Of Ice, Death & Monsters

Chapter 105 : For The World Under

20 Days Ago.

The walk was long. I wouldn’t say boring, although the other two would. I used to go on long hiking trips with Adrian. He would get winded after a dozen hours, and I’d have to carry him after that. He was so cute when he slept in my arms.

However, it seemed there was something quite interesting enough to amuse the people she was with, and that was the carvings on the walls. For we saw that the caves changed from being purely rock and dirt to becoming something more akin to proper walls.

The further we walked, the more organized it became, even including lighting, vents of air, and what smelled like flowers.

Suddenly, Topher lit up as if he had an idea. “Wait, underground, remarkable craftsmanship… Dwarves! Are these guys dwarves?”

“Oh, I love dwarves. They always get jobs done fast, so we can go home early. Love them more than those elves.” Derek said aloud before turning to Dela and then realizing that he, too, had knife ears.

“Oh well, uh… Not us of course…”

Dela, however, simply stared ahead, or I believe she did; her head didn’t move, so I couldn’t see her eyes behind the mask. “We are Fae, fairies, from what I read, we are only very slightly related.”

“Huh?” Topher scratched his cheek. “But we got the pointy ears, the long lifespan- Are we not elves?”

They both looked at me again as I walked further along. “Each nation, and even each region, and if you want to get even more specific, each domain has its own type of what we call the Fae, Mazzikin, Sprites, Spirits. She’s different, but there are some notable traits. It’s much like how animals can evolve to be various species across different nations. It’s like how even if I am a Destined One of the Wolf, there are multiple others like me that are differing breeds of wolf.”

“Huh… Guess we fae then.” Derek simply nodded along, quietly accepting the fact before Topher asked.

“I wonder what kind of ‘dwarf’ these guys are, then, huh.”

I looked up at the ceiling, which seemed to be much, much higher than usual. “They are known as the Gornyedi, and from what I can tell, they must be very tall. They’re probably much more accustomed and connected to the earth as well, judging from who their patron goddess is.”

“Yeah… An actual goddess, huh… Do we have one of those?” Derek called out from behind. That question made me pause for a moment. 

Phorash was no stranger to mythical tales and sightings, to cults, religions, and so much more. Divine beings, however, weren’t much of an idea there, especially since most of their followers and believers left for other lands. Some stayed, however…

Epithet always kept track; they always made notes. There were rumors in their organization that they even allied with some, and if you go to the even stranger tales, that they managed to capture some.

“We do, however, they are usually only minor deities.”

We soon found stairs, walking downward, and now we found ourselves getting closer and closer to noises that I could only make out as faint echoes of conversations that hung in the air.

“Isn’t a god like… Always super powerful? What does a minor deity even look like?”

I thought about it for a moment. What was the best way to explain it to someone like them… Ah.

“Think back on Masha. Technically speaking, she could be counted as a Minor Deity, although that would be up to interpretation.”

“She has a domain.” Dela added on to my explanation. “An afterlife for her followers who have made deals with her.”

Topher’s eyes widened. “Whoa, didn’t think she was that powerful. She didn’t really seem all that… Godly, even that dragon guy had that aura to him.”

“That solely depends on the gods themselves. They’re all different, all so varied: powers, personalities. How they manifest and who they are. Can you believe some gods out there that we can even take on and defeat?”

Derek frowned at that. “Like… Us four? Together? Are you outta yah mind? What in tarnation are we gonna do?”

Topher grinned a little and laughed. “Masha already had us beat like scarecrows after a bear attack.”

They both chuckled along as I shook my head. “No, I was more or less saying Epithet, but as for other gods… Well, let’s say they’re quite hard to manage and deal with.”

If only Project Apocrypha were successful. Or maybe it was, and they were keeping it for the higher-ups. Whatever the reason was, all she knew was that it went nowhere, and Epithet had to deal with the whole situation in some other way.

Then, finally came the wall. Or rather, from how it looked like it was cut down the middle with what appeared to be plated artworks of some kind of mother figure adorned in gold and bronze, wrapping her hands around a city.

I walked up to it, and before I could take a chance to knock, a slit in the door opened up high, and two eyes stared at me, speaking in an old Thalamese and some other ancient dialect mixed into one, but it translated into my brain quite quickly.

“Are you the one who leads your group?” He eyed me carefully; his pupils were like obsidian, so polished that I felt like I could see myself in them. He then stared at my ears and tail, and I felt discomfort slowly grow.

He then turned his gaze to Dela. “An emissary of the Light Folk as well? Do you bring the runes of what had occurred for the recent incidents?”

I raised my hand up. “Yes, that would be me. I am more than an emissary, I am the Chosen of the Caretaker, and if you mean the sudden release and influx of souls, then yes, I have news of such events.”

For a moment, the other person went completely silent, as if they were trying to process what I had said, then:

“You appear to be telling the truth. Our Mistress has spoken of your arrival. Come, be civil, and do not interfere more than you already have.”

Suddenly, the gate opened inwards, revealing a sight that I’ve only seen in movies and shows: A thriving underground city.

Rows and rows of what appeared to be small buildings dotted the landscape. All of them were covered with plants as if we were in a greenhouse. There were no stalactites; instead, there were upside-down trees. It covered up the rooftop so much so that it looked almost like the sky itself. 

The more I stared at it, the more details I noticed. One of them was the lake in the middle of the city, with rivers glowing in and out of it in some kind of sun formation. It was glittering, almost as if there was glitter in the system.

Next were the people; they were all quite tall, probably around ten feet or so, and their skin was like stone. I immediately wondered how they gained energy. Was it from their surroundings? Was it also food and water? Do they have waste? Or perhaps they eat rocks and minerals and absorb it?

It was all very fascinating to say the least. Were they purely rock? Or perhaps it was simply their texture. It appeared as if they still required light, or else they wouldn’t have used such luminescence.

Another thing of note was that mixed and dotted in all of the Gornyedi were… Other people? Humans, Destined Ones. I believe I even saw Fae around. However, they all looked quite distraught, the same with the Gornyedi with them. Some even looked like they were in the middle of an argument of sorts.    

Oh well, what mattered most of all was the fact that this civilization is, in fact, under the supervision and surveillance of a goddess. Their entire way of living was completely alien… This would be my first-hand experience in seeing what they’re like.

“By the great green corn fields… This is amazing.” Derek took the first step, checking around as he nodded. “Wonder why they’re all holed up in here?”

Topher then pointed up. “We barely lasted a day up there. I ain’t gonna bother with that.”

He was right, but they had a goddess by their side, so that makes it even more suspect. Perhaps they’re better off underground? Well, whatever it was, I had to find that earth goddess either way.

I turned towards the person I spoke to by the doorway. He, much like the rest of his people, was tall, but his skin seemed to be plated, almost like armor yet… Grafted on him more so than wearing it. 

“May you direct us to your goddess?” I asked politely as I bowed my head. The other two quickly did the same, but Dela simply stared at the center of the city before asking.

“Is it not common sense that she would stay within the middle? Or perhaps be up in the tree?”

“Our esteemed Mother does lie within the middle, you are correct.” The Gornyedi spoke deeply as he began to walk towards the center of the city. 

I sighed and shook my head at Dela. “My dear, it was so that we would have someone by our side who could help translate the customs.”

“I see.” Is all I got from her. It was quite strange; she really was different from the other Fae. Masha was very chatty, and I was starting to miss that.

As if to break the awkward tension, the Gornyedi spoke forth.“I am Maxim Gatekeeper, I shall also be Maxim the Guide for now, as you are all special cases.”

“Your last Name is… Gatekeeper? Like your job?” Derek sounded both confused, yet he thought about it for a few good seconds. “Huh, explains a lot of the pals I got back home.”

“Our occupation is who we are. They are our Spirits, and they help empower us throughout our journey in life.” 

He walked down the streets where I noticed several of the Gornyedi not talking to each other. They mostly stared at us before looking at each other and walking away as if nothing had happened. 

However, many of them did speak to the others like us. The noticeable outsiders. Each one of them was guided to the middle, much like we were. I could actually even see people who were already there. Some were actually swimming in the lake or… Talking to the flowers?

As we walked, I looked around. I noticed that the buildings were not all carbon copies of each other. It actually reminded me of a forest in a way, with how there was a majority of certain trees, but there was every so often a clump of trees, or in this case, buildings. They had different compositions and even labels on them.

Some had ’Smith’, some even had ‘Baker’, which surprised me even more. There was ‘Craftsman’, ‘Seamstress’, and so on and so forth. It was kind of like how I imagined being in an ant colony, with how it’s arranged.

I didn’t pay much attention to the banter around me, instead focusing on what was all around until the very end, when, after a few good hours of walking, we finally made it to the center of the city, where what I would call the ‘central park’ would be.

The closer we were, the more relaxed I felt, the more at ease my heart felt. With each step, my muscles relaxed and I noticed that I could feel the fresh air moving through my body. 

I wasn’t even on the grass yet, and still, it was a whole new world. A brighter world. It felt so different compared to the surface. I was almost tempted to stay here, but I had to stay focused. I had mission to do, a goal to accomplish and a world to save.

“Welcome to the Garden of Mokosh.”