PANACEA-Book One-By Hell or High Water

25. The Black Shroud

Nyx was a little less than impressed with the structure I brought him to. He puffed out a cloud of sickly green smoke, and kicked a piece of debris.

"This place looks old as balls."

I ignored that, and walked up the steps, past the columns that lined the entrance. The marble floors must have been beautifully carved and well made, but now they were cracked with moss and small plants growing through. Nyx followed behind me. He stopped by one of the taller columns, and pulled his backpack off his back. He leaned against the column, and took another look around.

"How long do you think this is going to take?" he asked me.

"It should only be a few minutes," I answered back. Nyx shrugged, as it he were indifferent on the matter. He reached into his bag, and pulled out a box of crackers. Before I could ask, he tossed me one, then another, and finally a third. Pig jumped up, but didn't nearly get high enough to catch any of them. Nyx dropped one for the beetle, and put one in his own mouth.

"Have fun, then."

I was glad he didn't care enough to ask why I was here. I put one of the crackers in my mouth, and walked into the partially collapsed building.

It made sense that the Mistress would leave something for me to collect, here. Nyx was right. This place was very old. It was the first place the Mistress ever made spring up from the ground. It was where the first living things that walked the Ethers surface crawled out of, as well. In the center of the grand room, was a pool of water. It was deep. I assumed if I stood in it, I would be completely submerged. That was the water that everything first came from. Made from stardust, as most of the Ether came to be from. Just like me. Although I hadn't come from this specific water. I had emerged from the water that bordered a plantation that trained warrior. The area was warm, and upon coming into existence I could smell sweet fruits and hear birds chirping. My first memory was one of my fondest.

I looked at what the once astonishing temple had become. The ground was littered with broken jars, and piles of dust that glittered. Any other traces of the interstellaire ingredients once used in the Mistresses work were gone. The room was mostly covered in dirt, now, too. Plants grew freely, as if this were just a greenhouse. The most noticeable thing was the patch of pumpkins, with vines twisting and curling around the room.

I wondered why they had decided to grow here. Then, as I walked around, I wondered why the sides of the pumpkins facing from the entrance were blue. I stopped and got closer, looking at the glittering azure moss on their sides. Unable to suss out an explanation, I stepped back. It wasn't worth worrying about.

A few feet away from the patch of peculiar periwinkle pumpkins, I pulled my whip from my belt. As I flicked my wrist up and swung the long, golden cord in a circular motion, light began to fill the temple. My long hair floated around me like seaweed caught in a current, and I hoped the light didn't seep through the cracks of the temples door. Nyx was just outside, afterall. I didn't need him finding out anything he didn't need to know, especially since we would be parting ways soon enough.

As expected, thin, gauze like strips of fabric began to pull out of the air. The roots of the pumpkins were being tugged up with them. As layer upon layer of turquoise fabric flew up, the ground beneath the pumpkins went up with them. I whipped my wrist around a final time, and watched the ground split. The pumpkins flew up and smashed against the ground and walls, leaving seeds and guts strung about the temple. A hole opened in the floor where most of the patch had been removed from.

I let the glow from my hair and eyes dissipate, and carried my whip in hand to the opening. With a final glance back, I let my wings appear and dropped down.

The fall wasn't very far. When I reached the bottom, only twenty feet or so below, I noticed one thing before everything else. Under my feet, laid sand. I took in the rest of the area I had entered. The walls were rocky and jagged looking. There was....nothing there, however.

I drew my blade, expecting a sentinel phantom to appear. There was nothing for a long time. I wasn't sure how long I had been standing there when I saw something odd about the room. On one side, there was water dripping from the walls. More specifically from the blue moss that covered it. From what I remembered, this was the same side the pumpkins had the moss growing on. I went over to the wall, placing a hand on it.

Seeing no other real choice, I held my swordbreaker in both hands, pointing it at the wall. If anything could break rock, it was the crystal used to make my weapon. It was made specially by the Mistress, after all. Harder than diamond, and twice as rare, although not many people could identify it.

I drove it in, chipping a small chunk of the rock off. I repeated the motion, hearing the crumbling bits of mossy rock hitting the sand. Water began to spill from the hole I had opened, and the wall itself slowly cracked. Alarmed, I ran back to the opening I had come from. Just as the walls broke and the water came crashing in, I launched into the air, wings spreading behind me. I landed on the edge of the hole and almost fell back into it. I carefully stepped away from it, and glanced down.

The water was still sloshing around below. I shrugged my backpack off and kept my whip and swordbreaker with me. Once the water had stilled, I went back down. My wings spread and helped me glide down to the water. My feet touched its surface, and I let my insectile wings fade away. I remained standing on the water.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, aside from the extra space. Then I saw it, shrouded by the shadows in the area the light didn't reach. It was dark violet material, coiled in the air. It floated, turning slowly. It looked like it was something made from fabric. I began to walk towards it. As I got closer, I could see the stitching, and a hood. It looked like some sort of cloak. I reached up to grab it, seeing I couldn't quite make it. I summoned my wings again, and floated up to grab it. It was soft like velvet.

That was when the water began to bubble and splash.

I looked behind me, and saw countless little creatures jumping out of the water. They had unhinged jaws with rows of sharp teeth, and shriveled up faces that only vaguely resembled a human's. They had fish tails with glimmering scales, and ratty fur. Their beady eyes had a murderous glint.

One flew past my head, and I made a break for it. Less than halfway to my way out, I felt a sharp pain in my calve. Taken by surprise, I dropped a bit, almost splashing straight into the infested water. I shook the little creature off me and kicked the next one that tried to come after me. With a final push with my wings I flew up out of there.

They could jump surprisingly high, though. One managed to get out, but I quickly kicked it back down. As others tried to jump up at me, I raise my whip and spin it again. The parts around the room collected slowly. Before anything else could get out, I slammed it down. The hole is resealed, looking almost like it had never been touched.

I looked down at the blood patch on my calve, along with the scratches that covered my legs from the encounter. Slightly shaken, I turned the cloak over in my hands. I wasn't sure what it did, but I knew I would have time to figure that out later. Once Nyx was gone I could figure out what that crystal did as well. I shoved the cloak in my bag, put it back over my shoulders and walked outside.

I was welcomed by an unfriendly voice, belonging to a man with short, black curls and a crooked smile. His accent was thick, his eyes dark. They had a tired look, like he hadn't seen a bed in
years.

"I wouldn't move, if I were you, cadela."

Authors Note: Whoops, cliffhanger. Are you excited to meet our new character? Don't forget to vote and comment!

~Andesite Lyacon