[Chapter 27] Dawn – The Blue Abyss

-------------------------------

At least there’s a railing now. Dawn carefully appraised the remodeled airship. Nero knew mother would’ve said yes. Wise does that too.

Lily had woken them early to go assemble at the docks. Dawn remembered her look of pity. I can’t even be angry. It’d be stranger to travel somewhere without bottomless drops. They’re bloody everywhere.

Without warning, a small vessel swooped in and twirled to park with a one-eighty. He’s here. Emerit strode out in his flamboyant robes, holding a bag and a leash. Giving the latter a tug, a four-legged animal ambled reluctantly into view.

“What’s that?” Silver asked.

“It’s——” Emerit proclaimed grandly, “——a goat.”

“And why…?” Silver persisted.

“All in due time.” Emerit answered cryptically. “Is everyone ready? Let’s go.”

Soon Exodia ——the name Light had selected pending Astra’s approval—— was soaring above the Blue Abyss. Dawn gazed at the sparkling expanse. Funny, it doesn’t scare me much. She knew she could endure a fall into water from any height. Of course, I wouldn’t survive what’d happened afterwards…

Kate and Silver were up front chatting. They have their surface-gripping ability. Even without that, Exodia had acquired a wind tunnel, a stabilizing field which burrowed through the air creating a calm zone. It’s a luxury affording comfort and convenience, which is why we didn’t originally have it.

Not that’d you catch me there. Dawn glanced towards the rear where the deck was covered in roots. Free had been concerned when Emerit had tethered the poor animal out back. She’s anchored them both there.

The rest were inside with her. Light was brooding and Wise napping. Soul and Rose were at the helm, having taken Emerit’s offer to teach them piloting.

Dawn frowned remembering her brother’s newly acquired sword. If he masters that thing… While apprehensive, she refused to contemplate losing. That doesn’t mean training harder wouldn’t hurt. Yes, definitively.

“Here’s a good spot.” Emerit slowed the ship. “Can I leave the controls to you?”

“Sure,” Soul slipped into the driver’s seat. “But what are you up to?”

“It’s time for the goat.” Emerit expressed exuberantly.

Grabbing his bag, he headed outside, “Could you remove the roots?”

“Sure,” Free said.

“Thanks,” Emerit brought out a harness and some rope.

“What are you doing?” Free demanded anxiously.

“It’s best to witness the Blue Abyss’s danger with your own eyes.” Emerit answered.

“You aren’t planning on feeding this wonderful goat to the sharks?” Free guessed. Roots rose to form a defensive wall. “I won’t let you!”

Emerit realized there might be a problem, “This is a valuable learning experience. To reach the wall, you must be willing to——”

“This is a wanton cruelty.” Free retorted. Emerit appeared lost.

“I’ll take care of this.” Rose said, sending everyone inside.

They waited while the two sisters talked quietly. Emerit was distraught. “You shouldn’t have let her spend so much time with the animal if its purpose was bait.” Soul offered.

“True,” Emerit admitted. “I really pray Rose comes through. I don’t want to care for a goat all day…”

“On another note,” Kate chimed in. “Didn’t you have classes today? I though you were super popular.”

“I canceled them all!” He declared proudly.

“WHAT?” Kate exclaimed.

“It pays to get close to ‘main characters’.” Emerit explained patiently. “You eight are definitely a focal point to some narrative. When Astra offered the chance, I jumped on it.” That thinking is a little extreme.

Rose entered with Free in tow, “We’ve come to a resolution.”

“Yes,” Free confirmed. “We promised Hope to bring back fantastical tales. The goat shall be a sacrifice towards this noble purpose.”

“Don’t disappoint.” She added, glaring.

Soon the goat was swinging a hundred and twenty feet below. “Alright,” Emerit called out. “Lower us until we’re two hundred feet up.”

“Isn’t that too high?” Rose asked.

“Nope. Some can reach that far. It’s quite a sight.”

Curiosity won out, and Dawn joined them. It’s surprisingly loud, she noted at the disturbing high-pitch bleating.

“It’d better be worth it.” Free said blankly. I bet it will. Fins were already circling, and huge torsos were visible under the waves.

“Why’d they appear so fast?” Rose wondered. “Is it the noise?”

Emerit shook his head, “No one knows for certain. The prevailing theory is it’s something akin to a Sublime Vagary shared by all creatures of the Blue Abyss. They’re alerted when something approaches the surface.” So an ability like the assassin’s stealth, but for fish?

“By the way,” He added. “The rope’s length is for safety. There are things in the Blue Abyss besides sharks. Two hundred feet is considered the minimum safe distance.”

We’ve reached that height. Below monsters wandered impatiently.

“What now?” Soul asked.

“We wait,” Emerit leaned on the railing. “Watch the large ones. They’ll disappear and come back up to jump. It’ll take a few tries.”

“One dove under,” Light said excitedly. This recovered his spirit.

“And there goes another.” Silver pointed. Dawn saw the giant fin submerge too. It wasn’t alone in vanishing. Wait a minute…

“They’re all gone…” Dawn muttered.

“Soul, GO UP! Right now, full speed!” Wise yelled at the top of his lungs. I’ve never seen him so panicked. Even the Laughing Man wasn’t this bad.

The ship rose rapidly, jerking them off-balance while Wise gazed down, blood drained from his face. Even Kate understood what this meant. Only Emerit was out of the loop, dismayed and confused. Then his eyes opened in shock. A moment later, Dawn felt it too. Death is coming from below.

She glimpsed a dark outline before the ocean exploded. From the splash, a giant mouth shot towards them. That could swallow a coliseum. In the gapping maw were thousands of inner-facing, saw-like teeth. The dangling goat was engulfed as the beast shot upwards. Just before catching them, the jaws snapped shut just short. Soul brought them to a halt as the eyeless, worm-like mass slowly fell back into the churching water.

Stunned, everyone stared at the swaying, severed rope. The first to recover was Free, “At least the goat’s death wasn’t in vain.” Agreed, this definitely makes a thrilling account.

“That’s not normal, even for the Blue Abyss.” Emerit appeared the most shocked. “That… worm reached up over three hundred feet… My god, several airships have gone missing over the past months. It must be responsible.”

“I must alert the Guild.” Emerit retreated to the cabin and took over from Soul. Dawn followed him, returning to her seat and closing her eyes. That was a close. She sensed Soul and Rose approach.

“We’re going to ask Wise about last night.” Soul told her. “Care to join?”

“Why not speak to Light?” Dawn inquired.

“You saw him sulking.” Soul glanced to their excited brother. “We don’t want to sour his mood. It may be taxing, but I’m sure Wise understands.” Outside, the person in question nodded.

“Logical enough. I’m in.” Dawn was intrigued about the incident which had prompted this wonderful voyage.

“Let’s head below.” Rose said.

“Below?” Dawn was puzzled.

“Didn’t you explore the interior?” Rose said tiredly. No, I found my belongings already unloaded and had no reason to venture inside. “There’s a lounge there. It’s all different.”

What previously had been one large cargo bay had been divided into two crew cabins, a seating area, a kitchen with dinning table, and a small storage space. Dawn was impressed, “How’d they manage this?”

“Time manipulation.” Wise answered. “At Xarst, they’ve isolated workshops where they labor for weeks, or even months, and then return to the present. It’s energy intensive, but safely avoid paradoxes.” I’ll take your word for it.

Dawn secretly thanked Astra while appreciating the changes. Although most airship had windows in their hulls, Exodia bucked the trend with its utilitarian focus. Nero’s redesign had respected this.

Once installed, Wise recounted the previous night’s events. We should’ve predicted this. Soul thought so too, by his wince.

“Will he try again?” Soul asked.

Wise shook his head, “Sorry, there’s no answer.” So he’s keeping quiet…

“Should we help?” Dawn asked.

“What?” Soul exclaimed.

“Only ten remain. You and I could take them on ourselves if we aren’t protecting anyone. Free can deal with poisons, and Wise ambushes… It’d be more effective than whatever Light tries alone.”

“What about your fears?” Soul pressed. “You heard the story. Tracking them will require rapid vertical movement.”

“That’s…” …true, Dawn admitted.

“I approve.” Rose announced. “They’re a threat which must be dealt with. It’d lighten Astra’s load. Not to mention, at this rate, either Light or Hope will wind up dead.”

Soul peered at Rose, “I didn’t expect this from you. Eliminating the assassins doesn’t guarantee anything. More could be sent. Why so enthusiastic?”

“You’re right, I’ve another motive.” Rose acknowledged. “There have been two terrorist attacks on the Isle. Those had to have been planned somewhere. Then there’s Arther’s death. Where was he lured to? Call it a hunch, but if we find the assassins’ hideaway, we might uncover the full mystery.” She’s playing detective.

“You’re saying,” Soul interpreted. “The risks are worth the rewards.”

“Exactly.” Rose affirmed. “Especially if I’m doing the planning.” Good luck with that. Dawn would participate but organizing was a bother.

“We should go up.” Wise said. “The Twisted Lands are coming into in view.”

Dawn looked at her brother, “About that, give it to me straight. How bad will it be?”

Wise hesitated, “Some parts will be fine. Other parts you’ll hate.” I thought so.

Dawn sighed. Maybe the experience will help remedy my phobia. She had to believe there’d be an upside to all this.

“Good timing.” Emerit said seeing them. “We’ll arrive shortly. Have a look.”

Strips of land, miles long, were intertwined and suspended before them. It looked like someone had peeled the earth and discarded the cuttings in the sky. Mid fall, time stopped and froze everything in place. The work of a mad god. She cursed silently.

This is called ‘Wild pasta’. Dawn had studied the ‘geology’ of Enera. Know thy enemy. Other common types were ‘spiral valleys’, and ‘wrinkled blanket’.

It’s lush. At this distance, the skyward portions appeared a fuzzy moss and the undersides a smooth yellowish green. Forests above and grasslands below. In Twisted Lands, gravity was warped for everything, including people. In Wild Pasta, you’re pulled towards the center of the ‘strips’. Farther out, shadowy threads extended into the sky. Light funnels. Their blooms ensured it wasn’t just the surface which was dense with life. Hopefully we aren’t going that deep.

Wise pointed, “That’s where a guide is meeting us. We’re early.” Since the shark baiting ended quickly.

“Isn’t Emerit showing us around?” Silver asked.

“No,” Wise explained. “A saint’s assistance would trivialize our quest, negating its purpose.” Which is to earn recognition.

“As for the one accompanying us…” Wise paused. “His name is Patrick. He’s a an oathtaker and resident of Forstrand, the village there.” So someone from the Black Citadel but not a graduate.

The frontier outpost was build where several strips coiled together. Houses covered the inside and out. What the… Dawn steadied herself, materializing thin lenses of ice on her eyes. She then formed two more in each hand, and held them up. With this I could identify our guide if I knew his appearance.

At several points where cliffs separated the settlement, metal poles connected both sides. Dawn watched as a woman on the interior grabbed hold and dive off head first. She accelerated until the half-way mark, where she lost speed. Arriving at the exterior, she stepped onto a staircase and climbed the last few feet.

I hate this world. She guessed she’d be facing similar traversal mechanisms. Throwing myself off buildings might’ve been good preparation. She released her magic in disgust.

As they approached, Dawn noticed a far-off wreckage. Airships didn’t ‘sink’ when they crashed. They’d just drift until they got salvaged or tangled somewhere.

That’s why we can’t fly to the Field of Graves. Twisted Lands were virtually impassable without a veteran navigator. Here, gravitational fields used to set altitude were distorted beyond recognition. You could plummet in any direction without warning, smashing into the winding land. This made the region a favorite retreat of pirates. By mapping out safe routes, they’d establish bases beyond pursuit. Eliminating these was a Guild responsibility. But not ours today.

“How do you like it?” Emerit asked in a gleeful, after they’d parked. Not much.

“Spectacular.” Light responded. Of course you’d love it. You run on walls even in normal gravity.

“Let’s review your mission.” Emerit continued. “You are to clear the Field of Graves of undead. Patrick Lonshire from Forstrand will guide you there. If you move quickly, you should be back before sunset. Any questions?”

“What’s the compensation?” Kate asked.

“A minor monetary one. The real reward is the XP.”

“XP?” Silver asked.

“Kate?” Emerit wasn’t going to dignify that with an answer.

“It’s adventurer slang,” Kate explained patiently. “Short for experience. Victories in the coliseum, completing quests, slaying monsters, conquering dungeons… All the accomplishments which build your legend.” Basically, ‘earn XP’ and ‘build your legend’ are interchangeable.

“So how much XP are we getting?” Silver half-joked.

“Are you looking for a number? Reality can’t be quantified that way.” Emerit laughed. “Just use common sense. The ‘XP’ of anything can be estimated by asking yourself ‘How impressive is it?’. In this case, clearing the Field of Graves isn’t something ordinary people could do.”

“How do we know when we’re done?” Rose guided the conversation back to solid ground.

“With this.” Emerit held up a small, eight-sided object with the luster of a transparent pearl. “Your quest stone.”

“You might’ve heard the HEAVENLY DAO unofficially sponsors the Adventurer’s Guild. This is proof.” Emerit playfully flipped the stone, “What it provides is ‘certainty’. Whether a quest has been completed or not, it adds that information to these. This allows for missions whose success would be impractical to verify.”

“That seems like a ton of work. Why bother?” Rose asked.

Emerit shrugged, “From its perspective, it’s essential. It wants its champions celebrated, hence the Wall of Legends. The quest system is an extension of that.”

“And this.” Emerit held up his adventurer’s card. “Is the end result.”

A screen floated out and grew a hundred fold, listing a staggering amount of information. Milestones in Dungeons. Rankings in coliseums. Quests completed, sorted by rating from ‘F’ to ‘SSS’… Dawn shook her head. We’ve far to go.

“The authenticity is guarantied by the HEAVENLY DAO. These cards can’t be faked, even with illusion magic. It doesn’t end well for those who try.”

“What’s ‘SSS’?” Free asked. I was wondering that too. There were seven adventure ranks. From weakest to strongest, they were F, E, D, C, B, A, and S for Saint. There’s no ‘SSS’.

“While the toughest missions issued are ‘S’ rank, sometimes things don’t turn out as planned. Sometimes people die…“ Emerit stared off listlessly. It lasted but a moment. “When an S rank quest goes wrong, it’s difficulty gets upgraded ‘SSS’. By the way, there are three Ss because it’s cool.” Right.

Dawn saw three of those missions listed. Is he close to immortality? If not, how many times must you risk your life?

Emerit put the card away and held out his hand, “Who wants it?” Everyone turned to Soul. He’s the default choice for ‘burdensome responsibility’.

“Ordinarily these are picked up at reception.” Emerit said. “In this case, I’m acting on the Guild’s behalf. It’s fine since I technically work for them.” Despite his ‘break’, he sees himself as an adventurer.

“Now check your ‘quest status’ by channeling magic into it.”

Soul did so and a blue screen rose up.

QUEST: Clear the Field of Graves

STATUS: Uncompleted

GUILD ESTIMATED DIFFICULTY: B

ACTUAL DIFFICULTY: —

“Why’s the last one blank?” Rose asked.

“Didn’t you listen yesterday?” Emerit said indignantly. “The HEAVENLY DAO doesn’t engage in spoilers. If the actual difficulty is different, it’ll update once that becomes apparent. Additional rewards will be provided in that case.”

“How reliable are the estimates?” Soul asked.

“Normally, they’re pretty accurate.” Normally? Dawn felt the word intentionally stressed.

“Question.” Free raised hand. “I’ve been considering what you’ve taught us. Isn’t unexpected adversity exciting? Doubly so in the case of ‘main characters’. If that’s true, then won’t this end up being harder?”

Emerit clapped, “Good, good. You’ve got it. There’s a ninety percent chance this turns out ‘A’ rank. Don’t die.”