Lit only by torches, the party carried on blind to their surroundings. Kuja seemed to have an idea of where they were going and had turned away from the cavern that led them to the village. Cira walked right behind her, and the darkness grew noticeably thinner centered around the gem atop her staff, allowing the torches’ light to reach further.
“What’s going on with that staff?” Jimbo asked, “It’s creeping me out as more than the ghosts at this point.”
Cira noticed that she had acquired a posse of revenants trailing her like a flock of seagulls, or perhaps balloons tied to a long string. Their attention was not quite on her though—they seemed entranced by the brilliant onyx which ravenously swallowed up the shadows.
That’s fair. “This is the first time I’ve held it so it’s all new to me, but I can at least say it’s gathering dark mana.”
While they could see a little better than they would otherwise, the staff barely revealed the edge of the path they walked down. As neither light nor darkness really had weight, or substance for that matter, the mana itself slowly filtered out from around them like smoke or a dust cloud, thus allowing marginally better sight.
Her team of mages were still hardly visible and looked like their own souls had already left their bodies. Cira felt bad for subjecting them to such a frightening experience, but they’d be stronger for it.
“So, you can use it to kill all the shadow beasts?” Jimbo was visibly relieved.
“Doubtful.” Maybe one or two, but I can’t rely on it. “Think about it. If we’re fighting creatures stained through with dark mana, I would need to use a great deal of the same to overpower them. It’s simply not sustainable.”
“Oh, damn… We’re really gonna have to fight stuff then.” Even though there was nothing to see, he glanced over his shoulder nervously.
“Why do you think I gathered mages?” They were a ramshackle crew at best, but together Cira was certain they could accomplish great things. Though, seeing the fear etched onto their faces was mildly disheartening. “And we even have this spider now. Surely, he can fight for me.”
“Huh?” The voice entered her mind, “I was trapped under a jar. Have you mistaken me for something strong?”
“But what about your mind attacks? Just use those.”
“I could do that, of course… But it’s more limited than I led you to believe, and it expends my soul at an upsetting pace. Oh! I know. I can just consume all the souls in our path. Most of them are weak and would take countless millennia to be reborn as a human, so no reason to feel bad about it.”
“Can that… really happen?” I guess it makes sense, but why so long? I wonder what dictates the circumstance of one’s next life. “I don’t like the way you broached the topic is such a roundabout manner. What are you really up to?”
“Urghhhh, if I dilute my soul enough, I may be able to dampen the effects of the curse.” Mac spoke like trying to hold it in hurt.
“Of course… I somehow doubt that, but I’ll keep you on reserve just in case. Beyond the ethical implications, my father told me that bad things happen when too many souls are removed from the cycle, so I’m somewhat hesitant to turn you loose. In fact, can you tell me more about that?” Why not ask the expert?
“Damn you, girl…” he grumbled for a moment in frustration, “An aethereal vortex of sorts would form and start breaking down everybody’s soul but my own for at least a short while, depending on the quantity and value of souls removed.”
“Goodness… No wonder my dad locked you up. Why do you exist?” Such a threat felt just a smidge outside the realm of a sorcerer of moderate caliber.
“Do you think I exist because I wanted to—” The spider’s retort was cut off by the jarring sound wheezing laughter through the shadows.
“Is someone… laughing?” It made Cira feel uneasy. Something wasn’t right about it, aside from the fact that there was a supposed group of hecklers elsewhere on the mountaintop.
“The outlanders called the hyenas,” Kuja supplied, “that’s what they used to be, at least. If we linger here too long, they may give us trouble. We should hurry.”
They had actually slowed down again. Her pirates shamefully quivered in their boots upon hearing the strange calls from the dark. Whatever they were seemed to move around, cackling at them from all sides. Only when the paladins started charging holy light did Cira decide to step in.
“Relax, it’s just wild dogs!” She shouted to the group, “Just hurry up so we can get out of the open!”
Her immediate crew was marginally less frightened, having walked through it once before, and took it upon themselves to wrangle the others.
“How are you not scared?” Tawny asked as Jimbo shuffled back, “You’re supposed to be some powerful witch or something from what I gather, but you’re powerless now.”
“Well, it’s exciting to explore a place that hasn’t been seen in hundreds of years, isn’t it?” As one who travelled the sky, Cira practically lived for exploring strange places. The stranger the better. “I’m sure there’s much to see here, and I’ve been meaning to work on my prowess in physical combat anyway. This is a fine opportunity. I may be nervous, but if I don’t get this job done, I will actually die. No better motivation than that.”
“A job, huh?” she wasn’t convinced, “Still, you don’t seem to be very worried.”
A sorcerer’s worries were best kept hidden away—they stood in the way of progress. In turn, a sorcerer’s lifestyle often allowed plenty of time to reflect in solitude for weeks at a time, somewhere high in the clouds.
That wasn’t to say Cira didn’t have doubts. Anything could go wrong in Archaeum, or meeting with the deritium buyers, or even breaking into Wick’s treasury. She could waste all day troubling herself over it, but historically things worked out when she threw herself at something wholeheartedly.
“We’re here.” Kuja said as a dim staircase came into view. Broken stone pillars flanked it on either side, but they had fallen over long ago. Their guide wasted no time descending, “Within the peak is where we gathered to hold funeral rites. There are many passageways for beasts to hide in, so be cautious.”
She started whispering so Cira shushed her crew, and they followed in silence. At the bottom of the stairs, they could hear the scurrying of little feet far out of sight, which caused a commotion as her pirates gasped and shouted in fear. This of course induced an even greater reaction and whatever was in the room before fled for dear life.
“Rats…?” Cira didn’t think it sounded too big, “Or bugs?”
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“Both, I imagine. It’s whatever eats them that we have to worry about.”
Cira tried to push the shadows back with her staff and it helped to a degree, but the cost was enough to outweigh what she passively gathered. A slight tinge of pain surfaced in the back of her mind like an itch. Much more could become a serious strain. The darkness was unnaturally dense by several orders of magnitude down here, and she likened it to holding herself in an air bubble at the bottom of a deep sea.
Her first glimpse of the shadow beasts was indeed a rat. Its fat body would make for good lunch if she were short on food, but in her experience, mana made small game quite bitter. It scurried off almost waddling and left behind black footprints that disappeared after a few seconds.
“Oh shit, what is that?!” She heard one of the pirates cry out and all of a sudden mana started flying through the air and panicked shouts filled the cave to the vibrant flashes of light.
“What?!” I didn’t notice anything, what the hell happened?! Cira turned to the object of their wrath and saw… a little black rat, sliced open and smushed into the charred stone floor, leaking a thick, murky blood. See? Never trust small game so soaked in mana. “Are you idiots serious?”
Cira couldn’t believe a little rat no larger than her arm got them in such a fuss.
“Did you see the thing?” James shouted, sword still drawn, “Rats aren’t supposed to be that big!”
“It was running away. Save your energy for when you actually need it. That’s an order.” She glanced over her crew to sink the message in.
Kuja was frightened at first—from their outburst—but held similar feelings as Cira on the matter. She looked disappointed but not surprised.
They were in a large open chamber now and the occasional carved pillar seemed to support the hollowed-out mountain peak. Looking closely, Cira could see little bugs crawling on them that seemed to pay them no mind. Much too small to make any noises and unphased by the previous ‘battle’.
After the short explosion of mana, the area had fallen silent. Eerily so. Perhaps it was best to make an entrance in this way. Cira knew how effective a display of superior power could be, and that went doubly so in the animal kingdom. Unexpectedly, the first leg of their journey was a breeze. It was still dark and spooky, but the tension had begun to dissolve after no incidents for the next hour.
“You can see down there, right Mac?” Cira wiggled her shoulder to get his attention. Not that he was doing anything, but he almost seemed like a statue most of the time.
“I was trying to.” His attitude did not know rest, however, “It takes time to see over distances When I am fully conscious, my sight is meager. I can see a few levels down at most.”
“That sounds pretty good.” Cira could not see a single soul clearly even if someone rubbed it in her face, so half a mile or so was remarkable by her measure. “Wait, how did you know about the ‘perfect match’? Were you able to see the bottom after just a day or two? Or…”
“This isn’t your precious salt rock. It’s not very far down.” Noting that Cira wasn’t satisfied with that answer, he groaned, “I could see the bottom faintly before you came to free me. Your new soul is just above that.”
“It’s not one of Kuja’s ancestors, is it? I didn’t think I needed to say that.”
“No, it’s not. This one is a soul untainted by curses or even the darkness.” Somehow, he sounded scholarly, so Cira listened without complaint, “This soul has a strong will and great ambition. It will surely be a great threat to, I dare say, the entire island one day if left unchecked.”
“Whoa.” Something like that lives down there? “Did you hear that Kuja?”
“It would not surprise me if something like that lurked below,” Her voice had taken on a sullen tone, “There were many great beasts on this island before Hangman’s Cove existed. It would not surprise me if some found sanctuary here.”
The torchlight finally reached a wall and more bugs scuttled off once they came near. Some centipedes and strange beetles avoided light like the revenants, who had taken to trailing behind the group at a distance. It actually helped her crew speed up as they kept catching glimpses of their near-shapeless forms while they wove through the shadows.
Revenants didn’t have faces—they only vaguely resembled the human form but had no arms or legs, just fading out towards the bottom. The head-area was where most of their mana was concentrated, so when they stared at you it was difficult not to feel. She had to be thankful to them as they had already reached the first floor’s end.
Kuja had led them along the wall for a short while and arrived at a doorway. More specifically, another staircase down.
“You know, I was really trying not to go underground for a while.” More complaints came to mind, but she held them back.
“Many lived here to conduct ceremonies and other rituals. During this time, they would also collect mana to be used in the reforging of their souls.” She was definitely reliving a tumultuous time in her life by the expression on her face. “Their living quarters are on the next floor down. Last time I came here, that’s where I started running into real beasts. By the following floor, I had to return.”
“Ah, that makes sense.” All the conditions are pretty much perfect for it to end up like this.
“It does…?” But Kuja stared at her blankly.
“Well, the further down we go down, the mana will only grow in density. Especially in this enclosed space where it’s even harder for light to reach. Naturally, the weaker ones who still need frequent access to water—or weak prey—will end up at the top. Is there a river at the bottom or something, too? Or… an entrance?” That wouldn’t have been a bad question to ask this morning.
“Is… that how it all works? I suppose that does make sense,” The woman took a few moments to think it over, “There is a lake at the bottom and a small stream in this next level. That’s part of the reason homes were built here.”
“Oh? And what’s the next level after this?” As she stepped into the next floor, more feet scurried away. This time, they didn’t seem so panicked or small. Cira swore she could feel hungry eyes watching her from the darkness.
“The first tomb lies below.” She whispered, “Now hush, child.”
They walked quieter now and took a right turn at a fork in the path. This took them past rows of polished stone doors, weathered with time. Cira heard footsteps approach from behind and with quick glance, it turned out to be one of her paladins. He spoke quietly and brandished his blade, “I sense danger. Allow me to protect you, my Lady.”
Three more paladins awkwardly shuffled themselves to the front, trying to silently jump on the bandwagon. Cira let out a sigh, but then something else caught her ear. A faint clicking in the distance, straight ahead down a wide hallway with a tall ceiling. Whatever hid beyond the shroud could surely see them, as they were quite literally a flame in the darkness.
What is that clicking? And what else am I hearing? Is that… chewing?
Her eyes shot open, and she turned to Kuja who nodded gravely. They slowed and Cira nudged the closest paladin, “It’s your time to shine.”
“Heh. Gladly.” His sword lit up with holy light, further strengthened by the others. As the hallway brightened, Cira watched pride bubble up in their eyes and the smirks they wore disappeared in the very next instant.
At the edge of the light was the source of their newfound fear. Rats just like the one from above laid strewn across the floor, eviscerated and gutted. Gnawing on pieces of their bodies was a set of mandibles like onyx large enough to cut her in half at the waist. She instinctively shuddered and there was a chorus of gasps behind her.
It was almost like an ant but with one less segment and its many legs were low to the ground like it just crawled around. Half of its weight had to be in its mandibles, and the large, round eyes hadn’t left its prey—seemingly unconcerned by their presence, at least until it ran out of food.
What to do about this? It looks tough.
Her paladins shook in place, but one stepped forward with trembling hands on his sword. He was a young man with short, ashen hair and dull brown eyes. Cira would never forget his bravery.
“I-I’ll protect you, Lady Saint!” Maybe I should stop him.
The insect certainly took notice now that there was a glowing man charging straight for it and let off its meal to prepare for a fight. The way it backed up a couple steps and proceeded to watch the paladin approach gave Cira an uneasy feeling.
“Hyahh!” He threw his golden blade down for a straight cleave over the head. His aim was to bisect it right down the middle, but it glanced off with a metallic ping. “Impossible! How?!”
Cira’s heart dropped as she watched it lunge, but thankfully her champion dodged in time. It had made a short hop and gone right for the artery in his thigh—it wanted a quick and bloody kill.
“I’ve got you now!” He stabbed his sword trying to pierce it through the eye and the bug whipped its head up and caught the blade. After tugging to pull his weapon free, he found it getting yanked on with ridiculous force, “You bastard! Let go of my sword!”
Almost in response, the bug twisted around and pulled it right out of his hands. When it clattered on the ground somewhere through the darkness, the dumbfounded look on the paladin’s face was one of utter shock, “Oh no… Noooooo! Lady Saint, w-what do I do?!” Tears formed in his eyes as he looked back for guidance.
“Get back, you dolt! What else?” Looks like we need a different approach.