章 154: Arthur 52
293AC
I stared up at the collapsed ceiling above me, the great metal skeleton of the globe that was the room's centerpiece holding it up but seeming to strain ever more under the weight.
'Back here again, huh?' I climbed to my feet, turning towards the stone monstrosity on its throne, it's trident ever clutched in its hands.
It was funny, I had visited this undersea realm several times in my dreams, this largely ruined place that seemed to speak of ancient secrets and mighty power. Ever since I had nearly burnt myself up that day when Maena had walked in on me.
Still, this was the first time I had returned in the wake of my victory over the statue at home, and it cast my mind to wonder if I could challenge this thing before me as well.
A thought that was ruthlessly quashed as memories of its earthshaking voice returned to my ear.
No, whatever remnant of a minor god I had challenged and beaten was nothing but an infinitesimal speck before this creature across the broken hall from me, in power as well as size.
I bowed lightly, deciding to show deference in the creatures domain, even if it could not see me through those hard grey eyes.
If that little statue atop a mountain had all that power than I scarce wanted to challenge this enormous sea-god in his own domain.
After paying something like respects, I moved to the stairs, as I always did when I tired of simply wandering around the stone chamber, making my way up their spiraling length to the old city above.
I smiled bitterly as I heard the music begin to filter down about halfway up.
Each and every time I came here, the musician was there, playing his tune alone, and each time I tried to approach him, the dream would end. Today it seemed, would be no different, as the parrot-fish man strummed there alone, his hands tracing the silver cords of his golden harp.
I had grown familiar now with the patterns of his song, though it changed in tone every time I was here. I had some sense, some feeling, that it was all one piece, strung out across many stanzas of shifting feeling. When I had first arrived it had been soft and calm, like a folk diddy, but on other occasions it had raged, or sounded as mournful as a durge, now it was light and happy, as if it were a cheerful bard in a city square, playing for all who would come to see.
As always though, the parrot fish-man seemed enraptured by his own performance.
'I shan't approach him today.' I decided, moving on past him instead, out towards the edge of the temple. If interrupting his performance was the key to ending the dream, then on this day at least I had time for other things.
I found myself standing beneath one of the temple Domes supports, a cylindrical column, perhaps thirty feet in diameter, it was anchored into the rock below by a decorative base of some deep blue mineral, perhaps Lapis Lazuli, by the look of the rocky veins running through it. It must have shined when the temple was first erected, but now I could barely see it for the coral that covered it, home to the fish that termed about its sides.
The pillar itself was similarly covered, but as I approached it I realized that it was covered the whole way up with a great painting, only broken up by carved sections at intervals each third of the way.
Unfortunately, I could hardly make them out, save for flashes of blues and greens, paintings of scales and the occasional grey-black patch that might be a storm-cloud.
I stared at the pillar, trying to divine it's secrets for a while, before turning back towards the musician, who continued his joyless song unperturbed by my investigation and shrugging my shoulders I began my descent down the temple steps into the ruined city below.
The city, much like the temple which sat at what I presumed to be its center, was composed of old and coral covered stonework, small and colorful fish flitted through the old ruins, and the light of the sun drifting down from above glinted off of their scales in glimmering rainbows, but I could not feel comfortable here.
The city was obviously alien to me.
It wasn't quite as Lovecraft had said, impossible geometry, or anything of that like. The buildings obeyed the laws of physics, most were square or rounded and held shapes not dissimilar to those on the surface.
No, it wasn't at all an impossible city, but it was alien nonetheless.
First and foremost, everything was just a bit too big. All the doors were nearing ten feet tall, the ceilings eleven, and they were far wider than any normal man would need, save perhaps that odious rapist Ser Gregor Clegane. What's more the stones that composed them seemed to heavy for men to lift, though I thought it might have been easier in the water.
In addition, certain artifacts, stone stools, tables, beds, they were all of differing sizes and scales, lacking the consistency one would expect of such things. It gave an unsettling vibe to their existence.
Finally, of course, there was not a shred of cloth in the whole of the ruined city. No torn awnings or scraps of old cloaks, no fur rugs or blankets. It made sense I supposed, the two seafolk I had seen did not wear clothing proper, aside from jewelry, but it still was unnerving seeing what had once been clearly a civilization, but entirely lacking textiles.
I must have wandered for hours down those empty boulevards, past squares with statues of what must have been prominent figures, past amphitheaters, and barracks, ruined markets and destroyed houses. It was when I had just decided to turn back, having reached the edge of the city where a great kelp forest grew up like a wall about its side, that I first saw more seafolk.
My first sign of their coming was the blowing of what sounded like a hunting horn. A signal that I swiftly understood to mean "hide". I quickly dashed into one of the broken old buildings as the first of their hunting hounds, bored perhaps their prey, drove into the city. Silver flashes overhead, long and slender, I recognized them as Barracuda, though they were larger. Probably the result of some domestic breed. They bore markings on their sides, probably to help define their owners. They dove to the reef, scattering the fish and catching those unlucky enough to be caught out.
The hunt itself shortly followed, a group of five seafolk. They were easy to spot, given their size, emerging just at the edge of the kelp forest and seeming to squabble amongst themselves, at least if I read their body language correctly, though their mouths did not move. There were three females and two males, I was reasonably sure, for their mostly naked forms were largely similar to scale humans, save for some obvious traits of their aquatic heritage. The smallest of them was perhaps seven feet tall at a distance, and the tallest of them was eight and a half by my estimate. All seemed to be lean and powerful, though each bore traits of different fish, seemingly woven into their bodies with little rhyme, reason or consistency. Fins jutted at odd angles from their heads and limbs, and their eyes and facial structures varied wildly, though none of these were quite as ugly as the parrot-fish-faced musician at the temple. Still, they were clearly inhuman.
Each clutched spears that must have been made of some hardened living coral, given their colors, and some had hunting horns by their sides as well. They argued amongst each other, bickering for some time, until the largest female seemed to convince the others to fall into line, save for one of the other females, who swam off into the kelp forest.
The rest took their spears and descended down into the city towards the area where I was hiding, and I felt a pang of fright, for they swam very quickly, collecting the Barracudas prey behind them. My fears were relieved however when one swam right through my hiding place, seeming to miss me entirely as she went to continue collecting her food.
It was not that good a hiding place.
I breathed, or rather failed to breathe, a sigh of relief as I stood myself up from the rubble, I must indeed be a ghost or spirit then, or some other apparition watching these events unfold, but not present enough for these hunters to notice.
That being the case, I decided to follow behind them, curious as to what they might do. Their method of collecting their food at least was quite interesting, placing it upon the tips of their spears and pushing it down as if it was a giant kabob. It made sense in a way, however, as they lacked nets to hold their catch.
They continued their hunt for some time until their spears were full of fish, and their bellies as well by the way I saw them tear into some of them. Their teeth seemed to mostly be like those of a shark, or a mouthful of incisors.
Still, eventually, they gathered together once more above the city as I stared up at them, their discussion taking some time as their hunting-fish circled.
Finally, it seemed that a decision was reached. The larger female and the two males turned back towards the kelp forest, while the younger continued towards the center of the city. Swimming obviously towards the temple.
I decided to follow, I needed to return there anyhow.
Thankfully, the smaller female seemed hesitant, nervous swimming towards the dome, and by my own footsteps, I was able to keep up with her. We arrived around the same time, though she drifted in about 40 feet above me, and I realized with a shock that the music had ceased.
Instead, I arrived to find the musician staring up at the approaching female, a thin sword of coral I had not seen him carry clutched in his hand.
Something passed between them, and it seemed as though the female wanted to run, but she instead dove to the floor, terrified, placing the fish covered spear at the floor in front of the musician.
His face softened at that, I think anyway, it was hard to tell with how malformed it was.
More seemed to pass between them, though I could not hear them speak, and this went on for some time before finally the female left, leaving her prey behind.
I watched as the musician carefully placed half of the dead fish on the altar at the center of the temple, and set half off to the side for himself.
As he finally sat down, returning to his playing position, I was shocked to find that his eyes had drifted over to me, and yet more so when I began to hear the crackle and pop of electricity in my ears, a calm voice speaking.
"You have returned here many times spirit. Why do you haunt these ancient halls?"
I woke up from the dream in a cold sweat, clutching a crackling hand to my chest.
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