Chapter 27: Underground quarters
Their heart skipped a beat.
-'I think that was our way out crumbling.'
Lauren had been the first to react.
-'Yeah...'
They did not say it, but their real question was: is there something else besides us in those souterrains?
-'Great. Let's try to find another exit.'
-'I have heard miners say that galleries are one of the best places to get lost. We should be careful about that.'
He searched for a stone to scratch the walls on their way but the room was surprisingly clean. Only a fine dust layer covered everything.
-'I can try to make a map.' The girl finally said.
She took out some paper and a piece of coal from her bag.
-'This is crude, but it will serve. A long time ago, I tried to make a map of the palace with my sister. When our father learned of it, he had a cartographer come to teach us what we would deign to learn, so I have the basics.'
-'Better than nothing for sure.'
With that said, they opened one of the doors and followed a corridor behind. There were passages right and left but the tunnel seemed to enlarge as they advanced, so they kept at it.
-'This complex seems rather vast.'
-'Is it maybe the underground demonic sect that the fiery flower sect has fought for centuries? What was its name again?'
-'Right... I cannot remember either, it's been some time since we last read the records.'
Eventually, the right wall upperside changed to a row of finely sculpted pillars. The space beyond was incredibly large and left them speechless.
An underground cathedral. Every inch of it was ornamented, though some parts had collapsed on the ground. A true work of art. Moss did not even believe that what he saw could exist. A huge platform stood at the centre of the cathedral, held by arches. The whole place was illuminated by the same stones, though some were white. A waterfall ran from the ceiling to the ground in an alembicated course. Its noises were the only ones that thwarted silence.
The cathedral walls were composed of countless lanes like the one they followed. These were technically not walls but more like a myriad of pillars and stone blossoms as big as small houses. The waterfall separated in two over a huge gate that stood out by its magnificence. There was also a chasm at the centre of the edifice, just under the platform that was also pierced.
-'Whatever we choose to do, I don't want to go down this pit.' Lauren declared.
-'Me neither. Should we try the big door?'
-'Fine. If there are animals clever enough here, I can search their mind to learn more about this place as well.'
An abundance of stairs was at their disposal to gain the main floor. Only they had to find how to access them from their position. In the end, they awkwardly dropped themselves from an opening placed just above one of them. The steps were sharp and made of hard stones. The hot air contrasted with the coldness of the lighting. They sweated a lot, but not all of it could be explained by heat. This place had a dreadful feeling to it. Carved figures and full individuals statues had been so finely crafted that they seemed about to take life. These were represented in all sorts of situations, but one world could bring them together: unwholesome. One set represented people playing and sleeping in strange landscapes, some others fighting or giving in to lust.
-'That's definitely a demonic sect.' Moss said.
-'Yeah, no doubt.'
They increased their pace. The splendid gates were open, they did not even have to push its door wings. Behind, a huge room showed an artistically carved spheric ceiling. Those frescoes were different. They seemed to depict a story. On the very top of it, an awesome youth throned and looked at them in a sober glance. Other smaller images depicted him killing hundreds, ravishing women, receiving the fealty of other lords. Some parts had been vandalized and were therefore unreadable. The last image was a representation of the cathedral englobed in a sunburst. The back of the room opened on a row of steps going upwards. Water ran across a trench carved in its handrails.
-'Moss, what are we even doing here?'
-'We are trying to get out. No one has come here for a long time. We just have to find a way out and it will be behind us. Should we try those stairs?'
-'I don't know.'
For some reason, Moss felt attracted to them.
-'I want to take a look.'
-'Are you sure? I don't know. Can't we just search for animals and stuff?'
-'...There is something up there. I don't think that it is threatening for us.'
He did not want to quarrel with her but the attractive force was too much for him to resist so he just went.
-'Sorry Lauren, I have to go up there.'
She cursed but ended up following him. Two door-wings of polished steel waited for them at the top of the stairs, free of any decoration or handle. The old man pushed them open. At this moment, Lauren suppressed a scream with her hand. The white light of the stones fell from the ceiling of a chapel upon statues of women weeping real water. They all seemed to attend the body of the young man depicted in the previous chamber. This was not a statue. It was his real body. He was even more beautiful than what the engraving had shown. His jet black hair was spread in a small pool that encircled the panel where he lied. His skin was white as snow.
-'He has been hurt.' Moss observed.
Indeed, the young man's body presented several black wounds. Lauren did not answer. Terror and stupefaction had petrified her. The commoner was fine, though. He had a weird feeling. That he shared something with that youth. But what? He could not put the finger on it.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone