“Are you sure this is wise, humaloid?”
Vern wasn’t sure, he hadn’t been sure of anything since arriving on this planet.
The moment the duo left the atrium above, what little light filtered through the skylight, quickly dissipated into darkness. Thankfully, they had managed to find some old, discarded wooden torches on the upper level, and so it seemed that the pygmies did at least some adventuring into the crypts below the temple.
Leading the way was Dez, holding the steadily burning torch as it flickered against a faint draft blowing up from somewhere below. “A map would be nice, though,” Dez added, breaking the gloomy silence.
“Agree. And by the way, you never did mention what the silver cloak you got does, nor what level you are.”
“Eleven, gained two levels defending myself from the wilderness before those pygmies jumped me.”
Vern’s brow raised, eleven? “So, wait, you started at level nine?”
“You didn’t?” Dez replied, her tone suggesting she wasn’t surprised the system had rated him at a lower level.
“No, I started at three. And the cloak?”
“Three, interesting. The cloak's called the Shroud of the Silver Shadow, apparently. It should come in handy. However, I'm not too sure of its utility in combat, yet. It seems it would require quite a bit of forethought.” Dez said, turning around to catch Vern’s eyes for a moment before continuing. “I doubt I’ll have much luck explaining my thoughts, to you. How about I just read the description for you? Shroud of the Silver Shadow - upgradeable. Create a silver shadow once per day. The silver shadow exists for up to one day. At any time, whilst the shadow is in use, you may instantly transport yourself to the position of the silver shadow – regardless of the distance, dispelling the shadow in the process. Happy? And what about those bracers? You didn't think I hadn't noticed, did you?”
Vern grinned through his teeth and quickly explained how they worked. He hadn't planned on keeping them a secret or anything and felt a little embarrassed he had forgotten to mention the bracers.
“With a little poise and thought, you might be able to make use of them." Looking ahead, Dez raised a finger. The stone brick passage they traveled down narrowed up ahead into a limestone cavern. "Be on your guard." Turning to her side and lowering her head, Dez took care to agilely enter.
“Ah, problem,” Vern murmured from behind Dez. Wings weren’t really designed for dungeon crawling, Vern quickly realized. Unable to control his oversized appendages properly, Vern found himself caught at the cave's entrance - his wings awkwardly shuffling across the outer edges.
Dez looked over with glazed eyes, rolling them as she moved to help Vern. It took less than a minute to push Vern’s wings down, and once he had squeezed through the entrance, he was able to keep going without assistance - only occasionally struggling against a stalagmite or other obstacle.
“It is not often you meet an alien race incapable of controlling their own extremities.”
“I guess I forgot to mention, but these things are kind of new to me. A part of my ability it seems. I’m still trying to get a hang of it, but it seems like I can take physical attributes from others, or at least that’s what I think.”
“Interesting, and so you chose wings? You, a land-based creature with no experience flying?”
“I didn’t choose anything. It was an accident; one I’m hoping not to make again.”
Dez’s brow raised and her eyes intrusively scanned Vern. "Have you considered appropriating the body a being somewhat more, physically endowed than yourself?”
“I happen to like my body – I’ll have you know. Besides, I can’t control any of it. I’m just lucky I got wings instead of a pterodactyl head.”
“If you say so, humaloid.”
“Can you stop calling me that? I have a name you know.”
“Fine, Vern,” Dez corrected with an eye-roll. Mumbling to herself. “Such a primitive-sounding name.”
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“What are we doing on this savage planet, Kuul?” Groaned the portly ranger as he stepped over a patch of swamp.
“Enough whining. I don’t remember forcing you to come. And besides, where’s your ranger spirit?”
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Odis looked back the way they had come, his hand tensely gripping the laser pistol within. “I’m a signals man, not some foot soldier. Who’d have thought I’d end up trouncing around some uncolonized, outer world.”
A loud, whining screech sprung to life before quickly downing out as an echoing zap blasted from Kuul’s pistol. He had sent a beam of energy flying straight for a tree, a tree he had seen move a second earlier. Flames erupted as energy crackled and whipped across the tree's rough exterior. A droning cry sang out a second later and four arms came to life as they swung outward from the trunk. Two more beams relentlessly smashed into the trunk, sending chunks of charred bug meat flying through the air. Before the giant, praying stick insect could even mount an attack, it was slumping in defeat.
“Watch yourself,” Kuul cautioned, turning to Odis with a grin.
“You’re not helping, you know that right?”
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“To think, those little guys up there built all this.” Vern mused aloud as they entered what appeared to be a gigantic ceremonial chamber beneath the ground.
Between giant pillars that extended dozens of meters up until they reached the cave ceiling above as if to suspend it, ran six aqueducts. Their half-circle concrete hulls funneling water into a lake-like basin that lay just beyond the ceremonial platform. Runes marked almost every stone of the platform and five stone chairs lay beside one another, staring out across the massive cavern. An array of softly glowing dots colored the cave ceiling in blue, purple, and green, but despite that, the unyielding black of shadow shrouded nearly everything beyond a couple of dozen meters.
“Indeed,” Dez murmured, walking up to the edge of the platform and extending the torch out and over the basin. "If they built it at all."
“If they built it?” Vern questioned.
"Can't be sure, of course. After all, centuries can change a civilization. But it's hard to imagine those simple tribal people building this."
From here, in the chamber, there were no further passageways visible. The cavern walls were steep and craggy and would be near impossible to climb. The only obvious option appeared to be swimming across the abyssal, thalassophobic water of the basin.
“I believe it would be wise if we take our time. Something about this place gives me a feeling of unease.” Dez said, turning back toward Vern.
“Agreed. Would really suck to set that trap off. Sealing away the treasure forever.” Vern replied, a resounding click sounding a second later as his foot settled on a rune-covered tile.
“Stay completely still, humaloid.” Dez hissed with a spiteful glare. “We might need that map if we have any hopes of escaping this cursed world.”
“Yeah, okay. A bit dramatic, don’t you think?”
Closing her eyes and taking a measured breath, Dez seemed to enter a meditative state. Gently, she lay a hand on the silver cloak hung from her shoulders.
“Are you doing something?... Hello, Dez?”
“Shhh!” Dez hissed, her eyes blinking open for a second to glare at Vern before promptly closing again. Seconds later, Dez took a step, leaving behind a shimmering silver effigy where she had stood.
“The shroud?”
“Precisely,” Dez replied, taking a moment to admire her work. “Didn’t know if that would work.”
“I take it you have a plan?”
“I’m going down.”
“Down? Into that? What happened to taking our time?”
“That was before you went and stepped on something that obviously seems to be a part of something bigger. Quite possibly a trap. Now, I’ve got to try and figure out how this place works before you get tired of holding your foot in one place. So, thanks.” Without warning, Dez turned toward the basin and dove into the water.
“That’s it? You’re off?” Vern said with a sigh as he scanned the meek cavern surrounding him. “I sure hope that thing works.” Vern hadn't quite accepted the role of hero, but it had been he who had saved them in the village, even if Dez's help had been necessary. And if someone was going to risk their lives, he thought it ought to be him.
Not bad art, Vern mused as he glanced over the depictions painted across the rune-etched tiles. A giant mural of several scenes flowing into one another looked almost like a swarm of dragonflies descending on... people? They might not be human, but they sure looked similar. Then on the next panel, it showed the little black mites climbing into the people's stomachs. Mites? What did mites and dragonflies have in common? Vern wondered. "Larvae?" Vern mouthed as he followed the image, the next panel showing them shedding their humanoid flesh to reveal newly born dragonflies. "That doesn't look great."
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With the chamber above at her back, and with it the torch and what little light the crypt held, Dez quickly descended into the black abyss. The indiscernible darkness should have terrified her, but Dez felt something. There was a humming deep beneath the water, it was sentience. There had been no mention of life beneath the temple, and the quest only mentioned having to find the treasure, not defeat anything. But with her Mind Mage abilities, Dez wouldn't be fooled. The buzz of a sentient mind was something unmistakable now.
As long as that silver shadow works, I should be fine. Dez told herself as she dove deeper and deeper.
Almost two minutes passed before a faint glow of orange light could be seen piercing through the water, and then another twenty or so seconds before Dez managed to follow it into a subterranean pool, emerging under a dazzling display of light.
The rock ceiling above sparkled with a warm light that seemed to emanant from several crystals cast into it and bounced off the calm, reflective water below. Sharp, craggy rock surrounded the small pool she found herself within, but with care, she managed to climb to its ledge. Elevating herself up, Dez looked out across the glowing cavern. For as far as she could see, dozens and dozens of small rockpools lined the watery surface, each like her own.
"What is this?" Dez mouthed as she looked out upon the alien scene. She wondered, did every one of these pools lead to another temple? At least they were empty, she knew. Not only because she could see within the closest ones, but because she sensed nothing from them. The mind she felt, it was further.
Apprehension bit at her, should she go back? Dez was scared, but she didn't want to go back, not now. No, whatever it was, it was more than just a sentient mind. Not like that human above, although he was smart enough for average, he was still only average - that she could sense. Whatever was ahead, was special, and she was going to find out what it was.