Chapter 30 - Lasting promises
Waking up in an unfamiliar room was a jarring experience. Had she been kidnapped? Tanya felt like she was being restrained by a weight on her chest that bound her arms. But then… then why were the bindings so... warm?
Cautiously she lifted her head to not alert her captors and scanned the room. Although darkness hid most of it, the furniture and bright pictures on the walls seemed familiar. Her gaze shifted down to her chest and she gasped. Why was Prushka lying on top of her? Was this a failed attempt to suffocate her? How had that tiny girl managed to drag her to this room without disturbing her sleep?
"Ahhh... Papaaa... Big Siiissss... huuugssss..." mumbled the little gremlin in her sleep, snuggling up closer to Tanya.
She remembered doing something similar in nights when the snow storms hit the orphanage especially hard. Sharing body warmth to stay alive was logical and not at all embarrassing! To be honest, it wasn't even uncomfortable to let someone hold you like this. In fact, Prushka's soft breathing was quite relaxing...
No, she had to get out of here fast before she succumbed to the admittedly alluring comforts of this bed! Tanya would not fail her daily morning routine and disappoint Bondrewd by slacking off in her training! It was her duty to prove that she was the best trainee, the ultimate daughter, the-
"Nya, nya, nyaaa... fly little birdie... Papa will catch you..."
On the other hand, this was also work, right? Improving her connection with the younger girl was important if they wanted to work together in the future. No successful businesswoman could survive without "Vitamin R", so their connection needed to be strengthened from a young age to be as deep as possible. Prushka was most likely going to become her equal in the corporate hierarchy anyways if Bondrewd had any say in that. He simply loved children to a fault.
Ha! Now that she thought about it, this was the perfect plan! She would listen to Prushka's innermost dreams straight from her raw, unfiltered unconsciousness and use this insider information to make her totally dependent on her wise, older sister! By showering her in affection and intellectual guidance, Tanya could assume the authoritative role in their relationship!
As long as she flexed her control over Prushka not too obviously when in front of their father, he wouldn't suspect a thing! Indeed, he was going to assume that she was merely mentoring and guiding her little sister, while in actuality she was just conditioning the girl to never threaten her corporate influence! Making Prushka an obedient and capable subordinate would benefit them all!
Feeling strangely possessive of her new pet-project, Tanya aggressively hugged her adoptive sister and let a bone-chilling grin creep onto her face.
"You're my biggest rival for father's affection... but you know what they say? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I'm not letting you out of my sight, you overgrown cuckoo chick! Hahaha, Bondrewd told me how he used love to his advantage... Why shouldn't I do the same? I am going to make you absolutely adore me! And you have no choice... Hahahaha..."
Unaware of the twisted intentions of her sister Prushka continued to babble peacefully in her sleep, playfully rubbing her tiny nose on the comfy pillow that heated her tummy so nicely.
∞•۞˂Greg's point of view˃۞•∞
Apparently he was immune to the curse of the Abyss, which was kind of interesting. He had discovered this more or less by accident when he forgot that he wasn't supposed to ascend more than a few metres at a time. Greg had simply used his extendable arms to climb a large cliff and look out for any potential dangers, especially those scary Skeleton-Ants as Lyza called them. Only in retrospect did he notice that the vertical distance was way more than the allegedly safe ten metres for ascension.
"You feelin' good up there?" she had chuckled and then proceeded to explain to him that it made perfect sense for a living relic to be immune to the curse. It only hurt his feelings a minuscule amount that she wanted to test that theory regardless of the outcome. Sometimes the powerful woman could accidentally be rather cruel.
They had set up camp soon after to roast some new animal she had hunted. Cooking was one of her many passions and tasting something unfamiliar to human tongues excited his guide beyond measure. Greg on the other hand had nothing to compare his experience to, so all he could offer as commentary was a thumbs up.
"Listen up, my dear clueless boy. This is important."
He dropped the stick with which he had poked the embers of their campfire and directed his sole attention to her. Despite the short time that he knew her, Greg trusted her immensely. Lyza was his only friend and the person who gave him some sort of purpose.
"I want you to take my stuff –my notes, my discoveries, my whistle, everything... – and take it back to the surface. Would be a shame if it were to rot down here with me."
"Kiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrr!" screeched something unknown far away in the darkness as if to prove her point that the dangers the Abyss could even threaten someone as strong as her.
"I can't go up. There's no way I'll ever see the sunlight again or... Riko."
Lyza sniffed and cleared her throat loudly before she opened her breast pocket and took out a small piece of paper. Carefully, she held it between her huge, gloved fingers. Greg pretended not to notice the slight tremble in her hands and she showed it to him.
"Here... this is my daughter. When you see her she should be... I don't know... Maybe ten years old? Eleven? Twelve? Time is hard to keep track of the farther down you go. If Torka hadn't drawn this stupid picture then I would have forgotten how she looks like entirely."
Greg studied the image of a little, blond girl with big, blue eyes and a happy smile. She seemed to look similar enough to her mother to be easily recognizable.
"Damn it. My whole life I've faced my problems head on. I never ran away! Whenever life tried to destroy me I always punched back and got stronger until nothing could take me down. Adventuring and stepping foot where no one else has ventured before... That was the dream. But now when all my doors are closed... When I'm totally alone, with no hope of ever changing this path... It all comes crashing down I guess."
She sniffed again, but remained motionless otherwise. Curled in on herself, her expression concealed by the minimal lighting of the diminishing fire, she felt so much smaller than usual.
"Could things have turned out different? Was prioritizing my career really the right decision? The things I've done and seen... Was it worth it?"
Silence filled the air as Greg wondered what she could possibly be talking about. Being human appeared to be a process that involved much inner struggle if Lyza's example was anything to go by. Should he say something?
"I'm not unhappy that everything has come to this... end. It was my choice after all. Sooner or later I would have gone down here anyway. The unknown... I think it was always calling to me. The Abyss is my true home no matter how hard it tries to kill me! Haha... Aghhhh... Just... I wish I could have seen Riko grow up first, ya know? I bet she is gonna want to step into my footsteps. She will be a fine delver one day... I've seen that look in her eyes when she was staring down into the depths. The mundanity of the surface will never be enough for her. Not when my explorer's blood runs through her veins! Hahaha..."
It almost scared him when she suddenly turned her shadowed face towards him. Her long hair hid her eyes, but her stare nonetheless felt as heavy as a boulder.
"That is why you need to deliver this to her. You are going to find my daughter and if necessary protect her at all costs. Understood?"
Her tone left no place for arguments; not that he would have refused her anyhow.
"Yes-"
"Say it out loud."
Why was his throat so dry all of a sudden?
"Say it!"
"Ehm... I w-will carry your belongings to the surface and give them to Riko. I am going to keep her safe and watch over her."
The White Whistle held her gaze on him for a few seconds longer until she began to laugh heartily.
"Hahahahaha... You really are precious in more ways than one. Hahahaha..."
"W-what?"
"Let's just say that it wasn't random chance that brought you to me. I am certain of that."
Only years later would Greg come to understand what she had meant.
