Chương 19: Friends

The creaking and turning of gears reverberated through the tower's interior. Rusted bolts and metal fragments fell to the ground. Let's hope something isn't broken. Eric released the spectral hand and watched as the clockwork above rotated. The cogs slowly dragged the chains inward until the hanging metal pipe jammed hard into the ceiling. Oh, come on! Why does everything… Beside Ash's cage, the massive sprinkler rotated, redirecting its stream into the carved channels below.

Water rushed through the drain and began filling the base of the cage.

"We did it! I mean, I did it, you just watched," Eric said. The raven hissed at its partner in crime. A moment later Ash hopped to the opposite side of the cage and pecked at the bars. Only one fountain was left to solve the puzzle. Eric's excitement faded almost immediately. He didn't succeed at solving the puzzle, or at least getting ahead. All the skills he acquired were a nice bonus to his adventuring, but neither path he explored helped in releasing his friend. He walked nervously in circles around the cage.

"I'm tired! Why does this stupid thing not work, and why do I have to struggle every time?" he asked, pulling out his weapon. It transformed into a large, two-handed hammer.

"Enough of this. Time for a new strategy." He took a swing at the cage, using the inertia the giant crusher had. Ash flew backward from the force of the impact. The avian's prison emitted a faint blue glow after Eric's hit was deflected. More puzzles? The raven channeled spectral power and sent forth a small bolt of energy. It electrocuted Eric upon connecting with his weapon.

"What was that for? I'm trying to help." Eric turned around and aimed at the fountain that was blocking him to solve the puzzle. If you don't turn by yourself, I'll have to do it forcefully… A quick teleport moved Eric in front of the sprinkler. He dismissed the hammer and poured essence into his left arm. Soon, a giant green duplicate of his fist appeared. He turned around and teleported as far as possible. Let's see if you survive this. Eric ran as fast as he could.

He chained teleport with a sprint, each short blink launching him further forward like a long jumper gaining momentum mid-air. Finally, he jumped before reaching the fountain, slamming down with his phantom hand. The combined momentum and impact produced enough force and heat to partially vaporize the water in the fountain. Part of the fountain's base had come loose, exposing a narrow cylindrical slot.

"Did you see that? I should try it in combat sometime," Eric yelled at Ash. The raven wasn't so interested in his antics right now because it was watching the roof above. It shot another small bolt of energy at the pipe wedged inside the mechanism on the ceiling. What am I missing? For a moment, Eric looked around and tried to figure out what was happening. Soon after the bird's hit, the steel tube fell to the ground. Loud sounds and caws filled the air. Ash immediately pointed its beak toward the fallen pipe.

"You are a genius!" Eric said. Before all this, the solution to the puzzle was invisible to Eric. Now, with the help of his companion, he got the idea to use the metal tube and insert it into the sprinkler. He couldn't wait to try it and summoned two ghostly hands at his disposal. Slowly and methodically, Eric inserted the rod into the opening in the fountain. An audible click signified it was time to rotate the construct. Water spilled over the carved channels in the ground, filling everything in its path.

He realized the system needed to be rotated 180 degrees so that the water would redirect into the proper channels. Ash was beaming with excitement. Its wings were flapping, and it was softly clicking its beak. For Eric, these sounds meant that it felt good. He bonded with the bird through this difficulty. Finally, the stream of water fell exactly where it should. The ground colored with the clear water, as if blood moving through the human body.

"We really did it together this time," Eric grinned. The base of the cage filled from both sides. It sank into the ground and disappeared, the top opening and setting his companion free. Ash flew into the air. The freedom it experienced was unmatched after almost an eternity of lockdown. It glowed bright green, its feathers had regained their previous vivid black color. After several excited loops around the chamber, Ash landed on Eric's shoulder.

As a sign of gratitude, the raven brushed its beak gently through Eric's hair. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Nice to meet you too. We're gonna make a great team. Speaking of…" New information in a system window interrupted Eric as he was about to ask where to go. /—————————————————\ Ash joined your party. Your passive learning and Insight gain are increased. \——————————————————/ Glowing brighter and brighter, the winged companion opened its mouth.

"Surprise! It's me," Grim talked from the other side. He used the bird as a telephone line.

"No way!" Eric mumbled in disbelief.

"You better believe it. This is going to be a short transmission and probably my only one. Ash doesn't like being used as a company telephone. I can't pay the bill afterwards, so listen!" A hologram appeared in the air beside the raven. Grim showed the second floor of the tower in more detail. A heart symbol blinked on the map.

"Recognize the shape? I made it easy for you. It also shows your current position. I tried mapping out the area as best I could. If you want to move deeper into the tower, you'll need to open the gate those idiots dragged Ash through. Ask the bird. It remembers more than you think." Eric interrupted the speech by raising his hand.

"What is it?" Grim sounded annoyed by his apprentice.

"What powers does Ash have? And how am I supposed to take care of it?" Eric asked.

"Good question. First of all, your companion's hiding a few tricks. It's smart enough. On the healing side… you can try channeling essence into it when injured, but don't worry too much. It's immortal."

"It can't die?! Why did you hire me then?"

"It can respawn. You, on the other hand, have potential," Grim said.

"It feels good to have some company in this hellhole." Eric tried to pet the raven. From now on, he didn't have to face loneliness anymore. The crushing isolation that had followed him through Purgatory finally eased a bit. After we make it out, I'm bringing you back to Earth.

"Hell is way, way worse than here, kid." The connection broke, and Ash closed its mouth. It gave out a raspy croak before opening again.

"Let me summarize. Move your ass over to the gate and try to unlock it. We can meet at the next Elegy Vault. Don't slack. Grim out." The transmission ended. All the information from Death was enough to give Eric some peace of mind. He knew where to go and what to do next. His companion looked unsteady, so Eric carefully picked it up.

"Are you okay, buddy?" He put the bird near a small stream of water. It coughed harshly before taking a few careful drinks. Eric admired the beauty of the raven. The sleek black color returned, removing the old silver feathers. It looked healthy and young again. Even your name is cool! Grinning, the reaper acolyte watched as his companion took a bath in a nearby channel. What an intelligent creature! Guess Grim dragged you into this mess too. There are a lot of challenges ahead, a lot of dangers.

I'll keep you safe. The emotion caught him completely off guard. A small tear rolled down Eric's cheeks. He turned around and wiped it away. To his surprise, Ash was watching him closely and tilted its head. It jumped on his shoulder and explored his armor with its beak. For a brief period, this interaction between Eric and the animal was the only thing that mattered. Affection was something unheard of in Purgatory until now.

"You ready? I think we should go now." Ash hopped off Eric and went off wandering on foot. It walked over to the giant gate between the staircases and pecked against the door. Turning around, it looked at Eric for a second and let out a rough croak.

"Okay, I'm coming!" Eric teleported to the gate. It was made from sturdy marble plates connected horizontally. Knocking against the slabs told him they were incredibly thick. After experimenting more, Eric placed a hand on the exit and a small window materialized above it. /—————————————————\ The last that failed must knock once more. \——————————————————/"Any ideas, little fella? Last time I needed a separate item. Actually…" The witch's hand fit the description somehow, and Eric wouldn't lose from trying.

Unfortunately for him, knocking with it didn't do anything. Ash recoiled at the sight of the Eternal Flame relic, its feathers twitching nervously.

"Don't worry about this. It's already dead, kinda. I didn't kill it, I promise," Eric hurried to calm down his companion. He turned towards the room and continued talking.

"There should be something more. I explored both staircases and couldn't find anything that could help. You're the tour guide here. I'm out of ideas." Ash waited for Eric to finish his monologue and spread its wings, flying into the air. After circling the chamber once, it spotted a narrow crack in the wall and slipped inside. A press of a button echoed from the crack, and both staircases slammed shut. Two metal cages closed the entrances.

"Thanks, but the main gate is still closed," Eric shouted. The raven peeked out from the crack in the wall and returned inside. Its human counterpart had no idea what was happening inside the walls, but whatever it was, it was working. Gritty sounds of rocks falling on the other side of the main gate reached Eric. The marble slabs opened a few inches but closed back violently after a moment. He crouched quickly, but all he saw beyond the gate was darkness. I'll have to scout myself.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the sound of grinding rocks reached his ears. The wall to the far right of Eric caved in and slid to the side, revealing a glowing altar. Ash jumped back from the crack and swooped back to Eric, carefully landing on his shoulder.

"What did you do?" he asked, knowing the raven couldn't exactly answer. Talking to Ash like a proper companion already felt natural. The raven gave three quiet clicks and flapped its wings.

"Alright, let's not waste more time." The group came upon an altar set right before them. Two crossed skeletal arms were holding blue torches, and behind them was an engraved rose. Eric's body buzzed faintly. His weapon reacted in his hand. He summoned the dagger as the blue jewel shone bright.

"Hey, I'm gonna need some help with this? Mind lending a hand?" The raven flapped its wings.

"I'll treat this as a yes. It's showtime!" Since arriving in Purgatory, Eric couldn't really trust anything, from the environment, through the enemies, and sometimes even Grim. Ash gave out a serene feeling of innocence. Whatever happened from now on, the reaper acolyte felt like he had a companion for life, something that could keep him grounded and focused on the present. Not scared from the unknown and ready for whatever was coming, Eric interacted with the altar.