The beginning of dawn came almost too early. Laura had been squeezing her eyes shut all night, as though keeping them closed would block out the nightmare that had already unfolded, without her even needing to be asleep for it. Jas was gone... it probably was her fault... and Shane now hated her. With the moonlight dimming away, in came all the thoughts. Of a little girl's lifeless body, of Shane howling from a bottomless pit of rage and sadness, of the townspeople grieving over a grave, just below Mona's "Our beloved Jas" it would read. Laura screwed her eyes closed again. There was so much regret in her. But the regret needed, desperately, to be replaced with drive.
Eyes open again, she climbed out of bed and onto shakey legs, her body felt boneless and each movement gave the strain of unforgiving aches. That adrenaline high sprint towards Jas had taken a toll on her already and reminded her of how much less exercise she got with running and leaping specifically, now that it had been some time since her mine excursions. She pulled on clothes swiftly, her mind on one thing. And within a chest in the corner of her room, there it lay. A katana, red as though just pulled from the forge just seconds ago, and she closed her eyes for a moment. This was not going to be used to just protect her life, but to save someone's. And that terrified her. But with just another quick moment of reflection, she gripped the sword, slid it into it's scabbard, and flung it onto her back. The weight of it against her made her feel powerful and ready but with a sharp rapping on the door her fears resurfaced. But now with facing Shane.
Tentatively she opened the door, and peered up at Shane who looked in a stormier mood than ever before, for good reason.
"Let's get going." was all he said and she nodded, slinging her backpack onto her shoulders and leaving out the front door with him. The air had that slight crispness, the creeping in of changing seasons, it felt almost sad now where it was usually a relief to have a break from the heat.
They walked side by side in relative silence, and Laura dared not say anything to a clearly fuming Shane, but to her surprise he spoke up first.
"What the fuck was all that light?" he finally blurted out, and Laura's eyes widened a little. It had never occurred to him she would be explaining the Junimos. Frankly, it was a little weird to her that most of the townspeople seemed completely oblivious to them.
"I'm almost positive those were the Junimos-" she started.
"What the fuck is that?" he was clearly a little more prone to his favorite word than usual right now.
"Junimos… this is gonna sound weird maybe, but they're kind of like little sprites or spirits. I don't honestly know much about them, but they helped me rebuild the Community Center, and open the quarry, and fix the bus. Stuff like that... they also emitted this bright light each time I helped them with a task. It never made sense to me, and was always frightening. But they lived on the farm with me and I guess tried to stop that shadow brute from..." she could barely go on. And so she didn't, the lump in her throat so tight, like a vice clamping down, and tears immediately stung her eyes. Looking at Shane quickly she noticed dark purple circles under his eyes, and his hair and beard looked even more unkept than usual. Suffering was clear in his face.
"Will they bring her back?" he inquired, but his tone alerted her that he already knew the answer. His fists were balled tightly.
"I... don't think so. I don't think they'd make it far in the mines..." was all she could meekly say. Desperately she wished she could give him anything other than bad news and half known information. Really, she had no idea if they'd venture down there, but guessed they'd meet their match even with the slimes.
They were passing Marnie's house now, and Shane seemed to pointedly stare straight ahead. As they walked, Laura wondered. Surely it was only they and the wizard who knew of the tragedy for now, how long before the town realized? And went into a frenzy? What kind of panic would sweep through, and did many know or understand what lurked in the depths? Surely not, since they believed even the skeletons, hauntingly mobile, to be animatronic or controlled by thin wires.
"Shane... the mines... if that's where she was taken, it might be best if I-"
"No. Fuck now. I'm going with. I'm not an idiot. I know I need you to get me down there. But there is no way I'm not going to help find her." he nearly snarled at her, but his voice gave way more to just words edged in grief. She only nodded solemnly and they made the rest of their walk in silence.
When they finally came upon the Wizard's tower, Shane seemed a little unnerved, and Laura was sure he'd never been even this close to it, but she strode up confidently and with little fear to the door, knocked twice, and then opened the door. Just behind the green smoke and haze lazily coming from the great cauldron there stood the Wizard, stoney faced and contemplative. Glancing up at the two of them he nodded, and she shut the door behind them.
"Wizard Rasmodius." she said, nodding her head to him, and he nodded back. Shane, she noticed, kept his mouth shut now, probably trying to only get information and not cause any type of problem. Showed how grave the situation was to him, as he didn't even slouch like he normally did but stood up straighter than she'd ever seen him. It made him seem to tower over her, his looming presence a little more intimidating now that he'd suffered a great loss and a big reason directly involving her.
"Yes." the wizard began, and interlaced his fingers gracefully and nodded again but in thought. "I've been convening with the others..." she already knew not to ask about who the "others" were, the wizard always being so private. "And it seems as though Krobus may have the most answers. We talked for a while last night, and it seems this brute who took Jas is a bit more advanced. Krobus and I agree, the centuries since the Elemental Wars has caused most of the shadow brutes to become dull in mind as we discussed in the evening. Krobus, though, is another who has not and has ventured into the world." he now shifted to look at Shane, and spoke to him exclusively now. "Shane. Do not do anything rash. And do not be alarmed." and then the wizard gestured, and from the shadows came a dark and almost hazey figure, as thought it had no shape. But was almost indistinguishable from the thing that took Jas. Laura could feel Shane tense up, the veins in his arms looking as though they'd burst as he flexed his jaw and ground his teeth a little, she could hear it. In any other circumstance, Laura may have reached out a hand to try and comfort and calm him, but she knew better now. Krobus looked unsure, his shadowy hands seemed almost to twitch at his sides, and his expression was forlorn.
"Hello, Laura. It's been a while." and she could feel Shane glaring at her out of the sides of his eyes.
"Hi Krobus, I wish I was seeing you under different circumstances..." and he nodded in return, solemn.
"I, as well." but without saying anything more he pulled a ring from nothingness and held it out. Laura stepped forward, trusting him, and took it from him, assuming it was maybe another light ring, maybe a stronger one. But surprisingly, Krobus grabbed ahold of her hand, it was weird, almost like when you might tickle a feather on your palm and barely feel it. That was the sensation of his touch. And her hand open, ring inside, Krobus leaned forward suddenly, and stared down into her hand. She could hear a very faint shuffling from Shane, but not much beyond that. She was sure he was only struggling to keep still and silent. Even she was a little uneasy about what was going on. And soon she felt... water on her hand. She couldn't help but flinch mildly, before realizing... they were dark tears, falling onto the ring. Barely, she was able to make out what Krobus was whispering.
"Imencht gen techt acht." all of a sudden a bright blue light shot from the ring, so strong and bright and solid she almost thought it was a threat, but it went straight through Krobus's shadowy figure and continued North East. She stared in wonderment, and then her gaze rose to meet Krobus's hollow white eyes.
"You have traveled as deep as most can go. But there is more underneath. I sealed my way through long ago... but with the help of Wizard Rasmodius, you will be able to get under the 120th level through the sewers..." he seemed pained to say this. He released her hand, and looked over to the wizard who was staring at Shane.
"Your journey will start now. This will be done in secret, quietly. Linus will take care of your livestock and farm, and you two... three... will be said to have gone on a trip. I will take care of this. But the balance of the village will be thrown off for generations if they are to fully learn and understand the terrors underneath them." said the wizard, and they both nodded, as she stepped back to stand near Shane again. Krobus was staring at them both with an unreadable expression.
"The ring is a light, telling you where Olc is." Krobus now said, and the wizard waved his hands, and gloves appeared on her hands, covering the ring, and with it, the bright light. "Follow it when inside the mines, and it will lead you to your little one."
In unison, Shane and Laura nodded.
"Follow me." Krobus now said, and with a tilt of the head from the wizard, Krobus opened a hatch and disappeared inside. Laura unflinchingly followed, and with slight hesitation, Shane gave in and followed suit.