1st of October, 428.

We found refuge around a fallen Anchoring Pillar. Denizens don’t dare to approach it. The small island of stable reality allowed us to refill our water supply. However, Agrid senses the presence of the bristled jumper. It’s lurking outside the pillar’s range. █████ spiders can ████████. I’m going to immerse my relic in the slippery ooze and show that hairy son of byss who’s the hunter.

Censored obscenities. - Delving Bureau

2nd of October, 428.

Note. If you make a solid relic absorb liquid relic into its structure, make sure to seal the leaks with lacquer of some kind. Delving foil will do in a pinch, as long as there is no real matter in it, but stability fragments are best if you have them handy. Also, the spider is dead. Boooyah! Who’s boss? Not the spider, that’s who.

A crude doodle of a gigantic crab-like spider lying on its back followed the last entry in the delving log. This is it, gold. Pure gold! His pen moving in a frenzied dash, Felix copied the details about combining solid and liquid relics into his notebook. Two days of public archives had finally paid off.

Felix closed the binder on Jåhan Stormsson, and shifted through the pile of binders he’d previously discarded. Red, no was it blue? He opened the red one and skimmed some entries before switching to the blue one. A few minutes of page flipping later, Felix found the spot.

25st of May, 496.

Following the compass to Surface, we chanced upon a mildly curious location. The main cavern is a tall tube roughly fifty meters in diameter with knobby walls of smooth stone. Walls are wet and, in many places, overgrown by white algae. The true wonder of this place, however, is the gravity defying water formations. Asymmetric blobs of dark water cling to the cavern walls and float in free space above our heads. Thin streams dance between some of the water spheres. Others merge and split. There is an indescribable rhythm to their movements, as if the bodies of water dance to their own secret melody. It’s possible the water possesses emotion, if not limited sentience. Considering the presence of fuzzy filius near the entrance, I estimate our location as being on the outskirts of the Squirming Abyss. In case the location was not yet named, I shall christen it the Ball of Water.

Note. Despite my attempts to dissuade him, one of my delving companions released a spineharrow from the Crushing Abyss into the water.

26th of May, 496. Timewobble corrected date: 30th of May. - Delving Bureau

We are anticipating correspondence from the team operating one of Half-Valley’s deep lifts. It bears mentioning that water one of my delving companions extracted from Ball of Water still retains its gravity defying properties, much to the delight of my companions, who have been toying with a floating canteen. Furthermore, the Ball of Water is only four turns deep from this lift location (the Red Northern Pier), and can be found easily by following oddly behaving water droplets. I recommend it as a place to pause for anyone on their way to the Crushing Abyss.

Felix copied the notes word for word, and underlined both ‘gravity defying water’ and ‘minor sentience’ twice. His mood and body floated on inspiration, as his imagination raced. Would the water let him float, fly, or just reduce his weight? All three had fantastic utility applications. Plus, based on Hannes’ relic and his notes, the Dreaming Abyss’ domain fragment seemed to synergize with anything dream-like.

From records of others using the domain fragments of the Dreaming Abyss, Felix could somewhat anticipate what it did to a relic. It seemed dream-like movements, dream-like interaction with the world, illusory abilities, and dream manifestation abilities were the most probable changes.

Though, besides those four was a long list of wacky and outright useless abilities too. It would be a gamble to use. That’s fine. Even if he couldn’t control what the fragment did, Felix had a hunch it would be something awesome.

He hurried between narrow aisles of dusty shelves, reselfing the mountain of binders spread over one of the library workspace desks. Bii followed along. It pinged excitedly, perhaps sensing that they were going to the Abyss?

Leaving the basement room log archives, Felix passed by the librarian’s desk. “Hey. Nothing to borrow this time.”

Rubert, the library assistant nodded lazily and waved at Felix. Sunken eyes, wrinkled face, and permanently haggard appearance made him seem like the walking personification of weariness. He was a pleasant fellow, if pitiful. A relic had possessed his legs, turning them into a useless mass of red tentacles, which left the man wheelchair bound. “Have a good day,” Rubert said, returning to slowly scratching a pen over paper.

“Thanks! You have a great day, Rubert.” Felix was at the door, when he spun around, remembering. “Rubert, did you have time to check up on my question yet?”

“Hmm.” Rubert scratched his veiny neck, eyes squinting. “Right. Right. The fortress. Sorry kid.” He returned to writing behind the desk. “Information about the Hollow Conservatory is classified to lead torches and above. Gotta apply for an exception from the Delving Bureau, if you wanna read it. Tho wouldn’t get my hopes up.”

“Why is that?”

Rubert sighed with supreme effort. “Bureau don’t much reply to non-delvers. Not unless you run a vital business or work for the guilds.”

“Huh? That’s fine.” Felix was sure he could get Hannes to do it. “Thanks again.”

Rubert grunted something, seemingly relieved by Felix’s departure.

Walking into the warm sun, Felix couldn’t help but grin. Finally, he felt like his life was moving on from perpetual limbo of interviews and bonk-poop picking. “Great news Bii! We have a clue to follow. Though, I’ve gotta say, your friend ‘S’ being involved in classified business is giving me bad vibes. Are you sure, like hundred percent certain, your friend wasn’t a traitor of some kind? I’m not claiming Lord Sofie is perfect, but saying she would steal from her own country. Thaat’s a serious accusation.”

Bii pinged rapidly, waving its feelers and paws around. It seemed… upset?

“Oh, don’t worry Bii. That’s not what I meant,” said Felix apologetically. “I'd rather not make a habit of fixing criminal mistakes by committing another. That’s all. I’ll still help you deliver your message.”

Bii kept on pinging and gesturing. Felix turned.

“Hey, all good, buddy?” Erik greeted Felix with an uneasy smile and a big bruise on his brow.

He was with a tall guy Felix had never seen, and he’d remember. The ensemble of his eyes being nearly squinted shut, rounded eyebrows, dimples, and closed-lip smile was oddly memorable, if a little off putting. A thick braid of dirt-blonde hair rested on his muscular shoulder. Stains on his sleeveless white shirt and delving pants meant he was either a gardener, or wore the pants for their intended purpose.

“Sure,” Felix hesitated, holding himself from exploding at Erik. “I’m busy. See you around.” He took off.

“Felix, wait. I just need a quick word.” Erik took a running step, but was stopped by his friend. The man’s smile shifted, though Felix couldn’t tell the emotion behind it.

His voice was firm and his mannerism proper. “Felix, correct? I’m Stefan. I understand things are not all sunny with you and Erik right now, so I won’t bother you for long. From what he told me, you found a denizen and a note of some kind along with this. Would you show it to me?”

Stefan kept smiling, hands behind his back. Beside the orb shaped bulge in his pocket hung a copper lantern of a strange spiraling taper design. In it burned silverflame.

Felix drew calm normal breaths like a normal non-nervous person. No way in all of Abyss had Mrs. Gunhild given the orb willingly. What happened? Did they rob her? Extort her? Or… No way. Erik wouldn’t go that far. Whatever the case, better play along and skedaddle ASAP.

“Don’t have it with me,” Felix lied, reaching for a pen, “but I can write you a copy.”

“Mm. That’s a shame.” Stefan pursed his lips, still smiling. “I presumed it was the note in your left pocket, or is that something else?”

Felix froze, a hand hovering protectively over the pocket. He cursed internally. It was a piece of foil. No point risking anything for it.

“Okay, sorry about that. Totally forgot I left it there.” Felix pulled it out and gestured at Erik and Stefan. “Listen. You do you. Don’t get me involved. As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing in your pocket.”

“Felix, you could get in on—”

“Erik.” Stefan held a hand to pause Erik mid-sentence. “You’re a good friend. Reliable. Responsible. But if someone refuses to accept you, it’s best you don’t push. Thank you, Felix. If you change your mind, don’t hesitate to contact me. As far as I’m concerned, you deserve a portion of your discovery.”

“Thanks for the offer. I’ll keep it in mind.” Funny how joining their band of crooks was a prerequisite for receiving what he supposedly ‘deserved’. Felix kept the remark to himself, smiling broadly as he handed him the note. “Here you go.”

Bii continued to protest, pinging desperately.

“Thank you.” Stefan scanned it. His smile relaxed and eyes opened ever so slightly, as if in recognition. The man touched his chin, kneeling to speak with Bii. “Now, you understand humans, don’t you little friend? It would be best for all of us if you came with me.” Stefan tilted his head, reaching out towards Bii.

Bii stood on the tips of its paws, its back curled. A soft white glow pulsed through its fur, discharging in a distortion of sounds when its feelers slapped Stefan’s hand. The man staggered backwards, a palm to his head as he struggled for balance. A wild chaos of emotions played on his face, contorting it between snarls and terror.

“Felix, what in Byss did it do?” Erik shouted.

Felix took a step back, raising his hands. “I… I don’t know. I swear. This wasn’t me.”

“Stefan!” a man shouted some distance away.

Three extras, whom Felix hadn’t noticed, rushed to Stefan. Two masked their faces under hoods and scarves. One wore red and the other green. Third had a mean, mean face, like someone had combed through a hundred wanted posters, picked the crookiest features, and cursed one man with them all.

Way before Stefan shouted out, Felix knew what to do: Catch Bii, hand him to Stefan, apologize, and forget he ever saw the denizen. He’d known the little guy for three days. Sure, he did owe Bii for taking his potency orb, but if the price of integrity is a beating, it loses some of its lure.

“GRAB IT!” shouted Stefan. Gone was his pretense of pleasantness, replaced by violent fury.

Felix scooped up a confused Bii, apologizing profusely while stroking it. “Sooo sorry about that. Sorry, just wait a moment. Here, take it...”

Stefan blinked twice, giving Felix a blank stare.

Holding Bii out towards the confused man. He had a quick and easy way to get out of this without pain, which is why Felix cursed at himself, while manifesting his relic, and yelling out, “Bii, again!”