CHAPTER 41

“Just grab my shaft. It’s not that hard,” Cici said encouragingly.

“It’s heavy, man.”

“I lug it around all the time. Don’t yank at it. Pull.”

“I am pulling.”

“You need to use both hands!”

“I think one is enough. I just need to hold it.”

“It will be quicker with two.”

“It’s going to slap me in the face if we do it your way!”

“How then?”

“Just up and down.”

“Fine.”

Cici lifted his large hammer off the ground, and Kopius held on for the ride.

There had been a brief discussion regarding the best way to finish the Ripple quest. Even though Cici had insisted that the quest knew they had both completed it, Kopius didn’t want to take any chances. The solution was simple enough: both would grab ahold of Cici’s giant weapon and use it like an upside-down sledgehammer.

Where Cici wanted to do some wild chopping motion as if he were exploding watermelons, Kopius felt they just needed a more “smashing empty soda cans” approach. He did his best impression of the ladies at Hotdog-on-a-Stick prepping the lemonade to demonstrate.

The large, rectangular astralsilicate hovered over the orb like an anvil ready to fall. In one swift motion, the hammer rose and rained down into the orb. The ball of defecation fractured but remained whole. The pair hoisted the weapon again, and this time Kopius added to the downward momentum. The orb cracked and splintered, its funky green and yellow colors leaking through fissures. One last strike and the orb collapsed, sending a spray of funk across their pants and exposed legs.

The two quickly stepped back from the crumpled orb as it began to make strange suction sounds, like vacuum cleaner chugging to life. The green and yellow liquid lifted off the ground and spun in the air. Then the two colors merged and coagulated together, creating an inverted pyramid. It hovered above the ground before it started to spin rapidly. The two companions each gave each other a nervous look, both wondering if they really had finished the quest.

Before their thoughts could lead to panic, the upside-down pyramid shot out to the center of the pond. If the sounds were any indication, the object’s spinning was picking up significant speed. It spun until it was just a blur and then entered the scum.

Thousands of tiny bubbles emerged from the center of the pond. It was quickly followed by a gentle whirlpool motion taking over the entire body of water. The gentleness did not last long as the rotation became faster and more violent until a maelstrom started to form.

Where Cici and Kopius stood, there was nothing but sunlight and soft breeze; on the pond there was chaos. Just as a vortex formed in the pond, the whole thing lifted, creating a cyclone of black, oily funk, gunk, and mess. The two men did take a step back when the black began to suck the scattered and broken bones of all the downed skeletons into the whirlwind. When enough of the burning skulls reached the cyclone, the thing lit on fire like a dried-up tree soaked in kerosene.

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Once the heat passed by, Kopius and Cici looked in time to see the burning tower of an inverted pyramid blink out of existence. All that was left was crystal clear blue water.

“That was amazing,” Kopius exhaled.

Even Cici seemed to be at a loss of words yet when Kopius glanced over at the big man, there was no awe in his stare. It was the briefest of moments, so quick that Kopius wasn’t quite sure if he really saw what he thought he saw. There was a worry in Cici’s stare that was so uncharacteristic that Kopius had to ask. “You alright?”

Cici shook his head in the affirmative.

Before Kopius could prod further, the ground shook and the sounds of stone grinding on stone filled the entire space. The ground continued to vibrate, and in the middle of the pond, a large flat stone emerged. Many more smaller stones breached the surface of the water until there was a walkable path to the shore. Two stone benches appeared on the large central stone, practically inviting them out there. They both looked at each other and shrugged.

Before they crossed the pond, Cici knelt down and took a test sip. As if discovering water in the desert, he started to eagerly drink the fluid. Kopius’s stomach lurched as the big guy took in gulps, knowing he would have boiled the water several times before even using it on plants.

Cici dragged Celeste in the water as they made their way to the center. It hissed from under the surface and produced millions of bubbles as the big man tried to cool off his weapon. The astralsilicate steamed in the open air when the two finally reached the benches and Cici had pulled it out. They gladly took a seat, and that’s when the theatrics began.

First, bright green and yellow sashes appeared at each end of both benches. The material felt similar to velvet on one side and soft silk on the other. There were buckles on the ends, and Cici (being Cici) had no issue strapping himself down to the bench. Kopius, feeling alone in his trust issues, gave the pieces more examination before begrudgingly latching it… loosely.

A transparent bubble formed around them, and then the platform jerked slightly. With an immediate fear of living the rest of his life in a snow globe, Kopius reached out and touched the barrier. It popped like a bubble, misting both men with residue. Cici gave a scolding look, and Kopius shrugged and mouthed ‘’sorry.’’

A few moments later, the bubble reformed. A slight jerk to the side happened again before they felt like they were sinking. Water pushed up against the magical barrier, but nothing seeped through. Kopius felt no relief. As the water level kept rising on the outside, Kopius felt his nerves escalating on the inside. Cici broke through to Kopius before he could dive headfirst into the paranoia.

“Pssst,” Cici psst-ed. ”Aye, you swim?”

“Yeah,” Kopius replied. “You?”

Cici nodded.

I’m more worried about the bends, Kopius thought as their descent took them deeper and deeper. When the stone platform came to a stop, they could see they had reached the bottom.

Above, like some great sports arena closing its dome, the ground slid shut, taking the sunlight with it. Kopius had to wrestle with the urge to break out of their bubble and make a swim for it. He managed to remain sitting, but Kopius unfastened his seat belt. A moment later and darkness took over.

“What do you see, lad?” Cici whispered.

“Nothing really,” Kopius answered as he scanned the entire place.

A bright light made Kopius flinch and turn off his Night Vision. When he opened his eyes again, a pedestal was rising out of the floor with a glowing image of a hand on top of it. The small stone column stopped at about waist height, and the soft light was enough to illuminate the entire area. The image shifted from one picture to the next, each depicting—Cici later confirmed—the hands of different races throughout Metem. The big man released his velvet belt, stepped up to the pedestal and placed his hand on it.

Bright, circular outlines began to spin on the pond wall. With four circles in total, their lights whipped around like a comet chasing its tail. They merged with each other, creating one giant circular outline with four comets all chasing one another.

The light raced faster and faster before it shot away from them at a breathtaking speed. Water flooded the new tunnel. The platform they were standing on lifted like a raft, and the current swept them away.

Sitting quickly and strapping in, Kopius felt like he could puke at any moment. It was like going on a topsy-turvy rollercoaster right after eating an undercooked chili cheese dog from your local liquor store.

A glance over at Cici and one would have thought he was having the thrill of his life. With both hands gripping the pedestal, the big man ‘’oohed’’ and ‘’ahhed.’’ He screamed like a schoolgirl as they sped down the tunnel on class five rapids.