Chapter 13 - Part 1

The rain poured on the red sister's night like blood from an open wound. It's burnt light shone onto the Red Keep making its usual crimson bricks black and muddy. Not one drunken soul littered the streets of the Red City during its usual downpours of Spring, not one creature predatory or otherwise loomed in the streets or forests. And yet, at an hour when even the lowliest of skints did not dare remain in the realm of those woke, Emperor Riyel laid in his bed, tossing, and turning, and whispering insanities to himself in the dark chambers.

"No, no, no, no, no, no..." he repeated. Sweat dripped from his forehead in rivulets. "You said. You said, it be there. But no where. You lied. Deceiver. Now we're looking again. But not there. We found clues." He waited as if someone would reply. "Yes, just as you said, but..... Just as you said. I didn't listen. Yes." he stopped again. "Moved, we don't know. Don't know." Ryel nodded to himself in agreement to whatever it held a grasp over his mental faculties. "You promised. We get the womb and it, and I get the blessing. The blessing. Yes. I know. "he paused and said to himself this time. "I will be a Wielder, most powerful Emperor on E'a." Then back to whatever he was speaking to. "Yes." He pulled the covers away and scuttled fast to the window opening each and every one of them. Rain poured in soaking both the Emperor and the floors. "Wait. Please! Show me more. I need to know more. More clues, more clues, find it faster. Find it quick! For all of us." he said to the open window. This time he waited for a reply that again didn't come but he too had not registered anything and sat in the dark with the windows opened looking out until dawn broke the Red sister's thrall over the night.

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The sun is always different when at the coastside. It shines tenfold than in any landlocked town or countryside . Its gentle spring warmth washed over the ocean of Almir lighting it ablaze with soft glints of fire that danced playfully in the distance. The salty air pushed away lazily at the sand on the beach uncovering the black crabs exposing them to watchful dregs that swoop in for their prey. The crabs scuttled every which way to find shelter but they were always too slow for the agile dregs. Near the horizon, humble boats fished away for the local small town of Gar'nik. A quaint and quiet town, with curious townspeople and no Wielder of their own. Their only means of survival was fishery and trade of crafts be it jewelry and even furniture inlaid with the rare Uthum'ah shell. The shell, a favorite decoration of the Emperor, had a lustrous dark green finish that could blind with its iridescence. Although considered an expensive import product, the people of Gar'nik were exploited by the greedy merchants that visited the town, leaving them little to nothing for their beautiful crafts. But someone, they made due.

Then fingered happily a pendant she found in a local shop made from the Uthum'ah shell. It was a duller and more faded shell than the rest but it quickly drew her attention as it was the same pale green as her big eyes. She always was of a petite size and her abnormally large eyes drew unwanted attention to herself. Once she fell in her role of Emperor personal guard they proved to be more of an asset than a reason for her to shy away. It gave her the semblance of a child with the allure of immaturity, which came in hand in different covert and not so covert missions the Emperor had trusted to her in the past. Needless to say she had successfully fulfilled her duty.

"Come on, Then. Stop ogling at that ugly thing." Hat'ri said between breaths. The heavy woman often envied Then for her size, if it were not for Volyk, which was always by her side, Hat'ri would have ripped the smaller woman into two a long time ago.

"Not as ugly as you." Then replied under her breath.

"Now, now, children." Danil, a tall man with dark hair covering his eyes stopped and wagged his finger at them. "Are they always like that?" he turned to Ad'hm.

"Every minute of the day." he laughed. "But rest assured, friend, in battle they're closer than blood." Ad'hm assured the man. "I'm glad to have you in this mission, Danil. It's good to have at least another sane person in the group." he laughed.

Volyk raised his head from a pile of bones washed up on the beach having heard what Ad'hm said and expressed his displeasure. "I would have you know, captain, that I am quite level headed."

"Yes, yes, like that time when Hat'ri jumped straight in a herd of horny mullers just because she wanted to muller jerky and you followed without a second thought?" Ad'hm said with a smile on his face.

"Well, that's hardly a great example I would say, but I assure you of my abilities." he said, turning back to the skeletal remains of what seemed to be a turning whale and bagged a few samples.

"Lively crew you got, Ad'hm." Danil laughed and thread forward. "Sometimes mine are too serious for this line of work." They all walked clumsily with their feet plunging in the dry fine sand until they reached the shore with the water lapping at their boots. "Right, and you trust this information that the ruins of a so-called Creator's city is in these forsaken depths?"

"Quite so. I understand your skepticism. But the translations were from Maven Marduke himself." Ad'hm assured and Danil grunted.

"The man might be a genius and the most knowledge human alive on the Creators but he's still a perverted sick fuck."

"I'm glad we align on something at least." He laughed.

"So, should we go or wait for you two to catch up." added then with her pendant in hand.

"Seems the kids are restless, hon." Ad'hm joked.

"Seems so. Shall we?" he looked over and Ad'hm gave a curt nod. Danil raised his hand with a flourish and the water curved around them as they walked forward. They could see small fish and seaweed and other aquatic plants swerving and curving around them going with the flow of water. They threaded into the depths on the wet sand. Luckily this was a smoother walk than the dry sand. On the ocean floor they saw an abundance of shells and creatures scuttling about in fear as they passed by. Soon light could no longer penetrate the depths of the ocean so Ad'hm Willed five light stones from his bag and sent them outside their bubble of protection circling around allowing for them to see, although a limited distance, but it was better than going in blind.

Ad'hm touched the biggest bonding stone on his glove and concentrated. "Araya, this is Ad'hm." he said. After a moment of silence a feminine voice replied.

"Ad'hm, report status." she said plainly.

"Not even a hi, hello, how are you Ad'hm. Are you hurt?" he could feel her through the stone rolling her eyes.

"Not the time, Ad'hm. Report status."

"We've begun our descent towards the ruins. We'll arrive within three to four hours where the Maven approximate the location. Did he manage to get any more information. We really are going in blind here."

"Not much, I'm afraid. The information is incomplete, it cuts off abruptly. Look for a wide structure with a triangular entrance and roof. I'm sending you the image Maven Marduke drew based on the description." Immediately Ad'hm received the image of an impressive building the magnitude of which he had never seen in his life. It could only have been made by the Creators themselves.

"Got it. I'll report again once we arrive at the location." Ad'hm confirmed.

"Be careful, Ad'hm." and with that the connection was severed and Ad'hm sighed. Then eyed him carefully and turned her head away when Ad'hm felt her dragged gaze. She didn't say anything but moved further next to Danil in the front.

"Won't we suffocate?" she asked the man bending a few hundred tons of water above their head without even a sweat. "The air smells a bit stale."

"Worry not, Then. I'm synthesising breathable air and recycling what we breath as we speak." He gave him an assuring smile.

"He's even more impressive in real life than in the stories I heard." Hat'ri whispered to Volyk.

"No wonder he is among Empreror's most trusted. He and Araya are the most powerful Wielders in the Empire, Hatri. We're lucky to have him in this mission." Volyk whispered back, although Danil heard every word, they still felt the need to continue whispering. The depths of the Ocean, dark and profusely silent as they were, made them feel restless as if they would awake a great monster just by the beat of their heart. The darkness they saw beyond the lightstones were of a freezing stillness that permeated their soul.

After some time, the amount of fish and creatures they saw diminished and life became more scarce, rare, less distinguishable, and increasing in size. Shadows haunted them from time to time, unsure if it was just their mind playing tricks or an actual creature or monster.

"What do you think they are, Volyk." Hat'ri asked, inching closer to him.

"I hope they're turning whales, but i believe there's a predator hunting them. The bones on the beach had pretty big teeth marks in them." He pulled a huge tooth the size of his palm from his bag. "Found this lodged in the rib."

"Together we're more powerful than any sea monster. We don't have to fear anything." Ad'hm assured them.

"Ocean." Then said over her shoulder.

"What?"

"This is the ocean, not sea. Ocean monsters." she smirked and turned back. The party move forward, going around any huge rocks and wrecks they found deep down. Ad'hm had a hard time pulling Volyk away from the wrecks as his instinct to investigate kicked in. They had been moving for a few hours now, Ad'hm began thinking that maybe Marduke was wrong, but then Danil stopped in his tracks halting everything. Ad'hm's brows creased trying to see what was up ahead, but all he saw was pure blackness. Not even the ocean floor.

"Ad'hm, send your light stones ahead to scout." Danil ordered in a commanding tone. And he did as instructed. The stones showed nothing but darkness. He swerved them around lower to the ground and saw where the line of the ocean floor ended.

"There's a ledge up ahead. We'll have to go down." Ad'hm confirmed.

"I'll need everyone's help here. Use your Wielding to move the water around us to slow down our fall. I will keep the barrier up." Danil instructed. Everyone nodded and began to move their hands in the same direction. They could feel and see the direction of the water against the barrier. "Good." and with that Danil moved over the ledge gently floating down in his barrier. They landed with a great thud the shake of which threw them out of balance.

"Everyone intact?" Ad'hm asked.

"Aye!" They said in unison.

"I believe that's what we are looking for, isn't it right?" Danil asked. Up ahead lit up, by what seemed to be a different kind of light stone that shone a white blue light that lined the streets, was a dome under which a massive city with towers of glass and smooth stone streats showed itself to the party. In the center of the city laid proudly a triunghiular roofed building that was of a size that dwarfed the already colossal geometric towers surrounding it.

"Incredible." Ad'hm said to himself. Volyk dropped to his knees and began praying. They left him to finish his prayer in silence and then prepared themselves for what awaited them. "After you." Ad'hm made way for Danil to pass and they moved closed. They found themselves on what looked like a street, the only entrance, ungated, but the rest was walled.

"I think the walls around the city generate this massive barrier." Danil observed.

"Will we be able to pass through?" Then asked worried.

"Don't know until we try." Hat'ri said and marched forward next to Danil. "Bring us closer, will you?" She said and Danil obliged. The two barriers touched but it seemed Danil's spell was getting absorbed by the strong barrier of the city.

"Well, that answers your question, Then." Volyk added. The barriers began to dissolve where touched, everyone stepped back in surprise.

"It's as if it was expecting us." Ad'hm said worried. "I don't like this."

"Neither do I but If we don't move now my barrier will disappear." Danil said with a slight strain in his voice. The pressure of the water above was getting too much even for him.

"Right! Everyone, let's go." Ad'hm made the first step into the city street. It was devoid of life as expected, but the towers loomed over as tall watchers of the divine. Once everyone was on the other side, Danil released his barrier slowly and the hole sealed.

"Neat!" Then said excitedly.

"Neat...indeed." Danil agreed.

"Araya confirmed the location in that pyramid shaped structure but can't know for certain. We're looking for something that has this inscription on it or near it." Ad'hm opened his palm and sand from the ground pooled in his hand shaping itself in the form of the inscription. "Commit this to your memory and look for it. Our priority is the womb of E'a and to copy any inscription from the same place as the womb. Everything else comes last. Got it."

"Yes captain!" Hat'ri, Then, and Volyk said simultaneously.

"Good, let's move."