Soon, there is a thunderous pounding approaching fast from below, slower than that which Jake heard before, and MUCH louder. There’s even a bit of swishing mixed in, but not enough to be a cause for alarm or to even hint at a faulty valve.
That’s important, because the trio are passing the enormous second heart of their host, its size twice that of a horse’s. Robby smirks at the sound, looking to Jake. “Hey, you better get used to that, buddy. It’s a lot noisier in a body than it is in a plant. I hope you brought plugs, because it’s only going to get worse from here.”
As if to prove his point, a creaking groan sounds below, but it’s drowned out by the slow-beating, massive heart in close proximity. Were there more lights, it could be seen pumping through the wall of this passage that they’re heading down, not because of translucency, but because of sheer power and closeness.
There’s that same pulse from before—a little more down tempo, perhaps, but far, far more overbearing, so loud it feels like the sound is inside his head, reverberating in him, squeezing any attempt at rational thought out with its intensity. Jake instinctively covers his ears, wincing, though it doesn’t do a damn thing to muffle the sound.
“Crikey! I cant hear myself think! Are all bodies this loud??”
Unused to sounds louder than a casual conversation, the incessant hammering is disorienting and overpowering.
“And its only getting *worse?!* Fiddlesticks! How do you cope with this racket?!”Down goes the elevator, swaying slightly as the pressure of the pumping heart sways the shaft with its raw brawn.
“Egads… Im going to get a migraine if this keeps up…”
Robby takes pity on Jake, albeit amused pity, and presses another button, a more translucent than transparent covering webbing out and covering the pod, muffling the racket of Luffy’s body. Speaking of him, he’s still on the hunt for more, and upon stumbling across a small group of tinkerbulls, adopts a lower profile. This, of course, makes the pod of the elevator more sideways than up-and-down, but the flexible transport tube accommodates, the elevator itself becoming more of a monorail car, the floor on the bottom as Robby and Lester calmly acclimate to the sudden change in position.
Lester speaks up, this time, still smiling. “Better brace, germ, things are about to get bumpy!”
It seems the switch was a small favor, though, since now there’s a softly pulsing red light at the end of this tunnel, despite it being a long way yet for them, and a subtle glow is cast on the smooth, unblemished muscles of this long, dark passage.
captainsnakepants 