Venti: "The Abyss never strikes unprepared."
He opened his eyes and stared down the corridor ahead.
Venti: "They observe, infiltrate, manipulate."
"This knight was just a pawn... but a well-placed one."
Kael glanced at Venti.
Kael: "You speak as if you know their methods well."
An enigmatic smile spread across the bard's face.
Venti: "Let's just say it's not the first time I've seen this kind of scheme."
He remembered the three bandits who had almost attacked Arlan's and Leona the day he awoke.
Bram sighed deeply.
Bram: "In any case, it means one thing."
Lyra: "Which is?"
Lyra asked.
Bram: "If the Abyss has managed to place someone this close to us... then this dungeon is probably just the beginning."
The five adventurers' footsteps continued to echo in the corridor, each lost in their own thoughts.
One thing was now certain:
What they were facing here was far more than a simple dungeon crawl.
And somewhere, in the shadows, the Abyss was still watching.
As the group advanced further down the long dungeon corridor, Venti had a sudden flash of memory.
His eyes widened slightly as he recalled a detail he had almost forgotten:
Kael, speaking about the city's security a few days earlier, had mentioned that the guards at the entrance systematically checked everyone who entered.
Every citizen, every merchant, every adventurer had to present their identification.
Yet, Venti remembered perfectly well that each time he had passed through that same door, neither of the two guards had ever questioned him or checked his documents.
Not his first arrival at the guild, nor his departure for the plains to complete missions, nor even his return after defeating the slimes or retrieving Deith's cat… nothing.
The guards had simply let him pass as if he were invisible.
A shiver ran through Venti.
This anomaly seemed too significant to be a simple oversight.
Was it a security breach?
Or had someone influenced the guards?
What if the mysterious knight, or some other force connected to the Abyss, had manipulated the situation so he could come and go unnoticed?
Venti lowered his gaze, lost in thought, and began to analyze all his interactions with the city since his arrival.
Every detail, every glance from the citizens whispering about his status as a bard-adventurer, the guards' strangely passive reactions… everything seemed to fit together into a pattern he didn't yet fully understand.
He turned slightly toward his companions, who were walking just ahead of him.
Bram, Kael, Lyra, and Eron seemed absorbed in their own thoughts, likely still reeling from the recent events in the dungeon.
Venti silently wondered whether he should tell them about this anomaly or continue observing to gather more clues. For now, he chose caution.
As they walked, a slight smile appeared on his face:
The mystery surrounding the knight and the city's security only added a new level of excitement to this mission.
But deep down, Venti knew that every detail could prove crucial to understanding the Abyss's true intentions.
Each step they took down this long corridor might bring them closer to revelations far more dangerous than they had imagined.
Venti slowed slightly before turning to Bram.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap
The clanking of the warrior's armor echoed faintly with each step, contrasting with the calm, almost casual tone Venti adopted as he asked his question.
Venti: "Bram…"
He said in a low voice.
Venti: "If a member of the Abyss has managed to infiltrate the knights of the city… could there be others?"
Bram: "....."
Kael: "....."
Lyra: "....."
Eron: "....."
The question seemed to immediately cast a pall over the corridor:
- Bram stopped dead in his tracks.
- Kael and Lyra slowed down as well.
—As Eron looked up from his potions.
For a moment, only the distant murmur of the dungeon could be heard. Bram slowly turned his head toward Venti, his gaze grave, far more serious than usual.
Bram: "You've chosen a rather odd moment to ask this kind of question."
He finally replied.
He folded his arms, thinking, then continued in a calm but meaningful voice:
Bram: "Officially?"
"No."
"The knights undergo regular checks."
He paused.
Bram: "The Abyss never plays fair."
Kael frowned and moved closer, clearly intrigued.
Kael: "Are you thinking of a large-scale infiltration?"
He asked.
Kael: "Or just a few isolated individuals?"
Bram shook his head slowly.
Bram: "Hard to say."
"But if an Abyss Herald could pass himself off as a knight long enough to guide adventurers to a dungeon, then yes."
His gaze hardened.
Bram: "He's naive to think he was the only one."
A heavy silence fell.
Lyra clenched her fists slightly, a worried glint in her eyes.
Lyra: "That would mean the city is no longer safe."
She murmured.
Lyra: "Neither for civilians... nor for adventurers."
Eron swallowed hard.
Eron: "And for all the information we entrust to the guild..."
He didn't dare finish his sentence, but everyone understood.
Venti: "...... "
Venti carefully observed their reactions.
He hadn't asked that question randomly. Bram's implicit confirmation only reinforced his intuition:
The Abyss was advancing masked, methodical, patient.
And the fact that "it" had been able to move freely without control made the matter even more disturbing.
Venti: "If other agents are already in place."
Venti continued calmly.
Venti: "Then this dungeon might just be a test."
"A way to gauge our reactions... or to eliminate us discreetly."
Bram nodded slowly.
Kael: "Or to observe us."
Kael added.
Kael: "Especially you."
All eyes turned briefly to Venti.
He merely offered a slight smile, but his mind was racing:
- The Lector
- The Herald
- The knight…
Too many clues were converging on him.
Bram resumed his march, his voice firm:
Bram: "In any case, we can't jump to conclusions."
"But one thing is certain":
He placed a hand on the pommel of his sword.
Bram: "From now on, we'll be suspicious of everyone."
"Knights included."
Kael: "....."
Lyra: "....."
Eron: "....."
Venti: "......."
The group nodded silently and continued down the corridor.
Venti remained slightly behind, his gaze lost in the violet shadows of the dungeon.
If the Abyss had truly infiltrated the city… then this mission was far more than just clearing a dungeon.
And deep down, one certainty was becoming increasingly clear:
The Abyss hadn't let him into the city by mistake.
After about ten minutes of walking along the light-filled corridor, the scene changed abruptly.
The smooth floor and walls adorned with luminous patterns opened onto a vast, circular void.
Before them stretched a colossal spiral staircase, a helix of ancient stone and metal that descended deep into the dungeon's bowels.
The staircase seemed endless.
It seemed to emanate a dark energy.
Each step was engraved with ancient symbols, similar to those they had seen in the previous chambers, but here they pulsed with a fainter, almost smothered glow, as if the light itself were afraid to descend any lower.
At the center of the spiral, a gaping chasm opened, swallowing all light.
Leaning slightly forward, Bram, Kael, Lyra, and Eron noticed that beyond a certain depth, the light vanished completely.
Bram: "......."
Kael: "......."
Lyra: "......."
Eron: "......."
Venti: "......."
There was nothing but darkness, dense and oppressive, a darkness that seemed to absorb their gaze and give the impression that something was watching from the depths.
A heavy silence settled over the place.
Even the usual murmurs of the dungeon seemed to have fallen silent here.
All that could be heard was the faint echo of their breathing and the scraping of their boots against the stone.
Venti: "Why do I want to jump?"
Kael instinctively placed a hand on his daggers, his scouting instincts on high alert.
Lyra felt a shiver run down her spine, as if the surrounding mana were growing colder, more unstable, as they approached the abyss.
Eron studied the symbols carefully, trying to decipher their meaning, while Bram gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, ready to face what awaited them below.
Venti, for his part, remained motionless for a moment, staring into the central chasm.
He could clearly sense something emanating from that depth: a heavy, ancient presence, imbued with abyssal energy.
This wasn't just a passage to a lower level, but a true boundary, a point of no return.
The air was thicker, almost suffocating, and each step toward the first stair felt like a further descent from the surface and the relative safety they had left behind.
Without a word, the five adventurers understood the same thing: this staircase must lead to one of the dungeon's inner sanctums… and probably to the next boss.
After a final exchange of glances, a mixture of apprehension and determination, they began to descend, their silhouettes gradually emerging from the gloom, slowly swallowed by the bottomless darkness that awaited them below.
Bram gave a wry smile, trying to break the heavy atmosphere that had settled in since the staircase had appeared.
Bram: "I bet you 3000 Moras."
He said to Kael in a falsely lighthearted tone.
Bram: "That you won't be able to count all the steps down."
Kael raised an eyebrow in surprise, then let out a short, soft laugh.
Kael: "Only 3000?"
He replied.
Kael: "Easy. I've been counting since I could walk."
Bram: "We'll see about that."
Replied Bram, placing a heavy foot on the first step.
Bram: "No cheating."
"You announce the number aloud every ten."
Kael: "Deal."
They began to descend the spiral staircase, their voices echoing against the circular walls.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap
Kael: "One… two… three…"
The rhythm quickly settled into a rhythm.
The steps all seemed identical:
- Same height.
- Same width.
- Same time-worn engravings.
Each step was the same size:
- 1.5 m long
- 0.5 m wide
- 0.3 m high
FFFFSSSSSS
As they descended, the light faded further, and Lyra conjured a small, floating sphere of fire to illuminate the path, casting distorted shadows on the walls.
Kael: "Ten."
"Twenty."
"Thirty."
Kael counted seriously, focused, his gaze fixed on his feet.
Bram, right in front of him, deliberately exaggerated his steps to try and throw him off.
Kael: "Forty…"
"Forty-one…"
"Forty-two…"
Bram: "You know."
"If you make even one mistake, I consider it a win."
Kael: "You can dream on."
Kael replied without looking up.
Kael: "Sixty-seven…"
"Sixty-eight."
The further down they descended, the stranger the echo of their voices seemed, slightly out of sync, as if the dungeon were repeating the numbers with a tiny delay.
Venti: "He's really motivated for the 3000 Moras."
Lyra: "He's really motivated for the 3000 Moras."
Eron: "He's really motivated for the 3000 Moras."
At a certain point, the spiral became so deep that the light from the entrance had completely disappeared above them.
Kael: "One hundred."
Kael announced firmly.
Eron frowned.
Eron: "Is it just me, or... does the staircase still seem endless?"
Kael: "One hundred and twenty-three..."
"One hundred and twenty-four..."
Time seemed to stretch out.
Venti, walking at the rear, observed the carvings on the walls:
Some seemed slightly different, as if the steps repeated themselves in cycles.
A disturbing thought crossed her mind: what if the staircase was longer than it seemed… or worse, endless?
Two minutes later:
Kael: "Two hundred."
Kael declared, a hint of tension in his voice.
Bram's smile began to fade.
Bram: "Are you still holding up?"
Kael: "Two hundred and seventeen…"
"Two hundred and eighteen…"
Lyra glanced anxiously toward the central chasm.
The darkness seemed to move, subtly, like a calm but deep sea.
Two minutes later:
Kael: "Three hundred."
There was a moment of silence.
Even Bram didn't dare joke anymore.
Kael took a deep breath, continuing despite the mental exhaustion caused by this incessant counting.
Kael: "Three hundred and thirty-nine… three hundred and forty…"
At that moment, a strange sensation swept through the group, as if the air itself had become colder, heavier.
Bbbbbbbzzzzzz
Venti felt his crystal vibrate slightly, a sign that they were approaching something important.
Kael: "Four hundred."
Kael finally announced, his voice deeper.
Bram sighed, half amused, half impressed.
Bram: "Well… I admit I didn't think you'd go this far."
Kael gave a tight smile.
Kael: "Keep your Moras safe."
He said.
Kael: "I haven't lost yet."
And they continued to descend, step by step, number by number, without knowing how many more there were left… nor what awaited them at the very bottom of this endless spiral.
Venti: "....... "
Venti paused for a moment, placing a hand against the cold wall of the staircase, while Lyra moved slightly toward the inner edge of the spiral.
Venti: "....... "
Lyra: "....... "
They both bent down cautiously to look down.
The greenish light that still bathed the steps near them was gradually fading, swallowed by a darkness so dense it seemed almost material.
Lyra: "...It's immense."
Lyra murmured, her eyes shining faintly with the glow of her magic.
Venti narrowed his eyes, trying to gauge the distance.
His mind, accustomed to quick calculations, began to work almost instinctively.
He observed the angle of the spiral, the regular repetition of the steps, the way the darkness swallowed all visual references.
Venti: "We still have..."
"At least three kilometers to descend."
He said finally, his voice calm but heavy with meaning.
Lyra turned her head toward him, surprised.
Lyra: "Three kilometers?"
"Are you sure?"
Venti: "Look at the curve."
Venti replied, pointing into the void.
Venti: "And the distance at which the light disappears."
"It's not an illusion... it's really deep."
He then looked down at the steps beneath their feet.
Venti: "Each step descends about thirty centimeters."
He continued.
Venti: "If we do the math... we still have about a thousand steps left."
A heavy silence fell over the group.
Kael: "...A THOUSAND!"
Kael repeated a little further away, abruptly stopping counting.
Kael: "You're joking, I hope."
Bram burst into nervous laughter.
Bram: "Now my bet is getting interesting."
He gave Kael a friendly pat on the back.
Bram: "If you make it to the end without making a mistake, I'll double the bet."
Venti: "6000 Moras!"
Eron: "6000 Moras!"
Lyra: "6000 Moras!"
Kael: "6000 Moras!"
"Are you serious?"
Kael grumbled.
Kael: "At this rate, I'll lose my mind before I even reach the bottom."
Eron, for his part, watched the staircase with a worried expression.
Eron: "A thousand steps down a dungeon connected to the Abyss..."
He murmured.
Eron: "It's not just a physical ordeal."
"It's mental. They want to exhaust us before the next fight."
Lyra nodded slowly.
Lyra: "And the lower we go, the greater the abyssal pressure will be."
"Even if we're not injured, our bodies will feel it."
Venti remained silent for a few seconds, listening to the steady breathing of his companions, the faint echo of their footsteps, and the almost imperceptible hum that seemed to rise from the bottom of the spiral.
Something awaited them below. He was certain of it.
Venti: "We have no choice."
He said finally, with a slight smile.
Venti: "Backing down isn't an option."
He straightened up, took his place in the group, and cast one last glance at the abyss beneath their feet.
Venti: "Come on."
He added, his tone lighter.
Venti: "What number were you at again?"
Kael sighed, ran a hand over his face, and continued in a resigned voice:
Kael: "Four hundred and twelve..."
"Four hundred and thirteen..."
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap
The group set off again, descending ever deeper into the spiral staircase.
With each step, the light seemed to dim a little more, and the air grew colder, heavier.
A thousand steps still separated them from the bottom… and from what the Abyss had decided to reserve for them.
Chapter 37: 3 Kilometer spiral staircase
The End