Chapter Text
A loud rumble shook the ground beneath his feet as he watched the woman in front of him freeze up. Her legs gave out and she would have fallen onto the hard stone if Nick hadn't caught her. Damnit, he thought. Second time since we've come in here.
She'd nearly collapsed the first time, when she'd pushed open a door. Though the episode had lasted only about twenty seconds, it had led her to walk directly into a chamber full of feral ghouls. A vision, she'd said. Miners working. They were the ghouls, Nick.
As soon as we finish off these raiders, we're leaving.
Nick couldn't agree more, especially now as he held her, watching her eyelids flutter. Her breathing sped up, as did her heart rate. Like she was having a nightmare.
He'd watched her walk, in a daze down a passageway, into yet another chamber full of feral ghouls. They'd opened fire and killed them off quickly.
And now he sat, cradling his semiconscious partner, next to the most ominous body of water he'd ever encountered, surrounded by dead ghouls. The occasional rumble shook dust from the ceiling.
If I got chills, this'd be the place to give 'em.
Speaking of cold... he untied his coat's belt and tucked the fabric around her, pulling her up into his chest. He could see her breath condense in the air now. It was getting colder the longer they were in there. He didn't like being in the mine, it made his synthetic flesh crawl, as though he were being watched from all angles. He hadn't thought his skin could crawl.
With a sudden gasp, the General woke up. Her eyes rolled around wildly before they focused on Nick's, only inches away. "Nick," She croaked. "Those ghouls." She wrapped her arms around him, under his coat. Her arms were covered in goosebumps. "Those ghouls were some of the people sent to Station 4. There were a bunch of people in here, kneeling down. There was some guy at an altar. They were sacrifices for... I don't know, Nick, oh god." She shuddered and tucked her head under his chin.
"It's all right, sweetheart. I'm here."
Nick rubbed her back with one hand until she stopped shivering. The other hand dug around in the small pack he'd slung off her when she fell. He removed some cans of water. It was a few minutes until she decided she could stand, and she did so shakily with Nick's assistance. Her eyes locked onto the well before them, stepping forward to grip the rusted remains of a barrier railing. "Nick?"
"Yeah?"
"Something down there is calling to me."
The synth froze, wondering exactly what was in this mine. Whatever it was had been claiming lives and minds long before the war. Then again, he didn't really want to know what unearthly being lived here. "Are you sure? That water looks awfully deep and full of rads." He handed her one of the cans he'd taken from her bag. "Drink up. You'll need some strength if you're going down there."
He didn't want her to swim down into that dark pit. Not at all. But something told him she'd be fine. Better than fine.
He also didn't like this strange not-voice assuring him of his partner's safety.
...
She'd been under the water for a panic-inducing amount of time, when Nick saw her form struggling to the surface. He rushed into the water, splashing onto the shelf that edged the well. No wonder she couldn't get out of there, he realized. The mesh bag she'd brought with her held a pair of mini nukes and what looked like a ragged sword. Nick grabbed under her arms and hauled her out of the frigid water. She shivered violently as he handed her a threadbare towel to dry off with. She wrapped herself in it as he started handing her clothes over.
When she'd redressed and her shudders had dwindled, he asked about the well. "What was down there?"
She gave herself a moment to put her thoughts together. "The shrine was down there. There was a statue's face, but... I couldn't look at it. Like it was phasing in and out of existence."
"And the sword?"
"It was on the altar. It was down there, in a room. The nukes were on either side of it. I don't understand though. The altar is down there, but I saw it up here. Where'd the well come from? How did the altar get down there? And the sword has a name, Nick. It's called Kremvh's Tooth. I don't know how I know that." She looked disturbed, and Nick knew they had to get out of here while they still could.
And then they heard a noise.
The General whipped her head around, following the sound to the rocks opposite the well, furthest from the entrance. Some loose dirt hissed down from an opening being hastily covered up from the inside.
"Hey! Who's there!" She called, gripping the newfound blade. Nick drew his pistol. Someone hiding in a false wall in a haunted mine? What else could go on down here in this hellscape?
They approached stealthily, the General taking point, as rubble was shed from the rapidly widening hole. Now that they were up close, they could see that the debris cover was recent, the stones not matching the surrounding wall. They could hear a voice inside, muttering. She used the hooked section of the sword to yank the loose rocks from the opening. The voice started chattering louder, more urgently. Nick grew anxious.
Peeping into the space beyond, the General could see a single lantern illuminating a shrine built from wooden boards. Torn fabric was draped over the corners, picture frames dotted the flat surfaces, and a bloody skeleton was laid out in front of it. She waved Nick forward as she stepped carefully through over the rubble. The source of the voice was still in here. Somewhere.
Nick faced the shrine, inspecting it, trying to figure out who or what it was supposed to be worshiping. He guessed it was the same thing that had driven people insane through the rest of this god-forsaken pit. The skeleton had bits of meat still stuck to the bone, and the ligaments had been left intact. He'd crouched down to get a closer look at the knife marks on the skull when he caught a burst of movement from the corner of his eye.
"Nick, move!" The General shouted as she swung the blade at the crazed raider. He screeched as he flailed his arms around wildly. She buried it in his neck and Nick watched as something fell from his hands. It looked like a grenade.
Nick lunged and grabbed the General, shoving her to the ground under him, he couldn't get her through the entrance in time.
A blast of green light and intense heat washed over them, and Nick felt himself being washed from his body, like suds down a drain.
Oh.