There's nothing so bad that it can't get worse. Initially, I thought that whoever invented this saying was extremely pessimistic, until I felt how true this was.
"Will you take too long? We need to reach Le'garde!" D'arce exclaimed at the entrance of the room.
"I know! What I'm looking for will help us take a shortcut to him!" I replied, rummaging through the bookshelf even faster upon seeing D'arce smiling at me while patting the pommel of her sheathed sword.
Taking a quick look to the side, I saw the Girl leaning against the wall next to me with a worried look on her face. I tried to give her a reassuring smile, but I don't think it helped much as I'm nervous too.
After some time pondering my situation, I determined that the best route to Le'garde would be using the secret passageway behind the bookshelf, but for that, I would need the mockup book that triggers the shelf's mechanism.
Now, I was scouring the library shelves for this book, but despite being unstable, D'arce wasn't stupid. The room only had one way in and out, and she stood guard there to stop us from running away and also to deal with monsters.
Fortunately, the Girl and I were out of her sight, at the back of the room and completely hidden by a large wooden shelf containing dozens of old, worn and dusty books.
It is time to test my new spell.
With one hand, I pretended to look for the fake book while lowering next to the floor the one holding Kitab, whispering my spell, using The Rats in the Walls.
I felt the pressure in my head again, my mind being used to cast the spell. Glancing at the book, I saw a faint green glow emanating from its pages as they moved.
Small green creatures burst out of the book's pages as they let out a series of high-pitched squeaks. Six ghostly rats of a transparent green hue with completely white glowing eyes and big teeth that looked like they could gnaw anything.
The Girl looked at them with a mixture of fear and surprise. I smiled at her while putting a finger to my lips. She nodded, repeating the gesture without the smile.
Now, how do I get these rats to take the vial to Cahara?
As if it had read my thoughts, one of the rats advanced and entered my pants, climbing up my leg.
I shivered at the icy feel against my skin and had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing at the tickling of its paws on my body.
Eventually, the rat climbed under my shirt until it came out through the collar and jumped on my shoulder. From there, it crawled into my backpack. I felt the addition of weight accompanied by the noise of the ghost going through my things.
Soon after, the rat jumped towards the floor, stopping and turning towards me while holding the Red Vial in its mouth by means of a small rope tied around the bottleneck.
With a final screech, it ran towards the wall. For a moment, I thought it was going to head-butt the stone, but as soon as its body touched it, the stonewall rippled like the surface of a lake and the rat disappeared. The Girl and I looked in surprise, but our stupor was broken by D'arce's scream.
"Did you find the book yet?!"
Jumping in fright, I poked my head out of our cover and saw her waiting for us with her arms crossed while stomping on the floor.
"Not yet, but I'm sure the book is around here!"
I replied with a nervous smile.
"Oh! I hope you're telling the truth and not up to no good. I would hate for our friendship to end so soon. It would really be a shame..."
D'arce clasped her hands behind her back and smiled through narrowed eyes.
I quickly nodded, hiding all my fear, and returned behind the shelf where the rats and the Girl watched me, probably waiting for me to say something. As I understand it, the summons react to my thoughts, so let me try something different.
Explore the dungeon and bring me anything useful.
With a series of squeaks, the remaining rats ran towards the wall and disappeared in a similar fashion to the previous one. I grabbed my head in pain, I didn't know what was going on but it was like someone was hammering my brain, but as fast as it came, it disappeared.
What was left in its place left me confused and impressed. I could see in my mind the point of view of each rat as they scurried through the dungeon, running through walls and doors, through hallways and hiding from monsters, but mostly, collecting whatever items they could carry.
Suddenly, I felt a tug on my shirt. Looking down, I saw the Girl with wide eyes while repeatedly pointing at something behind me. Turning around, I swallowed a scream and stepped back upon seeing a sword pointed at my face.
"I'm starting to think you're trying to trick me."
D'arce said in a serious and menacing tone.
"No, why would I trick my friend D'arce?! Why would I do that?!"
I replied in a friendly voice, slowly pushing the Girl behind me with one hand.
"Is that so? So prove it! Show me the book we came for!"
She stepped forward, making me flinch at the sword.
"D-don't worry, the book is right..."
Out of the corner of my eye, I scanned the bookshelf beside me, looking for the damn book. Reading the titles, mostly logbooks or history books, but there was one that didn't quite match the rest, a cookbook.
Please let this be the right one!
"...HERE!"
I quickly grabbed the book in question, flipping through it, seeing that all the pages were blank, hoping I picked the right one. Then all went silent, me with the book in front of my face, extending it towards D'arce, and the knight with her sword pointed at me.
Slowly, a big smile appeared on her face accompanied by a twitch in her right eye. Simultaneously, I gave her a nervous smile while she lowered her sword and laughed.
"Hahaha! To think that I thought you were trying to trick me! Hahaha! I thought my friend was planning to betray me!"
She slapped her forehead, looking down at the floor.
"Hahaha! Don't worry, it was just a misunderstanding!"
I responded with my own laugh, pretending nothing was wrong, but I was shitting myself inside, prepared for a variety of reactions, for her to take the book and walk away, to try to kill me, to insist even more on whether this was the right book or not, except for D'arce to sheath her sword and wrap her arms around my neck in a crushing hug.
I was paralyzed, not knowing how to react to the surprise and pain, processing what was happening. As if that wasn't bad enough, I heard a noise followed by something wet running down my shoulder. Was D'arce...
"*SNIF*, *SNIF*."
Yes, she was…
"D'arce, is everything okay?"
Quickly, the knight took her face off my shoulder and stared at me with red, puffy eyes and snot running down her nose.
"WWHHAA! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry for doubting you, my friend! I almost hurt you over a stupid book!"
D'arce exclaimed through her tears, hugging me harder, making me clench my teeth.
What the fuck was going on here?!
I felt a tug and my shirt and looked down, seeing the Girl staring at me while pointing at D'arce then rotating her index finger in a circular motion beside her own head.
"I know, Girl, I know."
I replied with a tired sigh, breaking from the bear hug with great effort, grabbing her shoulders, keeping some distance between us.
"Don't worry, D'arce, I'm not mad at you, it was just a misunderstanding, those kinds of things happen."
I gave my best reassuring smile to the maniac in front of me.
"Does that mean you forgive me?"
D'arce asked in a hopeful tone.
"Yes."
Quickly, D'arce grabbed the collar of my shirt with both hands and pulled me close, making my face heat up with embarrassment at the proximity, but whatever fantasy I had in my mind disappeared as soon as she tucked her face in my shirt and blew her nose.
I winced in disgust upon hearing the loud noise of her nose and cringed even more when the snot touched my skin through the fabric, but with a quick mood change, she snapped out of her melancholy mood and returned to her former disturbing joy.
"Well, let's move on! Le'garde will not wait for us forever!"
D'arce said with a big smile, wrapping her arm around my own and pulling me away. Seeing this, the Girl quickly ran after me and grabbed my shirt, following us at a hurried pace.
As soon as we left the room, I mentally saw one of the rats returning to me, somehow carrying a bottle of ale by itself, horizontally stuck inside its body. My back was on its point of view, and looking back, I ordered it to leave the bottle next to us, so the summon sank to the ground, leaving the ale where it disappeared.
"Hey, D'arce!"
I caught the knight's attention.
"Yes my friend!"
She looked at me with a big smile.
"Would you like a drink?"
I pointed to the bottle right behind me. Her eyes widened before she released me and ran desperately towards the ale, removing the cork and drinking its contents in one go, her gulps being audible to all of us.
"Well, you got yourself a girlfriend who's strong, crazy and drinks like an Irishman! You made the right choice, boy! I'm so proud of you!"
Kitab wrote in his pages.
"Shut up, Kitab! She's not my girlfriend! And I doubt she will; considering how obsessed she is with Le'garde! But changing the subject, I'm a little disappointed with my new spell, the way you said it, it looked like I could summon an army of rats!"
"And you can! You can summon enough rats to fill every corner of this damned dungeon, but the problem is, will you have enough mind for that?"
"Hm… I think you're right."
"I'm glad you know. Don't abuse your power kid, or abuse it! I admit I'm curious to know what will happen to you if your fortified mind goes haywire! Will you choose the dastardly ending the others choose, or will you become something more?"
I closed the book after reading that last sentence. This is not the best situation to deal with its morbid curiosity.
Shifting my attention to D'arce, I glimpsed her finishing her drink and letting out a loud relieved sigh shortly thereafter, throwing the bottle away where it shattered against the wall with a loud crack. Then she returned, looking more composed than before.
"Let's go!"
She said with a small smile, holding my wrist instead and pulling me with less strength. So, with the Girl at my side, we went on our way while in my mind I saw more rats bringing more bottles. Well, I think I will lose a mad knight and gain an alcoholic one.
-Prison-
"Well, I think that is it! The boy abandoned me here, or died! That's what I get for trusting others! Why did he want the doll? On second thought, I'd rather not know. What's going through that madman's head?"
Cahara complained to himself as he sat in the corner of his cell, knees close to his chest, arms crossed over his knees and head resting on his arms, letting out a series of insults and curses about his current situation.
"I knew I shouldn't have taken this job! It was too good to be true! There must be another way! Another way for Celeste and I..."
*SQUEAK!*
His complaints were interrupted by a screech close by. Looking towards the source of the noise, Cahara cocked his head in confusion as he saw a ghostly rat leaving a red vial in his cell before running towards the wall and disappearing.
His eyes widened in surprise, replaced by a smile after seeing the vial next to his feet. Wasting no time, he poured its contents into the lock of his cell, the metal hissing and steaming as the acid melted it. Pushing the door aside, Cahara was free.
"RROOAARRHH!"
His satisfaction was short-lived, Cahara had to throw himself to the ground to dodge the guard's ballista shot. Wasting no time, he ran towards the stairs that led to the basement.
"Until next time, asshole!"
But not before insulting the guard trying to kill him.
"RROOAARRHH!"
With another scream of rage, the guard fired again, but thanks to his speed, Cahara managed to make it to the stairs before the giant arrow hit him, the only sound heard was the guard's screams of frustration and his laughter.
"Now to get the hell out of here! Wait for me Celeste, I will find a better way to save you!"
Unfortunately, his ramblings were interrupted as soon as he finished climbing the stairs and turning the corner, as he had hit something as hard as a wall.
"OUCH! What the hell?!"
Before he could process what happened, Cahara drew his scimitar, deflecting the axe blow that came towards his head. Right after that, he jumped back and stopped in a crouching stance, tilting his head in confusion upon seeing who was in front of him.
A tall, muscular man with red hair, a body covered in scars, and wearing animal pelts held together by leather belts. The man raised an eyebrow upon seeing Cahara, but immediately shifted his attention after hearing the sound of heavy footsteps approaching, facing his original enemy, the Iron Shakespeare.
"Hey man, how about we save the introductions for later?! From what I can see, you're human and you need a little help! How about we finish off the bucket head over there and then get to know each other better?!"
Cahara said with a smile and what appeared to be flirtation in his voice while the man just stared for a few seconds before nodding slowly, whether he understood the ulterior motives was anyone's guess.
"Focus your attacks on the torso; it's the least resistant part of his armor."
"And how do you know that?"
He showed Cahara a sheet of paper with a drawing of the Iron Shakespeare with a series of instructions written at the bottom, but the series of arrows pointing specifically to Iron Shakespeare's torso stood out from the rest.
"Hey! Looks like we both had a mysterious benefactor today!"
Cahara laughed, readying his Scimitar. Then with a nod, both men hurried towards the Iron Shakespeare.
-Inner hall-
Our walk to the Inner Hall went without a hitch, that is, if it weren't for the guard barring our way near Alll-mer's altar.
Fortunately he didn't see us; which gave us time to hide in a nearby room. Unfortunately D'arce didn't share my cautious approach. In other words, I had my back to the wall, holding her around the waist with one hand and covering her mouth with the other, while she swung her sword in the air, trying to escape my grip and go face the guard, and she was almost doing it. Meanwhile, the Girl stayed close to me, covering her mouth with both hands and hiding in the shadows.
Know what?! I better act before D'arce kills us all!
I quickly sent an order to a nearby rat that ran towards the guard and bit his heel. The monster let out an angry mutter before swinging his leg, throwing the summon away, but it got up and let out an angry hiss, causing the guard to swing his large cleaver in its direction.
The rat darted out of the way, dodging the blow that cracked the stone floor, and the guard gave chase, running to the Blood Pit while we ran towards the library. Wasting no time, I placed the book on the shelf and with the click of a mechanism, it slid aside.
D'arce and the Girl gave admiring glances while I just grabbed the child's arm and got out of there as quickly as possible before the monster returned. I felt her squirm in my grip and that's when I remembered that she didn't like to be touched, so I released her immediately and she took a few steps away from me, glaring as she grabbed her arm.
Did I hold her too tight?
"Listen... I... I didn't mean to... I was just nervous to get out of there because of the guard and… I'd like to apologize if I hurt you and..."
I stammered, crouching down to her level as she slowly approached, scratching the back of my head and looking away, stopping when the Girl grabbed my arm and looked me in the eye.
"Do you forgive me?"
She nodded and I smiled in relief, reaching my hand towards her head, but she closed her eyes and stepped back.
"Pardon me!"
I got up quickly, but this time, she seemed to understand and just nodded, returning to my side and grabbing my shirt.
"Oh, you and your daughter are adorable!" D'arce smiled, clasping her hands on the sides of her face.
"She's not… Never mind! Let's focus on what's important right now!"
We are in the backyard of this place, which means that Butterfly, the Girl's dagger and the passage to the tree are nearby. Looking around, I spotted something glistening in the grass near the trees.
"Girl, come with me. I have something for you."
Nodding, the two of us, accompanied by D'arce, walked through the area. Halfway there, I crouched and picked the small dagger from the ground, showing it to the child, who cocked her head, staring at the weapon.
"Take it, use it to fight in case I can't help you."
Her eyes widened in surprise, then she stared at me with her deep yellow eyes, as if looking into my soul, and maybe she is; considering her existence. Still staring, she slowly raised her finger and pointed at herself, probably wondering if the dagger was really meant for her.
"Yes, I am giving this to you. I don't expect you to face the monsters so leave the fighting to D'arce and me, but should the worst happen, I don't want you to be helpless."
Slowly, she extended her hand and accepted the weapon, holding the blade in front of her eyes, and then brought her other hand still holding the doll towards her face.
"Have you ever seen your reflection before?"
She cocked her head.
"Do you know what a reflection is?"
She shook her head.
"Have you ever seen what you look like?"
She shook her head again.
"One minute."
I grabbed my phone, opened the camera app and with a quick click, snapped a picture of her. She stared without understanding what I was doing, being taken back when I showed her the picture, making her gaze alternate between me and the image.
"This magical artifact has the ability to record certain moments permanently; the person you are seeing is you. That's what you look like."
She pointed at the photo and then to herself.
"Yes, this is you."
Slowly, she ran her hands through her hair, cheeks, lips, opened her mouth and ran her tongue over her teeth.
"So, what do you think of your appearance? Did you like what you saw?"
I put my cell phone away as she looked at the ground, making a thoughtful face before shrugging
"Do you not know?"
She shook her head.
"Well, I can't judge, after all, I'm not confident in my beauty either. But changing the subject, are you ready to go?"
Nodding, the Girl pulled the collar of her rag dress and placed the doll there, leaving only its head outside, then she held the dagger in her right hand and my free hand on her left one, shuddering for a minute.
"Are you sure you want to hold my hand? You don't have to; I know you're not comfortable with that."
She nodded.
"Then don't let go of my hand, okay?"
I smiled, and to my surprise, she smiled back, a small one, but it seemed to shine in this place. It might not seem like much, but I was sure it was something significant for her.
"Right, so without further ado, let's continue! Wait a minute, where is D'arce?!"
"Please stop!"
A high-pitched voice screamed. Looking at its source, I spotted D'arce hitting Butterfly with the flat of her sword. The lean, gray-skinned monster was lying on the ground, covering its head with both hands, trying to shield itself from her blows.
"Face me coward!"
She demanded, still hitting Butterfly.
"Leave me alone, I don't wish for trouble!"
"D'ARCE! STOP!"
I ran towards the knight, with the girl following me.
"Oh, my friend! I'm glad you're here! I didn't want to interrupt the conversation with your daughter, so I decided to explore, and I found this vile creature! Come, fight by my side and together we will bring down this monstrosity!"
She smiled, but I quickly pulled her away while apologizing to Butterfly.
"I'm very sorry! Please excuse my friend! She is a little crazy!"
"Hey, where are you taking me?!"
The knight exclaimed, swinging her sword in the air.
"Please get her out of here!"
Butterfly begged and with him left behind, the three of us approached the passage blocked by rubble.
"Well, where is the way to Le'garde?" D'arce asked with her hands on her hips.
"Right in front of us. But we need to get this debris out of the way, an explosive vial should do."
Hm… Maybe I should send one of the rats to find it.
"Oh! You mean one of those?"
She removed a vial of black liquid from her waist pouch and held it in front of my face.
"Yes, exactly!"
My smile turned into a face of desperation as soon as I saw her pulling her arm back, preparing to throw it.
"D'arce, no!"
But the knight ignored my words, and with a childlike smile, hurled the vial. It was as if the world had gone into slow motion, I quickly turned around and picked the Girl off the ground, holding her in my arms and ran from the narrow passage, turning the corner and stopping next to the statue of Alll-mer. Then…
BOOM!
A deafening blast accompanied by a shock wave and a cloud of smoke erupted from the passageway. When everything went silent, we stared at each other with open mouths and wide eyes.
"Did she die?"
The Girl just shrugged, not caring about D'arce.
"I don't know. I'm a little worried about your friend, but I admit I won't mind if she's been torn to pieces."
Butterfly said beside me.
"Don't say that. She's not that bad, this dungeon is messing with her head."
I replied, sitting the Girl in my arms.
"I hope you're right, our first meeting wasn't exactly amicable."
The monster ran his hand on the top of his head, now red from D'arce's blows.
"If it's of any use, I'd like to apologize on her behalf."
I bowed slightly.
"No no! I don't hold a grudge, but I think you better check out your friend."
Butterfly waved his hands, trying to defuse the situation.
"Oh, you are right! Sorry for bothering you!"
I walked towards the passage as the Girl and I waved goodbye to Butterfly, who returned the gesture.
What a nice guy!
To our surprise, we found D'arce in one piece, armor and face covered in dust and dirt and hair messed up from the explosion.
"Where did you two go?"
She waved while smiling.
"Nowhere, now let's keep going, I'm tired of setbacks."
I sighed, walking past her and crossing the passage without wasting time, entering the big old tree covered with corpses and whose top was shaped like a woman with long hair.
We walked down a ramp made of roots, each step making the wood creak, D'arce leading the way while I set the Girl down and shone the flashlight on my cell phone down the path.
Glancing aside, I saw the child looking away with crossed arms while stomping the ground.
"Do you want me to carry you?"
She shook her head, but I saw a tinge of red in her face.
"We'll have to face some monsters up ahead, and I need both hands for that. When we return to safety, I promise I will carry you. Is that ok?"
She nodded and we followed D'arce, but midway through, I told her to stop.
"Is there a problem?"
"I just wanted to say that this tree is full of secret passages."
I tapped on a wall next to me, making it open, revealing a room with a chest inside.
"Oh! You seem to know a lot about this dungeon."
"What can I say? I like to know more about the places I'm going, especially when they are dungeons full of monsters."
I walked towards the chest with the Girl at my side.
"Hey, Kitab? Do you think I can get a new weapon?"
"The possibility exists, but you can flip a coin to get something better."
"Well, without holding back this time."
I took out a twenty-five cent coin…
"Tails!"
…And tossed it, becoming disappointed with the result, heads. Then the coin crumbled to dust.
"A pity, fortunately the consequence here is not getting better equipment. You can try again, or open the chest and be content with what's inside."
"Not this time. I want to be prepared."
I picked up another twenty-five cent coin and tossed it.
"Tails!"
Heads again.
"Bad luck, bad luck! Apparently, the Gods are against you today!"
Grumbling at Kitab's comments, I picked up another coin of equal value, chose tails, and tossed it up. A smile formed on my face as I got the desired result. Once it was gone, I opened the chest and grabbed my new weapon, frowning soon after.
"A rapier?! What is that?! Dark souls?! I don't have the dexterity to use this thing!"
I screamed my frustrations, holding the sword in front of my face. It was a rapier with the handle in the shape of a cup, serving as a shield covered in silver adornments in the shape of eyes with emeralds in their center.
The hilt was shaped like several golden tentacles coming together in a spiral, ending in a pommel in the shape of a screaming face, while the blade was long, thin, pointed, a meter and a half long, having a double edge capable of piercing and cutting.
"Well, you can't complain! You said you wanted a better weapon, not a weapon you know how to use! Moreover, treat it with the respect it deserves! This is the most recognizable rapier design, with a cup handle. This sword was popular in the 1600's in Spain and other countries. Unlike the ornate sword hilts of Germany and other northern countries, Spanish rapiers were created for practical use above all else. As rapiers continued to become longer and thinner, thrusting techniques dominated sword fighting. The frontal protection offered by a cup hilt made this style of sword extremely popular with civilians and common soldiers alike. This sword has also been used in a variety of settings, from fencing to New World expeditions."
Kitab replied while I opened and closed my mouth, but no words came out.
What the hell was that? Kitab just gave me a history lesson.
"How do you know about this kind of thing?"
"I am a book. Saving knowledge is my purpose. And I don't have the legs to walk around, so I need to keep myself entertained somehow."
"Leaving that aside, is this the kind of thing where I have to be extremely specific to get what I want?"
"Yes."
"Why doesn't this surprise me? I'm going to end up using this thing as a barbecue skewer."
I sighed, turning to the Girl and D'arce, showing off my new weapon. The child just looked curiously while D'arce gave me an approving nod.
"This is the type of weapon a noble would use, although I don't know the design. Would it be from the Eastern Shrines, perhaps?"
D'arce asked.
"According to my magic book, this thing came from Spain."
"Spain? What kingdom is that?"
Oh, I forgot! Spain does not exist in this world.
"Leaving that aside, I hope you don't mind me carrying a weapon."
"No my friend. As long as you don't try anything funny."
She said in a menacing tone disguised as glee as she tapped her sword.
"Before we continue, how do you feel?"
D'arce was silent for a few moments, focusing on anything but me, then, with a sigh, she spoke:
"I'm not sure. It's as if the walls are moving, I hear disembodied voices and see shadows in the shape of people who disappear shortly afterwards. Sometimes I wonder if you and the Girl are real, I wonder if I'm actually bleeding to death on the dungeon floor and this is just a hallucination, my mind trying to block out the cruel reality, but..."
"But?"
"But I feel like I'm getting better after having a drink and spending time with you two. I feel my sanity returning. Maybe I just needed to find someone normal around here."
Yes... Normal... A future God and a sorcerer chosen by Lovecraftian gods.
"Well, since you're calmer, would you like something to eat?"
"Yes please. What little food I had ran out some time ago."
She said sheepishly and I took some pieces of dried meat from my backpack while telling the rats to focus on finding food. Right after that, I handed her some of it
Now, where should they leave it? Should the rats bring everything they find to me, or should they put everything in one place and create a safe room?
"Thanks!"
She said relieved, accepting the food.
Nodding to her, we all exited the secret room and continued down the tree. I had to improvise since I had both hands full, so I put the cell phone in my pocket, but with the flashlight outside, lighting the way. The Girl stayed close to me, gripping my arm with her free hand as she looked around with her dagger ready, but I wondered if she really could fight.
I know that in the game, even armed, the Girl didn't do much damage, but she could fight for gameplay reasons, but here, in this reality, would she have the stomach to stab things that will stand in our way? Only time will tell, so we just continued on our way, into the darkness.
END OF CHAPTER