The grip Sunset was caught in softened as Spike returned to normal. However, the look on her face stayed as she watched her friend revert back to normal. Her face held a picture of pure shock that the corruption she wanted to stop from happening had progressed so far. Was it already too late to do anything for Spike or was there enough time to make sure he didn't progress further?

"Sunset! Thank goodness you're safe! I don't know what I would have done if anything happened to you!" Spike hugged her as his voice filled the room.

It snapped her out of her temporary shock and made her brace for the bone crushing hug she was part of due to the dragon.

"Spike, I'm fine let go of me."

As they separated Bix finished looking around after catching his breath and returned to where they stood, his face sporting a scowl from what he found.

"There's nothing here! Gods damn it! We either go back and wait for the next time the dungeon resets or start getting a lot more physical with the place."

"You mean to tell me the place has nothing else in here?"

"Didn't you just hear what I said sweetheart? Glad to see you're fine and all but this ain't the time to ask stupid questions."

"Who the fuck are you calling stupid?"

"If the jacket fits then I guess it's gotta be you. I don't see anyone else here that was idiotic enough to get lost in a room this small."

"I'll have you know that..." Sunset cut her rebuttal short as a pain shot through her chest. She couldn't breathe for a moment as the beating of her heart was being constricted by an invisible hand. It seemed to slowly close its icy fingers across it and let go after what seemed like an eternity.

"Sunset! Are you alright?!" Spike helped her keep steady as she tried to regain her composure and could once again breath normally.

She slapped him away and took a step back. "I'm fine, just couldn't breathe for a bit. Some dust must have gotten into my lungs. More importantly, what are we going to do now?"

"Well, like I said, we either return next time it appears or we start breaking down some walls. Seeing as Spike here is the main muscle and how he's done it before we can just have him do the work."

"I've got no problem doing so but, we don't know about whether or not that'll attract some other beast or what the next room could hold. If anything, Sunset disappearing in a small room like that shows the real danger of this place."

"How long until the place comes again?" Sunset asked as she collected her bag from Bix.

"That's the thing. I'm not exactly sure, this one was just within the expectations most of the divers talked about. It could have appeared two days from now or next month. It's completely sporadic."

"We don't have the time to wait here. I'm sorry Bix but we need to leave this place within the week."

"Spike! We can't just leave them after agreeing to help them out!"

"You were the one to agree to it Sunset. I'm only here because I knew you wouldn't leave them the way they are once you knew the situation. We can't stay here and you know it."

"Then start knocking down some walls you idiot! We're going to find that book if it takes the whole week!"

Spike remained stoic but walked away towards one of the walls knocking on them to find a sound of space beyond them. Bix and Sunset watched him work as they sat down to eat. Bix offered her the cheese and grapes he had and declined any himself as he had eaten before finding her.

"Thank you Sunset. I'm sorry about what I said earlier."

"Don't worry about it. You were just upset about the dead end. Just make sure it's the last time you say something like that to me."

"Got it."

Spike kept knocking for a while long until he found the spot he thought would work. He focused his fire once more and melted through the rock to look into what was behind the barrier of stone. Satisfied he started to smash the stones with his tail and the stones began to move. Sunset watched as he worked silently, whether it was because she had told him or he was working off some stress, she didn't know.

"I gotta say, the big guy surprised me when he turned all nasty once he realized you disappeared. You must be really important; I've never seen or heard of any lizard doing that kind of thing. Well except for those touched by the Mad God."

"What do you mean touched by the Mad God?"

"Sweetheart you're something else. I swear it's like you're completely ignorant about life here. Were you just sheltered as a kid?"

"Just tell me you brat."

"Fine, fine. Like I said those that are touched by the Mad God do things that aren't otherwise natural. As natural as you can get in the domains anyways. There was talk in the bar of a bear that was touched and it was said to turn into a demon of flames. It would torch anything that came in contact with it."

"What happened to it?"

"I don't know. It's still out there somewhere; burning things to less than ash. Some say it can disguise itself by eating the remains if it's victims. Which reminds me of Spike's magic, only, his requires just a touch not flesh and blood. Though, just thinking about such a thing being able to disguise itself as a human or intelligent lifeforms gives me the creeps."

"Hasn't anyone tried to hunt it down?"

"Several have tried, and none ever came back. The gods damn thing might be smart enough to either evade them or worse. If it can change into a sapient being, then there's no telling what sorts of things its learned over the years."

"Is there a some kind of criteria the Mad God uses to choose who it gives such power to?"

"Don't know. Don't care. If you ever seen something that seems to fit that criteria, then it's best to never get involved with it. Spike seems to have control over what he does so I doubt he has ever been touched. I mean, lizards are known to be savage, and some of them worship the damned deity but there has never been anything linking the two together."

Sunset thought back to what Spike had told her about the armor he'd received when he swore allegiance to the Mad God. If that was something provided by the deity, then would that mean the Gecklings had contact with such a hateful being? Or was it only Spike that had received something like that due to whatever he had done in his past? If there were other creatures out there that had been corrupted, then to what extent did it spread? There were too many questions and no clues as to what could be the answers. The only way she'd find some way to stop any form of the corruption would be to either examine it first hand or ask Spike more about his past.

When she first asked of the events leading up to him being so drastically different he brushed it aside saying he would tell her later. When would later be? Would he just keep dodging the subject? Something happened to make him the way he was now, of that she knew for sure. Though, if that was related at all to the corruption that infected his body and mind she didn't know. She needed more information; about the corruption, the Mad God, and about Spike.

A crash echoed throughout the room and they both looked towards Spike to find him clearing any loose stones from the collapsed wall. They gathered their things quickly and went over to the new path.

"Took you long enough. I would think that a lizard as built as you would be able to knock something like this down easily."

"Shut up Bix. If you want to take care of the next obstacle you're more than welcome, until you actually do something useful then I prefer you shut up and keep close. I'd be more than glad to get out here with or without you."

"Spike!"

"What?! Listen Sunset, I don't want to be here and I sure as shit don't want you in such a place. I only agreed to coming because of you but that doesn't mean I'll keep quiet about my dissatisfaction. Not only do I have to go through a fucking death trap of a dungeon, protect two people, and search for books that might not even be here. I have to deal with this brat shit talking me?"

"Hey, you can just as easily back out of this if you want to Spike. I didn't know I was being such an unwanted burden."

"Don't start that shit with me Sunset. I'm the one that's been here longer and you're still learning. You might have it in your mind that I'm still that baby you've met so long ago but things are different. This is life or death we're talking about and I have more experience than some teenage princess wannabe and a little bastard who thinks he can tell me what to do!"

"I'm not exactly sure what the two of you are saying, but I'm taking it that, by the volume of both your voices, it's a fight? Listen, let's just calm down here and get going already. We don't have time to deal with any petty squabbles."

Both Spike and Sunset turned to look at Bix and while Sunset was getting ready to yell at the kid; Spike immediately punched him in the stomach. The force behind the strike was so intense that Sunset could hear what could only be a rib crack. Bix flew through the air and landed on his side. He groaned a bit before throwing up and Sunset immediately went over to help the boy.

"Bix! Spike, what the fuck do you think you're doing?!"

"I didn't mean... I only wanted him to shut up. I just..."

"Come on Bix. I'll help you up, just hold on to me for now."

"Thanks. Sorry about this."

"Bix... I'm..."

"Spike, just stop. Let's go, we need to find what we came here for and then get Bix to a hospital or healer. We'll talk about this when we're somewhere safe."

The group was silent as Spike took point once more followed by Sunset helping Bix to walk. The path that had opened led to a hallway they hadn't seen before; Spike threw a rock down the hallway to the left and heard it hit a wall quickly.

"Dead end. We go right."

A groan of approval came from Bix and Sunset simply nodded. Their bodyguard marched on setting bugs they encountered on fire and throwing rocks anywhere that seemed suspicious. They avoided traps using these methods and came upon the end of the hall only to be presented with three doors. The door on the left was a normal wooden door with a handle and keyhole. Whether or not it was locked they didn't dare check until they decided which door to take. The door on the right was made of a giant black slab of rock. There was no visible handle or keyhole for them to use or workaround. The final door, the one in front of them, was a giant metal door that seemed too modern for it to be in this dungeon or this world and to the immediate left of it was a small pillar with a weird symbol.

"Which way do should we go? Bix?"

The boy looked around and inspected the doors along with Sunset. "I'm not sure... shit... I can barely talk without it hurting. What do you think Sunset?"

"Well the wooden door looks safe enough but given the experiences we've had in this place I'm not sure that I can choose just because of that. The giant door seems to have something to do with the pillar but it might have to do with some sort of magic trap. I kind feel uneasy around it. As for the last one, I can't see any kind of way for us to open it. The wall doesn't have any indication of a hidden switch."

"There aren't any more rocks I can throw to see if anything happens when touching that pillar. I'd rather not throw anything I have since I might need it later on. If it does have something to do with magic, then we can't really choose it. I'll look around and check for a switch or something for the stone wall."

"Well, ugh... I think we should just... choose the wooden one. Fuck! Leave me against the wall Sunset. I need to calm down."

"Sure, Bix. Why do you think we should go for the wooden one?"

"Because, it's the only one with a visible lock. Even if it is locked, I can just pick it or the fucking asshole over there can smash or burn it down."

"Bix, please don't be like that. Hate only festers and grows into something hideous. I understand the way you feel about Spike and his actions and I intend to give him a piece of my mind about it. Just, don't hate him... please."

"Fine, whatever. Just rip him a new one for me as well alright?"

"You bet. I'll remind him who the real badass is around here."

"I found something!" Spike yelled out from down the path. It was a considerable distance from the doors so it was rather odd.

Bix used the wall to prop himself up and walked towards where Spike was waiting. Sunset offered to help him there but he declined and walked with her by his side in case he needed help. When they reached Spike they found him laying on the ground near the wall to their right.

"What did you find Spike?"

"And why the fuck are you laying on the ground?"

"Watch it you fucking midget."

"Spike..."

"Yea, yea. Anyways, I was looking around for the switch and couldn't find anything but I did find this."

He stood up and pointed to where he was lying. It was too dark to see properly so Sunset squatted down and hovered a torch over the spot. What she found was a tiny bit of cloth, it was a dark blue colored cloth and if one wasn't looking for it they would easily miss it.

"Great, you found some trash."

"Shut up Bix. Spike what does a bit of cloth have anything to do with the doors?"

"Don't you see anything strange about it?"

"Nope."

"Sorry Spike, I don't see anything odd about it."

He grabbed Sunset's torch and set it down near the cloth as he squatted down. "Look at how it's sticking out from underneath. The cloth is stuck under the wall; it's not just a piece that was torn off. Since it's stuck under then somewhere around here..." Spike started to move his hands along the floor and found a tiny stone hidden in the intersection of several stones. "Got it."

He pushed the stone and a rumble came from the wall. It went inward and started to move upwards revealing a path to a new area. Sunset and Bix watched as the passage slowly revealed itself.

"Yea. I know what I'm doing. So next time just shut up and listen you brat."

"Fuck you."

"No thanks."

"Both of you shut up."

As the wall slowly climbed upwards the cloth was released from it's prison. Sunset grabbed the bit she could and pulled it only to fall backwards as there was nothing really holding it in place. The cloth flew from the under the wall and landed on the girl along with it's owner. The husk that inhabited the robe landed on top of Sunset and she threw it away from her immediately.

"Oh Celestia! What the fuck?!"

"Calm down. It's just a corpse. Poor sap must of been here quite a while. Judging by the decay and the fact it still has skin it wouldn't have been that long." Spike examined their dead guest closely before looking up to see Sunset rather disturbed.

"Oh come on, you've seen dead bodies before."

"Only from a distance! That thing landed on me and... and... ugh..."

Bix went towards the body and started to search along the robes. He took out two small pouches and a miniature book from some pockets sewn on the inside of the clothing.

"Bix, what the fuck? Just leave it alone."

"Not a chance. In case you've forgotten we're here find an apologist's book. Which means getting them from the ones we find here. Who, unless by some miracle, are more than likely dead."

"That's disgusting."

"It's life. Get over it Sunset."

As he looked through the book he put one of the bags away and handed the other to Sunset. "Some gems, I'd rather keep them for myself but since you've got the book I figure it'll be better you have them."

"Thanks." She grabbed the bag with some reluctance and checked inside to find 4 Rubies, and 3 Emeralds. "What do Emeralds do?"

"I'm not sure. Try it out if you have extra."

As Bix and Sunset talked about the repercussions of random spell casting; Spike looked at the body once more and took the robe off completely. Underneath he found that the unfortunate soul was a woman. She was stuck in a pose that looked natural, as if she had died without even knowing it. He tried to turn the body over only to have an arm snap off and a dark red liquid seep out. Holding the arm and putting pressure on it made it crumple easily. He dabbed one of his claws into the liquid and tasted it.

"Spike, what the fuck are you doing?"

"We need to go."

"Yea, no shit. The way is open so we should go if we plan to get out of here before the dungeon shifts."

"No! Don't go in there!"

"Why the fuck not?"

"This body is made out of bread and wine!"

"Bread and win.... oh shit! Get to the doors quick!"

Sunset could only watch as Spike stood up and took hold of Bix. "Sunset! Come on!"

"What's going on?!" She asked running back to the doors.

Behind them came a slow cry. It sounded like the dying scream of a sheep in a slaughterhouse. Sunset looked back to see a rotting corpse leaning down and devouring the one on the ground. It wore a robe similar to the one they found. It was matted in red splotches which could be taken for blood and ripped at places. One of it's hands held on to a book tightly while the other tore away at it's victim. Crunching sounds and slurps echoed throughout the hallway as they reached the doors.

"What the fuck is happening? What is that thing?"

"Fuck, fuck, fuck. Which way do we go big guy?"

"I say we go through the metal one. If we can get inside, then we can close it and the thing won't get us."

"What won't get us?!"

A cry echoed through the darkness behind them and the sound of footsteps kept getting stronger. As the head turned to face their way Sunset could see the eyes glowing yellow in the dark. It was like watching two fireflies getting larger with each each echo. She turned back to find Bix and Spike messing with the symbol on the pillar.

"It's getting closer!" She took out a Ruby and her book with the translation. After saying the words, the gem glowed brightly and she threw it towards the creature. The impact was immediate and once the smoke cleared she saw the thing still standing.

"Get the fuck over here you idiot!" Bix yelled from beyond the metal door.

Spike ran and grabbed her as the creature began to run towards the cause of damage. The book in its hand started to glow brighter by the second. Spike ran inside where Bix waited and he slammed on the pillar near him. The door closed immediately and the creature behind it started to slam against it. Spike put down his friend before sitting down next to Bix. They heard the creature starting to scratch at the door and could see that the book was still glowing from underneath the barrier.

"Alright, one of you tell me what that thing was. Another undead? What was with the whole bread and wine thing? Someone tell me what is going on!"

Bix held his hands up and Spike sighed.

"That thing was an apologist Sunset. The book it has is what we're trying to get."

Author's Note

New chapter out! I'm a little behind my personal schedule since I've added another story to my growing list of ones to update. I've also started working on a book with the same kind of concepts this story has. By that I mean the type of setting as I like the idea of The Domains of Chaos.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story. Please leave a comment or critique as any critique helps me grow as a writer. Have a great day!