Owin, admittedly, did not hurry. Ten hours was a long time, and it only took another half hour of walking through coral reef before he found the girhuma village. The last stretch had fewer rocks and coral, and had dirt paths that split from the tile path, leading off through the rocks and coral.
At the end of the tile path was a huge gate of natural, pointed stone. On each side were curved, sharp stones, blackened from fire. Beyond the opening was wreckage in a tile plaza. Owin stood just outside of the circular opening.
“This isn’t the gateway, right?”
“No, this is just an ominous portal looking gateway with things that look eerily like demon horns on each side.” Shade touched the stone. “It feels like a rock.”
“Is that good?”
“I’d be more concerned if it felt like something else.”
Owin stepped through the gate and kicked some broken pieces of wood aside. The water in the plaza was different from outside. It hummed with energy. The whole massive tiled area was surrounded by stones even bigger than those around the reef path.
A massive crystal dominated the center of the plaza, reaching higher than any of the stones. It glowed with a calm violet light, contrasting it harshly from the swirling chaotic gateway on the opposite end.
“I found the gateway,” Shade said.
Straight across from Owin was a cave entrance with a similar opening to the one he had just passed through. He looked from the cave to the obviously unstable gateway on the opposite end.
“We should look at the gate first, right?”
Shade took a big step toward the unstable gateway, then ran. Nobody was present in the plaza. The only things other than the crystal, the gateway, and the rubble were four standing stones with circular openings near the top.
Owin stopped far enough away from the gateway to ensure he didn’t somehow get caught in its chaotic energy. It was a stone ring mounted atop a stack of circular platforms. Owin assumed the stone ring was empty.
Currently, a dark cloud hung in the middle. That alone was eerie enough on its own, but the more obvious issue was the constant incomprehensible whispering and the dozen white hands sticking out from the portal, trying to claw their way out.
The arms waved, trying to find anything. The ones nearest the bottom clawed at the stone platform, but found no leverage.
9:22
“It looks like cathkabel,” Owin said.
“Does it?” Shade leaned a bit closer and cupped a hand over where his ear would have been. “That sounds more abyssal to me.”
“But the skin is like a cathkabel.” It was white and nearly translucent, allowing him to see the veins, sinew, and even magic flowing in lines beneath the skin. Black nails of varying sizes and shapes scratched at the air.
“I thought I heard voices!” A girhuma stood at the cave entrance and waved them over. “Please, come inside to safety.”
Shade had inched dangerously close to the grasping hands. “Do you think they want something? Like a coin? Or perhaps just a firm handshake?”
“I don’t think you want to find out. Let’s go inside. I want to ask about the quest.” Owin grabbed Shade and dragged the skeleton away before he found a way to get himself killed.
The girhuma remained at the door and waved them on. As soon as they got close, he ducked back inside the cave. The interior was furnished and well lit, with clumps of glowing crystals along the cave walls. On the left, some girhuma sat at a table while some children played on a rug. Others were lying in beds placed in a line.
Bags, boxes, and barrels were stacked near the crystals, holding things from coins to pots and pans. Everything the girhuma could take from outside was stuffed into the cave.
Owin followed the water elf through the living quarters and into the opposite end of the cave where a few others had gathered. Something in a huge jar moved wildly on a table in the center of the collected girhuma.
Ocean Mob
Gustana
Girhuma Elder
Level 45
“Are you here to help stop the interloper from reaching us?” Gustana asked.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Uh.”
“Yes!” Shade stepped right in front of Owin. “That’s why we’re here. Stopping interlopers and all that.” Shade walked up to the huge jar on the table and tapped it, causing all the girhuma to flinch.
“Please leave that creature alone,” Gustana said.
Whatever was inside the jar had countless tentacles and eyes. Owin looked at it for a second, but as soon as it looked back, he shifted his attention to the old water elf.
“What happened?” Owin asked.
“We’ve been living here for ages. The gateway was always present. There was no way to destroy it. We’ve tried. The standing stones always held mana batteries that we never dared touch. Suddenly, the gateway activated. The magic coming out destroyed every home in our village. We retreated inside and only then noticed the batteries were missing. Someone must have stolen them. If we don’t get those back in place soon, the interloper will make it out of the Abyss!”
“Ah.” Shade nudged Owin. “See?”
“Do you know who the interloper is?”
“A demon, I presume.”
That much was obvious. What else was going to come from the Abyss? “Okay. Shade, let’s go.”
Owin turned and left without another question. It was obvious. Either find the batteries and shut off the gate or let the demon emerge and fight the boss. Since the quest was required and there was already a countdown started, both options had to be possible. How else would he get out of the floor?
Owin walked back to the gateway and watched the hands. “Do you think that’s from one demon or a lot of demons?”
“They all look like right hands,” Shade said. He turned and stuck his own right hand out and waved it back and forth. “So . . . maybe one?”
“I wonder what demon it is. Do you think I know them?”
“How many demons do you know?”
“Uh . . . four.” Owin immediately walked away, toward the original stone gate that brought them into the plaza. “You don’t have to answer. I know it won’t be one of Myrsvai’s summons.”
“I didn’t want to call you a moron, so I was thinking of synonyms,” Shade said as he ran to catch up. “Are we collecting the batteries?”
Outside the girhuma village, there were three paths to take. Straight ahead led back into the coral reef, where it didn’t seem like a battery would be hidden. There weren’t other paths inside other than the one he had followed. To the left and right were the dirt paths that passed the reef and stones, and disappeared around turns.
“I want to let the demon out, but I don’t want to sit around and wait. I thought we could go get the batteries but not use them.”
9:01
“I told myself I wouldn’t let people be scared, but the girhuma didn’t seem that scared. If I just kill the demon, it would solve their problems, right?”
Shade started off to the right side and only stopped after a few steps. “I just realized you were asking me if you were right and not suggesting a direction for us to go.”
“We can go this way. I’ll follow you.”
“Oh, I get to choose? This is thrilling.” Shade walked backward with dramatic arm swings. “You know, mobs aren’t real people. I don’t particularly love killing them either because it does sometimes feel far too real, but when you consider the situation, they are just mindless creatures created by Sloswen. Well, unless we’re in another tower. You get the idea.”
“I know. When I was in the Great Forest there was a mob that helped me. The first friend I ever had. She cried when she knew she was going to die. I can’t let people feel like that, even if they aren’t real.”
“Anyone but Siora and Nikoletta.”
Owin nodded.
Shade tripped over a rock and fell helplessly to the ground. He flailed a couple of times before Owin pulled him back to his feet. After a few more minutes, the boundary wall appeared before them. When he looked back, he could see the natural stones that formed the wall around the girhuma village.
“It appears our options are now left or right. Or back or forward, depending on which direction you are facing. It could also be right or left if you turn even more.” Shade pointed in the two opposing directions.
“How many batteries are there?”
“Four.” Shade turned and adjusted his arms to continue pointing in both directions. “It would seem like there are two on this side and two on that side. Rather simple floor design—”
Some water shifted directly beside the skeleton, causing bubbles to burst from a single point.
“A beautiful floor, as I was saying.” Shade glanced above. “Only a genius could design something so flawless.”
“Is Sloswen always watching us?” Owin asked, looking above. It was only dark ocean with the slightest hint of the sun on the surface somewhere far, far above.
“You would hope the god of a whole dungeon would have something better to do, but I also think it would be better not to comment too much on the matter as it would be best not to find out if he is listening or not. Right?”
“Right.”
“Or left?”
“Oh.” Owin looked back and forth. Both directions looked the same. “Left.”
He followed the boundary wall, walking beside glowing crystals and small boulders with the coral reef to the left.
“What do you think Myrsvai will do with the gateway?” Owin asked.
“Well, how does he feel about demons?”
“Seriously?”
Shade shrugged.
***
Myrsvai sat with his back against one of the outer rocks that formed a wall around the plaza. He yawned and laid his staff across his lap.
“Nap?” Suta asked.
“Soon, yes. What do you think? A neural demon?”
Suta nodded. “Lots of arms.”
“I agree. Though I cannot think of a type of neural demon I have seen with such white skin.”
“Please help us,” Gustana pleaded. The girhuma had braved an adventure out of the cave, flinching every time any energy left the unstable gateway. “Without the batteries, the interloper will kill us all!”
“Maybe friend.”
“Yes, Suta. Maybe. We will need to wait and see. We have just over eight hours. That is more than enough time to feel fully rested. Do you need a rest as well?”
Suta nodded.
Myrsvai tilted his staff from his lap, tapping the end of it on the tile beneath him. Abyssal flames appeared, causing Suta to vanish.
“Ah, a demon!” Gustana pivoted and ran back into the cave.
“I wonder if Owin is going to eat whoever this interloper is.” Myrsvai leaned his head back against the stone. He smiled as he closed his eyes and quickly drifted to sleep.