Chapter 4

Counting on my unexpected guide, Shiori takes me through a tunnel that leads to another cave complex, this new area with little to no vegetation clinging to the walls.

The atmosphere is colder and noticeably drier, too.

Oddly enough, judging by the amount of openings and cracks, it feels as if we had entered a giant anthill.

I wouldn't be surprised to encounter an ant the size of a human, though I'd rather avoid it.

Hayato: Clearly, we left the ruins behind and set foot somewhere different.

Hayato: Where are we exactly, however? Does this place have a name?

Shiori: It does, yeah. Fortune seekers call it the Halls of the Lost, the deepest reaches of the infamous Blackflame Peaks.

Shiori: To be an "operator," you sure are scatterbrained! Did you get in here blindly or what?

Hayato: Let's just say I'm missing the intel of this location.

I snort at my remark, finally knowing the name of my whereabouts.

Blackflame Peaks is a place that doesn't belong in the Shifting Isle.

Shiori just confirmed I'm no longer at home, a piece of information that raises many questions that might never receive a proper answer.

Shiori: Does that mean you're clueless, then?

Hayato: Yes, pretty much. I'll be grateful for anything you decide to share with me.

Shiori: Oh jeez... If I were you, I'd look for a new client!

Shiori: But yeah, leaving that aside, the Halls of the Lost owe their name to the fact this is where most of the adventurers disappear.

Shiori: If you enter the halls, it's very likely you won't be seeing sunlight any time soon!

Shiori: The tunnels are a maze. Taking a single wrong turn will get you dead.

Hayato: We're currently in the halls, Shiori. Abiding by what you said, we're both lost and damned.

Shiori: We would be... if it weren't for this!

Shiori produces a map with a playful grin, the old parchment sketched over with dark ink.

Hayato: Huh, I guess a map will come in handy.

Shiori: It's not a regular map, silly! It's an enchanted map that uses runic ink to represent our surroundings.

Shiori: The drawings will change as we move, so Blackflame Peaks hold no secrets for me!

Shiori: Mind you, it cost me a pretty fortune. That old hag that sold it to me drove a hard bargain!

Hayato: An "enchanted" map, you say? As in magic?

Shiori: Yeah, why are you surprised? Did you hit your head or something?

Hayato: I did, but even still, I can assure you that magic isn't real.

Shiori: Oh-ho, really? Behold this, buster!

Holding the supposedly magic map, Shiori takes a step forward, making the lines erase themselves only to reappear and represent the terrain ahead.

I blink repeatedly with disbelief, the sheet of paper acting like a digital screen.

Is that a trick of the light, or is the map actually moving? I need some objective information from my AI companion.

Hayato: SARA, care to explain why that scroll is reshaping on its own?

SARA: Negative, further information is needed.

SARA: Surely, Shiori is employing an undiscovered technology, and due to lack of knowledge, it's deemed as magic.

SARA: Anything without an explanation is often considered supernatural.

Shiori: Whoa, what the... Who were you talking to just now?

Shiori: Do you have a familiar spirit bound to you?

Hayato: I was interacting with SARA, which stands for Strategic Automated Reconnaissance Assistant.

Hayato: It's my virtual colleague.

Shiori: Err, okay? That's one convoluted way to admit you have a familiar!

Shiori: And you were doubting the existence of magic when you're an advanced user yourself! Tsk, tsk, aren't you a trickster?

Believing that the AI powering SARA is the result of some spell, Shiori continues to use the map to cross the countless grottos of these caverns.

Summarizing how technology works would be pointless, so I'm going to allow her to believe whatever makes sense to her.

Shiori: Okay, the leisure walk is about to be over, Hayato.

Shiori: It won't be long before we reach the territory of the Bone Strappers.

Shiori: One loud noise, and we'll become their food.

Hayato: Bone Strappers? Give me the rundown of those things.

Shiori: Jeez, man... Haven't you heard the tales?

Shiori: Bone Strappers are nasty bastards that rule the depths.

Shiori: They live in packs, roaming the tunnels in search of trespassers.

Shiori: Bandits and adventurers alike take their chances because the Strappers accumulate the riches of the dead.

Shiori: Of course, they stand no chance, and the beasts make quick work of them.

Shiori: And then, if death wasn't enough, they use their bones as clothes to protect themselves when they ambush more greedy fools.

Shiori: Bone Strappers are blind, however. So if we're silent, we shouldn't draw their attention.

Shiori: So if you want to fart, hold it in, or else you'll summon the whole pack!

Hayato: I'll be mindful of my bodily functions, then.

Unsettled by their existence, I sharpen my senses and aim my weapon forward.

If they dare to oppose us, I won't hesitate to open fire. I won't let those unholy creatures stand in my way.

Paying great attention to my surroundings, we arrive at a large grotto, a chamber full of fissures and crevices.

I hold my breath and take a knee, prepared to fight back if something pounces on us from the shadows.

This is the perfect place for an ambush...

Shiori: Crap... This spot is new, alright! I haven't been here before.

Hayato: What do you mean? Didn't you walk through these tunnels to reach the ruins?

Shiori: Not these in particular. There must have been an earthquake that buried the ones I used.

Distressed, Shiori studies her arcane map, huffing with displeasure when she draws a conclusion.

Shiori: Ugh, I called it... There were some tremors while we were down there, and the safe passages are now inaccessible.

Shiori: The only way up is by venturing into the lair of the Strappers.

Shiori: Or, in other words, we're screwed and most possibly dead.

Shiori: We're at their homes already, so...

Shiori points to the ceiling, where rickety shacks hang from the irregular walls.

There are several of those structures, meaning we're up for some serious business if those creatures detect us.

Hayato: What do we do, then? Do we turn around and find a safer route?

Shiori: That kind of route doesn't exist, Hayato. The map would've taken us there otherwise.

Shiori: We must proceed. However, we must move swiftly and depart at once before the Strappers return home.