Atoll (Narration): What makes a man? Is it power, is it wealth, is it strength? I didn’t know the answer to this question, despite a history as prolific as mine. I was a changing man in a changing world. No soul in history has all the answers to the great questions of the world but if they did, I would have appreciated it. I still do. The unknown terrifies us, it’s the fear of what’s out there or what could happen that often holds us back. When I was younger, I wanted to conquer the Unknown, set out and destroy the forces of ambiguity and ignorance. I had a friend who wanted to do the same, you knew her well.

9 Months Ago, Saipan

Neve: So, the plan is to go to the bottom of the Mariana Trench?

Atoll: Yeah, the famed explorer Illinois Aeryuat set out on an expedition to the bottom back in the 1970s as her last act before disappearance, she was a true pioneer, rumored to find lost treasures like the Fountain of Youth and mystical places like Ukari Valley.

Atoll (Narration): I was obsessed with pioneers and the lost wonders of the world at the time, Eoontaq and Centus had told me stories of legends unknown and Gladian urged me to follow my interests, so I wanted to set out the bottom of the Mariana Trench, and thus, I had contacted one of my dearest friends who had no prior obligations

Neve: What’s at the bottom?

Atoll: Nobody knows, it’s a mystery, all I know is that we need to put together a team

Neve: Is this expedition sanctioned by Gladian?

Atoll: No….

Neve: Are you kidding me?

Atoll (Narration): Ok, so Gladian urging me to follow my interests didn’t include “hey go to the bottom of a death trench with a bunch of guys”, he would never be that reckless with resources, so like any rebellious teen, I lied and told him I was instead going on a supply run. The real reason I contacted Neve because at the time I knew she had something of knack about going behind the guild for “pionin conservation activities” of course I know now that this was referring to her plans to, ethnically cleanse her species but none of us knew this was happening, she was really good at hiding things behind our backs, and that was sort of why I needed her for this.

Atoll: I told Gladian I was going with you for “pionin conservation actvities”

Neve: Oh my god why would you tell him that?

Atoll: So I could do this behind his back?

Neve: You are hopeless

Atoll: I know, but what are you gonna do about it?

Neve: Oh shut up

Atoll: So, do you know anyone in your circle that would want to join us?

Neve: Ok, I know someone, he’s not the most experienced fighter so we’re going to have to keep him alive, but he’s got connections and knows how to use a submarine.

Atoll: Well, as long as he gets us to the destination

Atoll (Narration): I should have probably kept better note of her “connections”, hindsight really is an asshole

Atoll: I know someone else too, I met them a few weeks ago, she’s a bit smart but crazy

Neve: How crazy?

Atoll: She has a collection of Centennial heads…

Neve: What a winner you scored Atoll

Atoll: What can I say?

Neve: Oh my god not nearly enough you stupid knucklehead

Atoll (Narration): I had an accomplice in all of this aside from Neve, I had met her prior when scoping out the area.

Atoll: Well just trust me

Neve: If you believe in this person, then let’s go, down to the bottom

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Atoll: Thank you Neve

Atoll (Narration): Neve ended up agreeing to going to the bottom of the trench and after about a week of rudimentary planning. She had called up her accomplice and I had called up mine and we met back in Saipan to begin our descent to the bottom of the ocean

One Week Later, Saipan

Atoll and Neve have met up, with their respective accomplices trailing behind them

Neve: Alright, let’s get introductions out of the way

Atoll: Come forward please

Their two accomplices reached them in the center of town

Aoenen: Hello, my name is Aoenen, nice to meet you

Sissinoe: My name is Sissinoe, (pulls out a Centennial head), nice to meet you

Sissinoe begins running a knife alongside the head of the head

Aoenen: That’s…a little gruesome….

Neve: You guys want to tell us about yourselves?

Aoenen: Oh yes, I come from a family of Pionin merchants, my family is quite affluent and I was able to get all the necessary things for this expedition, including our vessel

Atoll: Alright, good to know you’re a gold digger Neve

Neve: Hey take that back

Aoenen: What does the phrase, “gold digger” mean?

Sissinoe: It’s a phrase that applies to women who only date wealthy men

Aoenen: Huh, I had no idea

Neve: I don’t date only wealthy men, I have only had one boyfriend and he’s right here

Atoll: But statistically speaking you have only dated wealthy men, therefore, gold digger

Neve: Shut up

Aoenen: What a fun group of people

Sissinoe: Fun is one that is often subjective, my idea of fun is skimming the heads of the deceased, gleaming all the fleeting knowledge off of their rotting corpses

Neve: Is that scholarly?

Sissinoe: People tell me to learn from “great mentors”, my mentor is the cold dead sea.

Aoenen: Ok, well, that’s weird

Atoll: She knows a lot

Sissinoe: I do

Neve: So, Aoenen, kindly show them to the sub

Aoenen: It would be my pleasure

Aoenen leads the party towards the submarine

Atoll (Narration): And I thought we were off to a new adventure, one where’d be discovering a new reality unseen, a new discovery, instead, a flaming crucible would open to swallow us whole

As they’re going to the submarine, the party is attacked by a small group of SInners Sextant

Atoll: The Sextant? What are they doing here?

Sinners Sextant Member: I think it’s better off that you stay out of things you don’t need to involve yourselves in

Neve: Alright, get out of the way we have somewhere to be

Aoenen: Stand aside

Sissinoe: Hehe, we’re about to fight some mercenaries

Sinners Sextant Member: If a fight is what you want, you’ll get it

Fight against The Sinners Sextant

When you win

Sissinoe: So what was that about?

Atoll: No clue, I kept this operation about as secret as possible

Neve: Aoenen did you tell anyone?

Aoenen: No, there must be someone else at the bottom who wants something

Sissinoe: Do you wish to turn back?

Atoll: No, we’re going down to the bottom, we’re going to get our answers

Neve: He’s right, let’s get a move on and get to the bottom

The four of them make it to Aoenen’s Submarine and begin the descent to the bottom

Atoll (Narration): Our descent to the bottom was something remarkable, we were descending down to the bottom of an actual abyss, one where light seemed to be unable to escape the waves. We saw creatures we didn’t know could live on this world. The world we found ourselves in was one of unknown beauty and horror, one where the ocean swallowed our line of site

Sissinoe: The endless beauty of the wallowing abyss

Aoenen: Are you ok?

Sissinoe: I’m at home…

Atoll: This is what you wanted to see?

Sissinoe: I’ve seen this fading world with my own eyes several times before, but seeing it from in here, is something else

Neve: It is nice out there

Aoenen: I’m pretty scared myself, but I am the one driving this thing

Atoll (Narration): The ocean continued to envelope our vessel, as we sank deeper and deeper below. Eventually, we reached the bottom of the waves, the hounding canyon, the wide wound of this world, The Mariana Trench.

The submarine reaches the bottom of the Mariana Trench, where no light is reaching them.

Aoenen: Alright, I brought everyone’s special diving suits, except for Sissinoe who doesn’t need one

Neve: Thank you Aoenen

Aoenen, Atoll and Neve put on their diving suits and exit the vessel and begin walking aross the surface of the Mariana Trench, when suddenly, a stray laser beam is fired lighting up the abyss

Sissinoe: The Sextant is down here

Atoll: Can we fight in these suits?

Aoenen: Yes, these diving suits are designed to allow movement underwater for us to fight them off

Neve: Can I emmitt my poison from this?

Aoenen: Yes

Neve: Sick

Sissinoe: So, are you ready to add one more to my head collection

Atoll: You bet

Fight against The Sinners Sextant

When you win, a group of Sinners Sextant retreat under the bottom

Sissinoe: This is a false bottom

Atoll: So, can we follow them?

Neve: How, we just cut open the bottom

Aoenen: It looks like we just go through it

Sissinoe: Let me help us gain entrance

Sissinoe takes out her dagger and makes slice in the sea floor, opening a gash that leads to the real bottom

Sissinoe: Follow me

Atoll: You heard her

Aoenen: I’m not sure I’m onboard with this plan

Neve: Let’s just go with it

The Party swims through the False Bottom

Atoll (Narration): And we were about to come face to face with the real Mariana, the real world under the abyss, more wondrous and strange than any land we could find on Earth