Chapter 6: 1.05

Thera 1.05

“Don’t worry, I don’t bite,” the fish said with a terrible smile.

A single antenna hung off its head like a piece of rope, holding a luminescent bulb that dimly shone Thera’s way. The Fledgling Testudine backed up warily as it continued.

“You look hurt. Did that Phlegling do that to you?”

Phlegling? Thera glanced at the corpse to her left. The body of a long, twisting creature lay there— a kind of fish without scales, Thera thought. She’d have compared it more to an eel or a snake in shape if she had ever seen one before. But it was, as she learned now, a Phlegling. Or, more specifically—

“It’s a Pygmy Phlegling,” the fish said. “A baby of its species. Not nearly as dangerous as a Colossus Phlegling. It would’ve gobbled you up in a single bite. Anyways, come on here. I can fix up your wound.”

Thera wasn’t sure if she should’ve listened to what the fish was saying. It looked dangerous with its eerie grin and crooked teeth and oversized maw. It was scarier than even the Phlegling. Yet, for some reason, the fish emanated a soothing aura.

“You can trust me.”

The baby Mystic Turtle looked between the fish and the hole in her shell. The Phlegling had torn through her defenses and bit into her skin. Just that turning motion alone made her wince in pain. Thera was hesitant, but she still brought herself down the stairs, each step agitating the injury.

Trust, Thera thought as she halted before the water. It wasn’t something she could understand beyond its intuitive implications. All she could do was hope that the fish wouldn’t attack her as she showed it her bleeding side.

The fish leaned closer. Its little bulb dangled over Thera, illuminating the wound. Its mouth widened into a sneer as it spoke in a soft voice. “I see, I see, I… and I got you!”

And the water splashed out. Thera recoiled as the fish snapped its jaw. But as she readied herself for a fight, she watched the fish slink back into the water with a garbled sound. Its mouth opened and closed as the sound grew louder. It was… laughing.

“Oh, that was good,” the fish chuckled as it floated back to the edge of the water. “You should’ve seen the look on your face. You were all like, ‘oh no, that scary talking fish with oversized teeth is going to eat me!’, hah!”

Thera narrowed her eyes, watching it grasp its lower body with its fin as it tried to hold back its laughter. It floated back to her as she nervously backed up.

“Come here, I’ll actually heal you this time. But you shouldn’t trust strangers so easily next time, child.”

She didn’t move, however the fish waved its antenna-bulb. The glow at the edge twinkled and brightened as ribbons of golden light wrapped around the baby Mystic Turtle. Thera blinked as a warm feeling hugged her. Her wound closed up. The broken shell regrew and Thera’s tension… eased. She drew closer to the fish until the feeling was gone and the light dimmed.

“Alright, and that’s done.” The fish grinned and looked up at her. “How’s that? Not a bad job, don’t you think?”

Thera placed her flipper where the wound used to be. She stared in awe as she felt nothing— no pain. The shell was soft and tender compared to the surrounding area, but it was there. It… worked? How?

She turned to the fish, the question evident on her face. The fish wagged its fin at her.

“[Healing Radiance]. Soul magic. Or, rather, the very same kind of magic you used against that Phlegling.”

It gestured towards the corpse behind Thera. She glanced at the dead monster, puzzled that the fish could’ve possibly known that.

“I’m sure you have many questions, but let’s get introductions out of the way, shall we?” It bobbed its head at her. “My name is Mors, and I am a Luminant Lophis.”

She eyed the fish… the Luminant Lophis… curiously. Its name was… Mors? Mors? Thera leaned closer, squinting as it nodded back at her. Mors.

“Yes, yes. A talking fish isn’t what you see everyday. Either way, it is a pleasure to meet you, Thera.”

Thera…? And that confused the baby Mystic Turtle. She had mostly followed what Mors had been saying so far. At least, some of it made sense. She connected the name Mors to the talking Luminant Lophis in the water. But… what was a Thera? Or no— who was Thera? The question hung over her mind.

And it must’ve been clearly plastered on her face because Mors smiled at her.

“Thera,” it repeated itself. “That is your name, child.”

My… name? This was confusing her. Her head spun as she tried to parse this. She had a myriad of questions she wanted to ask, yet she couldn’t even formulate a single one of them into a proper, substantial thought.

She lowered her head and made a squeaking noise. It had no meaning. The Luminant Lophis waved a fin forward, speaking apologetically.

“I know this is a lot to take in at once, but would you follow me? I’d much prefer to converse in a more… appropriate setting.” It glanced past her, and Thera followed its gaze towards the dead Phlegling. “At least— one with less corpses around, you know?”

* * *

Thera followed Mors. Her head was still in a cloudy haze like she was lost in the dark sea with no light to guide her. However, she was not in the open ocean. She swam behind the Luminant Lophis in the flooded hallway as it guided her with its light.

“Careful,” it said as it stopped before a turn. There were figures moving up ahead— long and without scales. “More Pygmy Phleglings. They can’t see light, but they can sense our movements. Let’s go around them.”

Mors entered a nearby room, swimming past the broken door. The room itself was flooded and empty, covered in underwater moss. They traveled from room to room through the holes and cracks in the walls, giving the Phleglings a wide berth. Thera herself was careful not to make any sudden movements at Mors’ warning, but the fish just laughed.

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“Don’t worry, they aren’t too dangerous on their own.” It glanced at the moving monsters in the distance. “They’re quite young for their kind, after all. They’re only a threat when they swarm after you by the dozens. Even then, they mostly stick to the lower floors, feeding on whatever carcasses or dying creatures that fall to the bottom of the seafloor.”

They exited back into the hallway, passing by a few more broken stairwells that led further down. The pair swam along and avoided a few more wandering Phleglings until they reached the end of a damaged hallway. A rather ornate set of double doors stood there, runic inscriptions etched onto its surface as it was cracked ajar. Thera waddled around a broken floorboard as Mors swam into the room, ushering her in.

“Here we are,” the fish declared. “Welcome to the Grand Library of Brunnholl’s Fleet.”

Grand Library? Thera tilted her head inquisitively. She entered the room, blinking around and saw—

Broken bookshelves. Shattered paintings. A handful of books, scattered and hanging close to the domed ceiling. A destroyed chamber.

Mors gave her a wry smile as she stared at this sight. “Or… what’s left of the Grand Library of Brunnholl’s Fleet.”

It swam past the floating tomes, gently brushing past them. Thera stopped to investigate one of the tomes. She studied the unintelligible scribblings written on the sheening papyrus as Mors continued.

“There had once been a thousand books on these shelves. A wealth of knowledge, carried on ship. Supposedly typical of the Mages that live on land. I wouldn’t know, I’ve lived beneath the ocean all my life. All I know is that only a few books remain. That only the ones protected by great magicks to stand against the test of time have survived.”

Thera broke off from staring at the book, swimming up to Mors who’d stopped at the center of the room. There was an intricate pattern carved onto the floor— a circle that had been decorated with even more odd symbols that Thera couldn’t read. In the middle of it was a mess of wooden planks and books, built into a nest. Mors stopped there and turned to face the Fledgling Testudine. She cocked her head back at the fish as it spoke.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I brought you here— why I’m telling you all this. And, well, I don’t particularly have a reason. You’re the first creature I’d seen in so long that didn’t want to kill me. In so, so long.” Its eyes glazed over for a moment as the light on its antenna dimmed. Regaining its composure, Mors smiled toothily. “And you seemed lost too. After all, I highly doubt baby Mystic Turtles regularly frequent these parts of the ocean.”

Mystic Turtle? Now, that, Thera knew. She remembered the Voice of the World calling her by that term whenever she leveled up. She was also a ‘Fledgling Testudine’, which she instinctively understood fell under the umbrella of being a Mystic Turtle.

“But I’m sure you don’t wish to stay here,” Mors continued. “That you don’t desire to live in this Dungeon for the rest of your life and never see the light of day ever again.”

Thera hadn’t even considered that. So far, all she’d been concerned with was surviving from all these terrifying monsters. But she never once thought she’d be trapped in this dark place for… ever? Once again, she just found her head hurting. I… this… my home?

The Luminant Lophis floated up to her until they were level with each other. “Don’t worry, I’m the same way. We can help each other. I sensed your magic. You have potential. You could—”

And a reverberation in the water made Mors paused. It looked past Thera as the Fledgling Testudine turned around. They stared towards the doorway as shadowed figures appeared down the hall.

“It seems we weren’t as stealthy as we thought,” Mors sighed.

A group of Phleglings burst into the room. There were five of them. They made a snarling sound as they fought to get ahead of each other, racing for the fish and the turtle.

Thera braced herself, calling forth her [Indomitable Soul]. But… nothing came out. No light. No power from deep within. She blinked, panic settling in. A Phlegling snapped for her as she recoiled. No—

And Mors appeared before the baby Mystic Turtle. The Luminant Lophis grinned as its bulb shone brightly. All five of the Phleglings encroached on the fish as Thera stared on.

“[Aura Repulse],” Mors said, and the light flashed out.

A golden ring expanded in the water, blasting the Phleglings back. It ripped apart the closest Phlegling, killing it instantly as the others were badly hurt by the light. Thera herself wasn’t harmed by it, but the pulse knocked her back.

She caught herself and looked up, only to see a blurred figure rush forward. Mors zipped from one Phlegling to another and bit into them with its spindly teeth. The Phleglings died quickly. Even though Thera had struggled so much against a single one while on land, Mors was taking them down with ease. The fish painted the water a dark crimson, tearing a Phlegling in half as it finished before swimming back to Thera.

“Sorry, I must’ve been too excited to bring you here. You were right in taking it slow.” Mors halted before the baby Mystic Turtle.

Thera was trembling as she eyed the Luminant Lophis, suddenly aware of how easily it could’ve killed her. Mors noticed this and closed its eyes.

“Thera,” it said as the baby Mystic Turtle jerked back. “All we need is to find the Treasure of Brunnholl’s Fleet, then we can escape from this terrible place. I can’t get to it alone, not with my current powers. But if you’re with me— if I train you— we can bring down even Colossus Phleglings in droves.”

Mors opened its eyes and held Thera’s gaze. She backed up apprehensively, her flippers shaking in fear. She steeled herself as she exhaled, letting out a single bubble from her shell.

The Luminant Lophis looked her over and spoke clearly. “Nod once if you agree, and I’ll teach you. Help you get stronger. Then we’ll leave this place— together.”

Thera thought about this. About everything Mors had said since they met. It was a lot to take in. The baby Mystic Turtle wanted to recede back into her shell and hope all her problems went away. But she’d already made a resolution earlier. So, Thera nodded.

Yes, she said in her head.

Mors smiled back. “Good.”

 

 

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