Sweet Venom Ch. 13

"I'd have done that earlier if I knew you were gonna start bleeding like that!" Diego wiped his brow, thick with sweat and let out a sigh of relief as she stabilised. He took her hand and gently eased her into a sitting position, upright against the wall.

Her skin tone was returning to its usual purple shade, but she looked rough. The sooner they were out of here, the better.

"You... saved me in the middle of saving me. That's twice I owe you now."

"You can thank me later, you're not safe yet. I still got like, forty floors of pain to go!" Diego glanced over to the stairs, deeply concerned about the mountainous task ahead of him. He sat down beside her, and felt her reach over to grasp his hand shyly. He turned his head to face her; Seeth looked like she was about to burst into tears, and was battling with all her might to keep them back.

"Was it something I said?" He grabbed her hand back and stroked over the top of it with his other one, her skin still silky soft, despite it being covered in dust and blood.

"Diego..." Seeth whispered. "I'm so sorry... about Moltezz, and the table incident... You were right, you were trapped and we used you... You trusted me and I led you into a situation that you couldn't get out of."

"Seeth, It's okay, I understand -"

"-No, Diego, it wasn't right! I need you to understand that I will never, EVER do that to you again. Never. I need to be better than that. I feel awful that I even tried to justify it."

He put his arm around her, squeezing her close.

"Thank you." He whispered gently. "I accept your apology."

Seeth wiped away her tears with her thumb, sobbing quietly. A small, heartfelt silence filled the acrid corridor. Seeth felt some of the guilt lift from her shoulders and with it, a small smile broke over her face.

"I have so many feelings right now... Diego... I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since I met you... You looked like such a twat when we first saw you, as well..."

The lizard let out an exhausted but hearty belly laugh.

"Oh, I did?! That's not where I thought you were going with that sentence! Can't say I blame you for thinking that though, to be honest."

"I mean, come on. You were standing there, wearing this armour that shows your abs off, a sword as long as your entire body strapped to your back, those slicked back locks... I'm not being funny but you look like you do shampoo adverts for a living. Don't get me wrong, I love your hair, it's gorgeous, but I couldn't piece together what you were. A dainty pretty boy? A show-off? An overconfident fuck-boy maybe?"

"Little of this, little of that. What did I turn out to be, then?" He smiled warmly at her, still softly stroking her hand.

"Not what I expected. But everything I think I needed. I mean... you're great at taking dick -"

"SEETH! You can't just blurt that out!" He laughed heartily again. "Oh, what's your good qualities, Diego? Anal depth and durability? Oh sure, that's great!"

"I'm only joking, pretty boy! Well I'm not, you are good at that, but more importantly, you're my little lizard hero right now, and I think you always were, right from the moment I saw you. You told me right in this stairwell that you'd help me and... you keep your promises."

"They're important... I want my words to mean something, so I make them matter."

Seeth inched closer to him, their eyes meeting as she tried to find the words to match the feelings in her chest.

"Jeez, Seeth, you keep looking at me like that and I'm gonna melt! Pfft, I should not be flirting with someone who was nearly bleeding out a few minutes ago... feels like I'm taking advantage a bit."

"The only person who's taking advantage here is me... Every time I look at you I get tingles all over..." She reached out with her other hand and caressed his cheek, taking a deep breath to steady herself. He gazed back at her, his heart thumping against his chest for multiple reasons now.

"Diego... I think... I think I lo-"

A bloody roar rattled down the corridor and made them both jump out of their skin.

"SEEEEEETH?! DIEGO?! WHERE ARE YOU?!?" Moltezz's voice boomed through the facility, and she sounded like she was on a warpath.

"We gotta go, now!" Diego leapt to his feet and began to pull Seeth up onto his shoulders once more, grunting loudly from the effort. Once she was settled and up as comfortably as possible, he tread slowly over to the staircase and mentally prepared himself for the ascent; his legs were aching already, but the entire facility suddenly shaking prompted him to make his move.

Leg up and foot down onto the first step, pain shot down his back and legs, he drew breath in time with the motion and started to ascend, dust shook free from the walls and floated about the air as the staircase rattled violently again and another gut twisting roar echoed up past them.

"I KNOW YOU'RE HIDING SOMEWHERE! I'M GOING TO BREAK YOU, DIEGO!"

His body quivered from the physical effort, but now, his psyche was shaking too; he was completely defenceless, disarmed, physically drained and exhausted. If Moltezz found them, he had no way to defend himself or Seeth.

"I WILL FIND YOU!"

More crashes echoed out as Moltezz furiously rampaged through the dungeon, searching room after room and tearing the place apart as she did so.

"YOU WILL NEVER SEE THE STARS AGAIN, EITHER OF YOU!"

Moltezz's threats boomed through the stairwell and etched into his brain. Fear began to build in him as he managed to reach the top of the first stairwell... leaving thirty nine still to go. Moltezz was beyond furious, and the sound of tearing the place to pieces was gradually getting closer...

The stairwell shook again and nearly knocked him over as a tremendous explosion rang out, followed by a near deafening roar from Moltezz, bleaching his ears and replacing everything with a painful white noise. His legs felt like they were made from stone, it was agony to move, but just as everything started to feel overwhelming, he felt a warm, loving whisper in his ear, piercing through the white noise with perfect clarity.

"I believe in you. You can do this."

Diego grit his teeth, his breath felt like fire on his tongue and yet, he pushed on, faster this time, towards their freedom.

"YOU WILL FAIL!"

"You will beat this..."

"WEAK, PATHETIC CREATURES!"

"Strongest man I know..."

"WORTHLESS SCUM!"

"My little lizard hero..."

Without fail, for every harrowing shriek or insult Moltezz would bellow, Seeth would whisper something back in his ear, something to keep him going and he pushed on, ascending a step at a time and clinging onto her with all his strength.

"TIME IS TICKING AWAY! I KNOW I'M GETTING CLOSER, I CAN SMELL YOUR FEAR, DIEGO!"

Her voice was even closer now...

"SEETH'S CHAMBER PERHAPS?! AHAHAH!"

"You're doing amazing Diego... just a little further, my precious man..."

His legs felt like they were turning inside out, but nevertheless, his will was absolute and his pace continued.

Suddenly and suspiciously, Moltezz went quiet, and the two of them felt a sudden danger. At the next level, Diego stopped for a second and waited, pressed up against the wall, ensuring they couldn't be seen from below.

A fireball sailed straight up the central column of the staircase and exploded at the top, but both Seeth and Diego remained silent and still.

"There's no way that disrespectful little liar made it up there with Seeth in her condition... maybe they're in Plasia's quarters...?" Moltezz was thinking out loud at the bottom of the staircase, watching it closely for any sign of movement or noises. She huffed loudly and stormed off, her footsteps getting distant and the terrified couple had a brief moment of respite to rejoice at their luck, before the lizard pressed on again.

After what felt like an eternity, of counting every single gruelling step, they were almost there. Just one more flight to go. He was so close, and yet, at the most critical moment, Diego could feel his strength fading fast. Moltezz's power, on the other hand, had only gotten stronger it seemed, and the dungeon, and perhaps even the very earth itself, continued to crumble and melt away. Diego was panting furiously, body covered in a thick sweat, his every limb quivering and just one final set of stairs to go...

"Come on, Diego... you can do this..." Seeth whispered in his ear. He lifted his leg up, slowly, shakily, but he couldn't do it, couldn't lift it high enough. His toes bumped against the next stair and he staggered, almost falling backwards. After a wobbly, agonising second, he managed to right himself.

"Diego... you're so close!" Seeth's voice became louder and desperate as she began to panic.

Diego tried again, lifting the same leg, higher, higher... and managed to plant it on the first stair. But no matter how much he strained, he couldn't find the energy to push off, and bring his other leg up.

"Diego! Y-you can do this! Come on!" The stairwell shook violently as Moltezz's rage poured into the dungeon's foundations below them.

"I-I... I can't do it..."

"Yes you can! You've come this far! It's just a little further!"

"I - I..."

"Then drop me and leave me behind! You get out of here!"

"Seeth... I won't -"

"No! I'm not letting you sacrifice yourself for me! You drop me now, and save yourself!"

"I am NOT LEAVING YOU BEHIND!" Diego yelled with fury, pushing up another step. Seeing this sudden burst of energy, Seeth changed tactics, praying that Moltezz wouldn't hear them below.

"COME ON DIEGO! YOU CAN DO IT!!!" She screamed, matching the lizard's fury. He roared and took another step, and another, and another! The factory door was slowly fading into view. Diego howled as he pushed through the wall of pain that was seizing up his legs, and Seeth howled with him. Another two steps, and then a few more after that, and then there was just one more... one more step and they were at the factory level... But he feared there were no more words that could encourage him now, Diego tried with every ounce of strength that he had, but there was so little left to give...

"VERY IMPRESSIVE - BUT YOU'RE NOT ESCAPING ME, DIEGO! YOU WILL DROWN IN MY PASSION, MY FURY!!!"

Moltezz's bellow echoed all the way along the spiral staircase and deep into their cores. Seeth's blood ran cold. She'd heard them, had made her way back to the stairwell, and was now charging up the stairs at an absurd pace, gaining on them with every second... Even if Diego made it to the factory floor now, there was nothing they could do.

"Diego... If this is the end... then... I love you! I love you! I'm so glad I got the chance to meet you and-and-" Tears poured down Seeth's face as she squeezed her eyes shut and clutched onto the lizard's chest tightly. "I'm so sorry Diego... I love you... please, leave me here! You have to get out of here!"

She felt her body shift as Diego pushed, one final time...

There was a heart-wrenching crunch within the stairwell.

The walls cracked and shifted.

The concrete parted and crumbled.

The steps under Moltezz suddenly gave away, too damaged from her furious assaults to support her weight. A hoarse and surprised scream rang out as she hurtled to the ground below and landed with a muffled thump, followed by a shrill silence.

At the top of the staircase, Seeth still upon his shoulders, stood Diego.