"It looks like it's going to rain. You should wait for the rain to slow down first." The outlander suggested as she walked them to the valley's end. Aurora sneaked a look down and eyes the fissure.
The fissure was their entrance to the Abyss.
Since the Abyss was a gigantic entity, it had many available entries. Any place that broke the surface of a settlement could be used as an entry to the abyss.
Most entries were locked. The more vicious ones were regulated by the tower. It left only so many non-hostile entries for Aurora to exploit.
As far as Aurora could remember, the fissure in the Rocx valley was a safe entry but not regulated by the tower.
"The rain won't be an issue down there. We'll be alright as long as it doesn't rain in the abyss." Aurora assured.
Rita looked uncertain but determined as she followed after her. The fissure only had a small opening that allowed one entry and Aurora decided to take the lead.
"Rita, keep your guard up at all times. I'll brief you about the abyss once we're in there." It would be better to brief Rita outside but it would increase their chances of getting caught.
Aurora had warned the outlanders to hide and keep their heads low for one day. The Abyss knew where Aurora was and they would scout her position out.
Thankfully, Aurora had anticipated this situation and prepared a suitable aid. Her magic doll would fool the tower's watch birds. Ordinary people did not know, but the watch birds looked for magic signatures instead of facial recognition.
"We'll start the work on the Academy's infrastructure as soon as your puppet leaves the valley. You can count on us" Aurora nodded her head in thanks.
And then the pair entered the Abyss. There was no fanfare and no cracking noise.
There was no magic or tragedy. Just a simple jump and they were both in.
"Did the entrance disappoint you, Rita? You don't look happy." Aurora turned into her companion. The poor girl looked like she had swallowed lemons.
"I-no. It is nothing like that. It's just, that the air inside here feels heavier." Rita complained. Aurora paused, thinking back to her first abyss entrance.
She remembered her group finding it difficult to breathe in the heavier air. They had made a lot of mistakes and not rationed their supplies properly. They even lacked survival experience.
In the end, Clove had dragged them back to the surface and they had to train again.
"Environmental conditions that exist in the abyss are different from the surface. It can change every few kilometres in extreme ways due to the underground volcanoes. The deeper you head, the more volatile you'll find the abyss to be." Aurora explained.
"Don't worry. They won't explode this early in the abyss. The first few floors are relatively safe from extreme natural disasters" Aurora assured.
She pushed Rita to her side quickly. Rita was lucky since Aurora's action protected her from a blast of toxic gas.
Rita's unamused face looked back at Aurora.
"I said relatively safe, not harmless. Just stay with me and you'll be alright." Aurora assured, taking Rita's hand in her own.
Abyss could be overwhelming for the first-timers.
"How deep are we going this time?" Rita asked. Now that the danger has passed away, Rita's curiousness made itself known. It was only Aurora's hand that stopped Rita from bouncing all over the place.
"Luckily, our target is on the base floor so we won't need to travel down. The only known transaction gate is guarded by the tower" the information was nothing new.
The abyss seemed to be based on a gaming tower. The floors were connected to each other by teleportation gates. If you wanted to progress, you needed to defeat the boss and open the gate.
Currently, only the first 20 floors were cleared by the abyss and no one knew how many more there were.
Not even the goddesses. Aurora had made it to the 'assumed' bottom floor. She had gained ultimate power on the hidden floor after Aurora managed to reach the 50th one.
"Maybe this won't be so bad after all." Rita beamed at her. Aurora gave a scuffed smile as she prayed for the younger. This trip was going to change Rita a lot.
Aurora decided not to answer.
She did not have any hope for an easy adventure. Even if this was the first floor, the monsters here were not easy for first-timers to clear.
"Let's head to the supply shop first. We will need some basic gear for you. You are already struggling to breathe properly." Rita opened her mouth to reject Aurora's idea but broke out in a coughing fit.
She lasted longer than Aurora had expected of her.
"N-No, I'm alright. We risk the chance of running into the Tower's team if we do that. Aren't we avoiding them?" Rita questions.
Aurora shook her head.
"The only people who visit the beginner's shop on the first floor are the first-timers. I doubt anyone would recognize us there. Also, you will permanently damage your lungs if you keep on inhaling these fumes." Aurora replied.
Rita still wanted to protest but she no longer had a ground. Aurora was surprised at her own situation. Since she had travelled back in time, she expected her body to suffer from the abyss.
But she had no problem breathing in the toxic air. Not did she feel the forbidden feeling the abyss gave off.
Instead, it felt like it was welcoming her back. She could spot smaller creatures running out of her way with fear. Being a goddess had changed something inside her.
"O-Oh. Is that so? Then, I guess I'm lucky to have you with me for my first time here." Rita's words sounded too sincere. They made Aurora's inside itch at the tone.
She was not sure someone had ever believed in her so hard.
"Flattery will get you nowhere with me. But I do appreciate the vote of confidence. And maybe, just maybe, I will allow you to train under my supervision." Aurora teased back.
The abyss had never been a happy place for her, but she was beginning to appreciate not being alone here.
And Rita's mock-offended sound just amused Aurora even more.
Even the sight of the Tower-infested mob in the distance did not dampen Aurora's mood in the slightest. She quickly made her way toward the shop with Rita following behind closely.
It felt good to be back in the Abyss again.