Abyss
Few places instill fear as immense as the Abyss. Few people dare even gaze into the Abyss, let alone stare long enough to let it stare back. Few stupid enough to actually step into the minacious; alien trench. There exist some who brave the voyage though. Exists an underwater city, Bathysphere 18,100↧, right outside the Molloy Drop 18,200↧ into the Abyss. Resting on a peak of the ocean floor still resides much deeper than most would travel. The city, however—a hot spot for tourists and adventurers, is bustling with life and people. A population matching even the larger cities. The Abyss houses many treasures, worth heaps of money, so it's a given; even people of the sea gather around money. The wealthy city; rich enough to afford an air bubble around the entire city for less equipped land dwellers. And state of the art ash cannons to defend the city against deep-sea predators. It's needed lest the city ends up consumed as previous unprepared cities have. The elites of the city were ones who claimed ownership of sections of the Abyss, the larger the section the larger the influence. The claimed owners make up a council and run the city, each managing their piece of the Abyss however they see fit. Some hire mercenaries to excavate the treasures, some of the more valiant go themselves, some only hold their section not allowing others to have it, and some benevolent or perhaps evil let anyone explore their section with some restrictions. This group of elites often had meetings to discuss Abyss expeditions, city management, military affairs, law, and any other matter involving the Abyss, Bathysphere, or the elites there. Abyss affairs were on the agenda for this day's meeting.
The elites were gathered in their meeting room, the room wasn't befitting to be a meeting room full of such high-status individuals. In fact, it looked like it had been long abandoned. The room was large, but empty the walls and ceilings showed signs of fatigue from wear and tear, but also wounds, sword slashes, ash damage, and burns which were odd considering the whole room was underwater. Perhaps that's why the room was so empty, why have a table or chairs when they would just float around, completely losing their function as objects or even to build appearance. The group, full of mostly water inhabitants with a few exceptions, wore respirators that supplied them with oxygen, and adjustable weights which allowed them to move up and down the water easier. To be a guest in the Abyss; sea dwellers had a great advantage over their land counterparts so they made up the majority of the people in Bathysphere, especially the ones actually looking to take part in the Abyss expeditions.
“Fareer must be dead, this is the third death this week!.” Announced one of the meeting members, a smaller fishman. While deaths were inherently common within the Abyss, even among these powerful and skilled leaders three deaths among them in one week bodes unwell. Kell, one of the most influential people in this room and in extension the entire city looked at the smaller member “He knew the risks the Abyss is dangerous, always has been. It's his fault for dying. If we weed out the weak enough maybe people won’t die so much.” Most people in the room had some class about them, but Kell didn't care he would say what he thought. While normally that could get someone in trouble, almost nobody would go against Kell. “Fareer was strong, and also held a decent amount of respect in this room since he was one of the few who would speak out against you Kell. His territory was large and adjacent to yours, and he ended up dead, weird init.” Casually remarked another one of the most influential people in this room, Aton. Aton was one of the few people who shut off their section of the Abyss completely and he and Kell would often find themselves in fights. When somebody with a section of the Abyss dies, their section doesn't go to a relative or a new person, instead, it's split between the remaining members with territory adjacent to the deceased person's portion. An age-old rule put up by the ancestors of Bathysphere but instilled by the Abyss. It encourages bloodshed since everybody's Abyssal neighbor suddenly becomes their biggest enemy and competitor. While it's a federal offense to enter another's territory in the Abyss without direct permission from the owner, what's it matter if nobody witnesses it? For experienced voyagers of the Abyss, other people threaten them almost as much as the Abyss itself. Aton knew Kell probably had something to do with Fareers death, and perhaps the other two but maybe those could be coincidences. Unfortunately despite being a loudmouth Kell holds remarkable intelligence and won’t show his hand easily. Making it hard to actually do anything to him. While there was no Abyss rule to prevent fighting among members, there were many problems with fighting Kell head-on for Aton. For starters, Kell was a very powerful Ash user and Aton wasn’t confident in winning, then Kell also had more support than Aton, and lastly while it wasn't an Abyssal law saying no fighting there was a city law that says no murder. And the law had its own powerful members, not any less so than many of the people here. Aton couldn't do anything to Kell, but he wasn't going to miss the opportunity to subtly threaten Kell. Kell didn't just take it, however, “You say that like I was the only one to benefit from these past deaths, if I recall you got a fair share of Xenths territory when he died and while Fareer didn’t increase your territory he closed the gap between us. Between that and your threats one might get suspicious.” Aton didn't see the worth of getting into it with Kell so he stayed silent and the meeting went on. Fareers territory was split between three Kell, Harper, and Micheal boosting their power and influence. Harper another very powerful and influential member could also be seen as a potential suspect if Fareers death was murder.
They then discussed some city matters deciding to add more funding to add another ash cannon; there was a semi-close call with a barax that charged the city revealing a small blind spot in the cannons. Then onto the main matter, they discussed the next big expedition. After a certain depth, no territory gets claimed by anyone by an Abyssal law, this one for safety. Claimed land in the Abyss was only on the upper level of the trench, it went much, much deeper. Nobody, not even the ancient most powerful ancestors, has seen the bottom. Some think it's never-ending. Some even crazier than the rest want to test that belief. Welsh, one of those people “It's been far too long since our last venture into the deep, we have stagnated from our past glory; paralyzed from fear. I demand an expedition! Nay not merely another expedition I command an expedition more glorious than anything before it. Glory comes to those who enter the arena not those who cower in fear. I wish to go beyond the Challengers Deep (36,000↧), and why stop there, I aim to be the first to reach the very bottom!” Welsh currently holds the number one spot for the most territory held in the Abyss. The most respected person in this room. The only living person to make it to challengers deep and back alive. Kell along with a few other faces lit up when Welsh said those words, Kell has been waiting for his chance to venture into the Abyss for a second time. It's been over 40 years since the last one and Kell was a mere youngen when it happened barely even getting in let alone distinguishing himself, Welsh led that one too. While technically there are no leaders, most people look at Welsh that way. He’s been around the longest, holds the most territory, but also has given away the most territory while also having reached the lowest point out of anyone in hundreds of years and he still had an expedition or two in front of him. In the entire Abyss history, three have gone below challengers deep and made it back. And now Welsh wants to be in that group, while that may sound beyond crazy for anyone, most people here were crazy even setting foot in the Abyss, to begin with.
Kell's face still lit up, “Of course, I will aid you Welsh, even if I die in that hole the glory of reaching the challengers deep would be more than worth it, and you're talking of going even below that I will go.” Aton was the next to speak “Well if Kell is going what the heck, might as well I'll go.” Aton didn't really care much for the glory of the trip, actually, he really didn't like the attention that comes from expeditions. While Aton wasn't as decorated as Welsh he did make it to the Scholl Deep 32,800↧ the fourth deepest section by himself, while he did claim he went with four other individuals to appease the Abyssal law: to form an expedition into the Abyss the group must contain at least five capable individuals. Making it to Scholl Deep warranted a lot of attention by itself, it's commendable enough to be remembered in Bathysphere after death at least. A man named Oscar; a friend of Welsh, also agreed to go. Then Harper. Most people in this room were Abyss explorers, or at least treasure hungry, so considering how the perceived leaders of this room have already opted to go most everyone fell into line, agreeing to go. In total, out of the sixty-two people in the room fifty-one decided to go, eleven thought it better to stay five were air breathers.
Safety-wise staying might seem like the obvious choice, but actually, sometimes it could be more dangerous to stay during a big expedition. For starters, the people who return almost always return with newfound power. Between the treasures, rare materials, and experience they earn from the Abyss a big expedition can increase one's power in a big way. It's easy to get left behind if one decides to hold back, this makes for an easy target. And the Abyss doesn't have room for the weak, they always get thinned out. Staying isn't all bad though, sometimes a big expedition fails due to all sorts of reasons, where most if not all of the people who ventured down get consumed, this leaves people who stay in a good spot to monopolize all the new unclaimed territory. The people who stay bet on the failure of the expedition otherwise they can easily be left to rot, resulting in either death or retirement from the Abyss; if it lets them.
Preparation for any Abyss trip required strenuous work, but for an expedition it's gruesome, weeks perhaps months of preparation, lives depend on it, the entire expedition depends on it. Even a small slip-up could result in death or somebody else's death. Not to mention there exists those who wish to sabotage the expedition, or maybe some person in specific. Assassinations become much more frequent right after a big expeditions announcement. Fear and excitement fill Bathysphere's streets, the citizens know it's the most unsafe period, but they can't help but be excited. Many of the elites would get new recruits, and the citizens were the populace they could choose from, slots would open for fresh faces after an expedition, and the most exciting reason for many on an expedition's successful return they will bring back new treasures and technologies. So preparations for all parties involved steadily make headway.
Aton made his way to his meeting spot, he had allies to meet. Currently, Aton on the wrong side of Bathysphere walked along a main tunnel. The tunnels were very large tubes perhaps ten feet across that connected sections of the city. Water dripped from the ceiling and leaked from the crevasse of the floor into the tube. The whole city had a bubble that kept out water, but most sections within the city were still pumping in water for the water inhabitants. There were bright yellow lights tied along the tube, some blinking on and off from water and pressure messing with them. They did a good job at lighting the tunnel, it's a main street after all so it has some standards. The tube following its normal state had a decent amount of people traversing it going to this place or that. The tube creaked and groaned as the groups of people walked along it. Aton liked to take this tunnel for the less dense crowds. The population of air breathers in the city amounted to far less than the water breathers, as a result even the main air tunnels had fewer people than the water ones. Aton could go in the air tunnel since he was a Simion, a sea race, but a hybrid race. Hybrids could not only traverse water they could traverse the land too. Hybrids were not uncommon in Bathysphere, though they were slightly less common than pure water races. Aton also noticed Lawmen on the move in the tunnel. This wasn't unusual either considering the expedition, Aton has seen a few of them and it's a time of danger so the Lawmen have to be on the highest alert. The Law in Bathysphere shouldn't be underestimated, while the Abyss holders did have a lot of influence in the politics of Bathysphere and technically would be its leaders, the Law didn't bend even for them, they were a power foil to make sure the Abyss holders didn't get too powerful. Aton knew the man in charge fairly well, Maxwell Clemens, he could be called a dictator as technically he shouldn't have any power in the city, but he came in years ago and built his organization and called himself the Law. Aton actually liked Maxwell, while he did illegally become a powerful leader of the city he cleaned everything up, crime reached an all-time low under his rule, and the Abyss holders finally had some power competition outside of themselves. Aton might even consider him a friend; they were close enough to support each other in times of need, they were each other's greatest allies. Unfortunately, Maxwell couldn't interfere with Abyss matters easily; politically it would be extremely difficult since the people consider the Abyss and all of its laws sacred, and of course, the Abyss holders have as much if not more power than his faction. Also, to be open about their friendship would expose them to criticism from a large group of radicals who only side with one group and hate the other.
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While all of this does create issues for them, it doesn't mean they don't interact; in fact, Maxwell's precinct came into Aton’s view as that's where Aton decided to have his gathering. He had important matters to discuss with Maxwell and a lot of his supporters reside in that building. Aton made his way to the front gate still on the land side, Maxwell would be on this section of the building. The most impressive thing about Maxwell, he gained all of that power as a Dolse, Dolses were a land-dwelling race from the East, they were very rare in Bathysphere and he became one of the most powerful people in the city. It's a wonder why Maxwell came here in the first place, considering his exploits here he could probably do some great things in his natural environment. Either way, Aton’s curiosity didn’t amount to anything worth ruining a friendship for or losing an ally. The precinct was towering, easily among the most glamorous buildings within the city, in underwater cities, it's hard to construct bigger buildings because even with the field around the city the water pressure still causes problems for the stability of anything impressive. So considering the precinct had four floors and had a large footprint it settled itself as one of the most impressive buildings in the whole city. It even had windows, the glass had to go through multiple ash reinforcements, which cost a great deal of money but it's one of only three buildings in the city with more than ten functional windows. Maxwell said it made him feel closer to the surface, Maxwell often remises about the surface making even more of a wonder why he left. Aton stopped at the gate checkpoint, verified his identity with the gate guard, Racheal the human. They knew each other too, the gate only had a few guards in rotation since Maxwell only picked the best for the job as they were the first line of defense for the precinct. With a professional friendly smile, she confirmed Aton’s identity and let him proceed. Aton stepped into the precinct; it was as large as he remembered. The decorations were completely out of place as they were meant for a surface building rather than a sea building, a different culture. There were wooden tables with wooden chairs dotted across the middle of the room. On the surface, wood may be a common resource but down here it's a rare commodity, it's very difficult to get it this far down. The ceilings were a lot taller than most bathysphere buildings, even accounting buildings of similar grandiose proportions. Swords, shields, and Ash magical tools decorated the walls. There were training dummies lining the walls with men and women following the protocols of their supervisors practicing the swings of their swords. Not much help for the sea, Aton thought, but he knew they practiced both sea and land environments to maintain order in both sections of Bathysphere.
Maxwell should be on the third floor. Aton made his way to the stairs, they were concrete like the rest of the building, many of the buildings were made of cement, either that or brick were the cheaper options. All of it had a faint presence of Ash though, it had enhancements on it to ensure its strength. Aton leisured his way up the stairs. Not for the pleasure of it, he should be careful here. Even if Maxwell and he were friends he could never be too sure. And besides, assassins of another group could possibly strike him here too, it's not like nobody could sneak in here, though that would be dangerous for them. He made it to the second floor and glanced over, this room had more of a political atmosphere. The men and women there were discussing matters, some were engraving things onto stone slabs which were commonly used here, paper didn't last long down here, the moistness of the air alone gets it wet. He continued up the stairs to the third floor; this floor housed only the top powers in the Law. Another checkpoint nested itself in a shadowed corner on the third floor blocking any of the important areas of this floor. Aton guessed at least some of their treasure must be hidden on this floor too, considering the number of powerful people they have up here. He confirmed his identity with the checkpoint guard. The guard was behind a screen making it impossible for any normal person to figure out their identity, Aton couldn't see through the screen either, but confirmed his identity with the guard, the voice of the guard twisted and unrecognizable, perhaps an artifact modifying his voice, maybe an Ash skill. Either way, Aton couldn’t be sure, he continued into the floor. He entered a large center room that connected to chanceries. There were fifteen rooms each relatively large, but one, in particular, looked to be large enough for a small giant to be in there. Aton headed towards that one, hastefully he didn't want to be caught in the open center, surrounded by all the chanceries full of powerful individuals, leaders of the Law. He knocked on the large wooden door another showcase of their fortune, “It’s Aton,” and after hearing a deep but friendly “Come in, it's unlocked.”
Aton entered the room. Inside there were multiple people Aton recognized, some of which were Maxwell's people, but some were also his supporters. Maxwell sat on his chair in the middle back of the room, it wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration to call him a small giant. Probably seven and a half feet tall which makes it even crazier how he succeeded here. While height normally isn’t an issue being too tall can be, Bathysphere and the Abyss have a lot of small, and tight appendages so seven feet would make it hard to maneuver down here. Not to mention that would make an easier target for sea beasts. He had a friendly smile on his face and had an overall pleasant demeanor about him, so much so it calmed everyone in his presence down including even Aton. Aton noticed his bulky build too, Aton wasn't lacking by any means, but he couldn't be compared to Maxwell's build. To be fair Aton’s a Simion and Maxwell’s a Dolse so that plays a major role in the matter. Simions had slender builds to be able to swim better, while Dolses had large builds, they were a fighting race. Aton didn't know much about the East but Maxwell told him it's a harsh place, so only the strongest survive which caused the Dolses to appear, a relatively newer race with not too many out there especially not beyond the East. All according to Maxwell anyway.
“Aton, my friend, how are you? I hope you're keeping good health.” Maxwell said cordially.
“I’m fine.” A curt response, but Aton while Maxwell's friend didn't like to play his games. “Perhaps you should explain why we are here Maxwell instead of whatever you're doing currently.”
“Fine… fine. I understand your busy schedules, but I am concerned about this expedition, it seems suspect.” The group didn’t seem too surprised most expeditions had a certain amount of suspicion to them, it would be odder if they didn’t, but he continued. “I may be an outsider, but even I know that Challengers Deep ain’t something to be messed with.” Still, he was met with black stares. “Do you not know your own history! Last time Welsh went down to Challengers Deep, with his elite band of over a dozen people he was the only one to make it back breathing, yet you act like there is nothing wrong.” Most were too scared to talk to Maxwell directly so Aton stepped up.
“Look… Maxwell, we understand the risks, we live for them. Welsh might betray us down there, some horrific beast might slay us, we might lose ourselves, we might lose our way, but speaking for all of us here we’ll go anyway as we always have.” Maxwell suddenly got a sad look on his face, as if he realized his best friend was lost to him forever.
“I can’t convince you, I guess I already knew that, deep down. I know you too well Aton. Jasper. Lewis. Clide. I wish I could go with you, but unfortunately, it can’t be done, but I prepared something for you all.” He looked at one of his men and nodded his head, he reached his hand into his surcoat and lifted out a triangular red gem, with a circular hole through the middle. “That's one of the Law's treasures and a special gift I prepared for you all. From the Abyss, found in Horizon Deep a long time ago. We detected a lot of Ash from it. The man who found it Vescovo said it was his greatest find. While the specifics of it are still lacking we know it helps alleviate the pressure from the Abyss, and I don’t just mean the water pressure, but the Ash pressure too. That should give you a leg up on everybody else.”
Jasper spoke up, “Such a magnificent treasure is it really okay for us to take that I mean-I mean what's the catch?” Lewis and Clide were probably thinking the same thing, a treasure from Horizon Deep would already make it decent, but Vescovo said it was his greatest treasure, which made it very impressive. Vescovo pioneered a lot of Abyss exploration, he discovered Meteor Deep in the first place and demanded a lot of respect from Bathyspheres, especially Abyss explorers.
“No catch, we are all friends here. I merely hope it gives you all a better chance at getting back in one piece.” Maxwell responded with a very convincing smile and demeanor. Normally the world is unforgiving, and Bathysphere would probably be considered worse than many places, so to receive such a priceless gift could only be suspicious. Aton went up to Maxwell's subordinate, “Can I take it then.” He asked his eyes focused on the artifact.
“Please do.” Aton didn’t wait and clasped the triangular treasure.
“Thank you, Maxwell, I don’t know how I will repay you.”
“I wish I could do more, but I am stuck here.” Aton expressed his gratitude once again, and then the group conversed for a while longer, but Aton and his group were already in danger residing in the building at all so they kept it curt and left, not before Aton and the rest of the group expressed their gratitude once again. While they were leaving though, they had to be extremely cautious, even from a trusted friend after getting a precious gift, right as they walked into the main area of the third floor would mark the best time for the Law to surround them, it's a kill zone of their most powerful members. Aton took vanguard and Clide took the back, in this group he could be considered the second in command. Maxwell let them do whatever they wanted to feel better about leaving but waved them away with a kind smile. They really got out without any incident. They walked out of the precinct and still nothing, they were basically in the clear now. They only had to get past Racheal now, they pressed onward. They made clear of Racheal and now we're out of the Laws section, that didn't put them in the clear of course, the Law had influence almost anywhere in Bathysphere. Plus even without the Laws interference, there were plenty of people who would take a chance to ambush Aton and his followers. Luckily they were all hybrids, so they could go on land, but Joshen waited for them in the water tunnel, so they needed to meet him there and take the water tube, they made their way over to the water tunnel. The water tunnel sat right next to its air counterpart, so the walk back had been the same. The tunnel had a clear bubble in front of it blocking the water, but water still seeped through. This was a common feature in Bathysphere; it's a portable bubble shield, it can be passed by anything but liquid, a smaller version of the one protecting the city.