For a moment Alice said nothing. She looked first towards the center of the clearing at the cave entrance, then studied the pristine road and the gray forest, then looked back to the cave. "He's not afraid of anything. He'd probably want to see what's inside that cave."
Brendon sighed. "We'll take a look, but at the first sign of trouble we're turning around and we're not going back."
He headed for the cave entrance. L.L. and Sycamore followed behind him.
Ellen waited a moment to see if Alice would follow as well, which fortunately she did, although she kept her distance. She hurried after her and walked at her side. Tear did the same.
"I would've stab her in the throat if I had the chance," Alice said bitterly. "If I could create weapons like her, I would've smashed her head open."
"Don't say things like that," Tear said. "She wasn't herself back there. Something awful was haunting her, and I think it has been for a few days-"
"I don't care," Alice snapped. "She's always treated everyone around her like they're useless, especially me. She was probably just using her hallucinations as an excuse to-"
"Lindsey has never been very nice," Ellen agreed, "but she doesn't want to hurt us."
Alice responded with a frown.
"What do you think she saw that made her so upset?" Tear asked. "I know it had something to do with her sister, but, um..."
Her sister had died, Ellen suspected, but she didn't want to dwell on such a depressing topic.
"She probably died," Alice said without hesitation. "It's too bad Lindsey didn't die with her."
The tunnel entrance was just ahead. Brendon lingered in the maw for a moment, grumbling to himself and looking annoyed, before heading inside. L.L. and Sycamore followed.
Ellen took out her knife and went in after them. The real evil in this dimension was lurking below the surface, or so she'd been told more than once, and this tunnel, which was illuminated by a source she still couldn't identity, stretched downwards for what looked like miles.
Despite her fears, the tunnel was quiet and peaceful. Only the others' footsteps and her own shallow breathing broke the silence. The ground, although steep, was extraordinarily solid.
"What is this place?" Tear asked after awhile. "There's no way people could've dug this, is there?"
"It's another relic from the past," L.L. said dismissively. "There are dozens of them in every dimension."
"Did you see the road outside?" Ellen asked. "A part of it was completely destroyed. It looks like something burst out of the ground."
L.L. didn't have an explanation for that. Neither did anyone else.
There were odd noises in the distance, Ellen noticed after a while. At first she assumed they were footsteps, but they were too inconsistent and too pulpy.
The noises steadily became louder the deeper she went. Eventually she asked: "Do you hear that?"
The others gave their uneasy agreements.
"We're almost at the bottom," Brendon said. "We'll take a quick look at whatever's down here then we'll get out of here."
The tunnel led to an expansive underground chamber. Ellen looked upon it in awe. It was several stories tall and wide enough to fit at least two or three or maybe even four villages inside it. The ground was so smooth it didn't look to have ever been visited by humans or even monsters.
Of all the strange things she'd come across in this dimension, this vast underground chamber was the strangest. How could such a massive area exist so deep underground? Who would build such a thing, and why?
It was well lit, too. A bright white light poured out of a gaping chasm near the wall opposite the entrance, illuminating every corner of the massive chamber.
"That's not good," Brendon said.
Ellen followed his gaze to the center of the chamber, where a gleaming yellow stone, several stories tall and perfectly smooth on all sides, stuck out of the ground.
A bolt of fear shot through her. It was another mysterious stone. She'd encountered one at the bottom of the Brazen Dimension, and it had created Alice, and another inside Amadeo's castle, which forced the dead back to life as mindless zombies. She could only imagine what sort of power this one had.
"I-I don't see Amadeo anywhere," Alice said nervously. "Let's get out of here."
"What are you so afraid of?" Sycamore asked, sounding bored. "It's just a rock. It's not going to hurt you unless it falls on you."
L.L. drew her swords. "We've seen what these stones can do. I wouldn't be surprised if that thing is the source of the sickness plaguing this dimension."
"I never thought about that," Sycamore admitted. "Should we destroy it?"
"It's probably for the best," Brendon said. He took one step forward, then staggered sideways and crashed into L.L. He needed help from both her and Sycamore to stand upright again. "Let's hurry," he said with a chuckle. "It's getting hard to keep my eyes open."
He marched off towards the stone. L.L. and Sycamore and Tear all followed.
"I'm not going near that stone," Alice muttered, her bitter gaze locked on the mysterious stone. "They can take care of it. I'm staying here."
"Are you afraid L.L. might attack you again?" Ellen asked.
Alice shook her head. "I'm not going near that thing," she said again.
Ellen smiled at her. "They're not all bad. If it wasn't for these stones, you wouldn't exist." She paused. "Or maybe you're upset because it was one of these stones that brought me back to life."
Alice's eyes open wide. "I'm not mad about that," she said. "I'm glad you're alive, but these stones-oh!"
Her face twisted with fright. Ellen followed her gaze, and spotted the others laying flat on the ground, still as corpses.
There was a thump beside her. Ellen faced forward, and discovered that Alice had collapsed as well.
Her heart sped up. What was happening? Had they simply gone unconscious, or were they-
She faced the stone. It was that thing's doing, she had no doubt. She had to destroy it before it came for her.
She made it two steps before her head started to spin, then two more before a blinding light invaded her vision.
Everything became white. She couldn't see anything, not the chamber or the stone or any of her friends. For a second it felt as if she was falling, and she probably was, right onto the hard stone floor, but the impact never came, or maybe she'd missed it. Her body was so numb she could probably fall on her knife and not feel a thing.
She had to get up, the strange chamber could fill with monsters at any moment, but her body was completely unresponsive.
A soothing sensation swept over her. Try as she might to resist it, it was simply too powerful, and by the time it reached her head, she didn't want to resist it. It bestowed upon her a profound feeling of peace like she'd never felt before. The monsters might already be on their way down, and that was perfectly fine. Once they arrived she'd share with them a small piece of the joy flowing through her body right now and then they'd never attack anyone again.
Something divine and powerful started tugging at the very essence of her being. Ellen relaxed and allowed it to take her away.
Chapter 14
Ellen opened her eyes. Her heart was already beating hard, and for good reason: she was laying on an unfamiliar bed, inside a wooden house she'd never seen before. What was this place and how had she gotten here?
For a moment her mind was utterly blank, then it all came back to her: this was her house and her bed, and she'd lived here for several months now.
She sat upright, feeling completely foolish. How could she have forgotten her own life?
The front door creaked open, and a bright white light poured into the room. Ellen shielded her eyes.
"You're awake!" Tear said happily. She shoved the door open then ran to Ellen's side. "You've been sick for days. Are you feeling better now?"
"I feel fine," Ellen said. "What was I sick with?"
Tear shook her head. "I'm not sure." She smiled. "But you're alrigh
t now, and that's all that matters."
Ellen climbed out of bed. Whatever had been ailing her must've been awful, because her memory was so hazy she couldn't remember what she'd been doing before she had become sick. "What do we... do here?"
"What do you mean?" Tear studied her. "You probably still need some time to rest. If Amadeo asks you to go hunting with him, tell him you're staying home today."
Who was Amadeo? The name didn't sound familiar at all.
"Let's go outside. You look like you could use some fresh air."
Ellen nodded and followed her outside.
It was daytime. A warm light shined down upon her home and Alice's home too, which was right next door. Behind it sat the communal hall, a long wooden building where Brendon, L.L. and Sycamore slept. It was also where they kept their bath and oven, and where they stored all their extra supplies.
Alice stepped outside. She flashed Ellen a smile then headed for the small field of crops beside her house, her massive stomach bobbing up and down with each step she took.
"She's huge," Tear whispered. "I wouldn't be surprised if she had twins."
Was Alice really pregnant? She had to be if her stomach was that large, but Ellen couldn't remember when it had happened or who'd helped her.
A man darted out from Alice's house and took Alice in his arms. He was tall and muscular and had gray hair that hung down to his shoulders. His beard was the same color. It reached down to his chest and stuck several inches off the sides of his face.
That was Amadeo, Ellen remembered now. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten him. Every few days she went out into the forest with him to hunt monsters. It was the two of them that brought in all the meat their little village ate. Alice and Sycamore took care of their farm, Brendon and L.L. kept busy by going on long expeditions to search for newcomers to the dimension, and Tear helped out by either watching the grassy plains outside the village for monsters, of which there were very few, or by handling everyone's laundry and housekeeping. It was all very clear to her now. This was her life.
But had this always been her life? What had she been doing a year ago? Two years ago? Even further back? That part of her memory was still hazy.
Alice and Amadeo couldn't keep their hands off each other. Their kissing and groping grew more fierce with each passing moment. They looked like they might take things a step further, but then Alice pointed out how they weren't alone and they both settled down.
"I'm glad they're happy together," Tear said, sounding hesitant. "But... aren't you and Alice both sixteen? And Amadeo is, well... He's quite a bit older."
There was an uncomfortably large age difference them, Ellen couldn't deny it. But what good would come from splitting them apart, especially when they were going to have children to take care of soon? "If this is what they both want," she said, "I think we should leave them alone." She paused. "You're not exactly normal when it comes to relationships."
Tear's eyes opened wide. "Do you really think-I, um-well... I mean, I haven't put much thought into it before, but-"
Her face turned bright red. She faced away from Ellen.
Amadeo wandered over. He didn't speak. Instead, he pointed once to Ellen then gestured to the forest off in the distance.
Ellen stared at him, perplexed. "What does that mean?"
Amadeo made more and more hand gestures, none of which Ellen could parse. If he wanted something from her, why couldn't he just ask?
"He probably wants to go hunting again," Tear said, and Amadeo nodded. "I don't mind if you go, just make sure you take it easy today."
"I'll go," Ellen said, "but why didn't you just say that in the first place?" She could've sworn she'd heard Amadeo speak before. Why had he suddenly gone mute?
Amadeo wandered off, presumably to get his equipment.
Ellen returned to her home, grabbed her knife and buckler then made her way to the edge of the village. Amadeo soon joined her, his golden sword and shield in hand and a heavy backpack hanging from his shoulders, then they set out.
Immediately outside the village awaited a wide expanse of grassy plains. The ground was so flat and the grass so short that not even the smallest of monsters could conceal themselves, not that any ever dared to venture this far.
After a short walk she reached the forest. It was full of young trees spread far apart.
Right away she spotted a monster off in the distance. It was almost as tall as her house. It had a stout, green body covered with bulging veins and a knobby head. It wielded a long staff with a blade sticking out the top. Two tiny wings on its back flapped furiously as it wandered around the forest.
There was something oddly familiar about the monster. She'd seen one just like it once before, not in this forest but somewhere buried in the foggy parts of her memory.
Amadeo slipped out of his backpack and bolted into the forest.
"Hold on!" Ellen called out, but it did no good. Amadeo didn't even glance back at her. Just like always, he was very eager to fight. She ran after him.
The monster noticed Amadeo. Violet energy gathered around its hands. It slashed its staff through the air, sending a magic staff rocketing forward.
The staff was taller than Amadeo, but he did not hesitate even for a second. He never did. He dodged left to avoid the summoned weapon then barreled forward.
When the staff came for her, Ellen summoned her shield. The translucent blue barrier appeared around her, encasing her entire body. It repelled the summoned weapon off into the forest.
A second staff came a moment later, and her shield repelled it as well. The staff flew sideways and crashed into a young tree, reducing it to a cloud of splinters.
Ellen dropped her shield and ran forward. The monster was too busy fending off Amadeo to summon any more staffs. Just like her, he also fought with nothing but his weapon and a shield.
The battle was just about over by the time she caught up. Amadeo had already sliced open several of the monster's veins. Green blood spewed out of its wounds and splattered all over the forest floor.
But even dying monsters could strike someone down with ease, so while Amadeo had the monster distracted, Ellen moved up behind it and jammed her knife into its lower back; that was as high as she could reach.
The stab revitalized her. That was her knife's power: it drained the life from anything it stabbed and gave it to her. How it had obtained that power was still a complete mystery to her, but she was glad it had it. Alice's knife had a mysterious power as well, but hers was not as reliable.
She pulled her knife back, then stabbed the monster again. And again and again and again. Soon the monster's lower back was nothing more than a stringy, bloody mess.
Ellen backed away when the monster started turning her way, but despite its injuries it moved fast. It was facing her before she could move far enough away to outrange its staff.
It swiped at her. Ellen threw herself to the ground to avoid the attack. The monster then raised its staff into the air and tried dropping it down on her head. She rolled left to avoid the hit, which tore open the ground and launched a cloud of dirt into the air.
Amadeo charged in while the monster recovered. He took his sword with both hands and swung it hard at the monster's right wrist. With one slash he severed its hand. The bloody limb landed near his feet, and the monster's staff fell harmlessly to the ground.
Ellen leapt to her feet and readied herself for the next attack. The monster had to be just about bled out by now, but she knew better than to underestimate any monster.
Her caution paid off when the monster rushed forward, moving so fast she barely had time to blink before it was upon her. With its hooked nails extended, it swiped at her with its remaining hand.
Ellen was very grateful for her buckler, because without it the monster's nails would've torn her face off. Instead they hit the front of her buckler, making an awful screeching sound as they scraped across its face, and forced her back a few steps.
The same thing happene
d again a moment later, except now she was prepared for it. She raised her buckler to the monster's nails, and after they'd passed by, she darted forward and slashed her knife across its lower abdomen. More green blood spurt out.
Ellen backed away from the monster and waited. It had lost a ton of blood and would fall over dead any second now, she had no doubt.
The tip of Amadeo's sword burst out of the monster's gut, spraying green blood and bits of meat all over the place. The sheer volume of gore caused Ellen's stomach to churn. She lowered her eyes.
The monster's severed hand was resting nearby. She considered kicking it away, but then a throbbing pain shot through her right wrist. It hurt so bad she almost dropped her knife.
What had caused this pain? None of the monster's attacks had felt particularly strong. She must've bent something the wrong way when she threw herself to the ground.
At least the monster was finally dead. Its endurance was admirable, but after Amadeo had stuck his sword through its gut-
The pain spread to her chest. It felt as if she'd been stabbed. She dropped her knife and buckler, then sank to her knees and clasped her hands over her heart.
Amadeo gave her a worried look.
"I-I'm alright," Ellen stammered. She didn't feel alright, but at least she had her knife. She scooped it up then crawled towards the monster's still body. It probably still had some life in it. That life would be hers in a second.
She stuck her knife into its flabby shoulder, but the pain didn't vanish. She tried pushing it in deeper, but it made no difference.
Her knife couldn't be losing its power, it had worked just fine a minute ago. The monster must've just been killed so thoroughly there was nothing left for her to drain from it.
"I just need to sit down for a few minutes," she told Amadeo, who was still giving her a worried look. "I'll look out for monsters while you handle the... the rest."
It was one thing to cut down a monster in battle. It was another to dig through its innards in search of edible meat. She didn't care for the latter at all.
Ellen crawled towards her buckler and sat down beside it. This was the first time her knife had failed to work against a freshly killed monster, but it didn't matter too much. She would be back to normal by the time Amadeo finished cutting up their kill.
Scouring Majula Page 12