on that fact…
"Yeah, safer." is what he mutters instead. "Safest place in the entire world down here."
There's no point in saying anything against his words—Minute might be the only one that gets it in the end.
"Can just imagine you as a kid now," the man hums softly as he pats Evbo on the back. "Bet you were a menace to the other ones."
The blond doesn't say anything towards that as his mouth sets into a thin line.
"Real menace to Tabi," he huffs as he drags them forward again, lending less of his support to Ferre now since the man seems to have perked up a bit. "Don't know how she put of with me most of the time when we were both here—anyway, how'd you figure out that were on the bottom level here?"
It's been eating him up since Ferre mentioned it because—how did he know? It took Evbo a bit of time to realize where he was and he lived here for a good bit of his life…
He watches, slowing down a bit more, as Ferre hums and rubs at his chin.
It makes Evbo want to ask again.
"I guessed," He blinks at those words.
"You guessed?"
"Yep," the expression on his face must be hilarious with how the practically cackles at the horror that's surely on his face. "Oh, you also seemed oddly familiar with the place and I went off that pretty much."
"…dude, you scare me sometimes," he finally says after a few moments. "You had that little to go off and you—you got all of that and just literally winged by telling me you guessed it…"
It's genuinely one of the most ridiculous things he's heard of in his entire life!
He can't but laugh at that, genuine full belly laughter at Ferre's…ridiculousness.
"Should've seen Minute last time when I told him that whoever he's seeing late at night ain't worth the hassle," the other shakes his head a little. "I saw that guy trip over his own feet from exhaustion so many times and try to hide it."
Oh.
That makes Evbo's laughter die down a bit the minute he says that.
"Who's he seeing?" his voice is more subdued as he says it.
"Dunno," the man shrugs. "Tried to haggle the information out of him or even hints on who but all I got was 'shouldn't you be asking about more important things?' or even a 'if I tell you then they'll never talk to me again' which, in all honesty, is kind of a ass move if they did that."
"Definitely," he agrees and he can't help the warmth in his chest at hearing that. "Gotta say, Minute is sure stubborn to keep his mouth shut on the mystery person."
Ferre scoffs.
"Man could undergo the worse of torture and keep his mouth shut all right," the other shakes his head.
"I hope not," Evbo softly mutters as he moves forward. "Minute is a good guy and—I wouldn't like to see him hurt."
He ignores Ferre's eyes on him as the man starts to walk with him again, easier and less stagnate, and tries to focus on getting to the upper floors.
"Yeah, he's a good guy." the other agrees as he slips himself away from Evbo's arms now, walking a bit better on his own. "I think I see something in front of us now—I think it's stairs?"
He snaps his gaze towards where the man said and his eyes brighten, his feet picking up pace as he leaves Ferre to catch up to him.
Maybe there luck is finally looking up.
"Try not to fall down the stairs when we get there Ferre," he snickers a bit. "Kinda don't want to haul your heavy butt up them if you do slip."
The expression on the man's face has him cackling at the aggravation on it when he turns his head back to look at him.
"You bitch!" he takes off into a sprint towards the stairs as the diamond sword chases him down. "When I get my hands on you I'm going to make your training twenty times worse!"
"Be careful! You could fall again Ferre!"
"Well, this kinda sucks."
"Sucks is putting it lightly," Evbo rolls his eyes at the man's tone as he helps him push away some more rubble. "Just our fucking luck to find the door completely in ruins—how the fuck could that have happened?"
The blond just shrugs as he tosses another bit of stone behind his back.
"It could be worse!"
"…" the man just looks at him.
Evbo is suddenly fascinated with the very interesting and totally not a distraction piece of stone, its a really cool stone in his eyes.
Totally not trying to distract himself from the fact that Ferre looks ready to murder him because of his words.
Totally not.
"…look, I'm trying here." the blond yelps as a piece of rubble is tossed at him. "HEY! WATCH WHERE YOUR THROWING THAT!"
"Why would you say that? You're going to curse us with even worse luck now!" The man is practically hissing at him as he grabs another bit of stone. "Use your brain for once—is it that really hard to ask of you? We've been at this wall for almost an hour Evbo and that's all you have to say?"
Those words have him bristling.
He's trying his best—he really is!—but what else can he say then oh this sucks, this is the worse, blah blah blah like what Ferre's been doing for the entire time! He's trying to stay positive because what else can he do but this? Complain? All he wants to do is try to find a way to the top level just like Ferre and—and he doesn't know but it sure beats being here right now!
He barely misses the stone being thrown at him before he stumbles away from Ferre,
"It was a joke-I'M GOING FOR A WALK!" he shouts at the man cursing man. "WHEN YOU COOL DOWN I'M BACK!"
Evbo turns on his heels away from him and runs a hand through his hair, his expression melting into tiredness as he walks along the stone walkway that encircles the lowest part of PVP civilization. His footsteps softly echoing softly as he walks further along, ignoring the stairs down to the forest, and kicks a stray stone on the floor. The pale glow of the lanterns above him bathing him in warm light as he continues on in his walk, his hands clenched to his sides and his teeth gritted as he walks faster.
"Stupid Ferre," he hisses underneath his breath. "Stupid Ferre, stupid Ferre calling me stupid—I'm not stupid!"
He genuinely, wholeheartedly wishes that he had anyone but freaking Ferre here since he's just…a jerk.
Heck, he'd even prefer Zam here then Ferre!
The blond sighs as he leans slows his walk down a bit more and breathes in deeply as he strides to the edge of the walkway.
"Maybe not that far," he mumbles as he leans onto the railing at the edge. "Ferre isn't that bad…a little."
The man is hard to understand and he doubts he'll ever be able to understand him in all honesty, always such a confusing mix of nastiness and morality bundled together that Evbo never knows where he stands with him.
Doesn't know when the man considers him a kid at times or when he starts to consider him as a solider and it's just—it's hard, he doesn't know how to word it any other way because Ferre tries in some ways to be friendly with him and then…
He looks over the grove with another sigh.
Maybe he should focus on something else…like how many freaking trees there are here—its so weird? He doesn't remember there ever being that many trees—maybe just one giant tree? It feels like so long since he last thought of that place that he can barely remember what it looks like…its like a distorted memory, something he can barely grasp no matter how hard he tries to do so.
It lets his eyes run over the trees distractedly.
It's pretty, at least.
Almost as pretty as that painting that Wemmbu has in his room—he remembers almost knocking it clean off the wall and the shrill yell he earned from Wemmbu for it, heck he can still feel the ringing in his ears—of a little grove like this, painted in warm colours and with a little house hidden away near a white tree.
He straightens himself up a bit.
The tree had…no leaves from what he remembers and the house had a small chimney near it, little clouds of smoke puffing from it in the painting…
He squints as he stares into the distance before he…he realize that he does, in fact, see something in the distance.
Just barely making out…smoke coming from a chimney, just barely visible from where he is if he wasn't looking closely.
He must've been staring at that for a good long while because he hardly noticed when Ferre slots in beside him.
His hands shake as he snaps his gaze towards the other man and his mouth opens before it closes shut, unsure what to say, as he turns back to the…it has to be a house, a house in the distance.
"What did you find kid?" the man's gruff voice is soft. "All I see are trees and well, more trees."
Evbo licks the inside of his mouth, swallowing dryly as he looks away from the house to look at the other. He's almost half-tempted to say nothing and let the man ask him again but he shakes his head against that internally, he may be still upset at Ferre for his words and how he acted but there's no point in pushing it.
Especially when he may have found something that could help them.
He hopes so at least.
"I think I see a house," he starts, slowly saying the words as if he doesn't believe them himself. "In the distance over-over there!"
He points at it.
The other man doesn't say anything and just leans forward, his mouth set in a grim line, as the blond anxiously waits.
"There's no lanterns," Ferre hums and Evbo follows his gaze downwards. "You'd think that if that's someone's home they'd have some leading to it but…"
His eyes look over the expanse of the grove and sees that there are patches of light that sprinkle in through the trees, his eyes gliding over each space, before he realizes that theirs not even a hint of light near the area where the house would be….nothing at all.
"…they don't," he finishes for him. "They don't…there's…no light at all and you'd…you'd have light—you should have light leading to it unless you don't…want anyone else to find it."
He sees the man from the corner of his eye nod his head in approval.
"What could they be hiding now?" Evbo asks as he looks at Ferre. "This level doesn't have anything to hide—"
"—unless they're hiding something away," the man interrupts. "Something important enough to be hidden away so no one could get to it…"
The blond has a sudden, unsettling realization sink into his mind.
"Enough so that they would…destroy the only way in or out of here…" he trails off and he sees the other stare at him. "To make sure that no one can get in…"
The silence stretches between them.
"…we need to take a look at that house I think," Ferre mutters and Evbo nods along with it. "Whatever or whoever is there might be able to help us."
The blond just makes a noise of agreement and follows the man when he takes off into a brisk walk, his mind racing through a million thoughts as he tries to think on what or who could be contained here.
"What if they don't?" He questions quietly to himself.
"Then we'll make them," Ferre answers back, his voice strong, as he glances back at Evbo. "They don't have a choice."
Those words make the blond's stomach drop but he still nods in agreement, almost sighing in relief when the other looks away from him again.
But that doesn't stop his worrying over this entire situation…
None of this make sense to him.
Why would someone block this level off with no possibility of leaving—unless there is one?
He eyes the rubble one last time before shaking his head and follows Ferre down the stairs.
The man hums as he pushes open the heavy stone door with his shoulder, grunting as he does so, and grits his teeth as he wedges his foot against a stone slab to give himself better traction.
It's always such a pain to move it.
Always so much easier getting into here then getting out of here in the end.
He pauses for a moment, pulling back, and rolls his shoulders a bit before he tries again at a different angle.
It takes a few moments but eventually he hears it start to move, hears the sound of stone upon stone grind together as he keeps pushing it. Sweat building on his brow as he finally manages to see it open up, sees a small flicker of warm light bleed inside the room he's in and there he finds his chance to slide his shoulder along the area until he's a breath away from the little opening.
He takes a deep breath in before giving one more push before he pulls himself through the opening and then lets the door slam shut behind him as he wipes at his face underneath his mask, cracking his neck as he looks around the area.
The man tilts his head a little at the scattered rubble on the ground.
He blinks slowly, carefully, as he takes a few steps forward towards the rubble and kneels down to pick it up.
The man sees footprints—two pairs of footprints on the dusty ground, a curious sound leaves his throat as he run a gloved finger over one of them. He notices that one pair—booted from what he can tell—seems to follow the other one towards the walkway and then come back towards the stairs.
His lips thin as he gets up.
He trails the footprints until he finds himself where they stop and finds them facing the grove…he stares at it for a few minutes, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness and sparse light that dwells in it, before he sees smoke in the distance.
His hands rest on the banister for a few minutes as he stares at that, his thoughts prowling around the options in his mind, before he turns on his heel and heads towards the stairs into the grove.
It seems like he'll need to sort a issue out then over the guests that have made there…appearance here now.
It's only polite that he greets them now.
His hand trails towards his ax attached to his side, a grim delight worming its way into his being at the taste of blood again.
A smile even graces his lips for the briefest of moments as he strides down the stairs and into the darkened edge of the grove, his footsteps featherlight on the ground, as his dark eyes adjust to the darkness.
He hums softly, a old song on his lips, as he walks into the darkness.