“What precisely are we searching for?” Derzina asked, as Atasimon brought them yet deeper beneath the surface.

“The source of Meztraxia’s power. As to what form that may take, I know no more than you do. Though whatever it is, I imagine I’ll know it when I see it.”

“You seem awfully sure you’ll be able to sense it, especially given that you didn’t notice whatever it was that gave me that dream.”

“You may be right. But as unreliable as my senses may be in this accursed rift, they’re only option for finding what we seek.”

“And? Do you have the faintest sense of where that might be? Or even where we should look?” Derzina was already blind down here and if the goddess didn’t have a plan, it only made things all the more uncertain.

“Not yet. It’s almost impossible to perceive anything beyond our immediate surroundings with all the magic present in the environment.”

“Then are we supposed to wander through the whole Great Rift in the hopes of encountering whatever granted Meztraxia his power?” Derzina asked, shaking her head. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this place is enormous; I’ll surely die before we can find anything like that.”

The goddess sighed, pausing in her descent. “Our chances are slim, yes, yet we must continue in spite of the risks.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m willing to stake my life even on such a dim hope at this stage, but only if there are no better options. I wasn’t the only one in my dream, there were many others with me and it felt like they were real. If I’m not mistaken and they truly dwell within the rift, they may be able to help us find what we seek.”

“A pleasant notion, but what makes you think the denizens of such a place would have even the slightest inclination to help us? Venestamino refused to give us information even on pain of death, and whatever corrupted beings live here must surely be even more hostile than that. We’d be better served asking Meztraxia himself what we wish to know.”

“I understand your hesitation and I share some measure of your trepidation, but I’m not yet convinced of their ill intent. From what I could sense in the dream, they didn’t seem so different from us.”

Only a few vestiges of what she experienced within the dreamscape remained with Derzina, yet she was certain she’d shared some connection with the others. It felt strange to rely so heavily on a mere dream, but these were strange times.

“Even if they were willing to render us the slightest assistance, I’m no more able to locate them than I am the object of our search.”

“Perhaps you don’t need find them. Why not rely on them to find us instead? If they live down here, then surely their senses are attuned to the Great Rift’s unique nature. I struggle to imagine how they could survive here otherwise.”

“Even if what you’re saying is true,” Atasimon said, resuming her descent, “I don’t see how it helps us. I haven’t done anything to conceal our presence, yet nothing has sought us out nor have we seen the slightest sign of another being.”

“Is there some way you could make it easier for them to notice us?” Derzina asked.

“None that I know of, conspicuous displays are not exactly my forte.”

“Then maybe we need find somewhere we’re likely to be noticed. If they live down here, there must be food and water or whatever it is that sustains them. Do you think you could find something like that?”

“Only if I had something to guide me toward them,” Atasimon said. “If there’s a path they frequent or some such, I can likely track them by the signs of their passage but that does us little good when I have no idea where they might live. There doesn’t seem to be anything living in the regions we’ve passed through thus far.”

“And why might that be?” Derzina asked, speaking mostly to herself. “Are there parts of the rift that are different to what we’ve seen? More hospitable to live in some way? Can you sense anything like that? Or any sort of abnormalities at all?”

“Not that I’ve noticed, but I may be able to find something if I concentrate. I suppose we can take a short break in the meantime.”

The goddess’ shadows deposited Derzina in a narrow recess and dissipated the moment they stopped supporting her. Though no outward sign Atasimon’s presence remained, Derzina could still feel the goddess through the connection they shared. Glad not to be left alone, even if the goddess was too occupied to pay her much attention, Derzina sat and waited.

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Though she was doing little more than waiting while they were descending, sitting still like this changed her perception. Absent a sense of movement, it felt as the crack in which she was perched was the entire world.

How long had it been since she’d seen the suns? Hours? Days? Within the endless dark, time lost all meaning. Would they ever see another living thing again? Or had

Venestamino lured them into this abyss that they might never return to bother him again?

After brooding on her doubts for a few moments, Derzina decided it didn’t matter. If this was a trap, then they were already well within its clutches. Perhaps this was a fitting end for her, consigned to oblivion along with everyone she’d ever known. There was a certain appeal to giving up like that, but to Derzina’s surprise she found she still had hope that they might accomplish something.

Amidst her dark musings, strangely Derzina found remembering her dream brought her a measure of comfort. She remembered enough to know it had been far from pleasant, yet it reassured her that there was something down here beyond rock and darkness.

“I’ve found something,” Atasimon said, cutting through Derzina’s thoughts and bringing her back to reality. “I don’t know if it will be of any use to us, but I located a particularly dense concentration of magic. It’s far beyond that of the surrounding area, so I assume it must have some significance.”

“Was that all you could find?” It didn’t sound too promising.

“Indeed, and I was fortunate to sense that much. You have no concept of how difficult it is to detect anything through the maelstrom of energy around us.”

“I suppose that’s our best option then. If what you said is true, then there must be something of note about it.”

“One can only hope,” Atasimon said, leaving the recess and setting off once more. “At least we have some kind of destination now, I was beginning to tire of trying to reach the bottom of this seemingly bottomless hole.”

“As am I, I think this place is already affecting my mind. It never occurred to me that I would long for something so mundane as the light of the suns and the stars. Yet after spending all this time beyond their reach, seeing them again is now one of my greatest wishes.”

“It did not occur to me that you might feel so discomforted down here,” Atasimon said, perplexed. “I had forgotten that mortals are not as at home in the dark as I am. Well, fear not, we shall see the surface again in good time.”

Having a goal seemed to spur Atasimon on, and they sped through the rocky maze. Derzina lapsed back into quiet contemplation, marvelling at the goddess’ ability to navigate in this lightless place. Judging from how often Atasimon changed direction, Derzina doubted she’d be able to find her way through even if they were on level ground beneath the midday suns.

“We’re getting close,” Atasimon said, after a while. “Can you feel it?”

It was subtle enough that Derzina hadn’t noticed it at first, but the air was warmer here and she had a vague sense of rising agitation. She would never normally have attributed the latter to a location, were it not for dream she’d seen under the great rift’s influence.

“To my surprise, I can. There must an enormous amount of magic present if even I can feel it.” She hadn’t been able to sense anything in the presence of gods or Demon Lords.

“There is, though there’s more to it than mere power. Now that I’m near enough to discern more of its nature, I’m certain that the magic is contained within a living being of some sort.”

“Like a person?” Derzina asked.

“I doubt it, though I’ve yet to determine its precise nature. It appears that will have to wait until we encounter it for ourselves. I suggest you brace yourself; we’ll be there in moments.”

The wind rushed past her as Derzina’s body was propelled forwards. Turning a corner, Atasimon’s shadows splayed wide and pulled Derzina to a halt. A gate, rendered barely visible by a faint red glow, stood before them. Set into the surrounding stone, it depicted an eyeless face with a wide yawning mouth.

The stone face shifted before her eyes, slowly changing its expression. Teeth appeared in the formerly empty mouth and were promptly bared at her. Once the change was complete, the gate fell motionless and a booming voice emanated from it. “Identify yourself, outsider,” it said.

“I am Derzina Omun, Paladin of Ortesia,” Derzina said.

“And why does a Paladin seek entrance to the great city of Merstaneon? Have you come seeking demons to slay?”

“No, I seek to learn more of the Demon Lord Meztraxia. Do you know him?”

“He visited the city some time ago.”

“Is that it? What did he do here?”

“I am but a guardian, I know little of what goes on within the city. If you wish to know more, you would have to ask one of Mestaneon’s denizens.”

“Very well, I would like to ask them about it. Will you let me pass?”

“I will not. Only those who bear the mark of Mortisflor may enter.”

“And how does one acquire this mark?” Derzina asked.

“All those who find their way here fall under her sway. All except for you, it would seem. What makes you so special, I wonder?”

Having no good answers to offer the gate nor any ideas of how to convince it to let her pass, Derzina looked inward. “Have you ever heard of Mortisflor?” she asked.

“Never,” Atasimon replied. “I assume they must be some manner of demon, or possibly a wizard. I find it rather hard to believe that there’s a whole city down here, it would be best to treat anything you hear from whatever creatures call this place their home with suspicion.”

“Even if it’s not a city, there must be something behind this enchanted gate. Whatever lays beyond, it’s our best chance of finding out how Meztraxia acquired his power.”

“I’m well aware of that. But no matter how great our need, I doubt this guardian has any interest in our plight. If we need the mark of this Mortisflor to get in, then ask to meet with them. It seems the most direct option, barring trying to force our way in. Which I’d rather avoid, unless we have no other option.”

Heeding the goddess’ advice, Derzina returned her attention to the outside world and said, “May I speak with this Mortisflor, that I might ask for their permission?”

“Are you certain?” The gate asked, its frozen features continuing to scowl at her. “Mortisflor can be most inquisitive of new arrivals that catch her attention”

“I am.”

“Then she shall see you presently.”

A blinding flash of red light burst forth from gate’s empty sockets. Once Derzina’s vision recovered, she found herself somewhere else entirely.