Descend into the Unknown

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The tunnels reaching to the sinkholes were always not in the best condition, but as the south one wasn't used as an elevator into the lower levels, this tunnel was especially filthy. The lights were broken, a strange gooey slime was covering the walls and the floor. Raja was relieved, that her outfit included gloves, which means using the walls as means of orientation in the pitch-darkness wasn't that nausea-inducing as it would be otherwise. Dross, on the other hand, who wasn't wearing any shoes, as it was usual with felines like him, lamented about all the strange stuff he was feeling down there. According to him, sticky and gooey materials weren't even remotely the worst laying on the floor. But he continued onwards, gritting his teeth, knowing that his health could depend on his ability to hold out the unknown. They continued following the path for way over an hour until eventually, Raja was able to make out a faint light in the distance. This shimmer, which was promptly raising the morale of both Watchers, caused them to walk a bit faster until arriving at the exit of the tunnel. A smile placed itself on Raja's face, eager to inhale the fresher outside air, but she choked on it at the moment she sucked the air into her lungs. This air tasted at least as horrible as the tunnel air. Was this sinkhole used as a dump? What exactly was the purpose of the southern sinkhole anyway?

After Raja's eyes got used again to the natural light of the outside, she inspected the sinkhole closer. A massive, round hole of 20 meters in diameter, with smooth walls, opened itself up with a gaping maw reaching god knows how deep. They arrived in a small platform roughly 50 meters below the surface, hammered into the rock around the sinkhole. The design mimics the descending platforms in the other sinkholes, but this one was devoid of life or passengers. No flashing lights, no ticket counters, nothing. Only rock, rock and even more rock. But they were not alone. On the other side, straight across the entrance to the abyss, was Terminus, sitting, legs crossed, his two massive tails eked out from him like a horseshoe. He had his eyes closed and was seemingly meditating. Raja blinked surprised; something was different. She couldn't really grasp it, but Terminus looked slightly beefier than before in the altar room. So it was true. The omnipresent god got called that way, because he literally could be at two places at once, maybe even more. Thinking back, her past encounters with him made now so much more sense. Crossing out her teleportation theory from her imaginary notebook, she barely noticed the two phalanxes of Terminus closing in from both sides carrying the voice of the god of knowledge over to their ears:

"Welcome, my children, to this unholy place on Scamall. I would have ordered to clean it up, but I wasn't expecting any visitors until earlier today. As you might have noticed lacks this sinkhole in the usual equipment, to grant its visitors a safe descend and as it is the nature of a clean tunnel going downwards, there is no easy way to the bottom. However, If someone desperately needs to be down there, we would have to book a special shuttle, and as you might know . . .", a displeased interference was echoing down the sinkhole, "this is not exactly an official undertaking. Sure, I am a god, and I could pull some cord to get us discretely one of those, but you know, the wheels of bureaucracy can take ages. Besides, but I think you might have already noticed due to the smell: This sinkhole gets illegally used as a dump, and we can't fare legal consequences against them, because for that we would have to take them down and quite a few of my brothers and sisters doesn't want such a thing. So, without further ado: Congratulations, children! You will have to have the rare chance to get on the ground with a few of our secrets buried beyond the dump. No worries, however, the garbage dump doesn't contain any of 'our' secrets. If you would be now nice enough to take the equipment from the walls, I have prepared for you? It will ease your descend."

Raja and ross turned around looking at the wall behind them. A strange-looking, yet slick and stylish helmet, connected through a tube to an oxygen backpack got placed there. Raja was slightly irritated by the reason behind them wearing incomplete diving gear, but she set aside her questions and pulled over the helmet and shouldered the backpack. Dross followed her doing, and as both were ready Raja asked in the room the question, both of them were currently dying to ask:

"We are ready. Now what? How do we get down there?"

On the other side of the sinkhole Terminus was finally opening his eyes looking over at them, letting out an amused distortion:

"You will get a private descend by Terminus Incorporated. Please fasten your non-existent seatbelts and check the functionality of your helmets: the doors are closing. Please enjoy our ride and give this ride a recommendation after successfully reaching our destination. Fire away!"

The two phalanxes, who were hovering left and right of Dross and Raja, were now charging up in a similar fashion than before in the cathedral. She now understood the need for oxygen support after realizing what was about to happen. A purplish gravity bubble was appearing around them, and both were suddenly losing ground after the bubble enabled its zero gravity. They held their hands trying to get to a point of not tumbling around in the bubble anymore and then gave Terminus the usual ok-sign, divers used:

"So, my two beauties. Enable exterior light and start descending downwards to the bottom of the sinkhole. But please at a speed that doesn't harm our passengers, will you? Alright! Now, my little watchers, the descend should take 20 minutes. I will follow you after you have arrived at your destination. Safe journey."

With that said, the bubble began descending with them down the gaping hellhole. Looking over at Dross, Raja realized he was determined to use this opportunity for a well-deserved nap, and she couldn't blame him for that. Raja, however, was more fascinated by the outside looking at the walls in the distance reading the story this reverse mountain had to tell. Sediments, layers, even thin veins of Zabrit and Graviton she was able to make out in the walls. About to take out her notebook, she realized cursing to herself, that she had forgotten it in her home this evening. A bit angry about her denied access, she just tried to enjoy the view instead.

Ten minutes passed as suddenly the outer walls of the sinkhole were disappearing, granting visual access to a giant cave. Raja was able to make out many lights in the distance, no everywhere. The whole floor was looking from far above like a street net with traffic and window lights. An enormous city cut off of any natural light: Old-Scamall. This place was, where the entrusted magicians of Scamall were living, separated from the purist community, working here, using their powers to provide Scamall with the necessary heat, water and electricity. Some might think that this was not a life worth living, but Scamall cared much for their deep-dwelling citizens. To avert a possible revolution or anything, that could harm the above city, they got extremely well paid and were able to wish for nearly everything. This city was filthy rich and based on the lights in the distance, Raja could quickly figure out what they did with the money. Blinking and flashing light in all colours, casinos upon casinos. This place was the gambling hell and a magnet for filth to make themselves a name. A cold chill ran down Raja's spine after remembering what she had read about this place. Dark betting stories, some blacker than black. It was good, she wasn't living down here, god knows what would happen to one of her kind in this lawless hell.

Arriving two minutes later at the ground layer, the sinkhole finally returned, and the walls were from now on much more interesting to look at. Starting from this deepness, the graviton and zabrit veins multiplied in count only to engulf them whole at a depth of roughly 900 meters. Azure veins mixed with yellowish-green ones, and that everywhere. A true spectacle of colours and prismatic beauty. at the depth of 1000 meters, onwards the untouched smooth walls got more and more riddled with holes. They have arrived at the top layers of the extensive mine system hollowing out the lower layers of the reverse mountain. A feat, only the giant Tunnler-moles of Duvara's desert should be able to do: Riddled with massive holes and that everywhere Raja was able to lay her eyes on.

Then at 1200 meters, they came to a sudden stop. Below them was a massive junkyard, the illegal trash of seemingly centuries. Raja shuddered to imagine how many decided to dump the pieces of evidence of their crimes down into this unholy dump. Better not inspect it further, just look straight forward to their destination the bubble was hovering towards. Flying now over a platform in front of a huge entrance into a cave, only meters over the dump, the phalanxes simply popped the bubble letting their passengers fall ungently on the ground. Shocked by the sudden impact, the still sleeping panther woke up with a steep cry followed by a suppressed laughter from Raja's side. Exchanging mischievous views, they then looked back to the two phalanxes now blinking rapidly under the exit of the sinkhole. This was seemingly meant as a sign for Terminus, as they heard an earth-shattering 'Finally' echoing all the way down to them. A silent whistling, getting louder and louder with every second passed. The exit lighted up slightly, then more, getting visibly hotter. The exit of the sinkhole spat out a giant dome of fire followed by a metallic, slightly red glowing, metallic giant. The whistling was now a screeching, remembering at a bomb falling. Mere meters over the ground Terminus abruptly stopped using all his phalanxes to create a strong gravity field slowing him down until he briefly hovered in mid-air. Switching then to zero-gravity, the red glowing god looked down to his sheep, an aura of joy and childish pride evaporating from his body. Ushering Dross and Raja further away Terminus hovered over to the platform dissipating his bubble and reforming his hands. The red god looked back at the now burning pile of trash shaking his head:

"So much trash and next to no treasure. Better cremate the junk, when I get the chance on doing so. Keep your helmets on, my children, for your lungs safety. Anyway, we are there. In this cave, we will find somebody, who might be able to help you with your condition, Dross. Follow me closely, but please not too closely until I cooled down."

Raja looked over to Dross, and he looked back. Both uttering nonsense, completely blown away by Terminus's fiery entrance. In the end, they both just shrugged it off following the still hot glowing Terminus in the unknown cave in the deep.


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