PNPC Lieutenant JG Wyla Avae - Twibble Quest: The Search For The Spine, Part II

[Serala]

This is a continuation of a sim by @Toryn Raga that I previously posted here, and it just gets better and better.

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(( Shattered Halls of Cata Maran ))

The darkness was utterly oppressive around them as Wyla and her small troupe of twibbles progressed away from the isolated room they’d found her in. It felt like hours, but as she thought about it, there was little here that made it easy to tell the passage of time. 

And she’d been distracted by the soft fur of the lion beneath her while the other twibbles flanked them. Thankfully the hallways were wide enough for all of them to walk side by side. Swibble and Ribble had spent much of the journey so far nudging each other and taking turns teasing or one upping one another while the cute bird on Ribble’s back just stared at them like a guardian that had long since tired of their foolishness. They were to her left. 

Pwibble was just ahead of Twibble and her. While Libble and Kwibble flanked her on the right. She noted that all of them seemed to be uneasy, despite their lighthearted natures, particularly when they passed through chambers large enough for the light emanating from her medallion to not completely illuminate the space. And she couldn’t blame them, in those chambers she could see the defined borders where the shadows pressed against the light. Like greedy hands trying to push through a wall or paper mache. 

The corridor they were currently in opened up to another of those large chambers and she gripped the fur of Twibble’s mane a bit tighter. 

Whispers echoed throughout this chamber and made her shiver slightly. 

Separating the ventral and dorsal roots.
Heart rate and respiration remain within acceptable parameters.

She felt an ache in her back then and a soft whimper escaped the paralyzed Antosian clinging to the lion’s back. The whimper drew the attention of the others who moved closer and place a hand on her legs or arms and gave her reassuring looks. 

Libble: It’s alright Wyla. This is part of the journey! And we’ll do everything we can to protect you. ::She said reassuringly:: 

She smiled and nodded at Libble and then they pushed forward. The chamber made her uneasy, aside from the whispers an occasional spark burst from a wall or ceiling beyond the bubble of light she made, that let her see the surfaces. A mix of panels, bulkheads and loose optical cable but all stone. 

Separation complete. ::beat:: Doctor Solok, go ahead and sever the brainstem. 

Wyla gasped from the tug she felt to her back but when she looked behind or reached behind to rub her back she couldn’t feel anything different. 

A faint glow ahead looked to come from another corridor up a few meters ahead. And she felt a little better. 

Brainstem is severed.

Placing the Cerebral Cortex on life support now. Primary brain dysfunction in four hours. Vitals holding within normal parameters. 

Avae: H..how long until we reach the artifact?

Pibble: Well, uh, no one knows! We know where it is, we just don’t know when we’ll find it. 

That didn’t make her feel any better. 

Making the incision. 

The whispers returned but this time there was a lingering echo that was unlike the others. These were malevolent. 

The shadows pressed more aggressively against the light she emanated and a low growl rumbled from Twibble. The troupe all stopped and she realized why. The light from the next corridor wasn’t visible anymore. The twibbles all spread out from around them, each either drawing their weapons or taking up defensive postures. 

Wyla whimpered. 

Avae: What’s wrong? 

Twibble: The daarkness doesn’t want us to progress. Hold tight, Wyla. 

All around them the shadows pushed, hammered, pierced the light until several passed through the border. Burning and trailing smoke as if in pain from the light of her medallion, but they charged at her. Shrieking at her. Wyla gasped as one of the shadows got within a few feet of her before a lion’s claw slashed it asunder. 

Avae: My face….wh…why did it have my face? 

She asked, shaken from the sight of a barely humanoid form, with her visage but twisted and terrifying. 

Twibble: They’re trying to snuff your light Wylaa, don’t let theem get to you. 

Ribble: Back, ye foul monsters! 

Ribble cried out punching and kicking shadows that passed within reach of him while Sylara bit or clawed at shadows that attempted to descend on them from above. 

What started as a handful of shadows soon swelled to dozens and the Antosian gripped the mane she held onto and tried to make herself as small as possible while the melee went on around her.

Swibble cleaved several shadows with her blade like a whirling dervish.

Libble had her medkit out using it to block or smack the passing shadows, between moments of calling on its powers to mend the wounds her fellow twibbles sustained. A shadow clipped Ribble, which sent clouds of stuffing onto the ground. But soon after the wound mended from a glowing light from Libble’s medkit. 

Kwibble held an ancient looking sword that she had told Wyla was called a Chon Blade. Apparently it had, at one time, been able to open magical portals to allow instant travel across great distances, but the magic had long faded and only worked in specific shrines. It sliced through shades easily enough. 

Pwibble fought back against the shades both with the tiny runabout that flew around as his command, firing little beams of light, small orbs of orange that burst in minute puffs of magical power and even rammed shades on occasion. And by fighting similarly to Ribble, punching and kicking with skill or with the handheld anchor that they wielded. 

 Wyla felt helpless as her brave twibble guardians fought all around her and held tightly onto the lion beneath her that slashed and bit and roared. 

Then she felt the abrupt cold chill on her body. She gasped from the sensation and shivered. Her head snapped to her side and she stared into the face of a shade. Her face. It shrieked and she felt life slowly drain out of her body. The light of her medallion flickered all around them. 

Blood pressure seems to be falling, Doctors. Slowly, steadily – but falling.

The lion roared and a hoot sounded above her before Sylara swooped down and clawed the shade off her. Another pair managed to grab her, making her cry out in a whimper of pain and sorrow before both were destroyed or knocked away from her.

Administer the Leporazine. Fifteen ccs.

Twibble hissed at the shades like a hypospray and several began to fall. The battle raged for minutes? Hours? Eventually, no more shades breached the light bubble, which was a little smaller than before. Each twibble seemed out of breath, even Libble, who took a moment to go around to each and heal them before healing herself. After Wyla was mended of course. 

Avae: I..I’m alright, Libble. Thank you. 

Libble: Of course! You’ll get through this, just hang on a bit longer okay!?

She could only nod and lay against the lion’s mane as the troupe headed into the next corridor after a brief rest. A final whisper, unheard by Wyla or the others, sounded from the chamber behind them as they left. 

oO Please stay with me. Oo 

 

To be continued….

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Lieutenant JG Wyla Avae

Chief Nurse
Keeper of Twibbles

as unconsciously simmed by 

Lieutenant Commander Toryn Raga 

Second Officer/Chief Tactical & Security Officer

USS Astraeus NCC-70652

Astraeus Staff Member

Writer ID: A239410TR0

https://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Toryn_Raga