The seven layers of the Abyss, according to Melva, were detailed on certain maps only available to Delvers, and the effects of their curses were written off to the side. The first was the First Layer: The Edge of the Abyss. Reaching nearly a mile deep with grass-flooded cliffs and ancient ruins, its curse inflicted light dizziness and nausea.
Then there was the Second Layer: The Forest of Temptation. Abundant, wild plant life coated this layer in greenery, hiding the literal Inverted Forest laying near the bottom. The creatures were more savage here, with those such as the voice-mimicking Corpse Weeper being among the most dangerous. It went down a mile further than the first, and its curse was more severe with heavy nausea and numbness of the limbs.
Following this was the Third Layer: The Great Fault. A sheer, vertical shaft twice as large as the Second Layer filled with creatures capable of flight, both wingless and not. Its curse induced vertigo and both visual and auditory hallucinations.
Those who managed to navigate the Great Fault would reach the Fourth Layer: The Goblet of Giants. It was a humid place three miles deep, where the curse caused full-body pain and bleeding from every orifice, and the creatures had deadly intuition.
Further down, the humidity would then become frigid in the Fifth Layer: The Sea of Corpses. It was the shallowest layer vertically but the largest horizontally due to the icy ocean filling it. The curse here caused intense full-body pain, confusion, and loss of all senses.
The Sixth Layer: Capital of the Unreturned came next. Rumors spoke of it housing a lost, golden city filled with as many Relics as there were deadly creatures. In exchange, the curse was the unavoidable loss of one's physical and mental humanity. Because of this, anybody who descended to this point would be considered lost forever.
Finally, there was the Seventh Layer: The Final Maelstrom. Nobody had descended this far yet, or if they had, no information they could've sent had reached the surface. Because of this, its ecosystem was unknown, and its curse could only result in death.
This was what I learned during my following delves with Melva, and it brought everything I was hoping for to a shuddering halt. I hoped that at one point I could descend to the bottom of the Abyss and bring back stories of my adventure. But this... the curse made any of this impossible.
"I can't believe it, this is so unfair," I protested, tearing up a handful of grass from beside me.
Melva looked up from her map at me like I was crazy, and I didn't know why. "Four layers ain't enough for ya?" she asked incredulously. "There's more than enough for ya to discover right now, and in the next few centuries even."
Even if there was, it wouldn't really feel that way to me. Places never-before seen, let alone documented, that was what I wanted. But I also wanted to be able to make it back, and if death was guaranteed, then I didn't want to risk it.
"I-I guess you're right..." I sighed. Still, I couldn't help but pout, mourning the loss of my short-lived dream. I flinched as Melva's hand clapped me on the back.
"C'mon, lighten up a bit. You've only been a Red Whistle for a week. You're a long way from gettin' a Blue Whistle, let alone goin' down to the Fourth Layer. Hell, if ya can't handle the curse here, how can ya handle the Fourth's?"
Recalling our previous delves, I grimaced. I hadn't even bothered eating during our lunch breaks the last few days because I felt like it was a waste of food when I'd throw it back up a couple hours later. But of course, my curiosity was piqued by what Melva had mentioned. "Fourth Layer? I thought people could come back from the Fifth Layer."
"They can, but only the most honored Delvers can descend to the Fifth Layer, and those are the White Whistles," she said. "They've earned their titles by delvin' for decades, and they're known for bringin' up legendary Relics and makin' crazy discoveries that've changed delvin' as we know it. We'd be nothin' without 'em."
My eyes widened with curiosity. "How many are there?"
"There's four right now," Melva started. "They're known to the public as Wakuna the Chosen, Srajo the Mysterious, Bondrewd the Novel, and Ozen the Immovable. There used to be a fifth, Merith, also known as Merith the Wanderer, but she died 'fore I was born. 'Course, she was celebrated like the legend she was, and she still is. Nobody forgets ya if ya become a White Whistle."
Perfect. That sounded exactly what I wanted to become! Perhaps I could ask how they managed to do it if I had the chance to ask them? Before I could say anything, Melva held up her hand.
"And don't ask, none are up on the surface right now. They're almost always in Abyss, they basically live down there. That's how skilled they are, like Ozen." A corner of her mouth quirked up as she said that, her voice more wistful. It was like her thoughts were wandering elsewhere.
That was another hope dashed for me, to my dismay. But I was also curious about why Melva had sounded like that when she said Ozen's name. "Do you like her?" I asked.
Melva looked surprised for some reason, but she shrugged quickly before grinning. "I mean, yeah, but who wouldn't? She's Ozen the Immovable! Damn, even her title's somethin' to marvel at." Her tone held slight awkwardness, though it was overpowered by awe. "Titles like 'the Novel' and 'the Chosen' might be enough for Bondrewd and Wakuna, but 'the Immovable' is the only thing that fits Ozen. I once heard she carried thirty people outta the Abyss. Thirty! If I even had a fraction of her strength, I'd be unstoppable!"
"That sort of sounds unbelievable," I said, raising an eyebrow.
"Rich, comin' from ya, klutz," Melva snickered. "Even if it's fake, there's gotta be somethin' to found it on, yeah?" I could agree with that. "I'd love to meet her someday, but she never seems to be at her camp down in the Second Layer whenever I make my trips down there," she said woefully, sighing. "Meeting Ozen the Immovable... that'd be a dream come true for me!"
My brow furrowed as I fell into thought. "So I need to become a White Whistle if I want to go as far as I'm able to and come back," I mused. "All I'd have to do is get really good at delving, right?" Melva's response was one of her belting laughs.
"I'd love to see ya try, kid!" she exclaimed. "There's only those four alive right now outta almost a thousand Delvers." I frowned, and Melva shook her head, saying, "For now, just worry 'bout gettin' a Blue Whistle, or better, goin' deeper than a hundred yards. Thinkin' 'bout the future's great, but ya won't get there if the present ain't on your mind."
"But it's important to have a plan for the future," I muttered, even if I knew my rebuttal would go unheard if I said it aloud. Melva was packing up the map as she prepared to set out again. We still had the second half of the day left, and we hadn't found much.
"I dunno, money's pretty important too," Melva said, "which we ain't gonna get if we don't kick it up a notch."
Never mind. I'd come to learn that Melva had the most acute senses I'd ever seen in a person, to a frightening degree. "Then let's get going." I rushed to help her. Even if she didn't think it was likely that I'd become a White Whistle, it didn't mean I couldn't aspire to it.
—~*~—
A week or so later, Melva dared to let me do something I didn't expect she would allow me to so soon. She said I could wander about in the Abyss by myself for the first time, albeit within a restricted area.
After I finished getting over the initial shock, I grew concerned. "Are you sure about letting me do this? It's only been two weeks since I first started," I said, making sure I was hearing her correctly.
Melva arched a brow. "What, ya still wanna be 'round me? That's fine if you're nervous," she said, frowning.
I shook my head frantically, hoping she wouldn't take her words back. "No, no! I-it's fine, I'd love to try and look around on my own. Thank you, Ms. Melva!"
Melva stares at me a moment longer before shrugging and looking up at the sky. "See where the sun is?" she asked, and I nodded. "Meet me back 'ere by noon, an' we'll see how ya did." She then pointed to the ground where we stood. "Don't do more than ya think ya can handle, alright?"
"I won't. Thank you again," I said with a nervous smile. Conflicting feelings of happiness and hesitance churned within me as I watched her walk further down the path, but I wanted to prove to her that I could be competent on my own.
The place where I'd been left was one I'd been to once before, so I only had a vague recollection of what was around me. I couldn't go farther than the stream up a little ways, and with there being nothing but a cliff face behind me, of course I leapt at the chance to descend. Melva hadn't said anything about going down since we weren't at my limit, so I didn't see a problem with it.
After shakily rappelling down the cliff edge bordering the trail, I touched down on a ledge some eight feet down. I made sure my rope was secure so it wouldn't become untied, and I proceeded down the trail extending to my left, sticking close to the wall. So far, so good.
I couldn't help but get lost a little in the scenery around me as I walked. It was just so beautiful, and I had a hard time believing that there was really anything dangerous around here. Further down, maybe, but it was so peaceful here.
The path brought me into a crevice gouged into a cliff-side, moss creeping inside from atop the cliff. I could see a faint crack of light within the crevice, making it a natural tunnel of sorts. Feeling hopeful, I turned on my headlamp. The green shine of a glowstone lit the ground before me, and I proceeded onwards.
There was nothing to note in the crevice as I walked it, so it was nice to see where I ended up. I stumbled out into an open, grassy space that contained the remnants of a few mossy walls with a staircase situated between them. There was that continuous cliff wall on my left, and there were trees bordering the cliff to my right that would fall deeper into the Abyss. Contained pockets of greenery and ruins like this were common around here, I'd come to realize.
The obvious first place to search was among the ruins, and that was where I started. A quick look in the tall grass growing around the walls turned up nothing except for one of the bushy-tailed mammals, which was disappointing (and mildly frightening from the shock it gave me). That was, until I noticed the shimmer.
It was a bit away from where I was, hidden in the grass more towards a dense thicket of trees beyond the ruins. I stooped down to pick it up, examining it closely. It was a palm-sized square stone with smaller squares cut out from its middle, intricate in design. It was obviously a Relic of some kind.
While I was happy that I found something, I found it a bit strange that it would be out in the open like this and not hidden away. Maybe an animal had dragged it out? Hammerbeaks did like hoarding shiny objects...
I was then hit with a horrible smell, one that made me start coughing almost instantly. It was like a mixture of vinegar and rotting garlic. I pinched my nose but could still taste it, and I couldn't help but gag. It wasn't until I regained my composure that I could think properly again, and my thoughts raced with confusion. Where was that stench coming from? The breeze had seemingly carried it from ahead of me, so somewhere in the trees, maybe?
Looking from afar, it didn't seem like there was anything in the trees, only murky shadows. But not far from the Relic I'd found was... something else. A backpack, somewhat different in design than mine. It was tangled in the bushes lining the trees, and the smell was emanating from a dark substance that largely splattered the pack.
This was admittedly the last thing I thought I'd find. I wasn't about to touch the pack, but I could see its spilled contents. Alongside some delving tools, I could see what looked like other Relics. An egg-shaped stone covered in blue designs, and a quintet of hollow glass beads on a string were the first ones I identified. The point was this was a Delver's pack, and it had been abandoned for reasons I could only guess.
I turned to look deeper into the thicket, trying to listen for anything suspicious. I swore I could hear something, though I couldn't identify what. My mouth opened, no sound escaping me as I debated whether I should try and call out or not. Somebody could be hurt and couldn't speak, or it could be something else. Instead, curiosity compelled me to move towards the noise.
For a minute, I debated whether I should give in to my curiosity or not. Was there really anything truly dangerous so far up? I pulled the knife Melva had given me from my pack. It looked large and unwieldy in my hands, but I grasped the hilt tightly. If there was anything, it would have to see me first, so I'd just be quiet. That was a better idea than fighting it, if there even was anything.
As I proceeded further into the trees, I kept my eyes and ears peeled for what I was hearing. All I could see was more greenery, and it was like all birdsong had been muted. The trees weren't that dense, so they couldn't block out very much sound.
The noise grew louder with every step I took, and I could finally make out what it was. It was bizarre, a dull crunching accompanied by quiet hisses. It'd be impossible to compare it to something because I'd never heard anything like it before. Then another smell hit me.
Blood.
A chill swept down my spine, and my shoulders stiffened as I gripped the knife tighter. Why was I smelling blood? It wasn't in a sterile place like the clinic, it was out in the wild, the Abyss.
The trees soon thinned out, revealing a little, sunlit clearing. And in that clearing, illuminated by a bright beam of sunlight, was something I swore I'd seen in my nightmares once.
It had at least eight segmented legs, covered with barbs and ending in wicked-looking hooks. Its indigo body was as long as Melva was tall, and many thick ropes of silk extended off of its back and wound away into the trees. Yet another chill raced through me, this one making me physically shudder. I shrunk back into the shadows, hoping it didn't hear me. It didn't seem like it, however.
The spider creature was facing away from me, crouching on the blood-coated grass as it continuously lurched forwards. Each movement buried what were surely its fangs into... a Delver. I didn't see much, as most of him had already been devoured, but I could see the blue whistle laying beside what was left of his neck. His one remaining eye was wide with absolute terror, and it partially bulged out from its socket.
I'd seen several deaths before, though they were never like this. I didn't feel sick or horrified, just numb with utter shock as my heart thumped against my ribcage. Someone, seventeen at the oldest, had been killed by this thing. I'd only seen people hunt animals, not the other way around.
A hitched wheeze escaped me before I could stop it, and that one little noise was all it took for the creature to cease feasting. It turned to look at me with a pair of burning yellow eyes as blood slowly dripped down its fangs.
Before I could react, the creature let out a piercing hiss and lunged towards me. The knife I held became nothing to me as common sense kicked me in the head, and I ran, tearing through the trees and bushes without care or caution. Crashing louder than mine sounded through the treetops above me, gaining much too quickly. It was after me, this thing was after me!
I exploded out of the trees and into the clearing with the ruins. Terror was coursing through me, spiking painfully when I heard an even louder snapping of branches just behind me. I stumbled but kept running, hoping against hope that I'd be safe once I reached the crevice, and that I had enough self-restraint to keep my shuddering breaths from turning into screams. But a yawning pit of dread in me told me I wouldn't be fast enough.
The creature hissed loudly, and something smacked into my backpack with a wet thunk. This time, my balance failed me completely, and I found myself tumbling to the ground. The world went blurry as my glasses were knocked off.
Choking on panic, I scrambled to find my glasses. Everything beyond my immediate field of view was a blur, but I could still see the dark mass fast-approaching. Finally, my fingers grasped my lenses, and I shoved them onto my face. My heart plummeted into my stomach as I saw the creature looming over me, toxic-looking black sludge oozing from its maw. The air was choked with the scent of blood and venom. The last of my breath released as a scream, and I prepared to feel the blood-soaked fangs rip into me.
"Kid!"
Like something out of a story, my hero arrived. Melva vaulted over the wall behind me, brandishing a knife. She threw herself between me and the creature and plunged the blade into its head. It shrieked and recoiled, and Melva took the chance. She ripped my backpack from my shoulders before grabbing me around the waist. Throwing me over her shoulder, she then bolted, not for the crevice, but the cliff. I only had a second to cry out before she jumped.
For a few seconds, we were airborne, nothing beneath us as we plummeted off the side of the cliff. Then we jolted to an abrupt stop as Melva hissed in pain. I instinctively clamped my hands to my face to hold my glasses in place at the cost of my helmet, which slipped from my head and plummeted into the misty depths.
"I applaud your gutsiness for makin' your own route like that. But it almost got ya killed by a Silkfang, so that's a downside," Melva grunted in a strained voice. She still had me in one arm while the other tensed as she clung to a rope with a death grip. I hadn't seen her tie a rope, so it must have had a grapple that was lodged in one of the trees above us.
My words were momentarily caught in my throat, my vision spinning as I was forced to stare down into the swirling clouds. I only didn't mind heights when I had solid ground under my feet. "W-won't it follow us?" I whimpered, forcing myself to look at Melva.
"Silkfangs don't leave their territory," she explained brusquely. "They don't come up to the hundred-yard line most of the time, so I was gonna tell ya 'bout 'em when we started goin' deeper. Least ya got an early crash course. But I'd rather talk when my arm don't feel like it's bein' pulled outta its damn socket."
With that amazing strength of hers, she swung us forwards before planting her feet on the cliffside so she was standing vertically. All I could do was cling to her arm, begging internally that her grip wouldn't fail us. I was still in shock that in the span of two minutes, I'd eluded death twice. She then began to walk back and forth along the cliff, trying to build up momentum.
"Hold on, kid." She charged along the cliff, pitching us into a swing. At the same time, she let go of the rope and hugged me to her chest. For another second we were weightless, and then the wind was knocked from me as we impacted the grass and rock of another ledge.
We rolled a few times before coming to a stop, where we both laid there, trying to catch our breaths. My heart was still racing. It was hurting my chest, it was pounding so hard. I didn't even care that my glasses had fallen off again, I was just focused on comprehending that I was back on solid ground.
Eventually, I wriggled out of my mentor's grasp and sat up, followed by her. "Please tell me ya got somethin' outta that so I feel better 'bout ditchin' a week's worth of profits for that backpack, and my knife. Silkfang better enjoy it..." she wheezed. She rotated her shoulder, grimacing. "Kid?" she questioned when I didn't respond.
"I-it was eating someone," I stuttered, shuddering. "A... a Blue Whistle. He was a-already dead, but..." I trailed off, swallowing thickly at the thought that I could've been next.
I could see Melva's eyes widen before she smiled grimly. "I told ya there was some nasty shit down 'ere, and Silkfangs ain't even supposed to be that dangerous. Poor sap must've stumbled 'cross it by accident." She sighed, handing me my glasses. "Look, I wanna be nice 'bout this' cause ya haven't seen anythin' like that yet, but ya signed up for this. It'll only get worse later on."
"Yes, I know, I-I know," I mumbled, nodding as I put them on. I felt ashamed for taking her words so lightly. "I guess I just didn't really take it in because I've only seen the pretty things up until now."
Melva squeezed my shoulder in a way that could have almost been comforting. "Welcome to the Abyss, then." Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her giving me a smile that was much softer than her previous ones. It reminded me of my mother's smiles. Still, what a rude welcome this was.
I took one last breath, calming myself. Thinking about it, it all made sense in a morbid way. To the Silkfang, I'd been prey, a rung lower on the Abyss' food chain. And with that, there were things above the Silkfang. But if I was going to be stumbling into these creatures' territories, I couldn't be prey. If I was going to have any chance at making it far, I needed to become more like Melva.
"Ms. Melva, how do I become as strong as you?" I asked, furrowing my brow in determination. "The way you stabbed that Silkfang with only a knife, and how you could hold us both on the rope, I want to be like that." No, even stronger than her. I had to be as strong as a White Whistle. Because whether Melva liked it or not, I was going to join their ranks.
She grinned, laughing. "I'd love to see ya punch a Crimson Splitjaw, and I like the bravado. Alright, for a bit, let's focus on buildin' some strength. The rest'll come to ya the longer ya delve." She looked up at the cliffs. "But first, let's start with gettin' back up to the surface, eh?"