[center][h1] There is a hole in the earth [/h1] Andri & Khan[/center] [hr] The giant was left in a tiny, mental box. So small, there was no turning, no sitting up, or moving of any kind. All around there were the thumps of tiny feet skittering across from the outside. [i]What the...[/i] was the only thing Andri had been able to think when that hand grabbed him. That alone had been sufficient to totally scare him so that he could not even remember the words. It had been something like a rhyme of some sort... When he attempted to move, he kept hitting walls just after the first few inches and no matter what limb or direction he chose. Now he panicked and tried it even harder, but nothing would give way. He was sweating and breathing at a rate that would quickly consume what little air was left here with him in this thing. He didn't even know what it was, the giant could just hear a myriad of things skittering on the outer side of it. Far above, an echoing voice that was slightly muffed came cutting through. "Andri will forever be remembered as a good friend, a fearless hunter and a man of God," there was a silent pause. "Some of you may ask what lead him to this fate," another slient pause. "He died. He was burried alive. When he was found, rats had scratched out his eyes. Mice had ripped chunks from his skin. It occurred while he slowly suffocated to death," The calm words advancing to his ears caused cold sweat to drip from Andri's neck. [color=00a99d]"You bastard!"[/color] he shouted, not knowing if anything he said could actually be heard from outside. Being desperate, he slided to the bottom end of the box so he could start slamming it with as much momentum as he could build up in his extremely cramped position. The assassin couldn't even see what he was hitting, he just hoped that it would eventually give way. The bottom of the coffin did give way, only to slowly start filling the box with soft, worm filled dirt. Suddenly one of the worms began to speak. "Looks like you are done for eh?" it was oddly cheerful. "That's a shame, wish we could help, but we never do nothing for free," A convulsive grin took over Andri's face. It wasn't directed at the worm though. It was the grin of somebody being trapped in a situation that was just too surreal to be comprehended by an ordinarily thinking mind without severe difficulties. The adrenaline rushing through his body did add to his state. He couldn't see it, but he could feel that the stuff pouring through the collapsed wall was soil. From an [i]objective[/i] point of view, it was clear that he would die right in here in all likelihood. But being pumped up with endogenous hormones wasn't exactly what one would consider 'calm' and 'reasonable'. He snatched the handfull of dirt he believed the voice was coming from and clung round. [color=00a99d]"Okay listen you bastard! A necromancer has an interest in [i]intact[/i] bodies, so he probably will take away your feast before you have any delight in it! What about me rampaging through your subterranean territory until this air bubble is exhausted anyway ?"[/color] Reflecting his spoken words once more caused another distorted grin to appear on the assassin's face. He was attempting to blackmail a bunch of apparently speaking worms that had entered his coffin, hoping that they would be of any assistance in disintering him while he was still alive... "He let's us eat the flesh," said the worm almost proudly. "Doesn't need it, doesn't want it," The talking worm inched closer so that it was now whipsering in Andri's ear. "But you...you like your flesh, don't you human? And you have so much of it," There was a pauses. "I would like to eat it, but you would like to keep it. Right now, I can eat it, it is my right, but....there is something you can offer that I want. So...Human, wanna make a deal?" Andri could feel something longish, thin and slippery approach his auditory canal. He moved his head away as far as it was possible in this coffin, but if that worm had the intent to penetrate his eardrum and enter his brain... He could feel that his body had already consumed a considerable amount of what little air was down there, so it didn't take long until he answered in a very harsh tone: [color=00a99d]"What misanthropic, cruel and abusive thing do you expect me to do ?"[/color] It had become clear that this necromancer was a goddamn sadist as well. "Well, two things really," said the worm, crawling ever closer. "I want out, so I want in. I want to inhabit your body. I promise you, besides my commentary, you won't even notice I am there," said the worm. "And the second, since I can't control the body, you own me a favor, anything I want, no matter what is it. Fail to return the favor, and I'll eat your brain," said the worm. "Have we got a deal?" [color=00a99d]"WHAT part of my body do you want to inhabit ? And what kind of favor do I have to expect ? Killing someone ?"[/color] To call Andri angry would have been a severe understatement. He was desperate. Desperate enough not to stop listening to this worm. "Right here, in your head silly," said the Worm, so that the tip of his wormy head was poking just inside the giant's ear canal. "As for the favor, will, you don't really have a choice but to accept my offer do you. I suggest you not think about the favor too hard," The worm waited a moment. "Maybe if you are nice to me I won't even make the favor that hard for you to do," [color=00a99d]"Just proceed you fucker! I can't stand it anymore!"[/color] He screamed, and given his lung capacity one could assume that it was loud enough. His heart probably wouldn't take such stress much longer, let alone his mind. "I am happy you've come to see things my way," said the Worm before painfully digging its way deep into the man's ear. After the blinding pain had vanished, Andri found himself laying in a dark hallway, with Liz attacking Mat, a small girl holding her dead lookalike and Yuri trying to comfort her. "By the way, giant. My name is Khan," For more than half a minute, the assassin was just lying there. He... wasn't in the coffin anymore ? Oh yes, of course... the favor. He couldn't feel Khan anymore, nor could he really move. The adrenaline was draining away and now he was freezing. He rolled from his back to his stomach, pushed his upper body up with his arms and attempted to get on his feet. He couldn't. There wasn't enough strength left in his legs, but he could hear the loose grave dirt falling of his leather armor, whilst the mud, combined with the remains of some worms he had crushed when moving in the broken coffin, stained it. His face was pale as if his body had never been filled with blood and he crawled towards what he believed to be Liz, Yuri and Mat. Should he attempt to risk it having to fulfill Khan's demand or should he just ask for a quick death ? He was demonically infested! In the end, there were only two words he uttered towards them in a shakily voice: [color=00a99d]"Help me."[/color]