Chapter 31 - Years later
Riko stroked the fur she had been gifted like she always did whenever she needed to calm down. Over the years it had lost some of its lustre and was frayed around the edges where a puppy did bite into it, but it was still one of her most prized possessions. As a true treasure from the depth of the Abyss the Neritantan pelt managed to remind her of the wonders she would get to experience in the future once she became a White Whistle like her mom.
Her friend, Rose, had not visited her since she left over two years ago, but she had written her three letters. That was not a lot, yet when considering the dangerous ascent to the surface on a mail balloon it was still more than she could ask for. Sending letters downwards was sadly way too expensive for Riko, because not many people were willing to risk their lives for a piece of paper. Nonetheless did she write many responses under candle light, imagining what she could tell her adventurous friend.
Reading the surprisingly elegant scrawls on the yellowing parchment over and over again was a ritual she repeated nearly every week. They described new creatures, lost ruins and many useful tips that Riko couldn't wait to try out herself. Like a magical window to another world they took her away into the lower layers and made her heart beat faster in excitement.
Of course listening to Leader's and Director's class was also fascinating, but none of their classes could ever capture her imagination quite like those letters did. The only other place that came close was perhaps the 'Centre'. She and the other kids in the orphanage called it that at least, but the actual name of the building near the market was 'Delving Information Centre & Cabinet of Abyssal Curiosities'.
Behind its colourfully painted door lay a horde of awe-inspiring trophies and drawings. The small rooms on the ground floor were crammed full with pictures of famous cave raiders and posters with selected quotes or stories from those who travelled the netherworld. Even her mom was there! White Whistles got golden plaques with their names and titles on them and Riko marvelled every time at how awesome 'Lyza the Annihilator' sounded.
The gilded frame around her painting harmonized beautifully with her mother's long, flowing hair and her shining blue eyes. So cool... Most other White Whistles wore masks so their faces were unknown to the public, but Riko was sure that none looked as stunning as Lyza.
'Bondrewd the Novel' on the other hand was the one with the most information displayed in the 'Hall of Fame' as the townsfolk were quick to call it. Entry to the Centre was free, so everybody could visit and read up on the brave champions of Orth. Delvers were celebrated heroes anyway, but seeing their deeds being officially documented for visitors to admire only made them even more famous.
Despite how relatively new the Centre was, tourists and many locals made sure to visit it at least once. Unlike the Delver Guild HQ it was open to anybody and was focused solely on education, not business, giving it great appeal among the populace.
Some already called it a mandatory site when arriving at the island. A queue of visitors stood outside the door at all times of the day, because only ten people were allowed inside at any given time. Merchants sold postcards and similar knick-knacks to those who were impatiently waiting outside.
Yet, as interesting as the delver exhibit was, it could not measure up to the first and second floor in her opinion. Skulls of beasts large enough to devour her in one bite, artefacts and dried plants lined the wooden walls, accompanied by scientific descriptions of both their dangers and their uses.
Ahhh...
In Riko's opinion this was the best place in the entire city. All thanks to Mr. Bondrewd for sponsoring this cabinet. His long list of accomplishments apparently provided him with enough money to finance the Centre and equip it with exhibits. What a nice guy... When she grew up she also wanted to be able to share her adventure with the world for free.
Ah, she got side-tracked again!
Pushing the soft fur off her lap she took a deep breath and readied herself for today's haul. She needed to fulfil her quota or else her evaluation would get postponed! If she could not find enough relics this month then she would need to wait basically an eternity until she was allowed to take a test that determined if she was ready to descend lower than a few hundred meters.
Mentally, Riko could only scoff at that. Of course she was ready! She would be a White Whistle in a few years and nobody would be capable of forgetting her name! After studying so hard and having experience with the lower layers, the letters counted as experience in her mind, there was nothing that could stop her. That was why today she was going to venture further down than she was technically allowed to.
If she wanted to find more valuable relics then she needed to go deeper...
Quelling her nervousness she left the orphanage.
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"Aghhh!" she cried as a rock roughly scraped against her leg.
"Ooooaaaarrrrrrr!" roared the monster behind her in return.
Gosh-darn! How could it come to this? Why did a deadly-class beast have to show up now? It was so unfair! She was travelling for barely a few hours and disaster already struck!
"Leave me alone!" screamed Riko in a vain attempt to scare away the monster that was smashing through the boulders behind her. Unsurprisingly, it did not work on the enraged Crimson Splitjaw, which only growled hungrily in response.
The odds of encountering such a creature in the first layer were close to zero, but of course it had to happen to her! It must have been extremely famished to leave its home and come all the way up here in search of food which lowered her chance of survival substantially. A Crimson Splitjaw's keen sense of smell would naturally identify her as a tasty meal.
Riko jumped over a small ravine, uncaring of the potential fall into the darkness. The image of the monster's gaping maw was pushing her small body into overdrive and the raw need to survive suppressed caution. She barely made it to the other side, but continued to sprint as fast as she was able to. Judging from the rapidly approaching sounds behind her she would have to come up with some sort of plan soon or end up as in her pursuer's stomach.
Seeing a smaller cliff to her right, she decided to trust her nearly nonexistent luck and slide it down without checking the terrain first. Dirt and gravel ripped into her clothes as she half stumbled, half fell down the hill. Without proper footing she quickly lost her grip on the slippery ground and painfully rolled down the slope, hitting her head on thorny bushes and other unpleasant obstacles before she plummet down the last few meters into a clearing.
In spite of the agony that was wracking every part of her frame she struggled to her feet and adjusted her cracked glasses. If she had not tied them to her ears like the tips in the Centre suggested then she would have surely lost them already!
Normally she would have taken the time to admire the imposing forms of the petrified trees that surrounded her, but she was still very much in danger. Limping across the soft moss that had saved her from broken bones, she hurried over to what seemed like a cave entrance.
Here the stone trees stood grouped tighter together, shadowing the area. It was not much, but Riko hoped against reason that it would be enough to hide her from the giant, flying snake hot on her heels. A swift glance over her shoulder confirmed that it was still following though, dashing her wishes.
Merely a dozen meters separated them anymore and she instinctively knew that nothing could save her anymore. Nonetheless, did she refuse to just lie down and let it happen! She would fight till her dying breath like her mother would have done!
Gritting her teeth in pain and pure terror she continued to run, praying to the Abyss for a miracle at the same time
Someone...
Anyone...
Anything to make the horrible beast go away!
And as if the Abyss had heard her pleas, something revealed itself from the shadows. Squinting her eyes through the tears that threatened to overwhelm her, she saw something standing at the end of the tunnel!
There was a boy! He had brown hair and wore a strange, grey helmet with a large lens in the front. His bright skin contrasted starkly with his metal hands that he raised in front himself like some sort of weapon. She opened her mouth to scream at him to run away, but when their eyes met, his face suddenly lit up with obvious surprise.
"Get down!" he yelled.
What? She would get devoured by the Crimson Splitjaw if she stopped now!
Bizarrely the boy looked not afraid in the slightest, but instead appeared totally composed. Was he not aware of the flying death coming for them?
His outstretched palm started to glow in an orange light and Riko chose to trust this stranger. Perhaps he had a plan or a weapon of some kind, because she was in no condition to outrun the monster any longer. Her lungs felt like they were filled with salt and the wound on her leg throbbed with every step. She had never been a particularly fast or enduring runner and it showed now.
Propelling herself forward with one last desperate step she leapt towards the ground in exactly the moment as the boy's metal glove erupted in blinding light.
Heat washed over her back even though the stranger aimed his weapon meters above her. Bright fire filled the air, the likes of which she had never seen. In the small eternity it took for the thundering beam of destruction to extinguish she was utterly entranced by its palpable power.
Then only silence followed and she dared not to raise her head.
Was the nightmare over? Or would the Crimson Splitjaw come for her when she moved so much as a muscle?
Riko waited for the growling, the pain, the darkness...
But everything stayed peacefully quiet, nature itself pretending to hold its breath. Finally she found the courage to stand up and right her glasses again.
The scene that appeared to the young girl left her stunned.
On one side lay the smouldering carcass of what must have been once her pursuer, although only the placement of the smoking remains indicated that it was indeed the Crimson Splitjaw. Barely anything of it had survived the contact with the stranger's lance of blazing light, leaving only piles of flesh and scales to cool on the burning moss.
Speaking of the stranger, he seemed to be knocked out at the very least. Oh no... What if he...
Hastily she kneeled next to his slumped over form and searched for a pulse. There was none.
"By the Abyss... I am so sorry!" she snivelled into his neck, letting her pent up tears stream down the boy's throat.
After she had cried until her eyes were red and puffy, Riko tried to lift her saviour onto her back in order to carry him back to the surface for a proper burial. He deserved that much at least for protecting her. However, she was surprised to learn that the mystery boy was far lighter than a human of his size should be!
That aroused her curiosity and she examined the corpse closer. His forearms were made completely out of metal and his skin was unnaturally rubbery and smooth. By taking off his helmet she discovered an odd device over his forehead and the red markings on his cheeks and torso were further clues that he was no ordinary boy.
Could it be...?
He was a living relic! A treasure previously unknown to mankind! Yes, she would become the greatest explorer of this generation! If she managed to reactivate him again then that would be the most awesome find ever! Nothing could compare to an artificial boy! Her artificial boy!
Just how could she hide him though?
