February 28, 2019, 4:21 pm.

The first mana-beetle is encountered before we've even made it to the first junction. According to analyze, it's actually called a Cricken. Barely the size of my thumbnail, it crawls across the ceiling towards us in the bright light of my new Voidcraft Engineer ability. A test of several Piercing Arrows confirms it's mostly immune to magic. I say mostly, because just like with Atun, if I create a metal shard with no mana inside, it can still be hit by it. Its Health shrugs that off like nothing though.

A single shot from Beth kills it.

Even as the first one crumbles, floating near the ceiling more follow. They arrive in small packs as we move deeper, the others testing their abilities. Only Beth can kill them at range, the rest of us have to smash them up close. Even my chakrams don't work. When I hit one with a wind chakram, created just for the dungeon, the beetle still absorbs it. They even absorb Roberts' barriers. Or maybe devour is a better word. Cause every time we hit them with something, or they crawl on it, the little bastards get faster.

Thankfully, they're easy to kill with my staff. Unfortunately, smashing them apart leaves their remains clogging up the tunnel. Even their remains don't like to play nice with water manipulation. Nor do they have the good grace to disintegrate into blue dust. When we reach the first puzzle room, I'm relieved that Beth is taking over beetle duty.

The entire room appears to be part of the puzzle. There are several clunky looking weights scattered about the room, in the centre is a giant lever that might act as a bridge if we couldn't just swim over it. In theory, this should be the easiest version of a puzzle door, relying on basic arithmetic and placing the weights correctly to trigger the door. As my eyes roam over the words along the walls, I pause. Vethel didn't mention anything about the possible hidden objectives here. But if there were any, I wouldn't be surprised if they're hinted at in the writing on the walls.

When I message the party, suggesting I take the codex, the others agree it's worth the risk.

"We're basically carrying you through either way," Rufka says in the chat, her arm around my shoulder as she gives me a peck on the cheek.

Giving her a proper Smoulder-level glare for all of two seconds, I accept the prompt. The knowledge of the language blossoms in my mind, and with it, a memory of Uthica negotiating with a M'tari large enough that four Uthica stacked on top of each other would've barely crossed its eye. Its hide is riddled with tapestries worth of tattoos, showing more history than some museums I've visited. This, my new memory informs me, is a true Lord of the Deep. One so old, it predates human civilization. Yet Uthica stands before it, arguing terms as though they're equals. One of her terms is to maintain a library on an island not far from Glimmering Sands. Another is in establishing caches of knowledge and history. After her interactions with the Lord of the Deep, it takes a few more minutes to play through several memories of Uthica interacting with other, lesser, Lords of the Deep before I'm returned to myself.

That was one helluva squid.

Reading the text around me, I realize it's a story. And part of the story is at the top of the ramp. Informing the others, I ask if we want to head back. With the dungeon offering such good base rewards, it's quickly agreed we should at least attempt to find any hidden objectives. There's some grumbling from Josh, who swears he's solved the door, but then we move back up the hall. The beetles are back. And the swarms seem to keep getting larger. That's not my concern though. I'm just keeping the light on and reading the story. As I read, I realize there are outlines of the scenes carved beneath the runes, a second set of lines that are so faint they're almost invisible.

"This is a story of a young M'tari," I start, waving some beetle parts out of my face. "He doesn't yet have his first tattoo. The young one hasn't yet proven himself worthy. Most of his fellow M'tari sought out known prey, such as the great Bluhga, working in packs to bring them down."

"But this young M'tari has no interest in that. Instead, he heads to where few M'tari dare roam. Near the edge. The boundary between their watery domain and the great nothing above. While the water feels thin here, it doesn't affect the young M'tari as it would if he were older. He spends weeks just exploring the strange colours and creatures near the edge. There's a great deal more variety than he's used to in the depths. Many interesting new tastes, sights and sounds. Then one day, he comes across a death-beast of steel and pain. As had become his habit, he'd studied it for a time, not yet knowing its dark nature. He suspected it might be dangerous, for why else would it so loudly declare its presence, thrashing through the water with all the elegance of a dead Bluhga. No, even a dead Bluhga wouldn't have disrupted the water as much."

"He'd extended a tentacle in curiosity, wondering how the death-beast might react. And it reacted with pain. In a battle of desperation, it managed to rip off the death-beast's antennas, which blinded the beast, as the pain-stopped." I pause as I inspect the image engraved into the wall here. The death-beast is a long smooth cylinder, and the antenna is a thin rod poking off the front like a horn with multiple spikes to either side. Kinda like a submarine, but not quite right.

"The M'tari continued thrashing with the death-beast until it smashed the shell on a great rock he normally used to lie and rest upon while watching his edge pond. As the death-beast cracked in half, several smaller beasts were released. He ignored them, only crushing one when it stung him. When he returned the shell of the beast to the depths a few days later, his triumph earned him the name, Shell-smasher."

I stop reading, having relayed everything there is on this side of the door. Josh and Roberts wrestle the weights into place, according to Josh's solution, but the door doesn't open. It takes us a few minutes to figure out that the weights need to be put in on opposite sides from the way Josh had solved it. For no reason that any of us can discern.

When the door opens, the story continues.

"The young M'tari, now named Shell-smasher, returned to life among his people for a time. But despite his great deed and the accolades he received, he missed exploring near the edge. Thus, he returned near where he met the death-beast. His explorations carried him far, and he saw even more of the resplendent life that dwelled close to the edge. He marveled that they flourished here, so close to disaster. Though he supposed he was not so different, for he found he too flourished here, near the edge. A few great swells of the tides later, he came across another of the death-beasts, patrolling near where he defeated the first. Again, he studied it. And when they came closer, he attempted to communicate, flexing his mantle to send the deep waves that allowed his kind to communicate across great distances. Something he tried with most of the deep life, which he suspected might be a sign he needed to return to talk with his people more. Normal M'tari didn't attempt to talk to animals. In response, a thin metal shell, like the ones the great Forgers produced for use in the depths, shot forward, scouring his left eye."

"In his pain, Shell-smasher crushed another of the death-beasts. Again, in his benevolence, he allowed the smaller death-beasts to flee, not bothering to respond when one tried to sting him."

Uh huh. Definitely not cause of anything else.

"This time, when he returned, and brought the much more intact death-beast shell with him, he was summoned before the Lords of the Deep. They questioned Shell-smasher for hours before letting him go. And they insisted that if he found another of these 'death-beasts' as he called them, he was to bring it to them alive. As Shell-smasher left the meeting with the Lords of the Deep, he was greeted by an old friend."

The story again ends at a puzzle room.

"You know, story time is nice and all. But I'm starting to wish you could just zap all these bugs, Lex," Josh says, stabbing forward with a blunt ended staff of thorns to crush a few dozen beetles. Even as it makes contact, it starts wilting away.

"Indeed. They are rather-" Roberts stops, stomping a small cluster that made it past Josh. "Persistent."

"They're slowing down," Beth says, firing rapid shots into the swarms crawling in from the tunnel we just left. I shudder at the sheer mass of them. Pulling out my staff, I lay into a nearby swarm, helping clear Cricken until only a few remain in the room.

I pick one out of my hair, glaring at the little beetle that managed to reduce my health by eleven points with a single bite before crushing it between my fingers. Then I flick its body away.

Once we're certain we've gotten all of them, we turn our attention towards the room. This one is such an obvious one, that I don't even have to think. Stepping forward, I rearrange the different structural elements scattered throughout the room before dropping the keystone into the top of the newly formed arch. Then I take the pieces that were serving as temporary scaffolding and lay them across the top, finishing the puzzle.

"Huh. It's an actual bridge," Rose says as the door swings open. "Didn't expect that here."

As we step through, I help clear the initial wave of Cricken before I continue reading.

"After his meeting with the Lords of the Deep, Shell-smasher found his status greatly elevated. He'd been sworn to secrecy, but just the fact he'd met one of the famous Lords behind closed doors implied he was destined for great things. For a few months, Shell-smasher simply enjoyed his increased status. He even ventured out with several other young but promising M'tari and hunted one of the great Bluhga, though more to see if he'd been missing out on anything."

I stop to inspect the picture that looks suspiciously like a whale. Then I help clear out the Cricken again. At least that's my intent. Getting fed up, I try hiding from them using invisibility, and to my surprise it works. They stop targeting me. Which just means the others have to fight off more. Dropping my invisibility, we finally beat them back. Which is when I discover Roberts has gone through half his Reprieve already. They've really been doing a good job keeping them off me, since none of that healing has been coming to me.

"Vethel did this on her own? In one day?" Josh says, huffing despite the lack of air to carry the sound. His condition makes me glance at the rest of the party's Resources and I'm shocked to see they're all running low on Stamina except Beth. And Josh is completely out.

"We know the dungeons can scale for party size," Beth reminds us. "Though I feel like we need a better solution. If they keep getting thicker..."

"I have half of an idea," I say, activating my invisibility. Then I push it outwards, building a framework that covers just inside the limits of my aura. It collapses a few times before I increase the mana going into the framework. I'm granted a new spell, sphere of invisibility and pull everyone closer. When we descend through the hall, the beetles mostly let us pass unaccosted. Until one wanders inside and dies part-way through the shield, disrupting the entire spell. That leads to a mad scramble as we kill off the beetles encroaching from every direction.

Half an hour later, with Roberts' Reprieve completely bottomed out, alongside most of our Health and mana, used mostly to restore our Health, we sit in the centre of a new and improved sphere of invisibility. One that lets Beth shoot out of it without giving away our position.

This time, we test it thoroughly before moving forward. Beth sweeps the area free of Cricken, and our progress is slow but safe. Which allows me to start reading again.

"After several successful whale hunts, Shell-smasher spots one of the strange death-beasts. He once more greets it in the way of his people, warbling his upper dome to transmit signals through the depths, though this time he does it from much further away. It doesn't attack, and he's contemplating how to haul it back without breaking it when it responds, repeating his words. Which he would have taken as an insult if another M'tari had ignored tradition so blatantly. It was just rude. Yet the Lord had warned him this might happen. And if so, to continue talking while leading it back towards the enclave."

"Which is what Shell-smasher did. At first, the death-beast didn't want to follow him, but eventually, after he fought off a Bluhga that tried to swallow the death-beast, he succeeded. He hoped the elder appreciated how much work Shell-smasher had put into bringing the death-beast back alive and allowed him to be part of whatever plan they had for it. The elder was very pleased when Shell-smasher returned, and even met him at the outer edge of the enclave. But then Shell-smasher was dismissed."

The scene of Shell-smasher's dismissal takes up the entire ceiling of the chamber with the third door. Inside, a pyramid dominates the chamber, barely leaving room to walk around its sides. In the center is a pole, twice as tall as the pyramid, and at the base are several tabs, labeled with numbers, which I translate for the others. Each of the tabs seems to allow a different one of the layers of the pyramid to rotate. Roberts quickly figures out the trick to the puzzle, and we decide to rest before solving it. Once everyone's Class resources are full, we work together to shift the layers upward. There's a pattern that has to be followed, and it ends up taking us nearly an hour to shift all the pieces into the correct position.

When we're done, the door opens, a flood of Cricken pouring in as the story in the chamber shifts.

While Beth methodically picks off the new wave of Cricken, hidden safely inside my sphere of invisibility, I study the new writing.

"While Shell-smasher was sent away, Lord Bridge-Forger of Third Deep learned the language of the surfacers. While they'd known of the strange creatures for ages, it had long been thought they were too frail to traverse the depths, even near the edge. Shell-smasher's discovery had shaken the Greatest Council. Young M'tari had been sent searching for more of the surfacers, though none had found them. Except Shell-smasher. Lord Bridge-Forger discovered that these surfacers were not the ones from the sphere they knew. They came from a distant sphere, far beyond the surface, what Shell-smasher had always known as the edge of the world. At the time, many of these concepts were new to not just Shell-smasher, but the entire M'tari civilization."

The story ends there, and we sit waiting for Beth to clear the way.

Finally, we move on. The Cricken are getting thinner, and we're able to pick up our pace as I resume sharing Shell-smasher's tale.

"Shell-smasher was summoned once more by the Lord of the Deep. The Lord informs him that the name Shell-smasher no longer suits him. Instead, he shall be known as Edge-Treader. A great tattoo is commissioned, one superior to any a M'tari of Edge-Treader's age had received before. He was introduced to the surfacers, as the Lord called them, taught their language, and then sent to the edge. In the shallow waters, Edge-Treader spent years learning from the surfacers. And they learned from him, as he shared the secrets the Lords had gifted him for just such a purpose. The forging methods possible only in the deepest depths, where the vents would sear any who approached without proper woven mats for their tentacles."

"One day, the surfacers offered to take him beyond the edge, to their sphere. When he conferred with his elders, they approved of this journey. He was even given a chance to spread his seed in case he never returned."

"The M'tari known as Edge-Treader truly earned that name when the surfacers took him above the edge that had limited him all his life. While he'd seen pictures, when the great skyship the surfacers had created breached the surface, he knew it was a moment he'd remember for the rest of his life. They travelled then, far beyond the surface, to the other sphere. One with far more land and shallower oceans. He was taken to a palace under the waves, where an entire civilization of surfacers greeted him. There he learned that a great disaster was coming but that they were doing all they could to help. Such was their way."

We arrive at the fourth room to find the door already open. I almost continue reading before I realize why we've stopped. The puzzle that sits in the centre of this room is a model of two spheres, orbiting around each other. Both of which I'm familiar with at this point. Beneath them are hundreds of figures of K'tharn, with several M'tari standing amongst them as well. Rufka steps closer, squinting at the spheres. "This is... wrong, most of Akilo is shaped weird. But Ukila looks almost exactly the same."

"It's pre-integration," Rose says, somehow managing to convey his disbelief through the chat.

"Is this even a puzzle?" Beth asks, sweeping her rifle around the room, searching for more Cricken.

Roberts reaches down and plucks a figurine from beneath the globes. Holding up the carved M'tari figurine, I notice that its eye is scarred, just like Edge-Treader. Then he places it in the only sizeable body of water on Ukila. The figurine sinks beneath the surface, creating tiny ripples.

The door in front of us shifts, the ramp that was leading further down, moving to slope upwards instead.

"I think it might have been," Roberts says, smiling as he steeples his fingers.

"Let's see how this story ends, shall we?" Beth says, leading the way up the stairs.

"Edge-Treader travelled between the spheres many times over the following years. He added many deeds of honour to his skin, great battles, and discoveries both. Then one day, he grew too large, and the Ukilans (the surfacers' name for themselves,) were no longer able to carry him to their world. Not without poisoning the oceans. He took solace in their aid as they strove to protect both worlds from the incoming disaster. And the M'tari helped, using the great depths to create parts that were challenging for the Ukilans to create on their own. Great spheres and shields were put into orbit. Shelters were created in the depths. The Ukilans even helped the Lords of the Deep create a buried vault where they could store records of their achievements."

"When the sky split, Edge-Treader wasn't aware. Not for several days, when one of the young returned to the now elder M'tari, (though not Lord,) bringing news of great fires beyond the edge. Edge-Treader prayed for his old friends’ safety, even as new and true death-beasts emerged beneath the waves. Even perversions of the great M'tari themselves. Edge-Treader fought hundreds of these great beasts, his skin no longer had room for his valiant deeds. Nor did they have time to etch them. Then the System had arrived, and for the first time, the M'tari were able to move beyond the edge without the assistance of the Ukilans. But Edge-Treader was occupied with keeping his people safe. Finally, the seas and skies grew calm again, and Edge-Treader was able to ascend to the distant sphere, using nothing but the newly granted magic of the System. But when he returned to the great underwater city where he'd learned from his friends, he found it destroyed. He searched the entire sphere, knowing the Ukilans had many cities spread across it. But his search was fruitless."

Having read the last of the runes in the hall, I step into the fifth chamber. On the walls are pictures of the entire story. But unlike the simple engravings we saw below, here the images are crisp and complete. K'tharn stand next to a giant M'tari, showing him physics, chemistry, and ship-design. On the far wall, a video plays, scrolling runes running beneath it, which I read as we file in.

"Finally, Edge-Treader returned home. When he arrived, he went to the Lords of the Deep, and he proposed an idea. One inspired by the Ukilans who had saved them. They would create a society to replace the lost Ukilans. And they would shelter the scattered surfacers he'd found as the Ukilans sheltered them. They would create the M'tari Ascendancy."

As I speak the last words, a set of notifications appear.

"Zone Quest completed: Reach the Hidden Depths. Rewards: 1 Unique Armor. 1 Armor Upgrade. 1 Armor Customization Module."

"Zone Quest Hidden Objective completed: Requirements 1/1 Story of Edge-Treader uncovered. Rewards: +1 current Attributes, 10 Iron-Rank Integration points, 5 Iron-Rank Mana Essence."

"Teleportation abilities have been unlocked. Flight spells and abilities have been enabled."

"Please return to your closest available Nexus to retrieve your items."

We all remain silent, looking around the room for a few moments before my attention drifts back to the video on the far wall.

"You know what this means?" Rufka asks,

"The K'tharn are originally from Ukila?" I reply, walking around the room, staring at the pictures and comparing the K'tharn I see with the ones I've come to know. There's no noticeable difference.

"No. It means my grandmum Melcia really did cross the boundary to Ukila!" Rufka says, spinning around. "Mum was right. We really did touch the stars. They really did exist."

"And the mana-storm destroyed them," I add, staring at what they'd built. "They're clearly beyond what earth is capable of. They had spaceships capable of carrying a giant squid, and they were still erased."

"Maybe they ran," Rose says, getting closer. "From the story, it sounds like they knew it was coming hundreds of years before it got here. Maybe they built a bunch of spaceships and just... flew away."

"I... huh. And they just left people behind?"

"You think there wouldn't be people on earth who would stay behind, no matter what someone told them about an incoming apocalypse?" Roberts asks, his chin shaking with a soft chuckle, which the channel fails to transmit.

"More than half, I'd wager," Beth says, studying the walls. "But you know what else this means?"

"Hmm?" I ask, looking at the same picture as her. A wall that shows a massive spaceport, full of spaceships.

"Maybe there's more to salvage than just a handful of Sanctuaries."

Looking back at the wall, my jaw hangs open. If it's still there. And usable...

Well, it would almost make all the bug bites I got today worth it.

Almost.

...TPWM...

February 28, 2019, 8:57 pm.

When we leave the dungeon, we don't immediately return to the surface. Instead, we attempt to explore the underwater city. But we're stopped by a pair of waiting K'tharn, who politely request we speak to Vethel before exploring.

So, we head to the surface, where we find Tipan and Smoulder waiting. The moment I barely make it out of the water elevator when Smoulder slams into my shoulder. With Tipan greeting us, and telling us about her visit with her mom and Smoulder snuggling into my chin, we make a quick stop by the Nexus to pick up our rewards.

The first is a thin push-tube that serves as an armour upgrade.

"Breath of the Depths: When used on existing armour, adds the Never Breathless modifier. Grants a bonus of 10.0 Stamina Edge, doubles existing bonuses and you will absorb oxygen through your skin, so long as there is any in your environment."

"Note. Armour upgrades will become a permanent part of armour once used. Applying a new armour upgrade will replace the old upgrade."

[Wyonna] "Congrats. You're now as cool as Aquaman. Nah, scratch that. I can't even pretend to insult you like that. Though the 2018 version was pretty badass. Jason Momoa, much yum."

"Thanks Wyonna. Love you too," I mutter before turning to the delicate looking set of string that came in a small bag.

"Armor Customization Module. This rare item allows one piece of armour to be customized to have additional forms. Note, each additional form will consume a mundane version of the new form and increased Integration Point Costs."

"Cost to attach to armor. 1 Iron-Rank Integration Point."

That's... well, that's awesome. I don't even hesitate to bind it to my Aunt Sharon's jacket. Much as I love her jacket, being able to keep the protection while also having other stuff to wear? Yeah, pretty killer.

Then I move on to the piece of cloth that the tube and bag were folded inside.

"Edge-Treader's Private Protectors. Having empathized with the pain Edge-Treader endured in his youth, you have received protection to help ensure such a thing will never happen to you."

"Protects your crotch. Comfortable. Silky. Smooth. Improves Health and Stamina Edge by 5.0 when equipped. Doubles the effect of Edge when applied to your crotch region."

"Current Bond: Citizen Pandora, pending acceptance."

"Note. Additional item bonding option available: Engrained Tattoo."

I... they're magical panties. Quickly looking around, I confirm that no one else seems to have gotten magical panties. I store them in my inventory before anyone can ask. And then realize how stupid I'm being. I can just turn them into a tattoo. Not sure how that works with the protection bit, but I figure I probably shouldn't risk putting it elsewhere if I want the benefit. Only problem is... I do not want to go through the sort of pain I went through the first time with these.

When Rufka asks what I got, I simply redirect by saying I'll show her later and ask what she received. She shows off her new cloak that can split apart into tentacles to grasp things. It's funny watching her fail to pick up Smoulder, who just steps slightly to the side, tilting her head at Rufka.

We head back to the inn, and the attitude is positive as we discuss our next steps. Slipping away with Rufka, I add another tattoo, which thankfully stings less than a beetle bite now that I'm not trying to focus on it. When we emerge, the others have set up a tour of the sunken side of Glimmering Sands.

Vethal herself is there to guide us, explaining that most parts of the city are off-limits to non-residents. She takes us into a giant market, with stalls stacked above each other and people of all forms flitting up and down. There's an equipment shop, where I manage to acquire some sturdy clothes, adding some proper diversity to my wardrobe. It's kinda sad that the first place we find with a wide assortment of clothing for an 'elvenoid' shape is hundreds of meters under the ocean. In between modeling outfits for Rufka, I use my armour upgrade on panties-turned tattoo, having used the former one on the edge increasing tattoo from Atun. Because… duh?

Looking over my improved Status, I nod to myself.

STATUS

Class: Cataclysm Seed

Level: Iron-10

ATTRIBUTES

Strength: 65 > 90

Constitution: 70 > 90

Agility: 100

Endurance: 100

Intellect: 125

Spirit: 125

Perception: 115 > 125

Resolve: 115 > 125

Integration Points: 0 > 637

Progression Points: 0

Advancement Points: 0

Storage: 7.94 > 11.8 Cubic meters

Bonded Armour: 3/6 > 6/8

RESOURCES

Health

Pool: 598/598 > 675/675

Edge: [40] > [77.7]

Regen: (472/day) > (579/day)

Stamina

Pool: 631/631 > 686/686

Edge: [45.5] > [83.9]

Regen: (588/day) > (602/day)

Mana

Pool: 1224/1224 > 1272/1272

Edge: [88.4] > [115.6]

Regen: (1153/day) > (1212/day)

Focus

Pool: 1205/1205 > 1272/1272

Edge: [86.2] > [101]

Regen: (1111/day) > (1212/day)

Matrix Resources

Facet

Pool: 418/418 > 432/432

Edge: [27] > [27.6]

Regen: (353/day) > (369/hour)

I've really grown a lot from the day I landed here with negative twenty Strength. I'm pulled out of my Status by Rufka coming out in a sundress. I blink several times before pouncing on her and making sure she buys it.

We end up having dinner at a restaurant set inside a living reef, colourful fish flitting by. Despite the location, the local delicacy is an aquatic bird, which leads to us ordering a delicious feast that has more bird than I know what to do with. Hmm. Not true.

After a ravenous devouring of much good food, we head back to the inn.

Even as we're heading to bed, I can't help but smile. Starting tomorrow, we're going to split up. Beth wants to take Trellani to Burnesq to see if she can help with the repairs. And assess if repairs are even possible.

While they're doing that, I'm headed north. During Tipan's visit with her mother, she mentioned our interest in the Sanctuaries. According to Tithan, Sanctuary Pelwerd is completely intact. Rufka, Rose and I are going to visit the last Builder's City on the continent.

And with a little luck, bring it online.