Whispers of the Furtive

Chapter 9: Danger nears

Corin and Nanaua led the front, Zhi and Livia held the middle and Simeon watched their rear.

Aware of the dangers that were present in the large structure the group continued at a quickened pace, but still took precautionary measures. Before entering a room they would throw a bundle of rope into the middle of the room to see if there was any reaction.

The first two times they attempted this the rope landed on the floor with little to no effect.

Now approaching another room Corin and Nanaua were preparing to enter it.

“Wait!” Simeon scolded them before they entered.

“Simeon we need to hurry, we have yet to encounter any traps.” Corin begrudged the old ape man.

“Well I said wait, so wait!” Simeon replied as he grabbed the rope.

He threw it into the middle of the room. As soon as it landed, a flood of arrows rained from the walls on either side.

“What a terrible barrage!” Nanaua spoke in a frightened voice. The fact that she almost walked into that was something that she would not soon forget.

The entire time the arrows rained out Simeon stared at Corin. The noise they made as they flew by and impacted the wall was deafening. Corin kept looking at the room as the arrows violently poured out. After several seconds the barrage of arrows came to an end.

“What say you now?” Simeon asked Corin. “Still think we should continue without any precautions?”

“Well perhaps I was wrong.” Corin replied with a concerned look.

Simeon threw another bundle of ropes into the room. No reaction.

“Lead the way.” Simeon told Corin.

Corin used an unlit torch to poke into the ground before walking ahead. He wanted to make sure that there would not be any other traps he might set off.

Nanaua and the rest of the group followed Corin's exact path as he walked through the room. As he made his way to the center he went to grab the first bundle of rope that Simeon threw.

“Leave it!” Simeon shouted at him.

Corin's heart nearly jumped out of his chest from Simeon’s command.

“Sorry!” Corin said to Simeon. Simeon shot Corin a glare.

The group exited the room. They all took a collective gasp of relief. Simeon looked back. He ran to the center of the room, grabbed both rope bundles and dashed like mad back to the group. Nothing in the room was set off.

Simeon was breathing heavily when he got back to the group.

Corin could only give him a bewildered look.

“What?” Simeon asked him.

“What?” Corin began.

“What!?” Corin yelled in disbelief “You just chastised me for trying to grab the rope and then you went ahead and did it anyway!”

“Well we were all in the room when you wanted to grab the rope. If a trap would have been set off we all would have died.” Simeon replied.

“Yes, but you would have died if a trap went off when you picked up the rope!” Corin shot back at Simeon.

“While you are correct there is one small detail that you are ignoring.” Simeon replied with a smirk.

“Which is?” Corin asked.

“That picking up the rope did not set off any traps and I'm still alive.” Simeon gleefully replied.

Corin began to say something.

“Come now Corin, let's continue.” Nanaua told him.

“Yes Corin, enough arguing, we have other matters to attend to.” Zhi added.

Someone put a hand on Corin's back. He turned around and saw Livia.

“Let's just be more cautious in the future, love.” She said as she gave him a kiss.

Corin let out a frustrated deep sigh and continued ahead.

While every room the group encountered could be rife with danger there were also innumerable relics, various ornate glass panes and incredibly detailed reliefs along the walls. The group could not help but be amazed at their surroundings despite the danger they felt.

“What kinds of stories do you think these murals tell?” Livia asked Simeon.

The reliefs adorning the walls of this room seemed to convey a full story. The reliefs seemed to depict small beings among larger creatures. Small repeated carvings above the reliefs, part of the alphabet Simeon mentioned, could be seen.

“I don't know.” Simeon replied. “But it does seem amazing.”

“These look similar to some that we would see in the dragon temples.” Zhi interjected. “In the dragon temples they would honor furtives who had given their lives in service to their titan lord. That is the only time we are worthy of praise, when we die for them.” Her tone was full of contempt and hatred.

“In the Lord's protectorate, we were taught that the highest honor possible was to die for our titan lord. They were called Sanbril, the title posthumously achieved by those that gave their lives in service to our lord.” Nanaua added in a somber tone.

Livia and Simeon now studied the carvings once again. While previously they seemed majestic and praiseworthy they seemed to convey something different now, something sinister.

“Why am I not surprised?” Livia added.

They continued moving. Along the way they avoided several more trapped rooms. But Corin and Nanaua learned their lesson and always waited before going into any of the rooms.

Eventually they arrived at a large chamber that was bathed in light. Corin was reminded of the large room he had seen in the dragon temple. Like that room, this one had a large metallic statue in the center. But this one did not resemble a Leviathan. Instead it seemed to portray an impossibly large knight clad in golden armor.

Even compared to Nanaua this metallic sculpture was three times her height, and about as wide as five of her put together. In front of the large knight there was a large sword that it held with both hands. The tip of the blade was thrust into the ground. The part of the blade that protruded from the ground was as tall as Corin himself.

The knight had no shield. It seemed clear that whatever being this statue portrayed only had one thing in mind, attacking. For a creature as large and as fearsome as this, defense was of no concern.

“Well I'm glad that's just a statue.” Livia said.

“If it was not, I would fight it and I would be victorious.” Nanaua roared.

“Of course you would, my dear. But let's be glad you don't have to prove yourself.” Zhi spoke as she caressed Nanaua's face.

Nanaua smiled, proud of herself.

Simeon took to studying the sculpture of the knight. There was a stone pedestal at the foot of the knight inscribed with the strange alphabet that none of them could decipher.

“So what do you think this says?” Corin asked Simeon.

“I would like to think that it says ‘marvel at our amazing skill in crafting statues and this is just an example of what we like to make’. But I have a feeling that showcasing the creators artistic ability is not the reason that this statue was placed here.” Simeon said as he carefully studied the sculpture.

“Surely you don't think this is meant to portray a real living being? Something that would be here?” Corin asked.

Simeon only looked at him.

“That's absurd!” Corin laughed.

“Need I remind you that we are in an underwater temple, where no water is able to come in, built on the orders of a leviathan. Do you think that is not absurd?” Simeon shot back at Corin.

Corin had nothing to say to Simeon. He went off across the room to look at the different items scattered about. The rest of the group had already begun looking at the curiosities strewn about.

Stone pedestals with precious gems, small sculptures of different leviathans, reliefs of the ocean. Corin could not believe the amount of precious artifacts that could be found in this temple at the bottom of the sea, where no being could ever come to. While impressed he knew that they ought to continue moving soon.

“Did you say something Corin?” Nanaua spoke to Corin from across the room.

“What?” He turned around confused.

“AAA AH!” The shouts came from all across the room.

From above them a large number of creatures fell to the ground, large in numbers, quickly surrounding the different adventurers.

Corin looked quickly around him and noticed there were two around him. They were humanoid figures covered in scales, eerily similar to the sirens, but something about them differed. They looked more feral than any siren Corin had ever seen, and they were very pale, completely white, from their scales to their eyes.

“We are not here to fight!” Corin shouted at one of the pale sirens.

“You have come to your death!” Corin could hear Nanaua shout from across the room.

The pale siren yelled at Corin as it lunged at him. It had two large daggers, one in each hand as it jumped at him.

The creature was fast. Faster than most opponents Corin had ever faced, save for one, Nanaua.

Thanks to his sparring sessions with Nanaua, Corin was able to see the creature's intent before it actually attacked. He saw as the creature led with his left hand, but held the right behind his back. The creature came up to Corin and swung the left dagger at his face.

Corin deftly sidestepped it, and was prepared for what came. As Corin moved out of the first dagger’s path, the creature was already twisting its body around to stab Corin with its second dagger.

Corin parried the thrust, throwing the pale siren off balance and then kicked the creature away from him into a wall. The second creature did not hesitate as it went straight at Corin.

He hesitated.

“Corin! Do not hesitate! Fight!” Nanaua shouted at him.

He could not see her, but from what he heard he could tell that she herself was in the midst of a furious battle.

This pale siren jumped at Corin with a large spear. Its movements almost reminded Corin of Nanaua’s swiftness with her pike, yet not as refined.

The first thrust of the spear was easy for Corin to avoid, but it was merely a feint. That thrust was closely followed by a large sweep towards Corin, a move that Nanaua had caught Corin with many times during their sparring. An attack that Corin had learned to counter. It was not by moving out of the path of the attacker’s swing, but by stepping into the attack's path and using their momentum against them.

Corin held up his blade and stood in the way of the arcing spear. The spear smacked into Corin's blade, and Corin instantly pushed back stunning the pale siren.

“Good, but not good enough!” Corin yelled.

The stunned pale siren started tumbling backwards on its feet. Corin did not hesitate and deftly delivered a sharp thrust into the creature's mid section. The creature fell backwards to the ground. Corin could see that this opponent would not be troubling him anymore.

Corin turned around to see a dagger flying at him. He quickly moved out of the way but saw the pale siren already in the air coming at him.

“Damn!” Corin yelled.

He did not have enough time to react. He started picking up his blade but the siren was almost upon him with its dagger aimed right at Corin's chest.

Thwack!

An arrow struck the pale siren on the side of its head. The flying corpse tumbled onto Corin toppling him to the ground.

“Corin!” Livia shouted.

“I'm fine!” He yelled back.

“Then help!” Livia yelled back.

Bang!

Corin heard Livia's rifle go off as he shook off the dead pale siren.

He got up and saw two more pale sirens coming at him.

“No hesitation this time.” Corin said as he pulled out his pistol.

Undeterred by the strange object in his hand the two sirens lunged at Corin, prepared to take him down once and for all.

Bang! Bang!

The one on the right crumpled into the ground, and before the remaining pale siren realized what was happening Corin had already let loose his second shot. The creature was dead before it hit the ground.

“AAARH!” Another yell from behind Corin.

He turned around to see another of the pale sirens coming at him with a spear pointed right at him.

Corin easily avoided the spear and kicked the pale siren straight in the chest. The siren hit a wall behind him and Corin stabbed him straight in the chest where he stood. Corin pulled his blade back and the siren fell to the floor.

Corin turned and saw two more sirens coming at him, each with a blade above their heads, prepared to strike him down.

Corin held his blade in his hands, prepared to take on the pale sirens, but he did not have to.

Crack!

A splitting sound screamed through the air. A large bolt of lightning struck the blades held above the heads of each of the pale sirens. The pale sirens screamed in agony before promptly collapsing onto the ground.

“Die!” Nanaua shouted from across the room.

Corin could see her lifting a pale siren off the ground with her pike and then proceeding to slam it onto another siren that was coming to attack Nanaua. The two pale sirens crashed into each other, falling down and not getting up. Nanaua pierced them with her pike while they laid down to be sure of their fate.

Corin turned his head to see Simeon. He was deadly accurate with his arrows. Corin could see that as each arrow flew a pale siren would collapse onto the ground.

Bang!

Livia's rifle unleashed its fury and shortly thereafter he heard a body hit the ground.

Crack!

Crack!

The air once again split as the flashes of lightning filled the room. Creatures around the room yelled, and Corin could smell burning flesh from the pale sirens.

Bang!

Crack!

More bodies hit the floor.

There was a pause in the carnage.

Corin breathed heavily as he studied the scene around him. The once chaotic scene had come to an end and Corin could only hear the panting of his companions.

The ground around them was littered with bodies. Some of them sizzled from having been recently hit with lightning, their bodies still twitching. Some had small pinpoint holes around their head. Some had multiple arrows sticking out of them. Some around Nanaua were in multiple pieces.

Corin saw Livia kneeling next to Zhi.

He ran to them.

“Are you ok?” He said as he spoke to Livia parting the bloodied hair from her face.

“I am, it's her I'm concerned for.” Livia said as she looked at Zhi.

Zhi was struggling as she breathed. It was obvious that the fight had taken a lot out of her.

Nanaua came running over.

“My dear!” She shouted as she ran.

“I'll be fine.” Zhi weakly replied as she looked at Nanaua.

Nanaua came up to Zhi and held her hand. Zhi smiled back at her with loving eyes. Nanaua held her love's hand with tender care. If it wasn't for the gory display around them, the scene the Corin was witnessing would have been very heartwarming.

“You are truly amazing.” Simeon said as he stood over the group.

Corin looked at Simeon. He was talking to Zhi.

“In all my years of life I would have never expected to see a furtive wielding magic.” Simeon began, "Yet you command the elements with such vigor that for a second I truly believed a Titan was in the room fighting with us.”

Simeon knelt in front of Zhi as he brought out some dried fruits for her to eat.

Zhi grabbed the dried fruits and took several bites. Using magic required a lot of energy and quickly left her hungry.

“Do you want any more?” Simeon asked.

“No, I'm fine now.” Zhi replied, sounding more energetic.

“But I truly mean what I said. The gift you have is amazing.” Simeon said.

Zhi was taken aback from the compliment.

“It's nothing, it's not even a gift more like a curse” Zhi replied.

“You are wrong.” Simeon said.

Zhi seemed almost insulted by Simeon’s reply.

“It might seem like that for you, but these powers you have. You really are our only hope to fight back at the titans. You may not see it as a gift, but I do. And I know other furtives would see it that way as well.” Simeon said.

Zhi once again found herself with nothing to say.

“He's right my love. What you have is a gift.” Nanaua added.

Zhi looked at Nanaua.

“You are unique, that much is true.” Livia said.

Zhi was touched by their replies. She smiled at the support of her companions.

Corin held his hand to help her up. Zhi gladly accepted his offer. She stood up and looked around her.

“Well, let's not keep wasting time.” Zhi said with renewed vigor.