Chapter 19: Sunken City

After giving my order, Dennis lifts his head off the ground, making me cling to this throne trying desperately to hang on fearing I’ll fall off but it seems as though my butt is glued to the throne as I don’t even budge, even when Dennis points his head down towards the water pool.

He then starts chanting, “Great Sylph the invisible lady of the air. This lowly one beseeches thine aide. Weave a cocoon around mine master and her mother that will push away both toxin and liquid so that they may lie in your embrace. Wind orb.”

Similar to Avantina, a strong gust surrounds us like a dome shaped tornado but unlike Avantina, Dennis’ dome becomes completely see through. Then, like a snake striking for its prey, Dennis dives his head straight into the water and we start swimming downwards. Yet even though gravity should point downwards where we’re swimming, I can walk around in the dome just fine as if I’m a spider walking on a wall. It seems that somehow gravity is centered on Dennis’ head.

Magic is so fucking cool.

It looks like we’re swimming through a flooded stone tunnel with a light at the end of it that starts slowly getting closer.

“Alright Sammy, watch out, we’re going to enter the underground waterways soon. Prepare to be amazed!”

This better be good! She hyped that up for a while now! Ok light is getting closer…Any second now! 3…2…1…IMPACT!

Bursting through the rock tunnel, we are now floating mid air… Or I guess mid water? In a tube of water surrounded by air. I guess this is one of those Stillwaterponds! Woah and there are a bunch more! Yooooo, that one has a whale swimming down with a bunch of people on it! And look. Some seahorse people! That dude is part jellyfish. Looks like they even have traffic jams, guess you can’t even avoid those in magical worlds. Ahahahah that dude got so angry he inflated himself into a pufferfish person and now they’re fighting! Oh no, he messed with the wrong woman though, she just squirted ink in his face and brought out 4 more arms. This is what it must be like in big city traffic hahaha.

There’s a little more swimming downwards before we enter another stone tunnel, this one twists and turns like a small maze, with different intersections of other people wanting to pass, though it seems we get to ride in the express line or something because we’re almost the only ones riding this stream other than a few other huge people like whales and giant Octopuses.

Guess this is where the Kraken originated! Oh! Look, is that…It’s a ship! With a whole crew on it! They seem to also have one of those wind orb spells around them though theirs is a little harder to see. I can make out a diverse variety of people though!

After a few more twists and turns Hildi speaks up again.

“Alright Sammy, get ready to see the underside of the Black Market.”

“The underside? What do you-WOAH.”

As we breach through the tunnel system, we come out to what looks like Venice built on top of Atlantis. It’s a HUGE swimming market over a bunch of underwater markets, with boats swimming both on top and under the water surface. It’s bustling with both water and non-water Fey. While there is no natural light down here it is still brighter than the surface of the black market due to the multiple lanterns both above and below the water reflecting on the surface of the huge cave we're in and the water, leading to a slightly eerie Christmas feeling. It’s just…WOW. It’s basically a city under a city, swimming OVER an underwater city. TRIPLE CITY!

“Look Hildi!!! This is insane! It’s like three cities in one!”

“Three cities? Don’t you mean two?”

“No, no because there is also the one above the earth!”

“Oh, in that case it’s four cities in one.”

“Four??? There is more!?”

“Yeah, there is also a floating market, but we’re not gonna go there on this trip. Maybe next time.”

Exhausted from all the excitement, I fall back on my throne.

Magic fantasy worlds are fucking insane. We had like two decently sized cities in Wyoming but this is like…Quadruple New York full of magic and different cultures. I’m gonna have a heart attack one day from too much excitement, either that or I’ll go completely numb to anything. I don’t see how else you can cope with all this wondrous stuff all the time. I think I’m just not made out for it. If anything, provided the Humans aren’t insane magic people either, I should probably live there, get a little grounded. All in moderation. Only go to the insane Fey places for holiday or something, otherwise real life will just get boring. Like once I get back to earth, I won’t be able to live a normal life if I have it too good here. And I can’t stay like this, not with this body or this world. My sisters are probably searching for me. I hope they aren’t too sad…No time to be sad though! Got more important things to do! Like finding out how this whole corpse prison magic works I’m stuck in, also what powers I have and how to use em’! AND what magic I can do!

After composing myself again, I keep taking in the scenery watching different Fey going about their daily lives, jumping from land to water and vice versa. It doesn’t take long for us to go from what looked like a marketplace to residential buildings that grow out of the water with some floors being completely underwater. And interestingly there are always some floors that are only partially flooded.

Maybe for pools? Oh, or like Amphibians? I totally gotta find an Axolotl model, Axolotls are already cute now mix it with a hot woman and you get the perfect model. It even rhymes! Axolotl model, heh try saying that one fast three times haha. Passing by these high-rise buildings reminds me of that one time we visited New York. I always wondered if people don’t get bothered by everyone on the highway being able to look inside their living rooms. I guess it’s the same here, some people just don’t care for privacy.

Passing the living area, we now fly by a food market, selling mostly different types of seafood but also some surface food. There doesn’t seem to be much going on above the surface part but the underwater market is buzzing with life.

The fish Fey still creeps me out a little though. They have these eerie slightly uncanny yet beautiful faces. Maybe this is what inspired Lovecraft to write his books! That and racism haha. I just hope the Lovecraftian higher powers aren’t real…I guess it’s worth a shot.

“Cth-“

There is a sudden chill crawling down my spine. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m afraid of testing it out or if I can’t continue because something is blocking me. I… I think I’ll try it another time.

After a little more time taking in the scenery Dennis speaks up again,

“My Lady, do not be startled, I will start my ascent now.”

“Ehm, ok. You do that Dennis! Hey psst Hildi what does he--“

He then suddenly changes his trajectory ninety degrees upwards and speeds up like a rocket, making me feel a little dizzy due to the sudden change in perspective, at least until we enter the pipes again when it just feels like we’re going straight. I wonder if spiders and insects also get disoriented like this. Wait a second.

“Hildi?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re technically an arachnid, right?”

“Yeah. We’re closely related to spiders and scorpions, why?”

“And you said you can climb walls, right?”

“Yeah… Can you just get to the point?”

“Yeah, yeah, soooo do you get easily disoriented when you climb a wall or are on a ceiling and the entire perspective of up and down changes?”

“Hmm… Sometimes. Most of the time not though, because I just look straight so it’s not much different from walking on the ground. If I were to walk inside of a curve really fast though then yeah it can be a bit disorientating. Not sure if that’s the same for everyone though, I guess I’ll ask my cousin to come over sometime to get some outside feedback.”

“Dope, sounds good.”

It takes a little bit longer for the twists and turns of the tunnels to end, before finally a light at the end of it appears once more and we burst through the water. I can hear some cheering and laughing bystanders after leaving the water.

Dennis lets us get off his head onto a little pier. Looking around, it seems like we’re in a lake surrounded by a park with a bunch of people sitting on the grass, eating food or taking a walk. A lot of them, despite the jovial atmosphere, are pretty heavily armed. Wait a second!

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Hildi?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you give me my weapons back?”

“Sure, I have them in my bag.” She then pulls out a little coin purse and pulls out my weapons, some of them as large as me, out of it.

“Is this a magic bag!?”

“Yep, it’s pretty expensive but also really useful. Think of it as the same as the carriage you and me were riding in with Elbeezabeth.”

“Magic is sooo cool. You said the magic store we’re going to can also tell me what kind of magic I can do right?”

“Yep, he can check for your aptitude and unfitness for the magic schools after figuring out how to rid you of that body.”

“NICE! Anyways, Dennis, you can just leave us here and go back to work now.”

“But Master, art you no longer in need of mine services!?”

“Eeehm not right now but probably some other time.”

Disappointed, he answers, “Of course, this lowly one is obviously too weak to stay at thine side right now. He is truly an embarrassment as thine servant. What can mineself do to be worthy to walk by thine side?”

This is kinda getting awkward. I should just say something ridiculous to make him go away. No wait! I can have him deal with the bandits! This is gonna be great! I need to first make sure he can fight though…I know!

“I need you to be strong enough to vanquish my foes! There are these band–”

“OF COURSE! How could this lowly one not have thought of this!? This lowly one pledges to train himself, to slay foes worthy of your standing! I shall return once mineself is strong enough to vanquish foes worthy of your status!”

There are colors coming out of me and him as if a pact had been made when he floats out of the water and, like a rocket, launches himself into the sky. Being shortly drowned out by the darkness of the sky.

“Hildi?”

“Yeah?”

“What the fuck just happened?”

“It seems your servant vowed to get stronger and left.”

“But I wasn’t even done talking!”

“You could force him to come back if you use his true name.”

“I can? How do I do that?”

“Essentially you visualize his real name, channel your flow of magic through it and then command him.”

“How do I make my magic flow into it?”

“Eeehm, I don’t really know how to explain it. It just comes naturally to you after a few hundred years.”

“A few hund–BRUH, that’s not gonna help me now, is it?”

“Don’t get snippy with me young lady or I’ll go to the magic district alone.”

“I retract what I said.”

“Uhuh, you better. Anyways, let’s go. It's been a long day, we’re going to check out my friends first, sleep there for the night, I’ll call Elbeezabeth and then we will go to the magic district tomorrow and get this sorted out. Okay?”

“Okay.”

I take one last puzzled look back at the lake and the sky where Dennis vanished before walking towards the shore. The grass is soooo green and covered in flowers. I’m pretty sure I’ve only seen grass that green in Hildis garden and maybe in movies. And the air is sooo fresh. If it were always this nice outside, I might have even gone out voluntarily a few times.

Eh who am I kidding probably not, I don’t like the sun, people or insects soooo yeah. Funny enough, my main reason I never explored in nature much was ticks. I never had a tick bite me in my whole life and I wanted to keep it that way. I don’t want ANY parasites on me, especially if they give me lyme disease and that one thing where you can’t eat red meat anymore! That must have been invented by a vegan supervillain. Broccolilord or something. WAIT. I got bitten by hundreds of Hildis ticks… Did I contract some disease!?

“Hildi!”

She is a little startled by my sudden scream and looks at me. “Yes?”

“Do your ticks contract illnesses??? Am I gonna die from brain fever???”

“Woah, hold up, what are you talking about?”

“Your ticks Hildi! Hundreds of them bit me, remember! Ticks spread diseases like brain fever and can’t-eat-red meat-eritis. Am I gonna die!?”

“No. First of all, my ticks are different from random forest ticks. Second, those are human diseases, you aren’t human. Third, if you DID get sick, I’d get you looked at by a healer asap, so no need to worry.”

“Ok… Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am sure.”

“Ok, good.”

Giving me a slightly disappointed look, she asks, “Honestly, Sammy, do you think if my ticks could give you diseases, I wouldn’t have told you about it?”

“I mean… Maybe you just don’t know ticks spread diseases. As far as I know the tick itself doesn’t get sick but they do harbor the disease.”

“That’s true but then again, we don’t get sick from the same stuff that makes Humans sick. ESPECIALLY not someone like you with a frankfully quite high healing factor.”

“Hmm, that’s good. Anyways, we should probably get going, lead the way Hildi!”

A little overdramatically she does a little curtsy and says, “Of course her ladyship, right away,” and takes me by the hand.

After a few steps, she stops and says, “Could you stand in front of me for a little Sammy?”

“Eh sure, why?”

“Just do it.”

“Ehm…Ok?” I do as asked and stand in front of her, looking at the little crowd of people at the lake.

They seem to be waiting for us to walk over, I’m guessing to gawk at us. And I mean who can blame em, we DID show up on a fucking dragon after all. If that’s not gawk worthy I don’t know wh-

“Kyaaaaaa!” I feel myself being grabbed by four arms from behind and lifted upward.

“What are you doing Hildi???”

She doesn’t say anything until I suddenly am back inside the baby carrier.

“Hey!!! When did you get that out? Also, why? I’m not even that tired!”

“To answer your first question, I was doing it when you were daydreaming again. At this point I can tell quite easily when you start drifting off. To answer your second question, this is a somewhat seedy neighborhood and I’m not going to let you run off here, so I made it easier on the both of us and just strapped you in.”

“You could have at least asked or warned me!”

“And risk you being grumpy and refusing? I think not!”

“Well NOW I am grumpy!”

“See, told ya!”

“No, I’m grumpy because you strapped me in!”

“Uhuh, anyways let’s get going, keep your hands and feet where I can see em”

Sarcastically, I answer, “Sure, MOM.”

She then ties a bit of cloth over my mouth and as I try to ask what she’s doing she says, “Get ready.”

“Ready for what?”

Hildi doesn’t say anything but instead starts walking toward the crowd. Then she starts jogging, then running, she’s REALLY getting some speed to her step now!

I’m starting to get really pressed into this harness. And despite Hildi running that fast, the crowd isn’t dispersing! Is… Is she trying to bull rush through them??? But why? Oh no we’re getting closer! I protectively put my hands in front of my face bracing for impact. When I hear the sound of glass breaking on the floor, I take a peek through my hands and see a small cloud of yellow powder forming…Wait! That’s weed of anguish!!!

“Hildi watch ou-!”

Hildi jumps into the air and starts a forward roll, throwing another two flasks on the ground and dispersing the crowd as they start to have a coughing fit. She then steps onto the head of a tall and gruff looking Treeperson and jumps off him behind the crowd, leaving them in the dust as some of the other onlookers who were not part of the group cheer us on. Hildi then keeps running towards the buildings, occasionally throwing some stuff behind her until presumably no one’s tailing us anymore.

“What the what was that Hildi???”

“Oh, I just had to take care of the ‘welcoming committee’.”

“But why like this??? Weren’t those just normal onlookers?”

“Them? Hah! Nope. Those were criminals trying to rob us. They’re always waiting around the pier to look for easy marks.”

“And no one is doing anything about it???”

“Nope, that’s why we carry weapons Sammy. You never know who’s going to end up mugging you or trying to do other bad things. Usually just carrying them openly serves as a deterrent but since we took the dragon, they probably thought it was worth trying anyways.”

“Is this place really that dangerous? I thought everyone was so nice!”

“Well, they were. Doesn’t mean there aren’t bad apples.”

“Huh.”

“Anyways, we’re almost there. It’s an apartment building with a big orange tree on top.”

“A big orange tree, huh... I think it’s really cool how they all look unique, some are hollowed out giant trees, some are made of ice or sand, where I come from, they just all look gray.”

“Really? That seems depressing.”

“It is!”

We then walk towards the apartment building. It seems to be made out of some form of mud. It looks very wet, but it doesn’t drip or anything. It seems to be adorned with tons of different plants and flowers growing on it, though I’m not sure if they are actually just decorations or part of the design, since some function like terraces or landing pads for flying Fey. As we come onto the front door, there is a huge flower with a face in our way. Hildi then walks up to it and says,

“Room forty-seven, please. Tell them Hildegard is here.”

The flower then nods and after a few seconds it says, “Please step on the leaf,” and opens the doors.

It seems to be a normal looking stairway with a leaf in the middle. Hildi then walks onto it and the leaf starts moving like an elevator.

“Awesome!”

“I’m glad you like it, Sammy.”

We pass three floors where I get small glances of children playing in the halls or people talking to each other. Then, on the fourth floor, Hildi steps off the leaf and walks to the door of apartment forty-seven and knocks on the door.