Chương 69: Into the Underground

Getting down was the easy part. Desha had been right about one thing. Namely that a Tetherer like Pewter was uniquely suited to getting a couple of strapping adventurers down a well both safely and quickly. He was also the man to channel [Light] so the two of them could see at all. After about a 20-foot drop, the well opened into an underground cavern of sorts. It was easy to imagine it being filled with water at some point.

Right now, however (and thankfully), the water had receded into the unseen depths, leaving a damp rocky surface for the Gym Rats to land on.

"Right." Jordan's voice echoed uncertainly against the cave walls.

"She said it was a small wooden box. See anything like that lying around?"

"Nothing," came Pewter's reply, just as hesitant.

"That's odd. If the Hearthkeeper had dropped it like she'd said, it couldn't have bounced too far from where it landed."

"You think she was lying?" Jordan asked, then realized that he needed to specify.

"About dropping the box, I mean. We already established that she lies about a lot of things."

"I highly doubt it. The system recognized the Writ of Undertaking, did it not? Which means the conditions stated therein are deemed achievable by both parties. Unless the Hearthkeeper has a way to deceive the system, we can take the existence of this keepsake box at face value." Now, that was some intriguing information.

Jordan had always been fascinated by how the Stormvasters seemed to accept the system as integral to their lives, no more unnatural than breathing oxygen to survive—no wink-wink-nudge-nudge genre awareness to be found here. It stood to reason, then, that the system could also serve the function of a sanity check: verifying information and uncovering simple lies. Now it makes sense what Fuxi said about getting it in writing.

Based on the language of the Writ, we know that there's a keepsake box that can be found inside this well. We also know that Desha will let us go once we retrieve it for her, or else risk breaking the world at some fundamental level. It was a comforting thought once Jordan wrapped his mind around it. But then… he also knew of at least one NPC who almost definitely went by a falsified [Character Sheet]. Was she breaking the system, or was her deception within the scope of what the system allowed for?

And like, seriously, I've got to stop bringing her up! The initially comforting thought soon turned into headaches. Quickly realizing that he'd get no closer to an answer at the bottom of a well, Jordan shook his head to refocus on the immediate task. The Gym Rats took several minutes to search every corner of the cavern. No dice. Wherever this wooden box was, it had bounced very far indeed. Either that, or…

"Did something already take it, perhaps?" Pewter's perfectly logical suggestion sent a chill down Jordan's spine. The notion was potentially terrifying, depending on what that'something' might be. And then— Perception DC 15: success"Hang on, do you hear that?" The sound was faint and distant, yet distinct above the general drip-drip in the bottom of a well. A rhythmic wailing, broken up only to suck in more air to sustain itself. It was the cry of a forlorn creature, left alone and helpless in the unseen depths.

After several beats, Jordan realized with a jolt that he knew what the sound belonged to. It was the cry of a human baby. He moved without thinking, driven by that instinct inherent to the responsible adults of human society. There was a baby in need, and Jordan would be damned if he waited even one second before rushing to its aid. PEWTER SAPLING cast: Lasso. A magical length of rope wrapped around Jordan's torso and pulled him back. He struggled against it for a moment, before snapping back to reality.

Understanding dawned instantly. Above ground, Jordan had saved Pewter from following the Hearthkeeper into her inn. Now, their roles had been reversed.

"Sorry," Pewter panted, even as he released Jordan from his spell.

"You were already far ahead of me, and this was the quickest way."

"Nah, you're good. If anything, you probably saved my ass from falling into another one of these mind control gimmicks. God, I can't wait to be done with this place!"

"For that, we still need to complete the quest. Whatever's making that sound… do you think it might be the one to have taken Desha's box?" The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Even if that weren't the case, the strange sound remained the only viable clue. The Gym Rats crept closer in the direction of the cry, careful not to creep too close. Which was how they discovered a crevice along the walls, conveniently man-sized to allow passage deeper into the cavern.

Pewter shined [Light] into it, revealing only craggy walls that stretched on for some immeasurable distance. Jordan then 'tested the waters' by sticking a hand into the crevice. He pulled it back in alarm almost right away.

"What is it, Jordan?"

"I don't really know how to describe it. The air feels different in there. It's chilly, and it… sort of clings onto you, almost like it's—""Trying to pull you in?" Even in the dim [Light], Jordan could tell that his friend had gone pale.

"Oh, this is bad, Jordan! I'm starting to recall tales I read as a child, about Leafellers and their special connection to the nether realm. This far underground, I wouldn't be surprised if we've stumbled upon some kind of portal."

"Portal, eh? Believe it or not, I have some experience with that sort of thing."

"It's no joking matter, Jordan! Oh, this had been an ill thing from the start, walking right into that Hearthkeeper's illusory spells. And now, she means to lure us toward whatever evil presence lurks beyond this passage. Even if we were to make it out alive, there's no guarantee that all of us would be intact. They say that once the nether realm has grabbed hold of your soul, they're loath to ever give it back!" That sounded all kinds of bad. And yet, Jordan couldn't help but be a little stimulated by the idea.

After all, the Season of Remembrance had been the most fun he'd ever had on Vesselia, where he'd used an OP Shaman class to beat up on creepy Necromancers. I wonder if me being a Voidcrosser plays into this at all. My'soul' has already been dragged around every which way, and I still feel fine. Maybe I'll be immune to these nether realm shenanigans, too?

"How about this, Pewter?" he turned to his friend with a plan —half-baked and reckless, perhaps, but a plan all the same.

"You stay back here and keep me tethered. If shit hits the fan, I'll shout for help, and you can drag me back out." For a moment, Pewter stared wide-eyed at Jordan like he'd lost the plot. But only for a moment, before the Tetherer's brow furrowed in concentration.

"What if you're in no state to make a noise, or if you've gone too far in for the sound to reach me? No, we need a more reliable method of communication." With that, Pewter tipped his Gourd and 'wet' his finger with the pink stuff inside. A figure of speech, of course, for mana was neither liquid nor solid but more a state of being. Then, with active mana swirling around his hand, Pewter began to write. On Jordan, directly onto his exposed arm.

"There," the Tetherer announced after about a minute.

"I've just cast a glyph on you. It should trigger if your HP drops below half or if you incur any new [Afflictions]. Which will then send a signal back through my rope." The writing had faded already, but Jordan could still see—or perhaps feel —a faint pink marking on his arm. It wasn't his first time seeing a glyph in action, but for it to be Pewter's handiwork filled him with no small amount of pride.

"You're freaking awesome, Pewter, and don't you ever forget it."

"Stop it!" Pewter admonished with an ear-to-ear grin.

"And be careful in there, Jordan. Don't think twice about turning around at the first sign of trouble. If this doesn't work out… we'll think of another way."

'Another way'. Which really only pointed to one thing. The idea had already crossed Jordan's mind, but it didn't bear thinking about. At least for now. PEWTER SAPLING cast: Tethers. Pewter's ropes wrapped around Jordan once more, not to pull back but to maintain a secure connection. The Gatekeeper would have taken on this reckless challenge with or without the lifeline, but it certainly felt good to have a Tetherer in his corner. With careful measured steps, Jordan slid into the crevice.

The change in the atmosphere was immediate and total. That same clinging chill from earlier now enveloped his whole person, sending up goosebumps that had nothing to do with fear. The place was also darker than dark, Jordan's only light source being the dim pink glow of his half-full cauldron. All throughout, the baby's cry had never abated. In fact, it grew louder and crisper the deeper Jordan delved into the passage. As clear a sign as any that he was getting close to something.

As for what that something might be…" Waahhh! Waahhh! Waahhh!" The cry was getting really loud now, loud enough to give Jordan a headache. He was finding it harder to concentrate, having to blink away sweat that poured down his forehead despite the cold air all around. Indeed, while the air itself remained chilly, Jordan himself felt hot, almost like he was working up a fever. But as far as the system was concerned, Jordan was completely fine. Nor had Pewter's glyph met the threshold for a trigger.

He couldn't stop now. He had to keep going, see this accursed quest through to the end." Waahhh! Waahhh! Waaahhhh!" That was when he saw it. A visible 'shudder' within the darkness. A man-sized boulder or some such, wriggling and grinding its way through the passage. Toward Jordan. Jordan froze, momentarily caught in indecision. Then his hesitation soon bloomed to full-blown shock and terror as he realized what he was looking at. The boulder wasn't a boulder at all, but a giant head.

A human baby's head, wriggling and grinding its way through a passage that was far too narrow for a giant baby. A monstrosity in every sense of the word. A 'first sign of trouble' if ever there was one. But Jordan somehow found it in him to stand his ground, if only to take in one of the most fascinating [Sheets] he'd ever come across. <Monster Sheet> Name: The Unreborn Class: Wailer, Lv. 1 Vessel: Box of Severed Cord