(29.4) Unexpected Company

"I'll reward whosoever captures that meal!" Larx zooms for the temple exit against the pull of the swirling shadows.

"Not on –" Aki makes to step out of Winter's bubble that keeps the vicious shadow blades at bay but hastily steps back as one nearly severs her foot even before she takes a step. "Sorry Winter, but we gotta move if we want to save Dent."

She scoops him up and tosses him like a sack of rice over her shoulder, using Winter as a mobile Shadow shield and navigates through the falling debris the two giants create around them.

"The Space Gate… we need to get down there for the crew." Winter speaks with a tired plea. His body slumps deeper. "Necra, lead it outside and save Dent!"

The temple falls deathly silent as the unnatural darkness pulses. The white outlines of the detailed interior reflect even the forms of those with.

It is here in this moment that Aki sees the owrou's true face and loses her breath. A small cube pulses in the corner of her vision but she can't take her eyes off this predator that somehow pinned formless shadows into the cratered stone.

Before, this androgynous phantom was incredibly handsome. Beautiful. Even arguably carved by the admiring, devoted hands of an endless and ancient dream. Now however, this was beyond a simple cadaverous creature or late-night scare.

Its eyes are a void that makes even the supernatural black appear as bright as the sunniest day in a desert.

Even so, Aki could feel what could be called emotions from it. If you were willing to forgo sanity and lie to yourself over what emotions are. This monstrosity was feeling rebellious and hungry.

["Why… should I obey… the likes of an otherworlder hung up on a dead lover?"] Its dozens of overlapping voices now sound like thousands, replaced by a calm tone rather than the chilling and excited one. ["I have more darkness here than I could have ever dreamed… More power-stuffed treats than I could imagine. Honestly… What else can say they've devoured a Narrative being?"]

A white-outlined arm stretches out to Aki. The clawed, skeletal hands twitching in excitement.

Winter struggles on Aki's shoulder but he can barely muster the strength to move.

A wailing thump forces Necra to retract its clawed grasp. Pelgaius has recovered and stands over Necra menacingly, ready to attack once more.

The darkness quivers and draws away from where Aki kneels and forms defensively around Necra. The passageway beneath the altar is visible again and the flickering light of Aki's unseen Crown returns. Albeit weakly so.

["Your power dwells within these walls… but what of outside?"] Necra's cloaked form shifts rapidly around the depths of the temple, grappling Pelgaius and grinds its face against the stone past Aki to the outside, sealing the temple entry with pitch dark power.

"Dent's still out there!" Aki takes a step toward the sounds of battle but Winter's bodyweight makes her hesitate.

His breathing is shallow but measured. Based on the flow of power, he's barely conscious simply because he's putting all his focus on fending off the shadows around them.

Aki bites her wrist, torn between wanting to rush out to Dent now and caring for Winter. She deliberates for a second longer then races down the stairs into the lit passage beneath the broken altar.

Her Crown's light flickers once beneath the altar but Aki doesn't notice, too preoccupied getting Winter to safety.

The stairway is narrow and quite steep, much to Aki's luck. She turns sideways and leaps several steps down at a time, clearing the long distance in only a few leaping steps.

The foot of the stairs opens into a far more brightly lit – if rather long – hallway. At the end of which is a set of squat double doors that sit partially ajar. Through the gap, Aki sees movement.

"The doors are open?" Winter shakes his head in a daze, coming too quicker than Aki expected. "Saves us time at least."

Aki shifts Winter from over her shoulder to in her arms, as if she's carrying a small child. Well, he is one, but somehow Aki can't shake that dissonance knowing who he is inside.

"Just in case, hold still." Aki presses him closely and clears the distance in no time, kicking through the door and raising her senses ready to dodge any potential attacks.

"Hold fire, they're allies." Demelkas orders.

The chamber is large, rounded, and covered in what look to be Tsarjarian hieroglyphics. Around the edge of the room are at least two dozen circular stone gates with faded glyphs carved into their faces. In the centre and raised upon a railed platform, is a black obelisk marked by golden lines and a similar gate structure attached to its dark surface.

At the foot of the steps leading up to the obelisk are Demelkas and his crew. Those that can stand are pointing their weapons at the door while the others are trying to care for their downed allies.

"Is it just you two?" Demelkas asks, replacing his wand. "Glad for your survival but our situation improves none. Not without knowledge of these ancient writings or resources to heal my men."

"Good thing we're here." Aki closes the distance.

"Seeing it for real is cool but all these details make it tough to remember what exactly does what." Winter squirms free from Aki's grasp and stands on his own. "But the pictures should help. I think."

"Winter. Get the Space Gate working and get out of here. Don't worry about anything else." Aki rushes to check everyone's conditions, treating them quickly. "I'll try to wake one of these guys to help you."

Demelkas steps back as Aki takes the lead, spamming spell after spell to help with everyone's recovery. Meanwhile, Winter runs around as fast as possible trying to make sense of the hieroglyphs and the control panel on the obelisk.

The ground shakes as shining dust falls in thin strands from the vaulted ceiling, visible for the moment it falls and vanishing quickly in the brightly lit chamber.

"I'll treat everyone as best I can. Once most of you can move, help get the Gate working, then follow Winter outta here."

Demelkas scoffs. "You couldn't possibly be suggesting we turn tail? Restore us and we shall fight for our honour as a warrior should."

"It's not a suggestion." Aki doesn't look at him as she quickly spams spell after spell on the crew members. "I won't let you guys throw your life away trying to fight two stupidly powerful shadow creatures and vampiric slavers. Even if I can't save all of you, let me help everyone I can."

Aki appears to glow to those present and awake. Heat radiates through the hall but not in an unpleasant way. Somehow, though she looks unchanged and doesn't have a glowing spot over her head, a pleasant sensation blankets everyone present, easing pain and reducing tiredness, strengthening their bodies as well as their minds.

This powerful presence manages to even rouse those that were unconscious before as she works.

Demelkas and a few others that were gung-ho lower their arms, acquiescing to the instruction and saying they understand even if they aren't sure they do.

***

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[Minor Heal Lv. UP! Lv.5 -> Lv.8 - Power increased]

[Healing Touch Lv. UP! Lv.5 -> Lv.7 - Power increased]

[Restore Stamina Lv. UP! Lv.5 -> Lv.8 - Power increased]

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Minutes later, everyone's critical injuries have been reduced to minor problems. Though it took nearly all of Aki's MP on account of the low tier spells she has, she's happy that at least no one's life is in immediate danger.

Luckily the burden was eased too, once she managed to rouse a few of the unconscious crew members that also know healing magic at Demelkas' referral otherwise she'd be completely tapped out to reach this point.

"That took more than expected." Aki wipes the sweat from her brow.

Up on the raised platform, Winter and a few of the woken crew inspect the stone object looking for clues.

"It's vague but I think the control panel here was… Korean?" Winter levels his gaze at a detached tablet stuffed beneath the stone control panel on the obelisk.

Aki flinches, feeling a sharp pain as the word rips at her mind. Its relevance must be high to her previous world for it to react that strongly. Out of the corner of her eye, she can vaguely make out the characters as faintly familiar. Though not to a degree she can read them herself.

"Can you read it? Maybe it's a set of instructions specifically for otherworlders about how this place works." Aki raises the head of an older celovian named Cook, a man skilled in language as he is in the kitchen, whose head wings flap weakly as his eyes flutter open, rousing to wakefulness.

"No, but I should be able to figure something out with anything else that has korean on it." Winter points at the characters to a few of the curious crew members and asks for help finding more.

"Then I'll leave here to you and Mr. Cook to figure it out." Aki adjusts her cloak, dropping her bag from her waist but keeping the magic pouch with her axe at hand. "I'll be back."

Both Winter and Demelkas protest at the same time. One asking for the purpose and the other at the hypocrisy.

Aki points at the stairs and looks from Demelkas to Winter. "I'm not going up there to fight, captain. I'm bringing back everyone I can. Dent and your owrou too. I promise. So get that Space Gate working and wait on the other side for us."

She dashes out of the chamber before any more protests can be raised, dropping a shield on the doors as she does to ensure no one tries to follow.

The dark engulfs Aki in its cold, hollow embrace.