Author's Note: Laaaaate update but still an improvement compared to last time, right? XD I swear I will finish this story ...someday.
And thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews :D
Summary: Roxas and co. are stuck in some kind of virtual levelling game. Namine seems to have some control of it (but is not the creator) and planted a bug which activated ever since Roxas, the thirteenth subject, entered. If Roxas' life is endangered by one of the levels, this bug activates and crashes the level (but only after Roxas has been damaged). This is all figured out by Zexion and Marluxia, who both seem to know more than they let on. Once a level crashes a voice randomly spills out 8 letters. Finding out what word these letters are supposed to form could help them crash the entire system.
Remember?
On to level 10!
Abyss Game
Chapter 8 – Staircase to the Deep
He was drowning in darkness.
It seemed like a thick blanket of air was pressing down on him, yet there was no air to breathe in.
Suffocating.
Dark.
"Let me out!"
He wanted to yell, wanted to sound angry. But it wasn't even a whisper. Nobody could hear him.
Alone.
All alone.
"Let me out!"
Too dark. Can't breathe.
Too cold.
Too hot.
"Let me leave!"
His eyes wouldn't open. Sweat made his clothes stick to his skin.
Tired.
So tired.
"Please let me leave!"
Despair. Fear.
"Please!"
Why couldn't it just end? Better no life than this life...
"Please... please..."
"Axel, wake up!" Roxas yelled as he shook Axel. The redhead was obviously having a nightmare. He was covered in sweat and murmuring pleads.
After some more thrashing, the redhead slowly opened his eyes. "...Roxas?" He looked around the room blearily. A pair of worried eyes stared down on him.
"...Are you okay?" Roxas asked quietly. He wasn't used to seeing Axel look so... fragile. Though the blonde knew very well that the grin that seemed to have been permanently imprinted on Axel's face wasn't always genuine, he wasn't sure how to react to this sudden change.
The change didn't last long though. As recognition rose in Axel's eyes part of the mask slipped back in place. "Yeah, I'm fine," Axel responded. "Just a nightmare. What time is it?"
Roxas decided to let the obvious change of topic slide for the moment. "...Almost 7 a.m."
"Alrighty, I'll go take a quick shower. See you at breakfast, Roxie!" Axel cheerily responded. He made a move to leave the bed but Roxas grabbed his arm. "Yes, Rox?"
"..."
No response.
"...Roxas?"
"Don't. Do. That," Roxas said slowly as if speaking to a child. "Don't pretend you're fine. You were begging." He couldn't stop himself from emphasizing it. "If you don't want to tell me what you dreamt about then that's fine. I won't ask." His eyes softened slightly. "But I know that putting on a fake smile only makes a person feel more miserable on the inside."
They stared silently at each other for a while until Axel nodded curtly. "Okay."
"Okay." Roxas let go of the redhead's arm.
Definitely not the best way to start a day.
After a relatively calm breakfast –Zexion had somehow managed to burn water- everyone was getting ready for a new level. After a brief discussion everyone agreed that, considering they were almost at level 10, they should divide into two groups of 3.
"If we fail this level now, then we'll drop back to level 5," Zexion commented. "But if we finish this level then we'll be remain at level 10 even if we lose the next."
"So it's like a new safe point?" Roxas asked. It all sounded like some kind of videogame.
Zexion nodded. "When we are challenging level 10 to 15 then we'll revert back to level 10 if we lose."
"But," Larxene cut in, "If you lose two times in a row, you'll get kicked back to level 5. So don't start getting too comfy."
Roxas nodded. He knew she didn't think much of him –or anyone beside Marluxia- but Larxene was one woman he didn't feel like crossing. Though he wondered how much of her bite was an act. But he decided to just change the topic. "So who will go with who?"
Axel looked at Roxas. Demyx and Zexion looked at each other and so did Larxene and Marluxia. One team had to broken up and none of them felt like being that team. But they had to. Three people had more chances of winning a level than two and they needed to win this one.
After a second or two, Larxene made a vague wave with her hand and walked over to Axel and Roxas. "I'll go with these two fruitcakes." She said with a sneer at Axel. "At least one person will be capable of heavy lifting this way, eh? Toothpick."
"Haha," Axel mocked back, "I guess someone is jealous of my trained, lean body."
With the two teams chosen and willing (if you ignored the volley of insults raining between two certain people), they all set out to level 10.
And Roxas? He wished he had joined Demyx and Zexion.
Roxas, Axel and Larxene found themselves standing on top of a huge spiral stairs inside a large dome. The stairs spiralled around a large, see-through pillar made of glass and filled with water. The entire pillar had the occasional shallow crack on the surface here and there. Which already wouldn't have been comforting if the pillar had only been filled with water. But no, it had more.
"...Is that a serpent?" Roxas asked in wonder, his mouth slightly askew.
"Looks like it," Larxene responded casually. She didn't seem very impressed.
Neither did Axel. "You know, this reminds me, I haven't eaten fish in a while." He swept a loose hair of his brow. "Or chocolate, or pizza ...Man, I'm going be happy when we get to the next Restroom!" His green eyes grew distant as he remembered all the types of food he would be able to taste again.
"Hmmm", Larxene seemed to have joined Axel in his dream world.
Roxas was happy those two had finally found something to agree on. And a part of him was wondering whether they has sea-salt ice cream up there. But a bigger part of him was worried about the serpent though. The big serpent. The huge serpent. The you-guys-shouldn't-talk-about-food-but-freak-out-about-how-big-it-is serpent. You know, the one with the length of a bloody bus! But no, they were talking about cupcakes now! So he heaved a sigh, gave those cracks another suspicious look and took a few steps down the stairs. Axel and Larxene soon followed.
They were half-way down the stairs when a glimmer caught Roxas' eye. The key. Inside the water. The one with a bus-sized serpent swimming it.
The trio all let out a groan at the same time.
"So..." Roxas muttered. "Now what?" He wasn't sure he wanted an answer though. The key moved as he talked. It was stuck in a loop, a current in the water made the key travel in circles near the glass. Seemingly in reach yet out of reach because of the wall of glass.
"Well," Axel responded, "It is covered in cracks. And you," He gave Larxene a pointed look, "Did say something about 'doing the heavy lifting' for us?"
Larxene gave Axel a brief glare, looked at the pillar and went back to glaring at Axel. "You gonna make a lady do all the work?"
"A lady? No." Too easy. "You? Hell yeah."
Roxas stepped in before they entered another argument. "Am I the only worrying about the snake-thing?" The cracks could be easily used to break the glass and get to the key. ...But that would free the snake too. Even a small opening would quickly widen and yield under the pressure of the water.
"This is a big room, sunshine" Axel explained. "Even if all the water leaks out and fills the room, we will still be far above the water if we climb back up the stairs." He put one of his hand on the glass. "We break the glass when the key circles near us and grab it. They we hurry back up the stairs." He grinned, proud of his plan.
"And the keyhole, smartass?" Larxene snapped.
Okay, the plan might still have some flaws in it.
"...Let's just get the key and worry about that later." Axel snapped back.
"Shouldn't we-" Roxas started, but Larxene had already smashed in the glass and grabbed the key. And with a simple "Well, start running" from Larxene, they ran back up the stairs. In a few seconds the cracks all over the pillar broke and water came crashing out. But they reached the top without too much trouble (not counting the wet shoes and heart attacks on Axel and Roxas' part.)
"..." Roxas felt like making a snappy remark at Axel but waited for Larxene. She was a lot better at it than him anyway.
"So 'we'll be far above the water', you pyro-worthless-anorexic IDIOT!" Larxene almost shrieked.
Maybe not that much better. Really, Roxas could've thought of those insults himself.
Axel shifted a little, "It depends on how you look at it..."
"What part of 'the water is two steps from touching our feet' is not clear!" Larxene snapped. Her glare couldn't get much darker.
Axel shifted some more. "There's always more water in stuff than you think?" Seems it could get darker. "...Still, the water will be too shallow near the stairs for that snakey to get near us." He was obviously trying to find the bright side.
This however only ticked Larxene off more. Because A: she didn't want to see a bright side. And B: he was wrong. Dead wrong.
"We're on a spiral staircase, you moron!" Larxene rebuked. "It can get to us from the freakin' side!"
Axel found himself without an answer in the face of such logic and decided to walk the cowardly path and change the subject. "So Roxas, what were you going to say before someone suddenly decided to break the glass?" He asked sweetly.
"Don't even try to point the blame on me, toothpick!" Larxene answered to Axel's remark. But said redhead just waved his hand at her and looked at Roxas. The coward, she thought darkly. I should have gone with emo and peppy.
"Ehm.." Roxas wasn't sure he should interrupt Larxene when she obviously still happy with throwing accusations at Axel. And the guy did kind of deserve them. But so did she and he wanted to leave this level sometime soon, so he just answered. "I was going to say 'let's look for the keyhole before we break the glass'."
"Ha! See? All youuuur fault," Axel pointed accusingly at Larxene.
"Oh yeah?" Larxene challenged, getting ready for another fight.
Enough. That's it, Roxas thought. I have had it with these two. "It's BOTH your faults! So will you two shut up and think already! I don't want to become fish food just because you two can't admit your mistakes and get on with it!" He half-yelled. Wasn't he supposed to be the immature teenager instead of these two?
"..."
"..."
Two pairs of widened eyes stared at the little blonde for a second. Axel briefly thought about commenting that 'he liked them feisty' but decided Roxas wasn't in the mood to hear such a comment. Quite frankly, the squirt looked ready to do some damage. So he nodded and gave an apologetic grin. Larxene just hmmped and looked to the side but that was the closest to an apology she would get anyway.
That still left them with a dome full of water, a serpent and the search for a certain keyhole.
"Okay. Let's get one thing straight first," Axel said and turned to Roxas. "No crashing the level on purpose to get us out." In other words, no putting yourself in harm's way on purpose was what the redhead meant to say. Like you did last time, he thought. He was still a little upset about that.
Roxas just nodded meekly. Getting stabbed was one thing, but being eaten by a serpent wasn't high on his wish list.
"It has been pretty quiet though," Larxene commented. She paused for a moment and continued, "I just jinxed it, didn't I?" She eyed the water.
But nothing happened. It seemed the creature wasn't going to attack out of the blue; it had stay silent throughout their arguments. But that didn't mean it would stay docile when the trio would enter the water.
"These levels always go for the worst case scenario's, right?" Axel commented with a sigh. "So the keyhole will probably be at the bottom." Under the serpent-filled water was left unsaid.
Roxas heaved a sigh as well. "At least the water is clear." You could practically see right down to the bottom, but the staircase they were standing on wasn't a good vantage point. They would have to go underwater for at least a second to get a good view. Any volunteers? He thought bitterly.
"I'll go take a look," Larxene said suddenly. Her bravery startled Roxas. She had already rolled up her sleeves and was starting to take off her shoes, but Axel stopped her.
"Keep them on," Axel said. "It's annoying to swim with them, but they'll give your feet some protection if snakey gets mean." He gave the water a withering look. "Just go under for a few seconds to see if you can find the key. Don't move too much. If snakey makes even one glance in your direction, then get back up immediately." He paused for a moment to think. "You know what? Just get your hands above the water and we'll drag you back in. That's faster."
"Axel, are sure this a good id-" Roxas started but Axel silenced him by resting a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll take turns, Larx." Axel was all business now. He turned to the shorter blonde. "Roxas, you still have that cut on your arm. That'll affect your speed." He offered a small smile. "So just keep both your eyes on our Lochness monster, okay?"
Roxas wanted to object but Axel had a point. Besides, he wasn't the fastest swimmer and his shortness didn't help much either. Axel and Larxene faced these situations without a shimmer of fear. It made Roxas feel a little incompetent, but he had only been here for a few days. They had been stuck here for over two years. I will become stronger, braver. Roxas vowed this to himself as he nodded to Axel.
"All right," Axel nodded back. "Remember, Larx, just enter the water silently. Try to stay unnoticed for once in your life." Don't get hurt, witch.
"Look who's talking," Larxene replied. Don't worry about me, toothpick.
And with that she took a deep breath and slipped into the water.
They had taken several dives now but without results. Axel and Larxene were soaked to the bone and shivering slightly (the water was cold). And Roxas was getting nervous. So far the serpent hadn't attacked them outright. But its curiosity seemed to have been piqued. Especially when they swam close to where the pillar of glass had stood.
When Roxas mentioned this, Larxene and Axel agreed that the keyhole might be near there.
"The only place hidden from our sight is the rubble at the bottom of that pillar we broke," Larxene commented. Her hair was drooping slightly, but even the weight of the water couldn't completely ruin her hairdo.
Axel nodded, "It's the most likely place for the keyhole to be."
"But that would mean diving deeper," Roxas joined in. "And potentially getting that thing to attack us." He really didn't want them to become fish food.
"I know," Axel said. He furrowed his brows a little. "You said it pays attention to us when we swim near that spot, right?" Roxas nodded to him. "So let's swim to the bottom far away from the 'pillar-zone' and then close in once we're at the bottom."
"I guess that's the best solu-" Roxas stopped himself and with an alarmed look he asked, "Why do you keep saying 'we'?"
Axel shared a glance with Larxene who nodded. "If we go down further then there's a bigger chance it'll attack. So I'd prefer it if Larx and I both went in together. To back each other up." When Roxas didn't look particularly reassured, he patted the blonde on his head. "We'll be fine."
And so, Axel and Larxene slipped into the water and neared the bottom from the side. Roxas kept a close eye on the serpent but it didn't seem particularly interested. Not until the duo closed in on the rubble that is. Suddenly the serpent dived down as if to protect its territory. Axel and Larxene, busy with clearing the rubble, didn't seem to notice. Roxas, feeling helpless, slapped his hands on the water to give them some kind of warning signal, but he wasn't sure if they could hear it.
Just as Axel made victory sign to himself when he caught sight of the keyhole underneath the rubble, Larxene looked up and spotted the large creature gaining in on them. She grabbed Axel by the scruff of his neck and dove to the side.
It just missed them.
Larxene and Axel were swimming desperately up and to the side, trying to get to the surface yet out of the 'pillar-zone'. Maybe it would stop attacking them then.
But no such luck.
The creature made a bite at Larxene and this time Axel barely managed to shove her out of harm's way. The tussle went on and the duo was definitely on the losing side. No human could compete with a creature of the sea.
Above the water Roxas was furious at his own helplessness. He could dive in but what good would that do? He was too slow and would only become an added burden instead of a proper diversion. He couldn't crash the level easily either: that snake could snatch him up and kill him in one bite instead of only injuring Roxas. What can I do? What can I do! He wrecked his brain but couldn't find an answer. He had no weapon to use and barehanded he was useless. Roxas smashed his fists down on the stairs, unable to watch the serpent take another bite at what he had come to view as his friends. But the pain in his hands didn't relieve him. He was about to just dive in the water anyway so he could at least do something, but he was stopped by a strange sight.
The water surface had grown pale white, no longer see-through. It was a room. All white, even the few pieces of furniture were white. In the midst of it all was a little girl drawing. As she looked up Roxas remembered her. Namine!
"Namine! You have to help them!" Roxas pleaded her. The girl gave him a sad smile and held up two drawings.
She first pointed to the left one. It showed a long table with lots of chairs around it. But one chair had toppled over and was lying on the ground on its side. Not understanding its meaning, Roxas quickly looked to the picture on the right. It showed a sea of water with some rubble lying at the bottom. This level? Roxas briefly wondered.
Namine gave another smile which didn't quite reach her eyes and put down both drawings. Then she grabbed a grey pencil and redrew the pillar. But this time she left it open at the top. The open top was just a bit above the water-level. She held the previous drawing up to him again and drew 'XIII' on it in big strokes. Then the image disappeared and the water surface returned to normal.
Still processing everything for a second, Roxas didn't move. But then he noticed that the pillar had really returned. It was just like the level where he had been trapped underwater: her drawings could alters levels. No time for that, where are Axel and Larxene? Roxas reminded himself. He spotted them still trying to flee from the serpent. He had to get their attention and draw them into the pillar. The pillar stood out above the water a bit, but if they could get in then they could reach the keyhole. And stay out of the serpent's reach. So Roxas dived into the water, hoping the sound would draw their attention.
And it did.
But it also caught the snake's attention.
The look on Axel's face showed he wasn't too happy with Roxas' antics, but the latter just pointed at the pillar. Axel and Larxene quickly caught on after that. They hadn't even noticed its appearance, too busy with fending off the serpent.
Which was still there.
Its attention now locked onto Roxas and the blonde made a underwater sprint to the pillar. With its back turned to them, Axel and Larxene used this opportunity to try and injure the serpent's back. But they were running out of air to do much damage.
The serpent turned back when he felt something kicking his back but didn't spot anything. The duo had used this opportunity to quickly swim past it and towards Roxas and the pillar. Roxas, seeing them nearing him, grabbed the edge and pulled himself up. He figured he might as well just show them what to do and threw himself over the edge and into the safety of the pillar. Axel and Larxene soon followed and took a much needed breath of air along the way.
For a moment their moment of triumph was ruined as a shock rang through the pillar's walls. The serpent didn't seem willing to give up and banged at the pillar repeatedly.
The trio looked at each other and hurriedly swam down towards the keyhole. They wanted to hurry and get the hell out of there before the serpent might get the bright idea of jumping into the pillar with them.
At the bottom they all moved the last pieces of rubble out of the way and found the keyhole. Larxene quickly entered the key into it and the level ended.
As they left Roxas wondered if Marluxia or Zexion would understand the meaning of Namine's first drawing. Well, that and if the new restroom had proper hot showers. They all needed one.
Day 1468.
Subjects VI, VIII, IX, XI, XII and XIII have passed Level 10.
Subject V has failed at Level 18. X has been relocated to Level 15.
No crashes have been reported.
An interference at Level 9 has been noted.
Current Level of subjects:
I – 16
II – 16
III – 14
IV – 14
V – 15
VI – 10
VII – 16
VIII – 10
IX – 10
X – 11
XI – 10
XII – 10
XIII – 10
Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed it, especially since I made you all wait so long. The plot will move on more (I hope) next chapter thanks to Namine's drawing. And what was that dream at the beginning about..? ;D
I hope the next update will be faster (I already know what the level will be about for once) but I'm not making any promises since I'll probably fail to keep them anyway.
Thank you for reading~