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[color=DeepSkyBlue]“I- I don’t know if getting hit will hurt them but- either way, if we don’t get out of here now… everyone is going to get hurt!”[/color] the little wisp shouted, glancing over his shoulder to address the girl who had started to panic. He hadn’t stopped for a second. Darting like a bullet through metal, he left just as he came, phasing through the train’s walls to get to the control center in time. And indeed, within a few moments the pull of gravity began to shift forward as their vessel had started to accelerate. The eerie blue light that had gathered in the train’s interior softened and, though the car remained dreamlike it became less disorienting. Objects were clear with defined edges and for a few seconds, sailing seemed smooth. 


But with the lumbering footsteps approaching, it would be a close call. Roaring began to reverberate against the walls, each wave of sound collapsing in on the other. Multiple echoes of this nature began to approach at once, accompanied by a rhythmic pounding gait mixed with heavy, raspy breathing and the parting of water. The panting of the great beast was arrhythmic, exhales coinciding with inhales as it drew near. The floors of the train began to heat up, the cavernous tunnel sounding less like a vessel made for trains and more like the throat of a lumbering giant. 

Just as light had begin to filter through the windows of the train, it came to an abrupt halt. The shriek of metal cut through the air, a sickening crunch following after. The body of the train car had become warped, its drooping, melted edges were covered in a black, almost tar-like substance. The traincar gave a few more weak jerks forward, only to be violently ripped back into place by its attacker.

A low rumble like the growl of a lion filled the air. Standing over the mangled end of the train car was a three headed beast. Its angular body resembled a greyhound's, long and large enough to be encumbered by the narrowness of the tunnel. Its long, maned necks bowed as it bent to scowl down at its prey. Only two of its faces remained recognizable, their canine structure just as long and bony as its body. The third’s head had melted away, exposing its angular skull, still stringy with leftover pieces of black liquid. Where the flesh stayed intact, its neck seeped a thick black sludge which hit the metal below with a clunk. It was as if it were made of wax that was slowly but surely, dripping away. 

Bright, yellow eyes bore down onto the humans who had not quite managed to escape. The heads that still had maws left snarled, exposing long columns of fangs of various sizes. One jaw opened after the other, a bright orange flickering from the back of both of their still fleshy throats. The third remained idle, its head arched back as if to snap on the nearest body it could find. As the multi-faced beast charged what appeared to be a shock of fire, a line of blue shot past the heads of the humans below. As the flames blazed forward, Charon absorbed as much of the attack as he could, falling to the floor after. Struggling, he propped himself up on his oar, his breathing raspy.  

[color=DeepSkyBlue]“Stop! This- this isn’t you! You’re,”[/color] he looked up to the beast who, had stepped back in recoil, each of its necks arching back in unison as if to strike. The little flame body’s eyes went wide as he glanced over his only friend’s body, horrified to find that it had started to dissolve and bubble like heated oil. Roots grew from the beast’s wide ribcage like parasites, sliding along the bony column of its spine and up towards its neck. 

Knees shaking, the wisp found himself unable to move and, his hesitation only served to be his downfall. A large, thorn covered paw swept the ground, sending his body to collide with the adjacent wall. With a spark of light the creature’s body fizzled out, leaving behind a charcoal doll in the shape of its body. Cracks in the object emitted a soft blue glow, pulsing in a steady but slow rhythm. 

Having swept one pest aside, the hounds of hell turned their attention to the cluster of humans below. A few even steps forward and it opened its two fleshed mouths again, fire bubbling in their throats once more. The third head seemed content to watch as its siblings prepared to eliminate the pests that they sought to destroy.
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