Prince of The Abyss

After walking for so long in the mountains, he would have never thought he would see the end. After his feet barely got through, the mountains had finally started descending. From this height, you could see everything.

’What the heck is that?’ Aether stopped, putting his hand in front of Kade, so he would also stop. The boy had been confused at first, but after a short glance, he understood.

”Um... this was... unexpected.” The boy chuckled nervously.

And he had a reason.

At first, he had seen a few houses, showing the signs that they had finally found the city. Rows of stone houses packed tightly together, thin roads that weaved between them, and smoke rising from chimneys like it was a storybook. It looked to be normal... that is, if you were completely blind.

Something enormous lay in the middle of the city... no, rather, the city was made inside of it. Giant white shapes curved upward; you would think they were some sort of arches made out of white material, and they were, just not the ones you would think about. The arches stretched high in the sky above the rooftops.

Yet they weren’t made out of a white rock... it was too smooth, too perfectly shaped.

...

...

Bones... they weren’t even arches, they were bones.

More importantly... ribs.

Huge ribs rose from the earth like they were the frames of a grand ancient cathedral... well, there was a chance they really were ancient. Each completely towered over the city; it was like looking at the clouds, with no way of getting to them. Houses clustered around them, between them, anywhere they could have found a spot to bear the rib, the people had built something.

Streets ran beneath the arches as if they were cliffs... not some giant bones.

Further in the city, he could see a long ridge.

The spine.

Massive vertebrae formed a raised road through the center of the city. Funny, it almost looked like something from the future, but created by something probably born thousands of years before them.

There were many buildings here, but also carved into the sides, it was almost like they got a bonus if the building touched one of the bones... strange, but a guess there was no reason to question an entire civilizations, neither is there a point in doing so, after all, it would do nothing, the question why is meanigless for them. And it wasn’t like it was something specific to them; many humans stopped thinking of this question when they do things... it was as if it was in our nature.

At the end of the city was the skull.

It rested against the base of the mountain, half-buried in the earth. Its empy eyes sockets faced the city like dark caverns; they were wide enough to swallow whole towers. Around it, the streets spiraled outward, forming a grand mix of plazas, small squares, and narrow alleys between stone buildings.

The most important thing there yet was the cathedral-like temple that sat inside the skull, its spires stretching through the eye sockets, banners draped along the bone like they were some sort of prayer flags people waved around for their god to help them.

Terraces of farmland climbed the surrounding mountainsides, patches of green contrasting with the pale bone and gray stone. It was surprising just how well this civilization was doing. Yes, compared to the Great Harbor, it was not that impressive, but that place was made to get far; this one wasn’t.

Water channels ran along the spine and through hollow bones, funneling meltwater from the mountains into fountains and reservoirs. Hollow ribs served as aqueducts in some districts, carrying water high above streets and houses.

And they had designed this system themselves, in need of survival, that was something not many would be able to say.

Merchants’ stalls lined the main roads, some extending onto arches and connecting bridges between ribs. It was actually... nicer than the one you get greeted by when you get to Stormfell.

It was simpler... that is, if you don’t mind where you are... and you didn’t get overwhelmed.

Wind whipped through the arches, making a calming sound.

Light played over the pale bones, casting elongated shadows that shifted as the sun moved, turning streets beneath the arches into patterns of alternating sun and shade.

It made him wonder if the people here had developed a system to track time only with the shadow on the ground, that would be truly... cool.

”A strange place to build a city?”

Aether chuckled at Kade’s statement.

”Indeed... but its quite interesting.”

He pulled out his compass, seeing that it was pointing towards the city... meaning it was in that direction, if it was in the city, he couldn’t know, but it was in that direction, so he was going to have to pass through it either way.

He really hoped it was in the city, even if it looked scary; if it was further away... then that would mean he was going to have to spend weeks getting to the last ones, since the compass must be tracking the closest one to him.

’But, I am quite interested in the history of this city.’

A civilization built around a dead corpse, unheard of, in all his life, this is the first time he has seen one, not that it was quite common, but he hadn’t found something like this in the many books he had read... he had been quite unlucky.

’Just what kind of monster had lived to make this city?’ It was gigantic, whatever the one this corpse belonged to was, it was giant... though, by what he could see, it was even bigger than this. It was missing its arms and most of its bottom area. Where it was... probably just under them. His feet must have reached the mountains, given how much larger the other part of his body was.

But these parts must be deeply burried into the ground.

...

And yet... he didn’t even want to imagine where the shard of the blade would be if it was in the city... since its chest being out didn’t mean it had to be in that part, or any of those that were on the outside, it could be buried underground... which would be horrible. He had no thought so far of what if the shards were all underground somewhere? How was he going to get to them? After all, they have stayed missing for such a long time for a reason, so it wasn’t impossible.

’Lets just hope that this isn’t the case.

Kade looked at Aether.

”So um.. do we go inside... that?”

Aether nodded... he also didn’t believe he was saying this... it didn’t seem wrong, but knowing that in reality they are going to be in the stomach of a monster was a little weird, even if that monster was long dead, with only its bones remaining, it was still a bit unsetelling, not that any of the people inside minded, they didn’t care at all that they were living inside a giant that has probably killed many, and destroyed even more.

”Come on,” Aether said, starting to climb down the mountain.

Kade was a little hesitant, but he complied.

...

”You know, when I left home... I didn’t think I would see so much... live through this much. It feels as if I have been living a whole new life for these few days, like I’m a new person... I’ve traveled the sea, been attacked by bandits, and now entered a city made around the dead body of a giant monster...

And yet I haven’t gotten any stronger. And the thing is that I’m not even sure if I was supposed to get stronger.”

Aetehr sighed, glancing at the boy.

When he had made that decision, he was burning with hope... and that hasn’t changed, but he has grown to question it... which was not a good thing, yet something he had expected. Kade didn’t know anything about the outside world; he knew about Veyr and mostly the lower island. He probably knew more than him already.

So this was all... so new to him.

Is it to be expected for him to be confused, and it seemed that his confusion focused on what made him come on this journey, getting stronger.

...

And that’s his fault, after all; he had told the boy many times that he was going to take responsibility for him, and yet all he’s done is run away, walk, and just survive through the cracks of his fingers. He was... a second away from death that time with the bandit...

Aether turned to Kade, stopping for a second.

”You have grown stronger... maybe not physically, but mentally, and from the experience you have gained... that is the first lesson. Strength is not always physical. Take me as an example, I’m not that strong really.”

Kade didn’t seem to believe that last part.

Which made him chuckle.

”But fine... if you want to see progress, I guess, while we try and get to that shard, I will also make time to train you.”