Thera 1.11

The Treasure of Brunnholl’s Fleet.

Thera had finally found it. After so long trapped in this Dungeon, it was time to leave and return to shallower waters. She brimmed with excitement as she swam after Mors. The Luminant Lophis led the way as it held the treasure with its fins.

“This is actually it— the Scroll of Nativity… it’s real…” Mors said as its fins trembled.

“It is! It was guarded by a… thing.” Thera shivered, recalling her battle with that amalgamation of her nightmares and terrors. It wasn’t something she wanted to remember, and it didn’t help that speaking was new to her. Still, she continued. “A depraved thing. But I managed to beat it with a mighty crunch!”

She mimicked the [Power Bite] she used in that battle— although she no longer had the Skill. The Luminant Lophis barely glanced her way, murmuring to itself.

“I can finally… finally…”

The pair turned a corner. The Grand Library of Brunnholl’s Fleet waited just ahead of them, and Thera beamed in anticipation. She slapped her flippers together in blissful thought.

“I can’t wait to leave this place with you, Mors,” she said, not even realizing she was vocalizing her thoughts.

And the Luminant Lophis paused. It came to a sudden halt, and Thera stopped herself from swimming into the fish. Mors raised its head, the light hanging off its antennae flickering.

“What?” it asked.

Thera blinked. Normally, this would be the point where they just stared at each other in confusion until Mors deciphers what she means by her odd gestures, but that was no longer a problem.

“We’ll be leaving now, right? We got the Treasure of Brunnholl’s Fleet! It’s our way out of this place—” A moment of silence passed between them. The baby Mystic Turtle noticed the fish’s uncertainty. “...right?”

Mors’ mouth bobbed. The Luminant Lophis held Thera’s gaze for a moment, then turned away as if it decided against something. Nodding, it replied, “You are correct.”

Relief washed over Thera, but Mors raised a fin before she could fully relax.

“But—” the fish said. “These things take time. Perhaps we’ll be able to leave in a few more days… or however much time that’s needed to set up the ritual.”

Thera deflated. “Oh.”

Mors swam on, entering the library as it studied the Scroll of Nativity. “I’ll need to ensure that the spell circles are a perfect match… then I’ll have to teach her how to… I see…” it muttered.

Quickly catching up to it, Thera sputtered, “So do I just wait around until then?”

“Study, of course,” it said, vaguely gesturing to the floating books.

Her disgust was immediately evident. She shrank back, not saying anything in response. Mors noticed this and shook its head.

“Or perhaps, there are other things to do,” it said as it faced her with a smile. “After all, you’ve just undergone your evolution. Now would be a good time to test how much stronger you’ve become. I highly doubt even a Juvenile Phlegling would be able to bring you down as you are now.”

Thera looked up with wide eyes. “Really?” She leaned closer. “Are evolutions that amazing?”

The Luminant Lophis stared at her. For some odd reason, it looked put off by her question. It took a moment to take in the sight of the curious baby turtle. Then it chuckled.

“You are still so young, Thera. So young and inexperienced.”

She tilted her head in response. Puzzled. Mors broke away from the peering gaze and swam back to its hovel with the Scroll of Nativity— the Treasure of Brunnholl’s Fleet- in its fins.

“Indeed. They are that amazing, Thera. Now swim along, I’ll ensure that your time in this Dungeon will be but a sliver in your memories when you’re older.”

“Alright!” Thera nodded excitedly. She spun around, ready to leave and heed Mors’ words. “I shall hunt down some Phleglings—”

And she halted. Her adrenaline from the fight with the Juvenile Phlegling then the depraved thing faded. Exhaustion finally caught up to her, and her eyes felt heavy. She slowly sank to the wooden floor, receding into her shell.

“Maybe after I take a quick nap…” she said as she began to pass out.

Mors shook its head with a soft laugh. It grabbed the baby Mystic Turtle as her vision darkened and dragged her to the center of the room. Smiling fondly, the Luminant Lophis tucked her into the hovel.

“So young, indeed,” it said as its gaze softened.

Thera barely heard the words. She didn’t see its smile slipping. Darkness took her—

“I just wish I could’ve taught you more…”

And she fell asleep.

* * *

As it turned out, it would take more than just a few days. Mors’ estimate was completely off. A full month passed, although neither Thera nor Mors knew that— they just realized it was taking longer than expected. The baby Mystic Turtle was now less of a baby, and as such, needed less sleep than before.

The Luminant Lophis never needed much rest. Thera was pretty sure she’d only seen it sleep twice during the entirety of the time she’d known the fish. Or perhaps Mors went to sleep briefly during the periods where the Vanima Testudine was asleep.

Still, because of the now-lack-of sleep she needed, she felt as though less time passed than actually did, and during the meantime, she kept herself busy.

You have leveled up!

[Vanima Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 10] -> [Vanima Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 11]!

…

You have leveled up!

[Vanima Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 12] -> [Vanima Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 13]!

With each level up, she always felt stronger. Faster. More durable. To varying degrees, of course. Thera hummed to herself as she swam through the flooded corridors, passing the corpses of dozens of Pygmy Phlegling. Some of them had been rotting for a while now, others were freshly killed.

Then a rumble ran through the ship. The ancient wooden boards creaked, stressed under the pressure of something assailing it from beyond. Even if the walls were enchanted, enough damage could break through and the entire structure could collapse.

Thera halted as she turned a hallway. She felt the swaying of the flooded corridors and frowned.

“Again?”

She quickly veered her course, returning back the same direction she came. There was a stairway up ahead, shrouded in shadows, leading to the upper floors. But it was eerily dark, and she felt like something was amiss. Slowing, she narrowed her eyes and raised her head.

And three figures lashed out at her. An ambush! These creatures had laid in wait for her. Her eyes flickered to each of these shadows, and saw what they were.

[Pygmy Phlegling]

[Pygmy Phlegling]

[Pygmy Phlegling]

She expected as much, but she still chose to use [Basic Appraisal] just in case her expectations misled her. The three Pygmy Phleglings assailed her, and she charged back. Her body was overcome with a golden glow as she drew mana from her core. [Indomitable Soul]. Their terrible teeth struck the second shell but failed to pierce into her skin. She focused the aura into her flippers with [Manifestation of the Heart], turning her limbs to blades.

In a few short moments, the monsters lay dead beneath her, cut into pieces. The Vanima Testudine grinned as she stared at their corpses.

“They used to be so much stronger…” she commented idly.

But it wasn’t over. Thera knew it wasn’t over, too. That kind of commotion always attracted more, especially at this floor of the ship. She turned and faced the looming shadow. A Phlegling that dwarfed the three Pygmy Phleglings in size— combined.

[Juvenile Phlegling]

Again, [Basic Appraisal] told her what it was, but that was all. The Juvenile Phlegling crawled up the stairway. Its eyeless gaze fixed on her, baring rows and rows of rancorous teeth her way. However, unlike before, Thera didn’t shy away from its challenge. Instead, she threw herself straight into the fray.

With a burst of speed from [Hunting Dive], she closed the distance between her and the large monster. It whipped its mouth down at her, but [Underwater Maneuverability] easily let her dodge the attack. She swung her aura blades at its neck, drawing blood in a single cut.

It reeled back. She took that chance to go down its long body and unleash even more severe slashes at its sides. The Juvenile Phlegling whirled around and tried to entangle her, but she exhaled deeply.

[Bubble Conjuration]. Hundreds of bubbles exploded from her body, filling the area. The little air pockets messed with the unseeing creature’s senses. It felt the vibration of the water, and everything around it was moving.

It didn’t notice Thera descending on its head with her jaws unhinged. Her muscles tensed as she bit down with all her strength.

[Mighty Crunch]!

Thera pushed herself beyond her limits. It wasn’t powered by magic or her core. Her body exceeded what it could do at that moment and she ripped straight through the Juvenile Phlegling’s spine. The monster struggled in her beak-like mouth for a moment— then went limp.

She watched it fall, sinking to the wooden boards with a thud.

“...used to be so much stronger,” she repeated her previous train of thought.

It was both a cathartic feeling and an odd thing to parse. The fact that she used to struggle with a single Pygmy Phlegling— let alone a Juvenile Phlegling— was still fresh on her mind, even if it felt like it’d been so long ago. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted as the ship shook once again, and she blinked.

“That’s the fifth time in a row…”

That spelled trouble. Mors had told her as much. With that, she swam up the staircase and returned to the Grand Library of Brunnholl’s Fleet.

“Mors!” she called out as she swam into the large chamber.

“Ah, you’re back,” Mors said as it glanced up at her. It immediately resumed what it was doing, raising a fin. “Give me just a moment, I’m almost finished.”

Thera came to a slow stop as she looked over the now-changed library. The little hovel in the center of the room had been relocated, now at a small corner towards the far end to give space for what the Luminant Lophis was doing.

It was a ritual, as Mors put it. One that needed a lot of space and time to perfect. The fish had already etched two large spell circles onto the floorboards, each one able to fit at least five Juvenile Phleglings in them. Even without [Soul Sense], Thera could feel the powerful magic that had been woven into these circles.

A line made of symbols and runs connected them, and even more of the magical inscriptions spread out around the main circles. It looked like a painting— and Thera knew what that was because of all the broken pictures floating around, preserved because of the enchantments protecting them. Mors continued to work on this ritual, etching more symbols into the fringes of the circles.

“But Mors, this is important!” Thera protested.

The ship trembled, and this time, the shaking went on for quite a bit. The baby Mystic Turtle shifted uncomfortably. Mors, however, didn’t seem to notice this. Which made no sense to Thera since the fish was the one to tell her that these rumblings were a sign that Colossus Phleglings were trying to break into the ship from beyond.

“You’re the one who told me that these rumblings mean that Colossus Phleglings are trying to break into the ship!” she said as she gestured around them. “Shouldn’t we stop them like we usually do?”

While Thera herself couldn’t put up a fight against those massive monsters, she was able to support Mors from afar, and she was generally faster than them. They were, oddly enough, barely faster than a Juvenile Phlegling.

Despite that, Mors didn’t break away from what it was doing.

“I understand, Thera, however this is the final piece of the ritual,” it said.

“But—” she started, but Mors continued.

“Once this is over, none of that will matter anymore. And it’ll be soon, I promise.”

Thera pouted. The fish completely dismissed her— which it was doing more and more of as of late— and that was starting to grate on her. She crossed her flippers across her chest and harrumphed.

“That’s what you keep saying. The ritual is finishing soon. We’ll be leaving this Dungeon soon. It’s always happening soon, but it never happens!”

Mors paused. The Luminant Lophis looked up and blinked. It stared at her, and she averted her gaze.

“Thera…”

“When is it going to happen, huh? When are we finally going to… leave this place? You promised…” She lowered her head, suddenly feeling her emotions catch up to her words. Her heart felt heavy with disappointment, all her ardor from just earlier gone.

Mors pulled away from the ritual circle. It swam towards Thera, who shied back. But the Luminant Lophis was insistent, speaking softly.

“I know, Thera. I am sorry. I have made you many promises. More than I was able to keep. Perhaps, it was my fault, for assuming I am as capable as I was in my youth. But there isn’t much time left…” it trailed off.

She slowly raised her head, meeting Mors’ gaze. “...why not?” she asked eventually.

“Why not? I—” The Luminant Lophis hesitated. The dim light of its bulb flickered. For some reason, Thera was pretty sure it had been growing dimmer and dimmer over time. Mors sighed. “Can I tell you a secret, Thera? But you must promise me you’ll be strong.”

Thera blinked. She saw the morose look on the fish’s face. The heavy expression it wore— as if it was tired. So tired. And she realized something was wrong. The baby Mystic Turtle lowered her fins, peering into the Luminant Lophis.

“What is it, Mors?” she asked in a worried voice.

The fish didn’t give her an immediate answer, instead mulling over something. Even as the ship shook again, neither one of them broke the silence. The Luminant Lophis breathed in, steeling itself as Thera waited. Finally, it looked back up at her and stared deeply into the baby Mystic Turtle’s golden eyes.

“I am dying, Thera,” Mors said. “I have been dying for the whole time you’ve known me.”

And Thera’s eyes went round. “What…?”