Back on the Brass Behemoth, the mechanical goliath’s engine was shaking violently from Faestus’ rebellion. Bright flames were spurting out of every corner of the machine and bolts were being blown out like bullets from a gun. Faestus’ roaring voice was echoing from the engine, though it was too muffled to understand what he said, there was clear wrath dripping from every syllable.

Surrounding the engines were seven of the workers, each holding a sizeable bucket of water. They were arranged around the engine in a great circle and Lionel between two as an eighth person. The knight held his short sword firmly with two hands, its runes glowing brightly.

They were not orange this time though, the runes glowed a bright blue.

“Alright, you buckets of bolts and bones” Lionel shouted to the workers “Let’s keep Faestus in the engine a while longer”

He cleared his throat.

“Enemy of fire, extinguisher of heat, ally of the bitter cold… Contain this god firmly in his own engine of power, lost technology from days of old!” Lionel bellowed.

The runes on his sword glowed brightly, then the water from each of the saucers rose in thick strands and gathered around his sword, spinning like a waterspout. Water was scattered across the room as the vortex became unstable.

“Steady, steady!” It was hard to tell whether he was saying this to the water spout or to his own shuddering hand.

The water spout twirled and stabilized, it gathered more water and distorted until it became a spinning sphere of water. Lionel swung his sword, the orb of water split apart as if cut and burst like the crashing foam of a waterfall. The great splashes of water glowed and then, like a swarm of bees going into a hive, entered the engine through its various cracks. Faestus’ furious voice gave a mighty bellow, but it was literally drowned out by the steaming cacophony of fire meeting water. Then everything went silent. The engines rattling and shaking steadily lessened.

“Phew, thank Chaelum! Well done everyone” Lionel said with a smile, nodding respectfully to the workers, "We extinguished a fire god!"

The automatons walked away to resume their previous jobs.

“Oh right, you guys aren’t just dead, you aren’t even cognizant! No wonder Karagoz didn’t want to bother sending too many of you guys after those two escapees” Lionel chuckled, playfully patting one of the passing automatons on the shoulder. The knight sheathed his sword and walked out of the chamber, returning to the main control room where he knew Karagoz and Zelos waited for him.

Klamka’s head spun as her first experience with teleportation finished. She wasn’t fully sure what she saw was real: an entire room made of brass, with two cloaked figures in front of her. One was fat with glowing eyes that leered at her disdainfully, the other was skinny with glassy eyes she couldn’t really read.

“So, are you the allies my father, King Brodi, spoke of?”

“Indeed, greetings to you Princess Klamka” the skinny figure said politely, “My name is Zelos and this is my companion Bishop Karagoz, we are high priests of the Grand Faloon”

Klamka nodded. She had heard of the Grand Faloon, an enigmatic but overall benign religious order that took on various humanitarian jobs across the continent. That they were here traveling the Underworld was a surprise to her, though her fears were mostly assuaged; In Klamka’s frank opinion, the Grand Faloon was overall a patronizing and wimpy organization that spoke of “love and peace” without doing anything major to accomplish those goals.

“Greetings to you too, good sirs” Klamka replied, “What is the mission you desire of me”

At this point, Lionel entered the room.

“Hey Deadman and Gearman, Faestus is contained again, what do… Well hello there”

Lionel looked at Klamka and gave her a friendly smile.

Klamka looked at Lionel closely, giving no reply.

“Good timing for once Lionel “ Karagoz remarked, he turned his scornful gaze to Lionel “this is Princess Klamka from the kingdom of Boroti and she will be joining you. We need to make sure those two little pests are dead ASAP!”

“Princess eh?” Lionel chuckled, looking at Klamka with an flirty look “I am even happier to meet you then, your majesty”

Klamka rolled her eyes behind her helmet.

Lionel gave her a wink, then went back to business “Ahem… With all due respect Karagoz, why chase the bat and girl? They seem to be out of our hair and we got one dwarf who can help with whatever you lot need”

“The girl is just as brilliant as her brother and we need both of them to accomplish our goals. Even ignoring that, our organization’s existence must be kept secret” Zelos explained.

“Exactly” Karagoz confirmed, “Ours is a group that many want gone and tried to exterminate us, but we survived. Our enemies no doubt still want us dead, we are still rebuilding our order and so cannot risk them finding out we are still around”

“Tell me more about your order, if you please” Klamka interjected, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Something felt off here, the more she thought about it, what was the Grand Faloon doing here, “I have heard of the Grand Faloon, but have not met anyone of your order”

“Our Grand Faloon is an order who follows a great spirit who will bring peace and prosperity to the world.” Zelos immediately answered. He said it quickly and precisely, as if he had said it countless times before.

“And who is this spirit?” Klamka continued to prod.

“His name is Vashinar, the archon of harmony, a deity of order and guidance. He has already given us many great gifts and will bring harmony to this world once we can release him, for he was unjustly imprisoned”

“Do you worship this being?” Klama growled “Know that immortals are not to be trusted whether they be archon, supernal, or infernal! All are deceitful and foul”

“Even Chaelum?” Lionel asked.

“Absolutely, not even the Lord of Elysia can be trusted” Klamka solemnly said “No immortal can, but least of all the infernals”

Lionel nodded, rather stiffly.

“Theological debates aside, King Brodi wants you to assist us.” Zelos interjected calmly.

Klamka sighed and nodded “Fair enough… Inform me again about the vagabonds me, and this Lionel, hunt”

“One is a half-dwarf” Karagoz explained ”She wears red smithy clothes with ragged pants, a large coat, big thick boots, has brown hair, and is barely over five feet in height. She is pudgy, but incredibly strong”

Lionel tapped his helmet where Tenacia had dented in it. Klamka nodded “She has the strength of the dwarves indeed. And what of the other? The bat you called him?”

“Yes, a noctav” Karagoz explained, his tone deeper and angry as he remembered Twist “A large bat-like humanoid that is native to the Underworld. His fur is white, other than these ugly black rings around his eyes, those stupid eyes are yellow, and he dresses overly fancy, complete with an ugly looking top hat. He is exceedingly full of himself and likes to show off”

I would assume you two would get along better then, Lionel thought to himself, amused at Karagoz’ anger.

“And from Karagoz’ report he also wields powerful magic, he specifically he can control time” Zelos interjected.

Klamka nodded “Very well, I am glad you called upon me then. I was trained from a young age to hunt down magicians and I am eager to serve our world in eliminating them”

“Good for you! Now let’s wrap this up” Lionel said, cracking his knuckles “Those two can’t be too far, but they got a good lead”

“I see, where have they gone?” Klamka asked.

“Our lookouts saw then run across the plains of the Gray Vale” Zelos explained “The two targets entered a great stalagmite that used by a now gone race to travel between the various floors of the Underworld. We don’t know where they are going, but it hardly matters. Find them and catch them”

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Lionel nodded, then he turned to Zelos “By the way Gearman, if we are going to be catching them it is going to cost extra. Bounty hunting is hard work”

Klamka scoffed “I knew you were an adventurer! The cocky attitude, unable to take anything seriously, and a smug demeanor… It always comes down to money with you people, Such an absence of honor!”

“And committing genocide against magic users is honorable?” Lionel retorted, getting hot under the collar.

“Enough!” Karagoz roared “You two young fools have your mission, now go carry it out!”

Lionel and Klamka looked at each other, then nodded. The adventurer and princess both agreed on one thing there was a job to do and beliefs had no purpose in the mission.

Lionel put on his own helmet, then both ran off out of the control room.

“Are you sure getting the princess of Boroti involved in this was a good idea?” Zelos asked when they were gone.

“Yes, she is a capable warrior who knows how to fight magicians without magic”

“Hmm a rare talent indeed, but born out of hatred for magic and extreme patriotism. How do you think she will react when she discovers more about our order? Especially who we worship?”

“Oh we’ll get to that road, but I also have a plan for when that happens” Karogoz said darkly.

“So Twist, what are ya doing here anyways?” Tenacia asked. They both kept going up the stairway inside the giant stalagmite.

“Helping you get to the city where we can get allies” he answered happily.

“No, I mean before that, why are you trying to get the surface?”

“Quite simple! I am an entertainer!”

“Huh, like a bard or somethin’?”

“Bard, juggler, prestidigitator, you name it! It is my goal to entertain the masses on the surface!”

“Why not do it below the surface? There are plenty of cities down here aren’t there?” Tenacia continued to ask

“Oh indeed! But I really want to get to the surface you see”

“And why is that?” Tenacia continued to prod.

“Ohh I have my reasons!” Twist laughed.

Tenacia folded her arms sternly at the dodged question.

“Now If I may ask, what were you doing down here?” Twist asked, turning to Tenacia with a wide smile, walking backwards to face her, “Or rather, do you have any idea why the Grand Faloon kidnapped you and your brtoher?”

“No idea! Probably metal and mechanical stuff, 'cause we are real good with both”

“I see! But you seem to be a fine fighter, how could they get you?”

“Took me by surprise” Tenacia responded gruffly “There was this nasty giant guy with a long nose who caught me”

“Oh dear, a giant you say?”

Twist’s backwards walking finally caused him to trip onto his back as he reached the top of the stairway, he looked up at the roof of a tunnel.

“Excellent! We are close to the top of Lethes! Just a bit father and we will be in Oshea!” he happily announced.

The two kept up their trek, they sped up their pace, so they spoke little. Finally, the tunnel lead out into a cavern, this Tenacia came out first and looked around the new space they were in now, it was nowhere near as massive as the Gray Vale but it was still a substantial cave. Various hill-like mounds of stone jutted out of the floor. Some were small, while others were monolithic structures that could serve as a house if carved into, and with lack of the Gray Vale’s unusual glowing moss the only light source here was the lantern that Tenacia was carrying.

She walked forward and quickly stopped with a gasp when her boot splashed in cold water. The tunnel had brought them up onto small island in the middle of what looked like an underground lake. Tenacia gulped nervously and walked back, she turned to Twist.

“So where exactly is this city again? And the heck is it called?” she asked, glaring at the black water in front of her.

“Oh yeah, I never did say it! It is called Fatana. And I’ll check” Twist said as he examined his map and walked out.

“Alright… We are about here… Aha! I have our vertical position, so now all we need to do is get our horizontal position! A stairway that will take us to Fatana! It is this way”

Twist pointed in a direction, Tenaca reached into her pockets and pulled out her compass. Twist was pointing West.

“Alright, now how are we getting there?” Tenacia asked, continuing to watch the water in the cavern tentatively.

“Simple! Just go across this water, it is quite shallow”

“But what if there is something in the water? I assume water monsters are a thing in the Underworld?”

“Oh there yes, but nothing like that in this lake! Just some shrimp and blind eels!”

“Okay fair enough, but…“ Tenacia’s sentence trailed off.

Twist turned to Tenacia, his ears focusing on her like radar dishes. Focusing them, he could listen to Tenacia inner workings. Her breathing was higher and her heart was beating a rapid rate. She was afraid, greatly afraid.

Twist entered the water, turning and then extending a friendly hand to Tenacia with a warm smile. He had guessed what was making Tenacia hesitant: she was afraid of water.

Tenacia took a deep breath, then took his hand with her good hand, she soon made her way through the water. She was shorter so the water got up almost to her waist. But keeping a tight grip on Twist’s hand she made steady progress across the wide body of water.

Tenacia heard her heartbeat and breathing accelerate, so he tried to distract her from her fear.

"I can asure you we have nothing to fear in this lake"

“Okay… Anything we should worry about around the lake?” Tenacia asked, trying herself to get her mind off of how cold and dark the water was.

“Nothing bad here, but there are some things we will have to be careful as we go higher” Twist explained, slightly strained due to how tightly Tenacia clutched his hand “Like barghouldrs”

“And those are?”

“Imagine a huge aggressive mastiff made or rock… Ahh yes, we may also have to deal with centipedes”

“Well those aren’t bad, they are ugly looking but I’ve dealt with centipedes”

“Centipedes as long and thick as a tree?

“Ok, nevermind”

They walked in silence for a bit, the only sounds being the water splashing as they marched. Tenacia's breathing and heartbeat remained fast.

"Are you sure you don't feel like we are being watched?" Twist suddenly asked.

"Please don't ask something like here" Tenacia growled

“Ahh my apologies! Here is a much better question: what do you know about that giant machine you were on?” Twist suddenly asked.

“What makes you think I know anything about it? You thinkin’ I was a member of that goon squad?” Tenacia asked suspiciously.

“Oh dear no! I am just thoroughly curious about that amazing machine! Did they make it for example? What types of metals is it made of? I could tell it was mostly brass. And what power source is enough to keep it moving?”

“Ok, I think I have an answer for that last one. When I was runnin’ from the fire knight dude, I ended up in the engine room. I opened a door on it, hoping it would let out fire and distract him… Then a big hand came out and grabbed him”

“Oh my! Most intriguing!” Twist said excitedly “What could that thing have been?”

“It had to have been a god, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end from the magic that came out with the hand”

Twist gasped and his eyes widened “An god? They have incased… No, imprisoned a god?!”

“Seems like it, I don’t know of any other thing on Fiahn that wields as much magic as an god”

“But how?! There is enough power in an god to destroy a continent, how could they contain… Pardon me, are you laughing?”

“Heehee! Yeah! Sorry ‘bout that” Tenacia chuckled “But the gods are waaaaaaay weaker than that”

“Are they really? But from what I have read, the gods effortlessly control the elements themselves! On top of Mt. Polaris, the highest mountain in the world, they are the undisputed masters of the world”

“Oh yeah, they lost Mt. Polaris”

Twist looked utterly dumbfounded. From what he knew, the gods were the most powerful beings on Fiahn. Not even an army of could take on one of them. Yet, not only were they weaker than what he thought, they had lost their great fortress? It was the equivalent of an old philosopher like Aristotle waking up after being away from the world for thousands of years, then finding out that the Greek gods had been kicked from Mount Olympus and forced to live among mortals.

“Okay, you live deep underground right? There are gonna be things up top that you don’t know happened y’know” Tenacia remarked.

“I suppose you are correct, but my kind has had people on top sending us down here information on what has been happening on the surface!”

“Did they tell you about the Divine Conflict?”

“The what?”

“I was a HUGE war between the gods that happened like three thousand years ago. Heck, I’m pretty sure most people would classify it as a myth if the gods and the results of that war weren’t still here”

“Three millennia ago?” Twist marveled.

“Roughly at least… But yeah long story short the gods got super arrogant and stuff and started fighting each other, using us mortals as their soldiers. Then Chaelum… You know who He is right?”

“Oh indeed, the creator of the universe and all life within it correct?”

“Yeah, He got REALLY mad about the Divine Conflict. So He tossed them from Mt. Polaris, which I guess was kinda the source of their power. They are still pretty powerful now, but nowhere near the divine beings they were before”

“Intriguing…” Twist said, thinking deeply. This was certainly a revelation, though he quickly shifted his mind to listening to Tenacia again. Her heartbeat and breathing were now mostly normal.

Ahhh good! She has calmed down, Twist thought to himself happily.

The two travelers continued through the water. Tenacia felt something bump against her leg, but the continuing conversation with Twist helped her totally ignore the big pale eel that had nudged her by accident.

“So I can assume people don't worship the gods anymore?” Twist asked.

“There are a few screwy cults who still worship them, but they are pretty obscure. Most people these days worship Chaelum or Fiahn itself”

“I see! Whom do you worship if I may ask?”

Tenacia shrugged “I ain’t too religious like my brother is. I hear a lotta good about Chaelum, but I dunno about Him. Got too many questions. Worshipping the world itself though I am even less sure about.”

“Fair enough, what do you think of Chaelum’s servants?”

“The supernals? Ehh, I don’t think they exist. Spirits stronger than even the gods at their peak who watch over stuff like time and space? Seems too convenient”

Twist looked like he wanted to say something, but then asked another question.

“What of the fallen supernals, the infernals?”

“Hmph, now those I am willing to bet exist… Also why?”

“Simple curiosity mostly. Plus it is good to know what many people believe on the surface now”

Tenacia nodded “What about you? What do you believe?”

“Hmmm… I’d say I am a follower of Chaelum, though I was raised worshipping the goddess of words and magic, Symphonia. It is said she used to walk among us, but then suddenly vanished ages ago”

“Where do you live anyway? I can’t really imagine anything living so deep under the surface”

“Ahh but I do, I dwelled within Minvaco, one of the greatest noctav cities! It is somewhere center in Lethes, somewhere beneath us”

“Huh, sounds cool”

“Yes indeed! Once we are in a more favorable situation, I will happily describe it to you!”

Finally Tenacia felt the land beneath her go into a higher incline, she sighed in relief as they reached dry land.

“Hey, let’s stop and rest Twist” she said, noticing the noctav was slowing again.

“Oh its fine! A little cold water won’t ACHOO!” Twist sneezed. He then chuckled “Ahh you make a good point my companion… Come to think of it we still have much ground to cover, so we had better rest for a bit”

The two sat on rocks and rested, Twist gave Tenacia some of his rations to eat. They were some sort of brown jerky that had a sour taste, but Tenacia was happy to have something else in her belly after a week of gruel.