"I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing."
― Plato, The Republic
The shadowed storm clouds thickened and spun, formed into countless ropes that stuck fast to Cthulhu's tentacles and banded tight over his face. Ven stretched the body of his Giant like an unfamiliar suit, muscles responsive to his will for the first time. The beast still rested beside him, two wills in the same flesh, but now Ven was in control.
"You are much stronger than this fragment you used to bait me…" Cthulhu ground his teeth and expanded the grey flame of his own aura. The ashen fire brushed at Ven's shadows, only to fall into the clouds and vanish. "I have not seen such powers of consumption since the Titan first imprisoned me here."
"Imprisoned you?" Ven halted his efforts to drag the monstrous horror deeper into his aura and raised an eyebrow. "Why would he do that?"
From what Ven knew of the Titan's nature, he wouldn't waste effort on a pointless task. Whatever purpose the Relic World and its labyrinth served, his fellow transmigrator wouldn't have wasted his time unless Cthulhu was important. It was certainly a powerful guardian, but to capture such a beast for such a simple task seemed wasteful.
"The same reason he imprisoned the rest of the Old-Ones, alongside many other ancient beings," Cthulhu snorted as he strained against Ven's hold. "The lowest levels are all formed from our personal realms, hammered into place to help power this cursed prison."
"So… killing you would destabilise this section of the labyrinth…" Ven frowned. The layer above this one had no such owner, not that he knew of anyway. He would get Cain or Min to poke around and make certain, lest they accidentally collapse the abyss. "Convenient for you, but a bit disappointing."
The Lovecraftian behemoth in his aura's grasp had the flavour of a good meal. Hearty, meaty, packed with nutrients that would definitely benefit his growth. A sigh slid past his lips as he eased off on his effort to drain the beast dry. Until he knew more about the Relic world, it was best to leave Cthulhu alive.
"I'll let you go, for now…" Ven shook his head and laughed as the creature withdrew until it was almost lost to sight. "Before you vanish, point me into the direction of the gate down… It will save me time and stop this idiot Giant from trying to devour you the second I leave."
"Take it," A flick of Cthulhu's tentacles cast a planet-sized ring toward Ven's waiting aura. Covered with runes, it carried a layer of purple lightning that brought saliva to his mouth. "I hope the Elders strip your soul-clone of life and cast it into the void that birthed us…"
"You have a good time as well," Ven snorted at the venomous Old-One and drew the Gate into touching distance. "This lightning… it reminds me of the tribulation force that affects cultivators outside my realm."
Mara had expressed concern about letting anyone leave, lest the tribulations they should have encountered came all at once. So far, nothing like that had happened, but Ven's gut told him it was best that they made their breakthroughs in the safety of his realm.
"Let's take a peek at the next floor, shall we?" Ven's Giant howled in agreement and stepped forward to take back the reins of their body. The beast gave a last, hungered look at Cthulhu's last location, before it leapt into the centre of the gate.
– – – –
"A powerful being that's connected to the core of the abyss?" Cain tilted his head and tapped his mask with his fingers. "Lucy and Rafe might have found something like that, but they're leaving it be for now… Min helped place a seal over whatever they found and they're currently investigating a fourth gate on this floor."
"Four gates on one floor…" the avatar Ven used to contact Cain - via his mask - clicked its tongue. "I also found the gate we brought to Avalon on a level that already had two known portals… maybe every layer has multiple gates."
If that was the case, the labyrinth was far more convoluted than any of them had known. Access to varied floors implied a non-linear progression might be needed to find the secret of its depths. He could no longer be certain the gates he found would take him lower. They might only be spokes on an endless wheel, a circle designed to frustrate those who sought the centre.
"Giant can keep up his explorations, but I'll need more than your group if we plan to fully explore every level," Ven sent Cain a mental shrug as he whispered through the mask. "Unless you think Hive is up to the task?"
"That abomination can handle the scouting no problem, but that ocean was filled with enemies far beyond his strength," Cain rolled his eyes at Ven's concerns and waved to the city that still spread over the surface of the abyss. "We'll need to deal with the monsters there before he can really look around."
"Ah… well you're in luck…" Ven cleared his throat, tone sheepish. "That Giant of mine has pretty much devoured the whole ecosystem, except for the lord of the floor… Cthulhu should leave you alone if you mention my name, but be careful and keep your masks on so I can track your progress."
The tentacled horror might respect Ven's strength, but the hungry Old-One was a foe that might be beyond his friends. Even his Giant had struggled, though that was more from its brute force usage of their abilities than anything else. Cain and the others might stand a chance, especially if Min was present, but safe was better than sorry.
"Alright, but what about Rafe…" Cain rose to his feet and cracked his back, an act that released a long string of cracks. "It's been over a month without any progress on his… infection. I'd feel better if someone could watch over him… better still if you came and took a look at the thing in his soul."
Ven sighed through their connection, a rush of air that drowned their ears in static. Rafe's problem was at the forefront of over a hundred avatar's thoughts, yet a good solution failed to present itself. The Giant's body was ill suited for his runic abilities and no other avatar could step outside the realm.
"I'll send more reinforcements, just make sure he stays put…"