The mine shaft ended abruptly, leaving Lus standing at the edge of a cliff looking down into a vast cavern-lake. A tall red stone temple rose from the water which created a stunning sight amongst the waterfalls that fell from the cave walls surrounding it. Obelisks surrounded the perimeter, all of which held some kind of glowing crystal at the top that lightened the entire space to the point Lusac didn’t need his lantern. Strangest of all, however, was the distinct lack of Shaquine. His [Sixth Sense] had been going off like crazy up until he found the temple. Now, it was eerily silent, and even his 1 [Common Sense] told him that was an ill omen.
The miners had obviously stumbled upon this place by surprise because from where Lus currently stood, he could see only the side and top of the building, and there was no visible way down from his current vantage point.
“Luckily Nippy made sure we were prepared,” Lus said to himself as he swung his backpack around and began digging in it for the repelling anchor.
He pulled the cylinder out. The base was composed of metal with a few buttons and the bottom was a few inches of glass, guarding against the wicked, barbed alunitanium metal point inside. Lus positioned the repelling anchor with the glass against the stone, the metal point facing down and activated it. The floor vibrated as the device shot the hook into the stone, creating a secure hold from which he could then use an anchor in repelling. As far as he knew, the device could penetrate any kind of rock and most types of metal which made it one of the classic adventuring tools.
Pulling the cord from the metal half of the anchor, Lus attached it to the built in harness on his mission suit. He tested the hold a couple of times before approaching the edge of the cliff and starting down.
The walls were slick with dew from all the misty waterfalls cascading into the cavern, making it a difficult job to descend in any kind of smooth fashion. More than once Lusac’s feet slipped as he landed against the rock, and instead of gracefully bounding down another few feet, he slid against the rock before he managed to tighten his grip enough to keep from falling all the way to the floor.
At least there was no one to see Lus’s embarrassing stumbles with even the Shaquine off hiding. Perhaps they were done in their efforts now that he found the temple, or maybe the obelisk light kept them at bay. Regardless of the reason, Lusac hoped that he wouldn’t be seeing them again until it came time to leave.
There was no telling how deep the water below him was, even with the light from the pillars. The inky surface gave no hints, so as his feet hit, Lus took a breath in preparation for ending up submerged. To his surprise, his feet found solid ground only a foot or so below the surface, and as he stood, it didn’t even reach his knees.
It was bitter cold however, and the wetness easily seeped through his suit which sent chills across his whole body.
“Let’s get this blasted artifact and get back to the shuttle so I can warm up,” he said to himself and the echoing cavern.
Wading through the water was difficult in the sodden suit, especially after an already long day of running and hauling a mostly unconscious Kremel, but Lus pushed onward, his eagerness to reach the temple and get out of the cold water outweighing his exhaustion. Unfortunately the cave he came from put him a good distance from the front of the structure, so Lus spent a solid ten minutes plodding around it in hopes of finding an easily accessible entrance.
As the front of the temple came into view, Lusac’s jaw dropped in awe. The angle he’d first seen it from didn’t do justice to the grandness of the ancient building.
It was all composed of that same uniformly colored red stone he’d first run into with Dasht while they explored their section, but intricate designs were covered into every part of the walls, pillars, and floor. Detail work like that would have taken a qualified team years to complete on this kind of scale.
In a bit of pride, he recalled some of the designs as mimicking those he saw back in the museum on Vipor, placing this as a structure from the Ancient Ones, the first race to ever explore the Cinder Rock Galaxy, though they’d died out millenia ago. Lus couldn’t believe that this structure was still in such good condition.
Down-sized clones of the surrounding obelisks lined a front pathway which led to a wide staircase that had smaller waterfalls cascading along the sides. The actual temple itself was blocky, composed of hard, straight lines for the roof and walls. There were no front doors, just an imposing opening at the top of the stairs leading inside.
Lus hesitantly placed one foot on the stone pathway leading to the building, part of him thinking of all the movies where this kind of place housed a multitude of booby-traps, but to his relief, nothing triggered as he stepped up out of the water. There was still no hint of the Shaquine, which remained a constant worry at the back of his mind.
He examined the stairs closely but saw no hint of a trap. His [Sixth Sense] didn’t warn him of any invisible trip wires or anything, so Lus chose to assume that this part of the temple was safe, at least.
Upwards he went, though he remained vigilant for any sign of trouble. As beautiful as this structure was, he refused to believe that the Shaquine were all the builders had left as guards. In fact, there was no guarantee the Shaquine were even guards. They could just be native creatures who lived underground and took the temple for their own after the Ancient Ones went away.
The same kind of crystals which the outer obelisks held also lit the interior of the temple. It was a large, open space which seemed to have no other rooms beside the central one Lus entered. Pillars stood around the edges, supporting the roof, and all carved with the same kind of intricacies as the surrounding walls and floors.
Sitting at the center of the room was a pedestal holding what looked like a broken piece of pottery, but Lus knew in an instant that it was his target. He still couldn’t believe how simple this ended up being once he found the temple. All he had to do was grab the artifact and return to Nippy and the others.
As Lusac’s next step hit the floor, the lights went out, plunging him into complete blackness. Every inch of skin on his body began to tingle as though an army of bugs had just been dumped on him, and his [Sixth Sense] highlighted dozens of Shaquine entering the room. Even without his sight, he was sure he could see something in the corner of his eye, and every hair stood up, sensing the unseen eyes.
Lus fumbled at his backpack where he’d clipped his lantern, the fear already on the rise, even if he did know the cause.
When he finally managed to turn the light on, he discovered that it was already dead, as nothing broke into the overwhelming darkness. He was blind, alone, and lost deep in a mine where no one would ever find him. Lus’s heart raced out of control despite his attempts at controlled breathing.
“It’s all a trick,” he said out loud to comfort himself. “The Shaquine are messing with my head, but they don’t control me.”
He took another step forward. If he could find the pedestal, then he could make it to a wall and find his way out of the temple. They’d leave him alone in the cavern, right? Something out there must keep them at bay. Why else would they have waited so long?
“I’m not afraid,” Lusac declared in a shaky voice. “I. Am. Not. Afraid.”
The tingling on his skin grew worse, and his [Sixth Sense] warned him of more Shaquine nearby. They must have gathered the whole clan for this assault, but he wasn’t going to let them stop him.
Blindly Lus stumbled through the open space of the temple’s interior. He knew he had little chance of finding the artifact this way, but he made the resolution that he would search as long as he needed to. Surely the Shaquine couldn’t keep this up forever. He just had to outlast them.
Footsteps sounded from a distance, probably near the entrance, and they were heavy like that of a Kremel.
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“Nippy?” Lusac called out with a hint of relief. Even knowing the danger this many Shaquine would pose on someone without [Sixth Sense], Lus was grateful for the company. They could keep each other sane.
“Nippy. It’s me, Lus. There are a lot of Shaquine in here. Be careful.” He held his hands wide as he traced his way back towards the footsteps in hopes of bumping into the Kremel.
Lus stopped dead in his tracks as a different sound hit his ears. That of an all-in cutter sparking to life. He spun to face the glimmer of light in the corner of his vision and discovered the single flame of a cutter.
Nippy wasn’t here to help after all. Taking Quniwel back alone must have been too much, and now the Kremel had lost his grip on himself. Unless Lusac got him back to his senses, he was dead. Nippy was [Level 51] [Raging Warrior]. That was an obvious winner to Lusac’s [Level 5] [Chef].
“Nippy, come on. It’s me. Tell me one of those battle stories. The one of ripping a Nemarian’s tongue out with your bare hands. You love that one,” Lus pleaded.
The light came closer as the footsteps grew louder.
“Nippy,” Lusac’s voice was raw with terror. Why couldn’t he see? Why wasn’t Nippy listening to him?
Lus started to back away, still begging Nippy to answer, but the only response he got was the cutter sparking higher. Giving up, Lusac turned around and started to run, but the footsteps followed suit, still growing louder. Something appeared in his way, catching his entire lower half, and Lus folded to the ground with a gasp. He threw his hands above his head with a shout as the flames of the all-in cutter approached him.
Ours, a voice said in his mind. The crawling sensation on his skin turned sharp.
Ours, the voice repeated. It wasn’t exactly one voice though, rather it was a collection speaking together, almost perfectly in unison.
“Don’t hurt me,” Lus whispered, still holding his hands up in protection from Nippy. He just wanted to go home.
OURS, the chorus said once more, gleefully and eagerly, and this time Lus gave up fighting. He was too scared, too tired, and too numb to care anymore. His body began to move without him thinking about it. He sat up and moved his backpack to the front so he could easily find something in it. Lus knew he should be fighting, but the void of blackness in front of his vision reminded him that there was nowhere to go, even if he did gain back control.
Kill, the voices commanded. Lusac’s hand held the all-in cutter, and his fingers flicked the switch, bringing the flames to life. Maybe they’d shove it through his eye the way he’d done to Quniwel. That was just punishment.
Kill.
The flames moved towards his neck, readying to make the final slice and end the terror once and for all. As the heat started on his skin, something inside Lusac broke out. It wasn’t fear of dying, but rather an overwhelming desire to live, a passion to keep going even against the oppressive circumstances.
“No,” Lusac screamed, jerking the cutter back before it could leave its mark. “No. I am in control.”
He threw the tool to the ground, the fire sparking one last time before it went out, leaving him to the inky blackness of before. Footsteps started up again, but he ignored them.
“Just another trick. I won’t fall for it this time,” he told the Shaquine. Lus started to stand and rediscovered what had halted his run in the first place. The pedestal. He fumbled along the top, but the artifact wasn’t there, so he instead got on his knees and crawled around the base until he found it.
“Blasted artifact,” he muttered to himself as he shoved it in the pack. He didn’t really care about keeping it safe given everything it’d put him and the team through. Besides, it was just a piece anyway. If it broke into more pieces, who cared? The buyer could handle that.
With the pack back on his back, Lusac stood up again. The darkness remained, but now that he had the artifact, finding his way out was the easy part. It still took quite a bit of time for him to make his way to a wall and then trace it to the entrance, but once he stepped his first foot outside the interior of the temple, his vision returned to him all at once.
“Whoa.” Lus steadied himself against the outer wall, blinking rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the sudden influx of light. He noted that his lantern was indeed on, so it’d all been part of the Shaquine tricks. [Sixth Sense] informed him that the creatures remained inside the temple, for now. He breathed in relief, not minding the cold, humid air so much. His skin itched from the long-term tingling sensation, but his suit was too thick to allow him to really get at it so he was forced to suffer.
“Just back to the anchor, and then make my way out of the mines,” he recited aloud to stave off the last of the discomfort. He froze and exhaled. If the Shaquine pulled that blindness trick on him in the maze of corridors, he had no chance of making it out.
“Scratch that,” he said. He glanced around, hoping for a better option, or even just another option. There was the path from the temple entrance which led into a dark corridor, but he had no idea where that would get him. Looking to the walls, he noticed the waterfalls, but he didn’t have a breathing mask of any kind, and he doubted there would be enough air.
“Strange corridor it is.” Lus adjusted his backpack and then walked down the stairs. He hated the idea of taking such a risk, but it seemed better than getting permanently stuck in the mine. Besides, the Ancient Ones had to have their own way out of this place, or else what good was the temple?
As Lusac approached the corridor, he noted that it was slightly flooded in a similar fashion to the cavern where he stood, but to a lesser depth. He unhooked his lantern to hold in front of him and then walked all the way in, readying himself for the blindness to return.
It never came. In fact, his [Sixth Sense] remained quiet. He was completely alone in the tunnel, but he remained cautious and alert. Scanning his surroundings, Lus became aware that this one felt exactly like the entrance tunnel, with the same squareness and exactness, but he could tell that this one was leading upwards at least a little given the way the water ran down against his feet.
Onwards Lusac went, eerily alone with only the dim light of his fading lantern to guide him. Suns knew where this would lead, but the lack of Shaquine meant it was worthwhile regardless.
After about an hour, Lus was starting to question his decision. There were no branching paths or any kind of hint as to where he was going. Only a few minutes later, he came to the end. It wasn’t a way out, because obviously his 12 [Luck] wasn’t enough for that. It wasn’t stone though, either. In fact, as he stared at the murky, soft substance before him, he started to think it might be water. Glancing at the floor where it met the strange wall confirmed it, small streams leaking out to create the small flood he’d been trekking through.
“Huh.” Tentatively, Lus reached a hand out to the bubble and pressed against it. With only a little force, he broke through, allowing some water to spray out around his arm. But his hand was definitely in water.
“So the Ancient Ones were part aquatic, like the Nemarians?” He tried to think if he’d ever learned that in school or not. “But where does this lead?”
He pulled his hand out and the bubble resealed, holding back the rest of the flow. Lus took a deep breath, and then plunged his head in, turning to bend at a strange angle so he could see upwards. There was a lot of water, but there was light coming from somewhere up above, and it seemed that this led to the bottom of some kind of lake or pond.
“The lake room maybe?” he mused. If that was the case, all he would need to do is swim up and then make a mad dash out the entrance before the Shaquine could blind him again. As stupid of a plan as it was, it was his only option.
Tugging his head back out, Lus gasped for air. He’d never been a strong swimmer, but desperation tended to produce miracles. Gathering as much air as he could, Lus shoved all the way inside the pull, becoming entirely enveloped by the frigid water. His legs pushed off the ground and upwards he swam, clawing at the water as fast as he could while attempting to only slow release the air in his lungs.
He was only a few feet from the surface when the air ran out and his lungs began to burn. Harder he swam until at last he broke into the cool air of the pond room. Heaving, he swam to the side closest to the entrance. [Sixth Sense] buzzed as several Shaquine appeared along the edges of the room. Maybe the effects wouldn’t be as strong with so few.
Lusac pulled himself out of the water, and despite his body’s call for a rest, he sprinted away from the lake and down the entrance tunnel. According to his [Sixth Sense] at least a dozen Shaquine were behind him and several more awaited him, but for some reason they weren’t doing anything to him, at least nothing he noticed.
His skin was freezing and numb, but there was no tingling, and no fear-inducing sounds reaching him. Best he could tell, the Shaquine were watching him escape and doing nothing about it.
Sunlight greeted Lus as he launched out of the tunnel, leaving the Shaquine and their effects behind. Nippy and Dasht both stood up from where they’d been taking down camp.
“Lusac, we thought you were dead or… you know, insane,” Nippy said as he cautiously approached.
Lus slowed down and tried to catch his breath so he could explain. Had it been more than the two hours Nippy gave him? So much of his time in the temple was hazy. Instead of saying anything, he dug into his damp backpack and removed the artifact, handing it to the Kremel.
He then stood up, trying not to notice the surprise in Zer-Dasht’s face that he’d pulled it off. Lusac would have plenty of time to tell the full story on their way back to the Argo.
He looked around at where Wsr and Yonnex-Quniwel both lay. They were both still alive, and he had retrieved the artifact. That’s what he would call a success. Lus clapped his hands together. “I’ve had enough of this rock. Let’s go home.”