“I can as well,” Hollia agreed. “I’ve never heard of anything like this before existing in Eden.”
Saffron stepped onto the steel floor and tapped it with her boot a few times, the girl then looking around at the cave and seeing nothing else out of the ordinary within the hollow aside from its centerpiece.
Mika walked over and examined the floor along with a few ant girls. She knelt down and touched the steel before knocking on it, seeing that it wasn’t plated but rather solid metal. Noticing something she then started brushing away dirt along the edge of where normal ground met the base. The ant girls saw what she was doing then helped brush away the loose soil from the steel, all of them squeaking and working quickly alongside the human. As they did Tabitha and Scay came closer and watched the girls revealing strange glyphs that were indented into the steel, the markings lining the edge of the rounded base the statues were set on while being lit up with a green light.
“What the hell is this?” Mika asked as the girls backed up and looked down at the writing. “What language is that?”
“It isn’t,” Tabitha said shaking her head. “That’s no language of Eden at all.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve learned a lot about ancient scriptures, comes in handy when hunting rare treasure in the world. I’ve seen all sorts of markings and glyphs during my travels, but nothing like that.”
Forrus and Hollia walked onto the steel floor and looked around at the statues that stood nearby, both of them keeping on guard while more ant girls started to brave their first steps onto the strange cenotaph.
“I’m not sure why,” Hollia cautioned. “But I’m getting a very dreadful vibe being here. The way the floor looks here is very… concerning.”
A few ant girls squeaked at Saffron while pointing to the floor, with their leader watching them curiously then looking at the strange metal with a careful eye. She grabbed a pickaxe from a digger and walked up to it, taking a moment to grip the tool tightly in both hands before she wound back and struck the floor with a sharp clang. The pickaxe snapped apart instantly and bounced away, with all the girls staring in surprise at seeing not a mark on the floor at all from where the ant girl had hit it with great force.
“Didn’t even scratch it,” Tabitha said in awe. “What is this made of?”
Saffron looked to the floor with wide eyes while holding her bangs aside. She then turned to her workers and squeaked a few times, the girls then squeaking back and shaking their heads as a few held up their bomb sticks. Saffron pointed to the bombs then to the floor and shook her head with a few more squeaks, the workers merely nodding back with troubled frowns.
“Those bomb things couldn’t even damage it?” Hollia asked, with Saffron then shaking her head at her with a bewildered expression.
“It must be really strong,” Scay wondered as she looked closely at the floor, the naga then giving it a big lick before turning to Tabitha. “Tastes funny too. I’ve never tasted anything like it before.”
Tabitha merely shook her head at the naga then looked down to the strange writing that lined the edge of the circular platform.
“Something is very wrong about this place. These markings… I don’t know what they say yet they’re making my fur stand on end when I try to read them.”
“My lord,” Forrus said looking over to Daemon. “What is-”
“Shh!” Sasha hushed her while she and Rulo were watching Daemon closely at his sides. The swordsman was just looking down at the floor, seeming to stare at it while remaining silent. The other girls noticed this and watched as he slowly walked towards the central alter with a focused expression.
“It can’t be another city,” Rulo whispered to Sasha. “Can it? We shouldn’t be close to one here, right?”
“The fourth one was hidden, remember?” Sasha quietly said back. “It’s possible this is where it was buried.”
“The fourth what?” Tabitha asked. Sasha and Rulo spun around to see the neko standing near them along with Scay. “You two know what this is, don’t you?”
Sasha and Rulo merely stared at her with cold eyes while the other girls gathered behind Tabitha.
“What is this?” Tabitha asked gesturing around them. “Daemon seems to know. You two seem to know. How about you tell us now? We’re just a little curious after all.”
After a long while of silence Sasha glanced back to see Daemon nodding at her, the girl then sighing quietly before turning to Forrus.
“It’s the entrance to a City of Eden.”
The lycan blinked then quickly looked to Daemon and back to her as she was taken aback.
“Wait, when you say it’s a… but that’s not anywhere near here I thought. The City of Eden is buried within the arid desert of the Solhouasta region, my lord even said so.”
“City of Eden?” Mika asked. “What’s that?”
Sasha and Rulo showed frustrated looks as they glanced to her then to the other girls, all of them watching the reptile girl and orc carefully as they noticed the two being very on edge now. Everyone then looked back to Daemon as he stood beside the dais, his eyes locked on Sasha while he remained silent.
“My lord,” Forrus called over. “The City of Eden isn’t here, is it? You told me it was on the other side of the world. Is that correct?”
“Yes, and apparently no,” Daemon replied.
“Uh uh,” Tabitha said shaking her head. “That answer’s not going to fly here. I’m being paid to help you secure those key fragments for one City of Eden. Now there’s another one? I feel like I haven’t been told everything about my current assignment yet again.”
“I’m still lost here,” Mika spoke up. “What is this place? What’s a City of Eden?”
Saffron looked around at the ground and hit her boot against it a few times then turned to Daemon and squeaked with a puzzled expression. Sasha and Rulo looked to each other and hesitated, the two then slowly looking down as everyone waited for an explanation that they didn’t seem eager to give.
“I was told my knight seeks to prevent the grand Darker One’s release from her prison,” Hollia recalled. She stepped forth while the other girls looked to her curiously. “That he is after the key fragments to her seal so he can hide them from the world and ensure the Darker One’s entombment.”
“The grand Darker One?” Mika slowly repeated.
“That prison is located on the other side of Eden just as you’ve told us, in what is called the City of Eden. If that is true, then why is there another ‘City of Eden’ here in our land?”
Sasha and Rulo looked to her while remaining silent, the centaur then striking her spear onto the floor with a loud clang.
“Don’t you dare hide anything from me! As I’ve stated before I will serve my knight in retribution for all that he’s done for me and I will see to it that this grand Darker One he’s spoken of remains locked away forever. But I will not stand for any deception among us if we’re going to be working together towards this goal, there is no excuse for hiding anything if we’re on the same side. Now tell me the complete truth, how can there be a City of Eden here and on the other side of the world at the same time?”
“Because there are four Cities of Eden,” Sasha explained. Hollia showed surprise as the reptile girl slowly shook her head. “There are four cities hidden beneath the world as you know it. There are four unique keys that can unlock these ancient tombs. And there are four guardians who protect them.”
“And you know what that means, right?” Rulo asked.
Hollia slowly looked over to Daemon in shock as he nodded once at her, the girl then turning to Sasha and Rulo while stepping back towards the crowd.
“There are four of them?” she gasped. “Four of those harbingers exist?”
“Four what? What are you talking about?” Mika asked. “What the hell is a grand Darker One?”
“A Dark Queen,” Sasha told her. Everyone fell silent as the reptile girl and orc had solemn expressions on their faces. �
�You wanted to know, right? You wanted to know what could be worse than a Darker One. What monster could be stronger and more terrifying than the legendary Darker Ones that you know of. Well there’s your answer. A Dark Queen.”
“There’s four of them in the world,” Rulo said. “Only four, but even one is enough to spell disaster for Eden should it run free. That’s why they were sealed away long ago to prevent the end of the world.”
She tapped the steel floor with her foot a few times, the other girls looking down before jumping as they realized what she meant.
“Sealed away in these cities deep underground,” Rulo continued. “Way, way down below us there’s an entire labyrinth locked away with a powerful seal. And inside there’s only one resident, a Dark Queen. A one-of-a-kind monster unlike anything you’ve seen even in nightmares.”
“There’s a Dark Queen below us right now?” Hollia feared.
“There’s four of those things?” Tabitha carefully asked.
“How do you know all this?” Mika asked.
“Because my master is the guardian of the City of Eden in Solhouasta,” Sasha proudly stated. “Because he has told us more than we ever thought possible in this world. Because we’ve seen that city with our own eyes. Because we’ve learned truths that should have remained hidden in this world. We learned-”
She then stopped while watching Mika, her words faulting as she eyed over the human before shaking her head slightly and averting her gaze while taking a moment to regain her composure.
“We’ve learned about some pretty fucked up shit, trust us,” Rulo mentioned with a nod. “So there you have it. There are four big, bad monsters in the world, and if any of them get out then we’re all fucked.”
The other girls looked to each other in wonder while Sasha and Rulo exchanged careful glances. They looked back to see Daemon just staring at the dais then to the crowd of girls who were looking down in unease of what was directly below them. The ant girls began squeaking among each other in hushed squeaks while Saffron held aside her bangs and eyed over the foreboding cenotaph very cautiously.
“There are four of those things in the world?” Forrus slowly asked. “Why didn’t my lord tell me that detail when he informed me of his quest? Why didn’t any of you?”
“Because the other three are not our responsibility,” Sasha told her. “My master is the guardian of the City of Eden located in Solhouasta, that’s the only one he’s charged with keeping hidden. The other cities have their own guardians who look after them.”
“If that’s true then where is this one’s guardian?” Hollia demanded gesturing to the empty cave with her spear. “Are these ant girls supposed to be watching over this one?”
Saffron merely squeaked and shook her head while examining the statues. The nearby ant girls also shook their heads as they had no idea such a place even existed near their nest.
“We don’t know,” Sasha answered. “Truth be told this was the one City of Eden that we were not aware of its location. The other three are known to be far from this land however this one was hidden even from my master’s knowledge.”
“Hidden by who?” Tabitha asked. “Who built these cities? Who trapped the Dark Queens in them?”
Sasha and Rulo remained silent while glancing back to Daemon, seeing him examining the alter while keeping his hand held on his sword. After a pause they turned to the human in the group.
“Humans did,” Sasha finally answered.
“Humans?” Mika questioned. “I never heard of my people building cities underground and locking away monsters that were more powerful than Darker Ones in them. And look at those statues, I’ve never seen monuments built like that before. Humans did not make those!”
“You’d be surprised what humans have created in this world,” Sasha retorted with narrowed eyes.
“Believe us or not, it doesn’t matter,” Rulo snorted. “The truth is always the truth, and these cities were made by humans long ago.”
Mika stared at them in disbelief then looked up at the monuments, the sleek metal designs with their pulsating green engravings being like nothing she had ever seen or heard about. The idea that humans created them only drew more confusion and unease to the hunter as she questioned what was true and what was not.
“Okay,” Mika slowly said. “If I’m going to believe such a tale I’ll need proof. All of this is way beyond rational. You said you’ve seen the city that Daemon guards, you’ve seen it with your own eyes. Can we see this one? Can you show us?”
“I’d like to see it myself,” Tabitha added. “I trust there are treasures of the rarest quality resting inside it, yes? Could be worth looking into.”
“What is locked away within the City of Eden will forever be locked away!” Sasha yelled at her. “How blind can your greed make you? If anyone opens that seal then we’re as good as dead!”
“You ant girls need to bury this place,” Rulo ordered the ant girls. “Bury it far and deep, make sure nobody can ever get down here.”
Saffron slowly nodded with a curious look at the cenotaph and squeaked something. With a sharp ring everyone quickly looked over to see Daemon having his sword drawn, the cambion now standing on guard while slowly eyeing the area around him.
“Master?” Sasha worried.
“We’re not alone,” Daemon warned.
All the girls quickly tensed up and searched the surrounding area, holding their weapons and digging tools tightly while looking for anyone else in the cave with them. Saffron kept a hand held in her satchel and squeaked something before a few of the ant girls squeaked at her with concern. She showed a puzzled look from what they said then quickly surveyed the area for something that couldn’t be seen, her eyes focusing sharply as she searched the cavern for anything out of the ordinary besides its unusual centerpiece.
“What do you mean we’re not alone?” Forrus asked. “What is it, my lord?”
“I’m getting the feeling we’re being watched,” Tabitha cautioned as she grabbed her swords.
“I don’t see anyone else in here,” Hollia said looking all around the cave.
“If my master drew his sword then there is a damn good reason,” Rulo sternly argued.
The ant girls in the crowd started squeaking while pointing in every direction, all of them frantically saying something in distress as Saffron watched them with puzzlement.
“What are they saying?” Mika asked Daemon.
“The diggers who found this place say there were others in here with them,” Daemon explained as he slowly turned his eyes to his blade. “Others who couldn’t be seen, only heard.”
“Couldn’t be seen?” Sasha repeated.
“So they were hearing voices?” Forrus wondered.
“I do too,” Scay happily said raising her hand. “I hear voices wherever I go. They talk to me a lot.”
“I believe you,” Tabitha dryly agreed. “However I think this is a little different, Scay.”
“Sasha?” Hollia said. The girls turned to see Sasha remaining perfectly still with a cautious glare, the woman holding her broadsword before her while becoming very tense.
“What’s touching my tail?” she slowly asked.
The girls looked behind her, seeing nothing where the reptile girl’s tail was lifted in the air.
“There’s nothing there,” Mika answered. Sasha glanced to her with narrowed eyes and clutched her blade tightly. The girls all slowly backed away while she glanced behind her.
“Yes there is,” she corrected, then spun around with a hard slash of her sword. With a sharp strike the blade shattered upon hitting something, all eyes staring in surprise as the girl’s weapon broke apart with the top half flying off. Shards of the girl’s heavy sword scattered across the floor while Sasha gasped at seeing the half of her blade that remained being severely cracked.
“Wha… what the hell?” she cried out.
“Your sword broke,” Scay curiously said.
“What did you hit?” Rulo shouted as
Sasha quickly jumped away. The reptile girl stared at her broken weapon as she was rendered speechless, stunned that her trusty sword had been instantly shattered upon hitting something that couldn’t be seen.
Hollia backed up a few steps then jumped with a gasp as she bumped into something. The group saw her scream as she quickly spun around and thrust her spear forward. Although nothing appeared to be before her she did indeed hit something that caused her lance’s end to break apart as it couldn’t pierce whatever it was.
“What in Eden?” Hollia screamed as she scampered back to the others. “What just happened?”
“Your spear broke,” Scay said pointing to it.
“I can see that! But what broke it?”
A few ant girls started shaking nervously from the odd phenomena then quickly turned to run, right before one collided into something that couldn’t be seen either. The monster squeaked in fright and threw a punch at the invisible obstacle, the impact sounding off with a loud crack before the girl grabbed her wrist and squeaked in pain while dropping to her knees. The other ant girls stared in surprise at seeing their sister shaking her head and squeaking as she held her limp hand.
“What happened to her?” Mika asked.
“Her hand broke,” Scay said with a shrug.
“What is doing this?” Forrus shouted while quickly looking around.
“Everyone get back, now!” Sasha ordered, with all the girls quickly racing off the steel platform to the side. They then noticed Daemon was remaining still in the center, the swordsman keeping his eyes on his blade held out before him.
“Master, look out!” Rulo shouted. “There’s something over there!”
“I know, that’s what I warned you of earlier,” Daemon simply replied.
“What is he doing?” Tabitha asked waving to the stationary cambion. “Why is he just standing there?”
“Master?” Sasha softly said. “Please be careful.”
Daemon slowly tilted his blade to the side, watching the gleam of the pulsating neon lights passing by on it before he noticed something that the reflection gave away. He then carefully angled the blade another way and then once more, taking notice that while everyone else had fled the cenotaph in haste three others still remained with him.
Chronicles of Eden - Act X Page 41