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The Catacombs were somehow far better maintained than the natural caves were. But that only made the place all the more terrifying to deal with concerning its gothic architecture. Candlesticks haunted the halls with their sombre light, the pale sickly-coloured stone walls resembling a Greek doric design in their upper carvings. Alestes and Sophelie remarked on how it felt like an ancient labyrinth, hoping that it was not designed like one. Deathly silence roamed the halls until they would face their first enemy, which turned all of them white with fright. The reaper, or rather one of many, wielding a deadly scythe and a purple cowl upon his skeletal body. His jaw grinned upon those who were soon to die, but the two birds repelled him back with a tremendous power combining a flash of firelight striking into his hollow eye sockets. The enemy however was far more resistant, and spun his scythe before him like a shield, warding off most of the attacks while taking hits. He then rushed towards the group, the blind lemmings panicking from the sound before two were sliced in half through their waists. Screams rang out through the halls as James and Monty charged towards the dangerous foe, but not quick enough before he swung his scythe straight unto a third lemming's head, sinking the tip straight through his soft little skull. Fury strengthened them as they tried to deflect the deadly scythe, forcing scissors against blade to leave him wide open to magical attacks. Eventually he succumbed to the power of fire, burning his skeletal form into ash. The lemmings weeped, feeling the loss of three on just the first level of the catacombs. Monty sighed with grief, James burned with hatred as he stomped forwards in front of the party to make sure no more surprises would come. They began to be more careful in dealing with the tight corners and wide long-reaching hallways, with Alestes and Sophelie being much more covert in their flight. If there were any more of these grim reapers wandering around, they wanted to get the drop on them. But that was not the only enemy they had to concern themselves with.

Armed guards also roamed the hallways, fierce Centurions with gold-plated steel as well as with sword and shield and even packing a long-range magical attack. The long-range magic was annoying, but not as harmful as their close-range brutality. The raptor was able to deflect any long-distance shots well, and Sophelie could always shielding them from its magic. When centurions came close however, a furious struggle would occur between both raptor and guardian. Sword clashed against sword, and while the raptor had experience and speed, the guard had a lot of strength. Roaring with fury as he shoved his scissors against one guard, he was bashed aside by the shield against his face, slamming him one way before the centurion cackled cruelly and stabbed through one lemming. The creature squeaked out a short death cry as blood dripped hotly from his chest down the long blade, the centurion forcefully shoving the deadened captive from it with his iron boot. This only made Monty furious as he grabbed at the shield and tore through it with his claws, slashing the less-protected wristguard of the guardian. Cutting through the chainmail-covered grip, Monty forced the shield off of the centurion before James readily plunged his scissors straight through its unprotected arm halfway through the hand. He practically skewered it in half, the hand ripped and split in two straight along the knuckle and arm as it roared in agony. James was relentless as he swung in his spinning fury, decapitating just under the guard's helmet. It took him three tries in order to fully cut off the head at last. With blood-soaked frustration from both Monty and James, they headed on further doing their best to fight off against further invading enemies. Bats also returned to be a hassle to them, but they were easy pickings compared to the armed reapers and centurions. The conduits within the catacombs were now once-again a more demonic nature, skulls floating within a bloody mist upon an odd hellish interface of darkened yellow. The podium was stained with blood, having long dried and coagulated years ago. The only thing even worth noting in the journal entries by Meen, was that of his continuing plans for world domination now extending to the universe, in which he detailed:

Dear Diary, This Linking Book continues to fascinate even ME! I've managed to locate its source of origin to a tiny wretched little island, all higgledy-piggledy with worthless junk! And only a few good books were left, not even a proper library! But it will do, for I have managed to create ANOTHER book, to link to the one I have! Whatever sorcerer had lived here didn't think the all-power Meen could ever learn his tricks! But I have! GENIUS, aren't I!?! Nevertheless, that sorcerer could come back, or maybe some other haphazard fool of a bookworm could come striding in and not resist taking a peek at my special new book! I placed it nicely in plain sight, so that any little smartie could just pick it up and WHOOSH, in they go! With this book I've found, I could replicate many more books like it, if I have the right magical amalgamations for it! I've already been harvesting many materials from many other worlds, and while the populaces within them haven't been foolish enough to come near me, or are perhaps a little TOO bull-headed for my tastes what with their muscleheads and surly magic, I will surely find more fitting prisoners to deal within my plans. Now the only thing that could possibly distract me is that stupid traitor Gnorris...but he'll get what's coming to him soon enough.

Fear and trepidation ran through the captives on what could have possibly happened to their mysterious double agent and friend. But they could tarry no longer. Deactivating it with yet another grammatical correction session, they headed onwards, always careful to handle each corridor as if something terrible was around the next corner. And usually there was. Around the third level of the catacombs, the rooms began to change into a more demonic presence of Meen's face lathered across every wall. His face was once again lit up in vile red. But this time they were not made of ruby, rather made of glass stained with blood. Monty stopped the group after the floor had been cleared of most guards. "Hold up." "What is it?" asked Arino. "...summat's off about this wall." Checking one of the stone walls, he adjusted his monocle and felt along before pushing against a stone. The wall opened inwards like a revolving door, making the others gasp with intrigue. Beyond it was a long dark hallway where only the barest of light grew. At the very end of it, was a central podium where a book now sat. Immaculately bound leather, golden hinges across its spine as well as a central blue jewel set upon the book's cover. Alestes gasped at realising truly what it was, as Arino picked it up cautiously. "This...it can't be." "What is it?" asked Arino. "...the Book of Koridai."

Only Sophelie turned with shock at hearing this. Arino almost dropped it from realising what he now held. James felt completely left out as he asked: "Is this...okay, what is it?" "I thought it had been lost to the ages," said Alestes softly, "to think it exists here...how could it be here? WHY is it here?" "Woah woah, Alestes, chill, what's the deal with this thing?" "The Book of Koridai is a mysterious relic, long spoken of by the great mages who would write about forbidden tomes. Within its homeland of Koridai, it was a great and powerful book, capable of accomplishing many great feats, as well as some of the most dreaded ones of all. To some, it was a heavenly tome of utmost power. To others, it was a source of great evil. ...this must be what keeps Meen invincible, if what Zool said was correct." "You're saying this book is the only thing stopping us from killing Meen?" asked FG. "Well let's destroy it then!" "Impossible," said Sophelie. "Such a book can never be destroyed. We must use it wisely if we are to defeat Meen with it. There must be a spell in here that he has used to make himself invincible. But we must be careful, for the last time this book was used...the world of Koridai was wiped out from existence." "...wh-what?" "Indeed," said Alestes. "This book is powerful enough to destroy entire worlds...to render timelines and existences null and void if it were ever to be used. As Sophelie said, we must be careful." "Alright...what can you guys read from it?" They opened the book together, the remaining group of lemmings all waiting patiently with nervous feet. The book itself however was incomprehensible, a strange alphabet being used within that none of them could understand. "I can't read this," said James. "Whut abou' yer translator?" asked Monty. "No it doesn't work for reading, it only works for languages spoken to me. Does anyone know how to read this?" "I might know," said Arino. They all turned to him as he sighed heavily. "I hoped that I would give him rest for his mind but...there is one among us who can decipher any language, the greatest and perhaps wisest of us all. My future successor...or what he could have been." "Who would that be?" asked Alestes. "...Twinsen. Come forth to me!" A shuffling of feet came from the crowd, as a rather hasty heavy breath soon made its way towards the front. Scrabbling itself forwards, with shaky hands and wild eyes, was a lemming somewhat different from the rest of them. Half of his hair had been torn off, the ripped follicles remaining on his bald half looking rather sore as the other half grew like unkept grass. He never looked at any of them, always looking downwards yet standing still before Arino.

"Who's this?" asked FG. "This is Twinsen, our...prophet of sorts. Mad as he may be, he possesses a great intelligence beyond any of my tribe, crippled only by his own madness when the Meen failed to blind him fully with his spell." "Wait, what?" "He is now blind within one eye only. Somehow, we do not know how, Twinsen had managed to resist in his last moments of clarity. At the cost of his sanity, he has remained to be my most loyal ally. Twinsen." "Y-yes Jacob," began Twinsen shakily, "I shall go down to my son a mourner unto Sheol." "Yes, we are deep beneath the earth, can you help us with something?" "Who will help the widow's son? The reindeer flotilla shall guide us into the grid." "We are helping each other," said Arino flatly, "and we are guiding ourselves out. Will you help me my friend?" "A true, true friend helps a friend in need. A friend will be there to help you see." "Yes, exactly." James and his friends looked at the so-called prophet with unease, as Arino was not only unfazed but also completely able to understand what this strange creature was babbling about. His words made no sense, strange flickers within his eyes as he occasionally had to breathe heavily in order to calm back down. Arino gave him the book, which Twinsen opened and began to read what felt like meaningless conjecture, half-snatches of logic. "This book, I see, faces of evil printed upon it, many spells, all of them terrible." "Is he okay?" said James. "Shhh," hushed Arino. "Let his mind free." "Begin at crater cove, look and see Goronu, Glutko, Nortinka and him. Face of a dog and eyes of a pig, the king was useless, all of them useless and strange, never the same model, never the same eyes. ...this." He pointed towards page 158, an incomprehensible page like any other of strange rhetoric. "This magic, so free, so used, so touched by the Meen. I feel his grin upon it, I feel its use." "What is this spell?" asked Arino. "Immortality, invincibility, at the cost of so many lives, oh so many lives, greater than all of Koridai could hold, could not be used before. But used now." "Wait, why could it not be used before?" "So many lives, greater than all of Koridai could hold, but us, we are many, for we are the music-makers...and we are the dreamers of dreams." "...no." The chief's fear in his eyes was apparent as he realised what Twinsen was saying, turning towards his friends as he said: "The Meen is using a dreaded spell of invincibility...but it can only be powered by the life force of others. ...that is why he built this prison. That must be why he enslaved my kind." "Yer not sayin'," said Monty, "...thuh reason 'e's been keepin' us 'ere...is cuz we're a life source fer his magic?" "That is what Twinsen says." "...oh that is jus' twisted. Now we really gotta sort 'im out." "Damn fucking right," said FG, "is there a way to stop him, or undo the spell?" "Spell cannot be undone," said Twinsen, "only overpowered, cannot do such. What is the curse of eternity but to outlive all those around you? Left alone, forever, to be the loneliest man on earth." "B-but-NO! I don't care how long he gets to live, we're not just letting him die of loneliness!" "Not even in books can he find peace, can he find rest, only eternity. Must trap him, must keep him, this book was made to order but it was never to be read." "Well I-...wait...wait, what did you just say?!" "This book, made to order, but never to be read." "...I GOT IT! I know what he's saying! We trap Meen INSIDE this book!" "What?!" said FG's friends.

"No listen, Meen did this to us, he did this to me and he did this to the lemmings, trapping us inside a book, maybe we're all IN a book right now. He HAD to learn that somewhere, right?" "Presumably," said Alestes, "the Linking Book DID come from this world supposedly, from what the Gnorris Gnetwork could gather yet we do not know WHO gave the book to Meen." "Right," said FG, "now, I dunno how he found out about this book linking whatever shit, but I bet Twinsen's got an idea to do the same to him." "This book," said Twinsen, "a prison as well as a release, must trap with a key. All books have keys, but not all keys have books." "...okay now you lost me." "I believe," said Arino, "what he means is that this book has a companion in order to wield it. This book requires another item for us to properly use. What is this item Twinsen?" "But Prometheus he bound with an iron chain to a mountain in Scythia, named Caucasus for thirty thousand years as Aeschylus, writer of tragedies says." "Alright I understand binding with a chain, is this item in a mountain?" "We are the mountain, for we have arrived in Scythia. But where the chain lies, it has been misplaced. No...no, we see. We can see what has transpired. The ent, not Treebeard but the ent, the betrayer who stared down his master. For we are but hobbits traversing the land, one does not simply walk to the Meen, for we must find the ent." "The ent?" "He rises fourteen feet high, no, greater, words, can't..." The prophet clasped his head and began to shake, struggling with flashes behind his eyes of revelations to come, babble that to all his companions seemed nothing more than meaningless scripture of unknown tomes. "Words cannot exist to me, words SHOULD not exist to me. Beyond a veil clearly, all existences exist and do not exist, the middle of the earth, the journey to the centre said my uncle Liddenbrock, everything can become real within infinity, I-" "Twinsen, calm down!" Arino grabbed his friend and shook him steadily, letting his eyes refocus once again. "...the stars...they...blind me sometimes." "That's alright, now, you were saying about an ent?" "Yes, very sturdy, with a tall head and hardly any neck, but ours has a neck, ours HAD a neck. Punished, insolent, fated to remain rooted forever. We must find the roots, through the maze of roots." "Maze of roots? ...I do not know any such place." "Mebbe 'e means thuh 'edgerow maze?" asked Monty. "Hmm?" "Ah remember in mah note-passin' between prisoners back in mah cell that sumbody mentioned a large 'edgerow maze around thuh outskirts of a castle. Supposedly, this castle is where Meen 'imself resides. Cuz where else are ya gonna rule from?" "Hey yeah," said FG, "didn't that Zool guy mention it as well?" "A maze of roots," repeated Arino. "It WOULD be a place like a hedge maze. Do we know how to get there?" "Aye," said Monty, "someone told me abou' a way through thuh catacombs that led righ' out into thuh maze an' into dayligh'. Follow me."

With book in hand in the care of James, who carried it in his weighty satchel, they made their way further into the darkening labyrinth of the catacombs. On the final level of the dark underground, the entire atmosphere began to take on a more ceremonial aura. Purple mosaics of Meen lined the halls, eternally staring unto the hundred-strong group of escaping prisoners. Judging them. The walls themselves were now a faded powder blue, lined with shields of past warriors. But only for a brief time until they reached the central exit. The centre of the fourth floor, which they had now remembered to be the 20th floor of Meen's tortuous lair, was like it was back in the dungeons again. Meen's portraits continued to gaze all around them, but the floor was now solid hard stone, no longer any sort of fine-tiled elegance. A heavy breathing, like that of a dragon, came from the darkness beyond them. They felt the exit was near, but they could not tell what exactly laid beyond. "Anyone see anything?" murmured James. Nobody could reply, until a shrieking voice from their side squawked: "I SEEEEE YOUUUUUUUU!" Panic rose from the lemmings, who began to scatter and run until Monty roared at them: "STAY STILL! DON' LET 'IM SCARE YA, JUS' SNIFF ME OUT AN' COME BACK TO ME!" Some of them were too frightened to move, now in completely new surroundings with no way of navigating back, blinking blindly around the darkness. Meen had reappeared, projecting himself at James' side. "SO, having fun playing follow the leader, ARE WE?!" "The fuck you want you prick?!" "Ohhhhh just merely checking in on your progress my little bookworms! And OH LOOK, you've got a whole party of friends with you, how lovely." His mocking sneer was evident in his voice, his lip curling upwards with disgust as Arino stood up before him. "We are no longer your playthings Meen, OR your source of power. We are far more capable of defeating you than ever before!" "Oh really?! And what makes you even THINK you can hurt ME, you wretched little subhuman?!" "This." James pulled out the book from his bag, making Meen panic and sputter as he fell back. "WHA-FU-HOW DID YOU GET THAT?!" "Let's just say a little birdie told me...or ninja...or whatever." "THAT BOOK IS NOT TO BE WIELDED BY YOU, YOU WRETCHED LITTLE BRATS!" "Look who's talking, fuck wrangler!" "...well, I should not waste words on someone who can't even insult me properly, so be it! You can't even read it, let alone even wield such power with in it, so what?! All you have is a book! You can't even possess the power within it so I should not worry! YOU however should worry very VERY much." "I'm still waiting to be turned into a slug," said FG, "your mum's been aching for something wet in her fuckhole." "SHUT UP! I HAVE HAD IT WITH YOUR CHILDISH CRASS INSULTS!" "I'm not the one stomping around having a tantrum like a little BITCH! If you're so powerful how come you haven't killed us all with a flick of your finger huh?!" "Because you creatures are BENEATH such grace!" chided Meen. "If you REALLY want to suffer the full might of my power, then come to me personally! Take your stupid little book with you, and we shall see who is truly better than who! ...that is, IF you even get there alive."

With a click of his fingers, an echo rang throughout the cavernous catacomb hall. The deep breathing suddenly stopped, as something woke up from the darkness beyond. Huge clunking steps started to come forwards, as the lemmings panicked hearing such heavy sounds. Meen's holographic smile was unbearable, as he watched five lemmings too afraid to return to the pack start flailing and whimpering nearby. "GET BACK 'ERE!" cried out Monty. "GET BACK, SUMTHIN'S COMIN'!" This something first showed its huge glinting horns from a towering head, a thick muscular body of 16 feet tall, with legs like tree trunks ending within thick singular hooves. Brutish arms wielded a huge axe, great and terrible as it glinted with crusted blood. The lemmings before it shrieked and tried to run blindly, but the beast simply punched them back into place. One lemming felt the full force of the punch, and his head cracked hard against the floor, deadening blood pooling from his head. The face was the worst part of it however. Every monstrosity of this size and power, it was always Meen's face. Even on a minotaur such as this, it was always the same. The same. Fucking. Face. "GET EVERYONE BACK TO THE HALLWAY BEHIND US!" roared FG. "ALESTES, SOPHELIE, MONTY, COME ON!" The raptor charged forwards with his willing companions as Arino beckoned them back, while Monty rushed towards the four wounded lemmings still in the shadow of the Meenotaur. The creature swung its humongous axe down towards the mole, who dodged and slashed at the legs as powerfully as he could. It barely flinched, and simply kicked him away with its thick muscles. James forcefully stood in front of the paralysed creatures, but the minotaur tried to punch him away only to get stabbed through his huge fingers. Roaring with frustration, it swung down hard with the axe, the raptor shoving the lemmings to one side. Unfortunately one ran the wrong way in the confusion and bumped straight into the minotaur, who crushed him with a powerful stomp. The little torso squeaked in agony as his ribcage was crushed, the beast scraping its hoof backwards to leave a bloody smear from the two remains of the lemming. Alestes swooped upwards to shriek into the beast's eyes, who grunted from the pain but was apparently stronger than expected. Sophelie in turn sent frays of light from her wings to shaft through the beast's torso, but it was of such thick proportions that it simply flinched back and swung with its vicious axe. Alestes barged into the albatross to pull her away from the swinging reach, before he striked the monster with a sea of flames. Burns across its chest made it roar as it charged forwards.

The birds' distraction had given FG enough time to keep the other three lemmings back, and make them return to their group before him and Monty could now fight. Being on the ground, they went for the legs, but avoided any stomping motions, plunging both blades and claws into the monster's thighs to cripple its mobility. Such power in the muscles however gave them little effect from such wounds, as it trudged on regardless. Swinging the blade down with a powerful slam into the rocky floor almost crippled James' leg, as he just barely dodged. But the force of the axe on the ground made the entire place vibrate, making everyone stumble except for the birds up above. The legs were clearly too strong, no matter how many times FG or Monty slashed or swung at them, they weren't giving in from the sheer amount of muscle that practically acted like armour. They both began aiming for higher up, but such a sizeable beast did not make it easy, even with its slow turning gait due to the massive axe it wielded. FG, being the faster of the two, began to distract the minotaur with taunting steps and feinting blows towards the legs to annoy it. Monty took the chance during the monster's distraction to try and reach for the back. The opportunity soon came as he scrabbled furiously up onto the sweat-glistened back muscle, digging his claws hungrily into the inhuman flesh. Roars of displeasure came from the Meenotaur who tried to swing Monty off, turning hard and trying to grab hard at its back. But the mole was quick enough to keep out of its grip, and with each new dodge he made, he dug his claws deeper and deeper within. Thick unplugged wounds began to bleed and jolt from the monstrous back, while Monty was trying to aim for the neck for some truly severe damage. In his desperation to grapple for the neck, he did not notice one hand smack him extraordinarily hard enough to throw him nearly off. With one hand latched on in panic, he cried out and tried to hold on, as Alestes swooped in close to try and blind the beast with his power. It was enough to make the monster not try to attack Monty on its back, throwing its hands up to try and wave off the irritating pest the owl was becoming. But the axe was too slow to even clip him. Monty however had his chance, and desperately grabbed upwards towards the neck, slamming his claws hard into the shoulder. The minotaur however was quick to react, and grabbed with one hand across his chest to snatch Monty hard and throw him down to the floor. Groaning the moment he hit the hard cave floor, the mole struggled to get up and hobble away before the monster had a chance to crush him, with FG coming straight for him and blocking the Meenotaur's way, allowing Monty time to move back.

Sophelie however had a desperate idea, which came to her when she summoned a spiritual circle to protect her allies, the six-pointed star radiating a transcendent green. Her friends' spiritual resolve was solidified by unseen forces, yet something strange happened with James. An unusual dark glow burned from his own aura, and in a sudden flash, he rushed forwards with a demonic whirlwind that shattered her holy circle, spiralling around his own upwards-striking scissors. His roar permeated throughout the catacombs, as the minotaur stumbled back from the unexpected assault that tore upwards into his torso. "JAMES!" she cried out. "Huh?!" "I have an idea! Spin once more with your blades, I'll help you with my Raging Tempest!" James nodded as he began to spin, trying to initiate some sort of aerial strike move. If it failed, he would be able to grip onto the Meenotaur's chest and bounce off of him to stay safe. Yet the moment he began to swing upwards, Sophelie summoned her holy wind around him. He was suddenly uplifted by this eternal breeze, making him spin faster and higher into the air and straight towards the monster's head. Spinning vertically, his scissors began to blur as a shimmering scythe-like reflection, as he roared and cleaved furiously into the beast's head. Scraping his blades deeper and deeper into the monster's skull, he felt himself constantly kept spinning for what was only a few seconds, but he wasn't going to let this pain end for the minotaur. With psychotic fury, he summoned the burning feeling from within his hands, and streaked them through his scissors, torching it aflame. Burning flesh began to sizzle as the monster roared, scissors in his eyes and skull. Both raptor and seabird cried out with their utmost power: "_RAGING TEMPEST! _" With one final strike, James plunged his blades deep inside the minotaur's skull, driving it straight into the brain. The monster made one final roar, before it started to fall onto its knees, toppling over forwards like a colossus. The raptor swiftly pulled out, the smallest spurt of blood coming from its head as he backflipped off from the cracked skull top, and stood before the crumbling beast with blades swung low to be prepared. Yet it did not rise again. The beast was dead, much to Meen's projected fury through his holographic form. "YOUUUU are beginning to annoy me you PATHETIC WORMS! I guarantee you that I will NOT be so easy to face against! Pray that we never meet again!" Sparking out into a cloud of purple thunder, Meen's visage faded away, as James sighed heavily from exhaustion. The remaining 113 lemmings all stared with amazement, oblivious and needing to ask: "What happened?" "We are safe now," said Arino. "The Meen's beast has been slain. We shall soon feel the sun upon our faces once more." Cheers grew from the lemmings like a wave of gratitude, the raptor turning towards them and chuckling softly. He looked to his friends, all of whom rejoined his side. "Th-thanks guys. Especially you Sophelie, that was some sick magic back there." "I noticed your body synergised with my magic strangely," said the albatros, "so I reasoned that perhaps you would have a more unusual reaction to it. But...I did not cast a fire spell on you." "I know, that last part was me, hehe." "Very good...you are tired are you not?" "Just used up a lot of magic in one go, gimme a bit. I'll be alright, just a headache." "Perhaps you should drink one of those potions from before." "Not yet, only when I really need it." "Alright." Rejoining the group once more, they soon found the exit after taking the key from the Meenotaur's body, before heading onwards and out of the catacombs at last. For all of them, even moreso the lemmings, it would be a very strange experience once they finally reached the exit. For the moment they unlocked the portal, a blinding light streaked across their faces. To James, Monty, Arino, Sophelie and Alestes, this was cripplingly bright. To the Lemmings however, it was the most blissful warmth they could ever experience. But it was only to last for a few seconds once Alestes made the following observation. "Well the good news is we are finally within the hedgerow maze." "And the bad news?" asked Arino. "...we are not outside." The sky above was merely a terrible illusion. The light of the sun was warm yet false, which left a colder feeling within them than ever before.