[416] 5.40 Oceandepths Manor I

“We’re here.”  Hyun-Jun’s words are curt.

He does not clarify where, exactly, here is, or why we’ve been brought to this point.  We’re floating above the middle of the Pacific Ocean, there’s not a landmass in sight for hundreds of miles, and there’s no sign of any sort of base or installation that could plausibly be called ‘here’.  What there is, however, is water which roils intensely despite a lack of wind or other weather that would cause the same by natural means.  My first thought is that there’s some undersea monster that we’re being fed to.

The follow-up question is why.  Why send us here rather than just killing us right then and there?  The only possibility that makes much sense to me is that they’re trying to feed this monster Experience in the hope that… I suppose they want to tame a fourth-ascension creature?

“As the three of you are, you are strong,” Hyun-Jun says.  “Capable.  But you are not strong enough to adequately fight on the frontlines.  We are here to fix that.  You three will clear the Undersea Labyrinth located in the depths.  Recommended Level 105.  Only once you are done there will you be prepared to fight in the actual war.”

Everything about this arrangement stinks.  The three of us still have the matter of Apeiron to deal with over in Europe, and now we’re being forced into being footsoldiers for this damn Korean conflict.  The shit feels all sort of illegal by every international law.  But now, international law isn’t worth the fishwrap it’s printed on.  I will take the opportunity for more levels in a spirit more positive than the circumstances dictate.

“Can you provide us any information about this dungeon?  Puzzles, traps, likely location of any treasure?”

“It would only reduce your Experience gain to receive any outside assistance.  Take five minutes to make sure you are fully suited up.  Then you are going in.”

He waves his hand.  The cuffs fall off.  Chloe is able to heal the rest of our injuries in short order, though mine have mostly already been addressed by my natural regeneration rate.

For a moment, I weigh my options.  None of them are good.  Trying to escape won’t work thanks to whatever other Skills and tracking equipment they have.  I could try teleporting underwater to gain distance.  I would need teleportation abilities well beyond what I possess in order to plausibly escape.

Lindsey gives me an approving nod.

“I still see no good options but to continue to play along for now.” I tell Chloe.

“Fine.  But only until we get an opportunity to be rid of these assholes once and for all.”

“Agreed.”

Our two captors have the decency to exercise proper discretion while the three of us change back into our [Depth Suits].  With weapons back in hand and our buffs fully applied, I take the lead, diving arms-first into the warm water of the tropical Pacific.

Not only is the water somewhere between pleasant and actively warm, but it’s crystal clear.  There is no trace of the murky churn as there was in the tempestuous waters of the south Atlantic.  A sea of bright blue fish swim by us, not even acknowledging us as potential predators.  One takes a nibble at a thread of Chloe’s hair.  It fails to pierce her defenses.  I smile at the attempt.  Chloe and Lindsey both take it in good stride.

It does not take long to find the location in question.  The undersea castle is far too ornate to have been built by unintelligent hands.  It glows with an eerie aquamarine radiance, and emanates on top of that visible glow a sense of foreboding.

Another sense of pressure weighs down from above.  Our captors are watching us, though I do not know how just yet.  That does give me an idea, though I file it away for later.  I will need more strength than I currently possess to carry out that idea, and this dungeon is by far the fastest way to get it.

As we pass into the outer reaches of this undersea cityscape, all the buoyant force from the water evaporates.  The water itself follows a short distance further within, with a giant, suspended bubble of breathable air surrounding the city.  We each are able to maintain our altitude thanks to our respective flight abilities, but have to descend to the local sea floor in order to reach the entrance.

The walls of these buildings are not stone or compacted sand as I had thought from a distance.  Instead, they are composed entirely of coral skeletons, giving them an elaborate external decor.  It’s a shame that they lack the vibrancy of living reefs, though I don’t have much opportunity to marvel at such structures before Lindsey starts speaking.

“The Oceandepths Labyrinth.  The lament of sailors lost to the depths.  The horrors of creatures alien to the surface world.  Relics of a bygone era swept out to the King of the Oceans.  Let all who enter through these gates be forewarned.”

“Davy Jones’ locker looks a lot nicer than I would have imagined,” I say.  Neither Chloe nor Lindsey finds my comment amusing.  “Shall we?”

Nothing immediately appears as we walk through the first passageway.  Chloe’s face hardens.  Her animosity toward the undead is little changed after her third ascension, although she does not appear to immediately be on the verge of losing her self-control.  Lindsey, in contrast, shows only the face of a calculating warrior, attentive without a hint of nervousness.

“By the way, when did you learn how to read Glyph Language?”

“Got it as a Class Skill when I hit third ascension.  It also lets me use most Ethertech items, even those which would otherwise be locked to a given individual or class.”

That’s not a completely busted ability in the slightest.  I try not to let the declaration rattle me.  Lindsey probably saw a hint of it leaking out, despite my best efforts.  She seems quite proud of herself, at least.

“What do you think that whole spiel about ‘the King of the Oceans’ means?” Chloe asks.”

“I mean, my first thought is Neptune or Poseidon or some other Ocean God from Earth mythology.  Since we’re in the Pacific, that might instead be some Japanese or Polynesian deity instead, though I don’t know enough about their traditional religions to pin down anything about those.”

“Quiet,” Lindsey says.  “I thought I heard something just now.”

I don’t hear anything.  Lindsey doesn’t point anything else out either, though she does draw her bow and carry it in her right arm, an arrow in her left.

We continue on as quietly as we can manage.  No time horizon was given on how long we have to complete the dungeon, and our wardens didn’t specify any exigent circumstances demanding we finish with all-due urgency.  They’ll probably come after us if we waste time, but if we need a day or two to search the area thoroughly for any items of value…  Well, they should have provided more explicit and direct instruction to that effect.

I grin.

“Someone is happy today,” Chloe said.

“I’m just thinking about how we can best fuck over our wardens, that’s all.”

“You have my attention, my love.  Do tell me more.”

I relay my plan to Chloe.  She points out that an alternative strategy is to be focused on gaining levels as quickly as possible.  The sooner we’re strong enough to either fight off or escape from our wardens, the better.  We go back and forth on the best way to push our rebellion forward right until Lindsey raises a single hand in the air.

We freeze.  Lindsey looks up, then down the next aisle.  This time, I can hear something.  Something quiet, yet soothing, relaxing, and comforting.  I feel at ease just hearing the distant echoes of this enchanting melody.

Lindsey pulls out two pairs of ear plugs.  She gives Chloe a pair and puts the others on herself.  I don’t get a pair.  If my suspicions are correct, I won’t need one.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath as the enrapturing harmony reverberates through the air and into my eardrums and from there vibrates through my body and into my very core.

[You have been afflicted by [Siren’s Song] (Ascension Level: 3)...]

[[Unraveler of Fates] Class Skill [The Unbound] activates.  Do you wish to be affected by [Siren’s Song]?]

I don’t.  I’m just fine listening to the beautiful music without allowing my sense of reason to falter.

[[Unraveler of Fates] Class Skill [The Unbound] negates the effects of [Siren’s Song].]

Lindsey pulls Chloe back when we get within visual confirmation range of the siren in question.  She looks at her with a stern look.  They both fall back a moment later.

I nod and press on, alone.  More System notifications hit me in succession.  More instances of being afflicted by [Siren’s Song].  I decline to be affected by any of them, instead traipsing forward in a spiral around the feminine, vaguely avian creature.  I refrain from hostility and purpose in my movement to the extent able.  It seems to assuage the creature.

The lovely chords harmonize in a cadence that encapsulates the rhythm of the gentle tides, then crescendoes with the fury of the stormy sea and colossal waves crashing into rocky shores.  I twirl around with the chordic progressions, moving toward tension and instability with tempestuous bluster before relaxing with a soothing decrescendo back down toward the tonic.

Other creatures of the deep join in the dance to this muse of elegance.  Just because I am not entranced by the bewitching melodies does not mean that I cannot appreciate them.  And just because I am an engaged woman with a beautiful fiancée does not mean I cannot appreciate the muse-like beauty of the one singing for me.

It is a shame, truly, that such otherworldly beauty and talent must be put down.  We cannot continue forward without dispatching this threat, and if we lose ourselves here, then only tragedy will befall all those who have come to rely on us.

I do what I have to, though I do not like it.  One clean blow to the heart and the song goes silent.  The small creatures gathered around stand around bemused.  Then, unbeholden to the music any longer, they retreat back to their own.  The body of the siren dissolves, and the System notification sounds, though the level of this artful creature is too low to give me any Experience.  Only a single feather is left behind, which I give to Chloe as she and Lindsey rejoin me by this stone pedestal in the middle of an open plaza.

[[Siren’s Feather]: An azure feather once belonging to a creature of art and music.  When consumed, it increases its user’s resistance to [Mind-Altering] effects by 1000% for 2 hours.  (Multiple uses of [Siren’s Feather] or similar do not increase the effect resistance, but do extend the duration of effect proportionately.)]

“It’s beautiful,” Chloe says.  “I do wish I could have heard the song.”

“Perhaps, someday, when all of this is said and done, I will try to re-create it.  Maybe, if we can do so safely, I can see about having something thrown together for our wedding.  Our first dance after beginning our wedlock.”

“I would like that, Sera.  I would like that very much.”

“Alright, you two.  Let’s stay on high alert.  That wasn’t the only creature I’ve heard slithering around these parts.  Now that we’ve demonstrated our martial capabilities, I’m sure it’ll be only a matter of time before–  Son of an emerald whore.”

A giant eel swims through the air as though it were water, dashing straight for us.  No rest for the weary indeed.