The catacombs of Mount Moore Monastery were dark, musty, and cold. Which meant they were much preferable to the monaster infested frozen wasteland that was the surface. That was something Dean told himself as he carried Joan through the macabre halls, feeling cold drops of water as they fell upon him from above.
The girl had quietened down and was now folding her arms as tightly as possible while doing her utmost to maintain a sour expression. Many times she had told him in no uncertain terms that she could keep up. Dean hadn't listened to a word of it. He would rather die than be responsible for another death, so she would have to put up with it for the time being.
Matin ran ahead, holding Dean's lythment. It was strange to think, but he seemed much more in control of himself now than he had been even before everything had fallen apart. It was surely as Dean thought. His mother, Marianne, had caused all this trouble. With her gone, Matin could finally become his own person.
"Left!" Dean called out to his friend. "I remember Oscar and the others being in a large cavern. Down that way."
Matin nodded.
"What was he even doing down here all this time?" Matin asked.
Dean bit his lip. How was he to explain that Oscar, the emperor himself, had locked himself down underground to study a literal tear in the fabric of reality?
"He was studying a big tear in reality that might be a portal to another dimension?" Dean said, his tone full of uncertainty. He had no idea how to even begin to explain what he saw down there.
"A what?" Matin asked incredulously.
"Dammit, it's hard to explain, alright? You'll just have to see it for yourself," Dean muttered.
Matin grew silent for a moment as he furrowed his brows in thought. After a few moments, he spoke again.
"It's got something to do with the lyth stones, right?" he asked.
Dean's eyes widened.
"Yes! All the lyth stones we use seem to come from there. There were loads just sprouting from the walls."
"Try to mention all the details when you're explaining things, Dean," Matin admonished. "It might be difficult, but even the most complicated matters can be explained to a certain degree if you try a little harder and add more detail."
So his friend could still lecture him even now after all that at happened? The nerve! Dean had to resist the urge to stick his tongue out. Matin wouldn't notice, but Joan might, and he didn't want to act immature around the kid.
"Well, sorry, the stones just didn't seem that important when the very laws of reality themselves were collapsing nearby!" he hissed.
At that moment, Matin burst out into laughter.
"Hey, what's so funny?" Dean asked.
"Nothing," Matin replied, his tone amused. "I'm just glad that despite everything that's happened, you're still you."
Dean was surprised by Matin's comment. What his friend had said couldn't be further from the truth. Inside, he felt miserable. Why wouldn't he? Nearly everyone he knew and loved was dead, and he had failed to protect them all. If Joan and Matin weren't still around, he probably would have gotten drunk and fed himself to the monsters long ago. Even now he felt like turning around and holding them back in the narrow corridor while the others escaped. He would still do it if the situation called for it. What scared him most was that he wanted that to happen, to go out in a blaze of heroic glory, as funny as it sounded. Going back to the capital and living a normal life felt like a terrifying prospect. He knew he would probably never again have a peaceful night's sleep.
It was also strange how Matin's thoughts mirrored his own. His friend seemed to be holding himself together well enough, but who knew how he was feeling beneath the facade.
"Well, whatever Oscar was up to, it couldn't have been good," Dean muttered.
The man had turned his back on everyone while everything fell apart without him. He wasn't even there when Nicolas had died. Dean clenched his fist as he thought about punching the man.
"Now Dean. Maybe he was trying to discover a way to fend off the monsters," Matin posited. "Perhaps he just didn't make it in time."
Typical Matin, trying to find the best in everyone. Well, it balanced Dean's more pessimistic outlooks so he couldn't exactly fault his friend.
"What he's doing is definitely wrong!"
Dean was shocked when Joan spoke up angrily against the emperor. Dean looked down at the child who was now glaring at Matin's back. Luckily, his friend was too busy finding the path to notice.
"Do you know something, Joan?" Dean asked.
The girl was quiet for a moment.
"He's trying to put a stop to the Goddess' good work and run away from his own destiny. You should have told me that he was down here sooner!"
Joan's voice actually sounded disappointed in him, which annoyed him much more than her usual righteous anger.
"Sorry, kid, I just had other things on my mind. You know, like being the only one bothered with protecting your orphan friends!"
He'd probably taken it too far there, but as usual, Joan didn't seem to care much. Knowing her, she'd probably try to confront Oscar herself. Dean was almost amused at the image of the great emperor being talked down to by a ten-year-old. She would do it, Dean had no doubt about that.
"The lythe stones and the great cycle are for the Goddess only. Let's stop him, Dean!" Joan said as she pointed resolutely ahead. She was the very picture of an army general, commanding her forces to march forward.
Dean sighed. At least one of them was motivated to confront the emperor.
Dean himself was aiming to drag any survivor out with him. Whatever Oscar was researching, it couldn't be worth more than his own life, and with the monsters on their heels, he had a very convincing argument ready for the emperor. If all else failed, he could also resort to force.
Dean wondered if his father was also with them. If so, he would smash the man's face in before anything else. If he had stayed around, the children might have-. No, he wouldn't think about that anymore. He was liable to lose his mind completely if he dwelt on it any longer.
Eventually, a familiar gap in the rough stone wall appeared, but Dean didn't need to point it out. Just outside the entrance was a scene akin to the aftermath of a bloody battle. The corpses of possibly a hundred ghouls, goatmen, and woodwraiths littered the floor. The horrible smell of death and gore assaulted Dean's senses.
"What happened here?" Matin asked, covering his nose.
"Looks as though they were found out," Dean replied grimly.
They had to walk carefully to avoid the putrid remains that littered the floor. Dean swallowed deeply in order to keep his stomach settled, while Matin seemed to be fighting with his entire being to not throw up, his gritted teeth clamped tightly shut. Meanwhile, Joan looked down at the bodies with obvious distaste but seemed otherwise unbothered by the whole affair.
As they drew closer to the entrance of the cavern, they noticed a corpse that didn't belong to a monster.
Mitch lay against the wall, eyes staring straight ahead.
"Did he kill all these monsters by himself?" Matin asked.
"Not sure," Dean replied, shaking his head.
There was something about the body that bothered him. He knelt down to take a closer look, allowing Joan to stand on her own.
"Something pierced his chest, but other than that, he's completely unharmed," Dean said aloud as he crouched down next to the body.
The edges around the hole were slightly charred. Something hot must have pierced him, a fire lythment, perhaps?
"You're right, if monsters attacked him, his body wouldn't look like this," Matin agreed.
As far as he was aware, those creatures didn't leave a body alone once they made a kill, and on top of that, the process of killing their prey was often a messy affair in and of itself.
Joan stepped forward and immediately began praying with a knowing smile on her face. Once she was done, she turned to Dean.
"The Goddess granted him rest herself, and he departed willingly," she explained as if she were giving him the best news of the year.
Dean's mind recalled who she meant.
"You mean Tatiana? You think she came this way?"
"I think so," Joan nodded, a little excitement in her voice.
She was clearly looking forward to seeing her again. Dean still didn't understand why she referred to the woman as The Goddess when she had already given them her name. Calling that cruel woman The Goddess was a cruel joke.
Dean hoped that Cait might still be with her. However, he also knew that this woman was extremely dangerous. If she were in the cavern, then it would be better for the three of them if they just turned around and left. They could be outside the monastery in minutes, with the monsters far behind them.
His mind recalled Cait and how she had looked out for him in his darkest moments within those cells. Could he really abandon her if there was even a sliver of a chance she was alive? Oscar and Methaues could also be in there, but if Mitch was any indication, their chances of survival were very slim. Then there was his father, who had left after hearing where Oscar was hiding. Despite everything, he wanted to know if the old bastard was still alive or not.
Joan hurried past him and through the half-open doorway without an ounce of caution, wasting all the thought and consideration he had put into the decision. Matin approached the door after her.
"Do you think anybody will still be alive in there?" he asked hopelessly.
Dean shook his head.
"I doubt it, but we've come this far, so might as well check."
Matin nodded firmly and handed Dean his weapon back. When Dean gave him a quizzical look, he shrugged.
"You were always a better shot than me," he explained.
If there was danger waiting for them in the cavern, it was not immediately apparent. The first thing Dean noticed was Joan standing just ahead of them, looking towards the tear in reality.
"Woah," Matin said, gazing up in sheer awe at the spectacle.
Dean couldn't blame him. The place looked like something out of a madman's painting. Having seen it before, Dean recovered from the sight and quickly scanned their surroundings, and that's when he saw her: long black hair being buffeted by a wind coming from the tear. Cait stood there, staring into the abyss. She hadn't noticed them yet.
Dean rushed forward, but then noticed something else. Lying near Cait's feet was a corpse. Unlike Mitch, this one was unrecognisable, having been burned to a crisp. The smell of charred meat forced him to turn away from the grotesque scene. He couldn't tell who the body belonged to, but that didn't matter for the moment.
"Cait!" he called out.
Cait twitched slightly in surprise. Then, she turned around, a smile appearing on her blood-covered face.
"Oh Dean. It's so good to see you again!"
Unaware of her surroundings, she half ran and half walked towards Dean. Her clothes were blood stained but none of it seemed to be hers. Dean almost unconsciously took a step back but managed to steel himself as Cait slammed into him, hugging him tightly as she did so.
"I'm happy you got away from her," she said, looking up at him with wide blue eyes.
"Yeah," Dean replied absently. "D-did she do anything to you when… when she captured you?"
Cait hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.
"It doesn't matter now. You're here," she breathed, her voice shaking a little. "You're here to rescue me, aren't you?"
"Yeah, yes I am," he replied shakily.
Cait nodded happily as if it were a matter of course and hugged him tighter. Maybe he could save one more person. If he could do that, then perhaps he could go on living once this was all over. As they stood there, Dean took another look around and soon found Methaeus lying on the steps that led up to the tear. At a glance, he seemed to be in the same state as Mitch. A clean wound had pierced the area where his heart would have been. It took a while longer, but Dean also found his father off to the side of the cavern, hidden among the shadows.
Cait watched as he examined his father's body. A large wound was visible in his side, with charred black marks around the edges of his punctured clothing.
"Just what the hell happened here?" Dean asked.
"I'd like that know that too," Matin added as he approached, his eyes fixed on Cait.
Well, she had been here when they arrived, so she might know something. He didn't like the suspicion in Matin's voice, however. They didn't have the time to start pointing fingers now.
"It doesn't matter. We'll take Cait with us and leave through one of the catacomb's exits. We can be away from this place at long last," Dean said quickly.
"Dean," Matin said firmly, his expression unusually hard.
Dean knew what this was about. Once again, Matin was showing suspicion towards her, and unlike before, he had an excellent reason this time.
It didn't matter to Dean, though. So what if she had killed everyone here? They had probably deserved it. She was alive, and that was all that mattered.
"She's alive, so we take her with us," Dean said, matching Matin's tone.
Matin's eyes softened a bit, but he didn't back down.
"If she comes with us, you'll be putting the rest of us in danger." He said, looking back at Joan, who was now busying herself praying over the burnt corpse.
"I'm not leaving another person here to die!" Dean shouted.
His voice was loud enough that Joan was momentarily distracted from her prayers and shot him an angry glare.
This was not up for debate. He had already lost too much because of his own ineptitude. He was going to take every last living person out of here, consequences be damned.
"I understand why you feel this way, Matin," Cait said as she stepped forward, putting a comforting hand on Dean's shoulder. "Everyone treats me this way, so I don't think you're a bad person, but I promise you, I'd never do anything to harm those Dean cares about."
Matin bit his lip, eyes darting between Dean and Cait, both of whom looked back defiantly. Eventually, Matin seemed to give up. He smiled, his usual smile.
"Well, alright. You guys do what you want," he said flatly.
He shook his head and walked away from them, joining Joan as she continued with her prayers. Dean knew he hadn't convinced his friend in the slightest. It was simply the same as always. Matin had bowed down to Dean's wishes. Well, that was fine for the moment. He was sure there wouldn't be any problems. He simply knew what was best in this situation. That was all.
"I don't think you had anything to do with this, but could you tell me where Tatiana went and what happened here?" he asked Cait.
Cait nodded.
"After she captured me, she tied me up and beat me a few times," she said, lifting her sleeves to show dark bruises beneath. "But she eventually got bored and went out for a while, so I was left in the cathedral tied up for about five days."
All that time he had been protecting the orphans, she had been locked away again. He hated himself for not being able to help her.
"When she came back, she told me it was time to finish things and dragged me here. She talked with Oscar for a while and then set him on fire."
Dean cast his eyes towards what remained of Oscar. So Tatiana killed him personally? He wondered if it had anything to do with his research of the tear.
"What did they talk about?" Dean urged.
Cait pursed her lips and thought for a moment.
"It was difficult to understand, and she made me stand so far away. I-I think Oscar was talking about escaping or going back somewhere? Tatiana just made fun of him and talked down to him. I didn't like that very much."
Dean was very interested in what Oscar had meant by escape. Escape from here, which meant he was trying to-.
No, that didn't matter. It had nothing to do with him.
"Then, I started hearing gunshots outside before the monsters came in. Tatiana killed Methaeus before they got in, though. She said she was giving him mercy or something?"
"And my father died then, too?" Dean asked.
"No, he was already dead when we arrived. I'm so sorry, Dean," Cait said sadly.
"What?" Dean asked dumbly.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't save him." Cait said, almost in tears. "I know he was your father, but-"
"It's fine, don't worry about it," Dean said quickly through gritted teeth.
He wouldn't mourn that bastard after everything he'd done. He wouldn't. His father was killed before Tatiana arrived. That could only have meant one thing.
He looked over at the corpses of Oscar and Methaeus. Just what had his father been up to? With all witnesses dead, he would never know for sure. It seemed likely that one of the other three men had killed him.
What had been Morgan's goal? To stop Oscar? It seemed his father would continue bothering him even from beyond the grave. Dean shook his head and let the matter go for the time being.
"I'm just glad you're safe," Dean said, placing his hand on Cait's shoulder.
She smiled in appreciation, placing her hand on his and tilting her head towards it. Dean lost his train of thought for a moment as he looked at her. Yes, there was no way he was leaving her behind in this hellscape.
"We've spent enough time here. Let's get going." Dean said aloud.
"Wait a second, I'm almost done," Joan said as she trotted over to his father.
"We don't have time, kid, the monsters could be here any minute."
"He's your father, Dean! Don't you care what happens to him?" Joan snapped.
"The dead are just that — dead. I'm more concerned with saving the living. You have thirty seconds. He'll have to make do with that," Dean said sternly.
Joan blew air out of her mouth, causing a tuft of hair that was hanging down to blow upwards. He watched on as she rather comically sped through the prayers.
As far as Dean was concerned, his father deserved a little punishment in the afterlife. Though he hoped he would eventually find peace. He was still his father.
When she finished, Dean grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder.
"Right, let's get out of here," he said.
"And not a moment too soon," Matin agreed.
Dean picked Joan up and slung her over his shoulder.
"Unhand me, hey!" Joan shouted as she started kicking her legs. Dean ignored her.
As they stepped out into the corridor, faint noises could be heard in the distance.
"We stayed too long," Matin noted.
"To the garden exit," Dean barked, turning in the opposite direction.
Those creatures really had turned persistent all of a sudden.
"A thrilling climax is required for any marvellous story, dear Dean."
The cocky, feminine voice that rang in his ears was more than unwelcome. He blamed it on his already fractured mind and moved on.
Dean had to slow his pace to stay at the rear of the group. Neither Matin nor Cait were particularly athletic, but at least Matin practiced martial arts, leaving Cait as the slowest one in the group.
"Please keep going. They won't harm me!" Cait shouted.
"Not a chance!" Dean replied, earning a side-look from Matin.
He had a feeling that if they parted ways now, they would never see each other again.
They took a left down an unlit passageway. Thankfully, Matin had brought a lyth torch, so they were not completely in the dark. However, the noises slowly began to grow louder as the horde caught up to them.
The passage became smaller and more natural-looking as they ran, signaling that they were close to the garden exit, which was actually a natural cave rather than a deliberate entrance to the catacombs. They had used it to explore the catacombs many times as children, so both he and Matin were very familiar with it.
Matin was the first to reach the incline that led up to a small gap, barely large enough to fit an adult man. He stopped and stepped aside, nodding towards Dean.
No words were needed. Dean let Joan down and patted her on the back.
"Get climbing," he said.
"But I-"
"Go!"
Joan didn't need to be told again as she began scrambling up the wet, rocky surface.
"You're next." Dean said, looking towards Cait.
She wore a slightly complicated expression but didn't protest. She followed Joan straight away.
"I've got an idea, so you go ahead. Watch out for Cait and Joan. There might be other monsters up there," Dean said to Matin.
"Anything else I can do to help?" Matin asked quietly.
"Trust that I can handle this," Dean replied instantly. "Now go!"
There was no time for arguments. The creatures were upon them. Just as Matin began climbing the rocks, the first ghoul came into view, forcing Dean to level his lythment and fire a jagged icicle straight into its skull. He shot a few more as others appeared from the gloom.
"Goddess above," he cursed.
"You called?"
He had planned to climb the rocks himself, then cover the rocks with ice to slow his pursuers. Once he had exited, he was going to use the weapon one more time to block the entrance using the same ice.
Unfortunately, the beasts were upon him all too quickly, and he couldn't turn his back on them unless he wanted to be skewered from behind. What a conundrum indeed.
"Well, maybe this ending is fine too," he said, unable to hide the satisfied grin that was forming on his face.
One creature after another, he shot down. They were getting closer, and soon they would be on him. One even managed to claw at his arm as it fell to the ground.
From above, he could hear Cait desperately calling his name. Good, if she had time to worry about him, then the surface must have been clear.
"This is a fine way to go!" he laughed as his shots missed a goatman armed with a deadly axe. The beast raised its weapon and-
"Sorry, but you're not getting off that easy, Dean."
The creature stopped. Its eyes wide, it stared down at Dean. Both of them seemed confused for a moment, but Dean recovered first, shooting the thing in the gut and sending it flying backwards.
"No," Dean said, shaking his head as he looked around. The horde was still there, and a few creatures moved forward slowly, but most just stood completely still.
"You won't even give me a good death?" He cried out into the darkness.
"Dean, quick, climb, will you!" Matin cried.
Dean felt his heart sink. He shot at a few of the gathered monsters, but nothing seemed to rile them. His mind grew frantic, and deep down, he knew he wasn't being kept alive out of pity. Tatiana still had something planned for him, it seemed. She wouldn't allow such a heroic, satisfying death even if she had to bend the very nature of the world itself to avoid it.
The thought was ephemeral, and it disappeared from his mind as quickly as it appeared.
Cursing loudly, he turned his back and climbed, tears of anger in his eyes. All the while, a distant laughter echoed from the dark.
He didn't even need to freeze the rocks as he ascended. The creatures just stared at him as he reached the exit. When he was out, he immediately blocked off the entrance with ice. He might have been safe, but the same wasn't true for Matin, Cait and Joan. Better safe than sorry.
"Dean!"
Once he was done, Dean was almost tackled to the ground by a distraught Cait. She sobbed into his shoulder while thanking him for coming out alive.
"Looks like I won't get to give you your last rites today," Joan said.
Dean wasn't sure if she was joking or not.
Matin was looking thoughtful, his eyes going from Dean to the ice-filled hole in the ground. Dean was sure he mouthed the word 'Monsters' but couldn't catch anything else.
Dean looked around. Snow still covered the land and forest, but the sky was almost completely cloudless, and an almost warm sun bathed them in light.
"It's over. The blizzard's actually over," he breathed.
There was a vague thought of how unusual that was, but he was too relieved to care.
"Getting down off the mountain shouldn't be too difficult if the weather stays like this," Matin said.
Dean nodded.
"We should get going then."
There was no knowing when the monsters might find them again, and daylight was burning.
Taking Cait's hand in his, Dean led the way as they walked towards the exit of the monastery and towards the winding road that went all the way to the next village
Once they stepped outside the walls, Matin paused and looked back.
"Everything alright?" Dean asked.
He wondered if Matin was thinking about the same sort of things he was. Everyone they had left behind, all of them, yet remained inside. Their bodies would remain within the monastery as it slowly fell into ruin. Dean could only hope their spirits would find peace. He wondered if Matin was thinking of his mother.
Matin smiled his usual gentle smile.
"Oh no, it's nothing."
Turning their backs on the monastery, the four survivors began their journey down the mountain. Behind them, the monastery sat in dead silence, not a soul left alive within its walls.