Chapter 10: The moment of truth

The group continued along at a fast pace. No longer did they stop to admire the reliefs or the carvings along the wall. They knew that this place was not one they were welcome in, and extending their stay here only meant increasing the odds that they would perish in their next encounter.

“Are you ok?” Corin asked Zhi he heard her breathing grow heavier and more labored.

The truth was that he himself was starting to feel the toll on his body from their trek in the structure. They had been moving for close to an hour now. In that time they had traversed long hallways, escaped from volleys of arrows, climbed steep stairways, traversed rooms with floors covered in sand making each step more difficult than it ought to be and of course fought off a large force of mindless sirens. In one instance the only way they were able to progress forward was to climb a tall wall, a task almost none of them could do. It was thanks to Simeon, who had easily climbed the wall and had thrown down one end of a rope that the group was able to climb. They had to go one by one to climb the steep face of the wall, an effort that left all of them gasping for air when they were finished. Some required more effort than others, and Nanaua required the entire group's help to be able to climb the wall.

“Do not worry about me, Corin, we will continue until we find the artifact.” Zhi spoke in between breaths.

“No.” Simeon spoke up.

“I'm ok.” Zhi said.

“We will take a quick rest. No more than five minutes, but we have been traversing this structure for a long time. In our current condition we might not fend off another attack.” Simeon said.

“I can fight even when I'm at death's door!” Nanaua boasted.

“But we're not all you Nanaua.” Simeon retorted.

“I agree with Simeon. I myself can barely continue.” Corin spoke up and the group agreed.

Simeon volunteered to keep watch while the group rested.

Livia sat next to Corin and placed her head on his shoulder. Corin was taking bites of dried meat and sharing it with Livia.

“I could fall asleep right here.” She said as she closed her eyes and kept chewing.

“Just you and me. Warm torchlight, hard stone floor, the occasional murderous siren. The ideal date location.” Livia said.

Corin laughed at his wife's remark.

“But no space for you to tinker with your toys.” Corin replied.

“I'm trying to be positive here, love.” Livia replied at him while poking his side.

Livia kissed Corin and went back to resting on his shoulder.

“Could you ever imagine finding yourself in this position?” Corin asked his wife.

“Did I ever imagine myself traversing an underwater palace that belongs to a murderous titan with some strangers that fell from the sky?” Livia asked without raising her head from Corin’s shoulder.

Corin only laughed.

“The answer is no. But if you had told me that I would find myself in such a situation, I would only want to know if I had you by my side. As long as I knew you were there with me, then I would not mind.” Livia said.

Corin smiled, he kissed his wife’s forehead. She grabbed his arm and held it tight.

“I also know that you feel the same way.” Livia said.

“Of course. I would get lost in about ten minutes without you.” Corin replied.

She picked up her head.

“I think ten minutes is a bit too generous.” She laughed as she looked at her husband.

They stared into each other’s eyes.

“We'll weather the storm together.” Livia said as she looked into his eyes.

“We'll weather the storm together.” Corin replied back to her.

They kissed. No matter what situation Corin found himself in he knew he had his wife’s support.

“All right young rascals, that's enough rest for you. Let's keep moving.” Simeon said.

The group quickly gathered their supplies and continued moving. The amount of time the group spent traversing long hallways became much shorter, and they spent more time climbing stairs. It seemed they were moving up the structure at a faster pace.

In one instance they found themselves at the top of a large room. The only thing they could see in this large room was a narrow bridge, with deep chasms on either side. Although they could not see the bottom of the room, they could hear random grunts.

“Seems like our position is not a secret.” Zhi said.

The group hurried along.

Past the bridge they came upon a massive set of stone doors. Nanaua began pushing on them, and they slowly opened. Past the stone doors they found a set of long stairs. They went up so high that they could not even see where they ended.

“My goodness, how many stairs are we supposed to climb?” Livia sighed in frustration.

“Come now, just one step at a time.” Corin replied, trying to soothe his wife's frustration.

“Corin just let me be frustrated for a second.” Livia replied.

She balled up her fists and shook them at the stairs. She then brought her hands to her side, took a deep breath, and began climbing the steps.

Halfway through Corin began to feel winded.

“Just one step at a time, there young lad. You don’t want an old timer like me catching up to you!” Simeon said to Corin with a smile. He moved up the stairs with no issue.

Livia laughed.

Nanaua was the first one to complete the climb.

“This is it!” Nanaua shouted in excitement.

This quickened the group’s pace. The end of their search was near. They all hurried and reached the top.

As soon as Corin got there he saw for himself, Nanaua was right.

This room reminded Corin of the one he had first seen Nanaua in. It was large and cavernous on the inside, and it had a small stone pedestal in the middle. It was large enough that it could fit over one hundred people, but all that could be found in it was the stairs leading up to it, the stone pedestal, and a lone door at the other end of the room.

“Is that it?” Livia asked.

“Yes. The three pieces of the weapon were described in dragon script as a hollow pyramid, a hollow cube and a solid sphere. This must be the sphere!” Zhi spoke excitedly as she went to the artifact.

“Wait!” Simeon spoke up.

Zhi stopped in her tracks.

“Practice caution young one. We do not know what will happen as we near it.” Simeon said.

“So what are we supposed to do?” Livia asked.

Simeon took a bundle of rope and threw it near the stone pedestal. Nothing happened.

“I will approach the sphere. Corin, Nanaua follow at a distance.” Simeon said to Nanaua and Corin.

He walked carefully and Corin and Nanaua followed, each with their weapon at the ready. Each step that Simeon took Nanaua would follow exactly and so would Corin.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

Simeon reached the sphere. Corin and Nanaua where a short distance away from Simeon. Nanaua moved to the opposite side, to cover Simeon on both sides.

As he stood over the sphere, Simeon looked all around him. He studied the sphere from every side, but there was nothing that he could see aside from the round stone.

“Does anything stand out?” Livia asked. She stood ready holding her rifle.

Next to her Zhi kept looking behind them, to the large set of stairs that reach the room.

“No, not really.” Simeon replied frustrated.

“There has to be something I am not seeing.” He added, but he could only stand there, watching the stone.

“Well Simeon, there's not much else we can do.” Corin said.

Simeon looked straight at him.

“Right you are my boy.” Simeon slowly went to grab the sphere. He lifted it up.

Nothing happened.

“Seems like we were concerned over nothing.” Corin said.

As he finished his sentence he felt his feet begin to get wet.

Corin quickly looked down, but at that point the water was already at his waistline. He looked over to Nanaua and Simeon. The water was already reaching up their neck, similar to Corin. They were all entombed in a sphere of water that had manifested around them.

Corin looked out of the sphere. He saw Livia and Zhi begin to panic and run towards them.

But they were stopped. A giant figure crashed into the ground in front of them. The figure looked exactly like the sculpture of the metal knight that they had seen in the room where they had been ambushed.

The metal knight impacted the ground with violence, shaking the ground so forcefully that Livia and Zhi were thrown off balance.

The knight had one objective. To eradicate the intruders. He did not hesitate. He brought his massive sword to the side, preparing to swing it across and strike Livia and Zhi, destroying them right then and there.

As the knight started to swing his blade Zhi propped up a large wall of ice between Livia and the blade.

The wall of ice stopped the impact but shattered. Large chunks of ice were thrown around the room. A large chunk of ice hit Livia, throwing her down the stairs. Zhi stood by herself facing the large metal knight.

Corin tried to scream out for his wife but as soon as he opened his mouth water rushed down his throat. He tried to push outwards to leave the prison of water, but it was no use. He could not puncture the wall of water that separated him from the outside.

The knight did not wait for Zhi to gather her wits and stomped in front of him shaking the ground. She collapsed onto the floor. As she struggled to get up she shot out a bolt of lighting straight at the knight. The electricity fizzled across his body but it did not have any discernible impact on him.

He lifted his sword and Livia screamed.

“Cover your eyes and ears!” Livia threw something on the ground.

Zhi did as instructed and the small metal canister that Livia had thrown exploded. A bright light and a loud piercing noise filled the chamber. Even inside the bubble of water Corin was blinded by the explosion and felt his ears tingle from the explosion. The knight reeled back, being caught off guard by the explosion.

Livia hurried to Zhi’s side.

Zhi was unable to move. She was frozen in place. She looked at the sphere that entrapped Corin, Simeon and Nanaua.

“Zhi. I'm here.” Livia said to her as she kneeled next to her.

Zhi looked at her. She looked at the knight who finally regained its balance.

“Let’s fight together.” Livia said to her.

Zhi finally snapped out of it and stood up.

The metal knight roared. Before it only wanted to eliminate Livia and Zhi because they were intruding into its domain. Now it was raging with fury.

“His armor, try freezing it!” Livia shouted at Zhi.

Zhi did not hesitate and she erected a large wall of ice in an instant which encased the knight. He was temporarily frozen in place. He began to twitch until he broke his left arm free. He used his free hand to break the ice that encased him, finally freeing himself. The armor around his body still had big slabs of ice protruding from it.

Livia brought out her rifle and took a shot at the center of the knight's body. The armor cracked and the knight fell back from the impact. Livia hurried as she readied another shot. The knight began to charge at them, and a second shot hit him in the armor. This time the armor shattered into pieces, exposing a rocky torso, and the knight yelled at them in frustration prepared to destroy them.

He was lifting his arms to swing his blade down but Zhi was faster.

A large fireball erupted from her hands, as big as his torso, and it flew directly at him.

The fireball hit the knight dead in the center and it exploded in a spectacle of fury. The knight’s upper body was scattered around the room, as the rest of the body crumpled into dust.

As the knight crumpled, the force holding the water around Corin, Nanaua and Simeon dissipated, and the water splashed onto the ground. The three of them fell onto the floor spitting out the water that had been choking them mere moments ago.

Livia ran to Corin and Zhi went to Nanaua.

“My dear, you were amazing.” Nanaua said in between breaths.

“It was not just me.” Zhi answered.

“Are you alright?” Livia asked Corin.

As he prepared to answer the ground beneath him began to shake. Corin looked at the room around him.

At first there, fractures began to form around the walls holding the palace in place.

“What is happening?” Nanaua shouted.

The answer came in the form of a large chunk of the ceiling falling on the ground. Water began to seep in from the various cracks and crevices that began to form.

“We need to leave! Now!” Simeon shouted as he spat out water. His fur was completely wet.

The group began to turn towards the stairs they came from. But as they approached them a large portion of the ceiling broke off, blocking their entry point.

“Damn!” Corin shouted as he looked around the room.

He saw the door on the opposite side of the room.

The group instantly started running towards it. Once they opened it, they found a hallway on the opposite end. As they ran through the hallway it began to get narrower.

The end of the hallway approached, they could see a spiral staircase bathed in light.

Corin was the first to reach it and looked straight at the top.

“A way out!” He screamed excitedly.

“I'll go ahead!” Zhi shouted.

She hurried up the stairs with a speed that Corin had never seen from her before.

As she reached the top she raised a sphere of air around herself large enough to encompass her and her companions.

They now found themselves outside of the structure. They were at the very top, and their way out was at the bottom.

“We'll have to jump. All at the same time!” Livia said.

“You are mad!” Nanaua shouted.

The ground beneath them shook as the structure continued collapsing.

“We have no other choice!” Simeon yelled out.

“Before we do! Nanaua hold me!” Zhi shouted at her.

Nanaua did not question her lover's request. Zhi needed all her concentration to be able to hold the wind barrier in place while they fell.

“Three, two, one! Go!” Simeon shouted.

They jumped.

Intermittently the wall of air would begin to fracture and water would begin to seep in. But Zhi would always rebound and expand the wind cage as they fell down.

“Tell me when we're about to land.” Zhi shouted. She held her eyes closed as she concentrated on the wall of air.

“Now!” Corin, Livia, Nanaua and Simeon shouted in unison.

Just as they were about to hit the ground an upward current from the wall of air pushed them up, softening their landing.

“You can put me down now, love.” Zhi shouted in triumph but her voice weary.

“Look, our vessel!” Simeon shouted.

The group turned to see it. It awaited them near the entrance to the crumbling structure.

The group started running towards it when a loud roar stopped them immediately.

The group looked upwards.

“Arandu.” Corin muttered.

The leviathan hovered over the crumbling structure. Although Corin had only seen Arandu once, and he had only seen the top of his body, he could not mistake the being that was facing them now. This was the first time he had ever seen the creature's true face.

Corin saw large eyes, black with bright golden irises, bigger than any of them, glaring at them. Corin could feel the creature’s anger, its rage, from where he was. It had large mandibles and they were spread open, revealing a black maw. It screamed at the furtives, raging at them, they who dared steal from him, a Titan.

Around the behemoth large maelstroms began to form, the creature's wrath taking physical form.

The wall of air around them began to collapse. They had come this far, only to be thwarted at the very last moment. Large pillars of ice began to form around the creature. It was preparing itself to smite these vermin furtive where they stood, an example to any creature who thought they could challenge a Titan.

“Do not stop!” A familiar voice shouted from outside their air at the group.

“Nishandra!” Livia shouted.

“Go! To the vessel! I shall take you to safety!” Nishandra’s voice implored them.

Arandu’s yell ceased. The group saw multiple flashes of light around the titan followed by loud thundering explosions. The group did not hesitate and began to run.

Arandu roared. Corin could see the vortexes around it begin to dissipate and a protective wall of water begin to form. He could see two figures quickly moving around the leviathan, causing more explosions. These kept the large creature in shock as it dealt with the sudden barrage of explosions that overpowered its senses.

Corin and the group made it inside the vessel and sealed it tight. Zhi instantly collapsed and the vessel jerked, throwing them all around.

“Did we make it?” Zhi weakly asked.

“Not yet.” Simeon replied, struggling as the group was thrown around the small confines of the vessel.

The vessel lurched forward, dashing through the water in a frenzy.

The group heard the creature roar once again. Several loud impacts were heard around the group as the vessel jerked from side to side. The group was thrown about like toys inside the vessel.

“I could have been in my house right now, if it wasn't for you mad people! Why did I listen to you?” Simeon shouted underneath a pile of his comrades.

The vessel picked up speed now. Corin looked to the front of the vessel. He could see three of the sirens pulling it towards a large underwater mountain.

“Are they about to crash us into it?” Nanaua shouted in bewilderment.

The sirens quickly pulled the vessel downwards, a small hole visible on the side of the mountain. The sirens pulled the vessel into it. Once inside the vessel rocked side to side as it impacted the insides of the cavern they were being pulled into.

The group held each other into place, no idea where they were being pulled into, placing all their trust with the sirens.

As quickly as they had sped up, the vessel came to a halt. The vessel undulated gently as the group waited with bated breath.

They waited for several moments, waiting for the next impact to rock their vessel, but it did not come.

“What happened?” Simeon asked.

Tapping was heard on the side of the vessel and the entrance was opened. The group could see the inside of a large cavern, the walls glowing brightly with luminescent moss.

“Are you dead in there?” Another familiar voice, Gavlin asked concerned.

“Did we do it too roughly?” Genno could be heard from outside the vessel.

The group inside the vessel looked at each other in stunned silence. They all stared at each other.

Simeon broke the silence.

“We did it!” He shouted in triumph as he hoisted the round stone.

“We did it?” Zhi asked weakly.

“My love we did!” Nanau said as she held her.

“Yes!” Nishandra shouted in excitement.

“Come there is some dry land inside this cavern.” Genno said.

The group promptly escaped the vessel, swimming with whatever little energy they had to the dry land. They all collapsed the instant their feet hit the ground. All that could be heard was the heavy panting from all involved, the sirens and the adventurers.

“How did you know?” Simeon was the first to ask.

“Livia's device alerted us to Arandu's movement. It coincided too well with your arrival at the structure. We didn't know if your new device would work on him, but we knew that we had to try.” Gavlin said.

“Surprise was on our side. I don't think Arandu ever imagined such a weapon could be wielded by furtives.” Genno added.

“You risked your lives for us.” Livia replied.

“Wwe did. But we would not be here if it were not for your device. Our debt is repaid.” Nishandra responded.

“So what are we to do now?” Corin asked.

The sirens were silent.

The escape was too fresh in the other's minds to think about that, but Corin knew that just because they had escaped from the structure with the artifact that they were not done. They were stuck in an underwater cave, did not know how to leave, and they still had to make it to the continent.

“From Arandu's reaction it seems as if your endeavor was successful.” Genno spoke and broke the silence.

Simeon held up the stone sphere.

Gavlin, Genno and Nishandra all looked at it. Their reaction was unanimous.

“This is the artifact that Arandu guarded so fiercely?” Gavlin asked.

The group's silence answered his question.

“Tell us now.” Genno started. He was going to ask for an honest response, but this time he was not preparing to strike.

“These artifacts you are collecting, there are more of them on the continent?” Genno asked.

“That is correct.” Corin answered.

“And their purpose. Do you mean to use them against the titans?” Genno continued his questioning.

“We do.” It was Zhi who replied. Weakly but firmly. She was being propped up by Nanaua.

The sirens went silent.

“Furtives striking back at leviathans. In our long history we have never heard of such a thing. What are you willing to risk for this?” Genno continued with his questioning.

“Everything.” Zhi replied again.

The sirens were quiet.

“Then we might have a plan to get you to the continent.” Genno replied.