P. Into The Maw (Pt.3)

Not a second passed before his back began to burn. The scorching pain forced him to his knees and Jake’s hands grabbed at the floor as he felt the sensation scorch over his skin. The burning at first spread over the entirety of his upper back but then localized to the left side, just behind his shoulder. He grit his teeth, his nails scratching at the dirt as the burning intensified. It felt like it took several minutes to run its course, when in reality it took less than one. Just as quickly as the burning came, it faded and the boy was spared from further pain. He let out a few heavy breaths and slowly collected himself, returning to his feet.

“Guess that’s the Dragon Mark,” he thought, glancing over his shoulder towards it. Indeed, Lady Ferynith’s promise that he would bear her marking was not a lie. On his left shoulder blade he now bore the Mark of the Dragonkin. Much like the Mark of the Arachkin, the black ink took the shape of a small dragon, its eyes a dim red.

Not lingering on the Mark for long, Jake looked down towards the center of the large sigil. The talisman his father had given him cracked and crumbled to dust inside the hole. When he looked up, the crystal in the ceiling lost all of its color. The already weak and dwindling light within it finally faded away entirely. Once it became fully translucent, it cracked loudly. Nothing fell and it remained lodged into the ceiling, but the splinter in its core was clear to see. The power within it had been spent.

“You have returned.” Chul cooed from the edge of the circle. Jake looked over at the Arachkin, a smile crossing his face. The boy made his way out of the circle and stepped over the line.

“I have. That was amazing,” Jake grinned and looked up towards the statue of the Human God to his right. “I guess those stories weren’t entirely wrong.”

“No, they were not.” Chul let out a huff, his mandibles tapping together a few times. The Arachkin’s eyes drifted towards the circle and then he bowed his head in respect. Jake took notice of the gesture and then turned to do the same. While he wasn’t used to kneeling, bowing, or nodding, he did his best to pay his respects to those that had given him such an opportunity. He wasn’t quite sure of how to use his gift just yet but he would learn and do his best with it.

“Let us go. They have shared all they can with us.” Chul reduced his size once more as he prepared to leave. Jake knelt to the floor to pick up the spider into his hand, helping his companion up onto his shoulder. He then headed towards the far side of the cavern where the exit loomed. Before he stepped through and on to the next portion of their little adventure, he turned around and bowed once more.

“Thank you all for your faith in me. I’ll do my best.” He whispered, uncertain if they could hear him now that there was no magic left in the crystal. Then, he turned and strode away into the dimly lit tunnel. Much like before the stone walls spiraled upwards, stretching on and on into the distance. Until finally a faint speck of light that wasn’t crystal appeared in the distance.

Jake squinted towards the light, trying to discern what it was. When it dawned on him that it was surface light, he started running. His tired legs found energy as he hurried up the last stretch of the tunnel. He slowed to a stop once the exit was clear to see and caught his breath as he walked towards it. He stared into the light, listening for the faint whispers of the wind and the sounds of birds. When he looked at the spider on his shoulder, Chul’s own eyes were locked on the distant exit.

“Ready…?” Jake asked. Chul continued to stare for a brief moment before he slowly lowered his body and curled up. He nodded, and Jake walked up to the exit. Chul began to shake just as the green of a flowing meadow came into view. As Jake stepped out of the rocky hole, Chul’s shaking only intensified. The once terrifying Arachkin now shook and trembled, and Jake could hear a faint tapping of the spider’s fangs.

“Welcome back to the surface, Chul,” Jake said softly, reaching up and coaxing the spider into his hands. Chul took a few uneasy steps forward into Jake’s waiting fingers and settled down on his belly in the human’s palms.

“I’m free…” Chul muttered, his voice a low whisper in Jake’s mind as the Arachkin stared outwards, taking in the view of the world he had lost sight of many countless years ago. “I never thought I would see this kind of view ever again. I cannot thank you enough, Son of Alan.” Chul slowly turned about in Jake’s hands, his yellow eyes rising to meet Jake’s. Jake grinned and nodded, happy to oblige the one desire of his new friend.

“You saved me and helped me reach The Gate. You helped me take those first steps after I thought it was all over. This does little to repay that debt I owe you. If you would be willing to continue to be my guide and friend, I would be honored if you would join me from here on.” Jake slowly removed one of his hands, letting Chul take up the space of the other. Then, he extended his index finger as if to shake and make a deal. Chul let out a hearty laugh and raised his front leg, touching the finger. The deal was struck. The bond not only made by magic but by heartfelt word. Something which both considered to be worth far more.

“I would be happy to. If you are foolish enough to descend into the Ravine with just a towel and a few scraps, I can only wonder what other troubles you might fall into.” Chul let out another booming, thunderous laugh. His whole body shook as he let out a joy-filled noise that echoed into the air. While it was a jab, Jake couldn’t help but chuckle as well. He certainly had been a bit loose in his preparations for the trip but with no experience, he had done what he thought would be enough. He considered himself lucky that it had been.

A gentle breeze brushed over them both, the grass and trees rustling in the late morning wind. Jake gave the spider a moment to enjoy himself, and Chul relished in the freshness of the air and the coolness of that wind. When he was ready, Jake returned his partner to his shoulder. After taking a few more paces out into the lush green surrounding them, the ground began to shake. They both looked back towards the place they had come from just in time to see the exit begin to decay. The inside collapsed first, the rock walls caving inwards and the blue lights dimming as dirt and stone filled the tunnel. Jake moved further away to avoid getting caught in any debris. Eventually, even the open maw fell inwards. With a heavy cough, a large cloud puffed outwards, blocking their view of the tunnel. When the dust settled, a sigil flashed on the ground as it smoothed to a more natural state. The floor shifted slightly and thick green grass rose from the fresh soil, concealing the traces of the tunnel.

“Such advanced magic. No wonder it was was never stumbled upon.” Chul hummed as he peered in the direction of the tunnel. Jake nodded in agreement. He wondered if the tunnel had been made especially for him and if the area had been flat before he arrived in the summoning room. If there was this random tunnel sticking out of the ground he found it hard to believe someone didn’t come across it by accident. Though, there was also the idea of some force concealing the tunnel from casual view. Camouflage of some kind, possibly? Jake took a look around and noticed they weren’t exactly anywhere frequently visited, so maybe it was just never found.

In any case, he was done with his little excursion. It was time to get back to his village.

“Let’s go home,” Jake said. He looked up to see where the sun was in the sky and oriented himself. Judging from the angle, he turned right and started to walk. The ground wasn’t exactly thick or hard to traverse, but the firmness of the ground beneath his feet compared to the texture of sand made him jealous. It was far easier to walk here than in the desert. The temperature was also far more bearable. The occasional cover of trees helped deal with the oppressive sun, keeping him cool with short moments of shade.

“You use the sky to travel?” Chul asked, pointing out how Jake frequently looked up to ensure he was walking in the proper direction. Jake nodded.

“It’s an old trick we were told to use when moving in one direction. The sun is predictable, so we use its position in the sky to tell us which way to go.” As a kid, Jake and other children from his village were given a basic course on how to use the sky to keep their direction in the sprawling desert. While it wasn’t foolproof nor extremely accurate, it worked for generic direction keeping. At night the stars would provide the true map of the world and during that time was when the caravans would generally move. As a child just trying not to get lost when running around and playing, the starry map was far too advanced.

By keeping the sun on his left and moving in a fairly straight line, the trees eventually gave way to stone. The Ravine returned to his view and Jake stepped out of the greenery to the familiar rough territory. The sands on the far side were a welcome sight and while the beating sun wasn’t quite something he wanted to return to, he was itching to get home and tell his Auntie about his trip.

Except, there was a problem. Sure, he was topside again and he certainly was able to walk up to the edge of the Ravine without issue. Getting across that massive maw was another story. Jake peered down into the black pit, his eyes trembling as he thought of having to descend into that place again. He’d fallen once and barely made it out. Even with Chul, he still didn’t feel comfortable taking that risk again.

“Are you sure you wish to return?” Chul suddenly asked. Jake pressed his lips together and then looked over towards the distant dunes. His chest tightened, his heart yearning for home. It hadn’t been long but he missed his Auntie.

But, there was no real reason for Jake to actually go back. Aside from his Auntie, Jake had nothing in that village. He had a few clothes and trinkets given to him from his vagabond of a father, but nothing truly binding. On top of that now that he had made the decision to become an Adventurer, returning to his village would be him just returning to the starting point. He had survived the Ravine and the tunnel had spit him out into a new land, a land waiting for him to explore. Indeed, there was no need for him to return home.

Yet, he couldn’t just walk away. He had left without saying goodbye, without telling her that he was excited and to not worry for him. Something didn’t sit right with him for leaving in such a way. It was almost like he had repeated the exact steps his own Father had taken, and Jake had sworn to be different. To be better.

“I have to say goodbye to my Auntie.” With that in mind, Jake made the decision. Jake couldn’t leave his Auntie like that. If anyone in the world cared about him, it was certainly her. He had told her he would be back before dinner and she trusted that he would. How many days had it been since he’d told her that? The sun was high in the sky now, and Jake had begun his descent at around the same time so he could only imagine just how long he had spent down in the Ravine and the cavern.

“Shall I create a bridge?” Chul looked up at Jake. The boy blinked and stared first at the Ravine, then down at Chul.

“Can you?” “With ease.”

Chul hopped off Jake’s shoulder and skittered over the rock to the Ravine. The Arachkin slipped over the edge and vanished beneath the ledge for a moment. A brief flash illuminated the dark as Chul’s body expanded. He grew and grew, far larger than Jake had originally seen him until he could stand comfortably within the maw. Chul raised his back legs to his abdomen and out of his backside, the Arachkin produced thick, gooey silk that his legs spun about into powerful strands. With nimble grace, Chul latched the silk rope to one side of the Ravine and then hopped to the far side, attaching the strand to the ground across the gap. and stepped forward into the crevice. He expanded, filling the gap and his back legs began. He formed another rope and then established a parallel set of anchor points. With the bridge’s foundation set, he patiently went to work filling the gap between the thick strands.

Jake watched in a mix of awe and giddy excitement as he watched the Arachkin work. The white bridge came together quickly, the tough platforms forming as Chul made his way from the close side to the far side. When he was finished, Chul gave the bridge a little test by walking on it himself, his large body causing the bridge to flex and sway as he moved over it. Even as Chul stood in the exact center, at the peak point of flex and tension- the bridge didn’t make a sound. The Arachkin, satisfied with his work, walked to the other side of the Ravine and then turned to wait for Jake.

After seeing the bridge comfortably support the large-bodied creature, Jake didn’t feel any doubt or fear that the bridge would handle his meager weight. However, he didn’t like the idea of there being nothing to grab and hold onto. If he teetered, or if the wind decided to pick up, his stomach tensed at the idea of him falling over the edge. Well, until he stepped out onto the first bit of silk.

While initially, Jake expected to get stuck, the boy found that the silk grabbed and held his foot firmly in place. As he wiggled and tugged, his sandal remained where Jake had placed it. The boy had to tug on it to get his foot free, but not so much that it required strength behind the pull. It was more like he was walking in thick mud than on webbing, and it was reassuring. Even if the wind tried to knock him over, the silk would keep him in place so long as he trusted it.

Thus, he sucked in a breath and quelled the butterflies in his stomach. One step at a time, he started to traverse the bridge. Initially, the bridge didn’t sway at all. The closer he got to the middle, though, the looser it felt to step. The silk ebbed and wobbled. The bridge swayed slightly left to right, and a cross breeze tickled his nose as the view of Chul watching him ticked and tocked in front of him. The boy’s stomach tensed up again and Jake stopped at the midpoint. He took in a long, slow breath. His hands curled into fists and he dared a look down. Just beneath the few inches of pearly white silk was a deathly fall into a wide black mouth.

He shouldn’t have done that.

“...Nope.” Jake looked up, his eyes focusing only on the next step as he upped his pace. Quickly, the boy moved across the bridge and he forced himself to hurry along. The longer he stayed on the bridge, the worse the churning in his stomach got. When he reached the far side it was the most relieving experience. All the stress in his body vanished and his adrenaline faded. The thumping of his heart continued to ring in his ears for a few breaths as the wobbling in his knees subsided.

“Are you okay?” Chul lowered down and his fangs chittered for a moment. Jake was bent over, his hands on his knees as he gathered himself. Instead of answering verbally, the boy just raised a thumb. He was just peachy.

Taking a few moments to breathe, Jake finally got his stress under control and stood up. He let out a huff to wash away the feeling of peril and then turned to face the bridge he had crossed.

“Think it’s permanent?” Jake asked. He was tempted to walk up and give it another touch, but he’d seen enough Ravine darkness for the time being. Chul chittered in thought for a couple of seconds before doing the spider equivalent of a shrug.

“Unsure, but unless a powerful storm comes through or someone burns it, it will last.”

So, it was semi-permanent then. Prior to descending into the Ravine, Jake hadn’t heard of any way to cross the maw. There were no natural connections left behind from when it tore through the landscape and so far, neither country had created a way to travel between the two lands. By leaving the bridge in place, Jake hoped that someone would eventually come across it and utilize it. Or maybe it would stir someone to create an actual permanent solution. After briefly experiencing the comfort of the green grass and trees, he hoped that one day others in his village would be able to as well.

Jake considered that good enough and then climbed onto Chul’s back. Once more using the sun to guide them, Chul turned away from the Ravine and the two set off into the sands. Jake gave one more look behind him, watching as the Ravine shrank behind him. He gripped onto Chul’s carapace and nodded quietly to himself. He turned away and put his back to the maw, leaving the dark pit and his meeting with the Gods behind.