The Champion continued towards me then slammed the end of the giant weapon into the ground and knelt down in front of me. It looked like a knight in front of a monarch, head bowed and one hand on its chest. "Greetings Lady Core, we have been expecting you." I looked at the Champion for a moment in silence. "Greetings to you too." I finally managed. I was never comfortable with this treatment. Being called Lady Core, fine, that one was inevitable, I suppose. But the kneeling and bowed head was making me feel awkward.
After a rather lengthy silence, I looked around the small strange island of green in this heat blasted part of the forest. “I heard you were wandering around the forest, so I guess that your fighting arena is your current location?” I finally inquired. The champion looked at me, then chuckled, a rather strange noise akin to bone scraping against bone. “I don't really move around much, it’s this place that moves.” The champion replied finally and patted the rock beside him. As if on cue, a giant set of pincers appeared on the other side of the hill. Then the ground shook lightly as a set of 10 grey carapace covered legs unfurled from the rocky sides of what I had believed was a hill.
A Geocrab, and an unusually large one at that. Its brethren usually used large rocks or small boulders as a back-cover, but this one was a literal walking hill. A pair of stalks popped up over the top of the hill. Each one as thick as a tree trunk and covered in the same stone grey carapace. The Geocrab’s eyes. It had to be. Appearance wise Geocrabs were akin to enormous hermit crabs, though they had a most unusual diet. They got all the nutrients they needed through the moisture in the surrounding air or from whatever they would get their pincers on, usually plants or small game. This meant that they preferred misty biomes or just lived underwater. It made sense that this forest might have a small population of them, but I had never seen one this large.
I would have to ask Archives about it once I got back out of the forest. For now, I refocused my attention on the pair in front of me. “I see, I will admit I didn’t expect your home to be of the mobile kind. But it explains the strangeness of its appearance in the middle of this geyser field.” Again the bony chuckle from the Champion, followed by a bubbly creaky sound from the Crab, I assumed it was its chuckle.
The Crab casually rose and started walking through the geyser field. And easily carrying the hill with the two of us along while it did. I was curious as to the stats on the crab, should I look it up now… hmm, no. I was in the middle of a conversation. Even if it was an awkward one, it would be more polite to wait. I returned my focus to the Champion. “I am glad to meet you at last, I prefer to greet the creatures in my dungeon personally.” Man, this really was awkward. The entire start of this had put me so on edge I couldn’t relax. The champion looked at me “I hope I meet your approval, Milady.” The champion replied, now serious once more. I took a deep breath. “It was not to see if I would approve or not and please stand up. This kneeling and extreme show of respect is making me feel awkward. I wanted to meet you because I like to get to know the creatures personally, not because I feel a need to judge their combat effectiveness.”
The champion looked at me for a moment and slowly rose and returned the club to the small hoop used to keep it on its back. “I see that is… a relief, actually. When Lady Latra informed us that Lady Penumbra would place us at the disposal of a dungeon Core I did not know what to expect. So, I wanted to present a more… stoic and imposing view of myself, I suppose.” the Champion scratched the back of its skull sheepishly. Now it was my time to chuckle. “If you want to be a stoic knight be so, if you want to dance around a clearing while picking flowers that is fine too. It is your life, do with it as you wish. I do not mind how you behave as long as it’s not to the detriment to your fellow creatures or the dungeon itself. Just be yourself, that is all I want.”
The champion seemed to relax a bit after hearing what I had to say. "I am glad to hear that, Milady. I was not sure what I would do if you were to be more… imposing?" He rose to his feet and walked over to a tree that was growing on the Geocrab and casually leaned against it. Now seeming far more at ease without the need to put on airs. Honestly, it was refreshing to see someone able to relax so much around me. The other creatures, with very few exceptions, were more formal and/or fawning. Even Rael stood or sat just slightly straighter when I was around. I honestly don’t think he was aware of the fact. Well, that was neither here nor there. The champion was someone you could only view as a "chill" individual, that much was certain.
I gave the Champion a smile and polite nod then walked up to the other edge of the Geocrab's rocky shell. I peered over the edge and down at the Geocrab below. It was making quite the headway through the geyser field and seemed to know where it was going. "Hello down there, it's a pleasure to meet you." I said down to it. In response, the giant stalk-like eyes turned and regarded me before a deep, bubbly, and sharp voice replied. "Greetings, Milady, happy to see you." It was like a waterfall, an avalanche, and a falling tree had become one noise and made into a voice.
The Geocrab seemed happy with my presence. And as we continued on our merry way it talked loosely about various topics and its views on things in the forest. With the Champion piping in now and then, it made for a rather fun time. These two really were the most casual creatures I had ever met, that was for sure, and also made for a rather amusing pair to listen too. Hmm, I wonder how they would get along with the others. Well, I guess they could visit, provided I could somehow convince the Mistwalkers to grant them passage through the mist.
With that in mind, I sat back and enjoyed the trip through the forest. The Geocrab, whose name was Pebble, happily kept on talking as we travelled. Neither of us had missed the irony of that name. But then apparently the Champion had named it. And it had received the name Splinter from the Geocrab. I suspected it to be a jab at the fact that one horn of the Champion had a rather big splinter in it. Neither seemed bothered by their names though, so I suspected any animosity between them had dissipated long ago, if it ever existed to begin with.
Pebble followed a trail through the forest that the mist had obscured on my first time through. Then again, the sheer size of it would have made it hard to perceive from my regular point of view. It was plainly visible from up here, though. Had I been able to see the path while wandering blindly, I probably would have found the pair pretty easily. But then again, the entire point of the mist was to make it as difficult as possible to get through the forest. It didn’t take long at all for Pebble to bring me back to the edge of the forest. It should be fine anyway, as I had some questions I needed to ask Archives about. Besides, the trip had taken a while and the construction on the 4th floor portal should have reached its conclusion by now.
I hopped off of Pebble once it stopped and used my wing to wave at the two of them as Pebble turned and disappeared into the forest once more. It had been a pleasant trip, with Splinter and Pebble being entertaining in their own unique way. I would say that the chances they would get along with others in the dungeon would be considerable, as their personalities were likeable.
Well, I was now out of the forest, let's see if Archives was working again... nothing? OK, now I was getting worried. What in the world was going on? Well, it wasn't like I had any ability to get an answer out of nowhere. For now, I pushed that thought aside and walked over to the Core Room to see if Indella was ready to move back. I found here sitting cross-legged on the floor, her head hanging limply, apparently meditating, or more likely in the middle of a conversation with Latra.
Well, I could wait for her to finish. It wasn't like I was in a hurry or anything. It was not long before Indella opened her eyes again, however; she looked worried. *I can't get in contact with Archives* She looked at me. "Me neither. Maybe Archives uses Spatial Magic to function, which Latra's Spatial Barrier would stop. We should try again once we are out of range of the barrier." Indella nodded and hopped on my back as I took wing. As I flew over Latra's brow and started the long descent to the water below I could feel Latra trying to contact me.
"So, did you find my Champion, Little Sister?" As before, the sheer strength of her mental contact was a surprise. But she had given me plenty of time to prepare as to not catch me by surprise. I responded with calm confidence, "I did. Both of them, at that. They make for an unusual pair." I could feel Latra's laughter through my entire body as the sound created literal shock waves in the air. "Those two make for an amusing and unusual pairing. That aside, Sister, something is bothering you, I can sense it. Tell me what's on your mind."
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Before I could even plan an answer, Indella did it for me. *We can't get in contact with Archives. I tried again just now, and I am positive we are outside of the range of the Spatial barrier by now. Something is wrong. A skill shouldn't just cease to function.* Latra moved a bit and fixed one of her largest eyes on us. "That is... concerning. A skill like the Penumbral Archives should not cease to function, even within my spatial barrier. This is worrisome, I suggest attempting a communion with Mother. Or maybe see if there are any news outside of the dungeon on any major events that might explain this sudden absence." Those were good ideas, and it was not like we had anything to lose by following them. "Thank you, Sister, those are excellent suggestions to follow." I replied, honestly happy for the ideas.
Archives' disappearance had happened at a most inopportune time. The portals we needed to complete the construction of was a pressing matter that had my attention. I also had the idea I needed to tell Yrsha if she accepted the alliance. Not to mention I was already busy trying to figure out what to do about Yrsha. She still had pretty much at-will access to my Dungeon in the event she refused my offer. And now this on top of it all. Well, I probably could get the info from the outside world easily enough. Alessa could probably give me something useful, provided she was in the right spot. With that in mind, I activated "Share Senses" and went for hearing and sight.
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"And you are certain about this?" Asked a rather stern looking woman as she read a report. Alessa was in the guild's reception hall. As was a significant number of other adventurers. All of whom seemed worried. Wait, almost all the people present, outside of Alessa and a few others, were Clerics and Paladins and other Divine related classes. What the hell was going on? "Certain beyond all doubt, Milady. Even the High Priest is at a loss about what is going on." Answered the scribe who had delivered it. The woman didn't seem to like the answer one bit. But also seemed more solution oriented than wanting to blame or punish someone for giving answers she didn't like. "Impossible all the gods can't have just up and vanished. Besides, their passive blessings are still around, so what can interfere with divine power on such a scale?" I tuned out of the conversation, absorbed by my own thoughts.
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Where was the fat pig of a Guildmaster? And who was this woman? If she had somehow replaced Saol, then I was a happy Sphinx, as she seemed far more competent, and hopefully open to talks. That being said, something was interfering with divine power? That didn't sound good. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I cut the connection for now; I had other things to worry about than continue to eavesdrop on that meeting. Besides that, if things were as bad as that meeting had shown, then trying to commune with Mother would be pointless. I would need to come up with another solution.
I relayed the information to Indella and Latra, neither of which took the news that well. Indella with shock, while Latra seemed... afraid. What in the world could scare Latra? Sensing my worry, my older sibling gave me a mental nudge. "Worry not, Little Sister, it might be nothing, I hope it's nothing." She did not seem convinced at all, but I decided not to push it, not right now. Worst-case scenario, Latra would tell me if she found it important enough, best-case scenario, this was just a temporary. I was not optimistic or foolish enough to believe that, however. Something was going on, and it probably did not bode well at all.
I wound up calling Rael, Mordred, the Duergar King, named Flint and the High Priest, named Granite, Ssatassha and one of Talka's brood together. We met on the third floor to discuss what in the world this might mean. After a lot of back and forth, the High Priest had attempted to commune with Penumbra, to no avail. So, we had no ability to get in contact with Mother. The same event had shut Archives down and the cause was unknown. Not good, not good at all. The discussion on what to do next continued to rage on for quite a while.
Finally, I took a deep breath. "This is getting us nowhere, we have been discussing in circles for over 3 hours now. As much as I hate to say it, we have too little information to act on this. There is, given the circumstances, only one solution open to us." I looked towards the portal. "So, who fancies a field trip to another dungeon?" I asked as I looked at it. The others looked at me as if I had lost my mind. "We don't even know if she will accept the deal yet." Mordred remarked. His voice strained from the rather heated debate he and Indella had been having until that point. It was about the validity of attempting to commune using ancient druidic rituals to circumvent the interference. Not a topic I had expected Mordred to blow up about, but he had.
"It doesn't matter, Mordred, we have no choice. We need more information and if what Rael said is true, then Yrsha's powers are not divine-based. So, the interference should not affect whatever has been taking out Archives and the temple's link to Mother." The others remained silent before they all slowly nodded. I had expected them to see it my way when I explained my reasoning to them. I had not expected Rael's next words. "I am coming with you. I have met Yrsha before, and we got along well enough back in the guild. Besides, if things go wrong, you could use someone to watch your back. Someone with more experience than you, Indella. No offense." Indella just shook her head. *None taken, if you and I were to fight the victor would be obvious, I wouldn't even get off one spell before being down and out. It will also allow me to test whether my Druidic Rituals can bypass the interference. So, I don't mind at all.* Mordred shot her an angry glare, but said nothing.
It didn't take much in the way of preparation to get things going, Rael portaled to the 2nd floor, went to the camp and geared up and returned. I did not need to prepare any gear, so I just had to wait for the prepping of the portal. As I waited Mordred went over how to use the thing at least three times. Just to be sure I didn't screw up and wound up sending us to some random place far away or worse, nowhere at all. That was a possibility, opening a portal to literally nowhere, no telling where such a portal led. There was one thing all the tales of such portals agreed upon, however. Those that returned from such a portal were all either insane or mutated into horrible madness-inducing creatures bent on spreading their madness.
Either way, Mordred was taking no chances. It was to the point I almost had to use Will Bender to make him stop pestering me about it... almost. Finally, Rael returned, and I activated the portal the way Mordred had described. It flared to life and on the other side I could see the same glade that I had gotten a glimpse of when Yrsha visited my dungeon. I nodded to Rael and together we stepped through to the other side. As we did, the portal closed behind us and I immediately nearly doubled over as the sense of distance between me and Indella suddenly skyrocketed. It was like getting hit with the mother of all vertigo, and it took me a few moments to reorient myself. That was unpleasant, to put it mildly, and the sensation wasn't going away either. It was a nagging in the back of my mind. And I had a suspicion Indella was probably going through something similar.
Several fox spirits immediately approached us, looking wary and on guard, but they were not attacking, so that was good. "I am sorry for the unannounced visit, but need to speak with Yrsha, it's rather urgent." I called out to them. They looked at each other for a few moments, unsure what to do. Then there was an outcry and another, more familiar spirit approached. "Lady Core, what a surprise! Not expected at all, Xi is sorry for not being there to greet you, what brings you here Xi wonders." Xi was standing in front of me looking at me with an inquisitive look and wagging tails as Xi patiently waited for an answer.
I sat down in front of the little spirit. "Something is interfering with the connection to Mother and practically all other deities among our group. I was hoping Yrsha might help us figure out what was going on." Rael nodded in confirmation. "When I went to gather my gear, I asked Erem about trying some of his divine skills and some of them just didn't work. This included his divine magic. The spells didn't fizzle, they just did nothing." At the mention of divine magic just failing the fox spirits seemed rightfully alarmed. Something had to be horribly wrong for that to happen. Xi closed their eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, then nodded. "I see Xi is loath to disturb Lady Yrsha when she is meditating. But this is too important to ignore. Please follow Xi."
Xi led us across the clearing to a small room in what I would view as a Sengoku era house back home. It even had a sliding door. Just as Xi lifted a paw to knock I could hear Yrsha's voice from inside. "Thank you, Xi, would you be so kind as to fetch some tea for our two guests?" The Spirit bowed to the closed door and with a quick yip ran off. A few moments later the door opened and Yrsha walked out and gave a polite bow to both of us. "Lady Pearl, Sir Rael, what a pleasant surprise, I wish the circumstances for your arrival were equally pleasant." She made a gesture to follow, and we walked towards the largest building in the clearing. Once we entered, well, Rael entered, and I sat down outside. The door was too small for me, even if I crawled.
Yrsha sat down behind a small table and Rael sat down to her left, so I would have an unobstructed view of both. Xi entered shortly after with a large porcelain kettle that was sporting exquisite decorations, two small cups and a large bowl. The cups and the bowl had the same cherry blossom pattern as the kettle and likely belonged to the same set. With expert precision and probably millennia worth of training, the little spirit filled up the cups and presented one to Yrsha and Rael. Then my bowl last. It made sense in my eyes, since the bowl was far larger than the smaller cups. Yrsha took a small sip of her tea, then looked at me and Rael. "Now why don't you tell me what you have found out so far?"