Chapter 11

  The ages, and the Storm, are not kind to any man-made building. Still, the ruins on this island appear near unchanged. Despite the erosive powers of time and temper there is hardly anything broken. Not everything is perfectly preserved, but enough to raise several eyebrows. Even from afar it can be assumed what this building was once used for; a lot of the decorative architecture is noticeable.

  Several stone pillars with decorated capitals are strewn about, some with cracks, some beheaded, some lying on the floor made of dirt and polished stone tiles. Stone walls form a group of concentric circles connected with passages and tiled roofs. A few patches of tiles are missing, but the walls are still standing. Moss and vines creep up the white stone and give it a dirty grey-greenish paint job from a drunk artist.

  At the very center is a taller building featuring an ornamented dome which seems to have been preserved the best. The very top bears a large perfectly circular hole with mosaic accessories around it. The dome itself appears blue with white support beams going from the center to the base, but the dim lights inside the Storm skew color perception. Two long corridors extend from the central building on opposite sides, both with decorative statuettes adorning the edges. Their exact shapes can't be made out.

  Together with what once was an elaborately designed garden around the main building it appears to be a place of veneration and worship. Perhaps this is a temple for the Deity, which would fit with Velophine's earlier mention of the Frontier being created there.

  "Oi, am I drunk, or...", a deep-voiced and seasoned sailor breaks the silence. He stands a half a head above everyone else and is the most burly sailor next to the captain. They didn't notice but everyone has been silently staring at the island and the "ruins" on top of it. "... does that building really look like recently built?" The Storm has already shown its violence, yet the island is nearly untouched. As if the Storm itself avoids it in reverence.

  "Ya're always drunk, mate!", a female sailor laughs. "But this time ya got a point. No man can build something this durable. By the Abyss! Even the Cloudbreaker takes a beatin' every so often, but that thing looks older an' better. Maybe the Deity's built it."

  Amidst the lighthearted chatter of the sailors Iv notices something. “Is it just me or is the island a lil skewed?” She turns to Velophine, expecting answers or confirmation. She does neither. She just stands there, staring at the island with horror in her eyes. Sweat beads form on her forehead, of which one slowly travels down her cheek like the dread itself caressing her with a cold finger. Her mouth is slightly agape. Her breath is shallow and sharp. One hand resting on her side, the other clutched on her chest, both shaking. She takes a quiet step back, almost unnoticeable.

  "Oi, Velo!" Iv rushes over to her. She suspects her friend is having a panic attack, and an intense one at that. "What's going on?!" Minot looks over, a familiar unease wells up inside him.

  Iv holds Velophine's hand with both of hers. The shaking is strong enough to rattle the fairy a bit. "Get a hold of yaself!"

  "Wuh-", Velophine snaps out of it. She feels a warm touch on her hand and looks down. "Iv..." Her breathing is still shallow.

  Minot walks over. He puts his hand on her shoulder. Softly, but seriously, he speaks: "Close your eyes. Deep breaths. In through the nose, hold it for a bit, then out through the mouth. Breathe with your stomach, not your chest. Focus on the warmth, on what is near."

  Velophine does as he instructs. She scrunches her face while she has her eyes closed and tries to calm herself. She is still shaking. With every deep breath she calms down more and more. She opens her eyes slowly, still looking down. Her face relaxes.

  "T... thanks, Minot", she whispers.

  "Easy weather", he replies, patting her on her shoulder. Iv looks up at Velophine worriedly. She replies with a smile telling her that she is alright again. "What's going on?"

  Velophine takes a few more breaths before answering. "I guess... I am just anxious. We're inside this beast of a storm with no way out other than this ship. I think it all got to me now."

  Minot nods. He pats her one more time and turns around. "Take it easy, we'll be arrivin' soon." He turns his head to the fairy that is still holding onto Velophine's hand. "Iv, stay 'round her, in case somethin' happens again."

  "Woulda done it anyway!", she replies. Velophine smiles again, out of gratitude, and to dispel the anxiety in her mind.

  The island looks way grander from up close. The Cloudbreaker has halted above a mostly empty patch of dirt with the engines running. In case of failure the large ship would land on the island instead of descending unstoppably into the depths, so this is a necessary precaution while inside the Storm.

  Hagen, the buff sailor from before named Carton and another one named Mons step on the overgrown dirt and stone first. They will build the frontline for the expedition in case they encounter anything dangerous. Hagen is an accomplished swordsman and former soldier, thus he has the most combat experience of any of the Cloudbreaker crew. Carton is an overall strong guy and passable with a sword and shield, Mons a swiftfoot and dagger wielder. The blades they carry are forged from a mix of Cinzite and iron. They are a recent leap in progress for Hesfor. This alloy has a higher durability than iron plus the magic conducting effect of the grey stone. That way one can use one's own energy and channel it into the blade. Trained fighters can execute powerful strikes and even magic spells by using the blade as a nexus. Unfortunately, none of the sailors currently on the island were trained that way. To them those weapons are just stronger and more durable than regular iron swords.

  A mage would be useful to have as support, but because of the clothes they wear their effectiveness would be lower. The Cinzite threads inside would absorb parts of the supportive magic and diminish its power.

  Thankfully inside this cloud bubble there is a lot less rain, but they should keep their protective clothes on and their time outside to a minimum. Hagen steps forward towards the gate on one of the corridors. Meanwhile Minot, Iv and Velophine get off the ship and join the sailors. A small reassuring whisper escapes the fairy's mouth, telling the ship she will be right back. Minot sighs.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "Clear. Corridor looks stable. There should be little to no rain falling inside", Hagen briefs the others as he returns. His voice and posture radiate confidence and safety amidst the gloomy environment. Carton and Mons nod. Everyone starts approaching the building.

  As they get closer the statues and patterns can be made out better. Two of them on each side of the gate depict a woman wielding a sword. She rests her hands on the hilt while the blade is stabbed into the ground. On her back there appear to be wings that look like war banners. Despite cloth and hair being chiseled into the statue they are rigid, as if there was no wind in the world this figure is depicting. She stands straight, her gaze down.

  On top of the corridor the rows of statuettes show people kneeling and praying. They look upwards with their bodies towards the dome. The base they stand or kneel on is adorned with patterns that look like the sun, clouds, and the diamond shapes Minot has seen earlier at the Frontier. In fact, those are the most common symbols decorating the walls. Other noteworthy icons are birds, fire and vertical lines.

  "Salt 'n Barnacles", Minot scoffs. He points at the patterns on the walls with his club. "They really loved the sun, didn't they?"

  "Right now, I'd love the sun, too", Iv replies sarcastically. She is flying close to Velophine, her fluttering wings softly blowing wind on her black hair. Iv's unease is clearly visible as she nervously plays with the corners of her newly-sewn outfit. Velophine lifts a hand to pat the fairy's little head. The two exchange nervous smiles.

  "How're ya holdin' up", Minot asks while looking back.

  "I'm fine", Velophine replies. "Thanks."

  The group enters the corridor. The little bit of gloamy light they received from the outside hardly reaches inside. The long hall is painted in dark and cold blackness. A few rays of twilight enter through small cracks in the ceiling and walls, but not enough to see.

  "Mons", Hagen speaks.

  "Aye!", the man replies quickly. He takes out two small devices. Their exact shape is hard to make out in the darkness, yet Hagen and Carton grab them without issue. Two clicks sound out and the hall is now illuminated by two cones of white light. The devices are strong enough to fully light up the darkness.

  "Aight, let's move." Hagen attaches the device on his chest, as does Carton, and the group proceeds. Now that they can see better they notice how well the inside is preserved. Despite some cracks, moss and debris the structure is intact. Still, Hagen warns them to watch their steps in case the floor isn't as stable as it appears to be. A loose tile or unstable ground might result in an endless plunge into the clouds below.

  The difference in noise becomes a lot more apparent while inside the corridor. Outside they could still hear the wind faintly in the distance and some drops of rain hitting the stone. But between the cold walls the silence seems like it reverberates. Any step they take, any rustling of clothes, any pebble kicked or any cough echo so loudly in comparison. As if their presence and the sound they make is an insult to millennia of reverent quietness and they are waking pious monks from their prayer. Suffice it to say, both the absence and the presence of sound within these halls feel uncomfortable.

  The corridor seems to extend forever. They must've been walking for a few minutes, but the central building feels so far away still. To distract herself from this and also to fulfill the mission Velophine sketches the symbols she sees into her booklet. The main building will have a lot more important and insightful motifs to draw, but any progress is good. Plus, she doesn't really know what Callan is after, so might as well capture everything noteworthy they find. The sound of her pencil scribbling on paper has never sounded this alien.

  Suddenly Hagen breaks the very oppressing silence: "Halt. There it is." He keeps his voice low given the strong echos. He points at the large stone doors in the distance. It, too, is decorated with all sorts of symbols and reliefs. On each door there is a statue of presumably the Deity cut into the stone. This time without her sword, but with her arms diagonally down. Sun rays from above follow the direction of her arms and illuminate the ground on which people kneel and pray. Minot has seen some religious buildings before - there is a small chapel in the third floor of the Rosavento - but unlike those he knows these walls, doors, statues and pillars lack any kind of plant imagery. It's just the sun, the sky and birds. Weird, he thinks.

  "The door's open", Carton notices. The two massive stone doors are open just enough to hint at what is inside, but it's still too dark. "Saves us some effort of opening them", he chuckles.

  "Mons, you and me on the left door", Hagen orders. "Carton, you and Minot on the right."

  "Aye!", they agree.

  The four men step up to the large walls. Mons leans against it while the others use both their hands to push the door. On Hagen's command they use all their strength to force the doors apart. Heavy stone slides with great effort over the scratched tiles. The doors are really massive. The men are groaning as they slowly move the large decorated slabs. They assume in the past the doors must have been easier to open, but however it worked then it doesn't now. After some more strained groans and sweat drawing pushing the opening is now big enough to fit them all through.

  The central building isn't as dark as expected. In fact, the twilight illumination of the Storm reaches deep into the circular hall. It enters through the large hole in the dome and also, as it turns out, through rows of smaller holes. The dome is coated in gold and several spikes that look like miniature ornamented towers pointing downwards adorn the ceiling like rays of sunlight immortalized in stone. They are covered in sun and bird patterns. Each inverted tower has rows of small figures in between columns that reach from the base to the platform to near the tip. The tip itself is a smooth pyramid.

  The walls are very high and lined with pillars and small niches in between them. On the walls are frescos depicting early civilization and the Deity. They appear to have been painted yesterday. On one of those paintings there is a child next to her, but Minot doesn't know who that is. The hair is blonde, they have red eyes like the Deity and behind them is a halo made of feathers. Did the Deity have a kid?, Minot thinks. Text is written on some of the frescos. He can't read them, but Velophine might.

  There is one wall on the left side that is only decorated with text. There seems to be the only cracked bit of stone. Maybe something used to be there and was either removed or fell off. Either way it looks like an important part of the interior design, but it has been vandalized.

  At the center of the large interior is a circular line of pillars surrounding a mound of earth. Resting on top of them is a hollow stone circle. Grass and flowers used to grow on that mound, now they are withered and hang their heads low, not receiving the sunlight sustaining them. Or maybe it's because of the unknown person standing at the very top of the mound.

  Hagen, Carton and Mons stand in formation in front of the others, weapons drawn. They have turned their devices off since they can see better now. All they see of the person is a dark and ragged cloak somehow fluttering softly; there is no wind. Or is the person making it move? All else they can see from the stranger is long grey hair and what seems to be a jagged helmet on their head.

  "It's gone." The entire room is filled with an unsettling and violent voice. "It's not here." The man's statement is filled with anger and disappointment. He reaches for something with his right hand. Within an eye's blink he swings a sword diagonally up, accompanied with a high pitched slashing sound. Everyone stares in disbelief as half the pillars surrounding the mound and the circular slab on top crash to the ground with thunderous noise. The deafening destruction echoes throughout the whole building. It feels like the whole island is screaming in pain.

  He holds his unnatural looking sword up. The blade is smooth and grey with a few hints of cracks, like it's made of stone. The hilt looks like it's melted onto the blade and flows into it. Small protrusions on the hilt look like shark fins or fangs.

  Menacingly the man turns to face the intruders. His eyes, golden, ringed and surrounded by a black sclera, stare daggers into their hearts. His helmet, or whatever that is, appears like bones grow out of his head and form grotesque armor. Fear and dread take root in the group. This is a dangerous foe.

  Demanding, and with venom as words, the stranger yells at them: "Where is it?!"