《The Abyss》


 Chapter 1 - The Abyss

    "Nikolai!¡±


    I hear a furious female voice echo off of the moonlit streets of the Grimes that I''m currently scurrying across.


    ¡°You can''t! You aren''t ready yet, you¡¯ll only get yourself killed!¡±


    Shit. She¡¯ll attract everyone within a hundred miles.


    ¡°Shut up Hermione!¡± I hiss as I quickly turn around on my heel and face her.


    I attempt to look intimidating as I loom over the red-faced girl.


    ¡°I know what I''m doing!¡±


    ¡°No you don''t! If you did you wouldn''t risk going in so early.¡± Hermione hisses back at my face.


    Obviously my attempt at intimidation failed.


    ¡°You know full well the mortality rates of going in so early, you stuck around in class long enough to know that at least.¡±


    Why does she always have to rant like this when she''s angry?


    ¡°You have no maps, no information, no team, no experien-¡±


    ¡°So what? We will never get out of this shit hole if we don''t take every chance we can! We can''t wait, every moment we wait is a door out of here that we miss. Can''t you see? They want to keep us here, They use pretty words and fake promises to tie us down. They use the hope and the fear to keep us relying on them. And out of gratitude we hand over to them everything they ask.


    ¡°I know! I know! But getting yourself killed won''t help! We just need to be patient for a little longer. Nikolai don''t be stupid, just think about this more.¡±


    I step back, preparing to run again.


    ¡°I''m done waiting and thinking and hoping, Hermione. I''m finally going to do something.¡±


    A shutter from a dilapidated old hovel slammed open.


    ¡°Shut up ya damned shites or I''ll shove me blade down your throats and drag ya ta da damned Abyss and threw Ye down.¡±


    The shutter shut with a loud bang just as suddenly as it opened, leaving the street silent except for the occasional rat scritch-scratching its way across the filthy cobblestone street.


    I wait for a moment and then turn my back to Hermione and continue running.


    The only problem is that Hermione is still following me.


    I keep running in hopes that she will give up, but I know she won''t.


    She¡¯s the only one from the Orphan ¡°Academy¡±, or really the entirety of the Grimes, who can keep up with me and she was always the most stubborn.


    I make my way around the labyrinth that is the Grimes, cursing the insane architect who thought streets should be mazes and then I curse every architect who thought he(or she) could fix it and made it worse. Now it''s just layers and layers of streets that don''t have names and all look the same. I''m one of the lucky ones that lived long enough to learn how to get around.


    As I weave my way closer to entrance of the Abyss I get more and more conscious of my shadow.


    She hasn''t spoken a word since she started following me. Probably thinking of what to say to convince me to go back. But I''m done with that, I won''t be convinced.


    I slow to a stop as I reach the place where the Abyss opened.


    I stop and look over the mile wide circular chasm in the middle of the Grimes. Collapsed hovels and shacks line the entire circumference, even the best stone houses on the less grimy side of the Grimes bow down to the Abyss.


    Everything that used to be inside the area where the Abyss opened? Gone.


    There are stories of Delvers sometimes finding things that don''t really belong inside some of the smaller and older Abyss¡¯s (Abyssi?); furniture, homes, streets and household items became part of the walls.


    No one knows what happens to people during an Opening other than the fact that nearly none come back out. There are a only a few people who survive. Every single one of those people become S class Delvers and join the elite sub-guild of the Delvers called The Abyssals. And they have never talked about what they saw during their Opening.


    Anyone who becomes a Delver gains recognition and money even the lowest rank, E rank.


    I will become one of them. One of the best too. Maybe good enough to join The Abyssals.


    I peek at Hermione standing next to me, she caught up while I was looking at the Abyss, and see her looking out across the abyss with the same expression of awe that I show.


    She looks at me and sighs.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    What?


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said fine! I won''t stop you from going.¡±


    I wasn''t expecting this.


    ¡°But I''m going with you.¡±


    I really wasn¡¯t expecting this


    ¡°What? No way. You can¡¯t go in there. You¡¯re... You¡¯re¡­¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°What, I''m me? I''m a girl so I can''t delve?¡±, She purses her lips and stares at me.


    God, she''s pretty.


    I hope she doesn''t see me blush.


    ¡°Uh.. No that''s not it. Uh, I mean, if you wanted to go then why were you so against--¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to go. But someone has to look after your dumbass. Unlike you I actually attended all the classes when they told us not to go into a dungeon so early and why, and so I actually know what to look out for. Stupid.¡±


    ¡°I know what I''m doing and I don''t need you to look after me. If you want to come with me then fine, but don''t use me as an excuse.¡±


    I start making my way through the rubble as I hear her growl in exasperation.


    ¡°Do you even have a way to get down to the staircase?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I wouldn''t be here if I didn''t.¡±


    We climb through several rotten beams from a fallen hovel (probably rotten before fallen) as Hermione fills the silence with her usual ranting.


    ¡°You know, they don''t let people down when Abyss¡¯s first form because no one actually knows what it''s going to be like. It''s only been 2 months, there aren''t any A rank teams close enough to have come and check it out yet. So the terrain is unknown, the depth, the entities, pretty much anything you need to know to survive in a Abyss. And we are going in.¡±


    ¡°The A rankers survive. And besides do you know how many people already went in? A bunch of people want to strike it rich by discovering something amazing.¡±


    ¡°And how many did you see come out?¡±


    ¡°I don''t watch the Abyss all day, I''m sure some of them came out when I wasn''t looking, and yes I did see one guy leave with my own eyes.¡±


    I won''t tell her was tripping over himself in his haste to get away or she will be annoying me about this for days.


    ¡°Alright so a few guys got lucky. The surface floors of the Abyss are not usually impossible to survive, but who stops at the first floor? It''s like you said, the reason people go down in the first place is for the money and fame from the discoveries and the first floor won''t have much things to discover.¡±


    Makes me wonder why I only saw that one guy, anything is better than nothing after all. Maybe they enter from somewhere else?


    ¡°Yea, but anything is better than nothing, and all we need to get out of the Grimes is Anything, after all the people who live in the Grimes have Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Well you''re not wrong, and that''s the only reason I even considered coming with you, but there is no way we are going deeper than the surface floor.¡±


    I roll my eyes as I move towards a pile of rubble twice my height at the edge of the Abyss with Hermione following behind me. She stares into the Abyss with probably the same feelings that I have. Excitement, fear, hope, greed even. The only difference is that I don''t need to stare into the Abyss anymore; I''ve already burned the image of it into my mind.


    I crawl in between the two collapsed cobblestone walls to get to my raggedy backpack filled with essential Delver gear: Rope (frayed), waterskin (half-empty), rations (old cheese and a rock solid piece of bread), weapon (sharpened dagger), Compass (not sure where it points to but definitely not north), a couple sheets of parchment (only slightly used, and maybe a little crumpled), pencil (piece of charcoal), and a fingernail sized piece of Emberite hidden in a small shoddy wooden container.


    Emberite, even just this small piece, is my most prized possession. I naturally had to show Hermione now that she will be Delving with me.


    I crawl out of my hidey-hole and plaster a grin on my face as I slowly open the box. I see her confusion for a second until she notices what''s in the box.


    ¡°How in the Abyss did you manage to get your hands on Emberite?! Can I... hold it?¡±


    Her face, hah. Priceless!


    ¡°Yea, but be careful with it, I just found it laying around here, glowing, i''m kinda surprised no one else got to it before me¡­ ¡±


    My grin widens as I watch her slender fingers dip into the box and pull out the gently glowing rock. The darkness around us retreats as she brings the stone closer to her face, gently illuminating her face. Her brown eyes, focused intensely on the Emberite, turn amber as the orange light caresses her visage.


    I blush furiously as I catch myself staring at her from an uncomfortable distance. I move back a little, catching her attention in the process. She looks up at me focusing on my face.


    Ah, what do I say now?


    ¡°Thank you for showing me, Nikolai.¡±


    I release a breath I didn''t know I was holding. I then proceed to smile the most charismatic smile that I have ever smiled.


    ¡°Ah, it''s no problem. So, I guess down we


    go.¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± She smiles back at me as she puts the Emberite back into the box, leaving us in the darkness. ¡°Down we go.¡±


    I put the box back into my pack then begin walking, careful not to trip over any rubble, to the very edge of the Abyss where I have a coiled rope in much better condition than the one I have in my pack. It''s tied to a short column of cobblestone, probably a corner of what may have been a relatively luxurious house considering it probably had walls.


    I kick the coil of rope over the side of the Abyss, it''s not as easy to kick this much rope as I had thought, though, and so I lose my balance and let out an undignified squawk as I jump back away from the Abyss as the rope fwip-fwips it''s way down.


    Oh God, I''m going to have a heart attack.


    I hear Hermione snort at my failed attempt to look cool.


    I quickly straighten and salvage what''s left of my dignity. I cough and begin to speak.


    ¡°Anyway, I''ve been around this whole thing, and it''s huge. But this is the only place where I saw anything that even resembles a staircase. It''s actually directly below us.¡±


    ¡°I kinda gathered that already Nik.¡±


    I can see her suppress a laugh.


    Great job Nikolai, why not state more of the obvious. How about: The sky is blue, or better yet, the Earth is round, hell, even you''re pretty Hermione. Wait, where did that come from. Mutiny! Traitorous brain!


    ¡°So, what? Now you expect me to climb down this shitty rope?¡±


    I can see she''s actually serious now, the moment having passed.


    I shrug, miffed at her poking fun at me then complaining.


    ¡°You''re the one who wanted to come, and I''m going to climb down this ¡°shitty¡± rope. Besides, this rope is definitely safe, well, definitely safer than anything in the Grimes. I ¡°borrowed¡± it from the Inner Fringe¡±


    ¡°Wait, Wait. So that time last week when you were gone all day and came back the next morning all bruised, bloody and barely conscious, forcing me to look after you that entire day--¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± I innocently nod.


    She purses her lips in that cute way again and squints at me.


    Uh-oh


    ¡°You told me that you got caught up in a gang fight, you liar. I should have known, you never get caught except by me, and I guess the Fringe Patrol now.¡±


    ¡°Yea, well it was worth it for this, even though my balls still shrivel in memory of that beating. They know how to make it hurt. Hah.¡±


    I give her my best shit-eating grin.


    She laughs, just like the wind chimes they sell in the Fringe market.


    Oh thank the Abyss, she laughed. It doesn''t look like she''ll gut me anymore.


    ¡°Nik you can talk a beggar into giving you alms.¡±


    ¡°Well, technically--¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, technically you are a beggar since you refuse to stay at the Academy like the rest of us. How could I have forgotten?¡±


    I keep my mouth shut at that.


    She looks like she wants to gut me again.


    ¡°I just don''t understand why you insist on going to the Outer Fringe to play the starving child. That''s nothing to be proud of.¡±


    ¡°Well I really am starving most days though.¡±


    ¡°Again, that''s completely your own fault, if you would just listen to me. All you need to do is attend the class and get a meal and a bed, but you¡¯re too stubborn, paranoid, cowardly, and stupid.¡±


    ¡°Well Hermione, that carriage has passed. After this we won''t have to ever go back.¡±


    I fit my pack more snuggly onto my back and grip the rope. I make my way over the edge and begin down.


    ------


    I sit on a relatively flat rock next to the cobblestone column that the rope is attached to. The only movement is that of the rope fidgeting slightly as Nikolai goes down.


    Gah, he''s such an idiot. Everything will change? He¡¯ll be able to leave the Grimes? Only naive idiots like him¡­ I guess sometimes I want to be a little more like him, if only for the hopes and dreams.


    I can''t believe I''m going to follow him down.

 Chapter 2 - The Delver Experience

    Finally made it. Almost.


    The Moon is right over the Abyss right now, illuminating the walls with a faint, bluish, eerie glow.


    I''m currently dangling next to the Abyss wall, trying to work up my courage to drop down onto the platform that the staircase begins on.


    The Abyss is really more than just a hole, it''s like an entire world down there, if the stories are to be believed, I haven''t actually seen it myself yet. I''ve only just now gotten to the most superficial layer of the Abyss, the Staircase. The Staircase does not protrude out of the walls of the Abyss, because that would make life a little simpler. Naturally the Abyss has to carve the staircase into its walls. It''s these little things in life that cause the most pain.


    I need to push off the wall and slide down the rope a little to swing down and into the staircase space, of course, I need to make sure to let go of the rope on time or I''ll truly never go back to the Grimes.


    And so that''s what I do. For the most part.


    My form was perfect. I pushed off the wall and slipped down the rope just the right amount. I swung over majestically and soared like a bird. Just, when it came time to let go panic wrapped around my heart like a noose around a neck. My stiff hands would not let go until forced them to open with the power of my will and my fear of death or worse, proving Hermione right.


    I land with my feet half on the staircase platform and half off. The force of the fall causes my feet to slip and I fall into the Abyss, that is until the platform is level with my arms which slam into the cold rock. I let out a breath of relief and scrabble with my feet against the Abyss wall to pull myself back up.


    I make it onto the platform with my underarms bruised and lacerated but at least I''m alive. I flop over onto my back and just breathe.


    I hear a faint voice echo down the Abyss.


    ¡°You still alive Nikolai?¡±


    I don''t reply just yet for fear of vomiting all over.


    The voice reaches my ears again.


    ¡°Nikolai, you better answer or i''ll come down there and kill you.¡±


    I smile at the absurdness of it all.


    ¡°No, I''m still alive. Get down here.¡± I yell up at her.


    I pull out the Emberite out of my pack, since the moon doesn''t give enough light to really look around.


    I see the rope begin to sway as she starts to descend.


    It probably took me around a half an hour to get down here. It should take her a bit longer. And now that my heart isn''t in my throat I can look around a bit.


    The first thing I notice is the detailed scenes etched on the walls. It''s actually pretty amazing that, that, is the first thing I notice because the second thing I notice is the dead body slumped over, its back against the wall.


    Now, normally dead bodies aren''t surprising or particularly notable to the residents of the Grimes, we''ve been desensitized long ago. Bodies can often be found when taking a stroll through the Grimes, especially during the winter. The cold, the hunger, and that blade between the ribs. But none of that prepared me for this kind of death.


    The body is drenched in blood and the skin is flayed. I can''t even tell the gender because the face is practically gone and the chest completely caved in.


    It''s a miracle that this person was able to climb the stairs, oh hmm, yea, someone probably carried it up. Or something. Or maybe this happened up here. But, I guess it''s not¡­ messy enough for it to have happened here.


    I get a bit closer to try to examine the body for some more details but the smell and the exceptionally detailed innards hit me in an almost physical blow.


    Oh God, I''m going to--


    I rush away from the body, closer to the edge of the staircase, and fall over onto my knees and start to dry heave.


    One, two, - five dry heaves later I feel well enough to take a breath of musty air that doesn''t try to kill me.


    I plop down on my posterior, support my body with my arms as I lean back, turn my head up to the ceiling, and let out a long groan.


    Maybe I should throw the body over into the Abyss before Hermione gets here and gets scared off. But then I''d need to get close--


    I shudder as I suppress another dry heave.


    Ah, nevermind. Just think lighter thoughts Nikolai, like that time you stole the Maroon Ring from Maslo, and planted it in the Edichhi gang. You single handedly started a gang war that ended five different gangs, child gangs, true, but still gangs. Jericho Edichhi, may the bastard rot in the Infernal Abyss, takes over MY favorite rooftop nook, steals my stuff and doesn''t expect retribution? Hah.


    Ah, those were the good ol¡¯ days. This dead thing is nothing compared to what I''ve seen, I''ve seen wraiths prowl the streets during the Three Year Winter. I was there when Silvano beheaded Hendrickson the Bull at the banquet in the Crooked Castle, he was a shitty, unreasonable Under King, heck, I still have some of Hendricksons blood in a very expensive glass vial, somewhere, just in case he ever makes good on his final oath to come back. It''s been three years and he hasn''t made it yet, so I think we are in the clear.


    I sigh and get back up. This time I don''t bother looking at the body, though I do keep catching sight of it in the corner of my eye. Instead I take a closer look at the engravings.


    The engravings look rounded, there are no sharp edges -- weathered, that''s the word. Strange how that is, how would they even get weathered here, there''s almost no wind or water here and it''s only been two months since the Abyss opened.


    Abyss¡¯s are weird, does this Abyss care whether people get cut on sharp edges? Does it care about anything? Is it even sentient? If it''s not then why would it form images that tell a story onto its walls?This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    It''s like the Abyss wants people to touch and feel the engravings.


    The engravings seem to begin the story at the corner of the platform furthest from the staircase.


    I walk up to the beginning of the story and put my hand on the engravings. They feel smooth and oddly warm, as if someone was just touching the wall. I run my hands across the twists and turns in the rock face in wonder.


    They depict a human figure walking through different landscapes, through fields, through mountains, forests, deserts. There are other people in the engravings, wandering eternally, always bent and crooked, wiggley and wavey, never straight-backed like this figure.


    I keep moving, following the story with my hand still trailing along the wall.


    The figure--


    A man surely, any story worth telling is about a man after all


    I smirk when I think of what Hermione would say in response to that.


    --seems to reach a valley surrounded by mountains taller than the sky.


    The figure makes his way down to the valley. The engraving seems to show that this valley is different. The engraving of the valley has swirls and lines radiating outwards.


    Seems like something a child could draw, but when on this wall it seems to be filled with a great dignity, something grand and wonderful.


    The engravings depict the man in the center of the valley amidst a maelstrom emitted from an orb.


    Further along the wall the man fights against the maelstrom to get to the orb, and the maelstrom fights back. Wind and fire, earth and rain, lightning and thunder, until finally the man beats the storm and lays hands on the orb.


    The engravings go on down the staircase.


    I really want to move on and look at them, but I know if I leave without Hermione she''ll get me down the Abyss the fast way.


    And so I reluctantly let go of the wall and go back to the swaying rope.


    In what seems like no time at all I hear Hermione right above. I get as close to the edge of the platform as possible and see her silhouette against the light of the moon.


    I open my mouth to explain to her how I got down, but then she suddenly launches with the rope, slides down the perfect length, and I suddenly realize that she''s going to slam into me if keep standing there like an idiot.


    I dive out of the way directly to the side and see her release as the rope bends around the lip of the platform''s ceiling. The rope acts like the swings at the Fringe do, it launches Hermione in a convex arc and she releases at the end of the arc and does a backflip then lands in a perfect T stance. Well into the platform I might add.


    A fucking backflip?


    ¡°What the actual fuck Hermione.¡±


    ¡°What?


    She gives me a confused look


    ¡°A backflip?¡± I have to shout to show the absurdity.


    ¡°Well how else was I supposed to get down?¡±


    I''m silent for a while as I stare at her.


    ¡°What?¡± she asks again.


    ¡°You could have asked me how to get down. I would have told you to simply swing the rope to me so that I could hold it while you get down.¡±


    ¡°Oh I see, you''re mad because I didn''t ask for your help. Well I don''t need your help, Nikolai.¡±


    How did this become my fault. Women!


    I mentally shake my head. While blankly staring at Hermione.


    ¡°Men! You always think you need to protect or help us--¡±


    I suddenly get a tingle run through my body as Hermione suddenly stops ranting.


    ¡°Nikolai, is that a dead body?¡±


    A moment of silence punctuated by the wind whistling at the top of the Abyss, then I begin to mutter.


    ¡°Well, yeah, it''s not like it''s my fault it decided to just die there. I mean, its like it''s trying to ruin the full Delver experience. You can''t expect me to be at fault? I didn''t kill it, I just found it there¡­¡±


    And at the point I realize she''s not even listening.


    ¡°Wow, Nikolai did you see those etchings?¡±


    She completely forgets about the horribly mutilated dead body right in front of her.


    Residents of the Grimes are insane.


    I don''t respond because she''s obviously not going to listen to my reply.


    ¡°This is amazing, look, it''s like it''s telling a story. Do you even understand what this means? The Abyss is telling a story, Nikolai! What we could learn¡­ ¡±


    She almost begins to salivate and I completely understand her.


    Hermione moves to put her hand on the wall but suddenly stops herself.


    ¡°Touching this would be blasphemy.¡±


    Cold sweat pours down my back.


    I definitely did not touch that wall, I didn''t even think about it.


    ¡°Look Nikolai, the Abyss is telling a story about a person, It must be a woman, oh, and that orb! It must be the origin of the Abyss.¡±


    How''d she connect the orb and the Abyss? Must have been explained in a lesson I didn''t spy on.


    Her face gains an enlightened look.


    ¡°Huh, I guess the story is about the Abyss after all. The Abyss must be a male, only men are conceited enough to carve their own story into a wall. I mean if I were to tell about myself I''d just create a book ''written'' by an ancient, long dead, philosopher explaining me and then letting it be found. ¡±


    ¡°Hermione, shut up. You don''t insult an Abyss, while inside an Abyss. Especially the kind of Abyss that tells story''s.¡±


    Realization dawns on Hermione.


    ¡°Oh. That''s right. ¡±


    She flusteredly pulls on her shirt then looks up at me, ¡°Well, what are you waiting for. You have the Emberite. Go. I wanna see what happens next.¡±


    ¡°We don''t have time for that, we''ll take a closer look on the way back up¡± I say as I walk to the staircase.


    ¡°Hmm, I guess. The faster we go down the faster we go back up.¡±


    I can hear the regret dripping from her words, and I feel it too, though it''s about bringing her with me. I would have had more time to look at the engravings without her.


    I start on the long way down with Hermione trailing behind me.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After hours of walking, jogging, running, and even falling, which elicited copious amounts of laughter from Hermione (and a grand amount of pain from me), we finally made it to what seems to be bottom of the staircase.


    I finally walk out of the murderous stairwell (I swear there was a trick step) with great big bruises all along my arms and ribs.


    So far the Delver experience isn''t stellar.


    Hermione is still smiling.


    ¡°What are you still smiling about?¡±


    ¡°Oh nothing.¡±


    She puts her hand over her mouth to cover the still obvious smile.


    ¡°I was just thinking that the Abyss is truly amazing. It''s wise decision to make the staircase spiral around its perimeter, essentially putting a wall up to stop a fall, well, it probably saved your life.¡±


    I pointedly turn around and ignore her.


    I then realize that''s foolishness. And so I sigh and turn back to face her. And I speak as seriously as I could.


    ¡°There was a dead body up there Hermione.¡±


    The smile fades off of her face as she''s not stupid, no matter how daft she pretends to be.


    ¡°I know. We¡¯ll have to be careful, the only thing I could think of from the lessons that could do something like that is hobgoblins.¡±


    I nod.


    ¡°Seems like the people that were here didn''t expect to find Abyssal Constructs. They were just ordinary fools.¡±


    ¡°So you think there was more than one person here as well?¡±


    ¡°Well duh, Abyssal Constructs don''t go near the exit of the Abyss. The Aether thins as you get closer to the exit of the Abyss. They can''t go near here with experiencing something similar to what we would experience if we stayed in an Aether saturated environment for too long.


    ¡°Ah, Aether sickness, bleed¡¯n from everywhere, nausea, then eventually a death filled with agony as everything breaks. Did I get it right, Mom?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, you got it right, and that''s why we will only stay on the surface level, and for no longer than this night. The younger you are the more sensitive to the Aether you are, and thus more susceptible to the sickness.¡±


    ¡°So if anything, run here. But yeah, because no Construct can get over here, there had to be someone else to carry that guy up. I''ve no clue why though. He was obviously going to die.


    ¡°Maybe he was a friend?¡±


    ¡°A friend? In the Grimes?¡±


    ¡°Aren''t we friends?¡±


    She blinks.


    ¡°I guess we are, aren''t we. But don''t expect me to drag your dead body back up there.¡±


    ¡°What if I was still alive, like he probably was?¡±


    She stays quiet this time.


    Why did I say that.


    She contemplates for a bit before slowly answering


    ¡°I would kill you.¡±


    I nod


    ¡°Good. You can trust me to do the same.¡±


    She nods as well.


    The Abyss is wonderful and cruel, beautiful and horrendous.


    ¡°Alright enough of that Nikolai. Focus on making your big discovery.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I say with a sigh.


    ¡°The surface level seems to be a cave system. That''s one of the more dangerous type of floor.¡±


    The Abyss walls are filled with tunnel openings. All different sizes and shapes, some just little more than cracks in the wall.


    ¡°Well let''s get started then.¡±

 Chapter 3 - The Bloody Barrel

    ¡°Well let''s get started then.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª One month earlier ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The Bloody Barrel is an old tavern located in Mains, one of the five places in the Grimes with something resembling order. It¡¯s one of the few taverns that serve only slightly watered alcohol and as such it¡¯s ferociously protected by its customers.


    So when people come running, breaking down doors and spewing nonsense the customers do what''s expected of them. They break bones, memorize faces, and give the bastards the good boot.


    It''s not often the owner takes interest in such cases.


    So what''s different today. Why today of all the damned days, when I''m here, on the one day of the week that I get to drink.


    A shriveled looking man is on the floor sobbing his eyes out. Distaste fill my mouth, an acrid, disgusting feeling. I want to punch this man''s face out and throw him as far out of here as I can, but that would disrespect the owner who spent his valuable time calming this man down.


    ¡°Derek, get some wet towels and a cup of warm broth.¡±


    The owner''s voice is smooth, too smooth for someone who lives in the Grimes, but no one would ever say that out loud. Not after he first established himself here six years ago. Before his reputation was built, he had to keep his tavern civil himself. And only the people with high enough personal strength or those who were backed by one of what at that time was four ¡°safe¡± zones could keep their business running.


    I was there then, when one of the first men tried to rob him at dagger point six years ago, honestly it was closer to a shiv than a dagger, but the point still stands. The owner, Maximus, as I later came to know, just stood there waiting for the thief to stab him while the onlookers just observed.


    I had never seen such a hopeless death before.


    The thief ran at Maximus, blade ready to stab up into the man''s throat. As the blade was coming up Maximus moved his hand in front of the shiv¡¯s path letting the blade slip between his middle and index finger, settling his fingers around the thief¡¯s. Then all motion stopped.


    Maximus still not having moved an inch, squeezed. The screams as the bones in the thief¡¯s hand broke, music to my ears.


    But back then a few broken bones were not enough.


    The thief lashed out at Maximus''s face with his other hand in desperation when he realized that he was out of his league. Maximus casually slapped the base of the man''s fist, his wrist, with the back of his hand, blocking it, but also breaking the man''s wrist, prompting another scream. With one arm disabled and the other held in place with Maximus''s grip, the thief could do nothing but stare in horror as Maximus wrapped his fingers around the man''s neck with his free hand and lifted him off of the ground.


    It was then that I realized Maximus was a Delver and not just some low class one either. Maximus''s tall slender frame could not have held that much strength within unless it was tempered in an Abyss.


    ¡°Let me go.¡±


    The man wheezed out through his crushed throat.


    Maximus leaned in close to the man''s ear as whispered


    ¡°No.¡±


    As calm as ever, Maximus, his hand still gripping the shiv, slowly pointed the blade to the man''s own heart.


    I can still remember the veins on the man''s neck pop out, as he struggled to keep his own arm away.


    The effort didn''t even slow Maximus down as he effectively made the man stab himself in his own heart.


    Maximus, still not having moved an inch, drops the man like a sack of rotten potatoes.


    ¡°Derek. Clean this up.¡±


    A boy, hardly a teenager, scurred from behind the bar and cheerily grabbed the dead man by the feet and dragged him out the back door into the alleyway behind the tavern, an innocent smile on his face the entire time.


    Maximus then addresses the crowd in his tavern that stayed to watch while wiping the blood of his hands, somehow none of the blood got on his black silk suit or face.


    ¡°I''m sorry for the disturbance, I hope we can keep things civil in my tavern from now on.¡±


    He smiles, a perfect smile measured in every inch.


    He went back behind the bar and began to polish his cups and bottles all over again, like nothing out of the ordinary happened. And nothing out of the ordinary did happen, it was just the ease and finality that was displayed during this common event that was extraordinary.


    And today, I didn''t expect Maximus to personally take action as he once used to six years ago.


    He pulls up a chair for the sobbing wreck of a man. And sat him down in it.


    ¡°Now, tell me, what happened down there. If you didn''t go lower than the first floor like I advised you should have been fine.¡±


    ¡°I s-swear w-we didn''t g-go any lower, w-we listened to your advice.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. The other guys you went with died down there?¡±


    The man nods


    ¡°I''m the only one¡­ I carried James up as far as I could, he was bad Maximus, real bad. I had to leave him, I couldn''t climb the rope with him¡±


    Maximus frowns and quietly says.


    ¡°How bad?¡±


    ¡°His chest¡­ collapsed, these stone things came from the walls as we was lookin¡¯ ¡®round, and his face, oh his face. Like a rock scraped his face straight off.¡±


    The man buries his face in his hands.


    Maximus¡¯s frown deepens, an ugly shadow cast over his face.


    I swear Maximus was thinking of killing the man. The man doesn''t see it though, he has no idea how furious Max is.


    ¡°He was alive when you left him?¡±


    ¡°Yeash¡± the man blubbers out.


    ¡°Why didn''t you kill him?¡±


    Maximus asks quietly, his face reset to his default non-expression. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    The man looks up at Maximus in desperate horror, tears stealing down his face.


    Pathetic.


    ¡°I couldn''t do that to ¡®im, Maximus, he was there with me from when we was in the child gangs, from the beginning. He always had my back. I just couldn''t do that to ¡®im.


    Max nods, his face rigid like steel and voice soft like silk.


    ¡°I understand Henry, really I do. But you did not give him mercy. You gave him a long, painful death. You see, what you should have done was end his suffering, quickly, cleanly. And if you couldn''t do that you should have died trying to bring James back up. That would have been sad, true, but no one would have blamed you. But when you let a fellow Delver suffer like that¡­


    Maximus shakes his head.


    ¡­ you forsake any and all pity. And you will have none here.¡±


    Henry¡¯s eyes open wide as he stares into Max¡¯s deep black eyes.


    Oh this is getting good.


    I take a quick swig.


    ¡°I strongly suggest, Henry, that you get ready to go back into the Abyss; settle your debts and say your goodbyes. One month from now go back to the Abyss and beg forgiveness from James¡¯s dead body. Then go back to what''s left of your teammates and beg forgiveness from them, and if you manage to make it back to the top of the Abyss alive that means your teammates have forgiven you. In that case you let the Abyss take your body, because it certainly does not forgive you.¡±


    Everyone in the tavern looks at Maximus as he casually sentences the man to death.


    Still as terrifying as ever.


    I''ve felt the pressure of Maximus¡¯s suggestion before. It''s like the weight of all the cobblestones in the Grimes on top of you, you don''t just ignore it. I have never felt the suggestion when he was mad, though.


    The blood in Henry''s face flees when the weight settles on him.


    I take a deep, long, loving swig of the Rha¡¯shale in my cup.


    It may seem cruel to the onlookers, but Maximus has, strangely enough, only suggested things that leave you better off.


    I grimace as I look at the empty space on my left hand where my pinkie used to occupy.


    I know first hand, heh. It''s likely that Henry would kill himself anyway, this way he gets closure.


    Henry stumbles out of the bar in a pale-faced daze.


    Going to settle things I guess.


    After the door shuts someone calls out to Maximus from some corner in the tavern.


    ¡°What waz tha Maximus, you''s advice ain''t neva killed no men ''fore.¡±


    Max looks at the corner through the shadows as if they arent even there.


    ¡°No man is infallible, Balaz. Especially when concerning the Abyss.¡±


    ¡°But you ain''t no man no more, are ya. You'' s a Delva, and Delvas ain''t no more men than beasts are.¡±


    The shadow of a man stops moving as Max tilts his head. And in realization of what kind of position he''s in wakes him of his drunk stupidity


    ¡°Ah, I meant nah offense Maximus, I just heard once ya get to the bottom of one a dem holes you lose what makes a man, or is it Tha you get somefin more than a man? But you a fine being even if you ain''t no man anyway, good taste in rum too.¡±


    The man says as he lifts his cup as if displaying Max¡¯s taste in alcohol.


    Max nods his head crisply.


    Wouldn''t be good to kill your customers after all.


    ¡°That''s a fair interpretation, but even that does not make me infallible, I seem to have underestimated this Abyss.¡±


    Maximus frowns in contemplation then address the people in his tavern, his domain.


    ¡°Spread the word. No one is to go in the Abyss, not if you value your life. At least not until the A rankers check and clear it for public.¡±


    Everyone suddenly gets up and floods out of the tavern, forgetting the drinks and the food, once a Grime Lord makes a statement, everyone needs to know, and they need to know it yesterday.


    I sigh and drain my cup in one swing, and make my way out as well, the Under King should know whats going on in his kingdom, even if it''s my one day off.


    No rest for the weary.


    I saunter to the door but get stopped by Maximus right before I leave.


    ¡°Illvian, stay for a bit.¡±


    I look over my shoulder


    ¡°Yes Max?¡±


    He smiles warmly


    ¡°How''s your hand?¡±


    Maximus gestures at my left hand.


    That''s spooky. A man with his strength should never be able to look so deceptively approachable. And he still wears that ridiculously over the top suit, this is the Grimes not some noble court in the Inner City.


    ¡°Ah, it''s fine, the stumps a bit sore but it''s better than nothing.¡±


    Maximus nods.


    ¡°Good, good. I was worried the rot had spread further than the finger. But it seems that worry was unfounded.¡±


    Maximus takes a deep breathe as sighs.


    ¡°I''ll get to the point, I need you to tell the Under King to send runners to the other Grime Lord''s with the following message: ¡°I underestimated the Abyss, do not send any men or try to check it out alone. We need to meet to decide further action.¡±


    I blink in surprise, a Meet hasn''t happened in like, what? Nine months already?


    I guess I shouldn''t be surprised. Abysses are a big deal, a bunch change is going to be happening. Oh God, all that extra work.


    ¡°You memorized it?¡±


    I nod.


    "Of course."


    ¡°Send one of the fast ones, I heard about quite a fast kid a while ago, what''s his name, Nickolas?


    ¡°Uh, Nikolai, I think.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes Nikolai. You can tell him to come see me if he wants a job afterwords. I feel like I''ll need another helper soon.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ hm¡±


    Shit. Being a bearer of bad news twice in my free day. I''ll be killed at this rate.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Remember the spat between the West Lord and the East Lord about a year ago? Nikolai¡¯s group was working for the West Lord during that.


    ¡°Oh, so he''s dead? Shame. Derek told me he had potential, I was even going to offer an apprenticeship.¡±


    ¡°No, no, he''s not dead, but the West Lord ran the rest of his child gang into the ground, he''s the only one that was able to keep up with the orders, it was very impressive. But, you know, after his core members went down¡­¡±


    I shrug.


    Now that was a strong kid. Really a shame.


    ¡°Ah, I see, he lost the will.¡±


    I nod.


    ¡°He hasn''t ran for anybody after that. We can''t even pinpoint his location, he''s a wiley one. We just get some vague reports on his location here and there. I wouldn''t be surprised if he fakes a few of those to keep us guessing, though.¡±


    ¡°The West Lord didn''t finish him off though? That''s interesting.¡±


    I let out a soft smile.


    ¡°Well from what I heard a certain adviser, who happens to be an old softie, brought the matter to the Under King¡¯s attention who interestingly enough, also has a soft spot for children.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?"


    Maximus absent mindedly swirls some wine in a glass cup while staring into its depth.


    "And how did this adviser know Nikolai?¡±


    He asks after a while.


    ¡°Oh he doesn''t really know him. He just saw him here and there, it reminded him of his past self, see, and so he decided to let the kid have some peace.¡±


    ¡°I do see. Well alright then I''ll leave it alone for now. Ah, well anyway, I''ll have to ask you to send whomever is second fastest, we really do all need to meet as soon as possible.¡±


    I head to the door sweat running down my back. Telling a Lord "No" even as indirectly and with as much backing as I have is dangerous.


    ¡°Goodbye Illvian.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye Max, I''ll get the message delivered."


    I turn around and briskly walk out the open tavern door.


    As I walk down the street I remember the second fastest recently hangs around the first fastest and just like him is fairly untraceable. I suddenly scowl.


    Ah whatever I''ll just send the third fastest. My day can''t be any more shit than it already is, so damn much to think about now.


    Oh, and I need a better intelligence network especially now that the Abyss is here, these fools can''t even track children.

 Chapter 4 - The Broken Compass

    Hermione is tying her silky black hair into a bun.


    I don''t understand why she cares so much for her hair.


    ¡°So you got the plan Nik? Or do I have to go over it again.¡±


    ¡°No, I think I got it the sixth time you explained; if anything other than us moves, run back. If anything makes a weird noise, run back. If that something is behind us we run forward then when it''s safe we run back. If we get separated, mark the walls and try to make your way back to the start. When we find an artifact, even if it''s just one, we turn back. When we- you get hungry (I''m always hungry.) it means it''s morning and we turn back.¡±


    Hermione finishes tying her bun and smiles.


    ¡°Wow, you remembered. I thought I''d have to go over it at least another four times.¡±


    I don''t understand what changed over the last month to make insulting me so fun for her.


    ¡°So which crack do you want to crawl up into Hermione?¡±


    She scrunches up her nose in distaste.


    ¡°You should use more elegant language around a lady.¡±


    I have to smirk at that.


    ¡°I''ll keep that in mind for when I see a lady.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you wouldn''t know a lady if she were right in front of you. Whatever, I''m not crawling into any crack, we go into a cave.¡±


    It''s too dark to see more than a few feet ahead of us even with the Emberite. The walls near the staircase are solid and flat, but the further out we get the more openings into the true Abyss there are.


    The light that the Emberite emits casts shadows off of all the small debris and protrusions on the Abyss floor. It''s mesmerizing to watch all the shadows revolve and swivel around us as we walk deeper into the Abyss.


    ¡°So which one do you want to go in?¡±


    We''ve gone far enough from the staircase to encounter a few decent sized caves.


    ¡°One that we can walk through without ripping our clothes, I spent too much on mine to have to fix them already.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn''t waste money on fancy clothes.¡± I shake my head.


    ¡°You didn''t think about that when you bought those boots?¡±


    I quietly reply, ¡°These were gifts from people long cold.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    We walk on and soon come across a suitable cave.


    ¡°Well, let''s try this one.¡±


    A few hours of walking later Hermione looks up.


    ¡°The light doesn''t reach the ceiling anymore.¡±


    I look up and see that''s true, I can''t even see the light reflect off of the water on the stalactites.


    ¡°Alright, so the cave gets bigger. What there''s going to be a cavern soon?¡±


    ¡°Widening in a cave does not necessarily mean there will be a cavern, but I think in this case there will be - I hope there will be, this is boring.¡±


    ¡°It''s good that it''s boring. It means we don''t need to run yet.¡±


    We continue to go forward, and sure enough, the tunnel begins to open up.


    ¡°Slow down Nik, and cover the light a bit, we don''t know what''s in here.¡±


    I take her advice and close my hand over the Emberite. The light just barely reveals the ground we stand on. We slowly move into the cavern. I feel a sudden chill as we step into the cavern.


    I would have said it''s amazing, but since we don''t actually see anything it wouldn''t be very believable.


    The only thing that changes is that I can''t see the walls anymore, so all we see is darkness. I uncover the Emberite slowly, letting more light out.


    The light finally reveals something, not too far from us, about a dozen stalactites come all the way down from a ceiling the light does not reveal, they connect to the stalagmites on the ground forming columns. At the base of the columns, there is a shallow pool of water.


    ¡°Is it just me or is this exactly the kind of place where an artifact could be found?


    ¡°I don''t know, go find out.¡±


    I move to get to the columns.¡±


    There''s probably something in the middle of all those columns.


    ¡°Careful Nik.¡±


    I hear Hermione and I force myself to slow down even more as I walk through the puddle.


    I reach the first columns and I squeeze through to get closer to the center, the rock is cold, slimy, and rough. I make sure to be careful to not add any more bruises or scratches to the already large family of injuries I have.


    ¡°What? Hermione, it''s just a hole.¡±


    The center of the cavern is just a crack with no bottom in sight. There''s a cold wind blowing from it, giving me goosebumps as the wind dances over my skin.


    ¡°Nikolai, are you sure?¡±


    I can hear the slight worry in her voice


    ¡°Yeah, I can''t even see the bottom, it''s just a hole.¡±


    I say with disappointment and I wiggle back out from the columns.


    Now I can hear the panic in her voice.


    ¡°We have to go back. Right now Nik.¡±


    At that point, I start to hear things.


    Click-click. Click-click-click.


    I freeze and listen.


    What is that?


    Hermione is now pale.


    ¡°Nik, run.¡±


    And she bolts back into the tunnel with me running after her lighting the way as best I can.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    I''m not sure why we are running but it''s probably because that sound spooked Hermione. Now that Hermione is scared, I''m scared.


    But we are both so fast, what''s there to be scared of?


    We make it back to where the tunnel started and Hermione slows to a stop, hands on her knees and panting.


    I''m in slightly better shape.


    ¡°What was it, Hermione?¡±


    She pants a bit more before replying.


    ¡°Didn''t you hear it? That clicking. Those were the legs of Cave Spiders.¡±


    I blink and look at her in open-mouthed astonishment.


    ¡°We ran all the way back because you were afraid of spiders?¡±


    Hermione shakes her head.


    ¡°Not spiders, cave spiders, and not just any cave spiders. Those were big enough to make noise when moving. Use your brain, we are in the Abyss, nothing is normal. They were at least as big as a cat, but most likely the size of a dog.¡±


    The image of dogs with six legs runs through my mind.


    I think I hear something again. I cock my head and try to catch it again.


    Click-click.


    ¡°Didn''t you say abyssal constructs can''t come near here?¡±


    Hermione frowns.


    ¡°They shouldn''t be able to. Unless they can survive in low Aether concentration.¡±


    ¡°Can we fight them?¡±


    Hermione shakes her head.


    ¡°Maybe if there were one or two. But it sounds like there is a lot more. Those legs adapted to be really sharp, they use them to climb rock walls and cut up prey.¡±


    ¡°Then we run.¡±


    ¡°Don''t go back to the staircase, they are faster than us on difficult terrain. Run to the other end of the Abyss.¡±


    I can see shadows moving at the edge of the light. There''s a lot more than one, at least a dozen. Slightly smaller than a dog, so Hermione was right. Maybe I could have fought one or two, but not twelve.


    Her accuracy is scary.


    I grab Hermione''s soft hand and run.


    I head to the other end of the Abyss. I want to get a lead on the spiders so I can think of something.


    Running over the debris brings back memories.


    Running over the rooftops, uncatchable, invulnerable, invincible. Wind through my hair, kissing my face, pushing me faster. Running through the streets on dark nights with only the moon to illuminate the way. The world seems to stop when I run, it''s only me and the wind.


    ¡°Nikolai, slow down.¡±


    Hermione gasps.


    I realize I was dragging her behind me and I slow down.


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    A bit later the Abyss wall looms out from the inky blackness.


    ¡°We''ve gained a bit of time but not much.¡±


    There''s a small circular hole in the wall which I glance at.


    ¡°No, no way, I won''t be crawling into any hole if I can help it.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can''t help it. We(you) can''t run forever you are already tired. It''s this or fighting the spiders.


    ¡°Fine. You''re fixing my clothes.¡±


    The gap is about chest level, so I have to help Hermione up.


    I definitely did not think about how soft her skin is or how well defined her rear is as I was helping her in. I would never do that.


    She got in on her hands and knees, leaving me a great view considering she''s wearing hard leather pants, the best we could get in the Grimes.


    ¡°Stop ogling and get in. You''ll have time to get beat up later.¡±


    I grin as I push myself up after her.


    I hope this tunnel is long.


    ¡°Pervert, give me the light.¡±


    Shoot.


    ¡°Of course, lead the way.¡±


    I hand her the Emberite with a tinge of regret.


    ¡°You better hope this tunnel is short, I''m pretty sure those spiders won''t take long to figure out were in here.¡±


    We start crawling down the tunnel.


    ¡°We should be able to get back to the staircase through another cave; all of these caves should be interconnected.¡±


    The crack we are currently crawling through isn''t nice and smooth like I was hoping. There are plenty of protrusions that scape us as we squeeze through.


    Luckily, it turns out the crawley hole was not very long so I didn''t die of blood loss, a few minutes after we started Hermione jumps out with me following behind her.


    We land in a cave tunnel similar to the other cave tunnels around here. Rough, damp walls covered in moss, and bugs most likely. The ground has a few large stalagmites near the edges of the cave, creeping ever upward.


    ¡°So what are we going to do about the spiders, they may not be able to catch up over open ground, but caves are where they are most dangerous. They''ll just climb up and crawl through the hole like us. Then they will eat us.¡±


    I acknowledge her statement with a long, ¡°Hmm.¡±


    I look around the cave, thinking.


    ¡°All we have to do is block this crack, right?


    I move over to the stalagmites and put my hand in one. Wet and slimy. They are probably big enough where I can just hug them.


    I give it a little push.


    ¡°Oh. That''s right we can just shove that into the crack, but it''s a rock Nikolai, you need to do more than give it a light push.¡±


    Hermione walks up to the stalagmite and gives it a solid kick at about waist level.


    The stalagmite breaks off with a loud crack and falls over onto the floor, leaving a rocky stump in the ground.


    Hermione gives a self-satisfied smile.


    ¡°There I did all the work, now shove it in.¡±


    ¡°You didn''t need to do any work, I would have done it myself.¡±


    I huff at her as I pick up the rock and push it into the crack as far as it will go and then some.


    I lean against it and let out a long breath.


    ¡°I didn''t expect to run into anything like that so soon.¡±


    Hermione walks up next to me and leans against the wall with me.


    ¡°I didn''t think we would either. That hole you found was probably leaking a bunch of Aether from deeper in the Abyss letting the spiders survive. And adapt to the lower Aether levels I guess, they shouldn''t have been able to leave that cave and get so close to the staircase otherwise.¡±


    She frowns, wrinkling her forehead.


    ¡°In fact, there should not have even been a shortcut down so early in the Abyss, they usually appear in the middle floors in large Abysses.¡±


    ¡°So does that mean this one is big?¡±


    Hermione shrugs and leans her head back against the stone wall.


    ¡°I don''t know, I''ve never heard of an Abyss being so weird. If I had to guess this one might be the biggest. But don''t take my word for it, it''s not like I know that much about Abysses, I just attended a handful of hastily cobbled together classes.¡±


    I take the pack off of my back and rummage around for that food I had. I find it, break the bread and cheese in half and offer it to Hermione. She accepts.


    ¡°Well, it doesn''t matter weird or not we will get out and then try again tomorrow.¡±


    I take a bite out of the bread and out of the corner of my eye I see her studying me with a weird look on her face.


    I turn to look at her.


    ¡°What?¡±


    She looks away from me and at her cheese.


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    She digs into the poor cheese and bread.


    ¡°Is it morning already?¡± I say with a smile on my face.


    She pauses.


    ¡°I guess it is.¡±


    She continues eating the cheese while I do the same albeit with a smile.


    ¡°What if there are more constructs in this cave?¡±


    Hermione asks after finishing off the bread and wiping the crumbs off her face.


    ¡°We fight, or we run, what else could we do? Didn''t we come in expecting this kind of thing?¡±


    I say this as I swing the pack back over my shoulder


    Hermione picks at the tear in her sleeve.


    ¡°I guess we did.¡±


    ¡°Ah, don''t worry too much Hermione. Just think about leaving the Grimes when we come back out as real Delvers, with artifacts spilling out of our pockets and admiration from all those people.


    Suddenly motivated I bump off the wall and head further into the cave, Emberite in my fist, lighting the way ahead of me and my loyal sidekick behind me, just like Rothfusst in his later Delves, not many people Delve without a full team of six when first starting out.


    Not that I''ll ever tell her she''s my sidekick to her face.


    The excitement fades after what feels like an eternity of boring walls and soggy socks, still wet from the puddle.


    ¡°I think I have a hole in my sock.¡± I share with Hermione.


    ¡°Of course there is a hole, how else would you put your foot in it. You''re lucky you only have one hole or even socks in the first place.¡±


    I squint and blink in slight confusion before nodding.


    ¡°That''s true.¡±


    The boredom vanishes when we come up to something different in the cave. The cave splits into two.


    ¡°Which way do you want to go, Nik?¡±


    I don''t know, but I know how to find out.¡±


    I take the bag off my shoulder and put it onto the ground so I can dig through the contents.


    I take out the not-compass.


    I smile as I slide my fingers over the dings and scratches on the sides of it.


    ¡°Isn''t that the compass that you showed me before, the onw that doesn''t point north? How would a broken compass help?¡±


    I let loose a wild smile and a short laugh.


    ¡°Hah, this is the compass of the Gods! The Pathfinder! The Future Bringer! The Waymaker!¡±


    I strike the same pose Benjamin always used to strike, with the same wild smile and enthusiasm. Compass in my fist pointed ahead and my other hand holding the Emberite in a crook at my hip.


    ¡°What. Are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I''m remembering Ben,¡± I say with a smile and tears welling up in my eyes.


    ¡°To Benjamin, the wielder of the Waymaker! May your paths be straight, and future bright!¡± I yell with as much enthusiasm as I can muster. The sound echoes off the walls as I hold the pose for a few seconds more.


    I relax and wipe away the tears with the back of my hand.


    ¡°Benjamin was the third member of my core. He was the happiest, and he always knew where to turn next. He made it all the way to the thirteenth run before his feet failed him and he turned cold.¡±


    Hermione stays quiet.


    ¡°Thanks for not prying.¡±


    Hermione nods.


    ¡°You''ll tell me more when you are ready. So why trust this compass?¡±


    I hold the compass up, it''s pointing slightly to the right, directly into the center of the cave the splits off from the cave we are in.


    ¡°Ben told me his compass always points to where he needs to go. He told me that''s where the future is. He never said where he got it from though, we always assumed he was just playing around; He was always playing around. I haven''t used it since he gave it to me, right before he turned cold.¡±


    I look intently at the compass.


    "It doesn''t matter which way we choose to go anyway."


    I place the compass back into the safety of the pack and sling the pack over my shoulder.


    Hermione and I head into the cave that goes right, towards the future.

 Chapter 5 - Rocks and Grocks

    The cave is ordinary for the most part, the walls are rough and a little wet and the ground is uneven. The difference is the flora, it looks like some sort of glowing fungus is growing on the walls.


    When we first saw the blue light we were extremely cautious, slowly creeping up to get a better look at the glowing thing in the distance.


    When we finally got close enough to recognize it for what it is we felt quite foolish, or rather, I felt foolish, Hermione just blamed me for making her look stupid.


    ¡°How can they grow here anyway?¡±


    I look at the mushrooms in interest.


    ¡°They use the water from the walls and I guess Aether. Who knows how long they grow, but it must be quite a while.¡±


    ¡°How can it be quite a while? The Abyss only recently opened?¡±


    ¡°Mmm. Well, I asked the instructor after something similar came up in the book, and he said the best theory is that Abysses are just pockets of space. They could have always existed, they just didn''t open yet. That''s why if you dig right outside an Abyss you won''t ever get inside.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Okay then.¡±


    The information is interesting but not quite useful.


    I get closer to the mushrooms for a close up look.


    They start about head level and grow down along a wet patch on the wall.


    Hermione looks over also, ¡°The spores are carried by the water on the walls, that''s why there''s this cascade of mushrooms. Though why they glow is beyond me, if I had to guess though, I''d say Aether.¡±


    I pick at one of the mushrooms.


    ¡°Well, it feels like a normal mushroom.¡±


    There is no glow on my fingers after picking apart the mushroom, I can''t lie I was hoping to glow a little.


    Hermione squats and starts picking at the mushrooms that grow along the cave floor next to the wall, after verifying through me that they are indeed, not poisonous.


    ¡°It looks like the glow is a property of the mushroom itself, not the fluid in the mushroom.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Hermione does this count as an artifact? Should we collect them?¡±


    Hermione rubs some mushrooms between her fingers and smells the paste.


    ¡°No they don''t count, but we should take some anyway. Who knows, we may decide to eat them over starving to death later if we get stuck down here after all.¡±


    I smile awkwardly. I get the feeling she''s blaming me for all this.


    ¡°Alright, I''ll grab a couple.¡±


    I pull them from the wall with ease and stuff around two dozen into my pack.


    The mushroom¡¯s glow penetrates through the sackcloth.


    After I picked the mushrooms we head further in.


    The cave suddenly widens after a few more minutes of walking.


    This time I don''t rush in like a fool.


    Hermione stares at me, probably expecting me to do something stupid.


    Instead, I crouch down, not that it would hide me from anything, with all the mushrooms glowing I''m pretty conspicuous. And Hermione standing there looking at me like I''m an idiot doesn''t help.


    I stare back at her and glance at the floor, trying to tell her to get down with my eyes.


    She sighs and crouches next to me.


    Together we just look cautiously into the cavern.


    It''s actually huge.


    It''s an enormous opening with columns twice my length in width here and there. The mushrooms make this place look surreal, the blue glow is everywhere, crawling up the columns, in patches around the floor, all along the walls, even on top of the boulders that are scattered throughout the cavern.


    From the ceiling come long vines that also glow, but this time a light orange almost like the Emberite.


    After making sure nothing moves in the cavern we both carefully step in and double check that nothing in here will attempt to murder us.


    I don''t want to die before living life in comfort, without risk of death and therefore not in the Grimes.


    I don''t put my Emberite away, all the glowing mushrooms and vines light everything up pretty well, but I don''t know if we will need to make a quick escape into a dark cave.


    Better to just keep it out.


    Walking around under the lighting feels pretty good, it''s pleasing to the eye, and there''s a slight chill making the stale cave air a bit more refreshing.


    Hermione is knocking on one of the columns a few feet away from me.


    From her example, I also take interest in the columns.


    I move closer to the column nearest to me, vines hanging from above and a boulder about three feet away from the column.


    I immediately notice there''s something strange about the columns. The texture and structure is different from what we saw before on such formations.


    The exterior of these columns reminds me of bark from trees.


    I look up on reflex to check if there are branches.


    The inky blackness beyond the vine¡¯s light makes it a challenge to make anything out.


    I see from the corner of my eye Hermione also craning her neck to look beyond the light.


    She whispers in fascination, eyes wide open, ¡°Stone trees.¡±


    I guess that settles that. She must have seen beyond the darkness.


    ¡°I wonder if they grow.¡±


    I hear her whisper to herself again.


    Then I get an idea, ¡°The vines. They must be branches, like from a willow tree.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± I hear her say.


    And I too find this amazing.


    I get an urge to climb the stone tree to get to the branches and maybe see beyond the light, but I suppress it. No need to do anything unnecessary that could lead to premature death.


    Instead, I lean against the boulder and just gaze for a minute.


    Until the boulder moves.


    Hermione looks over in panic at the sudden rumbling noise and I, like the experienced brawler that I am, jump away a few times in complete control of my bladder all the while doing a half turn to face the boulder. I crouch and raise my fists, ready for a fight to the death.


    The boulder on the other hand completely ignores us.


    It stands on four short, bulky, stone legs and the head emerges from near the bottom of its body, like a turtle. It seems to be silently chewing on stone as if it''s mere curd and glares at me with its black, beady eyes as it slowly rumbles away, all the while letting out a deep noise akin to two stone grinding at each other slowly.


    I get the feeling that''s the equivalent of a human grumbling.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The boulder-like thing moves to the other side of the stone tree and drops down like a pile of bricks, I assume it continues to eat the floor.


    It''s then that I notice all the little areas of the floor that are missing some, well, floor, forming shallow holes. Some of the holes are filled with water others not, reminding me of the streets full of potholes in the Grimes.


    My mood suddenly drops, I''m so used to the Grimes I missed something so frustratingly obvious.


    I also notice all the moisture from the usually damp rock floor is completely gone from the place where the rock thing was occupying, but I''m in such a sour mood I don''t care much about even something so interesting.


    Hermione warily looks around at all the boulders around us as she walks closer to me.


    I just stand here in this spot, with what I assume Hermione would think is a childish pout, on my face.


    She starts grinning and whacks me on my back.


    ¡°I think that Grock liked you.¡±


    ¡°Grock?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I just named it, the book didn''t have anything about them in it. I could be an undiscovered species of abyssal construct.¡±


    ¡°Hey did you notice all the potholes?¡± She suddenly asks with a grin.


    My sour mood returns in full force as I gloomily respond, ¡°Yea I noticed. A little late though.¡±


    I pout, I can''t help it.


    ¡°Eh, don''t be so gloomy we don''t need a rain cloud over our heads, I didn''t notice until it moved either.¡±


    My mood lifts a little at that.


    ¡°Did you notice the dry patch? I think that the Grock was absorbing the moisture by sitting on it. Or was that laying? Oh man, that''s so much like the mushrooms, but it also eats rocks and so quiet too, I was right next to one and I didn''t hear. Imagine the jaw strength and the sharpness of its beak. That was a beak, right? Like a turtle.¡±


    She lets out a very un Hermione like giggle out.


    ¡°I''ve never seen a turtle before except in books, this almost counts right? Look at it now! The mushrooms! Aren''t they a bit dimmer than they were before? I wonder if moving makes it dimmer. Is it a direct representation of its energy? Are the mushrooms in symbiosis with the Grocks or are they parasitic?


    Hermione''s excitement is contagious and I find myself smiling.


    Hermione continues to ramble about how she thinks the relationship works between the mushroom and Grock as we explore the cavern.


    The tension leaves my body and I start feeling tired, the kind of tiredness that slowly settles in your bones, the dangerous kind. This kind of fatigue rears its head at the moment you need to act.


    We need to find a place to rest or the staircase.


    ¡°Hermione do we rest or keep going, ¡± I say as I rub my face.


    ¡°I don''t think we will find a place like this again if we leave.¡±


    Hermione looks around, her shoulders drop as her excitement fades.


    ¡°I think we should rest, the sickness shouldn''t come for another day or two, ¡± she says hesitantly.


    She must have been tired for a while.


    We look around for a suitable place to close our eyes, a place as far from Grocks as possible, just in case, they develop a taste for flesh as we sleep.


    We look around for a while before I decide maybe we should try climbing the trees.


    ¡°Hermione I''m going to climb one of the trees.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    I shrug and look at the Grock nearby.


    ¡°Seems like a safer place, if there''s room enough to sleep, I¡¯d rather sleep up there instead of down here.¡±


    Hermione looks up at the trees and shrugs.


    ¡°I guess.¡±


    I walk up to the nearest stone tree and try to pull some stone bark off, to test if it can support my weight.


    It doesn''t budge so I guess I''m fine, I reach for a knot in the tree and pull myself up.


    I feel my muscles rippling and stretching as I pull myself up towards the next handhold. There''s a certain satisfaction in knowing you haven''t gone too soft. Not that you can get soft living in the Grimes, just more sloppy and slightly less hard, which usually leads to death.


    My mood flashes dark for a second before I focus on climbing.


    The climb isn''t hard, there is plenty of space between the bark.


    The bark is unnaturally thick and widely spaced apart. Must be because it''s made of stone. At least I don''t have to worry about Hermione climbing up.


    I get up to where the darkness starts, the willow-like branches still droop down but up here they don''t glow.


    I reach a split in the trunk. There are 4 different shoots coming from the tree, leaving plenty of mostly flat space in the middle for a little bit of rest.


    I still can''t see the top of the cavern even as I pull the Emberite out from a pocket that I stuffed it in when I began my climb.


    All that I can see is the branches fading into the blackness up above me.


    ¡°Hermione there''s space up here, you can climb up.¡±


    I can''t help but think if Hermione climbs this tree, we will be sleeping next to each other, I tell myself I¡¯d rather have that than being split up.


    ¡°Uh, alright, I''m coming up.¡±


    As she climbs I look down across the cavern. The lights spread out across the entirety of my vision, I can''t see where the lights end which means I can''t see the end of the cavern. The lights begin at nearly the same point in every willow branch, making the view quite spectacular it''s like looking at a warm orange blanket spotted with the blue light from the mushrooms.


    Hermione finally gets up here, so I help her up.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    She then spots the view and gasps, drinking in the view with her wide open eyes, lights twinkling in them.


    I prop down next to one of the four main branches and slide down until my back and head are against the branch and my legs are relaxed.


    Hermione does the same after drinking in the view for a while longer. She slides down, much in the same way as I did, on the opposite branch from me. We look each other in the eyes for a bit.


    Her nose is small


    The thought flys through my mind


    I close my eyes after that to try and get some sleep.


    I drift away into sleep feeling her gaze on me.


    --------


    I wake up with a start. I still feel tired so I must not have been asleep long.


    Hermione is asleep, breathing deep.


    I look around. I feel that something¡¯s wrong. I get an itchy feeling in the back of my mind and even though I''m tired I feel restless.


    Nothing is visibly wrong.


    I get up and look down.


    The lights still shine, the Grocks still, well, chilling I guess, and the trees still standing.


    But the feeling persists.


    I move over to Hermione and shake her gently, I put my hand near her mouth, in case I need to shut her up.


    She wakes with a start and I put my finger to my lips. She understands and I move my hand away from her mouth.


    She gets up and looks around with a confused look.


    She shoots me an annoyed look, some of her messy hair over her face.


    I shrug with as much seriousness as I can and look out again.


    At first, I don''t spot anything, Hermione glaring daggers at me, but then I see it.


    I blink and rub my eyes to make sure I see it right.


    The tree next to us down at the trunk is rippling like water.


    I point to show Hermione.


    Hermione and I stare at the approximately 6 feet of trunk that ripples more and more violently.


    Finally, when I think the tree would fall over, there''s a loud crack, and the trunk splits open outwards. Like an explosion, but none of the stone from the tree detaches


    Out from the stone, a big ass rock thing walks out.


    Hermione stifles a gasp with her hands over her mouth and under her breath says, ¡°Golem.¡±


    I almost didn''t catch it.


    The Golem makes a grinding noise, and all the Grocks nearby respond in the same kind.


    The stone tree folds back in on itself as if time were reverting.


    The Golem makes a high pitch sound, almost like chirping, but more rock-like.


    The Grocks all stand up on their stubby little feet, and shuffle towards the Golem eagerly, like the puppy''s I saw in the Fringe once, all wobbly but still somehow walking.


    The Golem is seven or eight feet tall, it was leaning forward when it came in from the trunk, but now that it''s out it stands at its full height its huge. Its shape is humanoid in essence but that much bulk clearly makes it inhuman, not to mention it¡¯s made of rock.


    The Golem gently crouches down among the Grocks and spreads the digits on its hand out.


    The Grocks crowd around the hand and suckle on the stone fingers.


    How weird.


    The Golem lets every Grock around it suckle for a while.


    The Grock that I disturbed, the one with dimmer mushrooms, hobbles over to the Golem while grumbling.


    I beg the Abyss not to let them be able to clearly communicate.


    The Golem pays more attention to this one, letting it suckle for a bit longer than the other ones.


    The Golem tilts its head in confusion as it lets the Grock suckle, but it shows no sign of noticing us.


    It stays for another hour, or so it feels like, playing with the Grocks, letting them chase its hand and clamp their jaws on its arm.


    It would have actually been quite cute if not for that stain all over the Golem which I strongly suspect is dried blood.


    The Grocks settle down and shuffle to a new spot to plop down on and the Golem moves back to the tree, which ripples again as it touches it. The Golem bends over to reduce its height and slips into the watery tree. The stone tree continues to ripple for a minute or two, then it settles down to solidity again.


    Hermione looks at me with her eyes wide open.


    ¡°I think we should find our way out before another one pops out of the woodwork.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so they live in the trees?¡± I ask in horror.


    ¡°I don''t think so. I think they use the trees as exit points from the rock. Golems are able to travel through stone. What I didn''t know is that Grocks are Golem children. The books never said that and the instructor didn''t mention it. In fact, it mentioned that Golems are never found on early levels of the Abysses,¡± she says with pride, her chest puffed up.


    I scrunch my forehead in confusion.


    ¡°How¡¯d you decide that the Grocks are Golem children?¡±


    Hermione looks at me with exasperation, her lips narrow, ¡°That''s the question you have? It was obvious, the Golem fed them, and played with them, ¡± she said curtly, lips still narrow.


    She starts climbing down the tree, leaving me alone, baffled at her sudden change of mood.


    What was I supposed to ask?


    After she makes it down and starts walking away I grab my pack and the Emberite and hurry to climb down, scratching my knee on the bark in my haste, I run to catch up to her.


    We, or rather, she picks a direction to go in and that''s the direction we go.


    I was about to tell her to wait for me to use the compass but decided not to say anything, instead, I quietly dig around in the pack while we walk and pull out the compass to verify if she chose the right direction.


    She did, amazingly, so I put the compass away and continue walking.


    So this is what they mean by feminine intuition.


    I rub my face with both hands to wipe the sleep away when I suddenly get the same feeling everyone gets when they wake up.


    ¡°Hey Hermione, nature calls.¡±


    I run to a nearby tree and get behind it to relieve myself. It''s a little strange with all the light on me.


    When I finish I pull out the water skin and use a little of the already small amount of water we have to at least wet my hands, if you survive in the Grimes long enough you learn to keep a certain standard of hygiene. There''s only so much death due to poor hygiene you can stand to see and not keep a standard.


    Hermione quietly walks behind another tree when I get back, to do her own business I assume.


    When she gets back she uses a lot more water to clean her hands. I magnanimously don''t mention it though.


    Less water for her.


    I smirk


    But most likely less for me.


    My mouth slowly turns into a scowl.


    She then takes a long drink.


    As I thought.


    She passes me the waterskin and I drink what''s left.


    I sigh as I put the empty water skin away and we move on, making sure to keep away from trees - and the Grocks.


    As we walk side by side Hermione lets her hair out of the bun and runs her hand through it over and over trying to clean it up.


    After a while of combing, she seems satisfied and wraps it back into a bun.


    I shake my head and pick up the pace.

 Chapter 6 - Weightless

    The trees are far and few at this point, the Grocks too. The glowing mushrooms are still around in patches here and there, but at this point, we need to use the Emberite.


    ¡°There''s the cave wall,¡± Hermione lacks any sort of enthusiasm with this note.


    The wall, a drab grey thing, does not have any noteworthy features. It is, like many of the walls we have experienced, rough and devoid of any interesting features, like an exit for example.


    Hermione sighs as we survey the wall and kicks a loose stone. It bounces a few times before awaiting another kick.


    However much sleep we got, it was not enough.


    I take a quick look at the compass and it points straight at the wall.


    I sigh, of course.


    We choose to follow the wall left and hope for an exit.


    As we follow the wall the ambient light gets dimmer and dimmer, the mushrooms and branches get further away. The orange light from the Emberite soon becomes our only light once again.


    --


    We found a cave. The cave is similar to the first one we went into. It¡¯s large enough that we can walk through it easily.


    There is a faint air of what I hesitate to call desperation blanketing us.


    Hermione is quietly walking down the cave tunnel with me, I can''t tell what she''s thinking.


    And I too am quiet, there is nothing to say.


    I hesitate to call it desperation because desperation is a strong word, but something similar is definitely present.


    There is a word for it. Hermione would probably know it.


    But I not know or recall the word and I don''t want to break the silence to ask, so faint desperation it is.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I spot something move. I stop and direct more light onto the wall where I thought I spotted movement.


    Nothing there. Just rock wall.


    Hermione halts and gives me a confused look.


    I shrug


    ¡°I''m tired, and all these shadows - I thought I saw something move.¡±


    I continue down the cave tunnel with Hermione next to me.


    Gloomy, that''s the word.


    The shadows keep moving, throwing me off, I can look back and the tunnel looks the same but different.


    Time passes slowly, it couldn''t have been more than ten minutes, but our time here blurs together and it feels like we''ve been walking for years, stone, stone, stone and more stone.


    Hermione stops and grabs my arm.


    She looks excited.


    ¡°Look, ahead.¡±


    I look and see stone. Just another shade of grey, more shadows.


    I look at her.


    ¡°What am I supposed to see?¡± I question with a little irritation.


    ¡°It looks different, it''s subtle, everything is¡­ smoother I guess, even the shadows.¡±


    I take a closer look and it''s true. It is very subtle, I wonder how Hermione realized it.


    The walls really are just another shade of gray - no, a different shade of gray and difference is good. I crouch and look at the change on the floor, it''s obvious now that I know. The change is sharp, a clear change in shade between colors. The shadows made it hard to spot.


    I spot a matte grey wire running across the cave tunnel, innocently blending in with the change of grey.


    ¡°Hey is that a tripwire?¡±


    Hermione looks away from the wall she was scratching with her fingernail.


    She crouches next to me and looks at the tripwire, and then starts laughing.


    She laughs so hard she nearly falls over.


    ¡°What''s so funny?¡± I ask, confused.


    She replies, gasping for breath, ¡°A tripwire!¡±


    And she starts laughing again. I wait a bit for her to calm down and explain properly.


    She calms down a bit, though still giggling.


    ¡°This level, floor one, has golems and then it has trap triggers like -¡±


    She breaks down into giggles again.


    I sigh and shake my head.


    ¡°Whatever, it could be lethal anyway. It''s not a laughing matter.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I''m certain it''s lethal, but it''s funny anyway.¡±


    She waves her hand at the wire dismissively.


    ¡°I can understand why the Abyss would choose this trigger, though. Well not understand - I don''t think anyone can understand an Abyss, but the tripwire is a flexible trigger. Obviously, if you walk into it, it activates whatever the trap is, but what if you spot it as we did? Do you walk over it? What if there''s a pressure plate right after it? Maybe the whole trap is based on spotting it? The best way to counter a trigger like this is knowing what the trigger activates.¡±


    ¡°And how would we know what it activates?¡±


    Hermione shrugs.


    ¡°Trial and error I guess. Most of the traps on early levels are known, Abysses generally follow the same, well I don''t know, Rule? Guideline? Theme maybe? Sure there are plenty of varieties, but they have been tested and documented. If you study the Compendium of Traps and Triggers, early level Abyss floors are no problem. And I have studied it. The problem is that this Abyss has already broken three different rules. I don''t know what to expect.¡±


    Hearing Hermione say this, I clench my fists and shore up my resolve.


    ¡°Well if we don''t know what to expect we might as well not lose time.¡±


    I grab a small stone off the floor and lightly toss it over the tripwire. It bounces three times before it stops. I jump over the tripwire to where I threw the pebble.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Hermione gasps behind me.


    ¡°You idiot!¡±


    I land and nothing happens. No click to signify a triggered trap.


    Hermione and I let out a breath of relief at the same time. I didn''t even know I was holding my breath.


    ¡°You could have died, throwing that pebble didn''t do anything! What in the world made you think a pebble would make it safe? Let me guess, you remembered a fairy tale. The hero encounters a suspicious hallway, he, in his infinite wisdom, throws a pebble to check for traps and lo and behold there''s a trap!¡±


    Hermione''s face is red in her fury, she wildly gestures with her hands.


    ¡°You idiot!¡±


    I sigh.


    ¡°I know. The pebble was just in case. It was this, or lose an unknown amount of time looking for something our weight. We can''t afford that time. We''ve got mushrooms Hermione, mushrooms that may or may not kill us if we get hungry enough to try.¡±


    I scratch my cheek.


    ¡°If I died you would know it''s trapped at least.¡±


    A tear rolls down Hermione''s cheek.


    ¡°But what if you didn''t die. What if you were injured, your legs cut out from under you, maybe stabbed through the gut. I''d have to kill you or watch you die.¡±


    She whispers the last part.


    It strikes me that this might not have been the best plan. I feel extraordinarily uncomfortable in the silence as Hermione wipes her tears from her eyes.


    ¡°I''m sorry, ¡± I say softly, shifting my weight .


    Hermione clenched her fists and jumps over to where I jumped. She then punches me in the gut.


    I double over in pain.


    ¡°Ow.¡±


    Hermione hmphs and moves on, still rubbing her eyes, smearing dirt across her cheeks, I look back at the tripwire before catching up.


    It couldn''t have been even thirty seconds of walking before the cave opens up into a cavern. Good thing the lighting is so bad, if we had seen the opening we might not have ever noticed the tripwire.


    The cavern is small this time, the walls are lined with this reflective crystal that I know is weak and worthless, but because of its presence the light from the Emberite is reflected and the room is dimly lit up.


    In the center of the room there''s a structure made of what looks like marble. It''s like an enclosed pavilion, it''s circular and there are proper decorative columns, made of that same marble material. The columns line the entire pavilion, supposedly holding the marble ceiling. The columns sit on the foundation of the whole thing, the foundation looks like steps, of which there are three, leading up into the pavilion. It''s so seamlessly connected I suspect it''s all one block of that marble material that was carved out into this shape.


    I pay attention to the floor, looking out for any discolored spots or tripwires. There are none.


    ¡°We have got to check that out, but before that we should look around, just in case.¡± I say.


    I skirt around the pavilion, looking out for anything potentially dangerous. I move around to the other side of the pavilion, shadows shifting giving the impression that the walls themselves are moving. There''s another cave tunnel on this side, we don''t go in, yet. Instead, we continue around the pavilion.


    The pavilion is enclosed completely except for the entrance and the exit. If we were to walk in a line from where we came in and not make any turns we could walk straight through the pavilion and into the next cave tunnel. Well, theoretically. I don''t know if there''s anything inside the pavilion.


    We walk nearly all the way around the pavilion, almost back at the start, before I find the bodies.


    There are three bodies slumped against the wall and all three were crushed in some fashion. Hermione is still looking at the pavilion behind me.


    ¡°Hey, do you remember the body we found at the stairs?¡±


    Hermione turns away from the pavilion to look at me, ¡°Yea what about it - oh.¡±


    ¡°Do you think all these dead guys were together?¡± I say as I try to ignore the smell that finally reached my nose.


    ¡°Ergh, I don''t know, probably? Hermione says with her hand pinching her nose shut.


    I examine the dead guys, their weapons; a sword, axe, and a bow, are all damaged to the point of being useless. The sword is chipped in so many places it might as well be witch doctor''s saw. The axe is just a piece of mangled iron and the bow is two sticks held together with a string.


    I don''t bother picking anything up, it would just slow us down, none of this stuff would be useful.


    Dried blood is all over, another reason not to touch anything.


    ¡°I knew a guy once. He got lots of a dead man''s blood all over himself. He got sick and died that month, ¡± I explain to Hermione.


    ¡°Yes, I read there are lots of sicknesses that carry over on blood. Delvers are urged to see a healer if they are forced to touch anything of this sort. Best not touch anything, I''m fairly certain we won''t be finding a healer around here. Besides, it doesn''t look like there is anything useful here,¡± Hermione sniffs disdainfully, instantly regretting it.


    I look around the area a bit more, to distract myself from my memories if nothing else. I find some pools of dried blood, but nothing else.


    I walk back to Hermione and we discuss what to do. We head over to the pavilion entrance after deciding we can''t do anything about the bodies.


    The marble is as smooth as it looks, which is to say, very smooth. We climb the three steps, cautiously of course, we don''t want to take unnecessary chances with traps.


    We walk through the doorway and I raise my hand to illuminate the inside.


    The center piece is an alter with a sword stuck in it nearly all the way down to the hilt.


    Hermione and I stay quite a bit away from the altar. We look around at the statues that line the entire circumference of the pavilion, they are all a bit different, some skinny, others short, a few are tall, and one even has a pot belly. The thing they have in common is their posture. They all face the altar and have their heads bowed.


    As I examine the statues my eyes constantly gravitate to the sword, it''s a thing of beauty, completely different from the sword outside. It''s slender and I can imagine it''s long too. The hilt seems to be designed for one handed use, not that I know much, but you pick up a few things here and there. The guard is small, just enough to protect the hand, it looks like a part of the blade decided to split off of the sword and wrap around the rest of the blade to form the guard. It doesn''t have any decorations other than the theatrical guard, but I don''t think it was intended to be theatrical, it certainly doesn''t look flimsy.


    I can see Hermione eying it too. Im not sure how we would split it. I guess we''ll figure it out later.


    ¡°So how are we going to go about this?¡± I ask Hermione while staring at the sword.


    ¡°Uh, I''m not sure. Do you have rope?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± I say, immediately pulling it out of my pack.


    It''s not too long and it''s seen better days, but it''s still usable.


    ¡°Hmm, go back near the entrance,¡± Hermione tells me, pulling stones out of her pocket.


    She takes the stone and lobs it at the sword. It hits with a clang and the stone falls onto the alter, nothing happening.


    ¡°Alright, tie a loop, so we can pull it out from a distance.¡±


    I go back to the sword and tie the rope around it careful not to touch it. I move back as far as the rope goes, about halfway out of the pavilion. Then I whip the rope, to lift it away from the blade, up to the hilt. I pull it taunt so that it doesn''t fall back down to the blade. I try to pull the rope upwards, to pull the sword up and out of the altar. I tug at it for about five solid minutes before throwing the rope down in disgust. If a trap were to trigger it would have already.


    I march over to the sword and wrap my hand around the hilt. Hermione holds her breath, as do I. I pause for a moment and listen for the tell tale click. I don''t hear it, so I pull the sword up, just an inch and get ready to run for my life. I still don''t hear it. I pull it half way out, the blade is long. Nothing. No click, no trap. I clear the blade of its rocky sheath, and it rings, clear and sweet. The sound of the blade ringing fades in a second or two. No trap.


    I smile and show the sword to Hermione.


    ¡°Let me hold it, ¡± she says with bated breath.


    I give it to her hilt first. She takes it and touches the blade, awe in her eyes.


    ¡°It''s heavier than it looks,¡± she notifies me.


    And then it all went to hell.


    The walls, the statues, and the columns just outside from where we entered start boiling.


    ¡°Golems!¡± Hermione yells out, wide-eyed. ¡°Run!¡±


    She clutches the sword to her chest and runs away from the rippling stone.


    A Golem launches out from the nearest statue, hurtling at me. I dive out of the way and scramble to feet, I run after Hermione. We split around the altar and run out the entrance that isn''t roiling stone.


    I hear the Golems rumbling after us, we make it to the last step outside the pavilion before we feel the tremor. It''s so intense it knocks both of us off the step and onto the rock. I thought we''d be dead before we could get up, but we stand and we still live. I look back and I see the Golems on the steps and in the pavilion, motionless and staring at us with cold emotionless eyes.


    Beyond the pavilion I see the floor falling away into the Abyss. The entire cavern floor except for the pavilion floor is falling away


    Hermione yells out, ¡°Keep running!¡±


    We turn and run as fast as we can towards the cave tunnel that we spotted before.


    I can feel it, we won''t make it. We are so close. Hermione is running in front of me, clutching the sword, but she won''t make it either.


    Time slows to a crawl and I make a decision. I get low and put on one last burst of speed, straining my legs as much as possible. I launch straight at Hermione. I hit her in the back sending her flying into the presumed safety of the cave tunnel.


    Then I feel weightless, time still slowed in my perception. A stray observation surfaces; Hermione¡¯s hair came loose sometime during our mad scramble.


    And before I fall, it seems as though the Abyss wants to spite me one last time, Hermione lands face down on the floor of the cave tunnel, her hair spread out and floating down around her and then everything ignites.


    Circles of Aether form all around the opening of the cave, focusing inwards, probably to kill or stop anyone trying to get to the pavilion from that side.


    I mentally laugh, there must have been a tripwire.


    The flames fill the cave tunnel and spill into the cavern, I plummet before I''m harmed by the stray Aether Fire . Her screams of pain break my heart, though, worse than any burn.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

 Chapter 7 - Dead Men

    I stumble down the dirty, shit filled street. Everything''s a blur, I heard someone call my name a while ago.


    ¡°Hey! Henry, buddy! Wanna grab a drink?¡±


    I can''t remember who said it, doesn''t matter I ignored them and kept walking.


    ¡°Henry you alright?¡± another person says


    I stumble away, I''m a dead man, I''m not all right.


    Everything is spinning as I stumble down to¡­. Where?


    Ah right, the Abyss.


    The last I remember is saying goodbye to¡­ someone, someone that was crying.


    I can''t remember the last time ate or drank. Must have been a while ago.


    I stumble through the rubble.


    Rubble?


    The rubble from the collapsed houses, when the Abyss formed. Months ago, years it feels like.


    I''m at the edge now. I stare blankly into pitch darkness.


    The sun is hanging in the center of the sky, an all seeing globe for as long as it''s day.


    I stare blankly for a while before jolting, I need to get down there. I look for something to get me down. Why didn''t I bring a rope? I''m about to turn around and find one, but then I spot a rope tied to a rock and already hanging down into the Abyss.


    Good quality. I give it a few test tugs to make sure. How''d it get here?


    Before I even know it I''m already climbing down the rope.


    Maybe I should have brought my own rope. This one is making fun of me. I''m down at the end of it and it''s not quite enough. A few more feet and I''d be able to get down safely. I look up, out of the Abyss. Strange. I can see the light of day, but I could have sworn it was pitch black down here. Did anyone notice last time? Or were we to excited, too stupid.


    I lazily start swinging, if I can''t get down safely, I''ll get down dangerously. I''m a dead man anyway.


    I land heavily onto the platform but I''m not injured. My eyes gravitate to my biggest regret. I stare at my best friends dead body. I solemnly walk up to it. I drop to my knees in front of it and bow my head to the ground.


    I can''t cry, I want to, but I don''t have enough water in my body. My mouth is dry and my lips are cracked.


    Why didn''t I drink before? Oh that''s right, I''m dead.


    ¡°Forgive me. And wait a while longer, I''ll be joining you soon.¡±


    I stand and look at him once more, regretting ever coming down, regretting convincing him to join us.


    I turn my back to him and go down the staircase.


    I''m halfway down when I stop and stare at the trick step. Jenko tripped here. It was harmless, we caught him, but it was a good laugh. Now that I look at it, it just seems insidious. Someone could die before ever making it down.


    I''ve never heard of an Abyss trapping the staircase. But then I''m not a real Delver, so why should I have heard.


    I smile self deprecatingly.


    I make it down to the bottom.


    The plan was to sweep this entire floor and map it. Maps are good money, even crude ones, especially maps of Abyss floors. We didn''t have to take risks, just map it.


    I sigh, and hazily retrace my steps. We went all the way to the other end of the Abyss, the plan was to map from the opposite end and make our way to the staircase.


    We were going to be rich. We would have cashed the map in for gold. Gold. We would have enough to buy identification, forged of course, but good enough to move out of the Grimes. We were going to use the rest to start a business.


    Jenko wanted to run a tavern.


    James wanted to start a carting service. He liked horses, and he was good with ¡®em too. We worked odd jobs together, he always loved working at a stable. The shit never bothered him. Maybe it was ¡®cause he never had a sense of smell.


    Everyone had something they wanted to do, everyone but me.


    I was just going to help James with his cart service. And now there''s nothing but old dreams.


    I''m the last person that should have made it out of here.


    I''m wandering through the cave system, following faint memories, memories I''d have been better off never making.


    A faint tremor shakes me from my stupor. I can hardly feel it, but it''s there.


    Strange. That didn''t happen last time I was down here.


    I continue onwards when I hear a blood curdling scream of pain, so intense I can almost feel the pain myself. It echoes off the cave walls before fading.


    I groggily connect the rope, the one that doesn''t belong to me, with the scream. It feels like my mind is surfacing from molasses.


    I unconsciously start running down the cave system. The scream came from where I was heading anyway.


    I fear the person that cried out will die before I could do anything, just like everyone else.


    This time I''ll at least witness it.


    I rush past a few caverns, we determined there was nothing too dangerous in here based off these empty caverns. We were fools, I know that now.


    I make it to the cave that leads to the cavern that serves as the grave of my team. I can feel the heat from their fury. I push on anyway, I touch the wall to stabilize myself and recoil. The heat isn''t my imagination. I think I know why the person screamed.


    I rush down the cave and ignore the stinging in my hand.


    I can hear a hoarse moaning. I lift the torch in my hand.


    Torch?


    I don''t have any memory of bringing it, or lighting it.


    I didn''t even realize I was holding it.


    My mind rebels against me. I feel a growing headache.


    The light from the torch reveals a small body, definitely feminine.


    She moans and turns to face me. Something in my head clicks into place and everything is clear. I came to die, but first I need to save at least this person.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    I get closer to see what I can possibly do and suddenly she cries and stabs out. I completely overlooked the sword until it was in my gut. I jump back in reaction. I hold my midsection where the blade pierced through my filthy sackcloth. It definitely hurts. Blood warms my hand.


    She collapsed, crying in pain, before she was able to run me through.


    ¡°Hey, I''m here to help. Calm down,¡± I strain out through the pain.


    It wasn''t a lethal attack but, it hurts like hell, and I can still bleed out. I take my shirt off and tear it into strips, I do this as fast as I can. I choose the cleanest strip and tie my midsection where I was stabbed.


    ¡°Shhh. It''s okay, I''ll get you out of here,¡± I try to calm her again as I get closer.


    ¡°It''ll be alright. I''ve got you.¡±


    ¡°It hurts, where''s Nikolai?¡± She hoarsely whispers.


    ¡°It''s alright. He''s right here,¡± I lie to her as she quietly sobs.


    I don''t know what to do. I have no experience with this.


    She''s all bloody, all burnt. Her hair, what must have been beautiful long black hair, is burnt short, and there''s a cooked smell in the air.


    I touch her, and she crys out in pain.


    I need to lift her. I can''t do anything, the only thing I can do is bring her to someone who can.


    I grab a few left over stripes of my shirt and move it up to her mouth.


    ¡°Hey, this is going to hurt a little, bite down on this. Don''t worry I''ll get you out and you''ll be alright.¡±


    She whimpers and bites down on the dirty rag cloth.


    Her burns are bad. I''m afraid to even touch her, but there''s no one else.


    I drop the torch. I''ll have to bring her back in pitch black. I despair that I might not be capable.


    I shift her under my arms and she bits down and moans. I grunt in pain as I lift her up and she screams and goes limp, still moaning. I shiver in response. Hearing someone scream in pain is one thing, causing that pain is completely different, especially when you want to save that person. I grab her sword and shove it through my belt.


    I feel something under her. I look at what it is. It''s a matte grey tripwire, I picked it up when I scooped her up.


    I spotted it first last time I was here. I pointed it out and we stepped over it, she wasn''t as lucky I guess. I put the tripwire in my pocket, just in case.


    Now I know what the trap does, but I wish I didn''t. I look further into the blackness past the light of the torch, and realize that I should have seen the floor of the cavern. The floor is gone. I still see the faint sparkles of that shiny stone in the walls and a bit of the pavilion if I strain my eyes.


    ¡°I am sorry, I won''t be able to bring you out,¡± I tell my dead teammates.


    I turn back and carry her back out of the cave, back towards the surface. I leave the light behind, and in the pitch black darkness a light comes from the girl in my hands.


    I look closer and realize the ethereal blue glow does not, in fact, come from her. But from her pockets. Some of her clothes actually survived a fire that heated an entire cave. Leather doesn''t burn well I guess.


    I take what''s glowing in her pockets out while moving, no time to stop. A glowing mushroom. I light my way out of the caves with a mushroom. And it''s bright too.


    I thank the Abyss for making the trip back uneventful.


    She moans the entire way up the stairs. I can¡¯t make it more smooth for her. I''m tired and in pain. My waist is slick with blood, and I have to fight to keep a grip on her. Her skin cracked and my arms are slippery with blood.


    I make it to the top of the stairs exhausted. I almost drop the girl a few times on the way up.


    I make it to the place where the rope is and I realize I won''t be able to get up with her in my arms. There''s no way. I''m too tired and even if I wasn''t I don''t think I would be able to climb the rope up with her, light as she is.


    Desperation hits me in a wave, crashing down on me, adding to the weight on my shoulders.


    All is silent as I look at the burden in my arms.


    The Grimes teaches its dwellers. It teaches to be merciless. It teaches to look out for yourself, to be selfish. It teaches that any action for someone other than yourself leads to death.


    But I''m already a dead man anyway and dead men don''t fear death.


    I''m prepared to shift her around so that I can hold her while climbing the rope when I hear faint voices.


    I strain my ears to make sure.


    ¡°No! I won''t - No, I said! Give me something of equal value, I don''t want that shit you offered.¡±


    I poke my head out to look up, the sky is pink-purple almost night.


    Its faint and I can only discern the words of the guy that shouts, but there are at least two people up there. I have hope.


    ¡°Hey! Hey! You guys up there. I have an injured with me. Untie the rope and let grab on then pull the rope up!¡± I shout as loud as I can with my dry throat.


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    I hear the loud man exclaim.


    A head pokes out over the side of the Abyss. Looking directly at me, I don''t know how the man sees me through the pitch blackness that I saw from up there, but he''s looking directly at my head.


    The man''s head retracts and I hear faint swearing.


    I think I hear them arguing.


    Then I hear a voice, clear as if the man who spoke it were right next to me.


    ¡°Let them up.¡±


    Everything goes quiet and the rope moves around a bit and lowers. I gently shift the girl over one should, smearing blood over my exposed chest as her skin cracks and bleeds.


    ¡°Bear with it just a little more,¡± I whisper to her as she let''s a long pained groan escape her pale almost white lips.


    I grab the rope with one hand and lift myself up so I can grip the rope with my legs.


    The rope smoothly gets pulled up.


    I adjust us so that my back is scraping against the Abyss wall.


    The pain is almost unbearable, but I hold on with all my strength. It feels like I''m being flayed and someone is throwing sand onto the wound, then rubbing it in deep.


    Dead men don''t fear pain.


    With how smoothly we are being pulled up, I imagine a full team of men up there. My surprise was written all over my face when I find that it was only one bear of a man lifting us.


    He lifts us both until my feet touch the ground, then drops the rope in what I think is disgust. It may have just been the scar though.


    A scar travels in a straight line from his chin all the way up past his mouth and settles right under his left eye. It cuts through his upper lip, permanently raising his lip where the scar passes through.


    The man is a beast, nearly two heads taller than me and two men wider, mostly raw muscle. Looks as though he''s always sneering because of his scar, though.


    There are six men and one women standing around looking at us, including the bear.


    I look around and actually recognized two men.


    It''s Maximus and a regular of his, I never caught his name, but he''s always sipping that fancy drink of his in a corner.


    It''s pretty intimidating being stared at and there''s a certain pressure to the air similar to the weight on my shoulders but different.


    If Maximus is here, then that means¡­.


    Realization hits me. I''ve heard stories of all these people.


    The bear man is Renzik North Lord, physically strongest of all the Grime Lords. He''s also the most talked about, his feats of strength are spread throughout all the Grimes.


    The others are lesser known, the women, Ahsheaya South Lord, is the only female Grime Lord. She stands next to a tall slender man, Emmanuel of the East, he pushes his optics up his nose with one finger. He''s some type of healer.


    He''s exactly what I need.


    I rush over to him.


    ¡°Please heal her.¡±


    I show her to him.


    He moves the optics up his nose again and looks down at her. He says nothing but looks up at a man sitting on a stone.


    The man has his arms on the hilt of his huge greatsword which is planted firmly in the ground. His head is resting on his arms.


    He takes a deep breath, eyes still closed, and exhales.


    He sits up straight and opens his eyes. He''s looking at me when his eyes open, they blaze gold.


    He turns his attention to Emmanuel, ¡°If you have absorbed enough Aether.¡±


    Emmanuel nods at the man sitting on the rock. I realize he''s the only one sitting. Not much is known about the Under King, but I''m sure that''s him.


    Emmanuel walks closer and again moves the optics up his nose. He peers at the girl and mutters under his breath.


    ¡°Burn wounds, excellent. Large areas of burns that reach the reticular layer of the dermis and smaller areas that reach the subcutaneous layer.¡±


    The Lord tsks, and mutters, ¡°Aether Fire, it''s even reached adipose tissue. Worst burns are on peripheral limbs and anterior.¡±


    He turns and address the King.


    ¡°I need to relocate her to a more sterile environment.¡±


    ¡°Would a room in my establishment work?¡± Maximus asks. ¡°I need to speak to Henry anyway.¡±


    I shiver.


    ¡°Wait, you know this guy?¡± Renzik asks Maximus.


    Ahsheaya shifts and speaks, ¡°Oh, shut up you oaf. I''ve had enough of your voice to last me another decade.¡±


    ¡°What''d you say to me you shit?¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± the man between Maximus and the King, Maximus¡¯s regular, speaks. ¡°You guys are disgracing the title of ¡®Lord¡¯.¡±


    Renzik huffs and stares at Ahsheaya who just smiles.


    The last man of this group just stands in the back away from the rest of the people here.


    He wears a top hat and deep black suit. He taps his black cane occasionally.


    I don''t like the way he hungrily stares at the girl sometimes. He must be the West Lord, Ephitas.


    I remember some man arguing the validity of the West Lords tactics to me once, using child gangs during territorial wars. The man was on his tenth mug.


    ¡°Yes, I suppose your establishment is sterile enough, it has plenty of alcohol at least,¡± Emmanuel says, pushing his optics up his nose with a long finger.


    ¡°Then this meeting is over without having settled the topic.¡±


    Renzik shifts on his feet.


    ¡°Look, it''s not my fault, they don''t want to give me anything of equal val-¡±


    The King waves his hand dismissively, cutting the North Lord off.


    ¡°It''s fine. We meet in three days. Settle matters before then.¡±


    Then the King disappears. He stood up, pulled up his sword from the ground and just vanished, as if he was never here.


    I look around bewildered. And then I feel cold.


    My vision grows dark.


    Ah, I guess I lost too much blood.


    I start swaying, I want to pass the girl to Maximus, but I''m not able to speak or move. I begin to fall before I feel someone pick me up and hold me like I hold the girl.


    Renzik picked me up. How embarrassing.


    And I black out.

 Chapter 8 - I Agree

    I wake up on a cloud, or at least that''s what it feels like. I sit up and rub my face. I open my eyes and see that I am not on a cloud, but on white silk sheets. Silk!


    I look around, I''m in a big room. To my right there''s a large window with red drapes accented in white. A bit of light is getting filtered through the drapes.


    I guess it''s day.


    To my left there''s a writing desk and chair. On the wall directly in from of me there''s a door and a few feet from the the door there''s a dresser with a mirror above it.


    There''s a nightstand next to the bed I''m in with a fancy oil lamp and the girl¡¯s sword is laying on it. They must have thought it was mine.


    The girl!


    I jolt and fumble my way out of the bed onto the dark brown-red wooden flooring. I stomp over to the door and wrench it open.


    Outside the door a boy stands with his hand raise in fist as if he was about to knock.


    ¡°Ah, good morning sir. Your bath has been filled.¡±


    He gives me a wide smile.


    He''s dressed in in a black jacket over a grey waistcoat. Underneath he has a white shirt and a tie. He has black trousers and black shoes, polished to a shine.


    Did I somehow get carried out of the Grimes?


    He is holding a stack of neatly folded clothes with a towel on top.


    ¡°This way sir.¡±


    He turns and briskly walks down the hall, to the left.


    ¡°Hey, wait, what happened to the girl, where are we, and who are you?¡± I ask.


    The boy turns around.


    ¡°The girl is resting, we are in The Bloody Barrel, I am a humble employee, and your bath water is cooling.¡±


    So that''s why he''s so familiar. I''ve seen him before, he was always in the background of the tavern.


    He continues walking down the hall and I behind him.


    I''m glad the girl is safe, but¡­ The Bloody Barrel is a tavern, I have never seen this in the Bloody Barrel.


    ¡°The Bloody Barrel? I thought the Bloody Barrel was a tavern.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is a tavern. The second floor is not usually open to the public,¡± he says.


    ¡°Second floor? I never knew there was a second floor.¡±


    ¡°There is a staircase on the first floor, you''ve seen it for sure.¡±


    I scowl. I would have noticed a staircase, even drunk.


    We pass a few doors which I assume are other bedrooms as we walk down the hallway. Up near the ceiling attached to the wall, are evenly spaced oil lamps. They aren''t lit, probably because there is plenty of light from the occasional window. I would move the drapes and look out, but the boy isn''t stopping and it''s not important enough to keep him waiting.


    We round a corner and the boy walks up to the door closest to us. I can see the staircase down to the first floor from here, it¡¯s a few doors down the hall. I stare blankly at it.


    The boy opens the door and ushers me in.


    The room is smaller than the room I was previously in. There is a window on the wall across the door, but it''s small and high up near the ceiling. It''s not covered in drapes, but that''s probably because it''s small and high up enough no one would be able to look through anyway. It let''s in plenty of light, but if that weren''t enough there''s a lit brick fireplace on the left wall. Over the fire there''s a large pot filled with water.


    There is a copper tub right in the middle of the room, it''s filled with steaming water. Next to the tub there are wooden tables holding various jars, soaps, and other things I can''t identify. There''s a wooden bench against the wall next to the door.


    The boy puts down the clothes and towel on this bench.


    ¡°After you finish just leave your dirty clothes here. Breakfast will be ready for you down stairs. Oh, and you can throw your bandage into the fire.¡±


    The boy turns around and leaves, closing the door behind him with a quiet click.


    I stand for a while not sure what to do. Then I snap out of it and strip and place my dirty clothes on the other and of the bench from the clean clothes.


    I pick at the blood-caked cloth wrapped around my waist.


    My wound doesn''t hurt anymore. I gingerly pull at the knot and carefully peel the dirty cloth from my skin. I expect the pain of tearing open scabs, but there is no pain.


    I unwrap the cloth from my waist, dried blood flaking off.


    I look at the stab wound, except there isn''t one. I look at the pale skin around where the sword slid into my gut and poke at it cautiously. I don''t even feel an ache. I stare at my stomach wide eyed, before coming to my senses. The healer, Emmanuel, must have healed me as well.


    I toss the bandage into the fireplace and move towards the tub.


    I''ve never been in a tub.


    I can see the hammer marks on the copper, but it doesn''t make it look bad, the opposite in fact. It looks like scales wrap all the way around the bright orange tub, I quite like it.


    There is a small wooden stool under one of the tables. It''s just two small steps, but enough to comfortably get into the tub.


    I sink into the steaming water slowly. It''s quite hot, but I can feel the tension melting away, tension I didn''t know I had. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    I sit there in the tub for the first time in my life and relax. All the dirt from weeks before and blood from the more recent days washes off, I almost feel bad for the person who has to drain the water and clean the tub.


    By the time I leave the tub, I''ve scrubbed myself with three different bars of soap. They each had a different smell.


    You never realize how much dirt gets into hair until you have to wash it. When I leave the tub it''s no longer clear, pristine water to say the least.


    I dry off with the towel and get dressed.


    The clothes are simple, but soft, oh so soft.


    As I get the clothes on I decide I probably won''t be killed today.


    If Maximus is bothering with having me bathe and getting dressed he probably won''t kill me.


    I leave the room and close the door behind me. I peer both ways down the hallway and listen. No one''s here. I can''t hear noise even from the first floor.


    I make my way towards the staircase.


    How did I miss the staircase, it''s made of some dark good looking wood and it''s wide. No, how did I miss the fact that this is a two story building, I''m a regular here.


    I grab the smooth, shiny handrail and go down.


    There are unlit oil lamps on the wall as I go down. The staircase is in one of the dark corners of the tavern, but even so, it''s impossible to miss.


    The rest of the tavern is well lit.


    The tavern is completely empty. I am unsure of where to sit, so I stand around, waiting.


    The door behind the bar opens, letting out the noise of cooking, food hissing in skillets, water boiling in pots.


    The boy comes out in a rush with a tray full of food. He has a pink apron on this time.


    He slides the try onto the counter.


    ¡°Sit anywhere you like,¡± he says and then rushes back into the kitchen, closing the door behind him, cutting off the noise.


    Sounds like he''s cooking a feast.


    My mouth waters at the food on the tray. A large bowl of soup, bread, a chunk of pork, a potato, and some bamboo sprouts on the side. A strange choice of greens.


    Before I can grab the tray the door opens again suddenly, letting out the sounds again. The boy pokes his head out.


    ¡°Oh, and Maximus is waiting to speak with you out in the courtyard,¡± He points his finger to a door between the ¡®L¡¯ shaped counter and the staircase.


    ¡°Don''t keep him waiting, you can put the dishes on the counter when you''re done.¡±


    His head disappears and the door closes, letting silence settle down again.


    I grab the tray and sit at the table closest to me. I cram the food into my mouth as fast as I can. I slip the potato in my pocket, as a snack for later, just in case.


    I finish the food and put the tray on the counter. I then step out the door and into shade.


    There are wooden columns holding up the floor above me. I am standing under where the staircase leads.


    The floor here is cobblestone, but not like the cobblestone in the Grimes. It''s clean and smooth, not filled with potholes. It would have been a celler if not for the fact that it opens into a sunny, grassy field further away from the door.


    It looks like the entire second floor is held by a bunch of wooden support columns down here. The walls and floor are cobblestone. Along the walls there are a few wooden chests and benches.


    I move out from under the second floor and onto the grass. Out in the middle of the field towers a tree and under that tree there''s bench. That''s where I head.


    I stare in wonder as I walk over.


    This is almost surreal, in the middle of the Grimes there''s actually a place like this.


    There are flowers growing among the grasses. A warm breeze blows against my skin. One can forget they are even in the Grimes.


    I stand under the shade of tree, waiting for Maximus.


    Behind the tree there''s a large wooden platform.


    On this platform there''s a bunch of training dummies and on one side are a bunch of wooden posts jutting out from the platform.


    Some sort of training ground.


    Wrapped around the perimeter of the courtyard is the second floor of the Bloody Barrel. The windows all look into the courtyard, as if they were judging those who step onto the grassy field.


    There¡¯s the sound of a ¡®clink¡¯ behind me.


    I whirl around in surprise.


    Maximus is sitting on the bench, holding a little plate with a cup of tea on it.


    He''s looking at me.


    He wasn''t there before.


    ¡°And so you live,¡± he states.


    I don''t know what to say in reply, so I just nod.


    He reclines into the bench and puts the cup of tea beside himself. He starts slowly tapping the armrest with one long finger as he reclines.


    ¡°It seems, that I was wrong again. Here you stand, alive, not claimed by the Abyss.¡±


    I shrug, slightly mad. He sent me to die. I understand I deserved it, still do, but I still don''t feel good about it.


    ¡°You should not have been able to break my suggestion, but I am glad that you managed. That girl¡­¡± Maximus hesitates. ¡°Tell me how you found her.¡±


    ¡°There''s not much to tell. I found her in a cave that leads to where my team was wiped out. She triggered a trap, some sort of flame trap I guess.¡±


    At that I remember the tripwire that I left in my old clothes, I''m going to need to get that.


    ¡°Can I go see her?¡± I ask.


    Maximus waves me off, ¡°Later, tell me more. Was she conscious when you found her? Did she have anything or anyone with her?¡±


    I unhappily answer, ¡°No, there wasn''t anyone there, well, she was conscious and asked about someone named Nikolai, but he wasn''t anywhere around there. ¡±


    Maximus¡¯s eyes widen ever so slightly, as if he were surprised, but it''s gone so quick I can''t help but think I imagined it.


    ¡°That sword, the one in my room, it''s hers not mine.¡±


    ¡°When you see her you''ll be able to return it to her,¡± Maximus says this while lost in thought.


    Maybe I didn''t imagine it after all, this Nikolai may be important.


    ¡°Who is Nikolai?¡±


    Maximus refocuses on me, ¡°Hmm, he''s nobody, I was just wondering why he was down there. No, the real question is what will you do now.¡±


    Maximus stands, he''s only a bit taller than me, but it feels like he towers above me. Pressure falls on me.


    ¡°Will you go back to the Abyss, or will you go back to earning pennies for the rotgut you so love, maybe you''ll just curl up in an alley somewhere and wait for death?¡±


    ¡°I- no. I don''t know. I want to live.¡±


    ¡°You want to live? For you, all roads lead to death. The only choice you have is how.¡±


    Maximus steps away and the pressure disperses.


    ¡°When the girl wakes up I will offer her a place here. And I offer you something a little different. I want you to stay by her, watch over her, and give your life for hers if need be. If she accepts, you will stay here with her, if not, I want you to go wherever she goes.¡±


    ¡°What if she doesn''t want me around and you say offer but I don''t see what''s in it for me,¡± I say.


    ¡°The answer to both questions is that I will teach you. I prefer for her to let you stick around, but if she does not agree and does not stay here I will teach you how to track and how to keep up with her, how to stay hidden, how fight to protect her, and a few other things. And if she agrees to stay, I will teach her as well. The Abyss will draw her in again, as it does to most.¡±


    ¡°So you will teach me if I decide to watch over her?¡±


    Maximus nods, ¡°Don''t get me wrong, your only other choice is death, right here, right now.¡±


    I can¡¯t say that caught me off guard.


    ¡°How long do I watch after her.¡±


    ¡°However long it takes her to be able to at least finish an Abyss. You won''t be able to protect her from too much that she can¡¯t protect herself from, but two people is better than one and I would like to know her progress,¡± Maximus says.


    ¡°Wait you want me to spy on her?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing of the sort. I don''t want you to betray her trust, but if there¡¯s anything you and her can¡¯t deal with I would like to know.¡±


    I contemplate for a second.


    ¡°I agree.¡±

 Chapter 9 - Boots

    I wake up feeling a bit strange, tingley is the word. I stare up at the wooden ceiling above my head.


    My back itches, but I can''t find the will to scratch. I just lay here in this bed, staring.


    I feel a wrenching in my chest, stomach flipping, like when running in the rooftops and hitting a wet patch, the panic and sense of doom. But I''m not running on rooftops.


    There''s a lit candle on a stand next to my bed, the light from the flickering flame casts the shadows in the room into turmoil.


    I shift my head to look around, but I''m not interested enough to get up, I feel like a bystander in my body, unfeeling, uncaring, and unbiased, other than that incessant itching. There''s some red drapes covering what must be a window, but no light comes through. The information comes in lazily and dispassionately, like the faint wisps of smoke from the candle.


    The details float around in my head for a while as I stare blankly at the dancing shadows.


    Eventually the thoughts drift together and I come to the conclusion that it''s nighttime.


    ¡°Hey, uh, you awake?¡± a rough voice asks hesitantly.


    The voice came from the other side of the room.


    I slowly turn my head in that direction, I can''t muster enough energy to care that there''s a stranger in a room that I was sleeping in.


    There''s a big, well built man sitting on a wooden chair a few feet away.


    He''s looking at me with something that I think might be concern in his eyes.


    I stare blankly at him.


    ¡°¡­ you alright?¡±, He looks at me with clear discomfort.


    ¡°There''s no need for tears, I ain''t going to do nothing. You¡¯re perfectly safe.¡±


    I continue to stare at him.


    He grimaces a little, ¡°Ah, I''ll just go get someone.¡±


    The man stands up and almost rushes out my sight.


    ¡°I ain''t that ugly.¡± I just barely catch him mutter as he leaves.


    I hear a door open and the man''s heavy footsteps fading away.


    What did he mean crying?


    I snake my hand out from under the soft blanket and touch my face. My fingertips come away wet, but I don''t understand why.


    I don''t feel particularly sad. I feel like a cloud. I turn my head back to stare at the ceiling while my eyes keep pouring out tears, my vision goes blurry, but I don''t bother wiping my face as the tears stream down.


    The sound of footsteps comes back, though a bit different. These footsteps are perfectly measured, steadily closing in.


    There are two knocks on the open door and the footsteps are in the room.


    ¡°I hear you are feeling unwell, are you?¡±


    The footsteps belong to a tall man. He looks in my eyes, matching my uncaring gaze with his cold swirling pools of black, eyes, if you wanted to be technical.


    I flinch back and look away from his eyes, back to staring at the ceiling. I ignore his question, not for any other reason than just not wanting to answer.


    The man waits for a minute before finally losing his patience, he sighs as if about to do something distasteful.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask again, are you unwell?¡±


    My eyes gravitate back towards him, not of my will. A pressure of sorts settles on me, forcing me to acknowledge him and his question.


    A burning ember ignites in my chest. A slow burning fury at the pressure, forcing me to do something I do not wish to do. I try to resist the compulsion to acknowledge the man and his question, but the pressure is unrelenting and even through my anger I can¡¯t disregard the man.


    In a small measure of defiance, I keep my mouth shut and only acknowledge the man with a small shake of my head. It seems that was enough and the pressure disappears.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± the tall man asks.


    I rally up the shreds of my will in preparation to resist the compulsion, but there¡¯s no pressure this time. So I ignore him.


    ¡°Can you tell me about what you saw in the Abyss?¡±


    Still I ignore him.


    ¡°Where is Nikolai?¡±


    The question struck like a bolt of lightning. This time I can feel the tears welling up, I pull up the covers over my head and curl up into a ball, silently weeping.


    The man sighs and I hear footsteps receding. I hear the click of the door closing, but I pay no mind to it, focusing on the question ¡°Where is Nikolai?¡± while tears stream down my face.


    The tall man¡¯s silky voice makes its way into my room from behind the door, answering a question that was not spoken.


    ¡°She will be alright, you may leave her alone.¡±


    <hr>


    I woke to the sun filtering through the drapes and hunger gnawing at my stomach. Motes of dust slowly drift in the rays of light.


    The candle has long since burned down to a nub.


    I raise my hand to feel the sunlight on my skin. It''s warm. That''s not at all how I should feel. I should be cold and damp and hungry. I should be with Nikolai, dead or dying. I shouldn''t be relieved to be alive, but I am.


    My hand drops to the covers and I ball my hands up into fists, strangling the covers. I sigh shakily and release the covers from my death-grip. I smooth the wrinkles out in reconciliation. No sense in murdering innocent bedding.


    As I slip out of bed I feel an uncomfortable tightness across my entire back. Mute horror creeps up on me as I awkwardly bend my arms over my shoulders to touch my back with my fingertips. It feels as if it were crumpled paper that was half-heartedly smoothed. I choke a strangled sob down before it escapes.


    Not only did the Abyss take Nikolai, it took what little beauty I had.


    The horror turns into cold revulsion as a shiver racks my entire body, I can¡¯t stand to touch my own skin anymore, so I don''t. I look at my trembling pale hands and resist the urge to wipe them. It would be of no use anyway.


    I remember tripping, falling, then a flash of that horrible red light, and the heat. I couldn''t see it, but I knew what was coming, and then it came, and the horrible pain with it. And it was over so fast, too fast. It came and it took. And it was all over in an instant.


    My stomach grumbles, breaking the cycle of disgust that I was caught in. I look around for something to dress into, only dimly recognizing that someone must have undressed and washed me while I was unconscious. The chair next to the bed, the one where the man was sitting, has some folded clothes, presumably for my use.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    How nice.


    A look over the clothes reveals that it''s just a normal white shirt and ordinary pants, neither of which belonged to me. I wonder if someone bought these for me. I suppose that''s why they are in this room.


    I dress quickly, though a shiver of revulsion runs through my entire body as I lift my arms to get the shirt on and the scarring stretches uncomfortably. I tug at the shirt to settle it on my unnaturally thin frame. The shirt is a tad big on me, but I guess that''s because they don''t make shirts in size: starved. I brush my hand through my hair to straighten it as best I can and realize it''s far shorter than it should be. It doesn''t even clear my shoulders in length.


    Of course. It was burnt along with my back; someone had to have cut my hair. I wish that I could see it. I resignedly feel the undoubtedly ugly haircut. Though I wouldn''t have done a much better job, it still rankles me that someone other than me took blade to my hair, no matter how necessary.


    Enough lamenting on things that won''t change. I open the door into a hallway. I peek my head out, though I''m not sure what I would do if someone was around.


    Now that I think about it peeking just my head out really does nothing. I sheepishly walk out into the hall and close the door. Luckily there is no one in the hall to have seen me.


    To my right I can see one other door, presumably to another room, and the end of the hallway after that. To my left there are more doors and the hallway makes a turn.


    I''m not about to even try to peek in any of these rooms, tall, dark, and scary might be in one of them after all.


    I creep along the hallway feeling extremely uncomfortable, I still don''t know where I am.


    I feel the soft carpeting on my bare feet as I walk and realize how outclassed I am here, is this even in the Grimes? The paint on the walls doesn''t flake off, there are no stains, the oil lamps are hung evenly and there is no smell of shit.


    I turn the corner and more hallway greets my eyes. This time there are no rooms on the left side, just wall and and a staircase. The right side has a few doors though. The hall makes another turn to the right at the very end.


    I pad over to the staircase and decide might as well go down, hopefully I can find some food and maybe figure out where I am, knowing how I got here would be nice too.


    The cool wooden staircase kisses my feet as I walk down.


    The room is large and filled with tables, some occupied with pockets of people, most nursing drinks and quietly conversing. The room is well lit with the same kind of oil lamps as in the hall. I take note of a door, it''s probably the exit considering it''s larger than any other doors I''ve seen here.


    I also take note of the floor, it''s wooden, which is fairly uncommon for what I think this building is. Why spend money on flooring if it''s going to be covered in filth, unless you spend an ungodly amount of time cleaning it, or even less likely, people don''t vomit and piss all over it. I gingerly step onto the floor, looking out for any weird stains, or possibly piles of shit, but to my surprise the floor is clear of any defecate.


    I wish I had shoes in any case.


    As I stand there at the bottom of the staircase I notice a strange trick of the light. The room is clearly well lit, but this small corner of the room with the staircase is¡­. not, even with an oil lamp right next to the staircase. And no one even glances over to me, not that I expect to grab attention, but still, my movement should at least draw a few looks. Weird. Must be some sort of Aether thing. Probably Tall, Dark, and Gloomys¡¯ doing.


    I decide to take advantage of the situation to listen in on the nearest conversation.


    ¡°... become shit soon.¡± I catch the last part of a sentence from a bald man with red eyebrows.


    The man''s companion, an ugly brown-haired man with a big nose waves his hand, ¡°This place is already shit.¡±


    ¡°Yea, but you know, it''s gonna be even more shit with all them Delvers roaming the streets, sightseeing.¡± The man with the red eyebrows says bitterly, practically spitting the last word.


    The ugly guy shrugs, ¡°I don''t think it can get much worse, we just havta be careful who we mess with, so nothing different. ¡®Sides with all them moneybags walking ¡®round, who''s to say we won''t get lucky?¡±


    The man raises his red eyebrows, ¡°I didn''t think you were a fuckin idiot.¡± He wheezes out a dry laugh, ¡°You try and take a single speck of dust off a Delver and you''ll find yourself whooped up and down the Grimes. They''ll beat the living shit outta ya, and then let you live cause you aint worth the effort of killing.¡±


    The ugly man scowls, ¡°I didn''t mean the Delvers, you dumb bag¡¯a rocks, I meant the merchants, those bastard bloodhounds can smell money to be skiffed ten thousand leagues away. They''ll be following after the Delvers, mark my words¡±


    The red-browed man grunts and stares into his cup in contemplation. After a moment, ¡°Ey, you might be right.¡± He gives ugly a scrutinizing look, ¡°I didn''t think there was a brain small enough to fit behind that big ass nose or yers.¡±


    ¡°You are both stupid.¡± A man from another table of three calls out.


    Red-brows stands up and glares at the man, ¡°What''s it to you bastard.¡±


    ¡°Nothin, just want you to keep it down or your stupidity will spread.¡±


    Red-brows bristles and grips his cup tighter. Before anything could happen, the tension is cut apart by the sound of glass being put down on a counter with perhaps more force than necessary. The sound echos unnaturally and all the conversations die, everyone secretly, but not so secretly, glances over at the bartender, who I didn''t even notice before now.


    Oh hey. It''s Tall, Dark, and Gloomy.


    He continues to wipe down the table as if nothing happened.


    Red-brows sits down with a grumble.


    The guy from the other table continues, though more subdued than before, ¡°The merchants won''t be in this shit hole, they gonna cozy up behind the walls, in the Fringes and the Upper City. The guards won''t touch the Delvers when they need to go up to the merchants, but us? Nah, we won''t ever see them.¡± The man takes a drink and the conversation takes a turn into the territory of boring, another fight happened and people died or some such.


    I scuttle around to the counter, still keeping an eye out for shit. I find one of those really tall chairs in a corner next to the counter and sit down. By then I''m pretty sure people noticed me, the atmosphere changed a little, though I''m not really sure to what it changed to.


    The bartender looks up at me.


    ¡°You are Hermione.¡±


    I nod sheepishly, I remember the awkward interrogation.


    ¡°What''s your name? I ask him.


    Calling him Tall, Dark, and Gloomy is fine and all, but it''s kind of a mouthful.


    The room noticeably decreases in volume. Now I feel like I must have asked something stupid.


    ¡°I am called Maximus. Though that is a little bit of a mouthful, you may call me Max.¡± He smiles a little as he says that but with the vibes he gives off I don''t think the smile fooled anyone.


    Oh. Oh.


    I smile a little out of nervousness, ¡°Maximus as in, Lord Maximus?¡±


    ¡°Goodness no, though I may have some blood ties to nobility they are not nearly enough to give such a title. No, the Lords and Ladies reside in the Upper City. I''m just the humble owner of this establishment.¡± He flashes another fake smile and waits for me to process what he just said.


    ¡°Ah, okay.¡±


    He''s definitely a Grime Lord. I haven''t heard of anyone else by the name of Maximus.


    ¡°Thank you, you know, for healing me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that was not me. The one who healed you was¡­ a colleague. I will relay your thanks when we next meet.¡± He says.


    ¡°Still, thank you for letting me stay here.¡±


    He nods, ¡°It was entirely my pleasure. Ah, my apologies, you must be hungry.¡±


    ¡°Ah, N-no, I''m alright. I think it''s time for me to go.¡±


    I start standing from my seat, I really should leave while I still haven''t messed anything up.


    ¡°Oh no, I must insist you stay for something to eat. I cannot in good conscious let you leave my care hungry.¡± I can hear a bit of danger in his voice now.


    I sit back down. Now I can''t leave. Well, I can, but that would infringe on his ¡®good conscious¡¯ and I would rather not.


    ¡°Besides,¡± He continues. ¡°I haven''t given you your boots yet.¡± This time his smile does look genuinely amused.


    I can''t help the flash of heat that crawls up my neck.


    He noticed my caution with his floors. How embarrassing.


    I try to recover, ¡°My boots made it out of the¡­ fire?


    Maximus calls out to the door behind him, ¡° Derek! Food for Hermione.¡±


    Then he turns to address me, ¡°No, your boots did not make it out whole, unfortunately. I took the liberty of disposing of them and ordering a new pair made for you, I hope that won''t be an issue?


    I''m pretty sure my mouth is open right now as I struggle to wrap my head around the situation. There''s just too much going on - is it normal to order boots for people you don''t even know?


    ¡°Ah, no, that''s not an issue¡± I squeak out after I regain control of my mouth.


    A boy, Derek I think, comes out the door behind Maximus carrying a tray of food. He sets down the tray in front of me and flees back behind the door.


    I look down and realize there''s food I haven''t ever seen before, crisp golden wedges that I intellectually know must be potatoes, but are so different than what I had come to know of such a food they can''t possibly be the same thing. There''s a bowl with steam wafting off filled with a golden liquid with chunks of something floating around. Some kind of green plant, and a good chunk of perfectly browned meat. And the smell¡­ like heaven.


    I dig in with no shame. I haven''t eaten in days after all.


    As I''m eating the last of the potatoes Maximus reaches under the counter and pulls out a bundled form. He moves my ravaged tray of food over and places the bundle in front of me.


    ¡°I nearly forgot.¡± He lies, ¡°This is yours.¡± A sword is revealed as he unbundles it.


    ¡°Henry wanted to put it in your room, but changed his mind as he didn''t want to be stabbed again. We decided it was best to give it to you when you were more lucid.¡±


    Who''s Henry? And I don''t recall stabbing anyone. I hadn''t even seen, much less held, the sword before the Abyss


    But before I could so much as voice my questions he moved on.


    His demeanor changed subtly, I wouldn''t say it became serious - he is always serious from what I''ve seen - but it became more. Just¡­ more.


    ¡°Would you like to accept my tutelage?¡± His smile is a mere shadow of his previous ones, but this is perhaps the most genuine expression I have seen yet from him.


    And for what seemed like the thousandth time today, my brain quits.


    In the end what brought me back into reality was the sound of an alcoholic beverage spewing forth from Red-brows¡¯ mouth and the verbally expressed outrage from Ugly as he took the brunt of it.


    Red-brows tried to muffle his violet coughing as his lungs tried to expel the liquid. He managed to wrangle it down to repeated throat clearing - alcohol still dripping down his chin and table - and pretended that he wasn''t listening in on our conversation¡­ along with everyone else.


    I say the only thing that comes to mind.


    ¡°Yea. I would.¡±


    This might be my only chance to find Nikolai, if he''s even still alive, but I can''t imagine him in any other state of being.