Chapter 434
Chapter 434
He moved toward Catalina with almost no sound at all. He could hear the faint tap of his own footsteps, but to any human ear, he was completely silent.
“It’s over,” he said, stopping in front of her. “You can lower the gun.”
She nearly jumped at the sound of his voice, the pistol jerking in her hands.
“Jesus Christ!” she burst out. “I didn’t realize you were so close! You’re so quiet!” Lowering the pistol and sliding it back into its holster, she added accusingly. “I almost shot you, dammit!”
“It wouldn’t have hurt me,” he replied, then continued without pause. “Look, we came here to find your people, right? I’m afraid they’re beyond saving.”
“Yes,” she said sadly. “They were doomed the moment they stepped into this damned place. I never should have sent them here.”
“So there’s not much reason for you to stay, is there?” he asked.
“Well, somebody still lives in this city,” Catalina said. “I’d like to find them.”
“It’s too dangerous here,” he said. “The coordinates they gave your people are all the way on the other side of the city, and you’re not properly equipped for such a trip.”
“But you’ll be with me,” she countered. “You make dealing with these Ravage creatures look easy. If you’re by my side, I should be safe… right?”
“Actually, I’m not so sure about that. I can’t constantly keep an eye on you while fighting the ravagespawn.”
“Well, you don’t have to constantly watch me. I’m not completely helpless, y’know. I can handle myself.”
“I know. But like I said, you aren’t properly equipped to survive in Dead City. You need a better weapon and ideally some good armor. Your pistol barely scratches these creatures. As for me, I have all my weapons with me at all times. I can morph my hands into them whenever I want.”
“I’m not sure what you’re getting at, Jake,” she said. “I mean, it doesn’t look like we have a lot of options here, does it? Yes, I’m not properly equipped to survive in this city. But what difference does that make? We’re trapped here, aren’t we? We can’t go back to New Hope, and we don’t know any other places to go here. The location my people were given is the only point of reference we have. It’s our only lead. So, unless there’s another option I’m missing, it seems the only choice we have is to head there.”
She went silent for a moment before adding, “So, I say we try to get to the coordinates whoever contacted my people gave them. Unless, of course, you have a better idea.”
“Actually, I have,” he said. “I suggest I teleport you back to New Hope.”
“Wait, what?” she exclaimed in pure surprise. “You can actually do that?!”
“Yes, I can.”
For a moment, she was silent, staring at him in disbelief. Or at least in his general direction, given that the darkness kept him hidden from view.
“Why didn’t you tell me that before?” she finally asked.
“I’m telling you now.”
“But how can you do this? Is it some kind of magic spell?”
“Just one of my abilities.”
“You never stop surprising me, Jake.”
“So, what do you say?” he asked. “Do you want me to teleport you to New Hope?”
“Well, yes. Of course! This changes everything. Come to think of it, if you have such an incredible ability, why didn’t you just teleport us straight to Dead City from New Hope? Why go through all the trouble of flying a helicopter here? I would’ve still had my helicopter!”
“I can open a portal whenever I wish, but it only takes me back to one of my lairs, never to just anywhere,” he explained. While he usually tried to keep his abilities hidden from humans, he figured this particular piece of information wouldn’t cause any harm if revealed.
“I see,” she said, falling silent for a moment. Then she asked. “Wait… what about the coordinates we were given? I really want to meet whoever contacted my people. There are survivors in this dreadful city, Jake! We just have to try to find them!”
“If I teleport you to New Hope, I can return here afterward,” he replied. “I’ll search for those people and report back with whatever I learn.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked, disbelief in her voice. “I mean… you look like a freaking monster!”
“I am a freaking monster.”
“Exactly my point… Sorry, I didn’t mean…”
“It’s fine. No need to apologize. You’ve just echoed my own point. And it’s a valid one. I am a monster. I’m no longer human at all.”
“Well, I’m worried they’ll shoot you on sight.”
“Bullets hardly even scratch my armor. If they attack me, I won’t retaliate. Instead, I’ll speak to them. It was difficult for me to communicate with humans before I learned how to talk, but now that I can, I’m sure I’ll be able to convince whoever those people are that I mean no harm.”
She fell silent for a moment before saying, “You know, I actually want to meet those people too. And I still think you’ll look less intimidating if I’m by your side when it happens.”
Jake didn’t feel like arguing. “Let’s talk about this after we get back to New Hope, alright?” he replied.
He knew it would take Catalina some time to secure stronger weapons and outfit herself for another expedition into Dead City. Jake had no intention of waiting for her, though. Idleness was something he could hardly tolerate.
Besides, the portal he was going to open would only remain open for a few hours. Once it closed, it couldn’t be used again. And if that happened, he would have to make his way back to Dead City on foot. Or develop some kind of very fast flying creature to use as a mount.
Still, he preferred to use a portal, as it was almost an instantaneous way to travel between a location and one of his lairs. So, his plan was simple: return to a lair, collect another tumor, and then head straight back to Dead City to explore freely while Catalina prepared for their potential second journey. When it was time to return, he would use the tumor to open a new portal.
Whether or not he would take Catalina with him, he didn’t know yet. He definitely felt more comfortable on his own. Perhaps he would track down their mysterious contacts alone before reuniting with her. For now, he chose to leave those decisions for later.
“Hold on, you said your portal can only send me to one of your lairs?” Catalina blurted, her voice trembling with worry. “Couldn’t you just teleport us back to my base instead? Or somewhere safe in New Hope?”
She was clearly terrified at the thought of finding herself inside one of his lairs, surrounded by all kinds of horrors.
“As I’ve explained, my portals can only lead to my lairs,” he said calmly. “But you have nothing to fear. With me there, you’ll be safe. Nothing will harm you in my lair.”
Before she had the chance to object, he continued, “Alright. Stay here. I’m opening the portal now. It’s going to take a few moments.”
He moved away from her, scanning for a spot free of dead bodies before retrieving the tumor from his inventory. Setting it down on the floor before him, he stepped back and willed it to expand into a patch of Corruption. Within seconds, the dark growth spread and solidified.
With another thought, he began shaping a Transfer Maw on the pitch-black surface. The process took about a minute, and when it was complete, he returned to Catalina, gently guiding her toward the waiting Transfer Maw.
“Are you ready?” he asked her.
“Well… yeah,” she replied, then hesitated before adding. “Will it hurt?” She let out a humorless, nervous chuckle, a clear sign of just how uneasy she was.
“No,” he said. “Don’t worry.” After a pause, he added, almost reluctantly, “Still… it may not be quite what you expect. The experience could be… uncomfortable.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, the lightness in her voice vanishing as she grew tense, her playful façade instantly slipping away.
“Teleportation isn’t instantaneous,” he explained. “The process can take anywhere from one to several seconds, depending on the distance. For example, I once traveled from the Los Demonios main base to New Hope, and it took a few seconds. Dead City is about the same distance from New Hope, so it’ll take roughly five to seven seconds for you to teleport there.”
“I see,” she murmured.
“It might also feel as though you’re traveling through a tight, fleshy tunnel,” he said.
“But… is it safe?”
“Absolutely,” he assured her, his gaze briefly shifting to the Transfer Maw lying on the ground before them.
It sure didn’t look like a portal at all. What it looked like was a monstrous mouth with lots and lots of large, pointed teeth, the first row of which jutted outward, even though the mouth was currently sealed shut.
He remembered that when he had created his very first Transfer Maw, he had thought that if a human stumbled upon it, they would assume it was some kind of monster or deadly trap. He was glad the subway was completely dark. If Catalina saw what his portal actually looked like, she would definitely have freaked out.
“Alright,” she said. “I’m ready. Let’s do this… What exactly do I need to do?”
“The portal is on the floor right in front of us,” he replied. “You just have to step into it, and it’ll begin transferring you.”
She raised her left leg, holding it poised a few inches above the Transfer Maw, her foot hovering right over it. “Should I put my foot down now? Is this the right position?”
However, it was Jake who was now having second thoughts about this endeavor. He had used Transfer Maws on multiple occasions to teleport either himself or his creatures to one of his lairs, and it had always worked perfectly, without a single hitch.
But he had obviously never attempted to teleport a human being through a Transfer Maw. And now, as he watched Catalina with her foot hovering over the “portal”, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something fundamentally wrong about what they were about to do.
Before he could give it any more thought, the Transfer Maw suddenly snapped open, revealing row after row of jagged teeth. A heartbeat later, the entire creature stretched upward, clearly aiming to rip Catalina’s leg clean off!