Chapter 39 - Second Gate (1)

It was damp.

Moreso than ever, he was sure that there was something in the ceiling. Pipes that let air come down, lest the Giant Roads become the same hellscape that the Lich King's catacombs were, where nothing that breathes could live for lack of air.

Was it raining up there? 

How long did it take for the water to slowly drip, all the way down here? 

He looked ahead over the large boulder that he was laying behind, the laughing was getting closer. 

Rodrick would have been useful to have here, sure. But he wouldn't wish him here even despite that. 

He wouldn't do that to him.

The hands around him, that looked like people trapped behind fabric, despite it being stone, were daunting to dodge despite the fact that they didn't move.

Supposedly touching one would bring one into an illusory realm, leaving them comatose.

But as much as he was interested in taking one of the arms to keep for research later, he wasn't insane enough to try it, when even Mid-rank knights and warriors, had fallen prey to it.

The little earth spirit had tried to drag Red under the stone floor, but stopped. Yet, these people were all dragged under and probably had been so for a long time.

Why was there so many people here to begin with? They didn't seem like descendants of giants either. Their heads and bodies were too small despite not being children.

At some point over the last thousands of years, a giant group of people had come down here, and been cursed by the earthen spirits that roam the halls.

Argo leaned over slightly, peeking.

It was important to be in the right position for this. 

Rodrick and the Forest Spirits had directly and indirectly respectively, taught him a great deal about spirits and the nature of things.

In order for the plan to work, there was groundwork that needed to be completed first. 

He wasn't sure how far the signs had progressed in the time he had been underground since there was no way to accurately know how much time had passed to begin with.

And because of that, he had no time to waste.

Murphy could have gotten here already following the Way stone, or he could have gotten very close, perhaps even watching right now.

Regardless of whether or not Murphy got Constance though, the reality was there would always be a battle between Murphy, Lunston and Awick, since in order to leave, Murphy would have to go back up the Giant Roads.

Yet, despite him likely knowing this, he had still came, which meant he had some sort of trick up his sleeve, to give him the confidence to face two masters at the same time, or some way to not have to face them at all.

He was too much of a variable, and in order to face the unknown, one needed as much support as they could get.

The laughing had grown close.

His heart slowed.

The reason he had laid down amidst a dense forest of grasping hands and screaming faces, was in order to hide away his presence as best as possible.

He wasn't sure what the adult earthen spirits could do if the children could drag a mage helplessly into the ground.

And he didn't want to find out.

The laughter was changing directions.

Perhaps a hundred meters. 

Seven seconds.

The moment he activates his aura, the earthen spirits will be alerted, he knew that much without a doubt, so it needed to be quick.

It had to be.

His body tensed.

He heard the sound of a rock falling. 

It was the signal.

Awick blew apart a great boulder! 

The earthen spirits rose about. 

They took the form of giant bulky armors, titanic golems and strange creatures and weapons, some were even pickaxes and spears.

The earth opened up as if to swallow everything whole! 

It was a power that was so overwhelming that just hearing it happen, was nearly enough to paralyze him from moving.

Awick was already running though, but the spirits were in hot pursuit.

Argo grit his teeth and burned his aura, he shot forward like a cannon ball towards the clouds of infant spirits.

The earthen spirits noticed instantly and turned around, but Awick's performance had won Argo two seconds almost three.

Five seconds left.

His feet felt weighed down, without looking to see what it was, he kicked the earth and launched into the air! 

He had expected them to try and sink him, and so he was far more prepared to go sky high at a moments notice! 

But what comes up, must come down.

And in the air, he was no match for the giant rock careening straight at him! 

Bracing himself, his whole body buckled as he managed to get his feet under the boulder that was moving breakneck, kicking off of it.

He glanced down.

It was going to hurt.

He reinforced himself.

Slamming into and sliding across the ruinous earth, with pebbles, rocks and sharp bits everywhere, his whole body felt flattened.

He had been thoroughly caught.

He couldn't move.

The cloud of infant spirits were close, watching him, cheering it on, but not close enough to save him from the earthen spirits.

It was exciting for they, who rarely saw anything new or anyone besides the dead in the stone.

The earthen spirits, the adults, who had been around for a very long time, did not take so much amusement in this.

But, he had bought three more seconds.

Two seconds left.

He smiled, relaxing, pinned to the ground.

There was no fighting Earthen Spirits, or really, spirits of any kind. If there was a method, he definitely didn't know of it.

He felt a suffocating weight on his chest, but the spirits around him had transformed into smaller variations and were congregating around him, examining him closely. 

They had sniffed out the scent of the forest spirits.

Rodrick had once commented that, someone who smelled of spirits would be liked a little more by other spirits.

And Rodrick did not tell lies when it came to those mythical creatures, that had been accompanying him all his life.

He had been right.

They had not killed him.

If anything, he felt as though they were a bit disappointed in him, that he had failed, and that this was all he was capable of, though, they also felt a bit boisterous in an old man sort of way, that the one blessed by forest spirits had lost to them.

As if it was not him, but the forest spirits that had lost.

Zero seconds.

The laughter changed tune.

A small smile crept onto his face.

The earthen spirits all looked back.

A woman was stood amongst the many infants. They were flying around her, mesmerized by the golden glow that seemed to emanate from her.

By Fate or by Chance, regardless a Hero was chosen, and in being so, they carried a blessing none else did.

Both furthest from nature while still residing within it, and closest to it despite being different from everything else in it.

The infants had never seen one before.

Neither had the Earthen Spirits, by their looks.

But they didn't enter the cloud of infants.

Simply the vibrations of their power could cause them harm.

The restraints around Argo fell away to dust.

He had won fair and square.

He had not made a bet with these spirits, but, they had failed to win the game of keep away, and, she had not harmed them.

Adding to that the blessing of the forest spirits, they had no reason to continue being aggressive towards him, though, wariness was still there.

As he was getting his feet underneath him, he noticed a spirit had arrived at his side, despite all the buzz around Constance, this one had come to him instead.

A little spirit, it had no form.

He recognized it.

It was apologetic.

Had it's elders scolded it as well?

He put out his hand, under the close view of the older spirits, and the little one stood on it, he then brought it to his shoulder, where it walked off and sat down.

Argo began the opposite way from the cloud of infants.

With this little one here, the older spirits could no longer interfere with him even if they wanted to, lest they hurt it with their powers of simple existence.

Behind, Constance was being swarmed. 

If she was not blessed by at least one of them yet, then, she would simply have to be the unluckiest person in the whole world, and that was one thing, she was not.

The plan was progressing smoothly.

Argo did feel slightly bad, about what was to come next. But, he had his own priorities. 

It was a gamble to be sure, but trying to pull one over on not just one, but two masters was never going to be anything but.

He looked back. 

That familiar feeling, that made his very soul uncomfortable, was getting close now.

They should be arriving soon.

Constance was still playing with the spirits. Entangled in that cloud.

He felt bad, but he knew that it was for the best in the end.

If it worked out well, then, they would get out of here alive.

Though, the price of their wellness, he hadn't exactly explained it completely to Constance, since he didn't feel like having to make any concessions or meet anyone in the middle.

He couldn't keep being lenient.

Lenient decisions led to variable ends.

His goals had always been set from the start.

His gaze dimmed. 

"Keep your word."

A tall withered form passed him.

A girl fell into his arms.

"I'm no oath breaker." 

Argo didn't look back.

It was about time.

The ground shook.

It was starting.