A day had passed since the battle. Ebonheim’s natural regeneration had completely healed her injury and replenished her Essence. Lira was still recuperating with the aid of another Jixishan druid that had arrived along with Bjorn and Thorsten.
Ebonheim had told them about her fight against the aberration. As she recounted the tale, they all listened intently.
"I didn't even realize how strong I'd become until we faced off," said Ebonheim. "All the training I did really showed during the battle."
She smiled as memories of the battle filled her mind. Her smile faded slightly, though, when she thought about what could happen if another aberration ever returned.
As soon as Ebonheim finished recounting the events, Bjorn spoke. “Sounds like you’ve fought quite a fearsome foe.”
"So, you were able to defeat this thing?" Thorsten asked.
"Yes, but barely," replied Ebonheim. "It took everything we had just to take it down."
They looked at her with stern expressions, their arms crossed over their chests.
Ebonheim blinked. “What?”
“If you were having a hard time dealing with that monster, you should have just slowed it down and retreated,” Thorsten said. “There was no sense in fighting it by yourself when you haven’t even been in a real battle.”
“Hey.” She placed her hands on her hip and puffed her chest out. “I fought the Kungwans, remember?”
“Aye, but you weren’t by yourself back then, were ye?” Thorsten puffed his chest out in response. “And you were about to be eaten had not been for Hilda’s intervention.”
“Thorsten, that’s enough of the banter.” Bjorn pat Ebonheim’s head gently. “You did well.”
She smiled proudly then gave Thorsten a smug glance.
Thorsten shrugged and threw his hands up in defeat. “Aye, you won by the skin of yer teeth, but victory was yours…and well deserved.” He walked over and patted her head as well. “You’ll make a fine warrior yet.”
“I’m your goddess, you know? I live off of praises and compliments, you know?”
“Hah! You’ll get it from me when ye earn it.”
“More importantly,” Bjorn interrupted. “Is finding out where that creature came from.”
“They said it came from inside the mine,” Ebonheim said as she looked over at the miners.
“Well, let’s go ask ‘em then,” Thorsten said.
We made our way to the group resting in a small clearing.
"Can you tell me exactly what happened before that thing appeared?" Ebonheim asked the group, her voice tinged with concern.
The miners exchanged uneasy looks before one of them, a grizzled older man named Hulgrav, spoke up. "We were just doin' our job, diggin' deeper into the mountain like we always do. Then, out of nowhere, this wall we were workin' on crumbled away, revealin' a pitch-black void behind it. Before we knew it, that... that thing came crawlin' out of the darkness."
Ebonheim listened intently, her brows furrowed in thought. "You couldn't see anything inside the void? No signs of where it might've come from?"
The miner shook his head. "No, goddess. It was like the darkness itself swallowed everything up. We couldn't see a thing beyond that wall."
“I did not sense its presence until it was already upon us,” Lira added, leaning against a tree nearby.
“Did you sense only that one?” Bjorn asked her.
Lira nodded her head. “I’m certain."
Thorsten stood by the entrance to the mine. “Well, it’s been a day since then and nothing else appeared."
"Still…it’s strange," Ebonheim muttered softly under her breath. "Why would something like this appear here and now? Was there some sort of event that triggered its emergence?"
"Maybe an earthquake?" suggested Bjorn but immediately shook his head. “No, otherwise we would have felt it at the village.”
"Or maybe someone summoned it?" offered Thorsten.
Lira shook her head. “I did not sense any magic before its appearance.”
Ebonheim pondered these ideas for a moment before shaking her head. "This doesn't feel right. This feels more like a coincidence than an actual event."
"But what could cause such an anomaly?" Thorsten pressed.
Ebonheim closed her eyes and focused on the situation. After a few moments, she opened her eyes again and turned to the group.
"I need to investigate the mine. It's important we find out if there are any more threats lurking in there. In the meantime, none of you should enter the mine. Please, tell everyone in the village to avoid it until I give the all-clear."
“Oh no you’re not,” Thorsten said. “You’re not going in there by yourself.”
“He’s right,” Bjorn added. “Too risky. We’ll go with you. It’ll be safer that way.”
Did they really mean to babysit her like this just because they thought that something might happen to her in there? Did they really have so little faith in her even though she just bested something that could have probably bested them as well?
Ebonheim stomped her foot on the ground in protest—and hurt her foot. She used the pain to fuel her anger.
“I said I’ll take care of this. None of you will enter until I give the all-clear. I can escape danger any time I want so your concern isn’t needed. I’m the only one qualified to inspect the mine so shush and just wait here.”
“But—” Thorsten was about to speak out but she interrupted him.
“No buts! This is my first divine decree.”
Bjorn and Thorsten looked at one another, then shrugged in unison.
“Alright lass,” Bjorn said. “Get to it then. Just be careful and at the first sign of danger, you come back here and we’ll face it together, aye?”
She nodded. With that, she strode toward the mine.
----------------------------------------
Ebonheim hesitated for a moment at the entrance of the mine, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Alright, let's do this!" she muttered to herself, trying to sound brave and confident, even though her heart was racing. She took a deep breath, and then stepped into the mine, activating her Divine Sight to pierce the darkness that enveloped her. The world around her came alive with a soft, ethereal glow, revealing the rocky walls, the wooden supports, and the twisting tunnels that snaked off in different directions.
"Wow, would you look at that?" she whispered to herself, her voice echoing through the tunnels. "I never knew the world could be so... well, so... rocky."
The rough-hewn walls of the tunnel sparkled with veins of precious minerals, and the air was cool and heavy with the scent of earth and stone. It was a whole new world to explore, and she couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement.
"I can't believe I've never been in here before," she said, her voice echoing softly through the tunnel. "This is amazing! Look at all the shiny stuff!" She reached out to touch a vein of ore, feeling the cool, smooth surface beneath her fingers. "I wonder what this is? I should ask the miners when I see them again."
Ebonheim continued down the tunnel, her anxiety temporarily forgotten as she eagerly examined her surroundings. She ran her fingers along the walls, fascinated by the textures and colors of the rock, and stopped occasionally to pick up interesting-looking stones, turning them over in her hands and admiring the patterns carved into their surfaces.
"Ooh, what's this?" she wondered aloud, stooping to examine a cluster of sparkling crystals embedded in the rock. "They're so pretty!"
She continued to wander deeper into the mine, her child-like curiosity driving her forward despite her fear. As she went, she talked to herself, her voice a constant, upbeat chatter that filled the silence around her.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"Wow, this tunnel is so long! I wonder how far it goes. And look at all these tracks! I bet they use carts to move stuff around down here. Ooh, I'd love to ride one of those! Can you imagine just whizzing through the tunnels, like, wheee!"
Lost in her exploration, Ebonheim almost forgot the reason she had come to the mine in the first place. But as she rounded a bend, the tunnel narrowed and she found herself facing a large crack in the wall. It was just wide enough for her to squeeze through, but the darkness beyond it seemed almost unnatural.
She suddenly remembered the aberration and the danger it had posed. A shiver of fear ran down her spine, and she hesitated, wondering if she should turn back. But curiosity won out, as it always did.
"Well, no turning back now," she murmured to herself, taking a deep breath and pushing herself through the crack.
----------------------------------------
The instant she emerged on the other side, she knew she had stepped into a world unlike any she had ever seen before. The chamber before her was vast, its walls lined with strange, flickering lights that cast eerie shadows across the floor.
"Woah…what is this?" Ebonheim whispered, her voice barely audible even to herself. She took a tentative step forward, her eyes darting around the room as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.
The chamber was filled with bizarre contraptions, their purpose utterly foreign to her. There were large, glass tubes filled with a strange, glowing liquid, and metal devices that hummed and whirred softly. Countless wires snaked across the floor, connecting the various pieces of equipment in an intricate web of interwoven cables.
There were several smaller chambers branching off from the main chamber, each containing odd machines or mysterious tools. Some of these looked familiar to Ebonheim; she recognized gears, pulleys, levers, and springs among others.
Ebonheim approached one of the machines, its surface covered in blinking lights and symbols she couldn't decipher.
"I've never seen anything like this before," she said, reaching out a hand to touch the device. The moment her fingers brushed the smooth surface, a panel slid open, revealing even more cryptic symbols and buttons.
Her heart skipped a beat and she jumped away, startled. "Whoa!"
As she stared at the machine, her mind raced. What does this thing do? Is it dangerous? Should I try pressing some of the switches or moving a lever somewhere?
She pressed one of the buttons at random, and the machine emitted a low hum before a soft, melodic tone filled the air.
"Did I just... do something?" she asked, half expecting the machine to explode. Instead, nothing happened except for the sound.
She glanced nervously around the chamber once more, looking for signs of danger or hidden traps. Nothing seemed amiss, however, so she tentatively touched another button and heard the same soothing tone play. Then another, and still another, testing each switch and listening carefully to see if any of them produced the same effect. Each time, however, she received only the calming tune.
At last, she gave up and sat cross-legged on the floor beside the machine, gazing at it intently while humming a tune under her breath.
After a few moments spent contemplating the strange machinery around her, Ebonheim finally stood up and walked further into the chamber, examining the devices scattered throughout. After a brief search, she located a control panel and began tinkering with the various dials and switches.
Suddenly, the chamber came to life, the air filling with a cacophony of beeps, whirs, and hums as the machinery awoke from its slumber. The room was bathed in a kaleidoscope of colors as the strange devices began to function.
"Uh oh..." Ebonheim muttered, her voice tinged with both awe and fear. "I've done it now."
She watched as the machinery whirred and clicked, her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to comprehend the spectacle unfolding before her.
As she watched, she noticed a series of symbols etched into the base of a cylindrical structure glow. They were familiar, and yet... not. It was as if they were a distorted reflection of the language she knew, a twisted mirror of the script she was used to reading.
"Alright, Ebonheim," she muttered to herself, "you've faced down an aberration. You can handle this. Just... take it one step at a time."
And with that, she set to work, her mind racing as she began to unravel the enigma of the strange, otherworldly chamber.
With each passing moment, Ebonheim delved deeper into the mysteries of the chamber, her curiosity and determination driving her forward. She moved from device to device, studying the strange symbols and attempting to decipher their meaning. The pulsing energy that suffused the walls and floor seemed to resonate with her own divine essence, filling her with a strange sense of familiarity.
"This place... why does this place feel kind of familiar?" she asked, her voice soft with wonder.
As she pondered that question, she found herself drawn to a large, circular panel set into the floor near the center of the chamber. The panel was adorned with an intricate pattern of glowing symbols, their shapes, and forms echoing the design that she had seen on the walls.
She approached the panel cautiously, her senses on high alert. As she neared the glowing symbols, she felt a surge of energy coursing through her body, as if the air itself was alive with power.
"What is this?" she gasped, staring at the swirling symbols before her. Her head swam slightly, and she staggered backwards until she bumped against the wall behind her. For a second, she feared she might faint, but then she shook her head vigorously, clearing her vision and forcing herself to focus.
"Okay, okay," she said, breathing deeply and trying to regain her composure.
She knelt down beside the panel, her fingers hovering just above the glowing symbols as she hesitated for a moment. Then, with a deep breath, she placed her hands on the panel, her fingers tracing the intricate patterns.
The moment she finished, a shock of energy coursed through her, her vision filling with a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. She felt as if she were being pulled into the heart of the chamber, her consciousness merging with the pulsing energy that suffused the air.
It wasn't painful, exactly; instead, it was strangely exhilarating. Like drinking fine wine, tasting exquisite cuisine, or enjoying a night out dancing, it left her feeling lightheaded and euphoric.
But it was fleeting, leaving her drained and disoriented when it faded. When she opened her eyes again, she blinked several times, her mind struggling to process what had just transpired.
"That was...weird."
Slowly, she rose to her feet and turned toward the panel, studying the markings engraved onto its surface. Their meaning eluded her, but she could tell that they represented something important.
As she studied the markings, she couldn't help but feel a growing frustration at her inability to understand any of it. It was like trying to read a book in a language she had never encountered before. "Ugh, why can't anything ever be easy?" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
As she wandered deeper into the chamber, she came across a large metal door, its surface smooth and unadorned. She placed her hand against the cool metal, wondering what secrets lay hidden beyond it.
"Alright, big mysterious door," she muttered, giving it a gentle push. To her surprise, the door remained stubbornly closed. She frowned, giving it a harder shove – but it still wouldn't budge.
"Come on, open up!" she cried, her frustration mounting as she pounded her fists against the door. "Why won't you just... ugh!" She slumped against the door, her energy spent.
Desperate for answers, Ebonheim closed her eyes and reached out to the Akashic System, hoping it could provide some insight into the bizarre room she had discovered. "Akashic System," she whispered, "please help me figure out what all of this is."
To her surprise, the Akashic System responded with a terse message:
[ Warning! Access Denied. Insufficient Administrator Privilege. Initiating Security Protocol. ]
"Huh?"
[ Warning! Access Denied. Insufficient Administrator Privilege. I̵n̴i̷t̸i̵a̸t̶i̷n̴g̸ ̴S̸e̶c̸u̷r̸i̴t̶y̶ ̷P̷r̵o̴t̸o̷c̵o̴l̴.̴ ]
[ Warning! Access Denied. I̷n̸s̸u̸f̶f̷i̶c̸i̷e̵n̴t̴ ̶A̶d̶m̷i̶n̶i̴s̷t̷r̶a̴t̵o̷r̸ ̸P̸r̶i̵v̸i̶l̴e̸g̷e̸.̵ ̵I̴n̸i̵t̸i̸a̸t̴i̷n̴g̷ ̵S̶e̶c̵u̶r̸i̵t̷y̵ ̴P̴r̴o̴t̸o̶c̴o̵l̶.̷ ]
[ Warning! ̵A̴̯̳̅c̴̡̆͊c̵͇͒e̴̗͝s̴̳̀s̸̺̥̀ ̶̲̘̌D̴̟͖̀ë̶͕́͘n̴̮̎͝í̵̟̍e̷͓̣̍̉d̷͕͚̒.̶̧̣̀͠ ̷̥̼͒̍ ̶I̴̖̍n̵̘̊s̸̰̍u̴̖͋f̵͓́f̷̼̈ì̸̻c̶̹̈i̷̱̅e̸͐͜ñ̵̙t̷̢́ ̴͚͌A̸͉̚d̴͎͘m̵̲͆į̸͝n̸̦̎ĩ̷̹s̵̟̕ţ̷̂r̶̬̾ȃ̶̖t̸̻̾o̶̰͒r̵̳̚ ̴̹̊P̶̲̉r̵̖̉i̷̯̎v̵̝̽ï̷͕l̸͙͘ě̷̠ğ̸͉e̴̤̍.̴̼̽ ̸̧͠I̸̺͌ṋ̶̐i̶̘̇t̵͓̏i̴͈͐ă̴̩t̸̺͝ī̷͇ņ̴͗g̸̛̬ ̷̳̿S̸̪̀ȅ̷͙c̴͎̍u̷͈̾r̵̼͋i̵͇͐t̷̩̄y̴̝̆ ̷͍͂P̸̳͊ȑ̴̻o̶̺̒t̵̼͠ȯ̵͙c̸̬̒o̷̦͛l̸͚̀.̵̮͘ ]̴
[̸̲̼̄̿̽ ̷̼͇̳̬̖̄̉͗͋W̷̢̪̟̖͆̆̈́̆̊ȧ̶̯ŗ̴̳̲̱̪͂n̴̡̢̝̯͕̆͝i̷͙̒͋͆̉̂ṋ̸̿͐̐͑̆g̸̱̺̊̆̀̓!̶̜̠̻̬̦̑̈̍͠ ̵̞̯̪͋͋A̴̮̓͜c̴͉̘̝̲̒̌͝c̸̨̞͖͖̆̃ë̷̝͙͓̙͎́̐̕s̸͔̥͆̀̂͘̚s̴̺͠ ̴̼̀̃͗͝D̴̫̜͉̤͋̄̈́ë̶̡͈̪̻́n̴̜͉̈́i̶̮̘͍͍̙͂̾̊̅ȩ̷͈̝̗̳͗̈́̓d̷̗̜̘̹̹̃̈́̃͘.̴͖̼̙͙͆̎͘ ̵͈͙̬̿͌̀I̷̪̘̪͒͛͝n̴̛͖̮̗̥̈́͂̆̎s̴̘̹̠̅͋͒̐̌ͅu̵̠̗͓̾ḟ̴̜̺̈́ͅf̷̰̹̖͚͂̀̒͌̂ỉ̶̢͚̤̈́̏c̸̭̙̎̃̀i̴̲̕͘͜͠e̶̘͙̞͑̽n̵̢̯̱̎t̵̝̩͔̯͉̏͠ ̷̗͕͉̆̈́A̶̩̗̱͉͂͑̂d̶̙̿̋m̶̼̆i̷͈͙̳͍̇n̵̙̂̇͂̂͝ì̶̬͇̇̌s̴̟̾́̎̊͠t̴̢̳̹͈͐̀͘͜͝r̷̫͖̘̼̪̄a̸̤̾ͅͅţ̷̞̳͛͊͜o̵̠̹̊͊r̶̨̋̀̈͐ ̵͇̤͉̱̚P̴͙̯̹̜̫̑̊r̵͚̆i̷̪̝͐v̵̡̩̟̦̼͊̈́̔͝i̵̪̼͙̓̆̇̕͝l̵̢̳̭͕̲̾̿̾͊e̵͚͛ģ̴̠̩̟͠ȇ̷̜͉̖̤̇͐̈́̃.̵̘̺̱̫̒̆͂͜ ̶͕̯͑͂̑̏̀͜Ị̸̼̪̭̍́̓͜n̴̡̯̤̟͛̑̉i̷͇̰̭̼̩͝ẗ̷̨̻̽͆̐͛ͅĭ̶̛̟͉̣͍̏͘͝ă̷͔̙͚̖̯͛̓t̵̛̬͕̪̾̈́̋̔i̵̧̨̜̺̘͊̽̕n̵̦͂̕͘͠g̶̙͈̠̃̄̄̍ ̸̨̻̪̂̍Ş̷͍̝͎͗̑͒̋̕ë̸͓̰͖́͗̈́c̸͓͑̀͘͜͝u̸̢̱̘͓̻͆̊̕͠r̸̙̳̩̀̃͛ị̶̝̲̥̄̈̿t̴̊͆͝ͅÿ̸͓̭͑͘ ̶̧̣̬̱̅̂̀̆P̴̡̺͓̻̙̐r̷̻̦̾o̴͉̲̫̠͒̽͐͘͝ͅt̶̞̆o̴̗̻̠̅̈͒c̴̦̻͎̏o̵̙̊l̸͔͓͂́̈.̴̡̩̩̭͋͛ ̶̺́̇̎̚͠]̵̤̤̩̅͘͜
Ebonheim's eyes snapped open, her heart racing. "What? What does that even mean?" she muttered, her confusion mounting. Before she could ponder the message further, her vision blurred, and she felt an overwhelming wave of dizziness wash over her.
----------------------------------------
“Ebonheim,” spoke Thorsten. “Stop dilly-dallying already. We're waiting on you. Let’s head back home.”
She found herself back outside the mine, the sounds of the miners' chatter reaching her ears as they started walking back toward the village. She blinked, her head spinning as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.
“Are you alright, lass?” Bjorn asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Did I... forget something?" she murmured, her brow furrowing in confusion.
One of the miners turned to her with a friendly smile. "Good idea to stop mining at this spot, Ebonheim. We'll find another place to dig, don't you worry."
Ebonheim hesitated, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. "Was it... my idea?"
The miner looked puzzled. "Of course it was, lass. You sealed it up yourself, remember? Just in case something else happens in there."
“Did a rock hit yer head on your way out or something?” Thorsten asked.
She nodded slowly, her memories of t̶h̷e̷ ̶s̶t̵r̸a̵n̴g̸e̵ c̸̥̅h̵̓ͅa̶̤͒m̵̰͑b̴̯̊è̶̟r̸͔͒ ̴̨̂b̴͚̂ḙ̵̾n̶̘̄e̷͉̊a̴͙̎t̴͇͊h̵͖͂ the mine already beginning to fade. "Right... I must have just... forgotten."
As they walked back to the village together, Ebonheim couldn't help but steal one last, lingering glance at the mine. Something about it called to her, a nagging sense of curiosity that refused to be silenced. But as they said, it was best to head home. The danger has passed. She was content with the safety of the miners. That was more important than one mine. They could always find another…