Submission (#6343) Approved

-Act 2/4
-Zevija AP
-For Eln2941
-Noble Rank Mini Requirement: Include 2 Elnin alongside the kittom [Eln616 and Eln984]
-Kittom Resonance Mini Requirement: Include Adult Elnin twice [Eln616 and Eln984]
-1180 words

edited!! ty again for the help :)

“Is it actually legal to go in here?” Lufei asks, peering at the chain link fence and barbed wire. A worn down sign lays on the ground before them, symbols for ‘danger’ painting on it multiple times.

“Where’s your sense of adventure?” Benji asks, nudging Lufei’s shoulder. “Right, Prescott?”

The pink Elnin scoffs, flicking his hair from his eyes. “I’m only here as part of a favor from Kairoh,” Prescott snips. He pulls on the fence, widening a pre-made gap so the other two can slip through.

Benji ushers Lufei in first, then steps through. He keeps hold of the fence so Prescott can wiggle in too.

The scene in front of Lufei is one he didn’t think he’d encounter, but he’s here, regardless. An abandoned watchtower sits in front of them, falling apart and completely decayed in some areas. It’s two stories tall, with a deck built out on the second floor and various binoculars stationed at the edges.

Directly behind the old tower is a volcano of unknown activity. Smoke slowly slithers from the mouth on top, angry, red lines running up the side of it. Beyond it Lufei can make out the Eldertree, massive and birch-like. The red leaves stand out against the orange sky, fumes from the surrounding volcanoes and geysers forming an ever-present smog.

Shaking his head, Lufei makes his way to the entrance of the tower. He’s taken this job in good faith; a child had apparently disappeared into the house a couple nights ago, and Lufei hadn’t been able to turn the begging mother away.

The tower looms in front of the trio. Prescott makes a comment under his breath that Lufei can’t make out, but Benji jabs the Elnin with his elbow harshly. “Let’s just get this over with,” Prescott mutters louder.

Benji opens the door. It makes a horrid screeching sound, and Benji has to force the thing open with his shoulder. As soon as it’s open enough for them to slip through, Lufei takes point.

“Hello?” The Faenin calls out. The inside is just as dilapidated as the outside, with floorboards missing every few steps and the ceiling beams rotting. Lufei flutters his wings and lifts off the ground. “Is anyone there? We’re here to help!”

It seems that a volcanic vent had opened up under the foundation at some point, disrupting the integrity of the flooring and support. Hot, sulfuric air rushes from the center of the room and coats the surrounding area, leaving what remains musty and ashy. Four chairs, a single desk, and a couple cabinets are all covered in a layer of grime.

Lufei watches with worry as Benji and Prescott tiptoe across the flooring. The three of them make their way over to the giant hole in the center, peering down at the vent. It doesn’t look like anyone’s fallen down there—at least not recently—so Benji pushes Prescott back.

“You don’t have to baby me,” Prescott mutters, but lets Benji manhandle him regardless. “Let’s split the search up. The quicker we get out of here, the better.”

Lufei agrees, but doesn’t want to get in the middle of the pair’s bickering, so he simply floats over to the cabinets. He can hear their voices in the background as he opens up the doors by their rusted handles, peering into each space. A small kittom could easily fit into any of these, so he checks them all just to be safe.

The search turns up nothing. With a grimace, Lufei turns his attention to the stairwell leading up to the second story. A closet is tucked underneath it, but the doorknob appears to be missing. Lufei hooks his fingers through the empty slot and tugs the door open.

Again, Lufei finds no kittom. But fortunately, this space seems to carry some sort of clue to their potential whereabouts. Piled in the corner are a couple of blankets and pillows, and empty candy bar wrappers are strewn across the uneven floor. Even more telling is spot of heat in the nest. The kittom must have been here recently.

Peeking his head out, Lufei waves the two Elnin over. They appear to be mid-argument amidst their searching, but cut the conversation short long enough for Lufei to relay the information to them.

“I don’t know how safe it is for us to go to the second floor,” Prescott says. He glances at Lufei’s wings. “But you should be okay, so long you stay off the ground.”

“How about you guys check the back of the building while I’m up there?” Lufei suggests, nudging Benji with his paw. The green ‘nin seems reluctant to leave, but Lufei figures the time for the two Elnin to be alone will be appreciated.

Lufei’s not quite sure what’s wrong with those two. They definitely have some sort of shared history—one that also involves Kairoh—but Lufei’s not nosy enough to care. He watches them leave out the front door. Once alone, Lufei drifts towards the stairs. Each couple of steps are caved in and unusable, with the stable steps still covered in a layer of disgusting mildew.

“Hello…?” Lufei calls out as soon as he’s at the top. The second floor is in a better state, though he doubts the flooring is any more stable. At the very least the furniture isn’t in disarray. “Is anyone here?”

And from the very corner of the room comes a light scratching sound, like nails on floorboards. It immediately fills Lufei with a reluctant sense of hope, and he turns the edge around a large dining table and its surrounding chairs.

There, in the corner, Lufei sees…

Lufei sees—

Lufei doesn’t want to see.

He never wants to see anything ever again, and so he slams his paws over his eyes and tucks himself into a ball with a low moan. A stray squirrel scurries away from the corner of the room, claws going click-clack-click-clack as it runs.

Lufei lets out another harrowed howl and falls to the ground, where he remains curled in a fetal position. He doesn’t know how much time passes. All he knows is the low creaking of the floorboards and the cadence of crawling bugs before a gasping shudder is torn out of his chest and he thrusts his forehead against the wood.

By the time one of the other two comes to check on him, Lufei is shivering.

“Oh, gods,” Benji murmurs, before picking Lufei up and tucking him into his chest. “It’s alright, kiddo, we’ll get out of here.”

And so they do. But not before Lufei lets out one last pitiful cry, digging his fingers into his eyes and nose as if that will get rid of the stench of sulfur and sights better left unseen. 

And when Lufei eventually hears from Prescott that the kittom they'd been searching for was found an hour's travel away from the location, he doesn't know whether to be relieved, or terrified. 

Lufei doesn't know what he saw, and he'll endeavor to make sure it stays that way.