Hidden in the Mountain

The tunnel went deeper than I'd expected. Much deeper. Like never ending deeper.

All these twists and turns are a pain. The only plus is there haven't been any forks. It's just frustrating not knowing if we're going up or down. One second we're climbing a steep incline, the next a decline that seems to take us back to the elevation we were at.

"I wish I had a watch."

"watch?"

"It's a device from my old world, though I think some nobles in the empire have them too. It keeps the time." I noticed the confused pulsing of Yahime's eyes. "It helps tell what time of day it is."

I sighed remembering the conveniences of Japan. I never would have imagined I'd miss it so much. Lucinda's house was nice, but nothing could beat my mattress at home. I even missed late night drinks with my coworkers. The drinks, not my coworkers.

"strange ahead…"

My ears perked at the news. Strange meant a change from the monotony of walking forever. I just had to remind myself to stay cautious. The lack of monsters on the mountain had been unsettling and knowing our luck there'd be a dragon waiting to devour us.

"Be cautious. The last thing we need is to die in an ambush."

The massive cavern we entered certainly was strange. It was impossibly large for the mountain unless we'd somehow ended up beneath it. In the center, there was a giant column of stone with a circumference large enough to fit half of Stonewood. Most notably, however, was the sparkling ceiling. It was a buried night sky with millions of twinkling stars that covered the ceiling and stretched halfway down the walls. They were all out of reach, but with [PERFECT SIGHT] I could see that they were pale white gems. Essence Stones.

"We found them, Yahime! We really found them!"

My heart ballooned at our accomplishment. I'd worried it would take weeks if not months to find our quarry. Now the issue was reaching the stones. Thankfully, a few littered the ground.

Just holding one in my hand filled my veins with an overwhelming power that made me feel like I could accomplish anything. I understood why the empire wanted them. The question was how they would use them. Euphoria quickly turned to nausea until I had to drop the stone. If Yahime hadn't shared her power with me, it might have killed me.

I hadn't expected that. How did Richard mine them? I guess I can't be sure, but it felt like my mana was about to explode. Was he trying to turn the player into a bomb? More like the game version of the stones didn't have negative side effects. It just begs the question of whether it was the game mechanics or a processing method that made the stones safe.

There was no way for an average person like me to know. Maybe if I'd been a magical genius…

I slapped my forehead. I was a magical genius in a way. I might not have understood all of Aurelie's knowledge, but she knew enough to devise a safe way to handle the stones.

Closing my eyes, I sifted through her memories for any mention of the stones or something similar. The closest I could find was the use of earth magic to transport an explosive stone called Burstrock. Not the most creative name.

The magic was easy, novice earth manipulation was enough to create a rock casing to hold the stone. Holding the newly encased stone still filled me with power, just not the overwhelming amount I'd felt before.

"Can you store these?" I asked Yahime. I held the stone out to her and she hesitated. That was a bad sign. The last thing I needed was to accidentally kill her by filling her with Essence Stones.

"It's fine." I withdrew the stone I'd held out and slipped it into the satchel I was wearing. Lucinda had insisted that I bring it just in case. I owed her. "Let's collect some more before heading back to—"

An ear splitting screech filled the cavern, infinitely echoing and bringing me to my knees. Even Yahime teetered on her feet. I knew it was too easy.

"Yahime… weapon…" I could taste the lunch I'd eaten coming back up. "Quickly…"

A wooden pole slid from Yahime's hand and I grabbed it, pulling out a new weapon the blacksmith, Martoh, had forged for me out of the remains of Ajax's axe. I was still getting used to the weight; the spears I'd been using were closer in weight to what I was used to. Still, it felt good to hold a naginata again.

As the screech faded, I took a position behind Yahime, putting us back to back. Whatever was prowling the cavern was strong enough that a mere scream had affected Yahime. I just hoped there wasn't more than one.

"Do you know where it went?" The blood pounding in my ears and my spinning vision left me helpless.

"something…"

She shoved me away, nearly knocking me to the ground. Before I could yell at her, I saw why.

The creature was all too familiar.

A Dusk.

Not just any Dusk, though. The one grappling with Yahime was taller and covered in Essence Stones. Cold panic filled my veins. How long could Yahime hold off her buffed sister?

So why were they evenly matched? I examined the Dusk closer. It was taller with longer arms and larger claws. At the same time it was thinner, emaciated. How had it even gotten trapped in the cavern? Excluding Yahime, Dusks were supposed to guide souls to the Twilight where they remained until they left to collect another soul. This one looked like an emaciated corpse. Would the same thing happen to Yahime if she stayed with me?

I couldn't dwell on it. Helping Yahime came first and I rushed the Dusk, bringing my blade down on the creature. The slash landed, creating a deep gash in the creature's black skin. It didn't heal like Yahime did. It didn't even look the same. Compared to the glistening fluid nature of Yahime's skin, the Dusk's was matte black and drawn taut. And it was wearing clothes?

Even with my enhanced vision it was difficult to make out the details. They were skin tight, or rather, they were clinging to the Dusk's body like a wet shirt. I almost recognized them.

I wanted, needed, to know.

"Mana flowing through stone, hold my foe in your crushing embrace! [ROCK PRISON]!"

The ground rumbled at the Dusk's feet, rapidly climbing up its body while Yahime held it in place. The spell would have never worked on Yahime, but on her weakened sister?

It struggled to free its legs as the stone gripping its body reached its waist. Its hands were still locked with Yahime's and when the spell reached the Dusk's shoulders, she retreated to my side.

"That was easier than I though it'd be," I said, grinning. "Did you have trouble holding her?"

"strong but weak… hunger… lucky."

I swallowed hard at her response. I didn't like relying on luck. I disliked realizing I'd uttered a death flag even more.