The Chasm’s Mental Map

Corpse Carrier - Act 1 | Chapter 15 - The Chasm’s Mental Map
Two Hours and Sixteen Minute After Juna Died

The pearl-haired waitress leaned in front of Juna.

“If I may ask,” she said, “where did the sharp-eyed gentleman run off to? Is he okay?”

“Oh! Theo?” Juna said. “Yeah, he's probably fine. Probably I guess…maybe.”

I'm not really sure.

“Ah but,” Juna continued, glancing up at Ilinca, “you mentioned those two wouldn't know anything about The Chasm's Layers. What do you mean? Aren't they Gritborns?”

Ilinca giggled and the two Gritborns groaned.

“Look miss,” the burly Gritborn said, cupping both hands around his tankard. “We've only been down to the First Layer once. We just mined our DepthStones and then scurried back. I couldn't exactly tell you too much about The Chasm or anything exactly below the First Layer. We didn't even make it to Ground One.”

Radu couldn't contain his laugh. “That's why even while being Gritborns, they’re still stuck up here with us every day folk!”

“C'mon now Radu, we still frequent trips down into The Chasm's Entrance Sections,” the burly Gritborn said.

“Sure, for odd jobs. Nothing fitting for a true Gritborn.” Radu chuckled and took a mighty fine sip of his tankard.

“Um…” Juna said. “How exactly is this Chasm set up? I keep hearing things about Layers and Ground Zero. But now I'm hearing about things like Ground One and then Entrance Sections?”

Ilinca expressed a concerned look to Radu and raised an eyebrow. “Is this girl unfamiliar with The Chasm?”

Radu waved a dismissive hand. “Long story. But no, she doesn't have any knowledge of The Chasm.”

“Well then,” Ilinca said, squatting down and gently scratching underneath Speck's chin. “As implied by the names, The Chasm is split into Layers. The word Layers are meant to describe the uninhabitable parts of The Chasm. Layers are long unexplained stretches of tunnels through The Chasm. Some Layers are cramped and dense, while others might be open and vast, even taking days to traverse.”

“Don't forget about the Shifting Ilinca, and the bloody beast down there too,” the burly Gritborn grunted.

“Yes. It isn't just The Chasm's tiring trek and low amounts of known food and water that make descending difficult. As well as fiendish monsters and vivid hallucinations, The Chasm is known to Shift. When The Chasm Shifts, the known paths through the Layers are moved and scrambled.”

“Moved?” Juna asked.

Ilinca stood from scratching Specks. She grabbed both Juna's tankard and Radu’s, then slid them around the table, eventually knocking the two tankards into the Gritborn's. She released the tankards and stood, placing both hands over her abdomen.

“Shifting,” she said. “Everything in The Chasm moves around, even the stone walls themselves, making recurring trips impossible to plan. Fortunately, there are sections of The Chasm that do not Shift. Such as the section where this village is placed. Before each Layer there is a section where The Chasm never Shifts. These locations are known to be habitable, and in such a case a village is built by the passing Gritborns. These are called Grounds.”

Radu tapped the table and reeled in a finger towards Juna, indicating she should push his lost tankard back his way. She did, and Radu took a sip before talking.

“Where you and that runaway boy are now is a village located in Ground Zero. Below this is the First Layer. Ground One is the village before the Second Layer. Ground Two is the village before the Third Layer. And so on all the way down to the Fourth Layer.”

“And the Entrance Sections?” Juna asked.

“About a sliver of the First Layer’s entrance. Ground Zero has a small percentage of the First Layer cut off in order to farm and mine resources. Though still dangerous, it’s a lot safer than the actual First Layer itself. Plus, it’s closer to Ground Zero if something ever goes wrong. They even have a small camp and market down there.”

“In summary,” Ilinca said, “Ground Zero - The Entrance Sections - The First Layer. Ground One - The Second Layer. Ground Two - The Third Layer. Ground Three - The Fourth Layer.”

“And what’s past the Fourth Layer?” Juna asked.

“Who knows,” the burly Gritborn answered with a shrug. “Only one person has ever been down there and came back alive. Though that's only a rumor passed around from Ground Three. You hear a lot of them, rumors, that is. Without proper communication between Grounds, rumors spread high and deep through The Chasm. It’s best not to believe everything you hear.”

“Especially from these two Gritborns here,” Ilinca joked with a grin. “I don’t understand how anyone could want to venture into The Chasm. Though I guess that's just an opinion from a lady who’s only cute when her mouth is closed.”

“You got that right!” the burly Gritborn said, raising his tankard. “The Chasm is our life. Even if I never venture all the way through the First Layer, I'll still always be a Gritborn.”

“And I’ll still serve you drinks when you flee back to Ground Zero,” Ilinca said. She turned towards Juna and gave a soft bow. “It was pleasant meeting you. I hope these ruffians don't poison your brain.” Ilinca smiled, then turned and walked back down the stairs to return to work.

The other Gritborn who lacked three fingers snickered to himself, his eyes following Ilinca as she stepped down to the bottom floor. “Think she'd give me a smooch if I made it past the First Layer?”

Radu and the burly Gritborn chuckled as they downed their tankards. Juna might have laughed too, just to fit in, if not for how the Gritborn asking the question had acted during the prior conversation. Only until now he had been quiet, allowing his partner to speak on his behalf. Juna had noticed the fingerless Gritborn only ever looked at two things: Ilinca, and Specks. He didn't even seem to understand half of what was being said. And the second Ilinca left, the fingerless Gritborn's eyes went back to the only other thing he could ogle at.

Specks.

Juna gently placed her hand onto Speck's tail. “Is something the matter?” she asked.

The fingerless Gritborn perked up, finally looking away from Specks. “Eh? No, no. Just that your pet there sells mighty well on the market down in The Chasm's Entrance Sections.” He glanced at his partner, then back to Juna. “If you want we can give you some Metal for the thing. Then me and him can descend and sell him off for you. That’s part of a Gritborn’s job too, ya know. Running odds and ends nobody else can.” He chuckled, creepily.

Sell off Specks? Juna thought. And ‘Metal’ was that this world’s form of payment?

She pulled Specks in by the tail. “I’m not interested in selling him.”

The fingerless Gritborn chuckled again. Creepily, again. “No problem, miss. It was just a kind offer. Those creatures do sell extremely well however.”

Juna swore she caught the man licking his lips.

Well,” Radu said, clasping his hands together, “I figure that's a good introduction to Gritborns and The Chasm. We'll leave the more thought provoking conversations for later.” He stood and patted the burly Gritborn on the back. “I do appreciate both of your inputs, it’s always great to show off Ground Zero’s talent. Well Juna, allow me to escort you around the village while we continue our talk. Shall we?”

Confused at the sudden departure, Juna simply nodded and stood with Speck in hand.

“We appreciate getting the chance to talk, Radu,” the burly Gritborn said. “You know how most people act about Gritborns up here in Ground Zero.” He looked at Juna. “Good speaking to you too, miss. If you ever need somethin’ you just come to us, you here?”

Juna smiled. “Of course, thank you.”

With that Radu led Juna down the stairs and out the front door, back into the openness of the cavern. The stench of gasoline hitting Juna the second she stepped out. She pinched her nose and once again stuffed Specks under her shirt. Who knew a fantasy village would be cluttered with her least favorite smell? It would take some time and effort getting used to the scent.

Unsurprisingly, Theo was nowhere in sight. Maybe he really did go back to The Mound? Maybe farther.

“By the way,” Radu said, checking that the door behind them was fully closed. “Not to sound prejudiced, but though Gritborns truly do aid in the village’s prosperity.” He flared his nose, almost like a half-snarl. “Do your best not to become surrounded by them.”

“Why?” Juna asked. “The guy who kept glaring at Specks was weird, but I found the other man pleasant to be around. Or are they bad people?”

“No, no. Those men aren't evil and no Gritborn can truly be called bad. Though, I can never fully trust in anyone whose mind reasonably decided to venture into The Chasm. I feel as though they come back, how do I say it, less human.” Radu lifted a balled hand and placed it in front of his mouth. Coughed. “Though I do not think those two are any harm, they’ve only ventured down a couple of times. Anyway, how about that village tour?”

A village tour sounded nice. Juna had been waiting all day to finally explore all the differences between their worlds. To meet the new people she could befriend, and explore more about where she would sleep, eat, bathe, and relax. And though she enjoyed hearing about DepthStones and Gritborns, talking was the last thing Juna really wanted to do. That was something Theo wanted.

But… Juna thought.

She sighed, almost embodying the person she was before she changed worlds. Another thing that she needed to work on. “I’d really love to Radu…but…”

“But?” Radu asked.

“I think I'm going to check on Theo. Like I said, the reason he's here is my fault. I feel a bit guilty, so I might try and check on him. Maybe if I tell him everything I learned then he'll come back around to hearing you out. Is that fine?”

Radu laughed. “Of course it’s fine. I spend most of my time searching The Mound anyways, so if you ever need me just look outside the village. I only hope you do give me time to ask questions about where you came from soon.”

“Of course!” Juna skipped a few steps away and waved. “Thanks Radu! I’ll see you around!”

And with that, Juna pranced away in search of the grumpy runaway Theo.