Day 44

Warner Papadopoulos

The past few days had been hard, but with that came a new source of pride. He had found true pleasure in mentoring people. Seeing them excel under his guidance was exquisite. A whole avenue of leadership that he had ignored. There had been people in the past that had admired him and been inspired. That aspect wasn’t unique. The brawler simply hadn’t made time for this before. His drive for power was all-consuming. Followers were useful and rarely needed much effort. Mentees need to be cultivated.

Being a scourge with his time had clearly been a waste. This fulfilled him more than power ever did. Racing up the ladder never ended. There was always a new peak or authority to strike down. Endless.

This was better. Truly satisfying. To give was to receive.

He had been resistant to the idea at first. There were very real doubts about him being good enough for the gig. Also, Warner had been suspicious that it was only to be forced into proximity with the pissed off Molly. Not that Malachi cared. The once reluctant leader had grown into his crown. Luckily, neither problem ended up being an issue in the end. Well, the latter was less than was expected.

An insidious voice whispered that this was his route to power with Sixty. Warner saw how easy it would be too. As a key figure in their training, the respect he had built over the last couple of days could be developed. Molded into an ascension.

Yet, Warner found he didn’t want that. Not anymore. Looking inside to better understand the change, the brawler was reminded why he wanted power in the first place. It had been because those in charge were corrupt. He had believed in justice and too many saw the law as a weapon of power. His pursuit of authority had been to make up for that corruption. To tear down the liars and cheats.

Malachi was a rival, but neither of those things. Pride had led to their conflict more than it was his confidence in taking charge. The better leader had proven himself. Warner believed that and was content. It was a strange feeling for his ambitions to change after so many years. Tyrants and monsters slain so he could move up to make things better. Now there was someone that didn’t deserve to be taken down. A person worthy of his trust.

Something Warner had forgotten he had been looking for. There had just been no one worth supporting. Too many rotten people in power had corroded his faith in humanity more than the brawler had realized. It was good to trust again.

He accepted his place in the Sixty and it was good.

The Molly problem, on the other hand, still haunted him. Her switch to cold neutrality was definitely nicer than the silent seething, but it made Warner realize how far he had fallen in the woman’s eyes. Very. The scope of which he had barely grasped before. He was already ashamed, this new knowledge was damning. This wasn’t just a mistake to be fixed, the brawler understood now. With how terrible his act had been to her the task might be impossible.

I’d rather be a malicious monster than an absent minded asshole, stressed Warner to the aether. At least then my sins woulda been on purpose. Or at least, meant to harm. Sometimes havin’ a conscience sucks. More so when you're such a dumbass.

Warner knew he could berate himself all day to no effect. Even apologize at every opportunity, but that wouldn’t make any difference to her. That was already to be a certainty. The brawler had already tried it that way. Which meant he really didn’t do anything. It hadn’t been a real attempt at reconciliation. More of a selfish act of contrition with the expectation of forgiveness. Molly was too good and had too much self-respect to let him off the hook like that.

Forgiveness needed to be earned.

It just wasn’t enough to be better than yesterday, Warner needed to make up for his betrayal. Could there truly ever be a worse sin? He didn’t think so. Especially when his ambition and choices had stripped his party of their humanity. They had become nothing but pawns in his plotting.

He needed to atone.

Somehow.

How to do that, was the question burning inside.

Both as motivation and as torment.

In the damp of the caverns, Warner contemplated the path to worthy salvation. Darkness was a great medium for thought. Restricting your world physically and mentally until your inner world was bigger than the outer. He focused without losing his edge in the world. Every step echoed back with a whisper of “How?” The beat of his heart throbbing in his ears was the tick of a running down the clock. Pausing between an inhale became an infinite moment of problem solving. Everything was mercurial, but the brawler was feeling better. More open to the answer.

Between exploring the caverns and his devotion to the question, he fell into a trance. Everything became automatic. Warner’s mind raced over what to do while competently seeking threats. He ran point clearing the pathways before the bulk of his party moved up to mark things with the proper colors. His sense for enemies became almost preternatural. Flashes of intuition arming him to their position and intention. The brawler felt like he was on the cusp of something.

A major result of this was that his Mana began to flow more freely. Entranced, there didn’t seem like there was any need for rushing or pushing. No desire to show off. He wasn’t forcing anything to happen. The Mana came when called, burst when wanted, hardened as needed, and bent as necessary. All just a grand flow of intention. Warner felt like he was dancing. Light as a breeze and malleable as water.

Strangely it felt like he had been holding himself back by pushing so hard.

Why have I been trying so hard here? wondered Warner. Back home, I was so patient and careful. All smiles like a shark, but I acted the lamb until the right opportunity. Was it panic? Did that trigger me? Did I go wild beyond sense because my world had been upturned? That would be understandable. To react like that… if not my actions in the long run… but that isn’t it. Not panic. No, it was greed and pride. Ambition to take power at the top of the world. Before The Pit, no matter how much I potlicked and maneuvered the almighty crown was impossible… didn’t really exist. Here though, with only sixty people… it was possible. The leader would be king of this small little world of ours. I believe I can confidently claim to be one of the few who first took this world seriously. At the sacrifice of not taking my fellows seriously. Blind and a fool. I can grasp it, where I went wrong. I’m going to be better!

Nothing definitive had been decided. In many ways, he was still at square one hoping to be forgiven and knowing some act from him was necessary to breach the gap. Molly’s good opinion would require something of titanic effort. She deserved that. Perhaps they would never return to that place where something could have happened between them, but Warner would pay his debt. It would just take some time and thought. In his place of peace, the solution would eventually be woven. He had enough pride left to know himself capable of that.

In the meantime, Warner swore himself to be the best version possible. Not to shrink his duties to the party nor the Sixty as a whole. He would support Malachi, readily now. Most importantly, the brawler would assure Molly. Show he had changed through his actions. It wasn’t an apology or reparations. Instead, just proof that he wasn't the same as before. There was a difference. That was the first step to absolution in her eyes.

A solemn oath made in the light of crystals reflecting off the still waters. In the murky mirage, Warner saw a future where everything was right. It would be. He grinned, not seeing darkness, only the light. In his mind’s eye, Molly and him shared a smile under a blue sky. Just a fantastical dream, but he would swear by it.

Analia Curtis

The darkness was a comfort. Always had been, which was likely the reason for her affinity. An acknowledgment of her natural inclination for the shadows. She never cursed the sun nor preferred to be awake only at night. It was simply a comfort. An extension of the peace found behind closed eyes on the brink of sleep. The shadow acolyte drew strength from that darkness.

Meaning the cavern beneath the plateaus wasn’t unnerving in the least. Analia had been in caves many times before. Going almost solely for that time when all lights were turned off for the tour to experience true darkness. While others shivered or spoke with fear during the eternity of lightlessness, she embraced it. Enjoying every moment of that embrace.

For three whole days, she had the distinct pleasure to wander this cavern. Whatever task was given, it was a pleasure to be somewhere so familiar and comforting. The shadow acolyte didn’t even really mind the monster infestation. She felt them in her darkness anyways. Little trembles to Analia’s senses like static kissing her skin. Calling spheres coated in oblivion to clear a room was quick work when you knew where your target waited in ambush. The eels gave her no trouble, but the otters were too tough to fall for that tactic. They took a little extra, but only a little. The dark was still her domain.

The first floor above was entirely mapped out now. The Sixty had discovered that it spread only beneath the second plateau. There were several ways down to a second layer that appeared to exist under the entire floor. A lot of it at least. It was hard to tell since not all of it was connected. Some stairs or holes only led to enclosed spaces. Those sections that were part of the greater whole took the form of interconnected chambers. Rather than constantly splitting pathways. It made mapping easier, but the monster population was higher.

Analia strolled into the next chamber on the second floor of the cavern maze. Behind her prowled Amiyah, an arrow ready on the bow. The two of them acted as the scouting force since they were capable of stealth Forms. That enabled the scouts to work elsewhere. The shadow acolyte concentrated where the monsters tried and failed to hide. Preparing something for the eels and marking out the otters for Amiyah. Flashes of gray eliminated her targets while darkness deep enough to gleam in the cave highlighted the bestial monsters as arrows took their lives.

The eels died instantly. She felt one otter go still from an arrow in the eye and the others flopping in pain. Their squeals were sharp and distorted by the cave. Amiyah continued to fire her gray-streaked projectiles. The shadow acolyte prepared a line of hissing orbs for the predictable charge. Water surged out of the dark to cover the advance of several serpentine beasts. Two orbs rose and flatten to block the ranged attack. The rest swelled as they moved to meet the chargers. Between the two of them, the monsters died before contact. Her darkness boxed them in for Amiyah to shoot.

Quiet settled down as the fight ended. The two otters in the back didn’t last long once they turned their attention to them. Analia felt through her power, but nothing stirred.

“Clear,” she said to Amiyah.

The archer nodded and relaxed an inch. They took out glow sticks to toss around the chamber. Both kept alert as they surveyed their surroundings. Analia compared what she had felt to what was seeable now. Her awareness in the dark was getting stronger, but it was still difficult to be completely sure of distant spaces. Movement made things a lot easier. Acting almost like echolocation, only not at all.

It was vaguely rectangular in shape. but that was altered by bulges that broke up any closeness to straight lines. The pools of water were scattered about. Those were common on the second floor of the maze. Depression filled with clear water or hollow top mounds that had drips from above playing them like drums.

“Light,” whispered Amiyah, a hint of hope in her tone.

Analia frowned. Even with her sense of the dark, knowing your position down here was difficult. Too many twists and turns to be sure. They should be far enough out to be close to the cliff wall. At several points now a speck of light had led to false exits. Holes that looked down on the lake or were entirely covered by falling water. Enough for illumination, but not the way out.

There was also the risk of being attacked by the big white birds. For aerial creatures, they were strangely very willing to push into the cave openings. Extremely aggressive towards the Sixty. A few were even infested with nests, which was a magnitude more dangerous. Nothing like a parent protecting their young.

Her friend’s attention was on a slight glow on the far side of the chamber on the right. A series of natural columns had blocked the view from the entrance. Otherwise, it would have been noticeable from the beginning. Other than the way they came and this potential exit, there were three more paths out of the chamber. Meaning they were stuck without the rest of the party moving up. Too many ways for something to slink from. Those behind them were focused on painting the markers because of the screen of fighters protecting them.

Scouting the light would have to wait. At least a little.

“Amiyah, tell Phelian,” requested Analia. The silent archer smiled and slinked away into the shadows. Their party leader would send someone or himself to hold this entrance. Then the two of them could take a peek. She used the time to practice more on her senses. Without movement to focus on her awareness, she had to manually move her senses through the darkness. Ironically while the maze had made her more aware of the sense, using it in lit areas was easier. A simple matter of volume. There was so much darkness in a cave to comb through.

Using the drips, ripples, and her tapping foot as a compass, the shadow acolyte reached out to the corridor with a hint of light. The feedback fractured as the darkness thinned into “static.” There was some impression of shadows, but there wasn't a strong enough connection to push any further. She let go, feeling more hopeful than expected. There was a lot of light in that direction.

Vibrations behind her announced the arrival of the others. Easily recognizable steps even without sound. Analia turned around to meet Amiyah and Phelian. Their party leader grinned with excitement. He was clearly not holding back on any hope.

“Another source of light, eh?” said Phelian conversationally. “This might be it. Had Allen check, and based on the map we should be under the third section of the floor. The little plateaus should be above us if we didn’t mess up. Take a look and give me the good news!” Emphasizing the declaration with a friendly wink.

The women nodded, Amiyah smiling and Analia’s face neutral. She shared their enthusiasm, but preferred to expect the worst still. It could just be a hole in the ceiling which wouldn’t really count even if it was worth climbing out. There were always stairs on this floor leading to the different levels. The way to the third area would be no different.

Shadows coalesced around the two of them as they moved to scout out the potential exit. Their first look revealed a long straight pathway that immediately stood out. Past the oval entrance, the stone had been shaped into flat edges as if a tunnel cut to the natural space of the cavern. Not that Analia believed anything in The Pit was natural.

The faint light that had caught their attention came from a shaft of golden light on the opposite end. To their eyes, it was too bright to see details. The shadow acolyte blinked her eyes as they adjusted to see that there were curving steps heading upwards. Amiyah grinned at her and Analia shared that smile this time. A smidge reckless, they picked up their pace to take a closer look. Almost running.

They stopped in the center of a room that was more of a shaft with a stairwell spiraling up the walls. Above, the two of them could see the sun crystals. Analia looked back at the dark and briefly considered going back to tell Phelian. While she hesitated, Amiyah was already at the steps.

The silent archer spoke, “Come, let’s look.”

It didn’t take more than that to encourage Analia up after her friend. There was always something exciting about being the first. A hefty hike up, but they made it with plenty of breath. Mana surging in their bodies was a big boost to anything physical. Even for the Sixty that focused on magic.

Atop, the two peeked over the edge, keeping low. The exit brought them to the surface right beside the floor border. There were three pathways leading around from the flat area surrounding the pit of the steps. Two followed the border wall and the third was steps leading directly to the pathways connecting the island plateaus.

The shadow acolyte looked out over the second floor. They were currently on a ridge that rose higher than the plateau. She could see all the way to the first plateau. It seemed so far and close at the same time. The journey below the ground had added so much more to what had seemed a small floor in comparison to the Tunnels. She returned her attention to the closer sights. Taking in the numerous little plateaus rising out of the water. On top of each were trees with distinctive tints of colors from other islands.

Another stage was completed and the next was before them. Analia and Amiyah had found the exit. The Sixty could move forward. Rise.