Actually, the moment the water started to recede, Peter began frantically messaging Shiller, but Mediocre isn't like other personality traits; he didn't have the ability to multitask. If he focused on one thing, he couldn't do another, so as he was busy smashing the lock on the rooftop with Jerome, he didn't check the messages.
After a lot of effort, they managed to break the lock on the rooftop door. When they started heading downwards, they found that this floor was indeed all water. The amount wasn't overly excessive nor too little, but it seemed some rooms were sealed, preventing water from entering, so the water in the corridor came up at least to their waists.
This water also seemed a bit different, akin to walking through a swamp, greatly slowing their pace.
As Shiller walked forward, he felt something trip him up. He reached down and discovered it was a carpet that had swollen with water. Flipping the carpet over, he found some patterns underneath.
But because he couldn't understand them, he just tossed the carpet aside.
Cobblepot also tripped, and given his leg was already in bad shape, he completely fell into the water. Shiller helped him up, but from his expression, it looked like he would have rather plunged into the water headfirst.
Shiller reached down again and found a human head, which he promptly threw away.
They made their way to where the elevator was supposed to be. Jerome was about to say the elevator probably wasn't aligned and wouldn't work, but then he thought more carefully; after being soaked, even if it were aligned, it likely wouldn't work anyway.
With a ding, the elevator doors opened.
They saw that the elevator car hadn't arrived at all; probably the water had damaged the circuits, causing the doors to open directly.
The group was bewildered, but clearly, something else was more confused than they were. All reflective objects around them began to flash with a brittle shine. Jerome took a cautious step back and said, "Kaleidoscope is here."
The surface of the water, being reflective, had a few flickers of Kaleidoscope, then suddenly became still. When it reappeared, it desperately tried to press against the elevator car, but the elevator hadn't come at all.
Since the elevator wasn't aligned, the floor of the elevator shaft was at the same level as this floor. Kaleidoscope flashed around the water for a while, but after a moment, it became still.
Jerome was somewhat surprised. Could it be that this level water would drown everyone? Even the monsters from Nyarlathotep's side aren't spared?
Now, they had no choice but to try to align the elevator.
Fortunately, it seemed the water wouldn't rise to a certain height to trigger anything, and all of the monsters appeared unable to cross the water, giving them ample opportunity to find out exactly where the elevator shaft was.
It was Shiller who caused this anomaly, so Jerome felt that Shiller had his own plans and thus entrusted him with this task.
The result was predictable. Shiller tried all 12 rooms on this floor, only succeeding with the 12th.
Looking at the door plates floating on the water, they were somewhat speechless. Perfectly avoiding the correct answer could also be seen as a successful deduction, couldn't it?
After Shiller attached the elevator sign, the doors remained open, and the water rushed down the elevator shaft, dooming the floor below as well.
Around the 23rd floor, the elevator shaft just happened to align with two floors, so they could no longer jump down directly.
However, the three present were all fairly agile; the elevator shaft was narrow enough to descend by bracing themselves with hands and feet. Since Cobblepot had some problems with his legs, Jerome and Shiller went down first and then had him hold onto Gordon to jump down. Catching him from a two-story height definitely wouldn't be a problem.
By the 20th floor, things became more problematic because the shaft below the 19th floor was cleared, and jumping down was no longer an option or they would fall into the Abyss.
Shiller first let the water drain. It was necessary because, with the elevator broken, they could only continue downward through the elevator shaft. Since that was the case, they would, of course, have to open the elevator doors, and they certainly couldn't stop the water from seeking the lowest point.
Fortunately, although things inside the hotel couldn't be taken outside, the elevator still counted as being inside the hotel. So, they turned the hallway window curtains and the carpet into a makeshift rope ladder, planning to use it to reach the 19th floor.
Jerome climbed down without any issues, but when it was Shiller's turn, some unknown creature emerged from the upper floors. The well-tied rope abruptly snapped, and Shiller fell down.
Splash! Shiller landed in the water. Despite its shallow appearance, the water had qualities unlike any other. Not only did it catch Shiller, but it also eliminated all inertia, leaving him completely unharmed.
When Shiller exited the elevator, he turned back to see that he was actually on the second floor. This was the lowest he had been since arriving.
He looked around; there was nothing special here. Outside the elevator shaft was pitch-black, and he couldn't see anything.
Hesitating for a moment, Shiller didn't walk out. Instead, he just stood still inside the elevator shaft.
Suddenly, the elevator beneath him moved slightly, then began to slowly descend. Shiller clung tightly to the rope above the car, following the elevator downward.
As the elevator went down, the shaft emptied, naturally allowing the water to flow towards it. In such a narrow space, the water level was bound to rise, and Shiller had to hold onto the rope and float higher just to keep his head above water to breathe.
Just as he was about to succumb to another illusion, the elevator stopped. This level seemed to be a few floors underground. The water gushed forth, and Shiller slowly descended but didn't immediately jump onto the top of the car, as he wasn't that agile.
Seeing that there wasn't much height left, he tried to jump down, only for a whoosh of flame to rush towards him.
Shiller was somewhat confused. Why would there be fire here after the water had flowed past, but soon sizzling sounds could be heard from inside, and thick smoke started billowing.
The smoke wasn't choking but seemed to have a double hallucinogenic effect. Shiller quickly fell into a dreamlike state.
Click! The elevator moved again, subsequently stopping at floors that were extremely cold and extremely hot. But because a lot of smoke came down with him, neither the heat nor the cold invaded the shaft, and Shiller slept soundly.
Beneath them was a vast chasm with numerous caves densely scattered across the mountain, each holding bizarre, indescribable creatures. It seemed that the creatures inside the elevator had escaped from here.
But Shiller was still lost in his dream and saw nothing.
The elevator finally stopped in the deepest cavern.
Shiller had just woken up, remembering that something seemed to be chasing him in his dream, but dreams are always quickly forgotten, and upon awakening, he found himself at the entrance of an endlessly dark cavern.
Feeling it was somewhat inappropriate to continue being idle in this place, Shiller stepped out of the elevator, looked around, and found that, aside from the darkness, there was no other danger.
Of course, he had received the sacrifice, but he almost never used it, so he simply held a flashlight in his hand, illuminating the path not far ahead.
He continued forward, but the dark path seemed to have no end, and eventually, he found there was no more road ahead of him, only a dark cliff.
He felt as if something was about to emerge from beneath the cliff.
Shiller swore he had absolutely no desire to look down, in fact, he turned and ran, but for some unknown reason, a stalactite from the top of the cave snapped off and plummeted, creating a large pit upon impact with the ground, and also breaking away the very spot where Shiller stood.
Shiller fell down.
He felt as though he had landed on something, but it was neither soft nor hard, and he couldn't quite identify it; it was as if it existed and yet didn't, invisible and inaudible.
All he felt was that the momentum of the ascent from the other had stopped.
For some reason, Shiller felt he was in a very awkward situation, not just him, but the other party seemed to be awkward too.
"Um, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall on you," Shiller said. He wanted to flip over to see who the other was, but he felt stuck like an ensnared bug, unable to move, so he had to just lie there.
"If you are an elevator, then just take me back up," Shiller went on. "Although I don't have much to give you, if you like this flashlight, then it's yours."
For some reason, Shiller felt he was sinking down, as if he was being absorbed into the other's vast body, and he felt the sinking was beyond his control, as was the other's.
The two beings were in a deadlock.
"Wake up," Shiller heard a voice say to him, but his consciousness was hazy and blurred, and his sense of self seemed to be gradually fading.
"Wake up quickly!" the tone of the other grew stern.
All at once, Shiller came to his senses and saw a pitch-black figure clinging to the rock wall, with a pair of blood-red eyes staring at him.
"Who are you?" Shiller asked.
"I am Nyarlathotep."
"And who is that?" Shiller referred to the entity beneath him.
"That is the true Nyarlathotep."
Shiller did not understand, but he was more concerned with his current predicament, saying, "Did I fall on you? Can you get me out of here?"
"To be honest, I am not clear on how things have developed to this point," the being claiming to be Nyarla spoke. "You should not have fallen upon me, you cannot merge with me."
"Why can't I?"
"Because you are not me, nor a part of me."
"I don't know, I'm too tired, I want to sleep."
"You can't sleep, or you will be devoured by me."
"Then let it be so."
"You must not sleep, you need to stay awake in order to be rescued by someone."
Shiller made no reply, and the cave was engulfed in a prolonged silence, Shiller's figure sinking lower, deeper into the depths.
If someone were standing at the top of the cliff looking down at this moment, they would see the most unforgettable horror of their lives, for at the bottom of the cliff was an indescribable massive entity.
It had no specific shape; from afar it resembled an endless nebula, but within it swirled countless terrifying faces, with layers upon layers of intertwining eyes, noses, and mouths, exhibiting expressions of pain and ferocity, each mask sprouting numerous tentacles to bind them together, as if none wished to let any escape.
Amidst the nebula were dotted with pyramids and octahedrons, each facet of every polyhedron was engraved with endless knowledge, the mere sight of which could drive one to madness from the vast ocean of evil and forbidden knowledge, adding one more pained mask to the nebula.
As the nebula flowed, the masks interwove, representing the despair and agony of countless beings, yet indifferently organized into a perfectly natural appearance.
Terrifying, magnificent, unspeakable.
Only one face did not belong.
Shiller slept serenely.