Stories of Stardust (pt2)

200. Zenith Online Chapter 46-Leather-bound Books and Rooks (5)

The tunnel we were following sloped down and twisted to the right. As we turned the corner, a faint glow pulled us forward. The loud, dull roar of a waterfall reached our ears, indicating we were almost to the main section of the temple.

For as far as we had dived down, we now needed to climb back up.

A small room appeared on our right, containing a tiny treasure chest with minute amounts of money. Behind it, a small spring gushed out, trailing into the gutters on either side of the chest and curving into the tunnel we followed down to the main section of the dungeon.

We followed the flow and the only path forward until we reached the largest cavern I'd ever seen in my life and the source of the dull roar. A wide but thin waterfall gushed in from the rocky ceiling high above, fed by the boss arena where the rooks rested beneath the lake. The trickling waterfall cascaded into gutters that wound around the area, some bridges and pathways marking paths between. Mist hung in the air, driven up as water slammed into the water, sparkling around us.

All along the walls were visible and hidden tunnels. Some pathways between were visible, with bridges or ladders connecting levels. Others, I knew, only connected in the rooms beyond or would be connected as we increased the water levels as we progressed through the dungeon. Between the exists and offshoots were ragged, rocky walls that were sometimes climbable, filled with exotic and colorful plant life. The place hummed as strange creatures and insects sang and shifted through the plants.

Sinbad and Eliza appeared energized by the new scenery; Cove and I exchanged an exhausted glance. This particular dungeon wasn't well explored in-game, being both new and already notorious for being time-consuming and frustrating to complete. It had been partially detailed during the novel; however, it appeared the developers may have added some extra areas. Knowing what I did about the development of Zenith Online, they'd most likely decided it would be boring, otherwise.

Although the sheer expanse of the dungeon, from what I could see, was more than a little frustrating, it was beautiful, and I felt a newfound appreciation for the effort designing the dungeon must have taken. I'd rather they have put in less effort, but it was stunning and made me itch to put a pencil to paper. As it was, I slid my phone out of my pocket and took a short video to use as a reference later.

We walked down the stone path between flora and fauna, using stepping stones to hop over the water and in front of a locked gate beyond. Without having to speak, Sinbad, Eliza, and I pulled back, allowing Cove to lead the way. He slid the key from his hand and into the lock, twisting it. The door shuddered, and dust fell from the ceiling as it pulled open, bioluminescent stones from beyond lighting our way into a small room. The bottom of the room was filled with water, stalked by hungry crabgators. A middle section contained large stones set up for platforming, staggered through the middle and to the other end of the room, where a large lever controlled the flow of water into the room.

This, I could tell, was the room that set the mood for the whole dungeon, introducing the water control aspect that we'd have to utilize to reach the top floor and, eventually, the boss arena.

Sinbad moved forward without pausing, leaping between the stones sure-footedly, hardly a glance cast down at the crabgators that snapped at his feet. He landed on the other side casually, sauntering to the lever and yanking it down without any hesitation. An underwater gate on our side creaked and groaned open, allowing more water to flood into the room. The stones beneath our feet shuddered as well, lifting Sinbad up to a previously unnoticed doorway nearly two stories from where he'd started. The stones that had been staggered between the two platforms lifed to various heights, making an almost ladder for us to climb as the water began lapping at our feet, the hungry crabgators swimming forward to press against the edge of the platform that would soon be deep enough underwater to allow them entry.

As causally has her captain before her, Eliza jumped from one stone to another, climbing the entire story to land next to Sinbad. Cove and I followed. Admittedly, it felt...cool, in a way, to do this in real life. Contrary to my own expectations, my feet landed solidified and smoothly as I catapulted myself up to Sinbad, Eliza, and Cove. Sinbad pressed his hand against the stone of the door. It swung open easily beneath his touch, leading to a narrow room that was lazily filled with more crabgators. Wooden boxes rocked and floated between raised platforms, light enough that a crabgator merely had to brush up against it to send it floating away.

The platforms and boxes stuck high enough out of the water falling into the water would be a frustrating detour. Without complaint, we began the arduous task of crossing the water, taking into account the shifting positions of the boxes caused by the crabgators. It was frustrating work. Cove and I, being further back than Eliza and Sinbad, had the path before us constantly knocked out of shape as Eliza and Sinbad progressed.

As the tail of a crabgator smacked into the side of the crate I was on, knocking me into another box, I muttered. "That is it."

I cast a quick gust on the crate, blowing myself to the other side. It was slightly draining, but far better than using teleport would have been, and worth the time it saved me as I sailed past Cove, then Eliza, then Sinbad to be the first to land on the other side.

Cheekily, I leaned against the door on the left as I waited for the others to reach my location.

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Chapter 200!!!! Whoot Whoot! I can't believe we've made it this far! Thanks so much for reading guys! I really appreciate you all!