Advent of Eternity - Chapter 129 (Patreon)

Very rarely in life was Knell absolutely certain about something. There were few things that could even be certain. There was always the possibility for change. A chance that even the most well thought out plan could go awry.

As such, he wasn’t absolutely confident that Nyra was about to be crushed into chunky paste by the enormous claw crashing down through the air toward her – he was just fairly certain of it.

Geda had only hesitated for an instant after Nyra’s display, which had been admittedly longer than Knell had expected him to. She must have had some form of ability that was meant to suppress the huge creature, but it clearly hadn’t worked nearly as well as she’d hoped.

In the instants that followed, Knell studied Nyra’s body language intensely. He focused on her feet and shoulders, looking for the slightest signs of indecision or hesitation. A chance that Nyra believed herself unable to survive the attack.

He found none. She stood, thrashing hair framing her proud face, and looked straight up at the instrument of death plummeting toward her. Knell’s eyes burned golden as he peered into the future. His staff flickered with green light.

An earthshaking crash split the room and the claw slammed into the ground. Knell staggered, catching himself on his staff. He looked up at the claw, the glow fading from his eyes. Cracks covered the claw, spiderwebbing up from where it had hit the ground. Clouds of dust and powdered dust floated in the air, obscuring his vision of where the claw had landed.

“What happened?” Stix called, waving the dust away as she and Cyll joined Knell in squinting at the rubble.

“She failed to pass,” Geda rumbled. “She should have waited. Unfortunate.”

“You can’t say that after you killed her,” Cyll said. “That’s on you, big guy.”

“Let’s not antagonize the giant crab,” Stix suggested, running her finger along her crossbow’s trigger. “Knell, is she really dead?”

“No.”

“I crushed her,” Geda said. “Your faith in your friend is admirable, but misplaced. She did not survive.”

“Are you willing to back those words?” Knell asked, tilting his head to the side. “A bet, perhaps?”

One of Geda’s eyes swept down, peering through the cloud around its store before swiveling over to Knell. “I do not seek to rob you. She is dead.”

“A bet, then.”

“If you wish to be a fool, then I will not stop you. If is dead, you too will withstand one of my blows. What do you desire if you win?”

“Information. I want to know how you know anything about us.”

Geda blinked. A moment passed before the crab’s eyes bobbed and pulled back up to its head. “Very well.”

It swept its claw through the dust, dispersing it. Stix winced, grimacing at the bloody splatter on the ground where Geda’s claw had been. Cyll scratched the side of his nose.

“You are incorrect, as I told you,” Geda said.

“No, she’s fine.”

“You cannot seriously believe that this puddle of blood and pulverized organs still lives. Or did you believe her regenerative ability to be that high? You were sorely mistaken.”

Knell scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t suppose you’re willing to double down on that? Toss in an item from your horde. If I’m wrong, you can hit Cyll as well.”

“Just make sure you give me enough time to take my clothes off,” Cyll said, patting his waist. “It took forever to find a nice, soft pair of underwear, and this one is currently still unstained. It’s a record, you know.”

They all turned to stare at him.

“Seriously?” Stix asked.

“With blood! Stained with blood,” Cyll added, clearing his throat. “Because – oh, forget it. Just let the big ugly dinner take a swing at me already. You’re all bumbling cretins.”

“I refuse,” Geda said. “Prepare yourself.”

Knell tilted his head to the side. “No. I don’t think I will.”

A flicker of green light flashed around what remained of Nyra’s corpse. It vanished, and she reformed where she’d been standing before the claw had struck her. Her eyes went wide and she spun, searching for the claw.

Her eyes locked with Knell and a hand went to her throat. “You did it again?”

“I believe the proper words would be ‘thank you’. You seem to be making a habit of this.”

“Thank – wait. You killed me last time. That’s not fair at all! I didn’t ask for your help.”

Knell raised an eyebrow. Nyra glowered at him.

“Thank you.”

“I believe you owe me some information,” Knell said to Geda. “Nyra appears to be very much alive.”

The crab stared at them, unblinking. Cyll and Stix both shifted, readying their weapons as they all waited for the monster to make a move. Finally, a low rumble escaped Geda’s chitinous mouth.

“How curious. I do not understand how you did that. An illusion? No. I know she died. I felt her energy leave this realm – yet here she stands. This is an impossibility.”

“I’d call this a lost bet, actually,” Knell said. “Now, about what you’ve promised…”

Geda reached back and dug into one of the mountains of broken glass. It tinkled across the ground in a strange harmony as he pulled his claw back out, carefully delivering a blue stone trident over to Nyra.

The crab dropped it into her outstretched hands and she clutched it to her chest like it was a gift from the gods themselves. Geda turned his gaze toward Knell.

“I know everything that happened within the scope of this dungeon because I, just like the rest of this dungeon, was created by the Sage of the Deep. He once used this location to store the various things he found on his journeys, but he soon outgrew the Shattered Sea and left me behind to watch over it. He does not care for what remains within this place, so I give it out to any who prove competent enough in exchange for entertainment.”

“Why do you call me a demon, then?” Knell asked. “I did nothing within the confines of this dungeon to draw such attention to myself.”

“The gods are not the only ones who can see more than skin,” Geda replied. “On the contrary, they are blind compared to many. I feel death around you. Though I do not know exactly what you are, I know it is an ill omen.”

Knell grunted. Geda didn’t know about the Advents, then. There was no way he could ask about them, as that would just result in giving the crab even more information about himself.

“I see. Nyra said the dungeon was different the last time she came through it. Why?”

“I have been expanding, searching the sea for more powerful artifacts and foes to train myself against. One day, I wish to reunite with the Sage.”

“Last question. Where’s my crewmember?”

“In the trial of the Sage. If she succeeds, she will return greater than she was before, just as I promised.”

“How long is it going to take? Are you sure she’s still safe?” Stix asked, her crossbow still at the ready. If Knell hadn’t been so relaxed, she likely would have had the weapon pointed straight at the monster’s mouth.

Geda raised a claw toward the ceiling in the universal signal to wait. Water swirled across the floor before them, forming into a miniature whirlpool. It rose up, spinning even faster and condensing into a pillar.

The water collapsed, splashing across the ground and leaving Maya standing in the center of where it had been, completely soaked through. She held her sword before her and, though her shoulders hung from exhaustion, refused to let the blade touch the ground. Maya slid the sword into its sheath with a grimace, then staggered over to stand beside Stix.

“I don’t see an extra arm,” Knell observed.

“Sorry,” Maya said. “I didn’t get it.”

“Not all ventures end in success. You appear to have learned how to hold your sword.”

Maya’s lips quirked. “Yeah, I did. Just had to take a moment to understand it.”

“Then we have no further reason to remain here,” Knell said. “Come. We should take our leave.”

“Cheers,” Cyll said, raising his hand to Geda.

The crab didn’t respond. It was frozen, its both locked on Maya. Even its mandibles had stopped moving. Nyra followed Geda’s gaze and took a few steps back.

“I think the crab lost it.”

“You passed,” Geda said.

“We reached an agreement not to kill each other,” Maya said. “He offered me some power, but I don’t think I got it. I’ve got enough strings attached to me already.”

Geda blinked, then waved his claw. “I must have been mistaken. You may leave. There is a lift that will take you back to the entrance of the dungeon. Do not return unless you are prepared to face a greater challenge at the end. I would be quite bored if I had to go through the same meeting twice.”

They didn’t need to be told twice and quickly headed back out the massive doors. Like Geda had promised, a large circle of stone covered in glowing blue runes sat in the center of the previous room, awaiting their arrival.

Once all of them had stepped onto it, the stone rumbled. Rocks in the ceiling pulled apart, forming a passageway as the lift rose into the air and into the passage. The only light that remained to see by was the dim glow of the runes around them.

“Why’d you help me?” Nyra asked. The floor rumbled faintly beneath their feet as small rocks ground against the edges of the lift during their ascent. “Our deal was over. You had no reason to do anything.”

“Because I know what it feels like to need something,” Knell replied after a moment. “And I do not see a Boon anywhere in that trident. Would I be mistaken in guessing that it isn’t even really an artifact?”

Nyra hesitated a moment before responding. “No. It isn’t.”

“Why would you go through so much effort just to get a random trident?” Cyll asked. “That seems a bit pointless. Just get another one made. Is it made from some special metal or something?”

“Because there is more worth to some items than just what they can do,” Knell answered for Nyra, his fingers tightening around his staff. “I do not need any reason to do what I wish to.”

“If you think this means I owe you a favor–”

“I did not do it for a favor.” Knell cut Nyra off before she could finish. “I did it because I desired to. It does help that your continued existence will antagonize the Adventurer’s Guild. Anything that bothers them brings me amusement.”

Nyra snorted. The grinding noises from the lift started to decrease as it slowed down. The last segment of rock opened up above them. Smalls streams of sand cascaded down as golden sunlight bloomed above.

They rose up until the stone was level with the beach. All of them stepped off the stone plate and it sank back into the ground. Sand poured down on top of it, covering the lift and leaving no sign that it had ever been there.

A faint wind rustled past them, carrying a second of stillness with it.

“That’s it, then,” Nyra said. She drummed her fingers against the shaft of her trident. “Thanks.”

Knell shrugged. “It was a beneficial partnership. Try not to die too soon. I suspect we will cross paths again.”

Nyra nodded. She turned and strode off in the opposite direction from where they had come.

“How are you feeling?” Stix asked Maya. “What happened when Geda used his magic on you?”

“I met with some piece of a really powerful person called the Sage of the Deep,” Maya replied, pulling her shirt off. She twisted it up and held onto one end of the roll with her teeth, wringing it out with her hand. Maya slipped back into it and let out a small chuckle. “We got into an argument.”

“Sounds about right,” Cyll said. “Good job. Did you kick his ass?”

“Didn’t get a chance to. He smacked me around and sent me off, but at least I figured out how to use my sword. I can actually fight again.”

“We’ll have to put that to the test. You weren’t doing all to hot with just one hand before,” Cyll said with a wide grin. “That’ll get fixed up soon enough, now that you’ve actually got an artifact sword you can use.”

“It can wait until we’re back on the ship,” Knell said, setting off in the direction of Apton. “There are too many people swarming the city, and we’ve already kicked the Adventurer’s Guild around enough to draw their attention. It’s time we leave.”