"Ah?" Aki questions.
Dent scowls. "The Space Gate needs the altar to function, doesn't it?"
Winter twiddles his fingers rapidly before touching the doors to the temple. "It's okay! We can just exploit the mechanics!"
The darkness morphs beneath his gloved hands, darkening even against the light Aki shines and creepily sinks between the gaps until an unnaturally bright area remains. Winter's focused expression and forced smile droop as sweat beads begin to form on his forehead.
"I forgot you need Light magic to open the temple doors…" He says after a moment. "F-from the outside anyway! Inside, anyone can open them… also I can feel something inside but it isn't moving. I'm not sure if it's the boss or not though."
Dent sighs and flicks his sword out enough to create winds around himself. "Are there any other ways in? If there is no danger, I'll open the doors."
"I have no idea… Kokone was the one more familiar with everything. Plus, I hated the underwater levels. Bad experiences with water temples."
Dent sighs again, louder this time. "Alright, I'll search around the perimeter for a way in."
"Wait, here." Winter reaches into the shadows at his feet and pulls out a white stone. "Pour a little mana in it and it'll light up."
Dent takes it wordlessly and flies up, leaving Aki and Winter at the doors.
"If it is this Pelgaius, will we be able to exploit its weakness like you mentioned?" Aki questions slowly.
Winter chuckles nervously and scratches his head. "Not exactly. You can't beat it without a light magic affinity for a certain spell. But! Kokone said that in its code, after weakening the boss, you could capture it with Winter's niche. I guess, kinda like a special prize for getting his route. Maybe."
"Maybe???" Aki's shock at the half-cocked plan fades upon sensing the immense trust radiating from Winter. "You really trust in her even now, huh?"
He clenches his jaw, balling his little hands into a fist and letting out a slow, rattling breath. "Yeah."
The doors to the temple shake and slowly shudder open. A deep grinding noise penetrates the still air with an ancient grumble like a monster rousing from its slumber after a millenia. Noises at the base of the stairs alert Aki that Demelkas and his crew are now climbing.
At the door, Dent's face appears first, contorted in minor effort as he swings the stone open to reveal the interior of the temple.
Dim lights glow eerily in place, marking the obvious paths in the temple and converging in the far side of the interior upon which a raised platform dominates the space. An altar sits atop it as a vanguard to an intricate painting at least two storeys tall.
What can be seen is hauntingly beautiful, ghastly even with the dancing shadows as if the magical light source is cast by phantom flames.
Yet despite all the beauty in this vain dark, Aki's eyes focus on the dark mass standing on the altar. Breaking apart the dark where a head might be are a pair of sharp eyes, only pure white. There is no expression. No body language.
Nothing remotely human aside from a vague shape. Yet in those eyes – if they could be called that – Aki feels pure bloodlust.
Winter crosses the threshold of the temple first, speaking something to Dent that Aki couldn't hear. The moment he does, the violent feelings build even more.
"I remember anger but this is…" Aki crosses the threshold as well and for a moment, she thinks its leg twitches slightly.
"Seems to be the case, Winter. It really won't react unless we interact with its altar." Dent observes it warily. "I'll inform the others of the situation. You two find the Space Gate. Perhaps it can be used without the altar."
Aki takes the lead cautiously, without her abilities going off, she was uncertain if the movement was true.
She keeps her head on a swivel and her steps light, ready to react if the umibozu does something. Broken pews, shattered tiles, and damaged pillars of gothic nature all come into dim clarity under Aki's light.
At a glance, it seems no more than a rather illustrious temple fallen into ruin. In fact, it could be called beautiful even in this current state if it weren't for the intensely malicious gaze following her.
"Winter? Where was the Space Gate in your world?" Aki keeps her front to the altar as she searches around.
The dustless nature of a disastrously set temple makes her feel uneasy. Still, nothing other than the boss, Pelgaius of the Deep, appears to reside within.
"Under the altar is a staircase that leads to a separate chamber. Maybe there's another entry?"
Aki tentatively approaches the altar, eyes locked with Pelgaius' own as she steps behind the opulent centre into the open space leading to the back. Stone and more of the dim lanterns yet nothing more. Winter hums quietly beside her.
"Worst case scenario, we can always fight and try to capture it. But… hopefully it doesn't come down to that."
Aki gives Winter an odd look then remembers the spider and the owrou he has. "Is it because you can only have two summons?"
"I only have one actually… Ogre was destroyed." Winter says quietly.
"Wait, but. How? You're still alive."
Aki wracks her brain trying to recall the teachings Shur gave her. "You didn't banish the spider willingly, did you?"
Winter sighs and lowers his head. "You remember Necra, right? She's so powerful even asleep and devours any other raised Dead I have. If I had more, she'd get too strong and I wouldn't be able to control her. Not without Winter's real power."
A prickling sensation crawls down Aki's spine. Warning and chilling.
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[Gift Activated: Precognition]
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She kicks Winter out of the way and dodges forward, barely avoiding a magical blast from the darkness above that craters the stone underfoot.
The darkness moves and from it a tall, pale man with long silver hair steps into the range of Aki's light. He flashes a predatory smile and clasps his hands together. The black garb he wears shifts soundlessly even with the exaggerated movements.
"Oh? How impressive. I was certain my spells were silently cast yet you dodged it?" The stranger says with a condescending tone.
"An eltan? Shur had light skin but this guy is practically paper white." Aki eyes his very long ears. The points of his ears flutter in excitement, matching the wide grin flashing his pointed fangs and all-too vibrantly alive beautiful looks.
"Fangs?!" Aki raises her pendulum defensively and takes a combative stance. "You're not an eltan, you're a vampire. How'd you get in here without anyone noticing?"
"Quite rude of you, young one, to call another by their race than by their name." His voice is smooth and rich as honey, matching his ephemeral beauty. "Larx. A pleasure."
"Is it normal to try and kill someone before introducing yourself?" Winter sits up from the ground, gasping for breath. Aki had kicked him too hard into the wall trying to save him.
"In my line of business, it's the perfect method of finding worthwhile prizes." He crosses a gloved hand over his chest and mockingly bows with all the professionalism of a butler.
"And what kind of business is that?" Aki eyes the gemstone earring on Larx's left ear.
"There's an auction to be held in Deika just over a month from now. Finding rare monsters and items is quite natural for investors." He smiles a charmingly sweet smile, his eyes darting from Winter to Aki. "My master is the host this year, you see. Far be it that the King of the Eastern Underworld has no toys of his own to offer for such extravagance."
"Toys?" Aki's gaze hardens. Blood seeps from her hand from how deep her nails dig into the flesh.
He flicks his left ear at her and smirks. "You seem familiar with him. Perhaps I'll be rewarded for bringing an escapee to his feet alongside the otherworlder of the Astral Temple."
"Who…?" Winter crosses his arms, willing the shadows to surround him. "And how'd you know that this is the Astral City?"
"Mmm… too much talking. Capture the otherworlder on the altar. I'll take these two." Larx motions and two more shadows split off from the dark.
"You're pretty confident for a slave trader." Aki spits angrily. "Dent and a huge crew are just on the other side of this wall and Pelgaius won't be as easy as you think, right Winter?"
"Is there a brain inside that pretty head? Surely you realised I used a Silence spell earlier. The doors are sealed and those outside the temple, like the dozens we found before them, are being vetted."
Shadows take physical shape and stab at Larx but he easily expels the attack with blinding Light magic.
"You know Light magic?" Aki responds with a witchbolt. Its acid green electrical light flashes vibrantly past Larx.
"Among others." Larx dashes forward, slicing Aki's cheek with his sharp nails.
"I think killing me would be bad, mister!"
"Limbs can be reattached if it's a clean cut," Larx slashes again, a flurry of rapid strikes Aki can't quite dodge. "Organs can be restored if crushed. Even the brain if the damage isn't severe!"
The slashes halt suddenly and he pivots on the heel of his foot. In a single movement, he strikes Aki in the gut and cuts off Winter's hand who had tried sneaking up from behind. The force of the impact on Aki sounds as though a bomb went off while no blood spills from the speed in which Winter's hand flies off.
Aki spits up saliva and falls to her knees.