Having explored deeper into the sewers, Theodore and Fiana eventually found their way to a large pool where water flowing from above gathered. As a structure within the sewer system, it hardly made any sense as the sewer's main purpose was to have water flow outwards rather than gather them. Even as a reservoir, it was odd that the pool would be built so deep.
However, as the maps have indicated, there was a tunnel at the bottom of the pool leading elsewhere, a room with no other entrances.
To make sure that it was accurate to the maps, Theodore sent down an undead mouse to investigate. It took mere moments before it resurfaced for Theodore to connect his Aethereal threads to it, extracting the information.
"There's a passage after all. No dangers in sight either," Theodore informed. "Still, we should be cautious. How well can you fight underwater?"
"Not very well, I'm afraid," Fiana replied. "I can make a huge air bubble, however."
"I see... How far away are the other passages leading into the depths?"
"The closest one will take at least a day of walking to get to. That is, if nothing happens along the way."
Rubbing his chin and briefly considering his options, Theodore swiftly came to a decision.
"We go down here, but if anything feels dangerous or out of place, we'll pull back immediately and try somewhere else. The mice will be our vanguards just in case of a trap."
The plan was agreed upon and the two began to prepare.
"Theodore, can you make an air bubble?"
"... No, not big enough to be useful at least," said Theodore, lying through his teeth, just in case Fiana was planning something. If she tried to drown him here, he could at least surprise her.
"Then stick close. I can make a bubble big enough for both of us," said Fiana, extending her hand towards Theodore."
After taking a moment to examine the hand extended towards him, Theodore cautiously took it, whereupon Fiana gave him an understanding smile.
With Fiana expanding her Aether field, the two walked into the water, dropping into it and not the slightest bit wet. Slowly, they sank further and further in, till they arrived at the floor rough ten meters deep, their feet on the membrane-like Aether that kept them isolated from the water.
Swimming ahead of them were the mice, their once tiny feet enlarged and webbed to adapt to the underwater environment. It goes to show the versatility of fleshy undeads, their flesh easily molded to suit the needs of the creator.
Led by the mice, the two eventually arrived before an underwater tunnel. Taking a moment to observe the surroundings, they proceeded deeper.
The tunnel ended up being unexpectedly unremarkable, if not a bit claustrophobic. It did, however, reminded Theodore of the time when he was escaping from the bloated creature and wounded up stuck in a narrow crevice.
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Unconsciously, Theodore tightened his grip on Fiana's hand as he got increasingly anxious the longer the tunnel went on.
In time, they came out on the other side. The pool on this side was much shallower, the water drained through several smaller waterways, too small for anything but rats and mice to fit through.
Once on dry land, Theodore let out a silent sigh of relief, grateful to be out of the oppressive atmosphere of the dark underwater. Yet, when he thought of how deep underground he was and how much deeper he'll be going, his anxiety began to creep back into him.
"You don't look so good. Perhaps you should take a break?" Fiana suggested, noticing that Theodore was getting somewhat pale.
"I'm fine," said Theodore, his stubbornness surfacing as his stress began building up. "Let's keep going."
"If you say so..."
From the room without an entrance, they proceeded down the one corridor leading out of the room, at the end of which they found a flight of stairs leading further down.
"It'll be a long way down, but after this, things will become much more straightforward," said Fiana, from her tone, it sounded as if she was trying to comfort Theodore.
Taking in a deep breath, breathing in the damp, musty air, Theodore took a step forward.
"Let's go," he said curtly.
Fiana followed suit, as did his undeads.
***
As they traveled down the long flight of stairs, the manmade structure of the sewer system began to fade away as cavern walls took its place. After finally reaching the bottom of the stairs and following a tunnel they found at the bottom, they eventually arrived at a massive cavern.
With but one look, Theodore sensed that something was not quite right.
"How is there such a large cavity underneath the city?"
At first glance, Theodore estimated the caverns to be hundreds of meters in height and thousands in width. Under normal circumstances, the city above should have been sinking into the ground over time. Yet, as far as Theodore could tell, there were no signs of such occurrences.
(Is there some kind of magic at work? No, this spatial distortion... It has to be one of 'those.')
Interestingly, even this deep underground, there were slimes to be found. One way or the other, they've made it here. Then again, of course they did. If it weren't for them, there would be no map.
"The bottom of the tower should be just up ahead," Fiana informed.
In the distance, Theodore could see a light. It came from an ivory spike pointed down from above, surrounded by a pristine, white ceiling. At the end of the spike was a massive Aether crystal. From the white ceiling, other than the spike, numerous pale protrusions reached towards the ground, spreading in an almost organic manner, as if they were roots from a massive tree.
"Best keep our guard up. We don't know who might be ahead of us," Theodore warned.
Theodore and Fiana traveled in the direction of the massive spike, across the forest of pale roots, and eventually, they arrived at the base of the tower. There, they found a strange structure, something akin to a ruin.
After a brief search around the ruin, they found not a single soul, not one person stationed at this place. Although, there were indeed signs of someone being there very recently, they appeared to be there no longer.
(Must be Torben or someone collaborating with him. But if they've come this far, where did they go from here?)
With this mystery in mind, Theodore began to look at the ruin itself, hoping that it would provide him with some clues.
Most of the ruin had fallen apart with time, but at the center of it all, there lay something that remained utterly untouched for one reason or the other. It was a giant mural on the ground, depicting something that could only be properly viewed from a distance.
"Theodore, look, those stairs are intact."
Gazing in the direction Fiana was pointing at, Theodore found there to be indeed stairs, leading up to something that had long collapsed. Still, should the ancient stairs be able to hold his weight, Theodore estimated that he ought to be able to view the mural in its entirety.
With that, Theodore started climbing.
***
End of Chapter 118
***